Match 1: WWE Championship - Randy Orton (c) vs. Triple H
Since
John Cena has been placed on the shelf with an injury, a new champion
was set to be awarded at this show. Vince McMahon opened up the night
and awarded Randy Orton the belt as the Chicago crowd goes wild. Orton
gets the luxurious choice of picking his opponent before he gets
interrupted by Triple H. Vince McMahon makes the match happen and here
we go, the opening match for the show is for the WWE Championship. Does
anyone remember the last time a PPV started with a WWE Championship
match? That would be an interesting fact. Really good opening match here
that saw some very good exchanges between the two. Orton did his best
to slime out of the match but Triple H wasn't having any of it. Both men
tried to hit their finishers but were both unsuccessful. Triple H
rolled up Orton to score the surprise win and capture the gold from
Orton. Orton's second reign was that much shorter than his first. Great
match here. Lots of things to be mentioned. Jim Ross on the call was
amazing which is a given. I like the fact that they didn't hit their
finishers, saving it up for the main event. And also, I liked the
finish. Not only did Orton lose, but he let it slip through his finger
tips. It went from being his apex moment to his worst moment. The whole
roller coaster of a PPV starts here.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ***1/2
Match 2: Paul London, Brian Kendrick & Jeff Hardy vs. Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch & Mr. Kennedy
This
is the bonus match of the night as Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch have
a secret weapon in Mr. Kennedy. Some fast action throughout with no
team being the clear favorite. Jeff Hardy's style definitely blends
nicely with the team of Paul London & Brian Kendrick. However, their
opponents are no slouch as the wild card in Mr. Kennedy is able to
plant London off the top rope to score the win for his team right before
Kendrick ran in to break the count. Fine match here to settle the crowd
a little bit after the big title tornado.
Winners: Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch & Mr. Kennedy
Rating: **3/4
Match 3: ECW Championship - CM Punk (c) vs. Big Daddy V
CM
Punk gets an enormous ovation from the Chicago faithful as he takes on
Big Daddy V. Did they really not have a better opponent for him here?
Regardless, this match was two minutes of Big Daddy V beating down Punk
before Punk managed to turn the tides and bring Big Daddy V off his
feet. Matt Striker runs in and attacks Punk from behind as the referee
called for disqualification. Big Daddy V then attacked Punk afterwards
as Punk needed assistance being taken to the back with blood pouring out
of his mouth. Why did Striker intervene and act surprised when the
referee called for the disqualification? Stupid finish to a stupid match
that had no business on the card.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: 1/4*
Match 4: WWE Championship - Triple H (c) vs. Umaga
After
Triple H's championship win earlier in the night against Randy Orton,
Vince McMahon forces The Game to compete in the match that was
originally advertised against Umaga. This time, for the WWE
Championship. Triple H begins to show signs of fatigue as Umaga seems to
be a little too much for Triple H to overcome after having to beat
Orton less than an hour ago. They do a great job of centering the match
around that and around the weakened ribs of Triple H. Jim Ross lets the
audience know that there is certainly a method to Umaga's madness.
Triple H is able to escape and land a Pedigree for the win. The Game
does a masterful job of selling the injury afterwards. But his night
isn't even close to being finished...
Winner: Triple H
Rating: **1/2
Match 5: Finlay vs. Rey Mysterio
I
always felt like SmackDown was such a consistent brand during these
years. One of the biggest reasons is due to the focus of the action in
the ring. Two guys you know who were going to bring it on a nightly
basis were Finlay and Rey Mysterio. Definitely felt like the momentum
from Mysterio's big summer return was fading. Thankfully, he scored a
spot on the card here with the Irishman. Finlay's rugged offense clashed
well with Mysterio's fast offense as the two had some great exchanges
here. Finlay then faked an injury as he took a nasty fall to the floor.
They did a great shot with Finlay opening his eyes for a quick second to
check his surroundings before going back to faking the injury. The
stretcher gets pulled out for Finlay as Mysterio shows sympathy before
Finlay gets out of the stretcher and beats down Mysterio. Cool finish to
the match that sets up another match down the road. Another nice
addition to the PPV.
Winner: n/a
Rating: **3/4
Match 6: Women's Championship - Candice Michelle (c) vs. Beth Phoenix
Candice
Michelle has to have the most annoying theme song in the WWE at this
time. But credit where it's due, she looks amazing and improved
immensely in the ring in 2007. Very quick match that saw Beth Phoenix
hit a cradle suplex to score the win and championship. A dominant
performance from Phoenix before declaring this era hers. Match was what
it was, nice to see Phoenix get rewarded for her work.
