In our first DVD review, thanks to our new partnership with WWE DVD and Blu-ray supplier Freemantle Media, we will be looking at the first two releases from Freemantle, WWE Night of Champions 2012 and WWE Hell in a Cell 2012.
Just a little explanation as to why there are two reviews up at once, before we get down to business. As you are well aware, WWE Royal Rumble 2013 takes place on January 27th, and for my regular readers it's a formality now that I write a preview and review for each WWE pay per view event before and after the event takes place. I will aim to have each DVD review up at least a week before the release date, depending on when I recieve each title. This month though Hell in a Cell 2012's release date (January 28th) coincides with when our Royal Rumble preview and review will be up. Which is why I'm reviewing both titles at once, this month.
Everyone got that? Good. Now, I present to you, in association with Freemantle Media the Night of Champions 2012 and Hell in a Cell 2012 DVD review.
A -Excellent. C – Mediocre.
B – Good. D – Avoid.
NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS 2012
Release Date: 21st January 2013
Format Reviewed: DVD
(Also Available on Blu-ray)
(Also Available on Blu-ray)
DVD Synopsis:
In a match marked by confusion and controversy, CM Punk puts his 300-day reign as WWE Champion on the line against the one man who embodies the respect he’s been vying for – John Cena. Plus, Sheamus’s dominance as World Heavyweight Champion is in jeopardy as he faces Alberto Del Rio without the use of his signature Brogue Kick. And allies in anger, Kane and Daniel Bryan, challenge WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth.
Six champions will rise or be conquered at WWE Night of Champions!
Strengths
Randy Orton vs Dolph Ziggler is the best thing on the card by a country mile, even though the result on the night was the wrong decision. JBL’s comment of “Someone better call the Sheriff, because these guys are stealing the show” is understated if anything. Ziggler and Orton not only stole the show, they gift wrapped it and took it home with them. A top notch match which has great action, tense near falls and a sumptuous RKO right at the death.
The WWE Tag Team Championship Match is a sight to behold just for the constant and entertaining interactions between Kane and Daniel Bryan. The bickering pair was the highlight of a patchy bout which only really slowed in pace when R-Truth was in the ring. The crowd were hot for Bryan and his crowd baiting skills are a class above the rest at Night of Champions. The ‘Hug It Out’ moment almost produces the pop of the night and Daniel Bryan shouting ‘No’ at the fans whilst they pelt him with a chorus of ‘Yes’, all whilst keeping a straight face raises a smile. Kane’s comedy timing during the backstage segment after Team Hell No’s victory is also pitch perfect as the duo are asked by their doctor if there’s anything they want to say to each other, Kane pours a cooler full of water over Daniel Bryan and shouts “I’m going to Disneyland!” Comedy gold.
JBL on commentary is a great addition to the pay per view. Covering for Jerry Lawler who had heart attack live on Raw days earlier, JBL accomplishes his task with sheer aplomb. With nuggets of wisdom such as calling the Irish mutants and his quick fire put down of the notoriously selfish Mil Mascaras, plus his priceless reaction during the Tag Team Championship Match when R-Truth held the bottom rope to allow his invisible friend ‘Little Jimmy’ into the ring are worth sitting through the dull parts just to hear. It’s also worth noting that the fans welcomed JBL, who was once the most hated man in wrestling, home with open arms.
The pay per view kicks off with the good news about Jerry Lawler’s recovery from the heart attack he suffered only days before, live on Raw. The announcement gave the whole night a special feel. This can only be good news when you think of how much worse it could have been.
The Fatal Four Way Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship never really gets going and if it wasn’t for the Miz and Cody Rhodes I can’t help but think this match would have been a total wash out. Not only is it unevenly paced but Mysterio and Sin Cara add nothing to the match. Sin Cara makes several clumsy mistakes and the crowd are stoic in their response to both him and his moves. This just goes to show how WWE have failed with the Sin Cara project over recent years. They should abandon it now. Indeed the match only gets going when Miz and Rhodes get properly involved and the fan reaction to the heels should tell WWE who we want pushed in 2013. The match has a decent finish but should have been much better than what we actually got. Only Rhodes and the Miz save this encounter.
