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“Mean” Gene Okerlund still uses his quick wit in WWE

During the ’80s and ’90s, “Mean” Gene Okerlund‘s distinct voice and dry sense of humor were almost as important to wrestling as what went on inside the ring. From his backstage interviews with the likes of Hulk Hogan, “Ravishing” Rick Rude and “Macho Man” Randy Savage to his ringside commentary that was just as colorful as his longtime partner Jesse “The Body” Ventura‘s attire, Mean Gene was a fixture in the World Wrestling Federation of the ’80s and

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World Championship Wrestling of the ’90s. Often referring to his interviewees and other celebrities as his “close personal friends,” Okerlund was at least partially responsible for making wrestling a mainstream success during those decades. A member of the 2006 class of the WWE Hall of Fame, Okerlund is still seen on WWE TV on occasion, most notably on WWE Classics On Demand. In keeping with the “Blast from the Past” theme of this week’s Super SmackDown Live, here’s a Wrestling with Pop Culture interview with Okerlund from this year’s WrestleMania Axxess. And in true Mean Gene fashion, the interview begins with him asking me, “These are only going to be personal questions, right?”

If you want them to be. We are close personal friends after all.

Of course!

Well, I won’t get too personal. But as one of the most influential interviewers and commentators in WWE history, what do you think some of today’s commentators could do to connect with the wrestlers and fans the way you did?

If they do what I did, I took a whole bunch of people – I took Bob Costas, Henny Youngman and maybe a snake oil salesman – and tried to combine the three to develop my own style. I think that’s what these guys that are coming up in the broadcasting end of WWE need to do is create their own characters.

Do you still have your fast food chain, Mean Gene’s Burgers, out west?

I do. As a matter of fact, we stopped at a couple of them recently when we were in Palm Springs, California. But they’re mostly in military installations worldwide.

Do you think we’ll ever see those throughout the rest of the country?

It’s a lot of work. The product’s good and it’s very healthy, it’s trans fat-free and more nutritional because of the way it’s cooked.

Aside from fast food and appearing at WrestleMania Axxess, what’s your role with WWE these days?

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I spend six or eight days a month up in Stamford, Connecticut and other assorted places where I do mostly the WWE 24/7 and Classics On Demand.

With the upcoming WWE Network, do you think we might be seeing more of you soon?

That’s pretty tough to tell at this juncture. I wouldn’t mind it, but I’m not going to travel 250 days a year either. Unless I get a chance to work with the divas. That’s a whole new ball game. Back in the day, I got to work with Mae Young and Moolah.

You also had Miss Elizabeth.

Miss Elizabeth was always taken. But she was a great gal and a great talent. I don’t know if she was ever appreciated as much as she should have been. Big loss for all of us.

Absolutely. Well, I appreciate your time today.

OK. Now which one of you guys pays me?

The guy with the WWE logo on his shirt.

Do we have a problem?

Daniel Bryan defends the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Sheamus in his first WrestleMania match

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Whether you like him for being an underdog champion or hate him for stooping to such tactics as putting his diminutive girlfriend AJ in harm’s way in order to keep his title, you have to respect the fact that Daniel Bryan has overcome a lot of obstacles on his way to his current World Heavyweight Championship reign in WWE. From wrestling around the world as a top indie contender to his tumultuous relationship with his NXT mentor The Miz to overcoming giants like Mark Henry and the Big Show to retain his title, Bryan has been a bit of an indie hero since entering WWE’s ranks. In a somewhat odd twist of fate, he finds himself in one of WrestleMania XXVIII‘s main events defending that title against Sheamus, the same man he faced in the WrestleMania XXVII dark match for the United States Championship last year. As the man previously known as Bryan Danielson gets closer and closer to the biggest match of his career to date, he talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about his rise from indie wrestling obscurity to World Heavyweight Championship gold. If you’d rather listen to the interview, check out the March 21 edition of Ringside Rap.

Courtesy WWE

Last year at WrestleMania you were the United States Champion in what was basically a dark match against Sheamus that devolved into a battle royal. How does it feel to be going into this year’s WrestleMania holding the World Heavyweight Championship in one of the main events against the same opponent?

It feels really vindicating that both me and Sheamus for the past year have really stepped up our games to be at the point we’re at now, to be in a World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania. Last year was such a bitter disappointment that we weren’t on the actual main show because I really felt that, if we had been given the opportunity, we really could have done something to steal the show. This year that’s what we intend on doing. I absolutely intend on, for my first WrestleMania match, to go out there and steal the show.

