Pads & Panels

Title: Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2011

Format: Three-Disc DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

World Wrestling Entertainment continues its now-annual tradition by releasing its own collection of Best Pay-Per-View Matches, this time for 2011. The latest three-disc set from WWE features the company’s picks for the best matches previously shown on pay-per-view in the 2011 calendar year, starting January 30 with a World Heavyweight Championship Match between Edge and Dolph Ziggler and ending Oct. 23 with a World Heavyweight Championship Match between Big Show and Mark Henry. (more…)

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Title: Survivor Series 2011

Format: DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Review by: Bill Jones

The big story of Survivor Series 2011 was The Rock returning to in-ring competition on a tag team with John Cena as part of the build to WrestleMania, where the two will go head to head. On paper, the main event looks weak against a team of The Miz and R-Truth, but ultimately it delivered, with The Rock performing surprisingly smooth after a seven-year hiatus. The event also featured two title matches, both of which delivered (CM Punk and Alberto Del Rio more than the other). Hell, even the women’s match delivered, making Survivor Series the second-best pay-per-view of the year after Money in the Bank. (more…)

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Title: Vengeance 2011

Format: DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Review by: Bill Jones

Vengeance is an exercise in disappointment, with one major saving grace. This is where CM Punk’s original momentum started to taper after he got trapped in a pointless storyline with Triple H, tagging with him here to take on The Miz and R-Truth. Meanwhile, spoiled on the front of the box, Big Show and Mark Henry recycle an old bit in which the ring breaks under there weight. Not too original. But the interesting twist this time around is that the show does not end when Show and Henry break the ring. Instead, John Cena and Alberto Del Rio start their last man standing match for the WWE Championship in the broken ring. But it’s ultimately a cherry on top of a shit sundae. (more…)

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Title: Night of Champions 2011

Format: DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Review by: Bill Jones

Night of Champions saw the derailing of CM Punk’s chance at a real run at the top early on when he locked up with Triple H. It also saw a confusing turn of events with Alberto Del Rio and John Cena, as it relates to the WWE Championship. And then a bunch of other matches that seem very similar to the cards we’ve seen as of late on other pay-per-views. The only real saving grace is the Mark Henry and Randy Orton fight for the World Heavyweight Championship, which sees “Sexual Chocolate” himself finally on top after all these years. (more…)

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Title: Hell in a Cell 2011

Format: DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Review by: Bill Jones

Yet another specialty match turned pay-per-view, Hell in a Cell has effectively done its best over the last few years to neuter the danger and appeal that the match once had. This year’s big selling point — the WWE Championship on the line for the first time ever in a triple-threat Hell in the Cell bout, featuring CM Punk, Alberto Del Rio and John Cena. An interesting twist sees Cena locked outside the cell, unable to compete. But ultimately it is a lackluster match, the finale of which serves to show how bad of a place the WWE writing staff was in at the time. The after-match activities don’t help. Mark Henry versus Randy Orton is a much better bout, but still altogether commonplace for something as “brutal” as Hell in a Cell. The undercard is unforgivably weak. (more…)

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Title: OMG! The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History

Format: Three-Disc DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

World Wrestling Entertainment’s latest mining of the archives elicits OMG! The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History. What are incidents, you ask? Well that’s a very good question, as WWE seems to use the term liberally in this instance, encompassing everything from contrived stunts, to real (once) behind-the-scenes things like the Montreal Screwjob to big moments in matches. What it amounts to, though, is a fun countdown of some of the biggest moments in WWE history, designed to spark argument over what did and did not make it, as well as where things placed. The feature is packed with moments like Stone Cold’s first stunner on Vince McMahon, to miraculous stunts from the likes of Shane McMahon and Jeff Hardy, to Brock Lesnar and Big Show collapsing a ring, to not-so-PG moments like Sable removing her top on television to reveal handprints on her breasts. The picks are good, though indicate how much better the programming was during the attitude era than what we get now, and the few modern-era choices are questionable. Still, the list is fantastic, thought it’s a bummer the second two discs didn’t contain some others that didn’t make the discs, rather than full-length versions of what is on the list, but having full matches like the Undertaker and Mankind Hell in the Cell also has its benefits. (more…)

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Title: LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game

Platform: 360 (PS3, Wii, PC, Mac, 3DS, DS, PSP)

ESRB Rating: E10+

Publisher: Disney Interactive

Developer: Traveller’s Tales

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

The latest franchise to be stamped with the LEGO makeover is Pirates of the Caribbean, following the release of the fourth film in the series. Fans of previous LEGO titles (like Harry Potter, Star Wars and Indiana Jones) already know what to expect here, and the Pirates franchise proves a great fit for the zany LEGO characters and stories. Players can, as usual, go solo or play with join-in/drop-out co-op, working through 20 stages divided evenly between the four movies, with cutscenes done only the way LEGO can. Port Royal serves as sort of an expanding hub in this one, where players can accomplish more by earning characters of differing abilities, the most noteworthy of which is the addition of underwater elements. All in all, it’s a great addition to both franchises, and fans of the series will get a kick out of the game, even though the later films undeniably sucked. (more…)

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Title: WWE Extreme Rules 2011

Format: DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Review by: Bill Jones

Extreme Rules was introduced to WWE as the ECW pay-per-view of the year, but since going PG, it has become more about gimmick matches – cages, ladders, last man standing – than anything truly “extreme.” And while 2011’s iteration still finds itself stuck in that rut, it has a few gems. While it never tops the bill, Christian and Alberto del Rio put on a solid (not classic) ladder match, with the great story of Christian’s first championship win behind it. CM Punk and Randy Orton also have a knock-down drag-out last man standing bout. The triple threat main event cage match between The Miz, John Cena and John Morrison also has its moments, but feels awkward all around, and the end of The Miz’s reign is a disappointment. (more…)

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Title: Over the Limit 2011

Format: DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Review by: Bill Jones

Over the Limit has been a strange pay per view for the last few years in World Wrestling Entertainment. Its speedometer and car theme seems entirely random, in comparison to its wrestling theme, which mostly seems to be that John Cena has an annual “I Quit” match that mostly consists of him being whooped for an unbearably long time, only to refuse to quit and eventually prevail. It’s like the writer of The Passion of the Christ is called in to handle this PPV once a year. This time, Cena’s getting whooped by The Miz and his protégé, Alex Riley. It’s unbearably long and boring, and like a superhero, Cena takes a ridiculous amount of punishment and never gives up, only to slap a quick finisher on The Miz, who taps immediately. WWE should not be allowed to have these matches anymore, if that’s how they book them, because this is an awful excuse for sports entertainment. (more…)

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Title: WWE Capitol Punishment

Format: DVD

Studio: WWE Home Videos

Review by: Bill Jones

WWE Capitol Punishment. If nothing else, it was one of the more entertainingly named pay per views in awhile, and the Barack Obama skits had potential, if ultimately put together seemingly lazily. R Truth’s turn toward craziness was also an entertaining build to the show, and his match with John Cena wasn’t half bad. Alex Riley and The Miz also put on a good show, as do Rey Mysterio and CM Punk. Randy Orton and Christian have another solid World Heavyweight Championship bout. None of it is particularly groundbreaking, and it still has the feel of a second-tier PPV for WWE, but it’s a solid show from start to finish. (more…)

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