![Wrestling's Highest Flyers [Reino Unido] [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/613FxTYjbLL._SX300_SY300_QL70_ML2_.jpg)
So, WWE Highest Flyers compilation. Contains a number of big names from WCW, ECW and, of course, what was once WWF. What exactly is on it and how does it meet expectations?
I'm not going to overthink things so will just score the following matches with what feels right out of 5, no fractions. When I refer to something as a traditional match that doesn't mean I started watching yesterday and don't appreciate good, classic matwork (far from it)...
~~~Disc 1~~~ (average 3.3)
Your host is Josh Mathews. We get highlight packages for each flyer before the matches; at various points Bourne, Noble, Morrison and Kingston also show us some of their moves with a camera strapped to their chests. You can hardly see a thing in these but I guess it shows the talent required to blindly spin through the air and hit your target.
We start with some of the first US flyers (/Pacific Islanders) from the 1980s then segue into Mexican lucha libre by way of WCW's Cruiserweight division, who really popularised crazy aerial moves in the mid '90s.
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat vs Brian Pillman (WCW Halloween Havoc - 25th October, 1992)
2/5
Very little high flying from either flyer, but a huge amount of chops. Fairly "traditional" match, not very technical or thrilling but relatively fast by 1992 WCW standards. Ventura edited out? Not sure why this is on here.
Evan Bourne
Evan Bourne vs Zack Ryder (WWE Superstars - 11th June, 2009)
3/5
No fast-paced X-Division action here (Ryder is maybe too long-limbed an opponent) but contained some solid grappling which is always welcome in this age. Lacked a spark (Bourne apparently with injured ribs too - no better match?).
I guess Bourne is placed here to demonstrate how turnbuckle diving et al have evolved. A strictly chronological journey through flying might be educational but wouldn't necessarily make for an entertaining program...
Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka vs Samu (WWF Madison Square Garden - 20th February, 1984)
1/5
Never-ending nerve hold for the bulk of this one. ie Roided body but no gas in the tank. Nice but brief explosion of activity that's hardly worth the wait. Match over with bare minimum flying. Why is this on here?
Snuka and Steamboat's intro packages were fun at least.
WCW Cruiserweights
Juventud Guerrera, Hector Garza, Lizmark Jr. vs La Parka, Psychosis, Villano IV (WCW Bash at the Beach - 13th July, 1997)
4/5
Crazy entertaining lucha rules clusterf*ck. I'm with the announcers - no idea who's tagging with who by the end. Definitely has a place here. Helpfully the commentary also educates us about the difference between rudos and técnicos.
Mexico was hugely instrumental in developing high spots, though cruiserweight divisions were also where you went to see fast, technical action (from guys like Guerrero, Malenko.. *cough* Benoit...) which thankfully this collection also includes.
Shelton Benjamin
Shawn Michaels vs Shelton Benjamin (Gold Rush Tournament Match; WWE Raw - 2nd May, 2005)
5/5
Not packed with high flying moves, just a great wrestling match. Benjamin can Wrestle and Michaels is on form.
I guess Benjamin is placed here to show some modern springboard action, following the luchas.
Ultimo Dragon
Ultimo Dragon vs Rey Mysterio Jr. (J-Crown Cruiserweight Championship Match; WCW World War 3 - 24th November, 1996)
4/5
Now we're cooking. Ultimo dominates 90%, which is no bad thing as he's schooling us with so much unique offence. Seemed to have a bit of everything.
Dragon was originally from Japan but really came into his own in Mexico; the J-Crown was a unification of 8 titles and he went on to pick up even more which goes to show how highly-regarded he was internationally.
Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero vs Dean Malenko (ECW World Television Championship Match; Hardcore TV - 21st July, 1995)
5/5
Excellent technical wrestling and some high spots. Not what some in the crowd wanted but screw them, this was great.
ECW was not simply about hardcore but gave a platform to wrestlers whose styles were outside of the norm in the States, many of whom were later picked up by WCW.
