The Year in PPV- 2014, Part III

With 2014 ending, let's head to Nashville, Tennessee for Night of Champions...


9. Night of Champions

This is actually a really good PPV. The momentum is all there, and so is the amount of effort and quality from the performers. To name a few memorable clashes, we have The Usos vs. Gold and Stardust for the WWE Tag Team Championship, Sheamus vs. Cesaro for the United States Championship, Paige vs. AJ Lee vs. Nikki Bella for the Divas Championship, and a one on one encounter between Chris Jericho and Randy Orton. We even have a great segment featuring Seth Rollins, where he comes out for his scheduled match with Roman Reigns, and asks to be declared the winner by forfeit since Reigns was hospitalized with a hernia. An open challenge is then issued and answered by the last person Rollins wanted to see that night.

The main event saw Brock Lesnar defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena. For a back and forth type of match, this match is superior to their SummerSlam match because the story was about Cena proving he could bring the pain to Lesnar. And just when the fans think they've got everything figured out about what's going to happen in this match, Seth Rollins makes his way out to the ring with his Money in the Bank briefcase and total chaos erupts.

Recommended


10. Hell in a Cell

Besides the Cell matches, this edition of Hell in a Cell is actually a well-rounded PPV with the undercard. Three matches really stand out in my mind. The first was the opening match that put Dolph Ziggler against Cesaro in a 2 out of 3 falls match for the Intercontinental Championship. What about that does NOT sound like a good time to watch? Another captivating match is the showdown between Brie Bella and Nikki Bella, in a match where the loser is the winner's servant for 30 days. And finally, Big Show tried to give Rusev his first defeat, in a match that really played the encounter up as a battle for patriotism, going as far as having Rusev attack an American soldier during the build up.

The two Hell in a Cell matches are pretty well done as well. The first, pitting John Cena against Randy Orton (in the first ever Hell in a Cell rematch), was a match that (as of now) brought their epic rivalry to an end, while also deciding the number one contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at the Royal Rumble, since that was the next time Brock Lesnar would actually wrestle.The main event was purely personal between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. The beginning of the match is pure genius, channeling back to the days of the Undertaker/Mankind Cell match, and the rest of it is a proper way to bring the feud to a close. That is with the exception of the ending. While the ending may be a disappointment to ending the Rollins/Ambrose rivalry, it's still very cool to watch.

Mild Recommendation


11. Survivor Series

For years, the joke has been that Survivor Series no longer has that feeling of a Big Four PPV attached to it. Boy, did this year's change that for me. From the opening contest, to the main event, every match (except for one squash tag team match) kept the momentum flowing at a great pace. Some particular highlights is the traditional Survivor Series elimination match featuring the Divas. Team Fox (Alica Fox, Emma, Natalya, and Naomi) faced off against Team Paige (Paige, Summer Rae, Layla, and Cameron) in a match that got some good amount of time and effort put into it, which is a big deal for the Divas division nowadays. Another fun match on the card is the encounter between Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt in a feud to see who can out crazy the other.

The main event is easily one of the few times I have truly cared about the outcome of a Survivor Series in years. Team Authority (Seth Rollins, Kane, Mark Henry, Rusev, and Luke Harper) took on Team Cena (John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Ryback, and Erick Rowan) in a match with a lot on the line. If Team Cena won, the Authority would be removed from power, but if Team Authority won, then all of Cena's teammates would have been fired. This match got nearly 45 minutes of time, and is arguably the first Survivor Series elimination match since Team WWF vs. The Alliance in 2001 that really had all the fans awaiting the outcome. The results is a match with terrific psychology, eliminations that make sense, tons of overbooking and swerves, and easily a moment that was the hardest I've ever marked out in my life. Trust me, the conclusion of this match has a moment that I believe fans NEVER thought they would ever see in their lifetime. And then it happened. A truly memorable way to end an entertaining Survivor Series.

Highly Recommended


12. TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs...and Stairs

With the advertised gimmick of being a modern demolition derby, this year's installment of TLC added an extra weapon to the arsenal: the steel steps. Unfortunately, the Steel Stairs match between Erick Rowan and Big Show seems to fall into the underwhelming department of the evening's matches. I don't see it catching on by the time we get to the TLC show in 2015, but hey I could be wrong. I mean, they did make the Chairs match a longstanding match now for 5 consecutive years. Speaking of the Chairs match, Ryback and Kane tried their hardest to have a good match with this gimmick, but I don't think their chemistry worked here. I honestly think these two would have been better suited for a Tables match, if they wanted to get some traction with their stale feud. A Chairs match just naturally allows the audience to continue being disinterested in whatever feud is shoehorned with that gimmick, at least Tables matches have an exciting finish.

While we're on the topic of Tables matches, the Tables match between Seth Rollins and John Cena surprisingly works really well. Normally, fans normally expect a Tables match to go on for maybe 10 or 15 minutes before getting bored. Yet, Cena and Rollins went out and entertained for nearly 25 minutes and never left me bored. The added stipulation that Cena would lose his number one contender's spot if he lost definitely added to the equation (either positive or negative) to see how things would turn out. The ladder match that opened the show saw Luke Harper defend his Intercontinental Championship against Dolph Ziggler. This match was tons of fun and was very physical, to the point where it didn't feel choreographed. As a fan, I love when spots aren't perfect, because it adds to the realness of the match. Closing out the show was a TLC match between Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose. The spots were all fine and the match was good all the way up to the ending. I don't know, something about it seemed really, really, really stupid. Even by wrestling's standards. Still, the show was a fun way to close the year.

Mild Recommendation


Final Thoughts: While I've gone on to talk about these last 4 months in pretty good detail, I'm going to end it on a pretty hefty rant about Brock Lesnar. The man wins your company's main title at SummerSlam, defends it ONE time at Night of Champions, and then doesn't defend it again until Royal Rumble in 2015. WWE...what is your major malfunction? I get that he has a limited schedule but still, you could either a. make sure he shows up to at least defend his title on PPV only, or b. decided not to give him the title for those scheduling reasons. I mean...it's not rocket science. While the company still had plenty of good matches and moments, there was definitely a noticeable emptiness in the wake of Lesnar's absence. And no, it wasn't for Lesnar. It was for the freaking WWE World Heavyweight Championship. I'm not saying the people who decided to put the belt on him were morons. But they were morons for not agreeing to have him at least show up for 3 PPV matches to end the year with the company's main title. Ok, glad I got that out of my system. Other than that 2014 is a solid year with a few ups and downs throughout.


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The Year in PPV- 2014, Part II

Let's continue 2014 by heading to the Windy City for Payback...


5. Payback

Once again, the WWE returned to Chicago for the Payback PPV. Unfortunately to some, this event was nowhere near as spectacular as the premiere installment. While a lot of the midcard was consistently solid, there wasn't a match or moment that really stood out as something special. That being said, we at least had two fantastic main event matches. After two lackluster matches, John Cena and Bray Wyatt really hit their stride with an intense Last Man Standing match. With tons of extreme spots, and having the Wyatt Family and the Usos constantly interfering, this match felt like a proper way to end their lengthy feud.

