The Verdict: 2009 Judgment Day

The 2009 Judgment Day Pay-Per-View was pretty much done by the book as the matches were relatively easy to figure out based on the fact that 3 titles changed hands at the last Pay-Per-View, Backlash. No title changes occurred last night and we basically saw an extension of the current feuds and title pictures. John Cena once again showed his Superman/Hulkster type will to win against the odds, and Randy Orton found a way to DQ himself in a match yet again, to preserve the WWE Title from the Animal. There were a few surprises (Ric Flair & Matt Hardy), and the Mysterio-Jericho Intercontinental Title match gave us some classic stuff unseen before, as did Shelton vs. Morrison.

The opener may have given some fans a false impression. CM Punk's loss to Umaga made it look as if he would in fact show up after the Edge vs. Jeff Hardy match to cash in the MITB briefcase. Remember that Chris Jericho showed up after being beaten up by Shawn Michaels at a Pay-Per-View and took Punk's spot in the Championship Scramble, to win the title. So it appeared that Punk would be dominated by Umaga and somehow make it out to cash in, but that was not to be. Many people were under the belief that Jeff Hardy would leave Judgment Day as WWE champion, but once again Edge found opportunity and kept his gold. Matt Hardy showing up and interfering was surprising and a strange situation as that feud appeared dead. It really looked as if Matt Hardy was now moving on to going after MVP's US Title. But instead, Matt showed up to club Jeff with his cast, and basically played a part in the match. Will these two brothers be competing yet again at the next Pay-Per-View or on one of the TV shows perhaps?

Another surprise was Ric Flair showing up out of nowhere at the end of the Orton-Batista match. Orton exited the scene with his belt in hand, while the fans went wild for the Nature Boy. Flair has stated he'd love to still be a part of the Raw show, even if it's not in a traditional wrestling role. In an interview he spoke of his love for the business and just being part of Raw. So possibly Flair will now be a corner man for Batista in the next WWE Title match. If I had to choose a next match, it'd be great to see a Triple Threat or Fatal Fourway for the WWE Title though. Big Show, John Cena, Batista and Orton would make for a pairing we really haven't seen before. Or maybe we'll get the unfortunate news that they will be in tag action for the next Pay-Per-View. I think a Batista-Cena-Orton Triple Threat could be spectacular to watch.

Perhaps the main thing to take away from this Pay-Per-View is quite simple; there were several rule-bending wins and some trickery involved in the big title matches of the event, allowing all 3 champs to retain. The next Pay-Per-View is called "Extreme Rules" which seems fitting. If you look at how Christian won (by pulling on tights), Orton DQ'd himself, and Edge won with a little help from Matt Hardy's involvement, then it will definitely lead up to a set of different matches with "extreme rules" stipulations. Possibly a No DQ between Batista and Orton? Falls count anywhere between Swagger & Christian (although Tommy Dreamer may need to get involved in a title match soon)...There may be a lack of ideas though, because the Hardy's have fought in all sorts of situations, so what's left? Maybe a TLC match, and where's that leave Edge, Umaga and CM Punk? I think the best thing WWE is doing right now is the story involving Punk's constant attempt to cash in with Umaga getting in the way. It's a fresh story and keeps us all on our toes as to whether Punk will ever cash in, or someone else will take it away from him (like Edge did to Kennedy years back).

So now that the basics of Judgment Day are out of the way, let's prepare to get extreme...

Get 2009 Judgment Day PPV Results here