Rarest Silvervision VHS in history?

[Maikeru]

My first ever WWF video, which I acquired in 1991 as a six or seven year old, was a freebie with a wrestling game for the Atari ST (I think it was called WWF Superstars). The running time was only about 15 mins and it included:

- The standard Silvervision opening and disclaimers of that period ("So if it's body slams, side suplexes, clotheslines, dropkicks and powerslams that your're after..... All WWF wrestling superstars are highly trained professional athletes......")

- The same narrator from the opening disclaimer analysing a Rockers VS jobbers match move by move - I watched it so many times I still have some of the script ingrained in my memory ("Here we see the Rockers use a combination of moves to dazzle their opponents.......")

- The video montage of Hulk Hogan getting squashed repeatedly by Earthquake and the sad cover of 'Real American' playing in the background, followed immediately by a happy montage with the normal Real American theme

That might have actually been it - was clearly just a way of promoting Silvervision's line up (worked on me anyway). 

In any case, I can't find anything on Google about this VHS, and sadly I doubt I still have it unless it's tucked away in my mum's attic. Does anyone recall owning such a title, and if so what are your memories of it? Or any other random SV releases you remember having that nobody else ever seems to talk about? 

 

 

[MEGABUCKS]

I got it with my Wrestlemania game on the Commodore Amiga in 1991 and I still have the tape. It also had the summerslam 89 intro and the close up scenes of wrestlers getting ready.

[Maikeru]

On 8/24/2018 at 2:28 AM, MEGABUCKS said:

I got it with my Wrestlemania game on the Commodore Amiga in 1991 and I still have the tape. It also had the summerslam 89 intro and the close up scenes of wrestlers getting ready.

That's the one, many thanks!

[RancidPunx]

Is there any silvervisiom tapes that are worth a bit of cash ?

[Maikeru]

On 8/26/2018 at 9:25 AM, RancidPunx said:

Is there any silvervisiom tapes that are worth a bit of cash ?

I know it’s four years after the fact but…UK Rampage 92/93 sells for £35 on CEX and that’s the dearest one I can find. Think cause it wasn’t on the network for a while (but is now).

 

 

[Statto]

On 8/23/2018 at 11:38 PM, Maikeru said:

- The same narrator from the opening disclaimer analysing a Rockers VS jobbers match move by move

I was going to correct you here by saying that it definitely wasn't the same guy as I'm 100% sure it was Lord Alfred Hayes doing the "punditry" here.

But... I'm now reasonably sure that this tape had a non-standard version of the classic Silvervision intro that had Hayes narrating instead of the usual guy... I also watched this short tape A LOT and have a vague memory of noticing that Hayes also 'got it wrong' by saying "side suplexes" over footage of armdrags (and then Dino Bravo's finish which they did refer to as a side suplex at the time, now generally referred to as a sidewalk slam).

Hayes was definitely the regular guy for the don't try this at home disclaimer.

[Maikeru]

1 hour ago, Statto said:

I was going to correct you here by saying that it definitely wasn't the same guy as I'm 100% sure it was Lord Alfred Hayes doing the "punditry" here.

But... I'm now reasonably sure that this tape had a non-standard version of the classic Silvervision intro that had Hayes narrating instead of the usual guy... I also watched this short tape A LOT and have a vague memory of noticing that Hayes also 'got it wrong' by saying "side suplexes" over footage of armdrags (and then Dino Bravo's finish which they did refer to as a side suplex at the time, now generally referred to as a sidewalk slam).

Hayes was definitely the regular guy for the don't try this at home disclaimer.

You know it’s funny, it was only when I re-read this last night four years after writing it that I also spotted that error. Hayes’ voice saying “Here we see the Rockers use a combination of moves to dazzle their opponents….” suddenly came flooding back. 

[Roy]

Does anyone have a picture of the above mentioned tape? I would love to see it for the sake of nostalgia

[BomberPat]

3 hours ago, Statto said:

Hayes also 'got it wrong' by saying "side suplexes" over footage of armdrags

Weirdly, an armdrag is called a "suplex" in Mexico, so that's made me wonder what the origins of that are - that maybe there's some old European antecedent for it, which lingered into Hayes' career. Just as likely that Hayes was a pretty dreadful commentator, as much as I love him.

[air_raid]

4 hours ago, Statto said:

But... I'm now reasonably sure that this tape had a non-standard version of the classic Silvervision intro that had Hayes narrating instead of the usual guy... I also watched this short tape A LOT and have a vague memory of noticing that Hayes also 'got it wrong' by saying "side suplexes" over footage of armdrags (and then Dino Bravo's finish which they did refer to as a side suplex at the time, now generally referred to as a sidewalk slam).

That error is in the original cut by the original narrator anyway. And if it's the same video footage used as the original, I'm 99% sure there's no Bravo finish in it. I think funnier than that error though is that the first shot for ".... clotheslines!... " they show is Berzerker missing a clothesline on Smithers, right before Warrior pastes two heels with a double clothesline from Survivors 89.

