Match 1: United States Championship - Submissions Count Anywhere - Daniel Bryan (c) vs. John Morrison vs. The Miz
I'll be honest, I miss having Michael Cole as a heel on the commentating booth. His hatred for Daniel Bryan and his love for The Miz was pretty hilarious. Although I will admit that Matt Striker can get fairly annoying on commentary. I loved the idea of having this match under the unique rules with submissions being counted anywhere. They took the action everywhere and made use of the match being contested under no disqualification rules. It was cool to see them break out a huge array of submissions and cool to see them distribute the offense equally between the three. Huge spot came when John Morrison climbed the stage and jumped off the cell on the titantron onto both men. Morrison looked to have the match in the bag as he had Miz locked on the ramp before Alex Riley came out for the save. Bryan was able to capitalize on the situation as he pushed Riley out of the way and tap made Miz out for the win. Nice opening match here and very interesting to see Bryan in his earlier WWE years.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: WWE Championship - Hell in a Cell - Randy Orton (c) vs. Sheamus (Taken from Randy Orton - The Evolution of a Predator DVD (Disc 3) Review)
I question why this match had to be inside a Hell in a Cell. I hate
having matches inside the friendly confines without having blood feuds.
The match itself was fine and I was able to feel the tension between the
two despite my strong thoughts of having it inside Hell in a Cell. The
flow and pacing of the match was fine but again, the lack of focus on
the actual cage itself was a distraction. They brought out the steel
steps and made it a focal point of the match where Randy Orton was able
to hit an RKO to Sheamus atop the steps for the victory. Good match as
their styles blended nicely here as they would go on to have several
more matches down the line and many more in 2016. Would have been the
exact same match if the cage wasn't taken into play. I liked the match
and I liked the build to the RKO at the end but this is Hell in a Cell,
this should have been so much more.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Match 3: Edge vs. Jack Swagger
Alberto Del Rio makes his first PPV appearance as he rags on the man he injured on an edition of SmackDown, Rey Mysterio. However, Edge interrupts him as the two argue. Possibly their first tease of a match at WrestleMania. Jack Swagger then comes out as he and Del Rio attack Edge before the anonymous Raw general manager declares a match between Edge and Swagger. Crowd was pretty dead throughout the first couple matches and they remained pretty silent here, even with Edge doing his best to get the ball rolling. Swagger was dominant for the better part of the match as Edge was still suffering from the attack. However, Edge pulled through and hit a Spear out of nowhere for the finish. Another strong match on the card and while I'm never one for promos on a PPV, Del Rio delivered a good one here and it led to a nice match with a possible tease for WrestleMania.
Winner: Edge
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: Wade Barrett vs. John Cena
Always seems like John Cena is in the middle of crazy stipulations in matches. If John Cena wins, The Nexus must finally disband. However, if Wade Barrett wins, Cena must join The Nexus. At this point, the whole Cena vs. Nexus storyline had run its course. Oh, and the rest of Nexus was banned from ringside. Can we start the match now? The rest of Nexus still comes out during the match for whatever reason as Barrett yells at them since they're nearly costing him the match. A pretty bland match here that only picked up when the WWE guys came to Cena's defense when The Nexus came back out. A huge melee erupted before Cena locked in the STF on Barrett. However, a fan apparently ran into the ring as Cena let go of the lock. A random person came rushing aside the ring and smashed Cena in the face. Barrett covered and scored the win as the fans looked on in disbelief. Like I said, a pretty dull match aside from all the outside shenanigans. The feud between the two was definitely becoming a bit stale so a Barrett victory was needed here. Other than that, nothing much to see here.
Winner: Wade Barrett
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: Unified Divas Championship - Michelle McCool (c) vs. Natalya
Brutal to watch these Divas matches a few years ago. Hard to put on quality matches when the WWE could care less about these women. Terrible storylines as the commentators seem to joke around during the match. Sloppy few minutes of action before Layla throws her shoe at Natalya for the disqualification finish. Michelle McCool retains. Alright.
Winner: Natalya
Rating: 3/4*
Match 6: World Heavyweight Championship - Hell in a Cell - Kane (c) vs. The Undertaker
Probably one of the most baffling main events I could remember within the past decade or so. I remember the hate this match was getting before it even happened. But in my opinion, it's cool to see these old veterans main event a PPV inside Hell in a Cell with Paul Bearer being in The Deadman's corner. Also incredible to believe that these two men were involved in the very first Hell in a Cell match. Let's get this out of the way, the ending may have been the most fucked ending I have ever seen in a WWE ring. And trust me, I've seen some stupid shit. But before that, I thought that the match was actually going really well, probably better than what anyone could expect. We tend to forget just how good Kane can really be and I love the emphasis he put on working on The Undertaker's leg. Matt Striker nicely pointed out that it would affect Undertaker's arsenal of moves. But things got really weird when after Kane knocked out the referee after hitting a Tombstone to The Undertaker. Paul Bearer would enter the match when the door opened. The lights dimmed down as fire started to erupt from the titantron. Bearer gives the urn to Kane before Kane knocks him out The Undertaker it. Kane retains the championship. I feel like we took a trip back to 1999.
Winner: Kane
Rating: **1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
2010 was a pretty weak year for WWE PPVs. Hell in a Cell 2010 may have been one of the weakest. The first couple matches delivered but everything pretty much took a free fall from there. Not only was the Dallas crowd a pretty bad one, but the main event matches couldn't give them any reason to change that. Sad excuse of a PPV.
Rating: 5/10
Friday, October 14, 2016
Tuesday, October 11, 2016
WWE Hell in a Cell 2009 Review
Match 1: World Heavyweight Championship - Hell in a Cell - CM Punk (c) vs. The Undertaker
Rarely does the World Heavyweight Championship match jerk the curtain. Not to mention this is a Hell in a Cell match. Their weird 2009 feud was ready to culminate here under The Undertaker's specialty match. They placed the foundation of the match early with CM Punk using his quickness to get away from The Undertaker and trying to get in his offense before The Deadman could even reach him. Undertaker would eventually catch up and lay a good beating into Punk. However, Punk got more than enough offense to make this match a great one. I was scared that this would be a squash match inside the Cell but that definitely was not the case. Undertaker barely hit his Tombstone and wins the match to score another World Heavyweight Championship. Punk's summer glory would eventually come to an end following this match as there were lots of rumors swirling around that Punk disrespected the locker room at this time. Whether that is true or not, The Undertaker is back as SmackDown's top dog.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: Intercontinental Championship - John Morrison (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler
Remember how sweet that SmackDown roster was in 2009? John Morrison had some great matches against Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship as Dolph Ziggler was establishing himself as a contender. This match right here really came out of nowhere. It may have started a bit slow and the crowd seemed to have died down from the previous contest but they definitely fired up the train a few minutes later. Ziggler looked like a legit contender here as he was able to get in a very substantial amount of offense against the champion before Morrison was able to land a swift knee to Ziggler's face before following it up with a Starship Pain. While the match was great, it did suffer from a slow start and a dead crowd. Not to mention that there were way too many nearfalls that may have taken some out of the match. Regardless, great showing from the SmackDown boys.
Winner: John Morrison
Rating: ***1/4
Match 3: Divas Championship - Mickie James (c) vs. Alicia Fox
It's really hard to take these Divas matches seriously sometimes. Especially when you see what kind of product the women are putting out in 2016 and go back to see something like this. Basic Divas match here with sloppy action before James hits her DDT for the win. Moving on.
Winner: Mickie James
Rating: 1/2*
Match 4: Unified Tag Team Championships - The Big Show & Chris Jericho (c) vs. Batista & Rey Mysterio
Trying to recreate their magic from 2005, Batista & Rey Mysterio team up to take on the The Big Show & Chris Jericho for the gold. With the experience all four guys in the ring have, it's no surprise how well they worked with each other. Every move made sense, every spot was timely placed and every pin had a meaning to it. I loved how they made Show a beast again in 2009 as he made the team of himself with Jericho a force to be reckoned with. Mysterio accepted the challenge against the giant and ultimately failed. But it was a cool moment to see Mysterio refuse to tag in Batista and respond to the call. It's also hilarious to see Jericho gloat throughout the match despite Show doing almost all of the work for his team. Despite coming close near the end, Big Show was able to stop the momentum that Batista & Mysterio had created with a nasty punch to the face of Mysterio as he flew off the top rope. Another great match from the SmackDown brand here with a great finish. Amazing how easy these four guys made it look out there.
Winners: The Big Show & Chris Jericho
Rating: ***1/2
Match 5: WWE Championship - Hell in a Cell - John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton
I can't even tell you how many times I've seen these two in a PPV match. After their match at Breaking Point, they have a rematch set here inside the second Hell in a Cell match of the night. These matches become hard to review when you've seen so many of them and try to differentiate them. The match itself felt very similar to their Breaking Point match with the exception that they were inside the cage and this time, Orton got the win. Very slow paced match here. They made every little move count and they spaced them out. That would work if they weren't inside the damn cage. I felt the hate between the two but this is a Hell in a Cell match, I wish they would have sped up the action and make use of the cage more so than what they did. Orton was able to punt Cena in the skull to win and capture another WWE Championship. While I still think they should have had Cena win and make this the finale, they went on to have an Iron Man match of all things at the next PPV. One of the more dull Hell in a Cell matches that you'll see in a lifetime.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: **3/4
Match 6: R-Truth vs. Drew McIntyre
The fall of 2009 was the time when Vince McMahon wanted to handpick his next big thing. That man... Drew McIntyre. Thought it was odd choice back in the day and I still have the same feeling in 2016. The dude was so inexperienced, had the worst entrance music prior to his Broken Dreams one and was pretty to boring to watch. That isn't to say he didn't improve within the next couple years because he certainly did. But as for this night, the crowd was not having any of this match. R-Truth managed to squeeze in some offense but from the start, this was all McIntyre. McIntyre hit his DDT finisher to score the win as his boring and generic rock music played right after.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
Rating: *1/4
Match 7: United States Championship - Kofi Kingston (c) vs. The Miz vs. Jack Swagger
One last championship match before the main event as Kofi Kingston defends his gold against The Miz and Jack Swagger. Always been a fan of these three and a triple threat match against each other on a PPV can only be good. For whatever reason, I just didn't feel like this match clicked on all cylinders. The action was pretty fast but at the same time, everything felt like it was planted out in advance. The ending sequence was a fun one as Swagger hit Miz with his finishing powerbomb before Kingston nails Swagger with a kick to the face for the win. Good match before the main event to get a spot on the PPV for these guys.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Rating: **3/4
Match 8: Hell in a Cell - D-Generation X vs. Legacy
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
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
This was a hard show to grade. On one hand, the SmackDown side of things delivered for the most part while the Raw side of things didn't bring too much to the table. This was the inaugural Hell in a Cell PPV and it would have been nice to start things with a bang. But with the PG perimeters at its peak, it was hard to do anything out of the ordinary as it felt like the matches were trapped in a box. I liked have the D-Generation X vs. Legacy match close the show, but it really fell flat on its face.
