WWE DVD Review: The Best of In Your House

In the mid-1990s the WWE created a new concept in pay-per-view programming. This idea was to make a number of PPV's that were of the same quality as the 'big four' Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series. Entitled In Your House these events were cheaper in price than the main events we were used to and yet they often featured some high quality bouts.

The concept did not last forever, but during its duration there were a number of excellent encounters between many WWE superstars, who were at the very top of their game.

This 3 disc set takes a nice look at the IYH franchise and documents the best it had to offer.

There were 28 IYH events in total over a five year period and whist the original premise (a real-life fan won a house) became a thing of the past, the match quality did not. There were often better battles on these events than those appearing on the main shows.

So what can you expect here then? Well first up mid-90s on air WWE presenter Todd Pettengill returns to host the DVD and that certainly makes proceeding special for more long-term fans. Pettengill is perfect for the role and does have some nice anecdotes as well.

From a match point of view you get a reasonable mix of impressive scraps, near classics and all out exceptional encounters here.

Stand-outs for your reviewer are the 'No Holds Barred' war between Shawn Michaels and Diesel, Shawn Michaels versus Mankind, Steve Austin v Bret Hart v Vader v The Undertaker, the ten man tag from 'Ground Zero' and to be honest a great number more.

The Best of In Your House is a wonderful DVD release and one that has been long-awaited by many. The extras are pretty good too.

Available now via www.wwedvd.co.uk and all good retailers this release is available on DVD (RRP £24.99) and Blu-ray (RRP £34.99).
www.wwe.com
By Phil Allely

WWE DVD Live in the UK - April 2013

WWE DVD Review: Live in the UK – April 2013

The WWE only travel to our shores twice a year here in the UK/Ireland and as such these events are highly charged ones for the most part. Recent years have seen the company bring as many of their big name stars and they can and even go so far as to record episodes of their weekly Raw and Smackdown shows here too.

This two disc set features all of the events that took place at the O2 Arena in London during the WrestleMania Revenge tour (April 2013). This means you get to see complete episodes of Monday Night Raw, Smackdown and never aired in the UK instalments of Main Event, Superstars and Saturday Morning Slam.

Talent wise the WWE brought a fair number of their big hitters here. Which was not surprising considering the shows were going to be broadcast. What was special was the inclusion of Undertaker on the shows. It had been a number of years since Taker stepped into a UK ring and yet here was participating in two matches (one for Raw, one for Smackdown). That name alone will insure this set sells well with fans.

Of course any of us who attended any of the April 2013 live shows will want to possess this snapshot of the tour, to remind them of what they witnessed. After all the matches may have changed slightly, but many of the grapplers featured here were at the other houses shows too.

Highlights from Raw include Dolph Ziggler facing Chris Jericho, Undertaker & Team Hell No versus The Shield and UK hero William Regal (on his farewell tour) battling Fandango. There are of course numerous other features here and even a few other matches.

Smackdown offers up a fine No DQ scrap between Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger, Layla versus Aksana, Undertaker tackling Shield member Dean Ambrose and Wade Barrett taking on fellow Uk star William Regal. As with Raw there are other features here too.

Of course we also have the episodes of Superstars and Saturday Morning Slam too. Both of which have a few nice matches as well.

On the extras front we get a fine outing from the UK-based PPV Rebellion held in November 2001. Which featured an on form Chris Jericho versus an equally slick Kurt Angle.

WWE Live in the UK : April 2013 is available now from www.wwedvd.co.uk and all good retailers.

RRP £17.99

By Phil Allely

WWE DVD Review: WrestleMania 29

WWE DVD Review: WrestleMania 29

It is the biggest show in the WWE calendar and it also one of the most sought after wrestling show tickets too. It is of course WrestleMania. This is the show that even the most die hard anti-WWE fan will take notice of and maybe even watch as well.

WM is the event that kick started the WWE's rise to global domination and means so much to so many fans across the globe as well.

Now nearly 30 years on the event still send goosebumps down the spine of many as they eagerly await the action to start. The WWE have now rather cunningly made this a weekend long event too, with fan events, signing and memorabilia on show too. Alongside countless veteran and current roster members, there is also the annual Hall Of Fame Ceremony.

Now back to the DVD at hand. First up like many Mania's of recent years there are a few poor matches here, but when things kick off they really kick off in style.

This event was a card of three parts. First up we had John Cena taking on The Rock for the WWE Championship. Which was of course a marked improvement on their previous encounters. However it did come at a cost to Rock who absorbed some nasty injuries along the way.

Next on the fans hit list was the ultra intense 'No Holds Barred' scrap between Brock Lesnar and Triple H. They certainly had their work boots on here. You could feel every bump like it was your own body.

But of course the match most people were yearning to see was the return of Undertaker to defend his winning streak against young upstart CM Punk. Punk had after all belittled the memory of the late Paul Bearer and was certainly a hated man before the get go. Considering he rarely makes more than one appearance a year these days Taker showed no signs of slowing down. Although by the end you could see his pain and delight in what he had just participated in.

Elsewhere on this well put together CD set you get the pre-show encounter between Wade Barrett and The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship. The Shield making their WM debut against the trio of Randy Orton, Sheamus and The Big Show. The Tag Team titles on the line as Team No Hell defend against Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston. Chris Jericho facing the over the top Fandango and Jack Swagger tackle the World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio.

The under card and World Title match are all worthy additions here, the main issue is that some play out to indifference. Fandango, The Shield and Ziggler come out of proceedings very well indeed I must add.

On the extras front we are as always spoilt for Mania moments and choice. The Hall Of Fame footage is superb and very interesting. Younger fans may skip through a few inductions of course, but those old enough to remember Bob Backlund, Bruno Samartino and even celeb Donald Trump will enjoy their montages and speeches. Backlund is hilarious and Samartino seems very moved to be there.

More modern entrants Mick Foley, Trish Stratus and Booker T are also very well received and each makes us feel their pride as they give their speech. It was especially nice to see Booker's brother Stevie Ray on TV again. Foley was as expected totally over the top with his section of the show, but we come to expect that from him these days.

There is also the post-show event from the MetLife Stadium too.

Blu-Ray owners get even more bang for their buck here with some episodes of Monday Night Raw, the Triple H/Lesnar contract signing, CM Punk challenge to end the streak and a Q&A with John Cena and The Rock.

WrestleMania 29 is a roller coaster of a ride from start to finish. There are some dips along the way, but when it climbs it does indeed climb. The final flourish of matches here will certainly leave you on an adrenaline high.

WrestleMania 29 is available now via Freemantle Media.

Www.wwedvd.co.uk and all good retailers.

RRP £24.99 (DVD), £34.99 (Blu-Ray)

By Phil Allely

DVD Review: The Best of WrestleMania 1-14

WrestleMania is of course the pinnacle of the WWE's pay-per-view calendar. The event itself has seen some of the company's best matches, feuds begin or end and it has featured a host of well-known faces. WrestleMania was the wrestling event that saw the worlds or entertainment and wrestling unite, it worked so well that the industry has never looked back.

Of course there are many DVD releases looking at the history of the PPV and they all will showcase the event well. But what is nice here is that this disc runs us through the pivotal events form WM 1-14 at a nice speed.

Matches are shown in well-paced segments. We also get to see some specially made talking heads (old and new). We also get to see the event grow and build up its reputation as a must-see wrestling show.

Along the way we see 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper face off against TV star Mr T in a boxing match, Hulk Hogan battle the massive Andre The Giant, Randy Savage become world champion and the rift between Savage and Hogan unfold.

What is nice is we also get to learn how having celebrity involvement helped the PPV build up its profile and we get to see many of them here too.

Told in a punchy style this DVD takes us on a swift and concise trip through WM's early days (as number 30 soon approaches). Watch out for the well-told scrap between Hogan and Ultimate Warrior for the title at Mania 6.

Watch out for early appearances by future champs Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart (amongst others). We also get to see some pretty recent interviews with them too.

The Undertaker's debut is here as well, we have to feel sorry for the legend that is Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka in that one. He did after all become the first man to fall to Taker's streak.

Sgt Slaughter's anti-American slant is featured briefly. There are also spots showing Undertaker wiping out foe after foe. Randy Savage's epic encounter with Ric Flair and we also see the rise of the next generation of WWE super stars.

This is where the likes of Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon came to the fore. Their ladder match was a genuinely exciting piece to view. We actually feel the pairs pain throughout.

There was also the highly anticipated and well told encounter between 'Bam Bam' Bigelow and former American footballer Lawrence Taylor.

There are also appearances by boxing legend Mike Tyson and other stars of stage, screen and more along the way too.

One curious aspect was the brawl between Roddy Piper and Goldust, which saw Piper strip his opponent down to a set of female underwear.

When you look back at the first 14 WrestleMania's you of course think of all of the above and the rich history they bring. The characters, the storyline's and the memories each installment brought with it.

Of course this was also the period which saw the WWE change and adapt to its surroundings. Here we met the Attitude Era up close and personal.

The Shawn Michaels/Bret Hart Iron Man match may be tough to view in full. But the edited version here is perfect.

The real highlight of this release is (your reviewers mate) 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin's rise as the ultimate tough guy of the WWE. His WM 13 battle with Bret Hart is iconic and brutal to view. This was the match that Austin became a legitimate WWE star. The ending is one of wrestling's most iconic.

To see Austin pass out in a pool of his own blood is amazing to see yet again.

We also see Undertaker battle fellow big men Diesel (Kevin Nash) and Psycho Sid (Sid Eudy). All of which fall under is undefeated streak remit.

WM 14 saw Kane face-off against his brother Kane. This was an amazing match and still is today.

Finally WM 14 offered up our friend Steve Austin's match with Shawn Michaels for the world title. The ending here was superb, guest enforcer Mike Tyson turning on DX leader Michaels and Austin standing victorious.

By Phil Allely

Undertaker returns to the ring

Undertaker returns to the ring.

By Phil Allely

WWE legend Undertaker (Mark Callaway) has perhaps silenced his critics by stepping back in to a WWE ring. The 49 year old has been nursing numeorus injuries since he last graced a WWE ring.

That  match against Triple H saw Taker retain is unbeaten streak at WrestleMania. Recent months have seen many insiders specualte that Callaway was too beaten up to enter the ring this year. However there were rumours that he may indeed be returning to face the companies top bad guy CM Punk.

