Judgment Day

[TheOneBigWill]

TheOneBigWill’s ‘take’ on Judgment Day; May 17th, 2009:

1. C.M Punk v. Umaga:​

This match was every bit of what I figured it’d be, and I couldn’t have been more happy about it. While I still think the Company’s route in leading Punk down the way of constantly dropping big show matches is a bit stupid, the fact is they’re making him look strong in losing. That’s not as easy to do, as most would think.

C.M Punk took every bit of what Umaga gave him, and fought back multiple times in making me think throughout the entire contest that he might actually have that slim chance of winning. While I never felt he would, the fact is I thought he could at certain points, and that’s the key. I firmly think they’re pushing Punk in the right direction, yet still the wrong way.

What I mean by that is this - Punk needs to WIN matches, AND look strong. Not look strong, yet weak in the end and constantly losing the big matches against guys just because they’re larger. Kane defeated him and had roughly NO offense. Umaga tore Punk a new ass tonight, and took Punk’s move-set as well, which is how EVERY match should go to a degree. It leaves the winner to be undecided until the very end.

All in all, this was one of the best matches of the night. Punk is proving to me, as many I’m sure, that he can indeed compete with bigger guys. Unfortunately, he hasn’t yet learned how to defeat them when he truly needs to. 4 outta 5

2. E.C.W Championship: Christian © v. Jack Swagger:​

I think this contest was somewhat shorter than Backlash, and it definitely wasn’t no where near as good. I don’t even have a lot to say about this match, because quite honestly it was easily forgettable. Christian retained in the rough same fashion he won the title in the first place. He out-smarted Swagger, and won how Swagger would’ve won but once again got caught trying.

I think this is leading up to Christian finally being caught one day, then dropping the title at that point perhaps. Regardless, I’m sure the Swagger/Christian feud isn’t yet over, but hopefully we don’t get another one-on-one contest, not even a gimmick match for One Night Stand, because after tonight, I’m confident neither man can go again without completely tarnishing themselves, their feud, and what little luster the E.C.W title had left. 2 outta 5

3. John Morrison v. Shelton Benjamin w/ Charlie Haas:​

Similar to the Punk match, I kinda called this contest before it happened and it didn’t disappoint through what I expected. The only thing I was rather shocked in, was Morrison is getting cheered. When the fuck did this start happening? Like, I realize they’re pushing him as a face - but it’s Morrison, he still doesn’t strike me as face material, but after tonight he does strike me as a young Shawn Michaels mold.. Even straight down to the look and the charisma.

The match itself almost killed both men, as each one botched a few moves and had the other literally stumbling forward and inward just to make sure the other didn’t break their neck. Morrison’s most “electric” move of the night was a 450 from inside the ring, to the outside - and Benjamin had to literally rush forward just to “act dazed” and get hit by the photo-opt moment in the making. On the flip side of that, Benjamin almost broke Morrison’s neck on the opening suplex, as well as the Power bomb that had Morrison fall awkwardly into the middle section.

In the end, Haas tried to interfere and I’m happy to see another former great Tag team seemingly back together, but it still didn’t help the apparent Super-push that Morrison seems to be receiving. Morrison won with his corkscrew spinning moonsault. 3 outta 5

In-Ring Segment: The Miz, Santino Marella & Chavo Guerreo:​

Earlier in the night, it needs to be known that Edge had some type of conversation w/ Vickie that Chavo tried listening in on, but couldn’t make anything out. Upon leaving, Edge bitches Chavo out in saying that he is worthless and isn’t even defending his Aunt’s honor against the cross-dresser calling her a Pig. Well, that gets replied to, in this segment. But first.. THE MIZ!

Miz basically cuts a promo on Chicago’s sport’s teams and local players sitting around ringside. Pretty hilarious stuff, too. I suggest rewatching this segment, as it could’ve been Miz’s best mic-work yet. The whole point of the bashing is basically Miz’s continuation of his “feud” with Cena, in which he’s now 4-0 in because he claimed Cena wouldn’t face him tonight, so he challenged a Cena replacement (Cub’s baseball player) that refused as well.

Before Miz could leave, and in an honestly disappointing appearance - we get Santino, instead of the bigger hope of possibly M.V.P, or Mr. Kennedy. Regardless, Santino has somehow gone from heel to face almost over night and in a dress. Amazing. Miz & Santino get into a scuffle until Miz knocks Santino out, leaving him laying in the ring. This brings out Chavo, who hit’s a Frog Splash on Santino then berates him and “honors” his Aunt.

4. Intercontinental Championship: Rey Mysterio © v. Chris Jericho:​

While it wasn’t anything near their W.C.W work - I, myself told everyone to not expect it to be. Jericho had a promo basically promising to win tonight, which he later failed to do. No mention of the mask was even made, yet during the match Jericho did rip at the mask to-which the commentators made remarks of that being disrespectful.

This contest could’ve been better, and I say that only because 70% or more of the entire match was spent with Mysterio finding new ways to post Jericho onto the ropes and attempt a 6.1.9, only to fail time and time again before finally hitting an awkward version with Jericho more in the turnbuckles and corner, and picking up the victory.

Regardless, both men can still go with each other and that was proven in between all the failed 6.1.9 attempts. I can only hope we see more from these two, but that might not be in the making. Who truly knows.. Oh, one last note - I was hyped in thinking if Jericho would’ve won, he’d have become a 9 time Intercontinental Champion. That in and of itself would’ve been huge for the title, because it would’ve added more credibility and prestige to it, I believe. 3.5 outta 5

5. W.W.E Championship: Randy Orton © v. Batista:​

Once again, I was amazingly surprised and happy at the turn around in this match-up. The ending was stupid, and the beginning was slow, but once it picked up and almost every bit of the middle to end was amazing and their best work together, yet.

