The Year in PPV- 2008, Part I

By looking at the year 2008, the first thing to notice is the amount of classic matches that take place thanks to the stacked roster of talent. Look at this roster: John Cena, Randy Orton, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Batista, Chris Jericho, Edge, Jeff Hardy, the Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, Kane, Big Show, JBL, CM Punk, and many others are all featured throughout the year. Not only that, but this is the first year that the WWE implemented the HD format for its programming, so the goal is now to make their shows aesthetically look even more grand than before.

This will prove to be a difficult task, but an even more difficult task was at hand in the form of handling the content of the shows. For better or worse, the beginning of the HD years signified the beginning of the transition to the PG Era. Not many fans are in favor of this current era we are in, which went into effect in 2009, but that does mean that this spectacular and entertaining year led to one of the most despised eras among the IWC, so does the long-term historical impact outweigh the quality of the year itself?

Let's find out and start the year 2008 by returning to the Mecca of Sports Entertainment...


1. Royal Rumble

8 years after the amazing show in 2000, the Royal Rumble returns to Madison Square Garden and is once again a VERY good show from top to bottom. From the opening bout between Ric Flair (with his career on the line) and MVP, the bloody and personal feud of JBL and Chris Jericho, the fast paced World Heavyweight Championship between Edge and Rey Mysterio, and the thrilling WWE Championship match that saw Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy stand out in the main event scene by challenging Randy Orton for the title, the MSG crowd is fully invested in the show and helps make each moment matter.

This PPV also features one of my all-time favorite Rumble matches, partially thanks to the roster, partially thanks to the moments, and partially thanks to the crowd reactions. From returning legends like Jimmy Snuka, Roddy Piper, and Mick Foley, to the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels being the first two participants, to Hornswoggle's participation (hey, I liked it at the time), to superstars like Triple H and Batista being dominant contenders to win the match, to the surprise return of the eventual winner John Cena, that had even his biggest of haters roar in applause and blow the roof off of Madison Square Garden (at least until he started wrestling), the Rumble match is pure entertainment and is one definitely worth checking out.

Highly Recommended


2. No Way Out

On the last stop before the biggest show of the year, the WWE hoped to have a memorable show to have fans hooked going into WrestleMania. Unfortunately, the show had a painful amount of filler in the form of main event caliber matches. Fans cared very little about the Ric Flair vs. Mr. Kennedy match, since they didn't honestly believe Flair's career was in any danger until WrestleMania. Chavo Guerrero defended his ECW Championship against CM Punk in the show's opener and is fine for what it is, but too short to be memorable. John Cena used his Royal Rumble victory a month early and challenged Randy Orton for the WWE Championship in a match that should have been a potential main event for WrestleMania and is a complete waste of time for anyone excited for this encounter (the ending will PISS YOU OFF). Thanks to a torn biceps injury, Rey Mysterio proved to be little threat (no pun intended) to taking Edge's World Heavyweight Championship, and that match is more famous for a very BIG moment that happened once the match had finished. On top of all that, a friend and I went to a live event the night before No Way Out at the Staples Center and Monday Night RAW in the Honda Center the night after No Way Out and had much more fun at both shows than watching majority of this show on PPV.

Luckily, the 2008 edition of No Way Out also created a new tradition for the February PPV before WrestleMania: that it would be the host of the Elimination Chamber. With two Chamber matches on the card, each match guaranteed the winner a championship match with their show's respective world champion. For Smackdown (who also had one ECW superstar in the match), they had Batista, Finlay, The Great Khali, MVP, Big Daddy V and the Undertaker challenging for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. To say that a lot of these contenders were a waste is an understatement, because most are disposed of very quickly and the match was obviously going to come down to either Batista or the Undertaker. RAW had a much more unpredictable Chamber match for an opportunity at the WWE Championship, thanks to some big name participants in Chris Jericho, Umaga, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, JBL, and Jeff Hardy. The six competitors know how to tell a bloody and entertaining match and whoever walked out of this match the winner would deserve his championship match at WrestleMania.

Mild Recommendation


3. WrestleMania XXIV

Here we have an absolutely extraordinary event that not many people tend to talk about when it comes to greatest WrestleMania events. Naturally, there are a handful of setbacks: the first being the mediocre match for "brand supremacy" between Batista and Umaga, and the second being the EXTREMELY (pun intended) brief ECW Championship match between Chavo Guerrero and Kane, and the third being that some of the celebrity appearances seemed to be a bit lackluster specifically Raven-Symone, whom Jerry Lawler admitted to be a big fan of (...right...) and Kim Kardashian, the "hostess" of WrestleMania (to quote Jim Ross: "GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY!!!). Once you tuck these hiccups away, this show is nothing but a talented roster putting on quality matches.

