For the first time ever, all three of WWE’s brands, RAW, ECW, and Smackdown!, collectively presented WWE’s annual May Pay-Per-View event, Judgment Day, broadcast live from St. Louis, Missouri. “I Don’t Wanna Stop” by Ozzy Osbourne served as the official theme song for this year’s event.
Even with the absence of current major WWE superstars like Triple H, Rey Mysterio, King Booker, Mark Henry, Kane, Mr. Kennedy, RVD, the Undertaker, and more, Judgment Day 2007 more than proved its worth with its exceptional card and overall match quality. And the prescence of WWE Sign Guy, Rick Achberger, along with his crazy antics only made the night that much more entertaining.
Personally, this marked my first PPV since the history-making WrestleMania 23 in Detroit from back on April 1 (I skipped Backlash last month, no regrets there). And, with superstars from all three WWE shows present and competing, this year’s Judgment Day proved to be one of the best WWE events to date.
Ric Flair vs. Carlito (RAW)
The Backstory: Classic wrestling angle we have here. Until recently, Flair and Carlito stood side-by-side as tag team partners, in what was basically a mentor-protege relationship. After Carlito repeatedly failed to deliver wins, the brash young up-and-comer’s temper got the best of him, as he eventually turned on both his girlfriend Torrie as well as his partner Flair.
The Match: The opening bout for Judgment Day proved to be a long one. Carlito held his own and worked on Flair for most of the match, but in the end, the Nature Boy was able to turn the tables around, locking in the Figure Four Leglock and forcing Carlito to tap out in record time. Flair successfully proved his point that in order to succeed in this business, you’ve got to have passion and focus, exactly what he had been trying to teach Carlito.
ECW World Title 3-on-1 Handicap: Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Umaga vs. Bobby Lashley (ECW, RAW)
The Backstory: A feud that has been brewing since Donald Trump and Vince McMahon started butting heads in the beginning of the year; at Wrestlemania 23 in Detroit, Bobby Lashley defeated Umaga to give Trump the right to shave Mr. McMahon bald. Since then, McMahon has done everything in his power as Chairman of WWE to make Lashley’s life a living hell. Last month at Backlash, Lashley was thrown into the same 3-on-1 Handicap Match, a night when he lost not only the match, but his ECW World Title as well.
The Match: The second match of the Pay-Per-View also turned out to be the shortest by far. Lashley literally dismantled every one of his opponents, quickly ending the match following a Dominator to Shane McMahon. However, Vince refused to acknowledge his winning of the ECW World Title, based on the argument that in order to win the title, Lashley had to have pinned him, and not Shane or Umaga. Thus, Lashley won the match decidedly … but did not regain the ECW World Championship, which still belongs to Mr. McMahon.
CM Punk vs. Elijah Burke (ECW)
The Backstory: For months Elijah Burke, leader of the New Breed, tried to enlist CM Punk in the New Breed’s war against the ECW Originals. After Punk finally joined, the battle for leadership was on, as Punk and Burke did nothing but butt heads when it came to the question of who was to lead the New Breed. This led to the ECW Originals gaining the upperhand, as well as a deterioration of the New Breed as a whole. Holding CM Punk directly responsible, Elijah Burke made it his mission to make Punk pay.
The Match: Another lengthy battle, both up-and-coming superstars pulled out all the stops in this match littered with close calls. Although the competitors seemed evenly matched for most of the fight, a failed attempt at the Elijah Express would allow Punk to reverse the move into his own primary finisher, the GTS, giving him the hard-fought victory. Once again, Punk failed to utilize the Anaconda Vice, but he did come out of Judgment Day with the win against Elijah Burke.
Randy Orton vs. HBK (RAW)
The Backstory: Although the war between Triple H and Shawn Michaels of the revived D-Generation X and Randy Orton and Edge of the now-defunct Rated RKO was long and storied, the personal feud between my boy Orton and Shawn Michaels has been a relatively fresh one. After brutally assaulting Michaels earlier on Monday Night RAW, Orton wanted to prove once and for all who the better man was, in his own hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, no less.
The Match: Earlier in the night, Orton had attacked Michaels once again from behind, ramming his head into the steel staging and causing HBK to suffer from a major concussion. Although advised by Dr. Rios not to compete, Shawn Michaels staggered to the ring nonetheless, and after the bell rang, Orton began the brutal, relentless assault, as the already-beaten and incoherent Michaels was given the beating of his life. Orton, cocky and arrogant as always, was given the victory in his hometown after the referee determined that HBK was no longer fit to wrestle. However, Orton would not let it end there, as he sneakily delivered an RKO to HBK out of nowhere, just as he was about to stand back up. Afterwards, Michael’s wife came into the ring, crying, as referees and medics rushed to give HBK medical attention.
World Tag Team Championship: The Hardys vs. Cade & Murdoch (RAW, Smackdown!)
