For the first time in history, there will be a Women's Royal
Rumble match. Not only that, but Brock Lesnar defends his Universal
Championship in his biggest challenge yet against both Braun Strowman
and Kane. The road to WrestleMania starts here...
Match 1: WWE Championship - AJ Styles (c) vs. Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens
Sami
Zayn and Kevin Owens look to become co-WWE Champions as they take on
The Phenomenal One, AJ Styles. Interesting call to have this match open
up the night, kind of gave me the feeling that Styles was going to win
and killing a little bit of the suspense. Regardless, solid opening
match here that probably could have gone a few more minutes with the
controversial finish being the main story here. Zayn was the legal man
in the ring before tagging in Owens as the replay showed that Zayn never
actually tagged in Owens. With Owens in the ring and looking to hit a
Pop Up Powerbomb, Styles reverses it and rolls up Owens for the pin.
Winner: AJ Styles
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships - 2 Out of 3 Falls - The Usos (c) vs. Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable
Another
SmackDown Live match leads the show as The Usos defend their straps
against Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable. As you would expect from an
Usos match, lots of fast and fun action with a bunch of superkicks
spread throughout the match to add some spice. The Usos score the first
pin of the match as they both sandwich Gable with a pair of superkicks.
Not too long after, however, Benjamin and Gable look to rebound before
Jimmy Uso quickly rolls Benjamin up to win the match. Another solid
match on the card that didn't overstay its welcome and managed to keep
the crowd involved heading into the first Rumble match of the night.
Winners: The Usos
Rating: **1/2
Match 3: 2018 Men's Royal Rumble
It
always feels kind of strange when the Royal Rumble match isn't the main
event. But since the company wants to hype up the Women's Royal Rumble
match to the moon, here we are. While I certainly enjoyed the better
part of this Rumble, I couldn't help but think there wasn't enough here
to really grab my interest and make this a standout Rumble. With both
Rusev and Finn Balor starting out the match, they allowed the crowd to
get into the match early on with the two fan favorites as they lasted a
long time in the ring to their pleasure. One thing I usually love about
the Royal Rumble is how it sets up for future WrestleMania matches.
There really wasn't any of that here and it just felt like I was more
interested in seeing who the next person coming was instead of who and
what was in the ring. Although I will admit that I loved seeing Heath
Slater get dropped by entrants before he even entered the ring and loved
seeing Rey Mysterio get back in a WWE ring. Loved the final part of the
match in which we saw two eras in the WWE clash in the ring as it was
down to John Cena, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Finn Balor, Roman Reigns
and Shinsuke Nakamura. Finally, it came down to Nakamura and Reigns as
the Philadelphia crowd was rooting for their internet hero in Nakamura.
Great exchange between the two to close out the match before Nakamura
knees a running Reigns before tossing him overboard to seal the win and
his fate to WrestleMania as he challenges AJ Styles for the WWE
Championship.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
Rating: ***3/4
Match 4: WWE Raw Tag Team Championships - Seth Rollins & Jason Jordan (c) vs. The Bar
After competing a match earlier in the Royal Rumble, The Bar challenge Seth Rollins & Jason Jordan once more for their Raw Tag Team Championships. Early on in the match, Jason Jordan gets rammed into a ring post which causes him to become disoriented and basically out for the entire match. Rollins is left to fend for himself against The Bar and when Jordan finally makes his way back in the ring, he tags himself out as he still looks to be hurt from the spot earlier. Rollins eats a Brogue Kick after as The Bar take advantage and take out Rollins to score the win. What an easy payday for Jordan.
Winners: The Bar
Rating: **1/2
Match 5: WWE Universal Championship - Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Braun Strowman vs. Kane
This is perhaps one of the oddest matches put together in 2018 with Kane being the third wheel in a match full of beasts and monsters, no pun intended. As expected, this was an incredibly physical match with a standout moment seeing Brock Lesnar punch Braun Strowman square in the face after Strowman kneed Lesnar in the side of the head. Despite the crowd still being a bit quiet since the conclusion of the Rumble match, the three men here certainly gave it their all. With all the hate Lesnar gets, there is no denying how good he can be in the ring and how much of a beast he truly is in the ring. So much mayhem going on in this match with tables and chairs being brought into the fray as Lesnar is able to deliver on Kane to seal the win and retain the championship. Afterwards, Strowman yells at Lesnar as he walked away because Lesnar wasn't able to beat Strowman in the match. Didn't he Lesnar beat him a couple months ago? Regardless, I'm sure many will disagree with me but this was certainly a nice surprise and definitely the strongest match on the card so far.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rating: ***3/4
Match 6: 2018 Women's Royal Rumble
Here it is, the match Stephanie McMahon has been hyping about for weeks on end. The first ever Women's Royal Rumble match and it's closing out the show as Stephanie joins Michael Cole and Corey Graves on commentary. With both champions in Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss watching at ringside, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch kick off the match. Fitting considering they are the pioneers of this new movement. Because this was the first ever Women's Royal Rumble match, the commentators gave a little fun fact about each entrant which was actually pretty cool and added a reason behind their name. Also good considering many watching don't have much insight to some of the entrants. It was cool to see some of the older names enter the match like Lita, Trish Stratus, Molly Holly and my personal favorite in Vickie Guerrero. But the nostalgia wasn't enough to really hold my interest throughout. The most interesting part of the match turned out to be the final four in The Bella Twins, Sasha and Asuka fighting it out. It finally came down to Nikki Bella and Asuka as they fought it out on the apron. Finally, Asuka landed a pretty weak kick on Nikki who then fell to the ground. Asuka is the winner of the first Women's Royal Rumble. A very undramatic finish to the match as the two champions then come in the ring to face Asuka before Ronda Rousey comes out... smiling and staring at her future foes as she constantly points to the WrestleMania sign. Cringe.
Winner: Asuka
Rating: **3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
More hype than actual substance would be a fitting way to describe the 2018 Royal Rumble event. Look, I'm all for the women's revolution but this was just so forced down our throats. This may be another unpopular opinion but I think it would have been better to have the Universal Championship match close out the night instead of Ronda Rousey awkwardly smiling and pointing at the WrestleMania sign. What did you guys think?
Rating: 6/10
Saturday, January 26, 2019
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
WWE Royal Rumble 2004 Review
A date with destiny is on the line, the 2004 edition of the Royal Rumble match is one of the most star-studded in its rich history as so many stories intertwine on the route to WrestleMania. Also, Triple H defends his World Heavyweight Championship in a Last Man Standing match against Shawn Michaels.
Match 1: WWE World Tag Team Championship - Tables - Evolution (Batista & Ric Flair) (c) vs. The Dudley Boyz
To open up the night, The Dudley Boyz look to capture the World Tag Team Championships for the 319th time in their respective careers against Batista & Ric Flair in a tables match. Very quick opener here with Jonathan Coachman assisting Evolution and causing a distraction against The Dudley Boyz. Batista is able to capitalize off the distraction and hit a spinebuster on his former mentor in D-Von through a table to secure the win. Fine opener to get things rolling.
Winners: Evolution (Batista & Ric Flair)
Rating: *1/2
Match 2: WWE Cruiserweight Championship - Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Jamie Noble
With his girlfriend in Nidia being blinded, Jamie Noble looks to take advantage of the situation and use her to win the Cruiserweight Championship against Rey Mysterio. Noble dominated the majority of the match until Nidia inadvertently pulled Noble's leg thinking it was Mysterio's. Mysterio took advantage of the situation and hit a 619 to pick up the win and retain the gold. Another quick match to kick off the show. Maybe I'm being a little too generous here with my rating.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: *
Match 3: Chavo Guerrero vs. Eddie Guerrero
The family feud between Chavo Guerrero and Eddie Guerrero finally comes to a meet in the third match of the night. Man, you could really see the chemistry here between the two as all their holds and moves against each other looked as if they have done it about a million times before. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if they actually have done it a million times against each other before. But for what it was, the match just didn't last long enough for me to really sink my teeth into and once I started thinking this match was going to be a gem of the night, Eddie had already hit Chavo with a Frog Splash. Just a few more minutes and this really could have been something. Afterwards, Eddie goes to town on Chavo beats him down to a bloody pulp in front of Chavo Guerrero Sr. Get ready, Eddie is about to get the push of his life...
Winner: Eddie Guerrero
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: WWE Championship - Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Hardcore Holly
After Brock Lesnar put Hardcore Holly on the shelf for months with a broken neck, Holly looks to score some serious revenge by winning Brock's WWE Championship... and breaking his neck in the process. Loved the intensity these two brought with Holly rushing Lesnar early on during his entrance and setting the tone for the match. They had a personal feud running here and they acted on it accordingly. Smash mouth style of wrestling with Holly managing to get the champ in some trouble before quickly falling to an F5. Lesnar escapes with the championship despite Holly putting up his best efforts. Sometimes, you don't need a match to go half an hour to get the point across. This is a perfect example of that. The two had major beef after the serious injury Lesnar caused upon Holly and they beat the crap out of each other for five minutes until Lesnar was able to land the final blow.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rating: **1/2
Match 4: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Last Man Standing - Triple H (c) vs. Shawn Michaels
Of all the legendary matches these two have had against each other, this one tends to be so forgotten about. Loved the idea of having these two in a Last Man Standing match and of course, they brought the goods here. With Triple H dominating early on and bloodying up Shawn Michaels, it looked like this was in the bag for The Game. Once Michaels was able to turn the tides, the blood started pouring on the other side. Evey count made by the referee made sense and they all inched closer and closer to a final count as the match progressed. Loved that considering we tend to get so many pointless counts for this type of match that really weight the whole thing down. After some brutal steel chair shots, Michaels was able to hit a Sweet Chin Music on Triple H as the two collapsed to the mat immediately. The referee then counted both of them as the match would end in a draw, Triple H retains. Very strong co-main event match with the perfect ending. There doesn't always have to be a winner for an ending to make sense. This perfectly sets up a rematch at WrestleMania with a little spice added to it...
