Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12441 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-02-25
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 510 minutes

Synopsis
A retrospective of legendary wrestler Shawn Michael's career.

Customer Reviews

The perfect compliment to From The Vault
From The Vault: Shawn Michaels was simply one of the most outstanding DVDs that WWE had ever released. Chronicling five of the Heartbreak Kid's greatest matches, featuring exclusive interviews with the man himself, with so many extra segments, pay-per-view vignettes, a smattering of Shawn's childhood and beginnings from `Before They Were Superstars' among other real gems, you had one of the best wrestling releases ever.

Five years later, one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) of all time is honoured yet again. This time with a 3-Disc set that is a proper biography and look back on Michaels' career. And before you ask `is this on a par with From the Vault?', I will answer with a definitive `yes'.

Heartbreak and Triumph is yet another high-quality life-story. It's very similar to the stories of Eddie Guerrero and Bret Hart, in that it's a tale that's full of struggle, unforgettable career moments, hard times, honesty, complicated issues and light at the end of the tunnel. So you have the basic ingredients for a really captivating tale. And the fact that the centre of it all is one of the most phenomenal (and controversial) stars in wrestling's history...can only add more fuel to the fire.

They're some absolutely great highlights throughout the main program. These consist of Shawn's beginnings, the formation of the Midnight Rockers with Marty Jannetty, his Intercontinental Championship reigns, the Boyhood Dream that lead him to the WWE title, the formation of the Clique and D-Generation X, and of course, being the pioneer of the Ladder Match and Hell in a Cell. But the moments that stand out above everything else are Shawn's struggles throughout his career and in real life.

This documentary doesn't pull that many punches regarding certain things. It's no secret that Shawn's reputation was once that of an arrogant individual, so none of the interviewees bother to hide that. His struggles as WWE Champion in 1996 during WCW's dominance, the reputation of the Clique and very controversial curtain call, his drug problems, real-life hospitalization, D-X breaking all kinds of taboos and intense animosity with Bret Hart all remind us what HBK was truly like behind-the-scenes.

And then of course, there's the Montreal Screwjob from Survivor Series 1997. After watching the Bret Hart story so many times, it's very interesting for Shawn to give his side of the story. I completely understand Shawn's reasons (and Vince and Triple H's for that matter) why he did what he did. And on one level, I do agree with them. But what I don't agree with, is how they all overlook the exact details of Bret's leaving, his loyalty to the company and his reasons for not wanting to drop the belt to HBK. I also dislike how Triple H and Gerald Brisco try and make out that Bret Hart was the bad guy at the heart of it all, even though everyone's entitled to their own opinion regarding the whole sordid affair.

Shawn Michaels is a person you can actually sympathise, though. His devastating back injury which lead to the end of his era and a forced early retirement is truly heartbreaking to watch. The fact that his drug problems hadn't gone away either, really makes you feel sorry for him. To hear Shawn tell of his depression, falling out with HHH and impending self-destruction is so frighteningly real. That's when you discover that Shawn really is a good man at heart and it's thankful and heart-warming to relive the tale of his finding religion. His miraculous comeback at SummerSlam 2002 is a moment of true happiness, as his redemption and evolution into a better person had come full circle.

The documentary closes with the most important career moments from his comeback, such as his epic WrestleMania classics with Chris Jericho and John Cena, his program and real-life heat with Hulk Hogan, bizarre feud with Vince McMahon and the rebirth of D-Generation X. Heartbreak and Triumph ends on a high note, too. A once-arrogant yet phenomenally talented man broken down and rebuilt as the same awesome athlete, but also as a man who's changed so much for the better, is the moral of the story. And it's one that is so inspirational, and makes me prouder than ever to be a fan of Shawn Michaels.

Like the main program, none of the special features disappoint. There are some awesome deleted scenes, a hilarious Larry King segment from the Showstopper's feud with Hulk Hogan, his `Tell Me A Lie' music video, a 1994 Heartbreak Hotel segment, some great extra stories and a couple of nice Easter Eggs to boot.

