A – Excellent
B – Good
C – Mediocre
D – Avoid
Release Date: June 9th 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:
The
thirtieth anniversary of the biggest wrestling event ever to be staged. Held on
April 6th 2014 from the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana,
WrestleMania XXX boasts an array of matches including the culmination of Daniel
Bryan’s journey from ‘rookie’ to superstar, The Undertaker defending the streak
against Brock Lesnar and John Cena vs Bray Wyatt plus much more. Both the DVD
and Blu-ray versions include the WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony in its entirety.
Strengths:
From
WrestleMania XXX:
The
opening video to WrestleMania XXX which depicts a New Orleans street party
fuses old footage with new wrestlers so we get a blend of what WWE have been
drilling into us over the past year; namely then, now, forever. WWE have done
such a good job with this footage that Bobby Heenan and Andre the Giant on
their float from WrestleMania III, Shawn Michaels zip wiring from WrestleMania
XII and Stone Cold Steve Austin holding the WWE Championship aloft from
WrestleMania XIV all look as if they’re transpiring there and then instead of
being cut in. It is very well done.
Hulk
Hogan Celebrates with Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock kicks of
WrestleMania XXX in style. Hammering home the nostalgic effect, one cannot
begin to explain the feeling watching Hogan walk that aisle again even though
I’m not a fan as many will already know. As the WrestleMania set turns red and
yellow for him the atmosphere is one which anyone would want to be part of.
Hogan fluffs his lines calling the Superdome the Silverdome but the
commentators cover for him perfectly and the moment Hogan realises he’s wrong
is a glorious one. Stone Cold pops the arena more than Hulk Hogan does and is
pure magic on the microphone. Both he and the audience lap up the ‘What?’
moments with ease and it just goes to prove that he hasn’t lost the touch even
though for some reason he seems to think Hulk Hogan was at WrestleMania X which
he wasn’t. If Hulk Hogan excited fans and Steve Austin popped them then The
Rock simply blows the roof off of the arena seeing as he wasn’t scheduled to
appear. Standing in the ring with the two men he beat at WrestleMania is almost
the perfect send off for The Rock should he decide his time in the business is
done. Both his trio of matches with Austin were all scorchers and his match
with Hogan was just WrestleMania perfection even though the actual bout may not
have been. The three defining stars of WrestleMania over the last thirty years
have a ball with each other and the moment The Rock points out the
transcendence of generations and likeness to current stars you actually see
that John Cena is the modern day Hulk Hogan and Daniel Bryan is current day
Steve Austin. Shouting their catchphrases and sharing a beer isn’t just a magic
way to begin the event but it also puts a nice full stop at the end of one era,
signalling the coming of a new one. Excellent all around.
Daniel
Bryan vs Triple H is one of the best matches on the entire card and is
technically perfect as it was always going to be. To see the entire 75,000
strong, at least that’s how many WWE tell us is there, chanting ‘Yes’ in unison
is something which has to be seen to be appreciated. Both men are flawless in
execution and selling, whilst Triple H proves he hasn’t lost a step in a nearly
a year and Stephanie is as good as she ever was at his side though her outfit
and now official title of ‘Hottest Milf in the Universe’ tends to distract
somewhat, in a good way you understand. The pair build Bryan’s underdog story
to perfection and Triple H looks every inch the cocky heel as the match begins
following his stunning entrance which is the best of the night. Logical and
tense throughout, Triple H finally pays back everything he took from the
business by putting its future headliner over clean in the middle of the ring.
It’s the way it should be done.
The
Shield vs Kane and The New Age Outlaws may be very short but it’s also very
watchable and at times exciting. Naturally, Roman Reigns is built to be the
star but everyone gets their licks in and for such a swift bout you wonder how
they pack in so much. Kane needs to put something on his top which he did after
WrestleMania but apart from that, even the Outlaws do a fine job of getting the
future stars over. The final double triple Powerbomb is visually brilliant.
WWE
legends playing Slam City Figures is usually the kind of thing we’d criticise
but what the hell, it’s WrestleMania. To be fair it is fairly entertaining
especially when Ted Dibiase turns up brandishing the dollars in his Million
Dollar Man costume whilst Ron Simmons and his ‘Damn’ get the biggest cheer.
Andre
the Giant Memorial Battle Royal is a watchable affair. It begins resembling any
and every other battle royal with too many men in the ring to care about. Most,
such as Yoshi ‘Remember Me’ Tatsu, Brodus ‘How Am I Still Employed’ Clay and
The Great ‘Someone Put Me Out of My Misery’ Khali are out early which is best
all around and how is it right that only the most important get an entrance and
the rest are in the ring as the match opens? Alberto Del Rio may not as well be
there for what he does and you don’t see The Miz until he’s tossed. The bout picks
up towards its conclusion and less and less wrestlers remain though Big E.
should have lasted longer as Intercontinental Champion. Cesaro’s elimination of
Rey Mysterio is excellent and the man is a highlight of the bout. Kofi dazzles
with and brilliant elimination attempt landing with his feet on the steps, at
least he’ll be remembered for his innovation in these types of matches if
nothing else. Fans boo Dolph Ziggler’s elimination, there’s still an audience
for him whilst Cesaro’s slam elimination on Big Show is very impressive and a
turning point for the future generation.
The
Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar may be visually unspectacular but because of its
ending it deserves a place in this category. The Undertaker’s entrance with 22
coffins is a great one and Paul Heyman is on top of his game but there is very
little else to boast about here. The submission holds are not in the least part
tense and the near falls seem tame to what we’ve become accustom to. This
certainly won’t go down as the finest match ever and The Undertaker looks tired
and worn out, but the ending is memorable. After playing out to almost silence
for the most part, Brock Lesnar’s final F5 is one of shock and the looks on
people’s faces when the referee counts to three are just brilliant. There s an
air of closure throughout the match but no ones reactions beat that of Paul
Heyman. He is just brilliant and his reaction to the outcome says it all. The
Undertaker receives a wonderful ovation from the crowd and rightly so along
with chants of ‘Thank You Taker’ though the one guy who yells ‘You Suck’ and
makes his boos audibly heard needs a kick in the head. I would recommend, that
even though Lesnar was the wrong man to end the streak and it should have gone
to someone younger who could have benefitted from it and even if Lesnar was on
a path to the WWE Championship it would have been questionable, that Undertaker
calls it a day. He’s been vital to is as fans and the company and to see him
look visibly older at the outcome then he did when he walked that aisle is a
sad moment. It’s not how we want to remember him. Either one last hurrah next
year in an unforgettable match or leave now on some kind of uplifting note
would be the best way to go. Saying that, can someone like The Undertaker really
go out with a whimper? Fans reactions to the Lesnar victory which chants of
‘Bullshit’ tell us everything we need to know. Fans knew it should have gone to
someone it could have benefitted if it had to end at all. The standing ovation
will leave a lump in your throat.
Vickie
Guerrero’s Divas Invitational Championship Match doesn’t begin with a lot of
hope, once again there are too many women in the ring who either don’t have the
talent or don’t belong there. You could be forgiven for believing this is going
to be a wholly awful encounter and certainly it’s the impression which falls
over the audience who greet this bout with apathy from the onset. A.J is the
most popular wrestler here naturally and though we don’t see enough of her,
surprisingly The Bella Twins stand out with some fine moves including a double
dive to the outside and their exchanges with each other aren’t half bad either.
Once the match is whittled down to just a couple of Divas then the quality
begins to shine through though sadly it doesn’t last long enough to be truly
great. A.J doesn’t do enough before winning which is a shame as it’s her
everyone came to see in this match. It’s very watchable just don’t expect
anything truly miraculous.
