Tag: Wwe Vengeance

WWE’s Vengeance, on 6/25 from the Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, was a loaded line-up that underachieved a bit, producing a decent show that got a mixed response.

There was nothing really eventful about it, with several good matches but no great ones. The show was expected to do well above usual buy rate levels, due to the first DX tag team match together in the main event against the Spirit Squad. Based on our responses, it seemed to do that, easing the transition from $34.95 to $39.95 for the “B” shows with two shows that had a certain base more apt to buy regardless of price point. The first was the ECW show two weeks earlier, which may not have had as much casual interest, but was still going to get a lot of people to buy regardless of price. This was a nostalgia deal, and strong nostalgia draws well at first.

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Months in the making and hyping, the return of DX was the focal point of this week on Raw and the Vengeance PPV on 6/25 in Charlotte.

The show was based around HHH and Shawn Michaels running amok with Vince and Shane McMahon gone due to Michaels making a prank phone call saying Stephanie was about to give birth. We had the whole routine, with minis dressed as the Spirit Squad, cheerleaders wearing bras with DX on it, and far too much male ass. The show was funny as hell. The return was over as hell. The TV was reminiscent of the glory days of the promotion, and as DX, both guys who have been on top forever, suddenly seemed refreshed as characters.

The question is, for how long. In 1997, when Michaels, HHH and Chyna formed DX, with the unique video spliced with live footage ring entrance, I don’t want to overstate it and say they were responsible for the balance of power switching. They weren’t but they were a huge secondary piece of the puzzle behind the Vince McMahon-Steve Austin dynamic. In 1997, Nitro, at least as far as TV rating were concerned, was killing Raw.

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