Orton played his role as top heel perfectly. He also carried Batista (in my opinion) in making him look like an unbeatable Super face. Orton couldn’t capitalize on anything, and Batista seemed to constantly stop Orton from sneaking out of the match by count-out and disqualification until the very end when Orton just blatantly slapped the Official.

The ****** part that made me take a half credit off this match was the ending. Two parts to the ending, really. First, Orton slaps the official when he should’ve low-blowed Batista and hit an R.K.O, or at least got Disqualified for hitting a low blow on Batista. Second, Ric Flair.

When I heard his music hit, I thought I’d accidentally flipped it to Ring of Honor. How much shit is this, that Flair is a “spokes-person” for R.O.H, yet he’s coming back to the W.W.E to possibly get in a feud with the future of the Company?! Flair needs to simply go away, and now not even “I” can defend him being there. Oh yeah, they never did truly explain who WON this match, as it looked like Batista was ticked off - yet I’m sure that was because Orton was Disqualified and retained his title that way. Regardless, this was still there best match to date. 4.5 outta 5

6. Grudge Match: The Big Show v. John Cena:​

We go from the best match of the night, to the worst. I said it, I fucking KNEW IT. Leave it to the W.W.E to build their Giant into a destruction device, only to job his tall, fat worthless ass out to their Golden boy who got his ass handed to him throughout this entire match-up. This is a reverse C.M Punk role.

Cena came into the contest with the announcer’s saying he wasn’t anywhere near 100% - yet he ends up winning in the end?! So what’s that make the Big Show? You know, besides completely useless, worthless and no longer believable as a credible top Superstar.

The funny thing that got me is, Cena could lock in the S.T.F.U on Khali a year or two ago, yet he can’t reach on the inch or two smaller Big Show. What’s more confusing, is how Big Show can completely dominate and destroy John Cena’s ribs, yet in the end.. Cena isn’t just capable of picking Big Show up for an Attitude Adjustment, he’s able to hit it, cover Show and roughly no-sell ANY pain what so ever. WHY?!

Big Show was robbed in this contest, and not by Cena.. But the Creative fucking minds that felt it’d be hilarious for Show to destroy Cena, only for Cena to hit ONE MOVE roughly and win the match. Absolutely un-fucking-acceptable. 0 outta 5

7. World Heavyweight Championship: Edge © v. Jeff Hardy:​

The whole basis surrounding this match-up was the announcer’s playing Hardy off as a poker player who’s constantly putting everything on the line to win. I suppose I could’ve guessed the real ending through all the rumored endings based on Jim Ross’s comments of “If you put it all on the line each time, you’re gonna lose everything”.

Was this match entertaining? Parts. Was this match new? No. Was the ending something we haven’t seen before? Not really. So why was this the Main Event over Orton/Batista and the surprise return of Ric Flair?! Because a phony commercial leak tried claiming Hardy might win the title - because he’s in the commercial, advertising One Night Stand as Champion?! Meh.. Morons.

Bottomline, the only parts of this match that were worth watching were the spots. Edge’s spear on Hardy, and Edge’s Edge-u-cution (which, J.R, is a FUCKING DDT - NOT A SUPERPLEX!) off the top rope to win the match.

Fuck all, even Matt Hardy got involved again - and I’m questioning if that’s gonna lead us to another pointless Hardy/Hardy showdown in yet another gimmick contest. I sure hope not. Again, I just at this point hope Hardy leaves.. he doesn’t like the business anymore, as I’ve already said, so just fucking go. A beam falling from the top of the ceiling can do the same amount of “explosive offense” as you, you worthless piece of shit. 2.5 outta 5

Overall Thoughts:​

It definitely wasn’t nearly as exciting as Backlash was, but they’re still on the right track after Wrestlemania with a lot of decent under-card match-ups. I’m hoping for more Jericho/Mysterio, and we’ll likely get another Cena victory over the worthless Show. Orton and Legacy may be taking on Batista and Flair in a handicap match for the World title at the gimmick Pay per view, somehow with the title being on the line again in a Tag match? Flair for 17 time World Champion, anyone? I wouldn’t discount it.

Honestly, the ONLY part of this Pay per view I was holding out hope for.. Was Punk cashing in, in his hometown. Alas, Punk lost - then never even had another segment or appearance tonight, which for being the hometown boy and arguably getting THE largest pop of the night, I believe was still a hugely missed opportunity to at least tease a Punk “cash-in” for the final match that truly was not Main Event worthy over the other Championship match. Overall, I’d give the show a solid 3.5 outta 5.

 

[JonnyPyro]

Now, don't let the title alone get you riled up. I actually liked a good portion of Judgement Day. It had a very phenomenal match between Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio, not to mention a very solid undercard as well as a very entertaining microphone segment. I'm kind of curious to whether or not Santino's going to be allowed to actually fight now, as long as he passes the metal detectors unscathed.

My rant though, pertains to the main events. First off... why in the blue hell was Big Show vs Cena AFTER the WWE Championship match with your TOP GUY? I thought, when it was coming up: "Hey, maybe they're going to injure Cena so he can go film that other movie..."

