Review of WWE: Judgement Day 2005

Introduction

This month`s WWE offering is the SmackDown! event "Judgement Day", held on 22nd May 2005 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As the title suggests, there are several matches here that involve long-standing feuds, none of which more intriguing than Eddy Guerrero`s bout with Rey Mysterio.

Also on the card, John Cena defends his WWE title against former champion JBL in an "I Quit" match. The only way a winner can be declared in this match is when one of the participants is forced to say "I Quit" over the PA system!

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 non-anamorphic PAL, and is taken from the television master. Therefore, expect this to look no better or worse than the original digital television telecast.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 and is solid for a DVD of this genre. Do not expect anything that you wouldn`t get from a digital telecast! Also included are 2.0 tracks in German, Italian & Spanish.

Features

For a single DVD release, one cannot realistically expect much in the way of features, when the main presentation lasts over 2 ½ hours. Still, there are some extras here that add to the story of Judgement Day, such as promotional vignettes for the main event matches, and the pay-per-view "pre-game" show. Also of note here is the video for John Cena`s rap single "Bad Bad Man", as well as a short making-of documentary for the same.

Conclusion

It is true to say that recent SmackDown! based events have failed to pull in as many pay-per-view buyers as their RAW counterparts, but on the evidence of this offering, all is not lost.

Certainly, the matches involving Heidenreich/Orlando Jordan and MNM/Haas & Holly were card-fillers, but only the former made me glad that all I had to do was press a button on my remote control to relieve the agony.

On the other hand, Guerrero`s bout with Rey Misterio was very good indeed, although slower than their famous match at WCW Hallowe`en Havoc 1997. Even JBL`s bout with John Cena was a spirited brawl, when I had expected nothing other than a major let-down. Of special note in this bout is Cena`s intense popularity with the live crowd, and the horrible bloodloss he sustains midway through the bout.

Make no mistake, this is no Wrestlemania, and there are times when the card seems to drag a little, or where you wish that one of the RAW competitors was around to spice up the action. But even at that, this is an entertaining card which is certainly worth viewing for the main event and the Guerrero/Mysterio bout.