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Whether you are a serious or casual wrestling fan, there is not doubt in my mind that you will have heard of Shawn Michaels and indeed seen at least one of his many matches. Since competing in his first match at the tender age of 19, the Showstoppa', as one of his many affection nicknames implies, is one of those superstars who manages to defy the odds - great and small - to deliver a highly invigorating and intriguing bout. To me, when he is wrestling, it seems that nothing is out of bounds and, when he does lose, he still manages to portray the art of sports entertainment in a light which is almost realistic and well respected by critics and hardcore fans alike.
Despite the fact that the Heartbreak Kid (another alias of the man himself) has had many a DVD and video compilations throughout his 23 year career, most notably the 'Boyhood Dream' and 'From The Vault' collections, what excited me most about the 'Shawn Michaels Story: Heartbreak & Triumph' set was due to the fact that it wouldn't be purely matches featured on the disks, or even simply interviews and commentaries by himself. Instead, in many ways, this 2007 DVD release would be a series of interviews and opinions from Shawn's peers and critics that would act as an extension to his autobiography from 2006, chronicling the life and times of a wrestler who had worked in many companies before his illustrious WWE run, including the now defunct World Class Championship Wrestling and the American Wrestling Association.
WHY DID YOU BUY IT, I HEAR YOU CRY? Well, to put it simply, Shawn is my favourite wrestler of all time. I've loved and respected his work since I was six years old, in fact, the first ever wrestling match I saw was the night he defeated Bret 'The Hitman' Hart to begin his first reign as the then WWF Champion.
In many ways, he is the only reason why I still watch wrestling now-a-days; don't get me wrong, there is some great talent out there. Yet many of it is underused or put in such poor booking positions (it is all scripted, ya know) that it's becoming unbearable to watch.
But I knew buying 'Heartbreak & Triumph' would not be a poor decision; the three disk set boasted many promos, deleted scenes from the overall DVD package not to mention stories of Shawn throughout his sometimes turbulent life to two additional disks packed full of classic match ups, including many from the very start of his career.
CONTENT AND DOCUMENTARY As the title of the DVD was taken from that of Shawn's autobiography, I did expect it to follow a very similar format to the book itself. This time though, as well as it being in visual and audio form, I was intrigued to hear what some of his peer's and co-workers thought of his career and sometimes strange life choices, most of which were discussed in a good degree of detail on the first disk.
Over the 29 chapters of the documentary, it discusses just about every portion of HBK's career, going right back to his childhood. Born Michael Shawn Hickenbottom (don't laugh!) on the 22nd of July 1965, the journey begins when he was a young lad, mainly picking up at the point when he was 'the big man on campus' and in High School. The main bulk of the earlier chapters consist of the very basic information on how he first became a fan of wrestling, which lead to him trying to discover his life long dream of becoming a WWE superstar. To be fair - like the majority of the DVD - if you are a die-hard fan of the Heartbreak Kids, the chances are you will have heard all of this several times before but the visual aides of snapshots and pictures added a different dimension to the story of his life.
Shawn's parents were an integral part of the opening sections. However, I did feel slightly cheated in a way because of the fact that the segments were taken from the 'Before They Were Superstars' Edition Two DVD which I got free with one of the Smackdown vs Raw video games! As I was already well aware of their thoughts on Shawn, right to the point that his Mother originally wanted a baby girl, I did think that it was a bit unnecessary to include all of this. I realise that some fans may not have seen the other DVD but then again, I would have liked to have heard something a bit different, rather than conversations produced about five years ago.
The documentary portion of the set did skim over the issues of territorial wrestling and the transformation into national companies in the 1980's to the early 1990's. Whilst this may seem a bit irrelevant, it would have been helpful to hear a little bit more about the now redundant companies that Shawn has worked for during is career; they may be issues that many newer wrestling fans are not aware of so I felt that a little bit more information at this point on the disk wouldn't have hurt at all.
Having said that, I was mainly interested in hearing more about Shawn's earlier matches and title runs in the company as I didn't start
watching wrestling until 1996 and he had been an active part of the then WWF since 1988. I found the chapters about the introducing of the 'Heartbreak Kid' persona to be particularly interesting as they were mainly told by interviewee's, most dominantly from the view point of the long suffering company owner, Vince McMahon, and life time Shawn Michaels fan and current WWE performer, Chris Jericho. It was a shame however that whilst they were discussing this, the man who did come up with the nickname, 'Mr. Perfect' Curt Hennig, couldn't be here to discuss it as he passed away in 2003. The producers did however manage to dig up some recently archived footage from Shawn's first Manageress, 'Sensational' Sherri Martel as she too has died, rather suddenly last year.
