edge

Wrestling Recap: Money in the Bank Matches (Money in the Bank ’10)

Dr. K1 Comment

The Date: 18 June 2010
The Venue: Sprint Center; Kansas City, Missouri
The Commentary: Michael Cole, Jerry “The King” Lawler, and Matt Striker
The Referees: Mike Chioda, John Cone, et al
The Stakes: Two eight-man ladder matches for a chance to cash-in on a World Heavyweight Championship or a WWE Championship at any time within a year

The Build-Up:
Thanks to their uncontested dominance of the wrestling landscape, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has been at the forefront of creativity with their celebrated Superstars, pay-per-views, and memorable matches. Since 1993, Superstars could earn a first-class ticket to a World Championship match at WrestleMania by winning the annual thirty-man Royal Rumble match, and fans had been enamoured by ladder matches and their exciting variants, but it was long-time veteran “Y2J” Chris Jericho who conceived of combining these concepts with the “Money in the Bank” ladder match. Debuting at WrestleMania 21, this multi-man ladder match (which saw the winner retrieve a briefcase to cash in for a championship match anywhere, anytime) became an annual fixture of the Showcase of the Immortals until 2010, where it not only featured on the WrestleMania XXVI card but also got its own self-titled event. By this point, WWE had split their rosters into two brands and, rather than mix Raw and SmackDown! competitors together in a single eight-man Money in the Bank ladder match, each brand got their own match at this inaugural Money in the Bank pay-per-view. 2010 was quite the tumultuous year for the WWE: their ill-fated revival of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) gave way to the first questionable season of NXT, leading to the doomed Nexus stable, and the company was full of highs and lows as Superstars left, returned, and won and lost championships. Most of the drama heading into these matches was found on Raw; initially, R-Truth was supposed to take part in the Raw match but an attack from the Miz saw him unable to compete and replaced with Mark Henry. Over on SmackDown!, two matches were held to determine the final two men in the other match, with the “Chosen One” Drew McIntyre earning a spot by pinning fellow competitor (and reigning Intercontinental Champion) Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler (who was being given preferential treatment by SmackDown!’s General Manager, Vicki Guerrero) overcoming Montel Vontavious Portal/MVP and Chavo Guerrero in a triple threat match to get added to the match.

The Review:
I have to say that as exciting as the prospect of the Money in the Bank ladder match is, I’ve never been a fan of it having its own pay-per-view; I get why it does, since it’s basically akin to the Royal Rumble match, but it seems like overkill. But nothing’s more overkill than hosting two Money in the Bank ladder matches on the same event on the same night! To me, I think it would have made more sense and kept the match from growing stale to just have four to six men from each brand compete in one big, longer match for the briefcase, especially later down the line when the brand-specific rule for the Money in the Bank contract got waved. Still, it is what it is, and we can’t change it now and, at this first-ever Money in the Bank pay-per-view, the SmackDown! contest kicked things off. This match for a World Heavyweight Championship opportunity featured then-Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Christian (who Michael Cole pegged as his favourite due to his previous experiences with the match), “Dashing” Cody Rhodes, Matt Hardy (who Matt Striker called the “sentimental favourite”), Drew McIntyre, Kane (who’d been driven into a psychotic frenzy after his brother, the Undertaker, was taken out by an unknown attacker), and, incredibly, the Big Show! Although the competitors waited patiently until the bell rang to get into it, the six smaller men immediately targeted the two giants once the match got underway. The long-time rivals and former Tag Team Champions soon swatted away their attackers, though, and even worked together to slap down Cody when he tried to make a climb for the briefcase amidst the chaos, only to inevitably come to blows. After knocking Kane down with a big shoulder block and clearing the ring, the Big Show tried to climb the ladder only for the rungs to break under his weight! Exasperated, he fought off the other competitors and tossed the ladder right in Kane’s face before the others got on the same page long enough to gang up on him and temporarily take him out of the equation by running him into the ring steps.

While the Big Show struggled to utilise the regular ladders, the other competitors were free to go nuts!

It was Drew McIntyre who came out on top of the predictable melee that followed. He booted and smacked down each man with ease, catapulted Christian face-first into a ladder, but took so long setting the ladder up in the ring that Matt Hardy was able to bash him in the spine and gut with another ladder. Matt then made the first significant climb up the ladder, only to be intercepted by old rival Christian. Matt returned the favour soon after and the two ended up brawling out of the ring, leaving Cody and Kofi to fight over the ladder. After bashing Cody’s face off the ladder, Kofi tried to go for the briefcase, but Dolph Ziggler intercepted him, clambered to the top, and was just seconds away from unhooking the briefcase when Christian interrupted him. The two exchanged blows at the top of the ladder but it was Ziggler who took the big fall to the canvas. There was a bit of a botch afterwards as Matt toppled the ladder and it seemed like Christian was supposed to spill out of the ring and onto the Big Show, but the positioning was off so he simply dropped to the ring and a slugfest broke out between the two, Cody, and Kofi to try and cover for it. Matt and Christian then worked together to counter an attempted double Chokeslam from Kane into a double DDT and then crushed him between two ladders before getting back into it in an exchange that saw Christian counter Matt’s Twist of Fate into a flapjack onto a ladder and then being crushed underfoot. Christian’s next attempt to climb the ladder saw that planned spot finally come to fruition as Cody toppled the ladder and Christian went flying into the Big Show on the outside. Cody, Kofi, and Matt then worked together to subdue Kane with a finisher-fest before McIntyre reinserted himself into the match by pushing Matt and Cody off the ladder and ramming both (and Ziggler) shoulder-first into the ring post, but it was Kane’s timely intervention that kept him from climbing. A baseball slide into a ladder ended Kane’s brief rampage; Kofi then resumed his recent rivalry with McIntyre by laying him out over the announce table with a Trouble in Paradise and then crushing the Sinister Scotsman through the table with a Boom Drop off a ladder!

After some shenanigans with a giant ladder, Kane ended up the unlikely winner!

Just as Ziggler grabbed at the briefcase, the Big Show knocked him down, drilled him with a One-Handed Chokeslam, and then took Kane out with a ladder and his massive bulk. Enraged, the Big Show shrugged off every attempt to topple him, crushed Matt and Christian with a body splash to a ladder placed over both men, and then pulled a massive, reinforced, “350lbs” ladder out from under the ring! With a supreme effort, the Big Show hefted the gigantic apparatus into the ring, but Cody smashed a step ladder into the giant’s ankle to keep him from climbing. Although Ziggler intercepted Cody with an electric chair drop, the Big Show recovered but was too hobbled to make the climb and was planted with a ridiculously impressive jumping DDT from Kofi off the ladder! Cody’s beautiful Missile Dropkick knocked Kofi from the ladder and his shitty Cross Rhodes finisher smashed the Intercontinental Champion into a ladder before Ziggler bashed the back of Cody’s head off the big ladder with a Zig-Zag, by which point the Big Show was back up and dishing out headbutts. However, Kane returned and toppled the massive ladder, spilling the Big Show to the outside where he was buried under a pile of ladders! Kane then frantically fought off Christian, Matt, Cody, and Kofi as the four scrambled up the ladder, but Kane was almost too slow to intercept Cody’s grab for the briefcase. Ziggler suddenly returned to the ring, climbed over Kane, and even slapped on his Sleeper Hold before getting his head bounced off the ladder and awkwardly being choke-shoved off the ring apron to the pile of ladders below. Kane then Chokeslammed Kofi to this same pile, rammed Cody face-first into a truck by the entrance way, and then ate a slam off the ladder courtesy of Matt and Christian. The two battled for the briefcase and took nasty spills to the canvas for their troubles; finally recovered, McIntyre seemed poised to steal the victory, but Kane intercepted him, tossed him off the ladder, and unhooked the briefcase for the win to a massive ovation! I really enjoyed the story being told with the Big Show being too big, heavy, and strong for a normal ladder but he was a bit of a slug here. There was a lot of dead air where some of the guys just vanished and not enough of a desperate scramble to take out the two big men, but some impressive physicality from Kofi, the speed and explosive intensity of McIntyre, and Kane’s righteous victory helped to pull together into a decent opening contest.

