I do like the concept of Night of Champions. It does something that wrestling promotions fall short of from time to time. Putting over their championships. The second annual pay-per-view, formerly called Vengeance, took place on June 29, 2008 and will be released on DVD tomorrow.
The DVD contains the pay-per-view in its entirety with a couple of extras, including Jim â<80><9c>JRâ<80> Ross giving his June 30 farewell address on Raw. Seriously, he is a class act. Plus, thereâ<80><99>s a post-match interview with WWE champ Triple H. Missing is the CM Punk world title victory on the following night. That would have been a nice touch since it was teased on the pay-per-view.
Three announcing teams called the action for Raw, Smackdown and ECW matches. Solid performance by Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole. Smackdownâ<80><99>s Mick Foley seemed a bit awkward at first in adjusting to the legendary announcer, but came into his own as the night wore on. To me, he had the line of the night when he told JR, â<80><9c>I thought I was old school, but I think you were from the school that burned down before they built the old school.â<80>
And ECWâ<80><99>s Mike Adamle? I know. It is easy to pile on this guy, but when he says things such as, â<80><9c>Meanwhile, Kane is still in front of our broadcast thing,â<80> he doesnâ<80><99>t do himself any favors. Thing? Even if you donâ<80><99>t know about the business, you should still know what a table is.
Adamle is still trying to find his style and it shows. He is vanilla one minute and screaming, â<80><9c>Have mercyâ<80> the next. Tazz does his best, but this experiment should start paying off by now.
Night of Champions was a solid effort with something for everyone. Young stars, old school matches, intensifying feuds, solid ring work, and one Diva â<80><9c>devouringâ<80> another (more on that later). Yes, the DVD has few frills. However, it makes it affordable and certainly worth the price for those who don’t pop for the pay-per-view, but still want the high quality video and sound.
I wonâ<80><99>t do a â<80><9c>blow-by-blowâ<80> match analysis, since that was already done following the pay-per-view. Just some hackneyed reflections of each bout.
WWE Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz defeated Fit Finlay and Hornswoggle
Fit Finlay as a face doesnâ<80><99>t work for me at all, especially when he buddies up to a guy he would normally kick the crap out of. He was â<80><9c>no frills.â<80> Now, he doesnâ<80><99>t so much like to fight as much as he liked to jig, according to the entrance music I heard. On the other hand, Miz and Morrison gel well and are a great, cocky heel team.
Matt Hardy defeated Chavo Guerrero to retain the WWE United States championship
Some would call it a slow match. I saw it as more â<80><9c>old schoolâ<80> where Chavo continually worked on Hardyâ<80><99>s left knee. And why was Bam Neely out there? If heâ<80><99>s the â<80><9c>muscle,â<80> he was certainly a non-factor.
Mark Henry defeated Kane and The Big Show to capture the ECW championship
Adamle and Tazz referred to this match as a â<80><9c>scene out of Jurassic Park.â<80> I donâ<80><99>t see that as a compliment. Sorry, I donâ<80><99>t get Mark Henry and I donâ<80><99>t think I ever will. According to Adamle, Henry winning the ECW strap returns him to glory. What?
Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes defeated Bob Holly and Cody Rhodes (no, not the fake one) for the World Tag Team championship
Predictable turn? Maybe, but I also saw it as a nice â<80><9c>old schoolâ<80> betrayal with the student turning on the teacher. And to say that Ted DiBiase has potential would be an understatement. This is the first of many championships for him. For the record, I believe that this is the first time that a â<80><9c>partner texting that he would be lateâ<80> excuse was used.
Todd Grisham interviews a solemn John Bradshaw Layfield
JBL pushed all the right heel buttons. Talking about economic times and how people are buying things they canâ<80><99>t afford. Then, he rips on Texas by going after the Cowboys and putting over the New York Giants. Solid promo.
Kofi Kingston defeated Chris Jericho to win the Intercontinental Championship
Watch the smiling, Kofi. Seems to me that another WWE superstar grinned from ear to ear about ten years ago, playing the happy, nice guy. In return, fans chanted, â<80><9c>Rocky sucks.â<80>
Mickie James defeated Katie Lea Burchill to retain the WWE Womenâ<80><99>s championship
Michael Cole said that Mickie James was â<80><9c>devouredâ<80> by Katie Lea. Look, I know that â<80><9c>Devourâ<80> was the theme song to the show, but seriouslyâ<80>¦
Edge defeated Batista to retain the World Heavyweight championship
I donâ<80><99>t question Batistaâ<80><99>s charisma and intensity. But that pretend machine gun entrance? Looks a bit silly. He should make spitty gun noises when he does it.
Triple H defeated John Cena for the WWE championship
Okay, speaking of â<80><9c>spitty,â<80> spitting water for an entrance is even sillier. And Cena responding to Triple Hâ<80><99>s crotch chop with a salute? Iâ<80><99>m going to remember that next time someone flips me off on the road.
