WWE DVD Review: Survivor Series 2012

WWE DVD Review: Survivor Series 2012

CM Punk tries to survive the combined might of John Cena and Ryback in the main event of the WWE's newest DVD release of 2013. Here is what I thougt about that main event and the rest of the card.

The WWE may now be the only major wrestling company to run monthly Pay-Per-Views (as TNA have perhaps wisely opted to reduce their output to four a year, with 3 hour special events filling the gaps), but not too long ago Vince McMahon and Co. did just the same. Back then (in the good old days if you will) the company produced four big PPV events. One of which was November's hugely popular Survivor Series.

Heavy Metal music has its 'big 4' of course and wrestling does too, Survivor Series was joined by Royal Rumble, WrestleMania and Summerslam in winning the WWE new fans and it is still doing so today.

2012 sees the format changed slightly however, The traditional style five-man team encounters that featured heavily for many years have been pushed back to one or two per PPV and perhaps that is indeed a good thing. Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing and the WWE have realised that here. One well told SS match can far outweigh numerous sub par efforts after all.

Anyway I digress from the matter at hand here, what exactly does this DVD release have to offer wrestling fans old and new?

Well first up the (already mentioned) main event sees CM Punk defend his WWE Championship gold in a triple threat match alongside not only John Cena, but the monster of a man who (many feel) he robbed of the belt.

What you have to remember here is that this is Punk at his most cunning and crafty. This was a man defending not only his championship, but also his year long title run too.

Elsewhere we get a lively traditional style 'Survivor Series' match-up. This featured Team Ziggler (Dolph Ziggler, Damien Sandow, David Otunga, Alberto Del Rio and Wade Barrett) versus Team Foley (Team Hell No, Randy Orton, Kofi Kingston and The Miz). This is a great example of how a booker can bring ten different athletes into the ring and offer each their chance to shine. It is also good to see Mick Foley back in the company.

We also get to see Irishman Sheamus attempt to wrestle the World Heavyweight back from his successor Big Show. Show seems to be in synch with The Celtic Warrior here and that makes for exciting viewing.

The Divas get a look in as champion Eve tackles challenger Kaitlyn. Many knock the division, but these ladies are indeed talented and make the most of their short ring time on PPV.

R-Truth challenges Antonio Cesaro for the United States belt in a decent scrap.

And the company's high-flyers get a chance to shine too. With Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio teaming up to battle The Prime Time Players. Cara may have failed in some ways as a solo performer in the WWE, but he is now more than suitable as a partner to Mysterio. They do indeed compliment each other in the ring nicely.

Survivor Series 2012 was a card that featured many more hits than misses match quality wise and it was also pivotal in many ways in relation to storyline progression as well.

The PPV is available now on DVD and Blu-ray.

RRP £17.99 (DVD), £19.99 (Blu-ray)

Extras: (DVD)CM Punk and Paul Heyman Share their thoughts at the event. (Blu-ray) Raw highlights Nov 12 2012, Smackdown highlights Nov 26 2012, Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero accuse AJ Lee, Ryback Vs Brad Maddox, Kane & The Miz Vs Team Rhodes Scholars, CM Punk Vs John Cena, Miz TV with Team Foley and Randy Orton teams with The Miz to face Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio.

Www.wwedvd.co.uk

www.wwe.com

By Phil Allely

WWE DVD Comp

WWE Home Video UK are pleased to announce an exclusive signed sleeve competition. This time there are 40 Survivor Series 2012 sleeves (20 x DVD & 20 x Blu-ray) signed by the one and only RYBACK up for grabs. All you need to do is pre-order WWE Survivor Series 2012 from the website at http://www.wwedvd.co.uk/survivor-series-2012-p-11730.html and you'll automatically be entered. (Those who've already pre-ordered have been automatically entered.)

All pre-orders must be made before Monday 11th March in order to be entered.

Good luck to everyone who enters and please feel free to pass on this information!

