Check out this video, Dana White talking Toney vs Couture with legendary boxer ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson.
UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr
duane@bluraymma.com
In the words of Joe Rogan: Batista joins a bunch of savages
Now this picture is something that grabs my attention as a pro wrestling to MMA convert.
Pictured above is former WWE pro wrestling superstar Dave Batista, alongside the Caesar Gracie camp. Rumour has it muscle-bound freak Batista, who trained in BJJ and Muay Thai before leaving the sports entertainment world, is in talks with Scott Coker’s California based Strikeforce outfit.
A future possibility would be the match-up of Batista versus another former WWE heavyweight and current Strikeforce contracted fighter – Bobby Lashley. First impressions are of sceptisism, featuring 2 former WWE guys in a freak show fight. However after watching this video and seeing who he’s training with, it’s clear he’s focussed and taking the MMA switch seriously.
From Sherdog.com:
Scott Coker had stated that he would be interested to see the 41 year old matched up against former WWE star, and Army wrestler Bobby Lashley claiming that it would be a fun fight for the fans. Only time will tell how interested Batista is in competing in MMA at age 41 it is a little late to pick up the sport. It is yet to be seen if Batista will be able to handle all the hard work involved in becoming an MMA fighter.
UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr
duane@bluraymma.com
UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr
duane@bluraymma.com
Want to train with an MMA Icon? Here’s an amazing opportunity to learn from living legend that is Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell.
The former UFC Light-heavyweight champion arrives in the UK, Friday July 16, kicking off seminar tour in sunny Bournemouth – my home-town incidentally. The Iceman’s seminar tour is promoted by Fighters Inc, the team behind Britain’s no.1 martial arts expo Seni.
Bournemouth Seminar in association with Bulldog Ultimate Training Academy. Full details of the Bournemouth date plus the nationwide tour below:
London
Seminar at the brand new URBAN KINGS GYM – KINGS CROSS
Saturday 17th July
Call – 07961 867501 or Click here to book online
Coventry
Seminar in association Way Of The Spiritual Warrior
Sunday 18th July
Call – 02476 331239
Cork City, Ireland
Seminar in association with The Boxing Clinic
Tuesday 20th July
Call – 021- 4840627
Essex
Seminar in association with The MMA Clinic
Thursday 22nd July
Call – 0207 226 4731
Yorkshire
Seminar in association CNC Promotions
Friday 23rd July
Call – 07939 262880
Sheffield
Seminar in association withThe Marsden’s BJJ Self Defence Network
Saturday 24th July
Call – 07702 801695
London
An Evening with Chuck Liddell in association with The River Bar, Greenwich
Sunday 25th July
Call – 0208 853 4404
You can contact Fighters Inc for any further information on:
+44 (0) 845 125 9627 or info@fightersinc.net
Visit www.fightersinc.net/experience
Places are limited, unsuprisingly demand is high, so get in quick all you aspiring ultimate fighters.
UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr
duane@bluraymma.com
UFC 116: Lesnar vs Carwin
Huge heavyweight money match – Lesnar Vs Carwin has got everyone talking, making predictions for the highly anticipated title unification bout. Who is going walk out the octagon carrying the gold? Who are you betting to win it all?
There is no doubt it’s a tough one to call. ‘Vanilla Gorilla’ – Brock Lesnar is monstrous individual to tangle with, boasting overwhelming size and strength battling the likes of Randy Couture. Comparing Shane Carwin physically, he’s the nearest match in size to the former WWE superstar, not only that he’s got the wrestling to back it up.
It’s worthy of note Brock was an NCAA Division 1 heavyweight champion, whereas Carwin was a Division 2 Heavyweight champion. This could be difference maker for Brock. A difference maker for unbeaten Carwin is the heavyweight’s knock-out power.
Common opponent Frank Mir knows too well what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a Carwin uppercut. It’s fair to say as of yet Brock’s chin hasn’t been tested inside the cage, Carwin will be out to test it. If Lesnar can withstand Carwin’s punching power there is good chance he’ll win and a possibility the huge dude is superhuman!
Something I feel needs to be thrown in the equation is that Brock is still learning MMA. Despite being defending champ he’s had few mixed martial arts fights. Whilst training with the likes of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture has Lesnar added anything new to his arsenal yet to be seen?
Hit me back, commenting with your thoughts on Lesnar versus Carwin. If you like get involved on the BluRayMMA.com Facebook group or Twitter @Duane_BluRayMMA.
Complete advertised card:
Brock Lesnar vs Shane Carwin (Heavyweight title fight)
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs Wanderlei Silva – out replaced by Chris Leben
Matt Brown vs Chris Lytle
Stephan Bonnar vs Krzysztof Soszynski
Kurt Pellegrino vs George Sotiropoulos
Brendan Schaub vs Chris Tuchscherer+
Kendall Grove vs Goran Reljic+
Dave Branch vs. Gerald Harris*
Seth Petruzelli vs Ricardo Romero*
Julio Paulino vs Daniel Roberts*
Jon Madsen vs Karlos Vemola*
+SpikeTV Prelim
See the UFC 116 live this Saturday July 3, ESPN or pay per view in USA.
UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr
duane@bluraymma.com
UFC fighter Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson is to appear as a guest host on WWE Raw. He’ll be promoting brand new nostalgia flick A-Team, alongside fellow cast members. It’s doubtful the light-heavyweight contender will have the opportunity to promote the UFC in this role on the pro wrestling TV show.
Upcoming RAW hosts:May 31 – Ashton KutcherJune 7 – Bradley Cooper, Quinton Jackson and Sharito Copley (stars of The A-Team movie)June 14 – Mark Feuerstein (Royal Pains)From Meltzer.
Having recently reviewed WWE’s latest Hulk Hogan collection, I’m now going to take a look at their other attempt to promote a TNA star with Jeff Hardy, My Life, My Rules.
The Documentary
Against the backdrop of Hardy’s final match against C.M. Punk, the documentary looks at his final three year run in WWE. Hardy spoke openly about everything, including his two wellness policy violations and his three title reigns. There’s plenty of tributes from his fellow superstars, such as his brother Matt and long-time friends Shannon Moore and Gregory Helms, as well as the likes of Punk, John Cena and Triple H. However, Kayfabe is very much the order of the day here, especially when Hardy and Punk talk about their rivalry. It’s a little disappointing, considering the business is wide open these days.
The Matches
Disc 1
June 25, 1994: A very young Jeff faces Sean “1-2-3 Kid” Waltman on an edition of Superstars. It’s your basic squash match here. Jeff puts in a couple of moves, but it’s the Kid’s talents that are on display as he gets the submission win with what commentator Gorilla Monsoon describes as a pretzel.
April 2, 2000: The Hardy Boys, as well as Edge and Christian, challenge the Dudley Boys for the WWF Tag Team titles in the triangle ladder match at Wrestlemania. This three way feud for me was one of the highlights of the WWF back then, and this match was the match of the night in what was a rather lacklustre show. These six men were at the absolute top of their game, putting their bodies on the line with tons of big bumps, and in a foretelling of what was to come later, the Dudleys brought tables into the equation, although it backfired somewhat when Jeff put Bubba Ray through a table with a swanton off the big ladder in the aisle. It was Edge and Christian, though, who took the gold home, climbing the ladders and pushing Matt off the table that was perched between them before they grabbed the belts, beginning the era of awesomeness.
September 24, 2000: The Hardys challenge Edge and Christian for the WWF Tag Team titles in a steel cage match at Unforgiven. With the winner being decided by either pin fall or with both team members escaping the cage, this became a handicap match early on when Edge knocked Jeff off the top of the cage into the floor, eliminating him from the match. What followed was an extended period of double teaming from the champs on Matt, with chairs brought into the match by Christian, and Jeff getting back into the cage with a whisper in the wind off the top of the cage. The end came when both Hardys took Edge down with a con-chair-to on the top of the cage, climbing over the side to win the tag titles in what was a very good match.
July 12, 2001: Jeff challenges the late Mike Awesome for the Hardcore title on an episode of Smackdown during the Invasion angle. Awesome was the first alliance member to win a WWF title. A relatively short match, it’s a nice little title encounter with both guys putting in some good work, and Edge and Christian making a cameo appearance, taking out Awesome with a con-chair-to, with Hardy getting the title winning pin after a swanton from the top rope.
August 19, 2001: Jeff defends the Hardcore title against Rob Van Dam in a ladder match at Summerslam. These two had to go a ways to improve on their Invasion encounter, and they just about did it. Jeff and RVD were tailor-made for each other, with plenty of high flying and big bumps, as well as the ladder being used plenty of times. It made for a great spectacle, with RVD eventually climbing the ladder to retrieve the belt and regain the Hardcore title.
December 9, 2001: The first battle of the brothers on pay-per-view, as Jeff faced Matt at Vengeance, with Lita as special referee. I remember at the time it was widely reported that the powers that be weren’t too happy with this match, because it wasn’t the fast paced high flying encounter they wanted. But it’s inclusion in this collection obviously means that opinions have changed somewhat. For me it was a good, solid encounter, with the brothers showing that they can wrestler as well as flying around the ring, although there are moments when they do that, such as when Jeff took Matt out with the swanton and a slightly controversial pin, Jeff pulling Matt’s leg off the ropes as Lita made the three count. A different kind of Hardy match, but still good nonetheless.
February 17, 2003: Jeff teams with Shawn Michaels against Chris Jericho and Christian in a no disqualification match on Raw. It becomes a handicap match early on when Jericho and Christian handcuff Michaels to the ring. Michaels eventually gets the key off Jericho while Jeff is the proverbial punching bag in the ring. Hardy eventually recovers, and after Michaels kicked a steel chair into Jericho’s face Hardy got the pin after the swanton, ending an entertaining television encounter.
