WWE: OMG! - The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

WWE: OMG! - The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History Blu-ray Movie Review

LOL.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 1, 2011

I'm not easily impressed, and that was impressive.

WWE OMG! is a madhouse rapid-fire compilation piece that features two fast-moving hours of WWE action. WWE has dug through thousands of hours of material to find the fifty most incredible moments the sport has ever seen, featuring old and new favorite stars in and out of the ring. Promises broken, skits gone wrong, relationships ended, weddings interrupted, supermarket brawls, and even a suicidal referee all star in this delightful time capsule of sorts that's sure to please both the hardcore WWE fanatics who watch every match in full Mick Foley-as-Mankind garb and the casual channel surfer who stops to occasionally watch a couple of sweaty dudes throwing one another through tables and beating someone with a folding chair. The release may even serve as a solid primer for those just getting into WWE or who are curious as to what the bedlam is all about. Unfortunately, it's not a complete history of the sport. It's more like a highlight package or day-long seminar that just shows the most character driven moments, the greatest storyline-critical fiascos, and the sport's groundbreaking watershed moments that will live on in infamy forever.

Mr. Socko says: buy this release!

WWE OMG! suffers from an unimaginative structure and the end product occasionally feels rushed. The same OMG! music that introduces every new clip grows tiresome and the graphics look a bit on the cheap side, but this set isn't about spit and polish. It does what it sets out to do extremely well: deliver fifty of the sport's best moments in rapid-fire fashion. Commentary from various WWE stars and periphery people who work around the sport provide some historical background for each incident, setting the stage and, in some of the set's finest moments, recalling the emotions of seeing these events happening for the first time on television. Unfortunately, the segments are not seen in their entirety, at least in the main prgram (full clips for some are available in the supplement section); this is strictly a highlight show, but there's enough for both veteran fans and newcomers alike to contextually understand what's going on and also appreciate the significance of the event, whether it changed the face of professional wrestling or was simply an outrageous stunt that just happened to stand apart from the crowd. Classic superstars like Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, and Roddy Piper (of They Live fame) as well as more modern figures like John Cena, Triple H, and The Undertaker appear in many of the fifty moments, and for those Stone Cold fans out there, he makes several memorable appearances. The program assumes a little bit of knowledge on the part of the fan, but it's structured in such a way so as to be accessible to all, even considering just how fast it moves along, averaging just under two-and-one-half minutes per highlight.

Without further ado, here are the fifty matches included in this two-disc set:

• 50: Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant, The Main Event, February 5, 1988.
• 49: John Cena vs. Nexus, RAW, June 7, 2010.
• 48: The Big Show vs. The Undertaker, RAW, June 7, 1999.
• 47: Golddust vs. Roddy Piper, Wrestlemania XII, March 31, 1996.
• 46: "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Superstars, September 7, 1991.
• 45: John Cena shows off his herculean strength, Wrestlemania 25, April 5, 2009.
• 44: Paul Bearer buried in concrete, Great American Bash, June 27, 2004.
• 43: Degeneration X military invasion, RAW, April 27, 1999.
• 42: The New Age Outlaws take out the trash, RAW, February 2, 1998
• 41: Booker T vs. Steve Austin, Smackdown!, December 13, 2001.
• 40: Undertaker vs. Triple H, Shotgun Saturday Night, February 8, 1997.
• 39: "Referee Tim White attempts to kill himself" skits.
• 38: Vince McMahon names Eric Bischoff the new general manager of RAW, RAW, July 15, 2002.
• 37: Mick Foley vs. Randy Orton, Backlash, April 18, 2004.
• 36: The Undertaker abducts Stephanie McMahon, RAW, April 26, 1999.
• 35: "Mad Dog" Vachon vs. Diesel, Good Friends, Better Enemies, April 28, 1996.
• 34: Roddy Piper shaves Haiti Kid, Tuesday Night Titans, March 7, 1986.
• 33: Mankind, a clown, and Steve Austin visit Vince McMahon in the hospital (the birth of Mr. Socko), RAW, October 5, 1998.
• 32: Jeff Jarrett smacks Moolah upside the head with a guitar, Smackdown!, September 9, 1999.
• 31: Edge vs. John Cena, New Year's Resolution, January 8, 2006.
• 30: Kurt Angle crashes Steven Austin's Alliance party, RAW, August 20, 2001.
• 29: William Regal forced to kiss Vince McMahon's rear end, RAW, November 19, 2001.
• 28: Jeff Hardy scorched by his own pyrotechnics, Smackdown!, January 16, 2009.
• 27: Steve Austin's return to WWE, Smackdown!, April 27, 2000.
• 26: Stephanie McMahon's wedding, RAW, November 29, 1999.
• 25: Snitsky punts a baby, RAW, November 8, 2004.
• 24: Steve Austin fills Vince McMahon's Corvette with cement, RAW, October 12, 1998.
• 23: Jake "The Snake" Roberts vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Superstars, November 23, 1991.
• 22: Shane McMahon vs. Steve Blackman, Summerslam, August 27, 2000.
• 21: The break-up of Shane Michaels and Marty Jannetty, Wrestling Challenge, January 11, 1992.
• 20: Title match, Wrestlemania X-7, April 1, 2001.
• 19: J.R. interviews Kane, RAW, July 14, 2003.
• 18: Steve Austin arrested, RAW, September 22, 1997.
• 17: Shane McMahon vs. Kurt Angle, King of the Ring, June 24, 2001.
• 16: Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton, RAW, January 14, 2008.
• 15: Mick Foley vs. Edge, Wrestlemania 22, April 2, 2006.
• 14: Steve Austin drives a Zamboni, RAW, September 28, 1998.
• 13: Piper's Pit, Tuesday Night Titans, July 17, 1984.
• 12: Vince McMahon buries WCW...or does he?, RAW, March 26, 2001.
• 11: Mae Young's many antics.
• 10-1: In the famous words of the Go-Go's, "our lips are sealed." Buy the package. This review isn't spoiling the best surprises!

