A – Excellent
B – Good
C – Mediocre
D – Avoid
Release Date: October 20th 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
compilation of matches which illustrate John Cena’s greatest rivalries. With
two matches per rivalry as well as a brand new sit down interview with John
Cena himself in which he discusses the included rivalries as well as his
feelings on his career, the Blu-ray release also includes an extra rivalry
against C.M Punk.
Strengths:
‘Book
of Knowledge’ focuses on John Cena’s little known 2003 rivalry with the late,
great Eddie Guerrero. Humble and serious, John Cena is admirable as he credits
Eddie for his very early success telling everyone who will listen what a great
teacher Guerrero was and how much skill he possessed, which we all know is
true. John Cena seems genuinely choked when talking about how lucky he was in
2003 to be lined up against star names who were willing to pass on their
knowledge upon young stars. It’s a laughable moment when Cena comes out with
his belief that he was and to a certain degree still is a sponge that soaks up
stuff from his opponents but let’s be honest, what did he really learn? By
current evidence, the answer to that is nothing. This however can be overlooked
and it’s a fine segment.
John
Cena vs Eddie Guerrero (Smackdown, April 3rd 2003) is a very commendable opener
to the release and though John Cena isn’t on his finest form here and his
offense and selling are still mostly horrible, Eddie Guerrero carries a young
Cena to an entertaining bout. Filled with reversals, John Cena looks far more
serious than he’s ever done since defeating JBL at WrestleMania XXI and
rocketing to stardom. Yes, his heel expressions are a scream but he seems more
willing to sell an opponent’s moves which are linked very well. The end of the
bout is held up by Cena’s hesitation to execute the move he used to call the
‘F.U’ but the rest is wholesome stuff.
‘Chicken
Soup’ is the second segment to explore John Cena and Eddie Guerrero’s rivalry
and backstage relationship and it’s another interesting story from a John Cena
who is on form in this release. Instead of his kayfabe memories coming to
light, it’s as if someone has taken off the shackles and allowed him to roam free.
Candidly, John Cena tells of the respect he and Eddie Guerrero had for each
other and what a tough taskmaster ‘Latino Heat’ was both criticizing him and
helping him understand the business. The tale of how Eddie Guerrero compared
his wrestling style to chicken soup will raise a few smiles.
John
Cena vs Eddie Guerrero (Smackdown, September 11th 2003) is their much forgotten
about Parking Lot Brawl which deserve a place on this release thanks to its
execution. Beginning with a sensationally funny and scathing rap by the man
himself, the bout generates into a wholly tense and memorable war in which both
men post each other through car windshields and bonnets. Weapons include a lawn
mover and shovel whilst John Cena’s suplex on Guerrero onto the roof of a car
is divine. The match ending frog splash from the roof of one car to the bonnet
of another is sensational. You must see this match if you want to know just
what John Cena is capable of as a heel and without the pressure of his Cenation
riding on his shoulders.
‘Honed
My Craft’ can be seen as a laughable segment as John Cena credits his time in
Ohio Valley Wrestling for his ability now, but in actual fact if you take it
for it is then its both informative and at times gripping. Compiled with
footage of John Cena as Prototype in the development league along with stars
like Batista, Shelton Benjamin, Brock Lesnar and a very young Randy Orton, John
Cena relays to us the motto OVW was based on and that’s you didn’t just want to
make it there but also climb to the top of WWE. Comparing his time there to a
marine call back class you get the idea just how tough it was for everyone in
that league but all became stars on different levels. John Cena is spot on when
he says that there hasn’t been a crop of talent like that for many years.
Prototype
vs Leviathan (Ohio Valley Wrestling, February 23rd 2002) may not be the most
gripping bout ever put onto a WWE release but you’ll be taken aback by how
tight and proficient it is. Batista isn’t all that and his offence is weak but
John Cena’s selling is amazingly efficient and if he was to return to this
level then the problem would be one step further to being sorted out. The match
is historically interesting and though it features a messy ending, John Cena’s
hair has to be seen to be believed.