WWE’s association with ‘Susan G Komen for the cure’ Breast Cancer Charity goes to show WWE can do understated and caring even if they don’t show it in their weekly product.
The World Heavyweight Championship Match is the final and best encounter in the seemingly never ending feud. There are moments when Sheamus resorts to doing a Cena sell job which WWE should have stamped out when it reared his ugly head before Night of Champions. On the whole, both Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus were first class in this match and if anyone wants to look at how good Alberto Del Rio really is, this match is where they should start.
The Main Event is a patchy affair which is only rescued by the presence of WWE Champion C.M Punk. Without Punk this match would have been yet another John Cena shoddy, repetitive, no sell effort. Good near falls saw the match turn into an ultra heated encounter towards the finish, one which the audience were totally involved in. JBL does more in one sentence to hype and maintain the interest in Punk’s Championship reign than WWE and Cena have done in any match or promo. Paul Heyman is wonderfully condescending at ringside. C.M Punk is the stand out star and should be heavily commended for holding this match together.
Weaknesses
The DVD special feature consists of a 40 second interview with Smackdown General Manager Booker T. The interview adds nothing of note to the pay per view itself. WWE should be more giving with its special features on DVD. The Blu-ray does have an extra 60 minutes of bonus material but the DVD could have done with the pre-show battle royal as an additional special feature.
The WWE United States Championship Match, whilst boasting some great spots, ends prematurely without any real build and unnecessarily plods in parts. WWE’s failure to acknowledge Antonio Cesaro’s past career in Ring of Honor is disappointing, especially when they have JBL make up some rubbish about Cesaro attending business school and how Aksana brought him over to the USA to wrestle in WWE. Anyone worth their salt in wrestling will know Cesaro had a thriving career in Ring of Honor before he joined WWE. Leaving out facts like this only go to show how much WWE still despise the indie promotions even though acknowledging Punk and Daniel Bryan’s past has done both the world of good. The crowd popped for Ryder which should make WWE sit up and take notice. Which sadly it never does. Considering the talent on display in this match, it should have brought the house down.
Some of the commentary is way off the mark. WWE had JBL stated during the Divas Championship Match “If you have to sit in a headlock for half an hour” then that’s what you have to do to become champion. An outrageous comment. WWE would never allow someone to sit in one move such a prolonged period of time; During the WWE Championship Match JBL proclaims the reason John Cena is the face of the company is because he’s the toughest and strongest. Bull. It’s common knowledge that Cena is the poster boy of WWE because his merchandise sales bring WWE millions of dollars per year. Vince McMahon himself has publically admitted if Cena didn’t earn the company so much money he’d have been fired before now; earlier in the evening WWE had JBL spout, during the United States Championship Match that Zack Ryder got himself a You Tube show to earn his spot here. Another nonsensical quote when WWE acknowledged Ryder had earned his spot at Night of Champions by winning the pre-show battle royal.
The backstage segment which depicts the attack on Kaitlyn is a shoddy piece of work. WWE should never ask Kaitlyn to act again. The diva was fake, false and the whole thing was cringe worthy.
Vickie Guerrero’s unremitting screeching through the Randy Orton vs Dolph Ziggler match is a constant distraction. The woman could break glass with her voice. WWE should ban her from being at ringside and use her solely for backstage angles or whenever they need some heat. The woman has gone from heat magnet to annoying.
The WWE Divas Championship Match is a feeble excuse for a wrestling match. The watching audience use the Divas matches for an interval break and worse still WWE and the participating Divas do nothing to stop the decline. The crowd are flat throughout the match and have no interest in either Eve or Layla. Only Eve’s good looks carry her through. She’s one of the more beautiful divas and someone you wouldn’t kick out of bed. Other than that, this match borders on appalling.
