Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line On The Most Popular Superstar Of All Time (DVD)

For whatever reason, Best Buy started selling this title on Nov. 22nd, so I already own the Blu-ray! So here's my review...

Blu-ray packaging: Great package, they actually included an insert with this one that contains the track listing for each disc. I liked all the artwork on the package, except for the cover.

Documentary: I originally became excited for this release when I heard Austin was going to provide audio commentary for 3 matches. I didn't care for the documentary because we've seen several Steve Austin DVDs released in the past and I didn't believe they could come up with anything else new to say about his career. However, the documentary is the best thing on here! Let me say this before I go any further... this is the single best documentary WWE has produced on a wrestler's career, ever! They put a ton of work into this. For all those that have complained about the poor quality of WWE's documentaries in the past (and justifiably so), you'll be glad to know they have redeemed themselves with this one. The documentary contains all new interviews, shot in HD. This HD video looks tremendous too, it has a warm film look to it, not a flat video look to it, like in so many other WWE DVDs. What makes the documentary feature so good is the massive list of peers WWE included to help tell the story of Austin's career; they include: Mick Foley, Dutch Mantel, Percy Pringle, Jim Ross, Arn Anderson, Paul Heyman, Triple H, Michael Hayes, William Regal, Chris Jericho, Joey Styles, Vince McMahon, Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, CM Punk, Christian, John Cena, Miz, Jerry Lawler, The Rock, Bill Demott, Booker T and John Morrison. Each of these people give their own thoughts and opinions on Austin's career which adds so much more to the presentation than if it were just Austin himself telling the story. People like Mick Foley, Paul Heyman, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, McMahon and the Rock give their perspective on what it was like to work with Austin as he took off to become the greatest wrestler of all time. While CM Punk and the Miz give passionate and real thoughts from a fan perspective regarding Austin's career during his red-hot WWF run. They cover everything in the documentary, it's long too! If you felt that previous Steve Austin documentaries and interviews were lacking or didn't tell the whole story, then get ready to hear everything from Austin breaking into the business to hosting Tough Enough in 2011 and everything in between. There wasn't a lot I heard that I didn't already know, but there are a handful of things that surprised me. I wont give them away, but the main thing involved Austin laying some bitter feelings to rest that I was glad to see he's put behind him. I really can't say enough good things about this documentary feature, it's tremendous. Austin holds nothing back during the documentary. WWE allowed him to swear (it's censored) and be himself, it's as if Austin is just kicking back and telling his story directly to you. So by the end, you really feel like you know the man. I think for longtime fans it'll bring back a ton of great memories and new fans will clearly get to see what made Austin the single greatest act in professional wrestling history.

Extras: It's hard to argue with the match listing on this set, it really captures Austin at his best. My only gripe, and it's a small one, is that they only included one USWA match, one WCW matches and zero ECW matches. They almost needed one more disc of matches to truly capture the full journey of Austin's career, but like I said, this is a minor gripe. I really wanted to see more of Austin's USWA and WCW TV Tile run, since those have been virtually ignored in previous Austin WWE DVD releases. With that said, what they did include is some of his best work from WWF. I was glad to see they included Austin vs the Rock for the Intercontinental Title from In Your House DX '97. That early IC Title feud is highly underrated in my opinion and it gave all of us a glimpse into the epic feud that would follow and headline WrestleMania a record setting three times! Austin vs Bret Hart from WrestleMania XIII is included, and unlike on the WWE - Bret "Hitman" Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be DVD, the audio isn't damaged and out of synch! For those that love Austin's promos, skits and vignettes they've included (on the Blu-ray edition) an entire disc dedicated to them! These are truly classic moments in wrestling history. Austin's ECW promos are here, some of Austin's best Bret Hart promos are here, the Tyson Austin confrontation from Raw is here, all of the vehicle gags are here, the Rock's funeral for Steve Austin is here and on and on it goes! They really loaded this one up with some classic moments. Austin and Jim Ross provide alternate commentary on three key matches in Austin's career, however don't expect a lot of insider stories or new information because in these commentaries Austin and Ross simply have fun and call the matches. Austin is very entertaining and funny on commentary, so these additions help freshen up some matches that you may have seen a million times before. The three matches are: Austin vs Bret Hart from WrestleMania XIII, Austin vs Michaels from WrestleMania XIV and Austin vs Rock from WrestleMania XVII - this is not only my favorite Steve Austin match, but it's my favorite WWF/WWE match of all time! (I'm glad I own the original uncensored WrestleMania XVII DVD because the blurring used to cover the old WWF logo is very distracting here).

Blu-ray Exclusive Features: If possible, I strongly urge you to spend the extra money and pick up the Blu-ray edition of this release if you can. It contains some must see exclusives you can't get anywhere else. There are rare bonus matches like: Austin vs Undertaker vs Triple H from No Mercy '99, exclusive interview outtakes that didn't make the final cut of the documentary feature (which are excellent) and exclusive Austin moments like: A Flair for the Gold '93 and classic promos.

Bottom line on this one is that if you're a Steve Austin fan this is a must buy. This is a fitting collection and presentation of arguably the greatest wrestler in history, don't miss this one.

