Lest We Forget: WWE Summerslam 2006

WWE Summerslam 2006
From the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts
August 20, 2006

The opening video focuses heavily on the DX/McMahons feud. It then moves to the Batista/King Booker rivalry. Batista never lost the belt, and he wants to take it back. Lastly, John Cena is hell-bent on taking the WWE Championship from Edge.

PYRO! The set looks really cool for this event.

Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero

Of course, Eddie Guerrero has to be tied into this feud. Mysterio scores with a back elbow, but Chavo takes control and beats down Rey. Mysterio goes for an in-ring Asai moonsault, but Chavo catches him. Mysterio counters and sends Chavo to the floor. MYSTERIO FLIES TO THE OUTSIDE WITH A PLANCHA BUT MISSES! Chavo then flies out with a plancha and connects! Chavo takes the action back inside and pounds away. Chavo alley-oops Mysterio into the top turnbuckle. Chavo drops Rey with a back suplex. The crowd chants “Eddie,” hopefully to encourage Mysterio and not to mock Chavo. Mysterio rolls to the floor to take a powder, but Chavo follows him out and sends him back inside. Mysterio gets sent to the apron, and Chavo slams his head into the ring post a few times. Chavo scales the buckles and pulls Mysterio up. Mysterio fights out of piledriver position. Both guys fly off of the top rope face-first into the mat! Both competitors try to get to their feet. Mysterio scores with a dropkick to the legs of Chavo, and then scores with a springboard cross body for two. Chavo nails Rey with an uppercut. Chavo then tacks on a clothesline, and he’s back in control. Mysterio reverses an Irish whip into a drop toehold. Mysterio tries to go up top, but Chavo cuts him off. Chavo scales the buckles, but Rey fights him off. Rey jumps off backwards, spins, and throws Chavo throat-first onto the second rope with a head scissors. Rey hits the ropes and nails the 6-1-9! Mysterio springboards for the Seated Senton, but Chavo ducks. Mysterio takes Chavo over the top rope to the floor with a headscissors! Chavo regains control on the outside and sends Rey back in, but Vickie Guerrero is here! She tells Chavo to stop what he’s doing, but he’ll have none of it. Vickie grabs Chavo’s leg when he gets up onto the apron, and slaps him. MYSTERIO WIPES OUT CHAVO WITH A SUICIDE DIVE! Mysterio rolls Chavo inside, but Vickie begs him to stop as well. Chavo takes it to Rey on the apron and suplexes him back inside. THREE AMIGOS by Chavo, but Rey counters out of the third and hits a headscissors. Rey hits a THREE AMIGOS of his own! Mysterio goes up to the top rope, but Vickie tells him to stop. Vickie gets on the apron, and CROTCHES MYSTERIO BY ACCIDENT! CHAVO HITS A BRAINBUSTER! Chavo goes up top, points to the sky, and hits a FROG SPLASH! ONE, TWO, THREE! Chavo wins at 10:59.

Winner: Chavo Guerrero
I’ve seen these guys have some really great matches before. However, this was not one of them. The crowd wasn’t really into the angle, particularly the Vickie part of it, which dragged things down. 0 for 1.

Backstage, Sharmell is with King Booker. He says he must beat that “peasant” Batista and return to the Smackdown kingdom. Edge comes in with Lita. Edge says he doesn’t know if Booker can beat Batista, but Edge says he knows he can beat Cena. The two men make a wager, and Booker tells Edge he must kiss his feet if he loses and Booker retains. Edge says when he wins and Booker loses, Booker can come to Raw and be his servant. THAT’S RACIST! Back when the brand split mattered, these kind of confrontations were really cool.

A commercial airs for the Wrestling’s Greatest Managers DVD.

