Customer Reviews

WWE: Bragging Rights 2009

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

John Morrison (SmackDown) vs. The Miz (RAW) - The former World & WWE Tag Team Champions, former host of "The Dirt Sheet", and the holders of the top midcard titles (I.C. for Morrison & U.S. for Miz) finally clash here in their first singles meeting since being split up as a team back in April when Miz turned on Morrison after being drafted to RAW. No pun intended but this was "total nonstop action" as both men went back & forth here with Morrison showcasing his high flyin' style while Miz was more grounded but also very aggressive while using few heel tactics here & there. The only bad note I can say here is that the ending looked a little weak to me but a great way to start the show.

Melina, Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly (RAW) vs. Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix, Natayla (SmackDown) - Normally when you get a multi-diva tag match, it's full of botches or they just stick to the wrestlers doing most of the work with the other pretty faces just getting a move in. However this one is a standout out of the past few matches on PPV because just like the first match, it continued to be fast paced action while everyone put in a good "botchless" effort from everyone. It should also be noted that there was some good foreshadowing of things to come from the SD team with Beth Phoenix dominating before McCool would make the blind tag to take over & be a glory hog with Beth returning the favor later.

World Champion Undertaker vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Batista vs. C.M. Punk - No different than the previous two matches, this was another quick fast paced one (as usually these multiman type of matches are) that had it's various moments like Taker tossing Punk over the top rope with Rey sitting a sitdown splash on Punk right afterwards on the floor with Mysterio again taking advantage of a situation by hitting another splash on Taker after a superplex with C.M. Punk. The main story here though was Batista & Rey Mysterio working together as a team thoughout the match only for Rey to break up Batista's pin at one point leading to what happened after the match between Rey & Batista that started with the words "I can't believe my best friend stabbed me in the back...I'm gonna rip your head off."

D-Generation X, Big Show, Jack Swagger, Mark Henry, Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston (RAW) vs. Chris Jericho, Kane, Matt Hardy, Finlay, R-Truth, Hart Dynasty (SmackDown) - The final match to determine who gets the Bragging Rights trophy however this match heavily resembled what I classified as multi-diva matches earlier in that only certain people work the matches while others just come in to get a spot in before being forgotten about. This was a good match that had some moments like Finlay & Shawn facing off (I think for the first time) and literally "butting heads" while old rivals fought again at various times (Hardy with Henry & Swagger along with Kane & Big Show). I'll say that it was creative how everything that happened in the ending would set up various angles following the match but overall, this match was a bit of a disappointment for me.

Falls Count Anywhere Ironman Match: WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. John Cena - The final encounter (or so they say) between these two who have been going at it on & off for the past two years for an entire hour and there was a special stipulation in that there was a one minute rest period between each fall. This was different than their typical matches in that knowing they are going for a complete hour, both men were more cautious as shown early when Orton tapping out very quickly the moment he got caught to avoid long term damage. Cena was bleeding at one point (and they tried to stop the clock to tend to the cut) but didn't stop & continued the match until the next fall as they tended to the cut during the rest period. There were some other standout moments like the "Attitude Adjustment" being countered into the RKO, the appearence of Legacy & Kofi Kingston, Orton trying to use the stage pyro against Cena, the fight through the crowd, tables & chairs & the steel steps being used, and Cena executing one of the most aggressive versions of the "STF" that I've seen from him. I've always said that Cena is at his best when he's in these "hardcore" type of matches & Orton definately held more than his own here in this match.

In the end, this was one of those PPV's that didn't have a bad match on it with the only negative thing I can say is that with the main match behind this "brand war" concept was a disappointment. Overall, this is definately one worth checking out.

Even though I think the WWE is merely getting away with their silly PPV concepts so far, "Bragging Rights" is a success. The WWE hasn't done much brand-vs-brand action in quite some time, so it's nice to see them bring it back in a "Less Is More" fashion. Throw in a couple of championship main events, and we've got a good one here:

