Step into the Ring

Monday 3 March 2014

REVIEW CORNER: SHAWN MICHAELS - MR. WRESTLEMANIA DVD AND BLU-RAY



 
A – Excellent



B – Good



C – Mediocre



D – Avoid











Release Date: March 17th 2014


Available From: www.wwedvd.co.uk



Price:

DVD £ 19.99

Blu-ray £ 22.99

(Prices from www.wwedvd.co.uk: high street prices will vary)



Format Reviewed: DVD (3 Discs)

(Also Available on Blu-ray (2 Discs)



What It’s About:

A retrospective of almost every match Shawn Michaels contested at WrestleMania. Spliced together with newly recorded pre- match comments from the man himself, from his very first to his very last WrestleMania match, this is an insightful look at one of the greatest wrestlers of all time on the grandest stage of them all. The place he always stood out towards the end of his career, more than anyone else.

Strengths:

‘Going to New York’ takes a look at The Rockers debut in the WWE from AWA and the turmoil they faced whilst they were there. Archive footage shows Shawn Michaels as a singles competitor in Mid-South before joining Jannetty to form one of the best teams of all time. Refreshingly, Shawn Michaels admits to his childish ways in the 80’s, which got him into trouble more times than not and is correct when he states that he should be judged solely on his in ring ability. At last someone else thinks as I do. There’s no background comment about the upcoming match with The Twin Towers at WrestleMania V, which the release could have done with and if you concentrate on it too long, his woggle eye is distracting.

The Rockers vs The Twin Towers (WrestleMania V, April 2nd 1989) was the second best under-card match on the show and is still a good watch if you can get past the mobility issues Akeem has. Michaels gets great height on an opening dropkick from the middle turnbuckle and The Rockers double team work is flawless seeing as they’re against two men who weren’t renound for their technical or high flying spots. Starting slow but picking up when Jannetty Leapfrog’s Akeem only to land in the Boss Man’s arms it highlights how well Jannetty played the victim. Probably one of the reasons he never achieved Shawn’s level of success. The Rockers miss a double dropkick from the top rope when Jannetty hits first sending Boss Man to the floor forcing Michaels to overshoot the move. A great Powerbomb from a Hurricanrana attempt sets up the finish to a solid tag team bout.

‘The Popcorn Spot’ exploits Shawn’s feelings of having to get his so called ‘man card’ with the other wrestlers in the company by partying until all hours and then working hung over. It’s a revealing insight into a mentality of the business back then and how wrestlers thought it wise to treat youngsters. And they wondered why so many were dying of drug related incidents. The fact that The Rockers never go the credit they deserved for making an impact on each show they were booked on still seems to irk Michaels all this time later, though he’s correct when he says that he’d rather be opening the show in a short match rather than not be on the card at all. It’s a short but revealing angle.

The Rockers vs The Orient Express (WrestleMania VI, April 1st 1990) isn’t thrilling but is pacy when needed and begins with a fast and furious double dive to the outside. Ring psychology combined with double teaming carries this match a long way though there is a lull whilst they conform to usual tag team routine. It is clear to see who the star of The Rockers is going to be, though The Orient Express look excellent with slick moves which should have taken them further in the estimation of the audiences. Heel tactics using salt in the eyes of Jannetty who sells it by falling over the guard rail into the front is brilliant but the countout ending spoils another solid tag team bout.

‘Championship Aspiration’ covers the frustrations The Rockers felt at the time at never being considered for WWE Tag Team Championship reign. Stating they were going on last on house shows and television shows because of their popularity, Shawn airs a valid point that if they considered the team big enough to main event low rent shows then why weren’t big enough for a title reign. Another short segment, as are most of Michaels’ comments but it does have some weight to it and poses a great question I would like to hear Vince McMahon answer one day.

The Rockers vs Haku and The Barbarian (WrestleMania VII, March 24th 1991) in some ways is better than the first two matches. A lively outing considering one of the men is The Barbarian. The Rockers sell well for their opponents chasing that first WrestleMania victory, showing off their own skills when they reverse a Dropkick into a Hurricanrana in a beautiful looking spot. By 1991, it was clear that Shawn Michaels was being held back by his team with Jannetty. Haku and The Barbarian work well as a tandem, pulling out some great manoeuvres, the best being a simultaneous Hangman clothesline and a Powerslam by The Barbarian as Jannetty comes off the ropes.