Extreme Rules, ECW Championship Match: Big Show (c) vs. Sabu

Sabu brings a chair to the ring with him. Sabu immediately belts Big Show with the chair, and then legdrops the chair onto his back. Sabu goes for a triple jump, but Big Show grabs his foot, and SABU GOES FACE FIRST INTO THE CHAIR! Big Show breaks the chair and throws it out of the ring. Show slaps Sabu across the chest, and then tacks on a headbutt. Big Show plants the ECW original with a scoop slam and then jaws with the crowd. Big Show applies a bear hug, but Sabu bites to get free. Sabu goes for a springboard cross body but gets caught. BIG SHOW CHUCKS SABU OVER HIS HEAD! Sabu rolls out to the floor. Big Show goes over to the ropes, but Sabu drops him throat first on the top. Sabu pulls out another chair from under the ring and THROWS IT INTO BIG SHOW’S FACE! Sabu rolls inside and does it again. Sabu goes up top- chair-assisted flying sidekick! Sabu covers for two. Sabu goes back under the ring, and now he’s got a table. Sabu slants the table in the corner. Sabu goes over to Show, but gets goozled. Sabu hits a thumb to the eyes to break free. Sabu goes up top and scores with a flying bulldog! Sabu jumps off of the chair and SENDS BIG SHOW THROUGH THE TABLE WITH A BULLDOG! The crowd chants “ECW!” Sabu tries to go up top, but Big Show puts him on his shoulders and drops him with an electric chair. Big Show goes up to the second rope. BIG SHOW DROPS DOWN AND NAILS SABU WITH A SPLASH! Big Show goes to the outside and grabs steel steps, then throws them into the ring. Show then grabs a table and slides it inside. Big Show takes the table and bridges it across the steel stairs. Sabu tries to catapult off of it but botches. Sabu then jumps onto Big Show and PLANTS HIM THROUGH THE TABLE WITH A DDT! Sabu goes to the outside instead of covering and brings in another table. Sabu goes for another DDT through the table, but BIG SHOW CATCHES HIM AND SENDS HIM THROUGH THE TABLE WITH A CHOKESLAM! ONE, TWO, THREE! That does it at 8:32.

Winner: Big Show
Let’s be clear: this was not a prime example of selling or ring psychology. Parts of it were sloppy, and other parts were entertaining. However, my overall enjoyment was inhibited by the fact that it didn’t feel like either guy was trying to win. They would hit awe-inducing spots, but instead of going for the victory, they would set up for the next big spot. This match made me more annoyed than anything after watching it, so we are 0 for 2.

Clips are shown of Layla winning the 2006 Diva Search. Backstage, a bunch of the divas greet Layla in the locker room. I forgot how annoying Layla’s real voice is. She also acted really unnaturally here. Trish runs down Layla, but then reveals that she’s kidding. As her initiation, they put her in the shower and spank her. This whole thing was cheesy and irritating.

Up next, it’s Legend vs. Legend Killer as Hulk Hogan takes on Randy Orton! J.R. and The King set up a video package to highlight the feud. The RKO onto Hogan’s car was definitely a great moment.

Randy Orton vs. Hulk Hogan

Hogan gets a massive pop during his entrance. The commentators point out that Orton has beaten Chris Benoit and The Undertaker at the last two Summerslam events. Hogan initially shoves Orton to the mat. Orton applies a headlock, but Hogan shoves him off and connects with a shoulder tackle. Orton goes back to the headlock, but Hogan powers out of the hold and sends Orton to the canvas. Orton goes to the gut and starts to pound away on Hogan to a good amount of heat from the crowd. Orton stomps away on Hogan. Hogan elbows Orton in the gut and slams his face into the top buckle before landing a few punches. Hogan mounts the second buckle and lands a ten-punch to the delight of the crowd, and then bites Orton. Hogan goes to the eyes! Hogan than scores with a clothesline. Hogan goes to Orton’s eyes again. I like that Hogan seems to have disdain for Orton and isn’t being cartoony after Orton made things personal. Hogan rakes Orton’s back twice. Jim Ross notes that Hogan used to be a rule-breaker in the AWA, which is a nice touch. Orton goes to the floor and trips up Hogan, and then targets his right knee. Orton sends all of his weight crashing onto Hogan’s bad knee twice. Orton Garvin stomps Hogan while the crowd rallies behind the old hero. Orton comes off the ropes and hits a forearm to Hogan’s knee. The crowd is really giving it to Orton. Orton heads up to the top rope. Orton goes for a cross body but no one is home! Orton tries to keep the advantage, but Hogan lands a bunch of punches. Hogan goes for the big boot, but Orton slides underneath it. Dropkick by Orton! Orton stalks Hogan while he gets to his feet. Hogan gets up and turns around. RKO! Orton covers! ONE, TWO, THREE-HOGAN GETS HIS FOOT ON THE ROPE, BUT THE REFEREE COUNTED THREE! Orton thinks he won, but the referee says no! The referee tells Lillian Garcia that the match will continue! Orton is livid! Orton tries to fight off Hogan, but he’s HULKING UP! YOU! Hogan lands three overhand rights. Big boot by Hogan! Hogan fires up the crowd, and they are going crazy! LEG DROP! ONE, TWO, THREE! Hulkamania lives on at 10:57!