---Bonus matches---
Ultimo Dragon vs Psychosis (Psicosis) (WCW Uncensored - 16th March, 1997)
3/5
Two great flyers for a hybrid lucha match; faltering start (commentary helpfully mentions their inexperience together) but once they find their flow they put on a good match from autopilot.
Chavo Guerrero vs Jamie Noble (WWE Smackdown - 18th April, 2008)
3/5
Decent enough, neat grappling near the start but quite brief and passes without leaving much of an impression.
~~~Disc 2~~~ (average 3.6)
Mathews introduces this disc with a basic science fail!
I suppose the opening theme is North Americans who've integrated lucha and puro elements. Here showcased against some great Japanese talents.
Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho vs Ultimo Dragon (WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match; Bash at the Beach - 13th July, 1997)
4/5
Dragon returns again, two guys who cut their teeth in Mexico and Japan thus showcasing a nice mix of styles. A few miscues but quality match. Surprisingly quiet crowd?
1-2-3 Kid
1-2-3 Kid vs Hakushi (WWF SummerSlam - 27th August, 1995)
3/5
I'm always happy to see some Hakushi who was badly underutilised at the time. Match definitely had its highlights but often felt like a standard WWF posedown. "Do some of the crazy things you do just stalk slowly inbetween, looking cool". Kinda sloppy in places.
John Morrison
John Morrison vs Tyson Kidd (WWE Superstars - 30th July, 2009)
3/5
We're told they're both high flyers but don't see much from Kidd. Some unique offence from Morrison shown here though, good stuff but surely there's a better pick in the vaults.
Tag Teams
Morrison leads us into a belated mention of tag teams now, and if you didn't know it's kinda hard to tell who some are in the highlights reel, which goes back to the '80s. Most high spots seemed to be in the tag team division back then so it's odd it took so long to bring them up here.
Hardy Boyz vs Dudley Boyz vs Edge & Christian (Triangle Ladder Match for the WWF Tag Team Championship; WrestleMania 2000 - 2nd April, 2000)
5/5
Insane. 3-way ladder match; different, more stunt-based style of flying but very welcome all the same.
Super Crazy
Tajiri vs Super Crazy vs Little Guido (3-Way Dance; ECW One Night Stand - 12th June, 2005)
3/5
Some cool spots and a fast pace but felt this match could've done more and been a bit tighter. Would've liked to have seen more from Tajiri. This is actually a WWE event, an ECW reunion show.
3-way contests are quite common now, particuarly in TNA. Their chaotic action is perfectly suited for someone diving in out of nowhere!
Brian Pillman
Brian Pillman vs Alex Wright (WCW Great American Bash - 18th June, 1995)
4/5
Trouble with now going back a decade is the following might seem quite tame in comparison, however the strikes don't seem softer because we go so long without any! Nice mat wrestling at the start, with the second half getting more violent & risky. Nice having a Wright match and this showcases Pillman better than on the Steamboat one.
Great Muta
Great Muta vs Sting (WCW Japan Supershow - 21st March, 1991)
2/5
Another passable "trad" US-style match (neither technical nor spotty) saved by some nifty offence from Muta.
Rob Van Dam
Jerry Lynn vs Rob Van Dam (Hardcore Championship Match; WWF Sunday Night Heat - 5th August, 2001)
5/5
Awesome work from the pair (both coming over from the recently folded ECW), just too short! RVD was a real innovator and Lynn soon went on to put TNA's X-Division on the map.
---Bonus match---
The Hardy Boyz vs Kai En Tai (WWF Sunday Night Heat - 27th September, 1998)
3/5
Early Hardys match - really short but had some cool spots. Loving the amount of Japanese talent on this collection.
