WWE Unforgiven (September 2005)

Original Airdate: September 18, 2005

From Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Your Hosts are Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, and Jonathan Coachman

Opening WWE Intercontinental Title Match: Carlito v Ric Flair: Flair takes him down in a side-headlock to start, but walks into a shoulderblock, and Carlito mocks the strut. Ric works a hammerlock between showing the kid how to properly strut, but Carlito manages to bail to avoid the Figure Four. Back in, Ric cross corner whips the champ, but Carlito rebounds out with a shoulderblock, and delivers a ten-punch - only for Flair to escape with an inverted atomic drop. Figure Four, but Carlito shoves him to the outside to block, then rams him into the post out there. Inside, that gets two, and Carlito works the shoulder with an armbar. Cross corner whip sets up a backdrop for two, and a single-arm DDT is worth two. Back to the armbar, but Flair fights out, and hangs onto the ropes to avoid another single-arm DDT. Ric starts throwing chops, and a backelbow sets up a kneedrop. Ric with a flying elbowsmash, and the crowd is just loving his act here. Another trip to the top ends in Carlito dropkicking him out of the air, however. Carlito gets cocky and decides to munch on his trademark apple instead of going for the kill, but that ends up dramatically backfiring when Flair literally knocks it down his throat, then slaps the Figure Four on the choking champion at 11:47. Yep, it's fifty six year old Intercontinental Champion Ric Flair! And, surprisingly, Flair actually hung onto the thing all the way into the following February! *

Torrie Wilson and Victoria v Trish Stratus and Ashley Massaro: Torrie starts with Trish, but immediately passes to Victoria to tease her. Trish's pink Converse style shoes are an odd choice. Victoria works her over with a front-facelock, but Trish escapes, and headscissors her over. Thesz-press sets up some mounted punches, and she tags out to Ashley - who seems completely unsure of what to do. She settles for some really poorly worked kicks, and then an equally poorly worked dropkick. Luckily, the heels quickly dump her to the floor, and start cutting the ring in half on her before she can further embarrass herself with that poor excuse for 'offense.' She may suck, but she's got an insane body and a really slutty outfit, so there's that. She manages to crotch Victoria on the top rope to get the tag off to Trish, and Stratus brings Victoria down with a handstand rana. Trish is a salon of fire, and the Chick Kick finishes Victoria at 7:06. Ashley was downright embarrassing to watch (like, celebrity match level bad, only she was actually on the main roster at the time), but the other ladies did their best. You know it's bad when Torrie Wilson is out working you, though. DUD

Big Show v Snitsky: Slugfest to start, controlled by Big Show. He hammers Snitsky with those frying pan sized hands in the corner, and a hiptoss follows. Show still had hair at this point, which is a much better look for him than the totally shaved head. Out to the floor, Show misses a clothesline against the rail, and Snitsky takes over as they re-enter. Overhead wristlock, as the A/V crew suddenly cuts away from the match to show highlights of their feud from RAW. And I don't even mean a split screen, they just outright cut away and gave the highlights the entire screen. Wow guys. I mean, I know they suck, but that's harsh. Snitsky sorta manages a side suplex for two, and a big boot is worth two. Back to the overhead wristlock, but Show escapes, and spinebuster slams him. Show actually tries a kip-up before making his comeback (with the assistance of the ropes), which is pretty fucking funny. Chokeslam finishes at 6:08. Was what it was. ¼*

Shelton Benjamin v Kerwin White: For those who weren't around, or have simply blocked it, 'Kerwin White' is Chavo Guerrero playing whitey. And, since black people hate whitey, this match. Benjamin destroys him in the early going, and delivers a flapjack for two. Cross corner high knee misses, however, and White immediately capitalizes by clipping the knee, and going to work on it. Kneebreaker, but a second one is countered with a sunset flip - only for White to counter back into a modified leglock. Benjamin escapes, but runs into a well executed headscissor takedown for two, and he wraps the leg around the bottom rope for some abuse. Monkeyflip is blocked, but Shelton ends up hurting his knee while doing so, and can't follow-up on his Samoan drop. He manages to counter a charge with a backdrop, and this time is able to follow-up with a side suplex, but the knee slows him down on his way to the top, and White crotches him up there - bringing him down with a nice superplex for two. Half-crab looks to finish, but Benjamin counters into a slingshot to escape. White responds by grabbing his trusty golf club (because what's whiter than that?), but Shelton 'Tiger Woods' Benjamin sees it coming, and grabs him in a T-Bone Suplex for the pin at 8:03. Solid match, with Benjamin doing a great job of selling the knee throughout. ** ½

