Powell Editorials WWE Judgment Day Hitlist: Edge vs. Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton vs. Batista, Ric Flair makes a surprise appearance, Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho, Christian vs. Jack Swagger, C.M. Punk vs. Umaga By Jason Powell May 18, 2009 - 01:20 PM Email This Article | Printer Friendly Page Send Us News & Results | Back to Main Listing Dot Net Members are currently listening to today's 72-minute Judgment Day audio recap that Rich Twilling and I recorded. You can gain instant access to all Dot Net audio on the ad-free version of the site for only five bucks per month by visiting the Dot Net Members' Signup Page. WWE Judgment Day Hits Edge vs. Jeff Hardy: A very good pay-per-view main event. I loved the interference from Matt Hardy. Better yet, I was happy that it didn't lead directly to the finish, which would have been a big letdown given the way the other major title match concluded. Edge and Hardy work very well together and this was the right match to close the show with. It will be interesting to see whether they go with a rematch next month or if they go with another Hardy vs. Hardy match at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view. I can live with them ignoring the brand split rules in this case because they created a storyline purpose for doing so. Umaga vs. C.M. Punk: A fun opening match that accomplished its goal of getting the live crowd into the show. The fans rallied behind the hometown hero, and didn't lose too much steam when Punk lost the match. Umaga looked like a badass, and Punk looked good in defeat. Christian vs. Jack Swagger: Another solid outing from the top two wrestlers on the ECW brand. I enjoyed the way they played off of last month's finish that saw the referee catch Swagger taking off a turnbuckle pad while Christian was doing the same thing on the other side of the ring. This month, Swagger was caught grabbing Christian's tights at one point, but the referee missed Christian clutching Swagger's tights while scoring the pin. These two work well together and I hope they keep the feud rolling. John Morrison vs. Shelton Benjamin: It started fast, slowed to a crawl, and then picked up again down the stretch. Morrison really shined during this match. Those of you who watched Tough Enough should remember that he had the ability to hit these flashy high spots, but he held most of them back while he was a heel. I'm still not convinced the quirky Morrison character is main event material, but he's a few tweaks away from getting there. Shelton didn't really stand out in this match, but I am happy to see him reunited with Charlie Haas. Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho: Jericho set this up brilliantly with his promo. He vowed that Rey wouldn't hit the 619 and guaranteed a victory. So many wrestlers (and especially McMahon family members) deliver on their guarantees, so Jericho's promises planted the seed in the minds of most fans that a title change was coming. As such, the finish was a pleasant surprise for Mysterio fans. This was likely the first installment of a long program between Mysterio and Jericho, and I'm looking forward to a long feud. The Miz: Another fun promo. I love the way he shut down the tired "What" and "You suck" chants. His promo on the Cubs was classic. I understand the criticism that taunting the hometown team only registers with that fan base, but he did more than deliver a basic cheap heat line about the Cubs. Unfortunately, Santino Marella dragged the segment down with an uninspired comedy performance. Miz is an edgy heel, whereas Santino is all lighthearted comedy, and the two styles didn't mesh well. Overall show: More hits than misses, but this was not a great pay-per-view. It was an entertaining show with some very good matches early and in the main event, but it wasn't a newsworthy show beyond Ric Flair's surprise return. Really, though, it felt like a house show event that viewers paid $40 to $50 to watch on television. I don't regret much purchase, but it wasn't a knockout show like the Backlash event. WWE Judgment Day Misses John Cena vs. Big Show: Did they really need 15 minutes? The match featured Show beating up Cena with slow-paced offense that appeared to bore the crowd. Cena eventually made his comeback and pleased most of the fans in attendance. However, I don't understand the point of putting Cena over in this match. Big Show is arguably the No. 2 heel on the Raw brand, and Cena had a built in excuse to lose given the big injury angle that took place last match. Instead, Cena won the match and now what? Show lost momentum by losing, and Cena doesn't have an obvious opponent to feud with unless they plan to do more with The Miz than I believe they will. Don't get me wrong, I hope they push Miz hard and give him in-ring credibility, but I have to see it to believe it. Randy Orton vs. Batista: A forgettable title match. The cheap finish was weak, but at least they had Ric Flair to make the crowd happy. That said, Flair's return didn't pack much of a punch since we just saw him at WrestleMania 25. The live crowd was happy to see Naitch, but this didn't register as a "holy shit" moment for this pay-per-view buyer. By the way, when is the last time Orton stole a pay-per-view with an in-ring performance? HELP SUPPORT DOT NET! BECOME A MEMBER AT OUR CHARTER RATE OF JUST $5 A MONTH - GET THE FIRST LOOK AT EXCLUSIVE INSIDER DOT NET NEWS, TONS OF EXCLUSIVE AUDIO SHOWS, MESSAGE BOARD ACCESS, START YOUR OWN BLOG, AD-FREE MAIN LISTING: SIGN ME UP (or MORE INFO) GOT AN IPHONE OR IPOD TOUCH? THEN BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD OUR NEW FREE iPhone APP: (click here!) (or SEARCH "pro wrestling" in iTunes App Store) FOR MORE BREAKING WWE & TNA NEWS AND COMMENTARY, VISIT OUR AFFILIATE PWTORCH.COM (click here!) FOR MORE MMA & UFC NEWS AND COMMENTARY, VISIT OUR AFFILIATE MMATORCH.COM (click here!) CLICK TO RETURN TO DOT NET MAIN LISTING OR SELECT A LINK BELOW FROM THIS CATEGORY Powell Editorials Latest Twelve Articles Powell's TNA Impact Hitlist: Dixie Carter's speech to the talent crew, hype for Hulk Hogan, the build for A.J. Styles vs. Daniels vs. Samoa Joe, Team 3D vs. Matt Morgan and Hernandez, Tara vs. Hamada WWE Raw Hitlist: Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne host Raw, Chris Jericho vs. John Cena vs. Big Show, Sheamus destroys Jamie Noble, The Miz vs. Evan Bourne, vintage Michael Cole Powell's TNA Impact Hitlist: Hulk Hogan footage, Desmond Wolfe vs. Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe has a brain, Eric Young renames the toy belt, Matt Morgan vs. Rhino, World Elite get new warmup gear, Team 3D vs. Motor City Machine Guns WWE Raw Hitlist: John Cena vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels announced for Survivor Series, Kofi Kingston shines, John Cena makes Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes look like losers, Hornswoggle can't read WWE Bragging Rights Hitlist: John Cena vs. Randy Orton in an Iron Man match, Undertaker vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Batista vs. C.M. Punk four-way, Raw vs. Smackdown tag match, The Miz vs. John Morrison Powell's TNA Bound For Glory Hitlist: A.J. Styles vs. Sting for the TNA Title, Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan, Ultimate X match, Mick Foley vs. Abyss, Bobby Lashley vs. Samoa Joe, ODB vs. Tara vs. Awesome Kong