JimmyHendricks

Picked it up at Circuit City for $15.99. ---They spend about 10 minutes on everything pre-1998 or so, talking about how he took over for his dad, took over all the regions, and we even get a weird clip of him on TBS announcing in front of a "World Championship Wrestling" backdrop, in the days before Turner took over. ---They cover Montreal again, and it seems most of it is a re-hash of info from Confidental and Bret's DVD. We do get Shane's comments, though. ---On to the Austin feud, where the consensus is (on this DVD, at least) that it was successful because Austin had such a great heel to work with in Vince. Forget that Austin was a one of a kind character, but it IS Vince's DVD, I guess. ---They talk about Vince's in ring ablility, and surprisingly everyone, including HHH, thinks he's terrible in the ring, but makes up for it in psychology. ---The XFL gets more time than I thought it would. Joey Styles gets me excited by saying something like, "What was the first thing you ever saw on a XFL game? The Rock, cutting a promo about how the XFL will lay the smackdown on the NFL. What's the SECOND thing you saw on an XFL game? Vince McMahon himself, screaming "This is the XFLLLLLLLEELLLLLEEELLLL!!!" I thought we would get a massive "Vince made a mistake with the football thing" rant, but instead, Styles follows it up with "That's when the WRESTLING HATING MEDIA turned on the XFL and it didn't stand a chance!" Yeah, forget the record low ratings and terrible games and players....it was all the media's fault. The whole XFL segment is full of shit, with everyone talking about how cool it was, and ends with Vince himself talking about how he always thought it was a good idea, and still does. Give me a break. ---They cover the infamous Bob Costas interview, and I'm starting to think this is a DVD about Mr. McMahon, and not Vince McMahon. ---Vince loved the Katie Vick segment, but everyone else thought it was awful. They show some old footage of The Rock (on the Rundown set) talking about how he hated it. ---On to the HHH/Steph romance, and how Vince stopped it, but says that he only did it to see how serious HHH was about it, and if he was, he wouldn't care what Vince said, and that's what happened. ---Onto the on-screen McMahon family feud, which is quite troubling to watch all at once. Of course, they all love each other, but still, damn. ---Vince the womanizer is covered, and again, it's weird to watch him making out with diva after diva. Regal says it's alright because Vince always gets what's coming to him in the end. Trish says fans still ask her about the barking dog segment. ---The WCW buyout bummed out Vince, says Steph, like a part of him died. Everyone agrees that they wish there was more competition. TNA isn't mentioned. ---Kiss My Ass club, where everyone says that Vince hates Yes men and ass kissers. Yeah, right. ---The Brand Extension is treated like another genius Vince idea, although Lawler doesn't think it was pulled off right. ---The Austin walkout is covered via re-hashes of the Confidental piece and Austin's DVD. Did we really need this again? ---Onto hiring Bischoff, which everyone (including Linda) couldn't believe. Bischoff gives his comments in what seems to be a recent interview, because he mentions being "fired" and thrown in the trash truck later on. ---The feud with Hogan, including the WM 19 match. This is the only time the steroid trial is mentioned, via Hogan talking about having to testify. ---Vince is inducted into the MSG Hall of Fame, which Steph thinks is one of his biggest moments, because it puts him in there with his dad. ---Onto the feud with Steph, and the I quit match was six days before her wedding to HHH, and everyone threatened Vince that there better not be a mark on her. HHH says Vince wanted to put the wedding on PPV, and he said no. It gets REALLY weird, as Steph said he proposed that HE (Vince) would end up being the father of her baby on TV, and when