Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17574 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-01-24
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 366 minutes

Synopsis
An insight into Extreme Championship Wrestling, featuring former stars such as Steve Austin, Rob Van Dam, Rey Misterio, Tazz and The Dudleys.

Customer Reviews

Eulogy Cynically Worked
Before we go any further, it must be noted that the fully title of this DVD is WWE Presents: The Rise and Fall of ECW. In other words, it isn't a genuine ECW production so there will be too much emphasis on WWF/E wrestlers and people who were never involved with the product, such as Jim Ross and Eric Bischoff, and the sort of production that ECW wasn't about.

This is a problem that comes up time and again throughout, such as showing a clip of Bischoff's first night on Raw when talking about how unlikely some events were, which also assumes the viewer can't pay attention for two minutes. There's also the problem that everything has to be in five minute chapters, be it the segments on Raven, The Sandman, Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk, The Dudleys, the bWo or Cactus Jack, the very first pay per view, the NWA title double-cross or the New Jack/Mass Transit incident. In other words, the three year long feud between Raven and Tommy Dreamer gets as much coverage (in fact less) than Paul Heyman as announcer on Raw. This happens time and again and gets very annoying as it skews the whole story of ECW as much as how they miss key details - they only have Mikey Whipwreck in his early days, not latter ECW where he was anything other than the Crash Holly template, for instance.

However, the people they get in to talk about ECW gives a lot of insight and detail, and not always intentionally. The main bonus is Paul Heyman talking about everything that went into ECW and what he was giving every day to keep it running, and a lot of his opinions about rival companies and the wrestling business, reminding us why it's a damn shame all he's done in WWE recently is manage Heidenreich. Tommy Dreamer also gives a lot of insight, as do Taz and Buh Buh Ray Dudley (I'm using the ECW spellings, OK?), and Chris Jericho is also entertaining when interviewed. However, all the interviewees are on WWE contract, so it misses a lot of insight - for example, Raven has spoken about ECW in shoot interviews, yet wasn't included.

On the other side, the rivals also get a forum, which says plenty without them saying it. Eric Bischoff comes across as a real slimeball, Jerry Lawler even worse (and anyone who's watched Memphis Wrestling on The Wrestling Channel will agree he shouldn't comment about other federations and their quality without watching his), but the pick of the bunch is Vince McMahon himself. Your jaw will drop when he says that he was surprised that ECW collapsed having stolen their World and Tag Team champions (Taz and The Dudleys), so I guess that he's also surprised when all the top wrestlers on Smackdown go to Raw, the former show suffers?

Yet the problem that comes over is that the DVD is selectively edited, and much of it is clearly cobbled together from the Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero DVDs. For example, they try and make out that in the last year or so of ECW, only Rob Van Dam was keeping the show together - in other words, writing out the contributions of Rhino, Jerry Lynn, Steve Corino and Justin Credible, and also make out Steve Austin was actually bigger in the promotion that he actually was.

This pro WWE angle is continued in some of the matches on disco two. For example, the Mikey Whipwreck/Sandman match is only included as Austin cuts a promo at the start of the match and Cactus Jack comes out at the end and Raven/Dreamer due to Jerry Lawler's appearance. Yes, there are some great matches there, Sabu/2 Cold Scorpio is worth watching, and the RVD/Jerry Lynn match is a classic, albeit already available on the Extreme Evolution collection, which many ECW fans will already own. Also, the second commentaries aren't that much - Dreamer and Jonathan Coachman on the Raven/Dreamer match is appalling, RVD and Michael Cole on the RVD/Lynn match average, but Taz and Cole on Taz/Bam Bam Bigelow (with the breaking ring spot) is not bad, but all in all you should stick with Joey Styles anyway. There's also a few interesting stories that didn't make the main disc from Taz, Jericho and Stevie Richards, all of which are more insightful than whatever Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross think they're contributing.

In the end, this set has a lot of things to recommend about it, but only the material that isn't being WWE'd into submission, most notably Paul Heyman's huge contribution that's honest, uncensored and from the heart and soul, but as soon as a member of WWE or WCW management come along to contribute, they try and make the product look lesser to the McMahon empire, which says all you need to know about the people running the show, and indeed the ECW One Night Stand.

