WWE DVD Reviews

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Reviews unless noted are by Cassam Looch

Wrestlemania 26

Heavily-stacked DVD/Blu-ray release of this year’s Wrestlemania. Disc one is the event itself, which thankfully was a lot better than the truly awful WM25, but still not an all-time classic.

Disc two is the Hall of fame ceremony, something of a non-event on its own but here you get some great matches thrown in featuring the recipients… so we’re always going to like a DVD featuring classic Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase in all his pomp.

Disc three feature the best of the build-up matches for the PPV with some qualifiers and other special matches. We can deal with this one quite quickly actually, as most people will acknowledge both Raw and Smackdown were struggling at that time and as such the quality of these matches reflect that.

The decision to feature Bret Hart heavily, in hindsight, is a mistake. And other disappointments are seeing Big Show and a few other mid-card jobbers given undue prominence. For Example Jericho only features in a promo for his match against Edge, whereas Koslov gets his qualifying match for the MitB onto the DVD.

On the plus side you get the great Batista/Cena promos as well as the superb Undertaker and Shawn Michaels build-up to the Mania.

The Hall of Fame is a bit of a slog to sit through to be honest and it wasn’t a vintage line-up in comparison to year’s gone past. I suppose this is partly down to most of the big names already being inducted and as such there will be a problem in future years when they get to point of considering Mark Henry or Goldust, based purely on the longevity in the company. Of course the rumours for next year look promising, but usually only one of the main targets get in so we’ll have to wait and see. For the record, here are the 2010 inductees:

Mad Dog Vachon

Wendi Richter

Stu Hart

Antonio Inoki

Bob Uecker

Gorgeous George

Ted DiBiase

As mentioned earlier the matches themselves from the golden age and are enjoyable enough… the standout being DiBiase vs Jake the Snake Roberts from Wrestlemania 6.

The Mania itself was something of a return to form, however we already know that the highlight was the Career vs Streak match between Michaels and Taker. It was fully charged with emotion and in the end the result was secondary to the great story being told. Elsewhere the MitB had some great spots and a surpise winner whilst Jericho and Edge did their best in a title match that felt like it had been unfairly relegated to mid-card status.

Punk and Mysterio again put on a solid match, but to be honest they had better in the run-up. The rest of the line up was fine, including the Batista/Cena title bout, which still lacked the closure it needed to feel important. A real letdown however was the return of the immobile Bret Hart, who looked in terrible shape. His ‘streetfight’ with McMahon basically involved him struggling around the ring, hitting a cheap chairshot and then resting on the chair for five minutes trying to get his breath back. Awful stuff.

Fast-forward that, mute the women’s match and you’ll enjoy the event on the whole, if not love it like Mania’s of the past.

Wrestlemania 26

Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology

There is no other dynasty quite like the Hart family. Transcending even the most insular world of Professional Wrestling, they are a brand that a synonymous with quality and excellence. The recent return of Bret Hart to the WWE and emergence of the latest generation of grapplers has helped to highlight the in-ring prowess, but it is still a story coloured by tragedy.

This comprehensive DVD collection struggles to cover the legend, even over three discs. Mind you, you would struggle to cover the full story over ten discs so we should be grateful for what we have… and what we have is a superb collection of matches and memories that will move even the steeliest of fans to tears.

Canada’s finest sons have dominated the squared circle with their technical brilliance for many years, and in the form of Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart, have a contender for greatest wrestler of all time in their ranks. If not coming directly from the family itself, then so many legends (past and present) have passed through the Stu Hart Dungeon that they have new legions of fans to this very day.

Disc one covers the early years and boasts a number of features and interviews with the key players. It really is great to see some of the old-school pictures and clips as well as hear the memories from back in the day. Dungeon alumni Chris Jericho features in a great segment about Owen Hart and of course this goes on to bring back many memories. There is of course a notable absentee in all this, and given the stance of WWE it is completely understandable. It does however mean that no one can really call this the comprehensive Hart DVD collection.

Disc two is where we get to see some of the greatest matches of all time showcased. The Hart Foundation vs British Bulldogs is a classic and shows us what WWF was all about. We get to see the emergence of Bret and Davey Boy Smith as singles stars as well as the developing rivalry between Owen and his brother. Be sure to check out another exhilarating match with The Steiners taking on Bret and Owen in a bout that was new to me.

Disc three understandably shifts focus to Owen and stops abruptly just before the infamous Montreal screw job. We return with the Hart Dynasty and of course go back to Disc one for more on the return of The Hitman.

It is surprising that this is not a more Bret-orientated title, although I suspect that more focused releases are in the works given the remarkable events of recent months. With that in mind this works wonderfully as an insight into one of the most amazing legacies in professional sports. One you will want to watch over and over again… even if it makes you cry as much as it makes you smile.

Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology

Elimination Chamber 2010

One of the few successes in post Attitude-era WWE has the emergence of the Elimination Chamber. Sure some of the earlier matches were during the tail end of the much-missed period in wrestling, but it’s only in recent years that we’ve seen a PPV built around the concept.

This year’s last stop to Wrestlemania featured the two championship titles on the line as well as a number of supporting matches. Working through those quickly (as they did on the night…) The Miz vs MVP battled it out for the US Championship in an instantly forgettable bout. Both men have had inexplicable success within the company, especially as MVP was once even in the heavyweight title picture. The gimmicks are tired and yawn-inducing, although at least The Miz can draw some heat from the crowd, which these days is a bonus. Otherwise nothing much of note happens here…

Intercontinental championship on the line as Drew McIntyre takes on Kane. Again two guys who have no heat to speak of and in the case of Kane you actually feel sorry to see what he has become. Never great technically, at least he had the imposing mask and aura around him in the past, but now we just see a fat old man waddle around the ring going through a myriad of spots which look embarrassing like an old uncle trying to relive past glories in front of the youngsters on a wedding day dance floor.

Drew is of course the Chosen one, and along with Sheamus has the ear of Vince and HHH and as such should be set for a bright future. Technically sound both men do need to move beyond the angry foreigner gimmick, especially as Koslov and Regal have that market sewn up.

Onto the obligatory womens match… at least on this occasion with added eye-candy. Gail Kim and Michelle McCool are there if you perhaps wanted to see some WRESTLING but most fans are here to see Maryse and Layla go at it (if only). To be fair the team of LayCool, or whatever it says on the hoodies, are entertaining and with Vickie along for the ride manage to work the crowds into a frenzy.

Onto the big two, and both Elimination Chamber matches had satisfying if well telegraphed finishes. I forget how the likes of Morrison and R-Truth blagged their way into match one but things literally pick-up when Undertaker makes his way to the ring. It is a botched entrance which could have been genuinely dangerous, but you can’t help but feel relieved that it helped The Undertaker make his way several minutes quicker than he normally would have done. Punk and Rey separate to further their feud and then we get Jericho proving exactly why he is the go to guy in the WWE at the moment when all those around him have proven to be sloppy or injury-prone.

Finally we get Sheamus defending his title against Cena, HHH, Randy, DiBiase and Kofi. The younger guys put on a good show but really have no chance, so again the outcome of the match itself is disappointing… but once more there is a neat twist which works well.

Not a bad PPV, one of the better efforts in recent years.

Elimination Chamber 2010:

   Shawn Michaels: My Journey DVD (3 Discs) & John Morrison - Rock Star

Here are two new releases from WWE; one featuring a career just in its infancy and another providing the definitive review of an all-time great.

Shawn Michaels can lay claim to being the greatest wrestler ever. Normally you feel obliged to add caveats such as ‘of his generation’ or ‘pound for pound’… but not so in the case of The Heartbreak Kid. Following on from his dazzling match at this years’ Wrestlemania and his subsequent retirement, WWE have gone all out and released this comprehensive 3 Disc collections of matches and highlights. Not only that but each segment is introduced by Michaels and WWE commentator Michael Cole, who also discuss the legends career in some depth.

It might not have been the wisest decision to watch these two DVD releases back-to-back as the comparisons between the two stars really aren’t going to be fair… but then again it wasn’t my decision to put a John Morrison ‘Best of’ out so early in his career.

Morrison himself is a likeable enough individual. Recently his mic work has come under much scrutiny and the excruciating promos he cut with Drew McIntyre provided enough ammunition to his detractors to write him off as just another athletic yet ultimately uninspired performer. The behind the scenes content on this DVD shows promise in the star, if not proof of where his destiny ultimately lies. 

There are some decent moments in the collection of matches as well, the highlights of which are the inevitable spots that show him to be a risk-taker. Unfortunately this may also be his main problem as Morrison now finds himself in the blandest era in WWE history… with a risk-free mentality reaching claustrophobic proportions.

Another problem is that his former tag-team partner The Miz is getting a fully fledged push which may hamper Morrison’s hopes of main event status. This DVD comes far too early in his career to be of real interest, but does have a potential of retrospective value in years to come… the jury is still out as to whether the man himself will be the new Marty Jannetty or the new Shawn Michaels

Speaking of which, back to the real talking point here… The Shawn Michaels collection. Once we are introduced to Michaels early career (via the Rockers and early WCWW/AWA footage) we get into the real meaty stuff. Michaels and Cole provide an alternate commentary on an early Bret Hart match which provides insight into their real-life rivalry and how the seeds of the Montreal Screw Job were planted.

