WWE Armageddon (December 2006)

Original Airdate: December 17, 2006

From Richmond, Virginia; Your Hosts are Michael Cole and John Bradshaw Layfield

Opening Inferno Match: Kane v Montel Vontavious Porter: That's quite a gimmick to open a show with. Kane whips him around to start, but misses a charge in the corner. Porter goes up, but takes a look at the imposing ring of fire, and thinks better of it, coming back down and getting pounded. Kane puts him in wheelbarrow position to try and walk him into the fire, but Porter climbs up on the ropes to save himself. Kane tries a superplex, but MVP knocks him down to block, and delivers a flying bodypress to setup some mounted punches. Running big boot in the corner and a clothesline put Kane down, but he sits up, so MVP tries kicking at the leg to take a wheel away from him. Kane shrugs that off with a big boot, then adds a chokeslam to subdue Porter, and allow Kane to rip off a turnbuckle pad. He lights it on fire, but an attempt to hit Porter with it fails, and MVP discards the flaming pad. Porter with a neckbreaker, and he tries a few dropkicks to knock Kane into the flames, but nearly ends up going into them himself. Kane with a cross corner clothesline and a sidewalk slam, so MVP decides to go up for real, but gets pushed off the top to the floor. Kane follows with a flying clothesline and a big boot on the outside, so Porter tries to hide underneath the ring, but Kane grabs him by the throat, and shoves him into the fire at 8:15. This felt like it went on forever. Not my favorite gimmick match, but it's certainly visually appealing, and considering how rarely they run them, I really can't complain too loudly. ½*

WWE Tag Team Title Fatal Four-Way Ladder Match: Paul London and Brian Kendrick v William Regal and Dave Taylor v MNM v The Hardy Boyz: This is originally scheduled as a straight tag with Regal and Taylor (don't call 'em the Bluebloods!) challenging, but Smackdown GM Teddy Long adds two more teams and the ladder stipulation at quite literally the last second. Like, the bell was moments away from sounding. Big brawl right away, with MNM and the Brits getting dumped, leaving the champs and the Hardy's to trade high spots. The discarded teams return to brawl, and this time the dust settles on Regal cobra suplexing both champs, as the Boyz brawl with MNM over ladders in the aisle. Hardy's hit Taylor with the Poetry in Motion, knocking him into the Snapshot from MNM, as the champs clobber Regal with stereo superkicks to setup a flying elbowdrop from Matt! Everyone keeps trading off, until Jeff Hardy manages to make the first climb attempt, but London dropkicks him off the ladder. He climbs, but Johnny Nitro pulls him off, and Joey Mercury grabs the ladder to start abusing guys with. Mercury climbs, but both the champs and the Hardy's gang up - carrying the ladder he's straddling to the edge of the ring, and tipping him over the top onto Nitro! Wild! The Hardy's add dives onto the Brits, and they whip Kendrick and London into ladders, but a Poetry in Motion into one misses. Paul climbs, but Matt manages to stop him, and he delivers a neckbreaker, as Nitro vertical suplexes Regal on the floor. I'm liking how alive this match is, in that the guys not in the ring are actively engaging in stuff on the outside, and not just playing dead. The champs kill Matt with a wild flying double-stomp onto a ladder, but MNM take them out before they can climb, and hit London with a tandem-stomachbreaker. MNM set up a couple of ladders into a seesaw type contraption to try tandem superplexing Jeff onto, but Matt saves, and Jeff dives off the top - seesawing the ladder hard into both MNM's! Poor Mercury absolutely gets BLASTED with it, and is immediately bleeding a gusher. Like, holy shit, I've never seen that much blood just pour out of a guy like that - his entire face covered, and a puddle left on the mat all within just a few seconds of the spot. That was hard to watch. He's done for the rest of the match after that, not surprisingly. Regal and Taylor recover enough to come back in and hit London with a wild inverted half-and-half suplex onto a ladder, as the bumps are getting crazier and crazier as they try topping each other. The Brits have a clear path, but they're afraid of heights, apparently. That allows Kendrick to attack, but he gets absolutely LAUNCHED out of the ring, in a big bump to the floor. Matt comes in with Twists of Fate for both Brits, as Jeff climbs a ladder on the outside with the intention of diving with a Swanton onto the Brits in the ring - only for Nitro to run up out of nowhere, dropkicking the ladder over, and sending Jeff crashing down onto the top rope in another death defying bump. Nitro uses the ladder to abuse the Brits, but an attempt to climb is stopped when London knocks him off the ladder with a springboard dropkick! Brian and Matt both climb, with Hardy able to slam him off the ladder, but then met at the top by Paul! London tries a powerbomb off the top of the ladder, so Hardy counters with a backdrop - only to use his footing as well, and crash! Jeff climbs, but he's met at the top by Nitro, so Hardy does what London couldn't - sunset bombing Johnny off the top of the ladder! Matt climbs, but the Brits pull the ladder out, so Hardy tries brawling with them. Doesn't end well for him. Both Regal and Taylor climb, but Kendrick pulls Taylor down, and brings Regal down with a Sliced Bread off the top of the ladder! Didn't quite execute it properly, but still nuts! London makes a slow climb, but Matt Hardy is following up the opposite side, and we have a slugfest - London able to knock him down, and grab the belts at 20:13! Finish seemed kind of anticlimactic after everything that happened, but holy fucking shit! This was pretty much what the term 'spot fest' was invented for, with crazy spot after crazy spot, and bumps galore! I'm honestly surprised this one doesn't get mentioned more, because it's not really any less impressive than the more high profile Hardys/Dudleys/E&C matches from the turn of the century. **** ½

Boogeyman v Miz: Miz's fauxhawk is like a time capsule of 2006 glory here. Boogeyman scares him back with the worms, and a pair of clotheslines send Miz to the outside. He stalls, but an attempt to sweep Boogeyman out of the ring backfires, and Miz gets slammed in. Boogeyman hammers away, but a charge in the corner misses, and Miz hits a few short-shoulderblocks, then starts working the shoulder. Clothesline gets two, and a single-arm DDT is worth two. Flying axehandle, but Boogeyman catches him in a spinebuster for the pin at 2:51. I'm more impressed that Boogeyman could wrestle without swallowing a ton of worms than anything else. The crowd needed a cool down after the last match, and this was certainly that. DUD

WWE United States Title Match: Chris Benoit v Chavo Guerrero: Given that the angle here involves Vickie Guerrero accusing Benoit of putting her in a neck brace, this all comes across as rather uncomfortable now. Chavo attacks, but Chris shrugs him off, and hits a well executed snap suplex for two. An impactful side suplex (with Chavo BOUNCING off the mat) follows, and Chris sends him to the heavens with a backdrop. Bodyslam sets up a sharpshooter, but Guerrero blocks, so Benoit punishes him with a catapult over the top. Chris follows to the outside for some abuse, then back in to hammer Guerrero with knees in the corner. Chavo tries slugging back, but that just gets him a three-alarm rolling German suplex, and Benoit goes up for the flying headbutt, but Guerrero manages to crotch him on the top. Chavo brings him down with a vertical superplex, and a cross corner whip rattles the Crippler. Guerrero stretches him around the ring post, then leaves him against it to setup a baseball slide for two. Benoit tries firing back with chops, but Guerrero is ready with a drop-toehold, and he grounds the champion in a reverse chinlock. Chris tries a side suplex to escape, but Guerrero counters into a bodypress on the way down for two, and adds a springboard kneedrop. Chop, so Benoit catches the arm and takes him down to the Crippler Crossface, but Chavo is in the ropes before he can get it properly applied. Guerrero with a pair of saito suplexes for two, and he hangs Chris in a tree of woe, but misses a baseball slide, and ends up crotched on the post! Benoit is still tied up on the tree of woe, however, and Chavo recovers first with an electric chair, but Chris is able to block, so Guerrero rakes the eyes. Rolling vertical suplex, but Benoit counters after the first alarm, and delivers a wild eight-alarm rolling German suplex for two! Sharpshooter, so Vickie comes into the ring with the title belt, and Chris lets off. She backs away, but Benoit shows no mercy, and looks to put her in the hold next before Chavo saves. Again, super awkward to watch now. Guerrero with a rollup, but Benoit counters back to the sharpshooter as he kicks out, and Chavo taps at 12:16! Real good stuff, with crisp execution, and hard work. The match fell a little flat when Chavo was in control, but overall a strong effort. That said, it's worth noting that Benoit looked terrible here. Not the ring work, but just looking at him, he looked like a zombie. Sad seeing him like that now, knowing what was to come. *** ¼

WWE Cruiserweight Title Match: Gregory Helms v Jimmy Wang Yang: Feeling out process to start, until Yang starts throwing shots, but Helms bails to the outside to avoid a flying moonsault. Yang chases, but gives up the all important high ground in the process, and gets clobbered. Criss cross allows Jimmy a headscissors takedown, and a vertical suplex follows for two. He grounds Gregory in a hammerlock, but a cross corner spinkick misses, and Yang ends up on the outside. Helms follows out with a swinging neckbreaker on the floor, and back in, it's worth a two count. Snapmare and a legdrop setup a cobra clutch, but Jimmy escapes, so Helms puts him down with a crisp backelbow. Points to both men for the execution on that one. Helms with a neckbreaker, but he gets backdropped over the top on a charge, and Jimmy dives out after him with a flying bodypress! Back in, Yang hooks the leg to get two off of it, but walks into a hotshot before he can build on it. Helms goes to a crossface, but Yang escapes, so Gregory tries a sleeper, but Yang counters with a victory roll for two, then puts him down with a clothesline. Jimmy mounts his comeback, and the spinheel kick in the corner connects this time! Missile dropkick follows for two, but a cross corner charge misses, and Helms capitalizes with a wild swinging neckbreaker off the top rope! He goes upstairs for the kill, but a dive is countered with a spinheel kick, and Jimmy gets an arm across the chest for a dramatic two! Flying corkscrew moonsault looks to finish, but Gregory dodges, and adds a quick facebuster to retain at 10:52! Another good match, as this promotion seems determined to end this lackluster year on a high note. ***

Last Ride Match: Undertaker v Mr. Kennedy: The idea here is that you have to put your opponent in a hearse, and then drive it out of the arena to win. Kennedy spends the first bit literally running and hiding, but Undertaker catches up to him in the corner, and knocks him to the outside. Undertaker follows for a slam onto an announce table, and another one into the apron before bringing it back inside. 'Taker chokes away in the corner, but a big boot misses, and they go back to the floor. Kennedy dives off the apron, but Undertaker catches him for a ram into the post, then takes him up the aisle to the hearse. Kennedy fights him off before 'Taker can get the door open, however, and actually manages to get Undertaker inside the hearse, but gets hit before he can close it up. They brawl back to the ring, where Undertaker delivers a guillotine legdrop, and a vertical superplex, before tossing Kennedy over the top - right where the floor mats are still stained with Joey Mercury's blood from earlier on. Eww. Undertaker takes him up the aisle, but Kennedy manages to grab a sleeper to dodge going into the hearse, and he gets 'Taker out cold with it. That's enough to allow Kennedy to get him into the hearse and shut the door, but when he goes for the drivers door, he finds Undertaker in the front seat! 'Taker beats his ass back to ringside for some more fun with the announce tables, but Kennedy swings a chair to fight him off. He unloads with the weapon, but Undertaker keeps sitting up, so Kennedy runs away over to the entrance set. He climbs up the set, but Undertaker follows, and they slug it out on a piece of scaffolding up there. Undertaker tries to chokeslam him off, but Kennedy blocks, and tosses 'Taker off the set! Onto a giant crash pad, sure, but at least the camera crew used the right angles to disguise it as best they could. Kennedy drags him to the hearse, and gets him inside with the door closed, but Undertaker sits up before he can drive him out - complete with a neat dashboard mounted camera to capture it. That was unintentionally hilarious, but still awesome. They spill out of the hearse, and Undertaker busts him open with a chair before leaning him against the back of the car for a flurry of fists. Up onto the roof of the hearse, Undertaker delivers a chokeslam, followed by a Tombstone! He gets him inside, and drives out of the arena at 19:08. Actually a lot more entertaining than I expected it to be. Not a great wrestling match in the traditional sense, no, but absolutely an entertaining brawl, and a lot better than their other pay per view matches. ** ½

Main Event: Batista and John Cena v Booker T and Finlay: Cena starts with Booker, and John wants to go to the mat, but Booker keeps trying to turn it into a brawl. Cena manages to win that debate, and he passes over to Batista, but Booker wants no part of him, and tags as well. I'd love to see Batista's bellybutton tat if he ever got fat. Like, REALLY fat. Batista controls with a catapult and a muscle buster, but he fails to cut the ring in half, and Finlay tags. Booker tries a hiptoss, but Batista counters with a short-clothesline, and he passes back to John. Booker manages to hit a savate kick for two, but Cena shrugs him off, and hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle. FU, but Booker blocks, so John reroutes to the STFU instead - Finlay saving. That allows Booker to grab his royal scepter, and he blasts Cena in the throat with it, then kicks him for two. The heels cut the ring in half on Cena, including a cameo from the Little Bastard, but Cena fights Booker off with a DDT, and there's the tag - Roseanne Barr the door! The heels try doubling up, but Booker ends up superkicking Finlay, and Batista hits a spinebuster. Batista Bomb, but Finlay saves, so Cena hits him with a belly-to-belly suplex. They spill to the outside, allowing Batista another spinebuster, and this time the Bomb finishes at 11:26. Not bad in general, but kind of short and underwhelming for a main event. This felt more like what you'd see as a house show main, than what you'd expect to close a pay per view. The Last Ride match would have been a better closer. *

BUExperience: After a very lackluster year, the WWE brings things to a close with one of their strongest efforts of 2006. I really wasn’t expecting much from this show (to this day December is almost always a write-off month on pay per view), but it delivered. The undercard is solid, with two good title matches, and one great one in the ladder match (easily the WWE’s best pay per view match of 2006), and even the stuff that sucked either a) had a cool gimmick, or b) was extremely short. Even Undertaker turned in a good performance! The main event underperformed, but overall worth checking out – especially for the ladder match.

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