‘Special
Individual’ takes a look at John Cena’s lively feud with Shawn Michaels which
churned out many memorable bouts, one of which is included on this release.
When talking about his time with Shawn Michaels, John Cena looks like he enjoys
reminiscing on a time when he was forced to work harder than maybe he ever has
in the ring. Let’s face it, had he not bothered then Shawn Michaels would have
showed him up and maybe history would have been different. Rightly, Cena states
that Shawn Michaels was born for this business and looks disappointed when
talking about people saying that he didn’t work hard during this phase. He’s
right, John Cena worked his balls off and it produced some amazing results. We
get a peek into Shawn Michaels’ thought process on matches when Cena says that
he wanted to make every match look great. Raising a smile, Cena describes his
time with Michaels as a night off every time they wrestled. He seems geninually
pleased that he was a small footnote in Shawn Michaels’ career.
John
Cena vs Shawn Michaels (Raw, April 23rd 2007) is their epic forty minute
stunner which if you haven’t seen already then you owe it to yourself to do so.
Hell, even if you have seen this match, then settle down with a nice drink and
some snacks and enjoy it over again. It could well be John Cena’s greatest ever
encounter. Packed from beginning to end with top class reversals and near falls
galore, this bout builds to an unforgettable crescendo and even more impressive
this isn’t just a one man show, if anyone, John Cena is the star of this show.
Simply tremendous.
John
Cena vs Shawn Michaels (Raw, March 10th 2008) is an entertaining enough romp
which tries so hard to live up to previous expectations but falls somewhat
short thanks to the allocated time. There are enough counter and reversals to
keep this entertaining but John Cena doesn’t work nearly as hard as he did one
year previous. Shawn Michaels throws himself around the ring to make Cena look
good and the bout pinnacles with several excellent chain reversals which
include a Sweet Chin Music into an STF into a Figure Four which John Cena
neglects to sell. The bout ends in a terrible disqualification.
‘Gifted’
explores John Cena’s attitude towards Randy Orton and their multi-year rivalry.
Correctly, John Cena states that Randy Orton is a gifted individual and one of
the smoothest performers in the ring that he’s ever seen. A startling
revelation, Cena describes Randy Orton as his generation’s Shawn Michaels which
is high praise indeed. Speaking more on Orton’s ability, John Cena describes
Randy Orton as gliding when he performs and amiably states that he doesn’t.
It’s great stuff.
John
Cena vs Randy Orton (SummerSlam, August 26th 2007) is a flowing back and forth,
solid pay-per view main event which is like watching two different men as
they’re so much younger. Both in the early stage of their careers, they’re
crisp and on the whole this is very, very proficient. You can see John Cena
really trying here and although their 2009 SummerSlam bout or their 2009 Hell
in a Cell match would have been a better inclusion you won’t be disappointed by
what’s on display here.
‘Brought
Out the Best’ takes a close look at how Randy Orton and John Cena brought out
the best in each other as the title of the segment suggests. Concentrating
mostly on their later rivalry as opposed to their earlier feud, John Cena
opines that opinion and no one can do anything but agree. Granted, the pair had
some stinkers in later 2013 and early 2014 but overall they were good for each
other. Though an obvious thing to say, John Cena puts froth his opinion that
their rivalry made people choose and he’s right. Their 2009 rivalry was the
first time Randy Orton actually looked like a main event player for me and the
first time I actually got behind him as a star. Without that feud many people
may not have seen Randy Orton as a legit star despite being champion several
times before. On fire, John Cena once again correctly states that Randy Orton
is so polarizing; fans could cheer him even though he was a heel. This is
brilliant stuff from John Cena who hasn’t been this honest in any other
release.
