• Home
  • Movies
  • Music
  • TV
  • Video Games
  • Wrestling
  • Topics
  • Latest Comments on Cult of Whatever
Search
Cult of Whatever logo
  • Movies
    Featured
    • The Living Daylights: Timothy Dalton as James Bond

      The Living Daylights is still awesome, thirty-five years later

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 28, 2022
      Movie Blogs
    Recent
    • Lethal Weapon: Danny Glover and Mel Gibson as Roger Murtaugh and Martin Riggs

      Lethal Weapon is still awesome thirty-five years later

      By Matthew Martin
      | August 9, 2022
    • Nope: Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya

      REVIEW: “NOPE” wants to be more than it is, which is just good enough

      By Matthew Martin
      | July 22, 2022
    • Brave: Kelly Macdonald voices Princess Merida

      Ten years later, BRAVE remains Pixar’s most underrated film

      By Matthew Martin
      | July 21, 2022
    • A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Heather Langenkamp as Nancy

      A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 is still awesome, thirty-five years later

      By Matthew Martin
      | July 20, 2022
    • Where The Crawdads Sing: Daisy Edgar Jones and David Strathairn

      REVIEW: Where the Crawdads Sing deftly blends genres to good effect

      By Matthew Martin
      | July 19, 2022
    • Thor Love and Thunder: Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth as The Mighty Thor and Thor

      REVIEW: THOR – LOVE AND THUNDER is an adventure of mirth and sadness alike

      By Matthew Martin
      | July 9, 2022
  • Music
    Random
    • Johnny Cash Cover

      Johnny Cash: The American Storyteller

      By Matthew Martin
      | September 2, 2015
      Music Blogs
    Recent
    • The Beatles: Get Back

      What GET BACK reveals about the Beatles

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 15, 2021
    • Simon And Garfunkel at Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam1982

      The Boxer is a song about being conned

      By Matthew Martin
      | July 4, 2021
    • Lady Gaga: Chromatica Album Cover

      Lady Gaga’s discography is totally out of order

      By Matthew Martin
      | June 3, 2021
    • Michael Jackson Thriller Album Cover

      Thirty years ago music fans said “Nevermind” to Michael Jackson

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 21, 2021
    • Queen II Album Cover

      On Queen’s The Miracle, and the importance of track ordering

      By Matthew Martin
      | February 16, 2021
    • Linda Paul Mccartney 1976

      50 years ago, McCartney dropped “Lennon” and went solo…

      By Matthew Martin
      | June 5, 2020
  • TV
    Featured
    • Nancy Drew S03e01: Kennedy McMann as Nancy

      Nancy Drew S03E01 Review: The Warning of the Frozen Heart - Uh-oh!

      By Salome G
      | October 10, 2021
      TV Blogs
    Recent
    • Evil S03e09: Party Time

      Evil S03E09 Review: The Demon of Money – Dark moments…

      By Salome G
      | August 8, 2022
    • American Horror Stories S02e03: Bella Thorne as Marci

      American Horror Stories S02E03 Review: Drive – Unsettling experiences

      By Salome G
      | August 8, 2022
    • The Orville S03: Penny Johnson Jerald and Mark Jackson as Dr. Claire Finn and Isaac

      The Orville season three finale review: Don’t say goodbye

      By Matthew Martin
      | August 8, 2022
    • Roswell New Mexico S04e08: Michael Vlamis as Michael Guerin

      Roswell, New Mexico S04E08 Review: Missing My Baby – The truth hurts

      By Salome G
      | August 3, 2022
    • Riverdale S06e22: Madelaine Petsch as Cheryl Blossom

      Riverdale S06E22 Review: Night of the Comet – Ambitious…

      By Salome G
      | August 2, 2022
    • Evil S03e08: Katja Herbers as Kristen Bouchard

      Evil S03E08 Review: The Demon of Parenthood – Gold star ding-dongery

      By Salome G
      | August 1, 2022
  • Video Games
    Featured
    • Arkham Knight

      Batman: Arkham Knight - A fitting end to a trilogy

      By Tom Farr
      | July 18, 2015
      Video Game Reviews
    Recent
    • Legend Of Zelda

      Can a Legend of Zelda movie work?

