Batista Goes to Hell - WWE Vengeance 2005 Review

[@kylehuckins213]

Lillian has aged roughly five minutes since then.

[@JayMyke-j3w]

Go suck an egg

[@nygma619]

Like Vanna White, I am convinced she's found the fountain of youth.

[@danielsmith5032]

“Nobody beats me in Hell in a Cell, and that’s what you are … a nobody” So … HHH was giving a spoiler then 😂😂

[@kevinhenry4047]

Christian in 2005 was a big missed opportunity by WWE, he was primed for a run as a true main eventer.

[@Kalel2.0]

The guy was really over back then and apparently his merch sales were high at the time it just sucks all his momentum stalled after he was drafted to Smackdown and he was once again relagated to he mid card

[@fro-zone2k]

@@kevinhenry4047 Facts, he could have been easily World Heavyweight Champion during this period

[@johnepants]

He should have had a proper feud with Cena. He was still enough of a heel to get booed by the smart fans. Plus, it’s not like Vince doesn’t put untested people in the main event scene, he had Cena feud with Lesnar after WM19 as a test run for a future main event.

[@gatchywatchyentertainmentb2090]

Ain’t no wonder why he went to TNA near the end of the year

[@Venemofthe888]

Looking back i think christian cage did the right thing by going to TNA cause it was obvious he wasnt gonna be taken seriously as world champ especially when Vince wanted to put a blue dot on his face. He left and bet on him self in TNA and i think it worked out quite well for him and went to AEW eventually and did some really good work there too

[@kylebrown5741]

“Why are there many perverts on the show?” Umm the boss was Vince McMahon I think that’s your answer

[@paulcarpenter7844]

Because men like women 🙄 😒 😏

[@jliller]

"Because Vince" is the counterpart to "Because WCW"

[@comettamer]

Sad but true

[@davehill5806]

At least Vicera didn't defecate on Lilian

[@jdore8]

"THAT"S GOOD SHIT, PAL!"

[@lfovah1287]

I like how after the HIAC match, a defeated bloody Triple H listens to a speech from Flair about learning to accept defeat and letting go of the title and then Dave shows up, have a staredown and then both men hug it out as a show of respect from Triple H to Batista knowing it was their final match against each others, Batista would then go to SmackDown with the title.

[@CallumRSU30]

And then Triple H would come back and beat the living shit out of Ric Flair! Wrestling, eh?!

[@IncredibleFulk1]

“Thats’s evolution, Ric. That’s evolution.”

[@TheCj126]

Come to think of it, Batista and Triple H weren't in-ring adversaries again until Batista's final match at Wrestlemania 35. Dare I say, this was the best blow-off match of all time?

[@Gavin48]

@@lfovah1287 Batista really should have retired Triple H. Triple H messed up and never got a proper send off

[@stevenbryant8160]

That evolution baby - triple h

[@BrianVarvaro]

Krusty the Klown once said "The pie gag only works when the sap's got dignity" That dynamic also works for backstage interviews. Mean Gene could be funny, but he also played things fairly straight and it was funny that he was a professional-sounding guy interviewing these larger-than-life wrestlers.

[@Kalel2.0]

Straight up one of the best Cell matches of all time,one of Batista's best matches of all time and in my opinion one of the best matches of 2005 and apparently after they went off air HHH was given a standing ovation and honestly it was earned with how much he did to put big Dave over and there was a network exclusive clip of them hugging it out in character

[@gregseahuffver8796]

that was the true end to the reign of terror that night wasnt it?

[@editnosmirc4489]

I remember on the DVD they had an exclusive backstage segment where HHH and Batista embraced each other.

[@editnosmirc4489]

NVM I didn't read your full comment before I commented lol

[@Kalel2.0]

​​@@gregseahuffver8796Yeah it was HHH never challeged for WHC title again and never held it

[@Kalel2.0]

​@@editnosmirc4489Heyy man its cool dont worry about it

[@Honk_Hogan]

That Todd Grisham impersonation is elite lmfao

[@MrBeardsley]

The more I think about it, the more I realize “The Flying Nothings” would be a great name for a wrestling-themed surf rock band.

