Category Archives: DVD reviews

WWE’s “Attitude Era: Volume Two” is the B-side collection to 2012’s “The Attitude Era”

It was two years ago that WWE released its three-disc The Attitude Era DVD set. Chronicling one of WWE’s most popular and successful periods, The Attitude Era features a documentary about the late ’90s/early ’00s era during which “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock and other mid-card wrestlers became mainstream superstars. It also features numerous matches and other footage that showcases the fact that stars were made during The Attitude Era not only because of their in-ring abilities, but also because of their rude and rebellious personas and over-the-top antics. If The Attitude Era was a greatest hits compilation, Attitude Era: Volume Two is the B-sides and rarities that complement the first volume.

Initially, I was a little disappointed to discover there was no new documentary included in this second volume. Then I realized that just leaves more room for matches, which isn’t a bad thing. In place of a documentary to start things off, there’s an introduction and conclusion by Michael Cole basically welcoming you to Vol. 2, then thanking you for watching it. In between the matches some of the Attitude Era’s biggest stars discuss road stories, how their Attitude Era personas came to be and other defining elements of that time period. Particularly entertaining are Jerry “The King” Lawler discussing how he came to call the oft-exposed breasts of the divas as “puppies,” the Godfather explaining how true-to-life his pimp gimmick is (and later revealing his surprising musical tastes) and Edge recalling how unpleasant the Brood’s bloodbaths were for their opponents. For the most part, these vignettes help keep things flowing and provide some backstory for the matches that follow. There are a few instances, however, where the interviews are a bit confusing when coupled with their concurrent match selections. For example, Chris Jericho talks extensively about his 1999 WWE debut, when he interrupted The Rock on Raw, which is followed by an Intercontinental Championship defense against Kurt Angle the following year. Granted, Jericho’s WWE debut was featured in The Attitude Era DVD, but it just seems odd to have Jericho talk so passionately about that moment only to be followed by a completely different (but still impressive) match.

While the Attitude Era tends to bring to mind bikini contests, beer guzzling and politically-incorrect rebelliousness, Vol. 2 effectively illustrates that there was a lot more to it than that. Sure, this DVD set includes a couple of swimsuit/bikini contests (both of which feature a nearly-nude Sable), the sex therapy sessions of “Sexual Chocolate” Mark Henry, and two ridiculous Hardcore Championship matches featuring Gerald Brisco (one of which involves him and Pat Patterson in evening gowns, the other of which includes the use of Patterson’s poop-stained underpants as a weapon). But for every puppy reference or poop joke, there are WWE Championship matches pitting Austin against Ken Shamrock and The Rock against X-Pac, a European Championship match featuring Angle, Jericho and Tazz, and Eddie Guerrero facing Dean Malenko. In much the same way that people often forget that Extreme Championship Wrestling was more than just flaming tables and barbed-wire bats, Vol. 2 reminds us that underneath the button-pushing antics were some amazing matches involving some of the most talented grapplers in history.

While it was the T&A of Sunny, Marlena and Sable that likely attracted many new WWE viewers during the Attitude Era, the equally attractive Lita, Trish Stratus, Jacqueline and Ivory were going toe-to-toe (sometimes literally) with the likes of Triple H, The Rock and Angle. So it’s refreshing to see the in-ring talents of these women showcased towards the end of Vol. 2. Another thing that made the Attitude Era special was that even those who weren’t main eventers like Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley and the Undertaker were important parts of the show. Even if some of the multi-person matches included here seem inconsequential, it’s still good to see the contributions of Owen Hart, Gangrel, Val Venis, Al Snow, D’Lo Brown, Marc Mero, Goldust and Hardcore Holly to WWE’s success at the time. It’s this type of diversity that made the Attitude Era the most popular era in WWE history. And Vol. 2 does a good job of highlighting as much of that diversity as possible.

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CM Punk’s rivalry with Jimmy Rave is the focus of “CM Punk: Icon”

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CM Punk‘s Ring of Honor rivalries with Samoa Joe and Raven have been well documented, as has the infamous Summer of Punk in which he threatened to take his ROH World Championship with him upon his departure for WWE. With such impactful feuds during his ROH tenure, followed by the success he’s had in recent years in WWE, it might be easy to forget the bitter exchanges Punk had with Jimmy Rave leading into the Summer of Punk. These matches are the centerpiece of CM Punk: Icon, the latest Punk DVD compilation from ROH.

