wrestling / Video Reviews
Kevin’s WWE Armageddon 2006 Review
Loading...WWE Armageddon 2006
December 17th, 2006 | Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia | Attendance: 8,200
The original era of brand split Pay-Per-Views. This was a Smackdown exclusive show that didn’t exactly feature the biggest names around. The main event is a tag match that includes a Raw Superstar in an effort to boost buys. Gimmick matches are up and down the card, including a Last Ride, Inferno and Ladder match. That last one features a rather infamous spot as well. This was the seventh of nine Armageddon Pay-Per-Views.
The Inferno match, Last Ride match and tag team main event are the focal points of the opening video package. Michael Cole and JBL are on commentary.
Inferno Match: Kane def. MVP in 8:22
MVP’s entrance rules. He also gets a cool pre-match video package. MVP beat Kane in a Street Fight and Cage match but he’s a dick so Teddy Long booked this. MVP is obviously hesitant and looks for ways to try and escape. The visuals of the flames going up when there is impact on the mat is always dope. They come really close to burning MVP several times. Kane hits the chokeslam before removing the top turnbuckle and setting it on fire. MVP comes crazy close to losing when he misses a baseball slide. The crowd eats it up. MVP gets sent outside and Kane follows with a clothesline. Both men come close to losing before Kane chokes MVP into the flames. His back and ass are on fire as he runs towards the entrance and gets fire extinguisher treatment. I thought this was fine. The match itself wasn’t great but the fans seemed to be invested in the drama of who would get burned. **¼
The Divas are all talking backstage and creepy Teddy Long comes over to tell them that they will compete in a “Naughty or Nice” contest tonight.
The next match is scheduled to be a normal tag match where London and Kendrick take on Dave Taylor and William Regal. Teddy Long comes out though and is in the Christmas spirit. He changes the upcoming match to a ladder match. The crowd pops but that isn’t all. He adds two more teams to the match as well!
WWE Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: Paul London and Brian Kendrick (c) def. Dave Taylor and William Regal, The Hardy Boyz and MNM w/ Melina in 20:13
MNM recently reformed though that would only last a few months. Jeff Hardy is the Intercontinental Champion here. JBL questions what would happen if the new additions were to win since they aren’t even Smackdown teams. The heels get sent packing, allowing a showdown between the champions and the Hardys. The heels break it up and everyone brawls. The ladders come into play for some big spots. Kendrick just gets tossed into one and looks out of it. Mercury is first to get close but the faces walk the ladder over and send him onto Nitro outside in a scary spot. The champions do an awesome spot where Matt is laid across a ladder and Kendrick double stomps him. The ladder gets set up in a see-saw position. It’s time for the infamous moment from this match. Jeff leg drops the ladder and it see-saws into Mercury’s face. He couldn’t block it and instantly gets busted WIDE open. He is just gushing blood and we’d later find out that he pretty much broke his entire face. Regal pretty much murders London with a Regal plex onto a ladder. Regal is too scared to climb the ladder though. Mercury has been taken to the hospital so Nitro is alone. He nearly kills Jeff by dropkicking a ladder that he stood atop. The major spots keep coming when Jeff sunset flips Nitro off the ladder. Regal and Taylor try to climb again but get stopped when Kendrick tries sliced bread. He does it but it comes off poorly. It comes down to London and Matt. London unleashes a flurry of right hands to win out and pull down the titles. Great overlooked ladder match. I can’t go higher because some of the spots were sloppy and some came with guys in stupid positions. The guys deserve credit as a lot of this took guts. Also, extra points for Regal and Taylor being scared to climb. ****
The Boogeyman def. The Miz in 2:51
I’m going toing to lie, I don’t have high hopes for this. Miz avoids Boogeyman as much as possible. Once they actually get into the offense, it all looks so bad. It’s amazing to think that ten years later, Miz would be all sorts of fantastic because he’s horrible here. Boogeyman wins with a chokeslam bomb and drops the worms on Miz. Just terrible. DUD
WWE United States Championship: Chris Benoit (c) def. Chavo Guerrero w/ Vickie Guerrero 12:14
Benoit apparently injured Vickie’s neck, leading to this match. She’s at ringside in a neck brace. Chavo gets the jump on Benoit but he doesn’t stay in control for long. Before you know it, Benoit hits the trio of Germans and tries the diving headbutt but gets cut off. Chavo goes to work on Benoit’s midsection, including a baseball slide to the back into the ring post. JBL really tries to hammer home how great Chavo’s strategy is. Chavo tries Three Amigos but Benoit counters with EIGHT German suplexes! Benoit’s sharpshooter is cut off by Vickie bringing the title into the ring. Benoit nearly puts her in the hold but Chavo rolls him up. Benoit rolls through into the sharpshooter anyway to make Chavo tap. This wasn’t a bad match, but I found it boring at times. Like a lot of Chavo stuff around this time, I just couldn’t get interested. **½
Ashley Massaro and her giant jugs are shown getting ready for the Naughty or Nice competition later. These scenes of the women have been intercut in between matches. Why am I addressing it now? Simply because she looked great.
