WWE SD! 4/29/06
1) JBL vs. Williams Regal (US Championship)
Great start to the match with mucho heat. It gets all WWE-style towards the middle and then, wow. Regal attemtping to get away from JBL with the kicks was great as was the reversal of the Clothesline From Hell into a snazzy suplex. And how we get from an STF by Regal (a little sloppy, I blame JBL) to an eye poke (the transition move of 2006) to a pretty awesome CFH, I dunno. I did like this match though, wish it had been a bit better. **1/4
2) MNM & Gregory Helms vs. Paul London, Brian Kendricks, & Super Crazy
I smell a Crazy/Helms feud somewhere, and also a Psychosis release after ONS II. Match wasn’t given even half the time it needed and Super Crazy gets no time at all in the ring? Silly sorta feud here that MNM can’t beat London/Kendricks. It’s fine but unless you follow the “B” shows, you wouldn’t know who they were until this feud started. And how many suicide dives must be executed before we try, say, a twist, or an asai moonsault? Sting can do a suicide dive, man. The cruisers have been neutered by WWE. Crap booking. *
3) Mark Henry vs. Bobby Lashley (KOTR qualifier)
I’m a Lashley detractor but his short promo before the match was perfectly fine. The match was really well done. Surprise, surprise, surprise. Lashley was on point with all the big man moves and the brawling, he looked real impressive. Hell, nice bumping from both men, especially Henry on a Lashley clothesline. I like the idea of this turning into a feud down the line. **
4) Gunner Scott vs. Finlay
Sleeper match of the night? Nice and stiff. Loved the Bookman on commentary and with the interference. More WWE storytelling but certainly I like the idea of benoit and Scott together vs. Booker T and Finlay. Wish the match had more time. **
5) Rey Mysterio © vs. Kurt Angle (World Heavyweight Championship)
Kurt is awesome when he busts out the ankle lock and his opponent goes for the reversals, etc etc. Rey shouldn’t be going for punches in the corner :30 seconds into a match. Good chemistry but Angle’s matches with HBK always seem much better because their is one single purpose to them, break the ankle. Why they don’t hone in on this move all the time, I don’t know. Throw in a few suplexes and Kurt is fine. Rey on the other hand needs to fly more, use the ropes more. Maybe it’s just become too formulaic, as formulaic as the word formulaic has become. It was still a hot little match even with the henry interference and subsequent DQ. I can’t sling stars on this one, cuz they won’t stick. The intesnity of the players, mainly Rey, just wasn’t there for me. **3/4
