Since I started watching wrestling in early 2002, I missed out on the Monday Night Wars era of wrestling and thus WCW Monday Nitro altogether. I’ve always been fascinated with the way WCW was run, though, and I think this DVD personifies everything good and bad about WCW. In my opinion, the creation and early days of the nWo remains one of the greatest (if not the greatest) wrestling angles of all time, and seeing so many of those moments in one place is great to see. Sure, the matches featuring a lot of the older talent weren’t great, but as this DVD shows, those matches were usually kept fairly short, and the storylines are always focused on to try to hide the in-ring action. Balancing this out is the great in-ring action of the cruiserweights. Although I don’t think you get any truly classic cruiserweight matches on this DVD, the DVD still paints a good picture of the balance of action you were getting during the heyday of Nitro.
For me, the two standout matches on this DVD are both World Heavyweight Championship matches: Goldberg Vs. Hulk Hogan and DDP Vs. Sting. The Goldberg/Hogan match has been seen before, but it’s been seen a lot for good reason. When a crowd gets this heavily into a match, it’s contagious. Even if the match isn’t the most technically proficient, it’s still is a lot of fun to watch, and for me represents a peak moment for WCW. On the other hand, the DDP/Sting match is great because of the in-ring action. I’m thrilled that the WWE brought this match onto this DVD, because I didn’t even know it existed, and it may be the greatest match in the history of Nitro. The biggest criticism against this DVD is, fairly, the material on the 3rd disc from the final year of WCW. Now, I’m certainly not going to try to argue that the material is good, but I would put it in the “so bad it’s good” category. I think this is personified in the triple cage match on the DVD. From an in-ring standpoint and a booking standpoint, the match is fairly disastrous. But you certainly can’t argue that it ever got boring. Overall, I got through the 3 discs of this DVD very quickly because the materials is never boring, and some of the material surprised me in how strong the material was.
9) The Monday Night War
This DVD will always hold a special place in the annals of WWE DVD history because I think it’s the first DVD where the WWE realized what their true potential was for great compilation sets. Before this set, most of the documentaries featured on the WWE DVD’s were not very comprehensive, and focused heavily on whatever was going on in WWE at the time as a way to try to promote a particular angle or superstar. With this set, though, WWE basically completely broke “kayfabe” to tell a comprehensive history of the Monday Night War. At the time this DVD was released, Bischoff was working as the on-screen Raw General Manager, which allowed the two biggest players in the Monday Night War (Bischoff & McMahon) to both be interviewed for the DVD. Although the DVD does look back on the era in hindsight knowing that WWE ultimately won the war, I still think it gave WCW a fair amount of respect for it’s role in the industry. Plus, it never gets old to hear Gerald Brisco talk about how he wanted to “knock the crap out of” all the WCW employees.
Because this was an early WWE DVD release, there aren’t many bonus features, but you do get some memorable Attitude Era matches from the WWE, and from WCW you get the aforementioned Goldberg/Hogan match and a pretty solid match between Booker T and Chris Benoit. My two favorite extras, though, are two lesser known moments that don’t get talked about nearly enough. One is a clip from the night Jim Cornette basically gave a shoot promo on Raw talking about Nitro, which was unheard of at the time. The other is a brief discussion of the night Rick Rude appeared on both Raw and Nitro on the same night (due to Raw being taped and Nitro being lived). I think this is a fascinating moment in wrestling history that isn’t really remembered, so it’s nice to see it getting a spotlight.
8) History of the WWE Championship
Although this DVD is titled History of the WWE Championship, it really might as well be called History of the WWE. I think this is the ultimate DVD to give to a new wrestling fan to allow them to get a brief overview of the company. Each era of the WWE, from the territory era to the “superstar era” of the 80’s to the New Generation to the Attitude Era to the dawn of the PG era, are represented fairly and evenly. A good deal of the major moments in WWE history have revolved around the WWE Championship, and they all are here, from Hogan and Andre at Wrestlemania III to Rock and Austin at Wrestlemania X-Seven. If you want one DVD that truly represents the history of the company, this DVD is the one.
In terms of actual match quality, you get a ton of great matches. I’m not going to run through each one, but any DVD that can give you so many classic matches is clearly worth the price of admission. In terms of the 80’s era, I was really happy to see Hogan Vs. Savage from Wrestlemania V included. I think that was one of the top feuds of this era. Also, the Bret Vs. Owen cage match from Summerslam 1994 is one of my personal favorites. And from the modern era, I was glad to see Benoit Vs. Angle included amongst all the more famous matches from this time period, because it deserves it’s spot alongside Rock/Austin, HHH/Cactus Jack, and Rock/Brock, to name a few. This DVD also includes one of my favorite bonus features ever included on a WWE DVD: the quick run-down of every WWE title change ever. It’s fun to watch the final seconds of each of these matches all in one place in the span of about 20 minutes. It serves as a great “slideshow” of sorts for WWE history. I only wish that somehow WWE could update this slide show so that we can get the already-classic CM Punk title win from Money in the Bank 2011 in there among all these other classic moments.
7) Bret Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was…
I’ve always found the backstory behind this DVD to be an interesting story. I still remember when this DVD was first rumored, and it was going to be titled Screwed and have a very similar tone to the Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior set. Fortunately, Bret Hart got on board with the WWE, and instead we got a fascinating look into one of the more controversial members ever in the wrestling community. And documentary lived up to the hype. Bret was very open about his time in the WWE, and it was nice to see him be able to look back on his career in the WWE without the bitterness we may have seen in the Wrestling With Shadows documentary he had released a few years earlier. Many of the other superstars in the WWE also contributed to the WWE, allowing for the quintessential look at the career of the Hitman.