Rating: 6.75/10
Rarely does the World Heavyweight Championship match jerk the curtain. Not to mention this is a Hell in a Cell match. Their weird 2009 feud was ready to culminate here under The Undertaker's specialty match. They placed the foundation of the match early with CM Punk using his quickness to get away from The Undertaker and trying to get in his offense before The Deadman could even reach him. Undertaker would eventually catch up and lay a good beating into Punk. However, Punk got more than enough offense to make this match a great one. I was scared that this would be a squash match inside the Cell but that definitely was not the case. Undertaker barely hit his Tombstone and wins the match to score another World Heavyweight Championship. Punk's summer glory would eventually come to an end following this match as there were lots of rumors swirling around that Punk disrespected the locker room at this time. Whether that is true or not, The Undertaker is back as SmackDown's top dog.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: Intercontinental Championship - John Morrison (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler
Remember how sweet that SmackDown roster was in 2009? John Morrison had some great matches against Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship as Dolph Ziggler was establishing himself as a contender. This match right here really came out of nowhere. It may have started a bit slow and the crowd seemed to have died down from the previous contest but they definitely fired up the train a few minutes later. Ziggler looked like a legit contender here as he was able to get in a very substantial amount of offense against the champion before Morrison was able to land a swift knee to Ziggler's face before following it up with a Starship Pain. While the match was great, it did suffer from a slow start and a dead crowd. Not to mention that there were way too many nearfalls that may have taken some out of the match. Regardless, great showing from the SmackDown boys.
Winner: John Morrison
Rating: ***1/4
Match 3: Divas Championship - Mickie James (c) vs. Alicia Fox
It's really hard to take these Divas matches seriously sometimes. Especially when you see what kind of product the women are putting out in 2016 and go back to see something like this. Basic Divas match here with sloppy action before James hits her DDT for the win. Moving on.
Winner: Mickie James
Rating: 1/2*
Match 4: Unified Tag Team Championships - The Big Show & Chris Jericho (c) vs. Batista & Rey Mysterio
Trying to recreate their magic from 2005, Batista & Rey Mysterio team up to take on the The Big Show & Chris Jericho for the gold. With the experience all four guys in the ring have, it's no surprise how well they worked with each other. Every move made sense, every spot was timely placed and every pin had a meaning to it. I loved how they made Show a beast again in 2009 as he made the team of himself with Jericho a force to be reckoned with. Mysterio accepted the challenge against the giant and ultimately failed. But it was a cool moment to see Mysterio refuse to tag in Batista and respond to the call. It's also hilarious to see Jericho gloat throughout the match despite Show doing almost all of the work for his team. Despite coming close near the end, Big Show was able to stop the momentum that Batista & Mysterio had created with a nasty punch to the face of Mysterio as he flew off the top rope. Another great match from the SmackDown brand here with a great finish. Amazing how easy these four guys made it look out there.
Winners: The Big Show & Chris Jericho
Rating: ***1/2
Match 5: WWE Championship - Hell in a Cell - John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton
I can't even tell you how many times I've seen these two in a PPV match. After their match at Breaking Point, they have a rematch set here inside the second Hell in a Cell match of the night. These matches become hard to review when you've seen so many of them and try to differentiate them. The match itself felt very similar to their Breaking Point match with the exception that they were inside the cage and this time, Orton got the win. Very slow paced match here. They made every little move count and they spaced them out. That would work if they weren't inside the damn cage. I felt the hate between the two but this is a Hell in a Cell match, I wish they would have sped up the action and make use of the cage more so than what they did. Orton was able to punt Cena in the skull to win and capture another WWE Championship. While I still think they should have had Cena win and make this the finale, they went on to have an Iron Man match of all things at the next PPV. One of the more dull Hell in a Cell matches that you'll see in a lifetime.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: **3/4
Match 6: R-Truth vs. Drew McIntyre
The fall of 2009 was the time when Vince McMahon wanted to handpick his next big thing. That man... Drew McIntyre. Thought it was odd choice back in the day and I still have the same feeling in 2016. The dude was so inexperienced, had the worst entrance music prior to his Broken Dreams one and was pretty to boring to watch. That isn't to say he didn't improve within the next couple years because he certainly did. But as for this night, the crowd was not having any of this match. R-Truth managed to squeeze in some offense but from the start, this was all McIntyre. McIntyre hit his DDT finisher to score the win as his boring and generic rock music played right after.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
Rating: *1/4
Match 7: United States Championship - Kofi Kingston (c) vs. The Miz vs. Jack Swagger
One last championship match before the main event as Kofi Kingston defends his gold against The Miz and Jack Swagger. Always been a fan of these three and a triple threat match against each other on a PPV can only be good. For whatever reason, I just didn't feel like this match clicked on all cylinders. The action was pretty fast but at the same time, everything felt like it was planted out in advance. The ending sequence was a fun one as Swagger hit Miz with his finishing powerbomb before Kingston nails Swagger with a kick to the face for the win. Good match before the main event to get a spot on the PPV for these guys.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Rating: **3/4
Match 8: Hell in a Cell - D-Generation X vs. Legacy
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
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
This was a hard show to grade. On one hand, the SmackDown side of things delivered for the most part while the Raw side of things didn't bring too much to the table. This was the inaugural Hell in a Cell PPV and it would have been nice to start things with a bang. But with the PG perimeters at its peak, it was hard to do anything out of the ordinary as it felt like the matches were trapped in a box. I liked have the D-Generation X vs. Legacy match close the show, but it really fell flat on its face.
Rating: 6.75/10
Thursday, September 29, 2016
WWE No Mercy 2007 Review
Match 1: WWE Championship - Randy Orton (c) vs. Triple H
Since John Cena has been placed on the shelf with an injury, a new champion was set to be awarded at this show. Vince McMahon opened up the night and awarded Randy Orton the belt as the Chicago crowd goes wild. Orton gets the luxurious choice of picking his opponent before he gets interrupted by Triple H. Vince McMahon makes the match happen and here we go, the opening match for the show is for the WWE Championship. Does anyone remember the last time a PPV started with a WWE Championship match? That would be an interesting fact. Really good opening match here that saw some very good exchanges between the two. Orton did his best to slime out of the match but Triple H wasn't having any of it. Both men tried to hit their finishers but were both unsuccessful. Triple H rolled up Orton to score the surprise win and capture the gold from Orton. Orton's second reign was that much shorter than his first. Great match here. Lots of things to be mentioned. Jim Ross on the call was amazing which is a given. I like the fact that they didn't hit their finishers, saving it up for the main event. And also, I liked the finish. Not only did Orton lose, but he let it slip through his finger tips. It went from being his apex moment to his worst moment. The whole roller coaster of a PPV starts here.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ***1/2
Match 2: Paul London, Brian Kendrick & Jeff Hardy vs. Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch & Mr. Kennedy
This is the bonus match of the night as Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch have a secret weapon in Mr. Kennedy. Some fast action throughout with no team being the clear favorite. Jeff Hardy's style definitely blends nicely with the team of Paul London & Brian Kendrick. However, their opponents are no slouch as the wild card in Mr. Kennedy is able to plant London off the top rope to score the win for his team right before Kendrick ran in to break the count. Fine match here to settle the crowd a little bit after the big title tornado.
Winners: Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch & Mr. Kennedy
Rating: **3/4
Match 3: ECW Championship - CM Punk (c) vs. Big Daddy V
CM Punk gets an enormous ovation from the Chicago faithful as he takes on Big Daddy V. Did they really not have a better opponent for him here? Regardless, this match was two minutes of Big Daddy V beating down Punk before Punk managed to turn the tides and bring Big Daddy V off his feet. Matt Striker runs in and attacks Punk from behind as the referee called for disqualification. Big Daddy V then attacked Punk afterwards as Punk needed assistance being taken to the back with blood pouring out of his mouth. Why did Striker intervene and act surprised when the referee called for the disqualification? Stupid finish to a stupid match that had no business on the card.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: 1/4*
Match 4: WWE Championship - Triple H (c) vs. Umaga
After Triple H's championship win earlier in the night against Randy Orton, Vince McMahon forces The Game to compete in the match that was originally advertised against Umaga. This time, for the WWE Championship. Triple H begins to show signs of fatigue as Umaga seems to be a little too much for Triple H to overcome after having to beat Orton less than an hour ago. They do a great job of centering the match around that and around the weakened ribs of Triple H. Jim Ross lets the audience know that there is certainly a method to Umaga's madness. Triple H is able to escape and land a Pedigree for the win. The Game does a masterful job of selling the injury afterwards. But his night isn't even close to being finished...
Winner: Triple H
Rating: **1/2
Match 5: Finlay vs. Rey Mysterio
I always felt like SmackDown was such a consistent brand during these years. One of the biggest reasons is due to the focus of the action in the ring. Two guys you know who were going to bring it on a nightly basis were Finlay and Rey Mysterio. Definitely felt like the momentum from Mysterio's big summer return was fading. Thankfully, he scored a spot on the card here with the Irishman. Finlay's rugged offense clashed well with Mysterio's fast offense as the two had some great exchanges here. Finlay then faked an injury as he took a nasty fall to the floor. They did a great shot with Finlay opening his eyes for a quick second to check his surroundings before going back to faking the injury. The stretcher gets pulled out for Finlay as Mysterio shows sympathy before Finlay gets out of the stretcher and beats down Mysterio. Cool finish to the match that sets up another match down the road. Another nice addition to the PPV.
Winner: n/a
Rating: **3/4
Match 6: Women's Championship - Candice Michelle (c) vs. Beth Phoenix
Candice Michelle has to have the most annoying theme song in the WWE at this time. But credit where it's due, she looks amazing and improved immensely in the ring in 2007. Very quick match that saw Beth Phoenix hit a cradle suplex to score the win and championship. A dominant performance from Phoenix before declaring this era hers. Match was what it was, nice to see Phoenix get rewarded for her work.
Winner: Beth Phoenix
Rating: 3/4*
Match 7: World Heavyweight Championship - Punjabi Prison - Batista (c) vs. The Great Khali
I like how they billed the Punjabi Prison as The Great Khali's specialty match yet he's never actually been in one. Regardless, he looks to recapture the gold against Batista here in the co-main event of the night. For those who are unaware of the match, there are two bamboo prisons holding the combatants. They must escape the first one through timed doors before they get locked. If that's the case, they must climb the first prison and climb once more out of the second one. Simple. Right? Right? I'm pretty confident the Chicago crowd had no idea what was going on. They built the foundation of the match within the first prison as Batista did his absolute best to escape but to no avail as Khali was too much. Smart idea to do this when taking into consideration Khali's limited moveset. JBL did a great job at making Khali seem impossible to beat as Khali climbed over the first prison. It was quite the sight to see with Khali almost looking like he was King Kong climbing a skyscraper. But before Khali was able to exit out of the second cage, Batista climbed the first prison and jumped to the second one! That was pretty daring. The two had a race to exit the cage before Batista ultimately beat him to the bottom. Credit to Batista for carrying Khali to a good match. I like how they centered the match around Batista doing his best to escape before Khali was able to climb over the first fence. Batista's leap of faith was a sweet spot which unfortunately gets forgotten about. The ending sequence as the two raced to the bottom was a heart-racing sight to see. Definitely the surprise of the night.
