UPDATED: Cover Art for WWE Clash of Champions 2019, Review of ‘The Miz: A-List Superstar’ DVD

This week, WWE Home Video UK revealed the cover artwork for Clash of Champions 2019. Here at WrestlingDVDNetwork.com, we’ve got your first look at the U.S. version of the Clash DVD too!

It’s time to check out the front cover, back cover and a full sleeve shot. The artwork makes use of one of the Pay-Per-View posters produced in the run up to the event.

The new Clash of Champions 2019 DVD is set to be a single-disc offering (packed with the complete PPV event but with no extras expected). You can pre-order a copy right now in the United States for October 22nd here on Amazon.com, and it hits the UK less than a week later via Amazon.co.uk.

UPDATE (9/29): WWE has now updated the planned Clash of Champions 2019 DVD cover artwork. In the revision AJ Styles has been removed from the front cover. Styles has also been replaced by Roman Reigns on the back cover.

This is because AJ Styles only competed on the Kickoff Show. We have learned that at one point the Kickoff Show matches were scheduled to be featured as extras in a 2-disc set but the decision was made later to release Clash of Champions as a single-disc DVD sold at a cheaper price to fans, without the extras, thus the artwork has been re-worked to that you see below.

WWE’S MOST GOLDEN EVENT OF THE YEAR!

Universal Champion Seth Rollins has slayed kings and beasts, but can he topple ‘The Monster Among Men’ Braun Strowman in his latest title defence?

Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton continue their personal rivalry for the WWE Championship. Charlotte Flair looks to win her tenth women’s championship, in her hometown, when she takes on Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley. Becky Lynch looks to get revenge on Sasha Banks in The Man’s defence of the RAW Women’s Championship. And Roman Reigns takes on Erick Rowan in a No Disqualification Match. Plus, more!

 
Grab your copy of the new WWE CLASH OF CHAMPIONS 2019 DVD…

 
– United States: October 22nd. Pre-order the new Clash DVD here on Amazon.com.

– UK/Europe: October 28th. Pre-order Clash of Champions now via Amazon.co.uk.

– Australia: November 20th. Your pre-order opportunity has gone live on Madman.com.au.
 

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Quiet on the set! Can we please have quiet on the set? Let’s take this opportunity to review the latest WWE DVD release to profile a current WWE Superstar — “The Miz: A-List Superstar”.

The Miz has proven to be quite a divisive figure in WWE over the years, but one cannot deny his work ethic or his desire to succeed. Having originally appeared as a part of WWE’s Tough Enough competition in 2004 following previous experience on a reality show that he was tarred with for a long time, Miz overcame the obstacles faced by his prior exploits and years of being viewed as little more than a comedy figure to become a serious star, a tremendous heel and, in 2010, WWE Champion. He slid down the card in the years that followed, but a great storyline with “stunt double” Damien Mizdow and his repackaging as a second-rate version of The Rock allowed him to remain relevant. From 2016 onwards, he has once again proved to be a vital performer for the company, and though a second heavyweight title run has yet to materialize, his career revival ensures that he has the respect of just about everybody in wrestling as well as fans across the world.

Therefore, there would be plenty to cover if this DVD were to feature a documentary, but that isn’t the case. Instead, we are looking at Miz’s highs and lows by reliving more than a dozen key matches from the past 14 years. This includes title wins, shock results, crazy bumps and more, and all sorts of big names pop up throughout the two-disc set. However, none are more integral than Miz himself, whose story is one that should inspire anyone with the dream of being a wrestling fan that they can succeed regardless of the barriers placed in front of them, and even when things turn sour, there is the potential for a second chance (a sequel, you might say).

With all that out of the way, let’s get to the action!

 
THE MATCHES

DSW – December 1, 2005
DSW Heavyweight Championship Match
The Miz (C) vs. Mike Knox

The DVD begins with a contest from Deep South Wrestling (making its first appearance on a WWE DVD by all accounts), as Miz takes on Mike Knox. Knox at the time was the stereotypical WWE hire: a mammoth individual whose size were the explanation for his hiring, as opposed to his in-ring skill. Miz, on the other hand, was in the early stages of attempting to break the “reality star” stigma that had been with him since debuting via Tough Enough the previous year. It’s fun to see this as a way of recognizing how far Miz went, and in contrast, how Knox (who, visually at least, seemed far more certain for stardom) never really made it despite his potential early on.

