Survivor Series in 2016 and 2017 weren't the first time that the two big WWE brands collided... Survivor Series 2005 featured Superstars of Raw and SmackDown facing off in a classic Traditional Survivor Series Elimination match! Was Shawn Michaels able to lead Team Raw over Batista and the rest of Team SmackDown in a battle for brand supremacy?
Match 1: WWE United States Championship - Best of 7 Series - Chris Benoit (c) vs. Booker T
The opening match of the night sees the opening match of the best of 7 series for the United States Championship between Chris Benoit and Booker T. Of course, these two have had huge careers outside the WWE and it is really cool to see them go against each other on such a big stage. Nice action here between two veterans that saw Sharmell play the role as a distraction against Benoit who missing a headbutt from the top rope which led to Booker T pinning him with his feet on the ropes for leverage. Booker T draws the first blood against Benoit in a fun opening match for the night.
Winner: Booker T
Rating: ***
Match 2: WWE Women's Championship - Trish Stratus (c) vs. Melina
This is the first Raw vs. SmackDown match of the night and it's for the Women's Championship. MNM accompany Melina to the match but are quickly booted out by the referee when they try to take out Trish Stratus. Stratus is able to win the match with a Stratisfaction from the top after dodging a hit on the apron from Melina with a little help from Mickie James. Another Divas match that maybe could have been better if they were given a little more time. Other than that, just a basic Divas match, take it or leave it.
Winner: Trish Stratus
Rating: *1/4
Match 3: Last Man Standing - Triple H vs. Ric Flair
Like Ric Flair's feud with Randy Orton, I really loved the one he had in late 2005 against his former protege in Triple H. The two had a bloodbath of a match inside a steel cage at Taboo Tuesday and looked to finish things off here at Survivor Series. This was another bloodbath as the two brought out all the stops for this violent matches. There were screwdrivers, kendo sticks, steel chairs, sledgehammers and did I mention... screwdrivers? Last Man Standing matches can very much tend to drag but I thought that the two did a great job of making each count matter and add to the story they were trying to convey. Triple H was dominating the match until Flair was able to backdrop Triple H through a table and use his dirty skills to limit The Game. However, Triple H would later drop three Pedigrees on Flair and followed it up with a sledgehammer shot to his back for the win. Afterwards, Triple H symbolically makes a gun out of his hand and shoots a prone Ric Flair as he spits on him before heading to the back. Great and bloody match that really solidifies Triple H as the top heel of the company leading into WrestleMania.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ****1/4
Match 4: WWE Championship - John Cena (c) vs. Kurt Angle
With Daivari being the special guest referee for the contest, the odds were seemingly stacked against John Cena and his chances of walking out as WWE Champion. Of course, Kurt Angle was still in his prime here and he brought the intensity to the match at another level. The idea of bringing in Daivari as the referee led to this match becoming a huge cluster with a bunch of ref bumps that pretty much defined the entire match. However, that is not to take away any of the action the two brought in the fairly short amount of time they had for this match. They had good chemistry with each other but the antics with the Angle cheating and Cena doing his best to counter everything dominated the story so much that there just was not enough time to digest the action. Daivari got called back in by Angle to make a count but he ended up eating a DDT before Cena hit an FU on Angle to seal the win. Of course, the referee who made the count was a SmackDown referee so it gives Angle an out and a reason for them to continue the program. While the referee stuff may have seemed like a bit much, it certainly worked here and was still a lot of fun to watch.
Winner: John Cena
Rating: ***1/4
Match 5: Eric Bischoff vs. Theodore Long
Another inter-promotional match of the night saw the two general managers go against each other in a match that downright cringe-worthy to watch. The crowd had no interest in seeing this and the action only got worse when The Boogeyman made an appearance and dropped Eric Bischoff. Theodore Long was able to quickly get the pin and secure a win for his brand. Yikes.
Winner: Theodore Long
Rating: 1/4*
Match 6: Traditional Survivor Series Elimination - Team SmackDown (Batista, JBL, Rey Mysterio, Bobby Lashley and Randy Orton) vs. Team Raw (Shawn Michaels, Carlito, Chris Masters, The Big Show and Kane)
So many good stories built around this match like Team SmackDown not being able to coexist, Batista nursing an injury, and the momentum Team Raw has had from weeks past. This was also one of the few times that I enjoyed the banter that was on commentary, really made me feel the hate between the two sides. Action was fun and fast, with every pin either being an elimination or being really close. All the eliminations made sense aside from maybe Bobby Lashley being written off a bit too prematurely. It eventually came down to Shawn Michaels against Rey Mysterio, JBL and Randy Orton. Michaels was able to hit a Sweet Chin Music on Mysterio who tried to springboard his way back into the ring before quickly disposing JBL. It came down to Michaels and Orton who was not only trying to win for his team, but also becoming a sole survivor for a third consecutive year. After a distraction from JBL, Orton hit an RKO on Michaels to pick up the win for his team. Afterwards, the SmackDown locker room comes out to congratulate Orton before The Undertaker returns by coming out of a flaming coffin and laying waste to the SmackDown roster as Orton watches. Fantastic main event and a fantastic way to shift the focus from the brand rivalry into the return of The Undertaker.
Winners: Team SmackDown
Rating: ****1/2
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
This was the first time the WWE built a PPV around the two brands going up against each other and it worked really well. Aside from the Divas match and the general managers match, everything delivered and served their purposes. The main event goes down as one of my favorite Survivor Series matches of all time and certainly one to write home about.
Rating: 7.75/10
Monday, November 20, 2017
Friday, October 27, 2017
WWE Taboo Tuesday 2004 Review
For this first time in WWE History, the fate of the superstars is in the hands of the fans. The Raw-exclusive Tuesday PPV saw the fans vote online on who they wanted to see challenge champions and what type of matches they wanted to see the superstars compete in. Was the first Taboo Tuesday a success or a flop?
Match 1: WWE Intercontinental Championship - Chris Jericho (c) vs. Shelton Benjamin
Aside from a couple, the list of guys that fans had to choose from to face Chris Jericho was pretty laughable. Shelton Benjamin ended up beating out the guys and scored an opportunity. Jericho has gone on to mention that he didn't even know who he was facing until it got revealed as he was waiting in the ring. At this point, Benjamin looked to be getting molded as a main eventer as he scored big wins over Triple H on Monday Night Raw. Crowd was certainly behind him here in a pretty good opening contest that saw him pick up the win and the Intercontinental Championship in the process. Great show of sportsmanship afterwards as Jericho handed the championship to Benjamin.
Winner: Shelton Benjamin
Rating: ***
Match 2: WWE Women's Championship - Fulfill Your Fantasy Battle Royal - Trish Stratus (c) vs. Jazz vs. Nidia vs. Gail Kim vs. Molly Holly vs. Victoria vs. Stacy Keibler
The fans voted on what attire they wanted to see the Divas wear and it was decided that they would dress up as schoolgirls. Just think of the WWE doing this in 2017. Really dumb battle royal with Trish Stratus last eliminating Molly Holly to win and retain her title. Please give me my time back.
Winner: Trish Stratus
Rating: 1/4*
Match 3: Weapon of Choice - Gene Snitsky vs. Kane
Poor Kane, always wrapped up in some of the dumbest possible storylines imaginable. The fans had the options of choosing which weapon would be legal for the match in a lead pipe, a steel chair or a steel chain. However, this proved to be pointless when Gene Snitsky brought in a steel chair and started hitting Kane with it. Prior to that, Snitsky was beating down Kane with some of the lamest chain shots you could ever imagine. Snitsky was able to win the match after placing the chair between Kane's neck and crushing it off the top rope. Blood starting pouring out of Kane's neck, nice touch. Afterwards, Kane gets stretchered to the back before Snitsky makes another appearance and drops Kane to the floor. Not a bad match and Jim Ross on commentary was brilliant in making this seem more serious with the ridiculous storyline hanging around in the background.
Winner: Gene Snitsky
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: Eric Bischoff vs. Eugene
The fans are able to decided the punishment for the loser with the choices being the loser being their servant, the loser wearing a dress or the loser getting shaved bald. You can just pretty much imagine what this match was... Eric Bischoff beating up Eugene for a little bit before Eugene gets angry and hits a leg drop on his uncle to score the win. However, Jonathon Coachman runs down and basically tosses out Bischoff's penalty until Mr. McMahon comes out and forces Bischoff to get his head shaved by Eugene while also forcing Coachman to wear the dress. Bischoff getting his head shaved was funny for a quick second but this shtick got old pretty fast.
Winner: Eugene
Rating: 1/2*
Match 5: WWE World Tag Team Championship - La Resistance (c) vs. Chris Benoit & Edge
Since Shawn Michaels won the vote to challenge Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship later on, the other two nominees in Chris Benoit and Edge were then forced to team with each other to challenge La Resistance for the World Tag Team Championships. Always thought that the team of La Resistance were fairly overlooked and much of that had to do with the way they were booked, like chumps. The two teams had a pretty strong match here with Edge leaving his partner high and dry before driving out of the arena. However, Benoit was able to lock in a Crippler Crossface on Rob Conway to seal the win for himself and Edge. Another example of La Resistance being booked like chumps in what was a pretty damn good match.
Winners: Chris Benoit & Edge
Rating: ***1/4
Match 6: Lingerie Pillow Fight - Carmella vs. Christy
Wonderful! A second Divas match for the night. The fans vote to see these two in a lingerie pillow fight because there really wasn't any other option. The two get dressed in front of the crowd behind dressing rooms that showed their shadows. Afterwards, they fought int the ring with pillows before Christy tackled Carmella down and pinned her for the win. If I could rate this any lower, I would. That is two 1/4* Divas matches for the night. Wow.