1) The Miz (United States champion - RAW) v.
John Morrison (Intercontinental champion - SmackDown)
---I'm glad WWE gave this opener a video package, because I think this was somewhat of a curiosity. After all, these two were one of the most successful tag teams in the past few years, and they never got the traditional "Tag Team Breakup Rivalry". I'm glad they waited, because Miz & Morrison have grown into their new characters, and enhanced their in-ring abilities in the waiting months. The best word to describe this curtain jerker is "FAST!" These guys just keep going, and going, and going. Move after move. Counter after counter. Near fall after near fall. One scary-looking high-risk attempt gone bad after another. I suppose you could fault Miz & Morrison for not telling a story in the ring, but frankly I'm so dizzy after watching them going full speed for 13 minutes that I don't care. This is an exciting way to start "Bragging Rights 2009", which will be par for the course tonight.
"7.5 / 10"
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2) Beth Phoenix, Natalya, & Michelle McCool (Women's champion - SmackDown)
v. Kelly Kelly, Gail Kim, & Melina (Divas champion - RAW)
---Look, as much as I think ladies' matches are underappreciated, I confess that 2009 hasn't been a good year overall for this division. But I recommend this breezy contest because like the opener, it keeps a fast pace, and just doesn't slow down. This also avoids obvious botches or weak athleticism that plagues many of the WWE's Diva matches. The SmackDown crew impressed me with their dominance, while the RAW ladies were agile enough to hang in their with their opponents. Gail Kim started things off, Kelly Kelly hung in their pretty well, and Melina was the hot-tag closer. I actually wish this tag contest went longer, but "short-n-sweet" is still sweet.
"7.0 / 10"
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3) World Heavyweight Championship
Batista v. Rey Mysterio v. CM Punk v. The Undertaker (champion)
---My feelings on this Fatal Fourway are similar to the ones I had with the recent triple threat title matches at "WrestleMania". The action is fast-paced. The wrestlers are talented. The storyline is at least interesting. The match is never boring. And...it's all too short. My reaction to this particular match might not make much sense: I guessed that this one was gonna be short since CM Punk and Taker's recent encounters have barely lasted 10 minutes, and indeed this contest was the same. However, from bell to bell, all four men didn't let the action slow down. Everyone was constantly going for the quick pinfall victories, and everyone got to show their signature moves. Plus, the aftermath is a twist that I'm eager to see play out. I'm guessing most fans didn't buy this PPV to see this match anyway. Honestly, I didn't expect much, either. But I thoroughly enjoyed it, and hope that the title picture on "SmackDown" doesn't continue to diminish.
"7.0 / 10"
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4) TEAM RAW
D-Generation X, Big Show, Jack Swagger,
Mark Henry, Cody Rhodes, & Kofi Kingston
-VS-
TEAM SMACKDOWN
Chris Jericho, Kane, Matt Hardy,
Finlay, R-Truth, & The Hart Dynasty
---I think there are two aspects to explore here:
First, is the concept. Brand competition is always a fun idea, even if it's meaningless. In no way do I believe that SmackDown is going to get a huge boost of anything from their victory, even though I believe it's a far superior show at this time. I actually didn't mind ECW being absent from this match; I've accepted that it's a training ground with a third-rate status.
Secondly, there's the 14-Man Tag Team match itself. Like most brand-vs-brand showdowns, I like this all-star mashup, but don't love it. I like seeing the unusual pairings of wrestlers, like Finlay/HBK or Kofi/Jericho. It was also nice to see a few rivalries get briefly revisited, like Matt/Swagger, or even Show/Kane. Credit must also go to the three commentators for sticking to their brand loyalties without interrupting each other. However, this contest could've been much more than it was. It was only 14 minutes for starters, when I think most of us wanted an epic confrontation. I was also disappointed to see most wrestlers fall into their usual roles. HBK got beat up a lot, while HHH got the dominant hot tag. Kane, Big Show, & Mark Henry made brief appearances, and nothing more. The Hart Dynasty didn't get to show off their in-ring excellence very much (Tyson Kidd barely got any offense in, period).
Overall, this is a good match, well worth your time & money. But there's a lot of room for improvement.
"7.0 / 10"
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5) "Anything Goes" Iron Man Match - WWE Championship
Randy Orton (WWE champion) v.
John Cena (Leaves RAW If Defeated)
---I'll skip the analysis over whether Cena would actually lose this match. I give credit to WWE and to the Pittsburgh fans for making it seem like a possibility. Anyway, something very strange happened in the weeks leading up to this. You see, I used to hate Cena/Orton matches from their Eddie Guerrero Tribute throwaway, to their thankfully-interrupted 2007 program. Their 2008 follow-ups were watchable, but nothing special. In 2009, however, Cena & Orton have proven time after time that they're worth the spotlight that they're under. I somehow knew their 4th & final PPV showdown of the year would be worthwhile. In my opinion, my faith has been justified.
For 60 minutes, John Cena & Randy Orton delivered. What's best about this match is actually the storytelling. Cena gets busted open (on accident), and actually uses it to his character for a while. It makes him even tougher, Orton even viler, and the situation even more desperate. There's also an unusual but neat moment when Orton tries to set off the stage pyro on Cena!!! Even some of the early quick pinfalls & submissions make perfect sense. The very 1st fall is when Cena traps Orton in the STF, and Orton taps almost before it's even locked.
The Iron Man Match is filled with little touches like these.
The "Anything Goes" stipulation is used about as well as it can be in WWE's PG-programming. Aside from the medics cleaning up Cena's bleeding, the match lived up to its tagline.
Where the match goes awry is in the 30-45 minute mark. Orton endlessly stomps and punches away at an exhausted Cena, and it starts to feel like Deja Vu all over again. I understand Orton's Viper character is a slow, methodical sadist. I understand that Cena is a tough underdog whose never-say-die attitude is what makes him marketable and engaging. But those 15 minutes clearly became stalling time.
Don't let that last paragraph worry you. Frankly, going 60 minutes is something most wrestlers can't even do. And most of us can't even make it in the indy professional wrestling circuit, let alone WWE. These comments are just criticisms from someone who's watched too much WWE, and who puts a premium on matches that keep the pace up. The bottom line is that John Cena and Randy Orton have had a strong rivalry in 2009, and the Iron Man Match is an excellent finale.
"7.5 / 10"
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"Bragging Rights 2009" is one of the best PPVs of the year. It's a solid 3 hours from start to finish. I hope WWE expands on this concept next year, and brings ECW along with them. But for now, I'll look at this as a taste of what "Survivor Series" is going to be, and a fun way to see RAW & SmackDown mix it up, with the two brands putting on their own solid title bouts.

Go ahead and buy this.

Which brand will reign supreme in the 7 on 7, Smackdown vs. Raw tag team match, will Undertaker be able to retain his title against 3 worthy competitors and who will be the Iron Man after a 60 minute Anything Goes Match for the WWE Championship between Randy Orton & John Cena?

-Champion vs. Champion Match, John Morrison (Intercontinental Champion, Smackdown) vs. The Miz (United States Champion, Raw): These two former tag team partners and things start with some good wrestling from Morrison as he works on Miz's neck then hits a flapjack and a standing shooting star press, later Miz tosses Morrison over the top face first into the ring mat below. Miz then works on John's back and neck and hit a huge clothesline in the corner, then we have a nice punch and kick exchange where Morrison gains the advantage, and gets a big kick for two with Miz getting his foot on the rope. Morrison attempts Starship Pain, Miz knocks him off his feet to the ring then covers him for the win. 7/10.

-Diva's Bragging Rights Match, Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix & Natalya (Smackdown) vs. Melina, Kelly Kelly & Gail Kim (Raw): Not a bad one here as with the exception of Kelly all the women can wrestle well. The Smackdown team works well together, as the target and isolate Kelly, Beth works her over with power moves and a chin lock. Melina gets the tag and hits some knees to the back on Beth, then a tilt a whirl facebuster, Beth ends up hitting the Glam Slam and pins Melina for the win. 5/10.

-Fatal Four Way Match for the World Heavyweight Championship, The Undertaker (Champion) vs. Batista vs. CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio: In the previous months Taker had battled CM Punk and recently won the title at Hell In A Cell, Batista and Taker had history from '07 and Rey was out to prove his size wouldn't be his undoing, so with all that this had some good buildup. It starts off hot with Rey hitting some quick moves on Punk and Taker but the Deadman comes back hitting Old School on Batista. The pace never slows down and there's also plenty of double teaming mainly from Batista and Rey, with Punk getting his shots in and breaking up numerous pinfalls in typical heel fashion. After Batista throws Rey out of the ring Taker hits him with a Tombstone and covers him to retain the title. 8/10, would've been higher if it wasn't so short. Josh Matthews is in the ring interviewing both Rey and Batista, Rey said they both tried their best. Batista takes the mic and said in no uncertain words Rey ruined his chances at the title then he proceeds to destroy Rey in and around the ring.

-7 on 7 Bragging Rights Match, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Big Show, Mark Henry, Jack Swagger, Cody Rhodes & Kofi Kingston (Raw) vs. Chris Jericho, Kane, Matt Hardy, DH Smith, Tyson Kidd, Finlay, R-Truth: One loaded match here, too bad its not done elimination style as 14 guys in and around the ring becomes a bit clustered at times. That being said it is a good one, all the guys get a chance to get some good spots in, there's the expected face/off between tag team champions Jericho and Show. Also I liked how there were matchups we wouldn't normally see like HBK/Hardy or HBK/Finlay, there was a great spot where Triple H hit 3 spinebusters stacking 3 on top of each other. The rest of the match was good back and forth action with each brand trading the advantage. The end is total bedlam as all the superstars attack each other, then Show shocks Kofi by hitting a chokeslam and a knockout punch to Triple H, Jericho makes the cover on Kofi and Smackdown wins the match. 8/10.

