Even those amongst you who weren’t born when “The Kliq” were taking their first tentative steps to being the most powerful backstage force in the World Wrestling Federation will surely know the story by now. After all whilst The Kliq Rules may be the first WWE DVD/Blu-Ray dedicated to the squadron, their story has been told, in pieces, on previous releases dedicated to Shawn Michaels, Triple H and the nWo as well as on numerous shoot interviews and in various books.
Still there is something that stirs in the blood for any long time fan to think that the main men are all being brought into one place to tell that story to the masses. And although the documentary feature on this set only lasts around 70 minutes, it certainly doesn’t stint on the names. Shawn, HHH, Nash, Hall and X-Pac are all front and centre throughout.
The tale goes from their paths crossing in their very early days in the business to their stint in the WWF. From there they split into two factions as Hall and Nash “go south” before time comes full circle and every WWE Hall Of Fame ceremony (seemingly) features the latest in a line of Kliq on-screen one night only reunions.
Although any one who has followed their story for the past two decades will learn little new on here, it is to everyone’s credit that they are very candid about the positives and the negatives of their alliance. Not everything runs true, with typical wrestling spin thrown in on more than one occasion, but on the whole it’s a nicely balanced telling of the tale that doesn’t pull many punches.
What adds to the package is the sheer amount of non-Kilq names that pop up to discuss matters. You might expect the likes of Billy Gunn and Vince McMahon to put their two pennies in, but there’s also an out of character Undertaker (whose fellow “Bone Street Krew” member The Godfather also pops up) which is always a treat as well as affirmed Kilq enemy Shane Douglas (who nevertheless tones down his real feelings ever so slightly). A typically bitter Bret Hart also makes an appearance.
Particular focus is paid to the infamous “Curtain Call”, with interviews with the two fans who filmed the only existing footage of the MSG “farewell” adding a nice change of pace for a WWE release. There’s also a look at the nWo’s brief return to the WWE in 2002. We wrap things up with a fairly extensive look at Hall (as Razor Ramon) and Nash’s inductions into the Hall of Fame.
As mentioned, long-term fans won’t find out much here. As an hour and a bit of nostalgia though it is a very entertaining ride. And despite initial qualms about a relatively short running time, it’s actually for the best. There’s no filler to drag things down.
The set comes PACKED with extra matches. From 1993’s brilliant angle between Razor Ramon and the 1-2-3 Kid right up to 2009’s TLC match between DX and JeriShow, there are 19 matches plus four more exclusive to Blu-Ray (including HHH Vs Sting from this year’s WrestleMania).
Match quality fluctuates from excellent (Razor and Shawn’s ladder match at WM) to barely passable but it is again a fun ride through the up’s and down’s of the Kliq and is rarely boring. If you were ever a fan of the Kliq or of their individual members this is a great trip down memory lane.
7 out of 10.