The Year in PPV- 2006, Part IV

It's time to wrap up the year 2006, featuring arguably the worst PPV in WWE history...


13. Cyber Sunday

What you see is what you get with these fan participation events. Some of these matches are good, but there is some filler attached. Of the meaningful matches we have an Intercontinental Championship with Jeff Hardy defending against either Carlito, Shelton Benjamin, or Johnny Nitro. Fans were going to be guaranteed something fun here. We had a World Tag Team Championship match that saw the Spirit Squad defend against Ric Flair and either Roddy Piper, Dusty Rhodes, or Sgt. Slaughter. Fans were guaranteed something nostalgic. The Women's Championship was on the line between Lita and Mickie James in either a lumberjill match, a no disqualification match, or a submission match. Either way, it didn't really matter. The main event saw a triple threat match to crown the Champion of Champions. The World Heavyweight Champion (King Booker), the WWE Champion (John Cena), and the ECW Champion (Big Show) fought in a match where the fans voted on which title was also on the line in the match. The triple match was ok, but this match is memorable for its HEAVILY dated ending involving celebrity interference.

The match that really impressed me was a tag team match that had D-Generation X take on the newly formed alliance of Edge and Randy Orton (also known as Rated-RKO). The fans got to choose who the special referee would be (Eric Bischoff, Mr. McMahon, or Jonathan Coachman). No matter who was chosen, it was going to be an uphill climb for DX, but Triple H and Shawn Michaels are the two superstars up for a challenge like that. This match had some great humor, but also spent a lot of the time taking things seriously to build an epic rivalry between two blockbuster tag teams.

Mild Recommendation


14. Survivor Series

I don't think there is a better example of how to tarnish a legendary PPV like Survivor Series 2006. Let's first talk about how they botched the traditional elimination tag team matches. Team Legends (Ric Flair, Ron Simmons, Dusty Rhodes, and Sgt. Slaughter) took on the Spirit Squad (Kenny, Nicky, Johnny, and Mikey), Team DX (D-Generation X, the Hardy Boyz, and CM Punk) looked to defeat Team Rated-RKO (Rated-RKO, Johnny Nitro, Gregory Helms, and Mike Knox), and Team Cena (John Cena, Kane, Rob Van Dam, Sabu, and Bobby Lashley) fought Team Big Show (Big Show, MVP, Finlay, Test, and Umaga). Each of these matches really underwhelmed in its pacing. Everything was rushed, which made each of these matches feel like unimportant filler. Even worse was that these matches should be the selling point of the PPV, but instead derailed any constant momentum for the show.

Then we have the other matches on the night. The United States Championship match saw Chris Benoit and Chavo Guerrero have a feud similar to Chavo's feud with Rey Mysterio. Yes, the match is fine, but the booking of the rivalry is uncomfortable. Speaking of bad booking, Lita had her last match in the WWE by defending the Women's Championship against Mickie James. However, she does not go out with the same magical moment that Trish Stratus had at Unforgiven. I'm all about booking and having a moment fit the character, but this was tasteless. Then Mr. Kennedy had a First Blood match against the Undertaker. This match was pretty solid, and is the only match I don't have complaints about. But then, we have the main event with King Booker defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Batista. This was Batista's last chance to win the title, and if Booker got disqualified or counted out, he would lose the title. You can only guess how this match went. The crowd wasn't really feeling this match or feud, and neither was I. I couldn't wait for this match and this show to be over.

Skip It


15. December to Dismember

This show is a complete disaster, and is usually referred to as the WORST PPV in WWE history, and quite possibly of all-time. Which is a really big shame, since it opened with a really good tag team match with MNM and the Hardy Boyz. After that though, it's two hours of absolute garbage. The fans made the show entertaining, but only because of how pissed off they were. There were actual chants for TNA. Yeah...the show was THAT BAD!

Most of the pointed fingers of how bad the WWE's re-birth of ECW are in the booking decisions, and the main event for this show PERFECTLY demonstrated it. Big Show defended the ECW Championship in an Extreme Elimination Chamber match against Rob Van Dam, Bobby Lashley, Test, CM Punk, and Hardcore Holly (who was filling in for the injured Sabu). The first mark against it was having Sabu injured in a storyline and replacing him with Hardcore Holly (who the fans had NO interest in). Then, having Big Show, Test, and Holly teaming up to take out fan favorites in Van Dam and Punk (Punk was on FIRE with the ECW crowd, they really screwed the pooch on this one). Finally, having Lashley, ECW's version of John Cena and Batista (cause you know how much the ECW fans loved those guys), represent the underdog by defying authority to try and win the ECW Championship. This really tarnished any idea of the ECW Championship and felt very much like a WWE match. And when you're an ECW PPV, that's when you know you're doing it WRONG!!!! Avoid this show at all costs!

