DVD Review -- TNA Wrestling: The Best of the Asylum Years, Vol. 1

Welcome to another entry in my ongoing quest to provide you guys with notable wrestling DVDs and Blu-Rays worth (or not worth) adding to personal collections. This entry is the first non-WWE review when we take a look at TNA Wrestling: The Best of The Asylum Years, Volume 1.

Impact Wrestling.com describes this set as follows:

"TNA Wrestling has opened the vault and now you can see some of the best matches from the early days that helped shape TNA into the wrestling phenomenon it is today! The double-disc DVD contains over 20 rare matches from TNA's events at the Asylum in Nashville, Tennessee, from 2002-2004.
Witness the rise of TNA Wrestling, the start of the X Division with AJ Styles and Jerry Lynn, the emergence of tag teams like America's Most Wanted and Triple X, the war between Jeff Jarrett and Raven, Jeff Hardy's TNA debut, hardcore action with Sabu and Abyss and much, much more!"

Overview:

Note: This is one of the DVD reviews where I will NOT use my 5 star rating per match. There's a LOT of matches to cover on this set, so it's not going to hurt you to watch the ENTIRE thing. Most of these matches aren't present in their full glory, so take that into consideration as well. I didn't think it was fair to grade incomplete content.

Disc 1

MATCH #1: JULY 24, 2002
TNA-NWA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH - SABU VS KEN SHAMROCK (c) - LADDER MATCH

This was a spot-heavy affair to the enjoyment of the crowd, but sadly, this DVD only includes partial footage to this match as the finish was cut out completely.

MATCH #2: AUGUST 28, 2002
THREE WAY LADDER MATCH - AJ STYLES VS LOW KI VS JERRY LYNN

Before the match, former X-Division stars and talent weigh in on how the X-Division pout TNA on the map and how it changed the landscape of what a main eventer looks like in this profession.

Unlike the first match on this DVD, this match is here in its entirety. This is a perfect example of what the X-Division is known for - high caliber performances.

For example, that crazy ladder piledriver spot to Low Ki by Jerry Lynn is a must-see spot.

You definitely won't be disappointed here.

MATCH #3: APRIL 30, 2003
RAVEN VS JEFF JARRETT

Alexis Laree (Mickie James) accompanies Raven to the ring with fellow Gathering member, Julio Dinero.

I found myself laughing as I totally forgot how Raven looked like before he allowed himself to get out of shape in the later years of TNA.

This is one of the rare occasions where TNA audiences were treated to Jeff Jarrett doing high-flying moves consistently, while Sabu falls onto a random fan.

As for the finish, just watch this shit. Mere words won't do this justice.

MATCH #4: MAY 7, 2003
TRIPLE X (ELIX SKIPPER AND LOW KI) VS AJ STYLES AND D'LO BROWN

This marks a time when TNA gave D'Lo Brown a big push after WWE neglected him after the height of his Attitude Era run. D'Lo Brown formed a dynamic tag team with a young AJ Styles to challenge the rising stars known as Elix Skipper and Low Ki.

Nothing really out of the norm here from these four men, but great match nonetheless. I loved the Double Sky High finish.

MATCH #5: JUNE 11, 2003
JEFF JARRETT VS RAVEN VS AJ STYLES

By this point, you're possibly getting sick of AJ Styles and Raven matches, so don't expect anything new from this one.

Vince Russo screws Jeff Jarrett out of the title for AJ Styles to pick up the win after "The Franchise" Shane Douglas took out Raven.

This match marks the rise of AJ Styles as a main event player in TNA.

MATCH #6: JUNE 25, 2003
TNA-NWA TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH - TRIPLE X VS AMERICA'S MOST WANTED - STEEL CAGE MATCH

This was TNA's first ever steel cage match.

AMW defy the odds and emerge as the NEW tag team champions.

There's far too many insane spots to list, but if you're a fan of tag team wrestling or just love steel cage matches, then you're going to love this match.

MATCH #7: SEPTEMBER 17, 2003
HAIR VS. HAIR MATCH - RAVEN VS SHANE DOUGLAS

For the most part, TNA treats this match as mostly a traditional Street Fight from how much time Raven and Douglas are brawling outside of the ring and among the crowd. I personally suggest NOT to eat anything during or before this match because at one point Shane Douglas just starts randomly vomiting in the ring. Commentary tries to play it off that he's vomiting from the brutality of this match, but Douglas looked like he was legit sick to me. It grossed me out even more to see them still doing bumps and spots in the ring with the man's vomit right there on the canvas.

Sinn (WWE's Kizarny) and Slash come to Douglas' aid near the end, but Raven's Gathering (Julio Dinero and CM Punk; more on them later...) make the save. Raven has the match won with a top rope Raven Effect through a table but the lights go out just as the referee was about to make the three count. Vampiro (with Father James Mitchell) screws Raven out of the win to force Raven to get his head shaved.

MATCH #8: NOVEMBER 12, 2003
JEFF JARRETT AND LEX LUGER VS AJ STYLES AND STING

This match is used as the "rise" of Sting in TNA and I have to thoroughly disagree that this was NOT the most influential moment for Sting being in TNA. That goes to Sting's return at Final Resolution 2006 to his full-on "resurrection" at Bound For Glory that year.

If I'm completely honest, this match isn't really worth watching as it's false advertisement. Build-up to this chapter in the introduction makes you believe that it's about Sting, but it's more about "accepting" AJ Styles as a main event player and Sting putting him over to hang with the likes of Lex Luger and Double J.

