A – Excellent
B – Good
C – Mediocre
D –Avoid
Release Date: July 21st 2014
Available From: www.wwedvd.co.uk
Price:
DVD £12.99
Blu-ray £13.99
(Prices from www.wwedvd.co.uk high
street prices will vary)
Format Reviewed:
DVD
(Also available on Blu-ray)
What It’s About:
WWE’s
Extreme Rules 2014 event from the Izod Centre in East Rutherford, New Jersey on
May 4th 2014 featuring Daniel Bryan vs Kane for the WWE World Heavyweight
Championship in an Extreme Rules Match, John Cena vs Bray Wyatt inside a Steel
Cage and Paige’s first ever WWE pay-per view bout, plus much more.
Strengths:
Beginning
as always with the best match of the night, The Shield vs Evolution is a
stunning six man tag team bout which is on par and in some parts exceeds The
Shield’s brilliant outing with The Wyatt Family at Elimination Chamber.
Technical to begin with before degenerating into an all out hardcore brawl, all
six men excel and even Batista looks a million dollars when he gets involved
because he simple doesn’t have to carry the bout. It’s a while before Roman
Reigns is introduced to the bout, yet when he enters it’s as if the company’s
biggest star has arrived. Fans want Reigns to succeed and so do the company.
Kicking out of the Pedigree lends Reigns a star like quality. The final third
of the bout is nothing but jaw dropping action as the fight spills into the
crowd and features a double announce table run and leap into the audience by
Dean Ambrose and a sumptuous balcony dive by Seth Rollins which is just
sublime. Roman Reigns is rightly given the go ahead to pin comprehensively pin
Batista with the spear, though it should have been Triple H looking at the
lights for ultimate effect.
Rob
Van Dam vs Jack Swagger vs Cesaro is a great opener which perfectly sets the
tone for the evening. Paul Heyman receives a hero’s reception and is loudly
cheered when he mentions that WWE gets it right only one night per year, but
fans turn on him fast when he once again mentions Brock Lesnar ending The
Undertaker’s streak. Just imagine what this could have done for a young
upstart. Cesaro though gets a massive reception and rightly so, though his
theme tune sounds like that of a jobber. The bout boasts some terrific moves
and counters and RVD’s monkey flip to Cesaro onto Jack Swagger is just mouth
watering. Laughable, before he’s eliminated, the commentators strike again by
stating that Jack Swagger headlined WrestleMania with Alberto Del Rio when in
actual fact the pair were thrown onto the mid-card with no thought or care.
When Jack Swagger is eliminated in a flowing and breathtaking segment which
involves a wonderful diving springboard uppercut by Cesaro as Swagger has RVD
in the patriot lock, the match dips in tempo slightly but never loses its
sparkle. Even though they’ve already explained the elimination rules, the
commentators seemed baffled as to what’s happened when Jack Swagger is pinned;
idiots, but Cesaro and RVD manage to claw back the credibility. RVD misses a 5
Star onto a trash can and cuts his eye hard way whilst the match ending
Neutralizer onto the can is pitch perfect. One again, the commentators take a
cheap shot at Paul Heyman with the line, “it’s time to take the trash out. Get
Paul Heyman in there!”
Big
E vs Bad News Barrett for the WWE Intercontinental Championship is another
decent bout, but sadly Big E is overshadowed by Barrett’s popularity with the
audience. It’s the first time I’ve heard an Intercontinental Championship match
greeted with such enthusiasm and Barrett’s character and catchphrase have
really caught on. Had he not been injured then he may have hit the stratosphere
with this character. When he returns, you can bet his opening line of ‘I’m
afraid I’ve got some bad news’ will be greeted with enthusiasm once again. If
he’s recovered to compete on the November UK tour, he’ll be a hometown hero. As
for the match, it’s well put together and apart from a momentary pause when the
pair work a rest hold it’s mostly all go. Langston impresses with a spear from
inside to out and Barrett’s final bull hammer elbow which I still believe isn’t
strong enough to be a finisher, gets a huge ovation as does his victory.
