[2007-10-28-WWE-Cyber Sunday] Shawn Michaels vs Randy Orton

[ohtani's jacket]

I may be the only person in PWO history excited for a Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels match. The thing I appreciate about this match is that it's a non-standard WWE match. It feels like Michaels and Orton are working instead of acting out some predetermined match layout. You can argue that the work doesn't go anywhere but at least it feels organic. I've ragged on Michaels a bunch in the past, but I really like this 2005-07 period of his comeback. He brought back a lot of old-school matwork during this run. At a time when everyone was trying to mimic the UFC, he was out there getting pops off a backslide. Orton is also strangely non-formulaic for a guy who everyone says can't work.

The finish of the match is amusing. Michaels spazzes out after hitting the Savage elbow, trying to get the crowd into it. It's classic over-the-top Michaels bullshit. He tunes up the band and Orton hits him in the balls while he's going for the superkick. It's a bullshit finish in terms of Orton getting DQ'ed and retaining his title. That's a crappy rule that doesn't make any sense. Why didn't Orton just low blow him in the opening minute if he didn't care about losing the bout? At the same time, Michaels it for all of his carry-on before the superkick. I enjoyed this match for the most part, but the finish pretty much ruined it.