John Cena’s comment at the end of the WWE Championship Match when it’s ruled as a draw “Can I get something?” is ludicrous for a wrestler of his years as are his comments in the pre match video package from Raw six days earlier, when he tells Punk that he’s been WWE Champion for 300 days (at the time of recording) and the WWE Championship has been irrelevant and lambasting Punk for supposedly hoodwinking the fans for his decision to return so soon after his supposed exit at Money in the Bank 2011 are a joke when you realize for most of Cena’s WWE Championship reigns the same Championship has been nothing but a joke and Cena has broke the same promise to fans on at least and possibly more than three occasions when he has said he would leave WWE and came back the night after. What a joke the man is becoming!
At 31minutes the WWE Championship encounter is ten minutes too long for what John Cena can do in the ring and should have been cut down with the extra ten minutes allocated elsewhere on the card.
DVD Extras
Matt Striker interviews Booker T: Night of Champions, September 16th 2012
Blu-ray Extras
Raw – 17th September 2012
John Cena confronts Paul Heyman
Miz TV with Booker T
WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) vs R-Truth and Kofi Kingston
John Cena and Sheamus vs C.M Punk and Alberto Del Rio
Smackdown – 21st September 2012
Edge returns to WWE
Conclusion
Night of Champions 2012 is a good first pay per view for Freemantle Media to come in on and the show mostly holds its own despite some patchy moments. The transition from Silvervision to Freemantle has been almost seamless and for that all involved deserve a pat on the back.
Randy Orton vs Dolph Ziggler is the highlight of this DVD, but it’s also worth purchasing for C.M Punk’s performance and Team Hell No, alone. Combine all of this with the fact that Night of Champions 2012 is Freemantle’s first WWE release and therefore a milestone and historic moment in wrestling and you have a DVD which merits owning.
Rating: B
HELL IN A CELL 2012
Format Reviewed: DVD
Release Date: 28th January 2013
Available From: www.wwedvd.co.uk
(Also Available on Blu-ray)
DVD Synopsis:
Nothing will ever be the same after the Superstars of WWE emerge from the vast steel of Hell In A Cell.
For WWE Champion CM Punk, this night may mean doom for the most impressive title reign of this generation. For his opponent Ryback, it could mark the first loss in the beast’s unstoppable path of destruction. For Sheamus and Big Show, the most devastating moves will be determined as the two face off for the first time with the World Heavyweight Championship at stake. And for Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio, only the one true Apex Predator will stand victorious. Witness the defining moments that will change the course of history at WWE Hell In A Cell!
Strengths
The World Heavyweight Championship Match pitting Sheamus against Big Show is the match of the night. Despite the fact it should have been a Hell in a Cell Match, the convene started slow and built into a splendid match showing off some terrific near falls and a flawless finishing sequence which was perfectly timed. It’s the first time in recent memory that I’ve seen a crowd so involved in a Big Show match which both men put in a superlative effort.
Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio put on another fine encounter which wasn’t as good as Orton’s match with Dolph Ziggler at Night of Champions the month previous but still merited a very good watch. Alberto Del Rio showed a great knowledge and array of submission moves even though it’s about time he eliminated the backstabber move from his arsenal considering what it did to Carlito’s back. Alberto did however badly mess up a move from the top rope which could have ended badly had he not landed on his feet. Randy Orton did a fine sell job and there was another tremendous RKO to end the match, although on the night, once again, WWE booked the wrong result. It’s worth mentioning that WWE need to find a new device that leads into the RKO because it’s become apparent that every time Orton’s opponent goes to the top rope the watching public now expect him to catch them with an RKO. The final impression that comes from this match is a willingness by WWE to mention and promote other wrestlers and other companies even though they don’t do it with their own talent. WWE had JBL mention Del Rio’s family who were all Mexican wrestlers and worked for a Mexican wrestling company. Now it’s time to start using that method with other WWE superstars.
