411’s Instant Access 10.26.08: WWE Cyber Sunday 2008

Hi everybody, I’m Michael O, and this is 411’s Instant Access: WWE Cyber Sunday 2008. Instant Access is a relatively new experiment here at 411 Wrestling that will feature immediate reaction and analysis to the pay-per-views. The focus here is going to be on first thoughts and snap judgments instead of play-by-play with the goal of providing you with instant access to one TWO writers’ thoughts on the show. That’s right, Instant Access will now feature multiple analysts for all WWE pay-per-views. Here’s the team for Cyber Sunday:

• Michael O, a.k.a. me, author of The Dope on Smackdown and The Cheers ‘n Jeers of Wrestling
• Chris Lansdell, author of Lansdell’s Sunday Brunch News Report, Ask 411 and A Brace for Impact

Ready to party?

WWE Universe chooses the type of match:
Falls Count Anywhere Match 35%
No Holds Barred Match 39%
Best 2-out-of-3 Falls Match 26%

Rey Mysterio vs. Kane
Match Result: Rey pinned Kane
Match Length: 10:00
Match Analysis:
Michael O: A fun opener, but unfortunately there was just not enough violence to justify the No Holds Barred tag and it wasn’t quite dramatic enough to feel like a feud ender. This would have been a great match if I watched it on RAW, but this show comes with a price tag, and this really could have been a lot more. So I guess Kane will freak out and be all pissed tomorrow night and the feud will continue, which ain’t such a bad thing because I’ve been enjoying these two so far. Here’s hoping that their next PPV encounter is a little more memorable.
Lansdell: For the 70% of the match that Kane was in control, this was like watching iron oxidise. As soon as Rey took control the pace picked up, they actually started using the stipulation, and it was enjoyable. It just needed more use of international objects for me.I can’t see the feud being over, which hurts because it just hasn’t clicked properly. Still this wasn’t too bad.
Match Rating:
Michael O: **1/2
Lansdell: **1/2
Average Match Rating: **1/2

WWE Universe chooses the challenger:
Mark Henry6%
Evan Bourne69%
Finlay25%

ECW Championship Match
Matt Hardy (Champion) vs. Evan Bourne
Match Result: Matt pinned Evan
Match Length: 11:00
Match Analysis:
Michael O: And with a very sexy 69% of the vote, Evan Bourne officially arrives in the WWE, and he brought a great match with Matt Hardy along with him. I gotta figure that this was the outcome least expected by the WWE, so extra cheers to these two for putting on such a great match on the fly. Judging by his landslide victory, and the fact that there were more than a few audible jeers when he lost, I’d say Evan better invest in some sunglasses on his way to acting class ’cause his future is looking very bright.
Lansdell: Wow. Let this match be a lesson to all the naysaying anti-ROH people who think skinny indy wrestlers can’t go. This was a high-paced back-and-forth match that had me believing Bourne had a chance even though I knew he didn’t. For Bourne to have people boo the Twist of Fate is huge for him, Matt is crazy over. Combine that with the crushing 69% of the vote and Bourne is a rising star. He is not long for ECW I promise you. Matt will continue to defend against everyone that needs a push to the main show. This was pulse-pounding and the rest of the card is going to have some work to do to beat it.
Match Rating:
Michael O: ***1/2
Lansdell: ***3/4
Average Match Rating: ***5/9

WWE Universe chooses the contest:
Jamie Noble & Mickie James vs. William Regal & Layla
Cryme Tyme vs. John Morrison & The Miz
CM Punk & Kofi Kingston vs. Simply Priceless

Tag Team Match
Cryme Tyme vs. John Morrison & The Miz
Match Result: Morrison pinned Shad
Match Length: 10:00
Match Analysis:
Michael O: I’ve really been enjoying the interaction between these two and was pleasantly surprised that this got picked over the title match. I was also pleasantly surprised that this match got as much time as it did and I thought both teams looked really well. Not an amazing match, but a step up from what you normally see on the weeklies and I’m glad to see this feud continue.
Lansdell: When a feud is better on the internet as a talk show than it is in the ring, you have problems. Also, when a match gets decent time and doesn’t blow me away, you have problems. Don’t get me wrong, this was fine, but it could have been fine in 5 minutes less. I was surprised that Miz and Morrison went over again, but I guess they want to save the Cryme Tyme win for the end of the feud. I suppose it was slightly better than average, so we’ll go with ***.
Match Rating:
Michael O: **1/2
Lansdell: ***
Average Match Rating: **3/4

