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.

Onto TLC itself: the card began with the main roster of Asuka opposite Emma. The match is enjoyable, though some complained at how much offence Emma had against the undefeated and seemingly-unstoppable Empress Of Tomorrow. In hindsight, this mattered little, though Emma not only lost the match but also her job just one week later in an unfortunate turn of events for the Australian blonde bombshell. We then get a pretty good Cruiserweight tag team match, as Cedric Alexander and Rich Swann put on a great performance opposite Jack Gallagher and The Brian Kendrick.

Alexa Bliss' defence of the Raw Women's Championship against Mickie James is decent, with the veteran Mickie coming close to snatching the upset win and clinching the title. Enzo Amore's Cruiserweight Championship defence against Kalisto is unfortunately the poorest match of the evening; the chemistry just isn't there, and the finish is anticlimactic, partly due to Kalisto only winning the purple title 13 days earlier.

The dream match between Finn Balor (still in Demon attire) and AJ Styles lives up to the hype; though not quite a Match Of The Year contender, it is definitely on the next rung below, delivering some great action, and there is an excellent chance that the two men will collide again one day with an extensive build-up. Jason Jordan vs. Elias is filler, and it feels too much like a television bout to really grab the Minneapolis audience.

Finally, the TLC main event is ... bizarre. The novelty of Kurt Angle's return, him donning Shield attire, the weird line-up on the heel side (The Miz, Cesaro, Sheamus, Braun Strowman and the suddenly-reappeared Kane), and the confusing nature of the match itself which sees Kane and Strowman have multiple bust-ups before Braun is sent off in a garbage truck, all make for a strange yet very memorable main event. It's hard to judge this one, other than to say that it is undeniably entertaining, and that few fans who watched the match live will forget it in a hurry.

Sasha Banks vs. Alicia Fox from the Kick-Off Show is the lone extra for the DVD (which incidentally is not part of a Double Feature set unlike every other solo-brand PPV this year, which is another sign that WWE could be scaling back on its supershows going forward).

Summing it up, then, TLC 2017 had the potential to be the worst WWE card of the year with a B-rate line-up, and then two of Raw's biggest names were removed from play. However, their replacements ultimately created greater anticipation and, certainly for Balor vs. Styles, superior action. Asuka's debut, a strong doubles match involving the Cruiserweights, a great Finn vs. AJ contest and a surreal main event all ensure that TLC 2017 ended up with more positives than negatives, and as a result, this is one of the WWE PPVs that I would suggest that fans should definitely rewatch on DVD.

Overall Rating: 7/10 - Respectable

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!

Match Highlights:

5-On-3 TLC Match
Kurt Angle, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz, Sheamus, Cesaro, Braun Strowman & Kane

Finn Bálor vs. AJ Styles

Raw Women’s Championship Match
Alexa Bliss (Champion) vs. Mickie James

Cruiserweight Championship Match
Kalisto (Champion) vs. Enzo Amore

Asuka vs. Emma

Plus lots more action!

We like it because:

Not only is TLC one of the most anticipated nights on the WWE calendar, but this year’s event was nothing short of historic!

In one of the biggest surprises of 2017, the Olympic Hero and Hall of Famer returned to action in a WWE ring for the first time in 11 years. A last-minute replacement for Roman Reigns, Kurt hasn’t missed a step - and proves why he really is one of the all-time greats in a bone-crunching TLC match! Oh, it’s true!

As the trio battles the formidable fivesome of Miz, Sheamus, Cesaro, Braun Strowman and Kane, the action has to be seen to be believed. But can two of the biggest monsters of all time - Strowman and Kane - really exist on the same team?!

The show also delivers a WrestleMania-worthy dream match-up, as AJ Styles comes over from SmackDown to face Finn Bálor. The result is a “phenomenal” display from two of sports-entertainment’s very best talents!

With more electric action and the WWE main roster debut of the undefeated, longest ever reigning NXT Women’s Champion Asuka, this is one not to be missed!

Don’t miss out!

TLC 2017 will officially be released on DVD on Monday December 11 2017.

For more information, click here.

DVD Review: Seth Rollins - Building The Architect

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 526 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: May 29 2017

(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)

WWE's latest match compilation focuses on Seth Rollins, who in less than five years has gone from NXT star to perennial WWE main eventer and one of the company's biggest names. Promisingly, his best days may be yet to come; for the time being, Building The Architect focuses on Rollins' WWE adventures to date, with some candid comments by Seth himself between matches.

The first few matches are from Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), WWE's developmental territory after OVW (but before the NXT revamp). These bouts include a clash with Hunico in the final match of the Jack Brisco Classic tournament, an FCW 15 title contest with Dean Ambrose, and his FCW title-winning performance against Leo Kruger. The Ambrose match is the best of the three, though all have their moments, and it's fascinating to consider that FCW was the equivalent of NXT during this era, because the thought of FCW ever expanding beyond its studio setting into major arenas worldwide, in the manner that NXT has in recent years, seems unfathomable.

Speaking of NXT, it's revealed through some blink-and-you'll-miss-it footage that Rollins was meant to be a contestant on a season of NXT during its "reality show" days, alongside Big E Langston, Bo Dallas, Hunico, Leo Kruger/Adam Rose and Damien Sandow. As it turned out, this season didn't happen, which has to be considered a good thing given that Rollins, Big E and Sandow all carved out careers on the main roster which wouldn't have been possible had this season actually happened. It's debatable as to whether or not Hunico, Dallas and Kruger would have had a greater chance of succeeding if this version of NXT had occurred.

Rollins did appear on NXT, though, becoming the first NXT Champion after the brand was relaunched from its home base of Full Sail University, taking up the form that we know today. Within a few months, though, Rollins had arrived on the main roster alongside Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose as part of The Shield, the faction which changed the WWE landscape forever and would make main event stars out of all three. Rollins still had to lose the NXT title, though, and that he did in the next match featured here against Big E.