WWE DVD Review: Survivor Series 2011

WWE DVD Review: Survivor Series 2011


Survivor Series is one of the WWE’s longest running and iconic PPV events of the year. It is also one that had almost outstayed its welcome a short time ago, fortunately the WWE decided to retain its use and we can still enjoy the annual November event that is Survivor Series. Unfortunately the team-based match-ups which formed a big part of these events have slowly been removed from the card as the years unfold.

Whereas previous years have offered forth a few traditional style Survivor Series matches alongside the rest of the card the 2011 effort had just one such match-up. That’s not to say that this is a poor effort by the WWE, on the other hand the matches here were pretty damn good.

Highlights include the in-ring return of former WWE superstar (and recent multi-million selling movie star) The Rock teaming with his WrestleMania opponent John Cena against the pairing of R-Truth and The Miz, you can also witness CM Punk versus Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship. Henry and the Big Show battle it out over the World Heavyweight Championship. Dolph Ziggler tackle high flyer John Morrison and a decent (yet short) diva’s scrap between Eve Torres and Beth Phoenix. There is also of course the sole Survivor Series style encounter featuring Randy Orton, Sheamus, Mason Ryan, Sin Cara and Kofi Kingston versus Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Jack swagger, Hunico and Dolph Ziggler.

Survivor Series 2011 ticked a few boxes along the way with its well-paced old school match-up, the divas encounter was fair, the rest of the under card entertained too. Of course we all want to see more of the original SS style encounters, but things do move on and this wasn’t too bad an effort at all. The Rock/Cena teaming worked well. Rock especially faring good in a match where ring rust would surely have been noticeable. Here’s hoping their WrestleMania encounter lives up to its hype too.

Survivor Series 2011 is available now at all good retailers.

www.silvervision.co.uk

PPV Review - Survivor Series 2011

Survivor Series 2011 PPV Review


By Phil Allely

This year’s Survivor Series was built up on the fact that not only would The Rock be returning to the ring, but he would also be teaming up with the man he will face at next year’s Wrestlemania John Cena.

Things opened up reasonably well with John Morrison tackling United States Champion Dolph Ziggler in a high spirited encounter. Ziggler retained, getting a beat down by the ever popular Zack Ryder for his trouble.

Next up the Divas roster got a payday as they manned the ringside area in the Lumberjill match between champ Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres. With a few pieces of outside interference form the Lumberjills this was a nice match –up, Phoenix nailed a top rope Glam Slam to retain her gold.

The ever popular Rock took to the mic and whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Hyping up his match and his hatred for John Cena.

In the only traditional Survivor Series match of the night Team Barrett (Wade Barrett, Junico, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes) faced Team Orton (Randy Orton, Sheamus, Sin Cara, Kofi Kingston, Mason Ryan). Starting off as a two team brawl this developed nicely into an old school Survivor Series scrap. The teams traded the advantage with eliminations and we even saw a swift change in direction s Cara went down to a legitimate injury (his partners and opponents quickly working around this situation to maintain momentum). The finish proved enjoyable as Orton fell to Barrett’s Wasteland move to allow Rhodes and Barrett the well-deserved win.

After the impact of their previous PPV scrap (where the ring collapsed) the World Heavyweight Title rematch between Big Show and Mark Henry failed to live up to its previous heights. This was unfortunately a more plodding affair and as such the crowd were not in the zone for much of it. Show did make one high impact elbow move off the ropes and he did elicit a Randy Savage chant by doing so. The end came when Henry struck Show below the belt to gain a DQ finish and keep his belt.

CM Punk saw his star rise once again in his WWE Title battle with champ Alberto Del Rio. Punk and Del Rio work very well together and this match showcased that fully. The pair traded near falls trademark moves and high spots before Punk locked in an Anaconda Vice to grab himself the prestigious title.

