DVD Review: WWE “Best of King of the Ring”

The Best of The King of the Ring DVD (3 Discs)

www.silvervision.co.uk

Our Price: £17.99
RRP: £29.99
You save: £12.00 (Blu-Ray version also available)

Review:

The King of the Ring tournament (especially in Pay-per-View form) is a tradition in WWE and has always been a personal favourite of mine. Originating in 1985 and brought to PPV in 1993, the tourney has not just been an exciting endurance test for the eventual winner and a spectacle in it’s own right, but much like Money in the Bank is today, an indication of who will (there are a few exceptions) elevate himself into the WWE spotlight in the coming year.

This DVD is hosted (in character) by King Booker, former winner of the title and current Smackdown commentator. I was hoping for a documentary and chats with past participants and winners, however we get a collection of matches interspersed with connecting history to carry the narrative of the annual event. This disappointed me greatly, the DVD features all (except 1999 for some reason) final matches from each year, but the matches are so widely available through WWE Home Releases that this is a tidy but somewhat unnecessary collection. The inclusion of perhaps the most famous KotR match of all time is perhaps the biggest flaw. Undertaker vs Mankind in the Hell in a Cell match is a classic, of course, but it’s on so many other releases that I now find myself skipping it, and worse, it is not even a KotR match.

My problem is thus; WWE scrapped the concept and only sporadically brings it back (latest winner being Sheamus in November 2010, which was a great RAW tournament) so has seemingly lost interest in it, and including non-tourney matches on the Best of DVD is a little insulting and proof that it is no longer important to them. There is also a crappy 6 man tag from 2000 which is neither classic nor KotR and I have no idea why it’s on here.

It would have been fun to hear from past winners in an in-depth way, explaining what it meant to their respective careers. King of the Ring 1996 MADE Stone Cold Steve Austin, afterall.

All we have is a collection of good matches, hosted by a toned-down gimmick and it’s really not all it could be. If you don’t own these matches, by all means buy it and you’ll enjoy it, there’s nothing poor on here, but if you have seen/own these matches then there is no reason to purchase it.

5/10

DVD Review: WWE “Hell in a Cell 2011″

WWE Hell in a Cell 2011:

Buy it here!

SilverVision Price: £10.99
RRP: £17.99
You save: £7.00

Review:
This is the DVD review of this release, a Blu-Ray version is also available.

As Hell in a Cell is a gimmick-led B-Show PPV you could be forgiven for expecting a lesser quality of show, but as is so often the case within WWE, they deliver when you are least expecting it. Whilst TLC ended the year with perhaps the strongest PPV WWE could have given us, HiaC is up there with the best of a pretty solid 2011.

The first contest of the night is a very solid effort between Sheamus and Christian. They had a good series of matches and this is one of the strongest, a great opener and start to this show.

We are then treated to Sin Cara vs Sin Cara. Sin Cara (Azul) has been plagued by injury as of late and encountered some difficulty adapting to WWE’s style resulting in a harsh reputation as a ‘botcher’. However, this is one of his better outings as he is fighting another Luchador in Sin Cara (Negra) now known as ‘Hunico’ and they mesh nicely. An enjoyable contest which changes the pace appropriately for the next match which was an unannounced Tag Team Championship match between the Champions “Air Boom” and Vickie Guerrero’s charges Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger.

It’s not an ideal scenario for a Championship contest to not be built up in the lead-in weeks to the PPV, but when you have four Wrestlers as capable and consistently entertaining as the men in this match then it becomes a lot less important as you know you will get a great match.

The shame here, is that the matches are all consistently good on this show but due to an extremely packed card they feel slightly rushed. It is a very quick-paced event, which I like, however Title Matches and Feud-enders deserve more time.

Mark Henry and Randy Orton have the first of the Titular matches here, we are informed as the Cell lowers that this will be the 22nd Hell in a Cell match in WWE hitory, and Mark Henry’s first. Having been told this it is surprising how ominous the structure still appears and Mark Henry looking at it with trepidation is a very nice touch. Randy Orton was a wonder in 2011, I grew tired of him after supporting him for years, due to his ‘Superman of Smackdown’ booking but must admit that his feuds last year elevated Mark Henry, Christian and Sheamus and he was exciting again. This match is excellent and an important  lift to Mark Henry’s Monster Heel persona.

