Review of WWE: ECW Extreme Rules (2 Discs)

Introduction

After 2006`s "ECW Bloodsport" release, which claimed to contain the most violent matches in the company`s pre-WWE history, one year later we are presented with "ECW: Extreme Rules", another dip in into the archives.

This release is a little different however, in that only one disc of the two looks at Extreme Championship Wrestling as it used to be, before it was purchased by Vince McMahon. The second disc is WWECW - as it is amusingly called by fans - a compilation of matches from the WWE-owned version of the company.

Hosted by Joey Styles and Tazz, seventeen matches are available here, including the bizarrely-named "Stairway to Hell" and "Dudleyville Streetfight" bouts.

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 fullscreen PAL, and is generally quite good for a DVD of this genre. What must be considered when looking at video quality here is that, for example, the first three matches (held in 1995 and 1996) were captured using one handheld camera, and one mounted camera. Considering that, and the obvious budget limitations of the time, the footage looks rather good, and will please anyone who remembers these bouts from ragged VHS tapes.

The production values improve greatly on the remainder of Disc One, and once we move to Disc Two - beginning with a match from June 2005 - the production values become distinctly WWE-esque, and are thus of a high standard.

Throughout the set, the transfer to DVD remains very good considering the source material. However, on Disc Two, there are a couple of instances where compression artefacts are noticeable. These occur most visibly in the ring introductions of the Big Show vs. Ric Flair match, although there are also minor instances during the introductions for other bouts. It must be said, however, that these problems are confined to the ring entrances and not the matches, and are not particularly irritating, especially considering that three hours of action is packed on to each DVD.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, and is generally good for a DVD of this genre. Much like the video quality, however, the audio quality depends on which bouts you are watching.

With the original ECW footage, it seems to me that attempts have been made to censor some of the more colourful crowd chanting, which in turn means that the crowd noise has been lowered from its original levels. If there was one thing that the ECW Arena (where all of the matches occurred in the mid-90s) had, it was a vociferous atmosphere, yet that certainly does not come across here.

Furthermore, changes have been made to much of the entrance music for the bouts on Disc One. This, of course, leads to the absurd situation of seeing the crowd go nuts for The Sandman`s entrance, originally backed by Metallica`s "Enter Sandman", only for the viewer to hear a generic rock track, and little crowd noise. Clearly, it is a case of WWE not owning the rights to the song, but in that case they should avoid any footage where it was significantly used.

Commentary on all of the matches here is provided by Joey Styles, accompanied by Tazz for the majority of the bouts on Disc Two. There are two interesting alternate commentaries available, one with Tommy Dreamer and Jonathan Coachman for the former`s bout with Brian Lee, and one with Styles and Tazz (Styles commentated on the original broadcast) for Tazz`s bout with Sabu.

Conclusion

The first bout of this release takes us back to the ECW Arena - in reality, a back-street bingo hall - for a match between Cactus Jack (Mick Foley) and The Sandman (1st July 1995). Aside from being a ECW Title match, there are no particular stipulations to the match, but it is still a barbed wire and cane-fest, and not a good one at that. Certainly, there were some brutal moments, but overall this is a poor match, and a very bad way to start proceedings.

The Eliminators and The Gangstas were up next in a Steel Cage Weapons match (24th August 1996). Unsurprisingly, this was a very bloody encounter, which incorporated some spectacular cage dives. However, for all the violence, it lacked the atmosphere and emotion required - a legacy of the WWE audio editing department? - for this to be considered great.

It is said that Jerry Jarrett and Don Greene had the first ever Scaffold match, in 1971. Since then, few people have attempted this type of contest, simply because the match holds such high risks, for few dividends. Held primarily on a scaffold rig high above the ring, with the platform just a few feet wide, the object of the match is to throw your opponent from the scaffold, down into the ring. Here, Tommy Dreamer engaged with Brian Lee in such a match (26th October 1996), which took some time to arrive at the Scaffold structure, but once it did, the results were typically brutal.

I`m not certain that Jimmy Page would approve of the name-bastardisation of his most famous song, but the proceeding encounter was a "Stairway to Hell" match - basically, a match where a ladder was the primary weapon - featuring The Sandman and Sabu (10th January 1998). This is probably the most violent bout on the entire set, with a insane amount of blood spilled, and numerous crazy falls. The match lacked any real story, but fans of hardcore wrestling with revel in this one.

