It’s that time of the year again when every title in WWE is up for grabs on the same night, with Randy Orton defending the WWE title against Triple H and John Cena in a triple threat match, and C.M. Punk defending the World title against Jeff Hardy at Night of Champions, shown live in the early hours of Monday morning here in Britain on Sky Box Office, with the usual suspects handling commentary duties.

The show begins with the Legacy team of Ted Dibiase and Cody Rhodes challenging Chris Jericho and his new partner for the Unified WWE Tag-Team Championship. Jericho’s choice - none other than the Big Show. An interesting heel versus heel match to begin the show with. The crowd were kind of quiet with this one to begin with, until they committed the cardinal sin of cheering for Jericho and Show. The action was okay, nothing spectacular, and ended when Jericho took Dibiase down with the Code Breaker, with Show finishing him off with the Colossal Clutch.

Next up, Christian challenging Tommy Dreamer for the ECW Championship. Now this was a lot better, a nice back and forth affair between two wrestlers well suited to each other. Unlike the heel versus heel match, this face versus face battle was a lot better received by the fans, and rightfully so. Sadly, Dreamer didn’t get the job done, as Christian countered Dreamer’s DDT attempt by taking him down with the Killswitch Engage, ending a good match. Although Christian is a worthy champion, I’m still a little saddened that the heart and soul of ECW lost.

Then it was on to the six pack challenge, with Jack Swagger, Carlito, The Miz, Primo & MVP challenging Kofi Kingston for the US Championship. It’s your usual multi-man madness here, with lots of fast paced action and high spots aplenty. Six good performances here, and it was nice to see that the Miz was able to show a lot more than he did against Cena. As for stand out performances, Primo and Kingston seemed to be the best ones here, with Kingston getting the pin after kicking Carlito in the back of the head. Good stuff here.

The first women’s match follows, with Melina challenging Michelle McCool for the Women’s title. I really enjoyed this match. Melina once again proved that she’s probably the best female wrestler in WWE right now, and McCool has improved a hell of a lot. It may not have been on a par with their counterparts in TNA, but it was still pretty good, and the way that McCool interrupted Melina’s trademark ring entrance was kind of cool (no pun intended). McCool retained the title, getting the roll-up after Melina had taken her down with what could be termed as a variation of the Lou Thesz press.

Main event time #1, with Triple H and John Cena challenging Randy Orton for the WWE title in a triple threat time. If you’ve been keeping tabs on my reviews this year, you’d know that I’ve found Triple H versus Orton extremely boring this year, so I wasn’t really holding out much hope for this match. Well, the action was okay, but as with the previous encounters, it wasn’t really that special, and the addition of Cena didn’t really add much to the equation. Once again it seemed overlong and just a bit dull, with the only interesting part being where Triple H and Cena used submission holds on Orton at the same time, with the referee confused when Orton tapped. The confusion stopped when Orton’s Legacy buddies ran in, able to do anything because disqualifications weren’t valid in this match. Orton soon got the pin, taking Cena down with the RKO just as he was about to take Cody Rhodes out with the Attitude Adjuster. I really hope we don’t see a re-match at Summerslam.

The second women’s match followed, with Mickie James challenging Maryse for the Divas Championship. Although this match contained the second best women’s wrestler in WWE in the form of Mickie James, it wasn’t as good as the Women’s Championship match. It was okay, but nothing special, and if anything it suffered from it’s place on the card, because the crowd were kind of dead after the WWE title match. James became only the second woman to have held both the Women’s and Divas titles when she pinned Maryse after taking her down with a DDT.

Then it was on to Dolph Ziggler, accompanied by Maria, challenging Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental Championship. While the action wasn’t as intense as Mysterio’s rivalry with Chris Jericho, it was still a pretty good match, with Ziggler showing a lot more talent than he was allowed to show in his previous pay-per-view outing against The Great Khali. Mysterio was, as always, great in this match, but then again Mysterio looks great in most of his matches. However, my one criticism about this match is that it was, like the WWE title match, a little too long. The masked one came out on top, retaining the title after taking Ziggler down with the 619/big splash combination.