The Backstory: Last month at Backlash, Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch failed to defeated Matt and Jeff for the World Tag Team Titles. Since then, the redneck pair have adopted a more “fan favorite” outlook on things, eager to give their opponents the respect they deserve and to play, uncharacteristically, clean and by the rules. At Judgment Day, Cade & Murdoch kept this mentality intact while facing the Hardy Boys for a tag team title rematch.
The Match: Another significantly long match filled with close calls; not resorting to dirty tactics, Cade and Murdoch held out their own against the Hardys and came quite close several times during the match to beating the Hardys for the World Tag Team Titles. However, the match ended when Matt Hardy successfully delivered a Twist-of-Fate to Lance Cade, and Jeff Hardy followed up with a devastating Swanton Bomb, securing the tag titles. Later on, Cade and Murdoch kept their rule-breaking ways at bay by shaking the hands of the Hardy Boys.
World Heavyweight Championship: Edge vs. Batista (Smackdown!)
The Backstory: Two weeks prior to the Pay-Per-View, the Rated-R Superstar Edge coerced Mr. Kennedy into putting his Wrestlemania-won Money-in-the-Bank on the line on Monday Night RAW. After delivering a devastating spear, the opportunistc Edge stole Kennedy’s prize from him. That same week, on Friday Night Smackdown!, following a brutal Steel Cage Match between then-reigning WHC Champion Undertaker and the challenger Batista, Edge sent his cohort, the returning Mark Henry, to further crush the Undertaker, before himself taking the opportunity to quickly cash in the Money-in-the-Bank, allowing Edge to steal the World Heavyweight Title from the Undertaker, sending away the Deadman’s spirit from Smackdown!. In what was literally the last segment of the last Smackdown! before Judgment Day, Batista confronted Edge, standing before him as his new rival and challenger to the title.
The Match: Batista, hungry to regain his championship, took it to Edge early on in the match. However, what Edge lacked in physical strength against the Animal, he made up for with agility and stealth. After Batista was able to gain momentum and nearly finish Edge off for the title, the opportunistic Rated-R Superstar saw a moment of weakness when Batista’s injured leg acted up, and used this moment to secure the quick roll-up and win, allowing him to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
Diva Intermission (RAW, Smackdown!, ECW)
Backstage, Kristal interviewed the WWE Divas to get their vote on who would win the night’s WWE Championship Match main event. Ashley Massaro, Michelle McCool, Candice Michelle, and Brooke predicted John Cena would retain the WWE Title. Mickie James, Jillian Hall, Layla, Kelly Kelly, Victoria, and Melina went with the Great Khali as their winner. And Maria chose Batista, a competitor who isn’t a part of the match …
United States Championship “2 out of 3 Falls”: Chris Benoit vs. MVP (Smackdown!)
The Backstory: Currently the second longest-running feud in WWE, MVP vs. Benoit has been a storied rivalry since before WrestleMania 23. At WrestleMania back in Detroit, MVP came close but failed to take the United States Title from the Rabid Wolverine. Last month at Backlash, Montel Vontavious Porter had his chance in a rematch against Benoit, but the Rabid Wolverine once again picked up the win. At Judgment Day, MVP and Benoit went to Round 3 of their trilogy as the two men competed in a “2 out of 3 Falls” Match for the United States Championship.
The Match: In what was undoubtedly the biggest upset of the night, MVP took Benoit to the absolute limit, and eventually stripped the Rabid Wolverine of his coveted United States Title. The first fall occurred after Benoit’s injured leg gave out, allowing MVP to get into position for the finishing Playmaker. In the second segment ofthe match, try as he did, Benoit was not able to lock in either the Sharpshooter or the Crippler Crossface, and instead, MVP shockingly picked up the second straight fall, toppling Benoit from his throne to become the new U.S. Champion.
WWE Championship: John Cena vs. The Great Khali (RAW)
The Backstory: Weeks prior to the PPV, the Great Khali had decimated all of the other competitors for Cena’s WWE Championship, and subsequently won his #1 Contender’s Match against Shawn Michaels to officially gain the right to face Cena at Judgment Day for the WWE Title. However, a week or so before the event, Khali, after having brutally attacked the champ, stole Cena’s title belt, as a pre-emptive act of what he believed would come to pass at Judgment Day.
The Match: Like Umaga, the Great Khali was undefeated before stepping into the ring with John Cena, having never been pinned or made to submit. But of course, that all changed after the giant, standing well over 7 feet tall, went toe-to-toe with the champ. Cena acted his part as pretty much a rag doll for most of the match, but through some sort of divine intervention, Cena was able to get Khali off of his feet and, in one decisive moment, he locked in the STFU, and sure enough, was able to make the giant tap out for the first time ever. The match went to Cena, and the night ended in the same exact way that the last three WWE Pay-Per-Views have ended – with Cena retaining the WWE Championship. In the words of John Cena himself, “the champ is STILL here.”
