Product Description

Collects some of the greatest matches in WCCW history reliving electrifying moments for a generation of old-school fans and introducing new fans to the adrenaline-filled excitement of World Class Championship Wrestling. Catch the exploits of the Von Erich brothers and their rivals the Freebirds. See where NWA stars of the era - Bruiser Brody Ric Flair Jerry Lawler Abdullah the Butcher began their epic careers and how local heroes Gino Hernandez Mark Lewin Tim Brooks and more paved the way for today s Superstars. Even the Ultimate Warrior got his start here as the Dingo Warrior.System Requirements:Run Time: 360 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: SPORTS/GAMES UPC: 651191945993 Manufacturer No: WWE94599

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8625 in DVD
• Brand: WELLSPRING/GENIUS
• Released on: 2007-12-11
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 360 minutes

Customer Reviews

good not great
I thought WWE would do a better job with this, especially since the promotion is dead and no longer a threat! If you were a big fan of World Class, you're probably going to be dissapointed. If you were a casual wrestling fan, this will suit you just fine.

First of all, production. During much of the time the background music nearly drowns out the dialogue which makes watching this very irritating even if you are a big World Class fan. This little quirk gives the entire product an "indie" feel that flies in the face of the supposedly "superior" production values of the current WWE. If somebody would have listened to this one time prior to production, they would have noticed it and made the proper board adjustments!

Second beef was with the choice of matches included. This promotion had some of the most exciting wrestling matures of it's time and very few are included on this set. WWE has the entire WCCW library at its disposal and it was unfortunate that this is the best they could come up with. Clearly this compilation was put together by somebody who didn't love the promotion. If they did, the matches would have been better. (And the above mentioned issue would have been addressed prior to release.)

The Von Erichs and Freebirds are discussed in detail and even if you thought you knew everything about both, you will come away with new information. The deaths of all the brothers are narrated in uncomfortable detail often by Kevin, who comes across as remarkably composed for somebody who has dealt with all that he has. Despite his positive demeaner you can't help but see the pain in his eyes as he talks about the past and what could have been.

Michael Hayes is featured prominately, and his off the cuff comments about his involvement with the promotion that made him a major figure in pro wrestling were refreshingly candid. ("my agent called me and said you have GOT to see what's going on in Texas,") Jimmy Garvin and Buddy Rodgers add significant commentary as well although Garvin's role in the company (among many others) could have been highlighted more.

The promotion was more than just those two groups and while Ice Man King Parsons, Gino Hernandez, and "Gentleman" Chris Adams get mentioned, the rest of the supporting cast get very little credit. A critical factor in what made this promotion succeed and something that current promotions no longer do, is that World Class had three groups of wrestlers as opposed to the usual two.....in a nutshell, good guys, (Von Erichs) bad guys (Freebirds) and freaks (Devestation Inc.) Getting the Texas fans to cheer for Michael Hayes as he wrestled The Missing Link (for example) was an accomplishment that doesn't get the credit it deserves, and made the Freebird / Von Erich matches all the more juicier.

Several other wrestlers get a small mention in the story but none are adequately explored. Another oversite was the acknowledgment and expanation of the constant turnover of NWA talent into and out of the promotion, which kept things fresh for many years. The decision to break from the NWA was rightfully highlighted as one of the major reasons for the decline of the company. Even Lance Von Erich gets a mention here, the "proverbial Red Rooster" of World Class, his insertion into the talent roster was a desperate attempt to recapture the magic of an earlier time while the promotion was in its last days.

The disc also includes a very candid discussion of the impact that drug and alcohol use had on the talent during the 80's. Several major wrestlers had substance abuse issues and often with disasterous results (Gino Hernandez). Salaries and the lack of sufficient profit sharing were also discussed as one of the reasons for wrestler discontent and the promotions eventual decline, especially in the mid 1980's when the World Class was at it's peak. Unfortunately the issue was never unpacked to the point where you felt like you knew where the truth was.

The trip to Israel, while mentioned, should have been highlighted more. (Kevin Von Erich says the same in his reflections on this disc set) World Class also performed two outdoor shows in the Boston area during its peak, a geographic anomoly that is unfortunately ignored. Ice Man King Parsons was highlighted at the time as the first African American World Champion, a juicy topic that is not mentioned at all in the video and totally ignored by todays wrestling historians.

In short, a good compilation that could have been / should have been so much better. World Class was ahead of its time in terms of promotion, the use of music and attractive performers. (All points made by Michael Hayes and Triple H????? in the video) While the video set mentions that fact, it fails to adequately capture it visually. Still for most wrestling fans, this will be a pleasant walk down memory lane.