Winner: Christy
Rating: 1/4*
Match 7: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Triple H (c) vs. Shawn Michaels
Although Shawn Michaels was nursing a knee injury, the fans still selected him to challenge his old partner in Triple H. These two faced off numerous times throughout the year for the World Heavyweight Championship and it looks as if the fans didn't mind seeing it again. With that being said, a really good portion of the match just saw Triple H dominating handily and focusing on that injured knee of Michaels. I get that they wanted to do something different since they had so many matches throughout the course of the year, but it just didn't make for a very exciting match. Finally, Michaels is able to hit a Sweet Chin Music on Triple H but a distraction from Batista leads to the referee turning his back on Edge running in and hitting a Spear on Michaels before The Game was able to cover for the win. Predictable winner along with a dull match makes this the weakest match between the two that I have ever watched. Very disappointing considering they could really have had something special here.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: **1/4
Match 8: Steel Cage - Ric Flair vs. Randy Orton
Loved the feud these two were having headed up to this match with Ric Flair feeling like Randy Orton was disrespecting him with his comments about being Triple H's bitch. Although this felt pretty short, they definitely made the most out of it and managed to tell a good story out of it, especially with the blood that poured out of both men. They were bleeding buckets and it certainly added another layer to the match. Great action throughout and fun to see the desperateness of Flair as he even pulled out the brass knuckles and a steel chair. However, a sweet RKO on a bloody Flair was enough for Orton to capture the win to close out the night. Afterwards, the two embrace each other as the blood continues to run down their faces.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Easily one of the worst PPVs of the year. The Divas matches were just plain terrible and everything else was either good or just acceptable. If there was a saving grace for the show, it was the main event which isn't even really a good enough reason for me to go back and watch. Very disappointing start ot a PPV concept that would only last one more year. Would be interesting to see WWE bring this back for something on The WWE Network or even an episode of SmackDown Live.
Rating: 4/10
Match 1: WWE Intercontinental Championship - Chris Jericho (c) vs. Shelton Benjamin
Aside from a couple, the list of guys that fans had to choose from to face Chris Jericho was pretty laughable. Shelton Benjamin ended up beating out the guys and scored an opportunity. Jericho has gone on to mention that he didn't even know who he was facing until it got revealed as he was waiting in the ring. At this point, Benjamin looked to be getting molded as a main eventer as he scored big wins over Triple H on Monday Night Raw. Crowd was certainly behind him here in a pretty good opening contest that saw him pick up the win and the Intercontinental Championship in the process. Great show of sportsmanship afterwards as Jericho handed the championship to Benjamin.
Winner: Shelton Benjamin
Rating: ***
Match 2: WWE Women's Championship - Fulfill Your Fantasy Battle Royal - Trish Stratus (c) vs. Jazz vs. Nidia vs. Gail Kim vs. Molly Holly vs. Victoria vs. Stacy Keibler
The fans voted on what attire they wanted to see the Divas wear and it was decided that they would dress up as schoolgirls. Just think of the WWE doing this in 2017. Really dumb battle royal with Trish Stratus last eliminating Molly Holly to win and retain her title. Please give me my time back.
Winner: Trish Stratus
Rating: 1/4*
Match 3: Weapon of Choice - Gene Snitsky vs. Kane
Poor Kane, always wrapped up in some of the dumbest possible storylines imaginable. The fans had the options of choosing which weapon would be legal for the match in a lead pipe, a steel chair or a steel chain. However, this proved to be pointless when Gene Snitsky brought in a steel chair and started hitting Kane with it. Prior to that, Snitsky was beating down Kane with some of the lamest chain shots you could ever imagine. Snitsky was able to win the match after placing the chair between Kane's neck and crushing it off the top rope. Blood starting pouring out of Kane's neck, nice touch. Afterwards, Kane gets stretchered to the back before Snitsky makes another appearance and drops Kane to the floor. Not a bad match and Jim Ross on commentary was brilliant in making this seem more serious with the ridiculous storyline hanging around in the background.
Winner: Gene Snitsky
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: Eric Bischoff vs. Eugene
The fans are able to decided the punishment for the loser with the choices being the loser being their servant, the loser wearing a dress or the loser getting shaved bald. You can just pretty much imagine what this match was... Eric Bischoff beating up Eugene for a little bit before Eugene gets angry and hits a leg drop on his uncle to score the win. However, Jonathon Coachman runs down and basically tosses out Bischoff's penalty until Mr. McMahon comes out and forces Bischoff to get his head shaved by Eugene while also forcing Coachman to wear the dress. Bischoff getting his head shaved was funny for a quick second but this shtick got old pretty fast.
Winner: Eugene
Rating: 1/2*
Match 5: WWE World Tag Team Championship - La Resistance (c) vs. Chris Benoit & Edge
Since Shawn Michaels won the vote to challenge Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship later on, the other two nominees in Chris Benoit and Edge were then forced to team with each other to challenge La Resistance for the World Tag Team Championships. Always thought that the team of La Resistance were fairly overlooked and much of that had to do with the way they were booked, like chumps. The two teams had a pretty strong match here with Edge leaving his partner high and dry before driving out of the arena. However, Benoit was able to lock in a Crippler Crossface on Rob Conway to seal the win for himself and Edge. Another example of La Resistance being booked like chumps in what was a pretty damn good match.
Winners: Chris Benoit & Edge
Rating: ***1/4
Match 6: Lingerie Pillow Fight - Carmella vs. Christy
Wonderful! A second Divas match for the night. The fans vote to see these two in a lingerie pillow fight because there really wasn't any other option. The two get dressed in front of the crowd behind dressing rooms that showed their shadows. Afterwards, they fought int the ring with pillows before Christy tackled Carmella down and pinned her for the win. If I could rate this any lower, I would. That is two 1/4* Divas matches for the night. Wow.
Winner: Christy
Rating: 1/4*
Match 7: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - Triple H (c) vs. Shawn Michaels
Although Shawn Michaels was nursing a knee injury, the fans still selected him to challenge his old partner in Triple H. These two faced off numerous times throughout the year for the World Heavyweight Championship and it looks as if the fans didn't mind seeing it again. With that being said, a really good portion of the match just saw Triple H dominating handily and focusing on that injured knee of Michaels. I get that they wanted to do something different since they had so many matches throughout the course of the year, but it just didn't make for a very exciting match. Finally, Michaels is able to hit a Sweet Chin Music on Triple H but a distraction from Batista leads to the referee turning his back on Edge running in and hitting a Spear on Michaels before The Game was able to cover for the win. Predictable winner along with a dull match makes this the weakest match between the two that I have ever watched. Very disappointing considering they could really have had something special here.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: **1/4
Match 8: Steel Cage - Ric Flair vs. Randy Orton
Loved the feud these two were having headed up to this match with Ric Flair feeling like Randy Orton was disrespecting him with his comments about being Triple H's bitch. Although this felt pretty short, they definitely made the most out of it and managed to tell a good story out of it, especially with the blood that poured out of both men. They were bleeding buckets and it certainly added another layer to the match. Great action throughout and fun to see the desperateness of Flair as he even pulled out the brass knuckles and a steel chair. However, a sweet RKO on a bloody Flair was enough for Orton to capture the win to close out the night. Afterwards, the two embrace each other as the blood continues to run down their faces.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Easily one of the worst PPVs of the year. The Divas matches were just plain terrible and everything else was either good or just acceptable. If there was a saving grace for the show, it was the main event which isn't even really a good enough reason for me to go back and watch. Very disappointing start ot a PPV concept that would only last one more year. Would be interesting to see WWE bring this back for something on The WWE Network or even an episode of SmackDown Live.
Rating: 4/10
Friday, October 13, 2017
WWE TLC 2013 Review
The WWE was billing the main event between John Cena and Randy Orton
for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship as the biggest match in the
history of the industry. However, fan-favorite Daniel Bryan was all the
Houston crowd could care for. Was the 2013 edition of TLC still able to
deliver?
Match 1: CM Punk vs. The Shield
The last PPV review I did was Hell in a Cell 2012, a PPV that infamously featured a match pitting CM Punk against Ryback in a match Punk later ranted about on a podcast. Another match he talked about was this one, a handicap match against The Shield where he was instructed by so many people to make Roman Reigns look good. Let's just cut to chase... why exactly did Punk go over here? They had a fun little match here that saw Reigns miss a Spear and damage his eye on the outside as he landed on JBL's chair. Punk took advantage of the injury and dissected The Shield before Reigns accidentally Speared Dean Ambrose for Punk to pick up the win. I guess if you're going to have Punk go over the WWE's hottest commodity, then this is the way to do it. This really did no help for anyone.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: WWE Divas Championship - AJ Lee (c) vs. Natalya
Natalya looks to finally recapture the Divas Championship from AJ Lee is in on a tear. Just a pretty short Divas match here with AJ Lee using Natalya's hair as leverage to score the win. Nothing special here, very quick and to the point like most Divas matches. Fans and commentators virtually had no interest in this.
Winner: AJ Lee
Rating: *
Match 3: WWE Intercontinental Championship - Big E Langston (c) vs. Damien Sandow
After losing his World Heavyweight Championship match against John Cena, Damien Sandow looks to rebuild from where he started against Big E Langston. Much like the previous match and much like you will see later on, this was another filler of a match. Decent action from the two before Langston hits his Big Ending finisher to score the W. Both of these guys would later go on to switch up their characters the following year or so and go on to do much better things. After watching this, you could just tell that they needed a character change.
Winner: Big E Langston
Rating: **
Match 4: WWE Tag Team Championships - Elimination - Cody Rhodes & Goldust (c) vs. The Real Americans vs. Rey Mysterio & The Big Show vs. RybAxel
Almost a shame to look back at this and see how bad Cody Rhodes was booked, no reason why this dude never got a real push as a singles competitor. However, he did make a pretty nice pairing with his brother in Goldust. Agree with me or not, but I dig the teams they assembled here and their styles meshed well against each other for a fast and fun match. Rhodes was able to hit a Cross Rhodes on Mysterio to finish the match and retain the titles for his team. Really strong match here after the first three matches left a sour taste in my mouth. Lots of cool spots and the addition of The Big Show made things that much more exciting. The two teams then share an awkward exchange of sportsmanship afterwards.