Winner: Hulk Hogan
I would like to get this out there first: Orton should have won. There was no point in having Hogan win this match, and it didn’t help Orton at all in the long run to have him lose. That said, these guys captured the imagination of not just the fans in attendance, but of me as I watched this match. I liked that they seemed to have genuine disdain for one another. The crowd also helped them out a lot. While I disagree with the outcome, I did enjoy watching this match, and even though I can’t stand Hogan, the finish didn’t completely kill it for me. 1 for 3.

Hogan soaks up cheers after the match.

Clips are shown of the Pre-Summerslam Blowout from the day before which hyped the WWE 24/7 partnership with Comcast.

Backstage, Melina approaches Mick Foley, who says he thinks he is ready for his match with Ric Flair. Foley says he has never seen this side of Flair before. Melina tells him that the match may not be a good idea. She says she associates herself with winners and champions, and that it would be bad for her image if Foley loses. Foley tells her that he will win and make Ric Flair quit. Melina smiles, insinuating that she wanted to draw this response out of him after Foley leaves.

“I Quit” Match: Mick Foley vs. Ric Flair

Foley jumps Flair and drops him in the corner. Foley scores with a running knee strike. FOLEY NAILS FLAIR WITH A TRASH CAN! Foley has Mr. Socko- MANDIBLE CLAW! Flair gets driven down to the mat, but Foley releases the hold. Foley grabs the microphone and tells Flair to quit or it will get a hell of a lot worse. Flair doesn’t quit, and Foley says he will suffer. Foley wraps barbed wire around Socko! Foley tries to go back to the claw, but FLAIR GRABS HIM BY THE CROTCH! Flair lands some strikes and then low blows Foley! Flair pounds away in the corner and steals barbed wire Socko. Flair chops Foley with the barbed wire! Foley falls to the outside having been busted open on the chest. Flair comes off the apron with an axe handle. Flair sends Foley into the steel steps! Foley knocks down Flair with a right hand. Foley goes under the ring and pulls out a barbed wire board. FOLEY NAILS FLAIR OVER THE HEAD WITH THE BOARD! Flair has been busted open, and Foley hammers away at the cut with right hands. Flair sits up, but Foley nails him with more right hands. The crowd chants for fire while Foley rakes Flair’s face with barbed wire. Foley chokes Flair with his boot. FOLEY LEVELS FLAIR WITH THE BOARD AGAIN! FOLEY DROPS THE BOARD ONTO FLAIR! Flair is screaming in pain while he crawls to the corner. Foley tells Flair to quit, but Flair tells Foley to kiss his ass! Foley hits Flair with the microphone a few times. Foley has a burlap bag, and he pours out thumbtacks! Foley pounds away on Flair with more punches. Foley takes Flair over to the tacks- SCOOP SLAM ONTO THE TACKS! Tacks are stuck into Ric Flair’s body! Foley tells Flair to quit, but he won’t do it. Foley goes back underneath the ring and pulls out a barbed wire baseball bat! FOLEY STICKS THE BARBED WIRE BAT INTO FLAIR’S FOREHEAD! Flair low blows Foley to break free! Flair sends Foley shoulder-first into the steel ring post! Flair has the barbed wire bat, and he strikes Foley with it several times! Flair hammers away with right hands. Foley gets to his feet, but stumbles back down to the mat. Flair tells Foley to quit, but he won’t do it. Flair hits Foley downstairs with the microphone! Flair grabs the bat while Foley is on the apron. FLAIR KNOCKS FOLEY TO THE FLOOR WITH THE BAT! The referee calls for help, and medics and officials attend to Foley. Melina runs out to check on him as well. A medic motions that the match is over. The referee rings the bell, calling a stop to the match at 10:23. Flair has the microphone, and says it’s not a “lay down on your ass match, it’s an ‘I Quit’ match!” The action is back underway, and Flair sends Foley back inside! Flair goes to town with the barbed wire bat and says he’ll take Foley’s eye out. Flair grabs the microphone and asks Foley if he’s had enough. Melina throws in a towel, and says that Foley quits at 12:20. Flair stomps away on Foley and grabs the microphone. She says Melina doesn’t quit for him, and that Foley must quit. Flair grabs the bat again, this time going after Melina, and Foley officially quits at 13:14 to save Melina!

