Pads & Panels

Pads & Panels’ Bill Jones and Matt Peters caught up with World Wrestling Entertainment’s Monday Night RAW announcer Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler on the verge of his first match at WrestleMania. As The King prepares to take on fellow announcer Michael Cole, he talks about going into his first WrestleMania, getting a couple title shots, his favorite announcer to work with, and his passion for comic book art. The interview took place Saturday, March 19, at Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) at McCormick Place in Chicago. A special thanks to The King for taking time to do the interview after a long day of signing and illustrating.

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Title: Bragging Rights 2010

Format: DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Review by: Bill Jones

Bragging Rights – another chance for a big tag battle squandered by World Wrestling Entertainment. The company’s annual event features a 7-on-7 tag team elimination bout between the rosters of Raw and Smackdown. But there are no great team ups, or interesting situations presented by the eliminations – only poorly handled storylines and bad wrestling. Meanwhile, Kane and Undertaker end the current incarnation of their brotherly battle in a disappointing Buried Alive match, and John Cena is forced to stand in Wade Barrett’s corner during a title match with Randy Orton. But when the announcers spend the last few minutes of the broadcast trying to explain what went down, the in-ring storytelling clearly isn’t getting the job done. (more…)

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Title: The John Cena Experience

Format: DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Rating:

Review by: Matt Peters

WWE fans are gluttons for punishment. The wrestling fed’s top star, John Cena, has been historically thrust upon the “WWE Universe” as this generation’s Stone Cold Steve Austin or Hulk Hogan. The response of the fans has been mixed, to put it lightly. Unfortunately, he just lacks the charisma the aforementioned legends had. With this new DVD set, WWE hopes to win over the holdouts and show why John Cena is a superstar who deserves your loyalty and respect. (more…)

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Title: WWE Wrestling’s Highest Flyers

Format: DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

Taking to the top rope or higher in a squared circle may not be the most logical choice, and the risk-taking would be unlikely to succeed against a well-grounded power attack in a real bout, as many naysayers of the lightweights are usually quick to point out. But the nice thing about professional wrestling is it is designed to entertain, and being grounded in reality isn’t a necessity.

That’s why for the rest of us, simply looking to be amazed by athleticism (inside or out of the ring), wrestling’s high-flyers continue to amaze us, and there’s more than enough appeal for World Wrestling Entertainment’s latest three-disc home video release, Wrestling’s Highest Flyers. That’s probably why it’s such a disappointment that the set is so darn dull. (more…)

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Title: Night of Champions 2010

Format: DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Review by: Bill Jones

Night of Champions is a wholly better pay-per-view than Summer Slam (which preceded it), largely do to its fantastic main event, a Six-Pack Challenge Match for the WWE Championship between Sheamus, John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge, Chris Jericho and Wade Barrett. With the match, WWE’s writers and wrestlers pull together the (nowadays) rare feats of telling good stories though the match and offering plenty of interesting wrestling team-ups with the six competitors in the ring. Kane vs. Undertaker is underwhelming though, looking exactly like what it is, an aged version of an old storyline between two guys who have been around for a long time. Many of the other matches are lackluster, but the United States Championship Match between The Miz and Daniel Bryan shines. And again, the main event nearly makes it worth the price of admission on its own. (more…)

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Title: SummerSlam 2010

Format: DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Review by: Bill Jones

World Wrestling Entertainment’s annual SummerSlam pay-per-view hit right at the peak of a feud between the WWE’s core roster and the invading up-and-comers The Nexus. As such, the main event is a 7-on-7 bout featuring Team WWE vs. The Nexus. And it’s ultimately disappointing. We see a weird Bret Hart elimination on account of his relative inability to perform in-ring nowadays, Michael Cole harp on the return of Daniel Bryan, and a group of green characters in a main event match. Meh. The WWE Championship Match between Sheamus and Randy Orton is a decent slugfest between two big dudes, and the World Heavyweight Championship Match between Kane vs. Rey Mysterio gets a real finish despite the ridiculous Undertaker storyline surrounding it. Still, when the Divas Championship Match features some of the most standout wrestling of the show, that’s never a good sign. (more…)

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Title: Breaking the Code: Behind of the Walls of Chris Jericho

Format: DVD

Studio: WWE Home Video

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

WWE Home Video has been on a role creating quality three-disc DVD sets for its top-tier superstars. The first discs usually feature some sort of documentary on their lives and wrestling careers, along with special features. The second and third discs of the collections compile matches and moments chronicling their in-ring careers. Though it strictly follows the formula, there are few candidates more deserving – with such good stories and matches – as Chris Jericho. But it unfortunately shows more than ever how WWE’s (understandable) decision to disavow Chris Benoit can affect the roster’s back catalog. (more…)

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