That being said, Sting has VERY little involvement in the physicality of this match outside of the finish.

MATCH #9: FIRST EVER FANS' REVENGE MATCH - JEFF JARRETT VS "AMERICAN DREAM" DUSTY RHODES - JIMMY HART AT RINGSIDE W/ HAND-PICKED FANS AS LUMBERJACKS

This was rather strange that they would include this match on the DVD but don't have the full match in its entirety here. The match just ends abruptly before the closing narration of Disk 1. I personally got a good kick out of the irate fans beating the piss out of Double J with those leather straps though.

Imagine if TNA brought this match type back at the top of Dixie Carter's heel run or during the Aces & Eights storyline. I'm sure people would have been tearing down the ticket booths to come into their arenas and lay their hands on them.

BONUS MATCH:

AUGUST 6, 2003
AJ STYLES VS D'LO BROWN

What most people don't know about D'Lo Brown after he left WWE was that he had a VERY successful career in TNA. One of his stand-out feuds of the NWA-TNA years was against AJ Styles. They would act as rivals and even acted as a tag team for a while as well (as seen earlier on this disk).

Disc 2

MATCH #1: FEBRUARY 18, 2004

JULIO DINERO AND CM PUNK VS TERRY FUNK AND RAVEN

The first thing most people are going to notice here is a VERY young CM Punk, showing the seeds of what he is going to become in the future of this sport. For those so-called "fans" of CM Punk's fan base who aren't aware of his non-WWE exploits, will be shocked to see him continuously cursing and swearing at the top of his lungs from bell to bell of this contest.

The focal point of this chapter was hitting home the fact that TNA Wrestling wasn't regarded as an indy promotion any longer. They were attracting big names and Legends, such as Terry Funk, at this point. This match is more about Terry Funk helping put Raven and more importantly, TNA, at this point in their history. Terry Funk blades early into this contest to hit the point home on a physical level to sell the beating from Dinero and Punk and add to his noble sacrifice to take the taser shot from James Mitchell's stungun.

Keep in mind that CM Punk and Raven would have a lengthy feud in Ring of Honor a few years later that stemmed from their hatred for each other here.

MATCH#2: MARCH 17, 2004
LADDER MATCH FOR #1 CONTENDER SPOT - AJ STYLES VS ABYSS

Abyss credits AJ Styles to being one of his favorite opponents, due to their amazing chemistry together. This match was a perfect example of that. To say that this was still in the early stages of both of these wrestlers' careers, it was pure money to watch.

There's a lot crazy spots in this match, including a 450 Splash from the top of the ladder by Styles, a rolling powerbomb onto to steel chairs to Abyss, a running bulldog onto the railing of the ladder by Styles, and a crazy spill to ringside that causes AJ Styles to lose the match.

MATCH #3: APRIL 14, 2004
FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE - SABU VS MONTY BROWN

From bell to bell, this was a great match. It's spot-heavy, but you should know that going into a Sabu match, especially one in a hardcore environment.

MATCH #4: APRIL 21, 2004
STEEL CAGE MATCH FOR NWA-TNA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP - JEFF JARRETT VS AJ STYLES

This match was pretty much Jeff Jarrett passing down his veteran experience to the rising stardom of AJ Styles. I wouldn't be doing this match justice if I didn't give props to Vince Russo for his promo that put AJ Styles into this match in the first place as NO ONE saw this coming at the time.

This match also serves as one of the perfect examples of Jeff Jarrett's bag of tricks to cheat his way to retain the gold. AJ Styles manages to survive everything Jeff Jarrett threw at him, including the kitchen sink

MATCH #5: JUNE 9, 2004
X-DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH - KAZARIAN VS AJ STYLES

This was a great match, despite the slow start, but the finish was botched big time. If you're interested in seeing these guys in the early stages of their careers, this match is a good sample of what what they could do.

MATCH #6: JULY 28, 2004
#1 CONTENDER'S MATCH FOR NWA-TNA TITLE - MONTY BROWN VS JEFF HARDY

This match brought back fond memories for me as this was the time frame where I REALLY marked for TNA's product. In terms of matches for highlighting Jeff Hardy's "impact" (no pun intended) on TNA at the time, I would have selected AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy (it's in the Bonus matches though) or Abyss vs. Jeff Hardy. As much as I enjoyed the action here, I have to admit that the finish was weak with Jeff Hardy pulling out a win with a rollup to counter The Pounce.

MATCH #7: AUGUST 18, 2004
X-DIVISION STREET FIGHT - KID KASH VS AJ STYLES

In the DVD commentary before this match started, AJ Styles mentions that the balcony spot was VERY stupid to do in this match, especially when it wasn't the finish. I'm inclined to agree as it was a bit unnecessary to take that risk.

For the most part, this match is treated like an old school bawl throughout the arena among the live crowd.

The post-match attack is cut from this match.

MATCH #8: SEPTEMBER 18, 2004
NWA-TNA CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH - JEFF HARDY VS JEFF JARRETT 

This was the last match at the Asylum, with several stars watching this match transpire from the top of the stage, including Abyss, Vince Russo, Monty Brown, Dusty Rhodes, and Raven. You've seen about a million of these Jeff Jarrett title matches on this DVD set and this one is no different. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but if you've watched this entire DVD set up to this point you know what to expect. 

BONUS MATCHES:

April 28, 2004
SABU VS ABYSS

Seeing these two guys go at it is always a treat to watch, especially in a hardcore environment.

