Wrestling Underground is a two disc DVD set that features over three hours of hardcore wrestling action, featuring many of the former top dogs of extreme from promotions like ECW. As the box proudly says, "there are no sanctions, no rules, and insanity reigns supreme" on Wrestling Underground.
But this isn't merely some amateur backyard wrestling bloodbath. The matches, which all appear to be from the roughly 2001 time period when many of these guys were suddenly out of work, are all called by former WCW commentator Scott Hudson, and feature a who's who from wrestling's "where are they now" file — guys like Rob Van Dam, Dallas Page, Sandman, Steve Corino, and Raven. There are even a couple of matches featuring all-time wrestling legends Terry Funk and Dusty Rhodes.
As for the quality of the ring work, some of the matches are embarrassingly bad on a purely scientific level, but can be forgiven for their entertainment value. No one ever accused a guy like the Sandman of being a technician on the order of Kurt Angle, but the whole cigarette smoking, beer swilling, Singapore cane wielding shtick is so priceless that it doesn't really matter. In his matches with Nova and Balls Mahoney, Rob Van Dam also looks as sharp as ever, delivering the dropkicks in the way that only his educated feet can.
In other cases, however, the years have not been so kind. The formerly smoking hot valet Missy Hyatt in fact looks like such a cosmetically enhanced trainwreck that it's a bit of a shock at first — especially if it's been a few years since you last saw her. Hudson even openly kids in his commentary that a tox-team might be needed just because of her presence.
But for anyone who misses the old ECW as much as I do, this DVD will make those years come flooding back. There is one match here in particular that's practically worth the price of the entire DVD. Balls Mahoney and Axl Rotten Vs. New Jack and Murder One pulls out all the stops when it comes to simulated violence in an off-the-hook tag match. From trash can lids to cheese graters to crimson masks of blood, it's all there.
Wrestling Underground is on some levels kind of sad to watch, since for most, if not all of these guys, their glory days are clearly well behind them. But on another level of nostalgic entertainment value, it's also a lot of fun to relive an era in wrestling not likely to be seen again anytime soon.
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