Product Description
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WWE: WrestleMania XXVIII (3-Disc)(DVD)
ONCE IN A LIFETIME. The Rock and John Cena collide in the most
anticipated WrestleMania face-off in history, an epic match that
will forever define the legacies of these two icons. The Deadman
stakes his entire legacy on one battle with Triple H inside the
nightmarish prison they immortalized, Hell In A Cell, in the
match thatwill end an era, with The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels
as special guest referee. WWE Champion CM Punk faces off against
Chris Jericho in the explosive clash of revolutionaries that will
determine which man truly is “The Best In The World.” Daniel
Bryan defends his title against a riled-up and ruthless Sheamus,
who will have to fight through The Submission Spet’s
tactics to cl his first World Heavyweight Championship.
Witness the extraordinary as WWE takes over Sun Life Stadium in
Miami, Florida for WrestleMania XXVIII.
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For WrestleMania fans the most important reason to have volume
28 in their library will be the "Once in a Lifetime" main-event
match between Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson and John Cena, two of the
most recognizable faces of professional wrestling and bona fide
superstar royals in the stable of World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE). Most of the world now knows Johnson as a movie-star action
hero and sometime gifted dramatic/comedic actor (see Be Cool).
But before he became a global box-office draw, the Rock was one
of WWE's mainstays in and out of the ring, carrying on elaborate
feuds and grudge matches with other standouts in the
pro-wrestling empire. John Cena (who has also racked up several
acting credits) was one of those, so it's pure showbiz
grandstanding that pits the two in a battle of steroid-enhanced
bulging biceps, making this three-disc set an instant classic.
Who wins? It's not hard to guess, but that's really not the point
of watching the state-of-the-art acrobatic moves like Rock
Bottoms, Powerslams, People's Elbows, and Attitude Adjustments
that the two throw around in a precisely staged dance of
entertainment aggression. Even the most rabid fans will agree
that the heavily branded style of WWE events is pure
entertainment, and the nearly 80,000 people who attended
WrestleMania XXVIII on April 1, 2012, at Sun Life Stadium in
Miami Gardens, Florida, got exactly that. The Cena/Rock match
featured on disc two isn't the only draw that will thrill WWE
enthusiasts. Billed as "The End of an Era Hell in a Cell Match,"
Triple H grinds it out with Undertaker within the confines of a
chainlink cage. Two six-man crews soar and swing at each other
when Team Teddy faces Team Johnny; a heavily hyped girl/girl
tag-team bout pits Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos against Beth
Phoenix and Eve both in and out of the ring. There are also
contests pitting Daniel Bryan against Sheamus for the World
Heavyweight Championship belt and a WWE Championship Match
featuring loved and/or hated stars CM Punk and Chris Jericho. In
each of the event's eight official matches, the commentators fall
all over themselves with hyperbole and breathless, jargony
play-by-play while the spotlights swirl, the hip-hop and bass
beats pump, and the camera cranes zoom around the capacity crowd,
whose adrenaline level probably exceeds that of the attraction's
performers. Interspersed with the actual matches are features
such as interviews, up-close-and-personal backstories, and the
ubiquitous pre-bout baiting sessions staged on massive
prosceniums and mega video screens. Disc three is the
three-plus-hour 2012 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony--a
glittering event on par with any highly produced industry
logrolling party such as the Emmys or the Os. Along with the
WrestleMania show itself, the ceremony pretty much sums up the
unifying themes of theater, comedy, drama, pathos, and consuming
passion that are all equally important and quite obviously
genuine for performers, promoters, and fans alike.
Far from being a marginalized arena for cult-status devotees,
pro wrestling and the annual WrestleMania events are decidedly
mainstream. This is high-gloss, big-budget performance art with
lots of sweat, but none of the bloodletting or unrehearsed moves
that define the subculture of the amateur or low-rent pro circuit
seen in countless YouTube videos and portrayed by Mickey Rourke
and filmmaker Darren Aronofsky in The Wrestler. The savagery has
an ordered politeness that's more about storytelling and tightly
choreographed athleticism than it is about violence and chaos.
Indeed, there's a strong message of positivity and tolerance
pervading all the bogus grudges and phony beatings. The uplifting
message that's built in to WWE's evolved brand of big-money
entertainment is especially strong in the package's special
features, including mentions of charity work the WWE stars are
engaged in and the camaraderie they share when they're not
play-acting and swaggering. There's a proudly positive message of
equality to it all that's summed up in the massive "Rise Above
Hate" T-shirt Cena wears during the pre-show press conference.
WrestleMania is alive and well in America as an annual tradition
that's proudly red, white, black, and blue. --Ted Fry