DVD Review: The Best PPV Matches of 2012

Buy it here for £19.99

Review:

Everything about this DVD appeals to me from the beautiful cover art that is designed to look like olde time fight posters to the lovely presentation, but mostly for the match selection. 2012 was a fantastic year for in-ring action for WWE so they were spoilt for choice when selecting which of it’s numerous PPV matches should go on this generous DVD set.

The helpful thing about this is that it genuinely includes all the best matches of last year so for the princely sum of a twenty pound note, you can bypass buying full PPV DVDs and just have the pick of the litter in one release. Of course, if you collected all the WWE DVDs then you can save twenty quid by not buying this as you already own all the footage. It’s the best of both worlds.

I own the best of 2009/10 on DVD and watch it with regularity although I do find myself skipping a match or two. I own The Best of 2011 on Blu-Ray and it is one of my most viewed Blu-Ray discs. So I have no hesitation in owning this on Blu Ray even though I have the DVD Review discs because I know I will wath it time and again, and I feel that this is the way most people will treat it too. As always, if ou have the means to play BR then invest an extra £4 and have the few extra matches, interviews and superior video and audio. Although if you are still in the DVD age, there are no complaints there either. This set is stacked and it looks wonderful.

This is presented in chronological order which is good because the world of the WWE moves so quickly that it helps form a sense of narrative which wouldn’t be possible if it was in a random order. We begin with a storyline based match which is really quite excellent as WWE Champion CM Punk takes on Dolph Ziggler with Johnny Ace as guest referee. Then we get the absolutely scorching Smackdown Elimination Chamber followed by WWE’s Match of the Year from Wrestlemania 28 (Undertaker vs HHH with HBK as guest ref). We’re three matches deep in a 3 DVD set and you need a break, the action is incredible and it’s hard to understand where they can go from here. Thankfully they continue in high style and it never really lets up as we go onto disc two.

I do enjoy the little segues by Scott Stanford that (although short) help to jog your memory as to what led to a match and what was going on at the time. It also helps to give a breather between the matches as it’s too much as a thing when you go from one match on one show into another a month later with no respite. It’s paced very well.

The next match is the Rock/Cena encounter from WM28 which was another MOTY candidate on WWE.com. To give us both of the marquee matches from the biggest event of the year, back-to-back really puts into perspective just how voluminous this set is. We rather bizarrely get Layla vs Beth Phoenix which isn’t a best match of 2012, but it’s nice to see the divas represented and in terms of Divas matches, it is one of the better ones. It shows that the loss of Beth Phoenix has been a blow to the Women’s division.

Lucha Review’s blue-eyed boy Cody Rhodes is against Christian next in an excellent bout from No Way Out in June. I’m really pleased that every facet of WWE’s roster is represented on this release as the marquee matches are genuinely world class but are so easily remembered, it’s within these excellent mid-card scorchers that the point of the set is really brought to the forefront. It’s the workhorses that prop up the main event, who may in turn be headliners themselves in a few years that make WWE so thrilling. Watching them progress will mean that in a few years when you rewatch this set, you will see the start of what made them big (in Cody Rhodes) and the talent that mainstays like Christian had in making people look good on their ascent.

They use the next segue to explain the Summer of AJ Lee, where she was in the thick of everything, from love triangles to moderate mental illness and it needs explaining as it’s difficult to remember every single thing she did in those few months. It’s also a very clever tease (as I pointed out on my Money in the Bank review) because she referees the match between her two love interests, Daniel Bryan and CM Punk, which begged the question “Who will AJ side with?” and then she absolutely calls it down the middle to the surprise of everyone and to the benefit of the brilliant match.

Onto the final disc and it begins with an introduction to the animalistic Brock Lesnar which in turn leads to his encounter at Summerslam with Triple H. For my money, his match with John Cena was a lot better and should have been the one included to showcase the Minnesotan Monster. It’s also amusing to hear that WWE have sweetened the sound at the end, long gone are the “Na na na, Goodbye”‘s and the “You Tapped Out”‘s that actually met Triple H’s attempt at a Legend’s pop post-match and instead we hear cheers. The match was ok, but I found it rather boring, Lesnar won though, which was important after his loss in his comeback via John Cena.

I skipped the next match, not because I didn’t enjoy it, I did. But because I only reviewed Night of Champions two days ago, so it is fresh in  my mind. It is Dolph Ziggler vs Randy Orton. In a match without a title at the PPV famed for it’s Championship defences. Oh well, it’s a fine match that showcases each man beautifully. It wasn’t the best match of that pay per view, but it was good so I can’t quibble it’s inclusion.

Next up is the best match of that Pay Per View as Cena faces World Champ CM Punk in a match that is fantastic, innovative and has a very clever ending. I sat and watched this despite only seeing it 48 hours previously as it really is that good. The last match is Big Show taking on World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus at Hell in a Cell in October. A decent inclusion since the two men have fantastic chemistry but that’s when it all goes awry.

We’re done. What? It’s October and we’re finished? What about Survivor Series? What about TLC? They either didn’t exist or weren’t worthy of inclusion, I guess. But since they did and they were I can assume but one thing… in a mad rush to get this released they started production before the end of the year. How can it be a best of 2012 when two important months are missing? It’s a complete disgrace. An absolute scorcher of a DVD set, on par to get a solid 9 out of 10 from me has dropped points because it is incomplete. Ridiculous.

