WWE: The Attitude Era: Vol. Two Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

WWE: The Attitude Era: Vol. Two Blu-ray Movie Review

My God, it's full of WWE Superstars!

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 18, 2014

Nothing says "professional wrestling" like The Attitude Era, that magical moment in time in the mid-to-late 1990s that forever redefined what sports entertainment was all about. Nothing before it, not even the sensational time of Hogan, Savage, and the glory days of the 1980s, and certainly not the more streamlined PG world of today's WWE (that hideous new logo really has got to go). No, it was when The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin dominated the airwaves, when extreme comedy was met with extreme matches, when hardcore was hard and there was an identifiable energy pulsating through the arena and blasting out of televisions around the world. WWE Home Video first brought attention to the era in the form of a dedicated collection a couple of years ago in The Attitude Era, a fairly disappointing release, all things considered, offering neither the proper documentary the era deserves nor a real, complete collection of the best matches and moments it had to offer. It was a tease, at best, leaving the audience wanting something more but, hey, it's The Attitude Era, so even a tease is better than nothing. WWE Home Video has now seen fit to bring more of the era's best to a second volume, this one ditching the documentary and instead focusing almost entirely on a second round of classic matches and moments with only some occasional and brief newly crafted interviews getting in the way of the action.

Do you smell the attitude?

WWE Commentator Michael Cole hosts -- but rarely appears in -- The Attitude Era: Vol. Two. There's not much of anybody getting in the way, really, as the action only ever stops long enough for someone to share a memory or two before it's back to the next match. This collection spans several years and a variety of WWE events, from RAWs to Rumbles (but nothing from WrestleMania) and all of the fun excesses, over the top antics, hard-hitting action, and high end talent fans remember. There's even a little bit of T&A to start things off for good measure. It's a fruitful but mostly basic release, marching through a chronological highlight reel of what the WWE obviously considered second-tier material -- there's a reason it's on volume two rather than the first release -- but fans will still have a blast with it. There's an endless parade of top names and classic moments, none of which break the flow or feel out of place (well, OK, maybe the ridiculous "evening gown" match is a bit much, but that's thankfully pulling up the rear). It's Attitude Era through-and-through, not simply because of the date on which it took place but because of the unmissable spirit that flows through it, a spirit that above anything else in the history of sports entertainment truly says "professional wrestling."

The following matches are included as part of The Attitude Era: Vol. Two:

Disc One:

• Miss Slammy Swimsuit Competition: Sunny vs. Sable vs. Marlena vs. The Funkettes. Slammy Awards -- March 16, 1997.
• Attitude Era Match: Owen Hart vs. Shawn Michaels. RAW -- December 29, 1997.
• Attitude Era Match: New Age Outlaws vs. Cactus Jack & Chainsaw Charlie. RAW -- January 26, 1998.
• WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: The Rock vs. Ken Shamrock. Royal Rumble -- January 18, 1998.
• Attitude Era Match: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Mr. McMahon. RAW -- April 13, 1998.
• Attitude Era Match: Owen Hart & Legion of Doom vs. Triple H & New Age Outlaws. RAW -- April 20, 1998.
• Attitude Era Moment: D-Generation X Takes New York. RAW -- June 8, 1998.
• Falls Count Anywhere Contender's Match for the WWE Championship: Mankind vs. "Kane." RAW -- July 6, 1998.
• Bikini Contest: Sable vs. Jacqueline. Fully Loaded -- July 26, 1998.
• Attitude Era Match: Val Venis & Taka Michinoku vs. KaiEnTai. RAW -- August 3, 1998.
• WWE Championship Match: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Ken Shamrock. RAW -- September 14, 1998.
• Boot Camp Match for Al Snow's Contract: Al Snow vs. Sgt. Slaughter. RAW -- September 21, 1998.
• Six-Man Elimination #1 Contender's Match for the European Championship: Edge vs. Gangrel vs. D'Lo Brown vs. Jeff Jarrett vs. Droz vs. Marc Mero. RAW -- September 28, 1998.
• WWE Championship Match: The Rock vs. X-Pac. RAW -- November 23, 1998.
• Attitude Era Match: Godfather & Val Venis vs. Mark Henry & D'Lo Brown. Rock Bottom -- December 13, 1998.
• Attitude Era Match: Triple H vs. Edge. RAW -- January 11, 1999.
• Kane's Career on the Line: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Kane. RAW -- March 1, 1999.
• WWE Hardcore Championship Match: Hardcore Holly vs. Bad Ass Billy Gunn. RAW -- March 15, 1999.
• Handicap Match: Big Show vs. Triple H & The Rock. RAW -- April 5, 1999.
• WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Goldust vs. Godfather. RAW -- April 12, 1999.
• Attitude Era Match: Hardy Boyz vs. Edge & Christian. Shotgun Saturday Night -- April 17, 1999.
• Casket Match: The Rock vs. Undertaker. RAW -- May 17, 1999.
• WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Jeff Jarrett vs. Test. Heat -- June 13, 1999.

