Retro Video Review: WWF Action

This will be the first of many retro video tape reviews I do here for my wrestling ramble column. I am finally disposing of these tapes and want to make sure all you wrestling fans know what they were before I do so.

First up we have the WWF's (yes this was pre-WWE times) release 'Action' .

This special video was a 90 minute look at some of the best action from 2001 in the world of the WWF/WWE.

First up we got a look at just how wonderful the attitude era was. The much-missed Hardcore Championship was one of the best inventions during this era and it was perfectly suited to the time in the companies growth.

The Hardcore Title was created for Mick Foley, but as the violent matches grew so did the titles legacy. By 2001 the championship had become one that had evolved into one that was defended on a 24/7 basis. This led to countless titles changes, many memorable encounters and of course some brutal scraps between some of the WWF's finest at the time. There are many highlights included here. This was a time where the title could change many times on one night and blood would flow with ease, unlike today's family friendly WWE.

Next up we saw one of the WWF of the times less family friendly approaches to wrestling. This was the 'bra and panties' series of matches. These were basically the companies attempt to draw in more male viewers and they were more than often shot scraps that saw one or both of the females involved standing in the ring in their underwear. Here we get to see Ivory, Chyna, Trish Stratus and Terri all involved in these poorly judged encounters.

We then get to see Perry Saturn become a deranged madman (due to countless head shots), the former ECW legend ended up becoming a joke of a character and instead of being aligned with Terri he became obsessed with a mop. I'll not say any more about this storyline as it was awful in my opinion and went on far too long.

The risque and Vince McMahon ego-stroking storyline involving Trish, his wife Linda and daughter Stephanie is equally weird as we get to see Vince kiss, degrade and obsess over Stratus, use his wife for his own maniacal schemes and utilise his daughters love the same way. We do get to see Trish gain a measure of revenge, but much of this was unnecessary.

This all led to a few matches that gave Vince his dream of entering the ring as a wrestler. His appearance in a tag match with Trish, William Regal, Stephanie is featured here in parts and works ok until we see poor Stratus degraded once more. (this was not a highpoint in her illustrious career of the WWE's)

Next up we got the fun and very well conceived romantic relationship between Spike Dudley and Molly Holly. This was a great idea and one that saw the Dudley clan embark on a violent series of match-ups against the Holly family. We don't get to see a while match here, but we do get to see some great highlights and some pretty brutal spots.

WWE legend 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin's heel turn as a member of Mr McMahon's posse is then given some time. This was a period where Austin held the World Title, was joined at the hip with (a comical) Kurt Angle and also put forward some of his most comical performances, just watch out for his guitar spots with Angle and you will see what I mean.

The buyout of WWF rival WCW was a wonderful event and one that many thought the WWE/WWF would have handled expertly. Initially this was the case and the beginnings were indeed boding well for an invasion storyline. However when push came to shove even after an initial burst of well-received matches and even a few title changes the WWE roster began to dominate proceedings and the idea of a separate WCW brand within the WWE/WWF drifted away quickly. The inclusion of the (also) defunct ECW helped a little, but did not do much to boost PPV buy rates and it dropped off the radar too. (ECW did make a brief comeback though).

Had the WCW/ECW invasion been handled better it could have become a huge piece of wrestling history. WCW had of course dominated the ratings over the WWE for many months and had almost crippled the company. Had Steve Austin and his era of superstars not taken with the fans they may well have lost the fight. ECW were never direct competition, but they did offer something different to the WWE product and gave us a much more violent approach to grappling. The inclusion of Vince's son Shane and Daughter Stephanie to the mix was a nice move, but yet it never saw its full potential.

'Action' offers a wonderful peek at the WWF/WWE at a pivotal time in its existence. The 'Attitude' era had begun, Steve Austin's star had risen and a man called 'The Rock' was nipping at his toes. There was also end of rival companies ECW and WCW to factor in, this was the time that the WWE/WWF saw its full potential as world leaders in wrestling.

It may not be available on DVD yet, but this video tape is a very interesting look at the WWF/WWE in a time of its history that many of remember fondly.

By Phil Allely

WWE DVD Review - Top 25 Rivalries

WWE DVD Review: Top 25 Rivalries

This latest WWE DVD is an interesting one. Whilst many of the matches/stories featured are likely to be in a lot of wrestling fans collections, they have never been compiled like this.

The Top 25 Rivalries set is a really great effort at letting us see just how important feuds are in the world of wrestling. What is also nice is the way the WWE are embracing the products of other companies too. Which means that even though this is a WWE heavy effort, we do see some WCW, NWA, ECW and other promotions classic encounters featured too.

Of course what any fan of wrestling will know is that it is a good, well-planned rivalry that will make us tune in each week to see what is happening next. I for one have been a fan for almost 30 years so have seen my fair share of top quality feuds and witnessed their final pay-off match-ups too.