she said no, he suggested that it be Shane. WHAT? Who does he think he is, Russo? ---Shawn talks about how Vince rode the wire he used at WM 12 before him, and they show Vince doing it. I bet he didn't try out Owen's harness. BTW, Owen is never mentioned at any point. ---They cover his double quad tear at the Royal Rumble. Vince attributes it to sitting at the Gorilla position for 3 hours and not warming up before going out there. I didn't know you had to "warm up" just to slide into a ring. Linda and Steph say that Vince was in hell not being able to be at tapings, and that Steph had to run the show by herself for a while, which is the first time I've ever heard them mention that Stephanie was in charge of creative. HHH says Vince is proud that he came back quicker than he did, and Vince confirms it. ---a big "You're FIRED!" montage, with Slaughter, Shawn, and Matt Hardy talking about how nice Vince is when he REALLY fires someone. ---Vince is apparently a patriot for supporting the troops, and they show his speech at Smackdown in Iraq. ---They end with Vince's 60th Birthday party, and everyone talking about how demanding he is and how he expects 100% out of everyone, or he fires them. Oh, and he loves being a grandfather. Extras: ---HHH talks about how pissed Vince got one time when Steph and him beat him at a pool game. ---HHH talks about how he really wishes Vince and Linda would take time off, because they deserve it. ---Regal talks about how right after he signed his WWF contract in 1998, he passed out on drugs in Vince's office. Vince paid for his rehab and has never mentioned it. We really needed more segments like this one on the main feature. ---Big Show talks about how on a flight to Iraq, he had put an air mattress in the back of the plane, and Vince cut it with a knife as a rib, making him move to a small seat. ---Show talks about how Vince refused to leave a bar one night because he wasn't done yet, or something. ---Steph cries talking about how much she loves her dad. ---They cover the 1998 motorcycle crash that famously confined Vince to a wheelchair, which made his segments with Austin that much better. ---HHH talks about how Steph gave him framed pictures of every World Champion one year for Christmas, and that he always puts the one with Vince wearing the belt out whenever he comes over. ---the 9/11 Smackdown, which I thought was fantastic. Apparantly Vince almost didn't go ahead with it. ---Funny comments from Jimmy Hart and Cena about how Vince won't change his ideas, and somehow convinces you that he is right all of the time. Jimmy tells a great story about Dusty talking to Vince about the polka dots. ---The goofy Vince walk, complete with everyone mimicing it. ---The entire "Stand Back" performance from the Slammys. ---The hilarious training montage with Shane, getting ready for the 1999 Rumble. Matches: vs. Austin on RAW 4/13/98 (the one hand behind your BACK match) vs Austin in a Steel Cage (Valentine's Day Massacre) with Shane vs. Austin--Ladder Match KOTR 99 vs HHH--Armageddon 99 vs Shane--WM X-7 vs. Flair--Royal Rumble 2002 vs Hogan--WM 19 vs Steph (I quit Match) No Mercy 2003 vs Undertaker--Buried Alive--SSeries 03 Overall, it wasn't bad, but some segments, especially the XFL one, seemed a little out of touch with reality. This really shows that Vince is nuts, and maybe that's what they wanted. There weren't enough comments about how great a boss he was, or how kind/giving/wonderful of a person he is. Mick Foley said in one of his books that it seems like Vince wants us to believe that "Mr. McMahon" is the real him, and I think he's right. This DVD didn't change my mind about the man in any way. I'm kind of mad that they really only focused on the things he did after the "Mr. McMahon" character was born, and not Vince McMahon the person. I could care less about his feud with Zach Gowen. I'd recommend it, but only if you can get it cheap like I did. It's not worth more than $20.

