The
third-annual New Year's Revolution took place at the Kemper Arena in Kansas
City, Missouri on January 7, 2007. Unfortunately, it's also the first not to
feature the Elimination Chamber, and that, right there, knocks it down a few
pegs in my book (i'm not even going to get into the PPV, ECW's December To
Dismember, that it was sacrificed for).
If you're a regular viewer of Raw, like myself,
there wasn't much on here that wasn't shoved down our throats on a weekly basis.
The difference being, if you didn't want to wait for the DVD, you'd have to pay
to see it. I'm beginning to think that Vince needs to step his game up when it
comes to pay-per-views. I understand that Survivor Series, Royal
Rumble and WrestleMania might be where he wants to save the "special"
matches, but expecting the audience to shell out their hard-earned money and
giving them something that they see on a weekly basis for free is really bad
business. Then again, December To Dismember aside, it doesn't seem like
there are too many fans tired of lackluster pay-per-views. Sad, really. Anyways,
here's the card for New Year's Revolution:
- Steel Cage Match For the
Intercontinental Championship [Jeff Hardy vs. Johnny Nitro w/ Melina]
- Not as much high-flying as I would've liked, and it's a shame Hardy missed
that "twist of Fate" off of the top rope, but I was entertained and
I have to admit that the end
was pretty funny.
- Todd Grisham interviews Edge and Randy
Orton
- Tag Team Turmoil Match [the Highlanders
vs. World's Greatest Tag Team vs. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan & Super Crazy vs.
Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch vs. Cryme Tyme] -
Billed as a "special bonus match", there was really nothing "special" about
it. The way the "turmoil" works is two teams hit the ring and wrestle until one loses.
Immediately after one team loses, another team hits the ring to take on the
winner. "Special", huh? I think Lawler said it best as Duggan & Crazy were heading down the
ramp "This is a team??". I mean, I could understand why Vince wanted Crazy
on the PPV (He is Super. He is Crazy.), but c'mon - these shake 'n bake
temporary tag teams are tired, not inspired. Sure you might get lucky every
once in a while (I admit to being a Booker T/Goldust fan), but the tag team
division should be taken much more seriously than it is. Oh, and i'm also surprised that Haas and Benjamin
lasted as long as they did.
- Mr. McMahon in his office with Jonathan
Coachman
- Ric Flair vs. Kenny Dykstra - For
the past few weeks leading to this PPV, Ric has been jobbing left and right
to Kenny. Make it stop. Now.
-
Melina and Johnny Nitro in the trainer's room
- Women's Championship Match [Mickie
James vs. Victoria]
- I enjoyed this match between Victoria and Mickie. Heck, I enjoyed the five minutes
JR and Lawler spend showing
Victoria absolutely decimating her fellow WWE divas. I guess what i'm saying
is - I enjoy watching Victoria hurting any diva besides Mickie, since
everyone, except Mickie, has no business in the ring "wrestling". Let me not
even get started on Melina being the women's champion or Ashley getting a
brief push for spreading it in Playboy again.

- World Tag Team Championship Match [Rated-RKO
vs. D-Generation X]
- These fellas turn in another well wrestled match that is most memorable
for being the match that blew HHH's quad, forcing him to get another
operation, miss WrestleMania and sideline DX's storyline.
- Todd Grisham interviews John Cena
- He might not have much wrestling talent or be as charismatic as the Rock,
but Cena does give good mic at times.
- Royal Rumble Promo
-
Carlito w/ Torrie vs. Chris Masters
- Carlito deserves better opponents. However, he does an admirable job
carrying Masters though this match.
- WWE Championship Match [John
Cena vs. Umaga w/ Armando Estrada]
- If someone told me that Jamal was eventually going to be built up to be an
unstoppable monster in championship matches, I would've had them committed.
Yet, here we are, watching two people fight over a championship belt that
neither really deserves (in fairness, Jamal has slightly more wrestling
skills than Cena and his "smash mouth" style). I'm not sure if it's one of
those "conditioning" techniques that Vince employs - where he continues
shoveling shit down our throats until we eventually come around to his way
of thinking, but I don't have as much of a problem with Umaga as I do Cena.
I don't know. I keep hoping for Rosey to make a return and put an end to
this madness.
In addition to the PPV, there's ONE extra:
- Raw 1/1/07 [John Cena vs. Kevin
Federline]
- The less said about this match between the two titans, the better.
- Mr. McMahon Presents "Donald Trump" vs.
"Rosie O'Donnell"
- See my comments directly above.
Video:
New Year's Revolution's picture looked the same as practically all
WWE PPV - colorful, vibrant with some slight compression issues due to all the pyro and
graphic elements. It's also still presented in the WWE's standard full frame 1.33:1 ratio.
Audio: The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound
was crystal clear and enveloped my living room while I was watching it.
Viewers are also given the option of watching the disc in Spanish.
Conclusion: I wasn't impressed by this PPV. I did enjoy Mickie and
Victoria's match and I enjoyed DX and Rated-RKO's (at least until HHH
injured himself), but everything else on this PPV gave me a feeling of "been
there, seen that". Perhaps I need to stop watching Raw? Anyways, if some of
the matches on the PPV weren't disappointing enough, they've also included
the Cena/Federline and Trump/O'Donnell "matches". In the end, i'm going to
recommend you Skip It. |