Here we get to see the top 25 rivalries from across all the promotions already mentioned. Now fans of the more modern day WWE will feel a bit put out as many of these scrap/storylines here are from eras gone by. But you know what give them a chance as this is a wonderful way to learn about the grapplers that wrestling industry we know today.

Many of the faces and matches here feature some of the industries legendary names. Now our host Renee Young and her references to the periodic table did confuse me, but that is only a minor thing for me and does in no way take anything away from the show here.

So what can you expect here? Well you will get to see Sabu and Taz battle it out in ECW, Mr McMahon and Stone Cold have the feud that took the WWE to a whole new level, Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat have matches that we all wish we could have seen live in the NWA/WCW, Edge take on John Cena in some thrilling encounters, Hulk Hogan at his WWE prime, Undertaker and Mankind's most brutal outings and much more.

What I personally enjoyed here were the references to the 1980s legends who paved the way for the rise of the WWE's 'Attitude Era' and WCW's now period. This is where we get to see the Fabulous Freebirds, Von Erich's, Bruiser Brody and many more old school stars highlighted.

The talking heads with each rivaly are well sourced and give us a nice insight into the affair at hand. Be it former announcer Mean Gene, Billy Gunn, Shane Douglas or Road Dogg, they all have a fair point and story to tell.

It is a shame that due to Hogan and others being in TNA we do not get any up to date interviews with them. But its no real big deal they are not here.

Now a few feuds featured I have not mentioned yet are the ones that will enthral many viewers the most. These are the infamous Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart one, which of course led to the Montreal Screwjob for the WWE title. There are also nice looks at Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage feud. Plus of course the way that the WWE (then WWE) built WrestleMania into the monster it is today.

The first disc here features the 25 rivalries countdown. The others house the matches and other extras. All of which are well worth a view.

WWE The Top 25 Rivalries is available from all good retailers on June 24^th 2013.

DVD RRP £24.99/Blu-Ray RRP £34.99

www.wwedvd.co.uk

www.wwe.com

By Phil Allely

WWE DVD Review: Elimination Chamber 2013

WWE DVD Review: Elimination Chamber 2013

The Elimination Chamber is one formidable and very unforgiving structure. This mass of metal was once the special feature in Pay-Per-Views, but it is now the star of its own. The concept is a good one and used sparingly it works very well indeed. What happens is six men enter caged environment. Two of them start off the match, whilst four others stand by in each corner, locked in a cubicle. Every few minutes a new competitor enters and things heat up. This is a pin fall/submission style scrap and it can get very violent indeed.

This year we saw Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, Kane, Jack Swagger, Mark Henry and Chris Jericho all participate and their reward was a World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 29. The action here was superbly paced, exciting and innovative.

The other big match on the EC 2013 card was the re-match between WWE Champion The Rock and former champ CM Punk. This match was the last chance for Punk to retain his belt and progress to WrestleMania. Punk and Rock have a very good rapport in the ring and Rock especially deserves praise for stepping back in to a semi-fulltime wrestling role so easily.

On surprise bout here was the one that pitted The Shield against the all-star trio of John Cena, Ryback and Sheamus. The surprise was not the talent involved or the effort put in to the encounter. It was the fact that the WWE really did decide to put so much behind the newest group on the scene The Shield.

Elsewhere we see World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio battle his nemesis Big Show. Their feud just went from strength to strength, Del Rio has certainly stepped up to the plate. Kaitlyn defended her Diva's title against the tough daughter of wrestling legend Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka Tamina. This was a fair Divas match, that did enough to warrant your attention throughout.

Elimination Chamber 2013 is a very good DVD release from the WWE. It certainly paved the way for WrestleMania 29 and offered an above average number of matches. The main event and chamber scraps are certainly well worth re-viewing as well.

Elimination Chamber 2013 is available now from www.wwedvd.co.uk and all good retailers.

RRP £17.99 (DVD), £19.99 (Blu-ray)

By Phil Allely

WWE DVD Review: Royal Rumble 2013

The Royal Rumble has always been a highlight of the WWE's Pay-Per-View calendar. The main event featuring 30 wrestlers battling it out for a shot at main eventing WrestleMania that year, has always been a piece of must-see grapple action. This year the company began the 'Road to WrestleMania' with not only a top notch Rumble encounter, but a highly anticipated and exciting WWE Championship Title match too.

That match saw WWE legend The Rock return to the fold once again. This time he had the intention of dethroning the companies longest (modern era) reigning champ CM Punk. This match is worth the price of the disc alone. Punk and Rock gelled well and once again the Hollywood movie star proved that he can indeed still kick it in the squared circle. The result is of course well-known by now, but the match is a hugely enjoyable affair all round.

The Rumble saw some excellent encounters. There were a few nostalgic appearances by former stars and some innovative and edge-of-the-seat action. Kofi Kingston pulled off yet another innovative return to the ring as well.

