WWE – Survivor Series 2007 – DVD Review

Reviews, Wrestling DVDs

Available at Amazon.com

Featuring:

Undertaker
Batista
Triple H
Shawn Michaels
Edge
Mr. Kennedy
Umaga
Kane
MVP
Big Daddy V
CM Punk

DVD Release Date: December 26, 2007
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 180 Minutes

The Event

On November 18, 2007 in Miami, Florida at the American Airlines Arena; the WWE held its annual Survivor Series Pay-Per-View (PPV). The theme of the night is survival and who can walk out at the end of the night on top of the mountain while their enemies lay defeated at their feet. For twenty-one years superstars would team up to compete against one another in hopes of banding together in order to defeat their enemies. The only problem is that the WWE seems to have forgotten what has made one of their most loved PPVs so popular.

There were a lot of grudges to be settled this night as an almost year-long war between World Heavyweight champion Batista and the Undertaker was going to continue inside the confines of a Hell In The Cell. The ECW Championship was going to be defended for the first time ever at the Survivor Series making it a historic night. Shawn Michaels had come back from yet another career threatening injury and vowed to get revenge on his arch enemy, Randy Orton. With other matches on the card, it seemed as if it would be an awesome event to be enjoyed for the ages. That is, if it were any other PPV but the Survivor Series.

The original idea behind this entire PPV was to have tag-team elimination matches of faces (good guys) versus heels (bad guys). Back in the day it started out with teams of ten against ten but had been whittled down to teams of four or five which works just fine. Usually matches consisted of members which you could tell was based on their popularity at the time of the PPV. Let’s take my favorite, the Survivor Series from 1989 for instance. One match saw the 4x4s ( Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Hercules, Bret Hart, and Ronnie Garvin) versus the King’s Court (Randy Savage, Earthquake, Dino Bravo, and Greg Valentine). Another match saw The Million $ Team (Ted Dibiase, Zeus, and The Powers Of Pain) versus the Hulkamaniacs (Hulk Hogan, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, and Demolition). Which match do you think was the bigger draw? Exactly!

None the less, it was those kinds of matches that signify what this entire PPV is all about. It was the Thanksgiving tradition each year that saw teams of wrestlers come together that you’d never expect to team up with one another. It was the next best thing to the Royal Rumble in terms of unpredictability and total mayhem. The Survivor Series has simply become another monthly PPV in the year-long run of them without having the glamour and excitement that once made it so good. Even the opening montage on this DVD talks about tradition and how it is all about wrestlers partnering up to survive. One elimination match a year does not make a tradition.

~ Triple Threat Match for the ECW Championship: CM Punk (c) Vs. John Morrison Vs. The Miz – CM Punk had won the title from John Morrison about two months prior but Morrison now held another belt as the WWE Tag-Team titles were around the waist of both him and the Miz. Partners facing each other and the champion for the right to be on top of all ECW. The Miz may be annoying but is getting better in the ring every week and held his own with the other two superstars in this match. It would have benefited from maybe having a few more minutes added to it, but it’s fast-paced and extremely entertaining.

~ Anastacia Interviews MVP – United States champion MVP talks about taking Matt Hardy out on Smackdown the Friday before the PPV and how he won’t be competing tonight.

~ 10 Diva Tag Team Match: Mickie James, Maria, Torrie Wilson, Michelle McCool, & Kelly Kelly Vs. Beth Phoenix, Jillian, Melina, Victoria, & Layla – As brand extension takes a backseat, the WWE divas certainly don’t. First off, keep an eye out as Melina almost falls down simply doing her entrance into the arena before falling on her ring entrance. Not a good start eh Melina? The evil ladies seem to have the advantage here with two competitors that can actually wrestle very well (Phoenix and Victoria) as opposed to the good ladies having one (Mickie). Speaking of Mickie, she looks gorgeous in pinstripes this night as usual. My only guess as to why this wasn’t an elimination match is due to the lack of wrestling talent involved, but it is still decent for the five minutes it goes on.

