Welcome to the SLTD PPV Rewind, a retrospective column looking back at the PPVs of 2006, a decade after they happened. This time, it’s the big one, WrestleMania 22.
World Tag Team Championship: Kane & Big Show vs. Carlito & Chris Masters
Decent opener, I like the team of Kane & Big Show a lot. I actually remember voting for Shawn Michaels at Taboo Tuesday as that would force the now Tag Team Champions to compete together for the gold.
Masters & Carlito work well together when they eventually get some offence in, while the champs are made to look unstoppable. It’s a shame how this reign ended up. Kane & Big Show retain after a big, red, chokeslam.
Rating: 3/5
Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Bobby Lashley vs. Matt Hardy vs. Finlay vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Ric Flair vs. Rob Van Dam
A fantastic example of why Money In The Bank should still be a Wrestlemania attraction. Pure athleticism from all involved (including Flair) and the MVP of this match goes to Shelton Benjamin. The guy was a workhorse in there, from a senton off a ladder to springboarding off the ropes, into the ring and onto a ladder, Shelton deserved a win.
The Flair bumps are a little hard to watch but ultimately this match was extremely well paced with little to no blank spaces. Rob Van Dam gets the briefcase after tipping a ladder over that had both Shelton Benjamin and Matt Hardy on, leading to them going straight over the top rope and down to the floor.
Rating: 4/5
United States Championship: Chris Benoit vs. JBL
Man, Benoit’s theme was awesome. Unfortunately, even with Benoit’s superior wrestling skills, this match goes the way of JBL’s other PPV outings so far covered in these columns, and that way is down the drain.
Benoit is fully doing what Benoit does best, JBL is kind of just there. A disappointment but thankfully, a short one. JBL wins the United States Championship after rolling up Benoit and using the ropes.
Rating: 2/5
Hardcore Match: Edge vs. Mick Foley
Joey Styles actually gets to call this one which, in my opinion, is the match that contains both Edge’s & Mick Foley’s ‘Wrestlemania Moments’
Brutal from the moment the bell rings, this one is pure chaos to watch. Foley tied barbed wire around his waist as a rather ingenious way to stop Edge from spearing him. Lots of unique weapons, lots of unique spots, this was the more mainstream way of testing the waters for that ECW comeback we came to see later in 2006.
We all know how this one ends, Edge spears Mick Foley through the ropes, crashing onto a flaming table for the pinfall.
Rating: 4/5
The Boogeyman vs. Booker T & Sharmell
What? Waste.
0/5
Women’s Championship: Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James
Quite the technical outing from the Women’s division here despite a couple of botches. Mickie plays her psycho character extremely well throughout while Trish is very convincing as an unwanted stalkee(?).
Mickie James wins the Women’s Championship after hitting Trish with a Mick Kick.
Rating: 3/5
Casket Match: The Undertaker Vs. Mark Henry
There are those who used their size to try and break the streak, then there are those who used their ability to try and break the streak. Mark Henry, obviously, used his size to his advantage here which makes for a great role switch as it means his opponent, The Undertaker, had to be agile in order to counter balance.
While this match is decent at best, I think this is where Undertaker started to consider having ‘work-rate’ matches at Wrestlemania as opposed to just letting the streak ‘exist’ Out of all of Undertaker’s 21 victories at Wrestlemania, the matches between Wrestlemania 23 and Wrestlemania 29 were the ones that put the streak on a pedestal, as it should have been.
Pretty conventional casket match fare here, trying to weaken your opponent in order to roll them into the casket to win. Taker’s athletic performance is what makes this one worth checking out. Undertaker wins after a magnificent over the top rope (and casket) dive and a tombstone before putting Henry in the casket.
Rating: 3/5
No Holds Barred: Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon
Say what you will about the egotistical inclusion of Vince McMahon at his own Superbowl but in a match like this, he takes a beating extremely well.
JR is incomparably passionate on commentary here as Vince gets an occasional reprieve thanks to Spirit Squad and Shane O’Mac interference. Not as brutal as Edge/Foley but still enjoyable. HBK gets the pin after hitting a diving elbow, off a ladder, onto a trash can covered McMahon, sending him through a table before closing the deal with Sweet Chin Music.
Rating: 3/5
World Heavyweight Championship: Kurt Angle vs. Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio
Fantastic video package leading into this one, although, it did focus more on the Mysterio/Orton rivalry making Kurt Angle look more like a third wheel.
This really was a match of three diverse styles. Orton’s early apex predator was as slimy and as treacherous as he could be, trying to steal wins as quickly as he could, Angle’s wrestling machine was throwing both men around like rag dolls while Mysterio’s underdog was doing what he could, when he could only to be cut off short.
A great match, showcasing all three men. It was surprising to see Mysterio get booed like he did, I totally forgot about it. Rey Mysterio wins the World Heavyweight Championship after hitting both men with a 619 and pinning Orton off a West Coast Pop.
Rating: 4/5
Playboy Pillow Fight: Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle
What?!
Rating: 0/5
WWE Championship: Triple H vs. John Cena
Ah, the introduction of my favourite Triple H theme, King Of Kings. Hey, it’s CM Punk! Both of these entrances were great, last minute hype never did anyone any harm.
Bit of a slow one, crowd were very anti-Cena which I think may have influenced the way certain spots were delivered. Couple of false finishes and near falls make it entertaining but this is very much the beginning of Super(man) Cena, much to the dismay of the live crowd. Cena retains after making Triple H tap out to the STFU.
Rating: 3/5
Final Thoughts:
Strong Mania with a number of matches being well worth your time, We’ll ignore those that aren’t.
30/55 – C
2006 PPV Ranking:
- No Way Out – C
- Wrestlemania 22 – C
- Royal Rumble – C-
- New Year’s Revolution – D-
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