10/26/08 Cyber Sunday

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
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10/26/08 Cyber Sunday:
Rey Mysterio vs. Kane (No Holds Barred): This match featured a bunch of great counters. Kane moves well for such a big man, and these two have quite a chemistry. The added effect of weapons helped the rating. I liked that the two men did not rely totally on weapons, incorporating a bunch of wrestling in the match. ***1/2

Matt Hardy vs. Evan Bourne (ECW Title): The fans easily won here. This was a clear match of the year candidate. Evan Bourne brought the flashy moves, and Hardy had to pull a Twist of Fate out of nowhere to get the win. I'm sure a bunch of people thought Bourne would pull one out - until he missed the Shooting Star. I liked the last-ditch effort from Bourne to use a backslide to try and win. ***3/4

The Miz & John Morrison vs. Cryme Tyme: Again, the fans made the right choice to have this match instead of the other two. Cryme Tyme has some great chemistry, and so do Miz and Morrison. Nice spot with Shad throwing JTG onto Miz and Morrison on the outside. Decent back-and-forth action. Typical heel way to win with the ref restraining the illegal guy on the face team and the two heel guys double team for the win. **1/4

Honky Tonk Man vs. Santino Marella: This was a decent choice, especially to go along with Santino's "Honk-a-Meter" dealie each week. Unfortunately, we got a crappy DQ finish. The entertaining pre-match skit kept it from negative stars. But hey, we all knew this segment was merely for entertainment purposes, right? After all, Santino hasn't actually been a part of even an average match since SummerSlam. DUD

The Undertaker vs. The Big Show (Last Man Standing Match): This was perhaps the most well-booked match of Cyber Sunday. Taker utilized several counters to keep Show at bay. Smart booking by WWE to make Big Show look completely unstoppable towards the end of the match. It really did appear that Show would win on more than one occasion, but Taker added to the suspense (and to the delight of the crowd) by continuing to get up. The triangle choke at the end was a pleasant surprise, considering we hadn't seen that in a while. It was a perfect way to end the match, and considering the match could have ended that way with any of the other stipulations (I Quit or Knockout), I really thought that was very well-planned. ****

Mickie won the Divas Halloween Costume Contest. Gotta love Tomb Raider. I also liked Michelle McCool (army brat), Kelly Kelly (sailor), Maria (bunny), and Maryse (French maid). The most bizarre costume easily went to Victoria (Peanut Butter Jelly Time banana).

Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy (WWE Title): Both men had some nice mind games at the start. Hardy had some offense in, but HHH mainly controlled most of the early going. Nice crossface from HHH, but an even better counter by Hardy after being in the hold for a while. Hardy came back with quality offense, which got the crowd even more riled up. Hardy seemed to get too greedy going for more than one Swanton. There was decent action until the end, and HHH managed to find another way to hit the Pedigree for the win. Their match at No Mercy was clearly better, though. ***1/2

Batista vs. Chris Jericho (World Heavyweight Title; special guest referee Stone Cold Steve Austin): The crowd went absolutely nuts when it was revealed that Austin won the fan vote (by a wide margin, no less). Good job by Austin to make sure Y2J doesn't blatantly get DQ'd or counted out. Y2J worked well on Batista's knee to take away the power game. Very surprised to see Batista go to the top and hit a shoulderblock. I liked how they incorporated the other two choices for referee (HBK and Orton) and even JBL into the match. It seems to set the stage for a future feud. The fans were very much into the match. This one, although very well done, does not get four stars because the entertainment aspect overshadowed the wrestling too much during the final few minutes. ***3/4
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This was a very good PPV. Hats off to WWE.