Picking up where CM Punk: The Second City Saint left off, Icon begins with Punk’s match against Ricky Steamboat, a turning point in Punk’s career as his demeanor during the match changes drastically after he is humbled by Steamboat’s still-impressive abilities, as well as his post-match words for Punk. With the fans solidly behind him, Punk and his longtime friends Colt Cabana and Ace Steel go on to battle the likes of the Briscoe Brothers, Austin Aries, Alex Shelley, BJ Whitmer and Jimmy Jacobs. All great matches, mind you. But it’s not until Punk’s clash with Rave on the third night of ROH’s Third Anniversary Celebration that Icon really starts to gel as a cohesive collection of matches.

After defeating Punk (with a good deal of help from the Embassy, a boot lace and a can of air freshener) in front of his hometown Chicago crowd, Rave definitely stokes the ire of Punk for several months. Stooping to numerous personal lows (including attacking Punk’s then-girlfriend Traci Brooks, which is alluded to in commentary), Rave and the Embassy continuously antagonize Punk, only to scurry away or attack from behind when faced with his fury head on. With Bobby “The Brain” Hennan in his corner to help neutralize the antics of Prince Nana, Punk comes out on top against Embassy member Mike Kruel at Stalemate in April of 2005, only to be attacked from behind by Rave and the rest of the Embassy after the match while Heenan is showing respect for Punk.

When Punk finally gets Rave in a position in which Rave seemingly has nowhere to run (a dog collar match at Manhattan Mayhem in May of 2005), Rave again uses Kruel as a distraction to attack the already-collared Punk from behind before the match is officially underway. What follows is 15 of the most intense minutes in ROH history as Punk and Rave battle inside and outside the ring while chained together, followed by a passionate backstage promo from a bloodied Punk that makes his malicious intentions for Rave all too clear. But it obviously doesn’t resolve anything as the two face off again only a week later at Nowhere to Run, this time inside a steel cage.

With the Embassy kept at least somewhat at bay thanks to the cage, Punk and Rave go back and forth in a bloody battle to conclude this long-standing feud. But in a match where anything goes, Rave is allowed to resort to his previous tactics without having to hide them from the referee. With his hometown fans behind him once again, Punk finds a way to fight back from every obstacle Rave and the Embassy put in front of him, eventually turning some of them around on Rave. With a huge suplex off the top of the cage, Punk finally gives Rave his comeuppance before setting his sights on attaining the ROH World Championship.

In one of his final matches before the Summer of Punk gets underway, Punk takes on Roderick Strong in a respectful exchange that leaves both competitors looking like heroes. And after a surprising turn of events, Unscripted II lives up to its name as Punk makes a one-time return to ROH (while already under contract to WWE), teaming with Bryan Danielson to take on Rave and Adam Pearce in February of 2006. Having built a career on, among other things, unexpected actions and surprising promos, this seemingly impossible return/send-off somehow seems like the perfect end cap for Punk’s ROH career. And considering his contributions to ROH during his time there, Icon is certainly an appropriate title for this latest collection of his classic matches.

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Bret “Hit Man” Hart picks the best of his lesser-known moments in “The Dungeon Collection”

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The illustrious career of Bret “Hit Man” Hart has been well documented with previous WWE DVD releases, most notably 2005’s Bret “Hit Man” Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be. If that release was the equivalent of Bret Hart‘s greatest hits collection, the new release Bret “Hit Man” Hart: The Dungeon Collection is like his B-sides and obscurities compilation.

With interview footage where Hart recalls his earliest days in the wrestling business, training in the famed Hart Family Dungeon by his father Stu, The Dungeon Collection truly spans Hart’s entire career from its inception in Stampede Wrestling through his final days in World Championship Wrestling. Don’t let the title fool you, however. Though it does include a 1978 Stampede match between Hart and Dynamite Kid (and a 1985 match against Kid from the Capital Centre), as well as Hart’s recollection of the Wild West feel that his father’s promotion maintained, this DVD set does not include any footage from Hart’s actual training from the Dungeon. Instead, it features matches picked by the Hit Man, some from his personal tapes and many of which have been largely overlooked due to higher-profile matches featured on previous DVD collections.