Main event time #2, with Jeff Hardy challenging C.M. Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship. As the old saying goes, they saved the best for last with this one. Punk and Hardy are a perfect match for each other, both wrestling-wise and philosophy wise, Punk’s straight edge complimenting Hardy’s lifestyle choices perfectly. What we had here was a great continuation of their match a few weeks ago at The Bash, with Punk really beginning to excel in his new found heel status, reminding us just why he was so successful in Ring of Honor. This one had a great ending. Frustrated at his inability to put Hardy away, Punk grabbed his title belt and began to walk backstage, only to be stopped by the enigmatic one. Hardy quickly took Punk down with a Twist of Fate, finishing him off with a top rope swanton to win the World title. Very good match.

In conclusion - Night of Champions has it’s good and bad points. While some of the matches seemed a little boring, and some seemed just ordinary, there were some really good moments here. Melina/Michelle McCool really surprised me, while Punk/Hardy was definitely match of the night. But the creatives really need to look at the Raw main event picture, because Triple H/Orton, even with Cena mixed in, is really starting to grate. The initial out of the ring stuff was good, but inside the ring the action continues to be second rate, and is still lacking intensity. If they’re going to go with another battle between these two at Summerslam, then they’re going to have to do a whole lot better.

It used to be great, and it used to be American, but in an attempt to disassociate itself from all things WCW, World Wrestling Entertainment re-branded and presented The Bash, shown live here in Britain on Sky Sports in the early hours of the Sunday morning, with Jeff Hardy challenging C.M. Punk for the World title, and Triple H challenging Randy Orton in a Three Stages of Hell match for the WWE title.

The show began with the first title match of the evening, with Tommy Dreamer defending the ECW title against Christian, Jack Swagger, Finlay and Mark Henry. Swagger and Christian began this one, followed by Finlay, Dreamer and Henry. As an opener, it was okay, but I just couldn’t get into this one. Maybe that was the Mark Henry effect. Pins were earned by Swagger (twice), Finlay and Henry (unfortunately), before Dreamer earned the final pin on Christian with a roll up with sixty seconds to go. We then got a last minute of countless pin attempts from all five men, with Dreamer announced as champion after the match ended. Not bad I suppose, but nothing special.

More title action followed, with Rey Mysterio challenging Chris Jericho for the Intercontinental title in a mask v title match. This match had a lot to live up to, especially after their tremendous encounter at Extreme Rules a few weeks ago. It certainly delivered. These two have a great chemistry together, both in and out of the ring, and this helped them put together another tremendous, show stealing encounter, a back and forth fast paced affair that left this writer breathless at times, and rooting for the ultimate underdog. Jericho did manage to remove Mysterio’s mask, only to find a second one underneath. This totally threw Jericho off his game plan, and made him easy prey for Mysterio, falling to the 619/top rope splash combination, with Mysterio getting the title winning pin. Boy, was this good, and I really hope that they continue with this feud. These two just work so well together.

Then it was on to a guy I actually haven’t seen that much of, Dolph Ziggler, going up against The Great Khali in a no DQ match. I still can’t believe they’ve turned the big Indian fellow into a baby face. Anyway, back to the match. Well, Khali does seem to have improved since his days as world champion, and it is kind of difficult to give an opinion on Ziggler as a wrestler when he’s in there against someone as limited as Khali. I suppose he did okay against the big guy, but this match was more or less used as a platform for the return of Kane, as the Big Red Machine came down to the ring and clobbered him with a chair. With Khali down, Ziggler dived back into the ring and got the lucky pin. Not bad I suppose.

