The WWE hopes to turn back time with the release of its latest DVD and Blu-ray entitled United We Slam: The Best of the Great American Bash. Fans of all ages can certainly enjoy this set, as it has something in it for everybody.
The set is hosted by Dusty Rhodes and I was really hoping that it would be. After all, Dusty did come up with the idea for the pay-per-view, so it made all the sense in the world for him to be part of it. Having said that, I think Rhodes was kind of underutilized here. He was a fine host, but I just wish they would have gone more into detail, in terms of how the shows came to be, like they did for the War Games set, which came out last year.
And then there are the matches:
The Great American Bash 1985:
Ric Flair vs. Nikita Koloff for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Dusty Rhodes and Larry Zbyszko provided exclusive commentary for this match. It was good to hear Zbyszko’s voice again after so many years, but I found it a bit strange for two guys in 2014 to be calling a match from 1985. Even though they were both around at the time, part of the reason I enjoy hearing the commentary is because the announcers are such great storytellers, but you can’t really talk much about storylines, when the match you’re calling has already happened 29 years ago. Koloff is already in the ring, as the Soviet national anthem is playing, and oddly enough, it was not interrupted or anything. The cameras then focus on a helicopter being flown into the outdoor arena, and the red carpet is rolled out, as Ric Flair makes his way from the chopper to the ring; it was quite the spectacle. Overall, I thought the match was pretty good. David Crockett, who was an announcer at the time and also the brother of Jim Crockett, Jr., served as the special referee for this match. He was attacked by Koloff on the TV leading up to it, and rescued by Flair. This was kind of unusual, as it kind of gave the babyface an advantage. For the finishing sequence, Ivan Koloff interjected himself into the match and briefly took down Crockett. The Koloffs then proceeded to double team Flair, and hit a modified Doomsday Device. Flair kicked out of that and as Koloff attempted a slam, Flair used the leverage of the ropes to position himself on top of the Russian for the win. The Koloffs obviously didn’t take kindly to losing, as they attacked Flair from behind after the match, but they were chased off by other wrestlers, who came to Flair’s aid.
The Great American Bash 1986:
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express vs. Arn and Ole Anderson to determine number one contenders for the NWA World Tag Team Championships
Rhodes and Zbyszko were back on commentary for this match. The Andersons utilized their usual strategy of isolating one guy in their corner and going to work on a body part. They first tried attacking the left arm of Robert Gibson, which didn’t work out to well, so then they tried the same arm of Ricky Morton, which worked out a little better, but they just couldn’t keep the Rock ‘n’ Rollers down. Dusty Rhodes noted that the winners would face the Midnight Express for the World Tag Team Titles down the road, but unfortunately for both teams, the match ended in a time-limit draw.
Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes in a steel cage match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Steve Romero, who I believe was calling the action on WWE Velocity at the time, joined Dusty Rhodes and the late Mike Graham for exclusive commentary for this match. Actually, I remember the same trio calling the match on the Dusty Rhodes DVD that was released in 2006, so I guess they never changed it. This was probably the most heated rivalry in professional wrestling at the time. It was also the culmination of their singles feud, as most cages are. Rhodes would continue to feud with the Horsemen though, while Flair moved on to other opponents. I think this was the best match of Rhodes’ career, and I really don’t think he would disagree with that either. It was a tremendous contest, but my only criticism of the match is that after all the finishing moves and reversals, it ended with something as simple as a small package, which Rhodes used to claim the title. However, I can definitely understand why this particular match needed to be on the set; it was one of the best feuds in NWA/WCW history.
The Great American Bash 1987:
The Road Warriors, Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff and Paul Ellering vs. Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Lex Luger and J.J. Dillon in a War Games match
This match also needed to be on the set, because it was the first War Games match, and War Games was one of the most popular concepts in wrestling history. After years of being outnumbered by The Horsemen, Dusty Rhodes finally found himself some allies. Rhodes started the match with Arn Anderson, as was the usual case with most of the early War Games matches. The two managers entered the structure last, with Dillon eventually being caught by Road Warrior Hawk. The Road Warriors delivered the Doomsday Device to Dillon, but didn’t quite have enough room, and I believe this was the spot where Dillon separated his shoulder. From there, it was pretty much all over, as Dillon quickly submitted, leading the Super Powers team (Rhodes, Road Warriors, Ellering and Koloff) to victory.
