The Top 25 Rivalries in Wrestling History DVD Review

Top 25 Rivalries in Wrestling History DVD Review



I sometimes wonder if WWE likes the controversy they create with these kind of countdowns. Don't get me wrong, every rivalry here deserved it's place, but it would have been nice if there had been an honorable mentions extra for the forgotten rivalries, such as Bret/Austin or Flair/Funk. Hell even Cena/Orton could have used a mention. As for the feature itself, it's easily WWE's best countdown feature. Unlike other releases like the Top 50 Superstars, each of the 25 rivalries shown was given enough time to show why it was a great rivalrie. It's also one that is easily rewatchable and never became boring. It was also nice to have a rivalry like Gagne/Bockwinkel in which I didn't know much about. All in all it's a great release that is worth a look. By the way, the chemistry stuff was incredibly stupid and almost ruined the thing. I'll give it  8.5/10.



Disc 2 Matches :



Hulk Hogan vs Roddy Piper
From The War to Settle the Score in 1985. WWE Title on the line. How these two never had a big main event match at a show like Wrestlemania is beyond me. If they main evented Mania 2, it would have been a much better show. The crowd was absolutely heated up for this one. The match ends in a DQ for Piper, but it was never boring and a lot of fun. This led us to the first ever Wrestlemania, so a lot of historical significance here. **




Magnum T.A. vs Tully Blanchard : I Quit Steel Cage
From Starrcade 1985. This is usually known as the greatest steel cage match of all time and for very good reason. This has exactly what a cage match needs : hatred. These guys made you believe that they absolutely wanted to kill one another. It's very brutal for it's time, with Magnum bleeding in the first minute of the bout. It was hard to watch sometimes, as it looked like a horror movie at times. Blanchard trying to stab Magnum in the eye with the broken chair piece was sick and unbelievable. Awesome stuff that needs to be witnessed by every wrestling fan. ****3/4




Bruiser Brody vs Abdullah the Butcher
Apparently the matches between these two are known for always having either one or both guys busted open during it. Abdullah is almost immediately busted open. Very chaotic match as they go all around the arena. No contest as the match just fades to black. Fun while it lasted I'd say. **




Kevin & Kerry Von Erich vs Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts : Badstreet Rules Match
They probably should have chosen a match featuring Michael Hayes, as he was one of the main figures in this rivalry. All guys are in street clothes which I guess means that Badstreet Rules is like a Street Fight match. It started off well with the brawling in the ring, and git even better when the brawling took to the outside of the ring. Commercial break ruins it a bit. Match ends in a time limit draw. Fun match that could have been great with more time. **1/4




Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage vs Ted Dibiase & Andre the Giant
From Summerslam 1988. The first ever main event of Summerslam, that lead to a hell of a lot more.  I assume that this is Dibiase and Andre trying to get revenge for their defeat at Wrestlemania. Jesse Ventura is the referee for some reason. An entertaining match that felt like a big deal. The crowd was hot for it too. Overall it was a good match with a very memorable ending, as Liz shows off her underwear to distract the bad guys and give the Mega Powers the big win.



Undertaker vs Mankind
From King of the Ring 1996. Here we have a great and very underrated feud and I'm glad it got some recognition in this set. Amazing to think that two years later at the same PPV, these two would have a match that no one would ever forget. The match goes a little too long but was good while it lasted. Mankind wins by making Taker pass out to the mandible claw. They would go on to have much better matches. **3/4




Disc 3 Matches :



Tazz vs Sabu
From Barely Legal 1997. This match had been built up for a year and the fans were definitely ready to see it take place. Great choice for one of the main events of ECW's first PPV. This was billed as the 'Grudge Match of the Century'. This just felt like a big match. Some of the action in the crowd was hard to see which was an annoyance. In the end, Sabu couldn't take Tazz's  suplexes, and passed out while in the Tazzmission. Great match here with two guys trying to prove who's the best. ***1/2



Tommy Dreamer vs Raven
This was one of the biggest feuds in ECW history. This was billed as their final battle as Raven was soon heading to WCW. For three years Dreamer could never beat Raven. Could he do it tonight? The fans throw a 'you sold out' chant to Raven. The match was great and a great way to close their big feud. Dreamer finally beats Raven after a DDT on a road sign. ***1/2



Stone Cold vs Vince & Shane McMahon : Ladder Match
The first handicap ladder match in history . I think this is also the only ladder match that all three of these guys have been involved with. The winner of this match would gain full control over the WWE. This one was a lot of fun and the crowd was really into it. Someone raised the case when Austin went for it, but that person was never revealed. Vince and Shane grab the case to win. Not the best ladder match you'll see, but it did it's job. **3/4



The Rock vs Triple H 
From Backlash 2000. This is probably the most remembered match of their feud , besides the Iron Man match. The odds were stacked against the Rock, as HHH was basically running the company, and his brother-in-law, Shane,  was the referee. The double rock bottom through the announce table fucking ruled. Fans were really hot for this and they absolutely blew the roof off when Austin arrived. Fantastic match here and it's just a shame that the Iron Man match overshadowed it by being an absolute classic. A must-see as Rock wins the match. ****1/4



Stone Cold vs The Rock
From Rebellion 2001. One of the all time great rivalries for sure here. WWF Title on the line. I've only ever seen their three Mania matches and Backlash match, so I'm looking forward to this rare one. You really can't go wrong with Austin/Rock. This wasn't as good as their other PPV matches, as there were too many slow moments for me, but it was still a very good match. Austin pins Rock after some help from Kurt Angle. ***1/2



Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle
From Summerslam 2003. Now this is a Wrestlemania rematch that I want to see and it's for the WWE Championship. These two had a fantastic match at Wrestlemania. Would they be able to recreate that magic? I'd say yes. While it wasn't as good as their match five months earlier, it was still an awesome match and the best of the show. Brock taps to the ankle lock to end the match. The great thing here is that this is probably their worst match, and it's awesome! ***3/4



John Cena vs Edge : Steel Cage
This rivalry deserved a steel cage match. WWE likes to call this the rivalry of the decade. I wouldn't go that far but I still think it's one of the better rivalries. A great cage match here, and one of the better matches between the two guys. Cena hits the FU to win. ***1/2




7.5/10. While the countdown is certainly worth a watch, a lot of these matches you can find elsewhere. It would have been nice to have some of the rarer matches of some of these feuds. If you don't have a lot of WWE DVDs then this one is worth owning. Nice to have that UK match between Austin and Rock too. All in all a very good DVD that could have had better match selection.