Pads & Panels

Title: WWE Superstar Collection: Sheamus

Format: DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Rating:

Review by: Matt Peters

Limiting the number of matches to only six, the WWE Superstars series of releases are more akin to a “best of” rather than the time capsule the usual multi-disc sets usually are. For instance, the 2011 John Cena 3-disc set did a great job of catching fans up on his recent activities while completely ignoring the Superstar’s Basic Thuganomics and Chain Gang eras. Sheamus makes a fantastic heel, and this release serves as a great reminder of those qualities before diving into his current run as a good guy. Besides, what better way to begin than by showing Sheamus beat the living hell out of the current WWE poster child, John Cena? (more…)

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Title: The Epic Journey of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Format: Three-Disc DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

“1995. $7 in my pocket. Thru blood, sweat and respect – I relentlessly chase greatness. This is who I am, this is what we do.” –Dwayne Johnson, The Rock, Team Bring It Strong

So reads the printed-to-look-handwritten inscription on the first foldout of WWE Home Video’s latest collection for The Rock, The Epic Journey of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, released just in time for his WrestleMania main event with John Cena more than one year in the making. It sounds like a good rags-to-riches story, but if the first DVD of the three-disc set is any indication, that’s far from true when it comes to The Rock. (more…)

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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: Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of All Time

Format: Four-Disc DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of the biggest stars — if not the biggest star — in the world of professional wrestling. He was at the top of the business during WWE’s most popular Attitude Era and made it incredibly cool to like professional wrestling. He was a consummate badass in the ring, and spent plenty of time making appearances and getting guest spots on television shows to raise awareness for the company, and WWE has put together a definitive DVD collection for fans to remember his accomplishments. (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: Greatest Rivalries: Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart

Format: Three-Disc DVD Set

Studio: WWE Home Video

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

It’s no secret that WWE Home Video has been unashamedly mining its archives for as many DVD and Blu-ray releases as it can possibly get out on the market. But more often than not lately, the company seems to be hitting its marks when it comes to these releases.

One of the latest and most fantastic is the first in a presumed series titled Greatest Rivalries, this one focusing on the feud between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. Most wrestling fans are readily familiar with the infamous Montreal Screwjob, but before things got to that point, these wrestling superstars had a great feud, and this three-disc DVD collection outlines that feud. (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: SummerSlam 2011

Format: DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Review by: Bill Jones

SummerSlam 2011 was a practice in killing momentum, plain and simple. World Wrestling Entertainment came off of its most buzz-worthy pay per view in a decade with Money in the Bank. But then rather than letting the true WWE Champion CM Punk sit off television for awhile, they brought him back just more than one week later, after sloppily returning the title to John Cena to set up a title-vs-title match at SummerSlam, with Triple H as the special guest referee. SummerSlam essentially amounted to a one-match show in terms of buzz, and WWE really dropped the ball on that match. Again, CM Punk and John Cena put on a good wrestling show, but the ending essentially negates that all, and furthermore began a spiral of directionless storytelling in WWE, effectively killing a good portion of CM Punk’s buzz in the process. Meanwhile, Christian and Randy Orton have yet another solid bout, but again that ends in a dead end when Orton simply wins back the belt he lost just last PPV. (more…)

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Title: The Greatest Cage Matches of All Time

Format: Three-Disc DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

Over the years, the most popular way to settle a heated rivalry in wrestling has been the cage match — the idea being that it keeps others from getting involved and the competitors in close combat, while creating the illusion of a match that is much more brutal than the common bout. But frankly, I’ve always felt that they’re a little boring.

When the rules allow for escape (they’ve fluctuated over the years from wins only by escape, to pinfalls and submissions inside the cage), either through the cage door or over the top, it always felt to me like the person running away from the fight shouldn’t be the one winning. Outside of that, the matches are just confined, and aside from the heightened potential for blood, I’ve felt most superstars can better entertain by having the ability to leave the ring as well. (more…)

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