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Bulldog's DVD Rack: Greatest Rivalries - Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart

By Canadian Bulldog Nov 1, 2011 - 11:06 AM print



So here's the deal - I have a ton of DVD's that have been sitting on my rack for weeks.... months.... in some cases, years.... and it's about time I reviewed them. My vow to you stupid marks is that I will conquer about a dozen DVD collections this month, both here and on my Complete and Utter Bulldog audio show on ClubWWI.com. Thus, the powers-that-be have declared:

DVD_Rack_Month.JPG

Previously reviewed on the Rack:

10 Must-Have Wrestling DVD's  

Andre The Giant       

Before They Were Famous  

The Best Of CM Punk (In Full Impact Pro)

TNA Best Of The Bloodiest Brawls

Bobby The Brain Heenan

Born To Controversy: The Roddy Piper Story

Breaking The Code: Behind The Walls of Chris Jericho

Brian Pillman: Loose Cannon

Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story

Compilation Tape Extravaganza~!

The Definitive Guide to Mick Foley on DVD

FMW King of the Death Match

FMW Ring Of Torture

A Guide To ECW On DVD

Hardcore Homecoming: November Reign  

Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology

The History Of TNA: Year 1

Hulk Hogan's Unreleased Collectors Series

Immortal... Forever?

IndieMania (3PW, ROH, UPW, FMW

JCW Volume 3

Jeff Jarrett: King Of The Mountain  

John Cena: My Life

King Kong Bundy: The Missing Matches    

Last Call With Raven & Sandman

WWE Legends Of Wrestling

Legends Never Die

Macho Madness: The Randy Savage Ultimate Collection

McMahon    

Omega: Uncommon Passion

Pro Wrestling's Ultimate Insiders: Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara

Raw: The Beginning

    

Ricky Steamboat - The Life Story Of The Dragon

River Of Darkness

Road Warriors: The Life and Death of the Most Dominant Tag-Team In Wrestling History

The Spectacular Legacy Of The AWA

 

 

 

Triple H: The King Of Kings

The Triumph and Tragedy of World Class Championship Wrestling

The True Story Of WrestleMania

Twist Of Fate: The Matt & Jeff Hardy Story

The Very Best of WCW Nitro

The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers

WWE Unauthorized

ECW Deep Impact

It's amazing that, with their vast video library and massive number of former wrestlers under "Legends" contracts that WWE hasn't attempted something like this before. Granted, other DVD production companies (most notably RF Video) have been involved in related efforts, but nothing on this scale.

What WWE accomplished with Greatest Rivalries is more than a shoot interview. It's a look at one of the most interesting and noteworthy eras in wrestling history, as seen through the eyes of three of its main participants, and with conflicting opinions to boot.

I say "three" instead of just Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels because, in all honesty, interviewer Jim Ross is the star of the show here. Not only did JR closely follow the careers of both competitors, he's clearly heard both sides of the story before and isn't afraid to stir the pot.

For example, when he senses that the Hitman employs a double-standard, he's called out on it. Likewise, he's quick to call the Heartbreak Kid on things he did in the past. The consumate professional, JR has studied both men's autobiographies as well as the documentary Wrestling With Shadows and other materials and cites them quite freely.

For their part, Hart and Michaels are fairly cordial towards each other. It's clear that the hostilities that gathered steam in the late 1990's are gone. That's not to say the two Hall of Famers are BFF's, but it no longer appears as though one wants to strangle the other. There are a few moments where a bit of tension enters the room, but it seems as more of a disagreement than a genuine argument between the two.

Both accept part of the blame for their role in their 1996-1997 rivalry, acknowledging everything from "protecting their spots" to  their relative positions in the Montreal screwjob (which, amazingly, happened 14 years ago next week). In fact, I'd say it's more forthcoming than either of them have been in past interviews.

Interestingly, Hart stoically looks straight ahead to JR for most of the lengthy shoot interview, turning to Michaels only when he wants his opinion (though, to be perfectly fair, they do share a laughs or two). Michaels, however, engages Hart, listening to his rival as he answers his questions, talking to him and even questioning his comments. Add this to the fact that Hart does about 70 percent of the talking in the alloted time, and I'd suggest that Michaels comes off slightly better.

The main program is part interview, part therapy session, and both competitors suggest that the experience has helped them take a step further towards resolving past issues. A minor spoiler: both guys shed a few tears.

Beyond the shoot, WWE has put together a fairly comprehensive collection of Hart-Michaels matches, including The Rockers vs. The Hart Foundation and their epic iron man match at WrestleMania 12. Surprisingly, the actual Montreal match isn't included... although how many times can they realistically release that match on DVD?

There's also footage of both Hall of Fame induction speeches (I hadn't seen HBK's yet) and their emotional in-ring reunion on Raw last year, but the real meat and potatoes of this offering is of course the sit-down interview.

I don't say this often, but I'd say this is a must for any fan from the Attitude/Monday Night Wars era. I only hope that WWE builds on this concept (Triple H vs. The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon, The Undertaker vs. Kane, even John Cena vs. Randy Orton) and plugs into what could very well be the next big concept in DVD promotion.


 

Canadian Bulldog has been writing about professional wrestling since 2003, and became a WWI Superstar at   World Wrestling Insanity   in January 2006. Need more Bulldog? Check out his "Complete and Utter Bulldog" podcast at   Club WWI ; like his   Facebook  page or follow him on   Twitter .

 




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