|Date: October 7, 2007
|Venue: Allstate Arena |City: Rosemont, Illinois
|Attendance: 12,500 |Buys: 270,000
|Brands: Raw, Smackdown & ECW

|tweet me: @BastionBlogger

No Mercy is a staple of the WWE calendar and tonight it returns for a tenth time to absolute chaos. Originally expected tonight was a WWE Championship match between John Cena and Randy Orton. However that plan has gone out the window after John Cena tore his pec in a match with Mr Kennedy and has had to forfeit his title. The belt is now vacant but Mr McMahon has promised that there will be a title match at No Mercy and a new champion. He’s not said who will be involved but you can be sure that Randy Orton won’t be far away. The World Heavyweight Championship is set to be defended as new champion Batista defends against the man he won the title from, The Great Khali. Khali has challenged Batista to a punjabi prison match, only the second time this match has ever happened.

The ECW Championship is also set to be defended as CM Punk puts the title on the line. ECW General Manager Armando Estrada announced that Punk would defend against the winner of an “Elimination Chase” involving Tommy Dreamer, Stevie Richards, Elijah Burke and Kevin Thorn. Dreamer won the chase but it was when announced that Dreamer would have to beat Big Daddy V which he did not. Big Daddy V was then announced as the number one contender to CM Punk’s title. The WWE Women’s Championship is also set to be defended as Beth Phoenix, who earned a shot at the title by pinning Candice Michelle in a tag team match, takes on Candice Michelle in an Unforgiven rematch. Can Candice beat Phoenix for a second consecutive pay per view?

Also tonight, Triple H goes one on one with Umaga. Triple H put Umaga out of action with his trusty sledgehammer for a few weeks and Vince McMahon announced that Triple H would have to battle Umaga at No Mercy. Also tonight, Rey Mysterio squares off with the man that has attacked him on a number of occasions, Finlay. Finlays attacks have been unprovoked and now Mysterio finally gets a shot at revenge. With only 5 matches announced for tonight, expect more matches to be added throughout the night.

In a dark match prior to the event Hardcore Holly defeated Cody Rhodes.

A religion based video package kicks things off centred around the vacant WWE Championship.

It’s very rare for a promo to kick off a pay per view but that is exactly how this one beings. Vince McMahon and William Regal make their way to the ring as Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler welcome us to the show. Vince reminds us that John Cena was injured on Raw and is therefore no longer WWE Champion. McMahon guarantees us a new WWE Champion and a championship match tonight. A “Y2J” chant breaks out but Vince McMahon announces Randy Orton as the new WWE Champion. Orton comes out and is presented with the title as fireworks go off in the arena. Regal congratulates Randy but then tells him that he will be defending the title tonight. Regal then lets Orton pick his opponent for tonight. Another “Y2J” chant breaks out. Orton says that he won’t be defending the title against John Cena tonight and there is nobody that comes close to Orton. Triple H’s music then hits and out walks The Game! Triple H challenges Orton to a match but Orton says no. Triple H then intimidates Vince McMahon into accepting the match and it’s on! Randy Orton vs. Triple H to kick off the show!

Randy Orton (c) vs. Triple H – WWE Championship match

This is the third PPV match between these two men and Triple H has won the previous two matches. Orton is 1-0 at No Mercy PPV’s whilst Triple H has a  3-1 record. The bell rings and McMahon distracts Triple H long enough for Randy to attack him. Triple H gets back into the match with a reverse elbow and Orton heads to the outside, grabbing his title. Triple H attacks Orton and throws him back into the ring but Orton rolls right back out and heads to the back. Triple H goes after him and throws the WWE Champion into the barricade. Orton hits Triple H with right hands but Triple H hits Orton with a high knee. Triple H attempts a suplex but Orton counters it into a backbreaker for a one count. Randy hits some right hands and then chokes Triple H in the corner. The two men then slug it out until Orton hits a big powerslam for a near fall.

Orton stomps away at the different limbs of Triple H and then hits a hard looking knee drop for a two count. Randy then goes to his trusty chinlock which Triple H gets out of and hits a few clotheslines for the first near fall of the night. Triple H then pops Orton on the top turnbuckle before bringing him back down to the mat with a superplex for a near fall. Triple H hits a big spinebuster for a near fall but then gets caught with a big DDT. Orton then attempts the RKO but Triple H shoves him away before setting the champion up for the pedigree but Orton back body drops his challenger. Orton misses with a knee drop and Triple H then applies the figure four! Orton gets to the ropes and then sends Triple H through the ropes to the outside but Triple H drops Orton on the top rope. Helmsley then heads to the top but Orton crotches him. Orton attempts a shoulder charge but Triple H moves out of the way. Triple H then rolls Orton up and gets the three! Triple H wins the WWE Championship! What a way to kick off the show!

