TNA Hard Justice 2008

TNA Hard Justice 2008

Trenton, NJ - August 2008

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, Samoa Joe was the TNA World Champion, the X-Division Champion was Petey Williams, the Knockouts Champion was Taylor Wilde, and the
TNA Tag Team Champions were LAX (Hernandez and Homicide).

After a nifty Law and Order-inspired video package to start the show, the X-Division Champion, Petey Williams defended the title against Consequences Creed (aka Xavier Woods). Man, I wish they had called some audibles here. Petey was mega-over with the New Jersey crowd and I'm not sure why, but I'd reckon it's because his Steiner-inspired taunts finally added the missing flavor that his in-ring work needed. Williams was so good in terms of technique and Creed is no slouch in this either. I loved the action and the big spots looked not just well-executed but also impactful. This felt like a real struggle from beginning to end with no breaks in the action apart from Williams' heeling it up. Unfortunately, the crowd would not get behind Creed so the final minutes were hard to watch. First, Creed had to take out Rhaka Khan and, while male-on-female violence can often work when the woman is a straight-up heel with no redeeming qualities (see every time Sensational Sherri ever got involved in a match), it comes off much different when the crowd is actively rooting for the valet/manager's client. The crowd didn't necessarily boo the spot, but it certainly didn't cheer it either. Then, Sheik Abdul Bashir (who had debuted in the company as Daivari but was now going under this alias for a reason I don't know) showed up to cost Creed the match. Again, the crowd was so behind Williams that this elicited apathy from the crowd and not sympathy as the focus of the post-match went from the guy people were rooting for to the guys that people did not care about. Had they called an audible and re-worked some of this match in real time - allowing Creed to maybe do some subtle heel work, axe the Rhaka Khan spot, hold off on the Bashir run-in - and replaced that with a few more minutes of back-and-forth action leading to a clean Williams victory, this would be a borderline "must watch" match...but the final minutes prevented that from happening. (3/5)

Samoa Joe and Kevin Nash are backstage. Nash says he has Joe's back and that he needs to focus on Booker T rather than worrying about Sting.

Back to the ring we go for a six-woman tag: The Beautiful People and Awesome Kong vs. ODB, Taylor Wilde, and Gail Kim. Traci Brooks was the special guest referee. People are wearing rose-colored glasses when they talk about how good the Knockouts Division was around this time period. While, yes, Gail Kim and Awesome Kong were great performers and had some really good matches and ODB could be entertaining and Taylor Wilde and Angelina Love weren't too shabby (Roxxi wasn't bad either), it's not like they were consistently delivering classics either. Plus, the amount of "envelope-pushing," "X-rated comedy" spots in some of these matches does not age well. For example, ODB spraying perfume on her own crotch and then the heels acting like they're too grossed out to even touch the bottle despite the bottle never actually touching her crotch. Then, there's also the issue of the disparity between the performers at times. Gail Kim is very fluid, very quick, and very skilled...but paired up with Madison Rayne, things get a little herky-jerky. I was a bit more impressed by Taylor Wilde here than I was in the last match of hers I saw. ODB isn't a worker I love, but she was over. Awesome Kong was good here, but I prefer her in a singles role just because of how deserving she was of having that spotlight. Traci Brooks did a good job as a referee ,actively preventing Angelina Love from applying illegal chokes. Not a bad match, maybe a touch long, but inoffensive. (2/5)

The TNA Tag Team Champions, LAX (Homicide and Hernandez) defended their titles against Beer Money in the next match. LAX got a cool intro with rapper Filthee (never heard of him and who now goes by Brickman Raw?) performing their theme song as they made their way to the ring. Hernandez was mega over. Good brawling to start before this turns into a more traditional tag match with Homicide playing the face in peril. I would've liked to see them milk the hot tag more than they did as they really could've milked that moment for a much bigger reaction. There's a great spot when Hernandez launches Homicide out of the ring with a Border Toss onto Beer Money, but the whole match is worked well. There's one timing issue when Roode is a half-second too late to break up a pin attempt and Storm has to kick out that even the commentators had to make note of. I liked the finish; simple heel trickery that leads to a screwy finish can work in the right context and it absolutely did for this match. A solid outing. (3/5)

Sonjay Dutt vs. Jay Lethal in a Ball & Chain match was next. Jay Lethal was performing in front of his hometown crowd, which ends up being...kinda sad. This is a chain match that will end when one guy strips the other of his tuxedo or makes a pinfall. Why a match would necessitate two separate ways to win is beyond me. I really liked the first half of this match as Dutt and Lethal brought the goods and the intensity. I liked the way Lethal tied up Dutt to the post at one point, a really underused tactic in a match like this. Unfortunately, things went off the rails once Lethal tried to hang Dutt outside of the ring. Dutt sells it brilliantly and it does come across as maybe "too far," which leads to So Cal Val storming off. That was the climax of the match and should've led to the finish in short order. Unfortunately, Dutt and Lethal overstay their welcome, continuing the match for several more minutes and drawing chants of "Boring" and "Fire Russo" for their efforts. Lethal looks particularly pissed, and again, I wish somebody would've called an audible here and had them wrap this up much sooner. It's not that Dutt and Lethal don't do some cool stuff in the last few minutes, it's that the audience is making it clear that they're no longer interested. Lethal eventually gets the win with an elbow drop, which, if that was the intended finish all along, means they could've done without the tuxedo element. I get that you want the visual of two guys brawling it out in tuxedos because of the storyline...but it would've made just as much sense for Sonjay to compete in the tux as a mind game and for Lethal to come out in jeans and a tee-shirt because his sole focus was on beating the shit out of the guy that tried to see his fiancee. The actual action was good, but everything surrounding it was not and the match running too long after its key storyline moment was not a good decision either. (1.5/5)

Christian Cage and Rhyno took on Team 3D in a New Jersey Streetfight next. Very much an ECW tribute match when I wish it would've featured more of the action these guys busted out in the TLC environ. Crowd-balling to start with lots of weapon shots, people getting soaked with beer, etc. etc. Christian was the MVP, taking an unreal back drop in the early moments and then launching himself from the top of a ladder with a frog splash to lead to the finish, which was, unfortunately, marred by Rhyno not being able to actually put Bubba through the table that was set up in the corner. It seems that they wanted to build towards one big table spot instead of doing multiple and because that spot didn't work out perfectly, the crowd was left unsatisfied and booed it. A forgettable hardcore match in which nobody, especially not the Dudleys, seemed to be working particularly hard to do something original, innovative, or outside of their comfort zone. After the match, Abyss shows up to save the babyfaces from a 3-on-2 (by this point Johnny Devine had come down to help the Dudleys). (2.5/5)

