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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in thereviewguyv1's LiveJournal:

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    Wednesday, April 19th, 2006
    2:41 pm
    New Years Revolution 2006
     I'm back for another edition of the review guy. I have had nothing to write about but I figured I could write a reivew for New Years Revolution 2006.

    0-50:Horrible, and ask for your money back(Great American Bash 2004,Wrestlemania 9,)
    50-55:Mediocore and dissapointing(Royal Rumble 2006)
    55-65:An event that is worth a watch(Taboo Tuesday 2005,Judgment Day 2003)
    65-75:Good event, that was worth the money(Survivor Series 2005,Wrestlemania 20,Wrestlemania 21,Summerslam 2005,Survivor Series 2003,Wrestlemania 22)
    75-80:Very good(ECW One Night Stand 2005,TNA Against All Odds 2006,Wrestlemania 14,No Way Out 2003)
    80-90:Make sure you purchase this dvd(Vengeance 2005, Wrestlemania 19,Wrestlemania 17)
    90-100:Over the top, amazing memorable event that will be added to your dvd collection, to stand the test of time(Royal Rumble 2005)


    WWE Intercontinental Championship: Ric Flair(C)(W) vs Edge
    Correct choice as opener & it was quickly backed up by a good beginning to the bout (especially by Edge) which was fast-paced, intense & entertaining. The entertainment value actually stayed quite high for most of it’s short 7 minute duration, no matter who was in control of this sufficiently back & forth match. And the crowd seemed constantly involved. Lita played her role well also & it was while she was in the Figure 4 Leglock, that Edge got disqualified with a suitcase shot to Flair's head. Edge successfully got further heel heat with multiple suitcase shots that left Flair bloodied & taking an eternity to leave the ring. Solid & entertaining opener, that achieved it’s objective, despite being relatively short & not exactly a classic. But good opener.
    Rating-7

    WWE Womens Championship match: Trish Stratus(C)(W) vs Mickie James
    Very well put together Women’s match which proves how important a good storyline can be to a bout. The dynamic between the 2 faces was close to perfect & the story told was a very good one. I couldn’t help but be involved in what was going on, not only in the ring, but in the minds of the 2 wrestlers. It was a good quality match too, with some decent technical wrestling attempted, thrown in amongst some good wrestling moves. Trish gets the win at the 7 minute mark after kicking out of Mickie’s Stratusfaction version & nailing the chick kick. Well done to all involved & the division keeps going from strength to strength. Just as good as their Wrestlemania 22 bout.
    Rating-7.5

    Gregory Helms vs Jerry "The King" Lawler(W)
    Unlike the previous 2 matches, this match had practically no story behind it… and you could tell. With the exception of some sparse chants for Lawler, the hot crowd was pretty quiet & just didn’t seem too interested at all. The match itself lasted just over 9 minutes, but felt like an eternity! Helms dominated most of this slow-paced bout with rather pedestrian offense. But, in typical WWE fashion, Lawler pulled out the win with a top-rope fist drop. Nothing but filler, if not terrible. Up until the result, I may have just passed it.
    Rating-3

    The Big Show vs Triple H(W)
    Rather predictably booked match with Big Show dominating early, until he takes a swing at Triple H & hits nothing but ringpost. From here, H works on the plaster until he gets it off. What followed was a methodical dissection of the body part of an opponent, with Hunter using every method legally (& sometimes illegally) possible to make Big Show’s hand injury even worse. As predictable as it and the eventual comeback was, it all told a pretty good story & got both me & the live crowd involved. After a ref bump, TBS had to withstand attacks from both a sledgehammer & a chair. He did, but fell victim to (half of) a sledgehammer shot when attempting a left-handed chokeslam. H finishes it off with an ugly looking Pedigree. 16 minutes in length, but it didn’t feel that long. That’s very much a positive, as this was sufficiently entertaining & told a very good story, despite the obvious inherent problems of the bout.
    Rating-7

    Shelton Benjamin(W) vs Viscera
    This match was made on the spot after Viscera tried to pick up Shelton’s momma backstage in a lunch room… And I don’t mean literally pick her up! During the bout, Shelton’s momma was at ringside & just wouldn’t shutup. She, Daivari & Sharmell are now in a good contest for most annoying roster member! Some of the things she shouted out were good, but it was just constant & over the top. As for the match itself, I was as distracted by the ringside annoyance as much as the fans, commentators & cameramen obviously were. But basically, it was ordinary. Messy at times, it could have been worse I suppose. But even at only 8 minutes in length, it just seemed to drag on too long. Shelton breaks his losing streak following his patented spin-kick, but he didn’t really show much more against an imperfect opponent for him. I remember this bout being better on the live telecast, but after watching it on dvd, what the hell was I thinking. Not terrible, but I can't pass this.
    Rating-4

    Bra and Panties Gauntlet match:Maria vs Candice Michelle vs Torrie Wilson vs Victoria vs Mae Young vs Ashley Massaro(W)
    I don’t care what anyone says, this was just terrible. Maria & Candice start out & after the usual rolling around & a move or two, the ditzy interviewer eliminates Candice at the 2 minute mark. She then follows up by eliminating Torrie, but doesn’t last long against Victoria. Then Mae Young comes out & if she was involved in the match, I suppose she eliminated herself. But she then decides to mistake Victoria’s bra for her top on the way out & almost strangled poor Victoria. Then to cap off this masterpiece, Ashley comes out & performs one move (probably all she knows) to emerge victorious. An awful 11 minutes. The gauntlet stipulation added nothing to it, while B & P matches are just getting too tedious. But even so, this was terrible. One point for some of Lawler’s jokes & another point for Torrie’s suplex. WHAT'S SAD IS THIS IS BETTER THAN ANY BOOGEYMAN MATCH!!GAWD!!
    Rating-1.5

    Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship: Chris Masters vs Kane vs Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels vs Carlito vs John Cena(C)(W)
    For those interested, the introductions for the 6 men took all of 11 minutes! I was initially surprised to see Cena begin the bout against HBK, but in retrospect it was a fascinating & rather clever booking move. Although, I would have preferred it not be against HBK, who seems to be getting more popular by the week. Their initial confrontation was rather ho-hum actually, although it was hard to see how they could have pushed the limit so early, since both men were obviously going to last a while. Then, at the 4 minute mark (wasn’t it supposed to be 5), Carlito enters & hits a nice dropkick & somersault senton over the ropes. Just as Cena & HBK finally agree to team up, Angle enters & goes absolutely suplex crazy on all 3 men. He adds great intensity to the fast pace that Carlito instigated. Angle then places Carlito in the Ankle Lock, but he is saved by new entrant Chris Masters.

    Not long prior to Kane making his entry, Angle places Cena in the Ankle Lock, but it’s abruptly stopped out of nowhere by Sweet Chin Music, and HBK unpredictably gets the pinfall on Angle! After a couple of minutes of the 2 remaining heels dominating the battered faces, Kane comes in & cleans house. But the 2 heels get the better of him with teamwork that backs up my prior thoughts that they should team up & head after the tag titles. The 2nd unpredictable elimination comes when Kane is pinned. Make that 3 as Carlito & Masters continue their teaming & eliminate a bloodied HBK (despite just hitting Sweet Chin Music on Cena). The rest almost writes itself as the young heels dominate Cena, until Carlito double-crosses Masters & pins him. Cena then immediately pins Carlito with a roll-up to win the match at the 28 minute mark.

    While the match wasn’t exactly a classic & wasn't the weakest of all Elimination Chamber matches that we have seen, so, I do admire the WWE for attempting a few things during the bout. The shock order of eliminations were unpredictable & will either be liked or hated by fans. But either way, I’m certain that it kept all of us on our toes & interested in what was going to occur. Unfortunately, it probably didn’t help the match quality all that much, as having someone like Angle there at the end could have given it a real lift. But sometimes things must get sacrificed for the sake of telling a story I suppose. Again, it was a decent idea to allow Carlito & Masters to team so successfully, but it didn’t assist the match quality. But I think it’s fair to say that they were anything but useless. Entertaining enough & won’t fully deserve the criticism that it’s probably going to get.
    Rating-8

    But our night wasn’t over, because…..

    Money in the Bank Cash-In for the WWE Championship: John Cena(C) vs Edge(W)(New Champ)
    Vince came out prior to the match & announced that Edge was cashing in his Money In The Bank right now. He predictably attacks a bloodied Cena early on with a barrage of punches & kicks. Two spears later & it’s all over at the 2 minute mark! In a rather brave (& to some, unpredictable) move by the WWE, Edge is our new WWE Champion. Edge & Lita celebrate afterwards & the crowd don’t know whether to cheer or boo. Hard to rate due to it’s length & the fact that one man could hardly move, but I’m going to pass it on it’s bravado alone.
    Rating-5

    Note: If I were to rate that match personally and not from a wrestling point of view, I would most deffinatly rate this match a 10, because I am not a chain gang member, I do not like Cena and I never will because he wasn't that great when he started but since I do rate wrestling the match gets a 5.

    Overall Rating-43/80=54%
    Looking at my rating key I have said that this event was 'Mediocre and Dissapointing', I have to disagree with that. This is one of those occasions where the whole is probably better than the sum of all of its parts. What I mean by that is that the individual matches were sometimes sacrificed for the overall benefit of the storytelling throughout the night. In fact, it was very much a storytelling event, with 3 of the first 4 matches & the WWE Championship scenario all exhibiting very good storytelling. Furthermore, this felt like a pay-per-view & not just an extended television show that some single-brand ppvs have become. Maybe the WWE have returned to the correct thought pattern in actually attempting to make ppv events unmissable! On the minus side, this event did show the lack of depth on the Raw roster. We cannot see another ppv with 2 women’s matches….. ever. While more effort must be put into making us care about ‘Heat’ wrestlers such as Helms & Viscera. In conclusion, I don’t think this ppv will have great replay value, but live on the night, it was a damn good event. Great to see the WWE bravely do what they did here. UNtil next week this has been the word of thereviewguy.
    Wednesday, April 5th, 2006
    11:07 pm
    0-50:Horrible, and ask for your money back(Great American Bash 2004,Wrestlemania 9,)
    50-55:Mediocore and dissapointing(Royal Rumble 2006)
    55-65:An event that is worth a watch(Taboo Tuesday 2005,Judgment Day 2003)
    65-75:Good event, that was worth the money(Survivor Series 2005,Wrestlemania 20,Wrestlemania 21,Summerslam 2005,Survivor Series 2003)
    75-80:Very good(ECW One Night Stand 2005,TNA Against All Odds 2006,Wrestlemania 14,No Way Out 2003)
    80-90:Make sure you purchase this dvd(Vengeance 2005, Wrestlemania 19,Wrestlemania 17)
    90-100:Over the top, amazing memorable event that will be added to your dvd collection, to stand the test of time(Royal Rumble 2005)

    World Tag Team Championship Match: Carlito & Chris Masters vs The Big Show(C)(W)
    This wasn’t too bad of a choice as opener, although I thought the WWE may have wanted to take a little bit more of a risk this year. Nice unexpected booking at the beginning with Masters first overpowering Kane, only to have the big red machine use some agility to sway the momentum back towards the champs. Some ok back & forth action followed, with some decent double-team maneuvers. But the bout never really lived up to its potential, due to relatively unimaginative booking. It all resulted in the huge face champs retaining at just the 7 minute mark. Watchable, but pretty standard. I’m not so high on the result either, as it’s just more standard stuff. In retrospect, maybe this wasn’t a good choice as opener.
    Rating-7

    Interpromotional Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Rob Van Dam(W) vs Ric Flair vs Shelton Benjamin vs Lashley vs Matt Hardy vs Fit Finlay
    No surprise to see this bout placed so early on in the card. LOL at the sign in the crowd asking for an escalator for Flair! My goodness, it didn’t take too long at all for (a) a ladder to get involved & (b) a holy shit moment to occur, as Benjamin walked up a ladder & performed a huge somersault dive to the outside. The high impact continues as Hardy superplexes Flair off the top of a ladder, which results in Flair being carried to the back at just the 3 minute mark. He isn’t there long though & is back by the 7 minute mark! Some really good, entertaining & impact-filled moves followed by all 6 men. I can’t say there was too much that was anything super original for the remainder of the bout, but it still had me very enthralled. In fact, despite a (pleasing) general feel of control over proceedings, 2 of the best spots of the bout weren’t quite captured well enough by the cameras. Due to the frenetic beginning of the bout, I wasn’t too surprised to see the match come to an end at only the 13 minute mark, with RVD clearing a 2 ladder set-up of Benjamin & Hardy to grab the suitcase & the victory. Entertaining stuff that was well booked & performed. Benjamin was the standout for the second year in a row. It could have told a better story & wowed us a little more, but let’s not get too spoilt with these types of matches.
    Rating-8.5

    WWE United States Championship Match: Chris Benoit(C) vs John "Bradshaw" Layfeild(W)(New Champ)
    The first match of the night I was truly excited to see, and I wasn't dissapointed. Very good first few minutes to this bout, which nicely combined intensity, technical wrestling & brawling. The match then pleasingly settled down well without getting too slow-paced. All the while, JBL increased his heel heat with some mocking of Eddie Guerrero. The inevitable JBL resthold did come, but it fitted in sufficiently & thankfully didn’t take place too early in the match. Benoit then (wisely) took control of the bout & kept it on track. This was right up until the clever, if premature, finish which saw JBL roll through on the crippler crossface (& use the ropes) for the pinfall at a little under 10 minutes. Really nice ending, but what came before should have been stretched out a lot longer to make it mean more. You almost get the feeling that the WWE don’t trust JBL with long matches, but the terrific Benoit should have been trusted here. Well booked & performed for the most part, although it could have been a lot better if given the time. Some may think that I have over-rated this, but I really liked it.
    Rating-8.5

    Hardcore Match: Mick Foley vs Edge(W)
    I wasn't expecting much from this but wow this was something. Who said Edge needed this to become a genuine main eventer, because a)He was WWE Champion and b)He was always this good. Edge predictably came equipped to begin the bout & has the better of the first few minutes with cookie-sheet & road-sign shots. For a few fleeting moments there, I had unpleasant memories of the now defunct WWE Hardcore Division. But they were swept aside when Edge hit a spear & came up bleeding on the arm. In a revelation that was only partially successful (in my opinion), Foley showed that he had barbed wire wrapped in between flannel shirts around his body! After some Foley offense, Edge regains control with 2 very good (& simple) spots involving the ringsteps. Foley then reveals his favorite barbed-wire covered baseball bat (Barbie), but it backfires as Edge uses it to best advantage & busts Mick open. Next out are the thumbtacks, but Edge gets suplexed into them! A barbed-wire Socko follows (to both Edge & Lita), before Mick finally uses Barbie to his advantage & makes Edge bleed profusely from the forehead. This leads to the huge finishing spot where Lita sets a table on fire & Edge spears Foley through it from the apron to the outside at the 15 minute mark for the victory. That was a true “Holy Shit” moment! A little difficult to rate as I wasn’t too sure what to think of it initially. But these 2 worked very hard to make it successful & entertaining, while the finishing spot was an excellent icing on top of the cake! This was better than the Foley vs Orton match, and this was a deffinate 'Match of the Night'. Also a MOTYC.
    Rating-9.5

    Handicap Match: Boogeyman(W) vs Booker T & Sharmell
    Why wasn't this the opener, or the Playboy Pillow Fight.Before this match begun, there was a fantastic backstage segment involving some of the freaks & oddities currently involved with the WWE. It ended with Goldust recommending that Booker eat worms to negate The Boogeyman’s mind games. It actually added to the bout somehow. Then I remembered that there had to be some mediocre wrestling to follow! Clever beginning to the bout with Booker using Sharmell a couple of times to instigate offense. But it predictably didn’t lead to anything special & it got worse when The Boogeyman got on offense. Seriously folks, his main move was a push to the chest! The major spot in the bout seemed to be Boogey kissing Sharmell while munching on some worms. Blah, blah, blah… Boogey hits a choke-bomb & wins in a little over 4 minutes. Very bad & not even Booker’s great mannerisms & attempts at psychology could save this crap.
    Rating-1.5(For the Match)+ 2(For the backstage segment)=Rating-3.5