June 9, 2004
MONTY BROWN AND ABYSS VS AMERICA'S MOST WANTED

This was a weird pairing, but the duo managed to make it work with the natural excitement that AMW brought to TNA's tag team division at the time. For those wondering, this was set during the time where Goldy Locks was still manipulating Abyss to do her bidding.

June 23, 2004
AJ STYLES VS JEFF HARDY

This was a HUGE dream match for a LOT of people at the time. Jeff Hardy had left WWE by this point while AJ Styles has grown into TNA's hottest commodity. This first meeting between the two put even more eyes on TNA Wrestling as they were able to draw in yet another big name onto their roster.

July 7, 2004
MONTY BROWN VS D'LO BROWN

Much like D'Lo Brown's match against AJ Styles on the Bonus content of the first disk, this match serves as another example of D'Lo Brown's excellent post-WWE run in TNA.

The Verdict:

The Best of the Asylum Years, Vol. 1 serves as a refresher course for the days of yore in TNA's early years at the fabled Asylum. Is it the best collection of matches from this time period? No, but it's the best you can get if you're merely starting a collection of DVDs from TNA's early years. I would have loved a bit more commentary and insight from some of the competitors who were in the matches on this DVD on how it felt to compete for TNA at this crucial time, but it was the same few guys commenting about it on every few matches. My main gripe with this DVD set is that it tends to gloss over the historical aspect of this time period, but I think the TNA Wrestling: Year One DVD covers that aspect MUCH better. Don't worry, I plan on covering that DVD at a later date. 

As for this DVD set, you can find it easily online for roughly $8-10. That's more than fair for this content, despite the fact that this DVD set doesn't focus on all of the topics that it covers and subjects that it presents. Fortunately, if you're new to TNA's history in the Asylum or just a long-time fan looking to refresh your memory, this DVD set serves as a good entry point to start before moving onto TNA's other themed DVD releases, such as Best of the X-Division Vol. 1 & 2 and KNOCKOUTS: The Ladies of TNA Wrestling, Vol. 1 (this review is coming soon) or the wrestler-focused DVDs, such as Unstoppable: The Best of Samoa Joe, Phenomenal: The Best of AJ Styles, or The Best of Raven: Nevermore. 

I'm giving The Best of the Asylum Years, Vol. 1 a 7.75 out of 10. 

DVD REVIEW -- WWF Summerslam 1999 - An Out of Body Experience (2000)

After my reviews on WWE Fatal 4 Way 2010 and WWE Capitol Punishment, I bet you guys were probably saying that I'm only going to be reviewing WWE's god-awful PPV events. Well, you've guessed wrong. While WWF Summerslam 1999 will be the last WWE-related DVD I'm going to do for a while before I go focus a few non-WWE DVDs, I wanted to end on a positive note with an Attitude Era favorite.

DVD Overview: 

SummerSlam took place on the 22nd of August at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, it was the twelfth annual Summerslam event and the event was headlined by the presence of then Governor of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura, who would be the special guest referee for the main event, a triple threat match for the WWF Championship.

Note: Match Ratings are on a 5 star rating system.

Two Titles On The Line - Intercontinental & European Championship Match - Jeff Jarrett (w/ Debra) def. D'Lo Brown (c) to become NEW double champ

Jeff Jarrett sends Debra backstage at the dismay of this live crowd for her rather revealing attire, but D'Lo Brown brings her back out, much to both the live crowd and especially Jerry "The King" Lawler's delight. The best parts of this match is hearing King swooning and moaning about Debra on commentary. This was back when King was at his best in terms of perverted and hilarious remarks on commentary.

The finish came after the referee was distracted by both Debra and Jarrett, only for Mark Henry to storm the ring and take out D'Lo Brown himself. The heel turn by Henry shocked the masses as it showed that Double J was maniacal genius, using both Debra and Henry to turn this match into his favor from the start to pull the wool over everyone's eyes. I applaud WWE for great writing like this as you definitely don't see stuff like this in mid-card feuds anymore.

Random Thought: @WWEDivaDebra was looking SMOKIN' hot during WWF #Summerslam 1999 that I was watching yesterday. pic.twitter.com/1lNFiZXJO4
— Let's Talk Wrestling (@LetsTalkWrestle) August 5, 2014

I tweeted this remark yesterday after I watched this event on DVD and I was more than flattered to have Debra herself favorite and retweet me. All Hail the Puppy Queen!

Match Rating: ★★½ stars

The Acolytes (Farooq and Bradshaw) def. The Hardy Boyz (Matt & Jeff Hardy w/ Gangrel), Edge & Christian, Mideon & Viscera, Droz & Prince Albert, and Hardcore Holly & Crash Holly in the Tag Team Turmoil Match for #1 Contender Spot for WWF Tag Team Championship for the following night on Monday Night RAW

This was one of my favorite matches on the entire card, along with the WWF Tag Team title match and the main event. I would love to see WWE's current product give the entire Tag Team division this much time on PPV to go nuts with everyone in the division throwing their biggest guns at each other.

For those who want to know the order of elimination it's as follows:

• Edge & Christian def. The Hardy Boyz (sporting the New Brood gimmick as they were still affiliated with Gangrel at this point), Mideon and Viscera, Droz and Prince Albert (the man who would become A-Train and Lord Tensai).
• Sick barricade run to Spear spot on Jeff Hardy out of the air by Edge 
• Acolytes def. Edge & Christian and Hardcore Holly & Crash Holly
• Holly cousins lost the match due their own constant arguing, allowing The Acolytes to get an easy, cheap victory

If DailyMotion hasn't taken the video down, the entire match can be seen above for your viewing pleasure.

