Taking place in Boston, Massachusetts on August 20th, 2006, the 2006 Summerslam featured some feuds concluded, and some continuing.

Provided Matches

Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero

Running about 17 minutes, this match, despite having some solid wrestlers involved in it, is dull. I really wish WWE would drop this whole Eddie Guerrero storyline. The great man is dead WWE, let him rest in peace by not constantly reminding us he's dead.

King Booker and Queen Sharmell backstage

A little backstage bit running about 3 minutes featuring King Booker and Queen Sharmell talking about how good they are and their Smackdown! Show is. Edge and Lita enter and the two agree to a wager about there two titles.

ECW World Title: Sabu vs. Big Show

Here we get to see an Extreme Rules Match that runs about 14 minutes. I've always found Sabu to be quite the interesting character that has certainly earned his trademark name of 'Suicidal, Homicidal, Genocidal, Death-Defying' with his high-flying attacks that hurt not only his opponent but probably himself even more. As for the Big Show, it was an interesting choice to give him the title (making him the first superstar to hold all three major titles in the WCW, WWE, and ECW titles). As for the match itself, it was pretty entertaining with a few typical ECW table spots. The only funny part was the area where Big Show and Sabu obviously messed up the spots they were suppose to do (like the table on the ring steps, something the crowd didn't enjoy at all). I noticed after this messed up spot, the match ended very quickly after this error.

Backstage with the Divas

A brief backstage spot running about 4 minutes that shows us Leyla winning the 2006 Diva Search Contest. As she arrives to Summerslam, we see Trish and the other divas trying to be mean to the her.

Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Orton – Legend vs. Legend Killer

Running about 24 minutes, Hogan makes his one appearance and decides to face Randy Orton. First off, if anyone has followed Hogan's career over the few past years, we know the track record of Hogan's brief appearances at events. Anyhow, the match itself was good but not as good as it could have been (especially considering the match Hogan had with Michaels last year). Even though Orton is quite the character, his pre-antics before this event were dull and stupid. Just because he's beaten the Undertaker once, destroyed old women, and beaten up people behind their backs makes him the Legend Killer? I liked Orton more when he was a part of Evolution. Hogan, despite showing his age, is still truly entertaining to watch as he simply signifies his hero role as we continue to cheer for him year after year.

Ric Flair vs. Mic Foley – I Quit Match

Running about 20 minutes, I will say that this was ,quite simply, the match of the evening as both competitors, especially Flair, bleed quite a bit. The standard weapons including barb-wired baseball bats, barb-wired tables, and thumbtacks were used (I always wonder how on earth they do that. Man that must hurt)! The feud between these two is expertly showcased here with tons of brutally, insane action. While there wasn't that much 'wrestling' here per-say, I absolutely hated the intervention of Melina here. Absolutely horrendous acting on her part. Otherwise from this slight negative, the match was excellent and one of the best of the year (up there with Foley vs. Edge at Wrestlemania 22).

Backstage with Vince and Shane

A brief 1 minute clip here with Vince and Shane talking about the possible resource of Umaga in the match with DX.

King Booker vs. Batista – World Heavyweight Championship

Running about 18 minutes, I must first off say that Queen Sharmell's repeated 'All Hail, King Booker' is extremely annoying. It really angers me that WWE decides to give extremely un-innovative endings to championship matches. And the most annoying part here is that I was really enjoying the match until the ending.

Backstage with DX

Another 1 minute clip here as DX goes into the Men's Locker Room talking to someone lining up there own person to help them for the match with the McMahon's.

DX vs. Vince and Shane McMahon

Running about 32 minutes, I'm pretty sure everyone knew who was going to win this match well before it actually began. Obviously the McMahon's did as they sent down Mr. Kennedy, William Regal, Finlay, and the Big Show before their actual appearance in the ring. After these men did the dirty work, the McMahon's finally came down to do their part. Even though the McMahon's tend to play on the losing side, I will say that they always put their bodies on the line giving fans their money's worth. A highly entertaining match here.

Edge vs. John Cena – WWE Championship Match

This clip runs about 25 minutes. Taking place in Cena's home state, we learn that if Edge is disqualified, he'll lose the WWE Championship, giving Cena the home field advantage. I first must comment on Cena as I can't ever understand why fans hated Cena at the level they do. Sure he doesn't have the longest array of wrestling moves (only really five), but did someone like Hogan, Hart or the Rock have a longer list of moves? Cena accomplishes exactly what WWE intends him to do, that being the goal of putting butts in the seats, selling tons of merchandise and being the possible new Stone-Cold for the current generation (based on the rapping part). As for the match itself, it was entertaining as I love that Edge is finally getting the deserved push he has had coming to him for years. Even though the ending was kind of dull (see the comments on the Booker match), it sets up an excellent match at Unforgiven next month.

Video

Having just taken place less than three months ago, Summerslam, presented in the standard 1:33:1 FullScreen Aspect Ratio, looks bright, clean and clear. Colors are spot on for a majority of the event. There is a bit of grain here or there, but nothing that takes away from the picture. Another solid effort here WWE.

Audio

The provided Dolby Digital 5.1 audio truly sounded great here. As the crowd cheered and jeered, I felt like I was actually in the Fleet Center in Boston. There was also a nice enveloping experience created as the ref hit the mat, chairs smacked Foley's head, Batista slammed King Booker to the mat and the superstars entrance music hit. The option of Spanish commentary is also available here. Another great audio experience here WWE.

Special Features

• Vignette #1 – "The Last Hot Dog": This 1 minute clip shows us the ad entitled "The Last Hot Dog" where Kane and Viscera fight over the Last Hot Dog.
• Vignette #2 – "Potato Sack Race": Another 1 minute clip that shows Shelton Benjamin, Carlito and Candice Michelle racing. Candice has a late start and must use her wits to distract the other two superstars in hopes of catching up.
• Making of "The Biggest Party of the Summer: This 3 minute making of shows how the ads were made in Los Angeles. This played as more of an in-depth looking into the two ads and how the superstars felt about the ads.
• Cena/Edge Story – 8/21/06: This 9 minute feature shows what happened the night after this event. Not wanting to give anything away, I will say that a surprise superstar returns after a stint in TNA.

Closing Thoughts

The best part of these WWE DVD's is that they're available for a fraction of what the events cost on pay-per-view and are available less than a month after the actual event. Despite a few cheap, cheesy matches, the event still was a blast to watch. The features, oddly enough because WWE usually packs these dvd's with tons of features, were light and un-interesting. Still, for a price of $24.99, this dvd comes recommended for fans.