WWE: The Best of Raw and SmackDown 2011 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

WWE: The Best of Raw and SmackDown 2011 Blu-ray Movie Review

Better than watching live?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 7, 2012

Monday and Friday nights are kind of crowded, and outside of the über-dedicated Wrestling crowd, it's relatively easy to miss out on RAW and Smackdown, the WWE's bi-weekly episodic television programs (which, by the way, are "the two longest-running episodic programs in television history") that feature plenty of character drama, big dudes in small tights, and, yes, plenty of wrestling action. In the Fall and Winter, Monday night is dominated by NFL football. When it's not dominated by football, it's dominated by plenty of people who crash early after having to kick the rust off from the weekend and get back to work. Friday nights, well, that's football, too, this time of the high school variety, and if it's not football, it's the night to go out, to let loose, to shake off the troubles of the week that was. These are not exactly the choice times for television viewing, which just goes to show the staying power and wide audience the WWE enjoys. And even for those audiences who follow wrestling with dedication, Monday and Friday nights mean plenty of action but also a lot of fluff, far too many commercials (many of them for the WWE itself), and the possibility for life's little distractions to interfere with the show. Thank goodness, then, for the DVR, and for more casual audiences and the hardcore alike, thank goodness for Blu-ray. The WWE's yearly Best of RAW and Smackdown allows audiences to catch up, to relive the year's best moments, or for newcomers, to see what Monday and Friday nights are all about and decide whether it's worth their time to tune into SyFy and USA two nights per week or just wait for the annual Blu-ray release (hint: at least tune in live for the December shows).

Even on Monday and Friday nights, it's all about WrestleMania.

The Best of RAW and Smackdown 2011 is another WWE release with plenty of positives but one major, glaring negative that drags it down considerably. As for the good, there's plenty of material here, just about every current WWE Superstar (and several old favorites) appears, and it's all presented in an easily-digestible package that eliminates a lot of the fluff and lets viewers get right down to the best the two shows have to offer. But cutting out much of that fluff lessens the surrounding context. Of course, the effect is not as drastic as the pay-per-view Blu-ray releases that all but eliminate the context of the matches outside of whatever brief commentary is provided, those matches basically the culmination of whatever story lines brew on RAW and Smackdown in the days, weeks, or even months leading up to them. Still, the shows are greater than their highlights. This set does a good job of hitting all the right notes, but it still lacks some of the subtle nuances of character development and relationships that the complete shows provide. With that in mind, though, The Best of RAW and Smackdown 2011 is sufficiently, but not totally (more on that in a moment) thorough, enough that casual WWE fans could conceivably piece together the year that was, starting with this set, watching in order, and plugging in the various pay-per-view releases along the way and not lose too much context along the way.

Sadly, that brings the review to this set's downside. The Best of RAW and Smackdown 2011 suffers from the same problem that plagues another recent WWE "best of 2011" Blu-ray release, Best Pay-Per-View Matches of 2011: December material is missing in action. This seems to a be a major cause for concern, and should make potential buyers pause before purchasing. It seems the WWE is finalizing these releases before year's end rather than pushing the dates backwards by a month to make the package as all-inclusive as possible. It makes no sense to eliminate one-twelfth of the year's wrestling action, unless the WWE has some formula that predicts maximum return on investment by releasing early in the year rather than a little later. That's fine, but fans need to know that they're not getting all of 2011's best RAW and Smackdown moments. The sheer volume of content contained in this three-disc set certainly helps to diminish the disappointment, but it's a shame that December appears to be a month that WWE allows to fall into limbo rather than taking the time to include that month's best action in its home video releases.