Winner: n/a
Rating: ****1/4
Match 5: 2004 Royal Rumble
This is the first viewing I have ever had with this match and have always heard about so much notoriety over it. To my delight, this Royal Rumble match certainly delivered on so many different aspects that I couldn't help but feel like this was easily one of the strongest Rumbles I have come across. Of course, the biggest story going into this one was Chris Benoit getting the first spot in the match. Almost to the point where it was pretty predictable that Benoit was going to win. But let's be honest... the idea of him going over in 2004 was kind of a long shot. The match was structured around him and if he was going to be able to last all the way through. But in between, there were so many different stories that all made sense leading into WrestleMania XX. From something as small as Chris Jericho eliminating Christian to The Undertaker toying with his brother Kane with a gong after one of the countdowns before Spike Dudley ended up going out and getting Chokeslammed on the ramp for his troubles. One of the other biggest shining points in the match saw Mick Foley make his way to the ring and eliminate both himself and Randy Orton as the two brutalized each other on the outside afterwards with Orton delivering some nasty chair shots to the head. Later on, Goldberg entered the match last and was quickly dominating throughout before Brock Lesnar makes another appearance and gives him an F5 before Kurt Angle picked up the pieces and eliminating Goldberg as the crowd ate it up. However, the biggest story of Benoit was placed back under the spotlight as the highlight of the match saw him eliminate The Big Show in dramatic fashion to score the biggest victory of his career as Jim Ross on the call made it that much more special. Perfect ending to the match that unfortunately has become tainted which perhaps prevented me from giving this match the full *****. The match served so many purposes in building up so many different feuds for the biggest show of the year without skipping a beat throughout.
Winner: Chris Benoit
Rating: ****3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
With a really weak start to the show, the second half really closed things out with a bang. The two championship matches both delivered and the Royal Rumble match itself was one of the best constructed Rumble matches I've ever seen. A perfect way to set up the road to WrestleMania XX.
Rating: 7/10
Match 1: WWE World Tag Team Championship - Tables - Evolution (Batista & Ric Flair) (c) vs. The Dudley Boyz
To open up the night, The Dudley Boyz look to capture the World Tag Team Championships for the 319th time in their respective careers against Batista & Ric Flair in a tables match. Very quick opener here with Jonathan Coachman assisting Evolution and causing a distraction against The Dudley Boyz. Batista is able to capitalize off the distraction and hit a spinebuster on his former mentor in D-Von through a table to secure the win. Fine opener to get things rolling.
Winners: Evolution (Batista & Ric Flair)
Rating: *1/2
Match 2: WWE Cruiserweight Championship - Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Jamie Noble
With his girlfriend in Nidia being blinded, Jamie Noble looks to take advantage of the situation and use her to win the Cruiserweight Championship against Rey Mysterio. Noble dominated the majority of the match until Nidia inadvertently pulled Noble's leg thinking it was Mysterio's. Mysterio took advantage of the situation and hit a 619 to pick up the win and retain the gold. Another quick match to kick off the show. Maybe I'm being a little too generous here with my rating.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: *
Match 3: Chavo Guerrero vs. Eddie Guerrero
The family feud between Chavo Guerrero and Eddie Guerrero finally comes to a meet in the third match of the night. Man, you could really see the chemistry here between the two as all their holds and moves against each other looked as if they have done it about a million times before. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if they actually have done it a million times against each other before. But for what it was, the match just didn't last long enough for me to really sink my teeth into and once I started thinking this match was going to be a gem of the night, Eddie had already hit Chavo with a Frog Splash. Just a few more minutes and this really could have been something. Afterwards, Eddie goes to town on Chavo beats him down to a bloody pulp in front of Chavo Guerrero Sr. Get ready, Eddie is about to get the push of his life...
Winner: Eddie Guerrero
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: WWE Championship - Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Hardcore Holly
After Brock Lesnar put Hardcore Holly on the shelf for months with a broken neck, Holly looks to score some serious revenge by winning Brock's WWE Championship... and breaking his neck in the process. Loved the intensity these two brought with Holly rushing Lesnar early on during his entrance and setting the tone for the match. They had a personal feud running here and they acted on it accordingly. Smash mouth style of wrestling with Holly managing to get the champ in some trouble before quickly falling to an F5. Lesnar escapes with the championship despite Holly putting up his best efforts. Sometimes, you don't need a match to go half an hour to get the point across. This is a perfect example of that. The two had major beef after the serious injury Lesnar caused upon Holly and they beat the crap out of each other for five minutes until Lesnar was able to land the final blow.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Rating: **1/2
Match 4: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Last Man Standing - Triple H (c) vs. Shawn Michaels
Of all the legendary matches these two have had against each other, this one tends to be so forgotten about. Loved the idea of having these two in a Last Man Standing match and of course, they brought the goods here. With Triple H dominating early on and bloodying up Shawn Michaels, it looked like this was in the bag for The Game. Once Michaels was able to turn the tides, the blood started pouring on the other side. Evey count made by the referee made sense and they all inched closer and closer to a final count as the match progressed. Loved that considering we tend to get so many pointless counts for this type of match that really weight the whole thing down. After some brutal steel chair shots, Michaels was able to hit a Sweet Chin Music on Triple H as the two collapsed to the mat immediately. The referee then counted both of them as the match would end in a draw, Triple H retains. Very strong co-main event match with the perfect ending. There doesn't always have to be a winner for an ending to make sense. This perfectly sets up a rematch at WrestleMania with a little spice added to it...
Winner: n/a
Rating: ****1/4
Match 5: 2004 Royal Rumble
This is the first viewing I have ever had with this match and have always heard about so much notoriety over it. To my delight, this Royal Rumble match certainly delivered on so many different aspects that I couldn't help but feel like this was easily one of the strongest Rumbles I have come across. Of course, the biggest story going into this one was Chris Benoit getting the first spot in the match. Almost to the point where it was pretty predictable that Benoit was going to win. But let's be honest... the idea of him going over in 2004 was kind of a long shot. The match was structured around him and if he was going to be able to last all the way through. But in between, there were so many different stories that all made sense leading into WrestleMania XX. From something as small as Chris Jericho eliminating Christian to The Undertaker toying with his brother Kane with a gong after one of the countdowns before Spike Dudley ended up going out and getting Chokeslammed on the ramp for his troubles. One of the other biggest shining points in the match saw Mick Foley make his way to the ring and eliminate both himself and Randy Orton as the two brutalized each other on the outside afterwards with Orton delivering some nasty chair shots to the head. Later on, Goldberg entered the match last and was quickly dominating throughout before Brock Lesnar makes another appearance and gives him an F5 before Kurt Angle picked up the pieces and eliminating Goldberg as the crowd ate it up. However, the biggest story of Benoit was placed back under the spotlight as the highlight of the match saw him eliminate The Big Show in dramatic fashion to score the biggest victory of his career as Jim Ross on the call made it that much more special. Perfect ending to the match that unfortunately has become tainted which perhaps prevented me from giving this match the full *****. The match served so many purposes in building up so many different feuds for the biggest show of the year without skipping a beat throughout.
Winner: Chris Benoit
Rating: ****3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
With a really weak start to the show, the second half really closed things out with a bang. The two championship matches both delivered and the Royal Rumble match itself was one of the best constructed Rumble matches I've ever seen. A perfect way to set up the road to WrestleMania XX.
Rating: 7/10
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
WWE Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2009-2010 DVD (Disc 3) Review
Match 1: Hell in a Cell 2009 - Hell in a Cell - D-Generation X vs. Legacy (Taken from WWE Hell in a Cell 2009 Review)
The heated feud between these two teams finally hits its conclusion inside Hell in a Cell. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase of Legacy looked confident after talking things over with Randy Orton after his title win. However, he made sure to remind them that win or loss, nobody comes out of it the same. Legacy sneak attacks D-Generation X from behind as Triple H & Shawn Michaels were coming down to the ring. The fight starts outside Hell in a Cell before the bell even rings as the mayhem gets taken into the stands. Finally, Legacy gets the advantage and lock themselves inside with Michaels as Triple H was forced to watch as his partner got decimated. Finally, and I mean finally, Triple H comes back and opens up the door and makes the save for his team as they lay out Legacy for the win. Hard to give this match more than *** when it was basically a handicap match. This was Legacy beating down Michaels for a strong part of the match before Triple H made the save that seemingly took forever. After their big win at Breaking Point, you think a win here for Legacy would have been in their cards. 2009 in a nutshell.
Winners: D-Generation X
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: Bragging Rights 2009 - Raw vs. SmackDown Bragging Rights - Team Raw (D-Generation X, The Big Show, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, Cody Rhodes, & Jack Swagger) vs. Team SmackDown (Chris Jericho, Kane, Matt Hardy, Finlay, R-Truth, & The Hart Dynasty) (Taken from WWE Bragging Rights 2009 Review)
This is the first Raw vs. SmackDown Bragging Rights match in history and it reminds me very much of the famous main event of the 2005 Survivor Series. The main difference being that this one lacks that special feel to it. The one in 2005 felt like a legit feud, this one feels rather forced. The audience doesn't really have any brand allegiance and could really care less who walked out the "more superior brand." This is the deciding factor of the night as both brands have a tied score. This isn't an elimination match so the first to score the pin or submission scores the win for their squad. This was a pretty brief match as it takes into account the main event after this. Everybody gets their shots in until The Big Show hits a Chokeslam on Kofi Kingston followed by taking out Triple H. Chris Jericho is left to pin Kingston to score the win for his team. A rather predictable finish but it made sense considering how Jericho is pretty much brainwashing The Big Show. Jericho hilariously celebrates with his team and the trophy after the match. If we could get a count on how many times Show has turned on people, that would be great.