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 6, 2022
    • Super Mario 64

      Which system had the better launch: A battle of four Nintendo consoles

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 1, 2021
    • Luigi's Mansion

      Happy twentieth to Nintendo’s underrated gem, the Gamecube

      By Matthew Martin
      | November 18, 2021
    • Metroid Dread

      Metroid Dread – Post Game analysis and sequel needs

      By Matthew Martin
      | October 29, 2021
    • Mario Headphones

      The SNES Turns 30: A look at some of the system’s best soundtracks

      By Matthew Martin
      | October 22, 2021
    • Metroid Dread Poster

      REVIEW: Metroid Dread reawakens the old gamer in me

      By Matthew Martin
      | October 11, 2021
  • Wrestling
    Featured
    • Wwe Payback 2017 Poster 2

      Your SO OF COURSE preview of WWE Payback 2017

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 30, 2017
      WWE Blogs
    Recent
    • AEW Forbidden Door 2022: Claudio Castagnoli

      ROH Death Before Dishonor 2022 kickstarted a new era with a bang

      By Matthew Martin
      | July 25, 2022
    • Vince Mcmahon Stone Cold Podcast

      Vince McMahon is out as WWE chief. First reactions here…

      By Matthew Martin
      | July 22, 2022
    • AEW Double or Nothing 2022: CM Punk vs Adam Page

      REVIEW: AEW Double or Nothing 2022 delivered an up-and-down show

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 30, 2022
    • MJF on AEW Dynamite 17th November 2021

      Getting AEW to the next level…

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 29, 2022
    • Raw 210501: Triple H and Stephanie McMahon

      May 21, 2001 – A (forgotten) date that will live in WWE infamy

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 20, 2022
    • WWE WrestleMania 39 Logo

      Your WAY TOO EARLY predictions for WWE WrestleMania 39!

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 20, 2022
  • Topics
    • site logo
    Latest
    • Lethal Weapon is still awesome thirty-five years later
    • Evil S03E09 Review: The Demon of Money - Dark moments...
    • American Horror Stories S02E03 Review: Drive - Unsettling experiences
    • The Orville season three finale review: Don't say goodbye
    • Roswell, New Mexico S04E08 Review: Missing My Baby - The truth hurts
    • Riverdale S06E22 Review: Night of the Comet - Ambitious...

    The Best of WWE at Madison Square Garden DVD Review

    By Henry Higgins
    | October 14, 2013
    WWE DVD Reviews
    This page contains affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, we may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Learn more

    Wwe Msg Dvd Set

    Certificate: 15

    Running Time: 7hrs 7mins (427mins)

    Discs: 3

    Disc 1

    • 50 Years of History
    • Ivan Koloff
    • 8th February, 1971 – WWE Championship Match: Ivan Koloff v Pedro Morales
    • Bruno Sammartino
    • 27th June, 1977 – WWE Championship Match: Superstar Billy Graham v Bruno Sammartino
    • Bob Backlund
    • 19th May, 1980 – Texas Death Match for the WWE Championship: Bob Backlund v Ken Patera
    • Harley Race
    • 22nd September, 1980 – Match for the Undisputed Heavyweight Wrestling Championship: WWE Champion, Bob Backlund v NWA Champion, Harley Race
    • The Iron Sheik
    • 23rd January, 1984 – WWE Championship Match: The Iron Sheik v Hulk Hogan
    • Sgt. Slaughter
    • 16th June, 1984 – Boot Camp Match: Sgt. Slaughter v The Iron Sheik

    Disc 2

    • A Date Forever Etched in History
    • Vince McMahon
    • (WrestleMania) 31st March, 1985 – Hulk Hogan & Mr. T v “Rowdy” Roddy Piper & “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff
    • Bob Uecker
    • 10th August, 1985 – Andre the Giant & “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff v “Rowdy” Roddy Piper & “Cowboy” Bob Orton
    • The Miz
    • (SummerSlam) 29th August, 1988 – Intercontinental Championship Match: Honky Tonk Man v The Ultimate Warrior
    • Bret Hart
    • (SummerSlam) 26th August, 1991 – Intercontinental Championship Match: Bret “Hitman” Hart v Mr. Perfect
    • Howard Finkel
    • (WrestleMania X) 20th March, 1994 – Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship: Shawn Michaels v Razor Ramon
    • Kevin Nash
    • 26th November, 1994 – WWE Championship Match: Bob Backlund v Diesel

