Search - WWE Bloodbath - The Most Incredible Cage Matches on DVD

THIS DVD WILL ROCK

09/28/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From what I heard this will be one of the *BEST* WWE DVD's every to be produced...other then the fact the matches they have are going to make this DVD well worth it...

Here is the scoop courtesy of WrestlingMegaStore.com...> WWE STEEL CAGE MATCHES ON DVD
- On October 28th WWE will release 'WWE Bloodbath: Wrestling's Most
Incredible Steel Cage Matches' on DVD, a double disc set with a total
running time of a whopping 5 hours and 30 minutes. 15 matches will be
featured plus another 5 as part of the extras. These are the matches on
the DVD. Bob Backlund vs. Pat Patterson (1979); Bruno Sammartino vs.
Larry Zbyszko (1980); Bob Backlund vs. Jimmy Snuka (1980); Jimmy Snuka
vs. Don Muraco (1983); Magnum TA vs. Tully Blanchard (1985); Hulk Hogan
vs. Paul Orndorff (1987); Ric Flair vs. Ronnie Garvin (1987); Bret Hart
vs. Owen Hart (1994); Isaac Yankem vs. Bret Hart (1995); Triple H vs.
Mankind (1997); Triple H vs. The Rock (1999); Stone Cold Steve Austin
vs. Mr. McMahon (1999); Edge & Christian vs. Hardy Boyz (2000); Kurt
Angle vs. Chris Benoit (2001); Edge vs. Kurt Angle (2002). The other
five are: Bruno Sammartino vs. Ivan Koloff (1975); Bob Backlund vs. Stan
Hansen (1981); Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes (1986); Rock 'n' Roll Express
vs. Andersons (1986) and Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty (1993)."

A Raw Spirited Affair

doggiedogma | Mob Town USA | 08/06/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD is a fine collection of steel cage matches spanning the years 1975-2002. The DVD is divded into 2 discs. The first disc has chapters describing the history and characters in each of the steel cage matches. Gerry Brisco, Spike Dudley, Tommy Dreamer and Hugh Finkel provide background information on a few of the matches. Jonathen Coachman is the MC and he also helps to fleshen out the matches with historical and background feud details.

The following matches on disc one have chapters and are shown in clipped format:

1) Bruno Sammartino vs Larry Zybszko - If you double right click on this chapter, you will get a hidden interview from Sammartino and clip of the match between these two that set the stage for the steel cage match. Larry Zybszko was a favorite of mine and it's always fun to watch him, even in clipped format.

2) Bob Backlund vs Jimmy Snuka - This is joined in progress (JIP). Hey, it's the "Superrfly's" match that put him on the wrestling map. See how Snuka earned his alias.

3) Hulk Hogan vs Paul Orndorff - JIP. The highlight of this match is getting to listen to Jesse Ventura doing the color commentary! This was a "old school" style brawl with the underrated "Mr. Wonderful" playing heel. It's always entertaining watching "Mr. Wonderful" perform!

4) Ric Flair vs Ronnie Garvin - JIP. This was my second favorite match on this disc even though it's JIP. This is the stiffest match on the disc. They go at each other in a fury rarely seen between two wrestlers. Damn, my chest hurts just from watching this! Double right click on this chapter and you will get to see the ending of the first steel cage match between these two in which Ronnie wins the World Championship belt.

5) Isaac Yankem vs Bret Hart - Jerry Lawler provides
background information on this one. This has clips of the match.

6) HHH vs The Rock - JIP and clipped. Would haved loved to have seen the complete match as the parts that are shown are great. Davey Boy Smith interferes in this one.

7) Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Vince McMahon - The first half of the match is clipped. The second half is shown. This was a pure squash of a match. Paul White (aka "Big Show") interferes in this one.

8) Edge & Christian vs The Hardy Boyz - JIP. The ending of the match is shown. Edge and Christian are the World Tag-Team Champions and the Hardy Boyz are fresh from their stint in ECW. Some fantastic aerial displays and splashes. Would have loved to have seen the whole match!

9) Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit - JIP at the point were Angle does a moonsault off the top of the cage! The 2nd half is clipped. Benoit does a flying headbut off the top of the cage! Steve Austin interferes in this one. Another match that should have been shown in its entirety.

The following matches are the ones shown in their entirety (or most of) on disc one: My ratings of the matches are out of 5 *****:

1) Bob Backlund vs Pat Patterson - World Champion Bob Backlund is in a fight for his life from Pat. The match is JIP as the first couple minutes are cut, and the second half is clipped a little. Both men "color" themselves, and Pat pulls out the brass knuckles. Is that enough to win the belt from Bob? A nice brawl. Rating - ***

2) Bruno Sammartino vs Ivan Koloff - World Champion Sammartino defends against the Russian Bear. A total squash! Why this is on here is beyond me. Rating - ** (2 stars just for seeing Koloff).

3) Don Muraco vs Jimmy Snuka - "The Superfly" soars and MSG roars! Muraco is the reigning Intercontinental Champion and Snuka is out for blood. A bloody slugfest between two of my all-time favorites. Love the ending! Rating - ***

4) Bob Backlund vs Stan Hanson - World Champion Backlund defends against the insane Stan "The Man" Hanson. It's great to get to see Stan on DVD. This was a pure brawl with both men getting "colored". The ending is lame, but it's OK to see a different kind of finish. Rating - *** (Ending almost makes it lose a star).

The following matches are on disc #2 and all are in their entirety:
1) Tully Blanchard vs Magnum TA (I Quit Match) - U.S. Champion Tully Blanchard defends against the rugged TA. Anytime I get a chance to watch one of the greatest heels in wrestling history (Tully Blanchard) perform, it's a treat! Tully Blanchard, the master of the slingshot suplex, is in the brawl of his life! This was a fanatastic match with great ring psychology and brutal hits. A wooden chair is broken in the ring and a spike from the chair is used to make one of them say "I Quit!" Great match. Rating - ****

2) Ric Flair vs Dusty Rhodes - World Champion Ric Flair vs "The American Dream". Rhodes is going for his 3rd title and The "Nature Boy" is in the best shape of his life and trying to keep his winning streak alive. This was a great "old school" match with awesome ring psychology and some brutal face to cage grating! It's always fun watching these two go at it! Rating - ****

3) Rock 'n' Roll Express vs The Andersons - World Tag-Team Champions Ole and Arn Anderson (The Minnesota Wrecking Crew) take on Rock (Robert Gibson) 'n' Roll (Rickey Morten) in a fantastic display of tag-team teamwork in action. Two of the alltime best square off and they don't disappoint! I loathed the Rock 'n' Roll Express as a teenager, as I thought they were too '80's rock cliche with their glam outfits, bandanas everywhere and mullets galore. Buuuuuuut, they were tough, i'll give them that. And what can I say about about the Andersons other they were tough as nails and could breakdown anyone. This was a great match! Rating - ****

4) Bret Hart vs Owen Hart - World Champion Bret Hart takes on his brother Owen with their family watching from the front row. This was a classic match as the brothers really go at each other. Alot of high-impact moves. Awesome! Rating - ****

5) Mankind vs HHH - The 1997 King of The Ring Winner - Hunter Hearst Helmsley in a slimmer version of what you see now. The steroids are just beginning to take effect on HHH. HHH does a top of the cage suplex on Mankind (he barely gets Mankind turned over) and Mankind does a top of the cage flying elbow onto HHH. Chyna interferes but is it enough for HHH? Rating - ****

6) Shawn Michaels vs Marty Jannetty - The two former tag-team partners and best friends are now mortal enemies. Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels is water bloated from steroids and he has a mullet cut from the mullet gods! The "Boy Toy" has Kevin Nash ("Diesel") outside the cage. Is "Diesel's" presence enough for Michaels to defeat his former partner? This was a nice match with shades of future HBK stylings seen here. Bill Alfonso is the referee! Rating - ***

