Wrestlemania 32 Two-Disc Blu-Ray 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. This week's post will look at the Blu-ray version of Wrestlemania 32.

Aside from watching Wrestlemania 32 live on television when it aired in 2016, I have only seen it on Blu-ray on a 16:9 television screen. Therefore I have no idea how the DVD version of Wrestlemania 32 is presented on a 16:9 or a 4:3 television.

This Wrestlemania has the infamous distinction of being considered one of the worst and one of the longest Wrestlemanias of all time. Clocking in at just under seven hours when adding in the two hour kickoff show that aired prior to the main card, the event had to be split up on two Blu-ray discs. The first disc contains most of the Wrestlemania 32 card. It starts with Fifth Harmony performing “America the Beautiful” and ends with the Rock coming to the ring to address the crowd. Also included on the first disc are the three matches that took place on the kickoff show.

The second disc features the Wrestlemania 32 main event that saw Roman Reigns challenge Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. I also features the entire 2016 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony that featured a very good class of inductees. New hall of famers included the Godfather, the Fabulous Freebirds, and Sting. Obviously Sting was the headliner for this class as he is undoubtedly one of the greatest stars in the history of professional wrestling. I loved his epic battle with the New World Order in 1997 as he became the silent vigilante for World Championship Wrestling. His induction alone is enough to make this ceremony worth watching. The last feature on disc 2 is a Blu-ray exclusive titled “Fighting for a Legacy.”

The packaging is not really eye-popping. The front features the Wrestlemania 32 logo and the wrestlers that were involved in the biggest matches. The back is very similar to that of the Wrestlemania 31 set as it features a few pictures from the event’s biggest moments. It also a small paragraph that discusses the matches and lists the bonus content as well as the 2016 hall of fame inductees.

The inside packaging is pretty bland as it features a wide shot of a lukewarm crowd response to the WWE title win of Roman Reigns.

In conclusion, this is a really good home video version of Wrestlemania 32. Despite the event definitely not being one of the best of all time and being classified as mediocre, the Blu-ray version does contain every match and the entire hall of fame ceremony. The women’s championship triple threat match, the Intercontinental Championship ladder match, AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho, and seeing Shane McMahon channel his inner Mick Foley in the Hell in a Cell match against the Undertaker are definitely the highlights of this event. If you are a diehard fan of professional wrestling, I’d pick up the Blu-ray version.

Stay tuned for the Wrestlemania 33 Blu-ray review!

Wrestlemania 32 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone share his thoughts on Wrestlemania 32.

No Wyatts Please

 Please note that this post was written before the March 28, 2016, episode of Monday Night Raw. As a result, the elements from that episode that affected the street fight match between Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose were not taken into account during the writing of this post.

Wrestlemania 32 is days away, and the match I am looking forward to the most is the street fight between “the Beast,” Brock Lesnar, and the Cincinnati’s “Lunatic Fringe,” Dean Ambrose. The storyline leading up this match has been exceptional as it has had the best buildup when compared to other bouts on the card. What started as a brief encounter in February during the buildup to WWE Fastlane 2016 has morphed into a compelling wrestling story that has captivated audiences everywhere. Lesnar has lived up to his “Beast” moniker and Ambrose has become arguably the biggest face in WWE today as his “never say die” attitude, charisma, and wrestling skill has gotten him over in a huge way with wrestling fans.

People knew these the two had chemistry the moment Ambrose went face to face with Lesnar back In February. It was the most electrifying segment on Raw in 2016 up to that point, and the fans responded in a positive way. WWE captured lightening in a bottle and proceeded to run with it as the street fight between the most over guy on the current roster in Lesnar and the most over face on the current roster in Ambrose could steal the show in front of a crowd of over 100,000 people. It should be a great match. My only problem with it is the Wyatts.

