PG Tips #1 - Edge apologises to Vickie Guerrero and a Fatal Four-Way for an ECW Championship shot (22-25/07/08)

On 22nd July 2008, WWE's television output went from being rated TV14 to TVPG. 

This series plans to take a week by week look at how the RAW, SmackDown and ECW on Sci-Fi developed under this new rating, as well as the quality of the PPVs. The era hasn't been particularly romanticised, especially by the older generation of fans, but considering that those who were ten years old when WWE turned PG are now old enough to be attending University, it's certainly time to look back and re-evaluate just how good or bad for WWE the shift was in terms of quality. 

This week's edition see's us feature a Fatal Fourway for a shot at the ECW title at SummerSlam and Edge attempt at an apology to Vickie Guerrero following his affair with their wedding planner, Alicia Fox! 

We join the Universe just a few days after the last TV-14 PPV, The Great American Bash 2008/ Just to lend some context, here's the results from that PPV.

This week's trip to the "Land of Extreme" brings us a main event of The Miz, John Morrison, Matt Hardy and Finlay battling it out for a shot at Mark Henry's ECW title, which whilst sounding like an interesting match, makes little sense considering all four men lost on the PPV...but was the show any good?

Mark Henry received a new ECW Championship belt in Philadelphia 

An eventful opening segment to begin the show, as we get a new ECW title belt, a promo from Tony Atlas and Colin Delaney (who Atlas calls "Collars Delaney" for reasons) explaining his heel turn from two days earlier. It's not a good segment by any stretch of the imagination, but there was something persevely entertaining about watching Teddy Long and Atlas stumble through their awkwardly worded promos. Considering the show is in Philadelphia, the home of the original ECW, Atlas gets very little heat for mentioning that fact and then telling the crowd "for all of you all, who tired to hold onto yester year, you're going to get squash". I would've expected the comparisons between the two ECW brands to met with at least some kind of derision, but this crowd is almost completely apathetic towards Atlas and his charge Mark Henry. Perhaps by after two years of WWE's version of ECW the crowd had gone past the point of caring that it bore zero resemblance to the rebellious company that Paul Heyman used to run. However, they do come alive once Colin Delaney starts burying Tommy Dreamer, eating up Delaney's burial, before Long gets a nice pop from announcing we're getting Dreamer v Delaney next! 

• Tommy Dreamer def. Colin Delaney. An almost complete squash match for Dreamer here as he gets his revenge on Delaney with a flurry of offence, before picking up the victory with a Dreamer DDT. 

• Backstage - The Miz and John Morrison are upset about dropping the WWE Tag Team Championships two nights earlier, but both put each other and their clothing over, before shaking hands and wishing each other luck in the main event. 

• Promo - Actress Jenny McCarthy will be at Saturday Night's Main Event on August 2nd, to promote the organisation, Generation Rescue. This was an organisation that advocated that autism was caused by vaccinations, which is total utter trash and should never have been promoted on WWE's television product or anywhere else. 

• Evan Bourne def. James Curtis [KC James]. Bourne looks pretty good here, even if extended squashes for high-flying babyfaces don't really work all too well, we did get to see Bourne landing on his feet out of a snapmare early doors, as well as a rana out of a pop-up from Curtis, before a shooting star press got the three count. Bourne was then able to dodge a post-match attack from Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neeley, who had been on commentary. 

• Backstage - A weird backstage segment where Assistant General Manager Tiffany [Taryn Terrell] told Ricky Ortiz about her education, before Teddy Long placed Ortiz in a match next week after Ortiz had claimed her was undefeated after just one match on the brand. 

