KO vs. HHH?

Kevin Owens is the latest wrestler to enter a feud with a McMahon as he is set to do battle against Shane McMahon at the Hell in a Cell event in October. While Owens currently has his sights set on Shane O’Mac, is a future match with the Game on the horizon?

If I’m not mistaken, the last two times an attack on Vince McMahon was a major factor in a WWE storyline Triple H got involved. When Randy Orton targeted the entire McMahon family, Triple H defeated him at Wrestlemania 25. When Brock Lesnar dropped Vince with an F5, Triple H pinned the beast at Wrestlemania 29. Kevin Owens just Vince’s head open and squashed him with a frog splash on SmackDown after which Stephanie McMahon came to the ring to both help her father and show her anger toward Owens.

While the feud could end at Hell in a Cell between Owens and Shane McMahon, there is the possibility that it will continue and evolve in to Owens vs. the McMahons as opposed to Ownes vs Shane. Should it turn into a family affair Triple H will likely get involved, and the story would seemingly make no sense. Here’s why.

When Shane returned in 2016, Vince was not happy and had him face the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 32 in a hell in a cell match. So why is Vince all of a sudden on Shane’s side? Stephanie and Shane also feuded for control of WWE with Shane being granted control of SmackDown and Stephanie being granted control of Raw. So why was Stephanie at SmackDown when Vince was hurt? The last time Stephanie was on television, she was a heel. By going up against Owens, does that make her a face?

Perhaps I am looking to far into the storyline, but it does not make sense form a logical standpoint. Things will be even more illogical if Triple H gets involved as he essentially handed Owens the Universal Championship last year. Are fans supposed to forget that happened? Also, Owens and Samoa Joe teamed up for a little bit during Wrestlemania 33 season to do some of Triple H’s dirty work making a possible Owens vs. Triple H feud is a head scratcher.

Hopefully Owens just sticks to Shane O’Mac. The storyline would be simpler, less contradicting and a win over the SmackDown general manger at Hell in a Cell could cement Owens as the biggest heel on the blue brand. A battle with Triple H would not be needed in order to establish that. I understand that wrestling is fake, but I do not want my intelligence insulted when I watch it. A Kevin Owens vs. Triple H feud would do just that.

TNA’s Trials and Tribulations

The wrestling industry has never been the same since the fall of WCW in 2001. Vince McMahon has ruled the professional wrestling world for the last 15 years with ease as the closest thing to competition the WWE has had is Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and that isn’t really saying much. TNA started with promise as its blend of veteran talent with young and up and coming stars looked poised to make the company a credible threat to Vince McMahon’s wrestling empire. Unfortunately a series of bad contracts and storylines have seen ratings for its weekly “Impact Wrestling” show decline as well as many of the company’s stars leave for greener pastures. Things have gotten so bad that the future of the company is in limbo.

About a month ago, TNA’s version of Wrestlemania, Bound for Glory, was in danger of being cancelled as the company was scrambling to find funds for the pay-per-view. The company is currently for sale, and the two leading candidates to buy the company from owner Dixie Carter in the week leading up to Bound for Glory were McMahon’s WWE and TNA president and Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan. It was expected that news on who purchased the company was going to break on that Friday.

Twitter was buzzing as it was widely speculated that McMahon had purchased TNA, and he would once again be able to put another notch in his belt of competitors he conquered. However, neither company confirmed the purchase and on Saturday, it was being reported that TNA had managed to attain the funds needed to pay for both Bound for Glory and its Impact Wrestling tapings for the rest of the year. According to reports, neither WWE nor Corgan funded the pay-per-view, and Bound for Glory went off without a hitch, and TNA was also able to tape enough Impact Wrestling shows for the rest of the year.

A few days later, reports began to surface that WWE and Carter had reached an agreement in which WWE would buy TNA, but apparently Carter backed out at the last minute and still owned the wrestling promotion. It was then reported that WWE had purchased the TNA video library, and Corgan had purchased TNA with the intent of rebranding and rebuilding the company. Those reports turned out to be false however, and Carter is, at the time that this article was written, still the owner of TNA. The drama is not over though as Corgan is now suing TNA despite being the company’s president. In the latest development, TNA’s funds for Bound for Glory and the Impact Wrestling tapings reportedly came from Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Anthem Sports & Entertainment owns Fight Network which is in a global distribution partnership with TNA.

