WWE SLAM CITY AND WWE ANNUAL DVD

 

A – Excellent

B – Good

C – Mediocre

D – Avoid

Release Date: November 3rd 2014

Available From: www.wwedvd.co.uk

Price:

DVD £12.99

Blu-ray £13.99

(Prices from www.wwedvd.co.uk: high street prices will vary)

Format Reviewed: DVD Only

What It’s About:

WWE’s stop-motion animation featuring the action figures produced solely for the younger generation. Seeing a mysterious masked wrestler called The Finisher kidnap Vince McMahon and fire all WWE superstars, our favourite stars (or at least those they’ve produced figures for) are forced to get every day jobs around Slam City where this fictional world is set. This release includes all 26 episodes of the first season across forty eight minutes, featuring a variety of voice talents which include some WWE stars and some actors portraying WWE stars.

Strengths:

The story begins with John Cena vs The Rock doing battle when the pair are interrupted by a mysterious masked figure who calls himself, The Finisher. Claiming that he’s working on behalf of Vince McMahon, The Finisher fires all WWE stars with immediate effect whilst giving no reason for the action. This opens the door to a longer story arc which we’re made to wait to find out the extent of. It’s an ingenious ploy by WWE to keep its audience hooked with the questions of why Vince McMahon would want to fire his talent and just who is The Finisher and what his real motives are. It reminds of the best Scooby Doo episodes that have ever been made. Not too much too soon and you actually want to find out the answer.

‘Auto-Tude Adjustment’ is the first story on the release and sees John Cena being hired by a garage who has a list of jobs to complete as long as their arm. Obviously, this is set in a reality where John Cena’s divorce didn’t work out so well for him and he has nothing to his name. For those who weren’t quite sure, that was a little satire there. Laugh whenever you like. Using his superhuman powers which he employs in the ring to make a comeback after being beaten down, John Cena completes the jobs to earn his place as a mechanic in an amusing beginning to the release. His garage owner boss provides the laughs by commenting every time the picture does a freeze frame on Cena, whose figure has his trademark smirk.

‘Alberto the Barista’ crosses town to find Alberto Del Rio working as a server in a coffee shop. The aged owner once again makes this a hoot of a viewing with his amusing comments, but the star of this short segment is Damien Sandow who comes in to complain about his coffee and abuses Alberto Del Rio in traditional Scooby Doo style and even ends up picking his nose in a hilarious segment. Predictably, the pair engages in a brawl around the shop using cups of coffee and snacks as weapons.

‘Not Enough For Ya?’ focuses on Kane working in a school canteen and hating every minute of it. Glen Jacobs on vocals is always good for a laugh and conveys his hatred of the job perfectly in a conversation with an unruly child who feels the full wrath of Kane, when ‘The Big Red Machine’ re-cooks his feud by using the fire he summons from the ring post in this short episode which will raise many chuckles mostly from an adult audience.

‘Big Brawl’ begins with Big Show attempting to get through John Cena’s garage door in excellent, farce style. Ripping the door off of its hinges when he can’t get through, Big Show demands that John Cena mend his car only for Cena to refuse and make ring ropes from jumper cables. Their battle is a hundred times more entertaining than the pair have had in reality and ends in a hilarious moment when John Cena stuffs Big Show inside a wind-up car and sends him on his way.

‘Cafeteria Chaos’ flits back to Kane who still isn’t enjoying his stint the school cafeteria and showing it. Uncaring about how he serves food, Kane evokes massive chortles by serving pizza kebab on massive sharp spikes which look like they’ve just been retrieved from the very bowels of hell. Challenged for his position by Santino Marella, Kane and Santino engage in a food themed brawl which ends when Kane makes Santino into a pizza and throws him out of the window to A.J Lee. It’s a little disturbing for a very young audience, but still very effective.

‘The Crossing Guard’ looks at Rey Mysterio working as what us Brits call a lollypop man outside a school. Once he’s helped an old lady to her Lucha Libre class, Mysterio becomes trapped on the wrong side of the road with school about to come to an end. Turning into an amusing parody of a nineteen eighties video game or more accurately, Frogger, Mysterio attempts to cross the road by using his lucha skills to leap on and off of moving vehicles. It’s a very well done piece which ends when Mysterio lands in front of an oncoming truck and has to be saved by the old woman he first helped across the street. This won’t hold much for adults, but kids will be enchanted.

‘Surround Pound Stadium Beating: Part 1’ is an amusing little tale in three parts. Working as a cinema usher, Sheamus looks a terrific sight in his get-ups and soon finds himself dealing with an unruly Brock Lesnar who won’t quiet down. Partaking in a duel in which Brock Lesnar uses his sub sandwich as a sword and Sheamus makes a lightsaber from his usher’s torch, the pair ends up in the movie being shown which proves to be an ample cliff-hanger.

‘Perky the Penguin’ sees Mark Henry working in a Pizza Palace as a waiter dressed as a penguin. Hating his job, Mark Henry is forced to battle robot penguins after they throw a pizza into his face and turn evil. Mark Henry’s reaction to being pelted with a pizza is priceless and something the entire family can have a ball watching. His actual fight with the robot animals brings back memories of John Cleese thrashing his car with a branch in Fawlty Towers.

‘Battle For the Streets’ perks up Rey Mysterio’s segments when he’s forced to fight Damien Sandow for his job as lollypop man. Damien Sandow is once again wonderfully cocky which makes this even more fun to watch and his interactions with Rey Mysterio are just excellent. In traditional animation style, Rey Mysterio sticks his hand down a drain only for it to come out the other side and slap Sandow before leaping across the road and halting in mid-air because Sandow is holding the stop sign the wrong way around. Damien Sandow is wonderfully comical, jumping into an old woman’s arms as a truck speeds towards them and the end in which Rey Mysterio goes to bump fists with him and then punches him in the face is glorious.

‘Surround Pound Stadium Beating: Part 2’ proves to be a decent continuation of the story which sees Sheamus and Brock Lesnar do battle in a movie orientated world. Arriving in a western, both men compete in a western orientated montage before Sheamus breaks the walkie talkie which controls the settings and the pair end up in a romantic comedy which signals another cliff-hanger. It’s a very well done piece.

‘The Finisher’ delves back into the main story arc and fleshes out the base which this series is built upon. The Finisher is revealed to have kidnapped Vince McMahon and lock him in a safe because he wants to be the only wrestler in the world and WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Going on a hunt for the title, The Finisher goes through several of the wrestler’s jobs looking for the gold before its revealed John Cena has it safely tucked away in his drawer in the garage. The Finisher is a great villain for children to hate and one which possesses such power that it’s satisfying when he gets his final comeuppance.

‘Coffee Showdown’ begins with The Miz walking into Alberto Del Rio’s coffee shop needing to use the bathroom. Refusing to allow him entry, Del Rio tells The Miz that the facilities are only for paying customers whilst The Miz pulls out his quick retort book and fires back with “I wouldn’t pay you attention!” A pretty decent battle ensues, but once again it’s the coffee shop owner who makes the scene what it is with his quick witted comments.

‘We All Scream For Ice Cream’ makes the most of C.M Punk’s time as an ice cream seller when he serves Kane an ice cream with sprinkles on it. Protesting that he doesn’t like sprinkles, Kane is a ball of comedy when refusing to allow Punk to take them off and looking around before eating the ice cream. Once again, Damien Sandow appears to take Punk’s job from him in a running gag and looks like he’s going to get the better of him until Punk counters by yelling that Kane had sprinkles which brings Kane back in a rage to get rid of Sandow in a very well done segment.

‘Resistant Gorilla’ is possibly the funniest episode on this release thanks to some quick witted humour by the writing staff. For the first time on the release, Randy Orton appears as a Zoo keeper. He’s amusing when talking to his animals but where this excels is in its flashback when Randy Orton tries to give a gorilla named Sheila a bath. In Family Guy tradition, Randy Orton says “This is worse than the time I tried to give that penguin a bath” before the segment cuts to a flashback of Mark Henry sitting in a bath dressed as the penguin, looking at Randy Orton and stating “Don’t even think about it!” If that doesn’t make your day, nothing will. The battle with the gorilla is decent and ends in another funny segment when Randy Orton lands in the bath with his primate friend and says, “This will be our secret Sheila, ok?” before the gorilla kisses him on the cheek.

‘Surround Pound Stadium Beating: Part 3’ bring the three part story to a decent if unspectacular close. It’s the conclusion children will be waiting for having sat through two other parts and won’t disappoint younger fans as Sheamus and Brock Lesnar get down to a good brawl after a little silliness. Knocking each other into different countries including Italy, England, Egypt and India the pair finally arrive back at Slam City theatre where they call a truce to their battle. WWE intend this piece to carry a message for children, that fighting gets you nowhere. Well, except a multi-million dollar business and a place in history that is.

‘Who is the Apex Serpent?’ sees Santino Marella come to Randy Orton’s zoo in search of the job Orton currently occupies. Predictably, the pair battle out their differences in a good brawl which rolls past Sheila the gorilla in the bath tub whose expressions are just brilliant. The scene ends with Randy Orton putting Santino Marella in a cage before Stone Cold Steve Austin arrives to claim that rattlesnakes are better than vipers and throw Orton in a separate cage. It’s an entertaining little scene but as its coming to the end of the release, you can really see the makers struggling for new ideas.

‘Recipe For Disaster’ amuses thanks to Kane. Having not enjoyed his job at a school cafeteria for the whole release, Kane is finally enjoying his time serving children food when a wanderer enters the school with a goat and reveals himself to be Daniel Bryan, who says that he has travelled far for Kane’s pudding recipe. Defending the secret with his life, Kane reigns fire-meatballs down on his former partner who takes refuge behind a table in a very well done and believable fight scene. Their battle ends with a Bryan victory but then the party is crashed by Rey Mysterio who declares a food fight.

‘Best Dessert in the World’ brings C.M Punk’s tale to a close when Mark Henry arrives for an ice cream and a cat and mouse chase ensues. The highlight of a somewhat un-enjoyable section for adults is Punk diving into his truck only for Henry to open it up and be unable to find him, only for Punk to be standing by a tree. Children will find this amusing but adults will just have to grin and bear it, it doesn’t last long.

