Review of WWE: Wrestlemania 22

Introduction

Wrestlemania is the biggest professional wrestling production on the planet. To those who pour scorn on wrestling - and certainly, they give the general public enough reasons to do so - that might not seem like any big shake, but Wrestlemania is an event that consistently draws; this year, 900,000 households ordered the event on pay-per-view television and ticket sales alone generated $2.5m.

But away from the business end of wrestling, this event is traditionally the end of the wrestling year, where the company`s biggest feuds culminate, and the creative direction for the next twelve months is ultimately decided. This year, taking the main event stand were WWE Champion John Cena and challenger Triple-H, a match made more intriguing by the fact that good-guy Cena is, ironically, the least popular wrestler among the WWE`s main male 18-34 demographic.

Emanating from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois on 2nd April 2006, Wrestlemania 22 aimed to prove that this year`s (Peter Gabriel) theme song was once again true - that this is the "Big Time".

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 fullscreen PAL and is very good for a DVD of this genre. At four hours in duration for the main feature alone, the decision has been made to split the event over two of this set`s three discs. This is a very positive move, as four hours onto one DVD would likely have produced major compression artefacts. As such, there are only minor pixellation issues here, and this looks leagues better than the original Sky Box Office broadcast.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 and is very good for a DVD of this genre. Everything is well-captured and mixed, so that what goes on inside the ring can be heard just as clearly as the commentary, or the wrestlers` themes.

An interesting note, for those interested in regional differences, is that the Region 1 release uses a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, rather than this 2.0 track. This is not the first time that this has been the case, and whilst I doubt that there is any substantial difference between the 5.1 and 2.0 tracks (given their made-for-TV source), it would have been nice to have sampled a WWE event in 5.1.

Announcing duties are handled by the returning Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler for the RAW brand match-ups, and by Michael Cole and Tazz for the Smackdown contests. Confusing things further, Joey Styles joins the broadcast position for the hardcore match involving Edge and Mick Foley. Each announcer has their own individual style, but commentary is consistently well-handled, even when - as expected - it is decidedly over the top.

There are four other Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks: French, German, Italian, and Spanish. There are also Dutch and Portuguese subtitles.

Features

Much like previous Wrestlemania releases, extras are plentiful throughout this three-disc set. On Disc One, there are vignettes focusing on Mick Foley, Edge, John Cena, and Triple-H, all of which previously aired in the build-up to Wrestlemania on WWE TV. There is also a short "Chicago Buzz" featurette, giving the viewer an insight into the city`s interest in Wrestlemania, as well as a Battle Royal match that was aired on free television prior to the beginning of the pay-per-view.

Beginning Disc Two is a slightly gruesome backstage look at Mick Foley getting stitches, in which he claims takes his career total to over 300 (fellow maniac and Japanese parliament member Atsushi Onita claims to have had more lifetime stitches than any other pro wrestler, with well over 1000). There is also a backstage moment with Rey Mysterio, where he is met by Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Chavo Guerrero Jnr. and Vickie Guerrero, following his match with Kurt Angle and Randy Orton.

Also on Disc Two is the post-Wrestlemania show, which originally aired on WWE.com, as well as a John Cena speech from 3rd April`s RAW TV show, in which he acknowledges his unpopularity among fans. We are also treated to the two-hour (minus adverts) Saturday Night`s Main Event TV special from 18th March, during which Shane McMahon faces Shawn Michaels in a no-rules match, and Triple-H & John Cena team to face Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton & Kurt Angle in a handicap match.

Disc Three, however, is the real jewel of the extras, in the 2006 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Inducted this year were The Blackjacks, Verne Gagne, celebrity inductee William "The Refrigerator" Perry, "Sensational" Sherri, "Mr America" Tony Atlas, "Mean" Gene Okerlund, the late Eddie Guerrero, and Bret "The Hitman" Hart.

This three-hour event is an absolute treat, especially for those who relish hearing about goings-on behind the curtain. Whilst each of the inductee`s speeches make for great listening - I`ll make an exception for celebrity inductee William Perry, who made a guest appearance at Wrestlemania 2 - three in particular stand out - "Sensational" Sherri Martel, Bret Hart, and Vickie Guerrero (on behalf of Eddie).

Sherri has the audience immediately infatuated with her over-the-top antics, perhaps proving that behind every crazy wrestling character, there`s a real-life nutjob trying to get out.

Hart speaks fluently for forty minutes, telling stories of comrades such as his late brother Owen and "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, and about the time that he "almost took Vince`s head off" during a bar-room bet. It`s fascinating to hear "The Hitman" talk so openly, and his speech has immense repeat-viewing value.

