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...


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