finally, the Canadian Stampede Match on DVD. Scott Keith just jizzed in his pants.

I bought Vince's DVD because it's a steal at 15.99 at CCity. The doc is 2 hours by itself. I can easily see it going up to $24.99 or so within a month, so I picked it up.

What a shock. I thought the match placement was Hogan's doing in order to not make it seem as monumental. However, it's pretty obvious that Vince just wanted to get this out of the way. I'm sure Hogan agreed to the match saying he'd do the job, then "changed his mind" after it was announced. They had a perfect opportunity to have Orton go over without Hogan looking bad (bad knee), but it's just another Hogan lovefest. Hogan/Austin isn't going to happen, and I'm glad. Who really wants to see that match? In 1997, perhaps. But its 2006, people, and neither one of them could even bump correctly. And don't start with that "They could tell a great story" bullshit. Be glad it's not happening. Buy Brooke's CD!!

I think this is like KOTR 93, where they stick a Hogan job in the middle of the show so it isn't a big deal. That's the first thing I thought when I saw they were going on next. Either that, or Vince is so pissed that Hogan won't job that he wants to get it over with.

The only complaint I have about that whole deal was the obvious flashes of WWF photographers taking pictures throughout the whole thing. It's like "Holy Shit! Austin's breaking in! Call the cops! But let's make sure we get a picture of it for the next WWF Magazine with Sid on the cover!" Minor, though. That was gold, and I can remember EVERYONE talking about it at school the next day.

Awesome thread we've got here. I met The Rock at one of his book signings in 99. Waited for THREE and a HALF hours, and got a quick "There ya go!" and a handshake. It was worth it. I met Jimmy Hart and Hugh Morrus at a Supermarket when Nitro came around here in 2000 or so. I asked Hugh to give me the No Laughing Matter moonsault through a table and he said "Sure!", then looked around (this was outside, with no tables or anything) and said, "Sorry, can't do it on the concrete". Funny guy. Jimmy was a great guy, too, and freakishly tanned. I wish I would have asked him to relate some old WWF stories, but I didn't because it was a WCW sponsored event.

I thought Taker/Khali LMS was going to be at Summerslam. I must be out of the loop. Does this mean the "Andre" push for Khali is over?

You're absolutely right that HHH/Jericho going on last was a bad idea. However, I admire that they thought enough of the title to do it. Plus, I think HHH wanted the show to end with him triumphantly standing in the ring with 2 World Titles. However, the same thing happened the next year, as many, many upper deck seats were empty during Angle/Lesnar. But we can't talk about that because that would be just wrong.

HHH addresses this in one of his DVD's. He said he knew the crowd would be worn out from Hogan/Rock, but still wanted to go on last because it was a World Title match, and a world title match should always go on last, or something. Even though the crowd was all screwed up by it, I agree with him, and was glad they went on after. It helped keep the (then) Undisputed Title in high regard. Now, both World titles are about as prestigious as the North American Lightweight Title, but oh well.

Great promo, and it helped plant the seeds to help add one of the best talents our generation has ever seen into my all time favourite stable. My favorite Austin/Pillman WWF moment was when Bret announced on RAW, during his "I'll be with the WWF forever" return speech, that he would fight Austin at SSeries 96. Austin was watching on a monitor in the back, with Pillman behind him. As soon as Bret said "Stone Cold Steve Austin", Pillman started jumping up and down and clapping. Austin very slowly turned around and gave him the most pissed off look--I laughed hysterically at that. I can remember the ring ropes being ABSURDLY loose for WrestleMania I. It was like the ring crew had just threaded them through the turnbuckles and didn't even bother to tighten them. Here's one I don't understand: I know Shawn no-showed No Way Out 1998 because of his "bad back", but how did they come to the decision to replace him with Savio Vega? He definitely wouldn't be my first choice. Why not The Rock, or maybe even sticking Chyna in there? Wasn't Savio inserted into the 1994 King of the Ring as well? Why was he the go-to guy twice? He wasn't exactly setting the world on fire or anything.

John Cena suuuuuucks ! John Cena suuuuuucks ! This have to catch on, this is more imaginative than the "You suck" to Angle's music. Someone was singing that as I was leaving Survivor Series 05 and it's been in my head since. That is SO AWESOME. I really, really, hope it catches on. But what the hell was going on in that clip? Was it IYI: Beware of Dog all over again? I think I made out a titantron, but I'm not sure.