But the match that really sealed the deal for the show was the No Holds Barred elimination match between the Shield and Evolution. This match was really the test to see if Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Seth Rollins were worthy of succeeding in the WWE. If this match proved to be a success and they could hang with legendary superstars like Randy Orton, Batista, and Triple H, then they could easily be considered the future of the WWE. Thankfully for the Shield, fans really enjoyed the match and the future was looking bright for them. Unfortunately for the WWE Universe, the WWE creative team saw this as the go ahead sign to split up the Hounds of Justice shortly after Payback.

Mild Recommendation


6. Money in the Bank

Before getting into the two ladder matches, I really want to give some credit to the WWE Tag Team Championship match that opened the show. The Usos defended against the Wyatt Family in a very impressive match for both teams. Fans were really into both teams heading in, and these four competitors why the fans would be invested in them. Terrific tag team psychology and physicality to start the show on a high note.

Now let's get to the reason fans tuned into the PPV. The first ladder match was for the Money in the Bank briefcase and featured Dean Ambrose, Rob Van Dam, Jack Swagger, Seth Rollins, Kofi Kingston, and Dolph Ziggler. These six guys really worked their tails off to entertain the fans and the spots and high risks definitely prove that. The main event was a ladder match to crown a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion (after Daniel Bryan had to vacate the title due to injury). Randy Orton, Cesaro, Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus, Bray Wyatt, John Cena, Roman Reigns, and Kane tried to deliver an epic main event, but I really think they were overshadowed by the earlier ladder match. Some brownie points should be given to Orton, however, who was definitely the MVP of the match after bleeding buckets from a ladder shot and continuing the match. Also, with Ambrose, Rollins, and Reigns separated due to the Shield's breakup, keep an eye out to see if all three can stand on their own as singles competitors.

Mild Recommendation


7. Battleground

After the disaster of a show that was the first Battleground PPV, the WWE could only go up in quality with the 2014 edition. The show started with an astounding 2 out of 3 falls match for the WWE Tag Team Championships between the Usos and the Wyatt Family. This match did wonders for both teams, as it showed that the Usos deserved to hold the titles and were fighting champions and that Luke Harper and Erick Rowan were worthy opponents that were capable of taking the titles away from them. The sheer brilliance of the gimmick was having both teams score a fall early into the match, leaving the third fall to last the longest and made the victory feel well-earned.

Unfortunately, not much after that match surpasses it in quality. The match between Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, which I know fans were waiting to see, ended up being turned into a generic backstage segment. The match between Bray Wyatt and the returning Chris Jericho didn't seem to live up to the expectations for the fans in terms of in-ring chemistry. And of course, everyone knew who was going to win the main event before it even happened. John Cena defended the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, and Kane in a Fatal 4-Way. While certainly star-studded, we all knew that this was a filler match for Cena to look strong heading into SummerSlam to face Brock Lesnar, so there's really no point in seeing it.

Skip It


8. SummerSlam

Now we're talking on quality. From the opening match for the Intercontinental Championship (The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler), to the Flag match between Rusev and Jack Swagger, to the match between Chris Jericho and Bray Wyatt, to even the Diva's Championship match (AJ Lee vs. Paige), every match felt important and every match was treated as such. Some big props go to Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, who had an impressive Lumberjack match with each other early into the show. This really opened the doors for both of them in my opinion. Another former Shield member looking to make a statement at SummerSlam was Roman Reigns in his match against Randy Orton. While fairly obvious who would win, it's nice to see this match as it's a big turning point in Reign's career.

But let's talk about the two main events. Surprisingly, one of the most hyped matches for the night was the match between Stephanie McMahon and Brie Bella, and it was a very well-done match. That's right. On SummerSlam, the second biggest night of the year, a Diva's match was one of the most hyped matches of the evening and it didn't suck. Someone pinch me, I must be dreaming. But then we come to the main event for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. John Cena looked to take on Brock Lesnar and HOLY CRAP! There are no words that I can use to describe the beat down on display in this match to do it justice. Just watch for yourself and be amazed.

Highly Recommended


Thoughts: Boy, things really stayed kinda bland until SummerSlam kicked in. With that in mind, you can at least see where company stock was rising. The WWE was beginning to book Rusev to be a very strong anti-American heel. The WWE was trying to see which former Shield members would rise to the occasion. I can easily say the feud between Rollins and Ambrose certainly had me intrigued, especially since their looks and behaviors actually changed. The biggest problem I had with Reigns when he started singles competition was that he seemed to cling way too much to the Shield gimmick (even keeping the theme music and attire). Harper and Rowan and the Usos were given time to shine for the tag team division thanks to their opening bouts at Money in the Bank and Battleground. It was refreshing to see a high stakes Divas feud that was NOT for a championship with Brie Bella and Stephanie McMahon. And lastly, the main event to SummerSlam gave us a beat down for John Cena that we never saw coming. With Brock Lesnar winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, all eyes were on the product to see how they would wrap up 2014.

Concluded in Part III...


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The Year in PPV- 2014, Part I

The most recent year that I can review in full, 2014 was filled with ups and downs. The "YES" movement was in full effect, gang warfare began to erupt between the Wyatt Family, the Shield, and Evolution, and the single most shocking moment in wrestling history since the Montreal Screwjob took place. Batista returned, Hulk Hogan returned, Chris Jericho returned, Alberto Del Rio was fired, and Sting finally made his first appearance in WWE. The Shield broke up, the Wyatt Family broke up, the Bella twins broke up, then got back together, Batista quit (storyline), and CM Punk quit (for real). And of course, John Cena continued to do the same thing he's always done. That's a lot to get through and it was only a year ago that it happened, so let's not wait any further for me to cover it.

So let's get things underway by heading to a very vocal Royal Rumble event...


1. Royal Rumble

The 2014 Royal Rumble is a landmark event for the fans, as the crowd in Pittsburgh looked at the product that was given to them and said "We're not gonna take it anymore." No longer were the fans going to be spoon fed the booking that the corporate heads thought was "best for business" and they used their voices to show their displeasure. Once Daniel Bryan stole the show with a fantastic opening match against Bray Wyatt, the fans spoke loudly to tell the company that Bryan deserved better than just the opening match. During the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between Randy Orton and John Cena, the crowd folded their arms and refused to care. Listen to their chants. Listen to their displeasure. This almost ranks on Goldberg/Brock Lesnar territory in terms of fan backlash. But the chants were just getting started by the time we got to the Royal Rumble match.

This Royal Rumble match has some serious pros and cons, so let's just analyze them briefly one by one. Pro. Roman Reigns set the record for most eliminations in a Royal Rumble match with 12. For 13 years, Kane held that record with 11 and Reigns unexpectedly came in and shattered it. Watching it when it first aired, I had no idea. I wasn't keeping score or anything and when they announced it I was shocked and impressed. Con. This is the last WWE appearance of CM Punk. Everyone and their mother has talked about Punk leaving, so I won't harp on it here (maybe down the road when he finally has his first UFC fight). I will say that the match is certainly worth watching just to see Punk's last wrestling appearance no matter where you stand on it. Pro. This match marks the in-ring return of Batista after being gone for 4 years. As a Batista fan, I was very happy for the Animal's return. Con. The fans wanted nothing to do with Batista. Knowing exactly what WWE was planning to do with Batista, fans wanted no part of it and voiced that heavily. Biggest Con. Daniel Bryan is not in the match. Fans waited all the way to number 30 to see Daniel Bryan "YES" his way down to the ring, but when it was Rey Mysterio, fans were crushed. Biggest Pro. The fans voiced complete displeasure with the company and demanded for things to change. If the Pittsburgh crowd only knew what they had started...

