CM Punk: Best In The World

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 427 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Clear Vision Ltd/Silver Vision
Released: October 29 2012

Before the Yes Movement elevated Daniel Bryan, diehard WWE fans were firmly behind CM Punk. The Chicago native brought an unconventional yet exciting in-ring and promo style, and a straight-edge character (no smoking, drinking or drugs, modelled on his real-life code of ethics), up through the indies and onto the main stage, which captured the imagination of those looking for a new hero, particularly someone who didn't come across as a John Cena clone. But his road to the top was bumpy, and no matter what Punk did in the ring, it seemed his fate was sealed to be nothing more than an upper mid-carder. Then, he cut a famous promo which would become known as the "Pipe Bomb", and Punk used the momentum off this to catapult himself to the WWE Title.

This 2012 DVD is largely based on a documentary which charts CM Punk's life and times, from his challenging upbringing to his breakthrough in wrestling on the independent circuit. Of note during his early days, Punk shone in Ring Of Honor, particularly in a feud with Samoa Joe. We see clips of this rivalry and other scraps with the likes of Raven, and we also see Punk return to the ROH training centre, a surreal sight on a WWE DVD at the time. There is no mention of Punk's time in TNA, but everywhere and almost everything else is covered, up until his signing with WWE in 2005.

Nowadays, many up-and-comers - even talent well-known by hardcore fans - start their WWE careers on NXT. In 2005, the developmental centre was Ohio Valley Wrestling, but OVW was not where Punk wanted to be; Paul Heyman reveals that Punk "was p---ed beyond belief" that he had to go to developmental. That this is highlighted is surprising, but had we been told that apparently Punk had originally signed a proper WWE wrestler contract, and would then be told why Punk had a WWE match meant for Heat which wasn't broadcast and was then sent to OVW after harsh criticism from higher-ups, this chapter of the documentary would have been extremely compelling.

Still, Punk had an ally in then-OVW boss Heyman, and this led to Punk coming to the WWE-led ECW in summer 2006. He got over immediately as a straight edge babyface with striking combat skills, and was unbeaten for most of the year. The December To Dismember fiasco is touched upon, but more to show how Punk's ECW direction soon suffered. Still, he became ECW Champ in 2007, and broke through in WWE proper by winning Money In The Bank at WrestleMania XXIV and cashing in on Edge to become World Heavyweight Champion on June 30 2008.

Punk's first World Title run suffered from the way he was booked, particularly from him losing the crown after being deemed unable to compete following an attack by the future Legacy. Of greater note are his two 2009 runs as Champ, during which time Punk became a straight-edge preaching heel and became a proper main eventer. His title loss and slide down the card is alluded to, but the inside story is not entirely covered (apparently Punk rejected The Undertaker's suggestion to wear suits outside the ring because then-WWE Champ John Cena didn't; Punk soon lost the title to Taker himself, went off the main event radar, and eventually ended up losing a dark match before the first TLC PPV).

His revival as leader of the Straight Edge Society is covered in-depth (Punk admits the similarities between his 2010 role and Jesus were deliberate, and deliberately controversial), but another subsequent slump led to Punk eyeing up the WWE exit when his contract expired in 2011, especially since he admits to being offended that The Miz was pushed ahead of him as WWE Champ going into WrestleMania XXVII.

But then he began a feud with Cena for the title heading into Money In The Bank 2011, and he cut the aforementioned Pipe Bomb promo (shown here in full) which was ground-breakingly realistic for a wrestling show. The momentum from this and his reality-based character led him to the title at MITB despite his contract expiring. Clearly, though, he had resigned with the company and stayed with WWE, winning the title again at Survivor Series 2011 to begin a 434-day reign.

The documentary only covers up to Punk's post-MITB 2011 reappearance, although some 2012 clips are scattered throughout. The DVD precedes the end of his long title run (it was in progress at the time, so it isn't mentioned here), his memorable match with Taker at WM 29, and of course his notorious split from WWE after Royal Rumble 2014, which has now led him to sign with UFC (I was thinking how darkly comical it would be to re-release this with his November 2014 podcast explaining why he left WWE as a bonus feature).

The documentary is one of WWE's greatest to date: it comprehensively covers most of Punk's life and career; the main feature and extras include revelations and trivia notes (what the "CM" stands for, who originated the GTS etc); it has contributions from many relevant people; and, above anything, it is extremely honest, at times brutally so (Punk even admits to tearing up promo scripts during his 2009 headline run). The only downside is that one is left with the impression that Punk is not a very nice man outside the ring (Michael Hayes even calls him "a moody pr--k"), although some stories show that he does have a good side to him. His opinions are always very much his true feelings, but at times the bigger picture isn't acknowledged: for instance, Miz had been slowly pushed to the top for over a year before WM 27, so whilst Punk is unquestionably better than Miz, one can understand why he was in the main event of that show before Punk.

