DVD Review: 30 Years Of Survivor Series

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 437 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: October 23 2017

(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)

Survivor Series is the second longest-running Pay-Per-View event in WWE history, behind only WrestleMania. It was there when Hulkamania was running wild, when Attitude was all the rage, and when John Cena and Batista were establishing themselves as the leaders of the Ruthless Aggression era. Even today, Survivor Series has major significance, enhanced by major moments in recent years involving The Rock, Sting and Goldberg.

This latest DVD offering from WWE covers the three-decade history of Survivor Series, released just in time for the 31st instalment on November 19 in Houston. The main focus of this compilation is a feature lasting just over an hour, which highlights what are considered to be the 30 top moments in Survivor Series history (though the programme itself doesn't state this; the DVD box art does, though). This is followed by a series (no pun intended) of matches spanning the years 1988-2016.

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DVD Preview: 30 Years Of Survivor Series

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Fetch Publicity

The following story is courtesy of Fetch Publicity ...

On Thanksgiving Day thirty years ago, WWE's second pay-per-view event was born with a new twist. In the early days, teams of five strived to survive. Over the course of the next three decades, Survivor Series evolved into one of the greatest spectacles on the WWE calendar, where championship matches, iconic face-offs and unforgettable moments take place. Join us as we countdown the 30 greatest moments from 30 remarkable years of Survivor Series.

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DVD Preview: 1997: Dawn Of The Attitude

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Fetch Publicity

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For the first time ever, Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley, Ron Simmons, The Godfather and Kane sit together with host Renee Young and share their behind-the-scenes experiences during 1997 – one of the most unforgettable and influential years in WWE history. With a selection of matches and moments, witness the rise of Stone Cold Steve Austin, the birth of D-Generation X, the summer of The Hart Foundation, and how The Attitude Era was created with one pivotal year in WWE history. Welcome to 1997: Dawn Of The Attitude. Also featuring The Rock, Undertaker, Psycho Sid, Goldust, Sable, Ken Shamrock, D-Lo Brown, The Sultan & more!

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DVD Review: Kurt Angle - The Essential Collection

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 531 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: July 31 2017

(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)

Kurt Angle is one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time. Mixing his previous outstanding amateur wrestling ability, style and credibility with his desire to learn allowing him to quickly pick up the pro style along with unseen charisma and a great sense of humour, all during one of the hottest periods in wrestling history, Angle quickly established his legacy as one of the very best in record time. His return to WWE in early 2017 was hugely anticipated, and fans immediately gravitated back to the legendary Olympic gold medallist.

Therefore, it was inevitable that a DVD celebrating Angle's big return would be released, and so we have this collection of matches from 1999-2006. You can't really go wrong with a Kurt Angle match compilation, and this is proven to be the case as this is one of the best WWE DVDs that you will see. We also get pre-match comments from Angle who discusses how pivotal specific bouts were to his career, though they do occasionally border on being slightly self-indulgent at times. But more often than not, they're insightful, and a welcome aspect of the feature (this incidentally does not have any bonus material).

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DVD Preview: Kurt Angle - The Essential Collection

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Fetch Publicity

The following story is courtesy of Fetch Publicity ...

It’s true! It’s true! Kurt Angle has had some of the most epic matches in WWE history. Now for the first time ever, you can watch them all with Kurt Angle: The Essential Collection! Relive all of his rivalries with Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, John Cena, Edge, Shawn Michaels, Triple H and more in this complete collection.

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DVD Review: WWE: Best Of 2000s

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 666 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 4
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: April 24 2017

(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)

WWE's latest compilation brings together a plethora of impactful matches from 2000-2009, spread over four discs and more than eleven hours (check out the actual number of minutes for this DVD above). It's a weighty collection compared to other DVDs on the market, but that's okay because, to truly showcase the best of the decade, three discs simply wasn't enough given the length of some matches here. Oh, and many of the matches are superb, making this a truly epic DVD set.