Mild Recommendation


2. Elimination Chamber

That fan movement I talked about would have to wait until the end of this PPV, but let's go ahead and address the two big pros of Elimination Chamber. The first was the epic gang warfare between the Shield and the Wyatt Family. These two trios had been dominating superstars left and right for the past year and it was finally time to see them go at it. You know you have an awesome moment when the fans are chanting "This is Awesome" before the bell even rings. These fans were ready to see a fight and these teams didn't disappoint. This was also the beginning of the Shield's face turn, which is good because in basic storytelling heel vs. heel matches rarely work. Keeping in mind this match occurred midway through the card, the bar was set pretty high for the main event.

The WWE World Heavyweight Championship was on the line in the Elimination Chamber. Randy Orton had to go through John Cena, Cesaro, Christian, Daniel Bryan, and Sheamus if he wanted to walk into WrestleMania XXX with the two title belts. I actually really enjoyed the pacing of this match and the chemistry the opponents had with each other. The stories were all handled well with Orton having rivalries with both Cena and Bryan that could be settled in the Chamber, Cesaro stepping up as the underdog that could make a name for himself, Christian proving he still has what it takes to be a champion, and Sheamus securing his dominance in the roster since returning from injury. Thanks to some outside shenanigans finding their way into the chamber, the stage was also set for a handful of rivalries to further develop heading into WrestleMania.

Mild Recommendation


3. WrestleMania XXX

Even if this happened a little over a year ago, I have tremendous memories with WrestleMania XXX. I was at a point in my life where I really needed something fun to pick me up and this show did that for me. I'm forever grateful to the WWE because of what Mania XXX was to me. I mean, the show opens with Hulk Hogan coming out as the host and he has an in-ring promo with both Stone Cold Steve Austin AND The Rock. That already sets the bar so high for the rest of the show, and the show continued to deliver in momentum and quality. Sure, there are a couple of cracks in some of the shorter and more cluster-filled matches, but I still had a great time watching the show. If anything, the only match result I would've changed was the John Cena and Bray Wyatt match. What started off as a very engaging and entertaining feud eventually turned into a "paint by numbers" rivalry for all Cena opponents. Go ahead. Guess what happened. Guess who won the match. In hindsight, the other guy should've gone over here in order to make an impact. But, given what was going to happen in the next match, the crowd would've probably had a collective heart attack had that happened.

I've already gone into great detail about the match between the Undertaker and Brock Lesnar in one of my first posts on this blog, but to summarize how I felt about the ending, all I can say is I will never forget where I was. I nearly threw my laptop. I talked to myself for minutes saying that it didn't happen. I began to question how it could happen. I was absolutely furious that it did happen. A year later, I can say I understood what they were trying to do with having Lesnar end the Streak. However, the biggest flaw in the design is in Lesnar's inability to work a regular schedule. His incredibly sporadic part-time status made it hard for him to maintain a consistent form of momentum to capitalize on. Still, the moment happened, it was a shocking one, and had Taker officially retired or Lesnar stayed on more consistently, it probably would have been accepted by fans better than it had been. Speaking of the fans, just watching their reactions is worth ending the Streak in my opinion. You'll always spot a new reaction whenever you check it out that will leave you laughing.

The final great story of the evening involved the culmination of the "YES" movement. After a feud that began at SummerSlam, Daniel Bryan and Triple H finally settled their differences in the ring in an incredible opening match that had huge ramifications on the main event match. The winner of the Bryan/Triple H match would go on to the main event match between Randy Orton and Batista for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and the match would become a triple threat. Sure, the moment is VERY telegraphed, but I don't think that's a bad thing. The fans hoped for the incredible moment and we got it. It's one of the best stories WrestleMania has ever told. It began 8 months earlier at SummerSlam and culminated on the biggest stage in sports entertainment. It's a truly magical moment to watch as a wrestling fan. And that's how I feel about this PPV. It was magic. It's an absolute pleasure to watch Mania XXX whenever I get the chance and it ranks right up there as one of my favorite Manias and in my all-time favorite PPVs. Thank you WWE for giving me that when I needed it most.

Highly Recommended


4. Extreme Rules

When the WWE nowadays decides to go to the "extreme," it's usually considered a joke, case in point with the Extreme Rules PPV. This show had 7 matches and MAYBE 4 of them can qualify under the concept of going to the extreme. The show featured a steel cage match between John Cena and Bray Wyatt, which will probably be remembered solely for the ending. The show also featured another bit of gang warfare in a match between the Shield and Evolution. At this time, you could predict that the Shield were going to be the next big thing. I mean, they were going against a reunited Evolution. And when you really break that down, they were going against Triple H, Batista, and Randy Orton. That is quite the rub for any wrestler to have whether you win or lose.

The main event saw Daniel Bryan defend his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Kane in an Extreme Rules match. This should've probably been a Falls Count Anywhere match based on the booking of the match, but it's still an enjoyable way to close the night. At first, I didn't care for this feud, but when I really thought about it, it was reminiscent of when Stone Cold Steve Austin feuded with Dude Love after Mania XIV. Unfortunately, the feud was cut short at the hands of some very bad news for Daniel Bryan and his fans.

Mild Recommendation


Initial Thoughts: It's easy to see what the fans were really into during this time. They were really into the Shield, the Wyatt Family, and Daniel Bryan. And thanks to this, that's where a lot of the company's focus was for the time being. Of course, the WWE can't let too much of a good thing happen and would turn this movement into an opportunity to see which of these superstars had the potential of being singles superstars. And as for Daniel Bryan, his time of glory would come to a screeching halt as the result of an injury. What does this say for the rest of 2014? We'll talk about that in the next installment.

Continued in Part II...


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The Year in PPV- 1994

I've never been the biggest fan of the New Generation Era, but I'll stand by and say the parts of it were good, were REALLY good. No better example is there than the year 1994. Just look at the pictures I've chosen for this review. Bret Hart, Lex Luger, Razor Ramon, Owen Hart, Undertaker, Diesel, and Shawn Michaels. These were the guys that were chosen to lead the new era of wrestling for the WWF. And, not surprisingly, these are some of the most iconic superstars in wrestling history. It's the tightly woven storylines and matches held within two fantastic rivalries (Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart and Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels and Diesel) that solidifies 1994 as the most important year in the New Generation Era.

It was up to this year and these superstars to prove that the company did not need Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, or even Randy Savage in order to survive, and also to show the world that things were going to be very different from what we had seen in the company's past. It was no longer about the biggest superstar or the guy with the most muscles. Shorter and scrawnier wrestlers could be legitimate main eventers thanks to their never say die attitudes and technical wrestling abilities. The landscape for the WWF was going to be flipped upside down, as times were changing and they needed to shake things up in order to stay ahead of the curve.

So let's head to one of the Royal Rumble's most controversial moments to kickstart 1994...