7) Edge vs Kurt Angle - The best match on the disc! Kurt Angle is one of the greatest wrestlers EVER and every match he does is met with expectation and excitement because he is a true professional! Kurt does a "Angle Slam" off the top rope and Edge lands a top rope "spear" on Angle. "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan interferes, but for who? This match is interrupted for a TV commercial as it was shown on Smackdown. A terrific match! Rating - *****
Overall, this is a nice DVD collection of steel cage matches that spans 3 decades and two wrestling organizations (WWF/WWE and NWA). The pre-match background information is a good touch. Well done Vince! I would recommend buying this."

Worthy of the title

doggiedogma | 11/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Many die hard wrestling fans have been waiting for WWE to tap its vast tape library and release hard to find classic matches on DVD. With this DVD, WWE does that plus more.
The Coach acts as host as the angles that led up to the matches are explained, then clips of the matches are shown. In some cases the full match is a DVD extra. Here's a complete list of the matches: Clips:
Bob Backlund vs. Pat Patterson 1979
Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Sybysko 1980
Bob Backlund vs. Jimmy Snuka 1980
Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff 1987
Ric Flair vs. Ronnie Garvin 1987
Isaac Yankem vs. Bret Hart 1995
HHH vs. The Rock 1999
Stone Cold vs. McMahon 1999
Edge & Christian vs. Hardyz 2000
Angle vs. Benoit 2001Full Matches:
Edge vs. Kurt Angle 2002
Magnum T.A. vs. Tully Blanchard 1985
Jimmy Snuka vs. Don Muraco 1983
Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart 1994
HHH vs. Mankind 1997
Bruno Sammartino vs. Ivan Koloff 1975
Bob Backlund vs. Stan Hansen 1981
Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes 1986
Rock n' Roll Express vs. Andersons 1986
Shawn Micheals vs. Marty Jannetty 1993Oddly, the DVD case lists the Backlund/Patterson match as shown in its entirety, but it is slightly clipped. I didn't think it dectracted anything from the match. I was disapointed in the Sammartino/Koloff match as it was little more than a squash for Bruno. Then again, it was 1975.
I have no idea why they included the Yankem/Hart match since this is hardly a bright spot in the career of Bret Hart or Glen Jacobs. Very little of the actual match is shown! Instead you get the hilarious antics of Jerry Lawler. Of course, by hilarious I mean not at all funny. These flaws aside, the match choices are spot on. They range from the interesting for historical reasons to the must-see, with many matches in the latter category. If you're unfamiliar with the old NWA stuff on this disk you'll just have to take my word that matches like Blanchard/Magnum and RNR/Anderson rock the house and you need to see them as soon as possible. Easter Eggs:
I've only found two. On disk one: go to extras, highlight Muraco/Snuka and push right. You get the full video of Buddy Rogers interviewing Muraco which ends with Snuka diving over the top rope at Muraco. Note the colorful language Muraco uses to insult Tito Santana.
One disk two: go to extras, highlight Bret/Owen and push right. You get the full promo Owen cut before Summerslam from inside the steel cage. Pretty cool stuff. Overall, this is one of the best DVD releases by the WWE. If you don't like this set you must not be a wrestling fan because there's something here for everyone. Even Dusty Rhodes fans."

The Full Matches

DaveyBoy | 04/30/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"NOTE #1: The first 4 matches are on Disc-1, while the remaining 7 are on Disc-2.

NOTE #2: Take the match ratings with a little grain of salt. It's actually quite difficult to watch cage match after cage match & rate them individually on quality. A good guide though is the fairly recent Taboo Tuesday cage match between Ric Flair & Randy Orton. I rated that bout a 7.

