Wrestlemania: The Complete Anthology Volume I Review

Wrestlemania is the biggest wrestling event of all time. It features high profile matches, celebrity involvement, and showcases World Wrestling Entertainment’s product on a global stage. An event this big only happens once a year, but that does not mean you only have to watch it once every 365 days. WWE has released every Wrestlemania on some sort of home video format whether it be on VHS, DVD, or Blu-ray. Over the course of the next few weeks, I will review the different home video editions of Wrestlemania that I own.

First up is Wrestlemania: The Complete Anthology Volume I. This contains the first five Wrestlemania events on five separate DVDs. On the discs are the events with a few minor edits. Things such as changes in music and the muting of the letter “F” in WWF are noticeable but are not really a big deal. Personally, I do not care about the edits as I am more interested in the in ring action as opposed to what music is playing when the wrestlers make their entrances. Also, due to the lengths of Wrestlemania 4 and Wrestlemania 5, those events have been put on double sided discs meaning that you will have to flip the disc over once the first side has finished playing in order to continue watching.

The packaging of the DVD set is very nice and includes some great pictures that display a few of the highlights from each of the different Wrestlemanias.

Another nice touch to this set is the inclusion of a program, which lists every match and segment for each Wrestlemania as well as a picture from an iconic faceoff from the era. With Volume I containing the critically acclaimed Wrestlemania 3, the faceoff on the program is obviously of Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant as they main evented the first true big Wrestlemania.

Overall, Wrestlemania: The Complete Anthology Volume I is a great set that includes some good Wresltemanias. Wrestlemania 1 is the event that started it all and really cemented WWE as the top promotion in professional wrestling, Wrestlemania 2 is the only Wrestlemania in history to have taken place from three different locations, Wrestlemania 3 featured Hogan vs. Andre as well as the show-stealing bout between Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and “Macho Man” Randy Savage for the WWE Intercontinental Championship, Wrestlemania 4 featured a tournament to crown a new WWE Champion, and Wrestlemania 5 was headlined by the explosion of the Mega Powers.

If you do not already have these Wrestlemanias on VHS, then I recommend you pick up Wrestlemania: The Complete Anthology Volume I. You can usually find it online and since it has been out for about ten years, the prices are generally pretty low. It is a great collection of the only Wrestlemania events to take place during the 1980’s, and it is also a nice little piece of wrestling history that allows you to see how the showcase of immortals really evolved from its humble roots in Madison Square Garden.