wrestling / Video Reviews
Random Network Reviews: One Night Stand 2008
Loading...One Night Stand 2008
June 1st, 2008 – San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California – Attendance: 9,961
I’ve recently reviewed the 2007 edition of One Night Stand and it was lackluster so hopefully the 2008 version is better. This would be the final One Night Stand Pay-Per-View after they continued to use the name following the ECW specials. The next year, this event would be replaced by Extreme Rules, which is basically the sub title for this year’s version.
The opening video package focuses on the four big matches tonight. We’ll have TLC, First Blood, Last Man Standing and Stretcher matches as part of our quadruple main event of sorts. Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler are doing commentary for the Raw side.
Falls Count Anywhere
Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga
Jeff Hardy had his “No More Words” theme, which became one of my all-time favorites. Also, Umaga was the man and is severely underrated. Hardy rushes at Umaga, which proves to be a mistake as he gets taken out. He quickly hits Whisper in the Wind for two and the crowd pops for that. His next dive attempt results in him being caught and thrown like a rag doll for two. The big spots keep coming as Hardy hits a cross body outside for the first outside near fall. I used to dislike Jeff Hardy until around Royal Rumble 2008. From then until he left the WWE in the summer of 2009, I became a huge fan. Just wanted to throw that in. The fight has gone up to the entrance set up where Jeff throws a traffic cone at Umaga. He is unfazed and kicks Hardy in the face for two. He nearly kills Jeff by trying the Ass Smash into a crate but misses, allowing Jeff to spray him with a fire extinguisher. They go backstage, which is brilliant since Jeff can use his environment in creative fashion. He does so by sliding down the rail of some steps and splashing Umaga for two. He may have hurt himself though as he’s down when they fight through the mezzanine area. Umaga throws him around as things go outside. I love when they take a Falls Count Anywhere match to a ton of places. Jeff gets tosses into a production truck, which reminds me of the WWF No Mercy video game. Jeff ends up climbing the truck, because he’s insane, and Umaga gives chase. Jeff kicks him down and he lands off camera. Jeff reaches the top and hits the Swanton Bomb off of it! I disliked how this was done off camera but when the camera finds them, Jeff is on top and gets the pin.
Winner: Jeff Hardy in 9:05
This brought back fond memories of the Hardcore Title days. This was different as they didn’t do outdoor fights much around this time. It was creative and fun, while Jeff looked resilient and Umaga looked like a monster. ***½
We go to a recap of Mick Foley explaining the rules of a Stretcher Match from earlier tonight. Foley and Michael Cole are running the Smackdown side of things on commentary, while the INCOMPORABLE Mike Adamle and Tazz handle ECW.
Number One Contender Singapore Cane Match
Big Show vs. Chavo Guerrero w/ Bam Neely vs. CM Punk vs. WWE Tag Team Champion John Morrison vs. Tommy Dreamer
The winner of this bout earns an ECW Title shot at Night of Champions the following month. CM Punk is Mr. Money in the Bank and there are four Singapore canes hanging on four poles on each turnbuckle. All four guys go after Big Show at the bell, but it doesn’t matter as he just beats them all up. They finally gain some traction by working together and hitting some finishers on him before all four get canes. They each take turns leveling Show with them until Dreamer and Punk use them to clothesline him over and out. Chavo and Punk fight by the announce table and Chavo hits a fan when Punk ducks. The fan turns out to be Shawn Merriman, who would get signed by the WWE six or so years later. Merriman gets up and wants the cane, which he gets and uses to level Chavo. Cool interaction there. Miz runs in to help Morrison but Show takes him out. We get the same steel stair spot I saw from Big Show at Cyber Sunday two years earlier when he is tripped and lands face first on it. Inside, Dreamer hits Morrison with a pump handle suplex using the cane. Dreamer and Punk go through a series of reversals, involving the GTS that Dreamer wins with a cloverleaf. Show is bleeding over his eye although it’s not the side of his face that hit the steps. Tower of doom combo in the corner where Morrison powerbombs Punk who suplexes Chavo and they all land on Dreamer. Big Show is up and angry as he just breaks a Singapore cane over Miz. There’s a garbage can filled with canes at ringside, rendering the poles useless. He brings them inside and just wails on everyone. Every shot sounds vicious. Dreamer is left with him and he eats a Chokeslam. Show clobbers him with a LOUD shot to the head and uses his foot to pin him for the finish.
Winner: Big Show in 8:35
You know what? That was a lot more fun than I expected. The canes were used to great effect, people got to shine and it was brutal at times. Big Show looked like an absolute monster and even the Shawn Merriman part was cool. ***
Future ESPN anchor Todd Grisham interviews Mr. McMahon about the Million Dollar giveaway that was coming up. He says it’s not a stunt and that it will happen. Looking back, it probably shouldn’t have.
First Blood Match
John “Bradshaw” Layfield vs. John Cena
These two had a great I Quit match back in 2005, I hope this can match that. JBL wearing black tape on his fists is a nice touch. Continuing the trend of nice touches, JBL immediately removes the turnbuckle pad. Cena does it as well and a slugfest follows. They do a weird sequence where Cena gets tossed outside by JBL, who was on the mat. They continues to slug it out in the aisle for a while. JBL goes to use a chair but Cena manages to avoid it for the most part, only to be hit with a microphone. He continues to strike him with it inside, until Cena ducks and connects with the “five moves of doom.” I don’t consider that a bad thing, it’s just easier than typing each move involved. Cena tries an FU, which Jerry Lawler questions in this match type, but JBL blocks it. He goes to the steel steps, which allegedly weigh 275lbs. In another creative and nice touch, JBL rips off the top of the padded guardrail and drives Cena into it. Cena blocks an attempted DDT on the steel steps. JBL gets his face driven into the steps and he smartly covers his face, but there’s no blood. The exposed buckle comes into play as JBL blocks a chair shot and sends Cena into it. Clothesline from Hell is ducked and Cena hits a facebuster onto the steel chair. Again, JBL is doing the small things to help this as he desperately tries to hide his face. He unveils a chain and hits Cena in the stomach. He goes for a big swing, but Cena ducks and connects with the FU. A big boot sends Cena into the ropes and he gets tied up like Andre the Giant. Things take a turn for the S&M fans as JBL busts out a bull whip. Instead of using it, he does an action movie villain mistake by taunting him, which allows Cena to hit a low blow and magically break free. Cena applies an STFU with the chain wrapped around his throat, causing blood to pour out of JBL’s mouth.
Winner: John Cena in 14:30
Nothing special here but JBL made this better than it would have been. Doing the little things that I pointed out throughout added to this and I give props for the creative finish. **½
Batista is shown mentally preparing for the Stretcher Match when Randy Orton enters. He wishes him luck and says that they had good times as Evolution and if they end up being drafted to the same show, they should get the band back together. Batista walks off as he wants no part.
I Quit Match
Beth Phoenix vs. Melina
This is the first ever Divas I Quit match and it was given to two talented women. One of Melina’s paparazzi falls over. Beth backs Melina to the ropes, so Melina pushes her and applies a guillotine choke! Surprising quick submission. Beth breaks free and hits two back breakers, with the second one being held for a submission. Flat butt Melina breaks free and drives Beth face first into the mat. Indian Deathlock is applied, which stunned me but made sense as Jim Ross informs me that Melina used it to beat Jillian on Raw recently. Beth is a MONSTER who powers her way towards the ropes and falls outside with Melina. Beth attempts to pull Melina hard to the mat from the top, but it comes off odd. Beth uses the overhead back breaker submission that she did to Melina and Mickie James on the previous PPV, but Melina doesn’t quit. Melina rallies and uses Beth’s leverage to send her face first into the second turnbuckle before sending her shoulder into the post. Melina goes right to work on the arm for a bit, including a single arm DDT and ARMBAR! As Beth nears the ropes, Melina changes it to a Cross Armbreaker. That’s damn good stuff. Beth continues to be a BEAST who powers out and powerbombs Melina to break it. With Melina down, Beth picks her up in an odd way and slams her face first. She then pulls her back by her arms but Melina won’t quit, so she pulls her back by her face and nearly snaps Melina in half. Melina has nothing left to do but submit.
