WWE: ECW Unreleased Volume 3 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

WWE: ECW Unreleased Volume 3 Blu-ray Movie Review

Exxxxxtreeeeemmmmmme!

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 4, 2015

Even with the WWE firmly entrenched in the "PG Era," it's clear the company still sees the demand for hardcore content that's less about plot lines and more about sheer, unadulterated, no-limits wrestling. Enter the company's line of ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) Blu-ray releases (the WWE still sees fit to bleep out language) that compile the best of the best of the long-gone but never forgotten era of wrestling greatness. Now, in volume three, WWE Home Video has once again released a match compilation package with around seven hours of content (bonuses not included), the vast majority of which is comprised of classic matches featuring some of the ECW's biggest stars.

Riding high.

Longtime ECW personality Joey Styles hosts this compilation. He's flanked by Blue World Order members Stevie Richards and The Blue Meanie. The bWo devours their scenes and makes the interludes between matches fun rather than dry, as these so often tend to be, the duo literally bringing some needed color and commentary to the new material. They present with a charisma that's obviously practiced and not quite as organic as their days in the ring but nonetheless make for an entertaining and a welcome reprieve from the otherwise nuts-and-bolts recesses found on other compilation pieces. Otherwise, ECW Unreleased Volume 3 is a classic WWE Home Video compilation set. It's nothing but match after match with the occasional break for Styles and bWo or, better still, some authentic ECW promos featuring everyone from the Blue Meanies to Rey Mysterio. There's not a lot of depth, then, and context is understandably limited, making this more a hardcore fan's set rather than a casual viewer's delight. Still, the raw entertainment value should be enough to draw in newcomers in search of something edgier than what today's highly entertaining but straight-and-narrow WWE has to offer.

The following matches are included as part of ECW Unreleased Volume 3:

Disc One (4:23:37 total runtime):

• ECW World Tag Team Championship Match: Tommy Dreamer & Shane Douglas vs. Kevin Sullivan & Tazmaniac. Hardcore TV -- December 1993.
• ECW World Television Championship Match: 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Dean Malenko. Hamburg, PA -- November 4, 1994.
• ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Shane Douglas vs. Ron Simmons. Hardcore TV -- January 1995.
• No Disqualification ECW World Tag Team Championship Match: Public Enemy vs. Sabu & Tazmaniac. Hardcore TV -- January 1995.
• ECW Tag Team Match: 2 Cold Scorpio & Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero & Tazmaniac. Ft. Lauderdale, FL -- July 20, 1995.
• Olympics Rules Match: Cactus Jack vs. Sabu. Holiday Hell -- December 29, 1995.
• ECW Tag Team Match: Rey Mysterio & 911 vs. Eliminators. Hardcore TV -- January 1996.
• ECW Match: Cactus Jack vs. Bam Bam Bigelow. Just Another Night -- February 23, 1996.
• ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Chris Jericho vs. Shane Douglas. Allentown, PA -- July 12, 1996.
• ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Raven vs. Tommy Dreamer. Hardcore TV -- August 1996.
• ECW World Tag Team Championship Match: Eliminators vs. Dudley Boyz. Hostlie City Showdown -- March 15, 1997.
• ECW Match: Taz vs. Rob Van Dam. Hardcore TV -- March 1997.
• #1 Contender Three Way Dance: Sandman vs. Big Stevie Cool vs. Raven.
• ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Terry Funk vs. Big Stevie Cool. Asbury Park, NJ -- May 2, 1997.

Disc Two (2:38:39 total runtime):

• ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Shane Douglas vs. Bam Bam Bigelow. Hardcore TV -- October 1997.
• Tag Champion vs. Tag Champion: Lance Storm vs. Chris Candido. CyberSlam -- February 21, 1998.
• ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Taz vs. Yoshihiro Tajiri. Hostile City Showdown -- June 26, 1999.
• ECW World Tag Team Championship Match: Spike Dudley & Balls Mahoney vs. Dudley Boyz. ECW on TNN -- September 3, 1999.
• ECW World Tag Team Championship Match: Dudley Boyz vs. Tommy Dreamer & Raven. ECW on TNN -- September 3, 1999.
• ECW World Television Championship Match: Rob Van Dam vs. Rhino. Poughkeepsie, NY -- October 22, 1999.
• ECW Tag Team Match: Dusty Rhodes & Tommy Dreamer vs. Steve Corino & Rhino. ECW on TNN -- January 28, 2000.
• ECW Match: Kid Kash vs. EZ Money. Anarchy Rulz -- October 1, 2000.
• Double Jeopardy ECW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Steve Corino vs. Justin Credible vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Sandman. November to Remember -- November 5, 2000.