Roddy
Piper and Paul Orndorff’s stare down with Hulk Hogan and Mr. T backstage before
the main event is a fitting conclusion if you like, to the last thirty years.
As the pair shakes hands and hug it’s almost a full stop on the old generation
which allows the company to move forward with a new one. It’s very well done
and ends finally with the hand shake and hug between Roddy Piper and Mr. T.
This is poignant stuff even if many don’t see it to begin with.
Randy
Orton vs Daniel Bryan vs Batista is a thrilling triple threat match for the WWE
World Heavyweight Championship. More than that, it’s conclusion of Daniel
Bryan’s journey to the summit and one which can be celebrated for years to
come. What we have here is a match so well executed from beginning to end that
it will wring every last drop of emotion from you before handing you a reward
of epic proportions. If you’ve followed Bryan’s journey from beginning to end
then your life won’t be complete until you’ve seen this, it simple has to be
viewed. It would also be a great hook to draw back lapsed fans whom only
purchase WrestleMania once a year to get that nostalgic feeling. Right from the
very beginning it has that big fight feel to it and whilst my notes were a
whole page long I will give you the edited highlights. Daniel Bryan puts in a
true underdog performance as the injured party going into this and his battle
is nothing but inspiring. This is the first time since SummerSlam where Randy
Orton has looked like a real champion and Batista gives the performance of his
life to ensure fans go away happy. You see when WWE get it right, no one does
it better. The underdog story is played on to great effect with Triple H and
Stephanie interfering but getting their comeuppance when Bryan blasts the pair
with a suicide dive injuring Stephanie in the process before levelling Triple H
with a sledgehammer shot which serves as sweet revenge. There are some
excellent reversals here such as Bran’s reversal of the Batista Bomb in the
very beginning turning into a Hurricanrana. Michael Cole has the cheek to say
that Undertaker made Batista when he didn’t, Triple H did. When it begins to
look like Bryan is being screwed out of the gold a huge chant of ‘C.M Punk’
goes up and out of everyone who hates The Authority no one tries to come and
rescue him. But then that isn’t how it needed to go down. Bryan had to do it
all on his own for a real victory. The real masterpiece of the match though is
the stunning Batista Bomb / RKO through the announce table which is beyond
words great even though Orton lands hard on a concealed monitor and slices his
back open. Bryan inspires the arena when the EMT’s try to carry him away on a
stretcher and he refuses in true hero tradition to leave, rolling off and
crawling with everything he has back to the ring. There’s a wonderful moment
amongst the tense near falls where Batista tries a spear which Orton jumps and
‘The Animal’ hits Bryan only to turn immediately into an RKO. Bryan’s
eventually victory is nothing but eye watering if you’ve been following this
from beginning to end. The fact that WWE finally gave us what we wanted has to
be a turning point in the company. The scene of Bryan leading a ‘Yes’ chant
which takes in the whole arena is one which will be played for the next 50
years. It’s a WrestleMania moment to his journey come full circle and the best
way to round off the grandest stage of them all. It’s an even bigger victory
when you realise that through our pushing and complaining, we did this.
From
the Hall of Fame Ceremony:
The
opening video to this years Hall of Fame is a respectful and poignant one,
setting the tone for the ceremony itself. The voice over guy rightly states
that “All have earned their spot in history. Their night to stand with legends”
and refreshingly this year, all of them have and yes that includes Mr. T for
reasons explained in the next category.
Lita
is the first to accept her place in the hallowed halls and apart from Trish
Stratus who inducts her I can’t think of a more deserving female. Trish is
funny and lovable in her induction and Lita is just smoking hot in her fiery
red dress. For the most part she manages to hold the speech together but it
goes overtime and takes away from other inductees which is a shame. Lita’s
attempts at humour don’t go down as well as she hoped they would but who cares,
this is her night as much as it The Ultimate Warrior’s. Lita covers her
entrance into the industry in much depth and it tends to drag in places but she
thanks the right people and rightfully the Hardy Boyz who helped make her a
star. Randy Orton looks wholly unimpressed but Lita’s stories are good and if
you loved her or even respect her then you’ll lap this up.
