WWE: History of the Intercontinental Championship

Introduction

During the period 1990-1994, when it came to actual wrestling, the WWE Intercontinental Title was much more easy on the eye than its World Heavyweight counterpart. It may have been the No.2 title in the WWE, but with performers such as Curt Hennig, Kerry Von Erich, Bret Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Shawn Michaels often competing for it, it was the title match to watch in this period.

This DVD set highlights some of the great matches in the history of the title, going right back to Pat Patterson and the creation of the title, which was supposedly won when Patterson, the North American champion, defeated a South American champion in Brazil.

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 fullscreen PAL, and is excellent for a DVD of this genre. All of the footage looks very good for a "sports" presentation, and indeed, there is a lot 1980s BBC footage that doesn't look anywhere near as pristine as the matches from the same period do here.

During the late 1990s - early 2000s matches, there are some blurring effects, caused necessarily by a lawsuit by the World Wildlife Fund, which prevents WWE from using certain logos. While this is bothersome, it's highly unlikely to distract the viewer from what's on offer, on screen.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, and is also very good. Commentary, crowd noise, and in-ring action are all easily audible over the other, although in the earlier footage, the vociferous of the crowd reactions will open the eyes of those who have only seen wrestling post 1992.

Main feature

Divided into three discs featuring the 1980s, the 1990s, and the 2000s, there's likely to be something for every wrestling fan on "The History of the Intercontinental Championship".

The 1980s (actually, the first match, Pat Patterson versus a pre-Million $ Man, Ted DiBiase, is from 1979) features a much slower, more story-orientated brand of wrestling, which won't be to everyone's palette. However, Ken Patera vs Pedro Morales is required viewing for anyone who is not old enough to remember wrestling in a boom period, as the crowd's appreciation of Morales is something to behold.

Easily the best match on this disc is the 1987 Randy Savage vs Ricky Steamboat bout from Wrestlemania III, which is as fast-paced as anything that had ever been seen in that era. Closely following it in terms of match quality is the Rick Rude vs Ultimate Warrior bout from 1989's Summerslam, but while it is unquestionably among the best bouts of the Warrior's career, perhaps it is the fact that there was little anticipation for the bout that makes it surprisingly good.

It could be strongly argued that the 1990s were the peak of the Intercontinental Title, and with Disc Two opening with the superb Mr Perfect vs Bret Hart bout from Summerslam 1991, the point is immediately evident. Whisking forward twelve months, Hart's Wembley Stadium contest with Davey Boy Smith is equally stunning, especially in front of 83,000 fans at the home of English football.

With the 1994 Match of the Year between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon aging far from gracefully, the other standout out on this disc is the 1998 contest between The Rock and Triple-H. Though the bout highlights how injuries have taken a huge toll on the latter, and also how wrestling misses the former, this is an excellent 2/3 falls contest that has largely been forgotten in Intercontinental Title history.

The 2000s are represented by some entertaining matches, few of which are as well remembered as their predecessors, simply down to the fact that there is now more "big time" wrestling on television that there ever has been. The highlights are Chris Jericho's 2000 battle with Kurt Angle, the recently-retired Ric Flair's 2005 contest with Triple-H (inside a steel cage), and the fun big man vs little man encounter between Jeff Hardy and Umaga from 2007.

Overall

Overall, there is something for everyone on this expansive "History of the Intercontinental Title" set. For me, the 1980s and 90s bouts are the real set-sellers, but fans of more recent wrestling won't be disappointed by the newer material, either.