WRESTLEMANIA XII
From The Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, CA
March 31, 1996

BACKGROUND
Never before in the WWF had such a display of hypocrisy been presented.

Beginning in 1994, with Bret Hart’s ascension to his second reign as WWF Champion, Vince McMahon’s empire draped itself in the colors of an ad campaign called “The New Generation”. McMahon chose to move forward with a newer set of soldiers, trying to bury the older ghosts of his company’s past.

But while McMahon painted over the murals of Hogan and Randy Savage and Ric Flair with the likes of Razor Ramon, Diesel, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, and, of course, Bret Hart himself, those banished ghosts found a new haunt in Atlanta called WCW.

And haunt Vince they would.

In 1995, WCW would premiere a trendy little show called Nitro to go head to head with McMahon’s flagship Monday Night Raw. The two shows traded victories in the ratings war, but McMahon’s product was, by comparison, stale and outmoded in relative to a show that was live every week and putting on marquee matches, as well as showcasing fresh international talent.

The ghosts of Hogan and Savage and Flair tormented McMahon by taking a good chunk of his audience. Lex Luger, who had been a McMahon trustee for nearly three years, left to rejoin WCW on Nitro’s maiden episode, having left Vince behind without a formal goodbye.

Soon, Razor and Diesel would give their notice, heading to WCW at the expiration of their contracts.

The New Generation was a failing concept. In a desperate, hypocritical move, McMahon littered his show with old names: Jake Roberts, a returning Ultimate Warrior, Roddy Piper, Ted Dibiase (as a manager) and Mr. Perfect (as an announcer) to name a few.

But it would be two relatively young, time-tested stars that would carry the New Generation banner proudly, and salvage WrestleMania XII.

THE EVENT
Much like one year earlier, Shawn Michaels found himself the winner of the 1996 Royal Rumble match, having dealt Diesel some Sweet Chin Music to knock him over the top in the finale. Michaels was routinely stealing the show at nearly every event he participated in, and fan sentiment led to a well-timed face turn in the spring of 1995. Soon, Michaels was winning the Intercontinental Title and defending it against Razor Ramon in a classic ladder match sequel at that year’s Summerslam.

On the same show, Diesel had his hands full defending his WWF Championship against King Mabel, injuring his shoulder during the ten minute slothing.

It seemed inevitable that Michaels would soon find his way back into the main event picture.

However, the championship took a detour, when Diesel’s year-long reign ended at the 1995 Survivor Series, as Bret Hart bested Diesel in a match that featured a memorable table bump. Hart began his third reign as champion, retaining over the likes of Davey Boy Smith, The Undertaker (in a DQ loss), and Diesel (in a steel cage match) to establish himself for the main event of WrestleMania XII.

Rowdy Roddy Piper (playing interim President while Gorilla Monsoon was selling injuries at the hands of Vader) decided to make the Hart vs. Michaels showdown for WrestleMania XII as memorable as possible. In what would be a first in televised WWF history, the fans would be treated to an “Iron Man” match, where the individual who scores the most falls over the course of one hour would be declared the winner.

Rather than feature a storyline full of twists and turns, Hart and Michaels were both portrayed as courageous and diligent athletes. Videos aired, featuring both men engaging in rigorous training exercises in order to get their bodies ready for the fight of their lives.

While Hart and Michaels had their road to WrestleMania etched in mutual respect, not every match would have that same backdrop. Supplementing the Iron Man match would be a formidable encounter between two giants. The Undertaker would take on Diesel in a contest several months in the making.

Undertaker was named #1 contender to the WWF Title in December 1995, which made Diesel feel slighted. As a means of protest, as Undertaker had Bret Hart pinned at the 1996 Royal Rumble, Diesel interfered to prevent “The Phenom” from winning the title. One month later, Diesel would face Hart in a steel cage match at In Your House for the title. In a famous moment, as Diesel went to exit the cage, Undertaker billowed up through the canvas, grabbed Diesel, and pulled him beneath the ring into a cauldron of smoke, preventing him from winning as well. The match was set to settle the grudge once and for all.

Check out the full Camel Clutch Blog Pro Wrestling and MMA store for videos, t-shirts, books, and more.

Two legends would return to in-ring competition as well; Rowdy Roddy Piper would face Goldust in a “Hollywood Backlot Brawl”, and The Ultimate Warrior returned after a three and a half year absence to face upstart Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler would call the action for the third year in a row. In a rather curious move, there would be no celebrity involvement at this show, but the event DID feature the debut of WCW’s former Johnny B Badd, now known as “Wildman” Marc Mero.

