[2007-01-07-WWE-New Year's Revolution] Shawn Michaels & HHH vs Edge & Randy Orton

[ShittyLittleBoots]

Why this doesn't get talked up more? I just finished watching it for the first time & I was absolutely blown away. Old school brawl, full of hate, defined heel & babyface roles, kick-ass performances by all - especially by HBK, who gave one of his best performances ever in my eyes. ****1/2 - ****3/4, leaning more towards ****3/4 now. Incredible match.

[Jimmy Redman]

I'm SO pumped that someone else likes this match as much as me. One of the great modern tag matches that NEVER gets pimped.

 

I think all people remember about it is that Hunter did his quad again.

[Loss]

I think because Randy Orton panicked when HHH tore his quad and hit himself with a chair for no apparent reason, which made him gig hardaway. It's definitely a fun watch for seeing how all the wrestlers respond to the planned match falling off the rails, I guess.

[Microstatistics]

Why this doesn't get talked up more?

 

.I have a feeling if this happened in Memphis or Arena Mexico, people would be losing their mind over it. But the stigma attached to the participants might cause people to overlook (or dismiss) it.

[Superstar Sleeze]

I'm sold. Ill watch this tonight. Never seen it before.

[Makai Club #1]

I remember watching this live. When I was a young one, I woke up in the middle of the fight and listened in on my Dad watching this show. I burst out in tears because I couldn’t watch it live but my Dad let me in the end and this was on. I used to love Triple H. Even over Shawn. I still prefer him over Shawn Michaels to this day actually. 

 

The match starts off heavy with DX meeting Rated RKO on the rampway and brawled for a little bit before transitioning into a normal match. The match gets a little dull for a few minutes but Triple H unleashes some punches on Orton which pops the crowd before Edge chop block the left leg (not the leg that’ll get injured btw) of Triple H and begin to work it over. Shawn comes in for a warm tag. Orton and Edge show some really good tag chemistry which does surprise me. It doesn’t come across as two single guys teaming as far as their work goes. Shawn gets split open seemingly out of nowhere (is HBK a Flair mark?), which is basically a big match obligation for 2007. Orton unleashes his awesome Garvin Stomp which always gets me to pop. Speaking of obligations, Rated RKO works over HBK’s back which is fine in theory but it seems aimless and doesn’t go anywhere. However, Shawn does have some nice chops as a defence at least. Triple H comes in with a great hot tag before it happens. You can actually see the muscle on the side of the knee at certain angles. They scramble and take HHH out of the match for the meanwhile. Then the chairs come in with Orton bleeding badly now. The match hits another level with Triple H hitting a goddamn pedigree with the torn quad on the table and Shawn hitting an elbow drop through the other table on Orton. The match sort of ends with no bell and seemingly no real signal the match is over. Now HHH did well to carry on given the injury, but it was still dumb to do so. The match is good but also has its flaws. Things like the aforementioned aimless back work and the structure of the match being brawl, normal match, brawl. No natural progression. However, the finish (if you can call it that) ruled and was easily the peak of the match. ***1/2

 

[Superstar Sleeze]

World Tag Team Champions Rated RKO vs D-Generation X - New Year's Revolution 2007

I was not even in college yet when this match took place and I was definitely watching, but man this whole era is a total blur. I have a general recollection of Rated RKO existing, but I couldnt tell you what they did. The video package as always is stellar and explains that this is a legit blood feud not one of those passe feuds that pass for violence nowadays. Rated RKO bloodied Flair and then D-X. Now D-X is out for revenge. 

Up until the quad injury, I would say this was on pace to being a contender for best WWE tag match of all time. The progression and layout were perfect. I liked the double shine and the double face in peril. The climaxes of each segment were great and the transitions were very well-done. I liked that D-X attacked the Tag Champs on the ramp and really set the tone for the match that this would be a fight. The opening heel in peril is on Edge. Edge was definitely the least of the four though he would improve on offense. I thought HHH and HBK both were good at sticking to fists and really trying to punish the heels as oppose to either popping the crowd or just merely winning the match. I thought Orton was clearly much better than Edge. He was better at stooging and selling for D-X. There was a great moment when Orton took a punch spun around and fed for the punch. Good shit. I liked that it took two underhanded tactics by the heels to overtake the babyfaces. Edge tried the Hart Foundation sliding knee on the apron, but HHH correctly no sold it and brought him in the hard way. That was a cool babyface spot. It said I am here fuck shit up and it is going to take a lot more to derail. So they up the ante with the chopblock. Good selling by HHH but even better offense by Rated RKO. I really liked Orton in this role. He seemed very motivated and laying shit in. I liked Edge going for the Figure-4, but HHH kicks him off. It was a good disrespectful nod to the Nature Boy and a good climax to the first heat segment. Shawn then comes in rattles off his home stretch sequence as his hot tag, which is very smart. It gets the crowd pumped up but he stops short of Sweet Chin Music instead only hitting the Elbow Drop. So you have escalated, but not paid off. You have ramped the tension without blowing your wad. That's an ingenious layout, bruthas. Orton hits a big time clothesline. It is breaking loose in Tulsa! Shawn hits a somersault plancha. Edge spears him off the apron and Shawn takes a nasty bump. Loved that spot. Orton BLASTS him with the Tag Belt busting him wide open! GREAT! GREAT! GREAT! Now we get the ultra-hot face in peril segment. Orton is absolute money in this. His Garvin Stomp has extra oomph. He is really laying his shit in. There's a great firefight that breaks out in the corner between Shawn and Orton that feels like a Flair vs Garvin fire fight and I love it! Even Edge has extra mustard on his shots. Shawn is selling like a million bucks. They work into a groove working on his back. There are great dramatic teases for the hot tag. I love that it takes multiple tries for Shawn to get it. HHH, who is not exactly Mr. Electricity, does do a pretty good job mowing down Rated RKO until in a freak accident he blows out his quad on a Spinebuster. I knew it was going to happen because he missed Mainia in 2007, but I was not expecting it there. It looked innocuous to me. He clearly hurt it bad based on how he took that RKO. They match totally falls apart. Shawn decides to go bezerk. He dives onto Orton with a suicide dive and decks the ref to trigger the DQ, which was a smart finish. Then D-X sends the crowd home happy with chairshot galore. HHH somehow does a Pedigree on the announce table with one leg and then Michael elbow drops from the top rope to Orton through the announce table.

Loved the body of the match a lot. I thought HHH and HBK came to kick ass and were laser-focused. Orton and Edge were great heel foils especially Orton. I thought the heat segments were well-constructed and they were on their way to having the best tag team match in WWE history. Some people liked how the injury caused a chaotic, raucous finish to me it made the match feel incomplete. I thought they covered for it the best they could. I am always a fan of gratuitous ref violence because it seems so crazy. Chairshots, Orton bleeding like a stuck pig and the double announce table finish almost make up for the fact that match was derailed by a freak injury. Based on the timeframe and who was involved, I would have never thought this match was so great and so different if it was not for others pimping it (so thank you). All I can say watch it for yourself and decide for yourself, I think there is something for everyone to enjoy! ****