The Great American Bash 1988:
Sting and Lex Luger vs. The Road Warriors
Rhodes and Zbyszko were back on commentary for this one. I believe this may have been a non-televised match or something, because I don’t remember seeing it on the actual card, and I can’t think of any other reason why they wouldn’t have used the original commentary. I think the Road Warriors were being pushed as a heel tag team at the time, while Sting and Luger were about to receive major singles pushes; actually, Luger was feuding with World Champion Ric Flair at the time. This was a pretty good tag team match and I always thought that these guys meshed well together. I guess the powers that be wanted to keep both teams looking strong, which is why this match ended in a double countout. Oddly enough, the only other match I’ve seen between these two teams ended in the same fashion.
The Great American Bash 1989:
Sting vs. The Great Muta for the NWA World Television Championship
Muta was known as “The Pearl of the Orient,” and I guess the company spared no expense for his entrance, as a gong sounded to signal that Muta was on his way to the ring. Muta of course, was seconded by Gary Hart, while Sting had the late Eddie Gilbert in his corner. I’m not sure how Sting and Gilbert were connected, but Gilbert was out there to basically stop any interference by Hart. Muta intended to use his signature green mist at one point, but Sting managed to avoid it; however, referee Nick Patrick was not so lucky. Patrick got it right in the face, which took him out of the match. Moments later, Muta had Sting beaten, but the referee was still down, so Tommy Young came out to replace Patrick. Sting used this time to recover, and delivered a bridging belly-to-back suplex to his opponent for the win. The finish was kind of controversial, as the announcers noted that Muta may have had his hand up before the three count.
Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
I enjoyed this match much more than the I Quit match these two had. That one was good, but I found it a bit one-sided, while this was a little more even. Gary Hart was Funk’s manager at the time, and he provided a distraction, as Flair had Funk trapped in the figure-four, which allowed Funk to nail Flair with his branding iron. Flair bled after that shot, but it seemed to really fire him up a bit. The end came where Funk tried to counter a figure-four attempt into an inside cradle, but Flair re-countered into an inside cradle of his own for the win. After the match, The Great Muta storms the ring and attacks Flair. Funk then gets to his feet and joins Muta in a double-team. At one point, Flair gets sprayed with Muta’s mist and starts looking like The Incredible Hulk. Sting then comes out to even the odds, and a huge brawl breaks out between the four combatants, all the way towards the entranceway. This, of course, led to the big Thunderdoom Cage Match at that year’s Halloween Havoc.
The Great American Bash 1990:
Ric Flair vs. Sting for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
This match was very important to have on the set, as it was Sting’s first World Title win, and it was a tremendous match as well. These two really brought out the best in each other. Ole Anderson was handcuffed to El Gigante on the entrance ramp, which basically prevented him from interfering. Sting’s friends, known as the Dudes with Attitudes (Paul Orndorff, The Junkyard Dog and The Steiner Brothers), were acting as ringside enforcers for this match. Just when it looked like Sting had victory well in hand with the scorpion deathlock, The Four Horsemen tried to rush the ring, but were immediately cut off by The Dudes with Attitudes, which led to a big brawl on the entrance ramp. Meanwhile, Flair tried to use the ropes to get the victory over Sting, but Scott Steiner quickly returned to ringside and pushed Flair’s feet off the ropes to break the pin. The finish happened moments later. As Flair went for the figure-four, Sting countered into the scorpion deathlock and a new champion was born. This was probably one of the most memorable title wins in history, as it was basically a passing of the torch.
The Steiner Brothers vs. The Fabulous Freebirds
The Freebird team was represented by Michael “P.S.” Hayes and Jimmy “Jam” Garvin. The Steiners were at the top of their game at the time, and as far as the Freebirds go, I actually liked this particular tag team combination more than any other Freebird pairing; I just thought Hayes and Garvin were the two best in-ring competitors all the Freebirds, and this match really proved that point. The end came where Hayes took a frankensteiner, but it looked like Garvin got a blind tag, before Scott Steiner delivered it. This got kind of awkward, because Garvin gets in the ring, thinking that he’s the legal man and DDTs Scott, but the referee actually didn’t see the blind tag, so he orders Garvin to leave, which allows Rick Steiner to sneak in and hit a belly-to-belly on Hayes, for Scott to get the pin. It was just a very confusing closing sequence, and it was odd that the babyface team was the one who had to sneak around behind the ref’s back to get the victory.
