DVD Review: WrestleMania Monday

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 363 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: April 3 2017

(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)

Over the last few years, the episode of Raw held the day after WrestleMania has become almost as anticipated as Mania itself. Whilst the post-WM Raw has always served the purpose of pressing the reset button, so to speak, and acting as a platform for debuts, returns and even retirements, since 2012 the combination of truly major developments and increasingly raucous crowds have led to this being the most watched, and most eagerly-awaited, television show of the WWE Calendar.

The latest WWE release focuses on this phenomenon, with a documentary being accompanied by a selection of matches and moments from down the years, all of which, of course, come from post-Mania editions of Raw. They include some of the most memorable and historic Raw moments of all-time, and some of the loudest crowd reactions in Raw history provided the soundtrack for them. All of which makes for a pretty entertaining DVD.

Beginning with the documentary, then: it's actually the same as the WWE 24 feature recently added to the Network, albeit with around 20 minutes extra footage. It is a behind-the-scenes look at last year's Raw-after-Mania, with comments from the talent who were about to make their Raw debuts that night (Apollo Crews, Enzo Amore & Big Cass, Baron Corbin), return (Maryse) or were set to debut/return shortly afterwards (The Vaudevillains, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson). We're treated to footage of some wrestlers being informed about their promotion to the main roster, along with candid thoughts on their WWE journeys to date (Cass notes that an unnamed WWE employee told him that he would have been fired a long time ago had he not been seven feet tall; to be fair, you can't teach that). There's also discussion and clips relating to the increasingly-crazy crowds, and quick highlights of past Raw-after-Mania moments, which I'll explain shortly as they're included in full on the remainder of the DVD.

The documentary is good, and it's cool to see the preparations for debuting talent (such as the new faces practicing their entrances, presumably so that the production team can ensure the best possible camera angles and lighting effects). I would have liked to have seen a greater focus on the classic post-Mania moments, as they weren't allocated a lot of time in the main feature, and the sound levels are unusually inconsistent near the beginning; one cannot hear what the wrestlers are saying at times as the volume of the background music is much louder. Otherwise, it's a watchable doc, but as noted you can watch a (shorter) version of this on the WWE Network.

The rest of the DVD takes us through the history of the Raw-after-Mania. Bearing in mind that Raw debuted in January 1993, we aren't given any clips from 1993 or 1994 (if my memory serves me correctly, Hulk Hogan becoming WWF Champion was barely even acknowledged on the post-WM IX edition of Raw), so our trip into the past begins with 1995. Bull Nakano vs. Alundra Blayze is one of the better Women's Championship matches from the era, and has a notable post-match angle. From the same show, Diesel and Shawn Michaels rekindle their friendship after an incident involving Michaels' bodyguard Psycho Sid, but bizarrely, there must have been an issue with the show's running time on the night (it was a one-hour show back then), because the key moments took place during a commercial break, the recap is very brief, and so when we're given a full replay of the events, it actually comes from the opening scenes of Raw from the following Monday. Weird.

Next up, Mankind makes his in-ring debut the night after WM XII against Bob "Spark Plugg" Holly, with the attendees who recognised Mankind as being Cactus Jack in ECW making their voices heard, but not so much as to dominate proceedings. We then jump to 1998 and, despite it only being two years later, the WWF product couldn't be more different as we get a Steve Austin-Vince McMahon angle and X-Pac's memorable return as a member of D-Generation X, on a night which some say marked the true beginning of the Attitude Era. There's nothing from 1999, strangely, so after that, it's a quick Chris Jericho-Eddie Guerrero European Championship match from 2000, but 2001 isn't represented at all, which is disappointing since that show included a Steel Cage showdown between newly-turned heel Steve Austin and The Rock.

So, it's onto 2002, and Hulk Hogan officially confirming his babyface turn in a promo alongside The Rock, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall (Nash genuinely took offence to Rock amusingly calling him "Big Daddy B---h" as it wasn't a scripted line, supposedly), and Brock Lesnar making his WWF debut by interrupting a Hardcore Championship match. Then, from 2003, we see a promo which essentially marked the end of Steve Austin's career (most fans assumed it was an angle that would lead to Austin wrestling again later in the year or the following year at a push; as it turned out, Austin has never wrestled again since), an enjoyable three-team match for the World Tag Team Championships (Chief Morley & Lance Storm vs. Rob Van Dam & Kane vs. The Dudleyz), and Goldberg's WWE debut in an angle involving The Rock, who was on fire as a heel whose fame from Hollywood had gone to his head. The years 2004 and 2006 aren't covered, so disc two ends with a forgotten gem of a three-way Intercontinental Title match from 2005 (Shelton Benjamin vs. Christian vs. Chris Jericho) and not one but two 10-team Battle Royals for the World Tag Team Titles from 2007, in an unusual slice of booking that dissolves the shaky John Cena-Shawn Michaels alliance (I found it funny that Jerry Lawler suggested during the first BR that Chavo Guerrero and Gregory Helms were involved, but they didn't show up until the second BR, and Lawler again mentioned them being participants without realising his earlier mistake).

