This DVD was a so good that I have watched it about ten times.It's nice to hear what was really going on from the wrestlers themselves.Even though ECW was basically a commercial(they couldn't get on TV so they just bought an hour of advertising time and ran the show) for all but the last year of it's existence, it's still surprising to learn that the wrestlers were handling all the merchandise and even answering the phones.It's even more surprising to learn how many people weren't getting paid on a regular basis.And it's down right mind blowing to learn that the people who weren't getting paid were the ones who stuck around the longest.I really only have two problems with this DVD.First, they only interviewed people who were contracted by the WWE at the time of filming and the reason why is extremely clear.Vince McMayhem wanted to make sure that no one told the truth about him and how he worked long and hard to destroy ECW, just like he did to the NWA.And he succeeded, his boys were "team players" and I wouldn't be surprised if Vince actually scripted their interviews.The second thing I didn't like was how they pretty much glossed over the TNN year.Heyman talked about how he hated TNN but they never explained any of the on screen madness from that final year.I would have loved to know why Billy Corgan showed up for two minutes and was never seen again.But I guess it would have been impossible to cover everything so I can't really complain.This is a definite must see for anyone who ever liked wrestling.
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13Funbags24 May 2017
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wellsortof10 April 2006I want to take each disc separately on this occasion.
I grew up watching WWF (when it was named that) wrestling for most of my childhood on Saturday mornings and on Saturday Night Main Event. I've always had a fascination with the sport. I don't spend time now watching it on TV, but anytime I get a chance to watch a documentary on some part of the subject, I usually take the opportunity.
This one interested me primarily because I'd spent a lot of time reading about it in various publications, most notably Mick Foley's first autobiography. The quality and pace of the documentary were really good. The intersection of personal stories and wrestling highlights was great. On the extras, I really enjoyed hearing Chris Jericho talk about huge Ron Simmons getting a discounted plane ticket with the name Seymour Goldstein or something like that. Pretty funny. I was overall interested to see the differing opinions from various personalities as to why ECW crashed and burned. It helped that there was no overlying narrator to tell the story.
The second disc was very interesting for me because I did get a chance to see some of the matches. I thought it was fun to watch, although I now have a much better understanding of why the sport had such a cult following, but not as much of a national one. While it's cool in concept and clips to see most of the highlights, I found most of the matches to get tiring after a while. To me, the fun of using a chair was that it was part of the climax of the match. It's not nearly as much fun to watch a guy get hit by a chair 20 times during a match (at least for me).
Overall, a great 2-disc set. I welcome your opinions. -
This, as the title suggests, is all about the former wrestling promotion ECW, which went under back in 2001 after owner Paul Heyman filed for bankruptcy.
It features many of the former employees along with owner Paul Heyman and producer Ron Buffeon speaking on the promotion and what it stood for. They cover all of the things that made ECW famous such as the great story lines, the hardcore brutality, and the outstanding scientific wrestling, as well as Lucha Libre. As well as that, they shoot on the not-so-appreciated and controversial aspects of the promotion such as the defiant and counter-culture angles and incidents such as the infamous Mass Transit Incident and the storyline with Raven and Sandman.
It also talks about how it was before ECW was bought by Heyman and went "extreme." I learned a lot about the era when it was owned by Tod Gordon. I hadn't even previously known that ECW hadn't started off as being a hardcore promotion.
Another aspect of this documentary that I liked is how they take the time to split up the first section of it into taking time to talk about all of the company's most famous wrestlers, such as RVD, Raven, Sabu, Terry Funk, Sandman, Mick Foley and many others.
They talk about the Monday Night Wars and the Invasion angles as well, and I found it very interesting to hear the different sides of the story from WCW's Eric Bischoff, WWF's Vince McMahon, and ECW's Paul Heyman.
This is 320 minutes, but I would say the documentary itself minus the bonus matches lasts around 265 minutes. That may seem like a very long time, but I watched this in one sitting, and it was a 4 and a half hours that felt like 2.
This also had a great moral and a very conclusive ending, so it's well worth the time spent. Long live the original ECW!!!!! -
I had my doubts about seeing the video, I thought it was going to be biased against ECW which partially it is with Paul Heyman being the loudmouth leader but it takes in various viewpoints from Vince McMahon, Eric Bischoff, Chris Benoit, Rey Mysterio, Steve Austin and others all talking about what made ECW so cool.
Make no doubt about it, ECW lived up to its tagline "The leader of Extreme" wrestling put up fabulous show despite a low budget (many of these shows looked like and were filmed in run down arenas).
I liked the way they also played classic matches from the era, so if your new to ECW and wondered if the hype about is real, then you'll see it is.
Its great to see the interviews too explaining how they did certain storyline, Steve Austin's reign in ECW, which basically was a crybaby gimmick cheapshotting Eric Bischoff for firing of WCW, but it lead to Austin being a bigger star.
We see the evolution the Lucha Libre wrestling invading ECW, something that WCW would adopt so ECW was the first to create certain standards that the WWF and WCW would follow.
Bottom line is this is a great video/DVD, its well worth buying or renting wrestling fans. -
ashit_chaudhary6 January 2005why should I but this DVD, do I hear that!!?!! Forget the matches, to me that was added bonus, what made me order the DVD is the plain fact that it has a 3 hour documentary on the history of the most revolutionary wrestling company ever!! You would be taken behind the scenes by the man himself- Paul Heyamn, along with some of the icons of ECW RVD, Tommy Dreamer, Dudley Boys, Tazz etc. Though Sandman, Sabu & Shane Douglas's inclusion would have been great, but it in now way diminishes the effect of the DVD on new wrestling fans who never were able to watch ECW. WWE has left no stone unturned when they set out to recapture the awe & inspiration that ECW demanded from their fans.Hats off to WWE for that. A great buy for any wrestling fan, no matter how old or how young he might be!!
