By Sean Radican, Torch columnist

RADICAN'S DVD REVIEW SERIES
FANDAMONIUM: BEER MONEY INC. & MOTOR CITY MACHINEGUNS (PT. 2)
RELEASED BY TNA IN JUNE 2010
BY SEAN RADICAN, TORCH COLUMNIST

I enjoyed the Beer Money Inc. DVD included in this 2 DVD set more than the MCMG DVD. The Beer Money Inc. portion of this release featured some good interview segments that meshed well with the matches that were presented on that particular disc. On the other hand, the MCMG disc was an exercise in frustration to watch at times.

The disc begins with Shelley and Sabin talking about how the TNA Tag titles mean a lot and TNA has the best tag division in wrestling. They're right to a certain extent if they're excluding ROH's tag division. When it comes to tag team wrestling, TNA has a better collection of tag teams than the WWE. There's no arguing that.

My problem with this disc is the matches that were voted on by the fans don't showcase the MCMG in a positive for the most part, as Shelley and Sabin are usually afterthoughts in the matches that the fans voted on to be included in this set. For example, the first match features Sabin losing a lousy match to Brutus Magnus at "Against All Odds 2009," who at the time was wearing a getup straight out of the WWE during the 80s. Shelley is then shown in singles competition when he was the X-division Champion at "Against All Odds 2009" facing off against Eric Young. The match wasn't bad, but Shelley gets a cheap rollup win while Young was distracted arguing with the ref. It's just not a match that belongs on a "best of" collection.

Shelley and Sabin said some interesting things while talking about how they've advanced their style wrestling all over the world. Then the tone changes as Sabin discusses how they've never held the tag titles in TNA, but they've taken advantage of the situations they've been presented with. You can make a case that this is true, but Sabin's comments are followed a short time later by a Steel Asylum match from "Bound for Glory 2008" where the MCMG are an afterthought in a match won by Jay Lethal.

It's one thing to showcase an incredible match where a featured act suffers a lost on a "best of" DVD, but usually featured acts on DVDs like this one are showed in a positive light. Instead, the MCMG are shown wrestling with the lower echelon of TNA's roster for much of this DVD.

Later on, Sabin discusses how they were voted as TNA Tag Team of the Year. He discusses how they've changed their look over the years. Shelley then talks about how they work together so well because they're the same when it comes to speed and timing. Later, they also talk about how they keep their ear to the street and they've created a counter-culture.

These are all good points made by Sabin and Shelley, but there's a divide there that shows that TNA doesn't listen to their fans. A team voted Tag Team of the Year in any company shouldn't be featured in so many multi-man matches on the undercard where they're an afterthought. I was also surprised to hear Shelley say that titles and pushes are irrelevant. How did that even make the final edit of this release?

After sorting through a number of lousy matches, most of which feature lame stipulations, Sabin is shown talking about Generation Me. Shelley and Sabin put over Generation Me as a team they're going to have a rivalry with in the future. This is a nice setup for a future feud between these two teams, but it's too bad one of their matches wasn't included on this release.

When I think of Shelley and Sabin's time together in TNA, two of the best matches they've ever been in were the 12 Man Elimination World X Cup match from "Victory Road 2008" and when they faced each other in the finals of a tournament for the X-division title at "Genesis 2009." Thankfully, both of these great matches are included on this set.

The DVD concludes with Shelley talking about how they've always had good chemistry in the ring with Generation Me and Beer Money. Both men also put over the British Invasion. It's just a shame there were no great matches between these teams to put on this release.

Overall thoughts: I thought Shelley and Sabin made some telling statements about their thoughts on their tenure in TNA. They talked about being popular despite the obstacles put in front of them. The mainstream fan won't be able to decipher this code, but it's easy to tell for hardcore fans that Shelley and Sabin are proud of being popular despite their lack of a consistent push in TNA.

The match collection just doesn't cut it. There are a number of lousy matches included on this release where Shelley & Sabin are an afterthought. In fact, there's not a single match, save for the bonus match, where Shelley & Sabin actually face another tag team in a two-on-two setting. Overall, this release is well-worth the asking price. The Beer Money Inc. disc is a solid collection of interviews and match segments. The MCMG disc is a disappointment unless you’re a huge fan of the MCMG. I recommend a purchase, as there are enough strengths on this release to overcome the glaring weaknesses.

Match listing for disc 2:

Alex Shelley vs. Eric Young - TNA Against All Odds 2009
Chris Sabin vs. Brutus Magnus - TNA Against All Odds 2009
Jay Lethal vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Chris Sabin vs. Alex Shelley vs. Curry Man vs. Shark Boy vs. Super Eric vs. Petey Williams vs. Johnny Devine vs. Jimmy Rave: Steel Asylum Match - TNA Bound for Glory 2008
Super Eric and Kaz vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. LAX vs. Scott Steiner & Petey Williams vs. Rock 'n Rave Infection vs. Black Reign & Rellik - TNA Lockdown 2008
Kaz vs. Jimmy Rave vs. Johnny Devine vs. Shark Boy vs. Curry Man vs. Jay Lethal vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Chris Sabin vs. Alex Shelley vs. Consequences Creed: Terror Dome Match - TNA Sacrifice 2008
Motor City Machineguns & Jay Lethal vs. Team 3D & Johnny Devine: Street Fight - TNA Against All Odds 2008
Motor City Machineguns vs. LAX vs. Team No Limit - TNA Lockdown 2009
Team TNA (Curry Man & The Motor City Machineguns) vs. Team International (Alex Koslov & Doug Williams & Tyson Dux) vs. Team Japan (Milano Collection A.T. & Masato Yoshino & Puma) vs. Team Mexico (ltimo Guerrero & Rey Bucanero & Averno) - TNA Victory Road 2008
Amazing Red vs. Suicide vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Homicide vs. Motor City Machineguns: Ultimate X - TNA Bound for Glory 2009
Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin - TNA Genesis 2009
Bonus match: IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champions No Limit vs. MCMG

Contact Sean at PWTorchSean@gmail.com

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