Skip It


16. Armageddon

Who knew the SmackDown December filler PPV had SO MUCH QUALITY!?!?! The show featured an Inferno match (Kane vs. MVP), a Naughty or Nice lingerie contest for the divas, a Last Ride match (Undertaker vs. Mr. Kennedy), a United States Championship match (Chris Benoit vs. Chavo Guerrero), a Cruiserweight Championship match (Gregory Helms vs. Jimmy Wang Yang), and even a squash match (The Miz vs. The Boogeyman) to provide some great entertainment for the crowd in Richmond, Virginia. The main event even saw a first for the WWE as the World Heavyweight Champion (Batista) and the WWE Champion (John Cena) teamed up to fight King Booker and Finlay.

The best match on the night however, was the WWE Tag Team Championship match. Originally a standard tag match with Brian Kendrick and Paul London defending against William Regal and Dave Taylor, the match was changed when General Manager Teddy Long came out to make it a ladder match. Then, he added two more teams to the fray: MNM and the Hardy Boyz. These 8 athletes busted their butts to put on a great ladder match. This match is famous for an absolutely gruesome spot that legitimately busted open Joey Mercury's face. From that though, we had some great stories told. We had the defending champions in London and Kendrick, Regal and Taylor being the dark horses and relying more on wrestling than the use of ladders, the Hardy Boyz being the decorated fan favorites who hadn't held tag team titles in 5 years, and Johnny Nitro fighting off three teams by himself. It's one of my absolute favorite modern ladder matches, and one of my favorite matches of the year.

Highly Recommended


Final Thoughts: I'm really glad Armageddon was a great show, but it had to follow 2 really CRAPPY shows. The momentum couldn't have been worse for the year 2006, which is really unfortunate. Had the WWE produced shows like Armageddon constantly throughout the years with the roster of talent it had, it could have been one of the best years ever. But thanks to bad booking decisions, it could easily go down as the lowest point of the Ruthless Aggression Era. On a bit of hindsight, it was shortly after this point that I became a fan of wrestling, with 2007 being not only my first year as a fan, but in my opinion, a pretty solid and momentous year for the company, so I'm glad the stars aligned the way they did. Had I become a fan in 2006, I don't think I'd be watching wrestling to this day or doing this blog. Food for thought.


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The Year in PPV- 2006, Part III

The year 2006 continues with a disaster PPV of epic proportions...

9. The Great American Bash

In a lot of minds, this PPV could easily be considered a huge disappointment and a waste of time, especially with the momentum SmackDown had in being better than RAW this year. And...yes, they are absolutely right. This show was dreadful on a booking standpoint. You know that phrase you'll see on an event program that will say "card subject to change?" Well, this show is the epitome of that, as THREE of the matches heading into the event were changed either right before or during this show. The United States Championship match was originally a triple threat, but because Bobby Lashley had elevated enzymes, couldn't compete and as a result Finlay defended the championship against William Regal (who was ALSO a heel...giving the audience full incentive NOT to care). The Undertaker was scheduled to face the Great Khali in a Punjabi Prison match. At the VERY last second, Big Show substituted for Khali. This match has disaster written all over it. It's a train wreck of a match that ranges on Kennel from Hell territory for how bad it is. Then, as Batista was making his return and planning to get revenge on Mark Henry, Henry was injured and replaced by Mr. Kennedy. HELLO SQUASH MATCH! Goodness, this card had so much potential for payoff.

The main event saw Rey Mysterio defend his World Heavyweight Championship against King Booker, but at this point the crowd just stopped caring. Even with a controversial ending, the crowd was so spent from the disappointment of the rest of the card that there was no point in trying to win back this crowd, since this show was dead on arrival.

Skip It


10. SummerSlam

The tag team match between D-Generation X and the McMahons was fine, but nothing special. The "I Quit" match with Mick Foley and Ric Flair was ok, but could've used a little more. The ECW Championship match between Big Show and Sabu was nothing too spectacular. The opening match with Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero had some energy to it, but didn't have the proper length or storyline to support it. The match with Hulk Hogan and Randy Orton had a brilliant concept that was damaged with the lackluster match quality. King Booker vs. Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship could've been fine if the two competitors could actually get along and do good business with each other. And the WWE Championship main event with Edge and John cena could've been better if it had a good show to support it.

