Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

WWE: The Kliq Rules Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 31, 2015

News flash: wrestling isn't real. On-screen relationships -- friendships between wrestlers or rivalries between wrestlers -- aren't necessarily reflective of real life. Does anyone really think that Kevin Owens truly despises everything John Cena stands for or that The Undertaker really wants to send Brock Lesnar to hell, to reference a couple of current feuds? Of course not. It's all part of a story, hence the term sports entertainment. It's not a blending of reality and fiction, it's completely fiction. It's not like in, say, baseball, where brushing a guy back can lead to a guy hit between the numbers can lead to one thrown at a player's head can lead to a bench clearing brawl can lead to years of animosity between two clubs. Wrestling feuds are scripted; real-life friends can be in-ring enemies and vice versa, but what's required to sell the illusion is to remain in-character, or kayfabe to use the technical wrestling term, in all phases of public life. If Owens and Cena are seen out together laughing and sharing a beer and patting one another on the back after a hard night's work on RAW, the illusion is suddenly broken and wrestling becomes just another form of scripted entertainment, not a magic trick of human athleticism blended with soap opera drama. Back in the day, one of the greatest in- and out-of-ring friendships was between a group of guys known collectively as "The Kliq," a group defined not only by its star power but a single, defining moment in which the men -- scripted as, sometimes, enemies in the ring but remaining close friends outside of it -- broke the illusion and redefined the line between truth and fiction forever on the professional wrestling landscape.

The moment.

WWE Home Video's The Kliq Rules tells the story of that group -- comprised of Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and Sean Waltman and so named by WWE Legend Lex Luger -- and its closeness in the ring and outside of it. The film builds through narrative and retrospective interview formats, mixing both with vintage footage of key moments and highlights from the members' individual careers and their various exploits together in the ring. It looks at their relative isolation from the rest of the WWE (then WWF) roster, relationships with Vince McMahon, and the "break-up" when Scott Hall and Kevin Nash defected to the rival WCW, a move that physically separated them but didn't break their friendship. The move led to one of the most famous moments in sports entertainment history, and the most recognizable moment of breaking kayfabe, when, at Madison Square Garden, the men -- then in-ring rivals -- gathered center stage for an out-of-charcter send off. The piece follows with a brief look at the rivalry between WWF and WCW, including the former's use of Michaels, Triple H, and Waltman in the radical DX. The film concludes with Nash and Hall's return to WWF and the group's legacy.

The Kliq Rules plays by the rules, at least the rules as they seem to be written for the typical WWE Home Video release. The program runs at just over an hour, blending together new interviews, both standalone segments with members of the Kliq (in addition to other WWE personalities) and together, with the latter, unfortunately, grossly underutilized; what should have been the highlight and must-see television is instead a frustratingly brief glimpse into what might have been (even if the entire sit-down was included as an extra, it would have likely been worth the price of admission by itself). Fortunately, the program still works well; it's expertly edited and nicely paced, finding just the right balance of informative and entertaining. The figures share both intimate personal anecdotes -- though perhaps not as many as fans would have liked to hear -- and broad history details alike, with various gaps filled in by concise narration and video highlights.

The following matches (and one moment) are included as part of this set:

Disc One:

• RAW Match: Razor Ramon vs. The Kid. Monday Night RAW -- May 17, 1993.
• RAW Match: Razor Ramon vs. 1-2-3 Kid. Monday Night RAW -- June 21, 1993.
• RAW Match: Razor Ramon vs. Diesel. Monday Night RAW -- November 29, 1993.
• RAW Match: Shawn Michaels vs. 1-2-3 Kid. Monday Night RAW -- December 6, 1993.
• WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Razor Ramon & 1-2-3 Kid vs. The Quebecers. Monday Night RAW -- February 21, 1994.
• WWE Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon. WrestleMania X -- March 20, 1994.
• WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Razor Ramon vs. Diesel. Superstars -- April 30, 1994.
• WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Shawn Michaels & Diesel vs. Razor Ramon & 1-2-3 Kid. Action Zone -- October 30, 1994.
• Traditional 5-on-5 Series Elimination Match: Bad Guys vs. Teamsters. Survivor Series -- November 23, 1994.
• RAW Match: Razor Ramon vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Monday Night RAW -- January 22, 1996.
• Crybaby Match: Razor Ramon vs. 1-2-3 Kid. In Your House -- February 18, 1996.