WWE Universe chooses the challenger:
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper34%
Goldust31%
The Honky Tonk Man35%

Intercontinental Championship Match
Santino Marella (Champion) vs. The Honky Tonk Man
Match Result: The Honky Tonk Man won by DQ
Match Length: 1:00
Match Analysis:
Michael O: Honky got the vote, as expected, though the race was tighter than I would’ve expected. I guess Vince didn’t want to pay Honky the extra $75 to do the j-o-b, but I doubt anybody was expecting a classic match and the preceding and following bits were fun. Oddly, Honky looked much more preserved than Roddy or Goldy, both of whom exhibited the physical traits one would normally associate with sacks of crap.
Lansdell: I suppose it’s not really fair to rate this, after all it’s the comedy relief. Honky looked in far better shape than I dared to expect, and it was great to see the Shake Rattle and Roll again. The finish was shit of course. Good fun, but a rating is required.
Match Rating:
Michael O:1/4* (for the robot-into-a -suckerpunch that Santino pulled at the beginning of the match, and the end of a disastrous dance off)
Lansdell: DUD
Average Match Rating: DUD

WWE Universe chooses the best costume.

Divas Halloween Costume Contest
Match Result: Mickie “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” James
Match Length: N/A
Match Analysis:
Michael O: Well, there wasn’t actually a match to analyze, as the costume contest was exactly that. Mickie James won it, and I went to bathroom while all the sore losers fought about it. Victoria’s brief, “IT’S PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME!” banana suit promo from earlier in the night was choice, but I didn’t really it a shit about the dumb costume contest. If you like costume contests in general, and think of yourself as the type of person who would pay to see one on TV, then you probably would have loved this.
Lansdell: Lansdell is pleading the 5th.
Match Rating:
Michael O: N/A
Lansdell: N/A
Average Match Rating: N/A

WWE Universe chooses the type of match:
Knockout Match9%
I Quit Match42%
Last Man Standing Match49%

The Undertaker vs. The Big Show: Last Man Standing Match
Match Result: The Undertaker won
Match Length: 20:00
Match Analysis:
Michael O: And here we have the first grudge match of the night to really pay off. Both men brought their ‘A’ game and the result was a good old fashioned, violent, monster vs monster brawl that more than passed my expectations, which were not low by any means. I’m not entirely sure where things go from here. Maybe Show disappears for a while, or just outright moves on to other things, or perhaps this will continue until Edge comes back. Who knows? All I know: great fuckin’ match.
Lansdell: I was not a fan of the match these two put on last month. I thought it plodded and was just not enjoyable. My opinion was not a popular one. What I just watched was the opposite of last month. Although it wasn’t fast, it couldn’t be with these two. It was hard-hitting, brutal and Big Show was not made to look weak with the loss. I had a feeling we would see the Gogodancer, I mean gogoplata during the match, and making it the finish worked fine for me. We might get one more match out of this feud, I wouldn’t mind either way. Although a completely different match, this tops Bourne-Hardy and not just because it was far better than I expected.
Match Rating:
Michael O: ****1/4
Lansdell: ****1/4
Average Match Rating: ****1/4

WWE Universe chooses the challenger:
Jeff Hardy 57%
Vladimir Kozlov
Triple Threat Match