The rest of the card saw Alberto Del Rio defend his World Title against Big Show in a highly rated Last Man Standing match-up. Team Hell No battle Team Rhodes Scholars for the WWE Tag Team gold and Antonio Cesaro in a United States Title defence, facing The Miz.

Royal Rumble 2013 was a very impressive show. The main event and Rumble itself both sowed the seeds for what the 2013 WrestelMania card may feature. The matches here were for the main above par and everyone involved seemed to have their work boots on. Rock especially deserves credit for pulling off yet another top notch bout. His years of acting and non-wrestling do not seem to have slowed him down a bit.

It is always good to see a former wrestler return to the ring in as good a condition as he was when he left. We are often presented with beaten down former legends and we can never really believe they can pull of a title win. Rock is of course a very different story.

Alberto Del Rio and Big Show's scrap was memorable too. Show and ADR certainly seem to work well together.

The rest of the card delivered as well. We highly recommend this new WWE release.

Royal Rumble 2013 is available now on DVD.
RRP £17.99 (DVD, £19.99 (Blu-ray).

wwe.dvd.co.uk
By Phil Allely

WWE DVD Review - TLC 2012

WWE DVD Review: TLC (Tables, Ladders, Chairs) 2012

WWE's TLC pay-per-view event is one that has a tendency to deliver greatly with its match quality and results. Even the lack of blood can't affect the violence that many of the wrestlers bring to the ring when foreign objects such as tables, ladders and steel chairs become legal weapons. This year we were also treated to a few new faces, which helped create new feuds and elevate some often neglected mid-card talent. With CM Punk injured there was some re-jigging behind the scenes match wise, but perhaps it was for the best. WWE need his fresh and ready for his upcoming scrap with The Rock.

It was also nice to see the legendary Jerry 'The King' Lawler return to his commentary duties. Lawler seems to have recovered well after his near fatal heart attack (which occurred during a live raw show).

TLC kicked off with a very reasonable tables match for the number one contender spot for the WWE tag team belts. The duo of Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara battled Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes in a fun battle. Cara is looking so much better in the ring now he is teamed up with fellow high flyer Mysterio. Rhodes Scholars on the other hand are a wonderfully fresh addition to the diminishing tag ranks. Rhodes and Sandow picked up the win after Cody caused Cara to plough through a table.

Your reviewer is not a hug fan of US Title holder Anonio Cesaro, but he can put together a pretty decent match with the right (talented) performer. The match however didn't really sizzle as much as we had hoped it would. Cesaro was able to overcome a few nice looking pin attempts by Truth and nailed a 'Neutralizer' to retain his gold.
Uk wrestler Wade Barrett has been making real strides in recent months to get one more big push for his WWE career. His match with Kofi Kingston here highlighted the fact that Barrett does have potential. Putting Kofi's Intercontinental Title on the line helped as well of course. Wade is a very good big man and has an aura about him, perhaps he will be William Regal's successor to the role of sterotypical British bad guy. Kofi did manage to fend off his European influenced assault and retained the belt.
Whether they are associated with Champion CM Punk The Shield were (and are) a welcome addition to the WWE roster. Their sneak attacks and N.W.O. Inspired storyline is something that may just inject some much needed adrenaline into the WWE product.

The match here was a TLC one and The Shield (Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose) faced off against the formidable trio of WWE Tag Team Champs Kane/Daniel Bryan and the fastest rising star of the year Ryback. This match was a brutal, tough and well-paced affair. Working with such talented opponents The Shield team were on perfect form. What was nice was that amidst the weapons based fun and games, we saw some new faces get their hands raised (over some more established acts). This angle by WWE may just work out very well for all concerned. The Shield pulled off a rather good win, to continue their progression.
The Divas were up next, with Eve defending her title against (pre-show match winner) Naomi. Naomi did show some impressive in-ring ability here. It was of course always going to be Eve's night and here she did not disappoint. Eve retained her glamorous belt as predicted.
As explained before a TLC PPV should really feature some blood. But you know what sometimes the spilling of claret is not necessary. The World Heavyweight Title match between champion Big Show and challenger Sheamus was a real barn-stormer. Sheamus seems to bring something out in show that we have not seen in a while and perhaps Show himself has grabbed this opportunity to highlight how valuable he is to the company. The match was violent, hard-hitting and worked to both men's advantage. Shows win maintains his grasp of the belt and Sheamus' loss does little more than make him a man we will root for next time.
Next up we saw an interesting battle. This was Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre taking on Alberto Del Rio, The Miz and Brooklyn Brawler. This was a nostalgic match for veteran fans, as longtime jobber the Brawler (Steve Lombardi) returned to the ring. Lombardi is a familiar face to anyone whoo who watches WWE biographical or special edition DVDs. He often pops us as a talking head on such releases. Lombardi never won a major title, but he did elevate many superstars to the next level and his simple style made him a minor league star. Brawler got his chance to shine on PPV in Brooklyn (of course) and even picked up a rare win.