Disc Two:

• WWE Championship No Holds Barred Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel. In Your House: Good Friends, Better Enemies -- April 28, 1996.
• RAW Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Monday Night RAW -- May 13, 1996.
• Moment: MSG Curtain Call -- May 19, 1996.
• WCW Tag Team Championship Match: The Outsiders vs. Steiner Brothers. Nitro -- January 12, 1998.
• Historical Match: Kevin Nash vs. Scott Hall. Halloween Havoc -- October 25, 1998.
• Historical Match: Triple H vs. X-Pac. Backlash -- April 25, 1999.
• Six-Man Tag Team Match: Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, & X-Pac vs. Hulk Hogan, The Rock, & Kane. SmackDown -- March 28, 2002.
• World Heavyweight Championship Match: Kevin Nash vs. Triple H. Judgment Day -- May 18, 2003.
• WWE Tag Team Championship TLC Match: D-Generation X vs. Jeri-Show. TLC -- December 13, 2009.

WWE: The Kliq Rules Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

WWE: The Kliq Rules delivers a basic 1080i, 1.78:1 viewing experience. The new HD interviews are scattered in terms of quality; the opening Michaels interview looks great -- strong facial textures, pinpoint clothing lines, natural colors -- but others can be anywhere from a step to a plummet downward in quality. In the middle, the HD segments are completely flat and yield rosy flesh tones. At their worst, blacks crush, blocking creeps in, and even bad green screen effects leave participants outlined. Older SD material is stretched out to 1.78:1 to stay in-line with the interview segments. Fortunately, the included standalone matches retain their original 1.33:1 aspect ratio.

WWE: The Kliq Rules Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

WWE: The Kliq Rules features a serviceable Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Not much is asked of it, and not much is provided. Dialogue, narration, and vintage sound bytes represent the bulk. Generally, all forms of spoken word are presented nicely enough, with good clarity and center presence. The group interview, however, suffers quite a bit. Not only is it a bit low in volume but it competes with a constant background sound, something similar to a running air conditioner, that only increases the strain to hear it clearly, even at reference level. Bits of music enjoy satisfactory definition and spacing. That's about all there is. This is a straightforward listen that satisfies requirements but offers nothing more.

WWE: The Kliq Rules Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

WWE: The Kliq Rules contains several extra matches on disc two under the "Blu-ray Exclusives" tab.

• Nitro Match: Scott Hall & Syxx vs. Harlem Heat. Nitro -- July 14, 1997.
• SmackDown Match: Kevin Nash vs. The Rock. SmackDown -- March 21, 2002.
• Sledgehammer Ladder Match: Triple H vs. Kevin Nash. TLC -- December 18, 2011.
• WrestleMania Match: Triple H vs. Sting. WrestleMania 31 -- March 29, 2015.

WWE: The Kliq Rules Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fans who have seen previous WWE retrospectives know exactly what to expect here. While more group banter could have made this a stellar release, it instead only merely satisfies. There's a good bit of general access and some quality new interviews with individual members. The narrative is enjoyable and the history covers a fairly wide swath of the era from which The Kliq hails. Imperfect though it may be, it's an enjoyable release and, with a couple dozen matches (and, of course, the famous MSG curtain call), it should please fans looking for some wrestling nostalgia. WWE: The Kliq Rules offers typical WWE Home Video picture and sound qualities. Extras are comprised of four additional matches. Recommended.