An Unforgivably Bad PPV - WWE Unforgiven 2004 Review

[@lazybacon7520]

"Trish Stratus is NOT a slut." - Jerry Lawler, defender of women everywhere

[@leaderofnoone9087]

Jerry Lawler defender of women. Is the best gimmick in wrestling.

[@emmajones752]

Probably because she gave him the cold shoulder when he asked her for a warm shower 😏

[@Silent_Shadow]

Yeah, he sure loves "Puppies"

[@Pocketrocket-pj1us]

Him and Al Bundy from the Show, 'Married with Children'

[@skrounst]

"Jerry Lawler, defender of women everywhere".... Unless they're under 18 😵

[@christpuncher121]

Tomko always looked like an extra from a limp bizkit music video, he was destined for the early 2000's

[@wookiepie2285]

I work with a guy who has TWO tribal armbands on EACH bicep. He wears a visor inside all day too. There is another guy who wears a visor inside every day and he has frosted tips.

[@junkapopo]

​@@wookiepie2285What year do you work in?

[@knomad75]

​@@junkapopo😂

[@deadlovers]

@@junkapopoholy shit that’s the funniest comment I’ve ever read

[@deadlovers]

@@wookiepie2285one of them has to have soap shoes and listen to the offspring. I can feel it.

[@WCWThunderRosa]

No Brian you don’t understand, the Portland crowd goes deathly quiet as a sign of respect. They were super invested in Tomko vs the mystery woman

[@dannylopez5976]

Exactly like they do in Japan.

[@babylonastronaut]

That Oregon heat lol

[@nightimermx8934]

Twelve stars in the Tokyo Dome

[@jamesaditya5254]

@@nightimermx8934 just like a freaking yugioh card

[@nightimermx8934]

@@jamesaditya5254 I'm gonna pretend I know what that means

[@bookaki4160]

*11:11* In Jericho's second book he talks about this moment in a chapter titled Steel Enema. He said that a doctor diagnosed him with a cracked coccyx bone and that the pain was so bad he could hardly walk and for the next month he "had to sit on one cheek". He also compared it to "getting raped by RoboCop".

[@peterreine2917]

Such an odd way to describe the feeling of his injury

[@SamsarasArt]

I recently suffered that same injury and yeah if hurts so much and you can't do much about it other than suffer through it until it heals.

[@jurisfootrag]

​@@peterreine2917you pictured it, huh

[@peterreine2917]

@@jurisfootrag no, you?

[@jackburton2680]

I can feel his pain...sounds very similar to how it feels suffering thru watchin his work and shit angles in aew

[@WillDawg01]

We were lucky that WWE let you buy PPV and stream it on the website in 2004. That wonderfully buffered 1Mbit stream.

[@thedman-zx1ip]

They were offering PPVs through the website back in 2002, I just KNOW that shit was crusty

[@smcilia]

We didn't know any better it was awesome at the time. Hey I'm watching something live on the internet

[@WillDawg01]

​@@smcilia at least at the time dorm internet was faster than anything you could get at home.

[@WillDawg01]

@@thedman-zx1ip just imagine how crusty the VHS recording of it looked after a few years.

[@thewanderer6542]

@@WillDawg01 Especially the VHS recording copies... Almost always missing about 5-10 minutes at the beginning or end of the show and overlapped with an episode of a sit-com from either UPN or whatever local access channel.

[@Kaltagstar96]

My god, Brian sounded like he had to tell Stevie Richards that he only has a week to live when he said "Stevie, my friend, I'm sorry" after the match with Tomko.