First positive to look at is the environment. Only the second Mania to take place outside, the stage and decorations for the arena are spectacular to look at. Not only is the setting grand, but so are the pyrotechnics. Many of the superstars are given magnificent fireworks displays for their entrances (my personal favorite being Edge's), making this show feel that much bigger. The grand scale and environment can make an average Diva's match (Ashley and Maria vs. Beth Phoenix and Melina) feel much more important (even if the lights do go out during the match). That match also has celebrity involvement in the form of Snoop Dogg (a legitimate and genuine fan and it shows in his performance). The show also opens to some wonderful matches, including a wonderful opener in Finlay vs. JBL in a Belfast Brawl, that is reminiscent of an Attitude Era hardcore match, and a well-paced and spot heavy Money in the Bank ladder match featuring MVP, Chris Jericho, John Morrison, Shelton Benjamin, Carlito, CM Punk, and Mr. Kennedy (Jeff Hardy was the 8th participant, but violated the wellness policy and was suspended before Mania).

Not to mention the fact that this WrestleMania features FOUR epic main events. The most forgotten is the Triple Threat for the WWE Championship between Randy Orton, John Cena, and Triple H. Admittedly, this isn't the most spectacular triple threat in the world, but credit must be given to a RAW main event that utilized its three biggest stars on the grandest stage. The World Heavyweight Championship match between Edge and the Undertaker is often remembered fondly for the amount of counters and chemistry between the two superstars, and is the beginning of their FIVE PART series of PPV matches in the year 2008. Surprisingly, Big Show's match with Floyd "Money" Mayweather is a very fun and entertaining match between the World's Largest Athlete and the greatest fighter in the world. But the most important historical moment on the show saw Shawn Michaels challenge Ric Flair in a match where if Flair lost, he would have to retire. Every fan at the time knew how this was going to end, and I'm sure you do too, so just watch the match for yourself and enjoy the moment.

Highly Recommended


4. Backlash

As expected, Backlash provides a lot of WrestleMania rematches, but also brings some originality in some higher marquee matches. One match that was built up pretty high was the gargantuan encounter between Big Show and the Great Khali. Sure, the match was terrible, but the crowd was intrigued about what would happen when their paths crossed. After Shawn Michaels retired Ric Flair at WrestleMania, Flair's friend Batista wanted revenge against Shawn and they engaged in a feud that also brought in Chris Jericho as a guest referee. Clearly the WWE knows how to make me happy with feuds like this, which allow one feud to play out and plant the seeds for an even bigger feud down the road. And in one of the most satisfying matches of the night, Matt Hardy FINALLY gets his match with MVP for the United States Championship. It's a very strong opener and sets the tone for the rest of the night.

The only real WrestleMania rematches are in the form of the world title matches. Kane has a much longer ECW Championship match with Chavo Guerrero and the two actually have some pretty solid chemistry. Undertaker and Edge have a quicker paced but equally as entertaining match for the World Heavyweight Championship. But the main focus of the night was the WWE Championship match. Randy Orton defended his belt against John Cena, Triple H, and JBL in a Fatal 4-Way elimination match. The newly proclaimed "Age of Orton" was also being tested to see if he could overcome these odds. In terms of booking, the match's conclusion is a bit of a head scratcher seeing as Orton was being built up pretty heavily. And I'm also not a fan of the first two eliminations happening so quickly, leaving the last two competitors to have a traditional match with a length that kind of drag. Otherwise, the fans were given a happy ending to a quality PPV.

Recommended


5. Judgment Day

This is the point in the year when I'm usually quick to dismiss the WrestleMania fallout PPVs (particularly Backlash, Judgment Day, and One Night Stand) because they usually follow the same three to four main feuds that try to spice up the rivalries by adding different stipulations to each match, and have the rest of the card packed with midcard filler matches. However, here are my only complaints with this year's Judgment Day: the WWE Tag Team Championship match (John Morrison and The Miz vs. CM Punk and ECW Champion Kane) and the Women's Championship match (Mickie James vs. Melina vs. Beth Phoenix) are WAY TOO SHORT and deserve a lot more time because they were on the verge of being great matches. There's also a quick impromptu match between MVP and Jeff Hardy (who had recently returned from suspension) that's a lot of fun given the two personalities and wrestling styles involved.

Like I said earlier, the big four main event feuds from Backlash continued, including Triple H and Randy Orton (in a Steel Cage match for the WWE Championship), the Undertaker vs. Edge (for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship), John Cena and JBL (which surprisingly was the show's opener), and the competitive rivalry of Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho (which carried over from Shawn's feud with Batista). The best match of these four is Michaels and Jericho (DUH!) and is the main reason to watch this show because this match really feels like a lost gem that no one talks about, which is a shame. The other three matches are all solid, but come nowhere close to getting the show back after Shawn and Chris stole it. Also, big props to the crowd from Omaha, Nebraska for making this show feel a lot bigger than it should have been thanks to their excitement.

Mild Recommendation


Initial Thoughts: This first section of PPVs are actually pretty solid and a fantastic introduction to the HD format. The roster during this time is HUGE, to the point where main eventers are engaged in midcard feuds and even opening matches. In terms of history, there are some great matches and rivalries on display: Cena returning to win the Royal Rumble, Jeff Hardy's increasing popularity towards his main event status, Flair retiring at WrestleMania, CM Punk winning Money in the Bank, Mayweather vs. Big Show, the Undertaker/Edge rivalry, the early stages of the Michaels/Jericho rivalry. There are also a handful of gems scattered throughout each show, so one can only hope that this momentum of quality can continue throughout the year.


All rights and images are copyrighted and owned by World Wrestling Entertainment