Disc 2
August 21, 2006: Jeff returns to Raw after his TNA stint to take on WWE Champion Edge. The two old rivals put on a quick and entertaining match, with Jeff almost getting the win after the swanton, as Lita helped her man by pulling Edge out of the ring. John Cena then arrived on the scene to attack the man who took the title from him the previous night at Summerslam. The bell rang, but no decision was announced, so I have no idea who won.
October 2, 2006: Jeff challenges Johnny Nitro for the Intercontinental title. The future John Morrison was another of those wrestlers Hardy had great chemistry with. Each guy pulled out their big moves in a match with plenty of back and forth action, with Hardy getting the title winning pin after back dropping Nitro from the top rope, sealing the deal with the Swanton.
April 29, 2007: The reformed Hardy Boys defend the World Tag Team titles against Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch at Backlash. You know, I always had a soft spot for Murdoch. He always reminded me of the tough guy wrestlers of years gone by. A vintage performance from the brothers here, picking up where they’d left off a few years before. We also got a good performance from Cade and Murdoch, and it was a shame they were split up, because their team showed so much promise. So these two very good teams gave us a very good match, a nice example of tag team wrestling, with matt getting the pin on Murdoch after Jeff took him out with the swanton, retaining the titles in the process.
July 16, 2007: Jeff faces Shelton Benjamin, Santino Marella and William Regal in a four way elimination match on Raw, with the winner getting a shot at the Intercontinental title. I’d forgotten just how good a wrestler Santino was since he became a comedy act, pulling off a few good moves before he was eliminated by Regal, who was later taken out by Hardy’s twist of fate. This left Jeff alone with Benjamin. Hardy managed to get the win, even after missing the swanton, pinning Benjamin with a roll-up. Some nice quick action here.
September 17, 2007: Hardy faces Benjamin again on Raw, this time in an Intercontinental title defence. Jeff went into this one still suffering from the after effects of a match against the Great Khali the previous week. This proved to be a really enjoyable contest between two guys at the peak of their powers. Benjamin was as solid as always, the perfect opponent for Hardy, with plenty of near finishes before Hardy pushed Benjamin from the top rope and retained the title after the swanton. An impressive outing for both men here.
December 10, 2007: Another Raw encounter, as Jeff defends the Intercontinental title against Carlito in a ladder match. While it’s not the best ladder match Hardy has been in it’s still very entertaining, with Carlito putting in a good performance when he actually seemed to care about his performances. There’s the usual big bumps and some nice use of the ladder, with Hardy knocking Carlito off the top of the ladder so he could grab the belt and retain the title.
December 16, 2007: Jeff faces Triple H at Armageddon, with the winner getting a shot at the WWE title at the Royal Rumble. This was touted as the biggest match of Hardy’s career, and featured a great storyline, with Jeff unwilling to take those extra steps early on until Triple H slapped him in the face and challenged him to fight. The Game dominated early on, before Hardy made his comeback and it became a more even affair. Then, the surprise came, as Hardy countered Triple H’s pedigree attempt with a roll-up to get the winning pin. Great match.
January 19, 2008: In the run-up to their Royal Rumble match, Jeff defends the Intercontinental title against WWE Champion Randy Orton. The actual match lasted just a matter of seconds when Orton was disqualified for kicking Hardy below the belt. We then got the brawl, with hardy countering Orton’s big kick attempt by back dropping him off the stage. Ever the daredevil, Hardy then climbed the scaffold, coming down on Orton with a swanton, with both men getting carried away on stretchers.
January 27, 2008: Hardy faces Orton again, this time for the WWE title at the Royal Rumble. Some of Orton’s matches can be as interesting as watching paint dry, but not this one. It’s a great match, with hardy going all out for the big prize, and Orton playing the heel to perfection. The end came out of nowhere, with Orton countering Hardy’s twist of fate attempt with the RKO for the pin fall victory.
February 11, 2008: Dream match time, as Jeff squares off against Shawn Michaels on an episode of Raw. This certainly lived up to expectations as Michaels and Hardy delivered a pay-per-view quality match, with tons of back and forth action, delivered by two of the top stars in the business. It really is a great match, with Hardy getting one of the biggest wins of his career, taking Michaels down with the twist of fate and closing the deal with the swanton.
Disc 3
June 1, 2008: Jeff takes on the late Umaga in a falls count anywhere match at One Night Stand: Extreme Rules. It’s a very good power versus speed battle which sees them battling around the building before making their way to the car park, with Hardy getting the win after taking Umaga out with a swanton from the top of a lorry. It made for a great spectacle, with obstacles put in the way so we couldn’t see either men “hit” the ground after they came off the lorry.
June 2, 2008: Jeff faces John Cena on an episode of Raw, with the winner getting a shot at the WWE title. There was a slight interruption at the beginning of this one when a fan jumped the barrier and got into the ring, with this guy getting a better crowd reaction than either Cena or Hardy. Some nice back and forth action here in this first time ever meeting, with Cena rolling through after Hardy’s cross body block off the top, taking Hardy down with the FU to get the winning pin.