The following highlights from RAW and Smackdown are included in this set:

Disc One:

• Falls Count Anywhere Match for the WWE Championship: The Miz vs. John Morrison. RAW -- January 3, 2011.
• Intercontinental Championship Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston. Smackdown -- January 7, 2011.
• 2-Out-of-3 Falls Match: Rey Mysterio vs. Alberto Del Rio. Smackdown -- January 7, 2011.
• Divas Championship Match: Natalya vs. Melina. RAW -- January 24, 2011.
• RAW Match: The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan. RAW -- February 14, 2011.
• RAW Moment: The Rock Returns to RAW. RAW -- February 14, 2011.
• RAW Moment: John Cena Responds to The Rock. RAW -- February 21, 2011.
• Smackdown Moment: The Championship Coronation of Dolph Ziggler. Smackdown -- February 18, 2011.
• RAW Moment A Stone Cold Referee. RAW -- March 7, 2011.
• RAW Moment: "The Rock" Attacks John Cena? RAW -- March 14, 2011.
• Steel Cage Match: Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio. Smackdown -- March 18, 2011.
• Intercontinental Championship Match: Kofin Kingston vs. Wade Barrett. Smackdown -- March 25, 2011.
• RAW Moment. Streak in Jeopardy? RAW -- March 28, 2011.

Disc Two:

• Smackdown Moment: Edge Says Goodbye. Smackdown -- April 15, 2011.
• RAW Moment: A New Side of R-Truth. RAW -- April 25, 2011.
• WWE Championship Match: John Cena vs. The Miz. RAW -- May 2, 2011.
• World Heavyweight Championship Match: Christian vs. Randy Orton. Smackdown -- May 6, 2011.
• RAW Moment: Riley's Revenge. RAW -- May 23, 2011.
• World Heavyweight Championship Match: Randy Orton vs. Sheamus with Christian as Special Guest Referee. Smackdown -- June 3, 2011.
• 6-Man Tag Team Elimination Match: John Cena, Randy Orton, and Alex Riley vs. Christian, R-Truth, and The Miz. RAW -- June 20, 2011.
• Smackdown Match: Daniel Bryan vs. Cody Rhodes. Smackdown -- June 24, 2011.
• RAW Moment: CM Punk Speaks His Mind. RAW -- June 27, 2011.
• Smackdown Match: Christian vs. Sin Cara. Smackdown -- July 1, 2011.
• RAW Moment: Mr. McMahon is Relieved of His Duties. RAW -- July 18, 2011.

Disc Three:

• WWE Championship Match: Rey Mysterio vs. John Cena. RAW -- July 25, 2011.
• Intercontinental Championship Match: Ezekiel Jackson vs. Cody Rhodes. Smackdown -- August 12, 2011.
• Falls Count Anywhere Match: John Morrison vs. R-Truth. RAW -- August 15, 2011.
• Smackdown Match: Alberto Del Rio vs. Daniel Bryan. Smackdown -- August 19, 2011.
• WWE Tag Team Championship Match: David Otunga & Michael McGillicutty vs. Kofin Kingston & Evan Bourne. RAW -- August 22, 2011.
• Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes. Smackdown -- September 9, 2011.
• Smackdown Match: Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes. Smackdown -- September 9, 2011.
• Smackdown Moment: The Cutting Edge with Randy Orton & Mark Henry. Smackdown -- September 16, 2011.
• RAW Moment: Mark Henry is Unleashed. RAW -- September 19, 2011.
• Special Challenge Match: Dolph Ziggler with Vicky Guerrero vs. Zack Ryder with Hugh Jackman. RAW -- September 19, 2011.
• Lumberjack Match: Mark Henry vs. Christian. Smackdown -- September 23, 2011.
• RAW Match: CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio. RAW -- September 26, 2011.
• RAW Match: John Cena, CM Punk, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, and Mason Ryan vs. Alberto Del Rio, Christian, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, and David Otunga. RAW -- October 3, 2011.
• RAW Moment: Vote of No Confidence. RAW -- October 3, 2011.
• RAW Match: John Cena vs. Sheamus with Referee Triple H and Commentator CM Punk. RAW -- October 10, 2011.
• Mask vs. Mask: Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara. Smackdown from Mexico -- October 21, 2011.
• Street Fight: Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes. Smackdown -- November 4, 2011.
• World Heavyweight Championship Match: Mark Henry vs. Daniel Bryan. Smackdown -- November 4, 2011.
• Champion vs. Champion Match: CM Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler. RAW -- November 21, 2011.