Rating: 6/10

Randy Orton is backstage and can’t believe what has happened. He walks up to Vince McMahon who shakes his head.

Jeff Hardy, Paul London & Brian Kendrick vs. Mr Kennedy, Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch

This is sort of a rematch from Raw last week but Mr Kennedy replaces Shelton Benjamin. Jeff Hardy is 2-1 at No Mercy PPV’s, Paul London is 1-1, Kendrick 1-0, Mr Kennedy is 2-0 at the event whilst Cade and Murdoch make their No Mercy debuts tonight. Cade and Murdoch are the World Tag Team Champions whilst Jeff Hardy is the Intercontinental Champion. Brian Kendrick an Lance Cade kick off the match as they often do when they meet. Kendrick hits a cross body and then tags in Paul London who hits a sunset flip for a one count. Cade tags in Murdoch but London hits a headlock takeover and a dropkick for a one count. London tags in Jeff Hardy who hits poetry in motion off Paul Londons back. Hardy attempts a jawbreaker but Murdoch puts the breaks on and tags in Mr Kennedy. Kennedy lays in the boots and then seems to injure himself and tags in Lance cade. Hardy tags in Kendrick who hits some high impact moves before falling through the ropes thanks to Trevor Murdoch.

Kennedy throws Kendrick back into the ring and Cade pins him for a near fall. Cade tags in Murdoch who hits a legdrop for a near fall. Murdoch tags Mr Kennedy who hits a running boot on Kendrick for a near fall and then tags in Lance Cade. Cade sets Kendrick up for a superplex but Kendrick fights him off and hits Lance with a tornado DDT. Cade tags in Murdoch and Kendrick tags Jeff Hardy! Hardy takes down everyone and then hits Murdoch with a slingblade for a near fall. Jeff hits an inverted suplex and then the swanton bomb but Cade breaks up the cover. London disposes of Cade and Murdoch tags in Kennedy. Hardy hits an enzeguri on Kennedy and tags in London who hits a springboard dropkick on Kennedy. London hits a spinning heel kick and then heads to the top but is distracted by Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. Kennedy crotches London on the top and then hits him with the mic check from the top which is enough for the three! Mr Kennedy, Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch win the match! A fun bonus match.

Rating: 6.5/10

Triple H is backstage with Batista who reminds The Game that it’s one thing to win the title but another to keep it. Vince McMahon then shows up and reminds Triple H that he has a match with Umaga and the WWE Championship will be on the line.

CM Punk (c) vs. Big Daddy V – ECW Championship match

This is a first PPV match between these two men. CM Punk is making his No Mercy debut tonight against Big Daddy V who wrestled on the very first No Mercy event back in 1999 and won his match there. Big Daddy V manhandles CM Punk in the early going, throwing him to the outside. Back in the ring and Big Daddy V flattens Punk and hits him with lefts and rights. Punk fires back with some kicks, an enzeguri and right hands. Big Daddy V misses with a splash in the corner and Punk heads to the top and hits a missile dropkick, taking Big Daddy V down. Matt Striker then gets in the ring and attacks Punk from behind! That’s a disqualification win for CM Punk. After the bell Big Daddy V hits a Samoan drop on Punk and drops a few elbows. This match didn’t even get going.

Rating: N/A

Tazz is in the ring to host a pizza eating competition between Matt Hardy and MVP. Tazz introduces the judges for the competition, Melina and Maria. MVP and Matt Hardy are out for the competition but MVP doesn’t want to eat the calories. MVP is then concerned for his tag team partner eating the calories. There’s a bit of banter between the two partners and they sit down to eat the pizza. This just makes me want to eat pizza. There’s no room for this on a pay per view though. It’s already gone way longer than the ECW title match. Matt Hardy wins by two slices to none.Hardy then throws up over MVP.

There’s a video package for Triple H and Umaga next.

Triple H (c) vs. Umaga – WWE Championship match

This is a first pay per view meeting between these two men. Triple H now has a 4-1 record at No Mercy whilst Umaga makes his No Mercy debut. It’s a first WWE title defence for Triple H too. The bell rings and Triple H hits some big right hands before Umaga fires back with a few of his own. Triple H hits a DDT which doesn’t phase Umaga. Umaga runs at Triple H who pulls down the bottom rope. Triple H then tries to smash Umaga’s face into the steel steps but it has no effect so Umaga returns the favour. Back in the ring and Umaga hits a side kick and then a banzai drop off the ropes. Umaga hits some big right hands and then heads to the middle rope but misses with a diving headbutt. Triple H hits a facebuster but still it has no affect on Umaga. Umaga attempts the Samoan spike but Triple H blocks it and tries for a pedigree but Umaga blocks that.