Winner: Ric Flair
Holy cow, this was the epitome of a heart-wrenching blood bath. This made Ric Flair look like a man possessed, and showed that when it comes to telling a story, there are few that have ever been on the same level as Mick Foley at any point in his career. Tremendous match. 2 for 4.

Ric Flair stops his attack as his music plays. Foley sits up as Melina attends to him, and Ross says he has seen fatal car crash scenes that are more tame than this.

Backstage, Vince McMahon is with his son Shane and Armando Alejandro Estrada. Vince says that Umaga will be a resource tonight, and that he is the greatest monster in all of WWE. Estrada says they can count on Umaga, and they all shake hands.

World Heavyweight Title Match: King Booker (c) w/ Sharmell vs. Batista

YYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! Both men lock up, and Batista shoves Booker off. They tie up again, and this time Booker shoves The Animal into the corner. Booker slaps Batista on the break, and Batista shoves him down to the mat! Booker scores with a kick to the gut and grabs a headlock. Batista shoves him off into the ropes, and the two reach a stalemate after a shoulder block. Booker tries for a spin kick, but Batista catches it, picks him up, and drops him down with a Davey Boy Smith-style powerslam! Booker kicks out at one and rolls to the floor with Sharmell. Batista comes after him on the floor and takes the action back inside. Batista scores with a sidekick and a chop. Batista ducks a spin kick and plants Booker with a SPINEBUSTER! Batista fires up and goes for the Batista Bomb, but Booker rolls to the apron. Booker drops Batista onto his throat with the top rope! Booker then stun-guns Batista onto the top rope. Booker stomps away and taunts. Booker snapmares Batista and applies a side headlock. JBL does a great job on commentary, pointing out that Booker has few flaws in his game and the cardio advantage, so Batista needs to do damage early. Booker keeps control and puts Batista into the corner. Batista reverses an Irish whip and plants Booker with a belly-to-belly suplex. Someone’s been watching their Scott Steiner tapes! Batista tries to press the advantage, but Booker kicks him off and goes to the floor. Sharmell distracts the referee, and BOOKER T PLASTERS BATISTA WITH THE SCEPTER! Booker covers inside for two. Booker wrenches on a top wristlock, which he changes into a chinlock, and then into a headlock. Batista gets to his feet and rolls free, but Booker lands another side kick. Booker goes for a leaping leg lariat, but Batista ducks and Booker gets crotched on the top rope! Batista crotches Booker again and clotheslines him down to the mat. Batista sends Booker into the buckles and lands a sidewalk slam for two. Booker goes to the floor and Batista follows him. Booker grabs Batista by the trunks and drops him onto the steel stairs! Booker sends Batista inside and goes up top. King Booker hits a missile dropkick! One, two, no! BOOK END! ONE, TWO, NO! Booker taunts and waits for Batista to get up. Batista avoids a Scissors Kick, and plants Booker with a JACKHAMMER! ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! Batista shoves Booker into the corner and wears him down. Batista tries for a running clothesline, but Booker evades and hits a neckbreaker for two and a half. Batista ducks a clothesline and drops Booker with a full nelson slam! Batista tries for the Batista Bomb, but Sharmell runs in and clubs away at Batista! Referee Nick Patrick throws the match away at 10:30!

Winner by DQ: Batista
Although unclean finishes tend to be off-putting for a lot of people, it made a lot of sense here, as Batista was a babyface on the chase for the belt, and Booker would do anything to keep his title. The match told a solid story throughout, with Booker having to take shortcuts to maintain control and Batista continuing to fight back. I had fun watching it, and the belt looked important to both men. 3 for 5.

After the bell, Booker nails a heel kick! Booker goes for the Scissors Kick again, but Batista plants him with a Spinebuster! Batista then goes for a Batista Bomb, which they initially botch, but Batista plants him anyway. YYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

A vignette airs for Jeff Hardy, hyping his return, and announcing that he is coming to Raw tomorrow.

Backstage, D-Generation X is talking to someone who can’t be seen in a locker room. They talk to the person about Umaga, and say that they might find it interesting that Vince called him the biggest monster in the company. Whoever they talked to seemed pissed, and by the sounds of things, was throwing things around after they left.

A video package sets up the DX/McMahons match.

