WWE BEST PAY-PER-VIEW MATCHES 2012 (FSM 91; March 2013)

Information: - Blu Ray Region: B - Distributor: Fremantle Media - Price: £22.99 - Other info: 385 mins - Release: Out now - Weblink: www.WWEDVD.co.uk

This BluRay set (also on DVD) is a collection of matches, highlight videos and interviews from the monthly shows that fans once called "supercards". That terminology may have died out during the Monday Night Wars, when most bouts saw a famed performer wrestle another, but this change in booking philosophy has never made the very biggest matches any less exciting.

The action gets underway at The Royal Rumble, with CM Punk defending the WWE title against Dolph Ziggler. A very good highlight package chronicling Punk's feud with John Laurinaitis gives context to what is a fine contest. Next up is the Smackdown Elimination Chamber match, as Daniel Bryan defends the World heavyweight title against Cody Rhodes, The Great Khali, Santino Marella, Wade Barrett and Big Show. The bout builds to a great crescendo, with the crowd fervently behind Marella, who plays the role of underdog superbly.

FSM readers voted The Undertaker versus Triple-H as 2012 Match of the Year, so it's no surprise to see it featured here. Without doubt, it's an amazing spectacle, and the addition of Shawn Michaels as referee provides even more drama. "Once in a Lifetime" was the tagline for The Rock versus John Cena, also from WrestleMania. A stirring video package featuring WWE superstars' comments on the bout is a superb way of building up excitement for the contest. The match itself is perfectly acceptable, and very good in places, but it was nigh on impossible to live up to the hype.

Layla versus Beth Phoenix from Over The Limit doesn't spring to mind when considering the best matches of 2012, but it is a thoroughly decent showcase for the Divas. June's No Way Out contributes an average 10-minute match between Intercontinental champion Christian and Cody Rhodes, and Disc One concludes with CM Punk defending the WWE title against Daniel Bryan in a No Disqualification match from Money In The Bank, with AJ Lee as guest referee. This supposed love triangle was one of WWE's hottest angles of the summer, and it was backed up with fantastic matches, of which this is no exception.

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The second disc begins with Brock Lesnar facing Triple-H at SummerSlam. It's a tense encounter that benefits from a second viewing to pick up all of Lesnar's vicious mannerisms and Triple-H's believable selling. Night Of Champions then offers up a great Dolph Ziggler versus Randy Orton bout, and also CM Punk versus John Cena. The action drags at points in this one, and an unsatisfying ending leaves one questioning its inclusion.

Sheamus had a tremendous year, with several outstanding matches, so it's a surprise to see him only included once in the main feature, against Big Show from Hell In A Cell. It's a hard-hitting, brutal war that is Show's best outing in a number of years.

The Blu Ray extra content, exclusive to this format, includes interviews with a host of stars about their year's highlights. Matches added include a dire Kane versus John Cena Ambulance match from Elimination Chamber, an outstanding Daniel Bryan versus Sheamus two-out-of-three falls match from Extreme Rules, an exciting Smackdown Money In The Bank Ladder match, and the Ryback versus CM Punk Hell In A Cell encounter that was one of the year's most heavily talked about battles.

Overall, despite a decent selection of matches, the set loses credibility in the omission of the John Cena versus Brock Lesnar bloodbath at Extreme Rules. This bout is unquestionably in WWE's top three bouts of the year, and thus the failure to present it here feels disappointingly deliberate.

Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2012 is an excellent set of some of the year's highlights, but frankly, it could have been even better.