WWE Roadblock: End of the Line 2016 DVD Review

WWE's last PPV of 2016 is available on DVD now from all reputable home video stockists and we've got the full details of what's included in a snappy review! A RAW branded event , Roadblock: End of the Line 2016 saw the likes of Chris Jericho, Cesaro, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns in action, multiple titles changes hands and a 30 Minute Iron Man Match, but was it any good? Let's take a look.

The best match of the three hours comes first as The New Day's Big E & Kofi Kingston defend their record-breaking RAW Tag Team title run against Cesaro & Sheamus, with the five (incl. Xavier Woods on the outside) fitting a lot of exciting content and a barrel load of near fulls into just ten minutes. Sami Zayn attempting to last ten minutes with Braun Strowman is intriguing on paper, but doesn't quite come together in practice, despite a wonderfully melodramatic babyface performance from Zayn. Seth Rollins v Chris Jericho is a match that you would perhaps label as a show-stealer when looking at the line-up, but unfortunately the duos work here is uninspiring, lacking in tension and anything remotely interesting until the last few minutes. Of course, Rollins and Jericho are both premier technicians, so the wrestling doesn't really put a foot wrong, but there's definitely a sense of the two treading water for fifteen minutes before Kevin Owens makes his inevitable appearance. 

A three-way Cruiserweight title clash between champion Rich Swann and challengers The Brian Kendrick and TJ Perkins is patchy at best, with the three struggling to hit their marks, although it's worth sticking round post-match for the return of Neville. The RAW Women's Championship 30 Minute Iron Man match between Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair is a rewarding experience for anyone willing to stay with the match after an unspectacular start. The second half of the match is brilliantly theatrical, with a pair of top draw performances that make it difficult not to be drawn in. The story twists and turns, keeping clear of a couple of cliches and feeling much more like a sports-based presentation than some of WWE's previous Iron Man efforts. It perhaps wasn't the strongest outing for Banks and Flair throughout the year, but it does cap off their feud rather well...for now. 

The show-closer comes in the shape of United States Champion Roman Reigns getting a shot at Kevin Owens' Universal Championship in a long-winded plodding encounter. The contest suffers in a similar way to Rollins v Jericho, seemingly waiting for the right moment to get going, without ever actually reaching that moment, producing just enough to hold your attention but rarely rewarding you for sticking out the 23 minutes. The finish is unacceptable for such a lengthy match, even if Chris Jericho and Seth Rollins' reappearance does end the event as a whole on a high. 

Special Feature 

The single special feature is the Kick-Off match, Big Cass v Rusev, which quite honestly might as well have been left off the release, it's a dull brawl with another shoddy finish. 

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 5.48/10 

One of the weaker PPVs of 2016, Roadblock: End of the Line 2016 is littered with hackneyed booking and lacklustre performances. The opener over the RAW Tag Team titles is the best match on display, closely followed by the Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks' Iron Man Match. Looking at the card, it's difficult to argue against their being a degree of unfulfilled potential with the show, considering that Rollins v Jericho should have been a humdinger and Reigns and Owens had a much better match just a month later at Royal Rumble. 

Review - James Marston

Twitter - @ATPWrestling 

Facebook - /acrossthepondwrestling 

Instagram - @ATPWrestling

WWE The Best of RAW and SmackDown Live 2016 DVD Review

Across 2016, there was a number of changes across WWE's two major TV shows, as RAW and SmackDown (Live) were separated into two distinct brands in July. Of course, that means that the 2016 edition of this regular "Best of" release produces one of the most varied cross-section of a WWE year, as we jump from RAW and SmackDown running the same storylines on Monday and Thursday nights to two parallel live shows on Monday and Tuesday. Jerry "The King" Lawler host this year's compilation, with the likes of John Cena, Chris Jericho, Triple H, Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, The Miz, Cesaro, Mick Foley, Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins all spotlighted at some across the six hours plus of footage. 2016 might have been eventful, but is The Best of RAW and SmackDown Live 2016 any good? Let's have a look! 

Jerry Lawler is our host for proceedings but he only turns up twice on each disc, probably talking for about ten minutes all together, he isn't all that necessary and I would've preferred to have some interlinking narration between each month instead. After each month's chosen matches or moments have played out, there's a highlight vignette looking at the rest of the month, which does as good a job as a video trying to squash 20 plus hours into 3 minutes can. I'm not sure that these couldn't have been better utilised at the start of each month, although perhaps a chronological timeline that jumped out for full matches or segments would have worked even better. 

January - We begin with Charlotte defends the Divas Championship against Becky Lynch, in a match, that whilst is technically solid, struggles to grab the Laredo audience, making it a questionable choice to kick things off with. In another match that has it's moments, but plays out in front of a mostly uninterested New Orleans as Kalisto challenges for Alberto Del Rio's United States title. 

February - Daniel Bryan's "I Am Grateful" retirement speech is still an emotional watch over a year on. Bryan's natural understated charisma manages to add to his heartfelt promo, whilst being in front of what he calls his hometown crowd in Seattle makes for some spine-tingly, eye-watery viewing. AJ Styles and Chris Jericho's rematch is the first properly good match, as the Portland crowd laps up the physical back and forth action, as the duo put on a match on par with their WrestleMania outing a few months later. Shane McMahon's return  is included in full (apart from Vince saying fuck, obviously) and in all it's Vincent K. McMahon Legacy of Excellence award glory. Honestly, this is a fantastic piece of television in general, as Shane, Vince and Stephanie bounce off each other and get the audience hanging off their every word.

March - The shortlived Y2AJ tag team battling The New Day's Big E & Kofi Kingston over WWE Tag Team Championships is a real forgotten gem, followed up by a brilliant tag split angle that has some interesting parralels to Jericho's current storyline with Kevin Owens. A super-rare televised bout for then WWE World Heavyweight Champion Triple H opposite Dolph Ziggler plays out in front of a Pittsburgh crowd that doesn't seem to be buying what The Game is selling, but does include a couple of nice near falls for The Show Off. Roman Reigns post-match return and torrential attack on the Champ is much more entertaining, but still did little to win over the audience to the story. AJ Styles and Kevin Owens give us a taster of what they could do together in the ring, but their match on the RAW after was a better outing and would have been much better suited for the set.

