The Wrestling Doctor 12.23.08: Reload – KOTR DVD Set

THE WRESTLING DOCTOR

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THE SECOND OPINION
I appreciate the great comments I got on last week’s KOTR 95 reload. I enjoyed doing it, and will definitely turn my attention to more reloads in 2009. I won’t be able to immediately get to those because of the holidays, but I have noted all of the suggestions and more reloads are on the way.

THE WRESTLING DOCTOR’S HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
With Christmas around the corner, you may be struggling to find gifts for the wrestling fan on your list who buys every DVD on release day. This guy does the same for other film and video game releases, and then complains about not getting anything cool for Christmas. Since you don’t want to hear his bitching this year, use tape-trading and technology to make this moron a customized DVD set. Consider these great options:

• M.O.M. to B.D.V.: The Viscera Retrospective
• Z-Tastic: The Best of the Z-Man
• Doink the Clown’s Big Top Spectacular
• The Tommy Jammer Anthology
• The Definitive Outback Jack
• Jimmy Valiant vs. Paul Jones: The Complete Rivalry
• The Team Challenge Series Collection (can only be viewed at an undisclosed location)

THIS WEEK”S PATIENT: THE ROYAL BEST OF THE KING OF THE RING DVD

Last week’s reload of the 1995 King of the Ring left me thinking about the franchise as a whole. With a sweet Saturday Night’s Main Event 3-disc DVD set coming out in February, 2009 may be a great time to look back at the King of the Ring pay-per-views, which enjoyed a solid ten-show run from 1993 to 2002.

DISC 1: King of the Ring Tournament Matches
The KOTR PPV started off being built around the tournament itself, but higher profile non-tournament matches took precedence by the fourth event. Disc 1 will be devoted to the tournament matches that stood out in terms of quality and / or historical significance.

1993
Bret Hart vs. Razor Ramon (10:25)
Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect (18:56)
Bret Hart vs. Bam Bam Bigelow (18:11)

Bret Hart discusses his KOTR win in his DVD documentary, calling it one of his best moments because he was able to wrestle three distinctly different matches in one night. Disc 1 will give us the opportunity to see those three matches back-to-back and judge for ourselves.

1994
Owen Hart vs. The 1-2-3 Kid (3:37)
Owen Hart vs. Razor Ramon (6:35)
Owen / Kid was one of the best matches under four minutes ever on PPV. Owen’s KOTR win was the second major piece in the puzzle (along with his Wrestlemania X pin of Bret) on his way to becoming a top heel. Both are short, and Owen deserves a little more DVD-based celebration.

1995
Of course we’re skipping it…

1996
Steve Austin vs. Jake Roberts (4:28)
Not the best match ever, but historic as Stone Cold’s breakthrough performance. His post-match coronation promo must be included, as he introduces the world to the most successful catch phrase in wrestling history, Austin 3:16.

1997
Triple H vs. Mankind (19:26)
This bout already appeared on the Triple H DVD. It could have easily have gone for ten minutes instead of twenty, but Triple H’s win was an early indicator of his success to come, and his smashing of the crown was another step away from the old WWF. Again, included for historical reasons.

The 1998 and 1999 KOTR tournaments were distinctly over-shadowed by the other matches on the cards. The WWF attempted to build up Ken Shamrock and Billy Gunn like they had Austin and Triple H, but those guys did not have the talent and personality to take full advantage of the opportunity. It took three years for the WWF to find someone who did…

2000
Kurt Angle vs. Chris Jericho (9:50)
This match should have been the 2000 final. The feud between Jericho and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley and the flirtation between Angle and Stephanie was a solid piece of wrestling writing. Those angles could have twisted together with the tournament on the line, but instead the entanglement occurred in the first round. This match would have made a better final than the five minute Angle over Rikishi match, but the dancing Samoan had just won the IC Title and the WWF was hoping to push him. Turns out his biggest push would be off of the top of the Hell-in-a-Cell at the hands of The Undertaker six months later, but hindsight is 20/20.

2001
Edge vs. Kurt Angle (10:21)
Edge’s breakout as a singles star. Of the six guys who really benefited from the KOTR title (Owen, Austin, Triple H, Angle, Edge, Lesnar), Edge’s push took the longest to bring about main event results. The Invasion angle, the brand spilt, and then his major neck injury all got in the way, but he eventually found the path to the top as a the Rated-R Superstar. Edge and Angle would have much better matches in 2002, but this huge singles win for Edge is a must on any KOTR collection.

2002
Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Jericho (14:32)
This bout was included on the long-deleted RVD DVD, and it is worth seeing again. This bout could teach young stars a lot about how to use spots effectively instead of in a manner resembling a seizure. I doubt the WWF would include Brock Lesnar’s win over RVD in the final (I cannot blame them), and this match was much better, anyway.