Winners: Team SmackDown
Rating: ***
Match 3: Survivor Series 2009 - Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team Miz (The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre & Sheamus) vs. Team Morrison (John Morrison, Evan Bourne, Finlay, Matt Hardy & Shelton Benjamin) (Taken from WWE Survivor Series 2009 Review)
Best way to start off a Survivor Series is with a Traditional Survivor Series Elimination match! This match was seven years ago and really showed off the newer stars that would soon become main eventers like Sheamus and The Miz. Nice opening match here that shifted the focus to those newer guys as guys like Finlay or Matt Hardy had very minuscule parts to the match. Really told us where WWE's agenda was. It came down to The Miz having himself along with Drew McIntyre & Sheamus against the lone John Morrison. Morrison put up a fight until Sheamus hit him with running crucifix powerbomb to score the win for his team. Good match and a nice way to open the show while displaying the younger talent. Damn, that feels so weird saying that in 2018.
Winners: Team Miz
Sole Survivors: The Miz, Drew McIntyre & Sheamus
Rating: ***
Match 4: TLC 2009 - ECW Championship - Ladder - Christian (c) vs. Shelton Benjamin (Taken from WWE TLC 2009 Review)
This is one of the better WWECW matches that you will find as Christian challenged Shelton Benjamin in this match in order to steal the show. Expectations were obviously high for this one and you have to feel bad for anyone that has to follow this match. I get that their objective was to both steal the show and win the gold, but it felt like this match was just spot after spot after spot. It certainly got the crowd going, but I found it hard to really sink my teeth into this match. They had some really athletic and innovative spots with the ladders as the crowd ate it up. Christian got a cut on his face after Benjamin dropped a ladder on his face which then made the trainers run out to delay the match as they fixed the cut. You guessed it, the crowd was not happy and it really slowed down the momentum the match had built. The end spot came when Christian had Benjamin prone on top of a ladder set up between the ring apron and the announce table where Christian splashed on Benjamin from the top rope and through the ladder. Christian then climbed the ladder to retain the belt. Good match that really didn't live up to the huge hype the internet had built for it. Still, it was lots of fun and a great way to open up the night.
Winner: Christian
Rating: ***1/2
Match 5: Royal Rumble 2010 - Women's Championship - Michelle McCool (c) vs. Mickie James (Taken from WWE Royal Rumble 2010 Review)
The feud between these two Divas has been a surprisingly good one with McCool teasing Mickie for her supposed weight gain. This was supposed to be their blow off to their long running feud but the WWE gave us a total swerve here as Mickie James pinned McCool within the first few seconds of the match which let her capture the Women's Championship from McCool.
Winner: Mickie James
Rating: n/a
Match 6: WrestleMania XXVI - No Disqualification - Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (Taken from WWE WrestleMania XXVI Review)
"The eyes of the world are on Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. The eyes of the world are on WrestleMania." I don't think there has ever been a match in the history of professional wrestling where the competitors in the match had this much weight on their shoulders and where the fans have been so inspired and amazed into both a match and a feud. When wrestling gets things right, there's simply nothing like it and everything that has been done in this feud has put every other feud on this show to shame. I can't tell you how glad I am that this match is the one that is closing out the show because WrestleMania XXVI is Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker, the show is a one match event and every other match on the card takes a back seat to it. This match stems from all of their matches in the years past and most importantly, their match last year at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania which has led to Shawn Michaels once challenging The Undertaker's legendary streak by costing him his World Heavyweight Championship inside an Elimination Chamber match at the Elimination Chamber PPV. Now, at WrestleMania XXVI, Shawn Michaels is once again in search of finding Heaven by getting through Hell. Michaels quickly let The Undertaker know that he has no fear whatsoever as he copied The Undertaker's signature taunt before the bell sounded. You can feel the excitement and electricity in the air. Once the bell sounded, the match took off as the mad Undertaker went head on to Shawn Michaels and put more emphasis in every move that he performed. Early on in the match, The Undertaker seemingly injured his leg which became a huge target for Michaels to set his sights on as he attacked it masterfully. However, The Undertaker countered his onslaught by attacking Michaels' famous back which led to The Undertaker leaving Michaels outside for him to once again land a dive over the top rope. Scouting the move, Michaels quickly jumped into the ring and knocked down The Undertaker by taking out his leg. The storytelling and psychology is bar none, I can't ever remember seeing a match where everything is perfect and in place. Soon after, Michaels got The Undertaker to get outside of the ring to which Michaels used the ring ropes to propel himself onto The Undertaker on the outside. Just like how Michaels was caught dead in his tracks last year with the Moonsault, the same happened here as The Undertaker caught Michaels and landed a Tombstone on the outside of the ring and onto the floor! Through this devastating Tombstone, a large Last Ride, and a big time Chokeslam, it wasn't even to keep down the spirited Shawn Michaels as he did not want his career to come to an end just yet. This led to Shawn Michaels gaining control of the match and dictating the pace of things as he once again took The Undertaker to the limit by landing a Moonsault. Unlike last year's foolish Moonsault, this one was different. But just like last year's Moonsault, this one was both daring and out of desperation, Michaels landed a huge Moonsault from the top rope and outside of the ring by crashing through a table with The Undertaker's body being laid prone on top of it! This ignited a short burst of fire and intensity from Michaels which became short lived as his body collapsed after the huge maneuver. Michaels then took The Undertaker back into the ring but even through the incredible Moonsault, he could not keep The Undertaker down for the victory. The Undertaker then got back into the thick of things and landed a Tombstone inside the ring. The Undertaker stuck out his tongue and put Shawn's hands together to get the win but it wasn't enough as Michaels got his arm up to stay in the battle! To quote Jim Ross from his call of last year's match at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, "Can you believe what we are witnessing here together tonight?" In disbelief, The Undertaker saw Shawn Michaels climb up his leg and screamed for him to stay down. However, the rebellious Shawn Michaels looked straight at the face of adversity and spit right in it's face by once again copying the signature taunt of The Undertaker by slitting his throat on his knees. However, this wasn't even enough for Michaels who then proceeded to slap The Undertaker directly at his fact. Furiously, The Undertaker picked up Michaels and landed a jumping Tombstone to pick up the incredible victory. Oh, man, that was every bit of good that it promised and more. Shawn's near 25 year odyssey concludes in the year of 2010 at WrestleMania XXVI and I can't think of a better way to end it, with the same guy who nearly ended his career in 1998. I can't even put into words what that match represented and how good it was, I got excited just writing about it. It's matches like these that make you so proud to say that you are a fan of professional wrestling and dare I say it, sports entertainment. Just like last year's match, this one was very symbolic in that the defiant Shawn Michaels once again taught us to forgo our fears and stand on the edge to grasp what you need and want. You might fail or succeed, but you're better off failing than you are not knowing. And just like last year's match, this one is also a perfect phenomenon but for different reasons. It's amazing how two matches can be so similar yet so different at the same time. Professional wrestling can sure make amazing moments happen and we witnessed just that during the main event of WrestleMania XXVI. For one last time, let's let the world know about it, it's hell trying to get to heaven. And for one last time, Shawn ran up that hill and slid back down. At least he didn't finish where he started. Professional wrestling can sure make a man think. Thank you, Shawn!
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: *****
The heated feud between these two teams finally hits its conclusion inside Hell in a Cell. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase of Legacy looked confident after talking things over with Randy Orton after his title win. However, he made sure to remind them that win or loss, nobody comes out of it the same. Legacy sneak attacks D-Generation X from behind as Triple H & Shawn Michaels were coming down to the ring. The fight starts outside Hell in a Cell before the bell even rings as the mayhem gets taken into the stands. Finally, Legacy gets the advantage and lock themselves inside with Michaels as Triple H was forced to watch as his partner got decimated. Finally, and I mean finally, Triple H comes back and opens up the door and makes the save for his team as they lay out Legacy for the win. Hard to give this match more than *** when it was basically a handicap match. This was Legacy beating down Michaels for a strong part of the match before Triple H made the save that seemingly took forever. After their big win at Breaking Point, you think a win here for Legacy would have been in their cards. 2009 in a nutshell.
Winners: D-Generation X
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: Bragging Rights 2009 - Raw vs. SmackDown Bragging Rights - Team Raw (D-Generation X, The Big Show, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, Cody Rhodes, & Jack Swagger) vs. Team SmackDown (Chris Jericho, Kane, Matt Hardy, Finlay, R-Truth, & The Hart Dynasty) (Taken from WWE Bragging Rights 2009 Review)
This is the first Raw vs. SmackDown Bragging Rights match in history and it reminds me very much of the famous main event of the 2005 Survivor Series. The main difference being that this one lacks that special feel to it. The one in 2005 felt like a legit feud, this one feels rather forced. The audience doesn't really have any brand allegiance and could really care less who walked out the "more superior brand." This is the deciding factor of the night as both brands have a tied score. This isn't an elimination match so the first to score the pin or submission scores the win for their squad. This was a pretty brief match as it takes into account the main event after this. Everybody gets their shots in until The Big Show hits a Chokeslam on Kofi Kingston followed by taking out Triple H. Chris Jericho is left to pin Kingston to score the win for his team. A rather predictable finish but it made sense considering how Jericho is pretty much brainwashing The Big Show. Jericho hilariously celebrates with his team and the trophy after the match. If we could get a count on how many times Show has turned on people, that would be great.
Winners: Team SmackDown
Rating: ***
Match 3: Survivor Series 2009 - Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team Miz (The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre & Sheamus) vs. Team Morrison (John Morrison, Evan Bourne, Finlay, Matt Hardy & Shelton Benjamin) (Taken from WWE Survivor Series 2009 Review)
Best way to start off a Survivor Series is with a Traditional Survivor Series Elimination match! This match was seven years ago and really showed off the newer stars that would soon become main eventers like Sheamus and The Miz. Nice opening match here that shifted the focus to those newer guys as guys like Finlay or Matt Hardy had very minuscule parts to the match. Really told us where WWE's agenda was. It came down to The Miz having himself along with Drew McIntyre & Sheamus against the lone John Morrison. Morrison put up a fight until Sheamus hit him with running crucifix powerbomb to score the win for his team. Good match and a nice way to open the show while displaying the younger talent. Damn, that feels so weird saying that in 2018.
Winners: Team Miz
Sole Survivors: The Miz, Drew McIntyre & Sheamus
Rating: ***
Match 4: TLC 2009 - ECW Championship - Ladder - Christian (c) vs. Shelton Benjamin (Taken from WWE TLC 2009 Review)
This is one of the better WWECW matches that you will find as Christian challenged Shelton Benjamin in this match in order to steal the show. Expectations were obviously high for this one and you have to feel bad for anyone that has to follow this match. I get that their objective was to both steal the show and win the gold, but it felt like this match was just spot after spot after spot. It certainly got the crowd going, but I found it hard to really sink my teeth into this match. They had some really athletic and innovative spots with the ladders as the crowd ate it up. Christian got a cut on his face after Benjamin dropped a ladder on his face which then made the trainers run out to delay the match as they fixed the cut. You guessed it, the crowd was not happy and it really slowed down the momentum the match had built. The end spot came when Christian had Benjamin prone on top of a ladder set up between the ring apron and the announce table where Christian splashed on Benjamin from the top rope and through the ladder. Christian then climbed the ladder to retain the belt. Good match that really didn't live up to the huge hype the internet had built for it. Still, it was lots of fun and a great way to open up the night.
Winner: Christian
Rating: ***1/2
Match 5: Royal Rumble 2010 - Women's Championship - Michelle McCool (c) vs. Mickie James (Taken from WWE Royal Rumble 2010 Review)
The feud between these two Divas has been a surprisingly good one with McCool teasing Mickie for her supposed weight gain. This was supposed to be their blow off to their long running feud but the WWE gave us a total swerve here as Mickie James pinned McCool within the first few seconds of the match which let her capture the Women's Championship from McCool.
Winner: Mickie James
Rating: n/a
Match 6: WrestleMania XXVI - No Disqualification - Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (Taken from WWE WrestleMania XXVI Review)
"The eyes of the world are on Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. The eyes of the world are on WrestleMania." I don't think there has ever been a match in the history of professional wrestling where the competitors in the match had this much weight on their shoulders and where the fans have been so inspired and amazed into both a match and a feud. When wrestling gets things right, there's simply nothing like it and everything that has been done in this feud has put every other feud on this show to shame. I can't tell you how glad I am that this match is the one that is closing out the show because WrestleMania XXVI is Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker, the show is a one match event and every other match on the card takes a back seat to it. This match stems from all of their matches in the years past and most importantly, their match last year at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania which has led to Shawn Michaels once challenging The Undertaker's legendary streak by costing him his World Heavyweight Championship inside an Elimination Chamber match at the Elimination Chamber PPV. Now, at WrestleMania XXVI, Shawn Michaels is once again in search of finding Heaven by getting through Hell. Michaels quickly let The Undertaker know that he has no fear whatsoever as he copied The Undertaker's signature taunt before the bell sounded. You can feel the excitement and electricity in the air. Once the bell sounded, the match took off as the mad Undertaker went head on to Shawn Michaels and put more emphasis in every move that he performed. Early on in the match, The Undertaker seemingly injured his leg which became a huge target for Michaels to set his sights on as he attacked it masterfully. However, The Undertaker countered his onslaught by attacking Michaels' famous back which led to The Undertaker leaving Michaels outside for him to once again land a dive over the top rope. Scouting the move, Michaels quickly jumped into the ring and knocked down The Undertaker by taking out his leg. The storytelling and psychology is bar none, I can't ever remember seeing a match where everything is perfect and in place. Soon after, Michaels got The Undertaker to get outside of the ring to which Michaels used the ring ropes to propel himself onto The Undertaker on the outside. Just like how Michaels was caught dead in his tracks last year with the Moonsault, the same happened here as The Undertaker caught Michaels and landed a Tombstone on the outside of the ring and onto the floor! Through this devastating Tombstone, a large Last Ride, and a big time Chokeslam, it wasn't even to keep down the spirited Shawn Michaels as he did not want his career to come to an end just yet. This led to Shawn Michaels gaining control of the match and dictating the pace of things as he once again took The Undertaker to the limit by landing a Moonsault. Unlike last year's foolish Moonsault, this one was different. But just like last year's Moonsault, this one was both daring and out of desperation, Michaels landed a huge Moonsault from the top rope and outside of the ring by crashing through a table with The Undertaker's body being laid prone on top of it! This ignited a short burst of fire and intensity from Michaels which became short lived as his body collapsed after the huge maneuver. Michaels then took The Undertaker back into the ring but even through the incredible Moonsault, he could not keep The Undertaker down for the victory. The Undertaker then got back into the thick of things and landed a Tombstone inside the ring. The Undertaker stuck out his tongue and put Shawn's hands together to get the win but it wasn't enough as Michaels got his arm up to stay in the battle! To quote Jim Ross from his call of last year's match at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, "Can you believe what we are witnessing here together tonight?" In disbelief, The Undertaker saw Shawn Michaels climb up his leg and screamed for him to stay down. However, the rebellious Shawn Michaels looked straight at the face of adversity and spit right in it's face by once again copying the signature taunt of The Undertaker by slitting his throat on his knees. However, this wasn't even enough for Michaels who then proceeded to slap The Undertaker directly at his fact. Furiously, The Undertaker picked up Michaels and landed a jumping Tombstone to pick up the incredible victory. Oh, man, that was every bit of good that it promised and more. Shawn's near 25 year odyssey concludes in the year of 2010 at WrestleMania XXVI and I can't think of a better way to end it, with the same guy who nearly ended his career in 1998. I can't even put into words what that match represented and how good it was, I got excited just writing about it. It's matches like these that make you so proud to say that you are a fan of professional wrestling and dare I say it, sports entertainment. Just like last year's match, this one was very symbolic in that the defiant Shawn Michaels once again taught us to forgo our fears and stand on the edge to grasp what you need and want. You might fail or succeed, but you're better off failing than you are not knowing. And just like last year's match, this one is also a perfect phenomenon but for different reasons. It's amazing how two matches can be so similar yet so different at the same time. Professional wrestling can sure make amazing moments happen and we witnessed just that during the main event of WrestleMania XXVI. For one last time, let's let the world know about it, it's hell trying to get to heaven. And for one last time, Shawn ran up that hill and slid back down. At least he didn't finish where he started. Professional wrestling can sure make a man think. Thank you, Shawn!