WRONG. What we ended up with was the stereotypical Super-Cena match where he went through a supposedly billion-watt spotlight a month ago, and was able to persevere through the "injuries" that he received that night to hit his five moves of doom and get the win so he can go hug Alfonso Soriano and his weird mouth. How much more do we need to get Cena shoved down our throats that he's the most special piece of shit that Vince McMahon has? Don't get me wrong, I respect the man behind the performer and his amazing work ethic... but WWE needs to straighten out their booking on him to make sure that people over the age of 12 cheer for the bastard. Make him realistic like all of us. The best characters are those that do have their flaws, their vices. Even HHH has them, and he's been in those situations where he was storyline banged up, fighting someone that is an overbearing powerhouse, and actually lost. Or, got lucky with a win. Not hit his entire offensive arsenal after robo-selling a sore tummy, and get the clean win.

Secondly: That WWE Title match was absolutely ******ed. And re-hashed. And I think very damaging to Legacy. Not that the Flair and Batista hot beatdown was damaging, but the fact that their leader had to resort to a bitch smack to the referee to win. Take a page out of Christian's book and cheat... or hell, actually make it up the ramp and out of the arena. Or get the weapon shot in... not these little pissy endings that hardly work on free-TV... not our $40 PPVs.

Thirdly: The WHC match... I'm sick of seeing the same thing over and over again. Did anybody else feel refreshed to see CM Punk legitimately beating Edge and presenting a new, full challenge to him? The point of the draft is to give us some fresh blood. HHH is out with injury, as is Michaels and Taker: Plenty of room for new guys to step up, or a swapped main eventer to get in the face of the formerly other show's champion. Not give us two main events with guys that are probably out sometime this year in matches we've already seen. Jeff vs Edge? Same exact ending as the Royal Rumble. Matt screws Jeff, who somehow will still fight even though the feud was supposed to be over and both are on separate shows. Have Matt heal and show Jeff up on his own terms, and have him rub it in our face every step of the way... not resorting back to the storyline loop that he's been stuck in since January.

Now, that undercard: It was absolutely amazing. I enjoyed Punk vs Umaga, and had an idea that Punk may luck out a win after being dominated by a bigger, more powerful Umaga. They need to work on him being persistent and capable of overcoming the odds. Unfortunately, they didn't do it here, but I'm hoping that they have Punk working to find a way to beat Umaga before he hopefully challenges the Champion to an actual match at a PPV, instead of a bitch cash in. Learn the lessons of his ass-fucking last reign, you WWE Creative-tards.

Rey vs Jericho: 'Nuff said. Absolutely amazing, and I think has been my favorite match to watch this year, even over the drawn out Taker vs Michaels. I love how Rey can still work through an injury and have a great match.

Christian vs Swagger: Re-hashed, yes... but still damn entertaining. Swagger was trying a few different things, and managing to keep being very dominant to Christian, who returned the favor of cheating to Swagger again. I'd like to see some new blood after the belt though, maybe get a 3way with Dreamer and Swagger next month.

Jo-Mo vs Shelton: Very awesome. Morrison's my favorite by far, and there's nothing that he can't do. He's getting better on the microphone, his character entertains me, and his ring prowess is staggering. I love his arsenal, and the springboard 450 was just the icing on the cake. I don't like the split-legged moonsault as a finisher though, because it's hard to aim right and make it seem like it's hitting a finishing impact.

So, good show, but I'm getting tired of seeing a lot of the same old bullshit. Even my girlfriend (who I converted to a wrestling fan) said the exact same thing.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

NOFATE'S JUDGMENT DAY REVIEW

Well, unfortunately, I was unable to watch the first three matches, due to stream issues. Fucking impossible to find working streams, it seems. I spent a full hour and a half trying to get it sorted out. Ridiculous.

Anyway, from what I've heard, Umaga beat Punk, which is good, as it allows Punk to beat him with weapons at Extreme Rules and they both can walk out of it stronger. Christian retained, which isn't too much of a surprise, but I wonder what they're going to do with the Dreamer storyline now. And Morrison won in what I'm hoping was a phenomenal match that I get to watch real soon lol.

Intercontinental Championship: Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho
--Very typical Mysterio match, as you could predict three-quarters of it. What I did like, though, was that spot with Jericho giving Rey the backbreaker. And I loved how twice in a row, they teased as 619 and it came up short. My dad and I simultaneously said "he's gonna hit it now" on the third one, and were both surprised that they didn't pull the trigger on that one. Glad, too. Until Mysterio pull the won out. Blah. I kind of wanted him to win, as he's better suited for the IC title than Jericho, but still...I don't like Mysterio lol.

WWE Championship: Randy Orton vs. Batista
--Pretty good. Orton was the star of this match, by far, though. You could tell that he was calling the shots, and I guess this is why his matches with HHH sucked so badly. HHH is a better performer than Batista, but man, this match was 10x better than the crap we've seen between Hunter and Orton lately. Orton had some great heel moments in this match, which were fun. The ending sucked though. They didn't even announce the outcome of it. Just rang the bell and that's it. And FLAIR? What the fuck, man....just retire already. He has no purpose being here. I really hope that was just an off thing and he's not getting involved in this storyline.

The Big Show vs. John Cena
--Horrible. The entire match was just Big Show punching Cena, then walking around as Cena grunted and rolled on the floor. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. And enough with the superman shit. Cena supposedly has internal injuries that are so damaging that he can't even walk right, and you mean to tell me he not only can take all those gut punches, but he can also take 450 lbs landing on him with a Vader Bomb, and STILL have enough strength to do ONE MOVE to win the match by picking up this huge guy, and then he's all energized again afterwards? Bullshit. The crowd was noticeably bored and rightfully so. They focused more on chanting the opposite of what the other half of the crowd was saying, rather than paying attention to the match itself.

World Heavyweight Championship: Edge vs. Jeff Hardy
--After the Big Show/Cena match, I was falling asleep, and this didn't help me either. Its a shame, as Edge and Hardy are two of my favorites, and I've enjoyed their other matches. Tonight, though, it just flatlined. I thought Matt was done with Jeff, too. Lame. Its both a touch of sanity and a touch of "wtf" to have Edge win with such a standard move at the end, too. Gives him a little more credibility, and if Hardy is really on his way out, you might as well make him take a few bullets to give Edge some extra boosts.

 

[Chrisjeffers]

I was watching an older episode of wcw.... And its crazy how simular the matches and the lay out and the main event interveiws.... its all been done on wcw... But I'm not complaining! I really liked wcw! I was so disappointed that wcw went under.... But I cannot say i didn't see it coming!
I watched Judgement day.... I will have to say that I enjoyed the Cena/ Big Show match.... Now if you don't know.... I got my negative rep by bashing Cena! But honestly.... he impressed me... I was expecting a snore fest! One superstar I dislike.... and another superstar that has problems getting out of bed!

Shelton vs Morrison was imo the best match of the night! did anyone see a morrison face turn? I never seen that coming!

CM Punk Vs Umaga.... I am starting to like punk.... Umaga is one of my favs.... I am glad that they would rather have punk lose then have a fluke win!

Orton vs Batista.... I seen it ending in a dq.... Nothing surprising about that! But I thought someone would interfere on on of their behalf.

Christian vs Jack Swagger.... OMG! Does anyone else see the connection these two have? I was sooooo entertained.... I even felt bad for swagger.... Swagger needs to have a vet manage him for a bit...... Anyone else think this is a job for paul haymen?

Jericho vs Rey Rey... Disappointed that Jericho didn't win.... But honestly, Jericho can win the world title and Rey really can't! It was really entertaining nevertheless!

Edge vs Jeff Hardy.... I really hate to say this cause I like seeing Jeff with the world title.... But Jeff vs edge isn't entertaining anymore! It was 10 years ago...... but not now! Also Jeff doesn't seem like the best choice for champion..... I think he would be better suited doing the same thing kane does..... make a 1 on 1 match a triple threat.... Thats where I think he shines! If Jericho was in that match Jeff would have won..... But lucky for us we don't need to watch edge win back the title.... he still has it!

Santino/Miz was so funny! But the cross dressing woman beating thing doesn't settle well with me! I wish he could be a little more serious with his matches! The Miz is annoying and boring and has no place in wwe..... HE LOST TOUGH ENOUGH! why couldn't that be the end of it?

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Meh, solid enough. I didnt expect as much as many others seemed to, but it wasnt a bad show IMO.

Morrison seems to be getting over very well, so thats cool. Hopefully they get him out of this program with Shelton before he gets killed.

So...is Santino turning face? seems as such. I never realized how well that would most likely work. The lovable loser.

crowd was ok, WONDERFULLY smarky, as The Rosemount Horizon always is. Loved it. Overall, id say it was a show that had potential to be much more, but ended up just being solid. B-

 

[Dave]

Yeah if I was to give it a grade, it would probably B-. It was definitely one of WWE's better PPV's but they could have done a lot worse. I think I am gonna like the direction Legacy are gonna go in. Maybe a feud with Evolution is in the near future. I would pay to see that. I thought the Orton/Batista match was good, better than I expected anyway. The match that stood out for me was Morrison and Benjamin. Both of these guys definitely deserve a good push just now.

 

[Wrestling_No-logicX]

Now on a serious note i thought Judgment day sucked, it was poorly put together, the only good match was morrison and shelton but even they fucked up as well. when morrison did the double front flip shelton was too far back and had to run to catch the move.. Why does wwe have to make the ppv's suck, i mean cena and big show was done already end that quick, cm punjk umaga was a decent match, jericho (future ic champion) and mysterio was ok, but the worst was hardy and edge, there is no point, batista and orton sucked Orton was good batista is just muscle. Santino and Miz mic skills were really good and i hope wwe takes this storyline to the bank,, As of that i think it was a D and what prevents me from making it an F is morrison and shelton, that is all, anyone like to comment..

 

[The Todd]

Right, I haven't seen the PPV but I've read all the results and peoples reviews so I am commenting on storylines and if the result was right or not.

Morrison Benjamin is apparantly a botch fest with flippies, so about 18 threads started today about how it should have been a no#1 contenders match perhaps? As for the storyline, Morrison winning was right. He can now move up the ladder and face someone better. Shelton can re-start his tag team.

I don't care for Christian one bit, but him cheating to win is a nice little interesting development. It does seem like this one isn't over though but another one on one match will overkill it.

Punk Umaga did the right thing. Yes Punk needs to be built up to be champion material, but Umaga needs to be an unstoppable force leading to a feud with 'Taker. Punk should get a win at Extreme Rules.

I've heard people say Big Show should have won, fuck off. We don't need Show as a main event monster, he sends the building to sleep. Yep, an AA with the injuries isn't the way it should have ended, but Cena damn should have won.

Edge beating Hardy is a good thing. I like these both a lot, and will try to match this match if possible, but Edge going over after a Matt run in is good. We shouldn't think just because the hardy feud is over that Matt suddenly wouldn't hate Jeff. When they'e in the same building he should be seeking him out. And Edge has a reign with a successful defence for once. Everyone's a winner.

Jericho Mysterio sounds brilliant. I liked having Mysterio win. It gives Jericho more to be pissed off with and very soon he will snap. I love the direction his character is going. And the IC title got successfully defended ona PPV. Good stuff.

Orton had to defend his title, and I like how they make it seem Orton can't beat him. What I HATE is Flair being back. He was stale int he company for ages, his retirement made him interesting to me and now he is back involved in storylines. Flair, HBK, HHH and Batista against Legacy it seems to be ending up as at this moment in time.

So all the results were correct in my eyes but I am not hearing great things, so the actual wrestling must have been awful.

 

[psykohurricane]

To resume my thought on this ppv i going to say this, The first four matches were great. They had a lot of action and near falls and drama and i was into them and i was hoping that the big matches would delivers has much as these matches did. I even like the Santino/Miz segment, which was funny and entertaing, especially when Santino was conparing WWE Superstars to animals. But then, the 3 main event started and it was the most boring stuff i ever saw in my life. First i got to say that if they are going to book Orton's title reign the same way they did the last time, just have him drop the title to HHH as quickly as possible because last night match was just a boring mess and the ending was the lamess ending i saw since the Orton/cena match at last year's No Way Out. Talking of Cena, his match with Big show was the worst match on the card, the fact that even with big show beating him up within a each of his life and probably having intenal injury from all the shot he took on those broken ribs, he still able to lift the big show for the F-U. That just stupid, i know Cena is still a big money maker for the company but still, would it hurt them to use a little common sense once in a while. Has for Edge vs JEff HArdy, it was a good match and it liked that they continue the matt vs jeff feud. That way they got an exit strategy if Jeff Leave at the end of the summer. But the thing was that the other 2 matches were so boring that it didn'T make a difference really. I just didn'T cared anymore.

3 weeks ago, i decided to not take backlash because it look boring and i didn'T cared, but i was wrong because it was a great ppv and i miss it because of what i thought of the card. Looking at the judgment day card, it made me want to buy it because the card looked really good, and for the most part i wasn'T dissapointed but if Cena vs Show and Orton vs BAtista is the best that Raw can give on PPV, just make the monthly PPV, Smackdown and ECW exclusive because the most boring part of the whole show last night was the RAw side of thing just like Raw as been for the last month.

 

[Dragonslayer]

Well I guess I have to agree with the general consensus that some parts just didn't make hell of a lot sense. Now the outcomes of the matches I suppose were alright; good to see Morrison win, he appears to be in for a major push now... now that he's being turned face, and it also seems to be working, I can see Edge/Morrison and especially Jericho/Morrison on the horizon, both of which are quite fresh and should also be pretty damn good.

Mysterio needs to keep the IC title, and for a good, solid run. Not that I like him that much, but Jericho is way above that, and him winning the IC and being forced back into the mid-card scene is just... wrong. Mysterio has enough credibility as a former World champion to give some of that back to the IC belt, but only if he can have a solid run. And he should drop it to someone in the mid card ultimately, not some actual main event level guy like Jericho.

Orton and Edge both retaining is also good, especially Edge should not lose the belt again that quickly... and neither should Orton. But well, Orton's days seem numbered anyway, because whenever Trips comes back... ah we all know what that means.

But Cena/Show... c'mon. Really?! Is this necessary?! Aside from the fact that we've seen Show vs Cena for like 130913 times now, this is ridiculous. For starters, this match has to go all the way into the undercard, at least DEFINITELY before Mysterio vs Jericho; that match should have priority alone for the fact that it is for the IC title - which should by all means mean more than Cena vs Show for... nothing. Secondly, not only does it get listed above the IC title, it even gets billed as more important than the freakin' WWE title? Oh please... And all that when finally, WWE seemed to have realized that Supercena doesn't work with about 3/4 of their audience (basically everyone who is in or beyond puberty), and actually had him lose on several occasions in big match situations... but now they're going back to doing exactly the same stuff that led to Cena's situation being as miserable as it now is (and by that I mean that he just isn't able to do his job - he's supposed to be the uber-face, but he gets half cheered and half jeered, so something definitely ISN'T right)?! Where is the point in that? I mean, last year, we had Big Show knocking The Undertaker (THE FREAKING UNDERTAKER!!!) out with ONE MEASLY PUNCH, but Cena, despite being thrown into a huge searchlight and being manhandled by Show for weeks so he's barely able to walk, in the end gets Show's 500 pound ass lifted? Dabble-Yuh-Tee-Eff!??!

I mean, I have no problems with Cena, because he really seems to do a lot for the business and his work ethic appears to be off the charts... but the way WWE is booking him is just... nah, I don't think there is a word fit to discribe the utter idiocy of that. I mean, hell, did Vince print a huge poster and hang it up in Creative's office that reads: "Whatever you do, remember: CENA = GOD", just as an "inspiration" to his creative team?! Cena really needs to be made into a human being, instead of being served in the same crap way that already didn't work the way it was supposed to 2 years ago. What in the blue hell makes WWE think it will work now?! I would really wish for Cena to be given a halfway decent role, because he definitely has a lot of potential... but this way, they are just wasting that. And Show in the process, but that doesn't really matter too much anyway. Unless Show drops some weight again soon, he won't last too long anymore either. Which is a bit sad as I kind of like Big Show, for a man his size, he is pretty awesome, and his mic work could be worse... but he's just been around too long I guess, and there's nothing left to do with him really. But Cena, he's still Vince's golden boy... but if he is to remain that, Vince also needs to realize that it's 2009 and not 1989.

