WWE 2007 – the RepoDan Wrestling Institution (2025)

WWE Unforgiven 2007
Memphis, TN
Fed Ex Forum
September 16, 2007

For whatever reason, I had a sealed DVD of Unforgiven 2007 sitting in my collection. No idea where I got this from or why, but it’s been sitting around in my basement for years, so due time to finally bust it open. I breezed through this event while wrapping Christmas presents the other night. It’s always fun to throw on one of these random kinds of events when you’re not in the mood for fully paying attention.

2007 started off quite strong for the WWE, but ended up being a horrible year, probably the worst in company and wrestling history due to Chris Benoit and the aftermath of his disgusting actions. Not only that, but after a strong start to the year, by summer we had one of the most horrendous angles in WWE history, the supposed death of Vince McMahon (who’s “memorial service” was coincidentally originally scheduled for the night they had to do the Benoit tribute show) and the hastily planned shitfest “McMahon’s son” angle that was thrown together right after. Combine all this with a year filled with more young wrestling deaths (like Crush), the implementation of the wellness policy and subsequent suspensions, and a ton of roster turnover, and the year definitely concluded on a sour note.

I was still going to Matt’s on a near weekly basis to watch Raw, but have no major memories of any of these angles from fall 2007. I think a lot of these feuds were hastily done because of the industry fallout, and it wasn’t until early 2008 that things began to stabilize again in the company. I also have no clue if they were still doing branded events at this point, as this includes matches from all three shows. How f’n long did ECW last for anyway?

1) ECW World Champion CM Punk pinned Elijah Burke at 11:54 with a modified victory roll

So prior to this match they showed highlights from a seemingly epic CM Punk-John Morrison TV match where Punk finally won the title. Why in the fuck not have that match at the PPV instead of this? Anyway, really funny and weird to see early era Punk in action, still with the longer hair and a lot less tattoos. I was a huge Punk fan at this point, hopeful he’d eventually get even a minor push on Raw at some point. I don’t believe anyone could have predicted at this point the impact he would go on to have on the company in the coming years. For now, he was a highlight of the dismal ECW brand. I have no memories of Elijah Burke. Don’t think he lasted very long in the WWE before heading over to TNA. It’s funny how much transition there was in the roster at this point. Definitely the opposite by the mid 10s. This was a weirdly booked match as Burke just endlessly worked over Punk (in the most basic, non-extreme way possible) before Punk suddenly won with a roll up. Way to book your new champ as a loser!

2) WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions – WWE US Champion MVP & Matt Hardy defeated Deuce & Domino (w/ Cherry) at 9:19 when Hardy pinned Deuce with the Twist of Fate

Hahaha to this crap! I had stopped watching Smackdown two years earlier, but remember some of these angles and characters from Matt’s descriptions at the time. This was part of the goofball storyline of Hardy and MVP trying to constantly one-up each other, then ha-ha-lariously ending up as tag champs. Deuce & Domino sucked the life out of the arena. Talk about a dead act! Their 50s greaser gimmick belonged back in OVW. And a HUGE LOL to the future Sim Snuka being on the team. I barely remember Cherry. Don’t think she ever did anything outside of this dead weight team. This belonged in the first hour of Smackdown, not a PPV. Unsurprisingly this match is entirely focused on the Hardy-MVP storyline and D&D are nothing but background jobbers.

3) Triple H pinned Carlito at 10:41 with the Pedigree after hitting a low blow behind the referee’s back as Carlito attempted to hit Triple H with a trash can; pre-match stipulations stated Carlito could not be disqualified

Talk about death in the ring, here’s Carlito in yet another undeserved high profile match. Triple H had returned from injury back at Summerslam and was biding his time in these pointless mid-card feuds before unsurprisingly getting back into the title picture in 2008. Carlito is back to being a heel and according to Raw GM Coach’s stipulation, he couldn’t be disqualified. They tried to make Carlito a bad ass by giving him free reign to pound on Triple H with weapons, but this just sucked. Triple H of course battled against the odds and came out on top, not that anyone in their right mind would have picked fucking Carlito to beat him.

4) WWE Women’s Champion Candice Michelle pinned Beth Phoenix with a reversal into a crucifix at 7:06

I was fan of Candice Michelle during her relatively brief time in the WWE. She had vastly improved as a wrestler, yet would go down with injuries just weeks after this event and her career never truly recovered, eventually being released in 2009. Beth Phoenix too had yet to really establish her character or presence, as she was out with injuries throughout most of 2007 before returning back in summer. I remember the lukewarm reactions a lot of these divas received in the absence of Trish. This match was all Edge’s future wife beating the shit out of Michelle before Candice eventually wins it by surprise. The story was better than the Punk-Burke one in the opening match, and Candice looked great doing all she could to hang on. It was also a big memory to hear Candice’s dancey entrance music.