Kurt Angle vs. AJ Styles in a Last Man Standing is up next. This is a very solid match that is hurt considerably by the stipulation. If there previous match was meant to be a "table setting" in which Angle and Styles show how evenly matched they are technically despite how personal their feud had become (I mean, Angle was accusing AJ of having an affair or attempting to have an affair with his wife), then in the weeks before this match, they'd made it clear that this match was going to be an all-out war and that we'd likely see one or both men bloodied by the end of it. Once again, though, Angle and Styles delivered a 20+ minute battle of pure pro-wrestling that betrayed the storyline and, this time, because of the Last Man Standing stipulation, I find it to be a far more egregious sin. Now, that's not to say that Styles and Angle half-assed it or that the match didn't feature some excellent action - I loved Angle dumping Styles into the guardrail with a suplex and the top rope DDT finish was devastating - but having to pin or submit your opponent and then not have them answer a 10 count makes much more sense when there's a real "anything goes" vibe. This was more like a regular - albeit very good - wrestling match where it could've ended sufficiently with just one guy finally scoring a pinfall over the other and it probably would've landed better with me. After the match, Angle sells the finish like he has been legit paralyzed, which is not the kind of thing I'm super into. I don't mind seeing guys pretend to need to be stretchered out, but Angle went for a level of realism that is eerily close to hubris. AJ attacked Angle again as he was being helped by EMS workers, but then got hit with a Stinger Death Drop on his way out of the arena by Sting. (3/5)

Main event time - Samoa Joe defending the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Booker T, who was in physical possession of the title, in a Six Sides of Steel - with Weapons! - match. Joe and Booker did just enough to make this decent and I liked that they didn't focus on Sharmell on the outside, a production move that marred their last match. Joe got some color, which was a good way to get over the physicality, but it still felt like a very standard "hardcore" match with only a few memorable moments - Joe hitting a jumping kick while he and Booker were on the top rope, Booker scissor kicking a chair into Joe's face. The finish of the match was a bit much as Booker seemed to have the match won, the lights went out, and then when the lights came back on, Joe hit Booker T with a guitar shot to the skull. This was clearly designed to make us believe that Jeff Jarrett had magically appeared to aid Joe in screwing Booker and, to be fair, it was an intriguing ending even if wasn't the most satisfying conclusion to this feud. (2.5/5)

With a Kwang Rating of 2.5-out-of-5, Hard Justice 2008 was a decent show helped considerably by a surprisingly strong opener, Tag Title match, and a solid Angles/Style match that was hampered by its stipulation. As a whole, though, its hard to recommend catching this one unless you're a TNA fanatic.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

WWE Money in the Bank 2024

WWE Money in the Bank 2024

July 2024 - Toronto, ON, CA

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the WWE Universal Champion was Cody Rhodes, the World Heavyweight Champion was Damien Priest, Sami Zayn was the Intercontinental Champion, Logan Paul held the United States Championship, the Judgment Day were the World Tag Team Champions, Bayley was the SmackDown Women's Champion, Liv Morgan was the RAW Women's Champion, #DIY (Gargano and Ciampa) were the WWE Tag Team Champions, and The Unholy Union (Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn) held the Women's Tag Team Championships.

Money in the Bank 2024 kicked off with a look at various superstars arriving in Toronto, then a video package, and then six full introductions for the competitors in the Men's Money In The Bank match: Jey Uso, Chad Gable, Andrade, Carmelo Hayes, Drew McIntyre, and LA Knight (totaling over 20 minutes). Another good-not-great ladder match spotfest, not dissimilar to what AEW offered at Forbidden Door last week. This was fun, but the field wasn't exactly filled with guys that could realistically win. Gable is involved in the Wyatt Sicks angle (they did not appear), Carmelo Hayes has only recently been called up onto SmackDown, Andrade is the Speed Champion (which I don't even think was mentioned on commentary and I don't remember Andrade coming in with the belt), and LA Knight seems like he's been put in the "Zack Ryder Spot" of being someone the live crowds love to cheer for but that the company has no intention of really getting behind as a main event player. That left Jey Uso and Drew McIntyre and those were the two men left standing by the end. But before we got there, we got a bunch of really cool spots and brutal crashes, with Hayes and Andrade delivering maybe the best one when Andrade hit a sunset flip powerbomb off a ladder that sent Hayes (and himself) through another one that was laid out Erector Set-style. Gable was also really good in this, delivering a number of awesome suplexes. The missing ingredient for me, though, was the connections this match should've had to on-going storylines. The aforementioned Wyatt Sicks made no appearance, but neither did Otis or Maxxine, and while I know Alpha Academy is no longer on the same page, it would've been interesting to see that storyline progressed here. Knight, Andrade, and Hayes did nothing to make me interested about what their next step is. On the plus side, McIntyre's win added some suspense to the rest of the show as Drew had promised to cash-in later in the evening. All in all, a great effort by everyone involved but not "must see." (3/5)

Next up - Sami Zayn defending the Intercontinental Championship against Bron Breakker. I predicted this match going one of two ways: Bron would get the clean victory to continue his push or Bron would lose by DQ after taking out a half dozen referees and going on a total rampage. Neither happened. Instead, we got a solid back-and-forth match that showcased Breakker's power and Zayn's resiliency. This felt like a loooong 13 minutes, not because it was bad, but because it was somewhat uninteresting. When Breakker burst on the scene in NXT, there was lots of talk about him being a "can't miss" prospect, but this match didn't really showcase him as anything special. Sure, his powerhouse moveset is impressive and his amateur wrestling background is plain to see in his footwork and maneuvering, but in an effort to not make him "The Next Goldberg" or "The Next Lesnar" by giving him a bunch of squash victories and dominant performances, they may have gone too far the other way and made him "just another guy" right from the start. (2.5/5)

In a shocking moment, the host of tonight's show, Trish Stratus, welcomed John Cena to the ring. Cena's rally towel had the words "Last Time Is Now" on it and he, with a noticeable lump in his throat, announced that he intended to retire at WrestleMania XXXXI (which he referred to as WrestleMania 2025). This was a cool promo but also seems like something that we've seen and heard Cena dance around a couple times over the previous few years. I believe that Cena will keep to his word; While plenty of wrestlers have competed long past the age of 47, few have found themselves reach the level of success that Cena has as a mainstream film actor (he most recently appeared in the critically-acclaimed series The Bear in a delightful guest role). Simply put, Cena, looking noticeably slimmer these days, has nothing left to prove in the ring. Then again, in pro-wrestling, all it takes is a juicy angle and a big payday for every wrestler to do one more "last match" (just ask Shawn Michaels). 

Next up - Damien Priest vs. Seth Rollins for Priest's WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Rollins came out wearing a top that looked like something Gloria Estefan would've worn in 1991 and Priest was sporting a cape that reminded me of Mortis' old ring gear. The Toronto crowd was very much behind Rollins despite Priest definitely being in the midst of a slow-burning face turn. Some good action to start with Priest hitting a Broken Arrow and then a Flatliner for 2. Wasn't that Mortis move? Rollins came back with a Sling Blade and then clotheslined Priest to the floor. Rollins stopped to call out Drew before hitting three suicide dives, the third one sending Priest over the announce table. Rollins hit a Swanton and then a Lionsault, bringing the high-flying offense. I'm not much of a Rollins guy, but he was delivering here. Priest went for a chokeslam but Rollins reversed it into a hurricanrana only to get clotheslined soon after. They went for something in the corner that didn't look too good but found their footing soon after as Rollins hit a knee and then a frog splash for 2. Rollins' use of elbows and kicks to the back of knee were really effective at getting over Priest's size advantage and, to his credit, Priest sold everything very well. They went back up top and Rollins somehow managed to hit a Buckle Bomb, but Priest came back with a nasty powerbomb of his own, shifting the momentum considerably. Between every big move, Priest and Rollins looked towards the ramp to check if Drew would be running down, but there was no sign of him. A strike exchange led to some brutal kicks, at least one of which looking like Rollins wasn't expecting it. Priest hit a back body drop, but Rollins sprung up and hit a not-so-great Curb Stomp for 2. A "This Is Awesome" chant started up and, up till this point, you could really overlook a couple of miscommunications as most of the match was hard-hitting and felt like a real fight. Priest continued to sell the damage of the Curb Stomp as Rollins shoved him into the corner. Priest hit a Razor's Edge but only got 2 from it. Again, the two men took their time to move onto the next sequence, really letting things breathe (which isn't a bad thing). Priest went to the top rope for some reason and Rollins followed him up to attempt a superplex. Rollins hit it and then rolled through to try a Falcon Arrow, but Priest countered only for Rollins to counter and then cover for a 1...2...that was 3, but the referee didn't count it! The lights went on and then Drew's music hit. What the fuck was that? Yikes. Drew cashed in his briefcase and the match became a Triple Threat. All sorts of hell broke loose at this point with CM Punk eventually running in and ttacking McIntyre, including bashing him with a chair and choking him out with a cable. Punk's appearance really salvaged a clusterfuck ending here. Punk grabbed the championship belt and slammed it into Drew's head. Punk took a seat on the announce table and Michael Cole called him "Phil" for some reason. Priest hit Drew with the South of Heaven and that was it. They made lemons out of lemonade after an awful false finish. This wasn't as bad as some on the internet made it out to be, though I do hope someone in the back learned that planning these ultra-convoluted finishes with the briefcase can bite you when things go awry. This felt like more of a goof-up on the part of the production team, especially the producer, than anyone (though I do think that Priest should've gone into business for himself at the 2.5 count and kicked out of the Falcon Arrow as it was very clear that Rollins had pinned him for a full 3 seconds). (2.5/5)

The Women's Money In The Bank was next featuring Naomi, Lyra Valkyrie, Tiffany Stratton, IYO SKY, Chelsea Green, and Zoey Stark. This was the easy Match of the Night and one of the best Money in the Bank Ladder matches in WWE history. Chelsea Green was terrific in this, as was IYO, but the story of the match was just how many crazy bumps and spots these performers delivered. Not everything they executed went perfectly, but that element of true danger only made the match more suspenseful and entertaining as the violence escalated. Highlights included Naomi doing the splits across two ladders and somehow hitting a DDT off of them, Chelsea Green going through two tables, Stratton delivering a swanton to the floor, Zoey Stark taking a ridiculous piledriver/powerslam into a ladder towards the end, and at least a half dozen other moments where it seemed like someone was going to be maimed. A phenomenal match. (4/5) 

Main event time - Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Kevin Owens vs. The New Bloodline of Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, and Tama Tonga. Owens was over huge in his home country, but so were Orton and Cody. Lots of "We Want Roman" and "Fuck You Solo" chants throughout the contest. I'm not sure this was the right choice as a main event as this felt a bit like a big house show or TV match as there were no real stakes. If the previous match delivered the spills and thrills, this one was carried by star power and simple storytelling. Out went the ref at one point, nullifying Cody's Cross Rhodes, KO's frog splash, and Randy's RKO. The babyfaces looked to put Solo through the announce table, but Fatu cut them off and the war raged on. The ref took another nasty hit and Owens hit a splash from the barricade onto Fatu that sent him through the table. Back in the ring, KO went for a package piledriver on Tonga but Tonga Loa ran in to prevent. Orton made the save, delivering a series of RKOs before eating a Samoan Spike from Solo. Cody hit Solo with two Cross Rhodes but Jacob Fatu prevented him from hitting a third with a Whisper in the Wind and then a big DDT before holding Rhodes up for Solo to hit him with a final spike for 3. A good if unspectacular match. (3/5)

Earning a very respectable Kwang Score of 3-out-of-5, this year's Money in the Bank spectacular was helped considerably by an all-time great multi-man (or woman, in this case) ladder match that helped the entire show course-correct after an imperfect World Heavyweight Championship match. I wasn't a huge fan of the Breakker/Zayn match either and while the main event was heated and did its job, I didn't find myself particularly invested in its outcome. A serviceable show that probably would've felt tedious if it wasn't for how good the Women's Ladder Match was.

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand

AEW All Out 2019

AEW All Out 2019

August 2019 - Chicago, IL

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: As this was the first AEW PPV, there were no champions crowned yet, though an AEW World Champion would be crowned in the main event.

I'm watching this via YouTube, so the show kicks off with So Cal Uncensored (Scorpio Sky, Christopher Daniels, and Kazarian) taking on Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus) with Marko Stunt. Its a bit weird watching this show in late 2022 as So Cal Uncensored disbanded long ago, Marko Stunt is no longer around, and Jurassic Express are former AEW World Tag Team Champions and currently involved in a high profile storyline with Christian (who wasn't in the company yet). The action is good in this and the JE are over but not nearly as over as they would be in the years that followed. They're also not as polished and while this isn't a "carry job," Daniels and Kaz are the crispest of the bunch and the best at playing to the crowd. The SCU closes off a good 10-minute opener with their finish, a piledriver assisted by a moonsaulting Daniels known as the Best Meltzer Ever, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the legendary wrestling journalist. A solid start to the show, but not something I'd consider essential viewing. (3/5)

Next up - Kenny Omega vs. Pac. I was surprised this was on second because Kenny Omega was such a huge star (especially to the AEW fanbase) and him taking on Pac was a bit of a dream match. I must admit to not having seen much of Omega's work before AEW, so I know that parts of this match were completely lost on me as Omega has a reputation for putting layers into his work and part of Omega's storyline at this time was that he wasn't the dominant "ace" of the company (he had lost to Jericho at the Double or Nothing PPV and wouldn't be the company's first World Champion) and had been preparing for a match with Jon Moxley (who had to back out due to an elbow injury), putting him at a disadvantage when it was revealed his new opponent would be Pac (a wrestler much, much different in style than Moxley). It is these layers that are played up in the match as Omega seems overwhelmed by Pac's speed and risk-taking at times and certainly doesn't see the finish (Pac's Brutalizer submission) coming. This earned 4-and-a-quarter stars from Meltzer, but I wasn't as impressed. Yes, they hit some amazing moves and there are moments - like Omega clipping his knee on the guard rail as he hits an insane front flip dive to the floor - that "popped" me as watched in my basement mid-workout. But this is also a match so loaded with fast-paced, insane maneuvers that it never pauses to let the audience really catch up before they're onto the next big sequence. Its "too much" in a way that Omega's matches with Bryan Danielson, years later, weren't. Also, as good Pac is at a technical level and as much as I think he is a better heel than babyface, because Omega was going through a character evolution that required him to "shrink" a little in the spotlight and seem unprepared, this doesn't come across as a real dream match where you have two equals - at full strength - facing off to find out who the better man is. Omega was preoccupied with Moxley and unprepared for Pac (and facing a bit of a confidence crisis in storyline). Pac was the "underdog" heel with something to prove, but because this match was thrown together, its not really personal enough for him to get his own character across aside from just being Pac - the ex-WWE guy who deserved better and is finally being given a chance to prove it. A very good match, but not one I'd consider "must see." (3/5)

The "Cracker Barrel Clash" followed: Joey Janela vs. Darby Allin vs. Jimmy Havoc in a crazy hardcore match involving tables, staple guns, thumbtacks, and, yes, barrels. Some of the insanity in this match included Allin shoving a handful of thumbtacks into Havoc's mouth and then taping it shut, Janela hitting an absolutely wild and dangerous sunset flip piledriver on Allin through a table, Darby delivering a Coffin Drop through a barrel onto the steel steps, Janela nearly breaking his leg on a dive to the floor at one point, and Havoc opening the match by staple-gunning his own chest. Like in the opener, watching this, I was surprised by how much Allin seems like the least over and least conventionally charismatic, but if you watch closely, its Darby's bumps and selling and overall performance throughout the match that show he could do more than just hardcore wrestling - something that Janela and Havoc never really do, even if their moments are crazier and more crowd-pleasing. I was also surprised - especially considering some of the bloodbaths we've seen in AEW over the past year - how little actual blood there was in this. Compared to the recent Blood and Guts match, for example, this is tame in comparison. Was Tony not yet ready to go "all in" with death match style action on his shows? Its not really clear that's the case because he certainly gave them plenty of time (15 solid minutes). A fun match, but again, nothing I'd consider essential viewing. (3/5)

The next contest saw The Dark Order's Evil Uno and Stu Grayson take on The Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent Baretta). Orange Cassidy wouldn't debut for AEW until the end of the match, which was the high point for me. There were some really good sequences in this match, but this felt like "filler" that was put on the card to give the audience time to cool off. At the time, AEW had not yet debuted their TV show so its not necessarily fair to call this a "TV worthy match" rather than a PPV worthy match, but that's undeniably what this feels like in hindsight. The Dark Order was one of the least popular acts in the company at this time and for quite awhile into their run - arguably until Brodie Lee showed up and became the leader - but they could work and by the end of this one, the crowd is with them. Not a match I'd really recommend, but perfectly fine. (2.5/5)

Riho vs. Hikaru Shida followed. This match had basically the same runtime as the previous match, but felt like much more of a war because Riho and Shida absolutely tore into each other with strikes and knees and suplexes and everything else. The crowd was into this match, though the online reception was less warm (mostly because many fans saw Shida as the clear choice to be the focal point of the division over Riho). I really liked this match, but will admit to being unfamiliar with either worker, their previous accomplishments, or their gimmicks (if they really have any?). A very good match in terms of physicality and technicality and energy, but not one that really hooked me in terms of character or story (maybe because both were ostensibly babyfaces?). (3/5)

"The Chairman of AEW" Gavin Spears took on Cody Rhodes in a grudge match next. At this point, Cody Rhodes was over as a babyface and the rivalry with Spears had good heat. This will probably go down as Spears most important career match; As much as he's a solid hand, there's just something about him that makes it obvious where on the card he belongs. The action was very intense and I really liked that they told a logical story and made "the little things" - like MJF and Tully's involvement, the use of belts as weapons, and the eventual arrival of Arn Anderson - count. I've read some reviews that called this match slow or boring, but I dug the intensity and liked that this match was very different than any of the bouts before it (and after it). Seeing MJF working as a pseudo-face is weird, but he's charismatic as all hell so his involvement only helped the match (even when watching it years later and knowing where this storyline went). I wouldn't call this the Match of the Night (like one ProWrestlingOnly reviewer did), but this was better than I expected it would be. (3/5)

If the next match, which was built on intensity, "old school 'rasslin" action, and a very clear babyface/heel dynamic, the match that followed was almost the aesthetic opposite. This was what detractors would call a total "spotfest," a match in which "the little things" - like not selling would-be career-ending moves or sequences built on overt cooperation and pre-planning - were considered minor details to be ignored for the purpose of being able to sit back and just gaze at the sheer insanity of the spectacle, risks, and bonkers amount of high spots all the participants delivered. Dave Meltzer gave the match an astonishing 5-and-a-Quarter Stars, the kind of rating that had to be invented to give proper respect to the workrate and effort and execution of such a huge array of insane bumps. The Lucha Bros - Rey Fenix and Pentagon Jr. - and their opponents, The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) had met several times previously and fan expectations were high based on their track record but they wrestle this with a very clear intention to exceed those expectations, blow the audience's minds, steal the show, and put AEW on the map. They do all of those things even before Pentagon Jr. delivers a sunset flip piledriver off a ladder through a table onto one of the Bucks (I forget which). Oh, and Pentagon also delivers a package piledriver on a ladder that is resting between the ring apron and guardrail towards the end that looks like it could've and should've crippled someone. This match is not going to be for everyone - I'm sure Jim Cornette would blow a gasket if he had to sit through this - but it might be the perfect introduction into what the Bucks and the Bros became famous for and just how far they were willing to push themselves to not just deliver a "spotfest," but to deliver a spotfest so spotfesty that it becomes a classic of the oft-maligned genre itself. (4/5) 

Main event time - "Hangman" Adam Page vs. Chris Jericho to crown the first ever AEW World Champion. At this point, Jericho was the biggest star AEW had and Page was still a relative unknown, though the outcome to this match was not 100% guaranteed despite that difference in star power as many thought a Hangman victory would be the exact right kind of "rub" to establish him as a true main eventer in a company that needed as many credible main eventers as possible (aside from Y2J, only Omega, Rhodes, and the Young Bucks could fit that bill). This match has "big fight feel" and I liked the clear face/heel dynamic and traditional pacing. There was no way that Page and Jericho would be able to outdo the ladder match in terms of crazy spots and, in terms of workrate, it would have been silly to try to do what Pac and Omega did earlier in the show. Instead, this is worked a bit like a WWE style main event, only there's blood and Jericho isn't just going through the motions or relying on signature moves. They had a nice long match, but it wasn't a great match as Jericho is definitely not moving as well as he once was and Page, while very good, is not some revolutionary worker that is going to blow your mind for 30 minutes. (3/5)

With a Kwang Rating of 3.06-out-of-5, All Out 2019 was a strong PPV to kick-off the AEW enterprise, delivering consistently good-to-great action from the start of the show to the finish. The Lucha Brothers/Young Bucks match was the clear match of the night and one of the more impressive ladder matches of recent years, which is saying something when you consider how many of these types of bouts we see on a regular basis across promotions. I wasn't as high on PAC/Omega as others, but really liked the women's match and thought Spears/Cody overdelivered by offering a different type of match than any other on the card. 

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand

AEW Forbidden Door 2024

AEW Forbidden Door 2004

June 2024 - Queens, NY, NY

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the AEW World Champion was Swerve Strickland, the Women's World Champion was Toni Storm, the TNT Championship was vacant (due to Adam "Edge" Copeland's injury), the TBS Champion was Mercedes Mone, the AEW International Champion was Will Ospreay, the AEW World Trios Champions were Bullet Club Gold (Jay White and The Gunns), the FTW Champion was Chris Jericho, and the Young Bucks held the AEW World Tag Team Championship.

The show kicked off with hometown hero (villain?) MJF taking on luche libre technician Hechicero. This was a weird one as I expected it to go considerably longer, but MJF won in rather decisive fashion. I'm not sure if MJF really did tweak his shoulder here or was doing a convincing sell job, but he did not look like he was having much out there. I'm all about MJF returning to a more serious, more heel-ish presentation and not doing Kangaroo Kicks, but there was some joy and excitement in that babyface run that wasn't present in this match. Hechicero did an impressive hammerlock swing that probably did hurt like hell, but that was the only moment that stuck out at me from the Mad Scientist. At just 10 minutes, this felt more like a TV match than a PPV bout. (2/5)

A six-man tag followed as The Acclaimed and Tanahashi took on The Young Bucks and Okada. I've liked The Acclaimed/Young Bucks feud that has developed despite not being much of a fan of the Bucks. If MJF/Hechicero seemed joyless but also too short to mean much, this match had almost too much shtick and went too long. As I've seen very little NJPW wrestling over the years, I can't 100% say how far Tanahashi has dropped in terms of his technique and ability, but I figure its quite a ways down because he was not impressive here. I really like Okada's heel work and the Bucks know how to generate heat...but there is still a problem when a match is getting derailed with "CM Punk" chants nearly a year after the guy was fired. Okada won with a devastating Rainmaker and Tanahashi either really had his bell rung or he was selling it super well as it took him forever to roll out of the ring. Another not-so-great match. (2/5)

Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi in an Owen Hart Tournament match was next. A very good match, but not "must see." This is a match for the super wrestling nerds, I guess, but as I came into this match pretty cold, I wasn't super invested in the outcome. Danielson getting the victory was a foregone conclusion that I didn't question at any point in the match - even after Takagi kicked out of the Baisuku Knee. Speaking of Takagi, this was my second exposure to him (I saw his multi-man match from Dynamite earlier in the week) and I certainly see the hype. He has tremendous strikes, great facial expressions, and obvious technical skills. As has become something of a crutch (if you ask me), the match was once again built around Danielson possibly being paralyzed or at least seriously injured and then fighting through it. Building matches around Danielson's neck injury or concussion history almost seems like low-hanging fruit, though, on the flip side, it wouldn't make sense for his opponents to ignore it either - it just tends to get a bit repetitive when every match Danielson fights is all about how injured and beaten down he is. The first match on the show that delivered. (3/5)

The AEW Women's Champion, Toni Storm, defended her title against Mina Shirakawa. The story coming into this was that Toni's "understudy" Mariah May has been torn between the two women as she has history with both and Mina is attempting to not only take Storm's title but also "steal her girl." I thought this was a fantastic match and really showed that having a hot - or at least on-going and meaningful - storyline building up to a match is what separates a good match from a great one. Toni and Mina may not be stars on the same level as Danielson, MJF, or the Young Bucks...but there was emotion to this match that elevated it considerably above the three previous bouts. Plus, because this is AEW, the action was also very, very good. Some of Toni's hip attacks were ridiculous, as was the chokeslam-powerbomb off the top that she hit. I loved how much she sold the damage to her knee, even though it didn't play into the finish. Toni also hit a couple German Suplexes that looked terrific. The only element that was missing, for me, was a little bit more interaction between the combatants and Mariah May, who was such a crucial part of the storyline but didn't get involved. This match went only about 2 minutes longer than the opener and was a 5+ minutes shorter than Danielson/Tagaki but felt like even more physically taxing and brutal. I can see the argument that there was a little bit of finisher "spamming" and too many kickouts towards the end, but Toni did win with a single Storm Zero. During the post-match, all three women hugged it out and engaged in a three-woman kiss that got a big pop from the crowd. Not necessarily my cup of tea as I'm not into this "envelope pushing" nonsense to really excite me, but I can understand AEW wanting to differentiate itself from WWE with this kind of thing. Easily the Match of the Night up till this point and the crowd's enthusiasm was noticeably greater than in any match before it. (3.5/5)