Jake
‘The Snake’ Roberts finally takes his place amongst the greatest and it’s long
overdue. In the video package Vince pays tribute to him saying that Jake had a
range and delivery like no other before going on to say he was a great
psychologist. DDP inducts him and is a ball with jokes and stories galore
before the man himself enters to a rightfully respectful ovation. Jake’s voice
is well and truly knackered but it doesn’t stop him delivering one of the best
and rawest speeches you’ll ever here from an inductee. Jake makes us laugh with
stories and cry with the stark truth of what his life was. He leaves no stone
unturned and he should be credited for that. Jake talks about taking drugs and
drinking himself to near death and wanting to die, being jealous of his friends
who had passed. Jake touches upon his failures as a father and admits he hated
wrestling because of his father and then did the same thing to his kids as his
dad did to him. You’ll feel your heart break for him when he admits “It hurts
because I can’t play anymore” before delivering one of the best pieces of
advise any wrestler will hear with the line; “my heart and mind still want it but
it reaches a point where you can’t do it justice anymore”. This is Jake’s
therapy session and it makes this a highlight for it. He touches upon thoughts
of suicide taking the audience on an emotional journey the likes I have never
been on before, before ending on a high. The torture on his face is plain to
see but it’s one of the biggest victories you’ll ever have as a fan when he
announces that thanks to DDP who saved his life, he’s happy. Bringing his
grandson up onto the stage is an eye watering moment but this night belongs to
Jake, who after so many demons has finally come full circle. It’s a fitting
ending for one wrestling’s greatest talents.
Paul
Bearer, one of wrestling’s greatest managers is inducted by Kane who decided
that seventeen years after his debut he’ll now be funny. Kane is wonderful in
his induction of Bearer and though it’s short you’ll be shocked at the size of
one of Bearer’s sons. Did he learn nothing from his father? His other son does
a great impression of his father before The Undertaker caps it off the only way
he could by holding up the earn and saluting Bearer for everything he did for
both him and Kane. They wouldn’t have been the stars they were without him.
Razor
Ramon is a personal highlight for your Wrestling God. As a huge fan of Ramon it
was a treat to see him inducted. Scott Hall is one of the most underrated
wrestlers of all time. Sean Waltman does him justice by stating that anyone who
stepped into the ring with him came out ten times better before rightly crediting
Hall with making the 123 Kid a star which he did. Kevin Nash is a ball of
laughter in his induction alluding with sarcasm to his ‘prestigious Vinnie
Vegas gimmick’ before again rightfully crediting Hall with the success of
Diesel. He says that Shawn Michaels took him to the top but Razor Ramon kept
him there. It’s been too long since we heard that music play in an arena and
it’s good to hear it again. Hall looks so good that you wouldn’t know he’d been
on the alcohol and other drugs for years before getting clean; it’s a testament
to the man himself. His speech is short but he drops every popular catchphrase
he ever used to spout and proves he hasn’t lost it. His summation is one of the
very best as he goes on to say; “Hard work pays off; dreams come true; bad
times don’t last, but bad guys do”. Nothing short of excellent.
Carlos
Colon isn’t a name you’d readily associate with wrestling greatness but if you
knew what he did for the industry you’d know he deserves his place here. Whilst
Colon does his speech mostly in Puerto Rican it’s Carlito who has been gone too
long who provides the entertainment alluding to WWE sticking his family on in
an unimportant spot sandwiched between Hall and the Warrior and receiving a
time cut, saying “It’s like I never left”. That gets a huge laugh from the fans
and wrestlers who know it’s true.
The
Ultimate Warrior’s induction is made ever more poignant because we now know how
it ends for him three days later. Seeing him with his daughters makes the whole
situation even more tragic but this is a moment of celebration and rightly so.
