WWE Shawn Michaels - Mr WrestleMania (FSM 104; March 2014)

Information: – DVD Region: Region Two • Distributor: WWE • Price: £29.99 • Other info: 506 minutes • Release: Out now • Weblink: www.WWEDVD.co.uk

Few superstars in WWE history have had Shawn Michaels’ wealth of DVD coverage; thanks to DX specials, the Greatest Rivalries set with Bret Hart, and several dedicated releases, there’s a lot to choose from. One of the former WWE champion’s strongest assets was his ability to produce on the biggest stage of all, thus making this WrestleMania throwback possible.

Disc One provides a nice overview of the WrestleMania career of Michaels’ tag team with Marty Jannetty, The Rockers. The opener with The Twin Towers raises a smile, but the WrestleMania VI scrap with The Orient Express is state-of-the-art action for 1990. It still holds up as the sort of fast-paced but solidly told tale in which Goldust and Cody Rhodes have more recently specialised. The effort against Haku and The Barbarian isn’t quite of the same standard, but still includes the kind of tag team synergy so rarely seen in the modern era.

BRINGIN’ ON THE HEARTBREAK
Michaels’ first solo outing, from WrestleMania VIII, is a minor disappointment, though the scrap with El Matador boasts interesting, old-fashioned heel mannerisms. The year following, against Tatanka, also falls short of expectation, largely thanks to the ongoing issues with booking a Michaels versus Jannetty blow-off match.

Michaels came of age the following year in a scintillating performance opposite Razor Ramon. Although most will have seen this by now, it’s always a delight. He climbed up another proverbial rung in 1995, challenging WWF champion Diesel in an arrangement that positions a heel challenger against a giant babyface. The match is great fun.

The 1996 title win over Bret Hart requires no further elaboration, though it’s a fascinating change of pace. Steve Austin’s big moment, winning the belt at WrestleMania XIV, always benefits from a knowledge of Michaels’ devastating back injury. With that in mind, though, it’s a somewhat uncomfortable viewing experience.

Although he barely missed a beat upon his 2002 return to action, one could hardly have conceived that Michaels’ second run would eclipse his first, but that’s certainly the case on this latest review. It’s a shame that WrestleMania XX’s Triple Threat match is not included thanks to the participation of Chris Benoit, but the good news is that the classics that bookended it are present, as the 2003 and 2005 tussles with Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle are fabulous encounters that stand the test of time.

The highlight of Disc Three is the outstanding brace of matches with The Undertaker. These clashes will remain the benchmark for an entire generation, in terms of delivering on this scale. During the first, Jim Ross wails, “I just had an out of body experience!” It’s hard not to believe him.

There’s a lot to enjoy otherwise, though. The WrestleMania XXII Streetfight with Vince McMahon is the kind of wild stunt spectacle that WWE no longer offers, and the antics of the much-maligned Spirit Squad are worth revisiting. Michaels’ WWE title shot from the year after is, by contrast, a brilliant, traditional pro wrestling match; making the most of John Cena’s skills, it feels even more satisfying now, seven years later. Of course, the Ric Flair match from WrestleMania XXIV is a much less smooth and rich effort, but it’s still breathtaking from an emotional perspective.

One of the strengths of this release is that it offers a who’s who of the very elite WWE main event performers, and in Shawn Michaels, the company had a talent who produced a wide variety of matches. Thus, instead of suffering from repetition, Mr WrestleMania is thrilling from start to finish. The only flaw, indeed, comes in the first two matches, which appear minus the commentary of Jesse Ventura, and the heels’ original music.