The Dudleys vs. Tommy Dreamer, Spike Dudley, and The Sandman begins like a regular tag team encounter, before completely breaking down into another violent brawl, which is memorable for the moment when the referee decides to help out the Dreamer/Spike/Sandman team (2nd August 1998). Billed as a Dudleyville Streetfight, this is a good match.

Sabu and Tazz then collide in a title unification bout (21st March 1999), where Sabu competes with a broken jaw. This might explain why his timing seems a little off, but overall, this is another entertaining ECW-style match.

The late Mike Awesome then makes his first appearance, for a ECW Title battle with long-time rival Masato Tanaka (31st December 1999). Both men pull off some amazing power moves here, and Awesome lives up to his name with some incredible athleticism for a man who is 6ft 3" and 275lbs.

The final bout on Disc One - and thus the final of the original ECW bouts - is Steve Corino vs. Justin Credible vs. The Sandman (7th January 2001), in a match for the ECW Championship, with tables, ladders, chairs, and canes as the weapons of choice. This was a reasonable match, but after watching so many violent bouts in a row, the edge is taken off what once again is a brutal encounter.

On to Disc Two, and the WWE era, which begins with The Dudleys vs. Tommy Dreamer & The Sandman, from the 2005 ECW One Night Stand show (12th June 2005). This is a classic ECW brawl, and possibly the best match on the set so far, even though it features a ridiculous finish.

Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam (who was conspicuous by his absence on Disc One) then pull off a high-flying showcase in the next match (7th June 2006), before we are forwarded four days to the 2006 One Night Stand show, at which Rey Mysterio battled Sabu. This had the makings of a great match, with some excellent aerial moves on show, but had a finish that did not please the live crowd.

Following on from Mysterio vs. Sabu, next is the match that stole the show at One Night Stand 2006, as Edge, Mick Foley, and Lita faced Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk, and Beulah McGillicutty. The match involved almost no wrestling whatsoever, but in between the moments of brutality and insanity, there was some great drama here, which is really what made the match.

The Big Show then defended his ECW Title against Rob Van Dam, in a match from the ECW TV show (4th July 2006). This was a surprisingly good big man/little man match, although a poor ending spoiled it.

The 7ft tall, 35st Big Show then returned for another battle, this time against Ric Flair (11th July 2006). The bout is interesting because of Flair`s known distain for the original ECW, although he puts in an amazing effort here, even if the match`s violence fell a little flat.

Once tag team partners (and both were trained by Sabu`s uncle, the original Sheik), Sabu and Rob Van Dam then faced off in a ladder match to determine the No.1 contender for the ECW Title (16th August 2006). Unfortunately, this fell well below most people`s high expectations of ladder matches, even though there were some rather innovative moves incorporated throughout. A derisory finish did not help matters.

The penultimate match was a rather disjointed affair, as Sabu & Van Dam then teamed to face Test & Mike Knox (5th September 2006). It was another match with a number of big moves on show, but there was little flow to the contest at all.

The same could easily be said for the last encounter of the set, as Van Dam faced Hardcore Holly (29th September 2006). However, unlike the prior bout, this match will long be remembered for the sickening laceration that Holly incurred to his back, which is not viewing for the squeamish. If anything though, the match was made more interesting by the incredible fortitude shown by Holly, to the point that he ended up being cheered for his efforts after the match.

Overall, ECW Extreme Rules is a good two-disc set, that fans of both the original and new ECW can enjoy. It doesn`t quite equal the standard set by the previous ECW compilation "ECW: The Most Extreme Matches", but in Edge/Foley/Lita vs. Dreamer/Funk/McGillicutty, The Dudleys vs. Dreamer/The Sandman, and Awesome vs. Tanaka in particular, there should be enough here to satisfy most fans.

Unusually for a WWE product, however, the video and audio aren`t up to the expected standards. The issue is minor (pixelation) in terms of the video, but the lack of the original audio on Disc One is a major blow. Having seen many of the affected matches on unedited VHS tape, I can tell you that there was much more atmosphere in the ECW Arena, than is portrayed here.

Recommended, and a must for any fans of this type of wrestling.