WWE: The Best of Raw After the Show Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		5.0

WWE: The Best of Raw After the Show Blu-ray Movie Review

When the television signal goes down, only then do things heat up.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 26, 2014

Monday nights belong to RAW. And to Monday Night Football. Both are institutions, both have seen countless stars and incredible moments over decades of vying for the Monday night entertainment viewership, but only in one of them will attendees see stars putting back beers, slamming one another into tables, or just having fun with the crowd and with their contemporaries when the network cuts away and the television viewership changes the channel or heads to bed. The WWE's signature show, now over 20 years old, has long entertained live attendees with additional matches and mayhem after the main program is put to bed. It was perhaps the worst-kept "secret" in sports entertainment, but never before has so much of this footage finally been available to so many people in one place. Best of RAW After the Show compiles a collection of nearly three dozen of the most unforgettable after-show moments from the past 15 years, saluting everyone from Stone Cold Steve Austin to John Cena. The wrestlers largely remain in-character but offer something a little extra for the people who took the time and spent the dime to come party with their favorite stars in person.

99 bottles of beer in the ring...OK so they are alumni cans....but that just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Best of RAW After the Show is hosted by the WWE's own Renee Young. The bubbly, knowledgeable presenter appears only sporadically and, even then, briefly to share a quick thought or set the stage for a particular after-show occurrence. Best of RAW After the Show begins at the height of the attitude era in 1999 and prominently features both Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock throughout disc one. It pushes forward through the modern era, its final "after the show" event dated from April 2013. It should come as no surprise that John Cena features prominently among disc two selections, but there's no mistaking this set belongs to the Attitude Era. It's from that time frame that it culls the best of the after-show antics. More modern inclusions don't feel fully bland in comparison, but there's certainly not the same sort of magic as there is when Stone Cold and The Rock dominate center stage. After all, it doesn't get any better than watching beer-fueled stunner after beer-fueled stunner playing in front of an endless loop of Stone Cold's legendary entrance music, at least until an hour after when the ring houses a two-man beer-guzzling party with The Texas Rattlesnake and Hulk Hogan.

Best of RAW After the Show represents something of a novelty for WWE Home Video. Generally, the numerous star profile, compilation, and event releases invariably contain crossover material, matches, and moments that appear on more than one release. Not only does Best of RAW After the Show contain footage that's never been on a Blu-ray release, it contains material never seen anywhere outside of the live event, period, not on some old official DVD and certainly not on some old over-the-air recorded VHS tape stuffed in the back of the closet. What's more of a novelty is the absence of play-by-play and color commentary. Fans will only hear entrance music, crowd cheers, slams and sound effects, and the occasional wrestler audience address or shout to an opponent. It's kind of fun to watch without commentators for once. They certainly add a lot and it's rather jarring to watch a match without them, but their absence is a welcome change of pace and, really, adds to the mystery and novelty of the Best of RAW After the Show experience.

The following "After the Show" moments are included:

Disc One:

• Stone Cold Salute to Shane McMahon & Triple H: From Orlando, Florida, May 10, 1999.
• Shame McMahon Smells What the Rock is Cookin': From Los Angeles, California, April 3, 2000.
• Too Cool Dance with The Dudleys / Chris Jericho / Big Show: From Uniondale, New York, May 8, 2000.
• The Big Red People's Elbow: From St. Louis, Missouri, June 12, 2000.
• The Rock & Shawn Stasiak -- Third Time's a Charm?: From San Antonio, Texas, September 10, 2001.
• Stone Cold's Music City: From Nashville, Tennessee, September 17, 2001.
• The Rock Questions an Olympic Champion: From Miami, Florida, December 24, 2001.
• Stone Cold Steve Austin & Hulk Hogan Share a Cold One: From St. Louis, Missouri, April 22, 2002.
• Under-Take-A-Rooni?: From Seattle, Washington, August 12, 2002.
• Rock-A-Rooni: From Toronto, Canada, February 24, 2003.
• The Rock & Stone Cold Steve Austin Meet Again: From St. Louis, Missouri, March 17, 2003.
• Rock Fan Smells It: From Seattle, Washington, March 31, 2003.
• Stone Cold Steve Austin & Goldberg Confront Eric Bischoff: From Halifax, Canada, May 5, 2003.
• Ric Flair Celebration: From Greenville, South Carolina, May 19, 2003.
• Stone Cold Steve Austin Salutes Cameraman: From Montreal, Canada, July 7, 2003.
• Stone Cold Steve Austin & Chris Jericho Verbal Exchange: From Tucson, Arizona, August 25, 2003.
• Moolah's 80th Birthday: From Columbia, South Carolina, September 15, 2003.
• Stone Cold Steve Austin & Goldberg Unite: From Cleveland, Ohio, November 3, 2003.
• Stone Cold Steve Austin Entertains All: From Portland, Oregon, February 9, 2004.
• The Rock / Stone Cold Steve Austin / Mick Foley Reunion: From Atlanta, Georgia, March 1, 2004.

