TLC 2013

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 186 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: March 31 2014

Unlike recent TLC PPV events, the 2013 edition featured just one match containing the elements of tables, ladders and chairs. This helped to make the main event of the card stand out, but as an overall programme for the DVD, the show feels inferior to previous TLC PPVs, and in fact that does prove to be the case, despite some entertaining matches.

Beginning with the headline bout, the TLC match between John Cena and Randy Orton to unify the WWE and World Titles is an enjoyable battle, carried by the high stakes for the victor; it doesn't come close to matching the thrills and spills of past TLC matches but, considering the participants, this was an inevitability. From an in-ring standpoint, the best match is the WWE Tag Team Title four-way, which has an electrifying final section (it's elimination rules, so I won't say which teams were remaining at that point).

Elsewhere, the two handicap matches - CM Punk vs. The Shield and Daniel Bryan vs. The Wyatt Family - are adequate but nothing more; AJ Lee vs. Natalya is good if slightly inferior to AJ's matches with Kaitlyn over the summer; Big E Langston vs. Damien Sandow is average; R-Truth vs. Brodus Clay is filler with some odd psychology; and The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston is an unexpectedly dull match, given its No Disqualification rules. The bonus match is Dolph Ziggler vs. Fandango, which has a quite frankly nonsensical result.

There is just enough action to make this a worthy show, and it is certainly better and more noteworthy than Survivor Series, but it is still one of the weaker TLC events to date, making this harder to recommend on DVD.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10 - Okay

Elimination Chamber 2014

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 185 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: May 12 2014

An incredible six-man tag team match and an underrated Elimination Chamber clash are the highlights of the fifth annual Chamber PPV, and thus the DVD of the event too.

The opener, between Big E and Jack Swagger, is a good one; the performers clearly graft to ensure that this match stays in the minds of the fans. After a brief mention of Hulk Hogan's return on Raw the following night, we get a Tag Team Title match between The New Age Outlaws and The Usos which, awkwardly, is most memorable for the huge chants for CM Punk by the Minneapolis crowd. A pointless Titus O'Neil-Darren Young grudge match is followed by the aforementioned outstanding six-man tag, as The Shield and The Wyatt Family have one hell of a scrap, a match that is arguably better than any of the matches which would come six weeks later at WrestleMania XXX.

AJ Lee vs. Cameron didn't sound appealing beforehand, and is further hampered by a dreadful non-finish. Batista vs. Alberto Del Rio tells a logical story, but one cannot concentrate on the action due to the massive boos for the Animal, which played a key role in Batista turning heel shortly afterwards. Lastly, the Elimination Chamber match - involving Randy Orton, John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, Christian and Cesaro, with the WWE Title at stake - is well worth watching, and the drama is high as the finish nears with only Orton and Bryan remaining. The outcome annoyed fans on the night, but the circumstances were clearly designed to set up what would finally be Bryan's moment of glory at WrestleMania XXX.

With one brilliant match and another very good battle, Elimination Chamber 2014 is a pretty good show if you judge it solely on its two top attractions. When you throw everything else in, though, the DVD for the card becomes less enticing. Buy it for The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family, and to see WWE give Daniel Bryan and the so-called Yes Movement one last moment of false hope before he ultimately achieved greatness at Mania 30.

Overall Rating: 6.5/10 - Okay