-60 Minute Anything Goes Iron Man Match for the WWE Championship, John Cena (Champion) vs. Randy Orton: After feuding for months we have this final clash where if Cena lost he said he would go to Smackdown. As only the sixth Iron Man Match in WWE history, these two have a hard standard to live up to and for the most part they do since 60 minutes of wrestling is really difficult to pull off, but one thing against it is the 30 second break between falls. The match does go to the outside about 10 minutes in and this is where the action picks up as many weapons are used including but not limited to the announce table, tv monitors, the steel steps and others. The best spot was about 17 mins in when Randy reversed and AA into an RKO but both men got counted down for three. Orton was in full heel mode here and at his creepy best as he beat down Cena for a good long while. The rest is pretty good, hard hitting stuff and it ends up with Cena making Orton tap out to the STFU with only a few seconds left to retain his title. 9/10, for the effort of both men.

While not an all time classic PPV there were some good to great matches with only the divas match being the weak point.

WWE
BRAGGING RIGHTS 2009

1.THE MIZ VS JOHN MORRISON-this was a great way to kick off the event with two former partners going at it. These two were tag team champs at one point before being split by the draft. This was a good opener in my opinion with a lot of back and forth action. Miz was more of a grinder and power wrestler here with Morrison more of the high flyer. My boy Miz of course takes the win and puts Raw up one to nothing.

2.MELINA, KELLY KELLY, GAIL KIM VS MICHELLE MCCOOL, BETH PHOENIX, NATALYA-now when you look at the names here it was pretty obvious who was going to win. I mean Smackdown is literally the stronger team with Natalya and Beth, and McCool is always entertaining. The action here is your typical women's match type, short and ok. Team Smackdown had the much better team with three of my favorites, just needed the other half of Lay Cool and that would have been great. Raw of course I was rooting against here since I can't stand Melina. Beth gets the win here making it Raw one and Smackdown one.

3.[FATAL FOUR WAY WORLD TITLE MATCH]THE UNDERTAKER VS REY MYSTERIO VS CM PUNK VS BATISTA-this was an excellent fast paced match like these multi guy matches usually are. A lot of high spots followed by more high spots, and with the four guys that were in this match you get different styles. A lot of near falls and finisher after finisher make for an exciting match. But after Taker keeps his belt in tact it is what happens after that was the show stealer. Batista's heel turn as he demolishes former best friend Rey Mysterio. I loved his little speech to Rey right before the beat down, "I' am not playing.......I' am gonna rip your head off". Great stuff.

4.[RAW VS SMACKDOWN]D-X, BIG SHOW, KOFI KINGSTON, MARK HENRY, JACK SWAGGER, CODY RHODES VS CHRIS JERICHO, KANE, MATT HARDY, FINLAY, R-TRUTH, THE HART DYNASTY-I have to admit that I have always been a fan of these multi tag matches. The bragging rights thing is a good excuse to put multiple top talents against each other. As you can see from the line up there are a lot of good guys in this match and of course it was fun. Sure it may be pointless other than starting or continuing storylines and such, but I like them. Of course with any match like this you get the high spots, beat downs, and dramatic tag-ins, all are present here. The ending was cool with Show turning on Raw and causing them to loose the match and fall two to one over all.

5.[IRONMAN MATCH WWE TITLE MATCH]RANDY ORTON VS JOHN CENA-why did the champ come out first, I don't care that they announced them in the ring as challenger first then champion, the champ comes out last. Any way this match was a no DQ and no Count out Iron-Man match pitting these two rivals together. Of course you know they are rivals because that is what the storyline and video package was all about. Cena gets the first fall after making Randy tap, but Randy tapped quickly to remain fresh.

From there the match got even crazier with exploding sets and Randy trying to blow Cena up. This match was much better than I expected it to be. Not sure why there was some doubt but I was worried. The action goes every where from the ring to outside and all the way into the fans. The rest of the pin fall countdown is as follows.

Orton gets the next pin fall after a nice RKO. We get a double pin fall after another great RKO. Cena quickly goes up three to two after an AA. Orton evens it up after Legacy interferes, soon after Kofi Kingston chases them out. Randy takes the lead after getting the next fall, but Cena gets a surprise pin fall. Randy gets the next fall with nasty DDT to the outside. An AA through a table gets Cena the tie, and at the end he makes Orton tap with seconds left and is the new champ. Still that should not have happened since Orton tapped with 5 or so seconds left on the clock it should have been stopped with the thirty second rest period. Then with the 5 or so seconds Randy had the chance to get a quick roll up to tie it, should have been done that way.

Any way this was a good event with out a single match I disliked, it also has an interview with Jericho on the DVD.