April - Apollo Crews' debut squash of Tyler Breeze  is a strange addition, but Sami Zayn vs. AJ Styles from a week later is expectedly good, with the pair showing great chemistry as they weave a compelling story that concludes with a series of exciting near falls, as Styles continues to be the MVP of the release.

May - There's a decent tag bout with Kevin Owens & The Miz facing Cesaro & Sami Zayn, that focuses heavily on the relationships between the four characters ahead of their instant classic Fatal Fourway at Extreme Rules. The wonderful altercation between AJ Styles and John Cena from Memorial Day still brings a smile to my face because of the sheer energy and excitement that Green Bay brought. Cena and Styles could have simply stood in the ring and looked at each other for fifteen minutes and it would have been gold, this was a vital cog in the wheel that was their magnificent 16/17 feud.

June - A segment with The New Day interacting with Enzo & Cass is mostly innuendo regarding the potential infidelity of Xavier Woods' trombone, which is nice. It's followed up by the two teams joining forces against The Club and The Vaudevillains in a well-paced outing, that's let down by a scrappy finish. An intriguing six man tag with Dean Ambrose, Cesaro and Sami Zayn taking on Kevin Owens, Alberto Del Rio and Chris Jericho is a little disappointing considering the wealth and depth of talent in the ring, but does a solid job of creating issues ahead of the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. 

July  - As the brands split, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose put on an explosive World title bout on the first SmackDown Live, full of urgency from the very beginning and with a physical brawling style throughout. Sasha Banks challenging for the RAW Women's Championship against Charlotte comes from one of the strongest episodes of RAW from 2016 and was arguably the match of the night from that show from Pittsburgh. The match builds logically towards its conclusion with each moment feeling like it directly rolls into the next, before coming to a close with a great slice of submission wrestling, all in front of a hot crowd. From that same episode, Finn Balor v Roman Reigns, for the chance to wrestle Seth Rollins over the first Universal Championship, is a strong example of taking two opposing style and meshing them together to create a story that an audience can invest in. Back on SmackDown, a #1 contender's six man scramble, featuring Bray Wyatt, Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, AJ Styles and John Cena, sticks to the one in one out pattern for the most part, but does offer some intriguing combinations and an exciting finish. 

August - Bayley's RAW debut is a lovely moment, with the crowd seeming genuinely happy to see Mick Foley introduce the former NXT Women's Champion, however, it's Charlotte Flair who makes the most of the segment with some great one-liners, before Bayley battles Dana Brooke in an extended squash. Another big 2016 call-up saw American Alpha's Chad Gable & Jason Jordan jump to SmackDown and their SmackDown Tag Team Championship Quarter Final with Breezango is a surprisingly balanced outing as both sides play their roles well in what may be the sleeper contest of the set. Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins and Big Cass battling over the vacant Universal Championship is probably the most memorable RAW match from the year, full of dramatic twists and turns, including the return of Triple H. The booking is perhaps questionable, but in a vacuum this is brilliant multi-man bout, with quality performances from all four and a shocking conclusion. 

September - The Cruiserweights arrive on RAW, which is unfortunately means we get Mick Foley butchering a promo on their return, before reading out his introductions off a piece of paper. Luckily, Rich Swann, Gran Metalik, Cedric Alexander and The Brian Kendrick, put on a fun aerial display, that gives each guy an opportunity to display their style. The Miz and Dolph Ziggler's verbal duel in their hometown, in front of their parents, is expertly put together and has a breathtaking crescendo as the wheels are set in motion for their No Mercy barnburner.

October - Michael Cole introduces Goldberg's comeback, in which the former World Heavyweight Champion discusses how much he loves kids and looks menacing for a little while. Dean Ambrose v AJ Styles is a solid encounter, with the pair working past a lack of real chemistry, that is unfortunately cut short by James Ellsworth just as it seems to be finding it's groove. 

November - Alexa Bliss challenging Becky Lynch for the SmackDown Women's Championship starts hot, but quickly cools in front of a Glasgow audience who seem to get bored and things aren't helped by a screwy finish. Fortunately, the set concludes with a very good Falls Count Anywhere match over the RAW Women's Championship as the Sasha Banks v Charlotte Flair feud rolled on, in a bout full of creativity, physical wrestling and strikes and two world class performances.

December - There was no December 2016.

Finally...

ATPW Scale Rating - 6.71/10 

Set in a Sentence - A very strong collection of matches and moments from 2016 and with a few exceptions, this three disc set manages to cherry-pick from the higher end of WWE's television output throughout the year. 

Review -  James Marston

Twitter - @ATPWrestling 

Facebook - /acrossthepondwrestling 

Instagram - @ATPWrestling

DVD Review: WWE Money in the Bank 2016 - Seth Rollins v Roman Reigns 6

WWE Money in the Bank 2016 is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray, from WWEDVD, Amazon, Base and all reputable home video outlets, priced £12-£23 on DVD. The release features the full Money in the Bank PPV, with around 3 hours of wrestling content, which unfortunately means there is no space for any special features on the disc. However, there is Seth Rollins challenging Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship, John Cena battling AJ Styles, a Six Man Ladder Match for the eponymous Money in the Bank contract featuring Chris Jericho, Cesaro, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Dean Ambrose and Alberto Del Rio and more, so this disc has to be well worth the money from your bank, right? 

The main event has Roman Reigns putting the World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Seth Rollins in a very good contest. The pair work to the crowd, keeping true to their characters, whilst playing towards the mostly anti-Reigns audience, which makes for a much more satisfying story. The action flows well throughout, with a number of big spots and pacy sequences and reversal, as well as a handful of strong false finishes. The show ends with the most sign-posted swerve, as the Money in the Bank winner heads down to ringside (Ummm...if for some reason you didn't want spoilers, sorry about the front cover of the DVD!) 