Matt Hardy def. The Miz, Finlay and John Morrison to earn an ECW Championship match

Despite a shaky start and some terrible commentary from Mike Adamle, this ended up being a more than competent television main event. The opening played up the partnership between The Miz and Morrison, but lacked any notable action as we got the four repeatedly splitting off into pairs and not a whole lot else. The action in the first third was dull and slow and despite all four men being in the ring for an extended period of time, not much actually happened. However, once the action spills to the outside things begin to pick up, as Morrison and Finlay brawl on the outside, before Miz & Morrison are able to hitting their catapult into a forearm smash and then elbow drop/backbreaker combination using the barricade on the Irish man. After this things are much better, with Miz and Morrison trying for victories on Hardy, whilst trying to outwit each other at the same time, before we get a couple of sequences with all four men involved that are particularly well-done. The finish is a frenzied affair with Finlay nailing Miz with a Shillelagh, before getting knocked to the outside himself with a roundhouse kick from Morrison, leading into Morrison springboarding into a Twist of Fate from Hardy to take us home. Despite the early awkwardness and the lack of any convincing near falls, the last five or six minutes featured some really good TV action and provide us with the first recommended match of the PG Era. 

• In Arena - Mark Henry comes out to the ramp for a stare down with his SummerSlam opponent. 

ATPW Scale Rating - 3.83/10 

A good main event, but beyond that there wasn't much on this episode and it's clear that WWE isn't putting a whole lot of effort into the brand or anyone on it. Colin Delaney cut a strong promo in the opening segment, but was surrounded by bumbling speeches from Teddy Long and Tony Atlas and then had his feud with Tommy Dreamer almost immediately put to bed. The build towards Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry at SummerSlam begins next week so it shall be interesting to see how that is handled and where the likes of Finlay, John Morrison, The Miz, Evan Bourne, Chavo Guerrero and Tommy Dreamer find themselves fitting onto the hour long show.

The episode aired on 25th July 2008 on the CW Network, having been taped on 22nd July at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvannia. The episode included Edge's apology to wife Vickie Guerrero after the previous episode revealed he'd been cheating with wedding planner Alicia Fox and an edition of The VIP Lounge (hosted by Montel Vontavious Porter) with Jeff Hardy, but was it any good? Let's take a look. 

The VIP Lounge with Jeff Hardy

I didn't enjoy this segment at all, but the Philadelphia crowd was massively into both men. The main thrust of it was that MVP was being a massive dick to Jeff Hardy, bringing up his suspensions, issues with drugs and the death of Hardy's dog, Jack, whilst Hardy looked uncomfortable with the content, delivered his lines with very little enthusiasm or believability and looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. Some of the dialogue was terrible here, when MVP bought up Hardy saying in WWE Magazine (remember that?) that he wouldn't get suspended again, Hardy replied with "I wouldn't, I'd be released", which, whilst in line with WWE wellness policy rules, is hardly the most inspiring babyface line. We close with Hardy pushing MVP over and shouting "You make me sick", for reasons I'm not quite sure. They'll both be involved in the "Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer" Battle Royal later on for a shot at Triple H's WWE Championship at SummerSlam. 

• United States Champion Shelton Benjamin def. Jimmy Wang Yang - A swifty victory for the US Champ with Paydirt, after cutting an uninteresting promo.

• A nervous Edge congratulated Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder on their Tag Team Championship win, before awkwardly looking at his hands for a bit. 

• Festus def. Curt Hawkins - This went under two minutes with Festus winning with a the one man flapjack, before his lame gimmick of going into a vegetative state when the bell rings for a pinfall allowed Hawkins and Zack Ryder to hit a double-team DDT on the Corn-Fed Colossus. 

The Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer Battle Royal for a shot at Triple H's WWE Championship at SummerSlam 

So when I saw the lineup for this battle royal and knowing the time period, I thought this was going to a car crash and it wasn't. Was it a classic? No. But it was well-booked and made the most of its components. We had Mr. Kennedy, The Great Khali, MVP, Umaga, Jeff Hardy and The Big Show; six men who didn't make it onto the Great American Bash card in an unusually thin over-the-top affair. This took away part of the spectacle of a battle royal, but also negated those early stages where a bunch of no hopers are thrown out. The opening portion was kept interesting with a couple of nice spots, like a Poetry in Motion to Khali from Hardy using Kennedy, a Khali and Show face-off being interrupted by a pair of thrust-kicks from Umaga and a Whisper in the Wind from Hardy to Umaga. The match built well towards its conclusion as Hardy eliminated Show by turning a powerbomb into modified hurricanrana that sent the World's Largest Athlete over the top rope, leaving The Charismatic Enigma alone with The Great Khali. The crowd was super hot for Hardy, with Philadelphia desperate to see the underdog overcome, however despite a Swanton Bomb and a low blow to escape a vice grip, Khali picked up the win, dumping Hardy over the top after a Khali Chop. We get a staredown between Khali and Triple H to end the segment and I am already dreading this match. 