As far as the bonus matches go, it was no surprise that we got so many quality matches in one place. I feel like the WWE and Bret made the right choices on which matches to include. Some of these matches we expected, such as the classics between Bret and Mr. Perfect, British Bulldog, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin at Summerslam 1991, Summerslam 1992, Wrestlemania X, and Wrestlemania 13, respectively. I also feel like it was the right choice to only include 1 WCW match: his match against Chris Benoit as a tribute to Owen Hart. Bret stated in the documentary that this really was the only thing he was proud of from his WCW tenure, so it was right for it to be the only thing included. The biggest surprise to me on this DVD, though, was seeing some of the earlier matches from Bret’s career. I wasn’t too familiar with his work as a member of the Hart Foundation before watching this DVD, but Bret & Jim Neidhart put on some classic matches as a tag team against the likes of the British Bulldogs and the Rockers. And seeing a rare early match between Hart and Steamboat is a joy as well. Overall, this DVD is perfectly balanced, and is a perfect package on one of the greatest superstars of his generation.
6) Breaking the Code: Behind the Walls of Chris Jericho
To say that this DVD was highly anticipated when it was announced would be an understatement. Jericho has always been one my favorite performers, so I was thrilled to hear that a DVD set based on his career was going to be released. Fortunately, the DVD did not disappoint. Jericho was very candid when speaking about a career that, for the most part, has been without controversy. Watching the main feature of this DVD and seeing just how many great moments Jericho was a part of, it’s hard not to become a fan, if you weren’t already one. The parts of the documentary focusing on his music career I could have done without, but overall it still paints a great picture of what his career has been both in and out of the ring. Unfortunately, this is one the DVD’s that does suffer from a lack of Benoit material, but I will always think WWE has made the right choice by trying not to include him in their DVD releases if possible.
It was great to see matches from so early in Jericho’s career on this DVD, including one match from Japan with new alternate commentary featuring Jericho. Upon first glance, I was hoping for a bit more of a look at his early career in ECW and Japan, but it’s not like I wanted any of the other matches on the set to be cut. This DVD could have easily been one or two discs longer and STILL be filled with a ton of classic Chris Jericho matches. We also get to see a bunch of his greatest promos, including the great Man of 1,004 Holds bit from Nitro and his debut on Raw. Hopefully this isn’t the final DVD set we see on the career of Chris Jericho; I know the DVD has been quite popular amongst the big WWE DVD fans, so hopefully WWE will take notice and give us even more classic Jericho matches all on one set.
5) The Ladder Match
There’s not really too much to say about this set other than the fact that it is hugely entertaining. Countless classic matches can be found across these three discs. Upon first hearing the news about a Ladder Match DVD back in 2007, I remember I was definitely excited for the set, but I was somewhat skeptical that it may get repetitive to watch the same time of match over and over again, when a lot of ladder matches can have the same types of spots. When they released the match listing for this set, my fears were somewhat alleviated. In addition to straight ladder matches, the set also features TLC matches and the first Money in the Bank Ladder Match. When I saw that the set was even going to include the infamous “Forgotten TLC” from Smackdown in May of 2001 alongside the other classic matches on this set, I was pretty much totally sold. And the set lived up to the expectations.
Even if it may not be the most technically spectacular match, I was glad to see the Jake Roberts Vs. Big Daddy Ritter match start off the DVD to show the evolution of the ladder match. Looking at the overall match listing, you really can see this evolution. It may seem that there are two many matches featuring Edge & Christian, the Hardys, and the Dudleys, but by looking at all of their matches together, you can really see how the ladder match evolved to what it would become starting around 2001, when I feel the gimmick match truly reached it’s highest potential with the Jericho/Benoit classic at Royal Rumble 2001. For combining a great history of the ladder match with some great in-ring action, I knew this classic set had to be included on the list. (Not to mention that it still remains one of WWE’s most successful sets ever, and paved the way for the various other gimmick match sets that have reached various degrees of success.)
4) Ric Flair & The Four Horsemen
Honestly, a large reason I wanted to write this column was to give me an excuse to talk about this set. Without a doubt, I think this set is the most underrated DVD in WWE history. It has always been overshadowed by the other two Ric Flair releases, but I honestly feel that this is better than either of those. It also has gotten overshadowed by other releases about WCW’s history at the time, such as Rise & Fall of WCW, but this set gives you just as good of a look if not a better look into the history of WCW through the lens of this particular faction. If you haven’t seen this DVD yet, please do yourself a favor and pick it up as soon as possible. Although it only comes in at #4 on the list, there isn’t really much that separates it from my Top 3 choices, which are all bona fide classics.
With the exception of my #1 choice, the documentary on this set is the best the WWE has ever produced, and it is easily the most controversial. By looking at the history of the Four Horsemen, you really are able to get a sense of how the wrestling landscape changed from the mid-1980’s up to the late 90’s. Add in the fact that you are dealing with some very outspoken performers and some fascinating moments, and the documentary makes for a fascinating watch. Ric Flair really holds nothing back on this documentary; he is shockingly honest when talking about how he and the Horsemen were treated in the NWA and eventually WCW. It’s great to see all of the classic footage during the heyday of the Horsemen, with the two classic incarnations being the Ric Flair/Arn Anderson/Ole Anderson/Tully Blanchard combination and the Ric Flair/Arn Anderson/Tully Blanchard/ Barry Windham combination. It’s not hard to tell why they were so popular, and you will clearly see why they are about to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. After this, as things start to fall apart, the tone of the DVD changes as well. I was surprised with how much Ric, Arn, & Tully felt comfortable saying about how poorly they were treated in WCW, and how diluted the Four Horsemen name became. Bischoff also gets a fair shot at telling his side of the conflict he had with Flair toward the end of the Horsemen run, which allows for the audience to really get the complete picture. And I don’t want to spoil it for those who have not yet seen this DVD, but for those who have, you will know what I mean when I say that very short-time Four Horsemen member Paul Roma’s statements need to be heard to be believed.
