It was all going so well, despite many flaws. Until the final few moments, the Hell In A Cell Match that headlined Summerslam 08, featuring Edge and the Undertaker, was one heck of a silly match…

Now, now, don’t get your sweet, sweet panties all soiled. I’m not saying it was the pits - it was actually, a very good match indeed. I enjoyed it tremendously. Almost as much as those ol’ Spiderman Pez dispensers you used to get….But hear me out, that is not why I grumble.

So some people are saying it’s a match of the year contender, which I would seriously disagree with. I still think their straightforward wrestling bout in March, in Orlando, was their finest to date. And the TLC war was a superior stunt match. Those two were my personal high points when it comes to this long-running feud. Then again, I wouldn’t concur with those that were disappointed by the match last night- they managed a near miracle by achieving what they did.

I’m assuming they were told not to blade, as a result of the new regime. Now, I am not a gore-hound, as some seemed to believe when I argued in the WWEPreview roundtable against the PC rating currently in effect (I believe this limit’s the tone, and approach to the programming, which limits potential character development).

Whilst I agree that blood in wrestling is way overused, and unnecessary, it is absolutely necessary in a match as brutal as this one.

There were multiple chair shots, steel steps hits, use of the Chain fencing, face bashings with video cameras, and other nefarious acts. Now, next time someone bleeds after one chair-shot, how inconsistent are we being? Perhaps this is an issue of unfortunate timing, but regardless, it should be pointed out that it was a restriction for the two performers, to achieve such realism without blood. A couple of weeks ago, a steel bar rather slowly and timidly bashed me on the nose. Guess what? Yep, I sported the Crimson Mask. Are you trying to tell me that being nailed like ten times with a steel chair doesn’t have the same effect?

The two superstars worked around the decreased brutality in two main ways . They turned up the inventiveness of the stunts. The spear that Edge launched at Taker while running across the announce tables was utterly spectacular, as was the one that saw them crash through the cage wall. The set up for the big bump through the tables was nice too. And Edge’s spear (this was a recurring move you see…) onto Taker while he lay against the Edge of the steel steps was gruesome.

The other important characteristic was the superb way in which they referenced their previous encounters, which culminated in a series of brutal moves from Undi’ that Edge had previously used against him. This was great stuff.

The double sided coin, was of course the increased reliance on stunts rather than pure brutality. It’s a tricky path to tread, and one that can lead to hollow, empty stunt-fests ( The Six-Man in 2000 that was exciting, but very much, for the sake of having it), but of course it can be the opposite, (Kevin Nash and HHH’s Hell In A Cell effort was characterised by their desperate attempts to make up for their lack of athleticism by introducing screwdrivers etc…) . I believe they succeeded in walking the tight-rope though, and ultimately delivered an exciting, suspenseful clash, with a believable series of near-falls. The one major flaw perhaps being the lack of realism.

It wasn’t compounded at all, then, when The Undertaker burned Edge alive at the end of the match. Oh no. In an era when the majority of slightly older fans are spreading their interest across a wide range of less established ventures, and particularly into MMA, that’s exactly what’s likely to hook them to the WWE. Sigh. If we slagged off John Cena’s angle with JBL, that encompassed attempted vehicular homicide, then this one cannot evade the logic police.

I felt that the highlight of the entire PPV wasn’t even a wrestling match - it was the jaw-dropping segment between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels. This was as much of a belter as the punch that Chris Jericho nailed Michaels’ wife Rebecca with. It’s almost as if there’s someone in creative writing the material for these two, who isn’t allowed to touch anything else on the show.

This conflict is so unbelievably complex, and personal, with sophisticated layering, and a much more patient approach to storytelling. It’s mature, and constantly intriguing, and aided immeasurably by the flawless performances of both guys. Here, they were at their best (although I think Rebecca legitimately was socked by Jericho). A great dimension has been added to the feud of the year, and I cannot wait to see these two lock up once more.

Elswhere, CM Punk’s title defence was almost just what he needed. They botched a couple of little things, but barely noticeably so, and JBL looked in discomfort (not to mention the bizarre clattering of heads that left Punk’s head wide open). Hopefully he is treated well in Chicago tonight, and is able to build on the momentum gained.

Santino was once again one of the highlights of the whole show, with his hilarious performance, though his match was so short, that it was a little bit of an injustice to poor Kofi. Still, this feud could have legs.

Batista versus Cena was a very exciting match indeed. But that’s all that can be said for it. I’m AMAZED that Dave won clean, and Orton did not appear, but I still think Orton’s injury is a work.

What else was there? Phil though HHH/Khali was “awful”, but I disagree- it was a cleverly worked outing that smartly played to Hunter’s strengths without overstaying it’s welcome.

Matt Hardy’s ECW title match was “awful” though, and a disgrace at that. Ending about twelve seconds in, to a DQ, Matt looked like a buffoon, the ECW title looked like crap, and when Jeff came to save the day, Matt was humbled by the sounds of the music of Vince’s favourite Hardy. His moment will come, but what a way to kill the interest…. Speaking of Jeff though, he had a decent bout with MVP, who looked very, very good out there.

But at the end of the day, unless Edge when he shows up next, is working a Dark-Man gimmick, the WWE needs a fat gob tossed at their collective visage for being so out of touch in 2008. Wasn’t UFC 87 great? Yup. Wasn’t Summerslam great? I thought so, but thousands of those 18+ males no doubt thought it was the most ridiculous thing they’d seen since Brock Lesnar’s lunging tackle….

Thanks for taking the time to check this out. I welcome any and all feedback and I can be contacted at www.myspace.com/michaelwrestlingetc or simply by emailing me at michael@wwepreview.com look forward to hearing from you, and will be back soon!