We all know that anytime HHH drops the belt, we'll be subjected to rematch after rematch until he gets it back. Well, this time it's different. Actually, he's still the main event, but the outcome could be slightly different. Taking place in Las Vegas on June 26th, Vengeance features quite a few rematches. There's the previously mentioned main event, a WrestleMania rematch between Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels, an Intercontinental Title rematch between Carlito and Shelton Benjamin and yet another match between Edge and Kane (sigh).

Let's take a look at the card, shall we?

• WWE Intercontinental Championship Match [Shelton Benjamin vs. Carlito] - I'm thinking Shelton pissed one of the "writers" at the WWE off. How else would you explain Carlito winning the IC belt immediately after making his first appearance after being traded to Raw? Carlito can be entertaining in small doses, but this match makes it clear that Benjamin is the superior athlete.

• Christy Hemme vs. Victoria - Two or three weeks prior to this PPV, Victoria did quite possibly the most satisfying "Widow's Peak" that I have ever seen. It went like this - during a "swimsuit" contest between the Divas, Victoria went psycho and squashed every diva in the ring (including a leering Jerry Lawler). This event set up a "feud" between Victoria and Christy (whom suddenly developed Victoria's character). Thankfully, this match was the end of it and Christy is now on SmackDown!

• John Cena Interview - Yes, when Cena starts boasting and talking smack on the mic, he's pretty proficient. It's when Cena tries to mimic the Rock's mic skills that he falls flat. During this interview, he's a little bit of both.

• Kane vs. Edge - While I still don't care much for either wrestler, I was very pleased with the outcome of this match. As of this writing, and in true WWE fashion, this feud was quickly discarded once someone came back.

• Shawn Michaels Interview

• WrestleMania 21 Rematch [Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle] - This rematch between Shawn and Kurt BURIED the previous match at WrestleMania (and I thought that one was pretty damn good). Both Shawn and Kurt put on a great match that, considering all they've put their bodies through over the years, had me cringing with every suplex.

• Batista Interview

• Lilian & Viscera In the Ring - Apparently, the "writers" that work for the WWE think there's a wealth of comedy to be found watching overweight African American wrestlers (and body builders) act like sexual perverts. Immediately after Backlash, Viscera became "involved" with Lilian over a very painful couple of week's worth of skits on Raw. I'm sure someone, somewhere, who doesn't work in Stamford is enjoying this, but i'll be damned if I know who. While I don't want to spoil all the developments that take place during this interlude which brings Vengeance to a screeching halt, let me just say that Lilian is one helluva an actress.

• Triple-Threat Match For the WWE Championship [John Cena vs. Christian vs. Chris Jericho] - Despite Cena's uncanny ability to do anything except brawl, Christian and Jericho (along with some assistance from Tyson Tomko) made this an extremely enjoyable, but bittersweet match. Why bittersweet? Well, after the following night's "rematch" on Raw (included in the extras), Christian was promptly buried err...traded to SmackDown! and Tomko has been on Velocity since.

• Hell In A Cell For the World Heavyweight Championship [Batista vs. Triple H] - For all the flack that HHH gets for being "Mr. Stephanie McMahon" and hogging up almost all the airtime on every single Raw, I gotta say - he does give it his all in pay-per-view matches. Multiple foreign objects are introduced, and blood is spilled in this entertaining match that is significant since it sets up a lengthy absence for HHH.

In addition to the matches above, the following extras are also included:

• DVD Exclusives
  
  
• Vengeance Press Conference 6/21/05 - Perhaps someone in Stamford reads my reviews? After complaining in almost every single WWE i've written about not being shown the entire conference, they've thrown us a bone by giving us close to 15 minutes of what took place at the Vengeance press conference (which, in truth, seemed more like a roomful of fans with a few reporters).


• Lilian Interview


• Chris Jericho & Christian Argue After Losing the Match


• Triple H Interview


• Post-Hell In A Cell Match [John ena, Shawn Michaels, Hulk Hogan vs. Chris Jericho, Christian, Tyson Tomko] - From the following night's episode of Raw, despite the appearance of Hogan and the participation of Cena, this was a damn entertaining match. It's a shame that the WWE didn't see fit to include the hilarious backstage banter between Christian, Jericho and Tomko as they try to figure out exactly whom Cena's tag partners would be.

Video: As usual, this one is presented in the full frame 1.33:1 ratio and the colors are bright, making this a pretty attractive transfer.

Audio: The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound was crystal clear and enveloped my living room while I was watching it. There's also an option of watching the disc in Spanish.

Conclusion: Even though there were some performers that I would prefer not to see given ring time (Christy, Cena, Kane & Edge), this was an entertaining event that was highlighted by a great match between Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle. That match, along with the main event, as well as the final in-ring pairing of Christian and Jericho make this a Highly Recommended disc.