I should mention at this point that most of The Shield's key matches were included on the 2015 DVD The Destruction Of The Shield (as well as Seth's NXT title-winning battle against current WWE Champion Jinder Mahal), so Building The Architect is light on Shield matches. There's a couple to savour, though: their match against John Cena, Sheamus and Ryback is underrated and really helped to make the three members stand out on the roster, as did their first WrestleMania appearance opposite Randy Orton, Sheamus and Big Show at WM 29, which has some great spots. The third and final Shield match comes against Cody Rhodes and Goldust from Battleground 2013, one of the better matches from that year which also features Dusty Rhodes' final significant on-screen appearance. Why the group's Extreme Rules battle against Evolution from ER 2014 is not here, I do not know.

We do see The Shield implode, though, through a major swerve that saw Rollins smash his Shield "brothers" with a steel chair. Since TDOTS covered much of the fall-out from that break-up, the next match here isn't until Royal Rumble 2015, and an awesome three-way against Brock Lesnar and John Cena. Not only was this probably the best match on the main roster in 2015, but it was also the match which truly made Rollins a singles star, and most likely played a part in his championship success later that year. After we relive Rollins vs. Randy Orton from WrestleMania 31, and that RKO, we jump ahead to the end of that card, where Rollins cashed in Money In The Bank during a Lesnar vs. Reigns match and became the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. That Seth was a heel was not evident by the massive pop which greeted this moment (largely because it meant Roman hadn't won the title when he "wasn't ready"; over two years later, Reigns is unfortunately still being booed every night), and Rollins had officially hit the jackpot.

The next match is Rollins vs. Ambrose in a Ladder bout from MITB 2015. I've written about how I didn't particularly enjoy this in a few previous reviews, so I won't repeat that here. Instead, I'll go straight to Rollins vs. Neville, which is a fantastic Raw match whereby Neville almost does the unthinkable and so very nearly dethrones Seth. Rollins proved there why he was The Man, and he repeats this against John Cena in a slightly overrated double title match from SummerSlam of that year, which has the stench of a finish involving Jon Stewart that still seems inexplicable in hindsight.

Not many people remember that Rollins and Cena battled again inside a Steel Cage on a live Network special from Madison Square Garden, but we're treated to that match here, and it's a really good clash between the two men who were arguably WWE's best in-ring performers at that time. Sadly for Seth, a devastating knee injury sidelined him weeks later, forcing him to vacate the WWE title. After a brief appearance at the 2015 Slammys to collect his Superstar Of The Year trophy, which is shown here, Rollins would resurface at Extreme Rules 2016 to Pedigree Roman Reigns, and their follow-up match from MITB 2016 here, which along with the post-match shenanigans created the unique distinction of all three former Shield members holding the WWE title within minutes of each other.

The DVD ends with three matches that sees Rollins on the losing side, which perhaps demonstrates how his knee injury reduced his profile somewhat in the company. The first all-Shield three-way on the main roster from Battleground 2016 was overshadowed by the Draft days earlier, but it's still very good. Seth vs. Finn Balor for the Universal Championship from SummerSlam is overshadowed even more by the ridiculously negative crowd reactions to the visual look of the title, and also in hindsight by the torn labrum injury Balor suffered minutes into it; despite these, it's still an exciting match. Finally, Seth's battle with Kevin Owens under No DQ rules from a November 2016 episode of Raw thankfully has nothing to distract the viewer, and it's a strong brawl with a finish that humorously makes a reference to the real-life fight between Chris Jericho and Sin Cara from around that time.

Because so many crucial Shield matches aren't here for understandable reasons, along with a few solo Rollins bouts of note, this DVD isn't the comprehensive collection of The Man that fans may be hoping for. It does, however, contain a lot of great action, and Seth's post-Shield career contains almost all of his singles highlights from the last two years. (This DVD was produced before Seth battled Triple H at WrestleMania 33, meaning this match isn't here, which depending on your point of view is either a good thing or a bad thing.) Seth's pre-match comments add a level of insight and honesty to proceedings, which round off the package nicely. As noted earlier, Rollins will be in WWE for a long time to come, so we'll likely get another DVD at some point in the future; for now, though, fans of the Architect will love this compilation, which provides sufficient evidence that Rollins really is The Man in WWE.

Overall Rating: 8/10 - Very Good

DVD Preview: Seth Rollins - Building The Architect

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Fetch Publicity

The following story is courtesy of Fetch Publicity ...

The Architect has created the perfect blueprint for success, with multiple championships, a massive fan base, and a plethora of incredible matches under his belt. Now, for the first time ever, hear Seth Rollins himself tells the story of how he became a sports-entertainment megastar. From his time on the independent scene, to being one of the founding members of The Shield and his WWE Championship victory, Seth Rollins gives insight on how he became “The Undisputed Future” of WWE.

Synopsis:

Match Highlights:

FCW – August 14 2011
FCW 15 Championship Match
Seth Rollins (Champion) vs. Dean Ambrose

Elimination Chamber 2013 – February 16 2013
The Shield vs. John Cena, Ryback & Sheamus

Raw – April 22 2013
The Shield vs. The Undertaker, Kane & Daniel Bryan

Royal Rumble 2015 – January 25 2015
WWE Championship Triple Threat Match
Brock Lesnar (Champion) vs. Seth Rollins vs. John Cena

Money In The Bank 2015 – June 14 2015
WWE Championship Ladder Match
Seth Rollins (Champion) vs. Dean Ambrose

WWE Live At MSG – October 3 2015
United States Championship Steel Cage Match
John Cena vs. Seth Rollins

SummerSlam 2016 – August 21 2016
WWE Universal Championship Match
Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor

Plus more action and extras!

We like it because:

Seth Rollins personifies modern WWE action: fast-paced, athletic, and hugely innovative. He belongs from an exclusive lineage that includes Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, and Eddie Guerrero. Legendary Superstars who reinvented themselves – and sports-entertainment – night after night.

