| Company | WWE |
| Event | WWE No Mercy 2006 |
| Series | No Mercy |
| Edition | 9 |
| Format | Pay-Per-View |
| Date | Sunday October 8 2006 |
| Venue | RBC Center |
| Location | Raleigh, North Carolina, USA |
| Attendance | 9,000 |
Now, WWE No Mercy 2006 is arguably the last true SmackDown-only PPV from the first brand extension era. Indeed, subsequent cards Armageddon 2006 and No Way Out 2007 would both feature Raw involvement. Looking back, though, SmackDown circa autumn 2006 could be viewed as a template of what a single WWE brand should provide. Big headline names, a strong mid-card, some decent divisions and rising stars generally make for an effective formula. And No Mercy 2006 is an example of what could happen when each of those elements is firing on all cylinders.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE PREVIOUS TV SHOWS? READ OUR PRE-PPV REVIEWS OF RAW, ECW & SMACKDOWN!
WWE No Mercy 2006
Matt Hardy vs. Gregory Helms
Hardy and Helms have a shared history dating back to their pre-WWF/WWE days in OMEGA. Plus, their brief 2001 clashes and a previous showdown at The Great American Bash 2006 set up this home state showdown. Yes, both Matt and Gregory are North Carolinians, so they were always going to graft on this particular night. The upshot: an exciting and unpredictable opener featuring innovative offence and a hot crowd. What’s more, with Helms’ Cruiserweight Championship not at stake, the result could go either way.
Ultimately, a Twist Of Fate made the difference for Hardy, who secured the victory. To me, this was one of the best singles bouts that either man has ever had. A nice way to kick off No Mercy 2006, then, and a match that is well worth watching again.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE PREVIOUS EDITION? READ OUR WWE NO MERCY 2005 REVIEW!
WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Paul London & Brian Kendrick (C) vs. KC James & Idol Stevens
Stevens and James (with Michelle McCool at ringside) would only make one PPV appearance for WWE, and here you have it. London and Kendrick’s Tag Team Title reign would stretch from Judgment Day the previous May all the way to April 2007. Therefore, a title change was not going to happen here. Still, a match lacking a possible surprise outcome can still succeed if the action is of a high standard.
For fans in attendance, it would be 2-0 as far as enjoyable contests, even given the lack of threat from the challengers. This one was wrapped up after a Sliced Bread #2/Shooting Star Press combo from the titleholders. Michelle McCool’s charges may not have succeeded, but her career was only just getting started. Meanwhile, Idol Stevens would later become Damien Sandow, an intellectual saviour of the masses, from 2012-2016. As for KC James … erm, I have no idea, so let’s move on.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE PREVIOUS PPV? READ OUR WWE UNFORGIVEN 2006 REVIEW!
Before our next match, SmackDown General Manager Teddy Long would make a tag team match. Actually, he would instead acknowledge the large birthday present in the ring, a gift for birthday boy The Miz! At first glance, his present would be a dance from Layla, the recent winner of the 2006 Diva Search. Instead, Big Dick Johnson … well, you likely know the rest. Let’s move on again (though I hope Miz has better birthdays nowadays than he did on this night).
MVP vs. Marty Garner
Next up, a debut for Montel Vontavious Porter. For approximately two months, MVP was the “hottest free agent”, someone who was ready to take WWE by storm. Alas, this was a basic squash win over Garner, who I believe also has an association with Hardy and Helms. The term “letdown” is fair to use considering the hype here for MVP having a “mystery opponent”. Still, at least MVP was able to secure his first victory following the Playmaker. Later that week, his first rivalry would begin against Kane, a huge improvement on Marty Garner. But no offence, Marty.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FIRST EDITION? READ OUR WWF NO MERCY (UK) 1999 REVIEW!
WWE United States Championship Match
Mr. Kennedy (C) vs. The Undertaker
Seeing the words “United States Championship” and “The Undertaker” in the same sentence just seems wrong. It’s a bizarre fact that in his entire WWF/WWE career, Undertaker would not capture either the US or Intercontinental Titles. Which of course means Kennedy would retain his prize here. However, the bigger story would be Kennedy’s ongoing quest to defeat former World Champions. Here, he could add Undertaker to a list with Batista, Booker T/King Booker, Rey Mysterio and more.
However, his successful title defence could hardly be described as being clean. After the initial tease of Kennedy triumphing due to an unexposed turnbuckle pad, the US belt itself found itself in the ring. Then, Mr. K went to use the strap, because why wouldn’t he as a heel? But instead Taker stupidly clocked Kennedy with it in front of referee Charles Robinson, meaning he was disqualified.
Still, Taker did Tombstone both Kennedy and the poor helpless official afterwards. Further battles between these two would occur at Survivor Series (First Blood) and Armageddon (Last Ride). Meanwhile, Kennedy’s US Title reign would end just days later to Chris Benoit, who I’ll refer back to shortly.
Falls Count Anywhere Match
Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero
It would take 1,000 words to give the full back-story here, so I’ll just say “Eddie Guerrero” and then move on. To be fair, Rey and Chavo could still deliver a hell of a contest in 2006, even under murky circumstances. This would be no exception, as the brawl went to ringside, up the aisleway and into the crowd. A cool railing-assisted 619 led to a rare balcony dive in the form of a crossbody splash. One-two-three, and Rey Mysterio had pinned Chavito. This feud would be put on hold after Chavo won an I Quit rematch on SmackDown on October 16. It would be an excuse for Rey to undergo knee surgery, leading to him eventually returning at SummerSlam 2007 to beat – yes! – Chavo.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE LAST EDITION? READ OUR WWE NO MERCY 2017 REVIEW!
William Regal vs. Chris Benoit
Throughout the night, we had seen segments involving Regal and Vito, who at the time had a fondness for wearing a dress. A shower scene led to Regal accidentally exposing his private parts to the world (a botch, and one that WWE will never show again). In the midst of the craziness, Teddy Long placed Regal in a tag team match. No, wait, Regal would instead enter the ring to battle another mystery opponent here at No Mercy 2006.
This time, the surprise proved more worthwhile, as it marked Chris Benoit’s return following several months away from WWE. If you’ve seen these two clash in the past, you’ll know what this was. Indeed, fans got to see a hard-hitting affair between two very physical and technically-awesome performers. The Crippler Crossface would be enough to submit Regal, allowing Benoit to win in the first bout of a tragically ill-fated final tenure.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FOLLOWING PPV? READ OUR WWE CYBER SUNDAY 2006 REVIEW!
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Fatal Four Way Match
King Booker (C) vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Batista vs. Finlay
Originally, No Mercy 2006 was set for a double main event: Booker vs. Lashley for the WHC, and Batista vs. Finlay in a grudge match. But two nights beforehand, Teddy Long would place all four in a tag team bout. No, seriously, this time I’m right! More importantly, though, he had also merged the two No Mercy contests into one four-way showdown. I feel bad for Lashley that his first solo shot at a World Title would be shared with two others. But why did WWE switch things up? I have no idea.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FOLLOWING EDITION? READ OUR WWE NO MERCY 2007 REVIEW!
Nevertheless, we did get to see a thrilling main event, one that was better than I had expected beforehand. Indeed, all four could be proud of their performances, delivering a bout to satisfy fans on the fence about ordering No Mercy. Despite the two aforementioned singles feuds, an extra wrinkle here would focus on Booker and Finlay’s slowly-crumbling partnership. So, would the King be betrayed by one of his, erm, Sirs? Well, Finlay was hardly going to turn down a chance to become World Champion at this point of his career.
And of course things did break down for the heels, though we also got to see a Batista-Lashley square-off. Had that clash taken place at a SummerSlam or WrestleMania during this era, it would have been a big deal. So, it’s a shame that this is the closest we got to that showdown. In the end, a Lashley Spear kept Batista down while Booker pinned Finlay after a Batista Bomb to win.
Aftermath Of No Mercy 2006
So, Booker had triumphed against the odds, a staple of any heel champion entering a four-way clash in almost every scenario. Still, by Survivor Series, Batista would once again be World Heavyweight Champion at the King’s expense. And as for Lashley, a few uneventful weeks led to him jumping to ECW for a change of scenery. But we’ll cover his ECW Title win at the disastrous December To Dismember event in a future review.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE FOLLOWING TV SHOWS? READ OUR POST-PPV REVIEWS OF RAW, ECW & SMACKDOWN!
No Mercy 2006 Summary
WWE No Mercy 2006 proved to be the surprise PPV hit of the year. Several strong matches, plenty of star power, a debut, a return and an enthused crowd all made for a home-run card. It clearly goes under the radar, and if anything the show has virtually been forgotten. But No Mercy 2006 is definitely worth reliving if you get the chance.
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