Winners: Cody Rhodes & Goldust
Rating: ***3/4
Match 5: Brodus Clay vs. R-Truth
Can you imagine paying about 50 bucks for this? This might be a high for a WWE PPV of fillers on a card. Brodus Clay dominated this match pretty thoroughly until he and Sweet T (Albert) started arguing at ringside because Clay was being a little too stiff with Truth and not taking the match seriously. Finally, Sweet T leaves Clay before The Funkadactyles left right after. R-Truth is able to quickly roll Clay up for the win. Again, can you believe this was on PPV?
Winner: R-Truth
Rating: 3/4*
Match 6: No Disqualification - Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz
The two got into a little bit of a scuffle prior to the start of the PPV and a match was made for tonight with no disqualification rules. How many times I've seen this match before? No idea, but it certainly feels like it's up there. The match was as basic as you could imagine with these two and the crowd began getting restless at the end as they started to chant "boring." The Miz removes the padding from a corner of a turnbuckle before it backfires on him as Kofi Kingston launches Miz into it before getting knocked out with a Trouble in Paradise. As basic as you could imagine, passable match but nothing acceptable for a PPV.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Rating: **1/4
Match 7: Daniel Bryan vs. The Wyatt Family
The crowd was calling for Daniel Bryan the whole night and they finally got him... in a handicap against The Wyatt Family. Almost a shame that Bryan was booked into a corner here, crowd was so hot for him but it just wouldn't make any sense for him to win against the hot team in The Wyatt Family. Then again, CM Punk did beat The Shield in the first match of the night. Regardless, the match was fairly enjoyable for what it was but watching The Wyatt Family beat down Bryan for a good portion of the match got pretty old fast. Bryan, however, almost had the match won until Bray Wyatt came into play to hit a Sister Abigail on Bryan to seal the win for his team. Decent match that would set up a few more matches with Bryan against The Wyatt Family in the next couple months, serves its purpose but still not the best way to go about it.
Winners: The Wyatt Family
Rating: **3/4
Match 8: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - TLC - Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena (c)
This is Randy Orton vs. John Cena going against each other on PPV for about the 105th time. Of course, this is a unification match for Randy Orton's WWE Championship and John Cena's World Heavyweight Championship. I have reviewed nearly all their matches against each other so trying to differentiate each one becomes increasingly harder. I had trouble getting into the match, the action for a TLC match was just too slow for me to sink my teeth into. The table spots seemed forced and the severity of the match didn't seem as big as they made this match out to be, especially when JBL said that we will remember this match in 100 years from now. Plus, I didn't believe any of the spots that saw the two trying to grab the belts. And I know it's a ladder match and everyone always tends to climb the ladder slowly... but this was ridiculous! The ending saw Orton handcuff Cena to the bottom rope as Cena ridiculously tried to break free. Finally, he unscrewed the bottom turnbuckle before climbing up the ladder to meet Orton. Orton then tugged on the rope that was still tied to Cena and yanked him off the ladder as he crashed onto a table set up in the corner. Or at least tried to, Cena barely hit the table and sold the spot as if he just hit his face on it. Anyway, Orton then climbs the ladder and retrieves the belts to win. Afterwards, Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon & Triple H of The Authority come out to congratulate Orton and raise his hand. Interesting way to close the year with the two established stars of the company continuing to be the focal points of the company. Let's see how that worked out come WrestleMania...
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Another very poor PPV offering from the WWE which really puts into perspective how the WWE Network has certainly become a blessing. Aside from maybe the tag match and the main event, every match on the card was either bad or just bland. While I love having TLC as a concept for a PPV, it doesn't mean anything if it can't deliver on its promises.
Rating: 4.75/10
Match 1: CM Punk vs. The Shield
The last PPV review I did was Hell in a Cell 2012, a PPV that infamously featured a match pitting CM Punk against Ryback in a match Punk later ranted about on a podcast. Another match he talked about was this one, a handicap match against The Shield where he was instructed by so many people to make Roman Reigns look good. Let's just cut to chase... why exactly did Punk go over here? They had a fun little match here that saw Reigns miss a Spear and damage his eye on the outside as he landed on JBL's chair. Punk took advantage of the injury and dissected The Shield before Reigns accidentally Speared Dean Ambrose for Punk to pick up the win. I guess if you're going to have Punk go over the WWE's hottest commodity, then this is the way to do it. This really did no help for anyone.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: WWE Divas Championship - AJ Lee (c) vs. Natalya
Natalya looks to finally recapture the Divas Championship from AJ Lee is in on a tear. Just a pretty short Divas match here with AJ Lee using Natalya's hair as leverage to score the win. Nothing special here, very quick and to the point like most Divas matches. Fans and commentators virtually had no interest in this.
Winner: AJ Lee
Rating: *
Match 3: WWE Intercontinental Championship - Big E Langston (c) vs. Damien Sandow
After losing his World Heavyweight Championship match against John Cena, Damien Sandow looks to rebuild from where he started against Big E Langston. Much like the previous match and much like you will see later on, this was another filler of a match. Decent action from the two before Langston hits his Big Ending finisher to score the W. Both of these guys would later go on to switch up their characters the following year or so and go on to do much better things. After watching this, you could just tell that they needed a character change.
Winner: Big E Langston
Rating: **
Match 4: WWE Tag Team Championships - Elimination - Cody Rhodes & Goldust (c) vs. The Real Americans vs. Rey Mysterio & The Big Show vs. RybAxel
Almost a shame to look back at this and see how bad Cody Rhodes was booked, no reason why this dude never got a real push as a singles competitor. However, he did make a pretty nice pairing with his brother in Goldust. Agree with me or not, but I dig the teams they assembled here and their styles meshed well against each other for a fast and fun match. Rhodes was able to hit a Cross Rhodes on Mysterio to finish the match and retain the titles for his team. Really strong match here after the first three matches left a sour taste in my mouth. Lots of cool spots and the addition of The Big Show made things that much more exciting. The two teams then share an awkward exchange of sportsmanship afterwards.
Winners: Cody Rhodes & Goldust
Rating: ***3/4
Match 5: Brodus Clay vs. R-Truth
Can you imagine paying about 50 bucks for this? This might be a high for a WWE PPV of fillers on a card. Brodus Clay dominated this match pretty thoroughly until he and Sweet T (Albert) started arguing at ringside because Clay was being a little too stiff with Truth and not taking the match seriously. Finally, Sweet T leaves Clay before The Funkadactyles left right after. R-Truth is able to quickly roll Clay up for the win. Again, can you believe this was on PPV?
Winner: R-Truth
Rating: 3/4*
Match 6: No Disqualification - Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz
The two got into a little bit of a scuffle prior to the start of the PPV and a match was made for tonight with no disqualification rules. How many times I've seen this match before? No idea, but it certainly feels like it's up there. The match was as basic as you could imagine with these two and the crowd began getting restless at the end as they started to chant "boring." The Miz removes the padding from a corner of a turnbuckle before it backfires on him as Kofi Kingston launches Miz into it before getting knocked out with a Trouble in Paradise. As basic as you could imagine, passable match but nothing acceptable for a PPV.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Rating: **1/4
Match 7: Daniel Bryan vs. The Wyatt Family
The crowd was calling for Daniel Bryan the whole night and they finally got him... in a handicap against The Wyatt Family. Almost a shame that Bryan was booked into a corner here, crowd was so hot for him but it just wouldn't make any sense for him to win against the hot team in The Wyatt Family. Then again, CM Punk did beat The Shield in the first match of the night. Regardless, the match was fairly enjoyable for what it was but watching The Wyatt Family beat down Bryan for a good portion of the match got pretty old fast. Bryan, however, almost had the match won until Bray Wyatt came into play to hit a Sister Abigail on Bryan to seal the win for his team. Decent match that would set up a few more matches with Bryan against The Wyatt Family in the next couple months, serves its purpose but still not the best way to go about it.
Winners: The Wyatt Family
Rating: **3/4
Match 8: WWE World Heavyweight Championship - TLC - Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena (c)
This is Randy Orton vs. John Cena going against each other on PPV for about the 105th time. Of course, this is a unification match for Randy Orton's WWE Championship and John Cena's World Heavyweight Championship. I have reviewed nearly all their matches against each other so trying to differentiate each one becomes increasingly harder. I had trouble getting into the match, the action for a TLC match was just too slow for me to sink my teeth into. The table spots seemed forced and the severity of the match didn't seem as big as they made this match out to be, especially when JBL said that we will remember this match in 100 years from now. Plus, I didn't believe any of the spots that saw the two trying to grab the belts. And I know it's a ladder match and everyone always tends to climb the ladder slowly... but this was ridiculous! The ending saw Orton handcuff Cena to the bottom rope as Cena ridiculously tried to break free. Finally, he unscrewed the bottom turnbuckle before climbing up the ladder to meet Orton. Orton then tugged on the rope that was still tied to Cena and yanked him off the ladder as he crashed onto a table set up in the corner. Or at least tried to, Cena barely hit the table and sold the spot as if he just hit his face on it. Anyway, Orton then climbs the ladder and retrieves the belts to win. Afterwards, Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon & Triple H of The Authority come out to congratulate Orton and raise his hand. Interesting way to close the year with the two established stars of the company continuing to be the focal points of the company. Let's see how that worked out come WrestleMania...
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Another very poor PPV offering from the WWE which really puts into perspective how the WWE Network has certainly become a blessing. Aside from maybe the tag match and the main event, every match on the card was either bad or just bland. While I love having TLC as a concept for a PPV, it doesn't mean anything if it can't deliver on its promises.
