DVD Review: WWE Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2017

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 547 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: January 8 2018

(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)

Once again, WWE has provided a round-up of what it considers to be the top PPV matches of the previous year on DVD. And once again, the final two months of the year are omitted, presumably due to the timing of its release (meaning that such crackers as Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles from Survivor Series are ignored), but it's clear that this will not change anytime soon. So, let's move onto what IS here - because there's plenty to cherish.

Not least the first match on the set, which to me is the best WWE match of the entire year; AJ Styles and John Cena put on a terrific performance at Royal Rumble with the WWE Title at stake, with over 52,000 spectators looking on. Next, we get a hidden gem in Randy Orton vs. (a pre-Bludgeon Brothers) Luke Harper from Elimination Chamber, and an outstanding Chamber contest for the WWE crown, which sees Bray Wyatt temporarily take his place as SmackDown's top dog.

The focus then shifts to WrestleMania 33, with three memorable yet very different matches. AJ shines again opposite Shane McMahon in the unexpected show-stealer. John Cena & Nikki Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse exists purely to set up Cena's proposal to Nikki after the match, and to be honest, the bout doesn't belong on this particular DVD. Better is the short yet blistering brawl between Goldberg and Brock Lesnar, which concluded their feud on a high. It's interesting that The Undertaker's last match against Roman Reigns (which headlined Mania) isn't here. Might this be a hint that Taker plans to wrestle one more time?

As for Reigns: he pops up next to face Braun Strowman at Payback as part of their superb rivalry. This follows the Bayley-Alexa Bliss clash from the same show, which elevated Bliss to the position of Raw's #1 female, while unfortunately beginning Bayley's rapid decline. Jinder Mahal's shock WWE Title win over Randy Orton from Backlash is next, and whilst not a great match, it's probably the pick of Jinder's tumultuous WWE Championship reign, which in itself was one of the year's biggest stories.

We then get a firecracker of a Fatal Five Way from Extreme Rules, followed by a match involving five females; the first women's Money In The Bank Ladder match. I still maintain that James Ellsworth having a hand in the finish (quite literally) was a neat heat-seeking device, though I realise why it upset a lot of people, given the historic nature of the occasion. Great Balls Of Fire is then represented by another brief yet exciting war between Lesnar and Samoa Joe, and whilst it's a shame that The Hardyz are nowhere to be seen here, we do get The Usos and The New Day, whose rivalry was only just getting started in their Battleground stormer that is featured to close disc two.

The best two matches from the main card of SummerSlam appear next: a superb doubles clash pitting Cesaro and Sheamus against Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, and the incredible Fatal Four Way main event that sees Strowman come across as the biggest monster on planet Earth (not the documentary). Another Fatal Five Way clash follows, with the Raw women's division getting a real chance to shine, and the first Roman Reigns-John Cena showdown from the same No Mercy event (which I still maintain should have been saved for a WrestleMania, even if that was the point of the build-up).

To round things off, we have Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens under Hell In A Cell rules from the event of the same name (which features a trademark crazy Shane bump and a shock heel turn for Sami Zayn), and the thrilling meeting of Finn Balor and AJ Styles from TLC (which was only announced around 48 hours beforehand, due to Bray Wyatt going down with an illness). There are no extras to speak of, but Renee Young being on hosting duties makes up for that, right?

It's always tricky to be able to recommend these PPV compilations at a time when the WWE Network allows fans to watch all of these matches and more, along with tons of other content, for only £9.99. Assuming you're not a Network subscriber, though, or if you're simply an avid wrestling DVD collector, then you should love this three-disc set. There's barely a dull match to be found, and almost all of the year's top supershow encounters are here, along with almost all of the company's most featured performers being spotlighted at some point. The Best PPV Matches series rarely disappoints, and the 2017 edition is no different, making it a fine way to kick off WWE's year of DVD releases.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10 - Excellent

DVD Preview: WWE Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2017

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Fetch Publicity

The following story is courtesy of Fetch Publicity ...

2017 was another monumental year for WWE. New Superstars became household names, dream matches became a reality, and the Superstars of Raw and SmackDown Live raised the level of competition in the world of sports-entertainment. Now, you can witness the greatest matches of 2017 in this exclusive collection! From the legendary first-time encounter between John Cena and Roman Reigns to the show-stealing WrestleMania match pitting AJ Styles against Shane McMahon and the first-ever Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match, 2017 left the WWE Universe wanting more!

Match Highlights:

Royal Rumble 2017 – January 29 2017
WWE Championship Match
AJ Styles (Champion) vs. John Cena

WrestleMania 33 – April 2 2017
Universal Championship Match
Goldberg (Champion) vs. Brock Lesnar

Payback 2017 – April 30 2017
Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman

Great Balls Of Fire 2017 – July 9 2017
Universal Championship Match
Brock Lesnar (Champion) vs. Samoa Joe

SummerSlam 2017 – August 20 2017
Raw Tag Team Championship Match
Sheamus & Cesaro (Champions) vs. Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins

No Mercy 2017 – September 24 2017
Raw Women's Championship Fatal Five Way Match
Alexa Bliss (Champion) vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley vs. Nia Jax vs. Emma

Hell In A Cell 2017 – October 8 2017
Falls Count Anywhere Hell In A Cell Match
Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens

TLC 2017 – October 22 2017
“The Demon” Finn Bálor vs. AJ Styles

Plus much more action!

