We're fast approaching the 2014 of this PPV event, so I thought I'd review the past four events starting with last year's. Is it still the great event everyone remembers? Let's find out.
Cody Rhodes vs Damien Sandow vs Dean Ambrose vs Fandango vs Wade Barrett vs Jack Swagger vs Antonio Cesaro
The World Title briefcase is on the line. Poor Sandow. Looking back now, he deserved more than to just lose to an injured Cena (especially with the silly gimmicks he's had to endure). Anyway this match was quite strange as everyone in it was a heel. The fans picked their own favourites like Ambrose and Rhodes. Rhodes was very impressive here and he had his face turn thanks to the finish with Sandow, and that turned out to be a great idea, as he's had a great run as a face. It was impossible to tell who was gonna win this one. I had my money on Ambrose. This reminded me a bit of TLC at Mania 17, where the interference made the match more entertaining. Exciting, fast-paced match showing off the talents of all involved. One of the better MITB matches as the mid-card guys steal the show. ****1/4
Brad Maddox comes out to give us a video tribute to Vickie Guerrero. It's only been a year but I don't remember this storyline at all. A pointless segment but at least it gives us a breather after the MITB match.
Curtis Axel vs The Miz
The IC Title is on the line. Good luck following that opener guys. Shouldn't Barrett have had the rematch here since he was the former Champ? Well I guess the MITB briefcase looked much better anyway. The most interesting person in the match, Paul Heyman, was ejected early. At least it wouldn't be the last time we'd see him this night. Pretty solid match that was entertaining throughout, even if the crowd never really got into it. Still Axel looked good with the win. A good TV match. **1/4
AJ Lee vs Kaitlyn
The Divas Title is on the line. This is the most interesting divas feud I've seen since the days of Trish Stratus and Lita. These ladies had a very good match at Payback a month before this so there was some anticipation heading into this contest. This one was enjoyable but it wasn't up to the level of their previous encounter. It wasn't bad at all and even had some nice arm psychology, but it just wasn't that great or memorable. *3/4
Ryback vs Chris Jericho
A strange pairing here and I cannot recall at all why these guys were fighting. I guess they just needed something to do. This is Jericho's last PPV appearance to date, and hopefully it won't be the last since it's not up to scratch with his usual awesome work. These guys really didn't have any chemistry together. Jericho seemed to be trying his best in there but he couldn't get anything that good out of Ryback. It got a little better towards the end with the big moves thrown around, but it couldn't really salvage the match. Ryback's pathetic-looking roll-up for the finish didn't help either. **
Dolph Ziggler vs Alberto Del Rio
The World Heavyweight Title is on the line. Ziggler got a great reaction from the live crowd as he made his entrance. These guys had a modern classic at Payback with the double turn performed perfectly. Now everyone wanted to see Ziggler regaining his Title. This one was going very well up until the DQ finish, but at least that led to a Summerslam showdown. This match just got better and better as it went on and the nearfalls towards the end were great as both guys looked like they were very close to winning. A very good World Title match overall. ***1/2
John Cena vs Mark Henry
The WWE Championship is on the line. Is this Henry's first shot at the WWE Title? I think it might be. I freaking loved the build up to this with Henry faking an emotional retirement speech only to attack Cena. He definitely deserved an Oscar for that performance. The crowd was hot for this one. Henry looked like an absolute monster throughout the contest, although I wish he didn't tap out for the finish as I don't think it goes with his character. You really felt sympathetic for Cena as he kept trying everything he could to take down the monster and it made for a really dramatic match. A great bout and easily Henry's best match ever. ***1/2
CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan vs Rob Van Dam vs Christian vs Sheamus vs Randy Orton
The WWE Title briefcase is on the line. This was billed as an All Star MITB and it was definitely that, as everyone here has a definite star quality and had a good chance of winning. It also had the very highly anticipated return of RVD, and he showed absolutely no ring rust here. The clear cut favourites were both RVD and Bryan, so it was quite unexpected to see Orton pick up the win. We all know how that turned out. This match is relevant for starting the Heyman/Punk feud that had it's very high points, but also it's low points. Sheamus suffered a pretty bad leg injury that has kept him out of action for some time. Everyone in this match looked awesome, and just about all of them took some painful looking bumps. Awesome match, and almost as good as the very first one. I'd probably put this as the runner-up for best MITB match ever. A terrific end to the show. ****1/2
8.5/10. A great show here by the WWE, and I think it's kind of underrated thanks to the amazing Summerslam that came a month later. There wasn't really anything bad here and anything that was mediocre or average was kept quite short. There was a hell of a lot to like here with both World Title matches delivering and two fantastic ladder matches that need to be watched if you haven't seen them already. A highly recommended show.
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