Match Rating: ★★★½ stars

Verbal Confrontation between Chris Jericho and Road Dogg

This was one of Chris Jericho's first WWF PPV appearances, so don't expect too much from this verbal exchange between him and Road Dogg. At this stage of his WWF career, he hasn't found his "it factor" so Road Dogg ends up winning over this crowd instead.

Hardcore Championship Match - Al Snow def. Big Bossman (c) to become NEW champ

You don't get old fashioned hardcore brawls like this anymore. This was a definitely a classic in the high point of the popularized Hardcore Championship at the time. This match started in the ring then moved throughout the arena and moved over to two additional locations across the street from the arena before reaching its conclusion. 

For an additional treat, look for Teddy Long as a referee at this point of his WWE career. 

Match Rating: ★★★ stars

Women's Championship Match - Ivory (c) def. Tori to retain

I found myself laughing at two things in this match. First, there was a fan holding up a sign in clear view that said, "I Poop Too Much" and the fact that Ivory's top was looking like a potential wardrobe malfunction.

I felt that even though this match was short and sweet, it was straight to the point with no bullshit. Tori got her chance for revenge against Ivory, but came up short from dethroning the champion. I wish current Diva fans could turn back the clock and relive some of these bouts as every heel Divas champion doesn't have to be a cowardly heel. And every "aggressive" Diva doesn't have to a powerhouse either. Ivory was one of the shortest or rather most petite Divas of this era and brought that vicious mean streak with her to the ring. If I were perfectly honest, I would love to see either AJ Lee or Paige adopt this type of aggression into their repertoire.

To be fair, I'm sure ANY woman would be flaming mad if another woman wrote "SLUT" and "SKANK" all over her body.

This match had a sloppy finish at the end, but I loved the aggression from Ivory from start to finish and the Big Swing (or rather, Cesaro Swing) spot about halfway in. Luna Vachon (R.I.P.) attacks post-match and sets up the feud for Ivory's next potential challenger for her precious title. Other than that, there's not much action here and the crowd weren't really into this match at all. 

Match Rating: ★★ stars

Kevin Kelly interviews The Rock

Poor Kevin Kelly. This was at the prime of Rock's belittling of the poor guy in interviews. Fortunately, The Rock goes easy on him tonight and is more focused on his match later. 

Lion's Den Match - Ken Shamrock def. Steve Blackman

The amount of foreshadowing here in this match is downright scary as this match could be considered an early UFC-style match underneath WWE's umbrella. I bet Vince McMahon wished he caught this lightning in a bottle back then instead of allowing UFC to grow into it's own entity that is arguably becoming a pending threat to his own empire.

As for the match itself, I have to admit this was a dream match of sorts for me growing up. I marked for Ken Shamrock in the WWF years without a Kurt Angle and I loved how Steve Blackman brought his raw martial arts background to the WWE ring and stood out even more in Hardcore Matches. The combination that results after tossing Shamrock's MMA background and technical prowess into a blender with Blackman's martial arts expertise is simply magical.

I have to be surprised this specialty match hasn't popped up in TNA/Impact Wrestling with all of those MMA guys that the company were struggling to push throughout the years. This match marks the second time that WWE has held this match, with the difference with this version hosting a series of weapons within the structure.

Match Rating: ★★★ stars

"Love Her or Leave Her" Match - Test def. Shane McMahon for Stephanie McMahon's honor

Mere minutes into this match, the members of the Mean Street Posse who were allegedly injured by Test (R.I.P. Andrew Martin) race out to Shane McMahon's aid. The bulk of this contest involves the Mean Street Posse helping Shane beat the holy hell out of Test to make this feasible that Shane has a legitimate chance. Shane hits one of his trademark Diving Elbow Drop spots through the announcers' table at one point, but the ending doesn't come until Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson finally decide aid Test against the Mean Street Posse in the match's final moments. 

After Test picks up the win over Shane, a VERY young and innocent Stephanie McMahon comes out to celebrate with Test. This was LONG before her transformation into the Billionaire Princess and current "Bow to the Queendom" heel antics. 

There was one thing I kept laughing at as I was watching this DVD - ever notice how almost EVERY WWF Superstar at this time with long hair looked surprisingly like Kevin Nash? That DEFINITELY wasn't a coincidence, chico.

Match Rating: ★★½ stars

WWF Tag Team Championship - The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) & The Big Show def. Kane & X-Pac (c) to become the NEW Tag Team Champs

I fell out laughing at The Undertaker's promo in this video package before the match started: 

The Undertaker: "...Summerslam will be forever known as ARMAGEDDON!"

Sadly that didn't happen until 5 months later when WWF held their first Armageddon PPV. 

Despite the impressive offense from the combined might of The Big Show and The Undertaker, this match was entirely about X-Pac defying the odds against these monsters and keeping up with Kane. That being said, X-Pac puts up a great fight, especially when Taker and Show cut him off from the other side of the ring and prevent him from tagging out to Kane.

Match Rating: ★★★½ stars

Kiss My Ass Match - The Rock def. "Mr. Ass" Billy Gunn

Time for The People's Elbow...

The match starts with Billy Gunn bringing out some woman who looks like she could pass as one of Honey Boo Boo's relatives, claiming that The Rock will be kissing her ass by the end of the night. Instead, Billy Gunn gets the just desserts as The Rock forces him to inadvertently kiss her ass instead. This is a pretty average match and nothing to write home about as if you've seen one Rock match from this time period, you've seen them all.

