If there’s a wrestling fan in your life, this holiday season there are a ton of great gifts out there. So many that if you give that special someone even just one, you’re guranteed to receive a promo of love if (yes, I’m talking wrestling-speak here). While all the monthly WWE Pay-Per-Views are available if you missed any during the course of the year (Wrestlemania being the biggest and Hell In The Cell in the most recent release), WWE has also put out a strong bunch of Blu-Rays/DVDs based on some of their most popular moments and athletes. Here’s a few recommendation:
CM Punk: Best In The World: this documentary highlights the ups and downs that the biggest breakthrough star of the last few years has faced as he’s climbed to the top of the WWE. Many critics have called this the best documentary WWE has produced since The Rise and Fall of ECW nearly ten years ago. The three-DVD/two-Blu-Ray set includes Punk’s most memorable matches and promos and is essential viewing for all fans.
Find out what else is on our WWE must-have list after the jump!
You Think You Know Me: The Story Of Edge – Released earlier this year, this is the story of Adam ‘Edge’ Copeland, a Toronto native with dreams of becoming a sports entertainment superstar. He manages to do some, along the way making his name alongside his best friend, working with his heroes, making his personal life part of his enigmatic and evil character, until eventually he’s forced to stop at what should be the prime of his career. Edge tells a great story and you’ll find yourself feeling sympathetic for him even when he’s at his worst. PS – check out our interview with Edge, held in front of his diehard fans at Wizard World Comic Con in Toronto this past March.
NWO: The Revolution – While WWE may be the brand name the world thinks of when it comes to professional wrestling, the company was suffering large in the mid-90’s, thanks to the New World Order found in World Championship Wrestling. Led by Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, the NWO were the worst of the bad guys, but who had a enough coolness to appeal to a new generation of fans eager to see what the group would do next. This new documentary features both archival and new interviews with the main players and the various superstars who watched the NWO rule the world, and then crash and burn.
The Attitude Era: While the NWO was taking over WCW, WWE was lighting its own fire with its new edgier direction, now fondly referred to as the Attitude Era. From pushing the boundaries of television, to featuring an amazing breed of superstars like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker and Triple H, this was the definition of must see tv. The new Blu-Ray/DVD set offers a documentary about the changes that helped WWE topple their main rival, and highlights the legacy that the company still tries to live up to until this day. There’s also hours upon hours of beloved matches and moments from the era. For those that lived it, this is the perfect nostalgia trip.
WWE Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded – Not a DVD or Blu-Ray, this coffee table book from DK is a gorgeous trip through the essential (and inessential) faces, places and moments from throughout the history of the WWE. Writers Kevin Sullivan and Brian Shields cover literally everyone and everything from A-Z in the WWE, leaving literally no stone unturned. Seriously – there are names that pop up that I don’t even remember, and I’ve been watching this stuff for nearly 30 years. For longtime fans or newcomers, this is the must have WWE book of the year. Combine one or all of the above videos with the WWE Encyclopedia and you’re guaranteed a happy wrestling fan this holiday season.