Love him or hate him John Cena is one of the few real stars the WWE have available to perform at present. His act may need polished and a break from his main event appearances would help things. But 

with no one else ready to fill his spot or shift as much merchandise this is a picture we will have to expect for a while, the one of Cena in the main event.

The storyline featuring Cena/AJ/Vickie Guerro has been fun (even if it does echo a recent ill-fated TNA one). This match between Dolph Ziggler and Cena was a curious entry too. Ziggler could have as easily cashed in his 'Money in the Bank' title shot, but instead he offered it up in a match with Cena. This was a ladder match to remember. Cena took some stiff shots, Ziggler was a bump-machine (in the style of Shawn Michaels) and the outside interference proved to be beneficial to the pair. Cena in a rare moment for his character stared at the lights for the ever-exciting Ziggler. AJ did prove to be the thorn in Cena's side, but this was really all about raising Dolph to the next level. After all if he can beat Cena, this man may just be able to win the big one.

On the Extras front the DVD has an interview with Dolph Ziggler only, Blu-ray owners will be able to witness an episode of Monday Night Raw, Slammy award presentations and some very nice matches.

RRP £17.99 (DVD), £19.99 (Blu-ray).

TLC 2012 is available now from all good retailers.

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 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

The Rock interview highlights

The Rock recently spoke with Cleveland.com about facing John Cena at WrestleMania 28, returning to wrestle for WWE and more. From the embedded video below, here's some of what Rock had to say about Cena:




"Coming back into this world, I felt like I needed something real to sink my teeth into as a performer. [This is] very real. Whatever Cena has said in the past publicly, three or four years ago, I always remembered it. Then, that gave us a nice launching point. It's not personal. I don't personally hate John, I don't hate anybody but the tension is nice and real and I like it. I think it plays well into what we're doing at WrestleMania. People feel that. I don't have to be your friend, I don't want to be your friend. But when we go out there, let's entertain the people.



But that tension is very palpable and it's nice and real. I've come close a couple of times to slapping the lips off his face. It's OK. I like his lips where they're at for now. [Laughs.]"

WWE DVD Review: Tagged Classics - The Rock

WWE DVD Review – Tagged Classics: The Rock – The People’s Champ and The Rock – Just Bring It


By Phil Allely

With his star turn at this year’s Wrestlemania The Rock is once again one of the hottest talents signed up to the WWE. After making it big in the movie world many thought that he like so many other onetime Wrestling stars would never step back into the ring beyond the odd nostalgic appearance. Of course now after Mania we now know that The Rock will return to action to face John next year at the event and perhaps even make an in-ring appearance or two before then too.

This two disc set from Silver Vision is the perfect way to refresh your memory of classic Rock action and also acts as a nice introduction to the character for new fans, who have only seen the 2011 version of him.

‘The People’s Champ’ opens this set up well as it lets fans old and new see the self-proclaimed “most electrifying man in sports entertainment” at his finest. This was a man who made the audience beg for more before he even spoke a word in a promo, he had catchphrases, used an elbow drop as his finisher and he seemingly had the ability to gel with everyone on the WWE roster. There may have been moments where his in-ring work faltered, but the charisma, showmanship and general feeling that you were watching something special made even those select moments slip past with ease. One of the most interesting features here is the chronicling of the formation his partnership with Mankind (dubbed the Rock n Sock Connection). The duo were as good as tag team partners in the comedy inspired pairing as they were in competition with each other.

‘Just Bring It’ is a pretty decent offering that takes a close look at the Rock during his peak period. This was a boom time for the WWE and Rock was at the centre of it, his matches with the likes of Steve Austin, Kurt angle and many more of the periods top superstars are superbly presented. There are plenty of vignettes and some classic promos thrown in for good measure as well. The few matches as bonus features are a welcome bonus too.

So to coin a phrase of the great man himself this is exactly the right DVD set to let you see just “what the Rock is Cooking”. The footage may be a few years old now and the character may seem old hat in some ways. But if only the WWE could replicate the rise and success of the Rock, his story is one that many young wrestlers hope to emulate and one that will endear the character to the viewer with ease. His subsequent rise to fame as a mainstream star and the fact that he willingly returns to the sport that made him (when he can) is a very positive point as well.

Tagged Classics – The Rock: People’s Champ/Just Bring It is on general release now. It is available from www.silvervision.co.uk and all good retailers.

Release date: June 13th 2011

RRP: £19.99

Certificate: 15

Running Time: 5hrs 03 mins

Discs: 2

The Rock to Portray a Country Music Star in New Biopic

The Rock Takes Pride in a Role


By Phil Allely

Wrestlemania Host and main event attraction for next year’s event Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnston is set to portray legendary country music singer Charley Pride in a new movie chronicling his life.

The movie has been in development for several years, now it has been green lit with Johnson as lead actor and producer.