We like it because:

This is your chance to own the very best matches from one of sports-entertainment’s greatest ever years!

With Raw and SmackDown Live competing for brand dominance, the level of action and intensity was raised even further in 2017 – proof that the Superstars of WWE just get better and better!

And this collection has it all, from Royal Rumble and WrestleMania to SummerSlam and TLC!

Witness the dominance of Roman Reigns, the rise of Jinder Mahal, the numerous challengers to Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship, and the phenomenal talents of AJ Styles!

Relive the reunion of Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, the brutality of Samoa Joe, and the monstrous strength of Braun Strowman!

You’ll also see how it’s been another groundbreaking year for the women of WWE. The Women’s Money In the Bank Ladder Match is not just history in the making, but an incredible display of jaw-dropping action – plus there's even more from the Women’s Evolution!

Don’t miss out on this historic collection!

WWE Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2017 will officially be released on DVD on Monday January 8 2018.

For more information, click here.

DVD Review: WrestleMania 33

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 569 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: June 5 2017

(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)

WrestleMania 33 has finally hit DVD. WrestleMania remains the WWE DVD to own each year, regardless of whether the event is good or bad. Fortunately, WM 33 had more to like than to dislike, and while it's not a flawless show by any means, it is an improvement over WM 32 and contains several memorable moments, all of which justify a purchase even before you consider the Hall Of Fame ceremony being included, as is tradition.

The opening video is spectacularly produced in line with the "Ultimate Thrill Ride" theme, and the first match - AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon - is a belter which greatly exceeds expectations. Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens for the United States Championship is another enjoyable match, though a shade below being considered a Match Of The Year candidate. The Raw Women's Championship four-way, meanwhile, feels rushed and, whilst a commendable effort by all involved, it's inferior to the Women's Championship three-way from WM 32.

Conversely, the four-team Ladder match for the red brand doubles straps is a huge success, in large part because of the surprise return of the Hardyz to an enormous reaction, which is as surreal as it is shocking and incredibly welcome. The subsequent mixed tag match (John Cena and Nikki Bella vs. The Miz and Maryse) exists solely to set up the post-match proposal by Cena to Nikki. Judged by that criteria, it's a feel-good moment, though it won't be to everyone's tastes.

After that, we get Seth Rollins vs. Triple H. It's a lengthy and often slow match, but it maintains interest and peaks at the finish, so it's better than other HHH Mania matches which have been considered disappointments in the past, though it's still no classic by any means. Mind you, it's still better than Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton which is a complete let-down as a WWE Championship match on a stage like Mania; the intriguing ring projections of creepy creatures aside, the match isn't memorable at all, and feels like a standard TV bout. The result of Wyatt losing the title so quickly doesn't help, and it's all made worse by the fact that the storyline leading into this one (Randy joining the Wyatts to destroy it from within) was booked perfectly and was one of WWE's best plotline in years.

Many were dreading Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship, but it crammed a lot of hard-hitting action into a short span of time (even if it was Spears, suplexes and finishers, and nothing else), and ultimately it was met with positive feedback on the whole, and funnily enough is one of the best matches on the show based on merit. The SmackDown Women's Championship match has a filler feeling to it, but it's not bad by any means and gives Naomi a big hometown title win. (Just realised that I forgot to mention that The New Day were hosts, and so they made occasional appearances throughout the show.)

Finally, Roman Reigns battles The Undertaker in a match which would have been great three or four years earlier, but at this stage Taker is clearly showing the signs that, despite his best efforts, he only has so much left in the tank to give. That is conveyed in the match story, with Reigns doing everything he can to slowly take Taker down and, ultimately, keep him down. Besides one noticeable botch and the slow pace to proceedings, all before an exhausted crowd (who had been there for north of six hours by this point), it's still an enjoyable match, albeit one perhaps not worthy of main event status. But we find out post-match why it went on last, as we get a very well-produced and emotional retirement ceremony for The Undertaker character, which is undoubtedly the most memorable aspect of WM 33. Amazingly, some believe that he will wrestle again, but after watching this, it's impossible to envision that this wasn't his Last Ride, as a Hall Of Fame induction in 2018 seems inevitable.

Speaking of which, the Hall Of Fame ceremony for 2017 is here. Kurt Angle leads the way for the inductees, the class for which includes Diamond Dallas Page, The Rock 'N' Roll Express, Beth Phoenix, Ravishing Rick Rude, Teddy Long and Eric LeGrande (Warrior Award winner). As with every HOF ceremony in recent years, it runs very long, and there's not as many "stories" as you might expect, but it's still a lot of fun with a fair few memorable moments and one-liners. Jim Cornette appearing to induct Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson is particularly surreal, and hopefully Corny will end up being inducted into the HOF himself in the next few years. Plus, this marks Angle's long-awaited return to WWE after many years away, so it has its place in history for that reason too. Overall, not the best HOF ceremony that you'll have seen, but still a very entertaining presentation at the same time.