D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) vs. Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon

Vince and Shane bring out The Spirit Squad to accompany them. However, D-X quickly dispose of all of them. Next, they bring out Ken Kennedy, William Regal, and Finlay. All three men jump D-X. Finlay gets a shillelagh shot in on Triple H. However, D-X regain control and toss Finlay and Regal to the floor, with Kennedy following soon after. Now Big Show comes out to the ring. Big Show beats up Michaels while the three Smackdown roster members take it to Triple H on the floor. Big Show goes to the floor and drives Triple H into the ring post. They clear off the ECW announcer’s table. BIG SHOW CHOKESLAMS TRIPLE H THROUGH THE TABLE! Vince and Shane call off the dogs and make their way down to the ring. The bell rings, and the match is officially under way. Vince scoop slams Michaels and taunts. Vince makes the tag to Shane, who lights up HBK with punches. Triple H is still out cold on the floor. Vince tags back in and chokes Michaels. Shane then gets in on the choking action while the official’s back is turned. Vince tags Shane back in, and the father-son duo score with a double back elbow. Shane scores with some backbreakers to Michaels before showing off to the crowd. Vince tags back in, and the McMahon’s drop him with a double suplex and follow up with a double elbow. Triple H gets to his feet on the floor, but Shane baseball slides him over the Raw announcer’s table! Vince takes down HBK with a backbreaker, and Shane tacks on an elbow drop off the second rope! Vince and Shane taunt the crowd, and drop HBK with a Hart Attack! Shane tags in, and Vince tells him to go up top. Vince gets HBK up on his shoulders- DOOMSDAY DEVICE! Shane covers- ONE, TWO, NO! Shane covers for two twice more. Michaels pops to his feet and wins a striking battle with Shane. Vince runs in and attacks Michaels from behind to keep control. HBK ducks a double clothesline and hits one of his own! HBK kicks Shane off of him, and Triple H is back on the ring apron. HBK tags in HHH! Triple H takes it to both of the McMahon’s! Triple H drops Shane with a high knee. Triple H then drives Shane to the mat with a neckbreaker. Shane tries to get back into the match, but Triple H hits a facebuster onto his knee! Triple H takes down both McMahons with clotheslines. Spinebuster to Shane! Vince gets to his feet, but Triple H scoop slams him. Shawn Michaels goes up top- FLYING ELBOW DROP TO VINCE! D-X fire up. Shane gets to his feet, but Michaels clotheslines him and both men spill out to the floor. Vince tries to get up, but Umaga is here. Umaga plasters HBK with a kick to the chest! Triple H sets up Vince for a Pedigree, but Estrada distracts the official and UMAGA LEVELS TRIPLE H WITH A SAMOAN SPIKE! Umaga tries to give one to HBK on the floor, but Kane is here! Kane and Umaga brawl to the back! Vince crawls over to Triple H and covers- ONE, TWO, NO! Vince decks the official! Shane rolls into the ring and sets Triple H in the corner. Shane grabs a garbage can from underneath the ring and places it on Triple H. Shane goes to the corner across the ring. SHANE GOES FOR THE COAST-TO-COAST, BUT MICHAELS HITS SWEET CHIN MUSIC OUT OF MID AIR! TRIPLE H HITS VINCE WITH A TRASH CAN! SWEET CHIN MUSIC TO VINCE! PEDIGREE! ONE, TWO, THREE! D-X wins at 13:03

Winners: D-Generation X
I have a serious logical problem here. Why did the McMahon’s have to cheat BEHIND the official’s back? Isn’t Vince his boss? Couldn’t he just fire him if he acted against Vince’s will? Why would they worry about anything the referee says or does? I liked the story of Shane and Vince doing everything in their power to stop D-X, but at this point in the feud, did anyone think they could actually stop them? What makes authority angles effective is when the babyface(s) clowns the authority figure(s). However, for that to work, the authority figure needs some sense of credibility. Every time Vince had a match with D-X on pay-per-view, Vince got stooged. At no point did D-X ever seem to be in any sort of legitimate harm during this feud. Whenever something bad happened, such as the Umaga beat-downs, they would laugh it off the next week. Would it have REALLY hurt for D-X to succumb to Vince and Shane with the help of nine other people? I don’t think so. Although the finishing sequence was neat, I can’t recommend the entire match, as it was more frustrating than compelling. 3 for 6.

A video package sets up the main-event between Edge and John Cena, who have been engaged an intense and personal feud.

WWE Championship Match, the title can change hands via DQ: Edge (c) w/ Lita vs. John Cena

Cena charges Edge and aggressively ties up to start. The referee separates them, and Cena charges again, this time lighting up Edge with strikes. Cena pounds away in the corner before whipping Edge into the ropes and delivering a back elbow. Edge hits a belly-to-belly suplex for two. Cena tries to spear Edge, but Edge evades and Cena crashes into the ring post and flies out to the floor! The count gets up to eight before Cena rolls inside, where Edge greets him with stomps. Edge drops Cena with a dropkick. Edge taunts, but the fans are actually pretty behind him. Cena gets up on the ring apron, but Edge knocks him into the barricade! Cena gets back inside and Edge covers for two. Cena fights back into the match with right hands, but he eats a spinning heel kick coming off of the ropes. At this point, it appears as if the fans are cheering for Edge, but are not deliberately booing Cena. Edge wears down Cena with punches, but Cena fights back. Cena hits a fisherman’s suplex and covers for two. Edge reverses an Irish whip and sends Cena over the top to the floor. Cena again rolls in at eight, but Edge pounds on him as soon as he gets back in. Cena goes for a cross body coming off of the ropes but Edge ducks out of the way. Edge drops Cena with a clothesline and covers for two. Edge wears Cena down with a chinlock, and then switches to an arm triangle. There are some “Cena sucks!” chants filtering through the arena. Cena gets to his feet and breaks the hold. Cena lands some right hands, but falls to a big boot from Edge. Edge covers for two. Edge goes up top, but Cena crotches him. Cena joins Edge on the buckles and looks for a superplex, but Edge knocks him down to the mat. Cena gets to his feet, and Edge flies off the top with a clothesline! Edge gets two on the cover. Edge applies a camel clutch, and the crowd chants, “Let’s go Cena!” Cena gets to his feet and drops Edge down to the mat! Both men get to their feet, but Cena plants Edge with a float-over bulldog. Lita grabs a chair and slides it to Edge, who sends it to the floor because of the rule. Cena fires off on Edge with clothesline and shoulder tackles. BLUE THUNDER BOMB BY JOHN CENA! Cena hits the Five-Knuckle Shuffle! F-U, but Edge slips out. IMPALER DDT BY EDGE! ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! Edge goes up top again, but Cena follows and gets him up on his shoulders. CENA COUNTERS WITH A VICTORY ROLL- ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! Cena sends Edge into the buckles and charges but eats a boot. Edge with a cross body off of the second, but Cena rolls through and picks Edge up. F-U, but Edge counters out. Lita is up on the apron, and Cena almost collides with her. Edge runs at Cena, who evades, and Edge knocks Lita to the floor! Cena with a school boy! ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! Both men hit a clothesline! Both men get to their feet. Edge avoids a slam and drags Cena to the mat for two. Edge sets up for the Spear, but CENA SIDE-STEPS HIM AND APPLIES THE STFU! Lita gets up on the apron with the belt, but Edge tells her not to use it because he’ll get disqualified! EDGE GETS THE ROPES! The referee pulls Cena off, and Lita puts brass knuckles on Edge’s hand! Edge swings, but CENA DUCKS AND GETS HIM UP FOR THE F-U! Lita gets in the ring, and CENA GETS HER UP FOR THE F-U ON TOP OF EDGE! F-U to Lita, but Edge slips off! The referee helps Lita exit the ring, BUT EDGE BLASTS CENA WITH THE BRASS KNUCKLES TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD! EDGE COVERS- ONE, TWO, THREE! Edge steals one to keep his title at 15:41!

Winner: Edge
People REALLY liked this match a lot at the time, and it holds up pretty well. I could’ve down without all of the spots where Lita almost gets Edge disqualified because she keeps forgetting the rules. However, the finishing spot with the brass knuckles was great, and it continued to build up Edge’s character as the ultimate opportunist. This was a fitting main-event for one of the biggest pay-per-views of the year. 4 for 7.

After the match, Edge and Lita celebrate while John Cena looks on in stunned disappointment.

The 411: It took a while for this show to get going, but once the momentum picked up, everything was pretty solid. I thought Orton and Hogan did a good job, and the I Quit match was gruesome greatness. Both of the world title matches were entertaining and helped out the champions in establishing their characters. This was a little bit better than the two pay-per-views before this, and it warrants a solid recommendation.

Final Score:  6.5   [ Average ]