As impressive as Bourne’s agility was, it was Mark Henry’s strength that stood out in the early going.

The Raw Money in the Bank ladder match was the penultimate match of the show. “The Viper” Randy Orton, The Miz (who was the reigning United States Champion, and Michael Cole’s “dark horse” pick), “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry, Ted DiBiase (who was the current Million Dollar Champion and came to the ring with Maryse, though neither really upped his charisma-less void), John Morrison, Chris Jericho (Lawler’s pick to win), Evan Bourne (fresh off that RKO), and the “Rated-R Superstar” Edge (Striker’s pick to win) were the competitors for this match and a chance at the WWE Championship. Edge immediately stirred the pot by sliding a ladder into the ring and then retreating to the outside to watch as the other guys fought over it. Mark Henry then asserted himself as the biggest, strongest guy in the ring but Bourne, far from intimidated, assaulted him in the corner and the fight spilled to the outside. Seizing his opportunity, Edge dashed inside and came within a hair of unhooking the briefcase before Orton intercepted him. Orton’s need to avenge himself against Edge saw him temporarily forget about the ladder to deliver more punishment on the outside, allowing DiBiase and Morrison to fight in the ring, but it was a cartwheel dropkick from Bourne that put a stop to Ted’s short-lived ladder-based offense. The Miz attacked Bourne from behind and tossed him from the ring before getting into a fist fight with Jericho, but Henry shut this down by blasting both guys with a ladder and damn-near breaking the Miz’s neck by crushing him between the ropes! Jericho made the big man pay with a ladder shot to the face before getting smashed into the same ladder after Bourne dodged his attack and kicked him in the back of the head. Although Bourne took Edge out with a headscissors off the ladder, this distraction allowed Orton to target the high-flier. The “Apex Predator” then planted Bourne with his Draping DDT through the ladder rungs before being smacked with a springboard kick from Morrison. After bashing his own head off a ladder, Morrison faced a double team assault from the Miz and DiBiase but recovered and caused both men to run face-first into a ladder set up in the far corner. Morrison then tried to make a climb using a ladder set just to the side of the briefcase; despite Striker’s best attempts to provide a reason behind this, it soon became clear that it was to set up a double ladder spot as Jericho climbed up a second ladder and he, Morrison, Edge, and Orton all exchanged blows and tried to grab the swinging briefcase. The payoff for this was Mark Henry standing between the ladders and toppling both over, spilling all four men out of the ring in one huge show of strength, before Bourne used another ladder to leverage a swinging springboard kick to take out Henry!

While every man scrambled to win with high-risk chances, the Miz ultimately stole the victory!

Maryse then distracted Morrison by trying to climb the ladder, which allowed DiBiase to almost grab the briefcase before being crushed chest-first against a ladder and smashed off the barricade courtesy of Morrison. As Cole cheered him on, the Miz gave Morrison a taste of his own medicine on the outside, but Morrison fought him off and intercepted Edge’s climb by riding a toppling ladder into the ring! Edge responded by wedging Morrison between the ladder rungs and working with the Miz to crush his ribs with another ladder. Edge’s next climb was interrupted by DiBiase, who fought off Jericho and Orton and set a couple of ladders up in a strange configuration before getting drilled to the mat by Mark Henry’s World’s Strongest Slam. As Henry started to climb, Bourne, Edge, and Orton swarmed him; Bourne ended up tossed into Henry’s arms and crushed to the floor outside by a World’s Strongest Slam. A finisher-fest to Henry took him out of the match and allowed the remaining men to scramble up the ladder; DiBiase created a ladder bridge, which he smashed Miz into before Orton and Edge sent him sliding out of the ring in a nasty-looking bump to the floor outside. An RKO outta nowhere downed Edge and Jericho ended up dangling from the ladder when he traded blows with Morrison; after another RKO to Morrison, Orton got crushed by Air Bourne but Jericho sent Bourne crashing to the canvas after bashing him with the briefcase. Jericho’s desperate attempt to grab the swinging briefcase was interrupted by Edge but it was an RKO that put an end to Jericho’s title aspirations. Orton then yanked Edge off the ladder and right into the ladders stacked up in the ring (which had to hurt!) and climbed the ladder unopposed to thunderous applause. However, right as he was unhooking the briefcase, the Miz came out of nowhere, toppled the ladder, and snatched the briefcase for himself to a sea of boos and the irritating adulation of Michael Cole. While I feel the structure of this match was paced a little better and geared more towards high spots, I feel it lacked a bit of star power. DiBiase was as forgettable as ever, I can never bring myself to care about Mark Henry, and as good as Evan Bourne was, he wasn’t quite on the same level as some of the other guys. The Miz winning was the right call as he was almost universally despised and none of the other guys really needed the win, though I do wish the WWE had done more with John Morrison as the guy screamed “superstar” but never really got a decent main event run in the company. Ultimately, both matches had positives and negatives that might’ve resulted in a higher rating if it had been one big chaotic match but it’s pretty neck and neck from where I’m sitting.

The Aftermath:
Kane didn’t waste any time cashing in his Money in the Bank contract; he suddenly burst back into the arena after Rey Mysterio successfully retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Jack Swagger. Already injured from a post-match attack, the luchador stood no chance and was summarily dethroned in less than a minute. Kane would then go on to accuse Mysterio of attacking the Undertaker and the two faced off for the belt at SummerSlam, which revealed that it was actually Kane who had attacked his brother, reigniting their feud and resulting in a series of wins for Kane over the Deadman. The Miz held on to his Money in the Bank contract until November, when he successfully cashed in on Randy Orton (who had become the WWE Champion at Night of Champions). This, of course, led to an unlikely championship run for the Miz and an even more unlikely WrestleMania main event, where he infamously got seriously concussed, played second fiddle to the Rock, and defeated John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania XVII! Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston went on the feud over the Intercontinental Championship, the Big Show got into it with CM Punk’s Straight Edge Society, Chris Jericho stayed in the WWE Championship mix until taking a brief hiatus from wrestling, and Matt Hardy was also gone a few months later after the WWE’s European tour. John Morrison notoriously ended up teaming up with Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Trish Status against Dolph Ziggler, Layla, and Michelle McCool at WrestleMania XVII, Mark Henry and Evan Bourne formed a brief tag team, Ted DiBiase tried and failed to win the United States Championship, and Christian would be in Edge’s corner at WrestleMania XXVII for his successful World Heavyweight Championship defence. After this, Edge was forced to retire for a spell and Christian realised his own short-lived championship ambitions, and the Money in the Bank pay-per-views continued to be an annual occurrence following this inaugural event.