The set is rounded off by the Kick-Off Show matches, which Fremantle Media squeezed onto the UK version of the DVD (meaning that US fans didn't get this bonus content). Neville vs. Austin Aries is a great Cruiserweight Championship match, proving that having a bout on the pre-show, where there is potentially more time, can be considered a good thing. Conversely, the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal is the weakest to date, with any attempt at promoting a future star jettisoned for a celebrity moment (involving Rob Gronkowski) that was forgotten before the show had come to an end. The final pre-show match, Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin for the Intercontinental crown, isn't terrible but it does feel phoned-in, and it does nothing to suggest that WWE were wrong to place this match before the main card (incidentally, this spot was meant to go to the SD women's bout, but the online backlash convinced those in charge to make this switch; we only found out moments beforehand on the night that Dean vs. Baron had been relegated to the pre-show, which is darkly comical since fans had originally been up in arms weeks earlier when there were rumours of Ambrose not making the main card).

There have definitely been better WrestleManias, and the sheer length of the card will prove taxing for the viewer (it also means that there are no other extras on the DVD; hey, they only just got to fit in the Kick-Off Show matches). It's also a show which peaks early, with the first half being almost completely enthralling, whilst the second half has more disappointing elements than spectacular ones. Nevertheless, WM 33 has something for everyone and is definitely a fun show to watch. Some of the most memorable Mania moments from recent years occurred at this show, not least the retirement of the legendary Undertaker. Add to that the HOF and the three bonus matches, and WrestleMania 33 is a set well worth owning. I've given a bonus half-point in the score below to reward Fremantle for essentially rewarding fans, since that's what wrestling is all about, right?

Overall Rating: 8.5/10 - Excellent

DVD Preview: WrestleMania 33

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Fetch Publicity

The following story is courtesy of Fetch Publicity ...

Welcome to WrestleMania, “The Ultimate Thrill Ride”! Brace yourself for incredible twists, unexpected turns, and unbelievable excitement! “The Beast Incarnate” Brock Lesnar challenges Goldberg for his Universal Championship – the richest prize on Raw. The intense rivalry between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt comes to a head over SmackDown Live’s WWE Championship. Bayley defends the Raw Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Nia Jax in a Fatal Four Way elimination match. “The Architect” Seth Rollins gets his chance at revenge as he takes on “The Game” Triple H in a Non-Sanctioned Match! And Roman Reigns faces one of the biggest tests of his career when he takes on Undertaker in a No Holds Barred Match! Plus, action from all your other favourite WWE Superstars, including all three pre-show matches!

Synopsis:

Match Listing:

No Holds Barred Match
Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker

Universal Championship Match
Goldberg (Champion) vs. Brock Lesnar

WWE Championship Match
Bray Wyatt (Champion) vs. Randy Orton

Raw Women's Championship Fatal Four Way Elimination Match
Bayley (Champion) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax

United States Championship Match
Chris Jericho (Champion) vs. Kevin Owens

Non-Sanctioned Match
Seth Rollins vs. Triple H

Raw Tag Team Championship Ladder Match
Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. The Hardy Boyz

Mixed Tag Team Match
John Cena & Nikki Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse

AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon

SmackDown Women's Championship Six-Pack Challenge Match
Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi vs. Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James vs. Natalya vs. Carmella

Plus all the Kickoff Show matches included in the special features:

Cruiserweight Championship Match
Neville (Champion) vs. Austin Aries

Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal

Intercontinental Championship Match
Dean Ambrose (Champion) vs. Baron Corbin

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

We like it because:

Set in Orlando’s incredible Citrus Bowl in front of 75,245 fans, this was the most spectacular WrestleMania of all-time!

No-one puts on a show quite like WWE and WrestleMania has become a true pop culture phenomenon, with stunning pyrotechnics, celebrity appearances, and – living up to its name as the “Ultimate Thrill Ride” – a jaw-dropping set with a full-size rollercoaster.

There are sensational performances all throughout the event. AJ Styles proves once again why he’s called the “Phenomenal One”, while his opponent Shane McMahon shows the WWE Universe that he’s still one of sports-entertainment’s greatest daredevils!

There’s the spine-tingling return of The Hardy Boyz after seven years away – already one of the all-time great “WrestleMania moments” – and the brutal four-way Ladder match that follows! There’s also powerhouse action as Brock Lesnar collides with Goldberg, and Bray Wyatt plays mind games with Randy Orton in a match that’s unlike anything ever seen in WWE before.

As always, WrestleMania delivers awesome entrances too. Triple H arrives with a police escort, while Charlotte Flair makes her way to the ring beneath a dazzling firework display.

