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This is Ultimate Wrestling: Steve Austin - Master of Mayhem

This is Ultimate Wrestling: Steve Austin - Master of Mayhem

List Price: $9.98
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Stone Cold ' Year One
Review: Long before he revolutionized the world of Sports Entertainment as the middle-finger sticking, beer guzzling, 'What' yelling, Rattlesnake of the WWF, even long before his semi-fame as a member of the Dangerous Alliance and Hollywood Blondes in WCW, Steve Williams was 'Stunning' Steve Austin, a hot rookie in the legendary WCCW/USWA promotion based out of Dallas, Texas. This bargain priced DVD chronicles 5 of his matches out of his rookie year in the USWA.

Here are the contents of this DVD:

THE MATCHES

1.Eric Embry and Steve Austin w/ Tojo Yamamoto vs. 'Gorgeous' Gary Young and 'Superstar' Bill Dundee: Embry was THE top star of the USWA in the late 80's and early 90's. Young and Dundee were stars out of the Memphis territory (which merged with World Class to form the USWA). This is a good old-school tag match. The match itself gets off to a slow start but totally picks up toward the middle to a really hot finish. Notable thing about this match: Dr. Tom Pritchard, currently a WWF official, was doing color commentary for this match. One of his quotes (paraphrased), 'I'm very impressed with this rookie Austin. He'll be big one day.' I don't think even Pritchard had any idea' 12 minutes. My rating: 3 ½ stars.

2.Austin w/ Jeanie Clark vs. 'Big' Al Clinton: Clark was Austin's valet at the time and was in fact his wife. Clinton (WHO???) is this REALLY big, flabby, fat guy who was the jobber of the day for Austin. This is a basic jobber squash for Austin notable for a few things: 1 - Austin delivers some pretty mean lip to Clinton showing some of that Rattlesnake thrash-talking a good 7 years before hand, 2 ' Austin delivers a 'Superfly' splash!!! (???) and 3 ' in typical heel fashion, Jeanie gets some post-match shots in on Clinton. 4 minutes. 2 stars.

3.'Missouri Tiger' Jeff Gaylord, Sheik Braddock and Austin w/General Skandor Akbar vs. 'Gentleman' Chris Adams, 'Maniac' Matt Borne and Eric Embry: Gaylord and Braddock were two USWA workers. Akbar was a top heel manager in the territory for YEARS. Adams, who passed away in 2001, was a legendary top talent in Texas for almost two decades and was in fact Austin's trainer. Borne was a prolific worker throughout the South and had a stint in WCW as Big Josh. He is probably best known though as the original Doink the Clown in the WWF. This was a solid match with tons of nice spots and great action. The crowd was very hot for this one. 12 minutes. 3 stars.

4.Austin w/ Jeanie vs. Jimmy James: Another jobber squash for Austin. Decent spots. 3 minutes. 2 stars.

5.Austin and Percy Pringle III vs. Chris Von Erich and Chris Adams: Pringle was a heel manager in the USWA and throughout the South. He is best-known as WWF/Undertaker manager Paul Bearer. The late Chris Von Erich was the youngest and smallest of the legendary Von Erich wrestling brothers. Unfortunately his limited size and health did not allow him to excel as his brothers did and that led him to suicide shortly afterward. This match was a payoff match to a feud between Pringle and Von Erich and the crowd was HOT for this match. Tons of comedy spots with Von Erich and Pringle. Austin's top feud in the USWA was in fact with Adams where they did a 'student vs. teacher' angle. Austin and Adams did most of the work here. All in all, not a great match, but very fun and entertaining. 10 minutes. 3 ½ stars.

THE DVD Extras

The extras on the DVD are somewhat laughable. Included on this DVD (and the other 4 in this series) are:

1.A slide show of stills from various matches in this series.

2.A trivia quiz on Austin and the matches featured on this DVD.

In other words, the extras are all right for a look but otherwise are throwaways'

THE VERDICT:

Overall, at [the] cover price, this DVD is actually quite the bargain. The matches and extras are a little sparse, but they are golden for wrestling nostalgists. The matches themselves, while not overly great, aren't that bad. The tag matches on this volume in particular are quite entertaining.

This DVD is definitely must viewing for Stone Cold fans/enthusiasts/completists. Fans of the WCCW/USWA circa '89/'90 will also appreciate this DVD.