‘Randy Gets His Goat’ is the final proper story on the release before it switches to the two part finale and it’s a wholesome tale to go out on. Instructed to find a goat on a mountain, Randy Orton travels up the mountain to find Daniel Bryan waiting for him in a funny piece but in reality there isn’t much to it. Saying that, as this is so close to a rewarding finale I doubt anyone will care about its quality.

‘Finale: Part 1’ sees The Finisher finally finding the WWE World Heavyweight Championship which is stashed in John Cena’s draw at the garage where he works and sleeps. Catching The Finisher in the act, Cena leaps into action and the pair battle it out before The Finisher gets the upper hand and hits Cena with several finishing moves including his own which the puppet sells about as well as the real person. Stealing the title, Slam City is set up for an interesting final episode which promises a great deal. John Cena fans will be enchanted by this episode and the second part which follows.

‘Finale: Part 2’ brings the last forty eight minutes to a close in style. Opening on John Cena inside a WWE ring challenging The Finisher to a fight, Cena is dropped through a trap door in the ring and finds himself in The Finisher’s own stadium and ring which is booby trapped. Children will fear for John Cena as he battles seemingly unbeatable odds and cheer as The Rock takes The Finisher by surprise and he and Cena finally defeat the man who has brought down WWE. Attempting to save Vince McMahon, John Cena and The Rock instead find a video message from The Finisher inside the vault who says that he will return. It’s a tense finale which leaves questions unanswered such as the whereabouts of Vince McMahon and whom The Finisher is, something which fans are on the verge of finding out just before the release cuts off. It’s an excellent ploy to make sure the next set of episodes are purchased.

As for the DVD Extras: ‘The Making of Slam City’ is an interesting seven minute look behind the scenes of the programme. Taking in the sets, the process of filming which looks excruciating and the making of the puppets in the exact same style of the figures this will interest adults more than children but it does feature some instructions for children to make their own stop-motion animation which is a bonus. The CGI removal wires is a quick but welcome addition as if The Finisher challenging children to make their own conclusion to the story.

Weaknesses:

‘Cold...Stone Cold’ is the first real segment which doesn’t appeal. Seeing Stone Cold Steve Austin enter Alberto Del Rio’s coffee shop and order his beverage stone cold, as you could already guess, it’s merely a parade of different ways Alberto Del Rio makes his drinks cold. Though Del Rio’s attempts do mildly amuse, it’s clearly the weakest point up to its participation nearly twelve minutes in.

‘Sundae in the Park’ reuses elements of ‘Cold....Stone Cold’ as C.M Punk works his ice cream stall in the park. Ruining The Miz’s suit with hundreds and thousands, C.M Punk and The Miz engage in a predictable brawl which uses the same formula of sending The Miz into space to freeze that Alberto Del Rio used to chill Austin’s drink. It’s repetitive but doesn’t last long, so shouldn’t send your child or you off to do something else.

‘Between a Rock and Pizza: Part 1’ does amuse as far as The Rock and Mark Henry working in the same pizza place, but their battle is somewhat cliché and the story of having to get their pizza back from a robot penguin is a little too daft especially after Mark Henry has used up all the material by battling them. However, the banter between The Rock and Mark Henry is entertaining with The Rock asking, “Did that penguin just steal my pizza?” and Mark Henry answering back, “That’s what he does!”

‘The Wandering Nomad’ is dull and uninteresting, which sees Santino Marella homeless and needing a job to pay for food. In its own way it’s a sad little piece which traverses C.M Punk’s ice cream stool before Santino becomes mayor after an impassioned speech. It’s a drag to get through especially after so many other funny and interesting stories on display.

‘Between a Rock and a Pizza: Part 2’ is another worthless entry, especially for a multi-part story following Sheamus vs Brock Lesnar. There’s nothing interesting about this as The Rock and Mark Henry track down their stolen pizza from the robotic penguin, which takes in a battle with hundreds of robotic animals which children should be able to get through but adults will be turned off by. This is a repetitive brawl with no quality and a bad ending, because after all of this the pair just gets another pizza made.

As for the DVD Extras: ‘Mini Stories’ are just four of the superstars’ stories lumped together to make one long story. There’s nothing you haven’t already sat through and nothing you’ll want to sit through again. What would have been a much more interesting inclusion would have been to go behind the scenes of the action figures were made.

Conclusion:

‘WWE Slam City’ may look primarily like a children’s cartoon on the surface and indeed that’s the impression the cover gives off, but from the first scene of The Finisher firing all WWE superstars in his quest to become the only wrestler in the land and WWE World Heavyweight Champion, its clear WWE have done a sterling job of attracting a family audience to this animation which parents and children can enjoy together. Far just a children’s animation, Slam City boasts some cracking gags adults can also enjoy and whilst dialogue is mostly clunky there are moments of great quality which will have adults laughing out loud.

Whether this was an attempt to legitimately capitalize on the children’s market currently thriving or a way to make sure their small figures sell more units WWE and the production company which cobbles together the stop-motion animation do a sterling job of bringing the action figures to life which will both interest adults and captivate younger audience members for the duration of its forty eight minutes which takes in twenty six short episodes. On top of the humour, WWE have also been sure to include a few in jokes for the more observational adult, such as John Cena’s superhuman strength which he employs in the ring and Alberto Del Rio and C.M Punk working mundane jobs such as coffee shop worker and ice cream man respectively. The two latter jobs are obviously what WWE expect the pair to be doing now they have departed the company.

Though all the voice cast are excellent in their roles, it’s quite hard to judge who really is the wrestler and who isn’t. Almost certainly, John Cena, Kane, C.M Punk, Damien Sandow and Rey Mysterio are present within the voice cast whilst the rest are made up of imitators. This is never more noticeable than when Stone Cold Steve Austin, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton and Sheamus are present. The latter has a terrible Irish accent which really should have been revised before putting this out to the general public.

Though it becomes a little samey towards the end and some stories use elements of others before them, what sets this apart from other children’s releases is that it’s not broken down into separate episode titles and instead flits across Slam City to see what the stars are doing. Each has their own storyline across one or several different days and instead of breaking up the stories, WWE should be given credit for allowing it to flow as one massive story in the way British comedy, The League of Gentlemen did during each episode. The highlight of this release is an unemployed Damien Sandow, who searched out jobs from other wrestlers and tries to prove he’s better than they are. Sandow is a hoot on vocals and his character is a joy to witness when it pops up also.

I’m not so sure this would appeal to non-wrestling fans as children who don’t know the grappling game will struggle to identify with the characters, but Slam City is a must for every child who loves WWE and even adults looking for a chuckle. It’ll be the perfect present under the tree and appeals to all ages. The only glaring problem you’ll have with this brilliant release is that once it’s finished, you’re going to be spending out a fortune on the figures for the little ones to play and recreate these amusing stories with. Almost certainly, I could sit through another forty eight minutes of this as long as its as embracing and hilarious as the first instalment.

Rating: A

 

A – Excellent

B – Good

C – Mediocre

D – Avoid

Release Date: November 10th 2014

Available From: www.wwedvd.co.uk

Price:

DVD £ 19.99

(Prices from www.wwedvd.co.uk: high street prices will vary)

Format Reviewed: DVD (6 Discs)

What It’s About:

The previously released ‘Best of Raw and Smackdown 2013’ and ‘Best Pay-Per View Matches 2013’ complied into one box.

Strengths:

From the ‘Best of Raw and Smackdown 2013’:

C.M Punk vs Ryback (Raw, January 7th) in a TLC Match for the WWE Championship is a very good outing which is made all the more believable by Punk’s carrying of the Goldberg wannabe and the way he works to his own strengths instead of pandering to the monster. Ryback seems better suited working to others paces more than his own. Not fond of wasting time here, one of Ryback’s finest ever singles outings employs weapons early on to distract from any shortcomings whilst Punk looks a million dollars considering he’s a man who has just returned from knee surgery. Selling Ryback’s power to perfection, the bout does take a dip when the former Skip Sheffield works over Punk’s leg but one cannot gripe too much seeing as it’s all logical. Though I think it’s a sad reflection on wrestling and Ryback today that when Punk tries to snap his challenger’s ankle in a steel chair, it wouldn’t have mattered had he succeeded. Refreshingly, this isn’t a hit and run bout, in which each try to grab the gold at every opportunity. In fact neither bothers about the main prize of the match until the very end and are content on destroying each other. Ryback’s missed spear through a waiting table looks excellent and it’s around this time you begin to get a different vibe when comparing this effort to other less satisfactory TLC bouts – a good vibe though. Paul Heyman is excellent throughout the bout and his selling, comments and faces are priceless. If the match had been a stinker then it would still have been worth watching for Heyman alone. The one downside is that as Punk was on a collision course with The Rock at Royal Rumble he could have done with winning this bout without the help of The Shield to look as strong as possible. However Roman Reigns Powerbomb through a table and onto the ring steps is divine.

Alberto Del Rio vs Big Show (Smackdown, January 11th) is their excellent Last Man Standing bout for the World Heavyweight Championship where Alberto Del Rio takes the step from jobber to main event star in one foul swoop. Looking like a new man after his 2012 burial, Del Rio exudes emotion and makes you care about his plight to be the Champion again. Through a well paced and exciting encounter, the Mexican’s constant fight back really makes you want to stand up and cheer for him which is a weird feeling seeing as it comes around so little these days. The Cross Arm Breaker over the top rope is executed to perfection and whilst Big Show looks genuinely lost for ideas after his Chokeslam fails to put Del Rio down for the ten count, his refusal to stay down, even after a WMD punch is a stirring moment as the challenger rolls out of the ring and lands on his feet to break the count. This is the Alberto Del Rio we should have seen more often when he was face, he’d have gone a long way. The last grasp attempt to claim the gold is almost inspiring, depending on what gets you going. Tipping the announce table onto Show is an ingenious and joyous moment in which you feel really happy for Alberto even though you know how it ends. The question is, can he do it again in 2014?

C.M Punk and The Rock Confrontation (Smackdown, January 25th) is a very intense piece of work between the two which is actually better than the matches they had. Following a stupendous promo by Punk, The Rock comes to the ring and for once is a man of very few words, though he hasn’t lost the knack of talking like most would. It’s a rare moment in wrestling when one man talks and actually takes you back to the good old days when everything was simpler and we didn’t have to pick apart what was wrong with the business to make it better. In a taut moment, The Rock gazes Punk in the eyes and with every ounce of seriousness states that not only are the walls closing in but when he has Punk elevated in The Rock Bottom ready to plough the champion into the canvas, the last though in Punk’s mind before he’s driven to the mat will be “It’s Over”. Knowing now that this would lead to the end of Punk’s historic WWE Championship reign, it’s all somewhat poignant.