There's absolutely nothing overly memorable about this show, which is a really big problem when your show is called the biggest party of the Summer. That is all...

Skip It


11. Unforgiven

Coming from Toronto, Canada, Unforgiven is a lot like No Way Out from this year where the pacing and structure is nearly flawless in execution. It opens with a fast paced Intercontinental Championship match (Johnny Nitro vs. Jeff Hardy), then an impressive big man matchup between Umaga and Kane, then a World Tag Team Championship match between the Spirit Squad and the Highlanders. These matches, while not 100% crucial to the show, get the crowd warmed up for the good stuff to come. Then, we have one of the bigger matches on the show, a Hell in a Cell match with D-Generation X taking on Big Show, Shane McMahon, and Mr. McMahon. This match had blood, spots, a personal feud, and one of the most memorable match endings ever (interpret that however you want). Then, Toronto's hometown girl Trish Stratus challenged Lita for the Women's Championship in Trish's final match. This is one of the best rivalries in women's wrestling (if not THE best) coming to an end, and it's worth watching for this very special moment. Then to capitalize on the moment, Randy Orton draws HUGE heat by insulting Trish and the crowd before taking on her on-screen boyfriend Carlito in match that ALSO has a well-known match ending.

Finally, we have the culmination of the year's best rivalry with Edge defending his WWE Championship against John Cena in a TLC match, and if Cena lost, he would leave RAW and go to SmackDown. This match gave us a compelling storyline between a face and a heel, a combustible environment where one guy (Edge) was definitely more over with the crowd, and a popular gimmick match attached to give a memorable moment in history. This match is one of the best matches in both men's careers, one of the best matches of the last decade, and one of the best examples of storytelling 101 in professional wrestling.

Highly Recommended


12. No Mercy

This PPV is fine. Nothing special. Just fine. It features the PPV debut of MVP, the return of Chris Benoit, some entertaining backstage scenes with William Regal, a solid opening match with Matt Hardy and Gregory Helms, and a decent WWE Tag Team Championship match with Brian Kendrick and Paul London taking on K.C. James and Idol Stevens (who we actually know nowadays as Damien Sandow/Mizdow).

Now, let's get to the three main events. The United States Championship match saw Mr. Kennedy defend against the Undertaker, in a feud that did wonders for sending Kennedy up the ladder towards main event legitimacy. Then, Chavo Guerrero and Rey Mysterio had a falls count anywhere match with the feud focusing on who deserved to carry on the legacy of Eddie Guerrero. If you feel uncomfortable, you aren't the only one, as this feud was considered in very poor taste, with the only redeeming factor being their match quality. In the show's final match, King Booker defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Batista, Finlay, and Bobby Lashley in a fatal 4-way match. This match was fine, but nothing overly special. This match didn't feel like it had the proper build up to escalate a fatal 4-way, and felt more like filler to keep the Booker/Batista feud going.

Mild Recommendation


Thoughts: This section of PPVs allowed RAW to hold its own against SmackDown, while also showing a sever decline in quality for the blue brand. SmackDown had star quality, but matches were faltering in quality. RAW had the star quality and was producing good PPV matches. And ECW....well at least they had ONE match on PPV. Needless to say, things aren't looking so good for 2006, but maybe they can pull something together at the very end.

Concluded in Part IV...


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

The Year in PPV- 2006, Part II

Now that WrestleMania season is over, let's see how the year 2006 continues...


5. Backlash

This show features some new post-Mania feuds, the PPV debut of Umaga, a legitimate injury for Trish Stratus all within the undercard. I may have rushed through that, but this show has 3 matches that deserve my full attention. There was an awesome match between Shelton Benjamin and Rob Van Dam that was for both Benjamin's Intercontinental Championship and Van Dam's Money in the Bank Briefcase. What really worked well for these two was their complementing wrestling styles. Benjamin is more of a technical wrestler, who can also take risks, whereas Van Dam takes more risks and can wrestle when he needs to. It creates a very athletic and competitive match between the two that is full of great counters and physicality. The main event for the WWE Championship was also memorable, as John Cena defended his title against Edge and Triple H in a triple threat match. This was your standard triple threat, but what really helped it stand out was the star power of the three involved and the amount of blood that is spilled. Seriously....Triple H bleeds buckets here. If you have a week stomach for blood, you may wanna stop at the main event. If you love blood, enjoy the triple threat you sadistic little scamp.