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rvd_5006 April 2005ECW is the most extreme wrestling program in history. The crowd used to have stuff with them that they threw into the ring. And the wrestlers used it. You get too look at wrestlers like Raven, Tazz, RVD, Rey Mysterio & Chris Jericho. You also get to see what put ECW on the wrestling map and what made stay in the business for so long.
The WWE has made a great job with this documentary. People like Tommy Dreamer, Eric Bischoff, Vince McMahon, Eddie Guerrero & Paul Heyman himself say what they think of ECW. Some thought are good, some are bad.
Simply, this was one of the best wrestling movies i have seen ever! I seriously recommend it.
Rise And Fall Of ECW Rating: 5/5 -
Yorickskull8 April 2005I don't care if your a wrestling fan or not, this is a GREAT documentary. If you ARE a wrestling fan... this is an INCREDIBLE documentary. You really feel that by the end ECW was properly honored and properly vilified for all the right reasons. Paul Heyman... I want to have a drink with you, brother.
Not just talking heads but great moments of real wrestling legend. It's almost like watching a mythology explained by the people who created it. The only true downside is there was nothing about Joey Styles on it. He was the voice of ECW and I what like to have understood that voice better. Also, there are a few other people who I would like to have heard from, primarily some of the key fans. WATCH THIS FILM!!! -
We've Waited For It For Ages, Folks. And The WWE Did NOT Disappoint Us. This Is A Four Or So Hour Documentary Of ECW. If You're Not A Fan Of ECW To Begin With, Don't Start Here. This Is Pretty Much For The Loyal, Rabid Fanbase. This DVD Covers Just About Every Era Of ECW, From NWA: Eastern Championship Wrestling, To The Final Show Of Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Interviewees Include, But Are Not Limited To: Paul Heyman, Stevie Richards, Tommy Dreamer, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, And Eddie Guerrero.
Matches On Disc 2 Include: The Pitbulls Vs Raven And Stevie Richards, 2 Out Of 3 Falls Dog Collar Match For The ECW World Tag Team Title.
Rey Mysterio Jr Vs. Psicosis, 2 Out Of 3 Falls Grudge Match.
Mikey Whipwreck Vs The Sandman, Ladder Match For The ECW World Title.
2 Cold Scorpio Vs Sabu, ECW Television Title Match.
Tommy Dreamer Vs Raven, Grudge Match. Alternate Commentary By The Coach And Tommy Dreamer.
Tazz Vs Bam Bam Bigelow, For The ECW Television Title. Alternate Commentary By Michael Cole And Tazz.
Rob Van Dam Vs. Jerry Lynn, Grudge Match For The ECW Television Title. Alternate Commentary By The Coach And Rob Van Dam.
Basically, Here It Is: This Is The Single Best DVD The WWE Has Ever Put Out. It Is A MUST Buy For The Loyal ECW Fan.
10/10. -
Ginsu Victim19 March 2005I am extremely happy with this 2-disc DVD set. The matches are great for those who aren't familiar with ECW's style and work ethic, but it's the near three hour documentary that makes it all worth it. The interviews are great, and it's fun to see the workers' opinions versus Paul's. You really see a great mind at work when Paul E. speaks. The history is covered well, including touching briefly on the "Mass Transit" incident. I love how this feature is rated MA and they leave the language and content untouched (except for things that were already edited for television). This keeps the ECW feeling going. A LOT of ground is covered and I learned a lot of things I didn't know. My favorite aspect is how many of the top workers are covered in individual segments, and also many of the bigger story lines are covered. There are touching moments during the documentary that will bring a tear to your eye, but mostly you'll just laugh your ass off. (The only real gripe I have with the set is that they don't include the extremely short Beulah vs Fonzy match that Paul E. raves about. I would've enjoy seeing this whole match, and don't see why it isn't there since it wouldn't take up much room.) This set is a must for any fan of WRESTLING, not SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT. Sure, it's not Puro, but it's the best America had to offer. Man...I miss ECW.
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demonbasketball0413 January 2005Simply put, I absolutely LLOOVVEEDD it! this DVD was worth the time it took to track one down on eBay, as its sold out everywhere I've looked. This disc didn't prove ECW justice though, as nothing short of being there during it's prime would, but it comes damn near close!! It includes about 90% of the greatest moments in ECW history, but including every moment is an endless, impossible task. If you happen to come across it in stores, don't pass up the opportunity to purchase this excellent, historic DVD. In my eyes, this was the greatest wrestling DVD I have ever bought/watched, and my collection (1985-Present) is well into the hundreds!!! This has to be a must for any wrestling fan, past or present, young or even old. It's just that damn good!!!
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I wish I had paid more attention to ECW, because it was different between it the WWF and WCW.
This DVD tells the tale of the history of ECW: Extreme Championship Wrestling.
ECW was very different from the WWF or the WCW. but I was more of a WWF fan.
I got this DVD to learn all about ECW.
I'm surprise that the WWE was able to stay true to what was ECW.
This DVD will shock you, make you laugh, make you cry, and will make you feel like it's ECW.
The Rise and Fall of ECW is one DVD that is worth buying just for ECW and wrestling fans.
If you want to see what ECW was like back then then the Rise and Fall of ECW is for you.
I give The Rise and Fall of ECW 10 out of 10.
This DVD is EXTREME! ECW!