Rock/Cena versus R-Truth/Miz had its moment. Rock was a man on fire (rolling back the years with ease), with no obvious signs of ring rust he stole the show. Truth and Miz worked hard in their roles, but this was Rock moment and he ran with it. Cena played his part too, working the match in his usual style, but maintaining a level of disregard for Rock and keeping their Mania prospects high in peoples minds. It was Rock who rounded things off here, hitting a perfectly times ‘Peoples Elbow’ on Miz to win.

Survivor Series was a reasonable effort, it would be nice to see more of the traditional SS matches (which offered up some unique teams/combos). CM Punk snared himself the gold once again and will now be the man to beat. Henry/Show looks like it will continue for now. The Cena/Rock story is still a work in progress and has many months left until we see it reach its conclusion. The WWE still need to build new stars and refresh its title scene however.

WWE Survivor Series 2010 DVD Review

WWE Survivor Series 2010 DVD Review




By Phil Allely



The annual WWE Pay-Per-View Survivor Series is a thanksgiving tradition in th US, the event itself usually consisting of many Survivor matches (where teams of five fought for survival). The matches were often between people who rarely if ever met in the ring and saw some great combinations of unlikely team mates, creating excitement and a very different format than every other event offered by the company during the year. The 2010 effort saw only one such match feature and whilst not on a par with previous years the card was decent and continued some of the years greatest storyline threads with ease. Not bad when you consider the fact that the WWE itself had announced last year that the event would cease to exist after 2009.



The Nexus/John Cena alliance factored highly in proceedings and Cena’s WWE carer lay on the line in the main event, swhilst many of the company’s big hitters (Undertaker, HHH, CM Punk) were out with injuries the rising faction saw itself pushed to the hilt to fill the void.



The opening match saw United States champion Daniel Bryan tackle third generation star Ted DiBiase. Bryan locking on his LaBell lock for the relatively easy win, to retain his gold. Post-match The Miz and Alex Riley attacked Bryan.



Celtic Warrior Sheamus fell to John Morrison next, the Irishman and the high flyer worked very well together, each getting the chance to shine and tease their finishers. A nice looking running knee by Morrison after some back and forth action ended this one perfectly.



Dolph Ziggler and Kaval had a blast in the following Intercontinental match-up. Both seemed to be on fine form and blended well in the ring. Kaval was impressive in his style and Ziggler stepped up to the plate to meet him. A Ziggler tights assisted roll-up saw him retain his belt however.



The Team Del Rio versus Team Mysterio Survivors Series Elimination bout had some terrific in-ring action. The eliminations came thick and fast and number advantages swapped place regularly before the inevitable two-on-one situation loomed its head. The oddity here being it was the face team of Rey Mysterio and Big Show who had the advantage of heel Drew McIntyre. A 619/choke slam combo saw the Scot fall and the little and large duo stand tall as survivors for their team and match winners.



Hart Dynasty member Natalya took on the WWE Divas Championship co-holders LayCool (Michelle McCool/Layla) next in a handicap match for the title. No matter what the devious LayCool threw at her Natalya’s skill and determination saw it fail. The talented young lady was more than fit for them and won the title to boot, following a few heated exchanges and a good looking Sharpshooter submission hold.



Kane’s World Heavyweight Title defence against Edge was a well paced and heated encounter that showed both at their best. The only problem here was the end, as both men attempted their finishers, Edge seemingly pinned Kane to win the gold, however the ref then overturned his decision and stated that both men had their shoulders down for the three-count and the result was a tie. Kane retained his belt for another while, whilst Edge got some form of revenge by battering him after the match.



The Tag Team Title match was a no-brainer really, not many thought that the team of Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov could wrestle the straps from the Nexus duo of Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater. Marella and Kozlov had some nice moment in the ring, but this really was all about Nexus and the factions members (minus Cena) did prove to aid the decision, distracting Marella for a Slater pin to keep their prized belts.



The long-awaited main event came next, with Nexus banned from ringside it was up to special referee John Cena to hold order in this one, he also had the stipulation that if Wade Barrett failed to win the title hewould be fired for the WWE.