It's not great but pretty good.The best matches were The Ironman match and the John-Miz which stole the show in my mind.The 4 way World's title match was a solid match for a 4 way but it was also too short.The Bragging Rights Tag Match was confusing and caused many of the wrestlers to get lost in the action.The Six Divas tag team match was ok. I give this event a 6 out of 10.

The first ever bragging rights event was pretty good. Thanks for reading and please comment.

Intercontinental champion vs. United States champion
The miz(us) vs. John morrison(IC)
This match is okay. Of course some highflying moves from morrison. This match really shouldn't have been on the card. But over all good match. Sad thing is the miz won with some dirty tricks(of course). Also, raw leading the way 1/0
match rating:6/10

3-on-3 smackdown vs. raw divas tag match
Terrible match here. this six diva match stunk. when i watched the highlights of this match, i almost cried. This match shouldn't have been on the card. But, with the smackdown team winning, they evened up the score to 1/1.
match rating:3/10

Fatal four way for the world heavyweight championship
Undertaker(C)vs. batista vs. rey mysterio vs. cm punk
This match is pretty good. Some nice moves by mysterio and punk. But i think batista and undertaker had the best battle with each other during the match. I thought batista was going to become to become world heavyweight champion when he batista bombed taker. but mysterio broke it up. Also, great moment when batista got tombstoned for taker to pick up the win.
match rating:8/10

I think the after math of this match went above the PG rating when batista said, "im going to rip your head off" Then beat the heck out of rey.

7-0n-7 battle of the brands tag team match
team raw vs. team smackdown
This match is definatly worth watching. Great tag team matchup here. This match was a finisher fest. Pretty much everybody got their finisher. Great moment in the match when michaels got dominated for a while and then got the tag to the game. Once the game got in, he cleared the house. Sucky ending when kingston hit the trouble in paradise, hart dinesty broke it up, and when he was on the top rope, big show hit the chokeslam and knocked out the game and jericho got the pin for smackdown to be the better show than raw.

60 minutes anything goes iorn man match-wwe championship(if cena loses, he must leave raw forever)
John Cena vs. Randy Orton(C)
This match is the best and most brutal iorn man match i have ever seen. This has everything. Pyro, tables, chairs, steps, and brutality. Cena started off good by winning the first fall just less than four minuets in the match. Once the match went outside the ring, it got brutal. When cena and orton went up around the stage area, cena got thrown into the lights and they went off on him. Then orton got the pin. Orton turned and started playing with the pyro and then he put cena on the stage and let the pyro go off on him. When cena got more strength, he gave orton a atitude adjustment through the announce table. Once he got the pin, he waited the thirty seconds and got the pin again. Then once it got evened up again, cena got orton in the stf for about 49 seconds until he tapped out with 4 seconds left in the match. Now, the new wwe champion and still on raw, John cena.
match rating:10/10

This was a pretty solid ppv. I wish that batista wouldn't have beat the crap out of mysterio. I would also suggest this to your wwe collection.

SmackDown! vs. Raw Match: John Morrison (SmackDown!) vs. The Miz (Raw)
This match was awesome, but they really botched it with the ending. Miz tried to avoid fighting Morrison at first, but Morrison then hit a series of offensive maneuvers followed by the standing Shooting Star Press for a near count. Miz fought back with power moves, and then it erupted into a back-and-forth battle with both men dodging each other's moves. Miz hit his signature offense and a knee on the outside while Morrison was on the apron, but couldn't put Morrison away. Morrison hit a plancha to the outside and laid Miz out, and then hit a springboard superkick! Morrison tried to follow up with the Starship Pain, but Miz got his knees up. Miz then went for the Skull Crushing Finale, but Morrison countered and got Miz on the ground again. Morrison went for the Starship Pain, but Miz yanked him off the top and pinned him. Like I said, bad ending. Winner: The Miz. Match Rating: 4/5

Raw Divas (Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly, and Melina) vs. SmackDown! Divas (Beth Phoenix, Michelle McCool, and Natalya)
Natalya made the match. She was teamed up on at first by the Raw team, with Melina hitting some especially unique moves on Bret Hart's niece. Michelle McCool made the save for Natalya and started fighting back with some stiff fighting, and Kelly Kelly hit an awesome tilt-a-whirl headscissors on her. Phoenix tagged herself in and started working over Gail Kim, and then there was chaos as all the other divas started brawling. Phoenix hit her finishing move on Kim to win the match for her team, chalking up one point for SmackDown!. Match Rating: 4/5

