WWE DVD Review: ECW - Unreleased Volume 2

In its heyday US wrestling promotion ECW was one of the hottest products on the market and it gave grapple fans something different to what the 'big two' company's were offering. That something was violence, enthusiasm and energy. These were things the company had loads of.

Paul Heyman (who is now back in the WWE) was the main man behind ECW and whilst the company did fold, due to money issues he created a very special thing here.

It is nice to see the WWE utilising the back catalogue of ECW footage (ECW was bought over by WWE) and letting the many fans of the promotion gain access to some of its older footage.

Here in one very nicely compiled DVD/Blu-ray package we have a wonderful snapshot of some of ECW's finest match-ups. The great thing here as well is that we have not seen these matches before and that makes this release all the more special.

ECW had a unique aura around it and this is captured perfectly here. The arena's were small, yet filled with energy and that transferred to each and every wrestler's performance.

From a match point of view we are presented with some superb lost battles involving Sabu, Mick Foley, Tommy Dreamer, Sandman and many more ECW names. There are also some surprises for even the most die hard fan, these feature such well known talent as The Steiner Brothers, hardcore legend Terry Funk and WCW stars Arn Anderson and 'Beautiful' Bobby Eaton. There are also some imported Japanese stars and much more thrown into the mix as well.

ECW - Unreleased Volume 2 is an above average DVD set and one that certainly adds to the legacy of Heyman's company. The match quality is amazing and the violence levels are through the roof. If you like to see bloodshed, people being hit by weapons (of all shapes and sizes) and enjoy seeing wrestling as it used to be before the PG ratings took over, then this is the package for you.

The image of Terry Funk and Mick Foley amid a ring full of metal chairs (thrown by the fans) is a sight to behold.

ECW - Unreleased Volume 2 is available now from www.wwedvd.co.uk and all good retailers
DVD RRP £24.99/Blu-ray £29.99
Blu-ray extras include a number of additional matches.
wwe.com
By Phil Allely

WWE Live Show Review - Elimination Chamber 2013

WWE Live Show Review: Elimination Chamber 2013

The Elimination Chamber may be one of the WWE's more recent gimmicks, but it has also become one of the company's most popular and inventive. The (now) annual Elimination Chamber is always an interesting event and one that helps build up the hype for WWE PPV highlight WrestleMania.

This year was no different, alongside the highly anticipated EC bout we had a few Title re-matches and some pretty decent encounters too.

The pre-show match (which may well become a DVD extra) saw the reunited Team Rhodes Scholars tackle the oddball combo of Tensai and Brodus Clay. Whilst Rhodes/Sandow did exactly what we expect of them it was Tensai/Clay who impressed in this one. The short bout ended with a surprise win for the big man duo. The future of the tag team division may well be Clay/Tensai and you know what it may just work.

The event properly kicked off with the World Heavyweight Title match between Champion Alberto Del Rio and Big Show. Show was on fine form here and really worked hard to put ADR over as a worthy title holder. Del Rio pulled off the win with a very decent looking arm-breaker submission.

The big shock was that we never saw Dolph Ziggler make a Money in the Bank cash-in (which many of us speculated).

Antonio Cesaro's United States Championship was on the line next and his opponent The Miz really did try to make this a watchable affair. The DQ finish did nothing to elevate either grappler and proved to be a flat way to end the scrap. Odds are we will be seeing a rematch sometime soon.

The EC match to determine the #1 contender to the World Heavyweight Championship was then upon us. The combatants were all former world title holders and they all had their work boots on. Daniel Bryan and Chris Jericho kicked things off in style and for the rest of the match the pace was perfect. Early on in the match there were some nice spots and they grew along the way, each elimination worked perfectly with the storyline and told a wonderful tale. To be honest, even after all these years of wrestling writing this was a match that really did hold my attention throughout. The 30 plus minute match saw some surprise eliminations and career shortening moves. The finish was even more of a shock, as the newly re-packaged Jack Swagger pulled off his biggest win in recent times.

Swagger has of course been associated with Zeb Colter (Dutch Mantel) as of late and perhaps this character change may be the big break he needs. A World Heavyweight Title match may be the prefect way to take him to the next level and beyond.