I didn’t even think about the fact that it will be your first WrestleMania match.

Yep.

I talked to you briefly last year at the WrestleMania Art Auction when you were still the U.S. Champion and I remember asking you if you thought holding that title was a stepping stone towards bigger opportunities in WWE. You’ve obviously had bigger opportunities since then and you’ve overcome some big obstacles as the World Heavyweight Champion. As you return to Atlanta for Raw less than week before WrestleMania, do you know what your role on that show will be?

You never know what’s going to happen at Raw. You literally never know. You show up having no idea what’s going to happen or what you’re going to do. But I can only assume it’s going to be a huge show and there will be big plans for everybody because that is the last Raw before we head into ‘Mania. That’s always one of the most exciting, unpredictable shows of the year.

Like I said, you’ve overcome some big obstacles as champion, but Sheamus is a little different opponent than the Big Show or Mark Henry. How are you preparing for him at WrestleMania?

I prepare for him the same way I prepare for everybody. I keep doing my grappling, my kickboxing and all that kind of stuff. The thing with Sheamus is he’s tough to keep down, he keeps coming at you and he hits very, very hard. But he’s also kind of an idiot. So if you can goad him into doing something stupid, he’s bound to do something like that if you can take advantage. I wrestled him on SmackDown six weeks ago and I goaded him into doing something stupid. You can just get away with things like that with people like Sheamus.

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A lot of people said last year’s WrestleMania was a changing of the guard because a lot of the matches featured veterans facing younger guys. But this year, your match included, WrestleMania is relying on the vets to carry the card. You’ve only been in WWE for a few years, but overall you have a lot more experience as a wrestler than a lot of the other people. How do you feel about this year’s card and your spot on the card?

It’s definitely an exciting card, but I’m ultimately a little disappointed that it isn’t trying to establish new stars more. Hell in the Cell is going to be awesome with Triple H and the Undertaker. Rock and Cena is going to be an amazing atmosphere. But come April 2, those guys aren’t going to be on the road full time. Those aren’t going to be going on the European tour with us. Those guys aren’t going to be doing all that kind of stuff. This is really the biggest WrestleMania of all time, so for them to be more highlighted than some of the younger guys who are going to be continuing on the wrestling tour, it’s kind of unfortunate. I would have liked to have seen Undertaker wrestle somebody from my generation. That would have been cool to see somebody from my generation to take on the Undertaker and potentially beat him. That said, this year’s WrestleMania card is stacked. It’s just going to be an awesome show, but from a performer’s standpoint I wish there were more younger guys getting opportunities.

On the same token, you and CM Punk have become these unlikely indie heroes as the two main champions in WWE over the past few months. A lot of people thought that you especially would not still be champion by the time WrestleMania came around. From that perspective, how do you feel about guys who aren’t necessarily new, but are still somewhat new to WWE, getting a bigger spot?

It’s interesting because CM Punk has been with WWE since 2005 and came up on TV in 2007. He’s been in some big matches and he’s been in some big WrestleMania matches. So this isn’t his first rodeo. He has earned his spot being in the WWE Championship match. For me, it’s honestly been a dream come true. I honestly did not think after WrestleMania last year that I would be anywhere near the position I’m in this year. It’s one of those things where it’s a real true blessing and I feel very fortunate to be in this spot. There are a lot of guys who haven’t gotten that opportunity, so it’s interesting. Me and CM Punk wrestled each other in front of about 35 people in a 45-minute match in 2005. The two current top WWE champions – the WWE Champion and the World Heavyweight Champion – seven years ago wrestled in front of 35 people against each other. To me that’s just incredible that now we’re going to be on the same show as the champions wrestling in front of close to 80,000 people.

Ring of Honor recently released a best-of DVD, Bryan Danielson: The American Dragon, that features a match between you and Punk, among a lot of other matches. What did you think about Ring of Honor showcasing your career prior to going to WWE?

I think that’s awesome. They actually sent me a link to it and the matches that are on there and everything and I thought, “Oh, OK. That would be kind of like the best matches I had in my Ring of Honor career.” It wasn’t. It was just the best matches I had up until 2005. So they must be planning on releasing another one, too. There’s another huge gap of matches that weren’t on there that should be on another one. I think it’s cool and I think it’s important that they capitalize on my success and CM Punk’s success because you need places like Ring of Honor to develop the new stars. Me and Punk are as good as we are because we honed our craft in Ring of Honor in front of those hardcore fans who wouldn’t accept anything less than our best efforts. You need a place like that for new stars to come from.