Cody Rhodes unveils his new Intercontinental Title, which is…. The OLD IC Belt. He wants to hold the Championship held by Macho Man and Shawn Michaels, this is brilliance! He then has an impromptu bout with John Morrison. A second unannounced match and yet another great encounter. Rhodes wrestling in street-clothes leads to some hilarious moments both in-ring and on commentary.

The Divas Contest is, well, how to put this? A great comedown match before the Main Event? Not Beth’s fault? I don’t really know what to say about it, you can hear Beth directing K2 and calling spots to the clueless Champion, before relieving her of her duties as Title-holder. Ah, that’s what I can call this match… an act of Mercy by Beth Phoenix.

Now I won’t spoil the ending of the Main Event for those who have not seen it, but this Pay Per View ends on a fantastic high-note. Which in no way takes away from the excellent encounter inside the cage. Firstly, my favourite feud of last year was CM Punk vs Alberto Del Rio, the chemistry between these two was nothing short of exhilarating for fans of actual wrestling and every meeting was a joy. This was the start of a new-found vicious streak for ADR and his antics in this match are very entertaining, CM Punk is wonderful as always and Cena is on top form. This was a great way to end a solid and consistently great PPV, the ending of which (the PPV not the Match) was purely icing on a very tasty cake.

Rating: 8/10

Card:

Sheamus vs. Christian

Matt Striker interviews Mark Henry

Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara

David Otunga wants to help CM Punk

WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Air Boom (Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne) vs. Dolph Ziggler & Jack Swagger

Hell in a Cell Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry

Josh Mathews interviews Alberto Del Rio

Intercontinental Championship Match
John Morrison vs. Cody Rhodes

Triple H in his office

Divas Championship Match
Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix

Triple Threat Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Championship
John Cena vs. CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio

Special Features

JR interviews Mark Henry
Monday Night Raw 19th September, 2011

Home Video Exclusive
Matt Striker interviews Alberto Del Rio
Hell in a Cell 2nd October, 2011

Competition – Win 3 Silvervision WWE DVD’s

Once again, the good folks over at Silvervision have supplied us with more prizes for our loyal listeners. This time we have 3 prizes which each contain 3 of the best DVD’s from 2011.

To be in with a shot of winning them, you just need to answer the following question.

At Over The Limit 2011, John Cena fought the Miz for the WWE Title, but what was the match stipulation?

Send your answers to Dropkickradio@hotmail.com with the subject heading “WWE Competition” by the 29th of January.

Good luck!

Please note: All DVD’s are region 2 and can not be exchanged for any other prize or for monetary value. Our decision is final, and winners will be notified first thing on the morning of 30th January

 

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COMPETITION – Win a DVD courtesy of WrestlingsLastHope.com

To celebrate our 4th Anniversary of braodcasting a long time supporter of the program WrestlingsLastHope.com have kindly donated a DVD prize for a competition.

It’s quite simple. On our 4th Anniversary Show this week (available to stream & download right now at www.DropkickRadio.com) we had an interview with Rockstar Spud and that very interview will be the basis for the question in which the winner will have the option of choosing a prize from a selection provided by Wrestling’s last Hope.

All you need to do is email the answer the to the following question…

“According to our interview with him on the January 23rd ‘Dropkick Radio 4th Anniversary Show’, in which year did Rockstar Spud watch his first Royal Rumble event?“

…to DropkickRadio@hotmail.com with the subject heading ‘WLH DKR Competition’  containing your name, postal address and telephone number by no later than Sunday 29th January at 10pm GMT.

The winner will be picked at random from all the correct entries and notified by no later than 10pm GMT on Monday 30th January 2012.

Terms & Conditions -

• Prizes cannot be exchanged for any other prize or cash alternative.
• Prizes are supplied by WrestlingsLastHope.com
• The selection of prizes will be supplied to the winner only.
• Dispatch of prizes will be done so by WrestlingsLastHope.com

If you have any queries please ask before entering.

