I’d forgotten about this third straight singles match between Edge and Undertaker! Their ‘Mania, TLC and Hell in a Cell bouts are fresh in my mind, but I’d forgotten about the lacklustre Backlash bout and this re-rematch…and this is more like it! After that forgettable Backlash rematch, the two were given one last chance to shine in a non-gimmick bout before colliding in a TLC and a HIAC match. Apart from the awful finish to this bout (and the proceeding screwiness from Vickie Guerrero, Smackdown General Manager and Edge’s squeeze…the less said about the screwiness, the better!), this is close to the greatness of their ‘Mania match.
Perhaps they realised their Backlash clash was not up to scratch. Whatever the reason behind their willingness to improve, their chemistry finally clicks again and this bout never lets up. It doesn’t even have the slow (but necessary) first ten minutes that their ‘Mania bout had. We see innovative moves, like a chokeslam AND a Last Ride into the turnbuckles (the latter must have hurt like a son of a bitch!). There’s full-on in-ring psychology here, with both wrestlers predicting each other’s moves and countering like no one’s business.
With a decent finish, this may even rival their ‘Mania bout…but a count-out finish for a World Title does not cut the mustard, does it? However, there’s high-upon-high in the match, until that flat finish…a lacklustre brawl around the ring and into the crowd before a count-out finish. It’s the complete opposite of their Backlash bout. A cracking bout worthy of more attention.
Hammy’s Rating: **** (out of 5)
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