Disc three kicks off in unforgettable fashion via Ric Flair's retirement ceremony from 2008, and is followed by a forgotten Lumberjack match for the Unified Tag Team Titles between Carlito & Primo and The Miz & John Morrison from 2009. Batista's return from injury that night isn't here, nor is Shawn Michaels' retirement speech from 2010 (although it is on the Blu-ray). Therefore, we next turn to 2011, and the night when The Rock and John Cena officially confirmed that they would collide at WrestleMania the following year. However, the true reputation of the post-Mania Raw, from the truly massive moments to the red-hot crowd, began in 2012, as on a night filled with "Yes!" chants and some other unexpected shouts, Brock Lesnar makes a stunning return to WWE by flattening John Cena, which gets one of the loudest pops in Raw history. Amazingly, this reaction is trumped by the next moment, from 2013, as Dolph Ziggler finally cashes in Money In The Bank for a World Championship clash against Alberto Del Rio.

The crowd on that night took things to another level when it came to bizarre yet (mostly) amusing chants, which peaks when Fandango battles Kofi Kingston, only for the crowd to start singing his music, which soon led to his theme tune climbing the iTunes charts and momentarily making him a star. The 2014 show was less notable, though it still has its moments as featured here: The Ultimate Warrior cuts a promo in what would be his final televised appearance, as he would tragically pass away just 24 hours later, and Paige debuts against AJ Lee in a short Divas Title match (with a regrettably botched finish). The crowd was a bit hit-and-miss in 2015, with some chants taking things too far, but there was still fun to be had in the ring, with two enjoyable bouts included here: Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Title and John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose in the first United States Championship Open Challenge. The DVD ends, as one would expect, with the 2016 moments, as Zack Ryder defends the IC gold against The Miz and we're treated to a really good Fatal Four Way, with number one contendership for the WWE World Championship at stake, starring AJ Styles, Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens and Cesaro (who replaced the "injured" Sami Zayn, although we see Sami backstage during the show after his injury angle took place at one point on the documentary, hmm ...).

There's a lot of fun to be had watching this, especially if one gets the Blu-ray version which includes further matches and moments. There are a couple of downsides, though. Although the Raw-after-Mania has become an event in its own right, I'm not sure if the proceedings warranted a full DVD release, as it focuses more on angles than matches, and the vast majority of those have previously been released on DVD. The other thing is that, if you have the WWE Network, you'll be able to find the vast majority of the content here (along with other moments like the aforementioned Austin-Rock Cage collision) in a dedicated collection, meaning that you could just watch everything there, and that's not to mention that every episode of Raw ever is now on the Network if you wanted to watch, say, the 1998 or 2012 shows in their entirety. The documentary on the DVD doesn't remove the references to WWE 24, a Network-exclusive series, despite adding further scenes, and the artwork for the DVD sleeve feels a little lazy, rather than something uniquely designed for this specific release.

Those aside, however, this DVD is a fun one to watch, and a worthy tribute to WWE's most unpredictable television show of the entire year. The timing of its release is clever, since we are just hours away from the 2017 Raw-after-Mania. It remains to be seen what we'll get from tonight's show (or SmackDown tomorrow, since it's the first live SD after WM, meaning that we may be treated to some magical moments there too), and one does wonder if it's always a good thing for the crowd reactions to go completely off the rails (it's great for one night, but with some performers it has spread to crowds throughout the year, and caused a bit of damage in the process). At its core, though, people watch WWE to be entertained, and this DVD definitely succeeds in that regard. The documentary is enjoyable, there's a few good matches here, and if nothing else, you'll be treated to plenty of the biggest or most memorable Raw moments ever, particularly over the last ten years.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10 - Good

The Best Of Raw & SmackDown 2016

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 519 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: February 20 2017

(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)

Just like the Best PPV Matches 2016 DVD, this three-disc collection emphasises that it was a year of two halves (well, near enough) for WWE: pre-Draft and post-Draft, especially on Raw and SmackDown, which changed dramatically once the WWE roster was split into two. Actually, it was more like a year of thirds, with the pre-WrestleMania season being a fairly dull time on-screen due to a plethora of injuries and a certain amount of creative malaise.

Mind you, there were still some highlights of the year's first few months, and most of them are featured on this set, which is presented by Jerry Lawler and is introduced with the Raw and SmackDown intro videos. Officially opening with a fun Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch bout from the first SmackDown of the year, we then jump to a match which seems like aeons ago, as Kalisto challenges Alberto Del Rio for the United States Championship on Raw, in a bout that exceeds expectations.