1. Royal Rumble

One of the most talked about matches heading into the Rumble was the Casket match between Yokozuna and the Undertaker for the WWF Championship. The match is pretty underwhelming, but it's the ending and post-match moment that had fans talking, and it's still one of the most memorable moments in the Phenom's legendary career. The Kliq were all over this PPV, starting with Razor Ramon defending his Intercontinental Championship against Irwin R. Schyster. Later in the Royal Rumble match, Shawn Michaels and Diesel both had opportunities to stand out in the match, with Michaels lasting nearly a half hour and Diesel tying the record for most eliminations at the time with 7.

1994 continued the established rivalry with Bret Hart and Owen Hart that began at the 1993 Survivor Series. The two brothers, seemingly reconciled their differences to challenge the Quebecers for the World Tag Team Championship. History, of course, proved that wasn't the case. Owen kicked Bret's leg out from under him and left his brother hurting in the ring. By then, it wasn't sure if Bret would return for the Royal Rumble match. When he did, it came down to Bret and the OTHER company babyface Lex Luger. What then occurred is one of the most controversial moments WWF had seen at that point, when both men hit the floor at the same time. What resulted was one of the most confusing and talked about moments that is still associated with the Rumble's greatest moments.

Mild Recommendation


2. WrestleMania X

The first WrestleMania without Hulk Hogan is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most important events in the New Generation Era. Returning Mania to Madison Square Garden, the show was a celebration of the previous 9 Manias and also an assurance that the new crop of superstars could hold their own on wrestling's biggest PPV of the year. The show opens with the iconic match between Bret Hart and Owen Hart. It's hard to put into words how fantastic this match is without sounding like everyone else, so trust me when I say it's a classic. Not only is it considered one of the greatest Mania matches of all-time, but also one of the greatest opening matches in PPV history, and one of the greatest wrestling matches EVER. That's quite an accomplishment that the Hart family could definitely be proud of on this evening.

Another great story of the evening was the fate of the WWF Championship. After both Lex Luger and Bret Hart were declared the winners of the Royal Rumble, the decision was made to have Luger fight Yokozuna earlier on the show, and then Bret would challenge the winner in the main event for the championship. Add the intrigue of guest referees Mr. Perfect and Rowdy Roddy Piper, and you have a star-studded quest for the industry's top prize. The conclusion also brilliantly brings the night to a close, while also leaving the door wide open for the rest of the year's plans to unfold.

As if those two moments weren't epic enough, the show was widely considered stolen by the Ladder Match that Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels had for the Intercontinental Championship. While it's not the first ladder match (a misconception to a lot of fans), it's certainly the first time the match type was featured on a globally viewed stage like Mania. This was the first of many times in Shawn's career that he would be credited for stealing the show, and probably the first match that led to him receiving the moniker of Mr. WrestleMania from his peers. It's quite an accomplishment to think how far the ladder match has come and people are STILL talking about the Shawn/Razor match over 20 years later. Nowadays, the ladder match has become a glorified spotfest, that it's almost a rarity to find people have a wrestling match that just so happens to feature climbing a ladder to win. But when people do have those types of ladder matches, they have THIS match to thank for it.

Highly Recommended


3. King of the Ring

The King of the Ring Tournament saw 4 Quarter-Final matches take place as Razor Ramon battled Bam Bam Bigelow, Mabel faced Irwin R. Schyster, Owen Hart took on Tatanka, and Jeff Jarrett squared off against the 1-2-3 Kid. The psychology in this tournament is outstanding, with my personal favorite being in the Jarrett/Kid match. I loved when psychology, injuries, and character development would occur throughout the evening and THAT'S why the King of the Ring PPV needs to be brought back. And by that, I mean a full 3 hour PPV with Quarter-Final, Semi-Final, and Finals matches all taking place with a number of other matches sprinkled throughout. Bring back some importance to actually winning it for crying out loud. Anyways, the Finals properly came down to Owen Hart and Razor Ramon. Either way, the winner was an up-and-coming main eventer that would have deserved it on a booking standpoint.

So what else is memorable about the PPV for better or worse? Well, for starters the WWF Championship match between Bret Hart and Diesel was pretty good considering how green Diesel still was. The main event between Roddy Piper and Jerry Lawler at least had the crowd invested and pitted two of the all-time greats against each other. Thank heavens for that because the match is awful. But even worse than that match is the insipid commentary courtesy of football legend Art Donovan. He knew absolutely NOTHING about the product. Not the characters. Not the storylines. None of the names of the moves. NOTHING! Even more annoying, count how many times he says "How much does this guy weigh?" The commentary is worth checking out simply for how awful it is.

Mild Recommendation


4. SummerSlam

SummerSlam saw many memorable moments take place for the key stars of the era. After much speculation that Lex Luger had sold out to Ted DiBiase and joined his Million Dollar Corporation, Luger squared off with Tatanka and things got very interesting once the Million Dollar Man made his presence felt. The Intercontinental Championship match saw Diesel (with Shawn Michaels in his corner) take on Razor Ramon (with Walter Payton in his corner), in a fine match for title that saw some growing dissension between Shawn and Diesel. The main event saw the Undertaker take on the Undertaker...HUH!?!? After disappearing at the Royal Rumble, both Ted DiBiase and Paul Bearer claimed to be associated with the REAL Undertaker, with the two Takers clashing in a match that was just so so. What really helped the match was the entertaining Naked Gun skits involving Leslie Nielsen.

The heated sibling rivalry between Bret and Owen Hart continued with a fantastic Steel Cage match for the WWF Championship that really should have closed the show. Featuring the entire Hart family in the front rows (including Jim Neidhart and the British Bulldog), this match redefined the concept of a family feud, as the Harts watched on as Bret and Owen tore down the house with a different kind of Cage match. Instead of going for a bloody match, the two brothers put on a technical clinic, with added brutality from the cage. The ending is also one of the biggest nail-biting moments you could imagine in a WWF Championship match, as it was just a few seconds that separated the winner from the loser. In terms of a PPV match, this brought their rivalry to a close, but things were far from over between these two by the time 1994 came to an end.

Highly Recommended


5. Survivor Series

We've got two instant Survivor Series classics on display here, so let's start with the opening match. In a traditional Survivor Series elimination match, the Teamsters (Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Jeff Jarrett, Jim Neidhart, and Owen Hart) took on the Bad Guys (Razor Ramon, the 1-2-3 Kid, the British Bulldog, and the Headshrinkers). First of all, in terms of pure talent, the Teamsters is one of the greatest assembled teams in Survivor Series history. Secondly, this match told an absolutely phenomenal story for the Michaels and Diesel rivalry against Razor Ramon, while also teasing more dissension between Michaels and Diesel. This match really set the stage for a lot of future plans down the road for Big Daddy Cool and the Heartbreak Kid, and is definitely worth a watch for historical significance.