Vince McMahon Confronts Paul Heyman (Raw, January 28th) is another outstanding showcase of two men who know how to control an audience with words. Instead of interrupting the boss and Heyman at every opportunity, the capacity crowd are hooked on their every word. It’s a testament to the respect both men have earned over the years. McMahon sanitising his hands after shaking Heyman’s paw is a scream as is the seriousness in which Paul Heyman displays when trying to duck out of his association with The Shield and Brad Maddox, through “You Got Busted” chants, after video evidence is shown on the titan tron of him admitting to paying both parties. Reeling off another thrilling promo, Paul Heyman should be employed in a bigger role than he currently occupies and Vince is flawless all the way through. His humour is second to none. If you listen closely then you’ll find an in-joke from Vince and Heyman when Paul blurts out that he can learn to be an honourable man from the boss, very few times has Vince ever been honourable. Fans singing “Goodbye” to Heyman chirps up Vince more than a million dollars in his bank account. Brock Lesnar almost brings the house down as it’s the first time he’s been seen up to this point in a very long while and his interactions with Vince are silently brilliant as Paul Heyman is a scream with his off the mic comments as Lesnar drops the boss with a thunderous F5. Thoroughly entertaining throughout.

C.M Punk vs John Cena (Raw, February 25th 2013) is another brilliant match. John Cena goes through the usual routine with maddening regularity but there’s nothing here which is truly horrible. Wisely, C.M Punk slows down the match to a pace Cena can contend with and thankfully it doesn’t hold up the match whilst the submissions holds make sense padding out a logical match. Each reversal is done with aplomb and the crowd rise to their feet as Punk reverses a move into the Anaconda Vice. Though John Cena predictably sells nothing the match builds to a heated confrontation with the best series of moves being a chain of reversals which begins with John Cena reversing a Flying Clothesline attempt into an STF, for Punk to reverse the STF into an Anaconda Vice only for John Cena to reverse it into a crossface which the commentators call an STF. It’s a great sequence of moves. John Cena hits a very good sit down Powerbomb without any mistakes and there’s a killer near fall after a flying leg drop by Cena. This could be a pay-per view main event for the drama which comes from it. Cena nearly breaks his own neck on a hurricanrana attempt and Punk hits a thrilling piledriver which is nice to see again in WWE.

The Rock and John Cena Point-Counter Point (Raw, March 4th) begins with a comical promo by The Rock, in which the crowd pop for all of his catchphrases. John Cena is pleasantly competent on the microphone and manages to get through ninety five percent of his speech and the angle without smirking, though it does come into play from time to time. Passionate and serious, you feel that losing to The Rock at WrestleMania 28 really did mean something to him, though the segment descends into madness when Cena seems to blame Rock for his life going into a tailspin both in front of and behind the camera. Surely Cena isn’t that dumb he’d blame The Rock for his divorce? This is a thoroughly absorbing confrontation, more so than almost any the pair had one year before, with the pise de resistance being both men quoting famous lines to end. Cena quotes Mike Tyson’s “To Be the Greatest Ever, You Have to Beat the Living” before being trumped by The Rock quoting Lance Armstrong and then shot down when ‘The Great One’ venomously spits, “He Was Full of Crap and So Are You!” Excellent. If only all WWE stars were as good on the stick.

Alberto Del Rio vs Jack Swagger (Raw, April 8th) is about on par with their WrestleMania 29 clash; that is, nothing to brag about. Whilst it boasts a few highlights such as Del Rio’s dive to the outside and a Cross Arm Breaker into a Slam, but Alberto never really sells the injured leg and it’s clear where the audience’s priorities lie when they begin to chant “We Want Ziggler!” This could have been the greatest match in history but no one would have cared because for them, it was rightly time for the next generation to take centre stage. The match is saved by Dolph Ziggler cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase which gets one of the biggest reactions I’ve heard in years just coming down the aisle. Though Del Rio fails to sell the injured leg which was meant to prevent him from retaining the gold and Ziggler had to fight maybe more than any other opportunist casher in to attain his title, it is a true punch the air moment when Ziggler pins Del Rio to capture the gold. It almost brings tears to your eyes and the reaction is deafening. It’s just such a shame the company never persisted. They cannot treat Roman Reigns like this in 2014.

The Undertaker and Team Hell No vs The Shield (Raw, April 22nd) is a rollicking match which easily takes match of the night and match of the release honours. Undertaker, in his first appearance on Raw in 3 years gets a God like welcome back to the UK and rightly so. During the match, Undertaker still doesn’t look like he’s lost his pace and talent, a fact furthered by the chants of ‘You’ve still got it’ by the crowd. Let’s be honest, Undertaker never lost it. Daniel Bryan is efficient, taking the brunt of the punishment from Reigns, Rollins and an impressive Ambrose and the artist formerly know as Bryan Danielson pulls off some sumptuous looking transfers with The Shield, including a great suicide dive and a classy front dropkick from the top rope. The Shield are equally impressive here. Seth Rollins takes a fine bump off of the ringside barrier stemming from Bryan’s suicide dive and even though Roman Reigns is spared heavy duty here, Dean Ambrose is a tour de force entering a superior performance. The future is bright for these three indeed. The Shield victory is the right call by WWE even if the ending to the match should have been more impactful. This match should have been the main event of the show as it is high quality stuff indeed.

Brock Lesnar Invades WWE Headquarters (Raw, May 6th) is, more than anything, an insightful look inside WWE’s base. The Andre the Giant statue is impressive but in a low point, Paul Heyman disrespects verbally, before Heyman picks up the angle and helps carry what would be a tiresome journey through the building with his snipes at Triple H and the McMahon family. Brock Lesnar staring down an oblivious worker in the elevator is amusing as is Paul Heyman whistling Fandango’s theme tune. Security are suspicious by their absence, no one is going to tell me that a billion dollar corporation doesn’t have the most Neanderthal guards on the planet guarding its ever asset. The sledgehammer on the wall of Triple H’s office is a ‘coincidence’ as Lesnar exudes badass destroying the office which if you keep your eyes peeled, has a specially constructed plasterboard wall which dents and breaks as Lesnar hurls objects against it. It’s not a thriller, but entertaining enough for the look behind the scenes.

Curtis Axel vs Chris Jericho (Smackdown, June 7th) is a lively and consistent bout which Curtis Axel looks nothing but perfect, to coin a phrase. Axel’s Neckbreaker off of the ropes has a great tone to it; whilst his interactions with Jericho are fluid and swift enough the match feels like a mid-card pay-per view bout, or at least one of the better ones. For once, Chris Jericho does well to sell and get Axel over as a star; this is where Jericho can do the most good should he return in the near future. The high flying moves are crisp and the final distraction of Punk’s music hitting may get the crowd on their feet and provide long enough a distraction for Axel to roll Jericho up, but for full effect he really should have won alone. Very impressive match which sadly Axel couldn’t maintain when he took the Intercontinental Championships strap. Had he been able to do so, then who knows where he would have been right now.

Mark Henry’s Retirement Speech (Raw, June 17th) is a genuinely moving speech which is so well crafted you don’t see the heel turn on John Cena at its conclusion. Whilst its hard to believe that Mark Henry would concoct such a plan just to get to John Cena when he could have marched to the ring after a match and ruined him with a Falling Splash is somewhat a head scratching moment, but overlooking that, you could be forgiven for believing that the man who has accomplished very little in his years here is really ready to fly the nest. It does take a while to get to the speech however as John Cena bangs on about his 2012 and somewhat telegraphs the turn stating that at Money in the Bank he will know where his next challenge comes from, just before Henry makes his entrance, but its only a minor gripe. As Henry stands in the ring soaking up the heartfelt ‘Thank You Henry’ and ‘Sexual Chocolate’ chants, JBL absurdly states that Mark Henry has accomplished a lot in his career when he clearly hasn’t. As for the man himself, Mark Henry is the best he’s ever been. Crying, thanking everyone, telling his children that daddy is coming home before picking up John Cena and dropping him with a Falling Splash which the crowd go crazy for. It just goes to show you, that no matter how bad you really are, when it comes to the end you’ll be as respected as the very best will be. The funniest chant of all is ‘You’ve Still Got It’ as Henry sobs in the ring. He never had it, but it was nice of them to say so.

Randy Orton vs Daniel Bryan (Raw, June 24th) is everything their main event pay-per view matches struggled to be. Fun, energetic and flowing this is what the pair should have strived to show us at Night of Champions, Battleground and Hell in a Cell. Had they done so then maybe Daniel Bryan’s chase for the WWE Championship would have still been in the main event today. Amongst the charge counters with steel chair shot, counters and a particularly fine Powerbomb counter from the apron through the table by Bryan, you’ll find it a task to spot a wasted move. The kendo stick / kick sequence is particularly riveting as is the T-Bone Suplex through a standing table by Orton puts everything on the line to make Bryan his equal in image. Only one of two men to do that – the other was John Cena. A Hurricanrana block into a Powerbomb is sumptuous but the real power of this match comes from the different finish which sees a ‘Yes Lock’ countered only to be applied with a kendo stick for the tap out. If anything can be used as evidence that the WWE Championship is holding Randy Orton back then this match is it. He was a better wrestler without the weight of expectation.

A.J Lee and Kaitlyn Contract Signing (Smackdown, July 12th) is another entertaining piece of verbal action as A.J taunts Kaitlyn with a great promo before proceeding to read out fake texts about the other divas that Kaitlyn sent to her secret admirer. Both women are perfect here and A.J takes pleasure in being the naughty little minx, right up until Kaitlyn traps her in the corner with the table and then belts Langston with a stiff slap which made my face hurt. If you like slick promos and great back and forth verbal’s then this has something for everyone. It’s quite amusing as well.

Randy Orton vs Rob Van Dam (Smackdown, August 9th) is another thriller which begins at a hell of a clip with some classic RVD moves. Van Dam missing the Flying Crossbody over the top rope looks excellent as is Orton’s selling of RVD’s offence. You’ll find nostalgia spots aplenty here, with RVD Double Leg Rolls, Spinning Leg Drop from the apron and great height on a Split-Legged Moonsault. Randy Orton’s backbreaker from the ropes looks flawless amongst the fast paced action including a great Northern Lights Suplex which is more what we demand than the usual boring match formula. There aren’t many matches which can put a smile on your face, this is one of them.

