REVIEW: New Year’s Revolution 2007: Cena’s New Monster

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over ten years now and have reviewed over 5,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net. It could be anything from modern WWE to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be?

New Year’s Revolution 2007
Date: January 7, 2007
Location: Kemper Memorial Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
Attendance: 10,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

This is still a weird time for WWE as Cena is clearly their top star but he doesn’t have a major opponent to fight. His feud with Edge went on for most of 2006 but Cena has completely defeated him at this point. It would be a long time before Cena had a long term threat but Umaga will do just fine for now. Let’s get to it.

A cage is lowered.

The opening video focuses on Rated RKO vs. DX and the World Title match, which really are the most important things on this show.

Intercontinental Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Johnny Nitro

Hardy is defending inside a cage with pin, submission or escape to win. These two have feuded over and traded the title for months now. Nitro goes with the simple plan of hitting Jeff in the back to start before it turns into an old fashioned slugout. The champ fires off some right hands in the corner but Nitro picks him up for a belly to back suplex and slams him face first into the mat for two.

That means it’s time to hear the Melina screeching so JR and Lawler can get into their normal awkward discussion of the sounds. A springboard kick to the head gets two for Johnny but Jeff comes back with a running sleeper drop to get a breather. It’s finally time to start with the cage as Jeff is knocked back first into it over and over. Melina goes off again and Lawler is sad about not getting a screamer for Christmas. Since he’s a heel though, Nitro has no chance of actually escaping without cheating so Jeff dropkicks him off the top but crashes as well because that’s how Jeff Hardy works.

Jeff loads up the Whisper in the Wind but jumps to the top of the cage instead, only to get brought back down in a nice belly to back superplex. I know they’re the same spots but the cage just makes them look more impressive. Both guys are a bit dazed so Jeff has to catch Johnny on top, only to get caught in a big old sunset bomb. Johnny climbs again but this time Jeff pulls him down, leaving Nitro upside down with his legs tied up in the cage.

Hardy tries to get out but Melina whips him with her belt for another save. Instead Jeff drops the Swanton for two but both guys are spent. They head up the same corner but Johnny is able to block a super Twist of Fate attempt for a huge crash. Nitro climbs again as Jeff is going for the door. Johnny puts his feet on the door for a block so Jeff dropkicks the door out, crotching Johnny on the frame, setting up the escape to retain Hardy’s title at 14:49.

Rating: B. I liked this quite a bit, especially as an opening match. Hardy and Nitro had a really nice chemistry and both guys worked very well in a hard hitting cage match like this one. It really is amazing to see Nitro rise up the card and turn into such an entertaining guy. Hardy was getting better all the time at this point and was just a lot of fun to watch. This is how you start off a show and more importantly they didn’t overstay their welcome, which happens so often in opening matches.

Rated RKO say they’re a new team starting a new dynasty but above all else, they’re fighting for their legacy. DX’s reunion may have sold a lot of t-shirts but the run ends tonight.

Tag Team Turmoil

This is a gauntlet match with two teams starting and only the winners advancing to face the third team. The process is repeated until all five teams have gone with the winners receiving a future Tag Team Title shot. We start with the Highlanders vs. the World’s Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas/Shelton Benjamin), allowing JR to talk about Roddy Piper, who recently underwent surgery to help fight cancer (found during a medical check due to a concussion in a Tag Team Title defense).

Robbie and Shelton get things going until Rory comes in to help out on a double suplex. Rory gets caught in the heel corner and the beating is on. Shelton grabs a chinlock but can’t manage to slam Rory for whatever reason. The hot tag brings in Robbie to clean house but Charlie rolls away before a Rocket Launcher can, uh, launch. Instead Shelton superplexes Rory for the first elimination at 5:08.

Next up is the oddball team of Jim Duggan and Super Crazy, a luchador. Shelton knees Duggan in the head to start as the fans chant for Crazy. They get what they want as Jim makes the tag for a seated dropkick and standing moonsault. Shelton kicks him in the face though, setting up a German suplex to give Haas the pin at 7:59 total.

Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch are in third with Cade powerbombing Shelton for an early two, only to have Shelton grab a rollup for the same. An atomic drop/running boot to the face drops Shelton and a heavy elbow drop gets two. The hot tag brings in Haas to clean house with an exploder suplex on Cade, followed by the Haas of Pain (a leg lock with Murdoch being bent backwards while Haas pulls on the legs), only to have Cade come in off the top for the save, giving Murdoch the pin at 12:30 total.

Cryme Tyme is the last team as JR isn’t sure who else could be in the match. You know, because the “division” is five teams (with Jim Duggan and Super Crazy as one of them) and then the champions. Shad runs Murdoch over to start before it’s off to JTG who gets slapped on the back to slow him down. A high/low drops JTG again and we get some old school choking with the tag rope.

The referee misses JTG’s small package on Murdoch and even the announcers rip on him for getting that wrong. Trevor dives into a raised boot though (thankfully with his hands up to at least look like he was trying something) and it’s off to Shad as house is cleaned. A Samoan Drop/running neckbreaker combination puts Cade away to wrap things up at 19:02 total.