THE RESULTS
Owen Hart, The British Bulldog, and Vader def. Ahmed Johnson, Yokozuna, and Jake Roberts in 12:51
(Decent opener, even if the action was a bit disjointed. Ahmed and Vader would become obvious components for the future of the “New Generation”, while Owen and Bulldog were typically solid. About what you’d want from an opening match)

Stone Cold Steve Austin def. Savio Vega in 10:00
(Underrated match, due to a dead crowd, as well as distractions from another match that was taking place at the same time. Explanation forthcoming. Austin wasn’t quite the “Texas Rattlesnake” yet, but he was getting there. Just wait a few months)

The Ultimate Warrior def. Hunter Hearst Helmsley in 1:36
(You know what’s great about this match? Not only did Warrior no-sell the Pedigree, but since he’s likely never going to return to WWE, Hunter can never get his “job” back over him. And you wonder why Hunter’s been so quick to bash Warrior publically: he’s bitter. I love it)

The Undertaker def. Diesel in 16:46
(That’s five. This is also Taker’s first “good” match at WrestleMania, as he and Diesel gamely exchanged big moves back and forth with few dull moments. Within two months, Kevin Nash would be “for lifing it” in Atlanta with minimal effort given for the rest of his career)

Hollywood Backlot Brawl: Rowdy Roddy Piper def. Goldust in an indeterminate amount of time
(It was what it was: a bizarre brawl featuring some cringe-worthy shots, a silly “chase” that used stock footage of OJ Simpson’s bronco chase, and ended with homosexual one-upsmanship that included kissing, and Goldust being stripped down to lingerie. You know, just your typical match)

WWF World Championship/Iron Man Match: Shawn Michaels def. Bret Hart 1-0 in 61:52 to win the title
(A somewhat polarizing match; some fans felt that it was too dull to exchange holds over the span of one hour, while others appreciated the athleticism and endurance on display. As for me, I watched my favorite wrestler of my childhood win his first World Title and didn’t care what anybody else thought. That’s why I don’t mock twelve year old John Cena fans: their Cena was my Michaels)

ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

The failure of Diesel as WWF Champion was evident as early as WrestleMania XI, when fans weren’t exactly thrilled to see him retain the gold over the villain of the match, Shawn Michaels. Michaels’ subsequent face turn would provide a maxwell of energy for a company that was stagnating toward creative lows.

If Diesel was Vince’s new Hulk Hogan, then Michaels was Vince’s new Randy Savage: the change of pace champion to provide a different main event perspective after one babyface lost the title. With Michaels as the man in charge, fans could expect the main events to be more athletic, dramatic, and crisp, which couldn’t be said about Diesel’s encounters.

Bret Hart was just as good a main eventer as Michaels, but Hart already had three reigns, and was eight years older than the “Heartbreak Kid”. It was time for something new.

This main event was contrasted with an undercard that featured a heap of washed up names (Piper, Warrior, Roberts, etc), as well as building blocks of tomorrow (Austin, HHH, Vader), but while the past and the future reigned underneath, it was the present that took center stage.

WrestleMania XII was the Shawn Michaels Show, and rightfully so.

Justin Henry is a freelance writer who splits time between this site, WrestleCrap.com, and FootballNation.com. He can be found via his wrestling Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/wrestlecrapjrh

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

WWE: Bret Hitman Hart – The Dungeon Collection

Grab discounted WWE DVDs, merchandise, t -shirts, figures, and more from the WWE Shop on Amazon.com

Hulk Hogan has had his chance to respond to recent criticism from Bret Hart about being worthless to TNA Wrestling booking. Now it’s Eric Bischoff’s turn and if you expected Eric to be as diplomatic as the Hulkster, you have got another thing coming.

The war of words between Bret Hart and TNA head honchos Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff continues to heat up. Unless these guys are promoting a future handicapped (no pun intended) match at WrestleMania or Bound for Glory, none of it makes a whole lot of sense. That said, as a blogger I hope they keep it coming.

Bret Hart was the first to fire comments at Hogan and Bischoff in recent interviews, most recently with WrestleTalk TV. Bret doesn’t think much of either one and questioned what they could bring to the table at TNA Wrestling.

“I’ve got no faith in either one of them,” Hart said. “If anything, they’re [TNA] going to lose a lot of ground. They’re spending a fortune on a guy who’s worthless. And Bischoff’s as worthless as Hogan, the two of them have zero to offer the business.”

Hogan offered a fairly tempered response to Bret basically saying that Bret doesn’t know what he’s talking about and while it is easy to criticize from the outside, Bret doesn’t know enough about the inner workings of TNA to give an educated opinion. Eric on the other hand had a little more fun with it on a recent broadcast of Inside the Ropes. Transcript courtesy of WrestleChat.net.

