DVD Review: The Man With The World Class Voice

I seen a few DVDs on World Class Championship Wrestling. This DVD is Bill Mercer being interviewed, the voice of World Class. While there's a lot of things discussed that doesn't have anything to do with wrestling it's all still was interested. He talks about how he started in broadcasting and all the sports he's covered. He even has a story about The JFK Assassination and interviewing Lee Harvey Oswald right after he was placed in his jail cell.

Of course Mercer had a lot to do with the production side of WCCW. The things that he and his team had done were truly innovative for a pro wrestling program. He even talks about how he got a call from some lady working for WWE telling him they were the first to do these things.

What really adds to this if you're interested in The Von Erich Family is that Mercer was a close friend to all of them. He adds insight to the way Fritz treated his children and what they were going through during their tragedy. He doesn't let it all out but he does reveal things you may have not known before.

I think unless you really want to dig into the history of World Class Championship Wrestling then this maybe not for you. It maybe better to start off with Heroes of World Class or maybe even the WWE documentary about WCCW before grabbing this. But if you are already a fan of WCCW or maybe want to learn more then this DVD is for you.

It's available at High Spots
https://www.highspots.com/p/mercer.html

DVD Review: Extreme Rules 2013

I make it no secret that I dislike WWE and I haven’t seen one of their shows since Elimination Chamber this year. My friend was very kind and got me a copy of Extreme Rules 2013 on DVD so I thought I’d review it for all of you here.

YouTube Preshow Match

1. Cody Rhodes vs. The Miz

There was little to this match. I did like the chain of reversals there for a minute but it was nothing like the classic between Richards and Elgin, I tell you that! Both men didn’t really get much time at all for this match. Well at least you didn’t had to pay to watch it. Miz won with a horrible looking Figure Four Leg Lock.

**

The DVD starts out with a cool video package to hype you up for the show.

2. Chris Jericho vs. Fandango

This was actually a good match. Fun opener. It’s great seeing the Lionsult return. Jericho wins after catching Fandango mid air with a code breaker!

***

WWE United States Championship

3. Kofi Kingston vs. Dean Ambrose

This was very fun short match. I think Kofi is super underrated. The man is super exciting to watch. I think he just needs to get a new gimmick or something to freshen him up. And Dean Ambrose is great. I hate that Michael Cole ignored everything he did before WWE and wondered how’d he do in a singles contest. He could have worded it different asking how he’d fair against a WWE wrestler in singles competition but maybe that’s just asking too much. Well anything match was very fun to watch but short.

***

Strap Match

4. Sheamus vs. Mark Henry

I’m going to admit there were some cool spots in this match and the light deal they had on the turnbuckle was cool too. Problem is that this match was a bore. I guess they didn’t work too much drama into a match with a few weeks build. Sheamus won.

**

I Quit Match

5. Jack Swagger vs. Alberto Del Rio

I know a whole lot of people complained about the replay deal but I thought it was a good idea. Cole even did his job right and said it was because it for a shot at The World Title. It could have gone longer but I think them allowing Swagger’s arm to bleed added to drama of the match. Another good match on this show.

***

WWE Tag Team Championship

Texas Tornado Tag Team Match

6. Team Hell No vs. The Shield

Another really fun match.  Again it went short but it was fun. Post-match The Shield all celebrated.

***

Extreme Rules

7. The Big Show vs. Randy Orton

This match was nothing special though Orton’s hometown crowd was really behind him. This should have been a lot better.

**

WWE Championship

Last Man Standing Match

8. Ryback vs. John Cena

Let me start by saying I hate what WWE did with Ryback. They had someone who could have been money but they threw it all away. I don’t understand why he needed to turn heel or why he needed to be the cookie cutter chicken shit heel that’s now standard in WWE. You could have had him be a tweener and that would have been perfect.

For the match itself I was disappointed. I thought we’d get a match of the night with the time they got but it was boring until the closing moments. John Cena did a good job of selling his injury but only made one spot for it! I guess Cena doing a 5/6 foot dive was kind of cool. Normally I’d bitch that The World Title match needs to go last but with a bullshit finish it’s a good idea to keep it from the main event. This match was a real let down.

**

Steel Cage Match

9. Brock Lesner vs. Triple H

Wow! WWE booked this match so ass backwards! You’re supposed to have the babyface be in peril. I don’t know what the hell that was all about. Yeah they did a good job centering the match on Brock’s bad knee but again he’s not the babyface here! I thought I was supposed to be cheering for Triple H and waiting for a huge comeback from him but I guess his damn ego got in the way and we ended up getting a heel in peril instead.

This match was another let down. I didn’t even care to see it to be honest. A lot of interference form Haymen. Triple H had a sledge hammer hidden on the top of a cage. And a lot of screaming from Brock Lesner. I guess we need to try and get Triple H more over.

