Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

WWE: The Best of WCW Monday Nitro Vol. 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Where's Volume One (on Blu-ray)?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 19, 2013

Unfortunately, Blu-ray fans never did see a release of the highly popular The Best Of WCW Monday Nitro Vol. 1, a massive compilation piece featuring the finest moments and matches from the world of the other Monday night wrestling program that dominated the airwaves and won fans' hearts back in the latter half of the 1990s. That set was released only to DVD back in Summer 2011 and with a promise for more. Well, here's more. The Best Of WCW Monday Nitro Vol. 2 picks up where the last set left off, with more great Monday night mayhem from the WCW, and this time it's on Blu-ray. It joins the growing and popular ranks of WCW-on-Blu-ray collections, and it's just as good as the n.W.o. and Clash of the Champions releases from the past few months. It's a straightforward compilation collection to be sure but a highly entertaining grouping that will have fans reliving the Monday Night Wars and yearning for more (a re-release of Vol. 1 on Blu-ray would be great, WWE!).

The faces of Monday night.

Wrestling legend Diamond Dallas Page takes some time away from his Yoga class to host The Best Of WCW Monday Nitro Vol. 2, to enthusiastically recall stories from the ring and to set the stage for the matches, moments, mayhem, and unforgettable developments that seemed a weekly occurrence on Turner's top-rated wrestling program. DDP makes a great host, still full of energy, and even in short spurts showing a breadth of knowledge and even inside information that will have fans anticipating his interludes nearly as much as the wrestling action itself. The set begins with, well, the beginning: a matchup between wrestling legends Ric Flair and Sting in Nitro's very first episode and performed in front of thousands of shoppers at Bloomington, Minnesota's Mall of America. Scattered throughout the two-disc set, viewers will encounter some familiar names still performing today -- Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho -- as well as a seemingly endless string of classic household names like the aforementioned Flair and Sting as well as Hogan, Goldberg, Nash, Page, Piper, Hall, and Savage. It's a roster to die for in a set that might be no frills deep down but that delivers nearly nonstop Nitro action that fans (and newcomers) will want to watch time and again.

As alluded to above, this is a straightforward WWE compilation set; fans familiar with any of the recent "best of" (and there are a lot of them) sets will know the drill with this one. DDP hosts a few short segments interspersed between classic footage, uncut from the original broadcast parameters ("commercial breaks" are still in place, just sans commercials) and presented in the original aspect ratio. While it's mostly matches and moments, there's some very brief extracurricular material interspersed throughout, like a look at celebrity and the WCW, with appearance by Malone and Megadeth, The Worm and Wade Boggs. Fans will enjoy plenty from the n.W.o., epic battles between classic wrestlers, a whole lot of trash talking, and more energy than a power drink and more sweat than a weight room. It's nonstop Nitro action, just what fans crave, and a set that captures the essence of the WCW as well as any compilation could.

The folioing matches and moments comprise 'The Best of WCW Monday Nitro, Vol. 2:'

Disc One:

• WCW United States Championship Match: Sting vs. Ric Flair. September 4, 1995.
• WCW Moment: Madusa Trashes the WWE Women's Championship. December 18, 1995.
• WCW Match: Hulk Hogan vs. Arn Anderson. February 12, 1996.
• WCW Match: Steiner Brothers vs. Road Warriors. March 11, 1996.
• WCW Match: Jushin "Thunder" Liger vs. Dean Malenko. May 6, 1996.
• WCW Crusierweight Championship Match: Rey Mysterio vs. Justin Guerrera. September 16, 1996.
• WCW Moment: Eric Bischoff's Biggest Regret. September 30, 1996.
• WCW United States Championship Tournament Quarter Finals Match: Diamond Dallas Page vs. Jeff Jarrett. December 9, 1996.
• WCW Moment: Kevin Nash Patches Up Potholes. April 21, 1997.
• WCW Moment: Hollywood Hulk Hogan Makes Sting Worship Him. May 26, 1997.
• WCW Match: Ric Flair vs. Scott Hall. June 2, 1997.
• WCW Moment: Hollywood Hogan & Dennis Rodman Call Out Lex Luger & The Giant. June 16, 1997.
• WCW Match: Rey Mysterio vs. Kevin Nash. June 30, 1997.
• WCW Match: La Parka vs. Randy Savage. July 7, 1997.
• WCW Match: Goldberg vs. Hugh Morrus. September 22, 1997.
• WCW Match: Booker T vs Jeff Jarrett. October 6, 1997.
• Street Fight for the WCW World Tag Team Championship: Steiner Brothers vs. Public Enemy. November 3, 1997.
• WCW Moment: n.W.o. Sings "O Canada." November 10, 1997.
• WCW Match: Booker T vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage. December 15, 1997.
• WCW Match: Rey Mysterio, Juventud Guerrera & Hector Garza vs. Psicosis, Silver King & La Parka. December 22, 1997.
• WCW United States Championship Match: Diamond Dallas Page vs. Chris Jericho. January 5, 1998.
• WCW Match: Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash & Scott Hall vs. Sting, "Macho Man" Randy Savage & The Giant. March 9, 1998.
• WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Sting vs. Diamond Dallas Page. March 23, 1998.
• Raven's Rules Match for the WCW United States Championship: Raven vs. Goldberg. April 20, 1998.
• WCW Moment: Birth of the Wolfpac. May 4, 1998.