The third title match of the evening followed, with Carlito and Primo Colon defending the Unified Tag-Team titles against the Legacy team of Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase….or so they thought. Having ****ed about not having a match on the show, Edge was put into the match by Smackdown manager Teddy Long. Edge’s partner - Chris Jericho, who had also ****ed to Long after he lost to Rey Mysterio. So with the two Canadians now in the mix, the storyline for this one was simple. Legacy and the Colons spent most of the match against each other, making sure that Edge and Jericho stayed out of the match, and when they did manage to tag in, they were tagged out by one of the other teams almost immediately. The Colons and Legacy really impressed me with their exchanges, proving that there is some life in the WWE’s tag-team division. But in the end, the ultimate opportunist, Edge, tagged in a groggy Rhodes to get into the match. As Carlito took Rhodes own with the back cracker and went for the pin, the referee informed Carlito that Rhodes wasn’t the legal man. Seconds later an Edge took him down with the spear, getting the pin an winning the titles for his team. A good storyline, although I was a little disappointed that this wasn’t a normal tag match.

Yet more title action followed, with Melina defending the Women’s title against Michelle McCool, accompanied here by Alicia Fox. Divas matches on pay-per-view haven’t really impressed me as of late, but this one did. Melina once again showed why she is one of the best women’s wrestler on the circuit at the moment, and McCool really has come on leaps and bounds. These two put together a very good match, with McCool working over Melina’s left knee, which hampered here whenever she went on the offence. McCool got the win here, taking a leaf out of A.J. Styles’ book by taking Melina down with the faith breaker, or whatever the hell it’s called. Not bad.

Main event time #1, with Jeff Hardy challenging C.M. Punk for the World Heavyweight title. Punk’s slow burning heel turn continued with this solid encounter against the former champion. It may not have been overly spectacular, but it was great to watch, with both champion and challenger putting in a great effort, and Punk showing that his second reign as champion could be a whole lot better than his first, full of twists and turns. It looked like Hardy had won the title after taking Punk out with a swanton from the top rope, but the referee soon ruled out his own count, having spotted Punk’s foot under the bottom rope. So the match re-started, and as Punk went for the GTS, Hardy caught him with an elbow to the eye. As the referee tried to stop Hardy from attacking the injured champion, Punk kicked him in the back, earning himself an immediate disqualification, giving Hardy the win but not the title. Hardy’s rage then boiled over, as he dragged Punk back from the ramp and dealt out a beating, having to be restrained by several referees. A good match, and a nice way to keep the Punk heel turn on the slow burner.

Grudge match time, with The Miz taking on John Cena. After the weeks and weeks of build-up they’ve given this match, you have to wonder what the hell the creatives were thinking of when they put this match together. Aside for a couple of minutes of Miz offence, this was all Cena it what was basically a squash match. It’s was disappointing, considering how much Miz has improved over the past year or so. So in the end Cena won by taking the Miz down with the FU, or whatever the hell it’s called, finishing him off with the STF. Well, I suppose they have to keep Cena warm for his next run at the title.

Main event time #2, with Triple H challenging Randy Orton for the WWE title in a Three Stages of Hell match, first fall a normal match, second fall a falls count anywhere, third fall a stretcher match. While the first fall was fought at a somewhat slow pace, business picked up when Triple H clobbered Orton with a chair, earning himself an immediate disqualification and giving Orton the first fall. He continued the assault with the chair in the falls count anywhere segment, before taking Orton out with a Pedigree on the floor to equal the scores, bringing the stretcher match segment into play very early into the match. I soon began to think that I’d accidentally stumbled onto a TNA show as they began brawling through the crowd, and when they got back to the ringside area, it was again fought at a slow, leisurely pace, and the way that this thing was going, I began to wonder what happened to the storyline about these two hating each other, because this match was certainly lacking any form of intensity. In fact the intensity only went up a notch when Cody Rhodes ran onto the stage an stopped Triple H from pushing the stretcher over the finishing line. Then Ted Dibiase appeared, stopping Triple H for a second time, attacking the Game. But Triple H had conveniently hidden a sledgehammer under the stage, and was able to fight off his attackers, only for Orton to attack him, clobbering him with the hatch from the stage. He then put Triple H on the stretcher, and pushed it across the line, retaining the title, ending a match that just didn’t feel right.

In conclusion - I’ve definitely got mixed feelings about this show. While it had some great moments, most notably Mysterio v Jericho, Punk v Hardy and the exchanges between Legacy and the Colons, some things just didn’t seem right. Miz v Cena had been built up for months, but when it came down to it the big confrontation just seemed like a small, pay-off match. As for the main event, well, come on, these guys are meant to really hate each other, aren’t they? So where was the all-out, balls to the wall intensity that the Three Stages of Hell stipulation match demanded? It certainly wasn’t here, and if the rumours are true, it probably won’t be at their Hell in a Cell match either. Orton v Triple H has to be the most disappointing feud of the year so far. The build-up to it has been excellent, but the pay-per-view matches have been very, very disappointing, and those involved really need to take the intensity and aggression levels not up to 10, but up to 11.

It’s gimmick match overload time again, but this time it’s World Wrestling Entertainment’s turn, with both main titles up for grabs in what was One Night Stand but is now Extreme Rules, shown live here in Britain in the early hours of this past Monday morning on Sky Sports.

The show began with the first title match of the evening, with Kofi Kingston defending the US title against William Regal, MVP and Matt Hardy. Although this was hardly an extreme rules match, it was an entertaining way to open the show, even though there were a couple of dodgy moments. Once again Kingston impressed the hell out of this writer, and was definitely the MVP (pun intended) of this particular match. He was also a worthy winner, getting the pin after taking Regal out with an enziguri.

The title action continued with Chris Jericho challenging Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental title in a no holds barred match. Before the match even began Jericho cut a promo from the merchandise stand, boasting about how he was going to rip Mysterio’s mask off and expose him. To say that this was a tremendous match-up would not be an understatement. Once again Mysterio and Jericho put on a hell of an encounter with an excellent build-up and terrific storyline. In fact if I go on like this I’ll run out of ways of describing just how good this match was. Eventually Mysterio’s desire to protect his Lucha Libre heritage cost him. With Jericho draped on the middle rope, Mysterio went for the 619, but in the blink of an eye Jericho ripped the mask off, and as Mysterio covered his face to protect his identity, Jericho got the three count to win the Intercontinental title for a record ninth time. By the way, did I say how good this match was?

Then it was on to C.M. Punk, taking on Umaga in a Samoan strap match, otherwise known as a Texas bull rope match, or Russian chain match, or whatever else it’s been called over the past few decades. To win, a wrestler has to touch all four corners. Now I’m not usually a fan of these types of matches, but I have to admit that this one was quite good. Punk and Umaga, despite the differences in size, are great opponents for each other, putting on a great, hard hitting affair, with Punk getting the win after taking Umaga out with the GTS.

The third title match of the evening followed, with Christian defending the ECW title against Jack Swagger and Tommy Dreamer in a hardcore match. It was nice to see Dreamer back on pay-per-view, in what was being billed as his last chance. This was a fine match, with three great performances, and a perfect example of just what Tommy Dreamer is all about, and how it’s a shame we don’t get to see him on the major shows much. Good use of the toys throughout this match, with Dreamer taking Swagger out with the DDT to get the thoroughly deserved win. Could there really have been any other result though?

Then it was on to the hog pen match, with Vickie Guerrero defending her Miss Wrestlemania title against Santina Marella. This was extreme - extremely bad. Need I say any more?

Thankfully, normal service was resumed with Batista challenging Randy Orton for the WWE title in a steel cage match. Despite suffering from injury, Batista put in a hell of a performance here. It was a dominating performance from the Animal, with Orton more intent on mere survival than trying to pin his challenger. Indeed, the match began with Orton trying to climb over the top of the cage. But in the end Batista’s power game told, as he took Orton down with a Batista bomb to get the winning pin. But I’m left to wonder how long he’ll be champion given the nature of his injury.

