WWE 2011 - Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (Blu-Ray)

First, this DVD release will end up probably being hated by a vast majority of wrestling fans that view it. Why? Because it shatters several myths that wrestling fans have enjoyed discussing for years. Things that fans have believed and thought were real are denounced by both men in the interview. So, if you prefer to hold onto the myths and legends surrounding these two, you may want to actually skip this release. With that said, this is easily one of WWE's best DVD releases ever. It's right up there with The Rise and Fall of ECW and for many will surpass it. This set is all about the lengthy sit down interview between the two men. It's not all about Montreal, and Jim Ross (the host) stresses that both men's careers weren't defined by that one night, it's a discussion on how both men came up in the wrestling business, first as friends, then bitter rivals and how they managed to make peace in the end. You'll hear both men talk about their tag team careers and what they thought of one another early on. You'll hear how excited Shawn was to see Bret become champion because he viewed that as Bret paving the way for him to achieve the same goal. You'll hear Bret discuss how he admired Shawn Michael's wrestling ability and would go to bat for him several times to Vince McMahon. You'll also hear how the seeds were planted for their rivalry, which was a work in the beginning, but became legitimate hatred later on. Both men get emotional, numerous times, during this interview. As a fan of both, it's hard not to get choked up right along with them as they relive the most emotional parts of their careers. They speak from the heart and hold nothing back. I've seen every WWE DVD documentary released and this one will move you, especially if you've followed both men's entire careers like I have. Many stories and myths about their rivalry and hatred for one another are squashed by both men, which I still believe will upset a lot of fans. I don't want to spoil anything, so I wont give away the meat of what was discussed in the interview, I'll just leave it at that. Just know that many of the cool stories and conspiracy theories people, and wrestling journalists have talked about for years, will be proven to be just that... stories and conspiracy theories.

As for the matches, there's nothing here we haven't really seen before, with one exception. They included a rare steel cage match from these two that you wont find on any other DVD, so it's cool to see it here. The infamous Survivor Series match is not included on this DVD set, but instead is an exclusive bonus match on the Blu-ray edition: WWE Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart: WWE's Greatest Rivalries 2-Disc Blu-ray.

Needles to say, this is a must buy for any fan of Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. It's a tremendous look back on two of the most important careers in wrestling history. Their discussion is an unfiltered look at what made them great and clears the air on the more controversial parts of their legendary careers.

Disc 1 (Interviews)

San Antonio vs. Calgary

The Rockers vs. The Hart Foundation

Heartbreak Kid vs.The Hit Man

Intercontinental Champion vs. WWE Champion

Showstopper vs. Excellence of Execution

Progressive vs. Traditional

Fantasy vs. Reality

Respect vs. Trust

Redemption vs. Reconciliation

Hope vs. Peace

Disc 2

The Rockers vs. The Hart Foundation
Madison Square Garden - 25th November, 1989

Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
Wrestling Challenge - 10th February, 1990

The Rockers vs. The Hart Foundation
Tokyo Dome - 30th March, 1991

Ladder Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
Portland, Oregon- 21st July, 1992

Intercontinental Championship Match
Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
Syracuse, New York- 29th April, 1992

WWE Championship Match
Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
Survivor Series - 25th November, 1992

Steel Cage Match
Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
Utica, New York - 1st December, 1993

Disc 3

Iron Man Match for the WWE Championship
Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
WrestleMania 12 - 31st March, 1996

WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Bret Hart's Induction
Chicago, Illinois - 1st April, 2006

Bret Hart Returns to Raw
Raw - 4th January, 2010

WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Shawn Michaels' Induction
Atlanta, Georgia - 2nd April, 2011

Blu-ray Exclusives

Vince McMahon Interviews Shawn Michaels & Bret Hart
Raw - 3rd February, 1997

Bret Hart Promo In Ring
Raw - 12th May, 1997

Hart Foundation Promo In Ring
Raw - 19th May, 1997

WWE Championship Match
Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels
Survivor Series - 9th November , 1997

Extra Interview Pieces:

The First WWE Ladder Match

SummerSlam 1992

Winning the WWE Championship for the First Time

Bret's WCW Regrets

Cameras Rolling Between Takes

I'm going to try to keep this brief, as I could probably write thousands of words about this. I am only going to review the portion where the two legends sit with Jim Ross for a face to face. These two guys, sitting next to each other, looking older... truly surreal. Bret's honesty during this and his emotion is beyond moving. All of the stories that he told in his book that sounded suspicious have all but been confirmed here. He puts it all out there for everyone to see. Shawn says things of self awareness that his 1998 self probably would have super-kicked him for saying. Interestingly, you still see moments of the old Shawn tripping over some fibs and trying to bite his tongue when Bret lets him know how he really felt.

Overall, very few punches are pulled, and you get the idea that these guys needed this more than the fans needed to see it (and we want to see it pretty badly). There are touching moments that would surprise fans and non-fans alike. Nothing like the story that these two have will ever be matched, and hopefully (and ironically), Shawn will be the guy that Bret gets to sit down with, have a few drinks and talk old war stories well into their old age (as he very emotionally touched upon in an extra on his DVD set from a few years back after the passing of nearly all of his old friends).

Finally , this is easily one of the best DVD"s or pieces of video the WWE has ever put out. I can't speak for the fans that are too young to have truly remembered the depths of this whole thing, but as someone who watched these guys start out as tag team rivals and end up hugging in the ring twenty years later after everything that they've both been through... more than a tear was shed. 10/10