WWE: Allied Powers - The World's Greatest Tag Teams (3 Discs)

Introduction

Ever since the heady days of performers such as The Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty), The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart), and even The Legion of Doom in the 1990s, the emphasis on tag team wrestling in WWE has faded to almost zero. These days, tag teams often seem to be put together to then cause the inevitable split, and rarely feel like true teams, negating their effect.

The reason for the change is allegedly down to Vince McMahon's indifference towards tag team wrestling, which is interesting given that it is known that among his favourite wrestlers in his own youth were "brothers" Dr. Jerry Graham and "Crazy" Luke Graham. This three-disc DVD set, however, chronicles the finest tag teams in wrestling history, including those who did not appear in the WWE. The set moves away from the usual documentary-plus-matches format, and instead concentrates on the fantastic matches which these great teams had during their careers.

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 fullscreen PAL, and is very good for a DVD of this genre. The video quality depends much on the source, of course, but there's nothing here that doesn't look good when the age of the footage is considered.

In some of the late 1990s bouts, censorship (blurring) is applied to remove the WWE "scratch" logo. This is a legal requirement following a case brought by the World Wildlife Fund over the use of the acronym "WWF". Unfortunately, it is distracting on certain occasions.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 and is also very good. Much like the video, audio quality depends on the source, with the Tokyo Dome bout with Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaski vs The Steiner Brothers sounding a little compressed by comparison. However, it remains nothing that will cause annoyance to the viewer.


Extras
The extra features on Disc Two begin with The British Bulldogs' pet Mathilda giving them some rather odd advice, and the humorous tone is kept here in the likes of Gene Okerlund's visit to "Hart Foundation Headquarters". There are some moments that are meant to be serious and just don't work, however, such as the Legion of Doom's return to Chicago, but these are fine extra segments from the monstrous WWE archive.

Main feature

It really is an interesting (read: mixed bag) selection of 25 tag team matches available here across the three discs. However, the first match of the set is of particular note, as it features The Hart Foundation squaring off against England's own British Bulldogs (Davey Boy Smith & The Dynamite Kid). This match, from Madison Square Garden, wasn't the greatest bout the two teams had, but it does display just how slick both teams were, and how seriously both took their craft.

For those who have never had the chance to see it, the Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki vs Steiner Brothers contest is just a sensational 10 minutes of action, packed with high-impact moves, performed in front of a super-enthusiastic Tokyo Dome crowd. Tucked away on a budget WCW-New Japan Pro Wrestling Supershow pay-per-view, it's a contest that shows just how good tag team wrestling can be, even within such a short time-frame.

Other highlights on the DVD are the fascinating Brisco Brothers (Jack & Jerry) bout with the Funk Brothers (Dory Jnr & Terry), the date of which is not known, but appears to be from the mid-1970s. This bout is completely out of place considering the rest of the feature, but it's a quality reminder of wrestling of yesteryear.

It was a pleasure to see the Midnight Express (Stan Lane and Bobby Eaton in this incarnation) pitched against The Fantastics here, as the latter team in particular have been somewhat forgotten among the great teams of the 1980s. The Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty) have certainly not been forgotten, but while their match with the Brain Busters is very good indeed, it lacks a conclusive finish.

All of the above action takes place on Disc One, and unfortunately, things do go downhill from there. It would not be too difficult to recall better matches involving Demolition, The Hart Foundation, The Rock'n'Roll Express, and the Legion of Doom/Road Warriors than the ones available here, although that's not to say that these matches aren't worth your time. The Hart Foundation vs The Rougeau Brothers is interesting as it shows the Harts as heels and the Rougeaus as babyfaces, when both are remembered best for playing the other role. The Rock'n'Roll Express are the epitome of the babyface tag team, and even though the match with Ted DiBiase & Irwin R. Schyster at Wembley Stadium shows the Legion of Doom past their peak, it's still a bout takng place out of the usual WWE surroundings.

Conclusion

Overall, Allied Powers: The World Greatest Tag Teams is a fine DVD set, although it could have been much better. The Miz & John Morrison as presenters do nothing for the feature, but at least there are hours of action to give you some bang for your buck.