Review of WWE: Unforgiven 2006

Introduction

The WWE was back in Canada for Unforgiven 2006, this time visiting Toronto`s Air Canada Centre for a sold out pay-per-view. With Canada in mind, there was plenty of Maple Leaf talent on this card, most notably Edge defending his WWE championship against John Cena in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, and Trish Stratus wrestling the final match of her WWE career against perennial nemesis Lita.

Unforgiven was held on 17th September 2006, in front of a vociferous audience of 16,105.

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 full screen PAL, and is typically excellent, especially for a live-to-tape event. All of the WWE stylings are here: the bright colours, the pyrotechnics, and the over-the-top wrestler entrances. All are superbly captured in this very clean transfer.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, and is very good for a DVD of this genre. As usual, all of the sounds of WWE wrestling are mixed well, including commentary from Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler.

There are other 2.0 tracks available in Italian, German, Spanish, and French. There are also subtitles for Portuguese and Dutch viewers.

Features

Extras on this disc are relatively short, not surprising given the main feature itself lasts just shy of three hours. First up, we have an "unedited" look at some DX skits (including taking advantage of Mr McMahon`s private jet), which really have nothing to do with wrestling, but still managed to grab at least one smile from me.

Next, Trish Stratus gave a backstage interview after her match with Lita, which was also her last for the foreseeable future. With her mascara running from her teary eyes, Stratus looked worse here than she has ever been presented on television before, but still managed to look hot. It`s a heartfelt interview and is about as close to the truth as pro wrestling gets.

Two segments then air from the 11th September edition of RAW, with DX firstly facing problems trying to make their way to the ring, followed by Triple-H`s bout with Vince McMahon. Both are average television fare, but are a nice reminder of the events leading to the pay-per-view.

Conclusion

An Intercontinental title match kicked off the show, with Johnny Nitro defending his against Jeff Hardy. This was a good opener, but could have benefited from a finish that didn`t involve Nitro`s manager, Melina.

The "Battle of the Monsters" followed, with Kane facing Umaga in a distinctly average contest, before WWE Tag Team Champions The Spirit Squad defended their titles against Scotsmen (actually, they are Canadian) The Highlanders. Sadly, this bout failed to live up to even the previous encounter, and was a real waste of talented young wrestlers.

The Hell in a Cell showdown was next, with Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and The Big Show facing DX in a handicap affair. This was a very bloody encounter, and whilst there was absolutely no wrestling to speak of, it was a reasonable match.

The Women`s Championship match then followed, with Lita defending her title against the retiring Trish Stratus. This was light years ahead of the usual WWE Womens match, and coupled with the fantastic reactions, this was a great contest. The bout also featured an inspired finish.

After an acrobatic contest between Carlito and Randy Orton, it was time for the main event, a no-disqualification Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, with Edge defending his WWE title against challenger John Cena. Much like the previous no-disqualification encounter on the show, there was much less actual wrestling involved here than viewers will be used to. However, for a match that relied on some crazy falls and over-the-top moves, this was tremendous, with several moments of real hazard for both competitors. The finish was one of those moments that has even casual fans on the edge of their seats, and with the added dynamic of usual bad-guy Edge being cheered in his home country, this was an extremely satisfying main event.

Overall, Unforgiven was a good show, made to feel somewhat better than it was by a vociferous crowd. Unlike so many WWE events, there was nothing particularly poor here, although to be fair, there were also no truly outstanding bouts either. That said, WWE fans will want to pick this one up for the Trish Stratus vs. Lita, and the Edge vs. John Cena contests. Both bouts were extremely dramatic and, in the end, made Unforgiven 2006 feel like an event that will be worth watching again.