The speech is long and passionate so I won’t tell you all of it but some of the
best bits include telling his daughters that no matter how big The Ultimate
Warrior is, the most awesome thing he’ll ever do is be their father; seemingly
geninually upset about the Self Destruction DVD and wittily replying to the
customary ‘One More Match’ chant with “You’re just being kind”. Warrior is
correct when he says there should be a place in the Hall of Fame for those not
seen backstage and even goes as far as to mention a name for the award which
should be implemented next year in memory of him as it was his idea. He thanks
the fans for believing in him and fighting back against the lies before taking
the speech in a different direction with some of the most inspiration quotes
you’ll hear. “You can determine your success by how much you’re willing to put
into it” he quips before regaling us with his skills as a storyteller. His
final quote is maybe the most poignant and one every wrestler should and it
appears did on the night, listen to. Signing off Warrior says, “What this
company needs, it needs people who have their time here and when that time
comes that it’s no more they step up to the next level and help the younger
generation come up” that gets an approval round of applause as it should before
Warrior sums up with “To the younger guys, let me say this. The writing is
already on the wall. Your time is going to come and go. It’s not going to be
personal it’s just going to be the way it is and you need to use this
opportunity to prepare yourself for all the other incredible things you can
still do in your life beyond here in the ring”. What a wonderful way to say
goodbye.
From
the Extras:
The
Usos vs Rybaxel vs The Real Americans vs Los Matadores is the WrestleMania
Pre-show match and one which is so good it deserves a place on the main card.
This has to be the longest pre show match ever, at nearly 25 minutes but it
serves the match very well. Ryback looks awful in everything he does but that’s
the only down point. The interaction between all teams is of the highest
quality and this is just what WWE need on a regular basis to get the doubles
division back into the spotlight. One of the highlights is the dog pile on the
outside which ends with some excellent dives from the top rope including a great
crossbody electric chair onto the pile from El Torito onto Axel and the massed
crowd. Fans pop for Cesaro and his elimination of Ryback which he looks adept at
and the final few minutes between The Real Americans and The Usos is just
stunning back and forth action. The only gripe I have is that Cesaro is chosen
to the do the job to split the Real Americans the next night. It didn’t do him
or the Usos who were booed for beating Cesaro any good.
‘WrestleMania’s
30 Greatest Moments’ is a twenty minute countdown. There’s no indication of how
this was worked out but it’s a nice time filler and information piece for newer
fans. Only the top five get talking heads and spoiler alert, The Streak is
number one which is baffling since that is twenty one spate moments and not
just one but hey, it’s WrestleMania. We can overlook the inconsistency.
‘Hulk
Hogan Discusses WrestleMania’ is a decent four minute interview where The
Hulkster talks to Michael Cole. Hulk seems humble about being back and says
that this stint is the full stop he’s been looking for. You will walk away from
this with the impression that he’s ready to step away from the spotlight now
and leave his legend as something untouchable. It’s a nice sentiment. Michael
Cole fabricates history again by stating Hogan headlined 9 WrestleMania’s when
he only headlined 8, WrestleMania IV Hulk Hogan was mid-card and only appeared
to help Savage in the main event. He didn’t fight in it. Hogan speaks with love
about Andre the Giant and is correct when he says they put the company on Mr.
T’s shoulders at WrestleMania 1. Had T failed to draw enough interest the event
would have failed. It’s the most humble I’ve ever seen Hulk and it serves this
well.
‘Batista
Reflects on His WWE Return’ is mostly candid and again only lasts four minutes.
He speaks about not caring if fans booed him or cheered him and that he was
going to stick around out of spite. Some of this is done in character and I
hope its something that is rectified for his forthcoming three disc box set
because if all of that is done in character then it won’t be getting a great
rating. Here, because it’s short, it doesn’t quite matter as much. Batista is
funny when he talks about being flattered Triple H thinks of him as a Hollywood
star but then raises the ire of everyone by saying Daniel Bryan isn’t the real
deal and that the ‘Yes Movement’ is just a fad. For some reason he seems to
think because he’s bigger than Bryan then Bryan stands no chance. This is a
weak point.