‘Time To Make a Split’ focuses on The Rocker’s going their separate ways as Michaels regales us with a story of how he and Marty parted ways in real life following a pay dispute over a commercial. Wanting more than The Legion of Doom were receiving, they told McMahon they were leaving the company because they felt undervalued. Shawn’s shock as Vince accepted their resignation is great as is his story about McMahon reeling him back with a promise of a singles run. Michaels tells us he was married at the time, a little known fact which hasn’t been admitted on DVD before and you just know that had he followed Jannetty out of the door he would have regretted it. The best decision he could have made was to ditch Marty and go it alone. From the way Shawn tells it, Marty acted rashly with no backup plan and no work to go to when he left the company.

‘A Veil of Negativity’ proves how desperate Shawn was to be higher up the card than his WrestleMania VIII opener with Tito Santana and used in a meaningful role, more so than just a lower card talent who opened shows and nothing else. Rightly describing WrestleMania IX as nothing special, HBK airs his displeasure of moving backwards by again opening WrestleMania IX as Intercontinental Champion instead of being further up the card as the belt warranted. This isn’t the most in depth interview ever but rarely do wrestlers old or current express their displeasure at their position on the card, Shawn Michaels is one who has nothing to lose and won’t feel the wrath of WWE for it. It’s almost as if he wants to say that everyone was unfairly overshadowed by Hulk Hogan on the night, he does state because of Hogan the company were moving backwards, I just wish he’d have said it out loud.

‘Shawn vs The Ladder’ puts to bed the theory that at WrestleMania X Michaels had a match with the Ladder which was better than the one he had with Razor Ramon. Michaels address the rumour and quashes it dead, at last giving Scott Hall the credit he rightly deserved for such a stunning bout. Noting it was the bout which put him on the map, Michaels can’t stress enough that it wasn’t a one man show. He does though note that Hall doesn’t get the credit he deserves for being such a great wrestler. At last, some truth. There could be more about how the ladder match came about backstage and behind the scenes, but this is sufficient enough to tell people the real truth.

Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon (WrestleMania X, March 20th 1994) is another excellent match which rose to fame because of the Ladder Match rules. Yes, this also has been shown to death but once again for historical significance, it belongs on the release. Had both men played safe with the ladder here or failed to thrill the audience then it’s a possibility we wouldn’t have ladder matches today. The match rarely slows from the outset and Ramon hits each move with such ferocity you can believe that they’re really doing damage to Michaels. As always, HBK sells like a pro for Ramon and his baseball slide which buries the ladder into Razor’s mid-section looks painful but first-class. Both men use the ladder well to the audiences delight and puzzlingly WWE censor Shawn Michaels’ bare bottom on a release which is filled with blood loss. HBK’s splash from the top of the ladder is an iconic moment in wrestling history and one which time almost stands still for, whilst the slingshot of Michaels into the ladder at ringside and the subsequent falling with it looks sublime. Ramon’s suplex slam from the top of the ladder looks brutal but technically good as the rest of the outing.

‘Under Stern Direction’ is an interesting little segment where Michaels talks about WrestleMania XI and also proves that Vince McMahon isn’t always right. Going into detail, he first tells us how he wasn’t happy at being upstaged by non wrestling talents on the grandest stage of them all before providing us with a story of he and Kevin Nash tried to talk to some sense into McMahon about the spot in their match where Diesel kicks out of Sweet Chin Music at one. Shawn says that he told Vince that if Nash kicked out of the move their feud was based around at the one count then fans would boo, but wanting to Nash to look strong, Vince ignored their suggestions and told them to do it the way he said. As it would turn out, Shawn was right, they did boo Nash and Vince was wrong. The following tales about McMahon are very funny and told with a tongue in cheek wry smile from Shawn.

