Title: Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2011
Format: Three-Disc DVD
Studio: WWE Home Video
Rating: 
Review by: Bill Jones
World Wrestling Entertainment continues its now-annual tradition by releasing its own collection of Best Pay-Per-View Matches, this time for 2011. The latest three-disc set from WWE features the company’s picks for the best matches previously shown on pay-per-view in the 2011 calendar year, starting January 30 with a World Heavyweight Championship Match between Edge and Dolph Ziggler and ending Oct. 23 with a World Heavyweight Championship Match between Big Show and Mark Henry.
Ultimately, there are some great matches on these three discs – Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk (Capitol Punishment), John Cena vs. CM Punk (Money in the Bank) and Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry (Night of Champions) — but there are many more that simply fail to impress. The fact that WWE is still trying to convince me that the Undertaker vs. Triple H match from WrestleMania was a great bout makes me get the feeling that WWE has an agenda in its choices rather than simply picking the best matches, because that match was an utter disappointment. Another downright dumb decision is including the Raw Money in the Bank Match from the titular pay-per-view, when the Smackdown match was infinitely better.
Ultimately, this collection is good for the wrestling fans who have been holding onto a bunch of pay-per-view DVD releases for a good match here and there that might now be available in one simple collection. But ultimately, the picks could be better, and there’s nothing extra here to help sell the set. If this is the best WWE had to offer in 2011, it’s no wonder that if it weren’t for CM Punk, 2011 could have been a very disappointing year for the company all around. I do, however, like the decision to use a collage of pay-per-view posters as the inside art for the set.
For more info, wwe.com
Pads & Panels received a copy of the DVD set courtesy of the studio for review purposes.
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March 9th, 2012 at 11:57 am
I would be interested in seeing that collage, as the “E” tends to be great at designing PPV posters. Meanwhile, I’m curious on what method they use to determine what goes on the disc. It seems like an obvious choice to make this a fan interactive process, especially with the big push they’ve been putting on social media as of late.
The point of this set should be to book-end some matches from the lesser PPV’s (ie Capitol Punishment) with some top-rated matches. The Smackdown MITB is the perfect example. It’s bad enough it’s so low on their priority list that The Rock won’t even show up on a program named after his catchphrase.
Lastly, Mark Henry showing up on the “best of” anything is a bad decision. Injuries aside, he’s had a stellar year, but I doubt he’s topped anyone’s list. I want a re-released “fan’s choice” version of this set.
March 11th, 2012 at 7:23 pm
Good. point. This, and the Best of Raw/Smackdown DVD they always do really should be an interactive things, sort of a collective make-your-own DVD for WWE fans. For that matter, WWE should just offer compile-your-own DVDs based on the matches available. Made-to-order discs. Then I suppose the shitty matches would never sell, and WWE wouldn’t be able to sell you three discs they want to for all the matches you’re really looking for. This is probably better business for them, but sucks for fans. And yeah, I still question the choices that are made. And it often seems like certain things are missing from the certain sets, probably because they’re being saved for other set later. Rant – complete.