5) Batista defeated World Heavyweight Champion the Great Khali and Rey Mysterio Jr. to win the title at 8:02 by pinning Khali with a spinebuster after hitting a powerbomb on Mysterio onto Khali – following a seated senton by Mysterio onto Khali – and then shoving Mysterio out of the ring

Hahaha, what a hilarious trainwreck of a match. I’m glad I didn’t watch Smackdown in 2007 and missed out on the ridiculously stupid push of the Great Kahli. The year started hot with the Undertaker-Batista title feud, until the Undertaker went down with injury, and Khali won the title in a battle royal. I couldn’t tell you what the point of Rey Mysterio being in this was, other than he was friends with Batista. You really had to suspend your belief during the portion of the match where Batista was laying on the floor and Khali was manhandling Mysterio. He should have been able to easily pin that little geek. Khali was beyond useless and Batista eventually wins it by first power bombing Mysterio on Khali, then using a slow motion spinebuster on Khali. The crowd was way into Batista still at this point, but he wouldn’t be champ for all that long.

6) WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch defeated Paul London & Brian Kendrick at 10:49 when Murdoch pinned Kendrick following a sit-down spinebuster from Cade

More geeky Raw tag teams! The crowd was just dead silent throughout this. I remember Cade and Murdoch getting a sustained push and tag title run, despite being so bland and heatless. I was a fan of the London and Kendrick team, who were primarily on Smackdown, but they never got much of a chance on Raw. I watched a shoot with London and Kendrick from some time back and London is just merciless ripping into the WWE. No wonder they’ve never bothered to bring him back for 205. Ross and Lawler are so bored that they’re talking about Murdoch’s sideburns through a portion of this and whether or not he likes barbecue. The crowd wakes up for some of London and Kendrick’s stuff, but the “raw boned” Cade and Murdoch eventually overpower them.

7) Randy Orton defeated WWE World Champion John Cena via disqualification at 7:21 when Cena refused to adhere to referee Mike Chioda’s orders to stop assaulting Orton in the corner; after the bout, Orton pulled Cena’s father – sitting ringside – over the barricade; Cena then attacked Orton and locked him in the STFU, allowing his father to kick Orton in the head before leaving ringside

What the fuck was this shit? What a HORRIBLE finish. The crowd booed the shit out of Cena through this whole thing and cheered Orton, who just weeks before, punted John Cena’s fucking dad in the HEAD! I have no idea why the crowd began to side with Orton, who sucked life out of the ring with his bland matches. For a guy vowing revenge, Cena was content to just wrestle a basic match against Orton before “losing his cool” and unloading with regular punches until the ref inexplicably called for the bell. What a shit finish! We get a brawl after that concludes with John’s unnamed father (Mr. Cena as Ross kept referring to him as) punting Orton in the head while he was locked into the STFU. Horrible stuff. And of course this would lead to the insane surprise of John Cena winning the 2008 Rumble, only to cash in his shot against Orton at No Way Out.

8) The Undertaker pinned Mark Henry at 11:27 with a powerbomb out of the corner as Henry stood on the middle turnbuckle

Wow this was awful. Why was Undertaker always a Smackdown guy? He was seemingly always embroiled in these kinds of mid 90s monster style feuds in between heavyweight title feuds. Mark Henry had put the Undertaker out of action four months earlier, so this was the Undertaker’s big return. We get all the usual lightning and smoke and bullshit before the bell rings and this turns into a Smackdown main event. JBL’s over-the-top commentary was unintentionally hilarious, as this match was far from the dramatic, monumental war he was making it out to be. And why in the fuck was this the main event of the PPV? Typical plodding crap from these guys.

Objectively this was a shit PPV, but I really enjoyed watching it and thinking back on this terrible year of WWE history.

WWE Royal Rumble 2007
AT&T Center
San Antonio, Texas
January 28, 2007

Few modern Royal Rumbles have had such a great impact as the 2007 Rumble. It followed 2006, one of the most atrocious years in the history of WWE and was a mere month after the abortion that was ECW December to Dismember. Matt and I went to quite a few payperviews at the theater during these days, and in spite of expecting the Royal Rumble to suck, it had been eight years since we had seen a live Royal Rumble match, and so it was a big deal, even if it might turn out crappy in the end. Boy were we surprised when it turned out to be one of the greatest Royal Rumbles in the history of the company! This event renewed my faith in the WWE and carried it forward for several months as 2007 seemed like a breath of fresh air compared to the terribleness of 2006. Later in the year, stupidity like Vince McMahon’s bastard son, and not to mention Chris Benoit murdering his family, killed this newfound faith. But this event was still when things finally seemed to be getting great. I watched this full event and it turned out to be every bit as awesome as it seemed live. Good solid matches, a great WWE title battle between John Cena and Umaga, and climaxing with the most exciting Royal Rumble match since 1992. Even though it may be an island, its definitely worth checking out Royal Rumble 2007 again.