‘John
Cena Confronts His Fear’ is a watchable four minute interview with John Cena
and Michael Cole in which Cena pulls off concern maybe better than he’s ever
sold anything in his life. Cena says that he wants to leave the WWE a better
place than when he found it and when the conversation turns to Bray Wyatt Cena
admits that he’s scared of Wyatt because the leader of The Wyatt Family came in
and targeted him and his legacy and tried to make a monster out of him.
Something needed to be done. Cena seems especially worried when mentioned that
people are listening to Bray Wyatt and thankfully this is done without a smirk.
If Cena was more like this in interviews then he would be much more tolerable.
The only down point though is when Cena mentions if he loses to Bray at
WrestleMania then his legacy will be in ruins and he’ll be back at square one.
No he wouldn’t have been. There’s nothing that can tarnish his career now
except maybe something scandalous in the region of Jimmy Saville’s recent
revelations.
‘A.J
Lee vs The World’ doesn’t last long but is a stern and well delivered promo
from the femme fatal. A.J is believable in her convictions and says that
because of her the Divas Division was forced to rebuild itself. It’s great
material.
Weaknesses:
From
WrestleMania XXX:
John
Cena vs Bray Wyatt is a disappointment. It sparks in places but for the most
part it never gets going and the punch / kick formula which is present for most
of the bout is something you’d expect to see at WrestleMania 25 years ago. Bray
Wyatt is the favourite with the fans but it’s those same fans that ruin several
tense spots by singing ‘He’s Got the Whole World in his Hands’ often led by
Bray in what admittedly becomes a funny offering. John Cena’s selling is
horrendous here as usual and though the commentators state that his legacy
would be ruined by a loss here its bullshit. A loss to Wyatt would have done no
harm to and already cemented legacy and would have been furthered by putting
over the next generation as others did on the night. In fact John Cena was the
only stalwart not to put a new generation star over, he should be ashamed. The
reversals are clunky and only one stands out, which is a Powerbomb from Cena’s
flying leg drop.
From
the Hall of Fame:
Only
Mr. T’s induction fails to live up to its hype. Instead of talking about his
experiences in wrestling he goes on and on about God and his mother to
maddening effect. Before the end you can finish his sentences for him and it
sounds more like a sermon than an induction speech. It’s great he loves his
mother, we all do. But here isn’t the time to preach it. Worse, Mr. T goes over
his time with the same things over and over again before Kane is sent out to
get him off. T should have been told to cut the speech to allow him a proper
ending which should have included finally shaking Roddy Piper’s hand for the
world to see. At the thirtieth WrestleMania it would have been the cherry on
top of the icing had a real life feud been put to bed which began at the very
first.
From
the Extras:
‘Stephanie
McMahon and Triple H Reveal the WrestleMania XXX Set’ is exactly what the title
says it is. By this point you will have already watched the show and seen the
set for four hours which means this holds no interest at all. At one minute and
a half its not long enough to do anything meaningful and a making of the set
feature would have been much better and given us much more respect for how much
work goes into making something as big as that.
‘Randy
Orton Speaks On Becoming the Face of WWE’ maddeningly doesn’t have anything to
do with the title of the piece. Randy Orton speaks on Daniel Bryan and says he
didn’t consider himself a technically gifted wrestler, not once does he mention
being the face of WWE. Worse, this is all done in character. We could have
forgiven had it been partly done in character but all of it? Not good enough.
Orton re-iterates Batista’s feelings about the ‘Yes Movement’ and Daniel Bryan.
It covers the same ground with nothing new to say.