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Makes me think of how Colt Cabana would always play wrestling related songs on Art Of Wrestling

[@zlinedavid]

“Live from Dick Kick City” by the Flying Nothings sounds like a great album.

[@ShinRyojin]

​@@zlinedavid Debut single would be "Suuuuuuperstar."

[@editnosmirc4489]

I remember being surprised that Batista won the cell match against HHH because it was the first and only time i could remember anyone going over HHH 3 straight matches. Especially during that time lol

[@Venemofthe888]

Shelton did beat him 3 times although only once via pin fall

[@editnosmirc4489]

@Venemofthe888 yeah I think the other time was by DQ. I should have worded this better. I mean 3 straight ppvs

[@lutherheggs451]

the whole point was more than likely to make Batista look as strong as possible knowing that he was being moved to Smackdown

[@editnosmirc4489]

@@lutherheggs451 true. I actually enjoyed how they did that draft that year. Having it in the span of a few weeks was something they should do again. It was cool how Cena was the first drafted overall and Batista was the last.

[@madnomad3861]

That's why it felt so big and important when Batista did it. A star was instantly born

[@sismithson9904]

Shelton Benjamin in AEW dosn't look like he's missed a step or aged a day since this, nearly 20 years ago. Incredible athlete 💪

[@mrlaidback83]

Agreed and his run in AEW so far is much better than his last WWE run imho.

[@sismithson9904]

@mrlaidback83 yeah they've really made him look like a beast in the ring. Looking forward to him being in the continental classic, hope they give him an awesome run!

[@mrlaidback83]

@@sismithson9904 yea I hope so too.

[@BillyBradford182]

He should have been presented differently in WWE. A silent monster who doesn’t move for anyone or anything. For every step they took right with Brock and Kurt, they meandered with Shelton

[@kenterminateddq5311]

@@sismithson9904 Isn't Benjamin in his 50s now? I can't believe there are some dumb marks who think Shelton doesn't have it anymore because of his age. Chris Jericho WISHES he was as good as Shelton in their 50s.

[@harshckuk]

Christian was so damn popular in 2005. Sad, Vince didn't liked him enough

[@editnosmirc4489]

Yeah it really should have been Cena vs Christian at Summerslam but they drafted him to SD and besides the vacant championship match that JBL won I can't think of anything else Christian did on SD

[@HeihachiMishima48]

Not gonna lie, Christian is a B player at best. In today's standards he'd be A+++ player. But back in the days we had entertaining sharks for wrestlers.

[@roccojamison89gooker51]

@@HeihachiMishima48 Like John Tenta

[@LorePic]

"I don't like you. I've never liked you. Don't you read the internet?" Brilliant line from Vince

[@wkatc007]

@@HeihachiMishima48Cap

[@SeanOZone]

Slight correction regarding the Viscera/Lilian story, the Charlie Haas thing happened a year later in 06 so that wasn’t part of this, I think Vis became the love machine after the brief storyline with Trish (who was feuding with Lita and by extension, Kane)

[@stfilms.]

I was wondering cause when he showed the clip I’m like haas was still on smackdown in 05 😂

[@brandonyouth5241]

Correct. It was at Backlash two months prior to Vengeance. Trish brought back Viscera to deal with Kane and Lita. Even Christian got Viscera as his one time only problem solver around the same time in a mini feud against Batista.

[@wkatc007]

Hot Dogg!! 😂

[@Evs78101]

Automatic Thumbs up for the Todd Grisham impression 😂

[@kenterminateddq5311]

I'm watching this review around midnight on November 27, 2024. So, I just wanna wish a Happy Thanksgiving to the Z-man (Brian Zane), Mr. Ooh-La-La and everyone else who made Wrestling with Wregret and POW! two of the best channels on wrestling content. 😅

[@hhtptai]

June 2005 was a hell of a time to be a wrestling fan.

[@wkatc007]

Nah fr 😂

[@Venemofthe888]

Also slight correction Brian, Charlie Haas knocking Lillian off the apron happened the next year in 2006 which let to Big Vis and Charlie fighting for her and then Vis samoan drops Lillian after hes blinded by Charlie which then led to charlie and vis being a heel tag team

[@BPEJS24-7]

the Todd Grisham and Kane impressions were hilarious! "Why are there so many perverts on this show!?" my thoughts on so many shows. "Visceran!" 🤣 overall, very fun review!

[@PierzStyx]

We KNOW why there are so many perverts on these shows. They're just VKM's id given free rein.

[@gloriouslybrokenwolfpachar5281]

I actually own this PPV on DVD! I was gifted this and a few other PPVs on DVD from one of my dad's friends, and this was a time where I was first getting into wrestling. And so this was one of the first PPVs that fully got me into wrestling. Awesome to see you review this show, Z Man! Hope you and your family have a happy, healthy, and safe Thanksgiving!

[@isaiahedmonson5832]

I had this on dvd too

[@gloriouslybrokenwolfpachar5281]

@isaiahedmonson5832 Yo awesome dude!

[@Billy-ot8mk]

Man, the sets for shows in Vegas were awesome.

[@comettamer]

Loved them going all out.

[@venomousnate7263]

I have fond memories watching the Triple H Batista rivalry in 2005. It’s really the feud that put Batista on the map as a main eventer. And I especially love the Hell in a Cell match, triple threat WWE title match, and Michaels/Angle rematch. Great memories.

[@RoyStantz]

On that night's edition of Sunday Night Heat, The Hurricane and Rosey successfully defended the Raw Tag-Team Championship against The Heart Throbs. It really says a lot for how the WWE perceived Raw's tag-team division at that moment when a title defense doesn't even make it to pay-per-view. Since their emotional win at Backlash, Hurricane and Rosey have appeared on four out of eight Raw's, missed this PPV, and then miss several more weeks of Raw before not being booked at SummerSlam that same year. Talented as they are, it’s sad the champions were relegated to weekend show hell at the moment.

[@guillermosierracuellar9812]

The most ridiculous part was during the edge vs Kane video package they made Kane look like the good guy not mentioning what Kane did to lita nor hearing lita reasons

[@Kalel2.0]

Right! The really tried making Lita look like the scum of the Earth for leaving the man that raped her,impregnated her against her will and was a reason why she miscarried😂 I swear what were the creative team on

[@MrDp115]

Yeah neither were better. Kane simply got cheered because Lita and Edge were booed to hell.

[@geeshep4836]

Seriously Looking Back On The Kane/Edge And Lita Storyline 20 Years Later It Still Hasn't Aged Well.

[@nicholaschristie8699]

Well, given the old pervert was in charge at the time, it makes it 10X worse in my opinion.

[@MrDp115]

@nicholaschristie8699 Honestly Vince treated Lita poorly in general.

[@WMPerspective1984]

HBK/Angle II, HHH/Batista and Cena/Jericho/Christian are classic matches, making this PPV one of the more underrated shows ever.

[@closethockeyfan5284]

The problem for me was the repetitiveness that made it a little stale. We didn't need to see HHH-Batista again. We didn't need to see Jericho-Christian again. And this was the point many of us were starting to believe we had Cena Nuff of Hogan Jr. Hulk's umpteenth return didn't help, brother.

[@WMPerspective1984]

@closethockeyfan5284 I was watching at the time and I was cool with these matches, especially the main event. If we didn't get HHH/Batista here, it definitely would've been at Summerslam possibly, and I had no problem with a 3rd match. In hindsight, you may be right about Hogan's return.

[@jcace13]

I find it so odd that HHH gave Batista 3 wins straight but couldn’t take the title off Orton quick enough.

[@ezekielluna6265]

The Crowd wasnt vibing with Orton so they all decided to give it back to HHH asap till the next guy came along

[@madnomad3861]

They wanted to milk the HHH/Orton feud till Mania where Orton would finally get his revenge on HHH and win back the title. But instead, the more organic rise of Batista caused them to change the plans

[@kevinlee9929]

That's cause the original plan was for Orton to win the belt back from HHH at WM. But the crowd wasn't really feeling "Face" Orton. And got behind Batista.

[@TheGreatDevlin]

8:54 I never realized how weird it was that WWE called that the *Stinger Splash* when Sting was actively avoiding them for a decade and a half.

