A – Excellent
B – Good
C – Mediocre
D – Avoid
Release Date: August 11th 2014
Available From: www.wwedvd.co.uk
Price:
DVD £ 12.99
(Prices from www.wwedvd.co.uk: high street prices will vary)
Format Reviewed:
DVD (2 Disc)
What It’s About:
WWE’s
May 2014 tour of the United Kingdom where they recorded Raw, Smackdown, The
Main Event and Superstars featuring John Cena vs Luke Harper, Seth Rollins vs
Batista, The Usos vs The Wyatt Family and Paige vs Alicia Fox plus the entire
Beat the Clock challenge for the right to face Bad News Barrett at Payback
2014.
Strengths:
From
Raw:
The
Raw opening is a wholly entertaining romp through the psyche of The Wyatt
Family who hijack the programme in the middle of its opening video package.
Witnessing Bray Wyatt and The Wyatt Family stand in the middle of the ring as
the blackened out arena around them waves their lights is a sight to behold but
it’s nowhere near as effective as the excellent promo Bray Wyatt cuts on John
Cena. Tripping off the tongue, Wyatt dazzles with his brilliance talking about
how John Cena hides behind a plastic smile and how now The Wyatt Family are
here, he personally offers hope to millions which the moronically past his time
Jerry Lawler cannot seem to grasp. Speaking on being a necessary evil is a
wonderful moment but WWE should have omitted the promise to beat John Cena at
Payback from his speech. It only serves to make him look like a liar when he
lost. I would normally berate the inclusion of John Cena who attacks Bray Wyatt
as a glory hogging moment, but it’s done with style and John Cena taking Bray
Wyatt by surprise in a heelish manner adds something to a character which
desperately needs changing.
Cesaro
vs Sheamus is solid from beginning to end even it comes off as overlong and
dips dramatically in the middle. A little more gumption and it could have been
a pay-per view outing such is the quality. Beginning as usual with an excellent
promo by Paul Heyman, who predictably mentions Brock Lesnar ending The streak
at WrestleMania XXX, which will be the catalyst for Cesaro’s face turn later in
the year and his subsequent feud with Brock Lesnar over the WWE World
Heavyweight Championship in 2015, both Sheamus and Cesaro put in a notable
shift packing the match with some wonderful reversals which include a crisp
uppercut counter of a Sheamus diving shoulderblock, a solid Cesaro suplex and a
fluid Irish curse backbreaker without breaking up the action. True, Cesaro
could have done without the assist ending but the aftermath in which Cesaro
dodges handshake like Mr. Cool adds to his character. The bout does highlight
how little Sheamus has changed in four years though, so it’s time for a change
I think.
When
addressing the state of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Stephanie
McMahon is game for a laugh and is mocked heavily for attempting a quite
horrendous version of the English accent. Through constant chants of ‘C.M
Punk’, which she rides with ease, Stephanie exudes the heel aura which made her
famous more than fourteen years ago. She doesn’t allow the crowd to rile her
and her demeanour could be adopted by several current WWE heels who have
nothing about them when they should eclipse someone who isn’t a full time
on-screen personality.
Alberto
Del Rio vs Rob Van Dam is the only ‘Beat the Clock’ challenge match which
offers anything in the way of quality. Though Alberto Del Rio looks somewhat
odd without kneepads its the aging Rob Van Dam who impresses most with his
speed and rolling back the years using his most famous array of manoeuvres.
Yes, this match comes across mostly rushed thanks the pair having to beat
Langston’s time of five plus minutes, but the pair manages to wrangle something
halfway decent from the paltry amount allocated them.
John
Cena’s interview with Renee Young is notable not for the content of the promo
but rather the reaction to it. An unequivocal chant of ‘Yes’ rings around the
O2 Arena when John Cena asks if he should just run away and hide from The Wyatt
Family and quit in the process. That raises a smile. The odd little song and
dance he and The Usos do at the end is also amusing though for all the wrong
reasons. The Usos look fine doing a traditional Samoan routine but John Cena
looks completely out of place.