Disc Two:

• Triple H & Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels & Randy Orton: From Cincinnati, Ohio, February 25, 2005.
• Hulk Hogan Poses with Bautista & John Cena: From Montreal, Canada, August 15, 2005.
• Ric Flair Thanks North Carolina: From Charlotte, North Carolina, January 23, 2006.
• John Cena vs. Edge: From San Antonio, Texas, July 17, 2006.
• Triple H vs. Randy Orton: From Boston, Massachusetts. August 27, 2007.
• DX Joined by John Cena and...: From Worcester, Massachusetts, November 2, 2009.
• John Cena vs. CM Punk: From Boston, Massachusetts, July 11, 2011.
• Triple H Meets Zack Ryder: From Lafayette, Louisiana, October 3, 2011.
• Randy Orton, Big Show & Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan, Kane & Cody Rhodes: From Miami, Florida, April 2, 2012.
• John Cena's Special Day: From Detroit, Michigan, April 23, 2012.
• The Rock & John Cena Join Forces: From St. Louis, Missouri, July 23, 2012.
• Cha-Cha-Cha-La-La: From East Rutherford, New Jersey, April 8, 2013.

WWE: The Best of Raw After the Show Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Best of RAW After the Show features, primarily, old standard definition material presented up-converted to 1080i and framed at 1.33:1, preserving the original aspect ratio. The older SD material looks quite good, all things considered, revealing steady colors, rather strong details, and not much in the way of bothersome jagged lines, softness and smoothness, and poor definition. The SD material dominates until the switchover to HD with the November 2, 2009 event. Here, viewers will enjoy traditional WWE HD material. The 1080i, 1.78:1-framed images show a bit of blocking in places -- particularly up against the digital entrance signage and through some of the darker backdrops -- but generally showcase excellent clarity, strong attention to detail, and even colors. Fans familiar with most any WWE release will know what to expect. Newcomers will be pleasantly surprised with how well the older footage holds up and how good the newer material looks.

WWE: The Best of Raw After the Show Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Best of RAW After the Show arrives on Blu-ray with the usual Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Without ringside commentary, this is a very straightforward sound presentation. Entrance music flows well and plays with excellent spacing and commendable clarity. Crowd noise largely remains up front, particularly in the earlier moments but finds a bit more of an enveloping spacing later on. Various slams and spills enjoy a little more clarity, particularly considering that they're not competing with play-by-play and color commentary. Random spoken words throughout the program play well enough, and Renee Young's interludes come through loud and clear. This disc offers a good opportunity to soak up the sonic atmosphere of a WWE arena without the commentators getting in the way.

WWE: The Best of Raw After the Show Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Best of RAW After the Show contains the following after-show moments billed as "Blu-ray Exclusives:"

• Stone Cold Steve Austin & Lilian Ride ATV: From Cincinnati, Ohio, March 29, 2004.
• Triple-Threat Steel Cage Match: John Cena vs. Edge vs. Triple H. From Anaheim, California, May 8, 2006.
• Sheamus in Vegas: From Las Vegas, Nevada, January 28, 2013.
• The Rock Gives Cody Rhodes a Cajun Greeting: From Lafayette, Louisiana, February 18, 2013.
• Bret "Hit Man" Hart Appreciation Night: From Calgary, Canada, May 27, 2013.
• Tables Match: John Cena vs. Ryback. From Grand Rapids, Michigan, June 17, 2013.

WWE: The Best of Raw After the Show Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If ever there was a WWE Home Video release that's truly a "must own," this is it. Yet Best of RAW After the Show is really for the diehards only. There's not a lot of context, something that might alienate relative newcomers, but the longstanding fan will feel right at home absorbing hours upon hours of new material and enjoying something of a unique experience, not only watching footage they've never seen but enjoying it without commentary, giving the material almost a live, in-arena feel but maintaining all of the benefits of watching from home, such as different angles and close-ups. This is the most exciting set WWE Home Video has put out in quite a while. It's a must-own and, hopefully, the beginning of a series. WWE Home Video's Blu-ray release of Best of RAW After the Show features typical WWE video and audio. Six additional after-show moments are included on disc two under the "Blu-ray Exclusives" tab. Highly recommended.