A2Z Analysiz: WWE No Mercy 2005 (Batista, Eddie Guerrero)

Wrestling DVDs

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Toyota Center – Houston, TX – Sunday, October 9, 2005

Michael Cole and Tazz are calling the action for this SmackDown brand pay-per-view.

~MATCH #1~
The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal & Heidenreich) & Christy Hemme defeat MNM (Mercury, Nitro & Melina) at 5:55. Heidenreich and Animal are the WWE Tag Team Champions, but the titles are not on the line here. The LOD starts off hot but MNM withstands the early onslaught and goes to work on Animal’s heavily taped shoulder. When Animal recovers he and Heidenreich clean house and Hemme gets tagged in she goes crazy on Melina. With Mercury and Nitro out of the picture, Animal puts Melina on his shoulders and Hemme delivers the flying clothesline off the top rope to complete the Doomsday Device. That’s enough to get the pin. Brisk, fun opener with a cute finish.
Rating: **¼

~MATCH #2~
Bobby Lashley defeats Simon Dean at 1:56. In a pre-match promo, Dean says that if he doesn’t win tonight, he will eat 20 double cheeseburgers. This is Lashley’s PPV debut. Dean does the best he can, even trying to use the tray his burgers are sitting on, but nothing helps. Lashley destroys Dean and finishes him off with the Dominator. More of a TV-type squash, but it was effective at least.
Rating: *

~MATCH #3~
WWE United States Champion Chris Benoit defeats Booker T, Christian, and Orlando Jordan in a Fatal 4-Way match at 10:26 to retain the title. Benoit has been the Champion since 8.21.05, and this is his fifth defense. It’s chaos from the start, as tags aren’t necessary here. Christian and Jordan work together to start, but I wouldn’t expect that to last. The action never stops, with all four men going for the victory every change they get. In the end, Benoit isolates Christian and forces him to tap out to the Sharpshooter. Fun, non-stop action here and the Champion looks strong in going over two top contenders and also Orlando Jordan.
Rating: ***¼

~MATCH #4~
Mr. Kennedy defeats Hardcore Holly at 8:48. This is Kennedy’s PPV debut. Holly dominates the brash newcomer, hoping to teach him a lesson in humility. He wastes little time throwing “the best dropkick in the business,” as Cole is so fond of saying. Kennedy fights back and works on Holly’s arm, which is good strategy given Holly’s injury history and move-set. The battle up on the ropes, and that puts Holly in perfect position for Kennedy to hit the Green Bay Plunge and get the win. This was a Velocity main event on pay-per-view, but at least the new guy went over strong.
Rating: **

~MATCH #5~
JBL (w/ Jillian Hall) defeats Rey Mysterio at 13:08. Mysterio uses his speed and quickness to frustrate JBL and tire him out in the opening minutes. JBL cheats every chance he gets to help himself take control. He works a slow pace with a lot of power moves, and Mysterio tries to do the exact opposite, natch. Late in the match, Mysterio is able to connect with the 619, and he goes up for the West Coast Pop. JBL avoids it and destroys Mysterio with the Clothesline from Hell to get the pin. Typical stuff between these two – decent big man v little man matchup.
Rating: **½

~MATCH #6~
Randy Orton & Bob Orton defeat Undertaker in a Handicap Casket Match at 19:16. I like how Cowboy Bob is dressed like it’s a normal day for him. He’s also just slightly past his prime at age 54, but still worth enough to help his son take the early advantage. Undertaker gets some offense in, but the Ortons control a bulk of the match, even hitting a double superplex, which is awesome. Cowboy Bob gets knocked into the casket and takes some time to recover. When he does, he’s found a fire extinguisher. Undertaker prevents him from using it, but I’m sure it’ll be back. Cowboy Bob gets stuffed in the casket and the lid is closed, leaving Undertaker and Randy alone. Undertaker connects with the Last Ride and goes to stuff Randy in the casket, but Cowboy Bob pops out with the fire extinguisher and blinds the Undertaker! Randy hits the RKO, and then decks Undertaker with the fire extinguisher. Even that’s not enough to keep Undertaker down, as he pulls Randy into the casket with him and closes the lid. Cowboy Bob opens it, allowing Randy to grab a chair and blast Undertaker in the face with it. Finally, that’s enough to get the win. This never really got particularly interesting, and Cowboy Bob made this feel less than the WrestleMania or SummerSlam match.
Rating: **

~MATCH #7~
Juventud (w/ Psicosis & Super Crazy) defeats WWE Cruiserweight Champion Nunzio (w/ Vito) at 6:42 to win the title. Nunzio has been the Champion since 8.6.05, and this is his second defense. Juventud works a fast pace with many pinfall attempts, while Nunzio tries to slow it down and work on the mat. I notice something about Nunzio during this match – he’s terrible. Anyway, Juventud hits a Northern Lights Suplex and then rolls it into the Juvy Driver to get the pin and win the title for the fourth time (first time in WWE). This was standard Velocity-level fare, barely worthy of a spot on a pay-per-view.
Rating: *¾

~MATCH #8~
World Heavyweight Champion Batista defeats Eddie Guerrero to retain the title at 18:42. Batista has been the Champion since 4.3.05, and this is his seventh defense. This was when Eddie was playing a heel while trying to convince everyone he was really a babyface. It’s also Eddie’s last pay-per-view match. Eddie tries to outwrestle the champion early, and the champion uses his power to combat him. They engage in a test of strength, which obviously goes Batista’s way. Eddie climbs the ropes and kicks his way out, only to get slammed back down to the ring. He rolls to the floor to take a breather. Back in the ring the champion takes control for a bit with a headlock and Eddie uses his quickness to escape the hold. Batista regains control and throws Eddie around, causing the challenger to roll to the floor again. Eddie picks up a steel chair but decides not to use it. Batista is angry anyway and tries to bring Eddie into the ring by the throat. Eddie counters by dropping Batista’s neck on the top rope and hits a Frog Splash to the back. That gets a near fall and Eddie goes to work now. He puts on a half Boston Crab and Batista reaches the ropes. Eddie detaches the tag rope from the corner and like with the chair then decides not to use it. He locks on a body scissors and Batista actually reverses it into a bearhug. Eddie escapes and kicks Batista in the face, which only makes him mad. He charges and Eddie dropkicks his knee, and then sort of tries to put on the Texas Cloverleaf. Batista gets a small package out of it for two. Eddie accidentally knocks the referee down and hits a DDT on the champion. He gets a mischievous look on his face, knowing he can cheat without getting caught now. He brings the chair in but once again decides not to use it. Batista sees it and once again gets mad, so he starts throwing Eddie around. He hits a Spear and shakes the ropes. He goes for the Batista Bomb and Eddie slips out and tries a sunset flip. Batista blocks that and hits a spinebuster. He crawls over to make the cover and Eddie kicks out. Batista tries to drop an elbow and he somehow hits Eddie’s knees. Eddie hits the Three Amigos. He’s technically the heel here but the crowd loves him. He tries the Frog Splash but Batista moves and he rolls through. Batista catches him with a spinebuster to get the pin. They had a couple of awkward looking spots right near the end there, but mostly that was a good back and forth match. I think they could have done better in a rematch with Eddie as an all-out heel. I’m not sure what’s up with Batista going over on his setup move either. Eddie extends his hand and Batista shakes it.
Rating: ***¼

A2Z Analysiz
I was counting on the main event to save this show, and while it was good it fell far short of great. The United States title four-way match was good fun but not amazing, and the rest of the card was pretty blah. Most of the matches felt no different than stuff that would be on TV, making this a rather forgettable effort all-around.

I grew up and now I write for Inside Pulse. Oh, and one time I saw a blimp!