The bonus matches and promos on the 2nd disc really are just icing on the cake after such a fantastic documentary. Since you are dealing with workers like Flair, Anderson, and Blanchard, you’re going to get some quality matches. My personal favorite inclusion on this disc is a War Games match featuring the Horsemen, which has always been a fun gimmick. The promos are basically a masterclass in wrestling promos; you can’t go wrong with these guys. If it hasn’t become clear yet, I highly recommend everyone who skipped over this DVD go check it out. I honestly could have put this set at #1; it was that close between these Top 4 sets.
3) Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line…
I don’t think it was a surprise to anyone that a 4-disc retrospective on the career of the Rattlesnake ended up being great. The documentary on the first disc was the definitive look at his career. It spent a good deal of time looking at his career before the WWE, and allows you to see the flashes of greatness that he would soon become. I’m sure everyone reading this is aware of all of the classic moments and matches throughout Stone Cold’s career that get commented on throughout this set, and we get to hear from all of the main players during the Attitude Era throughout the documentary. Of course, the controversial decision to leave the WWE in 2002 is touched upon, and although this story is pretty well known at this point, I still got something new out of it. Even at a runtime of over 2 and a half hours, I watched this entire documentary in one sitting, and it honestly flew by.
Although a lot of the matches found on the 2nd and 3rd discs of the set can be found on a pretty good number of other compilations, they are all classics, and it was right to include them on this set. One thing that elevates them, though, is the bonus commentary from Steve & JR on three of his classic Wrestlemania matches. It wasn’t a surprise that Steve & JR have great chemistry, and they offer really great insider insight into the matches.
The 4th disc is just a blast to watch. Austin has been a part of so many great promos and segments, and having all of the classics on one disc is perfect. As is addressed in the documentary, the ECW promos Steve gave are nothing short of brilliant. Of course, the classic Austin/McMahon segments are great, but I had the most fun revisiting the Austin/McMahon heel promos from 2001. Even if Steve acknowledges that this is not the greatest part of his career, a lot of the segments are legitimately funny, so I’m glad to see them living alongside the classic segments from the Attitude Era.
2) Best of RAW 15th Anniversary
It’s incredible to look back on just how many great moments have occurred on RAW from 1993 to 2008. There is absolutely no filler over the 9 hours of this DVD, which is really impressive, and makes the DVD a ton of fun. Although I won’t lie and say I did, this is probably the only three disc set that WWE has released that I could watch in one (very long) sitting. As I mentioned in my discussion of the WWE Championship DVD, this set can also serve as a WWE history lesson, and it’s surprising just how many of the WWE’s most infamous moments occurred on RAW, especially during the Attitude Era.
As you would expect, the 2nd disc of this DVD, which covers 1998-2002, is the star of this set. That’s not to say there isn’t some great stuff on the first disc, and we do see the birth of the Attitude Era there, but the 2nd disc really features the standout moments. If you aren’t familiar with the content of this DVD, I’m not going to run through it all here because there really is to much to name, but all the great moments from Austin, The Rock, Foley and the rest are here. If you think of your favorite moment from the Attitude Era, chances are it occurred on RAW and is on this set. And although the Attitude Era was dying down by 2002, this was when I started watching the WWE, so moments like HHH’s return, the Rock/Hogan showdown, and Bischoff’s return will always be favorites to me. The third disc of this set is where we get some really great in ring action, particularly due to three matches: Shelton Benjamin Vs. Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle Vs. Shawn Michaels in a 30 minute Ironman match, and Edge Vs. John Cena Vs. RVD. Each of these matches are PPV-quality matches from RAW, and help push this set over the edge for me. I wish there was a way to add a fourth DVD to this set next year covering the last five years of RAW. I’m guessing WWE will release another Best of RAW set, but all we really need a nice supplement to this already perfect look at RAW’s first fifteen years.
1) The Rise & Fall of ECW
Were you expecting anything else? First, let me get out of the way a few biases I have. I did grow up in the Philadelphia area, and although I didn’t get into wrestling until after ECW closed it’s doors, I have seen a good number of wrestling shows at the “bingo hall”. Among those was the Hardcore Homecoming event from 2005, which is the best live experience I’ve ever had at a wrestling show. So, naturally, I’m going to be a bit biased towards an ECW set, but if it hadn’t lived up to expectations, I would have been even more harsh on it than any other set. Well, it does live up to every expectation that has been put on it, and even though it came out nearly 8 years ago, it still remains the best set the WWE has ever put out.
It’s hard to say anything new that hasn’t already been said about this set, so I’m going to keep this explanation fairly short. The documentary is nothing short of superb; fortunately, the WWE let Paul Heyman speak his mind and be honest about his time in ECW. If by some chance you haven’t checked out this documentary yet, please do so as soon as you can. Because the documentary is so great, I think a lot of people lose sight of how perfect the bonus matches are set up as well. The 2nd disc only features 7 matches, but I think in those 7 matches pretty much encapsulate everything great about ECW. You get a technical contest with Scorpio and Sabu, a high flying luchador match with Mysterio and Psychosis, and one of the classic encounters between RVD and Jerry Lynn. And of course, you can’t have an ECW set without some extreme action, and you get a few of these matches, including the conclusion of one of ECW’s greatest feuds ever, Raven Vs. Dreamer. The only thing I wish I could change about this set was that the other legends of ECW were included in the documentary, but fortunately we have the excellent Forever Hardcore documentary out there that serves a nice supplement to the set. I know this was the predictable choice for #1, but when I really thought about it, it had to be the pick.