[@chrisbove1640]

It's a good thing it happen in 2004 then now imagine doing it now in 2023 storyline it was be Rip so hard now Steve being drag queen oh lord that will not age well today people are more sensitive now then in 2004

[@salamisumo2]

@@chrisbove1640 In 2018, remember when Sami Zayn had a bunch of guys in drag pretend they were Bobby Lashley’s sisters? It’s not about being politically incorrect or whatever, just doesn’t make for entertaining wrestling when it’s done poorly

[@eclect]

​@@chrisbove1640are you referring to the mush brained psychos who would lose their minds and accuse WWE of indoctrinating children? Because no one else would care about a wrestler doing drag

[@LordDeBahs]

ironicaly he almost died recently wtf

[@GregHuffman1987]

yeh i have ambivalence towards the cultural changes. some of it is progress, other of it is "progress".

[@thedman-zx1ip]

Fun fact about this show: the ending got Eric Bischoff a ton of heat. The original plan was for Easy E to send out Coach as the replacement ref, but Bischoff has left building. Not only did he leave the show early, but he fucked up the MAIN EVENT ANGLE!

[@cumexolaf3276]

He never learns. After Bash At The Beach 2000, he should know not to leave a PPV early.

[@DashingPunkSamurai]

Bischoff ruined a main event?!? Say it ain’t so.

[@Cloud21283]

Thats crazy. I was at this show. I have heard that story multiple times but I didnt realize it was from this show. Watching it live I dont really recall how the main event played out or if it was obvious that the main event ending was botched, but to be fair I dont recall a lot of this show as it was 20 years ago.

[@WCWThunderRosa]

@@Cloud21283 it wasn’t really botched, it would’ve played out exactly the same except at some point they would cut to the back and show Bischoff telling Coach to go ref, everything else would go as it did

[@MasterOfViewership]

December to Dismember: hold my kendo stick

[@marcohavokkhaos]

Tajiri is the master of random tag partners, with Rhino, Regal, Guerrero & Big Show.

[@dkupke]

Don’t forget a dominatrix

[@williammelin1671]

For real. He had almost as many tag partners as big show had face/heel turns

[@NandoA130]

Nah, Kane. X pac, Daniel bryan, RVD, Hurricane, undertaker, mankind, big show

[@jesusgomez7556]

Don't forget lesnar.

[@petersonofleo11]

Brock Lesnar😂😂😂😂

[@SkilesHasFun]

"The dirtiest player in Triple H" took me a second. Well done, sir.

[@rogregg29445]

Lol 😂

[@RaulSHermano]

Could someone explain?

[@UltimateFarmer007]

Triple h is the game so dirtiest player in triple h lol ​@@RaulSHermano

[@Kobra6510]

Ah, yes, the origin of: "Kane the good guy rapist."

[@ronnies6811]

To defend the reasoning behind the title being stripped from Edge but not Trish, Edge was face and Bischoff the GM was heel so he’d be against Edge, but Trish was also a heel. Hence Eric would be partial toward her heelish ways.

[@tempestfennac9687]

That makes some sense. I'll admit I'm with Brian about how having rules not enforced evenly is aggravating though, especially since Eric still has to answer to Mr. McMahon andother executives in kayfabe (it reminds me of when Brian Danielson was injured post-WM 30 and Stephanie had to be the voice of reason regarding his need to vacate the title while Lesner was barely defending the belt he had at the time).

[@toptenguy1]

Plus... IT'S TRISH! Would YOU say no to her? hahaha

[@marcohavokkhaos]

The ladder match was definitely the silver lining on this show. A hidden gem.

[@venomousnate7263]

Looking back to when I was a kid, it’s one of the matches that made me like Chris Jericho and is still one of my favorites.

[@jayharv285]

​@@venomousnate7263for me it made me appreciate Christian a lot more than I used to

[@dominicrigsby8547]

​@@venomousnate7263Benoit and Jericho had a damn good ladder match. I think it was a Royal Rumble. It was hard hitting. Canadian wrestlers just know how to use ladders.

[@ryuhayabaker]

@@dominicrigsby8547hat Benoit-Jericho ladder match at RR01 is one of the best I’ve seen. I remember watching the Jericho-Christian ladder match as a kid and being completely underwhelmed by it. I thought it was very bang average, so I’m surprised it was given the 4.5 star treatment by the Zane Event. 2.5-3 stars for me.

