WWE Judgment Day (May 2006)

Original Airdate: May 21, 2006

From Phoenix, Arizona; Your Hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz

Opening WWE Tag Team Title Match: MNM v Paul London and Brian Kendrick: Johnny Nitro starts with London, and he tries to use his size advantage to shove Paul around, but London gets uppity. The challengers dominate Nitro with quick tags and peppy offense, but Kendrick gets caught in the wrong corner, and pounded by Joey Mercury. The challengers manage to fight off Mercury as well to clean house, and London backdrops Mercury over the top onto both champions. Inside, London tries to capitalize with a flying bodypress on Joey, but misses the mark, and the champions cut the ring in half on him. Kendrick comes in, but his house of fire sequence gets cutoff, and the champs destroy him. Don't feel too bad for him, though. He's the man responsible for Eva Marie. He deserves it. He manages to fight off a double-team in the corner to get the hot tag off to London, and he's a bridge of fire - Roseanne Barr the door! Oklahoma roll nearly finishes Joey off, so Nitro tries sweeping the leg on a vertical suplex spot, but it only gets two! I really thought that was the finish. With Brian still down, the brawl continues in favor of the champions, but a miscommunication spot ends in London cradling Mercury to snag the gold at 13:44. This was a very old school style tag match, and was given plenty of time - unlike the seven minute tag openers that were veritable staples during this period. **

Finlay v Chris Benoit: Feeling out process to start, and an intense battle over a collar-and-elbow lockup ends up spilling to the floor - both guys nearly getting counted out before finally breaking. Well, that would have certainly been a unique finish, if nothing else. Inside, the feeling out process continues, until Benoit decides to sweep him down into a sharpshooter, but gets countered into an STF. Chris counters back to a chinlock, but Finlay suckers the referee into thinking he has something in his eye, then pops Benoit with a forearm when the official is checking. That allows Finlay to take him down with a drop-toehold into a chinlock of his own, and a snapmare gets a pair of two counts. Chris fires back with a barrage of chops, and a backbreaker gets two. He holds Finlay on the mat in a front-facelock, but an attempt to shift it into the Crippler Crossface gets blocked, so Benoit opts for another chinlock instead. Back to the Crossface, but Finlay blocks again, so Chris uses his momentum against him to hook a crucifix cradle for two. Finlay responds with a short-clothesline for two, and it's back to the mat for Finlay to stretch him. I appreciate what they're going for here, and the quality of the mat work is strong, but this needs to get going a bit more. Another short-clothesline, but this time Benoit is able to counter to the three-alarm rolling German suplex. That sets up the flying headbutt, but Finlay rolls out of the way, so Chris gives him a corkscrew legwhip before he can capitalize. Sharpshooter, but Finlay blocks, and goes out for a chair, but Benoit nails him with a baseball slide to stop the effort. Inside, that's enough to setup another flying headbutt, for two. Finlay manages to reverse a whip into the corner for two, and he methodically works Benoit over on the mat. He applies a crossface of his own, then shifts into a hammerlock-dragon sleeper. One thing I love about this match is that, for the most part, the submission holds used are both really unique and painful looking. Nervehold, but Benoit fights out with another rolling German - Finlay blocking after two alarms. He bails to the floor to get his whappin' stick, but Chris ducks a swing, and delivers the third German suplex on the outside. Well, that's what Finlay gets. Standard 'two for flinching' rules. Chris brings him back in with a three-alarm rolling vertical suplex, but an attempt to scale the ropes ends with him getting knocked to the floor. Finlay tosses him into the post on the way back in, but Chris manages to counter another submission attempt with the Crossface - Finlay tapping at 21:11. Well, this was different. A really stiff, old school style match - one that would have been more at home in another era, but was still welcome in 2006. ***

Jillian Hall v Melina: In 'The Battle of the Butterfaces!' Hall attacks with forearms at the bell, and she takes her down with a Thesz-press. Snapmare sets up a somersault necksnap, and Melina wisely bails. Hall follows, but gets knocked into the steps for her efforts, and inside, Melina puts the (furry) boots to her. Bodyscissors, but Hall won't quit, so Melina delivers a facebuster for two. Well, no harm done there. 2^nd rope pointed elbowdrop hits the knees, however, and Hall mounts her comeback with a jumping forearm. Sunset flip finishes at 4:17 - despite Melina being in the ropes. Putting this one immediately after that last match was a bad choice. This was really embarrassingly bad level of ring work, with tons of mistimes, botches, and general poor execution all around. DUD

WWE Cruiserweight Title Match: Gregory Helms v Super Crazy: Crazy quickly stuns him with a barrage of different cradles for near falls, and he clotheslines the champion over the top for a somersault plancha - despite the referee objections. Inside, that gets two, and Crazy tries a ten-punch, but gets countered with a stungun. Helms quickly adds a swinging neckbreaker for two, and another neckbreaker is worth two. He grounds Crazy with a crossface, but the challenger slugs free, so Gregory wallops him with a backelbow for two. Mat-based abdominal stretch, but a vertical suplex gets reversed - only for Helms to cut him off with a double-underhook facelock before Crazy can mount a comeback. Chinlock follows, but Crazy escapes with a victory cradle for two - only to get cutoff again. Helms misses an elbowdrop this time, however, and Crazy manages a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Standing moonsault gets two, and a missile dropkick is worth two. Flying moonsault, but Helms dodges - only for Crazy to cut him off with a spinheel kick for two. Bodyslam, but Gregory counters with a neckbreaker, and a schoolboy gets two. Nightmare on Helms Street, but Crazy blocks, so Gregory deliver a blockbuster neckbreaker instead, for two. Crazy makes a last ditch effort with a rana, but gets countered with a powerbomb - Helms scoring the fall with his feet on the ropes at 9:56. Solid effort here. ** ¾

