Instant Classic: (adjective) (in-stant class-ic) : (1) See "Christian Cage" (2) The main event (as usual) or the greatest wrestler of the last decade. (3) Greater than great. (4) The champion of the universe. (5) A living ... more »modern marvel / one of the wonders of the world. (6) Champion 24/7, 365 days a year. If you didn't know?now you know! "Instant Classic: The Best of Christian Cage" contains nearly four hours of the matches, interviews, bonus footage and more dedicated to the TNA superstar!« less
Captain Charisma The Instant Classic Christian Cage
William C. Coppedge | USA | 02/11/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"TNA Wrestling The Instant Classic Christian Cage
I really enjoyed this dvd I enjoyed the interview part of it I kind of wish they would do like wwe dvds and interview alot of Christian's fellow wrestlers but it didn't heavily disappoint me. The disappointing thing for me is they do not include what Christian is best at on this dvd and that's his promos. How can you make a dvd for someone who is a king of cutting promos, a master of the mic and not put his greatest TNA promos on it? Whats up with that TNA? Now the matches were pretty good but most all of them except one have been previously released on dvd, here's the match rundown.
Against All Odds February 2006
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Christian Cage Vs. Jeff Jarrett (C)
This was a good match, I watched it live on pay per view back in February of 06 and I enjoyed it. It was refreshing to see Jeff Jarrett realize how over Cage was and decide to drop the belt to him. The after match celebration was a pretty special moment in TNA wrestling history as well. Rating 4.5/5
Bound For Glory October 2006
8 Mile Street Fight
Christian Vs. Rhino
This was an excellent hardcore match. These 2 guys really put on a good show, the match actually starts outside and works its way into the arena and eventually the ring. The storyline was great too, best friends are now even better enemies. Rating 5/5
TNA Impact November 16 2006
Six Sides Of Steel
Christian Cage Vs. Rhino
This was an awesome match for it being on Impact and not pay per view. This was a good rivalry Rhino and Cage work well against each other. Rating 5/5
TNA Impact November 23 2006
Christian Cage Vs. "The Icon" Sting
This match was very short and not as good as it should've been but it did serve it's purpose and that was for Tomko to debut. So I understand why it was put on this dvd. Rating 3/5
Final Resolution January 2007
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Christian Cage Vs. Sting Vs. Abyss (C)
This was a pretty good match I just wish it could've been a little longer, but the match added more to the Abyss-Sting storyline. Rating 4/5
Against All Odds February 2007
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Christian Cage (C) Vs. Kurt Angle
This was a good wrestling match and a great main event, the addition of Samoa Joe as the special enforcer helped keep the coalition out of the match. Rating 5/5
Destination X March 2007
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Christian Cage (C) Vs. Samoa Joe
This was a great wrestling match I would like to see these two wrestle each other a couple more times. Excellent ending. Rating 5/5
I am giving this dvd 4 out of 5 stars and I will recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Christian Cage to go out and get this dvd if you haven't already. If ya don't know now you know, Cause that's how i roll!
"
Simply put an Instant Classic
Derek Wallace | Kennesaw,Ga | 10/15/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Bound for Glory was in Atlanta, so I went to the Fanfest last Saturday and had the option of getting the DVD early. He even signed it, which was really neat.
First the Bonus features on the DVD:
There is an extensive interview from the man, himself. He basically talks about his childhood(where he was born and raised sort of thing), his education(college and what he did with his financial aid money), his jobs, his early days and what got him into wrestling, Edge(Adam Copeland), his injuries from the sport, his marriage, what he does in his spare time, he touches on why he left the WWE and what made him sign with TNA, and he talks about what the future might have for him.
Another cool thing was the tour he gave of his Tampa Bay home much like Cribs.
The Matches:
Against All Odds 2006: Christian Cage vs. Jeff Jarrett(for the NWA world title)- I was glad to see Jarrett put Cage over and drop the belt to him, and the fans reacted appropriately b/c they wanted to see Cage win a major championship. This match was well played and it had the back and forth that made the viewer wonder if Cage was going to win or just be another victim to Jarrett long list of people he coulda or shoulda jobbed to. 8/10
Bound For Glory 2006: 8 Mile Street Fight Cage vs. Rhino
This was a match b/w two former friends and it showed. This match was brutal and hardcore with Cage and Rhino pulling out all the stops. 10/10
Impact Barbed Wire 6 Sides of Steel (Nov. 16, 2006)- Awesome match that is not on a PPV. Cage was simply dominated, but came out victorious due to Rhino spearing Cage through the door. Cage sold the complete obliteration done to the gore through the door. He didn't look much like a winner. 8/10
Impact (Nov. 23, 2006) Cage vs. Sting- I felt this match was not that good and was too short and shouldn't have been included in a Best of Cage DVD. I think Styles vs. AJ Styles would've been better. The only highlight was the debut of Tomko.
