TNA Sacrifice on Bravo 2 - TV Review

It’s that time of the month where we journey into TNA territory, where four men are putting something on the line, with Mick Foley, Jeff Jarrett, Sting and Kurt Angle in the main event of Sacrifice, shown on a three day delay here in Britain on Bravo 2, with Don West and Mike Tenay handling commentary duties.

ROH Proving Ground 2009 Night One - DVD Review

I’m going to take a step into Ring of Honor territory for my latest review. Having looked at their first show of 2009, I’m going to step forward to this past February with the DVD release of Proving Ground 2009 Night One, featuring stars such as Nigel McGuinness, Bryan Danielson, Jerry Lynn, Necro Butcher, Austin Aries and more.

ROH Proving Ground 2009 Night One - CPC Movies DVD Review

If you ever needed evidence that Ring of Honor is alive and well, despite the constant internet rumours, then I think I may have found it for you.

UFC 98: Evans vs Machida on Setanta Sports - TV Review

So who is the best light heavyweight in the UFC at the moment? That’s what I’m attempting to find out as I take a look at UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida, shown live on Setanta Sports here in Britain in the early hours of this past Sunday morning. As always, Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg are handling commentary duties.

Cage Rage 14: The Punishment on Extreme Sports - TV Review

This past Saturday night Britain’s Extreme Sports Channel once again delved into the Cage Rage archive, going back to March 2005 and the Wembley Conference Centre, as current UFC great Anderson Silva defended his World Middleweight title against Curtis Stout at Cage Rage 14: The Punishment.

King of Harts: The Owen Hart Collection - DVD Review

Following on from my review of WWF Over The Edge 1999, the event that sadly took away one of the world’s greatest wrestling talents in Owen Hart, I’m going to look at the positive side of his wrestling career with a review of a compilation that has been doing the tape trading rounds. Entitled King of Harts: The Owen Hart Collection, and put together by J&M Productions of Pro Wrestling Torrents fame, this compilation contains matches from Stampede, New Japan, WCW, and, of course, the WWF.

WWF Over The Edge 1999 - Retro Review

This coming Saturday marks the tenth anniversary of the death of Owen Hart. Owen fell to his death during the WWF’s Over The Edge pay-per-view, and now, for the first time since that day, I’m going to take a look back at the show, to see if I still feel the same way I felt then, and to see if I can once again answer the question that’s been asked for ten years - should the show have gone on?

WWE Judgment Day on Sky Box Office - TV Review

It’s that time of the month again where I break out the old tag line and the three World Wrestling Entertainment brands band together on pay-per-view with Judgment Day, headlined by Randy Orton defending the WWE title against Batista, and Edge defending the World title against Jeff Hardy.

Best of NECW TV 2007 - DVD Review

This edition of The Two Sheds Review sees us making a return journey to Sheldon Goldberg’s New England Championship Wrestling. For those of you who don’t know, NECW has an online television show which is available to download, free of charge, from their website. It was by watching this show that I first became aware of their product, and it’s what made me want to explore this company a little more, so now we’re going to take a look at the best bits of their online TV show a couple of years ago, with by taking a look at the Best of NECW TV 2007 DVD.

The opening match is a singles contest, featuring “The Talent” T.J. Richter taking on “The Hawaiian Warrior” Makua. It’s a stop-start kind of a match, with plenty of stalling from Richter at the beginning. When the action finally gets going, it’s fast-paced, with Makua showing some good power moves, but losing it by choosing to go to the top rope instead of pinning Richter when he was down. Makua missed the big splash, and Richter capitalised moments later with a roll-up, with his feet on the ropes, for the win.

Then it’s on to “The Exotic” Kristian Frost against “The Real Deal” Brandon Locke. It’s billed on the cover as being an NECW TV title match, but there’s no mention of that here. This was Locke’s first match in NECW for two years, so he was looking to make a point. It’s a pretty even contest between two evenly matched wrestlers, The cowardly heel Frost got the tainted win though, by countering Locke’s sunset flip by holding onto the ropes while he got the pin.

After a promo from the aforementioned Exotic One, it’s on to inter-gender action, with Tanya Lee taking on “Superstar” Ryan Matthews. This was originally meant to be an all-women’s bout, but manager Sean Gorman pulled a fast one an announced Matthews as Lee’s opponent. Matthews offers Lee the choice of lying down and taking the pin, but Lee refuses. Matthews overpowers Lee at first, but the plucky underdog soon manages to fight back, and after a mis-communication between Gorman and Matthews, Lee gets the pin with a roll-up.

The only tag-team match of the collection follows, with “Big” Rick Fuller and Scott Osbourne taking on “The Infamous” Bobby Fish and NECW Triple Crown Champion “Straight Edge” Brian Fury. Two good teams here, with Fuller in particular impressing, showing that he’s not just your stereotypical big man. It’s also easy to see just why Fury was NECW’s main champion at the time, and why Fish is a regular with Pro Wrestling NOAH. The ending - after Fury took Fuller out with a cross body block that sent both men over the top rope, Fish took care of Osbourne with an awesome looking flying knee, getting the pin for his team immediately afterwards.

After a segment which sees the psychotic Michael Sain attacking a fan of his, it’s on to the final match on the DVD, with “Die Hard” Eddie Edwards, accompanied by his manager Sean Gorman, facing Jason Blade. They definitely saved the best for last with this one. Edwards makes a great heel, and it’s easy to see why, like Bobby Fish before him, he’s a NOAH regular. This match is a great example of the NECW product, solid mat wrestling mixed in with some great story telling made for a very good match, and after what seemed like an eternity of great action, and with Edwards looking like he was about to tap out to Blade’s crossface, the bell rang. The time limit had expired, and the match was declared a draw. A fitting ending, considering the great performances from both guys.

No DVD extras to speak off here, so let’s get right down to it.

In conclusion - Best of NECW TV 2007 is another great example of the NECW way of wrestling. Although nearly all of the matches are quite short, they’re all very entertaining, with the Blade/Edwards match clearly the best of the bunch. The production standards are very good, and once again Sheldon Goldberg’s commentary is excellent. My only criticism is that the whole thing seemed to be a little to short. A few more matches, or perhaps a second disc, would have been a welcome addition.

So if you haven’t seen any of NECW’s stuff before, then this DVD is a good place to start.

Three links for you now - www.necwwrestling.com - the main NECW site, www.necw.tv - where you can download their online TV show, and www.worldwomenswrestling.com, NECW’s all-female sister promotion.

With thanks to Sheldon Goldberg for supplying a copy of this release.

Best of NECW TV 2007 - CPC Movies DVD Review

If you’re looking for an alternative for both WWE and TNA, you might want to take a look at the American indy scene. As well as Ring of Honor, there are some pretty strong groups doing business out there at the moment.

Wrestlerock 13: Spooktacular - DVD Review

It’s time to head down under again, as the plucky underdog challenges the tough as nails SOB, Cletus facing Jag for the big belt at Wrestlerock 13: Spooktacular, held at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne this past September.

Wrestlerock 13 - CPC Movies DVD Review

When one thinks of Australia, you think of Paul Hogan, Shane Warne, our cricket team losing The Ashes, and shrimps being put on a barbecue. You hardly ever think of professional wrestling, and if you do, you think of Outback Jack.

Kurt Angle - Champion - DVD Review

He’s regarded as the best wrestler in the world today, and in 2006 he shocked the wrestling business by signing for Total Non-Stop Action, having only just been released by World Wrestling Entertainment. Now, TNA have paid tribute to one of their greatest stars with the DVD release of Kurt Angle - Champion.

Kurt Angle: Champion: CPC Movies DVD Review

He’s regarded as the best wrestler in the world today, and in 2006 he shocked the wrestling business by signing for Total Non-Stop Action, having only just been released by World Wrestling Entertainment. Now, TNA have paid tribute to one of their greatest stars with the DVD release of Kurt Angle - Champion.

Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives on Extreme Sports - TV Review

This past Saturday night, Britain’s Extreme Sports channel once again ventured into MMA territory with a showing of Strikeforce: Four Men Enter, One Man Survives. Originally held in November 2007 in San Jose, California, the show has been on a regular rotation through the schedules for a while now, but this is the first time I actually remembered it was on. Like all of their MMA shows it was shown in three one hour blocks.

TNA Bound For Glory IV - DVD Review

It’s regarded as TNA’s biggest show of the year, and it’s now out on DVD. Bound For Glory IV saw thee great and the good of the company heading for Chicago last October.

TNA Bound for Glory IV - CPC Movies DVD Review

It’s regarded as TNA’s biggest show of the year, and is now out on DVD. Bound For Glory IV, sees the great and the good of the company heading for Chicago.

Hero's 2007 Volume 3: The Final Battle - DVD Review

We’re heading off to Japan for our latest review, with another look at K-1’s mixed martial arts wing, and a look at the 2007 Middleweight World Championship tournament with the DVD release of Hero’s 2007 Volume Three: The Final Battle. Commentary duties here are handled by the most impressive fighter from the Ultimate Combat series of shows, Pierre Guillet, and Dale Adams.

Hero’s 2007 Volume Three: The Final Battle - CPC Movies DVD Review

It’s no secret that the Ultimate Fighting Championship is the top mixed martial arts promotion in the world at the moment. But if you look slightly further a field, you’ll find top notch action in the far east.