CM Punk--Best In The Blu-Ray Player

One thing that many WWE DVD and Blu-Ray collectors have learned is that patience is a virtue.  A money-saving virtue, at that.  While there's no shame in purchasing the newest videos on release day, it's become apparent in the past few years that if you wait, you'll be saving some money.  Whether it's on WWE's own online shop or the discount bin at Wal Mart, it seems as if many of these releases are showing up at a lower price faster than ever.  When one of the discounted items just happens to be a release that you were prepared to pay full price for, it sweetens the pot even more.  That's exactly why I finally decided to take on the "Best in the World."

For "WrestleMania Season," Wal Mart stores have devoted a section of their DVD/Blu-Ray section to WWE product.  The display is topped with newly packaged DVDs of WrestleMania's 1 thru 15.  The many issues with those re-releases have been chronicled elsewhere, but the true gems in the promotion are positioned below.  The crown jewel?  "CM Punk--Best In The World."  A two-disc Blu-Ray that was just released last year for only $13?  Who could pass it up?

It's no secret that I'm a CM Punk fan.  Thanks to a local promotion frequently booking him in his early days, I sat ringside for some of the greatest matches I've ever witnessed live including Punk vs Eddy Guerrero, Punk vs Chris Hero, and several versions of Punk vs Christopher Daniels.  You always here people say that they "knew" that men such as Shawn Michaels or Steve Austin would be huge stars one day after seeing them early in their careers.  I always felt that was a little bull and a lot of hindsight.  After being exposed to CM Punk matches for about six months, I suddenly realized that the "gut" feeling can be very real.

Friends of mine who had seen the documentary on this release informed me that it was just like reliving those early days of Punk's career.  As surreal as it was to see Punk in a WWE ring for the first time or his first action figure, it's just as amazing to see that early indy footage show up on a WWE-produced documentary.  Comments from those with him in the early years help bring those decade-old stories to life and explain a side of professional wrestling that many of the "WWE Universe" crowd are probably very unfamiliar with.

While Punk's rise through the indies is interesting, the documentaries strongest point is how candid and truthful it was permitted to be regarding the infamous "backstage politics" in WWE.  To hear many tell it, no one persevered through that struggle better than CM Punk.  Though a few of his gripes seem more egotistical than anything (especially dismay over reporting to WWE's then-developmental territory, OVW), Punk did seem to struggle extraordinarily from his WWE debut to where he is today.  For someone of his immense talent, his ascension to the top was obviously hit by roadblock after roadblock.  "Best In The World" does a great job providing both sides to that story.

Many of the best features and stories filmed exclusively for this release actually show up on the second disc as special features.  Some are informative while others are purely an entertaining look at the life of one of the company's most popular stars.  No matter if you agree or disagree, you will learn exactly how Punk feels about almost everything.  Despite disagreeing with almost 99% of Punk's ideology, I found that it's almost impossible not to respect him.  Anyone who respects The Ultimate Warrior, as you'll learn in the special features, has to have something going on up there!

Of course a plethora of matches are included as well, beginning with a match from OVW and ending in the middle of last year.  Perhaps the only gripe I have with the release is here.  At least a couple of matches from Punk's early days should be included here.  Clips are shown through the documentary, and I'm sure many fans who've never seen them would be thrilled.

$13?  You can't go wrong.  For $13 it's worth it for the 2011 Money In The Bank Punk-Cena main event in high definition alone.  Heck, at full price you really couldn't go wrong here.  This is the best WWE release in a long, long time.  The brutal honestly that WWE allowed in the documentary cements that.

Is Punk's biggest moment yet to come?  Is he taking "The Streak" this Sunday?  If you're not already partcipating in our social media expansions to the blog, what are you waiting for?  Although we have a nice view of our Twitter feed on the side of this page, why not follow us @JWsWrestlingMem?  Even better, "Like" our Facebook Fanpage for a live look at so much of the excitement that will be going on in the New York/New Jersey area this weekend!  Whether you're joining us in The Big Apple or watching from your living room, enjoy WrestleMania XXIX!