However, before too long, the DVD did get back on to the rather familiar narrative of quips and tales that many fans, particularly those who have read the autobiography, would have known beforehand. There was some missing information though that I did feel downplayed much of the dedication Shawn gave to the business, at a seemingly rough place in his life, such as the incident during the first Hell in a Cell match. For example, after getting his head smashed against the steel cage, he needed both internal and external stitches to close the colossal wound. Whilst I do indeed know this story, I would have though that something like that may discourage some of the younger fans who may be watching, from trying wrestling at home although the images selected may also be a good incentive.
I did think that the presentation was rather good at displaying the more turbulent times of Michaels' life; the documentary goes deep into some issues that shaped Shawn into being a very vicious and depressive individual. At the time when this was all happening, the WWF was facing major financial issues because of the competition from the rival company, the now defeated WCW. As the Champion, he apparently took the poor ratings as a personal insult, which as a result, led to some dire health conditions and choices and an even more devastating back injury that kept him out of the ring for over four years...
These sections had the advantage of being directed by Triple H, one of Shawn's closest and most valuable friends during a time when he turned to drugs as a way to get through the day. Although Shawn's autobiography ventured into a much greater amount of detail in terms of the number of pills he took a day, I though that his buddy's opinion here was well justified and a credit to the whole set.
It was also at this point which some fans may feel a little bit put off by as the story turns a little more to the impact his stunning wife, Rebecca Curci, a woman who has worked for the rival company WCW and has, in many ways, influenced Shawn's most positive life changes. Her point of view, like Triple H's, I felt was invaluable as you really got a closer look at the man underneath all of the glitz and glamour of the American Wrestling Industry.
Yet, the reason why I do say it may not be for all fans is due to the heavy references to the Bible. Don't get me wrong, I personally have nothing against this at all; I think it's wonderful that a person who was said to be at breaking point managed to find peace and comfort. But for some people it may be a little over bearing although I do think this is more of a case with the autobiography as opposed to the DVD but it is a central theme in many of the later chapters here.
However, after such an intense few chapters fuelled by stories of near melancholy and self destruction, I felt that the last seven chapters were rushed and all in all a bit pointless. True, they are a part of the more recent history of the Heartbreak Kid that current fans are well aware of. However, in years to come, fans might be a little sketchier on the details so it would have been better in my opinion if they'd spent a little more time really delving into the stories at this point, rather than painting an almost serene picture of the past five to six years since his return. Although the set doesn't necessarily portray this, Shawn has had many set backs at this time including injuries, but I did feel that the idea of feuding off screen with his Summer Slam 2005 pay per view opponent, Hulk Hogan, was dealt with delicately. However, it was perhaps a bit too gentle for some fans that may not have had a clue that there was ever a disagreement off screen which may cause confusion.
The chapter which discussed the return of the popular, late 1990's faction D Generation X was entertaining but there was very little depth into why the stable was reincarnated at all which was a shame as many critics met the return with a certain amount of distain during it's run a couple of summer's ago.
The last chapter, entitled 'The Best Ever?' was unsurprisingly a tribute to the man himself by his peers, bosses and random people. It wasn't surprising that Jericho sees Shawn in this light; he'd been 'marking out' for him since his first second on the DVD but it would have been better to hear more than a few people's view on this, others that were perhaps not his buddies or immediate fans. Although, once again, I do realise that they couldn't produce a documentary slating the Heartbreak Kid, not on his own box set!
EXTRAS AND SPECIAL FEATURES Across all three of the disks, there are various extras and promos, with the second two disks concentrating primarily on matches featuring the Showstoppa'. The mix of these matches is pretty good; there are lots of memorable bouts and some that although were not bad by any stretch of the imagination, were simply not as high profiling as others.
Disk One: The first disk dedicates itself to promos from WWF/E television, deleted scenes from the main documentary as well as stories from pivotal people in Shawn's early life and career.
As far as the promo's go, although there were only three of them, these were my favourite extras on this disk. Earlier on in his career, Shawn had his own kind of chat show, entitled 'The Heartbreak Hotel', aptly named after the Elvis song, which he is a big fan of. Taken from the 4th of April 1994, it was during his feud with 'The Bad Guy' Razor Ramon who went on to go by his real name - Scott Hall - in WCW. Whilst it was a good segment, I do think that they could have plucked one from the achieves that really demonstrated Shawn in all of his character's arrogant glory.