OVW – February 18, 2006
OVW Championship Tournament First Round Match
The Miz vs. Rene Dupree

I could write the exact same description for Rene Dupree, except to note that he was slightly smaller, even more muscular and with a French background. It’s also worth noting that, at this time, Rene had already appeared on the main roster for a number of years, making this a bigger match for the young Miz as he had a chance to face a more experienced competitor. OVW ultimately prepared Miz to debut on RAW as the ill-fated host of an even more ill-fated Diva Search, on SmackDown as its host, then SD as a comedy heel (during which JBL tore him to shreds on a weekly basis), followed by ECW as a more pushed comedy heel, before things finally began moving for him when he tagged up with John Morrison.

WWE RAW – November 17, 2008
Rey Mysterio & Shawn Michaels vs. The Miz & John Morrison

When people look back on WWE’s most memorable tandems, they really should give a shout-out to Miz and John Morrison. Originally seeming like your typical thrown-together team, the duo went on to make magic and lift several titles. But perhaps their biggest win came in this non-title affair, an exciting clash with Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio that sees the underdog heels pick up the shock victory, greatly boosting their stock in the process.

WWE Money In The Bank 2010 – July 18, 2010
Money In The Bank Ladder Match
The Miz vs. Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho vs. Edge vs. Evan Bourne vs. Mark Henry vs. John Morrison vs. Ted DiBiase Jr.

Money in the Bank is best used to elevate the career of a younger talent to give them a path towards their first World Title, but it is even better when achieved by someone whose aspirations of a top title are or once were low. This ensured that Miz was an ideal candidate to claim the briefcase, and it came in a very good MITB match which saw almost all of its eight participants shine. Miz had gone from laughing stock to future WWE Champion in less than three years.

WWE Night Of Champions 2010 – September 19, 2010
WWE United States Championship Match
The Miz (C) vs. Daniel Bryan

Before he got to win his first WWE Title, though, Miz had a quarrel to settle with Daniel Bryan, his NXT rookie turned rival who had recently returned to set up a hot feud between two of the company’s rising stars. At the time, this was probably Miz’s best match ever, and it could still be argued that it remains one of his best bouts. Bryan capturing the title via submission ensures a feel-good ending, in spite of heel commentator Michael Cole constantly running him down.

WWE RAW – November 22, 2010
WWE Championship Match
Randy Orton (C) vs. The Miz

As is always the, erm, case, Miz would need to successfully cash in MITB for this to mark a meaningful chapter of his career. And so he did at the expense of Randy Orton; the Orlando fans definitely weren’t expecting it, nor were they expecting or hoping for Miz to win the WWE Title when his actions became apparent. Miz winning the WWE Championship was a testament to his perseverance and tenacity, yet his despisable heel character ensured he was still booed in the heat of earning the biggest prize in sports-entertainment. This match is also notable for Angry Miz Girl, whose reaction to the title change is self-explanatory.

WWE WrestleMania XXVII – April 3, 2011
WWE Championship Match
The Miz (C) vs. John Cena

On the one hand, this was the moment when Miz achieved his career peak of main-eventing WrestleMania against all odds, and not only did he face WWE’s biggest star of the past decade John Cena, but he pinned him in a surprise outcome. On the other hand, though, the match isn’t very good, has a poor countout false finish which brought it down severely, and Miz looked really weak when he was being bounced around by The Rock afterwards, who had helped him to earn that win over Cena. Still, the record books will always say that Miz won a WrestleMania main event, which is something that not even some of the best wrestlers in the world can state (hint hint).

WWE RAW 1000 – July 23, 2012
Intercontinental Championship Match
Christian (C) vs. The Miz

Miz’s star power faded after he lost the WWE Championship, and by the middle of 2012, he was an upper mid-carder at best. That didn’t mean he couldn’t achieve big things, though, as evidenced by this collision against Christian from the 1,000th episode of RAW. In this bout, Miz would earn his first of many IC Titles, and though it seemed like a demotion or a consolation prize at the time given his main event status in 2010-2011, the belt would eventually help The Awesome One to once again become a key player on the roster.

WWE SmackDown – August 15, 2014
Miz TV w/ Roman Reigns

Miz TV began way back in 2007 very sporadically, but it was from the early 2010s onwards that it began to become a regular segment. It doesn’t have the same collage of memorable moments as Piper’s Pit or even The Cutting Edge, but it does add entertainment to a TV broadcast, especially when Miz is in full pompous heel mode. An example comes with this segment starring Roman Reigns, and the outcome is, well, exactly what you would expect, unfortunately for Miz.