But it’s The Undertaker’s walk away from the ring that makes this a truly historic event. His match with Roman Reigns has all of the excitement of WrestleMania packed into one incredible battle for the ages. It’s a hard-hitting story that grips you right to the very last seconds – and ends with heart-wrenching emotion as WWE bids farewell to the most legendary career in sports-entertainment.

Don’t miss out on owning this thrilling event and a piece of WWE history!

WrestleMania 33 will officially be released on DVD and Blu-ray on Monday June 5 2017.

For more information, click here.

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

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 363 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 2
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: May 1 2017

(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)

WWE are now releasing solo-brand DVDs as part of a twin-disc set, which makes a lot of sense given that we now receive approximately two supershows per month, between the biggies like WrestleMania and SummerSlam. This particular Double Feature set is a cool one as it shows how both brands set the stage for their major matches at WrestleMania 33, although from an in-ring and booking standpoint, there's a lot left to be desired.

Beginning with Elimination Chamber, then, and the best way I can describe this card is that it was a one-match show. That match is, of course, the Elimination Chamber clash for the WWE Championship. It's in the top five Chamber matches of all-time as everybody involved (defending titleholder John Cena, AJ Styles, Bray Wyatt, The Miz, Baron Corbin and Dean Ambrose) gets a chance to shine and puts forth maximum effort, all within a new-look Chamber which allows for more spots, and slightly safer risk-taking, than ever before. This is one of the year's best matches so far, and I can see the participants in the 2018 Chamber match struggling to top this one next year.

Elsewhere, it feels like more like a special episode of SmackDown than an SD-only PPV. Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James is okay but not as good as most people were hoping. The psychology for Dolph Ziggler vs. Kalisto and Apollo Crews is all wrong (I've never worked as a wrestling booker, but I don't think it's unfair to make that claim, as it negates the fairly decent action that we get). The Tag Team Turmoil clash is alright, although it would have been more exciting if one of the teams challenging for American Alpha's titles had been built up enough to come across as a serious threat to the straps.

Nikki Bella vs. Natalya is watchable but has a screwy ending, which extends the feud but adds to the B-level nature of the card. Randy Orton vs. Luke Harper is the strongest match on the under-card by a mile, as it makes Harper look great against the selfless Viper, making the most of Orton's free time as he awaited the identity of his WWE Title opponent at Mania. Finally, Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi for the SmackDown Women's Championship could also have been better, partly as the crowd were anticipating the main event by this point, and the finish is a little off which left Naomi with an injury.

Therefore, Elimination Chamber isn't exactly the best WWE card of the year; judged as a whole, it's the weakest SmackDown-only supershow since the second Brand Extension began. Fortunately, the main event saves the day, and makes the event worth watching (although Orton vs. Harper is also a strong showing by both). The first disc also has the Kick-off Show clash between Mojo Rawley and Curt Hawkins as a DVD extra.

As for Fast Lane: wrestling-wise, it's the better of the two cards overall, but booking-wise, it starts well and then slowly declines. Besides the (included) Kick-Off show tag match pitting Akira Tozawa and Rich Swann against The Brian Kendrick and Noam Dar, Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn is a strong start to the event, with Sami helping to make Joe look like a million bucks, as the saying goes, in Joe's first PPV match since joining the main roster. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass is alright; it's not the best doubles match that you'll see this year, but it serves its purpose and has some cool spots. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax is another David vs. Goliath-style match which works based on the more crowd-pleasing result, so in that respect it's a success.

Something which definitely wasn't a success was the two-bonus-matches-in-one segment, where Jinder Mahal somehow manages to earn a PPV match with Cesaro (little did fans know then that Jinder would get a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship just weeks later, in a match which will happen at Backlash), which is okay but has no drama due to the predictable result, and then a first-class burial by Big Show of the (apparently-injured) Rusev. I hate to use the "b-word", since a lot of fans nowadays throw it around willy-nilly without understanding what it means (John Cena and Roman Reigns apparently "bury" everybody they ever defeat, which is nonsense), but I do feel that the term is applicable to this situation. Frowns turns to smiles with the best Cruiserweight Championship match on the main roster since its revival up to that point, an excellent and brutal Neville vs. Jack Gallagher clash (Gallagher's headbutts look vicious).

Roman Reigns gives Braun Strowman his best match to date in a great big-man battle, and though many fans disapproved of the result, WWE was never going to sacrifice Roman to Strowman right before he would face (and defeat, and ultimately retire) The Undertaker at WM 33, nor should it have. (Incidentally, the aforementioned "b-word" came out again from fans disgusted at Roman giving over, which given the way that this match played out was ridiculous.) The booking goes bonkers with Bayley vs. Charlotte for the Raw Women's Championship: Charlotte had regained her title after losing it to Sasha Banks on Raw so often that WWE probably felt doing that again here, after she lost the title to Bayley on Raw, was counterproductive. However, in putting over Bayley (and Sasha is involved in the finish, so it's not a clean win), everyone is left scratching their heads: why didn't WWE a) save Bayley's first title win for WM, b) make a bigger deal of Charlotte's much-hyped PPV winning streak ending here, c) save Bayley's first title win for here, at Fast Lane, or d) book a Charlotte DQ win would have maintained both Bayley's reign and Charlotte's streak, adding further justification for what would be the four-women match at WM 33 for the title? This isn't Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, but I think that option D would have been the way to go; any of those would have been better than what we received.