Next up, John Cena taking on the Big Show in a submission match. Now this one would be interesting, considering that Cena just couldn’t get the STFU or whatever the hell it’s called now on the big man at the last encounter. Well, this certainly wasn’t the best match of the show, and at times it seemed to just plod along, but it was entertaining in it’s own way, and I really can’t fault the performances of those concerned. The ending, though, was quite inventive, as Cena tied the Big Show’s foot in the ropes (although the foot soon slipped out), using the pressure of the ropes so he could apply the face lock part of the STF to get the submission win. Could really have done with being just a bit shorter if you ask me.

Main event time, with Jeff Hardy challenging Edge for the World title in a ladder match. These two have a long history in ladder-type matches, so this one had a hell of a lot to live up to. No matter how many times I see these two in ladder matches against each other, I never get tired, and this was certainly a case in point. Great action throughout in this one, with both men using the ladder in some really inventive ways. Perhaps the highlight of the match came when both men were battling atop a big ass ladder stationed at ringside, before falling onto a second ladder that lay between the ring and the ringside barrier, almost snapping the ladder in half, with Hardy countering Edge’s spear off the ladder with a mid-air Twist of Fate coming a close second. The inventiveness continued with the finish, with Hardy pulling Edge down and trapping him in the rungs of the ladder so he could climb up and grab the title belt unopposed.

But the show didn’t end there. As Hardy celebrated in the ring, C.M. Punk came down to cash his Money in the Bank title shot. Punk connected with the GTS straight away, but Hardy kicked out of the ensuing pin, before going for a small package. Punk soon connected with a second GTS, and a three count later we had a second new World Champion in a matter of minutes, creating a great piece of unexpected drama.

In conclusion - although there were parts of this show that were frankly dire, and some moments that were either plodding or somewhat iffy, Extreme Rules turned out to be a good show. I would have labelled it as very good had it not been for the moments I’d just mentioned. For me the match of the night was the Jericho/Mysterio encounter, although the ladder match came a close second. But in all, a good show.

It’s that time of the month again where I break out the old tag line and the three World Wrestling Entertainment brands band together on pay-per-view with Judgment Day, headlined by Randy Orton defending the WWE title against Batista, and Edge defending the World title against Jeff Hardy.

The show kicks off with C.M. Punk taking on the monster that is Umaga. Needless to say that Punk gets a warm welcome from his hometown fans. It’s nice to see Umaga finally back in the big picture. So it’s the proverbial David v Goliath battle here, with the big Samoan taking Punk apart with his superior power, and the hometown hero countering with his stick and move tactics. For a while it looked like Punk would have to use the proverbial kitchen sink to take Umaga down. Sadly, that particular implement was nowhere to be seen, as Umaga finally took Punk down with the Samoan spike to end a quite physical and very entertaining opener.

A re-match from Backlash follows, with Jack Swagger attempting to regain the ECW title from Christian. These two had a pretty good match a few weeks ago, so this one had a bit to live up to. Swagger once again impressed this writer, and Christian, well, was Christian, one of the most solid workers currently on the roster. Once again Christian used one of Swagger’s tactics against him. Just moments after Swagger tried to get the pin with a handful of tights, the champion went one better than the challenger by getting the pin with a handful of tights. So after two good matches, I’m left to wonder how long this rivalry will continue.

Then came a mouth-watering encounter between Shelton Benjamin, accompanied by his erstwhile partner Charlie Haas, and John Morrison. This certainly proved to be a very good match, between two wrestlers (am I allowed to call them wrestlers now?) who were perfectly matched with each other. Morrison could very well be the next big thing, as could Benjamin, if he’s given a chance. Morrison got the win here with his star shift or whatever it’s called from the top rope. I wouldn’t mind seeing these two against each other again in the future.

After a rather pointless in-ring segment involving The Miz, Santino Marella and Chavo Guerrero, it’s on to the first title match of the evening, with Chris Jericho challenging Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental title. I seem to remember that these two had a pretty good match over the old WCW Cruiserweight title a good few years ago, so this was one match I was really looking forward to. Well, it certainly delivered. This was better than that match from a few years back. Jericho continues to prove what a great villain he is, while once again Mysterio played the role of the perennial underdog to perfection. It was action-packed and fast-paced throughout, the best match of the show so far, with Mysterio ending proceedings by taking Jericho out with the 619 at the umpteenth attempt, putting the icing on the cake with a splash from the top rope. Great stuff.