Rating: 4.75/10
Monday, October 9, 2017
WWE Hell in a Cell 2012 Review
The 2012 installment of WWE's annual Hell in a Cell event took place
in Atlanta as the Ryback train looked to steamroll over CM Punk for the
WWE Championship.
Match 1: Alberto Del Rio vs. Randy Orton
Pretty big match at the time to kick off the show, especially considering how WWE was really high on Alberto Del Rio during his initial run the first few years in. He looked pretty dominant here in his match against Randy Orton as more than none, this match saw Del Rio handling Orton pretty easily. However, a couple mistakes on Del Rio's part led to a very sweet RKO from Orton. Del Rio looked to kick Orton's skull in the corner but Orton quickly got out of the way and hit an RKO as Del Rio was descending down. Good opening match that saw Orton pick up a needed win but didn't make Del Rio look bad in the process.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: Tag Team Championships - Team Hell No (c) vs. Team Rhodes Scholars
Got to love the odd pairing of Daniel Bryan and Kane. And who could ever forget the great pairing of Cody Rhodes and Damian Sandow? Right? Right? Anyway, this match was more of a story arch for the growing pains between Bryan and Kane. The action for the match itself was fine but it never really shifted itself into a high gear, but the crowd still enjoyed it either way. Kane beats down Team Rhodes Scholars himself in the corner which calls for the referee to end the match in a disqualification. Afterwards, the two argue as Bryan storms off with his belt. Feel like this should have been a result for a match on Raw instead of on PPV, would it really hurt to have Team Hell No to just go over in a fishy finish?
Winners: Team Rhodes Scholars
Rating: **
Match 3: Intercontinental Championship - Kofi Kingston (c) vs. The Miz
Talk about a filler of the century featuring the decade's two biggest midcarders. Is that an accurate statement to make? Thankfully, the two were able to make career makeovers a few years later. Still don't think The Miz has contended for a world championship since losing it in 2011. If someone could fill me in, that would be splendid. Another pretty standard match here that saw Miz focus on Kofi Kingston's knee throughout the match before Kingston was able to fight through the pain and hit a Trouble in Paradise for the victory. I'm not really too sure what to say here because let's be honest, you've seen this show about a million times on Raw.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Rating: **1/4
Match 4: United States Championship - Antonio Cesaro (c) vs. Justin Gabriel
Was always a fan of Justin Gabriel, very fun to watch in the ring but for whatever reason, he just couldn't click with the fans that well. Antonio Cesaro was still in his introductory stages of his career in the WWE but he captured the United States Championship fairly quickly, but it was really the title that was making him at the time instead of him making the title. Some good action here that saw Cesaro hit a huge European uppercut on the outside to a diving Gabriel before hitting a Neutralizer in the ring to pick up the win and retain the title. Another decent and pretty forgettable match on the card.
Winner: Antonio Cesaro
Rating: **1/2
Match 5: Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs. The Primetime Players
No wonder Rey Mysterio ultimately decided to leave the company, this dude got totally lost in the scuffle at this point in his career. Would love to see him back within the company one day, though. Crowd really couldn't care less about anyone in the ring aside from Mysterio as the pacing of the match wasn't helping any matters. Sin Cara just can't seem to connect to the audience the way Mysterio does. Mysterio gets a hot tag in and hits a 619 on Darren Young to score the win for his team.
Winners: Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara
Rating: *3/4
Match 6: World Heavyweight Championship - Sheamus (c) vs. The Big Show
With this match actually being the co-main event, it really screams how slim the WWE roster was during the fall of 2012, or at least how this PPV makes it look out to be. The Big Show had a little bit of a career revitalization within the past couple years and certainly earned his spot here against Sheamus for the gold. These two brought the goods to the show as the nearfalls after a Chokeslam, a White Noise, a KO Punch, and even a Brogue Kick had the kick going in a frenzy. Big Show doesn't always match up well with his opponents but he certainly did match up well here against the brawling style of Sheamus. Sheamus wanted to hit another Brogue Kick and looked to have the match sealed in the bag but The Big Show hits a KO Punch out of nowhere to get the win! Awesome match and very cool to see Show hold a major title once again after really stepping up his game. Great match to lead into the main event.
Winner: The Big Show
Rating: ****1/4
Match 7: Divas Championship - Eve (c) vs. Layla vs. Kaitlyn
I'm a huge fan of all three ladies in the ring but even I can't defend this one. Heck, the commentators could not care less for this since they were more interested in making jokes. Hard to get into the action when it was just so sloppy and the crowd was just sitting on their hands. Eve retains her title after hitting a Swanton Bomb on Kaitlyn who was covering Layla. As a matter of fact, I think she even missed her target. Regardless, she gets the win and we get to move on.
Winner: Kaitlyn
Rating: 1/2*
Match 8: WWE Championship - Hell in a Cell - CM Punk (c) vs. Ryback
The fall of 2012 was the pinnacle of Ryback's popularity as he was inserted into the main event position here against CM Punk for the richest prize in the company. Of course, this is the first of two infamous Hell in a Cell matches that Punk would later complain about on a podcast concerning Ryback's carelessness and how stiff he was throughout the matches. The match itself was as underwhelming as you could imagine, Atlanta isn't always the rowdiest of crowds and they didn't really help matters for this match along with much of the whole card. Punk managed to squeak in a nice amount of offense but Ryback looked to be too much for him and as Ryback tried to end the match with a Shell Shocked, the referee stood in his way. The referee, who later was revealed to be Brad Maddox, low blowed Ryback and assisted Punk in making a fast count for the win. Afterwards, Punk and Maddox try to exit but Ryback stops them and destroys the two in their tracks. He then took chased Punk to the top of the cage and hit a Shell Shocked to close the show. I guess if they were going to do a funny finish for the match, this was the way to go considering Ryback was so hot and they didn't want him to eat the pin. Even still, a very bland main event for a pretty bland night.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: **1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
The event featured a couple bright spots with the World Heavyweight Championship match standing out the most. However, the rest of the card and the main event did not deliver on any promises. As I mentioned earlier, the fall of 2012 saw a very slim roster for the WWE until The Shield would make their debut a month later. October PPVs always seem to hit a rut for me and this is no different.
Rating: 5/10
Match 1: Alberto Del Rio vs. Randy Orton
Pretty big match at the time to kick off the show, especially considering how WWE was really high on Alberto Del Rio during his initial run the first few years in. He looked pretty dominant here in his match against Randy Orton as more than none, this match saw Del Rio handling Orton pretty easily. However, a couple mistakes on Del Rio's part led to a very sweet RKO from Orton. Del Rio looked to kick Orton's skull in the corner but Orton quickly got out of the way and hit an RKO as Del Rio was descending down. Good opening match that saw Orton pick up a needed win but didn't make Del Rio look bad in the process.
Winner: Randy Orton
Rating: ***1/4
Match 2: Tag Team Championships - Team Hell No (c) vs. Team Rhodes Scholars
Got to love the odd pairing of Daniel Bryan and Kane. And who could ever forget the great pairing of Cody Rhodes and Damian Sandow? Right? Right? Anyway, this match was more of a story arch for the growing pains between Bryan and Kane. The action for the match itself was fine but it never really shifted itself into a high gear, but the crowd still enjoyed it either way. Kane beats down Team Rhodes Scholars himself in the corner which calls for the referee to end the match in a disqualification. Afterwards, the two argue as Bryan storms off with his belt. Feel like this should have been a result for a match on Raw instead of on PPV, would it really hurt to have Team Hell No to just go over in a fishy finish?
Winners: Team Rhodes Scholars
Rating: **
Match 3: Intercontinental Championship - Kofi Kingston (c) vs. The Miz
Talk about a filler of the century featuring the decade's two biggest midcarders. Is that an accurate statement to make? Thankfully, the two were able to make career makeovers a few years later. Still don't think The Miz has contended for a world championship since losing it in 2011. If someone could fill me in, that would be splendid. Another pretty standard match here that saw Miz focus on Kofi Kingston's knee throughout the match before Kingston was able to fight through the pain and hit a Trouble in Paradise for the victory. I'm not really too sure what to say here because let's be honest, you've seen this show about a million times on Raw.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
Rating: **1/4
Match 4: United States Championship - Antonio Cesaro (c) vs. Justin Gabriel
Was always a fan of Justin Gabriel, very fun to watch in the ring but for whatever reason, he just couldn't click with the fans that well. Antonio Cesaro was still in his introductory stages of his career in the WWE but he captured the United States Championship fairly quickly, but it was really the title that was making him at the time instead of him making the title. Some good action here that saw Cesaro hit a huge European uppercut on the outside to a diving Gabriel before hitting a Neutralizer in the ring to pick up the win and retain the title. Another decent and pretty forgettable match on the card.
Winner: Antonio Cesaro
Rating: **1/2
Match 5: Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs. The Primetime Players
No wonder Rey Mysterio ultimately decided to leave the company, this dude got totally lost in the scuffle at this point in his career. Would love to see him back within the company one day, though. Crowd really couldn't care less about anyone in the ring aside from Mysterio as the pacing of the match wasn't helping any matters. Sin Cara just can't seem to connect to the audience the way Mysterio does. Mysterio gets a hot tag in and hits a 619 on Darren Young to score the win for his team.
Winners: Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara
Rating: *3/4
Match 6: World Heavyweight Championship - Sheamus (c) vs. The Big Show
With this match actually being the co-main event, it really screams how slim the WWE roster was during the fall of 2012, or at least how this PPV makes it look out to be. The Big Show had a little bit of a career revitalization within the past couple years and certainly earned his spot here against Sheamus for the gold. These two brought the goods to the show as the nearfalls after a Chokeslam, a White Noise, a KO Punch, and even a Brogue Kick had the kick going in a frenzy. Big Show doesn't always match up well with his opponents but he certainly did match up well here against the brawling style of Sheamus. Sheamus wanted to hit another Brogue Kick and looked to have the match sealed in the bag but The Big Show hits a KO Punch out of nowhere to get the win! Awesome match and very cool to see Show hold a major title once again after really stepping up his game. Great match to lead into the main event.