I look forward, when I watch the Ring of Honor shows, to see who’s going to be next to come up to WWE. Right now under developmental contract is Seth Rollins, who wrestled in Ring of Honor as Tyler Black. He did amazing last weekend. He came up to the live events and did a dark match on Monday and everybody was like, “Wow! This guy’s really good.” That’s something I knew from the beginning, but he needed that opportunity to showcase it.

Since you keep talking about giving younger guys a chance, assuming you’re still the champion after WrestleMania, and with the recent influx of Ring of Honor and other big indie guys in Florida Championship Wrestling, is there anyone on the current WWE roster or in FCW that you’d like to have a shot at your title?

It’s funny because I talked about giving younger guys an opportunity, but deep down there are still guys that I’m a fan of. These are the guys that when I was growing up I watched and thought were amazing. I would love to be in a program where I was wrestling Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship. That doesn’t seem likely, but that would be so much fun. I’d love to be able to wrestle the Undertaker. The Undertaker appeared on WWE TV when I was, like, ten years old. Being able to wrestle him for the World Heavyweight Championship would be awesome. Or guys like Triple H and all that kind of stuff. All of that would be amazing, but I would love for Seth Rollins, for Dean Ambrose, who wrestled in the indies as Jon Moxley, Antonio Cesaro, who was in Ring of Honor as Claudio Castagnoli, I would love for those guys to come up shortly after WrestleMania and give them opportunities for the World Heavyweight Championship for people to see what those guys can do. They’re really incredible.

Of course Chris Hero, now known as Kassius Ohno, seems to have made a nice debut in FCW recently.

I haven’t seen his debut, but I can’t wait to see it. I’m going to try to find it on YouTube.

For more information, go to www.wwe.com.

Cody Rhodes readies himself for the Big Show at WrestleMania

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At WrestleMania XXVII, Cody Rhodes had one of the best matches of his career in front of his home-state audience against one of WWE‘s smallest competitors, Rey Mysterio. This year, Rhodes goes into WrestleMania XXVIII in Miami as the Intercontinental Champion to face a man billed as “The World’s Largest Athlete,” the Big Show. Friction has been building between Rhodes and the Big Show since Show eliminated Rhodes from the Royal Rumble in January. But over the past few weeks, Rhodes has been determined to embarrass Show by pointing out his lackluster showings in previous WrestleManias, while continuing his campaign to restore the Intercontinental title to the prestige it once held. Before he takes on the biggest challenge of his career, Rhodes talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about the Big Show, Goldust and returning to Atlanta for the final Raw before WrestleMania. You can also hear the full interview on the March 19 edition of Georgia Wrestling Now.

Last year WrestleMania was in Atlanta, your proverbial back yard. This year it’s in Miami, but the last Raw before WrestleMania will be in Atlanta. What do you have planned for that show?

With WrestleMania on the horizon and a one-on-one contest with the Big Show – last year it was with the smallest guy, this time it’s with the biggest guy – I’m sure I’ll be doing my damnedest to get under the Big Show’s skin. I’m a firm believer in what I’ve said about him. The Big Show is one of WWE’s top performers, but his WrestleMania moments haven’t exactly been immortal moments.

I definitely think you’ve gotten the best of him so far by showing him at the WWE restaurant and all that kind of stuff.

That’s the best one. Yeah.

Courtesy WWE

I guess a big question for me is, why did you choose the Big Show? Your brother Goldust was doing a Twitter campaign to face you at WrestleMania for the Intercontinental title, so why did you choose to go after the Big Show?

I’d love to work with Goldust. I’d love to stand across the ring from him and find out more about my brother. But it just happened to be that the Intercontinental title is very much in need of its moment at WrestleMania. I set out to bring it back to where it was, and I don’t actually know if I’ve done that. But I know going against one of WWE’s top names perhaps of all time, the Big Show, puts it in a position for me to maybe do that. That’s why I shifted to myself and the Big Show. If I knock off one top guy after another, the Big Show is on that list.

I don’t recall the Big Show having ever held that title before, but I know Goldust has held it and is considered by some to be one of the best Intercontinental Champions of the past few decades.

