Vengeance 2006

Rating - 2.69
Weighted - 3.33



Randy Orton vs. Kurt Angle [4.5]
A great opener to the event, it was a very fluent match where virtually nothing went wrong. The move combinations were perfect and Angle's ring skills were prevalent right from the get go. While I don't see how Orton could have won (costing the match .5) with only three or four actual moves on Angle, the match was a great pleasure to watch.

Umaga vs. Eugene [0.5]
Eugene is one of the worst gimmicks of all-time. This match was destined for failure straight out of the shoot. While Nick Dinsmore is a gifted wrestler and very talented he has been given a horrid gimmick comparable to Droz or Duke Droese. Hope you didn't get up for a drink during this one because if so, you probably missed it. Eugene dances around the ring while taking a few moves before being Samoan Spiked. The End. The best part of the match was getting to see Duggan, Kamala, and Doink come out with Eugene.

Ric Flair vs. Mick Foley [1.0]
Taking place in Charlotte, Flair clearly had the support of the crowd right from the get go. Maybe the only time I have seen Foley booed in a WWE arena. Also may have been the only time I have seen Flair successfully hit his opponent after climbing the turnbuckles. However both are clearly past their prime with an emphasis on Foley's diminished skills. The match stuck to the ring and mat, Foley's weaknesses (if he had any) even in his WWE prime. Flair ends up scoring two wins via pinfall and disqualification with the match ending with Foley pummeling Flair with foreign objects. We even get to see a tacked on Mrs. Flair in fear for her husband’s safety.

Johnny Nitro vs. Carlito vs. Shelton Benjamin(c) [5.0]
One of the best Intercontinental title matches of all time. Three great young superstars in the making put together a seamless match with outstanding moves and athleticism. Carlito pulls off the best hurricanrana I have ever seen along with a few top rope maneuvers that I will remember. While Nitro stole the win from Carlito, whose performance was impeccable, any one of the men deserved it. To add, the triple Suplex from the top rope is definitely worth a second watch.

Rob Van Dam(c) vs. Edge [4.5]
An oddly places championship match as their would be three more matches afterwards. This one somehow manages to keep the flow of the show rolling after a classic match. RVD pulls out everything in his move set and the two put on a great show. Lita goes on to cost Edge in the end, but it was doubtful Van Dam, who controlled the entire match up, would have lost regardless.

Kane vs. Imposter Kane [1.0]
Imposter Kane does a horrible job throughout the match to mimic the original. Several follies are made right from the get go (the first being that we saw this match at Summer Slam '94 ala Undertaker vs. Undertaker). But at least that taker, while he obviously didn't look like him, acted far better. Imposter Kane strutted to the ring with some mummified walk that just looked like he was trying too hard. Later in the match he would have trouble climbing over the top rope to go to the turnbuckle. The worst however came when Imposter Kane attempted Kane's trademark way to leave the ring over the top rope backwards. The fake Kane clearly stops to make sure he has the rope correctly almost as if he had never done it before. Outside of these many blunders the final move of the match was muffed when the real Kane almost fell over while jumping into a chokeslam. Hardly a match of note, definitely one to forget.

John Cena vs. Sabu [2.0]
This match had some ok moments, most notably King’s comments on Sabu after delivering a chair shot (“Wow that’s great wrestling”). The lumberjacks if anything were just in the way. Had they done a straight up extreme rules match this could have been just as good as their match the previous week on TV.

D-Generation X vs. Spirit Squad [3.0]
Pretty interesting ending to the night though I do question it’s main event status. The double pin ending was nice. I do have a theory in WWE. Put anything involving DX into a match and it will be well receive by fans and I alike. This basically followed that little formula.