July 4, 2008: Jeff faces an old rival as he takes on John Morrison on Smackdown. The Morrison here is a far more rounded athlete that he was the last time he faced Hardy, and it made for a far more entertaining encounter, an exciting back and forth affair between the two evenly matched wrestlers, with Hardy securing the win after the swanton. Great stuff here.
October 5, 2008: Jeff faces Triple H again, with the WWE title on the line at No Mercy. As with the Nitro/Morrison matches, it’s an improvement on the previous encounter, with an absolutely electric crowd. It really is a great match, a perfect advertisement for both men, with plenty of near falls, with Hardy almost getting the win after the swanton, only for the Game to counter his pin attempt with a reversal, ending an awesome match.
November 14, 2008: Jeff faces the Undertaker in an extreme rules match on Smackdown. These two had a great ladder match on Raw a few years before, and although this is a good match, and it’s well executed, it’s not a patch on that one. It’s a brawl which takes in the ringside area, with both men pulling off some good moves, and a brief cameo from the Big Show, who attacks both men before the Dead Man take shim out with a chair shot. The chair shots continued as Hardy takes out the Undertaker, getting the big win after a leg drop from the top of a ladder. It was good, and it served it’s purpose. That’s all.
December 14, 2008: Jeff, along with Triple H, challenges Edge for the WWE title in a triple threat match at Armageddon. This was an outstanding encounter, with three great performances and some very innovative spots, with the three way which saw Edge spearing Hardy through the announce table a thing of beauty. There were also cameo appearances from Jeff’s brother Matt and Vladimir Koslov, before Hardy broke up Triple H’s pin on Edge after a pedigree with a swanton, pinning Edge himself and winning his first WWE title.
March 29, 2009: Jeff faces Dolph Ziggler in an extreme rules match on Raw. This was a quick one. Ziggler got in a few licks, but Hardy quickly turned things round with two twist of fates, one on a rubbish bin and one on a steel chair, before finishing the match with the swanton. Not bad, bit I’m not sure if this match really needed to be on this collection.
April 10, 2009: Jeff continues his feud with his brother Matt in a stretcher match on Smackdown. I’m a little surprised that their Wrestlemania or I Quit matches weren’t included on this collection, but it’s still entertaining nonetheless, especially Jeff surfing down the ramp on a stretcher so he can take out Matt with a flying clothesline. Some nice use of the two stretchers here, with Jeff crashing into one of them with a missed swanton, and Matt pushing him up the ramp and over the finish line for the win.
July 26, 2009: Jeff challenges C.M. Punk for the World title at Night of Champions. The rivalry between these two was one of the best things in WWE last year, and this is a good example of the chemistry they had. Their different styles blended perfectly, and that’s what made this match so with Hardy kicking out after Punk’s GTS, and finally taking his man out with the swanton to get the title winning pin.
August 28, 2009: The final match of the collection, with Jeff facing Punk again, this time in a steel cage, with both Punk’s World title and their WWE careers on the line. This one started early with Punk attacking Hardy as he made his entrance. Once they got into the cage it was a fiercely intense battle, with both men coming close to victory on several occasions before Punk pushed Hardy off the top of the cage before he dropped to the arena floor to claim victory, ending Hardy’s WWE career at the same time. An awesome way to end this collection.
In conclusion – if you’ve been living in a cave and know nothing about Jeff Hardy’s career, then this three disc collection is the perfect way to acquaint yourself with the extreme enigma. Although all of the matches vary in how good they are, and the documentary segment is a little disappointing, they’re still a great advertisement for Hardy, and it’s ironic that WWE released this when they did. They obviously expected Hardy to return to their fold, instead of signing with TNA, and it will be interesting to see if he’s as successful in his second stint in TNA as he was in his last with WWE.
Jeff Hardy: My Life, My Rules can be purchased online by visiting www.silvervision.co.uk.
THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne – now in it’s 10th year!
E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com
Blog: www.myspace.com/twosheds316
Facebook: www.facebook.com/twosheds316 – add me as your friend!
Online Store: www.lulu.com/twosheds316 – download Anglo-Force & The Valkyrie Chronicles for FREE!
We here at BlurayMMA like to think of ourselves as a diverse bunch. While we enjoy mixed martial arts, we’re also big fans of professional wrestling, which is why we’re taking a look at this rather ironic release from World Wrestling Entertainment. It’s ironic because as Hulk Hogan made his first appearances for TNA, WWE decided to release yet another DVD compilation dedicated to the man, featuring rare and unreleased matches, entitled Hulk Hogan’s Unreleased Collector’s Series. So what is this three disc set like then? Well, that’s what I’m hoping to find out.
DISC 1
November 13, 1979: Hogan faces Harry Valdez, accompanied by his manager “Classy” Freddie Blassie. It’s basically a squash match against an unknown jobber on the WWF’s Championship Wrestling programme. Hogan throws him around for a few minutes before getting the submission win with an over the shoulder back breaker. Vince McMahon interviews Hogan and Blassie after the match as they go into basic promo mode. A good way of getting the newcomer over.
April 12, 1980: Hogan challenges Bob Backlund for the WWF title in Philadelphia. This is a perfect example of the style of wrestling back then. In no way could anyone get away with applying a side headlock for ten minutes these days. It’s a good old fashioned back and forth encounter lasting about thirty minutes, with Backlund frustrating Hogan early on by using his amateur wrestling skills to counter Hogan’s strength advantage. Hogan’s power came into play later. An exchange of airplane spins would see both men tumble out of the ring. Backlund then went for another spin at ringside, pushing Hogan back into the ring before falling to the ground because of dizziness. This proved costly for the champion as Hogan gained the count out win, but not the title. If matches were like this today the internet marks would pull their hair our. Me, I thought it was great.
September 10, 1980: Hogan takes on Steve King and Angelo Gomez on an episode of All Star Wrestling. It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book here, putting your monster heel against two jobbers to get him over. It’s the same as the previous squash match, with Hogan beating the hell out of the jobbers before pinning them both at the same time after taking them both down with back breakers.
September 22, 1980: Hogan tackles Andre the Giant at Madison Square Garden, with Gorilla Monsoon as special referee. Of course, this was some years before Andre’s health problems took their toll, and in many ways this match is far superior to their Wrestlemania III encounter. It’s essentially a test of power and strength between the two big men, with Hogan proving to be Andre’s most difficult opponent at that point in his career. Andrew came out on top here. Having body slammed the Giant once, Hogan went to the well again, but the second body slam attempt failed as the Giant came crashing down on him, with Monsoon making the fast three count. Another good match.
May 2, 1981: Hogan takes on AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkle and his manager Bobby Heenan in a handicap match. Hogan went to the AWA after Vince McMahon Senior fired him for wanting to appear in Rocky III, although, naturally, our voice over man doesn’t mention this. Hogan by now is a beloved fan favourite, while Bockwinkle and Heenan are great in their roles as cowardly heels who try everything in the book to take the Hulkster down, including choking him with foreign objects and removing turnbuckle pads. Hogan manages to overcome the odds and eventually pins Bockwinkle after the big boot/leg drop combination. Another good match, and it’s also interesting to see how different the AWA style was compared to that of the WWF.
April 26, 1986: Forward five years, and Hogan is back in WWF territory, facing a man who would become a perennial foe and ally – “Macho Man” Randy Savage, two years before the formation of the Mega-Powers and three years before their classic at Wrestlemania V. These two always had great chemistry in the ring, and never more so than in this match. Savage was at his villainous best here, using every trick he could get away with, including using his manager Elizabeth as a human shield. It wasn’t Savage’s night though. Hogan kicked out of the pin after Savage’s top rope elbow, and sent the Macho Man running for cover after the big boot. Savage went for a second big elbow, but Hogan raised his foot and caught Savage in the jaw. Hogan got the title retaining pin, but Savage was done, attacking Hogan after the bell and running off with the title belt, with the Hulkster regaining his prize moments later.
May 4, 1986: Hogan teams with the Junkyard Dog to take on King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. The first tag match of the collection is an entertaining affair with an absolutely white hot crowd. Hogan does what Bobby Heenan says is impossible by body slamming the two big men, costing Heenan a few thousand dollars in the process. The Dog does his part for the team, as Heenan gets his man disqualified just as Hogan is about to pin Studd after the big leg drop. Heenan’s night wasn’t over there, as he was accidentally on the receiving end of a Bundy avalanche.
June 26, 1987: Hogan takes on another monster as he defends his WWF title against the Ugandan giant, Kamala, in Houston. Kamala was one of the hottest stars in the WWF at the time, so it seemed natural to put him in the ring with Hogan. It’s a relatively short match, but still entertaining as Kamala controlled most of the action before Hogan kicked out of the pin after the big splash, getting his own pin after the body slam/leg drop combination. More action followed as Kamala’s handler Kim Chee and manager Mr. Fuji were sent running for cover after a failed post-match attack.
September 12, 1987: Hogan faces Killer Khan at the Boston Gardens. This is actually the first time I’ve seen Khan in action, and this guy looked pretty impressive. Khan took the referee out early on with the dreaded green mist, and his replacement was pretty lenient when he let Hogan clobber Khan with a chair. The Killer, with repeated interference from his manager Mr. Fuji, came close to getting the win, until Hogan kicked out after Khan’s knee drop to get the winning pin after his patented leg drop.
DISC 2
December 5, 1987: Another match from Philadelphia as Hogan squares off against the One Man Gang. For me the Gang was one of the best big men of that era, sadly later saddled with the awful African Dream gimmick. This is a nice example of the Gang’s work here as he works over the Hulkster’s back, before Hogan made the inevitable comeback, sealing the win after body slamming the big man and finishing him off with the leg drop, getting in a few licks on the Gang’s manager Slick for good measure. There’s also a brief appearance from Andre the Giant as he stares at Hogan from ringside.