Main event time #1, with Batista challenging Randy Orton for the WWE title. It was the slow and methodical approach for the former Evolution running buddies here, with Batista’s power matched against Orton’s cunning. It was a technically sound battle, although at times it did seem a little stale, but maybe that’s because I haven’t really gotten into Orton’s current reign as champion yet. The best thing about this match was the way that Orton tried to worm his way out of the match, trying to get himself disqualified and counted out. Eventually, this ploy worked, with Orton slapping the referee, earning himself a disqualification. Orton’s Legacy lackeys Ted Dibiase and Cody Rhodes then came down to the ring to dish out some punishment, until none other than the Nature Boy himself, Ric Flair, came running down to the ring to give the assist. Like I said, technically sound with a good storyline, but I really hope that Flair doesn’t make a full-time comeback to the ring.

Grudge match time, with the Big Show facing John Cena. The slow, methodical approach continued with this rather intriguing contest. Although we’ve seen these two against each other on pay-per-view before, this match offered a slightly different slant on their on-off rivalry, with the Big Show’s using his punching power against Cena’s injured ribs. It was a dominating performance from the big man, with Cena giving us brief, flirting moments of offence, often going for the STF, but finding that the Big Show was just too big to apply the hold. Eventually, as the Big Show was about to go for his knockout punch, Cena countered with the FU, or whatever the hell it’s called these days. This was a good match, but I couldn’t help but feel that Cena winning with his big power move was the wrong way to go.

Main event time #2, with Jeff Hardy challenging Edge for the World title. As with the previous two matches, we’ve seen these two go at it countless times on pay-per-view. This one was certainly worth the price of admission. The two old foes put together a great match that was perfectly placed on the card, especially given the fact that the two previous matches were a lot slower paced. Perhaps the moment of the night came when Edge speared Hardy from the announce table as Hardy came running along the security barrier. We also got a surprise appearance from big brother Matt, although a cast shot couldn’t put Jeff away. So, as good as this match was, sadly, it had to come to an end, with the champion getting the pin with an edgeucution, or whatever the hell it’s called, from the top rope.

In conclusion - this was probably the most enjoyable wrestling pay-per-view I’ve seen in ages. There wasn’t one bad match here, and, frankly, there’s not much more I can say about that, except perhaps to buy the DVD whenever it’s released.

Just three weeks after Wrestlemania 25, World Wrestling Entertainment are back on pay-per-view with Backlash, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning here in Britain on Sky Sports, and headlined by Triple H, Batista and Shane McMahon facing The Legacy, and John Cena taking on Edge in a last man standing match. Michael Cole, Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler are on the microphone for this one.

The show begins with the first title match of the evening, as Christian challenges Jack Swagger for the ECW title. Something of a David against Goliath battle here, pitting Swagger’s power-based game against Christian’s cunning, and it made for a very good opener. Swagger continues to show a great deal of promise, even though it’s still pretty early in his WWE career, while Christian, well, is Christian, one of the best at what he does. The ending was quite novel. As Swagger tried to remove on of the corner pads, the referee admonished him. But while this was happening Christian was doing the same in the opposite corner. Swagger went to charge him, Christian ducked out of the way, and Captain Charisma took him down with the Unprettier to get the title winning pin. Match one, very good.

Then it’s on to the match I was really looking forward to - Chris Jericho versus Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat. Once again the Dragon turned back the years, showing he’s still got it by putting in another great performance against Jericho. A great back and forth encounter which saw Jericho up his game again against the crafty veteran. The majority of the current roster could learn a lot by watching Steamboat in action. Sadly, the great man couldn’t get the job done. After taking a ton of punishment, including a code breaker as he was coming down from the top rope, Jericho locked in the walls of Jericho to get the submission victory. A shame, as it would have been great to see Steamboat get that one last victory.