That’s actually the one title Show has not held. When I heard that I was a bit in disbelief. As far as things are concerned with Goldust, I wouldn’t count out me and him ever competing against one another. Certainly I can see that down the road. He’s had some shoulder problems and safety is a number one concern. I’d love to remain the Intercontinental Champion after WrestleMania and I’d love to follow up on all these things he’s brought down on me on Twitter and get in the ring with him, certainly.

Like you said earlier, last year your WrestleMania opponent was one of the smallest guys (Mysterio) and this year it’s the biggest guy. You’re not necessarily one of the bigger guys on the roster, so what are you doing to prepare for a match with somebody the size of the Big Show?

Well honestly, I’m not one of the bigger guys on the roster, but if you really take a look at the roster, I’m actually pretty close to one of the bigger guys on the roster. I’m not as tall as Randy [Orton], but I weigh about the same. I actually will say that I was concerned with the Big Show. I’m looking at him and I think he’s 400 pounds. If I’m going to be in the ring with him, I want to be as big as I can be. One of the things I’ve started implementing is high volume workouts, which is lots of sets, lots of reps, high carb, high fat, high protein, low sugar. So I’ve actually got a nice little diet written out for this thing. I didn’t want to show up too small.

I’m trying to remember now, have you ever faced the Big Show one-on-one?

No. I have yet to compete one-on-one against the Big Show. I’ve had tag matches and fatal four-ways, and there was an incident where there was an Armani three-piece suit I had worn for a long time and he ripped it to shreds on one of the pay-per-views in 2011. So we’ve had a brief, brief history, but we’ve never actually mixed it up on a fair one-on-one scale.

Last time I talked to you, you pointed out that WrestleMania XXVII was a changing of the guard of sorts with a lot of the more established guys facing a lot of the younger guys. This year’s card seems to be relying heavily on the more established guys, and in your match in particular the Big Show has a lot more experience than you do. How do you think your match stacks up against the rest of the card?

I think you don’t really know until WrestleMania is said and done and in the books what matches really captivated you. There are matches that are positioned to really captivate you: The Rock/Cena, Triple H/the Undertaker. Those guys, a hundred percent of the time, deliver. But that’s the beauty of WrestleMania. I feel it stacks up very well and I feel that there’s a lot of people that for a long time wanted to see the Intercontinental title genuinely defended on WrestleMania. Prior to the WrestleMania in Orlando, which was, I think, a three-minute match with Rey Mysterio and JBL, the title had not been defended on a WrestleMania since X8. For me that’s one of the more important things, so I think it stacks up well.

Another thing we talked about a lot last year was your history in Georgia with your father, Dusty Rhodes. With the Four Horsemen and Ron Simmons being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year – especially the Four Horsemen with your father’s history with them – what is it like to be part of the WrestleMania where those guys are also being inducted into the Hall of Fame?

Every WWE superstar and diva has so many appearances, then WrestleMania is Sunday and the Hall of Fame runs deep into the night usually. Sometimes you look at it and say, “If they could do it on Friday…” But once you’re there, once you’re in the seats and watching the Four Horsemen being inducted into the Hall of Fame, Ron Simmons being inducted, Mil Mascaras being inducted into the Hall of Fame, that’s motivating, I don’t care how late it goes into the night, just to see those little clips that our team put together of the Four Horsemen. That’s the best thing that can happen at WrestleMania, and it’s extremely motivating.

For more information, go to www.wwe.com.

WWE DVD chronicles “The Epic Journey” of The Rock

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Finally The Rock HAS COME BACK to DVD! Well, OK. It really hasn’t been that long since WWE‘s last Rock DVD set (2008’s The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment) was released. But given the year-plus build to his return to singles competition at WrestleMania XXVIII in his hometown of Miami, there are many electrifying reasons to release another set of highlights from The Rock’s wrestling career.

From his childhood days watching his father, Rocky Johnson, and grandfather, Peter Maivia, set standards in the ring, through his time playing for the University of Miami’s national championship football team up to his recent return as host of WrestleMania XXVII, The Rock: The Epic Journey of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recounts The Rock’s rise to becoming not only the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, but one of the biggest success stories in all of show business. Using family photos, footage that dates back to his 1996 debut at the Survivor Series and commentary from the likes of Triple H, Chris Jericho, The Rock’s WrestleMania XXVIII opponent John Cena and former Miami Hurricanes teammate Warren Sapp (The Rock himself naturally has plenty to say as well), The Epic Journey covers Johnson’s career in and out of the squared circle.