Winner: Beth Phoenix
Rating: 3/4*
Match 7: World Heavyweight Championship - Punjabi Prison - Batista (c) vs. The Great Khali
I
like how they billed the Punjabi Prison as The Great Khali's specialty
match yet he's never actually been in one. Regardless, he looks to
recapture the gold against Batista here in the co-main event of the
night. For those who are unaware of the match, there are two bamboo
prisons holding the combatants. They must escape the first one through
timed doors before they get locked. If that's the case, they must climb
the first prison and climb once more out of the second one. Simple.
Right? Right? I'm pretty confident the Chicago crowd had no idea what
was going on. They built the foundation of the match within the first
prison as Batista did his absolute best to escape but to no avail as
Khali was too much. Smart idea to do this when taking into consideration
Khali's limited moveset. JBL did a great job at making Khali seem
impossible to beat as Khali climbed over the first prison. It was quite
the sight to see with Khali almost looking like he was King Kong
climbing a skyscraper. But before Khali was able to exit out of the
second cage, Batista climbed the first prison and jumped to the second
one! That was pretty daring. The two had a race to exit the cage before
Batista ultimately beat him to the bottom. Credit to Batista for
carrying Khali to a good match. I like how they centered the match
around Batista doing his best to escape before Khali was able to climb
over the first fence. Batista's leap of faith was a sweet spot which
unfortunately gets forgotten about. The ending sequence as the two raced
to the bottom was a heart-racing sight to see. Definitely the surprise
of the night.
Winner: Batista
Rating: **1/2
Match 8: WWE Championship - Last Man Standing - Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton
For
the third time tonight, Triple H makes his way to the ring as Vince
McMahon allows Randy Orton to invoke his rematch clause in a Last Man
Standing match. This is easily the most spectacular Last Man Standing
match I have ever seen and easily the best match these two would ever go
on to have. There were so many brutal and cool spots perfectly spaced
out throughout the match and you absolutely felt the animosity between
the two. Unlike their first match of the night, they seemingly went for
the kill every chance they got. From Triple H tossing Orton through a
table, to Orton hitting an RKO through a chair and to Triple H defiantly
crotch chopping Orton with blood pouring down his face, this was a war.
Something about hearing Triple H slamming the steel steps into Orton's
head before hitting him with the steel chair as his head was stuck in
the steps was just something else. Something about Triple H blocking
Orton's punt and giving him a death stare was just something else. And
finally, something about Jim Ross on the headsets was more than
something else. I will more than happy to say that this was the call of
his life. His voice elevated the brutality and ambiance of the match to
another level. If you don't believe me, go back and give this a watch.
The ending itself was brilliant. Orton hit the RKO to Cena on top of the
announcers table on an edition of Raw that put Cena out of action.
Tonight, Orton did the same thing to Triple H and this time, captured
the WWE Championship in the process. Triple H nearly beating the count
made things that much more dramatic. An excellent display of
storytelling and incredible spots along with Jim Ross on the call bump
this match to *****. Wow.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: *****
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
People
seem to be very split on this show. Some hated it and were more than
fed up of seeing Triple H in three separate occasions. Some were able to
put that aside and enjoy the match quality and show in general. I'm on
the latter. Aside from the disgraceful ECW Championship match, this was
one of WWE's best PPV showings of 2007 and really had a different twist
to things compared to what the entire year had held. I liked the
unpredictability and roller coaster of a ride the show took us on. The
main event remains the best Last Man Standing match I have ever seen.
Simply put, watch that match!
Rating: 7.5/10
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Monday, September 26, 2016
WWE Vengeance: Night of Champions 2007 Review
Match 1: World Tag Team Championships - Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch (c) vs. The Hardys
Tend to forget how big The Hardys were in 2007, Jeff Hardy's stock was just getting started here in 2007 as he teams with his brother in Matt Hardy to take on Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch. Two guys who ain't no slouches, another underrated team back in the day. Hardys also tend to have great chemistry with nearly anyone they face. That was no different here, great action here as both teams are phenomenal in their respective roles. Cade & Murdoch come off as such smug heels and it really shows when they take advantage of a distracted referee. The Hardys are the complete opposite, cool moves and always catering to the fans. Murdoch was able to push Jeff off the top rope which allowed Cade to hit his finisher for the win. Nice opening contest to pave the way for the next eight championship bouts.