SHOW PREVIEW – Today: The 4th Anniversary Show

Tonight, Monday, 23rd January, at www.DropkickRadio.com live from 7pm UK/2pm EST marks a monumental achievement for The Dropkick Radio Wrestling Show as it enters its fifth year of production. So as it’s our birthday we thought we needed to celebrate in style and have made sure to bring you a loaded show of wrestling talk along with not one, but two interviews!

There will be many a topic to be discussed on this weeks program. Stemming from last week the debate will continue on the FUNKASAURUS, how WWE clearly tried with this weeks edition of Monday Night Raw, the possibility of Mick Foley in the Royal Rumble, the Smackdown world title situation, William Regal and his dancing ability and more!

To compliment this discussion we have two interviews for you that are sure to get people talking. After many requests & pleas from the DKR Community we are delighted to bring you an interview with the very outspoken British wrestler & the self proclaimed “Baby Jesus Of Professional Wrestling” Rockstar Spud, to discuss a variety of topics including how the ‘Rockstar’ came to be, the state of British wrestling, the worst beating he’s endured, his favourite to town to party in and, of course, accepting his DKR 2011 Year End Award for ‘Best British Based Wrestler’ in the quite the outspoken interview.

The second interview is with a returning champion who has wrestled all over the world and is now one of the lead commentators for new the Ring Of Honor television program as Desmond Wolfe Nigel McGuinness returns to Dropkick Radio in perhaps one of the most open interviews we have conducted! From how his retirement tour was conceived, to becoming an announcer in Ring Of Honor, to wrestling at Wembley Arena during with TNA and more. It’s a very open interview and one that is not be missed!

Plus, as it’s our birthday, we’ll be launching some competitions, bring you the next instalment of the DKR Pub Quiz League, a preview of the Royal Rumble PPV this weekend and more!

It’s going to be a loaded show that we anticipate will have a duration approximately three hours! Live tonight, Monday 23rd January, from 7pm UK/2pm EST at www.DropkickRadio.com. Be sure to log into the chat room at our site during the broadcast to interact with not only the DKR team but other wrestling fans too!

You can contact us & submit questions for the community segment via the following methods -

• Email – DropkickRadio@hotmail.com
• Skype – DropkickRadio
• Twitter – @DropkickRadio
• Facebook – HERE

If you can’t listen live no need to worry as the show will be archived at www.DropkickRadio.com and released for streaming and download the morning after.

Full details on how to tune in live can be found in the listen live section of www.DropkickRadio.com.

 

SHOW PREVIEW – TODAY, MONDAY 16th JANUARY

It’s a landmark show from Dropkick Radio this weeks as it marks the conclusion of our fourth year of broadcasting before we enter our fifth year on next weeks Anniversary program.

Tonight you can expect a plethora of topics discussed by your hosts Jeremy Graves and Martyn Licchelli which will include, but are not limited to, the debut of the FUNKASAURUS, Hulk Hogan added the TNA UK tour, Edge and The 4 Horseman being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame, the Daniel Bryan/Big Show no DQ title match that ended in a no contest, Hunico claiming his custom low rider bicycle symbolises part of his culture, an update on possible future locations for Wrestlemania and more!

Plus we’ll bring you a review of the final show at the world famous ECW Arena – ‘Evolve 10′ that was headlined by Johnny Gargano vs. Ricochet and also featured a tribute to the arena. If that wasn’t enough there will be week two of the DKR Pub Quiz league, an announcement concerning our Anniversary program next week and who knows what else!

It all goes down tonight, Monday 16th January, live from 7pm UK/2pm EST at www.DropkickRadio.com

You can contact us & submit questions for the community segment via the following methods -

• Email – DropkickRadio@hotmail.com
• Skype – DropkickRadio
• Twitter – @DropkickRadio
• Facebook – HERE

If you can’t listen live no need to worry as the show will be archived at www.DropkickRadio.com and released for streaming and download the morning after.

Full details on how to tune in live can be found in the listen live section of www.DropkickRadio.com.

Our 4th Anniversary Show is next Monday, Jan 23rd, at www.DropkickRadio.com

Will Hulk Hogan be at Wembley Arena on January 28th? UPDATED AGAIN – CONFIRMED!

TNA are counting down the weeks until their first ever international TV taping for Impact Wrestling at Wembley Arena in London. The lineup for the event has been revealed but there could be another addition to that lineup.