Hosted by Mick Foley (who sort of reprises his old Commissioner gig with one-liners and suitably nostalgic props, along with guest appearances by current WWE stars), the DVD opens proper with Triple H vs. Cactus Jack, a belting Street Fight from Royal Rumble 2000 for the WWF Championship. Foley at the time cited this match as one of his very best, and almost everybody agrees that this bloody war truly put HHH on the map, having slightly struggled to gain acceptance as a main event heel. Next is the original TLC clash between Edge and Christian, The Hardyz and The Dudleyz from SummerSlam 2000, which is simply amazing; the rematch at WrestleMania X-Seven arguably topped it, but regardless this was unbelievable, and the deserving Match Of The Year in most polls.

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Royal Rumble 2013

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 169 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: April 15 2013

Kicking off the year in WWE on PPV, Royal Rumble delivered a memorable main event with an outcome that seemed inconceivable just a short time ago, and some decent action elsewhere which makes for a fun DVD to watch.

The opening Last Man Standing match between Alberto Del Rio and Big Show is perhaps slightly inferior to their previous LMS meeting on SmackDown a few weeks earlier, but it's still entertaining nonetheless. Team Hell No vs. Team Rhodes Scholars is okay, and we then jump ahead to the Royal Rumble match itself. It's not the best Rumble by any means, but it does deliver some nice surprises and is overall superior to the 2012 effort.

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Elimination Chamber 2013

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 181 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: May 6 2013

Elimination Chamber, traditionally the last PPV before WrestleMania, often has its memories lost once Mania is over and done with (more so than Royal Rumble, despite it coming after RR). And that's a shame because, as this DVD proves, the 2013 edition of Elimination Chamber had plenty to praise.

There are five matches that are good, really good or better. They are Alberto Del Rio vs. Big Show (despite an unintentional slip by ADR during the bout); the Elimination Chamber match with a World Heavyweight Title shot for WM 29 at stake; a six-man pitting The Shield against John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus; an impromptu showdown between Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston; and a Royal Rumble rematch for the WWE Title between The Rock and CM Punk (how weird is it at this point to see Rock wrestle on what is essentially a B-show?).

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WWE Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2013

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 435 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: January 13 2014

Once more, WWE has released a compilation focusing on the year's best Pay-Per-View encounters (well, those of the first ten months, anyway; and the match choices are always those of WWE, meaning some fan favourite bouts don't get a look-in). Renee Young takes over hosting duties here, with PPV posters to assist her, erm, links, and the artwork has a slightly grandiose theme highlighting WWE's biggest names ... except for Brock Lesnar. That Lesnar isn't included is unusual, and perhaps emphasises how his star doesn't shine quite as bright as it should presently. We don't get any promo videos for matches this time, which is a slight dampener.

Onto the action, though, and we have CM Punk vs. The Rock from Royal Rumble. Whilst a fun match to watch, that part-timer Rock was chosen to end Punk's 434-day WWE Title reign PO'd the hardcore fans to a great extent, especially with John Cena winning the Royal Rumble to set up Rock-Cena 2 as the main event for WrestleMania 29 (I personally didn't have a problem with the decision, although the fact that the People's Elbow was the move to finish Punk off ruined one's suspension of disbelief). After that, Elimination Chamber (an underrated show, in my opinion) gives us John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus vs. The Shield, a watchable yet fairly pointless match with a surprising outcome (at the time, anyway).

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WWE Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2012

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 385 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: March 4 2013

The Best Pay-Per-View Matches series would continue on to cover 2012, one of the most memorable years in recent times for WWE. Two huge WrestleMania matches, the return shortly afterwards of a major star, the year-long WWE Title run of the Best In The World, the entertainment provided by Team Hell No and the arrival of The Shield were just some of the reasons why there's a lot to remember about 2012. Much of it happened on Pay-Per-View, and a lot of that is covered here. Scott Stanford is again on hosting duties, and the artwork is a nice nod to the old-school wrestling posters from the 1970s and before. What's more, some promo videos are again included to explain why certain matches are happening, which is always a good thing.

We begin as ever at Royal Rumble, with CM Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler. It's a good match, but it's overshadowed by Punk's feud with special referee/enforcer John Laurinaitis, in Big Johnny's only appearance on the DVD, incidentally. The upshot is, Ziggler looks a bit weak as Punk has him beaten several times before finally finishing him off. Next up, the World Heavyweight Title Elimination Chamber had the potential to royally suck, but it ends up greatly exceeding expectations, and momentarily makes one believe that Santino Marella could indeed become the World Heavyweight Champion. Disc one closes with the outstanding Hell In A Cell war between The Undertaker and Triple H from WrestleMania XXVIII, refereed by Shawn Michaels and containing enough drama and action to justify why most people considered this to be the best match of the entire year.

