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This was the first Raw-only PPV I’ve purchased in at least a year. I think I may have purchased last year’s Unforgiven, mostly as a result of Matt Hardy, but its been a long one. Anyway, on to my thoughts for the show:
Nitro vs. Jeff Hardy was alright. There was some classic ring psychology throughout, which is something lacking in WWE these days. I get the feeling they knew they had to start the Canada crowd out on something that would be a solid bout but not one that would burn them out early. The work on the legs told a great story, and you kept waiting for another classic Jeff Hardy moment. There were a few good spots and the inevitable interference from Melina, but a solid opener. My distain for having the IC title start off the show aside, that is….
The Team X-Treme reunion was okay, I suppose, but the clothesline from behind from either Edge on Matt and Jeff or the bitch-slap from Matt to Lita never came. It seemed like when someone starts to sneeze and makes all kinds of noise and brings attention, but then doesn’t deliver.
Kane and Umaga was as expected. Lots of brawling, a double count-out, neither one looses face but the booing was right on. It left the question of why? What did this solve? But then, how much more sense did this make than anything else Kane has done since he entered the E?
I honestly expected The Highlanders to come out on top with the belts. I mean, why do anything else? We’ve seen it all with these two factions already, and that’s sad. I like the Highlanders because they’re fun and remind me of the head-licking Bushwhackers of my youth, but more than that, they’ve got something different. The “I’m Robby†gimmick alone is enough for a chuckle because its new. The match itself was RAW-worthy, but not PPV quality by any means.
The HITC was VERY impressive. I bought this show with one thing in mind: seeing Shane do a sick bump. Once I saw that new cage I knew no one was doing anything from the top. The rundown on the site sums it up nicely, but let me say this: everyone at my house groaned when McMahon went for his belt, but popped twice as hard for the Big Show on the Big Show. What is good for the goose is good for the gander, and Vinnie just got a face-full of Karma. I just hope Paul remembered to wipe… kinda.
If there is one way to pop a Canadian crowd it is to have a babyface slap on a sharpshooter. This was THE PERFECT way to send Trish on her way, with a monster pop worthy of her achievements. She is Hall of Fame bound, and this was a great send-off. This could be either the end of the championship for now or there could be a tourney tomorrow for the vacant belt, so the creative team’s decision as to how to run the division will be interesting to see tomorrow. The big story here is Trish going out on top. I know the reasons why you want to have the out-going star go out on his or her back, and I would usually question the choice, but here I think it was not only appropriate, but anything short would have felt like a let-down.
Carlito and Randy Orton falling this high on the card was a bit surprising. I guess they will have Carlito in main events pretty soon, which won’t be a bad thing at all. The match was okay, the finish was pretty cool, but, again, it felt like this could have been done on RAW and it wasn’t really that important or interesting from a storyline perspective. The patented Headlock Of Doom made its presence felt on yet another PPV, so I suppose Orton should be counting his lucky stars. Going over was a surprise, but in this business what else is there?
The main event was worth the price of the show, hands down. The mathematic table breaking at the end was wonderfully set up and it was just one big pop after another. The Five Moves Of Doom were spread out and it reminded me more of the One Night Stand match as opposed to Cena’s formulaic matches, and this more than anything is what is keeping him on top now. I would have liked a double KO finish as suggested on a hotline earlier this week, but after the FU through two tables, I felt Cena won but Edge really, truly got over.
Stephen Finley
Cockeysville MD
**********
I thought this was easily the best WWE effort since Wrestlemania. Every match was good, there were some very unique spots (Such as Orton's mid-air RKO) and a red hot crowd. The matches were given lots of time, and it was nice to see Trish and Lita get a lot of time. Lita has obviously been working hard to get rid of the rust since her title win. The main event was excellent, and while I saw the finish spot from a mile away it didn't make it any less impactful or impressive. Overall two thumbs up and I actually got my moneys worth.
Jason Clevett
Calgary Alberta
**********
Hardy vs Nitro: Good match, very surprised that it got so much time. I'm glad Hardy didn't win the belt as I'm fed up with wrestlers coming in and winning a belt within a couple of weeks.
Umaga vs Kane: Terrible finish, and not that interesting to watch. This would have been much better if they'd just had an eight or nine minute crazy no-dq brawl, an extended version of their fight on the last episode of Raw.
Spirit Squad vs Highlanders: It's impossible to put into words how little I cared about this match. And to think that the tag team division back in 2000/01 was one of the best things about WWF/E!
Hell In A Cell: Not bad, but nothing amazing. This match had the same problem that all the HIAC matches from the last four or five years had, in that there was no real point to the cell. They could have done virtually the same match in a cage, or just as a street fight.
Lita vs Trish: Not too bad, not too amazing, I really liked the finish with Trish using the sharpshooter.
Orton vs Carlito: A very dull and underwhelming match, despite the cool move for the finish. Probably the biggest disappointment of the night, considering that it could have been a very good match.
Cena vs Edge: Excellent match, easily the most enjoyable of the night. Some really good, crazy table spots, with some very dangerous looking stuff! I was hoping that the match would end in a tie, with both men going through the double tables each with one hand on the belt. It'll be interesting to see what they do with Edge now.
Overall this PPV wasn't really worth sitting up until 4AM to watch. The opening match was good and the closing match was good, but I didn't really find anything in-between to go beyond the "passable" mark. If it wasn't for the TLC match I would have been very underwhelmed by it.
Cheers,
Edward
London, England.