Winners: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch
Rating: ***
Match 2: Cruiserweight Championship - Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. Jimmy Wang Yang
I always love to mention how great JBL was in the booth for SmackDown. He quickly noted how incredible the lineage of the Guerrero family is before hyping up Chavo Guerrero to the moon. Just makes this dude sound like a legit champion. Always enjoyed watching Jimmy Wang Yang, even with his ridiculous gimmick. Fun to watch and his style meshed with against Chavo. Wang Yang was able to hit his Moonsault finisher but Chavo was barely able to kick out. Wang Yang got another attempt for it but was pushed off before Chavo hit a Frog Splash to the back of Wang Yang for the win. Another good match to start the show. JBL really pushed Chavo to another level on commentary. Makes the average viewer dislike and respect Chavo even more.
Winner: Chavo Guerrero
Rating: **3/4
Match 3: ECW Championship - CM Punk vs. Johnny Nitro
This is the infamous match where CM Punk was scheduled to face Chris Benoit for the vacant ECW Championship. We all know why things changed as Johnny Nitro inserted himself into the picture after being drafted to the ECW brand a week ago. Tazz hyped it up as much as he could, saying this was a golden opportunity for Nitro. Even the crowd wasn't buying it as they were chanting for Benoit and stayed fairly quiet throughout despite the best efforts from Punk and Nitro. Pretty short match that saw Nitro hit a neckbreaker from the middle rope to score the big win. The chemistry wasn't all there but this was only the first of many matches that they would continue to have that summer. Better than what people make this match out to be but they would improve vastly against each other later on.
Winner: Johnny Nitro
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: Intercontinental Championship - Santino Marella (c) vs. Umaga
Ricky Steamboat comes out to introduce Santino Marella to the show before Umaga comes out looking for blood. Marella looks to justify his Milan victory a couple months back over Umaga once more. However, Umaga destroys Marella easily before getting disqualified for continuously beating down Marella in the corner while ignoring the referee. Umaga then hits his running finisher in the corner afterwards before returning once more to hit a Samoan Spike. The crowd ate it up and gave Umaga the biggest pop of the night.
Winner: Santino Marella
Rating: 1/2*
Match 5: United States Championship - MVP (c) vs. Ric Flair
MVP gets in the face of Magnum T.A. at ringside before the match and follows that up by getting in Ric Flair's face as he was making his way into the ring. The cocky MVP truly embraces his role as a heel and it showed here against the legendary Flair. Match was exactly booked how it needed to be booked. Flair looked to be too much for MVP who obviously underestimated Flair and remained cocky throughout. Flair was able to place MVP in a Figure Four before MVP was able to grab a hold of the ropes. MVP manages to rake Flair in the eyes before hitting a Playmaker to steal the win. A page completely out of Flair's book. Great stuff.
Winner: MVP
Rating: **1/2
Match 6: WWE Tag Team Championships - Open Challenge - Deuce 'N Domino (c) vs. Sgt. Slaughter & Jimmy Snuka
Was there really not a better team to go against Deuce 'N Domino? Sgt. Slaughter & Jimmy Snuka look so out of place. While Slaughter wasn't so bad, Snuka looked so old and so out of shape. I was cringing throughout this embarrassing performance. The Houston crowd doesn't know how to react to any of this. Deuce squeezes out the win for his team when he reverses a dive off the top from Snuka into a pin. Deuce 'N Domino may have scored the win but they were booked like absolute chumps here. They then attack Slaughter & Snuka afterwards before Rick Martel & Tony Garea make the save. No wonder Deuce 'N Domino didn't last too long in the WWE considering they were booked like this.
Winners: Deuce 'N Domino
Rating: 1/2*
Match 7: World Heavyweight Championship - Last Chance - Edge (c) vs. Batista
Batista's final opportunity to score the World Heavyweight Championship against Edge is now. Batista greets the great Harley Race before the match as he looks to dethrone Edge. Although their matches can be repetitive, they definitely have put together a nice collection of matches against each other. This one was no different. From the start, Batista played the role of a hungry challenger looking to regain the gold from the person he despises the most, Edge. They told a great story of Batista doing everything in his power to win and Edge doing everything in his power to simply survive Batista's onslaught. Edge would eventually low blow Batista as the referee then called for a disqualification. However, Teddy Long came out and ordered the match to restart. Edge hit a Spear but Batista was able to kick out. The action spilled outside where Batista planted Edge on the floor with a Batista Bomb. That had to hurt. Batista tossed Edge back in the ring but the referee counted Batista out. Smart finish to keep the belt on Edge and to protect Batista in the process. Batista hits another Batista Bomb on Edge for good measure.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ***
Match 8: Women's Championship - Melina (c) vs. Candice Michelle
Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler are praising the improvements of Candice Michelle as she challenges the champion in Melina. Basic Divas match that only went on for a few minutes before Candice hits a spinning kick to Melina to score the surprise win. She captures the gold and cries out in joy as Melina looks on in astonishment. Nothing much to say here other than Candice's big win. Just a way to gap the main matches.
Winner: Candice Michelle
Rating: *
Match 9: WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Mick Foley vs. King Booker vs. Randy Orton
Hectic would be the word to describe this match. It felt like an easy way to book all these guys on the PPV with Mick Foley just randomly tossed in the fire for whatever reason. They billed this match as a champion's challenge match as all participants have one time or another been a world champion if you include Bobby Lashley's ECW Championship. There really wasn't any doubt that John Cena was going to drop the title. The idea of this match was to really just have a main event for the show while teasing future matches for Cena against these guys with Foley added to the mix. The match only lasted a little bit over ten minutes and had a few cool spots like Lashley being driven through the announcers table and Lashley hitting a sweet dive over the top rope onto everybody. Cena was able to hit an FU on Foley for the win. While it was fun to see everybody hit their finishers and what not, it was just a shame that it didn't go on any longer because just when the action was getting fun, it ended. Regardless, a nice way to build future PPV matches for Cena's 2007 reign.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
I dig the concept of the show but with nine matches being on the card, there's bound to be a few fillers and questionable matches. For the most part, this was a stinker of a PPV with the best matches on here barely being *** matches. Great concept, poor execution.
Rating: 5.75/10
Tend to forget how big The Hardys were in 2007, Jeff Hardy's stock was just getting started here in 2007 as he teams with his brother in Matt Hardy to take on Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch. Two guys who ain't no slouches, another underrated team back in the day. Hardys also tend to have great chemistry with nearly anyone they face. That was no different here, great action here as both teams are phenomenal in their respective roles. Cade & Murdoch come off as such smug heels and it really shows when they take advantage of a distracted referee. The Hardys are the complete opposite, cool moves and always catering to the fans. Murdoch was able to push Jeff off the top rope which allowed Cade to hit his finisher for the win. Nice opening contest to pave the way for the next eight championship bouts.
Winners: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch
Rating: ***
Match 2: Cruiserweight Championship - Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. Jimmy Wang Yang
I always love to mention how great JBL was in the booth for SmackDown. He quickly noted how incredible the lineage of the Guerrero family is before hyping up Chavo Guerrero to the moon. Just makes this dude sound like a legit champion. Always enjoyed watching Jimmy Wang Yang, even with his ridiculous gimmick. Fun to watch and his style meshed with against Chavo. Wang Yang was able to hit his Moonsault finisher but Chavo was barely able to kick out. Wang Yang got another attempt for it but was pushed off before Chavo hit a Frog Splash to the back of Wang Yang for the win. Another good match to start the show. JBL really pushed Chavo to another level on commentary. Makes the average viewer dislike and respect Chavo even more.
Winner: Chavo Guerrero
Rating: **3/4
Match 3: ECW Championship - CM Punk vs. Johnny Nitro
This is the infamous match where CM Punk was scheduled to face Chris Benoit for the vacant ECW Championship. We all know why things changed as Johnny Nitro inserted himself into the picture after being drafted to the ECW brand a week ago. Tazz hyped it up as much as he could, saying this was a golden opportunity for Nitro. Even the crowd wasn't buying it as they were chanting for Benoit and stayed fairly quiet throughout despite the best efforts from Punk and Nitro. Pretty short match that saw Nitro hit a neckbreaker from the middle rope to score the big win. The chemistry wasn't all there but this was only the first of many matches that they would continue to have that summer. Better than what people make this match out to be but they would improve vastly against each other later on.
Winner: Johnny Nitro
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: Intercontinental Championship - Santino Marella (c) vs. Umaga
Ricky Steamboat comes out to introduce Santino Marella to the show before Umaga comes out looking for blood. Marella looks to justify his Milan victory a couple months back over Umaga once more. However, Umaga destroys Marella easily before getting disqualified for continuously beating down Marella in the corner while ignoring the referee. Umaga then hits his running finisher in the corner afterwards before returning once more to hit a Samoan Spike. The crowd ate it up and gave Umaga the biggest pop of the night.