Disc Two:

• WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Acolytes vs. Kane & X-Pac. RAW -- August 9, 1999.
• Attitude Era Moment: Mark Henry Sex Therapy Sessions. Highlights from both RAW and SmackDown.
• Attitude Era Moment: Mark Henry & Mae Young Get a Room. RAW -- February 14, 2000.
• WWE European Championship Triple Threat Match: Kurt Angle vs. Chris Jericho vs. Tazz. RAW -- March 13, 2000.
• WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Chris Jericho vs. Kurt Angle. RAW -- May 8, 2000.
• Attitude Era Match: Eddie Guerrero vs. Dean Malenko. Heat -- June 18, 2000.
• Intergender Tag Team Match: The Rock & Lita vs. Kurt Angle & Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley. SmackDown -- August 24, 2000.
• WWE Women's Championship Triple Threat Match: Lita vs. Ivory vs. Jacqueline. Heat -- September 17, 2000.
• WWE Hardcore Championship Match: Gerald Brisco vs. Crash Holly. RAW -- June 5, 2000.
• WWE Hardcore Championship Evening Gown Match: Gerald Brisco vs. Pat Patterson. King of the Ring -- June 25, 2000.
• Intergender Tag Team Match: The Rock & Lita vs. Triple H & Trish Stratus. RAW -- July 31, 2000.

WWE: The Attitude Era: Vol. Two Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

It's more of the same in The Attitude Era: Vol. Two, another 1080i WWE Blu-ray that follows the same rules adhered to by most every other release the outfit has put on the market. The only true "HD" elements here are the scattered interviews that present with fine clarity but something of a flat, almost artificially smooth appearance, with the Cole bookends looking particularly glossy. Light banding and blockiness are sometimes evident across these backgrounds but facial and clothing details, which are about all that's to be seen, are well defined and suitably complex. The older material is presented in a classic 1.33:1 aspect ratio that preserves the original broadcast presentation. As expected these lack the precision of HD, showing some warts but aging gracefully enough to the tune of a usually handsome up-convert experience. Older footage woven into interviews has been reformatted to match the 1.78:1 aspect ratio.

WWE: The Attitude Era: Vol. Two Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Attitude Era: Vol. Two again features the basic WWE standby Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. New interview clips play with sufficiently crisp and nicely defined dialogue. Older matches likewise enjoy good quality ringside commentary and in-ring banter alike. Crowd noise can be both nicely enveloping and immersive -- the opening Slammy swimsuit contest is a good example -- or distant and muddled in some of the arenas. Wrestler intro music, likewise, never quite hits its full stride, coming through as a bit cramped and under powered more often than not. What the track does well is to recreate, with perhaps a little more breathing room and fidelity, the basic sounds of the era in which it was televised. It doesn't sound new, it just sounds like Attitude.

WWE: The Attitude Era: Vol. Two Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Attitude Era: Vol. Two contains the following extras, all on disc two and all labeled as "Blu-ray Exclusives" (1080i, 1:39:17 total runtime):

• Attitude Era Moment: Undertaker Attends His Parents' Funeral. RAW -- April 20, 1998.
• #1 Contender's Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship: Kane & Mankind vs. Owen Hart & The Rock. Heat -- August 2, 1998.
• Attitude Era Match: Golga vs. Marc Mero. RAW -- August 3, 1998.
• WWE Hardcore Championship Match: Al Snow vs. Road Dogg. RAW -- January 4, 1999.
• Lumberjack Match: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock. RAW -- May 3, 1999.
• Attitude Era Match: Gangrel & Christian vs. Droz & Prince Albert. Heat -- May 16, 1999.
• WWE Championship Match: Triple H vs. Mr. McMahon. SmackDown -- September 16, 1999.
• Attitude Era Moment: Mark Henry & Mae Young Double Date. RAW -- December 27, 1999.
• Attitude Era Moment: The APA Opens Their Doors. RAW -- January 31, 2000.
• Last Man Standing Match: Triple H vs. Chris Jericho. Fully Loaded -- July 23, 2000.
• All Aboard The Godfather remembers the origins of the "Ho Train."
• Driving with Mr. Long: Ron Simmons recalls a drunk driving story.
• Ice Cube: The Godfather shares a story about his work with Ice T.
• Damn: Look at That Outfit: John Layfield tells a tale about Ron Simmons' old costume.
• National News: The Godfather recounts an appearance in the Enquirer.

WWE: The Attitude Era: Vol. Two Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Attitude Era: Vol. Two doesn't share much in terms of similarity with its predecessor. This is a full match and moment compilation with sparse interview supports where the other was a disappointingly short documentary with short bursts of matches and moments content crammed into the supplemental section. This is the more focused of the two releases, and even if the matches and moments aren't better, the overall flow and fun factor is superior. This is still not that single full-on definitive "Attitude Era" release that should exist on Blu-ray, but this is probably as good as it's going to get for the foreseeable future. There's about a day's worth of material and plenty of memories plopped onto these two Blu-ray discs, enough to satisfy even the most demanding WWE fan. The video and audio presentations are typical WWE. Supplements are mostly more matches and moments with a few brief interview snippets tossed in at the end. Recommended.