OMG Vol 2 - The Top 50 Incidents in WCW History

What is this, a timely wrestling DVD blog? That is correct, the one I am covering had a release date of August 12, 2014, just over a month ago with today's entry for OMG Volume 2 - The Top 50 Incidents in WCW History (trailer). And please let me point your attention to the cover art I have attached to this entry because nothing screams WCW with only Shane and Vince McMahon on the cover! Yes I know it is from the Simulcast show where Shane McMahon appeared on the final Nitro episode, but still, if there ever was a DVD destined for the Shockmaster cover treatment, this is the one!

Before I can continue, I must go into a little back story on why I am covering a newer release, so stay awhile and listen, or read I mean, yes read! My BFF Matt and I both had a tongue in cheek infatuation with the first OMG installment titled, OMG: Top 50 Incidents in WWE History, from a couple years ago. We saw it on Netflix when WWE was oddly releasing almost all their new home video releases on Netflix streaming day and date with their retail release, they have trimmed back significantly since, but still have a small smattering of releases on streaming if you do a search.

Sadly, neither OMG volumes are on Netflix streaming now, which is a pity because Matt and I absolutely love the so bad it is good OMG theme music. Check out the linked trailers above to hear it in all its glory. It is used consistently while transitioning between each countdown video. Why WWE could not come up with a few other house tunes for a little variety? This music is so annoying, the consistent grinding of the "Oh my god" lyric that kicks in between every numbered countdown video so often that you cannot help but get that damn tune stuck in your head just like the latest annoying top 40 chart topper chorus. Matt and I use it as an inside joke way more often than we should while conversing in reality, much to the bewilderment of others.

Shit-astic theme music aside, OMG Vol. 1 was actually a pretty entertaining release. It does the reality show countdown format, with interviews from a wide array of past and present WWE talent on the most shocking moments in WWE's past. A lot of them were pretty entertaining OMG moments to relive like the Pillman gun controversy, the Montreal screwjob, Bishoff debuting in WWE, etc. A lot of them were shocking moments in a good way, that eventually lead to bigger and better business with a few OMG amusing moments where WWE put their pride to the side and were able to laugh at a few things they could not believe they did like the Brawl for All for example. I have no idea how they determine the rankings for these, but it is hard to resist the intangible force that draws me to watch countdown shows, much like the same force that gets me to easy click-bait countdown articles online.

Needless to say, Matt and I were both jacked for WCW to get the OMG treatment and Matt insisted on getting it right away as we both chipped in on it. Unfortunately, WWE home video releases are getting harder to find in town, usually Wal-Mart and Best Buy had the best selections, but what few releases they do carry lately usually consist of just the DVD format. So the DVD is what we get to cover today, which I guess is not that big of a deal because WCW went under several years before the HD era went mainstream on television.

Now do you think WWE's revisionist history would give WCW the same kind of OMG treatment, focusing on more positive shocking moments that lead to bigger and better things, or just the sheer plethora of ridiculous ones that more or less helped WCW go out of business? If you guessed the latter, then pat yourself on the back because this video is nearly a burial of WCW. Remember in my blog last month on The Best of Nitro Vol 2 that I wished if they did another Nitro release that the producers throw in a few more final couple years of Nitro content on there? Well, I got my wish with OMG Vol 2, but in the worst way possible.

Let us focus a little bit on the fewer, fonder moments they include on here that helped lead to a few boom periods for WCW in the 80s and 90s. The Magnum TA/Tully Blanchard "I Quit" match still is shocking and gut wrenching to watch today, and I was glad to see it ranked fairly high. The surprise debut of Scott Hall in 1996 is still a joy to watch, as was Hulk Hogan being unveiled as the third man that brought on the birth of the nWo, and the ring instantly filling with trash as Hogan ripped on the fans afterwards is still a landmark moment in wrestling history. I still am a little baffled that throwing trash mostly was an nWo thing to do among wrestling fans and that it never caught fire in WWE. I always looked forward to keeping a keen eye towards wrestlers not paying attention and getting pelted with a flying beer cup back then.

WWE got a bunch of new interviews recorded for this release. I have been watching so many recent WCW documentaries from WWE lately that I have been witnessing some recycled interviews recently between this, The Best of Nitro Vol 2 and the new Monday Night Wars series on WWE Network. All is well and good though, because besides getting insight from current WWE stars like Cody Rhodes, John Cena, Dolph Ziggler and others, WWE went out and interviewed former WCW talent that are both on and not on their payroll such as Dusty Rhodes, Dean Malenko, Mean Gene, Magnum TA, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Kevin Sullivan, Harvey Schiller, Tony Schivane, and yes, even former booker Vince Russo. Props to Vince Russo for at least trying to defend his many outrageous WCW booking decisions, but that does not atone for you sinking the WCW ship way faster than anyone could have thought.

I am surprised, well I should not be in hindsight, but still the fact that about half of the 50 moments on here are from the Vince Russo era and beyond explains a lot on why WCW went away. The very first moment on the list is the Junkyard Invitational, where a dozen WCW midcarders fought to get out of a junkyard filled with randomly exploding cars and falling obstacles and resulted in several legit injuries. Besides legendarily bad WCW moments like the 'fingerpoke of doom' and David Arquette winning the WCW World title, there were many other oft-ignored over the years bad WCW moments on the list. The quintessential 2000 WCW booking moments usually include something on a pole, like a pinata, a photo of Scott Hall, and yes, "Buff" Bagwell's mom Judy Bagwell, well except they decided to put her on a forklift for her safety at the last minute, and yes all three pole vaulting moments made the list! Thank you Vince Russo! Not to be outdone, there are some early days WCW debacles on here too such as Cactus Jack with amnesia, Robocop, yes the one and only Robocop saving Sting from the Four Horsemen, and of course the infamous debut of The Shockmaster.

I own the DVD release of this, so there are five hours of extra content, which are just an assortment of 21 matches and moments featured in the countdown in their entirety, with the BluRay getting an extra hour of five more full length matches. Some of these are also reused from the same earlier WCW video releases like Goldberg vs. Hogan, and a masked DDP as La Parka against Macho Man, so it made going through some of these extra matches a quicker watch. I never saw the 'Chamber of Horrors' match in its entirety though which was a hoot to watch, and it was also the first time I saw a match with Scott Hall in his 'Diamond Studd' persona. I have never seen the Junkyard Invitational before, so I am envious it is one of the five extra countdown matches in full for BluRay exclusive extras.

Sorry for spoiling about a good quarter of the list, but I could not help myself. Rest assured there are plenty of other very atrocious for the time, but funny to look back on moments to relive, especially with former WCW talent commenting on it in disbelief today. Doing this list in the countdown format with a ton of interviews of past and present stars is the right way to do this, and while I feel a little bad at points where it feels like WWE is kicking WCW's legacy on the ground and rubbing salt in the wounds, I guess they earned the right to do so by winning the 'Monday Night War' so more power to them. If you want a good feature to sit down and crack open a couple of fine Steve-weisers to have a good time with WWE trashing their competition's past, all while watching Vince Russo do a terrible job at defending himself, then OMG Volume 2: The Top 50 Incidents in WCW History is the video you have been dreaming of for years! I am very much looking forward to the inevitable day when WWE buys TNA Wrestling's video library and we get OMG Volume 3: The Very Best of Abyss, ODB, Shark Boy and Eric Young.

Past Wrestling Blogs

Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2
For All Mankind
Goldberg Ultimate Collection
Legends of Mid South Wrestling
RoH Supercard of Honor V
RoH Supercard of Honor VI
Warrior Week on WWE Network
WWE Wrestlemania 28
WWE Wrestlemania 29