And then there's the main event between Kevin Owens and Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship, which lasts 22 seconds, and features much stalling from Owens before a Chris Jericho distraction leads to a Spear-and-Jackhammer title win for Goldberg (sorry to post a spoiler, but you surely cannot spend money on this DVD if you do so to watch a long title match between Owens and Goldberg). I have to be honest, I didn't mind how this played out because the Goldberg push made sense in its execution, because Goldberg had previously smashed Brock Lesnar in 1:26, and because I find Owens to be slightly overrated (let the Internet come crashing down now!). If Goldberg had beaten Lesnar in a 20-minute epic and then became the champ in 22 seconds, then it would be a different story. Nevertheless, it's still not an ideal way to end a PPV, and this should have happened on Raw where the manner of the main event would have been deemed more tolerable and not resulted in so much (inevitable) outrage from "smarks".

So, if nothing else, it's an eventful twin-disc set. The best match is on disc one, but most of the remaining action is adequate at best. Disc two has more to offer from an in-ring standpoint, but the booking is occasionally very frustrating, and the main event lasts less time than an average trip to a urinal. Considering that you really are getting two DVDs for the price of one with this Double Feature set, I'd recommend it so long as you take everything that you see with a pinch of salt and just enjoy the action for what it is in the better matches, not to mention that the Chamber match is exceptional. Others may wish to save their money for the bigger, and superior, show that these two events set up when it comes to DVD, which of course would be WrestleMania 33.

Overall Rating: 7/10 - Respectable

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.

The Best Of Raw & Smackdown 2016 announced for DVD in the UK

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Fetch Publicity

The following story is courtesy of Fetch Publicity ...

It was a whirlwind year for WWE! New faces emerged, legends returned and the future of the WWE roster changed forever with the brand extension. Experience the New Era of WWE and recall every shocking development, every major match, and every key moment that made 2016 an incredible year for WWE. Featuring matches with AJ Styles, Triple H, Dolph Ziggler, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and more!

Synopsis:

Highlights:

Raw - February 8 2016
Daniel Bryan retires

Raw - February 22 2016
Shane McMahon returns!

SmackDown – March 17 2016
Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles

Raw - April 11 2016
AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn

SmackDown – July 19 2016
WWE Championship Match
Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins

SmackDown – July 26 2016
Six-Pack Challenge To Determine The #1 Contender To The WWE Championship
John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Apollo Crews vs. Baron Corbin vs. Bray Wyatt vs. AJ Styles

Raw – August 29 2016
Universal Championship Fatal Four Way Match
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins vs. Big Cass vs. Kevin Owens

Raw - October 17 2016
Goldberg returns!

SmackDown – October 25 2016
WWE Championship Match
AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose

Raw – November 28 2016
Raw Women's Championship Falls Count Anywhere Match
Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks

Plus much more action!

The Best Of Raw & SmackDown 2016 will officially be released on DVD on Monday February 20 2017.

For more information, click here.

Survivor Series 2016

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 197 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 2
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: January 23 2017

(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)

The 30th annual edition of Survivor Series was an unusual show, both in terms of fan expectations beforehand and what transpired on the night. In the run-up, it felt like a series (no pun intended) of potentially exciting yet ultimately inconsequential elimination bouts between the Raw and SmackDown brands, along with a rematch from WrestleMania XX in 2004 as Goldberg made his long-awaited return to collide with Brock Lesnar in what was the real draw for the card. On the night, however, the inter-brand collisions exceeded expectations overall, and Goldberg vs. Lesnar was certainly a memorable encounter if not for the reasons that anybody expected going in.

The opening five-on-five women's match is pretty good, and once again provides evidence as to how much the female division has grown in recent times when one considers the paltry time and interest allocated to the Divas' battles at Survivors events in the past (I remember that more than one were nothing more than an excuse for the announcers to make jokes). Next up, The Miz vs. Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship is one more reason to suggest that Miz had an incredible comeback year in 2016, although the dodgy finish at a Survivors show in Canada elicted some groans on the night.

Possibly the biggest disappointment of the card was the five-teams vs. five-teams battle. Initially evoking memories of the classic elimination battles from the early Survivors cards which spotlighted the then-stellar tag team division, this incarnation was pretty rushed and, whilst having some eye-catching spots, didn't come close to matching the incredible battles from the late 1980s starring the likes of The British Bulldogs, The Hart Foundation and Demolition. Although it basically had a last-minute set-up, Brian Kendrick vs. Kalisto for the Cruiserweight Championship was a strong effort, featuring an insane Salida Del Sol off the ring apron by Kalisto. Again, though, a frustrating finish negated the hard work that went into the match.