But there is one match that is one of the most infamous matches in WWE history: a No Holds Barred tag team match which featured Mr. McMahon and Shane McMahon taking on Shawn Michaels and God. I'm absolutely serious, they had the balls to go with a Mr. McMahon wrestling God storyline. It's exactly how you think it would go. It's sacrilegious, it's uncomfortable, it's mildly hilarious because of the execution. This thing is BAD....I mean REALLY BAD...it ranges on 2000 WCW BAD!!!! If you can stomach Vince's tongue in cheek humor when it comes to wrestling God, I'd say to give this match a try, since it really does have some good spots and is one of those trainwreck matches you need to see to believe.

Mild Recommendation


6. Judgment Day

When your first two matches are the best on the card, you may think your show may be in trouble, but Judgment Day proved you didn't need JUST wrestling quality to have a good show. After the WWE Tag Team Championship match (MNM vs. Brian Kendrick and Paul London) and a 20 minute match between Chris Benoit and Finlay, the show had a bit of difficulty finding its footing for a while. But then they went into the three main events, each showcasing something very different and intriguing. The first was the finals for the King of the Ring tournament, which saw Bobby Lashley and Booker T fight it out to see who would take home the crown and scepter.

Next, we had a match between the Undertaker and the Great Khali. YES, I admit it. Of Khali's moments in the WWE, this might be his greatest. Why? Because this push was handed to him on a silver platter. It's against Taker, he's being teased as the new dominant force in the WWE, and he has a mouthpiece in Daivari. The pieces were there...he just needed to be a better wrestler. Finally, we had the main event between Rey Mysterio and JBL for the World Heavyweight Championship. This feud show one of the biggest issues many had with Mysterio as World Champion. So, he is going to lose week after week against bigger opponents, and we are supposed to believe he still has a chance to win? Why? Because he is labelled gimmick-wise to be an underdog? Because the booking staff thought it would be a good idea for him to use the legacy of Eddie Guerrero to fuel his gimmick? This was a tough time for the smart marks to care about the main events for either RAW or SmackDown, because BOTH shows had the same underdog formula for their champs. RAW had Cena, but SmackDown had Mysterio, and at least because of Cena's size, his victories made sense.

Mild Recommendation


7. ECW: One Night Stand

This show was ALMOST as good as the one from 2005, but the early decisions of the WWE's version of ECW began to shine through. For starters, the inclusion on Big Show and Kurt Angle on the main roster was covered very heavily, as was the inclusion of current WWE superstars like Randy Orton, Edge, and John Cena. Something about the match quality also seemed to lack from the previous year. In 2005, we had Lance Storm vs. Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero vs. Chris Benoit, and Mike Awesome vs. Masato Tanaka. Here, we have Tazz vs. Jerry Lawler, and Tanaka vs. Balls Mahoney. Clearly, this was also missing the factor of famous alumni who moved on to bigger and better things. Instead, this re-branding of ECW felt like whomever needed a paycheck could show up. Still, the reason these shows worked for two years was the nostalgia it would generate for the fans of ECW.

The show does have two great matches attached as well. The first was a 6-person tag match with Terry Funk, Tommy Dreamer, and Beulah McGillicutty taking on Mick Foley, Edge, and Lita. This really elevated the hardcore quality since Edge and Foley's match at Mania by including more blood, more weapons, more barbed wire, and more fire. After that, we had the main event for the WWE Championship. Rob Van Dam was cashing in his Money in the Bank Contract against Cena in a VERY BIG anti-Cena crowd. The match is a great moment for both men, showcasing another quality Cena excels at (extreme matches) and giving Van Dam arguably his career defining moment. This show is very enjoyable, but it was all downhill from here for ECW in the WWE.

Highly Recommended


8. Vengeance

If there's anything I learned from Vengeance, it's that the WWE should NEVER depend on a D-Generation X vs. Spirit Squad match to headline a show. This main event wasn't the worst thing I've ever seen, but say it with me: Triple H and Shawn Michaels, two of wrestling's all-time greatest performers took on a group of 5 male cheerleaders (admittedly, one did become Dolph Ziggler down the road so they weren't a COMPLETE failure) in the main event of a PPV. Can you see where the problem might be for that? Yeah, that's what I thought.

