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Monday Night Mayhem DVD Review: “Hart And Soul: The Hart Family Anthology”
Produced By World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE Home Video
Written By “Wild” Bill Brown
****
Content: 9.7
“Hart And Soul: The Hart Family Anthology” is a fantastic collection, with some of the greatest moments from one of the most famous families ever to compete in professional wrestling. This three-disc set covers a large amount of topics with plenty of Hart family members, from all of their beginnings right through the modern day. With deep family comments from recorded pastime interviews from those that are now deceased up through the many current family members sharing their insights regarding hundreds of topics, this is the most in-depth documentary & greatest collective work ever put out by World Wrestling Entertainment. This time though, they will talk for the first time about a variety of topics all pertaining to the legacy of their entire Hart Family dynasty. The WWE has outclassed themselves here with an unbelievable biography. Add to that a dozen exciting matches featuring some of the most talented family workers in the business, as well as many special features added in (covering a variety of areas), this DVD set is undoubtedly a “must-see.”
****
Audio/Video: 9.5
Produced perfectly & amazingly clear, the state of the art WWE Productions once again does their very best. All older footage & classics from the past are edited to appear as best they could to satisfy the viewers, but besides that, these DVD’s are flawlessly edited. Dolby Surround in two channels and produced in high-definition, the documentary is unbelievable, and the matches that follow look awesome, as is customary with any WWE Home Video.
What’s On the DVD’s:
Disc I
Over five decades of Hart lineage is covered on this disc, with a look at the patriarch of the Hart family, the famous father & leader: Stu Hart. See how Stu fell in love, got married to Helen, & started up in the wrestling business. Opening up Stampede Wrestling, Stu begins promoting in Canada and has a family of twelve children. For many years, Stampede had its ups & downs, until eventually Vince McMahon, Jr. bought the territory. As a result, many of Stu’s family members were given employment in the World Wrestling Federation as a result of the buyout, and The Hart Foundation & The British Bulldogs became fixtures in the tag team ranks. Now getting an international spotlight to showcase their incredible talents, “Canada’s Family” has their ups & downs, struggles & tragedies that led to all members, one way or another & in many circumstances, eventually leaving the WWE as their glorious years passed. And now in the modern day, we have third-generation Hart members, along with WWE Hall Of Famer Bret “The Hit Man” Hart also returning, so you will get to see all of the memories & historic moments that paved the way for the future of the Hart family’s dynasty. Although abbreviated due to the fact that the coverage could go for many hours more, this documentary is very satisfying and leaves more openings for future DVD titles if the WWE would decide to make them. In addition to what is covered, we also get a great bunch of these to enjoy.
Special Features:
* Stu The Athlete
* Helen’s Car Accident
* Terrible Ted The Wrestling Bear
* A Letter From Dean
* Stu vs. The Tiger
* A Hart Family Thanksgiving 1987
* Helen Throws In The Towel
* Owen The Prankster
* Chris Jericho’s Flight With Owen
* The Uninvited Guest
* Bret “The Hit Man” Hart Returns To The WWE
* Post-RAW Celebration (Monday Night RAW: January 4, 2010)
The Matches:
While some might complain a bit about the selection of matches, the fact remains that the WWE is devoting these bouts as it pertains to the title, which is “The Hart Family Anthology.” Most of the matches selected feature teamwork or rivalries with Hart Family members, with a few rare bouts that are hard to find.
David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, & Natalia Niedhart on the second & third disc will run you through the following matches and show them to you in their entirety with their fellow Hart family members.
Disc II
* Introduction With The Hart Dynasty
Six-Man Tag Team Match: Keith Hart, Bruce Hart, & Bret Hart vs. The Kiwis & The Dynamite Kid
Stampede Wrestling May 1979: Rare & great to watch the brothers in the early days in the Stampede Territory.
* Stampede Arrives In The WWE
WWE World Tag Team Title Match: The Hart Foundation vs. The British Bulldogs
The Boston Garden — November 1, 1986: Matches like this never take place anymore…a fantastic tag team contest.
