GAB 2004- Worst PPV of Year?

[Tim Cooke 0]

I attend a lot of ROH shows live. I am satisfied if I can get one really good match and 1-2 other average to good matches. Heck, even if I just get one blow away match and the rest of the card stinks, I am usually happy.

 

So I go to Best Buy yesterday to pick up the Great American Bash DVD after watching the Eddy/JBL Judgement Day match over the weekend and really liking it. Plus, this has a Chavo/Rey match which I have been told is awesome yet no one talks about it. I pop it in when I get home and we watch the two feature attractions for the 19.99 DVD from the "Worst PPV of the Year."

 

Backstory. I thought Rey and Chavo's Superbrawl 2001 match was really pretty fun, with Chavo looking really good and Rey really starting to come out of his Vince Russo coma. Haven't seen that in a while, but I figured this WWE match would be no worse than that, especially with Rey back at 1997-98 levels and Chavo better.

 

The GAB match gets watched. And ends. And I am amazed. This is by far the best WWE Lightweight match ever. Rey really is the best WWE style worker going right now that it almost makes me want to go back and watch those Rey/Angle matches again.

 

So many good things about this match:

 

* It gets plenty of time

 

This is the first time I have seen a WWE Cruiserweight match get the time it deserved so it wasn't rushed or had to resort to high spots only to end in time or was cut by a commercial, thus even if it had a decent amount of time, it wasn't able to be seen fully.

 

* Based around a story, first and foremost

 

Really basic and simple story. But it really doesn't have to be much more. A lot of the more intricate stories that I have seen in ROH fly over the head of the "smarter" wrestling fans (which is an irony) so with a WWE crowd, simple works fine. Rey's speed and quickness early allows him to pace the match and hit his spots when he wants to. Then Chavo attacks the leg and Rey is no longer in control. Simple, yet effective and it becomes very important to the ending run.

 

* Selling

 

Rey sells his leg so well. The kid who everyone christioned a spot monkey in 1996 (when that wasn't true either) is selling like he is Kawada's weird bi-racial son. Rey sells all the way through the matc, yet is able to hit his spots realistically in the end. He doesn't over sell nor does he shake it over so he can go 100 mph at the end.

 

* High Spots

 

This match certainly doesn't leave high spot/flying fans empty. Lots of really neat new counters that fit perfectly into the context of where both stand in 2004 as well as in the context of the match. And 1-2 high spots that fit right into Rey's knee being worked over.

 

* Ending

 

The crowd was more quiet than restless for this match. Not that they had any reason to be emotionally attached to either guy with the shitty way the WWE promotes them. They pop for Rey's spots early on, Chavo gets heel heat when he plays to the crowd, Rey's comebacks get pops. But the clincher is a nearfall spot late in the match as Rey goes for the West Coast Pop (Springboard Hurrincanrana) and Chavo counters it into a half crab, which the crowd buys as the finish because of the story they had presented throughout the match. I hate to keep doing this, but this is an example of the work in a match telling a story to connect with the crowd, not something like Trips/Benoit/Michaels. A WWE crowd buying a half crab as a finisher? Who would have thought?

 

* Extras

 

Rey seems to think he is now a kickboxer as he brings loud UWF style kicks to his matches. I saw him do it aganist Eddy last week on Smackdown but didn't know he was busting these out here. Rey vs. Ueyama in U-Style and then a pro style match in Tijuana with the evil Japanese invader.

 

Oh, and the finish is something Indy fans will have seen numerous times but never done this well and at the perfect time for the finish.

 

Best juniors match I have seen this year.

 

************************************

 

Strap match was good but flawed, where as the Judgement Day didn't suffer from virtually any huge flaws.

 

I liked the idea of the lights lighting up around the ring but whoever was controlling them must have been watching the show on a delay or retarded.

 

The match is a pretty good brawl. The strap will obviously make for limitations like most gimmicks do. Unlike Sting and Vader, they weren't able to wrestle their typical match with the strap being used as enhancement. This was designed to work around the strap match, not with it. That's not a huge negative but it does make certain that it won't reach the feats that Vader/Sting were able to accomplish.

