Spotlight: The 3rd Annual WWF Survivor Series

Thanksgiving just isn't what it used to be if you grew up a WWF fan in the 1980s and early 1990s. If you fit that bill, you knew that along with that big, beautiful bird and pumpkin pie, you'd get to carve into nearly three hours of WWF action each Thanksgiving. As most of you know, the WWF slowly the Survivor Series away Thanksgiving, first by making it on Thanksgiving Eve starting in 1991, and then a week apart from Thanksgiving starting in 1995. And as all of you know, WWE decided to ax the event entirely as of 2010.

But let's not lament what's no longer. Let's focus on what was. And there's really no better way to do that than to check out one of the Survivor Series events from the days when it truly was the Thanksgiving Night tradition.


So it's 1989 and even though the WWF is less than a year away from jumping the shark (i.e. the attempted shift from Hogan to the Warrior), the promotion is packed with some real star power. Hulk Hogan is doing his thing, The Ultimate Warrior is seemingly the heir apparent to Hogan's top spot, and there's some healthy heel competition in the form of Randy "Macho King" Savage, The Big Boss Man, and Ted DiBiase.

There's also a strong second tier of superstars such as Roddy Piper, Dusty Rhodes, Rick Rude, Brutus Beefcake, and Mr. Perfect. The tag team division, though not what it was two or three years prior, is still a strong showcase for tag team action thanks to Demolition, The Rockers, The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers, and to an extent, The Hart Foundation (I say "to an extent" only because they were not teaming at the time of this event).

So with this much star power, an event like the Survivor Series is really what the doctor ordered. You find a way to wedge all of them onto the same card, along with dozens of other competitors, all in the name of team action.


Now, I must confess that this event is quite dear to me. It's not beloved by alleged smart fans, but it's a sentimental favorite of mine. Without getting too long winded, I'll say that if you rewind a couple of decades, you'll find me in a video rental joint down the street from my house. I'm wandering around, even though I probably can't rent anything that isn't in the children's section. During my travels, I come across the sports section. I see a row of pro wrestling videos. I've never seen a match before, but I've heard of this Hulk Hogan guy that's on so many of the front covers for these videos. I pick up one that has him standing on the front with a couple weird looking dudes with face paint and another guy with a python wrapped around his neck. I've got to rent this. And that, ladies and gents, is how my illustrious relationship with pro wrestling started.

So don't you want to own the very video that got *me* hooked? Sure you do. It's right here. Enjoy!

Spotlight: Best of the WWF Volume 20 (1989)

The 20-volume Best of the WWF series from Coliseum Video has always been one of my favorite elements of the company's 12-year run of distributing WWF footage. There was just something alluring about the sampler approach these videos took. You'd get some great matches, memorable interviews/segments, and other sorts of odds and ends that gave the series a distinct feel.

Today we're going to take a glance at Best of the WWF Vol. 20, the last installment in the five-year series. Or more aptly, we're going to spotlight the video.

Match Listing

• 2/11/89: Red Rooster vs. Brooklyn Brawler
• 4/22/89: Brutus Beefcake vs. Bad News Brown
• WWF King Match (4/25/89): Jim Duggan vs. King Haku
• 4/25/89: Jim Duggan Coronation
• 5/1/89: 16-Man Battle Royal (featuring Hart Foundation, Twin Towers, Demolition, Tito Santana, Mr. Perfect, Rick Martel and more)
• 2/3/89: The Hart Foundation vs. Jacques & Raymond Rougeau (with special guest referee Brother Love)
• WWF Title Match (1/9/88): Hulk Hogan vs. Rick Rude

A quick look at the listing should suggest "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan capturing the Fed's king title is the most notable part of this 90-minute compilation. Most fans of the era will recall that Duggan was the king for several months. But how many have seen the match where he won it? This is a great shot to see both the match and the coronation that followed.

The battle royal is also a nostalgic trip, as we get old favorites such as Demolition, Mr. Perfect, and Bret Hart.

The main event of the compilation is a rarely seen title defense for Hogan against Rude. This was not long into Rude's WWF run and was originally only seen by those who watched this Boston Garden show on NESN.

So where can you obtain this footage? With us, of course. Check it out here. Give a look at our other Best of the WWF offerings, as well. We'll be back this weekend with more Spotlight updates.