Admittedly the midcard does hold a few gems, including an opening contest between Randy Orton and Kurt Angle, a 2 out of 3 falls match between Ric Flair and Mick Foley, a triple threat for the Intercontinental Championship (Shelton Benjamin vs. Carlito vs. Johnny Nitro), Rob Van Dam vs. Edge for the WWE Championship, and an extreme lumberjack match between John Cena and Sabu. All those matches are fine (with Orton/Angle and the IC Title match really standing out in quality), but the main event is so deflating on a selling point, that I can't in good conscious faith recommend this show. I recommend checking out some of those good matches elsewhere, but if I let a PPV where the main event features the Spirit Squad...then all hope is lost.

Skip It


Thoughts: I think it's safe to say we can point out some early flaws (Mr. McMahon vs. God, the Spirit Squad main eventing a PPV, the early showings of ECW's downfall, Rey's championship reign). But, I can't deny there are some good matches on each of these shows, they just had something holding it back from really standing out in history's eyes. One Night Stand is a must, but only if you're a fan of the old ECW. If you're the casual fan, you may be like "This is what the old ECW was like? What's the big deal?" And THAT'S why the WWE's ECW was in trouble from the start. But we're only halfway done with 2006, so let's see if things go from bad to worse, or if they can improve in quality.

Continued in Part III...


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The Year in PPV- 2006, Part I

I'm not going to sugar coat this at all. This year had 16 PPVs, the most in WWE history. Had a great roster, a handful of really great moments and matches. But also suffered from SO MANY problems. Most of this year felt like filler between the years 2005 and 2007, and when you've got to sit through 16 PPVs like that, it can be quite the chore to watch. This year featured the return of D-Generation X, the rise of the Rated-R Superstar, the return of ECW, the crowning of King Booker, and the uncomfortable booking surrounding the passing of Eddie Guerrero, only to name a few. So much of this stuff should sound exciting, but as we are about to find out, it all looked good on paper, but there's a LOT to be desired in the execution.

Let's handle this as best as possible by heading to New Year's Revolution...


1. New Year's Revolution

Since the undercard doesn't even remotely matter in history's eyes, let's focus on the main event. Now for me, I always believe that the year starts off with the Royal Rumble, but I think the WWE at the time was looking for something to generate those post-Christmas PPV buys and thought the Elimination Chamber was their ticket. John Cena defended his WWE Championship inside the Chamber against Shawn Michaels, Kane, Carlito, Chris Masters, and Kurt Angle. There were a lot of factors going into this match: Cena being the underdog, Michaels being punished by Mr. McMahon, Carlito forming an alliance with Masters, Kane being...Kane, and Angle destroying everything in his path (the original mayor of Suplex City). This match had a lot of spots and surprises, but it wasn't exactly the epic encounter I'm sure the WWE was looking for.

When the Chamber lifted after the match's conclusion, the brutality may have been over, but the night wasn't. As the WWE Champion celebrated in the ring, Mr. McMahon came out to say that they had one more match that evening, surprising everybody. There's only one real thing to say about this moment: it was a shocking moment that saw a superstar seize the ultimate opportunity (see what I did there?) to become a part of wrestling history.

Skip It


2. Royal Rumble

After a VERY underwhelming undercard (seriously, the first hour is AWFUL), let's talk about the main events that went AFTER the Royal Rumble match. Edge defended the WWE Championship against John Cena. This match was a good introduction to the matches they'd be having throughout the year, but I'm not the biggest fan of the result. The payoff of this initial encounter SHOULD have happened at WrestleMania, but they had bigger plans for both men to establish themselves as big time players. If the Royal Rumble match wouldn't main event the show, this should have. But instead, we have a 9 minute match between Kurt Angle and Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship. Why? For a surprise superstar return. If that was the reason, it could have easily been saved for SmackDown.

But now let's talk about the Rumble match. The breakout performance is easily Rey Mysterio, who entered at Number 2 and currently holds the longest time spent in a Royal Rumble match. Dedicating the match to his friend Eddie Guerrero, Mysterio held his own against a star-studded roster including Triple H, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, Kane, Big Show, Ric Flair, Bobby Lashley, Chris Masters, Carlito, Booker T, Chris Benoit, and Rob Van Dam among others. There are also a lot of dud spots that they handed to some really goofy gimmicks, but it's still worth a watch to see one of the crowning moments in the career of Mysterio.