Winner: Santino Marella
Rating: 1/2*
Match 5: United States Championship - MVP (c) vs. Ric Flair
MVP gets in the face of Magnum T.A. at ringside before the match and follows that up by getting in Ric Flair's face as he was making his way into the ring. The cocky MVP truly embraces his role as a heel and it showed here against the legendary Flair. Match was exactly booked how it needed to be booked. Flair looked to be too much for MVP who obviously underestimated Flair and remained cocky throughout. Flair was able to place MVP in a Figure Four before MVP was able to grab a hold of the ropes. MVP manages to rake Flair in the eyes before hitting a Playmaker to steal the win. A page completely out of Flair's book. Great stuff.
Winner: MVP
Rating: **1/2
Match 6: WWE Tag Team Championships - Open Challenge - Deuce 'N Domino (c) vs. Sgt. Slaughter & Jimmy Snuka
Was there really not a better team to go against Deuce 'N Domino? Sgt. Slaughter & Jimmy Snuka look so out of place. While Slaughter wasn't so bad, Snuka looked so old and so out of shape. I was cringing throughout this embarrassing performance. The Houston crowd doesn't know how to react to any of this. Deuce squeezes out the win for his team when he reverses a dive off the top from Snuka into a pin. Deuce 'N Domino may have scored the win but they were booked like absolute chumps here. They then attack Slaughter & Snuka afterwards before Rick Martel & Tony Garea make the save. No wonder Deuce 'N Domino didn't last too long in the WWE considering they were booked like this.
Winners: Deuce 'N Domino
Rating: 1/2*
Match 7: World Heavyweight Championship - Last Chance - Edge (c) vs. Batista
Batista's final opportunity to score the World Heavyweight Championship against Edge is now. Batista greets the great Harley Race before the match as he looks to dethrone Edge. Although their matches can be repetitive, they definitely have put together a nice collection of matches against each other. This one was no different. From the start, Batista played the role of a hungry challenger looking to regain the gold from the person he despises the most, Edge. They told a great story of Batista doing everything in his power to win and Edge doing everything in his power to simply survive Batista's onslaught. Edge would eventually low blow Batista as the referee then called for a disqualification. However, Teddy Long came out and ordered the match to restart. Edge hit a Spear but Batista was able to kick out. The action spilled outside where Batista planted Edge on the floor with a Batista Bomb. That had to hurt. Batista tossed Edge back in the ring but the referee counted Batista out. Smart finish to keep the belt on Edge and to protect Batista in the process. Batista hits another Batista Bomb on Edge for good measure.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ***
Match 8: Women's Championship - Melina (c) vs. Candice Michelle
Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler are praising the improvements of Candice Michelle as she challenges the champion in Melina. Basic Divas match that only went on for a few minutes before Candice hits a spinning kick to Melina to score the surprise win. She captures the gold and cries out in joy as Melina looks on in astonishment. Nothing much to say here other than Candice's big win. Just a way to gap the main matches.
Winner: Candice Michelle
Rating: *
Match 9: WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Mick Foley vs. King Booker vs. Randy Orton
Hectic would be the word to describe this match. It felt like an easy way to book all these guys on the PPV with Mick Foley just randomly tossed in the fire for whatever reason. They billed this match as a champion's challenge match as all participants have one time or another been a world champion if you include Bobby Lashley's ECW Championship. There really wasn't any doubt that John Cena was going to drop the title. The idea of this match was to really just have a main event for the show while teasing future matches for Cena against these guys with Foley added to the mix. The match only lasted a little bit over ten minutes and had a few cool spots like Lashley being driven through the announcers table and Lashley hitting a sweet dive over the top rope onto everybody. Cena was able to hit an FU on Foley for the win. While it was fun to see everybody hit their finishers and what not, it was just a shame that it didn't go on any longer because just when the action was getting fun, it ended. Regardless, a nice way to build future PPV matches for Cena's 2007 reign.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
I dig the concept of the show but with nine matches being on the card, there's bound to be a few fillers and questionable matches. For the most part, this was a stinker of a PPV with the best matches on here barely being *** matches. Great concept, poor execution.
Rating: 5.75/10
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
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
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
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