Hardcore wrestling fans in for a treat with latest WWE DVD releases

Forget the old days of headlocks and armbars dominating the action in the professional wrestling ring.

World Wrestling Entertainment shines the spotlight on the sports entertainment world’s hardcore era with a pair of new DVD releases.

Tables, chairs, straps — all are fair game in many of the matches featured on the three-disc collections: “Falls Count Anywhere: The Greatest Street Fights and Other Out-of-Control Matches,” and “ECW Unreleased: Volume One.”

WWE goes deep into its archives for both releases.

The “Falls Count Anywhere” set opens with a 1981 alley fight match from Madison Square Garden between Sgt. Slaughter and Pat Patterson. A battered Slaughter ends the match with his face a bloody mess — a violent opener for the nearly nine hours of matches that follow.

Naturally, the late-1990s Attitude Era gets some love with performers like Al Snow, Hardcore Holly, Cactus Jack and The Rock showing their stuff between the ropes and more often than not, outside the ring.

ECW gave wrestling fans a completely different option from the rather staid offerings of WWE (then WWF) and WCW when it rose to prominence in the mid-1990s.

The violence-heavy promotion didn’t have the glitz and pomp like its competition. Instead it offered exciting and often jaw-dropping performances from wrestlers like Tommy Dreamer, Tazz, Shane Douglas and Bam Bam Bigelow.

The rise of ECW changed the business in the mid-to-late 1990s and forced the competition to tinker with the product. WWE and WCW were fully engaged in a Monday Night television ratings war at the time, a battle that took root years earlier.

The first Wrestlemania — the WWE’s annual showcase event — was held in 1985. The WCW (then NWA) stepped up in 1988 with “Clash of the Champions,” which aired on cable television against Wrestlemania IV, which was available on pay-per-view.

Former wrestler Dusty Rhodes — who helped make that first Clash event happen — serves as host of the new DVD simply titled, “Clash of the Champions.”

Rhodes weighs in with insight about the event’s history and how it added fuel to the promotions’ competitive battle that would last for years.

The DVD features two matches from the original card — Ric Flair vs. Sting for the heavyweight title and a tag title bout featuring Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard against Lex Luger and Barry Windham.

Unlike Wrestlemania, Clash of the Champions was held more than once a year. Some of the top matches from the event’s nearly 10-year run are showcased over three discs.

And Wrestlemania is still going strong all these years later.

“Wrestlemania XXVIII” is another three-disc DVD that features matches from last spring’s card at Sun Life Stadium in Miami.

Also included is the 2012 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony with new inductees Mike Tyson, The Four Horsemen, Yokozuna, Ron Simmons, Mils Mascaras and Edge of Orangeville, Ont.

All four DVD releases are available now and retail for about $30 each.

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