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: *****
WWE Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2009-2010 DVD (Disc 2) Review
Match 1: Night of Champions 2009 - WWE Championship - Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena vs. Triple H (Taken from WWE Night of Champions 2009 Review)
The rematch everybody wanted to see, right? If I had a dime for every time these guys faced off against each other on PPV. Revisiting this show, it's almost impossible for me to get excited to give this match another watch. Randy Orton continues to play the role as the wild card as John Cena and Triple H continue their beef with one another. While it admittedly was hard to really soak my teeth into the match, it didn't feel like a chore to watch. These three are definitely more than experienced with one another which made the fluidity cleaner and the match itself easier to watch. They also knew when to kick it into second gear. They took the fight out to the announce table outside where they continued back in the ring where both Cena and Triple H locked Orton in submissions at the same time. Orton taps as the referee wraps his arms around his head looking like a complete idiot and losing any credibility in this match. Finally, DiBiase & Rhodes come out for the save as Orton is able to hit an RKO on Cena to retain. That ending was ridiculous. Some may have thought it was clever but that just made the match lose all credibility and made both the referee look stupid and Orton look weak in the process. Orton retains but at a cost.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***
Match 2: Summerslam 2009 - Intercontinental Championship - Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler (Taken from WWE Summerslam 2009 Review)
The first match of the night was Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship. In my book, Mysterio is having one of his best years as he has had some incredible PPV matches and this one wasn't any exception. After having a less than stellar match at Night of Champions, the two rebound here by landing some excellent moves including a dropkick by Ziggler after a springboard by Mysterio. Mysterio got the win after hitting him with a a top rope hurricanrana to retain his title.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating ***
Match 3: Summerslam 2009 - TLC - World Heavyweight Championship - Jeff Hardy (c) vs. CM Punk (Taken from WWE Summerslam 2009 Review)
The main event bout of the night was between Jeff Hardy and CM Punk where they competed against each other in a TLC match for the World Heavyweight Championship. Jeff Hardy is not one to disappoint in Ladder matches and he proves that here in this main event match. When you mix an awesome feud, incredible spots, and Jeff Hardy in a Ladder match, you get awesomeness. Hardy and Punk battled each other in a good 20 minutes with chaos breaking out as we saw Jeff jump off a 20 foot ladder where he missed his signature Swantom Bomb on CM Punk to which he crashed through an announcer's table. Punk wins the match after knocking Hardy off the ladder and retreiving the title belt. An incredible performance by both men.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ****1/4
Match 4: Breaking Point 2009 - WWE Championship - I Quit - Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena (Taken from Randy Orton - The Evolution of a Predator DVD (Disc 3) Review)
The last time I scored this match was when it happened about seven years ago. I was a junior in high school so I'm going to see how my **** score holds up in 2016 as a college student. This match was in 2009 and at the peak of the Randy Orton vs. John Cena feud as the very tanned Orton would be automatically disqualified if anybody were to interfere into the match on his behalf. I'm not sure what I saw in this match back in the day but this was easily one of the most dragged out I Quit matches I have ever seen. Maybe that's me taking into consideration how many times I've seen these guys wrestle against each other or maybe I just had completely different outlooks on this match from now and then. Orton was in control for so much of the match that it got me sucked out of the match. He tied up Cena with the handcuffs and never let up after that. They spent the huge chunk of the match just having Orton toy with Cena before Cena was able to escape and hit an STF to have Orton quit. I love John Cena, he is probably one of my favorites of all time. I mean that. But this was the type of match that made people really dislike him. He got dominated throughout the entire match before finally reversing the tide and earning another win and another championship. It's always a trip to relive old matches and read my reviews of them from back in the day.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: **
Original Rating: ****
The rematch everybody wanted to see, right? If I had a dime for every time these guys faced off against each other on PPV. Revisiting this show, it's almost impossible for me to get excited to give this match another watch. Randy Orton continues to play the role as the wild card as John Cena and Triple H continue their beef with one another. While it admittedly was hard to really soak my teeth into the match, it didn't feel like a chore to watch. These three are definitely more than experienced with one another which made the fluidity cleaner and the match itself easier to watch. They also knew when to kick it into second gear. They took the fight out to the announce table outside where they continued back in the ring where both Cena and Triple H locked Orton in submissions at the same time. Orton taps as the referee wraps his arms around his head looking like a complete idiot and losing any credibility in this match. Finally, DiBiase & Rhodes come out for the save as Orton is able to hit an RKO on Cena to retain. That ending was ridiculous. Some may have thought it was clever but that just made the match lose all credibility and made both the referee look stupid and Orton look weak in the process. Orton retains but at a cost.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***
Match 2: Summerslam 2009 - Intercontinental Championship - Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler (Taken from WWE Summerslam 2009 Review)
The first match of the night was Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship. In my book, Mysterio is having one of his best years as he has had some incredible PPV matches and this one wasn't any exception. After having a less than stellar match at Night of Champions, the two rebound here by landing some excellent moves including a dropkick by Ziggler after a springboard by Mysterio. Mysterio got the win after hitting him with a a top rope hurricanrana to retain his title.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating ***
Match 3: Summerslam 2009 - TLC - World Heavyweight Championship - Jeff Hardy (c) vs. CM Punk (Taken from WWE Summerslam 2009 Review)
The main event bout of the night was between Jeff Hardy and CM Punk where they competed against each other in a TLC match for the World Heavyweight Championship. Jeff Hardy is not one to disappoint in Ladder matches and he proves that here in this main event match. When you mix an awesome feud, incredible spots, and Jeff Hardy in a Ladder match, you get awesomeness. Hardy and Punk battled each other in a good 20 minutes with chaos breaking out as we saw Jeff jump off a 20 foot ladder where he missed his signature Swantom Bomb on CM Punk to which he crashed through an announcer's table. Punk wins the match after knocking Hardy off the ladder and retreiving the title belt. An incredible performance by both men.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ****1/4
Match 4: Breaking Point 2009 - WWE Championship - I Quit - Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena (Taken from Randy Orton - The Evolution of a Predator DVD (Disc 3) Review)
The last time I scored this match was when it happened about seven years ago. I was a junior in high school so I'm going to see how my **** score holds up in 2016 as a college student. This match was in 2009 and at the peak of the Randy Orton vs. John Cena feud as the very tanned Orton would be automatically disqualified if anybody were to interfere into the match on his behalf. I'm not sure what I saw in this match back in the day but this was easily one of the most dragged out I Quit matches I have ever seen. Maybe that's me taking into consideration how many times I've seen these guys wrestle against each other or maybe I just had completely different outlooks on this match from now and then. Orton was in control for so much of the match that it got me sucked out of the match. He tied up Cena with the handcuffs and never let up after that. They spent the huge chunk of the match just having Orton toy with Cena before Cena was able to escape and hit an STF to have Orton quit. I love John Cena, he is probably one of my favorites of all time. I mean that. But this was the type of match that made people really dislike him. He got dominated throughout the entire match before finally reversing the tide and earning another win and another championship. It's always a trip to relive old matches and read my reviews of them from back in the day.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: **
Original Rating: ****
Monday, January 7, 2019
WWE Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2009-2010 DVD (Disc 1) Review
Match 1: Backlash 2009 - WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Last Man Standing - John Cena (c) vs. Edge (Taken from WWE Backlash 2009 Review)
As much as we always talk about the rivalry between John Cena and Edge, we tend to remember their matches in 2006 and completely forget their revived run in 2009. This is unfortunate because this match at Backlash should certainly be remembered as one of their best matches. They really brought out all the stops for this match with some awesome spots throughout like Cena darting steel steps at the face of Edge and even delivering an Attitude Adjustment to him into the crowd. The action was pretty nonstop from start to finish with the exception of there probably being too many counts from the referee which got pretty annoying at times. The fight spilled throughout the concourse of the arena before they took it on the stage. As Cena was ready to deliver another Attitude Adjustment to Edge on top of the stage, The Big Show came out of nowhere and Chokeslammed Cena through one of the spotlight props off the stage. An explosion rang immediately as the referee counted to 10. Wow. That was probably one of the coolest finishes to a match I have ever seen and it came off so realistic and flawless. Perfect way for SmackDown to get their World Heavyweight Championship back on its brand and a satisfying ending to a great match.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ****1/4
Match 2: Backlash 2009 - ECW Championship - Jack Swagger (c) vs. Christian (Taken from WWE Backlash 2009 Review)
With Christian finally being back in the WWE, he gets his first big singles match on PPV against the young Jack Swagger for his ECW Championship. Although Swagger was still a fresh face to the company at this point, the WWE was really putting some stock in him with big matches against Matt Hardy and even John Cena that saw him more than hold his own. Solid opening match here with Swagger looking great throughout the match but Christian being able to score the ultimate upper hand with the help of an exposed turnbuckle along with a Killswitch. Christian wins his first "world championship" in the WWE. Great moment to start off the night.
Winner: Christian
Rating: ***1/2
Match 3: Judgment Day 2009 - WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Edge (c) vs. Jeff Hardy (Taken from WWE Judgment Day 2009 Review)
If we're still in the business of talking about recycled matches, how many times have we seen these two go at it? Regardless, I'm not one to complain when these two step in a ring at any time so here we are for the main event of the night. Love the fact that these two are closing out the night and per usual, they delivered the goods. Jeff Hardy more than proved in 2008 that he doesn't need all kinds of glitz and glamour to have a good match and he continued to prove that point here. Never a dull moment and Hardy splashed in some innovative daredevil moves that brought him to the dance. One of the coolest spots in the match saw Hardy run the barricade outside and try to splash onto Edge on the announcers table but only got met with a Spear. Back and forth they collided as they brought the fight to outside the ring where Matt Hardy ambushed Jeff from behind with his cast as the referee was unable to see. Jeff was able to shake it off a bit and go for a Swanton Bomb but stumbled a bit from the top as Edge went up and hit Jeff with an Edgecution from the top for the win. Loved how Hardy sold the attack at the end and loved how Edge won using a different finisher. Add that to the list of great matches these two have had together.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ****
Match 4: The Bash 2009 - Intercontinental Championship - Chris Jericho (c) vs. Rey Mysterio (Taken from The Road is Jericho DVD (Disc 3) Review)
It's been years since I last saw this match and it always hits home when I do go back and check it out. I recall watching this back in 2009 and being completely mesmerized by this match, it definitely holds very dear to my heart. They had an amazing feud back in 2009 which centered around the mask of Rey Mysterio. Chris Jericho noted how much he enjoyed working with Mysterio in the interview before the match on this DVD and how he had to convince Vince McMahon why exactly he wanted to take the mask from Mysterio. Simply put, because he could. The action was fast and furious, it almost felt like I stepped into a time machine and was watching an old ECW match. It's super rare to see matches like this in this era of the WWE, two veterans pretty much breaking out all the stops and showing just how athletic this sport truly is. This is one of those matches where I don't even need to explain what exactly they did. Rather, I'm just going to tell you to go out of your way to watch this. I do want to mention how awesome the finish was, Jericho had Mysterio in the Walls of Jericho before pulling off the mask of Mysterio. Jericho looked in awe at the mask he had pulled off before realizing that Mysterio had another mask underneath. Mysterio hit the 619 and scored the win and the Intercontinental Championship. The look on Jericho's face after was priceless and he held on to the mask he had pulled off. Fantastic stuff.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: ****3/4
Match 5: Night of Champions 2009 - United States Championship - Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Carlito vs. Jack Swagger vs. The Miz vs. Primo vs. MVP (Taken from WWE Night of Champions 2009 Review)
Definitely like how they went for the six-man match instead of a singles match, keeps the show fresh considering there are so many title defenses. The hard part comes in keeping things interesting throughout the match and they did a fine job here. Primo is The Big Show's replacement and he played his role great as he had to also compete against his brother in Carlito. The match was fun but wasn't as chaotic and hectic as you would hoped for. But that isn't to say that this was a bad match because it far and away was not. Good pacing and some cool spots to get the crowd going. Ending came when Carlito hits his Back Stabber finisher on his brother until Kingston lands a Trouble in Paradise right after to retain the title.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Rating: ***
As much as we always talk about the rivalry between John Cena and Edge, we tend to remember their matches in 2006 and completely forget their revived run in 2009. This is unfortunate because this match at Backlash should certainly be remembered as one of their best matches. They really brought out all the stops for this match with some awesome spots throughout like Cena darting steel steps at the face of Edge and even delivering an Attitude Adjustment to him into the crowd. The action was pretty nonstop from start to finish with the exception of there probably being too many counts from the referee which got pretty annoying at times. The fight spilled throughout the concourse of the arena before they took it on the stage. As Cena was ready to deliver another Attitude Adjustment to Edge on top of the stage, The Big Show came out of nowhere and Chokeslammed Cena through one of the spotlight props off the stage. An explosion rang immediately as the referee counted to 10. Wow. That was probably one of the coolest finishes to a match I have ever seen and it came off so realistic and flawless. Perfect way for SmackDown to get their World Heavyweight Championship back on its brand and a satisfying ending to a great match.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ****1/4
Match 2: Backlash 2009 - ECW Championship - Jack Swagger (c) vs. Christian (Taken from WWE Backlash 2009 Review)
With Christian finally being back in the WWE, he gets his first big singles match on PPV against the young Jack Swagger for his ECW Championship. Although Swagger was still a fresh face to the company at this point, the WWE was really putting some stock in him with big matches against Matt Hardy and even John Cena that saw him more than hold his own. Solid opening match here with Swagger looking great throughout the match but Christian being able to score the ultimate upper hand with the help of an exposed turnbuckle along with a Killswitch. Christian wins his first "world championship" in the WWE. Great moment to start off the night.