The matches included on the set chart Seth’s incredible rise from developmental to bona fide main eventer and WWE Champion – including matches on the biggest stage of them all, WrestleMania.

Most interesting for hardcore fans though are the little-seen matches from FCW and NXT – when the Architect was still putting the building blocks of his career in place – and even the live special from Madison Square Garden featuring a cage match against John Cena.

It’s also fascinating to hear from the man himself, who gives a candid insight on everything you always wanted to know – how he got started, why he was the right choice as the first NXT Champion, plus the creation (and destruction) of The Shield and beyond!

Don’t miss out on this must-have collection!

Seth Rollins - Building The Architect will officially be released on DVD on Monday May 29 2017.

For more information, click here.

DVD Preview: WWE Double Feature: Elimination Chamber 2017 & Fast Lane 2017

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Fetch Publicity

The following story is courtesy of Fetch Publicity ...

Featuring not one but two Pay-Per-View events from the Road to WrestleMania, WWE Home Video presents over 6 hours of WWE action, Elimination Chamber 2017 and Fast Lane 2017 Double Feature!

WWE Champion John Cena hopes to continue his championship reign against AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, Dean Ambrose, The Miz and Bray Wyatt inside the punishing structure known as the Elimination Chamber! “The Viper” Randy Orton continues his Road to WrestleMania as he takes on Luke Harper! And the WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship is on the line as Alexa Bliss takes on Naomi. Who will escape with their hand raised at Elimination Chamber?

The Superstars of Raw get in the Fast Lane on the Road to WrestleMania! For the first time ever, Universal Champion Kevin Owens meets Goldberg in the main event of WWE Fast Lane! Bayley looks to make her first title defence against “The Queen of Pay-Per- Views” Charlotte Flair in a rematch for the WWE Raw Women’s Championship. “The Monster Among Men” Braun Strowman looks to extend his impressive undefeated streak against Roman Reigns. Plus much more from your favourite Raw Superstars!

Synopsis:

Match Highlights:

Elimination Chamber 2017

WWE Championship Elimination Chamber Match
John Cena (Champion) vs. AJ Styles vs. Bray Wyatt vs. The Miz vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin

Randy Orton vs. Luke Harper

SmackDown Women’s Championship Match
Alexa Bliss (Champion) vs. Naomi

Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James

Fast Lane 2017

Universal Championship Match
Kevin Owens (Champion) vs. Goldberg

Raw Women’s Championship Match
Bayley (Champion) vs. Charlotte Flair

Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman

Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn

Plus more action and DVD extras!

We like it because:

We’re six months into WWE’s all-new brand split and both Raw and SmackDown Live are firing on all cylinders. It’s never been more evident than in these two spectacular Pay-Per-View events – each brand’s last respective stop on the Road to WrestleMania and now brought together in one awesome double-feature DVD!

Elimination Chamber lives up to the event’s brutal history with a hard-hitting main event inside the Chamber itself. Most exciting is the prospect of seeing AJ Styles inside the Chamber for the very first time. True to form, he delivers a phenomenal performance against SmackDown’s top stars – and the end of the match will have you following the buzzards with a brand new WWE Champion!

There’s also exciting action from Randy Orton, American Alpha and Becky Lynch – all looking to prove that when it comes to stunning in-ring action, SmackDown Live can’t be beaten!

Not to be outdone, Raw fired back with the just-as-incredible Fast Lane! Kevin Owens' championship defence against Goldberg will go down as one of the most shocking and controversial matches on Pay-Per-View, while Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman put on a powerhouse display as they battle for dominance on the red brand!

Charlotte Flair and Bayley also pull out all the stops, alongside top performances from Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, Enzo and Cass, Neville and Jack Gallagher!

Don’t miss out on this first ever Raw/SmackDown Live double-feature!

WWE Double Feature: Elimination Chamber 2017 & Fast Lane 2017 will officially be released on DVD on Monday May 1 2017.

For more information, click here.

TLC 2016

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 174 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: February 6 2017

(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)

TLC 2016 rounded off the Pay-Per-View year on the SmackDown side, a year where the blue brand has completed a remarkable comeback from being an almost ignored show to WWE's most entertaining and logical weekly programme. TLC also served to culminate several lengthy rivalries, all of which combined with some high-quality action to deliver a really good event for WWE fans.

The show opens with a basic, television-esque battle for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles between Heath Slater & Rhyno and the team of Randy Orton & Bray Wyatt, which existed more to further the Orton-in-the-Wyatt-Family storyline. Next up, we have a No Disqualification bout between Nikki Bella and Carmella which, whilst fairly short, draws a line under their feud which began in August, whilst also setting up the subsequent Nikki-Natalya rivalry.

The Miz and Dolph Ziggler then deliver a strong match in a re-run of an old feud which ended up succeeding beyond anyone's expectations; their Ladder match isn't quite as spectacular as their Intercontinental Title vs. Career match at No Mercy, but it's still well worth watching, and marks another highlight in a year of career resurgence for Miz. Baron Corbin and Kalisto meet in the fourth match in what is arguably the best Chairs match to date, featuring more innovative spots than we have seen in previous Chairs bouts. Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss under Tables rules is reasonable, but is slightly let down by a less-than-enthusiastic crowd.

Finally, AJ Styles provides more weight to support his candidacy for Wrestler Of The Year as he and Dean Ambrose put on an excellent TLC match for the WWE Championship. The finish is slightly predictable and some may say that it brings the match down a notch, but this high-risk battle is as good as anyone could have expected, and still ends the show on a strong note. The pre-show 10-man tag team match is included as a DVD extra, and features an brief reunion between the old tandem of Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins, albeit as opponents.