BRUNO SAMMARTINO vs IVAN KOLOFF (1975): The mesh style cage was used 30 years ago, but with no support at the top. This made the cage very shaky, and the ropes were almost as weak! Ten minute match which hardly consists of a proper wrestling move & is dominated by Bruno's repetitive offense. Huge props to Koloff for his selling, and never protecting himself on the cage shots to his bald head. Hard to get into & shortish old-style cage match, but intense & brutal enough to make it a partial success. Match Rating...7

BOB BACKLUND vs PAT PATTERSON (1979): For some reason, we join this match already in progress. Interesting game of cat & mouse, as both combatants attempt to climb out of the cage at every opportunity they get. Good mix of action as there is enough brutality included for both men to badly bleed, while (especially Backlund) throws in the occasional wrestling move. I more associated these 2 guys with the midcard, but they (with help from the cage) do a great job of looking like main-eventers here. Hard to rate as not all of the match is shown (13 minutes is), but very good from what can be viewed. Match Rating...8

BOB BACKLUND vs STAN HANSEN (1981): Inconsistent match which took a while to win me over, and when it finally did, it ended prematurely at the 9 minute mark. For those that haven't seen Stan Hansen, he is a huge man who plays a heel almost perfectly. His taunting & dirty tactics are almost equal to that of Flair. But his selling was questionable for a bout which Backlund clearly had the better of. One thing which did impress me was the pace, but then again, the match only lasted 9 minutes. Match Rating...7

DON MURACO vs JIMMY SNUKA (1983): Infamous bout which is a little overshadowed by Mick Foley's favorite memory (which doesn't even happen during the match). It's a shame that this match only lasts 7 minutes (plus aftermath), because there is so much to like here. A super intense feud which looks more like one for the WWE Championship than the InterContinental Title. Both men play their roles perfectly, while there is a great mixture of brawling & wrestling. While the match is definitely too short, the accidental ending is clever & the aftermath is exhilarating. Match Rating...8

TULLY BLANCHARD vs MAGNUM TA (1985): This is a different cage match in that it has "I Quit" stipulations & couldn't be won by pinfall or escaping the cage. Definitely intense enough & a good variation due to the stipulation. Like most "I Quit" matches, this does get a little repetitive in the middle stages, as each wrestler constantly goes to the microphone to no avail. However, things turn violent when Tully breaks a wooden chair & attempts to spike Magnum in the face. The face fights back though & uses the spike himself, resulting in the bloody victory at the 15 minute mark. Interesting to note that a Hebner is the referee, and it's just plain weird to see a microphone with a long chord being used. Ahhhh, technology. Match Rating...8

RIC FLAIR vs DUSTY RHODES (1986): Methodically paced, old-school psychological battle between these 2 longtime adversaries. I have to admit that I was never a huge fan of Rhodes, so I find something not quite right in an even & long bout between these 2. The cage was used sparingly, but wisely, and I finally got to see Flair actually perform a top-rope move; The messiest flying bodypress I've ever seen! Hard to rate due to it's pacing, but I have to be critical that the bout sort of ended prematurely at the 21 minute mark, after a lot of setting up suggesting it would last at least 30 minutes. And to top it off, Rhodes wins the title. Match Rating...7

THE ROCK & ROLL EXPRESS (ROBERT GIBSON & RICKY MORTON) vs THE ANDERSONS (OLE & ARN) (1986): Normal tag-team rules applied here, and man do the Andersons use them well. Their tagging is textbook perfect & they completely dominate this 12 minute bout, first working on Gibson's leg, then on Morton's arm. Unfortunately, the match ends very prematurely & in the favor of the Express. Many may not like this, but it struck a positive chord with me. The tag format was also a good & welcome change of pace. Match Rating...8

SHAWN MICHAELS vs MARTY JANNETTY (1993): The former tag-team partners go at it here in this 13 minute match. Unfortunately, they don't show anywhere near enough imagination to take advantage of the cage. Still sufficient & definitely watchable, but no high-flying from their tag-team days, nor the intensity of some of their other singles matches. Diesel helps HBK get the win. By the way, if anyone knows who the annoying heel commentator is on this match, please let me know. Match Rating...7