Final Resolution 2007: Christian Cage vs. Abyss vs. Sting(NWA Heavyweight title)-Tomko was taken out for most of this match, so Cage had to go it alone for quite some time. Very action packed and I didn't expect Abyss to be the first eliminated setting up a new champion or the fact that Abyss would still help Cage win even though an apparent bond b/w him and Sting was beginning to matieralize. 8.5/10
Against All Odds 2007: Christian Cage vs. Kurt Angle(NWA World Heavyweight Title) Samoa Joe was at ringside to keep people from interfering- This was well fought by both superstars with Angle having the edge due to his mat skills, but Cage made use of every dirty trick in the book. AJ Styles makes an appearance as he just recently joined the coalition. Tomko and Steiner try to interfere with Samoa Joe making the save. It took many Unprettiers to score the victory. 10/10
Destination X 2007: Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe(NWA World Heavyweight Title)- a great match which had a finish that reminded me of the WM match of Bret Hart and Roddy Piper based on the finish(roll up while in a submission victory) 10/10
I would definitely give this DVD a serious look, b/c it is a good collection of matches, interviews, and tour.
One last thing: All WWE toys and I think a poster were blurred. I thought the Kevin Nash voiced action figure was neat. He really does have a nice house."
Captain Charisma....oops, The Instant Classic Gets TNA's Bes
D.P. | California | 10/29/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Christian Cage was someone in the WWF/E who as was part of a tag team revolution during their "Attitude Era" and a solid midcard performer who showed the potential & qualifications to be a main eventer but hit the "glass ceiling" when it came to getting an opportunity to compete at that level. So he went to TNA, got that opportunity, and became an "Instant Classic". Now here's his DVD set...one of TNA's best to this day.
One of the big attractions of this DVD would be his interview where he touches on various subjects. Going up & moving around; his college years & previous jobs including how he was scared of getting his hand cut off at one place; how an injury as a kid helped him became a wrestling fan; how his relationship with edge developed from a toy ninja star; how they broke into the business and eventually met Rhino; his worst injury: the story behind Jim Cornette helping him get into WWF; how he met his wife; his reasoning behind leaving WWE for TNA; favorite TNA moments; and what he wants to do after he retires. Throughout the interview is where you'll see the archival footage from his independent days as well.
Matches Include:
vs. NWA Champion Jeff Jarrett - Before the match, all night Larry Zbyszko was implying that there would be no outside interference in this match & Earl Hebner would be the official. With those stipulations in place, this wasn't the typical Jarrett match with brawling & non-stop interference until Jarrett wins. These two wrestled with Jeff pulling out every dirty trick he could until Christian finally pulled out the win the end. The celebration was really something to see as all the fans jumped into the ring & hoisted Christian high into the air.
Against All Odds '06
8 Mile Street Fight vs. Rhino - They have the formula of starting outside the building, brawling through backstage, and making it into the ring. Christian was the cocky heel & Rhino was the hometown boy who never quit. This was a great non-stop weapons brawl.
Bound For Glory '06
Barbed Wire Cage Match vs. Rhino - This cage match had various stipulations in that Christian & Rhino had certain objects (key to the cage, bolt cutters, straightjacket, chairs) that were given to them through the cage when they asked for it & the only way to win was escaping the cage. In a nutshell, this was a match that had Christian constantly trying to win the match by escaping while Rhino was more focued on revenge which resulted in Cage being the bloodiest I've ever seen him. Look out for the ending which Mike Tenay put best "Christian may have won the battle but Rhino won the war."
"Impact" Nov. '06
(Best Of The Bloodiest Brawls: Scars & Stitches)
vs. Sting - This match was really nothing special past the debut of Christian's old "problem solver" in Tomko.
"Impact" Nov. '06
vs. NWA Champion Abyss vs. Sting - This was the 3 way rematch from Turning Point however instead of this being a triple threat match (first man to get the fall wins), this was a 3 way dance (both men have to be eliminated to win) with Tomko locked in ringside cage so he wouldn't get involved in the match. This for the most part had the formula of two men fighting against each other at various times with one guy staying out of the way but this focused more on the story with Abyss & Sting more than anything else as Christian once again regained the NWA Championship.
Final Resolution '07
vs. Kurt Angle - Samoa Joe was the unofficial ringside enforcer for this match to prevent outside involvement from Styles & Tomko. The other twist here is that Cage kept teasing for weeks that he had a "consultant" to help him out against Kurt Angle which was revealed to be Scott Steiner. This was a match that went back & forth between both men with Christian taking some big punishment like an Olympic Slam into the ringpost & 7 german suplexes in a row at one point. Again, great match.
Against All Odds' 07
vs. Samoa Joe - With the exception of the Kurt Angle series, Joe's first World Title match saw him & Christian deliver the wrestling clinic that we haven't seen since his X division days. Back & forth action, counter for counter, plenty of nearfalls, and really just kept you on the edge of your set with the ending having you begging for a rematch. This was a definate TNA Match of the year canidate and match of the night.
Destination X '07
DVD extras include a match from early in his independent career against Simon Diamond with commentary by Christian & Diamond, one of his first ever interviews with Edge as part of The Suicide Blondes, and a photo gallery. You also get a "MTV Cribs" view of his house...the same one Abyss beat him up in back in April 2006, which Christian does remind us of from time to time. You get to see his cars, pet cats, various rooms like his "dance studio", and a rare "Bashin' Brawlers" plush toys...and if you watch, you'll see why it's a "Big Sexy" rare toy.
My title for this review says it all, this was TNA's best efforts put into a DVD set for a superstar. They didn't use the old format where they had just their matches with little clips of an interview inbetween each one & unlike the Sting DVD, footage from his early days in wrestling were used instead of just still photos. The only downfall for this DVD was the Sting match which was really forgettable just it was a small knick on a DVD that's an "Instant Classic" for TNA. I recommend."
He's my #2 favorite wrestler
thunderbunny24 | Little Rock, AR | 12/25/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I love this DVD! Great interview! Great matches shown! The only thing that would have made this better would have been some of his stuff from the WWE, but I understand why they couldn't do that. If you are a fan at all, this is a great buy."
A Whole New Meaning to the Word: Classic
Team Mo Fo Sho | Indianapolis, IN | 07/11/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Christian Cage is back with WWE but it doesn't make this DVD any less fantastic. It starts off with some weird stock footage of things that are classic.
Match listing:
Against All Odds February 2006
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Christian Cage Vs. Jeff Jarrett (C)
Christians first world title win. An ok match due to interference and a ref bump. 3.5/5
Bound For Glory October 2006
8 Mile Street Fight
Christian Vs. Rhino
Rhino impressed me here with his intensity. He was way over with the crowd due to it being in Michigan. Christian picked up the intensity as well at the end of the match when it took all he had to pin Rhino to the mat. 4/5
TNA Impact November 16 2006
Six Sides Of Steel
Christian Cage Vs. Rhino
This wasn't on a pay per view? Really? 4/5
TNA Impact November 23 2006
Christian Cage Vs. "The Icon" Sting
Tomko makes the match short but I am sure it was a blast for Christian to work with a legend like Sting.
Final Resolution January 2007
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Christian Cage Vs. Sting Vs. Abyss (C)
Could be longer. 4/5
Against All Odds February 2007
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Christian Cage (C) Vs. Kurt Angle
Who would have thought these two would be in this company fighting for the world title? Samoa Joe was the enforcer and kept interference to a minimum. 4/5
Destination X March 2007
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Christian Cage (C) Vs. Samoa Joe
I loved this match. I mean it was good. This is why you need this DVD. 5/5
Some of the bonus features here are invaluable such as:
* Edge and Christian as the Suicide Blondes cutting a brutal promo.
* Simon Diamond and Christian doing hilarious mock-commentary on one of their old matches from way back when in Pennsylvania.
* A look at the Reso home (Christian's house). He takes you through his palace and man cave and it's a real treat hearing his stories and anecdotes.
I would give the DVD a 5/5. The best DVD put out by TNA ever."