I did not see the 2007 incarnation of this annual PPV, but it does hold the distinction of featuring Chris Benoit's last match on a PPV. So for me at least, there's a solemn air surrounding this, doubly so considering last year's Judgment day was one of four PPV's I was unable to watch last year, so now I'm kind of wishing I had. So to turn this into a happier occasion, I've decided to list some of the greatest matches in Judgment Day history. And a brief trivia note, Kane and Undertaker are the only two wrestlers on this show who wrestled on the original PPV back in 1998. Nevertheless, here are some of my favorite matches from this oft-forgotten PPV:
The Rock vs. HHH - Iron Man Match, 5/21/00 (Originally given **** by Meltzer.) Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit - Submission Match, 5/21/00 (Originally given **** by Meltzer.) Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit - Two out of Three Falls Match, 5/20/01 (Originally given **** by Meltzer.) Edge vs. Kurt Angle - Hair vs. Hair Match, 5/12/02 (Originally given ****1/2 by Meltzer.) JBL vs. John Cena - I Quit Match, 5/22/05 (Originally given ****1/4 by Meltzer.) Chris Benoit vs. Finlay - 5/21/06 (Originally given **** by Meltzer.) MNM vs. London and Kendrick - Tag Title Match, 5/21/06 (Originally given ***1/2, but it's more of a sentimental thing because I'm a huge, huge London and Kendrick fan.)
So there you have. This show is more than capable of putting on excellent and after last year's poorly received effort, let's hope they can pick things up for 2008. But with a card like this, I expect a damn good show:
HHH vs. Randy Orton (HHH will retain, no question about it. Hopefully it's a really good match.) Undertaker vs. Edge (This feud is really getting old, truth be told, and without a gimmick for this match, my interest isn't as great this month. Nevertheless, I fully expect Taker to regain his belt in what should be another good match.) The Miz and John Morrison vs. CM Punk and Kane (The only match on the card I'm not entirely excited for. I think the champs will somehow find a way to retain, because putting the mid-card belts on your champ and a guy in line for a main event push is stupid. Then again....) Mickie James vs. Melina vs. Beth Phoenix (These three are all very good wrestlers, but they've all had extended runs with the belt. Maybe time to switch up the Divas from show to show? Anyway, this should be another good offering. I'm going to say Mickie retains.) JBL vs. John Cena (Won't be as good as their I Quite match from a few years ago due to JBL having slowed down in recent years, but should be a decent enough brawl with Cena going over.) Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels (If this isn't a four-star match, I will be disappointed. They had a classic confrontation at Mania years ago, so hopefully this is in the same league. Since Michaels won that altercation, however long ago, I'm predicting Jericho here.)
I'm sure a match or two will be added before then, but as of this writing, this is the announced card, and it's more than enough to get me excited for this Sunday. Again, it's usually one of the forgotten shows come year's end, but I have a good feeling about this one. The build has been good for all the feuds, and I do not see them not being able to follow up on that.
Now then. Onward and upward to the land of extreme!
Show Review:
To start us off, Colin Delaney and Armando Estrada are backstage. Estrada says that he will make Delaney an even bigger target than he was before. He hands Delaney his official ECW contract with a smile on his face. Estrada says his first match will be against Mike Knox. So long, Chikara.
The guy dressed as Hulk Hogan who is at every Michigan show, including, if memory serves correctly, WM23, is once again in the front row. I like him.
CM Punk vs. The Miz
Some chain wrestling to start off. Punk gets the advantage, but gets caught with a boot in the corner as he charges at Miz. Miz grounds and pounds Punk a bit, then locks in what's almost the crossface-chicken wing. Punk gets out of it and misses a high kick. The Miz nails a drop kick and guillotines Punk on the second rope after jumping over Punk to the outside. He goes into a chinlock after a near fall. Punk powers out of it, but Miz doesn't let up. He hits his legs through the ropes corner clothesline on Punk and goes back to the chiknlock, throwing in some stiff shots to the face for good measure. A CM Punk chant breaks out. Punk powers out and goes on the attack, hitting stiff kicks and the high knee in the corner, but gets pushed off for the bulldog. He immediately comes back with a kick to the stomach and a high calf kick for two. Punk goes for the Roderick Strong backbreaker, but Miz rolls him up in a jackhammer. Punk bridges up and goes for backslide. Miz breaks out and goes for the Reality Check, but Punk moves and hoists him up for the GTS, but Miz drops down and hits the neckbreaker portion of the Reality Check and picks up the win. FINAL RATING: **3/4 Way too short, but they wrestled this excellently. They have incredible chemistry together and I pray that this is a Wrestlemania main event some day. That's right, I am a fan of the Miz, have been for months, and am not ashamed to admit it.
Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly, and Cherry vs. Natalya, Victoria, and Layla
Natalya and Kelly start us off. Natayla works an armlock and almost immediately tags in Victoria. Victoria goes back to the arm lock. Kelly is able to power up and nail a Quackenbush arm drag, though hastily pulled off. Cherry tags in and goes to town on Victoria with surprisingly stiff shots. Natalya (Nattie is so much easier to type) makes a blind tag and beats down Cherry. She locks in a seated Million Dollar Dream that Cherry is able to roll out of, but Natalya goes right back on the attack. She holds Cherry by the arms and lets Layla get in a cheap shot. Victoria tags in and hits a great flipping leg drop from the apron to the inside. She goes for her standing moonsault, but Cherry gets the knees up. Cherry goes for the hot tag, but Victoria kicks her and goes into a front face lock. Victoria hits a cheap shot on Kelly Kelly, but this allows Cherry to roll Victoria up with a School Boy and get the quick pin for her team. FINAL RATING: **1/4 Considering I watched the Dragon Gate six-man tag from SOHIII a few hours before this (the review of that DVD is available on the main page of this site, and isn't far off in its star ratings), this had a lot to live up to. That being said, this was a good match, despite the fact that two of the six women didn't even make it in. Cherry is really good at selling, Natalya has an obvious grasp of technical wrestling, Kelly's putting together a good high flying offense, and Victoria's athleticism never ceases to amaze me. And considering TNA fucked up their women's division (the best thing they had going for them) so badly that they gained the first "Fire Russo" chant in over a year, between this and the good women's title matches on RAW, the WWE has been making incredible strides in legitimizing this division.
Lena Yada is backstage with Shelton Benjamin, and Adamle repeats the name Yada about six times before they actually go backstage with the cameras in a really weird spot. She asks him what his thoughts on not beating Kofi Kingston are. Shelton says he's lucky and has a horse show stuck up his ass. And next time they wrestle, he'll pull it out. Kofi shows up behind him, wishes him luck, then bum rushes him into a steel gate.
A video package hyping HHH vs. Orton is shown.
Another video package airs, this time showing all the times Delaney got his ass kicked.
Colin Delaney w/ Entrance Music vs. Mike Knox
Delaney tries to use his quickness to get passed Knox, but as usual, Knox uses his boring power moves and stiff strikes for about thirty second before he hits the Knox Out to get the quick three. FINAL RATING: DUD Only a dud because it's stupid jobbing out Delaney a week later. And I like Knox's finisher more when Alex Shelley does it.
Estrada comes down to the ring. He says Delaney's next match is now against the newest member of the ECW roster: Armando Estrada. Estrada says he just signed himself to a lucrative in-ring contract.
Armando Estrada vs. Colin Delaney
Estrada kicks him a few times, then hits the Curtain Call and picks up the win. FINAL RATING: SQUASH Or dud, whatever. It's all the same.
Kane is backstage, very sweaty, staring longingly off into the darkness.
Kofi Kingston vs. Shelton Benjamin on next week's ECW.
John Morrison w/ The Miz vs. Kane
John Morrison and The Miz have quite possibly the greatest entrance ever, second maybe to the Undertaker.
Kane uses his throws and chokes and seated dropkicks from the outset. He works over Morrison for a bit, but Morrison is able to use his quickness to avoid Kane and get some shots in. Kane, however controls most of the match. Miz grabs Kane by the boots, but CM Punk wanders down to even the score as we go to commercial.
Back from commercial, Kane is controlling still. He hits a delayed suplex and a neckreaker before slapping on the Rest Hold of Doom. Morrison gets up and tosses in a few more kicks, but Kane hits a throat thrust. Morrison is able to avoid a clothesline and goes to town, avoiding Kane and kicking him in the leg, pushing him to the corner, and nailing a chop block. He locks in a standard leg lock. Then he wraps Kane's leg across the turnbuckle outside. He continues working over the leg. Tazz comments on the pain in Kane's leg, and Adamle chimes in, "He's like the one-legged man in The Fugitive." If you know what's wrong with that statement, then you know why it was worth mentioning. Though, I would have preferred it if Tazz came back with, "I didn't kill my wife!" But I digress. Morrison works over the leg some more, but Kane is finally able to get up and hits all his stiff strikes and big spots, including the sidewalk slam for two. He goes to the top for the clothesline, but Morrison provides the distraction as Morrison clocks Kane with the belt and hits his springboard roundhouse to pick up the surprise victory. FINAL RATING: **1/2 The storytelling in this match was very good and these two worked a lot better together than I was expecting.