The 'Tell Me A Lie' music video was a dedication I vaguely remember; although it was originally produced after Shawn got badly beaten up by a group of men in a nightclub, and had to surrender his Intercontinental Championship at the time, it was used later on when his career threatening back injury occurred in 1998. That was a good nostalgia trip, as was the Raw promo from August 2005 at the time when he was due to face Hulk Hogan at one of the biggest pay per views of the year, Summer Slam. It was a purely brilliant promo in which Shawn parodied the Hulkster to an absolute 'T'. That will always go down in history as my favourite segment of all time due to the great comedic timing and amazingly well acted script.
The deleted scenes however, I found were a bit too egotistical. Although it is said to be the honest truth about Shawn Michaels, in the sense that he is a changed man because of his more positive nature and the finding of Religion, it all came across as a bit corny and bizarre. Also, the section which discussed Shawn's Wrestling Academy was a little bit crude and uninformed; it didn't really state the reasons why he handed the company to another man, and in fact why it closed down all together.
The stories were quite entertaining though, ranging from tales from Shawn's High School buddy, Kenny Kent, and old tag team wrestling partner, Marty Jannety. Although I am a fan of Marty, I couldn't understand a word he was saying whilst he was talking about past incidences and their early experiences in the business. None the less, these parts were entertaining and gave you another good insight into the man himself.
Disk Two: Consisting of eight matches from the early to mid part of Shawn's career, disk two highlight to me how far he has come throughout his vocation. Whilst the very early matches on here were by no means his best of all time, they do show the great amount of potential that Shawn had against opponents such as Billy Jack Haynes in WCCW, his tag matches against The Brainbusters and The Hart Foundation as well as a singles bout against the UK's most famous wrestling export, The British Bulldog.
However, the most poignant of all of these matches is definitely the Royal Rumble match from the 22nd of January 1995. The Rumble contest is one of the most audience pleasing events off the whole year as it is dramatically different from most as the way to win such a match is to throw opponents over the top rope, rather than winning by pin fall or submission. If you outlast all of the other 29 contestants, then you have won the Royal Rumble match, gaining yourself a title match at Wrestlemania. Well, Shawn entered this match at #1, outlasting all 29 opponents and winning. Although this was in all frankness one of the most tepid Rumble matches I'd ever seen, I can understand why it was included as it was arguably the most pivotal part of his career, catapulting him to main event status.
Disk Three: Containing only six matches on the third and final disk was a little bit scandalous in a way after the eight on disk two. None the less, what matches there are here, they are all entertaining in their own way. However, I do feel that there could have been matches from 1997-8 but it skipped from 1996-03. Baring in mind that he did have an absence from mid 1998-2002, there were some rather good matches from the time just before he left for his much needed sabbatical.
That aside, the matches on here are of a very high quality and are thoroughly entertaining to watch. The matches against La Resistance and The British Bulldog prove that the Heartbreak Kid can pull a decent match out of some of the most uncharismatic and usually boring opponents (sorry to any Bulldog fans - just my opinion!).
The final match is perhaps the one that shows that Shawn is still a very gifted and entertaining performer. His epic match against John Cena, which lasted over an hour, is one of
Pictures
Shawn's infamous high spot from the Ladder Match in 1994
the very modern classics from his resume. I'm not a fan of Cena to be honest but I did think that Shawn pulled out the best in him and this was one of the best and more inconclusive matches on the disks.PACKAGING, PRESENTATION AND ON SCREEN EASE OF USE In terms of packaging and overall presentation, the WWE really put a lot of effort in to making sure that the artwork was graphically sound and modern. The front cover contains a younger picture of Shawn, from around 1996 which, as a fan, I could argue was the pinnacle of his career. I love the colours that were also used; the white, reds and blacks make the package look classy and complete, and as an added fact, they are HBK's favourite colours!
The inside of the set follows a similar format to the outside, complete with the same almost floral, swirl type patterns - not quite sure where that fits in with the world of professional wrestling but they do look quite cool! There is a montage of pictures from Shawn's life in its entirety from his very early days as a solo and tag team wrestler, right up until the momentous occasion when he did win the WWE Championship for the very first time.
As usual with all WWE produced DVD's, the on screen presentation is very good and easy to navigate. On all three of the disks, the main menu includes a different picture of Shawn and also his entrance video which, as a fan sat at home watching Raw, you rarely get to see, which was a nice touch. His theme song, which he sang during his young and cocky days 'Sexy Boy' plays on a loop in the background which makes the set seem really personalised and different from many others. Also, you can select which language you wish to listen and view the set in which is good for three nationalities at least!