[@venomousnate7263]

@@jayharv285 oh absolutely.

[@marquan1976]

Shawn Michaels & Blading. An inseparable pair

[@JeremiahEcks777]

Not as much as Flair, Triple H or Moxley.

[@m.d.1395]

​@@JeremiahEcks777especially Flair. Don't forget Dusty Rhodes

[@chrisbutler1668]

​@@JeremiahEcks777NEW JACK AND DEVON DUDLEY'S FOREHEADS HAVE ENTERED THE CHAT.

[@Mickey-v7p]

Steve Austin's stock rose even higher when he never tapped out despite bleeding all over the place at WrestleMania 13.

[@peterreine2917]

​@@JeremiahEcks777 triple h especially during 2002-2005

[@toptenguy1]

The Stevie/Tomko thing could have worked as "lame comedy".. HAD IT NOT LASTED SEEMINGLY 20 MINUTES! WTF WERE THEY THINKING?

[@fro-zone2k]

When you think about it, had Orton's babyface not bombed, we never have gotten Batista's rise.

[@hhtptai]

Literally everyone knows that.

[@fro-zone2k]

@@hhtptai I know that

[@kevinclark5802]

Actually if Brock Lesnar hadn't left for the NFL. Then Orton wouldn't have won the World Title and turned face so Orton would have been in Batista's spot and won the 2005 Royal Rumble and defeated Triple H at Wrestlemania 21.

[@logansheffield8641]

This was still Vince McMahon's WWE. Batista would have still found his way to the top one way or another.

[@Mickey-v7p]

Randy Orton's World title reign flopped so bad he never became a top champion in the WWE until 2007 when he got the vacant WWE title, lost it to the dude who ended his first World title reign and regained it on the same night.

[@alonsoarana5307]

No Mercy 2007 was amazing though

[@Mickey-v7p]

No Mercy 2007 is notable for being the night where Triple H had a one night WWE title reign and Randy became WWE Champion after three years of being a semi-main event player

[@uainjansun]

Well kinda his fault since he was going to be world champion in 2006....but he destroyed a hotem room in germany

[@Mickey-v7p]

​@@uainjansunRandy back then was an insufferable douchebag and he was a pain in the butt to everyone.

[@Hulkling93]

​@@alonsoarana5307Yep, No Mercy 2007 is a PPV I can just put on and enjoy. The following year is a strong PPV.

[@TheDoctaJS]

It would have been hilarious if Christian whispered some kind of counter-offer into Tomko’s opposite ear.

[@rex788]

My uncle and I met Tomko by complete accident when RAW live came to my hometown of Bismarck, ND. He was jogging around downtown and we had stopped to eat at an A&W before the show. Then he came around the corner and stopped at the crosswalk. I had just said hey could I get a pic and autograph. He said “sure.” When he could’ve said no. But he did and I still have the pic with him. That was in 2004. We also got a pic with Chris Benoit the next day outside the Radisson. Good times.

[@jimsheppard3166]

Wow, that's crazy. I mean that a Raw was held in Bismarck, North Dakota. I never would have through that was possible.

[@JThom529]

That’s sweet

[@chrisburkhardtsports]

I was there! I was sitting near the ramp and I'll never forget realizing Edge was just behind the curtain peeking out to watch the ladder match the entire time! Pretty cool to see.

[@Cloud21283]

Hell yeah man, I was at this show too, 2nd row in front of hard cam!

[@chrisburkhardtsports]

@@Cloud21283 I had tickets for the upper 200s, but right before the doors opened I won upgraded tickets from the old KUFO radio station. I was 5/6 rows back, on the left side of the entrance ramp. Not a bad free upgrade if you ask me! 🤣

[@christopherbarron6580]

The deadpan "pregnant" line from JR got me immediately 😂😂

[@Hulkling93]

That match is filled with funny lines from JR. "And that just shows what kind of man Kane is, and I don't know if he's even a man. He's....a CRETIN!"

