As you may have noticed recently, the WWE and OWF have joined forces to create a heavy-weight tag-team the likes of which hasn't been seen since The Natural Disasters burst onto the professional brawling scene in 1991. The latest title we have the pleasure of reviewing is
WWE - Top 50 Superstars of All Time, which is available to buy
from today on DVD. And by the beard of Macho Man Randy Savage it's a good 'un. The format is as simple as it is familiar in these list compilations: teaming up archive footage with talking head evaluations of each of the top fifty superstars, with an extended dedication to each of the top five choices, WWE Top 50 Superstars of All Time may not be the definitive list- as it is necessarily as subjective as all of these list features will always be- but it is certainly a well put together, entertaining production. The best thing about features like this Top 50 is that they inspire debate long after the end credits have rolled. Personally I would have changed a lot of the final positions, but as the introduction confirms, the criteria for the list aren't exactly defined, and it is largely based on the personal preferences of the wrestlers and former wrestlers who appear as talking heads. That is, if you believe that the WWE and Vince McMahon had no overall influence over the final list, and not a lot of people do. If you don't want to know the order of the Top 50 before you purchase the DVD, then look away now...
Of course there is an element of bias here- there has to be- and politics have had some influence. Despite the inclusion of Randy Savage, which I'll admit I was surprised at, you have to think Vince McMahon's personal grievances have also had some influence on the final placements. So among the fifty are a couple of names whose positions probably reflect a bit of a punishment: Batista has quite recently been vocal in his criticism of the corporation, and he's a lot closer to the bottom end that I would have guessed, and one of my personal favourites Mick Foley surely should have been higher, given his dedication to the sport, and his technical ability (usually as a victim of the most extreme stunts ever seen in the sport). But then, as I said, this is a list chosen by the wrestlers themselves, and one chosen by the fans would undoubtedly have been different. The winner would have been different, that's for damn sure, and without wanting to spoil the list, I would hazard a guess that Jeff Hardy and that man Mick Foley would have been considerably higher than they actually placed if the poll had been left in the hands of the fans. Likewise Hulk Hogan, whose placement defies all logic, considering for a long time, he WAS Professional Wrestling.
What is good to note is that there isn't too much of a modern era bias to the list- I'm sure there would have been considerable temptation to just stick John Cena at the top of the list to sell it to his legion of modern fans. But there are as many legends on the list as there are today's big sellers, heading back to the 1950s and 60s- so in that respect, the feature works as a historical document, introducing newer fans to the legends of the ring, establishing their legacies, as affirmed by the wrestlers who pay homage to their heroes, as well as further celebrating the current and near-current stars who make the list. Still, as I said, these things are always subjective, and there is enough enjoyment in the controversy alone to justify the cover price, and that's ignoring the typically high production quality (this is a WWE presentation after all) and some impressive edit work, which manages to shoe-horn in enough iconic flashes of the wrestlers' genius to leave you wanting more. For anyone interested, my choice would have gone to The Rock, marginally pipping both Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan in a close run thing. Rounding out the top five, I'd go for Jeff Hardy (for his technical prowess) and Mick Foley, for his heart and his dedication, and the way he worked with the audience. But that's just my opinion, just as this DVD is only the opinion of the wrestlers. We don't need to agree to enjoy the list.
Extras
There might be nothing dedicated to the feature itself, which is understandable given the format, but what we do get are two bonus discs featuring some 21 iconic, historical match-ups (listed below), and if the feature itself didn't sell it to you, these matches surely should. It certainly reinvigorated a slightly slumbering beast within me, so I'm now off to buy the Hasbro WWF Wrestling Ring I used to go everywhere with, and pit Hulk Hogan against Ultimate Warrior just like on its awesome cover. Oh, and my favourite of the selection? Simply has to be the Fatal 4-Way Match for the WWE Championship featuring the dream billing of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Undertaker and Kurt Angle from Raw 2001. But by rights, it should have been the Hell in a Cell match which featured Mick Foley's legendary cage plummet at the hands of The Undertaker. NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match Lou Thesz vs. Argentina Rocca Buffalo, NY NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match Jack Briscoe vs. Dory Funk Jr. Championship Wrestling from Florida Women's Championship Match The Fabulous Moolah vs. Susan Green Madison Square Garden; June 16, 1975 Gorilla Monsoon vs. Muhammad Ali Philadelphia, PA; June 2, 1976 NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match Harley Race vs. Terry Funk Championship Wrestling from Florida; February 6, 1977 Boxing Match Gorilla Monsoon vs. Andre The Giant Puerto Rico; September 23, 1977 WWE Championship Match "Superstar" Billy Graham vs. "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes Madison Square Garden; September 26, 1977 WWE Championship Match The Iron Sheik vs. Hulk Hogan Madison Square Garden; December 28, 1984 Six Man Tag Team Elimination Match Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper & Junkyard Dog vs. Randy "Macho Man" Savage, "The King" Harley Race & Adrian Adonis Madison Square Garden; February 23, 1987 AWA Heavyweight Championship "Ravishing" Rick Rude vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat Madison Square Garden; December 26, 1987 AWA Heavyweight Championship Jerry "The King" Lawler vs. "Mr. Perfect" Curt Henning August 13, 1988 No Disqualification MatchVirgil Barred from Ringside Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs. "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase Madison Square Garden; December 28, 1989 "Nature Boy" Ric Flair vs. Bret "Hit Man" Hart Saskatoon, CN; October 12, 1992 The Rock vs. Mankind Halftime Heat; January 31, 1999 Fatal 4-Way Match for the WWE Championship Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock vs. Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle Smackdown; December 7, 2000 Undertaker, Kane, Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, Edge & Christian Raw; April 23, 2001 Edge & Triple H vs. Kurt Angle & Chris Jericho Smackdown; May 16, 2002 Eddie Guerrero vs. Big Show Smackdown; April 15, 2004 Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton WrestleMania 22; April 2, 2006 John Cena & Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker & Batistia No Way Out; February 18, 2007 World Heavyweight Championship Match Edge vs. Undertaker WrestleMania XXIV; March 30, 2008 WWE Top 50 Superstars of All Time is released
on DVD from today.