WWE Judgment Day (May 2008)

Original Airdate: May 18, 2008

From Omaha, Nebraska; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler (RAW); Michael Cole and Mick Foley (Smackdown); Mike Adamle and Tazz (ECW)

Opening Match: John Cena v John Bradshaw Layfield: Feeling out process to start, with Cena going for the STFU early, but Bradshaw is in the ropes before he can get it on. Bradshaw snaps his throat across the top rope on the break, and throws Cena shoulder-first through the buckles and into the post. Bradshaw adds a swinging neckbreaker before grounding Cena in an overhead wristlock, but John starts to escape, so Bradshaw shifts to a cross-armbreaker. Cena leverages it into a cradle for a few two counts, before dead lifting Bradshaw to a vertical base to escape. That does a lot of damage to the arm, however, and Bradshaw is able to keep control. He unloads on Cena in the corner, but a cross corner whip backfires when John barrels out with a clothesline. He adds the Throwback to set up a flying rocker dropper, but Layfield dodges. Bradshaw then drops Cena front-first across the top rope, and a shoulderblock knocks Cena off the apron to the floor. Bradshaw follows to ram him into the apron before rolling him back in to cover for two, and a few kicks to the head are worth two. Bradshaw works a bearhug, but Cena starts to fight free, so Layfield shifts to a bodyscissors. Cena starts to fight that as well, so Bradshaw adds a full-nelson while holding the bodyscissors, but Cena is able to power to a vertical base in the hold. Layfield rides him back down, and Cena is fading fast, but manages to escape. FU, but the ribs give him trouble on the lift, and Bradshaw is able to big boot him down for another bodyscissors, this time coupled with a chinlock. Cena powers out of that into a spinebuster, but misses a charge in the corner as he starts mounting a comeback, allowing Bradshaw a big boot. Layfield adds a series of four elbowdrops to keep the hurt on the ribs, and drills John-boy with a short-clothesline. Another one, but Cena ducks, and the momentum allows him to power through the FU at 15:05. Not an especially good match, but they were doing some interesting stuff out there, and the psychology made it easy to get invested in. ** ¼

WWE Tag Team Title Match: John Morrison and Miz v Kane and CM Punk: Miz looks like such a tool here. He starts with Punk, and gets dominated on the mat, with CM quickly suplexing him for two. Tag to Kane for some tandem stomping in the corner, and he abuses Miz in a hangman. Miz dodges a charge to allow for the tag to Morrison, but he runs right into a bodyslam from Kane, and then eats a seated boot for two. Over to Punk for a backbreaker/slingshot kneedrop combo for two, and he grounds the champion in a crippler crossface, but John kicks his way free. Miz tags in for a tandem stomachbreaker, and he grounds Punk in a chinlock, but eats a kick to the head to allow the tag to Kane. Kane quickly corner clotheslines Miz to set up a sidewalk slam, which itself sets up a flying clothesline. Tombstone, but Miz slips free, and makes a blind tag to Morrison, who sneaks in with a neckbreaker on Kane. The champs go to work, but Miz eats a big boot, and Punk gets the hot tag - Roseanne Barr the door! Snap powerslam on Morrison gets two, and a cool spot where he bulldogs Morrison while clotheslining Miz is worth two. Springboard flying clothesline on Morrison gets two, but Miz saves his partner from taking the GTS, and the Moonlight Drive retains at 7:13. Watching this, you'd have pegged Morrison as the guy who was going to become the biggest star out of this crew, but man, did that not work out that way, like, at all. ** ¼

Chris Jericho v Shawn Michaels: Jericho is the WWE Intercontinental champion, but this is non-title. Chris shoots for the Walls multiple times in the opening moments, but Shawn fights him off, and backs him away. They feel each other out, into a fairly sloppy pinfall reversal sequence that ends in Shawn poorly applying a figure four, but Jericho makes the ropes. Michaels starts playing mind games with him as they scuffle in the corner, and Shawn applies a hanging armbreaker on the ropes as he starts to go to work on the arm. Chris reverses a cross corner whip to flip Shawn in the corner, but Michaels blocks a superplex with a gourdbuster off the top - only to hit knees as he tries following up with a flying elbowdrop. Chris punishes the ribs with a senton splash, followed by a side suplex, and an abdominal stretch. Pair of corner whips set up a bulldog, but Michaels dumps him into the ropes to block, and capitalizes with an inverted atomic drop. Shawn adds a jumping forearm, but the ribs slow him down on the kip-up, and Jericho is able to slap on the Walls! Michaels makes the ropes, so Jericho tries the springboard bodypress on the apron, but Shawn counters with the Superkick out there! Direct hit, but Jericho is left down on the floor, so now Michaels is tasked with having to drag his dead weight in if he wants the pin. He manages to, but by the time he's able to cover, it's only worth two. Shawn adds the flying elbowdrop, but aggravates the ribs in the process, and Jericho shrewdly counters the Superkick with the Codebreaker for two. He looks to follow-up, but Michaels counters into the crippler crossface, only for Chris to get the ropes. Shawn goes for it again, but Jericho is able to counter by dropping HBK front-first across the top rope. Lionsault, so Shawn counters by lifting the knees, but Jericho predicts it, and lands on his feet. Walls, but Michaels is able to counter with a victory cradle at 15:54. I kept waiting for this to takeoff, but it just never did. Not bad by any means, but didn't quite reach the levels you'd expect from them. This is probably going to be one of those matches people send me e-mails about to complain I shortchanged it, but I calls 'em likes I sees 'em. And here, I sees an above average match, but not quite what I would consider 'good.' But that’s just, like, my opinion, man. ** ½

WWE Women's Title Triple Threat Match: Mickie James v Beth Phoenix v Melina: First fall wins it. Beth tries to kick Melina out of 'her' ring at the bell, but that earns her a literal kicking out of the ring, allowing Mickie to sneak up on Melina with a bridging rollup for two. Beth quickly recovers and dumps the champion to the outside, allowing her to scuffle with Melina, dominating her. James hops on Beth's back with a sleeper, but Melina breaks it up to avoid a fall occurring, so Mickie sling blades her. James goes up, but Melina crotches her on the top - only to get slammed with an electric chair from Beth while attempting a superplex. That allows Mickie to dive off on Beth for two, but Phoenix decides to pick both girls up for an impressive double overhead backbreaker. That was pretty cool. Unfortunately, it's not the finish though, as Melina hits Beth with a neckbreaker, but runs into a DDT from Mickie at 4:43. ½*

World Heavyweight Title Match: Undertaker v Edge: This is for the vacant title. Edge tries using his speed to avoid getting caught in the early going, but ends up trapped in the corner, and pounded. To the outside, Undertaker rams him shoulder-first into the post, then takes him inside to work the part with a pair of short-shoulderblocks, followed by a ram into the turnbuckles. Ropewalk forearm looks to follow, but Edge crotches him on the top rope to block, and Undertaker spills out to the apron. Edge follows to hammer him, but ends up getting launched into the barricade, though he's able to reverse a whip into the steps. That allows Edge a baseball slide, and they head back in, where Undertaker tries a corner big boot, but Edge ducks, and covers for two. The old 'duck and cover,' as it's known. Edge goes after the leg, but trying his own version of the ropewalk forearm is a step across the line, and Undertaker crotches him on the top rope. That leads to a slugfest, won by 'Taker with the jumping clothesline, and followed with a pair of corner clotheslines. He chokeslams Edge into the buckles (neat!) to set up a big boot for two, and the ropewalk forearm follows. Tombstone, but Edge counters with the Edge-o-Matic, and he takes a moment to expose a top turnbuckle. Undertaker tries the Last Ride, but gets countered with the implant DDT for two. Spear, but Undertaker sidesteps, and Last Ride's Edge into the turnbuckles for two. Snake-eyes into the exposed buckle, but Edge slips free, and shoves 'Taker into the steel. He tries capitalizing with a charge, but Undertaker moves, and hits the snake-eyes to the exposed buckle on his second try. He looks for a follow-up, but Edge spears him down for two, and they slug it out. Edge tries another spear, but gets countered with a chokeslam for two, and they spill to the outside, and into the first row. The count is on, and it's a groggy footrace in - Undertaker able to make it inside first for the countout victory at 16:17. Ah, but unfortunately Vickie Guerrero shows up to inform him that he can only win the title by pinfall or submission, and therefore it remains vacant. Terrible finish to an okay match, as their series continues to prove the law of diminishing returns. ** ¼

Montel Vontavious Porter v Jeff Hardy: This is an impromptu match, as MVP comes out and makes an open challenge, with Jeff responding. Or, well, technically Matt Hardy responds, but sends Jeff in his place. Do guys just hang around in the back in full gear in case that happens, I wonder? MVP ends up on the outside following the first series of exchanges, but manages to take Jeff down on the way back in, and he holds a waistlock for a few two counts. Porter shifts to a front-facelock, but misses a charge, and ends up back on the floor. Jeff tries going after him with a slingshot baseball slide, but ends up getting dropped on the floor for his efforts, and Porter gets a two count out of it on the way back in. MVP goes to work on the arm Hardy hurt on the outside, hitting a hammerlock-slam for two, and a single-arm DDT for two. Roundhouse kick to the arm and a fireman's drop allow Porter to big boot Hardy to the outside, where Montel throws him into the barricade arm-first, then rolls Jeff in to cover for two. Armbar, but Jeff starts to fight free, so Porter drops him with a kneeling facebuster for two. Playmaker looks to finish, but Hardy counters with a sling blade, and he starts making a comeback. Swanton Bomb caps the comeback off, but Porter rolls out of the way - only to eat turnbuckle while trying a charge. That allows Hardy to go up for the Whisper in the Wind, getting three at 9:44. Started off a little choppy, but once Porter started viciously working the arm, it was good. **

Main Event: WWE Title Cage Match: Triple H v Randy Orton: Orton immediately lunges for the door at the bell, trying to scurry out before it's even closed for the first time, but HHH is able to stop him. That earns Hunter a shot to the head with the door, and they engage in a slugfest - won by HHH with a high knee. He rams Randy into the cage, but Orton immediately starts to climb, and decks the champion when he gets pulled down. HHH manages a swinging neckbreaker for two, and some mounted punches set up a kneedrop for two. Randy rams him into the cage to buy time, and manages a catapult into it, followed by a toss. He wedges Hunter between the ropes and the cage for some abuse, then pulls him back over via the rope-hung DDT for two. Chinlock, but HHH slugs free, so Randy snap powerslams him for two. That leads to a garvin stomp into a kneedrop for two, but a second kneedrop misses, and Hunter starts repeatedly clipping the leg to set up a figure four. Orton makes the ropes to facilitate his escape, and he tries for the RKO, but HHH counters to the Pedigree - countered back by Orton with a backdrop. Randy crawls for the door, and though Hunter is able to keep him inside, Orton manages to drag a chair in with him. Hunter blocks a swing, and lands a kneeling facebuster for two, but his own attempt to use the chair is stopped when Randy blows him low. That allows Orton to finally use the chair, and a shot with it sets up a DDT onto it for two. RKO onto the chair, but HHH blocks with a toss into the cage, and he adds a drop-toehold onto the chair for two. Both men climb, and the fight at the top goes HHH's way, but Orton manages to keep him from getting over the top. Randy knocks him back down to the mat, but his own attempt to finish escaping is thwarted when HHH meets him back at the top. The Game tries a Pedigree off the top rope, but Orton is able to shove him back down to the mat to block, and this time finally makes it over the top of the cage. Hunter lunges up after him, managing to pull his challenger back over, but he gets knocked off again. The rationale behind the sequences is fine, but the slow climbing is killing it. Orton again tries to finish his escape, but this time HHH rips at the leg to crotch Randy across the top rope to block, and he adds a rotating spinebuster. Pedigree on the chair, but Orton sweeps the legs to block, thus slamming Hunter down across the steel. Randy tries the punt, but HHH uses the chair to block, and the Pedigree retains at 21:22. This was okay, but felt like it went on for too long, and the slow climbing stuff was really annoying. * ¾

BUExperience: With solid action up and down the card, and no stinkers, this is a fun show that’s definitely worth giving a look to, though it falls one true standout match shy of greatness.

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