Whether they’re friends, foes or completely unbiased, no one can deny The Rock’s charisma, determination and natural talents, whether they be athletic, comedic or musical. But what is interesting to note (and might be easy to forget, given his aforementioned talents) is that The Rock was not always adored by the fans. Sure, most of us remember his lackluster attempts to endear himself to the fans early in his career as Rocky Maivia. But even after he dropped that gimmick, he was still greeted in much the same way his fans greet Cena today – with chants of “Rocky sucks.” But after joining the Nation of Domination, The Rock began to embrace his arrogant side, which allowed him to talk the kind of smack people, oddly enough, wanted to hear. (Mick Foley even acknowledges on The Epic Journey that The Rock all but invented the term “smackdown.”) But it wasn’t so much that fans wanted to hear him eloquently talking trash to just about anyone he encountered, then backing it up with his in-ring abilities. It’s just that fans can sense when someone is being genuine and, in much the same way they embraced “Stone Cold” Steve Austin‘s antihero behavior, they also took to The Rock’s innate ability to sincerely say what was on his mind and make it wildly entertaining.

But even after he dethroned Farooq as the leader of the Nation, formed an unlikely alliance with Foley as the popular Rock & Sock Connection and became a pop cultural icon, The Rock still fell out of favor with the fans for a while as his rivalry with the previous generation’s icon, Hulk Hogan, came to a boil, as well as when fans began to label him as a Hollywood sellout. We all know The Rock was able to recover from that, but with the back-and-forth between The Rock and Cena over the past year or so, seeing The Rock being treated the way many fans treat Cena now puts everything into new perspective.

Courtesy WWE

Another thing that helps put things into perspective is the matches that are included on this three-disc set. With the things people like Razor Ramon, Shawn Michaels, the Hardy Boyz and others have done in ladder matches, re-watching The Rock and Triple H do battle for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam in 1998 is a reminder of how these two big guys redefined what a ladder match could be. And the “I quit” match against Mankind at the ’99 Royal Rumble shows us a vicious side of The Rock not often revealed.

The Epic Journey also includes his no holds barred match for the World Wrestling Federation Championship against Austin at Backlash in ’99, the triple threat match between The Rock, Triple H and Kurt Angle for that same title at SummerSlam 2000 and his match against Brock Lesnar for the Undisputed Championship at SummerSlam in 2002. Other classic encounters include a 2002 Raw match against Ric Flair, the No Way Out match against Hulk Hogan in 2003 and his recent return to Raw and WrestleMania in 2011. In much the same way the recent Stone Cold DVD set duplicated very little from the previous Stone Cold set, none of the matches on The Epic Journey are featured on The Most Electrifying Man. And that fact not only gives fans plenty of reason to check out this new DVD (even if they’ve already seen the other one), but it’s also a testament to just how electrifying The Rock’s journey in wrestling and beyond has been.

For more information, go to www.wweshop.com.

New WWE DVD showcases 2011’s best pay-per-view matches

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By Jonathan Williams

With its final DVD release of 2011, WWE celebrates some of its greatest moments of the year with WWE Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2011. While the three-disc set obviously rehashes matches also found on previous WWE pay-per-view DVD releases, most people don’t buy every DVD and filtering out the less memorable moments is a great way to reflect on one of WWE’s most interesting years in recent memory.

Hosted by WWE commentator Scott Stanford (who provides brief reminders of what led up to some of the matches), Best Pay-Per-View Matches begins with Edge‘s World Heavyweight Championship defense against Dolph Ziggler at the Royal Rumble in January, as well as his subsequent successful defense the following month inside the Elimination Chamber.

Next up is the year’s biggest pay-per-view, WrestleMania XXVII. In addition to including the no holds barred match between the Undertaker and Triple H (an obvious choice), it also features the match between Rey Mysterio and Cody Rhodes, a good (and somewhat surprising) choice considering that it was overshadowed by much of the other WrestleMania hoopla.

From Christian‘s ascension to main event status in his ladder match victory over Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules to Mark Henry‘s dominant victory over Randy Orton at Night of Champions for the same title, this DVD definitely features some of the biggest matches of the year. And you can’t talk about WWE pay-per-view matches from 2011 without mentioning CM Punk‘s victory over John Cena at Money in the Bank (after which he departed the company through the audience with the WWE Championship) or Mark Henry and the Big Show‘s World Heavyweight Championship match at Vengeance that resulted in the ring collapsing.

Though this collection definitely features some of WWE’s most exciting moments from 2011, it does feel a little lacking simply because it was released too early to include any matches from Survivor Series or TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (which ended up being one of the best overall pay-per-views of the year despite mostly low expectations). And considering how easily this exclusion could have been remedied (either by releasing the set a month or so later or by following the its own pattern set last year with Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2009-2010), it’s a little unfair to call this collection the best of the year without including anything from two major pay-per-views.

Minor complaints aside, it is interesting to note that Edge, who was forced to retire in April due to a back injury, is featured here just as many times as John Cena, who was actively in the WWE title picture for most of the year. And other names such as Rey Mysterio, CM Punk and Mark Henry pop up just as many as or more than Cena. Also, in retrospect it seems that the World Heavyweight Championship made for more great matches this year than the WWE Championship with six World title matches being included alongside only two WWE title matches.

These facts, as well as the collection of matches itself, are indicative of the changes that have occurred in WWE in 2011. For the most part these changes have created some of the best wrestling matches and a level of excitement that hasn’t existed since the Attitude Era and the Monday Night Wars. Hopefully what was successful at WWE pay-per-views in 2011 will continue to take the company in different directions, resulting in another interesting year in 2012.

For more information, go to www.wweshop.com.

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best ppv matches

WWE’s “King of the Ring” DVD features some of the event’s best moments

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By Jonathan Williams

Though winning the King of the Ring tournament hasn’t always guaranteed main event status, most of its winners have used their royalty as a stepping stone to bigger things in WWE. From its early days as an annual World Wrestling Federation event to its ascension to pay-per-view status to its recent return as a somewhat sporadic biannual SmackDown and Raw showcase, King of the Ring has been an integral part of WWE for more than two decades.

Booker T reprises his King Booker persona as host of "The Best of King of the Ring." Photo courtesy WWE

Hosted by Booker T (reprising the comical British-accented King Booker persona he took on after winning the 2006 King of the Ring), the new The Best of King of the Ring DVD set features some of the most exciting moments in King of the Ring history. Booker begins by giving us a quick history lesson, mentioning some of the tournament’s early winners such as Don Muraco, Harley Race, “Macho Man” Randy Savage and “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. And this list proves to be the perfect setup for the first match, the 1993 finals between Bret “Hit Man” Hart and Bam Bam Bigelow, which is followed by the tournament’s first televised coronation ceremony.

Having won the previous tournament two years earlier, Hart was defending his crown against one of his biggest and most vicious opponents ever. And following his hard fought victory, Jerry “The King” Lawler attacked the new king during this coronation, which set up a rivalry that didn’t culminate until their Kiss My Foot Match at the King of the Ring pay-per-view in 1995 (also included here).

And you can’t talk about King of the Ring without including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin‘s victory over Jake “The Snake” Roberts in 1996, after which he delivered the infamous Austin 3:16 promo that would become the genesis of his antihero persona. Also included in this three-disc set are King of the Ring finals such as Triple H‘s victory over Mankind in 1997, Kurt Angle‘s victory over Rikishi in 2000, Brock Lesnar‘s victory over Rob Van Dam in 2002 and, of course, Booker T‘s ascension to the throne after defeating Bobby Lashley at Judgment Day in 2006.

But it’s not just King of the Ring finals matches that once made King of the Ring one of WWE’s top attractions. In fact, some of WWE’s most memorable moments have been part of King of the Ring events without being part of the actual tournament. Yokozuna‘s shocking victory over Hulk Hogan in 1993, the brutal Hell in a Cell match between the Undertaker and Mankind in 1998 that solidified Mick Foley as a hardcore legend and the bloody street fight between Kurt Angle and Shane McMahon in 2001 were all part of King of the Ring and are all included in this set.

The Best of King of the Ring includes several other matches, ranging from somewhat forgotten moments in the careers of Austin, Jeff Hardy and Edge to the most recent King of the Ring winners William Regal and Sheamus. Though it does rehash a lot of material that has been including elsewhere, it is interesting to see a showcase of some of King of the Ring’s best moments featured in one set. Considering how many career defining moments are included here, one can only hope that WWE might be considering bringing back the King of the Ring as an annual event of some sort.

For more information, go to www.wweshop.com.

