Rating: Summary: A Must-Have for any Wrestling Fan Review: I have been a die-hard wrestling fan, as far back as I can remember, 16 years to be exact, and I would be lying to you if I did not say that Shawn Michaels stands out as one of my favorite wrestlers of all time. However, it wasn't until Shawn left wrestling indefinitely after his WrestleMania XIV WWF Championship Match with Stone Cold Steve Austin, that I fully appreciated Shawn's charisma, talent, and performances. Shawn is the complete package: a high-flying mat-savvy luchador-styled wrestling talent, jam-packed with superstar looks and the undeniable charisma to boot. Thankfully, HBK has returned to the WWE, to finish his career on his terms and furthermore, I'm thankful the WWE released this anthology of Shawn's greatest matches. "From The Vault" features seven full-length matches, commentary from the "Showstoppa" himself, and various extras. Here's a rundown of the featured matches:1. AWA Tag Team Championship- The Midnight Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Janetty) vs. Buddy Rose and Doug Somers: A rare look at Shawn's roots in the tag team echelon of wrestling, paired off with Marty Janetty, forming one of the WWF/E's most legendary tag teams: The Rockers. As for the match itself, it's your typical 80's/early 90's match: methodical, but slow-paced by today's standards. Worth a look. 3/5. 2. Ladder Match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship- Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon: As most seasoned WWE fans know, this is Shawn's stepping stone to superstardom and what better place to make a name for yourself than at WrestleMania X, at Madison Square Garden? It is because of this outing that Shawn is attributed with being the innovator of the ladder match, since there hasn't been a gimmick match such as this in the wrestling industry prior to this. Not much in the way of hardcore spots which the latter TLC matches exhibit, HBK utilizes great ring psychology to set the bar high for latter participants of this gimmick match. 5/5. 3. 60 Minute Iron Man Match for the WWF Championship- Bret "The Hitman" Hart vs. Shawn Michaels: In my opinion, this is HBK's greatest match ever, not just because of his outstanding high-flying dynamic performance and his WrestleMania title victory, but because of his opponent, one of the greatest technical wrestlers of all-time, Bret Hart. Tremendous and intense ring psychology, with the undermined personal feud attached to it. Obviously, this title fight can be exhaustive, even for the veteran technical mark, but completely satisfying by the end. Like the ladder match, HBK is the innovator of the Iron Man match. 5/5. 4. No Holds Barred Match for the WWF Championship - Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel/Kevin Nash: Shawn's very first title defense against his old friend, Big Daddy Cool. You would dig this match if you're more of a brawler-styled match mark, with some pretty good spots. 3/5. 5. WWF Championship - Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind. Solid match with the hardcore legend Mick Foley in his Mankind gimmick as Michaels' counterpart. Again, it's somewhat of a brawler-type match with some nice hardcore spots (i.e. Mankind's superplex to Michaels through the announcing table). 4/5. 6. Hell in a Cell Match for the WWF Championship - Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker. Mankind and by the time he hangs it up, The Undertaker, will go down as the kings of the Hell in a Cell, but it was Shawn Michaels who put a stamp on the legacy of the Hell in a Cell. As to be expected, this HIAC match is a brutal bloodbath. Shawn takes a sick bump, falling off the top of the cell and through the announcing table, one that Foley is notoriously remembered for in his first HIAC match. It is this title bout that started and forced him to give up wrestling several months later, at WrestleMania. Kane makes his momentous debut during the match. 5/5. 7. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H: HBK's return match at Summerslam 2002 and Shawn had shown no ring rust at all after recovering from his near career-ending back injury. Awesome fight. 5/5. If that wasn't awesome enough, "From The Vault" features three hours of extra footage, including promos and TV spots. My only complaint about this DVD set is that it should have featured one more match at Shawn's prime in his Rockers days, Shawn's first IC title victory over British Bulldog at Saturday Night Main Event, and Shawn's championship match with Austin from WM XIV. Aside from that, this set is highly recommended for the WWE newbie to the die-hard HBK fans. I also recommend ECW's The Best of Cactus Jack.
