Worth every penny, you nickel-and-dimers
Added 2/17/2009
In a terrible twist of irony, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, one of professional wrestling's premier talkers, announced in January 2002 that he was battling throat cancer. Fast-forward to March 2004, and Heenan, while maybe a little harder to understand, hadn't lost one ounce of the quick wit fans loved to hate.
WWE Hall of Fame DVDs are true gems in World Wrestling Entertainment's catalog, but Heenan's diatribe makes the 2004 induction ceremony the most valuable of them all. Other pro wrestling vets making the cut this year included Superstar Billy Graham (inducted by Triple H), who gives a humble, insightful speech far removed from his boisterous character in the 1970s; Don Muraco (Mick Foley), another colorful character; Pete Rose (Kane), the first celebrity inductee; Big John Studd (Big Show); Junkyard Dog (Ernie Ladd); Greg Valentine (Jimmy Hart), who, as Gorilla Monsoon would have said, took 10 minutes just to warm up; Harley Race (Ric Flair), regarded by most as the toughest wrestler ever; Tito Santana (Shawn Michaels), a wrestler lucky enough to have a nice life after leaving the sport; Sgt. Slaughter (Pat Patterson), an underrated wrestler and talker, as is evident by this disc; and Jesse "The Body" Ventura (his son, Tyrell Janos), who may not have delivered on his promise of putting a wrestler in the White House but who held the crowd in the palm of his hand as usual.
Again, though, Bobby Heenan (inducted by his former charge Blackjack Lanza) stole the show, garnering multiple standing ovations by his fans and peers, telling hilarious stories, jabbing at people with his unparalleled repartee, and bringing tears to the eyes and splits to the sides of everyone in attendance. A master of the microphone, Heenan alone makes the 2004 WWE Hall of Fame disc worth every penny to all of the nickel-and-dime humanoids Heenan knows and loves.
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"When I found out I was going to be inducted with Harley, knowing Harley, I thought we were going to be indicted"---Bobby Heenan
Added 8/24/2008
I haven't followed wrestling in probably 18 years. I guess I outgrew it or felt that the shows were becoming increasing over-the-top. After reading the reviews here on Amazon for this DVD, I thought I'd check it out as it included many wrestlers and managers I remembered watching when I was a wrestling fan--even announcer "Mean" Gene Okerlund who looks the same as he did back in the day. Well, I'm glad I did because this DVD is a serious, professional ceremony that shows these longtime wrestling stars for who they are as family members, friends, and human beings. Nothing over-the-top or embarrassing crops up to devalue the event. The current wrestlers in the audience (which include a shot of Chris Benoit) are dressed sharp and show respect and humility toward the pioneers who paved the way for them. The event actually took place the night before Wrestle Mania XX (dang, I remember renting the videos for WrestleMania II and III when I was a kid) in which many in the audience had matches--and this ceremony was long, too, taking up two discs.
The DVD starts with a quick review of those who were already in the WWE Hall of Fame. Each inductee is introduced by a video retrospect and a speech by someone important in their career. The first inductee is Superstar Billy Graham. he was introduced by the heavyweight champion at the time Triple H, who does an impersonation, sort of. Apparently, Graham's induction was controversial. Graham seemed very appreciative of the honor and of being alive as he almost died save for a liver transplant in 2000. He gives a touching tribute to the woman who was killed but had signed a donor card which sent her liver to him. He also talks about his early days in "the dungeon", etc.
Next inducted was Greg "The Hammer" Valentine who was introduced by "The Mouth from the South" Jimmy Hart. Both discussed the dedication needed to make wrestling one's life. Pete Rose's induction (introduced by Kane) was a little strange but I guess he deserves to be in some sport's hall of fame. Next was the late Big John Studd who was introduced by Big Show and whose plaque was accepted by Studd's son John Minton Jr. Sgt. Slaughter was next. He was introduced by Pat Patterson whose speech kind of went on a bit. Slaughter was greeted with a chant of "U.S.A." and barked some orders at the crowd with his trademark hat and shades. He talked about how he called Vince McMahon Sr. a "puke" and blew cigar smoke in his face in his first appearance as the sergeant.
