Plot: What’s it about?
In the world of sports entertainment, being a champion is the ultimate goal and no championship is more coveted than the WWE Championship. This title has been the focal point of the business for over four decades, the ultimate prize in the industry. Even as older, more traveled belts lost their prestige and new rivals offered titles of their own, none have stood the test of time like this one. To be the WWE Champion is to represent not just the WWE, but professional wrestling as a whole. No other title has the profile, the honor, and the history, to wear this belt is to be the face of professional wrestling. Over the years, countless superstars have tried to capture the title and among even the elite of the elite, few were able to succeed. Men have lived for just a chance to wear the gold, fought like animals, and shed blood, all for the honor to be called champion. “Superstar” Billy Graham, Hulk Hogan, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Bruno Sammartino, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, The Undertaker, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, The Ultimate Warrior, all of these men were crowned as champion and at one time, each man was the face of the industry, the example others followed. But these are just a few of the names who have reached that highest level of success, to be known as the WWE Champion. In this special release, the history of the title is explored through some of the greatest battles waged over the championship. I have listed a disc by disc rundown below, so you can see just what is offered here.
Disc 1
1. Ivan Koloff vs. Pedro Morales (2/8/1971)
2. Bruno Sammartino vs. Killer Kowalski (4/29/1974)
3. Bruno Sammartino vs. “Superstar” Billy Graham (4/30/1977)
4. “Superstar” Billy Graham vs. Bob Backlund (2/20/1978)
5. Bob Backlund vs. Greg Valentine (1/16/1982)
6. Bob Backlund vs. Sgt. Slaughter (5/23/1983)
7. The Iron Sheik vs. Hulk Hogan (1/23/1984)
8. Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy (4/5/1986)
9. Hulk Hogan vs. “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff (1/3/1987)
10. Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant (3/29/1987)
11. Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant (2/5/1988)
12. Randy “Macho Man” Savage vs. Hulk Hogan (4/2/1989)
Disc 2
1. Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior (4/1/1990)
2. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (8/29/1994)
3. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (3/31/1996)
4. Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind (9/22/1996)
5. Shawn Michaels vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (3/29/1998)
Disc 3
1. Triple H vs. Cactus Jack (1/23/2000)
2. The Rock vs. Triple H vs. Kurt Angle (8/27/2000)
3. The Rock vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (4/1/2001)
4. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. Chris Jericho (12/9/2001)
5. The Rock vs. The Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle (7/21/2002)
6. The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar (8/25/2002)
7. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit (1/19/2003)
8. John Cena vs. Chris Jericho vs. Christian (6/26/2005)
Video: How does it look?
The matches are presented in full frame, as intended. Some of these matches are over three decades old, so don’t expect pristine elements. Even so, the matches look solid and better than expected, given the age and nature of the material. As we pass through the 1980s, the video quality ramps up a little, then does so again as we cruise through the 1990s. By the time we reach the new millennium, the matches look excellent and leave no real room for complaints. So while the quality does vary according to the age of the elements, all the matches look acceptable and most look quite good.
Audio: How does it sound?
As with the video, the audio is better on the more recent footage, but even the older matches sound more than decent. You might notice a little hiss or a thin overall sound, but the production values weren’t even close to the levels found on current productions. So you can’t fault the soundtrack, as there is only so much you can do with dated audio like this. The recent matches pack all the power you’d expect, with great crowd noise and every slam is loud and clear. I don’t know what else to say about the soundtracks here, the matches sound good and I think fans will be pleased.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The lone supplement is a timeline of the championship’s legacy, with multimedia highlights from every title change. This was a very welcome inclusion, though it did make me wish more of the pre-Hogan era stuff would have been included here. I think a lot of fans would love to see more of the earlier matches, especially content unavailable on other home video releases.
