phoenixastraea | Recommendation and Pic o' the Day!

Well, thanks to

acebaretta, I am now the proud owner of the 'Shawn Michaels: Boyhood Dream' DVD and man is it good. I was at home waiting for the cable guy, which allowed me to experience maximum wrestling viewing pleasure.

I've only viewed two out of the six or so matches; the first one was his first Championship win in an Iron Man match at WM 12 with Bret "Hitman" Hart and...I have to say, it was an incredible match. They didn't show the entire 60+ minutes of it, but they did show his incredible 100 foot descent on that ripline with "Sexy Boy" playing in the background. I cannot describe the joy of watching that; you just don't see stuff like that anymore. It also showed the first 20 or so minutes and the last 15 minutes, where Shawn really wrestles like a champ. When he won...well, all I have to say is that it really sent shivers up my spine when he won. I haven't felt like that after seeing someone win the championship in a LONG time. Not simply because it's Shawn but because the build up and the intensity and the importance of this match was perfectly orchestrated so that by the time the match was over, your heart positively swelled with admiration. Watching Shawn clutch the belt to him like a first-born child shows how incredible it was...and how little respect it receives today as opposed to 10 years ago.

The next match I watched was also incredible. It showed Shawns first title defense against none other than Diesel. Damn, I didn't realize he was that damn big. Again, an incredible match with some great spots and a shocker moment that made my jaw drop. At one point, Diesel gets this guy at ring side, grabs him and RIPS OFF HIS FALSE LEG AND ATTEMPTS TO BEAT SHAWN WITH IT ZOMG!!!!ELEVENTYONE!!! Sorry, but it was a total capslock moment. I haven't seen anything like that. Ever. Wrong doesn't begin to describe it. At any rate, Shawn turns it around and wins the damn thing, false leg and all; what really made me quiver was his reaction at the end of the match. I think I watched it several times...Shawn just...goes nuts. His intensity is in full peak, he's jumping around like a maniac...but what really got me was his in-your-face attitude. I'm so used to his Christian demeanor now that this really blew me away. After he beat Diesel, he flipped both birds and practically shoved them both in Diesel's face; you can also CLEARLY see him saying "Fuck you fuck you fuck you" over and over and over again as he's flipping him off. ABSOLUTELY incredible. Had me at hello incredible. THAT is what real wrestling is all about; there was REAL anger there, REAL hatred, REAL intensity, and REAL passion for a title and a belt and a way of life that just doesn't seem present today.

I didn't mean to go on at such length, but after watching only two of those matches from '96, I was transfixed by it all...I can't wait to finish the rest of it...but to me its like an excellent meal; I've got to savour the flavor...

To top it off, I think this deserves a special pic o' the day...