Winner: Batista
Rating: **1/2
Match 8: WWE Championship - Last Man Standing - Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton
For the third time tonight, Triple H makes his way to the ring as Vince McMahon allows Randy Orton to invoke his rematch clause in a Last Man Standing match. This is easily the most spectacular Last Man Standing match I have ever seen and easily the best match these two would ever go on to have. There were so many brutal and cool spots perfectly spaced out throughout the match and you absolutely felt the animosity between the two. Unlike their first match of the night, they seemingly went for the kill every chance they got. From Triple H tossing Orton through a table, to Orton hitting an RKO through a chair and to Triple H defiantly crotch chopping Orton with blood pouring down his face, this was a war. Something about hearing Triple H slamming the steel steps into Orton's head before hitting him with the steel chair as his head was stuck in the steps was just something else. Something about Triple H blocking Orton's punt and giving him a death stare was just something else. And finally, something about Jim Ross on the headsets was more than something else. I will more than happy to say that this was the call of his life. His voice elevated the brutality and ambiance of the match to another level. If you don't believe me, go back and give this a watch. The ending itself was brilliant. Orton hit the RKO to Cena on top of the announcers table on an edition of Raw that put Cena out of action. Tonight, Orton did the same thing to Triple H and this time, captured the WWE Championship in the process. Triple H nearly beating the count made things that much more dramatic. An excellent display of storytelling and incredible spots along with Jim Ross on the call bump this match to *****. Wow.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: *****
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
People seem to be very split on this show. Some hated it and were more than fed up of seeing Triple H in three separate occasions. Some were able to put that aside and enjoy the match quality and show in general. I'm on the latter. Aside from the disgraceful ECW Championship match, this was one of WWE's best PPV showings of 2007 and really had a different twist to things compared to what the entire year had held. I liked the unpredictability and roller coaster of a ride the show took us on. The main event remains the best Last Man Standing match I have ever seen. Simply put, watch that match!
Rating: 7.5/10
Since John Cena has been placed on the shelf with an injury, a new champion was set to be awarded at this show. Vince McMahon opened up the night and awarded Randy Orton the belt as the Chicago crowd goes wild. Orton gets the luxurious choice of picking his opponent before he gets interrupted by Triple H. Vince McMahon makes the match happen and here we go, the opening match for the show is for the WWE Championship. Does anyone remember the last time a PPV started with a WWE Championship match? That would be an interesting fact. Really good opening match here that saw some very good exchanges between the two. Orton did his best to slime out of the match but Triple H wasn't having any of it. Both men tried to hit their finishers but were both unsuccessful. Triple H rolled up Orton to score the surprise win and capture the gold from Orton. Orton's second reign was that much shorter than his first. Great match here. Lots of things to be mentioned. Jim Ross on the call was amazing which is a given. I like the fact that they didn't hit their finishers, saving it up for the main event. And also, I liked the finish. Not only did Orton lose, but he let it slip through his finger tips. It went from being his apex moment to his worst moment. The whole roller coaster of a PPV starts here.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ***1/2
Match 2: Paul London, Brian Kendrick & Jeff Hardy vs. Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch & Mr. Kennedy
This is the bonus match of the night as Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch have a secret weapon in Mr. Kennedy. Some fast action throughout with no team being the clear favorite. Jeff Hardy's style definitely blends nicely with the team of Paul London & Brian Kendrick. However, their opponents are no slouch as the wild card in Mr. Kennedy is able to plant London off the top rope to score the win for his team right before Kendrick ran in to break the count. Fine match here to settle the crowd a little bit after the big title tornado.
Winners: Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch & Mr. Kennedy
Rating: **3/4
Match 3: ECW Championship - CM Punk (c) vs. Big Daddy V
CM Punk gets an enormous ovation from the Chicago faithful as he takes on Big Daddy V. Did they really not have a better opponent for him here? Regardless, this match was two minutes of Big Daddy V beating down Punk before Punk managed to turn the tides and bring Big Daddy V off his feet. Matt Striker runs in and attacks Punk from behind as the referee called for disqualification. Big Daddy V then attacked Punk afterwards as Punk needed assistance being taken to the back with blood pouring out of his mouth. Why did Striker intervene and act surprised when the referee called for the disqualification? Stupid finish to a stupid match that had no business on the card.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: 1/4*
Match 4: WWE Championship - Triple H (c) vs. Umaga
After Triple H's championship win earlier in the night against Randy Orton, Vince McMahon forces The Game to compete in the match that was originally advertised against Umaga. This time, for the WWE Championship. Triple H begins to show signs of fatigue as Umaga seems to be a little too much for Triple H to overcome after having to beat Orton less than an hour ago. They do a great job of centering the match around that and around the weakened ribs of Triple H. Jim Ross lets the audience know that there is certainly a method to Umaga's madness. Triple H is able to escape and land a Pedigree for the win. The Game does a masterful job of selling the injury afterwards. But his night isn't even close to being finished...
Winner: Triple H
Rating: **1/2
Match 5: Finlay vs. Rey Mysterio
I always felt like SmackDown was such a consistent brand during these years. One of the biggest reasons is due to the focus of the action in the ring. Two guys you know who were going to bring it on a nightly basis were Finlay and Rey Mysterio. Definitely felt like the momentum from Mysterio's big summer return was fading. Thankfully, he scored a spot on the card here with the Irishman. Finlay's rugged offense clashed well with Mysterio's fast offense as the two had some great exchanges here. Finlay then faked an injury as he took a nasty fall to the floor. They did a great shot with Finlay opening his eyes for a quick second to check his surroundings before going back to faking the injury. The stretcher gets pulled out for Finlay as Mysterio shows sympathy before Finlay gets out of the stretcher and beats down Mysterio. Cool finish to the match that sets up another match down the road. Another nice addition to the PPV.
Winner: n/a
Rating: **3/4
Match 6: Women's Championship - Candice Michelle (c) vs. Beth Phoenix
Candice Michelle has to have the most annoying theme song in the WWE at this time. But credit where it's due, she looks amazing and improved immensely in the ring in 2007. Very quick match that saw Beth Phoenix hit a cradle suplex to score the win and championship. A dominant performance from Phoenix before declaring this era hers. Match was what it was, nice to see Phoenix get rewarded for her work.
Winner: Beth Phoenix
Rating: 3/4*
Match 7: World Heavyweight Championship - Punjabi Prison - Batista (c) vs. The Great Khali
I like how they billed the Punjabi Prison as The Great Khali's specialty match yet he's never actually been in one. Regardless, he looks to recapture the gold against Batista here in the co-main event of the night. For those who are unaware of the match, there are two bamboo prisons holding the combatants. They must escape the first one through timed doors before they get locked. If that's the case, they must climb the first prison and climb once more out of the second one. Simple. Right? Right? I'm pretty confident the Chicago crowd had no idea what was going on. They built the foundation of the match within the first prison as Batista did his absolute best to escape but to no avail as Khali was too much. Smart idea to do this when taking into consideration Khali's limited moveset. JBL did a great job at making Khali seem impossible to beat as Khali climbed over the first prison. It was quite the sight to see with Khali almost looking like he was King Kong climbing a skyscraper. But before Khali was able to exit out of the second cage, Batista climbed the first prison and jumped to the second one! That was pretty daring. The two had a race to exit the cage before Batista ultimately beat him to the bottom. Credit to Batista for carrying Khali to a good match. I like how they centered the match around Batista doing his best to escape before Khali was able to climb over the first fence. Batista's leap of faith was a sweet spot which unfortunately gets forgotten about. The ending sequence as the two raced to the bottom was a heart-racing sight to see. Definitely the surprise of the night.
Winner: Batista
Rating: **1/2
Match 8: WWE Championship - Last Man Standing - Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton
For the third time tonight, Triple H makes his way to the ring as Vince McMahon allows Randy Orton to invoke his rematch clause in a Last Man Standing match. This is easily the most spectacular Last Man Standing match I have ever seen and easily the best match these two would ever go on to have. There were so many brutal and cool spots perfectly spaced out throughout the match and you absolutely felt the animosity between the two. Unlike their first match of the night, they seemingly went for the kill every chance they got. From Triple H tossing Orton through a table, to Orton hitting an RKO through a chair and to Triple H defiantly crotch chopping Orton with blood pouring down his face, this was a war. Something about hearing Triple H slamming the steel steps into Orton's head before hitting him with the steel chair as his head was stuck in the steps was just something else. Something about Triple H blocking Orton's punt and giving him a death stare was just something else. And finally, something about Jim Ross on the headsets was more than something else. I will more than happy to say that this was the call of his life. His voice elevated the brutality and ambiance of the match to another level. If you don't believe me, go back and give this a watch. The ending itself was brilliant. Orton hit the RKO to Cena on top of the announcers table on an edition of Raw that put Cena out of action. Tonight, Orton did the same thing to Triple H and this time, captured the WWE Championship in the process. Triple H nearly beating the count made things that much more dramatic. An excellent display of storytelling and incredible spots along with Jim Ross on the call bump this match to *****. Wow.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: *****
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
People seem to be very split on this show. Some hated it and were more than fed up of seeing Triple H in three separate occasions. Some were able to put that aside and enjoy the match quality and show in general. I'm on the latter. Aside from the disgraceful ECW Championship match, this was one of WWE's best PPV showings of 2007 and really had a different twist to things compared to what the entire year had held. I liked the unpredictability and roller coaster of a ride the show took us on. The main event remains the best Last Man Standing match I have ever seen. Simply put, watch that match!
Rating: 7.5/10
Monday, September 26, 2016
WWE Vengeance: Night of Champions 2007 Review
Match 1: World Tag Team Championships - Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch (c) vs. The Hardys
Tend to forget how big The Hardys were in 2007, Jeff Hardy's stock was just getting started here in 2007 as he teams with his brother in Matt Hardy to take on Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch. Two guys who ain't no slouches, another underrated team back in the day. Hardys also tend to have great chemistry with nearly anyone they face. That was no different here, great action here as both teams are phenomenal in their respective roles. Cade & Murdoch come off as such smug heels and it really shows when they take advantage of a distracted referee. The Hardys are the complete opposite, cool moves and always catering to the fans. Murdoch was able to push Jeff off the top rope which allowed Cade to hit his finisher for the win. Nice opening contest to pave the way for the next eight championship bouts.
Winners: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch
Rating: ***
Match 2: Cruiserweight Championship - Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. Jimmy Wang Yang
I always love to mention how great JBL was in the booth for SmackDown. He quickly noted how incredible the lineage of the Guerrero family is before hyping up Chavo Guerrero to the moon. Just makes this dude sound like a legit champion. Always enjoyed watching Jimmy Wang Yang, even with his ridiculous gimmick. Fun to watch and his style meshed with against Chavo. Wang Yang was able to hit his Moonsault finisher but Chavo was barely able to kick out. Wang Yang got another attempt for it but was pushed off before Chavo hit a Frog Splash to the back of Wang Yang for the win. Another good match to start the show. JBL really pushed Chavo to another level on commentary. Makes the average viewer dislike and respect Chavo even more.
