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Since Vincent Kennedy McMahon bought the rights for World Championship Wrestling back in 2001, he could easily tag WrestleMania as the “Grand Daddy of Them All,†thus killing the legacy of Starrcade, an event that preceded WWE’s annual spectacle by a good two years. Though, such a phrase sounds old – come on, “Grand Daddy†– and it doesn’t have quite the allure as say, “Showcase of the Immortals.â€Â
For twenty-three years, WWE has held the annual event, each installment more boisterous, more attractive that the ones that have come before. Everyone has their personal favorites when it comes to the matches and moments of Mania. Can’t overlook the slam heard round the world (Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III) or the first World Title wins by Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, or the crimson mask Austin wore while in the clutches of Bret Hart’s Sharprshooter at WrestleMania 13. With such a rich history, there’s bound to be at least one match/moment from WrestleMania 23 that will be remembered for years to come.
Detroit’s Ford Field was the setting for the prestigious event. The date: April 1, 2007. It is the second hurrah for the Motor City; the last time the city hosted Mania was 1987. The promotional theme for this year’s sports-entertainment spectacular was “All Grown Up.†This is WWE returning to its roots of sorts – the vignettes show the wrestlers as children and how they have dreamed of competing on the biggest stage. Not as creative as the movie parodies from a few years ago, but at least the event had a theme.
Now that the build-up is out of the way, let’s see a breakdown of three-disc edition:
Following a short, History of WrestleMania montage, Aretha Franklin sings the same song she did twenty years ago at WrestleMania in front of packed audience: “America the Beautiful.â€Â
8-Man Money in the Bank Ladder Match – (Jeff Hardy vs. King Booker vs. Finlay vs. CM Punk vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Matt Hardy vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge) – Looks like this year they upped the ante and added two more participants. This was a great way to kick off Mania. Convoluted at times, yes, but the inclusion of both veterans and future stars – not to mention brawlers and high flyers – could have been a recipe for disaster. Thankfully the disparity in age and styles made it that much more interesting to see who would grab the steel briefcase. Special nod goes to Jeff Hardy for trying his damndest to get on Sportscenter‘s Top 10 Plays of the Week.
Highlights from The Condemned Premiere
Todd Grisham Interviews The Winner of the Money in the Bank Match
Vignette – All Grown Up: Batista
Inter-promotional Match – (Kane vs. The Great Khali) – From the high that was the Money in the Bank Ladder Match to the low that is two seven-footers going toe to toe. Now there’s good big man vs. big man matches and bad ones. Kane and Khali fall into the latter category.
Cryme Time Dance Party – This is one of the better backstage segments I’ve seen in recent in months. Worth watching, if only to see some of your favorite stars of years past – Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, I.R.S., and “The Dragon.†And the party wouldn’t be complete without a certain phrase by Ron Simmons.
United States Championship Match – (Chris Benoit vs. MVP) – This match could have easily opened WrestleMania but it lacked the fire or awe-inspiring bumps. It was good for a TV match; Benoit was Benoit and MVP brought his working boots to the big show.
Video Package – Undertaker: My Thirst for Vengeance
Donald Trump Interrupted by Boogeyman – Great time to grab a snack. Mmmm worms.
Video package – WWE Hall of Fame: Class of 2007
World Heavyweight Championship Match – (Batista vs. Undertaker) – Undoubtedly the sleeper match at this year’s spectacle. Batista, when motivated, can have some good matches (i.e., against Triple H at Vengeance 2005). With the Undertaker, the match could have gone one of two ways: the Taker/Giant Gonzales route or the Taker/Kevin Nash (Diesel) route. Thankfully, both wrestlers worked hard and delivered one hell of a big-man match.
Vignette – All Grown Up: Bobby Lashley
Mr. McMahon Plays with his Granddaughter – Be sure to check out the camera angle from the perspective of the granddaughter. Odd, as there’s no way a newborn could handle a video camera.
ECW Originals vs. The New Breed – (Rob Van Dam, Sabu, The Sandman and Tommy Dreamer vs. Elijah Burke, Kevin Thorn, Marcus Cor Von and Matt Striker) – I’m not too familiar with ECW 2.0. I know Marcus Cor Von was Monty Brown in TNA and Matt Striker competed in Ring of Honor. The match itself was a good time for the crowd to leave and get some refreshments. Botched spots didn’t help generate fan interest either.
Vignette – All Grown Up: Stone Cold Steve Austin
WrestleMania 23 announcement
Battle of the Billionaires: Hair vs. Hair Match [w/Special Guest Referee: Stone Cold Steve Austin] – (Bobby Lashley w/Donald Trump vs. Umaga w/Mr. McMahon) – This is why WWE labels their business as sports-entertainment, instead of wrestling. The match, rather Donald Trump and Vince McMahon, had generated quite a bit of buzz, getting recognized on numerous entertainment shows. And the crowd ate the match up. They could have cared less about who was actually wrestling; they were more wrapped up in what was happening outside the ring. And Steve Austin’s participation, well, that was just icing on the cake.
Vignette – All Grown Up: John Cena
Recap From the Tag Team Lumberjack Match – (Ric Flair/Carlito vs. Gregory Helms/Chavo Guerrero)
WWE Women’s Championship Lumberjill Match – (Ashley vs. Melina) – Boy do I long for the days of Trish Stratus vs. Stephanie McMahon circa No Way Out 2001. The women, try as they might, give it a good effort, but you can only do so much in three minutes.
