WWE Judgment Day (May 2009)

 

Original Airdate: May 17, 2009

From Chicago, Illinois; Your Hosts are Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler (RAW); Jim Ross and Todd Grisham (Smackdown); Josh Matthews and Matt Striker (ECW)

Opening Match: CM Punk v Umaga: The referee seems way overzealous here, jumping around like a lunatic. Punk sticks and moves, but lands in a swinging scrapbuster while trying a springboard, and Umaga works him over. Punk gets dumped, so he tries a slingshot sunset flip back up, but Umaga blocks him with a sit-down splash, and then gives him a springboard version for good measure. Again, but this time Punk blocks. He tries a bodyslam, but Umaga topples him for two, and he works another nervehold. Umaga dives off the middle with a headbutt drop, but Punk manages to dodge, and that's finally enough to trigger a real comeback. Punk tries a bulldog, but Umaga shoves him into the corner to block, and hits an avalanche. Corner hip attack follows, but Punk dodges again, and dives with a 2^nd rope bulldog for two. Springboard flying clothesline gets two, but Umaga counters the GTS with a Samoan drop for two. Samoan Spike, but Punk counters with some kicks to the head, only for Umaga to escape another GTS attempt. That allows Umaga to hip attack in the corner, and the Spike puts it away at 11:52. I was pretty bored with this most of the way through, but it got better towards the end. ¾*

ECW Title Match: Christian v Jack Swagger: An ECW Title match not booked as the opener? Won't someone PLEASE think of the children?! Christian sticks and moves as we get started, but Jack manages to avoid the Killswitch, and he takes the champion down in a waistlock. Christian speeds things up and dumps him to the outside for a baseball slide, and the champ dives with a springboard shoulderblock on the floor. He muscles Jack back in, but Swagger sends him back to the outside with a shoulderblock off of the apron, and Jack drops him into the post for good measure. Inside, that gets the challenger two, so he works a bodyscissors. Christian escapes, so Swagger throws a knee for two, and a bodyslam sets up a springboard pump-splash, but Christian lifts his knees to block. Christian dives with a 2^nd rope backelbow, and he starts making a comeback, but Swagger cuts him off with the Oklahoma stampede - only for Christian to counter with a matslam for two. Christian with a flying headbutt drop, but Swagger dodges, and hooks an Oklahoma roll for two. Superplex gets two, but both guys collide for a double knockout. Christian is up first, so Jack tries an electric chair, but Christian escapes to the middle rope. He dives with a sunset flip, but Jack reverses the cradle for two, so Christian gives him an inverted tornado DDT for two. Jack with a schoolboy for two, and a cool modified side suplex leads to a gutwrench, but Christian escapes with a rollup at 9:34. **

Shelton Benjamin v John Morrison: Benjamin with a suplex right out of the gate, and he holds John in an armbar from there. John escapes, so Benjamin bails to the outside, but Morrison dives after him with a springboard flying 450 press. Cool move, but looked stupid because Shelton literally stood around and waited for him to make a very telegraphed dive. John rolls him in and goes to the top, but a distraction from Charlie Haas allows Benjamin to knock John to the floor. Haas rolls him in for Benjamin to cover for two, and Shelton works a mat-based abdominal stretch. Ross sounds so tired on commentary. You could just tell his heart wasn't really in it anymore at this point. Benjamin works him over, but John reverses a sleeper, and they end up colliding when Benjamin whips him into the ropes to escape. Shelton is up first, but a side suplex attempt gets toppled for two, and Morrison starts making a comeback. Russian legsweep gets two, but Benjamin counters a neckbreaker with a modified backbreaker for two. John fights him off again and throws a kneesmash for two, but a springboard gets countered with a bucklebomb for two. John with another springboard that goes better, and the Starship Pain finishes at 10:08. Good match on paper, but very disappointing in reality. ¾*