SmackDown! Money in the Bank Match Rating:

Raw Money in the Bank Match Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Pretty Good

What did you think to the inaugural Money in the Bank pay-per-view? Which of the Money in the Bank ladder matches was your favourite? Do you agree that it dilutes the concept to have two or more of the matches on the same show? Were you happy that Kane and the Miz won or would you have liked to see someone else grab the briefcases? What did you think to the Big Show’s massive ladder and Evan Bourne’s athleticism? Which of the competitors was your favourite? Were there any competitors you would’ve liked to see included in these matches? What’s your favourite Money in the Bank match? Whatever your thoughts on the Money in the Bank match, share them below or leave a comment on my social media and be sure to check out my other wrestling reviews!

Wrestling Recap: Elimination Chamber Match (New Year’s Revolution ’06)

Dr. K1 Comment

The Date: 8 January 2006
The Venue: Pepsi Arena; Albany, New York
The Commentary: Joey Styles, Jerry “The King” Lawler, and Jonathan “The Coach” Coachman
The Referee: Mike Chioda
The Stakes: Six-man Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship

The Build-Up:
In 2006, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) was the undisputed titan of the sports entertainment industry. After buying their competition, the company split their expansive roster into two brands; Raw and SmackDown! each had exclusive wrestlers, belts, creative teams, and even pay-per-view events. While this gave a platform for the fabled “SmackDown! Six” and frustrated audiences with Triple H’s “Reign of Terror”, it inevitably led to an expensive prospect for wrestling fans and an overall sense of brand dilution. Dubbed the “Ruthless Aggression” era, this period saw the rise of up-and-coming stars like John Cena and Batista, the in-ring return of the “Heart Break Kid” Shawn Michaels, the ascension of long-time tag team performer Edge to the main event, and the debut of some ground-breaking match concepts such as the Money in the Bank ladder match and the six-man Elimination Chamber match. Long before he became one of their most divisive figures, John Cena captured his first WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21 and was immediately drafted to the Raw brand to capitalise on his popularity, where he clashed with Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff. Although he triumphed over Bischoff’s hand-picked opponents throughout the year, many of his rivals came back with a vengeance after winning qualifying matches to earn a spot in this Elimination Chamber match, which was the fourth time the company had produced this stipulation. However, waiting in the wings was Edge, who had captured the first ever Money in the Bank briefcase, which allowed him the opportunity to cash-in the contract within for a championship match anytime, anywhere, meaning that the deck was constantly stacked against the streetwise champion.

The Match:
As ever, the first five minutes or so prior to the start of the match was dedicated to selling the brutality of the structure and the rules of the Elimination Chamber before the competitors came to the ring. First up was Kane, right in the middle of his psychotic unmasked gimmick and a World Tag Team Championship run alongside the Big Show, closely followed by one of two rising stars who really didn’t fit in this match, “The Masterpiece” Chris Masters, a ‘roided up freak whose only selling point was his physique and his lame-ass Full Nelson submission that, somehow, managed to get over. The second unlikely star in this match was Carlito, who had history with Cena from their feuds over the United States Championship but was another guy I just found to be bland no matter how many apples he spat in people’s faces. Thankfully, the star power returned to the match when Kurt Angle came to the ring, accompanied by chants of “You suck!” and his unnecessary manager at the time, Daivari, meaning it would be the champion, John Cena, going the distance and starting off against Shawn Michaels. Thanks to finally having a Sky subscription around this time, I was very much invested in the Blue Brand and remember John Cena’s inauspicious debut against Kurt Angle and his evolution from a white-meat rookie into an annoying, self-entitled rapper. However, I never really had strong feelings for or against Cena and it wouldn’t be until the WWE kept going back to Cena as champion again and again at the expense of new stars that I tired of his shtick, but he definitely got his fair share of boos here as the crowd had already started to turn against him.

Although Angle came in all intense, a single superkick was enough to eliminate him in quick fashion…

Thanks to the will of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels and John Cena got the match started (to chants of “Cena sucks!” that the commentary team unsuccessfully tried to explain away) with a bit of chain wrestling that quickly turned into a slap-and-slug-fest and the two trying to ram each other into the heavy chains that made up the cage walls. Back in the ring, HBK won the favour of the crowd with some stiff chops and a dominating performance, scoring the first near fall of the match, though it wasn’t long before Cena turned the tide and HBK was flailing like a fish on the top rope. After HBK took a clothesline over the ropes, Carlito joined the match and immediately attacked Cena, hitting a dropkick and crushing HBK with an impressive somersault senton over the ropes and to the steel floor on the outside! The crowd continued to boo everything Cena did and cheer even Carlito when he planted Cena with a modified flapjack, though Carlito made things worse for himself by targeting both the champion and Shawn Michaels, leading to the two working together to shut him down with a double flapjack for a two count. This two on one situation evened out when Kurt Angle joined the fray and started planting everyone with German Suplexes over and over in an explosion of intensity. Angle specifically targeted Cena and Michaels, two men he’d been feuding with throughout 2005, splitting HBK’s forehead open on the chains, ramming him into a plexiglass pod, and mercilessly beating Cena down in the corner. With his rivals down, Angle tried to score the first elimination when he caught Carlito in his patented Ankle Lock, but Carlito’s ally, Chris Masters, rushed the ring and floored everyone with stiff lariats and power moves. However, when he tried to put the Master Lock on Angle, the Olympic Gold Medallist slipped out and put him in the Ankle Lock, before immediately switching to slapping the hold on Cena after slipping out of the FU, but Angle’s time in the match was suddenly ended when HBK hit the Sweet Chin Music out of nowhere for a three count!

Sadly, the star power was removed from the match, leaving Cena with Masters and Carlito.

Carlito and Chris Masters then isolated Cena and HBK, wearing them down with sluggish, uninspired offense and repeated tosses into the steel mesh of the cage. Any attempt by Cena to fight back was instantly shut down by the double team attack, leaving the two rivals beaten on the mat when Kane finally entered the match. Kane went right for the two men standing, planting Carlito and Masters with a big boot and a sidewalk slam before planting both Shawn Michaels and John Cena with Chokeslams. Chris Masters saved Carlito from the same fate, receiving a sock to the jaw for his troubles, but this bought Carlito enough time to briefly down Kane with the Backstabber. When Kane continued to sit up and fight back, the two took him down again and then anticlimactically scored the second elimination of the match after Master press-slammed Carlito onto the Big Red Monster and the two piled on top of him to pin him down. Consequently, the match returned to the previous formula of Carlito and Masters squaring off against Cena and HBK, with Carlito punishing Shawn on the outside and Masters manhandling Cena in the ring before they isolated HBK. Shawn Michaels made a sudden comeback, however, taking both men down and even delivered his patented diving elbow drop to Cena. Though he was too exhausted to go for a pin, Shawn tuned up the band in the corner and damn-near took Cena’s head off with the Sweet Chin Music but Carlito and Masters made the bizarre decision to rush him before he could eliminate the champion from the match and Carlito even pinned Shawn after hitting one of the lamest and piss-poor finishers I know, the damn Cross Rhodes!

