 |
 |
 |
  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
RD's DVD, Video Game, and Book Shelf!
I don't know quite why, but for some zany nutty cukoo reason, people want to know what I think of certain books and DVDs. So here ya go!
Keep in mind, as always, that these are just my opinions, and your mileage may vary. Like my good buddy Eric always says, that's why they make chocolate and vanilla (which he inevitably follows up with "because you like crappy ice cream").
I'll start with DVDs, but if you're more learned and would like to curl up with a book, then just click here.
You can pick all these up at High Spots or Amazon, so if something strikes your fancy, get to clickin'.
Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 (Wii)
I think, by now, after all these years of doing this silly website, it's probably fairly apparent that your old buddy, your old pal, RD Reynolds loves pro wrestling. And I think it's probably also common knowledge that he loves videogames. (In fact, back before I started WrestleCrap, I actually considered starting a videogame site instead.)
Being that I am an old geezer, I've played pretty much every wrestling videogame ever made, dating all the way back to the earliest of computer wrestling games.
Ah yes, Bop n Wrestle. What a pile of complete pile of crap that game was. Get this: when you'd put someone in a move, the game would load. No, not when you started the match. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MATCH, BETWEEN EVERY SINGLE MOVE. You'd go to give your opponent a suplex, and the disk drive would start grinding and whirring, sounding for all the world like it was going to explode.
Since then, things got better. We had old classics like Pro Wrestling on the NES, WWF Superstars and WrestleFest in the arcades, and excellent newer games like the New Japan series on the Playstation. And who could forget those classic N64 wrestling games?
So here we are in 2008, and the Nintendo Wii is all the rage. And with good reason: it's a hella fun system. While Sony and Microsoft would throwing all their effort behind making the best graphics imaginable (and doing a damn good job at it!), Nintendo went off in their own wacky direction, with a system that introduced the mass market to motion controlled games, stuff so simple your grandma could play. It's an unqualified smash, and I love it.
But some games...some games are probably better off without the flailing of so many limbs. And I dare say that wrestling games would be key among them. So I was a bit skeptical when I threw THQ's latest, Smackdown vs. Raw 2008, into my Wii.
Soon enough, though, I was throwing punches like a madman and gesturing for my foes to "Bring It" ala the Rock. Oh yeah, and one more thing: I was getting my ass kicked all over this very ring, because I had absolutely no clue what the hell I was doing. Try as I might, I couldn't even figure out how to run! Now sure, you could say that with practice, you could figure all this stuff out. Well, I've had the game for over a month and still have no earthly idea how to run.
I can, however, do a crotch chop.
I don't quite consider that a fair trade off.
But as I was attempting to throw hip tosses and suplexes, Mrs. Deal walked in the room. Now keep in mind, that she plays the Wii almost as much as I do, and she loves it. Cookin' Mama, Super Mario Galaxy, Excite Truck...she's into that. But as she saw me waving my hand in front of my face, doing Cena's "You can't see me" bit, she had but one thing to say:
"You look like an idiot."
And you know what, I couldn't argue. I did look like a fool. And I wasn't having a lot of fun.
It seems to me that this game would be a lot of fun, though, if you had friends hanging around to play against. See, because then not only would you look like a fool, but your friends would as well. And when friends look like idiots together, well, that's just good time.
Especially if liquor is involved.
So, final verdict?
Recommended, but only under the following conditions: a) you have gaming friends and more importantly b) you have gaming friends who will get completely liquored up and/or stoned while you play.
You can order WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 for the Wii by clicking rightchere!
Wrestling Society X: The Complete First (and Last) Season
I think it pretty much goes without saying that Wrestling Society X, a short-lived wrestling promotion that aired on MTV, was a "love it" or "hate it" affair. You either were enamored with WSX's over the top, explosive-laden antics or you found it inexplicably stupid.
My take?
Bring on the explosions, beyotch!
There wasn't a week that went by in WSX's far too brief existence that I didn't look forward to the show. There were goofy yet awesome characters (Matt Classic, I am looking at you), incredible acrobatic action (courtesy of countless performers, my favorite of which being Teddy Hart), and crazy ass stipulation matches. More than anything specific, though, the show just had something that no other wrestling show in recent memory was: FUN.
Now think about that. When was the last time you sat down and watched a show and you were just smiling and laughing from beginning to end? I can't tell you the last time I did that for a WWE show. And God knows if I EVER have for TNA. But WSX...it was always a blast.
Pun fully intended, of course.
Now, thanks to the fine folks at Big Vision Entertainment, we get WSX in its entirety. And when I say "entirety", I ain't just talking what aired on MTV. This 4-disc set has WAY more than that. Stuff like 10 WSXtra's, which are basically 10 additional shows that aired on their website, tons of deleted scenes, and commentary with WrestleCrap co-hort Dr. Keith Lipinski. Hell, the set is worth getting just for the never before seen final episode, which features a PIRANHA DEATH MATCH and an EXPLODING STEEL CAGE TIMEBOMB DEATH MATCH. That's just good times right there.
In the end, I leave you with this quote from our own Derek Burgan:
"WSX will join Freaks & Geeks, Undeclared, Firefly and other TV greats in the pantheon of shows Americans were too stupid to 'get.'"
Highest possible recommendation!
You can order WSX: The Complete First (And Last) Season by clicking rightchere!
Life in the Fast Lane
As the internet wrestling community has grown, it seems that one thing folks never tire of is hearing road stories from the boys. And with good reason. After all, I don't think you could ever find a more misfit group than grown men who pretend to beat each other up for our amusement. And for those guys who spent years and years out on the road, flying and driving from town to town to do so? Well, obviously they'd have some stories to tell.
Enter Big Vision Productions, the folks who recently released the fantastically awesome Wrestling Society X set. This time they're back, with something not anywhere near as fun, but worth a few good laughs nonetheless. It's Life in the Fast Lane, which takes snippets from various shoot interviews from over the years and hodgepodges them into a movie mix of road stories. While that sounds like it might be something that short changes viewers, realistically, I found it to be fairly interesting. After all, do you really want to sit through a three hour Marty Janetty shoot? Wouldn't it work just as well to hit the highlights and move on?