Seth
Rollins vs Batista isn’t prominent because of anything that happens in the
match itself, but because of its all out brawl between Evolution and The Shield
at its conclusion. Don’t get me wrong, in the ring; Seth Rollins tries his very
hardest in order to get Batista over to the point where he’s throwing himself
around the ring just to enhance the monstrous image Batista has. But for as
much as Rollins tries, Batista sits on his laurels and lets his young and more
talented opponent shoulder the burden of trying to make this a halfway decent
effort. Maybe its best Batista did leave after Payback, judging on this he
certainly has no future as a professional wrestler. When the bout comes alive,
it rocks the O2 and comes close to touching the level the two teams reached at
of Extreme Rules 2014. The disqualification conclusion is a copout and isn’t
done that well either which brings down the quality slightly. But you can’t
have it always.
Paige
vs Alicia Fox is yet another gripping Divas match, just one in a long line
which has stood out since Paige took over the mantle of Divas Champion. For all
the times we criticise WWE for all the ridiculous mistakes they make, they got
it right with Paige which holds out hope for others coming up from NXT. A
thought occurred to me during this match, whilst Paige has a massive future
ahead of her maybe she would have been better served being cast as Sister
Abigail in The Wyatt Family. The Divas division has a limited scope for great
female talent; Paige can only go so far at the top of the card. She could have
gone further with The Wyatt Family not to mention opened a lot more options up
for herself. She has the rough, sexy, slightly oddball look needed to fit in
with Bray Wyatt’s clan. We’ll never know how great it could have been now. Back
to the match in question: Alicia Fox is killer here, she looks like a slightly
bitchy Bratz doll and her talent has grown over the years. If Alicia can keep
this up then maybe she can be the ultimate heel of the division and provide enough
of a competition for Paige, A.J Lee and others who come through. Counter after
counter, move after move this is never ending until the finale but Paige should
never have been made to lose on her first time back in the UK. For the perfect
ending feel, she should have won. WWE could have easily had her lose to Fox the
next week on Raw to set up their Payback encounter.
Bad
News Barrett attacking Rob Van Dam following the final ‘Beat the Clock’
challenge match between Dolph Ziggler vs Mark Henry is just flawless. The
capacity crowd have been waiting all night to see Barrett who jumps RVD from
behind when he’s celebrating his victory of being the fastest man to win his
match and therefore meets Barrett at Payback for the gold. When Barrett knocks
Van Dam out with the Bull Hammer Elbow a huge ovation goes up from Barrett’s
people, yet it’s nowhere as big as the ovation he gets for his scintillating
promo which ends with the classic line, “No way is this Englishman losing to a
bloody yank!” That, as you can imagine, pleases everyone in the arena as does
Barrett’s use of The British Bulldog’s entrance music. It’s a shame Bad News
Barrett got inured when he did. Had he continued on this incline of popularity
until the end of the year, he may have been a shock candidate to win the Royal
Rumble in January or at least be one of the final two. Just imagine what it
would have done for the Intercontinental Championship.
Renee
Young interviewing Adam Rose and The Exotic Express is gloriously camp. Playing
out like ‘Carry on Wrestling’, the segment delights as does Rose who has one of
the greatest English accents I’ve ever heard and I’ve heard them all. The
segment ends when Zeb ‘I’m A Racist Now’ Coulter strolls out with Jack Swagger
in tow and challenges Rose to a bout only for Swagger to beat him down.
Thankfully, WWE were brave enough to book two beat downs of British talent on
the same show and Rose battles back to the audiences delight. A quote by Zeb
Coulter makes you realize how little WWE actually know about England and its
border control when Zeb bizarrely states to Adam Rose, “I don’t know how you
got into the UK”. Someone should tell WWE that an Englishman doesn’t need to
sneak across the border of his own country or be granted a visa to work or
return should he live in another country. On the downside, your Wrestling God
has to wonder how far Adam Rose can go in the WWE. He’s got a great gimmick
sure, but that doesn’t translate to main event fame and neither does having
popular theme music. Just take a look at Fandango. I have to say I don’t see
Adam Rose as a WWE superstar beyond December 2015 and certainly, he will
advance no further than the United States Championship glass ceiling.
John
Cena vs Luke Harper is surprisingly good. It’s not John Cena vs Shawn Michaels
or Triple H standard but it holds really well in the ring and even has a spring
in its step. John Cena’s selling is mostly appalling as ever but he allows
Harper a great amount of offense before the predictable comeback which is, as
usual. The painful piece of this bout doesn’t come from the in-ring action
because it’s very good and Luke Harper pulls out some superb moves which John
Cena has never been hit with before, the ruinous moments here come from the
commentary desk and in particular, our old friend, Jerry ‘The King; Lawler.
