Review of WWE: Judgement Day 2006

Introduction

After his surprise World championship win at Wrestlemania, there was never any implication that Rey Mysterio was anything but a fighting champion. In the weeks after Wrestlemania, he turned back the challenge of both Randy Orton and Kurt Angle to keep the title which he had dedicated to his late friend Eddie Guerrero.

Still, the build-up to Judgement Day had seen Mysterio falter on two occasions in non-title matches, firstly to Mark Henry, and then to The Great Khali. At Judgement Day, however, he faced off against John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) in a title match, in which Mysterio - at 5ft 5" and 12st - would once again be the underdog.

Held on 21st May 2006 at the US Airways Centre in Phoenix, Arizona, WWE Judgement Day was a Smackdown-brand pay-per-view event. The full card was as follows:

World Heavyweight Championship:
JBL vs. Rey Mysterio

Undertaker vs. The Great Khali

King Of The Ring Final:
Booker T vs. Bobby Lashley

Mark Henry vs. Kurt Angle

Cruiserweight Championship:
Super Crazy vs. Gregory Helms

Melina vs. Jillian Hall

Chris Benoit vs. Finlay

WWE Tag Team Championship:
Brian Kendrick & Paul London vs. MNM

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 fullscreen PAL and is excellent for a DVD of this genre. Once again, this is head-and-shoulders over the pixellated broadcast that aired live on SKY. Live-to-tape events do not get any better looking than this.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 and is very good for a DVD of this genre. Commentary, music, and mat shenanigans are all clearly audible, and there are no audio sync issues.

There are also French, German, Spanish, and Italian language tracks, as well as Dutch and Portuguese subtitles.

Features

Extras on this disc are limited due to the running time of the main feature (2hrs 45mins). However, we are afforded an interview segment with Vickie Guerrero and her nephew Chavo Guerrero Jr., another interview segment with The Great Khali, and a look at the coronation of the 2006 King of the Ring. Only the latter is of much interest, and that only because England`s own William Regal hosts proceedings.

Conclusion

One can only imagine that there was some perverse logic in the decision to open up Judgement Day with what, on paper, looked to be the best two matches on the card. First up was the Smackdown Tag Team Championship match where champions MNM defended against Paul London and Brian Kendrick. This was a quick-fire opener which had several spectacular moves - a fantastic way to begin the event. Not only that, but there was a surprise after the match, too.

The contest I had been most looking forward to was next up, as "The Crippler" Chris Benoit faced Belfast`s (Dave "Fit") Finlay. This was an excellent bout, even better than the opener, and was particularly hard-hitting for a WWE match. A slightly more dramatic ending would have put this up there for WWE match of the year.

After a blazing beginning to the pay-per-view, things came down a notch in the next bout, as Melina faced Jillian Hall. Still, this was a gazillion times better than I expected, as both women put in an excellent effort considering their lack of experience.

Gregory Helms then defended his Cruiserweight title against Super Crazy, which was another bout blighted somewhat by a less-than-dramatic finish. Still, it was much better than the Kurt Angle vs Mark Henry match, which yet again had a poor conclusion, the repetition of which was now starting to drag down the entire card.

Things picked up in the next bout, the King of the Ring final, as Booker T faced Bobby Lashley, before The Great Khali and The Undertaker had the worst match of the night, although much credit must go to The Undertaker for a tremendous effort, which saved his bout with the 7ft 3", 30st monster - best-known for a small role in "The Longest Yard" - from being the worst bout of this, or any other year.

Thankfully, the main event of the evening returned festivities to a respectable level, as Rey Mysterio and JBL produced a very good match, second only to the earlier Benoit vs Finlay contest. It was certainly the best JBL match in recent memory.

When the card was announced, there were plenty of groans from this reviewer, who wondered how Mysterio could possibly carry JBL to a good main event match, or how The Undertaker could do anything whatsoever with the god-awful Great Khali. Both matches exceeded expectations on the night, however, and backed up by the two very good opening matches, Judgement Day is a worthy addition to any fan`s collection.