At his apex, Stone Cold Steve Austin was a pop culture phenomenon and the biggest Superstar in the history of sports entertainment. Despite battling the rejection of being fired and a career-threatening injury, Austin persevered and vaulted to the top of his profession. Now, fans can relive the epic story of the Texas Rattlesnake with "Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line on the Most Popular Superstar of All Time". Filled with new, never-before-seen insightful interviews with Austin as well as his biggest rivals, including Mr. McMahon, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chris Jericho and more, this four disc DVD is packed with Stone Cold's most memorable moments and matches and provides a complete career retrospective on the man who revolutionized WWE.

Disc 1

Football and Wrestling
Rookie of the Year
From Hollywood California
A Platform
Fang McFrost
Main Event Momentum
1% Tough, 99% Lucky
Raising Hell
Tyson & Austin
Austin Era Has Begun
Cultural Phenomenon
Stooges
The Boss
Rattlesnake vs. Brahma Bull
Difficult Decisions
Return to Mania
Stone Cold Comedy
Really? I'm Not Coming!
One More Round
The Law of Monday Night RAW
The Show Never Ends
New Horizons
Somewhere Down In Texas

Disc 2

Stunning Steve Austin vs. Gentleman Chris Adams
USWA - May 1990

Stunning Steve Austin & Ric Flair vs. Sting & Ricky Steamboat
WCW Saturday Night - July 30, 1994

King of the Ring Final
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Jake The Snake Roberts
King of the Ring - June 23, 1996

Submission Match
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart
W/ Alternate Commentary By: Steve Austin & Jim Ross
WrestleMania 13 - March 23, 1997

Intercontinental Championship Match
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock
In Your House: D-Generation X - December 7, 1997

WWE Championship Match
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels
W/ Alternate Commentary By: Steve Austin & Jim Ross
WrestleMania 14 - March 29, 1998

Disc 3

Hardcore Match for the WWE Championship
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Dude Love
Over the Edge - May 31, 1998

WWE Championship Match
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker
SummerSlam - August 30, 1998

Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Big Show
RAW - March 22, 1999

No Disqualification Match for the WWE Championship
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock
WrestleMania 15 - March 28, 1999

No Disqualification Match for the WWE Championship
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. The Rock
W/ Alternate Commentary By: Steve Austin & Jim Ross
WrestleMania 17 - April 1, 2001

Disc 4

A Flare for the Old
WCW Saturday Night - June 5, 1993

A Bunch of Violent Crap
ECW Hardcore TV - October 10, 1995

WCW Monday Nyquil
ECW Hardcore TV - October 31, 1995

Flat Out Disgusted
ECW Hardcore TV - December 19, 1995

My Exact Opinion of Bret Hart
In Your House: Mind Games - September 22, 1996

Stone Cold on Livewire
Livewire - October 19, 1996

Home Invasion
RAW - November 4, 1996

1996 New Sensation Award
Slammy Awards Show - March 21, 1997

Freedom of Speech Award
Slammy Awards Show - March 21, 1997

Ambulance Attack
RAW - April 21, 1997

The World's Most Famous Stunner
RAW - September 22, 1997

Tyson and Austin!
RAW - January 19, 1998

The Easy Way or the Hard Way
RAW - March 30, 1998

Zamboni 3:16
RAW - September 28, 1998

Paging Dr. Austin
RAW - October 5, 1998

McMahon's Cement Corvette
RAW - October 12, 1998

Bang 3:16
RAW - October 19, 1998

Beer Truck
RAW - March 22, 1999

The Funeral of Stone Cold Steve Austin
RAW - April 19, 1999

Austin's Revenge
Survivor Series - November 19, 2000

Jim Ross Interviews Steve Austin and The Rock
SmackDown - March 22, 2001

Gift Giving Mood
SmackDown - July 5, 2001

Mr. McMahon's Alliance Woes
SmackDown - July 12, 2001

The Old Stone Cold
SmackDown - July 19, 2001

Whataburger
RAW - January 14, 2002

The Highlight Reel
SmackDown - June 7, 2003

The other reviewer only had the DVD contents, so I decided to put the extra content you'll get if you purchase the Blu-Ray edition. I myself don't have a Blu-Ray player, but I thought I could help out.

Blu-ray Exclusive Special Features

"Stone Cold" Answers Your Twitter Questions
The Sportatorium
The T-Shirt
The Broken Skull Ranch

Blu-ray Exclusive Matches

No Mercy - May 16, 1999
WWE Championship Match
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. Triple H

Raw - Oct. 8, 2001
WWE Championship Match
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle

No Mercy - Oct. 21, 2001
Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle vs. Rob Van Dam

WrestleMania XIX - March 30, 2003
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. The Rock

Blu-ray Exclusive Moments

WCW Saturday Night - May 15, 1993
A Flair for the Gold

Superstars - Nov. 17, 1996
The Biggest Draw in the World

Superstars - March 23, 1997
The Foundation of the WWE
Raw - Aug. 18, 1997
You Want a Pear? You Want an Apple?

Raw - March 17, 2003
Post-Raw: "Stone Cold" Has Some Words with The Rock

WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony - April 4, 2009
Vince McMahon Inducts "Stone Cold" Steve Austin into the Hall of Fame

WrestleMania 25 - April 5, 2009
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin Salutes Texas

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