To think, it was only three short years ago when the inaugural One Night Stand was an extravaganza that celebrated the legacy of ECW. Wrestlers from that promotion came together for one night and put on a show that damn near tore down the Hammerstein Ballroom. However, that event seemed to be the last hurrah for ECW, since Vince bought ECW and Stand has - slowly but surely, over the next two PPVs, turned into just another WWE PPV. Nothing more, nothing less. This year's One Night Stand, which took place at the Sand Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California on June 1, 2008, tries to live up the standard set by the first one by announcing there would be "Extreme Rules"!!!! With a running time of 2hrs 49 min, this year's One Night Stand fall short of anything "extreme". Here's the card:

• Falls Count Anywhere Match [Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga] - Since we haven't been beaten over the head with Hardy vs. Umaga matches, I didn't mind this match at all. Of course, Jeff ends up doing all the high-flying (and all of the work). Outside of the camerawork at the very end of the match, that was the only gripe I had. See, the more you try to make things obvious, the more obvious they become. I won't spoil the specifics for you...check it out on your own.
  
  
• Mick Foley Explains the Rules Of the Stretcher Match - ...and hands out No-Doze. I'm sorry, but the very thought of a "Stretcher Match" bores me to tears.
  
  
• Singapore Cane Match [Big Show vs. CM Punk vs. Tommy Dreamer vs. John Morrison vs. Chavo Guerrero] - After Adamale and "the Tazz" give a brief history of the Singapore Cane Match, the wrestlers make their way to the ring. From the get-go, Show dominates the match. And did you really think Tommy would do anything other than take more bumps than the other four combined?. It gets really interesting once Show almost scoops out his left eye with the steel stairs, before speeding to its inevitable conclusion.
  
  
• Todd Grisham Interviews Mr. McMahon
  
  
• First Blood Match [John Cena vs. JBL] - It seems that there's always one match, one feud, that fans don't really care for, but Vince thinks that if he hammers the fans over the head enough times, they'll like it and realize that Vince and his bookers or wrestling geniuses. Which brings us to this latest confrontation between JBL and John Cena.
  
  
• Randy Orton Wishes Batista Luck Before His Match
  
  
• "I Quit" Match [Melina vs. Beth Phoenix] - Why, in my day, an "I Quit" match meant the wrestler that "Quit" had to leave the promotion and/or the sport altogether. Heck, I also remember when the champion of the women's division would actually defend her championship instead of appearing in skits filled with forced double entendres. Sarcasm aside, this was a good match that illustrates Beth's strength when she nearly bends Melina in half. Literally.
  
  
• Mike Adamle Interrupts John Cena And Mickie James - Ohhhhh, I see. Instead of having Mickie defend her championship, they decided to involve her in this unfunny skit/promo for whatever those little bottles are that Cena keeps drinking when he's around Mickie.
  
  
• Stretcher Match [Shawn Michaels vs. Batista] - As i've said - I am not a fan of the stretcher match. In fact, I would rather watch a rematch between JBL and Cena than have to sit through a stretcher match. Unfortunately, since i'm a reviewer and I have to watch the product from beginning to end, i'm stuck suffering as Batista and Shawn do their damnedest to slam one another onto a stretcher and make it past the line on the floor of the stadium. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, since this match was practically all Batista from the beginning.
  
  
• Last Man Standing Match For the WWE Championship [Triple H vs. Randy Orton] - I have to admit, the thought of this confrontation didn't do much for me. Catching Raw every week, i'm just about Triple H/Randy Orton'd out. In fact, their last fight in Hell In A Cell at Judgment Day was beyond boring. However, this match wasn't as bad as that. Was it because it was a "Last Man Standing Match"? Perhaps. Was it because of the spot where Trips throws Randy over the top rope (mid-RKO) and he lands on the mat with a thud - and instantly breaking his collarbone? Could be. It's not that I wish Randy any ill will, it's just that, unlike their previous encounter, something actually happens. Hey, at least it wasn't a stretcher match...right?
  
  
• TLC Match For the Vacant World Heavyweight Championship (If Undertaker Loses He Leaves the WWE) [Undertaker vs. Edge] - I'll admit it - I have been bored to tears with this feud. There's only so many times I can stand to see Edge weasel his way into winning situations. However, after watching this match, i'm wondering if the reason he's such an opportunist is because he needs to let his body heal. Edge gets his ass kicked pretty good here, particularly with that last ride, before the match ends with a shocking turn of events. Well, if you follow wrestling beyond the way that Vince wants you to follow it, it's not so shocking.

Special Features:

In addition to the card above, we're also treated to the following "Historical Undertaker Moments". It would be nice if there was some narration or introduction talking about exactly why these moments are "historical". As it is, while i'm a fan of the people that put together these WWE recaps, these short "blink and ya miss it" recollections fail to do these "historical moments" justice.

• Survivor Series 1990 [:30]
  
  
• King Of the Ring 1998 [:47] - 'Taker's classic match against Mick Foley.
  
  
• Royal Rumble 2007 [:50] - 'Taker vs. HBK.
  
  
• WrestleMania 23 [1:10] - 'Taker vs. Batista.

Video: One Night Stand's picture was colorful and vibrant. Since the WWE has moved to HD, the picture is sharper and the colors more...colorful. There's still some compression artifacts during the pyro elements, but it nowhere near as bad as it was before their switch to HD. However, since this IS a SD disc, it's a shame the WWE still feels it necessary to leave the WWEHD logo in the upper left corner (not that the logo would be welcome on an HD release). It's presented in an anamorphic 1.78:1 ratio.

Audio: As usual, the Dolby Digital 5.1 was clear and enveloped my living room, with the various commentators in the center channel, and some ambient crowd noise in the remaining four.

Conclusion: You know there's something wrong when the women's match was the most impressive match on the card. It's not that the other matches are bad (well, the whole "stretcher match" gimmick is bad), it's just that, if you're a fan of the weekly WWE product, you suffer from a case of "been there, done that". And though I was bored to tears with the Edge/'Taker feud, I did like watching their TLC match - i'm just tired of Edge being an "opportunist". As for the Orton/HHH match, the only reason that stood out was because of Orton's unintentional injury. It's a shame that it takes a legit injury to give a match some much-needed "pop".  Rent It.