The second disc starts with manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan who was introduced by official Jack Lanza who told a story showing how Heenan had paid his dues in the business. I remember enjoying WWF Prime Time Wrestling hosted by Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon in the late 1980s. I'd look forward to it every Monday (I think) evening. They were so funny--as funny as any comedy team. I did not know that Heenan had been recovering from throat cancer, but his illness did not affect his wit and humor at all except that he might have gotten even funnier. Tito Santana was next introduced by Shawn Michaels who explained how he "managed to put together the whole package." That is probably the best way to describe Santana. In this time of steroid scandals and so many wrestlers dying young, Santana had it together--talent, values, and priorities. He's now a seventh grade Spanish teacher with two of his sons in Ivy League schools.
"Handsome" Harley Race was introduced next by Ric Flair who discussed the "King's" toughness. I remember when I first saw Race and wondered who the heck he was proclaiming himself "king." At the time, I did not realize what an important person he was to the profession. The King showed a lot of humility when accepting his plaque. Don Muraco was next. He was introduced by Mick Foley who talked about watching the famous rivalry between Muraco and Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka when he was a college kid. The late Junkyard Dog was introduced by Ernie Ladd. His plaque was accepted by his daughter LaToya Ritter. The final inductee was Jesse "The Body" Ventura. He was introduced by his son Tyrel which was a nice touch. Ventura talked about how wrestling prepared him for his political career. Then he said maybe in 2008 they should put a wrestler in the White House (ha).
One thing I did notice was how so many of the inductees paid homage to the McMahons. I'm wondering if the compliments were aimed more at the late Vince McMahon Sr. rather than at Vince McMahon Jr. as I've read negative things about him but maybe they were just from disgruntled former wrestlers. There are many extras on this DVD; you really get your money's worth. The extras include but are not limited to: Billy Graham's championship match against Bruno Sammartio in 1977, Pete Roses's WrestleMaina appearances, Big John Studd vs. Andre the Giant from 1983, Sgt. Slaughter v. Pat Patterson in an "alley fight" in 1981--one version shows the two wrestlers commenting on the match, Bobby Heenan clips with Gorilla Monsoon on Prime Time Wrestling, Greg Valentine & Tito Santana Intercontinental Cage Match, Junkyard Dog vs. Harley Race from WrestleMania III with interview clips, 1983 NWA Harley Race promo, Don Muraco vs. Pedro Morales for the Intercontinental Championship in 1981, Jesse Ventura vs. Bob Backlund in 1982. If Backlund has not been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by now, he should be.
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A puzzling dvd
Added 12/2/2007
WWE released a nice dvd set about the Hall of Fame ceremony of 2004. They'd have the entire event of inductees and as extras feature them in promos and some matches. While I feel its cheap to put a match between two inductees instead of once each. Its puzzling because this was such a great dvd set and could have contuined thru out the years. Now you get the ceremony without extras as a bonus for WrestleMaina dvd set. I dont know why they didnt keep on making a set every year for the ceremonys.
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This is TRULY a WWE DVD that is INSPIRING!
Added 10/20/2006
On Saturday March 13, 2004, the night before WrestleMania XX, WWE had it's 2004 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and the crowd was so touch and happy to see the event take place in The Big Apple-New York City.
This DVD is TRULY inspiring and it is a MUST HAVE for every wrestling fan.
The 2004 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was hosted by Future WWE Hall of Famer Mean Gene Okerlund and it had some of the many wrestlers (and celebrity) that truly deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
Superstar Billy Graham, Greg Valentine, Pete Rose, Big John Studd, Sgt. Slaughter, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Tito Santana, Harley Race, Don Muraco, Junkyard Dog, and Jesse "The Body" Ventura are TRULY the TRUE Pro Wrestlers in Professional Wrestling.
Also I was so glad that all of the WWE Stars including The Women Wrestlers all got to witness the TRUE wrestlers being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
God Bless Them All for what they have truly done in Professional Wrestling (Not SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT)
Also there are a bunch of EXTRAS on the 2-Disc DVD Set inculding Superstar Billy Graham challenging Bruno Sanmartino for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship
and there's even one of my favorite classic matches on the DVD:
Greg "The Hammer" Valentine vs. Tito Santana in a Steel Cage Match for the WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Title.
Plus there are 3 Hidden Extras.
This is a Must Have for every wrestling fan and trust me, you are going to love it.