Nevertheless, the documentary is utterly gripping for any wrestling fan. CM Punk as a person (rather than as a wrestler; there is a difference between the two) is someone you either love or hate. The main feature highlights his talent and positive traits, but does not ignore his flaws. So, whether you like him or you don't, the documentary should give you a perfect reason to opt for one particular emotion towards him. It is one of the best wrestler documentaries ever.

The DVD includes bonus matches, many of a high quality. There unfortunately are no ROH matches, but an OVW bout is here. We see his ECW debut and his great ECW Title win over John Morrison. His breakthrough MITB win at WM 24 is a spectacular bout; his Tag Team and Intercontinental Title wins are nice inclusions; and his TLC match with Jeff Hardy at SummerSlam 2009 and Hair vs. SES membership clash with Rey Mysterio at Over The Limit 2010 are both very exciting for different reasons. His MITB 2011 showdown with John Cena is one of the most memorable matches of the last decade, and his lengthy WWE Title run is represented by a pretty good bout with Chris Jericho at WM 28 and a superb match with Daniel Bryan from Over The Limit 2012.

The selection of matches is very good, but they are overshadowed by the brutally honest documentary. The one negative of watching this DVD in 2015 is that Punk has since left under a black cloud, and if he ever does return to WWE, it won't be for many years. Still, the man himself undoubtedly left behind a great in-ring legacy, and anybody who wants to know who CM Punk was and what he meant to people should definitely buy this, as it gives one a complete look at CM Punk, the wrestler, and Phil Brooks, the man. For wrestling fans, CM Punk: Best In The World is an essential purchase.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10 - Classic

The History Of The WWE Championship

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 561 Minutes
Certificate: 18
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Clear Vision Ltd/Silver Vision
Released: November 13 2006

This 3-disc DVD is a selection of matches for the WWE Title ranging from the 1970s to the mid-2000s, as chosen by the fans on WWE.com. As it was released in 2006, it does not cover most of the last decade; viewing it from a 2006 standpoint, then, I can confirm that this is an exceptional wrestling DVD, and I will now go into more depth.

Disc one covers the 1970s and 1980s (no 1960s matches were apparently available to use). The early bouts cover the title reigns of Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales and Superstar Billy Graham, and are more notable from a historic perspective than for match quality. Bob Backlund becomes the WWWF/WWF Champion and loses the title to the Iron Sheik under controversial-by-1983-standards circumstances.

Then Hulk Hogan dethrones Sheik, and the matches most familiar with modern fans begin. We see his bouts with King Kong Bundy, Mr. Wonderful, Andre The Giant and Randy Savage. Again, these are more notable for their historic value (especially the WrestleMania III main event), but there are some genuinely entertaining moments, particularly the twin referee ending to the Andre rematch, and the Savage bout is a great end to disc one.

Disc two covers the 1990s, a decade in which the WWF completely transformed. The proof comes in the changing face of the company via the matches featured here, all of which deserve to be here: Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior (WM VI); Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart in a Steel Cage (SummerSlam 1994); Bret vs. Shawn Michaels under Iron Man rules (WM XII); Shawn vs. Mankind (IYH X) and Shawn vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin in a very important bout history-wise (WM XIV). The length of the Iron Man scrap means that there is less room for another match or two, but the disc is still of high quality.

The third and final disc covers the new millennium up to the time this DVD was released and is filled with superb or classic matches. Triple H vs. Cactus Jack is an all-time great Street Fight from Royal Rumble 2000. The three-way main event from SummerSlam of the same year is brilliant storytelling for the very entertaining love triangle involving HHH, Stephanie McMahon and Kurt Angle. The Austin-Rock headliner from WM X-Seven is one of my favourite matches ever and, as a complete package, arguably the best title bout of them all. Chris Jericho's win over Austin from Vengeance 2001 is less exciting but, as the moment in which Y2J became Undisputed Champ, it had to be here for historical reasons.

The three-way from Vengeance 2002 between The Undertaker (in his only appearance here, interestingly), Rock and Angle is phenomenal and is possibly the best triple threat match in WWE history. The Rock-Brock Lesnar bout from the following month's SummerSlam is an interesting inclusion and, at the time, seemed to propel Lesnar to becoming the face of WWE. Although awkward to watch today, Angle vs. Chris Benoit from Royal Rumble 2003 is a classic technical wrestling match. The last bout is an exciting 3-way from Vengeance 2005 between Jericho, Christian and recently crowned titleholder John Cena.