Although Cena survived the Elimination Chamber, Edge cashed in to steal his first WWE Championship!

So, rather than have this lacklustre match at least end with John Cena versus Shawn Michaels, the final stretch was a protracted two on one situation pitting the champion against Carlito and Chris Masters, two young prospects, yes, but guys simply lacking the charisma to get the crowd as invested as an HBK/Cena clash. The crowd, already against Cena, instantly saw this as an attempt to paint the champion as an underdog so the jeers filled the arena as Cena overpowered his two assailants with his “Five Moves of Doom”. Masters saved Carlito from the FU and delivered a brutal DDT to the steel floor, busting him open and leaving him helpless to save himself from being rammed into the steel or being bludgeoned by a beatdown. After planting Cena with a double back body drop from the top rope, Masters tied him up in the Master Lock but was unexpectedly betrayed when Carlito hit a low blow and rolled him up to take him out of the match. Unfortunately Carlito couldn’t capitalise as Cena immediately rolled him up to retain the WWE Championship. Bloody and battered, Cena celebrated to a mixture of cheers and boos, but his night took a turn for the worst when Vince McMahon appeared and announced that Edge was cashing in his Money in the bank contract! Accompanied by Lita, Edge rushed the ring and attacked Cena, frantically trying to pin him quickly and stomping away at the battered champion. Fatigued and caught off-guard, Cena was easy prey for a Spear, but shockingly got his shoulder up off the pin attempt! Stunned, Edge charged ahead with a second Spear and finally put Cena down for the three count to win his first-ever WWE Championship for a much-celebrated feel-good moment for the dastardly heel that almost made this bore of a match worth sitting through.

The Aftermath:
Edge’s win set the standard for future Money in the Bank cash-ins; rarely would a briefcase holder name a time and place for their championship opportunity as it was much easier to cash-in on a beaten and tired champion and the briefcase was generally used as a tool to spotlight an up-and-coming future champion. For Edge, it was his ticket to the main event scene and he began a short feud with John Cena over the WWE Championship. Sadly, Cena would regain the belt from Edge at the Royal Rumble but it wouldn’t be the last time Edge won a World Heavyweight Championship and he was compensated with a star-making performance against Mick Foley at WrestleMania 22. At that same event, Cena defended the belt against Triple H and Shawn Michaels’ issues with Mr. McMahon came to a head in a bloody and brutal no holds barred match between the two. As for Kurt Angle, he jumped back to SmackDown! and captured the World Heavyweight Championship, which he then lost at WrestleMania 22 to Rey Mysterio in a triple threat match, thereby setting Rey on a course for his first emotional, if poorly booked, main event run. Finally, Carlito and Chris Masters would tangle with Kane once more when they challenged the Big Red Monster and the Big Show for the World Tag Team Championships in a losing effort at WrestleMania 22; they would then split up and face off in a short feud that ultimately led to Carlito coming out on top. Of course, this wouldn’t be the last Elimination Chamber match; the infamous “Extreme” Elimination Chamber was held in December 2006 and audiences were guaranteed to see at least one a year when it graduated to a self-titled pay-per-view in 2010, however the following year’s New Year’s Revolution event would be the last carrying that brand name.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to the fourth Elimination Chamber match? Do you enjoy the match concept? Were you a fan of John Cena or were you already sick of his schtick at this point? What did you think to the competitors in this match? Were you shocked to see Edge steal the victory at the end? What’s your favourite Elimination Chamber match and Money in the Bank cash-in? Did you enjoy the New Year’s Revolution event and would you like to see it revived? Whatever your thoughts on the 2006 Elimination Chamber and its participants, share them below or leave a comment on my social media.

Wrestling Recap: Edge & Christian vs. Dudleyz vs. Hardyz (SummerSlam ’00)

Dr. K3 Comments

The Date: 27 August 2000
The Venue: Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena; Raleigh, North Carolina
The Commentary: Jim “J.R.” Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler
The Referee: Jim Korderas and Tim White
The Stakes: Triple threat Tables, Ladders, and Chairs (TLC) match for the WWF Tag Team Championships

The Build-Up:
For many, myself included, the year 2000 was a peak time in wrestling, particularly in the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Coming out of a widely criticised WrestleMania, the company really hit its stride after riding the surge of popularity following the engaging rivalry between WWF chairman Vince McMahon and the renegade “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. With Austin out with a serious neck injury, the WWF strapped the proverbial rocket to the Rock, who reigned as a super-popular fan favourite champion in the main event, but their undercard wasn’t exactly slouching, either. The tag team division, already full of some colourful characters, hit a new pinnacle with the many contests between Matt and Jeff, the Hardy Boyz, and Edge and Christian that stretched back to each teams’ time in the Brood stable. By this point, the two had already engaged in death-defying ladder matches but their rivalry reached new heights when Bubba Ray and D-Von, the Dudley Boyz, brought their own brand of hardcore action to their matches, specifically in the form of tables. The three teams had already clashed at WrestleMania earlier that year in a triangle ladder match that saw Edge & Christian utilise their trademark chairs (with the two being known for a double chair shot to the head known as the “Con-Chair-To”) and the Dudleyz had made a name for themselves by driving WWF Superstars, particularly women, through tables, much to the delight of the crowd. With the rivalry between the three only intensifying, WWF commissioner Mick Foley ordered Edge & Christian to defend their WWF Tag Team Championships against both teams in this, the first-ever TLC match, in which the competitors must scale a ladder to claim the belts like in a traditional ladder match but could also utilise steel chairs and tables for additional carnage.

The Match:
Edge and Christian hit the ring first and then wisely bailed as their opponents followed; the Hardyz were so desperate to throw hands with the Dudleyz that they rushed to the ring before Howard Finkel could finish his introductions. Edge and Christian tried to take advantage by attacking them with all with steel chairs, but the Hardyz intercepted them, relieving them of their chairs so they could use them against Bubba, D-Von, and Christian. However, while Bubba took a chair right to the face courtesy of Matt, he immediately got a measure of payback by knocking Jeff out of the air with a chair shot as he went for the Hardyz’ patented Poetry in Motion. Edge then caused Matt to take a powder following a clothesline and he and Christian worked over D-Von, with Christian using a steel chair to hit a big crossbody in the corner and then sending D-Von face-first into it with a drop toehold. The guys paired off and stomped at each other for a bit to buy Edge the time he needed to slip outside and bring the first ladder of the match into play; he slammed Bubba into it, but the damn Dudley easily sidestepped a running charge and sent the ladder back into Edge’s face using the ring ropes. Bubba then planted Christian with a DDT and, as the crowd chanted “We want tables!” over and over, climbed up the ladder to make a try for the belts. The Hardyz intercepted him, however, and planted him with a powerbomb-like slam off the ladder; while Matt beat down Christian, Jeff started a climb of his own only to face opposition as D-Von set up his own ladder right next to the first one. Both men were so distracted fending the other off and climbing for the belts that they were easily caught from behind with Edge, who took them both down with a double Russian leg sweep of sorts.