[@bonafide9781]

There’s a way to fix the Kane-Edge-Lita mess: 1. A baby face defeats Kane to earn Lita a divorce. 2. *Then* Lita turns on said baby face to team up with Edge.

[@bull705]

But that would make sense. You can't have that during this era.

[@MrDp115]

They could've just made a rare heel vs heel feud til Matt Hardy came back

[@Ragan31687]

Well we now know why Christian wasn’t given those opportunities. Vince McMahon has stated multiple times he thinks Christian is creepy and ugly. Not sure why but this is Vince McMahon we’re talking about here

[@IncredibleFulk1]

Remember Vince wanted a blue dot on Christian’s face? Yeah, we’ll never understand Vince.

[@MrDp115]

Vince calling someone else creepy is rich and what the hell is his standards for attractive men? Besides muscles?

[@Larper64]

​@@MrDp115 Vince likes 'em big... Like way too big... Like unnaturally big... Vince likes enhanced men.

[@Gavin48]

He never called Christian creepy. He said he was too small and thin. Man you people really like rewriting history just to 💩 on Vince. Christian is great. But visually he is kinda right. Does Christian look right next to big guys like Batista and Cena?

[@Ragan31687]

@ I mean he did. Direct quote from WWE former lead writer Alex Greenfield: Right before I started, there was a big show, I think it might have been in Toronto. Christian was just so completely over, and everybody thought he was going to get a push at, I think it was the World Heavyweight Championship at that point. We were on the plane one time shortly after I started, and Vince was just like 'God damn, I just don't like his face. His face really bothers me.' I was like, 'He's ugly, Vince?' 'No, it's not that he's ugly, it's just, I don't know, it's ratty! You know what we should do? That Kennedy gimmick.' And we're all like, 'What?' Some see-on of the Kennedy fortune I guess got arrested for rape in the 1990s at some point. When the woman who was accusing him was on the stand, all of the networks put a blue dot over her face. Vince was like, 'God damn, you know what we should do? We should put a blue dot over his face whenever he comes out.' It was the flight to Sheffield, England, also the flight where the Spirit Squad idea was invented. This was a whole flight of bad ideas."

[@krisjustice2681]

Regarding the Lillian Garcia thing, the incident with Charlie Haas happened a year later in 2006, when, oddly enough, the Lillian/Vis partnership was explored a second time. Granted, I watched the 06/07 year of RAW last year, so things are hazy, but I’m pretty sure I saw the Haas thing during that watchthrough.

[@Venemofthe888]

You are right after charlie knocked off Lillian by accident Vis came to her defense and it would lead to a few matches and in the final match Haas blinds Vis after Lillian just wants to be friends with both of them which then lead to vis doing a samoan drop on Lillian and both Charlie and Vis would laugh and become a tag team for a bit

[@garretindall2820]

3:23 Thank You for explaining that, i never knew the AC went out. Was wondering why everybody was so sweaty 😥😰😓

[@tylerpascua6818]

Classic PPV indeed. This is the best hell in a cell match of all time in my opinion. The finish of Triple H raising that hammer but not being quick enough to the punch is such a creative and satisfying moment.

[@TheJaguar1983]

10:43 I honestly want WWE to do a story involving dogs just so that the crowd can chant "we want puppies" without it being a euphemism. Maybe that's just my silly sense of humour.

[@MazeDaGr8]

If WrestleMania 21 is where Triple H's Reign Of Terror end. this pay-per-view right here pretty much put the stamp on it 💯

[@SolarFlareV93]

This was one of the most stacked B show PPV'S of all time. I miss when you got super big time matches on them instead of filler. Feels like everything is always saved for WM and Summerslam under HHH.

[@jpVari]

Hard to agree with that after only a year or two especially with bad blood having just happened

[@SolarFlareV93]

@jpVari I don't agree with you either brother no offense. Punk vs McIntyre is the exception not the rule. Most HHH B show ples are blatant filler to stall out for WM, Summerslam the Royal Rumble etc. Especially when there's a hometown hero on a international show, it gives him an even bigger pass to take some filler opponent and put them on the show like Piper Nievn in Scotland or Zelina Vega in Puerto Rico. Recency bias and cherry picking are clearly at play here from you. A majority of HHH'S b shows since 2022 have been obvious filler. It's like with the long championship reigns, people cherry picked Jey Uso being champion for a month, but that was the exception not the rule. A majority of HHH'S championship reigns are drawn out and long. Even Bryan on the channel here, who is WAY more lenient and forgiving of things for WWE under HHH compared to Vince, will call out B shows being a bit fillerish, and too many championship reigns going on way too long under HHH.

[@bennwardhaugh3013]

Funny you should say that because Punk and Drew's rivalry started at Summerslam with a simple singles match (yes with Seth as special ref but it was still a simple singles match) and then the stipulations raised at Bash in Berlin and Bad Blood. It's also only been under HHH's reign since WM40 so I don't believe that's a large enough sample size to make that claim yet, especially when you consider the Punk/Drew rivalry.

[@acceptable1609]

Agreed 100% the B show ppvs are extremely predictable because you know nothing big is gonna happen unless it’s Wrestlemania or Summerslam. Punk vs McIntyre has been the exception this year however.

[@shady3legend]

I think long champion reigns can be good at times and makes the champion defeat means more instead of hotshotting the title frm wrestler to wrestler like WCW 2000, it shouldn't be no more than 2 world champions a year

[@thedigikulumba650]

I was actually here for this show! I definitely shouldn't have been there as a six year old 😂 happy thanksgiving brian!!

[@HBOGames14]

Great review as always, Brian. But speaking of Cena having proving matches, I kinda hope you're able to review Judgement Day 2005 one day, just to hear you review the bloodbath that was the Cena vs JBL I Quit Match.

[@aaronhurst4379]

The cut from Triple H and Batista's 'going down to hell' schtick, to "Triple H still in his chubby era" gave me a good chuckle, cheers Brian hahaha

[@BBall0027]

26:17 Fun fact: that wasn't just a gimmick, Snitsky actually has a foot fetish that he's Micah Parsons-level of open about.

[@kenterminateddq5311]

Snitsky and Tony Atlas are the kings of the foot fetish.

[@marquan1976]

Tony Atlas approves this message

[@fro-zone2k]

I guess he was influenced by Tony Atlas

[@SpanishFly120]

Nobody show him Juri from Street Fighter, lol.

[@kenterminateddq5311]

@@SpanishFly120 or Lacey Von Erich.

[@markwrenn5965]

Happy Thanksgiving, Brian! We are all thankful for your channel today 🙏

[@Alicious_Al]

I was there at the Raw before Vengeance 2005. Great night as we had three title matches as well as Kane tombstoning the priest.

[@benespinosa6725]

Vengeance 2005 was an awesome PPV Victoria vs christy hemme was actually a good match shawn michaels vs kurt angle was also good the Hell in a cell match between triple H and batista was awesome that's easily my favorite match in their feud glad you're reviewing this PPV brian.

[@mastermace7770]

2005 is the year when Triple H reign of terror was over and a new reign of terror began with John Cena

[@kevinlee9929]

Yup. Say all the time that Super Cena started in 2005.

[@henrikschmidt3964]

Looking at both promo and character work as well as in-ring worksmanship, Kurt Angle has to be in any conversation as the very best. He really took to the business like no-one ever did.

[@lockdown2341]

Great review as always. Loved this show back in the day.

[@DocOmaley98]

Ruthless Aggression holds a special place in my heart cus it was ppv DVDs of that era that really got me into wrestling and gave me my childhood and still current favorite wrestlers

[@Volvase]

Oh my god I've been waiting so long for you to review this!

[@stfilms.]

U talking bout one night stand gets me nostalgic for your channel it was literally the first time I saw your channel when u reviewed that showed then I binged watched everything else💯👏🏾

[@martezdetroit3164]

Great recap video, Brian Z.... Happy thanksgiving 🦃

[@PrettyboyAshtun]

i love how brutal old hell in a cell matches used to be this match was crazy

[@OxfordDA98]

You sold me on this so hard I had to go to the network and rewatch it myself.