Winner: The Big Show
Rating: ****1/4
Match 7: Divas Championship - Eve (c) vs. Layla vs. Kaitlyn
I'm a huge fan of all three ladies in the ring but even I can't defend this one. Heck, the commentators could not care less for this since they were more interested in making jokes. Hard to get into the action when it was just so sloppy and the crowd was just sitting on their hands. Eve retains her title after hitting a Swanton Bomb on Kaitlyn who was covering Layla. As a matter of fact, I think she even missed her target. Regardless, she gets the win and we get to move on.
Winner: Kaitlyn
Rating: 1/2*
Match 8: WWE Championship - Hell in a Cell - CM Punk (c) vs. Ryback
The fall of 2012 was the pinnacle of Ryback's popularity as he was inserted into the main event position here against CM Punk for the richest prize in the company. Of course, this is the first of two infamous Hell in a Cell matches that Punk would later complain about on a podcast concerning Ryback's carelessness and how stiff he was throughout the matches. The match itself was as underwhelming as you could imagine, Atlanta isn't always the rowdiest of crowds and they didn't really help matters for this match along with much of the whole card. Punk managed to squeak in a nice amount of offense but Ryback looked to be too much for him and as Ryback tried to end the match with a Shell Shocked, the referee stood in his way. The referee, who later was revealed to be Brad Maddox, low blowed Ryback and assisted Punk in making a fast count for the win. Afterwards, Punk and Maddox try to exit but Ryback stops them and destroys the two in their tracks. He then took chased Punk to the top of the cage and hit a Shell Shocked to close the show. I guess if they were going to do a funny finish for the match, this was the way to go considering Ryback was so hot and they didn't want him to eat the pin. Even still, a very bland main event for a pretty bland night.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: **1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
The event featured a couple bright spots with the World Heavyweight Championship match standing out the most. However, the rest of the card and the main event did not deliver on any promises. As I mentioned earlier, the fall of 2012 saw a very slim roster for the WWE until The Shield would make their debut a month later. October PPVs always seem to hit a rut for me and this is no different.
Rating: 5/10
Thursday, August 10, 2017
WWE Summerslam 2008 Review
Match 1: Jeff Hardy vs. MVP
Hard to believe that prior to this, Jeff Hardy hasn't been on a Summerslam card since 2001. He is back at the biggest blockbuster of the summer against MVP in 2008. Good opening match here that really made me forget how good these guys were. Hardy had good chemistry with pretty much the entire roster during his 2008 roller coaster year and the same could be said for MVP. Shelton Benjamin came out to cause a distraction against Hardy that led to MVP hitting his Drive-By Kick to score the win. Good way to have MVP score the win while Hardy has an out for his loss. Shame this one didn't go on any longer.
Winner: MVP
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: Intercontinental & Women's Championship - Kofi Kingston (c) & Mickie James (c) vs. Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix
Booked by Raw general manager Mike Adamle, this intergender match is for Kofi Kingston's Intercontinental Championship and Mickie James' Women's Championship. Fun match here to bridge the gap between the opener and the emotional segment with Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho that followed this. Phoenix pins James to score the win for her team as Santino hilariously celebrates even though Phoenix did the heavy lifting. Phoenix then carries Santino out on her shoulders as he celebrates.
Winners: Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix
Rating: *1/4
Match 3: ECW Championship - Mark Henry (c) vs. Matt Hardy
This was easily one of the worst Summerslam moments in a long time. Matt Hardy hits a Twist of Fate on Mark Henry but Tony Atlas removes Hardy from the ring as the referee calls for the disqualification. Jeff Hardy comes down to help beat down Henry afterwards but ultimately, Henry retains the title. What was the point of that? I get that they really wanted to have an ECW representation on the card but why the stupid finish? That only made ECW look worse than what it was already.
Winner: Matt Hardy
Rating: 1/4*
Match 4: World Heavyweight Championship - CM Punk (c) vs. JBL
Remember CM Punk's first reign as the world heavyweight champion? He was booked like a chump. It was one of those cases where the belt made the man rather than the man making the belt. Punk needed a big win here against the challenger in John Bradshaw Layfield. Decent action here with JBL doing a great job of utilizing his size to take down the faster and more agile CM Punk. As much as I hate saying this, it just didn't look like Punk was ready for this role yet. The crowd just wasn't reacting too much to him and the way he was getting booked didn't help matters. Punk eventually hit a GTS to secure his first PPV win since gaining the World Heavyweight Championship.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: WWE Championship - Triple H (c) vs. The Great Khali
I always wondered why they decided to have The Great Khali challenge Triple H for the strap here, was there really no one else more suitable? Maybe Triple H wanted the challenge and be the man who could put on the best possible match with Khali. As much hate as I might get for this one, Triple H succeeded. This was easily the best singles Khali match that I could remember. Triple H did a great job of hiding Khali's flaws and using his size to make him seem like he truly was an unstoppable giant. I like how they centered the match around Triple H not being able to hit his Pedigree on the bigger Khali, something they messed around with during episodes of Smackdown leading up to this match. Triple H had trouble locking it in throughout the match as he basically carried Khali for the entire thing. However, Triple H was able to hit a Pedigree and secure the win. Not bad, especially for a Khali match.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ***
Match 6: John Cena vs. Batista
I scored this match ****1/4 on my last viewing so let's see how that stands. I always thought they should have held this match off until WrestleMania but nonetheless, the build and hype for this match was tremendous, always loved how they were tag champs for a week. Both men rose to prominence at WrestleMania 21 and find themselves squaring off against each other for the first time as the top dogs of the company. Crowd was definitely on their toes for this one and the match just had a big-fight feel to it. Great exchanges from the top as they fight a stalemate throughout with nobody truly getting the advantage. However, things change when John Cena dives off the top rope where Batista counters it into a nasty looking Batista Bomb. Cena is able to kick out of it but after another Batista Bomb, Batista wins cleanly. Couldn't go wrong with anyone winning here. However, Batista winning makes more sense as it leads to Cena wanting to avenge his loss which he would go on to do at a future WrestleMania. Also, Cena would head to the disabled list shortly after this match which led to the WWE having a Cena-less fall until Survivor Series.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ****1/4
Original Rating: ****1/4
Match 7: Hell in a Cell - Edge vs. The Undertaker
I have seen this match so many times that I actually can't even remember if I have ever even reviewed this before so I'm just going to pretend like this is the first time for both. 2008's feud of the year was Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels but one that often gets overlooked that year is between these two, Edge and The Undertaker. They feuded throughout the year and it culminated here in a Hell in a Cell match at Summerslam in the main event. One of my favorite promos of all time came on an edition of SmackDown leading to this event that saw Edge feature Mick Foley on an edition of The Cutting Edge. If you haven't seen it, do yourself the favor. A huge gripe that many often have with this match is that it felt like a big spot after big spot type of match. Personally, I loved the spots and I love how they spaced them out perfectly. They couldn't do any blood so they made up for it with some incredible table spots and storytelling. Loved the spot where Edge drove a steel chair through the heart of The Undertaker through a table before saying to himself, "I understand." Referencing his promo with Mick Foley. Undertaker scores the big win after hitting a Spear and a Tombstone. Afterwards, Undertaker Chokeslams Edge off a ladder through the ring before fire erupts out of nowhere. Memorable finish and ending to the show as Edge would go on to take a much-needed break before like Cena, returning at Survivor Series.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ****3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
While I definitely enjoyed the show and the main events, I still have trouble giving the show a 9/10 simply because of the fairly lackluster start to the show. Aside from that, the last three matches either met expectations or exceeded them. Regardless, this was a very memorable Summerslam capped off with a fantastic main event. I also took into consideration the incredible angle between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels which may be my favorite Summerslam moment of all time.
Rating: 8.75/10
Hard to believe that prior to this, Jeff Hardy hasn't been on a Summerslam card since 2001. He is back at the biggest blockbuster of the summer against MVP in 2008. Good opening match here that really made me forget how good these guys were. Hardy had good chemistry with pretty much the entire roster during his 2008 roller coaster year and the same could be said for MVP. Shelton Benjamin came out to cause a distraction against Hardy that led to MVP hitting his Drive-By Kick to score the win. Good way to have MVP score the win while Hardy has an out for his loss. Shame this one didn't go on any longer.
Winner: MVP
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: Intercontinental & Women's Championship - Kofi Kingston (c) & Mickie James (c) vs. Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix
Booked by Raw general manager Mike Adamle, this intergender match is for Kofi Kingston's Intercontinental Championship and Mickie James' Women's Championship. Fun match here to bridge the gap between the opener and the emotional segment with Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho that followed this. Phoenix pins James to score the win for her team as Santino hilariously celebrates even though Phoenix did the heavy lifting. Phoenix then carries Santino out on her shoulders as he celebrates.
Winners: Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix
Rating: *1/4
Match 3: ECW Championship - Mark Henry (c) vs. Matt Hardy
This was easily one of the worst Summerslam moments in a long time. Matt Hardy hits a Twist of Fate on Mark Henry but Tony Atlas removes Hardy from the ring as the referee calls for the disqualification. Jeff Hardy comes down to help beat down Henry afterwards but ultimately, Henry retains the title. What was the point of that? I get that they really wanted to have an ECW representation on the card but why the stupid finish? That only made ECW look worse than what it was already.
Winner: Matt Hardy
Rating: 1/4*
Match 4: World Heavyweight Championship - CM Punk (c) vs. JBL
Remember CM Punk's first reign as the world heavyweight champion? He was booked like a chump. It was one of those cases where the belt made the man rather than the man making the belt. Punk needed a big win here against the challenger in John Bradshaw Layfield. Decent action here with JBL doing a great job of utilizing his size to take down the faster and more agile CM Punk. As much as I hate saying this, it just didn't look like Punk was ready for this role yet. The crowd just wasn't reacting too much to him and the way he was getting booked didn't help matters. Punk eventually hit a GTS to secure his first PPV win since gaining the World Heavyweight Championship.
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: WWE Championship - Triple H (c) vs. The Great Khali
I always wondered why they decided to have The Great Khali challenge Triple H for the strap here, was there really no one else more suitable? Maybe Triple H wanted the challenge and be the man who could put on the best possible match with Khali. As much hate as I might get for this one, Triple H succeeded. This was easily the best singles Khali match that I could remember. Triple H did a great job of hiding Khali's flaws and using his size to make him seem like he truly was an unstoppable giant. I like how they centered the match around Triple H not being able to hit his Pedigree on the bigger Khali, something they messed around with during episodes of Smackdown leading up to this match. Triple H had trouble locking it in throughout the match as he basically carried Khali for the entire thing. However, Triple H was able to hit a Pedigree and secure the win. Not bad, especially for a Khali match.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ***
Match 6: John Cena vs. Batista
I scored this match ****1/4 on my last viewing so let's see how that stands. I always thought they should have held this match off until WrestleMania but nonetheless, the build and hype for this match was tremendous, always loved how they were tag champs for a week. Both men rose to prominence at WrestleMania 21 and find themselves squaring off against each other for the first time as the top dogs of the company. Crowd was definitely on their toes for this one and the match just had a big-fight feel to it. Great exchanges from the top as they fight a stalemate throughout with nobody truly getting the advantage. However, things change when John Cena dives off the top rope where Batista counters it into a nasty looking Batista Bomb. Cena is able to kick out of it but after another Batista Bomb, Batista wins cleanly. Couldn't go wrong with anyone winning here. However, Batista winning makes more sense as it leads to Cena wanting to avenge his loss which he would go on to do at a future WrestleMania. Also, Cena would head to the disabled list shortly after this match which led to the WWE having a Cena-less fall until Survivor Series.
Winner: Batista
Rating: ****1/4
Original Rating: ****1/4
Match 7: Hell in a Cell - Edge vs. The Undertaker
I have seen this match so many times that I actually can't even remember if I have ever even reviewed this before so I'm just going to pretend like this is the first time for both. 2008's feud of the year was Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels but one that often gets overlooked that year is between these two, Edge and The Undertaker. They feuded throughout the year and it culminated here in a Hell in a Cell match at Summerslam in the main event. One of my favorite promos of all time came on an edition of SmackDown leading to this event that saw Edge feature Mick Foley on an edition of The Cutting Edge. If you haven't seen it, do yourself the favor. A huge gripe that many often have with this match is that it felt like a big spot after big spot type of match. Personally, I loved the spots and I love how they spaced them out perfectly. They couldn't do any blood so they made up for it with some incredible table spots and storytelling. Loved the spot where Edge drove a steel chair through the heart of The Undertaker through a table before saying to himself, "I understand." Referencing his promo with Mick Foley. Undertaker scores the big win after hitting a Spear and a Tombstone. Afterwards, Undertaker Chokeslams Edge off a ladder through the ring before fire erupts out of nowhere. Memorable finish and ending to the show as Edge would go on to take a much-needed break before like Cena, returning at Survivor Series.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: ****3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
While I definitely enjoyed the show and the main events, I still have trouble giving the show a 9/10 simply because of the fairly lackluster start to the show. Aside from that, the last three matches either met expectations or exceeded them. Regardless, this was a very memorable Summerslam capped off with a fantastic main event. I also took into consideration the incredible angle between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels which may be my favorite Summerslam moment of all time.
Rating: 8.75/10
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
TNA Victory Road 2010 Review
TNA's annual July PPV on the path to Bound for Glory stops at Victory Road. The vacant World Tag Team Championships are on the line, Kurt Angle's career is on the line and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship is also on the line in the main event!
Match 1: X Division Championship - Ultimate X - Douglas Williams (c) vs. Brian Kendrick
Good choice to open the match, just always wished that they limited the Ultimate X match for bigger PPV events rather than having one every other month or something. For this edition, a winner can also be crowned champion by not only grabbing the belt from the top, but by also submitting their opponent. Kind of takes a little bit of the drama away. Regardless, the two had a pretty good match here with a pretty limited amount of time. The two climb the structure and fall off together from the wire leading to the belt which led to Doug Williams choking out Brian Kendrick to secure the win.
Winner: Doug Williams
Rating: **1/4
Match 2: Brother Ray vs. Jesse Neal vs. Brother Devon
Brother Ray beings the match by hiding within the stage and attacking Jesse Neal from behind before cameras reveal that Ray had locked Brother Devon in the locker room. Only in TNA. Ray is beating down Neal before the old ECW guys appear in the stands for whatever reason as the tides turn with Neal hitting his Spear. Devon eventually comes out and begins brawling with Ray before Ray finishes off Neal with a Bubba Bomb. More of an angle than an actual match here. Too much happened in such little time. However, I like the call of giving Ray the win. Only the start of Ray's ascension to the top as the company's top heel.
Winner: Brother Ray
Rating: *1/2
Match 3: Knockouts Championship - Madison Rayne (c) vs. Angelina Love
If Angelina Love loses the match, her career also ends in the process. With that taken into consideration, the two have a match that lasts about a couple minutes until a mysterious figure comes out in a motorcycle and attacks both Love and the referee. Therefore, Madison Rayne is disqualified and loses the title. She then leaves with the chick on her motorcycle as Love celebrates her title win as if she had accomplished it without any funny stuff happening. This was so ridiculous on all levels, even Taz couldn't hide the crap.
Winner: Angelina Love
Rating: 1/4*
Match 4: AJ Styles & Kazarian vs. Rob Terry & Samoa Joe
Ric Flair booked AJ Styles & Kazarian in a tag match with the opponents being a secret. Their opponents turn out to be the odd pairing of Rob Terry & Samoa Joe. Decent and short match here that saw both squads get in their fun displays of offense before Desmond Wolfe appears out of nowhere to attack Joe. This leads to Styles & Kaz capitalizing on the distraction as they take out Terry to score the fairly easy win. Afterwards, Joe takes care of Wolfe for his troubles. Another basic match that gets booked on a PPV.
Winners: AJ Styles & Kazarian
Rating: **
Match 5: Steel Cage - Matt Morgan vs. Hernandez
This was one of the company's best feuds at the time. Huge fan of both guys and loved their breakup. As weird as that sounds. Hernandez starts off the match on the better end of things before Matt Morgan turns the tides and gains momentum as he does not let up. I absolutely love Morgan as a heel, he is so cocky and what makes it best is that he is able to back it all up. As he makes blood pour out of the head of Hernandez, he wipes the blood on the hand and displays it to each section of the audience. He even asked the crowd which side of the cage he should exit from. However, Hernandez does not let up, even after Morgan decided to handcuff him Morgan climbs the cage and continues to taunt Hernandez but Hernandez breaks free from the cuffs and launches himself through the door for the win. Great match here with Morgan playing the great role of a bastard heel and Hernandez being the underdog. Absolutely loved the ending, these guys didn't get enough credit.
Winner: Hernandez
Rating: ***1/2
Match 6: Jay Lethal vs. Ric Flair
One of 2010's biggest shining spots for TNA was Jay Lethal's impression of Ric Flair. Ultimately, it led to a very personal feud between the two and a match here at Victory Road. All the hate that was going around for Flair wrestling again but in all honesty, he had a pretty damn good match here against the younger Lethal. You get the usual Flair spots but the crowd absolutely ate it up and Lethal was so good in his role, especially in making Flair look like a legitimate threat. Loved Flair's exchange with Earl Hebner and loved the spot with Lethal exposing Flair's rear to the crowd before Flair would eventually tap out to a Figure Four from Lethal. Great match and moment for Lethal.
Winner: Jay Lethal
Rating: ***
Match 7: World Tag Team Championships - Beer Money, Inc. vs. The Motor City Machine Guns
Always enjoyed the matches these two teams had and it was cool to see them go at it for the vacant World Tag Team Championships. You know you will be getting quality wrestling whenever the two teams square off and they delivered here. Loved the finish when after getting blinded by a spit of beer, another referee is called to the ring. Here, both teams roll each other up as the referees make the count at the same time and call for the bell. They then restart the match as The Guns get the win shortly after. That was a very TNA finish and while it seems like we have seen the company do this on multiple times, it worked here. I also liked how they didn't drag the match out too much further after this as The Guns got the quick pin after the match got restarted. It almost felt as if they didn't want to break out all the stops for this one as they were saving it for the rest of the year. The best was certainly yet to come.
Winners: The Motor City Machine Guns
Rating: ***
Match 8: D'Angelo Dinero vs. Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle's quest back to the TNA World Championship sees him taking on the #8 seed in D'Angelo Dinero. Always fun to see two big faces in a match and the two made it work really well here. Angle was able to look dominant in the match but also allow Dinero to look like a very suitable opponent for him. The chain wrestling in the beginning was definitely a treat to watch and Taz on commentary adding information to all the suplexes Angle was tossing was certainly a nice touch. Angle was able to lock in an Ankle Lock on Dinero to win the match before the two shook hands afterwards. Another *** match for the night and a nice co-main event for the night, as well.
