WWE One Night Stand: Extreme Rules 2008 Review

This was the fourth and final time WWE used the One Night Stand name for a pay-per-view. The One Night Stand name made more sense in 2005 and 2006 when it was an ECW show. They also added “Extreme Rules” to the name and eventually, it would become only Extreme Rules.

The reason for Extreme Rules being part of the name is because every match on the show had a stipulation. The PG rating took over WWE in late July 2008, so this was the last show where they promoted a First Blood Match on it.

For whatever reason, WWE decided to have three PPVs take place within five weeks. Backlash 2008 was on April 27, Judgment Day was on May 18 and then this show took place on June 1. That meant a lot of rematches over those three PPVs. This PPV followed the Raw episode where Vince McMahon announced that he would be giving away $1 million on Raw every week.

One Night Stand 2008 did 194,000 PPV buyrates, which was better than the year before although it was below average compared to other 2008 PPVs.

This show followed WrestleMania 24, Backlash 2008 and Judgment Day 2008. Since it took place two weeks after that show, that meant there were plenty of matches where feuds carried from that show.

Here is the synopsis on WWE Network:

“WWE goes extreme for one night of the year. The Undertaker takes on Edge in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match for the World Heavyweight Championship. Triple H battles Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship. Shawn Michaels faces Batista in a Stretcher Match. John Cena takes on JBL in a First Blood Match and more.” 14+ (D,L,V)

The DVD and poster looked like this:

This was originally written in 2021.

WWE One Night Stand
From San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California
June 1, 2008

The opening video package promoted the idea that while there is a time for rules, tonight is not that night. That’s because it’s a card full of stipulation matches.

There was an impressive pyro display to begin the show. There were plenty of signs in the crowd and a lot of energy in San Diego. Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler from Raw were at ringside.

Jeff Hardy made his entrance first to a big pop. It was always a smart move to put Jeff Hardy on first since he was so well-liked by the fans that you know they would give him a big ovation. Umaga made his entrance as the opponent.

Falls Count Anywhere Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga

Pre-match notes: Jeff Hardy was the babyface in the match while Umaga was the heel.

Umaga decked Jeff with an uppercut followed by a hard whip into the turnbuckle. Jeff hit a twisting dive off the top for a two count. Jeff jumped off, Umaga caught him and hit a spinning slam for two. Umaga charged at Hardy, who ducked and Umaga went crashing over the top to the floor. Jeff jumped over the top with a cross body block for two. Umaga whipped Hardy into the barricade and then Umaga tossed Jeff over the barricade. Umaga whipped Jeff into some boards that might be hockey boards if they play hockey in that arena. They were over by the entrance area, Jeff threw some plastic pylon type object, Umaga no sold and hit a thrust kick for a two count. Umaga charged at Hardy against an equipment case, Jeff moved and Umaga hit the case. Jeff sprayed some fire extinguisher spray on Umaga, who walked towards the backstage area as Jeff sprayed the fire extinguisher three times. Jeff ducked a chair attack. Jeff ran up a flight of stairs and then slid down the stairs for a clothesline on Umaga for a two count on the steps! They were up in the mezzanine area where Umaga whipped Jeff into a trash can. There were fans around them getting some food and drinks. Jeff crawled out of a garage door, Umaga followed him and whipped Jeff into some case that was outside. Umaga whipped Jeff into the back of a WWE truck. Jeff whipped Umaga into the back of a truck. They continued to fight in the parking lot where Jeff whipped Umaga into the back of a production truck. Jeff followed Umega up some ladder by the productions. Jeff kicked Umaga, who took a bump onto something we couldn’t knee. Jeff jumped off the 18-wheeler truck and hit a Swanton Bomb. The camera panned over to show that Jeff was laying on top of Umaga with referee Chad Patton counting the pin. I believe there was a visible crash pad nearby, so they must have moved it out of the way, but not far enough. Oops. It went 9:27.

Winner by pinfall: Jeff Hardy

Analysis: **3/4 They did a nice job of coming up with some creative spots and a memorable finish to the match. The finish was done in a way where they didn’t show what kind of landing it was, so whatever padding they had was used to soften the blow. It definitely was a mistake to have the padding in the final shot, though. Jeff winning made sense since he was getting a pretty good push at this point while Umaga’s push wasn’t as strong.

The Smackdown announce team of Michael Cole and Mick Foley were at ringside for the match.

They showed a video from earlier in the day with Mick Foley talking about how vicious a Stretcher Match can be. Mick said that the stretcher can be used as a weapon as well. They had a camera on the stretcher as Foley wheeled it past the line that was in the arena.

They showed All-Pro Linebacker Shawne Merriman of the San Diego Chargers at ringside.

The ECW announce team of Mike Adamle and Tazz were at ringside to call the lone ECW match. Two weeks earlier, Big Show attacked everybody in the Singapore Cane Match and was dominant again. One week earlier, Big Show was dominant again. That led to a face off between Show and Kane, who did some trash talk.

There were four Singapore Canes hanging above the ring posts.

The entrances of the five men in the ECW Singapore Match took place. CM Punk got a big ovation as a babyface that was also Mr. Money in the Bank. Chavo Guerrero was up next with his ally Bam Neely joining him. Tommy Dreamer got a mild reaction as the man with the most Singapore Cane match experience. John Morrison was next as one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions on Smackdown. It was smiling Big Show, so that means he is in babyface mode and the fans popped for him.

Singapore Cane Match: CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero (w/Bam Neely) vs. Big Show vs. Tommy Dreamer vs. John Morrison

Pre-match notes: Big Show CM Punk and Tommy Dreamer were faces while Chavo Guerrero and John Morrison were heels.

Show was dominant early with chops, punches and he body slammed Morrison on Chavo. Show with an elbow drop on Morrison/Chavo at the same time. Show with a body slam on Dreamer, then he missed an elbow and Morrison hit a running knee. Dreamer with a DDT on Show. Chavo went up top, jumped off and hit a Frog Splash on Show. The four guys got the canes and then they all took turns beating up Big Show with cane shots to the body. Punk and Dreamer worked together to send Show out of the ring. They did a spot where Chavo swung the cane, Punk moved and Chavo hit NFL player Shawne Merriman at ringside! The crowd was freaking out about it. Punk gave Chavo a catapult over the announce table. Merriman wanted a cane, so Punk gave it to him and Merriman hit Chavo in the shoulder with the cane. That drew a big pop. Punk shook his hand. Show sent Morrison into the barricade. The Miz attacked Show from behind and Show whipped Miz into the barricade. Show picked up the steps, Morrison hit him in the back with a cane and Show landed face first onto the steps, which cut open Show’s forehead. That was not a blade job. Show was legit cut on the corner of the steps. Back in the ring, Punk hit a powerslam on Chavo for two. Morrison with a cane shot on Punk, then Dreamer with a slam with the cane. The fans were chanting “ECW” for Dreamer, who blocked a GTS attempt from Punk. Dreamer applied a Texas Cloverleaf on Punk, but then Morrison hit Dreamer with the cane. Show had the cut above his left eye. Chavo with a front suplex off the top. Punk went up top and Morrison hit a Powerbomb for the Tower of Doom spot that also knocked down Dreamer. Show was angry as blood poured down his face. Show beat up Miz with a cane. There were several canes outside the ring and Show hit Morrison with repeated cane shots. Show went into the ring, hit Punk, Chavo and Dreamer with cane shots and got another cane. Dreamer tried to attack with a cane, but Show grabbed him and hit a Chokeslam. Show hit Dreamer in the head with a hard cane shot to the head as if it was knockout blow. Show pinned Dreamer with his foot on the chest and Show held up the cane. It went 8:35.

Winner by pinfall: Big Show

Analysis: **1/4 It was a decent match with a heavy use of weapons to put over Show as a guy that’s even tougher to beat when he’s legally able to use weapons. The spot with Merriman/Chavo drew a big reaction, so it was a good idea. I give these guys for taking a beating with the weapons, but there wasn’t much of a story to the match other than Big Show dominating the action.

The win by Big Show meant that he would challenge Kane for the ECW Title at Night of Champions. Kane was shown watching on a TV backstage.

Vince McMahon was interviewed in his office by Todd Grisham. Vince said that every place he goes, people ask if he’s actually going to give away $1 million of his own money every week on Raw. Vince said it’s not a stunt, it’s going to happen and it will be every week. It’s called: “McMahon’s Million Dollar Mania.” Vince said he’ll give more details on Raw. Vince said that WWE employees are not eligible. Ron Simmons walked in the screen: “DAMN!”