“knows nothing about wrestling” and calling him “an idiot”: “It’s not unusual for guys like Bret Hart, from that era….the only way they know how to get over is to get over at the expense of someone else. Bret Hart’s trying very hard to stay relevant. Unfortunately, he’s no longer relevant. He was a big star, he had a big name at one point, he was an important character in the history of the business but he’s not any longer and I’m sure that’s hard on him. I know myself how it feels to realise that that your biggest and best days as a performer are behind you. I’m very comfortable with that, I’ve embraced it but it’s hard for a lot of guys who’ve never been anything other than performers. They have a hard time with that. It’s not easy getting older in the wrestling business, believe me, when you’re surrounded by younger and younger people who in many ways aren’t as over or as skilled or as popular as you may have been or still are now. But this business is a business that’s served by youth and change. And for someone like Bret, that manifests itself in his personality, lashing out at others. It’s funny, when he came to me he hated Vince McMahon, he hated everyone in the WWE from the office to half the roster. He didn’t have a good thing to say about any of the McMahons. Then when he got the opportunity to go back and work for them, he had to shift that. Then his hatred was for someone else like Bill Goldberg for giving him a concussion and now it’s for me and for Hulk, there’s no rhyme or reason for it and as far as his opinion of my value and what I’ve achieved in the wrestling business, I’ll let my body of work and success speak for itself.”

Eric also talks a bit about Bret’s disappointing run in WCW after Bischoff signed Bret away from the WWE.

“I had spoken to and met Bret several times before he made the jump. I was obviously excited to have him but clearly Bret Hart was a very broken….and in my opinion still is, from the interviews I hear him do, a very sad, broken and bitter person. That was pretty evident when he first came over. He was a shadow or a shell of his former self. Wherever Bret was, the high point of his character, what I got was a kind of broken, sad shell of that and quite honestly I don’t think he’s ever come out of it.”

As much as I can’t stand Bischoff it is hard to feel sorry for Bret here. Bret has been absolutely brutal in his attacks lately, which have come out of nowhere. Additionally it really doesn’t make a lot of sense to me as to why Bret is so bitter about Bischoff in particular. Bischoff made Bret an extremely rich man and signed him to one of the biggest contracts at the time in pro wrestling history. There comes a point here where I think Bret has to take a little accountability here for his run in WCW and stop pointing the finger at everyone else.

Bret you’re up!

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

WWE: Bret Hitman Hart – The Dungeon Collection

Grab discounted WWE DVDs, merchandise, t -shirts, figures, and more from the WWE Shop on Amazon.com

Hulk Hogan is trying to make waves for TNA Wrestling and the United Kingdom. Hogan took some time to do some international media to do so and talked TNA’s growth. Let’s just say that it probably isn’t smart to compare the company you are running to one that lost $80 million and went out of business.

Hulk sat down with WrestleTalk TV and talked a lot of TNA Wrestling. If you recall, WrestleTalk TV was the place where Bret made his recent negative remarks against Hulk and TNA. Unfortunately you will have to wait another week to see how Hogan responded.

Hulk compared TNA’s growth with WCW. I don’t want to nitpick (I’ll leave that to the Hitman) but that is just laughable. TNA Impact ratings haven’t gotten anywhere close to WCW Nitro ratings for one. Two, TNA just did their biggest house show which was somewhere around 8,000 people. Even WCW was drawing more than that when Hulk got going there. The biggest difference to me is the pay per view business. TNA doesn’t release numbers but Dave Meltzer has reported their numbers in the past and they are a blip compared to past WCW pay per view ratings. I just don’t see the same groundwork for an explosion in TNA Wrestling that WCW had.

You may also not want to boldly compare the company you are running to a company that lost an estimated $80 million and went out of business. Just a thought.

Hogan also talks about Jeff Hardy and how his state of mind has been since coming back. Hogan says that Jeff is the “man he was supposed to be.” Hogan credits the birth of Jeff’s daughter for Jeff “growing up” and has a lot of positive things to say about the former TNA world champion.

Now Hulk does actually respond to Bret Hart’s comments about Hulk being worthless and his inability to create new stars in part two of this interview. Unfortunately that isn’t posted at press time so we’ll have to wait a few days for that one.

This Hogan vs. Bret stuff is getting good!

WWE: WrestleMania 29 DVD

WWE: Bret Hitman Hart – The Dungeon Collection

Grab discounted WWE DVDs, merchandise, t -shirts, figures, and more from the WWE Shop on Amazon.com

The number one way to make money in pro wrestling is with a great feud. Nothing draws bigger at the box office than an exciting rivalry pitting good vs. evil. Some rivalries are based on hatred, some are based on championships, and some are based on nothing more than a motivation to be the best. Today I spotlight one of professional wrestling’s greatest feuds.

