Alternate Universe: What If WCW Had Survived?

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

In 2001, the wrestling business changed dramatically. Both ECW and WCW went under, the latter being purchased by the WWF. The short-term fall-out included the Invasion angle by what would become a WCW/ECW Alliance, followed by the Brand Extension split of the WWF/WWE which set the course of history on a new path. But what if WCW had remained in existence?

Although ECW had a loyal following, it simply would not and could not have grown into a mainstream powerhouse, unless it was acquired by a larger parent organisation; and if that had been the case, the vulgar style of the company may have been forced to change. However, WCW was a major mainstream wrestling promotion, even during its final months of life. Therefore, its demise had a much bigger impact. But it's interesting to consider how things might have transpired had the company managed to continue.

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DVD Review: Diamond Dallas Page: Positively Living

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 424 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: March 27 2017

(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)

Fans who have only discovered wrestling, and primarily WWE, within the last ten years may wonder why the latest personality DVD is based around Diamond Dallas Page. Besides appearances in the 2015 Royal Rumble and the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32, DDP hasn't wrestled for WWE since 2002, and his WWF/WWE run was a disappointment to him and his fans. So, at first glance, it's a confusing choice. However, when you factor in the man's unlikely journey to stardom, his major WCW success, his popularity, his high-standard ring skills and psychology, and the tremendous work he has done to help other people since retiring as a full-time grappler, you realise that DDP is the perfect candidate for the DVD bio treatment.

The DVD (which unfortunately uses a redone version of Page's theme instead of his WCW theme Self High Five, which in itself was a copy, albeit a very effective one, of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit) begins with a documentary focusing on the life and times of Dallas. We're told about his initial sports success in college and how working as a bar manager led him, after becoming a wrestling fan of course, to send in trial videos to become a manager in the AWA. Then in his early 30s, DDP spent the next few years in the AWA and later WCW, filling the void left behind by great managers who had moved on whilst developing an over-the-top personality with plenty of gimmick props. As Page states here, in WCW he was told that he wouldn't be used as a manager going forward because he was overshadowing the wrestlers, but that's where DDP's journey really begins.

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DVD Preview: Diamond Dallas Page: Positively Living

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Fetch Publicity

The following story is courtesy of Fetch Publicity ...

Beginning his storied career as a manager for the AWA, many believed that Diamond Dallas Page was crazy for chasing his dream and attempting a career inside the ring at the age of 35. But through hard work, positive thinking and determination, DDP proved his doubters wrong to become one of the most popular performers in sports-entertainment and a three-time WCW World Champion. For the first time ever, hear from “The Master Of The Diamond Cutter” himself as he talks about his historic career, as he rose to the top of the industry becoming a major player in both WCW and WWE. Also witness his life outside the ring as he’s now known the world over for his DDP Yoga, a life-changing exercise tool. A larger than life personality with a passion for life, this is Diamond Dallas Page: Positively Living.

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The Best Of WCW Clash Of The Champions

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 393 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Clear Vision Ltd/Silver Vision
Released: August 6 2012

Clash Of The Champions was the WCW equivalent of Saturday Night's Main Event. COTC was a major television special held a few times per year, showcasing top talent and major main event matches outside of the Pay-Per-View events like Starrcade and The Great American Bash. The difference between Clash and SNME was that the NWA/WCW roster was more inclined to go out and put on a great wrestling match compared to the more entertainment-based action (which I was a huge fan of at the time, by the way) you would find on SNME. Over time, the Clash would reduce in importance, but it was a key WCW occasion for many years.

This DVD, hosted by Dusty Rhodes, showcased more than two dozen of the most memorable Clash matches from its 35 specials, spanning 1988-1997. It's not a factor worth mentioning nowadays, but the DVD was delayed by several weeks in the UK due to apparent issues between Silver Vision and WWE. Whatever difficulties the two parties had must have been significant, because this would be the final year that Silver Vision distributed WWE DVDs for the European market; from January 1 2013, that task went to Fremantle Media.

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United We Slam: The Best Of The Great American Bash

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 430 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: July 14 2014

Similar to the WCW PPV compilation released a few months earlier, United We Slam (hosted by Dusty Rhodes in his own unique, at times confusing yet ultimately entertaining way) is a straight-forward collection of matches from the history of The Great American Bash. The artwork of the DVD is quite nice and somehow fits with the theme, and I liked the minor touches, such as the fireworks going off during transitional scenes. The DVD does not cover the WWE years (2004-2008, or 2009 when the event was simply renamed The Bash), which is probably a good thing: few fans want to relive the abomination that was the Concrete Crypt, or the excitement of the original Punjabi Prison match (I jest).

