So I know everyone’s talking about the bullshit decision for Machida tonight, but unfortunately I was working late tonight and couldn’t see UFC. What I DID finally see, airing late at night on TSN2, was a replay of the WEC show with the Cerrone-Henderson fight from last month. And holy FUCK what a fight! Ben Henderson was like a freak of nature, escaping stuff that no human being should have been able to survive intact. But Cerrone controlled the whole fight outside of some parts of the middle rounds, so I still don’t get where the decision for Henderson came from. I mean, yeah, the guy put on an amazing clinic and deserves respect for it, but Cerrone had that thing wrapped up and should have tapped any other fighter on the planet with the kimora in the last minute of round 5. I think Mir on commentary summed it up best when Cerrone was bending Henderson’s arm back at an angle not intended by nature and Henderson gave the thumbs-up and promptly escaped, and Mir just goes “Holy god, Jesus!” along with everyone else at home, totally at a loss for any other words. WOW.
Oh yeah, John Cena v. Randy Orton on Sunday, in their fourth PPV main event in a row. For an hour. Gee, I wonder why males 18-34 are all watching UFC now?
If you didn’t see the fight, how can you say it was a bullshit decision? It was a very close fight, could have gone either way.
It was a close fight, but Shogun was the aggressor and managed to trip up Machida a few times here and there. I think it was a case of the judges not willing to have the title change hands because the match was so close.
Yeah, the unanimous decision bothered me. I just couldn’t believe it wasn’t a draw or split decision at least.
I think it’s hard to say. Yeah Shogun was the aggressor but that was mostly leg kicks, and leg kicks don’t win fights. Usually they’re used to set up the bigger stuff later in the fight, but there he was in the fifth round still throwing them, while Machida was always going for the big stuff.
FACT: John Cena hasn’t main evented a PPV since Backlash ‘09.
I don’t think you quite grasp the meaning of the word “Fact”.
If you mean he hasn’t wrestled in the match that closed the show since then, sure, but clearly Cena v. Orton was positioned as one of the most important matches in the buildup of the last four shows.
Oh come on, you know you’re spouting B.S. That’s like saying HHH/The Rock was the main event at Summerslam ‘98.
Positioning on the card means nothing now because the World titles are all props and they just book to send the crowd home happy. There hasn’t been a clear “main event” on a PPV since Wrestlemania, and even then it was Michaels v. Undertaker way down the card. Point being, it’s just as valid to call Cena v. Orton the main event of the last four shows as anything else.
This might be semantics, but Cena has main evented the Raw side of the PPV.
So he DOES understand the meaning of the word “fact”.
You’re totally stretching on this one Scott. You know that the last match of the show has ALWAYS BEEN and IS STILL the main event.
So now Main Event means any match that has been referred to as that?
Dana White from twitter
danawhiteufc I hear you all. They have both agreed to a rematch.about 7 hours ago from TwitterBerry
I’m gonna stick up for Scott here. Why? What was it Cole was hammering home during the buildups to Breaking Point and HIAC? “All main-event matches at {insert PPV here} will be a submission match/held inside Hell In A Cell!”
Orton/Cena was one of only 3 matches to have submission rules (ok, I Quit but still) at Breaking Point and also one of only 3 to actually be held inside HIAC. So, it was clearly positioned as a main-event feud on both PPVs. It was the main event tonight and it was also positioned as a main-event feud leading up to SummerSlam.
So by a show of hands what was the real headlining match of Wrestlemania 18? Rock vs Hogan or Jericho vs HHH?
As a Jerichoholic, I want to say Jericho/HHH but I’m not sure anyone could argue that it isn’t Rock/Hogan.
Also, which was the headlining match of 19? Brock/Angle? Rock/Stone Cold? Hogan/Vince? HBK/Y2J? HHH/Booker T?
Scott’s right. The main event is the match that is expected to draw the most money. Placement doesn’t mean much. Many times during Hulkamania, Hogan’s match went on in the middle of the card. You going to try and argue he wasn’t the main event?
Wrestlemania 18 is a perfect example. Rock/Hogan would have overshadowed any match. But HHH/Jericho was so pathetic, in both the build and execution, that the fans that left early didn’t miss anything. That was the night I stopped caring about HHH forever. Jericho took about a year to rebound. If you argue they were the main event, than I guess the women’s title match was more important than Rock/Hogan as well. Because your going just based on card placement. So that would be a big “no”.
As for Wrestlemania 19, that’s a strange show. Hogan/McMahon was put on all the posters. Angle/Lesnar was built as a dream match, and closed the show. Rock/Austin was the most iconic match. The HHH and HBK matches aren’t even in the conversation, and even Hunter would probaly admit to that. I’ll say Angle/Lesnar was the main event, even though it really didn’t feel like one(the fans weren’t that into it). Just going based on the fact that Brock looked like he was going to be taking over as THE guy in the company at the time, and those are the moments that usually headline Mania’s. The most important match though was Rock/Austin, for both guys. It’s the first one I think of from this show. If Brock hadn’t missed the SSP, I don’t think anybody would remember the main event at all.
I agree that the HHH match at 19 wasn’t a main event but since it was a World Title match, I figured I should throw it out there as part of the conversation. I also realize that HBK/Y2J was a midcard match both in placement and promotion. However, since I’m a Jericho fan and also since I really enjoyed that match, it’s always the one I think of first from 19…so I guess it’s my personal main event.
Maybe that would be a good blog topic–personal main events vs. actual main events.
That’s fair enough. Jericho/HBK actually was a pretty big match, in terms of star power, especially because it had never been done. On most Wrestlemania cards it could have been one of the top three matches. But Mania XIX is pretty underrated as far as supercards go. Not in terms of match quality per say, but in terms of high profile matches. I know the Attitude Era was already over, but that show really feels like the curtain call for me. It was the last show to feature all the mega stars of that era in matches(outside of Foley), and Rock/Austin 3 was the epic exclamation point. I like Angle and Lesnar, but Rock/Austin was my own personal main event.
I wonder if it’s always been that way regarding “main events” just being the money-drawing matches regardless of placement. I always thought of the main event as the last match until Wrestlemania VIII really played up the “DOUBLE Main Event” idea and then put one of them in the middle of the show. Then again I was only 9 at the time, so I imagine that’s not the first time that ever happened.
SD has headlined most the PPV’s this year.. This is the first wwe title change to end a PPV since Hardy at Armageddon 08′. Headlining and main eventing seem to be two very different concepts these days, but they tend to be the storyline with the most significance/momentum goes on last at the moment. Orton throughout all his WWE title runs has only headlined a PPV three times. Going on ‘last’ isn’t as important or a big deal as it use to be.