Analysis: Classic Ron Simmons. A good way for Vince to plug his million-dollar giveaway gimmick.

John Bradshaw Layfield made his entrance for the First Blood Match. There wasn’t much of a reaction to him. John Cena got a huge reaction with a mix of cheers from the younger fans in the crowd and some boos. I’d say it was mostly cheering, though.

First Blood Match: John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

Pre-match notes: Cena was the face and JBL was the heel. These guys wrestled many times in their careers and the match was usually won by Cena.

The first man to bleed loses the match. No pin attempts, disqualifications or countouts. They can fight anywhere they want.

JBL took a turnbuckle pad off, so Cena took a turnbuckle pad off as well. JBL had his wrists taped up, which he usually didn’t do. JBL with punches, he went for a boot, Cena avoided it and hit a clothesline. Cena sent JBL’s head into the top of the announce table. JBL sent Cena into the ropes followed by JBL sending Cena over the top to the floor. JBL sent Cena into the ring apron. Back in the ring, JBL hit a back elbow to knock Cena down. JBL with repeated kicks that knocked Cena off the apron to the floor. They went brawling in the aisle, then JBL did a thumb to the eye to stop Cena and JBL hit a boot to the face. JBL teased a chair shot on the floor, but Cena moved and JBL hit the ring post. JBL hit Cena in the head with a microphone. They went into the ring with JBL hitting Cena with the microphone again. The referee was checking Cena, but there was no blood. Cena made the comeback with the shoulder tackles and a spinning slam. Cena hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle fist drop. JBL to the apron to avoid the FU, then JBL choked Cena across the top rope and they went out to the floor. JBL whipped Cena to the ring post, the referee Marty Elias checked on Cena and there was no blood. JBL grabbed the steel steps that busted open Big Show, he threw them and Cena moved. JBL ripped off the top of the barricade and threw Cena’s head into it, but Cena wasn’t bleeding. JBL tried a DDT on the steel steps, but Cena held the ring post to block it and JBL went back first onto the steel steps. Cena hit JBL in the head with the microphone, the referee checked JBL and there was no blood. Cena raked JBL’s face against the steel steps with no sign of blood. JBL kicked the knees of Cena and sent Cena into the exposed turnbuckle, but Cena wasn’t bleeding. Cena ducked a clothesline and Cena delivered a bulldog onto a steel chair in the ring. JBL grabbed a steel chain under the white towel that he had. JBL punched Cena in the ribs with the steel chain on his hand. Cena ducked another punch and Cena hit the FU (later known as the Attitude Adjustment) to put both guys down in the ring. JBL with a boot to the face that led to Cena getting his arms tied in the ropes. JBL got a bullwhip from under the ring and as JBL approached Cena, that led to Cena delivering a kick or knee to the groin. Cena took down JBL, grabbed the chain and choked him around the throat. JBL was bleeding from the mouth, so the referee called for the bell. Cena won at 14:30.

Winner: John Cena

Analysis: **3/4 It was a good match with both guys selling everything well and making the blood moment feel like a big deal since it was the end of the match. The concern with a match like this is that you don’t want a guy to get an accidental cut and they were able to avoid that, so it turned out fine. The story at the end was that Cena was able to choke him hard enough with the chain that JBL was bleeding from the mouth because of it. I think some forehead bleeding from JBL after a punch with the chain would have been better, but this worked fine as an ending to the match. As I noted earlier, when Cena faced JBL in PPV matches, Cena usually won.

Cena celebrated the win with the fans cheering him for it. Cena got a huge from Shawne Merriman at ringside as well. Cena even held up the chain that he used to win the match.

Batista was shown in his dressing room with Randy Orton wishing him good luck. Orton said that Shawn Michaels deserves everything that Batista is going to give him tonight. Orton said that tonight they can take out Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Orton said that there is a draft on Monday’s Raw, so there is a very good chance they can get on the same show. Orton said that he could be the WWE Champion with Batista by his side, they can be leaders and bigger and better than DX ever was. Batista stared at Orton, didn’t say a word and left.

Analysis: It was a tease for a new Evolution group between them. It would not happen.

Beth Phoenix entered for the lone women’s match on the show. They showed a replay from Judgment Day two weeks ago with Beth doing a backbreaker to Melina and Mickie James at the same time. Melina made her entrance as the opponent. One of the photographers fell down during Melina’s entrance, so they replayed it and laughed at the poor guy.

