DVD Review: WWE Night of Champions 2013

The WWE PPV Night of Champions came hot on the heels of the very successful SummerSlam event and offered up a few opportunities for losing parties there to claim redemption.

SummerSlam had perhaps one of the biggest swerve turns of the year and here we get to witness the fall-out. Of course by now we all know that challenger Daniel Bryan was successful in his attempt to win the WWE Championship from John Cena at SS and yet he was then ripped off as special guest referee Triple H 'pedigreed' the new champ and allowed Randy Orton to win the gold in mere moments.

Night of Champions is an event that sees all of the WWE titles up for grabs and this year the event had an awful lot of momentum going for it. So what were we presented with here? Well of course we get to see Bryan take on Orton for the WWE Championship. There are also title defences by Alberto Del Rio, The Shield (WWE Tag Team Championship), Dean Ambrose (United States Championship), Curtis Axel (Intercontinental Championship) and AJ Lee (Divas Championship). 

We are also offered a handicap scrap between CM Punk and the combo of Curtis Axel and Paul Heyman. There is also a fine match-up involving The Miz and Fandango. 

This PPV event is a nice addition to the WWE calendar and one that did indeed achieve what it intended to do (rather than tread water). We get to see Daniel Bryan tackle the sneaky Randy Orton, ECW legend Rob Van Dam get his first title shot since his return to the company and Paul Heyman's luck run out as he has to step into the ring with his former client CM Punk.

All in all this is a show that ticks many boxes and offers up some nice storyline progression as well.

Extras wise we get the Tag Team Turmoil kick-off show match , featuring the Uso's, Primetime Player, Tons of Fun, Real Americans and 3MB (DVD), Blu-ray buyers will also get Randy Orton's coronation from Raw, CM Punk versus Axel Curtis, Daniel Bryan versus Dean Ambrose and some other segments from Raw.

Night of Champions is available now from www.wwedvd.co.uk and all good retailers.

RRP £17.99 (DVD), £19.99 (Blu-ray)

www.wwe.com

By Phil Allely

WWE Live Review @ The Odyssey Arena Belfast November 2013

WWE Live Review: The Odyssey Belfast, November 2013

Each year I am  fortunate enough to be able to not only attend the bi-annual live wrestling shows by the WWE, but we also get to review them as well.

This year however we have decided to take a slightly different slant with out review and instead of just giving you our loyal and treasured readers a run down of the matches, our reviewer Phil Allely has opted to critique the whole event instead.

WWE live shows over the last few years especially have seen some of the industry's biggest names grace NI's shores and of course that has led fans to turn out in record numbers to see them. I for one have been fortunate enough to have seen such names as Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Undertaker and Kane all enter the ring in the Odyssey Arena. There have also of course been appearances by more modern day heroes such as CM Punk, John Cena and Rey Mysterio, amongst others.

But this November we saw a card that was decidedly big name light and you know what it worked better for it. Irishman Sheamus was injured and we were also missing some heavy hitters like John Cena and Daniel Bryan, but believe it or not that actually made things easier for us fans.

Yes the merchandise stands were still full of Cena T-shirts etc. and the crowds did buy it, but the fun thing here for me was the way the show was laid out.

In the last few years the WWE has been slated for its more family friendly approach to wrestling and a distinct lack of blood, violence and extreme actions. However, one thing I will state is that whilst pay-per-views are of course pre-planned and scripted (due to TV cameras etc. being present), live house shows a re a very different beast.

Here mid-week in November Belfast was treated to a reasonably well-paced collection of matches that showed some of the WWE's mid-card players at their best and a few main eventers prove their worth.

This was a show for the whole family. The matches mostly featured a high level of audience involvement, there were elements of comedy and when the violence did kick in, it was not only believable, but intriguing.

A live WWE show is an amazing thing to witness. This is something that takes in so much more than the card itself. For many fans there are opportunities to perhaps stay or visit the hotel where the wrestlers stay and meet them. There are also a select few VIP events and shop-based meet and greets. One amazing aspect is the fact that fans in their droves will even visit the venue early to purchase merchandise prior to the show as well.

What I witnessed here was a WWE live show that was put together to prove a point. There were many big names missing, but this was the chance for the rest of the on-the-road crew to showcase their wares and they did it very well indeed.

Highlights for me were the wonderful entrance through the crowd by The Shield (which occurred right beside my seat). The long-awaited appearance by Goldust (who looked in amazing shape). The amazingly comedic performance by Santino against Fandango was the perfect opener too.

There were a few wee niggles however, a few matches over-ran and lost their appeal, plus I personally would have put the Rhodes/Big E Vs Shield match as a post-interval match rather than a pre one. One shame was that even though they mentioned him by name (and his family were there) NI wrestling legend Finlay was not there to make a surprise appearance.

All in all this live WWE show ticked all the boxes and yes there were some empty seats, but that is happening everywhere. The talent shone through and that is what counts.

Roll on the next live show in early 2014.

www.wwe.com

By Phil Allely

New Christy Hemme Pics

a few new pics of TNA's Christy Hemme...

WWE DVD News: Hell In A Cell 2013 -dvd contents update

WWEDVD.co.uk is pleased to reveal that the exclusive DVD and Blu-ray extra content forHell in a Cell 2013. The DVD (and Blu-ray) will contain the Hell in a Cell Kickoff Show Match between Kofi Kingston and Damien Sandow, whilst the Blu-ray will include key highlights from RAW and SmackDown from the week preceeding the event. Check out the full list of extras below.

Hell in a Cell 2013 is available to pre-order now featuring the return of John Cenaas he takes on Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship in his first WWE match since his injury at SummerSlam! Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton collide again as they battle over the WWE Championship in the Cell, with his mentor, Shawn Michaels, acting as special guest referee can Daniel Bryan reclaim the WWE title? CM Punk takes on Ryback and his former best friend Paul Heyman in the Cell, can Punk finally give Heyman his just deserts?

DVD Extras

Hell in a Cell Kickoff Show Match

Kofi Kingston vs. Damien Sandow

CM Punk Reflects on Hell in a Cell

Exclusive 1st Interview with John Cena since Returning From Injury

Blu Ray Exclusives

Monday Night RAW 14^th October 2013  

Shawn Michaels Promises a New WWE Champion at Hell in a Cell

No Disqualification Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship

Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & Goldust

SmackDown 18^th October 2013 

CM Punk vs. Big E. Langston

Monday Night Raw 21^st October 2013    

Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton Contract Signing

SmackDown 25^th October 2013 

Michael Cole Interviews Triple H