DVD Release Date: December 23, 2008
~DISC 1~
MATCH #1: Edge vs. Owen Hart, Breakdown, 9.27.08
This is Edge’s first ever singles match on pay-per-view. Hart controls the early going until Edge lands on his feet out of a monkey flip and takes Hart down with a dropkick and a drop toe hold. He hits a nice quick rana and then clotheslines Hart to the floor. He follows him out with a baseball slide. He tries jumping off the apron but Hart catches him and powerslams him to the floor. Hart comes back into the ring with a nice missile dropkick for a two-count. A gut wrench suplex also gets two for Hart. He begins working over Edge’s back now, kicking away. A neck breaker doesn’t really follow that psychology, but it gets two anyway. Edge ducks a clothesline and leapfrogs over Hart, but then gets caught in a belly-to-belly suplex for two. He puts on a chin lock to wear Edge down. Edge makes a brief comeback, including reversing a victory roll for two. Hart comes up with a spinning heel kick but it only gets two. Edge comes back with a cross body off the second rope for two, but Hart is right back on top with an enziguiri. He goes up to the top rope but he pays for it, as Edge hits a reverse Electric Chair Drop. Man he used to do all kinds of cool moves. Edge hits a flapjack and a swinging neckbreaker for two. A DDT also gets two. Edge hits a Northern Lights Suplex for two. He tries a regular suplex but Hart flips over and hits a German Suplex with a bridge for two. Hart throws Edge into the turnbuckle but misses a charge. Edge sets Hart up on the top rope and tries a superplex, only to get slammed down face first. Hart jumps off the ropes and catches Edge’s feet and goes for the Sharpshooter. Edge counters it to an inside cradle for two. He hits a spinning heel kick, but then Edge notices a mysterious blonde dude at ringside. That would be the future Christian. That distraction is enough for Hart to roll up Edge and get the pin at 9:18. The psychology was all over the place but I can understand it based on how long Edge had been on TV at this point. He was already over with the crowd, and Owen was a good opponent for him.
Rating: **¾
MATCH #2: Terri Invitational Tournament, Ladder Match – New Brood vs. Edge & Christian, No Mercy, 10.17.99
The action in this one starts fast right away, but the crowd isn’t quite into it yet. Edge and Christian control the early going and make several attempts to bring in the ladders. Gangrel gets sent to the back early on, as the high flying spots start coming, slowly at first. The ladder gets involved as a weapon pretty quickly, and the crowd is popping more and more with each successive spot. I fondly remember this as the time JR couldn’t tell Matt and Jeff apart. Jeff debuts the leg drop from the top rope over the ladder here (as far as I know). Two ladders are in the ring now. That allows Edge to hit the Downward Spiral from one ladder while Jeff is on the other. I thought that was a good finisher for him at the time. Wasn’t this when he was stealing all of Kanyon’s moves? Matt then hits a neck breaker on Edge, also off the ladder. Christian hip locks Hardy off the ladder. Jeff also debuts the ladder see-saw in this match, to a loud gasp followed by an ovation. The people are definitely hooked now. All four men climb the ladders and all four get knocked down and the crowd applause just keeps getting louder. Edge and Jeff are the first ones up and the set the ladders up perpendicularly. Matt and Christian soon join them on the ladders. Edge knocks Matt off theirs, and Matt pushes Jeff and Christian’s over, but Jeff is able to step over onto the other ladder, knock Edge down, and grab the bag of money to win the match at 16:28. That match holds up shockingly well over time, and may even be better now. The spots are masterfully built up to as the match goes on, and the crowd reaction follows right along. The match literally made all four guys, as they have all been over (albeit to varying degrees) ever since.
Rating: ****½
MATCH #3: Triangle Ladder Match for the World Tag Team Championship – Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Edge & Christian, WrestleMania 2000, 4.2.00
The Dudley Boyz have been the champions since 2.27.00. I don’t expect to be calling a lot of play-by-play here. It’s a big brawl between all six guys right from the start. Various combinations of opponents fight in and out of the ring. Bubba Ray hits the first signature move, a Bubba Bomb on Jeff. Christian sets up the first ladder but quickly gets stopped, and D-Von brings another ladder into the ring. The Hardys are the first to effectively use the ladders as weapons, but everyone gets in on the act in short order. Jeff pulls off a really nice looking 450 splash, but Bubba moves and Jeff crashes into a ladder. Bubba pulls a Terry Funk, putting the ladder over his head and spinning, smashing it into everyone’s face. But then he celebrates and gets it kicked back into his face. Christian leaps off a ladder onto Matt and Bubba on the floor. Jeff tries climbing the ladder but Edge spears him down to the mat. Edge tries to climb but Matt takes him down with the Splash Mountain. Bubba and Christian are on two of the three ladders that are set up, and Bubba takes Christian down with a Bubba Cutter. The Hardys then hit their dual leg drop/splash off ladders onto Bubba, and then Christian tosses Jeff to the floor in a sick bump. Everyone gets back in the ring and climb up on the three ladders. Everyone gets knocked down, but the Dudleys get knocked down in the ring, leaving them at an advantage. They hit the 3D on Edge, but can’t resist going under the ring and bringing out the tables. They set up two ladders and set a table up on top of them. They set up two more tables just because. Bubba sets up another table right in front of the Spanish Announce Table. Meanwhile, D-Von misses a dive off a ladder and crashes through one of their tables. Bubba hits a powerbomb on Matt off the SAT and through the other table. He grabs another ladder and throws it at a charging Jeff on the floor. Bubba retrieves a very tall ladder and sets it up in the aisle. He sets up a table in front of it for some reason. Christian comes to where they are and hits Bubba with the ring bell, which sets him perfectly on the table. Jeff then climbs the ladder and hits an amazing Swanton Bomb off the top of the ladder, landing hard on his tailbone in the process. That was sick. Back in the ring Matt this D-Von with a Twist of Fate. He and Christian then climb the ladders and get up on the table. Edge climbs up on Matt’s side and pushes him off the table and through the table below, and that’s enough for Christian and Edge to grab the belts and win the titles for the first time at 22:27. That was amazing at the time, but doesn’t quite hold up as well as the previous match because some of the spots (such as Hardy’s admittedly impressive Swanton off the super tall ladder) looked a lot more contrived. Still, this was a reminder of why this was a heyday in the WWE for tag team wrestling.
Rating: ****
MATCH #4: Intercontinental Championship Match – Lance Storm vs. Edge, SummerSlam, 8.19.01
Storm has been the champion since 7.23.01. He tries to cut a boring pre-match promo, but Edge’s music thankfully cuts him off. They start with some back-and-forth chain wrestling, but Edge speeds up the pace with a flapjack, a dropkick, and a clothesline that sends Storm to the floor. Edge follows him out and brings him right back in. Storm tries countering Edge’s attack but the challenger is one step ahead. He hits a cross body off the top rope for two. Storm reverses a suplex attempt by dropping Edge’s midsection across the top rope. He then knocks Edge to the floor and catches his breath. He brings Edge back in the ring and doesn’t do much. Edge gets a quick rollup for two but Storm regains control and hits a gourd buster for two. Storm continues working over Edge’s midsection. Edge powers up but misses a dropkick. Storm tries to put on the Maple Leaf but Edge gets an inside cradle for two. The champion cuts him off again. Storm hits a Finlay Roll for two. Then for some reason he puts on a chin lock with his knee in Edge’s back, completely abandoning his earlier work on the midsection. Moments later he puts on the abdominal stretch, going back to his earlier work. Storm tries a springboard cross body and Edge catches him with a powerslam and both men are down. Back to their feet and Edge catches his second wind and hits a series of moves culminating with a spinning leg lariat that gets two. The Edge-O-Matic gets another near fall for Edge. Storm then tries a rana, as if that’s a move he so often does, and Edge catches him with a powerbomb. That more or less gets no-sold as Storm comes up with the Maple Leaf submission hold. Edge reaches the ropes and then awkwardly reverses the hold. Christian comes out to interfere and inadvertently spears Edge. Luckily Edge kicks out and Storm is frustrated. A sequence of reversals sees Edge hitting the Impaler DDT to win the title for a second time at 11:17. I remember thinking that match was great at the time, but Storm’s psychology was all over the place. Still it was a serviceable opener.
Rating: ***
MATCH #5: Championship Unification Match – Edge vs. Test, Survivor Series, 11.18.01
Test is the WWF Intercontinental Champion, and Edge is the WCW U.S. Champion at this point. They do some back and forth in the early going, with Edge hitting a couple of high flying maneuvers before Test takes over with his power. He knocks Edge to the floor and slams his chest down onto the guardrail. Back in the ring Edge hits a hip toss and a dropkick, and Test powders. Edge follows him out with a baseball slide and slams the back of Test’s head into the barricade. Back in the ring Edge hits a swinging neckbreaker for a one-count. Test comes back with a stun gun and a clothesline, and then punches Edge in the head several times. The Intercontinental Champion stays in control, wearing Edge down with various slams and rest holds. Edge makes the comeback and hits a missile dropkick for two. Test comes back with a powerslam for two. Edge recovers and tries a high cross body block but Test avoids it. Test sets Edge up on the top turnbuckle but can’t superplex Edge. He winds up going for a Flying Something, but Edge dropkicks him out of the air. Both men get back to their feet and start throwing hands. Edge takes the advantage and hits a clothesline and a spinning heel kick. He then hits that side face slam thing he was doing at this time for two. Test recovers and tries the Pump Handle Slam, which Edge reverses to the Edge-O-Matic for two. Test hits a Spear but Edge kicks out at two! He tries the big boot but misses, but he’s able to hit the Pump Handle Slam this time. Edge once again kicks out at two! Test goes for a powerbomb but Edge gets a head scissors and then a Spear for two. Edge tries the Impaler but Test reverses that and tries the Uncle Slam, which Edge reverses to a rollup for the pin at 11:19. The U.S. Title would stay buried for just over a year and a half. The match was probably one of the three best matches of Test’s career. There wasn’t much psychology to it, but the action was good and the last few minutes were hot.
Rating: ***¼
MATCH #6: Edge vs. Mr. Perfect, Sunday Night Heat, 3.3.02
You don’t see too many matches from Heat making WWE compilations. Jonathan Coachman and Tazz (before he was awesome) are on commentary here. Edge gets the first offense in, hip tossing Perfect and then dropkicking him to the floor. Back in the ring Perfect takes control and chops Edge in the corner. Perfect grabs Edge by the hair and slams him down to the mat. Edge recovers and chops Perfect in the corner and then slams him down by the hair. Perfect of course takes his ridiculous nut bump into the ring post. He soon recovers though and hits the neck snap to a nice pop. He follows up with the abdominal stretch, using the ropes for extra leverage. The referee forces the hold to be broken, and Edge comes back with a flurry of offense, hitting an Edge-O-Matic for two. Edge goes for the Spear but Perfect pulls the referee in front of him and the crowd loved that. Perfect goes out for a steel chair, but the referee recovers and disqualifies him at 3:52. Edge hits a Spear before Perfect can hit him with the chair. The match was really nothing much, but Edge was a big fan of Mr. Perfect so he wanted this match included, and I can understand that.
Rating: *
MATCH #7: Hair vs. Hair Match – Kurt Angle vs. Edge, Judgment Day 5.19.02
Angle takes early control of the matchup but Edge manages a quick rollup for two. Edge comes back and tosses Angle for the floor and follows him out with a baseball slide. He throws Angle back in Angle gets in some punches and kicks before Edge comes back with a back body drop. Edge ties Angle’s arms into the ropes and delivers a Spear, but then tries another and Angle is ale to free himself and hit a belly-to-belly suplex, sending Edge crashing to the floor. That was a nasty bump. Back in the ring Angle maintains control. He even hits a spinebuster. You don’t see that every day. A DDT by Angle gets two. Angle then puts on the chin lock but Edge won’t give in. Edge almost powers out of it but Angle slams him back down to the mat and hits a suplex for two. He puts on a front face lock, which Edge also powers out of. This time he’s able to hit a nice belly-to-belly suplex on Angle and both men are down. They get back up and Edge is on fire, hitting clotheslines and an Edge-O-Matic for two. Angle comes back with a belly-to-belly suplex for two. Edge responds by sending Angle to the floor and hitting a plancha. Back in the ring Edge goes to the top rope, and thwarts an attempt at the pop-up superplex, and hits a missile dropkick for two. Angle comes back with a release German Suplex. He tries another one and Edge gets a quick rollup for two. Edge comes back with a sit-out DDT. He goes back to the top rope and this time Angle hits the pop-up belly-to-belly superplex, and Edge kicks out at two. Edge comes back with an awesome rope-assisted DDT, and I wish he would still do that move. In fact I don’t recall ever seeing him do it besides right here. The referee gets in Edge’s way, and the distraction allows Angle to hit another suplex. He goes to the floor and grabs a chair, but Edge hits the Spear before Angle can use the chair. Unfortunately for Edge there’s no referee. He tries another Spear but Angle kicks him in the chest. He tries the Angle Slam but Edge slips out of it and hits another Spear but Angle kicks out! The crowd is really hot by this point. Edge tries the Edgecution but Angle avoids it and hits a Spear and the Angle Slam but Edge kicks out! Angle pulls the straps down and locks on the Ankle Lock. Edge reverses that with an enziguiri. Angle shakes it off and puts on the Ankle Lock again. Edge kicks him off and snags an inside cradle to score the pin at 15:30. There wasn’t a lot of selling to speak of, but both guys looked like they were legitimately fighting hard to avoid getting their head shaved, and the last few minutes were super hot.
Rating: ***½
MATCH #8: Steel Cage Match – Kurt Angle vs. Edge, Smackdown, 5.30.02
Angle is wearing the goofy head gear with a wig to cover up for his new baldness. I miss this Kurt Angle. Stu Hart is in attendance for this show, and surely if he can forgive why can’t Bret? Angle starts off aggressively and Edge keeps pace with him. Edge is such a good bad guy now sometimes I forget that he was a great good guy too. He’s the first one to use to cage as a weapon, but it also backfires on him as he charges at Angle, who moves and Edge’s shoulder crashes into the cage. Angle smells blood and goes after the shoulder now. Edge comes back with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex and a clothesline off the top rope. Angle comes back with three straight German Suplexes. He briefly tries to escape but soon goes back on offense, whipping Edge into the cage multiple times. He’s busted open now. He comes back by catapulting Angle into the cage, and hitting the Edge-O-Matic for two. Edge stays in control and hits another series of moves for a two-count. The referee accidentally gets hit with a flying Edge forearm, and Angle responds with a German Suplex. Angle’s wig is getting a little unruly here. He goes up to the top rope, but Edge follows him up and suplexes Angle down to the mat. Edge goes up top now but Angle stops him this time, and hits a Super Angle Slam. Angle climbs over the cage and down to the floor, but the referee is still unconscious so he doesn’t see it. Hulk Hogan takes it upon himself to interfere, ramming Angle face first into the cage, three times. He throws Angle back into the cage and we take a commercial break. During the break the referee awoke and he’s busy counting near-falls. Angle grabs the Ankle Lock and Edge kicks him into the cage. Edge puts on his own Ankle Lock, but Angle escapes. Angle tries climbing over the cage to escape, but Edge stops him at the top. Hogan helpfully opens the door so that Angle drops right on his nuts (a la X-Pac). Edge then pulls Angle back in and throws Angle down to the mat. Angle runs at Edge on the top rope, but Edge is able to hit a Spear to get the pin at 14:38. This was the early stages of the greatest run of awesome matches in Smackdown history.
Rating: ****
MATCH #9: World Tag Team Championship Match – Edge & Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Billy & Chuck, Smackdown, 7.4.02
Billy & Chuck have been the champions since 6.6.02, and this is their third defense. Hogan and Chuck start the match, and Hogan easily overpowers him. Chuck comes back with a series of right hands and a bodyslam. That doesn’t keep Hogan down for long, and he catches Chuck gloating and hits a series of punches and a clothesline. Hogan rakes his boot across Chuck’s face, which is “vintage Hogan.†So this has been going on at least seven years then. Edge and Billy are tagged in, and Edge hits the Edge-O-Matic for two. The champions cheat to gain an advantage and start working Edge over. The battle spills to the floor, where Rico accidentally superkicks Billy. That doesn’t keep Billy down for too long, as he bulldogs Edge off the apron into the steel steps. Back in the ring the champs keep wearing Edge down. Finally Edge makes the hot tag and the crowd loses it. He Hulks Up on both Billy and Chuck. He hits the big boot on Billy but when he goes for the leg drop Chuck comes in with a Jungle Kick. Hogan kicks out but the champions are double-teaming him now. No matter, Hogan clotheslines both of them and makes the tag to Edge. He comes off the top rope with a clothesline on both champions. He hits Chuck with the Edgecution, and then Rico trips him up. Hogan takes care of that little problem. Billy tries the Fame-Ass-Er on Edge but he avoids it and hits a Spear. Hogan is back in now and he and Edge hit a double big boot on Chuck. Edge hits a Leg Drop, Hogan hits one too, and Edge makes the pin at 10:03. That was Hogan’s first major World Tag Team Championship victory. I know there are many Hogan haters out there but this was the absolute best way to use him and this match was super fun.
Rating: ***½
MATCH #10: Edge vs. Eddie Guerrero, Unforgiven, 9.22.02
Edge wastes no time in chasing Eddie, so Eddie of course avoids the hotheaded Edge. He sneaks in and gets a quick rollup for two, and then baits Edge into chasing him outside the ring, and you know how that ends. They trade control a few times in the early going. Edge hits a powerslam for a near-fall. A vertical suplex also gets two. Eddie comes back with an awesome tornado DDT. That’s enough for Eddie to stay in control for a while. Edge comes back with a right hand from out of nowhere and that knocks Eddie down. Both men are down and the referee starts the count. Edge charges into the corner and Eddie moves. Eddie pounds Edge down in the corner and jaws with the referee. Edge gets a couple of flash pin attempts but Eddie kicks out so Edge hits a neckbreaker. He has a second wind and hits a series of offensive maneuvers, culminating in a face plant for two. The Edge-O-Matic also gets two. Eddie comes back with a chin-breaker. He tries a rope walk rana but Edge catches him in a powerbomb for a close near-fall. So many people abuse that spot but these two did it exactly right. Eddie tries a victory roll but Edge throws his face into the top turnbuckle instead. He hits the Edgecution but Eddie gets his foot on the bottom rope. Edge goes up top and puts the Miss in Missile Dropkick. Eddie pulls off the turnbuckle pad but winds up getting whipped into it himself, and then Speared back into it as well. Edge sets Eddie up top and goes for a superplex, but Eddie slams his face into the buckle and hits an awesome Sunset Bomb to get the pin at 11:57. Damn that’s an awesome finish. The match was really good too, these guys really clicked as opponents. They had their best match a few days later on Smackdown.
Rating: ***¾
~DISC 2~
MATCH #11: Intercontinental Championship Match – Edge vs. Randy Orton, Vengeance, 7.11.04
Orton has been the champion since 12.14.03, and this is his tenth defense. Edge has been the champion on four previous occasions. They start off Edge getting Orton in a headlock. He knocks Orton down with a shoulderblock and they lock up again. This time Orton gets control and goes after the arm. Orton also uses the headlock. They do a criss-cross sequence followed by more headlock. Edge gets a couple of knockdowns so Orton powders. He comes back in the ring and gains control, as the crowd feels listless. The fight eventually spills to the floor and Edge takes control out there. Back in the ring he tries to hit a Spear but gets kicked in the face, and Orton hits his back cracker for two. That leads to a long heat segment on Edge, with plenty of rest holds from Orton. Edge fights back and hits a dropkick and a neckbreaker and we get the double count. They get up and Edge is soon able to hit the Edge-O-Matic for two. Edge hits a cross body off the top rope and Orton rolls through and gets a two-count. He thumbs Edge in the eye and then removes one of the turnbuckle pads. The referee goes to put the turnbuckle pad on and Edge gets a small package but the referee doesn’t see it. Edge argues, and that gives Orton the chance to resume control. The challenger comes back and hits the Impaler for two. Lawler and Ross’s commentary in this match is really annoying. Orton tries a Double Cheat, by dropping Edge’s face on the exposed turnbuckle and putting his feet on the ropes during the pin but Edge kicks out. He tries an RKO but Edge avoids it and tries another Spear, this time Orton leap-frogs him. Orton tries the RKO again and Edge gets a backslide for two. Edge whips Orton back first into the exposed turnbuckle and finally hits the Spear to get the win at 26:37. They totally could have cut 10 minutes out of that match and I think it would have been amazing. It’s still pretty good, especially since it definitely finishes strong, but I think they had a classic in them.
Rating: ***¼
MATCH #12: Street Fight – Shawn Michaels vs. Edge, Raw, 2.28.05
It’s weird to see Michaels and Randy Orton palling around together. Both men are wearing jeans, so you know it’s really a street fight. Michaels especially came to play, as within thirty seconds of the match starting he’s using his belt as a weapon. It’s all HBK early on, and he even borrows a fan’s camera to take a picture of Edge mid butt-kicking. Michaels pulls a ladder out from under the ring, but that gives Edge time to recover and smack Michaels in the face with a trash can lid. Edge is in control now, and he brings a steel chair into the ring. He sort of hits a DDT onto the chair, but it’s enough to get Michaels bleeding and it’s a gusher. We go to commercial and come back to Edge in control, but Michaels soon makes the comeback. He goes outside the ring and brings the ladder in. Edge dropkicks it back into Michaels’s bloody face, and gets a two-count. He climbs to the top rope but Michaels recovers and throws the ladder at Edge, sending him crashing down to the floor. Both men are groggy but back in the ring. Michaels sets the ladder between the top and middle turnbuckle, but winds up taking a drop toe hold into it himself. Edge gets a two-count from that. He climbs to the top of the ladder and delivers a splash, but can’t immediately cover. Henceforth he only gets a two-count. Edge grabs the chair but Michaels is able to sweep the legs and catapult Edge into the ladder. Michaels then creams Edge with a brutal chair shot to the head. The momentum knocked Edge all the way to the floor, so he decides to grab a Kendo Stick while he’s out there. Michaels avoids it and this the flying forearm. Man, I wish any wrestler ever could equal the awesomeness of a Shawn Michaels comeback. He hits Edge with the Kendo Stick and then delivers the Flying Elbow Drop. Unfortunately, he misses the Sweet Chin Music and Edge hits him in the balls with a chair. Edge then goes outside the ring and brings in another chair. He sets up a one man con-chair-toe, but Michaels returns the favor with a well placed punch to the sack. Both men get up and Michaels tries to hit Edge with the chair but Edge gets a Spear first. Edge goes to the corner and sets up for his own version of Sweet Chin Music, but runs right into the real Sweet Chin Music and Michaels gets the pin at 15:07. I can’t imagine we’ll see a match like that on TV anytime soon, due to the blood and all, and that’s too bad because this match was awesome.