And rest assured, there are loads of highlights here, with tons of names being interviewed. Here's a no doubt abbreviated list:
Jeff Hardy
Matt Hardy
The Sandman
Ted DiBiase
Honky Tonk Man
Ricky Steamboat
Bobby Heenan
Tazz
Team 3D
Vince Russo
Jimmy Hart
Abdullah the Butcher
Mr. Fuji
Arn Anderson
Sherri Martel
Marty Janetty
Barry Windham
Sid Vicious
Tammy "Sunny" Sytch
Lex Luger
Raven
Bret Hart
Jim Neidhart
Shawn Michaels
Roddy Piper
Dusty Rhodes
Jake Roberts
Chris Candido
Rick Martel
Billy Jack Haynes
Don Muraco
David Schultz
Jacques Rougeau
Rey Misterio
Eddy GuerreroYeah, that's a pretty damn impressive list. Heck, for me it was just fun to see all these old guys and try to guess who they were before their names popped up on the screen. (And I have to say "Bravo" to Dr. D, who actually looks to be in better shape now - and somehow younger - than he did 20 years ago.)
Highlights? Well, you have Billy Gunn dropping the f-bomb literally every other word as he discusses Tough Enough. You get Ricky Morton talking about Ric Flair falling out of his boat and almost drowning at sea. And what more could you ask for than a story of someone taking a dump in Outback Jack's hat?
Overall, it's fun, if not particularly substantial. The whole thing breezes by in less than two hours, and there's another hour worth of bonus material to keep you occupied. That would be my only real complaint - there's just not enough of it. Still, you can find it used on Amazon for under $10, and that's a decent enough deal to get a thumbs up from me.
Recommended if you can pick it up on the cheap. If you love wrestling road stories, then it's highly recommended, regardless of price.
You can order Life in the Fast Lane by clicking rightchere!
Twenty Years Too Soon: The Superstar Billy Graham Story
Before I get too far into this review, I have a confession to make: despite sometimes being mistaken for a walking wrestling encyclopedia (which trust me, I ain't), prior to watching 20 Years Too Soon, all I really knew of "Superstar" Billy Graham was his horrific run in the late 1980's in the WWF. I saw this guy stinking up rings, and then, shortly thereafter, giving some of the worst color commentary this side of Art "How Much Does Dis Guy Weigh?" Donovan.
So you're probably asking why, since I had no real info on the guy, why I'd ever actually pick up a DVD of his life story. The answer, friends, is quite simple:
It was $5 at Wal-Mart.
Having seen the disc, it was well worth the price of admission. In fact, I'll go so far as to say it's worth whatever they're charging on Amazon or High Spots. It's actually a fascinating story of a man who wound up on top of the wrestling world, and basically let ego get in the way, going into seclusion when his star had never really been brighter. Later, he'd not only see his career end, but nearly his life as well, ironically due to everything that made him famous in the first place.
I think it's pretty safe to say that most everyone at least knows of the legend of Billy Graham. If not, here's a one sentence synopsis: he was a body builder with a fantastic physique and an incredible gift of gab, one imitated by everyone from Hulk Hogan to Jesse Ventura to Triple H and countless others. In fact, when you watch the interviews on the disc, you can flat out state "so that's where Hogan stole that from" or "I've seen Hunter do that exact same thing."
To me, though, it wasn't his massive influence on the business that made the story so fascinating; it was his personal issues. Following his run atop the WWWF (the precursor to the WWF and WWE), Graham lost the belt and immediately hit the bricks, not wanting to be around if he wasn't the champ. He collapsed into depression and drugs, and when he did finally return, the thrill, as they say, was gone. His moment had passed. This led to even more depression and more drugs, and by the time he finally returned to the WWF in the late 1980's, he was such a shell of himself that younger fans (such as myself) were thinking, "Why in the hell is this guy on my TV?"
A bitter parting of ways with Vince later, Graham soon began to see his body collapse as well, with the years of steroid abuse taking a very violent toll. His life would be saved by a liver transplant, and he dedicated his life to the donor of that liver, a young woman who died in a car accident. And oh yes, he went back to his religious roots.
Great, great, great stuff, although if you're not religious, it may not be your thing. For myself, though, who does believe in God, it was excellent, a fascinating journey of a pretty fascinating man.
Highlight: The part where he talks about dedicating his life to the girl who had donated her liver actually had me pretty choked up.
Recommended if you have a religious bone in your body; not recommended if you don't.
You can order Twenty Years Too Soon by clicking rightchere!
Wrestlemania III: Championship Edition
Two Disc SetI think it probably goes without saying that Wrestlemania III was a high water mark for the WWF. While Mania 1 established the WWF as THE wrestling company to follow, Mania 2 was, in nearly all respects, a misstep. When it was announced that Mania III was to take place at the Silverdome in Detroit, obviously it was crucial that Vince & Co. have a big ticket main event.
And they did - the "unbeaten" Andre the Giant versus WWF Champ Hulk Hogan. It was a dream match in every sense of the word (well, as long as the word was neither "technical" nor "wrestling"), and it drew over 78,000 fans to the event live, as well as countless thousands more on PPV and closed circuit. More than that, though, it is the one show that any fan who followed wrestling in the 80's remembers. Heck, we can probably even recite the entire card. In fact, before I even popped the disc in, I tried to see how much of the show I could remember off the top of my head:
Can-Am Connection versus Muraco & Orton
Billy Jack Haynes vs. Hercules Hernandez
Harley Race vs. Junkyard Dog
King Kong Bundy, Lord Littlebrook, & Little Tokyo vs. Hillbilly Jim, Little Beaver, & Haiti Kid
Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake vs. the Rougeus
Roddy Piper vs. Adrian Adonis
Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat
Koko B. Ware vs. Butch Reed
Jake Roberts (with Alice Cooper) vs. Honky Tonk Man
British Bulldogs & Tito Santana vs. The Hart Foundation & Danny Davis
Sheik & Volkoff vs. the Killer Bees
Andre vs. HoganA double check of the case says I got them all. Compare that with, say, last year's show, and I bet I can name like three matches. Let's see...
Trish vs. Mickie James
and...
ummm...
Money in the Bank (but I can't name anyone in the match but RVD)Wow. What a difference 20 years makes.
Now to be sure, Mania III ain't the greatest show in the world. In fact, aside from Steamboat vs. Savage and seeing Bundy kill a midget, there's not much on the show I was dying to see again. Well, save for this one spot where Davey Boy Smith made Danny Davis a good four inches shorter with a jumping piledriver. And Hogan versus Andre may have been historic, but damn it sucked in the ring.
You know what, though - watching again was just like revisiting an old friend, and it was so much fun that I cannot help but recommend it again to anyone who was around when it hit originally. It's part of our past, part of what no doubt made many of us fans in the first place. And this presentation of it is a complete and total blast!
For starters, most of us copie...err. BOUGHT, the old Coliseum home video version of the show, which was actually pretty chopped up to save on tape. This DVD release has the whole darn thing in its entirety, so even someone like myself who can recite the commentary word for word gets some stuff we've never seen. The quality of the video transfer is remarkable as well, and it looks a zillion times better than any version I've ever seen. Sure, there is some audio weirdness here and there (for instance, Don't Go Messing with a Country Boy is sadly missing), but overall, you just can't go wrong with it.
On top of that, there's a bunch of extras, such as the ability to watch a sorta pop-up video version of the show, complete with fun facts and inset interviews from match participants. If that's not enough, there are also additional matches, such as a rather famous battle royal from Saturday Night's Main Event. The most interesting thing to me was the several Randy Savage interviews. Damn that guy was awesome. Vince really needs to get over whatever his problem is with him and induct him into the Hall of Fame immediately.
So what are you waiting for? If you were a fan in the 80's, this is a must. If you are a newer fan, well, you should nab it too...if for no other reason than for the fact you won't be totally lost when we reference it all the time. Plus, if it sells well, we will get more of these. I'm personally jonesing for a Mania X7 release with all these special features.
Highlight: Tough to choose, but I've gotta go with the Randy Savage interviews. It's been waaaaaaaay too long since I'd seen any of those.
Highly Recommended.
You can order Wrestlemania III by clicking rightchere!
Wrestling's Greatest Managers
You want to know the real reason why I got into wrestling?
Two words: Bobby Heenan.
Yes, I watched it before I ever saw my first Brain promo, but I think my fascination with the business would never have been more than a passing thing were it not for Mr. Heenan. In fact, I dare say I've probably watched more Brain segments than anyone else in wrestling. And were it not for The Simpsons, I'd be willing to bet that I've logged more time watching Bobby Heenan than any other television show personality period.
I remember years ago, when I was in college, and I was going through a very rough time in my life. I had a horrible bout with depression. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I just stayed up at night crying. And the only thing that got me through? Watching taped episodes of Prime Time Wrestling featuring Bobby and Gorilla Monsoon, over and over again. No matter how many times I saw them go to Tony Packo's Hot Dog Emporium, I laughed just as hard as the first time I saw it.
The man is a genius in every sense of the word. And don't take my word for it - Vince McMahon himself calls him the greatest manager of all time.
For years, I've longed for a DVD release of Bobby's exploits. Heck, I'd want a three disc set. But no such luck. I guess that WWE feels there wouldn't be sufficient demand for such a release, and that's too bad.
I think that's the case of a lot of their past performers, so getting a DVD such as WWE Presents The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers is somewhat of a mixed blessing. On the one hand, we get segments on a lot of guys that would never get a DVD release in 10,000 years. On the other, you can't help but feel shortchanged that guys like Heenan and Jim Cornette were never given their own DVDs to fill up.
Having said all that, this DVD is a hell of a lot of fun. We get great looks at everyone from Arnold Skaaland to Paul Heyman to Sherri Martel to everyone inbetween. While seeing these blasts from the past is quite entertaining, the DVD isn't without its shortcomings, the primary one being the fact that sometimes people in the segments refuse to break kayfabe while in others it's openly discussed how so and so would "get heat". Oh, and Todd Grisham hosts the thing, and man does he suck.
There used to be so many managers on the scene, and now they've all but vanished. It's a lost art. And that's REALLY a shame, because there are a lot of young guys who could really benefit from having a mouthpiece like Cornette or Slick in their corners.
And after watching this, you'll probably see where I am coming from.
Highlight: Uh, it has Bobby Heenan. What do you expect me to say?
Highly recommended if you are a 1980's wrestling fan; mildly recommended if you are not.
Order Wrestling's Greatest Managers RIGHTCHERE!
McMahon
Two Disc SetTalk about a double-edged sword - there's nothing that shows everything right in the wrestling world and everything wrong in the wrestling world better than WWE's latest release, entitled simply McMahon. While I've long said that Vinny Mac's "Mr. McMahon" character is one of the greatest heels in wrestling history, and therefore a hightlight reel of his nefarious antics would be nothing short of spectacular, unfortunately we also see the flipside of WWE's success: their ability to rewrite history in any way they see fit.
This is the kind of disc that will make our good pal Dave Meltzer have a heart attack.
The disc is basically the life story of Vince McMahon written by, well, Vince McMahon. By that I mean that any semblance of reality is thrown out the window in favor of telling the story so that anything dumb that he may have done in his life is now structured in such a way that it is somehow either a) ingenious; b) ballsy; or c) not his fault. For instance, remember the disaster that was the XFL? Well, that was actually a really good idea that the networks just gave up on. It wasn't the fact that the first few games were awful and turned fans off. It was all the networks' fault, dammit!
Speaking of networks...older fans might remember a bleak day in 1984 when Vince found himself on TBS. You know, the network that aired the NWA and Crockett and Georgia Championship Wrestling and WCW and all that stuff? Well, Vince did a deal with Ted Turner whereby the WWF would be broadcast on the network. It didn't last long, because according to Vince, Ted Turner was so stoked by the great ratings and outstanding fan responce that the show was doing that he wanted to buy the WWF.
Now those of you who read my second book, The Death of WCW, might recall that this is NOT quite the way things actually happened:
"Further into his expansion, McMahon purchased Georgia Championship Wrestling for $750,000. As part of the deal, he got the coveted Saturday and Sunday 6:05 P.M.timeslots on TBS, where his plan, obviously, was to replace tapes of the Georgia wrestlers with tapes of his WWF superstars. The problem with this plan was that there was a vast in-ring difference between the two products: the Georgia show featured an emphasis on in-ring action with talented workers, and the WWF show featured a bunch of one-sided “squash” matches that had already aired on the USA Network. When the switchover took place on "Black Saturday," July 14, 1985, over one thousand fans angrily complained to the Superstation. Turner's response was to give Ole Anderson a 7:00 A.M.timeslot so that he could open up Championship Wrestling from Georgia, Inc. (which didn't last long). Then, the following year, he gave Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling a one-hour timeslot on Sunday, and agreed to finance him so that he could compete nationally against McMahon. Vince, who thought his purchase of GCW would give him an exclusive on TBS, was outraged. Turner, of course, disagreed, feeling that Vince had reneged on a stipulation in the contract that required him to produce a separate weekly program from an Atlanta studio. If Vince wasn’t going to do it, well, someone else would. Thus began the two-decade war between McMahon and Turner."
So yeah, there was a little bit of difference there.
And don't get me started on what a "great idea" it was to have Eric Bischoff come out and hug Vince. As I said in DOWCW, that was akin to taking a big barrel of money and lighting it on fire.