7/10

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DVD Review: WWE Summerslam 2012

Buy it Here for £10.99

Review:

Summerslam has traditionally been the third biggest Pay Per View in WWE’s calender after Wrestlemania and the Royal Rumble. This is the 25th consecutive annual Summerslam event and the “Party of the Summer” lived up to it’s reputation in this strong and exciting show. The biggest match going into the event was the showdown between Triple H and Brock Lesnar, but this slow and boring match did not live up to the hype. However the undercard more than compensated for the lacklustre main event as feuds continued, blossomed and ended in style.

The first match gets things off to an exciting and fast-paced start as Money in the Bank contract holder Dolph Ziggler attempted to prove to Chris Jericho that he could no longer “Win the big one”, this evenly matched encounter proved that perhaps the now (but for how long) retired “Y2J” is leaving his beloved business in the capable hands of his younger counterpart, perhaps, even, his natural successor?

The Commentary team will tell you this is a “Walls of Jericho” but this, my dear readers, is a picture-perfect “LionTamer”

This is one of those matches that so beautifully opens a pay per view that it can go either way, either the show continues on the high quality of it’s opening bout or suffers because it’s hard to follow. Usually they will attempt to change pace by putting on a Tag Team Match next but instead they continue with two of the hottest stars in the company, with a one-on-one between Daniel Bryan and Kane.

The future (at this point) Team Hell No have fabulous chemistry together (which has become evident as of late) thisworks well in the favour of seasoned veteran Kane who proves he can still have great matches if he is properly motivated. Daniel Bryan is perhaps the best wrestler in the company and continues to bring the best out of every and all opponents. This is an extremely good match-up which the crowd lap up.

The Intercontinental championship is defended next as Champion The Miz takes on legendary Luchador Rey Mysterio who had recently returned from a long and difficult rehabilitation from another knee injury. This now is surely the last run of one of the greatest high-flyers in WWE history and he may have lost a step, but a slower Rey is still fast and he has been rejuvenated by his absence and seems motivated again. His team with Sin Cara is working well but here in singles action, he proves he still has what it takes and he put such prestige on winning the IC belt that it seems important.

18 year veteran Rey Mysterio is still having great matches in what is likely the sunset of his legendary career.

Speaking of Luchadors, the next encounter is one in the long feud between World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus and the Mexican Aristocrat Alberto Del Rio. As I touched on with last month’s review, Summerslam’s bout between the two men is on Del Rio’s terms as we have a Rudo Dos Caras Jr match between the two rivals which is so fun and at times funny. A huge change in pace from the more plodding Sheamus-influenced matches they had been having until this point, this match is the best match the two men had together and they finally seem comfortable in each other’s styles. They hadn’t gelled until now and this match changed everything for me. It made me smile. The ending is so confusingly heelish that the crowd sided with Del Rio and booed Sheamus, which I doubt was WWE’s intention. I think they wanted us to see Sheamus as a cheeky Irish imp, alas no. It’s so strange that it leaves a sour taste in your mouth and Del Rio looks so genuinely upset and frustrated that you feel for him and his desire to be Champion. Thankfully it was (almost) the end to one of the most bizarrely booked feuds in recent WWE history.

ADR threatens to snap Sheamus’ arm.

The Tag Team Championship is defended next in a decent little match that does everything but what it needed to do, which was pull the trigger on the charismatic team of The Prime-Time Players. They are so hot right now and Kofi/Truth benefit nothing from retaining the gold. This was a missed opportunity, but an enjoyable encounter none-the-less.

A triple threat match for the WWE Championship is in semi-main event position as Champion CM Punk takes on The Big Show and John Cena. Judging by the response of the crowd, this should have gone on last. The match is fantastic, as is always the case when Cena and Punk lock-up. They compliment each other beautifully and always have great matches. They bring the best out of The Big Show too, so much so that by the time the main event begins, the crowd is somewhat burnt out.

Beautiful submission work from the Best in the World.

The crowd are not completely subdued, mind you, they are into this heated encounter, just not as much as they would have been had they gone on earlier. The match, whilst having brutal spots, is not as good as the Lesnar/Cena one from earlier this year and the end has been edited as Triple H got a ‘Hey, Hey, Hey Goodbye’ chant as well as a ‘You Tapped Out’, when they were angling for a legend’s pop. The sound has been sweetened in a number of areas in this DVD too. Quite different from the live event. It is still a worthwhile match, I was just burned out and bored by it after such an exhilarating undercard. You, however, may love it. The important thing that WWE needs to take away from this is that Triple H is a very unsympathetic person and if you want to elicit a heartfelt response in his favour from a live PPV crowd you should probably remember that the only way he ever gets anything resembling sympathy is when he wheels out his Best Friend Shawn Michaels and puts him in peril (Wrestlemania build up and Summerslam Build-up both relied heavily on people loving the Heartbreak Kid). People have empathy for HBK, people don’t really like HHH. Remember this, WWE. It might save some embarrassment next time.

The Last Thing You See Before You Die.

Summerslam was a very strong card that lived up to it’s legacy. The extras are sparse, with only a single interview (with an irate Alberto Del Rio) on the DVD and an episode of Smackdown which is incomplete on the Blu-Ray. So the event scores a eight, the DVD overall can only carry a seven as these ‘special features’ are getting more and more lacking with each passing release. There was a time you’d get a full Raw and Smackdown over two discs (Blu-Ray) which made the event build up more important and otherwise ‘forgotten’ TV shows a part of your collection. I loved that and I miss it.

