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WWE Unforgiven 2006 PPV Review

Posted in In My Head by Jack at 04:37, Sep 18 2006

WWE Unforgiven 2006 PPV Review

It feels like forever since the WWE has given us a PPV, but tonight they present the cure for what ails us, Unforgiven 2006. Tonight is especially significant since it marks what could be Trish Stratus?s last appearance in a wrestling ring, and will certainly be her last appearance for some time. This may be the first time that a women?s match is the most important on a WWE PPV, and we?ll have to see if Trish and Lita can live up to the unique position they find themselves in tonight. The WWE, Tag Team and Intercontinental belts are also on the line tonight, so it looks like Vince and Co. are trying to make this an important show. Lets see if what happens in the ring, lives up to what the bookers have put onto paper.

The show opens with the typical WWE pyrotechnics show, and introduction by J.R. and the King. We are then taken straight to the ring for the first match of the night.

Match 1 ? Johnny Nitro vs. Jeff Hardy Intercontinental Championship Match
Hardy comes to the ring using his spastic TNA ring entrance, and then settles into a moderately passed match with Nitro. Despite Hardy?s billing as a risk taking high flier, he stuck to mat wrestling for most of the match, while Nitro used more of a brawling style. The two did a good job playing up a leg injury to Hardy, and they both put in a solid performance. Nitro was able to get the win with an assist by Melina, which gave an otherwise good match a very unsatisfying free TV feel.

We then see a trailer for The Marine, followed by a short vignette with Lita and both Hardy brothers; perhaps foreshadowing a storyline we may see in the near future.

Match 2 ? Kane vs. Umaga
As one might expect, this was primarily a slug fest with Umaga throwing in a few aerial moves for good measure. The two quieted the crowd a bit from the previous match, but kept things moving well enough to stave off any ?boring? chants. Both performed adequately, though there was nothing special to see at anytime during the match. Seven minutes into the contest, the two brawl into the stands and both men are counted out. The finish brought the crowd to life with energetic booing, and rightly so. This was a very ?free TV? type of ending, and everyone in the building let it be known that they were not happy with it.

A segment with the McMahons backstage was then shown. Vince and Shane predict the fall of DX, and we are then sent back to ringside.

Match 3 ? The Spirit Squad vs. The Highlanders Tag Team Championship Match
In another ?feels like free TV? outing that lulled the crowd to a dull roar, these two teams put on an average, and uninspiring show. Nothing here was bad, but no one really shined here either. As one might expect the Spirit Squad used their numerical advantage to get the win.

Despite a good start to the show, things have slowed down considerably, however, as J.R. would say, ?Business is about to pick up.?. A recap of the DX vs. McMahon feud is shown just prior to their match.

Match 4 ? D-Generation X vs. Big Show & the McMahons
There is an old saying that goes: ?If you seen it once, you?ve seen it a thousand times.?, and that saying holds true for 90% of this match. Predictably, the crowd cheered the beating of Vince and Shane, Big Show played ?the heavy? throughout the match, blood flowed freely, and there were plenty of weapon shots to go around. It wasn?t till the end of this very long match that we got the first of the nights surprise endings. Just prior to the end of the contest, Vince found himself being shoved face first into the ample posterior of a pants-less Big Show, after which a kick to the jaw, and a sledge hammer strike across the shoulders put him down for the pin. Though the match itself was another case of ?same old, same old?, Vince gave the fans what they wanted to see; himself humiliated, and beaten in the center of the ring. The ending, not the match itself made this one worth watching, although I still think it dragged on for far too long.

A farewell package for Trish Stratus is then played, before we return to ringside for her match.

Match 5 ? Trish Stratus vs. Lita Women?s Championship Match
I expected this match to be filled with high spots, given that it was Trish?s last match, (and presumably one of Lita?s last matches as well), but that was not to be the case. Instead, the two kept things fairly basic and stayed grounded for most of the night. Like the previous contest, the match itself was not exceptional, and instead relied on a great finish to put it over the top. After putting in a solids night work, and a few false finishes, Trish placed Lita in a SharpShooter, causing the Canadian crowd to erupt in cheers, and Lita to tap out. Trish was then treated to an extended cheering session from the crowd marking her final appearance. Though not a great match, it did have a great finish, and both Trish and Lita put on a show that Trish can be proud to call her last.

Randy Orton predicts victory in his upcoming match against Carlito in a backstage interview, and then heads directly to the ring.

Match 6 ? Randy Orton vs. Carlito
Here too we see a repeat of the booking philosophy, ?If you can?t get the fans with the match, get them with the finish.?. Orton and Carlito put on a typical performance during this match. Each man hit their signature moves with Orton adding a Garvin Stomp, to his repertoire. Though both worked hard, there was nothing here to set this match apart from what you can see each week on Raw. That is until the end. In a great finishing move, Orton catches Carlito in mid-air, after Carlito hit a top rope spring board, and nails him with an RKO. The move came out of nowhere and caught the entire crowd by surprise. The match itself was nothing special, but the finish made it all worthwhile, and the crowd seemed to agree.

A video package detailing the Edge vs. Cena feud is played, after which Edge enters the arena.

Match 7 ? Edge vs. John Cena ? WWE Championship TLC Match
With Teddy Long in attendance, the WWE title on the line, and Cena?s future hanging in the balance, both Edge and Cena gave 100%, and put on a very entertaining match. There wasn?t much in the way of wrestling here, as both men went to swinging chairs, and using tables and ladders early in the match. Both took bumps from the tops of ladders to the floor, and both men got back up and kept going full speed. The crowd was almost totally behind Edge tonight, cheering anytime he got in some offence, though there love for him didn?t extend to Lita, who was the cause of the few cheers Cena got when he gave her the FU, after she interfered in the match. The end came in a spectacular finish as Cena FUd Edge from the top of a ladder through two vertically stacked tables in the ring, and then retrieved the belt from overhead. Matches like this are what PPVs are all about.

And here you have it, Unforgiven 2006. The matches we were told were going to be big, in fact were. The other matches on the card were at the very least decent. Overall I think the WWE did a good job with this PPV. There was obvious special attention paid to making the endings of several of tonight?s matches special. From Vince joining the Kiss BigShow?s Ass Club, Trish using the SharpShooter to win her farewell match, Orton?s mid-air RKO, to Cena?s FU off the top of the ladder. These spots are things you never see on the weekly free WWE offerings, and definitely helped to make the PPV feel more than just another three more hours of WWE programming. Though nothing tonight will go down in history as a mat classic the last few matches really made the show, and made seeing this PPV worthwhile.

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