It's interesting that, usually, the TLC show is one of WWE's strongest of the year, since the addition of tables, ladders and chairs generally make for more exciting matches. However, the SmackDown crew is talented enough, and can deliver such strong matches purely using their basic wrestling skills, that the TLC stipulations perhaps would have been better suited for the Raw roster, which tends to place a greater emphasis on gimmicks and weapon-based brawls. Nevertheless, TLC 2016 is undoubtedly a fun show to watch and has several thrilling encounters which you should enjoy reliving here. It's further evidence as to why SmackDown has been WWE's most exciting show since the second Brand Extension in July.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10 - Good

TLC 2016 coming soon on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Fetch Publicity

The following story is courtesy of Fetch Publicity ...

With tables, ladders, and chairs surrounding the ring and the WWE World Championship suspended high above, AJ Styles heads into his first TLC match defending the title against "The Lunatic Fringe" Dean Ambrose. The rivalry for the Intercontinental Championship reaches new heights as The Miz defends his title against Dolph Ziggler in a Ladder Match. The women of the blue brand get their chance to shine when Becky Lynch defends the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship against Alexa Bliss in a Tables Match. Plus more!

Synopsis:

Match Listing:

WWE Championship TLC Match
AJ Styles (Champion) vs. Dean Ambrose

Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
The Miz (Champion) vs. Dolph Ziggler

SmackDown Women's Championship Tables Match
Becky Lynch (Champion) vs. Alexa Bliss

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. Bray Wyatt & Randy Orton

Chairs Match
Baron Corbin vs. Kalisto

No Disqualification Match
Nikki Bella vs. Carmella

Plus, more action, extras and Blu-ray exclusives!

We like it because:

TLC is always one of the most exciting nights of the year for WWE. But this event has special meaning, as it finishes off 2016’s incredible run of pay-per-view events from SmackDown Live!

WWE Champion AJ Styles also caps off what is arguably the most impressive debut year in WWE history with another stunning performance, battling the former champ Dean Ambrose in a TLC match four months in the making. Styles shows the world just why he’s WWE Champion – and why 2017 could be just as phenomenal.

The Miz and Dolph Ziggler’s epic rivalry comes to a conclusion in dramatic, bone-crunching style – a highly-innovative Ladder Match. Just when it looks like Miz and Dolph couldn’t possibly find new ways to punish each other, they pull out something new to stun the WWE Universe.

Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss’s Tables Match is also great enough to rival anything happening in the Raw’s women’s division – proof that the female Superstars from WWE’s blue brand are just as capable of groundbreaking action.

With all this and much more, TLC is another must-own pay-per-view event!

TLC 2016 will officially be released on DVD and Blu-ray on Monday February 6 2017.

For more information, click here.

Hell In A Cell 2014

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 183 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: January 19 2015

The sixth annual HIAC PPV featured two Cell matches, a couple of entertaining mid-card bouts and a return of sorts, but no appearance by WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. That being said, Lesnar's absence doesn't really harm one's enjoyment of the show, and therefore the DVD.

Inside the Cell, both John Cena vs. Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins are impressive battles, particularly the latter contest based on the greater risks taken by Ambrose and Rollins. Cesaro vs. Dolph Ziggler is a fun Two Out Of Three Falls bout with a somewhat surprising result (or score, at least). Nikki Bella vs. Brie Bella exceeds expectations, and Damien Mizdow's antics enhance the clash between The Miz and Sheamus.

On the downside, Stardust and Goldust vs. The Usos is inferior to their previous PPV meeting. Paige and AJ Lee's latest Divas Title match suffers from an early injury to the challenger. Rusev vs. Big Show is a bit short and too predictable, considering that we were meant to believe this was Rusev's toughest challenge to date. And whilst the show concludes with an unexpected reappearance, the presentation is quite hammy, so you may not find the big moment to be that believable.

Mind you, the stronger points definitely outweigh the weaker ones. Though few will remember this card six months from now, Hell In A Cell 2014 is still an entertaining show on the whole, and so it makes for an entertaining wrestling DVD.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10 - Okay

Fast Lane 2016

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 181 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: April 25 2016

Watching Fast Lane 2016 again on DVD, it feels like WWE has changed a lot since this card was held. Indeed, from new NXT call-ups to a shift in face/heel alignments to a general change in the flavour of the show, it feels like a lot more than a few months have passed since Fast Lane was held. Mind you, revisiting the card here, it's easy to see why: while the action is largely commendable, the event doesn't do much to boost anticipation for WrestleMania 32, nor is it a particularly memorable show in its own right.

After a decent opener pitting Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch against Naomi and Tamina, we get a really good Kevin Owens-Dolph Ziggler clash, albeit one which isn't much different from any other match involving either man. After a forgettable six-man tag that pits Big Show, Kane and Ryback against The Wyatt Family (which has a baffling result, incidentally), we see Brie Bella attempt to defeat Charlotte for the Divas Championship in the wake of Daniel Bryan's retirement. To be fair, it's one of Brie's better matches, but the gulf in class between the Bella-era "Diva" and the new, fresh women with previous experience on NXT is like night and day.

AJ Styles against Chris Jericho is another very good effort between the two veterans (even though this was AJ's first singles match on a WWE PPV), and it features a world-class sell-job by Jericho at the end, despite the close-call earlier on in the match which almost saw AJ dropped on his head in a set-up for the Walls Of Jericho. The Cutting Edge Peep Show segment involving Edge, Christian, The New Day and The League Of Nations starts well but soon flounders and becomes confusing more than anything as it concludes (it also has a couple of one-liners which are strange to hear on a WWE show considering the circumstances that saw Hulk Hogan fired from WWE in July 2015). An impromptu Curtis Axel vs. R-Truth match is pure filler, and the three-way main event between Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Brock Lesnar is an enjoyable brawl, but one which has a very predictable outcome (the WM 32 WWE Title shot was at stake, after all), and an outcome which is greeted very negatively at that. Included is the Kick-Off Show match, a fun Two Out Of Three Falls showdown for the United States Title between Kalisto and Alberto Del Rio, which unfortunately officially marked the career drop-off for ADR.

