A – Excellent
B – Good
C – Mediocre
D – Avoid
Release Date: November 3rd
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:
WWE’s
second volume covering their most successful period in history: The Attitude
Era. Featuring copious classic and memorable moments including Sable’s topless
strut and Val Venis’ ‘choppy, choppy, pee, wee’ as well as more from Stone Cold
Steve Austin’s feud with Vince McMahon and The Rock’s rise to stardom. This
release also includes matches galore from Raw, Smackdown, Shotgun Saturday
Night and Heat featuring the top stars of the era, building from the first
volume.
Strengths:
Michael
Cole presents the introduction to this release and is assured, reassuring and a
clam personality to guide us through what this release is all about. Explaining
how this will be different to the first volume, Cole tells us that instead of a
documentary on the era we will instead be presented with a host of moments and
matches preceded by brand new interviews from the talent around at the time.
Michael Cole rightly calls the era a “Tsunami of good fortune for WWE” in one
of his more impressive stints on any release.
‘Bare
Essentials’ sees WWE host a brand new sit down interview with Sunny who looks
extraordinarily good after everything she’s been through. Though it’s not a
massively detailed interview and serves as an explanation to her early career
and her skimpy outfits which made her such a star. The outfit in question is a
memorable white bikini with a thong rear which Sunny reassures us that WWE
management had no idea she would be wearing. She’s funny and delightful and
seems to be having a ball once again being asked to participate in this
release.
Owen
Hart vs Shawn Michaels (Raw, December 29th 1997) is a sterling beginning to
what turns out to be a rather lacklustre first disc. An exciting and fast paced
affair which sees a rough looking Owen Hart excel in his bid to convince WWE
management he should have been WWE Champion at some point during his career.
From the beginning which sees Hart attack Shawn Michaels on the ramp with two
devastating suplex’s to its action packed outside work and stout middle, it’s a
rousing bout even though both men had better matches a few years before this.
This is a rare gem from the era but is let down by its predictable DX
disqualification ending.
‘Bad
Ass Dad’ is Billy Gunn’s take on his participation during the Attitude Era.
Gunn is charming and humble when talking about WWE superstars being the most
recognizable athletes in the world, but considering himself lucky to have the
career that he’s had. He’s right to consider himself lucky. Billy Gunn was a
limited performer and was very fortunate to rise to the level he did,
especially after the disastrous Rockabilly character WWE made him play. Gunn
goes into an amusing story about being recognised when out with his child and
asked for an autograph. Refusing the man, Gunn tells us how the fan threatened
him before ‘Mr. Ass’ was forced to ‘put the breaks on that’. Again, it’s not
packed with detail but is a nice addition.
‘Leather
and Chains’ presents us Sunny once again, explaining to us the origin of her
Legion of Doom 2000 outfit. Though no one really wanted to know this, at least
WWE bothered to flesh out some part of their history even if it’s an
inconsequential part. Maddeningly, Sunny calls Legion of Doom the best tag team
in wrestling history which is debatably. WWE could have extended this out
somewhat to include Animal as a talking head also, explaining what effect Sunny
had on the team who were well past their best by the time she got to them.
L.O.D
2000 and Owen Hart vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley and The New age Outlaws (Raw,
April 20th 1998) is only notable in any way because of Owen Hart and Triple H.
Their exchanges are exciting and crisp though Hart’s exchanges with the outlaws
aren’t bad either and all four men just about manage to hold this six man
together, because if left to Animal and Hawk who were way past their best this
would have been totally terrible. It’s painful to watch them. Even worse, when
Hawk begs Chyna like a child not to hurt Sunny it’s pathetic, even more so the
struggle between the pair.
‘Letting
the Dogs Out’ is an amusing little tale from Jerry Lawler of all people, who
relays to us the story about where he got the phrase ‘puppies’ from. Crediting
Road Dogg with its creation, we’re shown some footage of the latter asking
Debra to take hers out before being bombarded with Jerry Lawler’s best bits with
the catchphrase. Though Lawler looks older than usual, he is funny and
watchable correctly stating that catchphrase is what he was best known for.
Jacqueline
vs Sable (Fully Loaded, July 26th 1998) is a banal bikini contest which doesn’t
excite until its finale, when Sable takes off her top to reveal the memorable
moment when she’s topless with black handprints over her hooters. It’s a
completely wearisome contest but does deserve its place for the classic moment
which comes out of it.
