DVD Review: TLC 2017

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 187 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: December 11 2017

(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)

What happens when a one-match card suffers from outside factors forcing that bout to be cancelled? We found out at this year's TLC event, when the official reunion match of The Shield against a five-man army under Tables, Ladder and Chairs rules saw Roman Reigns removed for medical reasons with 48 hours' notice. This unexpectedly led to Kurt Angle - the Raw General Manager, whose in-ring WWE comeback was presumably being saved for WrestleMania 34 - being inserted into Roman's place (Daniel Bryan was also apparently considered, which opens up a whole bunch of questions to be dealt with another time).

As a result, the excitement surrounding The Shield reuniting was replaced by the shockingly sudden nature of Kurt Angle making a landmark in-ring return for the company. In addition, the same medical issues ruled out Bray Wyatt from facing Finn Balor. Instead of Sister Abigail facing The Demon, AJ Styles was brought in from a SmackDown tour in South America, meaning that Balor and Styles would be meeting for the very first time in a WWE ring. Needless to say, an entirely missable WWE PPV suddenly became can't-miss, and WWE has to be admired for going above and beyond to compensate fans who wanted to see The Hounds Of Justice battling as a united force.

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DVD Preview: TLC 2017

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Fetch Publicity

The following story is courtesy of Fetch Publicity ...

The Superstars of Raw head into one of the most brutal, jaw-dropping events ever - Tables, Ladders & Chairs. Kurt Angle returns to the ring to team with The Shield, AJ Styles battles Finn Bálor, and Asuka makes her debut in this incredible night of action!

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Night Of Champions 2012

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 167 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: January 21 2013

The very first WWE DVD to be published by Fremantle Home Entertainment in the United Kingdom, the change-over from Clear/Silver Vision explains the delay in the release of this event, which was staged in September 2012. Was it worth the wait to see it on DVD? Kinda.

After John Bradshaw Layfield returns to provide commentary (replacing Jerry Lawler, who had suffered a heart attack just six days earlier during a live Raw show), NOC 2012 begins with a four-way for the Intercontinental Title between The Miz, Cody Rhodes, Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara which is good, but still feels like a disappointment, perhaps because arguably all four should be higher up the card than they presently are (or were at the time of this card). Next, the dysfunctional team of Kane and Daniel Bryan battle Kofi Kingston and R-Truth for the Tag Team Titles; it's the interaction and the mid-match hug between Kane and Bryan which carry this one, although the best part (of the show, actually) is Kane later screaming that "I'm going to Disneyland!" It's funnier to watch this happen than for me to describe it, obviously.

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Hell In A Cell 2012

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 166 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: January 28 2013

Unlike previous years, where WWE would overload the Hell In A Cell card with too many HIAC matches (there were three in 2009, none of which were particularly necessary), the 2012 event kept things simple with just the one Cell bout, a well-built collision between longtime WWE Champion CM Punk and the undefeated, Goldberg-like Ryback. That being said, it is another match which stands as the main reason to see this DVD.

Starting chronologically: Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio is a good opener, if not the best match that the two could put together, followed by an entertaining yet forgettable bout pitting Team Hell No (arguably WWE's hottest act at the time of this PPV) against Team Rhodes Scholars. Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz is good, though, and a reminder that both men can deliver a thrilling contest despite each man's reduced status in recent times. Conversely, while well-executed, Antonio Cesaro bvs. Justin Gabriel isn't a PPV-calibre match, nor is Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs. The Prime Time Players

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TLC 2015

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 183 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: February 22 2016

(To read a full event review of WWE TLC 2015, click here.)

TLC 2015 occurred at a time when the WWE product was at a pretty low level. A combination of absences for top talent, poor casting in main event situations and generally dull writing meant that TLC was predicted to be a catastrophe of an event. Fortunately, though, the wrestlers delivered on the night, and the show closed with a memorable angle that temporarily reduced the fan hatred towards Roman Reigns, all of which makes this a pretty entertaining wrestling DVD to watch.

The opening three-way tag Ladder match between The New Day, The Lucha Dragons and The Usos widely surpasses expectations, and features an incredible Salida Del Sol by Kalisto which was arguably the most memorable spot of the entire year in WWE. The subsequent Ryback vs. Rusev bout suffers from an uninteresting plot whereby Ryback looks like an idiot for repeatedly falling for Lana's attempts to make out that The Big Guy had injured her. As for Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger: their Chairs match was as good as you could expect, and given the staleness of both men's characters at this point (even though ADR had only returned to WWE two months prior), it's a pleasant surprise, even if the "CM Punk!" chants put a dampener on it.