Unlike most of WWE’s retrospectives, which feature a documentary about the featured superstar, followed by a collection of matches, The Dungeon Collection intersperses Hart’s insightful recollections with the matches themselves. As a result, you get a more thorough examination of what makes each match special to Hart and why he has chosen these particular matches that might otherwise seem somewhat insignificant in the grand scheme of his career. But once you see some of these matches and realize how important they were to his growth as a performer, it’s kind of hard to believe they haven’t been discussed and acknowledged previously.

Prior to becoming one of the most decorated and respected stars in WWE history, Hart had to pay his dues wrestling for territories throughout the United States and around the world. And considering the controversy surrounding his departure from WWE to WCW following the infamous Montreal Screwjob, it’s a shocking revelation to see that Hart wrestled for Georgia Championship Wrestling (the precursor to WCW) in the late ’70s, as illustrated by the rather grainy footage of a match between Hart and Buzz Sawyer from 1979. From there, Hart recalls how his brief stint down South helped him realize his potential in the wrestling business before returning to Stampede for a grueling match against Leo Burke for the North American Heavyweight Championship.

From opponents who might otherwise have faded from the memories of wrestling fans such as the Islanders, Jean-Pierre Lafitte and The Patriot to main event challengers such as Mr. Perfect, Ric Flair, the Undertaker and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Dungeon Collection highlights some outstanding moments that have long been overshadowed by Hart’s numerous title reigns and other career-making moments. And with Hart introducing each match with respectful anecdotes about the circumstances surrounding each bout, it’s easy to see why these moments are so meaningful to Hart. Hart also recalls more rare encounters on foreign soil such as his first match against Andre the Giant in Milan, a stellar contest with Tiger Mask II in the Tokyo Dome and highly-athletic bout with Bam Bam Bigelow in Milan.

The Dungeon Collection serves as a great companion to previous Hart DVD releases in that the match-ups featured here help illustrate exactly why rivalries with Perfect, Austin, Diesel, Sting and brother Owen were so integral to establishing Hart as one of wrestling’s all-time greats. And as Hart himself attests at the DVD’s conclusion, it’s definitely a unique trip down memory lane that needed to be documented.

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Fans or no fans, Beyond Wrestling delivers Double Trouble

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Some bands are musicians’ musicians, but when it comes to wrestling Beyond Wrestling is a wrestler’s wrestling promotion. Based in Bridgewater, Mass., Beyond regularly records its events without an audience, aside from the wrestlers competing on that particular card. This atmosphere is often conducive to one-upmanship among the boys and although Double Trouble was filmed in front of a small group of regular fans, attempts by wrestlers to outdo one another are still the order of the day.

A joint production between Beyond Wrestling and St. Louis Anarchy Pro Wrestling, Double Trouble takes place June 16, 2012 at Turner’s Hall in Cleveland. Beyond’s already-stacked roster is only further enhanced by the Anarchy talent. The card is very much a who’s who and who-is-going-to-be of independent wrestlers from all across the country. Mainstays at promotions like Dragon Gate USA, Resistance Pro and Chikara all represent their home promotions on this show.

The night begins with an eight-man tag match involving the Hate Junkies (Stryknyn and dany only), Matthew Justice and the Pitboss taking on the team of Eric Corvis, Jonny Mangue, Chase Burnett and Zane Silver. The fans at ringside refer to the Junkies as “Team Hot Topic” due to the duo’s studded punk rock attire, but that’s by far the only comedy in the match. These eight men absolutely lay waste to one another, and there are several moves in the finishing sequence that could have easily ended in fatalities. The intensity of the match doesn’t end in the ring, either. At some point after the match, only attacked Corvis with a corkscrew backstage, which later resulted in the Hate Junkies being barred from Beyond (not to mention Corvis pressing charges against only). Footage of this attack is not included on the Double Trouble DVD, but you can see it here.

This opening match sets a brutal tone for the night, but this show is far from just a hardcore slugfest. Johnny Gargano and ACH turn in a near-half hour clinic of classic and current professional wrestling styles. Move for move and hold for hold, these two demonstrate exactly why their names seem to get bigger week by week. What sets this particular match apart from matches of similar styles is the pace. They eschew the temptation to move at breakneck speed to get in every move they know (or at least want to try). Rather, the match (while far from slow) is very deliberate and has very little wasted effort. It may not take your breath away, but it certainly holds up to multiple viewings.

Double Trouble includes most of the things that make independent wrestling great and none of the things that can make it an embarrassment. If this is your first exposure to Beyond or if you have traditionally been a fan of larger promotions, the lack of production and small crowd may take some getting used to. But the reward for getting past this difference is a very solid wrestling show.

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“The Best of Raw and SmackDown 2012” features memorable moments from WWE’s top shows

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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.

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“Best in the World” is one of WWE’s most in-depth DVD releases

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Arguably the most highly anticipated DVD release in recent WWE history, CM Punk: Best in the World definitely takes a unique approach to showcasing one of wrestling’s most intriguing talents. While previous WWE DVD releases (especially those that focus on current superstars) have highlighted a respective wrestler’s best WWE matches and moments, Best in the World is just as much about CM Punk‘s straight edge punk rock lifestyle as it is about his wrestling career. And when it comes to his in-ring accomplishments, this three-disc set is not limited to the work Punk has done since he joined WWE.

For a young Punk, pro wrestling was just another oddball form of escapism for a kid coming from a broken home. While he embraced punk rock, comic books and monster movies, he also found refuge in the brash antics of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and the other pageantry he saw in the wrestling world. With commentary from his surrogate family and close friends such as Rancid‘s Lars Frederiksen, original trainer Ace Steel, longtime wrestling friend Colt Cabana and former WWE Women’s Champion Lita, Best in the World gets at the things that make up the Punk we know today. It seems that few topics are off limits as Punk talks about the drunken father that inspired his aversion to drugs and alcohol, the origins of the CM Punk moniker, the meanings behind many of his tattoos and the years of backyard and indie wrestling where Punk paid his dues.

As a result, Best in the World plays more like a documentary on one of yesterday’s stars rather than someone who is just reaching his championship potential. From the ex-girlfriend who encouraged Punk to embrace his punk rock attitude as his wrestling persona to indie rivals like Chris Hero (who appears here as Hero, not as his NXT persona of Kassius Ohno) to WWE friends and foes like Daniel Bryan, Triple H, John Cena and The Miz, it’s apparent that Punk’s self-made family is a tight-knit circle that crosses over from his personal to professional life. In an unprecedented move on WWE’s part, Best in the World includes footage from his early matches in Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, his rise to prominence in Ring of Honor against the likes of Samoa Joe, the infamous Summer of Punk (read my review here), during which he signed his WWE contract on the ROH title, and his early Ohio Valley Wrestling matches.

Courtesy WWE

It’s not until almost 45 minutes into Best in the World that we see Punk’s WWE debut thanks to Paul Heyman and the resurrected Extreme Championship Wrestling. And in true Punk fashion, he’s more than willing to discuss how he feels WWE misused him in his early days with the company, even during his runs as ECW, Intercontinental, World Tag Team and World Heavyweight Champion. But if there’s anything Punk is good at doing it’s adapting, and he realizes at numerous points on this DVD that in order to prove himself in WWE he will have to adapt in big ways.

In steps Punk’s big friend Luke Gallows, as well as Serena and Joseph Mercury, to form the Straight Edge Society. And while Punk was subversively turning himself into a Jesus-like Messiah on television, Best in the World reveals his more benevolent side behind the scenes when Mercury falls on hard times. Despite his best efforts with the SES, however, Punk soon becomes disgruntled yet again as others get championship opportunities. And that’s about the time that the pipe bomb goes off. In much the same way he had done years earlier in his final months with Ring of Honor, Punk dares to say what’s truly on his mind. He takes control of his fate with only a few weeks left on his WWE contract, and threatens to defeat Cena for the WWE Championship and leave the company with the title at last year’s Money in the Bank, in his hometown of Chicago.