Following this tweet from the official TNA Twitter, @ImpactWrestling, “Fans in the United Kingdom – get ready for even more big news about the IMPACT Taping in London at Wembley Arena on Jan. 28″ there has been some big news revealed relating to the UK tour, but specifically at the moment relating to the TV Taping.

Hulk Hogan posted on his twitter account today ”There is gonna be some IMPACT in the UK,HULKAMANIA is coming and you know what happens we it’s running wild Brother!!! HH”

Hogan last appeared on TNA television at the Bound For Glory PPV event when he helped Sting fend off Immortal. Does this mean Hulk Hogan will be making his first appearance at a wrestling event in the UK a very long time at Wembley arena? This tweet certainly suggests that!

We’ll be sure to keep you up to date with any more developments on this and we’ll certainly be talking about this on our next broadcast of Dropkick Radio this coming Monday live from 7pm UK/2pm EST at www.DropkickRadio.com.

UPDATE - It has been confirmed by TNA-UK that Hulk Hogan is indeed coming over with more details to be released in the coming days.
“Hulk Hogan is coming… brother! Keep an eye on Hulk and Dixie’s Twitters and http://www.facebook.com/tnawrestlinguk for full details as they come in”

It should also be noted that no official statement from TNA has been released, but given that quote above and the fact the Hogan quote is now on the TNA UK facebook too, it’s fair to say all signs point to him being at the show.

UPDATE 2: 10.30PM GMT - TNA Wrestling UK has officially confirmed Hulk Hogan will appear on the UK tour as part of the Manchester & London events. Here is the full statement -
“”The Immortal” Hulk Hogan will make his return to the UK after 18 years to appear on the TNA IMPACT WRESTLING television taping at London’s Wembley Arena on Saturday January 28.

Hulk will also be a part of the huge MAXIMUM IMPACT Tour live event in Manchester, which takes place on Friday January 27.

Tickets for both events are still available from http://www.tinyurl.com/tnatourtickets2012

Hulk announced the news on Twitter earlier, telling fans: “There is gonna be some IMPACT in the UK, HULKAMANIA is coming and you know what happens when it’s running wild Brother!!!”

The London and Manchester shows will mark Hulk’s first time at a British wrestling event since 1994.”

ROH 10th Anniversary Show to be iPPV event

Ring of Honor have announced that their annual Anniversary event, this year taking place on Sunday 4th March at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, will be a global celebration as it will be their next iPPV offering.

Image (c) ROHwrestling.com

Following on from Final Battle this past December, ROH return to celebrate their tenth anniversary through Go Fight Live and in honour (pardon the pun) of the fact it is a landmark event for the company the event will be at a special discounted price of $9.99, roughly £7.00 GBP.

Another plus for those of us here in the UK is that it has been listed with a 4pm EST start time which equates to 9pm GMT.

They are building the event to be an occasion which will be the sight of a significant moment in the history of the company. ROH have reminded fans of past moments from Anniversary shows of years past including the crowning of new champions such as Tyler Black in 2010, to the invasion by CZW in 2006 and Samoa Joe bidding farewell to the company as part of the ‘Fifth Year Festival’ in 2005. This certainly gives an impression that something big is in the works.

From ROHwrestling.com: “What memory will Ring of Honor’s “10th Anniversary Show” leave indelibly etched into the memories of the ROH faithful? Only time will tell, but one thing we know for certain is that now every fan worldwide will be able to celebrate our anniversary with us. On Sunday March 4, the “10th Anniversary Show” will now be broadcast LIVE on iPPV via GoFightLive!
In honor of our first decade, we will also be offering this historic event to our great fans for the low price of only $9.99! “

You order the event now at GoFightLive.TV right now HERE.

We’ll have more details on this in the coming weeks on Dropkick Radio at www.DropkickRadio.com

TNA reveal roster lineup for Wembley TV Taping

TNA have issued a press release detailing the lineup for the upcoming IMPACT Wrestling TV taping at Wembley Arena in London.