As six man matches go the following one was superb. The early all-out brawl between the combatants worked well and let us see the potential of this match-up. The 'Let's Go Cena/Cena Sucks' chants were abundant as usual and helped elevate The Shield's profile over that of their opponents Cena, Sheamus and Ryback.

This was yet another good example of in-ring storytelling and also helped build up the newer members of the roster too. The Shield not only pulled off the win (in a superbly times finish), but now see themselves as genuine stars in the company.

Ziggler turned up next and had an impromptu match with Kofi Kingston. This was short and somewhat sweet. This felt like a forced encounter and one that the PPV didn't really require. Ziggler's cohorts AJ Lee and Big E Langston had a hand in the finish too. Langston even went as far as to assault Kingston post-match as well.

Kaitlyn defended her Divas Title against Tamina Snuka in a short and un-emotive match next. The moves were basic and the action limited. It is a shame to see the once exciting Divas division fall so low. Kaitlyn retained her belt here and we do hope the WWE get some of their developmental talent (like the UK's Paige) trained up and moved up to the main roster asap.

The main event saw new WWE Champion The Rock face former champ CM Punk (with Paul Heyman). The stipulation was that if Rock was counted out or disqualified he lost his gold. Paul Heyman was key here, his role is pivotal in many of Punk's matches and even more so here. The action took place both in and out of the ring and even saw the announcers tables utilised (which always proves to be fun). Considering his lack of ring time and movie career Rock showed no signs of ring-rust and worked well with Punk. A ref bump and Heyman's botched interference led to Rock retaining his belt.

As EC went off the air a graphic show the much anticipated Cena/Rock re-match will happen at Mania and now we all hope that Undertaker is fit enough to meet CM Punk on that show too.

Elimination Chamber was a very good PPV for the WWE and one that offered up some nice finishes and story line developments. We also now have one half of the Mania main event. Who knows what the WWE have lined up for us between now and WrestleMania weekend.

By Phil Allely

Royal Rumble 2013 - Live Review

WWE Live Review: Royal Rumble 2013

The Royal Rumble serves many purposes in the world of the WWE. The very nature of the event itself see's it stand out from the rest of the company's PPV output. This is after all a show that features a (usually) exciting over-the-top-rope battle royal style match-up. This scrap see's 30 wrestlers (inc. some surprises) battle it out and win a World Title shot at that year's WrestleMania. The Rumble is also not only the first WWE PPV of the year, but it is also what we fans like to call 'the first step on the road to Mania'. 

The Royal Rumble is normally the place where the first seeds are sown as to what we may look forward to at the WWE's biggest show of the year WrestleMania. Last year of course we all knew that we were to expect a Rock/John Cena bout at that very event. However this year we were still in some doubt as to what may unfold at the Rumble and what effect it may have in relation to Mania.

First of all there were hints at a Rock/Cena re-match and of course we all want to know if Undertaker will make his annual appearance to defend his WrestleMania winning streak.The good news is that one of these questions was (pretty much) answered at the 2013 Royal Rumble.

Royal Rumble 2013 was kind of overshadowed by the main event encounter between (Hollywood action star) The Rock and the WWE's best bad guy CM Punk. 

But the rest of the card was well worth a look too. The dark match (ie for live fans and DVD viewers only) saw United States Champion Antonio Cesaro battle The Miz. Your reviewer may not be a fan of Cesaro, but for what it is worth he did fare well here and his win over former world  champion The Miz bodes very well for his character. Miz's face turn seems to be coming along well too.

World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio then kicked things off proper by beating The Big Show in a 'Last Man Standing' encounter. Show and Del Rio worked well together here, using the available weapons to the best of their ability and also pulling off a few nice stiff moves. Show's chokeslam through a table looked great and the finish was well worked. Del Rio retaining over his much larger foe shows the WWE's faith in him and his tenure as champ.

Team Hell No (WWE Tag Team Champs) then successfully defended their belts against the formidable and fun combo of The Rhodes Scholars. Am I the only one amazed that Cody Rhodes moustache can at times receive more attention than him? The match here unfortunately wasn't much to talk about. We have all seen this before and we also get the idea that the WWE will keep the gold with Kane/Danielson until they feel they have lost their charm. 