Zach Sabre Jr. vs. Orange Cassidy was next up. Most people would've predicted that this match would be good; Cassidy almost never has a bad match (though mileage may vary on one's appreciation for his shtick) and Zach Sabre Jr. is rightfully considered one of the best technical wrestlers on the planet. This exceeded my expectations, though, as these two's chemistry was like peanut butter and jelly. I loved that Cassidy showed considerable restraint and came out to this match with real focus and intensity, while it was Sabre who was practically begging him to do his silly taunts. Loved that they built the match on so many wrenches and joint manipulations and, obviously, a ton of cool submissions. Cassidy doing his homework was evident as he nearly matched Sabre move-for-move. Of course, Sabre's bottomless bag of submission moves was still too much for him after an incredible pinfall sequence in the closing minutes. At 36, I am curious if Sabre will get a big run in the US before all is said and done, but he came across in this match as a very dangerous, vicious combatant who could stand toe-to-toe with anyone in the WWE or AEW. At the same time, though I hate to point to it out, I do think presentation-wise, he didn't look as good as he had in his pants as he was sporting some not-too-flattering tights and looked a little doughy compared to the last few times I've seen him. Still, nitpicking and body-shaming aside, this was an incredible match and the first "must see" bout of the evening. (4/5)

A six-man tag match followed pitting The Learning Tree's Chris Jericho and Big Bill, along with Jeff Cobb from NJPW taking on Samoa Joe, HOOK, and Shibata. A loud "Please Retire" chant rung out early and Jericho cut it off with a pre-match promo about how he is a hometown hero. I'm not as down on this gimmick as others, I'm not as down on Chris Jericho as many, but this match didn't need to happen on this card. The only two guys who seemed really over were Samoa Joe and Cobb, which is no surprise. There was some good action in this, but I'm not sure it needed all 14 minutes that it was allotted. (2.5/5)

At the previous pay-per-view, the Shibata/HOOK/Jericho match benefitted considerably from an "Anything Goes" stipulation that allowed the workers to utilize all sorts of weapon and furniture to elicit "cheap" pops from a crowd that was otherwise fairly antithetic to Jericho's shtick (and has also cooled considerably on HOOK). Unfortunately, the layout of the show meant that they'd be afforded no such crutch because the next match was the designated hardcore spotfest - a 6-man ladder match for the vacant TNT Championship between Lio Rush, "The Scapegoat" Jack Perry, Takeshita, Mark Briscoe, Dante Martin, and El Phantasmo. I was skeptical about this one coming in as the only true "names" in the match were Takeshita, Perry, and Briscoe, and the only one that I particularly go out of my way to ever watch is Takeshita. He was the clear MVP of this match and his dominant stretch was incredible and he also took one of the nastiest bumps when Briscoe sandwiched him between a ladder and a table and somersault-splashed him from inside the ring. I could definitely see Takeshita dethroning Briscoe for the Ring of Honor Championship sooner than later as it definitely seemed like those two ignited what could be a very, very good feud. Takeshita also got quite a few cheers throughout the contest as, again, it's just hard to not root for a guy that kicks so much ass. I understand putting Phantasmo and Rush in this match as NJPW/CMLL/international talents, but they felt out of place competing for a major championship as outsiders. This match seemed to wake up the crowd considerably, which is not surprising considering the number of ridiculous bumps that were on display as multiple guys took some gnarly crashes through ladders and tables. Not a "must see" match, but certainly a fun one. (3/5)

Mercedes Mone defended her AEW TBS Championship against NJPW Strong Women's Champion Stephanie Vaquer in a title-for-title match next. This match was maybe more interesting than good as Vaquer shined far more than Mone. Mercedes seemed to relish in getting to work as a heel more and more as the match wore on, though I really wish she would've found a way to go "full heel" and use some trickery to defeat Vaquer or, if not that, at least giving Vaquer the visual pin the same way she did with Willow. Mone claiming to be the best but not winning any of her defenses 100% clean would add more fuel to what seems to me to be a clear trajectory towards being a heel (especially when you consider the mega-pop that Britt Baker received upon her return in the post-match). Anyway...Vaquer was great and, at times, looked like she was in complete control. Highlights included Vaquer bashing Mone's skull into the mat with her knees, Mone cutting off Vaquer with an awesome dropkick as Vaquer came off the top rope, and a really good series of submission counters towards the end. Unfortunately, the crowd was dead for the first half of this and really only seemed to start caring for the match as it wore on and fans seemingly remembered that Mone is from Boston and that the Celtics and Red Sox are their sworn enemies. I wish they would've actually cheered or booed for the people wrestling the match, but at least they were chanting something. (3/5)

The IWGP Championship was on the line next as Jon Moxley defended against Naito. I've not seen Naito compete before - or maybe I have on a random episode of Dynamite or Collision - but he did not look good here. I liked him mocking Moxley early on, but that really only works when the pay-off is that eventually we're going to see him do some bad-ass shit, which, we didn't. There were some seriously ugly botches, including the finishing sequence, and there was also some pacing issues as every time the match seemed like it was going to hit the "next gear," Naito would slow things done in order to catch his breath or deliver another underwhelming strike. There was also some wacky moments involving famed NJPW referee Red Shoes as he seemed to make a slow count at one point - which would suggest that he was in Naito's pocket - but then when he had a chance to give Naito the DQ win (the title can change hands on a DQ), he prevented Moxley from getting himself disqualified by using a chair. I guess we're just supposed to think that it was a really, really long 2.9999 count, but it came across on TV like a full 3 before Naito managed to get a shoulder up. Mox's offense actually looked brutal at times; I dug the stalling piledriver, the inside-out suplex toss thing, the running knee, and the multiple Death Riders. They all looked good (as they should, considering they've all become trademark moves for him), but Naito didn't hit anything even remotely close to those so, by the end, his victory felt totally unearned. This was bad. (1.5/5)

