WWE Armageddon was one of the best WWE PPVs of the year. I'd rank it alongside WrestleMania in terms of entertainment and wrestling. Honestly, I was shocked at how good this PPV actually was.
The Kozlov/Hardy match kicked off the show. While it was a passable match, it was by no means fit to be an opener, and probably only was so because Matt Hardy is a popular draw. Kozlov controlled much of the match, Hardy came back, but Kozlov hits a nice impact move for the win.
The Intercontinental Tourney Final between CM Punk and Rey Mysterio was for many people the match of the night. I would have preferred this to be the opener, as a note. This match delivered on so many levels. The amount of counters and false finishes in this match were off the charts. It's a shame my parents had to call during this particular match, but I still watched all of it and definitely felt it deserved an excellent rating. The finish was very well done. Punk's GTS on Mysterio busted Rey's nose, and I felt that was the spot that pushed the match to four stars.
The Belfast Brawl was simply a bunch of chaos, and there were no real shock spots in this one. Sure, there were weapons, a leprechaun (Hornswoggle), and big Tony Atlas getting involved in some form, but in the end, a shillelagh shot had to be the one to down Henry. Of all weapons, a shillelagh? Whatever.
Batista vs. Randy Orton was a very good match. There were a good amount of counters and false finishes, but I must give props to the finish, which was well done.
The Santa's Little Helper match was merely for entertainment purposes and to continue the ongoing feud between Michelle McCool and Maria. I completely marked out when McCool used AJ Styles' finisher (Styles Clash) to get the win. I love the move and it is a move you can hit as a counter (think countering a hurricanrana). I do hope McCool keeps that heel hook move as well.
The Kiss Cam segment was just funny. I'm just happy I wasn't eating when Mae Young came out for the Kiss Cam.
The World Heavyweight Title match between John Cena and Chris Jericho was another awesome match that just misses four stars. It gets a better rating than the Batista match because finishers were hit and kicked out of in this one. I did not like the fact that Cena stays in the Walls of Jericho for a long time, but Jericho only can last five seconds in the STFU. My friend also thought that was ridiculous.
Finally, the WWE Title match between Jeff Hardy, Edge, and Triple H was a match-of-the-year candidate. To me, this was the match of the night. I gave this match a better rating than the Punk match because the storyline buildup for Jeff Hardy's title win was extremely well done, and the feel-good story of a person defying the odds to win the richest prize in the game was a great way to end the show. It is by no means the same feel-good story as when Chris Benoit won the World Title at WrestleMania a few years back, but the Hardy win confirmed that this PPV is a keeper.
Two four-star matches on a PPV that is not one of the "big" PPVs? Four of the seven matches rating at least ***1/2 on my scale? That is one hell of a way to end PPVs for 2008.
PPV rating: ****
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