For dorks like me that are interested, all the clips from that intro are taken from the tapes of WrestleMania 3, Survivors 88, Rumble 89, SummerSlam 89, and UK Rampage (91). You can easily be fooled by a shot of Warrior doing the Gorilla Press on a job boy, but thats actually from the Warrior/Rude hype video that's part of the SummerSlam 89 broadcast/tape.

BTW, the tape with the Call Of The Action featuring Rockers beating jobbers is the first SuperTape, which I own like most Coliseum tapes up to 1995, and there's nothing unusual about the intro.

If we do want a Hayes/Bravo story however, there is a Coliseum match where Lord Al exclaims "TREMENDOUS side plant there by Dino Bravo" when he does said finish. In my memory its on Hogan, and Alfred goes "He's got him!"... before the Hulk inevitably kicks out. "Side plant!" Imagine. I am however going to forgive him because of the Virgil match where he actually said words to the effect of "really poor dropkick by Virgil." A welcome note of realism for a wrestling commentator to call out a wrestler (babyface, no less) for crap technique.

Edited July 14, 2022 by air_raid

[Chili]

I absolutely love the rare 2nd version of THAT Silver Vision intro with stuff from Survivor Series 1991/Rumble 1992 etc. Both here. 

 

[2Xtreme_lives]

The rarest one I know of is WF 281

Taking it 2 Xtremes, this was a cut down version of the TLC Video they put out and tends to get good pricing but I guess some of the late releases where DVD was well and truly up and running. I expect Summerslam 2005 being the last VHS will be quite rare with numbers made

Bit like how Now 35 on Vinyl is worth a bloody fortune

Edited July 14, 2022 by 2Xtreme_lives

[air_raid]

1 hour ago, Chili said:

I absolutely love the rare 2nd version of THAT Silver Vision intro with stuff from Survivor Series 1991/Rumble 1992 etc. Both here. 

I have a real soft spot two for the 1993 Coliseum VIdeo open as well, where the two pillars part and a series of quick cuts show Yoko giving the butt avalanche, the Headshrinkers murdering ham n eggers, Tatanka doing the Samoa drop etc, before the music changes to something up tempo while a text bar keeps flashing "WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION" before shots of various international landmarks (at a time they were starting to run shitty community centres and basketball courts) before culminating in a spinning WWF logo. Because as a kid it used to really get me excited about the Coliseum Video Exclusives I was about to see, through a kid's eyes, not the jaded adult's eyes that now see them for what they were - short, half-speed bouts contested by knackered wrestlers in front of sleepy crowds often with deeply unsatisfying finishes.

1 hour ago, 2Xtreme_lives said:

The rarest one I know of is WF 281

Taking it 2 Xtremes, this was a cut down version of the TLC Video they put out and tends to get good pricing but I guess some of the late releases where DVD was well and truly up and running.

That was an odd one. Next to Eve Of Destruction which sounds like an event but was a crap compilation of matches from different PPVs, where the box tricked me into thinking they might be starting home video exclusive matches again. Never should have stopped being a thing, really, although since probably Mania 21-22 we descended very quickly into the "everyone's wrestled everyone on TV" era. I'd kill for a secret tape of "Mega Matches 2002" or something where we find out Lesnar vs HBK happened, plus Perfect vs X-Pac, some skit where Chuck and Billy learn how to knit scarves for each other, and then one more re-cycle of Bret vs Barbar from MSG.

Edited July 14, 2022 by air_raid

[Just Some Guy]

6 hours ago, BomberPat said:

Hayes was a pretty dreadful commentator, as much as I love him.

Does this belong in the Tories off topic thread? 😀

[air_raid]

Out of curiosity, is anyone looking for any Silver Vision tapes to complete a collection? I’ll be possibly clearing out my mums house soon and I’ve got most of the Coliseum tapes right up to the Tribute series (most of it) and a fair chunk of the PPVs from 88-97 and some beyond. Best of Raw 1-6 too. They all play, most have sleeves in good nick, a few have the transfers/hologram cards/stamps they came with.

Notable exceptions ; I’m missing UK Rampage 92, WrestleFest 92 and… I think that’s it? I’ve got the lesser known ones like Crunch Classic, Invasion, US Rampage 91 & 92. Yes, I’ve got Year In Review 1992 where the master got lost and it will never be on the Network.

There will be some where the quality isn’t amazing. Survivors 89 and Rumble 93 have weakened a little, they were my first. Rumble 91 has volume a bit up and down and I bet SummerSlam 88 is the same. Mega Matches and SuperTape 92 are probably in the same boat and Battle of the Superstars 92 was from a car boot when I got it so sleeve is slightly tatty etc.

I won’t be doing it for a while yet but I’d happily earmark tapes in advance for a fair price plus postage. Wouldn’t be as cold as just whacking them on eBay.