Cage Match: Edge v Matt Hardy: This is escape or pinfall rules. They slug it out to start, and Edge pulls out a neat counter to a cross corner whip - springboarding up into the corner, and up the cage to try to escape. Surprised we've never seen that one before, actually. That spot would have fit in perfectly in the Hart brothers' cage match from 1994. Regardless, Hardy pulls him down, and works a side-headlock. Edge rakes the eyes to escape, and tries climbing, but gets pulled down, and leveled with a lariat for two. Matt with a 2^nd rope clothesline, but the Twist of Fate gets countered with the Edge-o-Matic for two. Edge climbs, but Matt catches up to him, and they trade shots up there - Edge able to knock him back down, but getting battered enough that he can't escape. He leaps with a missile dropkick instead, then plants Hardy with a pair of side suplexes. Things slow down as Edge works Matt over with some really punchy-kicky stuff, and drops him with a DDT for a series of two counts. Powerbomb into the cage wall is followed with another one into the turnbuckles - Hardy taking both spots with gusto. Edge charges him with a pair of kicks straight to the head before powerbombing him off the top rope, but it only gets two, so Edge goes for the door instead - Matt grabbing his ankle to stay in this thing. Ten-punch in the corner is countered with a stungun on the top turnbuckle, so a dazed Edge tries a Spear, but Matty sidesteps, and hits the Side Effect for two. Both of these guys have way too many cutesy signature moves for me to remember. Edge tries escaping through the door, but Matt stops him - though the attempt allows Lita to pass him his Money in the Bank briefcase. Hardy manages to avoid getting hit with it, and he sends Edge into the cage with a slingshot before bulldogging him onto the case. Matt tosses him into all four sides of the cage to bust Edge open, so Lita decides to climb in, but Matt shakes the cage to knock her off before she can. Matt repays Edge with some direct kicks right to the face before climbing to the top rope with the briefcase to use as a weapon, but Edge shoves the referee into the ropes to knock Matt down, then Spears him against the cage wall! Edge climbs, but Matt is on his tail, and brings him down with a Side Effect off the top rope for two - Lita diving in to break the count. Deed done, but now she has to deal with an angry Hardy - eating a Twist of Fate. The distraction allows Edge to Spear him, however - though it only gets two. Edge climbs, but Hardy is on his tail again, and bashes his face into the cage to knock him back down. Hardy has it won, but instead of escaping, climbs to the very top, then dives onto Edge with a flying legdrop - enough for the pin at 21:32. Much more fully formed than the flat SummerSlam match - a really fun, intense battle. *** ¼

World Tag Team Title Match: The Hurricane and Rosey v Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch: Hurricane starts with Cade, and gets pounded in short order. Lance with a bodyslam, but an elbowdrop misses, and Hurricane peppers him with rights. Criss cross goes his way with an armdrag, so Murdoch runs in, but gets caught in a headscissor takedown, and the challengers bail. Cade manages to shoulderblock Hurricane down after the dust settles, and Murdoch tags in all official like, but runs into a 2^nd rope dropkick for two. Tag to Rosey for a drop-toehold/falling headbutt combo for two, and another headbutt sends Murdoch into the corner for a running bodyblock for two. Cheap shot from Cade turns the tide, however, and the challengers cut the ring in half on Rosey. Trevor stops to go hit on Lillian Garcia, but Hurricane white knights for her, so Murdoch DDTs him on the outside. Meanwhile, Rosey makes a comeback, but he hasn't got anyone to tag to, and gets destroyed as EMTs carry Hurricane out of the arena. He changes his mind halfway up the aisle and decided to stumble back for a tag, but that proves unwise - Murdoch taking his head off with a lariat to win the title at 7:41. I liked Cade and Murdoch's old school sensibilities here - especially Murdoch's. *