The Great American Bash 1992:
Dustin Rhodes and Barry Windham vs. Rick Rude and “Stunning” Steve Austin in the quarter-finals of the tournament to crown new NWA World Tag Team Champions
I’m not usually a fan of makeshift teams, but I thought these four guys really complimented their partners and opponents very well. They all worked well together, so it’s hard to pick a standout here; if I had to choose, it would probably be Windham, but only because he did a tremendous job of selling in the heel corner, before eventually making the hot tag to Rhodes. It seemed like Jim Ross was going solo on commentary here. Actually, Jesse Ventura was JR’s broadcast partner, but Ventura’s voice is always edited out of these DVD matches because of an old lawsuit he filed against the WWE. The end comes where Austin goes for a piledriver on Windham, but Rhodes surprises him, coming off the top rope with a clothesline to get the win and advance to the semi-finals. This was actually my favourite match on the whole set.
Sting vs. Big Van Vader for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
I don’t think these two have ever had a bad match, and this was definitely no exception. This match was perfect evidence of just how good Vader was, not just for a big man, but in general. He used power moves expertly and was booked tremendously in his WCW career. Sting overshoots a Stinger splash, which lands him shoulder-first on the ring post. This allows Vader to capitalize with a powerbomb and he wastes no time hooking Sting’s leg for the clean win. I was a little surprised that WCW had the confidence to put Vader over clean, especially over their biggest star, but I guess with Flair being in the WWF at the time, they needed to establish a top heel, and Vader was it.
The Great American Bash 1995:
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair
The Bash PPV was put on the shelf for the previous two years, but for some reason, they decided to resurrect it in ’95. These two worked very well together both inside and outside the ring. Every match they had was equally personal. However, their previous matches have always been about women or titles; this one stood out, because it stemmed from an attack by Flair on Savage’s father, Angelo Poffo. The elder Poffo accompanied his son to the ring for this match and actually became part of the match on a couple of occasions. There was one point where Flair tried to attack Angelo on the outside, but Savage quickly came to the rescue. Mr. Poffo then tried to choke Flair out with his cane, but Flair somehow snatched the cane away from him, and used it to deck Savage behind the referee’s back, in order to pick up the win. Let’s just say it was a typical Ric Flair victory; what more could be expected from the dirtiest player in the game?
The Great American Bash 1996:
WCW responds to the Outsiders’ challenge
This kind of seemed oddly out of place, because the rest of the chapters on this set were matches, while this was an interview. However, it was necessary to have on the set, as it basically led to the birth of the NWO. For weeks, Hall and Nash had been trying to intimidate Eric Bischoff and it was assumed that these guys were invaders from the WWE (WWF at the time). Both men were questioned about this and each of them claimed that they no longer worked for the WWE. Bischoff issued a challenge for the two of them and their third man at the next pay-per-view, Bash at the Beach, but refused to reveal the identities of their three opponents until a later date. The Outsiders didn’t take kindly to this obviously, and things got ugly from there. Hall punched Bischoff in the breadbasket and then Nash hoisted him up for a jackknife powerbomb through a wooden platform down below. I really liked how these two were booked at the time and they really did seem like gang members. I thought the announcers also did a good job of trying to convince the viewing audience that this was a real threat, particularly Tony Schiavone.