WWE: OMG! - The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Most of the video content found on WWE OMG! is from the standard-definition era. Hence, the quality varies wildly, and the result is a rare 1080i Blu-ray release that almost defies the usual review process. The older material is preserved in its native 4:3 aspect ratio with WWE's own version of "black bars" on either side of the screen, which in this case are very generic-looking "plus signs" that run up and down the screen. The antiquated material presents any number of technical flaws; it's not always all that pretty, but there's no getting around the age and look of the sources. They'll never look any better, but the preservation of the original content does give the release a throwback charm that wouldn't be there if it were stretched out or in any way manipulated. There are a handful of moments from the high definition era; the quality there isn't spectacular, either. Black levels tend to appear washed out, background noise is often evident, and fine detail wavers from adequate to below average. However, colors are bold and satisfying, particularly evident in John Cena's multicolor garb. The newly-minted interview pieces are stable but not perfect. Occasional aliasing, jagged edges, and the like creep in, but facial detail and colors are fine. This, like most other sporting Blu-ray releases, isn't made with demo-quality visuals in mind, and these compilation pieces in particular -- those ones going back more than five or six years at that -- are just limited by their very nature. WWE OMG! isn't often pretty, but this is a fair, honest release that's about all anyone could ask for.

WWE: OMG! - The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

WWE OMG! features a bland and problematic Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. As with the video source, the audio is limited to whatever was there during the original broadcasts. About the only "new" part of the track comes from the interviews created specifically for this release. That dialogue is fine in delivery. The remainder of the track isn't so hot, however. This one comes in at an extraordinarily loud level at reference volume; no matter where listeners normally set their dial, they'll want to crank it down a few notches. The overall presentation is also a bit sharp and unruly. It's always clear enough that it never becomes garbled, the various sound effects muddled, or the dialogue lost in the din of the action, but it's certainly lacking in any sort of finesse. Much like the wrestling it portrays, the track is strong but raw. It won't win any favors with audiophiles, but then again this release isn't aimed at tech-heads, either.

WWE: OMG! - The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc set's supplemental package makes up for the main program's only real shortcoming: the absence of full matches and moments. While not everything in the top fifty makes its way into the extras, there are no less than twenty-one available across both discs. Additionally, there's an assortment of Blu-ray exclusives on disc two.

• Full-Length Events, Disc One (1080i, various runtimes. Note that some of these may appear in the top ten; stop reading to avoid spoilers!): Rowdy Roddy Piper Gives Haiti Kid a Haircut, Jake Roberts Attacks Randy Savage, The Rockers Split on Barber Shop, WWE Championship Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel, Intercontinental Championship Match: Hunter Hearst-Helmsley vs. Undertaker, Stone Cold Stunner to Mr. McMahon, Hell in a Cell: Mankind vs. Undertaker, Mr. McMahon's Ceremony to Crown a New WWE Champion, Stone Cold Gives The Corporation a Beer Bath, Dearly Departed, and Hardcore Championship Match: Shane McMahon vs. Steve Blackman.
• Full-Length Events, Disc Two (1080i, various runtimes. Note that some of these may appear in the top ten; stop reading to avoid spoilers!): Tables, Ladders & Chairs II for the WWE Tag Team Championship: The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. Edge & Christian; Street Fight: Kurt Angle vs. Shane McMahon; Kurt Angle's Milk Delivery; Stone Cold Steve Austin Brawls with Booker T in the Supermarket; WWE Championship Match: Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show; Concrete Crypt Match: Undertaker vs. The Dudley Boyz; The Highlight Reel with Trish Stratus & Lita; WWE Championship Match: John Cena vs. Edge; Hardcore Match: Mick Foley vs. Edge; and Mr. McMahon Appreciation Night.
• Jerry "The King" Lawler's Outtakes (1080i): The WWE figure flubs a few lines during the making of WWE OMG!.
• Going Inside Out (1080i): A look at the WWE film staring Triple H.
• Blu-ray Exclusive Matches (1080i): Intercontinental Championship Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton, The Cutting Edge with Jeff Hardy, World Heavyweight Championship Match: Edge vs. John Cena vs. Big Show, and Viewer's Choice Match: John Cena vs. CM Punk.

WWE: OMG! - The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

WWE OMG! is a generically produced but overall entertaining composite release of fifty of the sport's most incredible moments, and there are some real doozies. It's geared towards die-hard fans who have seen these moments in the past and want to relive them again and have them for posterity, but it's also an enjoyable highlight reel that will make for a good introduction into what WWE is all about for absolute newcomers or those who might have a basic understanding of who's who in the world of wrestling but that hasn't really been keeping up over the years. In the end, this is a blast to watch; it moves fast and all fifty moments are at the very least amusing. WWE's Blu-ray release of WWE OMG! features fair video and audio to go along with quite a few bonus features, most of which solve the problem of the main feature not showing these memorable events in their entirety. Recommended.