Paige
vs Tamina is a solid if unexciting bout. Tamina has really passed her best in
the ring whilst Paige looks slightly embarrassed to have to scream every two
minutes to get the crowd involved. The action is all good, Paige is agile and
it’s good to see her pay-per view debut so long after she joined NXT. Tamina
slamming her against the barricade, Paige’s hurricanrana slam and final
submission attempt are the highlights of the bout. The grungy, sexy, sultry
Paige is going placed in WWE and her feud with A.J should propel her further
than she every dreamed of.
Daniel
Bryan vs Kane isn’t quite the quality of WrestleMania XXX’s main event but it’s
still watchable. Lacking pace and logic in parts it’s an agreeable Extreme
Rules Match which doesn’t really get going until the pair find their way
backstage which the audience boo. I know they’ve paid to see the wrestlers but
when they venture backstage its exciting for us watching at home. Destroying
cars and Daniel Bryan finding a convenient crowbar in the boot of a car under
the tyre section where he knows exactly where to look for it is a sign of
things to come and the highlight of the bout is Bryan carrying Kane back to the
ring on a crane. An angle Brock Lesnar and Big Show used at Judgment Day 2003.
Bryan’s diving headbutt off of the crane is maddening stuff seeing as his neck
was legitimately injured and not just in the storyline but sadly he neglects to
sell the injury, both the storyline one and real one even when he’s choke
slammed and tombstoned onto a chair. The final sequence is very good, involving
a flaming table.
From
the Special Features:
Hornswoggle
vs El Torito in the pre-show WWELC Match is good for what its worth but not
much else. It’s a stunt show with midgets thought I won’t deny the mini props
such as the mini tables, ladders, chairs, announce table, referee, ring announcer
and commentators are a nice touch. This is all comic relief however though it
does leave that lasting impression. When El Torito is leading the show, the
bout is really good, his high flying is something to witness and the pair use
the props to their advantage. 3MB are taken out of the bout with precision and
there are some cracking stunt moves on display, such as El Torito hitting a
crossbody onto Jinder Mahal who is perched on Los Matadores’ shoulders on the
apron and through stacked tables at ringside ad the seated senton through a
table to finish is divine. The only thing that really lets the bout down is the
feeling WWE have shoved this out as a freak show and the dire commentary by the
midget commentators and Jerry Lawler who predictably wheels out every midget
joke you can possible imagine. The dwarf commentators absurdly say this match
reminds them of Savage / Steamboat at WrestleMania III before Jerry Lawler, who
has been witness to some of the greatest matches of our time moronically states
that this one of the greatest matches he’s ever witnessed.
‘Bray
Wyatt’s Post-Match Press Conference’ is the opposite of Daniel Bryan’s openly
staged and scripted sit down interview also included on this release.
Drastically shorter in time, Bray Wyatt is genuinely unnerving as he chastises
the WWE member of staff who has been planted to ask questions. This is well
acted.
Weaknesses:
Alexander
Rusev vs Xavier Woods and R-Truth is painfully dull. Apart from Truth’s moments
of fleeting offence this is a complete squash match, in which Rusev takes the
pair apart completely, dismantling their careers in the process. If Rusev is
going to be the monster WWE envisage him as, he needs something better than
this and not Jack Swagger. Rusev could be a great foil for John Cena who
thrived in a rivalry with the late Umaga and had some great matches. This
though is not his calling. If WWE want him to develop he needs something better
than this rubbish.
