Search - The Monday Night War - WWE Raw vs. WCW Nitro on DVD

The Battle Line Has Been Drawn... (4.5 stars)

Michael Crane | Orland Park, IL USA | 03/21/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While I don't really pay attention to wrestling like I did in the past, I started getting into WWE (back then known as the WWF) right when the Monday Night Wars were at their most intense peak. This was when Stone Cold was the most popular WWE superstar and his rivalry with Vince McMahon was getting out of control each week. This was also when The Rock was a heel that quickly grew on you, as the crowd would always repeat all of his sayings when he'd try to talk. Bash the crowd, he would, but that wouldn't stop the crowd from "singing along" with him. I admit that I didn't really pay attention to the WCW, but I knew of the battle between the two corporations."The Monday Night War" finally reveals to you the complete (or as complete as it's going to get) story about the rivalry between the two giants, the WWE and the WCW. Here, you get all of the dirt and the low-down tricks that were implemented by each group. In one corner there's Vince McMahon, who takes his Monday night programming to new and subtle heights. In the other corner is Eric Bishoff, who manages Ted Turner's WCW company. Determined to bring new blood and a new flavor to the game, Bishoff takes it up a notch by offering unpredictable wrestling programming that would endanger Vince's empire. The changes would force Vince to change the face of wrestling entertainment as we now know it. The fight between the two was brutal, vicious, and threatened the careers of hundreds upon hundreds of wrestlers on both sides.This DVD was really interesting to watch, as I had no idea how close the WWE was to going out of business, and I had no idea of the impact that Bischoff had on the WWE. Now that the two corporations are joined into one, both are able to reveal their stories and candid commentary without restraint. You hear comments from McMahon, Bishoff, wrestlers, and other former employees of the two giants. The program proves to be very honest and straight to business. And, as intense as the battle was between the two, no matter how vicious or brutal it was, it definitely had a positive impact on Vince's corporation. In a way, I wished the two were still going at it today as opposed to being all lumped into one organization. If that were the case, maybe I'd still be intrigued to watch today.The DVD has some cool things to offer, other than the original program that runs about over an hour and a half. Extras include about 86 minutes of bonus footage that includes matches, events, and other benchmarks that intensified that Monday Night Wars between the two organizations. It would've been cool to have some more extra footage, as there were TONS of things that could be included in the wars between the two giants, but 3 hours of programming isn't too shabby."The Monday Night War" is a thought-provoking and energized look into the wrestling industry like never before. Learn about the betrayals, the back stabbings, the fear of losing jobs, and much more on this very entertaining DVD. Former and recent wrestling fans will want to include this in their collection. A great feature that isn't a waste of time by any means. -Michael Crane"

A must see

Michael Crane | 02/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If the Monday night battles between Raw and Nitro fascinated you then you need this DVD. They go into great detail regarding contract talks, why stars left for the competition and how WCW rose from a money losing company to a company turning a profit.The story itself is just over 90 minutes. The DVD extras are...-Steve Austin & Shawn Micheals vs Owen Hart abd British Bulldog.-Shawn Micheals & Triple H vs the Legion of Doom (I believe this was the 1st time HHH & HBK teamed up before creating D-X)-Bookert T vs Chris Benoit (Nitro)-Hulk Hogan vs Goldberg (Goldberg wins the WCW title.)-Steve Austin gives Vince Mcmahon a Stunner for the first time.-Jim Cornette commentary regarding supposed icons in wrestling.-Vince Mcmahon's "Bret screwed Bret" interview.-D-X invades Nitro.-nWo in the production truck.-Eric Bischoff challenges Vince McMahon to a match at Slamboree.-Ric Flair returns to WCW to reform the Horsemen.-Ric Rude appears on Raw and Nitro on the same night.A great investment!"

HUUUUGE OMISSION

tthomasson1 | Austin, Tx Longhorn Country | 02/21/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I fondly remember the glory days of both WCW and the WWF, back when the ratings wars were going on. I was a hardcore WCW fan, but once Stone Cold stole the spotlight and became the icon of the "sport", I converted. However, in its day, WCW killed the WWF in ratings, and it was due in large part to STING. Yeah there are a few references here and there, but none in the time period from '96 to the end of '97 when WCW battled the NWO. All the credit for the WCW's success is giving directly to the NWO, when that is only half correct.However, this DVD did feature the best Nitro match ever, in Goldberg vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan, and part of the best RAW match ever, in The Rock vs. Mankind. The two WWF full matches that were shown were somewhat lackluster, but the Benoit-Booker T match was part of a 4 out of 7 classic.Overall, this DVD is good for the basic fan who never saw the war, but it tended to show a LOT more WWF than WCW, which could be understandable (all things considering). The Sting/NWO battle was the cream of the crop in WCW's heyday, and it was sadly omitted."

Bischoff vs. McMahon

Matt S. | Clinton, TN USA | 09/05/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"For those of us who were loyal WCW fans during the raging Monday Night War, this is an excellent DVD for both WCW footage and the extra matches. As far as telling the true story of the War, however, this documentary is a textbook example of WWE bias. For the most part, the documentary portrays the WCW and its president, Eric Bischoff, as being a bunch of irascible tyrants who cynically delcare a war of survival on McMahon's WWF. As was to be expected of the WWE, the documentary does not interview many of the key WCW superstars who were at the center of the conflict such as Hogan, Nash, and Hall. McMahon presents himself as the innocent bystander in the whole ordeal with Foley and Brisco sucking up and kissing his ass thoughout the entire documentary. He also uses the documentary to boast of his victory and aquisition of WCW. Meanwhile, Eric Bischoff, the ambitious man who took Ted Turner's WCW (which was little more than a joke at the time) and turned it into a competitive superpower and the only wrestling company to ever out do McMahon's empire, is portrayed as an "unethical" bully who's only purpose was to destroy lives, or as Foley puts it on the DVD, comparing Bischoff's business style to that of the Godfather, "We'll kill your kid but it's nothing personal." If I were just rating the extra matches on the DVD I'd give it 5 stars no questions asked. The extras alone are worth buying the DVD. I'm a loyal WWE fan today, and I think regardless of how bias this documentary is, it cannot hide the fact that had Bischoff and WCW not challenged McMahon in the bold way that they did, sports entertainment might very well have been nothing more than a joke today. Also, McMahon can say or think whatever he wants, but he and everyone else in the WWE knows that it was Bischoff's competitive challenge that got them where they are today. I truly believe the DVD makes that clear, regardless. Overall, I recommend this DVD if for nothing more than the great WCW footage, the extra matches, and at least getting to hear Bischoff tell it the way it really went down. If you're looking for the truth about the whole Monday Night War, don't waste your money."