‘The
History of Andre the Giant’ and ‘A Look at Hulk Hogan’s Illustrious History’
are both three minute sugar coated waste of times. There’s nothing here for
long time fans to indulge in and everything in both of these are sugar coated
and has been covered numerous times before. They both focus on the WrestleMania
III clash and would have both been much better had WWE included a timeline for
both men and extended the segments by ten minutes each.
‘The
Streak vs The Beast’ is the basic promo for the bout WWE showed on weekly
television before WrestleMania XXX. At one minute and thirty seconds it’s good
for a promotion but not so great for an extra. WWE could have included a twenty
minute history of both men here taking in their 2002 / 2003 feud as well as
their confrontation at UFC. It would have been much better. As this is the
biggest release of the year, there’s no reason not to add a fourth disc if
necessary or extend the running time.
DVD and Blu-ray Special
Features:
WWE Hall of Fame
Ceremony 2014
Lita
Jake
‘The Snake’ Roberts
Mr.
T
Paul
Bearer
Razor
Ramon
Carlos
Colon
The
Ultimate Warrior
WrestleMania XXX
Pre-Show Match
WWE Tag Team
Championship Match
Fatal Four Way Match
The
Usos vs Rybaxel vs The Real Americans vs Los Matadores
Top
30 Greatest WrestleMania Moments
Hulk
Hogan Discusses WrestleMania
Triple
H and Stephanie McMahon Reveal the WrestleMania XXX Set
Batista
Reflects on His Return to WWE
Randy
Orton Speaks on Becoming the Face of WWE
The History of Andre the Giant
The History of Andre the Giant
The
Streak vs The Beast
A
Look at Hulk Hogan’s Storied Career
John
Cena Confronts His Fears
A.J
Lee vs The World
Blu-ray Exclusive Extras:
All
That Is Left Is The Game
Bruno
Sammartino Unveils His Statue
Conclusion:
WrestleMania
XXX has to be the best WrestleMania since XXIV and even if there was no payoff
it would be a necessity for the occasion alone. Thankfully however, there is a
massive payoff for fans who have followed Daniel Bryan from the beginning or
even just from SummerSlam 2013 onwards. This is the payoff to everything we’ve
been put through and when it finally comes it’s a moment to celebrate. WWE
could have done Daniel Bryan a favour here by not booking The Undertaker’s
streak to end on the same show as it seems like they all god around a table and
asked the question ‘what can we do to overshadow Daniel Bryan’, but at least
its here and at least WWE listed to us for once. Let’s hope they do so in the
future as well because what we wanted brought about one of the greatest WrestleMania
moments.
Below
Daniel Bryan’s victory, WrestleMania XXX is a night which will be remembered as
the night the older generation passed the torch down to the younger generation.
It was evident in almost every match that the older gave way to the younger and
it makes for a better show and a better platform on which to build the next
generation off of. Triple H passed over to Daniel Bryan, The New Age Outlaws
and Kane passed over to The Shield, Big Show passed over to Cesaro, The
Undertaker passed over to whomever comes next seeing as Lesnar can’t profit
from the victory and the only one who didn’t was John Cena to Bray Wyatt but
that was expected.
As
for the extras, the Hall of Fame is the main attraction and it’s one of the
best in many years. With everyone inducted deserving their accolade its
impossible not to smile when watching this and seeing both Jake Roberts and
Scott Hall alive and well makes the whole experience a joyful one. However some
of the other extras included don’t quite live up to the hype of the rest of the
disc and it’s noticeable. WWE should have included Paige’s Divas Championship
victory and The Ultimate Warrior’s final promo from Raw the next night.
You
can’t fail to not want this. Even had it been awful you’d have brought it
because it’s WrestleMania and everyone wants to experience it. Thankfully
though, this is one of the better ones and because of Daniel Bryan’s journey’s
end and The Undertaker’s streak ending its one which necessitates a purchase to
say you saw it and that you own it.
Rating: A
Next Time in Review
Corner: WWE Batista – The Animal Unleashed DVD
and Blu-ray
Onwards
and upwards...