However, the last thing to remember is that the respect they pay to ECW is as such that the title menu theme is now accompanying Matt Morgan to the ring. Again, what isn't said is all the more interesting.

THE TURE ECW LOOK
Disc 1

This is a no holds barred look at the wrestling company that changed the landscape of wrestling for good. In a near 3 Hours Documentary (Yes 3 Full Hours) Paul Heyman, Tommy Dreamer, Nunzio, Rhino, Vince Mcmahon, Mick Foley and Others talk about the 8 years Paul E run the company and push the envlope so far - Feauting the High points like Barley Legal the company first PPV, creating The BWO, making people like Raven, Tommy Dreamer, RVD, Sabu, Al Snow, Public Enemy, Micky Whipwreck and others and the fan suppor and loyalty to the ECW brand. It also talks about Low Points the death of an underage kid - 17 he was - (Which cost them the Barely Legal PPV for a while.) , The crucifixion which angered guest Kurt Angle. Going national on tv and losing Taz and the Dudleys to the WWE, and it slow painful death with fans who still care for the company. Your Laugh, Cry, wonder how the WCW Eric Bischoff got on this DVD - (I wish Bischoff would say he did nick alot of ECW stuff.) Your see the most personal shoot promo ever and Paul Heyman debut on WWE Raw. But that only half of this 2Disc set covered.

Disc 2

The Matches

Match 1 - The ECW Tag team Titles
Raven And Stevie Richards (C) VS The Pitbulls
8/10
A bloody match featuing a Dreamer attack, A catfight and the biggest SuperPowerbomb Ever.

Match 2
Rey Mysterio Jr VS Psicosis 2/3 Falls Match
8/10
A great rivalry taken to the Exterme.

Match 3 The ECW Title Match - Ladder Match
Micky Whipwreck VS The Sandman (C)
7/10
It gets this becuse of Steve Austin great Promo
A different kind of Ladder match.

Match 4 The ECW TV Title Match
Sabu VS 2 Cold Scorpio (C)
9 1/2/10
A 30 Minute Wresting Classic as 2 of the best high flyers collide watch out for SABU sick table move.

Match 5 - Feauting Alt Commentary with Dreamer and Coach
Tommy Dreamer VS Raven
9/10
The last great battle in this rivalry with Jerry Lawler coming to the ECW Arena at the end and nearly causing a riot.

Match 6 - The ECW TV Title Feauting Alt Commentary with Michael Cole and Taz
Taz (C) VS Bam Bam Bigelow
8/10
Bigelow in front of his home town crowd look to beat Taz - (the answer to Taz question at the end of the Alt Commentary is Dayton Ohio Heatwave 98 that was his next match with Bigelow.)

Match 7 The ECW TV Title Feauting Alt Commentary with Michael Cole and Rob Van Dam The Whole F'N Show.
Rob Van Dam VS Jerry Lynn
10/10
The Best Match on this DVD and Proof that the WWE is underusing RVD as Mr PPV and Jerry Lynn tear the house down in a epic match up.

There also piece from Stevie Richards,Chris Jerchio and Taz.

This is a DVD ever Wrestling fan should own. ECW will live forever in my Heart as a Wrestling fan and if a see an ECW wreslter at a show I will proudly chant ECW! ECW! ECW!.

ECW! ECW! ECW! EC...well you get the idea
The nineties was a very important time in the history of wrestling for many reasons. One of the main ones being the epic war between the major companies, WWE and WCW. Both were the big two wrestling organisations that warred for supremacy, but out there, there was another organisation that was also included in the war, making the `big two' the `big three'. Extreme Championship Wrestling.

Back in the days when WWE, WCW and ECW were all around, I loved WWE and hated WCW. I didn't pay any attention to ECW, simply because I couldn't. Having only terrestrial television at the time, to view ECW wasn't an option. The only thing that I knew was that guys like Tazz, the Dudley Boyz, Raven, Rob Van Dam and a handful of others originated from this organization, that was reputed to be very violent and totally unlike the other two companies.