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Bless these WWE legends
Added 2/7/2006
This Hall of Fame DVD was a special DVD to watch. These inductees all deserved to be in the hall of fame @ some point in their careers, even if it may have been long overdue. In this DVD, you get the classy ceremony in its entirety, and well as extra matches, which I will review:
Disc One- Chapters:
"Superstar" Billy Graham
Greg Valentine
Pete Rose
Big John Studd (R.I.P.)
Sgt. Slaughter
Extras:
"Superstar" Billy Graham
Superstar's career (WWE Confidential - 09/06/03)
WWE Championship Match: "Superstar" Billy Graham vs. Bruno Sammartino (Graham wins title, Baltimore, Md. - 04/30/77), **1/2 (Two legends in the ring, pre-Golden Age era. A great moment to see Graham win the title.)
"Superstar" Billy Graham Promo (06/14/77)
Pete Rose
Wrestlemania XIV (Boston, Mass. - 03/29/98)
Wrestlemania XV (Philadelphia, Penn. - 03/28/99)
Wrestlemania XVI (Anaheim, Cal. - 04/02/00)
Big John Studd
Buddy Rogers' Interview (All Star Wrestling - 04/20/83)
Big John Studd vs. Andre the Giant (04/25/83), * (Not the best match in their series. A bad match to be sure, but good for nostagia purposes.)
Sgt. Slaughter
Alley Fight: Sgt. Slaughter vs. Pat Patterson (05/04/81), ***1/2 (Wow, was this match breath taking for the time. Talk about a brutal match. They figurately murdered each other here. A very good match.)
Alley Fight with Alternate Commentary by Michael Cole, Sgt. Slaughter & Pat Patterson
Sgt. Slaughter: "I Want my Country Back"
The Hall of Famers at Wrestlemania XX (03/14/04)
Easter Eggs - Hidden Features - Disc 1:
Go to Extras. Go to Pete Rose. Go to Wrestlemania XVI. Left click. You will be treated with an advertisement for No Mercy 2002 featuring Pete Rose and Kane.
Disc Two- Chapters:
Bobby Heenan
Tito Santana
Harley Race
Don Muraco
Junkyard Dog (R.I.P.)
Jesse Ventura
Vince McMahon
Extras:
Bobby Heenan
Atlantic City (Prime Time Wrestling - 03/21/88)
Yacht (Prime Time Wrestling - 11/22/88)
At Busch Gardens (Prime Time Wrestling - 12/12/88)
Grape squashing with Andre the Giant (Prime Time Wrestling - 02/25/91)
Bobby Heenan Tribute (WWE Confidential - 06/15/02)
Bobby Heenan's 1st night in the business
Greg Valentine & Tito Santana
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Greg Valentine vs. Tito Santana (Santana wins title, Baltimore, Md. - 07/06/85), ***1/2 (Another very good match here. Valentine and Santana had a good series of matches around this time.)
Junkyard Dog & Harley Race
Junkyard Dog vs. Harley Race (Saturday Night's Main Event - 01/03/87)*, (This match is actually from Wrestlemania III. And it's not very good to the least, but for nostalgia purposes, it's great.)
Harley Race Promo (World Wide Wrestling - 06/15/83)
Gene Okerland interviews Junkyard Dog (Wrestling Challenge - 07/18/87)
Don Muraco
WWE Intercontinental Match: Don Muraco vs. Pedro Morales (Muraco wins title, Philadelphia, Penn. - 06/20/81), ** (A semi-decent match.)
Vince McMahon interview (03/20/83)
Jesse Ventura
WWE Championshop Match: Jesse Ventura vs. Bob Backlund (03/14/82), **1/2 (These two legends had a good match here. Don't let the rating fool you though.)
Pat Patterson interview (All Star Wrestling - 01/16/82)
Easter Eggs - Hidden Features - Disc 2:
Go to Extras. Go to Bobby Heenan. Go to Busch Gardens. Right click. You will hear Bobby Heenan explain how "Weasel" became a nickname and what he felt about the nickname.
Go to Extras. Go to Tito Santana & Greg Valentine. Go to Greg Valentine vs. Tito Santana. Right click. You will be treated to Greg Valentine explaining how the nickname "The Hammer" came about.
Overall, this DVD set is special for many reasons, with most of those reasons being these men getting their place in the hall of fame, and the nostalgia factor involved with the extra features. I recommend this DVD set. Make it a companion purchase with the Greatest Wrestling Stars of the 80s 3 DVD set!!!!!!
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