Winner: Kurt Angle
Rating: ***
Match 9: TNA World Heavyweight Championship - Rob Van Dam (c) vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Abyss vs. Jeff Hardy
After disagreements of who should be the #1 contender for Rob Van Dam's TNA World Heavyweight Championship, the main event turns into a four-way match. I like the booking decision to have all four guys main event the show considering this isn't the biggest PPV of the year and storyline progression should be the biggest factor here without blowing their load. Abyss, of course, is back to being crazy as he brings out a 2x4 with nails plastered all over it. However, the other participants of the match team up early against Abyss to try and eliminate him from the match. It was definitely fun to see all the styles of these four guys clash against each other. After Abyss Chokeslams Jeff Hardy atop Mr. Anderson, RVD hits a Five Star Frog Splash on everyone as he pins Anderson to retain the gold. Afterwards, Abyss goes berserk and tries to smash RVD with the 2x4 as RVD narrowly escapes. The show closes with a deranged Abyss holding the 2x4 as a concerned RVD looks relieved to have escaped. Nice closing to the show that allows their Abyss storyline to continue into a bigger volume.
Winner: Rob Van Dam
Rating: ***1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
With a rather slow start to the show, the rest of the card followed it with very good matches and progressions for their respective storylines that actually made sense. Ric Flair back in the ring was a treat to watch and the main event was suitable for the show. Not the best, but definitely a good PPV showing from TNA.
Rating: 7/10
Match 1: X Division Championship - Ultimate X - Douglas Williams (c) vs. Brian Kendrick
Good choice to open the match, just always wished that they limited the Ultimate X match for bigger PPV events rather than having one every other month or something. For this edition, a winner can also be crowned champion by not only grabbing the belt from the top, but by also submitting their opponent. Kind of takes a little bit of the drama away. Regardless, the two had a pretty good match here with a pretty limited amount of time. The two climb the structure and fall off together from the wire leading to the belt which led to Doug Williams choking out Brian Kendrick to secure the win.
Winner: Doug Williams
Rating: **1/4
Match 2: Brother Ray vs. Jesse Neal vs. Brother Devon
Brother Ray beings the match by hiding within the stage and attacking Jesse Neal from behind before cameras reveal that Ray had locked Brother Devon in the locker room. Only in TNA. Ray is beating down Neal before the old ECW guys appear in the stands for whatever reason as the tides turn with Neal hitting his Spear. Devon eventually comes out and begins brawling with Ray before Ray finishes off Neal with a Bubba Bomb. More of an angle than an actual match here. Too much happened in such little time. However, I like the call of giving Ray the win. Only the start of Ray's ascension to the top as the company's top heel.
Winner: Brother Ray
Rating: *1/2
Match 3: Knockouts Championship - Madison Rayne (c) vs. Angelina Love
If Angelina Love loses the match, her career also ends in the process. With that taken into consideration, the two have a match that lasts about a couple minutes until a mysterious figure comes out in a motorcycle and attacks both Love and the referee. Therefore, Madison Rayne is disqualified and loses the title. She then leaves with the chick on her motorcycle as Love celebrates her title win as if she had accomplished it without any funny stuff happening. This was so ridiculous on all levels, even Taz couldn't hide the crap.
Winner: Angelina Love
Rating: 1/4*
Match 4: AJ Styles & Kazarian vs. Rob Terry & Samoa Joe
Ric Flair booked AJ Styles & Kazarian in a tag match with the opponents being a secret. Their opponents turn out to be the odd pairing of Rob Terry & Samoa Joe. Decent and short match here that saw both squads get in their fun displays of offense before Desmond Wolfe appears out of nowhere to attack Joe. This leads to Styles & Kaz capitalizing on the distraction as they take out Terry to score the fairly easy win. Afterwards, Joe takes care of Wolfe for his troubles. Another basic match that gets booked on a PPV.
Winners: AJ Styles & Kazarian
Rating: **
Match 5: Steel Cage - Matt Morgan vs. Hernandez
This was one of the company's best feuds at the time. Huge fan of both guys and loved their breakup. As weird as that sounds. Hernandez starts off the match on the better end of things before Matt Morgan turns the tides and gains momentum as he does not let up. I absolutely love Morgan as a heel, he is so cocky and what makes it best is that he is able to back it all up. As he makes blood pour out of the head of Hernandez, he wipes the blood on the hand and displays it to each section of the audience. He even asked the crowd which side of the cage he should exit from. However, Hernandez does not let up, even after Morgan decided to handcuff him Morgan climbs the cage and continues to taunt Hernandez but Hernandez breaks free from the cuffs and launches himself through the door for the win. Great match here with Morgan playing the great role of a bastard heel and Hernandez being the underdog. Absolutely loved the ending, these guys didn't get enough credit.
Winner: Hernandez
Rating: ***1/2
Match 6: Jay Lethal vs. Ric Flair
One of 2010's biggest shining spots for TNA was Jay Lethal's impression of Ric Flair. Ultimately, it led to a very personal feud between the two and a match here at Victory Road. All the hate that was going around for Flair wrestling again but in all honesty, he had a pretty damn good match here against the younger Lethal. You get the usual Flair spots but the crowd absolutely ate it up and Lethal was so good in his role, especially in making Flair look like a legitimate threat. Loved Flair's exchange with Earl Hebner and loved the spot with Lethal exposing Flair's rear to the crowd before Flair would eventually tap out to a Figure Four from Lethal. Great match and moment for Lethal.
Winner: Jay Lethal
Rating: ***
Match 7: World Tag Team Championships - Beer Money, Inc. vs. The Motor City Machine Guns
Always enjoyed the matches these two teams had and it was cool to see them go at it for the vacant World Tag Team Championships. You know you will be getting quality wrestling whenever the two teams square off and they delivered here. Loved the finish when after getting blinded by a spit of beer, another referee is called to the ring. Here, both teams roll each other up as the referees make the count at the same time and call for the bell. They then restart the match as The Guns get the win shortly after. That was a very TNA finish and while it seems like we have seen the company do this on multiple times, it worked here. I also liked how they didn't drag the match out too much further after this as The Guns got the quick pin after the match got restarted. It almost felt as if they didn't want to break out all the stops for this one as they were saving it for the rest of the year. The best was certainly yet to come.
Winners: The Motor City Machine Guns
Rating: ***
Match 8: D'Angelo Dinero vs. Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle's quest back to the TNA World Championship sees him taking on the #8 seed in D'Angelo Dinero. Always fun to see two big faces in a match and the two made it work really well here. Angle was able to look dominant in the match but also allow Dinero to look like a very suitable opponent for him. The chain wrestling in the beginning was definitely a treat to watch and Taz on commentary adding information to all the suplexes Angle was tossing was certainly a nice touch. Angle was able to lock in an Ankle Lock on Dinero to win the match before the two shook hands afterwards. Another *** match for the night and a nice co-main event for the night, as well.
Winner: Kurt Angle
Rating: ***
Match 9: TNA World Heavyweight Championship - Rob Van Dam (c) vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Abyss vs. Jeff Hardy
After disagreements of who should be the #1 contender for Rob Van Dam's TNA World Heavyweight Championship, the main event turns into a four-way match. I like the booking decision to have all four guys main event the show considering this isn't the biggest PPV of the year and storyline progression should be the biggest factor here without blowing their load. Abyss, of course, is back to being crazy as he brings out a 2x4 with nails plastered all over it. However, the other participants of the match team up early against Abyss to try and eliminate him from the match. It was definitely fun to see all the styles of these four guys clash against each other. After Abyss Chokeslams Jeff Hardy atop Mr. Anderson, RVD hits a Five Star Frog Splash on everyone as he pins Anderson to retain the gold. Afterwards, Abyss goes berserk and tries to smash RVD with the 2x4 as RVD narrowly escapes. The show closes with a deranged Abyss holding the 2x4 as a concerned RVD looks relieved to have escaped. Nice closing to the show that allows their Abyss storyline to continue into a bigger volume.
Winner: Rob Van Dam
Rating: ***1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
With a rather slow start to the show, the rest of the card followed it with very good matches and progressions for their respective storylines that actually made sense. Ric Flair back in the ring was a treat to watch and the main event was suitable for the show. Not the best, but definitely a good PPV showing from TNA.
Rating: 7/10
Friday, June 30, 2017
WWE The Great American Bash 2006 Review
In wake of the WWE bringing back the Punjabi Prison match, let's take a look back at the show that held the very first one in the 2006 installment of The Great American Bash! The Undertaker took on The Big Show inside the prison while Rey Mysterio faced another hurdle as World Heavyweight Champion against King Booker!
Match 1: WWE Tag Team Championships - Paul London & Brian Kendrick (c) vs. The Pitbulls
Anyone remember The Pitbulls? They were comprised of Jamie Noble and Kid Kash as they made their way to the ring with chains wrapped around their neck. Goodness. JBL did a great job in the booth of hyping up both teams and breaking down the analysis of the match to the tee. Fun action from the two teams as the fast style of Paul London & Brian Kendrick clashed nicely against the harder style of The Pitbulls. Nice opening match here with the champions retaining their belts in a very competitive match. Good start to get the crowd going.
Winners: Paul London & Brian Kendrick
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: United States Championship - Finlay (c) vs. William Regal
Prior to the match, general manager Teddy Long came out and announced that due to elevated enzymes in his liver, Bobby Lashley had been removed from the match. Finlay and William Regal then both come out before Teddy makes a match between the two for Finlay's United States Championship. You have to question the booking decision here to have two heels fight each other after a fairly hot start to the show. The crowd certainly was taken out of the show, despite the quality inside the ring. Finlay used leverage from the ropes along with some help from Hornwoggle to score the win over his friend and partner in Regal to retain the gold.
Winner: Finlay
Rating: ***
Match 3: Matt Hardy vs. Gregory Helms
Love how JBL hypes up Gregory Helms to the moon, this was during his reign as the Cruiserweight Champion and was basically cleaning house. Matt Hardy was his opponent here but since Hardy exceeded the maximum weight for the division, the title was not at stake. Another decent match between the two here with Helms scoring the win after a handful of tights. Hardy's career was seemingly going down at this point while his arch nemesis in Edge was reaching his peak. The match was fine but nothing that screamed PPV quality to me.