This is definitely a rental if you are looking strictly for the action. The action is passable but not a must-see. The true value in this is for collectors, particularly Austin fans or USWA (Embry, Adams, etc) fans. It's a great look at the genesis of the career of one of Sports Entertainment's most influential stars.

Recommended.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Stone Cold � Year One
Review: Long before he revolutionized the world of Sports Entertainment as the middle-finger sticking, beer guzzling, �What� yelling, Rattlesnake of the WWF, even long before his semi-fame as a member of the Dangerous Alliance and Hollywood Blondes in WCW, Steve Williams was �Stunning� Steve Austin, a hot rookie in the legendary WCCW/USWA promotion based out of Dallas, Texas. This bargain priced DVD chronicles 5 of his matches out of his rookie year in the USWA.

Here are the contents of this DVD:

THE MATCHES

1. Eric Embry and Steve Austin w/ Tojo Yamamoto vs. �Gorgeous� Gary Young and �Superstar� Bill Dundee: Embry was THE top star of the USWA in the late 80�s and early 90�s. Young and Dundee were stars out of the Memphis territory (which merged with World Class to form the USWA). This is a good old-school tag match. The match itself gets off to a slow start but totally picks up toward the middle to a really hot finish. Notable thing about this match: Dr. Tom Pritchard, currently a WWF official, was doing color commentary for this match. One of his quotes (paraphrased), �I�m very impressed with this rookie Austin. He�ll be big one day.� I don�t think even Pritchard had any idea� 12 minutes. My rating: 3 ½ stars.

2. Austin w/ Jeanie Clark vs. �Big� Al Clinton: Clark was Austin�s valet at the time and was in fact his wife. Clinton (WHO???) is this REALLY big, flabby, fat guy who was the jobber of the day for Austin. This is a basic jobber squash for Austin notable for a few things: 1 - Austin delivers some pretty mean lip to Clinton showing some of that Rattlesnake thrash-talking a good 7 years before hand, 2 � Austin delivers a �Superfly� splash!!! (???) and 3 � in typical heel fashion, Jeanie gets some post-match shots in on Clinton. 4 minutes. 2 stars.

3. �Missouri Tiger� Jeff Gaylord, Sheik Braddock and Austin w/General Skandor Akbar vs. �Gentleman� Chris Adams, �Maniac� Matt Borne and Eric Embry: Gaylord and Braddock were two USWA workers. Akbar was a top heel manager in the territory for YEARS. Adams, who passed away in 2001, was a legendary top talent in Texas for almost two decades and was in fact Austin�s trainer. Borne was a prolific worker throughout the South and had a stint in WCW as Big Josh. He is probably best known though as the original Doink the Clown in the WWF. This was a solid match with tons of nice spots and great action. The crowd was very hot for this one. 12 minutes. 3 stars.

4. Austin w/ Jeanie vs. Jimmy James: Another jobber squash for Austin. Decent spots. 3 minutes. 2 stars.

5. Austin and Percy Pringle III vs. Chris Von Erich and Chris Adams: Pringle was a heel manager in the USWA and throughout the South. He is best-known as WWF/Undertaker manager Paul Bearer. The late Chris Von Erich was the youngest and smallest of the legendary Von Erich wrestling brothers. Unfortunately his limited size and health did not allow him to excel as his brothers did and that led him to suicide shortly afterward. This match was a payoff match to a feud between Pringle and Von Erich and the crowd was HOT for this match. Tons of comedy spots with Von Erich and Pringle. Austin�s top feud in the USWA was in fact with Adams where they did a �student vs. teacher� angle. Austin and Adams did most of the work here. All in all, not a great match, but very fun and entertaining. 10 minutes. 3 ½ stars.

THE DVD Extras

The extras on the DVD are somewhat laughable. Included on this DVD (and the other 4 in this series) are:

1. A slide show of stills from various matches in this series.

2. A trivia quiz on Austin and the matches featured on this DVD.

In other words, the extras are all right for a look but otherwise are throwaways�

THE VERDICT:

Overall, at [the] cover price, this DVD is actually quite the bargain. The matches and extras are a little sparse, but they are golden for wrestling nostalgists. The matches themselves, while not overly great, aren�t that bad. The tag matches on this volume in particular are quite entertaining.

This DVD is definitely must viewing for Stone Cold fans/enthusiasts/completists. Fans of the WCCW/USWA circa �89/�90 will also appreciate this DVD.