The action and the stunts built beautifully in the early going as the teams utilised their signature weapons.

Christian then tried to take advantage, climbing both ladders at once, but Bubba shut him down with authority by landing a big-time Bubba Bomb off the top rungs of the ladder! Jeff then took a hellacious bump when he tried climbing a third ladder only to be toppled off by Edge onto the other two ladders, which were stacked up on the mat, the impact of which also smashed the ladder into Matt and Bubba’s faces, as well. Edge and Christian went for the Con-Chair-To on Jeff, but he managed to drop to the mat at the last second; Bubba then went nuts with a ladder, running it right into the champions and using it to smash a steel chair back into Jeff’s face. To the absolute delight of the crowd, Bubba and D-Von hit their Wassup! headbutt to Edge’s groin and Bubba demanded that D-Von “Get the tables!!” Unsatisfied with the selection under the ring and suspiciously avoiding the tables already set up at ringside, D-Von retrieved a table from the entrance ramp and set it up in the ring as Bubba beat on Matt, Jeff, and Christian before the two successfully drove Christian through the wood with their Dudley Death Drop (3D) finish to a crescendo of applause. The Dudleyz then went outside and created a four-table stack right next to the ring but, before they could do anything with this structure, Edge attacked with a steel chair, cracking both right over the head (!) before Matt planted him with the Twist of Fate. The Hardyz then added to the assault by hitting stereo leg drops to a prone Edge from a nearby ladder set up in the ring corner. Matt then awkwardly sandwiched Edge between a ladder before launching Christian off the top rope and onto it, which had to absolutely suck for his ribs. Meanwhile, on the outside, Jeff laid Bubba over a table and went for a Swanton Bomb off a massive ladder only to crash and burn when Bubba rolled off the table at the last minute!

After putting their opponents down with some big spots, the champions retained their titles.

Matt brought the twenty-foot ladder into the ring and (eventually) made a climb for the belts. However, after Edge, Christian, and D-Von intercepted him, and all four men went crashing to the mat after Christian planted Matt with a reverse DDT and Edge and D-Von fell to the top rope. Shaking off the effects of a brutal chair shot to the head, Bubba stumbled into the ring and started climbing, only for Edge and Christian to tip the ladder over and send him crashing through the four-table stack on the outside! With the field clear of their opposition, Edge and Christian went for the belts only for Lita to interrupt their climb by dumping them crotch-first onto the top rope! Encouraged by Lita, Matt desperately set up the ladder and briefly brushed the tips of his fingers against the belts before D-Von went him careening through two tables stacked up outside the other side of the ring! Edge then Speared Lita on the outside, nearly cracking her head open on the edge of a ladder in the process as Jeff and D-Von competed to grab the championship belts. Both men grabbed onto them as Edge pushed the ladder out from under them and frantically kicked at each other while dangling high above the ring. D-Von was sent crashing to the mat, but Jeff refused to let go. Edge and Christian solved this problem by swatting Jeff out of the air with a ladder and, with all their opponents unconscious or incapacitated from their falls, the champions successfully climbed the twenty-foot ladder and retrieved their belts. This was, in a word, carnage; but controlled carnage. So much could’ve easily gone wrong, but it came together really well, even with a couple of awkward moments here and there as the guys prepared tables and ladders for later spots. There wasn’t much chair action here but, in a match involving ladders and tables, it makes sense to focus on these aspects and the crowd was super into all the big spots and, though livid that Edge and Christian walked away with the belts once more, clearly appreciated all of the death-defying action crammed into these twenty minutes.

The Aftermath:
Of course, this wouldn’t be the last time these three teams fought. They brawled the very next night on Raw is War and the Hardyz defeated the Dudleyz to become the number one contenders soon after. While the Dudleyz were side-tracked with teams like the Acolytes Protection Agency (APA) and the Right to Censor, the Hardyz beat Edge & Christian for the belts at Unforgiven, only for the wily Canadians to briefly outsmart the brothers by assuming the guises of masked lucha libres. The storylines then converged at the 2000 Survivor Series, where the Hardyz and the Dudleyz joined forces against the Right to Censor and Edge & Christian in a winning effort. Though Edge & Christian were able to regain the belts by winning a Fatal 4-Way match at Armageddon, the Dudleyz then defeated the Canadian duo (despite nursing storyline concussions) at the Royal Rumble event and successfully defended them against not just Edge & Christian but always the Undertaker and Kane at No Way Out at the start of 2001. The stage was thus set for another TLC match at WrestleMania X-Seven, this one even more chaotic than the last and featuring run-ins from not only Lita, but Rhyno and Spike Dudley as well, though Edge & Christian again came out on top as the champions by the end.

The TLC match became a staple of WWE programming over the years.

Over the next few years, the paths of these six men would regularly cross; even when pursuing singles glory, the three teams would butt heads in the ring, clashing or competing in eight subsequent TLC matches over the next ten years or otherwise utilising tables, ladders, and chairs as they fought for pride, vengeance, or championship gold. The TLC match evolved slightly as time went on, with the match occasionally allowing pin fall victories and shifting away from tag team action to primarily be used in singles matches for the various World Heavyweight Championships. The match even got its own annual pay-per-view slot, featured little persons competing in a “WeeLC” match, was used to unify the World Heavyweight and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Championships, and Kane once even captured the World Tag Team Championships all by himself on the first-ever Raw broadcast of the stipulation. The WWE’s first-ever women’s TLC match took place at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in 2018; this was a triple threat match for the SmackDown! Women’s Championship but, at the following year’s event, the first-ever women’s tag team TLC match took place.

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fantastic

What did you think to the first-ever TLC match? Were you into the rivalry between these three teams? Which team did you want to see win and were you annoyed that Edge & Christian escaped with the belts? Were you impressed by the death-defying action in the match? Which TLC match is your favourite? Which of the matches featuring Edge & Christian, the Hardy Boyz, and the Dudley Boyz is your favourite? What are some of your favourite SummerSlam matches and moments? Whatever you think about these teams, the TLC stipulation, and SummerSlam, be sure to share them below or comment on my social media.