John Cena and AJ Styles first ever clash, in the semi-main is arguably the match of the night, as the pair wrestle a clever contest. Styles dominates Cena and always appears to have an answer for The Cenation Leader's signature offence, with this becoming the bouts main narrative thread. The finish leaves things open for a future rematch, and with the duo seemingly never breaking into their top gear here, but doing more than enough to get the Las Vegas crowd whipped into a frenzy, that will be something you should be very excited about come the conclusion of the match. 

Rounding off the upper-card, Chris Jericho, Cesaro, Sami Zayn, Alberto Del Rio, Kevin Owens and Dean Ambrose battle in a Six Man Ladder Match, with the Money in the Bank contract on the line in a fun spot-laden contest. The best spots of the match comes from rivals Zayn and Owens who get to continue their feud with some nasty moments, whilst Cesaro puts in the contest's strongest performance. The final few minutes felt a little anti-climactic, with a construction of ladders never quite living up to the initial excitement, meaning that the finish seemed to be missing something. 

The mid-card is highlighted by a stellar Fatal Four-Way Tag Team match, that sees Enzo & Cass, The Vaudevillains and Gallows & Anderson all going after The New Day's Tag Team Championship. After Enzo & Cass and The New Day cut comedic promos, the match keeps a good pace, with some sterling booking and featuring a variety of exciting sequence and spots, involving all eight men. Baron Corbin taking on Dolph Ziggler has some lovely moments where the two appear to be clicking, but also features some slip ups and an awkward ending. Things aren't help by the audience, who whilst beginning to warm in the final stages, are mostly silent for the first two thirds of the bout, apart from a mild "Boring" chant a few minutes in. 

Natalya and Becky Lynch team against Women's Champion Charlotte and protege Dana Brooke in a decent bout, but it's the post-match shenanigans that are the most interesting part. It takes a while Sheamus and Apollo Crews to get going in their bout, but the match develops into a hard-hitting scrap that features some big spots and a sweet finish. Rusev defending the United States Championship against Titus O'Neil, starts off well with a brawl on the outside, but it quickly becomes clear that O'Neil is out of his depth as he struggles to keep up the pace in what is the worst match on the card. 

Finally...

ATPW Home Video Rating - 6.51/10 

This is a good supercard offering from WWE, with all three of the marquee bouts delivering enjoyable and entertaining outings, whilst the Tag Team Championship match provides the under-card's best action. As far as WWE B-Shows go, this one is probably the most worthy of your DVD shelves, as not only does it contains good quality action, but there's also two World Heavyweight Championship changes and it's also the final supercard before RAW and Smackdown were split in the WWE Draft and numerous new titles began to be added. Although there's no special features, which means we miss The Golden Truth going over Breezango and The Lucha Dragons getting the best of The Dudley Boyz from the Kick-Off show, the disc doesn't really miss them 

Words - James Marston 
Special Thanks to - FreemantleMedia International and Fetch Publicity

DVD Review: WWE The Attitude Era Vol. 3 "Unreleased" - Match Compilation

WWE's latest home video release is the third installment in The Attitude Era series, available as either a 3 disc DVD or 2 disc Blu-Ray set. With never before seen matches from house shows, after TV and PPV tapings and unique settings like Kuwait City and Wall Street, featuring the likes of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker would the release be a festival of buried treasure or would it have been better off left in the vaults? Let's take a look. 

Disc One - Steve Austin v Shawn Michaels 

Corey Graves is an interesting choice to host, but if instantly starts to make sense as he brings an enthusiastic and energetic approach to his parts of the set, adding context to each and every match. There's also some GTV style skits, with Graves talking to various backstage hands, about either the upcoming or previous match, which whilst not always being a home run, does bring some variety to proceedings. 

The headline bout from Disc One is a superb World Heavyweight title match between "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels (Kuwait Cup 1996 - Day 5), that is only harmed by the lights cutting out for a minute or so. The action is spotless throughout, with the crowd ridiculously hot for Michaels, helped along by some brilliant heel work from Austin. From the same show, The British Bulldog teaming with Owen Hart against The Undertaker and Bret "Hitman" Hart in a true spectacle, because if the crowd were hot for Austin v Michaels, they are nuclear for this. There's a serious amount of stalling here, but because the crowd are so into even the smallest moment it's fascinating viewing, with the competitors building the bout to a satisfying conclusion. 

Bret Hart and Austin put together an excellent house show contest in Germany, playing to each others strengths and taking the crowd on a nice journey. It's a shame that the only footage available is single ringside camera, as it's near impossible to do the action justice this way and like many matches on this set the viewing experience is heavily effected. Another Austin contest sees him in action against Undertaker in a good match from Madison Square Garden, with the pair taking on similar roles to the previous Austin bouts mentioned. The finish is a bit of disappointment however as Mankind, Shawn Michaels and Goldust all make run in appearances.

In a first-time meeting between the two, there's an instant spark in Undertaker's dark main event against Mankind from In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies. The audience is all about Undertaker, but the new-comer does more than enough to impress taking some bruising bumps on outside in the bouts final straight. Goldust challenging for Shawn Michael's World Heavyweight title is a bizarre bout, full of odd sexual stuff from both men, seen in the cold light of 2016 it's easy to question both the performance and crowd allegiance throughout (In Your House 11: Buried Alive Dark match). Owen Hart v The Ultimate Warrior, taken from the same MSG show as the infamous Curtain Call, is a frustrating watch as Hart bumps around for Warrior, whilst Warrior no-sells pretty much all of Hart's offence. Shawn Michaels and Mankind round of the disc, with a short dark main event from In Your House 12: It's Time, that has some clever moments but doesn't get the chance to reach top gear.

Disc Two - Hunter Hearst Helmsley v Steve Austin

After seeing Austin work heel on Disc 1, it's brilliant to see him flip the coin in a superb match with "Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley in MSG, just a week before capturing the World Heavyweight title at WrestleMania. The crowd plays a major part once again, reacting to every little movement from Austin, Helmsley and Chyna, as Helmsley does his best Ric Flair impression en route to an electric finish. A triple threat dark main event from Monday Night RAW, with Shawn Michaels defending the World Heavyweight title against Sycho Sid and Bret Hart is much more of a curiosity than a classic encounter. There's some decent action, but HBK just seems to be dicking around and Sid was never the slickest of wrestlers, interference from Austin and Canadian professional boxer George Chuvalo add to the trippy feel of the fight. 

A decent Intercontinental Championship clash between The Rock and Ken Shamrock from a California house show, starts of strong and steadily heads towards being an utter mess by the time the finish comes. The two have enough chemistry in the ring to slowly build the crowds interest and the Arrowhead Pond goes nuts for Shamrock taking out Rock's fellow Nation of Domination members, but when the ending is head scratching once it's eventually explained by the announcer. The Nation are featured in an Eight Man Tag dark main event from RAW is WAR, Rock, Faarooq, Kama Mustafa and D'Lo Brown face Austin, Cactus Jack, Chainsaw Charlie and The Undertaker in a match that is everything you'd want it to be and concludes with a marvelous hot tag. 

Back at MSG, Triple H takes a limited Big Show to a surprisingly solid bout, that could've done without Show no-selling being pushed into the ring post! On that same note, a Falls Count Anywhere contest between Cactus Jack and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn is wall to wall entertainment with an appreciative MSG crowd boosting the hardcore antics. Rounding off the second disc and the main feature is a standard tag match between The Dudley Boyz and T&A, that's boosted by taking place in the middle of Wall Street. 

Disc Three - Legion of Doom v D-Generation X

Legion of Doom v D-Generation X's Triple H & Shawn Michaels is a legitimate dream match, that only a handful of people got to see, however a Nassau Colliseum house show clash between the two teams is on Disc 3 and for the most part it's as glorious as you'd want it to be. The action is surprisingly slick for the time, with a red hot crowd helping to push Animal towards the eventual hot tag, after plenty of dastardly tricks from Michaels, Triple H and Chyna, it's a shame that this is a house show bout as the match falls apart in the closing stages thanks to some slapdash booking. A Sky Dome house World Heavyweight title clash between "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Undertaker doesn't match the quality of the Disc 1 contest, with a crowd that seems to be neither here or there on either guy, probably not helped by Taker's odd relationship with manager Paul Bearer. There's some funny heckling from the crowd whilst Austin's got a headlocked cinched in and a slick finish, but most of the clash is disappointingly average.

There's shenanigans a plenty in an "Unsanctioned" six man tag match with World Tag Team Champions The New Age Outlaws & Intercontinental Champion The Rock going up against Cactus Jack, Chainsaw Charlie & Steve Austin from a house show at the Continental Airlines Arena. Lots of fun weapon spots and brawling and plenty of Stunners are unfortunately let down by the only footage coming from a dodgy ringside camera that spends far too much time being pointed at the ring apron. Another Triple H v Austin contest is included and it's easy to tell that the match is from the same run of house shows as the previous encounter, it's almost move for move identical. It's cool to see how the Arrowhead Arena pops differently to MSG, but some more weak ringside footage make for frustrating viewing at times.  

A Falls Count Anywhere tag bout pitting The Rock & D'Lo Brown against The Undertaker & Steve Austin at MSG is a solid main event style brawl, with plenty of antics, many weapon shots, as well as Faarooq, Kama Mustafa and Goldust all getting involved in the bouts conclusion. Again the ringside camera let's the action down, missing some important spots in the contest, including the finish itself! A third Austin v Undertaker clash over the World Heavyweight title at MSG has it's moments, including a superb false finish, but feels more than a little short, alongside poor footage that has big chunks missing. A lethargic match between Austin and Goldust from In Your House 12: It's Time is neither man's shining achievement, with a flat crowd barely lifted by Hunter Hearst Helmsley's involvement.

A short scrappy dark match from a Syracuse RAW is WAR with The Nation of Domination's Faarooq, Savio Vega and Crush against Goldust, The Undertaker and Ahmed Johnson is notable mainly for PG-13's awful pre-match rap. Yokozuna's last ever singles match is a cool inclusion and the only match to include commentary across the entire three discs, although the match with The Sultan in Sun City, South Africa is far from a classic. The set concludes with another tag bout from Wall Street with The Hardy Boyz having a solid encounter with the short-lived Lo Down pairing of D'Lo Brown and Chaz.

Finally...

ATPW Scale DVD Rating - 5.99/10 

Attitude Era Vol. 3 is a good home video release, with a number of fun and exciting matches, aided by the fact the bouts have previously only been seen by a relatively small audience. The first disc is the strongest of the three, housing Austin v Michaels, Bulldog & Hart v Undertaker & Hart,, Hart v Austin and Undertaker v Mankind, all of which are top drawer contests. There's gems to be found on the last two disc also like the two Austin v Helmsley matches and Legion of Doom v DX, but the good to great matches definitely become few and far between as the set draws on. The beauty of the set though is that even the average bouts have a novelty factor about them that draws you in. 

If you're expecting TV quality footage, then for the most part you're going to be disappointing, as while the dark matches tend to be produced well, the vast majority of the house show bouts (especially on the final disc) are filmed by a single ringside camera that seems to be operated by a gibbon. Other elements like no commentary may be an issue for some people. I'm surprised that no commentary was filmed especially for the set to help bring extra context to some of the encounters, beyond Corey Graves' introductions. 

In the days of the WWE Network, it's difficult for WWE Home Video to offer value for money in it's release, because a large portion of WWE's tape library is already available on demand. This is a neat way of getting around that, by offering a wealth of footage that will be completely new to most of the audience, about one of the most popular periods in the companies history, the fact that there is some great matches included across the set is a big bonus! Well worth part with your cash if you get the opportunity. 

This release is available from WWEDVD, Amazon, Base, Blackwell's and ebay.  

All content - James Marston 
Special Thanks - WWE Home Video UK and Fetch Publicity. 

DVD Review: WWE Royal Rumble 2016

WWE Royal Rumble 2016 is out on DVD and Blu-Ray now in the UK. You can order here at WWEDVD.co.uk and all other reputable Home Video stockists. Broadcast live on PPV (and on the WWE Network) from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, USA on 24th January 2016. The show features Roman Reigns defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against 29 other men including Chris Jericho, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Dean Ambrose in the main event Royal Rumble match. The DVD edition includes five other matches featuring the likes of Kevin Owens, Becky Lynch, Dean Ambrose and Charlotte in prominent bouts. Commentary on the disc is provided by John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Michael Cole and Bryon Saxton.

royal rumble 2016 dvd match card

Main Feature

Match 1 – Last Man Standing for WWE Intercontinental Championship

Dean Ambrose (C) vs. Kevin Owens

Match 2 – Tag Team for WWE Tag Team Championship

The New Day: Big E & Kofi Kingston with Xavier Woods vs. The Usos: Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso

Match 3 – Singles for WWE United States Championship

Alberto Del Rio © vs. Kalisto 

Match 4 – Singles for WWE Diva's Championship

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte © with Ric Flair 

Match 5 – Royal Rumble for WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Roman Reigns © vs. Rusev vs. AJ Styles vs. Tyler Breeze vs. Curtis Axel vs. Chris Jericho vs. Kane vs. Goldust vs. Ryback vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Titus O'Neil vs. Luke Harper vs. Stardust vs. The Big Show vs. Neville vs. Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Erick Rowan vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Jack Swagger vs. The Miz vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus vs. Triple H

Special Features 

Match 6 – Tag Team Fatal Four-Way to qualify for the Royal Rumble

The Dudley Boyz: Bubba Ray Dudley & D-Von Dudley vs. “The World's Strongest Man” Mark Henry & “A Real American” Jack Swagger vs. Damien Sandow & Darren Young vs. The Ascension: Konnor & Viktor (taken from WWE Royal Rumble 2016 Kick-Off)

main feature 

Royal Rumble 2016 begins with a brilliant Last Man Standing match between Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens over the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Both men put in strong performances in a spot-based encounter that builds and builds towards it's finish. Following this there's a good tag team match with The New Day's Kofi Kingston and Big E opposite The Usos, that is highlighted by a pacy spot sequence in the final third of the match. The main problem the bout has is that the crowd is ready for a New Day babyface turn and possibly a reverse for their opponents. 

The WWE United States Championship match between Alberto Del Rio and Kalisto is let down by a couple of missed spots and a particularly sloppy finish. However, for the most part the pair work quite well together in the ring and the match has a handful of believable near falls. Becky Lynch's challenge for Charlotte's WWE Diva's Championship features some top class wrestling between the pair who work hard for each other throughout the match. Ric Flair's actions on the outside of the ring, including his involvement in a fairly flat finish stop the match from becoming as good as it should have been, but the surprise following the match makes up for this. 

Of course, The Royal Rumble match takes up a large section of the show, going for over an hour, but it's structured well-enough that the match rarely feels like a drag. The opening ten minutes or so in particular are a great watch, with the debut of AJ Styles' getting a massive reaction from the Amway Center. Roman Reigns' trying to hold onto his WWE World Heavyweight Championship is obviously the major storyline throughout the bout, and the story takes a number of obvious turns throughout the match, disappointingly showing a real lack of creativity and imagination. 

However, there are various points in the match that feature clever pieces of booking, showing a knowledge of the audience and managing to keep the crowd involved in the action and push heat into the correct places. A personal highlight, that I suppose wouldn't be for everybody, is R-Truth's mid-match comedy spot, that still managed to get a little chuckle out of me on the second viewing. The matches other main thread is the action involving The Wyatt Family and Brock Lesnar, which again felt like a little bit of miscue in terms of the booking, with the action never quite seeming as good as it could have been. Luckily, however, the matches closing straight is a thrilling couple of minutes, that have the crowd hooked, allowing the match and the show to end on a high point. 

special feature

The only added extra on the disc is a Fatal-Four Way tag bout involving The Dudley Boyz, The Ascension, Damien Sandow & Darren Young and Mark Henry & Jack Swagger attempting to earn spots in the Royal Rumble match in a surprisingly fun outing, that is unfortunately let down by a lack of clarity in it's sloppy finishing sequence.

finally...

atpw dvd rating - 6.80/10

Not without it's problems, the first big show of 2016 is a stellar watch from start to finish. Each match has a reason to check it out, with the opening Last Man Standing match and the Royal Rumble bout standing out as the two strongest matches on the show. If you're looking to add to your PPV collection, then the Royal Rumble 2016 get's my recommendation, for sure.

DVD Review: WWE NXT Greatest Matches Vol. 1 (Match Compilation)

WWE's NXT Greatest Vol. 1 is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray, available from www.wwedvd.co.uk and all reputable home video stockists. The three disc DVD features 18 of the best matches from the history of WWE's NXT brand, including Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville from NXT Takeover: R-Evolution. There's also appearances from Cesaro, Kevin Owens, Sasha Banks, Seth Rollins, Natalya, Finn Balor, Bayley, Charlotte, Bo Dallas and Jinder Mahal. Commentary is provided by Byron Saxton, Jim Ross, William Regal, Brad Maddox, Alex Riley, Tensai/Jason Alberts, Rich Brennan, Renee Young, Corey Graves and Michael Cole.

nxt greatest matches vol. 1 match listing

Match 1 – WWE NXT Championship Gold Rush Tournament Final – Jinder Mahal vs. Seth Rollins (taken from WWE NXT #11)

Match 2 – WWE NXT Championship – Seth Rollins © vs. Big E Langston (taken from WWE NXT #30)

Match 3 – Singles – Bray Wyatt with The Wyatt Family: Erick Rowan & Luke Harper vs. “Y2J” Chris Jericho (taken from WWE NXT #46)

Match 4 – WWE NXT Women's Championship – Emma vs. Paige (taken from WWE NXT #56)

Match 5 – Two out of Three Falls – Sami Zayn vs. Antonio Cesaro (taken from WWE NXT #62)

Match 6 – Singles – Antonio Cesaro vs. William Regal (taken from WWE NXT #80 - Rewind)

Match 7 – WWE NXT Championship Ladder – Adrian Neville vs. Bo Dallas © (taken from WWE NXT ArRival)

Match 8 – WWE NXT Women's Championship Tournament Final – Charlotte with Ric Flair vs. Natalya with Bret “The Hitman” Hart (taken from WWE NXT Takeover)

Match 9 – Singles – Sami Zayn vs. Tyson Kidd (taken from WWE NXT #119)

Match 10 – WWE NXT Championship – Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville © (taken from WWE NXT Takeover: R-Evolution)

Match 11 – WWE NXT Women's Championship Fatal-Fourway – Bayley vs. Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte © (taken from WWE NXT Takeover: Rival)

Match 12 – WWE NXT Championship – Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn © (taken from WWE NXT Takeover: Rival)

Match 13 – Singles – Adrian Neville vs. WWE Tag Team Champion Cesaro (taken from WWE NXT Live)

Match 14 – Singles – Hideo Itami vs. Tyler Breeze (taken from WWE NXT Live)

Match 15 – Six Person Tag Team – Carmella, Colin Cassady & Enzo Amore vs. Alexa Bliss & WWE NXT Tag Team Champions Blake & Murphy (taken from WWE NXT #151)

Match 16 – WWE NXT Championship – Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens © (taken from WWE Live in Tokyo: Beast in the East)

Match 17 – WWE NXT Women's Championship – Bayley vs. Sasha Banks © (taken from WWE NXT Takeover: Brooklyn)


Match 18 – Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Final – Baron Corbin & Rhyno vs. Samoa Joe & WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor (taken from NXT Takeover: Respect)

disc one

The set begins with the first ever NXT Championship match, which acts as a showcase for Seth Rollins as he faces off against Jinder Mahal. There are hints at things to come for the brand, with contest telling a nice story and featuring a handful big spots, as well as some blinding commentary from Jim Ross and William Regal. Another title match follows with Rollins putting the belt on the line against Big E Langston in a very different kind of match, with even more emphasis on storytelling in an overcoming the odds type of affair. Bray Wyatt then more than holds his own with the veteran Chris Jericho, but it's clear that something is being held back here as NXT continues to grow. The first NXT Women's Championship is next with Paige and Emma scrapping over the belt in an okay match. There are a couple of nice near falls peppered throughout, although it's nowhere near the level of bout that we'd see from the brand later on it's growth. 

The first really good bout on the set is Sami Zayn and Antonio Cesaro's Two out of Three Falls match, which features two competitors with an amazing in-ring chemistry. Considering that this is the bout that began to put NXT on the map, it's fitting to see it included here, even if it's perhaps not as special a match as many stated at the time. For me, the bout between Cesaro and William Regal is a better match in almost every aspect. Technicality, story-telling, physicality and selling are all spot-on here as the set really begins to get going at the end of Disc 1. 

disc two

The second disc begins with an underrated ladder match over the NXT Championship between Bo Dallas and Adrian Neville, that presents a lot of fun moments. The pair pull out some stellar spots and string together a nice narrative, and manage to get a massive reaction out of Full Sail Arena come the finish. A special appearance before hand from Shawn Michaels is also included in full. More Hall of Famers are up next as Bret Hart and Ric Flair are in their relatives corner for the first good Women's match of the set between Natalya and Charlotte. As you'd expect this one is full of submissions, with the two women exchange holds really well throughout. 

Sami Zayn and Tyson Kidd have a fairly straight forward match next, that whilst solid and smooth probably doesn't merit it's place on the set. There is, of course, no argument against the inclusion of Zayn's NXT Championship bout with Adrian Neville that is arguable the best (male?) match since the brands inception. It's a superb clash, full of nuances that die-hard wrestling fans will cream over, whilst still managing to remain exciting for the more casual fans. The great mixture of the duos indy skills and their learnings from NXT, everything the pair do is super smooth and silky. If that weren't enough a hot, hot, Full Sail Arena is on hand to provide a brilliant soundscape. 

There's brief video packages placed a various points throughout the set, but my favourite has to be the one looking at the "Four Horsewomen" that does a neat job of introducing the next bout. Of course, that would be the Four Way for the NXT Women's Championship featuring Bayley, Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Sasha Banks in a clash that showcases all four of the women's talents perfectly. There's lots of twist and turns throughout, plenty of stellar near falls and most importantly of all, a satisfying finish! 

disc three

The final disc begins with NXT showing it's willingness to take risks in a very different kind of NXT Championship match between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. There's some beautiful drama here, propelled by killer performances by both Owens and Zayn. When removed from the context of it's show, the match somehow becomes even better than it was originally. An exclusive match between Adrian Neville and Cesaro, from an NXT live event, is everything that I wanted it to be a more. The two make use of the unique arena environment and also produce some brilliant back and forth wrestling that has the crowd going ape-shit by the finish. Another live event match between Tyler Breeze and Hideo Itami is also include and whilst it's not as strong as the Neville-Cesaro clash there is still a handful of great strikes sequences. 

A six person tag pitting Carmella, Colin Cassady and Enzo Amore against Alexa Bliss, Blake and Murphy is an enjoyable jaunt, that exhibits just how over the Enzo and Big Cass act became. Finn Balor's NXT Championship match with Owens then takes things back up a notch or two, in an awesome match. Owens and Balor work the Japanese crowd into a frenzy, knowing exactly what buttons to press to get the reactions that they want. The wrestling is physical and the near falls are paced very well with the contest building to a natural conclusion. 

Arguably the best match of the set is next as Bayley and Sasha Banks take to the stage for their NXT Women's Championship match in Brooklyn. The two characters fit perfectly together and the performers use this to drive what is a compelling contest. The duo barely put a foot wrong and manage to produce a number of memorable moments, before the conclusion pops the roof off the Barclays Center. The set concludes with a decent tag team bout with Balor and Samoa Joe facing Baron Corbin and Rhyno in the Final of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Whilst it's not as red-hot as some of the previous matches on the set, there is a brilliant performance from Balor who owns every second he is on screen.

finally...

atpw dvd rating - 7.42/10

If you've been paying attention over the last four years then you surely knew that this was going to be a great DVD, right? I mean, even the matches that aren't exactly home-runs (most of the earlier bouts on the set) are well worth their inclusion, because of including titles changes or major shifts in the presentation of the product. The addition of two never-before-aired bouts from live events only helps to improve the coolness of the set, by not just being rare bouts, but also being bloody good. 