**

Watching this made me glade I took long break from watching WWE after The Rock won The WWE Championship. This was just a skipable show. Anyone who was saying WWE was better than Ring of Honor or New Japan Pro Wrestling was delusional or dishonest. Things are picking up though and I will be watching SummerSlam this weekend.

A lot of the matches on this show were good. The problem is the main event matches failed to deliver and I don't think anyone needs to go out of their way to watch this entire show. If you can find some of these matches alone watch them. I just wouldn't recommend buying this show as a whole.

The blog is back!

That's right! My pro wrestling blog is going to return! It's going to be under the new name Pro Wrestling Rants, or Rants of Wrestling. That's the URL I had to use anyway. And it's going to include more then what I was posting before.

• 'Restlin Retrospect

I'm going to be looking at past shows like ECW on TNN and XPW TV and reviewing what happened and how those shows hold up today. I'm also thinking of getting UWF on DVD as well and maybe when I'm home I'll look at past episodes of RAW as well.

• IPPV Reports

Since I'm working at a mine It's hard for me to catch a show but when I am home I'll look at IPPVs airing on High Spots.

• DVD Reviews

Since I am in Red Dog I'll just have to do DVD reviews. Mostly these will be ROH compilations since I'd rather review a show as a whole.

• "Hall of Fame"

I'm not going to call it a hall of fame since I have no physical hall and everyone I want to put in is not famous. It's going to be people who I feel added to pro wrestling in a very positive way.

I don't know if I'll ever do Raw Rants anymore. I could add another author if anyone is interested. I do get Impact here so perhaps I can do reports on it.

Super Fun Time With Heath Slater/Raw Rant July 9, 2012

My friends on the internet were very mad to learn who the Hornswoggle was the anonymous GM. But I'm very happy that it was him. In face I think he's the pefect guy to have choose. That anonymous Raw GM stuff was horriable. Just horriable. You could tell when the crowd learned the anonymous GM was back when the arena went dark and we hear that damn beeping!

It's pefect that it was Hornswoggle becuase it was a horriable storyline, everyone hated, it got no one over and it was a waste of time. Much like most everything Hornswoggle does in WWE. And the video above is pefect to show everyone where WWE is at right now. There's nothing there to caught your interest and it's something you really shouldn't waste your time on.

Is anyone excited that Raw is going to be three hours long? Anyone out there? Well I would bet not if you don't work for the USA Network. Even WWE wasn't into the idea. Monday Night Raw is going to suck as a three hour show. Hell! It sucks as a two hour show. This was just the worst go home show for Money In The Bank. This is going to be the first time in two years that I did not buy that pay per view. I'm glade I didn't even buy Wrestlemaina. They don't diserve any money with the product they are putting out.

Just to tell you how backwards things are in wrestling today I bought a TNA pay per view for the first time in two years and it's going to be the first time I skip Money In The Bank in two years. Thing have changed and TNA is even doing better then Ring of Honor right now! I'm very happy with TNA and I hope they continue with what they are doing. If you want a entertaining pro wrestling show then head over to Spike on Thursday and watch Impact Wrestling. But if you want more of what you get in the video above then go ahead and watch WWE's Monday Night Raw. I myself am going to watch Impact and hopfully my job doesn't keep me from watching to many of TNA's pay per view.

Even Bob Backlund couldn't save this show...

Destination X 2012 Review

Super Fun Time With Heath Slater/Raw Rant July 2, 2012

The fact that Heath Slater might be squashed by a WWE Legend or a fromer big name in pro wrestling or some random guy like Doink The Clown is the only reason I tune into Monday Night Raw. And seeing that WWE is moving to three hours in a few weeks I think WWE would be fools if they didn't have him wrestle a legend or random guy each week.

Normally I judge a show based on how they hype pay per views or big events but we know WWE is not doing a good job at that. So at least each week they can do something entertaining like this. They could ruin a good main event like they did this week, they could do all the stupid comady they want (and they will). You could continue to give the stupid attitude era all the praise you want. Something like Sid power bombing Slater or Heath wrestling clowns makes it worth watching Raw to me.

It's perfect. People hate Heath Slater. Not becuase he's a heel. It's becuase he sucks. And if WWE can't find a storyline for him or a fued then this is perfect for WWE. Bring in these old guys and gals people care about and have them beat up Slater. That has to get some people watching. Will those people then go onto buy WWE pay per views? I don't think so. But It's perfect filler. It's far better then any kind of WWE comedy. Everyone knows it going to be hard for WWE to fill those three hours and I don't think the Heath Slater segment is very hard to book. Hell you don't even need those writers.

WWE also has a lot of money so I don't think doing this weekly would be very hard to do. They have Kevin Nash, Mick Foley, Sgt. Slaughter, Brooklyn Brawler, BG James, Kidman, Sean Waltman and Lex Luger under contract. Don't tell me it wouldn't be hard to get some people outside of the company as well. Even if this one may not happen it would be cool to see Great Muta squash Slater. Hell! I bet Perry Saturn would love to do it as well!