Wrestling Recap: Money in the Bank Match (WrestleMania 21)

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The Date: 3 April 2005
The Venue: Staples Center; Los Angeles, California
The Commentary: Jim “J.R.” Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler
The Referee: Earl Hebner
The Stakes: Six man ladder match for a chance to cash-in on a World Heavyweight Championship at any time within a year

The Build-Up:
Since World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has largely dominated the wrestling landscape, it’s no surprise that the WWE has been at the forefront of creativity, whether with their celebrated Superstars, their impact on pay-per-view entertainment, or the creation of memorable matches. Since 1993, Superstars were given a first-class ticket to a World Championship match at WrestleMania by winning the annual thirty-man Royal Rumble match, and the company had been awing fans with their ladder matches since 1992, with their Tables, Ladders, and Chairs (TLC) matches being some of their most hotly-contested spectacles. It was long-time veteran “Y2J” Chris Jericho who first came up with the idea of combining these concepts in the “Money in the Bank” ladder match, originally pitched as a means to get more names onto the WrestleMania 21 card, which, in its original inception, saw six men vying for the chance to grab a briefcase that would be their ticket to a championship match. At the time, the WWE was in the midst of their first brand split and only competitors from the Raw brand were involved in the match but, in time, the number and variety of the competitors would increase. There were a number of moving parts involved heading into the match: all of the competitors had crossed paths both in the past and recently, with Jericho and Christian having been at odds with each other since WrestleMania XX, Christian was finally finding his feet as an amoral, egotistical singles star alongside his muscle, Tyson Tomko, and his storyline brother, Edge (who was originally reluctant to be in the match), was just starting to explore his own path as a reprehensible bad guy. Also involved were Chris Benoit (a dependable hand who had spent most of the year in the main event scene as the World Heavyweight Champion), Kane (still in the midst of a run as an unmasked psychopath), and rising star Shelton Benjamin, who was not only the Intercontinental Champion at the time but who had also made an impression by besting Triple H in what should have been star-making performances Raw.

The Match:
I’ve always enjoyed ladder matches; they can be extremely gruelling and impressive bouts, especially the tag team and TLC contests that the WWE perfected between 1999 and 2002. The idea of putting some of the best and most physically impressive up-and-comers in a ladder match alongside some reliable hands with a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship on the line was already a great prospect, but the very idea of a Superstar being able to cash-in that briefcase anytime, anywhere really added some much-needed spice into the main event scene. However, I have to say that I think I preferred it when the Money in the Bank ladder match didn’t have it’s own pay-per-view event; it makes sense, of course, since the King of the Ring, Survivor Series, and Royal Rumble matches all got their own events but I think it very quickly diminished the spectacle of the match and the entire concept since you suddenly had annual Money in the Bank pay-per-views running with at least two of the matches on the card, which I do think is a bit of overkill. These matches could easily be spaced out over the year, taking place on WrestleMania or SummerSlam or even special editions of Raw or SmackDown! since it’s a great way to get some names on a card and under the spotlight without draining the crowd with multiple matches in one night. Following the entrances (which included a fantastic visual of the ladders around the entrance ramp bursting into flames when Kane came out), Jericho, Benoit, Christian, and Shelton put aside their differences to intercept Kane on the aisleway in a blatant attempt to target the biggest man in the match, only to be summarily manhandled by the Big Red Machine.

Chaos ensued in the early going, with the ladders and the agile Shelton stealing the show!

This pack mentality continued at ringside as Benoit and Shelton worked together to take Kane out with a double suplex, while Jericho caused a ladder to smack Christian right in the face in the ring before getting into it with Shelton. The youngster ended up eating the canvas off a facebuster and then Jericho successfully fended off Benoit and Edge with a dropkick to the ring apron before he, Christian, and Shelton took it in turns to dive onto the two, though of the three it was Shelton who impressed the most with his running senton splash from the ring to the competitors outside. Not to be outdone, Kane then took all of them out with a diving clothesline of his own before heading into the ring and swatting Edge and Christian with a ladder. Jericho ended this assault with a Missile Dropkick off the top rope and then used the same ladder to brutalise Shelton and Edge before he (and the ladder) got planted with a German Suplex by Benoit! Benoit retrieved the ladder and managed to counter Kane’s Chokeslam into a Crippler Crossface; however, he took a ladder shot right to the face from the Big Red Machine when he had the same hold locked in on Edge and ended up having his left arm pulverised by the ladder courtesy of Kane. Edge put a stop to the assault with a Spear and then rekindled his old partnership with Christian to crush Kane between two ladders before both men were downed by a springboard clothesline from the agile Shelton Benjamin. Although Shelton was able to hit a spin kick on the ladder to take Christian out of the equation, he got hurled into another ladder by Edge but immediately got a little payback by countering Edge’s Spear into a flapjack into the same ladder! Shelton followed this up by crushing Edge against the ladder with a huge Stinger Splash, clearing the ring and allowing him to make a climb for the briefcase; unfortunately, Jericho intercepted him from the other side of the ladder and the two got into a slugfest. Christian, Benoit, and Edge then joined the party, scaling ladders of their own to duke it out up high, each one making a desperate reach for the briefcase, until Christian sacrificed his spot to drive Benoit’s arm into the canvas, Jericho plummeted from his ladder, and Edge was sent crashing off the top courtesy of Shelton’s signature T-Bone Suplex Slam!

The opportunistic Edge bypassed the athleticism of his foes to steal the briefcase for himself!

Chris Jericho recovered first but Christian intercepted him before he could climb, earning him a good old boot to the back of his head for his troubles. This led to the undeniable highlight of the match as Shelton ran up an angled ladder and clotheslined Jericho from the top of another ladder as he was reaching for the briefcase! Absolutely unreal stuff from Shelton here; it boggles my mind that he didn’t get more of a push towards the main event, or a World Championship run! Unfortunately, Christian was on hand to bash Shelton off the ladder with one of his own; Kane then booted the ladder in Christian’s face and tried to murder Shelton by Chokeslamming him out to ringside, but the youngster’s boot got tied up in the ropes and Christian’s “Problem Solver”, Tyson Tomko, took Kane out with a boot before he could do any more damage. Tomko then set up a ladder and gave Christian a boost towards the briefcase, but Kane simply shoved the ladder over and sent Christian spilling onto his bodyguard on the outside! Kane then made a play for the briefcase but he and Jericho ended up toppling to the top rope during their struggle; Benoit then returned to the ring and, despite his bad arm, was able to set up a ladder, scale it, and drop head-first onto Kane’s prone body with his trademark Diving Headbutt that busted open the stitches above the Rabid Wolverine’s eye! Benoit then hauled himself up another ladder and frantically fought off Kane’s attempt at a Chokeslam with repeated headbutts. Although this worked, Edge came out of nowhere with a sickening chair shot to Benoit’s injured arm! Benoit tumbled from the ladder and, with the field clear, Edge was able to scale it, unhook the briefcase, and steal the victory for himself to a chorus of boos! Man, I have to say, this was a hell of fun match; I think the only things that let it down were the short length (though this did add to the entertaining chaos) and the fact that Edge and Benoit kinda disappeared for a bit in the middle there. As weird as it always is seeing Kane in this kind of match, he really held his own; I think a bit more could’ve been done with the other guys ganging up on him, but he definitely made an impression with his power game. The star of the show was, of course, Shelton Benjamin; his agility and innovative offense was absolutely riveting at the time, and it really is a shame he didn’t get a proper run at the top. Everyone else was, of course, brilliant and played their parts well; the match even benefitted from the ladders actually behaving and this really set a high standard for other Money in the Bank ladder matches to follow.

