Hey gang, Valkor here. It’s been… wow… a long time since I’ve been a fan or even followed the exploits of the wrestlers involved in WWE. As a kid, it was a weekly ritual, ending my day of watching Saturday morning cartoons, turning over to wrestling and then outside. I guess you could say I outgrew wrestling and have long moved on. But that doesn’t mean I’m hatin; in fact the WWE movies and some of its stars gets shine over in MediaView. And thanks to the collaboration with Warner Home Entertainment, the WWE stars are teaming up with Scooby and the gang to solve one of their biggest mysteries to date. Check it out its “Scooby-Doo! Wrestlemania Mystery". Also a shout out to Epic-1 for keeping me up to date on the title.
After Scooby and Shaggy defeat a WWE video game at its hardest level, plus perfectly performing Sin Cara’s victory dance, the gang wins a trip to WWE City, which includes tickets to Wrestlemania. Things start out great as Scooby and the gang – Shaggy, Velma, Daphne and Fred are introduced to some of the best in the WWE – John Cena, Sin Cara, The Miz, AJ Lee, Kane, Triple H, Brodus Clay, Santino and the big boss himself Vince McMahon. But it soon turns ugly as a ghost bear haunts the city and looks to disrupt the Wrestlemania Festivities. On top of that, Scooby-Doo is accused of stealing the WWE Championship Belt. Not only does Scooby and the gang have to solve the mystery of the ghostly bear but they’ll have to find evidence showing proof of Scooby and Shaggy’s innocence before the twosome face off in the ring against the big red monster - Kane.
Scooby-Doo! Wrestlemania Mystery! comes in a Blu-Ray combo that includes the BD, DVD and digital copy. Extras include a handful of trailers and an extra episode from A Pup named Scooby-Doo: Wrestle Maniacs. There’s lots of WWE branding throughout this original film, plus cool cameos (i.e. Sgt. Slaughter) and even intro music. And for the Scooby fans there are some cool “in-jokes” such as Shaggy pointing out that the gang wears the same clothes daily. So be prepared as there’s lots of Scooby laughs and WWE excitement in this one.
The Good:
“Scooby-Doo! Wrestlemania Mystery!” is a film fans of either franchise wouldn't and shouldn’t miss; it’s an awesome 1- 2 combo mixing everything you love about the WWE and Scooby-Doo into a fun-tastic film. What I enjoyed most about the film was the wrestling and I thought the film would have shortchanged us on that aspect. Thankfully it doesn’t disappoint as you get a couple of lengthy matches that balances well with the story arc. And be sure you turn it up when it gets to the big show as you’ll be in for a real treat audio/visual treat (especially if you have the right equipment) – its wild and over the top including those explosive intros and signature moves. The story is typical Scooby fare as the team tries to solve the mystery of the ghost bear and ending with “I would have gotten away with it too…” line. And I’ll admit I liked it. The animation looks great, especially in hi-def; colors are big and bold and love the shine of those flares. And the Scoobified look of the wrestlers is on the money. In the end, Scooby-Doo! Wrestlemania Mystery! is a fun film that fans of either series will greatly enjoy.
The Bad:
That Pup named Scooby-Doo episode could have used some polish; the piece looks like it was ripped from an old VHS tape. It’s bland, gritty and I’m surprised it made it onto the disc in that state.
The Ugly:
N/A
Scooby-Doo! Wrestlemania Mystery! gets released on March 25th in either Blu-Ray combo pack, DVD or digital download and it’s packed with loads of action and fun that big and the little ones can enjoy. The extra episode was disappointing, but it’s something you can ignore overall. But I really enjoyed watching this latest entry into the Scooby-Doo series and I think you guys will too. And out of TOV 5 stars, Scooby-Doo! Wrestlemania Mystery! gets a 4.5.