Winner: Christian
Rating: ***1/2
Match 3: Judgment Day 2009 - WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Edge (c) vs. Jeff Hardy (Taken from WWE Judgment Day 2009 Review)
If we're still in the business of talking about recycled matches, how many times have we seen these two go at it? Regardless, I'm not one to complain when these two step in a ring at any time so here we are for the main event of the night. Love the fact that these two are closing out the night and per usual, they delivered the goods. Jeff Hardy more than proved in 2008 that he doesn't need all kinds of glitz and glamour to have a good match and he continued to prove that point here. Never a dull moment and Hardy splashed in some innovative daredevil moves that brought him to the dance. One of the coolest spots in the match saw Hardy run the barricade outside and try to splash onto Edge on the announcers table but only got met with a Spear. Back and forth they collided as they brought the fight to outside the ring where Matt Hardy ambushed Jeff from behind with his cast as the referee was unable to see. Jeff was able to shake it off a bit and go for a Swanton Bomb but stumbled a bit from the top as Edge went up and hit Jeff with an Edgecution from the top for the win. Loved how Hardy sold the attack at the end and loved how Edge won using a different finisher. Add that to the list of great matches these two have had together.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ****
Match 4: The Bash 2009 - Intercontinental Championship - Chris Jericho (c) vs. Rey Mysterio (Taken from The Road is Jericho DVD (Disc 3) Review)
It's been years since I last saw this match and it always hits home when I do go back and check it out. I recall watching this back in 2009 and being completely mesmerized by this match, it definitely holds very dear to my heart. They had an amazing feud back in 2009 which centered around the mask of Rey Mysterio. Chris Jericho noted how much he enjoyed working with Mysterio in the interview before the match on this DVD and how he had to convince Vince McMahon why exactly he wanted to take the mask from Mysterio. Simply put, because he could. The action was fast and furious, it almost felt like I stepped into a time machine and was watching an old ECW match. It's super rare to see matches like this in this era of the WWE, two veterans pretty much breaking out all the stops and showing just how athletic this sport truly is. This is one of those matches where I don't even need to explain what exactly they did. Rather, I'm just going to tell you to go out of your way to watch this. I do want to mention how awesome the finish was, Jericho had Mysterio in the Walls of Jericho before pulling off the mask of Mysterio. Jericho looked in awe at the mask he had pulled off before realizing that Mysterio had another mask underneath. Mysterio hit the 619 and scored the win and the Intercontinental Championship. The look on Jericho's face after was priceless and he held on to the mask he had pulled off. Fantastic stuff.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: ****3/4
Match 5: Night of Champions 2009 - United States Championship - Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Carlito vs. Jack Swagger vs. The Miz vs. Primo vs. MVP (Taken from WWE Night of Champions 2009 Review)
Definitely like how they went for the six-man match instead of a singles match, keeps the show fresh considering there are so many title defenses. The hard part comes in keeping things interesting throughout the match and they did a fine job here. Primo is The Big Show's replacement and he played his role great as he had to also compete against his brother in Carlito. The match was fun but wasn't as chaotic and hectic as you would hoped for. But that isn't to say that this was a bad match because it far and away was not. Good pacing and some cool spots to get the crowd going. Ending came when Carlito hits his Back Stabber finisher on his brother until Kingston lands a Trouble in Paradise right after to retain the title.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Rating: ***
Thursday, January 3, 2019
WWE Judgment Day 2009 Review
The day of judgment has come... Jeff Hardy looks to take down Edge for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship as Batista challenges Randy Orton for the WWE Championship. Also, John Cena looks to score some revenge against The Big Show in a grudge match.
Match 1: CM Punk vs. Umaga
With the PPV taking place in Chicago, it is only fitting to have CM Punk kick off the show in his bout here against Umaga. Looking back, it is easy to forget how good Umaga was in the ring and simply being able to look back and rewatch his matches is certainly a treat. Solid opening contest here with Punk doing a great job of being the underdog throughout the match and teasing the match around him possibly being able to hit his GTS finisher. Punk finally looks to have the match in control and after a few kicks to the head of Umaga, Punk decides to go for his GTS but fails as the weight became too much for Punk to bear. Umaga is able to follow it up with a Samoan Spike to score the win. Interesting booking decision here to have Punk take another L on a PPV following his Money in the Bank victory.
Winner: Umaga
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: ECW Championship - Christian (c) vs. Jack Swagger
Jack Swagger gets his rematch for the ECW Championship against Christian after losing to him a month earlier at Backlash. Loved how they structured the rematch here in differentiating this match from their first one and really emphasizing how Christian's years of experience was becoming very troublesome for the rookie in Swagger. Swagger almost sealed the win for himself but was caught by the referee as Swagger had a handful of tights on the pin. However, the veteran is able to take a play out of the rookie's playbook as he grabbed a handful of Swagger's tights on the pin to win the match and retain the belt. Nice following match after the opener with a smart finish as the whiny Swagger takes an appropriate loss.
Winner: Christian
Rating: ***
Match 3: Shelton Benjamin vs. John Morrison
Shelton Benjamin's former partner in Charlie Haas plays the role of a cheerleader as Benjamin takes on John Morrison in the third bout of the night. The two SmackDown stars put on a pretty good match here despite the crowd really not investing much of their emotions into it. As you would expect, good amount of athletic moves from the two including Morrison hitting a 450 splash to Benjamin out of the ring. Morrison knocks Haas out of the equation and follows it up with a Flying Chuck and a Starship Pain on Benjamin to pick up the win.
Winner: John Morrison
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: WWE Intercontinental Championship - Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Chris Jericho (Taken from Rey Mysterio - The Life of a Masked Man DVD (Disc 2) Review)
Their feud back in WCW is renewed in 2009 as Chris Jericho joins the SmackDown brand and looks to embarrass Rey Mysterio in Chicago. This match was exactly what you would expect, a lot of reversals, fast paces action, and an awesome crowd as Chicago crowds are often always the best for wrestling. Jericho shows off why he is indeed an amazing heel and why he has held the belt more than anyone else early on and throughout basically by toying around with Mysterio but that didn't mean Mysterio would give up without a battle. Mysterio repeatedly reversed move after move from Jericho and did it crisply and precisely to his advantage before finally hitting a 619 which he tried to do earlier on to get the win.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: ****
Match 5: WWE Championship - Randy Orton (c) vs. Batista
At this point in his career, I think it is safe to say that Randy Orton was at his peak in terms of being an all-around superstar. At this point, he was also becoming The Viper and he certainly was amazing in being that slithering heel that would try to escape any predicament that got in his way in any means necessary. Not sure if Batista was limited in the ring at this point, but Orton did a great job of building the match around him trying to escape the wrath of Batista and even trying to get himself counted out at one point. Orton would eventually go on to successfully retain his belt by purposely disqualifying himself via smacking the referee in the face. Afterwards, the rest of Legacy come up to pummel Batista before the young Ric Flair came out to make the save. Take it for what it was, another Orton vs. Batista match that for whatever reason, just didn't really grab anyone's attention too much. For two guys have been doing this together for so long, I always found it quite strange why their matches against each other never really proved that statement.