Following this, we get a recap of January on WWE television (there are similar, well-produced recaps throughout the compilation), before the emotional retirement ceremony of Daniel Bryan, which tugs at the heart-strings due to the fact that Bryan deeply wanted (and still wants) to wrestle again despite medical advice. If you recall, Edge also had to retire due to injury in 2011, but he had already planned to wind down his career and quickly came to terms with his situation (and he has never stated a desire to compete again since). Shawn Michaels retired on his terms in 2010, and has never looked back. Admittedly, Ric Flair didn't really want to retire in 2008 but, since he was 59 at the time, his farewell had long been overdue. How strange is it that Flair, who is about to turn 68, would probably willingly wrestle again regularly if WWE allowed him to?

Anyway, getting back to the subject at hand, we're treated to a really good AJ Styles-Chris Jericho match from SmackDown, during which heel announcer Jerry Lawler runs down Styles repeatedly, given that AJ had just arrived in WWE. This makes it bizarre, therefore, that Lawler as the DVD host then highly praises The Phenomenal One. Moving on, we get the full segment that led to the hugely surprising return of Shane McMahon, although anyone who watched this live will notice some cuts (which also apply to the Raw episode which contained this angle on the WWE Network): Vince shockingly, and possibly accidentally, telling Shane that he looked forward to ensuring that he would take "a f--king beating", and Shane noting that he "remembered previous beatings" by Vince (which hopefully referred solely to on-screen shenanigans), are chopped out of the version presented here.

Disc one ends with three strong matches: The New Day vs. Y2AJ is the best doubles match of the whole year on the main roster (although the NXT brand surpassed it on numerous occasions at the Takeover specials), and is followed by an angle which stunned the red-hot Chicago crowd. Triple H vs. Dolph Ziggler is pretty dramatic, and is followed by a HHH-Roman Reigns confrontation which should have gotten Reigns over huge as a superstar babyface heading into the main event of WrestleMania 32 (alas, it didn't). And Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles is another fine bout, although it marks Styles' third defeat so far on the DVD, and by the end of the first disc, we've seen him take a whopping five Codebreakers from Chris Jericho, which makes his subsequent success in WWE all the more remarkable.

As noted, fans were pretty frustrated and/or disappointed with the general quality of WWE television heading into WrestleMania, even if it was partly caused by the number of big names who hit the shelf due to injuries. Fortunately, things changed in the post-Mania season with a number of NXT call-ups and new signings, some of whom shine in the matches at follow. Apollo Crews vs. Tyler Breeze is a brief showcase of Apollo's skills, and in a weird way may have been his best WWE moment to date, at least from a crowd reaction standpoint. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn from April 11 is a tremendous match, and helped to establish Styles as a future WWE headliner following the earlier defeats (and a loss to Y2J at Mania), as well as establishing Zayn as one of WWE's most exciting in-ring performers. Then, we jump into May with Cesaro and Zayn vs. Kevin Owens and The Miz from the May 12 SmackDown; this match, and the other pre-July SD bouts, make you realise just how noticebale and out-of-place the fake crowd noise is that WWE had used for many years on SmackDown prior to the show going live on a weekly basis. Indeed, some crowd "reactions" had literally been used since the show's inception in 1999, so the word "lazy" doesn't even begin to describe WWE still using the same audio, every week, almost 17 years later.

On a brighter note, we get John Cena's return from injury on May 30 and his confrontation with AJ Styles and The Club, which in hindsight truly marked the beginning of AJ's ascension in WWE. After a risque verbal spat between The New Day and the team of Enzo Amore and Big Cass, we see the two teams combine against The Club and The Vaudevillains, as well as a six-man tag featuring the participants in the 2016 Money In The Bank Ladder match. From there, the landscape changed with the re-introduction of the brand extension and the Draft, and we get the main event from Draft night, an underrated scrap for the WWE Title between Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. The following week of WWE programming served up plenty of highlights, and we get the best bits here: Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks for the Raw Women's Championship is arguably the best women's match of the entire year in WWE; Roman Reigns vs. Finn Balor completed a dream first night on the main roster for Balor, and the Six-Pack Challenge from the July 26 SmackDown is a thrilling attraction which rounded off the most notable week of WWE television all year, as well as ending disc two on a high.

Onto disc three, and after the official main roster debut for Bayley (against Dana Brooke), and one of American Alpha's initial doubles bouts on SmackDown (against Breezango), we get one of the most memorable television matches of the entire year: a fantastic Fatal Four Way for the vacated Universal Championship between Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens and Big Cass which has a truly shocking conclusion. Next up is the Raw introduction/re-introduction of the Cruiserweight division, as Gran Metallik, Cedric Alexander, Rich Swann and The Brian Kendrick battle in another four-way match. It's a pretty good match which brings the division back to WWE in style; sadly, it's been downhill since then for those involved in the 205-pound crew, largely because WWE hasn't allowed the Cruisers to demonstrate even a fraction of their aerial abilities (they do receive that opportunity in this match, which explains why fans are enthusiastic for the action).