WWE Extreme Rules 2016 – May 22, 2016
Intercontinental Championship Fatal Four Way Match
The Miz (C) vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro

It took a long time, but Miz was able to revive his career, and eventually after multiple reigns as Intercontinental Champion, his reign which began the night after WrestleMania 32 would help him to garner real attention again. Not least because of matches like this, which is as action-packed a four-way contest as you are likely to see, with too many great spots to mention. This is definitely one that you have to see.

WWE TLC 2016 – December 4, 2016
Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match
The Miz (C) vs. Dolph Ziggler

Miz and Dolph Ziggler produced a surprisingly excellent rivalry in late 2016, which included some incredible matches. This Ladder match from TLC 2016 is a laudable effort, though not their best work in my opinion. Still, it has its moments, and Miz coming out on top to retain his IC Title draws a line under their memorable spat.

WWE RAW 25 – January 22, 2018
Intercontinental Championship Match
Roman Reigns (C) vs. The Miz

The next match is over a year later, and is book-ended by Miz and Maryse parodying John Cena and Nikki Bella in a fantastic send-up, and Miz gate-crashing the Manhattan Center in a non-televised segment at RAW 25. Earlier on that same night, though, Miz was at the Barclays Center to reclaim his Intercontinental Title from Roman Reigns. It’s a good but not great match, but fans were delighted to see Reigns lose his gold in spite of Miz and his Miztourage heeling it up as much as they possibly could.

WWE Mixed Match Challenge – April 3, 2018
Mixed Match Challenge Tournament Final Match
The Miz & Asuka vs. Bobby Roode & Charlotte Flair

Coming right before WrestleMania 34, this match was viewed as a part of Asuka’s undefeated streak at the time, meaning that if she and Miz lost, her streak was done. Which of course meant that they won the inaugural Mixed Match Challenge, and though it received minimal attention on the regular television shows (and broke kayfabe on a number of fronts), it was still another feather in Miz’s cap.

WWE SummerSlam 2018 – August 18, 2018
The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan

I enjoyed this match, though it didn’t seem like the live crowd in Brooklyn were. It was the first big encounter between these two since Bryan came out of retirement and it was built up very well, yet for some reason the bout, while proficiently executed, didn’t quite meet the expectations of some. Miz earned himself the win, which was another surprise at that point given how much fans wanted to see Daniel take Miz down a peg.

WWE Royal Rumble 2019 – January 27, 2019
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
The Bar (C) vs. The Miz & Shane McMahon

After the Bryan feud abruptly ended, Miz entered a long-running storyline with Shane McMahon. It took a good while to really get going, but Miz and Shane eventually formed a tag team, and here they faced The Bar with gold (or silver) at stake. This is entertaining enough; it’s skippable in the grand scheme of things, but it is fun to see Miz back in the babyface role, and fans pop big-time for the outcome.

WWE WrestleMania 35 – April 7, 2019
Falls Count Anywhere Match
The Miz vs. Shane McMahon

Speaking of Miz as a fan favourite, it was also a shock that Shane later turned heel on Miz, rather than the other way round. That brought us to this match, which followed a basic formula and ultimately proved to be quite a treat for fans of brawling-style wrestling. The finish is a big moment from the ‘Mania show, though Shane pinning Miz was another jolt; as it turned out, Miz has still yet to exact revenge on Shane, which is a shame.

 
THE VERDICT

“The Miz: A-List Superstar” is as good a round-up of Miz’s career as any collection could be. There are a number of great matches, and each major phase of Miz’s career is covered in some way, from his early days as an intentionally-annoying goofball to a cocky, arrogant heel to a Hollywood-obsessed object of Maryse’s desire to the relatable family man babyface of 2019. I would have liked to have seen one or two major Miz matches (such as the three-way from ‘Mania 34), but on the whole, this should be highly enjoyable for any Miz fans, though it may be a shade or two below being “AWESOME!”

 
Grab your copy of the new WWE “THE MIZ: A-LIST SUPERSTAR” DVD…

 
– United States: RIGHT NOW! Get your copy of the first-ever Miz DVD on Amazon.com.

– UK/Europe: RIGHT NOW! Get your copy of the first-ever Miz DVD now via Amazon.co.uk.

– Australia: RIGHT NOW! The Miz DVD just released to you over at Madman.com.au.