Rating: C-. I’m rarely a fan of these matches but it was nice to have the matches actually have some length. The big problem with these matches are having the falls take a minute or two each when no match ever ends that quickly. Cryme Tyme winning makes as much sense as anything else as the fans liked them and that’s all this needed to be. If nothing else it filled in a bunch of time and gave us something fun, which is better than wasting time.

Vince McMahon and Jonathan Coachman talk about the Donald Trump vs. Rosie O’Donnell feud and makes a match between them for tomorrow night. Very short impersonators would be involved because wrestling works that way. Coach praises Vince for his YOU’RE FIRED catchphrase until Ron Simmons comes up for his catchphrase (it starts with a D and rhymes with spam) because…..I’m not sure actually.

Kenny Dykstra vs. Ric Flair

That would be Kenny, the last survivor of the Spirit Squad, who comes out in a stolen Flair robe after having beaten Flair twice in a row coming into this. Flair was beaten down by Rated RKO on Raw so he’s not coming in at 100%. A shoulder puts Flair down early and it’s time for some faux strutting and WOOing. Ric comes back with chops (duh) with a big one sending Kenny outside. Kenny suplexes him on the floor and a second gets two inside.

Off to a Boston crab of all things for a good while with Flair having to bite his own hand to withstand the pin. He finally makes the ropes and wins a slugout, only to have Kenny put him down again without much of an effort. Kenny’s Figure Four doesn’t work but he’s able to slam Flair off the top. A missile dropkick gets two for Kenny but Flair starts in on the knee. The Figure Four goes on and Kenny starts screaming so Flair slaps him in the face a bit. We get the rope break so Flair hammers away in the corner, only to get hit low and small packaged to give Kenny the pin at 10:00.

Rating: D+. The worst part here is the fact that the match really wasn’t all that bad. The problem here though is how far Flair has fallen. I mean, to go from being the veteran in Evolution to being the Intercontinental Champion to jobbing in a ten minute match to Kenny Dykstra on pay per view? The match was fine but at some point Flair just stops being relevant because he’s put over so many people.

Johnny Nitro is being checked out when he tells Melina to go take care of something. Melina runs into Victoria who is carrying her hit list. The only name missing is Melina, who Victoria wants as her partner. If she helps Victoria tonight, Melina can have the first title shot.

We recap Victoria’s hit list on her way to the title shot here.

Women’s Title: Victoria vs. Mickie James

Victoria is challenging and quickly takes Mickie down into something like a Last Chancery. Mickie, slightly less insane at this point, gets up and tries a wristlock but settles for some armdrags. A big kick to the head sends Mickie out to the floor and Victoria stays on the head, which isn’t likely to keep Mickie sane.

Victoria throws her around by the hair with JR calling Mickie a sexy little Frisbee. Mickie avoids a moonsault and starts the comeback with some rare punching, followed by a hurricanrana to send her outside. Cue Melina to break up Mickie’s jumping tornado DDT but the women on Victoria’s hit list come out to take care of her. Mickie reverses a slam attempt into a tornado DDT to retain at 6:49.

Rating: C. It’s a really nice change of pace to see women who can actually wrestle a decent match without any of the stupid eye candy nonsense being the focus. They’re both still gorgeous and in very revealing outfits but, aside from the occasional Lawler comments, the match is almost all about the wrestling. I can get far more out of this than some “fulfill your fantasy” battle royal or whatever nonsense they were doing at the time.

We recap Rated RKO vs. DX, which is happening again after Orton and Edge destroyed Ric Flair and left him a bloody mess. Unfortunately it wasn’t clear if they beat the heck out of him or just stared at him to draw that much blood but the former is the generally accepted explanation. The Conchairto on the floor made it even worse so Shawn and HHH demanded revenge. DX took a horrible beating in a six man tag as well so they’re really coming in as underdogs here.

Raw Tag Team Titles: D-Generation X vs. Rated RKO

Edge and Orton are defending and I do miss that pretty rocking merging of their theme songs. Before the match, HHH promises that this won’t be the sugary version of DX for a change. DX meets them in the aisle to start with HHH suplexing Edge over the barricade and Shawn sends Orton into the steps. We actually get the opening bell with HHH pounding Edge down in the corner and hitting a big running clothesline in the corner.

Shawn comes in and misses a charge in the corner to send him shoulder first into the post. It’s off to Orton but Shawn is right back up to take him down as well. HHH comes back in and punches Randy down for two before Shawn just bites him on the forehead to draw some blood. You don’t have to ask HHH twice to punch a bloody forehead and Shawn drops a leg on the apron for good measure.

Edge sneaks in for a chop block and the champs finally get in some offense. The leg work keeps HHH in trouble but Edge misses a charge into the post as well, allowing Shawn to come in for the forearm and nipup. The top rope elbow crushes Edge but Orton runs him over, only to get clotheslined out to the floor. Edge is backdropped out as well, setting up a big flip dive from Shawn.

