New DVD releases look at WWE Hall of Famers Mick Foley and Bret (Hit Man) Hart
Posted June 21, 2013 2:01 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Only one wrestler could get away with putting an actual sweatsock over the cover of his career retrospective DVD.
Mick Foley has made a career of going against the grain and doing things in his own unique way. He remains consistent with the release of “For All Mankind: The Life & Career of Mick Foley,” which comes complete with a “Mr. Socko” souvenir puppet.
Foley worked the puppet into his Mankind character shtick during his World Wrestling Entertainment run and it proved to be quite popular. It was just one of the many interesting twists and turns in the career of one of sports entertainment’s most well-known performers.
The three-disc collection starts with Foley’s early days of training and work on the independent circuit. While he didn’t have the chiselled wrestling physique that was common in the era, his work ethic was tremendous.
Foley pushed his body to the limit and seemed oblivious to pain.
It makes some of his old matches rather difficult to watch. There are bloody barbed-wire battles and falls-count-anywhere contests in his Cactus Jack character along with the infamous Hell in a Cell match between Mankind against The Undertaker.
But there’s more to the so-called “Hardcore Legend” than chair shots and backflips on thumbtacks.
The package also looks at his many pursuits outside of the squared circle, including his successful turn as an author and even his stint on the comedy circuit.
Foley is not the only WWE Hall of Famer to recently get the DVD treatment. Bret (Hit Man) Hart had dozens of classic matches to choose from when compiling the lineup for his three-disc package.
The Calgary native, who held several championship belts over his long career, decided to mix in a number of old-school nuggets with the expected classics for the seven-hour package dubbed “Bret (Hit Man) Hart: The Dungeon Collection.”
There are some vintage bouts from the old Stampede Wrestling days along with a match against Buzz Sawyer in Georgia Championship Wrestling in 1979. Hart quickly progressed up the ladder and was performing in big arenas just a few years later.
Hart prefaces the matches in the collection by providing background on the business, other grapplers and his mindset through the various wrestling eras. Mat fans should enjoy Hart’s honesty and insight.
The match lineup is loaded with beauties. There’s a 1978 Stampede Wrestling match against Dynamite Kid, a match with Andre the Giant from 1989 and several championship bouts from over the years.
“For All Mankind: The Life & Career of Mick Foley” and “Bret (Hit Man) Hart: The Dungeon Collection” are both thorough, comprehensive looks at two of pro wrestling’s biggest names.
Both releases are available now and retail for about $25 each.
