Wrestlemania VII DVD Review.

[natey2k4 0]

Alright, so here’s my first review in quite some time. Probably my first since I reviewed Ring of Honor’s Third Anniversary Celebration: Night 2 event. Anyway, because the new Wrestle-Mania set was just recently released (and available here at ROHWrestling.com) I figured I’d review each and every one. Even though I’m going to be going in a completely random order, because there’s certain ones I wanted to see again, more than others at this point.

 

Anyway, before getting the set I pretty much had my heart set on watching Wrestle-Mania 8 first. I hadn’t seen that show in just about forever and it’s probably my 3rd favourite Wrestle-Mania only behind Wrestle-Mania 17 and Wrestle-Mania 10. But upon getting the set for Christmas last night (due to family circumstances we had to do our Christmas on Christmas Eve, due to my mother working very early on Christmas morning) I ripped open the box-set. Oh, and believe me I was a happy little boy. I love Old-School WWF… I mean... WWE.

 

I looked at it for a couple of minutes and I was about to slap in Wrestle-Mania 8, but Wrestle-Mania 7 popped to my attention. I hadn’t seen the show since I was about 10 years old and I only vaguely remembered it in my head. Was it good… or was it a waste of 3 hours of my life? On with the Review!

 

*************

 

- Live from Los Angeles

 

- Hosted by Gorilla Monsoon & Bobby ‘the brain’ Heenan, with a few various guest hosts.

 

- We get an awesome before match interview with the Rockers. I just had to note this because I really liked how energized they normally were for their interviews. Great stuff.

 

The Rockers vs. The Heenan Family @ 10:45

This is you’re opening match of Wrestle-Mania 7. The Rockers of course consisted of Marty Janetty & Shawn Michaels, one of the only tag teams to never have a variation back in this time I think. The Heenan Family is represented by Haku & The Barbarian here. Right off the bat we get a very cool spot when both Marty and Shawn oversell a double clothesline by The Barbarian, it looked awesome as both Rockers did somersaults after the initial impact. Marty Janetty got pounded on for the majority of the match and really made the Heenan Family look like a million bucks. He did a great job before letting Shawn Michaels come in and clean up the mess. Well timed comebacks throughout the match, especially in the ending moments. Good match.

***1/4

 

The Texas Tornado vs. Dino Bravo @ 3:12

Well, I never really cared much for either of these guys. But The Texas Tornado (Kerry Von Erich) was really over for some reason. Dino Bravo, not really a big name, was getting massive heel heat too at the time. Not horrible or anything, just kind of there. Oh, and let me mention, the Discus Punch was and probably is the worst finisher in history. Even Jindrak’s left hand was better, because at least it made a nice sound. Short match.

*

 

The British Bulldog vs. The Warlord @ 8:17

Okay, let’s start off by saying the Warlord was like the modern day… well 5 or 6 years ago, Bill Goldberg. And definitely like the modern day Chris Masters in the sense they both have about the same skill set, same finisher, and about the same win/loss ratio. Again, not a horrible effort by either guy, Bulldog of course, was the more talented of the two. For a power wrestler, Bulldog was fantastic. Warlord, was decent, but nothing special. They’re were a lot of guys that could of done the exact thing he was doing in 1991. I’m going to mention here, this crowd is phenomenal. It’s been hot for EVERYTHING. Anyway story here is that Warlord has never had someone break out of the Full Nelson (I just typed Master-Lock about 7 times before actually getting Full Nelson written down, haha) however, Bulldog thinks he can break it. Good, yet unspectacular.

**

 

Tag Team Championship Match: The Hart Foundation © vs. The Nasty Boys @ 12:10

To be honest, I was expecting a pretty horrible match. I was never a fan of the Nasty Boy’s work at all, but I guess Bret Hart really does have some magic. Bret Hart does most of the work in this match, taking the bigger part of the beating. And much like Marty Janetty earlier in the night, Bret Hart makes both Nasty Boys look awesome. Unlike the opener though, this was more ground based which should have been known beforehand with Bret Hart being involved. Neidhart really worked his spots well here and gave us 110%. The Nasty Boy’s only had one really boring control sequence, but I thought it worked out alright in the end. Good match.