    Disc 3

    • Under The Iconic Lights
    • The Rock
    • (Survivor Series) 17th November, 1996 – Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match: Rocky Maivia, “Wildman” Marc Mero, The Stalker, & Jake “The Snake” Roberts v Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Crush, Goldust, & Jerry “The King” Lawler
    • Vince McMahon
    • (Raw) 22nd September, 1997 – Stone Cold Stuns The Boss
    • Mick Foley
    • (Raw) 22nd September, 1997 – Falls Count Anywhere Match: Hunter Hearst Helmsley v Cactus Jack
    • Jim Ross
    • (Royal Rumble) 23rd January, 2000 – 1st Ever Tag Team Tables Match: The Dudley Boyz v The Hardy Boyz
    • Daniel Bryan
    • (Raw) 7th August, 2000 – #1 Contender Triple Threat Match: Triple H v Kurt Angle v Chris Jericho
    • Booker T
    • (Raw) 25th June, 2001 – Booker T Attacks Mr. McMahon
    • Triple H
    • (Raw) 7th January, 2002 – Triple H Returns
    • Big Show
    • (WrestleMania XX) 14th March, 2004 – United States Championship Match: Big Show v John Cena
    • Trish Stratus
    • (Raw) 11th September, 2006 – Trish Stratus v Mickie James
    • John Cena
    • (Royal Rumble) 27th January, 2008 – John Cena Returns in the Royal Rumble Match
    • Shawn Michaels
    • (Raw) 16th November, 2009 – Triple Threat Tag Team Match: D-Generation-X v Jeri-Show v John Cena & The Undertaker
    • Great Moments Happen Here

    MSG.

    Madison Square Garden.

    Whether you call it by the initials or the full name, if you are a follower of boxing or wrestling, the name alone evokes memories and expectations in equal measure.

    Of course, in wrestling circles, Madison Square Garden is the home of WWE, due to the way the the people operating the venue ran it. Basically, they would only licence one promotion to provide them with wrestling content and this has always been WWE since the company’s creation.

    Since 1963, when it was known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation, through its runs as the World Wrestling Federation to the modern-day WWE, “The Garden” always seems to have a special place in the hearts of wrestlers and fans alike. WWE also tend to push the boat out themselves when it comes to events in MSG, with at least one memorable happening taking place per show.

    The layout for most WWE shows also helped (at least until the latest renovation) as the entranceway was located directly opposite the hard-cam instead of the usual position of the left side of the screen. This created a unique look and for the 2000 and 2008 Royal Rumbles added an extra dimension to the countdown / appearance of the next entrant.

    This set covers from 1971 to 2009 and features a raft of performers making their name as only they know how. This takes the form of title changes, crazy stunts, “you had to be there / see it live on TV” moments, historic debuts and three WrestleManias, two Summerslam, two Royal Rumbles, one Survivor Series and numerous RAWs.

    Taking the format of the recent Top 25 Rivalries DVD, the chronological rundown has a single talking-head discuss “The Garden” and then we have a match or a moment relating to that performer. It worked very well before and it works very well here.

    There are a fair number of complete matches on here, with some providing the younger fans a great history lesson and the others being a great trip down memory lane for the rest of us… although how far that lane is depends on how old you are.

    In addition to the matches, there are some great segments from RAW, including the first ever Stunner on McMahon, Triple H’s absolutely electrifying return in 2002 and the fantastic WWE debut of Cactus Jack (which features one of the greatest and most creative pre-match promos in history).

    Overview

    What an amazing DVD collection. The history lesson is great (albeit slightly revised as WWE are wont to do), the matches and segments are worthy of inclusion and the talking-heads all relay how much Madison Square Garden means to them, how symbolic the venue is and how important to the growth of the company those three letters represent.

    However, there are issues. Picture / sound quality on some of the earlier bouts is rather poor, if not unexpectedly so. The original commentators are not present for some of the matches either, meaning Jim Ross fills in where required (and does a good job, for the record).