In a recent interview Charley himself discussed the surprise signing of the wrestler/actor. "Now it's back on track again, but with action and comedy star Dwayne Johnson portraying me in the title role,". "Terrence (Howard the original choice for the lead) is no doubt a more in-depth actor academically, but Dwayne is such a force on screen. It startled me a little at first, but he flew down to Dallas and spent a day with me just sitting, talking recently. When he left it was like parting with an old friend. We had such similar views on so many things."



There is no word on when the movie will begin shooting, but this alongside recent outing for Johnson in fast Five, Tooth fairy and other high profile movies, alongside his personal appearance certainly proves there is life after wrestling.

The Rock will of course be making more WWE appearance in the lead up to his highly anticipated match with John Cena at next years WrestleMania.

Wrestlemania 27 PPV Review

WWE: Wrestlemania 27 Collector's EditionWWE Wrestlemania 27 - Pay-per-view Review

By Phil Allely

Wrestlemania is the WWE’s biggest and grandest event of the year and it usually delivers on its promise of being ‘the granddaddy of them all’. However this year things were slow to build for the event and it was only when Undertaker and Triple H re-appeared on our screens to build up their match, that things picked up steam for many of us.  The inclusion of The Rock as host , Stone Cold Steve Austin as a special guest referee and even women’s legend Trish Stratus was stepping back into the ring, the stage was set for one memorable night, right?.

The mania card was looking very good indeed prior to the event and with some nice pre-show work there seemed to be a  lot of hype around many of the matches, of course with Shawn Michaels retired and Undertaker in pretty bad shape his match with Triple ?H was going to have to be something spectacular indeed for the ‘Dead Man’ to pull of another high profile win and retain his undefeated streak at Wrestlemania.

The Rock kicked things off with a long tirade, where he verbally sparred with John Cena and wound the full house into a frenzy with his antics. The only negative point being the proposed US title match was scrapped and replaced by Rock’s introductory speech.

In the first title match of the night there were high hopes that challenger Alberto Del Rio would leave the Georgia Dome with the World Heavyweight Title around his waist. Champion Edge was selling an injured arm and worked very hard indeed to make the WWE newcomer look even more impressive than he is naturally. Christian, Ricardo and Brodus Clay at ringside helped keep things moving on also, after some near falls and nice moves things ended swift enough after one distraction too many saw Edge nail a hard looking spear to retain his belt.

Cody Rhodes has finally found himself character wise in the WWE and now his protective face mask wearing persona has really got some heel heat on him. His opponent Rey Mysterio (this year in superhero costume) gave his all in this one, although fans seemed indifferent throughout. The finish came as Rhodes worked on Rey (legitimately) injured knee and used Rey’s own knee brace to assist his Cross Rhodes finisher for the surprise win.

Next up The Corre faced the team of Kane, Big Show, Santino Marella and Kofi Kingston. Not a huge amount to speak of here though, things quickly degenerated into a full on brawl and each man hit his finisher before a Cobra and Knockout Punch combo by Show and Marella put Heath Slater down for the three count.

Randy Orton and CM Punk’s feud continued in style as both went all out to impress the sell-out crowd. This one was a great was for each to showcase their talents, there were plenty of near falls, stiff exchanges, signature moves and a great finishing sequence. Orton pulled of the win after he intercepted a Punk aerial move with a mid-air RKO.

The 2011 Hall of Fame Inductees come out next to a nice ovation, introduced by Mean Gene Okerland it’s nice to see the lovely Sunny, Abdullah the Butcher, Road Warrior Animal, Paul Ellering, Bullet Bob Armstrong and Hacksaw Jim Duggan, comedy star Drew Carey is there too. The roof lifted off the arena when star inductee Shawn Michaels music hit.

A returning Jim Ross and Booker T joined the announce team as Jerry Lawler made his Wrestlemania debut against Michael Cole. Steve Austin as guest referee proved to be a good move indeed, he instantly wound up Cole’s second Jack Swagger and did his best to maintain order in a chaotic grudge match. Lawler did exact a fair measure of revenge on Cole, but Austin’s over-eager refereeing saw Lawlers tap-out victory overturned.

Triple H versus The Undertaker was a very good No Holds barred effort by both men. The fact that it had two superb Michaels/Taker matches from previous years to attempt to match was a downside though.  Taker as always really upped his game and showed some slowness, but no less willingness to absorb punishment in pursuit of a good match. Triple H was in fine form too, the pair hit some nice moves, risky manoeuvres and snatched a few near falls along the way. Things quickly went down the weapons route with chair shots, even Trips trusty sledgehammer being used, but ultimately proving to be no match for a determined Taker.  A Hells Gate submission hold saw a weary ‘Dead Man’ pull off another Mania win and clock up his 19th undefeated match at the annual event.