The February PPV is often a tough sell due to the looming shadow of WrestleMania, and the DVD release of this particular Fast Lane card is an even tougher sell because, unlike the 2015 show which helped to promote around half-a-dozen Mania matches, this show is less successful at gearing fans up for Mania. Shane McMahon's shock return the next night on Raw (not included on this DVD) was the real trigger to get fans excited for the April 3 mega-show, and so you are probably best saving your money to buy the WM 32 DVD. There are some good matches here, but nothing that you won't have already seen before.

Overall Rating: 5/10 - Average

Payback 2015

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 176 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: July 13 2015

Payback 2015 saw the continuation of Seth Rollins' WWE Title reign and the conclusion of the long feud between John Cena and Rusev. Otherwise, it was largely a case of the same old product from WWE, although there are a number of enjoyable matches.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus is superior to their previous meeting at Extreme Rules, despite Ziggler suffering an unplanned - and huge - amount of blood loss at the finish. The New Day vs. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro is another strong match between the two, arguably their best yet under Two Out Of Three Falls rules. Meanwhile, Bray Wyatt vs. Ryback is a bit short, meaning that a few more minutes could have seen the two men put together a memorable effort.

John Cena vs. Rusev is a fun I Quit match; however, Cena has had superior I Quit battles in the past, and although this is arguably the best Cena-Rusev battle to date, there's nothing which you wouldn't have seen before. The Bellas vs. Naomi and Tamina is a Raw-style match, as is King Barrett vs. Neville, partly due to its poor finish. Things improve for the main event, a very good Fatal Four Way match between Rollins, Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, the highlight of which is a brief Shield reunion. The bonus match is a short comedy tag bout pitting Macho Mandow and AxelMania (a.k.a. Damien Sandow and Curtis Axel) against The Ascension, and marks the moment when we realised that WWE really had messed up Sandow's career beyond his split with The Miz.

The top two matches are worth watching, and the Tag Team Title match is another thriller. Despite this, the show has that stale feel to it, either because of the familiar line-up or the familiar action on display. So, whilst you'll probably get a kick out of Payback 2015 at various points, it's hardly one of the year's best supershows to own on DVD.

Overall Rating: 5.5/10 - Above Average

TLC 2014

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 183 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: March 23 2015

The final card of 2014, TLC already feels like a distant memory. Since the show took place, we've had the somewhat unwanted return of The Authority, Daniel Bryan coming back and Roman Reigns receiving a ton of abuse which calls into question his status as WWE's next top star. Mind you, that's not to say that TLC 2014 isn't up to scratch, because there are some enjoyable matches on show at this, erm, show.

The event peaks early with the Luke Harper-Dolph Ziggler Ladder match: whilst not one of the all-time classic matches of this genre, it's very exciting and surprisingly brutal, and is one of the better Ladder matches in WWE from the last few years (it also benefits from Ziggler's hometown crowd in Cleveland, Ohio providing a great atmosphere during this bout). Next, The Miz and Damien Mizdow battle The Usos in a match which isn't as must-see as Miz' gimmick would have you believe, but features another hilarious performance from his stunt double Mizdow.

After the first ever Stairs match (hence the slightly modified name of the PPV), which sees Big Show beat Erick Rowan in a slow, occasionally sluggish brawl, John Cena takes on Seth Rollins in a Tables match which is fun to watch, but still has little reason to exist besides bridging the gap between this show and the WWE Title match at Royal Rumble (which was much better than the Tables match held here to help set it up), although it does feature an intriguing conclusion. Nikki Bella vs. AJ Lee isn't exactly a classic bout either, but at least they have a proper match here, unlike their previous collision at Survivor Series.

The next two matches do little to justify the purchase of this DVD: Ryback vs. Kane under Chairs rules is another slow battle that sees the announcers actually laughing during some of the more physical spots, and Rusev vs. Jack Swagger is a rushed and unnecessary recycling of their summer feud. Finally, Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt is an exciting TLC match, but the bizarre finish makes Ambrose look a bit idiotic (to put it mildly), and to claim the victory, Wyatt essentially no-sells the high level of punishment he took prior to - well, I'll let you watch and find out. The New Day vs. Goldust and Stardust is the bonus match here, and is joined by a few additional backstage promos (one of which is with The Bellas, even though they also receive interview time on the main card).

Whilst an improvement on TLC 2013 as an all-round show, as well as the previous month's Survivor Series (Sting debut aside), the 2014 instalment of TLC isn't really a DVD that you should rush out to purchase. Mind you, there are several entertaining matches which deliver some pretty dramatic and occasionally violent spots, so whilst by no means a five-star event, TLC is one of the better shows held on Pay-Per-View in 2014, and so this DVD is a decent way to close out an unforgettable year in the wacky world of WWE.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10 - Okay

Elimination Chamber 2015

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 186 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: July 27 2015

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

Elimination Chamber, once WWE's final PPV stop before WrestleMania, was a definite B-show in 2015; in fact, it was only announced less than three weeks beforehand. The card still ended up delivering some memorable action and a major upset victory, but rewatching the show on DVD (which incidentally is a UK exclusive), one can't escape the feeling that it was still a card of lesser importance.

The opening Tag Team Elimination Chamber match for the doubles titles has its moments, with some quite frankly insane stunts, but a couple of spots appear to be the subject of wrestler confusion (as in, the performers themselves didn't know where to be at some points), and the finish is a bit anticlimactic, resulting in an opener that is good but by no means great. The three-way match for the Divas Championship is okay, but Nikki Bella vs. Paige vs. Naomi won't exactly be brought up at the end of the year as a vintage showcase of the women's division.

In contrast, John Cena vs. Kevin Owens is a very good back-and-forth battle, which has the shocking conclusion of Owens - in his first match on the main roster - pinning 15-time World Champion Cena clean as a whistle, thus allowing KO to arrive with a bang. After that unforgettable battle - undoubtedly the highlight of the show - fans are slow to react to Neville vs. Bo Dallas, seemingly switching off altogether when Dallas is on the offence; that aside, the match is inoffensive filler.