The same cannot be said for the men's Raw vs. SmackDown Survivors match, which if not a classic is pretty damn close. Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Braun Strowman vs. AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt and Shane McMahon is superb, lasting close to a full hour and featuring a ton of stand-out spots and generally topnotch action. Even minor details like the massively-over Y2J reminding Ambrose that he still owed him $15,000 for damaging his jacket back in the spring were nice touches, and capping off with a surprising finish, the match is one of WWE's best of 2016, with the only negative being when it appeared that Shane had suffered a serious injury prior to his elimination (sorry for the spoiler, but let's be honest: who thought that Shane would have been a sole survivor?).

Then we come to the main event: Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar. Depending on your opinion, this was either a tremendous moment providing shock value almost to the level of Lesnar ending The Undertaker's Streak at WrestleMania XXX or it was a complete disaster which damaged Lesnar's reputation, partly due to that very Streak-snapping victory, and showed that WWE has his priorities wrong. I prefer to sit on the positive side of the fence because, undoubtedly, it created one hell of a buzz, and ensured that the eventual Goldberg-Lesnar rematch (presumably at WrestleMania 33) will be even bigger and, without question, longer.

The DVD includes two bonus matches from the Kick-Off Show: a six-man tag match from the Cruiserweight division, which gets a nice response from the Toronto crowd, and Kane vs. Luke Harper. There are also bonus segments, and the Blu-ray also throws in the Goldberg-Lesnar face-off on Raw six days prior to Survivors.

I should mention that like SummerSlam, and like the forthcoming Royal Rumble, the Survivor Series card lasts (or was meant to last) four hours, which obviously means a longer running time for the show than normal, but it also means that certain matches were clearly stretched out to last longer than usual in order to cover the extended running time. Having watched it in its entirety again, it's clear that the show could easily have been squeezed into three hours had WWE gone down that route. And it probably would have been better if they had, as some matches were unnecessarily long (besides the men's elimination match, since that succeeded partly because it went so long). Conversely, and ironically, the biggest complaint about Goldberg vs. Lesnar was that it didn't last long enough.

Overall, though, one should really enjoy Survivor Series 2016 on DVD. The card as a whole may have worked better as a Network special rather than one of the "Big Four" PPV events, but there's still plenty of good action to savour, with an outstanding elimination match and an unforgettable main event spectacle. Assuming you can take the show and just enjoy it for what it is, then this is a WWE DVD that you will probably want to own.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10 - Good

Survivor Series 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 ...

After 12 years in exile from sports-entertainment, Goldberg brings devastation back to the WWE ring for the long-awaited rematch against “The Beast Incarnate” Brock Lesnar. On the 30th anniversary of Survivor Series, fantasy warfare just got real! And for the first time since the Brand Extension, Superstars from both RAW and SmackDown Live go head-to-head in traditional 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination matches – the ultimate battle for brand supremacy!

Synopsis:

Match Listing:

Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg

5-on-5 Elimination Match
Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins & Braun Strowman vs. AJ Styles, Bray Wyatt, Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose & Shane McMahon

Intercontinental Championship Match
The Miz (Champion) vs. Sami Zayn

10-Team Elimination Match
The New Day, Cesaro & Sheamus, Enzo & Cass, The Shining Stars & Gallows & Anderson vs. Heath Slater & Rhyno, American Alpha, Breezango, The Usos & The Hype Bros

Cruiserweight Championship Match
Brian Kendrick (Champion) vs. Kalisto

5-on-5 Elimination Match
Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Nia Jax & Alicia Fox vs. Becky Lynch, Natalya, Alexa Bliss, Naomi & Carmella

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

We like it because:

As one of WWE’s “Big Four” Pay-Per-Views, Survivor Series is always a landmark event – but with “The Beast” Brock Lesnar and Goldberg facing off, this one will go down as one of the biggest moments in sports-entertainment history!

Already an infamous, highly-controversial main event, it’s a must-own match – one you’ll want to watch time and time again to to see if you can actually believe what happened!

There’s also blistering action in the traditional elimination matches. The women’s match is further proof of how far the division has come – and how incredibly talented WWE’s female Superstars are.

The men’s match delivers some fantasy warfare too, as the very best of Raw and SmackDown face off in an epic war – with such dream moments as Universal Champion Kevin Owens vs. WWE Champion AJ Styles, Braun Strowman battling his former leader Bray Wyatt, and a shocking reunion from The Shield!

Don’t miss out on this awesome and historic event!

Survivor Series 2016 will officially be released on DVD and Blu-ray on Monday January 23 2017.

For more information, click here.

WCW's Greatest Pay-Per-View Matches - Vol. 1

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 437 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: May 5 2014

Back in 2003 or 2004, the concept of a compilation featuring the top Pay-Per-View encounters from the rich history of WCW would have been extremely tantalising. By the time such a DVD was released in 2014, though, so many classic WCW battles had already been released and interest in the WCW brand lies solely with longtime fans wishing for a slice of nostalgia, which reduced the appeal of the three-disc set.