Picked it up at BBuy for 16 bucks, and it's the first wrestling DVD I've bought in a long time that I've regretted. I knew it was a rehash of the 1998 VHS, but couple that with terrible, VHS picture quality and the WWF logo being obsessively blurred and it's nothing special. One of the blurs is so bad (the hanging WWF banner over the ring) that it actually blurs out Michael Cole's and HHH's faces as they are talking. Bleh. Only about half of the feature focuses on the Hunter/Shawn version of D-X, and I was surprised to see so much NAO, X-Pac, and Chyna. All the extras focus on the original (and now current) D-X, and I'm left wondering why they didn't just release a disc of matches. The feature is censored, where I can remember the original VHS (especially the "state of the union") being uncensored. It's obvious this was rushed out about as quickly as the decision was made to bring back D-X in the first place. I'd actually like a updated disc with a newer doc, but who cares at this point? Extras: Mine came with a Vengence 2006 Poster. It was marked with a cardboard slipcover. Shawn/Mankind, RAW 8/11/97 Shawn/HHH vs. Mankind/Taker, RAW 8/18/97 HHH/Bret, RAW 10/6/97 (the infamous "Shawn picks his nose with the Canadian flag" match) HHH/Shawn, RAW 12/22/97 (Shawn lets HHH pin him for the Euro title) Shawn/Owen, RAW 12/29/97 Shawn/Taker, Casket Match, Royal Rumble 98 HHH/NAO/Savio vs. Cactus/Chainsaw Charlie/Owen/Austin, No Way Out 98 HHH/Owen, Raw 3/17/98

Yeah, but J.R will still call it a "deafing ovation" for such a "controversial" superstar. For those of you who think Cena's run as a top star is working, go watch any one of Austin's entrances from 98-01. THAT'S a reaction, Jim.

Two come to mind immediately, both involve Warrior winning, oddly: His announcement of: Warrior's defeat of HTM for the I-C title at SummerSlam 88. Warrior's defeat of Hogan at WM 6. Both of them, especially the HTM match, the crowd pop SWELLS when he says NEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWW!! Great.

Sorry, I refuse to watch this crap like the rest of you.

Aw, damn it.

You can tell by the early music cues and such that all these promos are on the fly, and unscripted--and it's better than anything on either show right now, entertainment wise.

So the yearly "Kane is an unstoppable monster who squashes everyone" push begins.

I think this is just Hogan's way of getting out of an angle he has become increasingly uncomfortable with. Perhaps the bit with Orton kissing "Brooke" on Monday pissed him off or something. However, he had a "broken rib" at WM 18 against Rock, and I can remember there was speculation he wouldn't do THAT match, either. This is just like when Austin walked out of the match with Coach at Taboo Tuesday, and then claimed it was because he hurt his back moving furniture. Yeah, right. How did Hogan hurt himself? Driving that Supra too fast? Anyhoo, it might be a good thing if he can't make it, because the only person this whole angle will help is Hogan. It won't help Orton because he would job to a 67 year old man's legdrop. And it won't help Brooke because she isn't appealing to the mainstream that she wants to be in. Interesting, nonetheless.

Trish was pretty well known before she came to the WWF/E. She'll be fine, and seems to have the intelligence to do something outside of the wrestling business. Lita will end up like every other pro wrestler (with the exception of the Rock) who thinks that just because they were able to garner a reaction from a crowd in a wrestling ring, that they are a major acting talent. Hogan failed at it, so did Piper. Lita will probably get a few bit parts in some indie punkish horror film or something, and after playing "Girl in crowd #3" in some James Cameron film, will re-sign with the WWE in late 2007 or so, and no one will care. Just like with Sable. The world of professional wrestling is a completely different medium from Hollywood. I laughed out loud when Chyna, who rarely did anything other than cross her arms and look like a dude, thought she could be Wonder Woman. I DO hope Lita does hit rock bottom and do a few porn flicks to pay off her drug dealers before coming back, though. That should be interesting.

Good review. Sounds like they are really stepping it up in terms of entertainment at these house shows, and star power as well. I remember going to one in either 2002 or 2003 where the main event was Buh Buh Ray Dudley (back when he was a singles and D-Von was Reverend Devon) against Booker T. Meh.

Yes. Now take what you said and condense it down into 15 seconds and you have what I think about Heenan's comment.

Yes, but he just said it at the wrong time. You weren't supposed to be thinking anything other than "Hulk Hogan is coming down to help WCW". Instead you thought, "COULD he be the 3rd man?" Whether it was his character or not, Heenan just should have stayed quiet.