The DVD is completed with very brief highlights of almost every title change from its incarnation to mid-2006. If an updated version was released to go up to the modern day, my match suggestions would be Cena vs. Edge from Unforgiven 2003, Cena-HBK at WM 23, HHH-Jeff Hardy from No Mercy 2008, possibly a Cena-Orton or HHH-Orton scrap, Cena-CM Punk from Money In The Bank 2011, a bout from Punk's long title reign, Cena-Rock at WM 29, the 3-way from WM XXX ("Yes!") and the Cena-Lesnar-Seth Rollins clash from Royal Rumble 2015. As always, leave your thoughts in the Comments section below.

As stated, this is a brilliant wrestling DVD. Many hours of combat where almost every match is great or historic, with the title's key moments all captured here, and with the fans having picked the bouts to their satisfaction. The only snag in terms of buying this DVD is that you'll probably already own many of the matches featured here but, even if you do, I still highly recommend this DVD; to me, it is one of the top WWE DVDs ever.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10 - Classic

Iron Will - The Anthology Of The Elimination Chamber

Image Source: Wrestling 101

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 513 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Clear Vision Ltd/Silver Vision
Released: August 18 2010

Having recently reviewed The Ladder Match and Hell In A Cell, I now review another DVD based on a match type, the Elimination Chamber. A 16-foot domed structure of chains and steel which includes pods to hold incoming wrestlers, the stipulation was an immediate success and, for many years, the Chamber match was guaranteed to raise interest and PPV buy rates.

Like HIAC, the PG era and the decision to give the Chamber its own PPV hampered this stipulation, and nobody knows when the next such bout will be. Since the cage cost either $250,000 or $500,000 to build (reports vary), one imagines that we will see it again, and I hope we do: unlike Hell In A Cell, you can have a great Chamber bout in PG conditions, and even the 2013 and 2014 clashes were both really good.

As things stand, then, this DVD (called Iron Will in the UK, but named Satan's Prison in the US, as evidenced by graphics which aren't changed for the European version of this release), captures the Elimination Chamber in its prime. The original match at Survivor Series 2002 is very good and would be remembered more fondly had Triple H not been in his loathed-for-real phase (look out for the very serious throat injury that Rob Van Dam accidentally inflicts upon him here). But it is a great match, and Shawn Michaels wins to become World Champ in only his second WWE bout since 1998 (by the way, Shawn and Kane were apparently meant to come in at the opposite times that they did).

Match two from SummerSlam 2003 sees Goldberg at his dominant best, destroying everything in sight. But the ending was a downer at the time and remains baffling today: one sledgehammer shot by HHH beats the then-unbeaten-in-WWE Goldberg and, whilst Da Man became World Champ at the following month's Unforgiven, he really should have triumphed here. Match three is, to me, the best Chamber match ever: an absolute super brawl from New Year's Revolution 2005 for the then-vacant World Title that features loads of big moves and drama, advances the brilliant Triple H-Batista storyline and even has Shawn Michaels as special guest referee!

The fourth bout is from New Year's Revolution 2006. It's good, but the weakest so far at the time (although we do get Edge's cash-in of Money In The Bank as a bonus match which is a nice touch). But that's nothing compared to the following Extreme Elimination Chamber at ECW December To Dismember 2006. On paper, it should have been the most violent yet, and I don't think it was as bad as some made out. But it is the worst to date, largely because it served as an insult to the diehard ECW fans and talent. Explaining why would be a story in itself (I shall write in full when covering a DTD review), but just know that the booking of this match screwed Sabu, gave CM Punk a cheap first loss in WWE, played a big role in Paul Heyman leaving WWE the next day, and helped to convince Rob Van Dam to also leave when his contract expired the following summer.

From there, we go to No Way Out 2008. Two Chamber matches in one night felt weird at the time, but both were for World Title opportunities at WrestleMania XXIV, and both are great matches. One sees The Undertaker and Batista renew their epic rivalry in grand fashion (and Taker hits a stunning chokeslam on MVP), whilst the other is a collection of stunning moves (Umaga and Jeff Hardy hit the best ones) and helps to establish Jeff as a future WWE Champion despite HHH winning.

This starts the era of two Chamber bouts on the same card. Both of those at No Way Out 2009 are superb: one is carried by The Undertaker, Triple H and Jeff Hardy, and the other sees Edge at his Ultimate Opportunist best. He actually loses the WWE Title early in the first one, before attacking Kofi Kingston to enter and eventually won the second one. At the time, this was all unexpected, and even though you know it's all scripted, it's one of those moments where the fan inside you says "Edge is awesome!"

The DVD ends with the stipulation having officially gotten its own PPV in 2010, a bad thing in hindsight, but we do get two good Chamber matches to end the compilation. John Cena's victory and subsequent loss to Batista are a bit too similar to the 2006 experience but fun nonetheless, whilst the World Title bout from the same show is enjoyable but a little disappointing, although its ending was a great way to build to WrestleMania XXVI, despite its predictability at the time (by the way, Undertaker was accidentally set on fire during his entrance due to a pyrotechnic malfunction; imagine being the guy responsible and having Taker confront you after that mishap).