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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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Best Of Raw - After The Show

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 400 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: April 28 2014

This is one of the more unusual WWE DVD releases. The idea of providing fans with a collection of moments which would only have been seen by the fans in attendance is a cool one; however, stretching this across three discs proves to be a bad move, as even the most entertaining scenes become repetitive.

I won't list every segment, but across the first two discs, the vast majority involve Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock or both. We tend to see some comedy exchanges, followed by a handshake or a beer toast, which results in a finisher (in some cases several finishers). Around 2001, the focus shifts almost entirely to comedy, and there are some really funny situations that develop, along with some interesting scenarios.

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The Attitude Era Volume 3 - Unreleased coming soon 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 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 WrestleMania 32

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Genre: Wrestling
Produced By: WWE
Format: Pay-Per-View
Date: April 3 2016
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas, USA
Attendance: 101,763

After all the anticipation and the build-up, WrestleMania 32 finally happened! The biggest wrestling show of the year was hyped as being WWE's biggest show ever, even with injuries decimating the original line-up on multiple occasions, and other factors preventing some names from the past getting actively involved. That being said, the card still promised a stacked list of matches and, with the increased running time probably ensuring that all the bouts would get appropriate time, there was a genuine chance that this could be one of the greatest WrestleManias to date, even if some scheduled matches weren't what most fans would have preferred. So, how did WM 32 turn out?

Before beginning with the review, I should acknowledge how long the event ran. In the past, WrestleMania has lasted four hours with one or two pre-show matches, with the exception of WM XX which was 4 1/2 hours with no warm-up bouts. This year, despite the two-hour Kick-Off Show beforehand, it was still noted that Mania 32 would go over four hours to some extent. That ended up being by "a lot"; when Mania finally ended, the main card was very close to five hours long, and with the Kick-Off Show again lasting two hours and featuring three matches, the entire thing ended up lasting close to seven hours! To be fair, this made WrestleMania 32 feel extremely special, but since most weren't expecting such a long running time, it did mean that most viewers were flagging come the final hour. I do hope that WWE continues this going forward, since at least next year we'll be prepared for a (very) long WrestleMania.

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The (Bumpy) Road To WrestleMania 32

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

For wrestling fans, it must feel like Christmas Eve right now. That's because we are now only a matter of days away from WrestleMania 32, the biggest wrestling event of the year and possibly the biggest event in WWE history, at least based on the potential live attendance. Later this week, I will make my predictions for Mania match results but, for now, I am going to look back at an unforgettable and at many times undesirable lead-in to WrestleMania 32.

Rumours have been going back years that WWE wanted to hold Mania at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas due to its 100,000+ capacity. In November 2013 (yes, it was that long ago), it was leaked that the 2016 WM would emanate from AT&T Stadium. Once it was officially confirmed in early 2015, both fans and WWE began considering possible mega matches to justify the biggest crowd in WWE history by presenting the company's biggest and best show, well, ever.

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The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man In Sports-Entertainment

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 478 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Clear Vision Ltd/Silver Vision
Released: August 18 2008

Over the last few years, WWE fans have been treated to appearances by and matches involving The Rock. Each is a special occasion, and every time Rock appears, it 's memorable. And there is likely to be more to come, with the rumour mill and a number of on-screen confrontations suggesting a Rock-Triple H showdown for WrestleMania 32.

But there was a time when it seemed like Rock would never wrestle again. In fact, at one point, even a non-wrestling appearance by The Great One would be extremely unlikely. Had that remained the case, Rock's career would have only lasted from 1996 to 2004. But what a wrestling career it was, even if it hadn't extended beyond WrestleMania XX, and if Rock had indeed wrestled his last match on March 14 2004, fans would only be able to look back on Rock's greatest moments and wonder "what if" he hadn't left for Hollywood. Those harking for his return could at least have the comfort in 2008 of having a compilation of the matches and interviews which truly made Rock an icon (ironically released a few months after a then-rare Rock appearance at the 2008 WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony).

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