Mild Recommendation


3. No Way Out

After two mediocre shows, thank the Lord we had a show that could breathe some life into this Mania build. Going into this show, I had an idea what matches would be on it, but I had no clue it would be THIS good. The pacing and structure of this show is flawless. I wouldn't change how a single match on this card was executed nor the order they were placed on the card. The show opens with a Cruiserweight Championship match featuring 9 competitors (Oh my goodness), followed by a match that felt more like a fight between JBL and Bobby Lashley, and then Matt Hardy and a mystery partner took on MNM in a tag team match. This stuff was small, but heading closer to Mania, these matches felt important and the people involved felt like SmackDown's elite. Then we get to some main events on the card, starting with Booker T defending the United States Championship against Chris Benoit. If you ever wanted to show someone a match where the United States Championship actually meant something in the WWE then show them THIS match. Their matches were always competitive, but add a feud that was darn sure personal, and you have magic. I'm telling you, by the end of the 16 PPVs from this year, I was STILL thinking about this match. Then we had Rey Mysterio put his championship match opportunity at WrestleMania on the line against Randy Orton. Orton made this very personal by verbally berating the late Eddie Guerrero, which was extremely uncomfortable for everyone I'm sure (there were other ways you could've given him heat guys). The match was very well handled and made the main event of Mania feel really important with how hard these guys fought to get there.

And then, the epitome of an EPIC main event. Kurt Angle defended the World Heavyweight Championship against the Undertaker in a match that could have EASILY main evented a WrestleMania. These guys absolutely busted their butts to provide one of the most memorable main events for a WWE PPV. I was watching this match with my roommate and he was exhausted by the end of the match from all the finisher spots and near falls. My hat is definitely off to these two, since this match is absolute proof of why they are two of the greatest superstars in wrestling history. It also reminded me of how I desperately want Angle back in the WWE. C'mon guys...MAKE IT HAPPEN! Point is, this was the perfect way to end a night of absolute quality that would surely make any SmackDown fans excited for WrestleMania.

Highly Recommended


4. WrestleMania 22

With a VERY rowdy Chicago crowd, WrestleMania 22 decided to go Big Time with its event. Now, I'm under the belief if two ridiculous filler matches were cut from this show (Booker T and Sharmell vs. The Boogeyman, and Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle in a Playboy Pillow Fight), then this show would be regarded as one of the better Manias in recent memory. However, I see it popping up more and more when people discuss underrated Mania events, so at least it's catching traction now. Opening with a solid World Tag Team Championship with Kane and Big Show defending against Chris Masters and Carlito (good luck guys, you're gonna need it), the crowd was solidly behind the heels (Masters and Carlito) to go over the faces (Kane and Big Show), which was a HUGE theme throughout the night. Next was the Money in the Bank match, the first one ever to feature both RAW and SmackDown superstars. This match had some very unique dynamics in its performers by having extreme veterans (Rob Van Dam and Matt Hardy), young athletes (Shelton Benjamin and Bobby Lashley), and more matured ring veterans (Ric Flair and Finlay). Is this one better than the first Money in the Bank match? To me it isn't, but it still has many terrific spots and holds up well. The third match on the card was a rough and physical United States Championship match between Chris Benoit and JBL. I could've done without JBL mocking the late Eddie Guerrero (seriously guys...STOP forcing your heels to mock the legacy of Eddie Guerrero to get heat!)

Then things really start to get cooking by the time we get to the hardcore match with Edge and Mick Foley. This was meant to give Edge the rub on being the next big main event heel, while also giving Foley a Mania moment he could have with him for the rest of his career. This match has blood, barbed wire, thumbtacks, flaming tables, and so much more for fans of extreme wrestling to enjoy. The next big highlight is Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James for the Women's Championship. For my money, this is the greatest one-on-one women's match in WrestleMania history. This match had three key elements: an engaging storyline, a well-wrestled match (excusing the botched ending), and a unique response from the Chicago crowd. The only main event that seems to underperform for most fans here is the casket match with the Undertaker and Mark Henry. It's not the greatest quality in the world, but it's the best those two could have done with each other at the time.