The other classic on this show is the WWF Championship match between Bret Hart and Bob Backlund. This match was a submissions match where the only way someone could win was if their opponent's manager threw in the towel. The British Bulldog was representing Bret Hart and Backlund was supported by Owen Hart. If you don't like traditional technical wrestling, then this match may turn you off a bit, but trust me, it's worth the watch for the story being told. After some ringside shenanigans, the match results in some major controversy at the hands of Owen Hart. The man played his family like a fiddle...it's absolutely brilliant. It's an absolute tragedy that he's no longer with us. This year proved he had what it took to be an all-time great. Heck, 1994 was Owen Hart's year to take and he made the most of his opportunity. Feuding with his older brother Bret, Owen was able to turn his back on the entire Hart family, have instant classic matches at both WrestleMania and SummerSlam, was the winner of the King of the Ring Tournament, and got the last laugh on his brother by costing him the WWF Championship. THAT is one of the best years you could possibly have as an up and coming main event heel.

Recommended


Thoughts: 1994 is actually a very enjoyable year to make your way through. Held together by the AMAZING feud between Bret and Owen, each PPV felt like an important chapter in company history in some capacity. Also, some credit needs to be given to the Kliq, primarily Shawn Michaels, Diesel, and Razor Ramon. Whether it was Diesel dominating the Royal Rumble, the ladder match from Mania X, Diesel challenging for the WWF Title at King of the Ring, Diesel vs. Razor from SummerSlam, or the breakup of Shawn and Diesel from Survivor Series, every show had something involving these 3 iconic characters from the '90s and really brought them to the forefront of the upper midcard level. Add characters like Taker and Lex Luger, who found ways to stay relevant throughout the year, and you have a year that portrayed a great combination of memorable characters and well-wrestled matches to tell some of the company's all-time greatest stories in the ring.


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The Year in PPV- 2004, Part III

With 2004 ending, fans wondered if anyone could stop JBL's reign as WWE Champion...


11. No Mercy

This era just seems primed for a fan like myself. I love the quality talent that are on this show, ranging from the likes of Booker T and John Cena fighting for the United States Championship, to Eddie Guerrero opening the show with Luther Reigns, to Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam challenging Kenzo Suzuki and Rene Dupree for the WWE Tag Team Championships. Every match, whether it was a main event or a midcard match or even a filler feud match, felt like enough effort and progression was put into them in order for all to stand out as a fight worth watching.

The two major highlights of the show came in the form of two very different types of main event matches. The first saw Big Show seek revenge on Kurt Angle for shooting him with a tranquilizer dart and shaving his head. I REALLY would not want to be Kurt Angle during this match, for the record. The other match saw JBL defend the WWE Championship against the Undertaker in a Last Ride match. In order to win this match, you have to beat your opponent so senseless that you can stuff them in the back of a hearse. In this instance, I really wouldn't like to be JBL either. While he was definitely a fighting champion, everyone in the world knew he would need a miracle to walk out of this match as champion. This was the genius of the JBL character. Everyone thought his next championship match would be his last, so whenever he'd walk away victorious (no matter the circumstances), fans were left stunned and amazed that he was able to survive. That's a textbook example of how to effectively book a main event heel.

Recommended


12. Taboo Tuesday

For the first show of its kind for the WWE, this felt like a really important event. Sure, there's a handful of junk matches on the card, but at least the fans were able to vote in entertaining stipulations. On the championship side of this show, the choices are absolutely excellent. You have the options of who to vote in to challenge Chris Jericho for the Intercontinental Championship with some of the options including Batista, Christian, Shelton Benjamin, and even Jonathan Coachman. The World Heavyweight Championship match saw fans vote between Chris Benoit, Shawn Michaels, and Edge to see who would challenge Triple H for the belt. The two that weren't voted into the match would instantly become number one contenders for the World Tag Team Championships in a match against La Resistance. That's a lot of talent being (minus Coach) properly utilized on a PPV.

The main event feud between Ric Flair and Randy Orton was a tad questionable, as I would've placed the World Title match for the end, but I guess this match gave a better "send them home happy" moment. Overall, this show is very entertaining due to the fan participation gimmick and for the first of its kind in the WWE, it was treated with a lot of respect in its execution.

Recommended


13. Survivor Series

Even if they had a dull match between the Undertaker and Heidenreich, SmackDown still felt like the dominant brand in talent at this show. To think that this show opened with a Cruiserweight Championship match that saw Spike Dudley, Rey Mysterio, Chavo Guerrero, and Billy Kidman battle in a Fatal 4-Way for the belt, had Team Guerrero (Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, Rob Van Dam, and Big Show) take on Team Angle (Kurt Angle, Luther Reigns, Mark Jindrak, and Carlito), AND had JBL defend the WWE Championship against Booker T, it's easy to see the array of diverse talent the blue brand had at the time.

That's not to say RAW wasn't impressive, as they had some pretty good action as well. Shelton Benjamin defended the Intercontinental Championship against Christian in a very impressive match that continued to show how much promise a talent like Shelton Benjamin had at the time. The Women's Championship match, while brief, saw the greatest women's rivalry of all-time (Trish Stratus vs. Lita) get to arguably its most personal of encounters. The title didn't matter to Lita. All she wanted was to beat the living daylights out of Trish, and boy did she succeed. The main event had some big fight implications (potentially) as Team Orton (Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, and Maven) challenged Team Evolution (Triple H, Batista, Edge, and Snitsky) in a match where the winning team would control RAW for a month. Admittedly, Maven felt like an odd choice (couldn't they have worked in Kane or Shawn Michaels?), but he's not in it very long so no major harm done. This show has a lot of variety from both shows, and is definitely worth a look from most fans.

Highly Recommended


14. Armageddon

Give credit where credit is due. While not every match here is an instant classic, at least the show provided enough variety to leave fans happy. On this show, we have a Street Fight (John Cena vs. Carlito's bodyguard Jesus for the United States Championship), a Dixie Dog Fight boxing match (Daniel Puder vs. Mike "The Miz" Mizanin), a handicap match (Big Show vs. Team Angle), and even a match where Kurt Angle challenged Santa Claus. While variety is important, there should also be some importance on the quality of championship matches. We definitely had that in the form of the show's opener (Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam vs. Kenzo Suzuki and Rene Dupree for the WWE Tag Team Championship), and an impressively handled underdog match for the Cruiserweight Championship (Spike Dudley vs. Funkai).

Then we have the main event to end the year which combined SmackDown's match quality and variety by forcing JBL to defend his WWE Championship in a Fatal 4-Way against Booker T, Eddie Guerrero, and the Undertaker. Wow, talk about star quality. This match was incredible to watch considering the diverse amount of talent. We had moments of technical wrestling, high-flying action, brawling, power moves, even some hardcore wrestling with the no disqualification rules. This match had it all, and it once again showed how brilliant the JBL booking was going at the time, because at this point, everyone thought JBL didn't have a prayer to walk away victorious. A great representation of all of SmackDown's positives in 2004 culminating in one match.

Recommended


Final Thoughts: I was on vacation when I was watching the final string of 2004 shows and I think that really helped maintain my excitement levels. That being said, this string was fascinating particularly for the SmackDown side of things, which had a bit more direct continuity of talent that was showcased. This show had Big Show, Van Dam, Cena, Booker, JBL, Eddie, Angle, Mysterio, and Taker. My goodness, what an arrangement of talent for your brand. Whenever these men were featured in a main event matchup, fans were engaged the whole way through and I definitely appreciate that. As for RAW, while Orton led a rebellion against Evolution, it was very short lived, but changes were on the horizon. But RAW at the end of 2004 was still in that teasing stage of when Batista would break free and stand up to Triple H, so in terms of PPV, RAW ended a bit early. But still, the main event matches really worked, and there were enough midcard matches that maintained overall solid shows. It was a great way to bring an excellent year like 2004 to a close.


