One of the best things about this gig is the sense of anticipation you get whenever a new product comes through your letterbox for you to review, and when the label says it’s from Kayfabe Commentaries that sense gets taken up a notch or three.
In an ironic twist this particular release became a little relevant given the events surrounding a certain well-publicised interview.
The DVD that came through the mail was the latest in the Timeline: The History of WWE series and focused on the year 1995. As always Sean Oliver was there as host, and his guest for the particular episode was the man who for WWF Champion for most of that year, Kevin “Diesel” Nash.
Now you can see why I said this release was quite relevant. But enough of this talk. Let’s get to the matter at hand.
I went into this one expecting Nash to make quite a few outlandish statements, but if truth be known there’s none of that here. There’s no talk of vanilla midgets or of the business dying at Wrestlemania 20.
This is basically the story of one of the most pivotal years in WWE history, and not because they were successful. Far from it. The original boom period had been over for a while.
This was the story of how Vince McMahon was trying to sell his “New Generation” to a dwindling fan base, a generation that was being led by his new champion, the man who had beaten Bob Backlund for the title in just eight seconds at Madison Square Garden.
It’s also the story of the industry’s most infamous backstage grouping, the Kliq, a group of men who looked out for each other, who had each other’s back, a group who wanted to improve the business they loved.
As with the other volumes in this series it’s a hell of a story. Nash may not be everyone’s cup of tea either as a wrestler or as a human being but there’s no denying he’s a great teller of tales.
He goes into detail of how Diesel the bodyguard became the monster before turning into the corporate champion who could no longer simply muscle his way through matches, and he had to go out of his comfort zone when matched against guys like Psycho Sid and King Mabel, a guy who had already injured eight other wrestlers and who would go on to injure Nash himself, mainly because he executed moves that Nash had asked him not to do because of his injuries.
There’s also talk of a certain Shane Douglas and how it wasn’t just the Kliq who caused his downfall in the WWF, as well as the departure of Lex Luger and the start of the Monday Night Wars.
In short, this is great. Nash comes across as a guy who’s passionate about everything in his life, whether it be his friends, his family, or the business that made his name.
He’s also quite forthright in his views, sometimes straying from the subject matter as he talks about why Bill Goldberg’s streak ended in the way it did, and how he was booked on his return to WWE in 2002.
The wrestling historians out there will love this release, as will those who, like me, stuck by the WWF through thick and thin, putting up with some rather questionable matches and skits from this time period.
So with that being said let’s give this thing the big thumbs up.
With thanks to the powers that be for supplying a copy of this release. Timeline: The History of WWE 1995 is available to buy online at www.kayfabecommentaries.com.
And don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com. It’s been online in one form or another for over 12 years now!