~ Randy Orton & Shawn Michaels Discuss Their WWE Championship Match For Tonight – As this may insinuate, they are not together talking about the match. It’s simply recorded messages from both saying they will beat the other, blah blah.

~ World Tag Team Championship Match: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch (c) Vs. Cody Rhodes & Hardcore Holly – Let’s just say that Cody is much more agile then his father ever was. I like the pairing of Holly and Rhodes as they work really well together and put on an entertaining match against the Rednecks. The Rednecks actually impress more all the time as they are one of the only true tag-teams in the WWE that are going anywhere and actually stay together. I’m still not sure how Trevor Murdoch pulls off the Canadian Destroyer, but it is impressive. Fun little match.

~ Todd Grisham Interviews Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, & Kane – This is a fun interview where Kane even brings up the whole “Katie Vick” thing with Triple H. HA!

~ Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match: Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, & Kane Vs. Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, MVP, Finlay, & Big Daddy V – The one and only “traditional” Survivor Series match all year. If you listen to the appreciation from the fans when the match is simply announced then it goes to show you there should be more of them. Team Triple H is one man down since Matt Hardy wasn’t in condition to compete.

There are a lot of my favorite performers in this match tonight with Mr. Kennedy, MVP, Finlay, Umaga, Kane, and Triple H which made it enjoyable from the start. In a nice touch, all six announcers are discussing the match throughout making for some really fun interaction. There’s no way this match couldn’t be fun so make sure to enjoy it for all it is worth since it’s the only one you get.

~ Mr. McMahon Gives Hornswoggle A Pep Talk – Mr. McMahon gives his illegitimate son a pep talk to psych him up for his match which is virtually David versus Goliath. Vince says that no matter what, Hornswoggle can persevere because of what his last name is.

~ Hornswoggle Vs. Great Khali – Shane McMahon (another favorite of mine) makes his way out to introduce both his father and his “little” brother. Shaquille O’Neal is in the crowd and everyone chants for him. Now I would have paid money to see Shaq get in there and size up Khali. The match isn’t really anything at all but a little bit of comic relief and not much at that, but the ending is awesome.

~ WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton (c) Vs. Shawn Michaels – This is a feud that has gone on for a long time and has a lot of past riding on it including Orton injuring Michaels, Michaels return, Orton taking out Triple H, and a lot in between. A few stipulations were placed on the match which took away the veritable strengths of both competitors. Michaels was prohibited from using his finishing move the superkick, aka Sweet Chin Music, or else he’d be disqualified and not allowed another shot at Orton ever. If Orton were to get disqualified then he’d end up losing the title which isn’t normal.

This is really a fantastic match from two competitors that were limited in their arsenals but still pulled off a classic. It is a nice mixture of an old school technician and veteran in Michaels against an up and coming star that really knows his game well in Orton. Considering Michaels was limited in using his finishing maneuver, he breaks out a great amount of submissions reminiscent of past superstars. This is a fun match with a fast-paced, hot finish that is sure to make you sit up and applaud.

~ Hell In A Cell Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Batista (c) Vs. Undertaker – Michael Cole says something that shows exactly what the problem is with this match before the build-up montage even begins. He says, “This is the fifth time this year that Batista and the Undertaker will face off.” Take into account all the build-up and feuding leading to each match and their individual time off for injuries and they’ve virtually been paired off for all of 2007. In the eighties that would fly alright because feuds would last an entire year and then pay off with one big match at WrestleMania. But five of the same match with simply a stipulation added is just overkill.

Anyway, the match isn’t all that bad because the cell always adds a bit of excitement to the night even though a big spot hasn’t been seen in one since Judgment Day in 2002 when Jericho pinned Triple H on top of the cell. No-one even leaves the damn cage anymore. This match was very brutal and very bloody making things quite interesting, but still was rather lackluster. It was the main event simply because of the stipulation but the Orton/Michaels match should have really been the final showdown. Still, it entertained even if it did go on about five minutes too long and we got the return of Edge finally which made it all worth it.

