Monday Night Raw Review 11/4/13

Monday Night Raw Review : 4/11/13 or 11/4/13 , depending on 

where you're from.


It's been ages since I last tried reviewing an episode of Raw, but I'm gonna try it again and see how it goes. I'm mostly gonna focus on match ratings, but I'll probably mention some of the other segments too. Right let's begin.



CM Punk vs Luke Harper
Harper has been getting praise for his work in the ring, so I have a feeling that this'll be a good one as long as the shenanigans are kept to a minimum. Commercial break was annoying as we missed a great big boot from Harper to Punk. Harper looked great against Punk, and looked like an actual threat. I'd love to see Daniel Bryan taking on Harper. Punk wins via a roll-up. I hope these two have some more matches together, as their was some chemistry between them. **3/4


After the match, the Wyatt's team up to attack Punk, and Bryan comes in with a chair to even up the odds and the crowd goes absolutely wild. Awesome stuff and I look forward to the inevitable PPV match.


I find it strange that Big Show is banned from the WWE for life and yet he's being advertised for shows in Ireland over here.


Time to vote on the WWE app for Orton's opponent: Dolph Ziggler, Big E Langston, or the Miz. My guess would be Big E.


We're also getting a Smackdown rematch with Cena and the Rhodes Brothers taking on the Real Americans and Sandow. I don't mind as that was an awesome match on Friday.


Paul Heyman is on the telephone to tell us he's hurt.


Ryback vs The Great Khali
Oh this'll be good. Ryback is back to his bullying ways because he has nothing better to do. Strange to think that last year he was really over and very protected. Khali looks like he's going to collapse after every move. Meat hook clothesline finishes this yawn fest. Just here to show how much of a bully Ryback is. DUD



Kofi Kingston vs Alberto Del Rio
Do we really need a another rematch between Del Rio and Cena? We know who's gonna win. Kofi flies over the top rope and just about completely misses Del Rio, but Del Rio still sells it. This wasn't the total squash I thought it was going to be, as Kofi gets some offense in, such as a couple of nice-looking crossbodies. Del Rio applies the cross-armbreaker to win. **



I find this lawsuit storyline between Big Show and Triple H pretty boring, but I suppose that it's the only way they could bring him back in.


Jesus Christ I wish they'd stop with the WWE app promotion. They've been telling us to download it for over a year, if there's anyone that wants it, they'll already have it! So just shut the fuck up already.


Hey I was right! It was Big E!



Randy Orton vs Big E Langston
Big E has really impressed me in the last few weeks, so I hope that this match will signal a push for the big guy. Langston looked great against Orton, and even looked like his equal. I loved how Orton didn't need to throw Langston over the ropes to hit the DDT, and instead just lifted him up. He should do that more often so it doesn't look planned out. Orton hits the RKO to win. Good match here and maybe Langston's best so far. ***  Orton is great at making mid-carders look like stars in the ring.


Another match is shown from WWE 2K14. I would totally recommend this game, as the universe mode is better than ever, there's a great tournament mode, and the 30 Years of Wrestlemania mode will have you marking out. The Streak mode leaves a lot to be desired, but it's still pretty fun. Plus you can change the cover from the Rock to Daniel Bryan which is amazing.



Fandango & Summer Rae vs Tyson Kidd & Natalya
Tyson Kidd has returned! Thank god that we don't have to see Natalya with Khali and Santino anymore. Hopefully he won't be a jobber again. Kidd looked better than ever here, and I can't wait to see him in some singles matches. Sharpshooter makes Fandango submit. *3/4



 John Cena hits the ring to talk about the Breast Cancer merchandise, and thanks everyone in the back and all of the fans. This was a nice segment.



John Cena & The Rhodes Brothers vs The Real Americans & Damien Sandow
Like I said earlier, this match first took place on last Friday's Smackdown and had a  ****  match, so this should be a good one. The commentary is awful with Colter arguing with Del Rio and Michael Cole. JBL didn't help either. Does Cena think he's a cruiserweight now? because he was flipping all over the place. He looked good doing it mind you. Cesaro's swing was making me dizzy. Goldust hits the final cut to win. Awesome tag match that lived up to the one on Smackdown. ****


How did Big Show get in if he's banned? Ah the infamous board of directors allowed him inside the building.