The Aftermath:
Most of these guys would continue to mix it up in matches together over the following weeks and months; Chris Jericho unsuccessfully challenged Shelton Benjamin for the Intercontinental Championship at Backlash the following month and Edge scored a big victory at that same event by blasting Chris Benoit with a brick to win their Last Man Standing match. A few months down the line, at Vengeance, Chris Jericho and Christian were challenging for John Cena’s WWE Championship and Kane was embroiled in a feud with Edge that had somehow resulted in the Big Red Machine becoming the heroic avenger after he was betrayed by Lita, a woman he had blackmailed into a relationship and all-but-raped! This of course leads me to the man who benefitted the most from this match; Edge’s victory saw him become an unhinged, despicable character on Raw, one who stole Lita away from Kane and delighted in flaunting their highly sexual relationship on a weekly basis. He even made a chump out of former friend Matt Hardy, who made a dramatic return to the company to get into it with Edge despite the real-life animosity between them as Lita had been sleeping with Edge behind Matt’s back! Edge cemented himself as a top heel on Raw but held onto the Money in the Bank briefcase for about eight months; although he could’ve cashed in his contract at any time, he wisely chose to do so at the conclusion of the 2006 New Year’s Revolution pay-per-view, which saw him blast WWE Champion John Cena with two consecutive Spears to capture his first World Championship. Unfortunately, Edge wouldn’t get to defend the belt at WrestleMania 22 as he lost the title to Cena via submission only one month later; instead, Edge went on to have a brutal hardcore match against Mick Foley that further established him as a top star. Of course, this wasn’t the last Money in the Bank ladder match; the first interpromotional version was held at WrestleMania 22, it was upgraded to an annual pay-per-view event in 2010, and the first-ever women’s Money in the Bank match took place in 2017.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

What did you think to the inaugural Money in the Bank match? Did you like that Edge won the match or would you have liked to see someone else take the win? Were you impressed by Shelton Benjamin’s physicality and would you have liked to see him get a World Championship run? Which of the competitors was your favourite? Were there any competitors you would’ve liked to see included in this first match? What’s your favourite Money in the Bank match? Whatever your thoughts on the Money in the Bank match, share them below or leave a comment on my social media and be sure to check out my other wrestling reviews!

Wrestling Recap: Elimination Chamber Match (New Year’s Revolution ’05)

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The Date: 9 January 2005
The Venue: Coliseo de Puerto Rico; San Juan, Puerto Rico
The Commentary: Jim “J.R.” Ross, Jerry “The King” Lawler, and Jonathan “The Coach” Coachman
The Referee: “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels (guest)
The Stakes: Six-man Elimination Chamber match for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship

The Build-Up:
By 2005, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) was the undisputed top dog in the sports entertainment industry; having bought their competition and become an indomitable multimedia juggernaut, the company decided to split their now bloated roster into two distinct brands, with both Raw and SmackDown! receiving their own exclusive wrestlers, belts, and creative teams. Under Paul Heyman, SmackDown! became known as the “wrestling show” and delivered quality matches and storylines thanks to the efforts of the fabled “SmackDown! Six”, rising stars like John Cena, and the brand-exclusive Cruiserweight division. In contrast, Eric Bischoff’s Raw was more about over-the-top storylines and was largely dominated by Triple H’s “Reign of Terror” that saw him maintain a stranglehold on the World Heavyweight Championship, backed up by his Evolution allies (“The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, Randy Orton, and Batista). Though this led to a fondly remembered feud against Triple H’s former D-Generation X running buddy Shawn Michaels and saw Chris Benoit finally capture the big one on the grandest stage of them all, it also included controversial storylines involving Kane and a disastrous main event run for Randy Orton that would lead to him adopting a “Legend Killer” gimmick but also saw his big WrestleMania coronation being usurped by Evolution’s enforcer, Batista, who gained unanimous fan support around this time. After a championship match between Triple H. Chris Benoit, and Edge ended in a double pin, the World Heavyweight Championship was declared vacant and Bischoff had the six top challengers vie for a place in an Elimination Chamber match to battle for the belt. This was only the third Elimination Chamber match so the concept was relatively new in the WWE; it debuted at the 2002 Survivor Series and forced four men to waiting in “bulletproof pods” as two others fought in the ring, with each participant joining the match at random at regular intervals, with wrestlers being eliminated by pin fall or submission until only one is left standing. The two main storylines heading into the match revolved around Triple H; Batista was showing signs of independence and had earned himself the final spot in the match, which angered The Game as he’d already been slighted by Orton and was concerned about Batista’s loyalties. Shawn Michaels being named the special guest referee also threw Triple H of as he wasn’t expected to be impartial given his bloody history with The Game. Chris Benoit’s presence was another thorn in Triple H’s side since The Game had suffered numerous losses to him and Triple H’s years of domination and oppression meant he had few allies heading into this bout.

The Match:
I remember this period of wrestling; I gather many look back on Triple H’s time with the belt more fondly now and it’s true that he eventually made some of the WWE’s biggest stars, but at the time it was absolutely frustrating to watch. What made it worse was that Chris Benoit had already knocked him off the perch (well, technically HBK and Goldberg had also beaten him for the belt but that’s neither here nor there…) and it seemed we were due some fresh faces in the Raw main event scene, but Triple H kept getting involved, basically meaning that the story leading up to WrestleMania 21 was basically the same as the previous year’s WrestleMania XX, only this time it would be the up-and-coming Batista rather than the veteran Benoit finally getting his due. The Elimination Chamber concept also hadn’t been run into the ground; the massive, dangerous steel structure had a real ominous feel to it at this point and the match is still perhaps the most inventive and interesting of the modern era despite becoming an annual event, often without any real storyline justification for it. Edge was the first man to enter a ring pod; this was the start of Edge’s push towards the top of the card and I was all for it. He had proved himself in tag team matches and runs with the Intercontinental Championship and was a much-needed fresh face in the main event scene, but he was edging into tweener territory here due to his problems with HBK. Triple H was out next and was practically livid at having to be locked into a pod by one of his worst enemies and then got into a slanging match with his former protégé, Randy Orton, when he came to the ring looking to regain the championship, though it was pretty clear that he’d lost a lot of the bite and appeal he’d had before turning against Evolution. In comparison, the crowd was much hotter for Batista, who had not only won the right to be the last man to exit his pod but had also vowed not to let the championship slip through his fingers if push came to shove. With the four sealed in their pods, it was up to Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit to kick the match off; these two were no strangers to each other by any means and could always be relied on to put on a clinic. I’ll give this to the creative team, they certainly had a lot of bad blood and crossover going on in this match; everyone had issues with each other and a reason to fight beyond just wanting to be the champion, which made for quite the powder keg as the match got underway.

What started as a wrestling clinic soon broke down into a brutal brawl using the steel trappings of the chamber.

