WWE – Great American Bash 2007 – DVD Review

Reviews, Wrestling DVDs

Available at Amazon.com

Featuring:

John Cena
Bobby Lashley
Montel Vontavius Porter
Matt Hardy
Kane
Great Khali
Batista
John Morrison
CM Punk
Dusty Rhodes
Randy Orton

DVD Release Date: August 21, 2007
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 180 Minutes

The Event

On July 22, 2007, the Great American Bash took place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose , California . Some longtime feuds were hoping to get settled while new ones were just starting. To be honest, nothing was really settled at this year’s event as most of the feuds would continue on past this night and well into August culminating at the big one, Summerslam.

The Great American Bash has not had a good track record in recent years as they have a history of being extremely lackluster. Marred by injuries, numerous matches have been changed at the last minute calling for replacements and making matches with no build-up at all. And let us not forget such wonderful gems as the “Concrete Crypt Match” back in 2004 and the “Punjabi Prison Match” just last year. Please detect my sarcasm.

For some reason or another, this event has been the downer right in the middle of some usually decent PPVs and just dragged the whole summer along at a slow pace. I’m not sure if it was just bad luck, bad timing, or overall crappy booking but the Great American Bash has carried on the aura of WCW along with it and it hasn’t been good. On a positive note, this year’s event may have been a turning of the tide.

Seven championship bouts showcased a PPV that starts off really well for the first few matches. The action is high-paced and the matches are entertaining from bell to bell. Things begin to slow down a bit around the middle as the matches seem to slow to a crawl and just drag on. But a hot ending match between two of the most popular stars on RAW, John Cena and Bobby Lashley really sends this event off in a good way.

~ United States Championship Match: MVP (c) Vs. Matt Hardy – As MVP continues to grow into a veritable superstar in the WWE, Matt Hardy is like the wart that just wouldn’t go away. Hardy continues to be a great performer and with the mounting injuries on Smackdown, he should be in the way for a very good push. Hardy and MVP have a great chemistry in the ring together which makes for a good match here and one that keeps the feud rolling along for a while longer.

~ Todd Grisham Interviews Dusty Rhodes – Dusty says some things about history and having been around since the first days of the Great American Bash. If you can understand him, then more power to you.

~ Cruiserweight Championship Open: Chavo Guerrero (c) Vs. Jimmy Wang Yang Vs. Funaki Vs. Shannon Moore Vs. Jamie Noble – The cruiserweight division is by far the most under-utilized in the entire WWE. Every man in this match can put on the match of the night each time if only they are given the opportunity and time to do so. Chavo has really made a good name for himself in the past year, but I truly wish that Jamie Noble would be given more of a chance. All in all, this is really a nice fast-paced match with some good spots and energetic action makes this a fun watch. Even if the ending is pretty disappointing.

~ Singapore Can On A Pole Match: Sandman Vs. Carlito – Oddly enough the Sandman err, sorry it’s just Sandman now. But Sandman has gotten a really nice push since being drafted over to RAW and I am quite surprised to see him involved in a match on a PPV that is not strictly ECW oriented. Sure all PPVs are now multi-brand, which makes his appearance even more surprising. Carlito’s status on the other hand is always up and down, up and down. Yet they make for an entertaining match that is slow at times, but the constant attempts to get the cane make it fun.

~ Todd Grisham Interviews Randy Orton – Orton acts all heelish by bringing up how he put Shawn Michaels out of commission with a good kick to the head and that Michaels doesn’t even realize it’s his own birthday. Orton impresses me at times and bugs the hell out of me at others.

~ Women’s Championship Match: Candice Michelle (c) Vs. Melina – This match is a bit better then the last six or so they’ve had in a row, but it’s still boring. Candice Michelle is getting better in the ring but any attention she used to get by being eye-candy is now lost and no-one cares about her since she became champion. Melina is just horrid and dull in the ring. Hopefully one of the women who can actually wrestle will get the belt soon.

~ Matt Hardy gets Jeff Hardy fires up for his match – Simple little pep talk from Matt to Jeff which is interrupted by Candice Michelle showing what she is best at. Ron Simmons shows up which always makes things amusing though.

~ Intercontinental Championship Match: Umaga (c) Vs. Jeff Hardy – An ultimate test of big and strong versus small and fast. Hardy and Umaga work really well in the ring together with Jeff getting in all the quick shots he can while trying to stay away from Umaga. But when he’s caught, Jeff gets laid into with some hard shots and has to constantly work for an escape. Both wrestlers are entertaining in the ring and have such different styles that it makes for a very fun match.

