The Year in PPV- 2009, Part III

Let's close 2009 with a look at a criminally underrated PPV concept...


10. Breaking Point

In a year where we saw many different gimmick PPVs established, we come across the only show that didn't get a sequel. However, I believe Breaking Point had one of the more interesting gimmicks that could've survived as a longstanding PPV franchise. Instead of paying to see three Hell in a Cell matches, or two Money in the Bank ladder matches, or two Elimination Chamber matches, I think it's much more interesting to see different types of matches that all fall under a similar concept: a match is won when your opponent cannot take the pain anymore.

Among the many unique matches offered at this show include a traditional Submission match (CM Punk vs. Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship), an emotional "I Quit" match (Randy Orton vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship), and a unique Submissions Count Anywhere match (D-Generation X vs. Legacy). I'm not 100% sure why this one wasn't received well, but I wouldn't mind seeing it make a resurgence in the calendar down the road. Heck, many of the undercard matches were on par with the rest of the show, so shouldn't the show be considered a success? Apparently not.

Mild Recommendation


11. Hell in a Cell

In another attempt at introducing a gimmick PPV, the company put on the first Hell in a Cell PPV. Now, not every match took place inside the Cell, but that doesn't mean the undercard wasn't a lot of fun to watch as well. John Morrison had an entertaining Intercontinental Championship match against Dolph Ziggler, Mickie James had a solid Divas Championship match against Alicia Fox, Drew McIntyre made his PPV debut by taking on R-Truth, a Triple Threat was held for the United States Championship pitting Kofi Kingston, The Miz, and Jack Swagger against each other, and Rey Mysterio returned to help Batista challenge Jeri-Show for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championships (in a match that SHOULD have been inside Hell in a Cell).

However, the Hell in a Cell matches are a bit of a mixed bag, and since they are the selling point of the PPV, they decide the show's fate. The opening match saw CM Punk defend the World Heavyweight Championship against the Undertaker, in a match that went on a little short for my taste. Then, we had the WWE Championship match between John Cena and Randy Orton that went on a little long for my taste. Even though the Cell match between D-Generation X and Legacy was a good match, it probably shouldn't have been the main event since it wasn't for a world title. So, all of the matches had problems with them, but did they at least entertain? If you're a purist of the Hell in a Cell match, none of these come close to being a classic. If you're the casual wrestling fan, you may enjoy one or two of them.

Skip It


12. Bragging Rights

Here we have another unique PPV concept, but it's not surrounded by gimmick matches. Bragging Rights takes the classic idea of SmackDown vs. RAW (in an OBVIOUS tie-in to the video game) and presents a battle for brand supremacy. In a best of 3 series, the first match of the competition is a match between RAW's United States Champion (The Miz) and SmackDown's Intercontinental Champion (John Morrison). Not only did this match give us a showdown between the midcard champions of their respective brands, but also created intrigue around which member of the Miz and Morrison tag team would be considered the superior superstar (and who would end up like Marty Jannetty). Then, the SmackDown Divas (Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix, and Natalya) took on the RAW Divas (Melina, Kelly Kelly, and Gail Kim) in a match that obviously saw who would win since we needed to get to the tie-breaker match. The tie-breaking match was an epic 7-on-7 tag team match saw Team RAW (D-Generation X, Big Show, Kofi Kingston, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, and Mark Henry) and Team SmackDown (Chris Jericho, Kane, Matt Hardy, R-Truth, Finlay, and the Hart Dynasty) go at it for the Bragging Rights trophy.

Fans can come for the tournament and stay for the world championship matches, since we have two blockbuster encounters on one event. The World Heavyweight Championship match looks for quantity with a Fatal 4-Way match between the Undertaker, Batista, Rey Mysterio, and CM Punk. This match is a very fun bout between 4 of SmackDown's top superstars, and features a conclusion that leads to a VERY interesting turn of events. The WWE Championship saw Randy Orton defend the WWE Championship against John Cena in a 60-minute Iron Man match. By this point, fans were sick of seeing these two fight and trade belts back and forth between PPVs, so this match needed to deliver the goods to bring their feud to an end, and thankfully it did. Much like their "I Quit" match at Breaking Point, the match shows Orton's ruthlessness and Cena's never say die attitude. Both work out really well, and bring this surprisingly good show on a high note.