This past weekend (at a WWE house show in Waco, Texas) saw a well looking Undertaker team up with Sheamus to battle the Rhodes Scholars combo of Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow. Taker took the win for his team with a nice nostalgic 'Tombstone Piledriver' on Sandow.

Many fellow WWE superstars were quick to tweet their response to Undertaker's re-appearance.

Randy Orton: Got to watch Undertaker perform in Waco tonight at the Smackdown live event. Very motivating to watch him do his thing.

Ricardo Rodriguez: Ca't describe the feeling we all got here tonight in Waco, Texas after having the Undertaker compete. I legit got goosebumps.

Wade Barrett: Hell of a night at #wwewaco. Expect the unexpected.

This live appearance by Undertaker must surely be a clear sign that we will see him return to TV and defend his streak. Whether that is against CM Punk is yet to be seen, but as the next few weeks play out all will become clear for the WWE's biggest event of the year.

WWE TLC Review 2012

WWE Live Show 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 table, 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 (dark match) battle of the 'Santa's Little Helpers' In other words a diva encounter. This will of course probably make its way on to the DVD version of the show. Here we had a reasonable if not too exciting Diva's style scrap. Competitors were Alicia Fox, Askana, Naomi, Cameron, Tamina, Kaitlyn, Layla, Natalya and Rossa Mendes. The match was short and sweet, with Divas champ Eve Torres sticking her oar in to allow Namoi a shot at her title.

TLC started (proper) 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 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 need 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 returned 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 enxt leevl 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.

TLC 2012 was a very good event to round off 2012 for the WWE. The company may be floundering slightly talent wise, but things are looking up and after so many journos like myself suggesting it, there are now some fresh faces in the mix.

Here's hoping Punk can recover OK in time for his Royal Rumble encounter with a certain Mr Johnston.

Wwe.com

By Phil Allely

WWE DVD Review: Wrestlemania XXVIII

WWE DVD Review: WrestleMania XXVIII By Phil Allely The WWE of course always throw not only a huge amount of money at their annual PPV extravaganza WrestleMania, but they do also attempt to load the card with matches that merit the stature of the event. This year the company built the pay-per-view around two very promising matches and padded the the remainder out with some interesting and potentially exciting encounters. The two main high points for fans were the matches between The Rock and John Cena (which had a year long build up) and the hugely hyped re-match between Triple H and The Undertaker, which this time around was held within the confines of the Hell in a Cell cage. This DVD set not only features all of the PPV matches and the arena only dark match, but there are also some classic matches from The Rock and the entire Hall of Fame ceremony. From a match point of view the Taker/Triple H and Rock/Cena ones are of course the stand-outs. Shawn Michaels presence as special guest referee in the Cell certainly gives the ageing combatants a helping hand and shows that even though he is no longer an active competitor in the WWE ring Michaels can still make is mark there. The Daniel Bryan/Sheamus World Title match is worth a viewing (after the debacle at Mania 27), Team Teddy V Team Johnny has its moments and the WWE Championship match between Chris Jericho and CM Punk is a nicely paced affair. For many fans the crowning glory of this three disc set is the Hall of Fame Ceremony. This is a great event to witness and will appeal to fans old and new. The inductees are all worthy of their inclusion and each man (or their representative) genuinely appear moved to be there. Watch out for the reaction The Four Horsemen receive (this is the classic Ric Flair, Barry Windham, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard and JJ Dillon line-up), especially when you consider the fact that Flair was still under contract to TNA when he appeared on WWE TV. Dusty Rhodes may be a slight bit hard to understand, but he does a great job of introducing us to the legendary WCW/NWA stable here. Also of note is Christian's induction of his long time friend Edge, Christian offers up a funny, emotional and poignant speech that hits all the right spots and will make even the most hardened wrestling fan have a lump in their throat with its tone and delivery, Edge matches this and much more with his speech. The Mike Tyson induction is a real surprise too, his inductee's DX (Shawn Michaels and Triple H) ,make a superb comedy double act and this really adds to what could have been a very flat induction. WrestleMania XXVIII is a DVD every wrestling fan should own, the main PPV works well for the most part and the extras are more than worth the cost alone. WrestleMania XXVIII is available now from all good retailers and www.silvervision.co.uk Three Disc DVD RRP £29.99/Blu-ray RRP £34.99 By Phil Allely

WWE PPV Review: WrestleMania 28

WWE PPV Review - WrestleMania 28

By Phil Allely

WrestleMania is the event of the year as far as the WWE are concerned, it gets a huge build up and the company always try to pull out all of the stops to ensure the card has the odds stacked in the companies favour.

2012’s event was centred around two mega match-ups, movie star The Rock’s return to the ring against company figurehead John Cena and the return match between Undertaker and Triple H. Both matches were highly anticipated and well prepared for, the question was would a Hollywood star, and two part-time wrestlers (alongside the only full time roster member Cena) be able to maintain the crowds attention and keep everyone interested in proceedings?

The dark match opener saw the combos of The Uso’s and Justin Gabriel/Tyson Kidd tackle WWE Tag Team Champs Primo/Epico in a fun encounter. This was of course left off the PPV, but will undoubtedly feature on the DVD release. The champions retained the gold after some nice exchanges.

