DVD Review: WWE Battle Ground 2013

DVD Review: WWE Battleground 2013

In recent years the WWE have taken to creating new Pay-Per-View events and expanding their reach as it where. We are all used to the brands main events, but sometimes it is good to see them offer up something else to us.

Battleground 2013 is an event that saw the company present us with a 'hardcore rules' match, a tag team scrap that involved three generations of a family and a world title encounter that had been many months in the making. There were also many other storyline spots and concepts along the way too.

Yes there were some big stories here at Battleground, but the one that that appealed to your reviewer was the one revolving around the Rhodes family. I have seen Dustin (Goldust) on a few occasions over the years and was always amazed by his in-ring ability. I even fondly remember seeing him at a WCW show in Belfast in the early 1990s and he had a wonderful match with Barry Windham that blew me away. Both men never entered the ring and Rhodes bled heavilly, it was amazing to see live from ringside.

In the last few years Dustin's younger brother Cody had made his mark in the WWE and he has fared well. But when the WWE decided to make a storyline about the Rhodes family it only made sense to involve Dustin/Goldust and their dad Dusty. Dusty is of course a NWA/WCW/WWE legend and one of the men who trains the up and coming WWE stars in the developmental side of the WWE.

I did digress a bit there, but what we have here on this show is a tag team match between The Shield and the combo of Cody and Goldust. With Dusty and Dean Ambrose ate ringside, this leads to a few fun spots I promise and a bionic elbow you simply have to see.

Let's just say this match is an 'American Dream' to see. Elsewhere we get to see Santino and The Great Khali tackle The Real Americans. This is well worth a view for the amazing sight of Cesaro doing the 'Cesaro swing' on the huge frame of Khali.

We are also given a Hardcore Rules match between Rob Van Dam and Allberto Del Rio, an I.C. Bout between Curtis Axel and R-Truth and a Divas cat fight with AJ Lee and Brie Bella.

The Kofi Kingston and Bray Wyatt match did its job well we must add, whilst CM Punk and Ryback went to exactly where it should have too.

The main event featuring Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton (for the vacant WWE Championship) was a joy to behold as well. The finish and twists and turns we dare not say.

WWE Battleground 2013 is a great addition to the WWE PPV calendar and it is well worth a viewing,

Extras wise we have matches, interviews and more.

RRP £17.99 (DVD), £19.99 (Blu-ray)

WWE Battleground is available now from www.wwedvd.co.uk and all good retailers.

Www.wwe.com

By Phil Allely

DVD Review: nwo The Revolution

DVD Review: n.W.o The Revolution

In 1996 the world of professional wrestling took a turn for the better. As the industry waned slightly and the main two companies (WCW and WWE) struggled to sell out arenas somebody needed to do something to break the status quo.

The moment that changed it all was when former WWE main eventer's Scott Hall and Kevin Nash decided to leave the organisation for some big money deals with their rivals WCW.

WCW was then under the leadership of Eric Bischoff (currently one of the key men behind TNA). Bischoff had gained power recently and whilst the product had grown steadily and even procured the talents of former WWE figurehead Hulk Hogan, he still felt something was needed to go to the next level.

Cue Hall (and subsequently Nash) appearing on WCW live TV. Both cutting some killer promos that seemed to allude to the fact that the pair were invading the company on behalf of the WWE (which they were not). The storyline gained momentum quick and saw Nash and Hall become two of the hottest commodities in wrestling ever.

The next big turning point was when during a six man tag match at Bash at the Beach Hall and Nash took on the trio of Lex Luger, Sting and Randy Savage (three men they had been intimidating for weeks). The punchline here was the lack of the much-hyped third partner for the Outsiders (as Hall and Nash were now known). This was the key moment in n.W.o history, as perennial good guy Hulk Hogan came to ringside, we all thought he was there to help Sting and Co. but he did the unthinkable and aligned himself with the Outsiders to pummel the WCW boys.

Hogan's heel turn was a landmark event. No one saw it coming and this DVD uses that as its main factor in the success of the n.W.o.

There have been other DVDs focusing on the New World Order, but this is the definitive version. Here we are presented with a nice history of the concept and wonderful array of talking heads, who were there at the time. The only major face missing is The Hulkster (whose TNA contract restricts his inclusion), but he does feature in events heavily. It is nice to see some people like Mike Rotunda, Lex Luger, Arn Anderson, Dusty Rhodes, Billy Kidman and many others all give their two cents in relation to what made the story line work and inevitably implode.

The documentary here covers everything from the n.W.o's introduction to their demise. When it was at its peak the faction saw a weekly introduction of new members (mostly on huge cash deals) and the group ran amok in the company. The problem was the group got too big for its boots and expanded too far. As WCW ran into financial problems and closed its doors the WWE decided to rejuvenate the n.W.o for one more run and re-introduced Hulk, Hall and Nash to the WWE audience. It was however a short-lived thing and never really caught off the way it had before.

n.W.o. The Revolution is a three disc (two on Blu-ray) set that not only features the stoy of the faction, but some of the best matches (both WCW and WWE) that it had to offer. There are also some nice extras which include such things as the Hall and Nash intros and much more.

On the match front we have bouts featuring Rowdy Roddy Piper, Dennis Rodman, The Steiner Brothers, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Jay Leno and Sting, all of them battling some member of one of the New World Orders roster.

Fans of the late 1990s wrestling industry will lap this up. Newer fans will enjoy seeing just what leaps and bounds were made during this era in the sport and how guys like Hall, Nash and Hogan have became so powerful in the business.

n.W.o. The Revolution is available now on DVD and Blu-ray.

Check out ww.silvervision.co.uk for this and more WWE releases.

RRP £29.99 (DVD), £34.99 (Blu-ray)

By Phil Allely

WWE Hall of Fame 2011 - Pics