The rest of Raw was... The main event was good until AJ had to ruin everything. CM Punk was even able to get the comeback in the match. It really pissed me off that The WWE Champion didn't come out last. But the match the good until that damn AJ came in and ruined it for everyone. Whens the last time a main event fued involed some love triangle? And give me a good one. AJ. You're sucking the life out of WWE. Go one and continue your work. Just please... LEAVE HEATH SLATER ALONE!!!

Is Impact Wrestling Better Then WWE?

I been able to watch wrestling far more now that I left my job at a mine. Before hand all I really was paying attention to was Ring of Honor. But now that I had time I been viewing WWE's show and TNA's Impact. And something I never thought would happen... well happened! Impact Wrestling has gotten better then WWE. Not only is Impact better then RAW but I think I'm looking forward to Slammiversary more then No Way Out! I want to conferm this so I shall be looking at them match by match!

WWE No Way Out

Steal Cage Match
John Cena vs. The Big Show

As much as I like both men we been there and done that. Also this storyline between Johnny Ace and John Cena has just been filled with stupid. The only thing that has been good about it in my opinion has been The Big Show after he turned heel. But I don't really see him destroying WWE's worthless tag team division as a positive. It's posiable for something to spark interest but for now I say no to No Way Out's main event.

WWE Championship MatchCM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane

It's posiable for Kane to ruin this but I would argue to there is also a chance for him to make this into something really good. I know we're not going to get some good wrestling out of Kane but you can only do CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan so many times before people bore of it and want something different. My biggest hope is that they do not quite take the WWE Title off Punk yet. I say this match is a toss up an we're just going to have to wait and see. But also as far as I'm concered I wouldn't buy a ppv on a toss up so no to the WWE title match. Like the main event perhaps they can build this match on their TV shows to make it more interesting.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match
Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio

To be honest I had to look at the price tag before I talked about this match. Forty five dollars. I like these men and I think they can put on a good to great match. Didn't like the build so much but the match should still be good. I'll say yes to this match. I like both guys and I think it would be a good match.

So one match I can look forward to on a card that costs $45 to view. They still have two weeks and things can change. But so far it doesn't look good for WWE. They still have two weeks and WWE has a lot of TV time to make me care and hand the my money.

TNA Slammiversary X

TNA World Heavyweight Championship
Bobby Rhood vs. Sting

Let me make this clear... I'm a mark. I like Sting. I like this idea of having this match at this event. TNA has done this before with AJ Styles and Sting but thinking about it it's not the same. Rhood is a heel champion and Rhood is already seen as a great champion. But still Rhood has something to prove. I don't think Rhood is going to drop the belt to Sting. I read that TNA wants to keep the belt on Rhood until Storm comes back. It's not going to be the best match ever but I would be lying to you if I told you I wasn't looking forward to this. The key to this match, in my opinion, would be the right crowd and for Rhood to be able to carry Sting.

TNA World Tag Team Championship
Kazarian & Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles & Kurt Angle

Okay so having Dixie Carter involved in this sucks but things can still turn around. But I been enjoying out TNA World Tag Team Champions and the trouble they been causing AJ Styles. And adding in Kurt Angle to the mix added to this match. To me it's John Cena vs. Shawn Michels only Angle has a reason to team with Styles. I'm looking forward to this match.

Bully Ray vs. Joseph Parks

HOW WRONG WE WERE! I wrong I was! I thought Abyss pretending to his brother that was looking for him sucked. I thought it was stupid. I thought it was going to go nowhere. Now though. Now I look forward to seeing Joseph Parks each week. I love this and Bully Ray is the biggest heel in TNA in my opinion. To be honest I have no clue what to expect at the pay per view. I don't know if the pay off is goign to be good. But the build has been very good and I look forward to where this is going. Yes to this match.

Robbie T & Robbie E vs. Devon & Garett Bischoff

Garett Bischoff? F YOU TNA! Come on! What is Jeff Hardy doing? I don't even like Jeff Hardy and I want him over Garett Bischoff. Could he at least pay his dues and do some stuff in OVW? All I can hope for is that this leads to a four way match for The TV Title down the road. But I say no to this match.

To me for $35 this looks like something I'm going to buy. The last time I bought a TNA PPV was Hardcore Justice. Hey come on! They got 2 Cold Scrpio! I can't say no to him! Now he's going to be at this year's King of Trios... I'm getting off track! So in terms of pay per view build TNA is doing better then WWE. And in what they are presenting on TV TNA is doing better then WWE. All TNA needs now is to get Austin Ares on the card. I said TNA needs to give me something worth buying and now they have so I will give TNA my money for their efforts.