WWE Intercontinental Title Match: Rey Mysterio v Chris Jericho: Rey goes for the 619 right away, but Jericho is way too fresh, and bails. It does succeed in rattling the challenger, but Chris still gets control as he heads back in, and he literally rattles Rey with some turnbuckle smashes. Jericho chucks him to the outside, but Rey manages to land on his feet, and sucker Chris into giving up the high ground. That allows Rey to dive off the apron with a seated senton, but Jericho reverses a whip into the barricade. Chris gets into trouble bringing it back inside, allowing Rey a flying guillotine legdrop, but another trip to the top ends badly when Jericho violently shoves him off. Springboard dropkick knocks him to the outside, and Jericho follows to give the champ another taste of the barricade. Jericho with a slingshot splash for two on the way back in, and he grounds Rey in a crossface chickenwing. Not the same without Bob Backlund's screeching. Rey escapes and throws a leg-feed enzuigiri to set up the 619, but Jericho is ready with a backdrop for two. Rey wisely bails, and tries to use speed on the way back in, but Jericho grabs him with a rack drop for two. Chris with a catapult underneath the bottom rope, and he goes for the mask to try and mess with the champion, but it backfires when Rey gets all fired up. Rey with a flying seated senton, followed by a springboard bodypress for two. Chris tries fighting back with a sunset flip, but Rey rolls through into a seated roundhouse kick for two. Rey keeps sticking and moving, but Jericho catches him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. One-handed bulldog, but Rey blocks, and uses a headscissors to set up the 619 - Jericho dodging. Rey stays on him with a springboard rana, but Chris catches him in the Liontamer - Rey able to block before Jericho can get it properly applied. 619, but this time Jericho catches the legs to counter to the Walls, and that one he gets locked on right. Rey fights a counter in the form of a cradle for two, but another rana attempt gets countered with a powerbomb for two. Into the corner, but Rey fights him off and pops the 619, setting up a springboard flying splash for the pin at 12:38. This finish felt kind of out of nowhere, but this was good action, and good storytelling. ***

WWE Title Match: Randy Orton v Batista: Orton stalls on the outside to frustrate Batista after the bell, but Batista still manages to grab a standing side-headlock once the champ comes in. Randy forces a criss cross, but Batista barrels into him with a shoulderblock, so Orton bails again. Back in, Batista keeps on him with a vertical suplex for two, and he pounds on the lower back of the champion. Orton dumps him to the outside to buy time, but Batista is quickly on the apron, so Randy throws a dropkick to knock him back off. That's enough to allow Orton to side suplex his challenger across the barricade, and he takes it inside to cover for two. Randy with a bootrake and stomp to the gut to disorient Batista, and a series of kneedrops get him two. Chinlock, but Batista quickly fights free, so Randy uses the inverted headlock backbreaker for two. Randy adds the Garvin stomp to wear Batista down for another chinlock, but he still can't get much mileage out of it, and Batista escapes with a side suplex. Orton tries a sleeper, but Batista quickly escapes that as well, so Randy throws another dropkick to knock him to the apron. Orton drags him back in with the rope-hung DDT for two, but Batista counters the punt with a spear, and both guys stagger up for a slugfest. Batista gets the better of it, and he unloads in the corner, leading to a front-powerslam for two. Orton wisely bails, and full-on encourages the referee to count him out, so Batista goes after him to try and stop it. That leads to a chase as they tease a double countout, but Batista gets him in in time, and delivers a big clothesline for two. Randy clinging the post to try and get himself counted out was a great little heel move. Randy bails again, but this time snaps Batista's throat across the top rope when the challenger goes after him, and Orton grabs a chair. Batista knocks it away before the champ can use it/get disqualified, however, and Batista dives with a flying shoulderblock for two. Batista Bomb, but Orton manages to hit the deck, and he bails. This time he grabs the title belt and tries to walk out, though he doesn't make a very realistic effort of it. Maybe hustle, or at least look over your shoulder. Shockingly, Batista manages to drag him back, and he hits a spinebuster. Bomb, but Orton blocks. RKO, but Batista blocks. Batista tries a spear in the corner, but Orton sidesteps. He tries the RKO again, but Batista blocks, so Randy slaps the shit out of the referee to trigger a DQ at 14:45. This was more fun than I expected it to be, with Orton doing a good job of playing a cowardly heel, and the match long story actually building to a logical finish. ***