The Intercontinental Title Elimination Chamber match unfortunately degenerates into a mess: Mark Henry's pod is broken open, forcing him to enter proceedings early, and at one point the action almost stops entirely, as it's clear that nobody has a clue what is supposed to happen next, presumably due to Henry's forced early entry. The participants were fortunate not to be performing in a smarky town like Philadelphia or New York, otherwise the reaction to these scenes could have been very nasty indeed (as it is, the fans appear to be just as confused as the competitors). At least they react positively to Ryback's victory, and to the post-match endorsement of The Big Guy by Daniel Bryan.

Lastly, Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose is an enjoyable main event, but the earlier B-show feel of this card is evidenced by the disqualification finish, which is clearly a tool to allow this feud to continue until the next PPV event, which would be Money In The Bank. On the plus side, the action was good and the fans reacted well to the tease of Ambrose winning the WWE Title, as well as reacting very positively to the post-match appearance by Roman Reigns. In hindsight, the enthused Corpus Christi crowd is one of the big positives about the entire show.

The DVD has a bonus Kick-Off Show match between Stardust and Zack Ryder (during which Jerry Lawler comes extremely close to making a rude joke involving fellow announcer John Bradshaw Layfield), as well as two interview segments involving Ryback and The Bellas. The menu music appears to be a slight re-mix of the old InsurreXtion theme, which may or may not be picked up on by fans who were watching the product during the Attitude Era.

While Elimination Chamber surpassed its fairly low expectations due to the Cena-Owen clinic and some standout moments elsewhere on the card, this is definitely a secondary PPV event. It was tough to watch the card back on DVD, to be honest, because so much of the show feels like filler. This is worth owning to see Owens become a real star with great assistance from Cena, but otherwise it's probably not worth you splashing out on this DVD.

Overall Rating: 6/10 - Reasonable

Royal Rumble 2016

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 182 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: March 21 2016

(To read a full event review of WWE Royal Rumble 2016, click here.)

The 29th annual Royal Rumble's greatest achievement was arguably that the Rumble match itself was better and more well-received than the previous two Rumbles, the backlash to which bordered on riot-level after the omission of Daniel Bryan in 2014 and his early elimination in 2015, along with wins for Batista and Roman Reigns. That aside, there's still enough entertainment on offer that you should enjoy the Rumble '16 DVD.

After a short segment that shows The McMahons arriving at the arena (as brief as it is, Vince McMahon is nevertheless on comedy form here), the Rumble PPV kicks off with a very good Dean Ambrose-Kevin Owens Last Man Standing match, one of Ambrose's best WWE battles to date. Following that, The New Day vs. The Usos is decent, although the fan reaction to the then-heel New Day borders on ridiculously positive, given that John Cena or Roman Reigns (more on him later) would be booed out of the building if they behaved in the same fashion.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Kalisto is alright to watch; that being said, Kalisto's second upset United States Title win over ADR arguably marked the moment when Del Rio's career entered a real decline, since the momentum generated by his upset win over Cena at Hell In A Cell 2015 appeared to have been squandered. Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch isn't quite as good as you would perhaps expect, but it is still watchable nonetheless. Two titbits here: as crude as it was, a spectator doing a certain arm-signal (in a joking fashion) to show his displeasure for Charlotte made me laugh, and Ric Flair's forced kiss on Becky during the match is present, despite it being taken out of the Network replay of Rumble, which is interesting.

The Rumble match itself has plenty of highlights, not least the debut of The Phenomenal One himself, AJ Styles. I won't divulge too much here for those who haven't watched the Rumble match yet (although the DVD sleeve is a giant hint, and a reason why the DVD department need their heads checking), but as mentioned earlier, the reaction to the match was more positive than it had been for a few years, which is a good thing, right? Not for Reigns, though, the booking of whom made the initial boos to him twice as loud, and arguably Reigns hasn't recovered from the presentation of his character yet, despite his success in WWE continuing beyond this show. The only DVD extra is a filler four-way tag qualifier for the Rumble match, which achieves nothing given how poor the winners would ultimately perform in the big match.

So, should you buy this DVD? Well, I can recommend it as an overall programme more than the previous couple of Rumbles, but it is far from the best Rumble match that you will see. If you have a few quid to spare, it's not a bad show to invest in, but if you only buy a few WWE DVDs a year, you may want to save your money for the WrestleMania three-disc compilation.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10 - Okay

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.

The eight-man tag team elimination Tables match between Team ECW (The Dudleyz, Tommy Dreamer and Rhyno) and The Wyatt Family is a fun, hardcore brawl that evokes memories of the original ECW as much as one could have given the PG climate (although we're given a flaming table tease just before the finish). Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose is a really good match that would have been better, had they been given a few more minutes to play with. Charlotte vs. Paige is better than their overly long Survivor Series battle, but as this was during Charlotte's slow-burn heel turn, and at a time when Paige was definitely still a heel, fans seem unsure who to cheer for, resulting in a weak atmosphere.

The main event between Sheamus and Roman Reigns under TLC rules was a match that the die-hards simply didn't want to see, and the chants early on are disrespectful since they occur so early that the two combatants aren't given a chance to put on a show, regardless of whether it was a must-see match or not. That being said, both men put in a great effort, and near the end, the crowd is definitely drawn in by the sheer graft shown by Sheamus and Reigns. And the post-match angle, as alluded to earlier, finally reversed anti-Reigns fan sentiment, which led to his WWE Title win the next night on Raw to a very popular crowd response, in Philadelphia no less (and drawing a high rating in the process). It's just a shame that it couldn't be maintained, eh?

The only DVD extra is a Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch match from the Kick-Off Show. I use the word "only" because it's the solitary extra, as Banks and Lynch put on a decent match (though time restrictions prevent them from reaching the heights of their NXT Unstoppable match the previous May). By the way, this is the one instance where I am happy that WWE omitted the wrestler entrances, as Sasha's included her and Team B.A.D. members Naomi and Tamina performing a Christmas rhyme that was so poorly written that it was one of the most embarrassing moments of the entire year. Fortunately, that abomination on one's hearing is not on this DVD.

