Reviewing PPVs seems to be all the rage now, so I thought I'd give it a shot. KB has got pretty much all of the big PPVs covered, but what about the lesser, more obscure PPVs? They deserve some love and attention to. Now, I'm not going to pretend to have a wealth of knowledge about wrestling history, because I don't. In fact, I probably haven't seen most of the PPVs that I'll be reviewing. If I make a mistake in something I say, correct me. However, I think that's what will make this interesting. My thoughts will simply be based on what I saw, not what I remembered.
I'm review PPVs on a schedule to be determined, it could be every few days or every few weeks, it all depends. As for the content, I look for what I think may be interesting. If you have any personal favorites you think I should watch, I'll try to do it given that I can find them. Off we go.
Date : June 13, 2004
Attendance: 9,000
Venue: Nationwide Arena
City: Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Good ole' JR and Jerry "the King" Lawler
What is the reasoning for picking this PPV? Nothing really. I was just looking through the interwebz for a PPV, and Bad Blood sounded like a cool name. I went with the 2004 version over the 2003 version, because who wants to watch Kevin Nash actually wrestle. This is based off of the In Your House PPV in 1997, which featured the first HIAC match ever between HBK and Undertaker.
This is still during the time of brand exclusive PPVs and this is just for Raw. Benoit is the World Champ coming into this after his victory over HHH and HBK at Wrestlemania 20 and victory in the rematch at Backlash and Kane is the current #1 contender. However, HHH and HBK is the main feud here as their rivalry is finally going to come to an end in the Cell. There are other's matches too, trust me, you'll see.
The opening video is kind of over the top, but it got me excited for the PPV. JR welcomes us mentioning the "demonic" structure hanging above the ring. King is wearing a purple suit jacket, he should stick to shiny T-Shirts. He say hello to the two fat guys at the Spanish Announce Table and we're ready to go.
La Resistance (Robert Conway and Sylvain Grenier) are out first and their gimmick is pretty much that they're Canadian. Honestly, I have never heard of them before, but that's just me. They were only around for a couple of years yet were 4 time tag team champs. Shows how easy it is to attain titles in the WWE nowadays. Conway gives us an atrocious singing of the Canadian National Anthem until he is interrupted by the entrance of Edge. That seems rather odd, what kind of person interrupts their own national anthem, regardless of how bad it's sung? Edge is looking pretty strange in all baby blue outfit, I kinda like it though. Apparently Edge can set a record tonight by becoming 10 time Tag Team Champ in the WWE, which is pretty impressive considering this is 5 years ago. Benoit comes out for his first or 2 title matches of the night to a pretty big ovation.
We start off with a big "USA" chant from the crowd. Anti-US gimmicks always work, even if there are not Americans in the match, you're sure to get a good chant going. The faces are in control early and it's clear that Benoit is way more over based on the reactions he gets when he's tagged in as opposed to Edge. After some interference by the heels, Edge is thrown face first into the ring post and they are in control. They have Edge in a resthold as the action's slowed down a little. JR mentions La Resistance winning the titles in Montreal a few weeks ago, King says that the celebration for that wouldn't be as big as if the Expos won the World Series. Ya, I'm gonna have to disagree with that one. Edge is still playing the face in peril as we get basic heel tag team action. Conway and Grenier aren't great, but they aren't horrible either. After a pretty cool looking double neckbreaker by Edge, Benoit is finally tagged in. Benoit is on fire hitting suplexes on both of his opponents. Even though he doesn't get much ring time here, Benoit is by far the most impressive part of this match. He hits some more nice suplexes and gets Conway in the Crossface. Grenier tries to break it up, but he gets a Spear for his trouble. Conway is going to tap, but Kane's music hits as he starts coming down to the ring. This would make sense, except for Conway is still in the Crossface the whole time Kane is walking towards the ring. It has do be for a good 30-45 seconds. How didn't he tap out? Just because Kane was at the top of the entrance ramp? That doesn't make any sense. Anyway, Kane comes into the ring and goes nuts. He beats the crap out of both Benoit and Edge with some chokeslams and hurls Benoit into the ring steps. He says. coming for his title later tonight.
Winners: Chris Benoit and Edge at 10:17 by DQ.
Rating: 6/10. It was a pretty decent opener, but for the most part, nothing really happened aside from Benoit at the end. The other 3 guys really did nothing of note in the match. Kane coming in to interfere was a pretty good move, there was really no reason for Benoit and Edge to win the titles here and it adds some intrigue to the main event.
GM Bischoff is backstage giving Coach a pep talk for his match with Eugene. Eugene is undefeated at this point, but Bischoff wants him gone because he's an embarrassment. He was actually really big for awhile, he even had a match with HHH at Summerslam. Eugene comes in, Uncle Eric assures him he's looking out for him.
We got some more hype for the HIAC, JR says it's about "sheer finality."
