Wrestling Gold Collection 4 - No More

Rating:
Summary: A Great Look At Wrestling History...
Review: Wrestling Gold Collection 4: No More Mr. Nice Guy, part IV of a V part series, collects vintage wrestling matches from the 1970s and 1980s. This particular volume contains 12 matches.

The biggest sell of this DVD series is the optional "Insider Commentary" (from Select Audio screen) from series hosts Jim Cornette (noted wrestling manager/promoter) and Dave Meltzer (noted wrestling journalist) which can be turned on in lieu of the original match audio. The insider commentary offers great insights into wrestling history, the superstars and the world of wrestling in general.

Though this collection is referred to as "Wrestling Gold" perhaps a better name for this particularly volume would have been "The Best of Memphis Wrestling" which is where most of these matches were pulled from. Here's a rundown of the featured matches on this volume:

1. Randy "Macho Man" Savage (w/ Angelo Poffo) vs. Rick Rude (w/ Jimmy Hart): Early 80s Memphis. Both men went on to SUPER stardom as both are multi-time heavyweight champions. Okay match. Big stall-fest. King Kong Bundy run-in. 3 stars.

2. Andre the Giant vs. The Sheik (w/ Abdullah Farouk AKA The Grand Wizard): Toronto, 1974. Great seeing Andre in his prime. Both men were huge legends in this sport. The Sheik, in particular, was a legend in Toronto, known today as "Sabu's uncle." One-sided squash for Andre notable for the "fiery finish." 3 stars.

3. Pampero Firpo vs. Jeff Doney: Firpo was an Argentine also known as the "Wild Bull of the Pampas" who teamed up with the Sheik. Squash match. 3 stars.

4. Bruiser Brody and Scott Casey vs. Kelly Kiniski and the Spoiler: San Antonio, early 80s. Brody was the legendary Brawler. Casey and the Spoiler were mainstays in Texas wrestling. Casey went on to achieve VERY mild success in the late 80s WWF. Kiniski is the son of former NWA champion Gene Kiniski. Great mat classic in this match. 4 stars.

5. Jerry "The King" Lawler and Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. King Kong Bundy and Rick Rude: Memphis, 1985. Star-studded tag match featuring 4 modern-day legends of the sport. AWESOME tag match showing Lawler and Savage at their best. 4 ¾ stars.

6. Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Don Kent: Early 70s. Shark Cage match. Strongbow was a legend throughout the Northeast in the 70s. Don Kent was one half of the Fabulous Kangaroos. Interesting match that took place in a VERY mobility limiting shark cage. Definitely NOT something you see everyday. Mark Lewin run-in. 5 stars just because it's something unique.

7. Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. Austin Idol: Memphis, early 80s for the International title. Idol was a Memphis legend and a big star throughout the South. Savage at his finest. AWESOME match. 5 stars.

8. Terrible Ted the Wrestling Bear vs. Gene DuBois: from the 50s/60s. Wrestling bears (yes, REAL bears) were big draws during the 50s/60s/70s. This match is a special treat. While it is NOT a great classic, it is definitely a great novelty to see. The ref gets in on the action too!!! 5 stars.

9. Rick Rude (w/ Angel) vs. Tommy Rich (w/ Tojo Yamamoto): Memphis, early 80s for the Southern Heavyweight title. Tommy Rich was a former NWA Heavyweight champion and big star throughout the South. A pretty decent match notable for one HORRIBLY blown spot. Lawler run-in. 4 stars.

10. Jerry "The King" Lawler vs. Nick Bockwinkle (champ): Memphis 1983 for the AWA Heavyweight title. Another 5 star classic for Bockwinkle. AWESOME old-school match with great back and forth action. 5 stars.

11. Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. Austin Idol: Memphis '84. Another great match with these two. Too bad it had a cheap finish. 4 stars.

12. Bobby Heenan (w/ Blackjack Mulligan and Lanza) vs. Cowboy Bob Ellis: Vintage Bobby Heenan trying to squeak out of a match. Ellis with the beat down on everyone. DUD.

