Search - WWE: Night of Champions 2008 on DVD

Sharon F. (bookworm01) from STATESBORO, GA
Reviewed on 8/14/2009...

My kids loved it!

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NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS

D. Cannon | South Carolina, USA | 07/06/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"1)WWE Tag Team Championships: The Miz/John Morrison(c) d. Finlay/Hornswaggle - This match was a decent opener. Miz/Morrison showed some great teamwork as usual. Definately can't believe The Miz had to sell some of the moves he did for Hornswaggle, LOL. Isn't there anybody else tired of the whole Hornswaggle thing. He should of been out the window a long time ago. Morrison gets the pin on Hornswaggle. 5.5/10

2)United States Championship: Matt Hardy(c) d. Chavo Guerrero - This match starts out kind of slow. Guerrero works on Hardy's leg most of the match, but of course Hardy eventually gets the win and retains. 5/10

3)ECW Championship: Mark Henry d. Kane(c) and Big Show - This one was a lot more entertaining than seeing it on paper. Kane goes down early and stays on the outside w/ an injury for most of the match. Some nice spots w/ a body slam on Mark Henry by the Big Show, and also a Superplex to Big Show by Kane...where after Mark Henry hits his splash on Kane to take home the ECW Championship. Bet nobody saw that coming...I'm sure, like me, everybody would of put there money on Big Show going in. 6/10

4)World Tag Team Championships: Ted Dibiase Jr. and ??? d. Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes(c) - Dibiase comes out to the ring and says his partner hasn't arrived yet, but that they can go ahead and start the match cause he will be there. They ring the bell, Holly turns around into a DDT by Cody Rhodes! So obviously, Rhodes turns heel and joins Dibiase. Dibiase gets the three count on Holly. Very interested to see where they go w/ this one. A very short match, but they did what they set out to accomplish. New World Tag Team Champions are Ted Dibiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes!! 5.5/10

5)Intercontinental Championship: Kofi Kingston d. Chris Jericho(c) - It is to be noted that nobody knew Jericho's advisary going in. Kingston comes out and they have an alright contest at best. Would of expected more from these two due to the in-ring talent between them. Surprisingly, HBK comes through the crowd, gives Lance Cade who is in Jericho's corner the Sweet Chin Music. Which, distracts Jericho giving Kingston a roll-up for the victory. 6/10

6)WWE Women's Championship: Mickie James(c) d. Katie Lea Burchill - I was very happy w/ this one. It's nice to see that there really hasn't been a bad women's match on any PPV this year. This one stays in line w/ the rest. I do think they need to ditch Paul Burcill though, It's pretty bad when your manager/sister has better in-ring presence than you, haha. Katie Lea was impressive, didn't expect much from her. Mickie James, in the end, gets the victory. 7/10

7)World Heavyweight Championship: Edge(c) d. Batista - This contest could of went either way. They had plenty of spots near the end where you weren't sure who would win. Probably my favorite between these two. Edge gets the win in a Screwjob fashion. 8/10

8) WWE Championship: Triple H(c) d. John Cena - Triple H definately needed this win more than Cena. These two worked very well together, and put on an entertaining match. Some good submission and Pedigree/FU spots. I though it was just as good as Wrestlemania 22's Main Event, especially since Cena jobs in this one. The only thing WWE did wrong on this one was over-hyping the match. It didn't compare to the Austin/Rock moments or the HBK/Bret Hart moments that were shown in the video package before the match, and WWE should of known that. But w/ that aside, great match and very solid. 8.5/10

Overall Night of Champions was better than my expectations going in. The thing that was great about it was the fact that nobody expected both Edge and Triple H pulling off the victories here. Which, left Raw without a championship, but not for long..."

An Improvement

K. Nelson | 06/30/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Last years Night of Champions wasn't that good but this years was an improvement.