Snooki, Trish Stratus and John Morrison then took LayCool and Dolph Ziggler in a lively and short mixed tag team bout. This positioning was surely a move by the WWE to slow things down a bit intensity wise after such a gruelling match prior to it. Ziggler, Morrison and Vickie Guerrero all kept this one in its zone. Stratus didn’t seem to have missed a beat since her retirement, Snooki pulled off a few decent moves and LayCool played their roles well indeed. Snooki put Michelle McCool away to pull off the win for her team.

Finally it was main event time and both Miz and John Cena has an awful lot f work to do to appease a crowd who had yet to witness a real true Wrestlemania moment in the ring or a title change. Cena and Miz do work well together and they put forth a heck of a match. The crowd just seemed to drift off at times during it though. As the action ramped up Alex Riley stuck his nose into proceedings to distract the referee, however it failed as Miz inadvertently knocked Riley out with the briefcase instead of Cena. The action spilled out to ringside where both men got counted out for the No Contest decision.

Luckilly The Rock decided to ignore the Raw GM’s email messages and restart the bout. This time it was no DQ, No Count out etc., it didn’t last long though as Rock blasted Cena with a Rock Bottom to allow Miz the win and to keep his cherished gold.

Wrestlemania was in no way a flop of a show, many of the matches were above par and well received by those in attendance too, there just wasn’t that spark and tingle of excitement that Mania usually brings with it. Perhaps it is the fact that according to reports many of the matches were rewritten early in the day, or perhaps it was because the WWE at present is short of real top line talent, Batista, Jericho, Michaels are all out of the equation for now at least. Two of the star attractions were retired grapplers Steve Austin and The Rock, plus of course the Undertaker/Triple H feud was hastily thrust upon us after the other ideas for them were put on the back burner for now. But WWE then pulled off the coup of the century during the following nights Raw, on that show (which usually draws one of the highest ratings of the year) The Rock made the announcement that he would step back into the ring and face John Cena at Wrestlemania 28. So there you have it this years Mania was all one big build up to next years one, interesting, different and a wonderful swerve by the WWE, roll on 2012s event.

Wrestlemania Candid snaps

WWE Stamement Re:The Rock vs John Cena at WrestleMania XXVIII

WWE issued the following last night:




The Rock vs John Cena at WrestleMania XXVIII



STAMFORD, Conn., April 5, 2011 – Arguably the most anticipated match in WWE® history was set on Monday Night Raw®. WWE Superstar John Cena and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will face off at WrestleMania XXVIII on Sunday, April 1, 2012 at Sun Life Stadium in The Rock's hometown of Miami, Florida.



At WrestleMania XXVII, The Brahma Bull™ denied John Cena the WWE Championship when he jumped into the ring and delivered a Rock Bottom to Cena during the title match vs. The Miz®. The Rock and Cena met in the ring just minutes ago on Monday Night Raw on USA Network and the challenge that everyone was looking forward to was finally issued. WrestleMania XXVIII will be broadcast in more than 100 countries around the world.



WWE® made history again as WrestleMania®, for the second consecutive year, became the highest grossing and most attended entertainment event in the host venue. WrestleMania XXVII grossed $6.6 million, with 71,617 fans from all 50 states and 30 countries attending the sold out event at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The annual pop-culture extravaganza was broadcast around the world on pay-per-view in more than 100 countries and 20 languages.



Ticket information for WrestleMania XXVIII will be announced later this year

Lilian Garcia Interview Highlights

Former WWE Diva Lilian Garcia was recently interviewed by The Miami Herald. Here are some of the highlights:


The Rock's influence on her music career:

"The Rock likes to sing, too, and he found out I could sing. I was talking to him one day, and ‘The National Anthem’ came up as a subject. I said, ’Yea, I sang ‘The National Anthem’ at my high school graduation.’ There was 600 people in the auditorium. I was in drama in high school, and I always sang in high school. So people there knew me as a singer. So he goes, ’Wow. We actually play ‘The National Anthem’ [at house shows]; it’s always an instrumental [recording] that plays, before we go out.’ He goes, ’I’m going to talk to the agent, and we should get you to sing ‘The National Anthem.’



It was Feb. 11, 2000, and I was doing my first live event [house show] because I had only done Raw, and we were in Denver. Rock mentioned it to one of the agents, and they had me sing it there that night. It went over so well that the agent had me do it that whole weekend - Friday, Saturday, Sunday. By Monday morning, Vince McMahon heard about it, and he mentioned it at the meeting. He said, ’So I hear that someone took the house down and can sing. I’ve got to see it for myself. So I want you to sing it tonight.’ It was in San Jose for Raw on Feb. 14 on Valentine’s Day 2000, and I sang it ever since."



The tough job of being a WWE ring announcer:

"I think they’ve gone through four girls already after me, and some of them talked to me and said, ’Wow. We never knew how hard this job was. You really do have to think on your feet all the time, and you’ve got to know everything.’ For me, it was years before. I mean I started getting more and more comfortable. Some of the rules for the matches were so long. When it’s rules, it’s different than when you’re talking to somebody 1-on-1. You can’t deviate from the rules. You can’t adlib the rules. You really have to memorize it. It can be they gave you the rules 45 minutes before the match or 15 minutes before the match. Then you have to memorize something really, really fast that’s technical. There were times even [near the end of her career] that my stomach was like because I didn’t want to mess up."