There may be matches that I'd have liked to have seen make it onto the DVD (a few matches from the Tag Team division perhaps?) but with this being Volume 1, I suppose the producers had to leave matches for upcoming volumes of the series! And therefore, my only gripe about the set, isn't really a gripe at all.

If you're a wrestling fan (and certainly if you're a big NXT mark) then you know you need to get your hands on this. Yeah, the best matches are available on the WWE Network, but to have them all in one easy to access place, with never before seen matches and early NXT bouts not available on the Network yet, is surely worth the extra cost? You know it makes sense. 

DVD Review: WWE Best PPV Matches 2015 (Match Compilation)

WWE's Best PPV Matches 2015 is out now on DVD, available from www.wwedvd.co.uk and all reputable home video stockists. The three disc DVD set features sixteen matches from WWE's PPV exploits between January and October 2015! Matches include Seth Rollins defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Dean Ambrose in a Ladder Match, The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar doing battle inside Hell in a Cell, Rollins, Lesnar and John Cena in triple threat action over the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, the first ever Tag Team Elimination Chamber as The New Day defend the WWE Tag Team Championships against The Prime Time Players, Los Matadores, Cesaro & Tyson Kidd, The Ascension and Lucha Dragons, Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns challenging Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a Fatal Four-way, Randy Orton, Neville, Kane, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, Sheamus and Roman Reigns going at it in the Money in the Bank Contract Ladder Match, Undertaker and Brock Lesnar main eventing SummerSlam and Kevin Owens challenging for John Cena's WWE United States Championship.

best ppv matches 2015 match card

Match 1 – WWE World Heavyweight Championship – John Cena vs. Seth Rollins w/J & J Security vs. Brock Lesnar © w/Paul Heyman – WWE Royal Rumble 2015 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvannia, USA - 25^th January 2015)

Match 2 – WWE World Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender's – Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns – WWE Fastlane 2015 (Memphis, Tennesee, USA - 22^nd January 2015)

Match 3 – WWE United States Championship – “Hero to the Russian Federation” Rusev © w/”The Ravishing Russian” Lana vs. John Cena - WWE WrestleMania 31 (Santa Clara, California, USA - 29^th March 2015)

Match 4 – WWE World Heavyweight Championship – Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman (vs. Seth Rollins) – WWE WrestleMania 31 (Santa Clara, California, USA - 29^th March 2015)

Match 5 – WWE Tag Team Championship – The New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) w/Xavier Woods vs. Cesaro & Tyson Kidd w/Natalya – WWE Extreme Rules 2015 (Rosemont, Illionois, USA - 26^th April 2015)

Match 6 – WWE World Heavyweight Championship Fatal Four-Way (If Seth Rollins loses Kane is fired as Director of Operations) – Randy Orton vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins © w/ J&J Security – WWE Payback 2015 (Baltimore, Maryland, USA - 17^th May 2015)

Match 7 – WWE Tag Team Championship Elimination Chamber – The Prime Time Players vs. Los Matadores w/El Torito vs. Cesaro & Tyson Kidd w/Natalya vs. The New Day vs. The Ascension vs. The Lucha Dragons - WWE Elimination Chamber 2015 (Corpus Christi, Texas, USA - 31^st May 2015)

Match 8 – Singles – WWE NXT Champion Kevin Owens vs. WWE United States Champion John Cena – WWE Elimination Chamber 2015 (Corpus Christi, Texas, USA - 31^st May 2015)

Match 9 – Money in the Bank Contract Ladder - “The Apex Predator” Randy Orton vs. “The Man That Gravity Forgot” “The New Sensation” Neville vs. Kane vs. Dolph Ziggler w/Lana vs. WWE Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston (New Day) vs. “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns - WWE Money in the Bank 2015 (Columbus, Ohio, USA - 14^th June 2015)

Match 10 – WWE World Heavyweight Championship Ladder – Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins © - WWE Money in the Bank 2015 (Columbus, Ohio, USA - 14^th June 2015)

Match 11 – Triple Threat – Sasha Banks w/ Naomi & Tamina vs. Charlotte w/Becky Lynch & Paige vs. Brie Bella w/Alicia Fox & WWE Diva's Champion Nikki Bella – WWE Battleground 2015 (St. Louis, Missouri, USA - 19^th July 2015)

Match 12 – WWE United States Championship – Kevin Owens vs. John Cena © - WWE Battleground 2015 (St. Louis, Missouri, USA - 19^th July 2015)

Match 13 – Singles – Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman vs. The Undertaker – WWE SummerSlam 2015 (New York City, New York, USA - 23^rd August 2015)

Match 14 – WWE Diva's Championship – Charlotte (Team PCB) w/Becky Lynch & Paige vs. Nikki Bella (Team Bella) © w/Alicia Fox & Brie Bella – WWE Night of Champions 2015 (Houston, Texas, USA - 20^th September 2015)

Match 15 – WWE World Heavyweight Championship – Seth Rollins © vs. Sting – WWE Night of Champions 2015 (Houston, Texas, USA - 20^th September 2015)

Match 16 – Hell in a Cell – Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman vs. The Undertaker – WWE Hell in a Cell 2015 (Los Angeles, California, USA - 25^th October 2015)  

Commentary - John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Michael Cole & Jerry "The King" Lawler

The set is presented by former NXT Tag Team Champion Corey Graves, who turns up about two or three times per disc, to act as seque and to break up the action. Once the chosen matches from each PPV are shown there's also a cool little highlights package for the PPV, with each taking on a slightly different feel.

The set get's off to a great start as Brock Lesnar defends the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a barn-burner of a Triple Threat against John Cena and Money in the Bank Contract Holder Seth Rollins. It's a match that the rest of the set will struggle to follow as the trio string together a series of spectacular spots and near falls that have the Philadelphia crowd hooked. The type of match that you will only see in WWE, it's put together with a real craft and the structure helps to drive the bout throughout. A physical thrill ride from start to finish, for me this is the best contest WWE put on in 2015, an absolute must-see.

The good times continue as Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns duke it out for a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in an aggressive contest. The viciousness that both men bring to this one makes it stand out, making the title look so important. There's a strike sequence towards the end that is pretty much perfect and should have been a star-making moment for Reigns. 

