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WRESTLING DVDS
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The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection
Ric Flair
Description: Hulk Hogan might've been a draw, Bret Hart might've had the wrestling and Chris Benoit might've had the workrate but none can touch the accomplishments and the legacy of Ric Flair. The Nature Boy, the 16-Time World Heavyweight Champion, the Living Legend himself surpassed everyone else below in terms of charisma, stamina, workrate, selling, love for this business and drawing large crowds. As a heel, he was untouchable. As a face, he was loved by all. As a wrestler, he was considered an inspiration. Flair's history has been a story of controversies and an adventure blessed with unforgettable moments (good and bad) and classic matches. This DVD Collection, a three-disc compilation of some of Flair's best matches, is a masterful collection for purists, old-school wrestling fans and die-hard marks and smarks that show why Flair was always considered the best in the business. And the shocking thing is that there's more yet to come as this just covers a few portions of his early years in the late 80's and pre-WrestleMania VIII.
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The first disc sees his feud with Harvey Race, a classic moment seeing Harley put a $20,000 bounty on Flair's head, all which culminates in an emotional steel cage match at Starrcade. Also, his heel days when he took on Dusty Rhodes and Barry Windham, the latter seeing the two have a classic one-hour marathon that ended in a draw. The former was an entertaining feud in the same mold as Rock-HHH of 2000 but it also marked the debut of what is known today as the "Dusty Finish", a dreaded angle where challengers lose the titles after winning it in a cheap fashion. The meat of the bunch, however, is the second disc featuring his two matches with Ricky Steamboat, two which rank as the greatest and most influential matches in the history of professional wrestling . Although many consider the WrestleWar 89 encounter the best match ever, the 2/3 Falls surpasses it in terms of psychology, selling and booking. Also included is the "I Quit" match against Terry Funk, which started when Funk punk Flair and piledrove him on a table in a spot that paved way for Spanish announcement tables getting destroyed. The third disc, and personal favorite, is the WWE years, although it only covers the Royal Rumble 1992. Simply put, the best damn Rumble you'll ever see as big-named stars, upcoming midcarders, great booking and astonishing heat dominated this unforgettable one-hour marathon. Also, a classic good guy v. bad guy feud with Sting, although it only covers their Clash of the Champions match seeing them unified both the Real World and Bogus World titles, which hasn't aged well these years. Probably the only drawback in this flawless compilation.
The extra portions in each disc are covered with great promos, Ric Flair-style as well as a couple of matches. Favorite promos: "There's winners and losers. This is the winner, you are loser" and "Diamonds are forever, and so is Ric Flair."
If there was any proof why Ric Flair is still the Man and not Hogan, then this DVD clarifies it. Unlike Hogan's blowhard, fairy-tale fantasy that is "Hulk Still Rules", Ric Flair's DVD gives true, passionate meaning of how a wrestler whose dedication in this business gives him respect, admiration and love by everyone. Ric Flair was not only a dedicated performer but a respectful worker, a superb entertainer, an inspiration for wrestlers like HHH and a Legend that deserves to be called one. At worse times, the fans were always behind him. When performing he was destined to give it his all and make opponents look good. Not only that, he made bad wrestlers look good: a rarity that could only be accomplished by masterful in-ring performers like the Hart Family and Chris Benoit. Even today, wrestling is Flair's canvas and the one sport that he will forever contribute in, for his contribution in the wrestling business redefined the way we looked at the industry. Avoiding this DVD is a sin. Buy it not just because you're a Ric Flair fan but as a way of teaching us lessons of wrestling and a nostalgic view of how you can make good things out of it if you get a career. Trust me, you will never look at Ric Flair in the same negative way ever again.
Rating: 10/10 Highest recommendation ever.
Reviewed by JLR on March 13, 2005.
Eric Anderson wrote in with his review:
A great collaboration of Ric Flair's great matches. I especially like his WWF days, although there could've been more. I guess that's the theme of the whole DVD, 'there could've been more.' It was definitely a great DVD, but summing up the greatest Flair matches takes an anthology. This was no anthology. Sill well worth the money. 7/10
JoeCool1 wrote in with his review:
Description On DVD - His name draws universal awe and admiration. He is the 16-time Heavyweight Champion of the world. He has held the World Championship more times than any competitor in the history of sports-entertainment. Fans around the world pay tribute by should his trademark "Wooooooo!" He's influenced more Superstars than anyone else. There are legends and allt-ime greats, but there is only one Ric Flair. This is the chronicle of Ric Flair's illustrious career. Featuring his feuds with Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Barry Windham, Ricky Steamboat and Sting.
3-DVD set with 10.5 hours of material including :
Debut match vs. Pete Sanchez 3/1/1976
A day in the life of the Four Horsemen
vs. Triple H from 5/19/2003 Raw with post-show Ric Flair tribute
Plus all the promos & controversies surrounding his greaatest matches vs Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, Barry Windham, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Terry Funk, Sting as well as his 1992 Royal Rumble victory.
The Ultimate Ric Flair Collection Booklet -
Disc 1
Harley Race and the NWA Championship
Starrcade '83
Bonus Features -
$25,000 Bounty - Harly Race puts a price on Flair's head.
Orton and Slater collect - Bob Orton, Jr & Dick Slater accept the challenge.
Ric Announces Retirement due to injuries from the attack.
"It's Only Just Begun!" - Flair attacks Orton and Slater with a bat.
NWA Press Conference to select the site of the Race vs Flair re-match.
Starrcade '83 Pre-Match Interviews -
Harley Race
Ric Flair
Race, Bob Orton, Jr. and Dick Slater
Ric Flair and Wahoo McDaniel
Starrcade '83 Post-Match Interviews -
Ric Flair
Harley Race
Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood
Dusty Rhodes : Talking The Talk -
Starrcade '85
Bonus Features -
Flair and the Andersons Break Dusty's Ankle - Recap of the attack in a cage.
Flair Cuts a Promor - Comments on Dusty's injury.
"That's Hard Times!" - Dusty's first interview after the injury.
Controvery Explained - Flair retains the title after a controversial ruling.
The Man - Flair gets riled up.
The Legend - Dusty comments on the disappointing decision.
Barry Windham: Keeping up with The Champ. -
NWA World Championship Match 1/20/1987
Bonus Features -
Attacked by The Horsemen - Windham and Ron Garvin discuss The 4 Horsemen.
"You Cried the Blues!" - Flair tells Barry Windham to "quit talking and do it!"
Flair vs Windham 1/13/87 - The match in Columbia, SC turns into a melee.
Dusty's Analysis - Post-match commentary on the Flair vs Windham title match.
Flair Post-Match Promo - Flair and The Horsemen celebrate in the locker room.
Disk One Easter Eggs -
Easter Egg: Ric Flair promo #1
Access by: Go to chapters page; click on "Dusty Rhodes: talking the talk"; left click once on "Flair cuts a
promo"
Easter Egg: Ric Flair promo #2
Access by: Go to chapters page; right click once on "Barry Windham: keeping up with the champ"
Disc 2
Ricky Steamboat: The Rivalry
Clash of the Champions VI
The Greatest Match
WrestleWar '89
Bonus Features -
Flair & Windham vs Steamboat & Gilbert - Steamboat returns to NWA 1/21/89
Steamboat's Three-Man Workout - Flair interrupts a training session.
Flair Calls Out Steamboat - Steamboat and Flair go at it again at Clash of the Champions V 2/15/89
Controversy Recap -
Flair's Lawyer
Jim Herd
Ricky Steamboat
Ric Flair
WrestleWar Pre-Match Interview
Terry Funk : Hardcore -
Clash of the Champions IX
Bonus Features -
Press Conference - Flair announces that he will return to wrestling. 6/22/89
Bagged - Terry Funk puts a garbage bag over Flair's head. 9/12/89
"I'll Shake His Hand" -Funk says he'll shake hands if Ric Flair beats him. 11/4/89
Flair's Rebuttal - Flair answers back. 11/4/89
"You're gonna sat "I Quit!" - Flair interview one week before the match.
New York Knock-Out promos - Flair and Funk before the "I Quit" match.
Pre-Match Interviews -
Terry Funk
Ric Flair
The Plane Crash
History of The Horsemen
A Day in the Life of The Horsemen
Disk Two Easter Eggs -
Easter Egg: Ric Flair talks about dusty's ankle injury
Access by: Go to chapters page; right click once on "main" button
Easter Egg: Promo about the Horsemen
Access by: Go to chapters page; left click once on "A day in the life of the Horsemen"
Disc 3
The "Nature Boy" Heads North
1992 Royal Rumble
Bonus Features -
Bobby "The Brain" is Excited - Heenan prepares for a visit by "The Real World Heavyweight Champion" Ric Flair.