Rating: 7/10

Contents:

Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler

Matt Striker Interviews Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman

Kane vs. Daniel Bryan

Kane searches for Daniel Bryan

Intercontinental Championship Match
The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio

CM Punk has words with AJ Lee

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio

WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs. The Prime Time Players

WWE Week in Los Angeles

Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship
CM Punk vs. John Cena vs. Big Show

Kevin Rudolf performs “Don’t Give Up”

“The Perfect Storm”
Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar

Special Feature

Home Video Exclusive
Matt Striker Interviews Alberto Del Rio
SummerSlam 19th August , 2012

Video Game Review: WWE 13 (PS3 Xbox 360)

Review:

by Martyn Licchelli (www.dropkickradio.com)

WWE 13 is THQs latest venture into the world of WWE, and for what seems like forever now, this game has been being hyped as a revolution for the series, at least that’s how it seemed to be as the advertising prominently featured CM Punk promising just that. As time would tell, it wasn’t as much a new revolution, but rather a look back at a previous revolution that took place in the ‘Attitude’ era of WWE/WWF. It seems only fair, that with THQ putting so much emphasis on that mode, that it should be saved for last and the rest of the game will be handled as a separate entity.

Outside of the Attitude era content, WWE 13 feels weak. I hate saying that, but it does. It feels like a very expensive update for WWE 12. The roster of current talent has little added from last year, and some are removed. The character models look aged, and some are comical. Cody Rhodes in particular has a mouth like a Ninja Turtle animatronic. The entrances stopped being impressive long ago, and the ones that should be Iconic like Alberto Del Rios look so last gen that it’s not funny. He arrives, magically on stage, in a box of a car that is poorly modelled and textured, Ricardo announces him the same way he did last year. Lifeless, and without any passion at all, and then ‘Berto does a very very odd walk and dance to the ring that just fails to look the part.

Some characters are spot on. But for every character like Kane, who they do very well, and CM Punk who now sports shoulder tattoos that look like his real ones instead of just circles of blank skin, there’s 3 or 4 like Sin Cara who is simply a palette swap from last year. Seriously, load up WWE 12 and you’ll find the same model with the same textures, same entrance video and same entrance moves. This would not be too bad, if it wasn’t for the fact that Sin Caras mask is much more detailed now in real life, than it was when this model was created. His entrance video is now red, not blue, and he’s not used the trampoline in his intro for over half a year. They also fail to put him in an entrance jacket, which he always wears. It really does feel like a they couldn’t be bothered in some parts when it came to character models and it’s something that really needs to be addressed for next year.

Outside of the character models, the CAW mode is something else that remains largely unchanged. Almost everything that was there last year is still there, and if it wasn’t… well it likely still isn’t. A couple of attitude related items show up, and it’s nice that boots and kick pads are two separate items allowing more customisation. Create a finisher is like last year, a couple of new moves pop up, but they’re very similar to moves already in the game, and still despite having the Canadian Destroyer taunt in the game they’ve not bothered to animate the move in, and we get the really poor Texas Destroyer sunset flip instead. There’s really no reason why this couldn’t have been added at some point in the last 5 years. Create an entrance also remains largely the same as last year.

So it sounds bad, right? 3 paragraphs in to the main review and not a positive word to be said. Well the good news is, the game gets better now. Sticking with the creation features, this years create an Arena mode is fantastic. Instead of just making simple changes to the lights and the barricades, and the rope colours you can really change everything. You can choose what you want for a stage, such as the Deadly Games super sized skull entrance, choose how many trons there are, what sort of lights and what colour they are. You can choose if you want an attitude crowd, or a modern crowd, change the fan barricades, and change the size of the arena from something intimate to a huge Wrestlemania sized stadium. With the ability to add your own custom logos everywhere, you can really make any arena you want, and it’s all incredibly easy. It’s not a massive change from last year, it’s 3 or 4 small things. But the sum of the parts is a great improvement and something I wish would happen with the rest of the creation suite.

Universe mode makes a return this year, with Universe 3.0 which features no less than 200 story-lines written by Paul Heyman. You can edit when you want these to happen now. Maybe you only want stories on PPV, or maybe you don’t want stories that will cause teams to break up? You can change it accordingly and turn off injuries if you wish to avoid anything ruining any stories you may enjoy. If you don’t like Heymans stories, fear not, create a story is back and seems to be more in depth this year. Story-lines can last longer, feature more talent, and feels easier to use. But that may just be me. Despite it feeling simpler this year though, it’s still a very daunting task to set up a storyline, with branching options going off for various answers to questions and different attacks. For those willing to put hours in to this mode, you can really create almost anything you want.

Along with the improved stories, Universe mode also has a few other nice changes. There’s a records page, which allows you to see records for characters to break. Such as longest title runs. It keeps track of who wins at each PPV most often too, and new to this year, you can delete shows from the schedule. Don’t like Superstars? Bin it off, and create a new show any day of the week. Last year you could edit the shows a little, but this year allows slightly more. You can only have 2 big shows though, due to only having 2 rosters. Otherwise you’re limited to lots of small shows that share the roster of both big shows. This is until you unlocked all the attitude stuff, when the Attitude roster then counts as it’s own entity, allowing you do have 3 big shows a week with one kind of being it’s own nostalgic look back, again, for those willing to invest time in the mode and adding their own stories, this mode could keep you good for a long time.

I’ve had limited chance to play online, thanks to the servers being a bit empty as I wrote the review. Sadly, whilst it is definitely improved from last year, there is still lag and it can be a real game breaker. It seems that the server tries to level it out, instead of sporadic movements of the wrestlers, it moves in almost a slow motion kind of way throughout the whole match, it can be incredibly off putting when your defence relies on well timed presses of the R2 button. Even more frustrating, when you press R2 a millisecond before the icon shows up, yet you get told you were too slow. It leads to a game of predicting the future, for those who play often t must become easy to adjust as I fought multiple opponents who were able to counter every single punch and grapple I did. Literally every one. But when you first start out, it can be enough to make you want to tune out. However if you get a steady connection, online battles can be a lot of fun and an online Rumble that mixes humans and AI opponents is really engaging.