WrestleMania proper kicked off with the World Heavyweight Title match-up. Challenger Sheamus made short work of his opponent Daniel Bryan here. Bryan spent a short while stalling and then caught a hard ‘brogue kick’ to lose the match and his treasured belt. Shamus is now once again flying the flag for Ireland as world champion.

Next up Kane and Randy Orton had a decent scrap, both men tried their best to keep things moving along and they did it admirably. Kane pulled off the win with a second rope ‘choke slam’.

The Intercontinental Title was on the line next, champ Cody Rhodes defending his gold against the mammoth Big Show. This was good David/Goliath stuff, show overpowered Rhodes with ease and Cody used his wits and skills to bring the big man down to his size as often as he could. A spear and knockout punch from Show finished things though, giving us our second title change of the night.

As per usual the Divas were given very little time to build momentum in their match. Here we saw Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres face Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos. The teams worked well, the moves were reasonable performed and each got a few moments to strut their stuff. Menounos rolled up Phoenix to pick up the win for her team.

The Hell in a Cell match between Undertaker and Triple H was a much hyped affair and one that we all hoped would match that build up. Undertaker had been off TV and out of the ring since Mania 27 and Triple H had been semi-retired since that brutal match-up too. Adding the cell and special guest referee Shawn Michaels to the mix was sure to help gloss over any ring rust the competitors had. We also got to see the new short-haired Taker too.

The HIAC match was as expected a back and forth violent encounter (of course with no blood). The pair utilised the steel structure to their advantage and Michaels kept the pace moving well too. The combatants worked well together and made the magic from last year happen once again. Undertaker’s Mania winning streak was on the line of course and the audience did think it was possibly going to come to an end. The match ended after numerous trademark moves, near falls and ref bumps. Taker eventually nailed a ‘Tombstone’ to put Triple H down for the three-count. With the 20-0 sign flashing Taker, Michaels and Triple H embraced on the stage to huge applause.

After a Hall of Fame video package, featuring The Four Horsemen, Edge, Ron Simmons and Mike Tyson, amongst others. We were once again back to the matches.
The unnecessary team match between Team Laurinaitis and Team Long was up next and even with the winning team leader becoming both Raw & Smackdown GM it didn’t set the world alight.

This enjoyable, but at times plodding scrap saw Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, The Miz, Drew McIntyre and David Otunga (Team Laurinaitis) face Zack Ryder, Kofi Kingston, The Great Khali, R-Truth, Booker T and Santino Marella.

With so many bodies around the ring this was a match of short set-pieces, near falls, swift tags and comedy moments. The end saw The Miz hit the ‘skull crunching finale’ on Ryder to win the match for his team.

Post-match Eve struck a low blow on Ryder to hint at a heel turn.

Picking the pace up after the previous encounter were Chris Jericho and CM Punk. Here they were battling for Punk’s WWE Title and the speculation was that even with his band on tour over the Summer Jericho was on form to take the gold home with him in this one.

Punk and Jericho pulled off a superb match, thy built it perfectly, gelled wonderfully as opponents and traded near falls with ease. This was anyone’s match it seemed, the fans were really into this one. Punk eventually overcame the sneaky Jericho for the tap out win via ‘anaconda vice’.

After a one year build-up the main event between John Cena and The Rock had an awful lot to live up to. Fortunately it did just that and more, this was a match for the ages and one that saw The Rock roll back the years and highlight just how good he is as a performer.

The crowd were firmly behind Rock throughout, Cena receiving an unhealthy amount of boos. The pair went through their routines well, it may have been a meticulously planned match, but to casual fans this looked awesome in its delivery.

Rock looked slick as ever and delivered each move as crisply as he did in his prime, Cena for his faults went through the motions and both hit their trademark moves for near falls too. The match finished as predicted with the Rock successfully nailing a ‘rock bottom’ for the popular pin.

WrestleMania was a very good card from the WWE, we saw some new champs crowned, one man become the Raw/Smackdown GM and two epic encounters play out before our very eyes.

Some of the matches will be re-enacted during the upcoming WrestleMania Revenge Tour, but the big results here were Undertaker once again holding on to his winning streak, The Rock beating Cena in their grudge match and in the subsequent Raw the return of Brock Lesnar to the company.

By Phil Allely

Sting Interview Highlights

Sting (Steve Borden) recently spoke to Sportvibe.co.uk here are highlights:

You could be forgiven for not knowing who Steve Borden is, however, one mention of his wrestling name and millions of fans will know exactly who you are talking about. Better known as Sting, Borden has been in the wrestling industry for over 25 years, and has become an icon in the hugely successful world of wrestling.




Having begun his career in 1985, Sting has gone on to become a 14-time world champion, winning gold in both WCW (World Championship Wrestling) and TNA (Total Nonstop Action).



With everything that Sting has achieved, he is the most well-known professional wrestler to have never performed in the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment).



Sportsvibe.co.uk caught up with the grappling legend to discuss how he got into wrestling in the first place and talk about his many meetings with WWE owner Vince McMahon.



How did you first get into wrestling?



I was raised in Southern California and co owned a health club, Gold’s Gym. A guy came in one day with three big guys and was trying to break into pro wrestling, he was looking for a fourth guy to join and tried to recruit somebody from the gym but had no luck.



He then asked me if I wanted to do it and to be honest, in the area of Southern California where I grew up, I had no idea what pro wrestling even was. I had heard about it but never seen a match on television or been to an event.