John Cena and Rusev's WWE United States Championship match isn't one of the matches I'd have chosen to represent WrestleMania, with the WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match and Seth Rollins and Randy Orton's battle both being better matches. That being said, this one has plenty of WrestleMania pageantry surrounding it, and is still a good storytelling contest. Whilst some of the action isn't as crisp as it should have been, I still found that I enjoyed the match much more on a second viewing, so if you didn't enjoy the bout originally, I definitely recommend giving it another chance.

Roman Reigns continues to put on star performances in a terrifically physical bout with Brock Lesnar over the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Despite a fairly hostile Santa Clara crowd, Reigns handles himself well and the crowd become less of a factor as the bout goes on, as Lesnar and Reigns' both put on quality performances in their respective roles. With a great finish that see's Money in the Bank contract holder Seth Rollins interjecting himself into the contest, providing one of the most memorable moments of 2015. Reigns' Last Man Standing match with The Big Show from Extreme Rules is overlooked in favour of Cesaro & Tyson Kidd defending the WWE Tag Team Championships against The New Day in pacy contest that manages to showcase both teams well.

There's a lot of fun action on display in a Fatal Four-Way contest between Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Randy Orton and Roman Reigns over the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. There's some quality interplay between the four characters that makes the match for me, with some especially good stuff between the three for Shield members, Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns. The added storyline with Kane's job as Director of Operations being on the line does end up holding the match back at various points, leading to surprisingly weak finish.

The first ever Tag Team Elimination Chamber is next, as The New Day defend the WWE Tag Team Championships against The Prime Time Players, Los Matadores, Cesaro & Tyson Kidd, The Ascension and The Lucha Dragons, in a spot-laden contest. Whilst the match is an entertaining watch, it's booking is questionable throughout, struggling to get a pace that suits the contest. The finish sequence has it's moments, but it bagginess ends up letting it down, I'd have preferred to have seen Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins main event get this slot if I'm honest.

John Cena and Kevin Owens put on a tremendous Champion vs. Champion bout, that works brilliantly as an introduction to the then NXT Champion on the main stage. It's spot-based action, but with just enough narrative to keep things ticking, in front of hooked Corpus Christi audience. Driven by a passionate Owens and a frustrated Cena, there's some world class near falls here, kicking off one of the years strongest feuds in styles. 

You can't really go wrong with a Money in the Bank Contract ladder match, and whilst this year's bout isn't a vintage outing, there's still plenty to enjoy. The seven man contest involving Randy Orton, Kane, Neville, Dolph Ziggler, Roman Reigns, Kofi Kingston and Sheamus, is much more focused on dramatic moments, than it's usual non-stop action style and thus the bout has a rather different feel to that of the majority of it's predecessors. It's definitely fun whilst it lasts, but doesn't feature anything particularly memorable, therefore I wouldn't have minded on bit if we'd had the second Kevin Owens vs. John Cena match in it's place.

A completely different Ladder match next as Dean Ambrose goes after Seth Rollins WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a brutal contest. With much better spots and a compelling narrative that's told well throughout, Rollins and Ambrose take their feud to the next level. Dean Ambrose puts in a terrific performance fighting from underneath, cementing his place as one of the companies top babyfaces, whilst Rollins continues to be consistently good throughout his title reigns. It's unfortunately let down just a tad by poorly booked finish and it's length may not be for everyone, but it's still quality encounter that's well worth a watch.

The first match that doesn't really belong on the set is a Triple Threat match between Brie Bella, Charlotte and Sasha Banks, that doesn't quite hit the spot. That isn't to say that it's a particularly bad match, and there is plenty of nice wrestling in there, but there's nothing here that makes it stand out from the pack, either Sheamus vs. Randy Orton or Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt would've been better choices from this PPV. John Cena and Kevin Owens complete their trilogy with another outstanding bout over the WWE United States Championship. Whilst there's a number of similarities from the first two, this is still a great watch full of big spots and big near falls. The St. Louis crowd give the duo a great reaction throughout as they bring their feud to suitable crescendo. 

Two of the best brawlers to ever step foot in a WWE ring throw bombs at each other, as The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar duke it out in the main event of SummerSlam. There's lots of riffing off their WrestleMania XXX clash, which ups the drama stakes and lends well to the epic storytelling of the bout. A big improvement on their last outing, the finish is a little bit of a weird one, which ends up lessening the near falls that had come before it somewhat.

Charlotte challenging for the WWE Diva's Championship against Nikki Bella at Night of Champions was arguably the best women's outing on PPV in 2015 and rightly earns itself a slot on the DVD. There's some solid wrestling and a great narrative throughout that make this one stand out above the rest of the pack. Seth Rollins' WWE World Heavyweight Championship defense against Sting is a strange choice for the set, especially when compared to the match Rollins had minutes earlier with John Cena over the WWE United States Championship. While far from a "bad" match, an injury to Sting in the last portion of the bout leave the contest feeling more than a little flat come it's conclusion. 

Strangely the set finishes off with the main event of October's Hell in a Cell PPV, ignoring the two PPV's that came in November and December, as The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar brought their close to a brutal conclusion inside the demonic structure. It's a bloody brawl of a contest, that manages to tell a superb story as two of the best go toe to toe. Personally, I think this one of the best Hell in a Cell matches for a very long time, with plenty of memorable moments and a terrific conclusion. The post-match antics with The Wyatt Family though probably didn't need to be included and leaves the set feeling a little incomplete at the end.

finally...

dvd rating - 7.63/10

On match quality alone this is a brilliant DVD set, that despite having a couple of questionable inclusions manages to keep the good times rolling for pretty much the entire 8 hours plus running time. Three or four years ago, this would've been a much have set, but the WWE Network now makes it pretty easy to skip through all these matches and even make an improvement on the matches that are chosen for this one and even actually complete the year with the two PPV's from November and December. 

I found this to be an enjoyable watch from start to finish, but it's difficult to recommend something that only has about ten minutes of content that isn't available at a cheaper price somewhere. However, if you've got a poor internet connection then this is the set for you, I suppose.