My Top 5 Wrestling DVDs of All Time

I've always been a fan of wrestling, I still am to this day. When I was a kid, like most other kids my age at the time, I was huge into wrestling. I grew up in the 80's which some people consider to be the best time in wrestling. So much happened in wrestling during the 1980's. Cable television, the end of the territories and the explosion of the WWF. But the past 20 years have had some pretty enjoyable moments as well. The emergence of wrestlers like the Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, the Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H to name a few. The WCW NWO feud was a huge thing for wrestling, and so was the Monday Night Wars which was a by product of that. So I've kind of taken into consideration all of the great things that have happened in wrestling over the past 30 years and taken 5 of my favorite wrestling DVDs that cover most of it. These 5 videos, which are in no particular order, give you a pretty good look at not just what happened in the ring, but outside of it as well. If you're not aware of the kind of things that went into booking matches or how the territories worked or how Vince took over everything then you should definitely watch these wrestling videos.

I want to start with the AWA because of the story behind it. The AWA was owned by wrestling legend Vern Gagne and thrived for years. It was run out of Minneapolis and produced a staggering amount of superstars. You could go down a list of guys that got their start in the AWA and it reads like a whos who. Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Harley Race, Wahoo McDaniel, Jesse Ventura, the Road Warriors, Dusty Rhodes, Dick Murdoch, Jimmy Snuka....the list goes on. So what happened? That's what makes this DVD so great. You get a chance to see how Vern Gagne had all the players, and how he wound up losing them all. It's a great story and a big part of the history of wrestling. This is no doubt one of the most interesting wrestling videos out there.

If you grew up in Texas in the late 70's and 80's you're probably very familiar with the Von Erichs. For anybody else that isn't, the 3 Von Erich boys owned Texas wrestling. WCCW was based out of Dallas Texas and it was run by the legendary Fritz Von Erich, a wrestler turned promoter. The rise of WCCW came in the late 70's when Fritzs 3 boys Kevin, David and Kerry started wrestling. The boys became sensations, wrestling hadn't seen anything like them. During the early 80's World Class was on the verge of exploding, looking like it could rival the promotion Vince was putting on. But tragedy struck, and continued to strike eventually running WCCW to the ground. I can't even put into words how unbelievable this story is but I can guarantee you any wrestling fan will love it.

WCW was the last company to compete with the WWE on a national level, until it was bought out by the WWE in 2001. The history behind the company is very interesting. This DVD follows the emergence of the WCW as a big player in wrestling during the 80's and 90's and showcases some of the talent that made their way through. Of course the biggest push WCW made for itself was in the mid to late 90's during the infamous Monday Night Wars where it competed with the WWE for wrestling supremacy. We all know how this one ends but it doesn't make this one of the more enjoyable wrestling DVDs to watch.

The final battle before the complete takeover by Vince McMahon, the Monday Night War was maybe the greatest time to be a wrestling fan. Two companies faced off every Monday night in a battle of ratings. WCW Nitro and WWE Raw were doing everything they could every week to try and top the other. Wrestling fans got the most out of it, seeing some of the best wrestling and storylines every put out. In the end only one company made it. But during that time wrestling changed. If it weren't for the war who knows where wrestling would be. A story that plays out like some of the great battles of the past, this is a must for any wrestling videos collection.

No collection of wrestling DVDs would be complete without something on Ric Flair. The Natureboy is considered by many, including myself, to be the greatest wrestler of all time. After watching this video it's hard to name someone better. It chronicles the life of the great Ric Flair and his stories inside and out of the ring. There isn't a wrestler alive today that has faced the opponents Flair has. He's seen them all, wrestled in all the territories and held almost all the belts. This DVD is almost like a wrestling history lesson. If you don't know too much about the Natureboy this is a must watch for you. Daimonds are forever....and so is Ric Flair!