This is definitely a rental if you are looking strictly for the action. The action is passable but not a must-see. The true value in this is for collectors, particularly Austin fans or USWA (Embry, Adams, etc) fans. It�s a great look at the genesis of the career of one of Sports Entertainment�s most influential stars.

Recommended.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: For fans of Stone Cold or WCCW/USWA only.
Review: Madacy has released a handful of DVD's from World Class and the USWA featuring former superstars who went on to greatness. Cactus Jack, Jeff Jarrett, Steve Austin got their own. There are also two compilation discs.

Steve Austin - Master of Mayhem. This DVD is worth the price just to see Austin with hair. This is around 1989-90 from WCCW and Austin is a rookie or in his second year for most of the matches. Austin's USWA heel act is VERY reminiscent of Chris Jericho's current (04/2002) act.

Austin/Eric Embry vs. Bill Dundee and Gary Young - Typical southern U.S. tag formula. Austin is a completely different person here than Stone Col. Embry was booker for WCCW for what seems like forever. Dundee and Young didn't amount to much in either WCW or WWF. **1/2

Austin vs. Al Clinton - Just a squash for Austin to showcase his stuff. Austin in surfer gear just looks wrong. *1/2

Austin/Sheik Braddock & Jeff Gaylord vs. Chris Adams, Matt Bourne & Embry - Gaylord had a good look and was for the WWF for a while before they found out he couldn't wrestle. Bourne was Doink the Clown and Big Josh in WCW. He was even in the first Wrestlemania as himself. Chris Adams wife Jeannie left him for Austin both in storyline and real life. She looks JUST like Debra who would also marry Austin. This match is energetic enough because of the number of people involved. **3/4

Austin vs. Jimmy James - Bleh match whose sole purpose is to put Austin over. Jimmy James is so non-descript I forgot his name as I was typing this.

Austin/Percival Pringle vs. Adams/Chris Von Erich - The story here is when Austin is in it is even or he dominates, but when Pringle (Paul Bearer) is in, his side loses. Typcial WCCW-style match with a hot crowd. ***

For a real best of Steve Austin try finding a DVD called Steve Austin (Before They Were Stars). It features many of these matches, PLUS 2 Austin/Jeannie Clark vs. Chris Adams/Toni Adams matches that are really the best of what Austin did in USWA. Still this is pretty good if your a fan of Austin or USWA, but if you're an average wrestling fan feel free to avoid.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: For fans of Stone Cold or WCCW/USWA only.
Review: Madacy has released a handful of DVD's from World Class and the USWA featuring former superstars who went on to greatness. Cactus Jack, Jeff Jarrett, Steve Austin got their own. There are also two compilation discs.

Steve Austin - Master of Mayhem. This DVD is worth the price just to see Austin with hair. This is around 1989-90 from WCCW and Austin is a rookie or in his second year for most of the matches. Austin's USWA heel act is VERY reminiscent of Chris Jericho's current (04/2002) act.

Austin/Eric Embry vs. Bill Dundee and Gary Young - Typical southern U.S. tag formula. Austin is a completely different person here than Stone Col. Embry was booker for WCCW for what seems like forever. Dundee and Young didn't amount to much in either WCW or WWF. **1/2

Austin vs. Al Clinton - Just a squash for Austin to showcase his stuff. Austin in surfer gear just looks wrong. *1/2

Austin/Sheik Braddock & Jeff Gaylord vs. Chris Adams, Matt Bourne & Embry - Gaylord had a good look and was for the WWF for a while before they found out he couldn't wrestle. Bourne was Doink the Clown and Big Josh in WCW. He was even in the first Wrestlemania as himself. Chris Adams wife Jeannie left him for Austin both in storyline and real life. She looks JUST like Debra who would also marry Austin. This match is energetic enough because of the number of people involved. **3/4

Austin vs. Jimmy James - Bleh match whose sole purpose is to put Austin over. Jimmy James is so non-descript I forgot his name as I was typing this.

