Search - WWE - Hard Knocks - The Chris Benoit Story on DVD

Time to Separate Entertainment from Life

Jesse Nelson | Tucson, AZ USA | 06/26/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Do I still watch and love the Naked Gun movies even though OJ Simpson was in them? Yes. How about listening to music Phil Specter produced? Yep. For all you obnoxious knee-jerk reactionaries (most of whom I see have posted only ONE review, this one)... there's real life, and there's fiction. You want an easy answer, to just go ahead and blot out history? IF what this person did is entirely true, it is terrible. But it's time to separate an entertainment DVD from real life. The WWE is pulling all trace of Benoit from its company. As for Amazon, it is not, and should not be their job to censor. Nothing will change the fact that there are great matches on this one, part of wrestling history. If you try to rewrite or erase history, too, you can never learn from it."

Chris Benoit Review

DaveyBoy | 04/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"NOTE: The 3 Japanese matches on this disc come with 2 alternate commentaries each. The first is a pretty straight forward, but sufficiently informative, commentary by Michael Cole & Tazz. It's probably best to jump straight to this, unless you understand Japanese, or have a lot of time to spare. The 2nd commentary is by Benoit, Dean Malenko & Todd Grisham. It's nothing controversial or highly enlightening, but it's informative enough & fascinating because most of it is coming from Benoit himself.

vs JUSHIN 'THUNDER' LIGER for the IWGP Junior HeavyWeight Title. August-19, 1990: Benoit was under the mask here wrestling as 'The Pegasus Kid'. He was the challenger to Liger's title & defeated him in this 15 minute clinic of a match, to win his 1st ever Japanese title. The first 6 or 7 minutes of this bout, is a submissions based match, where basically every flashy submission move on the planet is used by one wrestler or the other. If I was to be in any way critical, I actually doubted the psychology of it all, but it was as entertaining as hell, and nothing lasted too long to get anywhere near monotonous. What followed was some fast-paced, high-flying, chain & counter wrestling which was right up there with any Benoit vs Angle match that you've seen. Benoit wins with a tombstone piledriver followed by a top-rope legdrop. As always with Japanese matches, it's also interesting to see how the crowds react to everything. Match Rating...9

vs TOO COLD SCORPIO. WCW SuperBrawl. February-21, 1993: I always thought Scorpio (who later became Flash Funk in the WWF) had a unique wrestling style that sometimes really worked & sometimes really bombed. You just knew that it would work to some extent with Chris Benoit. Man, did Benoit look like a combination of Dynamite Kid, Bret Hart & 'Stunning' Steve Austin in this bout!!! If anything, Scorpio's flashiness almost dominated this match too much. It actually got a little too tedious when Benoit was on offense, as this time was basically used for rest periods. Scorpio wins with a rollup just one second short of the 20 minute time limit. Nothing fantastic, but not bad. I think this match was included to fill the timeframe between the Japanese matches on the disc. Match Rating...7

vs BLACK TIGER (EDDIE GUERRERO) in a Super J Cup Semi-Final. April-16, 1994: Not as perfect as you would expect from these 2 wrestlers, but it has to be remembered that this was the 2nd of 3 matches in a one night tournament. Ten minutes in duration, this was actually a little sloppy (especially Guerrero). Still very good though & it's great to see the early work of 2 of the WWE's finest at the moment. The finish is somewhat of an anti-climax, as Benoit turns Eddie's top-rope flying bodypress attempt into an armdrag for the pin!!! Match Rating...7

vs THE GREAT SASUKE in the Super J Cup Final. April-16, 1994: Fantastic match, and even better considering that it was both men's 3rd bout of the night. Well paced 19 minute match which was different in style to both the Liger & Guerrero matches on this disc. Built up really nicely & had a decent mix of everything. In fact, I'd almost say that Benoit's intensity at the time, mixed better with Sasuke's high-flying, than with Guerrero's. Excellent match which ends in a Benoit win, after a top-rope gutwrench suplex. Match Rating...9

vs SABU. ECW November 2 Remember. November-5, 1994: This is the infamous bout where Benoit tosses Sabu onto his head about 40 seconds into it, and the match is stopped with Sabu suffering a broken neck. That was one scary landing!!! Not Rated

