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2007 DVD releases
A half year full review by Joel C Croyle
INTRODUCTION
Seeing as though Baseball is half through its season it seems that the wrestling world is as well. It is that time of year where we can look back on the years past efforts and wonder about the future. In the world of wrestling DVD releases, we have had some great highlights and some very lowlights. Here is the list of 2007 TNA, ECW, and WWE releases and small reviews to help you decide what you need in your wrestling collection as well as a brief look into the DVD release future. All these DVD’s were released after the 1st of January, 2007, although some of the live event dates may have been prior to the 2007 calendar year.
WWE: Armageddon 2006 - This PPV had no real heat going into it. Fans were angry at the disposable PPV prior to it, ECW’s December to Dismember. In a way, that debacle really helped fans to enjoy this effort much more. It was possibly Smackdown’s best effort from the 2006 PPV calendar. Highlights include the phenomenal four way tag ladder match where Joey Mercury takes one of the nastiest shots to the face in wrestling history. Another great match was Undertaker vs Kennedy in an all out war. Unfortunately, that really ends the great match-ups. People will also have to sit through the Miz vs Boogey man and a near intolerable main event of Cena and Batista vs King Booker and Finlay. Does a fan need this PPV in their collection? My final answer would be no, because the best match is also on the Ladder Match DVD which is a must have for anyone.
ECW: Extreme Rules - This isn’t a bad set for old and new ECW fans. With that said; if you are a fan of the original ECW you are better off looking at your old tapes or buying the WWE release – ECW Bloodsport from a while back. Extreme Rules does have some great matches like Sandman v Sabu in a stairway to hell match and Mike Awesome v Masato Tanaka from 1999. On the other end there were a couple good matches in the new WWE branded ECW and on this disc we get a few of them. Big Show v Ric Flair is a solid TV bout and RVD v Bob Holly is a brutal match with deserving accolades. Should you run out and buy this one? Again, if you are looking for old ECW, maybe not, but if you want to have the complete WWE or ECW library I guess this should be added.
WWE: The New Year’s Revolution 2007 – This PPV had some good matches. An excellent Steel Cage match between Nitro and Jeff Hardy and a fantastic Title match between Umaga and Cena stole the show. This also was the PPV where HHH ruined his leg. All in all a good PPV with nothing horrible on the card except a strange Ric Flair loss to Kenny “Spirit Squad†Dykstra.
WWE: The New & Improved D-Generation X – This isn’t a bad compilation disc of DX’s matches and storylines from the past year. But if you watched Raw and most of the PPV’s you really don’t need to have this one. The Production quality was great as it is on all WWE documentary style DVD’s. The most tragic part of this collection is that we get no behind the scenes conversation with Michaels and HHH whatsoever.
WWE: Royal Rumble 2007 - The Cena vs Umaga match at this event is worth the price this DVD costs as it could be a match of the year candidate. The Rumble itself came down to Taker and Michaels in HBK’s hometown…this was one of the best PPV’s all year, a must have for any collection.
WWE: Royal Rumble: The Complete Anthology Box Set – I own the Wrestlemania box set and this Anthology. For collection purposes the price is good and the matches are fantastic. The Rumble, Summerslam, Wrestlemania and Survivor Series PPV’s have always been the top four PPV’s of the year and hold the best matches. Only negative is that there are no extras of any kind.
WWE: Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen – At the time of its release this was not only the best DVD collection of 2007 but possibly of all time. It has all the fantastic horseman footage you’d want. Great matches and excellent promos line the edges of this disc. The documentary is absolutely fantastic. Get this one!
WWE: WrestleMania 23 – Not the best Wrestlemania but not the worst by any means either. The
WWE: Backlash 2007 – This was not my favorite PPV by any means. The best match of the evening to me was for the Women’s Title between Melina and Mickie James. That match had great back and fourth action. There is a four-way title match between Cena, Michaels, Edge and Orton. It isn’t a half bad match and contains a very cool ending sequence. Not a must have DVD for most fans.
WWE: Most Powerful Families of Wrestling - Excellent documentary DVD with a few great matches as well. Not a must have but it would make for a nice unexpected Christmas gift for the wrestling fanatic.
WWE: Judgment Day 2007 - Not much of anything on this PPV. You really could skip it.
TNA: Best of the tag teams vol. 1 - This was a fun little DVD. Tag team wrestling seems to keep going on a decline but the things TNA’s crew of teams is doing is outstanding. A few good matches are on here like LAX vs AJ Styles and Daniels in a six sides of steel match and Team 3D v AMW in a street fight. This may not be a must have but it is worth its price easily.
TNA: Phenomenal, Best of AJ Styles volume 2 – There are some tremendous bouts on here featuring the fantastic Mr. Styles. He takes on Abyss. Jeff Jarrett, Petey Williams and Chris Sabin in a variety of matches and there are many others as well. Not as long or as interesting as the first volume, but a must have DVD for any Styles fan.
TNA: Final Resolution 2007 – Very good PPV outing by TNA that is headlined by a fantastic Samoa Joe v Kurt Angle match. Abyss, Sting and Cage also get it on in a very good three way dance for the championship.
WWE: The Ladder Match – This one has to compete with the Horsemen DVD for top honors. The downside is that there is absolutely no behind the scenes footage and all the stars are in character instead of speaking frankly about their matches. The production is fantastic and the matches are incredible. Best matches include the four way tag match from Armageddon, Razor Ramon vs Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels and Jake “the Snake†Roberts against a young Junk Yard Dog. This is a true must have for any wrestling collection.
Outroduction:
So that’s it, there’s the half year list. There were some greats and some terrible stuff as well. Such is the way of the wrestling business today. In the coming 2007 calendar months there are some titles to look for. This has been a strange year for wrestling both in and out of the ring and I truly believe it can only (and will) get better from here on in. I hope this list helps the DVD buying wrestling fanatic.
Look for these coming soon!
TNA: Best of Abyss
WWE: The Triumph & Tragedy of World Class Championship Wrestling (9/18)
WWE: SummerSlam 2007 (I expect a healthy HHH return here)
WWE: Rey Mysterio: The Biggest Little Man (10/23)