Needless to say this is the most interest TNA has garnered in a long time. The drama of whether or not the company would be able to stay afloat as well as the interest of Vince McMahon in the company set the wrestling world on fire with rumors and speculation. Part of me wants to see McMahon buy TNA so that some of the TNA wrestlers could go toe to toe with the WWE roster and so that the TNA video library could be added to the WWE Network. The other part of me wants to see Corgan buy the company so that TNA can get a second chance at being a credible threat to WWE. That would then hopefully usher in a period of creativity and innovation that has not been seen since the Monday night war between WCW and WWE. Until a report of TNA being sold is confirmed to be true, wrestling fans are left to speculate and wonder about the future of the company. Hopefully something develops in the near future.

Wrestlemania 26 3-Disc DVD Set Review

Wrestlemania is the biggest wrestling event of all time. It features high profile matches, celebrity involvement, and showcases World Wrestling Entertainment’s product on a global stage. An event this big only happens once a year, but that does not mean you only have to watch it once every 365 days. WWE has released every Wrestlemania on some sort of home video format whether it be on VHS, DVD, or Blu-ray. Over the course of the next few weeks, I will review the different home video editions of Wrestlemania that I own.

For this post, I will be reviewing the three-disc set of Wrestlemania 26. The 2010 rendition of Wrestlemania was shot in high definition and can be viewed in either a 16:9 aspect ratio if you have a 16:9 screen television, or it can be viewed in a cropped 4:3 aspect ratio if you have an old “box” screen 4:3 TV.

The first disc of this set contains the first few hours of the Wrestlemania 26 pay-per-view. As you probably guessed, it starts with the traditional singing of “America the Beautiful” and ends with the five on five divas tag team match.

Disc 2 has the rest of the event on it as it features the last two matches on the Wrestlemania 26 card. Also on the second disc area a lot of great bonus features that really make this three-disc DVD set one of the better Wrestlemania DVD sets that WWE has ever released. The bonus features include the 26-Man Battle Royal that happened right before Wrestlemania 26 went live and a variety of matches that feature wrestlers from the 2010 class of WWE Hall of Fame inductees.

The third disc of the three-disc set contains the entire 2010 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony. While this class was not as star-studded as the 2009 version, it was still a really good group of wrestlers and entertainment personalities and included Wendi Richter, Stu Hart, and the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase among others. My favorite induction from this class is of Bob Uecker, and if you are a fan of baseball, wrestling, or both, definitely check out this disc to watch Mr. Baseball’s induction.

The packaging of this Wrestlemania is not as cool as the Wrestlemania 25 packaging, but it still looks good and is very appealing. The front features all the participants from the four biggest matches on the Wrestlemania 26 card with the inside featuring pictures from the various matches that happened during the event.

In conclusion, the Wrestlemania 26 three-disc DVD set is one of the best home video versions of the showcase of the immortals that WWE has ever released. The actual event was very entertaining and featured good matches such as both world title bouts, the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, and Rey Mysterio taking on CM Punk. The match that stole the show, however, was the rematch between Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker in which they put on a performance that blew the roof off the arena. That match alone makes this Wrestlemania a must-see for every wrestling fan. You can also find this event on a two-disc DVD set, which includes the pay-per-view and an abbreviated hall of fame induction ceremony. You can also get this event as a Blu-ray, which has better sound and picture than the DVD version.

Stay tuned for the Wrestlemania 27 three-disc DVD set review!

Wrestlemania 24 3-Disc DVD Set Review

Wrestlemania is the biggest wrestling event of all time. It features high profile matches, celebrity involvement, and showcases World Wrestling Entertainment’s product on a global stage. An event this big only happens once a year, but that does not mean you only have to watch it once every 365 days. WWE has released every Wrestlemania on some sort of home video format whether it be on VHS, DVD, or Blu-ray. Over the course of the next few weeks, I will review the different home video editions of Wrestlemania that I own.