Highly Recommended


13. Survivor Series

The landscape of the PG Era was showing some serious changes by the time we got to Survivor Series. Just by looking at the traditional elimination matches, you can see that they were looking at the next batch of superstars that could step up to the plate. Pay attention to Team Miz (The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre, and Sheamus) vs. Team Morrison (John Morrison, Evan Bourne, Finlay, Matt Hardy, and Shelton Benjamin), and Team Kingston (Kofi Kingston, MVP, R-Truth, Mark Henry, and Christian) vs. Team Orton (Randy Orton, Legacy, William Regal, and CM Punk) and you'll know what I'm talking about. Another change in landscape was the attitude change in Batista. After destroying Rey Mysterio at Bragging Rights, the two former friends faced each other at Survivor Series in a match that really helped get the new heel Batista over with the crowd. Even the Divas elimination tag match wasn't that awful, with Team McCool (Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix, Jillian Hall, Layla, and Alicia Fox) taking on Team Mickie (Mickie James, Melina, Eve Torres, Kelly Kelly, and Gail Kim).

The world title matches were presented in the form of a pair of Triple Threat matches. The Undertaker defended his World Heavyweight Championship against Chris Jericho and Big Show, and John Cena defended his WWE Championship against Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Both matches are good, but I'd give a slight edge to the WWE Title match simply for the star power. No disrespect against Taker, Jericho, and Big Show, but it's Cena, Triple H, and Michaels. Of course it's going to be the better big time encounter. And I find it ironic that the title matches featured six of the best superstars from the previous era, since the new superstars of the new era were on the horizon of making their big breaks in the PG Era.

Highly Recommended


14. TLC: Tables, Ladders, & Chairs

Now, while I'm not the biggest fan of a night being dedicated to one specific match, I have no issues with nights dedicated to a variety of match types held together by a common theme, like Breaking Point. The first TLC PPV had a bunch of midcard matches, but also knew how to capitalize on matches held together by the concepts of tables, ladders, and chairs. The Chairs match may not have been the greatest idea in the world (still isn't), but at least it was used in a match like the Undertaker vs. Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship. It had enough of a focus on heel Batista, and Undertaker's championship reign to the point where the chairs gimmick wasn't a necessity. The main event for the evening was a TLC match for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championships, and while the match wasn't the greatest or most memorable moment of the evening, Jeri-Show and D-Generation X certainly had the experience and star power to entertain.

The best match on the card was the Ladder match for the ECW Championship. Christian and Shelton Benjamin were ECW's brightest talents at the time, and felt passed over on the last few PPVs. They had one goal in mind: steal the show. They certainly did that in terms of match quality, but once you steal the show in an opening match, you've got to have some big moment to keep the momentum going. That came in the form of the WWE Championship match. In a Tables match, John Cena put the belt on the line against Sheamus, a relative newcomer on the roster who had dominated his way to a number one contender's spot. Like I said in my review of Survivor Series, times were changing, and it was important to see who would be the superstars of tomorrow. This match was a HUGE indicator of the changes fans should expect to see as the decade came to an end.

Mild Recommendation


Final Thoughts: With the exception of Hell in a Cell, I actually believe the end of 2009 was a complete success. New stars were established, changes were made that had fans reacting in some form, and there were still a number of good matches and solid character development. If you're the WWE, you couldn't ask for a more ideal way to end your first year of a new Era. Granted, fans have grown resentful towards the gimmick PPVs, but at the time, the experiments were new and considered revolutionary, and that was the whole idea of heading into the PG Era: shaking up the landscape for years to come.


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