WWE Crown Jewel 2018
November 2, 2018
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
One
of the biggest nights of the calendar year for WWE sees Shawn Michaels
returning to action as he teams with Triple H to represent D-Generation X
and go into battle against The Brothers of Destruction. Also, the
vacant Universal Championship is up for grabs in a bout between Brock
Lesnar and Braun Strowman while the WWE World Cup Tournament decides who
is the best in the world.
Match 1: WWE World Cup Quarterfinal - Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton
Dig
the mention of the two meeting 12 years ago at the start of the 2006
Royal Rumble match, here they are now to kick open one of the biggest
shows for 2018. Longevity doesn't get the recognition it deserves. If
you were expecting a usual amazing match between the two here, forget
it. They have had some outstanding matches in the past with some great
chemistry between the two, even fighting for the World Heavyweight
Championship. However, this was barely 5 minutes and not much offense
from the two was on display here. Rey Mysterio is able to quickly roll
Randy Orton up to score the win before Orton hits Mysterio with an RKO
afterwards and attacks him around the ring. With so many matches lined
up for the night, I get why it was so short. But damn, would have loved
to see them go at it for just a few more minutes.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: *1/2
Match 2: WWE World Cup Quarterfinal - Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz
How
I miss The Miz as a heel... and how I miss Jeff Hardy as a top star.
Good times. Much like the last match, this was a fairly quick and basic
bout, almost as if I was at a house show watching this. Hardy is able to
hit some of his usual stuff here in a more competitive match than the
last one before falling to The Miz and a Skull Crushing Finale. Good for
what it was. Like I said, very basic match as you would expect here but
still solid, especially considering how many matches they have lined up
for the night.
Winner: The Miz
Rating: **1/2
Match 3: WWE World Cup Quarterfinal - Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley
Am
I the only one who enjoyed seeing Lio Rush as Bobby Lashley's hype man?
I think their dynamic worked really well together. With Rush by his
side, Lashley was seemingly having his way against the Intercontinental
Champion in Seth Rollins. However, a missed Spear was enough to cost
Lashley the match as he would quickly fall right into a Curb Stomp for
the finish as Rush watched in horror. Again, continuing the pattern of
quickly getting the first round matches out of the way. Take it or leave
it. Still would have been nice to have Rollins maybe get a little more
offense than he did.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Rating: **
Match 4: WWE World Cup Quarterfinal - Kurt Angle vs. Dolph Ziggler
Completely
forgot they had Kurt Angle wrestling on this card, he goes against
Dolph Ziggler who also has Drew McIntyre keeping an eye on things in his
corner. Almost sad to watch Angle at this point in his career, looking
very stiff in the ring and unable to move around like he once did.
Thankfully, he had somebody like Ziggler who was able to really sell
much of Angle's attacks nicely and really keep the match pushing forward
at a great pace. Angle gave his best efforts to Ziggler but he would
run himself into a corner post before Ziggler would be able to land a
Zig Zag to score the win.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Rating: **1/4
Match 5: WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship - The Bar (c) vs. The New Day
For
those keeping score at home, The Big Show is a heel around this time
and accompanies The Bar to the ring as their enforcer. The Bar defend
their belts against The New Day with Xavier Woods rooting on both Big E
and Kofi Kingston. Loved seeing The New Day come down to the ring on a
magic carpet, they really do have the best entrances in the game today.
The action in the ring was solid for what it was worth with both teams
getting in a good amount of offense. Watching Kingston prior to him
winning the big one feels strange, it's almost unbelievable how good he
is and how baffling it is to think that he wasn't actually given a shot
at it until a few months later. But I digress, Big Show gives Sheamus a
helping hand with a punch to the face of Big E as the referee's back was
turned which led into a Brogue Kick for the finish.
Winners: The Bar
Rating: **3/4
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Hell in a Cell - The Greatest Hell in a Cell Matches of All Time DVD (Disc 3) Review
Match 1: Vengeance 2005 - WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Hell in a Cell - Batista (c) vs. Triple H
After Batista beat Triple H at two PPVs in a row, they look to settle the score inside Hell in a Cell. This feud was white hot at the time and a perfect reason to break out the Hell in a Cell. Loved the intensity right off the bat, the two came in with a mindset that this was really the end to their feud and they needed to show us exactly that. Blood began to pour from the forehead of The Game early on before introducing a steel chair wrapped in barbed wire into the mix. The match really turned up a gear here as the two beat the crap out of each other with it. They did a perfect shot of Batista's back becoming bloody after Triple H drilled his back with it. However, even with that, a sledgehammer and a Pedigree, Batista was not going down. One of the coolest spots in the match came when Batista rammed a bloody Triple H into the bottom half of the steel steps set in the corner of the ring. Finally, a Spinebuster on the steps followed by a Batista Bomb would be enough for The Animal to close the book on his former mentor. Incredible and completely underrated Hell in a Cell match with one of the coolest finishes ever. Batista had Triple H in the air for a Batista Bomb with Triple H ready to strike with a sledgehammer but was not quick enough to pull the trigger. That is everything you could want from a Hell in a Cell match with the top two guys in the business. Go back and rewatch this.
