The Best of The King of the Ring DVD (3 Discs)
Our Price: £17.99
RRP: £29.99
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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