‘Hard-Nosed’
exploits the real JBL and not so much his dire feud with John Cena in 2005
which lead to Cena’s first WWE Championship reign. Touching on the fact that
JBL was a hard nosed, tough character who took no prisoners and worked you hard
to make sure you belonged in the ring, this isn’t the real JBL as in the man
which regularly ridiculed talent and made their lives hell, nor is it the JBL
who purposely beat The Blue Meanie senseless at One Night Stand 2005 because he
was drunk and wanted to legitimately injure an ECW star because he didn’t see
them as genuine talent, but it gets some way to the core of the man and that’s
a first on a WWE release. Though it’s hard to believe, John Cena says that JBL
welcomed a loss at WrestleMania 21 because he wanted to show the world what
John Cena could do.
John
Cena vs JBL (WrestleMania 21, April 3rd 2005) isn’t anything to look at as far
as actual wrestling goes, but as it’s the beginning of the John Cena phenomenon
we know today then it deserves its inclusion on this release. Both men do
endeavour to at least put on a show on the grandest stage of them all but it
never quite comes off, whilst JBL who did a commendable job as caretaker
champion looks tired and jaded having helped carry the company for the best
part of one year. The reaction to John Cena’s victory is amazing, considering
how much it would sour in the coming years.
‘Heavily-Calloused’
is John Cena’s second take on John Bradshaw Layfield, and whilst most is not
memorable in any way, John Cena does make a valid point that WWE need to listen
to. Who knows, maybe now it’s come from their top star they may. Will all
seriousness, John Cena looks at the camera and relays to the watching public
that everyone has their own style and not everyone can wrestle the same. If
everyone did then nothing would be entertaining because everything would be
cookie cutter and machine produced. John Cena says that he loves the fact
everyone has a different style and no way is wrong. That is of course unless
WWE don’t like the way you wrestle, then you’re very unlikely to get a shot at
stardom.
John
Cena vs Chris Jericho (Raw, August 22nd 2005) can’t match the pair’s SummerSlam
main event the night previous but does hold up as a decent offering all by
itself. Fought under ‘Loser Gets Fired’ rules, it’s obvious who is going to
succeed here but that doesn’t stop it being an enjoyable romp through an era
when both men were still entertaining. Once again, John Cena’s selling of his
injured leg is dismal and his muscle mass is much reduced so make of that what
you will. Eric Bischoff’s interaction with John Cena is excellent stuff and the
sight of Chris Jericho being dragged away by security at the finale is an
amusing one.
‘Gave
Me a Chance’ looks at John Cena’s relationship with Chris Jericho. Going into
details, John Cena states that he owes all of the early success he had to Y2J
as other people in the locker room were against Cena’s rise to the top, citing
that he was no good. This segment takes a light hearted turn when John Cena
openly admits that with his lack of wrestling talent; he proved to everyone
that he was no good in a wonderful moment sending himself up. He’s once again
humble when he admits that he’s very thankful to Chris Jericho for that first
chance.
‘Old
Shoe’ is Cena’s take on his excellent and rewarding rivalry with Edge which is
one of the most informative sections on the entire release. “There aren’t
enough good things for me to say about Edge” spouts Cena to begin a heartfelt
segment which turns to how Edge wasn’t meant to receive his chance because he
wasn’t what Vince McMahon was looking for. More about Edge than John Cena,
Cenation’s leader tells us that Edge took advantage of a crack in the door and
it became something legendary. “It was cool to see him prove his worth of where
he believed he should be”, says Cena before explaining the segment title of
‘Old Shoe’ by saying that he and Edge were so comfortable with each other that
no matter how long they were apart, it was like putting on an old shoe.
John
Cena vs Edge (Raw, October 2nd 2006) is a pay-per view main event calibre steel
cage contest which builds into a thrill ride and uses its surroundings to
perfection. John Cena’s bulldog from the top rope will get the blood pumping
coursing through your veins, whilst the tension is almost too much to bear as
the bout comes towards its thrilling, if predictable conclusion. The escape
attempts are gripping as both men gel well together. It’s an excellent effort
by both stars.