Winner: Batista
Rating: *****
Match 2: Armageddon 2005 - Hell in a Cell - Randy Orton vs. The Undertaker (Taken from The Undertaker's Deadliest Matches DVD (Disc 2) Review)
Here it is, the conclusion of a feud that was possibly the best one on SmackDown for 2005. With his father being locked outside, Randy Orton looked to beat The Deadman at his own game. In the beginning, it looked completely bleak for The Legend Killer as The Undertaker beat Orton to a pulp with a few nasty steel chair shots that left Orton dripping blood. Almost forgot how much blood can add to a match. Undertaker was dominating the match and Orton only had a few sprinkles throughout that had him in the leading position. Got to mention the part with Undertaker pulling Bob Orton into the cell from the inside and cutting him open by tossing Randy straight into him. Bob was able to enter the cell after a referee bump and later suffered a Tombstone for his troubles. Loved his participation in the match, never did it feel forced but it still felt necessary to have him inside since he was a focal point during their feud. After, Undertaker delivered one to Randy and won the match to end their lengthy feud. Another great Hell in a Cell match under the belt for The Undertaker. It certainly did have its slow parts and the crowd just was not as hot as they needed to be, but it was certainly a fulfilling end to their great feud. It was as gruesome and intense as it needed to be.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ****1/2
Match 3: Unforgiven 2006 - Hell in a Cell - Shane McMahon, The Big Show & Mr. McMahon vs. D-Generation X
It's almost hard to believe that this match was 13 years ago. Where does the time go? Both Triple H and Shawn Michaels wanted to take out the biggest challenge against them in the match early on as they landed low blows against The Big Show early on to shift their focus against The McMahons. The blood poured early on for this one with Shane McMahon looking like a complete mess when Michaels was handling him outside the ring. For all the jokes and questionable angles leading up to this match, they really turned things up a notch the weeks leading into this one and really doing a fantastic job of making you feel how personable this feud was inside the cell. The McMahons and The Big Show would get the advantage later on with Shane hitting a Coast-to-Coast on Triple H and Mr. McMahon not letting the match end. There was blood everywhere and this was intense from the very beginning. Triple H and Michaels were finally able to turn the tides with a Sweet Chin Music from Michaels to both Shane and The Big Show before shifting the focus to Vince... With Show being held up by the ropes on his stomach, D-Generation X shove Mr. McMahon's face into Show's behind before Triple H finishes things off with a sledgehammer shot to the back of Vince. A bloody and fantastic Hell in a Cell match that lives up to its name and a perfect ending to the feud.
Winners: D-Generation X
Rating: ****1/4
Match 4: Survivor Series 2007 - World Heavyweight Championship - Hell in a Cell - Batista (c) vs. The Undertaker (Review taken from WWE Survivor Series 2007 Review)
2007's best and most epic rivalry comes to a conclusion inside Hell in a Cell. They each have a win under their belts along with two draws, this is the rubber match. Even in 2015, this match holds up as one of my personal favorites in Survivor Series history. You could feel the hate between the two and everything was spaced out perfectly. While the crowd could have been livelier, it didn't detract me from the action in the ring as both men were on the top of their games respectively. Everything action done was done with purpose, no wasted spots or motions from the two. They emphasized how brutal the structure was early on as the blood flowed hard. The Undertaker driving Batista's neck with a steel chair onto the steel steps and Batista smashing Undertaker's head in with the steel steps were both sights to be seen. Every fall felt like it could have been the legit finish and when Batista wasn't able to finish off Undertaker with a Batista Bomb through a table, things got even more interesting. Batista later kicked out of a Tombstone and when Undertaker hit another one, Edge appeared out of nowhere disguised as a cameraman. He hit a shocked Undertaker with the camera and then hit his famous Con-Chair-To before lifting Batista's lifeless body onto Undertaker's lifeless body where he forced the referee to make the count. Batista retains. Afterwards, Edge smashes Undertaker's face in with a steel chair to close out the night. What. A. War. An incredible end to their rivalry which ultimately got overshadowed by the return of Edge. While this match could have done without Edge, his return still added another layer to this contest. Regardless, this was the ultimate main event for the night and maybe even for the entire year.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ****1/2
After Batista beat Triple H at two PPVs in a row, they look to settle the score inside Hell in a Cell. This feud was white hot at the time and a perfect reason to break out the Hell in a Cell. Loved the intensity right off the bat, the two came in with a mindset that this was really the end to their feud and they needed to show us exactly that. Blood began to pour from the forehead of The Game early on before introducing a steel chair wrapped in barbed wire into the mix. The match really turned up a gear here as the two beat the crap out of each other with it. They did a perfect shot of Batista's back becoming bloody after Triple H drilled his back with it. However, even with that, a sledgehammer and a Pedigree, Batista was not going down. One of the coolest spots in the match came when Batista rammed a bloody Triple H into the bottom half of the steel steps set in the corner of the ring. Finally, a Spinebuster on the steps followed by a Batista Bomb would be enough for The Animal to close the book on his former mentor. Incredible and completely underrated Hell in a Cell match with one of the coolest finishes ever. Batista had Triple H in the air for a Batista Bomb with Triple H ready to strike with a sledgehammer but was not quick enough to pull the trigger. That is everything you could want from a Hell in a Cell match with the top two guys in the business. Go back and rewatch this.
Winner: Batista
Rating: *****
Match 2: Armageddon 2005 - Hell in a Cell - Randy Orton vs. The Undertaker (Taken from The Undertaker's Deadliest Matches DVD (Disc 2) Review)
Here it is, the conclusion of a feud that was possibly the best one on SmackDown for 2005. With his father being locked outside, Randy Orton looked to beat The Deadman at his own game. In the beginning, it looked completely bleak for The Legend Killer as The Undertaker beat Orton to a pulp with a few nasty steel chair shots that left Orton dripping blood. Almost forgot how much blood can add to a match. Undertaker was dominating the match and Orton only had a few sprinkles throughout that had him in the leading position. Got to mention the part with Undertaker pulling Bob Orton into the cell from the inside and cutting him open by tossing Randy straight into him. Bob was able to enter the cell after a referee bump and later suffered a Tombstone for his troubles. Loved his participation in the match, never did it feel forced but it still felt necessary to have him inside since he was a focal point during their feud. After, Undertaker delivered one to Randy and won the match to end their lengthy feud. Another great Hell in a Cell match under the belt for The Undertaker. It certainly did have its slow parts and the crowd just was not as hot as they needed to be, but it was certainly a fulfilling end to their great feud. It was as gruesome and intense as it needed to be.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ****1/2
Match 3: Unforgiven 2006 - Hell in a Cell - Shane McMahon, The Big Show & Mr. McMahon vs. D-Generation X
It's almost hard to believe that this match was 13 years ago. Where does the time go? Both Triple H and Shawn Michaels wanted to take out the biggest challenge against them in the match early on as they landed low blows against The Big Show early on to shift their focus against The McMahons. The blood poured early on for this one with Shane McMahon looking like a complete mess when Michaels was handling him outside the ring. For all the jokes and questionable angles leading up to this match, they really turned things up a notch the weeks leading into this one and really doing a fantastic job of making you feel how personable this feud was inside the cell. The McMahons and The Big Show would get the advantage later on with Shane hitting a Coast-to-Coast on Triple H and Mr. McMahon not letting the match end. There was blood everywhere and this was intense from the very beginning. Triple H and Michaels were finally able to turn the tides with a Sweet Chin Music from Michaels to both Shane and The Big Show before shifting the focus to Vince... With Show being held up by the ropes on his stomach, D-Generation X shove Mr. McMahon's face into Show's behind before Triple H finishes things off with a sledgehammer shot to the back of Vince. A bloody and fantastic Hell in a Cell match that lives up to its name and a perfect ending to the feud.
Winners: D-Generation X
Rating: ****1/4
Match 4: Survivor Series 2007 - World Heavyweight Championship - Hell in a Cell - Batista (c) vs. The Undertaker (Review taken from WWE Survivor Series 2007 Review)
2007's best and most epic rivalry comes to a conclusion inside Hell in a Cell. They each have a win under their belts along with two draws, this is the rubber match. Even in 2015, this match holds up as one of my personal favorites in Survivor Series history. You could feel the hate between the two and everything was spaced out perfectly. While the crowd could have been livelier, it didn't detract me from the action in the ring as both men were on the top of their games respectively. Everything action done was done with purpose, no wasted spots or motions from the two. They emphasized how brutal the structure was early on as the blood flowed hard. The Undertaker driving Batista's neck with a steel chair onto the steel steps and Batista smashing Undertaker's head in with the steel steps were both sights to be seen. Every fall felt like it could have been the legit finish and when Batista wasn't able to finish off Undertaker with a Batista Bomb through a table, things got even more interesting. Batista later kicked out of a Tombstone and when Undertaker hit another one, Edge appeared out of nowhere disguised as a cameraman. He hit a shocked Undertaker with the camera and then hit his famous Con-Chair-To before lifting Batista's lifeless body onto Undertaker's lifeless body where he forced the referee to make the count. Batista retains. Afterwards, Edge smashes Undertaker's face in with a steel chair to close out the night. What. A. War. An incredible end to their rivalry which ultimately got overshadowed by the return of Edge. While this match could have done without Edge, his return still added another layer to this contest. Regardless, this was the ultimate main event for the night and maybe even for the entire year.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ****1/2
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