THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: twosheds316@aol.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com
Well, it’s that time of the month again, as WWE bombards us with another pay-per-view, Unforgiven…..you know, I really need to get another opening line for these monthly PPV reviews.
We start off on Sunday Night Heat, as Rob Conway takes on Tajiri. Just your usual pre-show opener here. Not much to see. Move along.
The show proper begins with Ric Flair trying to win one of the few titles he’s never won, Carlito’s Intercontinental title. It’s a veritable battle of the generations here, and one the crowd seems really into. It’s an entertaining opener, and Flair actually hit’s the clothesline from the top rope, before locking in the figure four and making Mr. Cool tap. Moments later, Flair grabs some birds from the ringside area and goes to his limo to party.
Backstage, Carlito storms off in a huff, before Edge and Lita begin to smooch in the locker room. Hey guys, get a room. Oh wait, that’s how this thing started in the first place…..
Diva action follows, as the returning Trish Stratus teams with wotshername against Victoria and Torrie Wilson. See what I said about the Conway/Tajiri match. Nothing really special here.
We return to the backstage area, where Flair escorts his birds to his limo, then takes some Viagra. Did Russo get his job back? Oh well, at least Naitch didn’t get the pills in a Viagra on a pole match!
Battle of the giants next, as the Big Show takes on Snitsky. A battle of sheer power here. If you’re looking for a technical classic look elsewhere. Of course, the really big guys gets the pin after a choke slam, and gets a measure of revenge by clobbering Snitsky with the bell, not once, but twice.
Someone call the fire brigade! It looks like Flair’s limo is on fire!!! Then we cut to see Michaels getting ready for the match he didn’t want to go through with at first.
Then it’s back to the ring as Shelton Benjamin takes on Chavo…..I mean Kerwin White. The middle class gimmick is starting to grow on me a little. Anyway, a nice little bout here, although Chavo/Kerwin would probably have been better off in the cruiserweight division back on Smackdown. Benjamin picks up the win, pinning Chavo/Kerwin after a t-bone suplex.
The poor man’s Todd Pettingill then interviews Matt Hardy. Usual stuff from V1 here. We’ve heard it all before Matt, because you kept posting it on your website!
Then it’s match of the night time, as Edge takes on Hardy in possibly the best cage match of the year so far, a bout far superior than their Summerslam effort a month ago. These two literally throw the kitchen sink at each other, in a battle with a ton of passion in it, something which was lacking in their first bout. I really can’t speak too highly of this bout, which saw Hardy hit a tremendous leg drop from the top of the cage, before covering Edge for the win.
Before Edge is helped from the ring, Cena is getting his ankle taped up backstage, before being threatened by Bischoff. Cena takes a piece of tape and puts it over Bischoff’s mouth. Mmmmm…..
We then see the two best teams in the Raw tag division go at it, as Trevor Murdoch and Lance Cade go up against champions Rosey & The Hurricane. Another enjoyable bout here, an example that tag-team wrestling can be done properly. Hurricane takes an awesome looking DDT from Murdoch on the floor. New champs are crowned when the cowboys hit Hurricane with a “hi-lo”. Good finishing move here.
One of Flair’s birds gets out of the limo and takes a breath. Guess the little blue pill worked then.
Bimbo of the month interviews Chris Masters backstage next. The joke that is Maria is getting kind of stale now.
Then it’s time for the semi-main event as the Masterpiece steps up a level against Shawn Michaels. As is the case, Michaels works hard to put Masters over, and it’s a hell of a showing. Good as he is, Masters is made to look like a million dollars, and despite HBK’s reservations, the match doesn’t seem like a comedown after the Summerslam showdown with Hogan. Michaels picks up the win, and puts the youngster in his place after sweet chin music.
Backstage, Flair’s party comes to an end. After the birds leave, Flair comes out of the limo, exhausted, and takes a forward bump on the concrete. Well, as he never used the move in the match with Carlito, I guess he had to slip it in somewhere tonight. Perhaps I’ve used the wrong phrase there.
Then it’s time for our main event, as WWE Champion John Cena takes on Kurt Angle. Another entertaining bout, with Cena again proving that he’s come a long way in the past year or so, and Angle again proving that there’s life in the old dog yet. The ending seemed a but squiffed though, as Cena retains the title via disqualification after walloping Angle with the title belt, following interference from Bischoff. Cena then gives Bischoff an FU for his troubles.
In conclusion – an enjoyable show, and while not as good as some of the main pay-per-views this year, it’s nowhere near as bad as the rest of the internet would have you believe. Sure, it had it’s bad points, but these were far outweighed by the good points. Match of the night could only really go to one bout – the excellent cage match between Edge and Matt Hardy. Finally, some passion from these guys.