I hope you enjoyed this little walk down memory lane of some classic WWE DVD’s. Of course, there were a ton of others I wish I could have found room for on the list, and from the looks of, this year’s slate of WWE DVD’s has some potential contenders to slide onto it. I look forward to bringing you more DVD reviews as we find out whether or not they live up to these impressive predecessors.
Let me know in the comments which choices you agree or disagree with, and which DVD’s you think I should have included.
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What’s up guys. There’s been a lot of things said about me and I could care less but I do agree that I should of spell checked my reviews. One thing though I had was the passion to be very descriptive. I do however like this new guys style. I still by the site time to time. Haters gonna hate.
Completely un-true. Gene Okerlund doesen’t know anything about it for one. Two, Randy Savage said in a 2004 shoot he would go into the WWE Hall of Fame any time, even his brother Lanny Poffo confirmed that. Go to youtube and type Lanny Poffo on the heat between Randy Savage and WWE. So try, yeah….that’s false. Have some re-search to back up your claims. Piper also says Savage hit Vince in a bar which is also BS.
My list: 1.Bret Hart Story,2.Raw 15th Anniversary,3.Tombstone History of the Undertaker,4.History of WWE Championship,5.Rise and Fall of Ecw,6.Greatest Stars of The 90s,7.Ladder Match,8.Stone Cold 4 dvd set,9.Wrestlemania Anthology vol.3(12 to 17),10.Starrcade Essential Collection.
We’re all going to have our own top 10 lists of WWE DVDs out there. That’s just how it’s going to be. So just enjoy reading one’s opinion and if you like it, say so, if not, just be polite about how you present yourself.
I’ve been watching since 1990 Royal Rumble and I disagree with most of this list, but I respect everyone’s opinion. I’ve always felt that a lot of it has to do with the wrestling you first fell in love with, so I think everyone sees something with rose tinted glasses to an extent. A lot of people who started watching in the ‘attitude era’ probbaly feel that way now. But when it came down to it and they put Hogan against the Rock the attitude star was booed out of the building. It will be interesting to see if Cena gets the same treatment.
My top 10 be 1. Shawn Michaels My Journey, 2. Ladder Match 2, 3. Best of Nitro, 4. Breaking the Code Chris Jericho, 5. Ladder Match 1, 6. True Story of WrestleMania, 7. Macho Madness, 8. Greatest Star’s of the 90’s 9. First DX DVD and 10. Bottom Line Stone Cold.
The fact of the matter is that this is THE BEST WWE DVD website on the net today. There is no debating it. Most of us are collector’s and enjoy interacting with other collector’s. Your complaining about a new DVD reviewer whose work you have never read before is quite stupid.
Regarding him watching since 2002… who cares? You have to start somewhere. That’s what is great about the endless amount of DVD’s and footage, you can go back and watch things you’ve never seen. Give him and chance because YOU KNOW you aren’t going to stop visiting the web site!
In my opinion, Rise and Fall of WCW would have been better if more key players were available for interviews like Bischoff and Hogan. If they were included in the DVD (old interviews not included) than it would have been a great DVD. In my opinion though.
Well, Brett would still be here if he didn’t self destruct. If I were you I wouldn’t care about him much because he certainly didn’t care about you readers of his reviews when he decided to take them down, and never write another, all because WWE are not yet inducting Savage into the Hall of Fame!
@Daniel bee – Brett Mix was the best and most in depth when it came to reviews, I will give this guy a chance but im not getting my hopes up due to the fact that he hasn’t watched anything except basically the current product.
Rise and Fall of WCW and Shawn vs. Brett rivalry should be on any top 10 IMO. Also, in my admittedly biased opinion the Roddy Piper Story and The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect should be on the list as well…
Some guy: I’ve been watching since around the height of the Attitude Era, which isn’t a whole lot different to Joe, and I run the site. My reviews were quite well received. Will that bit of info stop you visiting now? Judge by the reviews he does when they come I’d say. You can bitch then. 🙂
I did let anybody email me to ‘apply’ to be the reviewer. Maybe you should have.
Totally agree on Jake Robert’s DVD… excellent!! Keep in mind though, everyone has their own tastes and opinions. If every list was the same, what fun would that be? Diversity is key!
The True Story of Wrestlemania
The Stone Cold Truth
Rise and Fall of ECW
Bret vs. Shawn Rivalry Series
Best of Saturday Night’s Main Event
Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen
Bret Hart: Best There Is, Best There Was…
Hulk Still Rules
The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA
RAW The Beginning Seasons 1 and 2
Meh, this list is ass. No AWA set? No WHC set? The Jake DVD is LEGENDARY! Legacy of Stone Cold DESTROYS the new one. The Legends of Wrestling set is amazing! And you haven’t seen the first Flair set lately?!? And didn’t include the criminally underrated second one? Why are you reviewing Wrestling DVDs?
good dvd picks,but i would’ve included the best of saturday night’s main event and history of the world heavyweight championship. probably my favorite wwe dvd’s of all time.
Not sure if this was mentioned but i read that newly printed copies of the Rise and Fall of ECW actually have any mention of Benoit removed along with his comments.
I read on another message board that someone that bought it last year noticed no Benoit featured and the time was a little shorter by 4-5 minutes or so then the original print from 2004, which i now ran at 2hrs 50 minutes.
I bought it back in 2004 and they talk about how Benoit broke Sabu’s neck and his comments, along with Paul Heyman mentioning how Benoit had remorse.
Any truth to this? I’m sure since this was one of WWE’s highest selling DVDs, there must have been a 2nd and/or 3rd print.
Thats the only problem I have with RAW 15th Anniversary too. It definitely should have included the actual RAW 15th Anniversary show itself that was on TV. I actually attended that event in CT and always hoped I could get a DVD version of it.
McMahon was a really good DVD, but I feel it could have been made better than the final product was. There are/were alot of aspects about McMhon that I always wanted to know, and I don’t feel this DVD covered everything.
For instance, until I watched this DVD, I never knew Vince grew up in a trailor park and military bases. I wanted to learn more about his steroid court trial also, but it was mentioned, but not given the time it should have.
Really good DVD otherwise, and any chance I have to see Stephanie, Im all for it.
I agree with you about the Chris Benoit comments on Chris Jericho’s dvd. I actually read his book first before I watched this dvd a bit later on and I found the DVD was only half complete compared to other DVD sets that didn’t feature the Canadian Crippler .. Benoit was a huge influence in Jericho’s career and he molded himself after Benoit … so to cut out Benoit’s name is any area especially the Beginnings made this set feel incomplete … and their matches together in WWE were mind-blowing too …
I actually highly disliked “RAW’s 15th Anniversary” and liked the “10th Anniversary” a lot better, maybe because they did show the actual show from “15th Anniversary” and did on “10th Anniversary” IDK… but something about the 15th didn’t sit right with me, I mean yeah it had all the good moments of the previous 15 years, but would’ve been great to include the actual show for “The 15th Anniversary of RAW” too!
Well, if I got anything from all these comments, I think its that the WWE has put out a lot of really good DVDs. I can’t argue with any of the DVDs you all wished could have been included on the list. I could have easily done a Top 25 and still had all great stuff.
pretty sweet list although I’m surprised to see Shawn Michaels Story Heartbreak & Triumph wasn’t on the list I thought the documentary on it was pretty awesome, and the match list had some gems like Angle at Vengeance 05 and Jeff Jarrett from In Your House (for those who don’t own a lot of PPVs)
Personally don’t agree with the list, its missing some of my top choices such as Mick Foley Greatest Hits and Misses Hardcore Edition which I think is the best WWE set ever, The Pillman DVD and ECW’s most violent matches
@jgreeds I agree on the Dusty DVD. Releases back in the day were just done better than they are today as far as documentaries too. I noticed a large change in DVDs with the release of WCW Rise and Fall and HBK/Shelton was another great one, especially the end.
Pretty decent list and I look forward to this new reviewer. Personally, I would have included the Dusty Rhodes and Hell in a Cell DVDs but that’s just my opinion. Dusty’s is one of the better docs out there and HIAC has a ton of great matches.
In regards to the Raw DVD that seems to be getting a lot of comments: am I the only one who thinks that Shelton-HBK match is one of the top 5 Raw matches ever? That match blew my effin’ mind.
@SRB, Yea, I’ve been watching for about 10 years. I started watching in very early 2002. I’ve certainly gone back and watched all of that old stuff via DVD’s, but I can’t say I was actually a fan during the Monday Night Wars heyday.
@Joe Israel You mentioned that you didn’t get into wrestling until after ECW closed it doors. So I’m guessing you’ve been watching for around 10 years? Is that accurate? Just curious.
I don’t like History of the WWE Championship or the RAW 15th Anniversary DVDs being on here. I’d have put the Bret/Shawn DVD and the RAW 93/94 DVDs on there. Honestly, that RAW XV DVD is poorly done because of the pop up facts. If you could turn them off, that would be great. That DVD is very far from perfect, in my opinion. History of the WWE Championship was good, but I wouldn’t say Top 10 at all.
I understand why you didn’t include it, obviously it was before your time, but my favorite set is the Staurday Night’s Main Event DVD. As a little kid and new fan at the time in the mid/late 80’s that set was so much fun for me to look back at. Of course since I’m a fan of that era I would’ve thrown a Hogan DVD on the list too. But that’s just me. I have 7 of the ones on your list, all good picks.
And Cheating Life, Stealing Death was also considered for the list. I do enjoy that DVD. My main reasons for including the WWE Championship set are because it serves as a WWE history lesson so well and the title change bonus feature I absolutely love watching.
I agree with most of this Top 10 DVD list. Good picks, in my opinion. “The Rise & Fall of ECW” belongs at #1 because of the production of it was just great. The DVD length and substance are two of the very reasons that DVD set is one of the all time best. Tells the ENTIRE story of ECW and doesn’t jump around like some other bio’s do.
I’m glad “The Monday Night War” made the list too. Great DVD that I actually just recently re-purchased because my original one wouldn’t play. I still want the subject of the Monday Night War touched on again, and I would like to see it as one of the next editions of Greatest Rivalries.
nick, Bret Vs. Shawn was literally my #11 choice, I had trouble deciding between that and the Nitro set. And don’t worry everyone, the Flair DVD is in the mail (as I said, I have seen it, just one of the few sets missing from the collection). I don’t know if it would have made the Top 10, but its impossible to argue its importance.
I thought the documentary on the AWA dvd was very well done, I could listen to Nick Bockwinkel all day long. Wouldv’e been on my list. Loved the Bret Hart and Horsemen docos but spot on with number 1, the ECW dvd is fantastic.
Surprised Bret vs Shawn isn’t there but maybe he doesn’t own it.
The Horeseman DVD is my favorite DVD to date. Amazing documentary and match selection there, a true gem. Not too sure why you don’t own the Flair DVD. As the new DVD reviewer I’m surprised you don’t own it. I suggest picking it up and any other set you may be missing.
This is a very good and interesting list. However, I do have to disagree with a few choices. I think the Monday Night War DVD is very impressive and was groundbreaking, yet, I think Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story would have been a much better choice because it is such a definitive DVD. 2 action packed discs coveing Eddie Guerrero’s career and some of the best matches in history I believe would have been more appropriate. I haven’t seen all the DVD’s in this list but for me I think that for it to be a definitive list you need to include Shawn Michaels: From The Vault too. Again a two disc set with amazing matches on it. While my list would be totally different to this one I would include (as you have done) Rise and Fall of ECW, Stone Cold Bottom Line, Bret Hart and The Ladder Match as they are fantastic. I do agree Ric Flair and 4 Horsemen is overlooked but if you have seen the other two Flair sets (especially the 1st one) you can see why. All in all a brilliant list which although I disagree with, I agree with as well.
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What’s up guys. There’s been a lot of things said about me and I could care less but I do agree that I should of spell checked my reviews. One thing though I had was the passion to be very descriptive. I do however like this new guys style. I still by the site time to time. Haters gonna hate.
Gene Okerlund confirmed that Randy Savage declined numerous WWE invitations to be in the Hall of Fame.
Completely un-true. Gene Okerlund doesen’t know anything about it for one. Two, Randy Savage said in a 2004 shoot he would go into the WWE Hall of Fame any time, even his brother Lanny Poffo confirmed that. Go to youtube and type Lanny Poffo on the heat between Randy Savage and WWE. So try, yeah….that’s false. Have some re-search to back up your claims. Piper also says Savage hit Vince in a bar which is also BS.
Should have included HBK’s Heartbreak & Triumpth set, Undertaker’s Tombstone set, Greatest Rivalries: Bret Hart/HBK
My list: 1.Bret Hart Story,2.Raw 15th Anniversary,3.Tombstone History of the Undertaker,4.History of WWE Championship,5.Rise and Fall of Ecw,6.Greatest Stars of The 90s,7.Ladder Match,8.Stone Cold 4 dvd set,9.Wrestlemania Anthology vol.3(12 to 17),10.Starrcade Essential Collection.
the best of wwe confidential was a good one too.
We’re all going to have our own top 10 lists of WWE DVDs out there. That’s just how it’s going to be. So just enjoy reading one’s opinion and if you like it, say so, if not, just be polite about how you present yourself.
I THINK BOTH EDDIE GUERRERO DVD’S HAS A PLACE ON ANY TOP 10 LIST AS WELL AS BROCK LESNAR’S DVD. VERY UNDERRATED WWE SETS.
@ David Kerr. Yes I will because the reviews was the only thing I came to this site for
I’ve been watching since 1990 Royal Rumble and I disagree with most of this list, but I respect everyone’s opinion. I’ve always felt that a lot of it has to do with the wrestling you first fell in love with, so I think everyone sees something with rose tinted glasses to an extent. A lot of people who started watching in the ‘attitude era’ probbaly feel that way now. But when it came down to it and they put Hogan against the Rock the attitude star was booed out of the building. It will be interesting to see if Cena gets the same treatment.
My top 10 be 1. Shawn Michaels My Journey, 2. Ladder Match 2, 3. Best of Nitro, 4. Breaking the Code Chris Jericho, 5. Ladder Match 1, 6. True Story of WrestleMania, 7. Macho Madness, 8. Greatest Star’s of the 90’s 9. First DX DVD and 10. Bottom Line Stone Cold.
@some guy
The fact of the matter is that this is THE BEST WWE DVD website on the net today. There is no debating it. Most of us are collector’s and enjoy interacting with other collector’s. Your complaining about a new DVD reviewer whose work you have never read before is quite stupid.
Regarding him watching since 2002… who cares? You have to start somewhere. That’s what is great about the endless amount of DVD’s and footage, you can go back and watch things you’ve never seen. Give him and chance because YOU KNOW you aren’t going to stop visiting the web site!
@Nick
In my opinion, Rise and Fall of WCW would have been better if more key players were available for interviews like Bischoff and Hogan. If they were included in the DVD (old interviews not included) than it would have been a great DVD. In my opinion though.
@Anonymous
I just ordered The Superstar Billy Graham Story DVD. I’ve seen it before on Classics On Demand though. Awesome DVD.
good dvd choices. but i would also put BATISTA and RANDY ORTON dvds on any top 10 list because those were great dvds as well IMO.
Sorry didnt mean to write that twice
Yeah i have to admit though as much as i liked his reviews the reason he left this website was so childish it actually became humorous
Yeah i have to admit though as much as i liked his reviews, the way he left was so childish it actually became humorous
Well, Brett would still be here if he didn’t self destruct. If I were you I wouldn’t care about him much because he certainly didn’t care about you readers of his reviews when he decided to take them down, and never write another, all because WWE are not yet inducting Savage into the Hall of Fame!
@Daniel bee – Brett Mix was the best and most in depth when it came to reviews, I will give this guy a chance but im not getting my hopes up due to the fact that he hasn’t watched anything except basically the current product.