* An Unforgettable Match
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Bret “The Hit Man” Hart vs. “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith
WWE SummerSlam — August 29, 1992: 80,000 fans & a scientific classic in England.
* The Hart Family In A WWE Ring
Family Feud Match: Bret “The Hit Man” Hart, Owen Hart, Bruce Hart, & Keith Hart vs. Shawn Michaels & His Knights
WWE Survivor Series — November 24, 1993: Not a classic, but a family affair.
* Brothers vs. Brothers
Bret “The Hit Man” Hart & Owen Hart vs. The Steiner Brothers
Florence, SC — January 11, 1994: Very unique & never-before-seen all-out battle.
* Ripped Apart At The Seams
WWE World Tag Team Title Match: Bret “The Hit Man” Hart & Owen Hart vs. The Quebecers
WWE Royal Rumble — January 22, 1994: Owen turns on Bret, and The Hart Family is divided.
Disc III
* Sibling Rivalry
WWE Championship Steel Cage Match: Bret “The Hit Man” Hart vs. Owen Hart
WWE SummerSlam August 29, 1994: One of the best cage matches ever seen in a WWE ring.
* The Hart Family Settles It In The Ring
Bret “The Hit Man” Hart & “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith vs. Owen Hart & Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart
WWE Monday Night RAW — November 7, 1994: The families take sides and battle it out.
* Decorated In Gold
WWE European Championship Match: Owen Hart vs. “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith
WWE Monday Night RAW — March 3, 1997: Tag Team Champions now go after the WWE’s newest belt.
* Front And Center
Ten-Man Tag Team Match: Bret “The Hit Man” Hart, Owen Hart, “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, & Brian Pillman vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Goldust, & The Legion Of Doom
WWE In Your House: Canadian Stampede — July 6, 1997: Never will you see a country love their family heroes during the entire wrestling match like this one…Absolutely surreal.
* Border Wars
Six-Man Tag Team Flag Match: Bret “The Hit Man” Hart, Owen Hart, & “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Undertaker, & Dude Love
WWE Monday Night RAW — July 21, 1997: It’s Canada vs. America & a war in the ring.
* Passing The Torch
WWE Unified World Tag Team Title Match: The Hart Dynasty vs. D-Generation X
WWE SmackDown — December 25, 2009: Third-generation Hart family members show their talents, and let you know the future may be theirs.
****
Overall Recommendation:
Buy this DVD. It is a solid project featuring an unbelievable legacy of wrestlers in their own words telling you, the viewer, all about their years with their family in their crazy world in which they lived. And if you are a Bret Hart fan and read his book a few years back, yeah some stories were brushed upon there, but this time you are getting some point of views from other members of the Hart family, while Bret’s book was from his own account only. This is an extremely thorough presentation about the relationships that developed with all members of the Hart Dynasty from the various family members themselves. In the end, the man behind the family, Stu Hart is shown as one of the most incredibly generous individuals to ever work in & contribute to the wrestling business, and this DVD project involving his entire family will leave any viewer with much more appreciation & respect for their abilities. Lots of history & plenty of moments are shared, leaving any viewer at the end wanting so much more…because it was just that good!
****
Final Thoughts:
As a big fan of Owen Hart, combined with the fact that the WWE hasn’t really come out much & focused on him in the past, this was a pleasant surprise, because he was prominently featured during most of this DVD. Many great matches, some funny stories, & plenty of top matches feature Owen doing what he did best. The only shocking part regarding the coverage of Owen is the fact that the WWE gave a very in-depth look to the final night of his life, with footage from the live Over The Edge Pay-Per-View when Owen tragically passed away. To say it was uneasy to relive Jim Ross tell us the news of what had just happened would be an understatement, but it is indeed given some time and covered here pretty well to the surprise of myself & probably many others. The WWE pulls no punches here on this, so be prepared.
Overall Rating: 9.6
****
This DVD was reviewed By “Wild” Bill Brown. Visit the official website, Facebook, & MySpace pages of The Mayhem’s official DVD reviewer at http://www.BBrownVideo.com, http://www.Facebook.com/BBrownVideo, & http://www.MySpace.com/BBrownVideo.
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