Vengeance 2005 kicks off with a video hyping the arrival of John Cena to RAW, the place he would spend the next 10-12 years (?) and the "final" showdown between Batista and Triple H. Quite a double-header.
There's a spectacular casino-themed set for this show as it hails from Las Vegas, Nevada.
Opening up the show, Carlito defended the Intercontinental Championship against Shelton Benjamin (the previous titleholder). I feel like these two fought and feuded for a full 18 months or so in 2005 and 2006 as both were clearly earmarked as future main eventers (not that it turned out that way). Colon is "all in" on his character, his over-the-top facial expressions on full display. The crowd seems split three ways - one third rooting for Benjamin, one third rooting for Carlito, and one third not interested at all. Benjamin and Carlito get lots of time, but its like they don't know what to do with it or really want the fans want to see (especially Carlito). Colon milks the near falls by raising a shoulder at 2.9, but because he does it practically every time, it comes across as phony (even if it was part of his gimmick to kickout in a "cool" way). He slows things when they don't need to be slowed any more. Benjamin is more impressive, all of his offense hitting, his selling perfectly fine, but his issue was always finding a character that resonated with audiences. The finish comes after Carlito exposes a turnbuckle, stealing the W after Benjamin splashes into the uncovered corner. Not a bad match, but nothing to write home about. (2/5)
Next up - Victoria vs. Christy Hemme. This one has some real mid-00s touchstones: the match was based on physicality after a bikini contest, there was gratuitous fake blood used at one point, and the announcer goes ahead and refers to the match as a "Divas Match" (to alter disinterested males that now might be a good time to freshen their Coors Light). Hemme comes in and immediately goes after Victoria, but Victoria uses her experience to outsmart her. Victoria isn't someone I'd consider an "all time great," but she was probably at or near the top of the division in terms of in-ring skill at the time. Hemme doesn't have much to offer, but she takes a beating just fine and this match does at least feel like a legit fight between two women with personal issues between them. It also goes for at least a couple minutes longer than I expected it would, which is a good thing. The right woman (Victoria) wins, but Hemme at least has an "out" as it wasn't clean. Another not bad/not good match. (2/5)
Backstage, John Cena - still with one foot in his hip-hop persona - cuts a promo about being the "new kid" on Raw.
A video package hypes our next match - Edge vs. Kane. The build for this match stems from someone not even involved in the contest: Matt Hardy. In the spring of 05', it was revealed that Edge and Lita had an affair (Lita was Hardy's real-life girlfriend), but on-screen, Lita was linked romantically to Kane. So, as the crowds wouldn't "play along" and continued to chant for Matt Hardy during all of Edge and Lita's matches and appearances, the WWE opted to have Lita turn on Kane and then join-up with Edge (who was now going through a divorce with his real-life wife). As anyone following this story would've predicted, a loud "We Want Matt" chant starts up and fills the arena. This is followed, moments later, by a loud "She's A Crackwhore" chant that the commentators also try to ignore. All of this is way more interesting than the match itself, which almost seems like its happening in the background of a crowd mutiny. An Edge spear on the arena floor, for example, barely draws a reaction while Edge's heat section elicits nothing more than sporadic "You Screwed Matt" chants. This match just plays like absolutely filler despite Kane's every effort to be an avatar for Matt Hardy's supporters. They finally get the audience into things when Kane no sells a series of Edge strikes and does two sit-ups before catching Edge with an excellent uppercut off the ropes. This is essentially Kane working like he's never worked before, busting out a wider variety of moves than ever before, showing fire (not literally and in a way very different than he usually does), and having fun with some of his signature moves (the aforementioned two sit-ups in rapid succession). Kane tears a Pillmanizing on Lita's neck, but gets stopped by Snitsky, who hits Kane with a big boot. Whatever happened to ol' Geno? Edge attempts an Impaler but again Snitsky interferes. Kane catches him, though, and he ends up struck by Edge's Money In The Bank Briefcase before Kane grabs Edge and chokeslams him too for the W. I'm not sure what the booking philosophy was here - Edge was definitely earmarked for a major run by the end of the year by this point as, rightly or wrongly, he was getting tremendous heat and Vince was going to capitalize on it. Kane, meanwhile, had vanquished his ex and her new beau but was also feuding with Gene Snitsky, not necessarily a main event-caliber opponent. If I'm not mistaken, he was also set to film See No Evil around this time so I'm not sure if this was done just as a send-off or if he'd hang around for awhile. Regardless, the right man won to end this storyline, but the wrong man won if you consider where Edge would be by the end of the year. (2/5)
In a rematch from WrestleMania XXI, Shawn Michaels takes on Kurt Angle in the next contest. That match ended with Michaels tapping out, so most fans expected this match to be all about Shawn "getting his win back." Some good back-and-forth early on before Angle targets Shawn's arm with a direct knee strike to the limb, forcing HBK to take a breather outside. Michaels comes back in and hits Angle with a series of chops, these two pros in no rush to get to the big spots and signature moves. Angle goes for the Ankle Lock early, but Shawn escapes both times - the first time with the help of the ropes and the second time with his speed and agility. Out to the floor they go where Michaels eats a German Suplex onto (but through) a table. With Angle now in the driver's seat, Michaels goes into selling mood, taking a beating as the crowd tries to rally around Shawn. Angle hits a Buckle Bomb that draws a huge reaction, a move that I'm not sure we'd seen many guys go for in the WWE up to this point, but only gets 2. Angle has been criticized for being a workrate machine, for working too fast, but his pacing here is spot on, the big spots broken up with headlocks and hope spots. The biggest flaw in this match might be that Angle doesn't stick to any of the body parts he is supposedly "targeting," going from the ankle to the neck to the back to the eye (where Michaels gets cut early) without any design. Michaels has so much goodwill with the audience that every one of his mini-comebacks gets a pop, but 2005 might be Shawn Michaels at his "most Shawn Michaels," his over-the-top facial expressions, his gunshot-like selling, his exaggerated kickouts at 2.99 and blatant attempts to "steal the show" rather than put on a realistic wrestling match sometimes hurting more than they help. If these sorts of performances hadn't become the blueprint for so many young wrestlers, they would be more endearing, but because this style became "the norm" (especially for smaller workers), there's credence to the idea of Michaels being the Godfather of the "Self-Conscious Epic." After a ref bump, Michaels takes a nasty spill onto the arena floor, his ankle looking to take the brunt of the damage. Angle applies the Ankle Lock back in the ring, but Shawn won't tap. Michaels tries every escape he can, but Angle will not let go. Again, the fact that Angle's most deadly move on an ankle that we are led to believe has been (at the least) sprained is not enough to make Shawn tap just goes a touch too far into fiction for me. When he finally breaks free of the hold, Michaels manages to knock Angle out with a devastating Sweet Chin Music, but can't make the cover, both guys nearly counted out. Angle, inexplicably, goes to the top rope and comes down only to eat another Sweet Chin Music. What was he even going for? This match started out strong, had a decent middle, but then veered a hard right into non-psychology and overbooking. (3/5)
After a backstage altercation between Batista and Triple H, Lillian Garcia comes to the ring and welcomes her guest and boyfriend Viscera into the ring (where a black leather couch is waiting for them). Lillian performs a song for Viscera and, though Garcia is a trained and accomplished singer, it just isn't good. Garcia then proposes to Viscera, but Big Daddy V doesn't give her a straight answer before The Godfather shows up (with a gaggle of "hoes" at his side). The Godfather asks Vis if he really wants to be a 1-woman man or if he'd rather take a ride on the "ho train." After examining all of Godfather's "goods," Viscera decides to jump aboard, leaving Lillian Garcia in tears. This is the kind of segment that you fast forward or turn off when somebody else walks into the room, the kind of segment that makes one embarrassed to be a wrestling fan.
