Category Archives: DVD reviews

“Ring of Hero” recaps Chris Hero’s Ring of Honor career

Before he was winning Superstar of the Week honors as Kassius Ohno in Florida Championship Wrestling, Chris Hero was one of Ring of Honor‘s most intriguing wrestlers, both in singles and tag team competition. And in one of the latest in a recent surge of releases spotlighting current and former ROH talents, Chris Hero: Ring of Hero features two discs with more than a dozen of his best ROH matches against the likes of Kenta, El Generico, Kenny Omega and Eddie Kingston.

Perhaps best known as one half of ROH’s longest reigning World Tag Team Champions the Kings of Wrestling with Claudio Castagnoli (who made his WWE television debut as Antonio Cesaro on the April 27 edition of SmackDown), Hero arrives in ROH as anything but a hero on Jan. 14, 2006, taking on then-ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson as part of a Combat Zone Wrestling invasion. Though he fails to win the title, and is clearly not a favorite of the ROH fans, Hero proves that he’s capable of hanging with the best ROH has to offer. In fact, after several months of disrupting ROH shows while still part of the CZW roster and engaging in chaotic and bloody feuds with ROH stars like Samoa Joe and Adam Pearce, Hero inadvertently earns a spot on the ROH roster when he and Castagnoli defeat Austin Aries and Roderick Strong at Glory by Honor V on Sept. 16 to become the ROH Tag Team Champions.

The seeds are planted for a Kings of Wrestling/Briscoe Brothers feud as the two tag teams do battle at International Challenge on Dec. 22 and Final Battle on Dec. 23, with new manager Larry Sweeney assisting the Kings. But not long after their loss to the Briscoes at Final Battle, Hero rises to the top of Sweeney’s Sweet & Sour, Inc. faction, leaving Castagnoli behind in favor of singles action. Sweeney and his stable (Sara Del Rey, Tank Toland and Bobby Dempsey) become instrumental in Hero’s singles success, including a tap-out victory over Nigel McGuninness (considered by many to be the best wrestler in the world at the time) at Death Before Dishonor V on Aug. 10, 2007). But it’s at Survival of the Fittest 2007 two months later that Hero truly proves his worth by defeating Aries, Castagnoli, Strong, Rocky Romero and the Human Tornado to become “the fittest man in all of Ring of Honor” (as he states in a post-match Las Vegas celebration, where he and Sweeney also start a “Chris is awesome” chant). And Hero wins by using both wrestling skill (he makes Castagnoli pass out from the hangman’s clutch to win the match) and ring psychology (after Strong is paid off by Sweeney to help Hero, Hero pins Strong and takes the money back).

When watching Ring of Hero, it becomes clear just how much the ROH fans come to respect Heros work, even though he often resorts to dirty tactics to win. And just a month after his Survival win, he gets another shot at the ROH Championship at Glory by Honor VI. Hero once again makes McGuinness tap out, but the referee restarts the match because McGuinness’ foot was on the ropes and McGuinness goes on to make Hero tap out. Hero’s momentum carries over into 2008 as he and McGuinness whip the Breakout crowd into a frenzy as they battle inside a steel cage on Jan. 25. Hero proves yet again how innovative he can be as he puts McGuinness in a half crab while sitting in a steel chair for leverage. A bloody Hero almost wins the title yet again as he exits the cage door as McGuinness climbs the other side of the cage and makes it to the floor for the win.

From there we see another phenomenal display as Hero defeats Full Impact Pro Champion Strong at Battle for Supremacy on June 27 in a non-title match that sees Hero employing his signature rolling elbow, eventually earning him the moniker of “That Young Knockout Kid.” Hero also shows how agile he is when he’s Irish whipped into the barricade outside the ring, only to jump onto the barricade and hit Strong with a back elbow.