The Great American Bash 1997:
Diamond Dallas Page vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage in a Falls Count Anywhere match
These two were both basically attached to supermodels at the time, so it made all the sense in the world for them to feud, right? Well they thought so anyway. WCW was really starting to get behind DDP at the time. He was the one guy who turned down the offer to join the NWO, but he really wasn’t entirely thrilled to be a WCW guy either; at least not in storyline. Savage clearly had no problem getting anybody to the next level, and this feud really got Page over as a babyface. Savage played the roles of heel and face equally well, but joining the NWO kind of exposed this different side of him. He always had a mean streak, but it was just intensified when he was in this group. So the match begins with Kimberly distracting both Savage and Elizabeth in the entranceway, which allowed DDP to enter through the crowd and sneak-attack Savage in the ring. These two brawled all over the place, as per the stipulation. It wasn’t my favourite match involving these two guys, because I do remember seeing much better matches, but it served its purpose, which was to advance the storyline. Savage took out the referee at one point and then tried to attack the cameraman. The end came when Scott Hall ran down to the ring and attacked Page, because I believe it was Hall who made the initial offer to DDP, to join the NWO. Hall just barely got Page up in the air for an Outsiders/Razor’s Edge, and Savage finished him off with his legendary flying elbow drop. It was kind of weird to have a Falls Count Anywhere match end in the ring, but it was the main event, and they really pulled out all the stops in this one.
Ultimo Dragon vs. Psicosis
I’m a huge fan of the cruiserweights, so I love that they included at least a couple of those matches on here. This one was unique, because it was also a clash of cultures, which WCW was somewhat famous for at the time. Sonny Onoo had ditched Dragon, who was his former protégé, and aligned himself with a new protégé in Psicosis. So Dragon was basically out for revenge in this match. These two had met each other on several occasions before this, and it seemed like each match just got better and better. Not taking anything away from the other two cruiserweight matches on this set, because they were all good, but I just thought this was the best one. Onoo continuously tried to interject himself into the match, but he eventually got his comeuppance in the end, as his own man, Psicosis, went to whip Dragon into a kick by Onoo, but Dragon reversed it, and Psicosis took the blow instead. This allowed Dragon to lock on the dragon sleeper for the tap out victory. As a young fan, who wasn’t allowed to watch ECW or ultimate fighting, this was the first time I saw a match end by tap out.
The Great American Bash 1998:
Chavo Guerrero, Jr. vs. Eddie Guerrero
I thought their break-up in the WWE was much better, mostly because it received a lot more attention, while this match was placed in the middle of the card somewhere. Having said that, I thought the match these two just had was fantastic. Chavo had been dealing with months of abuse from his Uncle Eddie, and basically just refused to take it anymore. These two just went hold for hold and counter for counter. The ending was a little surprising and kind of came out of nowhere, as Chavo put his uncle away with a tornado DDT, which, ironically enough, was invented by Eddie Guerrero.
Dean Malenko vs. Chris Jericho for the vacant WCW Cruiserweight Championship
I can’t exactly remember under what circumstances that the cruiserweight title was vacated. I believe it had something to do with Malenko losing it on Nitro, after Jericho made fun of his late father or something. Whatever the case, it was kind of a wasted comeback. They had been booking Jericho strong for months and months with that title, and all of a sudden, Malenko comes back unannounced from an injury, disguises himself as a luchador by the name of Ciclope, wins a battle royal and defeats Jericho that same night to win the title. That part was good, but what wasn’t as good was the fact that Malenko was stripped of the title only a couple of weeks later. This match went back and forth. It was pretty good, but I’ve seen much better from both guys in other matches. Malenko eventually loses his cool again, after another comment from Jericho about the late Boris Malenko (Dean’s father). Malenko picks up a chair on the outside and nearly makes Jericho wear it. This ends the match in a disqualification obviously, even though there isn’t really any announcement made about what’s happening with the title. Malenko then drags Jericho all over the arena. They fight all the way to the ladies room and then go outside the arena, where security finally steps in to separate them. As the security team is holding Malenko back, Jericho runs into the building across the street, which looked kind of funny.
Rowdy Roddy Piper and “Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Bret “Hitman” Hart
These were two odd pairings, to say the least. The Wolf Pack was just getting started around this time, with Savage acting as the unofficial leader of the group, and Hogan was obviously the leader of the NWO Hollywood faction. Hart ended up costing Savage the world title on an episode of Nitro, basically opening the door for Hogan to win it. I don’t know how Piper was involved in this, but I guess since he had been chasing Hogan since the ’80s, it kind of made sense to have him in there. What was weird is that Piper and Savage were teammates in this match, but were actually scheduled to face each other right after. It was surprising at how well they got along with each other in the tag match, under those circumstances. Just as Savage is about to finish off Bret with the flying elbow drop, Hogan whips Piper into the ropes, which causes Savage to lose his balance and fall awkwardly on the top rope. With the Disciple (Brutus Beefcake) keeping Piper occupied, Hogan takes full advantage of the situation and starts whipping Savage’s injured knee into the post. Bret then takes over and applies the sharpshooter, and Savage has no choice but to tap out.
The Great American Bash 2000:
Diamond Dallas Page vs. Mike Awesome in an Ambulance match
The story behind this match is that Awesome had seemingly ended the career of Page’s friend, Kanyon, by throwing him off the top of a three-layered cage at the previous pay-per-view. So Page brings Kanyon out to ringside in a wheelchair, and you didn’t exactly have to be a brain surgeon to immediately figure out what was about to happen. At one point, both guys deck the referee, just for getting in their way, before going at it with each other again. Awesome sets up a table on the outside and Awesome bombs DDP through it. He then attempts to deliver a trifecta of splashes off the top rope (Page apparently had injured ribs), but misses the third one. DDP starts to mount a comeback, but then his ex-wife Kimberly comes to ringside and nails Page with a foreign object, or an international object, as it’s now called. For some reason, Miss Hancock (Stacy Keibler) comes out and pulls Kimberly to the back by her hair. DDP eventually gets things going again, as they fight all the way to the entranceway. Just as Page is about to finish Awesome off, Eric Bischoff, who was a co-captain of the New Blood, comes out for the distraction. DDP takes the bait and immediately goes after Bischoff, but Kanyon miraculously gets out of the wheelchair and hits a diamond cutter to DDP off the stage. Kanyon then loads Page in the ambulance, making Awesome the winner.
Jeff Jarrett vs. Kevin Nash for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
This match was completely ridiculous, and it had nothing to do with the in-ring quality, which was at least passable. Before the match begins, Ernest “The Cat” Miller, who was acting commissioner at the time, comes out and informs everybody of the immediate changes being made to this match. He brings out the Filthy Animals (Konnan, Mysterio, Juventud, Disco Inferno) and gives them a bunch of odd jobs, just to keep them at ringside. I believe this was the first time that an unmasked Rey Mysterio was actually shown on a WWE DVD/Blu-Ray. They were basically time keepers, announcers, etc. Disco was actually the guest belt holder, to which Mark Madden made a comment that it was the closest Disco would ever get to the belt, which was kind of funny; boy, was he right. Miller then makes himself the guest referee, who would officiate from the outside, while an actual referee called the action inside the ring. It was basically six on one against Nash, but at the same time, it was hard to feel sorry for a guy who was not only 7-foot, but had also done so many evil deeds in the past; it was just hard to feel any sympathy for the guy. The Animals wasted no time taking whatever cheap shots they could at the big man, but Nash was eventually able to fight them all off. He jackknife powerbombed the Cat as well, but just as he was about to finish off Jarrett, they all swarmed on him again. Suddenly, Goldberg’s music hits and the fans go nuts. A Goldberg monster truck pulls into the arena and the man himself steps out. He hits the ring and eyeballs both Nash and Jarrett, after Nash eliminates all the other guys. There is a very awkward moment, where Nash and Jarrett are both standing, with Nash signaling to Goldberg to take out Jarrett. Goldberg turns his attention to Nash and hits one of his weaker-looking spears on the big guy. This allows Jarrett to pick up the easy victory. After the match, Bischoff and Russo both come to the ring and have a little group hug with Goldberg, and it was certainly a dark day for WCW.
Blu-ray exclusives:
Dusty Rhodes, Magnum T.A. and Baby Doll vs. The Midnight Express and Jim Cornette in a six-person Steel Cage match (The Great American Bash 1986)
It looked like Dusty Rhodes really had his hands full at this time. This was one stop on the tour that year, but he also had a world championship cage match to prepare for against Ric Flair on that same tour. I liked the Eaton and Lane version of the Midnight Express a lot better than Eaton and Dennis Condrey, but the Midnight Express were always a great team, no matter which combination it was. Basically, the Midnights picked a fight with Dusty, and Baby Doll, who was managing Rhodes at the time, tried to make the save, but was blasted by Cornette with the tennis racquet. So essentially, this match was all about revenge for Baby Doll. Magnum was selling for the majority of this match, until finally making the hot tag to Rhodes, who cleans house. Cornette tries to get involved, but ends up taking a belly-to-belly suplex from Baby Doll, giving the face team the win.
Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (The Great American Bash 1988)
For some reason, I never really bought Lex Luger as a babyface; I always thought he was just such a natural heel and this feud didn’t really make it for me as a result. Flair was selling like crazy in this match, and maybe even overselling at times. They took a tumble out to the floor, where Flair’s knee looked to be legitimately hurt, but perhaps it was just him doing a fantastic job as usual. Luger got sent head-first into the post and apparently reopened a cut on his forehead. Just as it looked like Luger had victory well in hand, he loads Flair up for the torture rack and the bell is rung, so everybody assumes that Luger has won the title. Unfortunately for Lex, the celebration was a little premature, as it’s then announced that the match was stopped, because the referee decided that Luger could not continue, due to excessive blood loss. I didn’t care much for the finish, but I suppose they needed to keep the title on Flair somehow, while also extending the feud.
Sting vs. Nikita Koloff in a Russian Chain match (The Great American Bash 1991)
To the best of my knowledge, this match came about because Koloff had a major problem with Sting’s partnership with Lex Luger. In fact, Koloff tried to deck Sting’s partner Luger at the previous pay-per-view, Superbrawl, but Sting ended up taking the shot instead, after Luger avoided it, which led us to this match. The basic rules for this one are that the combatants would be linked together with a chain, and to win, they must touch all four turnbuckles in sequence. So this match ended how most chain/bull rope/strap matches end. Koloff starts making it around the ring and touching the buckles, but doesn’t realize that Sting is following behind him and touching those same buckles. Sting prevents Koloff from touching the last one, and tries to leap over Koloff to touch it himself, but accidentally knocks Koloff into the buckle first, and Koloff is declared the winner. Having seen a lot of similar types of matches, it might not have been the most creative finish, but I suppose it was at the time.
Kevin Greene and Steve McMichael vs. Ric Flair and Arn Anderson (The Great American Bash 1996)
I don’t quite know why this match needed to be on the set, but I guess the football celebrity involvement made it stand out. Greene and McMichael were escorted to the ring by their wives, and cornered by Randy Savage, while Flair and Anderson had Bobby Heenan in their corner, as well as Woman and Elizabeth. The footballers were utilized in the best way possible and basically played to their strengths. The women got into it at one point, and all four of them ended up going to the back. Chris Benoit then ran out to attack Savage, just before Debra returned from the back with Elizabeth and Woman, and she had a briefcase full of money with her, which she presented to her husband, Mongo. Mongo held the briefcase in front of him, as his partner, Greene was screaming at him for help. Mongo suddenly had dollar signs in his eyes, and then blasted Greene with the case, leading to a Horsemen victory.
Kevin Nash vs. “Macho Man” Randy Savage for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
Savage returned to WCW as a babyface, but his attitude quickly changed, after he started making eyes at Nash’s championship. Savage also had a new trio of beauties in his corner. He was accompanied by Medusa, Gorgeous George and Miss Madness (Molly Holly in the WWE), who certainly didn’t mind playing with the big boys. And they didn’t get any bigger than Kevin Nash. Or did they? Nash had nothing but momentum on his side in the latter stages of the match, but just when it looked like he was going to put Savage away, Sid Vicious makes his return to WCW and attacks Nash for the DQ finish. I never really cared for DQ finishes in main events, especially pay-per-views. It just kind of makes fans question what they just paid for.
Final thoughts:
This was by far the best DVD/Blu-ray set that the WWE has put out this year. Overall, I thought they did a decent job with the match selection. I usually don’t like it when matches for these DVDs have already been used on previous DVD/Blu-ray sets, but there are certainly some exceptions on this one, which really needed to be on it. Also, I thought they could have gone a little more into the history at the beginning, just to explain how the idea all came about; it didn’t need to be too detailed. The alternate commentary was also kind of distracting at times; I really wish they would leave some of these matches as they are, without changing too much. I was very surprised to see an unmasked Rey Mysterio on this set, but I guess there’s a first time for everything. This is definitely a must-have for longtime wrestling fans, or even younger fans, who want a glimpse of what wrestling was like in the good old days.