However, whilst the collection feels like it was released a decade too late, this is still a very enjoyable DVD compilation. Around 80-85% of the content has already been seen on past DVDs, but that fact doesn't hinder the entertainment value of this set too much.

Hosted by Booker T, the DVD begins with Ronnie Garvin vs. Ric Flair from Starrcade 1987, the first official NWA/JCP PPV (Starrcade had first aired on closed-circuit television in 1983); Booker notes that the WWF aired the inaugural Survivor Series on the same night solely to ensure that Starrcade 87 would not be a huge success. This competition would continue via television in 1988 and 1989, but that's another story. Garvin vs. Flair is okay, but the negative reaction to babyface NWA Champion Garvin is a sign that fans rejecting a top babyface was happening long before the days of John Cena and Roman Reigns. This was also held in a cage, as most Starrcade main event matches were in those early years.

Dusty Rhodes vs. Barry Windham from The Great American Bash 1988 and Dusty teaming with Sting against The Road Warriors (in a rare heel role) from Starrcade 1988 are okay, but neither can hold a candle to the first really good match on the DVD, a classic Ric Flair-Ricky Steamboat showdown from Chi-Town Rumble 1989 in the first of their epic trilogy. Given how many great WCW matches were held on PPV in 1989, Lex Luger vs. Brian Pillman from Halloween Havoc is perhaps an odd selection. Definitely worthy of inclusion is Flair vs. Sting from The Great American Bash 1990, which officially marked Sting's permanent ascendancy to the main event level and closes disc one on a high note.

Lex Luger vs. Barry Windham from The Great American Bash 1991 has a weird feel to it as it comes on the heels of Ric Flair leaving WCW; envision a WWE PPV held days after John Cena leaving the company on bad terms and you have an idea of the vibe in the air here. Even without Flair, though, WCW could still provide great supershow battles as evidenced by the next two bouts: a fantastic Jushin Liger-Brian Pillman match from Superbrawl II, and an incredible War Games between Sting's Squadron and The Dangerous Alliance at Wrestle War 1992.

Next up, we finally get an unreleased match, and it's a very violent battle between Vader and Cactus Jack from Halloween Havoc 1993, during which Vader lands with all of his weight on Cactus on the hard ramp in a spot which Mick Foley says in his first autobiography Have A Nice Day that he came up with to deliberately suffer a career-ending injury, having been so miserable in WCW at the time (as we know, Foley would continue wrestling long beyond HH 93). We then get a good Steve Austin-Ricky Steamboat clash from Bash At The Beach 1994, and there's a real big-fight feel to Flair vs. Hulk Hogan from Halloween Havoc 1994 (Muhammad Ali is in attendance for this one), although their initial meeting at BATB 94 was arguably the bigger match and thus perhaps should have been here instead.

Onto disc three and we come to a landmark match: that main event from Bash At The Beach 1996 (you know the one) which sees the official formation of the new World order. Strangely, besides making a cameo later on, we don't see Hollywood Hulk Hogan again on the main DVD, which is odd given that he is the main cover star (some would say that this isn't a bad thing). The topnotch action doesn't end there, though, as we get an intense brawl between Randy Savage and Diamond Dallas Page from Spring Stampede 1997 and the classic Eddie Guerrero-Rey Mysterio Jr battle from Halloween Havoc of the same year.

The next few matches have a filler feeling to them (Booker goes a long time between introducing bouts during this section, suggesting these matches may have been a late addition), but at least Bret Hart vs. Randy Savage (Slamboree 1998) and Chris Jericho vs. Juventud Guerrera (Road Wild 1998) are first-time releases. A more familiar match is Goldberg vs. DDP from Halloween Havoc 1998, an infamous match due to that particular PPV running overly long to the point that most fans didn't see it; re-airing it on Nitro the next night earned the show its final ratings win over Raw during The Monday Night War, but upset the fans who had already paid for the match, since this meant that millions more saw it for free.

It's telling that no matches from 1999 are included (the Blu-ray does include Savage vs. Dennis Rodman from Road Wild 99) so we jump right to Jeff Jarrett vs. Booker T at Bash At The Beach 2000, a good match overshadowed by the bizarre situation earlier that night involving Jarrett, Hogan and Vince Russo (a planned Jarrett-Hogan bout didn't happen with Jarrett laying down, Hogan walking out as if it were a shoot, and Russo cutting a genuine shoot interview on Hogan; nobody knew what was real and what wasn't, with the consensus being that Russo's promo wasn't planned and with that leading to a later lawsuit, but confusingly Hulk has since said he didn't even know Jeff would lay down despite Eric Bischoff saying that he did, so who the hell knows for certain?). The DVD ends with an exciting six-man Ladder match from Starrcade 2000 and, fittingly, the final PPV match in WCW history as Scott Steiner battles DDP at Greed in March 2001 (during which Steiner berates fans with a very offensive f-word more than once), with WCW having run its final show under WWF control eight days later.