Instead of hyped The Wyatt Family as the next big things in the company, Lawler
seems intent on ruining their image by constantly questioning why and how Bray
Wyatt gives hope to millions. He never says it, but the meaning behind his
words read, “Why does WWE need new stars in it when we have an abundance of
stalwarts like John Cena and Randy Orton”. Is this guy really so uninterested
in wrestling today that he doesn’t care about the company moving forward? I
know he turns up for the paycheque and nothing else but if he really can’t be
bothered to even feign interest for his seven figure sum per year then there
are millions of wrestling enthusiast who would. Hell, any of us would be able
to do Lawler’s job standing on our head. From what he’s come out with over the
last few years, we seem to know more about the business he’s spent more than 30
years in, than he does. Yet another disqualification ending puts the dampeners
on an otherwise credible battle which would have been outstanding had John Cena
done the job for Harper clean in the middle of the ring, sans interference,
after his disgusting display in weeks previous when he ran through The Wyatt
Family without care or regard for their image. Thankfully, Raw ends on a high note,
for Wyatt Family supporters at least, when Eric Rowan decimates John Cena with
a fall away slam on the aisle after a Sister Abigail in the ring, before Bray
Wyatt drops John Cena with a second Sister Abigail on the stage and leads the
audience in a chorus of ‘He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands’ as Luke Harper
counts to ten in anticipation for the pair’s Last Man Standing match at
Payback.
From
Main Event:
Naomi
vs Aksana is rather quite good and yes, I do sound surprised. Aksana wasn’t a
female talent you’d usually consider to have potential before the WWE axe fell
on her but had she displayed a little more of what she shows here then she may
still have a job with the company. Naomi is the real star here though. She has
come on in leaps and bounds over the last six months and with just a touch more
dedication she could join A.J Lee, Paige, Alicia Fox and a few others who will
be coming to WWE soon in rejuvenating the stale Divas division. Naomi’s offense
is just outstanding at times with the pinnacle being her excellently executed
full nelson sit down Powerbomb.
From
Smackdown:
The
best show on the entire release begins with a nostalgia trip as Hulk Hogan and
Jimmy Hart open the show. It’s not a great promo by Hulk Hogan who sounds like
a walking advertisement for the WWE Network as he reels off what’s coming on
the Network soon and WWE fails to realize that unless it’s on a media device
British fans can’t access the Network until its made available on SKY which it
should be by the end of summer or the beginning of 2015 at the latest. They say
they need more subscribers but don’t make it available to people in other
countries unless it’s over the internet. That’s bad business sense. People
don’t want to sit at their computers at midnight and watching wrestling which
is going to buffer and cut out, they want to sit in a comfy chair and watch it
on television so make it available to us in the UK via TV subscription then WWE
would see a sharp intake of new subscribers. There’s only one reason any male is
on the internet at midnight and that’s for some happy time. There may be no
real substance to this promo by Hulk Hogan but it’s good that he turned up when
others couldn’t be bothered to and it harks back to the glory days even though
I can’t stand the guy.
Dolph
Ziggler vs Batista is a barn burner of a no disqualification match in which
Dolph Ziggler looks better than he has in at least a year. WWE couldn’t have
made a pay-per view feud out of this because there wasn’t enough substance but
pitting Ziggler against a main event player and then allowing him so much
offense before finally being beaten has to be encouraging signs for anyone,
especially when it would have been easier for WWE to book a squash victory.
Dolph shines in his role and exudes so much main event aura it’s impossible to
see why the company kept him back after this excellent showing especially after
Batista is made to look like the lucky one by crawling through the bout and
taking any possibly avenue he can to victory. The only thing I’d change here
would be the post-match attack which makes Ziggler look like a whipping boy.
Nikki
Bella and Eva Marie vs The Funkadactyls continues the tradition of good Divas
matches on this tour and although it only lasts minutes, thanks to some extra
dodgy officiating by Summer Rae, its long enough to leave an impression. With
the exception of Eva Marie who shouldn’t be allowed near a wrestling ring again
as long as she lives, everyone else looks great in their roles as the match
pings from one move to the next. The real highlight though is the exchanges
between Nikki Bella and Naomi. They’re a joy to behold.
