WrestleMania XXIV DVD Review

WrestleMania XXIV is being released as both a 3-disc DVD set and a 2-disc Blu-ray set. This review is of the DVD set, however both releases feature the same footage. The event is most notable for Ric Flair's retirement, Floyd Mayweather's wrestling debut, and being outdoors. The Flair match has a great chance of being my match of the year, Mayweather's battle was a WrestleMania-worthy spectacle, and the visuals from being held outdoors are making me think about upgrading to HD. In particular, the Money in the Bank match looks incredible due to the change from day to night.

On the night of WrestleMania XXIV, I wrote "Years from now, this event will be remembered for Flair’s retirement and not much else. However, the event was still worth the purchase price." Since the DVD costs less than the event and also contains the Hall of Fame ceremony, I'm giving this a thumb's up. However, if you recorded the show and the Hall of Fame telecast on USA, the lack of bonus features on the DVD should give you pause about purchasing this. With the exception of some moments in the Hall of Fame ceremony, everything on the DVD was seen on either the PPV event, the USA Network, or on wwe.com.

One of the reasons that I wasn't so high on this event originally might have been due to fatigue. Including the pre-show battle royal on wwe.com, I was watching this show for 4 1/2 straight hours. Thanks to the ability to watch the DVD in smaller time chunks, I found the final two matches much more enjoyable the second time around.

Another thing that makes this DVD better than the live event was the Hall of Fame ceremony. Ric Flair's retirement ceremony is sure to bring a tear to the eye of anyone that watches it. It's amazing to see WWE stars shedding tears whenever Flair talked about them. I'm just disappointed that Flair's farewell address on RAW isn't on this DVD. It is tentatively scheduled to be on his DVD coming out in July.

I had a weird experience with the DVD from a technical standpoint. When I put it on my computer, the picture was in wide-screen and featured both the WWE and WWE HD logos on the screen. When I watched it on my TV it was in standard view.