WWE has always had a knack for creating intellectual property specific to their company. If there is an angle to be had to print money, you can rest assured that they will be at the forefront. Creating new PLEs is right at the top of the list.
WWE will throw any concept at a wall to see what sticks. Sometimes, it’s for the best, and sometimes, not so much. In the case of their short-lived New Year’s Revolution, it was a so-so effort.
There were three such New Year’s theme PLEs from WWE, and they varied in watchability. Some included iconic moments while others contained moments that WWE would rather everyone forget about.
Best: New Year’s Revolution 2007
Best Match: John Cena vs Umaga for the WWE Championship
All of the New Year’s Revolution shows have their redeeming qualities but, of the three, the 2007 edition is the most well-rounded show. From top to bottom, there aren’t many matches/ or segments that could be considered terrible. From a match standpoint, there were some great ones on the show.
Jeff Hardy and Johnny Nitro put on a banger of an opening match. It was an awesome steel cage match that was indicative of the talent of both men. Following that was a better-than-average tag team turmoil match and a Women’s Championship Match that was better than most expected.
Outside of those matches, there were the two highlights of the night. It was an amazing tag match between Rated-RKO and DX that was marred by Triple H’s horrific injury. An injury that showed the toughness of Triple H and the ingenuity of the other three men as they were forced to change the match on the fly.
Then there was the match of the night for the WWE Championship. John Cena and Umaga had a great rivalry with not a single bad match in it.
This was the tamest of their matches but it still included some great wrestling and went a long way to making Umaga look like a monster. The roll-up ending was a bit iffy but it gave them something to come back with at the Royal Rumble.
New Year’s Revolution 2006
Best Match: Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship
The previous year New Year’s Revolution was a slight step down for WWE. It wasn’t as well-rounded of a show and hinged on one lasting memory while all other moments have tended to drop to the wayside.
Like 2007, it still opened up with a memorable contest between the aging Ric Flair and Edge. There were limitations to the contest but it was still a fun watch and helped to sell Edge as the main event talent he was about to become.
Following the opener, there was a so-so match between Trish Stratus and Mickie James and a longer-than-needed match featuring Triple H and The Big Show. It wasn’t exactly an undercard that inspired a ton of confidence from the WWE Universe.
The Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship was head and shoulders the best match of the night. Masters and Carlito working together to eliminate the likes of Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, and Kane was a shock and should have worked towards pushing both men to the main event. It was a great way to work the match, and having Cena get a ton of color was another bonus.
Naturally, the highlight of the show was the inaugural Money in the Bank cash-in from Edge. It was a truly shocking ending that had everyone talking. Not many knew how the briefcase would work, and this was a great precursor to what would become one of WWE’s biggest stories.
Worst: New Year’s Revolution 2005
Best Match: Elimination Chamber Match for the Vacant World Heavyweight Championship
The first New Year’s Revolution PLE was a historic one. It was the first time that WWE had held a PLE in Puerto Rico and the crowd was raucous, to say the least. The atmosphere, surrounding the event was fantastic but, outside of the main event, there wasn’t much of note that took place that night.
The undercard was littered with underwhelming matches that showed potential. Trish Stratus and Lita didn’t live up to the expectations.
The Intercontinental Championship match was better served for television, and Kane taking on Gene Snitsky was a bore. These were house show matches that were thrown together.
Granted the tag title opener was an entertaining match but it did little to help build excitement for the rest of the show. This was a one-show match with the main event taking the prize. Shawn Michaels as the special referee presented a great dynamic, as he had a history with every wrestler inside the chamber.
The Elimination Chamber match was also still new at that point. The allure of the match was there, and it had perhaps the most stacked roster since the original match. It was a great way to finish an otherwise underwhelming evening.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – WWE – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the WWE Network and Peacock.
