This review should come as no real surprise to anyone who follows, watches, or collects the WWE on Blu-ray. The studio's latest effort is the
self-describing Best Pay Per View Matches 2012, a collection of eleven primary and four supplementary matches from the year (or better said
eleven months) that was in Sunday night megabucks wrestling. Unfortunately, the set contains nothing from either
November 18th's Survivor Series or December
16th's TLC (Tables, Ladders,
and Chairs) Pay-Per-Views. As always, the WWE cuts off the end-of-year events in these retrospective compilation pieces and does a disservice to the
fans in the name of getting the Blu-ray out on shelves before the year's even over. Hopefully this will change in the future, along with the decision to
release
all Pay-Per-View matches onto Blu-ray and also offer (a more thorough) highlight reel compilation for those who don't want the entire
experience. Otherwise, the set is fine for what it is and what's included; on to the review.
Did I win?
WWE personality Scott Stanford hosts Best Pay Per View Matches 2012 and appears only briefly at several junctures to set the stage for
some of the most important and memorable matches from the set. The collection opens with what might be the best match of the year, the CM
Punk-Dolph Ziggler showdown that's refereed by longtime Punk nemesis John Laurinaitis. It's a classic Pay-Per-View match in that several story
lines
come to a head as the zenith of professional wrestling skill plays out in the ring. The collection continues with a wide variety of matches and styles
and
settings, from the elimination chamber to a "no disqualification" match. The set is largely defined by the inclusion of two of the greatest, most
historically important matches in WWE history, the Undertaker-Triple H "end of an era" battle and the "once in a lifetime" John Cena-The Rock clash
at WrestleMania XXVIII that was so big the WWE released an entire video about that single match.
The set also features the obligatory Divas Championship match and offers a wide array of wrestling talent, from the aforementioned top names in
the industry to second-tier but certainly first-rate wrestlers like The Great Khali and Cody Rhodes, but generally this set is packed with upper echelon
stars who are and who have been the face of professional wrestling for a decade or more. As always with these WWE compilation pieces, this is a
very
straightforward, no-frills set that shows the matches in their entirety and also contains the various pre-match video pieces that set the stage for the
story lines that are played out in the ring (the bonus section on disc two also contains a few post-match interviews, though unfortunately, none of
the pertinent RAW or SmackDown lead-up segments are included here as they are with other sets). Overall, it's a very strong collection with which
few
will find fault. While the entire Pay-Per-View-on-Blu-ray roster would be preferable, the WWE has done a fine job in assembling the year's top
matches into one set, sans the final two PPV events, of course, that will hopefully find their way to home video in future installments.
The following matches have been selected to be part of Best Pay Per View Matches 2012 (all matches are presented in 1.78:1 high
definition):
Disc One (4:12:05 total runtime):
WWE Championship Match: CM Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler with Special Guest Referee John Laurinaitis. Royal Rumble -- January 29,
2012.
Elimination Chamber Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show vs. The Great Khali vs.
Santino Marella vs. Wade Barrett vs. Cody Rhodes. Elimination Chamber -- February 19, 2012.
End of an Era Hell in a Cell Match: Triple H vs. Undertaker with Special Guest Referee Shawn Michaels. WrestleMania XXVIII -- April 1,
2012.
Once in a Lifetime: The Rock vs. John Cena. WrestleMania XXVIII -- April 1, 2012.
Divas Championship Match: Layla vs. Beth Phoenix. Over the Limit -- May 20, 2012.
Intercontinental Championship Match: Christian vs. Cody Rhodes. No Way Out -- June 17, 2012.
No Disqualification Match for the WWE Championship: CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan. Money in the Bank -- July 15, 2012.
Disc Two (2:13:09 total runtime):
The Perfect Storm: Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar. Summerslam -- August 19, 2012.
Singles Match: Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler. Night of Champions -- September 16, 2012.
WWE Championship Match: CM Punk vs. John Cena. Night of Champions -- September 16, 2012.