January 9, 1988: A return to the Boston Gardens sees Hogan defending the WWF title against one of the unsung greats of wrestling, “Ravishing” Rick Rude. Before the match begins Rude and his manager Bobby Heenan challenged Hogan to an arm wrestling match, which Hogan promptly wins a few minutes in. From there Rude more or less dominates, even clobbering the Hulkster with a wooden chair while the Brain distracted the referee. Hogan then makes his comeback, kicking out of a pin after a top rope fist drop, before finishing Rude off with the leg drop. If there was one thing that Rick Rude was good at it was making his opponents look great, and her certainly did that job here.
March 12, 1988: Maple Leaf Wrestling action as Hogan teams with Bam Bam Bigelow against “The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase and Virgil, who have Andre the Giant in their corner. Of course, Hogan isn’t the WWF Champion here, having “lost” the belt to the Giant in the controversial double referee angle. Bigelow and Dibiase were at their best in this one, putting in great performances. Even Virgil didn’t look too bad as he got his licks in. The bodyguard took the fall here, and this time it was Bigelow who got the pin after his big splash, although Hogan did get in his leg drop for good measure. The Giant got a few head butts in after the match as well.
October 16, 1988: Hogan’s in Los Angeles, and he’s then to take on royalty in the form of King Haku. Like his stable mate Rick Rude, Haku was great at making his opponents look great, and it’s the case with this match. Haku was in the best shape of his career as he really took it to the Hulkster. The King nearly got the count out win, but he stopped the referee’s count. The Hulkster mounted his comeback and got the pin after the leg drop. He also sent Bobby Heenan packing for good measure.
December 17, 1988: Another trip to L.A. sees Hogan square off against the Big Boss Man. This one started off on the arena floor, because the Boss Man kept threatening Hogan with his nightstick whenever he tried to get into the ring. When the action eventually got to the ring Slick tried to interfere, which resulted in the Doctor of Style getting handcuffed to the ring, until his charge managed to release him. The Boss Man really took it to our hero, with Hogan hulking up after kicking out of the Boss Man’s pin. However, he soon found himself handcuffed after another ringside brawl. Hogan would later break the cuffs, before getting the pin on the Boss Man after the trademark leg drop. I really enjoyed this one, mainly because it followed a slightly different formula.
June 3, 1989: Hogan once again takes on Randy Savage, but this time it’s after the explosion of the Mega-Powers team, and Savage is now managed by Sensational Sherri. It’s another example of the great chemistry Hogan and Savage had, with Sherri adding the kind of variety that Miss Elizabeth never had. These two go through their usual routine, but vary it at the end, with a brawl at ringside that sees Savage getting back in the ring just in time to beat the count. Savage and Sherri then grab the title belt, but are sent packing by the Hulkster. Out of all the matches I’ve seen between these two over the years this is one of the best.
April 30, 1990: Having lost the WWF title to the Ultimate Warrior, Hogan moves on to his next foe at Madison Square Garden, the massive Earthquake. I presume that this was before the angle on the Brother Love Show where Earthquake took out Hogan and put him on the shelf until that year’s Summerslam (or so he could go off and make one of those bloody awful films.) It’s actually a relatively short match, and quite early in Earthquake’s WWF career, with Hogan kicking out of the sit down splash, and getting the disqualification win when Jimmy Hart broke up Hogan’s pin attempt. A good match, but it lacked the drama and atmosphere of their Summerslam encounter.
April 24, 1991: In one of the most controversial angles of WWE history, Hogan defends the WWF title against Sgt. Slaughter in London. It was controversial because Slaughter declared allegiance to Saddam Hussein during the first Gulf War. Now say what you want about the angle, but these two had some really heated matches. The action was crisp, with some of Slaughter’s corner bumps looking brutal. Slaughter, with the aid of his commanding officer General Adnan, tried all the dirty tricks in the book, including using a chair while the referee was taking a snooze. The official woke up just after Adnan accidentally threw powder into Slaughter’s eyes, giving Hogan the chance to get the pin after the trusty old leg drop. This one may have been better than their Wrestlemania VII encounter.
December 29, 1991: The dream match that fans around the world had waited years for, as Hogan faced Ric Flair at Madison Square Harden. No titles on the line in this one, as the WWF title had been held up after the controversial Hogan/Undertaker match a few weeks earlier. Hogan more or less dominates this one, even using the figure four leg lock at one point. Flair managed to get in a few shots, but it’s Hogan who gets the win via count out after one of the many ringside exchanges. It was okay I suppose, but I was surprised at how little offence Flair got in.
DISC 3
May 21, 1995: It’s on to WCW territory next, as Hogan teams with Randy Savage against Ric Flair and Vader at Slamboree. I always thought that WCW handled the Hogan/Flair feud a lot better than their WWF counterparts. This is actually a very good match, with both teams putting in great performances. I kind of forgot how good Vader was, my memories of him having been tarnished a little by his last WWE appearance. Mention must also be made of the ringside brawl between Arn Anderson and fake Ultimate Warrior Renegade. Hogan got the pin for his team in this one, taking care of Flair with the leg drop after Anderson’s attempted interference backfired. There was also an interesting cameo here, as the man who would later become the Big Show made his first WCW appearance, observing part of the match from the entrance.