He then ended up taking me to an event at a sports arena in Los Angeles, where I saw Hulk Hogan, The Iron Sheik, The British Bulldogs and Andre The Giant. Some of the biggest names in wrestling were there, and it was just incredible.



For me, I had always wanted to travel, get out of California and that was my ticket. I then went to a wrestling camp and had my first match on Thanksgiving Day 1985 in Jerry Jarretts Mid-Southern Wrestling.



What happened to the other three guys who came to the gym?



The others who where there never actually made it in the business. We were then looking for someone else and came across Jim Hellwig who later became the Ultimate Warrior.



Jim came out from Atlanta Georgia, flew to California and went through the last four weeks of this wrestling camp with us and the rest is history.



How did the name Sting come about?



My original name in wrestling was ‘Flash’ but our gimmicks and looks all changed. I wanted something maybe a little bit more edgy so as a matter of fact I named myself Stinger. People call me Sting but it was originally Stinger and people call me both today. I also gave Jim Hellwig his first name, which was ‘The Rock’ so he was the first ‘Rock’.



What was behind the idea of the face paint both you and the Ultimate Warrior wore?



Jim was 280lbs and I was 260lbs, when we started the Road Warriors were such a huge name and we where trying to find a way of making our name and getting our faces out there.



In our book there couldn’t be a better way than going the face paint route and see if we could get the attention of the public and hopefully get matches against the Road Warriors, and I can’t say it was a mistake from either one of us.



You really made a name for yourself in WCW (World Championship Wrestling), what was the highlight for you?



It would have to be all those years leading up to the launch of Monday Nitro [WCW’s flagship show] and we were always the second best wrestling organisation, always number two, second class citizens, never quite as good or big until we landed Monday Nitro.



We then eventually became the number one wrestling organisation. It was good after a decade long battle to become the biggest wrestling organisation in the world and to take it world wide, that was a pretty good feeling.



That then led to some of the biggest matches I ever had including my world championship win over Hulk Hogan at Starcade 1997.



You are the biggest name in wrestling never to have featured in the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), has Vince McMahon ever approached you to join the WWE?



Yeah, several times, and I was close to signing every single time and probably closer than ever this last go earlier in the year in January it was very, very close.



However the rest is history and I have always chosen to stay put. All those years throughout the nineties especially and the early 2000’s I always believed Vince McMahon wanted me more to undercut WCW than he did me as a talent. I was real close but never did do it.





There is a lot of history between you and Hulk Hogan from your time in WCW, both Hogan along with Eric Bishoff joined you in TNA last year. What were your thoughts when those two joined the company?



I had some concerns as we know what happened with WCW. Towards the end I think there were too many hidden agendas and selfish motives by too many people that ultimately ended WCW.



You had two of the big powerhouse names that helped WCW become what it was and then you throw me into the mix as well, and it could be a really good thing or it could be an absolute disaster.



You recently became TNA Champion for the fourth time beating Jeff Hardy in 88 seconds. Do you feel the way you won the belt will tarnish this reign?



There is no other way of saying it but there is a scar there and it’s going to hurt. You had PPV (Pay Per View) companies, you had wrestling fans that paid to see something and they didn’t get to see a match. To cut a long story short it just sucks, and I can’t pretend it doesn’t.



I was sick the way it happened the way it did, but it is something that had to happen and the only thing to do now is move forward.



Do you think there will be a rematch between yourself and Jeff Hardy?



I believe he will come back to TNA. He is too big a superstar not to have around. I know he has a lot of personal issues going on but from what I understand he is getting stronger everyday, mentally, physically and spiritually, everything is on the up and up for him.



Hopefully he will continue and will end up back here. I have always wanted to have that match with Jeff Hardy and I’ve always wanted to tag with him as well. There are so many things that I think will be pretty cool to do with him. So believe it or not I’m routing for him.



TNA has come over to the UK for the past three years as part of their annual tour. Do you think an episode of Impact or even a PPV will be filmed in the UK?



It is something I would like to see happen and it is something I am going to voice my opinion on. I would love to be a part of it and think it would be good for everybody, good for TNA, good for England and good for wrestling fans all over. It is something I believe will happen.



There are currently a number of British wrestlers plying their trade in both WWE and TNA, do you think it will be long before we see a British Heavyweight champion in TNA?



I remember the British invasion from decades ago and it appears to have come full circle. We are seeing more and more Brits coming over and it’s only a matter of time before you see a Brit win the TNA championship. There are at least three here that are outstanding.



Are there any dream matches that you would like to have before you hang up your boots?



I would like to do something with "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero (Elijah Burke), but there are a bunch of guys here in TNA that I would like to wrestle before I retire. It’s quite funny actually because a lot of the younger talent approach me and say ‘I just want to wrestle you one time before you retire’.



As far as the WWE is concerned I would love to step in the ring with the Undertaker, that would be a great match.



TNA Impact is on Challenge TV (Sky 125, Freeview 46, Virgin 139) every Tuesday night at 10pm followed by TNA Xplosion at midnight.

DVD Review WWE Raw The Best of 2010

DVD Review: WWE Raw - The Best Of 2010




WWE’s flagship TV show Raw is perhaps its best known product and is also recognised as the longest running episodic programme on television (clocking up 900 plus episodes to date). This three disc set contains some of the most exciting, imaginative and entertaining things to have happened on the weekly show during 2010.



Raw like its stable mate Smackdown has featured many pay-per-view quality matches over the past few year sand 2010 was a year where the show itself was essential viewing week in week out.



Broken down into monthly chunks this box set has cherry picked the best bits from Raw and put them all in one place, making this perfect for everyone and of course meaning that we can all finally own and re-watch the great action and in-ring entertainment as it unfolded on TV, for the very first time on DVD.



2010 kicked off in style as WWE legend Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart made a return to promotion after a decade , his triumphant return, hatchet burying with arch rival Shawn Michaels and ex-boss Vince McMahon made for great viewing and led to some nice storylines along the way. Of course this was also the year that we bade farewell to Shawn Michaels after his Wrestlemania re-match with Undertaker saw him fall short in ending the Phenom’s winning streak. Featured here are Shawn’s final Raw match and a his retirement speech, plus a nice match with Triple H as DX.



Elsewhere you can once again see how despised heel Randy Orton moved to the good side and became one of the company’s most liked faces in a short space of time. There is the Miz’s unrivalled rise to champion status and the formation and growth of the Nexus faction, all of which paved the way for many of the events that feature here.



Each month gets a quick rundown of highlights and then we see in full some of the events that transpired and often led into the upcoming PPV or next feud for those concerned.



All in all Raw - Best of 2010 has over 20 made for television bouts and each one is a cracker. Ones to watch out for are D-Generation X taking on CM Punk/Luke Gallows and ShowMiz for the Unified Tag team Titles, WWE Champ Sheamus tackling ECW Title Holder Christian, Chris Jericho against Evan Bourne, the King of the Ring final with Sheamus facing John Morrison and many others. There are also nice video pakcages showcasing the Shawn Michaels/Undertaker feud to date, a Piper’s Pit segment featuring Randy Orton and John Cena and a nice finishing piece looking back at the year that was.



The best thing about this DVD set is that even the most ardent of fan won’t have these matches on disc already and that makes them all the more irresistible to have.



WWE Raw The Best of 2010 is available now from www.silvervision.co.uk and all good retailers.



Upcoming releases from Silvervision include:

WWE Survivor Series 2010

WWE Tagged Classics: Wrestle fest ‘88 & ‘90

WWE Live in the UK (recorded November 2010)

WWE Top 50 Superstars of All Time

Paul Bearer comments on his recent WWE appearances

Going back to WWE last September:


"As I always said never say never. The WWE contacted me about coming back and I told them no. Then they had some of my friends (Kane, Undertaker) call me too. After about 6 weeks of this I finally agreed to come back. I didn't want to come back and work the long road schedule. I signed a 6 month contract, knew exactly what they were going to do with my character. It was fun to be back with the boys."



Being abducted by Edge:

"A lot of people kept saying, 'Oh I can't believe Edge hit you with a dodge ball in the head, I can't believe he pour the marinara sauce all of you!' Let me just say (not the I'm bragging) on top of my contract the WWE cut me a bonus check for all of that, I would say that bonus check for just that segment was more than anyone listening would make in a month, so I had no problem with it."



His future involvement with WWE:

"Like I said before, never say never but I'm happy now spending time with my family. I will be at Wrestlemania, not involved with the actual Wrestlemania show but I will be at the WWE Access that happens that weekend and I am looking forward to that!"



Paul also talks about his possible appearance in an upcoming WWE video game (WWE All Stars) and then takes a question from a fan. The question seemed to upset Paul and he quickly left the show. This prompted former WWF Superstar Jim Powers (who was listening to the show) to call into the show and sound off on Paul Bearer, John Cena and a number of other topics!

Former WWE Writer Comments on Sting to WWE!

Former WWE writer Dave Lagana has written about Sting joining WWE on his IWantWrestling.com blog and reveals Sting almost debuted at WrestleMania years ago. Here's what he wrote:




"Sting at Wrestlemania almost happened nine years ago. Wrestlemania 18 will always be remembered for the memorable Hogan vs. Rock battle in Toronto. That event also featured Triple H winning the undisputed World Title from Chris Jericho and Steve Austin facing NWO Scott Hall (w/Kevin Nash). Sting was approached that year to make his WWE debut and wrestle on the big event. Once he was introduced to the brand, it was pitched that at Wrestlemania 18 Sting would face Kurt Angle. If you remember, Kurt was eventually thrown into a match with Kane with little setup. The deal apparently fell apart as Sting wasn’t willing to work the full WWE schedule. Now nine years later, we might finally get to see Sting in WWE.



I’m the biggest proponent of pushing new talent in high profile positions. I see Wade Barrett as one of the shining stars of WWE in 2010. The table is set very nicely for new talents to be featured in main events of Wrestlemania this year with Alberto Del Rio and Miz. But what is lacking that “big fight dream match” to attracts casual fans. Last year we had Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart and Undertaker vs. HBK “Streak vs. Career”; previous years featured Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show, and Trump vs. McMahon. Based on the buzz off this simple 45-second video, the fans are voicing their opinion on what they want out of Wrestlemania 27. I don’t have any answers but we will all find out on 2/21/11. Ask yourself – is Sting vs. Undertaker the dream match you want for this year’s Wrestlemania?"

