Search - WWE: No Mercy 2008 on DVD

WWE No Mercy 2008

R. Marsiglia | New Jersey, USA | 10/06/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I believe the WWE truly delivered on this ppv. This is a WWE ppv that can be viewed from top to bottom without making your eyes bleed. Every match, except for one, is very watchable and enjoyable, and the final two matches on the card make this ppv worth buying. This was a very solid effort from WWE and all the workers, except for two, did a commendable job of making this ppv believable, watchable, and exciting. The crowd in Portland, Oregon was also extreemly hot for the entire night, which added tremendously to the ppv and they need to be commended as well. Anyway, on to the matches (rated out of 5 stars).

1. ECW Title Match:
Matt Hardy (c) vs. Mark Henry (w/ Tony Atlas)

This was a surprisingly decent/watchable opener, a remarkable feat considering Mark Henry is in it, and it did its job of keeping the crowd hot. These two executed a believable and watchable match. **1/4 stars

2. Women's Title Match:
Beth Phoenix (c) (w/ Santino Marella) vs. Candice Michelle

Another surprisingly good match, and a Women's Title Match no less! While it was kept short, I was very impressed with the quality of this match and these two women deserve to be commended. This also kept the crowd hot and excited and there is nothing at all unwatchable about this match. *1/4

3. Kane vs. Rey Mysterio: if Rey Mysterio loses, he must remove his mask

While I must say that WWE really dropped the ball on this storyline, this match was quite enjoyable, and most of all, believable! You wouldn't expect a match between a 7-footer and someone who is 5 foot 6 to be believable, but these two executed the match impressively. Don't get me wrong, this is not an exceptional match, per say, but it is very watchable and enjoyable with a great ending. So far on the night we are 3 for 3 and the crowd is still fired up. **1/2

After the match MVP walks down to ring and complains about being kept off No Mercy. We then get appearances from Randy Orton, Priceless and Manu, CM Punk, Kofi Kingston, etc...The crowd did not appreciate this at all, and there were noticably loud "boring" chants echoing throughout the Rose Garden. While I agree with them, I can understand why WWE wanted to at least let these quality superstars show their faces on the ppv. Had this been a "big 4" ppv it would have been unnacceptable, but with No Mercy this is understandable and forgivable on the part of WWE. Anyway, moral of the story: while not a snag in the show thus far, as it is not a match, just skip this. Moving on...

4. # 1 Contender's Match
JBL vs. Batista

And things were going so well. This is a HORRENDOUS match, and is a borderline squash match. The only positive thing about this match is that it was short, but it was still sloppy and BORING as hell. Batista also killed any momentum JBL had as a main eventer and just made him look terribly weak (for better or for worse, you be the judge). This was a poorly worked, poorly booked match and this is certainly our first stinker of the night. What a shocker considering JBL and Batista usually deliver gems on ppv! (See Great American Bash 2005 for further details on horrendous matches). *1/4 (generous)

5. Undertaker vs. Big Show

This was a believable big man match and it far surpassed my expectations (they were extreemly low so don't get too excited). However, this was a very watchable match with some nice spots including a picture perfect DDT executed by the Undertaker (I love DDTs so I had to include that). I did not care for the ending, and neither did the crowd, but it did make sense as far as continuing the storyline is concerned (again, whether or not that is a bad thing you be the judge). This is not a bad match by any means. **1/2

So far we are 4 for 5 as far as enjoyable and watchable matches are concerned, but we have yet to have any really exceptional stand out matches that make a dvd of the ppv worth purchasing. This is about to change...

6. WWE Title Match:
Triple H (c) vs. Jeff Hardy

I just ate this match up. This was an extroadinary, yet different matchup between these two superstars. Jeff Hardy shied away from his usual high flying arsenal in the early going and proved very adept at keeping pace with the far more traditional Triple H. This juxtaposition of styles clashed in a very positive way, and as Jeff resorted to high risk maneuvers towards the middle/end of the match, things got very exciting. The ending was unbelievable, and actually had me doubting myself several times as to who would come out on top. This match was crisp, slow-building, and finished in a thrilling manner, and the crowd just gobbled this up. I can't recommend viewing this match enough, and it proves that you don't need silly gimmicks and over-the-top matches to entertain wrestling fans. ****1/4