[@Gannooch]

The Charlie has injuring Lillian happened one year after this Lillian/Vis segment. But the time Charlie injuring Lillian happened, in kayfabe, Vis and Lillian were getting back together. Charlie and Vis later on turned on Lillian and they never gave us a reason why.

[@liamscott1905]

@Gannooch Weren’t Charlie and vis a tag team for a while?

[@Gannooch]

@ yeah in 2006. For a brief time

[@MediaMike19]

I started watching wrestling in January 05 and this right here was the very first PPV I ever watched live. It holds all kinds of nostalgic feelings for me and all of these storylines (both the good and bad) I look back on fondly. It is cool to grow up and appreciate wrestling for what it is and understand what these guys and girls are doing for our entertainment but it will never compare to being 12 and looking forward to everything that was happening on screen KNOWING that is was all real.

[@Venemofthe888]

This was probably my favourite hell in a cell match they have ever done and Batista was solidified even further in this match against the H Man. I do wish we had Batista v Angle properly in a one on one setting though. The card was quite stacked with only Victoria v Christy being a bad match. Its gotta be one of the best B-Shows they did especially at the time

[@Venemofthe888]

Also also i feel like they gave up on Shelton a little too quick here since they put him on a losing streak afterwards and his feud with Kerwin White was like there for sure. He needed a mouth piece and not a momma despite that being quite funny

[@metalpunk7945]

I can honestly say that prior to the CM punk and Drew hell in the cell match recently, Batista and HHH was definitely one of my favorite hell in the cell matches.

[@mohammedbakeer3034]

These two are similar tbh, they are both personal, had a long build-up, and both ended in a HIAC match, so much that after I watched Drew/punk, I immediately thought about HHH/Batista match as well

[@VOLTAGE604]

As a child I got suspended for spiting an apple at a kid this was prime carlto

[@ChrisManley1994]

"By the power invested in me by God our Father and the Lord *JEEEEEEEESUS CHHHHRRRRRRIIIISSSTTTTT!!!!!"* ICONIC! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@JJSInnz]

Yes!! I can't wait for the very first Nitro review! That's going to be fun, I've watched that so many times lol

[@iainrow2277]

Brian…massive English lit props for “Chekhov’s turnbuckle”!! 👏👏👏

[@harveyquezada1056]

Happy Thanksgiving Brian! Great PPV!

[@LoganO.]

Carlito was for sure an unintentionally New Generation-era gimmick

[@HeihachiMishima48]

Hekk no, Brian doesn't know what he is talking about, he's very vocal about disliking and not having any interest for RA era. He even prefers the eras that came after over it 😳. Carlito talked like a gangsta, he would spit apple at people's faces, he beat semi-super Cena in his debut with Cena's own chain, he stabbeedd Cena in the gut. Back in the days we thought this was too dark even for fictional standards. At that time Carlito and Muhammad Hassan were edgiest wrestlers.

[@claymathewselevator8121]

Modern Day Razor Ramon

[@jamalwalker04]

​@@claymathewselevator8121 Except without the look, mic work, or charisma

[@messykid1234]

@@jamalwalker04 actually he had all 3? Just objectively untrue to say otherwise lmao

[@pasta1169]

One of the best wwe b shows ever, this and one night stand within a few weeks of one another, we were eating good back then

[@andrewcostigan3510]

I do remember about everything minus not thinking much on the Viscera and Lillian angle. The Hell In A Cell between Batista and Triple H is still awesome with all of its brutality and the end was simply satisfying.

[@MrGared22]

13:52 Oh yeah, how could anyone forget, 🎵 It's the magic of r-- 🎵 What? What do you mean we don't do that anymore?

[@centocerez]

God, the memories.... 😭😭😭

[@armnhc84]

I have fond memories of this show, I was there live that night. First PPV I ever went to live! Loved it, such a great show. We were sitting on the hard cam side and you could see us multiple times throughout the show…I had a pro Captain Charisma sign 😂🤣

[@lilsunny7399]

Am i the only one who liked Batista's first "Monster" Theme better than I walk alone?