Winner: Gregory Helms
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: Punjabi Prison - The Big Show vs. The Undertaker
Although this match was billed as The Great Khali's specialty match, he was replaced by The Big Show because of a backstage ambush by Show from the orders of Teddy Long. This was likely because the WWE just didn't have enough faith in Khali to execute a new match like this against The Undertaker. For all the flack this match gets, I like the uniqueness it brought to the table and in my opinion, it's always cool to see interesting ideas like this brought to the table in the WWE. No matter how confusing it may be the first time around. Unfortunately, even switching Khali's role with The Big Show wasn't enough to save this match. The crowd had trouble getting into it and that's likely because it was pretty damn hard to see what was actually happening with the bamboo structure obstructing our vision. Also, it just didn't seem like the crowd was completely understanding of the rules. However, once they escaped the first structure, the action definitely picked up a bit. Loved the spot where The Undertaker had to scale the first structure and step over onto the second one before swinging and kicking Show off it with a rope. Khali makes an appearance but is too late as Undertaker slams himself off the first structure onto The Big Show which breaks through the second structure. The Undertaker was declared the winner. This was a mess, no bones about it. They experimented one more time with the match a year later and while that one was definitely better than this one, it still wasn't enough for the WWE to warrant a comeback for it until 2017! Then again, this was the first time the WWE tried this out and the second one did feature The Great Khali in it so maybe with smaller guys in the cages, things might go better the third time around.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: *3/4
Match 5: Bra & Panties - Krystal vs. Michelle McCool vs. Jillian Hall vs. Ashley Massaro
So after the serious and brutal match in the Punjabi Prison, we get this. I forget how bad some of these matches were back in the day, it's crazy how far we have come with women's wrestling. Ashley Massaro picks up the win after stripping Krystal. She then celebrates with Jillian Hall afterwards as they both undress each other. That was tough to watch.
Winner: Ashley Massaro
Rating: 1/4*
Match 6: Batista vs. Mr. Kennedy
I remember the heat Batista had with Mark Henry in their feud leading up to their match at this event. It was electric and the buzz for both guys was so high. Unfortunately, Henry got injured and we never got to witness the hot match between the two at this show. Batista had a few interesting things to say about their feud in his book and in his DVD. Mr. Kennedy steps in for Henry and ends up taking the beating of a lifetime. The amount of blood that Kennedy shed for this match was brutal. But it all made sense and the sight of Batista crushing Kennedy in the corner with kicks told the story. Batista gets disqualified but does not leave before hitting a Batista Bomb on Kennedy. Great booking move here. Please the fans with Batista beating down Kennedy to his teeth and giving Kennedy the out with the disqualification win.
Winner: Mr. Kennedy
Rating: **1/4
Match 7: World Heavyweight Championship - Rey Mysterio (c) vs. King Booker
Remarkable to think that two WCW guys would be main eventing a WWE PPV for the World Heavyweight Championship at the time. Also very cool to see Booker T finally rise to the occasion and become the face of SmackDown. Kudos to him for taking his new gimmick to another level. Hard to say that I could have seen that coming in 2006. Booker seems confident in the start but after Mysterio becomes too much to handle, Booker resorts to having Queen Sharmell help him out. However, the referee tosses her out and the match is finally going to be called without any distractions. But after a referee bump and a low blow from Booker, Chavo Guerrero comes out and looks to help out his best friend! But Guerrero strikes Mysterio with one of the nastiest and swiftest chair shots I have ever seen! Booker covers Mysterio and completes his promise, King Booker is a World Heavyweight Champion in the WWE! It looked pretty predictable that Chavo was going to turn on Mysterio but the execution was so perfectly done by Chavo. Much credit to him on that and much credit to Mysterio for selling it like a champ. No pun intended. The show closes with Sharmell cheering on her husband.
Winner: King Booker
Rating: ***3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Another poor PPV display from the WWE as we are reminded once more why the company decided to ditch these brand-exclusive PPVs a year later. The debut Punjabi Prison was a flop, Mark Henry getting injured was a disappointed and the main event wasn't enough to save the show. But if you were to remember this show for one thing, it will be for the coronation of King Booker.
Rating: 5.5/10
Match 1: WWE Tag Team Championships - Paul London & Brian Kendrick (c) vs. The Pitbulls
Anyone remember The Pitbulls? They were comprised of Jamie Noble and Kid Kash as they made their way to the ring with chains wrapped around their neck. Goodness. JBL did a great job in the booth of hyping up both teams and breaking down the analysis of the match to the tee. Fun action from the two teams as the fast style of Paul London & Brian Kendrick clashed nicely against the harder style of The Pitbulls. Nice opening match here with the champions retaining their belts in a very competitive match. Good start to get the crowd going.
Winners: Paul London & Brian Kendrick
Rating: **3/4
Match 2: United States Championship - Finlay (c) vs. William Regal
Prior to the match, general manager Teddy Long came out and announced that due to elevated enzymes in his liver, Bobby Lashley had been removed from the match. Finlay and William Regal then both come out before Teddy makes a match between the two for Finlay's United States Championship. You have to question the booking decision here to have two heels fight each other after a fairly hot start to the show. The crowd certainly was taken out of the show, despite the quality inside the ring. Finlay used leverage from the ropes along with some help from Hornwoggle to score the win over his friend and partner in Regal to retain the gold.
Winner: Finlay
Rating: ***
Match 3: Matt Hardy vs. Gregory Helms
Love how JBL hypes up Gregory Helms to the moon, this was during his reign as the Cruiserweight Champion and was basically cleaning house. Matt Hardy was his opponent here but since Hardy exceeded the maximum weight for the division, the title was not at stake. Another decent match between the two here with Helms scoring the win after a handful of tights. Hardy's career was seemingly going down at this point while his arch nemesis in Edge was reaching his peak. The match was fine but nothing that screamed PPV quality to me.
Winner: Gregory Helms
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: Punjabi Prison - The Big Show vs. The Undertaker
Although this match was billed as The Great Khali's specialty match, he was replaced by The Big Show because of a backstage ambush by Show from the orders of Teddy Long. This was likely because the WWE just didn't have enough faith in Khali to execute a new match like this against The Undertaker. For all the flack this match gets, I like the uniqueness it brought to the table and in my opinion, it's always cool to see interesting ideas like this brought to the table in the WWE. No matter how confusing it may be the first time around. Unfortunately, even switching Khali's role with The Big Show wasn't enough to save this match. The crowd had trouble getting into it and that's likely because it was pretty damn hard to see what was actually happening with the bamboo structure obstructing our vision. Also, it just didn't seem like the crowd was completely understanding of the rules. However, once they escaped the first structure, the action definitely picked up a bit. Loved the spot where The Undertaker had to scale the first structure and step over onto the second one before swinging and kicking Show off it with a rope. Khali makes an appearance but is too late as Undertaker slams himself off the first structure onto The Big Show which breaks through the second structure. The Undertaker was declared the winner. This was a mess, no bones about it. They experimented one more time with the match a year later and while that one was definitely better than this one, it still wasn't enough for the WWE to warrant a comeback for it until 2017! Then again, this was the first time the WWE tried this out and the second one did feature The Great Khali in it so maybe with smaller guys in the cages, things might go better the third time around.
Winner: The Undertaker
Rating: *3/4
Match 5: Bra & Panties - Krystal vs. Michelle McCool vs. Jillian Hall vs. Ashley Massaro
So after the serious and brutal match in the Punjabi Prison, we get this. I forget how bad some of these matches were back in the day, it's crazy how far we have come with women's wrestling. Ashley Massaro picks up the win after stripping Krystal. She then celebrates with Jillian Hall afterwards as they both undress each other. That was tough to watch.
Winner: Ashley Massaro
Rating: 1/4*
Match 6: Batista vs. Mr. Kennedy
I remember the heat Batista had with Mark Henry in their feud leading up to their match at this event. It was electric and the buzz for both guys was so high. Unfortunately, Henry got injured and we never got to witness the hot match between the two at this show. Batista had a few interesting things to say about their feud in his book and in his DVD. Mr. Kennedy steps in for Henry and ends up taking the beating of a lifetime. The amount of blood that Kennedy shed for this match was brutal. But it all made sense and the sight of Batista crushing Kennedy in the corner with kicks told the story. Batista gets disqualified but does not leave before hitting a Batista Bomb on Kennedy. Great booking move here. Please the fans with Batista beating down Kennedy to his teeth and giving Kennedy the out with the disqualification win.
Winner: Mr. Kennedy
Rating: **1/4
Match 7: World Heavyweight Championship - Rey Mysterio (c) vs. King Booker
Remarkable to think that two WCW guys would be main eventing a WWE PPV for the World Heavyweight Championship at the time. Also very cool to see Booker T finally rise to the occasion and become the face of SmackDown. Kudos to him for taking his new gimmick to another level. Hard to say that I could have seen that coming in 2006. Booker seems confident in the start but after Mysterio becomes too much to handle, Booker resorts to having Queen Sharmell help him out. However, the referee tosses her out and the match is finally going to be called without any distractions. But after a referee bump and a low blow from Booker, Chavo Guerrero comes out and looks to help out his best friend! But Guerrero strikes Mysterio with one of the nastiest and swiftest chair shots I have ever seen! Booker covers Mysterio and completes his promise, King Booker is a World Heavyweight Champion in the WWE! It looked pretty predictable that Chavo was going to turn on Mysterio but the execution was so perfectly done by Chavo. Much credit to him on that and much credit to Mysterio for selling it like a champ. No pun intended. The show closes with Sharmell cheering on her husband.
Winner: King Booker
Rating: ***3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Another poor PPV display from the WWE as we are reminded once more why the company decided to ditch these brand-exclusive PPVs a year later. The debut Punjabi Prison was a flop, Mark Henry getting injured was a disappointed and the main event wasn't enough to save the show. But if you were to remember this show for one thing, it will be for the coronation of King Booker.
Rating: 5.5/10
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