~ ECW Championship Match: John Morrison (c) Vs. CM Punk – This was Johnny Nitro’s first match since changing his entire gimmick to the seventies style, nonchalant, feather hair John Morrison. On a personal note, to me his cocky self-involved Nitro persona was much more interesting but I digress. These two have been feuding since Vengeance when Morrison first won the vacant ECW Title. This was not one of their better matches and I’m not sure if it was used as a transition or something to keep the feud going, but they’ve even had a match or two on free TV that blew this one away.

~ Texas Bull Rope Match: Dusty Rhodes Vs. Randy Orton – The bull rope match has actually been a longtime favorite of mine. When I heard there was going to be another one, it made me rather excited to see it until I found out the rules had been totally changed. Like the cage match that no longer is “escape to win,” the rule of touching all four corners in succession to win a bull rope match was thrown out the door here. Virtually it is Orton and Rhodes tied together with a rope and cowbell as a weapon. Nothing too interesting.

~ Triple Threat World Heavyweight Championship Match: Great Khali (c) Vs. Batista Vs. Kane – My apologies but Khali is just not fun to watch and it isn’t the first time you’ve heard those words come from me. Now because of Edge’s unfortunate injury, Khali has the title and Kane has once again been pushed aside. Batista and Khali were scheduled to continue their feud while Kane fought with Edge over the title. Edge gets injured and the Khali/Batista feud gets pushed to the front of the line. Shame too because it is incredibly dull. This match isn’t too bad for a while when the focus was on Batista and Kane, but anytime Khali gets involved, it just slows down the entire pace making it hard to stand.

~ King Booker addresses Triple H and his claim of being the King of Kings – Again, King Booker proves why he is one of the most entertaining characters in the wrestling industry today. His taking on of the king role suits him perfectly and it’s always fun when someone puts down Jerry Lawler.

~ WWE Championship Match: John Cena (c) Vs. Bobby Lashley – Perhaps two of the wrestlers lowest on my popularity list simply because their entertainment value is wasted on me. Lashley is just perhaps one of the most uncharismatic people on the planet and I’m not a fan of Cena because well, I’m not female or under the age of twelve. Needless to say the two put on a rather entertaining match with some near falls and awesome power wrestling that will make you cringe. The match truly surprised me in how good it turned out to be and made for a nice ending to a so-so PPV.

The Video

The event is shown in 1.33:1 Full Screen format and looks great as mostly every WWE production does. The video packages and vignettes are really well done and everything comes through crisp and clear without any pixilation or problems.

The Audio

The event is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and also comes though great although there were a couple times I heard a bit of static during the pyro on some entrances. Other then that, the announcers can be heard clearly and the crowd surrounds you through every speaker.

Special Features

Smackdown 07/13/07: Edge’s Mardi Gras Celebration – Smackdown took place in New Orleans and of course something Mardi Gras related had to happen even though the season had been over since February. I was at this event and this is the moment when Edge suffered an injury that would keep him out of action for months. Edge was going on and on about his upcoming title match with Kane and a few moments later suffered a horrible injury. Not the most entertaining segment, but was important because it set up the Heavyweight Title match that ended up being on this PPV.

RAW 07/02/07: John Cena/Bobby Lashley Contract Signing – Nothing much here as Lashley and Cena say a little bit back and forth and then go on and sign the contract. But of course not before interference from a few others such as King Booker and Mr. Kennedy. If anything, watch this segment for the little bit of emotion that Lashley actually shows. He’d honestly come across much better as a non-caring heel.

TrailersThe Ladder Match and WrestleMania 23: Ultimate Edition

The Inside Pulse

For the first time in years the Great America Bash delivered a solid card with good wrestling and interesting feuds. Yes, the entire event is not the most entertaining, but for a PPV that has been extremely dull for a long time; I consider this a vast improvement. The special features are rather bare again which was disappointing, but the two that are included were good additions. They show the final build-up leading into the WWE and World Heavyweight title matches, but when you think about it in that perspective they are kind of random. Why nothing about the ECW Title? Or the United States Title? It is just that it was almost as if they put nothing in the special features because they total up to maybe ten minutes combined and could already have been seen on free TV. None the less, it was an enjoyable show and well worth checking out if even just in a rental.