July 16, 1995: Once again Hogan faces Vader, this time in a steel cage, and with the WCW title on the line at the open air Bash at the Beach. No technical Masterclass here, it’s basically two big guys beating the hell out of each other, throwing each other into the cage whenever they can. Once again Vader puts on a good show, and Hogan manages to Bodyslam him at the third attempt, and with Dennis Rodman stopping Kevin Sullivan and the man with a thousand gimmicks Ed “Zodiac” Leslie from entering the cage, Hogan retained the title by knocking Vader off the top rope and climbing over the cage to the floor. A good enough match, but bumping on a mat constantly exposed to blazing sunshine must have been a right pain in the you know where.
November 20, 1995: On an edition of Monday Nitro, Hogan teases a heel turn, wearing black and taking on Sting for the first time. Yep, WCW gave away a massive match like this for free. It’s a kind of pre-cursor to what happened the following year, and it’s a far superior match to their much hyped Starrcade encounter two years later. It’s a great back and forth affair, with Hogan missing the leg drop, and Sting locking in the Scorpion Death lock before the Dungeon of Doom stormed the ring and the Giant cleaned house, before he was sent packing by a chair shot from Hogan and Sting. An example of the Monday night wars at their finest.
January 25, 1997: Now in full heel mode as the leader of the New World Order, Hogan defends the WCW title against the Giant at the NWO’s only pay-per-view, Souled Out. The heel version of Hogan is a far more aggressive beast, and he bends and breaks any rule he can. As for the Giant, it’s a good performance from the big man, but he’s a hell of a lot more agile in this match than he is today, as was evident with his top rope elbow attempt. Now, if you’ve been used to Hogan kicking out of finishers, you’ll find it odd to see the Giant kicking out after the big leg drop, taking Hogan out with a choke slam. The Giant didn’t get the title winning pin though, as referee Nick Patrick kept stopping his count. The big guy went ballistic, choke slamming several NWO members until Hogan clobbered him with a guitar that Eric Bischoff had given him. A chair shot took the Giant out completely, with Hogan finishing the job with his trusty can of spray paint, ending a nice piece of action.
September 28, 1988: In another match that should have been on pay-per-view, Hogan faced Bret “Hitman” Hart for the first time ever. Now this is a strange and somewhat disappointing one. Hogan begins the match matching the Hitman hold for hold, but when Hogan centres his attack on Hart’s already injured knee, NWO Wolfpac members Sting, Lex Luger and Konnan stop Hart from continuing, with Sting replacing Hart while the Hitman is carried away on a stretcher by Luger and Konnan. So while Sting is facing Hogan, NWO Black & White members Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell attack Luger and Konnan backstage, and sent Hart back to the ring, and just as Sting has Hogan in the Death lock, Hart takes him out with a DDT, turning heel as Sting is taken out. This match could have been so much more if it wasn’t for the overbooked angle, and it’s a shame that fans didn’t get what they really wanted.
May 13, 2002: Back in WWE territory, and back in the red and yellow, Hogan defends the WWE title against his old rival and then-owner Ric Flair on an edition of Raw. Quite a short match here, and despite the advancing years of those involved, as well as a couple of dodgy moments, it’s still quite an entertaining encounter, with Hogan using the figure four against the Nature Boy again, before we get a brawl involving NWO members X-Pac and the Big Show against Bradshaw. The ending saw none other than Steve Austin taking Flair out with a Stunner, and Hogan getting the pin after the big leg drop.
June 6, 2002: Having lost the title to the Undertaker, Hogan faces Triple H for the number one contenders spot on an episode of Smackdown. An entertaining affair, with some ringside brawling, the use of the old Savage sleeper spot, and the countering of finishers until the Game got the winning pin after finally taking Hogan down with the Pedigree. Hogan then sealed the deal by calling Triple H back into the ring and shaking his hand, before the inevitable pose down.
July 11, 2002: Hogan teams with lifelong fan Edge to defend their newly won WWE Tag Team titles against former champions Billy and Chuck, once again on Smackdown. The quickest match of the collection sees the former champions, ably assisted by their stylist Rico, use Edge as a punching bag before Hogan comes in and cleans house, getting the title retaining pin on Billy with the big leg drop. Entertaining, but I would have chosen the match these teams had the week before.
August 1, 2002: The final match of the collection also comes from Smackdown, as Hogan faces Olympic hero Kurt Angle. Angle is one of those guys who can draw a good match out of anyone, and his encounters with Hogan were probably the best matches the Hulkster had during his WWE return. It’s the best match of the collection between two unique storytellers, with both men pulling out all of their signature moves, combined with referee bump and failed interference from Brock Lesnar, with Hogan getting the disqualification win after Angle clobbered him with a chair just as the referee recovered. The fight between Hogan and Angle continued after the bell, with Hogan getting the upper hand until Lesnar got back into the ring and took the Hulkster down with the F5.