Bray
Wyatt vs John Cena is absolutely feeble. Beginning with a questionable video
package in which The Wyatt Family are shown being taken apart by John Cena who
shows no care for their progress by his actions, it’s a godsend to see how good
Wyatt was in the hype for this match. Amusingly, John Cena gets booed out of
the building and during his entrance the entire arena sings ‘He’s Got the Whole
World in His Hands’ to the point it’s difficult to hear Cena’s music. Bray
Wyatt’s entrance is greeted as if a warrior has returned home victorious from
battle. It’s quite the spectacle to witness. Sadly, the match isn’t. Cena’s
selling is just terrible and after a barrage of abuse he simply stands and
smirks. Once again, it’s left to The Wyatt Family to try and save Bray when he
should have done it on its own, though it makes little difference seeing as
Cena runs through all three like they mean nothing. The logic of the bout is
all wrong. Built around Cena’s fear of Wyatt, it should have been Cena
constantly trying to get out of the door away from his attacker and Bray Wyatt
dragging him back for more punishment. It would have made for great viewing and
made Wyatt look like a monster. The commentators make this bout even worse, as
after JBL explains that the WWE Universe has taken to Wyatt’s message, Jerry
Lawler turns around and asks if the fans are following Wyatt. Isn’t it about
time someone called him a taxi? This is just horrible. There’s no flow and
everything seems like its running at two miles an hour. The victory may have
done Bray Wyatt some good and the match may have been memorable had Wyatt
beaten Cena at WrestleMania XXX also, but this is next to useless. The only
memorable moment in the entire match is the eerie and creepy finale in which
the arena blacks out, and the child who looks like he’s straight from a horror
film sings ‘He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands’ in a dubbed over voice
straight in Cena’s face. Cena’s reaction is at least fitting though between the
time he steps between the ropes and the child appearing in the blackout, Cena
could have easily exited the ring.
From
the Special Features:
‘The
Shield Discuss Their Match With Renee Young’ is a worthless piece of television
and only runs for around thirty seconds. Roman Reigns shouts at Triple H
through the camera and then the three walk away.
‘Daniel
Bryan’s Post Match Press Conference’ is a laughable piece of footage. The table
is clearly set up in a studio backstage and the questions all come from the
same man and woman who affect different voices. I assume they’re WWE staff. The
questions and answers have clearly been scripted as they’re all about the
events of the storyline and match as if they’re real. It’s almost painful to
sit and watch someone as switched on as Bryan sit through this. There are
references to his time on the independent scene but these aren’t worth sitting
through four and a half minutes of painfully blatant kayfabe.
DVD and Blu-ray Extras:
Extreme Rules Kick-Off
Match
WWELC Match
Hornswoggle
vs El Torito
The
Shield Discuss Their Match With Renee Young
Daniel
Bryan Post Match Press Conference
Bray
Wyatt Post Match Press Conference
Blu-ray Exclusive
Features:
Raw – April 7th 2014
Daniel
Bryan Thanks the WWE Universe
Hulk
Hogan Presents Cesaro with the Andre The Giant Memorial Trophy
WWE World Heavyweight
Championship Match
Daniel
Bryan vs Triple H
Raw – April 14th 2014
The
Shield vs Alberto Del Rio, Jack Swagger, Alexander Rusev, Fandango, 3MB,
Ryback, Curtis Axel, Titus O’Neil and Bad News Barrett
Smackdown April 18th
2014
Triple
H Announces the Reformation of Evolution
Raw – April 21st 2014
Kane
Eviscerates Daniel Bryan
Raw – April 28th 2014
Bray
Wyatt’s Choir Serenades John Cena
John
Cena Reacts to Bray’s Message
Conclusion:
The
good news is that it isn’t terrible. The bad news, for WWE at least is that
every good match at Extreme Rules 2014 should be featured on the 2015 release,
‘Best PPV Matches 2014’ either on the main programme or the Blu-ray extras.
Which means there will be no reason to purchase this unless you’re a collector
of events which I was before I got them all for free.
There
is a great amount of value here even if the whole event isn’t a must see and
the filler matches feel like such. Evolution vs The Shield, Daniel Bryan vs
Kane, Cesaro vs RVD vs Jack Swagger and Paige vs Tamina are all vital or worthy
bouts to view and well worth the money if you don’t want to wait until January
2015 and hope they put them on said release.
Could
the event have been better? Of course it could. But none of us can disagree
with any of the results. Every young and upcoming talent was given passageway
by their elders to advance. It’s what we wanted. We can’t argue now. Michael
Cole sums up the event best at the end of The Shield vs Evolution corker when
he simply states ‘Times Are Changing’. Not before time, either.
Rating: B
Next Time in Review
Corner:
WWE
Ladies and Gentlemen My Name is Paul Heyman DVD and Blu-ray
Onwards
and upwards...
