"Scooby-Doo: WrestleMania Mystery" Review

I got a chance last week to check out a review copy of Scooby-Doo: WrestleMania Mystery, which released on DVD and Blu-Ray today. Before I get too far into the review, I do have to admit that in addition to being a lifelong wrestling fan, I was also a huge Scooby Doo fan as a kid. Seeing the two put together was somewhat of a surreal experience.

The plot of the movie will be familiar to fans of the animated series. A ghost bear is hell bent on wrecking havoc in WWE City and is trying to prevent WrestleMania from taking place. Scooby and Shaggy win a WWE video game and the opportunity to go to WWE City and attend WrestleMania. After convincing the rest of the gang to go with them, they head to WWE City and encounter a host of WWE stars – and the ghost bear.

Later in the movie, Scooby is framed for stealing the WWE Championship belt and to avoid arrest, Vince McMahon orders him to team with Shaggy to face Kane in the opening match at WrestleMania. In order to avoid being destroyed at the event, Scooby and the gang have to figure out who framed Scooby, and why the ghost bear is out to destroy the event.

Several WWE Superstars appear in the movie as themselves, with John Cena getting the most footage, followed by Kane, Mr. McMahon, The Miz, Michael Cole, AJ Lee, Triple H, Brodus Clay and Santino Marella. Sin Cara appears throughout the film, however you never actually hear him speak as he communicates through lucha libre acrobatics which are translated by Cena. AJ Lee appears as herself, who offers a crash course in pro wrestling to Scooby and Shaggy ahead of their match with Kane.

On the Scooby side of things, I always prided myself on being able to usually figure out who the villain is before the end of the show, however I was wrong in this one. It was also funny seeing Daphne being smitten by Cena, while Velma was a reluctant spectator who ends up becoming a big fan of the sport.

I thought the mystery itself was done better than episodes of the cartoon series, with several characters being potential suspects. The animation is also a step up from the series. Cena, Kane and Cole leave an impression, with Cole managing to crack me up on a couple of occasions. My only real pet peeve about the movie – and I can’t really fault it for this – is the characters constantly calling the wrestlers “superstars” and pro wrestling “sports entertainment.” I know that’s an edict from WWE, but it sounds so unnatural here.

Overall, I think this is worth checking out, especially if you are a fan of the television series. It’s a fun watch, although it’s something you’re probably not going to think about when it’s over.

Rating: 3 / 5