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The Year in PPV- 2004, Part II

2004 continues by bringing the Ruthless Aggression Era's greatest rivalry to an end...


6. Bad Blood

This show's undercard was fine, but it really boils down to how well two different feuds performed. The first was the feud between Chris Benoit and Kane. Centered on their World Heavyweight Championship match towards the end of the evening, the feud spilled over to the opening contest that saw Benoit and Edge challenge La Resistance for the World Tag Team Championships. The feud really worked out well for Benoit and Kane. Benoit was the proper wrestler to challenge Kane to have one of the greatest matches in his career, while Kane provided the Goliath to Benoit's David in another test of Benoit's legitimacy. Some extra credit should be given to the psychology involving Benoit's Crippler Crossface and whether he'd be able to put it on the Big Red Machine.

The main event, however, was much more important than the World Heavyweight Championship, as it brought the greatest rivalry of the Aggression Era to a close. Triple H and Shawn Michaels stepped inside Hell in a Cell to finally settle their differences. Battling for almost 50 minutes, this match is very polarizing among fans. Many appreciate the match for what it is, while others consider it too long and drawn out to be entertaining. I agree that it could've been shorter, but I still enjoy the brutality of the Hell in a Cell match and it's the best match to end their epic feud. That being said, the casual viewer (and even some die-hard fans) will have a tough time sitting through this one, so it does lose a few points for that.

Mild Recommendation


7. The Great American Bash

This show was main evented by a Concrete Crypt match. The concept being that the Undertaker would fight the Dudley Boyz and if Taker didn't do the "right thing" in Paul Heyman's eyes, Heyman would continue to pour cement in a glass crypt with Paul Bearer inside it. It's a truly idiotic idea in hindsight, but if you at least acknowledge that, you can laugh and enjoy yourself. But the main event is not enough to deteriorate from the fun I had watching this show.

This show featured 3 very unique and entertaining championship matches, and that's definitely worthy of some recognition. John Cena defended his United States Championship in a 4-Way Elimination match against Rene Dupree, Booker T, and Rob Van Dam. This was a main event worthy concept with the talent involved, and when it goes on first, that's a very good sign for your midcard. Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero absolutely tore it up in a Cruiserweight Championship match that went on for nearly 20 minutes. Talk about endurance from 2 of the greatest Cruiserweight competitors wrestling has ever seen. Then, in what should have been the main event, Eddie Guerrero defended his WWE Championship in a Texas Bullrope match against JBL. I'm not the biggest fan of strap match gimmicks, but these two make the most of it. Their feud had become so bitter, that it really didn't matter what match they had to settle their differences. Plus, the ending result did leave a lasting mark on history and perfectly shows how a superstar can have two feuds going on at once.

Recommended


8. Vengeance

A show can have good matches on the undercard and even a decent main event, but if the main storyline is an atrocity to professional wrestling, then it leaves a haunting shadow over the rest of the show. Case in point the feeling of ridiculousness that Eugene brought to Vengeance. Yes, at the height of the Ruthless Aggression Era, after the success of WrestleMania XX, the WWE thought it would be a great idea to introduce the character of Eugene, Eric Bischoff's mentally challenged nephew. Do I even need to explain why this shouldn't have been approved? As politically incorrect of a gimmick you'll ever see. A gimmick that would probably (and does) evoke a backlash response from the fans. And most importantly, a gimmick that brings all momentum for his opponents to a screeching halt. He's been around since Backlash, but I decided to leave him off because he wasn't harming anyone. But then he harmed Evolution and Chris Benoit. Thanks to the booking of Vengeance and the storyline going on with Triple H using Eugene to reclaim the World Heavyweight Championship, Eugene actually had an impact on two different matches on the card. To the horror of many, there was potential of Eugene become World Tag Team Champions with Ric Flair. Oh my goodness. Then, Eugene had a looming presence over the World Heavyweight Championship match between Chris Benoit and Triple H. Now, that match was a bit too much pure wrestling if you ask me, but Eugene was NOT the personality that needed to be injected into the feud.

Even if the show has a fun No Disqualification match with Kane and Matt Hardy, and an instant classic Intercontinental Championship match featuring Randy Orton and Edge, the momentum is almost completely killed with the idea of this show being built around Eugene. Seriously though, go find the Orton/Edge match anywhere else, but stay away from the rest of this show. Keep this match as far away from the Eugene context as possible. As far as Vengeance is concerned, you can call this the first disaster show of 2004. Hopefully the company learned from their mistakes.

Skip It


9. SummerSlam

I'm going to go ahead and split this review up between the SmackDown and RAW segments of the show. Let's start with SmackDown, as they opened the show with a 6-man tag that saw the Dudley Boyz take on the team of Rey Mysterio, Paul London, and Billy Kidman. This was a very exciting match to get the Toronto crowd excited for SummerSlam, as it had good tag team psychology and tons of Cruiserweight action as well. Then Booker T and John Cena squared off in the first match in a Best of 5 Series for the United States Championship. These two had a solid amount of chemistry together and the series really helped legitimize the value of the US title for SmackDown. Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero had a WrestleMania rematch that was a lot quicker in pace, but still had all the quality these two could put on a big stage environment. And to end the SmackDown portion of the show, JBL defended the WWE Championship against the Undertaker. These two put on more of a brawl than a wrestling match, so while some may show some dissatisfaction with the ending, I didn't mind it because it played out like anyone would expect.

For RAW, their matches were kicked off with a Till Death Do Us Part Match. Kane and Matt Hardy fought in a match where the winner would marry Lita on RAW. Yeah, they actually had a match like that. Anyways, we then had the Intercontinental Championship on the line in a Triple Threat (Edge vs. Chris Jericho vs. Batista). It is here where it became exceptionally noticeable that the fans were reacting very strangely to the show, when they began booing hometown superstar Edge. Later on, the fans proved to be hostile again by booing the Diva Dodgeball segment. In reality, I probably would've booed that too, but Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler believed it to be hostile, so who am I to argue with JR and the King? We also had Triple H square off against Eugene. To know how I feel about this, I redirect you to my Vengeance review. Now put that on the second biggest show of the year, and you have my exact thoughts on why this is ludicrous to watch. At least it was against someone like Triple H, who still worked his butt off to keep the match compelling and entertaining. In the main event, Chris Benoit and Randy Orton faced off for the World Heavyweight Championship. This match was a great way to end the show, and with the amount of chemistry these two had, I wish their paths would've crossed more often afterwards. But still, the moment was a really memorable way to end a fantastic SummerSlam.

Highly Recommended


10. Unforgiven

The undercard for Unforgiven actually had 3 really solid matches (seems to be a pattern with this year). The show opened with Ric Flair and Batista taking on William Regal and Chris Benoit in a tag team match. They only mentioned Eugene on commentary, so I wasn't as bothered by his involvement. I instead focused on seeing the good tag team action between these 4 competitors. Then, the vacant Intercontinental Championship was decided in a ladder match between Christian and Chris Jericho. I'll go on record to call this match underrated, as I felt it not only delivered in quality, but also brought some closure to their memorable rivalry. And in a surprisingly good match, Kane took on the returning Shawn Michaels in a No Disqualification match. It may have been tied together with the silly Kane/Lita married storyline, but with Michaels involved, I was easily entertained.