BRET HART vs OWEN HART (1994): The best match on this 2 DVD set. Practically non-stop action for 33 minutes, some good psychology, excellent intrigue, and some clever/original spots. Even the Hart family aftermath added to the bout. The rating may be a little kind due to some repetitive spots, but there are always going to be some inherent problems in a cage match. Owen looked like a genuine main-eventer here! Match Rating...10

TRIPLE H vs MANKIND (MICK FOLEY) (1997): This was around the time of Triple H's original push & even back then it was Foley helping him along. Very good 17 minute match that predominantly relied on a number of spots scattered throughout the bout. A little lethargic at times, and there was some questionable continuity problems. But eventually the spots ruled the day, ending in Foley's "superfly moment". Match Rating...8

EDGE vs KURT ANGLE (2002): This bout took place only a few weeks after their hair vs hair pay-per-view match, so Angle was complete with wig & amateur wrestling headgear here. This was actually a SmackDown television match & it actually works in its favor. The action is simply non-stop for the 15 minute (excluding commercial time) duration. A tremendous mixture of intensity & clever/original spots, this truly is an under-rated bout. Edge really took it up a notch here & gets the win with a lot of help from the Hulkster. Match Rating...9

EASTER EGG #1: On Disc-1, in the 'Chapters' menu, highlight 'Sammartino vs Zbyszko' & press 'right' twice. This shows a strange, yet fascinating, 4 minute face vs face scientific match where Zbyszko turns heel on his teacher. Later commentary provided by Vince & Bruno himself. A great egg.

EASTER EGG #2: On Disc-1, in the 'Chapters' menu, highlight 'Flair vs Garvin' & press 'right' twice. This egg shows the final 3 minutes of the World Title bout between these 2, including a nice top-rope sunset flip by Garvin to win the title.

EASTER EGG #3: On Disc-1, in the 'Extras' menu, highlight 'Muraco vs Snuka' & press 'right' twice. This shows a (Buddy) Roger's Corner interview segment with Don Muraco. It ends in a scuffle between Muraco & Snuka, when Superfly goes to the ring for his match & Muraco thinks he is taking over his television time. This truly was a great feud! Unfortunately, we don't get to see a lot of the scuffle, as most of it is censored due to Snuka bleeding.

EASTER EGG #4: On Disc-2, in the 'Extras' menu, highlight 'Bret vs Owen' & press 'right' twice. This shows Vince McMahon interviewing Owen Hart & Jim Neidhart. A handy 4 minute spot encapsulating the brother vs brother feud & why Owen hated Bret so much at the time.


DAVEYBOY'S CONCLUSION: All in all, this 2 Disc set on steel cage matches is a bit of a mixed bag. Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoyed watching it. But it just isn't worth the 5 & a bit hours of time that it takes up. The 115 minute main part of the DVD sort of stands on it's own. However, there are times when you wish that they spent more time on certain matches & didn't include others. Then when you take into account that time is used up on bouts that are shown in full elsewhere on the disc, you realize that there is quite a fair bit of unnecessary duplication.

Concerning the full matches themselves, I like the choice of matches with regards to the years chosen, but not so much with regards to the variation. I should make it very clear that only cage matches are included on this disc. There are no 'Hell In A Cell', 'Elimination Chamber' or 'War Games' bouts. I get the feeling they may get their own DVD down the track. So with the lack of variation included, it does get slightly tiresome watching cage match after cage match. Are you listening NWA-TNA...???

But I'm being a little picky, and seeing as though prices for 2 disc sets are pretty much the same as 1 discers, my criticisms may not be all that valid anyway. At the end of the day, this is very much worth a watch, and has enough fascinating clips & matches included to be more than worthwhile. And who can complain with those match ratings I have given? But in all honesty, it's not up there with the Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio & Chris Benoit DVD's (remembering that I haven't seen Flair's or ECW's as yet). If I had to grade it, I would probably give it a B minus.


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