Val
Venis and Taka Michinoku vs Kaientai (Raw, August 3rd 1998) exists only to
include the infamous segment in which Kaientai supposedly chop off Val Venis’
penis for having sex with their aged manager’s younger wife. The match itself
is so short its not even worth mentioning though against better Japanese
opponents, Val Venis looks better than he ever had up to this point. Taka
Michinoku predictably turns on Venis, though their beat down of the faux porn
star is decent enough but this is here exclusively for the angle it leads to.
As one of the Attitude Era’s memorable moments, it does belong on this release.
Stone
Cold Steve Austin vs Ken Shamrock (Raw, September 14th 1998) is a rousing bout
featuring an injured Stone Cold and a Ken Shamrock who got better with the
passing years. As for the action, it’s solid enough to entertain and Steve
Austin does enough to bring the best out of Ken Shamrock whose suplex’s are so
good they’d rival Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle’s for quality. Slick and put
together very well, rest holds and submission holds are used to effect instead
of just there to fill a bout whilst its reversals and counters and very good
indeed with Steve Austin’s counter of a hurricanrana into a powerbomb standing
out above the rest. The match doesn’t have a proper ending and concludes in a
mass brawl with The Rock, Mankind, The Undertaker and Kane which actually
serves to aid the excitement on show.
Edge
vs Gangrel vs D-Lo Brown vs Jeff Jarrett vs Marc Mero vs Droz (Raw, September
21st 1998) is a stimulating six man elimination battle which takes a while to
get going and doesn’t last long but electrifies whilst it lasts. Edge and
Gangrel contest an exciting first few moments whilst Droz excels in his role
and the finale between Edge and D-Lo Brown may be fleeting but is very good,
including Edge’s dive over the top rope. Short but very sweet, it’s plain that
Edge is a future star by looking at this whilst stars like D-Lo Brown should
have gone further and had the talent to do so.
Al
Snow vs Sgt. Slaughter (Raw, September 21st 1998) is a passable boot camp
match, which bores when Slaughter is in charge but picks up when Al Snow takes
control. Though it’s full of belt whipping and not much else, the sparse
hardcore action entertains whilst Al Snow’s moonsaults from the barricade and
top rope whilst accompanied by steel chair are excellent. Jim Cornette on
commentary is terrible, saying Slaughter has beaten every major star over the
last 20 years in boot camp matches which means by 1998 he’d have had to defeat
Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, Sting, Lex Luger,
Ricky Steamboat, Rick Rude, The Undertaker, Mankind, The Rock, Shawn Michaels
and Bret Hart to name just a few. Regardless of this, for a bout which features
a wrestler who was past his prime when he was in his prime, it’s tolerable.
‘Extreme
Name Change’ sees X-Pac explaining his evolution from the 123 Kid to Syxx to
X-Pac, whilst telling us the story of how this came about. Explaining that Hulk
Hogan used to call him ‘6 Pac’ in WCW and the evolution which came from that,
X-Pac tells us that he didn’t want to go back to being ‘The Kid’ and decided to
just put the ‘X’ in front of Pac thanks to his association with D-Generation X.
The
Rock vs X-Pac (Raw, November 23rd 1998) is another sterling battle in which
both men shine brighter than they had before. The Rock is given ample time to
work some magic and he does to great effect, playing his character off against
X-Pac who is lightening fast and produces some memorable moments. This along
with Owen Hart vs Shawn Michaels is the highlight of the first disc of this
release, as it sizzles and thrills whilst it lasts. WWE did very well to find
this amongst its massive library. Shawn Michaels’ heel turn on X-Pac is
predictable
‘Becoming
a Pimp’ sees The Godfather appear in a brand new sit down interview. Touching
upon his transition from Karma to The Godfather, Charles Wright should be given
a lot of credit for smashing kayfabe here and in his second interview. Relaying
how he was in the dumps as Karma with The Nation of Domination and needed a
change but being creatively strangled, Wright tells with glee of how his
infamous Godfather character came about beginning with a purchase of what is
commonly referred to as a Godfather hat. He tells of how his wife is to credit
for his popular character before admitting his real name and that he owns a
strip club. This is jam packed with both detail and a solid story to back it
up. You don’t hear much of the honesty on many WWE releases so it must be ate
up whilst it lasts.
The
Godfather and Val Venis vs D-Lo Brown and Mark Henry (Rock Bottom, December
13th 1998) is a respectable scrap even if it doesn’t set the world alight. All
four men put in a shift but when it boils down to credit the entirety goes to
Venis and Brown who exert all the effort and therefore stand out the most. The
bout boasts a decent flow and all four do well to keep what would have been a
trudge through a mid-card interesting. This bout also features a well done
finale.
Triple
H vs Edge (Raw, January 11th 1999) proves to be a worthy addition to this
release with both men excelling without the pressure of a main even spot
weighing them down. Great counters and refreshingly no rest or submission
holds, this is just a wholesome effort by two men who would become greats of
the company in the future. Triple H’s reversal of the swinging neckbreaker into
a pedigree is pitch perfect. It only lasts as long as a you’d expect a Raw
mid-card effort but the time is used wisely to produce one of the surprises of
the release which ends with Road Dogg getting a blood bath. 1999 was Triple H’s
year.
‘Bloodbath’
is one of the most detailed stories on the entire release up to the point it
appears. Talking about his time in The Brood and his early days in professional
wrestling, Edge is nothing but a joy as he conducts this interview with gusto
and flare when touches upon the bloodbath idea which The Brood used so
effectively came from the Blade movies. Not content with leaving it there, Edge
tells us his vampire idea for the group and regales us with how he went out and
brought vampire books so he could portray the character. Going into detail
about the blood mixture used to create said bloodbath, Edge has a good chuckle
about how cold it was how it ruined so many wrestler’s ring attires, saying
that he believes the makers made it colder depending on whether they liked the
wrestler receiving it or not.
Stone
Cold Steve Austin vs Kane (Raw, March 1st 1999) falls just short of a main
event calibre bout but because of its pace which could and should have been
faster, but is still mightily interesting and begins at a thrilling pace but
slows towards its middle. Steve Austin back dropping Kane into the crowd and
their resultant battle in the crowd is very well done thanks to Kane still
being a respectable athlete, and whilst the bout ventures into familiar territory
it’s still very enjoyable. Instead of the lack of ending, Kane should have
pinned Austin to help elevate him. Austin would not have suffered from the
loss.
Billy
Gunn vs Hardcore Holly (Raw, March 15th 1999) is an enjoyable romp through a
very good, if known hardcore routine for the WWE Hardcore Championship. Both
men lay it all on the line and even though there are better hardcore matches in
WWE’s library, this is worth the watch just for the bump Hardcore Holly takes
at the death. Billy Gunn’s face cracks a steel chair full force to the point
you even hear the connection in a wonderfully risky moment, whilst Hardcore
Holly smashing a glass into Gunn’s forehead is equally as violent and
thrilling. It is however Holly’s final dive which comes via a power slam over
the top rope which catches the imagination as the former Sparky Plugg clears
the top rope and somehow doesn’t break both legs on Jim Ross’ announce table.
Great stuff.
‘Pimpin’
Ain’t Country’ is the second interview with The Godfather and even though it
isn’t long, it’s a good story about him travelling The Undertaker and Yokozuna
in his Karma days. This smashes kayfabe to smithereens with Wright talking
about travelling with a man in The Undertaker who he had many bouts and feuds
with across the years as Papa Shango and Karma but is worth a listen. Relaying his
story which details him putting on country music whilst in the car with the
others, Wright provides the laughs when he tells of Yokozuna taking out the
tape and throwing it from the car window and asking Wight if he knew he was
black. This is a nice touch to a release which is heavy on the action.
The
Hardy Boyz vs Edge and Christian (Shotgun Saturday Night, April 17th 1999) isn’t
up to the standard of their later bouts but is still a very good trawl through
two young teams who were coming into their own. Matt and Jeff Hardy’s attire is
very retro, but the action is anything but. With its high flying and effective counters
this is precursor of what was to come from both men. Christian’s Gutbuster on
Jeff Hardy is very nice indeed but the referee doesn’t seem to notice Christian
and Gangrel swapping places. Not a thrill ride but it’s not going to bore you
either.
Test
vs Jeff Jarrett (Heat, June 13th 1999) is only three and half minutes but its
still an effective piece of work. With no time to build a slow and well rounded
contest, both just go full steam ahead with the action trying to pack in as
much as possible in the limited time they have. Test is a marvel, whilst Jeff
Jarrett is willing to sell for his younger foe because he has one eye on the
exit door.
‘Drinking
with the APA’ sees Ron Simmons having a ball as he relives old times with JBL
as the APA, one of wrestling’s most loved teams, but it didn’t necessarily have
to pan out that way as we know. Reminiscing on his time drinking and travelling
with Bradshaw, Simmons regales us with stories of real bar fights the pair got
into away from the cameras which are complimented by staged ones WWE purposely
filmed for our benefit over the years. One story in particular is very
involving and sees Simmons and Layfield enter a bar in a small town in which
locals didn’t like strangers. The stark honest on display which sees the guy
pull a knife on the duo before Simmons took him down with a bottle to the head
is admirable, especially when WWE don’t like us knowing this kind of stuff.
Their battle to get out of the bar before realizing that they could be killed
thanks to their car being parked half a mile away, before being saved by Barry
Windham who had just come for a drink and had his car with him is an absorbing
tale which greatly benefits this release.
The
Acolytes vs Kane and X-Pac (Raw, August 9th 1999) is an entertaining fight even
if there were better matches both Farooq and Bradshaw had as a double act
during that time. Any of their bouts with Edge and Christian from 2000 would
have been a welcome addition. Working well as a pair, the team which would come
to be known as the APA battle Kane and a game X-Pac with some notable moves,
but its really X-Pac who shines here by selling and displaying some impressive
offence against bigger foes. Flowing well without a real rest period in
between, this is one of the better shorter television bouts.
‘Sexual
Chocolate’ conducts a sit-down interview with Mark Henry about his
transformation from Olympic hero to the seedy and somewhat tiresome Sexual
Chocolate character which provided so many hideous memories with Mae Young, which
are predictably included on this release also. Explaining his transformation,
Mark Henry explains how he would practice sweet talking in the mirrors of his
car when travelling with D-Lo Brown and The Rock and how they used to rib him
for doing so. Henry explains that the inspiration for the name came from the
movie ‘Coming to America’ and the song ‘Sexual Chocolate’ sung by the actor.
This information is interesting and has never been released or told before.
However, WWE’s apprehension of putting the word ‘sexual’ on television is
ridiculous, as Henry rightly states when they had Austin flipping everyone the
bird on a weekly basis. It was the right move for Henry to make, he was going
nowhere anyway so had nothing to lose.
Chris
Jericho vs Kurt Angle vs Tazz (Raw, March 13th 2000) is a heart warming effort
from all three men which thrills whilst its lasts. Considering WWE had ruined
the Tazz character by this point, it’s admirable how much he puts into this
bout. Every suplex and high risk move is done with aplomb and even though it
could have done with being a little rougher around the edges, it does look very
polished and completely staged, it’s one of the better bouts included from its
year. The no disqualification rule adds to the tension on display instead of
taking away from it and gives Chris Jericho a clause to keep face when pinned
by Kurt Angle.
‘Behind
Breaking the Walls’ is a forthright interview with Chris Jericho in which he
opens up about his first night in WWE even though the footage isn’t here and to
my recollection is included on the previous volume. Telling how the pressure
was immense and that he could have been sent back down to WCW the following day
had he failed, Jericho admits that he wrote the promo himself because they
didn’t have writers back then. Jericho is wrong, WWE did have writers and he
contradicts himself by saying that he went over the promo with Vince Russo who
was WWE’s lead writer back then. Admitting it wasn’t his finest work which it
wasn’t, Jericho tells of how he’s unable to watch it back because his
performance was cheesy and he made faces like Popeye.
Chris
Jericho vs Kurt Angle (Raw, May 8th 2000) is predictably good and technically
solid as both men step on the accelerator for the audience’s benefit. Kurt
Angle uses his arsenal to great effect and both men excel at the ariel side of
things but can’t seem to maintain the pace as the bout slows towards its final.
Nonetheless, it’s still an interesting piece which could have been replaced by
their No Way Out 2000 effort which was superior in every way. The highlight of
the bout comes when Chris Jericho reverses and Angle Slam and lands on his feet
in a seamless effort.
Eddie
Guerrero vs Dean Malenko (Heat, June 18th 2000) is a red hot technical bout
which never fails to entertain. True, it’s a little sloppy here and there but
for the most part it’s a joy to watch two friends doing their thing with little
constraints. Eddie Guerrero flies like an eagle and his match ending
hurricanrana deserves to be seen, whilst the rest of his offence is just bliss.
Dean Malenko doesn’t get the credit he deserves for being a thrilling technical
talent but it shows here even if WWE did bleed him dry. Malenko’s powerbomb on
Guerrero is superb in this thrill a minute cruiserweight gem.
The
Rock and Lita vs Kurt Angle and Stephanie McMahon (Smackdown, August 24th 2000)
is enjoyable enough whilst it lasts, though the bout can’t maintain its uber
fast beginning. Lita and Stephanie are game; putting themselves in harms way
enough to build ample tension, but its The Rock and Kurt Angle who stand out
here thanks to their lightening fast offence which keeps your attention away
from how short and shallow the bout actually is. When Stephanie McMahon takes a
bump onto the ring steps and knocks herself out for Triple H to come and
collect, Lita is rendered all but useless and the bout becomes more about
Triple H’s feud with Kurt Angle than an actual match. Ending in a tame
disqualification when Triple H replaces his wife and decks the referee, the post
match brawl which features The Hardy Boyz who come to save Lita and The Rock
clearing house is good enough to warrant this an inclusion. However, this is
included for one purpose and one purpose alone and that’s the infamous kiss
which Kurt Angle gives Stephanie after leaving Triple H to take a beating.
Instead of fighting him away, Stephanie settles into the embrace as the
audience goes wild.
Lita
vs Ivory vs Jacqueline (Heat, September 17th 2000) is an admirable triple
threat bout which follows in the vein of every other television match and
doesn’t last long. Whilst it does last, it’s an exciting three way which Lita
shows why she should have been the top of the women’s division at that time.
Lita’s headscissors on Jacqueline is superb as Jacqueline nearly cartwheels out
of the move and the bout continues at a satisfactory pace until its finale.
‘Weak
Stomach’ diverts from the usual wrestler interview about his or her time with
the company during the Attitude Era and instead focuses on WWE’s backstage
staff in the form of Gerald Briscoe. Telling of his legendary weak stomach,
Briscoe enlightens us as to the pranks played on him backstage just to make him
puke. You’ll laugh as he tells of how Stephanie McMahon used to fill her mouth
with soup and spit it everywhere which made Briscoe spew and of how many nasty
tasks he was given just to get a reaction out of him. The Mr. Socko down the
throat when it had been down Mick Foley’s sweaty crotch for three hours, is
particularly nasty.
The
Rock and Lita vs Triple H and Trish Stratus (Raw, July 31st 2000) is a nice way
to end the release seeing as it’s a strong intergender bout in which Lita takes
the brunt of the punishment from Triple H and Trish Stratus. It’s clearer to
see why she was such a favourite of WWE’s at the time. By this time, The Rock
is so over it’s impossible to pull him back and wouldn’t be jeered again for
two years, until he left at SummerSlam 2002 to pursue a career in Hollywood.
Triple H and The Rock go out on a high but the action between Lita and Trish
Stratus impresses most, seeing as this was early in Trish’s career. This ends
with the famous scene of Triple H and Trish Stratus in a sixty nine position.
Weaknesses:
Sunny
vs Chyna vs The Funkettes vs Marlena vs Sable (Slammy Awards, March16th 1997)
is so boring that it isn’t even a proper match or memorable moment. What we
basically have here is a swimsuit competition where each woman comes out and
struts her stuff. How this is quite meant to define the Attitude Era when
bikini contests and swimsuit competitions have been going for a very long time
and are nothing new. Triple H is a scream however when he explains that he’s
pulled Chyna out of the competition and the talent Sunny has can’t be shown on television.
WWE would have been much better advised to cut this and include the competition
of the same name from the 2000 Royal Rumble in which Mae Young got out her
boobs. It’s was much more of a memorable moment than this.
The
Rock vs Ken Shamrock (Royal Rumble, January 18th 1998) is a dreary trudge which
is brought to life through sporadic moments of lively offence which neither
excite nor impress when it should have been something special for an
Intercontinental Championship bout. The Rock looks lazy and uninterested whilst
Ken Shamrock seems to want to get this over as quickly as possible. There’s not
enough get up and go to keep this ticking over at a steady pace and the odd
suplex or burst of life isn’t enough to elevate a bout beyond tiresome. The
Rock can be seen calling spots to Shamrock who still hasn’t grasped what
professional wrestling is meant to be by this point but can still sell better
than John Cena, whilst The Rock goes down to far too easily to a simply belly
to belly suplex which makes him look weak. The ending of the bout is somewhat
of a copout with The Rock planting brass knuckles in Shamrock’s tights and
getting the decision reversed.
Cactus
Jack and Chainsaw Charlie vs The New Age Outlaws (Raw, January 26th 1998) is
routine and by the numbers only. After a promising start, the bout descends
into time filler material which neither entertains nor excites thanks to Terry
Funk being so over the hill he’s out of sight and Billy Gunn and Road Dogg having
their minds on other things. I can foresee lots of people liking this, after
all it’s a bout, but not of high enough quality to be included here though the
ending is the best part when Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie pile the outlaws
under chairs and assault them mercilessly.
Stone
Cold Steve Austin vs Vince McMahon (Raw, April 13th 1998) isn’t even a
legitimate match and the highlight of the whole piece is Vince McMahon forcing
Austin to tie one hand behind his back. There is so much stalling here that it’s
aggravating, even more so when Dude Love appears and attacks both men before
brawling with Austin at ringside. It’s a disappointment segment which could
have been replaced by something more effective and is only here because WWE
believe it illustrates the whacky and unlawful times of the era. It doesn’t and
to make matters worse it’s not even exciting.
‘DX
Takes Over New York’ (Raw, June 8th 1998) is a banal series of skits in which
DX go out into New York and has what is meant to be fun. Only Triple H’s
Pakistani accent is a scream, everything else is just terrible and
uninteresting. How this is meant to demonstrate the Attitude Era is beyond me,
it’s so tiresome that it adds to the jaded feeling of the first disc that WWE
were desperate to find anything they haven’t released before on the era. DX are
having fun but they don’t seem to realize that no one else is.
Kane
vs Mankind (Raw, July 6th 1998) is so short that it can’t even be classified as
a match. Meaning to include The Undertaker also, both Kane and Mankind are
scheduled to do battle when Taker doesn’t show up. Cracking Mankind with a
steel chair and pinning him in less than ten seconds after the action begins
Kane pulls of his mask to reveal The Undertaker underneath which isn’t a
complete shock as from the moment Kane steps into the ring, he carries himself
differently and is slightly taller. Could it be classed an Attitude Era moment?
Yes, but it’s certainly not an interesting one right until the end.
‘Wild
and Crazy Guys’ is an awkward little moment on the release when The Rock
attempts to tell what is meant to be a funny story about his friendship with
Triple H. Unfortunately for The Rock, the story doesn’t come across as funny or
interesting in any way, shape or form and he seems a little nervous, laughing
all the way through it. Stating that both men were wild and crazy guys, The
Rock attempts to tell us just how with a story that goes at one in the morning
they both had protein shakes before going to the gym at four in the morning and
then having a competition at lunch time contesting how many egg whites they
could both eat. This isn’t up to the standard we’d usually expect from The
Rock, whose gift of the gab severely lets him down here.
The
Rock and Triple H vs Big Show (Raw, April 5th 1999) is heavy on Big Show
material which predictably makes it a long and uninteresting. Not even The Rock
and Triple H can save this dull offering but they do try to their credit. Even
here, Big Show is lifeless and drags both The Rock and Triple H down to his
level which is a tragedy known how much better both men are than this. To make
matters worse there is a terrible disqualification finale and the only notable
part of this bout is the Stone Cold Steve Austin brawl with The Rock and Triple
H and Austin tearing the titan tron screen after Big Show pulls it down.
Goldust
vs The Godfather (Raw, April 12th 1999) is a terrible Intercontinental
Championship bout which wouldn’t look out of place in the nineteen eighties.
Terribly slow and with no real connection between moves and both resemble two
men who have been told to kill a little time without thought for what material
to put in. You could almost say, that with the awkward nature of the action on
display neither really had any idea what to do. It looks like two amateurs
fumbling about trying to impress someone, why its here I will never know.
The
Rock vs The Undertaker (Raw, May 17th 1999) should have been a classic Raw bout
but thanks to its allocated time which stands at just over eight minutes,
neither has a chance to build anything meaningful and instead partake in a slug
fest with the odd wrestling move thrown in. Once again, like many of the bouts
featured on this release it has a run-in finale which were common in casket
matches like these and is sadly the most interesting part despite ruining the
affair which could have been something special had it been allocated fifteen
more minutes, as well as a clean finish. But that was always going to be
doubtful seeing as The Undertaker had lost his passion for wrestling and would
soon depart the company.
‘Mark
Henry’s Sex Therapy Sessions’ (Raw and Smackdown) are a complete waste of time
which only serve to harm his image and reputation as we see him taking a series
of therapy sessions which are all predictable and tiresome. The first, Marl
Henry has no problem admitting that throughout his life he has had numerous
sexual relations with his sister, beginning when he was eight years old and
continuing until this was filmed. This is enough of an admission to ruin a
career despite how outrageous fans may have found it. The second session, Mark
Henry brings handcuffs ready to have sex with the therapist before being
approached by a gay therapist in his third try and jumped on by a randy
pensioner in his fourth. These skits aren’t funny, entertaining or notable in
anyway.
‘Valentine’s
Day Delight’ is the second interview with Mark Henry about his time with Mae
Young. Remembering Mae with nothing but fondness, Mark Henry is nothing but
positive about his time with her but this sounds like arse kissing because Mae
is no longer with us. I would have liked to hear Henry’s take on the skits and
ideas as it would have been a much better listen than this standard boot
licking. There’s nothing here to inform or change anyone’s opinions of that
horrendous time and those worthless angles.
‘Mark
Henry and Mae Young Get a Room’ (Raw, February 14th 2000) is notable only for
the receptionist’s reaction to the pair sharing a room. Other than that, it’s
three scenes in which the pair shares a room and they’re dire to say the least.
The audience eats them up and gets more raucous towards the conclusion of Mae
Young in a skimpy nightdress, whilst Jerry Lawler being sick into his crown is
the highlight of this dreadful piece.
Crash
Holly vs Gerald Briscoe (Raw, June 5th 2000) is a paltry hardcore bout which
doesn’t make the most of any of its surroundings or weapons. Gerald Briscoe is
terrible and should never have been let anywhere near a ring or storyline
during this era, whilst Crash Holly is made to kill time which wasn’t like him
at all. Worse, to hand his friends a victory, Vince McMahon sanctions Briscoe a
victory over Crash which hurts his image and career. Once you’ve be seen to
lose to an old man, who can come back from that? This would have been far more
entertaining had it been a cat and mouse chase around the streets.
Pat
Paterson vs Gerald Briscoe (King of the Ring, June 25th 2000) will make you
want to scratch out your eyeballs as both men compete in drag and not very good
drag at that. It’s just horrible as both stomp around the ring using hardcore
weapons to try and entertain. At one point, Pat Paterson drags wrestling to a
new low by shoving a tampon down Briscoe’s mouth which has been concealed in
his crotch. Jim Ross is the best thing about this on commentary and says what
everyone is thinking with the line, “Gerald Briscoe is wearing pantyhose. What
has our business come to?”
‘Wanna
Ride’ is too short to matter in the grand scheme of things and sees Ron Simmons
tells us of how desperately the APA tried to get Trish Stratus to ride with
them when she first entered the company, before getting into a competition with
other wrestlers of who could entice the beauty to their carriage. It’s not
particularly funny or interesting.
The
menus on the release may be a highlight reel of the supposed best moments of
the Attitude Era but DVD Disc 3 boasts moments from 2001 when the Attitude Era
had come to a fitting conclusion. Featuring clips from this era, WWE don’t then
follow it up with bouts from early 2001 begging the question of why they are on
there at all.
Blu-ray Exclusive Extras:
All
Aboard
Driving
With Mr. Long
Ice
Cube
Damn:
Look at That Outfit
National
News
Raw – April 20th 1998
The
Undertaker Attends his Parents’ Funeral
Heat – August 2nd 1998
Number One Contender’s
Match For the WWE Tag Team Championships
Kane
and Mankind vs Owen Hart and The Rock
Raw – August 3rd 1998
Golga
vs Marc Mero
Raw – January 4th 1999
WWE Hardcore
Championship Match
Al
Snow vs Road Dogg
Raw – May 3rd 1999
Lumberjack Match
Stone
Cold Steve Austin vs The Rock
Heat – May 16th 1999
Gangrel
and Christian vs Droz and Prince Albert
Smackdown – September 16th
1999
WWE Championship Match
Triple
H vs Mr. McMahon
Raw – December 27th
1999
Mark
Henry and Mae Young Double Date
Raw – January 31st 2000
The
APA Opens Their Doors
Fully Loaded – July 23rd
2000
Last Man Standing Match
Triple
H vs Chris Jericho
Conclusion:
Anyone
reading his with a long memory will remember my reaction to the first volume
which covered WWE’s famous Attitude Era wasn’t positive. Mostly all of the
bouts included from the era held something of value for both new and long time
fans, but the documentary which made up the release’s main body was highly
substandard with no real quality about it. Unable to include a documentary the
second time around, because let’s face it, everything that could be said on the
era has already been said. Where this release hits a snag is that there is
literally nothing else which can be relayed about this period and makes the
whole process seem somewhat worthless and a waste of time.