***1/4

 

Jake Roberts vs. Rick Martel @ 8:37

This is a blindfold match. Yippee. Well, looking at the Brightside it was better than the blindfold match earlier this year in TNA. This is match that while watched with an entire show, can be entertaining and nice break from the other action. However, you’re never going to be like, I think I want to watch that blindfold match between Roberts and Martel right now. I really did enjoy it though, it was kept reasonably short. The crowd was into it and both wrestlers worked hard to make it work. The DDT looked better than most of Jake’s normal DDT’s too, great job there. Martel probably just sold really well, as he was a great wrestler that in a sense, deserved better than this. Although the back story to this feud was awesome. And even if the match wasn’t for some people’s tastes, it really played off the feud very well. I’m not rating this though, as it wasn’t really a wrestling match, but I will say it is entertaining if you haven’t seen it in awhile.

 

The Undertaker vs. Jimmy Snuka @ 4:21

Squash! Jimmy was nearing the end of his tenure with the WWF at this time and Taker was really just beginning his massacre. Taker had been in the WWF about 4 months at this point and really had been just rolling over everyone. This was a really good squash even though Taker looked to blow a spot where he went to catch Snuka. Looked as if he caught Snuka wrong, but they turned it around and made it look okay. Fun, but short match.

*1/2

 

Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage @ 20:48

This was the “famous” retirement match. To me, this was the biggest match of the card, although I was only 4 years old at the time. Neither man was my favourite. Actually I never really cared for Warrior all that much either. I liked Savage though. Pretty one-sided actually, when I just watched it I couldn’t believe how one-sided this actually was. Warrior really controlled a lot of this match, but whatever Savage sold like a champ. And when he was on the offence, he still made Warrior look good by guiding him through everything. This match had a lot of interference from Sherri, but for once I really think that helped the match. Savage was so over as a heel during the match the change at the end was even more memorable. By the way, Warrior actually walked to the ring here. Surprisingly, he has a good match when that happens. Easily the best I’ve ever seen from Warrior. Great match.

****

The angle that followed this match was fantastic. Very heart warming and very well done. Elizabeth and Savage made this work awesome. People in the crowd were actually crying and that tells you just how great this was done.

 

Funny segment with Alex Trebek (Jeopardy Host) and Regis (Regis and Cathy Lee) talking with a few of the wrestlers. Apparently Bobby Hennan set up the list of wrestlers for them to talk too and they couldn’t get anything out of any of the guys they interviewed. Pretty funny actually.

 

Tenryu & Kitao vs. Demolition @ 4:44

This is the Smash & Ax version of Demolition, just so you know. Demolition was nearing the end of their tag team stint (Actually this may very well of been their last match together). Kitao and Tenryu were just breaking into the WWF so this was an easy decision for the creative team. Put them over. And put them over strong. I thought it was a well done squash. Short match.

*1/2

 

Intercontinental Championship: Mr. Perfect © vs. The Big Bossman @ 10:47

Oh man, I miss Curt Hennig. He was a hell of a performer, one of my favourites of all time. Great wrestler. Anyway, this match is for the WWF Intercontinental Championship. We actually get some pretty good action, which is a definite surprise from a Big Bossman match. Okay, Okay. I think Bossman actually was pulling out some pretty good matches for a big man around this time, which why he was getting a push. He was decent on the microphone too, but not as great… perfect as Mr. Perfect. Anyway, I enjoyed the action in its entirety. I remember the clipped version being decent, but never really got going because they clipped about 2/3 of the match. Anyway as I said, pretty solid match here and better than I expected going in, finish sucked though. Good match.