WWE Tag Team championship
The Mizz and Morrison vs. Finlay and Hornswaggle

This match was better than expected. The crowd was into this match also. Hornswaggle played his part in this match also. I couldn't really tell who was going to win and that's what I like about matches. There was a miss up but it all worked out. Good. Overall 7.5/10

WWE United States championship
Matt Hardy vs. Chavo Gueurruo

This was a disappointment to me. I expected this to be a sort of a high flying match but instead I got a sort of technical match. I don't mind that but these two had no chemistry. Chavo works on Matt's legs pretty good though and nice reversals.
Overall 5.5/10

Triple Threat match for the ECW championship
Kane vs. The Big Show vs. Mark Henry

Pretty much a very slow match. It got even worse that Kane legitly got hurt during the match. I liked spots when Henry got body slammed and the superplex from Kane. I also liked the end of the match. Nice splash. Overall 6/10

Tag Team championship
Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly vs. Ted Dibiase and ???????

Heres exactly what happen. Cody tags Holly only to ddt him. Then Ted tells us that Cody is his partner. Ted performs what looks like a million dollar dream slam to win the belts. Horrible choice in choosing partners Teddy. Overall 3/10
( For Dibiase winning the belts like he said)

Intercontinental championship
Chris Jericho vs. ??????

Chris starts off by saying he takes back what he ever said about saving us. Then we are shown that his secret opponent is the newest superstar to the raw roster: Kofi Kingston. This match was not good but also not bad. I did here some boring chants that started to get real loud. I thought Jericho was not that good here. He felt sort of sluggish. Kofi was really entertaining here. Overall 6/10

WWE Womens championship
Mickie James vs. Katie Lee

This match was also better than expected. Katie worked on Mickies arm through the match. I thought Paul was going to get into the match but he let them do there thing. I also liked the reversal Katie did to Mickie with the arm bar. Good Overall 7/10

World Heavyweight championship
Batista vs. Edge

This match had excitement and suspense. This is my favorite match between these two. It really got good between the end of the match. It really looked like it could happen both ways. Batista really carried his own here. Good match. Overall 8/10

WWE championship
John Cena vs. Triple H

This was a lot better than there match at Wrestlemania 22. This had good reversal. Out of nowhere submission. Finishers after finishers. It was also strange to hear both Cena nad H to get a mixed crowd. Good. 8/10

Eventhough my match ratings are low and I have a four star rating. It is because simply there was more title changes than last year. And also it was more exciting. An improvement."

A Night Full of Surprises

R.A. McKenzie | New York | 08/20/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Before I review this DVD, I'd like to give some personal background first.

Since October 2007, I think WWE has been on a very strong roll. Rivalries were built steadily, and delivered come PPV time. We were getting a good dose of comedy, violence, and technical wrestling. But then the WWE Draft happened...not only were the roster changes shocking (and not in a good way), but they put a strange spin on the NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS PPV. To add insult to injury, Vince McMahon decided to get incapacitated for the 2nd consecutive Draft. His "injury" was not only a sick anniversary joke, but it was a premonition: The consistent cycle of good WWE product was about to end.

NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS 2008, while successful in some areas, is the PPV marker of when things have gone sour.