Now I'm kinda curious as to how HHH/Orton will continue... since we all know that Trips actually would need to stay out of the title picture for a while, but at the same time we all know that if there's one thing in WWE that WON'T happen, it's Trips going long without some gold to help him be important. And even if it isn't Triple H who goes after Orton next... it'll still be Cena, Batista or HBK as the few remaining faces, and we've also seen that before. This just really goes to show that the draft did more good for Smackdown and the talent there than it did for RAW, just as many here on the boards predicted, even though WWE might not realize this.

On SD, though, if they want Punk to cash his MITB in anytime soon, they really need to start a side-program with him and Edge or something. Like, Punk constantly trying to freak Edge out by being around all the time, hinting he might just cash in "anytime", and Edge getting paranoid about it... Ah but well, that's just speculation. In any case, from what I've seen/heard, Judgment Day was not too bad, but also not quite as good as it could've been. Let's see how they move on now after having two pretty decent shows with Backlash and JD.

 

[Davey McBoy]

I thought the pay per view did what it was supposed to. Its still pretty soon after Wrestlemania and Judgment Day did a decent job of keeping things simmering and moving along. It was good to see a show from Chicago, always a good crowd.

Umaga was kept strong and wasn't taken off his feet too much unless it was a high flying move on the outside and Punk looked good while still putting over Umaga's offense.

I enjoyed Christian vs Swagger. I liked seeing Christian cheat to win and shove it in Swagger's face. The old school fans loved it and its a kind of open ended finish that leaves a lot of possibilities. I can only see ECW TV improve. Nice little feud going there.

Morrison going over was a good move obviously. Yes the match left a bit to be desired but I think they are focusing on just gradually pushing Morrison like they did with HBK. I understand Benjamin is happy in his current role and he made Morrison look great. Will be interesting to see what they do with JoMo over the next few months.

Not much to say about Big Show and Cena, however I think they had the best match possible. Cena was 110% into it as usual and Show was as intimidating as ever. With Cena getting a clean win against Show this early you have to think Cena will be moving onto Miz and Show will possibly dive back into the Edge/Vickie/Chavo chasm so we can get some kind of resolution to that whole deal, but you never know.

I enjoyed Mysterio vs Jericho. They work great together and always put on a great match. Good to see the title retained on PPV, it will make Jericho mad and we should see some kind of dastardly act by Jericho on TV in the next few weeks to really get this feud rolling.

Edge vs Hardy was an interesting one from a smark perspective. Edge's win was dirty but it was Matt who essentially caused it. Could mean that either Jeff is staying with the company or that his real 'bow-out' match will be to putt Matt over once his hand is healed up. Not much to say about the match. Usual Jeff in peril. Jeff not in peril. Dirty finish keeps Jeff sympathetic.

As for Orton vs Batista, solid as it could have been. Not surprised the Chicago crowd wasn't that into it but the match itself wasn't a barn burner or anything. As for Flair, I'm rather conflicted. Having him in there throwing chops and punches made me pretty mad but at the same time, its the Naitch. Its not the coming out of retirement that made me mad (look at Terry Funk) its just that the retirement seemed so far from a work. Just about every guy still alive who Flair had worked was in the ring to send him off, his family was there and Taker even broke Kayfabe in front of the house. It just seemed to me as a long time fan that this was Flair's gift back in return for the 30+ years worth of mile after mile, bump after bump that he put on his body. The way he had to sacrifice spending time with his family and the alcohol problems he developed.

The point is, I was happy to see Flair finally freed from pro wrestling. He had lived through it all and I thought the retirement was legit and he had made the decision to get out. The fact that he and WWE are treating it like a Funk retirement or a Rolling Stones/Cher farewell monstrosity where they just come back a year later and we're all supposed to accept it because that's we way it goes in entertainment kind of sickens me. We all bit the retirement bait. I'm gonna say shame on us for believing it.

Edit - Actually could be Santino in a program with Miz. If so I'm not sure what the clean win over Show tonight was for. Sure, it was supposed to be Cena fighting back and overcoming the searchlight injury but back in the day that kind of big injury would be sold for months on end and giving it all back on a minor PPV so early in the WWE year may have cheapened Cena somewhat, though you never know what will happen and it could be building to something else.

 

[Pimpin]

I watched the PPV & honestly I thought all the Smackdown matches were great as I don't get Smackdown down here in San Diego.

Smackdown Matches:

Edge/Jeff match: I thought both of them put on a show as their match was really entertaining to me. I also liked how Matt interfered in the matchup & it looks like The Hardyz feud will be continuing once Matt's hand heals. The great thing about this is that they actually let Edge have a successful title defense for once.

Rey Rey/Jericho match: This match was definitely the match of the night as both men were exciting in the ring. I think Rey Rey winning this match is the right decision as he needs a decent reign to bring prestige back to the title & Jericho is a bit above the title in my opinion.

Morrison/Benjamin match: Great matchup as it definitelty solidifies Morrison's face turn that has been going on for the past few weeks. Now Morrison can go on to face better opponents while Shelton goes back to team with Haas & add to the fledging tag team division.

Punk/Umaga match: This was a decent matchup, but hopefully at One Night Stand or whatever the hell the name of that pay per view is, that Punk will be built stronger & beat Umaga cause having the Money In The Bank briefcase holder looking weak is well idiotic.

Now I thought that the RAW matches just sucked big time as all the matches were just a bore to me.

RAW matches:

Cena/Big Show match: This was by far the worst match of the night. It's beyond me that they keep booking Cena like he's fucking Superman or a poor man's version of Hulk FUCKING Hogan, by making Cena pick up the 500 pound fat fuck & hit him with the FU & not sell any of the supposed pain that he endured despite supposedly having internal injuries that are so bad that he can barely be able to walk. This was by far the most bullshit matchup of the night.

Orton/Batista: This was a bore & i'm mainly talking about Roidtista's part in the matchup. It's kinda hard watching this match without falling asleep as that's what I almost did. I thought the ending of the match was stupid. First Orton should have low blowed Batista instead of bitch slapping the ref & Flair coming out, What in fucks name is up with that. I am seriously dreading on what the fuck is about to happen with this angle as we will have Ric Flair added to the angle. I think Flair should just stay the fuck away from the business for good.

Miz/Chavo/Santino segment: I liked how he said that Morrison was Marty Jannetty as he thinks that he is the breakout star of the Miz/Morrison team(yeah right). I thought Miz really shined in his promos as he trashed the city of Chicago, the Cubs & Alfonso Soriano. Miz's continuation of his feud with Cena in which he now claims he is 4-0 against him as he says that Cena didn't wanna face him tonight, so he challenged Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano but he didn't accept the challenge.

Now onto the disappointing appearance. Instead of having someone more deserving to come out & confront The Miz. We instead get the crossdresser Santino Marella & now he has turned from an unfunny & unentertaining heel into an unfunny & unentertaining face complete with a dress. Miz eventually knocks his happy ass out & Chavo comes in & hits him with Eddie's Frog Splash.

ECW Matches:

Christian/Swagger match: A rehashed match that went a bit shorter than their matchup at Backlash, but it wasn't bad, but not great either. I think this is gonna lead up to where Christian is gonna be caught cheating one of these days. I would rather have Christian face someone else for the title as I think that this feud is gonna start to get boring soon.

Overall I thought the Smackdown matches were fantastic, the RAW matches sucked, the ECW match was average & the in ring segment was well not great.

 

[Leeds Guy]

Judgement Day was much better than backlash and way better than Wrestlemania, the only problem I had with it was the Cena - Big Show match. I dont dislike Cena or Big Show but this match was boring it just sucked all the energy from the PPV, I didnt even care about Cena lifting Big Show after he was ment to be injured because I just wanted the match to be over.... quite possibly the worst match i've seen this year.

Umanga Vs Punk.
I was suprisingly into this match quite a bit, I will admit i'm not a fan of Punk and dont think Umaga is anything decent either but this match worked really well. I didn't really agree with Umaga winning as it makes the future champion Punk look really weak, but it was a good match nonetheless.

Chrstian Vs Swagger.
I knew Christian would get the win and I loved how he did it using heel tactics against a heel. The match itself was decent not as good as the Backlash match they had but still pretty good.

Morrison Vs Shelton.
This match was alright. Morrision has started doing more spots than Jeff Hardy so i expect most of the IWC to turn on him soon, the flip to the outside that he did was pretty sweet though even if it did seem a bit botched. Starship Pain is a god awful name for that finisher though. Shelton got some decent offense in and for once didn't bore me to sleep and I liked Haas getting invloved to help out Shelton a bit. Decent match.

Mysterio vs Jericho
I think this was the match of the night and its clear to me why Jericho requested to work with Rey as they work so well together. Really good match between these two with loads of near falls, Mysterio seems to have upped his game since the EC at NWO and Jericho was his usual self. Best match of the night.

Batista Vs Orton
This match was alright, nothing we haven't seen before though. Typical Orton tactics to get away with the title after slapping the ref. The main talking point came after the match with legacy beating oown Batista Ric Flair came down to make the save. I hope this isn't a return for Flair full time as it would make his retirement last year the night after Raw pretty pointless. Questions arise for Legacy though, they couldn't take out Shane properly and now got there arses whooped by Flair. It makes them look really weak.

Hardy Vs Edge
I liked this match, but I would do as I am a fan of both Edge and Hardy. It brought back some energy after the borefest that was Cena Vs Big Show. Started off with some mat wrestling and then built its pace up. The spear from the railings would have been better and more believeable had Jeff not landed on the mats and hit the exposed floor instead. I liked Jeff locking in the sharpshooter as well but though he should have kept the cloverleaf that he did in the I Quit match at Backlash as everybodys doing the sharpshooter these days. Matt's run in shocked me as I thought that their feud was over but it makes sense that he would want some revenge after Jeff broke his hand. The Edgecution of the top ropes looked good as I didn't expect that, just expected a normal superplex. Overall the second best match after the Rey-Jericho match.

 

[Gerald Brisco]

3/10

Started off with 3-4 very solid matches, Good to see Umaga back, Thought they would of put the Money in the Bank Holder over, but i see the WWE want to continue with Umaga as the Unstoppable monster angle, which is fair enough, silly match if this is the case, but was entertained. I forgot how good Umaga was, bloke doesnt get enough credit.

Christian Vs Swagger...Yeah...it was decent, as people have said, didnt top the last match at the PPV, but watchable.

Morrison Vs Benjiman, God awful gimmick with Morrison, but The guy can wrestle, Great flip to the outside standing on the ropes, even if they botched it a bit, enjoyable, i quite like Morrisons offense, they are building him up, i believe he's the right man to be main eventing in 6-12 months, People are saying Botchfest, but i quite enjoyed it, they were definatly selling Morrisons athletic ability during this match

Jericho Vs Mysterio, Another good match, cant re-package what everyone else has said, both work well together.

This is where it went VASTLY downhill

For WWE's 3 Flagship superstars, they all put on Stinkers, Orton V Batista was boring as all hell, Orton had a poor match, and Batista..well nothing New, unless he's got Triple H or a HBK carrying him he's incapable of being involved in a good match, Mid-card Monster Heel, How the hell did he get to Main event status nowdays, he's believable because of his large body, it might fool a 5 year old but the rest of us dont buy it, he;s average as hell

Cena Vs Big show. Jesus christ i went and played my New DS Korg SYnthasiser game i purchased earlier today, Completely ruined my intrest in the whole thing, Its probably the poorest match on a PPV ive seen in years, Typical Cena, Great wrestler, but seems to refuse to sell injuries, are we supposed to believe he's Freaking Wolverine, he'll be worked over, then 3 minutes later he's perfectly fine, cant tell you much more because i only glanced up now and then to see if the next match was on

Hardy Vs Jeff, decent match, but i just could not get into it after the two stinkfests that led up to it, Twas alright i suppose, but They could of pulled out 20 foot ladders and they wouldnt of saved this PPV

I feel ripped off for paying to watch it.

 

[Tastycles]

Tastycles' Judgement Day Review

CM Punk vs. Umaga

I noticed two things in this match. Firstly, Punk pre-empts what his opponent is going to do too quickly, and gets ready to be kicked out of and reversed etc. Secondly, Umaga is fucking brilliant. Every little thing he does from the way he pins to the way he moves is in that character 100%. He is one of the most underrated performers on WWE. Anyway, the match was ok, but I don't understand why having Punk dominated is going to help him. He lost clean to a monster heel again. I know it helps him get over because he puts up a good fight, but it was a strange one. Anyway, a solid match. Man of the match: Umaga, chump of the match: CM Punk. 7.6 out of 10

ECW Championship match

If you take this match at face value, it wasnt their best effort. However, the psychology of it was great. Christian as the master, Swagger making errors. IT was good. My only issue is where he goes from here. They are going to have to shoehorn Swagger's revenge and Dreamer's title shot into three weeks of television. That didn't stop this match from being good. Man of the match: Christian, chump of the match: none. 8.2 out of 10

Shelton Benjamin vs. John Morrison

Morrison got over as a face pretty quickly, proving that his moveset was suited to it. Anyway, this match was quite good, but I don't feel that either of them have fully mastered transitional moves, and it seemed to grate a bit. There was a couple of botches here and there, but it was ultimately very good, and has probably put Morrison up a rung or two. Man of the match: Morrison, chump of the match: neither. 7.4 out of 10

Miz/Santino/Chavo segment

This was actually pretty solid and the Miz arrived here. His segments on Raw haven't really set the world on fire, but he really got over with the crowd here, even if he did it cheaply, he clearly showed he could think on his feet with a few off the cuff remarks. Turning Santino face is the best possible course of action for him, and at least Chavo has something to do other than getting beaten up. Would it have killed the baseball guy to react? He was like a stone throughout. Man of the segment: The Miz, chump of the segment: Baseball guy6.9 out of 10

Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho

Mysterio is great, but his matches are often arse, because Kane selling a 619 is ridiculous. Both of these guys had a well structured, well thought out match, and matches like these are what elevates a title, not randomly passing it about the midcard or defending against Goldust. There was an actual story to this match that was stuck to throughout, something you don't really see these days. Anyway, really well played by both guys. Man of the match: both, chump of the match: neither. 8.4 out of 10

Randy Orton vs Batista

I can't really stand Orton. I find him absolutely dull, but this match was good because it was mostly Batista on offence with a few smatterings of Orton, ehich is for the best. It was an average match up that was initially ruined by Orton using the same end as at No Way Out 2008, which was a cop out then. However, the appearance of Flair was a welcome suprise. Rhodes and DiBiase will never get anywhere if they get twatted by non wrestlers every week though.Man of the match: Ric Flair, chumps of the match, Legacy 6.4 out of 10

Big Show vs Cena

Jesus. I swear, had Cena not won this match it would have got a zero for being an extended beatdown segment. However, Cena did win in the end, but it was dire. There was nothing interesting, and they've apparently set up the failed STF as a reason for the submission match at Extreme Rules. Waste of time if you ask me, and this match that this was fucking boring. Cena got a bit out of it, but it's time for the Big Show to retire, methinks. Back in the day, he was awesome, now hes just a fat bastard who throws punches. Man of the match: Cena, chump of the match: Big Show 5.3 out of 10

Edge vs Jeff Hardy

The main event was alright, and it was nice to see Edge retain for a change, but I can't help but think that bringing Matt into this was unecessary, especially if we are staying on brand now, allegedly. The very end was fine, but the match seemed to be missing some X factor. I don't know exactly what it was, but I just wasn't totally in it. Man of the match: Edge, chump of the match: the cameraman who filmed Matt when he was "hiding" and showing the set design by accident. 7.4 out of 10

Production and Notes

The return of the seperate commentary was alright, and Striker certainly deserves to be on PPV. While I think JR has lost it a bit, Grisham has grown from being near him, and Striker noting the intricacies of the ECW title match was sublime. He will end up being one of the greatest commentators ever. I felt the Edge segment as well as the huge Miz one kind of made this feel like Raw a bit, and the extended beatdown made this more pronounced. Also having the hometown hero lose in the first match killed the crowd for a long while. 7.1 out of 10

Overall

The PPV was solid, and continued Backlash's trend of being better than WrestleMania. Nothing was incredible, but everything was solid, with the possible exception of Cena vs Show. 64.7 out of 90 (71.9%)