The Promotion That Changed The Wrestling World
I'll be honest in that I didn't have the chance to see World Class until I got WWE 24/7 a year ago as it wasn't available to me growing up but this is WWE's 4th attempt at telling the story behind another wrestling promotion. This can either go the way of the "Rise & Fall Of ECW" where they go a great job in telling the buildup & downfall of the company along with the legacy it left behind that's still used in wrestling today or the way of the AWA or WCW on the Monday Night Wars DVD where they quickly gloss over the positive influence of the company before spending a majority of time picking apart the negatives of the company from a heavily biased WWE point of view just to put over it's superiority. Well, I saw this as the ECW route in which WWE did justice to a wrestling company that even I knew changed the way wrestling was presented that still effects us today.

The documentry kicks off by talking about the early days of Texas wrestling with comments from Texas legends such as Dusty Rhodes & Dory Funk Jr. The beginning of Fritz Von Erich, his reputation, and how he moved into becoming a promoter & wrestler is talked about. The documentry moves on in how the Von Erich boys (David, Kerry, Kevin) came into wrestling along, Fritz retiring as a wrestler leading to a big show at a football stadium in Texas, the backlash towards the kids being pushed in the promotion, and just how over the Von Erich's were over in Texas. How the TV show expanded into sydication across america & international countries was talked about including how the boys wanted to travel but Fritz didn't want to break the traditional "territorial" rules. All the new elements the promotion brought to wrestling such as personality profiles & features were glossed upon with a funny story about what happened at a water park. The legacy of the Sportatorium was brought up next before moving onto how the Freebirds came into World Class & what elements they brought to the show in & outside the ring was talked about before moving onto how the big rivarly between them & the Von Erichs got started in the cage match with Kerry & Ric Flair. The story behind Gary Hart leaving that night & Ken Mantel taking over the booking along with the influx of young stars coming into the company such as Wild Bill Irwin, Iceman Parsons, Jimmy Garvin with Sunshine & eventually his wife Precious, Chris Adams, Kamala, The Missing Link, and Brusier Brody is heavily discussed. How the Freebirds feuds with the Von Erich's rivarly brought in bigger crowds along with the importance of each member of the group is discussed before moving onto all the events leading up to David's death in Japan along with the aftermath which lead to WCCW's biggest crowd. The memoral show is discussed with highlights of Fritz coming out of retirement against the Freebirds along with Kerry winning the NWA Champion before revealing why Kerry didn't have a long reign as champion. Gary Hart's return along with his influence in the Chris Adams heel turn & feud with Kevin was brought up including the "stiff" working styles both men had with each other. The story behind Mike Von Erich's toxic shock syndrome was talked about before going into the negative effect that "Lance Von Erich" had on the company (I guess he was the Paul Roma of the group). The story of Gino Hernandez in how over he was as a heel and various storylines he was in was talked about before moving on to his death via cocane & how much it effected Gary Hart up to that time (he's passed away since this DVD was released). World Class withdrawing from the NWA & making their own champions was brought up in a negative light with comments from Gary Hart & Kevin in how that was a bad decision despite having wrestlers like Rick Rude & Chris Adams as champion. The story behind Kerry's motorcycle accident & losing his foot is talked about next before talking about the influence of drugs into the company. The events leading up to the suicide of Mike Von Erich is next and such a sad story told by Gary Hart before moving on to the heart attack angle they did with Fritz Von Erich. The SuperClash III PPV with the unification match between AWA Champion Jerry Lawler & WCCW Champion Kerry Von Erich is talked about next with how various parts of match was booked due to certain events before moving on to how WCCW was turned into the USWA. Kerry moving on to the WWF as the Texas Tornado & winning the Intercontinental Championship was highlighted before Kevin went into why he wanted to leave the business & the suicides of both Chris & Kerry Von Erich with footage from the "Current Affair" television show regarding Kerry's death close out the documentry.

This DVD comes with 12 bonus matches featuring a 2 out of 3 Falls match with Duke Keomuka vs. Ricky Starr, Fritz' retirement match against King Kong Bundy, the steel cage match between NWA Champion Ric Flair & Kerry Von Erich that started the feud with the Freebirds, Fritz coming out of retirement with Mike & Kevin against the Freebirds, Chris Adams & Sunshine vs. Jimmy Garvin & Precious, Great Kabuki vs. Kamala, Fantastics vs. Midnight Express, Bruiser Brody & The Missing Link vs. One Man Gang & Rick Rude, Bruiser Brody vs. Abdullah the Butcher in a steel cage match, and a Hair match between Iceman Parsons vs. Buddy Roberts. Kevin Von Erich does alternative commentary with Todd Grisham on two matches with him vs. Chris Adams and with Kevin & Iceman vs. Freebirds.

The only negatives I have here is that eventhough as I said that I didn't watch WCCW until around a year ago, I know that more could have been said about King Kong Bundy & Destivation Inc. since even I heard about them when I was young but yet they didn't get anything past a quick one liner throughout this documentry & they would have gotten some words from Steve Austin since he's said it time & time again that he grew up watching WCCW & would drive down every Friday night to see the Von Erich/Freebird feud so his memories as a fan would have been great to hear. In the end, this DVD reminded me exactly of Jake Roberts' in that when they bring up fun & memorable angles then it's a fun documentry to watch & get a couple of laughts off the stories being told but when they talk about the dark times, it's one that's either really distrubing or really sad to watch. After watching this, you can see why WWE decided to push this documentry back for months after the Benoit incident last July & Triple H described the sad deaths throughout this promotion best..."A public service announcement saying DON'T DO DRUGS!" This isn't just a documenty I recommend as a wrestling fan but one I would recommend for parents to show their children as well who are wrestling fans when teaching them the dangers of heavy drug use & the effects negative effects of suicide.

The good and very bad times of WCCW
I'm sure there's still plenty of those out there, who aren't familiar with the wrestling promotion WCCW. To ring a bell for some. Do you remember the Von Erichs? Or better yet, The Texas Tornado from the then WWF. Or the family who were supposedly "cursed" and all committed suicide. To include the father committing suicide. Some of these rumors are true and the rest is just gossip that carried on through the years. I remember hearing rumors of the entire family blowing their brains out. To include killing the family dog. Well this documentary answers a good portion of, in some cases, ridiculous untrue rumors.

This documentary talks about the rise and fall of WCCW. There are several old faces speaking from their point of view. Such as Kevin von Erich, Gary Hart, Michael Hayes, and Bill Irwin. They speak about Fritz's career and the popularity of the Von Erichs and the rivalry between the Freebirds.

Even though the Von Erichs get a large portion of this DVD. Other stars such as the late Chris Adams and Gina Hernandez are mentioned. Now the documentary isn't all gloom and sadness. There is some fun footage and angles touched up on. I was really into this from the very start and even when it took its tragic turn. It was still interesting because a few of them even got emotional when they spoke on situations.

Since this is a WWE promoted DVD. WWE stars do get a share of screen time. But thankfully their presence doesn't overshadow those who built their careers there.

The first DVD is loaded with interviews for the extras.The second disk contains all of the matches. The match selection isn't the best. Some really shouldn't be here but you get atleast 10 matches. The documentary alone is worth the money. This is really good for new wrestling fans who are interested in learning some wrestling history outside of WWE. If you plan on getting this. I also recommend Heroes of World Class. This is another documentary on the WCCW not WWE related. Between the two of these you will have the complete legacy of WCCW.

Second Disk Matches
Two out of Three falls
Texas Rasslin'
Duke Keomuka vs. Ricky Starr

American Heavyweight Championship
Fritz Von Erich Retirement Show at Texas Stadium, June 1982
Fritz von Erich vs. King Kong Bundy

Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyeight Championship
Star Wars of Wrestling, December 1982
Ric Flair vs. Kerry Von Erich

WCCW May 1983
Iceman King Parsons, Kevin & David Von Erich vs. The Fabulous Freebirds

Hair vs. Hair Match
Star Wars of Wrestling, December 1983
Iceman King Parsons vs. Buddy Roberts

Six-man Tag Title Match
David Von Erich Memorial
Parade of Champions, May 1984
Fritz, Mike & David Von Erich vs. The Fabulous Freebirds

Mix Tag Match
David Von Erich Memorial
Parade of Champions, May 1984
"Gentleman" Chris Adams & Sunshine vs. "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin & Precious

David Von Erich Memorial
Parade of Champions, May 1984
The Great Kabuki vs. Kamala

American Tag Team Championship
2nd David Von Erich Memorial
Parade of Champions, May 1985
Fantastics vs. Midnight Express

WCCW July 1985
"Gentleman" Chris Adams vs. Kevin Von Erich

WCCW October 1986
Bruiser Brody & The Missing Link vs. One Man Gang & Rick Rude

Steel Cage Match
3rd Cotton Bowl Extravaganza, October 1986
Brusier Brody vs. Abdullah the Butcher