Review for WWE LIVE IN THE UK - APRIL 2013

Twice every year WWE come to the UK and with that they put on a series of shows including tapings of Raw, Smackdown and the other shows. For years I have been saying that this is a pointless souvenir which would only interest the hardcore fan or those who were there. I have also said that really they should either do a one disk highlights from the shows as really who wants to watch a random episode of Raw from April? Or offer the set as an exclusive for those who were actually there.

Until any of this I guess I'm stuck with it.

The set includes full episodes of Raw, Smackdown, Superstars, Main Event and Saturday Slam. But it is sad that the only thing I'm interested in is the bonus match between Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle from WWE UK PPV Rebellion from 2001?!

This is a classic match between two great workers in their prime and despite the awful Invasion storyline surrounding it, the match itself is wonderfully entertaining. Which is more than I can say for the rest of the two disks.

Now it would be wrong of me to say there is nothing here of value. There is. The match between Team Hell No with The Undertaker against The Shield on Raw followed by a match on Smackdown between Undertaker and Dean Ambrose. Both are significant for a number of reasons. Firstly they are both great matches that could easily (especially the first one) have been PPV matches. Secondly this is one of the rare occasions that Taker has wrestled more than one match a year and though they both pale compared to his Mania match against Punk it is nice to see him do more than just pick up a Mania payday this year. And finally, this is the first time Taker has been back performing in the UK for a number of years and so that is very special. As I say, both matches are great and really help get over The Shield as THE heel group in the WWE.

Unfortunately, this is really where the positives end. Each show has one or two good matches such as the usual appearances by William Regal and Wade Barrett in their home country, the Randy Orton/Sheamus match against The Prime Time Players is a good tag match and even just for eye candy, the Divas Battle Royal is good, but these highlights are few and far between with an astonishing three awful Mark Henry matches on WWE Main Event alone?

Of the shows on offer, it is not surprising Raw is the most watchable, though you may still find yourself skipping much of it the other shows have their moments, but it is doubtful that you will watch them more than once. Even the classic match cannot cover up the lack of quality across the two disks and in some ways shows just how far WWE have fallen since 2001 and this was during one of the companie's worst storylines too!

Live in the UK April 2013 is another set that will appeal to a small demographic and until WWE realise this it will forever be a chore sitting through it. With a few tweaks here and there it could be a great way to remember the events, but as it is, all it is does it remind me that no matter where the show is WWE can sometimes be very boring. There is simply not enough highlights to recommend it to anyone other than the hardcore fan or those who were there.