The Best of Raw & Smackdown 2013 may be the next WWE Blu-ray title to add to the cancellation list!
We noticed recently that Amazon removed the Blu-ray from their website. The DVD remains listed here. Looking into it further the Blu-ray edition of Best of Raw & Smackdown 2013 no longer appears on an internal schedule we have access to.
It also may be worth noting that last week’s cover reveal only included artwork for a DVD version. The content listing has also not yet been confirmed.
At this time the news is NOT confirmed. We’ll try to update on it when we can.
This Tuesday sees the release of the next WWE DVD – Best PPV Matches 2013.
As you’ve heard, the Blu-ray edition of this one was cancelled earlier in the year and will only be making it to the UK and Europe. Below are first look screenshots.
US Release Date: December 31st. Order now.
AU Release Date: January 8th. Order now.
UK Release Date: January 13th. Order now
(Both DVD and Blu-ray available).
As mentioned, the new Jimmy Hart: Keep on Rockin’ DVD is shipping out now from JimmyHartFilm.com. Check out a preview below in which Hart performs one of the songs he wrote – “Together” – used in WWE for the Randy Savage/Miss Elizabeth wedding.
The new DVD includes an interview with Jimmy Hart as its main feature and a number of musical performances intertwined throughout. Included as extras are nearly 30 bonus interview segments on top, as shown in the screenshot below.
Releasing on January 7th is “Breaking Kayfabe – Jim Cornette”, the latest shoot interview from KayfabeCommentaries.com in the Breaking Kayfabe series.
In the new preview video below Jim Cornette talks (rants) about his time spent with Ring of Honor and the technical issues the company faced.
Receiving a re-release of sorts in February here on Amazon.com is “The Greatest Superstars of Wrestlemania” DVD. It’s currently priced at $5.34.
You may recall the same thing happened with the title at Walmart stores, with new “value” style packaging, a couple of years ago around the time of WrestleMania 28.
For what it’s worth, I checked Best Buy online for Best of Raw & Smackdown blu ray and it said “Not Available for Shipping.” Looks like I’m going to the UK for this one too.
Cancelling blu-rays is not something the WWE should be doing. Especially for stuff like the best of ppvs and raw/smackdown, that was all stuff that was done in HD and makes sense to get on a blu-ray. As opposed to the Best of Ntiro Volume 2, which is all 4×3 and shot for TV in the 90s. if they’re going to be cancelling Blu-Rays, it should be those.
We get the blu ray but we don’t get the Raw 20 set, it doesn’t add up..
Just came across an article on Blu-ray.com. For all the talk that “physical media is dying”, this quote should shed a better light on the subject:
“…Blu-ray sales have set a new record. For the week ending 12/14/13, consumers generated $127.10 million in Blu-ray disc revenue, up 15.7% from the same week last year.
The previous record for Blu-ray disc revenue set during Black Friday was $119.15 million. During the same week, DVD revenue was $203.04 million, down 15.2% from the same period last year.”
What that shows is Blu-ray is doing very well, growing each year, while DVD is the one that is dying, dropping each year. If it looks like physical media as a whole is dying it’s not because of Blu-ray, it’s because DVD is not holding up it’s end of the deal. So all this talk of Blu-ray being a failure is garbage. If WWE is insistant on continuing producing DVD’s over Blu-rays in North America then it would be more financially feasible to start doin DVD+BR combo packs which all the movie studios are doing now. They’ll save time and money on producing double the packaging and they’ll take up less store shelf space which is a big deal to retailers.
I’m really tiring of blu-ray cancellations in the US. Time to invest in a region free player and start importing from the UK since the UK gets everything on blu-ray.
Cant wait for best of raw and smckdown 2013 on blu-ray here in the UK ๐
Just noticed this now, but on Canada’s HMV site, the Blu-ray version of Best of Raw and SD 2013 doesn’t exist anymore, so that’s another indicator.
One thing that’s not talked about is how much it costs to make a BR set versus a DVD one. Obviously, it would be more expensive, but mixed in with the typical number of sales, is it costing them too much to produce? Just some speculation…
It is very annoying when WWE films things like Raw, Smackdown and PPVs in HD, but release them in low def. I understand that more people might buy DVDs than Blu-Ray at this time but why release Legends of Mid South, Bret Hart Dungeon Collection, Best of War Games, ECW Unreleased, ect. on Blu-Ray when the HD picture quality isn’t going to matter, but not release a Blu-Ray for best of Raw & Smackdown or Best PPVs?