Orton is up with a title shot to Shawn’s head though and now we get some real blood. A backbreaker gives Orton two and JR is getting furious about the refereeing. The champs take turns on Michaels’ back as Shawn’s blood is all over Orton. Edge puts his knee in Shawn’s back and pulls on the arms until Shawn suplexes his way out. A big boot stops any hot tag attempts but Orton’s RKO attempt is shoved away.

That’s enough for the tag and it’s time for HHH to clean house….until a spinebuster to Orton results in another torn quad to put him on the shelf until August. HHH tries the Pedigree anyway but collapses before Orton can hit the RKO. Shawn superkicks Randy, only to get sent outside. Something like a Pedigree drops Edge for two and here’s Shawn to go nuts and shove the referee down before cleaning house with a chair.

Somehow HHH is on his feet with a chair of his own and Orton is just covered in blood. Michaels loads up the announcers’ table so HHH can Pedigree Edge (without the table breaking), followed by Shawn dropping a top rope elbow through Orton and the other table, which we’ll say ends the match in a no contest at 23:18.

Rating: B. The injury and the changed finish really hurt things but watching Shawn take over like a madman was really cool to see. It’s actually possible that the titles were supposed to change hands here as Rated RKO would drop the belts to the makeshift team of Shawn Michaels and John Cena to set up their Wrestlemania match, which was also set up as a result of HHH’s injury.

John Cena mocks the idea of the pre-match promo by dropping a bunch of cliches but unfortunately those things aren’t true. Instead Cena has to face someone who has never been pinned and now has his sights set on this title. Nothing is impossible and he’s walking out of here with his title.

There is blood EVERYWHERE on the floor.

Carlito vs. Chris Masters

Welcome to the death spot guys. Carlito has Torrie Wilson with him. These two have been feuding on and off for a good while but there isn’t much of a story to this match. Carlito takes him down to start and hits a middle rope bulldog, only to get launched into the air off a backdrop. A double springboard moonsault takes down the standing Masters for no cover.

Masters can’t get the Masterlock so he carries Carlito around by his hair. Carlito hits a quick springboard back elbow and a running knee lift for two. The crowd really is quiet here and you can tell the announcers aren’t all that interested either. Thankfully it wraps up quickly with Masters grabbing a rollup and a handful of trunks for the pin at 5:56.

Rating: D. Oh yeah these two were dead in the water before they started. There’s barely any story here and the match is between a full nelson and a big head of hair. It doesn’t help that neither guy was all that interesting in the ring with Masters being as one dimensional as you could ask someone to be.

Masters gets the Masterlock post match.

We recap Umaga vs. John Cena. Umaga is a monster who has never been pinned or given up and in a logical promotion, that actually earns you a title shot.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Umaga

Cena is defending and we actually get some Big Match Intros. John goes with the stick and move strategy to start and sends Umaga out to the floor. JR: “THERE’S NOTHING LEFT OVER HERE TO BREAK!” Umaga gets back on the apron and easily throws Cena over the top for a big crash. Back in and Umaga easily takes Cena down with a hard clothesline, followed by the big Samoan Drop.

The champ can’t get a sunset flip or a slam as Umaga drops a big old leg. Cena finally snaps Umaga’s throat across the top rope but his high cross body is easily caught and countered into a spinning Rock Bottom. Umaga walks around a bit and Cena gets in a quick Blockbuster, only to have Umaga pop to his feet for a spinwheel kick to take Cena’s head off.

It’s time to start on Cena’s ribs so Umaga starts cannonballing down onto the midsection until Cena gets his knees up for a low blow. Some good guy. The FU doesn’t work though and Umaga crashes down onto Cena’s head. Back in and we hit the nerve hold for a bit. Cena’s comeback is stopped again with a hard elbow to the jaw but Umaga misses a middle rope headbutt to give Cena a breather.

Back up and Cena slugs away before sending Umaga head first into the post. The Protobomb sets up the Five Knuckle Shuffle but Cena still can’t FU him. Instead Cena puts him in the Tree of Woe for a running headbutt and the champ is in big trouble. By trouble of course I mean he’s able to grab a quick rollup to retain at 17:16.

Rating: C+. The match was a good brawl but the ending really hurt things here. We were just three weeks away from the Royal Rumble where Cena would win again in a rematch so I really don’t see why they didn’t switch the title here, save for not wanting to do the same thing they did last year. Umaga looked awesome but Cena winning here was a real stretch and a bit too far.

Umaga destroys things to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. It’s not great or anything but it’s definitely a big step up above the first two shows in this series. The two main events worked well enough and the opener was a lot of fun, which are more than enough to lift up the weaker matches. It’s a totally watchable C level show and that’s all it needed to be, especially with the Royal Rumble and the Road to Wrestlemania starting soon.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his- Amazon author page with 30 wrestling books. Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for “GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES” to sign up. Thank you for reading!