Wrestling wise, this is a GREAT DVD. Here's my rundown:

Price of Admission Alone: The novelty of the Bear match and the GREAT action with Lawler/Bockwinkle and Savage/Idol and also seeing Andre in his prime.

Awesome: The "Insider Match Commentary." It's a fascinating listen/insight into the stars and the business. You'll learn a GREAT deal about the history of the business and the stars that made it. Also, many of the anecdotes that Cornette shares are PRICELESS.

Good: Seeing all the old-school superstars (Savage, Andre, Bundy, the Blackjacks, Heenan, etc).

Whoa: Where'd the biographies go????

Could Improve: The match intros by Cornette and Meltzer. They do a good job of introducing the matches and placing them in context of the feuds and time, BUT they neglect to mention important details (for most) such as the DATES of these contests. It's something they should mention, plus also put on the box. To get this basic info you'll have to listen with "Insider Commentary" turned on.

Unforgiveable: Misprint on the box. Match 9 (Funk/Putski vs. Hernandez/Blanchard) was NOT on this volume, but rather volume I.

Overall, this is a great DVD if you are into old-school style matches and stars. The matches in this volume are great!!! You'll get a good mix of scientific (Lawler/Bockwinkle), (Savage/Idol), hardcore (Strongbow/Kent), etc. There's something for everyone. Plus, you'll see legends like Andre the Giant, the wrestling bear, the Sheik, and Chief Jay Strongbow and even contemporary favorites who are no longer with us (Rude, Bruiser Brody, etc). If you are a wrestling nostalgist THIS IS FOR YOU. Definitely give this a watch. You'll see many of the older stars of today back in their prime or as rookies. Also, you'll get to see some of the legends that older fans always reminisce about. Plus, if you want a great lesson in wrestling history, listen to it in "Insider Commentary" mode. It's a fascinating listen.

Highly Recommended (for nostalgia)

Rating:
Summary: A Great Look At Wrestling History...
Review: Wrestling Gold Collection 4: No More Mr. Nice Guy, part IV of a V part series, collects vintage wrestling matches from the 1970s and 1980s. This particular volume contains 12 matches.

The biggest sell of this DVD series is the optional "Insider Commentary" (from Select Audio screen) from series hosts Jim Cornette (noted wrestling manager/promoter) and Dave Meltzer (noted wrestling journalist) which can be turned on in lieu of the original match audio. The insider commentary offers great insights into wrestling history, the superstars and the world of wrestling in general.

Though this collection is referred to as "Wrestling Gold" perhaps a better name for this particularly volume would have been "The Best of Memphis Wrestling" which is where most of these matches were pulled from. Here's a rundown of the featured matches on this volume:

1.Randy "Macho Man" Savage (w/ Angelo Poffo) vs. Rick Rude (w/ Jimmy Hart): Early 80s Memphis. Both men went on to SUPER stardom as both are multi-time heavyweight champions. Okay match. Big stall-fest. King Kong Bundy run-in. 3 stars.

2.Andre the Giant vs. The Sheik (w/ Abdullah Farouk AKA The Grand Wizard): Toronto, 1974. Great seeing Andre in his prime. Both men were huge legends in this sport. The Sheik, in particular, was a legend in Toronto, known today as "Sabu's uncle." One-sided squash for Andre notable for the "fiery finish." 3 stars.

3.Pampero Firpo vs. Jeff Doney: Firpo was an Argentine also known as the "Wild Bull of the Pampas" who teamed up with the Sheik. Squash match. 3 stars.

4.Bruiser Brody and Scott Casey vs. Kelly Kiniski and the Spoiler: San Antonio, early 80s. Brody was the legendary Brawler. Casey and the Spoiler were mainstays in Texas wrestling. Casey went on to achieve VERY mild success in the late 80s WWF. Kiniski is the son of former NWA champion Gene Kiniski. Great mat classic in this match. 4 stars.