Hulk Hogan vs. Roddy Piper

1984 was a fascinating year to be a pro wrestling fan in the northeast. The World Wrestling Federation was at the very beginning of morphing into the juggernaut that would later become the World Wrestling Entertainment. A plethora of new stars plucked from territories around the country invaded the WWF and the transformation was underway.

Roddy Piper was a guy that came in from the Mid Atlantic region whose legend was promoted to young fans outside of the territory like me through the Apter magazines. All I knew about Roddy Piper was that he was one tough SOB who lost part of his ear in a dog collar match and gave everyone from Ric Flair to Don Muraco a lot of hell.

Piper immediately took charge when he entered the WWF first with his legendary Piper’s Pit segments and dual manager role and later professional wrestler. For whatever reason Piper was not originally promoted as any kind of a threat as wrestler but more of the chicken manager who stood behind his charges while he caused trouble. Regardless, WWF fans knew there was something special here.

Some of us knew Hulk Hogan from his previous WWWF run while others followed him like Piper in the Apter magazines. Hogan’s first run in the WWWF was not what I would call legendary, but what he was doing in the AWA and Japan was much bigger. To me, Hogan was a champion even before he stepped into the WWF thanks to everything I read in the magazines. He was certainly different Backlund but I’ll admit that I got caught up in Hulkamania as a young lad.

The marriage of Hogan and Piper was a natural. The two couldn’t have been any more opposite for WWF fans. Just about every one of us wanted to see someone shut up Roddy Piper (although I’ll admit I was starting to cheer for the heel even as a youngster here). Jimmy Snuka tried and came up short in his bid to tear Piper’s head off. Andre the Giant tried on a few occasions and even that great WWF hero couldn’t pull it off. It was Hulk Hogan or bust!

Vince McMahon did a fantastic job of keeping them apart for quite a while. It wasn’t until the Cyndi Lauper angle started to get some steam that Hogan and Piper would have their first issue. Piper interrupted Lou Albano’s ceremony, smashed an award over his head, kicked Lauper, and the Hulkster had seen enough.

It is strange to think it was their singles match that would lead to a pay per view main-event which wound up being a tag team match but that’s how it went. Piper and Hogan wrestled in the War to Settle the Score which aired on MTV. The match wasn’t what I’d call great but the heat and intensity made it legendary. Hogan retained the title winning via DQ after Piper’s army interfered. Mr. T was at ringside and he was attacked by Piper, Paul Orndorff, and Bob Orton Jr. after the match.

Of course we all know what happened at WrestleMania 1 with Hogan and T getting their revenge on Piper, Orndorff, and Orton. Piper turned on Orndorff after the match leading to a series of exciting tag team matches at house shows featuring Hogan and Orndorff vs. Piper and Bob Orton.

Hogan and Piper would have one last collision during this time period at the infamous Wrestling Classic pay per view. Hogan and Piper headlined in a championship match supporting a tournament for a Cadillac which aired on pay per view in November 1985. I liked this match slightly better in the ring although nothing would beat the atmosphere of Madison Square Garden. The 7:00 match (imagine paying to see this) ended with Piper being disqualified after the referee saw Bob Orton hit Hogan with a cast. The two beat him down until Orndorff made the save, keeping the house show tag match business alive.

Surprisingly this is one of the only feuds in WWE history to end without the hero triumphant at the end. Hogan never scored a decisive win over Piper during this run at all which is amazing if you think about it. As great as this feud was and it was fantastic, it is almost missing that piece of closure wrestling fans had been accustomed to seeing. Quite frankly I can’t recall a main-event feud featuring the top babyface in a wrestling promotion ending without him getting his win at some point.

Their paths would cross again over the years with their next run coming in World Championship Wrestling with the two trading wins with each other. They later renewed their rivalry in the WWE when Piper attacked Hogan at the end of Hogan’s match with Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 19. That run was nowhere near as exciting as their first tango as it was muddied up with bad ideas like Mr. America. While Mr. America did beat Piper, he once again escaped without being pinned by Hulk Hogan in a WWE ring.

The legacy of this feud transcends decades. In the list of rivalries in WWE history this one still stands out as one of the most heated and intense of all-time. For that it is my honor today to celebrate one of the greatest rivalries of my childhood, Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan.

WWE: The Greatest Wrestling Stars of the ’80s

WWE: Born to Controversy – The Roddy Piper Story

WWE: Hulk Hogan – The Ultimate Anthology

Grab discounted WWE DVDs, merchandise, t -shirts, figures, and more from the WWE Shop on Amazon.com

For a guy that has been retired for over a decade (somewhat), Bret Hart continues to stay in the wrestling news. Whether he ripping one of his former WWE colleagues or being ripped, his name won’t go away and the latest to bring it up is his former buddy Hulk Hogan.

Hogan and Hart have had an on again off again friendship for years. The most famous story regarding these two is that Hogan didn’t want to pass the torch to Hart back when they were in the WWF together. Hogan refused to work with Hart at a SummerSlam, thus creating a rift that just won’t seem to go away.

Hart has been much more outspoken about Hogan over the last decade than vice versa. Hart never passes up a chance to take a cheap shot at Hogan or his in-ring abilities. This time it was Hogan taking a cheap shot at Bret…literally.

Hogan gave an interview to Fighting Spirit Magazine out of the United Kingdom. The magazine released an excerpt online in which they ask Hogan about Bret. As you’d probably expect Hogan was of course critical of his fellow ex-WWE champion but this time it was for a reason that really doesn’t make much sense if you break it down. Hogan’s beef with Bret was that Bret worked to cheap for Vince McMahon when he was champion.

“The main-event guy made the most money when he had the belt,” Hogan explained. “When I was the (WWF) champion, I made the most money. It was an old rule that Vince (McMahon) Sr. had that, thank god, was passed on for quite a while. That changed when Bret Hart became champion; he’d work for a lot less than anybody else, so it changed everybody’s pay.”

I see where he is coming from but he is completely off base on this one. As Dave Meltzer points out in the newest Wrestling Observer newsletter, this is just flat out wrong.

“Given that the champions were then, and to this day still are now, paid based on their position on the show, what the show draws and merchandise as opposed to a flat salary, that’s just crazy. The fact is the champions who drew the worst, like Yokozuna and Kevin Nash, would have made far less than the champions who drew the best. If anything, when Hart in 1996 signed a $1.5 million per year guarantee, he was the first guy, champion or not, who actually got a seven-figure annual guarantee from WWF.”

Dave is right in that Bret was the first to get that big guaranteed money deal so in hindsight, Bret should be commended for getting that ball rolling. I think the biggest issue Hogan has with Bret is that he is two-faced, and I have heard others say this about Bret before. Bret ripped Hogan for years but when he got to WCW he was a big fan, same with Ric Flair. Hogan mentions in the interview that the last time he saw Bret that he was playing with his kids in the pool.

At this point I think Bret really needs to choose his battles. He is coming off as a bitter, soured ex-wrestler lately with his recent attacks. I don’t blame Hogan for responding since Bret has consistently put it out there, yet criticizing him for driving down salaries is without merit. The big key there is if Bret was making less, he was drawing less, which nobody should understand more than Hulk Hogan.

WWE: Hulk Hogan’s Unreleased Collector’s Series

WWE: Bret Hitman Hart – The Dungeon Collection

Grab discounted WWE DVDs, merchandise, t -shirts, figures, and more from the WWE Shop on Amazon.com

It is Valentine’s Day and that means love is in the air, even in the WWE and pro wrestling rings. What better day than today to take a look back at ten of my personal favorite wrestling couples and the kind of impact that these love struck duos made on the business.

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be fun to offer up my ten favorites for greatest wrestling couples. These couples all have a special place in my heart and are memorable for different reasons. Some were more successful than others while others had longer courtships, yet they all created plenty of chaos hand in hand with one another.

Randy Savage and Elizabeth - Randy Savage and Elizabeth were the ultimate wrestling couple. When you think of great couples in pro wrestling history these two jump to the top of the list. Unfortunately their fairytale romance wasn’t as fairytale as it would seem at times and the two would divorce outside of the squared circle. Regardless of their outside troubles, you can’t find a more memorable couple than these two.

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon – The power couple in and outside of the ring have been a dominant force in WWE history for over a decade. While it took years to acknowledge their marriage, they have been wrecking havoc since they worked Test and Steph’s family back in the Attitude Era in one of the most entertaining angles in WWE history. Outside of the ring you won’t find a more powerful couple in pro wrestling and inside the ring they can still through their weight around. Just ask Paul Heyman about that.

Chris Candido and Tammy Sytch – I am surprised that these two aren’t acknowledged more as one of wrestling’s great couples. Fans of Smokey Mountain Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment, ECW, and dozens of independent wrestling companies never saw these two apart for almost a decade. While more WWE fans probably saw these two than anyone else, I think it was their early run in SMW that was far and away their best. Unfortunately for a variety of reasons they never got to show that stuff anywhere else post-SMW but for those of us that saw them during that run, we all know how great they could have been.

Jimmy Garvin and Precious – Other than Liz and Randy there is no other couple synonymous with pro wrestling for fans my age than Jimmy Garvin and Precious. This real life married couple raised hell all over the country in the 1980s beginning in World Class Championship Wrestling when Jimmy dumped Sunshine for Precious. The chemistry between these two trouble makers still remains some of the best in pro wrestling history decades later.

Triple H and Chyna – In retrospect their run wasn’t all that long compared to some of these other couples but it was certainly one of the most memorable in pro wrestling history. The relationship worked, the angle worked, and the timing of this monster woman acting as a bodyguard of sorts for her arrogant boyfriend was exactly what the Attitude Era needed.

Edge and Lita – If you want to talk about heat-generating, heel couples look no further than Edge and Lita. The Internet played a big part in their heat thanks to Matt Hardy and him letting the world that Edge stole his girlfriend. Lita was exactly Edge needed at the time he defeated John Cena for the WWE championship to take him to the next level. Fans were vicious with their hatred and passion to see these two lovers get what was coming to them. Edge’s career skyrocketed and he never looked back once these two got together. Their “celebration” of Edge’s title win on RAW is still regarded as one of the most memorable segments in RAW history.

Goldust and Marlena – It is amazing when you look back in wrestling history at wrestling couples and see how these two stood out immediately. Like several of the mentioned couples, the Attitude Era had a lot to do with it. I look at this pairing as a more updated version of Adrian Street and Miss Linda with an edge. Like Street and Linda they were shocking and quite frankly made WWE fans a little uncomfortable at the time. That kind of impact is something that can’t be ignored.

Sandman and Woman – I may be partial as a former ECW fan but I just absolutely loved this pairing. The only disappointment with these two is that they didn’t get a longer, national run. Their “blind” angle with Tommy Dreamer is still one of my favorite ECW moments. The sight of seeing a drunk bum with the gorgeous, and classy Woman had heat written all over it. ECW fans ate it up and years later they are still regarded as one of the most memorable couples in wrestling history.

Chuck and Billy – If you thought Goldust and Marlena made WWE fans uncomfortable than you’ve never seen Chuck and Billy. This ambiguous male duo walked a fine line between romance and bromance. On a serious note I think it is remarkable that years later this goofy gimmick is still one of the most remembered of all-time. Thanks to 3-Minute Warning breaking up their wedding the two dropped any hint of affection and moved towards a more serious direction. How much heat did this angle have? The WWE garnered GLADD’s support of the storyline with the organization completely falling for the ridiculous.

Missy Hyatt and Eddie Gilbert – This crazy couple brought chaos with them to Bill Watts’ UWF, CWA in Memphis, World Championship Wrestling, and other territories through the late 1980s and early 1990s. Like Savage and Liz, these two played both the babyface couple as well as the dastardly heel duo. These two are highly underrated when looking back at wrestling couples in history and had an impact wherever they went.

WWE: Elimination Chamber 2013

WWE: Bret Hitman Hart – The Dungeon Collection

Grab discounted WWE DVDs, merchandise, t -shirts, figures, and more from the WWE Shop on Amazon.com

Much like many consider WWE’s “Attitude Era” the greatest era in professional wrestling history, there’s one specific angle that is considered the greatest angle of all time as well, and that was the monster known as the nWo. In 1996, three wrestlers began a revolution in the sport that lasted nearly 6 years, and helped shape professional wrestling into the monster success it is today. Those three men were Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, the original founding members of the nWo.

This set chronicles the history of the group, and I must say, does a great job. Over the course of the documentary, we see coverage of the entire history of the group, from their historic rise to their less-than-stellar conclusion. Over the course of the documentary, there are comments from men who were involved directly with the group, as well as several who worked for WCW at the time, as well as several others who simply got to witness it as fans.

All of the major angles are covered in the documentary, from the ill-fated “nWo Monday Nitro”, the first Souled Out pay-per-view event, the bringing in of Dennis Rodman, and many more. The reasons behind several of the members of the group being initiated in are explained in detail, too, providing some extra information that some fans might not know. Some of the best stories on the DVD come from, oddly enough, Cody Rhodes and Matt Striker. Although neither were involved with WCW at the time (Cody was only 11 when the angle started), both offer insightful viewpoints.

As the child of Dusty Rhodes, who was not only in WCW at the time, but also a member of the nWo at one point, Cody has many interesting behind-the-scenes stories, kind of from the viewpoint of someone who was there, but because of his age, didn’t understand what was going on. Cody backs this up by recounting many of the stories his dad would tell him about the nWo during that time, with Dusty still hanging onto kayfabe with his own son. As for Striker, yes, he comes off as a tool on television, but the guy is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to professional wrestling, and is probably too smart for his own good. His insights from the perspective as a fan who watched the whole thing unfold are very interesting, and are viewpoints that I think many fans around the world likely shared at that time, including myself.

Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall make appearances on the set, but their interviews are pre-recorded from previous years, same with Eric Bischoff. These are probably pieces you’ve seen before, but they still add a lot to the set. Kevin Nash appears in both new and old interview segments, along with several other original members like Sean “Syxx” Waltman and Ted DiBiase. Nash actually gets a lot of talk time in the set with the new interviews, and he has a lot of candid, unbiased things to say about the nWo. Specifically, he talks about how the first few black and white interview segments were absolutely terrible because Hulk Hogan was still stuck in the 80s, and it was only through an incredible editor that the videos came off better than they had any right to be. He also offers up the opinion that Souled Out was one of the worst events they ever did, which can be backed up with hard numbers.

While several employees from that time in WCW make appearances here as well, including Bill DeMott and Billy Kidman, the best appearance is from Lex Luger. I was honestly extremely surprised to see him appear on the set, due to a rough history with WWE, but that surprise was extremely pleasant. Luger gets quite a bit of talk time here, and comes off as extremely intelligent and insightful, giving a completely unbiased opinion on the entire angle.

I think the best part of the set is listening to all of the stories about the low points of the group’s history. While the nWo was certainly revolutionary and provided a lot of great moments, there were still bad points, just like any other angle or feud in the sport. In addition to the two shows I mentioned, the set focuses a lot of time on the Jay Leno fiasco, the Wolfpack, and even nWo 2000. Booker T offers up the best comments here (and I look forward to the day he gets his own set, BTW), pointing out exactly why these angles didn’t work and where they hit their worst points. While Cody Rhodes and Matt Striker lose me a little in talking about Jay Leno, I still understand their points. While the angle was atrocious, both men make good points about how Leno’s inclusion brought the group even more mainstream attention. Granted, it was the wrong kind of attention in many cases, but as the old saying goes, any publicity is good publicity. Still, the Leno bit was bad for business in the long run (especially since it took place at the annual money pit known as Road Wild), and it really hurt the group’s standing as the unstoppable bad guys who were cool to root for.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot left out of this set, considering the run time of the documentary is only about an hour long. This should have easily been a 3-hour set, and it’s unfortunate it was so short. Having said that, it’s amazing how much information is crammed into the 60 minutes on this set. Nearly the entire history of the group is covered in that time, with a lot of the major players involved getting to speak their mind at length. Honestly. While I would love a much longer set in the future, if possible, I am truly impressed with what was done here in the limited time frame.

So, having covered the documentary, that leaves the matches and bonus features, which cover roughly six hours of run time. These are somewhat hit-or-miss, but considering that the popularity of the angle was the group itself rather than the matches that were had during that time, it’s not surprising. Both Hall and Nash’s debuts are featured here, along with the aforementioned Jay Leno match and the famous in-ring debut of Dennis Rodman. Three matches included on this set are really surprising. The first off is Syxx vs. The Bounty Hunter from “nWo Saturday Night”. In case you have forgotten this, when WCW Saturday Night was on the air, after the nWo debuted, they began getting a weekly match on the show. They would record the match earlier in the day when the fans weren’t allowed in the arena, and they consisted of members of the group squashing random jobbers. This is one of those matches, and there’s no more to it than that.

Syxx squashes the guy, and that’s the end of it. The second one is Sting vs. Hogan the night after Starrcade ’97. I would have thought they would have included the match from the PPV itself, due to its historical significance. Instead, we get the rematch from the next night that not only do most people forget, but wound up being the beginning of the complete undoing of Sting’s title win the night before. The last of these three is the War Games Match from Fall Brawl ’98, pitting Team WCW vs. Team Hollywood vs. Team Wolfpack in a three-way match. This is considered the worst War Games Match in history, and there’s a good reason for it. Not only did it feature scrubs like Stevie Ray in the main event, but the rules were nonsensical. While traditional the traditional version of the match pitted either 4 on 4 or 5 on 5, with the decision being made by either submission or KO, this match could only end in pinfall or submission, and the person who scored the fall would be the new #1 contender for the WCW title. So, even though it was 3 on 3 on 3, it essentially was a 9-way match, making the idea of teams completely useless. On top of that, this was during Warrior’s embarrassing WCW run, and the match was marred with his stupid parlor tricks like disappearing in a cloud of smoke and reappearing elsewhere around the ring (with the help of the late Rick “Renegade” Wilson, playing his double).