Dolph Ziggler vs Curtis Axel
I wonder how Curtis will do without Heyman. He's good in the ring but he hasn't exactly got the mic skills to go along with it. If anyone could make him look good, Ziggler's the man to do it. Well Axel didn't look too great seeing as he lost in five minutes cleanly. Decent match that sets up an IC Title program between both guys. *1/2



The Usos vs 3MB
I just realised that the Shield haven't appeared at all tonight. I've missed their presence. I'm glad we have the Usos instead of Los Matadores against 3MB for the millionth time. Short match to keep the Usos relevant. 1/2*



AJ Lee / Tamina Snuka / Aksana vs Eva Marie & The Bella Twins
I feel like we've seen this match already, but who knows, they're usually forgettable anyway. AJ Lee needs something better to do. She's the best diva on the roster and she's stuck in a boring feud with Brie Bella. I could make a joke about Tamina being the daughter of Jimmy 'Supersly' Snuka, but there's already been so many. Eva Marie rolls up Tamina to win. Nothing match here. DUD


Daniel Bryan vs Luke Harper on Smackdown! I'll definitely be watching.


Triple H and Stephanie McMahon come out to meet with Big Show, so that they can settle things. Like that's gonna happen. After a bit of talking, Big Show gets his job back, and finally! here comes The Shield! I've missed you boys! Show also gets a WWE Title match at Survivor Series. A four on one handicap match is made.


It's not really a match so I won't rate it as Big Show is destroyed thanks to Orton, The Shield...... and Kane in a suit and tie with hair. That just looks strange. Show is put throught the announce table to end the show with the Authority on top.



For the first two hours this was a damn good show, but the third hour let it down. I liked the final segment, but the burial of Axel and the filler tag matches were boring. You should definitely check out the six man tag match though because that was awesome.

Judgment Day 2002 Review

Judgment Day 2002 Review


I don't know why it's taken me so long to review this one, as I was extremely excited when I purchased the DVD a couple of weeks ago. This one is mostly famous for being the first PPV to use the WWE name, and also because it is exceptionally hard to find a copy of the DVD. I just got lucky I guess. So is the show actually any good? Let's find out!




Eddie Guerrero vs Rob Van Dam
IC Title on the line. These guys had a good but slightly disappointing match at the Backlash PPV and it wouldn't be long until they had their classic ladder match on Raw. As usual Eddie was awesome, and RVD kept up with him nicely. Much better than their Backlash match, and a great opener to boot. Great fast-paced action that's going to be hard to follow. ***1/2



Stacy Kiebler vs Trish Stratus
Womens Title on the line. This feud started over a swimsuit contest. Riveting plotline aside, it's strange to see Batista as D-Von's deacon. This reminded me of the Wrestlemania 2000 main event, as there was a Dudley in every corner here. This only lasted a couple of minutes and it was still more entertaining than most divas matches nowadays. This wasn't too bad while it lasted. 3/4*. Still very unmemorable though. After the match, D-Von attacks Bubba to set up a feud I guess.



Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman vs The Hardy Boyz
At the Backlash PPV, Brock destroyed Jeff in a short match, and so the feud continues in the form of this tag match. The feud didn't make the Hardys look too great, but it did help Lesnar to look like a beast. Brock even got some 'Goldberg' chants from the fans, just like Ryback, except that Brock is better than both of those guys put together. Anyway the match never became boring during it's short runtime, and it helped Lesnar to look powerful, so it was a job well done. **



Stone Cold vs Big Show & Ric Flair
This would be Stone Cold's last PPV until No Way Out 2003, after he walked out of Raw because Vince wanted him to job to Brock Lesnar for a King of the Ring match. To be honest if Austin was to put someone over, it should definitely be on PPV. Seems stupid to do it on free TV. This feud is over a draft pick. No wonder Austin didn't like the creative team. I'm not a big fan of handicap matches, but this was a good one and was kept interesting mainly due to Austin's natural charisma, and even Show's offense was never really boring. Good match overall. ***  I still don't get how X-Pac wasn't DQ'd after kicking Show in the face, right in front of the ref.



Edge vs Kurt Angle
The loser of this match would have their head shaved bald. I love this match and it's definitely one of the best singles matches of Edge's career. It's kind of stupid that this feud started with an insulting t-shirt, but since it led to this match, I don't really care. It's quite historical too, as it started the look of Angle that we know today. A classic bout with some great back and forth action and some exciting nearfalls to add to the drama. ****1/4  Angle wouldn't have his head shaved until later on in the night.



Triple H vs Chris Jericho : Hell in a Cell
This wasn't a feud that really warranted a Cell match. The match is mostly remembered for being the bout that ended the career of referee Tim White. When the most memorable part of a match is a ref bump, you know it wasn't a spectacular match. It was a bit too long for my liking, but it did have it's moments, like the finish on top of the Cell. It's still better than most HIAC matches nowadays anyway. ***1/2



Billy & Chuck vs Rico & Rikishi
Tag Titles are on the line, and this is your official cool down match of the evening. Rico was the manager of Billy and Chuck, so I don't really see the point in making him an opponent while he's still their manager. I guess it's meant to be the main attraction of the match. I dread to think of the storyline that came about after this. 1/2*



Undertaker vs Hulk Hogan
Undisputed Title on the line. WWE tried to cash in on Hogan's popularity by making him the Undisputed Champion, but it backfired on them since Hogan was very much passed his prime, and so we get this match to take the Title away from Hogan. I have a feeling that Hogan would have bitched and moaned backstage at having to lose the Title. This wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but it was still pretty bad. Hogan couldn't even take a chokeslam. *



7/10. If you get this one, stop once the Cell match has finished, because it's pretty bad after that. The Cell match should have been the main event, but I guess the ego of Hogan took over. The IC Title match, the Hair vs Hair and the HIAC matches are worth watching, and even the handicap match is worth a look.

Hell in a Cell 2013 Review

Hell in a Cell 2013 Review


After two months of forgettable PPVs, were the WWE able to bring the  quality back up? Let's find out.



Rey Mysterio is a Spanish announcer for the night. That could be a nice job for him once he retires.



Cody Rhodes & Goldust vs The Shield vs The Usos
Tag Titles on the line here. The announcers managed to fuck up the rules of the match before it started, and believe me, this isn't the last time they would annoy. Anyway the crowd was really into this match all the way through, and it started off well and just got better and better as it went on. The superplex to the outside was an awesome moment. The finish was white hot with Cody hitting the biggest crossrhodes I've ever seen to retain the titles. Easy match of the night. ****


And now the show becomes duller and duller until we get to the World Title match.



Fandango & Summer Rae vs The Great Khali & Natalya
Seriously? Dolph Ziggler is on the pre-show panel, but these guys get a PPV match? Goddammit. Actually I have to say that I was impressed by the divas action in the match, and I wish it had just been a singles match between them, as the action with Khali and Fandango was just boring. More divas action like this please! 1/2*



Big E Langston vs Dean Ambrose
US Title on the line. Big E was originally to face Curtis Axel for the IC Title, but due to injury, Axel couldn't compete. Because of that, there was no buildup to this match at all, which resulted in a dead crowd, which is a shame becuase they were having a solid bout. Big E had a nasty cut under his right eye after a collision with Ambrose. Countout victories in Title matches usually annoy me, but there was nothing else they could really do as the match had no buildup, and neither guy could lose cleanly. **1/4



CM Punk vs Ryback & Paul Heyman : Hell in a Cell
I really thought that they could top their Cell match from last year, but it turns out they couldn't. The crowd only wanted to see Punk beat up Heyman and didn't give a damn about Ryback, resulting in one of the dullest Cell matches ever. This match really did not need the Cell, and it was more of a sign that the Cell should be retired until the PG era ends. Just a dull match here. **


After the match Punk, finally after months of chasing Heyman, gets his hands on the walrus and gives him a few kendo stick shots and a GTS. That was it? After promising time and time again that Punk was gonna tear Heyman limb from limb, this was the payoff? Very disappointing.



Los Matadores vs The Real Americans
By this point I was really wanting to go to bed, and this match didn't help. Los Matadores have barely been here a month and already they're boring me. At least Cesaro kept things interesting with his awesome swing, and even Swagger looked pretty good in there. Can someone just push Cesaro already and be done with it? **


John Cena vs Alberto Del Rio
Was there any doubt as to who would win this World Title match? The match was far better than I thought it would be, and not the squash that I was expecting. It was kind of annoying to see Cena no-sell the arm injury at times, and they also kept cutting to backstage where Damien Sandow was watching and this really went nowhere. After a nice finishing sequence, Cena becomes World Champ for the 14th time. That's actually pretty scary. ***1/4



AJ Lee vs Brie Bella
I was totally expecting Brie to win here now that she has turned face and they've acknowledged that she's with Bryan, but thankfully, AJ is still champ. The crowd was pretty dead for this one, and Nikki was trying hard to get the crowd cheering for Brie, but that was gonna be difficult to do since the face turn came out of nowhere. Not bad for a divas match I suppose. *



Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton : Hell in a Cell
HBK is the guest referee for this WWE Title match. At least this feud looked good enough for a Cell match, since these guys have been feuding for so many months. The action was fast and furious for the entire match, and there were no Orton chinlocks to be found. The Cell was used quite well with both guys using it to their advantage. This all led to inevitable overbooked finish with HHH getting involved, and Shawn costing Bryan the match. I really like the matches between these two guys, but I really hope that we don't see another rematch. Apart from all that, it was a great match. ***1/2



5/10. This felt like an episode of Raw. After the fantastic Tag Title match, everything just seemed to fall apart, and even two very good World Championship matches couldn't redeem it. There is so much filler here, and the boring Punk/Ryback match doesn't help. I would definitely recommend the opening match though, and even the main event and the Cena return match. Everything else is just totally forgettable.

Survivor Series 2002 Review

Survivor Series 2002 Review


This is one of my personal favourite PPVs ever, and one of the first that I watched. Does it still hold up today? Let's head to Madison Square Garden to find out!



Bubba Ray Dudley / Spike Dudley / Jeff Hardy vs 3 Minute Warning : Tables Match
Elimination rules apply here which sounds good to me. I'm not too big a fan of table matches, but this one was a lot of fun and one of the better tables matches I've seen. Plus this one also led to the reunion of the Dudley Boyz, as D-Von interfered for the finish. Fun garbage match that got the MSG crowd fired up for the night. ***



Saliva perform their song 'Always'. I don't usually like musical segments on PPVs, but I like this song so I'm gonna let this one slide.



Jamie Noble vs Billy Kidman
Cruiserweight Title on the line. Noble has got to be one of the most underutilized talents that the WWE has ever had under contract. The guy has tons of skill but he's never really had a chance to show it off except in the cruiserweight division that really didn't mean anything anyway. Nice, fast-paced, high-flying match here. With more time it could have been great, but as it is, it's still good. ***



Trish Stratus vs Victoria : Hardcore Match
Women's Title on the line. This is one of the more memorable divas matches I've seen, even if the weapons provided for the women were incredibly sexist, such as an ironing board and a broom. Both ladies managed to work through the sexism and create an entertaining womens match that did seem stiff at times, with Victoria's nose bleeding after a trash can to the face. The snap suplex did seem like an abrupt finish. **1/2



Brock Lesnar vs The Big Show
The WWE Title is on the line. Quite the historical match here, as it marked the first time that Lesnar had been beaten by pinfall. Big Show was just the transitional champ so that the belt could go to Angle and set up Wrestlemania. I thought it was strange that the match was given barely any time, as both guys were capable of putting on a good match, mainly thanks to the fact that Brock could suplex Show. Brock hitting the F5 was awesome. *1/2



Los Guerreros vs Edge & Rey Mysterio vs Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit
Ah, the Smackdown Six. These guys made Smackdown the must-see wrestling show of 2002. So many great matches and this was another one. This was for the newly made Smackdown tag titles.  Elimination rules apply. A lot of people seemed disappointed by this match at the time since it wasn't as good as some of the other matches, but it was a still an awesome bout itself. Benoit is pinned after a spear, eliminating his team. This match is just non-stop fast paced action. Eddie makes Rey tap to win the match and the titles. Excellent match. ****



Triple H vs Shawn Michaels vs Kane vs Chris Jericho vs Booker T vs Rob Van Dam : Elimination Chamber
Here we have the very first Chamber match in WWE history. You never can beat the original. Until I read Jericho's Undisputed book, I never knew that a lot went wrong with this match. Kane came out earlier than he was supposed to, HBK came out later than he was supposed to and this meant that they had to improvise most of the action, so it's amazing that it's as it is. HBK winning was a nice, feel-good moment and finally put HHH's reign to an end (well for a month at least). All in all it's still an excellent match worth watching. ****1/2



8.5/10. Still a great PPV in my eyes. The Chamber match and the Tag Title match both totally delivered with some great action there. The undercard wasn't bad either and even the very short WWE Title match was pretty entertaining. An easy recommendation from me.

Triple H : Thy Kingdom Come - DVD Review

Triple H: Thy Kingdom Come DVD Review


I've been looking forward to this one for a while, and no matter how you feel about HHH, he has deserved a three disc set for so long. This isn't the first documentary that HHH has had. He also had one on the 'Triple H: The Game' DVD which is now a tagged classic. That feature only went up to his Wrestlemania 18 win and only lasted about an hour, so it didn't really cover much. Finally he has the two hour documentary treatment which WWE has come to master in recent years. Is this another great one? Let's find out.




Disc 1 :



It should be noted first that there some great choices for the talking head, interview sections with guys like The Rock, 90s DX, Kevin Nash, Batista, his parents, Harley Race, Brock Lesnar, and, for what seems like the first time, the Undertaker! And that's not even all of them! Undertaker was definitely the most interesting talking head, as it was cool to hear his opinion on things and it was refreshing to hear him out of character. It was interesting hearing him talk about his advice to HHH that inspired him to marry Stephanie. It was incredible to see Taker getting emotional over the finish of the Hell in a Cell match at Mania, when he stood at the top of the stage with both HHH and HBK. There's even some backstage footage of that match where you can see Stephanie and Vince getting emotional after what they had witnessed. In fact, right after the feature had ended, I took out the disc and popped in disc 1 of Mania 28 just to watch that match again, and it might just be the greatest match of all time. Obviously that's just my view, but it is such an incredible match.


Anyway let's get back on track before this becomes more about the Undertaker instead of HHH.


I liked seeing some of the early footage from Killer Kowalski's wrestling school which HHH attended, and you can see HHH's hilarious-looking mullet. Hearing the Kliq talking about how they first met HHH was interesting, as they decided that he was the designated driver because he didn't drink or do drugs. I was surprised that they mentioned and praised Chyna as much as they did, as I thought they would distance themselves as much as possible now that she has a porn career. HHH had enough charisma on his own to carry the two hour long feature, but the talking heads make it so interesting as well, seeing as a lot of them are wrestling legends. Overall this was another great documentary made by the WWE, and it's the one that HHH has deserved for so many years. You can clearly see that a lot of work has been put into it, and it's worth the price of the DVD or Blu Ray. Definitely recommended.  9/10




Disc 2 :



Jean-Paul Levesque vs Ricky Steamboat
Very early match for the Game, from WCW Saturday Night in September 1994. I think this would have been his first ever match, but that's already on his King of Kings set, so they were right to leave it out. HHH performed well against the veteran Dragon here. I was expecting a squash, but it ended up being a solid back and forth technical bout. Too bad it only lasted about five minutes. Still, it was good while it lasted. **



Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs Dude Love
From One Night Only 1997. These two have had some great contests against each other in 1997 including their cage match, falls count anywhere, and their Canadian Stampede match. The chemistry was once again brilliant between the two and it made for a tremendously fun match that the crowd was really into. This could definitely stand with their other 90s matches. ***1/2



Triple H vs The Rock : 60 Minute Iron Man Match
From Judgment Day 2000. Finally this match is on a DVD set! Now we just need the Fully Loaded HHH match. Shawn Michaels was the ref for this match. For everyone who has heard so much about this match but has never seen it, you will not be disappointed. Every minute felt like it was adding to the match and it was never dull or boring, unlike some other Iron Man contests. The match ended 6-5 to HHH , as Undertaker made his goosebump-inducing return and got the Rock disqualified. Just brilliant and probably the best Iron Man match in WWE history. ****3/4



Triple H vs Kurt Angle : No DQ
From Unforgiven 2000. Mick Foley is the guest referee for the match. This was the culmination of an angle that had been building for quite a while, as Angle had been trying to seduce Stephanie McMahon, and HHH just couldn't take it anymore and had to kick his ass. It wasn't the brawl that I thought it was gonna be, even with some brawling elements, but it was still a very entertaining match, due to the great chemistry of both guys. Angle's belly-to-belly suplex on the announce table was awesome. The work on HHH's ribs was well done. The ending did seem to come out of nowhere, but everything before that was great. ***1/2



Disc 3 :



Triple H & Stone Cold vs Kane & The Undertaker
From Backlash 2001. Nice to see that the Two-Man Power Trip was included here. The Tag Titles, IC and WWF Titles were all on the line here. The Brothers of Destruction held the Tag Titles, whilst HHH held the IC Title, and Austin the WWF Title. How they managed to fill up the rest of the card I'll never know. This does seem like a really big match though. One title was guaranteed to change. The match had a nice pacing throughout and it never really became boring until some of Austin and HHH's heel segments, but that was about it. It was a bit overbooked by the end, but it was still fun. ***1/4



Triple H vs Rob Van Dam 
From an episode of Raw in June 2003. This took place one week after Kane was unmasked, after losing to HHH, and RVD was his tag partner at the time, so I have a feeling that he'll get involved. Nothing really special about the match except for a nice moonsault from RVD and HHH bringing out the Indian Deathlock. The work on RVD's leg was pointless as he no-sold it as soon as he got his comeback. It felt quite sloppy at times too. I was wrong about Kane interfering too. Quite an unmemorable match. **



From my Royal Rumble 2004 review:



Triple H vs Shawn Michaels : Last Man Standing Match
Check out the blade job for the match :

Yeah it was pretty gruesome. This one had a hard time living up to the classic match that these guys had on Raw in December, but that didn't stop it from being a great match. Usually when these two have a match involving no DQ (aside from their dull 3 Stages of Hell match) it ends up being great and this was no exception.  Even the double count-out finish was fine, since that ended up leading to the five star, Triple Threat match at Mania 20. It's not the best match they've ever had, but to me, it was a lot of fun. ***1/2



Triple H vs Ric Flair
This was a first round match of the tournament that would decide who the No.1 contender for the WWE Title at Wrestlemania was. Nice that they put a rare HHH/Flair match here instead of the others that are already on DVD. Probably not a good idea to have the IC Champ lose in the first round, but oh well. This wasn't nearly as good as their PPV matches, but it was still pretty damn fun, as these are two guys that know each other very well. Short, but entertaining match. **1/4



Triple H vs King Booker
From Summerslam 2007. This was the second return match of the night as Mysterio made his return earlier makes his return. HHH was here after missing eight months of action. This would be Booker's final PPV appearance until the 2011 Royal Rumble. Pretty dull match here which wasn't expected. HHH hits the pedigree to win. *3/4



Triple H vs Randy Orton : Last Man Standing
From No Mercy 2007. This is now HHH's third match of the night. He didn't have much of a chance after already facing Orton and Umaga. These guys have had three Last Man Standing matches together, and this is easily the best of the bunch. This is also probably the best HHH/Orton match, and believe me there have been plenty! HHH had a lot of sympathy from the fans after they had seen how exhausted he was from the earlier matches. A very well paced Last Man Standing match here, with even some great storytelling, as Orton tried to punt HHH like he had punted HBK, and HHH wouldn't end it like that! Awesome match. ****



Triple H vs Jeff Hardy
This took place in the UK on Smackdown 2008. This feud wasn't even mentioned on the documentary, which is a shame since it gave both guys some awesome matches. The crowd wasn't really into this one. This wasn't as good as their previous encounters, but then again it is just a TV match. I did find myself bored at times, but maybe I've just been watching this DVD for too long. Not bad, but nothing really stood out. **1/2




Triple H vs Chris Jericho
From Raw November 2009. Has Jericho ever beaten HHH in a one-on-one match? If Jericho wins, HHH has to face Jeri-Show in a handicap match the next week, but if HHH wins, Jericho has to face DX in a handicap match. This is really just here to build to the TLC PPV main event. An entertaining match here from two veterans. Pretty fun match, even with the interference from HBK and Big Show. **3/4



9/10. Well you get an awesome documentary and some nice match selection, as I believe that none of these have appeared on any other DVD sets. Plus it's worth the money just to get that amazing Iron Man match. This is an easy recommendation from me.

Bad Blood 2004 Review

Bad Blood 2004 Review


The final Bad Blood PPV gives us a double main event featuring a World Championship match, and a feud-ending Hell in a Cell match. But was the show good? Let's find out.




La Resistance vs Edge & Chris Benoit
This was Eric Bischoff's attempt to mess with Benoit by putting him in two matches. This match was obviously more for angle advancement, but it was still a solid effort. I can't fault it for the Kane interference, as it gave Benoit more sympathy for later on in the night. Fun tag match while it lasted. **1/2



Chris Jericho vs Tyson Tomko
This was a continuation of the Jericho/Christian & Trish feud. I think Christian was injured at the time after a cage match with Jericho. Not a bad match at all here. Tomko did seem a little green, but luckily he had a veteran like Jericho to help him out. It could have done with an extra few minutes, but it's still entertaining as it is. **



Shelton Benjamin vs Randy Orton
IC Title on the line. Shelton had pinned Orton twice in the space of three weeks on Raw, so it looked like Shelton had a great chance of winning the Title. This one had a slower pace which I didn't expect, but that didn't stop it from being a great match. The pace definitely quickened during the final moments of the match, where it had some awesome false finishes for Shelton, as he looked like he had it won a few times. One worth checking out I'd say. ***1/2



Lita vs Trish Stratus vs Victoria vs Gail Kim
Womens Title on the line. The crowd is solidly behind Lita here. These are all very capable women who can work good matches, so this should be fun. There were a couple of sloppy moments (Lita's punches looked terrifically fake), but it was fun while it lasted, and I wish it was a little longer as I was enjoying it. **



Eugene vs The Coach
How did the Eugene character even get over? In fact how did a match like this make it to PPV? To be honest this was more entertraining that it had any right to be, probably due to the fact that it's always fun to see Coach suffer. Weirdly enjoyable match and I have no idea how to rate it, as it wasn't your typical match. I'll go with  **.



Chris Benoit vs Kane
This might just be Kane's best singles match of his entire career. Just a shame that no one will remember it. It had some added intensity thanks to Kane's earlier attack, and Benoit was still selling the pain. Benoit did a great job of making Kane look like the most powerful guy on the roster. The finish was awesome, as Benoit finally got the crossface locked in, and the crowd was just begging for the monster to submit. Fantastic match that made both guys look great. Watch this one if you can find it. ****



Triple H vs Shawn Michaels : Hell in a Cell
Finally this two year old feud was finally going to end in the most appropriate way possible: Hell in a Cell. At this point both guys were still undefeated in the cell, and this was Shawn's second time in there, as he had only been in the original match before. This is one of those love it or hate it matches. Some (like me) feel that it was a great feud ender and had some great psychology, whereas others find it to be a huge bore and hate the fact that it went on for fifty minutes. In my opinion it's an excellent match. Watch it for yourself to see what you think of it. ****



7.5/10. I enjoyed this show a lot more than I thought I would, and there was nothing really bad about it. Check out the IC Title match, the Heavyweight Title match and the Hell in a Cell, although the HIAC will divide some opinions. I'd recommend the show.

Vengeance 2007 Review

Vengeance 2007 Review


The events surrounding this PPV are very well known, as it took place only one day before the Benoit tragedy. At the time, no one knew what had happened to Benoit, as he had said he had to leave for a 'family emergency'. No one knew of the events that were about to take place.


Moving on from that, how was the show? It was the first time that it was known as Night of Champions and we've had those PPVs ever since. Let's begin.




The Hardy Boyz vs Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch
World Tag Titles on the line. These two teams had quite a lot of matches in 2007, but they were usually good, and this one was no exception, as they put on a fun, fast-paced opener that featured some nice tag team moves and got the crowd fired up. Cade gets the win with a big spinebuster on Jeff. A bit too short for my liking, but it was good while it lasted. **3/4




Chavo Guerrero vs Jimmy Wang Yang
Cruiserweight Title up for grabs here. Unfortunately the Title was only a PPV away from being completely ruined thanks to Hornswoggle winning it and forever being known as it's final holder. Poor Jimmy was saddled (pun not intended) with a silly cowboy gimmick, but his in-ring work made up for it. The crowd only really popped for the big moves, but this was still a very solid match. The finish was good too, as there were a couple of nice false finishes. **3/4




CM Punk vs Johnny Nitro
This is for the vacant ECW Title. I think this is the last time that the Johnny Nitro name was used, as instead he went on to become John Morrison. Chris Benoit was originally in Nitro's place. You can still hear the fans loudly chant 'We want Benoit' which is very hard to listen to. This match worked a lot better on paper than it did in reality. The chemistry between the two guys would get better as the weeks went on. The match did get better as it went on and overall it wasn't too bad, just pretty unspectacular. **1/4



Santino Marella vs Umaga
IC Title on the line. Santino had only recently joined the WWE roster at this point, after posing as an ordinary fan in the crowd, that would go on to beat Umaga for the IC Title in a huge upset. Santino didn't look like he had much of a chance here, since he didn't have the help of Bobby Lashley. The match didn't even have time to go anywhere as it only lasted about two minutes and ended in a DQ. No wonder Santino is a just a comedy wrestler now. DUD



MVP vs Ric Flair 
This is for the US Title. MVP was only about two months into his insanely long US Title reign. Ric Flair seemed like a strange choice for the challenger, but the crowd was behind him so why not? This one had a slower pace to it, but that didn't stop it from being entertaining. MVP was great at gathering heat for himself, and Flair was great at gaining sympathy from the crowd. Enjoyable match that could have used more time to really get going. **1/4



Deuce & Domino vs Jimmy Snuka & Sgt. Slaughter
This was an open challenge for the Smackdown Tag Titles. Weirdly enough, Sgt Slaughter and Jimmy Snuka accepted. I'd forgotten that Deuce and Domino even existed, let alone were tag champs. What a weird gimmick their 50s greasers thing was. Obviously the match wasn't that good since Sarge and Snuka were way past their primes here. Even Snuka could only do chops and headbutts. It didn't make Deuce and Domino look too good. That's probably why I can't remember them. *



Edge vs Batista 
This was billed as Batista's 'Last Chance' to win the World Heavyweight Title, which is pretty strange since he would challenge for the title at Summerslam a month later. The World Title scene would go downhill from here, as Edge would end up injured and, for some insane reason, The Great Khali was made the World Champ. Anyway the match was great, with Batista desperately trying to win, and Edge trying to survive and wear down Batista as much as possible. The match restart did ruin the momentum a bit, but it was still an awesome back and forth match and the best of the night so far. I did like the countout victory, as it really added to Edge's ultimate opportunist character. ***1/2



Melina vs Candice Michelle
Womens Title is on the line and this is the obligatory cool down match between the WWE and World Title contests. Just your standard sloppy divas match here. Candice is the new Womens champ. Yippee. 1/2*



John Cena vs Bobby Lashley vs Mick Foley vs King Booker vs Randy Orton
I have no idea how this challenge match for the WWE Title was made. Cena never really had feud with any of these guys before this match and only feuded with Lashley and Orton afterwards. This probably should have been an elimination match, as I think it would have made more sense and made it more entertaining. This should have been given much more than fifteen minutes, as it was a ton of fun while it lasted. Just an entertaining, chaotic match here, where everyone got a chance to show their stuff. ***1/2



6/10. The two World Title matches definitely saved this show. Up until the Heavyweight Title bout, it was a very unspectacular show, but luckily the main events delivered in great fashion.