Was 2012 a good year for WWE? I’d have to say so. Having already released its Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2012 DVD last month, WWE follows that up with The Best of Raw and SmackDown 2012 to further illustrate what made last year a memorable year.
But just because 2012 was a good year for the company doesn’t necessarily mean it was a good year for all of its superstars. Just ask Zack Ryder, who lost his United States Championship to Jack Swagger early in the year thanks to Kane‘s ongoing attacks, such as the falls count anywhere match featured here in which Ryder is chokeslammed through the Raw entrance ramp. Speaking of Kane, who would have expected him to go from being a masked menace to being half of the dysfunctional Team Hell No with Daniel Bryan? Despite their comically public spats (including the hilarious Raw anger management session included here), the duo ended the year as Tag Team Champions by defeating teams such as Alberto Del Rio & David Otunga (also included here).
Team Hell No was, of course, an inadvertent result of the the manipulative tactics of AJ Lee, whom Bryan blames for his World Heavyweight Championship WrestleMania loss to Sheamus on the April 6 edition of SmackDown, and who otherwise inserts herself into the lives of John Cena, CM Punk, Bryan and others throughout the year. Then there’s Chris Jericho, who finally breaks his silence on a Jan. 23 episode of the Highlight Reel, and The Rock, who performs a Rock Concert on the March 12 episode of Raw. If anything, 2012 was the year of big returns in WWE, as seen when Heath Slater takes on Vader on the June 11 Raw, the reunification of D-Generation X on July’s Raw 1000, the repackaged Tensai (whose only appearance here is a Sept. 28 SmackDown loss to Ryback) and Mr. McMahon‘s return to the ring against Punk on Oct. 8. But the most impactful WWE return happened the night after WrestleMania when Brock Lesnar shocked Cena by delivering an F5. And their bloody confrontation a week later is even more intense.
Even with all these comebacks, several of today’s stars were also able to establish themselves on Raw and SmackDown in 2012. Included in this Best of collection are numerous matches featuring Dolph Ziggler in which he distances himself from stablemate Swagger early in the year to face top talents such as Kofi Kingston, Punk, Bryan, Cena and Ryback later in the year. The rivalry between Cena and Punk re-emerges on a few occassions, while both men also fend off new challenges from the likes of Del Rio. Randy Orton remains a main event level performer with Raw and SmackDown victories over Kane and Wade Barrett, Sheamus proves himself as a worthy World Heavyweight Champion, and Damien Sandow proves his worth both on the microphone and in the ring as he takes Orton and Sheamus to the limit.
With all that happened on Raw and SmackDown last year, it’s easy to forget certain details. And even though not everything could possibly be included on this three-disc set (Sheamus’ deposition scenes regarding the legality of the Brogue Kick are missed), the Best of recalls enough key moments to remind us just why 2012 was, indeed, an interesting year for WWE’s two main television shows.