I Quit Match: Melina vs. Beth Phoenix

Pre-match notes: Beth Phoenix was the heel. Melina was the face although she was a heel for several years and this was just after her turn, so she wasn’t that popular yet. They had issues when they were allies, so this led to them becoming rivals. Mickie James was the Women’s Champion. She was not in a match on this show.

To win the match, the wrestlers had to force their opponent to say “I Quit.”

Beth tried to intimidate Melina early and then Melina jumped on Beth with a Guillotine Choke submission. Beth powered out of it, then Melina ran the ropes and Beth hit a backbreaker. Beth hit another backbreaker. Melina got some offense by grabbing Beth’s hair into a bulldog-like move. Melina applied a move that was like a reverse STF and then Beth managed to crawl out of the ring to break the hold. Beth was in control by pulling back on Melina’s head against the middle rope. Beth went for a backbreaker submission over her back. Some fan had a sign that said “Hey Melina Nice Wig” on it and they must have thought it was clever because they kept holding it up. Beth applied an armbar followed by a hair pull into a takedown. Beth applied a chinlock. Melina did a move where she sent Beth into the turnbuckle and then kicked Beth into the ring post. Melina with an armbar takedown on the left arm. Melina applied an armbar on the left arm and then Melina turned it into a cross armbreaker. That one actually looked good. Beth picked up Melina over her head and hit a running Powerbomb. Beth picked up Melina from around the waist to deliver a Glam Slam. Beth held up Melina by pulling back on the arms, Melina was saying “no” several times, so Beth slammed her into the mat. Beth pulled back on Melina’s head/neck so she was bridging back and Melina quit to give Beth the win at 9:14.

Winner: Beth Phoenix

Analysis: **1/2 They tried hard and had a decent match here, but it wasn’t that exciting for some of the match. Melina wasn’t that popular as a face at this point, so the reactions were weak. In a match like this, weapons are legal and you can do anything, but they kept it in the ring for the most part. I think they were probably limited in what they could do based on the other matches on the show. Anyway, Beth winning was the obvious result here to continue to book her as a dominant heel.

They showed John Cena in the doctor’s office talking to a doctor and Mickie James walked in to talk to Cena. The doctor left. Cena and Mickie did some flirting, but then Mike Adamle walked out of the bathroom with John and Mickie selling it like the bathroom stunk. John thought Mike had a match to call, Mike said he already called his match and Mike told John & Mickie they were an amazing looking couple. Mickie said they weren’t a couple. Adamle invited them to a party in Tijuana, then Cena turned it down. Adamle handed John some “Mama Juana” that JBL was selling saying it’s not because you need it, it’s because you want it. Adamle left. Cena hit on Mickie mentioning the “rear naked choke” she mentioned the “headscissors” and that was it.

Analysis: Some of the dialogue was a bit cheesy there. Adamle was so awkward in every segment he was in during his WWE run. They were doing a storyline with John and Mickie flirting for several weeks. Then it went away.

Edge was shown warming up backstage.

The fan poll on the winner of the Stretcher Match was Shawn Michaels at 59% and Batista at 41%.

A video package aired about Shawn Michaels and Batista. They had a match at Backlash where Shawn faked a knee injury (Chris Jericho was the referee), Batista showed sympathy for him and then Michaels hit a superkick to win. Batista said he hoped Shawn was hurt because if he was faking it, Batista would hurt him. Jericho apologized for questioning Shawn’s injury. Shawn said Jericho was right, Shawn said he wasn’t hurt and he superkicked Jericho. Michaels beat Jericho at Judgment Day, which wasn’t shown in the video. Batista told Michaels he’ll dictate the time and place where he beats Michaels, which led to the Stretcher Match.

Shawn Michaels made his entrance to a big pop as usual. The Smackdown guys were calling this match since Batista was a Smackdown wrestler at this point. Batista got a babyface reaction for the most part although he was showing heel tendencies for part of this feud. Impressive pyro display for Batista as usual.

Stretcher Match: Shawn Michaels vs. Batista

Pre-match notes: Shawn Michaels was a face from Raw. Batista was a face that was on Smackdown although as I said he was a bit heelish too. Batista was furious at Michaels for faking a knee injury when Michaels beat Batista at Backlash. It was the first Stretcher Match in the careers of both men.

To win a stretcher match, you had to place your opponent on one of the stretchers surrounding the ring and push it past a line in the entrance area.

Batista used his size advantage to punch Shawn to knock him down. Batista delivered a clothesline that sent Shawn over the top to the floor. Batista sent Shawn into the stretcher, but then Shawn came back with a whip into the steel steps. Shawn shoved Batista into the ring post as well. Shawn hit a roundhouse kick to the head. Shawn wheeled a stretcher into the ribs of Batista, who was seated on the steel steps and Shawn sent the stretcher into Batista again. Batista with a kick to the gut, he went for a Powerbomb on the floor, but Michaels applied a tight headlock like a Guillotine choke hold. Batista sold it like he may have passed out, so Shawn was able to put Batista on a stretcher. Shawn tried to wheel the stretcher over the finish, but Batista fought back with a punch and kick. Batista got back into it with a hard whip into the ring post. Batista delivered a spinebuster on the edge of the ring apron and the barricade. Back in the ring, Batista delivered a clothesline with Shawn doing a flip bump. Batista hit a running powerslam. Batista charged, Shawn moved and Shawn sent Batista into the turnbuckle with Batista going into the ring post. Shawn ran off the ropes and hit a forearm to the face. Shawn went up top and connected with an elbow drop to the chest. Batista countered a superkick attempt with a clothesline. Michaels slipped out of a Batista Bomb attempt and Michaels hit a superkick with Batista going under the bottom rope and landing onto a stretcher that was there. That was a really good spot that popped the crowd.

The fans were chanting “HBK” for Michaels as he pulled the stretcher, but Batista held onto the ring apron. Shawn pulled back on the stretcher again and then Batista fell off it on purpose. Shawn drove the stretcher into the ribs of Batista two times. Batista blocked a third attempt, then Batista used the stretcher to hit Shawn in the face and Batista shoved the stretcher into Shawn. Back in the ring, Batista hit a huge Spear. That looked great…unless you are Shawn because it looked like a hard tackle. Batista hit the sitout Batista Bomb. Chris Jericho showed up at ringside to talk to Michaels to encourage him that he can win this match. The referees made Jericho move back. Michaels crawled up Batista’s body, shoved him in the chest and attempted a superkick that had no force. Batista: “I don’t love you and I am not sorry.” Batista delivered a second Batista Bomb. Batista channeled the WrestleMania 24 words that Michaels said to Ric Flair: “I’m sorry, I love you.” This was much different. Batista put Michaels on the stretcher, then he slowly wheeled it up the aisle where Jericho was there to try to encourage Shawn again. Jericho wanted Shawn to show him what he’s got. Batista could have finished off Shawn, but then Batista got the steel steps and put them in the aisle. Batista gave Shawn a spinebuster on the steps. Foley: “This is overkill, Cole.” Batista put Shawn on the stretcher again and wheeled it over the line to win the match at 17:03.

Winner: Batista

Analysis: ***3/4 This was really good with Batista getting the win to put an end to the rivalry. Since Shawn won their first match at Backlash, it made sense for Batista to win. It felt like a match between two guys that didn’t like eachother, they had a lot of intensity and there was a lot of drama towards the end of the match. Considering they had never had a Stretcher Match before, they came up with creative spots. I liked the spot where Shawn did the superkick leading to Batista landing on the stretcher right after it. That was smart. After that, Batista came back with his power moves to finish him off. Jericho’s motives seemed genuine, but we would come to learn that Jericho was deceitful and had a long rivalry with Michaels after this. The way this match was a no doubt, definitive win for Batista. It was a dominant performance. Michaels was so amazing at selling. That’s not breaking news. I know people know that.

There was a video package for the WWE Championship match between WWE Champion Triple H and Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing Match. Orton was the WWE Champion for six months defeating the likes of John Cena, Jeff Hardy, Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels and Triple H. That led to Orton saying we were living in the “Age of Orton.” At Backlash in late April, Triple H won the WWE Title in a Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match by defeating Orton at the end of the match. Orton used his rematch clause to get a rematch and he wanted a Last Man Standing Match because that’s how he won it against Triple H in the first place (No Mercy 2007).

Analysis: These guys wrestled so many times from late 2004 into the second half of the 2000s decade. It’s hard to remember where the rivalry was at different points in their careers.