The WWE Championship is on the line next contest - John Cena defending the gold against Chris Jericho and Christian in a Triple Threat match. The build-up for this match was quite interesting with Christian (and his "muscle" Tyson Tomko) getting a good bit of mic time and shining in the spotlight while Jericho, who had been a babyface/tweener around this time, turned heel by attacking John Cena after a tag match. Christian and Jericho team up to beat on Cena early, but its not long before they come to blows themselves, both men hungry for the WWE Championship. After Tomko gets involved in the opening minutes, Hebner ejects him from ringside (much to Christian's dismay). Cena attempts an FU early but Christian holds onto the ropes and gets heaved onto the floor instead in a big spot. Jericho comes off the top with a crossbody for 2 and follows it up with a suplex and a dropkick. Cena was not yet considered a great worker (in fact, a faint "Cena Sucks" chant can be heard at random times in this match) but he wasn't yet as divisive a figure as he would become over the next 4-5 months. He also wasn't all that green, holding his own perfectly well in this match. In hindsight, Christian, the guy the "IWC" wanted to see get the victory, wasn't peaking yet either even if it seemed like it at the time. At one point, the crowd seems distracted with something going on outside the ring, nearly spoiling one of the better sequences of the match between Captain Charisma and Y2J. There's a Tower of Doom spot that elicits a "Holy Shit" chant followed by some nasty clotheslines out of Cena and a double 5 Knuckle Shuffle. This is followed by a really nifty sequence of pin attempts, reversals, and clotheslines. Christian gets 2.9 off a reverse DDT and then distracts the ref long enough for Tomko to level Cena with a clothesline. It is still not enough for him to get the W, though, Cena able to kick out at 2.9 again. Cena delivers a fireman's carry to send Christian to the outside but walks into a Walls of Jericho immediately after. Christian tries to steal the victory by rolling up Jericho, but ultimately gets caught by Cena and brought back to the mat with the F-U to wrap this one up. This isn't an all-time classic, but its a very good match, well-paced, some clever sequences, and a solid finish. (4/5)
Main event time - Triple H vs. Batista in a Hell in a Cell for Batista's World Heavyweight Championship. Batista controls early, battering The Game with clotheslines, punches, and a sidewalk slam early on before sending him into the cage walls. Triple H reverses an irish whip and sends Batista into the steps and post. When Batista tries to climb back into the ring. Triple H sends him into the cage wall, The Animal taking a solid bump into the cage wall. Really, one has to give credit to Batista for the gusto he puts into every bump here - this is Batista going 100%, leaning into the ultra-violence, and delivering the nasty visuals that are needed to sell this type of match. When its time for Triple H to take a beating, he's equally invested and its not too long before he's busted open. There's some great moments throughout this match - Triple H hanging Batista with a steel chain, the use of a barbwire-wrapped steel chair, Batista using his power to drive Triple H into the post and then into the wall - these two reveling in the barbarism they get to showcase. Triple H attempts a Pedigree on the barbwire chair, but Batista counters it and ends up powerslamming The Game into it instead. When The Animal grabs the chain, Triple H catches him with a DDT and now its Batista to eats the wire (rolling out to the floor immediately after to blade himself). When's the last time a match had both guys get "color"? With Batista now dazed and bloody, Triple H grabs the sledgehammer, but before he can use it, Batista catches him with a boot to the midsection and the brawl continues. Triple H eventually catches him with a sledgehammer to the skull, but only gets 2 from it. Triple H teases using the sledgehammer the actual way it would be used, but Batista stops him with a low blow. Batista ends up with the hammer but when he goes to use it, Triple H clocks him with a big chain-wrapped right hand! Triple H makes the cover but only gets 2. That could've been the finish, but much like the crowd in Vegas that night, I'm glad it wasn't. Triple H tries to come down the top rope with another fist, but Batista catches him with the hammer right to the throat! That was a clever counter. Batista hits Triple H with another series of big right hands and then sends him into the corner (and out of the ring). Batista whips Triple H into the steps and this match, which seemed like it was entering its final stage, has shifted into even more brutality. Batista catches The Game with the steps and then slides them into the ring. With the steps upright in the corner, Batista bashes Triple H's face into it 3 times, getting a huge sound from it that elicits a big reaction from the crowd. Batista calls for the Batista Bomb but Triple H counters with a low blow. Triple H hits the pedigree but Batista kicks out at 2.5. The crowd starts a massive "Batista!" chant, but Triple H hushes it by grabbing the steel steps and seemingly setting it up to deliver a skull-crushing pedigree on. Batista counters it with a spinebuster on the steps, though. Batista gets to his feet first and finally hits the Batista Bomb for 3. This was as good a Hell in a Cell match as I can remember seeing and maybe a career performance out of both guys. (4.5/5)
Vengeance 2005 starts off in the average range, but heats up nicely as the show goes on, building up with better-and-better matches as it goes on. Benjamin/Carlito, Hemme/Victoria, and Edge/Kane are unremarkable (though I could see someone bumping Edge/Kane and even the opener up a half-point) and Michaels/Angle is not my cup of tea, but the main events are both the kind of matches one should probably go out of their way to see - especially if they're a fan of Cena, Christian, Batista, or The Game. With a Kwang Score of 2.92-out-of-5, Vengeance 2005 isn't a top-to-bottom masterpiece, but it never dips to unwatchable (save for the Viscera segment).
FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand
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