Review of WWE: Survivor Series 2004

Introduction

There is a certain irony in the fact that what is traditionally one of the most celebrated WWE concepts was borne out of a bitter rivalry between the two leading wrestling organisations in North America. The Survivor Series may be a long-standing favourite event among fans for its unique tag-team concept, but had the NWA`s Jim Crockett not stepped on the toes of Vince McMahon on 27th March 1988, perhaps the event would have never become a reality.

On the date in question the WWE held Wrestlemania IV, the most popular wrestling event of the year, from Donald Trump`s Trumplaza in Atlantic City. The previous year`s Wrestlemania had set records as the most-watched wrestling pay-per-view of all-time, and Crockett had his eye on ensuring that McMahon would not repeat the feat. His means were to stage a brand new event called "The Clash of the Champions", and holding it on the very same time, although on free television.

And so the Survivor Series was originally Vince McMahon`s retort, which he first held on 26th November 1987, at the same time that Crockett was holding his most popular show, Starrcade. Fourteen years later the event is still going strong, with this reviewer delighted to report that the main event is a traditional Survivor Series tag team elimination match. But on to the DVD…

Video

As is the case with all Region 2 WWE pay-per-view releases, this is produced in 4:3 non-anamorphic PAL, and is only slightly better than the original SKY Sports digital telecast. All the action is clear at all times, making this a more than acceptable transfer for this genre.

Audio

For our aural consumption is a Dolby Digital 2.0 track which, similar to its video counterpart, is only slightly better than that of the original telecast. There is little stereo separation in the track, however this is a perfectly acceptable soundtrack for a DVD from this genre. Commentary is provided adequately - if inanely, don`t expect Kent Walton! - by Michael with Tazz for the Smackdown! Brand matches, and also Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler of the RAW brand matches.

Features

Extras on this disc include promotional vignettes that were used to hype this event, the music video for "Ugly" by the Exies which was the theme song for the event, as well as an extensive overview of the feud between John Cena and Carlito, culminating in their Smackdown! Match which is also included here.

The volume of extras included must be considered more than reasonable given that, in total, there is around 210 minutes of footage on this dual-layer disc. However, only the Cena vs Carlito package is worth repeated viewing.

Conclusion

In terms of wrestling action, 2004`s Survivor Series was certainly one of the better WWE pay-per-views of the year. The main event match (Triple H`s team vs Randy Orton`s team) & the Shelton Benjamin vs Christian match deserve special commendation. And even though it was passable at best, The Undertaker`s bout with John Heidenreich was much better than anyone anticipated. Unfortunately, the card is dragged down by JBL`s title defence against Booker T, and to a lesser extent, the highspot-infested Cruiserweight match which must make Rey Misterio Jr pray for Dean Malenko to come out of retirement.

Overall, a very worthy WWE DVD for the fan`s collection.