So that covers everything, except Attitude mode. Attitude mode makes this game worth the purchase for anyone who was worried after the first 3 paragraphs of this review. It’s great, and will eventually lead to you getting 32 extra characters, as well as extra title belts, arenas and much more. Although some of those 32 characters are old versions of current roster members, like Kane, Jericho, Undertaker and the Rock. Even Cena has an ‘Attitude’ version. They d bulk up the entire roster nicely, and feel different to their current generation counterparts.

With these 32 new models, you can kind of forgive them being lazy with the character models they borrowed from last year. I say kind of, because a good chunk of these extra stars have appeared in a WWE game in the last few years, and their models are merely slightly updated. But still, some are new, and regardless of that they bring the main roster up to over 70 characters. So that’s what we can unlock, but how do we do it? We do it with this years version of Road To Wrestlemania, simply entitled Attitude Era. Over the course of many matches, you will be put into various scenarios and matches that accurate recreate great moments from the Attitude Era as you relive the parts of RAW that helped WWE overtake WCW and eventually become the only Sports Entertainment company that matters.

The game mode is split into 6 sections, which you must do in order. Starting with Degeneration X, you will play as HHH and HBK in various important moments from 1996 and 1997, you will then get to go through important moments for Kane and The Undertaker, including their inferno match and the debut of Kane is also here. Following this, we have Stone Cold, Mankind, The Rock and last we have Wrestlemania 15 in 1999, which brings all the story lines that we’ve played and been part of to a nice climax. For completing this, we are also then rewarded with an ‘off the script’ section which features roughly 10 extra matches to compete in from various moments in history since the Attitude Era began, which allow you to unlock lots of extra stuff.

The way this mode works is fantastic. Using video footage, and sound bytes from old matches you get to relive lots of infamous moments. Ever wanted to be part of the Montreal Screwjob (WHY???) well now you can. Wanted to throw Mankind off the Cell through a table? Now you have to. There’s so much to do, and for anyone who grew up in the Attitude Era, a chance to relive these moments yourself is a great joy.

One of my complaints with last years Road to Wrestlemania was the scripted nature of it. If they wanted you to lose, no matter what was going on, you would lose. Sometimes it just felt really harsh and ruined the fun. This year, it’s not nearly as bad. Obviously recreating history requires events to be scripted to make it accurate. But you don’t HAVE to do it. In each match you will be given an objective, and some bonus objectives. The main objective may just be “win the match”, but your bonuses will want you to put the opponent through a barricade, and win by submission. You’re not punished for not doing the bonuses, but doing them unlocks rewards, like the characters and arenas I mentioned earlier, as well as extra matches to unlock even more.

Some matches you have your hand forced, you must complete all the bonuses to advance. But the way the bonus objectives are set up for you like goals, you feel like you have achieved something to complete them, and when the cut scene plays and your Stunnering Vinnie Mac, you don’ feel screwed that the match ending was taken away from you.

Road to Wrestlemania was a good mode, I enjoyed it. Last year it was broken, however, and needed fixing. Attitude Era was the exact fix it needed, and whilst it would be hard to do this mode again next year… that’s a problem for THQ next year. For this year? It’s made a game that would otherwise be the EA Sports equivalent of a new sports game update, and made it in to something that feels fresher and newer than it has in years, and made a wrestling fans who watched these moments happen, genuinely excited to be given the chance to relive them. Personally, I couldn’t ask for more than that.

WWE 13 may not be perfect, it has it’s fair share of small faults and the game engine is already feeling dated. But I’m comfortable in saying this is THQ’s best release this generation, and probably since they peaked with Here Comes The Pain on PS2.

8/10

DVD Review: WWE The 50 Greatest Finishing Moves in WWE History

Review:

DVD releases featuring a ‘definitive’ countdown of Superstars, Legends, Events or Moves always cause discussion and are bound to controversy as Wrestling is so diverse that whatever style attracts you may not be represented properly (in your view) in a DVD like this. I have to say that whilst the order in which they appear is arguable, it’s difficult to argue with the majority of the moves listed. Some however are ridiculous.

It’s hard to argue with the graceful RKO in any ‘best move’ list.

The documentary is long but moves at a comfortable and natural pace, featuring talking heads discussing their experiences in the hold or their enjoyment of watching the move applied as a young viewer. For once the talking heads are a bit more diverse, there’s somewhat of a British invasion as Mason Ryan, Wade Barrett, William Regal and Drew McIntyre pop up for almost every entry. William Regal is very interesting as a veteran who has experienced the moves firsthand but also as a lover of wrestling who explains why a move is devastating or effective.  This reminds me. Matt Striker. Oh dear. Matt Striker knows his wrestling, Matt Striker LOVES the sport. Matt Striker is unbearable. He comes across as such a slimy character that every scene he is in renders it practically unwatchable. He is probably being completely truthful and honest but he seems so insincere and creepy that I don’t believe a single word he utters. I hope to never be subjected to his off-putting personality again.

My favourite interviewee has to be Drew McIntyre (closely followed by a hilariously enthusiastic Daniel Bryan), he’s the same age as my Sister so listening to him enthuse about his childhood favourites is familiar to me as we grew up at the same time, but also incredibly endearing. I hope he is interviewed for future DVDs. Kofi Kingston, The Miz and Cody Rhodes also pop up and this is an extremely good thing as Cody, in my view, is a very knowledgeable and fascinating person. His opinions matter to me and I enjoy hearing his views on Wrestling. I just love listening to guys who know and adore the sport, whether that was from growing up as a fan or growing up within the sport, they just lead to such interesting segments and it makes me smile.

