Yesterday I received a late Christmas present from my sister in Hawaii.  She sent me a WWE produced DVD titled: "The Greatest Wrestling Stars of the 80s".

I had seen this video at stores over the last few months, considered it, but gave it a pass.  I figured that the DVD would just be a bunch of profiles on the wrestlers.  I usually don't expect to see what I want on those "retrospective" packages.

Fortunately for me, the WWE really came through.  Besides profiles, there are a number of "classic" matches -in their entirety- that I had only read about when I was a kid.  (Of course I had been able to see a few of them -but not all- at the time.  I did have access to NWA, WWF, WCCW, and AWA matches.) 

Before watching the DVD, I was a little worried that the original commentary would be dubbed-over by "modern" announcers; but sure enough, the old territorial announcers' voices were kept in the matches.  (I forgot what a pleasure it was to hear Gordon Solie call a match.  I have become unaccustomed to announcers "playing it straight".  Mike Tenay is probably as close as we can get these days.)

I opened up the DVD last night at around 11PM.  I watched the profiles of Bobby Heenan and Roddy Piper, then I watched two of the matches on the DVDs.  I watched Dusty Rhodes vs. Ric Flair from 1984, and I watched Kerry VonErich vs. Jerry Lawler from 1988.  Both were fun to watch.  (I am still impressed by VonErich's mobility despite having only one foot.)

This weekend, I will probably watch a few more of the matches and profiles.  I am looking forward to seeing what they have on Greg Valentine.  A nice, pleasant surprise for a post-Christmas present.