And to be honest, that's the kind of thing that, as I watch these new WWE discs, drives me absolutely insane. I mean, seriously...what Vince McMahon has been able to accomplish is impressive enough, isn't it? He overran the wrestling world and created his own monopoly. He was obviously better than everyone else. The fact he is still around while no one else is proves that point.
Why not just admit a failure or two? Is it really that hard?
You'll also be wildly amused to see who does the best puckering up to the boss' backside. It's a really tough race, as everyone is seemingly falling over themselves to pay homage to the king. Personally, I'd give the nod to JBL, but everyone from Big Show to Eric Bischoff to standard lackies like Gerald Brisco all do their damndest to win employee of the month. Sadly, perennial WWE DVD mainstay Steve Lombardi is nowhere to be found on the main feature (though he is apparently hidden somewhere on the disc).
There's also way too much on the McMahon family feud, which just gives WAY too much airtime to our ol' pal Nipple H. Good GOD is that woman grating. I mean, I must have seriously blocked her out of my mind because on this disc she is so shrill (and not just in voice but in personality) that I seriously considered taking a flame thrower to my set. Still, I have to give Her Almighty Annoyingness credit for killing a storyline in which her daughter's father would turn out to be...Vince McMahon.
You go, girl.
So yeah, there's a whole heap of garbage on this disc, but I can't NOT recommend it. Why, you ask? Well, anyone who was a fan during the initial McMahon-Austin feud will tell you that it was without question one of the greatest times ever to be a wrestling fan. This disc covers that feud in extensive detail, and that alone makes it worth the price of admission.
Even if you have to sit through a whole lot of Kiss My Ass Club segments to get there.
And to be fair, there is a LOT of fun on the disc. Vince may be an egotistical maniac, but he is a very entertaining egotistical maniac. He will do whatever he can to make your viewing entertaining, no matter how goofy or stupid he may wind up looking. Or if he winds up in a hospital, for that matter. And for that, I give him credit.
I think, in the end, Shawn Michaels said it best:
"That's why I say he's the greatest guy in the world to work for - because he's an idiot."
And that idiot is a whole lot of fun to watch.
Highlight: Amazingly enough, too many to mention. If I had to choose, though, I'd go with the WrestleCraptastic 1987 Slammy's clip in which Vince belts out Stand Back. Damn is that great.
Recommended.
You can order McMahon by clicking rightchere!
Bret Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, And The Best There Ever Will Be
Three Disc SetFrom 1986 or so through the end of his career in 2000, Bret Hart was my favorite wrestler. His flat out wrestling ability, his talent for making things look so “real”, made any match he was in well worth watching. Of course, once he left the WWF following the infamous Survivor Series fiasco, things went downhill, but even with WCW’s total ineptitude, he still had good matches when he was presented the opportunity.
So getting the new three-disc Bret DVD was a no-brainer (and many thanks to “Diamond Dan” Garza who did just that for me as a Christmas present).
I won’t bore everyone with the entire backstory of how the disc was originally slated to be produced, but suffice to say it was at first going to be a documentary not unlike the Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior one. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, and Bret decided to do what he could to personally salvage the product. And thank God he did. This is easily my favorite WWE release since the Flair three disc set, and, to be honest, I probably like this even more than that one.First up is the two hour documentary of Bret’s car eer, and it’s a dandy. It has all the stuff you’d expect, plus a ton more. There is a LOT of really early Bret footage from his Stampede days (that would be Stu Hart’s old territory), and that’s a real treat for someone like me who’s seen virtually all of Bret’s WWF and WCW work and thus felt like he’d seen everything the guy ever did. Sadly, there aren’t any complete Stampede matches, but what’s there is gold – his work with the likes of Dynamite Kid are really something to be seen.
While complete Stampede matches aren’t to be found, there’s plenty of bouts to get excited about. Notably, a match I’ve long raved about that was shown exactly once to my knowledge on WWF TV: Bret versus Ricky Steamboat from the old Boston Gardens in 1986. You’re probably thinking that a match like that couldn’t possibly live up to what you’d expect, and you’d be 100% wrong. It’s great, even better than what I remembered (probably due to the fact that in its original showing on the old Prime Time Wrestling it was shown in progress). There are also a rare bout with Ted DiBiase (which doesn’t even have commentary!), which is good, but more of a teaser of what could have been had they had a prolonged feud. The disc is rounded out by all the matches you’d expect (versus Davey Boy Smith from SummerSlam 92, versus Owen at Mania X, versus Austin at Mania 13, and a bunch more) and they’re all great.
As for anything left out? Well, the Iron Man match with Shawn Michaels is rather conspicuous by its absence. In fact, other than a Rockers-Harts match, you won’t see Shawn in any matches. Well, Bret did pick them out. I was also a little bit sad to see one of my personal favorite matches, Bret versus Jerry Lawler (when Lawler faked an injury and had Doink the Clown sub for him, then got caught and was forced into the match that had as much heat as any I’d ever seen), left off the show. Finally, there was a GREAT promo I was wishing would be on there, with Bret and Neidhart mocking the Bulldogs being managed by Matilda that went like this:
Neidhart (to Ken Resnick): “Let me ask you something, Ivy League. What exactly is a female dog?”
Resnick: “Ummm…”
Bret: “Yeah, what is it?”
Resnick: “A bitch?”
Neidhart (with Bret DYING in the background): “A WHAT?”
Resnick: "The terminology is a 'bitch'."
Bret: “It’s bad enough you have to take orders from a dog…but they’re taking orders from a BITCH.”
Neidhart laughs maniacally
Ah well. I can’t give this anything but the absolute highest possible recommendation, so if you haven’t picked it up yet, you really need to.
Highlight: Steamboat versus Bret. Duh.
Most highly Recommended.
Greatest Wrestling Stars of the 80's
Three Disc SetSaid it before, and I'll say it again - there is no greater asset Vince McMahon owns than his massive tape library. He could put out awesome discs that I'd want to buy probably on a weekly basis, just because there's almost no footage he doesn't have the rights to.
That's what makes a collection like this so much fun - you have WWF guys like Hulk Hogan, whom you'd expect on a release such as this, but since WWE owns the rights to the AWA and WCW/NWA, you have all kinds of footage you simply do not expect to see. And it's AWESOME. I particularly love all the great classic interviews from the likes of Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, and Roddy Piper. I should note, however, that the absence of Randy Savage is totally mind boggling. Ah well, maybe volume 2 will have him (and Ted DiBiase and Ultimate Warrior and Jesse Ventura and the Hart Foundation and the British Bulldogs and Andre and everyone else they left out).
If you grew up watching wrestling in the 80's, I can recommend no disc more highly than this one.