Daniel Bryan demonstrating Lex Luger’s ‘Torture Rack’.

The list itself kicks off with John Bradshaw Layfield’s “Clothesline From Hell”. While it was a very hard-hitting variation of the Stan Hansen ‘Lariat’, it is… well, it’s a clothesline, it’s like including a brutal Collar-and-Elbow tie-up to me, it’s a rudimentary move, done well, admittedly, but of the 60 years that WWE has existed we are only having fifty finishers included so surely it has to be the crème de la crème and a clothesline just doesn’t fit the bill for me. This issue is raised again later as Rob Van Dam’s excellent ‘Five-Star Frogsplash’ makes the grade and everyone talks about just how beautifully executed and painful it was and then some ten spots higher is Eddy Guerrero’s Frogsplash, and the same thing is said for that. So surely, the definitive frogsplash belongs to ‘Latino Heat’ as he was placed higher than RVD. So why is the same move included twice? It makes little sense to me.

Within the top ten we have The Rock’s ‘People’s Elbow, which is a signature move, his finisher was the Rock Bottom, and that was hardly impressive. Maybe this list should be called “The most memorable finishers” rather than “the greatest”. However, some great finishers were included that I thought wouldn’t even be dreamt of, like The Honky Tonk Man’s beautiful Swinging Neckbreaker “The Shake, Rattle & Roll” which is a very aesthetically pleasing move from what is essentially a comedy character from the eighties. So just when I feel anger, they throw in a Rude Awakening (should have been higher placed) or a Perfect-Plex and my venom subsides.

It’s hard to hold a grudge when confronted by artwork.

Of the current and recent crop, the absolutely gorgeous Rolling Cross-Armbreaker (Alberto del Rio) is omitted, which is a shame as it is both vicious and visually pleasing. There’s no C4 which looked amazing when executed by the formidable Paul Burchill, CM Punk’s GTS is included, when his Anaconda Vise is so much more appealing and cruel and Rey Mysterio’s signature 619 is featured but his frankly angelic Hurricanrana doesn’t cut it? No picture perfect Shooting Star Press from Evan Bourne? Cody Rhodes’ gorgeous ‘Beautiful Disaster’ is not here, but the Attitude Adjuster and Brock Lesnar’s F5 are both in as are Edge’s (appalling) Spear and Goldberg’s Spear/Jackhammer combo, when they are the same move, it’s the Frogsplash argument all over again. It’s familiarity over execution which is perhaps the biggest fault.  There’s a lot to criticise here, but also a lot to praise.

Gather around children, Uncle Bill wants to tell us why Mankind’s ‘Mandible Claw’ is as painful as it is disgusting.

Some people have complained that it is in kayfabe (described as though wrestling is real) but I understand why it is done this way, it would seem very silly to hear peers and veterans talk about moves as though they don’t hurt. I feel it is described enough to not ruin immersion but also without insulting the viewers intelligence. I quite liked the way it was presented. I need to believe that people are afraid of being Superkicked or being caught in a chokeslam, that is more important to me than hearing someone laugh about how they didn’t jump in time and got sandbagged. I want to feel that the threat is real.

In the end, you will be happy, get mad, laugh and learn with the Superstars and see moves you never thought you’d see again. That to me, is enough. There are omissions and some moves that belong nowhere near a best move list are on here. It’s all subjective and a matter of opinion. It is an enjoyable ride and I’ll watch it again and again. It’s good enough like this, but wait, we have two more discs of unbelievable action to get through, so here we go:

Disc Two and Three have a selection of truly amazing matches. There are encounters from ECW, WCW and TV and House Shows that are hard to find. I never thought I’d see the great bout between Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts and ‘Ravishing’ Rick Rude again and yet, here it is and it’s still as good as I recalled. There isn’t a single match here that I skipped, everything is gold and I feel spoiled by this content. It is such a fantastically researched and compiled DVD set that I feel just for the documentary alone, it is worth the purchase. Then you see the goldmine of great matches and it becomes essential. I am really impressed by this set and it needs to be on the shelf of anyone who loves wrestling. It’s just excellent, flaws and all.

9/10

Contents:

Disc 1:

50 greatest Moves Countdown and extra moves that didn’t quite make it.

Disc 2:

Sgt. Slaughter Demonstrates The Cobra Clutch on Tony Anthony
World Wide Wrestling – 10th December, 1981

DDT vs. Rude Awakening Match
Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. “Ravishing” Rick Rude
Madison Square Garden – 24th October, 1988

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Mr. Perfect vs. Texas Tornado
Dayton, Ohio – 13th January, 1991

WWE Championship Match
Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. Bob Backlund
Superstars – 30th July, 1994

WCW World Tag Team Championship Match
Kevin Nash & Scott Hall vs. The Giant & Lex Luger
SuperBrawl VII – 23rd February, 1997

King of the Ring Semi-Final Match
Mankind vs. Jerry “The King” Lawler
King of the Ring – 8th June, 1997

Rob Van Dam vs. 2 Cold Scorpio
Living Dangerously – 1st March, 1998

Four Corners Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship
‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair vs. Diamond Dallas Page vs. Hollywood Hogan vs. Sting
With Special Guest Referee “Macho Man” Randy Savage
Spring Stampede –11th April, 1999

Disc 3:

Chris Jericho & The Rock vs. Kurt Angle & Stone Cold Steve Austin
SmackDown – 15th November, 2001

Rob Van Dam & Bubba Ray Dudley vs. Brock Lesnar & Eddie Guerrero
Raw – 3rd June, 2002

No Disqualification Tag Team Match
Shawn Michaels & Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho & Christian
Raw – 17th February, 2003

The Rock vs. Goldberg
Backlash – 27th April, 2003

6-Man Elimination Match
Bubba Ray, DVon & Spike Dudley vs. Evolution (Triple H, ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair & Randy Orton)
Raw – 14th July, 2003

WWE Women’s Championship Match
Trish Stratus vs. Lita
Raw 6th December, 2004

Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match to become the Number One Contender for the World Heavyweight Championship
Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton vs. JBL vs. Chris Jericho
Raw – 29th December, 2008

Fatal 4-Way Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Undertaker vs. Batista vs. Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk
Bragging Rights – 25th October, 2009

Six Pack Challenge Elimination Match for the WWE Championship
Sheamus vs. John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho vs. Edge vs. Wade Barrett
Night of Champions – 9th September, 2010

Competition!

In a joint venture between http://www.dropkickradio.com and http://www.luchareviews.wordpress.com, we would like to launch a great competition to win WWE DVDs. All you have to do is send your answer to the following question to DropkickRadio@hotmail.com.

First Prize:

WWE Wrestlemania 28 (3 Disc Set)

WWE Live in the UK 2012

WWE Elimination Chamber 2012

Second Prize:

WWE Wrestlemania 28

WWE Elimination Chamber 2012

Third Prize:

Wrestlemania 28

Question:

Which Mexican Legend was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at Wrestlemania 28?

a) El Santo

b) Mil Mascaras

c) Blue Demon

The winners will be drawn and contacted by 12pm (Gmt) on Monday 13th August)

GOOD LUCK!

DVD Review: The Undertaker; The Streak 3 DVD Set

Review:

“The Phenom”, “The Dead Man”, “The Demon of Death Valley”,”The Conscience of the WWE” these are just some of the names that the WWE Legend has been given over his illustrious career, that man, of course is The Undertaker. However another word is as synonymous with his legacy, and that is “Streak”. Since his Wrestlemania debut in 1991 at Wrestlemania VII, The Undertaker has defeated every single foe that crossed his path at the “Grandaddy of them all” and that record now stands at a mind-blowing (and extremely unlikely to be replicated) 20-0.

In an industry where Main Event spots are scarce and the top guys cling to them for almighty life, it is staggering to believe a man who silently appeared at Survivor Series 1990, dressed as a Wild West Mortician, later joined by a ghoulish and bloated Manager, who carried an urn containing the soul of ‘The Dead Man’ has endured. But, it is with the knowledge of the ridiculous origins of The Undertaker character that this DVD set can really be appreciated for it’s true worth. Which is… well, not a lot.

You see, WWE love the Streak, and indeed they may as it is a remarkable record which holds tentatively year after year as new and more determined Superstars clamour to end it. WWE build large portions of ‘The Road to Wrestlemania’ (The night after Royal Rumble in January, until the day of Wrestlemania) around it. It’s prestige seems to outshine such career defining matches as ‘Money in the Bank’ and ‘The Rumble Winner’s Guaranteed World Title Match’ which are also staples of WWE’s flagship Pay-Per-View. So, of course, the biggest names and brightest stars challenge ‘Taker to the honour of being his next opponent and maybe the man to end the streak, immortalising himself at the aptly subtitled “Showcase of the Immortals”. Therefore, WWE hold it with great importance, we have been moulded to see it this way with some of the greatest video packages and in-ring promos and builds that the WWE is so famous for. So they’ll hate the next paragraph.

It’s a fluke, a sham, an accident. This wasn’t a great idea from it’s inception to the beautiful monster it has become. For want of a better term (though I feel no other terminology could be so apt) the WWE fell ass-backwards into THE most wonderful fairytale they have ever created, and boy, does this DVD shine a light on that!

The Undertaker was an unbeatable monster who was fed ridiculous feud after tedious feud. He was built strong, but as my earlier description of his character will highlight, he was a caricature wrestling washed-up (at that time, but now held in higher regard, as they should be) legends to cement his status, or working against other wacky characters in unforgettable (mainly for the wrong reasons) and completely forgettable (for the right reasons) mid-card matches.

It wasn’t until Wrestlemania XIII, when he defeated Sid for the World Heavyweight Championship that something of significance happened in his Wrestlemania career and not until Wrestlemania 17 that the streak is even acknowledged, but only in passing. ‘The Streak’ Match as we now know it, with the build centred around defeating and ending his unbeaten record wasn’t a part of the storyline until Randy Orton, then known by the moniker “The Legend Killer”, wanted to cement his own legacy by defeating The Undertaker and killing his Wrestlemania Legend. That was at Wrestlemania 21, Taker was already at 12-0 before he took on a hungry, young Orton. The streak as we know it is seven years old.

Watching WWE’s beautifully constructed video packages, they have managed to rewrite history and every year it seems that the streak was a carefullly nurtured concept from it’s inception that has always been prestigious. Which is an absolute credit to the company, and I am very pleased they did as it feels so very significant and when and if the streak is ever ended, the man who finally topples “The Phenom” will be catapulted to near legendary status himself.

Unfortunately, when looking back retrospectively on such a feat for a DVD documentary, World Wrestling Entertainment really only have two options; 1) acknowledge wholeheartedly that they stumbled upon a glorious goldmine, whilst wandering idly through a field, or 2) skirt over the weaker and less-dignified moments and focus on the positives, the career-defining matches, the legend of the Streak. They go for option number two, and whilst understandable it results in an extremely poor and woefully short documentary.

