WWE Unforgiven 2007 Review

Match 1: ECW Championship - CM Punk (c) vs. Elijah Burke
This is CM Punk's first title defense since winning the ECW Championship from John Morrison. Elijah Burke is the first challenger as he got up in Punk's face as shown in the WWE Mobile thing they had back in 2007. We've come a long way. Always thought it was funny that Joey Styles & Tazz would have to call one match for a PPV and sit down for the remainder of the show. Even funnier when it's the opening match of the show. Crowd had trouble getting into these ECW matches on PPV back in the day and it really wasn't any different here despite it opening the night. That isn't to say the match wasn't good, I always felt like these two had good chemistry. They managed to balance the offense throughout the match and not drag things out too long to make it boring. Don't forget how good Styles & Tazz are at building up the match on commentary, too. Burke started mocking Punk by slapping him before Punk rolls Burke up for the quick victory. I like the finish but I also felt like they needed to give Punk a cleaner victory than that for his first title defense. However, it does give Burke his out for his loss so they could continue the program on television.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ***

Match 2: WWE Tag Team Championships - MVP & Matt Hardy (c) vs. Deuce 'N Domino
SmackDown's hottest feud between MVP and Matt Hardy took another step as they became tag team champs before looking to escape Memphis with the big win. Loved when these four guys would go at it, you knew you were in store for something good because they always brought their best to the ring. JBL is hilarious on commentary as he constantly puts over MVP as his ego won't let Hardy start the match. MVP eventually exits the match before ultimately deciding to come back as Hardy hit a Twist of Fate to seal the win. Hardy walks away with both belts as he drops the United States Championship on MVP who was sitting down in the ring. How awesome was this feud?!
Winners: MVP & Matt Hardy
Rating: **1/2

Match 3: No Disqualification for Carlito - Triple H vs. Carlito
For Carlito, he is able to use whatever foreign object he may desire for this match. For Triple H, disqualifications and rules apply. This was basically a squash match that saw Carlito get in a tad bit of offense in as he took advantage of his advantages and used the ring bell, a couple trash cans and even chalk to get the upset win. Of course, Triple H pulled through as he hit Carlito with a low blow behind the referee's back and landed a Pedigree for the win. Take it for what it was. Another easy match for Triple H as he inevitably leans towards a title shot. Does no help for Carlito as he eats a bad loss. Carlito should have been drafted to SmackDown this year. "The Pedigree is legal! The Pedigree is lethal!" - Jim Ross
Winner: Triple H
Rating: *1/2

Match 4: Women's Championship - Candice Michelle (c) vs. Beth Phoenix
Remember that time when Candice Michelle was the champion? Neither do I. Anyway, she's putting the gold on the line against the tough Beth Phoenix. As much as Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler tried, not even the famous duo could save this one. Phoenix was dominating the match throughout as the camera shows off the strands of hair that Phoenix was able to pull out of Michelle's head. However, Michelle rolls up Phoenix for the surprise win. The powers that be were pretty high on Michelle at the time and credit to her for showing massive amounts of improvement in the ring. But this match was your typical Divas match you would see on television.
Winner: Candice Michelle
Rating: *

Match 5: World Heavyweight Championship - The Great Khali (c) vs. Batista vs. Rey Mysterio
After an abomination of a match at Summerslam, The Great Khali once again defends the gold against Batista. This time, Rey Mysterio is added to the mix. With Mysterio in the thick of things, they were able to do more with Khali and the match didn't drag on for what seemed like hours when compared to the match at Summerslam. Batista and Mysterio worked together as a team to tackle down Khali for as long as they could. Their strategy lasted as long as possible before the two realized that only one winner could leave. Khali looked to have the advantage until his arms got locked within the ring ropes. This is where the sweet ending sequence began as Khali was brought to his bottom once Mysterio landed a 619. Batista hit a Batista Bomb to Mysterio and drove him through Khali's sternum. Batista pushed Mysterio out of the ring and hit a Spinebuster on Khali to seal the big win. Pyro goes off as Batista points back to Mysterio as a show of respect. Triple H congratulates Batista backstage. Fine triple threat match to finally get the strap off Khali. What a summer it was for the blue brand. Batista's long journey from losing at WrestleMania 23 culminates here as he is back on top of the food chain.
Winner: Batista
Rating: **3/4

Match 6: World Tag Team Championships - Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch (c) vs. Paul London & Brian Kendrick
As soon as Paul London & Brian Kendrick were drafted to Raw, they were dead in the water. People also tend to forget how good a unit were Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch. Old school and tough as nails. Not the flashiest, but they always got the job done. Nice back and forth tag team wrestling here that saw Cade & Murdoch get the big win. Everyone got in a decent amount of offense here, Cade & Murdoch were so underrated. The finishing sequence just made them look like animals as Cade planted Kendrick while tossing London outside like a sack of potatoes. Match served its purpose as a break between the two main title matches. While the crowd certainly had trouble getting into the action, the match was still a nice display of how good these four guys were.
Winners: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch
Rating: **1/2

Match 7: WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton
This is Randy Orton's chance at redemption as he gets an opportunity to avenge his big Summerslam loss to John Cena for the WWE Championship. One of my favorite moments of 2007 and maybe even ever was Randy Orton kicking John Cena's father in the head. The rematch here was more of a storyline than anything. It saw Cena put on a flurry of offense on Orton before the referee called for the bell as Cena would not stop beating down Orton in the corner. Sucks for the people who paid for the PPV and had to see this but it makes sense. The feud got personal and they needed to have Cena come off as a crazed man. Orton tried to punt Cena's father in the head one more time but was stopped by Cena as Cena locked Orton up in an STFU outside before Cena called for his father to punt Orton in the head. It's unfortunate that we never got to see a Last Man Standing match at No Mercy between these two because that would have been great. May have not been the most popular decision in the world to do this on a PPV but in my opinion, it made the most sense.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: *3/4

Match 8: Mark Henry vs. The Undertaker
After being placed on the shelf for four months, The Phenom is set to return in a huge main event against Mark Henry. Henry comes down to the ring and talks tons of trash as he looks supremely confident. I always have to mention how great a heel Henry makes, this dude is ruthless and I absolutely love it. The Undertaker makes an incredible entrance to the ring as the Memphis crowd stands in awe. Shame this entrance tends to get forgotten, the ambiance created here was unreal. I could only imagine what it felt like to be in the arena for this. Henry managed to squeeze in some offense but this was The Deadman's show. Henry managed to also kick out of a Chokeslam but eventually had to succumb to a Last Ride. More of a spectacle than a match. They planned this match when Undertaker had to drop the title to Edge and had Henry come out before that to plant the seeds. I like it, it all made sense and his return led for a grand main event to save the show and give the fans a big reason to buy the PPV. What a return for The Undertaker as he goes on to now challenge for the top prize on SmackDown.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: **1/2

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
While the match quality wasn't the best, I feel like this show was booked nicely. There wasn't much of a standout match aside from maybe the opening match. But to say this event didn't bring any big moments would be a lie. Batista regaining the championship from Khali's infamous reign and The Undertaker's awesome return were definitely highlights of the night. However, that won't excuse the show from receiving a low rating.
Rating: 4.5/10