[@christopherbarron6580]

@@Hulkling93 LMAO!!

[@jackburton2680]

Rhino has the best spear in the biz. Dude has the perfect build for it, such a powerful dude, and his execution of the "gore" makes for the most convincing spear out there

[@pendafen7405]

To this day, it's still so satisfying to hear or say the "GORE GORE GORE" chant

[@wezleeclinton5850]

People always talk about Edge, Bobby, Roman, or Goldberg when they talk about the best spear, but Rhyno’s is the only one where it looks like he’s literally trying to bisect people. Rhyno definitely has the best spear. Especially in the ECW-TNA days, dude had killer spears.

[@logansheffield8641]

Rhino said it best himself: no one's ever kicked out of the gore. If someone kicked out, it was just a spear. 😂

[@miketsintziras503]

The reason Randy didn’t interfere in HHH Eugene 3 cage match was because everyone was banned from ringside

[@tinotica]

2004 was such an awkward year for the WWE. Don’t think there were more heel turns and face turns in one calendar year than this one; especially ones that didn’t even get over. Hope Brian eventually covers Summerslam 2004 as that was the true apex of WWE awkwardness where the announcers are confused by the crowd

[@collectibleasmr]

I was at that show. Crowd did the fucking wave during Taker/JBl, and a fan ran down and tried to dance on top of the limo. This fucked the finish up as you could see the cut in the top of the limo at the end of the match. Awful show.

[@Steven-uk2fz]

I remember Edge getting brutally booed in that one

[@ibn1989]

Both Raw and Smackdown were awful that year. Raw had HHH just running roughshod over everybody when he didn't need to. While Smackdown was just plain, bad television.

[@garlicbread853]

@@Steven-uk2fzweren’t they in his hometown as well?

[@kokotheclown2588]

⁠@@ibn1989and smackdown wouldn’t get any better sadly 06 imo was also freaking awful felt like the New Generation all over with all the stupid gimmicks

[@KingArcher909]

Man. THANK YOU for letting me know I didn’t just make up Christian saying a “No Count Out Match!” On Raw. I couldn’t remember when he said it, but I was beginning to think it was a figment of my imagination. Lol

[@Psychoanalytix]

More than the matches, I think the main reasons this PPV bombed were the poor storylines and booking (ranging from mediocre to just plain awful) and the threadbare nature of the single-brand PPVs. On paper, almost all of these guys could have good to great matches, but it simply didn't click. It wasn't even "so bad it's good", it was boring - and in the entertainment business, that's, well, unforgivable. 😉

[@TheCheat420]

Isn't it a relief when you feel like you're missing out on a show in your area and it kinda sucks?

[@1stKindChris]

How dare you Brian... as former RA myself, we are not hall monitors. More like babysitters

[@christiancoates609]

"Triple Ain't" Wow that was awful 😞

[@jeffbeyer43]

15:36 Love the fact that when Rhyno and Tajiri were running to the ring, Tajiri runs how he does his tarantula walk!

[@drozwalker9]

I totally forgot Tomko even existed until watching this review. Victoria is definitely one of the underrated workers in WWE's women's division at this point in time. I appreciate this PPV being in Portland, OR which was my home for nearly 20 years. Thanks for giving this one a spin Brian.

[@CaseyJohn-ki8eo]

AJ Styles and Tomko were a great team in TNA

[@speedwaynutt]

I remember Tomko due to him and Christian being featured in the Segment where Cena debuts on Raw

[@bodenlosedosenhose1590]

"Dirtiest player in the Triple H." I see what he did there. 😁

[@IncredibleFulk1]

17:10 “I do remember that Randy and it was pretty cool. If it means anything to you, we didn’t beat you up because you were the champion, we beat you up because you were a giant pain in the ass.” -Triple H RAW 15th Anniversary 2007

[@danniles3315]

That Richards Tomko match 😂 i paid for that PPV back then, why was the finish him being distracted by his own bra? Ref probably told them to wrap it up ASAP

