DVD Review: The Best of Raw and Smackdown 2012

The WWE produce so many of hours of TV each year that we fans cannot possibly tape or own them all. So the company very kindly produce DVD sets like this one. Here they pull together some of the best moments of the raw and Smackdown shows throughout the past year and offer them up in one nicely presented package.

This year we get to see the action unfold throughout 2012 and as all of us know this was a period in WWE's history that embraced not only the company's newest stars, but those of times gone by.

Across these three discs we get to see some superb matches and moments from 2012.

So what can you expect to see here? Well first up there are some superb verbal encounters between The Rock and John Cena. Rock and his guitar sing-along are worth the price of this release alone. You will also see Brock Lesnar make his return to the company.  There are also some nice touches as D-generation X re-form (for one night only) and some old school names turn up as well. I for one enjoyed seeing Vader back on WWE TV again. The build up to some of the biggest and most highly anticipated feuds of modern time are included here too. All of which make this a must-have purchase for fans across the board.

The Best of Raw & Smackdown 2012 is a nice look at the goings on within the company over the past 52 weeks. The best and most interesting matches and feuds are highlighted well. The quality of the bouts does range from decent to excellent and each does progress a storyline in some way. Nothing here is throwaway at all. 

One other bonus here is that the majority of the events featured here will be unique to this release and less likely to be repeated elsewhere. Which makes them all the more desirable for fans.

Whilst the matches are well chosen, it is nice to see the WWE have handpicked some choice moments from these shows too. I'll not ruin them, but any fans viewing will savour some of the events that book end the bouts here. 

Blu-ray buyer will be privy to six bonus matches and a host of back stage interviews and footage.

The Best of Raw & Smackdown 2012 is available now on DVD and Blu-ray from FreemantleMedia, via all good retailers.

RRP £24.99 (DVD), £34.99 (Blu-ray)

WWW.wwedvd.co.uk

www.wwe.com

By Phil Allely

WWE DVD Review: Rock Versus Cena - Once in a Lifetime

WWE DVD Review: Rock Vs Cena – Once in a Lifetime. Over three discs this special WWE DVD box set gives us the viewer an inside peak at the hype that surrounded the year long build up to the eventual match-up between The Rock and John Cena. Starting with the in-ring banter and bickering that hyped up a possible feud we get to see both men in fine form on the microphone. The Rock proves very quickly that his Hollywood hiatus hasn't slowed him down, he is still a master of the mic and one of the all time greats in the world of the WWE. As the story unfolds we get to see Rocky return to a WWE ring, his encounters with Cena and challenges get issued. It may seem a bit extreme to have three discs housing all of these events, but in all honesty it takes it to cover each of the year long series of events, that the WWE compiled to make the inevitable one-on-one scrap the one not to miss at WrestleMania. On the match front we get a few key ones and they are quite rightly the best examples of how the back story to this gathered pace. The John Cena and Mizz match-up has a few nice surprises (which we will not spoil), the Survivor Series teaming of Rock/Cena against Miz/R-Truth is a well-paced affair that not only highlights Cena's love-hate relationship with the WWE faithful, but how well he and Rock gel together. This match really did its job and made us all long for the WrestleMania match between the two. That match of course is featured here and rounds off the set nicely. Rock Vs Cena – Once in a Lifetime is the perfect example of just how good the WWE can be. They took a potential one-off match between a former superstar and current one, they hyped it up, built it well and finally pulled the trigger at just the right point. The wrestling world has a reputation for pulling the plug on such lengthy storylines and never explaining them or reducing them to a farce by over complicating them. This is the exception to the rule and one that every fan should indeed own if they can. Www.silvervision.co.uk RRP £29.99 By Phil Allely