We get two talking segments after that, but both are worth watching: a dramatic square-off between The Miz and Dolph Ziggler is followed by the WWE return of Goldberg, appearing on Raw for the first time since 2004 to answer the challenge of Brock Lesnar. As it turned out, Goldberg's claim that Lesnar would be "LAST!" wasn't quite true, since the reaction to Goldberg returning was so enthusiastic that Da Man has stuck around, and as things currently stand, he could be about to win the Universal Championship from Kevin Owens at Fast Lane. Dean Ambrose vs. AJ Styles serves more as a backdrop to the storyline that saw James Ellsworth go from genuine nobody to unlikely superstar, although the match is still enjoyable aside from the Ellsworth involvement. The DVD ends with Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss from Glasgow and Charlotte vs. Sasha under Falls Count Anywhere rules, held in Charlotte's hometown of - yes! - Charlotte.

Since this is the eighth year running that we've had an annual round-up of Raw (and the seventh for SmackDown), the formula for these releases has become familiar, and so it's understandable that the 2016 collection may not stand out quite as much as, say the 2011 set (which included The Rock's return and CM Punk's pipe-bomb promo, amongst other things). What helps this compilation to earn its place, so to speak, is the high quality of action on display: there isn't one weak match on the entire DVD. Granted, some matches are not so memorable, but they still have a reason to be here, and the greatest matches included here are genuinely awesome, from the superb New Day vs. Y2AJ tag bout to the Charlotte vs. Sasha clashes to the Fatal Four Way for the Universal Championship. Add to that some unforgettable moments like Daniel Bryan's retirement and the WWE returns of Shane McMahon and Goldberg, and you end up with one of the best Raw-SmackDown review DVDs to date. (As an aside, I noticed how many different entrance ways there were in 2016 by watching this DVD: you had the original sets used from January-July, the new sets that ultimately lasted one month during the summer, the current sets which have been used since SummerSlam, the UK set during the London shows, the slight variant during the Glasgow shows, and aisles which had additional props prior to such shows as Money In The Bank.)

This DVD is definitely worth owning: not only is the action of a high standard, and not only will you be treated to plenty of memorable moments, but you will be able to see why SmackDown receives such praise by giving younger talent a chance to shine, as well as realising that amongst the sea of mediocre filler during the weekly three-hour shows, Raw can still provide a lot of excitement when the situation calls for it. In summary, 2016 was an important year in WWE history, and whilst that doesn't necessarily mean that it was the best year to date in WWE, all of the best matches and moments from Raw and SmackDown can be found in this collection.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10 - Excellent

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.

Best Of Raw - After The Show

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

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

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

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

They include Austin hitting HHH and Shane McMahon with a double Stunner, a multi man dance-off led by Chris Jericho, a heel Austin interviewing fans about their various lines of work, Austin Stunning Hulk Hogan before the two icons share a beer together, Rock and friends (and enemies, actually) trying to persuade The Undertaker to perform a Spinaroonie (this one is really funny), and several ad-lib segments led by Austin from 2003 and 2004 (one of which is an Attitude Era reunion involving Austin, Rock and Mick Foley).

Much of this is very entertaining, but there's a reason why we usually only see one or two as a DVD extra. The formula grows tired, so even when some corking lines are thrown out, the impact is lost because it feels like you're watching the same segment over and over with only minor differences (some are almost identical, including the personnel involved). One segment involving Austin, Booker T, Rob Van Dam and Lilian Garcia lasts far too long, so while this particular instance has some great moments, you end up wanting it to finish. Plus, some moments (the Ric Flair tribute, a superb Austin-Jericho square-off and a Rock-Austin exchange, all from 2003) have been released on previous DVDs.

Disc three is better in a sense because we get some matches to break up the formula. They're mostly of the filler variety, though: Shawn Michaels and Randy Orton against Triple H and Ric Flair feels phoned-in, and a later HHH-Orton bout only lasts around five minutes. Better is a six-man tag from the night after WrestleMania XXVIII, with the "Yes!" chant dominating proceedings, a rare John Cena-CM Punk bout from one year earlier, and a 2006 Street Fight between Cena and Edge, which is almost PPV-quality. Unfortunately, none of the bouts (or the segments) feature commentary, which weakens their presentation. Closing the DVD are more non-match segments as the roster celebrate John Cena's birthday (we also have a Fabulous Moolah birthday celebration earlier on), some shenanigans between Cena, Rock and Big Show after Raw 1000, and Cena leading the rowdy-as-hell New Jersey crowd to Fandango their hearts out the night after WrestleMania 29.