Michaels has undergone a well-publicised reinvention and the footage was recorded prior to Harts return to WWE and as such the stilted manner in which HBK approaches the subject is dated (if understandable). That’s the only part of this otherwise flawless compendium, and even that is a minor quibble.

For many the second disc provides coverage of the greatest period in pro-wrestling, the highlight of which has to be the Wrestlemania match against Kurt Angle, arguably one of the top 5 matches of all time.

In short one solid and one outstanding release from WWE this time around, words that would be apt for the wrestlers themselves.

Shawn Michaels: My Journey DVD (3 Discs):
John Morrison - Rock Star:

Royal Rumble 2010

One of the few marquee PPV events that have managed to retain their reputation despite the overall decline in quality of the product in general, WWE Royal Rumbles are always worth looking out for. I saw this one live but didn’t mind one bit catching up with it once more… as King says in the opening segment, it is his favourite PPV of the year, and it’s mine as well.  

Matt Striker joins Michael Cole (vintage) as well as The King Jerry Lawler. First up is the now defunct ECW title match… but even then when it was a ‘valid’ brand, it had become so devalued that no-one gave a damn. Its Christian vs Ezekiel Jackson, I like both guys… but this is by the numbers stuff on the whole. Striker goes a bit crazy announcing it and Cole becomes a stats maniac reeling out numbers that I couldn’t care less about. No idea if there was a feud that built up to the match (I like everyone else was not watching ECW at this time, hence its cancellation). Solid, but unspectacular. 

A dire segment follows with Teddy Long and his ‘players – Cryme Time’ and Tiffany trying to drum up some interest. Khali turns up for no reason… nearly all these guys are no unemployed (or off our screens at least). Thank god.

Wait a minute… The Miz is here (back when he was interesting) and cuts a promo on Teddy. Impromptu match made… MVP vs Miz for the US title.  

Huge pops for Randy (who is still a Heel). Cody is ‘there for him’… bet Randy loves that. Cody tells us that Ted hasn’t been the same since his movie came out (yep, that really did happen) all a set up to ‘Mania I guess.  

Miz vs MVP. I’m board of both guys… their mic work is average (Miz marks can get lost… he’s doing an impression of Jericho during the WCW days, and a poor one at that). Skip it. 

Backstage with Big Show and Jericho. Now, this is sad. Jericho is still one of the best in the business, but the no-nonsense character of the moment is miles away from his best work. Homoerotic stuff between these two. Pass. 

RANDY IS WALKING. He meets Ted, they have a chat. DiBiase Jr tells us that Sheamus might still be champ at ‘Mania. There was about as much chance of that happening as there is of The Marine 2 winning an Oscar.  

“It’s a shameful thing…” The whitest man in pro-sports is out. An Albino looks at him and yells “Damn, you need a tan dude” (not really). Cole lies again… apparently Sheamus has been impressive. Yeah, he’s only gotten clean wins over jobbers. This title rein will go down as one of the biggest botches of all time.  

Good match though… with a clouded finish. Headlock Randy? I think so… 

Divas Match… time to put the kettle on. Piggie James and McCool. Layla in the costume is worth a laugh though. Literally a squash to boot. 

Time to make another cup of tea… the Undertaker entrance begins. An eternity later Rey vs ‘Taker begins for the World Heavyweight Title. Rey is really out of shape here, big gut on him. Some nice spots though in a decent match with a neat finish. 

Final Match… and it’s the Rumble itself! Kane bores everyone for a bit backstage whilst HBK looks intense. We know what this is building to. ‘Jokey’ Hunter tries to lighten the mood, but DX is looking fragile right about now.  

Dolph draws number 1… bad times for Mr Perfect-ion. Some jobber comes out next. Probably the worst opening pairing ever, and definite proof that the opening entrants will not be winning this.  But wait a minute… business is about to pick up. CM Punk comes in and is AWESOME. He really steals the show here and even cuts some promos having eliminated the first two. Straight Edge is the way forward folks… Punk SAVE ME! He even carries on the promo after kicking some more nobodies out of the ring. This is brilliant stuff! Beth Phoenix comes in soon… she too is awesome! Sick GTS to boot… love it. CM PUNK chants fill the arena.  

TIME TO PLAY THE GAME. Time to lose interest. Especially when Drew comes out next. Ring quickly fills up with cannon-fodder, Legacy are there so we can see the angle building up. Here comes Matt Hardy… it really is going to take a superhuman effort to lift him out of the ring. HBK comes in hot. Ring gets cleaned out whilst Drew gets a lesson from his masters, DX.  

CENA! Mixed reaction again. The match is perfectly set… so I won’t spoil how it goes from here. Really enjoyable Rumble in the end, but I for one was unhappy with the eventual winner. 

Overall: Not bad for a modern PPV and even stands up to the high-standards of Royal Rumbles of the Attitude era.  

Royal Rumble 2010: