WWE Unforgiven 2006

There is definitely such a thing as too much of a good thing and a case in point is this month's WWE Unforgiven pay per view. Once upon a time, all a wrestling match needed to giver it some heat was too men, a grudge and maybe a title belt to spice things up a little bit. These days, you need a 15 foot steel cage, more blood that a Saturday night in A & E and every household item bar the kitchen sink - and even then it's not enough. By promoting a show with both a Hell in a Cell AND a Tables Ladders and Chairs match, WWE managed to dilute 2 of their strongest gimmick matches and diminish the impact of both matches. Nopt since the heights of the Monday Night Wars have we seen such a loaded card of wrestling which wasn't a Wrestlemania and unofrtunately WWe failed to capture the special atmosphere of their signature event and this show came across as just another WWE show - albeit a quite decent one.

Because of loaded main events, someone at WWE actually made the senisble decision to not overload the undercard and as such we actually had 3 really good wrestling matches, all of which were given enough time to tell an interesting story and actually be cometitive. The first of these was the Intercontiental Championship match between Johnny Nitro and Jeff Hardy and was a perfect example of how the IC title should be used in WWE. These two young athletes [attempted] to have a high-paced, competitive wrestling match and darn near pulled it off. By having these young guys go out and have good matches, with as little silliness as possible, WWE actually managed to make the IC title seem important and gave these 2 the oppurtunity to showcase just what they could do. Unfortunately neither man is the next Chris Benoit or Eddie Guerrero and at times the match was very disjointed, but it was perfectly fine for what it was. If WWE were to continue to put on matches like this, then they could well draw back in many of the fans they have alienated over the past year as bad angles can be forgiven if they are acccompanied by some decent wrestling because that is what the majority of fans really want. In many ways, this match could have done with being swapped with the Randy Orton vs. Carlito match which came before the main event, as this was another strong wrestling match between two young athletes who are still establishing themselves in WWE. The main difference though, was that Carlito and Orton put on a much more exciting match, which would have been a stronger opener, however it makes sense to split the title matches up. Let's hope at the enxt show we see someone like Super Crazy, Shelton Benjamin or Charlie Haas given the chance to show what they can do in this position, because if they do, then the future of the Intercontinental division is in good hands.

Before we get to the third of our strong undercard matches it might be worth mentioning the two matches that filled out the remainder of the card. Although not spectacular, Umaga vs. Kane and The Spirit Squad vs. The Highlanders were both perfectly fine wrestling matches. Not great, but not bad either. At this point the show wqas looking pretty strong and ironically it was the main events that would stop it from being a great show, not these realtively meaningless undercard matches.

The third match of consequence on the show was the Women's Title match between Trishc Stratus and Lita. With the history that these two women have together, it was always going to be a good encounter, the only thing that was going to hold it back would be the booking and how much time it was given. Fortunately Trishs' 'retirement' match was given the repestc that WWE seldom gives it's performers and thanks to a decent amount of time and nice a history package, this was one of the highlights of the night, not an excuse for a snack break. Trish winning in her home town with a sharpshooter was a nice touch, however the lack of any post-match celebration really took away from what could have been a real 'highlight reel' moment. But then again, this is the women's division in WWE, should we really be surprised!

This brings us to our main events. Hell in a Cell, was wisely placed in the first half of the card so as not to burn out the audience and as such lacked the fire that previous matches had. As you would expect there were tons of high spots, loads of blood and a DX win. In the grans scheme of Hell in a Cells, it was not the worst (Unertaker vs. Big Bossman at Wrestlemania XV still has that accolade) , but it was by no means up there with the very best. Part of the problem was that this i yet another match where the owner of WWE is given the chance to get himself over at the expense of talent. When you think of talented individuals like Shelton Benjamin or Charlie Haas, who can't even get on the show, then you have to wonder what the point of this match was. Without the emotional sub-plot of previous great Cell match like HHH vs. Cactus Jack or Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker, this just became a series of high-spots with lots of blood. It was Hell in a Cell by numbers, just without the huge spot on the top of the cage (which thank goodness they didn't even attempt!!) and as such took an important WWE siganture event and just made it into another match. Something WWE can not afford to do considering their own falling fortunes in the pay per view business. (Oh, and the less said about Vince showing his bloody face in Big Show's bloody backside the better. That was a truly disgusting moment!!).

So that just leaves our main event, and thank god they put this match on last. A lot has been said over the past months about Cena's position at the top of the card and whether he deserves it or not, however based on this performace, then I don't think anyone can argue with him being WWE's top guy, whether you like it or not. However, what WWE cannot forget, is that part of the reason he is now viewd as their top guy is because of Edge. Edge is WWE's top heel and is a genuine main eventer, however he has only gotten to that stage because he has beaten Cena, cleanly. Cena needed to be beaten by Edge as much as Edge needed to beat him. This in turn has given us a genuine feud, something WWE has not been able to master since the glory days of Rock vs. Austin. These guys are shown as being on an equal footing in the company and this gives both men a credibility that WWE could not manufacture when Cena was first given the belt. Sure, the fans still boo Cena, but at least he is getting a reaction. Fans want to boo the guy they hate and for smart fans, that means Cena, the man who has been given everything and not earned their respect (like Edge or Kurt Angle). WWE's smartest move in the last 6 months has been to ignore this reaction, not try and push Cena down the fan's throats and in return, the fans who boo Cena have been given a heel who is on the top of his game who they can cheer. By giving a feud this amount of heat, the fans ignore Cena's shortcomings in the ring and are simply swept along for the ride - which after all is what 'Sports Entertainment' is all about. As a result, the TLC title match was a rally fun match which, although not a classic, feels more like another chapter of an epic feud and as such managed to achieve what Hell in A Cell did not and allowed all those involved in the match to get over, no matter who won and who lost. Even though this was yet another quick title change, you get the feeling that Edge will be plotting his revenge before too long and whether or not that is next month or next year, this ia feud that cane be constantly re-visited and that is what good wrestling should be all about.

Overall verdict: C+
"By no means a classic, but still one of the better WWE shows in recent months. The solid matches helped gloss over the more goofy moments and make the undercard worth watching, while the top 2 matches were both abov e average. Unofrutnately the prescence of 2 major gimmic matches on one show diulted the importance of both matches, however by putting the title match on last, they at least helped Edge and Cena to continue their feud and not be over-shaowed by the McMahons and DX."