Still, with these complaints, I had a good time watching this DVD. Much like The Attitude Era, I really enjoyed this set, as it felt like a trip down memory lane. I distinctly remember being a fan during this time, and because of where I lived, Nitro and RAW came on at different times, which allowed me to stay loyal to WWF but still enjoy WCW’s skyrocket in popularity as a result of the nWo (and many other things, truthfully). Despite watching many of these moments, nearly 20 years later, I had forgotten many of them, and some of the matches included here were ones I had never even seen, which is something I always look forward to on these sets, regardless of match quality.

If you were a big nWo fan, this set should be on your wish list. If not, I still say pick it up, if for no other reason than its historical significance. The cultural impact of the nWo and WCW on a whole at the time can not be underestimated, and this DVD does nothing but enforce that fact. No pun intended, the nWo was a revolutionary concept, and that revolution can still be felt in wrestling today.

DISC 1

Stars Align

Free Agents

The Outsiders

Bash at the Beach

Here’s the nWo

Element of Reality

Fan Interest

nWo vs. WCW

Rivalry versus Sting

The nWo. Goes Mainstream

Internal Strife

Restoration Attempt

nWo 4 Life

Scott Hall’s Nitro Debut
Nitro – 27th May, 1996

Kevin Nash’s Nitro Debut
Nitro – 10th June, 1996

“Rowdy” Roddy Piper confronts Eric Bischoff
18th November, 1996

Hollywood Hulk Hogan confronts “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
30th December, 1996

The nWo’s WWE Debut
No Way Out – 17th February, 2002

DISC 2

The Outsiders vs. Randy “Macho Man” Savage, Sting & Lex Luger
Bash at the Beach – 7th July, 1996

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
The Giant vs. Hollywood Hogan
Hog Wild – 10th August, 1996

WCW World Tag Team Championship Match
The Outsiders vs. Harlem Heat
Halloween Havoc – 27th October, 1996

Syxx vs. The Bounty Hunter
nWo Saturday Night – 9th November, 1996

WCW World Tag Team Championship Match
The Outsiders vs. The Steiner Brothers
Souled Out – 25th January, 1997

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Hollywood Hogan vs. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
SuperBrawl VII – 23rd February, 1997

Hollywood Hogan & Dennis Rodman vs. Lex Luger & The Giant
Bash at the Beach – 13th July, 1997

DISC 3

Las Vegas Sudden Death Match
Diamond Dallas Page vs. Randy “Macho Man” Savage
Halloween Havoc – 26th October, 1997

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Sting vs. Hollywood Hogan
Nitro – 29th December, 1997

No Disqualification Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
Hollywood Hogan vs. Randy “Macho Man” Savage
Nitro – 20th April, 1998

Match for Control of the WCW World Tag Team Championship
Sting vs. The Giant
Great American Bash – 14th June, 1998

Hollywood Hogan & Eric Bischoff vs. Jay Leno & Diamond Dallas Page
Road Wild – 8th August, 1998

War Games Match to Determine the #1 Contender for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
Team WCW vs. Team Hollywood vs. Team Wolfpack
Fall Brawl – 13th September, 1998

No Disqualification Match for WCW World Heavyweight Championship
Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash
Starrcade – 27th December, 1998

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match
Goldberg vs. Bret “Hit Man” Hart
Nitro – 20th December, 1999

Hollywood Hogan, Kevin Nash & Scott Hall vs. The Rock & “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
RAW – 11th March, 2002

BLU-RAY EXTRAS

nWo Legends of Wrestling Roundtable Discussion featuring Kevin Nash, Jim Ross, JJ Dillon, & Michael Hayes

*The Beginning
*The nWo Concept
*Hogan Turns his back on WCW
*Putting Vince out of business
*Ratings war
*Pointing fingers
*Goldberg
*Cutting Edge & Controversial
*Downfall
Invitation only
WCW Saturday Night – 27th July, 1996

Nothing Personal
WCW Saturday Night – 3rd August, 1996

Modern Day Gladiators
Monday Nitro – 19th August, 1996

Worldwide
WCW Saturday Night – 7th September, 1996

Room Service
Monday Nitro – 30th September, 1996

It’s Not Easy Being King
Monday Nitro – 20th January, 1997

The Real Hot Rod
Monday Nitro – 17th March, 1997

The Madness
Monday Nitro – 28th April, 1997

All Over But The Crying
WCW Pro Wrestling – 15th June, 1997

As always, feel free to follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/xdustineflx ,and if you like Married…With Children, you can follow my Al Bundy parody account at http://www.twitter.com/bundyisms. Also follow my personal blog at http://nerdslikeme.blogspot.com (feedback is welcome). Oh, and if you like bodybuilding, check out my mom’s official site by clicking the banner below:

-Dustin

nWo: The Revolution

nWo: The Revolution [Blu-ray]

WWE: New World Order (nWo) – Back in Black