I really enjoyed this collection a lot more than I thought I would considering that much of the content had previously been released. If you wanted to pick hairs, another Flair vs. Steamboat match, Flair vs. Terry Funk from 1989, Sting/Flair vs. The Steiners from 1991, another Rey Mysterio cruiserweight stunner and Goldberg vs. Steiner from Fall Brawl 2000 should have been included, and for historical purposes Hogan vs. Sting from Starrcade 1997 should have been here too, despite the blown finish (which is a story in itself that I'll recount another time), but one can't complain too loudly about what we get here. There is enough material in the archives to warrant a Volume Two, and the name implies that a sequel would be forthcoming, but the fact that all WCW PPVs can be viewed at one's leisure on the WWE Network makes a second release less likely.

Even if there isn't a follow-up, though, this is a great introduction to WCW for newer fans and a fun trip down memory lane for longtime followers, and a nice reminder that there was far more to the history of WCW than Nitro, The Monday Night War and the weekly adventures of the nWo.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10 - Excellent

Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 422 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: October 7 2013

GOLDBERG! GOLDBERG! GOLDBERG! Fans had been anticipating a DVD on the career of Goldberg for years, so when it was announced for late 2013, it generated a lot of excitement. But did the release match the hype?

Firstly, there is no documentary here, which is disappointing. That is more of a problem for this particular release than for a DVD on another wrestler because Goldberg's career was relatively short, and many of his matches were too. Therefore, even if a Goldberg documentary is released on DVD in future, are there enough of his matches not featured here to fill up the remainder of the release?

That aside, the DVD delivers dozens of Goldberg matches. A good number are of the short, squash variety, so I will just focus on the key matches in this review. His debut against Hugh Morrus - the beginning of his undefeated streak in WCW - is an essential inclusion. His WCW US Title victory over Raven is very exciting, but more so is his historic WCW World Title win over Hollywood Hulk Hogan, in front of a rabid Georgia Dome crowd. We see him in high-profile WCW bouts against Scott Hall, Sting, Diamond Dallas Page and The Giant (who he somehow Jackhammers), before his ill-advised first loss to Kevin Nash at Starrcade 1998.

(Incidentally, this shows the difference between WCW and WWE; when The Undertaker lost at WrestleMania 30, it was made clear that the Streak ending was a milestone moment, a historic event; when Nash beat Goldberg, it was treated as a wonderful thing and quickly dismissed even though it killed WCW's biggest ratings-draw at a time when numbers were dropping).

Disc two focuses on his WCW tenure, post-Streak. We see Goldberg in more star-studded bouts including a huge yet confusing 4-way on Nitro, and we witness him getting revenge on Nash at Spring Stampede in 1999. Other notable bouts are against Sting, Ric Flair, DDP, Sid and Scott Steiner (the latter of which is a great match, a rarity in the latter-day WCW), before the forgettable yet historic-in-hindsight tag team match which ends Goldberg's career in WCW. This is treated as a momentous occurrence by WCW, although Goldberg was meant to return to the company; when WCW was bought by the WWF/WWE, he did not.

However, as disc 3 explains in its opening, Goldberg didn't arrive in WWE for two more years. From there, we see his most memorable WWE bouts against The Rock, Chris Jericho and Triple H (a match against Shawn Michaels is a Blu-ray extra). We also see him dominate the Elimination Chamber at SummerSlam 2003 (his finest hour in WWE, despite the worst result of that year which saw him lose after one sledgehammer shot) and face Mark Henry and a youngish Batista before concluding the DVD, as well as his WWE run and his wrestling career as a whole, with his surreal WrestleMania XX win over the also-departing Brock Lesnar.

Many said that Goldberg's WWE tenure was a disappointment. I enjoyed it but I felt he came a year or two too late, as he missed out on potential blockbusters against Stone Cold Steve Austin and another round with Hulk Hogan. Had he remained with WWE longer, other dream matches against the likes of The Undertaker and Kurt Angle may have happened too. WWE's booking of him didn't help, from his reduced offence to some questionable match results. I don't think it was as bad as some made out, but it certainly could have been better.

As for the DVD? For a Goldberg match compilation, it is almost as good and as extensive as it could be; the only glaring omission is his Souled Out 1999 meeting with Scott Hall, largely considered to be one of his greatest bouts. It's also worth noting that Goldberg's WCW theme song is dubbed over by his WWE theme, which is rather annoying.

Some feel that the DVD isn't very good in terms of match quality; however, Goldberg was always more of a wrecking machine than a technical marvel. The DVD is aimed at Goldberg's fans who loved him for his explosive power, his charisma and his intensity. The compilation certainly provides all the evidence one needs to understand why Goldberg became such a huge star in the late 1990s. The lack of a documentary is the biggest flaw; otherwise, it is as strong a DVD as could be expected on Da Man, GOLLLDBERRRG!

Overall Rating: 7.5/10 - Good