WWE No Mercy (October 2008)

Original Airdate: October 5, 2008

From Portland, Oregon; Your Hosts are Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler (RAW), Jim Ross and Tazz (Smackdown), Todd Grisham and Jerry Lawler (ECW)

Opening ECW Title Match: Matt Hardy v Mark Henry: The champ may change, but the initials won't! Only on pay per view, call now! Henry powers him around early on, but misses a knee in the corner, and Matt capitalizes by taking shots at the part. Henry shrugs him off with a clothesline, however, and he gets back to casually beating on the champion. Snake-eyes, but Matt manages to slip free, and he starts firing away at the leg again. He gets a little more traction this time, but Henry again clobbers him before it really goes anywhere. Press-slam, but Matt slips free again, and this time his clip of the leg actually takes Mark off of his feet! Hardy goes to work on the leg, so Mark bails, but Matt is on his tail - only to get violently shoved to the ground by an angry challenger. Mark's wheel is still damaged though, allowing Matt to keep control on the way back in, but Henry is able to block a figure four, and fire off a big boot for two. Mark with a 1^st rope sit-down splash for two, and he grabs a headvice from there, so Matt swipes at the knee to break free. Henry responds with a bearhug, but Matt starts slugging free, so Mark tries another sit-down splash, but Hardy dodges. Bulldog, but Henry blocks, so Matt dives off the middle with a pair of elbowsmashes. Side Effect gets two, but Mark blocks the Twist of Fate, and hits a splash - only to injure the knee on the landing. That delays the pin attempt, and Matt is able to kickout at two. Henry tries a slam, so Matt beats on the leg to block, and he pops of the Twist at 8:11. I've seen worse. *

WWE Women's Title Match: Beth Phoenix v Candice Michelle: Beth tries to push her around to start, but Candice won't have it, and uses a quick dropkick and a rocker dropper for two. Drop-toehold into a cradle gets two, and another dropkick is worth two. The execution is all over the place, but I'm appreciating the fire! Candice with a leg-feed enzuigiri, but she fails to corner whip the larger champion, and gets dropped into the corner as a result. Candice fights back with a flurry of kicks, but Beth chucks her into the corner to stop that bullshit, and a snapmare gets her two. She grounds her challenger in an armbar, and man, Candice's top is really not appropriate ring gear. How was she not popping out every five seconds? She escapes the hold and starts making a comeback, and a spinning enzuigiri gets two, but Beth cuts her off with a single-arm DDT. Beth heads up, but Candice dives into the ropes to tie her in a tree of woe, and Santino Marella is forced to pull the champ out at two. Candice responds by hitting him with a baseball slide, but the distraction allows Beth to clobber her, and a tiger facebuster finishes at 4:50. Not good, but lots of effort. And I appreciate effort. ½*

Mask Match: Rey Mysterio v Kane: Kane is already unmasked, so only Rey's little punim is on the line here. Kane tosses him around to start, so Rey starts sticking and moving, and manages to knock him over the top with a dropkick. He gets clobbered with a big boot while trying to follow up, however, but he hangs on as Kane tries to toss him over the top, and hits a springboard dropkick. 619, but Kane drills him with a clothesline to block. Rey sticks and moves again, and manages to take Kane over the top with a rana, but a plancha gets caught. Rey grabs a sleeper to try to avoid getting slammed, but Kane snapmares him off, right into the timekeeper's station. That leaves Rey nice and docile for Kane to bash into the post, and the big man is firmly in control as they head back in. Kane with a bodyslam and a chinlock, followed by a seated big boot for two. Backbreaker into a backbreaker submission, but Rey slugs free, and manages to counter a tilt-a-whirl with an inverted DDT. Really fluid looking spot there. Rey stupidly tries getting into a slugfest from there, and that predictably ends badly, but he manages to fight off a superplex attempt, and leaps with a flying moonsault press. Caught him with his knee more than his body there, but at least something connected. Rey with a dropkick to the knee and a superkick to set up a springboard rocker dropper for two, but he runs into a sidewalk slam for two while trying to follow up. Rey manages to springboard his way into a bulldog, and a springboard splash hits for two. Dive off the top gets blocked with a fist to give Kane a two count, but a corner big boot misses, and Rey uses a tiger feint kick to the leg to send Kane to the outside. Mysterio adds a baseball slide, but a dive off the top after him is countered with a swing of a chair, and Kane is disqualified at 10:10! Aww, damn. So I guess we'll never know what Rey looks like. This was a surprisingly strong outing, with little downtime. ** ½

#1 Contender's Match: Batista v John Bradshaw Layfield: Winner becomes top contender to the World Heavyweight Title. JBL goes at him with rights right away, but Batista responds in kind, and that does not go well for the wealthy Texan. Batista with a clothesline and a backelbow ahead of a seated big boot for two, and he takes John into the corner for some abuse, but misses a charge there. That allows Bradshaw to try a charge of his own, but Batista is ready with a spear, and JBL wisely bails. Batista goes to bring him back in, but gets clobbered in the process, and Bradshaw hooks the leg for two. Swinging neckbreaker sets up an elbowdrop for two, and John grabs a chinlock, but Batista powers into a side suplex to escape. That leads to a Batista controlled slugfest, and the Animal uses a clothesline, followed by a corner clothesline. Cross corner whip sets up the front-powerslam, but John blocks a spear with a big boot. Batista keeps coming with a spinebuster, and the Batista Bomb finishes at a brisk 5:17. Total TV match, but I didn't really want to sit through fifteen minutes of Batista versus JBL, so I'm not really complaining. And speaking of 'complaining,' Bradshaw goes on rant about how much money he lost in the market last week (this show took place in the thick of the financial crisis), and how much he appreciates the government bailout, because now he can continue living a life of luxury thanks to everyone else’s tax dollars. That's some tremendous heeling. *

Undertaker v Big Show: Undertaker tries slugging it out at the bell, but ends up getting clotheslined over the top for his efforts. He pulls himself back up to the apron to snap Show's throat across the top rope, but gets drilled with a knee while trying to climb back in, thus sending him right back to the outside. This time Show follows to whip him into the barricade (and into some poor production tech crouching in fear), but a shot into the post is reversed, and Undertaker hits the guillotine legdrop on the way back in. Undertaker with a corner clothesline, but a charge is countered with a clothesline, and Show takes him into the corner to work over. Bodyslam sets up an elbowdrop for two, and it's back into the corner for more abuse. Russian legsweep gets two, but a powerslam attempt is countered to an inverted DDT, but Show manages to block. He headbutts Undertaker down to set up a 2^nd rope pump-splash, but 'Taker rolls out of the way, and starts unloading with rights. Undertaker with a jumping clothesline and a legdrop for two, and boy, his ass is lucky Gorilla Monsoon is dead and buried, because he would he getting torn a new one for that nonchalant cover. Undertaker with the ropewalk forearm, but he lands himself right in the Chokeslam, and Show hooks the leg for two. He goes for the big knockout punch, but Undertaker ducks, and grabs him for a chokeslam, but Show reverses - only for Undertaker to counter into a DDT for two on the way down! Undertaker unloads in the corner, so Show rips off a top turnbuckle pad, and bashes 'Taker's face into the exposed steel. That allows Show to land that big knockout punch, and Undertaker is indeed out. Show gives him another one anyway, and the referee stops the match, and awards Show the win by knockout at 10:04. Another watchable match. *

WWE Title Match: Triple H v Jeff Hardy: Handshake to start, but HHH quickly turns on his as soon as it's over, and hooks a schoolboy for two. Hunter's impish shrug as Hardy gets in his face about the betrayal is pretty great. They feel each other out from there, and Jeff gets the better of him with a clothesline over the top. Hardy capitalizes by diving off the apron with a clothesline, and he rolls Hunter back in to hit with a slingshot legdrop for two. Hardy grounds him in a side-headlock, but HHH powers out and tries to backdrop him over the top, only for Jeff to land on the apron. Hardy starts using his shoulder to bash the Game from the apron, but gets caught in Pedigree position, so he backdrops Hunter over the top to block. Jeff follows with a somersault suicida, but wipes out in dramatic fashion, and HHH pretty much has this won by countout, but decides to force him back in for the decisive win. He hooks the leg at center ring, but Hardy guts out a kickout at two, and Triple H is none too happy. He punishes his challenger with a backbreaker, and adds a few elbowdrops to the lower back to keep the hurt on. Springboard elbowdrop to the lower back gets two, so Hardy tries slugging, but gets caught in a kneeling facebuster for two. HHH adds a kneedrop for two, and it's abdominal stretch time, but the champ gets busted using the ropes, so he switches to a sleeper. Hardy escapes with a sling blade and throws a corkscrew kick to set up a legdrop to the groin for two, and a seated dropkick is worth two. Corner whip sends Hunter careening over the top, and this time Jeff is able to stick the landing with that somersault suicida! He rolls HHH back in for a 2^nd rope flying clothesline for two, but the Twist of Fate is blocked, and Hunter throws a clothesline for two. HHH follows up with his own dive off the middle, but Hardy catches him with a DDT for two. He tries a springboard bodypress, but HHH swats him out of the air for two, and he adds a spinebuster. Pedigree, but Hardy counters with a catapult into the corner, and the Whisper in the Wind gets two. Slingshot corner kick sets up the Swanton Bomb, but HHH dodges. Pedigree, but Hardy counters with the Twist of Fate, and he lands the Swanton - only for Hunter to reverse the cover for three at 17:01! Oh man, great finish. The crowd was hanging on their every move there at the end. These two generally have great chemistry, and this was no exception. ***

Main Event: World Heavyweight Title Ladder Match: Chris Jericho v Shawn Michaels: They measure each other to start, and Shawn goes for the Superkick early, but Jericho manages to duck. That allows Michaels to go for the ladder, but Jericho pulls him back before he even gets out of the ring, and HBK takes a trip into the post. Chris with a northern lights suplex, but Shawn bridges up, so Jericho decks him instead. Clothesline sends Michaels over the top, but he lands on the apron, so Jericho sends him crashing to the ground with a springboard shoulderblock. He whips Shawn in to the ladder, but Michaels runs up the rungs to avoid crashing, and dives back at Jericho with a flying bodypress! Whip into the post, but Jericho reverses. He grabs the ladder, but Shawn drives him into it with a drop-toehold, and he grabs a ladder of his own - only for Jericho to rip it away from him by sweeping the legs into the Walls! That allows Chris to finally get the ladder inside, but Michaels dives onto it to seesaw it back into the champion's face, busting Chris open from the mouth in the process. Shawn climbs, so Jericho pulls him off for the walls, but Shawn won't turn over. Jericho decides to change gears with a catapult into the ladder, but Michaels lands on the rungs and starts climbing, forcing Jericho to tip him over. Chris slams the ladder down onto his challenger, and boy, he's bleeding pretty badly from the mouth here. Chris props a ladder in the corner, but Shawn blocks a whip into it. Jericho keeps coming by trying a bulldog, but Shawn blocks by shoving the champ into the weapon, and he uses it to abuse Jericho's knee. Figure four is used to wear Jericho down, but Chris escapes, and snaps Shawn's under corner mounted ladder with a catapult. Chris then sandwiches Shawn's head between the sides of the ladder for some abuse, and that's enough to allow him to climb, but Shawn is able to tip it over. Unfortunately for him, Jericho lands on his feet, and he kicks Michaels in the head before the challenger can capitalize. Chris sets the ladder up in the corner to toss Shawn into, but Michaels reverses, and Jericho takes a spill to the outside. Shawn chucks the ladder out after him before following, where HBK grabs the weapon, and beats on Jericho with it repeatedly. With Chris good and worn down, Michaels takes the time to prep an announce table, and he places Jericho on it, before climbing a ladder. He takes too long getting to the top though, allowing Chris to follow him up the side for a side suplex off - only for Shawn to shift the momentum and topple him through the table on the way down! Both men are hurt, but Shawn got the better of the crash, and he gets to the top rope as they head back in - only for Jericho to crotch him up there with a dropkick. Chris follows to try a superplex, but Shawn tips the corner leaning ladder over to send Jericho to the mat like a Home Alone villain. Michaels dives after him with a flying elbowdrop, and it's Superkick time, but Jericho uses the ladder to block. A close-up of Jericho reveals that the poor asshole lost a tooth during the brawl, so he really is like a proper Home Alone villain! Chris with a Lionsault onto a ladder covered Michaels, and he pins Shawn underneath the ladder as he climbs for the belt, but Shawn manages to force him off, with Jericho taking a nasty bump to the outside! Man, the way he landed right on his leg there, he's lucky he didn't end up with a broken bone, honestly. As Chris nurses his wounds out on the floor, Shawn makes the climb for gold, but Jericho is able to tip him over, and Shawn lands in the ropes. I think he was trying to get tangled like the finish of the WrestleMania X match, but he missed his mark a little. Still looked fine, regardless. Chris climbs, but Shawn follows up the other side, and we've got a slugfest at the top! Jericho ends up slipping and is left hanging upside-down off the ladder, so Lance Cade runs in to prevent Michaels from grabbing the belt. Shawn fights him off, but the distraction has allowed Jericho to recover, and he's climbing! He has the strap, but Shawn hustles up the other side in time, and it's a tug of war for the unbuckled title belt! Shawn tries to get the better of it with a right hand, but loses his grip in the process, and Jericho retains at 22:18! Okay, so I know that this one is pretty much universally adored, and won the Observer's Match of the Year, and is considered a modern classic, and I hate to be that guy... but... I actually liked the Unsanctioned match from Unforgiven better. This is really good, but, I dunno, it didn't really get my blood going. *** ¾

BUExperience: Two good matches on top (one which I freely admit I’m in the minority on not thinking is an all-time classic), and nothing bad underneath makes for a decent show. I wouldn’t go out of my way to see it, but it certainly doesn’t make for a bad watch.

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