[@AnmicJ]

Intercontinental Championship & Ladder Matches go great together Hands Down

[@iamdb1990]

ironically, hands down is a terrible strategy going into a ladder match

[@Cloud21283]

So, I was at this show live, 2nd row. I do have some fond memories and that ladder match really saved the show. But Brian is not kidding about the Tomko/Stevie "match". Watching it live there was zero context that it was an actual match. It appeared to be just a spot or segment at first. At one point I was sure they were filling time for something or had even gone long and not been communicated with properly to end the segment. The crowd was absolutely deflated and everyone was openly asking what was going on. None of it made sense. We kept waiting for a run in to save Stevie or something big to happen. Nope. Stevie finally got a comeback and the crowd came alive and then 2 minutes later it was all for nothing. The worst match I have ever watched live, by far.

[@danishhald]

The WWE has always had a major trope of making babyfaces look dumb and fail.

[@michaelcox1913]

You've gotta review New Years Revolution 2005. Would love to hear your take on it

[@Dr.JeremyDunks]

Trips with the most randomly fluid drop toe hold into a reverse indian death lock. Holy smokes, that was pretty.

[@rickyrosay33977]

He used to pull those all the time in wcw

[@jmsmys13ify]

You wearing your jumpsuit, blowing a whistle, chasing others down with "citations" while occasionally spraying drunk studens with water bottles.... Yes. It screams Hall Monitor. Ultimate heel. Drop you back in the late 80's, early-mid 90's, you'd be teaming with the Repo Man. Or Dean Douglas.

[@mizer9510]

Your hometown is Portland, Oregon? My condolences Brian.

[@FreeThinkAlways]

Funniest moment i remember from this ppv is when Jericho lands ass first on the ladder and after the match during an interview he says the ladder went half way up his ass 😂😂

[@crocodiletears6891]

For some reason the whole insane, pain, kane thing reminded me of that triple H bit from your Eugene video. "Eugene, I'm really mean, I'm gonna kick you in the spleen." Lmao

[@thebandit0256]

17:05 That's old lore new Lore Is Randy found that belt at SummerSlam after it went missing after WrestleMania XX

[@BirdGang6]

It’s been 19 years and the Kane and Lita storyline still baffles me to this day

[@rawsewage196]

Jericho said that ladder up the ass was the most painful thing that happened in his whole career.

[@lankydosser541]

Be great if you could tick the rest of 2004 off, you’ve reviewed so many 04 shows

[@km-ug4dq]

This one has a special place in my heart, one of my earliest memories of wrestling was staying up to watch this at 1AM. Loved it.

[@BigDoeWilliams]

Man oh man that apology for that Stevie v Tomko match. I've deadass watched this channel for years. I've heard Brian utter the line... And I quote "fuck this match & everyone involved." And even that got only 0 starz lol. Brutal stuff

[@ackattack1002]

In his book, Jericho says he broke his tailbone on that spot…after what he termed “a ladder enema.”

[@ryuhayabaker]

Love the use of a Woody Allen joke by Lawler relating to a rape storyline at 13:10

[@princeofstrongstyle6683]

Is it me or does Rhino look the slimmest he's looked since he broke into the business on this show?

[@kyokugenryudisciple9349]

Let me tell you Brian. My Dad was burning tapes for PPVs in 2004 he missed a couple. Rumble, NWO, WM XX, Backlash, JD, GAB, Vengeance, Summer Slam, Armageddon This was one of those shows I missed. And honestly…following the build back in the day…even I KNEW this show was weak! And the entire Main Event with Orton and HHH really shows that Orton was never ready for that belt…THIS MATCH NEUTERED ORTON….Taker Vs. Orton saved him, and this 4th World Heavyweight Championship Reign was pointless….and all because Vince wants to spite Brock Lesnar for leaving. Vinnie Mac is the most Petty SOB in this Pro Wrestling…Period. Sorry…had to get this out.

[@toddmorrissey8372]

​@marquissmason2108immature.

[@HolcombChristopher]

Brian Zane confiscating kids beer and actually turning it in or pouring it out lol.

[@criminalmindsgirl2936]

Somewhat proves that SmackDown was the better show of WWE during the Ruthless Aggression Era.

[@Gannooch]

I love that image at 9:23 of Trish getting doused with a drink while wearing her 100% Stratusfaction t-shirt.

[@wezleeclinton5850]

Back then I hated Orton, but looking back, I actually have started liking “Hey Nothing You Can Say” Randy Orton. He sold moves in a really unique way that you didn’t see much back then. Plus, that standing dropkick always looks pretty impressive.

[@wingedhussar1453]

Orton 2005-2006 was great heel. Unfortunately he turned into boring crazy heel in 2008 which made it boring

[@rhedosaurus2251]

Tomko vs. Richards was WCW 2000 levels of bad. The only difference was that at least Vince gave us the IC ladder match to make up for that. WCW would have simply given us something stupid.

[@aaronhurst4379]

14:39 "The tagline for this says 'Call him Mr. Benjamin'" ...Benjamin!? Not quite Kennedy, I have to say lol

[@freakshowfilmfestival3591]

Dang Christian... That's the move that almost ☠️ Joey Mercury. 😳

[@wweiceman]

Orton technically did get his win back at Survivor Series when he outlasted Evolution and was sole survivor.

[@OptimusProvost]

“Looking at me you can tell that was a job I was born to have” so true 😂😂😂

[@reecepower8906]

"I'd rather watch a 24 hour loop of Katie Vick" You make some good calls Brian but this is god tier and I've watched you roast later day WCW for years. This is now the standard I will compare how shit something is going forward. Bravo Sir @Wrestling With Regret

[@Beatnu3000]

Shame we never got Tomko vs Vito some 2 years later. Seemed like destined rivals.

[@marcohavokkhaos]

Damn, I didnt know Kane was the one fucked up HBK's eye. It was that big boot. Bad accident. Poor Shelton, he is always doing weird characters that go nowhere.

[@MrNexor-cj8gs]

This is right at the period of time i quit watching WWE. Kind of a sad nostalgic feeling for me.

[@Dr-Alexander-The-Great]

Yeah, tapped out after backlash. John cena, plus Batista, & Eugene was the final straw

[@brucemichaelgrossman4913]

This doesn’t seem as bad as you made it out to be. You had three above average matches, two of them great.

[@aztecwrrior1997]

This PPV lives up to the name its truly Unforgiven cuz man i felt physical pain Also Orton really got the rug pulled from under him like cmon WWE didn't even give Randy a chance

[@dcoker9738]

Tbh Randy was not ready they just put the belt on him just to erased brock record as the youngest world champion keep in mind randy's attitude was a issue as well

[@aztecwrrior1997]

@@dcoker9738 ok but still let him build a reign up

[@RendMaim]

That cutoff yelling at the beginning is perfect timing

[@xaiveraguiar4430]

I just want to say I’m a senior at the U of O and an RA, I love your content, and that was so cool for me to hear! Sco Ducks

[@princeofstrongstyle6683]

Beach Blast '93 is the next review? Oh yes you know what that means... The final WCW Mini Movie! There's also Flair winning the NWA Title for the final time, Dustin/Rude in an Iron Man Match for the vacant U.S. Title, result change (kind of) in the tag title match and the awesome moment of Vader being the first legit 400 pound man to hit a moonsault.

[@chimpmasterflex]

I almost feel bad that the JR intro might be funnier than the rest of the review. That got such an outrageous laugh out of me lol.

[@morgantaylor84]

The typical heel to babyface process is the heel is still cheating, but becomes less chicken sh*t and more having a back bone. Then they stop cheating as much, but keep winning until eventually bam big face turn moment. With Orton's evolution face turn they went straight to the ending without putting in the rest of the work.