7. World Heavyweight Title Match
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Shawn Michaels

If any match could follow up the previous one, here it is. It is worth noting that Shawn Michaels has now had an unsanctioned match and a ladder match while working with a torn tricep, and both matches have been exceptional, which is just amazing and speaks volumes about the performer that Shawn Michaels is. As far as this match goes, Jericho and Michaels are once again on their A games (should any of us be surprised?), and they deliver a fantastic match with some excellent spots. Once again the finale left me doubting myself and it was very exciting. This show could not possibly have ended in a better way, and this is the match of the night (no easy feat considering the previous match). ****1/2

So there you have it. 6 out of 7 matches are very watchable, and 2 of those 6 matches (the final 2 of the show) are among the best matches you will see all year from WWE. With the exception of one debacle (JBL/batista), this is a ppv that wrestling fans can enjoy all the way through and will be treated to two outstanding title matches to end the show. In my opinion this is a dvd worth adding to your collection, and that is coming from someone who has been very critical of WWE as of late. Is this a positive sign of things to come? Only time will tell, but I think WWE should continue to be enjoyable at least until Cena comes back from injury (hopefully AFTER Survivor Series because I want that to be an enjoyable show as well)."

WWE No Mercy 2008

J-Man | 08/14/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This was a pretty good no mercy, that was mostly remembered for the two amazing main events. Thanks for reading!

ECW Championship
Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry
This match actually wasn't all that bad. Hardy made henry look pretty decent out their in the ring. Hardy consistantly worked on henry's left knee during the match. A nice ending where matt hardy countered henry's world's strongest slam into a twist of fate to get the pin. Pretty good opener. Match Rating:3.5/5

Women's Championship
Beth Phoenix vs. Candice Michelle
I give props to these divas. Candice worked pretty hard in this one. They had some moves that connected and some that didn't. Just an average divas match, thats all i got left to say. Match Rating:2.5/5

If Rey Mysterio Loses, He Must Unmask
Rey Mysterio vs. Kane
This was the most solid match in the mid-card. Kane had so many powerful counters for rey's highflying moves. The unmasking stipulation added to this match. Both men took some hard shots from each other. An example of one really hard shot would be at the end of this match, where mysterio was diving off the top rope and kane gave him a massive chair shot. The d.q. ending actually worked pretty well. Match Rating:3.5/5

During this time there is a very boring segment featuring orton, rhodes, dibiase, manu, mvp, punk, and kofi. Complete waste of time.

#1 Contendership To The World Heavyweight Championship
Batista vs. JBL
This match was really bad! Batista totally dominated the whole match. This was like a copy of their ss '05 match, except shorter. 5-6 min. squash match. At least thier was a little bit of comedy after the match. Match Rating:1.5/5-That is a very generous score!

Undertaker vs. Big Show
Taker brought out some good wrestling from show in this match. Both men using that mma style throughout the matchup. Pretty cool ddt by undertaker in this one. I didn't really like how the knockout ending went down, but besides that the match was somewhat solid. Taker would go on to beat big show at cyber sunday. Match Rating:3.5/5

WWE Championship
Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy
In my opinion, this should have been the main event. J.R. was right when he said this was one of the most competitive title matches in the history of the wwe. I was on the edge of my seat from the start of this bout to the finish. HHH and hardy pulled out submissions, exciting counters, and just straight up great wrestling. Triple H's mat wrestling mixed well with jeff's unorthadox offense. The ending had a twist to it when hardy deliverd a swanton to the game, but triple h countered hardy's pin into a rollup to win. This match outshined the ladder match and for me this was match of the night. Match Rating:5/5

Ladder Match For The World Heavyweight Championship
Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
This was another grueling match in the jericho/michaels series. These two set a different standart for the ladder match. Instead of going right for the ladders, these two tried to wear the other down first. Lots of innovative spots with the ladder. Both men took some pretty punishing shots, especially when jericho's tooth got knocked out. Creative ending where Y2J and michaels where both pulling on the title belt and then jericho headbutted hbk and won after michaels fell of the ladder. Very good match, but fell short from triple h vs. hardy. Match Rating:4.5/5

Good no mercy, with an average mid-card and two great main event title matches. I recommend this for triple h/jeff hardy and Y2J/hbk."