• R-Truth is coming to SmackDown soon and we get a package of him in North Carolina talking about his time in prison. Truth had been having dark matches since March, included one before this episode with Sheamus O'Shaunessy.  

• Michelle McCool def. Maryse - Another quick bout as the first ever Diva's Champion picked up a submission victory with a MADT Heel Hook.

• The Brian Kendrick def. Shannon Moore -  A quick promo from Kendrick about his new persona, as he let the roster know that if anyone had a problem with him they should take it up with his bodyguard Ezekiel [Jackson]. This was followed up by Kendrick quickly going over Moore with The Kendrick. 

Hell Hath No Fury Like Vickie Guerrero

Edge and Vickie Guerrero were both brilliant in this segment as Guerrero took revenge for her husband's infidelity by reinstating The Undertaker and placing Edge in a Hell in a Cell Match with the Deadman at SummerSlam. Edge trying to explain away the footage claiming that "No means no, but she wouldn't listen" in regards to Alicia Fox and then explaining he only got involved with Fox in order to make sure the wedding went smoothly was played perfectly by the Rated R Superstar. Edge gets the cowardly cheat act just right, remaining entertaining and getting a couple of laughs, but also being utterly contemptible as a character and someone who you look forward to seeing getting what they deserve. Vickie seemed to relish getting to say something that the crowd would pop for and paced her lines wonderfully getting a huge pop for almost every word that came out of her mouth. The crowd went nuts for The Undertaker coming back, leaving Edge having to let them get on with it whilst looking terrified and trying to come up with a way out of facing his rival again. The segment could have done with a better conclusion as once the announcement has been made there was a lack of a climax or conflict, perhaps just playing Undertaker's music and a few special effects would've rounded off the segment perfectly. 

Finally... 

ATPW Scale Rating - 4.29/10 

Not a terrible episode, but not a great one either. This is pretty much saved by the strength of it's closing segment as Edge and Vickie Guerrero shone in an emotional climax that both played wonderfully, as the opening segment was dire and the Battle Royal was okay. Elsewhere the show was filled with short, inconsequential matches, that did very little for anyone. 

An interesting start to the PG Era as ECW and SmackDown took the leap first. The ECW Four Way main event producing the strongest action of the week, whilst the closing sequence of SmackDown was a great example of the chemistry between Edge and Vickie Guerrero and just why that feud involving the pair and The Undertaker worked so well. Across the three hours there was a lot of talking, with three of the five major segments being promo based and I noticed that the matches were a lot shorter than what we are used to seeing in 2017. When we begin to include next week, a show that is known to include more talking and entertainment segments, it will interesting to compare that to what the other two brands were offering, as the company moves away from the adult and teen orientated programming that caused it's late nineties boom and more towards the family and children market. 

Next week - RAW features a Tag Team main event pitting John Cena & Batista against John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Kane, ECW sees John Morrison and The Miz take on Finlay & Hornswoggle, SmackDown features a classic segment between Edge and Mick Foley, before the Rated R Superstar faces off with one of his signature foes, Jeff Hardy, on the final Saturday Night's Main Event.

Opinion: How Fake Can Wrestling Be? (Craig Hermit)

Why do people still turn their noses up when you mention that you are a wrestling fan I mean people don’t act the same way when you say you like football, baseball or even when you like a certain TV programme. Is it because most wrestling shows are under the banner of sports-entertainment? and not Sport or either Entertainment and as a result is frowned upon by each for not belonging to either genre fully. 