Instead
of the documentary we’re given a wealth of matches which are preceded by
stories from those who lived through the times. This is the reverse of the
first release. The stories which come before the bouts are almost all of some
type of quality and will raise a smile whilst providing audiences with stories
they have never heard before. On the other hand, the matches are mostly short
and whilst some are of great quality they fail to make the rest which surround
them mean anything. Worse, those matches in question are mostly short and some
only exist to include the memorable moments on the end which means if you don’t
know what’s coming you have to sit through some terrible action just to get to
it.
In
order to stop this happening, WWE should have taken more time to choose the
matches carefully instead of leaving the audience with a feeling that the
included material had just been thrown on without any care or attention. I
would have liked to see WWE take a different approach with its second volume
and instead of just lump everything together, separate the release into two
categories with matches and memories being two separate entities completely.
That way, WWE could have included some killer bouts without including the dull
ones which lead to memorable moments. Cutting what leads up to the memorable
moments out and just including the moments in a different segment would have
leant this release a fresher look.
As
for the rest of the release, there is a lot to both like and hate in equal
measure with Disc 1 being almost completely terrible with the odd exception of
a rare gem whilst DVD Disc 2 improves as the years get better whilst DVD Disc 3
(the last one and a half hours of Blu-ray Disc 2) features the very best
material across the entire release thanks to the wealth of material from 2000
which should have been expanded. This shouldn’t be surprising seeing as 2000
saw an influx of stars such as Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Chris
Benoit, The Hardy Boyz and many others who may have debuted in 1999 but really
came into their own as The Attitude Era came to an end.
There
is a lot of omissions here including a lot of material featuring The Rock. And
before you start, this isn’t because I love the man it’s because he had some of
his very best matches in 2000. Amongst the matches omitted are The Rock vs
Triple H vs Mick Foley vs Big Show (WrestleMania 2000), Chris Benoit vs The
Rock (Fully Loaded 2000) which has no reason to be missing seeing as Chris
Benoit is now being regularly shown on the WWE Network and included on other
releases, Triple H vs Stone Cold Steve Austin (No Mercy 1999), The Rock vs Kurt
Angle (No Mercy 2000), Triple H vs Cactus Jack (No Way Out 2000), Kurt Angle vs
Rikishi (King of the Ring 2000), Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho vs Kurt Angle
(WrestleMania 2000) plus a few more which should have been included at the
expense of other, lesser bouts on the release. Not to mention Triple H vs Chris
Jericho (Fully Loaded 2000) from the Blu-ray extras which should have been
featured on the main body as well as more bouts from Heat which provided more
quality than some of their Raw counterparts, making those poorer sections much
more tolerable to sit through.
Many
of you will be sitting there asking what is the main problem with this release
and I have to answer that it’s the quality of material on show. Away from the
pay-per view bouts, almost every television bout is way too short to really
matter regardless of how entertaining they may be. This gives off an aura that
The Attitude Era really wasn’t all that important after all when the opposite
couldn’t have been truer.
It’s
not all doom and gloom however, the stories will provide laughs and some degree
of entertainment and there are some quality bouts on display which come mostly
from the headline acts or high flyers. You will be hard pushed to find anything
decent from lower card talent but that’s how it was back then. For all the
good, you just can’t seem to shake off the bad and WWE seem to have used up all
of the good material on the first volume, meaning that this shouldn’t only be
the final volume on this era but it’s for those who don’t know about this time
or those completists only. The more hardcore fan may wish to own this but do so
when it has been reduced, you’ll get much more out of it if you purchase it at
a knock down price.
Rating:
C
Next Time in Review
Corner: WWE Slam City DVD
Onwards
and upwards...