Sting News

Well informed sources with World Wrestling Entertainment do not believe Steve "Sting" Borden has signed a contract. That's not to say Sting can't sign at some point, but it does not appear as though he has at the moment. It appears Sting is still a free agent as sources within TNA aren't aware of him re-signing with the company. For what it's worth, he's still listed on the TNA website roster page.


If Sting does sign with the WWE he may well be a surprise inductee into the WWE Hall Of Fame or perhaps even an opponent for Undertaker, only time will tell, TNA seem to think he may still appear back there.

WWE Hell In A Cell 2010 DVD Review

WWE Hell In A Cell 2010 DVD Review




By Phil Allely



I have mentioned this before but the new WWE PG rated era has had a knock-on effect on the companies output and general product, cage match and gimmicks have especially suffered at the hands of this new family friendly approach to wrestling. A match such as Hell in a Cell of course is somewhat hampered by the remit of no blood and less violence. Luckily sometimes whilst we all wish for some blood and overt/gratuitous behaviour from our in-ring warriors, there are times we don’t miss it too much after all.



The 2010 HIAC pay-per-view had some really interesting matches on its card, three of them inside the cage. The main one being the ten year anniversary of the first HIAC encounter between Kane and Undertaker. Back then Kane was a non-speaking mask wearing monster who had no compassion or fear. Their meetings then were violent, bloody and awfully entertaining. In 2010 the roles were pretty much reversed as Kane defended his World Heavyweight Championship inside the steel structure, taking on the man whom he has battered, abused and almost dismembered over the past decade (also his storyline brother), Taker was of course realigned with his former manager (Kane’s storyline father) Paul Bearer for this battle.



As is now traditional the match of the night contender opened proceedings, with Daniel Bryan defending his United Sates Championship against John Morrison and the Miz in a ‘triple threat submissions count anywhere’ brawl. This was a fine example of how to work the crowd, showcase your talents and allow the crowd into the bout.



Next up WWE Champion Randy Orton took on former title holder Sheamus in a fairly decent and involving HIAC scrap. Orton carrying the lesser seasoned Irishman to a superb match. Both used the cell to their advantage and you cold certainly feel the brutal blows as they hit them. The chair shots and use of the steel structure were perfectly utilised to elicit the desired reaction from the crowd in this one.



Edge versus Jack Swagger was an impromptu challenge match, the idea behind it being that Edge had flattened the man dressed as an Eagle (Chavo Guerrero) who accompanied Swagger to the ring and Swagger wanted revenge. Both put in good efforts here and of course Edge’s involvement ensure things ran smoothly.



The John Cena and Nexus battle was in flow still and the following match displayed the way the flow of battle was going for the feud. The stipulation being that if John Cena won Nexus disbanded, if he lost however he had to join the invading group of NXT entrants, all he had to do was beat their leader and NXT winner Wade Barrett . The match was fun, exciting and at times hard to call, the finish was well worked out and worth viewing or two to spot fully.



The Unified Divas Championship cat fight between co-champ Michelle McCool and Natalya had its fair share of exciting moments as well, Natalya leading the way for the always improving McCool. McCool’s co-champion Layla hanging about ringside did have an impact on the ending though.



The aforementioned main event was an at times violent and brutal affair, Kane and Taker battering each other about the ring, cage and anywhere else they could. The years may not have been kind to both men, age and wear and tear on their bodies have limited them, but they did put forth a good match. The returning Paul bearer (after a six year break) and his trusty urn were the only downside as the finish came not only out of the blue, but lost the plot with it’s delivery. However that can’t really diminish just how well the PPV played out.



WWE Hell In a Cell 2010 is available now from www.silvervision.co.uk and all good retailers.



The event is available as a single disc DVD and as a double disc Blu-Ray set.

Bret Hart Facebook comments

WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart has a new blog on his Facebook page where he reflects on a busy 2010 for him. Here are some highlights:




"There was some great television moments I had with both Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon. Coming back and doing Monday Night Raw was such a blast from my supposed broken leg by the limo on the ramp to my sister Alison storming out to be a lumberjack at Wrestlemania in Phoenix. It was great returning to WWE and some of my favorite wrestling cities from Austin to Boston and everything in between. To have had the thrill of being in the ring cutting promos with Stone Cold, Undertaker, Shawn, and even Vince again was a dream come true as much for myself as it was for my fans around the world.



I think back to what a thrill it was winning the US Title in Toronto and the wild after hours party with Jericho and Dibiase, Steph and Beans, old pal Don Kolov and his "Russian Mafia" in the wings. The decision to forfeit the US Title came to me that night; the celebrating nearly killed me.



Today, when I see the Miz as the newly crowned WWE champion, the thought doesn't escape me that if I technically beat him to win the US title last spring, could I not come back and try one last time against all odds and somehow take that WWE world title back again? Ahh, that's the beauty of pro wrestling. Never stop dreaming; anything is possible. I smile at the memory of the Hart Dynasty winning the tag titles in April and Natalya fullfilling her childhood dream of winning the Divas title. Summerslam 2010, Madison Square Garden tagging up with the Hart Dynasty against Nexus being cheered on by my granddaughter Kyra, oldest daughter Jade, her boyfriend Kyle, and my lovely wife Steph, for me this was one of 2010 real highlights. I thank everyone in New York who came, especially WWE, for this night in particular. I'd also like to thank all of the wrestlers for letting me join them on the tours in Europe this year

Undertaker: Wrestlemania Plans/Possible Spoilers

The Undertaker was backstage at Tuesday's WWE SmackDown tapings in Alabama and surprised most people when he entered the backstage area.