Rating: Summary: The Reasons they call HBK the Showstopper! Review: Hey Yo! If there is only one DVD you get this year, make it From the Vault with Shawn Micheals! This DVD has all the great matches in their entirety icluding entrances and aftermath. Each match is chock full of extras! Heres the breakdown: AWA Tag Team Championship: The Rockers vs. Play Boy and Pretty Boy Ok match. Things got a little brutal to the point of ending in DQ. Wrestlemania 10 Ladder Match for Intercontinental Title: Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) vs. HBK Great match! The first ladder match set the standards for how the match works. Wrestlemania 12 60-minute Iron Man Match for WWE Title: Bret Hart (champ) vs. HBK Settle in, this is a long one. In some moments it's slow but after awhile it gets exciting. The first time HBK won the title. No Holds Barred Match for WWE Title at "Good Friends, Better Enimies": Big Daddy Cool Diesel (Kevin Nash) vs. HBK (champ) Kevin's last match in WWE before going to WCW. Very fast paced. Kevin even removed a prosthetic leg from a former wrestler in the audience! HBK wins with the Sweet Chin Music. WWE Title Match at "Mind Games": Mankind (Mick Foley) vs. HBK (champ) When you get the Hardcore Legend against the Showstopper, you know you're in for a classic! Big backdrop through table was insane! Match ends in DQ after interference by Vader, Sid, and Undertaker. Shawn retains title. Hell in a Cell Match at "Badd Blood": Undertaker vs. HBK The first HIAC match ever! Just plain sick! The match that put a toll on Shawn's back. Also, Kane's debut which pretty much gave HBK the win. Unsanctioned Street Fight at Summerslam 2002: Triple H vs. HBK Simply amazing. Possibly the best match of 2002 next to Rock vs. Hogan. Match ends with HBK countering the Pedigree with a rollup for the win. The DVD has this and loads of extras including promos, TV spots, unseen footage, history packages, post-match events, a look at Shawn's past, a music video, photo gallery from said matches, commentary from Shawn and Kevin Nash on the No Holds Barred match, and hidden easter eggs. Try to find them! Above all, I give this DVD not 5, but 10 stars. They should've named this "The Essential Shawn Michaels." I hope to see more of the "From the Vault" series with icons like Ric Flair, Bret Hart, or anybody else who has achieved the title of "MAIN EVENT" BANG! BANG!
Rating: Summary: HBK-THE SHOW STOPPER- THE MAIN EVENT!! Review: FINALLY, THE GREATEST WRESTLER OF ALL TIME HAS A DVD AVAILABLE. AFTER ALL THE OTHER TRASH THE WWE HAS RELEASED, FINALLY AN ITEM THAT IS WORTH THE MONEY! SHAWN MICHAELS' BEST MATCHES ARE INCLUDED HERE, WITH A BUNCH OF EXTRA FEATURES ALSO. SHAWN MICHAELS IS STILL- THE SHOWSTOPPER- STILL THE MAIN EVENT- STILL THE HEARTBREAK KID- STILL THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS - AND NOT TO MENTION,THE GREATEST WRESTLER OF ALL TIME!! REMEMBER, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE AND DON'T HUNT WHAT YOU CAN'T KILL!! TIMES CHANGE AND WRESTLING MAY CHANGE, BUT THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE WRESTLING BUSINESS WILL ALWAYS EXIST AS LONG AS IT REMEMBERS THE NAME SHAWN MICHAELS!!! THIS IS A DVD THAT WILL BRING A SMILE TO THE FACE OF ANY HBK FAN, SO CHECK IT OUT!!!