All the extra matches occupy the spaces of discs 2 and 3. And none of the matches on From The Vault are included here, which is excellent as it not only preserves the value of From The Vault, but also allows us to be treated to some of the Heartbreak Kid's other classic matches. These include some awesome Rockers matches, his 1995 Royal Rumble victory, forgotten IC title classics, and godlike half-hour/hour long encounters with the likes of the British Bulldog, Kurt Angle, Triple H and John Cena. Though I really would've loved to have seen his casket match with the Undertaker, his second ladder match with Razor Ramon, his SummerSlam `96 bout against Vader, battles with Sycho Sid and WrestleMania 19 encounter with Chris Jericho, I can't complain. Each match included here is staggeringly high in quality and none of them disappoint.

In closing, Heartbreak and Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story is truly essential. All fans of HBK will lap it up. Make sure you have a space on your shelves to slide this next to From The Vault. This is not only the perfect compliment to that release, but an excellent addition to your wrestling DVD collection on its own.

Fantastic Frank and Honest
As a lifelong fan of HBK I raced out to buy this DVD on the day of release, and I am glad I did!!!! The HBK book of the same name was a good read, but the DVD covers all bases, Shawn talks about how he developed a love for wrestling, how he got into the business and how he became the star he is today.

Shawn talks openly about his addiction to painkillers and how he overcame those problems. He discusses his faith and how that plays a pivotal role in the man he is today. There is additional commentary from Shawns parents, childhood friends and peers (notably Chris Jericho who admits that HBK was a role model for Jerichos own career).

The 3 disc set compiles one disc focusing on his career and two discs focusing on matches that Shawn feels are stand out matches in his career.

Overall this is a great DVD and a definate must for HBK fans. Those who are only just getting into wrestling would also benefit from this DVD to see HBK in his heyday but also see some greats in action who are no longer with us (Davy Boy Smith, etc).

Great documentary and matches
Before I watched this DVD, I could have written everything I knew about Shawn Michaels on the back of a postage stamp. I missed Shawn's first stint in the WWE so never knew much about his background. I was always interested to know more though because I enjoy his athletic and high-flying wrestling style.

The documentary on Disc 1 is 2 hrs, 2 mins long and does an excellent job of discussing the key moments in Shawn's personal and professional life. I was actually surprised by how honest it was. It showed that Shawn could be arrogant and selfish, and wasn't always liked by others. Shawn was also honest about how drug problems and pain affected his life. The overall picture of Shawn, by the mid to late 90s, was a man who was successful in the ring but unhappy outside of it, and was on a path of self-destruction. The DVD then shows how Shawn turned his life around and returned to WWE. At first, although he got married and had a child, he was still using drugs...but through developing a stronger Christian faith he was able to give up drugs and become a happier person who is also nicer to the people around him. It was brilliant to watch a wrestling story where there is actually a happy ending!

The documentary is enhanced by comments from Michaels' family, people he used to work with, Vince McMahon and other wrestlers - particularly Triple H, Chris Jericho and Marty Jannetty. The documentary is very emotional, a real feel good story by the end, and it gives the impression that Shawn has learnt a lot from his past mistakes. The Extras on Disc 1 include some deleted scenes from the documentary, a really good `Tell me a Lie' tribute video, and a funny promo where Shawn dresses up as Hulk Hogan.

Other reviewers will probably outline the matches on Discs 2 and 3 better than I could - but I do think it is a great range of old and new matches. My faves are probably the Royal Rumble 1995, and the newer matches against Triple H, John Cena (filmed in London, which is nice for us UK viewiers!) and Kurt Angle. I am particularly happy that WWE mainly chose matches that weren't available on other DVDs and they didn't include any Wrestlemania matches either, because most fans already have those on DVD.

Overall, this DVD is highly recommended for all WWE fans, including people like me who didn't have any knowledge of Shawn Michaels before the 2000s.