Winner: Chavo Guerrero
Rating: **3/4
Match 3: ECW Championship - CM Punk vs. Johnny Nitro
This is the infamous match where CM Punk was scheduled to face Chris Benoit for the vacant ECW Championship. We all know why things changed as Johnny Nitro inserted himself into the picture after being drafted to the ECW brand a week ago. Tazz hyped it up as much as he could, saying this was a golden opportunity for Nitro. Even the crowd wasn't buying it as they were chanting for Benoit and stayed fairly quiet throughout despite the best efforts from Punk and Nitro. Pretty short match that saw Nitro hit a neckbreaker from the middle rope to score the big win. The chemistry wasn't all there but this was only the first of many matches that they would continue to have that summer. Better than what people make this match out to be but they would improve vastly against each other later on.
Winner: Johnny Nitro
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: Intercontinental Championship - Santino Marella (c) vs. Umaga
Ricky Steamboat comes out to introduce Santino Marella to the show before Umaga comes out looking for blood. Marella looks to justify his Milan victory a couple months back over Umaga once more. However, Umaga destroys Marella easily before getting disqualified for continuously beating down Marella in the corner while ignoring the referee. Umaga then hits his running finisher in the corner afterwards before returning once more to hit a Samoan Spike. The crowd ate it up and gave Umaga the biggest pop of the night.
Winner: Santino Marella
Rating: 1/2*
Match 5: United States Championship - MVP (c) vs. Ric Flair
MVP gets in the face of Magnum T.A. at ringside before the match and follows that up by getting in Ric Flair's face as he was making his way into the ring. The cocky MVP truly embraces his role as a heel and it showed here against the legendary Flair. Match was exactly booked how it needed to be booked. Flair looked to be too much for MVP who obviously underestimated Flair and remained cocky throughout. Flair was able to place MVP in a Figure Four before MVP was able to grab a hold of the ropes. MVP manages to rake Flair in the eyes before hitting a Playmaker to steal the win. A page completely out of Flair's book. Great stuff.
Winner: MVP
Rating: **1/2
Match 6: WWE Tag Team Championships - Open Challenge - Deuce 'N Domino (c) vs. Sgt. Slaughter & Jimmy Snuka
Was there really not a better team to go against Deuce 'N Domino? Sgt. Slaughter & Jimmy Snuka look so out of place. While Slaughter wasn't so bad, Snuka looked so old and so out of shape. I was cringing throughout this embarrassing performance. The Houston crowd doesn't know how to react to any of this. Deuce squeezes out the win for his team when he reverses a dive off the top from Snuka into a pin. Deuce 'N Domino may have scored the win but they were booked like absolute chumps here. They then attack Slaughter & Snuka afterwards before Rick Martel & Tony Garea make the save. No wonder Deuce 'N Domino didn't last too long in the WWE considering they were booked like this.
Winners: Deuce 'N Domino
Rating: 1/2*
Match 7: World Heavyweight Championship - Last Chance - Edge (c) vs. Batista
Batista's final opportunity to score the World Heavyweight Championship against Edge is now. Batista greets the great Harley Race before the match as he looks to dethrone Edge. Although their matches can be repetitive, they definitely have put together a nice collection of matches against each other. This one was no different. From the start, Batista played the role of a hungry challenger looking to regain the gold from the person he despises the most, Edge. They told a great story of Batista doing everything in his power to win and Edge doing everything in his power to simply survive Batista's onslaught. Edge would eventually low blow Batista as the referee then called for a disqualification. However, Teddy Long came out and ordered the match to restart. Edge hit a Spear but Batista was able to kick out. The action spilled outside where Batista planted Edge on the floor with a Batista Bomb. That had to hurt. Batista tossed Edge back in the ring but the referee counted Batista out. Smart finish to keep the belt on Edge and to protect Batista in the process. Batista hits another Batista Bomb on Edge for good measure.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ***
Match 8: Women's Championship - Melina (c) vs. Candice Michelle
Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler are praising the improvements of Candice Michelle as she challenges the champion in Melina. Basic Divas match that only went on for a few minutes before Candice hits a spinning kick to Melina to score the surprise win. She captures the gold and cries out in joy as Melina looks on in astonishment. Nothing much to say here other than Candice's big win. Just a way to gap the main matches.
Winner: Candice Michelle
Rating: *
Match 9: WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Mick Foley vs. King Booker vs. Randy Orton
Hectic would be the word to describe this match. It felt like an easy way to book all these guys on the PPV with Mick Foley just randomly tossed in the fire for whatever reason. They billed this match as a champion's challenge match as all participants have one time or another been a world champion if you include Bobby Lashley's ECW Championship. There really wasn't any doubt that John Cena was going to drop the title. The idea of this match was to really just have a main event for the show while teasing future matches for Cena against these guys with Foley added to the mix. The match only lasted a little bit over ten minutes and had a few cool spots like Lashley being driven through the announcers table and Lashley hitting a sweet dive over the top rope onto everybody. Cena was able to hit an FU on Foley for the win. While it was fun to see everybody hit their finishers and what not, it was just a shame that it didn't go on any longer because just when the action was getting fun, it ended. Regardless, a nice way to build future PPV matches for Cena's 2007 reign.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
I dig the concept of the show but with nine matches being on the card, there's bound to be a few fillers and questionable matches. For the most part, this was a stinker of a PPV with the best matches on here barely being *** matches. Great concept, poor execution.
Rating: 5.75/10
Tend to forget how big The Hardys were in 2007, Jeff Hardy's stock was just getting started here in 2007 as he teams with his brother in Matt Hardy to take on Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch. Two guys who ain't no slouches, another underrated team back in the day. Hardys also tend to have great chemistry with nearly anyone they face. That was no different here, great action here as both teams are phenomenal in their respective roles. Cade & Murdoch come off as such smug heels and it really shows when they take advantage of a distracted referee. The Hardys are the complete opposite, cool moves and always catering to the fans. Murdoch was able to push Jeff off the top rope which allowed Cade to hit his finisher for the win. Nice opening contest to pave the way for the next eight championship bouts.
Winners: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch
Rating: ***
Match 2: Cruiserweight Championship - Chavo Guerrero (c) vs. Jimmy Wang Yang
I always love to mention how great JBL was in the booth for SmackDown. He quickly noted how incredible the lineage of the Guerrero family is before hyping up Chavo Guerrero to the moon. Just makes this dude sound like a legit champion. Always enjoyed watching Jimmy Wang Yang, even with his ridiculous gimmick. Fun to watch and his style meshed with against Chavo. Wang Yang was able to hit his Moonsault finisher but Chavo was barely able to kick out. Wang Yang got another attempt for it but was pushed off before Chavo hit a Frog Splash to the back of Wang Yang for the win. Another good match to start the show. JBL really pushed Chavo to another level on commentary. Makes the average viewer dislike and respect Chavo even more.
Winner: Chavo Guerrero
Rating: **3/4
Match 3: ECW Championship - CM Punk vs. Johnny Nitro
This is the infamous match where CM Punk was scheduled to face Chris Benoit for the vacant ECW Championship. We all know why things changed as Johnny Nitro inserted himself into the picture after being drafted to the ECW brand a week ago. Tazz hyped it up as much as he could, saying this was a golden opportunity for Nitro. Even the crowd wasn't buying it as they were chanting for Benoit and stayed fairly quiet throughout despite the best efforts from Punk and Nitro. Pretty short match that saw Nitro hit a neckbreaker from the middle rope to score the big win. The chemistry wasn't all there but this was only the first of many matches that they would continue to have that summer. Better than what people make this match out to be but they would improve vastly against each other later on.
Winner: Johnny Nitro
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: Intercontinental Championship - Santino Marella (c) vs. Umaga
Ricky Steamboat comes out to introduce Santino Marella to the show before Umaga comes out looking for blood. Marella looks to justify his Milan victory a couple months back over Umaga once more. However, Umaga destroys Marella easily before getting disqualified for continuously beating down Marella in the corner while ignoring the referee. Umaga then hits his running finisher in the corner afterwards before returning once more to hit a Samoan Spike. The crowd ate it up and gave Umaga the biggest pop of the night.
Winner: Santino Marella
Rating: 1/2*
Match 5: United States Championship - MVP (c) vs. Ric Flair
MVP gets in the face of Magnum T.A. at ringside before the match and follows that up by getting in Ric Flair's face as he was making his way into the ring. The cocky MVP truly embraces his role as a heel and it showed here against the legendary Flair. Match was exactly booked how it needed to be booked. Flair looked to be too much for MVP who obviously underestimated Flair and remained cocky throughout. Flair was able to place MVP in a Figure Four before MVP was able to grab a hold of the ropes. MVP manages to rake Flair in the eyes before hitting a Playmaker to steal the win. A page completely out of Flair's book. Great stuff.
Winner: MVP
Rating: **1/2
Match 6: WWE Tag Team Championships - Open Challenge - Deuce 'N Domino (c) vs. Sgt. Slaughter & Jimmy Snuka
Was there really not a better team to go against Deuce 'N Domino? Sgt. Slaughter & Jimmy Snuka look so out of place. While Slaughter wasn't so bad, Snuka looked so old and so out of shape. I was cringing throughout this embarrassing performance. The Houston crowd doesn't know how to react to any of this. Deuce squeezes out the win for his team when he reverses a dive off the top from Snuka into a pin. Deuce 'N Domino may have scored the win but they were booked like absolute chumps here. They then attack Slaughter & Snuka afterwards before Rick Martel & Tony Garea make the save. No wonder Deuce 'N Domino didn't last too long in the WWE considering they were booked like this.
Winners: Deuce 'N Domino
Rating: 1/2*
Match 7: World Heavyweight Championship - Last Chance - Edge (c) vs. Batista
Batista's final opportunity to score the World Heavyweight Championship against Edge is now. Batista greets the great Harley Race before the match as he looks to dethrone Edge. Although their matches can be repetitive, they definitely have put together a nice collection of matches against each other. This one was no different. From the start, Batista played the role of a hungry challenger looking to regain the gold from the person he despises the most, Edge. They told a great story of Batista doing everything in his power to win and Edge doing everything in his power to simply survive Batista's onslaught. Edge would eventually low blow Batista as the referee then called for a disqualification. However, Teddy Long came out and ordered the match to restart. Edge hit a Spear but Batista was able to kick out. The action spilled outside where Batista planted Edge on the floor with a Batista Bomb. That had to hurt. Batista tossed Edge back in the ring but the referee counted Batista out. Smart finish to keep the belt on Edge and to protect Batista in the process. Batista hits another Batista Bomb on Edge for good measure.
Winner: Edge
Rating: ***
Match 8: Women's Championship - Melina (c) vs. Candice Michelle
Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler are praising the improvements of Candice Michelle as she challenges the champion in Melina. Basic Divas match that only went on for a few minutes before Candice hits a spinning kick to Melina to score the surprise win. She captures the gold and cries out in joy as Melina looks on in astonishment. Nothing much to say here other than Candice's big win. Just a way to gap the main matches.
