The Kliq Rules (Disc 2)

Nothing but matches on disc two, so let’s dive right in:

~Disc 2 Matches and Star Ratings~

1. Good Friends, Better Enemies, 4/28/96: WWF World Heavyweight Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) defeated Diesel in a No Holds Barred Match at 17:53 to retain the title. ****¾
2. Monday Night RAW, 5/13/96: WWF World Heavyweight Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Jose Lothario) defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley in a non-title match at 20:00. ***½
3. WCW Monday NITRO, 1/12/98: The Outsiders (Scott Hall & Kevin Nash, w/ Hollywood Hogan) defeated WCW World Tag Team Champions The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner, w/ Ted DiBiase) to win the titles at 11:17. **¼
4. WCW Halloween Havoc, 10/25/98: Scott Hall defeated Kevin Nash via countout at 14:19. *
5. Backlash, 4/25/99: Triple H (w/ Chyna) defeated X-Pac at 19:19. ***
6. SmackDown, 3/28/02: Hulk Hogan, The Rock & Kane defeated Kevin Nash, Scott Hall & X-Pac at 6:38. **¾
7. Judgment Day, 5/18/03: Kevin Nash (w/ Shawn Michaels) defeated World Heavyweight Champion Triple H (w/ Ric Flair) by disqualification at 7:22. *¼
8. TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, 12/13/09: D-Generation X (Triple H & Shawn Michaels) defeated Unified Tag Team Champions Jeri-Show (Chris Jericho & Big Show) in a TLC Match to win the titles at 22:50. ****

~JZ Says~

After Shawn Michaels became Champion in 1996, and Diesel was on his way out of the company, it was only natural for Nash to put over his good friend on the way out. And put him over he did! Michaels and Diesel had a banger of a No Holds Barred Match, featuring such wild things as a powerbomb through a table, and Diesel removing ringside guest Mad Dog Vachon’s prosthetic leg and using it as a weapon. Hey, for 1996 this was nuts. The match still holds up too.

Just weeks after the Diesel match, Michaels got in the ring with Triple H, then Hunter Hearst Helmsley for the first time. It’s very clear watching this match now that Michaels was doing everything he could to make the future Game look as good as possible. They had a really good 20-minute TV match unfortunately gutted by some commercial breaks.

Jumping ahead nearly two years to 1998, for the first NITRO match on the set. Nash and Hall beat the Steiner Brothers to become the WCW Tag Team Champions for the fourth time. The match was nothing that exciting, and it’s a curious inclusion here.

The worst match on this set is unquestionably Nash v Hall from Halloween Havoc. Hall spent most of the match on offense, as Nash’s heart didn’t seem to be in it. Eventually, Nash hit a couple of Jackknife Powerbombs and then left, getting himself counted out. This was on a show they asked us to PAY for, by the way. At least the inclusion of the match made sense, but this match is awful.

Back to the WWF for Triple H’s first big singles match after the WrestleMania XV heel turn, against X-Pac. The match was a bit long, but mostly good. Kane interference and assorted shenanigans turned it into a run of the mill affair by the end, but it was solid.

Moving ahead three years to the disastrous nWo run the WWF/E in 2002, it’s a six-man tag match from SmackDown. Hogan, Rock, and Kane were a fun trio, and the match against Nash, Hall, and X-Pac was good TV. It was very short, but fun while it lasted.

What was not fun while it lasted was the Triple H v Kevin Nash match from Judgment Day in 2003. It was just over seven minutes, featured interference from Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair, and ended in a disqualification. They had a better Street Fight or Hell in a Cell match just weeks after this one, and I’m not sure why they wouldn’t include one of those.

Closing out the set proper is the one and only time Shawn Michaels and Triple H won tag team gold together. D-Generation X defeated Jeri-Show in a wild TLC match that was actually the main event of the show, a rarity in any era, really. The finish was clever, as HHH held half of a ladder that had been broken in half in place for HBK to climb up and retrieve the belts.

The match selection here is a mixed bag – a couple of really good matches, a few not great but they make sense, and a few head scratchers. Shawn v Diesel is the highlight of this disc, no question.

~Blu-ray Exclusives~

1. WCW Monday NITRO, 7/14/97: Scott Hall & Syxx (w/ Kevin Nash) defeated Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray) at 9:01. **
2. SmackDown, 3/21/02: The Rock defeats Kevin Nash (w/ Scott Hall) by disqualification at 7:11. **¼
3. TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, 12/18/11: Triple H defeated Kevin Nash in a Sledgehammer Ladder Match at 18:11. *½
4. WrestleMania 31, 3/29/15: Triple H defeated Sting in a No Disqualification match at 18:39. **½

~JZ Says~

Blu-ray exclusive features were one of my favorite things about collecting the WWE Blu-rays. Unfortunately for this set, it’s a pretty weak selection, and just four matches.

The first was a random NITRO match of Scott Hall & Syxx against Harlem Heat. It was fine enough for a random TV match, but it didn’t have any significance to anything. I’m really not sure why it’s here.

Jumping ahead to SmackDown in 2002, Kevin Nash faced off with The Rock. This was mostly to set up the six-man tag present on the main program of this disc, and it’s fine for that purpose.

Why they decided to include ANOTHER Triple H v Nash match, and that they chose the Sledgehammer Ladder Match from TLC in 2011 is a total mystery to me. The match was awful, plodding and slow, and the buildup to it was legendarily bad.

Finally, we close things out with Triple H v Sting from WrestleMania 31. I assume they wanted to include this one because it features the D-X v nWo brawl, which people got excited about for some reason. It would’ve been cool like, 15 years prior, maybe. Also why would Hogan, Nash, and Hall want to stick up for Sting, who was their chief nemesis? As a match, it was fine, but it again led to nothing and was just kind of whatever.

Overall, I think The Kliq Rules is a solid buy, as the documentary is pretty good. The match selection leaves a little bit to be desired, but there are enough good ones to warrant a recommendation here.