An interesting 3 DVD set of almost
6 hours. For wrestling historians and for those tired of the WWE or
TNA
stuff, this is for you at only $15, including mailing in the USA. The
focus of the DVD is the overlooked Arizona Territory, which was one of the
bloodiest and most violent in wrestling. They were hardcore-wrestling before
ECW.
Quality of the matches and the
footage varies from match to match as some of this was even taken off of
rare 8mm movie film, which makes for a slight flicker in the screen, but
provides stuff you just do not see anywhere else. Keep in mind this stuff
is OLD in a lot of cases. The material is so rare and so offbeat it does
not matter.
Off 8mm one sees some rare behind
the scenes footage, such as a pool party in the 1970s where the wrestlers
all evidently get drunk and start to dropkick each other into a swimming
pool. There is also some old, but somewhat dark footage showing the late
Buddy Rogers sin all his strutting glory, facing down Hans Schmidt in what
must have been a Battle of Villains.
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Other matches taken from video or
old TV tape include Cowboy Bob Ellis & Tito Montez vs. Fred Williams
& Spike Jones, Stephen de Leon vs. Tim Tall Tree, Jody Arnold vs. John
Ringer, Renegado vs. Silver Fox in a particularly bloody bout, Medico vs.
The Ranger, Medico & Tormento vs. The Desperadoes, Time Traveler vs.
Galeno, Time Traveler vs. Spike Canutillo in an especially violent brawl
with 90 percent of the action outside the ring, Henry Puluso vs. Ray
Gordon, Kilo Torres vs. John Shane, Chuck Karbo vs., Eddie Lopez, Jody
Arnold vs. The Lumberjack, CC
Starr vs. Section 8, The Klansman vs. Navajo Kid, Sergeant Shultz vs.
Thrillseeker, Tec 9 vs. Navajo Kid, The Soviet vs. Super Chicano, Jack
Stud vs. Guerrero Azteca, Gamara and Rodan
vs. Section 8 and Mamba, plus more.
There is also lengthy footage of a big fan fest of
some sort in Phoenix, with older wrestlers telling a load of
stories, most of which present listeners cannot be too sure about. How
much is truth and how much is bullshit, just like wrestling itself, may be
disputed.
There is also a fairly long segment depicting wrestlers Cowboy Bob
Kelly and Eddie Sullivan not in wrestling, but shooting the film Gunfight
in Tombstone. This short left a lot to be desired and might gave even made
Ed Wood productions look good when stacked next to each other.
We have been spared a rendition of the actual movie on this tape.
The behind the scenes footage shot with a camera is better. Seeing the
burly Eddie Sullivan, who passed away from a rampant diabetic condition
about a decade ago, as the supposedly dying and consumptive Doc Holiday
just does not jive. Likewise, he wears a fake goatee that frankly, looks
like a vagina, on his face.
The wrestling in this DVD marathon
is not always great, but is a far cry better than a lot of what is seen on
TV with the big promotions any more. It is also great for history buffs or
those looking for a change in pace.
The only problem is some of the
major mainstays such as The Comancheros, Don Kent, Dion Arnold, Bobby
Jaggers, the Funks, Thesz, Rocca and Woody farmer were excluded in this.
Could be a sequel is planned or could even be no Arizona footage survives
to put on a production.
For information on this DVD and
many others produced economically by the same company, go to http://www.prowrestlingdvds.com
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