Barrett did hold his own well against the more street smart and savvy WWE Champion Randy Orton. The stipulations and Cena’s presence did help maintain crowd interest throughout. A few near falls occurred and both combatants hit their respective finishers. It was Cena who would seal his own fate though. Barrett was too busy arguing and shoving Cena that he lost track of Orton and walked into the match winning RKO.



A shocked Orton watched on as Cena acknowledged his fans and walked away from the ring, perhaps forever.



Survivor Series had a good blend of matches and exciting storyline developments throughout the card. The Survivor Series match was nice to see, Natalya winning the Diva gold and Beth Phoenix return will boost that division and Kane’s win will keep his Edge battles ongoing until some more guys come off the inured list. The big story was of course the (storyline) firing of John Cena, his feud with Nexus has yet to meet its natural conclusion and he is mentioned on future event blurb, so we must assume the WWE has some interesting twists and turns to offer up as this one moves on.



The events of the following evenings Raw were special too, as The Miz did the (dis)honourable thing and cashed in his Money in The Bank case to win his first World Title. So in the space of a few days the WWE clawed back some very valuable fan interest with some solid events. The return of some top names soon and the eventual reveal of who the mysterious Raw General manager is may well be the icing on the cake for them.



This DVD release features not only the Survivor Series in its entirety, but the events form Raw where Miz cashed in his MITB title shot.



All in all a very worthy addition to anyone’s collection.



Survivor Series 2010 is available now from www.silvervision.co.uk and all good retailers.



Coming soon on WWE DVD are:

WWE Raw - The Best of 2010

WWE Tagged Classics - Wrestle fest ‘88/Wrestelfest ‘90

WWE Live in the UK -2010

WWE Top 50 Superstars of all Time

Bret Hart Interview From a Canadian Paper This Week

In his 53 years on this planet, Bret Hart has known pain and heartbreak.




There have been tremendous highs and rock-bottom lows.



Now, arguably Canada’s most famous wrestler has found contentment, a respite from years of bitterness spawned after a dispute with WWE kingpin Vince McMahon at Survivor Series in Montreal in 1997.



The awesome documentary Wrestling with Shadows is out again on DVD and Hart knows it is a benchmark.



“It’s always made me melancholy. It really captured the final fleeting moments of the the full Hart family.



“When I watch it, I have mixed emotions. It’s very stirring, sad, but very powerful in its own way. They told a story which vindicated what I did (spit on McMahon, then later punched him).”



On the plane ride home from Montreal, Hart told Wrestling with Shadows director Paul Jay the film wouldn’t work.



“I said there was no point in filming anymore, you missed it,” said Hart. “But he said, ‘This is going to be amazing’ and he had this gleam in his eye. When I saw the first rough cut, I was like, ‘Wow! I can’t believe this.’ I remember thinking, ‘He did tell the story.’



“Paul and those guys happened to be there and got that moment. A week before, he had called me and said he didn’t have an ending. I told him to come watch me wrestle one last match in Canada. That moment defined me as a person. It’s a big compliment when you can take something as silly as a wrestling match and make it such a powerful moment. I was able to stand tall as a Canadian.



“Before it came out, (WWE) did everything they could to put a different spin on it, to make me look like the bad guy. But their story came out in the wash as being a bunch of baloney.”



Hart says after being “screwed” out of his championship belt against Shawn Michaels, the after-match confrontation with McMahon was a doozy.



“I thought it was perfect the way it was,” he said. “He defamed me as a character. I would have regretted it for the rest of my life if I hadn’t (hit him).



“As time went on, it’s always been such a serious thing for me. It wasn’t only Survivor Series, it was Owen’s (his brother’s) death. Wrestling has been such a touchy subject. With Survivor Series, people were saying, ‘We get it and we understand why you got mad, but what is the purpose of you sitting down and being angry about it?’



