First, a thank you to all who responded to my query about the Hitman Hart - Wrestling with Shadows DVD release, which came out last year in Canada from Koch International. I appreciated all the responses. The film was also released in Great Britain. For those wondering, there has never been a DVD release for the film here in the United States, which given the success of WWE's Bret Hart DVD and his autobiography, is pretty surprising.
Last night's UWF episodes on ESPN Classic were reruns, so I am guessing they are starting to hit the end of that tape library. For all the talk of how bad these shows were, I got a great kick out of watching it on my DVR every morning. Jared Cheeseman sent word that ICW tapes (I believe the Joe Salvodi version) would eventually replace the UWF episodes. I wonder if they will run that segment where Rick Rude and the Honkytonk Man faced off over who was the better Intercontinental champion that seemingly aired EVERY week when ICW ran on Sportschannel America?
Former NWA World champion Dory Funk, Jr. wrote a piece for the Miami Herald about his career, his favorite student (the late Jumbo Tsruta, who was awesome) and his retirement tour in Japan, which culminates on 3/1. Funk wrote, "My final wrestling match on Saturday, March 1 will mark the end of 67 years of the name Funk performing in the ring as a professional wrestler." Although I don't think ANYONE would be shocked to see Terry Funk make yet another comeback, what a legacy that family leaves behind if he and Dory never wrestle again. Years ago, Terry Funk had said in a few interviews that a screenplay about the his parents and family was making the rounds in Hollywood and it probably would be a hell of an interesting movie. You can read Dory's column by clicking here. Funk will still be training prospective wrestlers at his school in Ocala, Florida after his official retirement.
Our friends at www.highspots.com have a pretty awesome three-DVD collection of the Funk Brothers in Japan, by the way. They have also released Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's Battle of Los Angeles 2007, which was said to have been a great weekend of wrestling on DVD and are carrying the new Tito Santana-Greg Valentine shoot interview DVD where they discuss their 1980s feud for the WWF Intercontinental title in great detail.
If you really want to overdose on some fun wrestling, Highspots currently has an offer for all 12 volumes of St. Louis wrestling (including a one hour Flair vs. Bruiser Brody match) and some books for $99 at http://www.highspots.com/product.asp?id=18546.
The ever-entertaining Kaiju Big Battel, which combines pro wrestling and Japanese monster movie characters, is running Webster Hall in New York City on 2/6. For more information, visit http://www.kaiju.com/.
The Seattle Times has an interview and article on MMA fighter Bob Sapp, who both TNA and WWE have made plays for several times in the last few years, discussing his career and return to fighting at this link.
Former WCW star Maestro is seeking bookings at stro4ya@yahoo.com.
If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!