    WWE Womens Championship Match: Trish Stratus(C) vs Mickie James(W)(New Champ)
    The second match of the night I was looking forward to, and as well as the United States Championship I wasn't dissapointed. Interesting & well booked beginning to the bout with Trish actually dominating with intensity & purpose. The momentum sways towards the heel though, when Trish misses a chick-kick on the outside & injures her leg up against the ringpost. Mickie takes over & nicely targets the leg with a good combination of innovative & traditional moves. At this stage, a loud “Lets Go Mickie” chant erupts from the live crowd to most people’s surprise. Trish eventually works her way back into the bout & some nice back & forth action ensues. It involved some nice moves that we don’t see too often in the Women’s Division, including a running powerbomb by Trish. It’s a damn shame that the finish was botched, as Mickie stumbled through a Stratusfaction & hit a weak looking mick-kick for the victory at the 9 minute mark. One of the better women’s matches I’ve seen, yet these 2 could definitely do even better! Well done to all involved. Unfortunately, it’s hard not to deduct a rating point or so for the ending. Still this is very high.
    Rating-7.5

    Casket Match: Mark Henry vs The Undertaker(W)
    Started off as an ok methodical big man match, but then it just continued on at the same pace without a great deal happening for the next 8 minutes. Seriously, it was petty ho-hum stuff & heading for a failing rating. Then, as if to wake themselves up, ‘Taker pulled out a powerbomb, a dive over the top rope & a tombstone piledriver in the final 2 minutes to save it. No real structure or excitement out of this match until the very end. In fact, I’m not certain that it was any better than ‘Taker’s series of matches with Heidenreich! In fact, his series with Heidenrich was better than this.Ewwwwww. Even at 10 minutes in length, it seemed to last too long! Some may over-rate this due to low expectations coming in, but I’d like to think I’m not being too harsh or too nice by simply passing it.
    Rating-5.5

    No Holds Barred Match: Vince McMahon vs Shawn Michaels(W)
    HBK begins the match by attacking Vince on the outside as he poses near his magazine cover. It doesn’t take that long for that prop to be predictably used as a weapon, as Vince literally gets framed. Speaking of predictable, The Spirit Squad come out to even the odds, but it doesn’t take too long for them to be dispatched. They do give Vinny Mac enough time to recuperate though & it allows him to get some offense in, the most productive coming via his own leather belt. The belt eventually passes hands & HBK whips Vince as loud as you will ever hear. Just as Michaels looks set to finish the match off, Shane McMahon predictably enters the fray with some kendo stick shots. But even that doesn’t last long as the younger McMahon embarrassingly kisses his dad’s ass & then gets handcuffed.

    In the extended finishing sequence that follows, HBK adds some story to the mayhem by going all DX on us & consistently refusing to hit sweet chin music when he has the opportunity. First, he brings out a ladder & busts Vince open profusely. Then comes a garbage can shot. Then finally, for the icing on the cake, the showstopper brings out a huge ladder, climbs to the top & tremendously elbow drops Vince through a table! A sweet chin music later & HBK gets the victory at the 18 minute mark. The live crowd seemed to really get into this, especially the final few minutes. I must be honest though & state that the first half of the bout didn’t do a great deal for me. I just felt that it was more of the same, yet not quite as good. But they did win me over eventually as Vince put his body on the line, while Shawn worked extremely hard to add some story to the match, as well as entertainment value. It didn’t all quite gel to me though, so I can’t rate it too highly.
    Rating-7.5

    Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship: Kurt Angle(C) vs Randy Orton vs Rey Mysterio(W)(New Champ)
    Man, I was soooo naïve to think this would be the main event of the night! POD kicked us off with a rather interesting rendition of Rey Mysterio’s entrance theme. Orton begins the bout by attacking Angle with the title & it’s on from there, as the pace just doesn’t let up amongst some nicely choreographed sequences during the first 4 minutes or so. At this stage, some risky booking occurs as both Rey & Orton tap out to the Ankle Lock, while the referee is distracted. Then, at only the 6 minute mark, Orton hits the RKO on Angle & Kurt kicks out! At that point, I knew this match wasn’t going too much past 10 minutes in length… and it depressed me a little. Orton kicks out of an Angle Slam just to continue the pattern, and then, just as I am praying for them to slow the fuck down, Rey hits the 619 & West Coast Pop on Orton to become the World HeavyWeight Champion at… drum roll please… less than 10 minutes!

    I wanted to be excited by a Rey title win, but the sour taste from the match duration ruined it partially. I can see why the bout was booked to be fast-paced, but the match duration was a complete joke & the sequence of finishers hit so early on in the match was just ridiculous. Can’t blame the participants I think, as they rolled with the punches as best as they could by keeping the pace & entertainment value up throughout. All 3 performed well, although I’m unsure if a match like this does them any good in the long term. Put this same match on a SmackDown only pay-per-view & you would probably get a 20 minute match that rates a 9 out of 10. Some may feel I have rated this harshly, but I can’t help but feel short-changed.
    Rating-7.5

    NOTE: It must be noted that one of the reasons why the previous match was kept so short was to view Triple H get a massage for a minute or so. Couple this with the following (so called) match & then the extended entrances for the eventual main-event & you could just imagine Angle, Orton & Mysterio punching walls in the locker-room!

    Playboy Pillow Fight: Candice Michelle vs Torrie Wilson(W)
    Yes, I was right in my predictions, boring chants. A bed was set up in the ring for this encounter. And for those interested, a referee was involved. This meant that it was basically a normal wrestling match… which isn’t a good thing considering that neither participant can wrestle! Why was this even called a pillow-fight when I can’t recall a pillow being used!?!?!? Not long after the predictable “boring” chant from the live crowd, Torrie rolls Candice up for the pinfall at the 4 minute mark. Unsurprisingly, no-one cares. This was a waste of time & was badly placed, as matches that last less than 10 minutes don’t need filler to bring the crowd down! I suppose they tried. So for trying.....|
    Rating-3

    WWE Championship Match: John Cena (C)(W) vs Triple H
    Interesting entrances, that won me over, especially Triple H's.(Awesome music, and he used it on Raw, Haasome) Triple H gets 2 (Motorhead) entrance themes & comes out in an electric chair looking like Connan The Barbarian. Then Cena comes out following a gangster video & some fellow gangsters…. Shooting a gun no less! I can see what the WWE were aiming for here & it was (for want of a better word) interesting, but I couldn’t help feeling that there was a touch of ‘embarrassing’ in it as well! Kudos to the crowd for really getting involved in this bout. They helped it along, even if some of the chants went a little too far for mine. As predicted, the crowd were well & truly behind Triple H & they loved his cocky toying with the champ to begin the bout. Thankfully, Cena picked up the intensity & got some offense in, although it didn’t last too long at all. Soon, H was once more dominating with his methodical, but sufficient, offense. He did hit a great lariat, but that was negated by a couple of time-wasting restholds.!

    From there, the action did pick up & there was some nice back & forth sequences, with Cena’s bursts of energy working well against H’s impact moves. A ref bump allowed the sledgehammer to get involved, but Triple H couldn’t get the 3 count. He then received an F-U out of nowhere, but was able to kick out. But it was all in vain, as he surprisingly tapped out to the STFU at the 22 minute mark. That was about the correct length too & the match was structured well enough to lead up to that. The dynamic between the men was ok, while I can’t understate how important the crowd was to the quality of the match. In fact, it’s a hard match to rate for that reason, as many may over-rate it due to the crowd. Did it feel like a WrestleMania main event? Take the crowd away & I’d have to answer “no”. But it was still quite good & definitely not the shocker that it could have been.
    Rating-7

    Overall Rating-75/110=68%
    Looking at my rating key I have said that Wrestlemania 22 was 'A good event that was worth the money', which I was afraid it wasn't going to be. Man, was this a mixed bag!. For that reason, I’ve actually had a look around some websites for some more fan opinion (after writing my review) & been mildly surprised at how good most people felt this card was. Don’t get me wrong, my PPV rating confirms how solid the event was, despite the fact that there were 2 stinkers on the card. But the card just didn’t stand out as a great WrestleMania to me. I can’t exactly put my finger on why. While the disrespect shown to the SmackDown brand left me very disappointed. Hell, I haven’t even mentioned MnM vs London/Kendrick or The MexiCools as yet! But I won't because it upsets me a tadbit.

    I can’t complain too much about the performances from the wrestlers, while the booking throughout the night inconsistently ranged from excellent to poor. Personally, I thought that there were 2 too many matches on the card & this didn’t allow the WWE to concentrate on quality of performance for the event. But don’t get me wrong, this was actually an above average WrestleMania on entertainment value alone. It’s too early to give an opinion on how it will age. But with the sour taste it left in my mouth after both championship matches I always have to think," Well, Money In The Bank, Hardcore, United States and Womens Championship matches were all very good. Until next time this has been the word of thereviewguy.
    Tuesday, April 4th, 2006
    11:13 pm
    Kevin Smith's Biography
     The author of this book is none other than the man himself Kevin Smith.He wrote this biography on his life in early 2005.He decided to write this well, to be honest
    he likes to talk so what better way then to talk, then to speak out in a book.


    Bearded, wearing glasses and a perennial long wool coat on top of shorts and a shirt, Kevin Smith became the idol of aspiring filmmakers everywhere when
    his independent feature "Clerks" (1994)--made for $27,575--won art prizes and a contract with the Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Raised in New Jersey, Smith
    had dropped out of The New School for Social Research's creative writing program when the school administration called his parents to complain their son was
    throwing water balloons from his dorm window. Seeing an ad in the Village Voice for the Vancouver Film School, he matriculated for four months before dropping out once again. Unsure of his next move, Smith took a job as a clerk at a convenience store in Leonardo, NJ.
    In 1991, he saw "Slacker", Richard Linklater's comedy about shiftless youth. Inspired by both the feature and the possibility of low-budget moviemaking, Smith contacted former film school classmate Scott Mosier. In late 1992, Smith wrote the script for "Clerks", a somewhat plotless slice-of-life look at life from behind the counter at a convenience store. With Smith directing, Mosier producing and moneys raised from Smith's former college tuition fund, the sale of his extensive personal comic collection, plus loans from Mosier's parents and credit cards, the duo made "Clerks" in 21 nights, filming in the very Quick Stop in which Smith was working by day. A screening at the Independent Feature Film Market conjured a buzz for their efforts, and "Clerks" went on to become the toast of the Sundance Film Festival in January 1994, sharing the Filmmaker's Trophy with Rose Troche's "Go Fish".
    The quirky "Clerks" earned Smith an agent at Hollywood's CAA powerhouse and a distribution deal with Harvey and Bob Weinstein of Miramax. More acclaim and awards followed at the Cannes Film Festival, but the MPAA ratings board determination that it should receive an 'NC-17' for language delayed the commercial release of the film. Enlisting Harvard law professor and noted attorney Allen Dershowitz in their cause, Smith and Mosier appealed the decision, and the film eventually got its 'R' rating and a release in late 1994. Playing in a limited number of theaters, many of them art-houses, "Clerks" grossed more than $1 million and garnered critical acclaim. By then, Smith was already at work on his next effort, "Mallrats" (1995), a look at youth at a mall over the course of a weekend. Funded by distributor Gramercy for $5.8 million, "Mallrats" earned lukewarm critical notices and an anemic box office.
    Returning to his indie routes, Smith made the critically-acclaimed "Chasing Amy" for $250,000. The film, about the unlikely relationship between a bisexual woman and a comic book writer, grossed $12 million for Miramax and spelled redemption for the filmmaker. He and Mosier also urged the Weinsteins to buy the Ben Affleck-Matt Damon script for "Good Will Hunting" (both 1997) from Castle Rock for $800,000 and shared co-executive producing credit for what became Miramax's highest grossing picture (as of 1998). Smith merged his passions for film and comics when he wrote a screenplay for "Superman Lives" which Tim Burton was assigned to direct. Conflicts with Warner Bros. and Burton, however, relegated it to the trash heap. He departed from the boy-girl relationship format of his previous movies for "Dogma" (1999), a semi-controversial religious satire about two fallen angels trying to re-enter Heaven starred Linda Fiorentino, Damon and Affleck and featured George Carlin, Chris Rock, Salma Hayek and Bud Cort, among others. His next effort was a lighthearted romp starring his recurring side characters Jay & Silent Bob (played by Jason Mewes and Smith himself, the sidekicks had appeared in each of Smith's films in roles of varying importance) in the antic "Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back" (2001). In the film--which was visually junky but had several amusing sequences and classic Smith dialogue--the writer-director brought back many of the characters from his previous films (what he calls the View Askew universe, after his production company), including his close buddy Ben Affleck as both Holden from "Chasing Amy" and a parody version of his movie-star self.
    The writer-director, always a dazzling racounteur and a canny self-promoter, also had forays into television, turning his "Clerks" into a short-lived animated series for ABC, which aired in 2000. Beginning in 2002 Smith joined NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on a recurring basis for short filmed comedy bits. Among the more amusing were the collection of Smith's snarky road trips across America visiting "Roadside Attractions" like giant balls of twine, and short films like "The Flying Car" featuring the "Clerks" characters yet again, trapped in traffic discussion what they would do to have a flying car like the Jetsons.
    Smith also put his career as a writer of comics firmly on track with the debut of "Clerks (the Comic)" in 1998 (followed by comic book adventures of Jay & Silent Bob) and his collaborations on Marvel Comics' "Daredevil" and DC's "Green Arrow," though his track record faltered in 2002 when his movie career reheated and he failed to finish (as of 2004) his runs on the mini-series "Spider-Man: Black Cat" and "Daredevil: Bullseye"--something fans always enjoy skewering him about. Indeed, it was his collected paperback run of "Daredevil" that lured his friend Affleck, another childhood fan of the character, to pen a glowing introduction, which in turn inspired Marvel Productions and 20th Century Fox to lobby successfully to cast the actor as the blind superhero in the 2003 film. Smith also had a cameo role, playing a morgue attendent named Jack Kirby, after the prominent Marvel comic book artist. He also became one of the first filmmakers to engage in regualr, near-direct dialogue with his audience, communicating via the Internet through his web sites MoviePoopShoot.com and ViewAskew.com.
    During the media furor surrounding the "Bennifer" romance between Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, Smith often found himself acting as an unofficial spokesperson for the couple, given his closeness to Affleck and the fact the couple were both appearing in his romantic comedy "Jersey Girl" (2004). When the pair's previous film outing "Gigli" (2003) was labled a bomb of epic proportions and the relationship subsequently fell apart, Smith and his film's marketers made a painstaking effort to point out that Lopez's role was pivitol but brief in an effort to distance his film from the "Gigli" catastrophe. Instead, "Jersey Girl" (which opened to mixed reviews and unspectacular box office but came nowhere near the flop that was "Gigli") focused on Affleck as a driven, urban p.r. exec who becomes a widowed single dad stuck in the Jersey suburbs with his dad and his daughter, and unexpectedly gets a second chance at love. Smith threw out much of his juvenile humor (it would be his first film without Jay & Silent Bob, for example) and attempted to tell a more straightforward, romantic story, with mixed success.

    If you are an inspiraing film or screen writer or even a director this book is deffinatley for you, while Kevin Smith also adds hilarity to this book by giving it his own little twist and quotes, saying that he throwns in ever so often. This was very inlighting book as it told a little bit of how hard it can be to start into a a big buisness such as Hollywood. But Kevin Smith says with a little bit of hard work determination anything can pay off. Kevin got his point clear across and this is a very funny entertaining book that people would enjoy.

    This is a most read if you are a Kevin Smith fan, deffinatley pick it up for the advice on making it into the buisness. A wonderful and very entertaining read pick it up, it is well worth the $15 sticker price you will pay for it. So if your a fan or just like to read this is a book for you. Two thumbs way up.
    Tuesday, March 28th, 2006
    10:28 am
    Wrestlemania 22 Predictions Updated
     Hello folks I'm back again here with another addition of thereviewguy. Today I will not be reviewing anything just running down the Mania card and what my take and predictions are for the card.