“I gave so much and it bothered me. I didn’t want to be erased. I always thought I would be the Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle of wrestling one day, but when I pounded Vince that day, I lost some of that.”



Hart says his return to a WWE ring was good for him and for others.



“I believe that Shawn and me shaking hands buried the hatchet and it really did set him free. At the same time, I felt deep relief myself. And I’m sure Vince felt it, too.”



Michaels endured plenty of heat in Canada after the incident, also partly because he put a Canadian flag on the ground and rolled around on it as Hart walked toward the tunnel.



“I think that set off a timebomb in every Canadian. My dad was furious. And I never forgave Shawn for that specific scene. On Nov. 11, I had my poppy on. I’m a proud Canadian. I don’t think anybody thought Survivor Series could have the effect it did. It was a defining moment for Canadians. And how many guys get to knock out their boss on their last day of work?”



Hart says WWE purposely attempted to make him look bad.



“They put out a Best of Wrestlemania and they put my worst match on there — me against Bob Backlund in an “I Quit” match. When I saw it, I thought they did it as a thumb in the eye to me.



“Later, Vince let me do the DVD set the way he promised me. It was the first door that we really opened that made the hard feelings that still existed melt. The Hall of Fame was another gesture, although I thought it should have waited a while ... I wasn’t ready for it.



“They’ve giving me my due now. And there’s the upcoming Hart Generation — TJ, Harry and Nattie. I really wanted to have some fun and I’ve had that.



“It’s a very happy time for me right now. I’m remarried. I don’t have to be a slave to my suitcase. I can sit home and watch hockey.



“And with wrestling, I get to dress up and put on my Batman suit again.”

WWE Survivor Series 2010 Review

WWE Survivor Series 2010 Review

By Phil Allely

The annual WWE Pay-Per-View Survivor Series is a thanksgiving tradition and used to be one of the most exciting events of the year, consisting of many so-called Survivor matches (where teams of five fought for survival). The matches were often between people who rarely if ever met in the ring and saw some great combinations of team mates, creating excitement and a very different format than every other event offered by the company during the year. The 2010 effort saw only one such match feature and whilst not as good as some previous years the card was decent and continued some of the years greatest storyline threads through with ease. Not bad when you consider the fact that the WWE itself had announced last year that the event would cease to exist after 2009.

The Nexus/John Cena alliance factored highly in proceedings this year and Cena’s WWE carer lay on the line in the main event, so whilst many of the company’s big hitters (Undertaker, HHH, CM Punk) were out with injuries the rising faction saw itself pushed to the hilt to fill the void, as they have been doing on PPV and during the recent European tour.

The opening match saw United States champion Daniel Bryan tackle third generation star Ted DiBiase Jr. DiBiase may be losing his place in the shuffle these days, but Bryan’s presence and ability made this one of the matches of the night. Bryan locking on his LaBell lock for the relatively easy win, to retain his gold. Post-match The Miz and Alex Riley attacked Bryan and cut a promo.

Our very own Celtic Warrior Sheamus fell to John Morrison next, the Irishman and the high flyer working very well together, each getting the chance to shine and tease their finishers. Sheamus going the more traditional hard-hitting kick-punch style against the flashy Morrison. A nice looking running knee by Morrison after some back and forth action ended this one perfectly.

Dolph Ziggler and Kaval had a blast in the following Intercontinental match-up. Both seemed to be on fine form and blended well in the ring. Kaval was impressive in his style and Ziggler stepped up to the plate to meet him. Vicky Guererro at ringside had no real effect on proceedings and the action spoke for itself. A Ziggler tights assisted roll-up saw him retain his belt however.

The Team Del Rio versus Team Mysterio bout had some terrific in-ring action., but perhaps someone should have givena few of the guys a bit more ring time. The once mighty MVP was one such performer who deserved to be in on the action for longer. The eliminations came thick and fast and number advantages swapped place regularly before the inevitable two-on-one situation loomed its head. The oddity here being it was the face team of Rey Mysterio and Big Show who had the advantage of heel Drew McIntyre. A 619/choke slam combo saw the Scot fall and the little and large duo stand tall as survivors for their team and match winners.

