All Rise...

Not even Armageddon can stop Judge Franck Tabouring.

The Charge

Zero hour is approaching…

Opening Statement

The stars of Raw, SmackDown, and ECW head to Buffalo, New York, for WWE: Armageddon 2008, the year's final pay-per-view and the ultimate showdown between WWE's finest.

Facts of the Case

Here's a brief look at the PPV's card: Matt Hardy faces Vladimir Kozlov; CM Punk goes head to head with Rey Mysterio; Batista battles Randy Orton; and Finlay takes on Mark Henry in a Belfast Brawl. Additionally, eight divas lead a tag team match; Chris Jericho wrestles John Cena for the world title; and Edge, Triple H, and Jeff Hardy go after the WWE Championship in a Triple Threat.

The Evidence

Here's the complete lineup of the event:

• Matt Hardy vs. Vladimir Kozlov
Even though Matt Hardy's opening match against Vladimir Kozlov is not necessarily a memorable one, it's not that bad. While Kozlov starts off by slowing down the battle via a series of dragging submission moves, Hardy takes enough initiative to speed things up and offer his fans a bunch of high-risk maneuvers, some of which work better than others. Luckily, the second part of this 8-minute match features a tad more variety from both athletes. All in all, this is a simple but decent first matchup.

• Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk in a #1 Contender Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
While this is certainly not the best match I've seen from these guys, I do admit it's fairly entertaining nonetheless. Punk and Mysterio try their best to keep the battle fast-paced throughout, and they succeed in doing just that by delivering a series of impressive moves, including a bunch of dives and plenty of pins. Some of their efforts end up being a little predictable, but in the end, this 12-minute #1 contender match proves to be quite the amusing wrestling experience.

• Finlay vs. Mark Henry in a Belfast Brawl
It's time for a Belfast Brawl, and that means both wrestlers can use whatever they find around the ring to attack each other without being disqualified. Additionally, they can only win this match via pinfall or submission. Clocking in at nine minutes, this is a rather long, slow-moving hardcore match during which we don't get to see much intense wrestling action. Finlay and Henry play around with sticks and trash cans for a while, but surprises are scarce and their uses of signature moves remain rather limited throughout. To be honest, I'd had enough of this brawl after the first 3 minutes.

• Batista vs. Randy Orton
At 16 minutes, this is a long battle. Luckily, Batista and Orton both have what it takes to offer the crowd a technically flawless show, and most of their moves are well coordinated and varied. A solid combination of fast punches and efficient maneuvers turn this matchup into a clean non-title PPV fight.

• Michelle McCool, Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, and Maria vs. Maryse, Natalya, Jillian, and Victoria in a Santa's Little Helper Tag Team Match
The divas are at it again in one of those big tag team brawls, and this time, they are wearing sexy Santa's helper outfits to celebrate the spirit of the season. At 4 minutes, this is a short but rather entertaining battle. It's by no means a memorable wrestling match, but some of the divas actually manage to pull off a couple of impressive moves. Let's quickly move on to something a little more serious.

• Chris Jericho vs. John Cena in a World Heavyweight Championship Match
This is a great match. No, it's by no means the best PPV match I've seen over the past year, but it's undoubtedly the best of this event so far. Jericho and Cena keep the wrestling action going for a total of 13 minutes, and their battle for the World Heavyweight title is neither boring nor monotonous. It's a fast-paced matchup, filled with different moves, big blows, high risk maneuvers and a bunch of solid slams and decent submission holds. The athletes' flexibility and obvious desire to offer a great show drive them to deliver an overall well-coordinated match.

• Edge vs. Triple H. vs. Jeff Hardy in a Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship.
The main event between these three wrestlers is undoubtedly the best matchup of the entire pay-per-view. It runs for 17 minutes, and it's brutal, entertaining, and even quite surprising. Edge, HHH, and Hardy use their wrestling expertise and technical skills to deliver a bunch of great maneuvers during this intense battle, giving fans exactly the kind of show they expected in return for the ticket prices. This is the perfect WWE pay-per-view match to end 2008.

The disc boasts solid enough technical aspects, including a clean enough full-frame presentation and a decent audio transfer. The DVD also features a Spanish commentary track.

The bonus material, however, fails to deliver the goods. The only extra you'll find on this disc is a four-minute segment during which The Miz and John Morrison offer viewers their personal pay-per-view review. To be honest, I couldn't care less about what these guys have to say. It's supposed to be a funny piece, but I couldn't help but stop watching it after fifteen seconds.

Closing Statement

Even though WWE: Armageddon is definitely not the best pay-per-view of 2008, it includes a couple of entertaining matches. The final two battles work flawlessly, and the great main event is reason alone to invest in this DVD if you haven't already seen the show.

The Verdict

Not guilty.

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