WWE: WrestleMania 39 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

WWE: WrestleMania 39 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 22, 2023

The "Showcase of the Immortals" stands as WWE's flagship event, and it stands as the last vestige of what once was: a thriving industry of WWE home video releases on Blu-ray. Years ago, WWE released practically everything -- or so it seemed -- to Blu-ray. There are dozens upon dozens of various titles out there, from "best of" compilations to in-depth wrestler profiles, not to mention a plethora of Pay-Per-View events. I have the overflowing bookshelves to prove it. But with the move to the WWE Network, WWE Home Video Blu-ray releases have dwindled to near zero, with the annual 'Mania standing as the final physical high definition release on the schedule. That's a shame, but obviously the WWE (and now Warner Brothers) number crunchers deemed it a loss to saturate the market as the company once did, or even push out a few more select high profile releases. Of course, the DVD market is still alive but not kicking and albeit perhaps on life support; rumors swirled that 2022 would mark the end, but the DVD format is still seeing some content appearing on retailer shelves. Still, it would appear that the end of an era is here, and I would not be surprised if this is final WWE Blu-ray release of them all, but it would be nice to at least make it to 40 and leave things on a nice, round number.

Official synopsis: Roll out the red carpet and prepare for an event without equal: a Superstar-studded extravaganza on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Welcome to The Showcase of the Immortals! Welcome to WrestleMania! John Cena returns to challenge Austin Theory for the United States Championship. In one-on-one action, social media sensation Logan Paul battles Seth “Freakin” Rollins. It’s Redemption vs. Legacy as Rhea Ripley hopes to avenge her WrestleMania 36 loss to Charlotte Flair in a rematch for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn join forces against The Usos for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships. “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes challenges “The Head of the Table” Roman Reign for the Undisputed Universal Championship. Plus, more! Get your popcorn ready, sit back, and enjoy the show while WrestleMania Goes Hollywood!"

Hollywood, indeed, but the world is not WrestleMania's stage. Rather, it's the square ring at the middle of the 'Mania mayhem where the action takes place (mostly!). The event took place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on the nights of at April 1 and 2, 2023, delivering the typical WWE extravaganza that's nearly as much pomp as it is punch, as much glam and glitter as it is gangbusters and grandstanding. Neither the external flair nor the action in the ring disappoint. WWE knows how to put on a big show, and this is certainly one of the biggest, especially when benchmarked against the last few WrestleMania events which have pushed the content over the course of two nights. Does that mean bigger and better matches? Eh. The content was, of course, built up well in advance of the night, yet there are still some surprises along the way, and not just in simply who claims victory and hoists a belt (or two). Both longtime favorites and relatively new combatants square off for some well-choreographed action that may not push WWE boundaries but that do offer compelling resolutions to, continuations of, and seeds planted for, more thrilling drama in the months to come, no doubt with some of the storylines likely to extend all the way to next year's WrestleMania, which will hopefully land on Blu-ray in about a year from now.

The following matches comprise the 39th WrestleMania event:

Disc One:

• United States Championship Match: Austin Theory vs. John Cena
• WrestleMania Showcase Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Match: Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs. The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy vs The Viking Raiders.
• Singles Match: Seth "Freakin" Rollins vs. Logan Paul.
• Six-Woman Tag Team Match: Becky Lynch, Lita & Trish Stratus vs. Damage CTRL.
• WrestleMania Match: Rey Mysterio w/ Legado del Fantasma vs. Dominik Mysterio w/ The Judgment Day.
• SmackDown Women's Championship Match: Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley.
• Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. the Usos.

Disc Two:

• WrestleMania Match: Brock Lesnar vs. Omos w/ MVP.
• WrestleMania Showcase Fatal 4-Way Women's Tag Team Match: Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez vs. Natalya & Shotzi vs. Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler vs. Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green.
• Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat Match: Gunther vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus.
• RAW Women's Championship Match: Bianca Belair vs. Asuka.
• Hell in a Cell Match: "Brood" Edge vs. "The Demon" Finn Balor.
• Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Match: "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes vs. Roman Reigns w/ Paul Heyman.

WWE: WrestleMania 39 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

WWE and WB bring WrestleMania 39 to Blu-ray with a 1080i/1.78:1-framed transfer. The image certainly deals with some significant compression problems, evident particularly in distant backgrounds inside the stadium (look at the 2:14 mark of disc two for a blatant example or along Omos' arm at the 12:28 mark). In the national anthem sequence, viewers will note plenty of noisy artifacts, some jagged edges, and generally poor video quality overall. Fortunately, the core up-close and personal content holds better for stability and clarity. Action in the ring does show some of these same issues, but not at such an extreme as to destroy the picture, as it can be in those larger stadium vistas. Good detail persists on graphics as well as skin and tattoo details, hair and sweat, and costumes. Colors are pleasing, with good, rich depth and impressive yield to ringside signage, wrestler trunks, and clothing and handmade placards out in the audience. Black levels are decent enough and skin tones look fairly neutral. This image is certainly problematic, but at the same time it is generally very watchable.

WWE: WrestleMania 39 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Dolby Digital 5.1 lossless soundtrack is no champion in terms of overall excellence, but it's also strong enough to carry the material's basic needs. Surround content is not prodigious with music and effects mostly content to linger around the front. Some spill into the rears, especially harder crashes into the mat and crowd din, are liable to spread into the rears, but generally speaking expect most of the effort to be limited to the front three channels. Overall clarity is decent enough, but with the production constraints and the lossy encode fans should not expect anything close to resembling a polished finished product. Dialogue, whether ringside play-by-play and commentary or various in-ring dialogue, as well as stadium address and spoken word through various promos pieces, all come through with satisfying clarity.

WWE: WrestleMania 39 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of WrestleMania 39 includes a single extra on disc two: 2023 WWE Hall of Fame -- March 31, 2023: Lucha Legend (1080i, 51:09), part of the Hall-of-Fame ceremony honoring inductee Rey Mysterio. Note that it is not possible to skip the "don't try this at home" disclaimer that appears upon either disc insertion. This release does not ship with DVD or digital copies, but it does ship with a non-embossed slipcover.

WWE: WrestleMania 39 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Though neither the greatest nor the least of the storied history of WrestleMania, this 39th installment certainly pushes more in favor of the former with some truly epic matches that will individually be remembered as some of the best in the company's production history. Hopefully future 'Manias will match, and also be available on Blu-ray. This two-disc set offers typically problematic, but ultimately satisfactory, WWE video and audio. Supplements are limited to a single Hall of Fame ceremony, but Rey Mysterio fans will find it alone to be worth the price of admission. If there was any time for fans of WWE on Blu-ray to vote for their wallets, well, the time has probably passed, but an avalanche of sales might just make WWE and Warner Brothers take note for next year. Recommended.