Winner: Candice Michelle
Rating: *
Match 9: WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Mick Foley vs. King Booker vs. Randy Orton
Hectic would be the word to describe this match. It felt like an easy way to book all these guys on the PPV with Mick Foley just randomly tossed in the fire for whatever reason. They billed this match as a champion's challenge match as all participants have one time or another been a world champion if you include Bobby Lashley's ECW Championship. There really wasn't any doubt that John Cena was going to drop the title. The idea of this match was to really just have a main event for the show while teasing future matches for Cena against these guys with Foley added to the mix. The match only lasted a little bit over ten minutes and had a few cool spots like Lashley being driven through the announcers table and Lashley hitting a sweet dive over the top rope onto everybody. Cena was able to hit an FU on Foley for the win. While it was fun to see everybody hit their finishers and what not, it was just a shame that it didn't go on any longer because just when the action was getting fun, it ended. Regardless, a nice way to build future PPV matches for Cena's 2007 reign.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
I dig the concept of the show but with nine matches being on the card, there's bound to be a few fillers and questionable matches. For the most part, this was a stinker of a PPV with the best matches on here barely being *** matches. Great concept, poor execution.
Rating: 5.75/10
Wednesday, September 14, 2016
WWE Unforgiven 2007 Review
Match 1: ECW Championship - CM Punk (c) vs. Elijah Burke
This is CM Punk's first title defense since winning the ECW Championship from John Morrison. Elijah Burke is the first challenger as he got up in Punk's face as shown in the WWE Mobile thing they had back in 2007. We've come a long way. Always thought it was funny that Joey Styles & Tazz would have to call one match for a PPV and sit down for the remainder of the show. Even funnier when it's the opening match of the show. Crowd had trouble getting into these ECW matches on PPV back in the day and it really wasn't any different here despite it opening the night. That isn't to say the match wasn't good, I always felt like these two had good chemistry. They managed to balance the offense throughout the match and not drag things out too long to make it boring. Don't forget how good Styles & Tazz are at building up the match on commentary, too. Burke started mocking Punk by slapping him before Punk rolls Burke up for the quick victory. I like the finish but I also felt like they needed to give Punk a cleaner victory than that for his first title defense. However, it does give Burke his out for his loss so they could continue the program on television.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ***
Match 2: WWE Tag Team Championships - MVP & Matt Hardy (c) vs. Deuce 'N Domino
SmackDown's hottest feud between MVP and Matt Hardy took another step as they became tag team champs before looking to escape Memphis with the big win. Loved when these four guys would go at it, you knew you were in store for something good because they always brought their best to the ring. JBL is hilarious on commentary as he constantly puts over MVP as his ego won't let Hardy start the match. MVP eventually exits the match before ultimately deciding to come back as Hardy hit a Twist of Fate to seal the win. Hardy walks away with both belts as he drops the United States Championship on MVP who was sitting down in the ring. How awesome was this feud?!
Winners: MVP & Matt Hardy
Rating: **1/2
Match 3: No Disqualification for Carlito - Triple H vs. Carlito
For Carlito, he is able to use whatever foreign object he may desire for this match. For Triple H, disqualifications and rules apply. This was basically a squash match that saw Carlito get in a tad bit of offense in as he took advantage of his advantages and used the ring bell, a couple trash cans and even chalk to get the upset win. Of course, Triple H pulled through as he hit Carlito with a low blow behind the referee's back and landed a Pedigree for the win. Take it for what it was. Another easy match for Triple H as he inevitably leans towards a title shot. Does no help for Carlito as he eats a bad loss. Carlito should have been drafted to SmackDown this year. "The Pedigree is legal! The Pedigree is lethal!" - Jim Ross
Winner: Triple H
Rating: *1/2
Match 4: Women's Championship - Candice Michelle (c) vs. Beth Phoenix
Remember that time when Candice Michelle was the champion? Neither do I. Anyway, she's putting the gold on the line against the tough Beth Phoenix. As much as Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler tried, not even the famous duo could save this one. Phoenix was dominating the match throughout as the camera shows off the strands of hair that Phoenix was able to pull out of Michelle's head. However, Michelle rolls up Phoenix for the surprise win. The powers that be were pretty high on Michelle at the time and credit to her for showing massive amounts of improvement in the ring. But this match was your typical Divas match you would see on television.
Winner: Candice Michelle
Rating: *
Match 5: World Heavyweight Championship - The Great Khali (c) vs. Batista vs. Rey Mysterio
After an abomination of a match at Summerslam, The Great Khali once again defends the gold against Batista. This time, Rey Mysterio is added to the mix. With Mysterio in the thick of things, they were able to do more with Khali and the match didn't drag on for what seemed like hours when compared to the match at Summerslam. Batista and Mysterio worked together as a team to tackle down Khali for as long as they could. Their strategy lasted as long as possible before the two realized that only one winner could leave. Khali looked to have the advantage until his arms got locked within the ring ropes. This is where the sweet ending sequence began as Khali was brought to his bottom once Mysterio landed a 619. Batista hit a Batista Bomb to Mysterio and drove him through Khali's sternum. Batista pushed Mysterio out of the ring and hit a Spinebuster on Khali to seal the big win. Pyro goes off as Batista points back to Mysterio as a show of respect. Triple H congratulates Batista backstage. Fine triple threat match to finally get the strap off Khali. What a summer it was for the blue brand. Batista's long journey from losing at WrestleMania 23 culminates here as he is back on top of the food chain.
Winner: Batista
Rating: **3/4
Match 6: World Tag Team Championships - Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch (c) vs. Paul London & Brian Kendrick
As soon as Paul London & Brian Kendrick were drafted to Raw, they were dead in the water. People also tend to forget how good a unit were Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch. Old school and tough as nails. Not the flashiest, but they always got the job done. Nice back and forth tag team wrestling here that saw Cade & Murdoch get the big win. Everyone got in a decent amount of offense here, Cade & Murdoch were so underrated. The finishing sequence just made them look like animals as Cade planted Kendrick while tossing London outside like a sack of potatoes. Match served its purpose as a break between the two main title matches. While the crowd certainly had trouble getting into the action, the match was still a nice display of how good these four guys were.
Winners: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch
Rating: **1/2
Match 7: WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton
This is Randy Orton's chance at redemption as he gets an opportunity to avenge his big Summerslam loss to John Cena for the WWE Championship. One of my favorite moments of 2007 and maybe even ever was Randy Orton kicking John Cena's father in the head. The rematch here was more of a storyline than anything. It saw Cena put on a flurry of offense on Orton before the referee called for the bell as Cena would not stop beating down Orton in the corner. Sucks for the people who paid for the PPV and had to see this but it makes sense. The feud got personal and they needed to have Cena come off as a crazed man. Orton tried to punt Cena's father in the head one more time but was stopped by Cena as Cena locked Orton up in an STFU outside before Cena called for his father to punt Orton in the head. It's unfortunate that we never got to see a Last Man Standing match at No Mercy between these two because that would have been great. May have not been the most popular decision in the world to do this on a PPV but in my opinion, it made the most sense.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: *3/4
Match 8: Mark Henry vs. The Undertaker
After being placed on the shelf for four months, The Phenom is set to return in a huge main event against Mark Henry. Henry comes down to the ring and talks tons of trash as he looks supremely confident. I always have to mention how great a heel Henry makes, this dude is ruthless and I absolutely love it. The Undertaker makes an incredible entrance to the ring as the Memphis crowd stands in awe. Shame this entrance tends to get forgotten, the ambiance created here was unreal. I could only imagine what it felt like to be in the arena for this. Henry managed to squeeze in some offense but this was The Deadman's show. Henry managed to also kick out of a Chokeslam but eventually had to succumb to a Last Ride. More of a spectacle than a match. They planned this match when Undertaker had to drop the title to Edge and had Henry come out before that to plant the seeds. I like it, it all made sense and his return led for a grand main event to save the show and give the fans a big reason to buy the PPV. What a return for The Undertaker as he goes on to now challenge for the top prize on SmackDown.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: **1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
While the match quality wasn't the best, I feel like this show was booked nicely. There wasn't much of a standout match aside from maybe the opening match. But to say this event didn't bring any big moments would be a lie. Batista regaining the championship from Khali's infamous reign and The Undertaker's awesome return were definitely highlights of the night. However, that won't excuse the show from receiving a low rating.
Rating: 4.5/10
This is CM Punk's first title defense since winning the ECW Championship from John Morrison. Elijah Burke is the first challenger as he got up in Punk's face as shown in the WWE Mobile thing they had back in 2007. We've come a long way. Always thought it was funny that Joey Styles & Tazz would have to call one match for a PPV and sit down for the remainder of the show. Even funnier when it's the opening match of the show. Crowd had trouble getting into these ECW matches on PPV back in the day and it really wasn't any different here despite it opening the night. That isn't to say the match wasn't good, I always felt like these two had good chemistry. They managed to balance the offense throughout the match and not drag things out too long to make it boring. Don't forget how good Styles & Tazz are at building up the match on commentary, too. Burke started mocking Punk by slapping him before Punk rolls Burke up for the quick victory. I like the finish but I also felt like they needed to give Punk a cleaner victory than that for his first title defense. However, it does give Burke his out for his loss so they could continue the program on television.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ***
Match 2: WWE Tag Team Championships - MVP & Matt Hardy (c) vs. Deuce 'N Domino
SmackDown's hottest feud between MVP and Matt Hardy took another step as they became tag team champs before looking to escape Memphis with the big win. Loved when these four guys would go at it, you knew you were in store for something good because they always brought their best to the ring. JBL is hilarious on commentary as he constantly puts over MVP as his ego won't let Hardy start the match. MVP eventually exits the match before ultimately deciding to come back as Hardy hit a Twist of Fate to seal the win. Hardy walks away with both belts as he drops the United States Championship on MVP who was sitting down in the ring. How awesome was this feud?!
Winners: MVP & Matt Hardy
Rating: **1/2
Match 3: No Disqualification for Carlito - Triple H vs. Carlito
For Carlito, he is able to use whatever foreign object he may desire for this match. For Triple H, disqualifications and rules apply. This was basically a squash match that saw Carlito get in a tad bit of offense in as he took advantage of his advantages and used the ring bell, a couple trash cans and even chalk to get the upset win. Of course, Triple H pulled through as he hit Carlito with a low blow behind the referee's back and landed a Pedigree for the win. Take it for what it was. Another easy match for Triple H as he inevitably leans towards a title shot. Does no help for Carlito as he eats a bad loss. Carlito should have been drafted to SmackDown this year. "The Pedigree is legal! The Pedigree is lethal!" - Jim Ross
Winner: Triple H
Rating: *1/2
Match 4: Women's Championship - Candice Michelle (c) vs. Beth Phoenix
Remember that time when Candice Michelle was the champion? Neither do I. Anyway, she's putting the gold on the line against the tough Beth Phoenix. As much as Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler tried, not even the famous duo could save this one. Phoenix was dominating the match throughout as the camera shows off the strands of hair that Phoenix was able to pull out of Michelle's head. However, Michelle rolls up Phoenix for the surprise win. The powers that be were pretty high on Michelle at the time and credit to her for showing massive amounts of improvement in the ring. But this match was your typical Divas match you would see on television.