Fatal 4-Way World Heavyweight Championship Match: The Undertaker (Champion) vs. Batista vs. CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio
Very exciting and fast-paced match, though it could have stood to be a little longer. Everyone hit their signature moves on each other. CM Punk ate a Last Ride, but he hit the Go To Sleep on Mysterio. Undertaker suffered the Batista Bomb, but he Chokeslammed Batista. Mysterio and Batista double-teamed Undertaker. Mysterio hit a 619, which led him right into a Spinebuster from Batista! Batista and Rey's relationship started to suffer as they fought over who could pin Undertaker, but Undertaker responded by taking them out. Undertaker and Batista had a deul, though CM Punk and Mysterio both tried to interfere. Mysterio hit a Seated Senton on Punk on the outside off the apron, and then went for a flying hurracanrana on Undertaker off the top ropes, but Undertaker countered and went for the Last Ride. Batista hit the Spear on Undertaker after that. Batista and Mysterio started to argue, and Batista threw his friend out of the ring. Punk tried to get involved in the match again, but he was tossed out of the ring by Undertaker. Mysterio came back into the ring, but he was thrown out and onto CM Punk by Batista, becoming an inadvertent Seated Senton on Punk! Batista turned around and Undertaker hit a Tombstone Piledriver to seal the victory. Hard hitting and exciting as hell. Great match. Winner: The Undertaker. Match Rating: 5/5

Team SmackDown! (Chris Jericho, D.H. Smith, Finlay, Kane, Matt Hardy, R-Truth, and Tyson Kidd) vs. Team Raw (Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, Shawn Michaels, The Big Show, and Triple H)
A large part of the beginning of the match was rather slow. Everyone had their ring time, but it was just basic moves that were back and forth. This match was bloated, to put it bluntly, and it would have worked out much better if it was an elimination-style match. Shawn Michaels was isolated by Team SmackDown!, but he hit a Sweet Chin Music on Finlay. He almost made the tag to Triple H, but Tyson Kidd and D.H. Smith started double-teaming Michaels. Michaels fought back and finally made the tag to Triple H, who proceeded to clean house. Triple H hit a Spinebuster on D.H. Smith, followed by a Spinebuster on Tyson Kidd on TOP of Smith, followed by a Spinebuster on Finlay on TOP of the both of them! All hell started to break loose shortly thereafter, with R-Truth trying for a flying crossbody onto Mark Henry on the outside, only to have Henry catch him. Matt Hardy came off the top ropes for a clothesline on Henry to knock the big man down on the outside. D.H. Smith and Tyson Kidd brawled with Cody Rhodes on the outside, and Shawn Michaels tried to recover from his beatdown earlier. Jack Swagger hit the Gutwrench Powerbomb on Finlay, but he was engulfed in the brawl between Smith, Rhodes, and Kidd. In the ring, Jericho went for the Lionsault on Triple H, but Triple H rolled out of the way and tagged in Kofi Kingston. Kingston went for the Boom Drop, but Jericho tried to counter into the Walls of Jericho. Kingston countered and then hit the Trouble in Paradise, but the count was broken up by Kane, who delivered a Chokeslam to Triple H. Big Show ran into the ring and hit the Spear on Kane, and then he instructed Kofi to go to the top rope. Kofi did so, but then Big Show suddenly turned on Kofi and his team by hitting a Chokeslam! A confused Triple H started to enter the ring to confront Big Show, but he was met with a Knockout Punch that left his body limp. Jericho covered Kingston for the victory. Good idea, just not implemented as well as it could have, and should have been. Winners: Team SmackDown!. Match Rating: 4/5