Bonus Matches:

2006
King Booker vs. Bobby Lashley (9:15)
The WWE may be hesitant to include this final, since Booker is with TNA and Lashley is not exactly on their Christmas card list, but it cannot do much damage as a bonus. Such a position would fit as this KOTR occurred as part of the 2006 Judgment Day PPV.

2008
William Regal vs. C.M. Punk (time unknown)
From the April 21 Raw. Again, this match was not part of a KOTR PPV, but it was for the title and began a decent push for Regal. A good match, too.

Homage to the 1985 – 1991 KOTR winners
This would have to be photographic and brief, as most (if not all) of those events were not taped. Maybe Harley Race’s 1986 coronation from Wrestling Challenge could be included. It would be nice for the WWE to acknowledge the pre-PPV KOTR events.

Disc 2: Non-Tournament Matches
By 1996 the KOTR had become more about the other bouts on the show than the tournament. Discs 2 and 3 look at those matches, which tended to be much longer than tournament contests.

1994
WWF Title: Bret Hart vs. Diesel (22:51)
Diesel’s IC Title in April was a surprise, and holding his own against the WWF champion in a high-profile match was his first big test as a legitimate player. Diesel always had his best matches against smaller, technical guys. Add in the Jim Neidhart-drama that tied in with the KOTR final, and you’ve got a winner.

1995
Bret Hart vs. Jerry Lawler (9:20) – Kiss My Foot match
Not a masterpiece, but it made sense in the context of their feud (which started at KOTR 1993) and this particular card while giving The Hitman something to do until he re-entered the WWF Title picture.

1996
The Undertaker vs. Mankind (18:21)
WWF Title: Shawn Michaels vs. The British Bulldog (26:25)
People tend to forget what an unbeatable monster The Undertaker was for his first 5½ years in the WWF. Mankind was the first guy to put regular dents in the UT’s winning record. Hell-in-A-Cell overshadows the rest of their feud, but these went at it off-and-on for two years. This match is their first on PPV.

Michaels-Bulldog popped up on the recent HBK DVD. It is a strong match from Michael’s best single year when he was truly on top of the WWF. Mr. Perfect is the special referee.

1997
Shawn Michaels vs. Steve Austin (22:29)
Available on the recent Austin DVD. Their Wrestlemania match had more drama, but the tension was high here, too, as they were tag team champions at the time and the “rivals-as-partners” formula was still a very fresh and exciting idea. Not the match for you if you love referees, though.

1998
The Undertaker vs. Mankind – Hell in a Cell (16:00)
WWF Title: Steve Austin vs. Kane – First Blood (14:52)
Both of these matches have been previously released on multiple occasions – particularly the UT-Foley HIAC – but these matches are from what was probably the hottest KOTR card in terms of the company’s momentum and fan anticipation. No KOTR collection would be complete without these two moments.

Disc 3

1999
The Hardys vs. Edge & Christian (4:49)
WWF Title: The Undertaker vs. The Rock (19:10)
Steve Austin vs. Vince & Shane McMahon – Ladder Match (17:11)
The first PPV meeting between the Hardys and Edge & Christian was not their best match – the time limitations did not help – but it had some great spots that had not been seen regularly in the States at this point. A little stale by today’s standards, but big news in 1999.

UT-Rock was on the UT DVD from three years ago. It can be very slow, but the crowd was hot for The Rock in any situation at this point.

The ladder match was for control of the WWF and featured the rising briefcase angle that was never fully explained. The Austin-McMahon matches were not technical gems but they were always fun.

2000
The Rock, The Undertaker, & Kane vs. Triple H, Vince McMahon, & Shane McMahon – WWF Title on the line (17:54)
Kane’s chokeslam on Shane from the top rope / apron through a table on the floor gets this bout on the collection alone. Consider this a warm up for Kane-Shane to come.

2001
Kurt Angle vs. Shane McMahon – Street Fight (26:00)
Angle’s butterfly suplex of Shane into the logo wall was a staple on several editions of the “Don’t try this at home” PSA. Shane brings it to a street fight, and this collection gives fans a unique opportunity to see Shane at three different phases of his ring work at the same time each year.

2002
Kurt Angle vs. Hulk Hogan (12:08)
WWE Title: The Undertaker vs. Triple H (23:44)
The only KOTR PPV under the WWE banner. Angle’s victory over Hogan was a surprise in that it happened, but the fact that Hogan tapped was downright amazing. A huge win for Angle that, if included, would give an indication on where the WWE stands in terms of bringing back the former Olympian.

This UT-Triple H is not Wrestlemania X-7, but it is interesting to see a heel Taker vs. a face Trips H for the top prize. Both guys would flip their roles within six weeks.

Next week: predictions for 2009. Have a Merry Christmas, happy holiday, or just a few good days off.