Bo
Dallas vs Sin Cara isn’t the greatest match you’ll ever see and Bo Dallas’
pre-match promo is somewhat weak and preachy but this is Dallas’ debut and its
uncanny how much he resembles a hybrid of his real life father Mike Rotunda and
brother Bray Wyatt. I’m still convinced that because of Bo Dallas’ height and
lack of muscular physique he’ll find it hard to nail down a regular spot on
which to build a main event career for himself and should be made a member of
The Wyatt Family if he fails to make it on his own. But the character and the
whole ‘Bo-lieve’ thing has legs and if WWE don’t lose interest in him then he
could go far or as far as he can get without meeting John Cena somewhere down
the line. Here in his debut, Dallas looks accomplished in the ring against a
much better Sin Cara who makes you wonder had WWE employed the former Hunico to
play the role from the beginning, if the character could have taken off. Dallas
is as technically accomplished as his daddy and big brother though as this is
his debut he should have made an immediate impact by winning a Championship.
Sheamus’ character really wouldn’t have been damaged by being distanced from
the United States title.
A
second in-ring promo by Bray Wyatt is even better than his first on Raw. This
time seated in the middle of the ring in his rocking chair as Harper and Rowan
flank him either side, Bray expels another flawless promo and impressively
there isn’t a word wasted. This time around, he broaches the subject of living
in a bubble where WWE don’t allow the real life to pass through before sending
John Cena in as the ray of hope. His words couldn’t be truer and it makes you
think that if this was written by WWE and given the go ahead then why can’t
they be a little braver with Cena himself? The WWE’s fake crowd machine comes
into play when fans boo Wyatt and begin chanting ‘Cena’, but this is an obvious
edit when the company wheel it out later in the show and the fans in the
picture aren’t chanting what you hear from the machine. On fine form throughout
the promo, Bray delights when he says what everyone is thinking and that’s
we’ve let this monster (John Cena) lie to our children long enough and that the
‘Cenation’ has infected our world like a plague. You can’t argue with that. The
most interesting part of this however is when Bray talks about the Usos being
recruited by John Cena as pawns and he won’t care when they fall because he’ll
ride in on his high horse so his crown doesn’t get too dirty. This is fabulous
stuff and could have been used as a catalyst for a slow burning heel turn for
John Cena. The reason Bray Wyatt has been so successful in 2014 is because he’s
given the truth to speak and he’s a character we can get behind. There’re no
fancy thrills behind his gimmick, its just good old fashioned truth.
Alberto
Del Rio vs Sheamus is worth a look even though it’s not as fabulous as their
World Heavyweight Championship clashes were a few years ago, though the pair
hasn’t lost their chemistry. Granted, a great deal of this is simply ‘by the
numbers’ stuff and you won’t be amazed by any of it, but as far as technical
wrestling goes this will keep you entertained long enough with its sparse
moments of genius such as an Inzaguri by Del Rio off of the apron. Yet another
disqualification finish is beyond lousy as you begin to question whether WWE
have lost the ability to book conclusive endings to their matches, but it does
serve to further the Cesaro vs Sheamus feud which is why this match was booked
in the first place. Cesaro, who is on commentary with Paul Heyman, cracks
Sheamus with a wonderful Neutralizer on the outside before rubbing salt into
the wound in great style by shaking and unconscious Sheamus’ hand. For those
with short memories, Sheamus wanted to shake Cesaro’s hand on Raw but Cesaro
dodged the gesture in amusing style. The ending of this is great stuff.
The
Usos vs Luke Harper and Eric Rowan fails to live up to their past and future
pay-per view matches but for a television bout which is created for the soul
purpose of pushing the John Cena and Bray Wyatt feud, both are present at
ringside, it won’t disappoint. The Usos fly in their usual style which gets the
crowd up and running whilst Harper and Rowan are solid throughout. If The Wyatt
Family do split up in the future then I see no future for Eric Rowan in WWE,
Luke Harper should be fine though.