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: Gregory Helms (c) def. Jimmy Wang Yang in 10:53
Gregory Helms is the longest reigning Cruiserweight Champion entering this match having won the title at the Royal Rumble. Commentary spends the first few minutes arguing about the legitimacy of Yang being a redneck. The crowd quickly loses what little interest they had. Helms wears down Yang for a good chunk of this. JBL says that this card is “as loaded as a Freebird on a Saturday night.” He must be looking at a different card than I am. The fans give next to no reaction for Yang’s comeback. Helms hits a top rope swinging neckbreaker but his next dive is met by a Yang heel kick. Yang misses a corkscrew moonsault and falls to a face buster. Another match that I wouldn’t consider bad. It suffered from a dead crowd (since they had no reason to care) and they did nothing particularly special. **¼
Last Ride Match: The Undertaker def. Mr. Kennedy in 19:07
To win, you have to place your opponent in a hearse and drive it out of the arena. They brawl from the start, with Undertaker being too much for Kennedy. Kennedy is first to come close to winning but Taker kicks him off. Back towards the ring, Undertaker is in control again, kicking Kennedy’s ass. Kennedy ends up getting Taker in the car but is stopped before driving off. That’s kind of the formula until they climb up the entrance structure. While up there, they tease a big chokeslam spot but Kennedy blocks and shoves Undertaker off of the stage. JBL sells it like it’s the end for Taker but he pulls Kennedy out through the back of the hearse when all hope seems lost. We even get a cheesy camera angle for it. The pissed off Taker attacks with a pipe and steel chair. Undertaker hits a chokeslam and tombstone onto the roof before driving off with him in the back. Mostly a paint-by-numbers Taker brawl with the inclusion of the one big bump. **¾
Tensions actually rise between Booker and Finlay even though they team up later. They promise not to double cross each other though.
Santa Claus is out to host the “Naughty or Nice” competition. Ashley Massaro, Kristal Marshall, Jillian Hall and Layla compete. Layla is still new, Jillian and Kristal are irrelevant and Ashley is appearing in Playboy in a few months. That should seal who wins. In my opinion, Layla won in a landslide with Ashley, Kristal and Jillian following in that order. Ashley actually wins by the fan vote but then Santa declares they’re all winners. He then reveals himself to be Big Dick Johnson, who dances with the ladies (except for Kristal, who left). FAT GUY IN A THONG! CLASSIC MCMAHON COMEDY! Who could have predicted that this guy would end up as one of the minds behind the incredible Lucha Underground?
World Heavyweight Champion Batista and WWE Champion John Cena def. Finlay and King Booker w/ Queen Sharmell in 11:31
The constant “ALL HAIL KING BOOKER” from Sharmell was really grating here. This screams lopsided main event. The teams seem to go through the motions with nothing of real significance happening. Cena and Batista work better together as the super team. They both hit their signature stuff until Sharmell hands Booker the scepter and he whacks Cena with it. Little Bastard also tries to interfere but ends up kicking himself in the head. Cena takes a short heat and the hot tag comes to the Smackdown champion. He runs through everyone and wins with the Batista Bomb. Wow, this felt like minimal effort. It was totally a house show tag match that felt rushed. *¼