    Boogeyman vs Booker T & Sharmell
    This one should be interesting. We haven't actually seen much wrestling out of the Boogeyman, so this should be interesting. Also Sharmell is being thrown into the mix here so this makes for worms galore in this one, I belive this will be the worst match of the night. I think now the Boogeymans gimmick is wearing down to its last worm eating day. Nonetheless winner of this match.....
    Winner-Boogeyman Who I want to win-Booker T & Sharmell

    Playboy Pillow Fight:Candice Michelle vs Torrie Wilson
    If I remember correctly they had a Playboy gimmick match and what did it do, oh right it flopped. The match was a stinker and it had 4 participants, this match is a pillow fight, AT FRIGGIN WRESTLEMANIA!! This may be tied with worst match of the night. My prediction for this bout is watch for boring chants or lots of cheering for "puppies" ughhh.
    Winner-Candice Michelle Who I want to win-Candice Michelle

    WWE Womens Championship Match: Trish Stratus(C) vs MIckie James
    Wow, I cant go into enough detail about how much I loved this set up to this feud. This started all the way back into october when Mickie debuted, now it's culminating into a huge match a Wrestlemania 22. I am really looking forward to this, I believe this is one of the most anticpated womens matches in history.
    Winner-Mickie James Who I want to win-Mickie James

    World Tag Team Championship: Big Show & Kane(C) vs Carlito & Chris Masters
    Another match I am looking forward to. I love Carlito I think he is well rounded and I believe that we will see things from him we havent seen before. I like Chris Masters and the way he has come along over the past few months being Carltios lacky in a way. Big Show and Kane have been unstoppable but also has been against jobbers galore, but these 4 men had a match on Raw before that was quite good. Could this one be better, we'll have to wait and see.
    Winners-Carlito and Chris Masters Who I want to win-Carlito and Chris Masters

    WWE United States Championship:Chris Benoit(C) vs John "Bradshaw" Layfeild
    I hate to sound like a broken recore but another match I'm looking forward to. I think either this or the World Tag Team CHampionships will open this card. These 2 had 2 other matches on Smackdown before and they were quite good. I really like Benoit, his crispness, intensity, and ring presence is awesome. JBL is hilarious on the mic and he can ahve a good to great match given the right person. I think these 2 haved meshed well in the past and I believe they will do so here.
    Winner-Chris Benoit Who I want to win- John "Bradshaw" Layfeild

    Casket Match:Mark Henry vs The Undertaker
    Boy this brings me back to the Giant GOnzalez days. This will be interesting to see if they can pull off a decent enough match, trying not to gather boring chants. This will be no great Wrestlemania moment but this has to be a spot fest with some cool spots, this cant be a battle of strength because if so, this will be horrible, another canidate for worst match of the night.
    Winner- Undertaker Who I want to win-Undertaker but you never know Mark Henry could win?

    Money In The Bank Ladder Match:Raw: Shelton Benjamin, Rob Van Dam, Ric Flair Smackdown: Fit Finlay, Lashley, Matt Hardy.
    Another intriging match. I am not saying this will be bad before I see it just cause Lahley and FInlay are in a ladder match. Whay may happen here is FInlay and Lashley will get into a brawl and take each other out of the match leaving Hardy, RVD, Benjamin, and Flair in the match, which can be very cool.This may be a potential show stealer or show stinker, this is very iffy, but still makes for good watching.
    Winner- Ric Flair Who I want to win-Rob Van Dam or Shelton Benjamin

    Hardcore Match:Mick Foley vs Edge
    This will be no Foley vs orton but this can still be pretty memorable. Maybe I'm wrong this could be better. Edge stating that he plans on stealing the show, and he very well could. THis will be full of action, weapons, blood aplenty. This will be very entertaining and I'm hoping that this will be entertaining, ohhhs and ahhhs, this should be fun. I think Edge will win because why else bring Foley back, so he can win then leave like Undertaker.
    Winner-Edge Who I want to win-Edge

    No Holds Barred-Vince McMahon vs Shawn Michaels
    This had to be NO Holds Barred because if this was a normal match it would suck. This will be NO SHANE VS VINCE OR HOGAN VS VINCE but this can be good, in a sense that Shawn always delivers, plus he gets to hit his boss, how cool is that. This whole idea is based around Bret Hart so I bet WWE are trying to bring him in for maybe a run in. THis should be interesting to say the least.
    Winner-Shawn Michaels Who I want to win-I dont care

    WWE Championship Match:John Cena(C) vs Triple H
    This match has to deliever. It has to be a classic heel vs face, but I think the heel will be Cena and the face will be Triple H. I think this will be based around the fan reaction which will give it that extra edge it needs to be watchable, so if people in the theatres could shut up during this match so I could hear the crowd reactions it may be watchable if not this may suck. I will say this on very rare occasions but please please let Triple H win.
    Winner-John Cena Who do I want to win-TRIPLE H PLEASE GOD PLEASE!!!

    Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship:Kurt Angle(C) vs Randy Orton vs Rey Mysterio
    This will be match of the night by far. The sentimental favorite is obviously Rey, but there is a rumored Orton title reign. This is the main reason Im seeing this event for this match. I'm trying to lower my expectations for this match so if it dissapoints its ok but if it delievers then sweet. I have also heard a rumored rematch so Angle could win this one, this can go either way thats why I love this match.
    Winner-? Who I want to win-Whoever wins is ok with me

    There you go, those are my Wrestlemania predictions for this years extravaganza. I hate that word. This has potential of being a great Wrestlemania or one of the worst. And as a great man once said,"You cant buy groceries on potential". I am very excited to see this event, espeacially with my best buddie Matt, this will be fun and hopefully a good or great Wrestlemania. Next week I will have my review for Wrestlemania 22. Until next time this has been the word of the reviewguy.SHEBAZZ!!
    Wednesday, March 22nd, 2006
    6:00 pm
    THE GOODNESS OF RALPH


    In the novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding tries to portray Ralph as some sort of voice of reason. Ralph was morale, peace, calm, humanity,order, strucutre, and all around decent human being. William Golding tried to do this by making Ralph a sort of voice of reason, but in this case the voice of reason was not heard by many, with the exceptions of Piggy and the littler kids amongst them.
    Ralph did this by simply(I believed) telling it like it is. He told the group of boys that they were not going to be rescued just in case people had their hopes up and did not get rescued. He told people that they must form a group and an understanding of one another in order to get along and make it through. Ralph wanted a leader and not so much followers as much so as people who will listen to the voice of reason. They used a conch(seashell) to try to keep order and structure, whoever had the conch got the oppurtunity to speak, much like a talking stick Native Americans use.
    This conch 'idea' seemed to work until a more demonic character arose, Jack. He was a rebellious misguided pre-teen. Jack wasmore into a savage state of hunting, and getting all riled up in a frenzy, interpetive dances, chants, simulating their kill in the previous day. Jack was a wildcard and could not be predicted because he was so rambuncious. Jack in the begining of the disaster followed orders for a limited time, but as soon as he realized he could gain a bit of power by misleading a bunch of kids he came to a conclusion that this 'conch' was not nessesary and he could lead them rest of the kids onto bigger and better things, food, shelter, and most importantly being rescued. So even though Ralph's idea was more reasonable and probably a better option people choose Jack over Ralph in this case scenario, with all of Jack's empty and false promises.
    Ralph still didn't give in, he had a loyal friend and companion in Piggy. Piggy followed Ralph's lead a a voiceof reason and realized what Ralph's ideals were, they were realistic and that he should go with the better and more realistic person, that being in Ralph. The hero persona really showed when Ralph mentioned fire. Fire for being rescued, if a plane, helicopter, coastguard or what have you happened to go by the person(s) could see the flamming inferno and see the kids, thus the kids being rescued. Now I say that is heroic because Ralph was in a right mind-set similar to what a Superman, Batman, Spider-Man would think or believe in doing. Superman would deffinatly think of a smart idea like set a fire and keep it going so they can be rescued. A modern day firefeighter would even agree with that argument. This fire idea was brave,bold, intelligent, heroic move at that.
    Soon after this idea his plan would go aspoil. Jack and some other kids would disband and in a way sabotage the little things that Ralph, Piggy, and the little guys actually had. Stealing fire, Piggy's specs(Glasses) , even taunting and freightining the boys when they were asleep. Ralph did not cave in, he did what a 'hero' would do and take a stand. He reminded Jack of how he forgot to keep the fire going when indeed there was a plane flying overhead. Jack heisitated for a minute before insisting his men and himself have found meat. Ralph reminded Jack meat is not as important as going home as most kids wanted. Now most kids did not believe Ralph about a plane overhead so one by one many disbanded and joined Jack. But what did Ralph do? He didn't give up, no, he kept being a voice of reason and a blast of reality without ever using physical violence until his friend dear Piggy was murdered.
    So I ask, what would a hero/superhero do in this case. If you answered stick to his plan, never give up, be realistic, then your right. Most hero's never give up thats why they are in the position they are in. The hero stature. Neither did Ralph, I figured in a way he knew he had to do something keep a cool hand and try to just figure it out on his own to save himself and the wellness of others, thats very heroic and superhero-esc like, wouldn't you agree? I do.
    Now Ralph really seen the demise of the strucutre and peace he tried so hard to constructe fall and crumble when he witnessed his own and possibly only best friend murdered by an outlandish Jack and Roger. As a person to witness that and come to a realization of what was going on he was shocked and found himself running for his life. A hero getting punished for doing something considerate for others, that reminds me of a certain somebody. He goes by the name of Jesus Christ. Sorry but I feel opinionated to remark on this. Jesus was a hero in his own right, now I'm not saying I love God and praise Jesus because I believe they may be fictional, but if this so were true then Jesus was a hero of sorts only to be tortured and killed for being kind, caring, looking out for people, wanting them tobelieve a better good, much like Ralph. Also realize I'm not comparing Ralph to Jesus because thats the Beetles job, but in a similarity they both had the same jist of what they wanted for good and too better not only themselves but others as well.
    Ralph was a hero in his own right. Like a fire fighter he was concerned for the safety of others, protection, no one dying, and a certain calmness that even firefighters have to obtain when rescuing a civilian. I use fire fighters in this case because I think both mesh quite well together and are fitting to one another. Ralph was very reasonable and rational. A person that could benifit todays modern society. Calm, peace, order, cival, sturcture, firm but fair, reasonable, and a mighty fine leader. Ralph took initionative in conducting order to the children, that in itself is very heroic, very hero like. Ralph wanted so badly to help but was only to be run into the ground by Jack. In a way Jack stomped a mud hole in Ralph and walked it dry. Ruining any and all confidence that Ralph had received while trying to be a voice of reason. Jack took Ralph's beliefs and in so many ways turned that against him, thus causing thr children to turn on Ralph one by one because they seen the kind of power Jack had and didn't want to be against such a strong willed young kid like Jack, against a reasoning and realistic ideals of Ralph. But in true form Ralph did not give up in his mission to bring order and obediance into the children amongst him. This was a very guttsy move and could of cost him his life, but like most heroes it's what he had to do.
    I feel that if Ralph indeed in fact give up on what he wanted to acheive that he might of been killed earlier on. As well as Piggy and Simon, all 3 of those boys were the decent minded realistic thinking people,who lived in the real world instead of their own personal paradise. Good thing that Ralph had the right frame of mind to keep his head in the game and not give up on the little kids and bigger kids even though in fact they gave up on Ralph. Very heroic and honarable for Ralph to tolerate such little miscriants when they were trying to kill Ralph. This is a topic I could go into great detail with, Ralph as a hero of sorts. To simply put it Ralph was yes indeed a hero, role model, inspiration to some, and one good addition to modern day society. If in fact he was real, not fictional, he'd be a guy very dependent,head on straight and a all around great guy. Good work indeed by William Golding for bringing out such a vibrant character that can be spoke of and described in detail, but I'm sure he doesn't need an 18 year old teen-ager telling him this as he had a Noble Peace Prize to show for his many works of literature.

    On to another question many may ask, do people such as Ralph or any other fictional or non-fictional characters or people I mentioned exist in our world today? Do every day normal people can be described as heroic or a hero? The answer is yes. Every day fire fighters as I mentioned, police officers, and not just enforcers or people out to better others peoples lives, but doctors, people who donate blood these can be considered hero's, why? Well, because these people risk there lives and or help save other peoples lives.
    Fire fighters for example, most days go into a blazing inferno just so they can better someone else's life by saving them. They go into a burning building to risk their life and limb for anotherperson, that's pretty heroic if you ask me. They could easily die, and most of them might have a significant other or kids and everyday these people go into their dangerousjob, but do they ever get reconition, no. More famous and powerful people do, but I will elaberate on that in a little while.
    Police officers, these men and or women roam the streets everyday looking for a homeless person or a crackhead that needs to lay his or her head for that night. That's pretty much a moral hero. Thinking of others, making sure they can rest easy and get the help that they need to make it through their life and the rest of the day. Police officers get puked on by hookers, bleed on by thugs and gangsters, get shot at, and all these men and women must remain calm and try to restore peace and order amongst the task at hand. I know that there are some people who can do that, but then again most people can't because they do not have the tolerance for that kind of behaviour.
    Doctors, another touchy subject for me. These persons weither it be a surgery to repair a heart or simply giving an elder medication so they can make it through the day, or the harder task of trying to find a cure for an uncureable disease. Doctors never make the headline, "Dr. Weinstein does another successful triple by pass surgery, preventing another person from a heart attack". You never come across that. Blood donars another subject I'd like to elaberate on a bit. Simply put these people donate their blood. Seems like nothing, but in actual fact this could be helpful to saving someones life who has an uncurable cancer, and maybe that blood could make them pull through that little much more that they needed. People who need bone marrow can go to the blood donar banks to get blood because of people who care enough to take 1 hour out of their day to go down to a local clinic and simply give blood. That rarely makes headlines but do you know what does. To everyones surprise(not really) celebrities. These people get everything, taking the limelight from the real heros.
    You hear in tabloids or newspapers, radio, television, Paul McCartney saves another sea ottter or seal, what have you. There was a big fuse and commotion over him going to Newfoundland to protest when in actual fact he request's non leather seats in his LIMOSUINE! Sorry for the bold letters but my god, requesting non leather seats in his 20 foot stretch,that is some arrogant of him but people don't see that because he is beloved by everyone, remebered for being in one of the biggest bands of all time, The Beetles. No one can see the reality behind this, he is not a hero but a mere glorified figure head for animal rights. When I'm sure he doesnt't do that kind of stuff everyday when other people do that for a living.
    When hurricane Katrina hit we seen in the papers Sean Penn a known actor is shown in his own boat(first off his own boat at a disaster site, arrogance if you ask me) bailing out water from his boat because it sprung a leak. Why not show the thousands of people actually working hard on trying to save lives like everyone was sent their to do. Celebrites get all the attention while the small middle class folks such as ourselves are seen doing nothing. In a way such as Ralph. I figure once Ralph got back to America or Britain there wouldn't be headlines, "Boy keeps he's cool and saves dozens of kids". Nope, I highly doubt that. Now I'm saying this also keeping in mind Ralph, Jack, Piggy, Simon were all fictional characters, but I hope you can see the point I'm making.
    So in a breif over view of what I said, yes Ralph was a hero in doing what he did and most likly wouldn't of got recognized for that, much like the other
    people wouldn't either. Ralph was a hero, kept his cool, like a police officer. Risked his life like a fire fighter. Saved lives like a blood donar or a doctor can do. Just
    like the other professions Ralph could fit right into that genre of people. I say to the late great William Golding great job in portrying a character that can be so
    realistic and can be such a big asset in society if it were true. Such an out spoken and amazing character that most people in the world today should stand up and
    take notice, kudos to you Mr. Golding.
    Tuesday, March 21st, 2006
    12:58 am
    No Way Out 2003
     0-50:Horrible, and ask for your money back(Great American Bash 2004,Wrestlemania 9,)
    50-55:Mediocore and dissapointing(Royal Rumble 2006)
    55-65:An event that is worth a watch(Taboo Tuesday 2005,Judgment Day 2003)
    65-75:Good event, that was worth the money(Survivor Series 2005,Wrestlemania 20,Wrestlemania 21,Summerslam 2005,Survivor Series 2003)
    75-80:Very good(ECW One Night Stand 2005,TNA Against All Odds 2006,Wrestlemania 14)
    80-90:Make sure you purchase this dvd(Vengeance 2005, Wrestlemania 19,Wrestlemania 17)
    90-100:Over the top, amazing memorable event that will be added to your dvd collection, to stand the test of time(Royal Rumble 2005)

    Chris Jericho(W) vs Jeff Hardy
    Very good match which was the opener, i thought both men kind of mingeld well.Very entertaining and it was a good mixture of counters and reversals. A nice ending to when Jericho countered a hurrican-rana into a top rope powerbomb, then into a walls of jericho, nice job done by all.
    Rating-9.5

    World Tag Team Championships: Willian Regal & Lance Storm(C)(W) vs Rob Van Dam & Kane
    Good tag-team bout that ended when Storm rearranged Kane's mask so that he couldn't see clearly, thus resulting in him choke-slamming RVD. Interesting idea, as it had us wondering what was next for the pairing. And I might add Regal and Storm looked great out there, good stuff again.
    Rating-8

    WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Billy Kidman(C) vs Matt Hardy(W)(New Champ)
    Hate to be boring folks, but this was another 'good' match, that was nothing special. It threatened to spark into a great cruiserweight bout at various times, but never really did. Kidman did his job, as did Matt. But something between the 2 just didn't click. Maybe it was the lack of animosity or a feud. I believed this was a good decision on putting the belt on Hardy, as it made him break out of his tagging past.
    Rating-8

    The Big Show vs The Undertaker(W)
    Here was the surprise of the night. This match was genuinely 'good'. There's that word (& rating for that matter) again. The story that was told was excellent though, as The Undertaker consistently failed to lift TBS in a number of different ways. The crowd was right behind the freshened up Taker, and he seemed invigorated by it. The arsenal of moves varied sufficiently enough, resulting in a decent ending involving a triangle choke.
    Rating-7.5

    Chris Benoit &Brock Lesnar(W) vs Team Angle(Kurt Angle & Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas)
    It's so easy to get complacent watching these guys perform. At the end of the day, this was still the match of this ppv.A little strangely paced at times, it was slightly hurt because of the absence of Edge. But all 5 performers did what they had to do very well, resulting in an overall very good match.
    Rating-9.5

    World Heavyweight Championship: Scott Steiner vs Triple H (C)(W)
    At the end of the day, I got a few laughs out of their initial encounter, while this bout was almost a duplicate, and added nothing but confusion from the crowd. While it may end the feud, nothing was furthered here. A further point off the rating for not having Booker T run in at some point, to hype the Wrestlemania feud. Oh, I loved the way the crowd cheered for Triple H, booed Steiner out the building and even booed Earl Hebner, ha good stuff.
    Rating-7

    Stone Cold Steve Austin(W) vs Eric Bischoff
    This wasn't so much a match, but rather a segment. Why on earth Vince made the stipulation before the match that anyone who interfered would be fired is beyond me. It would have been more entertaining if Austin stunned numerous wrestlers, rather than just squash Bischoff. The return was effective I suppose, and the crowd ate it up. Pretty good little segment, take it for what it's worth people, a very entertaining squash.
    Rating-5.5

    Hulk Hogan vs The Rock(W)
    A very hard match to rate, this started off strangely with that weird helicopter intro that Rocky has. I've never been a huge fan of The Rock's wrestling repertoire, but he basically carried Hogan in this bout. I like the way he's added just enough of a twist to his previous heel character. This results in freshness, even if it is only a perception. The match itself was pretty average, but entertaining enough. I didn't mind the screwjob ending involving Sylvan Greiner(is he still around....ahhhh the life of Velocity) & Vince McMahon. It made sense & adds to The Rock's heel persona, without really taking anything away from Hogan. Vince came out afterwards to show us his muscles & hype his match with Hogan at WrestleMania 19. At the end of the night it was very entertaining, and isn't that why we watch wrestling, to be entertained.
    Rating-6.5

    Overall Rating-61.5/80=77%
    LOoking at the rating key I said this was 'very good'. I think this could have been much better to be honest. The undercard was just as good as anything you could ask for for the first 5 matches they were solid, the others were basically storyline matches. Awesome if I do say so myself.But I have a bit of a problem; you see, No Way Out's position on the calendar should never make it a stand-out pay-per-view. This is because that properly setting up feuds for WrestleMania will predominantly mean that some matches at this event will not have an opportunity to deliver the quality that us fans always expect. But this wasn't like that,this was genuinly good and very much a recommended watch.(Right after the original Batman of course).Until next time this has been the word of the review guy.
    Monday, March 20th, 2006
    1:30 am
    Survivor Series 2003
     0-50:Horrible, and ask for your money back(Great American Bash 2004,Wrestlemania 9,)
    50-55:Mediocore and dissapointing(Royal Rumble 2006)
    55-65:An event that is worth a watch(Taboo Tuesday 2005,Judgment Day 2003)
    65-75:Good event, that was worth the money(Survivor Series 2005,Wrestlemania 20,Wrestlemania 21,Summerslam 2005)
    75-80:Very good(ECW One Night Stand 2005,TNA Against All Odds 2006,Wrestlemania 14)
    80-90:Make sure you purchase this dvd(Vengeance 2005, Wrestlemania 19,Wrestlemania 17)
    90-100:Over the top, amazing memorable event that will be added to your dvd collection, to stand the test of time(Royal Rumble 2005)

    Team Angle(Kurt Angle, John Cena, Chris Benoit, Bradshaw, Hardcore Holly)(W) vs Team Lesnar(Brock Lesnar, The Big Show, A-Train, Matt Morgan, Nathan Jones)
    Interesting choice as the opener, but a daring & good one (because of the way the match played out). Three superstars being eliminated in the first 2 minutes was probably a bit much, but Holly, Bradshaw & A-Train were pretty much there for the ride anyway. Morgan & Jones did their jobs, while Angle's flurry of offense was sensational. Lesnar F-5'ing Angle, but then tapping to Benoit basically ends one feud & begins another. While the U.S Champion (The Big Show) was put over fairly well. Cena continues the huge (& too soon) face push, at this point in time. I would have much preferred if he turned on Benoit at the end, but it appears a U.S title run was on its way. Definitely too short at only 14 minutes, but as the opener it had to be as fast-paced as possible. Efficiency was high here, as it was entertaining & paved the way for future storylines in that time. Good stuff.
    Rating-8

    WWE Womens Championship Match: Molly Holly(C)(W) vs Lita
    Fairly well put together 6 minute bout which saw Molly retain following a semi-clean pinfall. Yes, the 2 different styles did clash a little, but that fact was occasionally used quite well throughout the match. Plus, Molly has always been good at adapting to her opponents.
    Rating-6.5

    Ambulance Match: Shane McMahon vs Kane(W)
    Ok (when taken individually) ending to a sometimes mind-boggling feud. Definitely nothing special, but there were enough good spots & enough of a frenetic pace for most of it's 13 minute duration. Production goofs hurt this match badly, as 2 cameramen missed Kane landing on his head at the beginning of the bout, and then the camera blacked out twice backstage. That's very un-WWE-like!!! In fact, the whole trip backstage, although logical, was a waste of time. There could have been more innovative hardcore action taking place, but the match didn't really deserve too much more time than it got. Passable.
    Rating-5

    Mark Cuban Segment
    This gets included in the 'PPV Rating' because it took up enough time to warrant it (It lasted longer than the Molly vs Lita match). There were so many things wrong with this. Firstly, it took the Tajiri vs Noble match off the card. Secondly, why did Bischoff & Orton have to be put over, considering what would happen later on? And of course my biggest gripe ; How many people throughout the world (that's what the first 'W' in WWE stands for, right!?!?!?) know who Cuban is. I do, only because he had that reality show. But otherwise, he could have been a bum off the street. Fair enough if Tim Duncan or Dirk No-whatshisname was involved, but Mark Who!?!?!? Having said all that, the segment was put together rather nicely & definitely had the hometown crowd going off their nut. A tough one to rank because it was ok, but made no sense. I just can't pass it though.
    Rating-4

    WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The Bashams(C)(W) vs Los Guerrero's
    This was a very good tag-team bout. Considering this match & the ppv opener, I'm starting to think that there is more merit in keeping bouts shorter when they are as frenetically paced as this 8 minute match. Plus, the WWE can't push their luck with rookies & have to protect them to some extent. There was some excellent double-team maneuvers by both teams here, while the byplay involving Shaniqua was also quite entertaining. Sure, Los Guerreros stood out as the fine team they are, but The Bashams more than played their part & looked good when they were asked to. Furthermore, the Eddie & Chavo angle didn't get involved too much concerning the match quality. Definitely the pleasant surprise of the night.
    Rating-8

    Team Austin(Shawn Michaels, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Dudley Boys) vs Team Bischoff(Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Christian, Scott Steiner, Mark Henry)(W)
    If the WWE ever question having these traditional 5 on 5 Survivor Series matches again, all they have to do is watch this bout over & over again. A feud which I didn't really care for, quickly made me care about 1 minute into this enthralling match. For 27 minutes, we saw a great mixture of all sorts of wrestling; Fast-paced, mat, tag-team & even sheer brutality. Well booked with the exception of Booker T's & RVD's early exits. The after-match went on a little too long, but I suppose it did put over the stipulation well. Match of the night, and should of been the main event, the way Austin put the 2 symbolic beers in the ring, then how on Raw thats how they opened the show. A little tid bit as well for every person who was on the winning team Bischoff granteed them all one favor, and I realized Jericho never asked for a favor, so when Bischoff fired him in the summer of last year he could of called in his favor and not get fired, oh well.
    Rating-9.5

    Buried Alive Match: The Undertaker vs Vince McMahon(W)
    Definitely the quickest blade-job I have ever seen. And boy, what a blade-job!!! Vince leaking that much blood couldn't have been healthy, especially when he got near the dirt!! Anyway, this was sheer brutality & a huge squash from the opening bell, as Vince basically got no offense in. Pretty ordinary as a wrestling bout & it didn't really deliver anything special except for the blade-job & Kane's appearance (both of which were partially expected). While the entertainment value could have been better, it was still sufficient. Again, it was well-timed (only lasting 12 minutes) & had both the live crowd & me involved in the action. Yes, I'm giving an extra rating point for Vince's bleeding.
    Rating-6

    World Heavyweight Championship Match: Triple H vs Goldberg(C)(W)
    The fact that only one face had won to this stage & that this was made the main event of the night, basically told me that Goldberg was going to retain here. But the fact that he did it so cleanly was the surprise. Overbooked, but it had to be, with both wrestlers not 100% fit. Thank God they didn't continue with the psychological ankle business!!! The way the match was booked tends to suggest that Goldberg will now be booked as the unstoppable force he was in WCW.Again, well timed at approximately 13 minutes, this was decently paced for the most part. As per usual, Flair's histrionics helped.
    Rating-6

    Overall Rating- 53/80=66%
    Basically I have said that this ppv was agood eventthat was worth the money. Right on, if I do say so myself. Scrapping the Mark Cuban segment for a crusierweight match would have almost guaranteed a better rating, but I suppose we must see our sports-entertainment, mustn't we!?!?!? But let's not hark on the few negatives, as there were far too many positives at this event. Three really good matches, plus most matches being very cleverly, as well as logically, booked, paced & timed. Furthermore, the two 5 on 5 matches prove that they must be annual events. Both were very entertaining (despite being so much different) & resulted in the motivation for many key angles in the upcoming months. And for the icing on the cake, we even had some inter-promotional hints thrown in there to fuel some fan conjecture for Wrestlemania 20(Kane, Undertaker, Brock and Goldberg). Good stuff indeed!!! Well done WWE.
    Friday, March 17th, 2006
    1:13 am
    0-50:Horrible, and ask for your money back(Great American Bash 2004,Wrestlemania 9,)
    50-55:Mediocore and dissapointing(Royal Rumble 2006)
    55-65:An event that is worth a watch(Taboo Tuesday 2005,Judgment Day 2003)
    65-75:Good event, that was worth the money(Survivor Series 2005,Wrestlemania 20,Wrestlemania 21)
    75-80:Very good(ECW One Night Stand 2005,TNA Against All Odds 2006,Wrestlemania 14)
    80-90:Make sure you purchase this dvd(Vengeance 2005, Wrestlemania 19,Wrestlemania 17)
    90-100:Over the top, amazing memorable event that will be added to your dvd collection, to stand the test of time(Royal Rumble 2005)

    WWE United States Championship Match:Orlando Jordan(C) vs Chris Benoit(W)(New Champ)
    How do you rate a 25 second match...??? I could give it a 0 as there was hardly a bout. I could give it a 10 as Benoit should have won the title at the G.A Bash ppv & it was well-performed for all of the 25 seconds that it lasted. But I think I will split the difference & pass it. It achieved it's purpose, was unpredictable & was actually a brave move by the WWE after building up OJ with a 5 month title reign.
    Rating-5

    Edge(W) vs Matt Hardy
    The much anticipated first bout between these 2 enemies was basically a 5 minute slugfest that ended disappointingly when the referee stopped the match. This was because a bloodied Hardy looked knocked out following a head shot to the steel post in the corner of the ring. Strangely placed as the 2nd match on the card & that should have been the hint that this bout was merely a set up for the following 2 months worth of feud. Well put together while it lasted I suppose, and it did include a nice spear through the middle rope by Edge. But rated individually, this match can't be seen as anything special, especially to the live audience who were really into it.
    Rating-5.5

    Ladder Match for full custody of Dominick: Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio(W)
    Another strangely placed bout, surely this could have at least been the 3rd last match on this card. The stipulation here was that the winner would get custody of Dominic, and while the psychology wasn't entirely there (shouldn't Rey have desperately been running for the ladder early on?), this was still a great match. 20 minutes in length, the bout was pretty much ladder spot after ladder spot. Some were new, some weren't. Some were performed excellently, while others didn't quite go to plan. But most importantly, all were entertaining. The match could have been a few moments longer in actual fact (maybe the ladder could have been introduced a few moments later), and Eddie had so many opportunities to win it that realism never played a part here. Rey ends up with the victory following distractions by Dominic & (Eddie's wife) Vicki.
    Rating-8.5

    Eugene vs Kurt Angle(W)
    I love it when Angle is this intense! Great start to this match which was all Kurt. And I actually liked the way that Eugene's little offense came from Angle's over-enthusiasm. The 5 minute duration was about right considering the story being told. I'm not a Eugene-hater, yet I have absolutely no problems with Angle's domination here. Although having him kick out of the Rock Bottom & Stunner in such a short timeframe probably wasn't wise. J.R said it best at the end of the bout: "I don't know if anyone can beat Kurt Angle when he is in that form". Very good for what it was a squash match with jobber offense.
    Rating-7.5

    The Undertaker vs Randy Orton(W)
    I'm not exactly sure why, but these 2 sure do mesh well in the ring. Not quite as good as their WrestleMania 21 bout, but not too far behind, especially considering that Orton was not long back from injury here. Whether that is enough to satisfy Orton's critics is another matter of course! 17 minutes in length, what I especially liked about this match was the counters. A word usually associated with cruiserweights or the likes of Angle & Benoit, these 2 big heavyweights subtly reversed the others momentum time & again. Nothing too spectacular, but in a way that was consistently surprising & full of impact. 'Taker was good, and despite the cheap ending (Bob Orton's interference), Orton continues to show he can do it in the ring given the right opponent. (or has he always been this good?).
    Rating-8

    WWE Championship Match:John Cena(W)(C) vs Chris Jericho|
    Extremely well-booked match. I wasn't a fan of the way this feud was set up, but it really carried over well to the beginning of this bout. And while there were a few moments of not-too-crisp wrestling, this back & forth match got everyone involved (including the very loud DC crowd). Capped off by a great final few moments where it was entirely believable that Y2J actually could have pulled off the victory. A nice variation on the F-U finisher capped it all off rather nicely. In the correct circumstances with a good opponent & booking, Cena can have a top quality 1 on 1 bout. Match of the night.
    Rating-9

    No Holds Barred for the World Heavyweight Championship: John "Bradshaw" Layfield vs Batista(C)(W)
    Undoubtedly better than their terrible match at the G.A Bash, pure & simply because they kept it short & full of impact here. Nice touch at the start with JBL interrupting Batista's entrance. And the momentum continued through to the 3 minute mark when the champ awesomely speared the challenger through the railing. The following 5 minutes was the usual NHB stuff, but it was at least sufficient. 2 Batista Bombs later & the champ retains at the 9 minute mark. I would have liked to have seen them stretch the bout out for another 2-3 minutes, but I can see why they didn't take that risk.
    Rating-7

    Icon vs Legend Match: Shawn Michaels vs Hulk Hogan(W)
    Pretty much as expected, but probably a little better than it had the right to be. Not quite The Rock vs Hogan, but we are 3 years down the track now. It was actually a joy to see the heel HBK act frustrated, dazed, confused, cocky, play heel, play face, etc... While Hogan did what he had to do. It was amazing that these 2 could draw this entertaining match out for 21 minutes! The ending baffled me though. It was quite possibly the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen during a match, as Hogan kicked out of a chairshot - elbow drop - sweet chin music combo to win following the big boot & legdrop of doom. Maybe the Ultimate Warrior should make a comeback, as we all know he could have kicked out & won that match!
    Rating-7.5

    Overall Rating- 58/80=72.5%
    Looking at the rating key I have said this ppv is worth the money for the event, sums it up nicely.This event was right up there in quality with (if a fraction behind) the best that 2005 has had to offer thus far. The grade was brought down by the 2 openers which took up no more than 6 minutes in total match time & were more storyline-advancers than anything else. A sensational midcard was followed up by 2 decent main events. SummerSlam definitely achieved above the minimum that all dual brand pay-per-views should. Kudos to the WWE for a very good event.Until next time this has been the word of the review guy.(Next time I will be doing New Years Revolution 2006)
    Wednesday, March 15th, 2006
    11:07 pm
    0-50:Horrible, and ask for your money back(Great American Bash 2004,Wrestlemania 9)
    50-55:Mediocore and dissapointing(Royal Rumble 2006)
    55-65:An event that is worth a watch(Taboo Tuesday 2005,Judgment Day 2003)
    65-75:Good event, that was worth the money(Survivor Series 2005,Wrestlemania 20,Wrestlemania 21)
    75-80:Very good(ECW One Night Stand 2005,TNA Against All Odds 2006,Wrestlemania 14)
    80-90:Make sure you purchase this dvd(Vengeance 2005, Wrestlemania 19)
    90-100:Over the top, amazing memorable event that will be added to your dvd collection, to stand the test of time(Royal Rumble 2005)

    WWE Intercontinental Championship:Chris Jericho(C)(W) vs William Regal
    Good choice as an opener as Y2J's music alone was enough to get the crowd off to a hot start. These guys actually had a decent feud going at the time, as Jericho was the over face & Regal was the heel commissioner. Unfortunately, this was nowhere near up to the standard of some of the past classic InterContinental Title WrestleMania matches. However, it was still pretty good, as the 2 mixed it up better than I thought they would. The pace was kept up & there were a few neat reversals & counters. Kept fairly short at 7 minutes in duration, but I think that was a good thing in this case. Although, the ending was a little too anti-climactic for my liking.
    Rating-7.5

    6 Man Tag Team Match:APA & Tazz(W) vs The Right To Censor
    Decent filler 6 man match, although it was nothing special. Kept very short at 5 minutes, which meant the pace was fast & furious. It also masked each wrestlers' weaknesses, which was definitely a good thing. Bradshaw's speech before the bout was also very good.
    Rating-7

    Triple Threat Match for the WWE Hardcore Championship:Raven(C) vs The Big Show vs Kane(W)(New Champ)
    One of the most memorable hardcore matches during the title's existence. Definitely nothing special & certainly in the softer WWE style of a hardcore match (as opposed to the more brutal ECW style). Fairly entertaining though, with a few decent spots backstage, involving moves through walls, doors & windows. A couple of golf buggies were thrown in for good measure!!! Ten minutes was about the correct length & fittingly, only one of those minutes occurred in the ring.
    Rating-8.5

    WWE European Championship Match:Test(C) vs Eddie Guerrero(W)(New Champ)
    Started off ok with the (face) Test even showing some genuine potential. But as soon as Eddie started to attempt the psychological route & wear down his opponent, the match very much stalled & even looked sloppy at times. Firstly, Test accidentally got his foot caught in the top rope & the referee couldn't get him loose without Eddie's help!!! In the meantime, Eddie clumsily fell off the apron. Latino Heat wins with the help of Saturn & Malenko.
    Rating-7

    Kurt Angle(W) vs Chris Benoit
    Let's be honest; These 2 couldn't possibly put on a bad match. This was no exception, although it wasn't quite up to their best efforts against each other (Royal Rumble '03 & Raw steel cage match from June '01). The first 4 minutes of this 14 minute bout included some great amateur-style chain-wrestling, which was full of counters & reversals. They then switched to some brief brawling action, before really getting stuck into the fine art of professional wrestling. Suplexes galore, plus the usual assortment of submission moves, slams, moonsaults & swan diving. All the while, the action was crisp, intense & entertaining. Angle wins with a surprise rollup.
    Rating-9.5

    WWE Womens Championship Match: Ivory(C) vs Chyna(W)(New Champ)
    In the storylines at the time, Chyna was coming off a bad neck injury. It didn't really seem to effect her all that much though, as this was nothing more than a 3 minute squash match. Had some atmosphere, but too short & one-sided to mean much at all.
    Rating-6

    Street Fight:Vince McMahon vs Shane McMahon(W)
    One of the most well told stories ever in a WWE match!!! In amongst Shane buying WCW & Linda having a nervous breakdown, father & son had a genuinely good streetfight on the biggest stage of them all. Obviously not the crispest wrestling-wise, the entertainment value here was an 11 out of 10. Even the subplot of Stephanie McMahon vs Trish Stratus & Linda McMahon was well written & performed. To top it all off, there were 2 huge spots performed by Shane (an elbow drop through the spanish announce table & the WWE debut of the Van Terminator) in this 14 minute match., which almost made us ignore special guest referee, Mick Foley.
    Rating-10

    TLC 2 Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships:Edge & Christian(W)(New Champs)vs The Dudley Boyz(C)vs The Hardy Boyz
    Occasionally criticized match (I presume for being over-booked & spotty), I have TLC2 in my top 20 matches of all time. Just look at the crowd during this extravaganza; Most of them are standing!!! In my opinion, it's 16 minutes of pure entertainment. Extremely brave, the 6 performers (& 3 interferers) did all that they could to improve on their previous 10 out of 10 efforts at WrestleMania 16 & SummerSlam 2000. Not everything went to script, but it was almost impossible for it to do so. Obviously, there were huge spots galore, while I feel that Spike, Lita & Rhyno actually added to the action. The 9 wrestlers in action definitely gave it their all.
    Rating-10

    Gimmick Battal Royal won by The Iron Sheik
    'Mean' Gene Okerlund & Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan commentated this over-the-top-rope battle royal. The actual match only lasted a little over 3 minutes, but that was all that it really should have, as it's fair to say that these guys were well past their best at this stage in time. The introductions almost took 10 minutes & they were entertaining enough. The winner was The Iron Shiek, who almost couldn't walk!!! A hard one to rate, but the entertainment, nostalgia & fun factor was high. Furthermore, it seemed to fit into the event as a whole.
    Rating-8

    Triple H vs The Undertaker(W)
    A match which many didn't expect much of, proved to be very good. Right from Motorhead playing 'The Game' live at the arena, the action was practically non-stop. The angle at the time was that Triple H was gloating that he had been through everyone in the WWE. Of course, he hadn't defeated 'Taker, who took exception. Many mind games, run-in's & stunts later, we had a solid & intense feud on our hands. But the 2 took it further on the night, as they fought a good mix of a brutal, hardcore & brawling big man match. Almost half the match took place outside of the ring (predominantly at a sound & lighting stage) & of course, the obligatory sledgehammer was used. 'Taker unbelievably kicked out of a clever sledgehammer shot & kept his unbeaten WrestleMania streak going after 20 minutes of very good action.
    Rating-9.5

    WWE Championship Match:The Rock(C) vs Stone Cold Steve Austin(W)(New Champ)
    Arguably, this is not the best wrestling match that these 2 had against each other, but it's possibly the best complete package. Almost prototypical of WrestleMania main events, this bout had the 2 most charismatic guys in the company at the time (& arguably of all time) going at full pace for almost the entire 28 minutes of this match. Seriously, there was hardly a wasted second for the whole duration. It was also a good mix of all types of professional wrestling styles. Stone Cold won the title with the help of Vince McMahon in a controversial, but entertaining, ending. If anything, Vince interfered & showed his hand a little too early (at the 22 minute mark). When Rocky kicked out of a stunner & a wicked chair shot, Austin well & truly turned heel with the help of the same chair. Overall, thoroughly entertaining.
    Rating-10

    Overall Rating-93/110=85%
    Overall I said make sure you purchase this dvd.While that it was one of my highest PPV ratings ever, I actually feel that it under-rates the event, if anything. I will explain in greater detail in the 'Dessert' section of my column today. But before that, just consider a couple of breakdowns to do with the PPV rating:

    PPV Rating of Last 5 Matches: (47.5/50) = 95%

    PPV Rating of Best 5 Matches: (49/50) = 98%

    They are quite amazing ratings breakdowns, and even more so when you consider that the 6 matches included in the 2 breakdowns took up most of the time during the event.Until next week this has been the word of the review guy.
    Thursday, March 9th, 2006
    10:42 pm
    Wrestlemania 9
     0-50:Horrible, and ask for your money back(Great American Bash 2004)
    50-55:Mediocore and dissapointing(Royal Rumble 2006)
    55-65:An event that is worth a watch(Taboo Tuesday 2005,Judgment Day 2003)
    65-75:Good event, that was worth the money(Survivor Series 2005,Wrestlemania 20,Wrestlemania 21)
    75-80:Very good(ECW One Night Stand 2005,TNA Against All Odds 2006,Wrestlemania 14)
    80-90:Make sure you purchase this dvd(Vengeance 2005, Wrestlemania 19)
    90-100:Over the top, amazing memorable event that will be added to your dvd collection, to stand the test of time(Royal Rumble 2005)

    Opening Segment
    This was 7 minutesin length so it must be included. This was weird because I found this whole ppv was based and relied on gimmicks and that alone. Elephants, camels, hookers, grapes, Bobby Hennan, and Jim Ross in a toga, also the debut of Finkus Maximus. Mildly funny.
    Rating-5

    WWE Intercontinental Championship: Shawn Michaels(C) vs Tatanka(W)(Via Countout)
    This was a very above average opener. This 17 minute match was filled with wrestling gallore. Lots of wrestling and a tad bit of chain wrestling which was very well done, not looking to rehearsed. Both men worked well together, and it showed, Michaels selling was very good, high flying moves galore. Tatanka also was very impressive, he had very hard chops, and continuously worked on Michaels arm and shoulder the whole match without using one resthold, so that made me happy, as I find most older wrestling has alot of restholds. Very good spot were Shawn came off the top rope but the Native American caught him and gave him an armdrag, good stuff. Also Michaels hit a superkick on Tatanka when he was coming off the top ropes. Lots of nearfalls at the end to make anyone happy. Sufficient opener which did the job and then some, also 'Match of the Night'.
    Rating-8.5

    Headshrinkers vs The Steiner Brothers(W)
    Another very good match. I was happy because the WWE still cared about the tag division so this match was very good in that aspect. Also a noticable mention Bill Alfonso(many know him as the guy who blows the whistle during RVD's ECW matches) was the referee for this match and a few other during the night. Decent tag bout whichwas very standard with one very good and cool spot. Rick Steiner was on top of Fatu's shoulders and Samu was on the top rope attemptinga clothesline or a doomsday, but in mid air Rick caught Samu and bodyslammed him off his partners shoulders, cool. Good match, pace didnt let up one bit, another match that meshed quite well.
    Rating-7

    Crush vs Doink The Clown(W)
    Ummm, what. This was a bad match. First I totally forgot that Doink was evil at one point, he even had creepy clown music, that was weird. Crush was very sloppy as was Doink. Lots of botched moves, even a botched ref bump, oh well. Then another Doink emerged only to hit Crush with a fake arm knocking him out allowing Doink to get the pinfall.
    Rating-4

    Razor Ramon(W) vs Bob Backlund
    Well I thought the last bout was bad but nope I was proven wrong. 4 minutes in length, it showed nothing, boring, and at 4 minutes this should of had alot more fast paced wrestling. I guess you dont always get what you want. This was filler, and not very good filler.
    Rating-3

    World Tag Team Championship Match: Money INC.(Million Dollar Man & IRS)(C)(W)(Via DQ) vs The Mega Maniac(Brutus the Barber Beefcake & Hulk Hogan) with Jimmy Hart
    20 minutes of brutal to watch wrestling. This took 10 minutes to get going as they stalled and stalled. Money Inc ran out and for some odd reason Earl Hebner said if they walk out they are stripped of the belts. How can a referee decide that. To top that off, Earl took a bump leaving the ref position open to Jimmy Hart? He turned his jacket inside out to a stripped jacket making him ref I guess. He counted The Mega Maniacs as the winners but a real referee came down and gave the decision to Money Inc. Good enough i guess to pass it.
    Rating-5

    The Narcissist Lex Luger(W) vs Mr. Perfect
    I was a little dissapointed with this one. I thought these 2 could put on an interesting match. What we got was a decent filler bout, that did nothing to add to the event. It was ok but not spectacular. Luger eventually got the win when he put his feet on the ropes for the win. After the match Mr.Perfect got a beatdown from Shawn Michaels in the back. Another ok match.
    Rating-5.5

    Undertaker(W)(Via DQ) vs Giant Gonzalez
    Dear God I thought it may be hard to watch, and to my surprise I was right. This match was hard and boring to watch. Undertaker tryed to get a decent match out of the 8 foot monster, but what ended up happening was an 8 minute match filled with restholds gallore,and a DQ ending. Undertaker got knocked out by some chloriform I believe, sending him to the back on a stretcher. To everyones surprise he came back and clothelined The Giant down. I'm adding a point to this match because of the cool Undertaker vulture entrance.
    Rating-4.5+1=5.5

    WWE Championship Match: Bret Hart(C) vs Yokozuna(W)(New Champ)
    Finally a decent match on the card again. This was quite good as Bret played the crash test dummy good, letting the big man throw him around a little. Bret was a good underdog always trying to get the upperhand which was interesting to see how it would all play out. To my delite it worked out well, and to my liking. As predicted with a 500 pounder such as Yokozuna there was bound the have a few restholds as there was a few. This did cause the rating to go down a little. Yoko won the belt when Mr.Fuji threw salt in the Hitmans eyes.
    Rating-6.5

    I would have been fine if the event ended like this but no because.....

    WWE Championship Match:Yokozuna(C)vs Hulk Hogan(W)(New Champ)
    Hogan came out to 'help' out Bret but what he really wanted was the title. Hogan had told WWE Management that if he didnt get the title he would leave and in fact they met his demands and gave him the title. Making this the shortest title run in HISTORY, with Yokozuna's run at 2 minutes, Hogan won the belt in a mere 20 seconds. This was dumb, lame, ruined the ppv even more than it was.
    Rating-2

    Thats not all because I have a few other things to mention in this review of Wrestlemania 9. Because of Macho Man Randy Savage's commentating and always mentioning in every match that it is Wrestlemania 9, I am deducting 2 points off the overall rating. Also Hogan had an interview where he mentioned that hewas issuing a challenge to the winner of the WWE Championship match, and convienienlty he came out to help out his buddie Bret and pretty much issued a challenge to Yokozuna then and there. Which was sleazy of him. Also in his interview he mentioned that the title was not going to Japan but to stay in the USA, he was refering to Bret Hart on this, and he's from Canada, also this insinuated that he was going to win the belt later on that night, so for that im deducting 2 more points making that 4 points in total taken off the original rating, so lets see.

    Overall Rating-52/100=52%-4=48%
    Looking at the rating key I said that this ppv was horrible and you should ask for your money back. Yes, I most definatly agree. There was 1 really good match and 2 other decent ones and thats it. The rest was filler and bad filler at that. I do not recommend this to anyone unless you can find it for 2 dollars or even 5 but nothing more. Dissappointing, and talk about gimmick overload, this was easily the worst Wrestlemania ever. Until next time this has been the word of the review guy.
    Wednesday, March 8th, 2006
    10:50 pm
    Wrestlemania 21
     0-50:Horrible, and ask for your money back(Great American Bash 2004)
    50-55:Mediocore and dissapointing(Royal Rumble 2006)
    55-65:An event that is worth a watch(Taboo Tuesday 2005,Judgment Day 2003)
    65-75:Good event, that was worth the money(Survivor Series 2005,Wrestlemania 20)
    75-80:Very good(ECW One Night Stand 2005,TNA Against All Odds 2006,Wrestlemania 14)
    80-90:Make sure you purchase this dvd(Vengeance 2005, Wrestlemania 19)
    90-100:Over the top, amazing memorable event that will be added to your dvd collection, to stand the test of time(Royal Rumble 2005)

    Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio(W)
    Entertaining opener which definitely could have been better, but was still very solid. Needed at least another few minutes, as these two deserve more than a 13 minute duration. Not as crisp as I was expecting (with the one seriously botched move), but that was offset by some moments of sensational impact (which reminded me of the classic Malenko vs Mysterio bouts of '96). There was pretty much a good mix of everything involved, although a few more minutes would have allowed them to really step it up towards the end. The same can be said for the anti-climactic ending. And whoever was the person behind Rey wearing a new mask made a serious mistake, as his adjusting of it every 30 seconds did get more than a touch annoying. But please don't get me wrong, this was still very good & a tremendously solid opener. Hard to rate, as it had it's ups & downs.
    Rating-8

    Money In The Bank Ladder Match for a shot at the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship at any time:Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho vs Christian vs Shelton Benjamin vs Kane vs Edge(W)
    Spectacular ladder match which hardly let up on the action. All men contributed in some way & not too much more could have been asked from them. For a 6 man match, I did not think it was overbooked & was as natural as practically possible. The only probable exception was the 3 ladder spot early on, which didn't really have a good enough payoff for something so rehearsed. Not quite worth a 10 rating, but not far from it. 16 minutes wasn't quite enough & the ending also probably deserved something a little more special. But I'm nitpicking a little. Entertaining & sufficiently spectacular. Kudos to everyone involved, especially Benjamin (who took another step to super-stardom) & Benoit (who made me barrack for him when previously I didn't really care if he won or not). Close to being the match of the night.
    Rating-9

    Eugene/Muhammad Hassan/Hulk Hogan Segment
    This used up 11 minutes, so it most definitely should be part of the overall PPV rating. Nice booking to include Eugene & then Hassan. The moment fit in very well in the grand scheme of things. Probably not quite as funny as it should have been, but humorous enough. And I personally would have liked Hogan to acknowledge Eugene as he was heading to the back. Plus, where was the legdrop of doom? Overall a nice touch.
    Rating-8

    Legend vs Legend Killer Match:Randy Orton vs The Undertaker(W)
    Probably the match which will get the most mixed reviews (although Orton-haters will never see anything good that he does). Personally, I thought this was absolutely sensational. Like the majority of Orton's matches, the bout started tremendously. I was waiting for the monotony to eventually settle in, but it just never came. Any restholds or submission holds were done for a purpose & were kept short (go back & view the match again if you think this was full of restholds). While not everything was perfectly crisp & a few of the simplest moves didn't go 100% right, what I liked a lot about this match was the impact of almost every move. On top of all this, the story was told perfectly by by both men. Proof of this was the great reaction the match got from the crowd. Add a well-placed 'Cowboy' Bob Orton run-in & a sensationally booked final few minutes & this was simply tremendous stuff. Fourteen minutes was the perfect duration for these 2.
    Rating-8.5

    WWE Womens Championship Match: Christy Hemme vs Trish Stratus(W)(C)
    Nowhere near as bad as it could have been. Trish played her character perfectly (when doesn't she?) & Christy's offensive spots were well-booked & sufficiently performed. While there was the predictable awkward moments that one would expect from a bout involving a debutant, it truthfully wasn't too much more than the usual women's match anyway (sorry, but it's true). I would have preferred a better finish, but seeing as though I'm in a good mood, the correct woman won & it only lasted 5 minutes, I'll just pass this.
    Rating-5

    Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle(W)
    I kept trying to lower my expectations before this match, but as soon as the pre-match promo & staredown filled my screen, I was just helpless in getting caught up in the action. Was I disappointed following that? A little. But when your expectations were as high as mine, it was always a possibility. Correctly given 28 minutes, but it actually felt that long, if not longer (which isn't always a good sign). Basically, it was split up into 3 lots of 9 minutes. I really liked what the 2 attempted during the first third of the bout. It was a nice combination of something that was predictable, but different. Plus, it set up the rest of the bout well. But it went on a little too long & was a bit too repetitive for my liking. The action kicked up a gear (predominantly) on the outside of the ring in the middle portion of the bout. Some great psychology was evident here & you could tell that both men were trying to do something spectacular to finish the match off. Whether something spectacular was eventually needed, I'll leave up for debate, as I am still unsure myself. The final 3rd was predictably excellent. While it may have stretched out a little too long & had some downtime, it was all part of the big picture & worked a treat in getting the crowd involved, while keeping us all guessing as to the final result. Actually, a little hard to rate, it will be interesting to see how this match ages, but my guess is it will be favorably. I'm going to say this tied the ladder match for 'match of the night'.
    Rating-9

    Pipers Pit with Special Guest Stone Cold Steve Austin
    Thankfully, Austin & Piper worked well together here. 15 minutes in total, Piper controlled his ad-libbing very much for the good of the segment, while 'Stone Cold' did what he always does (which was just fine by the live crowd). The unpredictable addition of Carlito was actually a good idea in theory, but at the end of the day, didn't really add a great deal. But overall, this segment was a success, and like the Hogan appearance earlier, was very fitting.
    Rating-7.5

    Sumo Match: Akebono(W)vs The Big Show
    The Big Show came decked out in sumo gear & Akebono made him look like Chris Masters! Seriously folks, I didn't want to look too closely at the big Hawaiian. Took an eternity to begin & was pretty much a waste of time once it did. Clearly a work, I just felt no involvement whatsoever.
    Rating-2.5

    WWE Championship Match:John "Bradshaw" Layfeild(C) vs John Cena(W)(New Champ)
    Like a movie or a play, a wrestling match should have 3 acts; A beginning, a middle & an end. Well, this match only had 1 act, as there wasn't really a beginning & the end would have been missed if you blinked at the wrong time. Seriously disappointing, I knew we were in trouble when JBL hooked in a sleeper-hold at the 6 minute mark. In all honesty, the 2 styles simply did not mix here & both men's lack of offensive repertoire was found out. No-one was to blame more than the other, they just both struggled to pass the test. At the end of the day, the bout was saved by Cena's final flash of spark & intensity. But it meant so much less because a more than sufficient feud had cold water poured on it by the first 8-10 minutes of the match. While ending the bout at the 12 minute mark wasn't befitting a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania, it probably was wise for the quality of the bout itself.
    Rating-5

    Hall of Fame Segment
    8 minutes in length, this was pretty standard fare, but very fitting. I think it's a good idea to have this be an annual staple at WrestleMania. Call me old-fashioned, but I like the nostalgia aspect of it all. It's not doing any harm whatsoever & strengthens the importance of WrestleMania.
    Rating-6

    World Heavyweight Championship Match: Triple H(C) vs Batista(W)(New Champ)
    Well-structured 21 minute match (especially after the JBL vs Cena disappointment) that was as good as we possibly could have asked for in the circumstances. Triple H worked the match well as the heel (which is something JBL couldn't do), although the pace wasn't exactly non-stop. I especially liked the entire final sequence, which was a pleasant surprise considering the match duration. Totally satisfactory for a WrestleMania main event, although nowhere near anything special. Although I like to point out that their Vengeance match was better, and also Orton vs Triple H from Royal Rumble was better.
    Rating-7

    Overall Rating-75.5/110=69%
    Looking at the rating key I have said that this was a good event and was worth the money. I'm more than happy with that rating & comment. There was enough included amongst this event to please anyone, and I think that has to be considered when judging the event as a whole. When attempting that, it becomes more difficult to please everyone & get a high rating. Having said that, a few adjustments here & there & this could have been right up there with the best ever WrestleManias. As it is though, as an early guide, I would just rate it in the top 10 of all time. Overall, this was a very solid event that was brought down by 2 time wasters & 2 title matches which were only sufficient. A final mention to the crowd (another area where the opinion of quality was split), as I felt they were always involved when they needed to be & when the match quality was high. Most definitely a recommended watch. On Thursday I will be reviewing Wrestlemania 9, I'mdoing so not because it is a great Wrestlemania but because peoplethink that it is great so I'm here to prove them wrong. Until the this has been the word of the review guy.
    Tuesday, March 7th, 2006
    4:33 pm
    Wrestlemania 20
     0-50:Horrible, and ask for your money back(Great American Bash 2004)
    50-55:Mediocore and dissapointing(Royal Rumble 2006)
    55-65:An event that is worth a watch(Taboo Tuesday 2005,Judgment Day 2003)
    65-75:Good event, that was worth the money(Survivor Series 2005)
    75-80:Very good(ECW One Night Stand 2005,TNA Against All Odds 2006,Wrestlemania 14)
    80-90:Make sure you purchase this dvd(Vengeance 2005, Wrestlemania 19)
    90-100:Over the top, amazing memorable event that will be added to your dvd collection, to stand the test of time(Royal Rumble 2005)

    WWE United States Championship: John Cena(W)(New Champ) vs The Big Show(C)
    I knew this match would be early on the card, but I'm unsure how wise it was to choose it as the opener. Bret vs Owen, this wasn't!!! It was 9 minutes of predominantly slow-paced action that The Big Show dominated for the most part, until the final few moments. Good finish which didn't hurt either wrestler's credibility, as Cena got the win with his knucks. Decent enough bout, but not quite the special opening to WrestleMania 20 that I was expecting or hoping for.
    Rating-6

    Fatal 4 Way Tag Team Match for the World Tag Team Championships: Rob Van Dam & Booker T(C)(W) vs La Resistance vs The Dudley Boyz vs Garrison Cade & Mark Jindrak
    At 7 minutes, this was far too sort in both length & excitement. At the very least, we should have seen the tables come out from under the ring!!! Like the opener, it was decent enough, but just a little too ho-hum for my liking. What's worse, is that none of the teams really came out of the match with their reputations enhanced.
    Rating-6

    Chris Jericho vs Christian(W):Wrestlemania 20
    Very good 15 minute match, despite a clearly botched top-rope move during it. Excellently paced, and a good combination of the 2 wrestlers' spots, plus a few different moves. It was also an effective mixture of mat & high-flying wrestling.The match did lack a little in psychology, but nothing in intensity. The ending was well booked, if a little predictable. While the aftermath (including the Trish Stratus heel turn) was also well done. A good job, all around.
    Rating-8.5

    Handicap Match: Evolution(Randy Orton, Batista, Ric Flair)(W) vs The Rock n' Sock Connection(The Rock & Mick Foley)
    Excellent decision to have this bout placed here on the card, as it got the MSG crowd seriously pumped up. And what a very good match it was too. Extremely entertaining, and the 17 minutes that it lasted for, seemed to fly by. Everyone did their job well, with Flair being the usual barrel of laughs. If there can be such a thing, this was the most organized of disorganized messes that I've ever seen. Very well booked & performed, this actually was a lot better than what I thought it would be. I guess charisma does go a long way in professional wrestling.
    Rating-8.5

    WWE Hall of Fame Segment
    This lasted 8 minutes, which was longer than 4 of the matches, so it deserves to be included in the overall 'PPV Rating'. Very nicely put together mixture of live action, and taped footage from the ceremony the night before. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan's words were very emotional, while the whole segment was put together with excellent thought behind it. I liked the way it achieved it's purpose, without overshadowing any of the current happenings. Good stuff.
    Rating-7

    WWE Playboy Evening Gown Match: Torrie Wilson & Sable(W)vs Stacy Keibler & Miss Jackie
    Well, the evening gown match didn't last too long, as everyone stripped down to their underwear before the match could start. We ended up having a normal tag match, and it's arguable which way was the correct to go. I don't think it really mattered at the end of the day. Nothing we haven't seen before, but I guess it's been a while. Kudos to the WWE for keeping it so short (3 or 5 minutes, depending on at what point you consider the match to have started). Entertaining enough, so it did it's job to pass.
    Rating-5

    Cruiserweight Invitational for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Akio vs Tajiri vs Jamie Noble vs Shanoon Moore vs Ultimo Dragon vs Billy Kidman vs Funaki vs Rey Mysterio vs Nunzio vs Chavo Guerrero(C)(W)
    For those interested, this ended up being a gauntlet match, where Chavo (as the champion) was automatically given the #10 spot. Ok, whose idea was this!?!?!? What on Earth were they thinking when they decided to have 8 pinfalls in 11 minutes? I suppose the writing was on the wall when Ultimo Dragon almost slipped on his a$$ during his entrance!!! It was actually Billy Kidman, of all people, who brought the most excitement to this match. That shooting star press to the outside gave me nightmares of Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 19. When it came down to Rey vs Chavo so early on, I was expecting about 10 minutes of action similar to their 'No Way Out' bout. I almost threw something at my tv, when Chavo pinned Rey (again) uncleanly approximately 2 minutes later. Not exactly terrible, but we were owed something special from the cruiserweights tonight, and these guys could have got it done if they were allowed to.
    Rating-6

    Goldberg(W) vs Brock Lesnar with Special Referee Stone Cold Steve Austin
    Boy, this was a difficult match to get into. In fact, I never got into it at all. In my opinion, the start was poorly booked. A slow intense test of strength would have been fine in normal circumstances, but this was anything but normal circumstances. Surely, the WWE would have known that the crowd were going to react in that way towards both wrestlers!?!?!? They should have got the action started immediately & at least tried to make the fans concentrate on the actual bout. But they went the slow & methodical route, and pretty much continued it for the 13 minute duration of the match. Goldberg won cleanly, and Austin stunned both of them afterwards. Meh.
    Rating-5

    Fatal 4 Way Tag Team Match for the WWE Tag Team Championships: Rikishi & Scotty Too Hotty(C)(W) vs The Basham Brothers vs APA vs The Worlds Greatest Tag Team(Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas)
    Can I simply write "See comments on the Raw Tag Title match" & leave it at that...??? Seriously, it was almost a carbon copy. It also lasted 7 minutes. It also had the face champs retain the titles. And it was also decent, but nothing special. Could have, and should have, been much better.
    Rating-6

    WWE Womens Championship Match: Hair vs Hair: Molly Holly vs Victoria(W)(C)
    I can't believe that the WWE only gave this bout 5 minutes. It was a near 5 hour show, for goodness sake!!! I felt like I had been transported back to 1990, when short matches such as this were normal on big pay-per-views. The worst thing was that the pace of this bout suggested that it was at least going to last 10 minutes. If the match was only going to go 5 minutes, then why didn't we see a fast-paced & spot-oriented match!?!?!? Very disappointing & hard to rate. Bring on Eddie & Kurt to get this ppv back on track. Oh, and by the way, Molly was surprisingly shaved completely bald after the match when I thought it may not of happened.
    Rating-5

    WWE Championship Match: Kurt Angle vs Eddie Guerrero(C)(W)
    Not the main event & nowhere near 30 minutes in length (it ended up being 22). This was unfortunately not the match of the year contender that I was expecting. The MSG crowd behaved very strangely here. They were fairly quiet & there was only one "Eddie" chant throughout the whole match!!! In fact, they were behind Kurt, if anything. The match itself was technically very good, but it had far too few exciting (or memorable) moments. The ending was very cleverly booked though, with Eddie undoing his boot laces, to slip out of the anklelock. I suppose we often have to look past pre-match expectations, and when all was said & done, this was still a very good match.
    Rating-8.5

    Kane vs The Undertaker(W)
    Apart from the ever-annoying voice of Paul Bearer, my first impression of the returning dead-man was that he looked like Desperado. He should have rode in on a horse!!! The match itself was pretty much as predicted. Kudos to the WWE for keeping it fairly short at 8 minutes in length. And I suppose everything that should have happened during that time, did. But overall, there was an uneasy mix of everything about The Undertaker. The look, the characteristics, and especially the wrestling style. It just didn't quite gel. He was the Deadman while still being the American Bad Ass, but I guess it all worked out for him. While the match was far from a total disgrace, I believe this wasn't near as goodas their Wrestlemania 14 match.
    Rating-6

    Shawn Michaels vs Triple H(C) vs Chris Benoit(W)(New Champ) Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship:Wrestlemania 20
    Excellent & memorable match where all 3 combatants brought close to their best. Right from the beginning of the bout, Chris Benoit looked his intense & crisp self, while HBK & Triple H stepped it up a notch or two.At 25 minutes in length, this wasn't the most perfectly paced match. Nor was it a technical masterpiece (which I would have preferred that they tried for in the first 8-10 minutes). But I suppose that is the inherent problem with Triple Threat matches. What it undoubtedly was though, was exciting, entertaining & memorable.Great Stuff!!!|
    Rating-9.5

    Overall Rating-87/130=67%
    Looking at my rating key I have said that this event was "a good event and worth the money". Overall, I only just agree with that comment & grade. But then again, it only just fell into that rating range. Honestly, I was a little disappointed with the pay-per-view. But not for the reason that others are. Many other people are disappointed because there were no huge surprises, turns or special appearances. That didn't bother me, because I wasn't really expecting any. Remember that the WWE did not promise these, so why should we have necessarily expected them?

    No, I was disappointed because the WWE didn't seem to prioritize wrestling (or entertainment) quality in their 12 matches. When all was said & done, only 4 matches rated above 6 out of 10. That's basically saying that the other 8 matches were pretty much decent television matches, and nothing more. That's not a great WrestleMania strike rate, in my opinion. Furthermore, the Women's, Cruiserweight & both Tag-Team divisions, came out of this pay-per-view looking worse than what they came in. That's an opportunity missed by the WWE to advance these divisions.

    As it turned out, I had no problem with the increased length of the pay-per-view. But in retrospect, 2 of the matches (probably one of the tag-team matches & the women's title bout) should have been taken off the card, and quality should have been favored over quantity.
    12:49 am
    Wrestlemania 19
     Down Below
    12:30 am
    0-50:Horrible, and ask for your money back(Great American Bash 2004)
    50-55:Mediocore and dissapointing(Royal Rumble 2006)
    55-65:An event that is worth a watch(Taboo Tuesday 2005,Judgment Day 2003)
    65-75:Good event, that was worth the money(Survivor Series 2005)
    75-80:Very good(ECW One Night Stand 2005,TNA Against All Odds 2006,Wrestlemania 14)
    80-90:Make sure you purchase this dvd(Vengeance 2005)
    90-100:Over the top, amazing memorable event that will be added to your dvd collection, to stand the test of time(Royal Rumble 2005)

    WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Matt Hardy(C)(W)vs Rey Mysterio
    I only wanted 2 things out of this match. I thought if it had those 2 factors, the rest would take care of itself. Firstly, that it was the first bout on the card. I have long been an advocate of cruiserweight matches opening up any show to get the crowd hot. Secondly, I wanted it to last at least 12 minutes. Not 20, not even 15, just 12. I got 6 measly minutes. The match was still good, but it didn't really allow the duo to show how truly talented they are.
    Rating-7.5

    Handicap Match: A-Train &The Big Show vs The Undertaker(W)
    This match was verygood that in the sense that Nathan Jones was not present, which i believe is for the better. Undertaker was very good in this match as his last ppv apperance before this against The Big Show.This was far from a classic, but it was sufficiently entertaining & had a decent finish that made sense.
    Rating-6.5

    Triple threat match for the WWE Womens Championship:Jazz vs Trish Stratus (W)(New Champ)vs Victoria(C)
    A very good match. This was a fitting climax to the seemingly never-ending feud between these three ladies. The bout was well planned & structured, while it also was void of any major botched moves which has plagued the division for quite some time over the past few years, with the exception of a few great matches.
    Rating-7.5

    Triple threat match for the WWE Tag Team Championships: Ryhno &Chris Benoit vs Eddie & Chavo Guerrero vs Team Angle(Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas)(W)(C)
    This was another good match that could have been a fair bit better if it was given more time to play out. Team Angle acquitted themselves quite well on the big stage, but the real surprise for me here was Chavo Guerrero. I have thought for quite some time that Chavo is not up to the better wrestlers in the WWE, and while that still holds true, I thought he played a major role in the better parts of this match.
    Rating-7.5

    Shawn Michaels(W) vs Chris Jericho
    Many people, including myself, believed that this would be the match of the night. It did not disappoint, and was enthralling for most of it's 20+ minutes. The result was very debatable though.While it was the match of the night, it lacked that classic attention-grabbing characteristics that those type of matches often have. However, in isolation, this was an extremely entertaining & satisfying bout between 2 top-notch performers.
    Rating-9.5

    World Heavyweight Championship: Booker T vs Triple H(C)(W)
    This match was disappointing in my mind. I was really expecting the two to fit in quite well with each other & I was quietly confident of a very good match. But the glove just didn't fit, so to speak. Booker T looked reluctant to push his offense, while Triple H unfortunately did not step up as I thought he might (because it was WrestleMania). This was far from terrible, but it wasn't great.
    Rating-7

    Street Fight: Vince McMahon vs Hulk Hogan(W)
    I really can't add too much about this match that you probably didn't think yourself. Apart from the strange & unexpected Rowdy Roddy Piper appearance, this was a predictable & entertaining 20 minute streetfight which saw lots of blood spilt. In a way I'm glad this wasn't the main event of the evening, as I thought it was a poor man's version of the WrestleMania 17 match between Vince & Shane McMahon. But like I said, it was entertaining. Especially the "Here's Vince" mat-high camera shot of a bloodied Vince peeking over the apron with that prototypical maniacal look of his. Still very good, and very entertaining. Which at the end of the day thats why wewatch wrestling, to be entertained.
    Rating-8.5

    Stonecold Steve Austin vs The Rock 3 (W)
    Definitely not up to the standard of their previous WrestleMania match, this bout just seemed to be missing something. It was probably because neither man (especially Austin) is at the top of their game at this point in time.It was still entertaining though, in a similar way to the previous (Hogan/McMahon) match. The ending was a little strange, as it took 3 Rock Bottoms to put away Austin. But at the end of the day, the correct person won, in my opinion. I still very much liked this match, thought it was memorable, and for those who have watched "The Mania behnd Wrestlemania" on the Wrestlemania 20 dvd will know that it was a touching and emotional moment for both The Rock and Stonecold Steve Austin.
    Rating-8.5

    WWE Championship: Kurt Angle(C) vs Brock Lesnar(W)(New Champ)
    Firstly, I'm glad that the WWE decided to have this as their main event of the evening. The match started off scratchily, but gathered momentum rather nicely as it went along. This was probably more to do with the settling of nerves for both competitors. Angle's neck injury was only really noticeable if you looked for it. I tried not to, so as to attempt to judge the match on it's merits. The ending finally came & I just knew that Lesnar was finally going to drag out his shooting star press. It just made sense to do so. But as he looked at the top rope, I immediately realized that Angle would be too far away(when in first viewing). I was expecting Angle to crawl to the middle of the ring. What Lesnar attempted was extremely ambitious (if still very impressive) to say the least. The two did well to continue the match afterwards, and overall, this was an above average match which was a sufficient WrestleMania main event. And a great way to end what was a fantastic Wrestlemania, and in myopinion one of the best Wresltemanias of all time.
    Rating-9

    Overall Rating-71.5/90=79%
    Looking at the rating key I have said that this ppv was very good.I'm happy with that overall grade & comment. The event was very even from top to bottom. Probably trailing only WrestleMania 14 as the most even WrestleMania of all time. All matches received pass grades & were definitely watchable. While the Michaels vs Jericho match was excellent, it probably failed to live up to the 'match of the nights' from previous WrestleManias. Predictability also hurt this event a little, as nothing really shocking happened. Hell, if I had to pick one thing that genuinely astounded me from the night, it would probably be Brock Lesnar's botched shooting star press. Overall though, a very entertaining watch.
    Tuesday, February 28th, 2006
    8:35 pm
    Wrestlemania 14 1998
     0-50:Horrible, and ask for your money back(Great American Bash 2004)
    50-55:Mediocore and dissapointing(Royal Rumble 2006)
    55-65:An event that is worth a watch(Taboo Tuesday 2005,Judgment Day 2003)
    65-75:Good event, that was worth the money(Survivor Series 2005)
    75-80:Very good(ECW One Night Stand 2005,TNA Against All Odds 2006)
    80-90:Make sure you purchase this dvd(Vengeance 2005)
    90-100:Over the top, amazing memorable event that will be added to your dvd collection, to stand the test of time(Royal Rumble 2005)

    Today folks will be the begining of my reviews of some previous Wrestlemania's. Tonight I'm statrting with Wrestlemania 14, here goes folks.

    15 Team Over the top Rope battle royal to determine the number one contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championships:Won by LOD 2000 last eleminating Midnight Express(Bob Holly & Bart Gunn)
    This was a fun match and i suppose a good way to start the ppv. This definatly got the crowd excited because the Boston crowd was going crazy for LOD 2000. Obviously you knew who was going to win when LOD were announced as the mystery team, nonetheless good opener which did its job well.
    Rating-7

    WWE Cruiserweight Championship:Taka Michinoku(W)(C) vs Aguila
    Very good match, a little spotty. I say a little spotty because the spots happened so soon, corckscrew planchas to the outside, moonsalts, flying hig cross bodies, twisting setons, it was all here all in7 minutes of action. But still very good. The crowd seemed dead here in this match, but this wasnt boring so it kind of confused me because this was very good for what it was, a thrown together impromtu match.
    Rating-7.5

    WWE European Championship with Chyna handcuffed to Sgt.Slaughter on the outside:Triple H(W)(C) vs Owen Hart
    I wasn't really sure how this would play out, but to my surprise this was very good.I throughlly enjoyed this 12 minute bout. Match started with good chain wrestling and a battle of who can one up the other, so that worked to the advantage. The later stage saw Triple H work over the injured ankle of Owen Hart, until Owen made his comeback with nice moves that threw the champ off. A good counter where Triple H sunset flipped Owen then Owen countered into the sharpshooter. It almost picked him up the win until Chyna threw salt in Sgt. Slaughter's eyes then low blowed the ref when he was turned around, only to let Triple H hit the pedigreefor the 3 count. Good stuff by all
    Rating-8.5

    Mix Tag Team Match:Marc Mero & Sable(W) vs The Artist formerly known as Goldust & Luna
    Hmmm, kind of iffy on this one when it got underway. Slow at first but it picked up a littlewhen the women started scrapping, not actually alot to say about this match, it was ok, if somewhat dissappointing.
    Rating-7

    WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: The Rock(W)(C)(Reverse decision) vs Ken Shamrock
    This was a very short bout but it was very good and didnt seem to slow down which was good. Lots of action in this. Shamrock was getting the upperhand when Rock blasted him with a chair, but Shamrock kicked out using brute strength. The Rock went for a Rock Bottom when Shamrock countered into a belly to beely suplex then into an ankle lock to pick up the win. The rest of the Nation of Domination came out and Shamrock made quick work of all of them. Shamrock continued to apply the ankle lock to The Rock, then wouldnt break the hold, so his decision got reversed, so Shamrock snapped and suplexed everyone in site. Then attacked Rock on the outside in the aisle way.
    Rating-7.5

    WWE Tag Team Championship Dumpster Match: The object of this match was to get both members of each team into the dumpsters and closing the lid. Cactus Jack & Chainsaw Charlie(Terry Funk)(W)(New Champs) vs The New Age Outlaws(C)
    This was very well put together, but seemed a little rushed. Good spots and a very fun match to watch. Good spot where Cactus went for a summersalt to Road Dogg but he moved and Cactus went into the dumpster. Or when Cactus and Billy Gunn were on top of a ladder the ladder got knocked over and bothmen went crashing into the dumpster. Another good one was where NAO's powerbombed Chainsaw Charlie into the dumpster. The ending came at the 10 minute mark when Cactus Jack and Chainsaw locked NAO's into a dumpster that was outback by lowering them into the dumpster via forklift. Good stuff by all.
    Rating-8.5

    Brother vs Brother: Kane vs The Undertaker(W)
    Wow, this was as good of a big man match as you will ever see, maybe the best. Good stamina by both men i thought with this 17 minute bout. Good agility by Undertaker when he lept onto Kane's shoulders then Kane dropped down and put Taker on his face. A few problems I had with this match, one resthold that was 2 and a half minutes long, man thats way too long. Near the end Kane had kicked out of 2 tombstones, yes 2!! It wasn't until the third one that put him away. After that the second problem I had was that there was a beatdown after the match. Kane sat up almost right away, grabbed a chair and hit Taker with it, then tombstoned him on it. I didnt understand why, why ruin Undertaker's return.Oh well.
    Rating-7.5+1(Because of the cool entrance and the Pete Rose segement, which wasnt long enough to rate, but good enough to add a point to the overall match)Rating-8.5

    WWE Championship Match with special enforcer "Iron" Mike Tyson: Shawn Michaels(C) vs Stonecold Steve Austin(W)(New Champ)
    Match of the Night. Not only was the match memorable and Stonecold finally winning the belt but, Shawn Michaels showed some real guts here. Shawn particpated in this match with a broken friggin back. Good match, interference by Triple H and Chyna which was well done with Austin back dropping Michaels into them and then Triple H and Chyna getting thrown out. Then this 20 minute match was seen almost dominated by Austin for 10 minutes then Shawn making a heel comeback and working on Austin's knees. Really good end sequencewhere Shawn hit the elbow. Waited for Austin to get up for the Sweet Chin Music, Austin got up but ducked the kick, went for a stunner Michaels pushed him away into the ropes, Austin flung back almost into another Sweet Chin Music, turned Shawn all the way around then Shawn was met with a stunner for the 3 count, and capturing the WWE Championship. Good stuff with Tyson and Austin celebrating then Michaels getting up arguing with Tyson, trys to throw a punch and "Iron Mike" levels him with a hard right.Showends with Austin and Tyson leaving together. Great stuff!!
    Rating-9

    Overall Rating=63.5/80=79%
    Looking at my rating key I have said that Wrestlemania 14 was very good. Yes indeed, this had everything, hardcore matches, technical matches, memorable moments and matches. Very good from top to bottom and not a bad match on here. A recommended watch at least once, maybe twice. Kudos to everyone in this ppv. Until next time this has been the word of the review guy.
    Sunday, February 26th, 2006
    3:06 pm
    The Top 10 Greatest Matches of 2005 Part 3 of 3
     10.Legend vs Lengend Killer Match:Randy Orton vs The Undertaker(W):Wrestlemania 21
    Probably the match which will get the most mixed reviews (although Orton-haters will never see anything good that he does). Personally, I thought this was absolutely sensational. Like the majority of Orton's matches, the bout started tremendously. I was waiting for the monotony to eventually settle in, but it just never came. Any restholds or submission holds were done for a purpose & were kept short (go back & view the match again if you think this was full of restholds). While not everything was perfectly crisp & a few of the simplest moves didn't go 100% right, what I liked a lot about this match was the impact of almost every move. On top of all this, the story was told perfectly by by both men. Proof of this was the great reaction the match got from the crowd. Add a well-placed 'Cowboy' Bob Orton run-in & a sensationally booked final few minutes & this was simply tremendous stuff. Fourteen minutes was the perfect duration for these 2.
    Rating-8.5

    9.Cage Match for the Intercontinental Championship:Triple H vs Ric Flair(C)(W):Taboo Tuesday 2005
    Predictably, the steel cage match won the vote here with 83%. If you joined this match 3 minutes into it's progress, you would have been forgiven for thinking this may have been Triple H vs The Red Rooster. That's how long it took for the suicide blonde in Flair's hair to completely turn red. H predictably joined the blood brigade about 10 minutes later. Extremely old-school style of cage match that could easily have been mistaken for Flair vs Opponent X from the early 80's, due to it's structure & brutality. There wasn't much back & forth action despite the 24 minute length, with both men dominating long periods of time. In truth, I'm unsure that worked in the match's favor, but with Flair's limitations, I can see why they went with that style of match. Helped immensely by the byplay between the 2 in the ring, as well as the obvious history of the feud. Some people would have really liked this, while others may have been bored by it. . But I'm with the majority in being more than a little surprised when Flair walked out of the cage with the victory.
    Rating-8.5

    8.World Heavyweight Championship Match:Randy Orton vs Triple H(C)(W):Royal Rumble 2005
    This was basically a match of 4 five minute quarters. The first 5 minutes was absolutely sensational. It flowed at a great pace & had an effective blend of everything. The intensity & booking of that time was superb & really took the feud to new heights. At that stage, it was almost a 10 out of 10 match! The following 5 minutes predictably saw Triple H attack Orton's injured knee, and it was sufficiently effective. The 3rd quarter also went to plan as Orton made the comeback, while the champ used a good variety of moves & tactics to try & finish the job. At this stage, this match had far exceeded my expectations. Then, in the final 7 minutes of the bout, we saw some sort of concussion angle played out, as Orton looked dazed & was battling to survive.

    While Orton pulled the concussion angle off really well (many people thought he was genuinely ill), I didn't think it was effectively set up. A huge spot was needed to emphasize the concussion (but that's not Orton's fault). It all went on way too long with the inevitable pinfall occurring at the 22 minute mark. In my opinion, the concussion angle should have set in around the 12 minute mark & the match should have concluded at approximately the 18 minute mark. So, this was strangely booked, but considering that, it was still a success with 2 top notch performances. Orton stepped up here, and from memory, didn't even use 1 resthold!
    Rating-9

    7.Intercontinental Championship Match:Shelton Benjamin(C)(W) vs Chris Jericho:Backlash 2005
    Unsure if this was the best choice as opener, as the crowd were always going to react awkwardly. But forget all that & the relatively lackluster feud... This was a tremendous match. Reminiscent of Benjamin's bout vs Christian at 'Survivor Series' last year, this was exceptional & stole the show. I loved the beginning where both men started out with a mat game & predominantly working on their opponents arm. But when Y2J realized that the youngster continued to get the better of him, he slapped Benjamin in the face & forced him into a fight, which was the next phase of the match.

    The remainder of the bout was a great mix of everything that's good in wrestling, highlighted by some terrific spots. Great to see Jericho pull out a hurracanrana, while Benjamin's leaping superplex has to be seen to be believed. The ending capped it all off beautifully with a fantastic counter to the Walls of Jericho at the 14 minute mark. This was great stuff!!!
    Rating-9

    6.WWE Championship:John Cena(C)(W)vs Chris Jericho:Summerslam 2005
    Extremely well-booked match. I wasn't a fan of the way this feud was set up, but it really carried over well to the beginning of this bout. And while there were a few moments of not-too-crisp wrestling, this back & forth match got everyone involved (including the very loud DC crowd). Capped off by a great final few moments where it was entirely believable that Y2J actually could have pulled off the victory. A nice variation on the F-U finisher capped it all off rather nicely. This bout not only proves that Jericho will indeed be missed on the Raw roster,and that WWE does need him, but also that in the correct circumstances with a good opponent & booking, Cena can have a top quality 1 on 1 bout.
    Rating-9

    5.Chris Jericho vs Lance Storm(W):ECW One Night Stand 2005
    Extremely solid & better than expected opener. Perfectly booked from start to finish, although a couple of more minutes wouldn't have hurt (the bout lasted 7 minutes). Nice, if predictable, series of counters & reversals to start things off. From there, it was a good mix of everything & the pace just never let up. Both men showed what can be done when great technical wrestling is combined with very good athleticism & constant movement. For a basically retired wrestler, Storm looked very good & especially athletic at times. I especially liked the 2 dropkick spots (one by each man). Storm gets the win after some very well booked & perfectly performed interference by Dawn-Marie, Justin Credible & Jason.
    Rating-9

    4.Elimination Chamber Match for the vacated World Heavyweight Championship:New Years Revolution 2005:
    Triple H(W)(New Champ)vs Batista vs Randy Orton vs Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho vs Edge With Special Guest Referee Shawn Michaels
    Quality main event which sufficiently delivered on all levels. Excellent intensity was added to by some very good byplay between the combatants both before, during & after the match. We started off with Benoit & Jericho, and they very much delivered with numerous crisp exchanges. The great thing about this match was that pretty much everyone comes out of it looking strong, one way or another. Being critical, there were far too many 1 on 1 contests when there were more than 3 men in the ring, while I also thought it got down to the final 3 a little too early.I must compliment the WWE on the final few minutes of this terrific 35 minute match. Triple H even added the 'Wedgigree' to his repertoire to finish off Orton. Even after the bout, the booking was great, as the WWE used the hoisting up on Batista's shoulders/thumbs up routine to hint at a Batista face turn. A job well done by all.
    Rating-9.5

    3.Hell in a Cell Match for the World Heavyweight Champinship:Batista(C)(W) vs Triple H:Vengeance 2005
    Crowd-pleasing, entertaining & satisfying main event which very much delivered. Maybe the WWE learnt more than I think from ECW, as a steel chair covered in barbed-wire played a major part in this match.Both Batista and Triple H were very impressive as i thought this way better than there pervious 2 bouts.The nearfalls toward the end were tremendously booked & I admit to being fooled twice. And to top it all off, there was a clever touch at the end where Triple H picked up the sledgehammer as he was about to be powerbombed, but didn't get to use it. Very good match, as good as the Shawn Micheals and Kurt Angle match earlier, very good and sensational main event which i find most ppv's lack, a good main event and this didnt dissappoint.
    Rating-10

    2.Matt Hardy(W)vs Edge in a Steel Cage Match:Unforgiven 2005
    Excellently booked & performed steel cage match which was undoubtedly the best of their series. Now I know why many found their Homecoming Raw Ladder Match disappointing! While the intensity was as high as you would expect it to be at the beginning of the bout, these 2 settled into a methodical pace for the first 10 minutes or so. But following a hint that Hardy may have been knocked out again, things well & truly kicked up many gears. The remainder of this 21 minute match was a terrific combination of back & forth brutality, excitement, intensity & (most importantly) entertainment. Many good spots occurred, but they were booked to look natural & not spotty. Lita's interference added to the bout. Edge's bladejob added to the bout. And it was all capped off perfectly by a legdrop from the top of the cage. Top notch stuff & almost match of the year .
    Rating-10

    1.Shawn Michaels(W) vs Kurt Angle:Vengeance 2005
    Absolutely sensational 26 minute match! Every bit as good as their WrestleMania 21 bout & then some.in my opinion, this was a bit better than their April match. I had a few problems with the opening 10 minutes of the WM21 bout & thought that these 2 greats adjusted perfectly here. A superb story was told & I think the match quality improved with Angle spending most of the time on offense. Kurt was purely & simply at his best right here, as every single move was so crisp & so intense... Even the most simples of moves. Take for example the early match keylock & kneedrop to the arm.

    Conversely, HBK was at his best when it came to selling & psychology in this bout. He conveyed not being able to match Angle on the mat exceptionally well. It's true that Michaels' offense isn't what it used to be (especially the overuse of chops), but that was actually used to this bout's advantage. The latter half of this bout was pretty much similar to the WM21 match. For perfection sake, this probably could have had one or two more high spots, but that may have gone against the story a little. Overall, this was simply sensational & contained all the elements a classic wrestling match should.
    Rating-10

    There you have it folks, that is my best of 2005 part 3 in my 3 part series and boy that was a big column, but before I go I must say that WWE did have some amazing and memorable matches and ppv's in 2005, with that being said I have some matches that did not get on my list but deserve honorable mentions.They are as follows:
    Rey Mysterio(W) vs Eddie Guerrero:Wrestlemania 21

    "Money in the Bank" Ladder Match:Chris Jericho vs Shelton Benjamin vs Christian vs Kane vs Chris Benoit vs Edge(W):Wrestlemaina 21

    Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle(W):Wrestlemania 21

    WWE Championship Triple Threat Match:John Cena(C)(W)vs Chris Jericho vs Christian:Vengeance 2005

    Shawn Michaels(W) vs Chris Masters:Unforgiven 2005

    WWE Championship Triple Threat Match:John Cena(C)(W) vs Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle:Taboo Tuesday 2005

    Last Man Standing Match:Ric Flair vs Triple H(W):Survivor Series

    Team Raw(Shawn Michaels, Carltio, Chris Masters, Kane, The Big Show) vs Team Smackdown(Batista, Randy Orton, John "Bradshaw" Layfeild, Rey Mysterio, Lashley)(W):Survivor Series 2005

    Those area few of my honorable mentions. I noticed alot of Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels were on my best list's.They appeared quite often.Wow that is a big column anyways, I'd like to hear your comments towards my picks and what soem of your picks are as well.Also I'd like to hear some suggestions of what you would like meto review next, weither it be wrestling or a movie.Until next week this has been the word of the review guy
    Friday, February 24th, 2006
    1:54 pm
    Update
     There ya have it folks,tommorrow i will be reviewing the greatest matches of 2005 until then this has been the word of the review guy.Let me know what you think and weither you agree or disagree with my picks, and let me know what yours are.
    1:52 pm
    1:24 pm
    10.Shawn Michaels vs Triple H(W) in a Hell in a Cell Match:Bad Blood 2004
    Oh boy, I just know opinions are going to be divided over this one. Unfortunately, if you were looking forward to which side of the fence I was going to jump to, you may be disappointed as I am going to sit right on it. It was a bruising match with very good intensity & excellent work ethic. I find it very hard to be critical when 2 men put in as much as these 2 did here. Furthermore, I thought they did the little things correctly & with that extra bit of oomph that was needed. I'm talking of the foreign object shots, landings, etc... However, at 47 minutes in length, I have to state that not enough really happened. I can't say that I was expecting anything 'Foley-like', but I was expecting something new & different. That definitely didn't come & the main story that was told here was how gruelling a match this was (which is arguably the main purpose of the cell).
    Rating-8

    9.Triple H vs Chris Benoit(W)(C) for the World Heavyweight Championship:Vengeance 2004
    This match has to be split into 2 separate parts: Pre-Eugene & Post-Eugene. The 22 minutes before Eugene appeared was an absolute clinic!!!! I thoroughly enjoyed how both wrestlers performed every single move with crispness & intensity. Seriously, they could have easily gone over an hour after that beginning. After Eugene entered the equation though, the match became way overbooked & simply a case of 'whose side will he take'. It was still pretty entertaining, but just didn't fit the mood set down earlier in the bout. The ending came almost anti-climactically at the 29 minute mark.
    Rating-8.5

    8.Eddie Guerrero(C)vs John "Bradshaw" Layfeild(W)(DQ) for the WWE Championship:Judgment Day 2004
    Very good intensity & crowd involvement in this main event. The enormous build-up given to this feud did help out the match. It was actually wise of the WWE to add more to the feud than simply an immigrant issue. Mostly a brawling match (which was to be expected), with pretty much no moments of fast-paced wrestling whatsoever. Eddie bladed way too much (a'la Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 19) & that did add to the psychology & intensity of the bout. It also provided a sufficient excuse for the slow pace & many restholds. Good duration at 23 minutes, with a disappointing DQ finish, that was luckily overcome by a further 5 minutes of hardcore intense action afterwards.
    Rating-8.5

    7.Chris Jericho vs Christian(W):Wrestlemania 20
    Very good 15 minute match, despite a clearly botched top-rope move during it. Excellently paced, and a good combination of the 2 wrestlers' spots, plus a few different moves. It was also an effective mixture of mat & high-flying wrestling.The match did lack a little in psychology, but nothing in intensity. The ending was well booked, if a little predictable. While the aftermath (including the Trish Stratus heel turn) was also well done. A good job, all around.
    Rating-8.5

    6.Spike Dudley(C)(W)vs Chavo Guerrero vs Billy Kidman vs Rey Mysterio Fatal Four Way for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship:Survior Series 2004
    Excellent non-stop pace made the 9 minute duration seem a fair bit longer. A little bit too much one on one action in a fourway for my liking, but it wasn't over the top. Very good spots which were booked & performed well, even if there was nothing we haven't seen before. Being critical, the storytelling could have been a little better & the booking of Spike retaining the title is questionable. But overall, an excellent example of how most ppvs should be opened; Fast-paced, entertaining action.
    Rating-8.5

    5.Kane vs Chris Benoit(C)(W) for the World Heavyweight Championship:Bad Blood 2004
    Excellent wrestling match which had a little bit of everything. Kane hasn't had a match as good as this in years, and it's quality is a testament to the ability of Benoit. I loved the intensity at the beginning of the bout, and while there was a little quiet patch afterwards, it was all for a reason. Kane worked on Benoit's neck, while the champ worked on the challenger's shoulder & leg. What followed was very good psychological wrestling with Kane simply trying to use brute strength to win the title, while Benoit used a clever variation of technical skill to wear down the much larger man. The final few minutes were very well booked & performed with Benoit doing everything to make Kane submit. When he continuously was unsuccessful, he went for the surprise rollup which could, and did, legitimately catch Kane off guard.
    Rating-9

    4.Christian vs Shelton Benjamin(W)(C) for the WWE Intercontinental Championship:Survivor Series 2004
    At different stages of these 2 guys' careers, I have been critical of them. But there was almost nothing to be critical of here in this tremendous bout. What looked like a good feud on paper was booked & performed very well in this 13 minute match. Excellent storytelling, very good psychology, a more than sufficient pace, a few new moves & enough near falls to make anyone happy. The match of the ppv, and quite possibly the midcard match of the year, should of propelled Benjamin & solidify Christian into the main event scene later on i the following months that were to come.That did not happen but still, kudos to everyone involved.
    Rating-9

    3.Mick Foley vs Randy Orton Hardcore Rules Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship:Backlash 2004
    Not quite Foley vs Triple H from January 2000, but still a more than satisfactory hardcore match. Many of the spots were a little too telegraphed & not natural or unpredictable enough to make this an instant classic, but that's being a little too picky. Foley did carry the bout to a certain extent, but Orton's performance shouldn't be under-estimated... especially at his age!!! There was definitely enough action during this 23 minutes to not disappoint anyone.
    Rating-9

    2.Shawn Michaels vs Triple H(C) vs Chris Benoit(W)(New Champ) Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship:Wrestlemania 20
    Excellent & memorable match where all 3 combatants brought close to their best. Right from the beginning of the bout, Chris Benoit looked his intense & crisp self, while HBK & Triple H stepped it up a notch or two.At 25 minutes in length, this wasn't the most perfectly paced match. Nor was it a technical masterpiece (which I would have preferred that they tried for in the first 8-10 minutes). But I suppose that is the inherent problem with Triple Threat matches. What it undoubtedly was though, was exciting, entertaining & memorable.Great Stuff!!!|
    Rating-9.5

    1.Brock Lesnar(C) vs Eddie Guerrero(W)(New Champ) for the WWE Championship:No Way Out 2004
    No I am not choosing this as my number one match because of Eddie Guerrero's death, this is nuber one because this was a fantastic match. Superb 30 minute match. Lesnar was super impressive & really rose to the occasion, especially with his agility. While Eddie was his usual excellent self, as well as not showing any signs of discomfort against a much larger opponent. Some may not have liked the numerous submission moves used by each wrestler, but I thought they were definitely necessary, and did not slow the bout down too much. I was very much involved in the match from start to finish. Furthermore, the Goldberg interference was kept short & sweet, without effecting the outcome entirely. I also loved the terrific ending, where Eddie countered Brock's F-5 into a huge DDT & then followed it up with a frog splash. Tremendous stuff by all, very enjoyable, and a very memorable match for everyone involved.Very emotional.
    Rating-10
    Thursday, February 23rd, 2006
    2:06 pm
    hey
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