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After ranting over how WWE needs to be more creative with their bonus feature offerings for their pay-per-view DVD offerings, it appears they have listened to my advice.
The latest round of PPV DVDs mixes the traditional format (commercials, the night's Heat broadcast and exclusive interviews) with some features fans haven't seen that much, or at all, in previous releases. Whether they succeed or fail, however, is another story.
Survivor Series
Extras
Commercials: Undertaker vs. John Heidenreich; Raw Classic Survivor Series Elimination Match; Top 5 Matches
DVD Exclusives
Triple H walks in on JBL in Trainer's Room; Ugly - The Exies music video; John Cena vs. Carlito Carribean Cool (U.S. Title Match) from Smackdown! 11/18/04.
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Analysis -- Very nice touch by WWE to include the Ugly vid, getting good exposure for the Exies. The Cena/Carlito segment includes everything from the Smackdown! broadcast surrounding the fight, which is a welcome addition. Hopefully this kind of epilogue will be included from now on.
SLAM! Story: Orton survives at Series
Buy it in the SLAM! Wrestling store: WWE Survivor Series 2004 DVD
Armageddon
Extras
Commercials: John Cena vs. Jesus; Big Show vs. Kurt Angle; Luther Reigns & Mark Jindrak; Fatal 4-Way for the WWE Championship
Sunday Night Heat
Kurt Angle, Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak discuss strategy in their locker room; Josh Mathews interviews Spike Dudley; Paul London/Chavo Guererro Jr. vs. Billy Kidman/Akio.
DVD Exclusives
Divas fight in the locker room; Carlito Carribean Cool and Theodore Long; Santa Claus and Tazz.
Analysis -- The Heat match was pretty good, with Akio again showing some hot stuff. Hopefully with London as champ, the two can have good Cruiserweight Title matches. The Carlito/Long segment was not bad as the start of their antics as well. The rest, however, is passable. Better than most extras packages.
SLAM! Story: WWE survives its own Armageddon
Buy it in the SLAM! Wrestling store: WWE Armageddon 2004 DVD
New Year's Revolution
Extras
Commercials: Image; Elimination Chamber; Gene Snitzky vs. Kane
DVD Exclusives
Interviews with Edge, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, Triple H, Batista
Analysis -- While the interviews are pretty cool, they aren't worth going out of your way to see. Not a great showing here.
SLAM! Story: No Revolution: Triple H prevails
Buy it in the SLAM! Wrestling store: WWE New Years Revolution DVD
Royal Rumble
Extras
Commercials: History of the Royal Rumble; The Triple-Threat Match; The World
Heavyweight Title Match; Casket Match
Story behind the Triple-Threat match
Additional history of the Royal Rumble
DVD Exclusives
After the Royal Rumble
Theodore Long offers Batista a contract
JBL interview from Raw 1/31/2005
Analysis -- There is one really good segment here, which is the history of the Royal Rumble. The segment shows some of the Rumble's high spots and is a good, but brief look at this WWE signature match. The rest is pretty forgettable. Where's the musical commercial? Worth a look, but not exceedingly necessary.
SLAM! Story: Batista claims the Rumble
Buy it in the SLAM! Wrestling store: WWE Royal Rumble 2005 DVD
Jon Waldman is SLAM!'s WWE DVD reviewer. Born and bred in the heart of the 'Peg, Jon has been a SLAM! contributor since 2000. He is still waiting for a career retrospective DVD on Special Delivery Jones.