The Wyatt Family has seemingly been inserted into the Lesnar versus Ambrose storyline with the purpose of interfering during their Wrestlemania 32 street fight. Whenever Ambrose or Lesnar is on screen, the Wyatts make an appearance. It was reported that WWE originally had Lesnar taking on Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania 32. Personally I was not a fan of that decision as a match between the “Beast” and the “Eater of Worlds” did not and still does not really excite me. That is why I was thrilled when it was announced that Ambrose would take on Lesnar instead.

When WWE started to throw the Wyatts into the mix, I thought that it was to keep Ambrose busy when Lesnar was not appearing on WWE television for the week and as a way to book Lesnar for the Roadblock event. I have since been proven wrong. WWE is strongly hinting at a Wyatt Family interference, and that is something that I do not want to see.

The buildup for the match between Ambrose and Lesnar has been really good. It focused on Ambrose wanting to prove that he can go toe to toe with the best in the business and Lesnar wanting to extract revenge for Ambrose knocking him out of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Number One Contender Triple Threat Match at Fastlane 2016. Now that the Wyatts have been added to the equation, I feel like it has taken away from what had been a great storyline.

I hope that Lesnar and Ambrose have an epic clash that blows the roof off AT&T Stadium without interference from the Wyatts. This has the making of a match of the year candidate and could be a bout that is talked about for years to come. In order for that to happen, the finish must be clean. No swerves. No screw job finish. No Wyatts. Just the “Beast” and the “Lunatic Fringe” squaring off at the showcase of the immortals.

Fastlane 2016 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on WWE Fastlane 2016.

Making a Case for Ambrose

Please note that this was written before the February 18, 2016, episode of SmackDown so it was not taken into account when writing this post.

WWE is speeding along the road to Wrestlemania 32 and unlike last year’s buildup to the “Showcase of the Immortals,” the 2016 rendition has been filled with intrigue and excitement. The final pay-per-view stop before Wrestlemania, Fastlane 2016, is this Sunday, and the main event of the night will be a triple threat bout between Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose with the winner earning a main event WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Triple H at Wrestlemania 32. So who will emerge as the victor when the dust settles and smoke clears?

It I were in charge, I would say Dean Ambrose as he has been on fire as of late. At the Royal Rumble, he successfully defended the Intercontinental Championship against Kevin Owens in jaw dropping “Last Man Standing Match” that is being talked about as a “Match of the Year” candidate, and he was the final wrestler eliminated in the Royal Rumble match. After it was announced that Ambrose was in the main event of Fastlane, the spotlight has been shining brightest on him and he has flourished. He showed tremendous moxey by not only getting in the face of Brock Lesnar multiple times, but by calling out the Beast and enduring F-5 after F-5 only to continuously get back up while asking for more. His promos have been fantastic, and every time his music hits, the crowd pops loudly for him. He is more than capable of main eventing the biggest wrestling show of the year, and if he wins on Sunday, then you can bet that AT&T Stadium will become the Ambrose Asylum on April 3.

I am probably being biased because Ambrose is my favorite wrestler, but I truly think he deserves to win. On Monday Night Raw, he lost the Intercontinental Championship despite never being pinned or forced to submit. Usually when a wrestler loses a secondary title in that fashion, it is a sign that WWE is looking to push that wrestler to the next level. What better way for WWE to push Ambrose to the next level than by having him win at Fastlane?

In all reality though, Reigns will most likely have his arm raised in victory at the end of the match. It is no secret that he is being groomed to be the next face of the company, and despite the mixed reactions and lackluster charisma, he has the look that Vince McMahon values in a company representative. WWE has been building to Reigns versus Triple H for quite some time, and I doubt that McMahon will green light a last second swerve and have somebody else battle Triple H for the title at Wrestlemania. Should Reigns win, I hope Ambrose has a high profile Wrestlemania match against Lesnar. The budding rivalry between these two has been the most intriguing part of the road to Wrestlemania, and a match between the Beast and the Lunatic Fringe on the biggest stage of them all could blow the roof off the stadium. Either way, I am still rooting for the Cincinnati favorite.

Let’s go Ambrose!