Spotlight: WWF Greatest Steel Cage Matches Ever (1992)

This installment of our Spotlight series takes us back to 1992 thanks to the good folks at Coliseum Video. WWF's Greatest Steel Cage Matches Ever! is a mouthful of a title, all right, but maybe that's because there's a lot on this 60-minute video to talk about.


Before we get rolling, let's check out the match listing:

• 12/14/86: Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff
• 3/5/88: The Hart Foundation & Honky Tonk Man vs. Randy Savage & Strike Force
• 4/25/89: Hulk Hogan vs. Big Boss Man
• WWF Title Match (6/25/88): Randy Savage vs. Ted DiBiase

It's amazing some times how the WWF was able to pack so much notable footage onto one release.

• Orndorff vs. Hogan: This aired a couple weeks later on Saturday Night's Main Event. It's a pretty famous match because of the false finish where both men had their feet hit the ground at the same moment. This also ended the epic feud between these two, which originated the previous summer.
• Hart Foundation/Honky Tonk Man vs. Strike Force/Macho Man: This is a rarely seen encounter. You don't see six-man cage matches too often and you almost never see them involving this type of talent. There's a good chance you've seen the other matches on this video before, but this is the match to get the video for. An overlook show-stealer.
• Hogan vs. Boss Man: A high point to their 1989 feud. These two locked up in the steel cage a number of times during the feud and they never disappointed.
• Macho Man vs. DiBiase: This cage match took place at Madison Square Garden and is one of the many matches these two had during 1989. For all the matches they had with each other, though, I can't say I've seen one that was anything less than good.

So how can you get all this greatness into your VCR? Simple. Buy it here for an incredibly reasonable price.

Until next time, keep checking back for more product updates, sales alerts, and of course, Retropolis Spotlight features.

Spotlight: Ultimate Warrior (Coliseum Video 1989)

There's a boatload of wrestling footage out there. Where to begin? We're starting this Spotlight section to focus on individual items from our eBay store. Several times each week, we'll select a few items and give them a closer examination. This will give you an idea of whether the item is right for you or not. Let's start with a popular Coliseum Video title:

The Ultimate Warrior (1989)

The Warrior catches a lot of grief in these more contemporary times. Fact remains the guy was immensely popular at his peak, as illustrated by Coliseum Video releasing three separate videos dedicated to him. Today we're going to look at the first of those three releases.


Recounting his first two years in the WWF, this video captures the Warrior at his peak. He went on to win the WWF title from Hulk Hogan not long after the release of this video. Though this should have signified the Warrior reaching the next level, it in fact exposed him as a one-dimensional character that made an awkward fit in numerous storylines.

The two-hour video features the following footage:

• 1/27/88: The Ultimate Warrior vs. Hercules
• WWF Intercontinental Title Match (8/29/88): The Ultimate Warrior vs. The Honky Tonk Man
• 12/7/88: The Ultimate Warrior vs. The Honky Tonk Man
• 2/3/89: The Ultimate Warrior vs. Greg Valentine
• 1/29/89: The Ultimate Warrior vs. Haku
• 2/15/89: The Ulitmate Warrior vs. Randy Savage
• Super Posedown (Royal Rumble - 1/15/89): The Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude
• WWF Intercontinental Title Match (Wrestlemania V - 4/2/89): The Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude
• 4/22/89: The Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude
• 5/8/89: The Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude

Here are some of the notables from this compilation:

• 1.27.88: vs. Hercules - This was the Warrior's first big feud. The match is the somewhat famous encounter that saw a tug of war over the chain break out between the Warrior and Herc. Things ended in a stallmate, as the chain wound up snapping in half.
• 8.29.88: vs. The Honky Tonk Man - One of the most famous Warrior moments, as he unceremoniously squashed the Honky Tonk Man in less than 30 seconds at the first Summerslam. The victory gave the Warrior his first title in the WWF and ended Honky's impressive one-and-a-half year reign as the Intercontinental champ.
• 4.2.89: vs. Rick Rude - One of the notables of Wrestlemania V, this match saw the Warrior's first reign as IC champ finish and Rick Rude's lone reign begin.
  

If you'd like to check this video out, we've got a couple up for grabs in our eBay store. Check them out here, here, and here. Check back for more product updates and our next Spotlight installment.