Normally, a DVD like this would only get an above-average rating from me. But given how badly the WWE landscape seemed at the time, the fact that this show featured several big positives and plenty of enjoyable action makes this one of WWE's better shows to own. And for Roman Reigns fans, it's evidence that under the right circumstances, The Big Dog could and would be expected as the Main Man in WWE.

Overall Rating: 7/10 - Respectable

Money In The Bank 2015

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 184 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: August 24 2015

(To read a full event review of WWE Money In The Bank 2015, click here.)

Money In The Bank has generally been one of the best WWE events each year since it began, and the 2015 show was no different. The DVD of the card is now available, and there are three major matches which make the sixth MITB PPV another memorable instalment. Since it took place days after the tragic passing of Dusty Rhodes, the show opens with a ten-ball salute, and later we get a very good video tribute to the American Dream.

In the ring, besides the Kick-Off Show bout between King Barrett and "King What's Up" R-Truth (which is here as a DVD extra), the action begins with the 2015 MITB Ladder match (Roman Reigns vs. Sheamus vs. Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Neville vs. Kane vs. Dolph Ziggler) which is a great start to proceedings, even if the match is a shade inferior to the 2014 MITB encounter. Nikki Bella vs. Paige is a good effort despite the screwy ending, and the Ryback-Big Show bout also has a questionable finish, although The Big Guy and The Very Big Guy make the most of their fairly short time before the conclusion.

John Cena's second match with Kevin Owens is superb; one of the best bouts of 2015, it is in my opinion the pick of their three great PPV encounters, and allows them to prove that their Elimination Chamber thriller was no fluke. The New Day vs. The Prime Time Players has a filler feel to it, perhaps because fans didn't expect a title change, so the outcome is a genuine surprise to the live audience.

The main event, another Ladder match between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, is undoubtedly a strong battle that has some memorable spots, but it lasts way too long, coming in at almost 40 minutes. Take 10-15 minutes out of this, and have Ambrose either stay down from the series of brutal ringside powerbombs or take out that spot entirely, and the final result would have been a big improvement.

Nevertheless, it's still a worthy end to a really enjoyable event, which advances, instigates and concludes feuds to prepare WWE for the summer ahead, while delivering some great action. Not the best Money In The Bank show ever, but it's an eventful card which warrants a DVD purchase.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10 - Good

WWE Battleground 2016 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 ...

For nearly two years, The Shield was one of the most dominant factions in sports-entertainment. Now, for the first time ever in WWE history, all three members of The Shield collide when WWE World Champion Dean Ambrose faces his former brothers, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, in a Triple Threat match for the title. The rivalry of the summer heats up as The Club (AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) goes head-to-head with John Cena, Enzo Amore and Big Cass in a Six-Man Tag Team match. Plus, “The Viper” Randy Orton returns to WWE as a guest of Chris Jericho’s Highlight Reel to discuss his SummerSlam match against “The Beast Incarnate” Brock Lesnar. WWE Superstars risk it all on the battlefield at WWE Battleground!

Synopsis:

Match List:

Triple Threat Match for the WWE World Championship
Dean Ambrose (Champion) vs. Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns

Six-Man Tag Team Match
John Cena and Enzo & Cass vs. The Club

Intercontinental Championship Match
The Miz (Champion) vs. Darren Young

United States Championship Match
Rusev (Champion) vs. Zack Ryder

Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens

Six-Man Tag Team Match
The New Day vs. The Wyatt Family

Sasha Banks & Mystery Partner vs. Charlotte & Dana Brooke

Plus more action, extras and Blu-ray exclusives!

We like it because:

As the last Pay-Per-View before WWE officially began its “New Era” with an all-new brand split, Battleground was a historical event for sports-entertainment.

The long-anticipated match between all three members of The Shield was just as explosive as the WWE Universe imagined. And with the winner taking WWE’s most prestigious championship to either Raw or SmackDown, the result of match goes on to the shape the future landscape of WWE.

There’s even more great action – including a Match Of The Year candidate between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn – plus a genuine feel-good moment as “The Boss” Sasha Banks is joined by a huggable mystery partner.

The return of Randy Orton on Chris Jericho’s talk show is also a huge moment, laying the foundations for his SummerSlam match with Brock Lesnar, one of the biggest main event match-ups in recent WWE history.

Don’t miss out on this incredible event!

WWE Battleground 2016 will officially be released on DVD and Blu-ray on Monday September 19 2016.

For more information, click here.

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.

It's the second hour of the show which dragged the event down. Although it starts fairly well, the Survivor Series elimination match features some strange booking decisions and, by the end, the match just feels like a waste of time. The Divas Title match between Charlotte and Paige is better than I had remembered, but the disinterested crowd reduces one's enjoyment of the bout. Likewise, Dolph Ziggler vs. Tyler Breeze is a short but adequate match that suffers from a complete lack of heat, which no doubt played a part in Tyler's push being curtailed shortly afterwards.

The seemingly asleep Atlanta audience does seem to care about the next match, which celebrates 25 years of The Undertaker as he and Kane face The Wyatt Family. It's a decent bout, but it needed more high-quality action and standout moments if it was going to amount to anything memorable. That said, the double chokeslam to Braun Strowman through an announcer's table sticks out, as does the double sit-up by the Brothers of Destruction during Bray Wyatt's Spider Walk.

The WWE Title tournament was in itself a missed opportunity to create a bit of unpredictability and excitement, so many fans were hoping that Reigns vs. Ambrose would end the tournament with a bang, perhaps via a heel turn. Instead, the match is fine but it doesn't last very long (the crowd seems apathetic again which also doesn't help), and it ends with no heel turn, making the entire tournament exercise feel like filler. There are post-match capers whereby Sheamus cashes in Money In The Bank (I wasn't going to spoil it, but WWE spoiled this moment themselves on the reverse DVD packaging), but the presentation feels too similar to Randy Orton's Authority-influenced cash-in from SummerSlam 2013, and Sheamus' total lack of momentum before and even during this show resulted in a fair amount of disappointment with the finale to Survivor Series.

The only DVD extra is the pre-show Survivors elimination match, which is arguably better than the bout which was featured on the main card. I should point out that this was shown on the WWE Network, meaning that it is false advertising to call this an "exclusive" DVD extra. That being said, it's clear that DVDs are no longer a priority for WWE, so this probably won't be a problem for much longer.

So while it isn't totally forgettable, Survivor Series 2015 was a bit of a let-down (especially compared to the 2014 edition which featured Sting's historic WWE debut). There were some good matches, a historically noteworthy Undertaker match and a MITB cash-in, but the combination of lazy outcomes, strange booking decisions during the main elimination match, a lacklustre crowd, an injury-depleted roster and the seen-it-all-before feel to Sheamus' big moment resulted in a show which didn't exactly wow the "WWE Universe". Only die-hard collectors or fans of The Undertaker (since this was his 25th anniversary) are likely to enjoy this DVD; otherwise, barring a clearance sale, you may want to steer clear of this one.

Overall Rating: 6/10 - Reasonable

The Destruction Of The Shield

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 423 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: March 9 2015

Just over a year ago, WWE fans witnessed the shocking break-up of The Shield, with many wondering why one of the most dominant factions in recent memory would be split up, as well as wondering how each member would fare in the future. This DVD includes a documentary on the three members of the group - Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns - and memorable matches involving the trio, as well as a number of bouts after the group dissolved.

The documentary was originally shown on the WWE Network, leading into SummerSlam 2014 where Ambrose would fight Rollins and where Reigns, in his major breakout match, would face Randy Orton. It shows how each man prepared for the biggest event of the summer, as well as delving into the pre-WWE backgrounds of all three (ranging from independents like ROH and CZW or American football in Reigns' case), the adventures of all three in FCW and on NXT, the coming-together of The Shield on WWE TV, their dominance from November 2012 to June 2014, and the ultimate destruction of the group (hence the title of this DVD).

The documentary covers virtually everything that you could expect, given the youth of the three profiled performers. We even get archive ROH and CZW footage for Rollins and Ambrose respectively during their independent days as Tyler Black and Jon Moxley, as well as some interesting stories on behind-the-scenes happenings involving the three men (particularly notable is Rollins' backstage conflicts which almost led to him not being promoted to the main roster). We get good coverage of The Shield's first year-and-a-half in WWE, and of their unexpected demise in June 2014. The feature does feel odd when the three ex-Shield members talk about their SummerSlam matches as if they were real, although it's understandable given that this was previously a pre-SummerSlam Network special. Otherwise, the documentary is very good considering that there isn't a huge amount of history to cover, and that equal time must be allocated between each of the profiled stars. It isn't must-see, but it is definitely worth watching. And even if you've previously seen this on the Network, there are several additional chapters to the main feature.

The match selection is also commendable, and each match is previewed by background comments from one Shield member. We get two really good Rollins-Ambrose matches from Florida Championship Wrestling, and a rare three-way involving the three men in FCW back when Reigns was known as Leakee. The last FCW match is a compelling fight between Ambrose and William Regal, but is tarnished by WWE's decision to include this bout with a black-and-white screen during scenes when Regal's ear is cut open. This is to comply with WWE's PG rating for this DVD, but it either should have been cut or released on a TV-14 compilation; FCW matches aren't on the WWE Network, so unless we get a future Ambrose DVD, we'll never get to see the full-colour transmission of this match. (It's also worth noting that this was the last ever FCW TV match which, when you watch it, feels like the developmental territory ended on a true low note, which is odd.)

We then see a fun NXT Title victory for Seth, making him the first NXT Champion, against Jinder Mahal and Roman Reign's NXT debut against CJ Parker. The match listing then jumps to The Shield's in-ring WWE debut, a superb TLC war against Ryback and Team Hell No from TLC 2012. With the possible exception of Kevin Owens defeating John Cena at Elimination Chamber 2015, this was the best main-stage debut for a new character or characters in the last decade in WWE. We don't get The Shield's WrestleMania bow (at XXIX), disappointingly, but we do get their first championship victories for the US Title and Tag Titles from Extreme Rules 2013, and a very exciting WWE Tag Team Title match with The Uso's from the Money In The Bank 2013 Kick-Off show.

The numbers increase for the Survivor Series 2013 elimination match that showcased Reigns, and the following six-man tag between The Shield and The Wyatt Family from Elimination Chamber 2014 is fantastic. The subsequent Shield-Evolution No Holds Barred bout from Payback 2014 is also engaging, if a little slow, as is the 2014 Money In The Bank Ladder Match, by which point The Shield has dissolved. We get the two SummerSlam 2014 matches that had been discussed (Rollins vs. Ambrose under Lumberjack rules, and Reigns vs. Orton), which is a nice touch, and two Raw matches pitting Rollins and Ambrose (Falls Count Anywhere) and Reigns respectively bring this compilation to a close. (There are also a few intriguing Blu-ray exclusive matches, so I'd suggest getting the Blu-ray over the DVD if you're trying to decide between the two.)

It is hoped, or has been proven since the end of this DVD's timeline (with Reigns winning the Royal Rumble and Rollins becoming WWE World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania 31), that the futures for all three men are brighter than their past and even their run in The Shield, so we are likely to see at least one of these performers profiled in another DVD in the future. Judging their careers up to the early post-Shield period, though, this DVD does as good a job as could be expected: the documentary is informative, insightful and entertaining, and the majority of the bonus matches are very good, with a few Match Of The Year contenders thrown in there.

If you didn't believe in The Shield, you will after watching this DVD.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10 - Excellent