 

I liked how they established the hip toss with the rope choking the opponent early on, all leading to the big Eddy table bump, which was cool. The pay back chair shot was a nice touch. The build of the match was well done, with both getting around two turnbuckles early on before realizing they would need to do major damage before a 3rd and final 4th turnbuckles could be touched. The powerbomb on to the table was also a nice weardown Eddy spot from last match. A powerbomb with Eddy bleeding wouldn't finish him, but maybe a powerbomb through a table would at least let Bradshaw drag him around the ring.

 

The finish is the problem. It's not so much the actual method of the finish, with JBL landing on the turnbuckle a milli-second before Eddy leaps over him and touches it. It was actually a complicated spot that required perfect timing and they did that. It is the Dusty finish that blows, especially when you see what transpires afterwards. When Angle comes out and announces JBL the winner after seeing the footage, Eddy gets on both knees and has a look of devastation on his face. I can only imagine how much more powerful this would have been if it was JBL announced as the winner right off the bat (which would be the correct call).

 

Even better would have been Eddy as a second late, just missing the oppurtunity to touch his 4th turnbuckle. The way they both were able to touch turnbuckles at the same time confused me but I can live with it.

 

They could have gone the Sting/Vader route with Eddy kicking JBL into the turnbuckle, thus losing the match even though JBL won by luck.

 

Regardless, the finish sucked and the work during the match wasn't enough to make it more than ***1/2.

 

Oh, and Eddy should have won the title back in the cage on Smackdown. That would have been the fitting ending, with JBL going to feud with someone else in the upper tier while Eddy stays champion. I am sure those Undertaker matches could have still been done without the title.

 

Well worth seeing, especially Rey/Chavo.

 

Tim

[res37618 0]

Yeah, I didn't think that GAB '04 was as bad as everyone said - the JBL/Eddie match was entertaining, as was Rey/Chavo and the US title 4-way. I could've done without some of the filler matches (it DID seem like a thrown-together card, as do most of the PPV's recently), but overall, I was generally entertained for three hours.

 

I thought that Armageddon was much worse, IMO - I was there live, and it didn't seem that bad in the arena, but after watching it when I got home, it was brutal. The main event was OK, but otherwise, it was a complete throw-away show.

[Guest Loss]

Also, Bad Blood had a far worse undercard than this show and a pair of main events that weren't that tremendous. Based on what I've read about Eddy/JBL and Rey/Chavo, I can probably safely assume that they trump Benoit/Kane and HIAC.

[Guest krazykat72]

I think HiaC is underrated.

This review has prompted me to want to check out the Bash though.

 

-Paul Jacobi-

[Guest LooneyTune]

Armageddon = Hello Worst PPV!

 

At least Bad Blood had a mildly good Benjamin/Orton match, a good but WAY TOO LONG Hell In A Cell, and the Super Carry Job of Benoit against Kane.

 

I would say Judgment Day was also pretty pathetic on paper. Outside of the World Title Match, I can't even remember the lienup.

[Tim Cooke 0]

I need to see the HIAC.

 

I have read reviews elsewhere saying it is the second coming of 6/3/94 Misawa vs. Kawada in terms of playing off of past matches and storylines. I just can't picture that in a Trips/Shawn match.

 

Maybe I will be surprised.

 

Tim

[Guest Loss]

Who has said that? I saw that match and thought it was abysmal.

[Guest LooneyTune]

The second I saw Misawa/Kawada I firmly thought "who the fuck said that?" Although the match was good (but on a HIAC scale, not very), it's just way too long (48:00 and change) and repeats spots over and over. The highspot was an offensive move from a LADDER.

 

I wouldn't say it was bad (I've seen MUCH worse), but I wouldn't recommend getting the show just for this match.

[pochorenella 0]

I need to see the HIAC.

 

I have read reviews elsewhere saying it is the second coming of 6/3/94 Misawa vs. Kawada in terms of playing off of past matches and storylines. I just can't picture that in a Trips/Shawn match.

 

Maybe I will be surprised.

 

Tim

I don't remember anybody on this board saying something to that effect, but I do agree with krazykat that the match is highly underrated. I remember the thread it was discussed, some people complained that there was no death-defying highspot, a la Mick Foley so it was deemed worthless. Other complaints were the lack of use for the Cell itself as a weapon, which is not quite true, and the fact that they were basically selling punches as death.

 

I think it's a good match, not on par with HIAC 1 (the best one IMO), 2 or 4(HHH vs Foley), but not the worst of the series as some would say.

[Jingus 0]

HBK/HHH wasn't the worst HIAC, no, but then again what match could possibly grab that title away from Taker/Bossman? (Or Snow/Bossman, if you count it, since the cell was involved.) But it was REALLY long and slow. I fell asleep the first two times I tried to watch this match. I'm not joking, I actually lost conciousness and started snoring on the couch because it was so plodding. And this is coming from a man who will watch half-hour Bob Backlund matches from the 70s and be greatly entertained.

 

The Benoit/Kane match was really good though, and yet another example of why Benoit is still the best carrier in the WWE and why Kane isn't THAT bad (could you imagine, say, Luther Reigns being in a match this good?).

[Tim Cooke 0]

Oratory.

 

I think I have the quotes around here somewhere.

 

*********************************************

from their WWW forum in the JBL/Eddy thread:

 

on Shawn/Trips HIAC:

 

"It wasn't the sort of match you could just watch and hope to be thoroughly entertained. You needed to be reflexive in the way you watched, thinking constantly. The throwbacks to previous matches, the references to different parts of the feud and their relationship as friends and partners all required thought to pick up on."

 

People moan about the slow pacing, and granted it was slower than your average WWE main event, but it's not like it was Harley Race Vs. Ric Flair, either. I've said this before a ton of times, but the reason why I think a lot of people dislike the match is because they didn't "get" a lot of it. Besides the main story of the match, there were a ton of little reference to previous matches between Shawn and Hunter, to Hunter's older cell matches, to Shawn's previous cell match, to Shawn Vs. Hall at WM X. The way they managed to interlace not only previous matches of theirs, but other parts of their own careers is just genius and is better than anything I've seen in WWE this year. They achieved this so well that I can remember being in a chat afterwards with us (it was me, Bill and Seagull I think...and Newman agreed the following day) all agreeing that it had the feeling of Shawn's last match, and that if it was, it'd be a perfect capper to his career. HHH Vs. Shawn in the Cell is one of my favourite matches ever and easily the Match of the Year for me right now. I dunno, I guess if you need a match to be fast paced to enjoy it, then I could see how someone could dislike it but I thought the way they paced it fit the story perfectly and it wouldn't have worked as well otherwise. About the only criticism I have of it is that the finishing sequence could've been better. So yeah, basically, I think if you don't appreciate what they did then you're really missing out on one of the most skillfully put together matches in the last ten years.

 

 

Scoot Newham:

QUOTE

To the untrained eye, the lesser fan, this match may have seemed to be a slow-paced ego-fuck, a bunch of old spots pieced together Frankenstein-style, making for a boring main event. Looking deeper, though, last night, Triple H and Shawn Michaels put on a match that can only be described as a classic, a match that took the legacy of both Hell In A Cell, and also their own, older, epic matches, and told a story as strong as any I’ve ever seen in wrestling. The pace was slow right from the off - which made sense, despite what some people will try to make you believe. See, the original Hell In A Cell explained this, as Undertaker came out with a slow, methodically paced offence that was still brutal. Why? Because of the hatred Undertaker had for Michaels - and thus, the hatred that Michaels and Hunter have for one another today. Why would either man come out in a rush, looking to finish the job early? It wouldn’t make sense in the context of the feud. Both men wanted the match for the simple reason of brutalizing the other, and the methodical pace made sense in that context. Compare this to the pace of someone who’d been forced into Hell In A Cell - Brock Lesnar for example - and you’ll see what I mean. After the opening portion of the match, Michaels, though in control, began to limp around the ring, as the announcers mentioned that it looked like his back was hurting. This segued into some offense from Hunter, who, playing off the injury, went right after the back. The psychology of the work on the back wasn’t just smart in terms of the injured body part in the match - it was smart on a larger scale, in that Hunter used the same moves that he’d used in his past matches against Shawn, simply because they worked in those matches. The backbreaker, side slam onto the chair, backbreaker through the chair, and the simple chairshot to the back all originated in Hunter’s original match with Michaels, and have been used many times since, always to devastating effect. Hunter then went further with the psychology, using a tactic that Undertaker had used against Michaels in Hell In A Cell I - the slamming of the back into the ringpost, and the cell corner alternatively. Again, smart psychology - it’d worked for Taker, and it would work for Hunter. The psychology of using moves and spots that had worked in older Hell In A Cell matches continued when Michaels got back on offense, as he attempted the piledriver onto the steel steps - the move that had enabled him to get back into the match against Taker. Here though, it didn’t work, as Hunter backdropped him right onto his already injured back. With Hunter back on offense, the trend of using older spots that’d worked in past Hell In A Cell matches continued, with Hunter slamming the steel steps into his head just as Lesnar had done to Undertaker in their Hell In A Cell, busting Michaels open, before spearing a bloody Michaels into the cell as Undertaker had done in HIAC I. The older Hell In A Cell matches weren’t the only ones that were referenced, though. When Michaels used a ladder to reclaim the advantage, the spots he performed - slingshotting Hunter into it, and mounting him, hammering the midsection with the ladder - came out of arguably Michaels’ most famous match, the original Ladder Match with Scott Hall. When Michaels climbed the ladder, and dropped off it with an elbow, driving HHH through a table, you couldn’t help but think back to the moment when the ‘real’ Shawn Michaels returned at Summerslam 2002, risking it all with an elbowdrop from the top of a ladder. And the table spot? Straight out of Michaels and Hunter’s 2/3 Falls Match at Armageddon 2002. Which brings us to the ending. I’ve heard various people comment that the ending was too slow, that the six minutes that it filled could’ve been shortened to three, and that both men oversold what they’d been through. Those people, for my money, are wrong. See, this match was built as THE closer for the Michaels-Hunter feud, the final blowoff after a series of matches over nearly two years, and a feud built over seven. Their last singles match came at the Royal Rumble, the infamous Last Man Standing Match that ended in a draw. With both men wanting closure here, it actually made sense to have such a drawn out ending. Whereas in the past, one Pedigree, or one Superkick would’ve been enough to keep the other man down for the three-count, here, due to the desperation of both men, one finisher was never going to be enough. When Michaels kicked out of the first Pedigree, it showed a level of desperation not seen in the Last Man Standing Match, when neither man could get up. And in turn, Hunter following the second Pedigree not with a cover, but with a THIRD Pedigree and THEN the cover showed both desperation, and a knowingness that it’d take something more than just one manoeuvre to keep Michaels down for good. At 47 minutes, the match was the longest non-Ironman Match that I can ever remember, I think. It’s certainly the longest match since the turn of the century, after some quick research. The aftermath was just as important as any part of the match. Like the finish of the match with Nash, Hunter was hauled out by Evolution, barely able to stand, let alone celebrate. But it’s Michaels’ ending that’s the important one. The scene of Michaels slowly getting to his knees inside the cell to applause, shaking hands with the referee, and waving to the crowd felt so much like Mick Foley’s exit following his Hell In A Cell match with Hunter - the match that retired him. It’s been mentioned that Michaels will be taking time off following this match as his wife’s pregnant, but this felt like more than that, more than an ending to a feud and a precursor for some temporary time off. It felt like the ending for Shawn Michaels. Now, I don’t think he’s really retiring, and if he is, it’s been the best kept secret in WWE’s history, but I don’t think he’ll be returning to Raw. Call it a hunch, but I think we might just see that Shawn Michaels-Kurt Angle match before both guys are done… So to end, Shawn Michaels and Triple H went into the Cell with high expectations, and I think they delivered on all fronts. From putting on a simply brutal, violent match within the confines of the new WWE style (which I’m behind fully - expect a column soon), to telling a story as strong as any I’ve seen in modern wrestling; from using the psychology of the injured body part, to the often forgotten psychology of referencing past matches, Michaels and Hunter delivered. I don’t think the match would be everyone’s cup of tea, and that’s fine - it’s all opinion at the end of the day - which is why I won’t give it the full monty in terms of the rating. However, this is a definite Match Of The Year candidate, and one of those matches that won’t be forgotten in a long time. I’d say it’s the best Michaels-Hunter match of the lot, and a fitting closure to such a great feud. ****3/4

[Guest LooneyTune]

WWE certainly picked the wrong place for such an epic battle of serious logical thinking. Columbus Friggin Ohio (if I'm not mistaken)? The crowd was barely alive for the undercard, and they are suppose to be worrying about the history clashes of Hunter and Shawn? Puh-Lease.

[ChrisMWaters 0]

HBK/HHH wasn't the worst HIAC, no, but then again what match could possibly grab that title away from Taker/Bossman?

Kane vs. Mankind on Raw.

[Guest LooneyTune]

Not a fair example Waters. The match wasn't hyped at all. The match was made 20 minutes into the show and did it actually officially start?. I have the episode of RAW and never heard an opening bell, then had Austins run in (in a Hell in a Cell Match).

[Si82 0]

This thread has made me think that I should try watching the Great American Bash and the Michaels/Triple H Hell in the Cell match again. However, I did find them pretty boring the first time round. Are they worth a second watch?

 

As for worst PPV of the year, mt vote goes to Judgment Day. I thought it was sheer crap. Mind you I haven't seen Taboo Tuesday or Armageddon.

[ChrisMWaters 0]

Not a fair example Waters. The match wasn't hyped at all. The match was made 20 minutes into the show and did it actually officially start?. I have the episode of RAW and never heard an opening bell, then had Austins run in (in a Hell in a Cell Match).

That was a different match.

 

That I think was scheduled to be Austin and Taker vs. Kane and Mankind in a cell or something like that.

 

There was a Mankind/Kane Cell match which Kane won via Tombstone.

[Guest Loss]

I will try to rewatch HHH/HBK as soon as possible. I'd like to get a copy of the PPV version of the match though if I can, as I know the DVD piped in tons of heat.

[Guest LooneyTune]

Not a fair example Waters. The match wasn't hyped at all. The match was made 20 minutes into the show and did it actually officially start?. I have the episode of RAW and never heard an opening bell, then had Austins run in (in a Hell in a Cell Match).

That was a different match.

 

That I think was scheduled to be Austin and Taker vs. Kane and Mankind in a cell or something like that.

 

There was a Mankind/Kane Cell match which Kane won via Tombstone.

I have the tape. Kane and Mankind brawl outside the cell. Mankind tries climbing to the roof, but Undertaker pulls him off through a table. They fight in the ring (bell never starts), Kane destroys Mankind with a tombstone onto a chair, then Austin comes from under the ring and attacks Kane.

 

Bossman/Undertaker is EASILY the worst one ever. At least Mankind took a bump.

[Tim Cooke 0]

Yea, I want to see the HIAC too but as my brother said to me yesterday:

 

"If they really thought about those ideas, they would have had Ross and Lawler pimping it like crazy, which didn't happen."

 

Tim

[ChrisMWaters 0]

Not a fair example Waters. The match wasn't hyped at all. The match was made 20 minutes into the show and did it actually officially start?. I have the episode of RAW and never heard an opening bell, then had Austins run in (in a Hell in a Cell Match).

That was a different match.

 

That I think was scheduled to be Austin and Taker vs. Kane and Mankind in a cell or something like that.

 

There was a Mankind/Kane Cell match which Kane won via Tombstone.

I have the tape. Kane and Mankind brawl outside the cell. Mankind tries climbing to the roof, but Undertaker pulls him off through a table. They fight in the ring (bell never starts), Kane destroys Mankind with a tombstone onto a chair, then Austin comes from under the ring and attacks Kane.

 

Bossman/Undertaker is EASILY the worst one ever. At least Mankind took a bump.

That was one, but I'm sure there was another without the run-ins sometime after

[Guest LooneyTune]

The only other regular TV Hell in a Cell Match I recall was Kane/Mankind vs. Austin/Undertaker, except the match never started and featured Undertaker beating the crap out of Paul Bearer while Austin made Mankind his bitch in the aisle and Kane climbed onto the roff to break in.

[Guest BrokenWings]

I rewatched the HIAC match a few days ago actually, and my opinion is that of when I originally watched it. It's a good match, far from great, and went too long. The style of match they worked was not meant to be 48:00 long.

 

I really don't see the Misawa/Kawada comparisons, at all. Yes, there are a few throwbacks to previous matches if you pay close enough attention, but it's not on the same level as 6/3/94. And like Tim mentioned, if that's how they had planned it, JR and King would have at least mentioned it. I think it's simply they've gone through their movesets in the time which has elapsed, and fell back on spots they knew had worked before.

[cameron chaos 0]

JR and King would have at least mentioned it.

 

They don't remember HHH beating Benoit in his first match or that Edge and Christian are brothers, I doubt they've got a Tenay sense for back referencing matches given one is a lech who can barely remember he's at work and the other sounds like a senile football fan who calls every other move as a "sidewalk slam".

[spman 0]

Great Ameircan Bash gets a bad rap for 2 reasons

 

1. Bradshaw wins the title

2. The rediculously overbooked , really awful, Undertaker vs Dudley Boys match with the dumbest gimmick that was part of the worst storyline ever.

[pochorenella 0]

JR and King would have at least mentioned it.

 

They don't remember HHH beating Benoit in his first match or that Edge and Christian are brothers, I doubt they've got a Tenay sense for back referencing matches given one is a lech who can barely remember he's at work and the other sounds like a senile football fan who calls every other move as a "sidewalk slam".

That's a very good point. JR & King can hardly remember or reference what's happened a month ago, let alone remember from several previous matches that apply on a single one.

[Tim Cooke 0]

"They don't remember HHH beating Benoit in his first match or that Edge and Christian are brothers, I doubt they've got a Tenay sense for back referencing matches given one is a lech who can barely remember he's at work and the other sounds like a senile football fan who calls every other move as a "sidewalk slam"."

 

Not for them to remember, but Trips would have talked to Ross and gave him the key points they were going to try to hit upon. Frankly, 1986-1992 Jim Ross could have done this by himself. I doubt Jim Ross today could do that.

 

Tim

[Guest Lawlerm]

Great Ameircan Bash gets a bad rap for 2 reasons

 

1. Bradshaw wins the title

2. The rediculously overbooked , really awful, Undertaker vs Dudley Boys match with the dumbest gimmick that was part of the worst storyline ever.

To be fair it also has:

 

3. Kenzo Suzuki v. Billy Gunn

4. Torrie Wilson v. Sable and

5. Mordecai v. Hardcore Holly

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Based on what I've read about Eddy/JBL and Rey/Chavo, I can probably safely assume that they trump Benoit/Kane and HIAC.

 

I disagree, Benoit / Kane told a great in-ring story that made it one of my favorite title matches from last year.

[Si82 0]

Well...

 

I tried watching the Triple H/Michaels HIAC match again and I found it even more boring the second time round. I really do not see the appeal of this match. I'd take their match at the Royal Rumble, which wasn't even that great, over this one.

 

I wonder if the GAB will be as bad, or worse, the second time round.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

It really depends on the title match. I hope it will be at least decent overall. For crying out loud, of all the PPVs we could have gotten for this year, they're giving us the Bash. I don't know whether to be happy or sad.