WWE Vengeance, Paradise, NV
Request via Ko-fi. Actually pretty sure I’ve never seen this match; I was starting to fade out of watching WWE around this time because I just did not take well to John Cena as a top star.
The video package tells me Cena had just been drafted to Raw, which was the only WWE show I had on TV, we didn’t have a UPN or CW or whatever it was affiliate in my area at the time, so (1) I never developed loyalty to Smackdown at all, and (2) that might have accelerated the process of me fucking off.
Anyway, Christian hates John Cena, and Chris Jericho also wants a title shot, and he maybe hates John Cena, and he and Christian aren’t buddies anymore dating back to early 2004. So whatever, let’s go. Cena’s defending the WWE title.
Christian has Tyson Tomko in his corner. Jim Ross is on commentary with Jerry Lawler and Jonathan Coachman, a real dream team. They talk a bit about Cena being the most popular WWE Superstar in the world today while his entrance gets a pretty tepid reaction.
Lawler and Coachman both pick “Captain Charisma.” JR doesn’t care who they pick and isn’t making his own. And actually it seems like Lawler forgot he was supposed to pick Jericho. There’s a pretty logical undercurrent here that Christian, who has never won The Big Belt or even A The Big Belt, is being sort of overlooked here, with everyone focusing on Jericho and Cena.
Christian and Jericho work together a bit to neutralize Cena, then fight one another. Tomko gets involved, taking Jericho out for a bit, so that Cena can get some offense in on Christian. Tomko takes a cheap shot at Cena (camera missed it), and Earl Hebner makes a spectacle of himself to eject Tomko. There is also a second referee ringside to deal with all this but he apparently had no opinion until Earl did.
Tomko’s ejection flusters Christian, who likely had planned to reply on some help. He turns around and runs into a flapjack from Cena, then gets caught in the fireman’s carry, but holds the rope to try avoiding the FU. Instead, Cena just launches Christian over the top with a fully released FU, and Jericho comes in with a flying back elbow to get two on Cena.
Lawler: “Just think what this’ll do for Fozzy if Jericho wins the WWE title.”
Coachman: “And what do you think it’ll do for John Cena’s record sales? They’ll just start to plummet in a hurry.”
Ross: “Well, I think it’s about the WWE title.”
Worth noting that this match is following a Kurt Angle-Shawn Michaels match, and I know I’ve seen that one before but never watched it in the context of the full show. So I can’t tell here if maybe the crowd were a bit worn out from that.
Jericho has control for a bit and cleans off some commentary desks outside, but winds up DDT’d on the floor, and also the belt, by Cena. Lawler and Coachman argue over the quality of Chris Jericho’s singing while Christian and Cena work in the ring. It is also very clear now that Lawler was supposed to pick Jericho as his guy in the match, with Coachman for Christian.
Jericho pulls Cena out of the ring and sends him into the steps, which again the camera doesn’t quite get. This match might be the reason WWE went to an absolutely absurd amount of constant camera cuts. They’re slow on the trigger for more reasonable cuts repeatedly and miss or halfway miss a good handful of key moments. Anyway, then Christian dropkicks Jericho and everyone’s on the floor now.
It’s Jericho and Christian inside, Walls of Jericho is blocked and Christian almost wins with an inside cradle. Cena comes back in to get under a superplex and do the power bomb part of a tower of doom, which in 2005 was not a totally worn out spot and everyone is going bonkshit about it.
Cena with a run of offense on both guys, including a neat spot where he drop toeholds Christian into headbutting a downed Jericho. He then makes his John Cena Acting Faces and doubles up on a Five Knuckle Shuffle.
They’re trying to do some really creative three-way stuff here and it’s not bad, but some of it feels a little goofy, which happens. Lawler with a great joke about convicted murderer Scott Peterson. He had to get those in while he could, got about two years from here until you can’t do those gags on WWE anymore.
This doesn’t have quite the form and scientifically engineered excellence of high-end modern WWE three-way matches, but it was already something they did quite well. Tomko sneaks back in for a lariat on Cena, then escapes and it still doesn’t get Christian the win. Amazingly, a clothesline did not finish John Cena, WWE Champion.
Christian with a mini-tantrum and then he’s backdropped out of the ring. Jericho is back now and gets Cena in the Walls, center of the ring. Christian back to roll up Jericho for two. Jericho with the “Unprettier” attempt, but he gets shoved off into Cena’s burly arms. He swings Christian’s legs to hit Jericho in the face, which is kinda doofy, and FU’s Christian for the win, retaining the belt.
A good match, doesn’t hit the super highs of the best WWE three-ways but also, the best WWE three-ways are among the best matches in company history, it’s a thing they really do better than anyone ever has, historically speaking. Cena was still limited, not in sense of “move set” or whatever because never did become a “move set” guy, but he hasn’t fully put the pieces together on how to get the most out of what he does. You can see it happening, though, and the reasons beyond just “handsome” and “muscular” that WWE had such faith in him. Jericho and Christian are, as always, exceptional pros who do their jobs well.
Rating: 3.5/5
Tape Machines Are Rolling 
You must be logged in to post a comment.