Antonio Cesaro vs Santino Marella (Raw, September 9th) is mostly brief and of no consequence, but is kept entertaining by Cesaro and to a degree Santino. Every slam, kick and move is done with such overselling that it becomes entertaining to watch. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe a little Santino every now and again is a good thing. The match does boast a great throw / pin combination to end the bout. Like I said, brief but a welcome distraction from the heavy tone of everything else.

Cody Rhodes, Goldust and Daniel Bryan vs The Shield (Raw, October 7th) is a lively six man tag team match, twenty four hours removed from Battleground. As they were the night before, Cody Rhodes, Goldust and The Shield are brilliant and Daniel Bryan leaves his mark on the match as well. Cody executes a thrilling springboard dropkick and Goldust appears to have gotten better with age. Daniel Bryan hits a sublime 180 degree German Suplex in a sequence which looks so agile WWE need to be questioned on why they are wasting him. Illogically, even though he’s been fired earlier in the Show, Big Show’s entrance music is queued up so he can storm to the ring and knock Triple H out in a good looking segment which also sees Big Show treat The Shield like jobbers.

Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns (Raw, October 14th) is a thrilling tag team match which stars at a snails pace but builds into something unforgettable. Roman Reigns brings out his rest holds to maddening effect but when the match catches fire, it’s one everyone should see. Cody Rhodes is mightily impressive in the final third whilst there’s a beautiful reversal of the Disaster Kick from the ring steps which is transferred into a Powerbomb into the barricade to maximum effect. The ‘This is Awesome’ chants are thoroughly deserved. Too much happens to describe here but sadly the WWE Tag Team Championship victory is hyped to be more down to Big Show interfering rather than the solid work of the Rhodes brothers.

John Cena, Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs The Real Americans and Damien Sandow (Smackdown, November 1st) isn’t as thrilling as it would have been had it been a tag team match between The Rhodes Brothers and The Real Americans but it is still notable for some good action which harks back to the days of 1980’s six man tag team warfare. The worst thing about the bout is that it comes after Damien Sandown’s failed cash in attempt and it’s plain to see that no one cares about the character anymore. He had limited appeal when he had something about him, namely the briefcase, stripped of that combined with the burial he received after he won the briefcase; there was never any chance of scraping any decency back in the ring. The damage had been done. Goldust is once again a highlight, if there was an award for most improved wrestler then surely it would go to him. Dustin’s Bulldog using Damien Sandow as a springboard is excellent. There are huge swathes of time when the bout goes nowhere but luckily for the flow, it only emphasises the excitement when it comes along. Building well, John Cena is wisely kept to a minimum as to negate the negative effect on others careers; he is competent when his time comes. Antonio Cesaro is crisp and professional, handling John Cena very well and the slow decline back to the golden days of wrestling with blind tags which aren’t noticed by the referee and cutting the ring in half are a welcome distraction. John Cena nails a beautiful spear on Jack Swagger outside the ring and his yelps of ‘tag’ to Cody Rhodes every time he comes Cena’s way in the Cesaro Swing are funny. Cesaro’s counter of the Attitude Adjustment into a Gutwrench is sublime as is the Uppercut which Cena gets great height on. There’s a nice sequence to end the affray but Cena finishes Swagger off too quickly without any real rhyme or reason.

C.M Punk and Daniel Bryan vs The Shield (Raw, November 11th) in a two on one handicap match begins slow but gradually picks up the pace when Daniel Bryan enters. C.M Punk’s part in the match makes him feel like he’s on pause. Bryan hits a lovely German Suplex on Rollins, but the fans are visibly jaded by the time the main event rolls around – they have been sitting there for nearly three hours as WWE taped Superstars before Raw – and it’s high time the show wrapped up. There is hardly any enthusiasm left. That however is remedied when The Wyatt Family enter the fray and brawl with The Shield before all six men chase Daniel Bryan and C.M Punk around the ring before Punk and Bryan get the better of them to the audience’s approval. It’s not a classic but the final five minutes are very good.

Josh Matthews is a more than able host. Straying away form feeding us facts we neither need to know nor care about, Josh gives us the basics and allows us to see what happened for ourselves. WWE should employ Josh to host every release. He’s a steady hand to steer the ships and it’d be a better gig than the one he currently has in the company.

From ‘Best Pay-Per View Matches 2013’:

C.M Punk vs The Rock (Royal Rumble, January 27th 2013) for the WWE Championship is a hit and miss affair. One of the most notable moments during the video package is how much the Rock did to get The Shield over in the build up to the Royal Rumble. Rock did a fine sell job for the trio and had he done the same for Miz and R-Truth before their Survivor Series 2011 match against the Rock and John Cena, maybe we could have suspended disbelief as to which team was going to come out victorious; The Rock’s pre-match promo is both electrifying and wholly wonderful. The Rock exudes more passion here than anyone in the Royal Rumble match managed to muster and the promo is the most passionate in WWE in more than a year. WWE could use this as lesson for its development wrestlers in how to hype the crowd before a big match; C.M Punk enters first which is unusual for a Champion. This should have told the onlookers that entering the ring last, cutting such a fine promo, having his mother there who has cancer and having his face solely on the Royal Rumble poster – this was undeniably the Rock’s night; JBL is a hundred percent on the money when he says that C.M Punk has to be considered one of the best in WWE history. Without Punk WWE would have been in massive trouble during the whole of the 2012 period and the Royal Rumble pay per view would not have drawn as many buy rates as it did. The Rock vs a champion who has only had the gold for a month isn’t as emotional as watching him dethrone a man who has been on top of WWE’s mountain for 434 days; thankfully, from the beginning to the end, the match had that big fight feel that many WWE Championship matches lacked in the year previous. I’ll go as far to say that Rock vs Punk had more of a big fight feel than Cena vs Rock at WrestleMania 28. This big fight feel would have served the pair well had WWE booked this match and the title change for WrestleMania 29; Punk exudes zeal getting in the Rock’s face right from the very beginning and does a great job in not looking like he’s afraid of the Rock. Sadly that image doesn’t last as having Paul Heyman at ringside and getting involved in the action all adds to the image WWE were trying to give us that Punk can’t beat the Rock without outside help; noticeably the Rock has lost a lot of muscle mass since his WrestleMania 28 clash with John Cena, but is still carrying enough that it considerably slows him down several times during the match and it is noticeable. Listen carefully and you can audibly hear the Rock panting and breathing heavily. This is down to the lack of ring time the Rock has had over the past few months. Had WWE been quicker on the up take then they would have hired the Rock back several weeks early and had him go through a rigorous wrestling routine to get him ring ready, including having him fight in tag team matches on Raw and Smackdown. As it is, the Rock really does look tired halfway through the match; the rest holds come out pretty early in order to give the Rock time to catch his breath. They don’t detract from the match any as Punk does a fine job of integrating them into his routine, much more smoothly than Cena managed to against the Rock at WrestleMania 28; Michael Cole has to be given rare credit for reminding the audience of the Rock’s past in WWE and his history at the Royal Rumble. This was so that the dolts who think the Rock is merely a Hollywood star in a business he doesn’t know anything about are put right; there is a slow and sloppy beginning to the match but as the Rock begins to get back into his old routine and paces himself, the action picks up considerably; there are some really good counters and the Rock’s sharpshooter looks crisp and properly executed. Considering Bret Hart was present backstage and watching the match, the Rock had no choice but to synch it correctly. Punk sold the move as it was designed to be sold, with pain and real terror that this could be the end of his wonderful run as Champion; the moment when the table collapses beneath the Rock and Punk before ‘The Great One’ can hit the Rock Bottom ruins the spot but quick thinking by the Rock and Punk saves the angle from being a complete write off and they complete the spot on the floor with a solid Rock Bottom; when the lights go out and the Shield drop the Rock through the second announcers table is the moment you begin to believe that Punk will actually retain the WWE Championship. There is a mixed reaction when Punk pins the Rock for what seems like the victory but unmistakably, Vince McMahon strutting into the arena to announce he’s going to strip Punk of the WWE Championship for outside interference is met with ecstasy from most of the capacity crowd. WWE could have been clever here and allowed the match to end as it did with Punk pinning the Rock in the middle of the ring and then booked the rematch for the headline spot of WrestleMania 29; the Rock plays the valiant, never surrendering challenger and hero to perfection, when he grabs the microphone and tells Vince McMahon that he doesn’t take the WWE Championship from Punk, the Rock does. A role he’s had so much practice at still comes off as a punch the air moment; admittedly there should have been more back and forth action after the restart of the match, had the Rock and Punk traded close and nail biting near falls for five more minutes before the Rock hit Punk with a devastating Rock Bottom from the middle rope it would have been a more than fitting end to Punk’s conquest that was his 434 day WWE Championship reign. Sadly it doesn’t. The candle of Punk’s reign is extinguished with a People’s Elbow. Even though it is a great feat for Punk to have lasted this long in the political WWE as Champion, his title reign should have ended with a bang; through all of this, it is good to see the Rock with the WWE Championship again. The match isn’t the greatest of either man’s career; they’ve both had and done better than this. But it’s not as bad John Cena vs the Rock at WrestleMania 28 and for that we can be truly thankful. Both men deserve a huge pat on the back for their efforts here and even though it becomes blindly clear that it’s not the same Rock that left WWE in 2002 and 2003, and we never expected it to be, this match is well worth the watch for both the end of a historic Championship reign and the beginning of the final end for the Rock.

John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus vs The Shield (Elimination Chamber, February 17th 2013) is surprisingly capable considering that Cena and Ryback make up two thirds of The Shield’s opposition. Even Cena and Ryback’s best efforts to ruin The Shield’s image with their no selling the effects of The Shield’s moves cannot ruin the match. There’s a good looking triple suplex at the beginning of the match performed by Cena, Sheamus and Ryback, Roman Reigns looks like a true star and his spear on Sheamus through the barricade is very good indeed. Just a point here though; WWE are stripping all the realism of what The Shield are meant to be away from the trio by giving them entrance music which a renegade faction invading the company wouldn’t have and the camera trained on the trio, knowing exactly where they are going to enter from in the crowd should have been shaky and not kicked in until two thirds of the way through The Shield’s entrance to make it look like the cameraman didn’t know where they were coming from. All in all though it’s a good effort by the Shield and surely they’re bound for WWE’s main event scene. Looking back at the match now though, it’s clear the seeds for Ryback’s heel turn were sewn here; amusingly WWE shoot themselves in the foot with the pre-match video package. Showing The Shield run down John Cena saying; “John Cena, in your world there are no consequences! You can do or say what you want!” The comment is both spot on and shows how easy Cena has it in WWE.

