There are obviously many memorable Undertaker moments in the WWE back catalogue. There’s a fair share for Kane as well. But when popping this DVD into the machine I was struggling to think of THAT many memorable moments of the two as a team. The only thing that really came to mind was their feud in 2001 with Steve Austin and Triple H. Sadly nothing of that finds its way onto the DVD, with the Backlash 2001 match making it on the blu-ray as an extra.
That highlights the possible problem with even a one disc set of matches from the duo as a team. The idea of the team is impressive but there’s just not that much to choose from when it comes to picking out their best moments in collaboration. In a way though that ends up being part of the charm of this set.
After a brief video package introduction, things kick off with a No DQ match from an April 2001 Smackdown against Edge & Christian. It’s not the greatest match you’ll see from Edge & Christian, but it’s fun to see nevertheless. Similarly, a Tables match against the Dudley’s from a July 2001 Raw is not must-see TV but it is fun. Both matches highlight a problem when you compare the action within to the WWE of today where mid-carders aren’t often presented as threats, in any forms, to the established names.
Of course both matches also highlight the folly of the WCW Invasion that follows. Our brothers have little trouble in dispatching WCW mid-carders Chuck Palumbo and Sean O’Haire in a match from Smackdown – that was always to have been expected – but I personally would have hoped for more (both now, and at the time) from their SummerSlam 2001 Steel Cage match against WCW’s Chris Kanyon and Diamond Dallas Page. With both WWE and WCW Tag Team title’s on the line in this unification match it might have been nice for the WCW team to have been given a run and a chance but even if that was a pipe dream, a more competitive match would have been a nice bonus. It’s a decent enough match, no question, but watched 13 years later the feeling of a missed opportunity with the Invasion remains uppermost.
From there we fast forward to December 2006 where Kane & Taker battle current TNA superstars MVP and Mr Kennedy. It’s entertaining enough, without ever really threatening to excel. It’s at least ten times better than the match against Mark Henry and Big Daddy V that follows us. We end with an ECW match pitting our hero’s against The Miz and John Morrison. Again, it’s fun without being essential.
[youtube id=”1SpjcrfFISs” width=”620″ height=”360″]
There’s nothing on the DVD set that stands out as “must see” but it is nevertheless a fun look back at the history for the two as a team. If nothing else it’s a nice bonus to see names that don’t normally make it onto compilations of this nature like Chris Kanyon, Palumbo and O’Haire and a healthy sprinkling of current TNA stars.
The Blu-ray extras add more star power; Taker and Kane tackle Steve Austin with three different partners. Stone Cold teams with Billy Gunn from a September 1998 Raw, with The Rock from October of the same year and in the aforementioned Backlash 2001 match he teams with Triple H for the most memorable match on the set. Things close with the 2013 match where Daniel Bryan joins the Brothers of Destruction to take on The Shield.
Fans of The Undertaker and Kane will enjoy this set and will appreciate the, perhaps, forgotten matches that make up most of the set-list. It’s a fun trip down memory lane, even if there’s little of it you’ll be rushing to watch again any time soon.
Thank you to our partners, WWEDVD.co.uk and Fetch.fm for providing our copy of Brothers of Destruction: Greatest Matches. Brothers of Destruction: Greatest Matches is available DVD & Blu-Ray NOW. You can buy your copy from WWEDVD.co.uk now by clicking here.
[wp-review]
