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Other than the fact that the WWE, as usual, plays fast and loose with dates (i.e., the AWA was definitively formed in 1960, not 1957 as the DVD claims) and takes a few historical shortcuts (I could have sworn that Ed Carpentier also hold the title? Where's he?), this is a more-than-worthwhile disc for long-term wrestling fans. Plenty of great footage and interviews with Verne and Greg Gagne, Larry Hennig (who can ALWAYS be counted on to contradict everything that Verne says), Nick Bockwinkel, Bobby Heenan, and all of the pivotal acts. They cover the fact that Verne trained a bunch of the greats, promoted even more of them, and paid none of them fairly. A very good match disc as well. Most interesting is the debate over what killed the AWA. Opinions vary greatly, but most (except for Verne, grand legend of wrestling that he is) seem to understand that it was the lack of money paid to talent which ultimately spelled the demise of the Association. Kudos to Vince and his incredible production team for a well-produced and mostly-accurate disc. 4 out of 5 stars.Read full review
For the low price its worth just adding to your collection, but if you are hoping for a dvd version of awa on espn classic you are better off hugging your vhs tape recorded collection. The quality or horrible...and I do mean horrible. Get the best of the 80s superstars and the matches were remastered at least and had some of the same ones on it too. My gosh this was some bad quality and all the matches were cut in half and shortened which was such a tease, especially the Jesse Ventura ones. Nevertheless it has good interviews and stories and the awa history, but like I said I bought this for the matches and there are only few worth getting the dvd for like the Kerry Von Erich vs lawler superclash II blood bath match. I have no idea why they have ric flair on the cover btw or the sarge and bobby the brain they are not even in the match list. They skipped so many super stars also like zybszko,colonel debeers,ect. and a ton of others. Anyway get this to add to your collection but do not expect much from it. Its another rushed wwf/wwe dvd release like the rise and fall was. I recommend getting best of nitro though, wcw rise and fall , and superstars of the 80s and 90s. There was a cool hulk hogan must see promo in this dvd also and if friends come over I can say I got this dvd lol. I gave it a 4 because its AWA and I loved watching AWA matches. plus its a dvd and Hennig is on there, rockers, road warriors are on there, Kerry Von Eric is on there..Read full review
The content was interesting. My only complaint was that many of the included match videos were edited, so you don't see the entire match. The first disc extras featuring interviews were very good.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I feel I need to begin this review by telling you that before I saw this DVD, I was not a fan of the AWA, and in fact all I knew of the AWA was that at some point the Road Warriors had their Tag Team Championship. Now, I bought this DVD in a 3 pack DVD set with Dusty and Superstar Billy Graham. You know the metal box set you can get at most DVD stores. I watched this DVD and I was absolutely, 100% as sure as anything an instant fan of the AWA. This documentary covers everything from Verne Gagne's amazing career as an amateur wrestler, the Olympics, his beginnings as a pro and the eventual break away from the NWA. From there it goes into the stars he helped make in the AWA such as Baron Von Raschke, The Crusher, Superstar Billy Graham, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels and SO many more. It covers everything from Vince branching his WWF promotion and paying AWA MEGA stars a HUGE paycheck to walk out of the AWA. During this segment Vince on camera says "I've always encouraged talent to finish out their dates" which any wrestler will tell you isn't a whole truth. It goes into detail on how he aquired Hulk Hogan, Bobby Heenan, Andre the Giant, Mean Gene Okerlund and many many more from the AWA. It shows how Vince ran the first WrestleMania with (and how it would have failed miserably if he didn't have) a locker room filled with AWA talent. It covers the feuds with Verne and Nick Bockwinkle, Hogan and Bockwinkle, Verne's retiring with the title (and being the first to do so) and everything up to the semi-huge Superclash show. I just don't know how to describe to you how great this DVD is. This LITERALLY covers EVERY part of the AWA from the highest of highes, to the lowest, crushing blows that eventually led to the downfall of the AWA. Politics, sharks (not Discovery Channel, McMahon), bankruptcy and just so much that cause the AWA to fold. In a nutshell this DVD covers everything from the AWA's creation, to Verne being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Look, just buy this DVD!!! If you're a wrestling fan, a wrestling purist, a student of the game, a casual fan or even a newbie to the sport (and yes this DVD shows you the SPORTS side!!) then you will LOVE this DVD.Read full review
This is a great video for any fan. It shows a very rich history of a promotion that provided the wrestling industry with many of its most popular stars. The only thing that bothered me about this video was that it was extremely biased towards the WWE. This should be expected since WWE produced it. I felt that the video focused on how the company came to its demise rather than its "Spectacular Legacy".It would seem that the title of the documentary should have been titled "The Rise and Fall of the AWA". This would fit better with the documentary. Anyways, it was very insightful and it had good extras.
I love watching classic wrestling! Thanks for the dvd!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
I was looking for a particular wrestler from my youth but found a pretty good documentory on AWA wrestling
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
great value
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Great historical recount of one of the greatest wrestling organizations of all time, many of the greats gained there notoriety in the AWA... Hogan, Andre the Giant, Jesse The Body Ventura, etc. If you are a fan of the 70's and 80's wrestling then this is a must watch.
Whether you are a fan of Classic Wrestling or perfer the WWE of today this is a must have. The AWA was one of the greatest wrestling organizations in the history of this sport. It was awesome to hear from those who helped make it great. I loved every minute of it.