[@Gavin48]

@@lilsunny7399 it worked up until he became World Champ. The transition worked perfectly. I respect you liking the theme. But it needed a change once he became the top guy.

[@EchoFoxtrot21]

I liked it too but it wasn't fitting for a top babyface.

[@mantis5581]

@@Gavin48 I wanted to argue against this, but I remember thinking Universal Champ KO needed a new theme

[@Rommas.]

'Kane, the good guy rapist' I DIED

[@ScarletDuke]

That sweaty Raw was in my town of Binghamton NY. For some reason, they haven't had a televised show here since.

[@jerelds15]

Yes! My name has made it on the suggestions. Thank you for reviewing thus show. :) I was there live and it was amazing show live. Stayed after the show and got Cenas autograph. Dude stayed for like 2 hrs after the show just signing stuff. Weirdest thing i heard after the show was HBK vs Angle was the most boring match on the card. Like what? Lol. I was excited for Christian finally getting a big time match. Still have my Christian shirt i bought from this show also. Batista vs HHH FINISH was sold so well live we didnt know if HHH hit him with the hammer or Batista got the Bomb first.

[@blacktytrix]

When i was a kid, my mom would get ppvs through Netflix and burn them to a disc for me to keep watching. All of them were from the few years before I started watching (basically 08 forwards, yes I'm young). This was one that she got however and it amazed me how different it all felt, not knowing who everyone was yet since some were gone by then, and just seeing the changes some of them went through by 2011. Show is always going to have a special place for me for that reason.

[@diablejambe3460]

My first ever wwe dvd i owned and man i watched the hell out of this ppv lol. It really was a super entertaining and good ppv and that HIAC match was amazing.

[@afrothundaCLAP]

26:25 my answer...VKM

[@jthavorn]

I loved how the raw after this show and how they’d show the aftermath of the match, showing the blood on the mat and weapons scattered all over the place as a recap. Missed those little bits of teases.

[@murphymoerf]

I vividly remember opening WWE's website the next day to get the results and the first picture I saw was the moment Batista hit Triple H onto the steps with his Spinebuster. Awesome PPV, one of my favorites. I regret selling this DVD a few years ago :(

[@nate1066pollock]

This is one of my favorite HiaC matches. Just a brutal fight. And that ending was perfect.

[@TheCj126]

I'd love a countdown of the best Draft Lotteries. I'd imagine '02, '05, and '08 would figure prominently. Also, here's hoping Wrestlemania 41's stage leans heavily into the Vegas aesthetic.

[@hawk494edward]

Agree on both, while we're at it, a top 8 WWE Weddings countdown would be nice.

[@LucaBlight25]

2007 should get a mention, what with Vince blowing himself up at the end

[@williamkirschenman]

16:17 gah damn that caught me off guard 😂

[@TheLoganSomers]

One of the first ppvs i bought on dvd after WM 19 & Unforgiven 2001!!! Just an awesome event top to bottom 🎊 🙏🤘

[@simbakid930]

I love this PPV also Mudvayne did the theme.

[@Pr0d1gy0wnz]

One of my childhood fav's shows. 6 years old at the time and that hell in a cell match even made me think WTF. Good all round B-show PPV

[@HWJASURY]

Dude, you got the part about Charlie Haas totally wrong. Viscera started becoming the World's Largest Love Machine when he tried to woo Trish Stratus as she was trying to one up Lita which led to a match between Kane and Viscera and Backlash. (One of Kane and Lita's "bonding moments" you alluded to). Viscera lost and Trish proceeded to belittle him so Viscera attacked her and sqaushed her putting her on the shelf. It was after that Viscera officially became the World's Largest Love Machine and he simply started flirting with Lillian which culminated in this whole segment. Charlie Haas was nowhere near this angle, he wasn't even on Raw at the time. (In fact he was fired not long after this and it was right after his honeymoon. Of all the times for that to happen). Viscera contiuned this Love Machine schtick for the next year, give or take, when eventually decided he wanted to "settle down" and he tried to propose to Lillian. Coveniently, at just around the same time, Haas was now back with WWE and he legitimately hurt Lillian in that spot you showed. This turned into a feud between Haas and Viscera with Viscera attacking Haas as revenge but then Haas planted a smooch on Lillian in front of Viscera as revenge of his own. So now, those two were fighting for Lillian's affections. This all led to a match between the two which ended in a no contest when Lillian got in the ring and said she just wanted to be friends with them both. They both continued to fight still enraged, but within the chaos, Viscera accidentally Samoan dropped Lillian and at first Haas and Viscera don't know what to think before immediately laughing it off in a "bros before hoes" kind of manner because "fuck her she didn't want either of us anyway." Haas and Viscera then formed a tag team after this, but it ultimately went nowhere. A lot of words to explain an insginifcant angle, but I still thought it was worth clarifying.

