The Complete Story of Heartbreak and Triumph? (WWE - Shawn Michaels - Heartbreak And Triumph (DVD))

Name: MizzMolko

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Product:	WWE - Shawn Michaels - Heartbreak And Triumph (DVD)
Date:	02/06/08 (121 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some good, insightful moments and 'forgotten' matches

Disadvantages: Almost the same as the autobiography, lacking depth in some places

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.

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 concerns itself with promos taken directly from WWF/E television as well as stories from pivotal people in Shawn's early life and career. It was nice to see the 'Tell Me A Lie' music video again as I do vaguely remember it when it was first aired in 1998 after Shawn suffered his 'career ending' back injury. It was also a pleasure to see the 'Heartbreak Hotel' interview skits from about 1994, when Shawn's character was more arrogant than today.

Disk two looks at eight matches from Shawn's career, the most important of these being the Royal Rumble match in which he entered first, outlasted 29 other men in which he didn't get thrown over the top rope to be eliminated from the match, and won. Although it was one of the most tepid Royal Rumble bouts I've ever seen, it was completely necessary as it was certainly a poignant moment in his career.

Disk three, on the other hand, contains six matches and shows exactly why people praised the Showstoppa' for so long; he managed to drag decent matches out of the uncharismatic and boring opponents with very limited moves lists and bland styles. It goes right up to the present day, with his epic match against John Cena, a man many people think is awful to watch. Again, Shawn dragged out an hour long and entertaining bout from the Dr. of Thuganomics which is a testament to his abilities.

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)

Overall, in spite of the fact that the DVD was perhaps too similar to the autobiography released previously, this DVD set is definitly worth having if you are either a die hard fan of Shawn Michaels or a casual fan with none of the other collections. It's a very well put together, interesting story of one of the very best the wrestling industry will ever know.

Summary: Another good WWE career retrospective DVD, this time, of the Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels!