Review of WWE: Vengeance 2005 - Hell in a Cell

Introduction

Back in the old days of professional wrestling, the cage match was the ultimate feud-ender. Rivals in the midst of a bitter dispute, which regular bouts had failed to resolve, often concluded their feud inside a steel cage, preventing interference or outside shenanigans from ruining the contest.

In the 1980s, the WWF was famous for its "blue bars" cage, that unlike most cages, did not have a roof. Instead, the winner was the man who had beaten his opponent so badly that he was able to leave the cage unrestricted.

In 1997, with the WWF entering what came to be known as the Attitude era (essentially, when they started promoting smash-mouth, violent, expletive-laden television), the cage match was replaced by "the cell". "Hell in a Cell" to be precise, the difference being that the blue bars were gone, replaced with a wire mesh which encompassed not only the ring, but also part of the ringside area. There was also a roof to ensure that escape was impossible.

Since its beginning, few Hell in a Cell matches have disappointed their audience. The inaugural Hell in a Cell bout between The Undertaker & Shawn Michaels was a tremendous affair, marred only by a shoddy finish. And the Mankind/Undertaker bout from 1998`s King of the Ring will go down in history as the most shocking match ever held in the West.

This time however, the cell`s combatants are World Heavyweight Champion Batista and the man whom he defeated for the title, Triple-H. Former partners, Triple-H tried to keep Batista away from a World title shot, knowing that his title would be in serious jeopardy. At Wrestlemania however, Batista did indeed unseat his former friend for the belt, and retained it at the re-match at Backlash the following month.

Nearly 10,000 fans packed into the Thomas & Mack Centre on 26/06/2005 for Vengeance this year, many of them in anticipation of yet another classic Hell in a Cell contest. Just like the old days, this specially-stipulated bout seemed sure to end this feud, once and for all.

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 non-anamorphic PAL & is taken from the television broadcast. It looks just as good as one would expect from a digital satellite broadcast.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 & is very good considering it is from the TV master. Everything is clear and distinct, and there are no audio-sync problems. Also available are German, Spanish and Italian commentaries.

Features

Extras on this disc are kept relatively brief, since the main feature lasts over 2.5 hours. There is the Venegence Press Conference, which is hilarious for its hammed-up acting. The same could be said of the interview with Lilian Garcia, who at the time was just recovering from her on-screen dumping by her 6ft 11", 34st lover. There are further interviews with Eric Bischoff, Triple-H and Ric Flair, plus footage of Triple-H leaving the ring following his bout with Batista. Overall, a complimenting set of extras, but nothing for repeated viewing.

Conclusion

Traditionally, the Hell in a Cell match is the selling point of any pay-per-view event. But since Triple-H & Batista had wrestled each other three times in just over three months (including this bout at Vengeance), I was glad to see that several other RAW performers stepped up their performances and made sure that this pay-per-view will not be remembered solely for its main event. In particular, Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels produced another Match of the Year candidate to follow their fantastic bout at Wrestlemania. Credit too, to John Cena, Christian and Chris Jericho who surpassed expectations in their three-way contest. And, in the midst of this, don`t think that the Hell in a Cell match itself wasn`t worth viewing, as both men put in an excellent effort that finished the show on a high note.

Without a dud match in sight (feel free to make a cup of tea during the Women`s match), this is one of the best WWE DVDs of 2005.