I hope I don't come across as miserable during this review, as this DVD provides a lot of funny, entertaining moments. The problem is that after watching so many of them, they lose their impact, making them - well - less entertaining. I thought that this was a fun DVD to watch, but I'd recommend you watch it in parts, between the weekly television shows or even between watching other DVDs, and you will probably appreciate it more. Had it been reduced by a disc and if some of the filler had been taken out, the rating below would have been higher.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10 - Okay

The Best Of Raw & SmackDown 2015

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 470 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: February 8 2016

This annual release looks back on most of the previous 12 months of television content. I say "most" because the month of December is either only slightly referenced or ignored altogether due to the WWE release schedule (meaning that this DVD series is in production before the year even ends). True to that theory, the last match on this DVD comes from the November 30 Raw; had we been given the extra month, we could have had Roman Reigns' WWE Title win over Sheamus to mass approval, which was one of the top Raw moments of the year.

That aside, this is a well-structured look back at the highlights of Raw and SmackDown throughout 2015. This tends to attempt a balance between the biggest moments, the best matches and content which hasn't already been released, as well as avoiding repetition where possible (so, for instance, we only get a couple of John Cena's United States Title Open Challenges despite him having at least seven or eight great Raw bouts during this stage). In a nice touch, WWE has included short clips which recap each month in terms of key storyline developments, which always helps for viewers who would otherwise be wondering why specific angles had taken place. And this doesn't have a Blu-ray release, which is a negative, but it means a longer DVD programme (around eight hours), which makes this more of a comprehensive collection.

On the downside, Byron Saxton is a pretty annoying host; his material isn't great, but it's his "Aren't I funny?" expression after each supposed one-liner which is really frustrating; let us decide whether you're funny! And you're usually not! I don't mind Saxton that much, but this doesn't help as he looks to receive true approval for his work. Also, SmackDown was largely irrelevant throughout 2015, so we only get a few bouts from SD in the whole DVD. Hopefully, there will be more on the 2016 DVD which will include matches that will take place after the upcoming brand extension.

January is spotlighted by a Dean Ambrose-Bray Wyatt Ambulance match, which is pretty good, followed by Daniel Bryan's amazingly low-key comeback match from injury against Kane (unfortunately, Bryan would only wrestle for a few more months before further injuries that would end his career). A Royal Rumble qualifier between Ryback and Rusev is uneventful (these two SmackDown matches in a row mark the only consecutive SD bouts on the DVD), but after the January highlight reel (which surprisingly includes a very brief Hulk Hogan appearance; ooh, WWE is getting cold feet about keeping Hogan out of the mix), we jump to a very good Bryan vs. Seth Rollins match to determine who would face Roman Reigns at Fast Lane with a WrestleMania title shot at stake. This is the only footage for February as we then get the second highlight video, and much of March is also skipped over as we are taken to the night when Sting saved Randy Orton from a likely Authority beat-down. To be fair, WWE television wasn't exactly brilliant for the first few months of 2015, so we're hardly missing must-see moments here.

An overly long but undeniably entertaining Gauntlet match involving most of the participants from the Intercontinental Title Ladder match at Mania is up next, followed by Nikki Bella vs. Paige, a good match in the days before the NXT women truly took over Raw and SmackDown, and a very good promo segment to promote The Bellas vs. Paige and AJ Lee for WM (this felt more organic than usual; could it have been unscripted? And, if so, why do talents remain unscripted when they can genuinely cut good promos when the chains are off, to quote Curtis Axel?) Speaking of Axel, he turns up as jobber fodder for Neville's Raw debut (Byron's commentary during this match is appalling; the alternate commentary with Neville as a DVD extra is far better, and even that is only basic), but of greater note, this match follows Brock Lesnar going mental when he was denied a scheduled WWE Title shot at new champ Seth Rollins the night after WM 31. To end disc one, we get March and April recaps with a match sandwiched in between. John Cena and Daniel Bryan vs. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd was a basic meeting of champions at the time, but this bout (held in London, and actually interrupted by a few guerrilla marketers, which of course isn't included here) would end up being Bryan's final wrestling match due to his aforementioned health issues.

Disc two is the best of the set because the action has truly picked up on Raw by this point. We're treated to a strong Rollins-Ambrose match in Montreal, followed by a long segment from the same show that includes a great Cena-Sami Zayn match (Zayn gets an almighty pop in his hometown) as part of the U.S. Open Challenge. We then see Cena setting up another challenge, but it doesn't happen because the respondent is the debuting Kevin Owens, who announces his arrival by leaving Cena laying. Surprisingly when you consider the large focus on Roman Reigns throughout 2015, we only get his first appearance next as he, Randy Orton and Neville take on Sheamus, Kofi Kingston and Kane in a preview for the 2015 Money In The Bank Ladder match (Neville provides a great spot afterwards). This is book-ended by May and June recaps, and is then followed by arguably the TV match of the year, a fantastic U.S. Open Challenge between Cena and Cesaro in front of a red-hot Chicago crowd.

