The Wrestling Menu - "From The Vault: Shawn Michaels" DVD Review
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, September 10, 2003 at 10:12 AM EST




THE WRESTLING MENU #59

Welcome one and all to the 59th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

For the second consecutive week, it feels great to be able to congratulate another column-writer being promoted to the LOP main page. This time it is J-Train & his column "Stuck In The Middle With You". J-Train started writing at approximately the same time as I did on the LOP Columns Forum, and to say he has busted his a$$ & deserved his spot is an understatement. Keep an eye out for his writing & give it a read, as I highly recommend it.


APPETIZERS - Randomness

Talk about hitting a mental blank!!! I do have topics to write about, but pretty much all of them require some description & the need to be a little bit more thorough than what I normally do for my 'Appetizers' section. So, in the absence of any half-decent idea, I turn to randomness. The following will be just some quick & concise random thoughts on things that are timely in the WWE:

- The Eddie Guerrero vs John Cena feud is simply ruling right now. This is despite the fact that I get the impression that the WWE might not have wanted it to last too long initially. It's too late to stop now!!! This is perfect for Cena, who will have what deficiencies he has in the ring, well hidden by the talent that is Eddie Guerrero.

- Bill Goldberg must defeat Triple H for the World HeavyWeight Title at Unforgiven. The WWE should not even consider any other outcome. More on this in my predictions next Wednesday.

- Is Brock Lesnar talking more often a good thing or a bad thing? Let's give him some credit here, he has improved markedly on the microphone since his debut, and if he doesn't get the opportunity to speak more, how can we tell if he will improve even further? On the flip side though, he still is not up to the better WWE speakers & his character could actually be harmed if he talks too much.

- I liked Coach's heel turn & the obvious progression would be to get him involved with The King & JR. But for all that is good in the world, can't we keep these guys out of the ring!?!?!? Before I get flooded with e-mails from Lawler fans; Sorry, but I have never been a fan of his wrestling.

- To those placing bets on The Undertaker retiring within the next year or so, my recommendation would be to keep your money. Yes, it makes sense in many ways, but the guy still gets a reaction from the crowd, can be carried by most opponents, and will gladly be given time off when needed.

- Kane attempts to electrocute Shane by his testicles; Not quite humping a mannequin, but not too far away from it. Poor Kane!!!

- Vince McMahon knew exactly what he was getting with Ultimo Dragon right from the start. Then why on earth would he use him as little as he is doing right now!?!?!? If you don't think they're any good Vince, for f**k sake, don't sign them in the first place!!!

- Is anyone else getting a little annoyed at how Stone Cold Steve Austin seems to be making a fool of everyone that he comes into contact with on Raw...??? Yet, he has somehow conveniently been kept out of Triple H's way for the most part!!!

- In my opinion, Edge would be WWE Champion by now had he not injured his neck earlier this year. It would be great to see this promising talent back by WrestleMania 20.

- Unforgiven should be sub-titled 'The Stipulation Pay-Per-View'. It reminds me of WCW Uncensored, and we all know how bad that ppv was usually.

- This Angle vs Lesnar '60 Minute Iron Man' match coming up on SmackDown will be very interesting indeed. I don't see why it can't be done successfully, as the necessary commercial breaks can easily be used during the restholds. This is especially the case seeing as though SmackDown is a taped show.

And the most 'ultimate' bit of randomness that I have:

- Wouldn't it be cool at WrestleMania 20, if during a moment of silence, The Ultimate Warrior's music blared out over the pa system? Then he stormed characteristically out of the dressing rooms to the ring, did a lap of it, and then stormed back, never to be seen again. Now that would be the best of both worlds; The music, the energy, the pace, and the lack of terrible wrestling!!!


MAIN:

From The Vault: Shawn Michaels DVD Review

DISC-1

There is no real 'main' part of this DVD like previous WWE DVD's released thus far. The featured matches are the 'main' part as such. The only thing that should be noted is that each match is introduced by Michaels in a 2-3 minute interview type setup. While the introductions are helpful, nothing too insightful is stated.

September-2, 1986: The Midnight Rockers vs Playboy Buddy Rose & Prettyboy Doug Somers. AWA Tag-Team Title Match: Unfortunately for myself, I already have this match on an AWA DVD & actually reviewed the bout way back in 'The Wrestling Menu #33'. A 16 minute bloodfest where Michaels & Jannetty show their resilience after taking a massive beating and bleeding from very early on in the match. The bout ends in a no contest. Michaels basically played a moving unconscious man after the opening 5 minutes.