Miz interview highlights

WWE Champion The Miz recently spoke with IGN.com. Here are some of the highlights:


IGN TV: The other night on RAW you sent a very strong message. You think that was heard loud and clear by The Rock?



The Miz: I think it was heard by everybody, because let's face it, they were trying to make me feel like I was second fiddle. It literally felt like it was Cena/Rock, Rock/Cena… And I'm the WWE champion! Excuse me! Hello! I'm the guy that everyone should want to be and they're going and doing their little raps back and forth, calling each other Fruity Pebbles and stuff like that. What are we, in third grade? Grow up, kids!



IGN: Rock's rumored to come back to RAW before Mania. Are you ready to face him?



Miz: Absolutely. I can't wait to go verbally with him, because people are always like, "He's the best verbal guy in the WWE ever." And if they say that, then watch and learn, kids. You'll see the new guy.



IGN: So are you ready for the experience of main eventing WrestleMania?



Miz: Oh my god, are you kidding me? I'm the main event of WrestleMania! Last year I started the show, now I'm closing the show. So it's kind of a whole year of working really, really hard and to get that top spot, that top billing, is amazing. And going in as WWE champion… Not many people get to say that. I think 40 people have been WWE champion in the entire existence of the WWE, so it's kind of cool to be one of those people and going into WrestleMania, and hopefully coming out -- which I think I will, just because I'm The Miz -- winning. Or as Charlie Sheen would say, "Duh, winning!"

Lilian Garcia Interview Highlights

Former WWE Diva Lilian Garcia, who is currently working on her second album, recently spoke with The Miami Herald. Here are some highlights:


Interacting with fans these days:

"I thought they would miss me a little bit, but not this much. It has been very humbling and nice. Every day I get a message or a tweet from someone saying, ‘It’s not the same without you.’ It’s just so nice. I didn’t realize the impact I had made. Justin Roberts has been doing a great job. I wish each of the announcers a lot of luck. It was a tremendous journey for me and an amazing opportunity. I loved it."



A potential WWE return:

"I say, ‘Never say never,’. Look at The Rock now. It is something that I’m definitely tied to. Once you are in the WWE for a length of time, it’s a family base. You are tied in, no matter if you leave and take a break. Sometimes you come back; so you never know."



The Rock's WWE return:

"I really didn’t think he would come back. I really thought with his movie career and all. I don’t blame him, though. It had been seven years. When he was making movies, he didn’t have that experience being with the fans and feeling that electricity from the fans. He thrives on that. It was having that experience again. People were tweeting me telling me how much they missed the interviews with me and The Rock. It was just such great chemistry that he and I had with those interviews. As soon as I saw him on TV again, it brought back memories of those days. It was just really cool."

Bret Hart Tweets

Bret Hart wrote more about The Rock and John Cena on his Twitter yesterday. Here's what The Hitman said:




"After watching Monday Night Raw last night I have to say I'm Looking forward to the showdown between John Cena and The Rock at Wrestlemania!



When I was WWE champion back in 1997, I often gave Dwayne all the advice I could, I remember watching him wrestle for the very first time and telling the wrestlers next to me, that Dwayne was going to be the biggest Superstar in the wrestling world and to mark my words. "

Kevin Nash tweets

Jim Ross is back with another blog over on jrsbarbq.com. Here are a few highlights from this entry:


Jerry Lawler and his match with The Miz:

"Any one who thinks that it's simply not possible for Jerry Lawler, at age 61 and on a week where he buried his 90 year old mother, to win the WWE title against the Miz this Sunday at the Elimination Chamber needs to rethink their position. It is possible and it damn well could happen. I agree that the King is the underdog going in but what a story for the ages it would make if the WWE HOF'er did win the title. I'm not saying bet the farm on it but IF Jerry Lawler were to somehow, by hook or crook, defeat the Miz Sunday it would be one of the hottest topics around the WWE water cooler in years.



I admit that I legitimately have an emotional investment in this one because of my friendship with Jerry and after seeing first hand what he went through this week.



At least can we all agree that stranger things have happened in WWE over the years can we not?



Miz might not realize it today but Miz will be a better wrestler over the long haul after the learning experience that he will have Sunday night competing with the King."



The underrated William Regal:

"William Regal's brief yet effective cameo on the vintage (ugh) Khali Kiss Kam Monday night on Raw was yet another example of how talented the Brit truly is and why I consider Regal one of the most underrated talents in WWE. He's also a legit tough dude let me assure you."

New Jim Ross Blog Highlights

Big night on MNR to say the least. Here are some thoughts.....