Next up, what could be a rather interesting match, pitting Kane against C.M. Punk. Now this was definitely a David v Goliath battle, and a very good one at that. Kane used his power advantage well, but Punk always fought back, focusing his attack on the monster’s right arm, his choke slam arm. It made for a great story. Eventually, despite Punk’s attack, Kane used both of his arms to take Punk down with a choke slam, bringing to an end a great little match.

Family feud time next, with Jeff and Matt Hardy going at it in an I Quit match. You don’t really need me to tell you the rules of this one. Now if you want to see a match with great intensity, then this is the match for you. Mixing some great mat wrestling with high flying moves and a few hardcore stylings, the Hardy siblings put on a match that was possibly even better than their Wrestlemania encounter, and it also produced one of the dramatic moments we’ve seen on a WWE pay-per-view this year. After Jeff bound Matt’s hands and feet with duct tape, and then tied him to a table, Jeff brought a ladder into the ring, and was about to come off the top when Matt began to plead with his younger brother, apologising for what he’d done and telling him that he loved him, before talking about their parents. Realising that Jeff wasn’t listening, Matt said the magic words, but that didn’t stop Jeff coming down off the ladder and putting his brother through the table, ending what could only be described as an awesome match.

Then came the Great Khali kiss-cam with Santina Marella. The less said about this the better.

Main event time #1, six man tag-team action, with WWE Champion Triple H, Batista and Shane McMahon facing The Legacy, Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase. The stipulations for this one were simple - if anyone on Triple H’s team lost, then Randy Orton gets the title. After Wrestlemania’s rather boring WWE title match, this just had to be better. This one took some time to get going - literally. The entrances themselves took nearly ten minutes! When it did eventually start, Triple H chased Orton backstage before the match even began, meaning that in the first few moments of the match Rhodes and Dibiase were in a two-on-three situation, and were getting hammered until Orton made his return, and the Legacy team finally managed to get some cohesion, and from there, the match got a whole lot better. The intensity was there from the beginning as Legacy triple-teamed Batista, and, after the Animal got the hot tag, McMahon, before Triple H finally got into the ring and cleaned house. The obligatory mass brawl followed, breaking off into three encounters, with Batista almost costing Triple H the match, with the champion stopping the Animal from clobbering Rhodes with a steel chair. Orton then connected with the RKO, but that wasn’t enough to get the pin. So Orton upped the stakes, and took Triple H down with the punt, getting the three count and winning the WWE title. After the match the Game was taken away on a stretcher. Well, this was certainly better than that Wrestlemania match, and then some.

Main event time #2, with Edge challenging World Champion John Cena in a Last Man Standing match. No need for me to explain the rules of this one. Once again this was another of those main event matches that had to improve on it’s Wrestlemania counterpart, which it certainly did. Although we’ve seen these two in action against each other countless times over the past few years, they still manage to put on great matches, giving us thing we’ve never seen from them before. They threw everything they had at each other, including a few choice weapons, and still couldn’t get the ten count. It was the same with their trademark moves, still no ten count. Even when Edge was thrown into the crowd from the announce table into the crowd with his attitude adjuster, it still didn’t get the ten count. It went on and on like this, until the Big Show appeared and choke slammed him into a spotlight by the stage. The referee had no choice but to count, and when Cena failed to rise after ten seconds, Edge was declared the new World Champion. Afterwards, like Triple H before him, Cena was taken away on a stretcher. An awesome finish to an awesome match.

In conclusion - this was a hell of a show, if you forget the Khali/Santina fiasco. From top to bottom, every match delivered, and then some, with the Edge/Cena showdown clearly the match of the night, and with the six-man WWE title match also delivering, these two more than made up for the disappointments of the Wrestlemania main events. Although I did find it somewhat strange that all three major singles titles changed hands on the same show. Not that I’m complaining, mind you, because this is one show that I’ll probably watch time and time again.