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WWE HOF DVD AOK
(World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame digital video disc is most definitely okay)
By
JON WALDMAN -- SLAM! Wrestling
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One of the latest DVDs to come out from the WWE home video collection pays
homage to the 2004 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which took place Wrestlemania
weekend in New York City.
The two-disc compilation covers the ceremony from top to bottom, devoting chapters
to each of the 11 inductees with both portions of the inductions and career
highlights devoted to each superstar and celebrity who have made their way into
the Hall.
First, as much as it might seem hokey, the Hall of Fame ceremony is actually
a decent watch. The video retrospectives on each of the grapplers is decent,
spanning career highlights and includes some pretty good voice-over work by
Michael Cole. Before the inductions begin, there is a very good retrospective,
highlighting the previous inductees.
The ceremony itself provides some good entertainment, with a lot of stories
shared and some pot shots taken and given. In particular, Bobby "The Brain"
Heenan's section is incredibly funny, as they let Heenan go on for 10 minutes,
cutting on just about everyone, including Ric Flair.
The inductions are as follows:
Disc 1
Superstar Billy Graham - inducted by Triple H
Greg "The Hammer" Valentine - inducted by Jimmy Hart
Pete Rose - inducted by Kane
Big John Studd - inducted by Big Show
Sgt. Slaughter - inducted by Pat Patterson
Disc 2
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan - inducted by Jack Lanza
Tito Santana - inducted by Shawn Michaels
Harley Race - inducted by Ric Flair
"Magnificent" Don Muraco - inducted by Mick Foley
Junkyard Dog - inducted by "Big Cat" Ernie
Ladd
Jesse "The Body" Ventura - inducted by Tyrel Ventura
Of course, what WWE DVD would be complete without a boatload of extras.
The extras included on HOF are pretty good, but as decent a line-up as there
is, it could have been better. There are some great matches included, such as
the street fight between Sgt. Slaughter and Pat Patterson and the cage match
between Greg Valentine and Tito Santana for the Intercontinental Title, but
there is a smaller amount of matches than expected.
Some superstars, such as the aforementioned Santana and Valentine, have only
one match for the two honourees, which is criminal. Given how extensive the
WWE library is, there is no reason not to include at least one match per wrestler.
Most disappointing is Harley Race, whose match is against JYD, covering both
wrestlers off. While many of Race's matches with Flair would have been too long
to include on the DVD, his match with Hulk Hogan from Saturday Night's Main
Event would have been a nice fit.
While the matches are lacking, the interviews are not. Most wrestlers have
a promo spot, which have been well. In particular, Race's promo from World Wide
Wrestling is a must-see, as is Heenan's segment on Prime Time Wrestling with
Andre the Giant.
Overall, the Hall of Fame DVD is worth a look. There's enough here that old
school fans will get excited about, though younger fans will not get nearly
as much out of it, given that the style of wrestling is much different today
than it was in the matches on the recording. The WWE Hall of Fame 2004 Induction
Ceremony gets a rental rating, leaning towards a purchase for older fans.
Visit the SLAM! Wrestling store!
Order WWE Classic Superstars - Hall of Fame Double DVD
Jon Waldman is awaiting his induction to the SLAM! Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Be sure to check out Jon on Sportsology's Ringside Recap radio show.
