The Spectactular Legacy of the AWA DVD Review

I sat down to watch the AWA DVD not knowing what to expect. The DVD
is about 2 hours long which was great. I love long wrestling
documentaries. I was impressed that Vince kept himself out of the DVD
for the most part. It was comprised of all the guys who were in the
AWA and had helped build it’s foundation. Like any WWE DVD, theres
always a downfall. Just like the ECW DVD, and the upcoming WCW DVD
next year. The DVD touched on a lot of things that were great about
the AWA.

Some of things I enjoyed about the AWA DVD were hearing how Verne
Gagne is credited with building up so many stars in the business and
how almost everyone he trained became successful. I love his
philosiphy on how the good guys and bad guys should always be kept
apart. You got to love kayfabe. I also enjoyed the segments on Nick
Bonkwinkle and Curt Hennig. Baron Von Raske said the Curt was
almost “Mr. Perfect,” meaning he was that great of a wrestler.

I also enjoyed the stories on the Superclashes. It was definitely a
great concept and it still could work today. I would love to see AWA
vs. TNA. How awesome would that be. Anyways, it’s too bad the
promoters couldn’t work together and co-exist. If they would have the
industry would be different then it is today.

The one thing that bothered me is the criticism that Verne had a huge
ego and he was very stubborn to work for. If you didn’t have an ego
in the wrestling business you wouldn’t be very succesful. Also if you
were a nice guy, everyone would walk all over you. So thats why Verne
was probably the way he was because he wanted to protect his
business.

Last but not least, I respect the hell out of Verne Gagne for
accepting an invite to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this
past year. I respect the fact he has no grudges against anyone who
worked for him. The impact of Verne Gagne and the AWA will be around
for a long time. My favorite match is obviously Curt Hennig vs. Nick
Bonkwinkle for the AWA Championship. It was awesome

One thing I do want to make clear. The AWA is not dead. The AWA is
still around today. It re-opened in 1996. Jerry Lawler and Larr
Zbyszko have both claimed that they were the last official AWA
Heavyweight Champion. There have been some great champions since it
re-opened in 1996: Steve Corino, Ric Converse, Takao Omori and
others. The AWA has 23 territories with a lot of great wrestlers on
the rise. So to check out the AWA, go to http://www.awastars.com, The
Major League in Pro Wresting.