Things then got very personal and physical with the No Holds Barred match between Mr. McMahon and Shawn Michaels. This match may be a one-sided beatdown, but it's entertaining as heck. You have Jim Ross going crazy on commentary as Shawn Michaels delivers some quality hardcore spots on Mr. McMahon, it's pitch perfect storytelling. Then we have our first World Championship match with the Triple Threat for the World Heavyweight Championship. Kurt Angle defended his title against Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio in a short but sweet match. These guys definitely deserved more time, but made the most of the 9 minutes they had to deliver a solid WrestleMania moment. The night ends with a match for the WWE Championship that had a big fight feel attached to it. With dueling epic entrances, John Cena defended his title against Triple H against a very pro-Triple H crowd. This was Cena's big opportunity to show he could hang with the big dogs in the company and be a credible main eventer and it worked really well for him. He not only had to prove it to Triple H, but the Chicago crowd as well, and you can hear moments where the crowd reluctantly gives him the credit he deserves for this match. For all the junk that was used in the build to this Mania, the final result more than made up for it with a fun show with a little something for everybody.

Highly Recommended


Initial Thoughts: After getting off to a rough start, the Road to WrestleMania finally got its payoff with an excellent show (reminds me a lot of THIS year's actually). Looking at the two brands, SmackDown had a slight edge going into Mania thanks to No Way Out, but the RAW superstars really dominated the main events thanks to Van Dam, Edge, Michaels, Triple H, and Cena. However, it was absolutely crucial that with this momentum, not to do something completely stupid to mess it all up. We will soon see how many times throughout the year the WWE would do something stupid to screw up their positive momentum... 

Continued in Part II...


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The Year in PPV- 1989

I'm sure I've said it before, but to recap, if we were judging the '80s PPVs on wrestling quality, they are unbearable to watch. If we are judging on the basis of memorable characters, then they are absolutely fantastic. I'm a fan who can appreciate the mixture of quality matches and memorable characters, especially if your year is historically significant to the sport of professional wrestling. We couldn't even get that really, as this year proves to be nothing but filler that tried repeating the same formula. This had ONE really good feud with the implosion of the Mega Powers, and was also building up ONE wrestler to be the next main event player in the Ultimate Warrior. Apart from these two things, the other wrestlers were kind of just floundering around directionless, so this is something I really wasn't looking forward to sitting through.

Let's get 1989 started by heading to one of the most pointless Royal Rumble matches ever...


1. Royal Rumble

The year isn't off to a great start, as this undercard is completely underwhelming. There's a throwaway Women's Championship match, a match between Haku and Harley Race to determine the "true" King of the WWF, and a two out of three falls 6-man tag. I know the undercard of the Rumble PPV isn't supposed to be more exciting than the Rumble match, but goodness gracious I would at least hope they could get me excited as the Rumble match drew nearer. This was awful. And you KNOW a show is in trouble when one of the more important spots on the show belongs to a posing contest between the Ultimate Warrior and Rick Rude. Nowadays, if the WWE tried to pull that garbage, you'd have fans crapping all over it in the crowd.

Then, as we get to the Rumble match, we have one of the biggest dropped opportunities in the history of the match. It was clear that things were not 100% peachy with the Mega Powers, so why wouldn't you have one of them win the Rumble match to add the fuel to the fire? While they did argue over an accidental elimination it happens WAY TOO EARLY. At least have one of them eliminated within the final four, let's say Savage, and Hogan is left with Big John Studd and Ted DiBiase. It at least makes your climax much more interesting than what we had. Once Savage and Hogan were gone from the match, was there any point to care who won? I don't think so.

Skip It


2. WrestleMania V

With 14 matches on the card, you would think they'd put effort in more than just 1 right? Don't get me wrong, there are a few midcard matches that try to put on a great match (Mr. Perfect vs. Blue Blazer, the Rockers vs. the Twin Towers, and the Ultimate Warrior vs. Rick Rude for the Intercontinental Championship, just to name a few), there was also too much filler scattered between in order to create momentum for the show. There were two mildly entertaining celebrity moments in Run-DMC performing the WrestleMania Rap, as well as Piper's Pit with Brother Love and Morton Downey Jr., which was highlighted thanks to Roddy Piper and a fire extinguisher, but it still felt like this show was really missing something spectacular until we got to the main event.

The entire show was building up to the main event which saw the Mega Powers implode as Randy Savage defended his WWF Championship against Hulk Hogan. The rivalry between these two was amazing. It was a slow burn that started with Savage getting jealous over Hogan's friendship with Miss Elizabeth, and it kept boiling and boiling until he finally snapped. This match was very personal and was actually really well done. It was your typical Hogan match that was upped in quality thanks to Savage's attention to detail and desire to put on the greatest match possible. While the rest of the show felt unimportant in its execution, this really had a big fight feel attached to it and the payoff was very well done.