The idea behind this match is that Jericho injured Christian awhile back and Tomko is there to get revenge. We get a replay of Tomko powerbombing Jericho through the announce table on Raw a few weeks ago, that look like it hurt. Jericho comes out and is rocking the long hair at this point, which is always cool.
Pretty good Y2J chant to start, but Tomko quickly takes control. Gets Jericho in the corner and starts hitting the Matt Morgan elbows on him (yes, they are now called Matt Morgan elbows, he's earned it). The fight quickly goes to the outside and Jericho is able to throw Tomko into the ring post, however it doesn't last long as Trish distracts Jericho long enough for him to get crushed by Tomko. The big man is looking pretty good here, much better than I remember him. Some more basic offense from Tomko, but he best thing happening here are all the sexually suggestive marks from King. I tried to keep track, but I simply couldn't. King is just ogling over Trish, he says that Greenspan is wrong and that inflation is a good thing. JR is trying to talk about either Jericho's or Benoit's injured ribs, I can't be sure. Either way King makes sure to remind us that Trish has nice ribs. Thanks King. Jericho is still getting beat down, they keep saying there's no way he can possibly win this, which means he probably will. After Jericho hits a bulldog, Trish tries to interfere again, but Tomko accidentally hits her. He turns right into an Enzuguri from Jericho and the match is over.
Winner: Chris Jericho in 6:03 by pinfall.
Rating: 5/10. This was just an average match. Tomko looked decent, but you knew Jericho was going to win the whole time and he did after not doing anything for pretty much the whole match. This is something that would've better been served for an episode of Raw, but with the brand exclusive PPVs, anything of importance can be contested on Sunday.
JR says this has been an auspicious start to the PPV. How so JR?
We get a review of the current IC Title feud between the champ, Randy Orton, and the challenger, Shelton Benjamin. Benjamin pinned Orton a few times and Orton and Evolution beat him up a few times, pretty standard stuff. Todd is with Orton in the back. Orton says he's a living legend and starts insulting the crowd. Orton talks about how's he's been champion for over six months, which is pretty impressive. He's on a roll at the moment, he'd lose the best to Edge next month, but proceed to beat Benoit at Summerslam to become the youngest champ ever, which led to his face turn. Safe to say it was a good year for Randy. He's much different on the mic then than he is now, and I kind of like it. Orton walks out through the crowd and continues saying things a heel would say. He says he ended Mick Foley's career. Not really, but whatever. As he walks over the barrier into the ring, Orton gives some random fan an extremely creepy look. He just stops talking for a few seconds and stares at her. That was really weird. O shit, here comes Shelton. I don't care how "athletic" he is, he's boring as hell. Apparently the match isn't supposed to start yet, but Shelton wants it now. The ref calls for the bell, and here we go.
Shelton immediately goes for the roll up and almost gets the quick win. JR and King are going at it like preschoolers. King is pissed that Orton has to compete now because he deserves so much better. He really was a pretty shit heel announcer and is just a bad announcer overall. It's just annoying. Shelton looks pretty good to start as we get to see his "athleticism." He hits some nice kicks and throws Orton out of the ring with an armdrag. The 2 are over the railing and fighting in no time. Some brawling on the outside. Since it is mandatory to mention it in every Shelton match, JR raves about how good of a high school athlete Shelton was. Really JR, no one cares. They are in the ring briefly, but are back to the outside again. Really nothing of note happening here. Orton takes control and he is getting some pretty good heat here. Flair comes out in his suit to support Orton at ringside. It's incredible that Flair would still be wrestling for 4 more years after this, he looks really old. Shelton gets a brief couple of shots in, and King says that Orton is pretending to be hurt just like Muhammad Ali. Really King? Are we going to compare Orton to Ali? Really?
Orton wastes some time with restholds. Not that many people seem to care at this point. He goes up top, but Shelton moves out of the way. He almost finishes him with a suplex. Shelton hits nice top rope closeline for another nearfall. JR thought Shelton had the win, but King says JR was premature, and that's the story of his life. Oooh. Burn. We get some Orton chants now, that just shows how boring Shelton is. Benjamin hits the T-Bone, which is his finisher, but Flair moves Orton's foot under the ropes. Flair goes to leave and is doing his silly walk up the entrance ramp, but Shelton chases after him and starts to beat the shit outta him. He bring him in the ring and is dominating both him and Flair. For some reason, he puts the Figure Four on Flair, who isn't his actual opponent. King says this is sacrilegious. I'm pretty sure HIAC is more sacrilegious than this. Orton with a roll up on Shelton for a really nice nearfall. Shelton is somehow able to gain control again and he hits a crossbody from the top rope, but Orton rolls through and grabs the tights for the win.
Winner: Randy Orton at 15:03 by pinfall.