C.M Punk vs The Undertaker (WrestleMania 29, April 7th 2013) is a spectacle all on its own. Despite the disgusting build up revolving around the death of Paul Bearer – an angle which all involved should have refused to take part it – the match on the night is purely excellent. Living Colour singing C.M Punk to the ring with ‘Cult of Personality’ is a stirring moment in WrestleMania history and is topped only by The Undertaker’s ‘Walking Dead’ homage during his entrance where shadows of hands, supposedly the souls of those he’d claimed,  grasped at ‘The Demon of Death Valley’ as he appears atop the stage. To cap off Undertaker’s entrance, WWE even furnished him with his old nameplate being the design which bared his name on old posters in the 90’s. Through the whole match, Punk played his part to perfection and I will challenge anyone to spot any flaws with his perfectly pitched performance. Because most of the build up revolved around Paul Bearer’s passing the encounter, from beginning to end is an emotional affair which the crowd are divided down the middle between the pair. Speaking of the capacity crowd, they have to receive a huge round of applause for their part in the outing. They never failed to impress and stayed with the match every step of the way. As for the action, it surprised me that after a year away from the ring Undertaker can still move like he did in 1996 which serves the back and forth pacing of the match to perfection. Punk’s Shane McMahon inspired flying elbow to the unbreakable announcers table is thrilling and Paul Heyman, in Punk’s corner, is never less than magnificent. People talk about the legend that is Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan being the greatest wrestling manager there ever was and he just may be. Paul Heyman comes in a very close second. In an age when Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak is never in jeopardy despite how hard WWE try to hype that it is, that both men made it look like Punk could end the Streak goes to show how great both are. Make no mistake about it; Undertaker really did look in trouble at certain points. If anyone was going to do it then it would have been C.M Punk. The counters are fine pieces of wrestling psychology. The highlight of the match though isn’t the superior sequence which leads to Undertaker putting Punk away with the Tombstone Piledriver, but the moment when C.M Punk had Undertaker locked in the Anaconda Vice seemingly seconds away from the greatest feat in modern history and The Undertaker simply sits up with the most hilarious annoyed look on his face and stares Punk out. Both Undertaker and Punk’s reactions are a moment which will stand still in WrestleMania’s chronicle. C.M Punk kicking out of the tombstone almost brought the house down and added weight to the thought that maybe people do want to see Undertaker’s streak end. As the match drew to a close, the urn shot to Undertaker is timed very well in order to illicit maximum heat for Punk and the end sequence of events which lead to the final, damning tombstone piledriver is a joy to watch. The Undertaker reclaiming Paul Bearer’s urn after the match is a stand up moment and his salute to the urn and the man who walked him to the ring for countless years is richly deserved. The man born Mark Calloway would not have been a star without William ‘Paul Bearer’ Moody by his side. He owes him a huge debt of gratitude. The Undertaker vs C.M Punk isn’t as good as Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 25 and 26) or Undertaker vs Triple H (WrestleMania 27 and 28) but it is a thrilling ride all the same. I suddenly realised why WWE went down the path it had with Paul Bearer’s passing in the lead up. Triple H and Shawn Michaels both had too much respect to end Undertaker’s twenty one year unbeaten streak at WrestleMania in previous years. The thinking in the office of Titan Towers was that if they could portray Punk as someone who had no respect for Undertaker or those who had passed maybe we would believe Punk would be the man to end it all. Whilst no one agrees with the way WWE went about Bearer’s death, Vince McMahon very nearly accomplished what he set out to achieve.

The Rock vs John Cena (WrestleMania 29, April 7th 2013) for WWE Championship is a surprise package at WrestleMania 29. Whilst the match wasn’t the main event calibre showdown it should have been, it was a huge improvement on the year before’s marathon of rest holds and Cena smirks – which thankfully Cena locked away for the night. Despite what some fans say this is a worthy entry. At the beginning of this match John Cena shows his unlimited heel potential as he begins to bait the crowd without shame about throwing his cap back at him. Speaking of entrances, it regressed your Wrestling God back 12 years or more to see The Rock enter WrestleMania as WWE Champion and hold the Championship aloft on the middle rope on the grandest stage of them all. What a feeling it is for members of ‘Team Bring It’. For those who love the Rock as I do then savour the moment, because something tells me we won’t be seeing it ever again. The audience are on form once again after their lull in the Triple H vs Brock Lesnar bout which they were as good as nonexistent. The reaction both the Rock and John Cena received throughout this match is the reaction which Triple H and Brock Lesnar hoped they would get for their brawl. There is a laughable moment when JBL on commentary suggest that John Cena in 2013 is better than he was in 2004 and last year. Let’s just call it WWE’s way of trying to cheer us up and lighten the mood which had become overtly serious by this point. Before we delve into the match itself, something which irked your Wrestling God a great deal was that JBL, under orders from Vince McMahon in his earpiece, continued to state – as did the promos earlier in the show – that a place in history was a stake for the winner of the match. It was a ridiculous comment because The Rock and John Cena have both cemented their place in wrestling history, one more than the other, and a loss or win for either would not have damaged the others reputation or standing in the company when we come to look back on this in 20 years time. After this little outburst JBL then states that if the Rock defeats John Cena then he may be considered the best of the modern era. Seriously? If he beats John Cena? Let’s just clear something up. The Rock will always be remembered as one of the greatest wrestlers and performers in wrestling history let alone the modern era – regardless of the fact that the night was only ever going to end with John Cena crowned new WWE Champion. And now we can move on: inside the ring, the action is more solid and flowing than last year’s forgettable effort. The rest holds are kept to a minimum and thanks to the fact that the Rock fought at Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber, he came into WrestleMania 29 ring ready and didn’t need to take half as many breaks as last year in order to get his breath back. As usual, John Cena’s shortcomings are on display when he fails to sell Rock’s sharpshooter with any conviction, instead opting to look like he’s taking a rather difficult dump and the leader of the ‘Cenation’s’ counter to a Rock Bottom is as comical as the STF submission he applies to the Rock. Kevin Dunn in the production truck needs lessons on how to build tension in a match because as Cena had the Rock trapped in the STF – despite his hands, as usual, being so far away from Rock’s throat ‘The Great One’ could have put a jumper on in the space between his throat and Cena’s arms – Dunn ordered the camera to cut away from the action and hit a wide shot of the ring and arena in which neither man could be seen for at least five seconds. Maybe Kevin has been taking lessons from TNA. It totally ruins a moment which could have been a turning point regarding the tension of the match. To his credit, John Cena does take each Rock Bottom with ease and much more comfortably on the eye than he did last year which allowed fans to emotionally invest in this years bout. As we sauntered to the end of the bout, JBL struck again on commentary when he suggested that John Cena needed to find something new to do to defeat the Rock. John Cena do something new? Now he’s dreaming. Cena hasn’t changed his ring style in 10 years. Once again, to his credit, John Cena looks wholly serious as the match winds towards its sudden conclusion. There isn’t a sly smile or smirk in sight and Cena actually looks like a man who has been seriously damaged by his loss to the Rock the previous year. Hoisting Rock up for the Attitude Adjustment, John Cena looked like he was ready to turn heel any moment – if he can wrestle with this level of seriousness from now on then maybe people wouldn’t be so hard on him. At least here he conveyed how much a victory over The Rock would mean. Thankfully, John Cena’s execution of last years ending is pulled off with aplomb as is Cena’s Rock Bottom on the Rock which brings about a massive reaction from the crowd who at this point are on their feet and can smell and ending approaching. Unlike his usual tatty execution, John Cena nailed the Rock Bottom to perfection and was impressive. The match boasts some nail biting near falls and when John Cena stands above the Rock ready to hit Rock’s People’s Elbow the look in his eye and the one approved smirk had ‘heel’ written all over it. Why can’t WWE see this? Thankfully the second match in what is almost bound to be the Rock vs John Cena trilogy is shorter than last years marathon. Yes, the ending does come out of nowhere but it doesn’t detract from a satisfying encounter even though for the John Cena character, the best ending would have been to drill the Rock with the WWE Championship and turn heel. Instead we get a touching embrace between the pair which is less than welcomed inside the MetLife Stadium but John Cena does show a tremendous amount of respect to the Rock by leaving the ring, even though he was the winner, and allowing the Rock to take his standing ovation which the audience give him without question. Unlike Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 6, John Cena made the conscious decision on this night to respect his opponent and not take the spotlight. This should be an action which is applauded by Rock fans and Cena haters alike. It shows progress for John Cena and just maybe there is hope for him yet. As the Rock makes his way up the ramp John Cena is waiting with a very respectful and somewhat touching salute and the pair share a hand in hand arm raise as the show goes off the air. People can see this match any way they want; in reality it was a huge passing of the torch moment. The Rock, whilst he will be back at WrestleMania 30 possibly for his final ever match, has finally stepped down from the main event scene with dignity and respect. No one can say the Rock didn’t pass the torch when his time came and in classy fashion. At WrestleMania 29, the Rock stepped down in the right way.

Randy Orton vs Big Show (Extreme Rules, May 19th 2013) in an Extreme Rules Match is a wonderfully pleasing anything goes brawl which makes sure the fans in Orton’s home town go home with a smile on their faces. Randy receives a much deserved ovation on his homecoming and his interaction with the crowd throughout the match is enjoyable to watch. For a long time it seemed as if Randy Orton didn’t enjoy his job but finally he looks to be having a whale of a time. Whilst hopes weren’t high for this match thanks to Big Show’s performances taking a down turn in recent months, everyone was pleasantly surprised as the pair put together a good and logical fight. Big Show bumps brilliantly, as if he was 200lbs lighter and is surprisingly agile for a man of his size. Big Show’s Vader Bomb through a waiting ladder looks like it really hurt and Orton’s draping DDT over the top rope gets the fans on their feet. It’s a move Big Show takes well considering he has further to fall than if the move was executed from the middle rope as it usually is. Orton’s first RKO garners a killer near fall, whilst the punt makes a welcome return to action when Orton gets some impressive shoe leather around Big Show’s cranium in the crowd pleasing finale. Naturally, Randy Orton’s victory gets the biggest reaction of the night.

Triple H vs Brock Lesnar (Extreme Rules, May 19th 2013) in a stunningly brilliant Steel Cage Match. Just a small point though, before we take a look at why the match was so good. Before the match begins, WWE show us a video package of Brock Lesnar’s rampage on Triple H’s office in WWE’s Titan Towers headquarters. Whilst the angle was meant to provide heat for this match, it was an illogical story for anyone to pen. Lesnar simply wanders into the company’s offices and trashes Hunter’s office, threatening staff as he goes. Do WWE really expect us to believe that a Billion Dollar company doesn’t have one security guard on the door, or that those who were verbally and physically threatened by Lesnar wouldn’t press charges against Heyman’s main man for his conduct? What’s more, do WWE believe we’re that stupid that we wouldn’t realise that had Lesnar done this for real, WWE would have had no choice but to suspend and fine him, possibly taking legal action? Now that’s said, let’s move onto the matter in the hand. The match gets off to flying start as Triple H attacks Lesnar on the aisle, pounding him against the outside of the brand new steel cage design which fits the modern day WWE perfectly. The beginning of the match is speedy adding the sense of urgency perfectly. WWE wanted us to believe this was life or death for both men and thanks to the action and more importantly selling of both men, there’s not one moment you don’t buy into the story they’re telling. On the whole, this is much better than their WrestleMania 29 clash and tops even their SummerSlam 2012 brawl. Triple H sells like a trooper for Lesnar who looks like the hurting machine that he should always portray and even Triple H’s comebacks, even though spirited, have a sense of doom about them. From the outset here you get the feeling that Triple H is always fighting a loosing battle. The feeling makes this match more exciting than one could ever have imagined. The real star of the match though is Brock Lesnar. The selling of the injured knee is as flawless a performance as you will ever see in WWE. Lesnar sells his injured limb like it’s the end of his career and even more refreshing, Triple H actually works the injury. I know it’s not a huge turn around, but in a company where its stars don’t sell injuries like they should and their opponents don’t exploit those injures, it does fell like a whole new concept when we get to this. The first F5 results in a brilliant near fall as does a thunderous pedigree which has the attending audience standing. Triple H’s sharpshooter on Lesnar will probably get Bret Hart’s ire up and Paul Heyman at ringside, slowly interjecting himself into the match is once again, nothing short of a marvel. The end sequence involving all three men is executed well and Paul Heyman’s role as the dastardly manager takes him up another level as he first takes a pedigree as well as any WWE Superstar and then delivers the final, crushing low blow allowing Brock Lesnar to take control for the last time. As Lesnar stands over Triple H’s fallen body, everything seems to slow to a near crawl which is just perfect for this match. The finale is hauntingly slow, wonderfully deliberate and cringingly hard hitting as Lesnar drops Triple H with the deciding F5. That Triple H is willing to Brock Lesnar over here and then Curtis Axel the follow night on Raw proves that the once ‘Cerebral Assassin’ has the company’s best interests at heart. When Triple H leaves the ring at the end, he looks a beaten man. Though the commentators try to pin the victory on Heyman’s interjection anyone with eyes can see that Brock Lesnar deserved this victory and much more for his part in the match. He was truly excellent.

Wade Barrett vs Curtis Axel vs The Miz (Payback, June 16th 2013) in a triple threat match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship couldn’t have been written better had WWE tried. Whilst trying to convince us that this is Curtis Axel’s destiny, winning the Intercontinental Championship his father, Mr. Perfect, had held so triumphantly years before on fathers day, it comes as a shame that the commentators couldn’t keep up the hype. Instead of really pushing Axel, WWE seemed to want to inform us that Axel was only in the match because Fandango had been injured on Smackdown and not because he’s a good wrestler. Axel gets a good reception on his entrance and the match begins fast which gets the fans excited for an encounter in which they never dip. Wade Barrett looks convincing as the defending champion, had he put this much effort into all his matches then he may be higher up the card by now, levelling Miz and Axel with several big moves stating his authority. Whilst Miz is in serious danger of being known as a main roster enhancement talent, he does have some stand out moments in this match, most notably taking on Axel and Barrett on his own and for the most part coming out smelling of roses. Miz portrays someone who has heart and someone who should be at a much higher level. Curtis Axel is dominant but slow. When its just Axel and Miz in the ring the action screeches to a halt, though Axel’s offence looks timed and thought out. He needs to speed up his ring work unless he wants to be seen as Michael McGillicutty with a new attitude. The trio exchange an excellent series of moves which leads into the ‘Winds of Change’ for Barrett and when Axel uses his father’s ‘Perfect Plex’ to score a brilliant near fall it nearly brings the house down. After the ‘Perfect Plex’ spot, the match flies. Every near fall is tense and The Miz’s reversal of ‘Wings of Change’ into the Figure Four Leg Lock couldn’t have gone smoother. The ending in which Axel pins Barrett whilst he’s in the Figure Four is a great ending and one which preserves The Miz’s image as he was so close to taking the gold. The commentators bleat on about Axel being Henning’s son and don’t let him bask in the spotlight on his merit but that is a minor gripe. It’s quite eerie how much Axel looks like his father.

Kaitlyn vs A.J Lee (Payback, June 16th 2013) for the WWE Divas Championship is the best Divas match in many years. From beginning to end it has more attitude than most of the male’s matches on the card and is a standout achievement for WWE and both of the women involved. From the feisty beginning in which Kaitlyn hurls A.J over the announcers table which gives us a different indication of how much better this is going to be compared to previous Divas matches, to A.J’s perfectly psychotic performance, both women shine at Payback. Every move is solid and the crowd are fully immersed in the action thanks to a more than average storyline giving this meaning for once. A.J’s wrap around sleeper hold is honed to perfection and even though the size difference is visible and Kaitlyn looks like she could snap A.J in half, the psychotic diva holds her own. Kaitlyn shows off her power with a wonderful reversal of a crucifix pin into a standing gut drop. Continuing the reversals, A.J turns the tide of a swinging sidewalk slam into the ‘Black Widow’ submission hold which looks like something of someone beyond her years. Every near fall the pair trade gets the crowd hot and rightly so as you believe that either woman could win the match. At last, Kaitlyn convinces with her acting and her tears seem genuine, making you really feel for her, whilst the chants of ‘You tapped out’ by the fans to Kaitlyn are disrespectful after the show she’s just contributed to. Overall this match is almost flawless and the best since Trish Stratus vs Lita at Unforgiven 2006. This was the best match of the pay-per view.

Dolph Ziggler vs Alberto Del Rio (Payback, June 16th 2013) for the World Heavyweight Championship is an expertly handled mach in the way it turns Alberto Del Rio heel and Dolph Ziggler face. Reminiscent of Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13, WWE have every right to be proud of themselves here. Returning from a concussion which put him out of action for 5 weeks, Dolph Ziggler gets a thunderous reception which sets the tone of the match in which most of the audience are on his side. This is because he’s the first wrestler in quite a few years to come from the bottom to the top. WWE need to take note of the reaction here. Del Rio’s heel turn is a slow burner as he works over Dolph Ziggler’s head in moments which are uncomfortable to watch seeing as Ziggler’s concussion was real and not fabricated. As the work on the head gets more and more vicious the fans begin to turn on Del Rio for his brutality and cheer Ziggler, who puts up a hell of a fight. Dolph sells the head like Shawn Michaels in his prime and whilst a lot of the action is slow and calculated, again focussed on Ziggler’s head; it is kept intriguing by Del Rio’s heel turn and Ziggler’s determination to never give up. Undoubtedly, Dolph Ziggler is the star of this match with his never say die attitude which you don’t expect from a heel and he comes across as the valiant champion. The match has its quick succession of reversals in which Ziggler botches a fame-asser. Gladly it doesn’t ruin the match as the botched move looks like a result of Ziggler’s injury. Dolph Ziggler makes his star on this night. The harsh kick to Ziggler’s head to end the match in what is a valiant and gritty ending, seals Del Rio’s heel turn though he does get a huge ovation when he pins Ziggler, who gets a well earned ovation from the crowd and rampant chants of his name. WWE has to send Del Rio back out for post match promo to get his heel character over with those who didn’t get it first time around.

Dean Ambrose vs Fandango vs Antonio Cesaro vs Jack Swagger vs Cody Rhodes vs Damien Sandow vs Wade Barrett in the Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Money in the Bank, July 14th 2013) is quite superb. Sadly thanks to time constraints, Dean Ambrose and Fandango don’t get an entrance and are simply already in the ring when the pay-per view begins – an oversight by WWE to treat their United States Champion that way – though Ambrose gets a rousing reception when he’s announced. Zeb Coulter does his usual Anti-Foreigner spiel which is beyond old now and the irony of managing Antonio Cesaro – who hails from Switzerland – whilst preaching about non Americans in the country is seemingly lost on WWE and Coulter. As for the excellent brawl; Antonio Cesaro gets his fair share of the spotlight with a sublime ‘Gut-wrench Powerbomb’ on Cody Rhodes onto the ladder and an exceptional mid-air ‘European Uppercut’ on Wade Barrett as he falls from the ladder. Fandango is barely relevant in this match and apart from a few spots on the ladder where he’s visible reaching for the briefcase and the odd back and forth piece of action with the ladder, his biggest contribution is an accomplished ‘Slingshot Leg Drop’ onto the ladder and Wade Barrett and an excellent sunset flip on Wade Barrett from the top of the ladder. Speaking of the United States Champions, Ambrose is once again one of the stars of the match and is all over like this like a rash – in the best possible sense. The third wheel of The Shield executes an outstanding DDT on Jack Swagger off of the ladder;  is the recipient of an impressive ‘Hangman’ with the ladder which he ably slips out of and gets a round of applause when he takes a death defying fall from the top of the ladder into the waiting wrestler brawl outside. Jack Swagger and Damien Sandow are kept to a minimum in this match which is baffling and Wade Barrett is the recipient of a huge amount of punishment. Including what has already been mentioned, Barrett gets a nasty ladder shot to the head as he’s laying on the outside, though he does display some much needed aggression when he beats Sandow with a broken part of the ladder. WWE do very well to take the attention off those selling moves at ringside for longer than they should and keep the camera focused on those in the moment. Each interception of the briefcase is timed to perfection and the ladder is used well and not excessively. However, the stand out star of this match is Cody Rhodes. His aggression and talent comes to the front line at Money in the Bank and it’s clear that this Cody Rhodes is one who belongs in the main event. I have never been more impressed with him and WWE should push him hard when he returns – as he inevitably will – from his storyline sacking. Just some of his highlights involve breaking up the Swagger / Cesaro human ladder attempt and taking each participant out on his own in a fluid sequence of moves much to the audience’s approval. Rhodes bleeds hardway when he’s caught by a ladder shot to the head which the camera try their best to cover up, and the audience, though they give smatterings of applause for Damien Sandown’s victory are more annoyed than pleased. The truth is, Damien Sandow isn’t ready for this spot and WWE are to blame. His treatment before and since the victory has been appalling. Cody Rhodes was the star of this show and he should have been given that final push.