**3/4

 

Earthquake vs. Greg Valentine @ 3:12

Yikes. Valentine used to be alright, but had pretty much hit a road block here, and nothing good has come from him since really. Earthquake was always over but in my opinion, never entertaining. His finisher challenged the Discus Punch for one of the worst finishes in history, especially the before hand stomping around like an idiot. I’ve heard John Tenta is a good guy though, so let’s leave it at that. This match was about as good as you could wish for out of these two, and that’s not saying much at this point of Valentine’s career. Story was simple, Valentine couldn’t hook the Figure Four on because two things. Jimmy Hart’s distractions and the size of Earthquake’s legs, same with the Bret Hart/Yokozuna story pretty much, just put into 3 minutes, which was definitely best. Short match.

¾*

 

The Legion of Doom vs. Power & Glory @ 0:58

YES! I hope Roma gets killed. I hate him. He was one stuck up dude… what he did to Alex Wright in WCW was not only unfair, but flat out stupid. Wow… while I was writing that the match finished, haha. Awesome. Roma got killed with the Doomsday Device. Squash, under a minute. ***** For Roma getting killed… just joking.

½*

 

Virgil vs. Ted DiBiase @ 7:46

Well, I wish I was a full fledged fan when this storyline too place. I actually like the storylines with the under-study finally sticking up to the leader. I wish they had of done it with Jordan and JBL, would of given them both something to do. Anyway… for what there was, it was decent. Not really a match as they’re was more taunting, showboating, and giggles. Kind of like the earlier match between Martel and Roberts. This was fun, but nothing as a match really. Entertaining.

**1/4

 

Tito Santana vs. The Mountie @ 1:20

With some time, this could have been a very good match. Mountie was decent and Tito Santana was a great wrestler, very under-rated in my opinion. Anyway, this is a quick match just to get the crowd settled down a bit from the previous match which had some sort of build-up before the main event for the WWF Championship. This is about as good as it gets for 1 minute. Quite a bit better than the LOD 1 minute squash earlier in the show, thank god.

*

WWF Championship: Sgt. Slaughter © vs. Hulk Hogan @ 20:25

Alright… my expectations going into this match = 100% sucktitude. I’m not a huge fan of Hogan’s work… never have been. I was never really into him as a youngster, I liked Hart, Doink, Perfect, among others. Never Hogan though. Anyway, this match shocked me majorly, as I was glued to the screen. This match was shockingly very good, probably one of Hogan’s best matches ever. And against… Sgt. Slaughter? Yeah, I’m just as shocked as you. Slaughter controlled a lot of the match, and Hogan even tried going up to the top ropes! AHHHHHHH, awesome. Very Good Match.

***1/2

 

Final Thoughts: Very under-rated show in my opinion. Actually one of the most fun Wrestle-Mania’s I’ve ever seen. I’ve NEVER seen a WWF/WWE/WCW crowd this hot for an entire show. This crowd was into everything. The jobbers were getting pops 3 times the size of what our current WWE Champions get. The crowd was absolutely amazing and really made you care more about every single match on that show. Just can’t say enough about the crowd. The show was very good though too, with 4 matches over *** (Hogan/Slaughter, Hart Foundation/Nasty Boys, Rockers/Heenan Family, Savage/Warrior), 1 of those was a classic (Savage/Warrior), 1 more match that was really close (Perfect/Bossman), a few entertaining matches (Virgil/DiBiase, Martel/Roberts) and a bunch of really inoffensive short matches.

Solid Thumbs up.

[JJMc 0]

Nice work. I agree with your points about the fast, effective squashes. In fact, I did a review for WM VII about 3 years ago (my only one ever) and brought up the same point for the Demolition match and a couple others.

 

And that Rockers pre-match interview...was that done live from the PPV or was it tacked on from another show? Either way, it must be a DVD exclusive because it isn't on the Coliseum or VHS box set versions. Weird.

[natey2k4 0]

Nice work. I agree with your points about the fast, effective squashes. In fact, I did a review for WM VII about 3 years ago (my only one ever) and brought up the same point for the Demolition match and a couple others.

 

And that Rockers pre-match interview...was that done live from the PPV or was it tacked on from another show? Either way, it must be a DVD exclusive because it isn't on the Coliseum or VHS box set versions. Weird.

The DVD set is the full shows.

No matches are clipped, everything is in full.

Mr. Perfect v. Bossman was something like.. 4 minutes on the Coliseum Video version.

It's 10 minutes on the DVD.

 

A lot of matches in Wrestlemania 1-7 we're clipped on the Coliseum versions, so this set is great.

Wrestlemania 7 runs about 3 hours 40 minutes or something on the DVD.

The Coliseum version was about an hour less, at least.

 

The Rockers interview was held at the actual Pay-Per-View, backstage.

Like the numerous other interviews before matches.

Most weren't put on the Coliseum or VHS versions due to time constraints.

 

I can't wait for Survivor Series, Royal Rumble, King of the Ring, and Summerslam sets to be released on DVD.

[Guest korndogg123]

The Rockers interview was on the PPV. My dad ordered the show. I was a young mark of 8 years old and was just getting into watching wrestling. Only the 4th WWF PPV I had seen after WMVI, Survivor Series 90 and Royal Rumble 91 on tape.

[ChrisMWaters 0]

The Rockers pre-match interview was in the VHS tape I got.

 

As well as something cut from the DVD...a segment about the NFL's replay system featuring Vince McMahon...two guys whose names escape me...and The Bushwhackers.

[cawthon777 0]

Mr. Perfect v. Bossman was something like.. 4 minutes on the Coliseum Video version.

 

It's uncut on the Coliseum version. Runs 10:45.

[cawthon777 0]

As well as something cut from the DVD...a segment about the NFL's replay system featuring Vince McMahon...two guys whose names escape me...and The Bushwhackers.

 

That was George Steinbrenner and Paul McGuire.

[Prime Time Andrew Doyle 0]

Good review. I watched the entire show on Christmas eve and I was not too excited about it, but as I wanted to watch all the WM's from the box set, I had to watch it, and I was shocked at how good it was. I thought it was a boring show, but it was pretty damned good.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Slaughter / Hogan is a very underrated match.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

So I guess I have to be the one to chime in with less than positive sentiments? Okie.

 

First off, credit's deserved just for tackling the whole review thing. It's not easy, so anyone who can take a stab at it is in line for some praise.

 

My main beef is that this is such a tired exercise. Anyone who's read a wrestling review has probably read a Wrestlemania review. This was a played out concept almost six years ago when I first got on the 'net. Regardless of how creative anyone is, there's little to be said about these shows that hasn't already been said. Many times.

 

Well timed comebacks throughout the match, especially in the ending moments. Good match.

***1/4

Okay, here's a perfect example of why I think star ratings are worthless. They're subjective to the person writing the review, but there's not much here to prove why you gave it the amount of snowflakes you did. A sentence isn't really solid justification for a star rating. But don't worry, because you aren't alone. Most people who use the star rating system make the same error.

 

The overall style of the review is a bit clunky, too. I don't know if this is soley meant for casual discussion about the event. If it's not, then this bad boy needs to cleaning up. Regardless, the format is too faithful to the typical reviews I've seen on shows like this. Nearing 2006, if you're going to be rehashing a repeatedly used concept like reviewing a Wrestlemania, it's going to need something different about it. The format, phrases and general opinions are nearly identical to everything I've read on the show. That's not to say Bravo/Tornado should be getting high praise, but if there's nothing new to say on the show that hasn't already been stated time and time again, what's the point?

 

Nice stab, but I'd take on a lesser reviewed show.

[natey2k4 0]

So I guess I have to be the one to chime in with less than positive sentiments? Okie.

