So in my endeavour to catch up on my missed wrestling reviews and get ready for my match of the year post it's time to turn back time and relive Breaking Point. The only WWE PPV I out right missed this year. Let's hit it in chronological order.
Jerishow defeat MVP & Mark Henry in twelve minutes with Big Show's knock out punch to retain the WWE Unified Tag Titles.
This was a smart choice for opener as the crowd were really into both teams, the crowd was kind of split but they we're happy to play along for the hot tags. I have to say in the ring it was a disappointment, you expect Henry and Show to be clunky but MVP was the real disappointment. His offence was crisp and well timed but he simply couldn't milk the hot tag attempts in a convincing way, it led to alot of awkward and dead spots. Regardless this was a good opener to get the crowd going, and it helped the continuing process of elevating the tag titles. (*1/2)
Kofi Kingston defeats The Miz in twelve minutes with Trouble In Paradise to retain the Intercontinental Title.
This was a good twelve minutes of wrestling, it wasn't great or star making but it was good solid satisfying action. It interspersed great spots and flashy athleticism in between good fundamental action. Despite their limited pushes the crowd were into both guys, and they didn't disappoint, there match this week on RAW really took it to the next level but for a first singles PPV encounter these guys can be proud of themselves. The second half of this match in particular was crisp, creative and very slick. WWE has really missed undercard matches like this in the last five years. (**3/4)
Legacy defeat DX in twenty two minutes with a ring post figure four leglock, Million dollar dream combination.
It's nice to see a match open at a fast pace, Shawn and Tripper hit signature spots right from the off and the knee breakers and chop blocks felt really fresh, because we really don't see much submission wrestling these days. It of course then went straight into a brawl through the crowd which I'm never a fan of but I have to say both teams brought great intenisty and the visual of a stereo figure fours backstage while the Canadian fans chanted "ole, ole, ole" was pretty unique and satisfying. The creativity in this match up was just great, and it was full of memorable visuals, the camel clutch/boston crab combo with Cody stuck in a steel chair was pretty cool. And yes Cody Rhodes did in fact actually apply the Gory Special on Shawn Michaels, seriously I bet no one saw that coming. Shawn certainly carried the work rate in this one, he was bumping all over the place. I'm not sure if they pre recorded it or did it live but those shots to Triple H's head looked brutal and very convincing. I do feel bad for the crowd though, you could hear the life get sucked out of them when the action went backstage. I said this in the Hell in a Cell review but I'm going to say it again that HBK takes one hell of a beating and he really kept the two on one section interesting. Credit must go to Cody too he came up with a really creative counter to the Sweet Chin Music with the diving tackle into the ankle lock. The finish was very smartly booked and the commentators sold it hard, shame the follow up would be so poor. All in all a great match up, with some really unique moments, good intensity and the submission format made for a refreshing change of pace. (***3/4)
Kane defeats The Great Khali in six minutes
Wow, I really don't want to even talk about this one, it was two broken down immobile giants hitting each other with sticks while the crowd preceded to shit all over everything. Utterly forgettable and totally regrettable a waste of PPV time. (1/4*)
Christian Defeats William Regal in ten minutes with the Killswitch to retain the ECW Title.
Christian just doesn't have it in the ring whatsoever, he's had ample opportunity to prove himself and he's never managed to surpass mediocrity. He's matches feel stilted and stale, like watching a video game, two guys just hitting moves with no drama or tension, his matches always feel fake and lacking in intensity. Regal brought some aggression with his rough European style but this match did nothing for me and failed to entertain the home town crowd. Further proof that both men are in the right place on ECW and should not be moved. A solid if uninspired undercard match. (**)
I'm just going to ignore the Pat Patterson Dolph Ziggler skit, seriously, we know it sucked, it's a shame that Rey Mysterio was suspended but couldn't they have found something better for Dolph?
John Cena defeats Randy Orton in twenty minutes of an "I Quit Match" to win the WWE World Title.
As you'd expect for a Cena-Orton match no matter how many times they see it the crowd were absolutely red hot. These two just play off each other brilliantly and it truly is a shame that they've been run into the ground by repetition, there were so many great little touches and counter exchanges. Randy Orton is just on a different level to everybody else at the moment, he's not the best pure wrestler but the way he acts and tells a story with his expression draws the crowd into his matches like nobody else. He can be over methodical but it doubles the drama, it makes it doubly shocking when he hits or misses a more, he knows how to bring a sequence to an emotional climax. I also have to point out it was great to see the WWE go back to a classic "I quit" style match. They still had the referee asking if each wrestler wanted to quit, but both men were intense and beating the hell out of each other rather than just tamely applying rest holds while the ref held a mic in place coughs *Jeff vs. Matt*. This match really felt like a dramatic story unfolding with Orton playing the evil super villian, I thought the hand cuff spots were superb, yes they were slow and deliberate but they really drew out the drama and you could feel the crowd getting pissed off and emotionally engage, it was classic wrestling. This was the closest wrestling has been in a long time to an action film, Bruce Willis vs. Evil Jason Statham. I have to give credit to the WWE production team two, capturing all the verbal exchanges, facial expressions and focusing in on Cena's bruised a battered body.
Again it's such a shame that they'd burned everyone out on these two because this really is and really should be a match of the year contender, the visuals were absolutely brilliant, the moment when Cena escapes the handcuffs and then handcuffs himself to Randy Orton was utterly tremendous. I do wonder if to a younger generation this feels like there Austin-Rock because this was utterly epic. The matches conclusion was sublime and you really have to see it for yourself, and it was incredible that the biggest crowd reaction on the entire show was not drawn from a finisher, or a sick spot but from a brilliant peice of character acting and storytelling in the form of a tug of war. Not a typical match but easily the best match I've seen since Micheals-Taker. (****1/4)
CM Punk defeats The Undertaker in a Montreal Screwjob finish after the match was restarted at around the ten minute mark.
Even though Taker is very noticeably banged up and probably shouldn't be back in rotation just yet I have to say these two just have great chemistry. There matches have all been very crisp and very compelling and this was no exception, the problem is they never go longer than ten minutes. I was really enjoying the slick back and forth exchanges shame it was cut short. The finish was a total downer but a month removed from the initial disappointment it doesn't hurt the match as badly as it did live. I can't wait to sees two go twenty but for what this was it was pretty good, but what it was, wasn't much. (**)
Overall Thoughts: The finish to the final match really kills the replay value of this show which is a shame because it's a great show. The Dolph Ziggler segment was a total waste of time, but everything else flowed very nicely and we had two top quality matches and a genuine MOTY contender. The submission format which was much maligned coming into the Breaking Point has actually ended up as the most succesful of the gimmick PPVs. Each main event felt different, exciting and fresh. Unlike hell in a cell, each match told a unique story and was enhanced by the rule changes. Hopefully this show can go from strenght to strenght I looked forward to next years addition. Shame this years event was undermined by an unsatisfying conclusion and a pointless segment, but they couldn't stop the show from being a success overall. (7.0/10)
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