March-20, 1994: Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon (Scott Hall). Ladder Match for the InterContinental Title: Arguably one of the top 10 greatest WWE matches ever (voted tied for 6th in my 'Greatest Ever Match' poll in The Wrestling Menu #54'), this ladder match was simply groundbreaking at the time. Nothing is held back, the action begins practically immediately, the offense is innovative & both competitors play their part very well. Scott Hall's alter-ego picked up the win at WrestleMania 10, in this bout that just failed to last 20 minutes.

March-31, 1996: Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart. 60 Minute IronMan Match for the WWE Championship: The infamous WrestleMania 12 match which possibly receives more of a mixed reaction than any other WWE bout in history. Definitely not perfect, this bout has too few exciting spots & one or two too many restholds. But the psychology is amazingly real. So real, you would swear that all but the final 4 minutes were unscripted. Michaels' emotion following his sudden-death win caps it all off perfectly. While 3 alternate matches could have been placed on this DVD, this classic just had to be there.

EXTRAS

It should be noted that most of the extras are directly related to the matches featured on the DVD.

Bloodbath!: Two minute interview with Greg Gagne after the AWA match. I have no idea why this is here!!!

Be Ready: Fascinating little one minute interview during Shawn's AWA days. He was decent on the microphone for his age, but it's fair to say that he has improved since. ***Easter Egg***: Push 'left' twice with this option highlighted & you will get to see a strange & humorous dieting promo by Playboy Buddy Rose.

Barbershop: The infamous 6 minute January '92 Barbershop segment where Michaels turned heel by superkicking Marty Jannetty & throwing him through a window. This was where HBK truly began his singles career & I'm so glad this was included on this DVD. It is very well done & a genuine classic moment in WWE history. ***Easter Egg***: Push 'left' twice with this option highlighted & you get to see HBK discussing singing, dancing & his entrances.

No Rules: Good, if unspectacular, 3 minute in-ring speech concerning the WrestleMania 10 Ladder Match. This extra is handy in order to remember the heel Michaels of the early to mid nineties.

2 Champions: Documentary-like segment explaining why 2 wrestlers were walking around with 2 separate InterContinental Titles for about 5 months. Used as the promo for the WrestleMania 10 match.

Piper's Announcement: Good 8 minute face-to-face segment between HBK & The Hitman, where Rowdy Roddy Piper comes out to explain the WrestleMania 12 main event will be a 60 Minute IronMan match.

Training Video: I always like these training videos, and this 5 minute one is no exception. Focuses on both Shawn & Bret, and is mainly narrated by Jim Ross.

IronMan TV Spot: OK, although covers similar ground to the 'Training Video'.

Match Of The Year: Strange little spot from the Slammy Awards, where both Bret & Shawn accept the 'Match Of The Year' award & give a little speech.

Before They Were Superstars: Typically well produced 13 minute piece which includes interviews with Shawn, his parents & his childhood best friend.

Tell Me A Lie: Music video to the 'Tell Me A Lie' song that was used at the time of one of HBK's hiatus' from wrestling. Decent highlights of his career are included.


DESSERT:

From The Vault: Shawn Michaels DVD Review

DISC-2

April-28, 1996: Shawn Michaels vs Diesel (Kevin Nash). No Holds Barred Match for the WWE Championship: This is an often over-analyzed bout from the 'Good Friends, Better Enemies' pay-per-view. It really did set out to purely be entertaining, and succeeded in doing this for most of it's 18 minutes. Despite ordinary pacing & the lack of anything great wrestling-wise, I don't mind this match at all. Nash wasn't much better mobility-wise 7 years ago than he is now!!!

This match is also available with commentary from Michaels & Nash. While the commentary is ok, it's nothing more than that, and could have been so much better. The inclusion of having Jonathon Coachman there asking them questions is a negative, as Nash & Michaels could have been hilarious if left to their own devices.

September-22, 1996: Shawn Michaels vs Mankind (Mick Foley). WWE Championship Match: Taking place at the 'Mind Games' pay-per-view, this is a truly superb match which proved that HBK could get the job done in the ring against practically any type of opponent. As Shawn said himself in the introduction to this 25 minute bout, Mick Foley's style gave him the opportunity to do something a little different & show the fans something new in his matches. Intense, well-paced & very psychological, the Disqualification ending (Vader running in) is the only real low point of this bout.

October-5, 1997: Shawn Michaels vs The Undertaker. Hell In A Cell Match: A genuinely brutal & bloody half hour inside the cell for HBK. Completely disregarding the ending which saw Kane debut in the WWE, there wasn't too much wrong with this match. Apart from the brutality, the cell gimmick was used with great impact, while both wrestlers got in their fair share of offense. Whether inside or on top of the cell, the fans got what they paid for in this bout.