The Video

The event is shown in 1.33:1 Full Screen format and the WWE keeps their good-looking streak alive with no glitches, no pixilation, and no evident problems whatsoever.

The Audio

The event is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and sounds great. The entrance themes, promos, and pyro are all heard without a hint of static.

Special Features

Raw 11/19/07: Debut of Save_Us.222 – For close to two months there had been cryptic messages flash for short intervals all over WWE television. There was speculation of what it was, who it was, and when the answer to it all would finally be revealed. Well on the day after Survivor Series, all was finally unveiled as the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla himself, Chris Jericho came back to the WWE. (Nine minutes and nineteen seconds)

TrailersJohn Cena: My Life and The Shawn Michaels Story: Heartbreak & Triumph

The Inside Pulse

For a PPV, this was one of the best of the year. Almost every match had great action, was quick paced, and delivered just as it looked like it would on paper. Grudges were settled in a few contests. One of the great superstars made their return from injury and in a big way. The crowd was really hot all night and totally into the action going on in the ring. It seemed like a great PPV atmosphere that is what one of the big four truly deserves. Not all the matches lived up to the hype, but you can’t expect perfection from everything. As I said, a really good PPV…but it just isn’t what the Survivor Series should be. Take note of the crowd’s reaction when the traditional elimination match is announced WWE. Take note and do something about it starting next year. Not just that, take note that you are getting way too skimpy with the DVD special features. Believe me that I love having the second coming of Jericho, but that’s it? Incredibly disappointing and something else should have been included. Maybe a history of the Survivor Series? Perhaps the build-up to some of the matches? Anything? Considering the one thing on this DVD, even the birth of the Gobbeldy Gooker would have been a nice addition.







The DVD Lounge’s Ratings for WWE Survivor Series 2007
CATEGORY
RATING
(OUT OF 10)
THE EVENT
7
THE VIDEO
8
THE AUDIO
8
THE EXTRAS
3
REPLAY VALUE
5
OVERALL
5
(NOT AN AVERAGE)

Available at Amazon.com

Featuring:

Undertaker
Batista
Triple H
Shawn Michaels
Edge
Mr. Kennedy
Umaga
Kane
MVP
Big Daddy V
CM Punk

DVD Release Date: December 26, 2007
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 180 Minutes

The Event

On November 18, 2007 in Miami, Florida at the American Airlines Arena; the WWE held its annual Survivor Series Pay-Per-View (PPV). The theme of the night is survival and who can walk out at the end of the night on top of the mountain while their enemies lay defeated at their feet. For twenty-one years superstars would team up to compete against one another in hopes of banding together in order to defeat their enemies. The only problem is that the WWE seems to have forgotten what has made one of their most loved PPVs so popular.

There were a lot of grudges to be settled this night as an almost year-long war between World Heavyweight champion Batista and the Undertaker was going to continue inside the confines of a Hell In The Cell. The ECW Championship was going to be defended for the first time ever at the Survivor Series making it a historic night. Shawn Michaels had come back from yet another career threatening injury and vowed to get revenge on his arch enemy, Randy Orton. With other matches on the card, it seemed as if it would be an awesome event to be enjoyed for the ages. That is, if it were any other PPV but the Survivor Series.

The original idea behind this entire PPV was to have tag-team elimination matches of faces (good guys) versus heels (bad guys). Back in the day it started out with teams of ten against ten but had been whittled down to teams of four or five which works just fine. Usually matches consisted of members which you could tell was based on their popularity at the time of the PPV. Let’s take my favorite, the Survivor Series from 1989 for instance. One match saw the 4x4s ( Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Hercules, Bret Hart, and Ronnie Garvin) versus the King’s Court (Randy Savage, Earthquake, Dino Bravo, and Greg Valentine). Another match saw The Million $ Team (Ted Dibiase, Zeus, and The Powers Of Pain) versus the Hulkamaniacs (Hulk Hogan, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, and Demolition). Which match do you think was the bigger draw? Exactly!