John Cena v Big Show: Show with some stubble on his head is a bad look for him. Show tries to corner him in the early going, and despite John's best efforts, Show manages to swipe at the bad ribs to take control. They're doing a good job of getting the existing injury over, but would it have killed him to do some DDP rib tape here? Show works him over in dull fashion, and a sidewalk slam gets the big man two. It feels like this was filmed in slow motion, or something. They spill to the outside, where Show sends him into the post, and back in for more slow, methodical abuse. The psychology is good, and the crowd is staying surprisingly engaged, but this is just so boring. Luckily Show is ready with a bearhug to really speed things up, and he cross corner whips John when Cena fights out of the hold. John dodges a corner splash to finally get in a decent hope spot, and he manages to clip the leg, and hit the Throwback. Five Knuckle Shuffle connects, so Show tries the Chokeslam, but Cena is ready with a DDT! STF, but he can't quite get it locked due to the size difference, and Show blasts him with a clothesline. Show goes to the middle with a pump-splash for two, but a second one misses. I'm honestly surprised that wasn't setting up Cena popping up to grab the Attitude Adjustment there. So the idiot goes for the STF again, I guess hoping Show has somehow shrunk in the last two minutes, but, sadly, no. So he uses the flying rocker dropper instead, and then it's back for another futile attempt at an STF. Still no. Show gives him an inverted electric chair, but Cena counters a big knockout punch with the AA for the pin at 14:58. Yeah, popping up to counter the pump-splash would have been a much more memorable way to counter. This was surprisingly slow and boring, I don't know how they managed to keep the crowd hooked like they did. ½*

Main Event: World Heavyweight Title Match: Edge v Jeff Hardy: God, even during the main event, Ross sounds like he's going to fall asleep. He needs some football stats to reel off in the worst way. But at least he's got an excuse for being tired after that last match. Feeling out process to start, with Hardy keeping things grounded to throw the champion off of his game. Jeff with a leg-feed corkscrew kick to put Edge on the outside, and it's dive time in the form of a somersault plancha. Back in for the Whisper in the Wind, but Edge dodges, so Hardy wisely rolls to the apron to avoid a pin attempt. Edge whips him into the post out there before spearing him off of the apron, and an elbowdrop gets the champion two on the way back in. Edge with a bodypress ropechoke for two (neat variation there, don't think I've seen that one before), and he takes his challenger to the mat with a bow-and-arrow. Jeff escapes and goes for the Twist of Fate, but Edge counters with the Edge-o-Matic for two. Criss cross allows Jeff to throws a bodypress for two, and a sitout chincrusher leads to a sitout gourdbuster. Terrible execution on that last one. Jeff goes for a dive, but Edge dodges, and he hooks the leg for two. Big boot, but Jeff ducks, and peppers Edge with a series of shots - ending in a seated dropkick for two. Jeff with a corner whip and a flying bodypress for two, but a dropkick misses. That allows Edge to go for a sharpshooter, but Jeff is ready with a cradle for two, so Edge tries the Impaler, but Jeff counters to a sharpshooter of his own. Edge gets the ropes to escape, so Jeff grabs him with the Twist, but it only gets two. Hardy with a corner clothesline to set up the slingshot dropkick, but Edge catches him in a powerbomb, only for Hardy to counter with a sunset flip for two. Jeff goes up, but Edge follows, so Jeff uses a sunsetbomb for two to keep control. Edge dodges the slingshot dropkick again, this time bailing to the outside to distance himself, but Hardy follows. The challenger preps an announce table, but an attempt at a railrunner backfires when Edge spears him. Edge leaves him for dead in the rubble and goes in to take the countout, but Jeff beats the count in, and blocks another spear. Twist sets up a slingshot legdrop for two, and the Whisper is worth two. Edge bails, but Jeff is on him with a springboard off of the steps, sending both men over the barricade. Edge wants to run, but Hardy is mindful of the count, and forces him back towards the ring - only for Matt Hardy to attack him before he can get the champ inside! He knocks Jeff out, allowing Edge to roll him in to finish the job, but the cover only gets two! Spear, but Jeff dodges, and Edge knocks himself silly in the corner. That allows Hardy to get to the top for the Swanton Bomb, but he's too slow, and Edge DDTs him off to retain at 19:54. A good, strong match, though not an especially exciting one. *** ¼

BUExperience: Though Morrison/Benjamin and Cena/Show were surprising disappointments, the title matches were all strong efforts, and it was a decent show – if not an especially memorable or exciting one.

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