Rating: Summary: BUY THIS NOW....... DO IT Review: I am a fairly recent wrestling fan, from mid 98 onwards, so i hadn't seen much of Shawn Michaels, apart from when he returned as a non-wrestler, and i had seen some matches. I knew that HBK, Shawn Michaels was one of the best, but i never really knew just how gifted, charasmatic and how willing he was to sacrifice his body. On the DVD he wrestled against Bret Hart, and he showed how he can be one of the best technical wrestlers today, he wrestled in a ladder match, it showed how innovative, athletic and gutsy he is, he wrestled Deisel, it showed he can work great matches with big guys, he wrestled Mankind, it showed how well he could brawl, and how well he can adapt to a different style, he faced Undertaker in HIAC, it showed he has big, BIG balls, and how much curage and bravery he has, he wrestled HHH, and that showed how well he can comeback, after carreer ending back surgery, and have the match of the year, and it also showed he could wrestle a harcore style match. Man this guy can do it all. When you throw in many promos and even the "Before they were superstars 2" bit on Shawn in, this becomes a must have, not just for any HBK fan, but for any diehard wrestling fan. I have now seen enough, from these matches to tell you that he is one of the best wrestlers of all time. Maybe a few extra matches might have been really good, he deserves atleast 3 discs, because there are many matches i've seen of him that deserve to be on it, and there would be plenty more I haven't seen. I just can't stop watching it, I'm gonna watch it again now so I'm gonna finish writing this... BUY THIS DVD NOW.... DO IT!!!
Rating: Summary: "WWE From the Vault-Shawn Michaels" Review: The front cover is bluish-gray mixture of color. The photo on the front cover features Shawn's in his trademark pose. The lettering on the front cover is shaded gray. The back cover of the DVD has a collage of the various matches that appear on the DVDs. The back cover gives the standard description of the DVD. There is also a WrestleMania XX stamp in the bottom right hand corner. The stamp give the tentative date for WM XX (March 14, 2004). The inserts are a 3-D card, chapters and extra listings, and WWE and RAW magazine combo subscription offer. The 3-D card displays HBK in mid-flight before he land on Triple H lying on a table(circa SummerSlam '02). The chapters and extras give more descriptions on the matches and extras. WWE had to pimp its magazines. The DVD design has the same bluish-gray blend as the front and back covers. HBK is not on the DVD design. The main menu on both DVDs has HBK's entrance music playing in the background. Clips of the matches play on the right side of the screen. The sound is incredible! The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound sound. You can hear HBK throwing profanities at the cameramen. The image quality of the matches is stunning. The digital transfer of the matches was smooth. The matches are crystal clear and vivid. The matches speak for themselves, nuff said. HBK does give an introduction to each match. The extras are superb. The extras consist of promos, post match interviews, and image spots(ads for the PPVs). The extras also include Shawn's "Tell Me a Lie" video and his "Before They Were Superstars" segment. HBK and Diesil do a very entertaining alternate commentary on their epic No Holds Barred match. Some of Diesil's best promos are included in the extras. This two DVD set is fantastic. Any hardcore fan of HBK should have this two DVD set in his or her DVD library. Any wrestling fan should have this two DVD set in his or her collection. Matches AWA Tag Team Championship The Midnight Rockers vs. Buddy Rose & Doug Summers with Sherri Martel WrestleMania X Intercontinenal Championship HBK vs. Razor Ramon WrestleMania XII WWE Championship HBK vs. Bret Hart No Holds Barred WWE Championship HBK vs. Diesil Mind Games HBK vs. Mankind Badd Blood HBK vs. The Undertaker SummerSlam '02 HBK vs. Triple H
Rating: Summary: DVD Extras Review: Here the extras on this DVD: Disc 1 The Beginning -Bloodbath: Aftermath of the AWA Tag Title Match -Be Ready: Shawn cuts a promo, AWA style -Barbershop: The Rockers visit Brutus Beefcake Ladder Match -There Are No Rules: Ray Rougeau interviews HBK on Superstars (2/26/94) -Two Champions: The events surrounding the disputed IC title Iron Man -Piper's Announcement: Piper declares the match an iron man match -Training Video: HBK & Bret Hart prepare for the biggest match of the year -Iron Man TV Spot: Promotional Spot for WM 12 -Match Of The Year: From 1997 Slammy Awards -Before They Were Superstars: The HBK story -Tell Me A Lie: Music Video Disc 2 No Holds Barred -Diesel Interview: From Germany -Big Daddy Cool: Diesel cuts a promo on Shawn & the Kliq -Good Friends: TV Spot -Better Enemies: TV Spot -In Your House: HBK/Diesel history Mind Games -Have A Nice Day: The Insanity Of Mankind -Slam Jam Promo: Shawn & Jose Lothario, 8/31/96 -Mankind Promo: Will I be a sexy boy? -Brain Surgeon: Shawn has a message for Mankind -Pre-Match Interview: Kevin Kelly & HBK Hell In A Cell -Hell In A Cell: Badd Blood TV spot -Building Hell: Construction of the cell -Blaze Of Glory: J.R. interviews Shawn on Raw, 9/15/97 -Good News, Bad News: Pre-match Interview -Badd Blood: Promotional TV spot The Comeback -Nothing Left: HBK/HHH history -Hammered: The post-match attack Photo Gallery
Rating: Summary: There's only one heartbreak kid! Review: From the Vault is a perfect DVD if you're a HBK fan. All the matches are true classics, especially the ladder match and the iron man match. Shawn sets the bar in these matches. The only bad match is the tag match. The extras are good too. It's always exciting to watch the Showstopper in action!