Hart Dynasty member Natalya took on the WWE Divas Championship co-holders LayCool (Michelle McCool/Layla) next in a handicap match for the title. No matter what the devious LayCool threw at her Natalya’s skill and determination saw it fail. The talented young lady was more than fit for them and won the title to boot, following a few heated exchanges and a good looking Sharpshooter submission hold. A returning Beth Phoenix made the save to aid Natalya after a post-match LayCool sneak attack sought to thwart her in-ring celebrations.

Kane’s World Heavyweight Title defence against Edge was a really well paced and heated encounter that showed both main-eventers at their best. Kane may be near the end of his in-ring career, but given the right opponent and less of the over-the-top theatrics of his recent scraps with storyline brother Undertaker, the guy can still pull off a fine match these days. The only problem here was the end, as both men attempted their finishers, Edge seemingly pinned Kane to win the gold, however the ref then overturned his decision and stated that both men had their shoulders down for the three-count and the result was a tie. Kane retained his belt for another while, whilst Edge got some form of revenge by battering him after the match.

The Tag Team Title match was a no-brainer really, not many thought that the team of Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov could wrestle the straps from the Nexus duo of Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater. Marella and Kozlov had some nice moment in the ring, but this really was all about Nexus and the factions members (minus Cena) did prove to aid the decision, distracting Marella for a Slater pin to keep their prized belts.

The long-awaited main event came next, with Nexus banned from ringside it was up to special referee John Cena to hold order in this one, he also had the stipulation that if Wade Barrett failed to win the title John Cena would be fired for the WWE.

Although Barrett is not yet ready (much like the rest of Nexus) for main events, he did hold his own well against the more street smart and savvy WWE Champion Randy Orton. The stipulations and Cena’s presence did help things move on and maintain crowd interest throughout. A few near falls occurred and both combatants hit their respective finishers. It was Cena who would seal his own fate though. Barrett was too buys arguing and shoving Cena that he lost track of Orton and walked into the match winning RKO.

A shocked Orton watched on as Cena acknowledged his fans and walked away from the ring, perhaps forever.

Survivor Series had a good blend of matches and exciting storyline developments throughout the card. The Survivor Series match was nice to see, Natalya winning the Diva gold and Beth Phoenix return will boost that division and Kane’s win will keep his Edge battles ongoing until some more guys come off the inured list. The big story was of course the (storyline) firing of John Cena, his feud with Nexus has yet to meet its natural conclusion and he is mentioned on future event blurb, so we must assume the WWE has some interesting twists and turns to offer up as this one moves on.

The events of the following evenings Raw were special too, as The Miz did the (dis)honourable thing and cashed in his Money in The Bank case to win his first World Title. So in the space of a few days the WWE clawed back some very valuable fan interest with some solid events. The return of some top names soon and the eventual reveal of who the mysterious Raw General manager is may well be the icing on the cake for them.

WWE Survivor Series 2010 Card

WWE Title Match
Wade Barrett vs. Randy Orton
John Cena will be the special referee. If Barrett wins, Cena is free from Nexus. If he loses, Cena is fired from WWE.

World Heavyweight Title Match
Edge vs. Kane

WWE Intercontinental Title Match
Kaval vs. Dolph Ziggler

WWE Tag Team Title Match
Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov vs. Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel

Divas Title Handicap Match
Natalya vs. Layla & Michelle McCool

Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match
Rey Mysterio, Big Show, Kofi Kingston, MVP & Chris Masters vs. Alberto Del Rio, Drew McIntyre, Jack Swagger, Cody Rhodes & Tyler Reks

John Morrison vs. Sheamus

Ted DiBiase vs. Daniel Bryan for the United States Title, is rumored but has not been announced by WWE.