Winner: Batista (via disqualification)
Rating: **
Match 6: The Big Show vs. John Cena
After The Big Show chokeslammed John Cena through a searchlight at Backlash a month earlier, Cena looks to score some revenge against Show in their grudge match here. Kind of odd to me how this is just a basic match without any stipulations being involved, we've seen these two go at it many times before but I guess it sets up for a later match down the road at Extreme Rules. This match was as you would expect, very slow and filled with Show dominating the match throughout as Cena again plays the role of the underdog and looks to not even stand a chance against his bigger opponent. Finally, Cena is able to find an opening and hit an Attitude Adjustment on Show to big up the "miraculous" victory. We've seen these two go at it so many times before and the novelty of picking up Big Show for an Attitude Adjustment is completely gone.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: *3/4
Match 7: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Edge (c) vs. Jeff Hardy
If we're still in the business of talking about recycled matches, how many times have we seen these two go at it? Regardless, I'm not one to complain when these two step in a ring at any time so here we are for the main event of the night. Love the fact that these two are closing out the night and per usual, they delivered the goods. Jeff Hardy more than proved in 2008 that he doesn't need all kinds of glitz and glamour to have a good match and he continued to prove that point here. Never a dull moment and Hardy splashed in some innovative daredevil moves that brought him to the dance. One of the coolest spots in the match saw Hardy run the barricade outside and try to splash onto Edge on the announcers table but only got met with a Spear. Back and forth they collided as they brought the fight to outside the ring where Matt Hardy ambushed Jeff from behind with his cast as the referee was unable to see. Jeff was able to shake it off a bit and go for a Swanton Bomb but stumbled a bit from the top as Edge went up and hit Jeff with an Edgecution from the top for the win. Loved how Hardy sold the attack at the end and loved how Edge won using a different finisher. Add that to the list of great matches these two have had together.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ****
Overall PPV Thoughts and Rating:
Interesting PPV offering here without any appearances from the Divas and the Raw matches being the lower points in the show. However, the other matches on the card certainly earned their spots and while the main event is pretty forgettable, it was still a nice way to close out the night. While still a solid show, there's nothing really out of the ordinary to write home about.
Rating: 7.5/10
Match 1: CM Punk vs. Umaga
With the PPV taking place in Chicago, it is only fitting to have CM Punk kick off the show in his bout here against Umaga. Looking back, it is easy to forget how good Umaga was in the ring and simply being able to look back and rewatch his matches is certainly a treat. Solid opening contest here with Punk doing a great job of being the underdog throughout the match and teasing the match around him possibly being able to hit his GTS finisher. Punk finally looks to have the match in control and after a few kicks to the head of Umaga, Punk decides to go for his GTS but fails as the weight became too much for Punk to bear. Umaga is able to follow it up with a Samoan Spike to score the win. Interesting booking decision here to have Punk take another L on a PPV following his Money in the Bank victory.
Winner: Umaga
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: ECW Championship - Christian (c) vs. Jack Swagger
Jack Swagger gets his rematch for the ECW Championship against Christian after losing to him a month earlier at Backlash. Loved how they structured the rematch here in differentiating this match from their first one and really emphasizing how Christian's years of experience was becoming very troublesome for the rookie in Swagger. Swagger almost sealed the win for himself but was caught by the referee as Swagger had a handful of tights on the pin. However, the veteran is able to take a play out of the rookie's playbook as he grabbed a handful of Swagger's tights on the pin to win the match and retain the belt. Nice following match after the opener with a smart finish as the whiny Swagger takes an appropriate loss.
Winner: Christian
Rating: ***
Match 3: Shelton Benjamin vs. John Morrison
Shelton Benjamin's former partner in Charlie Haas plays the role of a cheerleader as Benjamin takes on John Morrison in the third bout of the night. The two SmackDown stars put on a pretty good match here despite the crowd really not investing much of their emotions into it. As you would expect, good amount of athletic moves from the two including Morrison hitting a 450 splash to Benjamin out of the ring. Morrison knocks Haas out of the equation and follows it up with a Flying Chuck and a Starship Pain on Benjamin to pick up the win.
Winner: John Morrison
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: WWE Intercontinental Championship - Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Chris Jericho (Taken from Rey Mysterio - The Life of a Masked Man DVD (Disc 2) Review)
Their feud back in WCW is renewed in 2009 as Chris Jericho joins the SmackDown brand and looks to embarrass Rey Mysterio in Chicago. This match was exactly what you would expect, a lot of reversals, fast paces action, and an awesome crowd as Chicago crowds are often always the best for wrestling. Jericho shows off why he is indeed an amazing heel and why he has held the belt more than anyone else early on and throughout basically by toying around with Mysterio but that didn't mean Mysterio would give up without a battle. Mysterio repeatedly reversed move after move from Jericho and did it crisply and precisely to his advantage before finally hitting a 619 which he tried to do earlier on to get the win.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: ****
Match 5: WWE Championship - Randy Orton (c) vs. Batista
At this point in his career, I think it is safe to say that Randy Orton was at his peak in terms of being an all-around superstar. At this point, he was also becoming The Viper and he certainly was amazing in being that slithering heel that would try to escape any predicament that got in his way in any means necessary. Not sure if Batista was limited in the ring at this point, but Orton did a great job of building the match around him trying to escape the wrath of Batista and even trying to get himself counted out at one point. Orton would eventually go on to successfully retain his belt by purposely disqualifying himself via smacking the referee in the face. Afterwards, the rest of Legacy come up to pummel Batista before the young Ric Flair came out to make the save. Take it for what it was, another Orton vs. Batista match that for whatever reason, just didn't really grab anyone's attention too much. For two guys have been doing this together for so long, I always found it quite strange why their matches against each other never really proved that statement.
Winner: Batista (via disqualification)
Rating: **
Match 6: The Big Show vs. John Cena
After The Big Show chokeslammed John Cena through a searchlight at Backlash a month earlier, Cena looks to score some revenge against Show in their grudge match here. Kind of odd to me how this is just a basic match without any stipulations being involved, we've seen these two go at it many times before but I guess it sets up for a later match down the road at Extreme Rules. This match was as you would expect, very slow and filled with Show dominating the match throughout as Cena again plays the role of the underdog and looks to not even stand a chance against his bigger opponent. Finally, Cena is able to find an opening and hit an Attitude Adjustment on Show to big up the "miraculous" victory. We've seen these two go at it so many times before and the novelty of picking up Big Show for an Attitude Adjustment is completely gone.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: *3/4
Match 7: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Edge (c) vs. Jeff Hardy
If we're still in the business of talking about recycled matches, how many times have we seen these two go at it? Regardless, I'm not one to complain when these two step in a ring at any time so here we are for the main event of the night. Love the fact that these two are closing out the night and per usual, they delivered the goods. Jeff Hardy more than proved in 2008 that he doesn't need all kinds of glitz and glamour to have a good match and he continued to prove that point here. Never a dull moment and Hardy splashed in some innovative daredevil moves that brought him to the dance. One of the coolest spots in the match saw Hardy run the barricade outside and try to splash onto Edge on the announcers table but only got met with a Spear. Back and forth they collided as they brought the fight to outside the ring where Matt Hardy ambushed Jeff from behind with his cast as the referee was unable to see. Jeff was able to shake it off a bit and go for a Swanton Bomb but stumbled a bit from the top as Edge went up and hit Jeff with an Edgecution from the top for the win. Loved how Hardy sold the attack at the end and loved how Edge won using a different finisher. Add that to the list of great matches these two have had together.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ****
Overall PPV Thoughts and Rating:
Interesting PPV offering here without any appearances from the Divas and the Raw matches being the lower points in the show. However, the other matches on the card certainly earned their spots and while the main event is pretty forgettable, it was still a nice way to close out the night. While still a solid show, there's nothing really out of the ordinary to write home about.
Rating: 7.5/10
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
WWE Backlash 2009 Review
The fallout from the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania sees Edge
try to reclaim his World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena in a
Last Man Standing match. Also, Randy Orton's rematch for the WWE
Championship he lost against Triple H comes in the form of a tag match
that features Triple H teaming with the McMahons and going up against
Orton and the rest of Legacy.
Match 1: ECW Championship - Jack Swagger (c) vs. Christian
With Christian finally being back in the WWE, he gets his first big singles match on PPV against the young Jack Swagger for his ECW Championship. Although Swagger was still a fresh face to the company at this point, the WWE was really putting some stock in him with big matches against Matt Hardy and even John Cena that saw him more than hold his own. Solid opening match here with Swagger looking great throughout the match but Christian being able to score the ultimate upper hand with the help of an exposed turnbuckle along with a Killswitch. Christian wins his first "world championship" in the WWE. Great moment to start off the night.
Winner: Christian
Rating: ***1/2
Match 2: Chris Jericho vs. Ricky Steamboat
Chris Jericho's reign of terror against the legends continues as he faces Ricky Steamboat in a singles match here after Steamboat decided to steal the show at WrestleMania. As pleasantly surprised as we were to see Steamboat hang with Jericho a month prior to this, it was even much cooler to see him surpass the newer and higher expectations that were set for him. He more than held his own here and even impressed me here more than most of the current roster at the time as he performed moves you would not have thought someone of his age would have even thought of doing. Despite being able to survive a Codebreaker, Steamboat would still fall to Jericho and his Walls of Jericho submission. Steamboat again impresses, shame this would basically be his last match in the WWE. Wouldn't have mind seeing him being involved in a program for Summerslam that year or something.
Winner: Chris Jericho
Rating: ***1/2
Match 3: Kane vs. CM Punk
Even after CM Punk won his second Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania, he was still consistently brushed to the side. Case and point, his match here with Kane. Decent match here with the action you would come to expect from the two. Despite giving his best efforts, Punk would eventually fall to Kane and his Chokeslam. Again, decent match for what it was but I have to question if the company really cared much for Punk at this point despite having him have a solid heel run in the summer.
Winner: Kane
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: I Quit - Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy
One of the more underrated feuds of 2009 was certainly between the Hardy brothers as their bad blood reached its newest height here in an I Quit match. Of course, these two have been going at it throughout their whole lives and it shows here. They understood that this was a personal feud and made it feel that way throughout the match. No time for headlocks and rest holds because they brought the fight to each other here. Jeff Hardy was able to put his brother in a predicament by taping his hands and legs together before roping him down on a table. Matt Hardy utters the words "I quit" to the referee after begging his brother to not dive off a ladder onto him. Even still, Jeff did not oblige and drove his whole body right through and him and allowing himself to put his feud with Matt behind him in the process. For Jeff, he would go on to have the biggest summer of his career while Matt would unfortunately get lost in the scuffle.