Rating: Summary: From the Vault: It's a Hit! Review: When I first saw this DVD for sale, I was concerned because I knew it wouldn't be a biography chronicle of his career, like they have released before. Instead this DVD resembles the HHH release "That Damn Good," where it has full-length matches and a promo before each match. Where "From the Vault" truly succeeds is in the extras included that hype the matches. It's one thing to have the Hell in a Cell match, and it's another thing to have the build for that match. Ditto for the Iron Man match, which has the best extras included. As a die-hard Shawn Michaels fan, I was disappointed in the selection of matches, especially since I bought the Mankind DVD and Undertaker DVD for two of the matches included here. But for "From the Vault" to work, it had to focus on the most revolutionary matches of that individual, and you couldn't release this package without including Hell in a Cell, the Iron-Man match, and the Ladder match. All in all, I was more impressed by the compliation than I expected to be and I am EAGERLY anticipating further "From the Vault" releases for other SuperStars, especially Ric Flair.
Rating: Summary: Finnally an HBK DVD! Review: When I first heard that this DVD was coming out, I thought it would be so awesome that finnally the WWE would pay homage to one of its greatest wrestlers ever, one of the innovators of today's wrestling styles. But then, when I read the list of matches to be included, my hopes fell a little bit, firstly because of the LACK of matches, and secondly because of the choice of matches. Here's the lineup for the DVD as it stands: -AWA Tag Team Championship -IC Title Match w/Ramon at WM X -Ironman v. Bret Hart, WWF Title, WM XII -1st ever title defense, Diesel, IYH -Mankind, WWF Title, IYH -Taker, HIAC, IYH -HHH, comeback match, SS Now thats all great, but I think that if they include one match, such as Ramon's at WM, then they should include the "next chapter" of that match, like their Summerslam rematch where it is Shawn who walks out victorious. Also, why not add the two Sid matches, his two matches agaisnt Austin (KOTR 97 and WM 14), and all 3 of his undertaker matches (IYH: ground zero, bad Blood, and Royal Rumble 98?). Those are just a few matches they could have justified, but hopefully they'll make up for that with the extra's DVD. If they show HBK matches, they had better show some of HBK's promos, which are half the reason why he was such a success- in the ring and on the mic. I'm still excited to see this DVD out, and when the first chance comes by, I'm going to grap it.
Rating: Summary: Great DVD! Great Matches! Hidden Easter Eggs! Review: Great set. It's wonderful to see these matches in their entirety and in their digital glory. Just wish there could have been more like Shawn vs. Brett at Survivor Series '97, Wrestlemania XIV vs. Steve Austin among others. There are three hidden features on the new wrestling DVD from the WWE. First up on Disc 1 go to Extras. Select and highlight Be Ready! Then press left on the remote. This brings up the infamous and hilarious TV commercial parody, The Biddy Rose Blow-Away Diet. In this clip, 300 + pound wrestler Buddy Rose tries to lose weight. Also on Disc 1, go to Extras. Select and highlight Barbershop. Press left on the remote. This will bring up a short story from WWE Confidential with Shawn commenting on his entrance music and video "Sexy Boy". On Disc 2, go to Extras. Select and highlight Photo Gallery on the second page. Prss left on the remote. This brings up Shawn's emotional interview where he gives up the WWF title, claiming injuries have forced him to "lose his smile." Andrew Marchand Orange Park, FL
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