While nearly every fan could argue with the decision of the World Heavyweight Championship match, it can't be denied that they really built up the feud between Randy Orton and Triple H as something special and intense. After winning the title at SummerSlam, Orton was kicked out of Evolution by Triple H. Rather than cower in fear of The Game, Orton fought back and vowed to put Triple H in his place. The match is pretty solid as well. I've gone on record to hate on most of their encounters, but this one had the right buildup and booking. Just wish the end result would've happened at a later time.

Recommended


Thoughts: The change in scenery was good while it lasted. Not to sound like I'm hating on these PPVs, which I'm not, but it really does feel like they were dangling the Benoit and Guerrero pushes in front of the fans only to take them away months later. Even more so, the fact that Unforgiven ended with Evolution back on top put things back into the regular routine for the company. It's as if Benoit's push was a nice little vacation for Triple H and when he was ready to come back to work (so to speak), he was able to take his spot back without any problems. How a superstar can go from ending his greatest rivalry, to wrestling a mentally challenged character, to becoming World Heavyweight Champion once again is beyond me. As for the SmackDown side of things, I really enjoyed seeing the rising stock for both JBL and John Cena, with them taking on legends like Eddie, Taker, Booker, and RVD to boost their credibility, good character development all around. I didn't hate seeing Eddie out of the WWE title picture because he was kept in a high profile rivalry with Kurt Angle. Shows at this point are mixed bags with high quality main events. Occasionally, the midcard delivered one or two matches that really impressed me so the chain of momentum was kept at a decent level. Hopefully things can end on a high note for 2004.

Concluded in Part III...


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The Year in PPV- 2004, Part I

If you're a frequent reader of this blog, you know I'm very fond of the Ruthless Aggression Era, and 2004 is a very important year for the Era. This was a year that saw a lot of change in the company direction. This year saw some big main event draws on their way out like Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, and The Rock, needing their spots to be filled by rising talents like John Cena, Randy Orton, Batista, and Edge. We also got to see established main eventers like Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Booker T, and the Undertaker continue to do their thing on their shows, and even saw some established tag team competitors like Shelton Benjamin and Bradshaw (soon to be known in 2004 as JBL) receive some new direction and success as they tried out singles competition. But if there was anything about 2004 that truly stuck out as special, it would be the culmination of two careers, as two best friends achieved their dreams to simultaneously become world champions on both RAW and SmackDown.

While this might be arguably my favorite year of the Ruthless Aggression Era, it comes with a very heavy precaution. This is the year in which Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit were given the pedestal of being the top faces of their respective brands, particularly in this first section of PPVs. Nearly 10 years later, it's still difficult to watch these two men achieve their dreams and not get overwhelmed with emotion over how they are no longer with us. For Guerrero, he was an amazing in-ring talent with an astonishing level of charisma. He was something special that fans could look up to and live their dreams through, and his presence is still missed to this day. Going through his matches are always a treat as they feel like a celebration of his life in the ring and as a person. As for Benoit, there's an uncomfortable factor in watching his matches due to the obvious. While it is hard to forgive or even understand the actions of Chris Benoit the person, keep in mind that I will be (and always have been) looking at his iconic matches and moments with the mindset of seeing Chris Benoit the wrestler. I've often believed if you're able to separate the two, it will make watching the PPVs he's featured in easier, and hopefully that proves true here in arguably the greatest year of his wrestling career.

With all that in mind, let's begin this journey by looking at the 2004 Royal Rumble...


1. Royal Rumble

The first hour of this show feels really rushed with short midcard matches, so this show shouldn't be regarded as an all-time favorite right? WRONG! It's understandable why it's kept short in hindsight: teasing the fans about the World Tag Team and Cruiserweight divisions without taking away the focus from the main event matches. The match that saw Eddie Guerrero take on his backstabbing nephew Chavo Guerrero, as well as the WWE Championship match between Brock Lesnar and Hardcore Holly could be regarded as filler for the blue brand and nothing more right? Again, absolutely wrong. These two matches were painting a much bigger picture that would come into fruition at No Way Out. It may look here like Lesnar is in need of bigger competition than Holly, and that's the point: he had NO competition at the time. And the match with the Guerreros was to show their value as single superstars with both receiving big pushes heading into the next PPV. It all works so well once you're able to look at the grand scheme of things. Things really pick up heading into the Last Man Standing match for the World Heavyweight Championship. Intended to bring an end to the Triple H and Shawn Michaels rivalry, this match had the big epic feel that a WrestleMania main event would have. Many fans despised the ending at the time, probably figuring it was a cop out, but again, it had people wondering what was going to happen next. That's a genius way to build intrigue heading into WrestleMania.

And then we have what I would call the greatest Royal Rumble match of all-time. The superstar roster, the stories that are told, the pacing, the spots. It's all near perfection. Considering that they gave a good amount of booking to Chris Benoit, Randy Orton, Goldberg, Big Show, Chris Jericho, John Cena, Rob Van Dam, Kurt Angle, Kane, and a few more surprises that I don't dare give away, it made the Royal Rumble match and the desire to go to WrestleMania feel like something worth winning. I'm sure everyone knows who wins this one, and if you factor in all their history as a wrestler, and all the adversity they had going into the match, the ending result is one of the most satisfying victories in the history of wrestling. And the Road to WrestleMania has only just begun.

Highly Recommended


2. No Way Out

On the surface, this may look like your generic filler PPV, and in all rights it should be. However, there's something very special about No Way Out 2004. Sure, the undercard leaves a little to be desired. Not that it's bad, it's just nothing out of the ordinary. The Cruiserweight Championship match between Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero had a good amount of big fight feel behind it, and the Triple Threat between John Cena, Kurt Angle, and Big Show felt important because it determined the number one contender for the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania, but even the good moments on the card feel like footnotes compared to the main event.

By now, most fans would regard the WWE Championship match between Brock Lesnar and Eddie Guerrero as one of the most heartwarming and emotional moments in WWE history. I doubt this would constitute as a spoiler, since it's common knowledge to most people what happened at this event, so I'll just go ahead and talk about it. At the time, I'm sure no one saw Eddie Guerrero beating Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Championship, but boy were they happy when he did. The match itself is one of the best told stories I've ever seen in the ring. Heading into Mania, Lesnar was looking at Eddie Guerrero and No Way Out as child's play. He thought this was going to be a walk in the park, and Eddie was determined to show him that he should not be overlooked. Eddie believed that he could overcome all his adversities and win the WWE Championship and he did just that. This is Eddie Guerrero's career defining moment, but the rest of the show doesn't live up to the standard. I'm going to slap the Mild rating on this one simply because you check out this match and all its glory on its own via DVD's. Heck, you could watch the PPV on the WWE Network and pass every match up, just make sure you stick around to watch this match.

Mild Recommendation


3. WrestleMania XX

I've gone on record to say that I think WrestleMania XIX is the best Mania of all-time, and I still stand by that. However, we've come to my absolute favorite WrestleMania to watch. This show was treated with the utmost respect for wrestling. This was the 20th Mania, taking place in the historic Madison Square Garden. It had an amazingly stacked Hall of Fame Class that was honored at the event. It had Mr. McMahon come out and thank all the fans. This had all the pomp and circumstance that a show like this deserved. And now on to the moments that always leave me entertained. Now, there are a few matches on here that feel rushed in time or cluster matches to get as many superstars on the card, or both, but none of them become offensively bad. While the Women's Championship match was a bit on the short side, it was at least heightened in intrigue with a Title vs. Hair stipulation for Victoria and Molly Holly. While a hyped dream match like Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar ended up being a colossal disaster, it was at least entertaining thanks to Stone Cold Steve Austin as the guest referee and the chants from the MSG crowd. And while the match between Kane and the Undertaker wasn't the greatest, the real moment of that match was seeing the Deadman return to his roots with the hooded druids, the creepy atmosphere, and Paul Bearer by his side.

But now onto the great matches on the card. The opening match saw John Cena challenge Big Show for the United States Championship. First off, it's very interesting to see Cena this young in his career opening a Mania for a midcard title (especially since he challenged for the same title at Mania 11 years later). Secondly, this match is a very solid David and Goliath story that got MSG pumped for the rest of the card. In a forgotten Mania gem, Chris Jericho and Christian squared off in a battle of ex-best friends over the love of Trish Stratus. Not only is this match very good, but the ending was truly a shocker that very few saw coming. And to add to the awesomeness of this card, the Rock n Sock Connection reunited to take on Evolution in a handicap match. From the satisfaction of seeing Mick Foley take on Randy Orton, to The Rock and Ric Flair mocking each other in the ring, to Batista dominating everything that comes in his way, this match is packed full of action featuring 5 of the best WWE superstars of all-time.

Then, we get to the world title matches. Eddie Guerrero defended his WWE Championship against Kurt Angle in an amazing match that featured grappling, submissions, high flying action, and tons of near falls. The chemistry and psychology these two display is off the charts and I really wish we could see this match get some of the recognition it deserves (can you believe it's never been released on a compilation DVD?) as one of the best WWE title matches in Mania history. In the main event, Triple H defended the World Heavyweight Championship in a Triple Threat against Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit. What can I say about this match? It's my absolute favorite match of all-time. The storytelling and match quality are both perfect. You've got Benoit trying to silence his critics and prove that he can win the big one. You've got Triple H and Shawn Michaels trying to resolve their storied rivalry on the Grandest Stage of Them All. People bleed, go through tables, and get hit with finisher after finisher. These are three of my all-time favorite superstars busting their butts to put on the greatest main event WrestleMania had ever seen, and in my opinion, they succeeded. And if that wasn't enough, stick around for what happens after the match. Trust me, there will be tears shed.

Highly Recommended


4. Backlash

What works best for me when it comes to Backlash is that I can find at least 4 things that utilize the post-Mania season to its fullest for the RAW brand. The opening bout between Shelton Benjamin and Ric Flair perfectly shows how much stock the company was putting in the new RAW sensation. While Benjamin never grasped his full potential on charisma, he always showed his amazing athleticism and here he had a great test in taking on the legendary Ric Flair. It's just such a good boost to his career that fans could tell Benjamin was a star on the rise at the time. Fast forward a bit to a handicap match that saw Chris Jericho looking for revenge on Christian and Trish Stratus. Handicap matches are always a mixed bag in terms of execution, but this one works pretty well in favor. It was primarily Jericho and Christian going at it, with enough satisfying moments that saw Jericho even the score with Trish. Then, Randy Orton defended the Intercontinental Championship against Cactus Jack in a very memorable No Holds Barred match. This match was a HUGE test for Orton to see if he was gonna be one of the next main eventers, and he more than proved he'd be up to the challenge. With Evolution banned from ringside, it was just Orton and Cactus Jack destroying each other with barbed wire, thumbtacks, and other weapons to see who would walk away victorious. By the end of the match, BOTH men had earned the crowd's respect and rightfully so.

In the main event, Chris Benoit defended his World Heavyweight Championship in a WrestleMania rematch against Triple H and Shawn Michaels. To make it even more interesting, the match took place in Benoit's hometown, in front of Benoit's entire family, on Chris Benoit Day. I'm sure there's a bunch of fans watching this now feeling uncomfortable by the amount of celebration given to Benoit in hindsight, but watching it with a pair of 2004 eyes, it's a feel good moment for Benoit and all his supporters. It's very projected who's going to win, but it doesn't really matter. The way Benoit wins the match and the celebration he has is very satisfying to see. It proved that Mania wasn't a fluke and Benoit was for real. I'd even admit that the match and moment is on par with the Mania match, but of course I favor the Mania match for the grandiose spectacle of the event, but this show is an excellent follow up.

Highly Recommended


5. Judgment Day

This show starts off very well and ends very well, you just gotta know your limits when watching everything in between. By that I mean, do you enjoy watching a women's match where the only "excitement" comes in the hands of a wardrobe malfunction? Knock yourself out then, because this show has that. Ever want to see Scotty 2 Hotty squashed by an Undertaker knock off named Mordecai? This show has that. Want to see a comedic Cruiserweight Championship match where Jacqueline defends against Chavo Guerrero with one arm tied behind his back? You've got it here. Admittedly, those three debacles are really the only thing stopping this show from being a grand slam show.

The show does open with a solid tag team match between the Dudley Boyz and the team of Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam, and has another good tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship (Rico and Charlie Haas vs. Billy Gunn and Hardcore Holly). The United States Championship is defended in a fine match (John Cena vs. Rene Dupree), and a blockbuster upper midcard main event is attempted in the Undertaker vs. Booker T, so at this point it's about an even playing field in quality. The saving grace for this show is the main event WWE Championship match between Eddie Guerrero and JBL. Quickly rising up the ranks after WrestleMania, the former APA member was repackaged as John "Bradshaw" Layfield and headed into a controversial and personal feud with Eddie Guerrero. This match really helped cement JBL as the top main event heel thanks to all of his tactics, and benefited Eddie Guerrero by putting him in another situation where he is considered an underdog fighting for all the fans (even more specifically, his Latino culture). This match is most famous for a very brutal chair shot and blade job that left Guerrero bleeding buckets. While an accident, it really elevated the story this match was telling: both men were hungry to walk away WWE Champion, fighting by any means necessary to do so. I love main event storytelling like this, if you didn't already know, so give the event the same treatment for viewing as No Way Out.

Mild Recommendation


Initial Thoughts: If it wasn't painfully obvious before, this section of PPVs was phenomenal to binge through. With 3 shows getting the highest recommendations and the other 2 receiving praise for their main events, it's easy to see I'm having a blast watching these. There are so many layers of the shows that work: the main event booking of Benoit and Guerrero, the continuing storylines involving Evolution (particularly the rise in Orton's stock), Cena's run as the midcard babyface, Bradshaw's transformation into JBL, the hype revolving around Taker's return, and those are just to name a few. Momentum couldn't be higher going into the next string of PPVs.

Continued in Part II...


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