Written By: Mark Armstrong
Running Time: 170 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Clear Vision Ltd/Silver Vision
Released: October 10 2011
Capitol Punishment was a one-off PPV for WWE, and with a short-lived main event push for R-Truth being its lead storyline, it is not looked back on fondly by fans today. Still, it has a few enjoyable bouts that one would be wise to see again on DVD.
Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler is a reasonable opening match, if not exactly a classic contest. Alex Riley claimed his biggest career win over The Miz, though A-Ry would be almost completely out of the WWE spotlight within a few months. Then, Alberto Del Rio beats Big Show in a match that really existed to kickstart Mark Henry’s Hall Of Pain run on SmackDown.
Ezekiel Jackson’s termination of Wade Barrett’s Intercontinental Championship reign is instantly forgettable; far better is a hidden gem of a CM Punk-Rey Mysterio match, right before the so-called Summer Of Punk. Randy Orton and Christian then put on a very entertaining match, though one that is slightly inferior to their previous contest at Over The Limit.
Jack Swagger losing to Evan Bourne in a quick bout is something I didn’t recall until I was preparing to write this review. Finally, John Cena defeats R-Truth in a match that is largely controlled by Truth, yet has a completely predictable outcome of Cena winning. Oh, there’s also a segment with a Barack Obama impersonator where he appears to call Jim Ross a “fat bastard”. Okay, then.
Capitol Punishment 2011 isn’t the complete flop that people would have you believe, but it’s hardly a superb event either, even if it is a reflection of the WWE product at that time. Thank goodness for CM Punk turning the wrestling world on its head eight days later.
Overall Rating: 6/10 – Reasonable