[@RonMotta1972]

Brian, you say that Tomko vs. Stevie is one of the worst matches you’ve ever seen? That’s because you weren’t at the Nassau Coliseum in 1985 to witness… Classy Freddy Blassie vs. Captain Lou Albano. IN A F’N STEEL CAGE. I still have trauma from witnessing that.

[@patrickmcgavin2245]

Unfortunately back then during the first brand split smackdown and raw ppvs were awful. Because they would have two or three matches on a ppv that fans wanted to watch. The rest felt like filler. That's why WWE changed their ppv formate to smackdown and Raw then Ecw presents. Idk if it's true. I heard the reason why Orton lost the title so quickly was to punish Orton for calling one or more of the then divas the C word. If true the punishment lasted years. Orton didn't get another shot at the Wwe/World title until he got over with the fans.

[@jaytee13255]

“we then get a U.S.A. chant” “Lawler points out Tajiri is Japanese”😂😂

[@holladav17]

"I would rather watch 24 hours of Katie Vick on a loop than to watch this again" Thats probably the best burial line I have heard.

[@traegant449]

Can someone explain how Benoit went from main eventing at summerslam to-opening up the next ppv?

[@Mickey-v7p]

I think WWE decided that since Benoit can't carry Raw as the World Champion, it would be better for Benoit to be booked in matches where he gets to do his thing and occasionally put someone over. Also, Benoit competed only three times at an Unforgiven PPV. 2000- Rock vs Undertaker vs Kane vs Benoit 2002- Angle vs Benoit 2004- Flair/Batista vs Benoit/Regal

[@nikeneon3188]

Looking bad, they really lucky that he was in mid card and not one of their main players

[@CanadianWizard99]

They focused on HHH related shit more than him

[@Mickey-v7p]

@@nikeneon3188 Benoit's not really considered as a top priority in the WWE. He's just there to wrestle and make others look good and his World title reign is just a "thank you" title reign as a reward for his hard work.

[@thebandit0256]

Who is Crispin Norie he sounds like a jobber

[@Hulkling93]

Great for using the JR "pregnant" line to open, lol. Never gonna call this a good or great PPV but it's one me and my brother like putting on, especially for JR and King's commentary, especially during the last 5 mins of the main event. I also love when JR bluntly goes, "It's Steven Richards."

[@dominiclowe3640]

Jr and king are the best

[@javondrake3660]

Always looking forwards to watching some Brian Zane

[@ToneBone24]

I was there. Yes that sign floating above the ring was annoying. Blocked my view of the entrance.

[@Billy-ot8mk]

I have always love PPV reviews from around the time I started watching wrestling. The title reign and face run may have done Orton no favors but damn as young wrestling fan I was begging anyone to take the belt off Triple H, it is a shame that most people hate this era because I loved it.

[@Thecallmemisterajp]

Crazy thing about the Stevie thing is that it felt like the crowd would’ve bit on it if he went over. I remember them being really into it when he started firing up on Tomko at the end.

[@TheDoctaJS]

Jim Ross was WAY more worked up about Orton vs Triple H than the dead crowd that night. By his commentary you’d think we were witnessing Evolution committing first degree murder on national television lol.

[@chrisbreezy3048]

A few things I noticed when watching this show: firstly, that ladder match is the first and only time I can remember where a ref stood in the ring the entire time. Secondly, there was great timing in the intros for HBK vs. Kane as fire hit on the stage as the 'I make 'em hot' line played during 'Sexy Boy.' Finally, JR made reference to Shawn climbing the proverbial ladder as he went to the top rope, which led King to directly indicate that the ladder was actually featured in the previous match.

[@sonicheroxd5767]

I went back and watched your review of Great American Bash 2004. The reason I did this is because the Wrestling Observer awarded that show as the worst PPV of 2004. Same year as this show. And yet Tomko vs Stevie was given Worst Match of 2004. So I wanted to see a comparison. You gave that show a C+ and gave Unforgiven a D. So in your eyes, this show was worse than Great American Bash. And it sounds like 2004 in general at least post-Mania SUCKED.