2014: ULTIMATE WARRIOR WWE RETURN?… Warrior hasn’t posted anything lately since we found out about WWE producing a new ULTIMATE WARRIOR DVD. I believe the two are being quiet for a Return, DVD, Hall Of Fame and more. Maybe WRESTLEMANIA?….. hmmmm…
Any update on the cancellation or the content listing?
since the wwe wants to go back instead of forward i think wrestlemania 30 should get a vhs release.
This comment is pure comedy! Keep the one-liners comin’!
That is actually pretty damn good.
I don’t really care about the best picture quality…. I just want more content like when u bought a DVD back in 2000 you got soooo much stuff and I get that the he takes more space before I get a tirade off angry audio/video enthusiasts :p
I’m with u on this. The early flair release had like 10 hours- those were the days! We dont want none of this 6.5 hours nonsense. Bring on the 15 hour story of Norman smiley!
That Jim Cornette Breaking Kayfabe preview! Damn! Amazing clip to watch (Jim’s still Jim) but makes me sad about the state of wrestling and a lot of people who try to run wrestling companies. Thank God that in the WWE, the buck still stops with Vince.
The best solution to the BR problem is to just buy a blu-ray recorder and record everything off of TV yourself. Unfortunately the price of BR recorders is still ridiculously high.
Who cares? Id LOVE to have it on blu-ray, because thats how I’ve been trying to collect everything this year, but, the business model isnt supporting the sales. You go into any store and youll have a hard time finding the blu-ray release of any WWE title, HMV has stopped caring new WWE releases in my area about 6 months ago, they still dont have SummerSlam 2013! So…at this point Im just lucky enough to have a few stores that carry considerable amounts of WWE product at all, so if its cancelled, its cancelled…it sucks, but what can we do?But…this site is going to hell anyways…Im convinced of it. Know what would be GREAT! If Joel would get back to reviewing WWE releases…RAW 20th anniversary has been out for 3 weeks and still no full review from him, he half assed – meaning he didnt give a proper review for the Goldberg set – and hes left Mark…who is the only thing going for this site right now to review the RAW boxset, while he reviews indy DVD’s or something. Also…why dont PPV DVD’s get reviewed here any more, do they not count as Wrestling DVDs? Sorry…this just seemed like a good time to vent…this site is becoming like one of those “sources say” sites w/ lots of trolls and absolutely nothing useful being posted – outside of Marks work on the Fantasy Concept series & when Joel was ya know…actually reviewing…match by match…
Hey guys, sorry if I caused offense with my comment below, I didn’t mean to, I just got tired of reading the same comments every time WWE cancelled a Blu Ray. Regardless, I shouldn’t have been rude, so I appologise.
Don’t sweat it. You didn’t sound (Ravishing Rick) rude at all. The lack of wwe blu-ray releases produced is simply what you said: poor sales. Sure, some people would pay for the higher quality option, but at the end of the day the economy still sucks and as a result… !The sole survivor of WWE entertainment: WWE DVD! Blu-ray tapped out- borrow Bret Hart’s crying towel, people.
Yeah, you are rude as a matter of fact. I’m not going to kiss your ass like I see all these others doing. A lot of people, including myself, really enjoy watching Blu-rays over DVD’s. Why would you get upset with people for stating their dislike for something they enjoy getting cancelled month after month. Poor sales? Let’s see the figures then.
Wwe DVD will always be here for you. Wwe DVD will never tap out. Wwe (black and) blu-ray has been thrown over the top rope.
King, Blu-ray might be getting thrown over the top rope by WWE, but both feet have not touched the arena floor. Maybe one day when WWE decides to make some of the money back that they spent on their million dollar HD cameras, Blu-ray will be the last man standing.
Sorry, but there is no way blu-ray could ever be the last man standing because Mr. McMahon already gave it those 2 magic words: “YOU’RE FIRED!!”
If Blu Rays sold enough to make business sense, they would be sold. WWE is a business, out to make money.
The fact they are not being produced means they are not making them enough money. Why else would they not sell them? Just to p!ss off 50 or so people on this website?
I am just puzzled as to what exactly you are not getting.
Thing is, I do believe WWE Blu-rays sell well enough. They probably don’t make mega cash, but I’m sure they sell good enough to warrant manufacturing. They’re just being cheap, in my opinion. That’s all. I don’t buy that “they don’t sell good at all”.
A person who defends WWE’s decision not to release blu-rays is likely someone that does not collect them and Roly, that is likely you. Of course WWE can make whatever decision they want since they are the dealers and creators of the product. But, the blu rays had the intention of taking over home video, even replacing the DVD format eventually. For people who still collect the regular DVD versions and wonder if they should get the blu ray, I have no idea what they are confused about. Blu ray is the way to go: everything from slim packaging, to more content, to a more defined picture. Therefore, I am always very sad to see that WWE is cancelling blu rays as of late when I was getting very used to them and all that they offer. “Not everyone is a hardcore collector like you.” Yes, I’ve heard that one many times and people don’t have to be a hardcore collector like me. However, being that I collect all non-PPV releases, of course I’m going to defend my collection. Why would I ever say, “Yeah, not everyone is like me, so let’s do away with blu rays” ?
I own every DVD and Blu Ray WWE (and UFC) have ever produced. I love Blu Rays. I am gutted the new releases aren’t on Blu Ray. Absolutely gutted, because I DO care about the picture quality and I 100% agree with everybody that defends Blur Rays.
With that all said, I totally understand why UFC don’t release all of their numbered shows on Blu Ray and why WWE have stopped releasing all of theirs on the media.
Tell ’em, Roly! Take ’em to DVD school!
While we are on a roll, whose with me on bringing back VHS? Blu-ray didn’t have the testicular fortitude to last in the wwe universe! Roly, don’t back down on your position and don’t apologize for spittin’ the truth!
Who knows WWE Might all together Start Cancelling Releasing Blu-rays here in the UK which i hope it dont happen even though WWE Blu-rays sell really well here and more Stronger Market, I get why WWE are Cancelling Blu-rays in America because they Cost a lot to produce and if they are not selling and they are not making money that they have targeted then there is no point in releasing them because a) Your wasting production costs and b) your losing money, but were in 2013 going in 2014 and HD is at all time high pretty much everything is released on blu-rays nowdays and we even got 4K TV’s (double the res of 1080p) that are available to buy, but i understand WWE is a business and they have to do what they have to do even if its going to disappoint a lot of people, but if they ever stop releasing blu-rays here in the UK i will not buy a set thats available on DVD but once you watch a blu-ray you can not go back to watching a DVD especially when it relates to Wrestling because the quality day and light even SD footage upscaled on Blu-ray is 1000x better than SD footage on DVD and this is SD footage alone, HD WWE footage is phenomenal on Blu-ray and looks abs crap downscaled for DVD!!
And another step backwards. “WWE will start releasing more blu-rays when they start selling better.” Well, how in the blu hell(pun intended) are they supposed to sell better if they keep cutting them? It’s gonna get back to the point where we only get WrestleMania on blu-ray.
As far as those saying DVD and BR sales are dropping year over year and that DVDs are still outselling BRs, that’s only half true. Yes DVD sales are dropping year over year, but BRs are not. More BRs were sold in 2013 than in any year in history. And yes DVDs still outsell BRs, but the gap is smaller than it’s ever been. Last I read, the percentages are something like 60-40 in favor of DVD. Compare that to 95-5 in 2007.
While blu ray is my preferred media, I can understand why WWE (or any company) would scale down their blu ray production if it’s not selling.
See? Was that so hard? I didn’t have to insult anyone or anything. Grow up.
It’s beginning to look a lot like I’m going to have to import blu rays from here on out from the UK if this garbage keeps up.
I sometimes worry about the basic intelligence (or age) of those who read this site.
Why do you all think WWE keep cancelling the Blu Rays? Because they don’t sell enough to make it worthwhile. If they sold more they would produce them. There is no conspiracy, no WWE ignoring it’s hardcore fans, it’s just, pardon the pun, what’s best for business!
I remember saying the exact same thing on this forum about 8 times over the past couple of years.
Of course we would all rather all title were released on Blu Ray, but until more people buy them it isn’t going to happen. Both DVD and Blu Ray (and all forms of physical media) are declining year-upon-year so don’t expect it to get any better. And with the impending network meaning even less sales, I wouldn’t be surprised to see WWE stop producing any BD’s at all.
We understand that, but how would WWE know Blu-rays don’t sell well if they don’t produce enough or any at all, if they keep cancelling them?
Some stores carry like 1-2 WWE Blu-ray copies and about 5-10 DVD copies…not really a good comparison.
Is this a serious question?
If it is I’m deleting my bookmark for this site.
Roly is the smartest one on this entire site
Precisely, Roly. I’ve said the same thing. DVDs, as crazy as this sounds to some people, still outsell Blu-rays, at least in North America. All one has to do is check this:
http://forum.digital-digest.com/f145/nielsen-videoscan-home-media-magazine-blu-ray-dvd-hd-dvd-stats-updated-weekly-86912-34.html
And that’s mainly for the mainstream things, like motion pictures and popular television series. It’s far worse for things like sports or other specialty releases. One could maybe argue that the WWE might do better selling Blu rays if it’s a hot product. But even the NFL doesn’t do Blu rays that often. (Things like A Football Life and the big Super Bowl set were only released on DVD.)
What’s happening with WWE is par for the course with other similar areas of entertainment when it comes to home video releases (again, I stress this being in North America, I can’t really speak for other areas of the world). Honestly (and not trying to claim it’s the death of WWE Blu-rays, for the record), they’ve had a longer run with Blu rays than a lot of those other similar areas of entertainment.
Amen
Give us the statistics that say that people don’t buy the blu-rays.
But….the statistics are literally right above you. I think her original post hit the nail on the head about the users of this site.
We must not have read the same article above because it clearly shows that year over year BR is up while DVD is down. The gap between BR and DVD sales is closing slowly every year.
You’re right in the gap closing, no doubt it’ll continue to close too. However, the real big picture is seeing how the overall market does. The last page of the thread I posted pretty much shows sales for the Christmas season, comparing numbers to that of the previous year. There are times when BR sales only show a slight increase, or even a decrease in total sales. The reason? Physical media as a whole is on a decline. Unfortunate, to some degree, but as someone who’s collected WWE Home Video since 2002 (when their DVDs started getting really good with the Hogan one) it’s been a fun ride.
Have to agree with not understanding this. It doesn’t make sense to have ECW and WCW footage in the blu ray format and leave out the one that is actually shot in HD.
I don’t buy into the fact that blu-rays sell poorly in the US. That’s BS. HD is highly praised here and people are happy to pay the money to watch them. I think there’s some cahoots going on here…
I guess thats another DVD i will not be picking up. I refuse to purchase native HD content downscaled to DVD. Don’t know how people can watch that. Way too many pixelations and compressions.
The funniest comments i read is when people say “oh, there is no difference between SD and HD, quality looks the same to me”…those people really need to get their eyes checked if they can’t notice the difference.
The RAW Collection i understand only on DVD since most of the episodes are in SD and differences are minimal, but actual HD releases like Best PPV Matches 2013 and Best of RAW and SD on DVD only is boneheaded move by WWE
Might as well still release VHS if WWE is going backwards.
I don’t understand why they won’t just make them WWEShop.com exclusives. I’m sure the reason they keep canceling them is because they’re not selling well. But it makes no sense to cancel Best of Raw & SmackDown, but release ECW Unreleased on Blu-Ray. At least they still put every PPV and most documentaries on iTunes in 1080p, but the specials aren’t.
I agree 100% with you, they can at least make them WWEShop exclusive for people that intend to purchase the Blu-rays. At least there is no middleman and all profits would go to WWE directly.
THIS IS NOT WHAT IS BEST FOR BUSINESS!!!!!!
Ok…..enough is enough!!! And its time for a change. WWE needs to knock off this crap of canceling blu ray releases. What’s next? Are we gonna find Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania 30 having blu ray cancelations? Did WWE forget that blu ray is in? I know that not everyone in the world has a PS3 or have a blu ray player. But there are people that do and who collect nothing but blu rays nowadays, myself included. WWE needs to stop doing this. Its NOT best for business. Bring back the blu rays, WWE!!!!!!!!!
WWE Home Video=Clueless