JBL once again rises to the occasion on commentary. I’m glad WWE have chosen to keep him as a permanent fixture, he brings an air of truth to the product. Alongside JBL, Michael Cole and Jim Ross provide their insight. We don’t hear enough from good ole J.R these days.
The WWE Intercontinental Championship Match between the Miz and Kofi Kingston is lively in parts and a good match even though it should have been exceptional. Sadly though the match does, more than anything, show up the Miz’s decline in WWE and there’s no sign of that gigantic push we were promised. Kingston’s athleticism is unparalleled in WWE, it’s on show here with a wonderful leap into a forward roll over the steel steps. The Miz saves both men’s blushes when his quick thinking gets them out of what could have been an embarrassing incident on the ropes when Kingston messes up a move. Something does puzzle me though. Kofi Kingston’s accent, over the years, seems to have transcended from Ghana to American.
The DVD special feature whilst still hideously short at one minute long, at least this time around sheds a new light on Sheamus, as he comes across as a genuine guy. Still, on this occasion only I’d have rather had less extras than WWE add the pre-show which consisted of a Q&A with John Cena and the continuous burial of Dolph Ziggler. The Blu-ray release comes with an extra 60 minutes of special features.
Antonio Cesaro and Justin Gabriel contest a decent match over the WWE United States Championship. The match, considering Cesaro is a top class talent and Gabriel is one of the best high fliers in WWE should have been enhanced in both quality and time. WWE should have permitted Gabriel to fly more which would have cast a reservation over the never in doubt result and allowed Cesaro to show more of the skill that will make him a future headline star in WWE. All that said though, it’s worth a look.
For once the WWE Divas Championship, defended by Eve against Kaitlyn and Layla in a triple threat outing is halfway decent. It’s funny how differently you see things a second or third time around. Eve struggled through the match and reminded your Wrestling God of Trish Stratus pre 2001. Kaitlyn showed real promise for the first time in her career and Layla was just going through the motions. This is ten times better than the Divas Championship Match at Night of Champions and deserves a spot in the better half of the review.
For the second month in a row, WWE Champion C.M Punk put in a supreme effort against the tiresome Ryback, in their Hell in a Cell, WWE Championship Match. The match was pointless as you’ll read below but Punk’s selling and selfless acts really do make Ryback look like a human wrecking machine. The only notable things about the short effort was the ‘Shell Shocked’ on top of the Cell roof come the conclusion and Paul Heyman’s wonderfully exaggerated expressions at ringside.
Weaknesses
For some inexplicable reason WWE saw fit to have C.M Punk’s advisor, the excellent Paul Heyman try numerous times, without luck, to get Punk’s Hell in a Cell Match with Ryback cancelled. The point was to try and establish that Punk was scared of Ryback, however a little thought would have told WWE that by having Punk willingly step into the Cell with a man he supposedly could not beat would enhance Punk, the WWE Championship and make Ryback look even more of a monster. Knocking seven bells out of an unwilling participant isn’t going to enhance a wrecking machine imagine as much as much as doing so to a willing and strong champion. If proof was needed then all WWE had to do was look back to Unforgiven 2002 and see how well Brock Lesnar came out of his Hell in a Cell Match with the Undertaker.
The WWE Tag Team Championship Match was a dire little affair only lightened up by Daniel Bryan and Damien Sandow’s participation. Kane was next to useless and Cody Rhodes, for the most part was used as a human punch bag. Even though there was a huge reaction when the tag title match was announced as coming up next, the hype certainly didn’t deliver. Damien Sandown is a great wrestler and Daniel Bryan just about kept Team Hell No relevant, apart from that the contest was mired in a mind numbing amount of rest holds and the match came to close with a lousy and very unpopular disqualification finish. I don’t usually endorse comedy acts in a wrestling match but Team Hell No certainly could have done with some of that trademark banter.