WWE: ECW Unreleased Volume 3 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

ECW Unreleased Volume 3 presents with a 1080i transfer framed at 1.78:1 (new HD interludes) and 1.33:1 (old matches and promos). The HD material is fine, with good, deep background blacks, well-defined general details littering the stage, and nice splashes of needed color in the way of the bWo's blue T-shirts and Meanie's hair. Light noise and moderate compression artifacts appear but don't make the image in any way unwatchable. The classic material, upconverted but still understandably looking every bit like standard definition, plays with a myriad of "name it, it's there" problems. It's a mess in the earliest matches but tightens up nicely as the material creeps up through the years towards 2000. Generally, the basics satisfy -- colors, detail, stability -- and there's a certain retro charm, a tangible sense of nostalgia, to the SD video look.

WWE: ECW Unreleased Volume 3 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

ECW Unreleased Volume 3 arrives on Blu-ray with a straightforward Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. The newly recorded audio for the HD interlude segments lacks diversity. While they offer a few minor effects, like rattly spray paint cans, they're dependent almost entirely on dialogue, which is delivered with satisfactory accuracy and center placement. The old SD match footage and promos lack vitality and presence to begin. The earliest are cramped, tinny, and lacking distinction and clarity, with uneven in-ring dialogue and commentary and muddled sounds from the sparse crowds. As crowds grow and the material creeps upward in years, things tighten up both in-ring and ringside, including more robust crowd definition. Overlay music is impressively sharp and rich, and in-arena music, like the other pieces, ages well. The track expands to include a healthy surround support, at times, such as when dialogue nicely reverberates through the back in chapter five of disc two.

WWE: ECW Unreleased Volume 3 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

ECW Unreleased Volume 3 contains all of its special features on disc two under the "Blu-ray Exclusives" tab (1080i, 1:45:41 total runtime).

• ECW Tag Team Match: Cactus Jack, Tommy Dreamer & Pit Bulls vs. Raven, Stevie Richards, Big Dick Dudley & Dudley Dudley. WrestlePalooza -- August 5, 1995.
• ECW Match: Rob Van Dam vs. Mikey Whipwreck. Hardcore TV -- June 1996.
• Unreleased Deleted Scene: Sorry, Sal Philly : Styles and bWo have some fun with a Italian-themed goof.
• Paul Heyman Directs Danny Doring: An ECW backstage skit.
• ECW Tag Team Match: Eliminators vs. "Dr. Death" Steve Williams & Terry "Bam Bam" Gordy. Philadelphia, PA -- October 26, 1996.
• Unreleased Deleted Scene: I Have a Tommy Dreamer Story: Stevie Richards shares the story of a Dreamer autograph.
• Dudley Driving School: An ECW skit.
• ECW Tag Team Match: Masato Tanaka & Jerry Lynn vs. Mike Awesome & Justin Credible. Hardcore TV -- July 1998.
• Unreleased Deleted Scene: Maven Disappeared: Stevie makes Joey laugh.
• Raven Throws Sandman's Son a Birthday Party: An ECW skit.
• ECW World Television Championship Match: Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn. Crossing the Line Again -- February 12, 1999.

WWE: ECW Unreleased Volume 3 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Who knows. If enough fans buy ECW Unreleased Volume 3 and make enough noise, maybe the WWE will realize that "Extreme Rules" is nothing compared to the mayhem of ECW. And maybe Vince, Steph, HHH and company would see fit to add an edge to the program that's been gone for far too long. And maybe CM Punk will return to the WWE. And maybe Seth Rollins will cherish a chance to defend his title. And pigs will fly. And world peace will reign. On second thought, nah. Never gonna happen, but it's nice to dream, and it's really nice to relive some of these classic matches that represent the long-gone era of hardcore wrestling. It's a quality mix of exciting content that features big stars in terrific matches. WWE Home Video's Blu-ray release of ECW Unreleased Volume 3 features good video and audio. The supplemental content satisfies. Highly recommended and a must-own for die-hard ECW fans.