WWE Vengeance 2005 (2005)

Whoever doesn't think there is a difference between Smackdown! pay-per-views and Raw pay-per-views just needs to take a look at Vengeance 2005 for proof.This was an extraordinary one brand only event. The best since Backlash 2004. Every match was entertaining, including Hemme and Victoria. I found the fight between Edge and Kane was highly entertaining. The WWE Championship with Raw's new boy John Cena against Christian and Chris Jericho was excellent. That is the results you get when Cena is in the ring with great workers who can carry him. If only he was able to pull of a better match at WrestleMania 21.Speaking of WrestleMania 21, the big rematch between Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle did not disappoint. All be it, it wasn't as great as their epic battle at WM21 but it had me on the edge of my seat from the opening bell. These two are simply the best workers in the WWE at present. I can't wait for the decider.Hell in a Cell was another match that didn't disappoint at Vengeance. The perfect way to settle Raw's main feud that has been dominating our screens the best part of 2005. The match was the best match in their three match series. It was violent, brutal, vicious. I could be wrong but I think this was the tenth Hell in a Cell match on a WWE event and I felt this borough back some credit to the type of match. Too many times lately (Nash/HHH, HBK/HHH, HHH/Y2J) it has felt the cell has been brought out just for the sake of it. This was thankfully one occasion where it should have been used.Great event in all, Raw once again proves it is far superior. Lets just hope the remainder of the draft lottery gives Smackdown! some much needed talent on their roster.

Match 1 Intercontinental Title-CCC(c)vs. Shelton Benjamin-A good match because Carlito has charisma and Benjamin has in-ring ability. Match ends when Shelton misses a Stinger splash and Carlito rolls him up with tights for the win. 5/10 Winner by pinfall and still Intercontinental Champion:Carlito Match 2-Victoria vs. Christy-Christy is hot, Too bad she didn't win. She should have. Victoria wins w/ the ropes. 3/10 Winner by Pinfall:Victoria Match 3-Kane vs. Edge-This was a retarded match and the wrong man won. I love Kane but he shouldn't have won this. Match ends when Edge tries to spear Kane but hits Snitsky (who was down there for some reason) and Kane gets a chokeslam for the win. Stupid. 3/10 Winner by Pinfall:Kane Match 4-HBK vs. Kurt Angle-Excellent, pure wrestling contest. Match ends when Kurt jumps from the top rope but gets Sweet Chin Music! 1-2-3. 9/10 Winner by Pinfall: HBK Match 5-Triple Threat for the WWE Championship-John Cena (c) vs. Chris Jericho vs. Christian-Great Match. It ends when Cena lifts Christian up for the FU and swings him around. Christians legs hit Jericho in the face knocking him out of the ring. FU for the win. 8.5/10 Winner by Pinfall and still WWE Champion:John Cena Match 6-I loved this match. Highligts include a steel chair w/barbed wire and Sledgehammer shots. Late in the match, Triple H hit a low blow and a Pedigree. 1...2...NO! Holy Sh*t! Batista kicks out. Trips can't believe it either. He goes for another one on the steps but gets a Spinebuster and then a Batista Bomb. He literally falls on top of HHH for the win. 10/10 Winner by Pinfall and still World Heavyweight Champion:BatistaOverall 8/10 would have been higher if not for Edge/Kane and the womens match

WWE must be proud of themselves. Vengeance was a fine PPV and all of the wrestlers worked hard. This PPV reminds me of Backlash in April.Results from Vengeance are as follows: - Carlito defeated Shelton Benjamin to retain the IC title in a decent match. However I can't help noticing that Carlito sucks as IC champ and all of the other wrestlers who were very good IC champs such as Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon and the legendary Bret Hart must feel insulted.Victoria pinned Christy Hemme in a fair Women's match. Yes you read that correctly Hemme was in a good match.Kane defeated Edge in a very good match.Shanwn Michaels defeated Kurt Angle in a scorching match. This is what I call wrestling.John Cena defeated Christian and Chris Jericho to retain the WWE title in a decent match. Yes, you read that correctly again Cena was in a decent match. Perhaps Cena and Hemme are an item? - Batista defeated Triple H in a superb Hell in a Cell. Again HHH losing to Batty 3 times in a row makes this writer wonder if Triple H has finally seen the light.Overall Grade - A

Vengeance 2005 was above average for today's WWE pay-per-views. On paper, it looked as though only 6 matches would detract from the show but at a closer look, three of those matches could main event any show the WWE puts out and two of the others were strong matches in themselves. Most of the matches were given more time to build a better story and allowed the fans to soak it all in.MATCH REVIEWS - Once again I'll try to keep it short and spoiler free.INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP Carlito (Champion) vs Shelton Benjamin This was a good, solid match that was almost as good as their match on RAW previously. Although this was good, it seems that these two wrestlers could have a match that is much better and that they just don't click together in the ring. Hopefully, they can get used to working with each other and give us the match I know they want to have.Victoria vs Christy Hemme This was the gratuitous and time-filling ladies match. Victoria did an excellent job of carrying Christy to easily her best match (shouldn't have been too hard to top her previous ones). I think Christy must have been working pretty hard as I can see vast improvement since her WrestleMania match. Is it just me or does anyone else think that Christy is even hotter when she looks angry?Kane vs Edge with Lita Again, I think a solid match but could have been better. Lita is debuting her new "Slut of the Century" gimmick and I must say, she looked the part (and I'm not complaining). This match was littered with "We Want Matt", "You Screwed Matt" and "She's A Crack Whore" chants, which seemed to upset Lita (especially the crack whore one). Throw in some needless Gene Snitsky interference and you have your match. They could have done better here.Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle This was, like WrestleMania, the match of the night and where the entire show began to pick up. Angle vs Michaels II was another match where it seemed nothing could go wrong. I have read reports saying this match was on par with their WrestleMania match but I believe it was not quite at that level, although still a great match and definite Match of the Year candidate. Michaels seemed to be injured at the end but still put on a great match. If you have not seen Vengeance 2005, then this match alone is worth it.WWE CHAMPIONSHIP John Cena (Champion) vs Christian vs Chris Jericho This was one of Cena's better matches, possibly his best. How can he go wrong with Christian and Jericho in there with him? I think Cena has gotten a bad reputation as a worker and I believe he is better than being given credit for. It seems that certain wrestlers expose his weaknesses while others can cover them up, which is the mark of a great wrestler. Jericho and Christian both fall into this category. This was a great Triple Threat match. Hopefully, Christian gets his due. He is deserving of a nice push.WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP HELL IN THE CELL MATCH Batista (Champion) vs Triple H Batista is obviously learning a lot from wrestling guys like Triple H and Kurt Angle, among others. He has been put on the fast track and is forced to learn quickly. He's not the greatest worker but he fits the part of a world champion in a big way. Triple H wanted to prove he could do a hardcore match in the WWE style and make it good. This was a good, bloody match. Along the way, we saw some barbed wire chairs, sledgehammers and the ring stairs being used. When all was said and done, I thought the finish of this match elevated the whole thing. That was one of the greatest match finishes I have seen. It even had me fooled.Overall, the 3 big matches made the event worth watching. Both Cena and Batista are put in a position to make or break themselves. Obviously, the odds are with Batista more than Cena, being backed by Triple H and all, but I think there is room there for both of them. I think Cena needs to work on new ways to finish his match. The FU is becoming like Hulk Hogan's leg drop. That was the only way Hogan knew how to finish a match. Given that there were not much in time restraints, the matches were better which made the event better, above average even. 8.5/10