EASTER EGG: Pressing left while this option is highlighted will screen an ECW promo by Benoit. It actually shows his strength & weakness at the same time, as his intensity came through well, but so did his lack of clarity on the microphone.

vs AL SNOW. ECW Double Tables. February-4, 1995: Very good match which told an excellent story. This was probably the closest that Benoit came to portraying a cocky heel character, as Snow was playing an underdog face-type character at the time. The 15 minute match started off evenly & was very entertaining while that lasted. It was a good mix of mat wrestling using predominantly suplexes, with some high-flying & submission based offense thrown in. Benoit then started to dominate, but Snow wouldn't go down without a fight & mounted a comeback. Benoit eventually regained the momentum though & ended up victorious. A bit of a sleeper match which is more than worth a watch. Match Rating...8

vs EDDIE GUERRERO. WCW Monday Nitro. October-16, 1995: Very good television match. At 8 minutes in length, these 2 could only do so much, and they decided to concentrate mainly on suplexes. That's fine by me, and man, were they good!!! A bit of high-flying was thrown in, and the pace was predominantly in fast-motion. A great ending sees Benoit get the pinfall with a picture-perfect Dragon (Full Nelson) Suplex. Everything you could expect from a television bout, and a little more. Match Rating...8

vs KEVIN SULLIVAN. WCW Great American Bash. June-16, 1996: Entertaining match which spent most of it's time in the men's bathroom!!! Not exactly a wrestling match (actually, barely a wrestling move is seen), but an intense brawl. You just have to ask yourself while watching this bout, how much of the intensity was real? I think it's fair to say that a fair bit of it was. Too short with not enough variation, this bout also ended a little anti-climactically with a superplex. Match Rating...6

vs BOOKER T. WCW Great American Bash. June-14, 1998: I think this was the longest match of the series at 16 minutes. Good mix of the more current style of professional wrestling that Benoit has adapted very well to. Booker T was also a slightly different style of opponent for Benoit, and their styles actually mixed excellently. Both wrestlers were nearing the very best of their careers at this point of time & it showed. A fitting ending to what was a tremendous series of matches in mid 1998. Match Rating...8

vs BRET HART. Owen Hart Tribute Match. WCW Monday Nitro. October-4, 1999: This bout is almost surreal & it really does take a lot of time to both the viewing & live audience to get into it. Because of this, I believe that Benoit & Hart opened the bout with more of a clinic, than a match. The first half of it's 23 minute duration (excluding commercial breaks) is a little meandering, but technically proficient. However, from about the 10 minute mark onwards, we see some great counter & chain wrestling, as you would expect from these two. And they're both very professional, as the competition aspect of the match does come into play very well. A tough one to rate because of the match circumstances, but definitely very good. Match Rating...8

vs SID VICIOUS for the World HeavyWeight Title. WCW Souled Out. January-16, 2000: With all the controversy surrounding WCW & Benoit's imminent departure at the time, the quality of this match is often overlooked. It's actually a very good big man vs small man bout (not too dissimilar to Benoit's title defense against Kane at this year's 'Bad Blood'). Sid played the strong big man very well here (Benoit's tremendous selling obviously helps a lot), while Benoit was clinical in chopping the big man down to size from his knees. At 15 minutes in length, it didn't outstay it's welcome. Under-rated & forgotten match. Match Rating...8

vs WILLIAM REGAL. Brian Pillman Tribute Show. May-25, 2000: This was Regal's first match back from an extended layoff & one of Benoit's early matches while working with the WWE. Interesting commentary from Dr.Tom Pritchard, who claims that he often uses a tape of this match for training purposes. And you can see why, as both these guys put on a virtual clinic. I'm not actually the hugest fan of Regal in the ring, but he mixes it up perfectly with Benoit here. Furthermore, both men's intensity levels turn this into a super competitive match. A secret gem of a bout!!! Match Rating...8