Rating: 6/10. This match was really slow to start and even though it picked up a little towards the end, it just wasn't anything special. I'm not a huge fan or either Orton or Benjamin's in ring work, and this is why. This was just boring for the most part and could've been a little shorter.
We go to Hardy and Lita making out in the locker room. Ewwww. Bischoff kicks Hardy out so that he doesn't interfere in the title match. This is because Kane kissed Lita, or something.
We get some more hype for the HIAC about how it is career threatening and gut wrenching. Still haven't heard anything about the Title Match though.
Trish is out first to a pretty big reaction. Her music is awesome. King is talking about how he doesn't like lipstick because he likes to taste women, not lipstick. That was creepy. Victoria's theme music is also pretty awesome. "I ain't the lady to mess with, woooooo!" King says it reminds him of "Milkshakes." No King, they don't sound the same at all, maybe you're just thinking of here boobs? Gail Kim and Lita are also here, but there music isn't cool enough to comment on.
Trish immediately bails as the match starts, and Lita follows her to the outside. As Trish and Lita brawl on the outside Victoria hits a nice standing moonsault on Kim. Tomko tries to interfere, but Mike Chioda flips out and ejects him from the match. That was pretty humorous. There are a lot of nearfalls as this match is pretty fast paced. It seems like most of it is Trish and Lita though, as it should be as they are the biggest stars here. Kim is trying submissions on everyone because apparently that's what she does. She gets a pretty cool one with her legs wrapped around Victoria's head, JR called it a "satellite maneuver." After some more stuff, everyone is down. King offers to go out and help them. Seriously, you're just weird. Stop. Lita hits a DDT on Kim out of nowhere, but Trish rolls her up for the win. This makes her the first woman to win 5 Titles, which is pretty cool.
Winner: Trish Stratus at 4:43 by pinfall.
Rating: 5/10. This was ok, but kind of frantic and definitely could've used a couple more minutes. Everyone looked pretty good in the ring, but it was just too short and seemed a little off.
We get a video package for the Eugene/Coach match which was pretty awesome. Eugene was way over at this point, he shoulda been in the main event. Maybe not, but it would've been fun.
Coach comes out first in a Michigan outfit because we're in Buckeye country. He looks like a gym teacher, to be honest. We are reminded that Coach is undefeated on PPV, which was against Tajiri, and that Eugene is also undefeated. This is a real clash of the Titans. Eugene comes out to a big ovation. Regal, who is his manager at the time, is with him, but can't be at ringside according to Bischoff.
Eugene wants to shake hands and Coach tries to overpower him, but he gets dominated by Eugene. King is basically complaining the whole time but JR says that Eugene is just having fun and living his dream. The whole match is basically just Coach getting owned and comedy spots. They including Eugene rolling around in the fetal position and flipping Coach over, Eugene riding Coach like a horse and spanking him, Coach running back and forth in the ring for about a minute while Eugene is admiring some girl's teddy bear (possibly the one that Orton stared at), Eugene doing the Junkyard Dog headbutt on Coach as well as the fake pee, and some more rolling around. Eventually, some random chick in a bikini comes out with a plate of cookies. Eugene starts to eat them and Coach hits him from behind and the cookies go flying. It doesn't really matter though as Eugene takes control again and hits a pretty nice dropkick. Garrison Cade comes out and rips the teddy bear's head off and is able to hole Eugene against the ropes. For some reason, this isn't a DQ even though the ref is right there. Eugene is able fight him off though and hits a weird looking Rock Bottom followed by the People's Elbow for the win. He gives the ref a hug and starts running around pretending he's an airplane. He hits a stunner on Cade and another one on Coach as Regal comes out to celebrate by playing the "got your nose" trick on Eugene.
Winner: Eugene in 7:38 by pinfall
Rating: 6/10. A lot of people may have hated this match and called it the worst they've ever seen, but it was good for what it was. This match gave you pretty much what was suspected, some comedy spots and a Eugene victory. Comedy characters definitely have a big place in the WWE, they are usually more entertaining than "real" wrestlers and that was the case with Eugene, he was great here.
We finally get some hype for the World Title Match which is up next. We get a replay of Benoit's win at Wrestlemania, which was great. Kane says that he's tired of living in the shadows and the darkness.
Since this is the best match of the night, I'm going to post the video instead of giving you the play by play, enjoy.
Winner: Chris Benoit by pinfall in 18:20
Rating: 8/10. Easily the match of the night. I thought it started out a little slow, but the last few minutes were just awesome. Both guys were on top of their game and the finish was just awesome. Kane should definitely be used more today, he plays the monster heel role perfectly.
Benoit is backstage and says he's the best. More hype for the HIAC, and it's time for the main event.
JR and King talk about how the HIAC is satan or something and how HBK demanded this match. Apparently this feud had been going on since the Rumble when their title match ended in a double countout and HHH retained. A lot of other stuff happened in between including HBK getting suspended or something. HHH is out first to a decent reaction, HBK gets a huge pop. His entrance is definitely one of the best of all time, it sure sends shivers up and down my spine.
They start out with some basic offense. King says that aren't here to pin each other. Actually, ya, they are. I never really got that phrase. It quickly goes to the outside and they throw each other into the cage, which JR makes sure we know is "unforgiving." HBK is able to take control with some knife edge chops, which have been used in almost every match on the PPV, but not Orton's match, which is kinda strange. HHH is cut open now after being thrown into the cage and HBK is in control. He hits HHH with punches to the head in the corner and the crowd counting along, that's always great, it really gets the crowd into the match. HBK throws out his back or something while trying to pick up HHH and he's in some trouble now. King and JR are already talking about how hard this is to watch and want the ref to stop the match. After watching the whole match and looking back, he probably should have. HHH is using the steel chair now and looks like a corpse, he's just not doing anything. Somehow he does some sort of flip to get away from HHH, but that doesn't last long. HHH is just crushing him now and the crowd is faintly chanting for Trips now. HBK gets thrown into the cell and you can clearly hear someone call him a sissy. That was funny. Back in the ring now, and HHH slams HBK onto the steel chair a few times. BAH GAWD! HBK is somehow able to kick out and throws HHH to the outside, but then he just crumples in the ring. We get HBK chants now, the crowd can't make up it's mind. Maybe that's what this match was lacking. HHH goes for a Pedigree, but HBK hits a low blow on him. The ring steps are involved now and HBK is able to get out of the way just in time and hits some more chops. He hits a kind of odd looking flying forearm out of nowhere, but misses SCM. HHH has the steps again and is able to hit HBK square on the head. That was pretty sick looking. HBK is bleeding now as well.
For those of you who think the PG Era and it's no blood rule are ruining wrestling, you should watch this match. It has a bunch of blood, but that doesn't make it any good. I'd rather see something like Punk/Hardy with no blood than this mess. I don't understand how people could be so pissed off about some that is as insignificant as blood.
HBK is able to kick out again. JR said he can't believe it, but I don't anyone there thought this was the end of the match. This match is just odd, the crowd sort of cares, but not really. They're just popping for the weapons shots now. We get some more of HHH beating on HBK for awhile and even a sleeper hold. O boy! HBK is able to get out and counter a Pedigree with a DDT. We get some solid laying down now from both men and I think I hear some more HHH chants, strange. Some more chair shots now and there's blood everywhere, but his match hasn't gotten any better yet. Maybe they just need more blood? HHH brings the ladder in the ring and hits HBK a few times with it. I really don't care anymore, there are so many weapons shots that it doesn't even matter anymore. JR still cares though and we get a BAH GAWD or two from him. Another missed Pedigree from HHH, that like the eighth one he's attempted, and that means HBK can use the ladder some. This match is just getting slower and slower as it goes on, nothing is really happening here. The match is over 30 minutes now with no end in sight. JR tells us someone is going to win tonight and someone is going to lose tonight. Thanks for reminding me. HBK is able to set up the ladder and hit an elbow on HHH through the table. That was pretty nice. It brings out a "Holy Shit" chant from the crowd, I don't think it was that good, but it was better than everything that's happened to this point. HBK goes for the SCM but HHH is able to counter it into a low blow. Yeah, it looked as weird as it sounds. HHH hits a Pedigree, but he can't cover as he's too tired. JR and King talk about carnage and torture because nothing is actually happening in the ring right now. HBK hits SCM out of nowhere, but he's too tired as well. It takes him about an hour to cover HHH, who unsurprisingly kicks out. We get some more laying on the mat here and King says that the fans are showing their respect to these great competitors. If you mean being very quiet as not to disturb them, I guess you're right. HHH hits another Pedigree followed by a super slow motion pin, and gets the 3 count. Wow, that was a sucky ending. Evolution comes out to carry him off as HBK lies in the ring to end the show.
Winner : Triple H in 47:26 by pinfall.
Rating: 5/10. The match wasn't that horrible, but it was 47 minutes and 26 seconds! That's way, way, way, way too long. After awhile it was just boring as hell as nothing was happening for most of the time. The weapons shots were pretty good, there were about 10 minutes of walking around in between each one of them. If this was 20 minutes shorter it may have been passable, but 47 minutes is just too long.
Final Rating: 5/10. Average, that's exactly what this show was. There was one good match, but aside from that, there was nothing else at all. Aside from the HIAC which ended a feud, there really wasn't really a point to most of these matches. Benoit was extremely impressive here though, definitely the MVP of the PPV, not like there was much competition.
So, thoughts? Do you remember this show? What do you think of the matches? Agree or Disagree?
I'm review PPVs on a schedule to be determined, it could be every few days or every few weeks, it all depends. As for the content, I look for what I think may be interesting. If you have any personal favorites you think I should watch, I'll try to do it given that I can find them. Off we go.
Bad Blood 2004
Date : June 13, 2004
Attendance: 9,000
Venue: Nationwide Arena
City: Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Good ole' JR and Jerry "the King" Lawler
What is the reasoning for picking this PPV? Nothing really. I was just looking through the interwebz for a PPV, and Bad Blood sounded like a cool name. I went with the 2004 version over the 2003 version, because who wants to watch Kevin Nash actually wrestle. This is based off of the In Your House PPV in 1997, which featured the first HIAC match ever between HBK and Undertaker.
This is still during the time of brand exclusive PPVs and this is just for Raw. Benoit is the World Champ coming into this after his victory over HHH and HBK at Wrestlemania 20 and victory in the rematch at Backlash and Kane is the current #1 contender. However, HHH and HBK is the main feud here as their rivalry is finally going to come to an end in the Cell. There are other's matches too, trust me, you'll see.
The opening video is kind of over the top, but it got me excited for the PPV. JR welcomes us mentioning the "demonic" structure hanging above the ring. King is wearing a purple suit jacket, he should stick to shiny T-Shirts. He say hello to the two fat guys at the Spanish Announce Table and we're ready to go.
La Résistance(c) v. Edge and Chris Benoit in a World Tag Team Championship Match
La Resistance (Robert Conway and Sylvain Grenier) are out first and their gimmick is pretty much that they're Canadian. Honestly, I have never heard of them before, but that's just me. They were only around for a couple of years yet were 4 time tag team champs. Shows how easy it is to attain titles in the WWE nowadays. Conway gives us an atrocious singing of the Canadian National Anthem until he is interrupted by the entrance of Edge. That seems rather odd, what kind of person interrupts their own national anthem, regardless of how bad it's sung? Edge is looking pretty strange in all baby blue outfit, I kinda like it though. Apparently Edge can set a record tonight by becoming 10 time Tag Team Champ in the WWE, which is pretty impressive considering this is 5 years ago. Benoit comes out for his first or 2 title matches of the night to a pretty big ovation.
We start off with a big "USA" chant from the crowd. Anti-US gimmicks always work, even if there are not Americans in the match, you're sure to get a good chant going. The faces are in control early and it's clear that Benoit is way more over based on the reactions he gets when he's tagged in as opposed to Edge. After some interference by the heels, Edge is thrown face first into the ring post and they are in control. They have Edge in a resthold as the action's slowed down a little. JR mentions La Resistance winning the titles in Montreal a few weeks ago, King says that the celebration for that wouldn't be as big as if the Expos won the World Series. Ya, I'm gonna have to disagree with that one. Edge is still playing the face in peril as we get basic heel tag team action. Conway and Grenier aren't great, but they aren't horrible either. After a pretty cool looking double neckbreaker by Edge, Benoit is finally tagged in. Benoit is on fire hitting suplexes on both of his opponents. Even though he doesn't get much ring time here, Benoit is by far the most impressive part of this match. He hits some more nice suplexes and gets Conway in the Crossface. Grenier tries to break it up, but he gets a Spear for his trouble. Conway is going to tap, but Kane's music hits as he starts coming down to the ring. This would make sense, except for Conway is still in the Crossface the whole time Kane is walking towards the ring. It has do be for a good 30-45 seconds. How didn't he tap out? Just because Kane was at the top of the entrance ramp? That doesn't make any sense. Anyway, Kane comes into the ring and goes nuts. He beats the crap out of both Benoit and Edge with some chokeslams and hurls Benoit into the ring steps. He says. coming for his title later tonight.
Winners: Chris Benoit and Edge at 10:17 by DQ.
Rating: 6/10. It was a pretty decent opener, but for the most part, nothing really happened aside from Benoit at the end. The other 3 guys really did nothing of note in the match. Kane coming in to interfere was a pretty good move, there was really no reason for Benoit and Edge to win the titles here and it adds some intrigue to the main event.
GM Bischoff is backstage giving Coach a pep talk for his match with Eugene. Eugene is undefeated at this point, but Bischoff wants him gone because he's an embarrassment. He was actually really big for awhile, he even had a match with HHH at Summerslam. Eugene comes in, Uncle Eric assures him he's looking out for him.
We got some more hype for the HIAC, JR says it's about "sheer finality."
Tomko (w/Trish Stratus) v. Chris Jericho
The idea behind this match is that Jericho injured Christian awhile back and Tomko is there to get revenge. We get a replay of Tomko powerbombing Jericho through the announce table on Raw a few weeks ago, that look like it hurt. Jericho comes out and is rocking the long hair at this point, which is always cool.
Pretty good Y2J chant to start, but Tomko quickly takes control. Gets Jericho in the corner and starts hitting the Matt Morgan elbows on him (yes, they are now called Matt Morgan elbows, he's earned it). The fight quickly goes to the outside and Jericho is able to throw Tomko into the ring post, however it doesn't last long as Trish distracts Jericho long enough for him to get crushed by Tomko. The big man is looking pretty good here, much better than I remember him. Some more basic offense from Tomko, but he best thing happening here are all the sexually suggestive marks from King. I tried to keep track, but I simply couldn't. King is just ogling over Trish, he says that Greenspan is wrong and that inflation is a good thing. JR is trying to talk about either Jericho's or Benoit's injured ribs, I can't be sure. Either way King makes sure to remind us that Trish has nice ribs. Thanks King. Jericho is still getting beat down, they keep saying there's no way he can possibly win this, which means he probably will. After Jericho hits a bulldog, Trish tries to interfere again, but Tomko accidentally hits her. He turns right into an Enzuguri from Jericho and the match is over.
Winner: Chris Jericho in 6:03 by pinfall.
Rating: 5/10. This was just an average match. Tomko looked decent, but you knew Jericho was going to win the whole time and he did after not doing anything for pretty much the whole match. This is something that would've better been served for an episode of Raw, but with the brand exclusive PPVs, anything of importance can be contested on Sunday.
JR says this has been an auspicious start to the PPV. How so JR?
We get a review of the current IC Title feud between the champ, Randy Orton, and the challenger, Shelton Benjamin. Benjamin pinned Orton a few times and Orton and Evolution beat him up a few times, pretty standard stuff. Todd is with Orton in the back. Orton says he's a living legend and starts insulting the crowd. Orton talks about how's he's been champion for over six months, which is pretty impressive. He's on a roll at the moment, he'd lose the best to Edge next month, but proceed to beat Benoit at Summerslam to become the youngest champ ever, which led to his face turn. Safe to say it was a good year for Randy. He's much different on the mic then than he is now, and I kind of like it. Orton walks out through the crowd and continues saying things a heel would say. He says he ended Mick Foley's career. Not really, but whatever. As he walks over the barrier into the ring, Orton gives some random fan an extremely creepy look. He just stops talking for a few seconds and stares at her. That was really weird. O shit, here comes Shelton. I don't care how "athletic" he is, he's boring as hell. Apparently the match isn't supposed to start yet, but Shelton wants it now. The ref calls for the bell, and here we go.
Randy Orton (c) v. Shelton Benjamin for the IC Title
Shelton immediately goes for the roll up and almost gets the quick win. JR and King are going at it like preschoolers. King is pissed that Orton has to compete now because he deserves so much better. He really was a pretty shit heel announcer and is just a bad announcer overall. It's just annoying. Shelton looks pretty good to start as we get to see his "athleticism." He hits some nice kicks and throws Orton out of the ring with an armdrag. The 2 are over the railing and fighting in no time. Some brawling on the outside. Since it is mandatory to mention it in every Shelton match, JR raves about how good of a high school athlete Shelton was. Really JR, no one cares. They are in the ring briefly, but are back to the outside again. Really nothing of note happening here. Orton takes control and he is getting some pretty good heat here. Flair comes out in his suit to support Orton at ringside. It's incredible that Flair would still be wrestling for 4 more years after this, he looks really old. Shelton gets a brief couple of shots in, and King says that Orton is pretending to be hurt just like Muhammad Ali. Really King? Are we going to compare Orton to Ali? Really?
Orton wastes some time with restholds. Not that many people seem to care at this point. He goes up top, but Shelton moves out of the way. He almost finishes him with a suplex. Shelton hits nice top rope closeline for another nearfall. JR thought Shelton had the win, but King says JR was premature, and that's the story of his life. Oooh. Burn. We get some Orton chants now, that just shows how boring Shelton is. Benjamin hits the T-Bone, which is his finisher, but Flair moves Orton's foot under the ropes. Flair goes to leave and is doing his silly walk up the entrance ramp, but Shelton chases after him and starts to beat the shit outta him. He bring him in the ring and is dominating both him and Flair. For some reason, he puts the Figure Four on Flair, who isn't his actual opponent. King says this is sacrilegious. I'm pretty sure HIAC is more sacrilegious than this. Orton with a roll up on Shelton for a really nice nearfall. Shelton is somehow able to gain control again and he hits a crossbody from the top rope, but Orton rolls through and grabs the tights for the win.
Winner: Randy Orton at 15:03 by pinfall.
Rating: 6/10. This match was really slow to start and even though it picked up a little towards the end, it just wasn't anything special. I'm not a huge fan or either Orton or Benjamin's in ring work, and this is why. This was just boring for the most part and could've been a little shorter.
We go to Hardy and Lita making out in the locker room. Ewwww. Bischoff kicks Hardy out so that he doesn't interfere in the title match. This is because Kane kissed Lita, or something.
We get some more hype for the HIAC about how it is career threatening and gut wrenching. Still haven't heard anything about the Title Match though.
Trish Stratus (w/Tomko) v. Gail Kim v. Victoria (c) v. Lita for the Women's Championship
Trish is out first to a pretty big reaction. Her music is awesome. King is talking about how he doesn't like lipstick because he likes to taste women, not lipstick. That was creepy. Victoria's theme music is also pretty awesome. "I ain't the lady to mess with, woooooo!" King says it reminds him of "Milkshakes." No King, they don't sound the same at all, maybe you're just thinking of here boobs? Gail Kim and Lita are also here, but there music isn't cool enough to comment on.
Trish immediately bails as the match starts, and Lita follows her to the outside. As Trish and Lita brawl on the outside Victoria hits a nice standing moonsault on Kim. Tomko tries to interfere, but Mike Chioda flips out and ejects him from the match. That was pretty humorous. There are a lot of nearfalls as this match is pretty fast paced. It seems like most of it is Trish and Lita though, as it should be as they are the biggest stars here. Kim is trying submissions on everyone because apparently that's what she does. She gets a pretty cool one with her legs wrapped around Victoria's head, JR called it a "satellite maneuver." After some more stuff, everyone is down. King offers to go out and help them. Seriously, you're just weird. Stop. Lita hits a DDT on Kim out of nowhere, but Trish rolls her up for the win. This makes her the first woman to win 5 Titles, which is pretty cool.
Winner: Trish Stratus at 4:43 by pinfall.
Rating: 5/10. This was ok, but kind of frantic and definitely could've used a couple more minutes. Everyone looked pretty good in the ring, but it was just too short and seemed a little off.
We get a video package for the Eugene/Coach match which was pretty awesome. Eugene was way over at this point, he shoulda been in the main event. Maybe not, but it would've been fun.
Jonathon Coachman v. Eugene
Coach comes out first in a Michigan outfit because we're in Buckeye country. He looks like a gym teacher, to be honest. We are reminded that Coach is undefeated on PPV, which was against Tajiri, and that Eugene is also undefeated. This is a real clash of the Titans. Eugene comes out to a big ovation. Regal, who is his manager at the time, is with him, but can't be at ringside according to Bischoff.
Eugene wants to shake hands and Coach tries to overpower him, but he gets dominated by Eugene. King is basically complaining the whole time but JR says that Eugene is just having fun and living his dream. The whole match is basically just Coach getting owned and comedy spots. They including Eugene rolling around in the fetal position and flipping Coach over, Eugene riding Coach like a horse and spanking him, Coach running back and forth in the ring for about a minute while Eugene is admiring some girl's teddy bear (possibly the one that Orton stared at), Eugene doing the Junkyard Dog headbutt on Coach as well as the fake pee, and some more rolling around. Eventually, some random chick in a bikini comes out with a plate of cookies. Eugene starts to eat them and Coach hits him from behind and the cookies go flying. It doesn't really matter though as Eugene takes control again and hits a pretty nice dropkick. Garrison Cade comes out and rips the teddy bear's head off and is able to hole Eugene against the ropes. For some reason, this isn't a DQ even though the ref is right there. Eugene is able fight him off though and hits a weird looking Rock Bottom followed by the People's Elbow for the win. He gives the ref a hug and starts running around pretending he's an airplane. He hits a stunner on Cade and another one on Coach as Regal comes out to celebrate by playing the "got your nose" trick on Eugene.
Winner: Eugene in 7:38 by pinfall
Rating: 6/10. A lot of people may have hated this match and called it the worst they've ever seen, but it was good for what it was. This match gave you pretty much what was suspected, some comedy spots and a Eugene victory. Comedy characters definitely have a big place in the WWE, they are usually more entertaining than "real" wrestlers and that was the case with Eugene, he was great here.
We finally get some hype for the World Title Match which is up next. We get a replay of Benoit's win at Wrestlemania, which was great. Kane says that he's tired of living in the shadows and the darkness.
Kane v. Chris Benoit (c) for the World Heavyweight Championship
Since this is the best match of the night, I'm going to post the video instead of giving you the play by play, enjoy.
[YOUTUBE]8Y7fE-ERlY4[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]VWUtlFLe19U[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]rtUidZvRtaE[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]VWUtlFLe19U[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]rtUidZvRtaE[/YOUTUBE]
Winner: Chris Benoit by pinfall in 18:20
Rating: 8/10. Easily the match of the night. I thought it started out a little slow, but the last few minutes were just awesome. Both guys were on top of their game and the finish was just awesome. Kane should definitely be used more today, he plays the monster heel role perfectly.
Benoit is backstage and says he's the best. More hype for the HIAC, and it's time for the main event.
Triple H v. Shawn Michaels in the Hell in the Cell Match
JR and King talk about how the HIAC is satan or something and how HBK demanded this match. Apparently this feud had been going on since the Rumble when their title match ended in a double countout and HHH retained. A lot of other stuff happened in between including HBK getting suspended or something. HHH is out first to a decent reaction, HBK gets a huge pop. His entrance is definitely one of the best of all time, it sure sends shivers up and down my spine.
They start out with some basic offense. King says that aren't here to pin each other. Actually, ya, they are. I never really got that phrase. It quickly goes to the outside and they throw each other into the cage, which JR makes sure we know is "unforgiving." HBK is able to take control with some knife edge chops, which have been used in almost every match on the PPV, but not Orton's match, which is kinda strange. HHH is cut open now after being thrown into the cage and HBK is in control. He hits HHH with punches to the head in the corner and the crowd counting along, that's always great, it really gets the crowd into the match. HBK throws out his back or something while trying to pick up HHH and he's in some trouble now. King and JR are already talking about how hard this is to watch and want the ref to stop the match. After watching the whole match and looking back, he probably should have. HHH is using the steel chair now and looks like a corpse, he's just not doing anything. Somehow he does some sort of flip to get away from HHH, but that doesn't last long. HHH is just crushing him now and the crowd is faintly chanting for Trips now. HBK gets thrown into the cell and you can clearly hear someone call him a sissy. That was funny. Back in the ring now, and HHH slams HBK onto the steel chair a few times. BAH GAWD! HBK is somehow able to kick out and throws HHH to the outside, but then he just crumples in the ring. We get HBK chants now, the crowd can't make up it's mind. Maybe that's what this match was lacking. HHH goes for a Pedigree, but HBK hits a low blow on him. The ring steps are involved now and HBK is able to get out of the way just in time and hits some more chops. He hits a kind of odd looking flying forearm out of nowhere, but misses SCM. HHH has the steps again and is able to hit HBK square on the head. That was pretty sick looking. HBK is bleeding now as well.
For those of you who think the PG Era and it's no blood rule are ruining wrestling, you should watch this match. It has a bunch of blood, but that doesn't make it any good. I'd rather see something like Punk/Hardy with no blood than this mess. I don't understand how people could be so pissed off about some that is as insignificant as blood.
HBK is able to kick out again. JR said he can't believe it, but I don't anyone there thought this was the end of the match. This match is just odd, the crowd sort of cares, but not really. They're just popping for the weapons shots now. We get some more of HHH beating on HBK for awhile and even a sleeper hold. O boy! HBK is able to get out and counter a Pedigree with a DDT. We get some solid laying down now from both men and I think I hear some more HHH chants, strange. Some more chair shots now and there's blood everywhere, but his match hasn't gotten any better yet. Maybe they just need more blood? HHH brings the ladder in the ring and hits HBK a few times with it. I really don't care anymore, there are so many weapons shots that it doesn't even matter anymore. JR still cares though and we get a BAH GAWD or two from him. Another missed Pedigree from HHH, that like the eighth one he's attempted, and that means HBK can use the ladder some. This match is just getting slower and slower as it goes on, nothing is really happening here. The match is over 30 minutes now with no end in sight. JR tells us someone is going to win tonight and someone is going to lose tonight. Thanks for reminding me. HBK is able to set up the ladder and hit an elbow on HHH through the table. That was pretty nice. It brings out a "Holy Shit" chant from the crowd, I don't think it was that good, but it was better than everything that's happened to this point. HBK goes for the SCM but HHH is able to counter it into a low blow. Yeah, it looked as weird as it sounds. HHH hits a Pedigree, but he can't cover as he's too tired. JR and King talk about carnage and torture because nothing is actually happening in the ring right now. HBK hits SCM out of nowhere, but he's too tired as well. It takes him about an hour to cover HHH, who unsurprisingly kicks out. We get some more laying on the mat here and King says that the fans are showing their respect to these great competitors. If you mean being very quiet as not to disturb them, I guess you're right. HHH hits another Pedigree followed by a super slow motion pin, and gets the 3 count. Wow, that was a sucky ending. Evolution comes out to carry him off as HBK lies in the ring to end the show.
Winner : Triple H in 47:26 by pinfall.
Rating: 5/10. The match wasn't that horrible, but it was 47 minutes and 26 seconds! That's way, way, way, way too long. After awhile it was just boring as hell as nothing was happening for most of the time. The weapons shots were pretty good, there were about 10 minutes of walking around in between each one of them. If this was 20 minutes shorter it may have been passable, but 47 minutes is just too long.
Final Rating: 5/10. Average, that's exactly what this show was. There was one good match, but aside from that, there was nothing else at all. Aside from the HIAC which ended a feud, there really wasn't really a point to most of these matches. Benoit was extremely impressive here though, definitely the MVP of the PPV, not like there was much competition.
So, thoughts? Do you remember this show? What do you think of the matches? Agree or Disagree?