Match Rating: ★★½ stars

Triple Threat Match for WWF Championship - Special Referee: Jesse "The Body" Ventura Mankind def. Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) and Triple H (w/ Chyna) to become the NEW WWF Champ

On the original WWF DVD release, the WWF logo is NOT censored as
pictured here.

Jesse Venture is the judge and jury in this match, managing to eject Chyna from ringside after her repeated attempts to assist Triple H. After Triple H's repeated offenses - namely bashing both Mankind and Steve Austin with chair shots, Ventura refused to make the count to the crowd's delight.

Mankind: "Look ma, I did it!"

Mrs. Foley's baby boy does it again, becoming a 2-time WWF Champion. It was well-deserved as Foley takes the most abuse in this match from start to finish. 

This match continues the trend of the bad night for Shane McMahon as Austin gives him a Stone Cold Stunner when he came to the aid of Triple H. 

As for this match itself, this match at a bit of everything - the brawling throughout the opening moments from Stone Cold Steve Austin, the devious tactics of both Triple H and Chyna of using any means in order to win, and the perseverance of Mankind.

Match Rating: ★★★½

Closing Words: 

WWF Summerslam 1999 was one WWE's better events back during 1999, but acquiring a copy on DVD is going to be a little tricky. If you have a subscription to the WWE Network, you can find this readily accessible at your own leisure, but acquiring a copy on DVD is going to be difficult. I have seen factory sealed copies go as high as $60 on Amazon and ebay, but used copies ranging from $5 (what I paid for it) to $20. When it comes to collecting these types of DVDs, you have to ask yourself how much does a hard copy mean to you as fan or as a collector of wrestling multimedia on DVD. You can take my word for it and say that if you have to own a WWF PPV from 1999, you definitely can't go wrong here.

From top to bottom, WWF Summerslam 1999 is an enjoyable PPV experience and marks one of the "good" times of WWE programming. Lots of good laughs and great wrestling can be found here. I'm giving WWF Summerslam 1999 an 8 out of 10. 

DVD REVIEW -- WWE Capitol Punishment 2011

We continue this adventure as I sought out to watch and review my personal wrestling DVD backlog as we take a look back at WWE Capitol Punishment 2011 - commonly known as the night where R-Truth couldn't get the job done...

United States Championship Match - Dolph Ziggler (w/ Vickie Guerrero) def. Kofi Kingston (c) to become NEW champion

Odd to see a green as fuck Dolph Ziggler in this opening match - no overselling or anything. If memory serves me right, this was back during that weird period where Ziggler cut his hair and dyed it brown and everyone collectively went "WTF?" before he dyed it blonde again. Ziggler holds his own, but this is literally day and night from his performances now in 2014. Everyone has to start somewhere I guess. Pretty average match though.

Match Rating: ★★

R-Truth arrives to arena, holding Cena's WWE Championship hostage

This trend continues throughout the broadcast as WWE hypes R-Truth up like he's already won tonight. Truth throws a few "Foshizzles" and tries to hit on Eve Torres, but got shut down. Keep in mind this was back when Eve was still a babyface, much before her whole "gold-digger/whore" phase as part of Big Johnny's faction.

Alex Riley def. The Miz

And nobody cared...

The Miz: "At least I have Maryse's 'moneymaker' to go home to..."

This match was drawn out FAR too long for my taste, with Miz dominating the entire affair until A-Ri's comeback phase. I don't understand why they let Alex Riley go over The Miz at this point of his career as he wasn't ready for a win here.

Match Rating: ★½ stars

"Obama" arrives to Capitol Punishment, greeted by Sgt. Slaughter and Vickie Guerrero

Much like the R-Truth segments littered throughout this event, this was pretty pointless. The guy looks like Tiger Woods instead of Obama. I'm surprised they couldn't get the real deal to do a quick cameo for laughs.

Alberto Del Rio def. The Big Show due to Show's inability to continue

Mark Henry races out and slams Show through the Spanish announcers' table with the World's Strongest Slam, then targets the injured leg which was ran over by ADR a few weeks prior to this event. This match is more about Mark Henry asserting himself at the top of food chain and making an example out of The Big Show than ADR getting a win here.

I won't lie, I busted out laughing when Show went through the table since it sounded like someone snapping into a candy bar.

I would normally give this a mere 2 star rating but the story they told here was great, so they earned another star for that alone in my eyes.

Match Rating: ★★★½ stars

R-Truth demands photos with WWE title backstage

Fast forward through this...

Intercontinental Championship Match - Big Zeke (Ezekiel Jackson) def. Wade Barrett (c) to become NEW champion

Another boring contest. Skip or fast forward through this.

I'll be honest and say this is the reason why I have never been a fan of Wade Barrett to begin with as his ring work is still the same bland, redundant crap. This match is slow paced, but works with the limited experience between these two Superstars.

This was another match I felt that they dragged out too long for no reason at all.

Match Rating: ★★ stars

"Obama" meets Santino, Beth Phoenix, and Kelly Kelly

The WWE Divas don't have anything going for them at this event, so they are stuck with Santino for this comedy bit as the Secret Service arrests Santino after he whips out the Cobra.

CM Punk def. Rey Mysterio

Best match of the night to this point... Hell, I'll be honest. This was the best match of the PPV, PERIOD. If you're a hardcore CM Punk or Rey Mysterio fan, you're pretty much are going to buy this DVD for this match alone.

Match Rating: ★★★★

World Heavyweight Championship Match - Randy Orton (c) def. Christian to retain

While this match was a step up from most of the other mediocre matches on this PPV outside of Punk v. Mysterio, this match only serves as another match in WWE's campaign to take the wind out of Christian's sails after returning to WWE, hot off the heels of his tremendous success in TNA Wrestling.

This wasn't a bad match by no means, but both Superstars are capable of better performances than this.

Match Rating: ★★½

Bonus Match - Evan Bourne def. Jack Swagger

The crowd couldn't get behind this match after the dull pacing in its opening
minutes to drag out time before the main event...

This match continued Bourne's feud with Swagger as he seemed to have Swagger's number after a string of upset victories. This was a great match that highlighted both Superstars' best assets - Swagger works best as a powerhouse "bully" while Bourne excels at defying the odds as an underdog. I felt bad that the crowd didn't seem to get behind them at all.

Keith Stone, featuring a double dose of silicone-free Bella Twins

For some odd reason, Keith Stone was present to watch this match from ringside with The Bella Twins. King was more preoccupied with watching them than this match.

The match ends with an amazing exchange of counters with Bourne picking up the win from out of nowhere. I think this match would have done better on the card if it was booked BEFORE the Punk v. Mysterio match.

Match Rating: ★★★

"Obama" wishes best of luck to R-Truth and John Cena and does a Spinneroonie to the request of Booker T

I guess this is how those Spinneroonies during the RAW off-air bits got started. Seriously, they could've saved this for AFTER the show went off air.

WWE Championship Match - John Cena (c) def. R-Truth

Much like A-Ri vs. Miz earlier on this card, this match had the heel (Truth) dominating the entire match until Cena went into his comeback phase. Expect lots of trademark Cena kick-outs at 2 as R-Truth goes through his ENTIRE moveset arsenal on Cena to no avail. 

If anything, watch this match for the commentary alone between King, Cole, and Booker T. 

King: "R-Truth hasn't had a title match in ten years!!?? It took me 18 years to get a title shot!"
Booker T: (after Truth hits Scissor Kick) "I thought that was me out there for a second!"
Cole: "Yeah, it's you, especially after Cena beats you while you're laying on your back on that canvas..."

The finish came after Truth stole a drink from a kid on the front row (we'll just call him Little Jimmy) and took a sip from it before handing it back to him. The kid tossed the drink in Truth's face, which gave Cena MORE than enough time to toss him into the ring and hit the Attitude Adjustment for the win.

WWE were so wrong to hype R-Truth up in this affair only to send him straight to failure upon arrival. WWE historians should know that this feud was pretty much filler with the "Summer of Punk" on the horizon shortly after this event. I feel like WWE killed all chances of R-Truth being taken seriously as a main event talent with this event as they completely wasted his talents in this feud. 

In all seriousness, I know people like to blame John Cena as the "killer" of careers, but no you have to point all fingers at WWE for booking this crap. It's the same "burial" they are doing with Christian. They are showing by example that they don't want these guys who were able to get themselves over in TNA Wrestling (or any other promotion for that matter...) and come back to WWE, only to show that they are nothing unless WWE wants them to be anything relevant. If you want proof of either R-Truth/Ron Killings or Christian/Christian Cage as legitimate main eventers, do yourselves a favor and check out their careers in TNA Wrestling during the NWA-TNA years. 

Match Rating: ★★

Closing Remarks: 

Much like WWE Fatal 4 Way 2010 that I reviewed last week, this was another lackluster PPV event, but I was fortunate to pick up dirt cheap for a $5 in my local Wal-Mart's bargain bin. Unless you're a hardcore fan of CM Punk or Rey Mysterio, I can't justify you paying more than $5 for this DVD. From start to finish (with the exception of Punk v. Mysterio), this event is an extended episode of Monday Night RAW or Friday Night Smackdown! There are far better PPVs on DVD from 2011 that are well worth your money than this, folks. 

I normally don't complain about visuals on these DVDs, but the quality on this DVD has to be noted. It's about the same low quality as if you were watching this event on YouTube in their standard settings. 

I'm giving WWE Capitol Punishment 2011 a 6 out of 10. 

DVD REVIEW -- WWE Fatal 4 Way 2010

Welcome to the first entry in a new feature here on Let's Talk Wrestling, where we will be viewing and reviewing various wrestling DVDs in my personal collection. I finally have some free time to finally start making a dent in these DVDs that I have purchased over the years but haven't had the chance to watch until now. I figure I would do you guys a favor and review each one to see if it's worth your time or not.

For those interested in this new feature, I won't be covering WWE DVD releases exclusively. I have various DVDs from TNA/Impact Wrestling, WWF/WWE, SHIMMER, Ring of Honor, ChickFight, and some international DVDs from several other misc. indy promotions.

DVD Match Card:

Note: Matches are graded on a 5 star grading scale.

Mr. McMahon addresses the crowd

Show opens with Mr. McMahon addressing the live crowd in attendance tonight on this Father's Day broadcast, notifying everyone that RAW General Manager Bret "The Hitman" Hart would NOT be in attendance tonight after the vicious assault he received at the hands of the NXT (read: Nexus) Superstars running rampant.

This segment transitions into Mr. McMahon welcoming The Chosen One for tonight's opening match.

Intercontinental Championship Match - Kofi Kingston (c) def. Drew McIntyre to retain

At this point of WWE programming, Drew McIntyre was using his "teacher's pet" relationship with Mr. McMahon to bully Smackdown! General Manager Teddy Long around for the last few weeks. Kofi Kingston wanted to take a stand and fight Drew on Teddy's behalf. Drew forced Teddy to watch at ringside for tonight's match, up close and personal.