The DVD Lounge’s Ratings for Great American Bash 2007
CATEGORY
RATING
(OUT OF 10)
THE EVENT
7
THE VIDEO
8
THE AUDIO
7
THE EXTRAS
2
REPLAY VALUE
5
OVERALL
6
(NOT AN AVERAGE)

Available at Amazon.com

Featuring:

John Cena
Bobby Lashley
Montel Vontavius Porter
Matt Hardy
Kane
Great Khali
Batista
John Morrison
CM Punk
Dusty Rhodes
Randy Orton

DVD Release Date: August 21, 2007
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 180 Minutes

The Event

On July 22, 2007, the Great American Bash took place at the HP Pavilion in San Jose , California . Some longtime feuds were hoping to get settled while new ones were just starting. To be honest, nothing was really settled at this year’s event as most of the feuds would continue on past this night and well into August culminating at the big one, Summerslam.

The Great American Bash has not had a good track record in recent years as they have a history of being extremely lackluster. Marred by injuries, numerous matches have been changed at the last minute calling for replacements and making matches with no build-up at all. And let us not forget such wonderful gems as the “Concrete Crypt Match” back in 2004 and the “Punjabi Prison Match” just last year. Please detect my sarcasm.

For some reason or another, this event has been the downer right in the middle of some usually decent PPVs and just dragged the whole summer along at a slow pace. I’m not sure if it was just bad luck, bad timing, or overall crappy booking but the Great American Bash has carried on the aura of WCW along with it and it hasn’t been good. On a positive note, this year’s event may have been a turning of the tide.

Seven championship bouts showcased a PPV that starts off really well for the first few matches. The action is high-paced and the matches are entertaining from bell to bell. Things begin to slow down a bit around the middle as the matches seem to slow to a crawl and just drag on. But a hot ending match between two of the most popular stars on RAW, John Cena and Bobby Lashley really sends this event off in a good way.

~ United States Championship Match: MVP (c) Vs. Matt Hardy – As MVP continues to grow into a veritable superstar in the WWE, Matt Hardy is like the wart that just wouldn’t go away. Hardy continues to be a great performer and with the mounting injuries on Smackdown, he should be in the way for a very good push. Hardy and MVP have a great chemistry in the ring together which makes for a good match here and one that keeps the feud rolling along for a while longer.

~ Todd Grisham Interviews Dusty Rhodes – Dusty says some things about history and having been around since the first days of the Great American Bash. If you can understand him, then more power to you.

~ Cruiserweight Championship Open: Chavo Guerrero (c) Vs. Jimmy Wang Yang Vs. Funaki Vs. Shannon Moore Vs. Jamie Noble – The cruiserweight division is by far the most under-utilized in the entire WWE. Every man in this match can put on the match of the night each time if only they are given the opportunity and time to do so. Chavo has really made a good name for himself in the past year, but I truly wish that Jamie Noble would be given more of a chance. All in all, this is really a nice fast-paced match with some good spots and energetic action makes this a fun watch. Even if the ending is pretty disappointing.

~ Singapore Can On A Pole Match: Sandman Vs. Carlito – Oddly enough the Sandman err, sorry it’s just Sandman now. But Sandman has gotten a really nice push since being drafted over to RAW and I am quite surprised to see him involved in a match on a PPV that is not strictly ECW oriented. Sure all PPVs are now multi-brand, which makes his appearance even more surprising. Carlito’s status on the other hand is always up and down, up and down. Yet they make for an entertaining match that is slow at times, but the constant attempts to get the cane make it fun.

~ Todd Grisham Interviews Randy Orton – Orton acts all heelish by bringing up how he put Shawn Michaels out of commission with a good kick to the head and that Michaels doesn’t even realize it’s his own birthday. Orton impresses me at times and bugs the hell out of me at others.

~ Women’s Championship Match: Candice Michelle (c) Vs. Melina – This match is a bit better then the last six or so they’ve had in a row, but it’s still boring. Candice Michelle is getting better in the ring but any attention she used to get by being eye-candy is now lost and no-one cares about her since she became champion. Melina is just horrid and dull in the ring. Hopefully one of the women who can actually wrestle will get the belt soon.

~ Matt Hardy gets Jeff Hardy fires up for his match – Simple little pep talk from Matt to Jeff which is interrupted by Candice Michelle showing what she is best at. Ron Simmons shows up which always makes things amusing though.

~ Intercontinental Championship Match: Umaga (c) Vs. Jeff Hardy – An ultimate test of big and strong versus small and fast. Hardy and Umaga work really well in the ring together with Jeff getting in all the quick shots he can while trying to stay away from Umaga. But when he’s caught, Jeff gets laid into with some hard shots and has to constantly work for an escape. Both wrestlers are entertaining in the ring and have such different styles that it makes for a very fun match.

