I WIN~!

[Guest the pinjockey]

God, I can't believe I am going to agree with a guy who has Michael Cole in his sig. I just found the match to be boring. Just because HBK is a cripple who tooks bumps does not mean I have to say I am entertained by them. I will give him all of the respect in the world but I did not enjoy the match. I also thought it was ridiculous that it went from HBK's back is nearly destroyed, to being fine, to it being destroyed again. They really did not do anything that Tommy Dreamer hasn't done (useless weapons, chair shots) and it went 27 minutes which if that was a Raw hardcore match going 27 minutes people would be begging for Vince McMahon's head on a platter.

[Guest The Ruthless Aggressor]

I guess I'm the only one that likes to live in the present. Hopefully after a second viewing you can all take your heads out of your asses.

[Guest The Ruthless Aggressor]

The greatest thing is that after Keith most likely slates it, you'll be pretending you thought it sucked all along.

[Guest bob_barron]

My head was in my ass cause I enjoyed a fun and entertaining match where HBK proved us all wrong?

 

I admit it- The beginning sucked and I was ragging on it.

 

But then HBK kicked it into high gear and I loved it. Excuse me for marking out

[Guest African American]

You'd see the match for a fucking elbow from a ladder? The spots were completely average for today's standards.

I'd like to know what exactly you consider "today's standards". As someone else said.. what more can you ask of Shawn Michaels? He's been out for 4 damn years with an injury and the spots that he took tonight were awesome in my view. This match in my opinion was the match of the night by far. The build up going into the match may have not been the best, but using it the story of the match was told perfectly. A hot crowd never seems to hurt either.

 

To me the worst match was probably Jericho/Flair.. just filled with too many chops and punches and seeing y2j tap to the figure 4 after only 30 seconds while Flair was in the same move for 2 minutes worsened the match. (didnt see Taker/Test so dont know how bad that was )

[Guest Brian]

Here's what I saw:

 

HBK set expectation intentionally low. Thsi was a good match. The pace at first was methodical, building off the fact that HBK has a bad back and Hunter wanted to prove to him that this was a bad idea. The only break was when HHH went looking for the sledgehammer which took too long. The next phase of the match they built out of that but HBK failed to sell the back. On a night where selling was pretty mediocre as a whole, this was not a big deal. They slowly start building off old matches with HBK, using things like the boot and the ladder. The finish was excellent. As a brawl this was the best, most layered I've seen since the HHH/Foley matches.

[Guest The Ruthless Aggressor]

I don't care if the guy was out for 4 years. I don't want to see him again. Just because he was out for so long it doesn't make an average match awesome. I'm sick of people telling me what to expect with Michaels, I would expect him to just leave forever since he's useless, and he's taking time away from stars who should be the future of the company. What was the point of him coming back and ruining a great legacy with an average match like that?

[Guest Shanghai Kid 2002]

The point was that the match was above average, and it entertained mostly everybody who saw it. The only guys who probably weren't entertained by it are the over analysists who like to nit pick everything. Just throw the fucking clipboard down and try to enjoy the match. The match was at least ***.

[Guest bob_barron]

I don't care if the guy was out for 4 years. I don't want to see him again. Just because he was out for so long it doesn't make an average match awesome. I'm sick of people telling me what to expect with Michaels, I would expect him to just leave forever since he's useless, and he's taking time away from stars who should be the future of the company. What was the point of him coming back and ruining a great legacy with an average match like that?

But everyone like disagress with you and thinks it was very good so he didn't ruin his legacy.

[Guest Mindless_Aggression]

The match was awful.

 

It COULD have been good if HBK sold it like he was about to die. But no, nip up, splash through the table, elbow drop off the ladder, all of that nonsense. I'm sorry but if you're selling the match based on him having a broken back then he NEEDS TO SELL THE BACK. He did not. Was it better than expected? Certainly, i'll agree there. Could I give it ***? Yes...if it had 10 minutes chopped off of it. It did not. And there for, it bored the piss out of me. And yes, HBK was ballsy to do what he did but just because HE did it does not make it any better than if Rey Mysterio or the friggin Big Show did it. It was still a bad match. Sorry.

[Guest WaylonMerciless]

Since everyone no-sold my comments I'll just re-iterate that I did like that match, but I wished they had given it an old school HBK is in a fight for his life feel to it instead of HBK's miraculous healing in mid-match. I think it would have been off the charts......eerie emotion filled make you have goose bumps kinda match. That art form in wrestling is pretty much gone. Probably due to the lack of selling abilities with most of today's stars.

 

So I agree........it's about a *** in my book too.

[Guest bob_barron]

The WWE could give Benoit v. Eddy with a clean fish and a hot crowd and give it 60 minutes-

 

Yet you guys would still bitch

[Guest The Ruthless Aggressor]

So because I'm not entertained by a steroid freak and a cripple brawling weakly for 27 minutes I'm a whiner?

[Guest bob_barron]

Pretty much yea

[Guest the pinjockey]

The WWE could give Benoit v. Eddy with a clean fish and a hot crowd and give it 60 minutes-

 

Yet you guys would still bitch

If they did this just after Benoit's neck surgery, emphesised the injury, had Guerrero work the neck the entire match, then Benoit did a kip up and a swindive headbutt youre damn right I would not buy it.

 

I really don't care about HHH or HBK therefore don't care about the backstory or drama involved so the match becomes a typical hardcore match that went way to long and bored me.

[Guest The Ruthless Aggressor]

Well you're entertained by William Regal's matches, so your opinion doesn't count.

[Guest WaylonMerciless]

The WWE could give Benoit v. Eddy with a clean fish and a hot crowd and give it 60 minutes-

 

Yet you guys would still bitch

 

Not me........sounds good.

 

I just think the longer we pop for a poorly done match the worse the matches are going to get. That's why my biggest markout moment of the night was hearing the "Rocky Sucks" chants........it's about damn time!!!

[Guest AlwaysPissedOff]

Retched first part aside, I got into the match and would give it at least ***. Kip-up and Skin the Cat aside, the match was pretty good to me and the finish shocked me to say the least. Also, the post-match beatdown worked for me as HHH looked like an uber-dick for beating the fuck out of Shawn with the sledge.

[Guest deadbeater]

Damn, damn, damn, damn. That match is EXACTLY how a long puroresu match is performed: a short face set, followed by a lengthy heel kicking ass segment, followed by a human highlight film featuring massive finishers kicked out at 2 and 9/10 count, and fantastic misses. One in which one of the performers has a bad back going in, and the other mercilessly target the back. It had Muta scale blading, the face interacting with the crowd, it has it all. Yet some people here treat it like it was the Trish/Jackie match a few weeks back.

 

I am a real HBK and HHH hater. But even I can tell that thus was no 'ordinary hardcore match'. It had all the emotional angst that no one since Mick Foley put forth during a match. Some people are just too jaded.

[Guest WaylonMerciless]

Personally I don't think it had the emotional angst........I just can't get emotional about a guy who says his back is all messed up then no-sells a vicious back beating.

 

That match COULD have had emotional angst.......yes I've said this three times now......but it didn't. I still think they dropped the ball in the "emotional angst" department......HOWEVER.......I still enjoyed the match.

[Guest the pinjockey]

I also thought the post match beat down was pretty ridiculous. By all accounts HBK should be dead and any time they make something like that it kills it for me because I can not suspend belief that much. A sledgehammer being rammed into someone's head ok that I can believe, but a full swing with a sledgehammer to the top of someone's back could legitamately kill or likely paralyze someone. And I know at some point HBK will show up again and it will be like Hunter no-selling death with the car falling. A beat-down fine, a big injury works for me, a sledgehammer swing to someone's broken back you should never be seen again and I doubt that will happen.

[Guest NoCalMike]

I was suprisingly entertained by the match. Although I would say the best WRESTLING match on the card and overall was RVD/Benoit. HBK had some nice spots, but the beginning of the match was quite painful to sit through. The match was really lame until HBK started jumping off every corner of the ring.

 

The weird thing is that HBK seemed more "hurt" in the beginning of the match via he would climb the ropes slow, stay down forever when he was hurt, then as the match went on he mysteriously got better and just recooperated and forgot that the build-up to this match was that he is broken-down has-been. Now I did ENJOY the match, but I see people who usually criticize other wrestlers/matches for the same things that went on in this match numerous times, yet claim this match is the MOTY......

[Guest Trivia247]

Jeez Someone Sounds So Bitter over Shawns Performance... WHAAAA everyone likes his Match NOOOOOO He's not allowed to have a decent match WHAAAAAA What are you expecting from him to be a good match? You call what he does Average??? The reason why people pop is because Shawn Pulled it off. We all expected just a Brawl Fest. But he actually Pulled off his moves And then leaping back up for more, Nothing like his last WWF match when his back was freshly broken.

 

and you complain about the first 10 minutes? When they book the match reminding everyone of his back, you have to expect Ring psychology and ginger moves before He Explodes.

 

Guy pulled off a Superplex, a Plancha a Pescado a Big elbow from atop of a Ladder and STILL Jumps back up

 

I was skeptical too about this match, but this was really great match for Michaels, He blew away The expectations of Many on this board really.

 

It sounds like you condemned the match before it even happens and just kept the blinders on because of the Combatants,

 

Geez what would have made you happy? Shawn Michaels Busting out some Hurricanranas a Shooting star??? a Moonsault, No Wait thats AVERAGE right...How about a DOUBLE JUMP Moonsault! and Maybe a Hayabusa style Phoenix Splash ....Would that had made you happy? Probably not, He could have pulled off another Iron man match and you wouldn't be satisfied.....

[Guest godthedog]

I was suprisingly entertained by the match. Although I would say the best WRESTLING match on the card and overall was RVD/Benoit. HBK had some nice spots, but the beginning of the match was quite painful to sit through. The match was really lame until HBK started jumping off every corner of the ring.

 

The weird thing is that HBK seemed more "hurt" in the beginning of the match via he would climb the ropes slow, stay down forever when he was hurt, then as the match went on he mysteriously got better and just recooperated and forgot that the build-up to this match was that he is broken-down has-been. Now I did ENJOY the match, but I see people who usually criticize other wrestlers/matches for the same things that went on in this match numerous times, yet claim this match is the MOTY......

i believe they were building a story that it was taking a while for shawn to know his way around the ring and actually be himself again. he slowly gains momentum and becomes more & more like 'the showstopper'.

[Guest NoCalMike]

Errr, yah, like I said, they built up this match of HBK having a nearly a broken back and HBK saying himself, "I am not the showstoppa anymore" yet there was no hesitation in taking back bumps......I think this match was the 2nd best of the night, and it was GOOD. I was very entertained. I was just pointing out that the first 10 minutes is what makes me put RVD/Benoit over it as Match of the night

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

Okay, sure, it was a Clique festival. It was a much better than average Clique festival, and hell, it was better than today's average WWE wrestling match.

 

Even "BretHart4Ever" isn't afraid to say he liked it. Deal.

[Guest DARRYLXWF]

Keith gave it ****

[Guest Jobber of the Week]

And this rant you quote from is at....?

 

 

 

EDIT: Nevermind

[Guest art_vandelay]

Is it safe to say that God did a good job by telling Shawn to work this match?

 

I can understand the gripes about the no-selling of the back, but if he did sell the back throughout the match, how else was he going to be able to pull off all those spots? Triple H might as well have just squashed him. If those spots weren't in the match, I can guarantee the audience wouldn't have enjoyed the match as much as they did, and the purpose of any match is to entertain. Demonstrations of great physical ability entertain fans, that includes; kip-ups, dives off of ladders, etc. Take into account that the man performing these moves has led us to believe that he couldn't even wrestle a match without the risk of permanent damage; it creates a sense of shock for the audience.

 

Case in point: With all psychology aside, expectations about Shawn's ability to physically perform were greatly exceeded. Many who judge matches based on how realistic they are may really dislike this match, but those who can be greatly impressed by physical feats can overlook it's fakeness. The same can be loosely applied people who like/dislike Lucha Libre. A lot of people only see it as gymnastics, while others love it for it's great physicality. Everybody has a different taste, it's all a matter of how you enjoy your wrestling.

[Guest griffinmills]

Oh My God, no.

What does it mean?

 

Any rate, these reviews are prompting me to get the PPV replay. WWE owes you guys.