World’s Greatest Wrestling Series VHS Tapes question:

[fg]

archive.org/details/the-missing-matches-VHS-rips

I used to have five of the six series here. Where there more? The reason why I am asking is because in the early 90s (specifically 1992) I can remember reading the Apter magazines and they advertised tapes in which the matches took place in the early 80s like a Marty Jannette match (which had to be amazing for the time) and a mud match (involving men for whatever reason.)

I wonder what happened to the other tapes (other than being lost media.)

[wildojinx]

Those matches were from the Wrestling Gold series. All the matches on these tapes and those tapes (save for the Hogan matches for some reason) are on the Wrestling Gold DVD (which includes the bonus feature of Dave Meltzer and a glasses wearing wrestling manager commenting on the matches), though it may be out of print as its not even on Amazon.

[Gunhaver]

I remember there was (and may still be?) a page on Wrestlecrap where RD reviewed books, DVDs, and games. For some reason his glowing review of the DVD version of this series always stuck with me. 

[fg]

Mar 9, 2024 2:14:43 GMT -5 Gunhaver said:

I remember there was (and may still be?) a page on Wrestlecrap where RD reviewed books, DVDs, and games. For some reason his glowing review of the DVD version of this series always stuck with me. 

There was a DVD version? Wow!

[Ultimo Gallos]

Mar 9, 2024 0:37:44 GMT -5 wildojinx said:

Those matches were from the Wrestling Gold series. All the matches on these tapes and those tapes (save for the Hogan matches for some reason) are on the Wrestling Gold DVD (which includes the bonus feature of Dave Meltzer and a glasses wearing wrestling manager commenting on the matches), though it may be out of print as its not even on Amazon.

Wrestling Gold is long out of print. But as of a year or so ago the manager you mentioned which come people we can say his name here geez,Cornette,was selling the 5 disc boxed set on his site signed for cheap. I think 20 or 30.

I had a pile of the single disc volumes I was selling at shows for years. Got the big boxed set in the permanent collection.

[Gunhaver]

Mar 9, 2024 6:28:13 GMT -5 fg said:

Mar 9, 2024 2:14:43 GMT -5 Gunhaver said:

I remember there was (and may still be?) a page on Wrestlecrap where RD reviewed books, DVDs, and games. For some reason his glowing review of the DVD version of this series always stuck with me. 

There was a DVD version? Wow!

Yep. I think RD found his copy in a bargain bin, so it was in print ages ago. I have no idea who published it or who actually owned the rights to the matches. But it seemed like a rare good find in a sea shoddy releases. Every review of it I've seen is glowing, largely for the Meltzer/Cornette commentary.

[saneiac]

Mar 9, 2024 16:04:25 GMT -5 Gunhaver said:

Mar 9, 2024 6:28:13 GMT -5 fg said:

There was a DVD version? Wow!

Yep. I think RD found his copy in a bargain bin, so it was in print ages ago. I have no idea who published it or who actually owned the rights to the matches. But it seemed like a rare good find in a sea shoddy releases. Every review of it I've seen is glowing, largely for the Meltzer/Cornette commentary.

Many of the matches on the set are pretty bad, even accounting for the slower paced style of the 70s when they were recorded. The shark cage match, featuring two large men "fighting" inside a cage the size of a phone booth, is brutally bad. However, Cornette's commentary is amazing. Say what you want about modern day Cornette, but he is an absolute encycopedia of knowledge concerning the territories, especially Memphis. You get background and history of every competitor, what their overall career achievements were, why they were fighting in this match, and sometimes what else was going on in the promotion at the time. It's Cornette, so he's still very opinionated about what he likes and doesn't like (He mercilessly lays into Tiger Jeet Singh, for example), but the angry curse filled ranting is absent.

[Gunhaver]

Mar 9, 2024 18:34:15 GMT -5 saneiac said:

Mar 9, 2024 16:04:25 GMT -5 Gunhaver said:

Yep. I think RD found his copy in a bargain bin, so it was in print ages ago. I have no idea who published it or who actually owned the rights to the matches. But it seemed like a rare good find in a sea shoddy releases. Every review of it I've seen is glowing, largely for the Meltzer/Cornette commentary.

Many of the matches on the set are pretty bad, even accounting for the slower paced style of the 70s when they were recorded. The shark cage match, featuring two large men "fighting" inside a cage the size of a phone booth, is brutally bad. However, Cornette's commentary is amazing. Say what you want about modern day Cornette, but he is an absolute encycopedia of knowledge concerning the territories, especially Memphis. You get background and history of every competitor, what their overall career achievements were, why they were fighting in this match, and sometimes what else was going on in the promotion at the time. It's Cornette, so he's still very opinionated about what he likes and doesn't like (He mercilessly lays into Tiger Jeet Singh, for example), but the angry curse filled ranting is absent.

I refuse to acknowledge the shark rank match as anything other than ahead of its time

[Ultimo Gallos]

The matches on Wrestling Gold are supposedly owned by Kit Parker. Who would licensed them out for home video releases. I think Wrestling Gold DVDs were from VCI.

For what felt like forever,was at least 5 years,the 5 disc set was 20 bucks on Walmart's website.

Considering the single volumes were priced at 20 bucks the rare times you saw them in a store it was a deal.

Wish I had bought more copies. Could easily flip them for 40 now just giving it is 5 discs and OOP.

It is odd there is some good matches and some horrible ones on that set. Love the Randy Savage in Memphis stuff.

["Playboy" Don Douglas]

I’ve got one of the sets, if I’m remembering correctly I got it from Cornette at some point.

As mentioned, the matches are hit and miss. I seem to recall some entertaining comments from Jim on Bob Sweetan and Eddie Mansfield.