All Rise...

Judge Franck Tabouring doesn't think extreme rules.

The Charge

Extreme rules!

Opening Statement

Forget all the rules you usually see at the regular WWE shows. Known as wrestling's most extreme pay-per-view of the year, WWE: One Night Stand 2008 offers a selection of the toughest matches, including First Blood, TLC, Falls Count Everywhere, and Last Man Standing.

Facts of the Case

This time the action goes down in San Diego, California, where the stars from Raw, Smackdown, and ECW go head to head in seven brutal matches. Before we take a closer look at the individual matches, here's a quick overview of this extreme PPV: Jeff Hardy takes on Umaga; John Cena confronts JBL; and Big Show faces CM Punk, Tommy Dreamer, John Morrison and Chavo Guerrero. Additionally, Melina battles Beth Phoenix; Shawn Michaels challenges Batista; and Triple H faces Randy Orton in a WWE Championship title match. The main event features Undertaker taking on Edge in a TLC matchup.

The Evidence

Here's the complete lineup of the PPV, which clocks in at a little less than three hours:

• Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga in a Falls Count Anywhere Match
Because this is a Falls Count Everywhere match, fans obviously expect the action to go outside the ring early already, and that's exactly what they get. Although you only get to see a limited number of impressive moves, the battle between Jeff and Umaga is still thoroughly entertaining. Delivering a bunch of strong kicks, the two wrestlers take all the action around the arena and backstage, where they make use of all kinds of props to kick each other's butts. I personally wanted to see more extravagant moves and a better finish, but for the most part, this 9-minute hardcore match is just what you would expect it to be.

• Big Show vs. CM Punk vs. Tommy Dreamer vs. John Morrison vs. Chavo Guerrero in a Singapore Cane Match
Five wrestlers, a bunch of canes, and no disqualification; what more do you want? Although this is not a title match, the winner of this battle will get a shot at the ECW championship at this year's Night of Champions PPV. The athletes do plenty of kicking each other around with the bamboo sticks and also deliver some impressive moves and a solid dose of fast-paced hardcore action. It's a little short at 9 minutes, but it's definitely better than the first match and a really nice beginning for an event with extreme rules.

• John Cena vs. JBL in a First Blood Match
The rules for this one are pretty simple: whoever bleeds first loses the match. John Cena and JBL are both strong athletes with solid endurance, but their performances in this 14-minute battle are not as impressive as I expected them to be. The match is too slow-moving, and the wrestlers avoid big, bold moves by delivering a bunch of kicks in order to get the other one to bleed first. It's not the worst match of the night, but it's also not exciting enough for a First Blood.

• Melina vs. Beth Phoenix in an "I Quit" Match
Because this is an "I Quit" match, big, acrobatic moves are pretty scarce. Event though the two divas spent most of the 9 minutes performing submissions, I have to admit their battle is far more entertaining than the previous matchup. That's all there is to say about this one.

• Shawn Michaels vs. Batista in a Stretcher Match
As you by now, this pay-per-view is all about extreme rules, and in this match, you can only win by knocking your opponent into a stretcher and pushing it across a designated line. Clocking in at 17 minutes, this match is ridiculously long and not suspenseful or vibrant enough to keep fans engaged. I generally like watching Batista and Shawn Michaels wrestle, but here they barely do anything memorable. Besides a few spectacular moves inside the ring, this matchup is too slow-moving and not balanced enough to leave a long-lasting impression. Quite disappointing, indeed.

• Triple H vs. Randy Orton in Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship
If there's one thing I am really annoyed about right now, it's having to watch the same wresters facing each other over and over again. Okay, some of them really deliver entertaining performances, but I still think it's about time to put some of these feuds to an end. In this match, Orton seeks revenge against HHH yet again. At 13 minutes, this one's relatively short for a battle preceding the main event. It's also probably one of the worst confrontations between the two wrestlers. Slow-paced, monotonous, and lacking both action and risky moves, this one is just as disappointing as the previous matchup.

• Undertaker vs. Edge in a TLC Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
For the hundredth time or so, Edge faces the Undertaker at a WWE PPV, and I'm tired of it. Still, thanks to the extreme rules. the match ends up being a little better than I originally expected, and that I like. The World Heavyweight title is vacant at this stage, and if the Undertaker loses this battle, he's banished from the WWE. As an interesting Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, this is certainly the only matchup that lives up to its titles at this event. Edge and the Undertaker use many of their available props and put on a solid show in the attempt to grab the title, turning this main event into the most electrifying duel of the night.

From a technical point of view, this DVD boasts a solid picture quality and a decent audio transfer. The image is sharp and clear throughout, and the screaming of the audience is well-balanced with the commentaries and the noises coming from the ring.

Special features are generally quite disappointing on WWE pay-per-view DVD releases, and this one is no exception. Other than a Spanish audio track, the only bonus material is four short moments from the Undertaker's career. The moments they selected for this feature are not bad at all, but they are simply too short for anyone to really care about.

Closing Statement

Overall, One Night Stand is not as good as last month's Judgment Day, despite all the extreme rules. Apart from a surprisingly decent main event, the lineup is clearly not one of the best we've seen over the past months. In the end, extreme does not rule that much at all.

The Verdict

Guilty.

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