Randy Orton made his entrance as the challenger. Orton did his usual slow walking routine. Orton had the “Voices” song by Rev Theory as his theme song at this point. Triple H got a big pop for his entrance as the WWE Champion.

Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship: Triple H vs. Randy Orton

Pre-match notes: Triple H was the babyface WWE Champion while Randy Orton was the heel challenger.

The way to win the match is to put your opponent down long enough that they stay down for a ten count. The winner will be the Last Man Standing and the winner of the match.

Orton sent Hunter out of the ring right away and then Hunter whipped Orton’s left side into the steel steps. Hunter tossed Orton into several of the objects around ringside including the three announce tables. Back in the ring, Hunter sent Orton’s left shoulder into the ring post. Hunter whipped Orton’s left shoulder into the ring post again. Hunter delivered a knee drop to the head. Orton sent Hunter into the ropes and Orton hit a dropkick. Orton charged leading to Hunter tossing him over the ropes to the floor. Hunter cleared off the ECW announce table leading to Hunter punching Orton repeatedly. Orton slipped out of a Pedigree attempt, Hunter shoved Orton out of an RKO attempt and then Orton hit a draping DDT on the floor. Hunter got up at the count of nine. Orton pulled up the mat at ringside to expose the cement. Orton teased an RKO, but Hunter shoved Orton so that Orton’s left side hit the ring post. Back in the ring, Orton stomped on Hunter’s body. Orton tossed the top half of the steel steps into the ring as Hunter got back up at seven. Orton hit Hunter in the face with the steel steps and Hunter was back up at nine. Orton brought in an extension cord, kick to the chest and Orton choked Hunter with the extension cord so that Hunter sold it like he was nearly passed out. Hunter got back up at eight. Orton charged for an RKO, Hunter sidestepped him and sent Orton over the top to the floor…and there’s where the match ended. Orton landed hard on the floor, he was grabbing his left arm and you could see Orton was holding his collarbone. Orton said to referee Mike Chioda: “I broke my collarbone.” Jerry Lawler read his lips as well and he said it on the broadcast. The referee counted Orton down, then Hunter picked him up and sent Orton into the barricade. Orton had his right hand on his collarbone. Hunter was talking to referee Chioda, who was also talking to Orton. Hunter punched Orton to knock him down. They improvised a finish as Hunter grabbed a sledgehammer from under the ring, Orton was back up and Hunter hit Orton in the head (with Hunter’s hand at the end of the sledgehammer) leading to Chioda counting Orton down for the ten count. It went 13:15.

Winner: Triple H

Analysis: **3/4 It’s tough to rate because they didn’t have a full match due to Orton’s injury. They were likely going to go close to 20 minutes or so, but when they realized that Orton was hurt, it was time to end the match. Since Hunter was the champion, it was easy to just end the match there when Orton suffered his injury. Orton took a lot of bumps on his left arm/shoulder, so perhaps that weakened him a bit leading to the collarbone break.

Triple H celebrated the win with the WWE Title in one hand while the sledgehammer was in the other hand. You could tell they were giving Orton as the camera focused on Triple H in the ring. They replayed Orton’s rough landing with Orton going over the top and landing hard on his left shoulder leading to the broken collarbone. Triple H hit Orton with the sledgehammer and Orton didn’t get up.

Orton was laying on the ground with his hand on the collarbone. The WWE Medical team was checking on Orton on the floor. They had a stretcher for Orton as well. Orton looked to his left side, had his left arm hanging by his side and you could tell it was broken. Orton walked around the ringside area, the fans chanted “RKO” to support Orton. They replayed the rough landing for Orton again. Orton was getting cheered by the fans supporting him, then Orton yelled at them to “shut up” and even argued with a kid in the aisle. Orton slowly walked to the back with the trainers and referees.

Randy Orton Injury Analysis: Orton was out of action with a broken collarbone. When he was nearly ready to return from that, in August 2008, he got into a motorcycle accident that saw him break his collarbone again. That happened shortly after Orton’s first child, a girl named Alanna, was born. At the time, Orton told WWE.com: “Without a helmet, I would be dead. Now that I have a newborn daughter, so much was going through my head.” There were some people that questioned the legitimacy of the motorcycle accident too because it was in St. Louis and the media there didn’t cover it. Who knows? Anyway, Orton ended up missing a total of about five months of in-ring action because he made his return to action in November 2008.