 

First off, credit's deserved just for tackling the whole review thing. It's not easy, so anyone who can take a stab at it is in line for some praise.

 

My main beef is that this is such a tired exercise. Anyone who's read a wrestling review has probably read a Wrestlemania review. This was a played out concept almost six years ago when I first got on the 'net. Regardless of how creative anyone is, there's little to be said about these shows that hasn't already been said. Many times.

 

Well timed comebacks throughout the match, especially in the ending moments. Good match.

***1/4

Okay, here's a perfect example of why I think star ratings are worthless. They're subjective to the person writing the review, but there's not much here to prove why you gave it the amount of snowflakes you did. A sentence isn't really solid justification for a star rating. But don't worry, because you aren't alone. Most people who use the star rating system make the same error.

 

The overall style of the review is a bit clunky, too. I don't know if this is soley meant for casual discussion about the event. If it's not, then this bad boy needs to cleaning up. Regardless, the format is too faithful to the typical reviews I've seen on shows like this. Nearing 2006, if you're going to be rehashing a repeatedly used concept like reviewing a Wrestlemania, it's going to need something different about it. The format, phrases and general opinions are nearly identical to everything I've read on the show. That's not to say Bravo/Tornado should be getting high praise, but if there's nothing new to say on the show that hasn't already been stated time and time again, what's the point?

 

Nice stab, but I'd take on a lesser reviewed show.

Bahaha.

just joking!!!

 

I'm reviewing these for myself, because I enjoy writing.

I'm posting them not to "raise up as a reviewer"

but for discussion on the matches and such.

 

Just for fun bro,

nothing more.

 

And I know the Wrestlemania's have been done a lot,

but with getting the box-set,

I just really wanted to watch them all.

 

Sorry if I offended you in anyway by doing the review,

but I'm going to keep doing them,

and probably in the same way.

Maybe I will try and add in more reasoning for the star ratings

you don't have to read them either,

if you don't want too.

 

After these are done though,

I'm going to start into my other DVDs.

I plan on reviewing every wrestling DVD I have.

Edited December 27, 2005 by natey2k4

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Bruiser's comments weren't angry comments, in my view. They're constructive criticism. If you wish to become a good writer/reviewer, take a good look at what he said and look for ways to improve your own work.

 

One thing I noticed...

 

The Rockers of course consisted of Marty Janetty & Shawn Michaels, one of the only tag teams to never have a variation back in this time I think.

 

What exactly do you mean?

[Boner Kawanger 0]

A few things...

 

Learn the difference between "you're" and "your"

Make the winner of the match clear

Never type "haha", especially at your own jokes.

[Guest Sturm316]

Tenryu & Kitao vs. Demolition @ 4:44

This is the Smash & Ax version of Demolition, just so you know.

 

Demolition consisted of Smash and Crush at this point; Ax was long gone.

[CheesalaIsGood 0]

Nice review. It's one of my favorite Manias as well.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

Sorry if I offended you in anyway by doing the review,

but I'm going to keep doing them,

and probably in the same way.

Maybe I will try and add in more reasoning for the star ratings

you don't have to read them either,

if you don't want too.

 

I wasn't offended. I just figured it may help to get some opinions that could be used to improve your work in the future. Telling me I don't have to read them if I don't want to isn't something you want to say, either. Nobody has to read anything from anyone. If that's your response to anything other than praise, well, you'll find out in short order how unhappy you are when people stop reading something you put time into.

[natey2k4 0]

Tenryu & Kitao vs. Demolition @ 4:44

This is the Smash & Ax version of Demolition, just so you know.

 

Demolition consisted of Smash and Crush at this point; Ax was long gone.

You are SO right.

Wow..

Sorry about that one.

 

>> ME!

 

lol

[natey2k4 0]

Bruiser's comments weren't angry comments, in my view. They're constructive criticism. If you wish to become a good writer/reviewer, take a good look at what he said and look for ways to improve your own work.

 

One thing I noticed...