WWE: The Best of Raw and SmackDown 2011 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Best of RAW and Smackdown 2011 features a very clear and crisp 1080i, 1.77:1-framed transfer. Though encoded at 1080i and with hours of material packed on each disc, the action holds up remarkably well, yielding steady details and strong colors. Clarity is quite good, and the somewhat flat and slightly glossy HD video sheen never hinders the transfer's finer attributes. Fine detail is surprisingly strong across all three discs. Whether complex skin textures and tattoos, wrestler costumes or street clothes (in some cases), equipment around the ring, or the ability to make out fans' faces even several rows back beyond the ring, these 1080i discs never fail to please, and maybe even offer a slight uptick in quality from the television presentations. Colors are of an equally high quality. Smackdown's bright blue theme and RAW's red overtones look fantastic, offering vibrancy and balance. Cena's red T-shirt, the gold-plated champion belts, and small accents are equally marvelous. Flesh tones are balanced, and blacks are strong. Slight aliasing is evident on some of the more complexly-woven surfaces, jagged edges appear throughout, and light-to-moderate blocking crops up in spurts, but all told this is a solid, vibrant presentation that suits the material well and shows that WWE knows how to put out a quality product, even if it is presented at 1080i and suffers through some problems.

WWE: The Best of Raw and SmackDown 2011 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Best of RAW and Smackdown 2011 features a WWE-typical Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Though not lossless, this track proves both efficient and energized. The dueling RAW and Smackdown songs -- Nickelback's "Burn It to the Ground" and Green Day's "Know Your Enemy" -- blare into the soundstage with fine presence and sonic authority. Guitar riffs are potent, bass is balanced and strong, and slight surround support rounds the tunes into rocking good shape. In-program music -- primarily wrestler introduction songs -- are heard as they are pumped through arena speakers. These play a touch muffled, but for hearing it all secondhand the end result is still positive, potent, and energetic. It plays through the entire soundstage, surrounds included, and does a marvelous job of immersing the listener into the arena. Cheering crowds, wrestlers falling onto the mat, and other ambience is also handled expertly and lively, and with a true sense of immersion. Wrestler dialogue in the ring is presented without hiccup, and Josh Matthews' introductory narration is clear and clean. This is a positive, quality listen that handles all its material with energy and ease.

WWE: The Best of Raw and SmackDown 2011 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Best of RAW and Smackdown 2011 contains the following matches and moments dubbed as "Blu-ray exclusives" on discs one and two. Disc three contains no such extras, or extras of any sort for that matter.

Disc One:

• Last Man Standing Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Edge vs. Kane. Smackdown -- January 7, 2011.
• RAW Match: Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler. RAW -- January 17, 2011.
• RAW Match: John Cena vs. CM Punk. RAW -- January 17, 2011.
• RAW Moment: Undertaker & Triple H Stare Down. RAW -- February 21, 2011.
• RAW Moment John Cena Adjusts The Rock's Attitude. RAW -- March 28, 2011.

Disc Two:

• RAW Moment: Save the Date: The Rock vs. John Cena. RAW -- April 4, 2011.
• Smackdown Match: Kane vs. Christian. Smackdown -- June 24, 2011.
• No Count Out Match: Evan Bourne vs. Sin Cara. RAW -- June 27, 2011.
• Tornado Tag Team Match: Rey Mysterio & Alex Riley vs. The Miz & Jack Swagger. RAW -- June 27, 2011.
• RAW Moment: CM Punk's Public Contract Negotiation. RAW -- July 11, 2011.

WWE: The Best of Raw and SmackDown 2011 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Best of RAW and Smackdown 2011 could have been a nearly perfect WWE release had it included a true year's worth of highlights rather than eleven months worth of highlights. Still, this three-disc set delivers plenty of WWE action and classic moments in-the-making. Before December, there are not too many shows that aren't represented in some form or fashion, and most every major Superstar appears at least once. The set is of the no-frills variety, but it's made to pop in the player and play for audiences an uncut highlight reel of the 2011 year in wrestling. WWE's Blu-ray release of The Best of RAW and Smackdown 2011 features fair video and good audio. Additional "moments" and "matches" are included as Blu-ray exclusives. Recommended with the hope that this is the last year that December is given the shaft.