Best of SmackDown DVD Review

As part of the 10th Anniversary of SmackDown, the WWE has released this three-disc DVD set. The format of this set is a countdown of the top 100 moments in the history of the show. The DVD set is hosted by Michael Cole and Matt Striker. To avoid spoiling the set for you, I have listed the countdown of the 100 moments on page 2.

Before becoming a network dedicated to trying to find love for losers, VH1 used to consistently run countdown specials. All of these countdowns featured a cast of characters giving their comments about something. However, instead of being able to enjoy the clips of the artists, I always found myself unsatisfied and wanting more. This DVD set is the WWE's version of those countdown specials.

The hosts of the DVD, Matt Striker and Michael Cole, do a good job of moving the action along. Striker is getting better at this job and isn't a liability to this DVD like he was for the Randy Savage DVD. As far as the people talking during the clips, Todd Grisham is on fire during this set and this is his finest work with the company to date.

One of the problems with this format of the DVD is that you never get a feel for how the show was during a particular period and how it has changed over time. While each disc of the RAW XV DVD showed a progression of the WWE, the format of this set ensures that the DVD starts off slow with stuff you probably won't care about and eventually gets better.

However, the thing that makes the least sense is the selection of the matches. The matches picked for this set take place throughout the set so you never go too long without watching a match. However, wouldn't you rather see the match that was the number 2 moment in SmackDown history as opposed to the match the WWE ranked 94 slots lower?

While I'm not surprised that we don't get to see a full Chris Benoit match, I am shocked there is no full Brock Lesnar match. Hopefully, the WWE is working on a 3-disc set for him and that is the reason we don't get any of his complete matches on this set.

The following matches are shown "complete" on this set. Please note that the matches are shown like they were on TV so you will miss the action that took place during the commercial break. Because I don't want to spoil the rankings for this DVD for those that want to be surprised when watching the DVD, I have sorted the matches by date.

8/26/99 Shawn Michaels is the Referee: WWE Champion Triple H vs. The Rock
10/14/99 World Tag Team Champions New Age Outlaws vs. Rock `n' Sock Connection
12/30/99 Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho vs. Chyna
3/9/00 Tables Match: The Rock vs. Dudley Boyz
4/20/00 Non-title Match: WWE Champion Triple H vs. ECW Champion Tazz
4/12/01 Intercontinental Champions Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy
9/4/01 Non-title Match: Hardcore Champion Rob Van Dam vs. WWE Champion Steve Austin
4/25/02 Randy Orton vs. Hardcore Holly
5/2/02 WWE Champion Hulk Hogan vs. Chris Jericho
6/27/02 John Cena vs. Kurt Angle
7/4/02 WWE Tag Team Champions Billy & Chuck vs. Edge & Hulk Hogan
7/4/02 WWE Champion The Undertaker vs. Kurt Angle
9/26/02 No Disqualification: Edge vs. Eddie Guerrero
5/29/03 WWE Tag Team Champions Eddie Guerrero & Tajiri vs. Team Angle
6/5/03 Cruiserweight Champion Matt Hardy vs. Rey Mysterio
7/3/03 Zach Gowen/Stephanie McMahon vs. Big Show
7/15/04 Cage Match: WWE Champion JBL vs. Eddie Guerrero
10/7/04 US Champion John Cena vs. Carlito
9/9/05 Cage Match: Rey Mysterio vs. Eddie Guerrero
9/16/05 Randy Orton vs. The Undertaker
10/3/08 Batista/Rey/Finlay/Jeff Hardy vs. MVP/JBL/Kane/Brian Kendrick

Thumb's in the middle. While a nice stroll down memory lane, this DVD could have been so much more. The 3-disc DVD set for RAW was significantly better for two reasons. One was the format and the other is that since RAW is considered the flagship program of the WWE, SmackDown has been considered the B-show for most of the decade. While many will say that SmackDown has been the better show since the draft, the problem with that argument in regards to this DVD is that there in nothing from 2009 on the set. In addition, arguably the greatest era of the program, known as the era of "The SmackDown Six" is given minimal coverage due to heinous final actions of Chris Benoit.