Sting will be competing in the UK for the last time at Wembley on January 28th

The list of talent set to appear at the Wembley taping  is TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode, Sting, Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, James Storm, Bully Ray, Crimson, Samoa Joe, Gunner, Velvet Sky, Gail Kim, Madison Rayne, Mickie James, Tara, Doug Williams, Magnus, Mark Haskins, Austin Aries, Alex Shelley, Matt Morgan, Kazarian and Christopher Daniels.

TNA are expected to reveal the complete lineup for the Manchester and Nottingham events in the coming days.

Sting’s appearance on the MAXIMUM IMPACT IV Tour will be his first in the UK in a decade and the final time he will wrestle in the country – with his last ever British match taking place at London’s Wembley Arena. (It it currently not known if this match will air on television or not.)

TNA President Dixie Carter

“The show at Wembley Arena will be a truly historic night for everyone at TNA IMPACT WRESTLING and all of our amazing British fans” says TNA President Dixie Carter following the announcement last week. “This decision has been years in the making and I’m so excited to announce it is finally happening on January 28. We are just a few tickets away from the London show setting a TNA attendance record, so I hope everyone spreads the word. If you are a fan of TNA, this will be one night you won’t want to miss.”

Barbra Gibson, the Head of Challenge TV added “It’s a wonderful opportunity for Challenge’s loyal TNA viewers to see their favourite sports entertainment shows in a UK context for the first time ever.”

It has also been confirmed that although Wembley Arena will be the sight of the television taping, TNA cameras will also be present in Nottingham & Manchester to film footage for TV. Last year a highlight package of the tour aired on TV and Jeremy Borash filmed a documentary at the Manchester MEN Arena detailing what the day was like for those involved. You can watch the 23 minute documentary below.

The TNA Maximum Impact 2012 tour schedule is as follows -

Thursday 26 January @ Nottingham Capital FM Arena
0844 412 4624

Friday 27 January @ Manchester MEN Arena
0844 847 8000

Saturday 28 January (IMPACT TAPING) @ London Wembley Arena
0844 815 0815

SHOW PREVIEW – January 9th 2012, live at 7pm UK/2pm EST

Tomorrow night, Monday 9th January, from 7pm (UK time) at www.DropkickRadio.com, following tour traditional Christmas & new year break, Dropkick Radio returns for the first live broadcast of the year to bring you plethora of wrestling discussion from the world over!

Join Jeremy Graves & Martyn Licchelli as they look back at big stories of the past week (along with some notes from the past few weeks given that we weren’t able to discuss  over the holiday break) including the return of Chris Jericho to Monday Night Raw, TNA making its final night of the 2012 Maximum Impact UK tour at Wembley Arena an IMPACT Wrestling TV Taping, thoughts on the New Japan Pro Wrestling ‘Wrestle Kingdom VI’ event a the Tokyo Dome, Brock Lesnar announcing his retirement from MMA, the injury to Randy Orton, the TNA India project and more!

There will also be discussion on the past weeks editions of Raw, Smackdown, Impact and the TNA Genesis PPV event. [If you're concerned about spoilers for Genesis, don't worry as it will be the last thing we talk about on the program.] The first community segment of the year will see the start of the (highly requested) ‘Dropkick Radio Weekly Pub Quiz League’ with all details on how to take part to be revealed during the broadcast and we have comments from TNA Champion ‘The Monster’ Abyss on the new deal with Challenge TV & more ahead of the TNA UK tour.

It’s a packed show for our first live broadcast of the year and it all goes down from 7pm UK/2pm EST tomorrow night (Monday 9th January) at www.DropkickRadio.com
If you’re listening live be sure to log into the chat room to add your thoughts on what being discussed with not only the DKR team but other wrestling fans as well.

You can contact us & submit questions for the community segment via the following methods -

• Email – DropkickRadio@hotmail.com
• Skype – DropkickRadio
• Twitter – @DropkickRadio
• Facebook – HERE

If you can’t listen live no need to worry as the show will be archived at www.DropkickRadio.com and released for streaming and download the morning after.

Full details on how to tune in live can be found in the listen live section of www.DropkickRadio.com.

Also, a quick note for everyone. Our 4th anniversary program will be on Monday 23rd January. We are working on ironing out some details for that program so watch this space for more news on what to expect on that day in the coming weeks.