[@IncredibleFulk1]

In retrospect? Yeah it did. But Survivor Series 2004 was solid.

[@harshckuk]

Give me the belt-uhhhhh 😂😂😂😂 Your HHH impressions are some of the best

[@Pocketrocket-pj1us]

Always enjoy it when Brian tells us about his experience with the show. Like he said, it takes you back to when you watched it and makes it feel like your swapping tales with a friend at a bar. So on that note, Cheers from Montreal Quebec Canada ;) Peace & Love

[@TroubleZxHCT]

Cool looking back how Orton never changed his attire. Always the same tribal designs unless im wrong

[@GermanyJerseyShore]

Looking back i think Orton's face turn made sense. HHH needed these new guys to help him keep the title. Orton was fighting wars, winning clean and setting records on his own. Benoit, one of the GOATs cucked HHH multiple times, won a Rumble at number one and is one of THE best wrestlers ever. Orton also comes from a wrestling family. When he saw what was going on around him, when he faced Benoit, and when he beat him he realized he didn't need HHH or Evolution and would carve out a better career for himself by winning and being dominant. He needed Evolution to get him a spot on the card, but he earned and dominated everything else. But inexperience and arrogance cost him at times after he left Evolution

[@kevbotchill]

Edge saw coach with his goatee and said damn I have to get me one of those

[@prestone.garrison4430]

That Stevie/Tomko match made me appreciate the "epical battle" of technical prowess that was Hogan Warrior 2. At least that match had a little heat. Ask Hogan's brows.

[@SirDawkster]

It's always cool when Brian reviews shows in his hometown.

[@JaxonHex]

Am i the only one that noticed all the bright spots where when the face won? Regal and Chris, Jericho, and Micheals.

[@BlvckPhantom]

Oh man, I remember this show vividly. I still have my ticket from this show! It sucks they don’t come to Portland with PPV’s…

[@claymathewselevator8121]

2008 No Mercy was way better

[@BlvckPhantom]

@@claymathewselevator8121 without a doubt, but with Unforgiven being the first ever PPV here, it’s super memorable

[@Eviltwin531]

I think I read somewhere that the State of Oregon is one of the few (if not the only) that actually classifies pro wrestling as a legit "sport" instead of the "live entertainment" nonsense they get away with everywhere else, and because of that, there are much higher requirements for things like insurance and prep (having ambulances on standby, etc.) than there are other places, and that's part of the reason they don't do a whole lot of business in Portland. Just what I heard somewhere.

[@BlvckPhantom]

@@Eviltwin531 If I’m not mistaken, Papa H really likes it up here and has stated that he wants to have more shows up here, whether it be live events or weekly shows. So hey, I’ll take whatever they can give me lol

[@wildwine6400]

Lol I was talking about the dreadful Stevie Richards vs Tyson Tomko match recently. WSI did an interview with Stevie and I submitted a question about this match but I don't think he asked him unfortunately

[@michaelprosser8706]

Brian you should do a top 8 on worst matches you've viewed in Classic PPV segments if you haven't already. I'd love to see if you think the Tomko/Richards match or the Van Hammer/Doug Somers match from Halloween Havoc 91 was worse.

[@coreyouellette2791]

One thing I'll never forget about this PPV ever since watching it live, is how completely uninterested and flat-out bored JR and King sound on commentary! Like, you can clearly tell that they are not invested in anything going on whatsoever. And given how this card went (for the most part) I don't blame them! The opening tag match, and the ladder match were the main highlights of the show for me.

[@andrewkennemer1358]

I'm saying this as a big HBK fan, but its pretty rare he has a bad PPV match. Just one of the best ever, and IMO the best ever.

[@hiramsiqueiros9018]

W. Regal the mvp for taking on Flair and Batista all by himself.

[@heyyoitsmebrian]

Man i lovvvve those blue+gold randy orton trunks. Beautiful and i believe hes wearing them in SvR2006