Disc Two:

• WCW Match: Kevin Nash & Lex Luger vs. Hollywood Hogan & The Giant. June 1, 1998.
• WCW Moment: Chris Jericho Meets the Real Goldberg. September 28, 1998.
• WCW Match: Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero. December 21, 1998.
• Ladder Match for the Taser: BamBam Bigelow vs. Scott Hall. January 25, 1999.
• WCW United States Championship Match: Bret "Hit Man" Hart vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper. February 8, 1999.
• WCW World Tag Team Championship Match: Perry Saturn & Kanyon vs. Diamond Dallas Page & Bam Bam Bigelow.
• WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match: "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Hollywood Hogan. July 12, 1999.
• WCW World Tag Team Championship Match: Kevin Nash & Scott Hall vs. Goldberg & Bret "Hit Man" Hart. December 13, 1999.
• House of Pain Match: Sting vs. Vampiro. May 15, 2000.
• WCW Match: Shane Helms vs. Shannon Moore. February 26, 2001.
• WCW United States & World Heavyweight Championship Match: Booker T vs. Scott Steiner. March 26, 2001.

WWE: The Best of WCW Monday Nitro Vol. 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Again, it's all historically routine. The Best Of WCW Monday Nitro Vol. 2 looks pretty much the same as any other WWE Blu-ray compilation release that features older standard definition material repurposed for Blu-ray. The focal point retains its natural 4x3 aspect ratio while the WWE has included its own version of "black bars" -- here steel grate-styled frames -- on either side to fill the 1.78:1 display. Only when DDP shows up as host does the image switch to a full-screen 1.78:1 image. It's noisy, dark, and with a warm push, but otherwise details suffice on his clothes, face, and any accompanying surfaces, like a giant WCW sign made of that steel grate material. As for the good stuff, it looks fine for standard definition. Of course it lacks the crispness and clarity of HD video -- crowd shots are messy even at medium distances, definition is poor even in close-ups, and colors tend to bleed or lack subtle shifts in tone -- but that's to be expected. There's also the usual array of false colors, jagged edges, aliasing, and other eyesores, but it's all inherent to the material and not really a fault of the transfer. It's a classic "it looks bad, but it just looks bad." There's no getting away from the quality here, which means that, overall, it's a fine transfer from the WWE.

WWE: The Best of WCW Monday Nitro Vol. 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Best Of WCW Monday Nitro Vol. 2 features the, yawn, usual Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. As with most other WWE lossy multichannel surround presentations, this one's just fine and dandy, presenting its material as robustly as possible. There is a pleasingly aggressive posture to music blaring over the opening montage; it's clear, well-spaced, and inundates the stage with a nice amount of surround support. DDP's interludes offer clear vocalizations; his monologues play without hitch from the center. Most of the rest of the track emanates from the center too. There's very little range, here, but then again that's the nature of the material. Crowd noise never finds much of a drift away from the middle, and it's also a bit unkempt and lacking the definition of newer releases sourced from material of a more recent vintage. Likewise, in-arena music lacks a real authentic presence and never finds much clarity. In-ring dialogue and ringside commentary, however, come through well enough. Like the video, this audio presentation is by its very nature is saddled with lower-end sources. It sounds as good as it probably ever will, save for some future feat of sound engineering and manipulation.

WWE: The Best of WCW Monday Nitro Vol. 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Best Of WCW Monday Nitro Vol. 2 contains the following matches and moments listed as "Blu-ray Exclusives:"

• WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Hulk Hogan vs. Lex Luger. September 11, 1995.
• WCW Match: Ric Flair vs. Brian Pillman. September 18, 1995.
• WCW Match: J.L. vs. n.W.o. Sting. October 21, 1996.
• WCW Match: Sting & Lex Luger vs. Hollywood Hogan & "Macho Man" Randy Savage. March 16, 1998.
• Steel Cage Match: Diamond Dallas Page vs. "Macho Man" Randy Savage. June 15, 1998.
• WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Goldberg vs. Sting. September 14, 1998.
• WCW Television Championship Match: Scott Steiner vs. Chris Jericho. February 1, 1999.
• WCW Match: Ric Flair & Goldberg vs. Hollywood Hogan & Kevin Nash. March 15, 1999.
• WCW Moment: Jeff Jarrett Reclaims His WCW World Heavyweight Championship. November 22, 1999.
• WCW Moment: DDP and "Macho Man" Randy Savage's War of Words.

WWE: The Best of WCW Monday Nitro Vol. 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Best Of WCW Monday Nitro Vol. 2 is a basic, action-packed two-disc extravaganza that delivers nonstop Nitro mayhem and features a top name in pretty much every match. The set delivers a who's who and what's what from those classic Monday nights on TNT; this is the next best thing to a time machine and even better than those old VHS tapes rotting away in a box in the attic in terms of presentation quality and lasting power of the physical medium. It's not everything -- and WWE would be smart to release Vol. 1 to Blu-ray -- but this is a fun, straightforward set every wrestling fan will cherish. WWE's Blu-ray release of The Best Of WCW Monday Nitro Vol. 2 delivers good video and audio. Plenty of extra matches and moments are included as extras. Highly recommended.