We jump nimbly from 1-0 to 9-0 without much fuss. They interview Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka, who was his first opponent, which is nice. They have a number of talking heads and it is lovely to see people like Snuka, the inimitable Paul Bearer (such an iconic figure in the career of the big man), Kevin ‘Diesel’ Nash and of course, such noted foes as Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, whose legendary career would be ended by the Dead Man at Wrestlemania 26 and Three time WM victim Triple H. Alongside peers (and sometime enemies) like John Cena, Mark Henry, Randy Orton, Batista and The Big Show. Although interesting, some interviews are archive footage and have been seen before. It would have been interesting to hear form his second victim, Jake Roberts, who (although suffering from personal issues) is one of the most fascinating minds the industry has ever seen, King Kong Bundy, A-Train, even Kane could have also been included, as could Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase who brought him to the company in the first place. The seem like glaring omissions.

The streak has been a subject of WWE Home Video before, so the matches are available grouped together, so here you pay for the documentary and perhaps 2-3 later matches. However, they are ALL available on their respective Wrestlemania releases which any true wrestling fan already owns.

The Documentary runs a staggeringly short 37 minutes and at least a quarter of that is taken up by talking about his matches with Triple H and his retirement match with HBK. This is recent history and a subject of some amazing video packages in the last couple of months, not to mention Shawn Michaels own DVD release from last year.

As stated the ‘extras’ are the matches in their entirity, but most of them aren’t worth rewatching, and the ones that are, have been available in such abundance that I don’t see a warranted purchase here at all. The documentary is pointless and without merit. This is a completely thrown together release which is an embarrassment to the usually exceptional work done by WWE’s home video team. Is it because we cannot see the Undertaker out of character speaking about his career with honesty? yes, that is a factor, but there’s enough people available here to do that for him, and the opportunity is wasted.

This is a cash-in on WM fever and isn’t worth buying. The footage is available everywhere and the story part of the DVD, usually WWE’s strong suit is awful. They do use some nice footage and voice-over work to give the streak meaning and by comparing it to some of the most famous streaks in Sporting History is an excellent touch, but the content is poor and nothing can mask that.

So, in essence this is a perfect tribute to the wonderful streak story. The pageantry and gloss of a storied and fascinating part of WWE lore covers cracks where things were less than stellar. Unfortunately, unlike The Undertaker and WWE’s production crew who can revise history beautifully to make a happy accident into a meaningful legacy, this DVD cannot work alchemy, and after all the effort to make something look like a shimmering mass, we are left with nothing more than a handful of Fool’s Gold.

Avoid. 2/10

Content:

Disc One:

Documentary

WrestleMania VII 24th March, 1991
Victim: Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka

WrestleMania VIII 5th April, 1992
Victim: Jake “The Snake” Roberts

WrestleMania IX 4th April, 1993
Victim: Giant Gonzalez

WrestleMania XI 2nd April, 1995
Victim: King Kong Bundy

WrestleMania XII 31st March, 1996
Victim: Diesel

WrestleMania 13 23rd March, 1997
No Disqualification Match for the WWE Championship
Victim: Sycho Sid

WrestleMania XIV 29th March, 1998
Brother vs. Brother
Victim: Kane

Disc Two:

WrestleMania XV 28th March, 1999
Hell in a Cell Match
Victim: Big Boss Man

WrestleMania X-Seven 1st April, 2001
Victim: Triple H

WrestleMania X8 17th March, 2002
No Disqualification Match
Victim: ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair

WrestleMania XIX 30th March, 2003
Handicap Match
Victims: Big Show & A-Train

WrestleMania XX 14th March, 2004
Victim: Kane

WrestleMania 21 3rd April, 2005
Legend vs. Legend Killer
Victim: Randy Orton

WrestleMania 22 2nd April, 2006
Casket Match
Victim: Mark Henry

WrestleMania 23 1st April, 2007
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Victim: Batista

WrestleMania XXIV 30th March, 2008
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Victim: Edge

Disc Three:

WrestleMania 25 5th April, 2009
Victim: Shawn Michaels

WrestleMania XXVI 28th March, 2010
Streak vs. Career
Victim: Shawn Michaels

WrestleMania XXVII 3rd April, 2011
No Holds Barred Match
Victim: Triple H

WrestleMania XXVIII 1st April, 2012
End of an Era Hell in a Cell Match
Victim: Triple H

Blu-Ray Review: “WWE Falls Count Anywhere”

Review:

Presented by the amiable and always entertaining Mick Foley, this set kicks off in style with the former Cactus Jack explaining to us in his own silly style just what the term ‘Falls Count Anywhere’ will encompass in this DVD. He also tells us he is wearing casual dress slacks, and as such is a corporate sell-out, which is adorable (this isn’t the last we hear of his discomfort in wearing this garment) and it is moments like this that help this release give the fun (and often brutal) feeling that it has obviously set out to deliver.

Mick Foley presents a Cactus Jack Match. BANG! BANG!

Much like the UFC “Ultimate Knockouts” series, which is pure beer, pizza and buddy viewing, I think this was the intended audience for this set too. It really does have that dip in and out, frenetic pace which works so well as Saturday Night viewing as these gimmick matches are often appealing to non-fans and never super-serious feud enders. They always have the dangerous yet fun factor so the presentation is perfect.