The Royal Rumble itself had its moments and whilst much of the 30 man match was predictable. There were some nice touches and some pleasant surprises too. First up were surprise entrants Chris Jericho (a man who we have interview here and reviewed his rock band Fozzy too), Goldust and The Godfather. Jericho entered the match at number 2 and he lasted almost 50 minutes. Goldust had a memorable few moments and his exchanges with his brother Cody may lead to a match down the line. Godfather did his usual nostalgic thing and it went down a storm too. There were also a few returns by formerly injured stars , Rey Mysterio, Santino Marella and Sin Cara all received a nice pop when they made their entrance. The final four saw Ryback dispatch Randy Orton and Sheamus with ease, he then as we feared fell to John Cena to see Cena move one step closer to a rematch with The Rock.

Speaking of that result. The Rock did indeed best WWE Champion CM Punk in the main event of the show. Punk's recent knee injury did not seem to slow him down here and even though he lost his beloved title, he did leave the match without too much tarnish to his name. With only a few mistimed moves, this was a fine outing for both men (considering Rock's long in-ring lay-off and Punk's injury). 

Royal Rumble ended with us now knowing that Cena could very well (or may have by the time you read this) decide to challenge Rock for the title at Mania. Hopefully Rock/Punk will get a re-match at Elimination Chamber to address the few faults we saw at the rumble and maybe now we almost have one half of the main event, we will see Punk challenge Undertaker to a match.

Royal Rumble 2013 was very good in parts and the Ruble itself had some extremely fine points and moments. The build up to WrestleMania is now in full swing and I cannot wait to see what else we get along the way. We also have the Hall Of Fame coming up too, so far Mick Foley and Bruno Samartino have been given the nod and of course many more will follow.