Anyway, TGAB actually began in 1985 as a tour of Jim Crockett Promotions/NWA wrestling shows held in the summer rather than a stand-alone card. Some were filmed, and some were not. Of those that did make it onto camera, we get some worthwhile action, as the DVD opens with Ric Flair defending his NWA World Title against Nikita Koloff, following a spectacular helicopter entrance for The Nature Boy. Dusty and Larry Zbyszko provide new commentary for this match, which becomes bizarre when Dusty openly states "I don't care about this match". Better is The Rock 'N' Roll Express challenging The Andersons for the Tag Team Titles in 1986, which is your typical logical and well-executed doubles outing from the mid-1980s NWA that has your classic 1980s post-match hand-slap by Rock 'N' Roll, to celebrate their, erm, non-victory (by the way, Dusty and Larry commentate on this one as well; it's worth remembering that both had announcing experience from the Nitro era of WCW). Next, it's a Flair vs. Dusty Cage match from 1986, but this has clearly the version that we had on Dusty's own DVD, released in 2006, because it has commentary from Rhodes, Steve Romero (who left WWE years ago) and Mike Graham (who passed away in 2012, nearly two years before this DVD was released). It's always amusing to hear Dusty mention his "belly-welly" though, so I'll give them a pass on that.

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WCW's Greatest Pay-Per-View Matches - Vol. 1

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 437 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: May 5 2014

Back in 2003 or 2004, the concept of a compilation featuring the top Pay-Per-View encounters from the rich history of WCW would have been extremely tantalising. By the time such a DVD was released in 2014, though, so many classic WCW battles had already been released and interest in the WCW brand lies solely with longtime fans wishing for a slice of nostalgia, which reduced the appeal of the three-disc set.

However, whilst the collection feels like it was released a decade too late, this is still a very enjoyable DVD compilation. Around 80-85% of the content has already been seen on past DVDs, but that fact doesn't hinder the entertainment value of this set too much.

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The U.S. Championship – A Legacy Of Greatness

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 450 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: May 9 2016

This DVD looks at the 40-plus year history of the United States Championship. Unlike previous "title" releases, which allowed fans to vote on the bouts or which included a documentary, this compilation is more basic, and provides a straightforward selection of matches, hosted by John Bradshaw Layfield (and to his credit, JBL does a good job of explaining situations and storylines, and of filling in the blanks between matches). The American flag backdrop for JBL's links is a nice touch, as is the presence of both the original and the current United States prizes during his scenes. In other production notes, it is interesting that each disc has its own mini-video playing during menus, which is not normally the case (each clips reel shows highlights of the bouts on that disc).

Disc one, which covers the 1975-1989 period (from Mid-Atlantic to Jim Crockett Promotions to World Championship Wrestling) is the weakest of the three. A rare Ric Flair-Ricky Steamboat match with Andre The Giant as referee sounds good on paper, but the grainy footage is awful, and as it's shown in a series of clips, one can't quite work out what has happened. Greg Valentine vs. Roddy Piper is better, but the presentation of the finish is poor, and why include this instead of their famous Dog Collar match from the first Starrcade? Fortunately, we do get a different memorable U.S. Title scrap, the rather violent I Quit Cage match between Tully Blanchard and Magnum TA from Starrcade 1985.

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Living On A Razor's Edge - The Scott Hall Story

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 436 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: July 4 2016

The latest WWE DVD features a career retrospective documentary, along with a selection of memorable matches for the subject in question. The usual stuff, right? Actually, no. This set on the life and times of Scott Hall is very different from your usual profile of a legendary wrestling performer due to the topics covered in the main feature.

Yes, the documentary does look back at Hall's in-ring adventures, from his beginnings in the wrestling industry to his early days in Kansas City and the AWA, his original WCW stint as The Diamond Studd, his very successful WWF tenure under the name Razor Ramon, his unforgettable contributions to WCW upon his return as a founding member of the groundbreaking nWo faction, his short-lived 2002 return to the WWF and his 2014 WWE Hall Of Fame induction. The key matches and moments are recapped, although I personally felt that the Razor section was a little bit on the short side, and the recap of his nWo involvement was even more brief; the first two years for the new World order, from Hall's initial promo upon his Nitro debut/return to the summer of 1998 (around which time the faction splintered into two) are all handled within a few minutes, and whilst the impact of the faction and the rise of Hall's status are analysed, it still doesn't quite explain why the nWo was so crucial, from the Hogan heel turn to Nitro battering Raw in the ratings from then on until April 1998. So, whilst the documentary covers the main highlights of Hall's career from an in-ring standpoint (complete with sit-down contributions from Hall, several of his family members, his Kliq buddies Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels, Triple H and X-Pac, and other personalities like Hulk Hogan, Vince McMahon, Dusty Rhodes and Eric Bischoff, it would be considered a slight disappointment, or at least a bit brief, if we were judging it solely on the retelling of his big matches and moments.