Special Stipulations 60-Minute Iron Man WWE Championship Match: Randy Orton (Champion) vs. John Cena
This will go down as one of the best matches of all time. Usually when John Cena claims one of his matches will be like this, he's generally wrong, but this match was simply awesome. It reminded me of the kind of match we used to see in the Attitude Era. The special stipulations were that this would be the last match between Orton and Cena, and if Cena lost, he would have to leave Monday Night Raw. Orton started off by stomping on Cena, but Cena tripped him out of nowhere and applied the STF! Orton quickly tapped out to avoid being further damaged, giving Cena one point. There was a 30 second rest period in between falls, and the men used their first rest period to stare each other down. The fight spilled to the outside, and Orton smacked Cena in the head with a television monitor. Orton rolled Cena into the ring and grabbed a microphone, which smashed across Cena's head, making Cena bleed! Orton tried to follow up on his assault, but Cena hit a flurry of offense, including his back suplexes and spinning back suplex/powerbomb move. Cena then went to the top rope and hit a Fameasser off the top! Cena then went for the Five-Knuckle Shuffle, but Orton jumped to his feet and hit an RKO out of nowhere! Orton pinned Cena and earned his first point. The score was now Orton: 1 and Cena: 1. Orton started to wear Cena down with strikes and submissions, but Cena got him up for the Attitude Adjustment! Cena did hit the Attitude Adjustment, but Orton hit an RKO simultaneously! Their arms draped over one another lifelessly, and they both were awarded the point! The score was tied at two at this point in time. Cena recovered first and went to the top rope, but Orton jumped to his feet and tried for a superplex. Cena countered into a SUPER Attitude Adjustment to put himself in the lead with three points!!! During the rest period though, Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase of Legacy ran down to the ring! They started to attack Cena while Orton rested, and DiBiase hit Dream Street on Cena! Kofi Kingston ran down to the ring with a steel chair and chased Legacy away, but Orton still managed to tie the points because of DiBiase's assistance. The fight spilled to the outside, but Cena regained the advantage on Orton and they started brawling near the stage. Orton fought back by slamming Cena's head on the pyro controls, causing some of the fireworks to go off! Orton was startled by the fireworks, but that didn't stop him from throwing Cena through part of the Bragging Rights lighting fixtures and earning another point, putting himself in the lead with four points! Orton then had an idea. He dragged Cena on top of the set and placed him...right where the pyro goes off! Orton smacked Cena in the back with a steel chair and then returned to the controls. The referee and the pyro technician tried to talk him out of it, but Orton started pressing the buttons anyway! Nothing happened because the techie turned the pyro off, but Orton slammed down on all the buttons at once, causing a large firework explosion, but thankfully Cena rolled out of the way just in the nick of time. A frustrated Orton dragged Cena back into the ring and started his stomping assault. Out of nowhere, Cena rolled Orton up in a small package to tie the score yet again! A frustrated Orton started beating on the injured Cena even more violently, throwing him into the steel ring steps and then hitting his second-story DDT to Cena from the ring apron onto the floor! This gave Orton another point, which put him in the lead again! Orton threw the steel steps at Cena and smashed a chair across his arm, which was wrapped around the steel ring post. Cena started to fight back though, and he grabbed the steel steps next and rammed Orton's head with them! Cena then set up the steel steps next to the announce table. Cena then THREW Orton THROUGH the freaking security barricade!!! Cena picked Orton up and...hit the Attitude Adjustment on Orton off the steps and through the announce table!!! This gave Cena the next point, once again tying the score at five points for either man. An angry Cena then set up a table in the ring during the rest period. He dragged Orton into the ring and set him up on the table and then went to the top rope. Cena went for a flying leg drop, but Orton rolled off the table, and Cena crashed through it!!! Orton couldn't capitalize though because he was still injured from being thrown through the announce table and the security barricade, but he went for the RKO as they both got to their feet. Cena countered, but then Orton countered the Attitude Adjustment. Cena hit a flying shoulder block on Orton, but when he went for a second one, Orton ducked and Cena knocked down the referee! Cena turned around and ate an RKO, but there was no referee to make the count! A new referee ran down to the ring, but Cena kicked out at two! An annoyed Orton pushed down the new referee and then set Cena up for the Concussion Punt! Cena moved out of the way just in time and then locked in the STF!!! Orton desperately tried to escape the STF, but as the original referee recovered, Orton had no choice but to tap out with three seconds on the clock remaining, giving the win to John Cena with six points over Orton's five. And thus, the rivalry ends. Winner: John Cena. Match Rating: 5/5

OVERALL EVENT
A pretty good pay-per-view. The whole "Bragging Rights" gimmick didn't even make it good. Sure, Triple H's jokes backstage and the promos were all very nice, but really the two championship matches were the stars. Batista's sudden betrayal and vicious attack on Rey Mysterio at the end of the Fatal-4-Way was unexpected, and the Randy Orton/Cena bout was absolutely classic. Bragging Rights could have been better, but it was still a great show and I hope to see the pay-per-view return next year.

This was a passable ppv effort from WWE, but nothing to go out of your way to spend your money on. To be honest, I wouldn't even rent it. This was just another in a long line of ppvs that was totally forgettable in every way, and didn't really live up to the hype. None of the matches were bad, but nothing stood out and is worth seeing. Matches are rated out of 5 stars (*****).

1. The Miz vs. John Morrison

Pretty good opener. Match was a little sloppy in parts and felt a little rehearsed, but they had a good match. Finish was pretty weak, however, all things considered. **3/4

2. Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix, & Natalya
vs.
Melina, Gail Kim, & Kelly Kelly

Match was fine for what it was, definately a notch or two better than most women's matches, but like usual the crowd didn't care at all. Work was fine though. **

3. World Heavyweight Championship Match
Undertaker (c) vs. CM Punk vs. Dave Batista vs. Rey Mysterio

Short match, but good for what it was. Match consisted of everyone just hitting their finishers and breaking up pinfall attempts, no real build other than that. Pretty good match, but the length left a lot to be desired. **1/2

After the match, Batista turns heel and kills Rey Mysterio much to the crowd's delight, which amused me more than anything else on this ppv.