Highlight: The Bobby Heenan Show is here in full force, featuring the debut of, oh yes, JAMESON.
Most highly Recommended.
RVD: One of a Kind
Two Disc SetIf you ever wanted to see just how different WWE can make a wrestler, check this one out. I had totally forgotten just how innovative and insane Rob Van Dam was, seeing as he has been stuck doing the same old, same old for so long. This set has tons of old (as in ECW) RVD bouts, including awesome stuff against Sabu, Lance Storm, and Jerry Lynn. Even more fun than that, though, might be his WCW stuff as Robby V. You really have to see Raven decked out a SCOTTY FLAMINGO; I literally laughed until I cried. What an outfit.
Highlight: RVD's selling of Tommy Dreamer's piledriver is something to behold. I've watched it 20 times, in slow motion, and still can't figure out how he sprung 3 feet off the mat via his head.
Highly Recommended.
Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story
Two Disc SetEveryone and their brother has probably told you of the awesome life retrospective on this set. It's so good, in fact, that most folks fail to mention the matches on this, and that's a crime, as they are awesome. Not only do we get some classic stuff against Dean Malenko, Chris Jericho, and RVD, there's also a bout against Rey Mysterio that is one of the greatest matches I've ever seen. Their WWE stuff simply isn't even in the same ballpark as what their WCW work was, sadly enough. I had totally forgotten just how emotional his win over Brock Lesnar was until I popped this bad boy in. If all that wasn't enough to get this one, I give you the...
Highlight: An easter egg on the disc has an interview with Uncle Hector telling us about his stint as the GOBBELDY GOOKER!
Highly Recommended.
Bloodbath: Wrestling's Most Incredible Steel Cage Matches
Two Disc SetI can't help but think that this set would have meant so much more, say, 10 years ago. These days, the steel cage match, which used to be THE feud ender, has been so watered down that it's hard to get too excited about seeing a cage match. Sure, I should have been excited about this trip down memory lane, but for some reason the whole disc just fell flat. Especially perplexing is the inclusion of stuff like Bob Backlund vs. Pat Patterson in its entirety, while Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes is just shown with some clips.
Highlight: WrestleCrap is represented once again as Bret Hart takes on...ISAAC YANKEM.
Avoid.
Beyond the Mat: Special Edition
I am often asked what I consider to be the definitive wrestling movie: Beyond the Mat or Wrestling with Shadows. It's a tough call, because I really love them both, and this disc, which contains all kinds of extras, makes it even tougher to call. In addition to the movie itself, this release has a Dinner with Jesse Ventura and Mick Foley that's just that - these two legends sitting around eating and talking pro wrestling. If you've never seen it, you must. It's a bit long in the tooth, but still a pretty fascintating look behind the scenes.
Highlight: Vince McMahon giving Droz his first character: "He's gonna puke! HE'S GONNA PUKE!!"
Recommended.
The Monday Night War
I actually did a full review of this when it came out, and here it is:
"To discount what WCW did, to discount what Eric Bischoff did, would be grossly unfair to him." - Shawn Michaels (of all people!), Monday Night War
I have to admit, I was a bit concerned about the release of this disc. It was coming hot on the heels of a few tremendous discs, including the Shawn Michaels from the Vault, and the Foley and Flair collections, which were certainly tough acts to follow. My biggest concern, though, was that WWE would attempt to once again re-write history as they have done so often in the past.
I'm happy to say, they took the high road and didn't do that. Well, for the most part. Sure, you have Hunter claiming that DX invading Nitro was a turning point in the war (ummm, it wasn't, sorry), but for the most part, the story is told pretty fairly. Only a few folks come off as total ass kissers, most notably Gerald Brisco, who is so pathetic in towing the company line that you will likely start laughing every time he appears on screen.
The bulk of the disc is a nearly two-hour piece detailing the beginnings of Raw, Nitro, and the battle for supremacy that took place every Monday night for the better part of six years. To the company's credit, they actually give Bischoff his props for coming up with new and innovative ideas, like the nWo and Nitro itself. As I've been doing my research for the Death of WCW book, I too have been utterly astounded at just how groundbreaking a lot of his ideas were, and just how well he executed, especially in a company that had seemingly zero clue before he took over. It's nice to see that they didn't just bury the poor guy, as they seemingly do on TV week in and week out.
Instead, Bischoff comes off as a certified super-genius during the first half of the piece. Stuff like announcing the pre-taped results of Raw was really shocking, though it infuriated some fans, me included. Still, I have to give him credit for the line "Bob Holly, is he still around?" - and that was back in 1995! Anway, this was just ground breaking stuff, and really forced the WWF to somehow fight back. The formation of the nWo is also given a fair shake, although, of course, there is talk about how Bischoff was conning people into believing it was the WWF invading WCW. Funniest line here was the narrator: "Viewers were confused, yet interested." Yes, everyone tuned in because they were CONFUSED. The whole thing just smacks of irony, considering that Bischoff did a better job with two guys invading WCW than Vince did with the entire COMPANY invading WWF.
Perhaps most comical are some of the WWE guys' take on Nitro and Bischoff's actions. Of course, Ted Turner is a target, with Vince claiming that the only reason that Nitro was put on Monday nights was to hurt the WWF. Hate to tell anyone this, but if you have a known night when wrestling is a draw, wouldn't it make sense to put it on that night? You know people are going to be interested, so why not try to tap into that audience? For a guy with "balls the size of grapefruits", I thought it was pretty lame of Vince to play the "oh, poor me" bit with regards to Turner's decision.
I also thought the bit where Madusa dropped the belt into the trash on Nitro was very interesting. Bischoff claimed that she did it totally against her will, stating "I loved it, but I'm sure she now wishes she wouldn't have." No doubt. Vince felt totally betrayed, and then said, "If you box me in, I'm going to do something stupid. Foruntately, it didn't get that far." The next scene, the Billionaire Ted stuff, sort of disproves that statement.
There's a lot of great stuff on display here: the time when Nash lawn darted Rey Jr. into the side of a truck; Austin's rise to fame; the creation of the Mr. McMahon character, which I still think is one of the top two or three heels of all time; Golberg's rise to glory; Foley's championship win; Jericho's Raw debut (but only the Rock's rebuttal - WTF?); and much, much more. A thirty second clip of lucha action featuring Rey, Juvie, and others was fantastic, and made me almost literally start crying. Man their cruiserweight division was awesome.
There's even some WrestleCrap, as Russo and Ferrera make a brief appearance, and are slammed by virtually everyone, with Ric Flair going so far as to call him a clown. Among their "highlights" were Pinata on a Pole, Oklahoma, and Russo in the Popemobile. Extras include a couple of great matches (like Booker-Benoit) and some classic stuff, like the "Bret screwed Bret" speech and a Jim Cornette tirade in which he calls Hogan and Piper every name in the book. My God I miss James E. Time to start getting those OVW tapes again.
