Portland, OR - October 2008
CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, Triple H was the WWE Champion, Chris Jericho was the World Heavyweight Champion, and Matt Hardy was the ECW Champion. The Intercontinental Champion was Santino Marella, the United States Champion was Shelton Benjamin, the Divas Champion was Michelle McCool, and the Women's Champion was Beth Pheonix. The World Tag Team Champions were Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes, while the WWE Tag Team Champions were The Colons.
No Mercy 2008 begins with an epic fireworks display and then our ECW Championship match - Mark Henry challenging Matt Hardy. I forgot that Matt Hardy ever held the title (or that ECW ran until 2010). Henry controls early using his size and strength, but Hardy sees an opening and targets the big man's leg. Henry's selling here is on-point; the two veterans doing a nice job of selling the story. I used to say it a good deal in 05'-06', but Matt Hardy was arguably the most dependable worker on the roster for a stretch of time, a guy that may not give you the best match on every show but would never give you the worst. Hardy has the fans biting on a Side Effect nearfall, but Henry lands a splash that nearly ends the match too. Hardy lands a Twist of Fate and gets the clean victory to pop the crowd. I wouldn't call that an all-time classic or anything, but it was a smartly-worked, well laid-out match with a nice clean finish. (3/5)
Backstage, Triple H and Jeff Hardy have a segment together.
Women's Champion Beth Phoenix (with Intercontinental Champion, Santino, in tow) takes on Candice Michelle next. Candice had been a "pro" for close to 5 years by this point so she doesn't look terrible in there. Pheonix is the better worker in every possible way - her offense hits harder, her body language more expressive and natural, her bumps less awkward - but it takes two to make a good match and this isn't nearly as bad as it could be (even if there are some warts, specifically some of Michelle's dropkicks missing their mark or lacking oomph). The match doesn't overstay its welcome nor does Phoenix's victory seem rushed. A perfectly solid match. (2.5/5)
Rey Mysterio puts his mask on the line against Kane in the next contest. Rey was still consistently good in 08' if a bit stale, while Kane was his usual self - dependable but not necessarily a guy that delivered great matches often. By this point, Kane and Mysterio had probably wrestled a hundred times but that results in them being able to "play the hits" and play them well, which is really all they need to do to keep the crowd engaged. Mysterio dishes out some rare offense in this match, though, spicing things up with a beautiful moonsault and a Zig-Zag like counter that stuns the commentators and the crowd. When Kane tries for a chokeslam, Mysterio escapes and, though its imperfect and possibly a botch, the way he hits a quasi-bulldog/arm-drag works for me because it looks like split-decision thinking, not a choreographed sequence. To his credit, Kane has his work boots on too and keeps pace with the speedy Mysterio. His cut-offs, including a match-ending chair shot, get great reactions and feel vicious. Had this one had a clean finish and maybe an additional 2-3 minutes, I'd have no problem calling it a career match for the Big Red Machine, but the DQ ending prevents it from being considered anything more than just a really good (though not quite great) match. (3/5)
Backstage, MVP goes hunting for Vickie Guerrero and runs into Big Show. MVP then makes his way to the ring and cuts a promo about how the entire WWE revolves around him...until Randy Orton shows up. Orton looks young here, but was already a fully-established main event guy in 08' and was on-the-brink of leading his own stable, The Legacy (who show up here to back-up Randy despite not being "officially" a stable yet). A "Boring" chant breaks out as Cody Rhodes starts talking and Rhodes handles it well, regaining the fans' attention. Its then Manu's turn next and he's noticeably less confident. Orton tells them off and walks away. MVP goes back to insulting the Viper and gets talked-down to by Ted DiBiase. MVP walks off too, not wanting to test his skills against the trio of second-gen stars. CM Punk and Kofi Kingston arrive, though, a loud "CM Punk!" chant starts up, and they, along with MVP, make their way back to the ring. Kofi and Punk let MVP get his ass whooped first before coming in and going after the Tag Team Champs. That was smart. This was a good segment, but not quite worth a plus +1.
A number one contender's match for the World Heavyweight Championship (held by Chris Jericho) follows - JBL vs. Batista. Batista had been somewhat "iced" for the previous few months having wrestled in the midcard at WrestleMania XXIV and not held a World Championship for several months after getting a major run in 05'-06'. As expected, these two beat the hell out of each other, neither man afraid to get physical. This match doesn't go as long as I thought it would and Batista getting the 100% clean with the Batista Bomb without a single false finish makes this a decisive win for him. Sometimes a match is just a match and that's okay. (2.5/5)
JBL cuts a post-match promo that gets a ton of heat. Its a masterful bit of heelery based on JBL being a millionaire investor who has benefited from the bank bailout of 2008. Before he leaves, though, Cryme Tyme appear on the Tron sitting on the hood of JBL's limo. Cryme Tyme welcome a gaggle of Divas and Sgt. Slaughter into the limo, taking it out for a joyride to JBL's astonishment. Like the earlier Orton/MVP/Legacy segment, its not a Network Nugget of Awesomeness in my book, but I like how brief segments like this spice up a PPV. Its something the WWE doesn't do nearly enough on its shows these days, which often feel like just a string of matches featuring guys trying to outdo each other rather than actually putting on a show that offers variety, surprise, and, in small doses, silliness.