With the Rise and Fall of ECW out on DVD, and hearing about its success, it was only logical to grab a copy of it myself and take a history lesson. Little did I know what a long, in-depth, compelling lesson I'd be letting myself in for.

The whole documentary is easily longer than any documentary WWE has ever produced, spanning nearly three hours, and covering all the essential things that need to be known about ECW's decade long run. Paul Heyman, the mastermind behind this revolutionary phenomenon, talks about the transformation from its original incarnation of Eastern Championship Wrestling to what it ultimately became. Highlighted in the documentary are the stars that made it a huge success, including the late great Public Enemy, Tazz, Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, Raven, Mikey Whipwreck, the Dudley Boyz, the Sandman, Cactus Jack and Rob Van Dam.

Many of the former ECW stars interviewed provide a very informative insight into the atmosphere of the company, views on Paul Heyman, and some of the most spectacular rivalries, matches and storylines that put ECW on top. For someone who didn't really know what ECW was about, I was shocked and amazed by the things that they did. If you thought WWE were the masters of controversy, you will quickly discover that ECW ate, drank, breathed and lived controversy, doing all sorts of things that WWE and WCW were afraid to do when sports-entertainment (at that time) was still more aimed at family audiences.

The documentary is very open about a lot of stuff, more so than WWE documentaries are known to be. For instance, no one is afraid to swear or to let the world know what they think about this and that. Vince McMahon is very respective of Paul Heyman and ECW for commendable and realistic reasons, whereas Eric Bischoff and Jerry `The King' Lawler do not hesitate in criticising and bad mouthing ECW. Paul Heyman, likewise, is not ashamed to let the world feel about how he feels about Eric Bischoff and WCW management.

Hearing about all the struggles of ECW speaks highly of the organization, in my opinion. Considering they had little to no money, they were able to survive losing a lot of talent, a frightening incident involving an underage replacement wrestler, and a battle against multi-million corporations to get on pay-per-view and national television. Incredibly loyal wrestlers and an equally loyal, cult-like fanbase allowed it to make the most of their positives and hide their negatives, resulting in an innovative and outstanding organisation that helped the wrestling business evolve for the better.

Watching this makes you think that if it hadn't been for ECW, then guys like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, the late great Eddie Guerrero, Rob Van Dam, Rey Mysterio and the Dudley Boyz may never have achieved the legendary status that they earned in WWE. It also makes you wonder why guys like Rhino, Raven, Tommy Dreamer and a handful of others were never really given the opportunity that they deserved.

But while there was a great deal of quality within ECW, there was a lot of negatives that ultimately spelt its doom, such as mismanagement, financial difficulties and obviously, the sheer reluctance to change gears and go beyond the one-dimensional ultra violence and highly-adult content. More often than not, you tend to see ECW matches with no psychology, no story being told, just a messy brawl with chaotic spot after chaotic spot, ultimately making it second-rate to WWE's product.

Still, the Rise and Fall of ECW is a virtually faultless purchase, extensively covering one of the most talked-about wrestling promotions of all time, and providing many insights into a company that contributed more to the business than the majority of people realise.
The first disc features the documentary in its entirety and the second disc features the traditional matches, ranging from a terrible ECW tag title match, an okay ladder match, an entertaining feud-ending battle between Raven and Tommy Dreamer, an awesome 2-out-of-3 encounter between Rey Mysterio and Psychosis, and a phenomenal ECW TV title match between Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn. Plus alternate commentary with some of the match participants, and a few extra interviews with Tazz, Chris Jericho and Stevie Richards.

For die-hard fans of ECW, this DVD is simply a must-have. It won't disappoint any hardcore fanatic. For those WWE fans (like me) who have never entered the world of Extreme Championship Wrestling before, I highly recommend purchase of this. In fact, it's mandatory. The Rise and Fall of ECW is expertly put together and is unquestionably a cracking presentation for all wrestling fans and historians alike.