Winner: Jeff Hardy
Rating: ***1/4
Match 5: Santina Marella vs. Beth Phoenix
Welp, The Great Khali comes out for his usual kiss cam segment and demands for Santina Marella to come out so he can get a kiss. However, Marella claims that he already has a lover in Jim Ross. Yes, this really happened. Ross looks visibly pissed over all this as Khali demands to see Santina and Ross kiss. However, Beth Phoenix comes out and challenges Marella to a match for "her" title of Miss WrestleMania. With the help of Khali hammerfisting Phoenix on the top of her head, Santina quickly pins her to score the win. Afterwards, Khali rips off Santina's shirt as she runs out in embarrassment. Wow, how did that make the PPV? That was painfully bad.
Winner: Santina Marella
Rating: n/a
Match 6: WWE Championship - Triple H, Shane McMahon & Batista (c) vs. Legacy (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase)
Can anyone tell me the last time the WWE Championship was on the line in a tag match? Even less, when was the last time a singles title was on the line in one? Either way, I kind of dig this and gives us something different. After all, isn't that what all you internet fans always beg to see? Something different? Much of this match felt like it was Legacy just beating on the weakest link of the match in Shane McMahon. Almost to the point where it dragged on a bit but not enough for me to lose my attention. Cody Rhodes was able to eliminate Shane from the equation with a steel chair shot behind the referee's back before hitting Batista in the throat with it. As Batista tried to unleash his revenge on Rhodes later on with the chair, Triple H pulls the chair out of his hands which allows Randy Orton to capitalize on the distraction. Orton hits an RKO and follows it up with a punt to win the match and capture the WWE Championship. Loved how Orton and his squad quickly left the scene as soon as he scored the pin, almost as if he was fleeing from a crime scene. Nice touch. As much as I love the swerve of having Orton win here, it just would have made so much more sense to ride his momentum and have him win the belt a month earlier at WrestleMania. Regardless, the match was pretty enjoyable for what it was and really set up for some good stories between the three former Evolution members which would eventually get scrapped due to injuries and reasons. How cool would it have been to see a Triple H and Batista feud around this time?
Winners: Legacy (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase)
Rating: ***1/4
Match 7: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Last Man Standing - John Cena (c) vs. Edge
As much as we always talk about the rivalry between John Cena and Edge, we tend to remember their matches in 2006 and completely forget their revived run in 2009. This is unfortunate because this match at Backlash should certainly be remembered as one of their best matches. They really brought out all the stops for this match with some awesome spots throughout like Cena darting steel steps at the face of Edge and even delivering an Attitude Adjustment to him into the crowd. The action was pretty nonstop from start to finish with the exception of there probably being too many counts from the referee which got pretty annoying at times. The fight spilled throughout the concourse of the arena before they took it on the stage. As Cena was ready to deliver another Attitude Adjustment to Edge on top of the stage, The Big Show came out of nowhere and Chokeslammed Cena through one of the spotlight props off the stage. An explosion rang immediately as the referee counted to 10. Wow. That was probably one of the coolest finishes to a match I have ever seen and it came off so realistic and flawless. Perfect way for SmackDown to get their World Heavyweight Championship back on its brand and a satisfying ending to a great match.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ****1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
The last time I watched this show was years ago and in all honesty, I completely forgot how much of a better offering this was than WrestleMania a month ago. Aside from the ridiculous segment with Santina Marella, everything on the card was either good or great with the main event being the shining point of the show.
Rating: 8/10
Match 1: ECW Championship - Jack Swagger (c) vs. Christian
With Christian finally being back in the WWE, he gets his first big singles match on PPV against the young Jack Swagger for his ECW Championship. Although Swagger was still a fresh face to the company at this point, the WWE was really putting some stock in him with big matches against Matt Hardy and even John Cena that saw him more than hold his own. Solid opening match here with Swagger looking great throughout the match but Christian being able to score the ultimate upper hand with the help of an exposed turnbuckle along with a Killswitch. Christian wins his first "world championship" in the WWE. Great moment to start off the night.
Winner: Christian
Rating: ***1/2
Match 2: Chris Jericho vs. Ricky Steamboat
Chris Jericho's reign of terror against the legends continues as he faces Ricky Steamboat in a singles match here after Steamboat decided to steal the show at WrestleMania. As pleasantly surprised as we were to see Steamboat hang with Jericho a month prior to this, it was even much cooler to see him surpass the newer and higher expectations that were set for him. He more than held his own here and even impressed me here more than most of the current roster at the time as he performed moves you would not have thought someone of his age would have even thought of doing. Despite being able to survive a Codebreaker, Steamboat would still fall to Jericho and his Walls of Jericho submission. Steamboat again impresses, shame this would basically be his last match in the WWE. Wouldn't have mind seeing him being involved in a program for Summerslam that year or something.
Winner: Chris Jericho
Rating: ***1/2
Match 3: Kane vs. CM Punk
Even after CM Punk won his second Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania, he was still consistently brushed to the side. Case and point, his match here with Kane. Decent match here with the action you would come to expect from the two. Despite giving his best efforts, Punk would eventually fall to Kane and his Chokeslam. Again, decent match for what it was but I have to question if the company really cared much for Punk at this point despite having him have a solid heel run in the summer.
Winner: Kane
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: I Quit - Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy
One of the more underrated feuds of 2009 was certainly between the Hardy brothers as their bad blood reached its newest height here in an I Quit match. Of course, these two have been going at it throughout their whole lives and it shows here. They understood that this was a personal feud and made it feel that way throughout the match. No time for headlocks and rest holds because they brought the fight to each other here. Jeff Hardy was able to put his brother in a predicament by taping his hands and legs together before roping him down on a table. Matt Hardy utters the words "I quit" to the referee after begging his brother to not dive off a ladder onto him. Even still, Jeff did not oblige and drove his whole body right through and him and allowing himself to put his feud with Matt behind him in the process. For Jeff, he would go on to have the biggest summer of his career while Matt would unfortunately get lost in the scuffle.
Winner: Jeff Hardy
Rating: ***1/4
Match 5: Santina Marella vs. Beth Phoenix
Welp, The Great Khali comes out for his usual kiss cam segment and demands for Santina Marella to come out so he can get a kiss. However, Marella claims that he already has a lover in Jim Ross. Yes, this really happened. Ross looks visibly pissed over all this as Khali demands to see Santina and Ross kiss. However, Beth Phoenix comes out and challenges Marella to a match for "her" title of Miss WrestleMania. With the help of Khali hammerfisting Phoenix on the top of her head, Santina quickly pins her to score the win. Afterwards, Khali rips off Santina's shirt as she runs out in embarrassment. Wow, how did that make the PPV? That was painfully bad.
Winner: Santina Marella
Rating: n/a
Match 6: WWE Championship - Triple H, Shane McMahon & Batista (c) vs. Legacy (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase)
Can anyone tell me the last time the WWE Championship was on the line in a tag match? Even less, when was the last time a singles title was on the line in one? Either way, I kind of dig this and gives us something different. After all, isn't that what all you internet fans always beg to see? Something different? Much of this match felt like it was Legacy just beating on the weakest link of the match in Shane McMahon. Almost to the point where it dragged on a bit but not enough for me to lose my attention. Cody Rhodes was able to eliminate Shane from the equation with a steel chair shot behind the referee's back before hitting Batista in the throat with it. As Batista tried to unleash his revenge on Rhodes later on with the chair, Triple H pulls the chair out of his hands which allows Randy Orton to capitalize on the distraction. Orton hits an RKO and follows it up with a punt to win the match and capture the WWE Championship. Loved how Orton and his squad quickly left the scene as soon as he scored the pin, almost as if he was fleeing from a crime scene. Nice touch. As much as I love the swerve of having Orton win here, it just would have made so much more sense to ride his momentum and have him win the belt a month earlier at WrestleMania. Regardless, the match was pretty enjoyable for what it was and really set up for some good stories between the three former Evolution members which would eventually get scrapped due to injuries and reasons. How cool would it have been to see a Triple H and Batista feud around this time?
Winners: Legacy (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase)
Rating: ***1/4
Match 7: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Last Man Standing - John Cena (c) vs. Edge
As much as we always talk about the rivalry between John Cena and Edge, we tend to remember their matches in 2006 and completely forget their revived run in 2009. This is unfortunate because this match at Backlash should certainly be remembered as one of their best matches. They really brought out all the stops for this match with some awesome spots throughout like Cena darting steel steps at the face of Edge and even delivering an Attitude Adjustment to him into the crowd. The action was pretty nonstop from start to finish with the exception of there probably being too many counts from the referee which got pretty annoying at times. The fight spilled throughout the concourse of the arena before they took it on the stage. As Cena was ready to deliver another Attitude Adjustment to Edge on top of the stage, The Big Show came out of nowhere and Chokeslammed Cena through one of the spotlight props off the stage. An explosion rang immediately as the referee counted to 10. Wow. That was probably one of the coolest finishes to a match I have ever seen and it came off so realistic and flawless. Perfect way for SmackDown to get their World Heavyweight Championship back on its brand and a satisfying ending to a great match.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ****1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
The last time I watched this show was years ago and in all honesty, I completely forgot how much of a better offering this was than WrestleMania a month ago. Aside from the ridiculous segment with Santina Marella, everything on the card was either good or great with the main event being the shining point of the show.
Rating: 8/10
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