Vignette – All Grown Up: Shawn Michaels
Disc 2
WWE Championship Match – (Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena) – One man is known as a heartbreaker, but on the biggest night in the company’s history he is known simply as the showstopper. Shawn Michaels is that good; he’s never had a bad match at WrestleMania. His match with Tatanka at WrestleMania IX, while not a classic by any means, was one of the few highlights from that event. He’s wrestled injured – his match with Steve Austin at WrestleMania 14 would be his last for four years – and his match tonight would make it his fourth time headlining a main event. In John Cena’s short history, he’s been to four WrestleManias and main-evented two of them. Love him or hate him, Cena is WWE’s biggest star from a financial standpoint. And like many top draws of yesteryear (Hogan, The Rock), his move set is limited. But he has improved when matched up with the right guys. Just look at his stuff in 2003 with the late Eddie Guerrero and his few matches with the Undertaker. All the same, this contest had a great build-up on television with people wondering just when was Shawn Michaels going to turn on John Cena. And when it came time to throw-down, both men gave the crowd a great showing. Nice back-and-forth action, a little blood and some interesting counters made for a great 30 minutes. Not the greatest main event at a Mania (that is reserved for the three-way from 20), but it is definitely in the top 10.
WrestleMania 23 Highlights – the video package is a nice bookend to the event, but is also invaluable if you have a short-attention span and don’t want to spend four hours watching the whole thing.
Disc 2 Extras:
Ford Field Announced as Site of WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania 23 Countdown: Battle of the Billonaires
WrestleMania 23 Countdown: John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels
WrestleMania 23 Countdown: Undertaker vs. Batista
All Grown Up Vignettes: Superstars
All Grown Up Vignettes: Edge
All Grown Up Vignettes: King Booker
All Grown Up Vignettes: Undertaker
WrestleMania Tickets Go On Sale
WrestleMania 23 Press Conference w/ Trump/McMahon Confrontation
Stone Cold Steve Austin Announced as Special Guest Referee (Raw, 03/05/07)
No Way Out Rematch – Undertaker & Batista vs. John Cena & Shawn Michaels (Raw, 03/26/07) – The rematch is nowhere as good as the main event of the previous PPV, and fellow reviewer Steve Murray can attest to that. But the match does answer that aforementioned question as to when will Shawn Michaels turn.
WWE.COM Exclusive – Maria interviews CM Punk before WrestleMania 23
Home Video Exclusive – Tag Team Lumberjack Match (Ric Flair/Carlito vs. Gregory Helms/Chavo Guerrero) – I really like the team of Helms/Guerrero. Oh sure, Helms should be more concerned about getting his Cruiserweight Championship back. But if neither had the strap, they should definitely stay a tag team. One of the better thrown-together teams of late. They would have some interesting match-ups with the likes of Deuce & Domino, Paul London & Brian Kendrick, and William Regal and Dave Taylor. Heck, have a special attraction of them taking on Charlie Hass and Shelton Benjamin or The Hardys.
Spoiler Alert! – Bobby Lashley Exposes Mr. McMahon’s New Bald Head (Raw, 04/02/07)
Batista asks Undertaker for a Rematch (Smackdown! 04/06/07)
Photo Gallery
Disc 3 Extras:
Special to this release is a third disc featuring the 2007 WWE Hall of Fame. Taking place the night before the pay-per-view, it got a truncated television broadcast on the USA Network. That program did not feature all the honorees; here we get the whole shebang. I must admit William Shatner was an odd choice to induct Jerry Lawler, their only interaction together a brief interview segment on Raw back in 1995. With the passing of “Mr. Perfect†Curt Henning, his induction was one of sorrow, much like Eddie Guerrero’s was last year. Such a great competitor inside the squared circle and in other sports as well. The man definitely needs his own DVD release with matches against his greatest competitors: Bret Hart, Ric Flair, Nick Bockwinkel (another 2007 honoree), and Tito Santana, among others.
This year’s inductees include:
Nick Bockwinkel
The Wild Samoans
The Original Shiek
Mr. Fuji
Jim Ross
Jerry “The King†Lawler
“Mr. Perfect†Curt Henning
Dusty Rhodes
The DVD
A/V QUALITY CONTROL
It should be noted that the WrestleMania 23: 3-Disc Ultimate Edition release comes housed in a limited edition tin. I myself cannot comment on the tin, as the review copy in my possession is only the gate-fold digipack. But, as far as I can tell, the three-disc digipack is the same package found inside the tin box.
THE VIDEO
(1.33:1 full frame)
The picture is crisp and clear with plenty of fireworks and lighting effects. A few compression issues occurred because of all the pyro, and I detected a layer switch at around 01:25:52 on the first disc.
THE AUDIO
(English – Dolby Digital 5.1)
What better way to hear Aretha Franklin, the opening cues of Degeneration-X’s theme or the pageantry that is WrestleMania than in 5.1 surround. A Great mix that envelopes the entire living room.
THE INSIDE PULSE
WrestleMania is WWE’s Super Bowl. It is the their biggest event of the year and it has a rich history. Number 23 in the lineage was entertaining to say the least. Money in the Bank III, Taker/Batista, and the main event all delivered. Benoit and MVP had a nice undercard match, but some of the other matches on the card were less than stellar. Granted my enjoyment of the individual matches and performers is subjective, but as far the DVD release goes, the set is amazing. With five hours of bonus content it is hard to argue. It’s definitely worth your time.
| The DVD Lounge’s Ratings for WrestleMania 23 |
CATEGORY
| RATING(OUT OF 10) |
| THE EVENT | 7 |
| THE VIDEO | 8 |
| THE AUDIO | 8 |
| THE EXTRAS | 9 |
| REPLAY VALUE | 6 |
OVERALL
| 8(NOT AN AVERAGE) |