~~~Disc 3~~~ (average 3.2)
Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels vs "The Man They Call" Vader (WWF Championship Match; SummerSlam - 18th August, 1996)
2/5
This is basically a WWF Monster Heel bout with added HBK flourishes. So far on these discs they've picked flyer vs flyer. Probably selected this one because Vader does a moonsault. The numerous restarts didn't work for me as for the most part they weren't working stiff enough to pull off a real grudge angle.
It could be argued Michaels brought high spots to the forefront throughout the '90s (as good as the WCW Cruiserweights were they were never treated with much respect by the company, though the situation was even worse in WWF!). Over the course of the next few matches we see more atypical flyers and more extreme styles on the rise.
Flash Funk (2 Cold Scorpio)
2 Cold Scorpio vs Sabu (ECW World Television Championship Match; CyberSlam - 17th February, 1996)
4/5
Some insane chair-assisted bumps but of course this match contains Sabu, who looked in need of a wheelchair at various points. Minus a point for the I-literally-can't-stand-up parts which were painful to watch, but plus a point for being half an hour long(?!). Wow that flew by.
More Sky-cam action but for a less-thrilling legdrop off a ladder this time.
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston vs Christian (Intercontinental Championship Tournament Finals; WWE Smackdown - 14th May, 2010)
2/5
Match felt underprepared and did not build to a climax. Title bout but cuts to ads; some nice exchanges but could've done with more of the spots seen in the highlights reel, missed opportunity.
WWE Light Heavyweights
(WWF belatedly get in on the Cruiserweight action)
Taka Michinoku vs Pantera (WWF Light Heavyweight Championship Match; In Your House: No Way Out - 15th February, 1998)
4/5
Beautiful, fluid action with psychology and several novel spots and holds. Pantera dominates (Taka legit injured?) but both get to shine, and the ref's keeping it real. Could've watched twice as long a contest.
Lita
Lita vs Trish Stratus (Women's Championship Match; WWE RAW - 6th December, 2004)
3/5
Enjoyment spoiled by a HORRIBLE botch near the start. Lita somehow recovers! Strong effort from both, not sure I want to rewatch this much though, especially with all the replays that get worse each time!
Sabu
Sabu vs Rob Van Dam (ECW World Television Championship Match; Guilty as Charged - 9th January, 2000)
5/5
You should know what to expect! Besides the insanity there's some neat storytelling.
Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy vs Umaga (Steel Cage Match; WWE Raw - 7th January, 2008)
2/5
Return of the Samoan nerve hold! Don't really know why this one was included, Hardy's used the same offence in better matches. Three Hardy matches might seem excessive but then again this is the only cage match on the set, and his opponent is atypical for this collection.
Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio Jr. vs Eddie Guerrero (WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match; Halloween Havoc - 26th October, 1997)
4/5
We close with two of the biggest names facing off. Great but I felt this never exploded from the pace it built, though I think that's just me!
(*Change my mind about this one and give it 5/5 on different viewings)
---Bonus match---
Juventud Guerrera vs Billy Kidman (WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match; World War 3 - 22nd November, 1998)
3/5
Solid-if-on-the-spotty-side cruiserweights bout making good use of World War 3's multiple rings.
With all the names included this should've been an easy 10/10 but peculiar match selection brings it down a notch. I suppose some might welcome the inclusion of some rarer TV matches but it slightly hurts what should be a definitive history lesson and highlight reel of high flying.
I won't complain about who's not included, I didn't really find myself groaning about who was. Any Dynamite Kid vs Tiger Mask match would've been much more preferable to Snuka's though; their lightning-fast exchanges are still imitated today. Their match at MSG must have English commentary.
I strongly appreciated the number of Mexican and Japanese names, often featured several times, as well as the excellent matwork alongside the aerial offence demonstrated here.
Despite the relatively low overall marks I did enjoy this a fair amount, easily a solid 4/5. There is great variety in the matches, though there's no real narrative behind what we're seeing.
I highly recommend anyone interested in fast-paced high-flying action take a look at TNA's X-Division compilation DVDs, they take the aerial and groundgames seen here to another level, and the quality of matches are consistently sky high.
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