Kurt Angle v Mark Henry: Angle attacks from behind, and takes the larger Henry down with a 2^nd rope somersault bodyblock for two. Nice! He grounds him with a front-facelock, but Mark powers to a vertical base with a backdrop, so Angle tries a sunset flip. Henry tries countering with a sit-down splash, but Kurt dodges, and they spill to the outside. Angle tries a German suplex onto the announce table out there, but Mark fights him off, and takes it back in. Angle is ready with a legwhip on the way in, grounding Henry again with a leglock. Mark fights free, and takes control as he hammers Kurt on the mat. It's hard to believe Henry was a ten year WWE veteran at this point, still working like a rookie here. Reverse chinlock wears Angle down, but Kurt fights out, and connects with a DDT for two. Kurt with a German suplex, and the Olympic Slam gets two! Mark returns fire with a clothesline, but the World's Strongest Slam only gets two. He tries another one, but this time Kurt counters to the Anklelock! Mark manages to knock Kurt to the outside as he powers out, and he avalanches him into the post out there - rolling back in to score the countout victory at 9:11. Ugh, weak finish. About on par with their Royal Rumble match, though thankfully without the magic tricks this time - though some smoke and mirrors to make Henry more watchable would have been perfectly welcome. *

WWE King of the Ring: Bobby Lashley v Booker T: This is the tournament final. Lashley gives him a hard shove at the bell, and drives him into the turnbuckles with a corner clothesline. Snap suplex gets two, and a clothesline is worth two. Bobby grounds him with an armbar, but Booker escapes - only to have a waistlock takedown reversed for two. An eyerake does the job though, and Booker pounds him in the corner. Cross corner whip backfires when Lashley rebounds out with a lariat, but he misses a corner charge, and Booker takes over. He works the shoulder, but Bobby blocks the axekick with a clothesline, and starts making his comeback. Lots and lots of clotheslines follows. Release belly-to-belly suplex hits, but Sharmell gets involved, and Booker delivers a BookEnd for two. Lashley fires back with a running powerslam for two, but another corner charge ends badly - this time with the Harlem Sidekick. Axekick looks to finish, but only gets two - frustrating Booker. He keeps it together with another Harlem Sidekick, but Bobby ducks, so Finlay runs in to whap him with his whappin' stick - crowning Booker king at 9:15. I've seen worse. ¾*

The Undertaker v Great Khali: Wow, Khali was seriously a massive dude. He manhandles Undertaker in the early going - no-selling his stuff, and tossing him out of the ring several times. Undertaker keeps plugging away anyhow, and tries the ropewalk forearm, but gets slammed off. Khali continues to work him over with ease, and a trip to the outside sees 'Taker get whipped into the steps. This has got to be the most the Undertaker has ever sold in a calendar year, let alone a single match. Inside, Khali casually bodyslams him, then chops him down for two - covering with only one foot. Undertaker tries to mount a comeback, and even manages the ropewalk forearm, but Khali shrugs him off, and ends it with simple chop to the skull at 8:32 - pinning THE UNDERTAKER with one foot! Not much in terms of workrate, but certainly unique in the sense that you seldom see Undertaker in this role, let alone putting someone over as strongly as he did here. It was basically a squash. ¼*

Main Event: World Heavyweight Title Match: Rey Mysterio v John Bradshaw Layfield: Bradshaw pushes him around to start, with Rey refusing to back down. He manages to dodge a big boot to take Bradshaw down for the 619, but Layfield bails to the floor to avoid it. Rey responds with a baseball slide, and a seated senton off the apron leaves John taking the count. He hustles back in, but Mysterio is on him with a 2^nd rope bodypress for two, and a seated dropkick gets two. Sliding legdrop is worth two, and a ten-punch count actually ends without incident. I was sure we were getting a counter there. Baseball slide into the nuts cuts Bradshaw down to size, and a dropkick puts him on the outside. Mysterio tries going after him with another baseball slide, but this one misses, and Bradshaw big boots him, then tosses him into the steps. John gives him another trip into the steel for good measure, then rolls him in to get two off of it. Bradshaw taunts Eddie Guerrero by giving Rey the three-alarm rolling vertical suplex - dropping him front-first across the top rope to finish the sequence. That leaves Rey in trouble on the outside again, and Bradshaw is not much help - holding Mysterio in front of the champions wife, and making her watch as John deliver a fallaway slam on the floor! Inside, it gets two, and a series of three short-clotheslines follow - Rey now bleeding through his mask. Nasty! He beats the count, so Bradshaw levels him with a big boot for two - getting pissed now. Sleeper wears Mysterio down, but Bradshaw lets off before the third arm drop - wanting the pinfall instead. Of course, Rey kicks out at two. Bradshaw tries punishing him with a side superplex, but Mysterio manages to knock him off, and dive with a flying moonsault press for two! Well, it worked for Sean Waltman. Springboard bodypress gets two, and a roundhouse kick is worth two. Bronco buster, but Layfield boots him in the balls to block, and the JBL Bomb looks to finish - only to get countered into the 619! Rey tries the springboard finish, but ends up hitting the referee instead, and Bradshaw creams him with the JBL Bomb! Cover draws another official in, but Rey gets a dramatic shoulder up at two! Layfield responds by decking the second referee, and he brings a chair into things, but Rey counters with another 619, and a flying frogsplash retains at 15:56! Good David and Goliath style match, with lots of drama. *** ¼

BUExperience: A couple of good matches, but nothing worth going out of your way to see, and on a very forgettable overall card

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