Benoit and Jericho locked up with a series of takedowns, reverses, and tentative holds; Jericho’s attempts to take control were emphatically shut down by Benoit’s patented knife-edge chops and, when Y2J returned the favour, Benoit responded by tripping him into a Sharpshooter attempt. After fighting off the Walls of Jericho, Benoit landed a massive German Suplex, but Jericho managed to slip out of a Crippler Crossface attempt and score a couple of near falls. Benoit cut Jericho off when he went to the top rope and brought the first-ever Undisputed Champion crashing to the mat with a Superplex that saw both men struggling to recover as Triple H entered the match. Triple H went right after Benoit, beating and stomping on him in the corner and wiping out with a couple of hard whips into the corners for a two count while also taking out Jericho with his signature jumping knee strike. Jericho soon laid in the chops to The Game, though, before being taken down by a clothesline; Triple H brutally tossed Benoit out onto the steel platform surrounding the ring and ran him face-first into the thick steel chains that made up the chamber’s walls, busting him open and creating a gaping target for Hunter’s assault. Regardless, Benoit was still able to kick out at two so Triple H went for the Pedigree but, oddly, Jericho interrupted the move rather than potentially remove an obstacle from the match and then reversed another Pedigree into a back body drop that sent Triple H to the steel on the outside. Another slam continued to work over Triple H’s back and a suplex brought him back into the ring for a near fall before Edge joined the party. Edge wasted no time in taking advantage of his wounded opponents, hitting Spear-like moves on Jericho and Triple H before planting The Game with the Edgecution for a close two count and even planting Benoit with an uncharacteristic belly-to-belly suplex! Jericho tried to steal a pin, but Triple H kicked out, then Edge took a tumble to the outside courtesy of a Jericho dropkick but Y2J’s momentum was summarily cut off when Edge raked his eyes and launched him into the chain wall with a catapult and then did the same to Triple H after The Game tried to hit him with a Pedigree out on the steel!

As the match escalated, even HBK fell victim to the competitors and unlikely alliances emerged…

A diving clothesline to Benoit scored Edge a two count, then he feverishly fought out of a Crippler Crossface attempt before being knocked down by an enziguri from Jericho that was also only a two count. The bloodied Jericho and Triple H then went at it, with The Game landing his patented spinebuster for a near fall and Benoit getting the same result with a lovely Northern Lights Suplex to Edge. Triple H finally nailed the Pedigree on Jericho but was too out of it to capitalise; Orton then entered the match like a house on fire, smacking Edge’s head off the chain and leaped at Triple H with a crossbody off the top rope. Orton continued to beat Triple H down to a fair amount of applause (though they mainly chanted for his finisher…), tossing him to the outside and running him into the chain wall, slamming him with his beautiful snap powerslam, and even planting Jericho with an RKO out of nowhere! However, when he tried that shit on Benoit, he got tied up in a version of the Crippler Crossface; Triple H taunted Orton as he struggled in the hold, so Benoit hit ‘Select’ to change targets and locked a Sharpshooter on The Game, only to be hit by an RKO! Edge then tried to take Orton out with a Spear but the future Legend Killer dodged out of the way and caused HBK to take the attack instead! Consequently, there was no referee to count the pin when Edge did hit the Spear on Orton; incensed, Edge manhandled HBK and slapped him, which earned him a dose of Sweet Chin Music and left him wide open for a Lionsault from Jericho and a subsequent elimination. Benoit then saved Jericho from another Pedigree by blasting Triple H with three German Suplexes in a row; Benoit then clambered on top of a chamber pod to land a humongous diving headbutt to Triple H! He and Jericho then called back to their days as a tag team by locking in both the Walls of Jericho and the Crippler Crossface on The Game but, luckily for him, the timer ran down and Batista finally emerged from his pod after an awkward delay that I can only assume was unintentional.

Batista’s path of destruction was cut off by Orton but he was still instrumental in Triple H winning the match.

Batista’s first act was to save his mentor; he fought off Jericho and Benoit with ease, launching them out of the ring and drilling Orton with a spinebuster. He then went face-to-face with Triple H in a tense showdown that had the crowd absolutely begging for them to go at it but the two were jumped by their opponents before they could come to blows. Batista took out a camera man by Military Pressing Jericho into the poor bastard then hoisted Orton up in a wonky looking chokehold before Benoit attacked his knee and brought him to the mat. Orton and Benoit then temporarily joined forces to put the pressure on Batista before Triple H got back into the thick of it by picking each man off; he launched Orton into the chain but then got slammed into the platform by a facebuster courtesy of Jericho that properly got the blood gushing. After a bit of brawling, Benoit was emphatically shut down with a spinebuster from Batista, who then hit a spinebuster on Jericho onto Benoit that allowed him to eliminate the Rabid Wolverine. Jericho was next to go after being decimated by the Batista Bomb, meaning the match came down to a contest between Evolution! Orton struck first, tossing Triple H to the steel platform and smashing Batista off the steel before being launched into the chains from a Triple H catapult that busted him open. Triple H and Batista worked over the bleeding, helpless Orton relentlessly; despite the merciless beating, Orton continued to kick out of their pin attempts, frustrating both men. Although a lengthy onslaught clearly designed to pain Orton as a resilient underdog, this actually worked for the crowd, who were fully behind Orton as he mounted a comeback with some strikes and, indeed, when he hit a low blow and a huge RKO to eliminate Batista, the crowd came unglued! Triple H and Orton then fought on the outside, where Orton repeatedly threw him into the chain wall before hitting another massive RKO. Unfortunately, HBK was busy trying to get Batista and Ric Flair out of the ring so there was no pin fall. In the chaos, Batista blasted Orton with a clothesline; this was enough to leave Orton prone for a Pedigree that awarded Triple H yet another championship victory.

The Aftermath:
J.R said that Batista “dominated” the match but that wasn’t quite true, though it should have been; since the match went so long without any eliminations, I would’ve had Batista be the one to eliminate everyone before being upset by Orton to better paint him as this unstoppable force. Although Evolution celebrated the win, with Batista hoisting Triple H onto his shoulders, it was clear from the footage that The Game could’ve prevented Batista’s elimination and chose not to, a wrinkle that only added fuel to their issues going forward. Orton would win the right to challenge Triple H at the Royal Rumble but, where he came up short, Batista (eventually) emerged as the winner of the Royal Rumble itself. Although Triple H and Ric Flair tried to convince him to challenge JBL, Batista dramatically revealed that he’d had enough of being Hunter’s lackey and their manipulation; Batista went on to capture his first World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 21 and begin his own ascension to mainstream success that remained intrinsically linked to his former mentor. Despite the good reactions he got here, Orton’s time as a fan favourite was largely a dud; to get himself back on track, he decided to challenge the Undertaker at WrestleMania 21. Although unsuccessful and injured in the bout, he did score victories over the Deadman thanks to help from his father, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, during the feud, which took up most of his 2005. Blaming HBK for his loss, Edge got into a short feud with Shawn Michaels that was over with by WrestleMania 21; there, HBK battled Kurt Angle in a dream match and Edge won the first-ever Money in the Bank ladder match, which also included Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit; Edge cashed in the briefcase at the following year’s New Year’s Revolution to win his first World Heavyweight Championship. Although the WWE would continue to produce Elimination Chamber matches, there would only be two more New Year’s Revolution events; the pay-per-view was cancelled in 2007, though the branding was briefly revived for a series of house shows in 2020.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

What did you think to the third-ever Elimination Chamber match? What did you think to the match concept? Were you a fan of Randy Orton’s face turn and would you have liked to see him win it? Did you like the narrative surrounding Batista and were you excited to see him break out on his own? What did you think to Triple H’s reign with the World Heavyweight Championship What’s your favourite Elimination Chamber match? Were you a fan of the New Year’s Revolution event and would you like to see it revived? Whatever your thoughts on the 2005 Elimination Chamber and its participants, share them below or leave a comment on my social media.