Rise and Fall of WCW and Shawn vs. Brett rivalry should be on any top 10 IMO. Also, in my admittedly biased opinion the Roddy Piper Story and The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect should be on the list as well…
Some guy: I’ve been watching since around the height of the Attitude Era, which isn’t a whole lot different to Joe, and I run the site. My reviews were quite well received. Will that bit of info stop you visiting now? Judge by the reviews he does when they come I’d say. You can bitch then. 🙂
I did let anybody email me to ‘apply’ to be the reviewer. Maybe you should have.
This new reviewer might be a newbie into wrestling since 2002, but I’m going to give him a chance.
You’ve only been watching wrestling since 2002 and your going to be reviewing?? What’s Brett mixs new website cos this is stupid?
Can’t Leave Off The Rock The Most Electrifying Man DVD. Even The Superstar Billy Graham,Dusty Rhodes,And Ricky The Dragon Steamboat DVD’s Was Awesome.
What about Shawn Michaels My Journey and Macho Madness.
@Anonymous
sorry, didn’t see you posted that one, lol.
Not one person has mentioned – one of my personal favorites…Born to Controversy The Rowdy Roddy Piper Story? awesome DVD.
surprised i didn’t see the roddy piper dvd on the list. hart and soul is also a great one.
@Anonymous…
Totally agree on Jake Robert’s DVD… excellent!! Keep in mind though, everyone has their own tastes and opinions. If every list was the same, what fun would that be? Diversity is key!
My top 10 WWE DVD (not including PPV’s) would be…
(in no particular order)
The True Story of Wrestlemania
The Stone Cold Truth
Rise and Fall of ECW
Bret vs. Shawn Rivalry Series
Best of Saturday Night’s Main Event
Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen
Bret Hart: Best There Is, Best There Was…
Hulk Still Rules
The Spectacular Legacy of the AWA
RAW The Beginning Seasons 1 and 2
Meh, this list is ass. No AWA set? No WHC set? The Jake DVD is LEGENDARY! Legacy of Stone Cold DESTROYS the new one. The Legends of Wrestling set is amazing! And you haven’t seen the first Flair set lately?!? And didn’t include the criminally underrated second one? Why are you reviewing Wrestling DVDs?
ALL THE DVD CHOICES LOOK’S FINE, WOULD’VE PUT TOMBSTONE THE HISTORY OF THE UNDERTAKER AND TRIUMPH AND TRAGADY OF WCCW IN THE TOP 10.
good dvd picks,but i would’ve included the best of saturday night’s main event and history of the world heavyweight championship. probably my favorite wwe dvd’s of all time.
I need a UK version of the DVD!
Not sure if this was mentioned but i read that newly printed copies of the Rise and Fall of ECW actually have any mention of Benoit removed along with his comments.
I read on another message board that someone that bought it last year noticed no Benoit featured and the time was a little shorter by 4-5 minutes or so then the original print from 2004, which i now ran at 2hrs 50 minutes.
I bought it back in 2004 and they talk about how Benoit broke Sabu’s neck and his comments, along with Paul Heyman mentioning how Benoit had remorse.
Any truth to this? I’m sure since this was one of WWE’s highest selling DVDs, there must have been a 2nd and/or 3rd print.
@HHHfan1999
Thats the only problem I have with RAW 15th Anniversary too. It definitely should have included the actual RAW 15th Anniversary show itself that was on TV. I actually attended that event in CT and always hoped I could get a DVD version of it.
@HHHfan1999
McMahon was a really good DVD, but I feel it could have been made better than the final product was. There are/were alot of aspects about McMhon that I always wanted to know, and I don’t feel this DVD covered everything.
For instance, until I watched this DVD, I never knew Vince grew up in a trailor park and military bases. I wanted to learn more about his steroid court trial also, but it was mentioned, but not given the time it should have.
Really good DVD otherwise, and any chance I have to see Stephanie, Im all for it.
I agree with you about the Chris Benoit comments on Chris Jericho’s dvd. I actually read his book first before I watched this dvd a bit later on and I found the DVD was only half complete compared to other DVD sets that didn’t feature the Canadian Crippler .. Benoit was a huge influence in Jericho’s career and he molded himself after Benoit … so to cut out Benoit’s name is any area especially the Beginnings made this set feel incomplete … and their matches together in WWE were mind-blowing too …
Also, everything else about your list is GREAT, only I would’ve included McMahon in the top 3!
I actually highly disliked “RAW’s 15th Anniversary” and liked the “10th Anniversary” a lot better, maybe because they did show the actual show from “15th Anniversary” and did on “10th Anniversary” IDK… but something about the 15th didn’t sit right with me, I mean yeah it had all the good moments of the previous 15 years, but would’ve been great to include the actual show for “The 15th Anniversary of RAW” too!
Well, if I got anything from all these comments, I think its that the WWE has put out a lot of really good DVDs. I can’t argue with any of the DVDs you all wished could have been included on the list. I could have easily done a Top 25 and still had all great stuff.
the only one missing is Jakes. Jerichos wasn’t that good. I actually found it was a waste of money.
pretty sweet list although I’m surprised to see Shawn Michaels Story Heartbreak & Triumph wasn’t on the list I thought the documentary on it was pretty awesome, and the match list had some gems like Angle at Vengeance 05 and Jeff Jarrett from In Your House (for those who don’t own a lot of PPVs)
I thought the Brian Pillman documentary was one of the best they have done.
@Anonymous-Rise & Fall of ECW was actually on sale at WWEShop.com last week for $6 lol
Personally don’t agree with the list, its missing some of my top choices such as Mick Foley Greatest Hits and Misses Hardcore Edition which I think is the best WWE set ever, The Pillman DVD and ECW’s most violent matches
Nice list.
Out of those DVDs, I only have the Jericho & Austin DVDs. My brother has Bret Hart, Flair & ECW. We each have the RAW 15th Anniversary!
@ anonymous you can get it at target.com for 5 bucks it Walmart.com witch includes ecw ons 06
Hello Joe! Well written article! I’m looking forward to reading the rest of your stuff in the future.
I cant buy the rise and fall of ECW dvd new anywhere
agree with 9 of the top 10 maybe not in the exact same order but was always disappointed with the raw 15th anniversary set 🙁
@jgreeds I agree on the Dusty DVD. Releases back in the day were just done better than they are today as far as documentaries too. I noticed a large change in DVDs with the release of WCW Rise and Fall and HBK/Shelton was another great one, especially the end.
@jgreeds, No, you are not. That would be in my Top 5 as well, loved that match when it first aired and still love it now.
Pretty decent list and I look forward to this new reviewer. Personally, I would have included the Dusty Rhodes and Hell in a Cell DVDs but that’s just my opinion. Dusty’s is one of the better docs out there and HIAC has a ton of great matches.
In regards to the Raw DVD that seems to be getting a lot of comments: am I the only one who thinks that Shelton-HBK match is one of the top 5 Raw matches ever? That match blew my effin’ mind.
@SRB, Yea, I’ve been watching for about 10 years. I started watching in very early 2002. I’ve certainly gone back and watched all of that old stuff via DVD’s, but I can’t say I was actually a fan during the Monday Night Wars heyday.
@Joe Israel You mentioned that you didn’t get into wrestling until after ECW closed it doors. So I’m guessing you’ve been watching for around 10 years? Is that accurate? Just curious.
I don’t like History of the WWE Championship or the RAW 15th Anniversary DVDs being on here. I’d have put the Bret/Shawn DVD and the RAW 93/94 DVDs on there. Honestly, that RAW XV DVD is poorly done because of the pop up facts. If you could turn them off, that would be great. That DVD is very far from perfect, in my opinion. History of the WWE Championship was good, but I wouldn’t say Top 10 at all.
…or Saturday Night’s Main Event, sorry, hate typos.
I understand why you didn’t include it, obviously it was before your time, but my favorite set is the Staurday Night’s Main Event DVD. As a little kid and new fan at the time in the mid/late 80’s that set was so much fun for me to look back at. Of course since I’m a fan of that era I would’ve thrown a Hogan DVD on the list too. But that’s just me. I have 7 of the ones on your list, all good picks.
er, Cheating Death, Stealing Life. I can never get that one straight.
And Cheating Life, Stealing Death was also considered for the list. I do enjoy that DVD. My main reasons for including the WWE Championship set are because it serves as a WWE history lesson so well and the title change bonus feature I absolutely love watching.
I agree with most of this Top 10 DVD list. Good picks, in my opinion. “The Rise & Fall of ECW” belongs at #1 because of the production of it was just great. The DVD length and substance are two of the very reasons that DVD set is one of the all time best. Tells the ENTIRE story of ECW and doesn’t jump around like some other bio’s do.
I’m glad “The Monday Night War” made the list too. Great DVD that I actually just recently re-purchased because my original one wouldn’t play. I still want the subject of the Monday Night War touched on again, and I would like to see it as one of the next editions of Greatest Rivalries.
Fantastic article, I really enjoyed reading it. I completely agree with your #1 choice as that’s my favourite WWE DVD too.
I’m not a fan of the history of the WWE Championship because I thought
it was poorly done.
How come Hell in a Cell’s not on there well thats bias’d info.
why’s everybody look so short and fat? oh yea. fix your tv- those pictures suck.
nick, Bret Vs. Shawn was literally my #11 choice, I had trouble deciding between that and the Nitro set. And don’t worry everyone, the Flair DVD is in the mail (as I said, I have seen it, just one of the few sets missing from the collection). I don’t know if it would have made the Top 10, but its impossible to argue its importance.
Great list i have all of them but Monday night war dvd!
Very agreeable list. I’ve yet to own the Austin and Nitro sets, but I own the other 8 and agree with you on those. 😉
Awesome article. Can’t argue with any of those picks.
Welcome to the team!
I thought the documentary on the AWA dvd was very well done, I could listen to Nick Bockwinkel all day long. Wouldv’e been on my list. Loved the Bret Hart and Horsemen docos but spot on with number 1, the ECW dvd is fantastic.
Surprised Bret vs Shawn isn’t there but maybe he doesn’t own it.
The Horeseman DVD is my favorite DVD to date. Amazing documentary and match selection there, a true gem. Not too sure why you don’t own the Flair DVD. As the new DVD reviewer I’m surprised you don’t own it. I suggest picking it up and any other set you may be missing.
This is a very good and interesting list. However, I do have to disagree with a few choices. I think the Monday Night War DVD is very impressive and was groundbreaking, yet, I think Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story would have been a much better choice because it is such a definitive DVD. 2 action packed discs coveing Eddie Guerrero’s career and some of the best matches in history I believe would have been more appropriate. I haven’t seen all the DVD’s in this list but for me I think that for it to be a definitive list you need to include Shawn Michaels: From The Vault too. Again a two disc set with amazing matches on it. While my list would be totally different to this one I would include (as you have done) Rise and Fall of ECW, Stone Cold Bottom Line, Bret Hart and The Ladder Match as they are fantastic. I do agree Ric Flair and 4 Horsemen is overlooked but if you have seen the other two Flair sets (especially the 1st one) you can see why. All in all a brilliant list which although I disagree with, I agree with as well.
Got everything…nice list…
Nice choices. Just buy that Flair dvd you have missing from your collection!