August-25, 2002: Shawn Michaels vs Triple H. Non-Sanctioned Match: Taking place at last year's SummerSlam, this is undoubtedly one of the most pleasant surprises I have witnessed in all my years of watching professional wrestling. No-one could have ever expected a match up to this standard, considering how long Michaels had been away from a wrestling ring. My personal Match Of The Year for 2002, this was another pure classic involving HBK. Imperfect when over-analyzed, this 28 minute brawl is pure entertainment & intensity. As Shawn said himself in the introduction to the match, he believes the bout will stand the test of time. I agree!!!

EXTRAS

Diesel Interview: Ordinary 90 second promo by Nash regarding the No Holds Barred match.

Big Daddy Cool: More of the same, but with Nash more in the 'Diesel' character. HBK throws his 5 cents worth in as well.

Good Friends: Short & mediocre promo for the upcoming pay-per-view match.

Better Enemies: More of the same, but a little better.

In Your House: Yet another promo, but this is longer, better produced & more informative. The only one of the five extras concerning this match that was really needed.

Have A Nice Day: Short little promo asking the WWE fans to pray that Mankind does not become the new WWE champion.

SlamJam Promo: Average 30 second monologue from HBK.

Mankind Promo: Classic little promo by Foley from the boiler-room.

Brain Surgeon: OK interview with Michaels on the day of the 'Mind Games' match.

Pre-Match Interview: Interview of Michaels, by Kevin Kelly, moments before the main event against Mankind. Showed fairly well that this match would be a little different than the usual HBK bout.

Hell In A Cell TV Spot: Ok little (45 second) promotional spot for the HIAC match against The Undertaker.

Building Hell: The now familiar, but good, look at the building of the cell. Narrated by Vince McMahon.

Blaze Of Glory: Nicely put together 5 minute interview of Michaels in the ring on Raw by Jim Ross. Includes a short speech by The Undertaker on the TitanTron.

Good News, Bad News: Backstage interview before the big HIAC match.

Badd Blood: Interesting & well-produced 3 minute promo looking at Michaels in general, and then the Hell In A Cell match specifically.

Nothing Left: Nicely put together look at HBK & Triple H. Some of their history is shown, but it concentrates mostly on the lead up to the 2002 return bout. Four minutes worth & includes the song "Fight" in the background.

Hammered!: The aftermath of the match where Triple H ruined the HBK party by savaging him with his sledgehammer.

Photo Gallery: Super clear stills of all matches on both discs of this DVD set, except the AWA bout. ***Easter Egg***: Push 'left' twice with this option highlighted & you get to see the infamous & emotional February-13, 1997 "I lost my smile" interview. Excellent 7 minute segment which just had to be included.

CONCLUSION

In short, this 2 DVD set is an absolute must for any wrestling fan who likes what Shawn Michaels has accomplished in the ring. Even if you are not a huge fan of HBK, 'From The Vault' would be a worthwhile addition to your DVD collection. With over 6 hours of footage, and priced favorably to alternative WWE DVD's, this set does provide value for money. While some will feel the WWE made an incorrect decision with regards to not having a 90 minute biography-type main section, those that have seen previous WWE DVD's will know that they are very imperfect anyway. So with the length of most of Shawn's matches, why not just go all out & show 7 full matches as they have done.

While some of the extras (especially on Disc 2) are a waste of space & could have been replaced by much more meaningful & insightful segments, the time wasted is fairly minimal when all is said & done. The matches were chosen well & get good replay value over the years. Overall, I definitely recommend the addition of this DVD to any wrestling fan's collection.


Ok, that does it for edition #59 of The Wrestling Menu. I hope you enjoyed my review of the Shawn Michaels DVD & I made it an easier decision as to whether or not to add it to your personal collection. If you have already seen it yourself, please don't hesitate to let me know what you thought of it. If anything in my 'Randomness' section tickled your fancy as well, I'd be more than happy to learn of your opinion. I will respond to all who write. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com

Next Wednesday in 'The Wrestling Menu', I will attempt to go back-to-back in getting my 'Pay-Per-View Predictions' 100% correct. Wish me luck!!! I will also have a more detailed look at the big main event at Unforgiven, and take a quick peek at how SmackDown is going in a non-ppv month for that brand. Look out for that column come Wednesday the 17th. Until then, this is DaveyBoy signing off & asking you to remember that dinner is best served in 3 courses.













EXCLUSIVES: Top 10 Trish Stratus Moments, Top 10 WCW Cruiserweight Matches, MORE!

• Quick Links -
  [Back to LOP] [News Archives] [Results] [Columns] [Forums]