But whilst Hart concluded the ceremony on a high note, the prior speech given by Vickie Guerrero, accepting the induction for her late husband Eddie, is absolutely overwhelming. The auditorium`s support for her husband was enough to reduce her - and many others - to tears, and although these moments are heart-wrenching, they are equally beautiful, and are a delight to have captured here.

Conclusion

The card itself began with Destiny`s Child`s Michelle Williams singing Wrestlemania`s traditional opening song, America The Beautiful. She sang live, so there was no hilarity a la Little Richard at Wrestlemania X.

The opening contest was the Tag Team Championship match with holders Big Show & Kane facing Chris Masters and Carlito. This was an simple yet entertaining contest, which set the crowd in a good mood for the rest of the show.

Next up was the "Money In The Bank" ladder match. For this bout, a briefcase was held above the ring, and the person first able to retrieve it was guaranteed a WWE Title match at a time of their choosing. This was an excellent, fast-paced match with several death-defying manoeuvres, none more so than Shelton Benjamin`s somersault senton over the top rope and onto several of his opponents. This proved to be the second best match on the card.

Things were then brought down a notch by the US Title match between Chris Benoit and JBL. With both men carrying nagging injuries, this bout didn`t last as long as predicted, and was an average match at best.

Mick Foley and Edge then tangled in an ultra-violent no rules match, during which both men were badly lacerated. It wasn`t just blood injuries that were sustained, however, as Foley in particular took several bone-crunching falls. These included a disturbing finishing sequence to the match, which has to be seen to be believed. This one got match of the night honours, in my view.

After that crescendo, things were brought crashing down to earth with the next two contests, the first of which pitted Booker T and wife Sharmell in a handicap match with The Boogeyman. Although expectations were not high for the match - especially considering Boogeyman had torn a bicep in the weeks leading up to the event - this match died in front of the live crowd, and at less than four minutes in duration, still managed to drag.

The crowd were more enthusiastic for the Women`s championship match in which champion Trish Stratus was challenged by Mickie James, and it should be noted that this was a better effort than could have been put forth by 90% of the other women on the WWE roster. In any case, the real story of this match is hidden by the editing of the contest for this DVD. On the live broadcast, Stratus and James badly fail to complete the match`s finishing sequence, a fact that was met with derision by the live audience. This however, has been edited on DVD - and rather well, it must be said - so that it appears that there was no botched finish at all. This is the first time that I have come across a DVD edit for a badly-excuted move during a match, and left me wondering whether or not the WWE editing team will "touch up" other matches in the future.

The next contest featured Shawn Michaels taking on 60 year old WWE owner Vince McMahon in a no-rules match. Thankfully, this match was not as violent as the earlier Foley vs Edge encounter, but nor was it half as entertaining. In fantastic shape he may be, but McMahon has no place inside the ring at this point in his life.

Speaking of having no place inside the ring, in 1995 many said that Mark Henry - billed in America as "The World`s Strongest Man" - had no place training to be a wrestler. Over ten years later, Henry has improved immensely, but to match him with another big man in The Undertaker was a mistake on the part of the creative team. This - a coffin match, where the loser is he who is first placed inside a coffin - felt way too long at just under ten minutes.

The penultimate match - unless you want to count Candice Michelle and Torrie Wilson`s "pillow fight" match - promised a lot, but didn`t quite deliver, as World Heavyweight champion Kurt Angle put the belt on the line against both Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio in a three-way bout. The crowd was heavily pro-Angle, which went against the popular belief that Mysterio would be the fan favourite here. The match seemed a little rushed, and the end in particular appeared rather abrupt, which took a little sheen from the post-match celebrations.

Considering that the other two candidates for match of the night honours (Foley vs Edge and the Money In The Bank ladder match) were fought under no-holds-barred rules, it could easily be said that the main event featuring WWE Champion John Cena vs Triple-H was the best wrestling match of the night. Certainly, it had the big match feel, and the intense crowd anticipation that makes the good matches great. Furthermore, the match had an exciting and surprising finish, which kept fans talking for weeks after the event.

Overall, Wrestlemania 22 was an above average show, with three very good matches which have repeat-viewing value. However, despite the fact that it is a minor edit, I found the trimming of the Women`s title match quite shocking, since I don`t believe that this has been WWE policy in the past.

Compounding the quality of this release, however, is the inclusion of the Hall of Fame ceremony, which is an absolute must-see. As a traditionalist wrestling fan, I have no qualms in saying that whilst I enjoyed Wrestlemania, the Hall of Fame had me totally engrossed.

Wrestlemania is the biggest WWE event of the year, and has been treated as such on DVD. If you only buy one WWE DVD this year, make it this one.