The WWE hit a home run when they brought back Dwayne Johnson to be the Host of Wrestlemania 27. Who would have been a better choice?



For my money....no one.



Sorry, young Mr. Beiber.



The Rock's Raw closing promo was golden. I smelled money while he was commanding the live audience. My instincts tell me that fans watching at home were just as emotionally invested as were the fans in Anaheim.



Rock created as much magic Monday Night in Anaheim than Walt Disney did on his best day in the same city.



Hopefully, all the talents who were still at the Honda Center locker room area were listening closely to what the Rock said, when he said it, and saw how he was a majestic maestro who had the live audience in the palm of his hand.



One could tell that Rock was enjoying himself. His DNA is 'ring worthy.'



Great promo men over the years had one common denominator. They all could 'feel' the audience.



Rock felt it Monday night.



He once told me that what he always missed most about appearing in WWE was the adrenaline rush that he got from the live audience. Nothing on Earth can replicate that unique feeling for any entertainer/athlete, etc.



Trust me on that one. (Announcers kill for moments like Monday night.)



Some fans are hammering us on Twitter @JRsBBQ proclaiming that it will be Rock vs. Cena at WM27. That's not what I heard. I heard that Rock was Hosting the event which works very well for me. Will there be some sort of Rock/Cena interaction? Sounds that way to me which is why I'm 'staying tuned.'



With Rock as the Host of the biggest WWE event of the year inside the Georgia Dome, fans can expect the unexpected.



WWE and the Rock aren't collaborating at WM27 without the Rock making a significant IMPACT in Atlanta.



How does the man that Hollywood knows as Dwayne Johnson make an impact w/o wrestling in a match?



Very easily. Rock did it tonight and never laid a hand on anyone.



All I know is that business picked up in WWE Monday night and with all that is planned for WM27 I can't wait to attend the event live.



I expect more huge announcements to come at the Elimination Chamber PPV and soon thereafter as in 2/21/11.



Emailer...Who is the RAW GM? Answer....I don't know and furthermore I don't care. When we're supposed to know we will. I'm much more interested in the build to WM27 than I ever will be about who the mysterious (not my descriptor) Raw General manager may or may not be.



Twitter @JRsBBQ....Is the Rock coming back to wrestle full time? That's not what I got out of Raw's most electrifying moment in years Monday night. Rock is making an appearance at WM27 to contribute in a major, likely shocking, way to the biggest WWE PPV of the year. Bottom line regarding this question on Twitter is that I DON'T KNOW but I would doubt it. I'm very excited about Wrestlemania. My black hat's off to WWE.



Emailer....Is Chris Jericho's 2nd book 'Undisputed' better than Chris' first book, 'A Lion's Tale?' That's like asking me if I like our Original BBQ Sauce better than our HOT BBQ Sauce. Depends on the moment/dish. I loved both of Jericho's books but read the 2nd book much quicker. I really liked 'Undisputed' and was pleasantly surprised at how much detail Jericho went into regarding many backstage dealings in WWE, many of which I was involved. I admire Chris' honesty plus his story telling abilities are superb. Bottom line, I strongly suggest that if you are a fan of the wrestling biz that you read this book ASAP.



Emailer...Is HBK going into the WWE HOF alone? Of course not. One can surmise that WWE is going to spend all their available TV time promoting the Elimination Chamber this Sunday on PPV and then begin rolling out other 2011 WWE HOF'ers that will be inducted the night before WM27 in Atlanta. I think this class will be stout and the presenters will be impressive. I wouldn't miss this event live for any thing. That reminds me, we need tickets.



I get a kick out of how vilified I am at times on some MMA message boards because "that damn pro wrestling guy" has the audacity to comment on MMA. I think many wrestling fans enjoy MMA plus many MMA fans used to be devout pro wrestling fans if I'm not mistaken. Plus, I'm a big fan. Plan and simply put I am a fan of MMA and enjoy commenting on it. Some people actually enjoy reading my opinions whether they agree with them or not. Producing and critiquing a MMA broadcast isn't that foreign to doing the same thing in the business that I have been a part of since '74.



Broadcasting is broadcasting even though many within the media, TV, etc look down their noses at pro wrestling broadcasters because of the individual's insecure bias regarding their views of the show biz based genre. To those folks I say, "Lighten Up Francis."



Our weekend promotion with our HOT BBQ Sauce was a hit. Thanks a million for the business. Please tell a friend about our products and keep us in mind if you need gifts for any occasion. With every order, you'll receive personally autographed swag.



Going to pay my respects this week to the King's Mom who I thought the world of and who passed away Sunday at 90. If the Good Lord would give me 90 years above ground, I think I would take it in a heart beat.



Thanks for reading our blog and following us on Twitter @JRsBBQ. Keep those orders coming. Sending out a big order to Steve Austin on Tuesday.....actually to his Lab Hershey...it's a long story.



Boomer Sooner!



J.R.