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Eric Bischoff - Sports Entertainment's Most Controversial Figure

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 431 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: June 13 2016

Of all the personalities who have come and gone in the business of professional wrestling, few divide opinion more than Eric Bischoff. For some, he displayed the skills of a pioneer, a visionary, a truly creative promoter. To others, he was lucky, in the right place at the right time as he benefitted from someone else's money, a man who provided minimal input into key storylines and who was viewed as poisonous by a mutinous locker room. If nothing else, Bischoff has built himself an unforgettable career in the genre of sports entertainment, and his life and times are examined in this new DVD.

It's worth wondering why now; why are we getting a Bischoff DVD in 2016 and not in the mid-2000s during his WWE tenure, or even shortly after the demise of WCW in 2001? Well, it's been a long time since we've seen Bischoff in a WWE ring, so there is nostalgic appeal to revisiting Bischoff's career here.

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The Best Of Sting

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 432 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: October 13 2014

After WCW folded in 2001, the one truly big name who never came to WWE until fairly recently was Sting. Just before his arrival at Survivor Series 2014, we finally got a DVD covering his career, which had been anticipated for many years. Still, whilst it is an enjoyable recap of Sting's highs and lows, the title The Best Of Sting proves to be something of a misnomer.

We begin with a Blade Runners tag team match, an interesting chance to see Sting and The Ultimate Warrior at a very early stage of their careers. Sting appears in another tag bout alongside Rick Steiner which is okay, before the first WCW match of the compilation against Ric Flair for the NWA Title. Sadly, what builds as a promising natch suddenly ends as that TV broadcast concludes; this is very annoying from a DVD viewer's point of view, but more so for fans at the time who must have had to put up with this every week.

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War Games - WCW's Most Notorious Matches

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 369 Minutes
Certificate: 18
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: July 1 2013

As someone who has primarily watched the WWF/WWE and who only caught bits and pieces of WCW when it was in business, there were many key moments from the latter company that I never saw at the time. Even as WWE began releasing DVDs featuring such incidents, there was still one group of matches from WCW history which, by and large, I had never seen and only knew a little bit about, and that was War Games, a stipulation invented by Dusty Rhodes (who is the talking head before matches here). This DVD finally provides the chance to see War Games in all its glory.

For those unfamiliar, War Games was a NWA/JCP/WCW creation which saw a roofed steel cage cover two rings. The match saw two teams of five, mainly, head into battle with one man on each team starting and fighting for five minutes. Then, after a coin toss, another wrestler off one team enters (usually from the heels; actually, it was always someone from the heel team). Two minutes later, a wrestler off the other team enters. Then two minutes later a third man off the first team goes in and so on, until everyone is in. At this point, the door locks and you have The Match Beyond; only now can someone win, which happens when one man surrenders or submits, and his team then loses.

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Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 422 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: October 7 2013

GOLDBERG! GOLDBERG! GOLDBERG! Fans had been anticipating a DVD on the career of Goldberg for years, so when it was announced for late 2013, it generated a lot of excitement. But did the release match the hype?

Firstly, there is no documentary here, which is disappointing. That is more of a problem for this particular release than for a DVD on another wrestler because Goldberg's career was relatively short, and many of his matches were too. Therefore, even if a Goldberg documentary is released on DVD in future, are there enough of his matches not featured here to fill up the remainder of the release?

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How the Invasion could have been done

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Watching the WWE Network series The Monday Night War rekindles memories of the WWF vs. WCW ratings battle. Yet fewer people remember what should have been the biggest storyline feud in wrestling history - erm, the WWF vs. WCW. Well, WWF vs. WCW/ECW. Although I enjoyed it at the time, I appreciate that it could have been better executed and generally lived up to the anticipation that people had had for years regarding such a rivalry. But how could it have been done? What exactly was the 'right' way to book the Invasion? Here's my take ...

Dateline: March 26, 2001. Vince McMahon announced that he has bought WCW, only for Shane McMahon to announce that in fact he bought WCW. Shane beats Vince in their Street Fight at WrestleMania X-Seven, and makes only brief televised appearances thereafter.

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