Mild Recommendation


3. SummerSlam

The biggest problems with the early years of SummerSlam is the same problem as the early years of WrestleMania: having little to no focus on the undercard while putting all their attention on building up one or two main events. In the favor of Mania, though, they at least are able to put on an over the top grand spectacle to cover it up. SummerSlam back in the day had so many thrown together tag matches and filler singles matches that it isn't even funny. The ONLY match on the undercard that really impressed me was the opening contest between the Hart Foundation and the Brain Busters, and I don't even think the WWF was intentionally trying to do that. I actually consider this a dream match in the context of '80s tag teams as you have one of the WWF's best teams going against one of the best teams from the NWA. I give these 2 teams credit for at least going on first and trying to set the tone for the evening. However everything else kind of lacked the spark needed to top the opening match.

On the main event side of things, Rick Rude defended his Intercontinental Championship against the Ultimate Warrior in a really solid match that I felt was better than their match at Mania. You could tell Warrior was at least trying to keep up with Rude in order to put on a good match, so give these two credit. When Warrior was in the Intercontinental Title scene, the matches were a very different style than the classics we were used to, but with Rude as his opponent, it brought back some of the technical savvy present in the earlier days of the title while also bringing a more aggressive and physical type of match thanks to Warrior. Good job guys. And then we got to the final match on the card, which capitalized on the fallout from WrestleMania between Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, while also promoting the film No Holds Barred. Hogan teamed with Brutus Beefcake to take on Savage and Zeus in a standard tag match. It's not that important in hindsight and in terms of SummerSlam main events, it is easily one of the most forgettable.

Skip It


4. Survivor Series

Call me a sucker for enjoying traditional Survivor Series elimination matches, but I was fairly entertained here. I'm actually not sure if there's a midcard here, as each match was captained by a big name player. The Big Boss Man captained the Enforcers (Boss Man, Rick Martel, the Honky Tonk Man, and Bad News Brown) against Dusty Rhodes and the Dream Team (Rhodes, Brutus Beefcake, Tito Santana, and the Red Rooster). Roddy Piper captained Roddy's Rowdies (Piper, Jimmy Snuka, and the Bushwhackers) against Rick Rude and the Rude Brood (Rude, Mr. Perfect, and the Fabulous Rougeaus). Both matches are solid and full of star power, which of course was the selling point of these types of matches in the golden days of the Survivor Series.

Interestingly enough, neither Hulk Hogan nor Randy Savage were part of the main event. Savage captained the King's Court (Savage, Dino Bravo, Greg Valentine, and Canadian Earthquake) as they took on the 4x4s (Jim Duggan, Bret Hart, Ronnie Garvin, and Hercules), and despite Savage's role as the company's main heel, he was in the second match on the card. Just as interesting, Hogan captained the Hulkamaniacs (Hogan, Jake Roberts, and Demolition) against the Million Dollar Team (Ted Dibiase, Zeus, and the Powers of Pain). Both these matches are fine, but on this night, the company went in a different direction for the main event. The Ultimate Warrior captained a team (lazily) named after himself (Warrior, Jim Neidhart, and the Rockers) to take on the Heenan Family (Bobby Heenan, Andre the Giant, Haku, and Arn Anderson). Clearly, there's a lot of talent here, but it was definitely a non-traditional main event which was a gamble in the right direction as fans looked on and approved the rub that was being given to the Warrior. And for me, it's always a plus if you can get Shawn Michaels in the main event, and I honestly believe in early matches like this, you could easily see him as the standout performer in the Rockers.

Mild Recommendation


Thoughts: Like I said, the only two things going for the company this year was the rising star power of the Ultimate Warrior and the feud between Hogan and Savage. If you love those 3 superstars, then you may get a kick out of watching this year in its entirety. My recommendation would be to watch their individual matches from '89 and proceed with caution when it comes to the rest of the PPVs. Actually, I take that back...when looking at the Warrior's matches, also be on the lookout for Ravishing Rick Rude. He is one of the most underrated talents from that era and really could've made it big had they given him the chance to be a main event heel. I'm absolutely certain of that. The man had it all and it's a shame we haven't immortalized him in the WWE Hall of Fame yet. Food for thought when it comes to next year's class...


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