WWE Championship Match
Triple H (Champion) vs. Jeff Hardy
Match Result: Hunter pinned Jeff
Match Length: 16:00
Match Analysis:
Michael O: Well, I’m not surprised this match was really good, as we’ve seen these two do the **** thang on a few occasions now, but I’m surprised by the WWE’s honoring of the request implicit in the the match that received the most votes: We want a one-on-one match, with no Kozlov. Thus, despite the numerous DQ finishes in PPV title matches past, and despite the nature of Smackdown’s three way feud that absolutely left the door open for it, we saw no Kozlovterference. This wasn’t quite as good as their No Mercy match from last month, but a worthy effort nonetheless and one which proved that the system does, in fact, work.
Lansdell: Hmmm. Everyone and his dog was expecting Kozlov to interfere in this, and that he didn’t was a relief, but it also bodes ill for Jeff Hardy that he took another clean loss, despite pushing HHH to the limit. Hardy can’t keep coming so close without eventually getting the win his fan support merits. Kozlov needs to get a shot or two next, but I have no idea where that leaves Hardy. Maybe with Edge? The match itself was enjoyable to say the least, not outstanding but certainly up to the standard of their other matches. They just work well together and the mind games that HHH pulls make the matches more intense. I was glad to see a different finish here and I think these two have a lot more gas in the feud tank for later on.
Match Rating:
Michael O: ***3/4
Lansdell: ***½
Average Match Rating: ***1/2

WWE Universe chooses the special guest referee:
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin 74%
Randy Orton don’t remember
Shawn Michaels don’t care

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Chris Jericho (Champion) vs. Batista (special referee: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin)
Match Result: Batista pinned Jericho
Match Length: 17:00
Match Analysis:
Michael O:These two aren’t blessed with a great amount of chemistry, but they really got into a groove heading down the home stretch and this began to adopt the “big match” feel that it was lacking from the outset. This got a little crazy with the run-ins, beginning with an Austin bump, that led to Shawn becoming the ref, until Randy took him out and took over, which in turn led to a “Stone Cold” Stunner and a new champion, but it was fun and not really to the detriment of the match. I was not at all expecting this match to be as good as it was, and I was expecting even less to see Batista with the gold, so cheers to that, but I do hope Jericho gets his belt back soon.
Lansdell: Oh God damn it. Not only did Austin win the vote, thus proving that relevance is not important, but we’re stuck with Batista as champ again. He has bad chemistry with almost everyone and is a limited worker. When Jericho can’t even carry you to a good match, you’re not good. Simple. The match was OK, could have done without the cluster at the end, but they just didn’t seem comfortable working together.
Match Rating:
Michael O: ***1/4
Lansdell: **¼
Average Match Rating: **3/4 (I think…is that right?)

Final Thoughts

Match of the Night:
Michael O: Undertaker vs Big Show
I knew these two had it in them to pull off a sweet match that really delivered, and after many years, and many different (and generally, lesser) feuds, I’d say they finally did. That I wasn’t necessarily expecting to see it tonight makes it all the sweeter.
Lansdell: Undertaker vs Big Show
Not quite a classic, but a great match from two big men who have to work hard to impress me. They did it tonight.

Trash of the Night:
Michael O: Costume contest
A short, harmless enough bit of Halloween fun, but like Landsdell is about to say, something’s gotta go here.
Lansdell:
Trash of the Night: Santino vs Honky
Seems unfair to call it trash since it was only ever supposed to be comedy, but something had to win. Or lose.

Final Analysis:
Michael O: This was just a very surprising show for me. I wasn’t expecting any major title changes, I was expecting a lot of great matches, and I definitely wasn’t expecting to see somebody get a Stunner. Okay, maybe I kind of saw that one coming, but this was a really good show from top to bottom, and might just be the best PPV I’ve seen since Wrestlemania. I don’t think this will end up being a historic or memorable event by any means, but there were no crap matches and a bunch of really good ones, so this is an easy 8/10 for me and it will be interesting to see the main event landscape on all three shows after tonight.
Lansdell: REALLY strong PPV. 3 very good matches and nothing that was horrible plus almost all the right booking decisions. Considering how hard this PPV can be to book effecitvely, I think they finally found a winning formula.

Verdict:
Michael O: ****
Lansdell: ***½
Average Verdict: ***3/4

On behalf of Landsdell, I’d like to thank you all for reading our access, and you may feel free to flood the comment box with as many comments as you like about how we’re idiots and we suck for liking this show, beginning…now!