Shawn Michaels vs Diesel (WrestleMania XI, April 2nd 1995) is a wonderful David vs Goliath bout which hammers home its story whilst really wrapping up the Michaels / Diesel feud in one. An excellent performance by Michaels is nearly tarnished when he loses his temper with the cameraman he lands on in an unplanned spot and literally drags the cameraman up the aisle. Had it been the HBK of two years in the future he’d have gone to town on the innocent bystander without care. Diesel plays his part well and shows weakness to sell for Shawn Michaels which not everyone would have done at the time and though the match almost stops when Diesel is trying to make his way back into the ring it maintains a nice flowing pace right to the finale. Nash catching Michaels off the top in a Sidewalk Slam will make you salivate. A Splash from the apron to the floor from Michaels maybe look nice but the crowd chant for Sid instead of the two grapplers. The spot mentioned in the segment above elicits boos as Diesel powers out of Sweet Chin Music however the bout is booked so Michaels is teased as its victor and put together well by the cogs in it. The final Jacknife Powerbomb looks dangerous as Nash throws Michaels too far and he lands legs fist and crumples to the mat.

‘One Hour, No Falls’ sees Michaels taking the credit for the Iron Man Match, mentioning to Vince simply because he wanted to go one hour with no falls. I can neither corroborate and prove Michaels is lying here so we must take him on face value, even if eighteen years later it wasn’t such a wise decision to have sixty minutes without one decision. Shawn doesn’t admit that his approved request was a mistake, which would have been nice to hear but does reflect on his first WWE Championship victory with pride. I would have also liked to hear Michaels admit to his awful behaviour after the bout by yelling at Bret Hart to “Get the fuck out of my ring”. That is not mentioned. It’s a good segment but there is very little culpability for the decisions made.

Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart (WrestleMania XII, March 3rd 1996) has been widely criticised by wrestling magazines and fans alike but for many it holds majestic memories as the pinnacle of their childhood. I am one of them. I won’t go into detail about this match other than to say it’s a one hour plus bout with no falls and a quite a bit of rest holds but it dips in and out pace which keeps it exciting. Both men are top notch and even though its not the greatest match as far as quality is concerned you can’t help but be impressed by the staying power of both. The highlight is Shawn Michaels realising the boyhood dream at the conclusion. A moment which will live in immortality. It won’t be to everyone’s taste but its worth the watch just to say you’ve seen it.

‘Such a Blur’ covers the time of Michaels’ drug fuelled last few months in the business in 1998 without actually mentioned why those moments were a blur as the title of the chapter suggests. Picking up at the little known ‘Outside Incident’, where Michaels and DX were in the midst of fans when a battery was thrown at HBK and he stormed out of the public gathering, ‘The Showstopper’ at least admits that he stormed to his limo and drank himself into a stupor later returning to the gathering for the planned spot with Steve Austin. His real life arguments with Vince are uncovered though not gone into greatly and footage of him storming out of the post WrestleMania 14 press conference and ruining it for Austin is shown. It’s gracious of Michaels to admit that he was selfish in that moment and could have done a lot more to aid Austin in becoming the main event star. He can’t seem to get over the fact that he could have done something amazing for Stone Cold but wasn’t in the mindset to do so. You don’t see many wrestlers with the regret of not helping others.

Shawn Michaels vs Stone Cold Steve Austin (WrestleMania XIV, March 29th 1998) isn’t much of a match to be fair and like Michaels states in the previous segment, is the same formula that Austin and Triple H used on Raw in the lead in to the event. However, it does hold memories most notably of Steve Austin winning his first WWE Championship and the punch by Mike Tyson. Michaels’ back was so back here that its painful to watch as he takes bump after bump knowing it must be killing him inside to do so. A competent match which could have been so much better.

Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho (WrestleMania XIX, March 30th 2003) is an unbelievably good match for someone who was still petty fresh off of his comeback. Michaels hasn’t lost any pace here and helps make Chris Jericho a star once again after an unremarkable 2002. Jericho holds up his end of the deal very well, looking like Shawn Michaels in his prime and this is widely regarded as the night Jericho learnt how to help other younger stars, like Michaels helped him. Very fast, very slick and very enjoyable.

‘Great Expectations’ finally gives credit to Kurt Angle for his wrestling ability, even though he is no longer a WWE star. Shawn doesn’t spend too long on the subject supposedly under order from McMahon not to spend a great deal of time talking about another company’s star, but does raise a smile when broaching the subject of not bothering about going over his allocated time in the ring unless Undertaker was on afterwards.

Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle (WrestleMania 21, April 3rd 2005) is nothing short of an exceptional bout which showcases both men’s abilities to the fullest. Though it begins like Michaels WrestleMania 8 bout with Tito Santana, it soon shift up a gear with a lovely Angle Slam into the ring post. From there both men try to one up the other with German Suplex’s, including an attempt from the apron, a wonderful moonsault from the middle rope to the announce table and some brilliant back and forth action it makes you want to stand up and applaud. Sweet Chin Music into Angle Lock is brilliant and the pair build tension with great near falls into the finale which Michaels displays the heart of a warrior. Simply brilliant.

‘The Boss is an...Idiot? is Shawn’s admission that his WrestleMania 22 bout with Vince McMahon was his idea of a night off as he didn’t have to live up to any expectation with a wrestler of equal quality. As Michaels tells of how it backfired and he had to work twice as hard there’re moments which make you smile when he refers to Vince as an idiot who doesn’t listen to his talent so they don’t listen back and his tale of the ladder which was too high so he refused to jump off, but his requests for it to be replaced with a smaller one were ignored by Vince so he ended up doing the stunt anyway, is either funny or highlights Vince’s uncaring nature for his talent. You can decide that one.

Shawn Michaels vs Vince McMahon (WrestleMania 22, April 2nd 2006) was and still is an unexpectedly amazing match which employs all the distractions necessary to cover Vince’s flaws and amuse the audience. From Shawn posting Vince’s head through his own enlarged cover of Muscle and Fitness to shoving Shane McMahon’s head into his fathers exposed arse crack as Vince lives up the moment believing its Michaels, everything has meaning and a great sense of humour to it. That’s not to say that Vince doesn’t play his role because he does to perfection and it’s commendable he’s willing to take such a beating just to put on a good show. The Elbow Drop from the skyscraper of a ladder is just immense and Vince flipping the bird to Shawn as he’s being carried out on a stretcher is priceless.

‘Nobody Could Touch Me’ focuses on a more humble HBK appreciating the limelight and good fortune he got the second time around. Michaels talks in depth about how he wanted John Cena to come out a better man from their WrestleMania 23 bout than he went in is admirable, not many have the intention of going into a match with Cena wanting to make him better, they usually just hope their careers are still in tact. WrestleMania 20 is mentioned but not shown, work that out for consistency. It’s humbling to hear Michaels say that at the end of his career, the pay off was that people wanted to be in the position to face him. That’s a nice touch.

Shawn Michaels vs John Cena (WrestleMania 23, April 1st 2007) is another surprising stunner which John Cena has to be given credit for. His selling throughout this match is almost always brilliant and consistent which is a change, if he could do it here why couldn’t he keep it up? If anything this just proves how much worse John Cena has gotten. A Springboard Moonsault on a standing John Cena is brilliant and he builds the threat of a stalwart legend gunning for gold well. Michaels counters an Attitude Adjustment into a Spinning DDT which is just unbelievable as is the perfectly delivered piledriver on the steel steps which gashes the back of John Cena’s head wide open. It’s not pleasant. Excellent near falls all build the tensions and the final STF is how it should be done, tons of pressure and no space between Cena and opponent.

‘A Bittersweet Situation’ is Shawn Michaels talking about retiring Ric Flair, his childhood role model and icon. HBK’s emotion at Ric Flair’s end is felt by everyone watching this and with tears in his eyes you really feel that Michaels didn’t want to do it. It’s almost a relief when Shawn says he knew that Flair would wrestle again, it could have been awkward between them when Flair got back into the ring in TNA, but that it was special for him because he knew it would be the last time Flair wrestled in WWE and at WrestleMania. I suppose its something. It’s a chuckle when Shawn says that Flair was an emotional wreck all week.