Courtesy Ring of Honor

Hero goes on to prove his worth against veterans like then-ROH Champion Jerry Lynn at Never Say Die on May 8, 2009 (where he comes up just short despite using his infamous loaded elbow pad) and with a victory over Lance Storm at Death Before Dishonor VII on July 25. Ring of Hero brings things full circle as Hero takes on Danielson in Danielson’s last ROH main event before heading to WWE on Sept. 18. The DVD includes Hero’s boxing training leading up to this big match, and after all these two men have been through since Hero’s ROH debut almost four years earlier, Hero is finally able to defeat Danielson.

Aside from showing exactly why Hero has earned his spot as a future WWE star in the ring, Ring of Hero also includes several vignettes proving that Hero is just as astute when it comes to getting himself over on the mic (including some pretty funny stuff where Sweet & Sour tries to inspire the rotund Dempsey to get in better shape). Considering that Hero’s last ROH match was in January of this year, and none of the Kings of Wrestling’s most recent ROH success is included here, there’s still plenty of great Hero footage to be seen. But with Castagnoli already on WWE TV, I can only speculate that ROH is saving some of these matches for a future Castagnoli or Kings of Wrestling release.

For more information, go to www.rohwrestling.com.

WWE DVD chronicles “The Epic Journey” of The Rock

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Finally The Rock HAS COME BACK to DVD! Well, OK. It really hasn’t been that long since WWE‘s last Rock DVD set (2008’s The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment) was released. But given the year-plus build to his return to singles competition at WrestleMania XXVIII in his hometown of Miami, there are many electrifying reasons to release another set of highlights from The Rock’s wrestling career.

From his childhood days watching his father, Rocky Johnson, and grandfather, Peter Maivia, set standards in the ring, through his time playing for the University of Miami’s national championship football team up to his recent return as host of WrestleMania XXVII, The Rock: The Epic Journey of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recounts The Rock’s rise to becoming not only the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, but one of the biggest success stories in all of show business. Using family photos, footage that dates back to his 1996 debut at the Survivor Series and commentary from the likes of Triple H, Chris Jericho, The Rock’s WrestleMania XXVIII opponent John Cena and former Miami Hurricanes teammate Warren Sapp (The Rock himself naturally has plenty to say as well), The Epic Journey covers Johnson’s career in and out of the squared circle.

Whether they’re friends, foes or completely unbiased, no one can deny The Rock’s charisma, determination and natural talents, whether they be athletic, comedic or musical. But what is interesting to note (and might be easy to forget, given his aforementioned talents) is that The Rock was not always adored by the fans. Sure, most of us remember his lackluster attempts to endear himself to the fans early in his career as Rocky Maivia. But even after he dropped that gimmick, he was still greeted in much the same way his fans greet Cena today – with chants of “Rocky sucks.” But after joining the Nation of Domination, The Rock began to embrace his arrogant side, which allowed him to talk the kind of smack people, oddly enough, wanted to hear. (Mick Foley even acknowledges on The Epic Journey that The Rock all but invented the term “smackdown.”) But it wasn’t so much that fans wanted to hear him eloquently talking trash to just about anyone he encountered, then backing it up with his in-ring abilities. It’s just that fans can sense when someone is being genuine and, in much the same way they embraced “Stone Cold” Steve Austin‘s antihero behavior, they also took to The Rock’s innate ability to sincerely say what was on his mind and make it wildly entertaining.

But even after he dethroned Farooq as the leader of the Nation, formed an unlikely alliance with Foley as the popular Rock & Sock Connection and became a pop cultural icon, The Rock still fell out of favor with the fans for a while as his rivalry with the previous generation’s icon, Hulk Hogan, came to a boil, as well as when fans began to label him as a Hollywood sellout. We all know The Rock was able to recover from that, but with the back-and-forth between The Rock and Cena over the past year or so, seeing The Rock being treated the way many fans treat Cena now puts everything into new perspective.

Courtesy WWE

Another thing that helps put things into perspective is the matches that are included on this three-disc set. With the things people like Razor Ramon, Shawn Michaels, the Hardy Boyz and others have done in ladder matches, re-watching The Rock and Triple H do battle for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam in 1998 is a reminder of how these two big guys redefined what a ladder match could be. And the “I quit” match against Mankind at the ’99 Royal Rumble shows us a vicious side of The Rock not often revealed.