Main event time - Swerve Strickland defending the AEW World Championship against Will Ospreay. After a video package that spliced Ospreay footage with that of Japanese legend Hayabusa, Ospreay came out with a Hayabusa-inspired mask before the champion made his arrival following an introduction from Dipset member Jim Jones. The crowd was very hot for this whole match and Swerve and Ospreay did not disappoint. Ospreay continued his streak of having absolutely incredible matches in AEW, each one either being "must see" or borderline "must see." I'd put this one in the latter category as I didn't particularly love the finishing stretch, which saw Ospreay having to do some acting on the outside (maybe th eone weak part of his game) and withstand maybe one too many finishers, really testing the credibility of the action beyond what we normally get from these two (who do have a tendency to go into sequences built on no-selling). Aside from those nitpicks, Ospreay and Strickland showcased tremendous chemistry and we saw some insane stuff - a hurricanrana off the barrier, a ridiculous Swerve Stomp from the top rope to Ospreay as he was halfway atop a table, an excellent Hidden Blade from Swerve (and a few from Ospreay that looked equally devastating), etc. These guys brought it and delivered a great match...if you're a fan of the style on display. (3.5/5)

Earning a Kwang Score of 2.8-out-of-5, this is the slowest rated AEW PPV that I've reviewed on the blog. That fact didn't surprise me when I looked it up; this is also the first AEW PPV with several matches that were outright underwhelming. The opener was not the great clash of styles it could've been and MJF didn't even seem motivated to be there despite working in front of a crowd that was very much behind him. The two six-mans felt like they would've maybe main evented a Dynamite or Collision episode but neither felt worthy of PPV minutes. The Moxley/Naito match was a huge disappointment and, hopefully, will put an end to Moxley months-long focus on international wrestling when AEW desperately needs him, his aura, and his overness to be a more crucial piece of the actual AEW product. The show was saved, however, by two good-to-great women's matches, a strong main event, an excellent Sabre Jr./Orange Cassidy the match, the bout I'd consider to be most "must see."

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand

WWE Night of Champions 2008

WWE Night of Champions 2008

June 2008 - Dallas, TX

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the World Heavyweight Champion was Edge, the WWE Champion was Triple H, the Intercontinental Champion was Chris Jericho, the US Championship was held by Matt Hardy, Kane was the ECW Champion, Mickie James was the Women's Champion, The Miz and Morrison were the WWE Tag Team Champions, and Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. were the World Tag Team Champions.

Night of Champions 2008 kicks off with the WWE Tag Team Championships on the line - John Morrison and The Miz defending against Finlay and Hornswoggle. Finlay was so good. I wouldn't call this a carry job, but he's clearly leading the dance and was most likely in charge of laying out this match, which is better than it really had any right to be considering how limited Hornswoggle was as a worker and that the champs were still fairly green (Miz moreso than Morrison). Really loved the ruthless physicality that Morrison showed to 'Swoggle, which got great heat from the live crowd. The right finish and the match didn't overstay its welcome. Nothing revolutionary, but good. (3/5)

Next up - the United States Champion, Matt Hardy, defended his championship against Chavo Guerrero. Chavo was seconded by Bam Neely, who went on to absolutely nothing in the wrestling world. The wrestling here was very solid, with both Hardy and Chavo demonstrating their execution and mat technique. The crowd was into this just enough to make it work and, again, it didn't overstay its welcome. (2.5/5)

I'm not sure if it was before this match or the last or whatever, but we do get a recap video of the previous episode of Raw where Vince McMahon's Million Dollar Giveaway ended with the stage collapsing and Vince being taken out on a stretcher. This was a "lighter" version of the Vince McMahon Limo Explosion storyline that the company had attempted a week or so prior to the Chris Benoit Double Murder Suicide. The wildest thing about this storyline might be that it led to absolutely nothing major as, if I'm not mistaken, the original design was to culminate in Ken Kennedy being revealed as Vince McMahon's lovechild...but because Kennedy got in trouble for Wellness issues (and also was disliked by Cena and Orton?), they ended up making it Hornswoggle who was Vince's son. 

Back at ringside, the ECW World Championship match was next with Kane defending the title against Big Show and Mark Henry in a triple threat of superheavyweights. Kane suffered a knee injury within the first few minutes of the match and this essentially fell apart, but I'll give credit where its due and say that Show and Henry, after having to call the match on the fly, did eventually get things together and, when Kane re-entered the match (which was a little hard to watch), the action went from understandably poor to much better than expected. Kane hitting a superplex on Big Show was unbelievable and led to an excellent finish. In a weird way, the match almost benefits from Kane's injury early on as it led to a genuine feeling of danger and added some suspense that I'm not sure would've been there without it. (3/5)

After more hype for tonight's two major World Championship matches - going into this show, Raw was without a World Champion, but both Cena and Batista had an opportunity to bring a title home - we got the next segment. I call it a "segment" because it's not much of a match. Ted DiBiase Jr. was making his debut, challenging World Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly with a mystery partner. Most folks called this one from a mile away as DiBiase shows up without a partner and then, as soon as the match starts, Cody turns on Hardcore Holly. There's even a loud fan in the front row telling Holly not to trust Cody right before it all goes down. Still, this was executed well and was a neat way to turn Cody because of all the history between the DiBiase and Rhodes families (though the commentary team undersells that connection). (+1)

Chris Jericho was embroiled in a blood feud with Shawn Michaels and had injured the Heartbreak Kid's eye, but he still had to defend his Intercontinental Championship on this night and his mystery challenger was...Kofi Kingston. Kingston was a relative newcomer to the WWE by this time as I believe he'd only competed on ECW prior to getting drafted to Raw a week or two before this event. Jericho and Kingston get plenty of time and Kingston's offense looks good. Jericho is fine here, but I'm not sure he had totally mastered his new character's in-ring style yet; against Michaels later in the summer and against Rey in 09', Jericho would do even better work. Shawn Michaels eventually shows up to screw Jericho, superkicking Lance Cade on the outside and distracting Y2J, who then eats a Thunder in Paradise before getting pinned. After the match, Michaels is still selling damage to his eye (he'd fallen off the ring apron) and Jericho sucker punches him to further their storyline even more. Not necessarily the star-making performance that some might call it - I mean, Kingston wouldn't really climb up anywhere close to main event level for over a decade - but definitely a strong way to give Kingston an initial push but also add fuel to the Jericho/Michaels fire, which was the much bigger deal. Smartly-booked, good-not-great match. (3/5)

