Search - No Mercy/Survivor Series: Tagged Classics on DVD

75% SmackDown, 85% Garbage

R.A. McKenzie | New York | 12/14/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Alright, so the WWE is once again releasing some older PPVs in the hopes of making a quick buck. They've put out a few commendable pairs from the 2003 catalog, but I'm not falling for this one. In short, both PPVs have two good matches, while the rest is poor.

*****NO MERCY 2003*****
---There are a few good matches on here, but nothing that you need to pay money for. The opener features Rey Mysterio challenging Tajiri for the Cruiserweight Title, a match that is pretty exciting, but a tad short. For the second year in a row, Brock Lesnar defended the WWE Championship against The Undertaker at a NO MERCY PPV. The main event was a Biker Chain Match, and while not as brutal as their Hell-In-A-Cell Match, it's a still a decent match. However, it's clear from the getgo that a screwjob finish was on the brink. Perhaps the biggest highlight for most fans will be the grudge match between John Cena & Kurt Angle. I still think their best match together was Cena's TV debut on SMACKDOWN, but this particular encounter is a solid one. Other than that, the rest of the card ranges between "Acceptable" and "Boring". You'll get to see future champions Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero in "David/Goliath" matches against A-Train and Big Show (respectively); both are watchable, but not very good. The other semi-main event is the "I Quit" Match between Stephanie McMahon and Vince McMahon. If it weren't for the McMahons revealing the true story behind the contest, it would be criticized even more than it already is.

All in all, NO MERCY 2003 isn't bad, but for completists only.
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*****SURVIVOR SERIES 2003*****
---I already have a longer review of this event somewhere in My Profile, but I'll give a short recap. Basically, the two Survivor Series Elimination Matches are very good, especially the RAW Match, which will go down as one of the PPV series' finest moments. And...the buck stops there. Kane & Shane McMahon followed up their heavily-praised Last Man Standing Match at UNFORGIVEN with a poorly-executed Ambulance Match. There's a WWE Tag Titles Match between The Basham Brothers & challengers Los Guerreros, which is solid, but not a must-see contest. The two main events are where this PPV falls very flat. SMACKDOWN's main event pits Vince McMahon against The Undertaker in a Buried Alive Match; this was a bloody beatdown for Vince, but the finish was beyond predictable weeks before the PPV took place. RAW's main event rematches Triple H against World Heavyweight champion Goldberg. I kinda like the HHH/Goldberg UNFORGIVEN encounter, but this one forced HHH to carry his opponent even more than before.

SURVIVOR SERIES 2003 does have two PPV-quality matches, but that's it.
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OVERALL
---NO MERCY 2003 is a good example of why brand-only PPVs weren't going to work. And SURVIVOR SERIES has two great Elimination Matches, and the rest is flatout miserable. There's some minor interest in this Tagged Classics combo because the SMACKDOWN storylines complement each other pretty well (i.e. the Taker/Vince rivalry, and witnessing Cena's babyface turn). I always suggest going on YouTube to find good matches one poor 3-hour events. But if that's not an option for you, then only buy this set at a very cheap price, like 5 dollars."