WWE Vengeance Review - October 23, 2011

Awesome Truth lay a beating to John Cena.

Exciting tag team match to kick off the show between WWE Tag Team Champions Air Boom and the team of United States Champion Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger. It's no secret both of these tandems can work, so it was a very smart move in having it start the show. The belts have finally reached maximum prestige, and hopefully they can keep the hot streak going with fresh challengers for Air Boom in coming weeks. 

Another suspenseful match from Dolph Ziggler and Zack Ryder over the United States Championship. Although Ryder does look a bit weak for not being able to defeat a weary Ziggler, these two made the best out of the five minutes they were given. It's a nice test to see if Ryder can get over on pay-per-view, and he certainly succeeded. I'm afraid this might be the end of Ryder's contention for the title, as Mason Ryan or Swagger might be next in line. I really enjoyed the unpredictable Superkick from Ziggler to close the contest, but hopefully it doesn't become as frequent as the Zig-Zag or sleeper to avoid constant comparisons to Shawn Michaels.

One of the better Divas matches we've seen in a good while from Divas Champion Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres. It's a nice break to see neither Kelly Kelly nor Natalya at ring-side, as Beth's clean cut victory made Eve's offense look that much more impressive. However, I'm not sure where they go from here, as there doesn't seem to be any other popular babyface Divas other than the overused Kelly and Eve.

Another solid encounter between Christian and Sheamus in this rematch from Hell in a Cell. The result was painfully obvious given Christian's momentum in recent weeks, but their chemistry inside the ring made up for that aspect of the match. I predict these two to be on opposing teams come Survivor Series next month.

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Kevin Nash leaves WWE COO Triple H dismantled.

Strong tag team match that was able to exceed my expectations of being treated than more than just a Raw main event. It was given the right time slot in the middle of the show, and Kevin Nash's interference kept his character and story-line alive going into Survivor Series. As much as I don't want to see CM Punk take the pin for the third event in a row, one can hope he is able to bounce back from these consecutive losses.

Nothing out of the ordinary from Randy Orton and Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes in their scheduled match. Seeing them battle three times prior to this in the past two months took away from the solid action for this viewer. With Rhodes' belt not on the line and Orton's recent losses on pay-per-view, it was logical for the Viper to sneak away with the victory here. The rivalry should in fact continue to further Rhodes' status as a top player on Friday Nights while Orton has nothing to gain from winning.

Shockingly good match from World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry and Big Show before the no contest decision  Their brawling style managed to keep the crowd on their feet most of the time, with both behemoths getting impressive offense in. The finish was a complete flashback of Brock Lesnar in 2003, so repeating it again eight years later didn't make it feel anymore special. Despite that, both Henry and Show sold the collapsing of the ring very well, also making me conclude that this rivalry will no doubt resume.

Extremely entertaining match from WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio and John Cena in the main event. Usually, Last Man Standing stipulations call for a rather boring contest, but the constant fun spots these bitter rivals pulled out the entire time kept everyone in attendance intrigued. The broken ring made this match more memorable with the unique atmosphere, and actually increased the quality of the ring match with both Superstars having to use more innovative offense. Awesome Truth's interference was predictable and made Cena once again look like Superman, but I'm very glad the WWE Title hasn't changed hands on pay-per-view for the first time in months.

Overall, a very strong show wrestling wise that exceeded my expectations of most just being filler, although most of the outcomes could have been a bit better. Most of the matches were extremely predictable, which leads me to think the buy rate will indeed suffer especially due to Hell in a Cell transpiring only three weeks ago. I'm satisfied the show featured no title changes, yet still managed to maintain excitement all night long.

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