4. Team Raw (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Big Show, Jack Swagger, Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston, & Mark Henry)
vs.
Team Smackdown (Chris Jericho, Kane, Matt Hardy, David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, Finlay, & R-Truth)

Good match, but I felt like it never really got out of second gear and it felt a little rushed. Finish was pretty good, albeit a little predictable. Good match, nothing special, and Smackdown wins this tacky trophy for their efforts. ***1/4

5. 60 Minute NO DQ Iron Man Match for WWE Championship
Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena

The finish was never in doubt, because there was no way Cena was going to leave raw. The match itself was good, but not the all time classic the announcers were tying to put over. Not even close. The crowd didn't really care at all untill the last 10 minutes or so. The work was fine, but it did not need to be an iron man match, and the whole thing felt pointless. There were some cool spots, such as Cena being thrown through the stage wall and Orton being given the attitude adjustment through the broadcaster's table. Over then a few bright spots, however, there was really a lot of stalling. Cena wins via submission with seconds remaining, which everyone knew was going to be the finish. Who he is going to fued with from here, considering the lack of depth across the board, is anybody's guess. ***1/4

This was a totally forgettable ppv from wwe. The only reason this gets 3 stars is because there wasn't a bad match on the card, but there was also really nothing to remember at all. Don't buy into the hype that wwe will surely throw at you for the Iron Man match, I assure you it was not epic and you'd really be better off not wasting your time seeing it at all. Take my word for it and don't spend your money on this dvd, it's not worth your time.

It seems like a few weeks ago WWE had anther PPV..oh wait, they did! I think WWE is over doing it with anther PPV but fans will buy it no matter what. The 7-on-7 could have easily been built into Survivor Series but WWE prolonging a storyline/feud is something they rarely do anymore. Here is the run down of the card

Miz VS Morrison: A very good match-up with a few botched spots. I do agree the finish was pretty weak but made sense.

They also annouced a shiny trophy would be given out to the superior brand. Does anyone remember ECW is a brand? They made half the new superstars we are watching on the Smackdown and Raw brands. What a slap in the face to that company.

Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix, & Natalya (Smackdown) VS Melina, Gail Kim, & Kelly Kelly (Raw): If you count it's 1-0 for Raw, so that pretty much gives the results away. A decent match but nothing speical.

Undertaker VS CM Punk VS Rey Mysterio VS Batista: Undertaker puts on a good match but again, this match is short. This would have been the perfect opportunity for CM Punk to retain his title and maintain a great heel. However, this would have been Taker's third short title run. It was a very good match but it felt short and Taker retains the belt with a tombstone on Batista. I smell a feud and CM Punk's push being over.

Batista then turns on Mysterio after the match, I guess Punk will get world title shots at least until after Survivor Series.

Also, is Mysterio the only WWE guy who can take steroids and still have legions of fans? I find it kind of funny people always welcome him back with open arms.

Team Raw (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Big Show, Jack Swagger, Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston, & Mark Henry) VS Team Smackdown (Chris Jericho, Kane, Matt Hardy, David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, Finlay, & R-Truth: This match was good because it showed us what WWE had in store for it's future. I enjoyed this match and i've always said Smackdown was the better brand, wrestling wise. Big Show turns on Raw, so I guess that makes him a Smackdown wrestler? Confusing but i'm sure Vince and company found a way to explain it.

Randy Orton VS John Cena: I'm hearing alot of people call it one of the best matches of the year. I thought it was a good effort even though i'm sick of watching them on TV. Cena will soon be filming anther movie so Orton will retain in the next month. Raw is too scared to lose there top moneymaker so Cena retains the belt via submission. I thought it was good but they did stall alot.

Overall, a good PPV that is worth watching at least once. The 7-on-7 match could have been saved and built upon for Survivor Series but oh well.

WWE DVDs are extremely well put together, professional releases, with one HUGE caveat:

The main selection menu does not come up right away. You can skip through the previews of other dvds, but you cannot skip through a &*?#!ing National Guard propoganda piece, nor can you skip through the "don't try this at home" rubbish.

Advertise your product, but don't force politics down my throat, and don't make me wait ten minutes just to get to a menu! This unbelievable fact, in summation, provides this dvd release with one solitary, pathetic star.

As for the event itself, well, that's not really the point of this product review.