Katie Lea, along with her brother Paul Burchill (whatever happened to these two?), challenged Mickie James for the Women's Championship in the next match. James and Lea traded pin attempts early before Mickie took control. Lea came back with a nice back suplex with James' arm tucked behind her back that I haven't seen before - someone should steal it. Lea continued working on her shoulder, running her into the post and then applying an armbar. Straightforward stuff but it was good and Mickie didn't "forget" about the damage, selling throughout the contest. Mickie came back with an hurricanrana out of the corner and then a series of clotheslines followed by a snap mare and a double axehandle for 2. Mickie went for her big DDT, but Lea applied a nasty looking Disarmher! James flipped her way out of it but Lea continued to go after the shoulder, ramming it into the corner again. Lea went for another move - not sure exactly what it was going to be - but Mickie escaped, hit a boot to the gut, and then landed the DDT to get a hard-fought W. This wasn't spectacular or anything, but it was above-average and action-packed for its entirety. (3/5)

The World Heavyweight Championship was on the line next as Edge defended his title against Batista. If I'm not mistaken, the stipulation here was that if Batista won the title by DQ, he would win the title. Batista was mega over here and Edge had a ton of heat. Batista uses his strength early, dominating the match and going for some early covers. Bats clotheslines edge to the outside and then rolls him back in, allowing the Rated R Superstar to catch him with a kick and then send him into the post on the apron. Edge connects with a dropkick to Batista on the floor and Batista flies onto and over the announce table! Great effort there by Batista. The Animal has to rush to get back into the ring to break the count and he gets stomped and then hung over the middle rope. Edge continues to take it to him with a swinging neckbreaker for 2. Edge applies a choke, but Batista backs him into the corner. Drop toe hold by Edge that brings Batista's face into the turnbuckle. Edge and Batista trade some strikes but Edge maintains control with another neckbreaker. Edge applies a headlock and it looks like we're heading towards a dreadful slog but, to their credit, they actually speed things up and we get some good counters, a sunset flip out of Edge, and then a big clothesline from the Animal. Edge goes for a flying clothesline of his own but Batista catches him with a Bossman Slam. Moments later we get a spear from Batista but he only gets 2! Batista calls for the Batista Bomb but Edge escapes. Edge comes off the ropes but Batista catches him with a powerslam and calls for the Batista Bomb again. He makes an attempt but Edge escapes and hits an Impaler DDT for 2. Edge is known for really only shining in matches involving tables, ladders, or chairs, but he's brought his A-game to this match. Edge goes to the corner to try to hit a Spear of his own, but Batista caught him with a boot to the face. Batista went to the top rope - uncharacteristically - but Edge countered whatever he was going for with a dropkick. Vickie Guerrero made her way down the aisle with the Edgeheads. Edge went for a Spear but Edge leapfrogged him and then caught him with a huge spinebuster. Batista had it sewn up but Vickie stopped the count at 2. Edge went for yet another spear, but Batista side-stepped him and Edge hit the post. As the referee counted him out, Edge pulled him out from under the bottom rope and Edge slugged him. Vickie called for a new referee and out came Chavo, in a ref shirt, with Bam Neely at his side. Batista pulled Vickie into the ring and the crowd went wild. He then press-slammed her onto La Familia on the outside, but back in the ring, Edge caught him with the World Championship belt! Chavo slid into the ring as Edge made the cover and the champion retained in a pretty overbooked, screwy fashion. They took multiple steps to protect Batista here but it got really convoluted by the end. (3/5)

Main event time - Triple H defending the WWE Championship against John Cena. The crowd was solidly behind Triple H, or at least the older, louder voices were. Definite "big match" feel to this and good back-and-forth action to start with neither man gaining a clear advantage in the early going. The story coming into this was that Triple H had been drafted to SmackDown so, with Edge winning earlier in the evening, the Blue Brand now had possession of both World Championships. Triple H took control a few minutes in and whipped Cena into the corner repeatedly before beating him down with right hands. Cena came back swinging, though, and nearly landed a 5 Knuckle Shuffle. Triple H went for a Pedigree early but Cena countered with his flipping neckbreaker things. Cena went up top and hit the legdrop, busting out moves from his earlier days, but wasn't able to lock in the STFU. Cena went for another 5 Knuckle Shuffle but Triple H caught him with a knee and then a spinebuster. After a few minutes of brawling, this has become nothing but trademark moves. Triple H went for a Pedigree but Cena sent him into the corner and The Game went flying over the top rope. Triple H sold the damage to his knee on the outside and John Cena, in a rare display of pseudo-heelishness, went right after it, chop-blocking him and then using the post to add further damage to the knee. Back in the ring, Cena continued to go after Triple H's knee but struggled to apply the STFU as Triple H clung to the ropes. Cena went for the FU but Triple H countered with a Pedigree...and only got 2! Cena came back quick though and hit the FU...but only got 2 himself. Both guys sold exhaustion at this point, but it just didn't feel earned and we had seen nothing but trademark move/signature move spamming rather than an actual back-and-forth with a real story. Back on their feet, Triple H and Cena traded blows as the crowd cheered/booed with Cena wrapping things up with a back suplex and then a 5 Knuckle Shuffle. Cena went for another FU, but Triple H grabbed the top rope to escape. The Game went for a Pedigree, but Cena somehow turned it into an STFU in the middle of the ring. Triple H refused to tap, though, and was able to grab the ropes. Cena pulled him back into the center of the ring and reapplied the hold, though, and Triple H managed to counter it into a crossface of his own! John Cena looked to be fading but was able to get to a vertical base, lifting Triple H off the mat and nearly hitting him with an STFU...but Triple H escaped and hit the Pedigree to win clean. This was not the "epic" that they were building it up as because they didn't really build to the finisher spamming, they just went right for it after like 2-3 minutes of preliminary nonsense. Not a fan of this one. (2.5/5)

Night of Champions was a show that peaked at "good" but didn't surpass it at any point. There's no "must watch" match here. It is consistently fine, but unremarkable. Katie Lea/Mickie James might be the match of the night only because its the only match that really exceeds expectations. The ECW Title match is the most interesting match not because of the work but because it goes off the rails early and there's an unpredictability to it that no other match really offers. Despite its very respectable Kwang Rating of 3-out-of-5, this show feels inessential and only earns a...

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver