SummerSlam 2006 Thoughts
SummerSlam 2006 was the 19th annual SummerSlam event produced by the WWE. It took place August 20, 2006 at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. It also was the first SummerSlam to include the new rebooted ECW brand. Attendence was said to be at a 16,168.
Year 2006. Well 2006 is a mixed bag. Older fans would look at it as a dragging year with a lot disappointing booking but they've seen worse. It wasn't exactly an exciting year for the shows. Raw had issues with bad storylines, Smackdown was seen as nothing more than a second rate show not as important, and then there was ECW. Well everyone knows how history went with this. 2 world title matches and a long silly feud of the McMahons challenging DX who were reunited months earlier. This event would also be known as the last time Hulk Hogan would wrestle in the WWE ring.
The Good - Well as it may look from the chart, Edge vs. John Cena was the best match of the night. Cena being in hometown (state) did get a pretty good reaction from the crowd despite having a ton of heat with fans across the WWE fanbase. I thought both had good chemistry and of course, Edge vs. Cena was always a fun rivalry. The Tag Team match was fun. The feud was pretty stupid and DX reuniting would get more exciting later in the year after they started a heated feud against Rated-RKO. I loved how the McMahons were doing numerous tag finishers in lazy ways to get booed. Flair vs. Foley was also good and was one of the most brutal brawls I've ever seen (well for WWE). You won't see that in a WWE ring today.
The Meh - Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero was actually a good match to start the opening but the constint use of the late Eddie Guerrero name in storyline was really starting to get irritating. Crowds were also not liking both stars mimicking Eddie as tribute. ECW Championship match was okay but it was hilarious how commentary tried too hard to make it exciting. Botches too was killing the crowd. Hogan vs. Orton was what you expected and it was clearly shown Hogan was done.
The Bad - Batista vs. King Booker was doomed from the start as it was clearly put in the spot as a bathroom break. The DQ also made it worse. Also noticeable was the botch Batista Bomb that's highly edited now in footage. The crowd didn't care and trolled both stars of the match. I pointed how SD was at this point a clear second rate brand and them getting only 2 matches of buildup hurt the brand.
Overall - It was fine. Thumbs slightly above the middle. If we actually had a match of the year in this card it could have given it a big boost. The main event also deserves credit at making this show interesting even though the ending was a bit questionable. Okay show.
Score - 6 out of 10: Decent
0 = Terrible : 1 = Bad/Lackluster : 2 = Decent : 3 = Good : 4 = Awesome : 5 = One of the Best of all Time :
1. Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero - 3/5
2. Big Show vs. Sabu: ECW World Championship (ECW Extreme Rules) - 2/5
3. Randy Orton vs. Hulk Hogan - 2/5
4. Ric Flair vs. Mick Foley (I Quit Match) - 3.5/5
5. King Booker vs. Batista: World Heavyweight Championship - 1/5
6. D-Generation X vs. The McMahons - 3/5
7. Edge vs. John Cena: WWE Championship - 3.5/5
Best Match - Edge vs. John Cena
Worst Match - Batista vs. King Booker
Most Memorable Moment - Edge cheapshot of brass knuckles to Cena. Drew heat.
Top 5 Performers
1. John Cena - Great Performance
2. Edge - Great Performance
3. Ric Flair - Still had it for 2 more years
4. Mick Foley - Man this guy loves hurting himself
5. Shawn Michaels - Great selling.
SummerSlam 2006 was the 19th annual SummerSlam event produced by the WWE. It took place August 20, 2006 at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. It also was the first SummerSlam to include the new rebooted ECW brand. Attendence was said to be at a 16,168.
Year 2006. Well 2006 is a mixed bag. Older fans would look at it as a dragging year with a lot disappointing booking but they've seen worse. It wasn't exactly an exciting year for the shows. Raw had issues with bad storylines, Smackdown was seen as nothing more than a second rate show not as important, and then there was ECW. Well everyone knows how history went with this. 2 world title matches and a long silly feud of the McMahons challenging DX who were reunited months earlier. This event would also be known as the last time Hulk Hogan would wrestle in the WWE ring.
The Good - Well as it may look from the chart, Edge vs. John Cena was the best match of the night. Cena being in hometown (state) did get a pretty good reaction from the crowd despite having a ton of heat with fans across the WWE fanbase. I thought both had good chemistry and of course, Edge vs. Cena was always a fun rivalry. The Tag Team match was fun. The feud was pretty stupid and DX reuniting would get more exciting later in the year after they started a heated feud against Rated-RKO. I loved how the McMahons were doing numerous tag finishers in lazy ways to get booed. Flair vs. Foley was also good and was one of the most brutal brawls I've ever seen (well for WWE). You won't see that in a WWE ring today.
The Meh - Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero was actually a good match to start the opening but the constint use of the late Eddie Guerrero name in storyline was really starting to get irritating. Crowds were also not liking both stars mimicking Eddie as tribute. ECW Championship match was okay but it was hilarious how commentary tried too hard to make it exciting. Botches too was killing the crowd. Hogan vs. Orton was what you expected and it was clearly shown Hogan was done.
The Bad - Batista vs. King Booker was doomed from the start as it was clearly put in the spot as a bathroom break. The DQ also made it worse. Also noticeable was the botch Batista Bomb that's highly edited now in footage. The crowd didn't care and trolled both stars of the match. I pointed how SD was at this point a clear second rate brand and them getting only 2 matches of buildup hurt the brand.
Overall - It was fine. Thumbs slightly above the middle. If we actually had a match of the year in this card it could have given it a big boost. The main event also deserves credit at making this show interesting even though the ending was a bit questionable. Okay show.
Score - 6 out of 10: Decent
0 = Terrible : 1 = Bad/Lackluster : 2 = Decent : 3 = Good : 4 = Awesome : 5 = One of the Best of all Time :
1. Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero - 3/5
2. Big Show vs. Sabu: ECW World Championship (ECW Extreme Rules) - 2/5
3. Randy Orton vs. Hulk Hogan - 2/5
4. Ric Flair vs. Mick Foley (I Quit Match) - 3.5/5
5. King Booker vs. Batista: World Heavyweight Championship - 1/5
6. D-Generation X vs. The McMahons - 3/5
7. Edge vs. John Cena: WWE Championship - 3.5/5
Best Match - Edge vs. John Cena
Worst Match - Batista vs. King Booker
Most Memorable Moment - Edge cheapshot of brass knuckles to Cena. Drew heat.
Top 5 Performers
1. John Cena - Great Performance
2. Edge - Great Performance
3. Ric Flair - Still had it for 2 more years
4. Mick Foley - Man this guy loves hurting himself
5. Shawn Michaels - Great selling.