After that, we're shown the segment which marked the beginning of the "Divas Revolution" as Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Sasha Banks were officially introduced to Raw. The Revolution didn't exactly take off right away, but the women's action definitely improved from this show onwards, as evidenced by an enjoyable Paige-Sasha match which is next on the DVD (this and Cena-Cesaro also have alternate commentary). A July recap includes clips of the outstanding Brock Lesnar/Undertaker pull-apart angle, which really should have been here in full (by the way, the recaps start and end with a still image, and for July it's a positively frightening visual of an Undertaker expression during this brawl; if you turned this on in a dark room at night and didn't know what was coming, this would scare the s--t out of you). But we do see The Undertaker interrupt Lesnar's homecoming days prior to their big SummerSlam match, and the pre-Slam build is also represented by a very enjoyable eight-man tag from SmackDown that combines three PPV matches into one big TV brawl.

The best moments of arguably WWE's best TV show of the year kick off disc three with the completely unexpected return of The Dudley Boyz and Sting surprisingly interrupting Seth Rollins' statue ceremony (don't ask) in Brooklyn the night after SummerSlam. Two more monthly recaps book-end Sting's only in-ring appearance on Raw against Big Show, which quickly merges into Sting and Cena vs. Show and Rollins. Shortly after Night Of Champions, the general content of Raw and SmackDown began to take a bit of a dip, which resulted in the ratings really taking a dip. But there's still fun to be had, as Kevin Owens and Ryback have a fairly good bout for the Intercontinental Title, Tyler Breeze debuts to beat down Dolph Ziggler on Miz TV (this came after the worst storyline of the year, the Hollyoaks-esque love quadrangle involving Dolph, Rusev, Lana and Summer Rae, which hindered all and is memorable only for Rusev's great acting, and his new nickname of "RuRu"), and one of the best TV matches of the year, an incredible Fatal Four Way match between Reigns, Ziggler, Owens and the just-returned Alberto Del Rio to determine who would challenge Rollins for the WWE Title at Survivor Series.

But Rollins didn't make it to Survivor Series: after the October recap, but before the November run-through, we're shown action from the tournament for the vacant WWE Title, which Rollins had to relinquish after being injured at the beginning of the UK tour held that month. As part of that, we see a really good Cesaro-Sheamus match which includes interference from Wayne Rooney (seriously), and a big upset as Kalisto pins Ryback in the first step of a moderate push for the masked luchador. The DVD ends with an adequate Charlotte-Paige Divas Title match (the angle where Paige mocked Charlotte's deceased brother Reid fortunately isn't included), and a 7-on-4 handicap match as The New Day (whose cameos here would never be enough to explain to new viewers why the trio have become so popular with fans) and The League Of Nations battling Reigns, Ambrose and The Usos. By this point, Raw was ailing due to absences, poor storylines and questionable pushes. This, as well as declining ratings, actually made late 2015 a worrying time for WWE. But the Reigns title win on December 15 was the centrepiece of a great show, and with the signing of AJ Styles and the call-ups for Sami Zayn and several other NXT stars, Raw and SmackDown have generally been a lot better in 2016 (well, since WrestleMania 32 at which point the focus on The Authority loosened and many great wrestlers were given the chance to display their talents on a weekly basis).

Although the three-hour Raws get a lot of criticism due to their length, and many of the storylines during 2015 were either boring or poorly booked, the television shows still provided a very generous amount of great matches, and a good number of memorable moments too. Most of those moments are here, along with a lot of the year's top TV bouts. A couple more Cena matches from his Open Challenge phase would have been nice, as well as the incredible Rollins-Neville match from August and a strong Orton-Cesaro-Owens bout from the summer. And whilst Seth Rollins is represented fairly well, you wouldn't know from this DVD that Roman Reigns was and is WWE's great hope for the future, so some more Roman bouts might have helped. Perhaps adding a fourth disc, which the 2011 set had, would have resulted in a slightly more comprehensive round-up of the year's top moments.

Nevertheless, this is a very entertaining set with a clear focus on the wrestling action, and there is a lot of material that is definitely worth revisiting (Ambrose-Wyatt, Bryan-Rollins, Ambrose-Rollins, Cena-Zayn, Cena-Cesaro, the Fatal Four Way from October, Cesaro-Sheamus and a couple of the angles from over the summer). The monthly recaps are a minor inclusion, but a really good touch that benefit fans who may be watching this DVD a few years from now. Yes, the year did have plenty of flaws, and NXT was unquestionably the most exciting wrestling brand to follow during those twelve months, but the bloated nature of Raw, the insignificance of SmackDown and the general apathy towards storylines and featured performers can blind one to the fact that there was a lot of really good content on both shows during 2015. This compilation acts as strong evidence.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10 - Excellent

Raw's Most Memorable Matches

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 86 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Clear Vision Ltd/Silver Vision
Released: April 3 2007

Raw's Most Memorable Matches followed the similar SmackDown release, and again offers a few matches at a budget price. Given the long and eventful history of Raw, it was always going to be a stretch to suggest that the show's most memorable matches are within this 90-minute DVD, but there are some gems nonetheless.

The first is Jeff Hardy challenging The Undertaker for the Undisputed WWE Title in a July 2002 Ladder match. It's a very dramatic bout, and you would never know from watching this that Hardy was as stale as an old piece of toast at this point in time, as he delivers his last truly great performance before leaving WWE for the first time in 2003. Match two pits Triple H against Ric Flair in May 2003, culminating a one-night storyline where Flair (then HHH's chaperone, no pun intended) looks to prove to HHH that he really was and is The Man.

Triple H returns to face Kane in June 2003, in a bout which is fairly good but is more memorable (and is genuinely memorable) for Kane finally unmasking in the aftermath, as per the stipulation. (Some people thought this meant the end of the Kane character; how wrong they were.) Following this is a Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho match from July 2003 which is very good, but a slight notch below expectations; it certainly isn't a disappointment, but it follows and would be followed by superior HBK vs. Y2J collisions. The DVD ends with a brilliant Michaels vs. Shelton Benjamin clash from May 2005, with one of Shawn's greatest ever superkicks providing an incredible finish.

Only the first and last matches have been released in full on other DVDs, so this is a nice little release to pick up while we wait for 2003 episodes of Raw to be added to the WWE Network. Considering that it is a bargain-priced DVD, and assuming that you don't take the title too seriously, this is well worth picking up.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10 - Good

Raw 100: The Top 100 Moments In Raw History

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 363 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: February 4 2013

Some DVDs are easy to review; others aren't. The Top 100 Moments In Raw History is one of the more difficult ones because its main feature is split into many short parts, meaning that one can only really judge it with an overall perspective rather than the quality of its key components. Nevertheless, I shall give it a try, and the good thing is that whilst reviewing the release is a bit hard, enjoying the DVD certainly isn't.

The DVD is actually a two-parter: part one, as the name suggests, is a countdown of Raw's top 100 moments/matches. Part two, meanwhile, is the entire 1,000th episode of Raw from July 23 2012 (by the way, the DVD was designed to mark this milestone).

The countdown definitely spotlights Raw's most memorable moments from its 1993 debut to its one thousandth episode in 2012. The actual order of some entries is debatable; however, it is clearly intended to be a feel-good run-through Raw's back catalogue as opposed to a serious consideration of its highs and lows. This is evidenced by the talking head comments by wrestlers, many of which are in-character and, whilst at times entertaining, don't add a great deal.

As one may expect, the majority of the moments spotlighted are from the Attitude Era, something I cannot argue with. Recent moments are more about truly memorable occurrences and returns, and the earlier entries are more about matches and are sparse in number.

Truthfully, one could create a list of the top 200 or 300 moments in Raw history and have material left over; there have been so many good Raw matches which are somewhat forgotten because the non-match moments are so unforgettable. And what constitutes a memorable moment is at times debatable; for example, Stone Cold could probably fill half the list by himself but, to keep things fair, we are left with only his greatest material, and we do not get such gems as the Whataburger promo and his retelling of the Beverly Hillbillies story.

Overall, though, few should have complaints with the list, and the main programme is superficially entertaining. If there's a moment you don't enjoy, another one will come along within minutes. I certainly wouldn't class this as anything close to a brilliant feature, and if you don't enjoy countdowns then this is definitely not for you. Taken for what it is, though, you should find this an entertaining couple of hours, although probably not something you would watch over and over again.

The other main part is Raw 1000. To quickly run through the show, we get a nice opening package (if oddly lacking some of those top Raw moments); a D-Generation X reunion (sans Chyna); a good but forgettable six-man bout; a double dance for Brodus Clay and Dude Love; a two-part segment which includes a wedding, a Raw GM announcement and the return of The Rock; an enjoyable Intercontinental Title bout between Christian and The Miz which is introduced by Bret Hart; a confrontation between Triple H and Brock Lesnar to promote their SummerSlam 2012 main event; the reunion of The Brothers Of Destruction; and John Cena cashing in Money In The Bank against WWE Champion CM Punk, the main presentation of which has a shocking conclusion. We also get other fun segments, a few funny highlight reels and plenty more old faces (Heath Slater falls afoul of many of them).

As a way to mark the milestone of 1,000 episodes, this Raw is more than enjoyable, and is the main reason to buy this DVD. The only downsides are the non-appearances by a few big names including Stone Cold (then injured), Hulk Hogan (then in TNA) and Ric Flair (then in the middle of a strange saga which began with him as a WWE Hall Of Fame inductee whilst a TNA performer, and which eventually ended with him returning to ... WWE).

