Written By: Mark Armstrong
Running Time: 175 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Clear Vision Ltd/Silver Vision
Released: January 30 2012
Amongst WWE’s dozen or so annual Pay-Per-View events, there is usually always one which feels thrown together. In 2011, it was Vengeance that fulfilled that criteria, and despite one particularly memorable moment (the front sleeve is a dead give-away), it plays out like a special episode of Raw rather than a supercard in its own right.
Dolph Ziggler actually wrestles in both of the first two matches: after unsuccessfully challenging Air Boom for the WWE Tag Team Championships alongside Jack Swagger, he then successfully retains his United States crown against Zack Ryder. Beth Phoenix vs. Eve Torres is okay, making a change from the repeated Beth vs. Kelly Kelly encounters. Christian vs. Sheamus is entertaining enough, but with Captain Charisma losing their previous bout at Hell In A Cell, it’s surprising to see him lose again here.
In 2018, it’s bizarre to think that CM Punk and Triple H teamed up on a PPV, and mere months after Punk’s pipe bomb promo no less. But they did, even though their clash with Awesome Truth is instantly forgettable, aside from Kevin Nash’s interference. Punk takes the pinfall loss, but HHH comes off worse after a bad landing from Nash’s Jackknife Powerbomb.
Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes is a watchable non-title bout (Rhodes held the Intercontinental Championship at that time), but their subsequent SmackDown Street Fight would be superior. Mark Henry vs. Big Show exceeds (admittedly low) expectations and gives us the big moment of the night: a top rope suplex by Henry destroys the ring, replicating the original Brock Lesnar/Big Show incident from 2003. Fans in attendance go wild for this moment, even if it brings a sudden end to the match.
The ring remains in a state of rubble for the last match, a Last Man Standing battle between Alberto Del Rio and John Cena for the WWE Championship. It’s pretty good, though not a classic, and it goes on a bit before Awesome Truth cause Cena to lose, seemingly for no reason other than to set up what we would see at Survivor Series.
The ring implosion and the main event are worth checking out, but otherwise Vengeance ultimately proves to be just another PPV, as implied in the opening paragraph.
Overall Rating: 6.5/10 – Okay