Winner: Beth Phoenix in 9:14
Well goddamn. A Divas match that was given nearly ten minutes and involved psychology. This is what women’s wrestling could be if given the chance. The finish was again creative and that seems to be the theme of the show. ***¼
John Cena is getting medical attention backstage when Mickie James comes up to him. They flirt until Mike Adamle comes out of the bathroom apparently. He makes awkward small talk before leaving. I don’t know why this was here.
Stretcher Match
Batista vs. Shawn Michaels
Can I just start by discussing how great the angle for this was? Shawn Michaels retires Ric Flair, which angers Ric’s friend Batista. Batista loses to Michaels because he feigned an injury. Chris Jericho was the referee and was offended that his old hero would do that, leading to their epic rivalry. But anyway, back to the match at hand. Shawn attacks at the bell but fails as Batista knocks him over and out. Batista takes off the padding on the stretcher and uses it as a weapon, dropping Shawn on it chest first. Michaels, out of desperation whips Batista into the steel steps before driving the stretcher into his face. Creativity comes into play again with these spots. He tries to end it but Batista gets off and tries a Batista Bomb outside. Shawn wriggles free into a guillotine choke of sorts. Batista seems to fall out, so Shawn pushes him up the aisle. Batista wakes up and survives. They go inside and Batista turns him inside out with a vicious clothesline. Batista is very aggressive with his offense, leading Shawn to use his own momentum to send him into the post. Forearm, nip up and elbow from Shawn, but his back is still feeling the effects of Batista’s offense. Sweet Chin Music is stopped dead in its tracks by a clothesline. He goes for a Batista Bomb to the outside, but Shawn slips free and hits Sweet Chin Music, knocking Batista onto the stretcher! Batista gets up so Shawn tries to drive it into him, but Batista see saws it into his face. Shawn crawls inside only to get speared. The Animal is fired up! Batista Bomb finally hits but when he goes to wheel Shawn out, Chris Jericho shows up to cheer for his hero. Look at that! Building one feud while another is still going. Jericho is escorted to the back as Shawn crawls back inside. He is selling like a champ as he struggles to pull himself up and goes for Sweet Chin Music, but barely grazes Batista’s chest and falls. Batista picks him up, telling him “I DON’T love you and I’m NOT sorry” before hitting a second, more violent, Batista Bomb. That is enough to wheel Shawn out, but Jericho is back and basically blocking the finish line. Batista gets pissed, so he brings the steel steps over and delivers a spinebuster onto them. He finally, mercifully wheels him pas the finish line.
Winner: Batista in 17:01
I loved the psychology here. Batista promised to hurt Shawn Michaels for feigning the injury last month and he did just that. The two Batista Bombs and spinebuster were sick against someone with a bad back and the callback to the heartfelt WrestleMania 24 moment was fantastic. ****
WWE Championship Last Man Standing Match
Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton
Randy Orton chose this stipulation for his rematch clause because it is the match type that he originally won the title from Triple H in. Makes sense. I remember hearing that Randy Orton injured his shoulder or collarbone or something and it might have happened instantly as he’s tossed outside and goes right to holding it. HHH sends him into the steel steps and works him over inside for a bit. Orton finally gets in something as he nails a dropkick. HHH quickly gets back on the offensive and they move to the announce table. Pedigree is nearly reversed into the RKO but Orton is shoved off. He then nails HHH with his signature DDT from the announce table. The count reaches about seven, so Orton fires away on him. He takes it back to the 1990’s with a spot that I miss by removing the padded mat outside. That doesn’t come into play yet as the RKO he tries is blocked. When they go inside, Orton hits Hunter with steel steps and then chokes him with an electrical cord. Maybe I was wrong about the injury as Orton looks fine now. OH THIS HAS TO BE IT! He tries an RKO as HHH gets up, but when he’s pushed off, he goes over the top rope and crashes outside. Yup, Orton mouths “I think I broke my collarbone.” That looked brutal. Triple H goes for the sledgehammer and hits Orton with it, resulting in the ten count.
Winner and Still WWE Champion: Triple H in 13:15
That was an abrupt finish and it was clear that this needed to be wrapped quicker than it was supposed to due to Randy’s injury. I believe he was out for nearly the rest of the year. The match itself was solid, but too short to really gain any drama or traction. **½
Randy Orton is shown getting assisted out of the arena and you can visibly see that his collarbone is just destroyed. The slow motion replay does no favors.
World Heavyweight Championship TLC Match
Edge vs. The Undertaker
The World Heavyweight Title was vacant at this point and if Undertaker loses, he will be banished from the WWE. High stakes indeed. At the bell, we get a big boot from Undertaker before he delivers SOUPBONES to Edge in the corner. He continues to pound away until we go outside, where Undertaker grabs a ladder and Edge sets up a table on top of another. He walks right into two ladder shots from Taker. Undertaker decides that two tables isn’t enough as he sets one on top of another next to the ones Edge got ready. He takes too much time as Edge sends him into the steps and makes the first climb attempt but is stopped. Undertaker goes for snake eyes onto a ladder, which would have been cool, but Edge slides off and sends him face first into one. Both guys end up atop a ladder but Edge is knocked off, only to bounce off and knock Undertaker down as well. As they get up, Undertaker drives a ladder into Edge and then levels him with a chair outside. In yet another example of creativity, when Undertaker goes for the guillotine leg drop, Edge puts a chair in the way. A good show of Edge knowing Undertaker and TLC matches well. He bridges a ladder across the ring and guardrail and low blows Undertaker. After a chair shot, he lays Undertaker on a table and splashes him from the announce table. The ladder is set up and Undertaker stops Edge only to be speared. With Undertaker’s leg trapped in a ladder, Edge destroys it with a chair. Wise move. He goes for move chair shots but Undertaker low blows him this time. Both men are on the apron, so Undertaker Chokeslams him from there onto the bridged ladder! Undertaker seems poised to win but Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins run in and stop him. Their efforts prove to be futile as Undertaker puts both of them through tables outside. Edge sneaks in and spears Undertaker to the outside. Edge ascends, but with the way he’s posed, it’s clear what’s about to happen. Undertaker grabs him and hits a Last Ride through two tables that Hawkins and Ryder set up! Again, Undertaker is set to win but this time it is Chavo and Bam Neely who try to intervene. They have less success than the Edgeheads. Undertaker starts to climb again, but set up the ladder far too over, allowing Edge to tilt it and send the Deadman through the four tables outside! That’s a crazy bump for a 40+ year old man to take. Edge climbs and retrieves the gold.
Winner and New World Heavyweight Champion: Edge in 23:51
While that match was good, I was a bit disappointed. That’s probably because I happen to LOVE their WrestleMania 24 encounter and this was a step down from that. It was a spotfest, albeit a good one. A bit too much overbooking but then again, it makes sense since it should take that much to beat Undertaker and fits with the “Ultimate Opportunist” character. ***¾
Edge, Vickie Guerrero and La Familia get a fireworks celebration for ending the career of the Undertaker. This would, of course, only last until SummerSlam, where Edge and Undertaker culminated their rivalry in Hell in a Cell. After they leave, Undertaker slowly gets to his feet. Before he leaves, he turns to the fans and their standing ovation, but exits quietly.