The biggest ommission has to be the fact that the biggest angle WCW ever did, which lead, in turn, to the biggest PPV they ever did, is not even mentioned. That would, of course, be Sting vs. Hogan. Look, I know the guy isn't with the company, but come on...that's what had a lot of people watching Nitro throughout its long winning streak.
The downfall of WCW is blamed primarily on the right things: not pushing new stars, giving talent creative control, burying Flair, etc.. They really just brush on why WCW failed, focusing more on how WWE came back. That's good and bad - it's bad because it would have been really interesting for folks to see a lot of the bad decisions that were made, but it's good because that means my upcoming book will fill everyone in on what REALLY went down without being colored by opinions that may be biased toward WWE.
The show ends with the final Nitro, of course, and the various folks reflecting on the death of the company. Most of the guys were saddened to see it go, because they had friends there who would no longer be employed. Eddy specifically mentions Chavo, and boy was I glad to see WWE pick him up. The oddest statement came from Ric Flair: "I was so happy at that last show to see that company close down." That just seems so strange, but somehow understandable, especially given his tumultuous relationship with the company.
In the end, I think Chris Benoit said it best: "It was a great time to be a wrestling fan, it was a great time to be a wrestler."
After reliving so many memories while watching this disc, I'd be hard pressed to disagree.
Highlight: "Viewers were confused, yet interested."
Recommended.
The Rise and Fall of ECW
Two Disc SetIt's the second best selling WWE DVD of all time, and with good reason. This thing absolutely rocks. The title says it all - this is the story of how ECW grew from a tiny little indy promotion to a force that still sends shockwaves through the wrestling world four years after its demise. There's literally nothing I can say that hasn't been said a million times before, so just buy the damn thing if you haven't already.
Highlight: Paul Heyman's Steve Austin impersonation.
Highly recommended.
The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection
Three Disc SetEveryone loves this collection, and, on the surface, I do too. But after revisiting it the other day, I can't help but feel there was a LOT of stuff left out that should have been here. Specifically, although great matches are all over this thing, classic Flair interviews are far too sparse. The old stuff he used to do with Bill Apter on WTBS has been so thoroughly burned into my memory that a Ric Flair set without at least a half dozen of those bits seems like a total rip off.
But hey, I'm just being a jerk. If you like Flair, you will love this collection. Just do yourself a favor and turn it off before he starts talking about how great Hunter is on disc three.
Highlight: Royal Rumble 92; arguably Bobby Heenan's greatest commentary performance ever.
Recommended.
Wrestling Gold
Five Disc SetI picked this one up at Wal-Mart for like $15, and suffice to say, I wasn't expecting much. To be honest, I saw the words "Mud Match" and thought, "There's a ready made WrestleCrap induction." And to be fair, most of the actual wrestling on this thing is pretty hard to watch, with some matches being contested between guys who you've never heard of.
Having said all that, this collection is a hell of a lot of fun, because Jim Cornette and Dave Meltzer are doing commentary. Cornette is absoutely hysterical, and Dave is his usual informative self, even stumping Cornette from time to time. Too bad half the matches end with them getting cut off in mid-sentence!
Highlight: Cornette's description of Bob Sweetan.
Recommended, but only if you can find it REALLY cheap.
Hulk Still Rules
Two Disc SetI'm anything but the world's biggest Hulkamaniac, but after all the glowing reviews, I had to pick this thing up. And while it did little to convert me, I have to admit it was a lot of fun jumping in the wayback machine and reliving some of wrestling's most famous moments. Tons and tons of old stuff that will really get you misty eyed for the old days, when a suplex meant the end of a match. I especially loved re-living Paul Orndorff's heel turn; damn that was fun stuff.
Highlight: Hogan's claim that he shot on Tatsumi Fujinami was absolutely hysterical.
Highly recommended if you like Hogan; mildly recommended if you don't.
Since so many people have asked for it, what follows below is a listing of some of the more popular wrestling books available today. I've also listed some books that were written, belive it or not, by fellow Crappers! I haven't listed my two books, WrestleCrap (Amazon, High Spots) and The Death of WCW (Amazon, High Spots), since a) I think my reviews would be pretty biased and b) I kinda sorta hope you have them already, to support the site if nothing else.
You can find these books pretty much anywhere, including High Spots and Amazon. In fact, since some of the books are a bit older, you can pick them up for next to nothing at the Amazon marketplace. For instance, you can nab Have a Nice Day for just over a George Washington. At that price, you really can't go wrong with any of these books.
Well, except for Moolah's, that is...
Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling
by Bret HartIf ever you were to ask me who my favorite wrestlers are, odds are that Bret Hart would be near the top of the list. Quite simply, I don't know that I've ever seen anyone in the ring who I would put in his class. Sure, you could make a case for others, such as Ric Flair, Eddy Guerrero, Dynamite Kid, or countless others. But if I were going on that proverbial desert island and could only take footage of one guy, it would be "The Hitman."
So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I hear rumor of him penning an autobiography. I had these wild visions of it being on par with his exploits in the ring, a five star classic like his bouts with Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels.
The kicker? The book may even be better than that. It's awesome.
Now I say that with a bit of a disclaimer: if you are a fan of Bret, you may walk away from the book actually thinking LESS of him. I did. While Bret (obviously rightly, but almost to a fault) toots his own horn about his wrestling acumen, he is not quite as kind to Bret Hart, the person. And when you read of his out of the ring actions, well...your hero might drop a notch or two.
"Brutally honest" is a phrase thrown around a lot these days, but here it is very appropriate: his stories of illicit relationships and drug usage are discussed in a very frank and open manner. As you read again and again about him cheating on his wife, or his drug abuse, you almost have to step back and think, "Man, this guy is kind of a scumbag. Is this someone I should have really been looking up to?"
Conversely, it's that openess that actually gains some of that lost respect back. How many autobiographies tell the entire truth, warts and all, without covering up the author's faults? It is commendable that Bret would be willing to lay it all on the line the way he has.
And the depth in this book...my goodness. I can honestly state I have never, EVER read any wrestling book that dives into so much detail. Bret talks about all his famous matches, as well as some not so famous ones, not only going over in the ring happenings, but backstage as well. Most of the time he even lists the date the bout took place!
Bret also has zero problem giving his blunt, honest opinions of his contemporaries in the business. While other books might have a shot here or there against someone, Bret throws all caution out the window and absolutely laces into those he doesn't care for. No doubt you are thinking, "Boy, Shawn and Hunter are gonna get it", and they do, with one of the great lines in the book being "I'll never forgive Shawn, or Hunter, for killing the business that so many of us gave our lives for."
But you might be stunned to read about the others he thinks so little of. Bad News Brown, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and countless others are ripped to absolute shreds. Even folks Bret does like, such as the British Bulldogs, are taken to task. Heck, even his own FAMILY members are read the riot act!
But not once did I find myself thinking, "Man, Bret's just being a jerk here." No, I found myself thinking, "I totally see why he would say that. What the hell is/was wrong with these people?" I also thought his overall view of the business, and what it has become, was right on the money.
Bret's life has had a LOT of tragedy, and you really start to feel for him throughout the mess of it all. Owen's passing, Montreal, in-fighting in the family, all the deaths of his family and friends, the Goldberg kick, the absolute stupidity of WCW, his stroke...after a while, you just wanted the poor guy to have something, anything, go his way.
The most shocking thing about the book? It has a lot of humor. It's not joke a minute (leave that to us!), but there are some laugh outloud moments in the book. Here are a couple of my favorites:
(Regarding his brother Dean): "Dean's life now existed of getting high and simply existing. He made it look like he earned his keep at Stu's by tinkering on old Cadillacs and moving piles of bricks and debris from one end of the yard to the other for no apparent reason."
(Regarding Chyna): "Even Hunter came out to greet me, with Chyna, who clearly had radical cosmetic surgery since the last time I'd seen her; she looked drastically altered, reconstructed and beautiful in a ghastly kind of way."
I promise you, henceforth when I describe Chyna, it will be that she is "beautiful in a ghastly kind of way."
What can I say? This is the absolute pinnacle of wrestling books. Wait for the US release if you can, but I say get it right now, by any means neccessary!
Absolutely highest possible recommendation if you're a Bret fan. Still recommended if you're not.
You can order Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling by clicking rightchere!
Missy Hyatt: First Lady of Wrestling
by Missy HyattWell, it's taken forever, but I have finally gotten around to reading - and thus reviewing - another wrestling tome. And this one may be an oldie, but it's a goodie.
And no, I'm not talking about the author.
The book we're taking a look at today is Missy Hyatt's First Lady of Wrestling. At first thought, you are probably like I was: what the hell could Missy Hyatt fill up a book about?
A lot of folks probably only remember Missy from ECW, or if they're a bit older, then from WCW before that. But truth be told, the girl's been in the business for years, dating back to when I initially started watching wrestling back in the mid 1980's.
And I will never forget first seeing Missy: blonde, stacked, gorgeous. In an era where the saintly Miss Elizabeth ruled the roost...well...Missy was everything that Elizabeth wasn't. She wasn't about to hide her sexuality, and instead put it right in your face. And best of all, she was a heel.
Like I said: everything Elizabeth wasn't.
Once I started getting into the book, I quickly realized just how many territories Missy had been in, and quickly realized she had no shortage of stories to tell. I mean, hell...here's a short list of what she had to work with.
- Married Eddie Gilbert, one of wrestling's all-time great minds
- Worked for the Von Erichs
- Did a very, very short stint in the WWF as the replacement for Piper's Pit, the ill-fated (and in dire need of being inducted) Missy's Manor
- Worked for Bill Watts and the original UWF
- Worked for, and then sued, Eric Bischoff and WCW
- Worked for Paul Heyman and ECW
Oh yeah, and one more thing...she's done like half the guys in wrestling. As you will discover (and correctly would have guessed), she loves the penises. And she talks about them in great detail. Hmmm.
Anyway, here's a very abbreviated version of Missy's lipstick case notches: Jake Roberts, John Tatum, Tommy Rich, Dr. Tom Prichard, Brutus Beefcake, Road Warrior Hawk, and Val Venis, who she absolutely buries six feet beneath the earth for his sexual "prowess".
And if you want to know about other dudes she's banged, well, there's Bill Fralic and the older brother from The Wonder Years, Jason Hervey. Sadly, she never mentions if he called her "Scrote" during their most intimate moments. I'd like to think he did.
So yeah, she has a ton of material to work with, and she actually does a pretty damn good job with it; the book is very funny. The sad part is that it's just so short...at just 163 pages, I was really hoping for more. Oh well.
Still, I can't knock it. It's fun, light reading. And I think folks have it used on Amazon for like $6, and at that price, you can't go wrong.
One last thing before I head out...in the book, Missy talks about how she was sad she never stuck around the WWF and got a Missy Hyatt doll.
Melissa, my dear, if you are reading this, a word of advice: WWE is producing all kinds of legends dolls, and I am sure you still have a shot at that.
After all, a Missy doll would sure in the hell outsell a Johnny Rodz one.
Recommended if you're in the mood for a quickie. Err, quick read that is. 8)
You can pick up First Lady of Wrestling by clicking...you guessed it...rightchere!
Controversy Creates Ca$h
by Eric BischoffI really wanted to like Controversy Creates Ca$h. I know that probably sounds absurd, but let’s face it – Bischoff was never going to talk to us for Death of WCW. Sure, we had tons of other folks within the company who did (almost all of whom now work for WWE and were thus uncredited in our book), but Eric had likely the best view of anyone as to exactly what unfolded in the dying days of the company. It would be interesting to see what his take was on the mistakes the company made as well as the miscues he himself orchestrated. I was truly intrigued by his side of the story. If you were a fan back in the Monday Night Wars era, you likely were as well.
In a move that will no doubt ensure that I won’t be on Eric’s Christmas card list again this year, let me save you the $26 and give you Bischoff’s side of what happened: the merger of Turner and Time Warner curtailed a lot of WCW’s freedom was was thus the reason for the downfall of the company. They could no longer be edgy, and that was the entire reason why Raw kicked Nitro’s ass. As examples, Bischoff cites the facts that he couldn’t make jokes about Monica Lewinsky (page 289), or do a skit in which an 80-year old woman gave birth to a hand (page 293). This, we are told, was a major issue and the primary reason that WCW began to lose the ratings battle to the WWF.
There’s your lesson for today, kids: making money isn’t about making matches that fans want, and therefore are willing to pay, to see. It’s all about bad Jay Leno jokes and stupid skits involving elderly vaginas. Who knew?
You see, nothing that happened during WCW’s freefall was Eric’s fault at all. It was all due to the fact that Eric’s bosses were jerks. Oh, and of course that fact the WWF was great, especially Vince McMahon. Yes, Vince was a genius, a genius the likes of which everyone should aspire to be. In fact, “genius” doesn’t really do him justice; we really need to come up with a word beyond “genius.” Come to think of it, maybe folks who display such brilliance would simply be known as “McMahons.”
If I didn’t know better, I’d think someone was trying to get a contract extension. Hmmm.
Other fun facts I learned in this book:
1. Eric is obsessed with “dirt sheets” like Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer. Hardly a page passes when the word “dirt sheet” doesn’t appear. According to the book, these publications are filled with lies and have no basis in fact. This, of course, is despite the fact that Bischoff appeared countless times on Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Live during Nitro’sheyday, openly discussing things they had talked about at other times.
2. Bret Hart had no passion for wrestling in WCW, he was just there collecting big paychecks. Sadly, Eric doesn’t go into detail (actually he never goes into detail about anything in the book), so the part about how WCW booked Bret into oblivion following his opening feud with Ric Flair that drew excellent ratings is omitted. Surely those two items couldn’t have somehow been related. Right?
3. His first ever appearance on Raw was great television. When he and Vince hugged, they shocked everyone. For once, I agree – I know I was shocked that WWE threw a true money making angle (Bischoff versus McMahon was probably the last true “feud” from the War that had any kind of money making potential) right down the toilet. Not so sure it was great television, but if the Hindenburgh is your kind of thing, it was probably right up your alley.
Look, I don’t blame Eric for all the Vince ass-kissing. He’s just a guy trying to make a living, and his best chance to do so is to butter up the boss. The late, great “Earthquake” John Tenta said it best in the foreword to my first book: “Where’s Bischoff now? And where's WCW? Vince McMahon owns them both.”
Eric-bashing aside, I have to say I am honestly disappointed that Eric wasn’t more honest about the downfall of the company. He was the major force for the company’s rise, but he was also one of many who had a hand in its demise. He should have at least owned up to some of that. I can only believe that had he been more open, it would have made for a much better book.
Ah well, what can you do? After all, Honesty Creates Cash wouldn’t have been as good a title.
Recommended if you want to hear Eric's superficial retelling of the story. If not, get Death of WCW.
King of the Ring: Harley Race
by Harley RaceI'll be honest - by the time I got into wrestling, Harley Race was way past his prime, and almost into retirement. Having said that, I thought I'd give his book a look, just to see if something might catch my attention. While Race's stories are, at times, somewhat interesting, I found the book overall to be a bit on the blah side. Thankfully, though, the book doesn't really have time to get too boring, as it is very short. I'm thinking that older fans, who got to watch Harley in his prime, would probably enjoy this one a lot more than I did.
Recommended only for those who really idolized Race (and therefore, probably have the book anyway).
The Mouth of the South: The Jimmy Hart Story
by Jimmy HartThere are few in wrestling who have led a more interesting life than the Mouth of the South. He was a legit rock & roll star (with a group called The Gentrys), worked one of the most famous wrestling angles of all time with Andy Kaufman, and eventually became the real life manager of Hulk Hogan. You'd think he'd have hundreds of stories to tell, but sadly, this book is so short that very little is actually said. His WWF career is brushed through so fast that you'd think he was only there for a month instead of nine years. Note to all future wrestlers doing autobiographies: the fans want to know what you thought of various matches, wrestlers, and angles. What your thoughts were on them and why you thought they were good or bad. After all, why write an autobiography if you're going to leave out the details everyone wants to read about?
Sadly not recommended.
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan: Wrestling's Bad Boy
Chair Shots & Other Obstacles: Winning Life's Wrestling Matches
by Bobby HeenanBobby Heenan was my idol in the wrestling business before I ever had the chance to meet him. After I had the privilege of chatting with the Brain earlier this year, he's now an idol to me outside the ring. And I'm happy to say that his books didn't disappoint, capturing the wit and wisdom of the man long known to fans as the Weasel. As great as his first effort was, I think I actually like the second one more, as he discusses his fight with cancer. Obviously, I can relate to this on a very personal level. Those who haven't had that misfortune would probably prefer the first book, as it is more wrestling related. Either way, you can't go wrong.
Highest recommendation on both books.
Tributes
Tributes 2
by Dave MeltzerThere are few in wrestling that are more respected when it comes to being an insider than Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. After all, if he didn't invent the "dirt sheet", he certainly popularized it along with Wade Keller and his Pro Wrestling Torch. Both of his Tributes books are really good reads; they are basically obituaries of some of the world's most famous wrestlers. Book one has life stories of (among others) Brian Pillman, Rick Rude, Kerry Von Erich, and Junkyard Dog, while book 2 has more recent passings, such as Davey Boy Smith, Curt Hennig, Road Warrior Hawk, and Miss Elizabeth. I think I actually liked the first book better, simply because I was fascinated reading about JYD and especially Kerry.
Highest recommendation on both books, especially the first one.
One Fall
by Spencer BaumThis is a fictional story about a guy by the name of Joey Hamilton who winds up the champion of the world in a very political wrestling environment. Sound familiar? It's very clever, with a some real twists and turns along the way. And get this - it's by a loyal Crapper, just like yourself!
If you're into fan fiction at all, check it out.
Recommended.
The Fabulous Moolah: First Goddess of the Squared Circle
by Lillian EllisonI have never been a Fabulous Moolah fan. And you know what? I have never met anyone who is. Quick - name a great Moolah match? Can't do it? With the exception of the Cyndi Lauper angle (which was all about Cyndi), name a memorable Moolah storyline. Don't feel bad - I can't either. So why I bought this book is a total mystery.
I'll be blunt - I absolutely LOATHED this book. I knew I would from the very first page when she detailed a bout with Ivory and attempted to make it sound like a shoot. Those opening pages pretty much illegitimated anything she wrote through the rest of the book, because she had already established the fact that she was trying to "work" the reader. So when she talked about meeting Elvis, all I could think was, "You lied about 'figthing' Ivory - why would I believe that you knew the King of Rock & Roll?"
Avoid like the plague crossed with gonorrhea crossed with that White Chicks movie.
Have a Nice Day
Foley is Good
by Mick FoleyI find it hard to believe there is even one wrestling fan out there who hasn't read at least one of Mick's books. And if you haven't, you really should; if you like Mick even in the slightest, you will really enjoy both books. Upon first glance, they appear to be monstrous, and indeed they are. But they are so damn funny that it's hard to put them down. I still go back and reread them from time to time, and even gave out the second book as gifts to the groomsmen at my wedding. Not sure you can get a bigger thumbs up (and cheap pop) than that.
Highest recommendation on both books.
In the Pit with Piper
by Roddy PiperWhereas I found Flair's book to be politically penned, Piper's is anything but.