Although I don't review Blu-rays, I should point out that if you do collect them, you should get that version of this release. The Blu-ray extra is a lengthy legends discussion about the history of Raw from an insider's point of view, which makes this a far better all-round package. As it is, the DVD just has a couple of extra moments including, inexplicably, Jeremy Piven's stint as guest host in 2009 (why does WWE continue to trump this as a success when the whole show was awful largely because of him and his irritating sidekick Dr. Ken?).

Still, I would suggest giving the DVD a viewing. It won't make any Best Of lists of its own, and you'll probably have seen most of the profiled moments in full elsewhere but, mainly because of the addition of Raw 1000, it's still fairly enjoyable. If you can, though, buy the Blu-ray instead of the DVD as it is a more complete and entertaining package.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10 - Okay

The Best Of Raw & SmackDown 2013

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 451 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 3
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: March 10 2014

The WWE DVD series on the annual highlights of its flagship shows has been less impactful as the years have rolled on. What began as a 3-disc DVD for each show led to the two shows sharing a 4-disc DVD, then a 3-disc release. And even the amount of content has lessened, so while the 2013 edition captures big moments and matches, it is the weakest entry so far largely due to its shortish running time.

Just over a dozen bouts are here, compared to more than 25 for the 2012 DVD. There are some very good matches: CM Punk vs. Ryback under TLC rules was better than I had remembered it being; Alberto Del Rio vs. Big Show is an enjoyable World Title Last Man Standing clash; and John Cena vs. Punk for the WM 29 WWE Title shot was one of the top Raw bouts of the year (although those who consider it one of the best WWE matches ever are exaggerating way too much).

Into the spring, a basic handicap match leads to Dolph Ziggler's MITB cash-in bout which almost blows the roof off the Izod Center; The Shield's 6-man against The Undertaker and Team Hell No is a PPV-quality collision; and a bit later on, the Hounds Of Justice have enjoyable meetings with other teams such as Cody Rhodes & Goldust and the team of Bryan and Punk. Other good matches are here, the standouts being Randy Orton vs. Rob Van Dam and Cena, Goldust & Cody against The Real Americans and Damien Sandow.

Some important segments are here too, including Brock Lesnar returning to F5 Vince McMahon; the Cena-Rock point-counterpoint from Old School Raw; a match/segment to show the Fandango craze; and Mark Henry's brilliantly-performed fake retirement speech. Other notable segments are Cody kidnapping Sandow's MITB briefcase, Big Show knocking out Triple H and the Championship Ascension ceremony from the 2013 Slammys Raw.

Now, there are some other matches and segments, and the Blu-ray does have some more material. However, for a DVD that is covering the first full year of weekly 3-hour Raws plus 52 SmackDowns, the amount of potential bouts and angles which aren't here is staggering. Sure, the main highlights are here, but consider this: some months are represented by one match or segment from one show. Several feuds are only partially referred to, including The Undertaker vs. CM Punk, whilst others are completely ignored, including John Cena vs. Ryback and, in the big glaring omission, CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar/Paul Heyman. The latter feud lasted over four months and dominated TV, plus it gave us one of the best two matches of 2013 in Punk-Lesnar at SummerSlam (the other true classic was Punk-Taker at WM XXIX), and yet it isn't referenced here at all.

On a similar point, previous DVDs would at least inform viewers how stories played out. A new viewer wouldn't know how CM Punk's 434-day WWE Title reign ended, nor would they know if John Cena got his redemption against The Rock at WM. Most notably, nothing is here to explain how The Authority formed at SummerSlam and on the following Raw, which was the lead story line for the last 4 1/2 months on TV and still is to this day, 18 months on from when the whole plot-line began. Even a short recap by the host with one clip over the audio would be better than nothing at all.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, releases (then on video for the benefit of those who remember cassettes) recapping the year of TV storylines would last no more than 90 minutes and had very few complete matches, and yet they did a much better job of summing up what happened than the modern DVDs of much greater length, particularly this one. Perhaps more DVD-specific segments should be used in future to quickly show major plot occurrences or other notable wrestlers or moments; aside from what has already been covered, we also don't see The Rock concert (and his hilarious 'tribute' to Vickie Guerrero'), the much-hyped debut of The Wyatt Family or Damien Sandow cashing in Money In The Bank (albeit unsuccessfully). And, as stated, there are far fewer matches here for unknown reasons (the running time is definitely one; it is around 90 minutes shorter than the Best Of release for Raw alone in 2009).

None of these complaints make the DVD a bad one; there are plenty of good matches and enjoyable segments, and the majority of key stories or events are featured or referenced in some way. But the release does have a lot of flaws, largely in terms of absent content, so whilst The Best Of Raw & SmackDown 2013 is worth watching, it is not be the extensive story of the year on WWE TV that fans will have expected.

Overall Rating: 6/10 - Reasonable