Shawn Michaels v Chris Masters: Masters runs in while Shawn does his pre-match posing - grabbing him in the Master Lock before the bell even sounds. The referee forces a break to get the match underway officially, but the damage has been done. Chris goes to slap it right back on as soon as the bell sounds, but Michaels manages to slip free before he can get the fingers locked, and throws a few clotheslines to send Chris over the top. Shawn stays on him with a plancha, then tosses him into the steps for good measure. I know I've mentioned this many times before, but it's still worth repeating: I really hate Shawn's leather chaps gear that he switched to in 2005, and used for the last five years of his career. Michaels grabs a chair, but the referee intervenes, and Masters nails him with a pair of hard shots into the post. That's nearly enough for a countout, but Shawn beats it in, and Chris unloads on him. Legdrop gets two, and a hanging vertical suplex is worth two. Chris backdrops him to the heavens for two, and a backbreaker is worth two. Masters' face looks exactly like the identical soldiers in the 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' sequence in Across The Universe. Chris with a two-alarm no-release backbreaker into a backbreaker submission, but Shawn escapes. Crucifix is countered into the Master Lock, but Shawn blocks, so Chris whips him into the corner, then slaps on a backbreaker rack. Shawn fights out with a sunset flip for two, but gets absolutely leveled with a lariat before he can follow-up. Press-slam hits, but Shawn blows him low to avoid the Lock, and starts making his comeback. Masters manages to counter the Superkick into the Lock, but Shawn is able to fight into the ropes to escape. Chris pulls him back to finish the job, but Michaels manages to snap the big mans throat across the top rope to block, only to have a flying bodypress countered to the Lock - Michaels able to counter back to the Superkick at 16:45. Masters was decent in the ring, and Michaels knew exactly what to do with him, while also making him look like a beast. He's had quite a bit of experience in that department, after all. ***

Main Event: WWE Title Match: John Cena v Kurt Angle: Feeling out process to start, and Cena manages to dump him to the outside following a hiptoss. Kurt regroups and grabs a hammerlock on the mat, then shifts into a fujiwara armbar when John tries escaping. Criss cross ends in Angle bailing to the outside again following a shoulderblock, and now he's good and pissed - not even bothering to lockup upon re-entering, but instead just beating the champ into the corner with his fists. Cena responds with a bodyslam to setup a pair of elbowdrops for two, and he delivers a series of turnbuckle smashes in all four corners before hitting a sidewalk slam for two. Angle rakes the eyes to slow Cena down, and he executes a release German suplex to take control - stomping the champ in the corner. Snap suplex gets two, and Angle applies a reverse chinlock. John fights free, so Kurt gives him a release overhead suplex, and slaps on a waistlock on the mat. Cena tries fighting to a vertical base, so Kurt drops him with a German suplex for two, then shifts into a bodyscissors instead to keep the champ grounded. This may just be a weird camera angle, but are the ring ropes spaced out really oddly on this show? Cena pulls Angle's legs apart to escape, and drops his challenger with a DDT. Slugfest goes Cena's way, and he starts throwing clotheslines and shoulderblocks. Snap suplex gets two, but Angle counters the FU with a sunset flip into the Anklelock - Cena blocking, and spinebuster slamming him for two. FU, but Kurt counters with the Olympic Slam for two. Anklelock applied, but Cena rather quickly escape, and drops his challenger with a modified side suplex to setup the Five Knuckle Shuffle for two. That spot looked more ridiculous than usual here (which is saying something) because Cena was selling the ankle, and having a hard time doing the routine. Like, he was selling extreme pain, but still making sure to do all the goofy mannerisms associated with the move before executing the simple fistdrop. And, it's not like he's expending all that energy on a move that may put Kurt away and retain the title, he's literally killing himself to do the 'dirt off my shoulder' gesture that adds nothing. This is a good match, but huge gaping laps in psychology like that bug the hell out of me as a fan. FU finally hits, but the referee has been bumped off a corner whip reversal, so there's no one to count. Looks like they're trotting out every pay per view main event cliché possible here. I wonder how long until one of the guys grabs the title belt as a weapon? As if on cue, Kurt grabs his Olympic gold medals and hits John with them, then slaps on the Anklelock, as General Manager Eric Bischoff runs in to taunt Cena while Angle has him trapped in the hold. Cena makes the ropes, but there's no referee, so I'm not exactly sure what he's going for there. He manages to escape, and (surprise surprise) grabs the title belt to bash Kurt with - only for the official to come to and see it, disqualifying Cena at 17:15. This was a good match, but once they started shooting every tired booking cliché off at rapid fire pace it fell apart. ** ½

BUExperience: Solid show. If the main event had been a bit stronger I would probably be more enthusiastic about it, but even as-is, the good outweighs the bad, with the better performances getting plenty of time, and weaker stuff kept short.

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