    As the set begins in 1971, there is literally nothing at all of Bruno Sammartino’s record-breaking championship reign and run as box-office king at MSG. We do get a match featuring him against Billy Graham (who is as charismatic as they come in his prime), but this is not the Bruno we should have been seeing. Of course, this may be down to the quality of the footage, but it is still a glaring omission to have.

    Also strangely absent is the barnburner of a Street Fight between Cactus Jack and Triple H at Royal Rumble 2000. This is another glaring omission, which can’t be attributed to to the graphic nature of the bout (which would be a no-no in this era), the unprotected chairshots and the fact we had just had a match between the two, as there are matches from the early days with chairs and blood aplenty.

    WWE gets a lot of stick and some of it is warranted, but when you realise that they have been going for 50yrs this year it soon becomes apparent that maybe Vince McMahon knows what he’s doing after all. This collection encompasses that perfectly and if you are a fan of WWE, a fan of wrestling or a fan of wrestling history, you need to own this.

    The only reason this does not get full-marks is because a lot of the content is repeated from other releases and the wealth of footage WWE must have in their vaults from MSG events mean another set is should be a given. That being said, we’ve all seen the powerbomb from Diesel to Backlund that won him the title, but I believe this is the first time that the entire segment (entrances, match, post-match) has been shown.

    It also gets a mark on its own as we finally have Vince McMahon giving a reason for calling it Sports Entertainment rather than pro-wrestling.

    If you buy the Blu-Ray version, you get the following additional content -:

    Blu-ray Exclusive

    • Gerald Brisco
    • 12th July, 1986 – Steel Cage Match: Bruno Sammartino & Tito Santana vs. Randy “Macho Man” Savage & “Adorable” Adrian Adonis
    • Ted DiBiase
    • 29th December, 1991 – Intercontinental Championship Match: Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase
    • Alberto Del Rio
    • (Survivor Series) 20th November, 2011 – WWE Championship Match: Alberto Del Rio vs. CM Punk
    • Extra Stories
      • Trish Stratus
      • Ken Patera
      • Mr. Fuji
      • Road Warrior Animal
      • Barry Windham
      • Koko B. Ware
      • Ricky Steamboat
      • Sika
      • Rocky Johnson
      • Edge
      • Brooklyn Brawler
    • Vince McMahon MSG Walk of Fame Induction

    Points: 9/10

    Buy It:

    UK: DVD / Blu-ray

    USA: DVD / Blu-ray

    Share this article:

    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit

    Tags

    arenasmadison square gardenmsg

    COMMENTS

    Please read our Commenting Policy before you join in with the discussion.

    Note: If you have email notifications enabled, please check your email spam folders to ensure emails are not missed.

    Subscribe
    Connect withD
    I allow to create an account
    When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
    DisagreeAgree
    Notify of
    guest
    Connect withD
    I allow to create an account
    When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
    DisagreeAgree
    guest
    0 Comments
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments

    You might also like

    • Where In The World Is WrestleMania 30?

      By John Hancock
      | February 11, 2013
    • Bruno Sammartino Interview

      By Josh Modaberi
      | April 2, 2013
    • Mick Foley Interview

      By Josh Modaberi
      | April 6, 2013

    FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

    Wrestling Topics

    Recommended for you

    • ROH Death Before Dishonor 2022 kickstarted a new era with a bang

      By Matthew Martin
      | July 25, 2022
    • Vince McMahon is out as WWE chief. First reactions here…

      By Matthew Martin
      | July 22, 2022
    • Getting AEW to the next level…

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 29, 2022
    • Your WAY TOO EARLY predictions for WWE WrestleMania 39!

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 20, 2022
    • What we want from an AEW video game

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 31, 2021
    • The ten most memorable WWE SummerSlam moments

      By Steve Sky
      | August 12, 2011
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Affiliate Disclosure
    • Cookie Policy and Settings
    • Terms of Use
    • Photo Credits
    • RSS
    All Cult of Whatever articles, logos, illustrations and graphics are copyright CultOfWhatever.com. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. © 2021 CultOfWhatever. All Rights Reserved.
    • facebook
    • twitter
    wpDiscuz