However, whilst for the most part the presentation and overall look of 'Heartbreak and Triumph' is a winner, the outer sleeve of the packaging has a lot to be desired, not artistically but for the reason that I only got my copy of the set a couple of weeks ago and it's already started looking tatty and worn! Whilst the set in itself might stand the test of time, with all of the DVD's working well, I don't foresee the packaging being in such good working order in a couple of years time.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY Considering the set does last over 8 and a half hours and is a three disk set, I was quite impressed price wise. I managed to pick my copy up for £16 via the HMV website due to a special promotional offer. However, usually the prices for the set are as followed:
Amazon.co.uk: £20.98 (eligible for free delivery as part of the 'Super Saver' deal) HMV.co.uk: £17.99 (free delivery) Play.com: £23.99 (free delivery) DVD.co.uk: £23.49 (free delivery) Silvervision.co.uk: £21.99 (free delivery) Zavvi.co.uk: £23.00 (free delivery)
COMPARISON TO OTHER SHAWN MICHAELS VIDEO AND DVD PACKAGES There have been other Shawn Michaels' specialist sets and releases, starting with 'Hits from the Heartbreak Kid', released on the strength of his baby face (good guy) storyline persona turn and just after his second Royal Rumble win in 1996. As it was released in that era, many of Shawn's best matches weren't even dreamt about then which is where this set falls against 'Heartbreak and Triumph'. Having said that though, it does contain many of the classic matches and occurrences mentioned on here, including some of his epic bouts against the now Late Owen Hart and Razor Ramon.
The 'Heartbreak Express Tour' from June 1997 is the first complete Shawn video that I bought. I have to say that whilst its quality has faded due to the wear and tear of so many enjoyable watches, it again shows the stepping stones to the product that is now known as 'Heartbreak and Triumph'. It includes, again, many of the events and match highlights included on this set but is still a good and valuable purchase if you are a big fan of Shawn's but not essential if you are just starting to watch wrestling or become a new fan of the man himself.
However, the most recent of these packages is the 'From the Vault' DVD that was released in 2003. If you haven't got this before 'Heartbreak and Triumph', beside the matches, it goes into very little detail about most things with there only being short vignettes dictated by Shawn before each match. Having said that though, neither DVD includes the same matches which in a way discredits the newest release; many of the popular matches have already been released several times so if you are just a casual HBK fan, it may not be for you. Yet, for someone who is a massive Shawn fan, this was a good thing as I sadly missed the biggest majority of his early career so this is a good way to catch up on what happened before 1996 and to see the full evolution of the now immortal performer.
OVERALL Overall, whilst 'Heartbreak and Triumph' is a very good DVD set, boasting many excellent special features and extras, there are undeniably a few things that weren't quite up to scratch, considering it is meant to be a complete retrospective of Shawn's long and illustrious career so far.
The documentary, whilst on the whole very enjoyable to watch and listen to, I felt it was very repetitive; basically, if you've read the book of the same name, you may want to think twice before going out and buying this set if you are a bit strapped for cash.
Whilst none of the information on the interviews was incorrect (mainly because they chose people who were there throughout Shawn's life and career), sometimes it failed to really go into too much depth. For example, there was no mention that in 2004, his wife gave birth to a baby girl; although it is a minor detail, some fans may not be away of it and when he switched from talking solely about his 'son' to his 'children', there may be some that were a little confused by it.
These faults are rather minor though. What I did like was the fact that they actually got people who were and still are very close to the man himself to discuss his most poignant heartbreak and triumphs. Triple H, who has withstood some fierce combats both inside and outside of the ring with Shawn in the past decade and a half, obviously had a great amount of insight into some of his more questionable actions and consequences, as would company head, Vince McMahon. Chris Jericho spoke mainly for the fans and it's good to know that I'm not the only person to get that excited during Shawn's matches!
It would have perhaps been good to have heard an 'outsiders' perspective on many situations involving Shawn and many key influences in his life. However, many people who I would view as this are either unfortunately deceased or working for rival company TNA. This is a major downside to this set as people like his close buddy Kevin Nash (aka Diesel in the WWE) and Kurt Angle, whom Shawn arguably battled his best contests against in the 21st Century, could have added more depth to the commentary of the life and times of the Heartbreak Kid.
But, of course, the WWE want to promote Shawn Michaels as one of the most celebrated and talented individuals the company has ever known - and they certainly did that well!
QUICK STATS Running time: 8 hours, 30 minutes (approximately) Number of disks: 3 Languages: English, German and French (with subtitles) Age Certificate: 15+ (contains 'strong wrestling violence' - duh!) Official websites: www.wwe.com and www.silvervision.co.uk Year: 2007
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