EASTER EGG: Pressing right while this option is highlighted will screen a brief (30 second) WWE Benoit promo. Nothing special.

vs KURT ANGLE in a Steel Cage Match. WWE Raw. June-12, 2001: Wow!!! Forget being a Raw main event, this was definitely the quality of a PPV main event. At 15 minutes in length, it could have been a little longer, but that was almost the only weakness of this match. It did have only a little of their excellent technical mat wrestling, but that didn't take away too much from this bout at all. In it's place, there were suplexes galore (including 9 almost consecutive German Suplexes from Benoit), some cage action, and a few terrific spots: a German Suplex off the top-rope by Benoit, a missed moonsault from the top of the cage by Angle, and a diving headbutt from the top of the cage by Benoit. Angle wins when the commentating `Stone Cold' Steve Austin (who was feuding with Benoit & Jericho at the time) interfered. Sensational. Match Rating...9

vs KURT ANGLE for the WWE Championship. 2003 Royal Rumble. January-19, 2003: Excellent 20 minute match!!! Leading into this, I just thought it would be similar to what they had put together previously. I thought that there was no way Benoit could win & this match was only on the card to see the reaction that Benoit would get at main event level. While these points still held true, the match was a resounding success anyway. At times, it genuinely appeared as if Benoit would win the bout, and the standing ovation he received afterwards was surely noticed by WWE decision makers. The match itself was a good hybrid of their previous efforts. While containing technical bursts, it didn't get bogged down. There were a few new reversals performed & the overall psychology of the match was top-notch. But at the end of the day, the competitiveness, intensity, counters & false finishes of this match have yet to be surpassed afterwards, to this day (18 months on). The crowd was literally eating out of these 2 guys' hands towards the end. My 2003 Match Of The Year. Match Rating...10

vs TRIPLE H & SHAWN MICHAELS in a Triple Threat Match for the World HeavyWeight Title. WrestleMania 20. March-14, 2004: Excellent & memorable match where all 3 combatants brought close to their best. Right from the beginning of the bout, Benoit looked his intense & crisp self, while HBK & Triple H stepped it up a notch or two from their usual 2004 performances (thus far). At 25 minutes in length, this wasn't the most perfectly paced match. Nor was it a technical masterpiece (which I would have preferred that they tried for in the first 8-10 minutes). But I suppose that is the inherent problem with Triple Threat matches. What it undoubtedly was though, was exciting, entertaining & memorable. A superb finish capped it all off very well. Great stuff & Benoit is the World HeavyWeight Champion for the second time!!! Match Rating...9

Neck Injury: A 90 second segment with Dr.Youngblood about Benoit's neck injury & resulting surgery.

Crossface Collection:A 3 minute segment where Benoit talks predominantly about `The Crippler Crossface'; It's origin, it's danger & even a `How To' step-by-step guide on how to apply the hold.

Raw Magazine Cover Shoot: A 2 minute segment detailing Benoit's magazine cover shoot in a meat freezer!!!

EASTER EGG: In the bottom right-hand corner of the screen on the second extras page of Disc-2, there is a tooth. Highlight this by highlighting `back' at the bottom of the screen & then pressing right 3 times. This egg is of Benoit's father finally revealing the truth on how Chris Benoit lost his tooth. His opponent that was the culprit: A Rottweiller!!!

DAVEYBOY'S CONCLUSION: I thoroughly enjoyed this 2 Disc set on Chris Benoit. As a Benoit fan, I found the 15 matches that accompanied his life story, truly fascinating. This is especially the case, because I hadn't seen many of the bouts before-hand. There is a tremendous mix of matches included over a 14 year timeframe. The amazing thing is that almost every style of professional wrestling match is captured. Maybe some of the chosen matches are questionable, but no 2 people will ever agree on that type of thing. All in all, this is right up there with (& probably a little better than) the Hulk Hogan & Rey Mysterio DVD's (remembering that I haven't seen Flair's & Foley's as yet). Thoroughly recommended. If I had to grade it, I would give it an A minus.






"

Hard Knocks : The Chris Benoit Story - The Best Preview

Chad Mosher | Flint, MI | 06/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Chris Benoit: Widely considered the best technical wrestler in the world today. This is the real story behind his rise to the top of the business he's loved since childhood. Relive the setbacks and the triumphs from those who have worked with him, and who know his story. From his early days in Canada, Japan and Mexico, to ECW, WCW and WWE, Chris Benoit has arned the respect of wrestling fans around the world. Below is the listing of this awesome two-disc set
Chapters:
- The Early Years
- New Japan
- ECW
- WCW
- WWE
- The Injury
- The Comeback
- Royal Rumble 2003
- Wrestlemania XX Extras/Matches:
Pegasus Kid vs. Jushin Liger
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match (Tokyo, Japan - August 19, 1990)
Alternate Commentary: Michael Cole & Tazz OR Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko & Todd Grisham Chris Benoit vs. Too Cold Scorpio
WCW Superbrawl III (April 21, 1993) Wild Pegasus Chris Benoit vs. Black Tiger
Super J Cup Tournament Round 2 (Tokyo, Japan - April 16, 1994)
Alternate Commentary: Michael Cole & Tazz OR Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko & Todd Grisham Wild Pegasus Chris Benoit vs. Great Sasuke
Super J Cup Tournament Final (Tokyo, Japan - April 16, 1994)
Alternate Commentary: Michael Cole & Tazz OR Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko & Todd Grisham Chris Benoit vs. Sabu
ECW November 2 Remember (November 16, 1995) Chris Benoit vs. Al Snow
ECW Double Tables (Febrary 4, 1995) Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero
WCW Monday Nitro (October 16, 1995) Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Sullivan
WCW Great American Bash (June 16, 1996) Chris Benoit vs. Booker T
Best-of-Seven Finals, Great American Bash (June 14, 1998) Chris Benoit vs. Bret Hart
Owen Hart Tribute Match, WCW Monday Nitro (October 4, 1999) Chris Benoit vs. Sid Vicious
World Heavyweight Championship Match, WCW Souled Out (January 16, 2000) Chris Benoit vs. William Regal
Brian Pillman Tribute Show, (May 26, 2000) Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle
Steel Cage Match, WWE RAW (June 11, 2001) Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle
WWE Championship Match, Royal Rumble (January 19, 2003) Chris Benoit vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels
World Heavyweight Championship Match, Wrestlemania XX (March 14, 2004) "The Neck Injury"
WWE Raw (July 2, 2001) "Crossface Collection"
WWE Confidential (January 24, 2004) "Raw Magazine Cover Shoot"
WWE Confidential (April 3, 2004)"

WWE Comes Through on Home Video Once Again

JayRo | New york | 08/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great DVD that chronicles the career of Chris Benoit. There are 2 discs to this great DVD. Disc one contains the biography on Chris Benoit's life. It follows his days as a youngster traing in Stu Hart's dungeon and follows his career through New Japan, ECW, WCW, & WWE. It is a very interesting DVD because you see all that Benoit has been through. Intersting to see Benoit's take on WCW. Good video at the end to the song "One Thing" by Finger 11. Disc 1 contains six bonus matches in the extra features.

1. Pegasus Kid vs. Jushin "Thunder" Liger (1990 - IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title)
It is kind of different to see Benoit in the mask. Great match. They are two similar styles. Both men are mat based technicians that use their power strength mixed with some high flying moves. Very important match becuase of how prestigous this title is in Japan. (9/10)

2. Chris Benoit vs. Too Cold Scorpio (WCW Superbrawl 1993)
I don't know how many will agree with me, but I think this is the best match on disc 1. I don't really remember Too Cold Scorpio, but he really is a great athlete. Great back and forth technical match. Very innovative moves on behalf of Too Cold Scorpio. Great match. (9.5/10)

3. Chris Benoit vs. Black Tiger (1994 Super J Cup Tournament - Semi-finals.)
Black Tiger is actually Eddie Guerrero. It is a pretty good match, but not as good as I think these two could have put on. (8.5/10)

4. Chris Benoit vs. Great Sasuke (1994 Super J Cup Tournament - Finals)
Benoit fought this match in Tokyo in front of Sasuke's hometown crowd. On a side note it is interesting to see how different the Japanese crowd is from American crowds. It is cool to see wrestlers such as Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Liger, & Taka Michonuku standing at ringside watching this match and paying their respects to the combatants in this prestigous tournament. Great match. I recommend putting the commentary or Micheal Cole and Tazz on for the Japanese matches. (9.5/10)

5. Chris Benoit vs. Sabu (ECW November 2 Remember 1994)
This is the infamous match in which Benoit broke Sabu's neck and gained the nickname "The Crippler." It is a pretty graphic and scary injury. (5/10)

6. Chris Benoit vs. Al Snow (ECW Double Tables 1995)
Pretty decent, technical match. This is one of the better matches you will see Al Snow compte in. (8/10)

Disc 2 contains 10 matches that span throughout Benoit's career.

1. Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero (WCW Nitro 10/16/1995)
Another great match contested by these two warriors. Technical and high flying. I just wish it was a little longer. (9.5/10)

2. Chris Benoit vs. Kevin Sullivan (WCW Great American Bash 1996 - Falls Count Anywhere)
These two had an extreme hatred for one another and shows in this match as it looks like every shot taken is indeed intended to hurt one another. Benoit explains the rivarly and hatred on disc one. Pretty sick spot with the Superplex off the table balanced on the turnbuckle. (9/10)

3. Chris Benoit vs. Booker T (WCW Great American Bash 1998 - Match 8 of the Best of 7 series for #1 Contender for the TV Title)
This was the memorable series contested between Booker T and Benoit. WWE is trying to match it with the John Cena/Booker T best of 5 series for the U.S. Title. This last encounter was probably the best of the matches in the series. Amazing performance by both individuals. The crowd was in in from the get go. Numerous amount of close falls. (9.5/10)

4. Chris Benoit vs. Bret Hart (WCW Nitro 10/4/1999 - Owen Hart Tribute Show)
Very emotional match. It is interesting to see these two competitive juices come out and go at each other hard. It is a technical classic, but not as good as others hyped it up to be. Very good nonetheless. Emotional, emotional ending. (9/10)

5. Chris Benoit vs. Sid Vicious (WCW Souled Out 2000 - WCW World Heavyweight Title)
Not the best match but it is an important match in the career of Benoit. He would leave WCW the night after this match. Match ends kind of sudden. (7/10)

6. Chris Benoit vs. William Regal (Brian Pillman Memorial Show 1999)
Interesting to see a house show match on the DVD. Although, it is worthy of being on there. These two worked very well and fluent together. Good explanation of the match on the commentary. (9/10)

7. Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle (RAW 6/11/2001 - Steel Cage Match)
Very interesting to see these two wrestle each other in the cage. It started out as a technical match and turned into two daredevils going toe-to-toe. Angle does a moonsault off the top of the cage and Benoit does a flying headbutt off the top. Astonishing. Austin is the guest announcer for this match and interferes hitting Benoit 25 times with a chair. (8.5/10)

8. Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle (Royal Rumble 2003 - WWE Championship)
Match of the Year for 2003 in my opinoin. It is one of the best matches you will ever see. These two have such great chemistry together. Suplexes, reverses, close falls. It has everything. Amazing. (10/10)

9. Chris Benoit vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels (Wrestlemania 20 - World Heavyweight Title/Triple Threat)
Great match that finally grants Benoit what is due to him. Match of the Year for 2004 so far. Great energy in the match. All three to an amazing job. (9/10)

Disc 2 offers some special features on Benoit. There are two Confidential features and a montage on his injury.

This is a must add to your WWE DVD collection. It is one of the best, if not the best released by the WWE. (I can't wait for Eddie Guerrero's to come out). Pick it up.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10
"