DVD Review: 1997: Dawn Of The Attitude

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 450 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: October 2 2017

(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)

When analysing the history of WWE, previously the WWF (and the WWWF before that), a pivotal year is 1997. During that time, business was way down, and the company lagged behind WCW in almost every key area. However, a revolution was happening on-screen, and years of promoting wrestling to please the kids and bringing the families was being slowly replaced by a rebellious product which focused on entertainment via strong language, sexuality, bloody violence and more mature themes to the storylines. This would eventually lead to a massive boom period for the WWF and for wrestling in general, with 1998-2001 being the company's most successful years in history. Seriously, the word "ass" and the ever-so-frequent use of it made the WWF millions.

But most of this was still to come when 1997 began. At that time, traits of Attitude were being gradually introduced (Steve Austin swearing and flipping people off, slightly more violent matches involving the likes of Mankind, the sexual nature of Goldust's "psychological" tactics, and the infamous "gun" angle involving Austin breaking into Brian Pillman's home, during which Pillman said "fuck" live on the air, which almost got the WWF kicked off the USA Network), but it was still marketed as a family-friendly show. Throughout the year things would change, and as 1997 came to a close, the "new" WWF had arrived. A few weeks into 1998, Mike Tyson came on board to help promote WrestleMania, and subsequent angles along with other plotlines would bring about the success that Attitude is most remembered for.

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History of the Hardcore Championship 24-7 coming soon on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Fetch Publicity

The following story is courtesy of Fetch Publicity ...

After its inception in 1998, the WWE Hardcore Championship was sought after by some of WWE’s toughest and most unpredictable competitors. From deranged champions like Mankind, Raven and Al Snow to fighting champions like Rob Van Dam, Undertaker, Tommy Dreamer and Hardcore Holly, to unsung heroes like “The Lethal Weapon” Steve Blackman and Crash Holly, this set takes a comprehensive look at the greatest WWE Hardcore Championship matches in history. It’s unpredictable, it’s wild, it’s HARDCORE!

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The Attitude Era Volume 3 - Unreleased now available on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK

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Fetch Publicity

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Fetch Publicity

The following story is courtesy of Fetch Publicity ...

The Attitude Era Volume 3 - Unreleased is now available in the UK on both DVD and Blu-ray.

The third volume in WWE’s Attitude Era DVD & Blu-ray series, this time bringing together previously unseen material from the period between 1996-2000. Includes “dark” matches from Monday Night Raw, non-televised matches from pay-per-view events, live events, and more never-before-released moments from WWE’s most controversial era!

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WWE The Attitude Era Volume 3 - Unreleased

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Fetch Publicity

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 410 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: August 8 2016

(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)

The third instalment in the Attitude Era DVD series is unique, in more ways than one. Whereas the first two sets provided a combination of unforgettable moments and some forgotten gems from Raw and PPV events, Volume 3 takes a very different approach of not only showcasing matches which have yet to be unreleased, but bouts which have never even aired. All of the matches are either "dark" matches (which take place before or after a televised event, with only the crowd getting to see what unfolds) or house show matches (bouts which take place on live events). It's an interesting format, and a chance to provide content which even the biggest fans of wrestling's most exciting era will have never seen (unless they had attended these shows, of course) - but does the concept work?

Presented by Corey Graves, who does a pretty good job of not only presenting matches but explaining the backstory to said bouts, the compilation kicks off with a Bret Hart-Steve Austin clash from Germany in April 1996. Hang on, 1996? Yes, the timeline here begins in the spring of '96, a time when the Attitude Era was still a pipe dream. Sure, we had the Goldust character, whose sexually-motivated behaviour was pushing the envelope for those who understood what was happening (which wasn't me at the time since I was only aged 7), the odd swear word was popping up in promos, and we recently had the introduction of the Spanish announcer's table gimmick (i.e. the act of putting one through said desk), along with some increasingly violent matches (such as Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel from In Your House 7). But one would not really suggest that this was the Attitude Era. It's true to say that the seeds of Attitude were being sown over the next couple of months, from the arrival of Mankind to the Austin 3:16 promo, but it wasn't until 1997 that the Attitude Era truly began (and some could argue that it wasn't official until Steve Austin won his first WWF Title at WrestleMania XIV, held in March 1998). To provide context, this opening Bret-Austin bout happened a few months before Steve's legendary 3:16 promo; his career was nearer the Ringmaster phase than it was the Texas Rattlesnake.

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The Attitude Era Volume 3 - Unreleased coming soon on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK

Image Source:
Fetch Publicity

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Fetch Publicity

The following story is courtesy of Fetch Publicity ...

The third volume in WWE’s Attitude Era DVD & Blu-ray series, this time bringing together previously unseen material from the period between 1996-2000. Includes “dark” matches from Monday Night Raw, non-televised matches from pay-per-view events, live events, and more never-before-released moments from WWE’s most controversial era!

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WWE '13

Image Source: Play.com

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Publisher: THQ (Note: 2K Sports re-published it in 2013 after THQ folded)
Developer: Yuke's
Genre: Wrestling
Series: WWE (Previously SmackDown! and SmackDown vs. Raw)
Released: October 30, 2012 (US), November 1, 2012 (Australia) and November 2, 2012 (UK)
Certificate: 16
Consoles: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii

In 2012, it was announced that the next installment in the flagship WWE videogame series would be dedicated to The Attitude Era. Now, I loved this period in wrestling history; it was by far the greatest time to ever be a wrestling fan. And I had hoped for a dedicated videogame for this era for a long time. (I know there were some at the time, but I'm talking about a modern game looking back on it.) But to remodel the present-day game to hark back to the past? Granted, WWE's product at the time could have been better, but the annual game should reflect the last 12 months rather than ignore current names. So, whilst I was looking forward to seeing some old faces again, there was a danger that the modern era would feel a bit secondary.

Having played the game, I can't honestly say that WWE '13 succeeds at positioning the 2012 era WWE alongside the Attitude Era WWF/WWE. The key mode for modern names is Universe which does deliver a great experience for the hardcore wrestling fan gamer - fans could now create specific shows and dedicated rosters for those programmes - but as the likes of John Cena, Randy Orton and cover star CM Punk would not be involved in the main mode of the game, it did feel like the 2012 era stars were shafted a bit here.

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