Courtesy WWE

My only criticism of Best in the World is its glorification of the events that transpire after Punk lives up to his promise and does, indeed, walk out the front door of the arena with the WWE title (only to tweet that now-infamous picture of it sitting in his refrigerator later that night). No one can argue the impact Punk had on WWE during the time leading up to Money in the Bank. But had his WWE return been postponed for a few more weeks (if not months), his actions would have carried even more weight. But considering that few (if any) other people would have dared to risk their future with WWE the way he did, this slight glorification of a series of events that did get many people’s attention is a very minor complaint.

What Best in the World proves, without a doubt, is that the Punk we see on TV and in WWE rings is the same person you might find at a Cubs game or in an airport. He can be brash and rude, but he can also be a leader and an inspiration (as he has been for veterans like William Regal and up-and-comers like Zack Ryder). And regardless of how you feel about him personally, there’s no doubt that Punk is one of the most entertaining guys to step into a WWE ring, which is displayed on the other two discs of this set. From an OVW match against Brent Albright and his ECW debut against Justin Credible to his WrestleMania XXIV Money in the Bank win and championship victories over John Morrison, Regal, Jeff Hardy and Chris Jericho, Punk makes it hard to deny that he is, as he likes to say, the “best in the world.” And with this DVD release, it seems that WWE is finally agreeing with him.

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“The Summer of Punk” chronicles CM Punk’s final months in Ring of Honor

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One summer, CM Punk became an underdog champion whose fan support was divided between those who recognized his talent and those who saw him as a turncoat. Truth be told, Punk did betray many of his supporters when he proclaimed that he would hold the title hostage and take it with him when he left the company. Oddly enough, I’m not talking about the events leading into last year’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view, where Punk defeated John Cena for the WWE Championship, only to walk out the front door of the arena with the belt, as his contract expired that same night. I’m actually referring to a very similar series of events that took place in 2005, when Punk became the Ring of Honor Champion, then proclaimed that he would take that title with him as he left the smaller promotion for WWE‘s grander stage.

While WWE’s highly anticipated CM Punk: Best in the World DVD set comes out Oct. 9, ROH chronicled Punk’s 2005 departure months earlier with The Summer of Punk, a two-disc set featuring matches that took place during his final months with the company. And it’s strange how similar that summer was to the summer of 2011, when Punk revealed that his WWE contract expired the same night he battled Cena for the WWE Championship (in Punk’s hometown of Chicago, no less).

The Summer of Punk begins with Punk, a fan favorite, defeating Austin Aries (himself on his way out for his first stint with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) for the ROH Championship. As his victory speech progresses, he gradually becomes more and more arrogant, stating that a microphone in his hand is like a pipe bomb, saying he is “the devil himself,” referring to himself as the “greatest pro wrestler walking the Earth today,” calling the fans his puppets and generally foreshadowing everything from the inception of his Straight Edge Society to his current WWE title reign.

The Summer of Punk includes some of the most memorable matches and promos from the summer of 2005, including the moment that he signs his WWE contract on the ROH title belt. But just as he has done over the past year or so in WWE, Punk is able to back up everything he says by defeating several of ROH’s top wrestling talents, including Jay Lethal, Roderick Strong, Christopher Daniels and longtime ROH rival Samoa Joe. Though Punk had previously had some great matches with many of these people, he truly brings out the best in them with his threats of leaving with the title. But for those three months, he is unbeatable and it really does look like he will cripple ROH by taking its top prize to another wrestling promotion.

From his numerous battles with an unlikely savior in James Gibson (this DVD is almost as much about Gibson’s quest for the title as it is about Punk’s determination to retain it) to his infamous confrontations with Mick Foley (yet another instance of history repeating itself in recent weeks in WWE), Punk’s ability to play with the emotions of his competitors and the ROH fans is phenomenal. But even after his tyrannically turbulent final months in ROH come to an end, as Punk wrestles his longtime friend Colt Cabana in his farewell match in the Chicago suburb of Chicago Ridge, he is visibly emotional as the fans chant his name and shower him with streamers (a common show of respect for ROH fans). And when the locker room empties and the ROH roster shows its respect to a man that helped elevate ROH to greater recognition, it’s clear that The Summer of Punk is a bittersweet chapter in the story of a man whose potential in WWE has only become popularly apparent in the past few years.

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