Shawn Michaels vs Ric Flair (WrestleMania 24, March 30th 2008) is still one of the most emotional matches I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s also the last great Ric Flair match in his career. For seventeen plus minutes, Flair once again is ‘The Man’ and he rolls back the years as he fights for his career. Michaels breaking his ribs on the announcers table from a Moonsault is hard viewing and whilst there’s no time to go into the match in itself, Michaels hesitating with Sweet Chin Music and then being almost begged by Flair to bring it on in the end are powerful moments. The most powerful however is Shawn Michaels telling Ric Flair ‘I’m Sorry. I Love you’ before dropping him with Sweet Chin Music and ending Ric Flair’s WWE career at least. It’s a wonderful moment in time my friends because Ric Flair is ready for it to end, for a while at least. His urging Michaels to nail him to end it all, is acceptance. Ric Flair couldn’t have gone out any other way than taunting his opponent to end his career. Bring it on was the message and he left like he fought his entire career. With professionalism and pride. This was the perfect ending of sorts.

‘It’s Disney World! Then It Sucks’ is a very short post-match comment with Shawn Michaels in the studio following his retirement of Ric Flair. Almost in tears, Michaels reveals that he told Flair he loved him after the pinfall and you don’t need to know anymore than that. Because it’s a moment to savour and remember.

‘The Dive’ is the first time that WWE allow a talent to out the fact The Undertaker falling on his head at Mania 25 was a mistake and the cameraman didn’t catch him. It’s amusing when he says that he knew if The Undertaker wasn’t dead then he’d finish the match. Don’t get me wrong it’s not an in depth moment, but it is the first time it’s been covered with the truth.

‘Ready to Come Home’ sees Shawn Michaels reflecting on if his career had ended at WrestleMania 25. His admission that he was ready to come home and help raise his kids is a man, like Ric Flair, accepting his time has come and that he doesn’t need wrestling anymore to fulfil his life. His realisation there is life beyond the ring is a nice, not everyone realises wrestling is just a small part of a bigger picture.

Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker (WrestleMania 25, April 5th 2009) and Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker (WrestleMania 26, March 28th 2010) are both equally brilliant and whilst Mania 25 is a stunner, Mania 26 is the end of Shawn Michaels’ wrestling career and I believe he will stick to the stipulation. Michael Cole has one of the best calls ever when Michaels is coming down the aisle for the final time as a wrestler and Cole belts out “As the sun sets on the Arizona desert, is it setting on the career of Shawn Michaels” what an emotional punch that is knowing how it ends. It’s hard to pick between the two bouts, they both hold great moments and in their own way are both exceptional. However the end of Michaels’ long and storied career which your Wrestling God followed from beginning to end is a highlight. The moment when Undertaker looks down at Shawn, all the sadness in the world on his face and begs his long time friend and nemesis to stay down is so powerful. Like Ric Flair, Shawn goes out as he wrestled his career, defiant. Slapping The Undertaker across the face, Taker drops him with a stunning jumping Tombstone Piledriver. It’s a fitting ending.

‘The Way It’s Supposed to Be’ is Shawn Michaels at peace. There’s no regret here. Nothing he’d go back and do differently and in the end that’s the greatest victory anyone can have. It’s interesting to listen to Shawn sum up his career, saying that his personal victory, after all these years was to elicit sympathy from The Undertaker both professionally and personally. Taking pride in breaking The Undertaker character for a few special moments, Michaels says with a completist smile that he broke the unbreakable. His pride that the character went out the way he’d lived through his career, from underneath, makes you want to stand and applaud; because he’s had a marvellous career which I doubt will ever be matched. His admission that he knows he could still get in the ring and do it now and do it better than anyone is good enough for him.

Weaknesses:

Shawn’s comments about how good The Rockers were, is all very nice and that, but the release doesn’t allow him enough time, by design or mere fate, to enter huge detail. Not just about The Rockers, but about every subject. Had WWE allocated each comment ten minutes, we could have been given stories to remember instead, in some cases, passing comments which have no bearing. Back on The Rocker’s subject, there’s no mention of what their party lifestyle involved. The heavy drugs etc may have been covered on other releases but there’s no reason not to include it here even just in passing. I know WWE don’t want its child audience to know about the darker side of wrestling but I kind of think it could be good for them. If they see what these drugs do to wrestlers they love and respect then they’re less likely to experiment or even try them themselves.