You ask a sports fan, why don’t you like wrestling? You’ll get the usual response of “It’s fake right?” - Right in the same way many players and Governing Bodies haven’t rigged the game in which you surely love. 

You ask a movie or TV programme viewer why don’t you like wrestling? “It’s not entertaining or again, it’s fake yeah” - Yeah same way the characters Made in Chelsea or The Only Way in Essex and The Avengers are the real people.

Fake /feik/ - not genuine; imitation or counterfeit.

"she got on the plane with a fake passport”

The facts - Wrestling shows are not legitimate contests, even stated by wrestlers and promoters themselves and while fans will scream and cry “It’s real to me damnit!”, the events witnessed by fans are purely entertainment-based on storyline’s, with the majority of matches being "scripted" or "choreographed" previously. Even the Godfather of Wrestling, not the one that was in the WWE Attitude Era played by Charles Wright, but Vince McMahon publicly acknowledged this in 1989 to avoid taxes from athletic commissions and since the birth of Wrestlemania in 1985 WWE has acknowledged their product as sports entertainment that is based in competitive sport and dramatic theatre.

However, everything that a trained wrestler does in that ring from the routine moves that fans are accustom to; like a bodyslam or even irish-whipping your opponent into the turnbuckle CAN HURT,  but when you take into account a highflying move like Shooting Star Press or a high impact move like a PowerBomb, if not done correctly the worst can happen and serious injuries may occur.

Everything they do in that ring has to be believable, they have to make you believe that what they are going through is happening. The pain, the arrogance, their cruelty, and their happiness, everything they do must inspire you to become more involved in what they do. Yes actors can do that too, only during the period of that movie or show through, but what wrestlers do is take it to another level, they are in your face, they are live and you invest yourself in that moment into living your dreams through them wither they succeed or lose. You either want to be the bad guy (not always Razor Ramon) beating up that smiling do-gooder or the good guy who beats the bully who had to get beat sometime.

So when it comes to people saying it’s fake or not legitimate ask those people to go to a training school or ask them to ask a wrestler to perform a move on them I'm pretty sure they will see things very differently by the end.

Then on the other side of the coin, Newspapers, Businesses and may other outlets tend to see all wrestling promotions as a backyard or amateurish operations almost disreputable in many ways something that is just a damn right lie because they aren’t and as such won’t advertise, use posters or associate them with them in any way.

Let’s use WWE or World Wrestling Entertainment as an example, it has stated on it’s website that it’s a publicly traded and privately controlled entertainment company that deals primarily in Professional Wrestling. However, thanks to global expansion and by that I mean other sources of income from different avenues of entertainment, that being is film, music, product licensing and direct product sales, WWE has found a way, a smart way that is, to see the bigger picture and realise pro wrestling can be more entertaining and profitable than two men or women who have trained their whole lives to entertain the fans in the ring until the victor stands tall. 

Now here’s something as all wrestling fans (and pretty much anyone else) know WWE is the largest wrestling promotion in the world, there is no doubt on this one, it is. The promotion currently holds over 300 events out of a 365 calendar year, broadcasts to around 36 million viewers in more than 150 countries and I haven’t even mentioned the WWE Network. 

For years mainstream publicity has ignored or mocked wrestling for everything mentioned above, only to include it in big stories when sadly someone dies or when there is a scandal and then it becomes news. Now again using WWE, it is not often you’ll see the good things that a Wrestling Company does on the news or in the newspaper but for over thirty years WWE has been in partnership with the Make-a-Wish Campaign also, that Triple H and Stephanie McMahon established the non-profit charitable organisation, Connor’s Cure and WWE is a sponsor of the Special Olympics since 2014. It makes you wonder that even when the biggest wrestling promotion in the world strives to help charities even they are barely mentioned in the news what chance does other small promotions have.

Now that was WWE, events closer to home in the UK have shown the wrestling promotions have gone out of their way to improve the image of wrestling making it more exciting, more relatable to fans, appearing on TV programming and assisting in charities whenever they can. 

Case in point, Progress Wrestling and their fans supported Cavendish Cancer Care with donations of £640 donation a recent shows, Insane Championship Wrestling hosted ICW: Afternoon Delight last year to mark the re-opening of the Clutha Vaults Bar in Glasgow and all proceeds from that event went directly to the Clutha Trust and Alpha Omega Wrestling run regular shows at the Winter Gardens in Morecambe, with proceeds from the shows going to the restoration of the grade II listed building. 

My point of the article this one thing, many people’s image of wrestling is wrong, I’ve listed many reasons why that is but only way the perception of that image can change is by fans saying to newspapers or TV stations saying we want to see wrestling on mainstream TV, I guarantee much like BBC1 was inundated with demands to see more from ICW, following the broadcast of both Insane Fight Club documentaries, but with family-friendly and adult orientated shows available across the UK everyone could see them on a suitable time-slot, but again it can only happen with the fans support.

Photography credits to David J Wilson and Tony Knox.

WWE Batista - The Animal Unleashed DVD Review

WWE's Batista - The Animal Unleashed is out now on DVD and Blu Ray, available from www.wwedvd.co.uk.The three disc set, features a near 40 minute documentary, following Batista around as he embarked upon his return to WWE in January of this year. There's also a selection of bouts spanning Batista's entire career in WWE (and OVW) with clashes against the likes of Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Edge, CM Punk and Finlay included.

January 2014. It was a strange time, wasn't it? Batista returned, CM Punk took his proverbial ball and went home and the WWE fanbase booked it's own WrestleMania main event. If it wasn't clear before, this documentary makes it crystal that Batista was set to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Randy Orton at WrestleMania XXX, why else cut the documentary short at 40 minutes, just after Batista has returned to win the Royal Rumble? If this is indeed the case and WWE had planned to do a much longer documentary then I do wish they'd have continued, as it would have been truly fascinating to see Batista's life during the three months that followed.

For what it's worth, the fourty minutes left of the documentary are a fairly entertaining watch. Batista comes across as good humble chap, talking of his nervousness upon his return and his involvment with both Gracie Jiu Jitsu and the Imperials Low Riders group. The mixture of documentary and interview footage is nicely put together, with the sit down interview segments providing some nice insight into Batista's original departure. The documentary charges on at quite a pace, with plenty of cool backstage footage, like Batista getting ready for his Royal Rumble return and his candid thoughts on how the crowd reacted to him and Daniel Bryan. It's also nice to see Batista hanging out with some of the younger wrestlers on the roster, even calling out Ryback as the "New Batista". Like a Randy Orton cutter, the ending appears to come out of nowhere, as it felt like the documentary was just warming up. 

The match selection is baffling at points, as instead of classic bouts against the likes of Triple H and The Undertaker, this set presents bouts mainly from Raw or Smackdown. Maybe this is because of Batista's previous DVD I Walk Alone, which did feature a lot of The Animal's big time PPV matches, maybe it's because of the WWE Network which currently houses all of Batista's PPV matches, but very few bout from Raw or Smackdown? Still I would have liked to have seen at least on bout with The Undertaker included here, as for me that is still Batista's strongest feud to date. 

 The matches start with a look at Batista's time in ,then WWE developmental promotion, Ohio Valley Wrestling, with a bout against a young Brock Lesnar. Taking place in July 2001, this bout is interesting only because it showcases just how green both men were at this point their careers. The action is messy and dull, with little to no psychology (even if the vapid commentary team continue to say there is). For example Batista hits a decent looking DDT...then locks in a Chinlock. 

Remember when Batista was Deacon and teamed with D-Von Dudley dressed as a Reverend? Well for those that don't or those that fancy a trip down Nostalgia Boulevard, there's Batista & Reverend D-Von vs Faarooq and Randy Orton from a June 2002 episode of Smackdown. I was surprised by this match, as it is a decent slice of tag team action with Orton especially looking very crisp in the ring, working most of the match with the two veterans. The bout is designed to show off Batista's strength, as he spends most of the contest on the apron before demolishing Orton. In hindsight this is fascinating encounter, between two future World Champions.

A very short stop at Batista's days in Evolution, see's The Animal team with Ric Flair to take on Booker T and Rob Van Dam from a March 2004 episode of Raw. How awful was that Booker/RVD theme mash-up? Search it out, if you haven't heard it. Just awful. This is another decent bout once Flair and Van Dam are in the ring for an extended period, after an awkward exchange between Booker and Flair. Batista is made to look like a complete star throughout the match, it's clear that WWE had big, big plans for him. 

Those plans included defending the World Heavyweight Championship on a September 2005 episode of Smackdown, against John "Bradshaw" Layfield in a Bullrope Match. I'm neither a massive fan of WWE's version of the Bullrope Match or JBL, so this bout wasn't for me. Honestly, nothing at all happened, apart from JBL get accidentally busted open by the cowbell. The finish to this one makes absolutely no sense, and was reused recently for the Mark Henry vs Sheamus Strap match, but the crowd absolutely loved it and the match as a whole. Batista is now a mega star, and hugely over, after his recent run it was strange to hear a crowd so into what he was doing in the ring. 

We get a six man tag team match from the short-lived revival of Saturday Night's Main Event from July 2006. Batista teams with then World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio and current TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley to take on King Booker, then United States Champion Finlay and Mark Henry. It really is a nothing match, with the entrances lasting longer than the match itself. It's clear to see why Saturday Night's Main Event isn't around anymore, if this was the content on offer. Also, Rey Mysterio's first World title reign was rubbish, wasn't it? 

The only repeat from Batista's first DVD, is a triple threat bout that see's Batista defend the World Heavyweight Championship against King Booker and Finlay on Smackdown from December 2006. This one has it's moments with an enjoyable story, but is at least five minutes too long and Finlay and Booker have absolutely no heat. Luckily a fantastic false finish involving Hornswoggle, and sizzling finish, chock full of psychology, save this match right at the end. Not sure it deserved a repeat though.

Fatal Fourway action is next on the menu, with Batista tangelling with Kane, Finlay and Mark Henry on a May 2007 Smackdown for the oppurtunity to face Edge for the World Heavyweight title. It's a passable television main event, that makes it clear who is going to win from the outset. Edge on commentary is a complete diamond, playing the Rated R Superstar character down to tee.

Edge and Batista then face off on June 2007 episode of Smackdown, with the story being that Batista isn't allowed another shot at Edge's World title, so he takes his frustrations out on him during the match. It's another passable TV main event, with a slick finish. It's a shame Edge suffered an injury soon after, as I would've been interested to see where they went with this storyline. 

Kane is Batista's next opponent, this time in a Last Man Standing bout from Smackdown in December 2007. As you'd expect with a television bout, this is a set up for other stories to be advanced with Batista set to face Undertaker and Edge in a Triple threat later that month. It's not a bad match, and is difficult to criticise as both men do put a decent shift in, there's just nothing spectacular that you would expect from a Last Man Standing match. 

Finally, we get our first PPV clash, as Shawn Michaels stands across the ring from The Animal for a Stretcher match from One Night Stand 2008. I'm not a massive Stretcher Match fan, but this might be the best outing for the gimmick that I've seen. Bucket loads of storyline, both calling back to HBK's bout with Ric Flair at WrestleMania and looking forward to Michaels' dazzling feud with Chris Jericho. Credit to Shawn Michaels for allowing Batista to look like an absolute beast throughout this match. The finish is an interesting one, for sure. 

We're forced to remember CM Punk's dire first World Heavyweight title reign, with a bout from The Great American Bash 2008. It's an awkward babyface vs babyface dynamic that never quite clicks, with the crowd not really giving a shit for either guy. The finish is absolutely terrible, even in hindsight, making me wonder why this match was included at all. Was it simply because CM Punk is made to look like a complete loser throughout?

Cyber Sunday 2008 presents us with the option to choose the referee for Batista's World Heavyweight title contest with Chris Jericho, but it doesn't really matter because all the possible referees are involved anyway. As you'd expect with Jericho there's plenty of sound psychology as he works Batista's leg after it get's caught up in the ropes early on. This bout was becoming a very good main event, until it became on over booked, run in fest. Shawn Michaels, John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Randy Orton all get involved, before Batista forgets his leg injured and stamps his feet repeatedly. I guess that's what you get from B PPV's like Cyber Sunday. Still not a bad match.

There's a little bit of follow up as we see Batista team with Shawn Michaels to take on Chris Jericho and John "Bradshaw" Layfield on the Raw following Cyber Sunday. JBL viciously attack Michaels backstage before the match, making the match two on one. It's pretty much paint by numbers from that point on. 

Remember when Batista teamed up with Shane McMahon against Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase? No neither did I! But it happened (on a April 2009 episode of Smackdown) and it's presented here. The match feels like a house show encounter, with Rhodes and DiBiase building some nice heat on McMahon. I thought the finish was quite clever and fresh, again making Batista look like a beast. 

It's back to PPV action as Batista challenges Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at Extreme Rules 2009. I thought the story worked very well for this one, with Orton constantly trying to escape the cage and retain his title. The finish is a lovely twist on the story, that allows both men to look good without damaging the quality of the bout. 

Another encounter with CM Punk, this time from Smackdown in October 2009, is again disapointing. Why these two Punk matches are included I have no idea. They really aren't very good at all.

We get a look at villainous Batista, as he battles former buddy, Ron Masterio at Survivor Series 2009. It was superb move that freshened up the Batista character that had become stale over the two year priors. This match serves as a way of setting up the new character, with Batista allowed to look like an absolute beast. 

There's a rematch against Mysterio, this time in a Street Fight on a November 2009 episode of Smackdown. This bout is infinitely better than the original with Mysterio able to get in more offence as the match goes on, using weapons to take down the big man. The use of chairs, the steps and a monitor cable, help to get over the fierceness of the rivalry, as well as continuing the progression of the heel Batista. Surprisingly there is a single chair shot to the head at the end of the bout, although it is quite possibly the safest headshot of all time!

A triple threat match from an April 2010 episode of Raw, see's Batista face Randy Orton and Sheamus for the chance to face John Cena for the WWE Championship. I really didn't enjoy this match, it's a typical WWE triple threat, with most of the action coming in the form of one on one encounters whilst the other man takes a breather on the outside. It's slow and they probably could have cut five minutes without effecting the quality of the match.

Batista's final match of his first WWE run see's him face John Cena in an "I Quit" Match at Over the Limit 2010. In comparison with the last match, I really enjoyed this contest. It's a fun heavyweight brawl, with penty of WWE melodrama throughout. A superb spot that see's Batista fall of a ledge in the middle of the crowd is a personal highlight. There's plenty of good storyline action thrown in as well, with the finish being a perfect way to send off The Animal. 

Batista's 2014 Royal Rumble return is also present, as he enters at Number 28. Three early heel eliminations are a great way to start, but then The Animal is down on the mat for a long time, and gasping for air. In hindsight, this is a well booked bout, made to make Batista look strong, it's just a shame that the fans didn't want to see Batista booked in this way and desperately wanted Daniel Bryan to enter and win the bout. WWE would have a major clean up operation following this bout. 

The final match one the set is a Elimation Chamber 2014 clash with Alberto Del Rio. It was a storyline that was always centered on making Batista look good, and it does just that. With Del Rio feigning injury at the start and then working the arm throughout, this is a surprisingly entertaining clash that is kept short and sweet. The crowd also make for an entertaining listen. It's clear from this point that WWE will have to turn Batista heading into WrestleMania XXX. 

Overall, I did find this to be an enjoyable three disc set. For what it is the documentary is strong, if not a little short, and whilst the match selection doesn't feature a lot of Batista's big hitters, there are a few forgotten gems and most of the matches are passable contests. I would have like to have seen more of those big matches, in place of duds like the two CM Punk bouts, which would have improved this set a whole lot. I'd reccomend this set to any Batista fan out there, and even those a bit scepitcal about the Animal, as whilst this isn't the best showcase of his work, it is for the most part and entertaining couple of hours.