Winner: Candice Michelle
Rating: *
Match 5: World Heavyweight Championship - The Great Khali (c) vs. Batista vs. Rey Mysterio
After an abomination of a match at Summerslam, The Great Khali once again defends the gold against Batista. This time, Rey Mysterio is added to the mix. With Mysterio in the thick of things, they were able to do more with Khali and the match didn't drag on for what seemed like hours when compared to the match at Summerslam. Batista and Mysterio worked together as a team to tackle down Khali for as long as they could. Their strategy lasted as long as possible before the two realized that only one winner could leave. Khali looked to have the advantage until his arms got locked within the ring ropes. This is where the sweet ending sequence began as Khali was brought to his bottom once Mysterio landed a 619. Batista hit a Batista Bomb to Mysterio and drove him through Khali's sternum. Batista pushed Mysterio out of the ring and hit a Spinebuster on Khali to seal the big win. Pyro goes off as Batista points back to Mysterio as a show of respect. Triple H congratulates Batista backstage. Fine triple threat match to finally get the strap off Khali. What a summer it was for the blue brand. Batista's long journey from losing at WrestleMania 23 culminates here as he is back on top of the food chain.
Winner: Batista
Rating: **3/4
Match 6: World Tag Team Championships - Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch (c) vs. Paul London & Brian Kendrick
As soon as Paul London & Brian Kendrick were drafted to Raw, they were dead in the water. People also tend to forget how good a unit were Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch. Old school and tough as nails. Not the flashiest, but they always got the job done. Nice back and forth tag team wrestling here that saw Cade & Murdoch get the big win. Everyone got in a decent amount of offense here, Cade & Murdoch were so underrated. The finishing sequence just made them look like animals as Cade planted Kendrick while tossing London outside like a sack of potatoes. Match served its purpose as a break between the two main title matches. While the crowd certainly had trouble getting into the action, the match was still a nice display of how good these four guys were.
Winners: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch
Rating: **1/2
Match 7: WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton
This is Randy Orton's chance at redemption as he gets an opportunity to avenge his big Summerslam loss to John Cena for the WWE Championship. One of my favorite moments of 2007 and maybe even ever was Randy Orton kicking John Cena's father in the head. The rematch here was more of a storyline than anything. It saw Cena put on a flurry of offense on Orton before the referee called for the bell as Cena would not stop beating down Orton in the corner. Sucks for the people who paid for the PPV and had to see this but it makes sense. The feud got personal and they needed to have Cena come off as a crazed man. Orton tried to punt Cena's father in the head one more time but was stopped by Cena as Cena locked Orton up in an STFU outside before Cena called for his father to punt Orton in the head. It's unfortunate that we never got to see a Last Man Standing match at No Mercy between these two because that would have been great. May have not been the most popular decision in the world to do this on a PPV but in my opinion, it made the most sense.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: *3/4
Match 8: Mark Henry vs. The Undertaker
After being placed on the shelf for four months, The Phenom is set to return in a huge main event against Mark Henry. Henry comes down to the ring and talks tons of trash as he looks supremely confident. I always have to mention how great a heel Henry makes, this dude is ruthless and I absolutely love it. The Undertaker makes an incredible entrance to the ring as the Memphis crowd stands in awe. Shame this entrance tends to get forgotten, the ambiance created here was unreal. I could only imagine what it felt like to be in the arena for this. Henry managed to squeeze in some offense but this was The Deadman's show. Henry managed to also kick out of a Chokeslam but eventually had to succumb to a Last Ride. More of a spectacle than a match. They planned this match when Undertaker had to drop the title to Edge and had Henry come out before that to plant the seeds. I like it, it all made sense and his return led for a grand main event to save the show and give the fans a big reason to buy the PPV. What a return for The Undertaker as he goes on to now challenge for the top prize on SmackDown.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: **1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
While the match quality wasn't the best, I feel like this show was booked nicely. There wasn't much of a standout match aside from maybe the opening match. But to say this event didn't bring any big moments would be a lie. Batista regaining the championship from Khali's infamous reign and The Undertaker's awesome return were definitely highlights of the night. However, that won't excuse the show from receiving a low rating.
Rating: 4.5/10
Friday, August 12, 2016
WWE Summerslam 2007 Review
Match 1: Finlay vs. Kane
An odd match to open a Summerslam, kind of shows how much lack of depth and how many missing holes there were on the roster at the time. JBL, per usual, does a fantastic job of hyping up both the competitors in the ring and the match itself. He lets us know early on that this isn't going to be pretty and that Kane's heavily taped ribs are a target of attack for Finlay. They aren't going to wow you with dives and flips, but they will definitely wow you with their ring psychology. Finlay knows Kane is a bigger man and uses anything and everything to stop him. His focus on Kane's ribs was great. Kane wanted to hit his Chokeslam but was unable to lift Finlay due to his ribs. Genius. And Hornswoggle's interference only added some fun to the match as Kane bullied him around before finally hitting a Chokeslam on Finlay for the win.
Winner: Kane
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: Intercontinental Championship - Umaga (c) vs. Carlito vs. Mr. Kennedy
This looks like it's going to be tons of fun. I always have nothing but great memories of watching Umaga, so fast and so deceivingly athletic for a man of his stature. Here, he was reckless and resembled everything a bulldozer should resemble. His presence was almost overwhelming. Simply put, I loved watching Umaga. Carlito and Mr. Kennedy had a plan to take out Umaga first and see who the better man was after that. It didn't last long as Carlito tried to pull a fast one on Kennedy and hilariously convinced Kennedy once more after that their attention should still be placed on Umaga. They did a great job of trying to limit Umaga throughout the match and Umaga was fantastic in his role here. He controlled the match, even when it looked like he was in trouble, you still felt like he was in control. Kennedy took out Carlito before Umaga swooped up Kennedy and hit his Samoan Spike for the win. Great second match of the night but just had to ask, who is the babyface here?
Winner: Umaga
Rating: ***1/4
Match 3: Chavo Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio
Hard to believe that this is Rey Mysterio's first match in nearly a year. It's also hard to believe that these two are having a rematch from last year's event. Chavo Guerrero injured Mysterio's knee on an edition of SmackDown in late 2006 which forced him to remain out of action until here. Guerrero smartly focuses on Mysterio's knee and while the two have good chemistry with each other, this is Mysterio's first match in a long time and just never felt like he was rolling on all cylinders. Guerrero looked locked in and Mysterio seemingly couldn't get ahead of the traffic. However, Mysterio's second attempt of the 619 was perfect and allowed him to secure the big win. Short match but it's almost impossible to complain considering Mysterio hadn't worked in so long. I prefer their other bouts over this one but I'm sure there was plenty more to come after this one. "He's painted in silver, but he looks gold to me." - JBL
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: **1/2
Match 4: Divas Battle Royal
The Women's Champion in Candice Michelle comes out to scout the competition as the winner of the battle royal would become her new challenger, at least that's what I think. Just a match to get all the Divas on the card as they shout and scream at each other before Beth Phoenix tosses Michelle McCool out of the ring to win. Crowd could not have cared less despite giving Mickie James a mini pop. Phoenix then stares down Michelle before MVP came out to challenge Matt Hardy in a beer drinking contest, making this match completely forgotten already.
Winner: Beth Phoenix
Rating: 3/4*
Match 5: ECW Championship - John Morrison (c) vs. CM Punk
As hard as it was to believe that Chavo Guerrero and Rey Mysterio were wrestling against each other on a second straight Summerslam card, John Morrison and CM Punk are having their third straight PPV match for the ECW Championship. And all of them have been carbon copies of each other, none with any added stipulations for whatever reason. Since this was their third encounter, the action was a little more sped up and they spent less time on rest holds with more emphasis on landing moves on each other. Even still, it felt like watching their last two matches over again and you never really got the feeling that a championship was on the line here. To make matters worse, they weren't given much time to play with and it just felt like they were cramming as much as they could. Plus, the finish didn't help. Morrison was able to hang on to the top rope when Punk looked to hit a hurricanrana which resulted in Morrison being able to barely place his feet on the ropes for a leverage pin to score the victory.
Winner: John Morrison
Rating: **1/2
Match 6: King Booker vs. Triple H
The Game finally returns to the squared circle as he takes on King Booker in his return match. Like Rey Mysterio's return, the WWE held off Triple H's return until Summerslam. That meant, no appearances on Raw or anything, it was strictly Booker's responsibility to build the match on his own and let Triple H's credibility boost interest in his return. We get a cool little intro video on Triple H before he makes his highly anticipated return as his classic Motorhead music booms throughout the arena. You can say this was a glorified squash match because never once did you ever feel like Booker was going to sneak out the win. Queen Sharmell did her best to aid Booker but Triple H was in control for the better part of the match. He hit all his patented moves to Booker before hitting a Pedigree to secure the win in his return. Good match for what it was, didn't expect them to put on a clinic since this was Triple H's first match since the beginning of the year. Only a shame they didn't prolong this feud for a couple more PPVs.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: **1/2
Match 7: World Heavyweight Championship - The Great Khali (c) vs. Batista
The Great Khali's infamous title reign in the summer of 2007 continued as it hit its peak here at Summerslam against Batista. Poor Batista did his absolute best to carry Khali to a bearable match but to no avail. Khali dominated throughout the match with his boring submission holds as the crowd restlessly poured on the boos. Batista still managed to squeak in a bit of offense but Ranjin Singh decided to hand Khali a chair for whatever reason. Khali whacked Batista with it which led to the referee calling for the bell. Batista then chopped down the tree in Khali afterwards with the chair. I hate disqualification finishes on PPVs, especially at Summerslam. Batista would go on to win the title at the next PPV. Why couldn't he had just won it here? Poor booking from all perspectives on this one.
Winner: Batista
Rating: 3/4*
Match 8: WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton
This was the first big clash between these two as the hate for John Cena was still in its prime here in 2007. Randy Orton was absolutely loved by the internet fans who were definitely out and about for this match. For all the flack Cena got this year, he really was at the top of his game. He made took the Superman gimmick to a whole different level. The build for this match was remarkable, both for Cena and Orton. Orton came off as a terrifying heel and probably the biggest threat to Cena's belt. Cena, on the other hand, looked completely vulnerable and the idea of him losing to the slithering Orton wasn't very hard to believe. I can easily remember how hyped the internet was for Orton challenging Cena for the strap. The fans were ready to see Cena's long reign come to an end at the biggest show of the summer. I forgot how much of this match was dominated by Orton. I get that most Cena matches were like this back in the day but this was very evident. At the same time, it made sense. Orton got the better of Cena throughout the build for this match and him getting the better of Cena throughout the match only made sense. Any chance Cena had to score offense was put down by Orton and relentless pursuit to beat Cena. Crowd was really hot for this one as they cheered heavily for any type of Orton offense or any time Orton would counter anything Cena would try to hit. They popped big for the RKO which Cena kicked out of before later quickly hitting an FU to win and close out the show. There's two ways to look at this match. One, it was 20 minutes of Orton beating down Cena before Cena scored the win with an FU. Or two, the match followed suit to the build of the match and all made sense with Cena barely squeaking out the win with a very fast FU. Personally, I liked it. It wasn't the best match in the world but I enjoyed the atmosphere, I enjoyed the finish and I enjoyed Jim Ross on the headsets. A great match with a clean finish to close out the night. Something that is seemingly a rarity these days.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Despite a fairly strong main event, this event that relied big on the returns of Rey Mysterio and Triple H fell flat on its face. The match quality was poor and there was too much focus on the things happening outside the ring as compared to the action happening in it. One of WWE's worst PPVs in 2007 and one of WWE's worst Summerslam offerings.