Even though it was good to have JBL back for a second pay per view in a row, WWE still provided us with some of the worst lines of the year. The pick of the bunch were during the WWE United States Championship Match when Michael Cole stated “Antonio Cesaro said no American has ever beaten him!” JBL then pitched in with “And No American has.” Only for Cole to respond with an absurd comment of “Gabriel beat him this past Monday!” Dumb. Is Michael Cole ignorant to the fact that Justin Gabriel was born and raised in South Africa, even though that’s where he was introduced as being from and JBL talked about it for a large portion of the match? It was just a ridiculous thing to say. Sadly it didn’t end there. JBL followed up with “We have educated our WWE Universe!” whilst neglecting the line that should have came next “in the exact wrong things!” I thought that it would end there, yet sadly not. Through the Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara vs Prime Time Players Match Jim Ross put his pennyworth in by articulating that “Prime Time Players have a tremendous amount of potential!” More on that below.
Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara vs The Prime Time Players is a total dud. Added on the night as a card filler when WWE realised C.M Punk couldn’t go twenty minutes with Ryback because of his knee, the company should have come up with something better or allocated the time to another match. The Prime Time Players have no future in WWE, with seemingly no concept of how to put together a simple wrestling match and are the worst team in WWE. Titus O’Neil did minimal work and was blown up Batista style after only a few minutes, whilst Darren Young looked clueless. The problem with the Players is that there is no life to them. They look like they could have just been brought off of a production line. The pace quickened for a short period when Mysterio finally got into the match but the whole fight was brought down when, yes, you guessed it, Sin Cara botched a back-flip into a reverse DDT and landed square on the top of his head. Thankfully he was fine but any harder and the result could have been much worse.
The Ryback undefeated package WWE aired to break up proceedings was packed full of no names, mostly those annoying local athletes WWE fed him earlier in 2012. With the notable exception of C.M Punk the whole thing looked like Ryback running through jobbers. Not really the way you want to promote a man who is meant to be the next Goldberg.
A confrontation backstage between C.M Punk and Vince McMahon was infuriating as Punk had obviously been told to act scared when asking Vinnie Mac to cancel the Hell in a Cell Match. I don’t know why WWE do this to their WWE Champion. The man who has carried the company for more than a year and a half in January 2013. Maybe it’s their way of telling him that he’s just a caretaker Champion until they find a suitable replacement or maybe it’s their way of letting Punk know that he’s not the main man around WWE even though the Championship around his waist says otherwise.
The WWE Championship Match, contested inside Hell in a Cell was an average at best contest. WWE should have done better with Ryback here and allowed Punk to look stronger. The match though is painful to watch as we now know the extent of the knee injury Punk was carrying with him at the time. Laughably the excuse WWE spun to us as to why Brad Maddox turned on Ryback and cost him the match was to do with their past in WWE Development and that Ryback defeated him and supposedly overshadowed him. My question would be why Ryback didn’t recognize Maddox in the first place? These kind of shoddy explanations are just not acceptable. In the end, it was an uneventful match which didn’t need to exist.
DVD Extras
Matt Striker interviews Sheamus: Hell in a Cell 2012, 28th October 2012
Blu-ray Extras
Raw – 29th October 2012
C.M Punk addresses the WWE Universe
Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett
Vickie Guerrero vs John Cena
Sheamus discusses his match at Hell in a Cell
Smackdown – 2nd November 2012
Miz TV with Sheamus
Sheamus and Kofi Kingston vs Big Show and The Miz
Conclusion
Sadly Hell in the Cell 2012 didn’t live up to expectations. The main event was pointless as was the majority of the rest of the card. World Heavyweight Championship Match, Randy Orton vs Alberto Del Rio and the WWE Intercontinental and United States Championship Matches aside, and then only the latter two just scraped under the wire. Hell in a Cell 2012 does more to show WWE’s weaknesses than anything else.
An average pay per view at best, you could say that its worth owning for the Sheamus vs Big Show, Orton vs Del Rio matches but apart from that, October’s pay per view warrants it’s final rating.
Rating: C
Onwards and upwards...