Matches like this is why I don't understand why WWE doesn't at least give Kofi Kingston a chance at a main event run. Kofi and Drew put on a solid performance for the opening match of tonight's card, but in all honestly, it wasn't anything to knock your socks off. You're going to see for the duration of this review that this is a common theme that carries on throughout the duration of this broadcast.

Even though he was recently released by WWE, I can see why WWE was behind Drew McIntyre from the start. 2010 was one of those periods of WWE programming where I was a bit "floaty" in my attention span on wrestling altogether, but the more I see of McIntyre's work, it makes me wonder how big of a star he could have been if he didn't land himself into trouble and got all of that bad press with his former real life love interest, Taryn Tarrell (ECW's Tiffany).

Even though the match itself wasn't bad, it seemed like the live crowd were more anxious for the bloody obvious run-in from the recently barred from WWE events, Matt Hardy, to run interference.

If I'm perfectly honest, I wasn't really feeling this whole "slavery" vibe that this Drew & Teddy angle was suggesting between the lines either.

Match Rating: ★★ stars

Savannah interviews the Hart Dynasty

I miss the lovely "Asian Sensation" Savannah.

I almost forgot about Angela Fong (Savannah), who could pass as a kayfabe relative of Gail Kim. From what I heard, she's wrestling on the indies nowadays.

As for the Hart Dynasty, they are dedicating tonight's match to Bret "The Hitman" Hart. God, I almost forgot about that horrible haircut that Tyson Kidd had back then. I loved this trio, but you know how WWE handles Tag Teams - once something gets hot they are quick to split everyone up and doom them to mid-card irrelevance.

Fatal 4 Way Match for Divas Championship - Alicia Fox def. Eve Torres, Maryse Ouellet, and Gail Kim to become the NEW champion

Gail Kim had recently left TNA Wrestling and returned to WWE for a bigger paycheck. She hasn't grown to hate her work environment at this point of her 2nd WWE run as she acts as a mock ring general for this match, governing the pacing.

For those WWE Diva fans who seem to act like the current crop of WWE Divas, namely Paige and AJ Lee, are among the best Divas the division has ever seen, go back and watch this match. All four of these Divas looked solid in the ring and despite the fact that Eve Torres was still pretty green at this point, the entire match came along together perfectly. Compare this match to a current Divas match, let's say for example Night of Champions 2013, where AJ Lee defended her Divas Championship against Naomi, Brie Bella, and Natalya (a strong candidate for highlighting on Maffew's Botchamania...) and you can't deny that this was golden era of WWE Divas during this time frame. I felt like this generation of WWE Divas were the first group of Divas to walk out of the shadow that eclipsed that division in Lita and Trish Stratus' absence.

There were a lot of great spots in this match, including a Camel Clutch (Eve) and Boston Crab (Gail Kim) combination submission hold and an apron Diving Hurracanrana countered into a Faceplant-style Facebuster on the ring apron by Alicia Fox to Gail Kim.

Alicia Fox stole the win in an upset victory, stealing the win right from underneath Eve Torres' nose and becoming the Divas Champion for the first time in her WWE career. Diva fans should note that tonight was the first time that Eve added her signature Diving Moonsault to her repertoire.

Match Rating: ★★ ½ stars

The Big Show and Rey Mysterio chat backstage

The Big Show warns Rey Mysterio that he doesn't care that if he has to take out his own friend to get the gold tonight. Mysterio retorts that he has the biggest HEART out of anyone in that match.

Even if I haven't seen this PPV beforehand or read the results, I would have considered Rey's statement to be a DEAD giveaway that Mysterio was going to win tonight.

Evan Bourne def. Chris Jericho

"Hang in there, kid. I'm going to make you look like a million bucks tonight."

Before the match, Chris Jericho cuts a promo about having to knock others off the top of the mountain throughout his entire career. He considers himself to have a target on his back now that he is at the top of the mountain at this stage of his career. Keep in mind that this is still the full-blown "Honest Man" Jericho gimmick at this stage. That being said, he's speaking the truth. Jericho's entire career saw him as an underdog until his unexpected win that allowed him to become the first holder of the WWE Undisputed Championship.

Great chemistry between Evan Bourne and Chris Jericho in this match. If you don't want to watch any other match on this DVD, watch this one. This was definitely one of the best matches in Evan Bourne's entire WWE career right here. I loved absolutely every second of this match.

Since he's been "future endeavored" I would love to see Evan Bourne/Matt Sydal in TNA's X-Division. This match proved that he was ready to hang with high profile opponents if he was given the opportunity. In an environment where the X-Division isn't dominated by Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, AJ Styles, Alex Shelley, nor Chris Sabin, Sydal's talents could really shine here, especially now where TNA is slowly rebuilding this division from top to bottom. This former Dragon Gate alumni could be an asset to feature against in upcoming Wrestle-1 talents coming in from Japan.

Match Rating: ★★★★ stars

Kane swears revenge for the disappearance of The Undertaker

Kane is shown going apeshit on The Big Show, Rey Mysterio, Jack Swagger, and CM Punk in this recap clip.

For those wondering, this is clearly in the middle of the Straight-Edge Society story arc for CM Punk as he's wearing the SES-branded lucha libre-inspired mask after losing his hair vs. mask match against Rey Mysterio.

Fatal 4 Way Match for World Heavyweight Championship - Rey Mysterio def. Jack Swagger, CM Punk, and The Big Show to become the NEW champion

Most of you guys reading this review will probably laugh, but I COMPLETELY forgot that Jack Swagger was a high profile champion at one point of his career. I just remember him dropping the ECW Championship on the floor on live television and his career ended up the same way.

CM Punk ushers Serena and Luke Gallows backstage during his entrance, implying that he got this on his own.

Overall, this match is a spotfest and straight to the point. For those like myself who are familiar with the traditional Fatal 4 Ways with The Big Show involved, this is how it went down: The Big Show carefully picks his spots while everyone else gangs up on him throughout this contest.

The ending saw CM Punk having the match won, but Kane's interference scared him off while Rey Mysterio capitalized on the situation and pinned Swagger to become the new champion for the second time in his WWE career.

Match Rating: ★★★ stars

Todd Grisham interviews John Cena

At this point of the PPV, I can understand why people hate on John Cena so much. This was almost like deja vu to present-day WWE with John Cena holding the championship!

United States Championship Match - The Miz def. R-Truth to retain

The Miz comes out to the ring first, remixing the lyrics to R-Truth's entrance theme to his own cheesy lyrics.

Offense starts off with a LOT of Shoulder Blocks by R-Truth. You would think that he was going for Cena's 5 Moves of Doom, but nope, the match drags to a crawl from here. The rest of the match goes on in a sluggish pace and I think they wasted time on this match that should have been contributed to the World Heavyweight Championship match instead.

I NEVER thought that R-Truth and The Miz had any chemistry in the ring together and this is proof of that. This isn't a bad match, but I found myself watching this in fast forward than in real time just to prevent myself from falling asleep.

There was one spot I loved though that I wish they could've went for the finish with, but they choose to drag this out longer than necessary. Miz went for his patented Flying Clothesline in the corner, but Truth moved out of the way to leave Miz hanging in corner in a mock Tree of Woe position. Truth then capitalized on the situation with a corner variation of his Scissor Kick.

Match Rating: ★ ½ stars

Edge decrees that he WILL become the next WWE Champion

By this point in Edge's career, he was Lita-less and La Familia-less, but he was STILL the Rated R Superstar.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match - 6-Man Tag - Hart Dynasty (Tyson Kidd, DH Smith, and Natalya) def. The Usos & Tamina to retain

Even though this was one of Tamina's first matches in WWE, she didn't come off green as fuck in it as one would expect. Natalya and Tamina kept things simple for the most part and left most of the action to the boys.

This had to be pretty early in The Usos' careers as in terms of ring gear, they were marketed EXACTLY like Umaga and 3 Minute Warning before them. I have to admit, looking back it was pretty surreal to see The Usos as heels and DH Smith still with the company. Speaking of DH Smith, he had VERY little involvement in this tag team match. Natalya and Kidd did the bulk of the work here.

My favorite spot in the match came in from one of the Usos countering Kidd's Diving Tornado DDT into a Samoan Drop onto the barricade.

The ending came after both teams took themselves out at ringside while Tamina went for the Superfly Splash on Natalya. Tamina missed the mark, which allowed Nattie to pick up the win with a Discus Clothesline.

I thought it was odd that they didn't try to win the match with the Sharpshooter to say that they were dedicating the match to Bret "The Hitman" Hart.

Match Rating: ★★ ½ stars

Fatal 4 Way Match for WWE Championship - Sheamus def. Edge, Randy Orton, and John Cena to become the NEW champion

Before the match, John Cena is interviewed once more before his big match after seeing not one, but two different champions lose their gold earlier tonight:

"I stand before you as champ because I have earned it. This (implying towards the title) is my LIFE, my passion." - John Cena

Seriously, how can you hate this guy? He's like Superman, he's so damn genuinely good that it makes you sick, but let's be serious here. Wrestling needs pure babyfaces in an era where everyone wants to be "cool" as tweeners or blur the lines because they don't know the difference between being heel or babyface and change alignments on a weekly basis.

As for the match itself, I hate to say it, but this was second worst match on the card behind Miz vs. R-Truth. Now when I say worst, I don't mean the match itself was bad. I mean that it was an average, bare-bones contest that left a lot to be desired.

The best part of the match came the Nexus attacked everyone in the ring and left bodies scattered in and out of the ring. Sheamus took advantage of the confusion and picked up the win, becoming the WWE Champion for the second time in his young career. Sheamus didn't even have a chance to enjoy the win as the Nexus chased him out of the arena, leaving Cena, Edge, and Orton down and out as the event came to a close.

It was very awkward to end this PPV in this manner. There was NO commentary after the Nexus' interference. If it was a technical issue, one would think that WWE would at least try to dub in some commentary on the DVD release, but nope. If I was watching this live, I would have been going "Who are these losers and why should I care that they are ruining this main event?"

All in all, it was sad to see the main event turn out to be a drag, especially with John Cena, Edge, and Randy Orton putting Sheamus over to reception from this crowd that seemed like they could care less at this result either way.

Match Rating: ★★ stars

The Verdict: 

WWE Fatal 4 Way 2010 wasn't a bad PPV, but it wasn't a great one either. It felt like a drawn out episode of Monday Night RAW or Friday Night Smackdown! that was supposed to set up a PPV but the harsh reality of the matter is that this is the PPV it's supposed to be settling up. As a result, the entire event as a "meh" vibe from start to finish. Nothing really stands out as spectacular or blows the roof off of the arena in terms of one would expect out of PPV-quality excitement. I'm giving this DVD a 7.5 out of 10. 

If you can find it for a mere $5, then that's acceptable, but I highly suggest not paying anymore than that for this event.