Flair's WWE TV Debut - Prime Time Wrestling 9/9/91
Funeral Parlor - Paul Bearer interviews Ric Flair and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.
Flair attacks Piper - Ric attacks Roddy Piper at ringside.
The "Real" World Heavyweight Champion - Flair tells everybody what he really thinks about Hulk Hogan and Roddy Piper.
Rumble Post-Match Interview - Flair receives the WWE Championship Belt after winning the Royal Rumble.
Sting : Defining an Era -
Clash of the Champions XXVII
Bonus Features -
Kicked out if The Horsemen - The Four Horsemen kick Stin out of the group.
Reeking of Sex Appeal! - Flair cutes another funny promo on Sting.
Ladies and Gentlemen...Sting! - Pre-match interview with Gene Okerlund.
A Special Night in Greenville -
Bonus Features -
Flair's World Wide Wrestling Federation Debut - 3/1/76 - Ric Flair vs Pete Sanches at Madison Square Garden.
A Workout with Piper - Flair and Roddy Piper do some amateur wrestling. 1/24/82
PWI "Wrestler of the Decade" - Flair is named "Wrestler of the Decade" by Pro Wrestling Illustrated Magazine. 11/15/89
The Final Nitro - Flair addresses the fans on the final episode of WCW Nitro. 3/26/01
Ric Flair vs Triple H - Ric Flair vs Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship on Raw 5/19/03 in Greenville, SC. plus never-before-seen post-show tribute.
Disk Three Easter Eggs -
Easter Egg: Ric Flair cuts promo on Road Warriors and Freebirds
Access by: From main page, left click once on "play" button; WWE logo changes colour, click and play
easter egg
Easter Egg: Wooo...
Access by: Go to chapters page; click on 'Celebration: A special night in Greenville'; left click twice on "The final Nitro"
Easter egg: Video loop intended for menu windows
Access by: Go to chapters page; click on 'Celebration: A special night in Greenville'; right arrow click twice
on 'main' button; beer can in Ric's hand highlights; click on beer can
Joe's Review - WHEW or should I say "Wooooo!" Just writing the descriptions alone is tiring. Now I am
not going to review everything in detail but just give the basics of what I liked, or didn't like.
Disk 1 - If you look closely you can see Ricky Steamboat in Flair's corner after his title win in the cage
match against Harley Race at Starrcade '83. This was when Flair was a good guy. Flair vs Dusty, Flair was
at his heel best here. This disk might be fun to watch once, unless if you were a hardcore NWA-WCW fan.
Disk 2 - Ricky Steamboat! That's all I should have to say. If you were a fan of him you will LOVE this disk!
His matches with Flair are classic and the two present some of the greatest matches ever here. Also, a
nice match with Terry Funk with a nasty bump taken by Flair on a table afterwards. The table didn't break
but it was so solid it had to have hurt Flair to take that piledriver. This is the disk that inspired and made
me buy this DVD set. This disk holds up well over time and will be fun to watch multiple times.
Disk 3 - The ENTIRE Royal Rumble match of 1992! with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, British
Bulldog, Roddy Piper, Undertaker, Jimmy Snuka and many other greats of the 80's and early 90's.
Overall - Disk 2 or 3 alone is worth the price. Having all three DVDs really makes the purchase worthwhile.
I write this as someone who is a lifelong WWF/WWE fan. I never once watched a WCW show on TV or
PPV. I also was never a big fan of Flair's until now. Very highly recommended even if you aren't a big fan
of Ric Flair's you will enjoy this DVD set for the 1992 Royal Rumble shown in it's entirety with great
announcing by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan & Gorilla Monsoon. Bobby Heenan really gives an A+ performance
in pulling for Ric Flair to do the impossible, at that time, and go all the way from # 3 to winning the Rumble
. If you are a big fan of Ricky Steamboat's you will love disk two as it highlights one of the best feuds
ever with two wrestlers who could put on exciting hour-long matches. Very highly recommended! If you
don't have this set you are missing out!
DVD Grade - A+
Reviewed by Joecool1 on October 28, 2005.
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© 2007, Black Pants, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective holders.
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