To say it is a fun disc set is in no way to suggest it is a thrown-together compilation. It is VERY well-researched and compiled. We begin with a long forgotten 1981 “Alley Fight” between Sgt. Slaughter and Pat Patterson. As usual the picture is 4:6 with the blurred borders, but it’s not distracting at all, actually a lot of the archive footage is shown this way and it’s not a problem. This match is old, but it stands up well next to the other matches and is a cool insight into how the match-style has progressed. I love when the WWE feature rarely seen matches on Home Video Releases, it’s such a great way to use their extensive archives as this footage is unavailable in any other DVD. The same can be said for the fun mixed person Atlanta Street Fight from Starrcade 1985, which is up next.

The Referee’s face tells the story.

After that we head straight into the Nineties, and are treated to an eclectic mix of WWE, WCW and ECW and the running order is fabulous. Not only is it served up chronologically but it’s also the madness of the Attitude Era and the pressure of the Monday Night Wars but also the threat of an upstart company doing things better (ECW) that mean the competition and realism is stepped up and the result is some fantastically crazy and brutal matches. Bam Bam Bigelow vs Taz is excellent, but even the pre-Attitude Era Crush vs Macho Man from Wrestlemania X is really enjoyable, and a lot cleverer than I recalled. Great bout.

Randy Savage, an innovator in many ways

There is honestly no match on this selection that isn’t worthy of it’s place and every match is so much different than the last. The Shane vs Vince Street fight is so engaging and along with his ‘Love her or leave her streetfight’ shows what a daredevil Shane McMahon really was.  The Divas are even represented with an amusing encounter between Mickie James and Melina. I think every base is covered here, and it is an absolute delight.

Even the Boss gets Brutal.

The set features a great deal of Smackdown and Raw matches too which goes along with my view on the old matches, it is exactly the correct usage of the WWE Library to showcase not only matches that are unavailable elsewhere, but also to show just how good their TV Matches are and can be. There’s not a single wasted moment on this Boxset and the segues with Mick Foley are just the icing on the cake. I cannot see how this could possibly be improved upon and I am so thrilled by WWE’s strong output recently, that for at least the third time in as many months I will give this Blu-Ray top marks, which is something I will never do lightly. The added BR features really add to an already packed release and feature some great and memorable encounters. I cannot wait to see what World Wrestling Entertainment has to spoil me with next.

10/10

Content:

Disc 1:

The Names May Vary

Alley Fight
Pat Patterson vs. Sgt. Slaughter
Madison Square Garden – 4th May, 1981

Atlanta Street Fight
Jimmy Valiant & Ms. Atlanta Lively vs. Midnight Express
Starrcade – 28th November, 1985

Street Fight for the NWA Tag Team Championship
Doom vs. Barry Windham & Arn Anderson
Starrcade – 16th December, 1990

A Fresh Face

Falls Count Anywhere Match
Sting vs. Cactus Jack
Beach Blast – 20th June, 1992

Falls Count Anywhere Match
“Macho Man” Randy Savage vs. Crush
WrestleMania X – 20th March, 1994

Windy City Mayhem

Chicago Street Fight
Booker T & Sting vs. The Road Warriors
Uncensored – 24th March, 1996

Chicago Street Fight
Ahmed Johnson & The Legion of Doom vs. Faarooq, Savio Vega & Crush
WrestleMania 13 – 23rd March, 1997

Street Fight
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret “Hit Man” Hart
Raw – 21st April, 1997

Disc 2:

Multiple Personalities

Falls Count Anywhere Match
Cactus Jack vs. Triple H
Raw – 22nd September, 1997

Falls Count Anywhere Match
Tazz vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
Heatwave – 2nd August, 1998

A Brand New Title

Hardcore Championship Match
Al Snow vs. Hardcore Holly
St. Valentine’s Day Massacre – 14th February, 1999

Fully Loaded Strap Match
The Rock vs. Triple H
Fully Loaded – 25th July, 1999

Love Her or Leave Her Greenwich Street Fight
Test vs. Shane McMahon
SummerSlam – 22nd August, 1999

Dictators on a Power Trip

WWE Championship Match
Big Show vs. Kane
Raw – 20th December, 1999

Hardcore Championship Match
Crash Holly vs. The Headbangers
SmackDown – 16th March, 2000

Street Fight
Mr. McMahon vs. Shane McMahon
Raw – 29th October, 2001

Street Fight
‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair vs. Mr. McMahon
Royal Rumble – 20th January, 2002

Disc 3:

Greatest Comeback Story

Unsanctioned Street Fight
Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H
SummerSlam – 25th August, 2002

Street Fight for the World Heavyweight Championship
Triple H vs. Kevin Nash
Insurrextion – 7th June, 2003

Inside the Divas’ Locker Room

Falls Count Anywhere Match for the WWE Women’s Championship
Melina vs. Mickie James
Raw – 5th March, 2007

Street Fight
Triple H vs. Umaga
Cyber Sunday – 28th October, 2007

Street Fight
John Cena vs. Umaga
Raw – 16th June, 2008

New Stars on the Rise

Submissions Count Anywhere Match
D-Generation X vs. Legacy
Breaking Point – 13th September, 2009

Street Fight
Rey Mysterio vs. Batista
SmackDown – 11th December, 2009

Street Fight
Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes
SmackDown – 4th November, 2011

A Little Tidying Up

Blu-ray Exclusive Content

Boiler Room Brawl
Mankind vs. Santa Claus
Raw – 20th December, 1999

Street Fight
Triple H vs. Sheamus
Extreme Rules – 25th April, 2010

Falls Count Anywhere Match
Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes
Extreme Rules – 1st May, 2011

Street Fight
Randy Orton vs. Kane
SmackDown – 22nd July, 2011