Wrestling Gold Collection 2 - Main Event

Rating:
Summary: Not bad at all
Review: The matches on this DVD are pretty good. My favorite match is the 6 man tag match with Dick The Bruiser, The Crusher, and little Bruiser vs. The Blackjacks and Bobby Heenan. The other matches will keep you interested as well, good DVD to own if you like old wrestling.

Rating:
Summary: Old-School Wrestling Classics on DVD
Review: Wrestling Gold Collection 2: The Maim Event, part II of a V part series, collects vintage wrestling matches from the 1970s and 1980s. This particular volume contains 12 matches.

Besides the matches this volume also contains two biographical sketches, one for the late Bruiser Brody, the brawling legend, and one for Jim Cornette, the legendary wrestling manager (promoter/announcer) who co-hosts this video series.

Here's a rundown of the featured matches:

1. The Rock N' Roll Express (Ricky Morton/Robert Gibson) vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage and "Leaping" Lanny Poffo (w/ Angelo Poffo): The RnRs were one of the top teams of the 1980s. Savage is a modern wrestling legend. Lanny was his underrated brother who had some success in the late 80s/early 90's WWF. Great match with tons of brawling and high spots. Savage and Lanny look awesome!!! Plus, a great post-match brawl and table spot (in the early 80s)!!! The match was definitely ahead of its time!!! 4 ¾ stars.

2. Manny Fernandez vs. Nick Bockwinkle (champ): From Texas (SCW) for the AWA Heavyweight Title. An awesome back and forth scientific classic that went all the way down to the wire between two major stars of the 70s. 4 ¾ stars.

3. The Sheik vs. Mark Lewin: For the US Heavyweight Title/Loser Leaves Town Match. The Sheik is the uncle of ECW/Indy legend Sabu. Decent brawl notable for its "fiery" finish. 3 stars.

4. David and Kerry Von Erich vs. Gene Yates and Killer Krupp: From Texas. The Von Erichs were the tragic Texas/wrestling legends from the 80s. An okay match from their rookie season (and it shows). 3 stars.

5. The Fabulous Ones (Steve Keirn and Stan Lane) vs. the PYT Express (Koko Ware and Norval): From Memphis. Lane went on to greater fame as 1/2 of the (definitive version of the) Midnight Express w/ Bobby Eaton. Koko Ware went on to superstardom in the 1980's WWF as "Birdman" Koko B. Ware. Above average match. 4 stars.

6. The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal w/ Paul Ellering) vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler and Austin Idol: From Memphis for the tag titles. The Road Warriors (the greatest tag team of the 1980s and early 1990s) in their rookie season and they were MASSIVE. Lawler, a Memphis legend, is most known as the former "pervert WWF Raw commentator." Decent match. 3 stars.

7. "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler: From Memphis for the Southern Heavyweight championship. Vintage Macho Man. Both men looked awesome. Too bad it had a crappy finish. 4 ¾ stars.

8. The Samoans (Afa and Sika w/ "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd) vs. Ted DiBiase and Bob Roop: From Shreveport, LO, Mid-South Wrestling. The Samoans were tag legends during the 70s and early 80s. DiBiase went on to become a top star of the 80s and early 90's WWF as the "Million Dollar Man." Roop was an "Olympic Hero" and Louisiana legend. Solid match between the brawlers and scientific wrestlers. 4 stars.

9. Bruno Sammartino, Dick the Bruiser vs. Baron Von Raschke and "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd w/ "Pretty Boy" Bobby Heenan: 1970s style star-studded match. Bruno is the legendary Heavyweight champion. The 3 others were top superstars of the 70s. Heenan is a legendary manager/announcer. From Indianapolis in 1973. Okay match. REALLY hot crowd (REALLY into Bruno). 4 stars.

10. Tully Blanchard vs. Manny Fernandez: From SCW. Great match from two top-notch workers. Post match run-ins by Gino Hernandez and Chavo Guerrero Sr. 4 stars.

11. Rick Rude w/ Jim Neidhart and Angel vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler: From Memphis, 1984 for the Southern Heavyweight Championship. This is Rude's rookie season. Great match from both. Memphis star-studded post match brawl featuring Tommy Rich, Eddie Gilbert, and the PYT Express. 4 stars.

12. Dick the Bruiser, The Crusher and Little Bruiser vs. Blackjack Mulligan and Lanza and "Pretty Boy" Bobby Heenan: Special match where Heenan actually wrestles along with midget wrestler "Little Bruiser." Great match. Little Bruiser steals the show. 4 stars.

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

Awesome: The "Insider Match Commentary." If you listen to the matches in "Insider Commentary" mode (through select audio) you can hear Cornette and Meltzer give their match play-by-play and commentary. It's a fascinating listen/insight into the stars and the business. However, you lose the "natural" sound of the original matches (commentary, crowd, etc)...

Good: Seeing all the old-school superstars (Savage, the Road Warriors, Bruno, etc).

Bad: Only TWO biographies??? Brody's was great BUT, if they really wanted to immortalize the older legends, more of their bios should have been on here (as opposed to Cornette's). Plus, I HATE how the biography scrolls. It's very fast and difficult to keep up with...

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.

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 (Bockwinkle/Fernandez), hardcore (Sheik/Lewin) aerial (RnR/Savage, Poffo), etc. There's something for everyone. Plus, you'll see legends like Bruno Sammartino and Dick the Bruiser. 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: Old-School Wrestling Classics on DVD
Review: Wrestling Gold Collection 2: The Maim Event, part II of a V part series, collects vintage wrestling matches from the 1970s and 1980s. This particular volume contains 12 matches.

Besides the matches this volume also contains two biographical sketches, one for the late Bruiser Brody, the brawling legend, and one for Jim Cornette, the legendary wrestling manager (promoter/announcer) who co-hosts this video series.

Here's a rundown of the featured matches:

1.The Rock N' Roll Express (Ricky Morton/Robert Gibson) vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage and "Leaping" Lanny Poffo (w/ Angelo Poffo): The RnRs were one of the top teams of the 1980s. Savage is a modern wrestling legend. Lanny was his underrated brother who had some success in the late 80s/early 90's WWF. Great match with tons of brawling and high spots. Savage and Lanny look awesome!!! Plus, a great post-match brawl and table spot (in the early 80s)!!! The match was definitely ahead of its time!!! 4 ¾ stars.

2.Manny Fernandez vs. Nick Bockwinkle (champ): From Texas (SCW) for the AWA Heavyweight Title. An awesome back and forth scientific classic that went all the way down to the wire between two major stars of the 70s. 4 ¾ stars.

3.The Sheik vs. Mark Lewin: For the US Heavyweight Title/Loser Leaves Town Match. The Sheik is the uncle of ECW/Indy legend Sabu. Decent brawl notable for its "fiery" finish. 3 stars.

4.David and Kerry Von Erich vs. Gene Yates and Killer Krupp: From Texas. The Von Erichs were the tragic Texas/wrestling legends from the 80s. An okay match from their rookie season (and it shows). 3 stars.

5.The Fabulous Ones (Steve Keirn and Stan Lane) vs. the PYT Express (Koko Ware and Norval): From Memphis. Lane went on to greater fame as 1/2 of the (definitive version of the) Midnight Express w/ Bobby Eaton. Koko Ware went on to superstardom in the 1980's WWF as "Birdman" Koko B. Ware. Above average match. 4 stars.

6.The Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal w/ Paul Ellering) vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler and Austin Idol: From Memphis for the tag titles. The Road Warriors (the greatest tag team of the 1980s and early 1990s) in their rookie season and they were MASSIVE. Lawler, a Memphis legend, is most known as the former "pervert WWF Raw commentator." Decent match. 3 stars.

7."Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler: From Memphis for the Southern Heavyweight championship. Vintage Macho Man. Both men looked awesome. Too bad it had a crappy finish. 4 ¾ stars.

8.The Samoans (Afa and Sika w/ "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd) vs. Ted DiBiase and Bob Roop: From Shreveport, LO, Mid-South Wrestling. The Samoans were tag legends during the 70s and early 80s. DiBiase went on to become a top star of the 80s and early 90's WWF as the "Million Dollar Man." Roop was an "Olympic Hero" and Louisiana legend. Solid match between the brawlers and scientific wrestlers. 4 stars.

9.Bruno Sammartino, Dick the Bruiser vs. Baron Von Raschke and "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd w/ "Pretty Boy" Bobby Heenan: 1970s style star-studded match. Bruno is the legendary Heavyweight champion. The 3 others were top superstars of the 70s. Heenan is a legendary manager/announcer. From Indianapolis in 1973. Okay match. REALLY hot crowd (REALLY into Bruno). 4 stars.

10.Tully Blanchard vs. Manny Fernandez: From SCW. Great match from two top-notch workers. Post match run-ins by Gino Hernandez and Chavo Guerrero Sr. 4 stars.

11.Rick Rude w/ Jim Neidhart and Angel vs. Jerry "The King" Lawler: From Memphis, 1984 for the Southern Heavyweight Championship. This is Rude's rookie season. Great match from both. Memphis star-studded post match brawl featuring Tommy Rich, Eddie Gilbert, and the PYT Express. 4 stars.

12.Dick the Bruiser, The Crusher and Little Bruiser vs. Blackjack Mulligan and Lanza and "Pretty Boy" Bobby Heenan: Special match where Heenan actually wrestles along with midget wrestler "Little Bruiser." Great match. Little Bruiser steals the show. 4 stars.

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

Awesome: The "Insider Match Commentary." If you listen to the matches in "Insider Commentary" mode (through select audio) you can hear Cornette and Meltzer give their match play-by-play and commentary. It's a fascinating listen/insight into the stars and the business. However, you lose the "natural" sound of the original matches (commentary, crowd, etc)...

Good: Seeing all the old-school superstars (Savage, the Road Warriors, Bruno, etc).

Bad: Only TWO biographies??? Brody's was great BUT, if they really wanted to immortalize the older legends, more of their bios should have been on here (as opposed to Cornette's). Plus, I HATE how the biography scrolls. It's very fast and difficult to keep up with...

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.

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 (Bockwinkle/Fernandez), hardcore (Sheik/Lewin) aerial (RnR/Savage, Poffo), etc. There's something for everyone. Plus, you'll see legends like Bruno Sammartino and Dick the Bruiser. 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)