Disc 3 is where you’ll find the special features, various promos from throughout the Hulkster’s career in WWE and WCW.
In conclusion – it took me three nights, but I finally got through this massive collection. While some of the matches, in particular those from the mid-to-late 80’s, follow the same formulaic script, all of the matches chosen for this collection are a fitting tribute to arguably the greatest star the wrestling business has ever seen, and it’s definitely worth adding to your collection. But now that I’ve watched this thing in it’s entirety, it now seems even more ironic that WWE are paying tribute to one of the men now at the helm of their biggest rival. What are they going to do next? A collection paying tribute to other wrestlers who have recently jumped ship?
Oh wait…Jeff Hardy…..
Hulk Hogan’s Unreleased Collectors Series is available to buy online at www.silvervision.co.uk.
Last Woman Standing - bbc3
Five female athletes from the UK travel across the globe, live with tribes and remote peoples, and take on local women in some extremely difficult and indigenous sports – all wanting to be the Last Woman Standing – in a new series on BBC Three.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qr4sw
- Not actually a programme about mixed martial arts but I’m sure it will appeal to martial arts enthusiasts and combat sport fans. The first episode aired this past Tuesday night, view again on the bbc iplayer.
The appeal of the series is the combination of following the competitors battle it out along with learning about unusual sports from remote parts of the world.
With so much naked Amazonian flesh on display it didn’t take long to get desensitised to all the bare chested Rain Forest natives. During the Amazonian wrestling you could win by grabbing a leg, I’m amazed none of the women grabbed a boob by mistake! Would you receive a public warning for that?
Tough girl-boxer Lesley started off well in the Huka Huka Wrestling but the last woman standing this week was Joni. I can see Lesley making a come back as the 6 part series progresses.
Previous bbc3 reality TV series Last Man Standing was excellent viewing, judging by episode 1 this new show will live up to expectations set by the men.
Next week:
Xavantes Log Race – Mato Grosso, Brazil
A relay race like no other, the Xavantes log race is an exhausting competition between the tribe. Men and women compete separately in “log races” in which teams of runners hold logs on their shoulders and pass them to one another. Two teams are selected and each of the athletes will have to earn their place in the team. This game will be played out in the blistering Brazilian heat and will be a true test of the athletes’ strength and stamina.
UFC & MMA blog by Duane Farr
duane@bluraymma.com
UFC 100 - now available on DVD
Back on July 11th 2009 took place the Zuffa brand’s monumental hundredth numbered event. I remember the weekend well having timed my Sky + installation so I had no fear of missing this epic card. The biggest bonus of all the UFC treated those with Sky to the PPV card for free, on an obscure horse racing channel, despite all the Setanta debacle plus hours of extra UFC viewing thrown to boot.
UFC 100 was truly something special, drawing in the punters via a hat-trick of marquee match-ups. Making up that trifecta were all highly anticipated fights 2 of which were contesting over championship title ownership.
Team USA coach Dan ‘Hendo’ Henderson versus rival TUF 9 rival, our very own Mike ‘The Count’ Bisping was a fight the fans on both sides of the pond were eager to see, having followed the middleweight contenders coach their nation’s team each week on the MMA reality TV show – The Ultimate Fighter: US vs UK. The outcome of their middleweight showdown was not what I and most British fans hoped for, Bisping was not the best man on the night. Despite the loss for Bisping the bigger disappointment was the way Henderson dived in fist first when his opponent was clearly out of it. It was a brutal move, not good for the sport of MMA, neither was his reaction post fight. If Brit Bisping acted in the same manner smirking, acting all cocky the American crowd would have reacted in a far different way but hey, Mike is the British villain.
The second reason for buying this collectors DVD is Georges ‘Rush’ St Pierre successfully defending his welterweight crown versus Thiago Alves, in gruelling 5 round battle of wills.
The hugest history making moment, making up the third part of the triple main event at the top of the card was the most highly anticipated heavyweight title clash between former pro wrestler Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir. Lesnar solidified his thrown, sitting at the top of the UFC heavyweight division, dominating Mir in brutal style, thus avenging his only MMA loss. In the process he shut up Mir and all the doubters.
Disc 2 includes 6 preliminary fights, including UFC hall of famer Mark ‘The Hammer’ Coleman in action against The Ultimate Fighter 1 light-heavyweight finalist Stephan Bonnar. 44 year old Coleman proves he can still do it versus a man 12 years his junior in this bonus bout. Further bonus material includes Countdown to UFC 100 plus UFC 100: Behind The Scenes.
UFC 100: Making History is a must have DVD, however it is just a shame they chose to edit some of the post fight interviews and octagon entrances from the live recording. Plus a hall of fame induction ceremony, announcing the new inductees would have completed the package. In the world of pro wrestling the WWE make a huge deal of their Hall of Fame inductions annually at the weekend of Wrestlemania, the UFC would do well to do similar, I’m sure the fight fans would love it.