The Undertaker squares off against Vickie Guerrero's bodyguard, The Big Show, next. In the build-up to this feud, Taker actually tombstoned Vickie, which seems kinda crazy in 2020 but its not like 2008 was the stone age. Anyway...Taker comes out firing, but Big Show eventually takes control. At this point in his career, Taker wasn't at his peak necessarily, but he could still move real well, his timing was preposterous, and he had a bag of tricks unrivaled by any other big man ever. Big Show, meanwhile, wasn't necessarily in the best shape of his career but was game to tear the house down and willing to take some rather rare bumps to do so (at one point, he takes a DDT that loves just devastating on a guy his size). The crowd is super hot for this, oohing-and-ahhing at every turn of the match. Big Show eventually loosens a turnbuckle and sends Taker into it before nailing him with a two Big Right Hands. In a weak finish, he hits him with a third one to the back of the head and Charles Robinson calls for the bell. They give Big Show the win without actually having him pin the Undertaker, which just doesn't make much sense to me because it really doesn't "protect" Taker all that match. Anyway, aside from the somewhat flat finish, this one exceeded my expectations. Its also a match that made me wonder, hours later, if Taker's spirited performance here was a nice nod to the Big Show finally deserving to get a clean W over him, especially as the story goes that Taker felt Show was immature and not dedicted enough when he first came to the WWE roughly a decade earlier. I've seen some go a full 4-stars with this, but I don't feel the same. This is in the good-not-great territory. (3/5)
The WWE Championship is on the line next - Triple H defending against Jeff Hardy. I'm not a big fan of Triple H, but when he needs to "bring it" he tends to do well. Hardy was mega over in 07'-08' and deserved a run with the title so Triple H is playing the "gatekeeper" role, the Old Guard that refuses to simply step aside and give Hardy his moment. This is a good match, but not a great one. Its not that Triple H and Hardy don't work hard, but its a match that stays in Triple H's wheelhouse rather than take him out of his comfort zone and offer something new. To be fair, Triple H was never going to work a match built around ridiculous high spots, being put through tables, or trying to match aerial tactics with the Enigma, so it makes sense that this one is more a "wrestling" contest even if that doesn't necessarily play to Hardy's strengths. At a little over 20 minutes, Triple H and Hardy have plenty of time to deliver a back-and-forth contest and that's what they do. I like the little details here and there - Triple H trying to get a sneaky victory in the opening 5 seconds with a cheap shot from behind, Jeff Hardy's various counters, the ridiculous back bump that Hardy takes when he misses a somersault splash to the outside and lands right onto the arena floor. There's still somethng missing for me about this that doesn't put it into that "must see" category. Maybe its the finish? The unshakeable feeling that this match felt like a missed opportunity? Hardy would go on to win the title in December (in a triple threat with Edge), but Triple H never really put Jeff (or Edge) over cleanly, a move that, in some ways, may not have been necessary but did always seem to keep them one notch below the top tier of stars (namely Cena, Batista, and Orton). (3.5/5)
Main event time - Chris Jericho, the World Heavyweight Champion vs. Shawn Michaels in a ladder match. At the previous month's Unforgiven show, Jericho stole the title during the night's World Heavyweight Championship Scramble Match after losing to Michaels in a rather underwhelming Unsanctioned Match earlier in the show (why an "unsanctioned" match would happen during the middle of the show never made sense but whatever). Instead of trying to wrestle another hardcore match, which was neither guys forte (see the equally underwhelming Punk/Jericho Street Fight or Jericho/Ambrose [now Moxley] match from Extreme Rules 2016), Michaels and Jericho wisely decide to simply put on one of the all-time great ladder matches. This match has been hyped for years, but it deserves the accolades that are heaped upon it. The two had been engaged in a blood feud for months, but this match isn't about punishment - or at least not the kind that comes with unfocused rage. Michaels wants to take Jericho's most prized possession. Jericho has no "Champion's Advantage" and will do whatever it takes to hold onto the title. What makes the match better than your average ladder match is the story they develop over the course of close to 30 minutes of action - we see the targeting of knees and legs, we get some unexpected blood, creative (and nasty) uses of the ladder, and it all feels organic and unscripted, nothing choreographed, telegraphed, or blatantly "cooperative." The final 2-3 minutes are arguably the best, most riveting moments of any ladder match ever. Even the (failed) interference of Lance Cade doesn't really detract from things or cheapen the actual ending. (4.5/5)
With a pretty high Kwang Score of 3.14-out-of-5, No Mercy 2008 is one of the best WWE shows of the post-Ruthless Aggression Era, stacked from top to bottom with the biggest stars of the time (save for Edge and Cena, who I believe were both out with injuries) and featuring not only a great line-up of matches but several short segments that help keep the show moving. Why can't they produce shows like this today? It also helps that the show builds up in its intensity and offers vareity in terms of match styles, outcomes, and match lengths. Not every match is designed to blow the roof off the house or be a Match of the Year candidate, but there's no match that fails to deliver (even if one could argue who should have won/lost a specific match).
FINAL RATING - Watch It
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