Considering we are just under two weeks from what could potentially be the last ever shows at the Asylum Arena, formerly known as the ECW arena, I thought it would be fitting to look back the legacy of ECW in some way as well as what could be CHIKARA’s last ever promoted show in the building. First off, we’ll go back to 1994 when the ECW Arena was still a bingo hall and just being established. Kayfabe Commentaries has really hit upon something with its “Timeline” series. For 1994, they brought in a guy who exploded and broke out moreson than anyone else. He had two hugely important moments and was pretty much in the center of it all when it came to ECW.
The advantage to an interview is that it focuses on just one year. Matches and moments which may have been forgotten are brought up here. How many people, other than the most ardent ECW fans, even remember Joey Styles quitting the promotion for a couple weeks? What about Shane Douglas wrestling guys like Jimmy Snukas and Jim Powers. As interesting as it is to hear Douglas discussing the three way 60 minute draw and his infamous post-NWA title speech with some perspective (amazing that these incidents have amazingly happened nearly 20 years ago), it’s the smaller details which make the Timeline series a fascinating exploration into the history of wrestling.
Douglas has a reputation for being one of the most controversial figured in the history of wrestling. In recent years, Douglas seems to have matured
and calmed down. Don’t kid yourselves. Douglas still doesn’t like Ric Flair or Vince McMahon, but for a number of reasons, even Douglas’s commentaries on Flair don’t have nearly the same bite to them. Perhaps it’s because Ric Flair has done everything in his power to disgrace his legacy the last few years, but Douglas almost sounds reasonable now. His words at the end of the DVD about where the business is now, perhaps even in worse shape than when ECW was just breaking through in 1994, seem perfunctory.
I’ve gone over the only two parts of the DVD where Douglas’s old anger comes through. The rest of the DVD is Douglas putting over a number of his fellow competitors and even referring to Joey Styles as the best play-by-play in the history of the business. While Douglas might have a clear bias, he does make a solid case for what made Styles so great and why Styles has as much to do with ECW’s success as anyone else. Douglas also makes his admiration of legendary hall of famer Terry Funk known and tells a great story concerning the one time Funk broke character to give Douglas a piece of advice about not being so angry and flustered.
While Shane Douglas’ memories of 1994 are generally a fun look back, I can’t give this a full recommendation. If you’re a fan of Douglas’ work or a hardcore ECW, then this is definitely worth your time. Much of this material, particularly considering the major details of the year, have been covered in numerous other DVDs and books. Still I would be willing to give this DVD a minor thumbs up for anyone who may not be as familiar with this information or is a huge fan of the man known as “The Franchise.”