From
the Special Features:
Hulk
Hogan vs Rand Savage (WWF UK Rampage 1989, October 10th 1989) is a credible
effort by the twosome but fails to live up to their WrestleMania V stunner
thanks to a lot of stalling at the beginning of the bout and the predictable
ending. When it gets rolling there is a lot of quality to be had for nostalgia
fans though it may bore newer fans who have been weaned on a diet of John Cena.
Those people should be at the top of the list to learn as much as they can
about the golden era as soon as possible. The last thing we need is morons who
believe John Cena is, was and always will be the pinnacle of Vince McMahon’s
company. Hulk Hogan’s thrilling promo before the match will get the blood
pumping. Credit to WWE for finding a match which has never been released on any
type of media in the new generation before.
‘Bad
News Barrett Has Some Bad News For The Authority’ is an amusing and
entertaining ‘After Show’ segment in which Barrett has confrontations with both
Stephanie McMahon and Triple H who get remorselessly jeered for their terrible
English accents after they keep turning the lights off on him in the arena and
telling everyone the show is over. Barrett tells Stephanie she can kiss his
English arse which gets a massive cheer as does Adam Rose’s interaction with
Barrett and Triple H with the latter taking a Bull Hammer Elbow after
ridiculing British people about their bad health and bad teeth. It’s a great
ending to the show, even though it’s not on the main feature and it teases how
huge a programme could be between Triple H and Wade Barrett. Should it happen,
it could make Barrett legendary.
Weaknesses:
From
Raw:
Big
E. vs Ryback is the pits and doesn’t manage to set the bar for the upcoming
‘Beat the Clock’ challenge matches with its plodding action and gutless
booking. You’ll lose count of how many punches and kicks are on offer and even
though the pair try to spice things up with the occasional suplex and big move,
its way too late to make this hash resemble anything approaching decent. It
brings to mind two rookies competing in their first match ever. WWE have been
talking recently about another push for Ryback but on this performance there’s
no place for him in a wrestling ring. If Ryback is willing to ditch Curtis
Axel, take six months out to re-learn his craft and turn face, then we’d all be
willing to give him another chance. Should he remain this inept at his craft,
then WWE will lose viewers rather than gain them from another Ryback push.
Fandango
and Layla vs R-Truth and The Funkadactyls is a waste of space because it never
begins and WWE never make it clear had the match taken place, which of The
Funkadactyls R-Truth would be teaming with. As Fandango and Layla are smooching
in the ring, Summer Rae marches to the ring, snogs Fandango who dumped her via
Twitter because that’s the sort of man you want in your life right ladies? Then
has a dire catfight with Layla who needs to find a place on the roster and grab
it with both hands if she wishes to be employed this time next year. Whilst we
were saved from a match featuring these male superstars, the females may have
put on a show considering their form on this tour, which can only be a good
thing; the entire angle is a waste of their time and ours. It should have been
cut completely and relegated to Superstars. It’s maddening that R-Truth spends
more time rapping these days than he does wrestling. Something I have noted on
my Twitter account (@TWGISHERE).
The
Union Jacks vs Rusev is, as you’d imagine, a mindless squash match in which the
artists formerly known as 3MB put forward a great argument for their own
dismissal one month later. Though why Heath Slater is still employed is beyond
me. That WWE forces the trio to wheel out their Union Jack routine yet again is
scraping the bottom of the barrel. Never mind the gesture, it doesn’t even make
sense as one is American, one is Hindu and the other is Scottish which contrary
to what WWE believe isn’t English. It’s British people, is that so hard to
understand? After we’ve been forced to digest the antics of these three clowns
we then have to sit through another speech by Lana about Vladimir Putin who has
had more WWE television time in three months than Zach Ryder has received in
five years. Though something tells me after recent real life events, WWE will
be forced to remove Vladimir Putin from Lana’s repertoire. I think you can all
guess how the match pans out even if you haven’t seen this yet. It takes Rusev
approximately thirty seconds to dismantle all three though there’s no reason to
explain why Rusev looks like he’s going to cry when applying his Accolade
finishing move.
Dolph
Ziggler vs Mark Henry is the last of the ‘Beat the Clock’ challenges, though
you won’t mind that fact seeing as two of the three bouts stink the house out.