www.wwe.com

By Phil Allely

WWE PPV Review: Summerslam 2012

WWE PPV Review: Summerslam 2012 WWE's annual summer extravaganza remains one of the company's top pay-per-views of the year. Like The Royal Rumble and WrestleMania Summerslam is one event where we the fans know the matches will be lined up to please all. This year the main talking point was the encounter between Triple H and the as yet not as exciting as he should be Brock Lesnar. So did the card deliver? Here is Phil Allely's review of the show. WWE United States Title Match: Antonio Cesaro vs. Santino Marella This fun opener saw crowd favourite Santino tyr to unleash his 'corba' finihser early and Ceraso attempt to put him away with a few decent moves. The finish came as Askana interfered on Cesaro's behalf and Marella fell to a front piledriver. The US Title found a new home with Antoni, as a stunned live crowd watched on. Dolph Ziggler vs. Chris Jericho Opening things up proper (The US title scrap was a dark match) Dolph Ziggler attempted to regain some lost momentum, by battling veteran grappler Chris Jericho. With the smart fans knowing that Jericho is set for a short sabatical (to tour with his band Fozzy) this seemed to be Ziggler's night. However even with an injured Jericho and assistance form Vickie Guerrero, it was not meant to be. Ziggler proved to be a worthy opponent, but the wiley Jericho was still able to hold him off and lock in a 'Walls of Jericho' to gain a submission win. Kane vs. Daniel Bryan The once almost indestructible 'big red machine' Kane has lost much of his monster appeal in recent years. Although he is still a formidable foe, when matched with a decent in-ring partner. This bout with Daniel Bryan was one such match where everything worked well and Kane was able to strut his stuff. The men both traded near falls, teased finishers and much more in this by the numbers brawl. Bryan was fortunate to be able to counter a 'Tombstone Piledriver' and roll up Kane for the popular win. Kane went ballistic post-match. WWE Intercontinental Title Match: Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz Seemingly inspired by Batman Rey Mysterio gave The Miz a run for his money in this fast-paced encounter. The pairing worked well together and had some nice back-and-forth action going on in this one. Miz pulled off the surprise win to retain his belt, following a 'Skull Crunching Finale'. World Heavyweight Title Match: Alberto Del Rio vs. Sheamus Irishman Sheamus has been working hard to build himself up as a convincing champion. This scrap with Alberto Del Rio hd its moment, but also showed that Sheamus still needs some work to be a believable world title holder. The action was reasonably crisp, Ricardo tried to interfere as per usual and the champion retained. The end saw Ricardo's shoe used on Del Rio and Sheamus nail an 'Irish Curse' to keep his gold. ADR's foot was on the bottom rope, so did taint the win somewhat. WWE Tag Team Title Match: Titus O'Neil and Darren Young vs. Kofi Kingston and R-Truth We have written here before that the WWE are in dire need of new tag teams. This next match proves that point exactly. Champs Kofi Kingston and R Truth are a very good duo and as such deserve some above par opponents. O'Neill and Young are not too shabby, but there are better teams out there and the WWE need to get them on board if the division is to continue. The champions won with ease and will continue to do so until an equally talented pairing sign up to the WWE. WWE Title Match: Big Show vs. John Cena vs. Big Show As WWE Champion CM Punk has been a revelation. This is a man who for many years was buried by the WWE and was forced to tread water until he proved himself. His in-ring speech last year was the point where Punk's character took off and also the event that made Vince McMahon take notice of Phil Brooks. Now with the belt firmly in his grasp Punk is the man at present in the company and as such he needs to be fed the best quality competitors possible to maintain that momentum. Here he had the combo of Big Show and John Cena to face. Cena and Show are both former champions and have headlined many PPV's over the years. As a triple threat style encounter this was a superb one. This match raised expectations perfectly, the combatants worked very well indeed, even Cena pulled out all the stops to make Punk look good. Show may be nearing the end of his in-ring career, but he can still work a bout that allows him short breaks and breathing space. Punk kept his gold after knocking Cena out of the ring and covering Show. Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar The main event was perhaps the most highly anticipated match of the night. Brock Lesnar has yet to prove himself to be the monster he has been billed as and with Triple H as his opponent this was his chance to reclaim his throne. With Paul (ECW) Heyman in tow Lesnar makes for a formidable guy, his appearance and demeanour are truly scary. The match itself was a brutal affair, Triple H giving as good as he got throughout. The action went both in and out of the ring frequently and Lesnar finally looked as frighteningly powerful as he should do here. The match finished with a nice sequence where Lesnar applied his submission finisher and Triple H finally had to succumb to the pain. The show went off the air with a beaten Triple H barely making it out of the ring, lesnar celebrating and many in attendance believing that Triple H was not only the receiver of a broken arm, but on the cusp of making a retirement announcement. Summerslam was a show that looked good on paper, the matches were reasonable, but nothing special. The world title matches and Triple H/Lesnar bouts made this worth viewing and saved the PPV. This like other recent WWE live shows has proved that the company need to recruit some young (potential main event blood asap. Www.wwe.com By Phil Allely

Brock Lesnar Book Launched

Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival by Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, easily one of the most anticipated wrestling-related books of the years, has been officially released today. The book is being positioned as the one time Brock is letting the reader behind the curtain and into his life for the first and only time. Lesnar covers his amateur wrestling career, his WWE run (noting that he signed because he was offered more money than he had ever seen before), the run, his decision to leave, breaking into MMA, his health and more.

Paul Heyman comment on CM Punk

Paul Heyman is making headlines today with some controversial remarks about how WWE is handling the career of Nexus leader CM Punk.




Amid reports that CM Punk is unhappy behind the scenes and is considering leaving WWE when his contract expires later this year, Paul Heyman wrote on Twitter (@heymanhustle):



“I’m sure he will get heat for me saying this, but @CMPunk is STILL the most underutilized talent on the WWE roster. And my apologies to @CMPunk for the heat he’ll get, but come on already. Punk is the best heel in the biz today! WAKE THE F**K UP! It’s amazing to me (and not in a good way) that WWE doesn’t see how @CMPunk has brought out the best in every opponent.”



CM Punk caught wind of Paul Heyman’s rant and responded with:



“oh you know me, if I don’t have heat I’m doing something wrong. Keeps me warm.”



WWE Hall of Fame Steve Austin, who has exchanged words with Punk over Twitter in recent weeks, quoted Paul Heyman’s tweet and added, “Agreed.”