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Sheamus vs. Big Show. Hell in a Cell -- October 28, 2012.
Best Pay Per View Matches 2012 arrives on Blu-ray with a stalwart high definition transfer that's not without flaws but that looks quite good at
normal viewing distances. The image does present some rather hefty blocking around its darker backdrops, but as noted such do not really offend the
sensibilities or even appear all that heavy when looking at the image from casual viewing distances. Additionally, some of the text graphics shimmer
along the edges. Otherwise, this one's a real looker. Details are fantastic, offering crisp and very well-defined imagery of wrestler skin and tattoos, arena
details, electric signage, and fans and handmade placards. The clarity is often striking, the attention to detail evident, and the sharpness and definition
even far back into the deepest reaches of the crowds impressive. Colors are equally strong. Bright wrestler tights and multicolored electronic and
handmade signage brings a diverse array of hues into the equation and all are handled with striking authenticity. Black levels are deep and flesh tones
natural. This is a fine image and a good example of the sort of work being done by the good folks over at WWE home video.
Best Pay Per View Matches 2012 features WWE's standard audio presentation: lossy Dolby Digital 5.1. The good news is that, despite the
absence of a lossless option, this presentation proves suitably dynamic and satisfying for the material at hand. There's a very fine, pleasing musical
presence within the program. Both overlaid music for the home video release as well as in-arena sounds blaring through speakers as wrestlers make
their way to the ring play with good, crisp definition, high energy, and enveloping spacing. The surround channels carry a good bit of information as well,
away from music. Thunderous crowd noise nicely pulls the listener into the arena and satisfies as a fine reproduction of what it's like to be in the midst
of
a rowdy WWE fan gathering. Heavy hits, smacks, and crashes during matches enjoy fine accuracy, presence, and clarity. Ringside commentary plays
clearly and evenly from the center, ditto in-ring, backstage, and video package materials. This is a good all-around soundtrack that serves this material
very well.
Best Pay Per View Matches 2012 contains all of its extras on disc two (note that all extras have their own individual runtimes rather than
being
lumped together under a single timestamp). Additionally, all extras are presented in 1.78:1 high definition.
Bonus Matches:
Ambulance Match (29:45): John Cena vs. Kane. Elimination Chamber -- February 19, 2012.
2 Out of 3 Falls Match for the World Heavyweight Championship (31:25): Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan. Extreme Rules -- April 29, 2012.
Money in the Bank Ladder Match (27:18): Christian vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Tensai vs. Santoni Marella vs. Damien Sandow vs. Tyson Kidd
vs. Cody
Rhodes vs. Sin Cara. Money in the Bank -- July 15, 2012.
WWE Championship Hell in a Cell Match (25:17): CM Punk vs. Ryback. Hell in a Cell -- October 28, 2012.
Backstage Pay-Per View Access:
CM Punk Discusses His Match at the Royal Rumble (0:49).
Sheamus Discusses His Involvement at Elimination Chamber (0:38).
Layla Discusses Her Match at Extreme Rules (1:40).
Christian Discusses His Match at Over the Limit (0:49).
Paul Heyman Discusses Brock Lesnar's Match at Summerslam (1:01).
The Miz Discusses His Match at Summerslam (1:01).
John Cena Discusses His Match at Summerslam (0:48).
Best Pay Per View Matches 2012 is another in the growing legacy of excellent, straightforward WWE compilation video sets. This one presents
viewers with a nice assortment of eleven of the year's best pay matches but does fall short by failing to include anything from the year's final events.
Still, fans will find historically important matches, championship belt bouts, and some of the highest quality wrestling the sport has ever seen. The
collection presents fans with a who's who of the modern wrestling landscape and delivers hours of rapid-fire wrestling entertainment that fans will want
to enjoy time and again. WWE's Blu-ray release of Best Pay Per View Matches 2012 features very good video and audio as well as some quality
supplements in the form of bonus matches and interviews. Highly recommended to those wanting to get into the WWE, and recommended as a
must-own for wrestling fans.