I think the Elimination Chamber is a bit underrated as an actual concept: it is the storylines surrounding it having weakened and the reduced star power in recent times rather than in-ring performances and a lack of violence which have damaged its reputation (and the poorly-promoted PPV). Its future is unknown, other than knowing that it probably will have one; here, though, we get to relive the glory days of the Elimination Chamber, and I came away thinking it was a great wrestling DVD and a nice snapshot of WWE from the post-Attitude Era period to the modern PG times.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10 - Excellent

Hell In A Cell

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 500 Minutes
Certificate: 18
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Clear Vision Ltd/Silver Vision
Released: November 10 2008

Before WWE went PG, the ultimate battleground in the company was Hell In A Cell. A huge steel cage structure with a roof that also surrounded ringside, HIAC not only created a no-holds-barred forum for the most personal scores to be settled, but the structure itself could also come into play, even if the action spilt out of the cage and onto its top. This, in turn, led to some of the most memorable moments of the Attitude Era and of later years, which are captured in this anthology of the Hell In A Cell match.

The first Cell bout between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker at In Your House: Badd Blood in 1997 is a true classic. Held at a time when the WWF was still marketing towards a younger audience, this war which led to Shawn being busted wide open was a huge step towards the group going TV-14. The match is a barnburner, but perhaps the most memorable moment is the arrival of Kane, months in the making, as he confronts and Tombstones Taker for HBK to win.

Two short Raw matches (Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kane and Mankind, and Kane vs. Mankind) are divided by the most famous Cell match of them all, The Undertaker vs. Mankind at King Of The Ring 1998. You know what happens: Taker throws Mankind off and slams him through the Cell roof, and later drills him twice onto thumb tacks before Tombstoning him for the win. An astonishing battle which will never be forgotten, or topped, and for which Mick Foley will always be remembered.

Taker's poor HIAC match against Big Boss Man at WrestleMania XV isn't here (some would be happy with that), so next up is Triple H vs. Cactus Jack at No Way Out 2000, a terrific brawl that ends Mick Foley's full-time career and elevates HHH as an all-time great villain. Disc one ends with a brilliantly chaotic six-man from Armageddon 2000 as Kurt Angle somehow successfully defends the WWF Title against Stone Cold, HHH, Undertaker, The Rock and Rikishi.

For unknown reasons, the Cell didn't return until Judgment Day 2002 when Triple H fights Chris Jericho. This hard-fought clash begins the process of eradicating the career-threatening (and at times life-threatening) bump off the roof in Cell matches; the following bout between Brock Lesnar and Undertaker at No Mercy 2002 is gripping enough that it need not leave the cage, and sees Taker lose an obscene amount of blood. Kevin Nash vs. HHH at Bad Blood 2003 is okay but nothing special; The Game's 47-minute showdown with HBK at Bad Blood 2004 definitely doesn't disappoint and, to me, this culmination of an epic two-year rivalry is one of the most underrated supercard matches in WWE history.

Disc 3 covers 2005-2007. Triple H vs. Batista at Vengeance 2005 is a barbaric fight that was much better than expected, whilst the enjoyable Randy Orton-Undertaker fight from Armageddon that year is notable for being the last match in the 'old' Cell (and because Cowboy Bob Orton, Randy's dad and then-manager, bleeds on Taker before it was discovered behind the scenes that Bob had hepatitis, which led to one angry Undertaker, and played a part in Bob leaving WWE in early 2006). It is a bigger Cell for the DX vs. McMahons and Big Show grudge match at Unforgiven 2006 which is as good as can be expected, and we finish with a great Batista-Undertaker main event from Survivor Series 2007, which ends one classic feud and begins another, as Edge returns to deny Taker the victory in villainous fashion. This rivalry also ended in the Cell at SummerSlam 2008, which unfortunately was too late to make this DVD.

This was released at a time when the Hell In A Cell match still had a very high reputation with fans. Due to the PG rating and a stipulation-based PPV which meant multiple HIAC matches on one night, some with little reason to exist, the format no longer has the same appeal. It could change in future, and the two Cell bouts at the 2014 show were good, but as things stand the best Cell match of the PG era was Undertaker vs. Triple H at WrestleMania XXVIII, a brutal-by-current-standards match which ended a major grudge and which didn't have another HIAC clash to be alongside. Coincidence?

That aside, the anthology DVD of Hell In A Cell (hosted by Foley, incidentally) is a terrific one. At least half of the matches are great and most of the others are good or better. It does get a bit repetitive, and it is rather violent, but when it comes to a wrestling DVD which delivers hard-hitting combat on a big stage to settle huge rivalries and deliver great matches and unforgettable moments, there aren't many you will find which are as good as Hell In A Cell.

Overall Rating: 9/10 - Outstanding