Taker was mainly there to visit with Michelle McCool but also was there to watch the angle where Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel and Ezekiel Jackson joined Wade Barrett in a new Nexus faction.



Both Jackson and Barrett have been talked about as possible WrestleMania 27 opponents for Taker, with Kane being a candidate also. Jackson and Barrett are likely opponents if due to his health, Taker can't perform like he has in recent years with Shawn Michaels.



The idea would be to put Taker into a match where he keeps his streak in tact but not one where they would attempt to outdo his past two WrestleMania matches.

WWE Smackdown Best of 2009-2010 DVD Review

WWE Smackdown: The Best of 2009-2010 - DVD Review




By Phil Allely



Smackdown has always been noted as being the WWE’s second league TV show (a statement which often is not true at all), following on from its more successful sibling Raw. That said though Smackdown has on many occasions offered its loyal fans a number of exciting and quality matches/angles that are on a par with those on pay-per-view, and better than Raw‘s output. This three disc set has gathered over 20 of these such slices of Smack down ‘gold’ from October 2009-September 2010 and given them a very slick package indeed.



Kicking things off in style the blue brand (as its known) brings back the man whose catch phrase it was named after The Rock, to let rip on a few of the Smackdown roster and liven up the fans as only he could. Each month also has a short run down piece, to give us a feel for what we are about to see and how it came about.



Amongst the other special set-pieces there are highlight sections on the leading lights of the roster, features on specific superstars and great episode of The Cutting Edge (a much missed talk segment with Edge as host).



On the match front the WWE have really spoilt us, there are some huge multi-man match-ups, one in particular sees John Cena, DX (Shawn Michaels and Triple H) and Undertaker take on Randy Orton, Ted DiBiase, Cody Rhodes and CM Punk. Elsewehere there are numerous World and Intercontinental title bouts, steel cage encounters, 2 out of 3 falls brawls, triple threat rules battles and an entertaining combo of Women’s Championship cat fights.



Each match is a quality one and they all do their part to showcase the diversity of the Smackdown crew, for every hard-hitting brawl and text book technical scrap, there is a highflying thriller or an all-out in-ring war, between some of the WWE’s top level players. This just goes to show you that the days of low quality ‘squash’ matches and no on TV title changes, are a thing of the past these days.



This may be one of the best DVD’s the WWE has produced in recent months, collecting the finest matches from Smackdown’s riveting 2009-2010 period is a genius move. Whilst many of us purchase the PPV DVDs and other special releases, we rarely think about recording specific Smackdown or Raw matches and this has done it for us. The fact that wrestling companies now have to show PPV quality match-ups each week is a real bonus for us fans, but having these in this one handy place to re-view at our leisure, and savour once again is a nice move indeed. These featured bouts all bring something different to the table and show the Smackdown brand as a competitive and creative one within the larger WWE organisation, giving ‘Red’ brand Raw a run for its money each and every week on TV and monthly on PPV.



To whet your appetite here are a few highlights from this set, you can see Rey Mysterio versus Batista in a steel cage, join in as Undertaker seeks revenge against CM Punk, eagerly watch Beth Phoenix taking on the team of LayCool in a handicap match, feel the excitement with Kofi Kingston tackling Dolph Ziggler and enjoy Christian facing off against Drew McIntyre, amongst many others.



WWE Smackdown: The Best of 2009-2010 is available now from www.silvervision.co.uk and all good retailers. A special Blu-Ray set is also available featuring added value.



Look out for the following releases coming soon from Silver Vision:

WWE Night of the Champions 2010

Wrestling’s Highest Flyers

WWE Hell in a Cell 2010

The John Cena Experience

Shawn Michael to Referee at Wrestlemania

Rumour has it that the WWE are attempting to lure the retired Shawn Michaels to return to the ring one more time as a special guest referee for the Undertaker's Mania match next year. The assumption is that Michaels could be the guy to screw Taker out of his winning streak at the big event. It is also an a way to replace Brock Lesnar who many thought would either referee the match or indeed take on Taker (after their recent war of words). Of course this all depends on how well Undie recovers from his recent surgery and other injuries.

Kevin Nash hints at WWE Return

by Phil Allely

Former TNA star Kevin Nash (who left the company last month) has been hinting that he wishes to return to the WWE.
Nash had two memorable runs in the WWE and won every major title at the time. He was a founding member of the powerful backstage faction the Clique and still has many powerful friends in the WWE.
Nash's idea has him returning at the Royal Rumble and then facing Undertaker at Wrestlemania, he is said to be willing to fall to Taker's winning streak and even join the Vince McMahon Kiss My ass Club.
Nash is in bad shape, but perhaps his knees could hold out for one more WWE run!

Taker v Lesnar?

After his UFC title loss this week Brock Lesnar had a brief war of words with WWE superstar The Undertaker (who was in attendance), it is long rumoured that the WWE are keen on a Lesnar/Undertaker match and perhaps this could be a catalyst for one.