For this weeks post, I am going to review the 3-disc DVD set of Wrestlemania 24. This is a unique DVD set in that this was the first Wrestlemania that was broadcast in high definition by the WWE. What this means is that the aspect ratio the event is presented in will change based on the television on which you are watching Wrestlemania 24. For example, if you are watching on an older “box” television with a square screen, you will see the event in a 4:3 aspect ratio. If you watch it on a television with a rectangular shaped screen like most modern flat screen TVs, then you will see the event presented in a 16:9 aspect ratio. In my opinion, this is the best way to view it, as you will see a wider picture and things you will not be able to see if you were viewing it in a 4:3 aspect ratio.

The action kicks off on the first disc as it contains the first few hours of the Wrestlemania 24 pay-per-view. It starts off with John Legend signing the traditional “America the Beautiful” before ending with the Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship between John Cena, Triple H, and Randy Orton. There are no bonus features on this disc so when you are finished with it, move on to disc 2.

The second disc picks up where the first disc left off by starting with the rest of Wrestlemania 24 with Big Show taking on Floyd “Money” Mayweather in a match that was called “the Biggest vs. the Best.” Aside from the rest of the pay-per-view, disc 2 also has the start of the 2008 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Disc 3 has the rest of the induction ceremony on it as well as the 24-Man Battle Royal that took place at Wrestlemania 24 before the event went live. The wrestlers inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame included Mae Young, the Brisco brothers, and Ric Flair. One of the coolest moments from the 2008 ceremony was the Rock cutting an “electrifying” promo before inducting his father and grandfather into the hall of fame.

The packaging for Wrestlemania 24 looks good and has the wrestlers involved in the event’s biggest matches on the front. The inside of the packaging has pictures from the event with the two most prominent pictures featuring Mayweather punching Big Show and Ric Flair making his way to the ring.

In conclusion, the Wrestlemania 24 DVD set is a good home video version of the event. It is packaged very nicely and includes a really good Wrestlemania event. Matches like the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, the world championship matches, and the retirement match make this Wrestlemania stand out as one of the best Wrestlemanias I have ever seen. The only complaint I have with the DVD set is the lack of bonus content. With previous home versions of Wrestlemania having a ton of extra features, the fact that the Wrestlemania 24 DVD set has only one extra feature is pretty poor. Aside from that lone complaint, it still a good DVD set and you should definitely pick it up for your collection. If you have a BluRay player, I recommend you get the BluRay edition of Wrestlemania 24 as it offers better sound and picture.

Keep an eye out for the Wrestlemania 25 DVD set review!

Wrestlemania 23 3-Disc DVD Set Review

Wrestlemania is the biggest wrestling event of all time. It features high profile matches, celebrity involvement, and showcases World Wrestling Entertainment’s product on a global stage. An event this big only happens once a year, but that does not mean you only have to watch it once every 365 days. WWE has released every Wrestlemania on some sort of home video format whether it be on VHS, DVD, or Blu-ray. Over the course of the next few weeks, I will review the different home video editions of Wrestlemania that I own.

In this week’s post, I will take a look at Wrestlemania 23. This event took place from Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, and was the first Wrestlemania since Wrestlemania 19 to take place in a stadium as Wrestlemanias 20, 21, and 22 took place inside arenas. This is an individual Wrestlemania DVD set meaning that only the 23^rd edition of Wrestlemania is included.

The action gets started on Disc 1 as it contains the first few hours of the Wrestlemania 23 pay-per-view. It starts from the beginning of the event which takes a brief look at the history of Wrestlemania, and it ends with the “All Grown Up” Shawn Michaels promo. This is all that is on the first disc. There are no special features at all so once you finish disc 1, feel free to move onto disc 2.

The second disc consists of the rest of the Wrestlemania 23 pay-per-view which is only the WWE Championship match and highlights from the event. Also on this disc are a lot of special features such as vignettes, countdowns, and highlights from various Raw and Smackdown programming. The home video exclusive tag team lumberjack match which took place moments before Wrestlemania 23 went live in which the team of Carlito and Ric Flair took on Gregory Helms and Chavo Guerrero is also included on disc 2, as is a WWE.com exclusive interview with CM Punk, the announcement of Ford Field being the host site for Wrestlemania 23, the Wrestlemania 23 ticket sale, and the Wrestlemania 23 press conference between Donald Trump and Vince McMahon.

Disc 3 is like the third disc in the Wrestlemania 21 and the Wrestlemania 22 DVD sets in that it has the entire 2007 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony that was held the night before Wrestlemania 23. This was a really good hall of fame class as it included Jim Ross, Jerry “the King” Lawler, Mr. Perfect, and Dusty Rhodes among others.

The packaging of Wrestlemania 23 is one of the best that WWE has ever done in my opinion. The front features the Wrestlemania 23 logo as well as the competitors involved in the events marquee matches. The inside of the packaging has pictures from a few of the matches as well as a series of pictures that show Jeff Hardy crashing down on Edge in the Money in the Bank ladder match.

The back of the DVD packaging is the opposite from the front in that it shows the results of the matches that were featured on the front of the case.

In conclusion, the DVD edition of Wrestlemania 23 is an excellent home video version of the actual pay-per-view. It contains the entire event as well as a ton of extras, great looking packaging, and the entire 2007 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Highlights from the pay-per-view include both of the world title matches, the money in the bank ladder match, and the “Battle of the Billionaires.” It was a pretty good Wrestlemania and is an even better DVD set.

Up next is the Wrestlemania 24 DVD set review! Stay tuned!

Wrestlemania 22 3-Disc DVD Set Review

Wrestlemania is the biggest wrestling event of all time. It features high profile matches, celebrity involvement, and showcases World Wrestling Entertainment’s product on a global stage. An event this big only happens once a year, but that does not mean you only have to watch it once every 365 days. WWE has released every Wrestlemania on some sort of home video format whether it be on VHS, DVD, or Blu-ray. Over the course of the next few weeks, I will review the different home video editions of Wrestlemania that I own.

In 2006, World Wrestling Entertainment presented its 22nd edition of the showcase of the immortals in front of the always-rowdy Chicago crowd. It was a fun event that had a lot of memorable moments and as soon as WWE released it on DVD, I immediately picked it up for my home viewing pleasure. With this being an individual Wrestlemania DVD set, all three discs of the Wrestlemania 22 DVD set deal with Wrestlemania 22 in some sort of fashion.

Disc 1 contains some vignettes, the pre-Wrestlemania18-man interpromotional battle royal between the superstars of Raw and Smackdown, and the first few hours of Wrestlemania 22 as it starts with the traditional singing of “America the Beautiful” before ending with the announcement of where Wrestlemania 23 will take place. When viewing the first disc, I recommend watching the battle royal before the actual event in order to get the full Wrestlemania 22 experience.

Disc 2 contains the rest of the Wrestlemania 22 event as well as a ton of extras. Should you choose to continue watching Wrestlemania 22, the second disc picks up immediately where the first disc left off as the very entertaining triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship is the first match you will see. The extras included on disc 2 are what really make this DVD set shine. Aside from the home video exclusives that feature Mick Foley getting stitches and Rey Mysterio celebrating his World Heavyweight Championship victory, you also get to see the entire Wrestlemania Post Show, John Cena on Raw the night after Wrestlemania 22 addressing the hostile Chicago crowd that almost booed him out of the city, and Saturday Night’s Main Event that occurred a few weeks before Wrestlemania 22 in its entirety.

Disc 3 contains the entire WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony that featured the inductions of former Chicago Bear William “The Refrigerator” Perry, the late great Eddie Guerrero, and Bret “Hit Man” Hart among others. I enjoyed the induction ceremony and the Wrestlemania 22 edition had some very entertaining moments that make it worth a watch.

The packaging of this 3-disc set looks very cool as it features all of the competitors in what were arguably the night’s biggest matches as well as the classic Wrestlemania logo in which the “R” and the “S” are connected. Inside the case are the discs and pictures from the event with the two biggest pictures being of the then World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio and the then WWE Champion John Cena.

Overall, the Wrestlemania 22 3-disc DVD set is a very nice home video version of the event. It contains the entire Wrestlemania 22 pay-per-view, the entire pre-Wrestlemania 22 Saturday Night’s Main Event television special, and the entire WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Most of the matches on the card were fantastic and had me in awe. Shawn Michaels dropping a massive elbow on to Vince McMahon from an enormous ladder, Edge spearing Mick Foley through a flaming table, and the Money in the Bank ladder match acrobatics are just a few of the cool moments from this event. It is relatively cheap and easy to find today, so add it to your Wrestlemania collection.

Stay tuned for the Wrestlemania 23 DVD review!