C.M Punk vs Brock Lesnar (SummerSlam, August 18th 2013) is a stunning bout which is by far WWE’s best match of the year so far, surpassing C.M Punk vs The Undertaker (WrestleMania 29) and Triple H vs Brock Lesnar (Extreme Rules 2013). This match, unlike most this year has that big match atmosphere and big fight feel before it even begins, even more so than Daniel Bryan vs John Cena. The beginning of the match is hard hitting and totally gripping, the fact that it never lets the audience go and wrings every last drop of emotion out of the watching crowd is a credit to both men. Brock Lesnar plays the part of the monster to perfection, showcasing his sheer power over Punk, by throwing ‘The Second City Saviour’ around ringside including an impressive haul over the announce table which Punk almost clears without touching. When Punk finally gains control, Lesnar once again asserts his dominance with a great looking shoulder block into the steps and Punk. Punk’s flying clothesline off of the announce desk is very fine and everything Brock Lesnar does, gets a reaction from the partisan Punk crowd. What the brawl generates into is a tense and very believable fight, which Lesnar dominates not just with hardcore strikes but also some distinguished belly to belly suplex’s – which on the outside of the ring look immense. I fear that C.M Punk’s selling is getting worse as he almost leaps up from the belly to belly to pepper Lesnar with kicks and the final F5 isn’t sold for nearly long enough – but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. From what has been described so far, you may think this is just a hardcore brawl but you’d be wrong. After the weapons and aggression have taken their toll, to their credit, Punk and Lesnar turn the match into a high stakes technical brawl before the final flurry of hardcore action, boasting reversals galore. Lesnar reverses a running knee into an F5 attempt in a great looking exchange and a GTS attempt into a seamless Kimura Lock which brings a wholly gripping submission endeavour. Punk reverses the Kimura Lock into a Triangle Choke hold or Hell’s Gate if you’re an Undertaker fan, which brings Brock Lesnar’s selling powers into play as he teases a tap out in one of the best moments of the entire match. By this time the “This is Awesome” chants the crowd are bestowing on the pair are richly deserved. At ringside, Paul Heyman is the marvel he usually is and when he interjects himself in the match it adds another layer of emotional depth to the affray. Lesnar and Punk sell amicably for each other and the nail-biting near falls towards the end are simply sublime. The last five minutes of the match are completely faultless, as Punk reverses an F5 into a DDT in the best move of the match – and it has a lot of competition – and Lesnar’s sickening chair shots in the vein of Austin on The Rock at WrestleMania 17 are a wonderful star builder as they basically tell the audience that Lesnar could only beat Punk by battering him into a semi-unconscious state. A first class match which has to be match of the year. Punk and Lesnar do more for each other here than anyone has done for them in a very long time.

John Cena vs Daniel Bryan (SummerSlam, August 18th 2013) is a wonderful surprise for the WWE Championship Match. Just a short note before we get into the match. I credit John Cena here for putting on a hell of a show. His selling and wrestling skills still are iffy but for once, it doesn’t matter. John Cena knows this is the beginning of something huge for Daniel Bryan and he acts and wrestles accordingly. For that, John Cena deserves all the credit in the world. It’s clear by the end of the match that John Cena can do it when he wants to and this is the Cena we want to see more of in the ring. The leader of the Cenation hits a lovely and striking bridge hop which is only usually done by luchadores and his suplex off of the steel steps is top class all the way. The “You still suck chants” afterwards are very funny. On top of that, Cena nails Bryan with an accomplished sit down Powerbomb which is faultless. There are no childish smirks here, it’s all business. Though not all of Cena’s offence is good, the big moves which matter are done to perfection. Daniel Bryan – the WWE Champion elect just goes and goes and goes without any sign of tiring. This is a man WWE want to keep on top; his main event output is simply unmatched. Bryan is technically brilliant here and you won’t find anything out of place or executed wrong. Reversing an Attitude Adjustment into a Yes Lock is brilliantly done and if wrestling moves were chocolate; his spider suplex from the top rope would melt in the mouth. As both men sell the others offence which is believable, Cena counters a suicide dive with a shoulder block from the floor to the apron in another good move and nails his flying leg drop on target. The only slip Cena has in the match is when he nearly breaks Daniel Bryan’s neck countering a hurricanrana. When Cena has him held upside down he drops to his feet from the top and Bryan lands on his head in a cringe worthy moment. This match is everything it should have been and both men deserve every praise. Cena fans can be proud of this one. The ending, portraying Cena as the never say die Champion and Bryan as the determined challenger who had worked his whole life for this one night is perfectly gotten over. Neither will quit and the audience recognise that this is something special. The final running knee which finishes off Cena is perfectly timed and sold by the Champion and the ending is a good old fashioned, clean finish which furthers Bryan’s career. Yes, you heard it here first. John Cena actually helped make someone. The handshake at the end of the match is a nice touch and Randy Orton’s last minute crashing of the party gets a massive reaction as it looks like the show will end on Daniel Bryan’s victory. Triple H’s heel turn on Bryan is superbly done and Orton’s WWE Championship victory garners another approval from the crowd. Excellent.

Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns (Battleground, October 6th 2013) in the match to restore The Rhodes Family to WWE’s roster, is a great tag team encounter in which, for once, everyone on display makes the most of their allocated time. Thankfully, realising The Shield were going to come out on the losing end, the commentators were informed to make sure the audience knew The Shield were responsible for The Undertaker’s absence, thus making them look like a hell of a hurdle for The Rhodes Brothers to leap. Cody Rhodes shows all the main event calibre talent needed for WWE to be comfortable in pushing him up the card when his time comes, with a solid showing including an excellent moonsault from the top rope which is pitch perfect. Goldust shines in his limited time in the ring – which was wise by WWE to use him sparingly – and The Shield selflessly sacrifice themselves to make sure Cody Rhodes gets over in star making qualities which are beyond their years. In doing so, Reigns and Rollins look like stars themselves. It’s logical, tense and entertaining mixing in near falls – a thrilling two and a half count after a thunderous Alabama Slam – nostalgia spots – where Dusty Rhodes gets involved banishing Dean Ambrose with a ‘Dusty Elbow’ – and an excellent closing few moments in which the Crossroads and subsequent victory gets the biggest reaction of anything in wrestling all year. WWE should have sent this match on last for that feel good feeling.

Randy Orton vs Daniel Bryan (Hell in a Cell, October 27th 2013) isn’t the greatest Hell in a Cell Match in history but it isn’t totally horrible either, thanks to Orton and Bryan’s enthusiasm. It’s no secret that their pay-per view matches were somewhat of a let down but we know by now that when two awesome forces such as these collide, they tend to cancel each other out. It’s a testament to the audience that they’re still behind Bryan even after all the things that have been said about him on Raw in the lead up to Hell in a Cell – it just goes to prove that WWE don’t always have the power to make us believe what they want – and this match shows that he’s much better than the current stuff he’s been doing with The Wyatt Family. There are some fine moments to be seen here but you get the overall impression that everything that could have been done has been and maybe WWE were correct to move on with the pair and split them until at least WrestleMania XXX. The match does dip in an out of pace when it should really stick to a steady incline but Shawn Michaels does help proceedings along as Special Guest Referee, though remains distant until the end. There’s a beautiful Sunset Flip from Bryan from the top rope which lives up the bout and those are followed with the standard counters and reversals which are good, but don’t stop the feeling that this match goes too long. Towards the end of the bout HBK comes into his own and the referee bump at the death signals the Shawn Michaels turn which is done to perfection. So not all great but as I said, there are moments here which still make you believe.

Weaknesses:

From the ‘Best of Raw and Smackdown 2013’:

C.M Punks Mocks Paul Bearer (Raw, April 1st) is still a sickening display of disrespect by the WWE. Anyone who stands by this as the only way to hype The Undertaker vs C.M Punk at WrestleMania 29 is wrong. There were many other ways and the company should have found one. That anyone involved agreed to this is just unbelievable. After everything Paul Bearer did for the company, this is how they repay his memory? His family were rightfully disgusted as were the audience inside the arena who had sit through a feeble Undertaker promo before being bombarded with this rubbish. They do however chant C.M Punk for some reason. As far as I can see, everyone involved should be heavily ashamed of themselves.

Maddeningly, WWE have still left the ad links in the matches thus they’re included as they went out on the night, only to show us what happened during the break via the WWE app. What’s the point of that? Just include the footage in the release.

Fandango vs Kofi Kingston (Raw, April 8th) is a nonexistent bout which its running time can be counted in seconds on two hands. Not so much of a match as a beat down of a new talent, Chris Jericho gets involved almost immediately and pounds Fandango for his victory the previous night at WrestleMania 29. How anyone at WWE can class this drivel as the best of Raw and Smackdown is as baffling as their selection process for these releases. The fans are loving it though and still living up the Dolph Ziggler title victory. Fans ruled this Raw. The stupidest thing about all of this though is that after being humiliated by Jericho, the thing Fandango is most irate about is the ring announcer pronouncing his name wrong.