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WWE: Superstar Collection - Sheamus

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 90 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: February 10 2014

Amongst the four performers who got a UK release for their Superstar Collection, Sheamus is the only one who hasn't had a separate DVD release. Therefore, his mini-compilation is more comprehensive than the others.

We get his first two WWE Title victories (against Cena in a Tables bout at TLC 2009 and against Cena, Edge & Orton at Fatal 4 Way 2010 in - yes- a four-way bout), as well as his King Of The Ring tournament-winning match against John Morrison from November 2010, a successful United States Title challenge opposite Daniel Bryan from March 2011, and the closing moments of his triumphant Royal Rumble 2012 performance. Match quality is pretty high across the board and each bout is a justifiable inclusion. Strangely, though, we don't get his World Title win over Bryan from WrestleMania XXVIII (which did only last 18 seconds, after all).

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Survivor Series 2015

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 182 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: January 25 2016

(To read a full event review of WWE Survivor Series 2015, click here.)

At the time when it was held, the 2015 edition of Survivor Series didn't exactly receive a lot of praise. But whilst it hardly stands out as an epic event upon the second viewing on DVD, it still has its moments, even if it doesn't really feel like a major supershow.

The first two matches are actually quite good: Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio is an underrated battle and a nice start to the PPV, whilst Dean Ambrose vs. Kevin Owens is better still with some really cool spots and high-impact moves. These are the semi-finals of the tournament to crown a new WWE Champion after Seth Rollins went down with injury; the final, between Reigns and Ambrose, would be the Survivors main event.

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WWE TLC 2015

Image Source: F4W Online

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Genre: Wrestling
Produced By: WWE
Format: Pay-Per-View
Date: December 13 2015
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Attendance: 14,903

Christmas can often be a time when high expectations result in an anti-climax, but it can also be a time when minimal hopes result in a pleasant surprise on the day. The latter applied to WWE's Xmas-time PPV event, TLC. On paper, the card wasn't the worst ever assembled, but the lack of star power in recent weeks (for a variety of reasons), a flat build-up and generally lacklustre writing from the WWE creative team all combined to almost make one feel like you were an idiot for actually wanting to see the show. Fortunately, the harshest critics were left with egg (or egg nog, since it's almost Crimbo?) on their faces, as the event delivered several worthwhile matches, a bonkers spot in the opening contest, and a closing scene which might have finally turned Roman Reigns into the next top babyface that WWE desperately wants him to be.

Unfortunately, WWE didn't help itself in the Kick-Off show, or rather with its presentation. After a month in which the company has been savagely buried by many, and with TLC almost annoying fans by its mere existence (fans at the NXT shows in the UK even booed TLC promo videos), you would think that WWE would want to really get fans back on its side from the get-go. Instead, for the second supercard in a row, the live feed cut out for the WWE Network at the beginning of the pre-show, and this time it was almost halfway through the hour-long preview programme before most fans (myself included) were able to see what was going on. That it happened once at Survivor Series was perhaps an accident; twice in a row suggests a major production mishap somewhere. This simply must be remedied, more than any other creative aspect of WWE TV; not only does it spoil one's enjoyment of said shows, but it reduces fan confidence that the feed will work, and with Royal Rumble up next and WrestleMania looming, the last thing WWE needs is an internal error to cause fans to opt out of watching supershows via the Network.

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WWE Survivor Series 2015

Image Source: Ticketmaster

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Genre: Wrestling
Produced By: WWE
Format: Pay-Per-View
Date: November 22 2015
Location: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Attendance: 14,481

The 29th annual edition of the Survivor Series had two main talking points heading into the show: the tournament for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship (which in itself brought about other potential discussion topics, as I will explain), and the show marking the 25th anniversary of The Undertaker's debut. In the end, neither scenario brought about a big surprise, although a show-closing swerve did provide Survivor Series with a memorable if slightly familiar ending.

That being said, beforehand, there was genuine concern about a potential attack on the show by extremists, in light of recent world events. Whether it be due to tightened security or such chatter being hearsay, the event fortunately did not suffer from such problems; as it often has, WWE stood tall and went on with the show despite the fear that the rumours had caused. A perfect example of this was Lilian Garcia opening Survivor Series with a powerful rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner.

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