1. Hardy Boys def. MNM

For the third payperview in a row, these part-time tag teams square off. Joey Mercury is wearing a face mask because of being smashed in the face with a ladder during the match between these teams at Armageddon. This feud made little sense at this time because the teams were split up and wrestling singles on separate “brands” and Jeff Hardy was the intercontinental champion on Smackdown. But they were shoved together at a few payperviews just because they knew these guys could put on a tag team classic, a Rockers vs. Orient Express type match for this era. The match doesn’t disappoint as its a good back and forth battle with the Hardys picking up a serious win in the end.

2. ECW Title: Bobby Lashley def. Test by Countout

This is a weird match. Why was Lashley the ECW champion? Remember when he lost the belt to Vince McMahon? And why was that Attitude Era leftover Test still doing things at this point? The match itself is okay initially as these two big hosses beat the crap out of each other. But then after Lashley makes a comeback, Test falls from the ring and gets deliberately counted out. Why would Test get counted out when he wasn’t the champion? What a stupid finish! And how is any of this “ECW”?

3. World Heavyweight Title: Batista def. Mr. Kennedy

I really hated Kennedy at this time, but since I don’t have to see him stinking up TV every week anymore, I can occasionally enjoy one of his matches. This match is solid, far from a classic, but good enough for a pre-Royal Rumble battle where the outcome is not in doubt. The match goes back and forth, and Kennedy actually gets a false pin on Batista following a low blow, but Batista comes back, does all his big power moves, and scores the pinfall victory. JBL’s head explodes over Kennedy being screwed, and I think this feud continues on from here.

4. WWE Title Last Man Standing Match: John Cena def. Umaga

This match is outstanding! One of the most exciting matches of John Cena’s entire career. It starts out as a power brawl, then weapons increasingly get involved, and Cena bleeds a gusher. For some reason, Umaga wears his pearls though this entire No Holds Barred type match, which made me laugh. In the late stages, Armando Estrada gets involved and removes the top turnbuckle. But Cena uses it to choke Umaga out and gets the victory. The fans in San Antonio cheer wildly for everything and really help this show along. They are even going nuts for Cena which you don’t see too often.

5. Undertaker wins the Royal Rumble

What a great Royal Rumble! Unlike most other Rumbles through this era, a lot of guys get a chance to do good showings (Finlay, Chris Benoit, Edge etc.), there are very few quick joke eliminations, no stupid surprise entrants stinking things up etc. The star power in this Rumble is tremendous as most of the main guys are gunning for that championship opportunity. In the end, it comes down to Undertaker, who surprised everyone by coming in at number 30, and home town boy Shawn Michaels. If the Rumble had been treated as a joke up to this point, I would have been mad at these two being in at the end. But because it was such a showcase of great workrate, and helped cement so many guy’s careers even without them winning, I have no problem with the way it ended. Undertaker was the predicted winner on the internet, but no one expected him to be the first to win from number 30, something which at the time seemed as shocking as when guys had previously won from number one. The battle between these two at the end felt like a match, and set the stage for their great Wrestlemania battles to come.

(Guest written by Matt)

General Comments: Unfortunately the 20th anniversary of Summerslam sucks pretty hard. Many of the matches are crap, the booking decisions are stupid, and the show is ruined by way too many Vince McMahon segments and bad comedy. This is the time when McMahon was trying to find out who his bastard son is and of course that’s all over this show, from top to bottom. There’s even an embarrassingly stupid moment where Mae Young makes out with Vince and he tells Coach that it turned him on afterward. We’ve often said that 2007 was a great year for WWE, but this event sure wasn’t and makes me wonder.

Kane def. Finlay: The main thing I noticed in this match right away is that Finlay wrestles just like Greg the Hammer Valentine from the late 80s. Other than that hilarious observation, this match is pretty weak and probably should not have been opening this event. Its also ruined by too many Hornswoggle moments, and my god, would I ever come to hate Hornswoggle soon after this show! I also hate that Kane just wins with a cheap chokeslam as if Finlay is a jobber.