None the less, it was those kinds of matches that signify what this entire PPV is all about. It was the Thanksgiving tradition each year that saw teams of wrestlers come together that you’d never expect to team up with one another. It was the next best thing to the Royal Rumble in terms of unpredictability and total mayhem. The Survivor Series has simply become another monthly PPV in the year-long run of them without having the glamour and excitement that once made it so good. Even the opening montage on this DVD talks about tradition and how it is all about wrestlers partnering up to survive. One elimination match a year does not make a tradition.

~ Triple Threat Match for the ECW Championship: CM Punk (c) Vs. John Morrison Vs. The Miz – CM Punk had won the title from John Morrison about two months prior but Morrison now held another belt as the WWE Tag-Team titles were around the waist of both him and the Miz. Partners facing each other and the champion for the right to be on top of all ECW. The Miz may be annoying but is getting better in the ring every week and held his own with the other two superstars in this match. It would have benefited from maybe having a few more minutes added to it, but it’s fast-paced and extremely entertaining.

~ Anastacia Interviews MVP – United States champion MVP talks about taking Matt Hardy out on Smackdown the Friday before the PPV and how he won’t be competing tonight.

~ 10 Diva Tag Team Match: Mickie James, Maria, Torrie Wilson, Michelle McCool, & Kelly Kelly Vs. Beth Phoenix, Jillian, Melina, Victoria, & Layla – As brand extension takes a backseat, the WWE divas certainly don’t. First off, keep an eye out as Melina almost falls down simply doing her entrance into the arena before falling on her ring entrance. Not a good start eh Melina? The evil ladies seem to have the advantage here with two competitors that can actually wrestle very well (Phoenix and Victoria) as opposed to the good ladies having one (Mickie). Speaking of Mickie, she looks gorgeous in pinstripes this night as usual. My only guess as to why this wasn’t an elimination match is due to the lack of wrestling talent involved, but it is still decent for the five minutes it goes on.

~ Randy Orton & Shawn Michaels Discuss Their WWE Championship Match For Tonight – As this may insinuate, they are not together talking about the match. It’s simply recorded messages from both saying they will beat the other, blah blah.

~ World Tag Team Championship Match: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch (c) Vs. Cody Rhodes & Hardcore Holly – Let’s just say that Cody is much more agile then his father ever was. I like the pairing of Holly and Rhodes as they work really well together and put on an entertaining match against the Rednecks. The Rednecks actually impress more all the time as they are one of the only true tag-teams in the WWE that are going anywhere and actually stay together. I’m still not sure how Trevor Murdoch pulls off the Canadian Destroyer, but it is impressive. Fun little match.

~ Todd Grisham Interviews Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, & Kane – This is a fun interview where Kane even brings up the whole “Katie Vick” thing with Triple H. HA!

~ Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match: Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, & Kane Vs. Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, MVP, Finlay, & Big Daddy V – The one and only “traditional” Survivor Series match all year. If you listen to the appreciation from the fans when the match is simply announced then it goes to show you there should be more of them. Team Triple H is one man down since Matt Hardy wasn’t in condition to compete.

There are a lot of my favorite performers in this match tonight with Mr. Kennedy, MVP, Finlay, Umaga, Kane, and Triple H which made it enjoyable from the start. In a nice touch, all six announcers are discussing the match throughout making for some really fun interaction. There’s no way this match couldn’t be fun so make sure to enjoy it for all it is worth since it’s the only one you get.

~ Mr. McMahon Gives Hornswoggle A Pep Talk – Mr. McMahon gives his illegitimate son a pep talk to psych him up for his match which is virtually David versus Goliath. Vince says that no matter what, Hornswoggle can persevere because of what his last name is.

~ Hornswoggle Vs. Great Khali – Shane McMahon (another favorite of mine) makes his way out to introduce both his father and his “little” brother. Shaquille O’Neal is in the crowd and everyone chants for him. Now I would have paid money to see Shaq get in there and size up Khali. The match isn’t really anything at all but a little bit of comic relief and not much at that, but the ending is awesome.

~ WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton (c) Vs. Shawn Michaels – This is a feud that has gone on for a long time and has a lot of past riding on it including Orton injuring Michaels, Michaels return, Orton taking out Triple H, and a lot in between. A few stipulations were placed on the match which took away the veritable strengths of both competitors. Michaels was prohibited from using his finishing move the superkick, aka Sweet Chin Music, or else he’d be disqualified and not allowed another shot at Orton ever. If Orton were to get disqualified then he’d end up losing the title which isn’t normal.

This is really a fantastic match from two competitors that were limited in their arsenals but still pulled off a classic. It is a nice mixture of an old school technician and veteran in Michaels against an up and coming star that really knows his game well in Orton. Considering Michaels was limited in using his finishing maneuver, he breaks out a great amount of submissions reminiscent of past superstars. This is a fun match with a fast-paced, hot finish that is sure to make you sit up and applaud.

~ Hell In A Cell Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Batista (c) Vs. Undertaker – Michael Cole says something that shows exactly what the problem is with this match before the build-up montage even begins. He says, “This is the fifth time this year that Batista and the Undertaker will face off.” Take into account all the build-up and feuding leading to each match and their individual time off for injuries and they’ve virtually been paired off for all of 2007. In the eighties that would fly alright because feuds would last an entire year and then pay off with one big match at WrestleMania. But five of the same match with simply a stipulation added is just overkill.

Anyway, the match isn’t all that bad because the cell always adds a bit of excitement to the night even though a big spot hasn’t been seen in one since Judgment Day in 2002 when Jericho pinned Triple H on top of the cell. No-one even leaves the damn cage anymore. This match was very brutal and very bloody making things quite interesting, but still was rather lackluster. It was the main event simply because of the stipulation but the Orton/Michaels match should have really been the final showdown. Still, it entertained even if it did go on about five minutes too long and we got the return of Edge finally which made it all worth it.

The Video

The event is shown in 1.33:1 Full Screen format and the WWE keeps their good-looking streak alive with no glitches, no pixilation, and no evident problems whatsoever.

The Audio

The event is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and sounds great. The entrance themes, promos, and pyro are all heard without a hint of static.

Special Features

Raw 11/19/07: Debut of Save_Us.222 – For close to two months there had been cryptic messages flash for short intervals all over WWE television. There was speculation of what it was, who it was, and when the answer to it all would finally be revealed. Well on the day after Survivor Series, all was finally unveiled as the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla himself, Chris Jericho came back to the WWE. (Nine minutes and nineteen seconds)

TrailersJohn Cena: My Life and The Shawn Michaels Story: Heartbreak & Triumph

The Inside Pulse

For a PPV, this was one of the best of the year. Almost every match had great action, was quick paced, and delivered just as it looked like it would on paper. Grudges were settled in a few contests. One of the great superstars made their return from injury and in a big way. The crowd was really hot all night and totally into the action going on in the ring. It seemed like a great PPV atmosphere that is what one of the big four truly deserves. Not all the matches lived up to the hype, but you can’t expect perfection from everything. As I said, a really good PPV…but it just isn’t what the Survivor Series should be. Take note of the crowd’s reaction when the traditional elimination match is announced WWE. Take note and do something about it starting next year. Not just that, take note that you are getting way too skimpy with the DVD special features. Believe me that I love having the second coming of Jericho, but that’s it? Incredibly disappointing and something else should have been included. Maybe a history of the Survivor Series? Perhaps the build-up to some of the matches? Anything? Considering the one thing on this DVD, even the birth of the Gobbeldy Gooker would have been a nice addition.

The DVD Lounge’s Ratings for WWE Survivor Series 2007
CATEGORY
RATING
(OUT OF 10)
THE EVENT

7
THE VIDEO

8
THE AUDIO

8
THE EXTRAS

3
REPLAY VALUE

5
OVERALL
5
(NOT AN AVERAGE)