The Epic Journey also includes his no holds barred match for the World Wrestling Federation Championship against Austin at Backlash in ’99, the triple threat match between The Rock, Triple H and Kurt Angle for that same title at SummerSlam 2000 and his match against Brock Lesnar for the Undisputed Championship at SummerSlam in 2002. Other classic encounters include a 2002 Raw match against Ric Flair, the No Way Out match against Hulk Hogan in 2003 and his recent return to Raw and WrestleMania in 2011. In much the same way the recent Stone Cold DVD set duplicated very little from the previous Stone Cold set, none of the matches on The Epic Journey are featured on The Most Electrifying Man. And that fact not only gives fans plenty of reason to check out this new DVD (even if they’ve already seen the other one), but it’s also a testament to just how electrifying The Rock’s journey in wrestling and beyond has been.

For more information, go to www.wweshop.com.

Survival of the Fittest shows who is at the top of Ring of Honor’s food chain

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As was noted in my review of Ring of Honor’s Gateway to Honor DVD, it seems that Ring of Honor has been making some subtle changes to appeal to a broader fan base since its association with Sinclair Broadcast Group began a few months ago. This trend continues on the DVD release of one of the company’s marquee annual events, Survival of the Fittest 2011.

Held in Dayton, Ohio less than two weeks after Gateway to Honor, Survival of the Fittest features most of the company’s top talents competing in an elimination tournament that is somewhat like a cross between WWE‘s King of the Ring and Survivor Series concepts. Most of the matches on the DVD are qualifying matches in this Darwinian dance, with no two matches being the same.

For instance, the first match is a tag team match between ROH’s resident bad boys the Briscoes and the young up-and-comers the Bravado Brothers that includes, among other entertaining antics, a series of Bushwackers-like headbutts on the part of Jay and Mark Briscoe.

The next match pits Davey Richards‘ trainee Kyle O’Reilly against Andy “Right Leg” Ridge (who won his spot in the tournament by defeating Grizzly Redwood two months earlier in a match included as a bonus feature on this DVD). This is a great, fast-paced match with lots of big moves, such as a cradle suplex and an over-the-top-rope diamond cutter. You can definitely see Richards‘ influence on O’Reilly, who locks in a guillotine choke on Ridge to advance to the Survival of the Fittest main event.

“The Prodigy” Mike Bennett and “Die Hard” Eddie Edwards put on another great match that ends when Edwards locks in the dragon sleeper hold (foreshadowing Edwards‘ future conflicts with Richards and O’Reilly). This match is followed by something we don’t often see during ROH pay-per-views – backstage promos from Richards and O’Reilly, Tommaso Ciampa and the Embassy (that just further proves that Prince Nana is one of the best talkers in ROH) and the All Night Express.

The next qualifying match is a four-way match between Kenny King, Adam Cole, “Unbreakable” Michael Elgin and Ciampa. For some reason the match starts out as a sort of tag team bout, but eventually the action expands to include all four participants as well as various people outside the ring. Elgin is the most impressive part of this match with power moves such as simultaneously carrying Cole in the front and King on his back before dropping both men to the mat in a combination Samoan drop/fallaway slam. Ciampo also hits an impressive suplex on King off the top rope while his own legs are tangled in a tree of woe. Elgin eventually picks up the win after planting Cole with a spinout powerbomb.

We then see Edwards cutting a promo about how he won the previous Survival of the Fittest tournament and will win it once again. Then we go into one of only two matches on the card that is not a qualifying match. Having been involved in a vicious feud for almost two years, El Generico and Steve Corino clash one last time. And since his recent partnership with Jimmy Jacobs, Corino seems to be a changed man who just wants to atone for his sins against Generico. This match does something ROH isn’t particularly known for, which is telling a great story with little in-ring action. In an effort to prove that he has changed his ways, Corino refuses to fight. This truly is a change of character for Corino, whose determination against Elgin just a few months earlier at Best in the World showed him kicking out of multiple power moves, only to eventually lose the match despite his diligence. But here Corino seems almost defeated, refusing even to apply his infamous thumb in the bum on Generico (while wearing trunks with that phrase emblazoned across his own bum). Despite his refusal to fight, both men push each other to the limit, but in a much different manner than we’ve seen them do before. And this match is one of the most entertaining on the card despite its lack of typical ROH style athleticism and antics.

From there, we return to qualifying action as Roderick Strong faces Rhett Titus. This is another hard fought battle and Strong’s manager Truth Martini proves to be a valuable asset as his interference is detrimental to the outcome of the match with less than 30 seconds remaining. Before we see the winners of all the qualifying matches face off in an elimination style main event, we’re treated to yet another special match that is not part of the tournament. In this champions challenge we see ROH Champion Richards team up with World Television Champion Jay Lethal to take on World Tag Team Champions Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas, Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team. This match has everything ROH fans have come to love, and showcases just why these four guys are at the top of the proverbial food chain. From some serious chain wrestling to start the match to a great cartoon-like moment between Richards and Benjamin where they both go for kicks at the same time only to catch each others legs and stand awkwardly in anticipation, this match has plenty of hard-hitting action with doses of comic relief.

The match is dominated by one impressive display of athleticism after another that includes a double leap of faith from Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team that evokes a chant of “This is awesome!” from the audience as all four men get back to their feet. Despite their lack of experience together, Richards and Lethal put together some great teamwork, including a tandem Chris Benoit-like headbutt off the top rope by Richards and a Randy Savage-like elbow drop by Lethal. Though Lethal eventually taps out to the Haas of Pain while Benjamin prevents Richards from making the save, all four men have reason to celebrate after the show they’ve just put on.

Which brings us to the Survival of the Fittest final elimination match, featuring the winners of all the previous qualifying matches. Although it is every man for himself, this match starts out more like a three-way tag match with the House of Truth‘s Roderick Strong and Michael Elgin, both of the Briscoes and O’Reilly and Edwards (whose rivalry is still friendly at this point) forming their own alliances. But with only two legal men at any given time, any active wrestler can tag in any other wrestler, which leads to interesting scenarios.

Everyone is involved early on as multiple face-offs and tags keep things fresh. But after O’Reilly and Edwards find themselves facing each other, they square off with a back-and-forth of mixed martial arts style kicks. When a light bulb seems to go off in each competitor’s head simultaneously, both members of the Briscoes are suddenly tagged in. This really gets the crowd worked up as one commentator proclaims, “It’s not a party until the Briscoes show up.” The Briscoes are surprisingly one step ahead of their opponents, however, as they attack everyone else.

As one of the smaller and least experienced competitors, O’Reilly is the clear underdog in this match. And that’s made all the more apparent as he takes a beating from everyone else in the match. The fight eventually tumbles outside the ring and Elgin, who is clearly the powerhouse in the match, surprises everyone as he scales the ropes and hits a moonsault on all five of his opponents on the floor (followed by a “Holy shit!” chant from the crowd).

Eddie Edwards gets the first two eliminations, as he takes Jay and Mark Briscoe out consecutively. Strong is then eliminated by Edwards, only for Elgin to eliminate Edwards. So it comes down to the unlikely pairing of the “Unbreakable” Elgin and the broken and bruised O’Reilly. Richards makes his way to ringside to support his protege, who puts up a surprisingly good fight against his much larger foe. Though it seems likely that Elgin would make short work of O’Reilly, O’Reilly surprises everyone when he hits a DDT into a guillotine choke on Elgin. It looks as if Elgin might actually submit, but he powers out and goes for a pin on O’Reilly. O’Reilly kicks out , but Elgin finally hits a sitout powerbomb to become the ultimate survivor. Despite the outcome of the match, O’Reilly really proves his worth as a top competitor in ROH. And following the match, there is an intense stare down between Elgin and Richards, implying that we might see a title shot between these two men in the near future.