New Stone Cold DVD proves to be “The Bottom Line” about his WWE career

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By Jonathan Williams

Considering the impact he has had on the industry and the number of amazing moments he was part of, it’s hard to believe that “Stone Cold” Steve Austin‘s in-ring career only lasted a little more than a decade. But in that short time, he became the most popular wrestler of his era and one of the industry’s most iconic personas.

Even in his retirement, Stone Cold remains one of WWE‘s most popular superstars, getting bigger pops than most active roster members when he appears at Raw, WrestleMania or anywhere else. In the most comprehensive look at his career to date, Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of All Time shows us exactly why Austin became such a phenomenon, even when his defiant attitude got the best of him.

The four-disc DVD set begins with a documentary chronicling Austin’s career, starting with his early fascination with wrestling from the first time he caught Houston Wrestling on TV. After enrolling in “Gentleman” Chris Adams‘ wrestling school at the Dallas Sportatorium and debuting in World Class Championship Wrestling, it wasn’t long before the blond-haired hunk was winning Pro Wrestling Illustrated‘s Rookie of the Year in 1990 and gaining greater national exposure in World Championship Wrestling.

Though he had a successful run there as “Stunning” Steve Austin (namely as one half of the Hollywood Blonds with “Flyin'” Brian Pillman), it wasn’t until he was fired from WCW and had his brief stint in Extreme Championship Wrestling that the no-nonsense Stone Cold persona began to emerge. The DVD then delves into his WWE career, beginning with his initial pairing with “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase as the Ringmaster and touching on every important moment in his rapid ascent to becoming wrestling’s biggest success story.

As is true in most any profession, success is ofter about being in the right place at the right time and that has certainly been the case with Austin. From the scathing “Austin 3:16” rant that got the wrestling world’s attention after his victory over Jake “The Snake” Roberts at 1996’s King of the Ring pay-per-view, through his many encounters with The Rock and his ultimate rivalry with Mr. McMahon, this retrospective features commentary from Austin, Paul Heyman, Jim Ross, McMahon, Christian, Chris Jericho, C.M. Punk and many others who witnessed the Austin Era from varying perspectives.

Courtesy WWE

While his wrestling abilities and antihero persona are what made Stone Cold the star he remains today, it’s easy to forget that much of his success came during promos, backstage vignettes and absurd moments such as when he attacked a bedridden McMahon with a bedpan and when he served as the Raw sheriff while recovering from an injury. Though his career was plagued with severe injuries, which eventually forced him into retirement, this DVD shows that even when he wasn’t able to express himself in the ring, he was just as adept at entertaining fans in other ways.

But that’s not to say Austin had any shortage of magical moments in the ring, and the next two discs offer the most comprehensive look at the biggest matches of his career, as chosen by Austin himself. From early highlights such as a 1990 United States Wrestling Association match against his mentor Adams and a 1994 WCW match in which Austin and Ric Flair teamed up against Sting and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat to three of his matches against The Rock (one for the Intercontinental Championship and two for the WWE Championship), you’ll be hard pressed to think of a match that might have been left out. And that’s saying a lot considering that 2008’s The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austin features three discs of memorable matches, and very few of those matches have been duplicated on The Bottom Line (though I wouldn’t have minded seeing at least one of his matches as a member of Paul E. Dangerously’s Dangerous Alliance in WCW).

Courtesy WWE

Other key matches included here are the infamous King of the Ring victory over Roberts (as well as the subsequent promo), the brutal 1997 submission match against Bret “Hit Man” Hart, and wild encounters against Shawn Michaels, Dude Love, the Undertaker and the Big Show. The last disc is filled with the non-wrestling moments that came to define Austin’s career as much as what he did in the ring. Included here are such key moments as his old ECW promos (where he humorously lambasted both WCW and WWE), Slammy Award acceptance speeches, the antics that cemented him (literally, in one instance) as WWE’s ultimate blue collar hero and a Michael Cole interview in which Austin’s “What?” catchphrase really catches on. And the special features (all on the first disc) offer more insight into Austin’s unique character and sense of humor with interview segments about his concern over losing his hair (seems like the bald look worked well for him) to the origin of his finishing move, the Stunner.

Whether you watch it on its own or see it as a complement to The Legacy DVD set, The Bottom Line truly is all that needs to be said about Austin’s career. And I think anyone who sees it, including Stone Cold, would say so.

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