Randy Orton and Sheamus vs Big Show and Mark Henry (Smackdown, April 19th) is a thorough bore. Not only does it take an age to get going, when it does it’s only for short spurts of time before either Big Show and Mark Henry slow it down again with mind numbing rest holds which when you fast forward through looks like its on pause. That’s never a good sign. Sheamus and Orton do their best to try and lift it but it never quite works. How many times can we sit through a five minute nerve hold? Randy Orton does manage to kick the match up a gear towards the end but it is too little too late, I’ve passed wind which was more exciting than this. Big Show and Mark Henry look lazy and uninterested.

Alberto Del Rio’s Championship Fiesta (Smackdown, June 28th) is, unless you’re a Mexican, a total snooze fest. Literally nothing happens until Dolph Ziggler crashes the party and we’re forced to sit through Mexican folk bands playing tunes and Del Rio whacking a Piñata with Ziggler’s face on it. It’s like being at the worst party in the world where everyone is waiting for something to happen and you’re forced to walk around relatives you don’t really like just to make the time go quicker. The only thing which could have made this worse was mad uncle Norman talking about his stamp collection and then proceeding to show you pictures he’s taken.

The Wyatt Family Make a Statement (Raw, July 15th) is an underwhelming segment and a very loose piece of television as they wail away on R-Truth before Bray Wyatt cuts a disjointed promo about the man who created us still being alive and amongst us. It’s an underwhelming moment at the beginning of The Wyatt’s career. The promo and beating aren’t strong enough to force them over as serious threats and when they single out Kane as their first victim, you’re kind of left guessing as to what the point was of them being there at all if nothing meaningful was going to happen. Fans though do eat it all up, I guess they’re so desperate for new stars they’ll take anything offered, weak or strong. Only the ending proves a strong base when Bray Wyatt drops to his knees over Truth’s fallen body and proclaims in a unsettling manner, “Follow the Buzzards”.

Damien Sandow Searches for his Briefcase (Smackdown, July 26th) boasts yet another pointless set of separate segments joined together to make one long, very dull sequence as Sandow searches for his Money in the Bank briefcase which Cody Rhodes steals at the conclusion of Damien’s bout with Randy Orton. Until Sandow gets to the river where Rhodes is waiting with the case, it’s a procession of stomping about hallways yelling at people. The briefcase in the river spot also feels overdone. WWE need to find someway of reimagining this, whilst Sandow jumping in the river after stating he can’t swim is pure ridiculousness. This has taken the place of an actual match.

Miz TV With John Cena and Daniel Bryan (Raw, August 12th) is basically a suck up segment in which both men kiss the arses of the audience big time. Both men are wasted here as is their mic talent. Cena moronically says this is the most exciting Miz TV ever, it’s far from it. Miz’s script is cringe achingly awful and sounds like an amateur daytime soap. Cena grins through everything Daniel Bryan says so we can’t take any of it seriously even when Bryan calls John Cena a parody of a wrestler and accuses him of being in it for the fame and glory and not for the wrestling. He just laughs, what a cock. Both men are in danger of contracting cherry blossom poisoning the amount of boot licking they do. Hilariously, Cena contradicts himself when he says that as long as there are people behind him he’ll wrestle with a broken neck, funny that seeing as he didn’t with a ripped muscle in his arm. If he says he can wrestle with a broken neck then surely a torn bicep / elbow wouldn’t have hindered him. He needs to watch what he’s saying because people do pick up on it. Halfway through John Cena sounds like he’s about to cry and Miz may as well not be there as Cena strikes again stating that what he does is wrestling. The way it’s put across it’s as if WWE are trying to tell Daniel Bryan that what John Cena does is actually wrestling and what he does is something else, it’s ridiculous and somewhat infuriating to listen to. As Daniel Bryan tries to get across how important SummerSlam is to him, John Cena shrugs it off and laughs as if it means nothing. It goes on and on and on for at least fifteen to twenty minutes and the only notable thing is the ending in which Cena looks ever inch the heel when he slaps Bryan across the face.

Big Show Faces Off With The Shield (Smackdown, September 13th) is an excellent angle...if its main intention was to discredit The Shield in one foul swoop. After a promo which could cure insomniacs and an apology to Triple H which makes the former ‘Giant’ sound like a robot, Hunter laughable states that Big Show is the locker room leader and that if a COO tells you to do something and you fail to comply its grounds for dismissal. Rubbish! If your COO gives you a gun and tells you to shoot your wife and kids that’s not grounds for dismissal if you refuse. WWE need to check these scripts thoroughly before they let them pass through. Worse, Triple H then tries to make us believe that millionaire Big Show (yes, he really has accumulated millions. For what I’ll never know) is broke. So broke in fact my minions he can afford to take time off after Survivor Series. When The Shield get involved, Big Show dismantles them like NXT jobbers giving no thought to their image or future development. It’s only at the death of this tiresome segment the trio get the upper hand.

Championship Ascension Ceremony (Raw, December 9th) is yet another bore where Randy Orton and John Cena stand and verbally abuse each other amidst a group of former champions. Triple H says that they’re in the ring with a collection of celebrated champions when they’re surrounded by Big Show, Alberto Del Rio, Jack Swagger, The Miz, Mark Henry, The Great Khali and Dolph Ziggler to name but a few when in actual fact they’re everyone the company buried as champion and the only real celebrated champions amongst the whole lot are Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Booker T and Triple H. The crowd go nuts for Daniel Bryan and constantly chant his name throughout the procession which visibly annoys Triple H and Stephanie – they can’t make us think like them all the time – and John Cena does a great job of arse kissing yet again when brings Bryan to the forefront as someone who has worked for his success and that is why the audience love him. The end sequence is at least impressive though as the showdown degenerates into a brawl as C.M Punk attacks Randy Orton after being shoved, Triple H attacks C.M Punk and Punk retaliates, Shawn Michaels nails Punk with Sweet Chin Music, Daniel Bryan sends HBK to the mat with a Spinning Leg Sweep then sends Randy Orton hurtling into Stephanie which gets him a Pedigree. The only sweeter way this could have ended is if Bret Hart had have nailed Shawn Michaels. Unfortunately its length and lack of content before the brawl makes it a chore to sit through.

From ‘Best Pay-Per View Matches 2013’:

Alberto Del Rio vs Rob Van Dam (Night of Champions, September 15th 2013) for the World Heavyweight Championship isn’t the worst match ever but out of the matches included on this release, it is one of the weakest – one of them has to be. The match dips in the middle as rest holds are required and deployed in order for RVD to gain some sort semblance to finish the spots planned but it’s the pacy beginning and finish which do the bout justice. Van Dam misses a moonsault to the outside and overshoots Del Rio but the champion oozes heel aura here and its clear that there’s no way he should have lost the gold to John Cena at Hell in a Cell. RVD does give the very best main event level performance he can but anyone watching can see that he belongs in the mid-card position elevating younger talent. Alberto Del Rio hits a wonderful backstabber and blocks the 5 Star Frog Splash with a reversal into the Cross Arm-breaker which is good but could have been better. The DQ finish is lousy and even though it was set up so the pair could do battle again at Battleground, RVD is so popular that Del Rio could have gone over clean and people would still have accepted RVD back as challenger the next month. The RVD Coast to Coast after the finish is as good as it ever was – though a clumsy camera angle in the replay reveals Del Rio holding the chair in place.

A.J Lee vs Natalya vs Naomi vs Brie Bella (Night of Champions, September 15th 2013) for the WWE Divas Championship begins with a baffling opening segment and goes down hill from there. After her exceptionally good pipe bomb on Raw, A.J should have been allowed to come out fighting to illustrate that she hates the reality side of wrestling and is better than everyone in the ring with her. Instead WWE make her run from her opponents, which makes her look weak. The match is a slow bore which retreads old ground and adds nothing new to the women in the ring. After so many great outings in the past, WWE should be ashamed of this. All four try their best but it’s a total washout. Natalya slams Brie Bella on Naomi but even though Naomi’s shoulders are down the referee doesn’t bother to make the count as Natalya stands there like a deer in the headlights. Nothing flows and this match looks and feels like a filler. Two of the four shouldn’t be there at all.

Alberto Del Rio vs John Cena (Hell in a Cell, October 27th 2013) is the usual trawl through the usual Cena routine. On this night, John Cena seems to be riding his comeback too much, neglecting to sell anything including the arm which he’d been out of action with for two months. Judging by this, he should have stayed away longer. It’s amazing that he still hasn’t bothered to learn anything new. What did he do with that time? Alberto Del Rio would have been a better replacement at TLC and would have added an air of authority to his character had he been picked ahead of Cena to compete in the unification match. Sadly, Del Rio hardly gets a look in here only to apply some mind numbing arm bars on Cena which kill any momentum the match actually had. John Cena’s punches look weak and more ridiculously, Alberto Del Rio has to sell them like they’re devastating. The most ludicrous moment of the bout though comes when Del Rio has what should have been the match winning Cross Arm Breaker on Cena, and Cena – who has just returned from an injury from the very same arm, simply stand up like nothing has been wrong with the appendage and lifts up Del Rio’s whole weight. It’s just dumb. It’s clear that WWE don’t care about Alberto Del Rio’s career and just wanted to get John Cena back on top. Terrible.

Conclusion:

The purchase of this release depends upon a great many things. Seeing as this release has been previously released in single form earlier in the year, then anyone who owns both has no need to purchase the release as it’s the exact same just stuffed into one box set. The same goes for anyone who already owns every 2013 pay-per view event in their collection – in this instance then you may just want to purchase The Best of Raw and Smackdown 2013 on its own, you’ll find no other extras on the release to tempt you into buying something you already own on individual releases.

If you don’t own either and are missing a significant amount of 2013’s pay-per view events then this release is a must. At a price of £19.99 you’re basically getting one release free and whilst it’s wholly aimed at people who don’t want to spend out on the separate releases at a combined amount of £40.00 there is so much quality here to justify its asking price.

It may be released in November but the combined effort of putting two releases into one box set screams that this is meant for Christmas, and to be honest, you won’t find a better wrestling related Christmas present for such a bargain price. The Best of Raw and Smackdown boasts some stuff you almost certainly may have not seen if you’re not a regular viewer to WWE’s weekly television shows and The Best Pay-Per View Matches 2013 are almost all of top quality. The weaknesses on each release I imagine people will also find some quality in.

If you own one release then just buy the other separately. If you don’t own either, then treat yourself, you won’t be disappointed.

Rating: A

Next time in Review Corner: WWE Macho Man – The Randy Savage Story DVD and Blu-ray

Onwards and upwards...