 

The Rockers of course consisted of Marty Janetty & Shawn Michaels, one of the only tag teams to never have a variation back in this time I think.

 

What exactly do you mean?

By that, I meant one of the only main tag teams to never have a variation in that time.

Now that I think about it,

I was definately wrong.

I guess I was just thinking of Demolition, because I started writing the review during that match.

And because they were facing the Heenan Family, and they changed a few times.

[natey2k4 0]

Sorry if I offended you in anyway by doing the review,

but I'm going to keep doing them,

and probably in the same way.

Maybe I will try and add in more reasoning for the star ratings

you don't have to read them either,

if you don't want too.

 

I wasn't offended. I just figured it may help to get some opinions that could be used to improve your work in the future. Telling me I don't have to read them if I don't want to isn't something you want to say, either. Nobody has to read anything from anyone. If that's your response to anything other than praise, well, you'll find out in short order how unhappy you are when people stop reading something you put time into.

=)

I'm not trying to be a jerk bro,

but that's exactly the thing.

I'm not getting happy with praise,

and I'm not getting too angry with critisism.

 

It's just I'm writing these for myself,

I'm mainly posting them just for some conversations on the Wrestlemania's again,

with a bases to remember a tiny bit about the matches and feuds.

Nothing major, just a little thing to look at and be like hey,

that was when the Rockers were really on fire and starting to win against marquee teams.

 

I'm personally writing these for myself,

because I love looking back at my ratings on matches.

 

I've reviewed a few shows before,

and sometimes I go back and I'm like..

Whoa.

That was so much better than I remembered..

or so much worse.

 

I do FULLY appreciate you're critisism though,

and I am going to try and put that into my next review. (Wrestlemania VIII or IX)

So I do thank you for you taking you're time to read it,

and post you thoughts on me becoming a more effective writer.

It means a lot knowing that people out there still care for others,

and really want to help them be the best they can.

 

So again,

Thank you.

[Guest]

To write a good review that will keep people wanting to read your material, you must have play by play. If people haven't seen the show, they want details about the matches and the angles. For the Macho-Elizabeth angle, I wouldn't even be able to tell what you're talking about. It leaves too much to the imagination. Backstory would also help, as people may not even know why there was an angle ran, or why Macho and Elizabeth are reuniting.

[natey2k4 0]

A few things...

 

Learn the difference between "you're" and "your"

Make the winner of the match clear

Never type "haha", especially at your own jokes.

Hey there.

 

First of all,

Thanks for the grammer correction.

I appreciate it.

 

Secondly,

I don't like making the winners clear,

in case someone hasn't seen the show.

I always think this way would be better,

if someone just wanted to look a show/set to buy,

and what had the better matches in someone's opinions.

Or if someone hasn't seen the show in forever like me,

and doesn't remember any of the winners and doesnt want the show wrecked.

That's my personal opinion towards that.

 

Thirdly,

I'll take that into consideration,

although I really can't help myself from putting haha.

I was putting lol, you're lucky I changed it

[bob_barron 0]

Natey-

 

Nice first start, but listen to the criticisms everyone is giving. They're just trying to help you make your reviews easier and better to read.

 

Why are you writing your posts like they're poems??

[natey2k4 0]

Natey-

 

Nice first start, but listen to the criticisms everyone is giving. They're just trying to help you make your reviews easier and better to read.

 

Why are you writing your posts like they're poems??

I have no idea at all. I just recently started doing it on the Montreal Canadiens fan forum as well. I think it was MySpace that made me start typing like that. I'm not sure.

 

And I know they're trying to help. And I will try and use their critisism. But I also want them to know its purely for fun for me and that im positing them just to bring up some discussion on the events. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Boner Kawanger 0]

You make a good point about not listing the winners, but still, people may be reading a review solely for winners/losers. As a writer, you do not want to turn people away from your work like that.

 

And now, thanks to Bob, I'm trying to read your posts like they rhyme.