Austin/Percival Pringle vs. Adams/Chris Von Erich - The story here is when Austin is in it is even or he dominates, but when Pringle (Paul Bearer) is in, his side loses. Typcial WCCW-style match with a hot crowd. ***

For a real best of Steve Austin try finding a DVD called Steve Austin (Before They Were Stars). It features many of these matches, PLUS 2 Austin/Jeannie Clark vs. Chris Adams/Toni Adams matches that are really the best of what Austin did in USWA. Still this is pretty good if your a fan of Austin or USWA, but if you're an average wrestling fan feel free to avoid.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Fans from today will hate this.
Review: The matches here are pretty [bad], the only one with talent here is Chris Adams and Steve Austin. Anyways the matches are:(ps these matches are from the USWA days located in Texas)

Steve Austin - Master of Mayhem. It depends how much you're paying here, im from Canada and payed bout 10 bucks for it on DVD thats like 6 bucks american so dont pay more than 10 bucks for those in the states. He looks like Y2j here and kinda neat to see him in his rookie years.(04/2002)

Austin/Eric Embry vs. Bill Dundee and Gary Young - Seemed forever but its only bout 10 minutes, its basically headlocks and stalling moves. Ending is fun as Gary and Bill get beat up with handcuffs and Bruce Pritchard joins in the beating of Gary and Bill. *1/2

Austin vs. Al Clinton - jobber squash for big al, this match i enjoyed as steve picks ups this fat guy twice and then does a five star frog splash twice! ***

Austin/Sheik Braddock & Jeff Gaylord vs. Chris Adams, Matt Bourne & Embry - Matt Bourne is Doink! and Chris Adams tragically died in 2001 by a rifle. To the match it was slow and long and a bit entertaining, the heels all get beat up in the end though. **

Austin vs. Jimmy James - this match is to make austin look good, he does a different sort of stunner as ull see it there. Jeannie (his 1st wife) looks like Debra. 1/2*

Austin/Percival Pringle vs. Adams/Chris Von Erich - The crowd loved this match , Percival Pringle is Paul Bearer , skinnier though and Chris Von Erich also died by commiting suicide at 21 with a 9mm pistol to his head.
The match was entertaining as Chris Von Erich and Paul Bearer were wrestling horrible in a jokingly way , its pretty funny. **1/2

EXTRAS: a slide show including goldust as dustin rhodes, cactus jack and andre the giant, j.lawler , JYD etc..

a 5 question quiz about austin

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Fans from today will hate this.
Review: The matches here are pretty [bad], the only one with talent here is Chris Adams and Steve Austin. Anyways the matches are:(ps these matches are from the USWA days located in Texas)

Steve Austin - Master of Mayhem. It depends how much you're paying here, im from Canada and payed bout 10 bucks for it on DVD thats like 6 bucks american so dont pay more than 10 bucks for those in the states. He looks like Y2j here and kinda neat to see him in his rookie years.(04/2002)

Austin/Eric Embry vs. Bill Dundee and Gary Young - Seemed forever but its only bout 10 minutes, its basically headlocks and stalling moves. Ending is fun as Gary and Bill get beat up with handcuffs and Bruce Pritchard joins in the beating of Gary and Bill. *1/2

Austin vs. Al Clinton - jobber squash for big al, this match i enjoyed as steve picks ups this fat guy twice and then does a five star frog splash twice! ***

Austin/Sheik Braddock & Jeff Gaylord vs. Chris Adams, Matt Bourne & Embry - Matt Bourne is Doink! and Chris Adams tragically died in 2001 by a rifle. To the match it was slow and long and a bit entertaining, the heels all get beat up in the end though. **

Austin vs. Jimmy James - this match is to make austin look good, he does a different sort of stunner as ull see it there. Jeannie (his 1st wife) looks like Debra. 1/2*

Austin/Percival Pringle vs. Adams/Chris Von Erich - The crowd loved this match , Percival Pringle is Paul Bearer , skinnier though and Chris Von Erich also died by commiting suicide at 21 with a 9mm pistol to his head.
The match was entertaining as Chris Von Erich and Paul Bearer were wrestling horrible in a jokingly way , its pretty funny. **1/2

EXTRAS: a slide show including goldust as dustin rhodes, cactus jack and andre the giant, j.lawler , JYD etc..

a 5 question quiz about austin

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Steve Austin Master of Mayhem
Review: These matches were taken from the USWA around 1990. Pretty cool DVD for nostalgia reasons. The only thing i didn't like was that the tag match with Gary Young was cut short, very short. the rest of the video is pretty decent though. note that the crowd is really into the action even during the dull moments. None of the matches are history making, but for the price and to see a little early Steve Austin rookie footage it is very worth it.


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