Shawn Michaels vs El Matador (WrestleMania VIII, April 5th 1992) is so boring that with all of its rest holds it could have just come straight out of the 60’s. New as a singles star, you would have thought that Michaels wanted to put on a high flying, pacy show to hammer home what he could do. But he never gets out of second gear. Santana is better than this, but instead of helping the young Michaels he simply puts him in a headlock and sits down for five minutes at a time. It’s just horrible. To make matters even worse, the ending is botched and looks an awful mess. Instead of just falling backwards with Michaels on top, Santana resembles someone who has just been shot, staggering back and slumping to the canvas.

Shawn Michaels vs Tatanka (WrestleMania IX, April 4th 1993) is slightly more exciting than the previous WrestleMania bout but not by much. Tatanka was never Intercontinental Championship material and should never have been pushed into this position. There are moments which break the monotony, such as a great Armdrag by Tatanka as Shawn comes off the top rope but in the end you can’t polish a turd and Tatanka’s flaws show. As the recipient of a Sunset Flip, he botched the move jumping when he only needed to fall, landing square on Michaels chest before he goes to his mind numbing Arm Locks. Once again the ending is a complete hash. Pulling the referee from the ring, Shawn Michaels then gets pinned by Tatanka which the referee goes to count and then rings the bell ruling the match ended via countout. Why bother to go and count the fall then and shouldn’t it have been a disqualification?

‘Young In My Salvation’ doesn’t shed any light on the thought process behind Shawn Michaels returning to the ring at SummerSlam 2002. Instead, it’s made out that Michaels is coerced back by one meeting with Chris Jericho on Raw and goading by both Jericho and Vince that a WrestleMania match would be huge. Yet Michaels returned months before WrestleMania 19 and competed at SummerSlam, Survivor Series and Armageddon 2002 before even getting into anything with Jericho, so someone has gotten their wires crossed somewhere.

‘No Question Marks’ like its predecessor adds nothing to the already well trodden ground of WrestleMania 25. We all know how good it was but this could have done with some background and backstage explanation about why the pair were chosen at Mania 25. There’s nothing here we don’t already know.

Blu-ray Exclusive Extras:

WrestleMania V – April 2nd 1989
The Rockers Talk About The Twin Towers

WrestleMania X – March 20th 1994
Shawn Michaels Talks With Rhonda Sheer
Shawn Michaels With Pamela Anderson

WrestleMania XI – April 2nd 1995
Shawn Michaels and Sid Talk With Nicholas Turturro

WrestleMania XIX – March 30th 2003
Shawn Michaels Post Match Interview

WrestleMania XXVI – March 28th 2010
Shawn Michaels Says Goodbye Backstage

Friends Leaving the Company
Because You’re a Girl
One Demand For Ric
The ‘Flair’ Watch?
Hell to Pay
At Least the Dude’s Got Balls
End of an Era
Mr. WrestleMania vs The Streak
The Shawn Michaels Encore Tour
WrestleMania Wish List
Flair – Michaels – Jericho

Conclusion:

‘Shawn Michaels – Mr. WrestleMania’ is an excellent collection of Shawn Michaels WrestleMania matches even if it is incomplete. Being touted as every WrestleMania match HBK ever had, there is one glaring omission in WrestleMania 20 simply because it involved Chris Benoit. Now WWE are showing Benoit’s matches on the WWE Network and he’s been featured on other releases even if the commentary has been edited out where it mentions his name, there is no reason to have left this match off. Unless of course someone simply couldn’t be bothered to sit and edit out the commentary with his name in it. But then just leave it in and stop trying to short change us.

The only real problem I have with this release is that the links between matches are too short. Apart from including his fabulous farewell speech the night after WrestleMania 26, this couldn’t really get any better, but then thanks to the subject matter it was always going to be of very high quality. Every bout after WrestleMania 14 is of excellent quality though now there is nothing else WWE can release on Shawn Michaels, they’ve done it all. So now let’s leave the past where it is and move on to releases on newer stars or failing that older stars we haven’t had releases of yet such as British Bulldog.

It has its flaws, but in the end you cannot deny its brilliance.

Rating: A



Next Time In Review Corner: WWE TLC 2013 DVD and Blu-ray


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