Photos courtesy: Fetch, Fremantle Media
After the box set earlier in the year which covered the first ten episodes of the Monday Night Wars series, WWE Home Video bring us a collection of the last ten episodes, this time with exclusive post show commentary from former WCW head honcho Eric Bischoff.
The format will be very familiar to anyone who watched the previous collections. Each episode takes a performer or theme that was an integral part of the Monday Night Wars (at least in the minds of the compilers/WWE decision makers) and runs through the wars through their eyes/from their perspective.
Individual stars that get the feature treatment on this batch include Chris Jericho and The Rock, whilst the Kliq and the Divas are amongst the groups of wrestlers that are looked at. There are also episodes on topics such as the influence of Extreme Championship Wrestling, celebrity & wrestling and the mistakes that are inevitably made when a wrestling revolution hits the airwaves.
Most of the stories will be familiar to longer term viewers and once again there are the issues of repeated interview and clip segments from episode to episode. Although covering one “topic” per episode allows a more in depth analysis it does mean that some of the same ground is gone over more than once.
That’s said, the individual documentaries are never less than interesting and entertaining and they will be a great trip down memory lane for any older fans who watched the Monday Night Wars at the time. Newer fans will find a look at the “old” times fascinating too, as well as learning more about the names and stars who will inevitably be wheeled out as Mania season comes around.
Of course as ever with WWE releases, you are very much aware that you are watching Vince McMahon’s version of history. Which is where Eric Bischoff comes in. As you’d expect Easy E doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to his comments. But to be fair, for every assertion that a Paul Heyman or a Vince Russo is taking “BS” or that a Bret Hart has misremembered a conversation there is usually an admission about some of his own failings.
A couple of minutes after each episode isn’t rally going to be enough to tell all his story but Bischoff’s vignettes add a nice and different perspective to the stories we’ve seen and heard.
The Bluray adds some interesting, if not vital extras. Paul Heyman calling into Livewire is fun, but two press conferences and a Hulk Hogan contract signing parade aren’t exactly thrilling. Scott Steiner’s memorable “WCW Sucks” rant is funny and shows what a mess the company became and whilst there is certainly some historic value in the WCW vs WWE battle for the ECW title between Mike Awesome and Tazz, its a nothing match.
Still the ten episodes are great fun for old and new fans alike and this set comes highly recommended.
Format reviewed: Blu-Ray
Thank you to our partners, WWEDVD.co.uk and Fetch for providing our review copy of WWE Monday Night War Vol. 2, which is available on DVD & Blu-Ray in the UK now. You can buy your copy from WWEDVD.co.uk now by clicking here.