~ ECW Championship Match: John Morrison (c) Vs. CM Punk – This was Johnny Nitro’s first match since changing his entire gimmick to the seventies style, nonchalant, feather hair John Morrison. On a personal note, to me his cocky self-involved Nitro persona was much more interesting but I digress. These two have been feuding since Vengeance when Morrison first won the vacant ECW Title. This was not one of their better matches and I’m not sure if it was used as a transition or something to keep the feud going, but they’ve even had a match or two on free TV that blew this one away.

~ Texas Bull Rope Match: Dusty Rhodes Vs. Randy Orton – The bull rope match has actually been a longtime favorite of mine. When I heard there was going to be another one, it made me rather excited to see it until I found out the rules had been totally changed. Like the cage match that no longer is “escape to win,” the rule of touching all four corners in succession to win a bull rope match was thrown out the door here. Virtually it is Orton and Rhodes tied together with a rope and cowbell as a weapon. Nothing too interesting.

~ Triple Threat World Heavyweight Championship Match: Great Khali (c) Vs. Batista Vs. Kane – My apologies but Khali is just not fun to watch and it isn’t the first time you’ve heard those words come from me. Now because of Edge’s unfortunate injury, Khali has the title and Kane has once again been pushed aside. Batista and Khali were scheduled to continue their feud while Kane fought with Edge over the title. Edge gets injured and the Khali/Batista feud gets pushed to the front of the line. Shame too because it is incredibly dull. This match isn’t too bad for a while when the focus was on Batista and Kane, but anytime Khali gets involved, it just slows down the entire pace making it hard to stand.

~ King Booker addresses Triple H and his claim of being the King of Kings – Again, King Booker proves why he is one of the most entertaining characters in the wrestling industry today. His taking on of the king role suits him perfectly and it’s always fun when someone puts down Jerry Lawler.

~ WWE Championship Match: John Cena (c) Vs. Bobby Lashley – Perhaps two of the wrestlers lowest on my popularity list simply because their entertainment value is wasted on me. Lashley is just perhaps one of the most uncharismatic people on the planet and I’m not a fan of Cena because well, I’m not female or under the age of twelve. Needless to say the two put on a rather entertaining match with some near falls and awesome power wrestling that will make you cringe. The match truly surprised me in how good it turned out to be and made for a nice ending to a so-so PPV.

The Video

The event is shown in 1.33:1 Full Screen format and looks great as mostly every WWE production does. The video packages and vignettes are really well done and everything comes through crisp and clear without any pixilation or problems.

The Audio

The event is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and also comes though great although there were a couple times I heard a bit of static during the pyro on some entrances. Other then that, the announcers can be heard clearly and the crowd surrounds you through every speaker.

Special Features

Smackdown 07/13/07: Edge’s Mardi Gras Celebration – Smackdown took place in New Orleans and of course something Mardi Gras related had to happen even though the season had been over since February. I was at this event and this is the moment when Edge suffered an injury that would keep him out of action for months. Edge was going on and on about his upcoming title match with Kane and a few moments later suffered a horrible injury. Not the most entertaining segment, but was important because it set up the Heavyweight Title match that ended up being on this PPV.

RAW 07/02/07: John Cena/Bobby Lashley Contract Signing – Nothing much here as Lashley and Cena say a little bit back and forth and then go on and sign the contract. But of course not before interference from a few others such as King Booker and Mr. Kennedy. If anything, watch this segment for the little bit of emotion that Lashley actually shows. He’d honestly come across much better as a non-caring heel.

TrailersThe Ladder Match and WrestleMania 23: Ultimate Edition

The Inside Pulse

For the first time in years the Great America Bash delivered a solid card with good wrestling and interesting feuds. Yes, the entire event is not the most entertaining, but for a PPV that has been extremely dull for a long time; I consider this a vast improvement. The special features are rather bare again which was disappointing, but the two that are included were good additions. They show the final build-up leading into the WWE and World Heavyweight title matches, but when you think about it in that perspective they are kind of random. Why nothing about the ECW Title? Or the United States Title? It is just that it was almost as if they put nothing in the special features because they total up to maybe ten minutes combined and could already have been seen on free TV. None the less, it was an enjoyable show and well worth checking out if even just in a rental.

The DVD Lounge’s Ratings for Great American Bash 2007
CATEGORY
RATING
(OUT OF 10)
THE EVENT

7
THE VIDEO

8
THE AUDIO

7
THE EXTRAS

2
REPLAY VALUE

5
OVERALL
6
(NOT AN AVERAGE)