5.Jerry "The King" Lawler and Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. King Kong Bundy and Rick Rude: Memphis, 1985. Star-studded tag match featuring 4 modern-day legends of the sport. AWESOME tag match showing Lawler and Savage at their best. 4 ¾ stars.

6.Chief Jay Strongbow vs. Don Kent: Early 70s. Shark Cage match. Strongbow was a legend throughout the Northeast in the 70s. Don Kent was one half of the Fabulous Kangaroos. Interesting match that took place in a VERY mobility limiting shark cage. Definitely NOT something you see everyday. Mark Lewin run-in. 5 stars just because it's something unique.

7.Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. Austin Idol: Memphis, early 80s for the International title. Idol was a Memphis legend and a big star throughout the South. Savage at his finest. AWESOME match. 5 stars.

8.Terrible Ted the Wrestling Bear vs. Gene DuBois: from the 50s/60s. Wrestling bears (yes, REAL bears) were big draws during the 50s/60s/70s. This match is a special treat. While it is NOT a great classic, it is definitely a great novelty to see. The ref gets in on the action too!!! 5 stars.

9.Rick Rude (w/ Angel) vs. Tommy Rich (w/ Tojo Yamamoto): Memphis, early 80s for the Southern Heavyweight title. Tommy Rich was a former NWA Heavyweight champion and big star throughout the South. A pretty decent match notable for one HORRIBLY blown spot. Lawler run-in. 4 stars.

10.Jerry "The King" Lawler vs. Nick Bockwinkle (champ): Memphis 1983 for the AWA Heavyweight title. Another 5 star classic for Bockwinkle. AWESOME old-school match with great back and forth action. 5 stars.

11.Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. Austin Idol: Memphis '84. Another great match with these two. Too bad it had a cheap finish. 4 stars.

12.Bobby Heenan (w/ Blackjack Mulligan and Lanza) vs. Cowboy Bob Ellis: Vintage Bobby Heenan trying to squeak out of a match. Ellis with the beat down on everyone. DUD.

Wrestling wise, this is a GREAT DVD. Here's my rundown:

Price of Admission Alone: The novelty of the Bear match and the GREAT action with Lawler/Bockwinkle and Savage/Idol and also seeing Andre in his prime.

Awesome: The "Insider Match Commentary." It's a fascinating listen/insight into the stars and the business. You'll learn a GREAT deal about the history of the business and the stars that made it. Also, many of the anecdotes that Cornette shares are PRICELESS.

Good: Seeing all the old-school superstars (Savage, Andre, Bundy, the Blackjacks, Heenan, etc).

Whoa: Where'd the biographies go????

Could Improve: The match intros by Cornette and Meltzer. They do a good job of introducing the matches and placing them in context of the feuds and time, BUT they neglect to mention important details (for most) such as the DATES of these contests. It's something they should mention, plus also put on the box. To get this basic info you'll have to listen with "Insider Commentary" turned on.

Unforgiveable: Misprint on the box. Match 9 (Funk/Putski vs. Hernandez/Blanchard) was NOT on this volume, but rather volume I.

Overall, this is a great DVD if you are into old-school style matches and stars. The matches in this volume are great!!! You'll get a good mix of scientific (Lawler/Bockwinkle), (Savage/Idol), hardcore (Strongbow/Kent), etc. There's something for everyone. Plus, you'll see legends like Andre the Giant, the wrestling bear, the Sheik, and Chief Jay Strongbow and even contemporary favorites who are no longer with us (Rude, Bruiser Brody, etc). If you are a wrestling nostalgist THIS IS FOR YOU. Definitely give this a watch. You'll see many of the older stars of today back in their prime or as rookies. Also, you'll get to see some of the legends that older fans always reminisce about. Plus, if you want a great lesson in wrestling history, listen to it in "Insider Commentary" mode. It's a fascinating listen.

Highly Recommended (for nostalgia)