[@Retro64_]

I know it was only mentioned at the start but ECW One Night Stand 05 is one of my favourite PPVs of all time.

[@speedwaynutt]

I like to imagine had Chris Jericho won the Spinner he would have changed the Spinner to a Fozzy CD design.

[@stevemurray2040]

One of the selling points of HHH in a hell in a cell match with Batista was that HHH was undefeated in HIAC.

[@jonathanturbide2232]

Yep, that's why HHH was so confident going into that match even though he was 0-2 against Batista, he had the psychological advantage as far as HIAC matches is concerned.

[@Wickedred413]

If anyone didn't see that Chris Van Vleet interview. This was the match that Christian left WWE and went to TNA. I have no idea why Vince McMahon hated Christian so much but clearly Christian Cage proved that he could be a main eventer during his TNA run by becoming the NWA World Heavyweight Champion

[@MichaelVillavicencio-f4q]

This isn't how Kane turned babyface, Kane turned face during his feud with Snitsky

[@MichaelSpikes-pv6kl]

Good review show

[@joshjohnson6891]

@26:27 I'll give you three guesses on who was running the show back then.

[@chrishh5777]

23:46 Haas knocking Garcia off the ring apron happened in June 2006, not 2005. The angle with Garcia and Viscera was still going on at that time.

[@johnpittsii7524]

Thanks for the review Brian ❤

[@coreyhendricks9490]

Cool review as always Brian 💯

[@jerryramey1849]

I love this era. The rise of Edge, Orton v Taker, heel Eddie. Over in TNA AJ/Joe/Daniels, Sting returning around this general time frame. The X-Division was awesome. We got an overdue sneak peek of main event Christian. A young CM Punk was one of the few bright spots on ECW along with Elijiah Burke. Mr. Kennedy was a fresh prospect.

[@masonwatts2738]

i had this on dvd as a kid, my first full ppv i ever watched

[@MrBeardsley]

I would kill to see Flair get into a Woo!-off with Jerry Lynn where Jerry does the death metal growl every time, but I’m not sure the world is ready for that.

[@zlinedavid]

I read this too fast and thought it said “Jerry Flynn” at first. I was like WTF….😂😂

[@MrBlazemaster525]

Happy Thanksgiving Brian and well-wishes to you and yours!

[@sonicheroxd5767]

5:21 God I miss this creativity WWE use to have for montly PPV sets

[@hawk494edward]

As someone who recently watched most of the 2001 and 2002 PPVs on DVD, I agree with you 💯%. Also something that needs to be brought back is superstars wearing the PPV Event T-shirts during backstage segments.

[@zlinedavid]

That used to be part of the appeal as far back as the mid-90s….what the set would look like. Now it’s just some iteration of “Ooohhh….bright lights, big ramp…”

[@dmurph2990]

Hands down my favorite Cell match, I just love the ending all of the match

[@mdf3530]

6:06 if I remember correctly, one night on Raw in this time frame, Jericho and Roddy Piper called Carlito Sideshow Bob and Buckwheat in the space of about five minutes 😂

[@Rockhead84]

The Batista-HHH match ending with "Sledgie" threatening to be used was an epic way to finish it.

[@wbcwinnipegbeltcollector]

I remember watching a Kazaa/Limewire Rip of this and it's still Batistas Best look All white Massive muscles Minimal tattoos With BIG GOLD

[@zlinedavid]

The days of Kazaa/Limewire….*sigh*