Post WM17 PPV's were/are pretty bland so far minus SummerSlam and this is another one.
Hardys v Hurricane and Storm for tag titles:
Fast paced tag team match. Very good effort for all involved. A good start.
Test v Kane:
Surprisingly decent, considering Kane is a pretty mediocre wrestler at best but barely memorable. The match does beg the question of why Kane's mask doesn't seem to protect him from Test's big boot to the face. Crowd were really into it.
Torrie Wilson v Kiebler:
You know what to expect. Fast forward.
Edge v Christian (ladder match):
The last PPV match was a real dud and this PPV match has the same problems. It is slow and lacks psychology. We see some really good set pieces that look very painful, which I am sure they were, but its all exactly that- set pieces. There is very little momentum and everything is paused for breath in between those set pieces. The match was also really long and dragged out. Not good.
Dudleys v Big Show and Tajiri:
Definitely not as good as the Hardy match. Much slower and less interesting but not bad. The match doesn't end cleanly, which is something of a theme in this PPV and this era of wrestling quite frankly. Skippable for sure.
Undertaker v Booker T:
You can imagine how this match would go and end in your mind. Booker T isn't a good wrestler at all and neither was Taker at this point in time, quite frankly. Lots of "brawling" which is codename for stalling, punching and poor psychology. Lots of "near pinfalls" AKA pins after doing something simple like a clothesline. Man I really hate that in pro wrestling. Surprisingly Undertaker got booed as he did an Old School, which may have been a sign of sympathy for Booker T. Not a good showing by either. It's insane how protected Undertaker was and how bad a wrestler Booker T was. Definitely skip this one.
Jericho v The Rock (WCW title):
This was a really good performance from both men. Both had great work ethic. Very fast paced. Neither really had chemistry and it just felt a bit laboured and through the emotions. It seemed too orchestrated and a bit of everything, including a rockbottom through the table (EVEN THOUGH ITS A DQ COUNT MATCH!) which didn't get punished. I really hate that trope. The fans were pro Rock but you could hear boos for the Rock at points. There was a couple of funny botches. Jericho going over the top turnbuckle before being hit by the Rock and failing to kick the chair out of the ring. It's the best match of the night and was given a good length of time but the match doesn't end clean, which is infuriating for the wrong reasons. There was way too much 50-50 booking and non clean matches during this period and run ins from Steph, Vince and Shane. I like how Rock's punches sound like they connect and the match picks up at the end but it still felt laboured and through the emotions. If you are a Jericho fan then watch this. If not don't feel too bad if you don't.
Austin v RVD v Angle (for the WWF title):
Fast paced match with an overbooked end. Another high profile match that doesn't end cleanly. Not bad. Not memorable. Skippable.
Overall:
Just watch the Rock/Jericho match if you are a fan of either. The McMahons are simply unbearable at this point, revolving the show around them. There is far too many run ins and sort of represents everything wrong at this point of the Invasion angle.
Hardys v Hurricane and Storm for tag titles:
Fast paced tag team match. Very good effort for all involved. A good start.
Test v Kane:
Surprisingly decent, considering Kane is a pretty mediocre wrestler at best but barely memorable. The match does beg the question of why Kane's mask doesn't seem to protect him from Test's big boot to the face. Crowd were really into it.
Torrie Wilson v Kiebler:
You know what to expect. Fast forward.
Edge v Christian (ladder match):
The last PPV match was a real dud and this PPV match has the same problems. It is slow and lacks psychology. We see some really good set pieces that look very painful, which I am sure they were, but its all exactly that- set pieces. There is very little momentum and everything is paused for breath in between those set pieces. The match was also really long and dragged out. Not good.
Dudleys v Big Show and Tajiri:
Definitely not as good as the Hardy match. Much slower and less interesting but not bad. The match doesn't end cleanly, which is something of a theme in this PPV and this era of wrestling quite frankly. Skippable for sure.
Undertaker v Booker T:
You can imagine how this match would go and end in your mind. Booker T isn't a good wrestler at all and neither was Taker at this point in time, quite frankly. Lots of "brawling" which is codename for stalling, punching and poor psychology. Lots of "near pinfalls" AKA pins after doing something simple like a clothesline. Man I really hate that in pro wrestling. Surprisingly Undertaker got booed as he did an Old School, which may have been a sign of sympathy for Booker T. Not a good showing by either. It's insane how protected Undertaker was and how bad a wrestler Booker T was. Definitely skip this one.
Jericho v The Rock (WCW title):
This was a really good performance from both men. Both had great work ethic. Very fast paced. Neither really had chemistry and it just felt a bit laboured and through the emotions. It seemed too orchestrated and a bit of everything, including a rockbottom through the table (EVEN THOUGH ITS A DQ COUNT MATCH!) which didn't get punished. I really hate that trope. The fans were pro Rock but you could hear boos for the Rock at points. There was a couple of funny botches. Jericho going over the top turnbuckle before being hit by the Rock and failing to kick the chair out of the ring. It's the best match of the night and was given a good length of time but the match doesn't end clean, which is infuriating for the wrong reasons. There was way too much 50-50 booking and non clean matches during this period and run ins from Steph, Vince and Shane. I like how Rock's punches sound like they connect and the match picks up at the end but it still felt laboured and through the emotions. If you are a Jericho fan then watch this. If not don't feel too bad if you don't.
Austin v RVD v Angle (for the WWF title):
Fast paced match with an overbooked end. Another high profile match that doesn't end cleanly. Not bad. Not memorable. Skippable.
Overall:
Just watch the Rock/Jericho match if you are a fan of either. The McMahons are simply unbearable at this point, revolving the show around them. There is far too many run ins and sort of represents everything wrong at this point of the Invasion angle.