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Judgment Day 2007 Review

Posted in In My Head by Jack at 05:09, May 21 2007

Judgment Day 2007 PPV

It is with torn biceps, broken necks, and fresh firings that the WWE limps it?s way into Judgment Day. A recent rash of injuries, to established and rising stars, has forced the WWE to shuffle the deck. Add to that the recent release of several employees, and the company may seem to be on somewhat shaky ground. However behind every dark cloud, there is a silver lining. With the recent shakeup comes the opportunity for those in the company who have gone mostly unnoticed to come to the forefront. With slots needing to be filled, the fresher faces of Burke, Punk, Cade and Murdoch, may see this as the ideal time to force their way into the limelight, by putting on unparalleled performances. While the old guard may only be going through the motions tonight, perhaps one of the new class will take the current roster situation as a chance to shine.

The show kicks off with the standard fireworks display, and all three announce teams giving the rundown of the main matches of their respective brands.

Match 1: Carlito vs. Ric Flair
This match starts out quickly, with Flair going to work on Carlito with punches and kicks. Carlito quickly turns the tide however, leading to a chorus of boos, as he works over Flair?s arm. The match seesaws back and forth, highlighted by Flair?s chops and an innovative dropkick from Carlito on the outside of the ring. We are eventually treated to a classic Flair finish, has he locks in the figure four in the center of the ring, forcing Carlito to tap out. This was a good opening match, and it left the fans happy.

We then go backstage for a video package explaining the Orton Michaels feud, and an interview with HBK. During the interview HBK is attacked by Orton, and has his head driven into the steel piping that made up part of the set. Orton leaves Michaels left for dead, as a Lashley vs. McMahan video clip is played. The video package went on forever and soon we would see why.

Match 2: ECW World Champion Mr. McMahon, Shane McMahon & Umaga vs. Bobby Lashley
If you?re not sure what a squash match looks like, look no further. The bell rings, Lashley sends Umaga out of the ring, and proceeds to beat the hell out of Vince and Shane. Shane and Umaga try to mount a comeback, but Umaga takes out Shane by accident, Lashley takes out Umaga, and then pins Shane for the win. The entire match took about a minute and a half, however after the match, Umaga blindsides Lashley, and Vince announces that since he did not get pinned, Lashley does not win the belt. This was done very quickly, but done well.

Backstage we see the staff doctor telling a disoriented HBK that he is not cleared to wrestle, and that he will not be taking part in tonight?s show.

Match 3: Elijah Burke vs. CM Punk
If the last match was too short, this one may have been to long. Although both Punk and Burke put in solid performances, they worked a very slow pace, and did so for what seemed like a very long match. Though neither did anything wrong, neither was trying to steal the show either. They did get in some nice moves, but they were too few and far between to keep the crowd interested. In the end, Punk hits a high knee to get the pin. This match felt like the opener of Smackdown rather than a PPV match; and the next guys coming through the curtain next will have to wake the crowd back up.

An interview with Edge is next, in which he predicts his certain victory over Batista. We are then taken back to ringside.

Match 4: Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton
Orton takes to the ring and tells the announcer to declare him the winner since HBK isn?t cleared to wrestle; however before this can be done, an obviously disoriented, glassy eyed, and woozy Shawn Michaels slowly staggers his way to the ring. HBK can barely stand and goes down from the first punch Orton throws. In the only offensive spot for HBK, he rakes Orton?s eyes and hits the elbow from the top rope. However, he then collapses soon after, while attempting to deliver his Super Kick. The ref then stops the match, as HBK can no longer stand on his own. This however does not prevent Orton from delivering a post match RKO, causing HBK to be stretchered out of the area, with is crying wife at his side. This really wasn?t a match so much as a way to set up HBKs absence from the show. However, for what it was, it was very well done and Orton secured himself as an uber-heel.

Next we are treated to an interview with The Great Khali and his interpreter. Like all Khali promos, it was a sight to behold.

Match 5: World Tag Team Champions The Hardys vs. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch
They say good things come to those who wait. It seems we have waited patently, and as a result have been given this match as our reward. All four men deserve credit for put on an excellent tag match. Cade and Murdoch used frequent tags and a variety of moves to keep thing interesting, while the Hardys used hot tags and their flashy move set to keep the pace of the match moving quickly. The match featured great counters, and constant action and kept the crowd cheering from start to finish. The Swanton from Jeff Hardy gave his team the win, to the delight of the fans.

A video package showing the Edge/Batista rivalry is played prior to Edge making his entrance into the ring.

Match 6: World Heavyweight Champion Edge vs. Batista
In what felt like another ?made for tv? performance, Edge and Batista work a slow and plodding pace, with Batista selling a leg injury throughout the bout. Batista made use of his usual power moves, while Edge slowly tried to wear him down. Though the match ?made sense?, it wasn?t very exciting, and in the end, Edge no sells the Batista bomb, rolling Batista up right after being hit with it, to get the win.

Backstage, the diva?s give their predictions on who will win between Cena and Khali before we are taken back to ringside.

Match 7: 2-out-of-3 Falls Match - United States Champion Chris Benoit vs. MVP
These two have worked well together in the past, and their familiarity with each other showed here as well. The match was filled with reversals and counters from start to finish. The two worked a slow pace, but were able to keep the crowd entertained for the most part. MVP worked on Benoit?s knee throughout the match was able to get the first and second pinfalls due to the damage he caused to Benoit?s knee. MVP maintained control for most of the match so it wasn?t as competitive as I would have liked, but it was a good albeit slow match.

In the last video package of the night, we get a recap of the path of destruction Khali has cut over the past month in the WWE, before being taken to ringside for the main event.

Match 8: WWE Champion John Cena vs. The Great Khali
Question: How do you have a good match with Khali? Answer: Sell like hell, and let yourself be slung around the ring like a rag doll. That?s just what Cena did tonight. If you were looking for this match to be a train wreck your going to be disappointed. The two kept things moving very well, and kept the crowd into to match the entire time. Khali dominated most of the match, using his normal array of power moves. It wasn?t until the very end of the match that Cena got things together enough to put 3 moves together in a row, and force Khali to tap to the STFU. It wasn?t Flair vs. Steamboat, but it wasn?t bad either.

As I said in the opening, the WWE limped into this PPV, and I think they limped out of it as well. Although the Hardys vs. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch match was very good, it wasn?t a ground breaking match, and certainly not worth buying a PPV for. Benoit vs. MVP was a solid match, but again not the stuff of legend. Orton vs. HBK was dramatic, but we will see all of that footage for free on RAW. This is a show you can feel free to skip, and if you don?t believe me you can go here for a second opinion: http://inyourheadboard.proboards27.com/index.cgi?board=wwe&action=display&thread=1179705630&page=1

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