Rating: 5.25/10
An odd match to open a Summerslam, kind of shows how much lack of depth and how many missing holes there were on the roster at the time. JBL, per usual, does a fantastic job of hyping up both the competitors in the ring and the match itself. He lets us know early on that this isn't going to be pretty and that Kane's heavily taped ribs are a target of attack for Finlay. They aren't going to wow you with dives and flips, but they will definitely wow you with their ring psychology. Finlay knows Kane is a bigger man and uses anything and everything to stop him. His focus on Kane's ribs was great. Kane wanted to hit his Chokeslam but was unable to lift Finlay due to his ribs. Genius. And Hornswoggle's interference only added some fun to the match as Kane bullied him around before finally hitting a Chokeslam on Finlay for the win.
Winner: Kane
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: Intercontinental Championship - Umaga (c) vs. Carlito vs. Mr. Kennedy
This looks like it's going to be tons of fun. I always have nothing but great memories of watching Umaga, so fast and so deceivingly athletic for a man of his stature. Here, he was reckless and resembled everything a bulldozer should resemble. His presence was almost overwhelming. Simply put, I loved watching Umaga. Carlito and Mr. Kennedy had a plan to take out Umaga first and see who the better man was after that. It didn't last long as Carlito tried to pull a fast one on Kennedy and hilariously convinced Kennedy once more after that their attention should still be placed on Umaga. They did a great job of trying to limit Umaga throughout the match and Umaga was fantastic in his role here. He controlled the match, even when it looked like he was in trouble, you still felt like he was in control. Kennedy took out Carlito before Umaga swooped up Kennedy and hit his Samoan Spike for the win. Great second match of the night but just had to ask, who is the babyface here?
Winner: Umaga
Rating: ***1/4
Match 3: Chavo Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio
Hard to believe that this is Rey Mysterio's first match in nearly a year. It's also hard to believe that these two are having a rematch from last year's event. Chavo Guerrero injured Mysterio's knee on an edition of SmackDown in late 2006 which forced him to remain out of action until here. Guerrero smartly focuses on Mysterio's knee and while the two have good chemistry with each other, this is Mysterio's first match in a long time and just never felt like he was rolling on all cylinders. Guerrero looked locked in and Mysterio seemingly couldn't get ahead of the traffic. However, Mysterio's second attempt of the 619 was perfect and allowed him to secure the big win. Short match but it's almost impossible to complain considering Mysterio hadn't worked in so long. I prefer their other bouts over this one but I'm sure there was plenty more to come after this one. "He's painted in silver, but he looks gold to me." - JBL
Winner: Rey Mysterio
Rating: **1/2
Match 4: Divas Battle Royal
The Women's Champion in Candice Michelle comes out to scout the competition as the winner of the battle royal would become her new challenger, at least that's what I think. Just a match to get all the Divas on the card as they shout and scream at each other before Beth Phoenix tosses Michelle McCool out of the ring to win. Crowd could not have cared less despite giving Mickie James a mini pop. Phoenix then stares down Michelle before MVP came out to challenge Matt Hardy in a beer drinking contest, making this match completely forgotten already.
Winner: Beth Phoenix
Rating: 3/4*
Match 5: ECW Championship - John Morrison (c) vs. CM Punk
As hard as it was to believe that Chavo Guerrero and Rey Mysterio were wrestling against each other on a second straight Summerslam card, John Morrison and CM Punk are having their third straight PPV match for the ECW Championship. And all of them have been carbon copies of each other, none with any added stipulations for whatever reason. Since this was their third encounter, the action was a little more sped up and they spent less time on rest holds with more emphasis on landing moves on each other. Even still, it felt like watching their last two matches over again and you never really got the feeling that a championship was on the line here. To make matters worse, they weren't given much time to play with and it just felt like they were cramming as much as they could. Plus, the finish didn't help. Morrison was able to hang on to the top rope when Punk looked to hit a hurricanrana which resulted in Morrison being able to barely place his feet on the ropes for a leverage pin to score the victory.
Winner: John Morrison
Rating: **1/2
Match 6: King Booker vs. Triple H
The Game finally returns to the squared circle as he takes on King Booker in his return match. Like Rey Mysterio's return, the WWE held off Triple H's return until Summerslam. That meant, no appearances on Raw or anything, it was strictly Booker's responsibility to build the match on his own and let Triple H's credibility boost interest in his return. We get a cool little intro video on Triple H before he makes his highly anticipated return as his classic Motorhead music booms throughout the arena. You can say this was a glorified squash match because never once did you ever feel like Booker was going to sneak out the win. Queen Sharmell did her best to aid Booker but Triple H was in control for the better part of the match. He hit all his patented moves to Booker before hitting a Pedigree to secure the win in his return. Good match for what it was, didn't expect them to put on a clinic since this was Triple H's first match since the beginning of the year. Only a shame they didn't prolong this feud for a couple more PPVs.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: **1/2
Match 7: World Heavyweight Championship - The Great Khali (c) vs. Batista
The Great Khali's infamous title reign in the summer of 2007 continued as it hit its peak here at Summerslam against Batista. Poor Batista did his absolute best to carry Khali to a bearable match but to no avail. Khali dominated throughout the match with his boring submission holds as the crowd restlessly poured on the boos. Batista still managed to squeak in a bit of offense but Ranjin Singh decided to hand Khali a chair for whatever reason. Khali whacked Batista with it which led to the referee calling for the bell. Batista then chopped down the tree in Khali afterwards with the chair. I hate disqualification finishes on PPVs, especially at Summerslam. Batista would go on to win the title at the next PPV. Why couldn't he had just won it here? Poor booking from all perspectives on this one.
Winner: Batista
Rating: 3/4*
Match 8: WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton
This was the first big clash between these two as the hate for John Cena was still in its prime here in 2007. Randy Orton was absolutely loved by the internet fans who were definitely out and about for this match. For all the flack Cena got this year, he really was at the top of his game. He made took the Superman gimmick to a whole different level. The build for this match was remarkable, both for Cena and Orton. Orton came off as a terrifying heel and probably the biggest threat to Cena's belt. Cena, on the other hand, looked completely vulnerable and the idea of him losing to the slithering Orton wasn't very hard to believe. I can easily remember how hyped the internet was for Orton challenging Cena for the strap. The fans were ready to see Cena's long reign come to an end at the biggest show of the summer. I forgot how much of this match was dominated by Orton. I get that most Cena matches were like this back in the day but this was very evident. At the same time, it made sense. Orton got the better of Cena throughout the build for this match and him getting the better of Cena throughout the match only made sense. Any chance Cena had to score offense was put down by Orton and relentless pursuit to beat Cena. Crowd was really hot for this one as they cheered heavily for any type of Orton offense or any time Orton would counter anything Cena would try to hit. They popped big for the RKO which Cena kicked out of before later quickly hitting an FU to win and close out the show. There's two ways to look at this match. One, it was 20 minutes of Orton beating down Cena before Cena scored the win with an FU. Or two, the match followed suit to the build of the match and all made sense with Cena barely squeaking out the win with a very fast FU. Personally, I liked it. It wasn't the best match in the world but I enjoyed the atmosphere, I enjoyed the finish and I enjoyed Jim Ross on the headsets. A great match with a clean finish to close out the night. Something that is seemingly a rarity these days.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Despite a fairly strong main event, this event that relied big on the returns of Rey Mysterio and Triple H fell flat on its face. The match quality was poor and there was too much focus on the things happening outside the ring as compared to the action happening in it. One of WWE's worst PPVs in 2007 and one of WWE's worst Summerslam offerings.
Rating: 5.25/10
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Randy Orton - The Evolution of a Predator DVD (Disc 3) Review
Match 1: Vengeance 2006 - Randy Orton vs. Kurt Angle
Looking to avenge his loss to Kurt Angle at ECW One Night Stand, Raw's newest superstar acquisition in Randy Orton was in perfect position to do so here. Angle was pretty much in his prime here and was just an animal. You really had to admire his passion and intensity in his matches. That statement rang to be true as Angle brought the intensity once more to Orton. Angle was the aggressive one as Orton played his role as a heel brilliantly. Doing his best to escape from any type of Angle's offenses and finally resorting to exposing a turnbuckle. Orton is able to counter an Ankle Lock by driving Angle into the exposed turnbuckle before hitting a sweet RKO for the finish. Great opening match for the show that allows Orton to even the score against Angle. Angle's loss didn't really hurt him when taking into consideration the turnbuckle. Shame they never made a rubber match between the two.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: Summerslam 2006 - Randy Orton vs. Hulk Hogan (Taken from WWE Summerslam 2006 Review)
This feels like last year all over again with Hulk Hogan being prominently featured on another Summerslam show. This time, it's against the young, brash Randy Orton. And this time, Hogan puts his opponent over. One of those things I just typed is true and it's not the latter. Crowd is hot for both guys and it's pretty split as tons of boos and cheers are ringing down for both guys. The match was pretty much what you would expect. There really isn't much to be said. It didn't really carry the same vibe or flow like his match last year against Shawn Michaels but Orton held his own and carried Hogan to a damn good match. Orton looked to score the win at one point by hitting his RKO until the referee discovered Hogan's foot was on the bottom rope. Hogan then Hulks up, points, kicks, and drops for the win. Having Orton go up against the biggest legend of all time makes sense, but he's definitely in a tight spot. There's no reason at all for Hogan to be going over guys like Shawn Michaels or Randy Orton. They actively compete on the roster while Hogan does not at all. A loss against either does not hurt Hogan's reputation whatsoever, but a loss for Michaels or Orton baffles the audience. Why are these guys losing to an old man? How am I supposed to believe these guys are legitimate main eventers? Sure, the argument can be made that Orton even being in the same match as Hogan is cool but to me, what really did any of this accomplish? Where does Orton even go from here? Plus, they didn't even let Orton drop Hogan after the match!
