The WWE UK television tapings have been a regular occurrence since the first one back in 2004. The benefits of this for the company are obvious: fans know that the WWE are only in the UK twice a year, so turn up in droves and always provide a vibrant atmosphere. This makes for more exciting television, makes the wrestlers look like bigger stars and encourages the wrestlers to put in better performances. Now, we get this DVD package which brings together the episodes of Raw, Smackdown, Superstars and Main Event that were taped in the Birmingham LG Arena last November.

Firstly, the positives: there are a lot of matches spread over the two DVD’s. While some of these are pretty short and inconsequential, you do get some really good bouts for your money. The Raw match between the Miz and Sheamus is given plenty of time and builds to an exciting finish, whilst Main Event offers Sheamus again, this time in a hard-hitting war with villainous Brit Wade Barrett (who is given hero status from the crowd). The Smackdown show, meanwhile, presents a falls-count-anywhere bout between Randy Orton and the always excellent Alberto Del Rio, who battle all over the LG arena. Add to these a pair of solid bonus matches from previous UK tours (The Rock/X-Pac from 1998, and Randy Savage/Ultimate Warrior from Summerslam 1992) and you certainly get a good selection of in-ring action. Plus, there is some amusement to be had seeing porky comedy wrestler Brodus Clay getting booed out of the building by a partisan English crowd when he takes on Barrett on Raw.

However, it isn’t all good news. Outside of the wrestling, you do have to sit through some pretty tedious angles and interviews. It’s highly unlikely that anyone who sat through the AJ Lee/John Cena love scandal storyline back in November will want to relive it here, never mind having to sit through the recap videos that plague Smackdown and Main Event. Also, several matches do have gaps in them where commercial breaks would have been slotted on the original broadcasts. This affects some matches more than others – the Del Rio/Orton match goes to break with the wrestlers fighting in the crowd, then comes back to find them back in the ring. It’s a distraction, and one which only serves to highlight the biggest flaw with this collection...

The problem is, you can’t really shake the feeling this is a bit of a cash-in job. What you’re being asked to pay for, in essence, is one week of WWE programming that just happens to have been filmed in the UK six months ago. The storylines are already in progress, and any storyline that does draw you in will stop for you without resolution when Smackdown finishes. For example, there is a significant development in the saga of rogue referee Brad Maddox, as company chairman Vince McMahon offers him a $1 million contract if he can win a match vs. the monstrous Ryback the following week. Does he win? You’ll have to go online to find out – this isn’t a match that is going to see a DVD release, as is the case for the regular episodes of Raw. As a souvenir for those in attendance, this collection will do a fine job. For those of us who weren’t in attendance, it does feel a bit pointless.

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