1) WWE Tag Team Championships
John Morrison & The Miz (champions) v. Finlay & Hornswoggle
---If you're expecting a tag classic when one of the competitors is a dwarf, you're missing the point. From the opening bell, the match maintained a good pace, with some midget spots, smart teamwork, and crowd-pleasing maneuvers. Is it a great match? Certainly not. But I was entertained from start to finish.
"6.5 / 10"
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2) United States Championship
Chavo Guerrero v. Matt Hardy (champion)
---This was a tough one to call. I love both of these guys, and I admired this particular match because both men look like they were always trying to win. There were no unnecessary high-risk spots or flashy counters. The two engaged in a smart contest with quick pinfall attempts and submission holds. What held it back for me was a ton of little things. The occasional weak clothesline, or those few punches that didn't connect, or that predictable counter...you know, just small stuff that added up after a while. Worth a watch, but kinda sloppy considering the talent involved.
"6.5 / 10"
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3) ECW Championship
Mark Henry v. Big Show v. Kane (champion)
---Boy, this turned out way worse that I thought it would. While I don't usually like "big man" matches, I understand they appeal to some. But frankly, judging by the Dallas crowd, it's gotta be a small demographic. The whole affair was a slow, plodding affair that had very little excitement. Kane's not even in most of the match! Maybe he was legitimately hurt, but you wouldn't know it after he got involved in those pseudo-exciting last few minutes. If you're still pining for the old ECW, you better move on quick.
"3.5 / 10"
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4) World Tag Team Championships
Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes (champions) v. Ted Dibiase & ???
---Even if I paid the $40 fee to watch this, I'd still think it was worth my time. The whole scenario was so well-executed. Dibiase's music, entrance, and delay tactics were perfect. The "match" was quick, as wrestling double-crosses should be. Yes, I'm disappointed that there was no actual match. But Dibiase needed this moment to get on the map. The new World Tag Team champs are better off because of this PPV moment.
"No Score"
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***Right about here, JBL cut a promo from his luxury skybox in the arena. Interestingly enough, I found this to be one of the PPV's highlights. I'm not a fan of JBL's in-ring skills, but on the microphone, few are his equal. He berated Todd Grisham and the fans for not being considered a champion. Throw in a spectacular camera angle where JBL towered over the background arena, and I think WWE deserves a few bonus points.***
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5) Intercontinental Championship
Chris Jericho (champion) v. Kofi Kingston
---After our cocky IC champ cuts a promo to further his Shawn Michaels feud, "The Jamaican Sensation" reveals himself to be the mystery opponent. Sadly, I can't believe this match wasn't better than it turned out to be. Jericho is one of the all-time greats in professional wrestling, and Kingston is so unorthodox in the ring - I was really looking forward to this one. Like the U.S. Title bout, there are so many moments where things were just off. Again, little things missed strikes or unimpressive high-risk moves. There was even a "BORING" chant in the middle somewhere. The last couple minutes were exciting with nice counters and close pinfalls. Plus, the aftermath involving HBK was intriguing if a bit weird. All in all, this one looked better on paper.
"6.5 / 10"
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6) Women's Championship
Mickie James (champion) v. Katie Lea Burchill
---At this point, NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS has reached it's hour-and-a-half mark. Thankfully, for the next 70 minutes, the event will be worth your time. I've been really into the resurging women's division for months now, and if this one doesn't impress you, nothing will. I don't know much about Katie Lea, but after this impressive showing, I'm gonna do some research. Mickie James is one of the most reliable Divas, both in character and in-ring performance. The match includes some nice counter-wrestling, and very good submission-storytelling. Good wrestling, good length, good pace, good match.
"7.0 / 10"
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7) World Heavyweight Championship
Edge (champion) v. Batista
---Yes, these two had an almost identical scenario at last year's NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS. However, that also means Edge and Batista had one of the evening's best matches. Edge is so gifted that I will never get tired of him being involved with the championship. Batista has come a long way over the past year or so, and Edge complements him as well as anyone (even Undertaker). The best part about this contest is that it never slowed down too much, meaning both men got a good amount of time to control the pace. The match did feel a little short, and I'm not 100% satisfied with the screwy finish. But rest of the match featured a nice slow build-up, and some new tricks that these hadn't shown me before. Overall, a very good showing. I'd love to these two go at it again.
"7.5 / 10"
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8) WWE Championship
John Cena v. Triple H (champion)
---As most have probably said, this main event was similar to the WRESTLEMANIA 22 showdown. The contest was very slow-paced and methodical. The focus was on the reversals and psychology, and not so much on the physical action. If that's not your cup of tea, then pass the DVD up. As for myself, I sat back and went for the ride. There are a couple of reasons why this match works, where other similar angles fall flat. Triple H, like him or not, is one of the most prolific WWE superstars; this 12th run as champion is arguably his most successful. John Cena has been criticized for his "lack of talent." I disagree there, because Cena is an amateur wrestling champion, which he demonstrated during his first few months on WWE TV. Instead, Cena loses me when he overplays his underdog character. But on this NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS showdown, the fight is more evenly-matched. Both men made each other look good, and even though Cena still didn't use a lot of moves, he kept the match going. What's most remarkable is that this rematch makes the WM 22 encounter better. I don't think I understood the Chicago storytelling at the time (partly because it wasn't the "true" main event). But now, like a good sequel, I can appreciate the original. To my astonishment, my favorite match of the PPV.
"7.5 / 10"
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OVERALL
---NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS 2008 might be worth a peek for some fans. It's full of surprises that still work, and has a good overall feel to it. The Dallas crowd was reacting to the matches, the production crew used some good camera angles, and the last three matches delivered. But fans who are into physical wrestling more than the "E" in WWE better look elsewhere."