Winner: Hulk Hogan
Rating: **3/4
Match 3: The Great American Bash 2007 - Texas Bull Rope - Randy Orton vs. Dusty Rhodes (Taken from WWE The Great American Bash 2007 Review)
You can't have a Great American Bash without Dusty Rhodes! Mr. Legend Killer looks to take out another legend as Randy Orton's challenge to Rhodes in a match backfired when Rhodes called for a Texas Bull Rope match. There's only so much you can do here but the stimulation really covered Rhodes and his limits. They made the match pretty believable despite the ridiculous circumstances, Rhodes was the veteran of the match and used the rope to his advantage. Orton looked like a slithering snake out there and played his role perfectly. Rhodes got the majority of the offense before Orton finally drilled Rhodes with the bell for the finish. Orton looked to punt Rhodes in his skull afterwords before Cody Rhodes comes out for the save. Better than I expected but that really isn't saying much considering this is a PPV. Either way, they did the best they could with what they were given and it allows Orton to add a legend under his Legend Killer belt.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: *1/2
Match 4: WrestleMania XXIV - WWE Championship - Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena vs. Triple H
Some fantastic entrances for these guys as it is time for Raw's WrestleMania main event. Funny to see how white John Cena is compared to the tanned bodies of Randy Orton and Triple H. I remember the hype being pretty high for this match and it falling flat on its face. While I won't go as far as saying it fell flat on its face, it definitely didn't live up to its expectations. Everything just felt so rushed and I wasn't able to feel the tension between the three guys that was built so well before this. However, that's not to say I didn't enjoy the match. I could almost compare this match to the triple threat match at WrestleMania 22 for the World Heavyweight Championship. There was never really a dull moment but I never really got the chance to stop and digest everything. A rather forgettable match with a couple cool spots like Orton delivering a DDT simultaneously to Cena and Triple H off the middle rope or Cena hoisting both Orton and Triple H on his back for the FU. The finish saw Orton punt Triple H in the skull and cover Cena for the win as he escapes with the WWE Championship. Although Cena had a lot of steam coming from his return at the Royal Rumble, Orton was ultimately the right choice here. He was for sure the wild card of everything and got his big WrestleMania win.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Match 5: Breaking Point 2009 - WWE Championship - I Quit - Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena
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: ****
Match 6: Hell in a Cell 2010 - WWE Championship - Hell in a Cell - Randy Orton (c) vs. Sheamus
I question why this match had to be inside a Hell in a Cell. I hate having matches inside the friendly confines without having blood feuds. The match itself was fine and I was able to feel the tension between the two despite my strong thoughts of having it inside Hell in a Cell. The flow and pacing of the match was fine but again, the lack of focus on the actual cage itself was a distraction. They brought out the steel steps and made it a focal point of the match where Randy Orton was able to hit an RKO to Sheamus atop the steps for the victory. Good match as their styles blended nicely here as they would go on to have several more matches down the line and many more in 2016. Would have been the exact same match if the cage wasn't taken into play. I liked the match and I liked the build to the RKO at the end but this is Hell in a Cell, this should have been so much more.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Match 7: WrestleMania XXVII - CM Punk vs. Randy Orton
Another match that I reviewed back in the day but will be giving a second look at it. Randy Orton is nursing an injury to one of his legs as CM Punk looks to take advantage of it. Should quickly note what a distraction the commentary was as we were in the midst of the Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler feud with Josh Matthews trying to play peacemaker. I feel like WrestleMania matches need to separate themselves from other matches on the card along with matches that are normally seen on regular PPVs. I liked the focus on Orton's injured knee but the action was a little too slow for me to really get into. I didn't feel the hate the two had like I did on my first viewing. The match was fine but didn't really get me or the crowd over so much. The ending came when Punk flew off the top rope looking to hit a clothesline before getting smashed with a slick RKO. Another big WrestleMania win for Orton.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: **3/4
Original Rating: ***1/4
Match 8: SmackDown 2011 - World Heavyweight Championship - Christian (c) vs. Randy Orton
With Randy Orton being drafted to the blue brand, he stepped up his game to another level. This match is fairly infamous for Christian losing his first World Heavyweight Championship in less than a week. While the commercial break did cut into the match, this was still a great television main event as the chemistry between the two was just so great. It's always fun to watch two babyfaces go at it and it was definitely interesting to see these two just have a straight up wrestling match. Christian wasn't able to hit his Killswitch and ended up suffering his fate as Orton pulled the trigger first as he hit a sweet RKO as Christian leaped off the second rope. Just like that, Christian's reign came to an end. This match was truly the turning point for Orton in 2011, he would go on to put on some incredible matches and arguably become the wrestler of the year. We all questioned why he won the belt so quickly but it ultimately became a great decision as the feud these two would go on to have would be the best of the year.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***
Overall Thoughts and Rating:
Disc 3 of this DVD gives us a very broad range of Randy Orton. We were able to see the fairly new Randy Orton in 2006 to the seasoned veteran in 2011 where he really culminated as a performer. While the match quality wasn't the best, I liked the idea of displaying Orton's evolution and showcase his biggest matches throughout this time frame.
Rating: 6/10
Looking to avenge his loss to Kurt Angle at ECW One Night Stand, Raw's newest superstar acquisition in Randy Orton was in perfect position to do so here. Angle was pretty much in his prime here and was just an animal. You really had to admire his passion and intensity in his matches. That statement rang to be true as Angle brought the intensity once more to Orton. Angle was the aggressive one as Orton played his role as a heel brilliantly. Doing his best to escape from any type of Angle's offenses and finally resorting to exposing a turnbuckle. Orton is able to counter an Ankle Lock by driving Angle into the exposed turnbuckle before hitting a sweet RKO for the finish. Great opening match for the show that allows Orton to even the score against Angle. Angle's loss didn't really hurt him when taking into consideration the turnbuckle. Shame they never made a rubber match between the two.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: Summerslam 2006 - Randy Orton vs. Hulk Hogan (Taken from WWE Summerslam 2006 Review)
This feels like last year all over again with Hulk Hogan being prominently featured on another Summerslam show. This time, it's against the young, brash Randy Orton. And this time, Hogan puts his opponent over. One of those things I just typed is true and it's not the latter. Crowd is hot for both guys and it's pretty split as tons of boos and cheers are ringing down for both guys. The match was pretty much what you would expect. There really isn't much to be said. It didn't really carry the same vibe or flow like his match last year against Shawn Michaels but Orton held his own and carried Hogan to a damn good match. Orton looked to score the win at one point by hitting his RKO until the referee discovered Hogan's foot was on the bottom rope. Hogan then Hulks up, points, kicks, and drops for the win. Having Orton go up against the biggest legend of all time makes sense, but he's definitely in a tight spot. There's no reason at all for Hogan to be going over guys like Shawn Michaels or Randy Orton. They actively compete on the roster while Hogan does not at all. A loss against either does not hurt Hogan's reputation whatsoever, but a loss for Michaels or Orton baffles the audience. Why are these guys losing to an old man? How am I supposed to believe these guys are legitimate main eventers? Sure, the argument can be made that Orton even being in the same match as Hogan is cool but to me, what really did any of this accomplish? Where does Orton even go from here? Plus, they didn't even let Orton drop Hogan after the match!
Winner: Hulk Hogan
Rating: **3/4
Match 3: The Great American Bash 2007 - Texas Bull Rope - Randy Orton vs. Dusty Rhodes (Taken from WWE The Great American Bash 2007 Review)
You can't have a Great American Bash without Dusty Rhodes! Mr. Legend Killer looks to take out another legend as Randy Orton's challenge to Rhodes in a match backfired when Rhodes called for a Texas Bull Rope match. There's only so much you can do here but the stimulation really covered Rhodes and his limits. They made the match pretty believable despite the ridiculous circumstances, Rhodes was the veteran of the match and used the rope to his advantage. Orton looked like a slithering snake out there and played his role perfectly. Rhodes got the majority of the offense before Orton finally drilled Rhodes with the bell for the finish. Orton looked to punt Rhodes in his skull afterwords before Cody Rhodes comes out for the save. Better than I expected but that really isn't saying much considering this is a PPV. Either way, they did the best they could with what they were given and it allows Orton to add a legend under his Legend Killer belt.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: *1/2
Match 4: WrestleMania XXIV - WWE Championship - Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena vs. Triple H
Some fantastic entrances for these guys as it is time for Raw's WrestleMania main event. Funny to see how white John Cena is compared to the tanned bodies of Randy Orton and Triple H. I remember the hype being pretty high for this match and it falling flat on its face. While I won't go as far as saying it fell flat on its face, it definitely didn't live up to its expectations. Everything just felt so rushed and I wasn't able to feel the tension between the three guys that was built so well before this. However, that's not to say I didn't enjoy the match. I could almost compare this match to the triple threat match at WrestleMania 22 for the World Heavyweight Championship. There was never really a dull moment but I never really got the chance to stop and digest everything. A rather forgettable match with a couple cool spots like Orton delivering a DDT simultaneously to Cena and Triple H off the middle rope or Cena hoisting both Orton and Triple H on his back for the FU. The finish saw Orton punt Triple H in the skull and cover Cena for the win as he escapes with the WWE Championship. Although Cena had a lot of steam coming from his return at the Royal Rumble, Orton was ultimately the right choice here. He was for sure the wild card of everything and got his big WrestleMania win.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Match 5: Breaking Point 2009 - WWE Championship - I Quit - Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena
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: ****
Match 6: Hell in a Cell 2010 - WWE Championship - Hell in a Cell - Randy Orton (c) vs. Sheamus
I question why this match had to be inside a Hell in a Cell. I hate having matches inside the friendly confines without having blood feuds. The match itself was fine and I was able to feel the tension between the two despite my strong thoughts of having it inside Hell in a Cell. The flow and pacing of the match was fine but again, the lack of focus on the actual cage itself was a distraction. They brought out the steel steps and made it a focal point of the match where Randy Orton was able to hit an RKO to Sheamus atop the steps for the victory. Good match as their styles blended nicely here as they would go on to have several more matches down the line and many more in 2016. Would have been the exact same match if the cage wasn't taken into play. I liked the match and I liked the build to the RKO at the end but this is Hell in a Cell, this should have been so much more.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Match 7: WrestleMania XXVII - CM Punk vs. Randy Orton
Another match that I reviewed back in the day but will be giving a second look at it. Randy Orton is nursing an injury to one of his legs as CM Punk looks to take advantage of it. Should quickly note what a distraction the commentary was as we were in the midst of the Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler feud with Josh Matthews trying to play peacemaker. I feel like WrestleMania matches need to separate themselves from other matches on the card along with matches that are normally seen on regular PPVs. I liked the focus on Orton's injured knee but the action was a little too slow for me to really get into. I didn't feel the hate the two had like I did on my first viewing. The match was fine but didn't really get me or the crowd over so much. The ending came when Punk flew off the top rope looking to hit a clothesline before getting smashed with a slick RKO. Another big WrestleMania win for Orton.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: **3/4
Original Rating: ***1/4
Match 8: SmackDown 2011 - World Heavyweight Championship - Christian (c) vs. Randy Orton
With Randy Orton being drafted to the blue brand, he stepped up his game to another level. This match is fairly infamous for Christian losing his first World Heavyweight Championship in less than a week. While the commercial break did cut into the match, this was still a great television main event as the chemistry between the two was just so great. It's always fun to watch two babyfaces go at it and it was definitely interesting to see these two just have a straight up wrestling match. Christian wasn't able to hit his Killswitch and ended up suffering his fate as Orton pulled the trigger first as he hit a sweet RKO as Christian leaped off the second rope. Just like that, Christian's reign came to an end. This match was truly the turning point for Orton in 2011, he would go on to put on some incredible matches and arguably become the wrestler of the year. We all questioned why he won the belt so quickly but it ultimately became a great decision as the feud these two would go on to have would be the best of the year.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***
Overall Thoughts and Rating:
Disc 3 of this DVD gives us a very broad range of Randy Orton. We were able to see the fairly new Randy Orton in 2006 to the seasoned veteran in 2011 where he really culminated as a performer. While the match quality wasn't the best, I liked the idea of displaying Orton's evolution and showcase his biggest matches throughout this time frame.
Rating: 6/10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