Rating: ****¼
MATCH #13: Gold Rush Tournament Final – Kane vs. Edge, Raw, 5.16.05
The winner goes on the next week to face Batista for the World Heavyweight Title. Lita accompanies Kane (whom she was “married†to at the time), while Edge’s Money in the Bank briefcase accompanies him. I feel like I’ve reviewed about a million Kane versus Edge matches. Kane overpowers Edge in the opening minutes while Batista watches on backstage. Edge sort of hits a drop toe hold into the turnbuckle on Kane and then slugs away. Kane reverses an Irish whip and tosses Edge to the floor. He follows Edge out and hits a boot to the face. Back in the ring Kane stays in control. The referee takes a slight bump but Edge is able to capitalize with a blatant low blow. Edge kicks Kane to the floor and we go to commercial. Back from the break and Edge is working on the big man’s legs. Kane tries to make the comeback but Edge is cagey enough to keep him down. Edge goes up to the second rope but Kane punches him out of the air for two. Kane hits Snake Eyes and a clothesline for another two-count. He tries a big boot but Edge avoids it and hits the Edge-O-Matic. He sets up for the Spear but Kane grabs him by the throat. Edge responds by grabbing the referee, which allows him to hit the Edgecution but Kane kicks out at two! Another Spear attempt goes awry, and Kane hits a side suplex and the crowd is pretty into Kane here. He tries the Tombstone but Edge slips out and pushes Kane right into the referee. Edge hits a Spear but there’s no referee to count. Kane sits up so Edge goes to hit him with his Money in the Bank briefcase but Kane boots him down. Lita takes control of the briefcase, and when her husband isn’t looking she slips it to Edge. Kane leaps off the top rope and Edge whacks him in the face with it. Lita then wakes the referee up and he makes the count to give Edge another title shot at 11:21. The turn may have been obvious but these two were an awesome on-screen couple for well over a year, so that’s okay with me. That match wasn’t even too bad, thanks to some sound psychology and good crowd reactions. I love JR’s outrage at Edge making out with a married woman, while months earlier her husband more or less raped her and forced her into the marriage by beating up the man she really loved.
Rating: **¾
MATCH #14: Street Fight – Matt Hardy vs. Edge, Raw, 8.29.05
This could have been a huge program, but it really only got Edge more over as a heel and kind of made Matt look like a bitch. So I guess life imitates art. Matt goes on offense right away and they take it to the floor and trade punches. They fight up into the crowd and back to the ring. Matt brings in the first weapon, a trash can lid. He hits Edge in the head with it, and then brings out a ladder. Edge predictably hits a baseball slide into Matt’s ribs, and we go to commercial. Back from the break Matt stays in control. He thwarts Edge’s attempt at a Spear by hitting him with the trash can lid again. He whips Edge into the ladder, and then drives him back into it again. Matt climbs the ladder and Edge follows him up and they trade punches again. That doesn’t go well for Edge, who gets knocked down and hit with a leg drop from the top of the ladder, but he kicks out at two. Matt brings in a chair but Edge was able to find a Singapore Cane and hits Matt in the ribs with it, and then right to the head. Edge sets up for a one man Con-Chair-Toe, but Matt sweeps the legs before the move can be completed. Both men struggle to their feet and Edge flapjacks Matt’s face into the ladder. Edge then grabs the trash can lid and obliterates Matt’s skull with it. He then delivers a vicious kick to Matt’s head, and the referee is thinking about stopping it (as he did eight days prior at SummerSlam). Edge continues abusing Matt’s head (physically, at the present moment). Matt fights back, and hits a DDT on Edge right on the steel steps. He grabs a chair but before he can use it Lita hits him with Edge’s Money in the Bank briefcase. Matt goes after her, giving Edge the chance to knock him down from behind. Back in the ring Matt runs the ladder right into Edge, and then sets him on top of it. He tries a moonsault but Edge moves out of the way. They roll back to the floor and Edge finds a trash can and hits Matt in the head with it. They start fighting up the ramp and Lita comes with them. Matt throws Edge into the set, and then goes after his former girlfriend. He goes to powerbomb her off the stage, but Edge stops that and they tease throwing each other over the edge. Eventually Matt hits the Side Effect off the stage, and there’s no closing bell but the match is a no-contest at around 15:10. Fake sparks fly and everything. Speaking of sparks, it’s amazing that this match lacked the emotional heat of the Edge versus Michaels street fight, given that Matt had a legitimate reason to actually hate Edge whereas Michaels didn’t. Some of the spots were okay, but a lot of them (chiefly the finish) looked way too choreographed for this seemingly natural blood feud. Both men get carried out on stretchers, and Edge’s selling here is tremendous.
Rating: ***
MATCH #15: WWE Championship Match – John Cena vs. Edge, New Year’s Revolution, 1.8.06
Cena has been the champion since 4.3.05, and this is his unlucky thirteenth defense. Edge is using his Money in the Bank title shot here, and handing the briefcase off to Vince McMahon on his way to the ring is a nice touch. Cena already defended the title earlier in the evening in the Elimination Chamber, so Edge is obviously the aggressor. He hits the Spear but Cena kicks out at two! Cena slowly makes his way back to his feet, and Edge hits another Spear. This time it’s enough to get the pin, and Edge wins his first WWE Championship at 1:47. It obviously wasn’t much of a match but it was a great way to pay off the first Money in the Bank match.
Rating: ½*
MATCH #16: Hardcore Match – Mick Foley vs. Edge, WrestleMania 22, 4.2.06
Foley is wearing his usual red flannel shirt underneath another flannel shirt. Edge attacks with a baseball bat but Foley avoids it. Foley whips Edge into the turnbuckle and hits a bulldog. He follows up with the Tree of Woe. Edge recovers and boots Foley down, and tells Lita to grab him a cookie sheet. He cracks Foley’s skull with it a couple of times, and also uses a road sign. He goes for the Spear and hits it, but appears somehow injured. It turns out that Foley had wrapped barbed wire underneath his shirt, and Edge’s arm is busted open. Foley cuts the wire loose and whips Edge with it. He targets the bloody arm, and gets Edge tied up in the top and middle ropes a la Andre the Giant. Foley goes to the ring steps, where he hid his barbed wire baseball bat. Lita jumps on Foley’s back to stop him, and winds up taking a nasty bump on her ass when Foley hits the Cactus clothesline, and all three tumble to the floor. Foley gets a near fall as Joey Styles calls it “vintage Foley,†so it’s not just Michael Cole who is forced to use that term. A swinging neckbreaker also gets two. He tries the running knee to the face against the steps, but Edge recovers and hip tosses Foley right into the steps. Edge then whips Foley knees first into the steps. They go back in the ring for a few seconds, and then back to the floor. Edge sets up a table and Foley helpfully climbs up on it, and then rolls off. Foley backs up the aisle, and Edge slams the back of his head onto the steel ramp, which just sounded nasty. Now they’re back in the ring for real and Edge has some lighter fluid, and he douses Foley with it. Foley comes back with some punches and a Piledriver for two. He goes for a Con-Chair-Toe but Lita makes sure that doesn’t happen. Edge hits a DDT onto a cookie sheet for two. He then picks up the barbed wire baseball bat and goes to work, busting Foley’s head open. Even so Edge still can’t put Foley away. Edge goes to the floor and finds a bag of thumbtacks, and pours them out in the ring. Of course Edge winds up taking the bump, and Foley puts on Mr. Socko, and wraps him in barbed wire! Both Edge and Lita get a taste of that. Foley then grabs the baseball bat and hits Edge in the ribs and the back. He nails him a couple of times in the face too, and now Edge is busted open. Foley picks up the lighter fluid and sprays it all over the table Edge set up moments ago. Lita blindsides him with the barbed wire bat, and then she pours more lighter fluid on the table. She lights it on fire, and Edge comes charging at Foley and Spears him off the apron and through the burning table. That’s certainly enough to get the pin at 14:37. That felt a little bit truncated, but was still really good. They had some great spots and they pulled off the finish rather well. Edge’s post-match sell is once again awesome.
Rating: ****
MATCH #17: Six-Person Tag Team Match – Terry Funk, Tommy Dreamer & Beulah vs. Mick Foley, Edge & Lita, ECW: One Night Stand, 6.11.06
Both Foley and Edge cut brilliant pre-match promos. Even Lita gets in on the action. Styles points out that Edge and Foley are both former WWE Champions, while Dreamer and Funk are both former ECW Champions. Dreamer and Edge start the match. They do some perfunctory chain wrestling and Dreamer gains an early advantage so Edge tags out to Foley. Dreamer responds by tagging in Funk. Funk wastes no time in slapping Foley around, and Foley tries to bail. The match breaks down at this point, with Funk fighting Foley on one side of the ring while Dreamer and Edge battle on the other. They make their way back to the ring and the pro-ECW team is firmly in control; both of the women watch from the apron. They’re back to the floor in short order, where Edge reverses the momentum on Dreamer, and Foley is unleashing right hands on Funk. Edge introduces a ladder to the match, ramming it into Dreamer’s face. He goes for a Spear but Dreamer avoids it and hip tosses Edge onto the ladder. Funk then recreates the Barely Legal spot with the ladder. Dreamer and Funk set the ladder up and Funk goes up for the Moonsault. Edge pushes the ladder over and Funk crashes into the mat. Dreamer goes for the Dreamer Driver on Edge, but Lita breaks it up with a low blow. Edge and Foley double-team Dreamer now, with Funk in rough shape on the floor. They bring out some plywood, and then more plywood covered with barbed wire. Foley and Edge use the barbed wire against Dreamer, but then Funk comes back in the ring and turns the tables on them. Dreamer recovers and sets the plywood up in the corner. The crowd chants for fire. Foley blocks an Irish whip into the wood, but winds up getting tossed into it soon after. Outside the ring Edge drops Dreamer nuts-first onto the guardrail. Foley comes back and throws the board onto Funk. Lita gets more barbed wire and Foley wraps it around his arm. Foley assaults the bloody Funk with the barbed wire, and Funk is doing his awesome crazy old man selling. For those wondering, Terry Funk is awesome. Officials come out and bring the injured Funk to the back, leaving the pro-ECW team at a disadvantage. The crowd chants for Sandman, and I imagine that the place would have erupted had he actually showed up. Foley brings in the barbed wire baseball bat, and Lita leg drops it right into Dreamer’s balls. Beulah looks concerned but won’t fight for her man. Foley brings out Socko and puts it on Beulah! Dreamer briefly fires up, since it’s his wife and all, but the odds are not in his favor. Foley then puts Socko on Dreamer, and Edge hits a Spear. With Dreamer out of commission they turn their focus to Beulah. Edge gets her in the pump handle position as Lita taunts her. Terry Funk returns with his head all bandaged up, sporting a barbed wire 2×4, and distracts Foley and Edge long enough for Dreamer to hit simultaneous low blows. Lita rightfully runs from Funk, who hits both Edge and Foley with the wood. They do a cut away shot here, Funk must have had trouble lighting the 2×4. He hits Foley with it, sending him crashing off the apron and into the barbed wire plywood. Edge then knocks Funk on top of Foley, and they’re tangled together in barbed wire. Back in the ring Dreamer hits a DDT on Edge and then wraps the barbed wire around his neck. Lita comes in to save him and Beulah finally gets in the ring and we have the classic ECW Cat Fight. Dreamer grabs Lita and hits the Dreamer Driver on her and then does the Raven pose with Beulah. That gives Edge the chance to hit Dreamer with a barbed wire assisted Edge-O-Matic. Then, just to be a super dick, he hits Beulah with a Spear and pins her with the most sexually suggestive cover of all time at 18:46. The look on Edge’s face just before he hit the Spear was priceless. Actually Beulah’s face just before getting hit was great too. The match was brutal and sick and awesome, probably the best match ever at One Night Stand.
Rating: ****¼
MATCH #18: WWE Championship Triple Threat Match – John Cena vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Edge, Raw, 7.3.06
RVD has been the champion since 6.11.06, and this is his third defense. I wonder what would have happened if he and Sabu didn’t get caught with pot right before this. I know he likes to think he got some kind of raw deal, but if you’re his age and still don’t know how to drive with pot without getting busted he might be the dumbest man alive. Cena and RVD both attack Edge right away. They’re not exactly double-teaming Edge, but they have some kind of understanding. Edge gets dumped to the floor by both men and we go to commercial. We come back with RVD in control of Cena; Edge is still recovering on the floor. Edge comes back in and knocks Cena to the floor, and gets a quick rollup on the champion for two. RVD gets a rollup of his own but Edge kicks him right into Cena. The champion stays in control, doing unnecessary cartwheels before a standing moonsault to get a near fall. Cena pulls Edge to the floor and RVD sails over the top rope and onto Cena. Back in the ring Cena tries the FU but RVD avoids it, and Edge clotheslines him down. Cena grabs Edge in a vertical suplex and RVD jumps off the top rope onto Edge, and all three men are down. Not surprisingly RVD is up first, and he tries the Rolling Thunder, but Edge and Cena both get up and hit a double-team modified spinebuster. Cena and Edge then clothesline each other, and once again all three men are down. They all get up and throw hands, and RVD knocks Edge down and hits a windmill kick on Cena. Edge gets up and dumps RVD to the floor. Cena hits a few of his signature moves on Edge, including the Five Knuckle Shuffle. He goes for the FU but Edge blocks it, only to get dumped to the floor. Lita tries to hit Cena with a chair but winds up taking the FU. RVD is back and nails Cena with the Van Daminator. He misses the Five-Star Frog Splash. Cena this RVD with the FU, but before he can cover Edge hits Cena with the WWE Title belt, and then covers RVD to get the pin and win the title for the second time at 8:25. That was curiously short but the action never stopped and the crowd was hot. Edge also gets extra points for celebrating before checking on his girlfriend, and then still getting to make out with her.
Rating: ***¼
BONUS MATCH: Adam Copeland vs. Christian, Cornwall, ON, 11.11.97
This match actually took place on November eleventh, not the tenth like the DVD insert says. Matt Striker is handling commentary with the man himself, which should be enjoyable. Edge was under contract at this point, but Christian was not. Both guys are really green at this point, and have really long hair. They start with some basic mat wrestling. No one really gets control for a prolonged period; they’re just showing off their moves. Given their positions at this point that’s understandable. Christian seems to get more offense, including a top rope leg drop on the back of Copeland’s head while he’s draped over the middle rope. Then he misses a flying headbutt, and Copeland gets a few moves in. Then Christian drops Copeland nuts first on the top turnbuckle and goes for a superplex. Copeland drops Christian on his face and hits a not so high cross body block, which looks like it got a three-count but really didn’t. Slight miscommunication there I suppose. Copeland then finishes the match for real with a sit-down powerbomb at an even 5:00. Both guys were just trying to impress, and they looked a lot better than others have in the same situation. They did a lot of moves, but the moves that they did looked good, so it was no surprise that both of them got great when they figured out where and when to do said moves.
Rating: *¾
BONUS MATCH: Intercontinental Championship Match – Edge vs. Jeff Jarrett, Toronto, ON, 7.24.99
Striker and Edge are on commentary again. Jarrett had been the champion since 5.31.99. Edge was put into this match at the last minute; I think Ken Shamrock missed his plane or something. Jarrett says that no one will see the puppies except him. Then Howard Finkel announces that, in fact, Shamrock had plane trouble. Jarrett wants the referee to declare him the winner, but Edge’s music hits instead. The champion attacks the plucky challenger right away. They were already scheduled to meet for the title the next night on the Fully Loaded pay-per-view. Edge gets a couple of flash pin attempts early on but can’t hold the champion down. Jarrett takes quick powder, then pulls Edge to the floor and whips him into the steps. Back in the ring Jarrett puts on the sleeper. Edge reverses it and puts on his own sleeper. Jarrett back suplexes his way out of that and both men are down. Back to their feet and Edge is on fire. He hits a swinging neckbreaker and goes up to the second rope. He misses the flying whatever, but is able to get an inside cradle for two. Jarrett goes for the rana, which he never ever does, but Edge did a sit-down powerbomb so he had to. I hate that. Edge then hits a Tornado DDT, and for some reason the referee refuses to count Edge’s pin cover. It’s because Debra is on the apron, showing off her boobs. That distraction gives Edge the chance to hit the Spear and win his first title in WWE at 4:37. It would be short lived though, as Jarrett would win it back the next night. The match was decent for the time given, but it’s a really cool bonus feature to have, since it’s never been seen before. Apparently there was some confusion over whether or not it was a title match, but Jack Lanza made the call to let Edge have it.
Rating: **
~DISC 3~
MATCH #19: WWE Championship Match – John Cena vs. Edge, SummerSlam, 8.20.06
Edge has been the champion since 7.3.06, and this is his second defense. If the champion gets disqualified he loses the title. Lita is the Women’s Champion at this point, and she’s barely got her boobs covered, so I’m enjoying this match already. Cena is 2-0 in SummerSlam matches, while Edge is 6-1. The challenger is the aggressor right at the outset, slugging away at Edge in the corner. He hits a reverse elbow and gets quick cover for two. A belly-to-belly suplex also gets two. That looked good; I don’t remember him doing that move that often. He charges at Edge in the corner, but Edge moves and Cena hits his shoulder against the ring post and then crashes down to the floor. Cena makes it back in at an eight-count, and Edge is all over him. He forearms Cena to the floor in another effort to win by count-out. This time the referee gets to nine, and Edge once again is right on top of the challenger, hitting a series of elbow drops for a two-count. Cena hits a few punches but Edge cuts him off with a spinning heel kick for two. The challenger comes back with a few punches and the modified fisherman’s suplex for two. Edge then reverses an Irish whip and tosses Cena over the top rope to the floor. Cena once again makes it back to the ring at nine. He misses a high cross body and crashes down to the mat. Edge hits a clothesline and catches his breath before going for a cover and getting another two-count. Now Edge puts on the chinlock. Cena powers out of it but Edge once again cuts him off, with a kick to the face for two. The champion goes to the top rope and Cena knocks him down. Edge avoids a superplex though, and hits a big clothesline for another close near-fall. He continues to punish Cena’s neck. Cena powers out of a modified Camel Clutch and slams Edge backwards to the mat. Lita tries to give Edge a chair, but he shakes it off, since if he gets disqualified he loses the belt you Stupid woman! That gives Cena the chance to recover, and he’s on fire. He goes for the FU but Edge reverses it to the Impaler. Edge goes up top but Cena follows him up and tries a super FU. The champ blocks that, but Cena gets a victory roll for two. Edge hits a cross body block off the second rope but Cena rolls through it and gets Edge in position for the FU. Lita gets on the apron and gets knocked down to the floor by Edge. Cena gets a quick rollup for two. A double clothesline sends both men down. They get back up and Edge hits the Edge-O-Matic. That gets two. Edge tries the Spear but Cena gets a drop toe hold and locks on the STFU. Lita thinks about using the title belt on Cena, which he begs her to do, but she remembers the DQ rule. Edge reaches the ropes, and when the referee pulls Cena off, Lita hands Edge brass knuckles. Cena tries the FU, but Lita comes in and jumps on Edge’s back, definitely not laying a hand on Cena. Lawler calls for a DQ but the referee doesn’t agree. Cena dumps Lita to the mat, and Edge slips out and levels Cena in the back of the head with the knuckles to get the pin at 15:41. I love that Edge was still able to cheat in order to hang on to his title. These two had awesome chemistry and they worked an incredibly smart match here and Cena’s hometown crowd was into it the whole way.
Rating: ****
MATCH #20: Money in the Bank Qualifying Match – Rob Van Dam vs. Edge, Raw, 2.19.07
These are the guys that won the first and second Money in the Bank ladder matches, so it’s cool that they’re wrestling in the first qualifying match. Both ended up winning the WWE Title with their shot. Edge gets a quick rollup for two. RVD hits a few of his signature spots and Edge takes a powder and we go to commercial. We’re back and RVD is in control of Edge’s arm. Edge escapes with an eye poke. He charges and RVD sidesteps him and tosses him to the floor. He follows him out and drapes him over the barricade and hits the spin kick off the apron. RVD puts Edge in the ring first, and gets stopped with a kick to the chest before he can get in the ring. Edge follows up with a swinging neckbreaker, giving himself time to recover. Another neckbreaker by Edge gets two. He continues working over the neck as the crowd gets behind RVD. He kicks his way out of the hold and they trade blows. RVD reverses an Irish whip and follows him in with a spin kick, legitimately cracking Edge’s jaw and almost knocking him out. They get back to their feet and trade punches again. RVD scores a couple of clotheslines and another kick to the face. Edge runs into another nasty kick to the face, which sounded worse than the one that actually broke the jaw. RVD tries Rolling Thunder but Edge counters with a powerslam. Edge sets RVD on the top rope and tries a superplex. RVD counters and drops Edge nuts first on the top rope. He jumps off the top rope and kicks poor Edge in the face again, sending him to the floor. RVD slingshots himself onto Edge, and then goes to the top rope. Edge dropkicks him out of the air for a two-count. RVD avoids a Spear and winds up with yet another kick to the face. He hits a split-legged moonsault for two. Edge tries another Spear and misses, and gets kicked in the face again. RVD goes up for the Five-Star Frog Splash, but Randy Orton comes out and gets on the apron. He gets dropkicked down, but the distraction gives Edge the chance to finally hit the Spear to get the pin and qualify for Money in the Bank at 10:38. Knowing that Edge’s jaw was broken made this match painful to watch at times, but the work was really good here, an excellent match for free TV.
Rating: ***½
MATCH #21: Randy Orton vs. Edge, Raw, 4.30.07
This is right after the Rated-RKO era, and both men are still heels. It’s also the night after they both challenged John Cena in a four-way match for the WWE Title at Backlash (Shawn Michaels was the fourth man). I miss Orton’s theme song from this time. Edge slaps Orton right away and the fight is on. Orton gets an Irish whip and Edge bails, so Orton follows him. Back in the ring Orton returns the favor with a thumb to the eye. He chokes Edge in the corner and throws some punches and stomps. A knee drop to the chest gets two. Orton stays on offense, mixing in dirty tricks of course. He knocks Edge from the apron to the floor as we go to commercial. Back from the break and Orton is still in control. Edge is able to grab Orton’s tights and pull his shoulder into the ring post. He spears Orton off the apron, who talks an awesome bump onto the commentator’s table. Edge grabs Orton and brings him back in the ring but only gets a two-count. He stays in control, focusing on Orton’s shoulder. The crowd seems to hate Edge more than Orton, which is interesting to note. Edge goes to the top rope but Orton knocks him down and tries a superplex. That gets blocked and Edge goes up for the flying something and Orton dropkicks him out of the air. They get up and trade right hands until Edge pokes Orton in the eye. Orton hits the inverted backbreaker and Edge kicks out at two. A powerslam by Orton gets another two. Edge comes back with the Edge-O-Matic for two. Both men try a cross body block and knock the wind out of each other. Edge gets up first and takes the pad off one of the turnbuckles. The referee catches him, giving Orton the chance for an O’Connor roll for two. Edge counters to one of his own for two, but gets up and runs right into an Orton clothesline. Orton hits some mounted punches in the corner, which Edge reverses to a Snake Eyes. He rolls Orton up and puts his feet on the ropes but the referee catches him. Orton tries the same thing and also gets caught. He’s busted open from the Snake Eyes. Orton tries the RKO but Edge counters with an Impaler, which only gets two! Edge misses a Spear and Orton gets ready for the RKO. It gets blocked and Edge hits a Spear to get the pin at 12:57. Everything about that match just clicked, from the offense to the selling to the psychology, everything. The crowd sort of adopted Orton as a de-facto babyface and it gave the match a pretty unique dynamic. What a great match.
Rating: ****
MATCH #22: World Heavyweight Championship Match – Undertaker vs. Edge, Smackdown, 5.11.07
Undertaker has been the champion since 4.1.07, and this is his third defense. The match starts with Undertaker flat on his back from the steel cage match with Batista and the beating at the hands of Mark Henry. Edge goes for a quick cover but Undertaker kicks out, twice. Undertaker tries to sit up but can’t. He uses the ropes to pull himself up, and Edge cuts him down with a spear to win his first World Heavyweight Title (third World Title overall) at 1:23. This feud would continue on and off (mostly on) for the next year and a half.
Rating: ¼*
MATCH #23: Last Chance World Heavyweight Championship Match – Batista vs. Edge, Vengeance, 6.24.07
Edge has been the champion since 5.11.07, and this is his third defense. If the champion successfully retains the title tonight, Batista will not get another shot as long as Edge holds the title. Eight-time NWA World Champion Harley Race is at ringside. I actually miss JBL on commentary. Batista overpowers Edge to start. He wears the champion down and goes after the arm. A big side suplex gets a near-fall. Batista charges at Edge, who ducks and sends Batista crashing to the floor. Edge tries jumping off the apron, but Batista catches him and slams his back into the apron. He tries to run Edge into the ring post, but Edge slips out and throws Batista into the post head first. Batista gets back to the ring apron, but Edge grabs him and rams his shoulder into the ring post, and Batista crashes to the floor again. A baseball slide sends Batista crashing into the barricade. Back in the ring and Edge continues working over the arm. Batista briefly fires up but misses a charge in the corner and rams his own shoulder into the post. Edge keeps Batista on the mat, and even withstands a Samoan Drop attempt and keeps working on the arm. Batista forearms his way out of the hold and runs Edge back into the turnbuckle. The Champion hits a charging Batista with a boot to the face. Edge runs at Batista and gets leveled with a clothesline, and both men are down. They get back to their feet and Batista has caught his second wind. He hits a Boss Man Slam for two. Edge comes back with an Impaler DDT for two. The Champ tries to use his belt as a weapon but the referee stops him. The momentary distraction allows Batista to get a quick rollup for two. Edge comes back with a rollup of his own for two. Batista tries a powerslam but Edge counters to the Edge-O-Matic and both men are down. Edge sets up for the Spear but Batista hits one instead. He goes for the Batista Bomb but Edge hits a blatant low blow to get himself disqualified at 12:46. Smackdown General Manager Theodore Long isn’t happy with that, so he comes out and orders Edge to get back to the ring and waives the DQ rule. The bell re-rings and Edge is taking out his frustration on the challenger. He hits a Spear but Batista kicks out at two! Edge goes outside and grabs a chair, but then remembers that he can’t get himself DQ’d and save the title. Batista gets a small package for two, and then goes for the Batista Bomb. Edge slips out and gets clotheslined to the floor. Batista follows him out but winds up getting thrown into the steel steps. Edge tries a Spear but gets kicked in the face and then Batista hits a Batista Bomb on the floor. Batista knows he has to pin Edge in the ring, so he shoves the champion in first, but can’t beat the 10-count himself and Edge wins at 2:05 (total match time 14:51). I have to admit, that’s a pretty clever finish. I’m not always the biggest fan of re-starts, but this one worked. The match was probably the best these two ever had, it especially got hot when Batista started making his comeback. As a side note, Batista got his next title shot less than a month later at The Great American Bash, and would win the title two months after that. So don’t feel too bad for him here.
Rating: ***½
MATCH #24: World Heavyweight Championship Match – Rey Mysterio vs. Edge, Royal Rumble, 1.27.08
Edge has been the champion since 12.16.07, and this is his second defense. Vickie Guerrero is wheeled out to ringside by her assistant Theodore Long. Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder are coming out as well. Edge actually gets a pretty good face pop for his introduction. In fact when Rey hits offensive maneuvers the crowd boos. Edge winds up dumping Rey to the floor where Hawkins and Ryder look like they might want to interfere, so the referee sends them to the back. Rey goes for the 619 and then hits a dive to the floor and looks to the back to make sure Hawkins and Ryder aren’t coming out. Back in the ring Edge goes to work on Rey’s surgically repaired knee, even applying the Half Boston Crab. Rey makes a few brief comebacks but Edge is able to cut him off every time. Rey makes a comeback and gets a couple of near falls but Edge is always able to kick out. Rey hits a double stomp off the top rope and Edge once again kicks out. Edge tries to powder but Rey slides under the bottom ropes and is able to hit a DDT on the floor. Remember when Jake Roberts DDT’d Ricky Steamboat on the floor in 1986 and it was like death? Yeah Edge kicks out of this. I’m just saying the business has changed, that’s all. Rey tries to run at Edge but gets a kick to the face. Rey is able to come back and hit the 619 and a splash from the top rope but Vickie Guerrero jumps out of her wheelchair and pulls the referee out of the ring. Rey is angry, but avoids an Edge charge and sets him up for the 619, and he winds up hitting Vickie with it as well. He tries a springboard DDT but Edge spears him out of the air to get the win and retain the title at 12:34. The match itself was solid if unspectacular. It was clear though that Edge was carrying the brunt of the action, as Rey just doesn’t appear to have much left. I think the injuries have just had such a deleterious effect on his body.
Rating: **¾
MATCH #25: Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match for the Vacant World Heavyweight Championship – Undertaker vs. Edge, One Night Stand, 6.1.08
The World Title was stupidly vacant at this point, and Vickie Guerrero was all over TV hyping the feud. I admit it makes sense to book Edge in this kind of match since it’s his specialty, but the feud was pretty drawn out at this point, the fourth straight PPV match between them. Also, the ridiculous stipulation of Undertaker leaving if he loses just makes it even more irritating. I mean, that probably would have worked in 1994 or something, but come on. Undertaker takes the early advantage by slugging on Edge and going after the arm right away. He hits the Old School and lands a boot to the face. Undertaker tries to bring a ladder into the ring but Edge kicks it right back into his face. Edge goes for a table and sets one on top of another outside the ring. On the other side of the ring Undertaker recovers and hits Edge with the ladder two times. Undertaker then goes over and makes Edge’s stack of two tables into a stack of four tables. That gives Edge a chance to recover though, and he dumps Undertaker into the steel ring steps. Edge then brings a ladder in the ring and climbs up part way, but Undertaker gets back in the ring and pulls him into the ropes. They take turns throwing each other face first into a ladder set up in the corner. They each get up and try climbing the ladder. Undertaker shoves Edge off first, but Edge comes bouncing back and knocks Undertaker down. Undertaker recovers first and hits Snake Eyes onto a ladder. He follows that with a ladder assisted boot to the chest. They go to the floor and Undertaker hits Edge with a chair a few times. He tries the legdrop on the apron but Edge puts a chair up. Edge goes right after the knee, hitting it again with a chair. He sets up a ladder between the apron and the guardrail, but Undertaker recovers and slugs him. He sets up for the Last Ride but Edge slips out and hits a low blow. He then clobbers Undertaker with a chair shot. He follows it up with another solid shot. Edge brings a table over by the announce table and hits a splash on Undertaker to break the table. Undertaker gets back in the ring only to get hit with a vicious spear. Edge then uses the ladder as a weapon to attack Undertaker’s knee. He uses a chair as well. Undertaker fights back to his knees and Edge hits him in the face with a chair again. And I realize that Mick Foley really is not great on commentary and if I were Vince McMahon I’d yell at him too. Edge goes for another chair shot but this time Undertaker hits a low blow. Undertaker then chokeslams Edge onto the ladder that Edge himself had set up earlier. Undertaker goes to climb the ladder, but Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins come out to interfere. They set Undertaker up between two tables, but he fights them off and throws one of them from the top rope through a table at ringside. Don’t worry, the other one gets one too. Edge Spears Undertaker from the apron to the floor and sets up a stack of two tables. Edge climbs the ladder but Undertaker grabs him and delivers the Last Ride through the table stack. Why would Edge set up those tables like that if he was just going to go for the belt? Stuff like that is so stupid. Undertaker starts climbing now, and this time Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely run out. The crowd is booing not because they have heat, but because this is a lazy, stupid way to do this match. He clobbers them with a chair and goes up the ladder again. This time Edge throws him from the ring through the four table stack at ringside (think Bubba Ray Dudley at SummerSlam ‘00). That gives Edge the time he needs to climb the ladder and reclaim the World Heavyweight Championship for a third time at 23:21. The match was good up to a point, but had such obvious setups for the big bumps that the match suffered. The run-ins also got a little irritating, since they’ve relied on them so much. Sadly, the matches between these two never lived up to what they did at WrestleMania XXIV.
Rating: ***¼
MATCH #26: Hell in a Cell Match – Undertaker vs. Edge, SummerSlam, 8.17.08
Undertaker’s “gone forever†lasted just over two months. At least they had a good excuse to bring him back, as Vickie was trying to get back at Edge. This is Undertaker’s ninth Hell in a Cell match, while Edge is making his first appearance. Edge tries to gain the early advantage but Undertaker overpowers him. He quickly throws Edge to the floor and starts using the cell as a tag team partner. Undertaker hits his legdrop on the apron and brings the steps into the ring. He sets them up in the corner and delivers Snake Eyes. Edge comes back and is able to whip Undertaker into the steps. Edge hits a low dropkick into the steps and then a spear. Edge grabs a table out from under the ring, then goes back in and hits Undertaker with the steps. Edge sets up two tables at ringside and tries to suplex Undertaker on them but Undertaker blocks it and goes for the chokeslam but Edge blocks that. Edge uses a steel chair to clobber Undertaker and now introduces ladders to the fray. He sets Undertaker up on a table and hits a chair-assisted elbow drop off the ladder. That only gets two. Edge tries a con-chair-toe but Undertaker blocks it and knocks Edge down with a punch. Undertaker boots Edge off the apron and he hits up against the cage and then knocks his head on the ring apron. Undertaker rams the steps into Edge’s side, particularly the head. Undertaker tries to ram Edge into the cage again but Edge blocks it and throws Undertaker into the steel post. He then sets up the steps and sets Undertaker against the wall of the cage and he hits a running jumping spear and they break the wall down. They fight outside the cage, with Undertaker holding the advantage. He tries to hit Edge with a TV monitor but misses, but Edge doesn’t miss his. Edge spears Undertaker from one table to the next and that table breaks; cool spot. They make it back to the ring and Edge nails Undertaker with a ladder. He grabs one of the ringside cameras and hits Undertaker with that. It only gets two. He goes for a Spear but Undertaker catches him with a chokeslam. Undertaker sets up for the Last Ride but Edge hits a low blow. He follows up with the Impaler for a two-count. Undertaker sits up and goes for the Last Ride. Edge avoids it and hits a Spear for two. Edge does the idiotic corner punches and Undertaker hits the Last Ride or a very close near fall. Undertaker tries a tombstone from the steel steps but Edge slips out and hits the Edge-O-Matic. Edge can still only get two. Edge tries for Old School but Undertaker blocks it and delivers a chokeslam through the two tables Edge had set up earlier. Back in the ring Undertaker hits a Spear. He hits Edge with a camera and then sets up a con-chair-toe. He flattens Edge’s head and delivers a Tombstone Piledriver to get the pin at 26:42. I saw a lot of wildly variant reviews of this one, but I have to say I really liked it. I love how Edge worked the match, and I like Undertaker giving Edge everything he took himself. It may have been a tad long, but what was there was mostly really good and much better than their TLC match. Undertaker spots Edge moving on the video wall, so he goes back to the ring and sets up a ladder. He puts Edge on the ladder in a terribly stupid looking spot. Undertaker grabs another ladder and climbs it, and the picture quality changes to appear more cinematic, and with video footage of Undertaker’s past. He chokeslams Edge down and the ring breaks. The hole that Edge is in then starts on fire, I guess to simulate Hell. Well the match was good, but that post-match stuff was brutally stupid.
Rating: ****
The Pulse: Nine matches reach four stars or higher, and eleven more matches are three stars or higher. This is a great three-disc set of matches, highlighting Edge’s work with John Cena, Undertaker, and Shawn Michaels. Also, the two bonus matches are nice inclusions and exactly what bonus matches should be. It’s a little light on Edge’s tag team past, but for the overall quality of the matches this one gets an enthusiastic thumbs up.
