The Greatest Wrestling Stars Of The 80s (2005)
WWE Home Video
Cast:
Extras: Interviews, Promos, Skits
Rating:

Maybe it’s just me, but I always felt the 80s were the most glorious time for wrestling, a time when the WWF – today’s WWE – featured some of its most colorful, powerful and captivating superstars. Today’s wrestling resembles more of a sleazy bar fight and I am not sure where its appeal is supposed to lie. It’s always been a bit controversial since a large portion of the audience consists of children, but today’s mindless, ultra-brutal and sex-driven sleazy aura is nothing short of irresponsible.

Be that as it may, in the 80s wrestling was still fun, athletic and sprinkled with occasional sportsmanship. ’The Greatest Wrestling Stars Of The 80s’ is a 3-disc DVD set that features 16 classic matches, featuring some of the greatest stars of the time, such as Hulk Hogan, Sgt. Slaughter, Roddy Piper, Jerry Lawler, Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Jimmy Snuka and many others. It is a collection of matches throughout the years, taken from some of the WWF’s major events. Despite all the great matches and stars presented on this DVD however, I can’t shake my disappointment at the fact that the single-best match of the era is missing fomr the release. I am talking, of course, about the ’Wrestlemania 6’ match between the Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan. But even without it, this is a fun release for all fans who want to dwell in some nostalgia and remember how major league wrestling used to have a sense of style.

The footage on the release is generally good. The transfers show occasional weaknesses in the source material, such as weak black levels and color balance, but overall it’s a good presentation that is free of major defects. There are some video artifacts evident as well form the original source material, displaying the shortcomings of the technology at the time, but overall this is a thoroughly enjoyable presentation.

The audio on the disc is nicely reproduced, capturing the live feel of the matches very nicely with the frenzy of the action and commentary firmly gripping the viewer.

As extras, the DVD set also contains a large number of promo clips and interviews, skits and all the other great tidbits that made the WWF so entertaining. No question, fans of 80s wrestling have to take a look at this release!