It was my understanding that a ‘Beat the Clock’ challenge had more than three
matches in it to make it ultra competitive, but I guess WWE had other
priorities and this was the easiest way out of a situation they couldn’t be
bothered to elongate. Had the challenges spanned Raw, Smackdown, Main Event and
Superstars seeing as all four are taped over two nights and the same audience
are present for two tapings each night then it would have leant the competition
an air of legitimacy. Completely pointless from its inception, it’s blatantly
obvious both men have been given the instruction to see out the four minutes
and fifteen seconds which would see Rob Van Dam advance to Payback, by running
down the clock with the most pointless moves possible. “Don’t kill yourselves”
seems to have been the pep-talk before the match and they take it to heart.
Mark Henry looks clumsy and uninterested, a theme with WWE stars presently, and
Dolph Ziggler looks like he wants to go back to America. The one notable
occurrence comes at the bouts death, as Dolph hits the Zig-Zag and doesn’t even
get to cover Henry before the time runs out. Had he covered Henry and the
referee gotten to the count of two as the time ran out, it would have made it
seem as if Dolph Ziggler was just unlucky not to win the competition instead of
not talented enough as it comes across here. WWE got this arse about face on
the night. With no tense ending, this should have gone on in the middle of the
show and Rob Van Dam vs Alberto Del Rio been the last challenge match to take
place. They could have made more of the moment.
From
Main Event:
Damien
Sandown vs R-Truth is worse than mediocre. The writing is on the wall when
Damien Sandow comes out dressed as Sherlock Holmes, which must have taken weeks
worth of careful thought from the braniac’s writing this rubbish. If anyone
from WWE is reading this then spare us this twaddle. Enough with the Damien
Sandow dress-up. He’s a talented wrestler so either push him as one or put him
out of his misery because this is putting people off. Admittedly, Sandow has a
super British accent but the sight of him fighting in a full suit is
preposterous. Chock-a-bloc full of headlocks and arm locks, this will struggle
to entertain even the most retarded of fans, that’s when Damien Sandow isn’t
looking for damage on his suit with a magnifying glass. From beginning to end
this screams 1980’s filler, even the prolonged run time takes the biscuit.
Cesaro
vs Mark Henry promises to be a wrestling bout until twenty seconds before the
bell is due to ring. There is entertainment value to be had from Paul Heyman
who tries to get Cesaro out of the bout by demanding an arm-wrestling contest
which Henry agrees to. When Heyman’s plans backfire it’s a laugh thanks to his
comments and reactions. “Cesaro, you see what he’s doing now is calling our
bluff” is a wonderful line. If only the segment, I won’t call it a match because
it’s not, had have been this much fun. We do get a tedious arm-wrestle before
Cesaro knocks Henry out with one punch before trapping him under the announce
table. I understand why WWE booked this, in order to enhance Cesaro’s
reputation as a strongman, but surely they could have gotten that over in a
match where Cesaro repeatedly lifted Henry for various moves which would have
included the Cesaro swing, the dead-lift suplex where he stands on the middle
turnbuckle and lifts and opponents from the apron, over his head and to the
canvas and the Neutralizer. It would have made for better viewing.
From
Superstars:
Big
Show vs Titus O’Neil should be shown to narcoleptics, it would cure them all.
Stringently sticking to the usual Big Show formula of punch, slap, kick, get
beat on and win, there’s so little to enjoy here it feels more like a
punishment than a nice getaway from the heavy storylines. Titus is predictably
wearisome and I’m struggling to find a reason why he’s still employed. Do WWE
really believe he still has what it takes to make it in the company, even after
all this time? His DDT looks awful on account that it never connects. Half way
down the dunce lets go and Big Show just looks like a huge man doing a forward
roll. Ugly from beginning to end.
Cody
Rhodes vs Jack Swagger is a massive disappointment. This should have been a
shining example of what both men could do. There was no pressure on them; no
one expected the pair to put on a WrestleMania type performance or bring the
house down. In those circumstances, even John Cena can do special things but
two of the company’s most adept wrestlers fail miserably. Instead of a high
flying, technical war we get a slow affair which feels like it’s actually
draining you to watch. The pair plod for the longest of time, executing
meaningless moves which we’ve seen a million times before. There’s a spark
towards the end of the match and the finale in which Jack Swagger turns a
disaster kick into the patriot lock is very well done. The rest is forgettable.
From
Smackdown:
Vickie
Guerrero confronting Adam Rose and The Exotic Express is a samey segment to the
one which took place on Raw. Vickie says that this is Adam Rose’s debut but
we’ve already seen him on the red brand and as funny as Rose is, his act is old
hat when watching it back to back on a release of this nature. WWE must be
careful with Adam Rose otherwise he’s going to turn into the next Santino
Marella. WWE’s resident comedian and laughing stock. The entire angle which
sees Vickie Guerrero carried away by The Exotic Express is the only bad thing
on the blue show and holds it up unnecessarily. It also serves to embarrass
Vickie Guerrero further.
From
the Special Features:
‘Paige’s
Journey to WWE’ gives out false hope that WWE might actually have included an
in-depth documentary on her beginnings in Norwich, her trials travelling the
world and independent scene before it switched to her try outs for the company
in England, her time in NXT before it culminated in her winning the Divas
Championship from A.J Lee the night after WrestleMania XXX. Sadly, that’s just
hoping. What we actually get is a one and a half minute highlight package with
one comment from Paige, a few thrown together clips of her NXT career before
the piece switches to her winning the gold. What a wasted opportunity. WWE
could have made more of this, made it a thirty minute documentary with pictures
and clips from her earlier life as a wrestler in Britain, paid Channel 4 in the
UK to use footage of Paige from the documentary about British wrestlers her and
her family participated in before she signed with the company, included
comments from her family and those she used to wrestle with in this country
before charting her NXT story all interspersed with a camera following her
around the tour backstage as she came home for the first time. That is what the
title to this piece means, not what we’re actually given. It wouldn’t have
mattered had WWE excluded every other extra on this release because those from
Raw and Smackdown rarely have any bite or quality to them anyway. We’d all of
rather seen one in-depth documentary like this than too many small and
inconsequential promos and angles which only last thirty minutes combined
anyway.
‘Raw
Kickoff Show’, ‘Raw Backstage Pass’, ‘Raw: After the Show Live’ and the
‘Smackdown Kickoff Show’ are all completely worthless as are the segments
contained in them. Too short, too in character and too meaningless to matter to
anyone. I’ve never seen the WWE Network yet because of the reasons mentioned
elsewhere in this review but when I heard WWE were going to allow the camera
backstage before and after shows to capture the preparations of their roster I
imagined the company would show the people behind the characters, let us get to
know them better, even get to care for those lower down the card. I should have
known better. In a time when even their ‘reality’ shows are scripted, WWE had
no intention of allowing us to see the real personalities. As a result, this
plays out like ‘Raw and Smackdown: the rubbish we couldn’t cram onto the proper
shows’.
‘Triple
H Speaks to Michael Cole’ is the WWE.Com Exclusive. Sadly, that’s the most
impressive thing about it as once again, Triple H goes through the entire thing
in character. Can’t this company do anything that isn’t scripted? And they
wonder why the Network is losing money. What begins as a discussion about the
success of the European tour and the state of the WWE World Heavyweight
Championship soon turns into a complete bashing of Daniel Bryan. Gee, we never
saw that coming. Triple H sounds completely ridiculous and to a degree pathetic
when he says that Daniel Bryan isn’t tough enough to be champion because he’s
having neck surgery so seemingly WWE expect him compete with a broken neck and
would then wonder why he sues them when he becomes paralyzed. Can you imagine
the storm Triple H would have kicked up if someone had have said this about him
when he was out with the three leg injures, having them re-attached. Triple H
then makes ninety percent of the company’s fan base irate by saying Bryan’s
‘Yes Movement’ are ‘Internet Dweebs’. This is completely dumb and will only
entertain you if you’re IQ is the same as your age.
DVD Special Features:
First WWE UK Event –
October 10th 1989
WWE Championship Match
Hulk
Hogan vs Randy Savage
Paige’s
Journey to WWE
Raw Kickoff Show
Brad
Maddox Speaks On the State of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Paul
Heyman and Cesaro Arrive At Raw
Stephanie
McMahon Addresses the State of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Raw Backstage Pass
Rob
Van Dam Has Words For Bad News Barrett
John
Cena Refuses to Give Up
Raw: ‘After the Show
Live’
Bad
News Barrett Has Some Bad News For The Authority
WWE.Com Exclusive
Triple
H Speaks With Michael Cole
Smackdown Kickoff Show
Renee
Young Reports on Events Backstage in London
Batista
Gears Up to Fight Dolph Ziggler
Conclusion:
It’s
always difficult to recommend a release which includes shows that have aired
free on television. We willingly buy television programmes in box sets but with
wrestling its a little harder to find reasons as to why you should purchase
them especially since anything worth while will most likely be included on
future compilation releases which will more than likely be worth your money
more than this is. There’s always the question of why you would pay to see
something you didn’t really enjoy the first time around and the only logical
reason abound is that said release features a must see match or angle which you
simply can’t live without witnessing. Either that or you attended the event in
person and want to purchase a memento of your night out.
Those
who read the review of WWE Live in the UK: November 2013 and the one before
that will remember mentioning that the company need to put more and better
extras on this release in order to tempt people have seen this for free when it
aired to part money for the release. Whilst WWE have listened and there is an
abundance of special features on this DVD only release, they’re the wrong ones
and only two of them hold any value of any type. As much as Vince McMahon
doesn’t like to be told he’s wrong or emulate what other wrestling companies do
because he thinks WWE never get it wrong, he must start taking note of what
TNA, Ring of Honor and some of the Japanese promotions are doing with their
release set in international territory. Had WWE included one in-depth
documentary or travel diary of Paige or Wade Barrett and omitted the rest, it
would have been a much easier job to recommend than to do so with what this
release currently offers. TNA include in-depth video diaries about their
wrestlers in other countries and WWE must start following suit if this is to
avoid falling into the twice yearly ‘avoid’ category. Also, just stop making
your talent appear on extras in character. It shows everyone up and annoys the
audience who think you’re treating them as morons.
The
inclusion of the WWE Network exclusive material is designed to draw more
viewers and subscribers to the channel. Sadly, on this occasion at least, it
can only have the opposite effect. What WWE have given us are a host of short,
worthless segments which people who don’t know what the Network offers will
believe are a representation of its existence. WWE would have been better
served leaving them off of the release as its going to have an adverse effect
to one intended. Right now, WWE need to be offering material which will draw
people into the fold. Not send them fleeing for the hills.
As
for the shows, Raw is tolerable if you can bear to sit through the dross which
accompanies that which is good and wholesome. It’s not all great but then what
WWE show ever is? At least this year it features a watchable John Cena outing
and a killer Bray Wyatt promo accompanied by some small and enjoyable matches.
Main Event and Superstars are used as promotion pieces to get over past,
present and future DVD and Blu-ray releases which begs the question why WWE
even bother promoting them in the present even if the former does boast a solid
Divas outing. The latter is all awful. Smackdown is the best show across the
entire two disc release, featuring enjoyable and on occasion thrilling matches
and only one bad segment which can be overlooked.
There
is another glaring problem with this release and this time it doesn’t come from
its packaging or anything to do with the DVD itself. Instead, it’s an oversight
by WWE who knew they weren’t only putting this out on DVD but also what the
British fans wanted. The popular Bad News Barrett doesn’t have one match across
the release despite his popularity soaring over here thanks to him being
British. He’s seen on Raw and on the extras but that’s it. It’s not the way to
promote someone who could be massive in a year’s time or get over a character
which is doing wonders for a man previously stuck in WWE’s bargain bin. WWE
should have at least booked Barrett to compete in comprehensive victories on
Raw and Smackdown. That they didn’t is a complete balls up. Could you see them
doing this to The British Bulldog?
Can
I, hand on heart; honestly recommend you purchase this just for half of Raw and
the entirety of Smackdown? Not really. It’s a good release or at least better
than mediocre and the price tag for two discs is a bargain on first sight, but
once you delve into the content you’ll have wished you saved your money for a
pay-per view event which would offer value for money because even if it was
rubbish, it still means you own a small part of history. I’m not saying don’t
buy this, I’m just saying don’t go out of your way to get it and maybe show some
restraint and wait until it has least been knocked down to £5.99 in the
Christmas sale.
Rating: B
Next Time on Review
Corner:
WWE
Payback 2014 DVD and Blu-ray
Onwards
and upwards...