I.C. Umaga def. Mr. Kennedy and Carlito: I don’t remember this feud. Boy, is this match weird! Anyway, the gist of it is Umaga is awesome and a deserving I.C. champ, but the other two dweebs in this match suck and really bring it down. It also kind of bugs me to see that the I.C. title is already little more than a prop at this point, but at least its being defended at a PPV. The match is basically just a squash and doesn’t matter.

Rey Misterio def. Chavo Guererro: Why are they having this match for the second year in a row at Summerslam? It wasn’t very good the first time. These guys had amazing battles in WCW, but by this point neither of them can work anymore, especially Rey who’s body is so broken down. This match is just the same exact mediocrity from 2006, with basically the same spots, and the same references to Eddie Guerrero, only this time Misterio wins. And he’s covered in silver paint in this match, which is freakin’ bizarre!

Beth Phoenix wins a Diva’s Battle Royal: Not much to say here. Its just a typical Diva’s battle royal which might as well have been on Raw. I don’t quite understand why they didn’t just have a Diva’s Title match instead. Interesting to see that Beth was dominating the division back at this time as well.

ECW Title: John Morrison def. CM Punk: This was a good solid well worked match with two decent mid-carders at the time. Wait, did I just say that? Actually this was for the ECW Title, so you would think it would have been treated like a big deal. But nope, its just a regular mid-card battle that only lasts about five minutes. But in the five minutes they had, it was pretty damn good.

Triple H def. Booker T: Man, I laughed so hard at seeing those Triple H return vignettes again that portrayed him as a cyborg being rebuilt. This match was a glorified squash, but was actually given more time than either the ECW or H.T. title matches. I don’t like Booker T, so I don’t give a shit if he jobs to Triple H, but give me a break. Either make the match good, or at least make it short and painless.

H.T. Batista def. Great Khali by DQ: Oh man, what an awful match! It almost makes Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzales look good. I know I pushed Khali to the moon in league in 2007, but at least I didn’t make him the H.T. champ. With that being said, I have to admit I’ve always kind of liked Khali, and thought he was hilarious in his various roles over the years, but he should not be the H.T. champ or in a main event push. The match is a slow, plodding mess that even includes a long, boring armbar. And what the fuck is up with Khali actually retaining the title? Not that Batista even tried in this match, he sucked almost as much as Khali.

WWE Title: John Cena def. Randy Orton: I remember being really fond of this match at the time, and still being the biggest defender of John Cena. In this viewing, I’ve decided the match is okay, but not great. Its the best match on this card, but that’s not saying much. Obviously Cena was much better when he was being carried to great matches by better opponents like Edge, Chris Jericho, Triple H etc, but here he’s fighting a guy of equal ability to himself, and kind of looks lost at times. The match is also very slow paced in the middle with restholds and other stalling tactics. It has a pretty exciting ending with Orton breaking the STFU and Cena winning out of nowhere with a thunderous FU. But I personally think Orton should have won, and it could have set up a great rematch if built properly over several months, maybe even to Mania.

(Guest written by Matt)

General Comments: I still feel the same way about Wrestlemania 23 as I did back when we first saw it at the theatre in 2007. I remember going into that Wrestlemania thinking it was going to be terrible based on the lineup and the generally downhill direction the company seemed to be headed down at the time. But at the time I was pleasantly surprised that they did still deliver a good Wrestlemania. Mania 23 is not really one of the all-time great Manias, but it is still a very good event. In general, to quote Danny at the time: “The matches that were supposed to be good were good. And the matches no one cared about sucked.” That same description could actually describe Mania 22 as well, though I didn’t feel that way at the time. Basically, Mania 23 has three outstanding matches, the two title bouts and the Lashley-Umaga match. Other than that, the card itself is pretty blah. But it does still have an epic Wrestlemania feeling, being in the colossal Ford Field in Detroit, with a hot crowd, excellent commentary for the most part (except for that moron JBL), great buildup to the matches etc. Wrestlemania 23 is the last Wrestlemania that I own so this could now be the end of my Wrestlemania reports.

Money In The Bank: Mr. Kennedy def. Edge, King Booker, CM Punk, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Finlay, and Randy Orton: You would think based on the tremendous range of talent in the ring during this one that it would be the greatest MITB ever, but it actually sucks pretty hard. The first two MITBs at Manias 21 and 22 were really awesome because it was a new concept and the guys tried really hard to invent new spots for the match and make it exciting. But this match is just boring. Its mainly stalling on the outside and a few acrobatic stunts thrown in here and there. The Hardys were the most entertaining guys in this match because of the risks they take, but some of the stuff they do is just stupid and you just want to tell them to cut it out before they kill themselves. I’m not a big fan of Kennedy winning because he’s so damn annoying, and I was really hoping to see CM Punk win. But I guess it wasn’t his time. Apparently it wasn’t Kennedy’s time either as he never even had a chance to face the champ and just lost his MITB shot to Edge anyways.

The Great Khali def. Kane: Another terrible match. But what would you expect with these two fat tubs of shit? Actually to be fair, Kane can sometimes have a good match with the right guy. But he’s not one for carrying other fat tubs of shit. Its amazing that Khali is still employed by WWE now in 2011. At the time no one ever expected him to last beyond losing the Punjabi Prison match to Undertaker several months before this.

US Title: Chris Benoit def. MVP: Yawn again! Wow, three bad matches in a row. At Wrestlemania 20, the commentators kept going on and on about Benoit breaking the glass ceiling of the WWE. Well apparently he never broke any glass ceiling at all, as that was his only moment in the sun. And at the last few Manias, he’s been in crappy mid-card matches no one cares about like this. I really hate MVP. I’ve always hated that Power Ranger and I always will.

World Title: Undertaker def. Batista: Now, finally we have a great match. Funny because at the time I was expecting this match to be bad because Taker and Batista are both notoriously lazy in the ring. But at Wrestlemania, they both tend to deliver. And I was pleasantly surprised at the time and now as to how good this match is. It kind of reminds me of Taker-Sid from Mania 13, an underrated main event in my opinion. Both matches start out slow, but once they get going there is some great action, lots of brawling outside the ring and weapons use, and a genuine feeling like anyone can win. Once again, I think Taker’s streak could have ended here as Batista needed the win far more than he did, but of course that was never going to happen.

ECW Originals def. New Breed: Boy oh boy, did ECW ever suck at this point! I hated the return of ECW in 2006 but I now actually think it was a good angle looking back. But by this point, ECW is less than a joke. Its basically just OVW having a nationally broadcasted TV show. This match is generally pretty terrible and ridiculously short. And I don’t quite understand what the point was of having The Originals win. If they really wanted to create new stars, shouldn’t the New Breed have won? Not that Marcus Cor Von or Matt Striker were ever going to be elevated to Raw or Smackdown, but you understand what I’m getting at.

Bobby Lashley def. Umaga: Surprisingly this match was great. It had a great classic wrestling storyline behind it. The stipulation of a billionaire getting their head shaved added all kinds of anticipation to the match. Stone Cold was a great guest referee as always. And the match itself actually delivered in the ring. This may be the best match Lashley ever had because he sure sucked in every other match I ever saw him in. He kind of reminds me of the early Ahmed Johnson before he got hurt and his workrate went down the toilet. Anyway, a great epic battle with an awesome epilogue of McMahon getting shaved bald. I remember my dad and uncle laughing their asses off in the theater at that and it is pretty funny. Kudos to Vince for once as he embarrassed himself in front of 80 000 people at Wrestlemania.

Lumberjill Women’s Title Match: Melina def. Ashley: The worst match on the card hands down. This match is full of botched moves and only lasts about three minutes. The lumberjills at ringside do absolutely nothing and the camera doesn’t even focus on them so they aren’t even out there to look hot on TV. Melina and Ashley do nothing for me really. Maybe if it had been Maria vs. Brooke Adams.

WWE Title: John Cena def. Shawn Michaels: You can look at this main event in two different ways. Negatively speaking, the match has no heat on it whatsoever, and doesn’t feel like anything more than just a political match created by the mid-2000s WWE version of the Kliq. It would have made a lot more sense for Shawn to put over a rising star earlier in the card, and have Cena elevate a new top heel. Also, the entrances are really getting dumb at this point. Does anybody really believe Cena was driving that car? And why does Shawn have the DX music and entrance? Now on the other hand, positively speaking, this is one of the most epic main events in modern Wrestlemania history. The two guys pull out all the stops, do all kinds of super moves and countermoves, kick out of everything the other guy throws at them, battle outside the ring etc. The match is at least as good as the Cena-HHH main event from the year before, maybe even a little better. The crowd is hot, and mostly behind Michaels which makes sense for the time. Michaels pushes Cena to the absolute limit but “does the right thing” by putting him over. At least it still seemed like “the right thing” at the time because Cena wasn’t quite at the point yet of being the unstoppable Hulk Hogan that he is now. You know, thinking about it, John Cena may be the single most dominant wrestler in WWF/E history as he has won probably close to 90% of his matches over the last 5 or 6 years and unlike Hogan who only wrestled a few times a year back in the 80s, Cena dominates every PPV and ever Raw week after week, month after month, year after year. But with all that being said, this really is a great battle.