The video package aired for The Undertaker vs. Edge for the World Heavyweight Title. The World Heavyweight Title was vacant at Judgment Day 2008 after The Undertaker was stripped of the title by Smackdown General Manager Vickie Guerrero, who was engaged to Edge in the storyline. The Undertaker won by countout, but then Vickie ruled that the championship can only be won by pinfall or submission. Vickie said that the match at One Night Stand would be a Tables, Ladder & Chairs match for the World Heavyweight Title. If The Undertaker lost then he would be banished from WWE.

The World Heavyweight Championship was hanging above the ring. Edge made his entrance first as the heel that was a four-time World Champion. The announcers pushed the story that The Undertaker has never been in a TLC match while Edge has been in many of them. The Undertaker got a big ovation for his entrance as usual. There were tables, ladders and chairs surrounding the ring. The wrestlers stood in the ring as Justin Roberts did the championship introductions.

Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match for the Vacant World Heavyweight Championship: The Undertaker vs. Edge

Pre-match notes: The Undertaker was the babyface and Edge was the heel. The World Heavyweight Title was vacant. If The Undertaker lost then he would be banished from WWE.

Taker was aggressive with punches, a whip into the turnbuckle and then a clothesline. Taker jumped off the top rope with the Old School walk into the punch into the back. Taker grabbed a ladder, Edge dropkicked it and Taker bumped into the barricade. Edge set up a table on the floor that was stacked on top of another table. Remember that for later. Undertaker hit Edge with the top of a ladder two times to knock him down. Taker set up another table beside the two tables stacked and then he stacked a second table. That means it was a four table double stack, which is key for later in the match. Edge with a drop toehold that sent Taker into the steel steps. Edge set up a ladder under the World Heavyweight Title, which looked like it was too high up, but then Undertaker pulled Edge off the ladder to send Edge into the ropes. Undertaker set up a ladder on the top rope, but Edge managed to shove Taker into it. Edge set up a ladder on the top turnbuckle, so Undertaker whipped Edge into it. Undertaker climbed the ladder, Edge went up the other side, Undertaker shoved him off into another ladder and Edge bounced off the ladder to knock Undertaker off the ladder into a ladder by the turnbuckle. Taker sent Edge into the ladder against the turnbuckle followed by a running kick into the ladder to send Edge out of the ring. Taker hit Edge in the back with a steel chair. Taker set up Edge on the apron for the patented leg drop on the apron, but Edge grabbed a chair and Taker hit the leg drop on the chair. Edge hit Taker in the back of the left leg with the chair. Edge set up a ladder bridge from the apron to the barricade, Taker wanted a Powerbomb and Edge hit a low blow uppercut punch to avoid that. Edge hit Taker in the head with a steel chair. I think Taker blocked it a bit, but not that much. Edge grabbed another chair and hit Taker in the head with it. Edge set up Taker on a table that was in front of the Smackdown announce table. Edge jumped off the top and splashed Taker through the table. Edge crawled back into the ring, set up a ladder and did a slow climb. Taker was back up, he knocked Edge off the ladder and Edge hit a Spear. Edge slammed the top of the ladder onto the right knee of Taker. Edge worked on the left knee earlier. Edge with three chair shots into the ladder into the right knee. Edge grabbed a huge ladder and set it up under the ladder. Edge with two more stiff chair shots to the head of Taker. That second one looked brutal. Edge brought in another chair for the Conchairto spot, but Taker got some payback with a low blow punch to the groin. The fans popped big for that. They battled by the apron with Taker delivering a Chokeslam to Edge off the apron onto the ladder bridge. Big move there! That was a rough landing for Edge.

Taker did a very slow climb up the tall ladder, but Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder showed up to help Edge by attacking Undertaker with punches. Hawkins and Ryder brought two tables into the ring. Hawkins and Ryder set up the two tables in the ring. Taker was placed on a table with another table on him, but Taker kicked Ryder in the groin and Undertaker hit a Chokeslam on Hawkins off the top rope and through the table. Huge bump! Taker grabbed Ryder on the apron and Chokeslammed him through a table on the floor! The fans loved this destruction caused by Undertaker. Edge was back up with a Spear that knocked Edge off the apron into the barricade. Edge climbed the ladder slowly, Undertaker got back up, climbed behind Edge and Taker gave Edge a Powerbomb through the two tables that Ryder/Hawkins set up earlier. Taker climbed the ladder slowly while selling the right knee injury, so then Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely showed up to stop Taker. They were part of Edge’s “La Familia” group. Chavo and Neely went for chair shots, Undertaker moved and they hit eachother. Undertaker hit Neely and Chavo with a chair shots to take them out. Taker set up the ladder under the ladder, but also a few feet to the side to set up the next bump. Undertaker reached near the top of the ladder while favoring the right leg, then Edge was back up and he shove the ladder sending Undertaker THROUGH FOUR TABLES…that were stacked on the floor earlier. Taker took that bump about as perfectly as you could since he went through most of the tables as well as possible. Edge did a very slow climb up the ladder while looking down at Undertaker in the broken table wreckage and Edge pulled down the World Heavyweight Title. The match went 23:50.

Winner AND NEW World Heavyweight Champion: Edge

Analysis: **** This was a great match between these legends that wrestled often during this period. That insane table bump by Undertaker was the biggest bump of his career. We were not used to seeing him take big bumps like that, but they set it up well and it made sense for Edge to win the match after that. The cheap win was fitting for Edge since he always got help from Chavo, Neely, Hawkins and Ryder during this era. It protected Undertaker because Edge didn’t win in a clean manner at all. It was cheap as you can get because Edge’s allies prevented Undertaker from winning multiple times and then Edge capitalized on their help to get the win. I don’t think this was their best match together because I liked WrestleMania 24 and SummerSlam 2008 more, but this was still an outstanding matchup between two of the best of all time.

Edge walked away with the World Heavyweight Title as he shared a hug with Chavo, Neely, Ryder and Hawkins. They replayed the huge bump from The Undertaker as he went flying from the high ladder and went crashing through those four tables. Vickie Guerrero walked out to hug Edge, who held up the World Heavyweight Title while some pyro went off. The heels went to the back.

There were a few minutes left as the focus was on The Undertaker laying in the wreckage of those four tables. The Undertaker had a cut on his right elbow from when he went crashing through the tables and he was cheered when he tried to sit up. The fans cheered loudly when The Undertaker got back to his feet. The Undertaker walked with a limp towards the entrance area as fans chanted “Taker” for him. The Undertaker looked back at the fans, who were cheering loudly for him and he simply turned around to walk to the backstage area. That was the end of the show.

Analysis: The Undertaker was banished from WWE after this. It’s comical even writing that, but that was the storyline. The Undertaker took a few months off and was reinstated by Vickie when she was mad at Edge for cheating on her with Alicia Fox the wedding planner. That led to Undertaker beating Edge at SummerSlam 2008 in a Hell in a Cell match to put an end to the feud.

This event had a runtime of 2:49:21 on WWE Network.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Show rating (out of 10): 6.5

This was a solid show with some pretty good matches and nothing on the show that was terrible. The most memorable moment was when The Undertaker took a huge bump off a ladder and he went crashing through four tables that were stacked on the floor. It was not the kind of bump we were used to seeing from Undertaker, so kudos to him for that and putting over Edge although it’s not like it was a clean win. That led to Edge winning the vacant World Title while The Undertaker was “banished” from WWE…for about two months.

It was also a tough day for Randy Orton after he broke his collarbone taking a bump from inside the ring to the floor, which led to Triple H holding onto the WWE Title. The Edge/Taker match was the best although they did have better matches together. I really liked the Batista/Michaels match as well since it was heavy in storyline and Michaels bumped his ass off to make Batista look impressive.

Since it was the third PPV within five weeks, there were a lot of rematches and feuds that ended after this show.

FIVE STARS

1. The Undertaker – The biggest bump of his career. He deserves it.
2. Edge
3. Shawn Michaels
4. Batista
5. John Cena

OPINIONS

Best Match: Edge vs. The Undertaker in a TLC Match (**** out of 5)

Worst Match: Big Show vs. Tommy Dreamer vs. John Morrison vs. CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero (**1/4)

Most Memorable Moment: Edge shoving the ladder leading to The Undertaker crashing through four tables that were stacked on the floor.

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That’s all for me. Check out the full list of my WWE PPV Review archive right here. Thanks for reading.

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John Canton

Email mrjohncanton@gmail.com

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