‘Who
Am I?’ is the second segment focussing on John Cena’s feud with Adam Copeland
and begins with John Cena’s admirable admission that he doesn’t want to be
considered the best of his group if that group aren’t given a chance to show
what they were also the best. It’s a very nice sentiment that would be even
better if John Cena backed this up in the ring and began to lose to some of the
new stars clean in the ring, like he did Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam 2013.
Turning the attention to his own character, John Cena comes forth with the
belief that he would like to give everyone the opportunity because who is he to
decide who is the right person? He’s right on the ball by opining Edge tried to
capture one moment and it turned into years of magic.
John
Cena vs Edge (Backlash, April 26th 2009) is a stunning Last Man Standing war
which brings out the best in both men. Lively, tense and wholly involving, Edge
and John Cena put on one hell of a show using their surroundings and weapons to
complete perfection. Edge portrays his heel character to perfection whilst John
Cena actually looks like he’s fighting a losing battle. The Attitude Adjustment
into the crowd is a moment of unforgettable magic as is the bouts conclusion
which sees Big Show storm the stage and throw John Cena through a searchlight.
Its one match you must see, even if by this time you have grown weary of John
Cena matches.
‘Measuring
Stick’ finally begins John Cena’s long affiliation with Triple H and their
thoroughly gripping feud which yielded so many excellent matches. Explaining
his belief that battling Triple H is a right of passage for any new talent,
John Cena says that you have to fight Triple H to be indoctrinated into the WWE
locker room. Cena seems relieved that he didn’t fade away after battling Triple
H like so many others did before him. It ends, predictably with John Cena
telling us that Triple H is the measuring stick.
John
Cena vs Triple H (WrestleMania 22, April 2nd 2006) is another stunning display
of what John Cena could do when he had the will and inclination to put on a
show. Against Triple H, John Cena was made a star on a regular basis because
Triple H knew how to carry him and cover his flaws. If John Cena fans are
looking a moment in time to say this is when John Cena matured into a main
event player then this is the moment. It’s crisp, gripping and John Cena does
deserve his plaudits for a well executed bout which like his bouts with Shawn
Michaels, isn’t just a one man show.
John
Cena vs Triple H (Raw, October 22nd 2009) tries hard to match what the pair did
at WrestleMania 22 but doesn’t quite get there. That’s not to say it doesn’t
warrant an inclusion or a view because it does. Though its three years later in
both men’s careers and John Cena is taking it all for granted which makes him
not really try, Triple H threatens to leave him behind if he doesn’t up his
game. It’s a slower brawl but the near falls and heated though the bout follows
suit of so many on this release and that’s we’ve seen it before and more
entertainingly in the first encounter.
‘Global
Phenomenon’ is the final segment on the release which is worth any kind of real
value and focuses on The Rock and John Cena’s feud which managed to span nearly
three years and most probably hasn’t finished yet. Continuing to speak
candidly, John Cena says that The Rock is awesome and that his name resonates
past everything and is even bigger than WWE. I wouldn’t normally agree with
John Cena because no wrestler is bigger than the company, but Hollywood has put
The Rock ahead of the company that made him. Kindly, John Cena opines that The
Rock is one of the greatest ever and along with names such as Ric Flair, Shawn
Michaels, Triple H, The Undertaker, Sting, Ricky Steamboat and other, it’s hard
to argue that point. It’s a very complimentary segment by a man who looks
thankful and grateful for his success, though the admission that he fought Rock
at his physical best is an oversight. Rock was physically stunning at
WrestleMania’s 28 and 29 but he wasn’t ring ready.
The
release’s main programme link point is maybe the best of any WWE release in at
least ten years. Forming an old pixilated video game, player one being John
Cena is chosen from his different years and different appearances according to
the rival the release focuses on next. If it’s Edge from 2006 then John Cena is
chosen in his 2006 attire and so on. On the left of the screen are faces of
rivals from the release and upon their time they are picked as opponent. It’s a
brilliant way to link matches and rivals and WWE should be credited for its
ingenuity here.
Weaknesses:
Instead
of being short and sweet, the release’s introduction is lengthily and
unnecessary. Attempting to explain what a rivalry is, which is pointless seeing
this release will only sell to wrestling fans who already know this stuff. The
voice over guy’s lines ridiculous. In an attempt to clarify what a rivalry is
he says it’s, “Simply a feeling, a wanting, anticipating, yearning, a
clamouring for the next encounter when one more match is never enough.
Intangibles are immeasurable and are the essence of these embroiled battles.
The one constant, it must feature two men who have the same passion to be the
best. But there is only room for one man to be the emperor of his realm. When
that man is legitimately challenged, the universe can feel the power struggle
as the intrigue and tensions mount and the battle ends by revealing a shift in
power or the king holding court. Rivalries are the epicentre of the universe.”
Wouldn’t it have been better to simplify it by saying it’s about two men with
one common hatred for each other?
‘Different
Dynamic’ touches upon the John Cena vs Batista feud which began in development
territory Ohio Valley Wrestling. John Cena mentions that when the pair fought
again in their 2010 feud it was excellent because the pair had been kept apart
for so long. What John Cena fails to realize is that their 2010 feud was as
good as the pits. Their matches yielded no reward and were chores to get
through. Cena seems to want to make us believe that two men from different
brands fighting was a novelty when it had been happening for years. It’s a
desperate attempt to make something which was dire seem exciting. John Cena is
a beacon of honesty throughout this release, it would have been noble of him to
say what everyone was thinking and that was that no matter how hard WWE pushed
Batista he was never going to be the star John Cena had became.
John
Cena vs Batista (Extreme Rules 2010, April 25th 2010) is their Last Man
Standing match which isn’t a patch on their Over the Limit brawl and also
features a terrible ending where John Cena taped Batista’s feet to the ring
post. It’s not original, it’s not fun and it takes an age to get going. By the
time it does it’s too late to interest viewers. John Cena’s selling is hideous,
when he’s been leathered by objects he simply shakes them off and gets back up.
It kills Batista’s heel aura and does nothing for either man.
‘Learned
So Much’ is the second piece which is meant to look at John Cena’s rivalry with
Shawn Michaels. Instead of taking a look at what both men did when pitted
against each other its a self adoring piece in which Cena heaps praise on
himself by stating that working with Shawn Michaels as HBK’s career was coming
to an end, he likes to think that it was a highlight for Michaels and that it
brought him to work each day. Even if it did, which it couldn’t have had
knowing you’d have to work extra hard to cover all those floors, there’s no
good reason to say this. Stay humble; it worked throughout the rest of the
release. It’s this kind of bragging which made people hate him in the first
place.
John
Cena vs Randy Orton (Raw, February 14th 2014) does build into a semi-decent
contest but takes an age to get there. It’s like going to London via Scotland
or for our American readers, L.A via New York. There’s so much stalling for
nearly ten or so minutes that it zaps all interest either man may build.
Neither makes a special effort to go out of their way to put on an
unforgettable show and though several later reversals are entertaining and the
near falls can be described as tense, this is just a television bout made more
baffling by John Cena’s victory when Randy Orton was WWE World Heavyweight
Champion.
John
Cena vs JBL (Raw, June 9th 2008) is completely hideous from beginning to end.
Neither man has the capability to carry a match on their own and require an
opponent of greater quality to do anything of note. What makes matters worse is
that JBL stands no chance of besting John Cena and everyone knows it, making
this a mere squash match to fill television time. The action is meaningless and
there’s no flow to be had. Anything that resembles flow is eradicated by
stalling, whilst Triple H makes sure he’s once again centre of attention by
providing commentary for this match which was set up to advance John Cena vs
Triple H at Night of Champions.
‘Talk
You Into a Building’ looks at John Cena’s rivalry with Chris Jericho which was
great to begin with and then descended into madness once Jericho returned.
Instead of taking a look at the feud, John Cena does give Chris Jericho
plaudits for helping make his career and provides a little piece of history by
providing the information that Chris Jericho was his first ever pay-per view
opponent, but the rest is formulaic stuff and not even interesting at that. In
the interest of fairness, with two interview segments per rivalry, John Cena
was running dry on interesting things to say about each.
John
Cena vs Chris Jericho (Survivor Series, November 23rd 2008) is a complete
let-down whilst promising so much and delivering so little. Neither man does
anything to stand out in a crowd and neither look like they’re bothered or
interested. This could pass for a television bout instead of a pay-per view
main event which is never a good sign and is a slog through a predictable
routine which will thrill no one. Both men had better bouts which could have
been included, such as their Vengeance 2005 triple threat match with Christian
and their SummerSlam 2005 main event which was a dazzler.
‘Advice’
shines the spotlight firmly on John Cena’s thrilling rivalry with Triple H and everything
‘The Game’ did to help John Cena when he was shunted to the top of the card and
clearly wasn’t ready for it. Once again, Cena talks about being a sponge and
learning as much as possible from Triple H. The problem with this, as it was
the last seven hundred times he said it is that we can clearly see by today’s
John Cena that he learnt nothing despite his claims that he did. Had he learnt
something from the men who worked with then surely his in ring presentation
would be ten times better than it is. From beginning to end, this segment
sounds completely like Cena is brown nosing his boss. One question does come
from this segment and that is if it is true and John Cena stuck so close to
Triple H then why hasn’t Triple H forced him to learn more by now when it would
be in the best interests of the company?
‘The
Rock and John Cena Q and A’ (Raw, March 25th 2013) isn’t the fun or lively
segment many would envisage it to be. Instead of comedy which comes few and far
between and courtesy of The Rock, we get a Hall of Fame panel asking each man
questions which they answer to the boredom of the audience. The Rock’s story
about being homeless and penniless is a true one and John Cena is stern and
serious, though his belief that he’s better than The Rock was is misguided.
It’s a dull segment which never seems to end and the final Rock Bottom is taken
badly by John Cena. This is one segment best forgotten.
‘Sequel’
is a nonsensical piece in which John Cena tries to make us believe that during
his feud with The Rock, The Rock was the favoured party. Everyone knows that is
baloney. John Cena is never the underdog in any situation and that was the same
with The Rock. Ludicrously, Cena compares the two to Apollo Creed and Rocky
Balboa and although that may be correct, let’s not forget Rocky Balboa was
favoured to win every fight. He also has the cheek to call their match
‘unbelievable’, which it wasn’t.
John
Cena vs The Rock (WrestleMania 29, April 7th 2013) isn’t the main event calibre
match it was meant to be. Though better than the previous year, this is a slog
with a little better action. It can’t be classed as a triumph and when John
Cena injures The Rock by mistakenly launching too early it’s a rookie moment
which Cena should never have completed. John Cena takes the Rock Bottom better
than he ever has but it’s still clunky and with The Rock past his best it
should have been ‘Once in a Lifetime’ instead of twice in two years.
‘Behind
the Scenes of WWE2K15’ is the only DVD extra on the release (also included on
Blu-ray) and it’s a poor inclusion. Two minutes of footage of how they made
this year’s game isn’t enough to help people understand the hard work which
goes into these games and WWE should have made this thirty minutes long with
footage of John Cena being scanned for the game along with other wrestlers.
Instead of that or even a look inside how the game is digitally created, we get
a John Cena photo shoot followed by some spiel by the man himself about how
great the game is. Despite the ten seconds of footage which sees Cesaro and
Adrian Neville in CGI suits modelling moves for the game, it’s a complete promo
job to remind people when the game is released.
DVD and Blu-ray Special
Feature:
Behind
the Scenes of WWE2K15
Blu-ray Exclusive Extras:
Underlying Passion
Raw – November 23rd
2009
John Cena vs C.M Punk
Trying to Do My Job
Raw – February 25th
2013
John Cena vs C.M Punk
Conclusion:
‘John
Cena’s Greatest Rivalries’ surprised your Wrestling God greatly. Expecting
another trawl through John Cena’s lively if samey career, exploring a cheesy
and fake character who expels the same morals on every release we’re presented
with a funny, charming and lively John Cena who presents each match with either
a small story or thoughts on his upcoming opponent or rivalry. This is a
different John Cena to the one his haters are used to seeing but it’s a welcome
change from what we get on Raw, Smackdown and pay-per view. Humble, amusing and
thought provoking, if this John Cena was present each week then the majority of
the WWE Universe would change their minds about him within weeks.
As
with ‘The Best of Sting’, WWE have done a great job of sourcing matches and
material which haven’t been widely released to the public before and though a
handful are taken from random pay-per view events the majority are still of
high quality to the point no one would have complained had WWE included a few
more bouts from each rivalry. One of the only gripes that I have with this
match selection is that it’s almost random and taken from various rivalries
John Cena had with wrestlers. For example, one match could be from 2005 and
another will be from 2009 making fans who don’t know these particular feuds
believe the storyline carried over many years instead of several months.
The
new sit down interview with John Cena is mostly a joy to watch. As mentioned,
Cena is funny, charming and comes across as a man who you’d genuinely like to
be friends with. A million miles away from his smug and self assured character
who we see on television each week and it’s a welcome addition. Talking on each
feud, relaying storied before each match airs, John Cena is a joy and apart
from one or two dull parts it’s a must see as he tells stories of Eddie
Guerrero, Randy Orton and constantly talks about how much better all his
opponents were. There’s even a point where he freely admits what a poor talent
he is. These are strong admissions from a man who could be seen to be riding
his luck.
With
all the good that’s on display here, there is the customary bad as well.
Thankfully, it doesn’t come from the release lay out or John Cena’s involvement
which is the best thing about this release. Instead, the problem comes with
some of the matches. Because there are two matches per feud with nothing to
link them, once you’ve seen one bout with a particular wrestler then you’ve
seen them all. Both matches for each rivalry follow almost the same exact course
without deviation. Apart from one pay-per view match followed by one television
match, everything seems samey when you have two television matches one after
the other. A backstory for each would have been welcome also.
Putting
aside the reason of why this exists in the first place, apart to ram John Cena
down everyone’s throats and cash on further on his popularity with the children
and women ‘John Cena’s Greatest Rivalries’ does an excellent job of hiding John
Cena’s flaws. Every rivalry chosen for inclusion on this release features John
Cena against opponents who are far greater in talent than he, which means
there’s nothing featured here of Cena having to carry opponents. This makes for
a much better release because there’s rarely anything to bemoan when it comes
to Cena’s aptitude for having the world on his shoulders. It also explains why
his rivalry against Big Show isn’t included.
On
that subject, there are some glaring omissions to this release. John Cena’s
rivalry with Big Show isn’t on here even though it can be described amongst his
greatest though the bouts were regularly terrible. Also, his excellent feud
against C.M Punk is only included on the Blu-ray extras even though it should
have replaced the repugnant JBL feud which Cena contested to make this even
more a ‘must buy’. Feuds against Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, The Undertaker in
his earlier years even though Undertaker is on the game style menu as well as
matches against Edge at Unforgiven 2006 and Randy Orton at Hell in a Cell 2009
are also missing.
At
the end of the day ‘John Cena’s Greatest Rivalries’ is by far WWE’s best
release on the man in question. All the others have been lacking the
authenticity of the real John Cena and nowhere near enough about his wrestling
career. This makes up for all of those awful attempts to capture what Cena
really feels about this business. It’ll please non-Cena fans and Cena die hard
fans alike. It’s a brilliant release which exceeds expectations and on this
occasion even though it’s not completely perfect, WWE deserve an ‘A’ for
effort.
Rating:
A
Next Time in Review
Corner: WWE SummerSlam 2014 DVD and Blu-ray
Onwards
and upwards...
