Review of WWE: New Year`s Revolution 2006

Introduction

Emanating from the Pepsi Arena in Albany, New York on 8th January 2006, New Year`s Revolution began the WWE year with a bang. Traditionally, January through March is Wrestlemania time, where the build-up of the year`s biggest feuds hit its crescendo prior to the biggest event on the calendar.


This year, the following matches took place:

Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship:
Kane vs. Kurt Angle vs. John Cena ( c ) vs. Chris Masters vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Carlito

Bra and Panties Gauntlet Match:
Ashley vs. Maria vs. Torrie Wilson vs. Victoria vs. Candice Michelle

Shelton Benjamin vs. Viscera

Big Show vs Triple H

Gregory Helms vs. Jerry `The King` Lawler

Womens Championship:
Trish Stratus ( c ) vs. Mickie James

Intercontinental Championship:
Ric Flair ( c ) vs. Edge

Video

Video is presented in standard 4:3 fullscreen PAL and is excellent for a DVD of this genre. In the past few months it has become much more noticeable that the WWE`s pay-per-view releases are much, much better in the video quality department than the actual live television broadcasts. This is no exception.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 and again is very good for a DVD of this genre. Commentary is provided ably by Joey Styles and The Coach, even if the latter can be frustrating to listen to.

There are also more language alternatives on this disc than I`ve seen on any other previous releases. There are further Dolby 2.0 tracks in Italian, German, French and Spanish. There are also Portuguese and Dutch subtitles for the English track.

Features

Not a lot of extras here, but that isn`t too distressing given the depth of the main feature. We have four short interview/storyline spots involving Mickie James, Trish Stratus, Kurt Angle, and Edge.

Absolutely nothing to write home about.

Conclusion

New Year`s Revolution began in surprising fashion, with the Intercontinental title match up first, as reigning champion Ric Flair facing Edge. This was a remarkably short bout, which didn`t seem to make sense at all, but by the end, you`ll understand!

Next up, Trish Stratus defended her WWE Women`s Championship against Mickie James. The latter, who has been playing Stratus` psycho stalker in recent months, was much better than expected here, and as such this was an enjoyable match.

In what was an odd match-up, regular commentator (and former wrestler) Jerry "The King" Lawler battled Gregory Helms. This was a very basic bout which was made to seem even more plodding by the fact that the crowd weren`t interested at all.

There was an interesting slant to the next match, in which Triple-H fought The Big Show. In the weeks prior to the event, Triple-H had broken Show`s hand with a sledgehammer, and thus the 7ft 2", 34st monster came to the ring with a huge cast on his hand and forearm. As such, the injury backfired on Triple-H, as the match centred around the fact that one blow from the cast hand would virtually murder the former ten-time World champion. Still, the match was rather slow, which took away from the good things they did, making this a distinctly average match.

Following this, Shelton Benjamin, in the midst of a revival with his "Mama" at his side, took on Viscera in a match which had absolutely no place on a pay-per-view. Speaking of which, the same can be said for the "Bra & Panties Gauntlet match", which in terms of in-ring work, was just about as bad as it gets.

Thankfully, the main event somewhat made up for the previous two misgivings, as WWE Champion John Cena defended his title against Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, Carlito, Chris Masters, and Kane in an Elimination Chamber match. If you haven`t seen an Elimination Chamber match before, the bout is held inside a large cage structure, where two men start in the ring and every five minutes thereafter, a random entrant becomes involved in the match. Thus, he who comes in last, has an obvious advantage.

In any case, this was a very good match, and an intriguing one as well, as good-guy champion Cena was unmercifully booed by the audience, perhaps unhappy about how the WWE is shoving him down their throats on its TV shows. Kurt Angle, in particular, benefited from this, as the crowd loved it every time he belted Cena. Even though this match was nearly twice as long as the earlier Triple-H vs Big Show bout, it didn`t drag at any point, and the surprise element of the finish was something that sent the show off the air on a high note.

Overall, this was a poor show which was salvaged by a good main event. As mentioned, the Bra & Panties match, nor the Benjamin vs Viscera match, have any place on free television, let alone something the public has to pay for. Triple-H and The Big Show had a nice storyline match, but the action itself should have been a lot better.

The main event, in the end, made New Year`s Revolution seem better than it actually was. But with the Royal Rumble also being held in January, this was hardly ideal preparation for another pay-per-view event, or indeed for the upcoming Wrestlemania.