In addition to the aforementioned qualifying match between Ridge and Redwood, this DVD also includes the Nov. 28 edition of the ROH Video Wire, featuring post-Survival promos from Martini and Elgin, Lethal, Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team and the Young Bucks.

For more information, go to www.rohwrestling.com.

Ring of Honor enters the Gateway to Honor with new DVD

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Since its inception nearly a decade ago, Ring of Honor has set itself apart from other wrestling organizations by offering hard-hitting matches that often last upwards of 30 minutes, leaving the performers physically and mentally drained. To die hard ROH fans, the focus on mixed martial arts and Japanese strong style athletic displays offers a more realistic alternative to mainstream wrestling, with every match feeling like it could be the main event. To critics, the lack of buildup from opening matches through midard conflicts to main event payoff cheapens the overall product, mentally exhausting fans well before the dramatic climax of the main event.

With Gateway to Honor, which took place in Collinsville, Ill. Nov. 6, 2011, ROH looks to be changing its formula up a little bit (perhaps to appeal to the Sinclair Broadcast Group, which now owns the company). From offering first time matches like Mark Briscoe vs. World Television Champion Jay Lethal and the American Wolves vs. the All Night Express to a surprisingly competitive match between the diminutive lumberjack Grizzly Redwood and the House of Truth‘s powerhouse Michael Elgin, Gateway to Honor really showcases many of ROH’s strong points without overdoing things. There’s even a women’s match between the Embassy’s Mia Yim (in her first ROH match) and MsChif that is better than some men’s matches (let alone female contests) in other promotions. And with women’s matches being such a rarity in ROH, that is one area where the company really makes it count (which is something the bigger promotions can’t say, despite having their own women’s divisions).

Unlike most ROH events, Gateway to Honor actually treats the opening matches like an undercard, kicking things off with an exciting and quick (especially by ROH standards) conflict between the increasingly impressive Tommaso Ciampa and Andy “Right Leg” Ridge that includes plenty of interference from the Embassy and a comical save by Delirious that includes him laying a sloppy kiss on Yim. The second match, pitting Jay Briscoe against TJ Perkins, is another relatively short match that, despite being an entertaining bout with some good spots, mostly serves to show just how over the Briscoes are with the ROH crowd. The commentary (not typically one of ROH’s strong points) is dead on when one commentator (not sure if it was Kevin Kelly or Dave Prazak) says, “No matter where Ring of Honor goes, fans will always cheer for the Briscoes.”

Another thing that Gateway to Honor (and ROH in general) does well is showcase solid tag team wrestling. The always entertaining Bravado Brothers and the team of Jimmy Jacobs and Steve Corino offer a bit of comic relief while Future Shock (consisting of Adam Cole and Davey Richards‘ protege Kyle O’Reilly) puts up an impressive fight against World Tag Team Champions Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas, Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team (after which Benjamin commends the younger team by saying it’s only a matter of time before Future Shock is wearing the belts).

All of these matches (and more) build to the main event of Richards (who resides in nearby St. Louis and is honored in a pre-show homecoming that appears as a bonus on this DVD) and Eddie Edwards against Kenny King and Rhett Titus. Both the Wolves and the All Nighters pull off some great tandem teamwork, with King hitting some amazing moves outside the ring. The main event eventually builds to a typical ROH spotfest, with each man trading moves and punches with his opponent and giving his absolute best physical effort. And the conclusion of the match serves to establishthe ANX as one of the company’s strongest tag teams while also furthering the growing rivalry between American Wolves partners Richards and Edwards as their impending match for the World Championship looms.

If Gateway to Honor is any indication of things to come for ROH (which it seems to be based on the events that have taken pace since then), then ROH is finding a great balance between what its loyal fans want to see and what might attract more casual wrestling fans who are used to an entirely different kind of product. And that’s something that past promotions such as Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling have been unable to do when trying to take the next step towards reaching larger audiences.

For more information, go to www.rohwrestling.com.

New WWE DVD showcases 2011’s best pay-per-view matches

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By Jonathan Williams

With its final DVD release of 2011, WWE celebrates some of its greatest moments of the year with WWE Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2011. While the three-disc set obviously rehashes matches also found on previous WWE pay-per-view DVD releases, most people don’t buy every DVD and filtering out the less memorable moments is a great way to reflect on one of WWE’s most interesting years in recent memory.

Hosted by WWE commentator Scott Stanford (who provides brief reminders of what led up to some of the matches), Best Pay-Per-View Matches begins with Edge‘s World Heavyweight Championship defense against Dolph Ziggler at the Royal Rumble in January, as well as his subsequent successful defense the following month inside the Elimination Chamber.

Next up is the year’s biggest pay-per-view, WrestleMania XXVII. In addition to including the no holds barred match between the Undertaker and Triple H (an obvious choice), it also features the match between Rey Mysterio and Cody Rhodes, a good (and somewhat surprising) choice considering that it was overshadowed by much of the other WrestleMania hoopla.

From Christian‘s ascension to main event status in his ladder match victory over Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules to Mark Henry‘s dominant victory over Randy Orton at Night of Champions for the same title, this DVD definitely features some of the biggest matches of the year. And you can’t talk about WWE pay-per-view matches from 2011 without mentioning CM Punk‘s victory over John Cena at Money in the Bank (after which he departed the company through the audience with the WWE Championship) or Mark Henry and the Big Show‘s World Heavyweight Championship match at Vengeance that resulted in the ring collapsing.

Though this collection definitely features some of WWE’s most exciting moments from 2011, it does feel a little lacking simply because it was released too early to include any matches from Survivor Series or TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (which ended up being one of the best overall pay-per-views of the year despite mostly low expectations). And considering how easily this exclusion could have been remedied (either by releasing the set a month or so later or by following the its own pattern set last year with Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2009-2010), it’s a little unfair to call this collection the best of the year without including anything from two major pay-per-views.

Minor complaints aside, it is interesting to note that Edge, who was forced to retire in April due to a back injury, is featured here just as many times as John Cena, who was actively in the WWE title picture for most of the year. And other names such as Rey Mysterio, CM Punk and Mark Henry pop up just as many as or more than Cena. Also, in retrospect it seems that the World Heavyweight Championship made for more great matches this year than the WWE Championship with six World title matches being included alongside only two WWE title matches.

These facts, as well as the collection of matches itself, are indicative of the changes that have occurred in WWE in 2011. For the most part these changes have created some of the best wrestling matches and a level of excitement that hasn’t existed since the Attitude Era and the Monday Night Wars. Hopefully what was successful at WWE pay-per-views in 2011 will continue to take the company in different directions, resulting in another interesting year in 2012.

For more information, go to www.wweshop.com.

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best ppv matches

“Road to the Triple Crown” showcases Eddie Edwards’ Ring of Honor career

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By Jonathan Williams

Following the release of Davey Richards: The American Wolf, Ring of Honor gives Richards‘ American Wolves tag team partner Eddie Edwards a similar DVD treatment with Eddie Edwards: Road to the Triple Crown. Featuring 20 of Edwards ROH matches beginning with his 2006 debut against Austin Aries, Road to the Triple Crown shows just why Edwards deserves his nickname of “Die Hard.”

Though he often seems to be living in the shadow of his tag team partner, this two-disc set shows that Edwards is arguably just as deserving of being called the “best in the world” (a phrase often used to describe Richards). Of course it’s hard to deny the parallel career paths of Edwards and Richards, as well as the reciprocal benefits each man has had since they started tag teaming three years ago. From their World Tag Team Title victory over Kevin Steen & El Generico in April 2008 to impressive battles with Bryan Danielson & Tyler Black, the Young Bucks and Colt Cabana & El Generico, Road to the Triple Crown acknowledges the in-ring chemistry that is apparent between the two Wolves.

But what it also points out is that despite Richards being regarded as not only Ring of Honor’s top talent, but also one of the world’s best wrestlers, Edwards has beaten him to the proverbial punch in virtually every sense. Edwards became the inaugural World Television Champion in March 2010 (by defeating Richards, no less). And during a time when fans were proclaiming Richards to be the “next world champ,” Edwards won that honor by defeating Roderick Strong in March 2011 at Manhattan Mayhem IV, making him the company’s first (and so far only) Triple Crown winner (having held its three current titles).

All of these matches are included on Road to the Triple Crown, as are many others such as an anything goes match against Kevin Steen and one-on-one matches against the likes of the Necro Butcher, Bryan Danielson, Tyler Black, Kenny King and Christopher Daniels. Another interesting thing about watching these matches is the fact that Edwards has been a heel for most of his ROH career, with the American Wolves working under the guidance of manager Shane Hagadorn for much of their existence. But as is often the case in ROH, the fans know a good wrestler when they see one and it was only a matter of time before Edwards became a fan favorite. And regardless of where you think he stands in comparison to Richards or anyone else, Road to the Triple Crown is proof that Edwards is among wrestling’s best.

For more information, go to www.rohwrestling.com.

WWE’s “King of the Ring” DVD features some of the event’s best moments

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By Jonathan Williams

Though winning the King of the Ring tournament hasn’t always guaranteed main event status, most of its winners have used their royalty as a stepping stone to bigger things in WWE. From its early days as an annual World Wrestling Federation event to its ascension to pay-per-view status to its recent return as a somewhat sporadic biannual SmackDown and Raw showcase, King of the Ring has been an integral part of WWE for more than two decades.

Booker T reprises his King Booker persona as host of "The Best of King of the Ring." Photo courtesy WWE

Hosted by Booker T (reprising the comical British-accented King Booker persona he took on after winning the 2006 King of the Ring), the new The Best of King of the Ring DVD set features some of the most exciting moments in King of the Ring history. Booker begins by giving us a quick history lesson, mentioning some of the tournament’s early winners such as Don Muraco, Harley Race, “Macho Man” Randy Savage and “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. And this list proves to be the perfect setup for the first match, the 1993 finals between Bret “Hit Man” Hart and Bam Bam Bigelow, which is followed by the tournament’s first televised coronation ceremony.

Having won the previous tournament two years earlier, Hart was defending his crown against one of his biggest and most vicious opponents ever. And following his hard fought victory, Jerry “The King” Lawler attacked the new king during this coronation, which set up a rivalry that didn’t culminate until their Kiss My Foot Match at the King of the Ring pay-per-view in 1995 (also included here).

And you can’t talk about King of the Ring without including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin‘s victory over Jake “The Snake” Roberts in 1996, after which he delivered the infamous Austin 3:16 promo that would become the genesis of his antihero persona. Also included in this three-disc set are King of the Ring finals such as Triple H‘s victory over Mankind in 1997, Kurt Angle‘s victory over Rikishi in 2000, Brock Lesnar‘s victory over Rob Van Dam in 2002 and, of course, Booker T‘s ascension to the throne after defeating Bobby Lashley at Judgment Day in 2006.

But it’s not just King of the Ring finals matches that once made King of the Ring one of WWE’s top attractions. In fact, some of WWE’s most memorable moments have been part of King of the Ring events without being part of the actual tournament. Yokozuna‘s shocking victory over Hulk Hogan in 1993, the brutal Hell in a Cell match between the Undertaker and Mankind in 1998 that solidified Mick Foley as a hardcore legend and the bloody street fight between Kurt Angle and Shane McMahon in 2001 were all part of King of the Ring and are all included in this set.

The Best of King of the Ring includes several other matches, ranging from somewhat forgotten moments in the careers of Austin, Jeff Hardy and Edge to the most recent King of the Ring winners William Regal and Sheamus. Though it does rehash a lot of material that has been including elsewhere, it is interesting to see a showcase of some of King of the Ring’s best moments featured in one set. Considering how many career defining moments are included here, one can only hope that WWE might be considering bringing back the King of the Ring as an annual event of some sort.

For more information, go to www.wweshop.com.