Triple H hits a big spinebuster and then sets up for the pedigree but Umaga counters it into a Samoan drop. Umaga works away on the ribs of Triple H and throws him into the barricade. Back in the ring and Umaga applies a bearhug and then a spinning sidewalk slam for a near fall. Umaga hits a headbutt and a knee drop before laying in some right hands in the corner. Umaga misses with his running arse splash and then runs into Triple H’s boot. Triple H avoids a splash and then hits the pedigree! He covers Umaga and gets the three. Triple H retains the WWE Championship against Umaga.

Rating: 6.25/10

The Great Khali is backstage with Ranjin Singh meditating in preparation for his match in the Punjabi Prison.

Rey Mysterio vs. Finlay

This is a first PPV match between these two men. Rey Mysterio is actually 1-4 at No Mercy PPV’s whilst Finlay is 0-1. Both men are in green and black for this match. Finlay hits an uppercut in the early going but Mysterio fires back with some chops, a dropkick to the knees and a boot to the side of the head. Mysterio ups the pace with a snapmare, a dropkick and a splash for a near fall. Rey hits some right hands in the corner but Finlay reverses an Irish whip to take the advantage. Mysterio hits another dropkick to the knees and then kicks away at Finlay thigh’s. Mysterio then attempts a sunset flip powerbomb to the outside but Finlay puts the breaks up and pounds away at Mysterio’s face. Finlay throws Mysterio into the ringpost and swings his arm into it for good measure. Finlay applies an armbar and then hits a big clothesline. Finlay applies a hammerlock but Mysterio counters it, throwing Finlay into the corner. Mysterio hits a springboard cross body for a near fall.

A loss for Finlay tonight would make him the only man (so far) to have lost at last years No Mercy event and this year. Mysterio hits a seated senton and a dropkick to the face for a near fall. Mysterio dropkicks Finlay onto the middle rope and bounces off the ropes for a 619 but Finlay drops him with a clothesline. Finlay hits a big shoulderbreaker and then takes off one of the turnbuckles which distracts the referee allowing Finlay to grab the shillalah. Mysterio kicks it out of Finlay’s hand and then hurricanrana’s the Irishman out of the ring. Mysterio kicks Finlay as he tries to get back into the ring and then hits him with a legdrop which sends Finlay out of the ring. Finlay doesn’t respond to the referee and the ref calls for a stretcher. Finlay was clearly peeking though, there’s nothing wrong with him. EMT’s come out with a stretcher and load Finlay on to it. Finlay is taken away on a stretcher and Mysterio looks devastated. But Finlay gets off the stretcher and attacks Mysterio!

Finlay throws Mysterio into the barricade and then slams Rey on the outside. Presumably this match is over and it’s a no contest? The referee sends Finlay to the back whilst Rey crawls around outside the ring. A decent match between these two men.

Rating: 6.25/10

Triple H is back in the trainers room when Vince McMahon shows up. McMahon lets Triple H know that Randy Orton has requested his automatic rematch clause for tonight. And the match will be Last Man Standing.

Candice Michelle (c) vs. Beth Phoenix – WWE Women’s Championship match

This is a rematch from Unforgiven where Candice Michelle beat Beth Phoenix. This match marks No Mercy debuts for both girls. Beth Phoenix finally has new music. Beth takes Candice down early but Candice is scrappy. Beth out-powers Candice, throwing her across the ring. Candice rolls Beth up with a bridge for a two count. Beth is first up and hits Candice with a shoulder charge in the corner. Beth hits a second but misses with a third and Candice hits her with kicks and a dropkick for a two count. Candice applies a short-arm scissors but Beth gets out of it and drops an elbow. Phoenix hits an Irish whip bur runs into an elbow. Candice then attempts a high cross body but Beth catches her and slams the Women’s champion into the mat for a near fall. Beth applies a chinlock but Candice bounces off the ropes and pins Phoenix for as near fall. Beth still has the chinlock applied and Candice manages to get out of it, smashing Beth into the top turnbuckle.

Candice hits a weak forearm shot, a dropkick and a spinning heel kick before heading to the top and hitting a high cross body for a near fall. Beth smashes Candice into the corner but Candice hits a sunset flip for a near fall. Beth Phoenix hits s backbreaker and then a cradle suplex which is enough for the three! Phoenix looks in pain and wins to nearly no reaction. Beth Phoenix has something to say after the bell and tells Jerry Lawler that history has been made tonight. She claims to be the perfect combination of beauty and strength and tonight she has ushered in a new era, the era of The Glamazon. Not a bad match between these two girls.

Rating: 4/10

There’s a video package next for the Punjabi Prison match.

Batista (c) vs. The Great Khali – Punjabi Prison match for the World Heavyweight Championship

This is a second PPV match between these two men, Batista won the previous match by disqualification at Summerslam. It’s the second ever Punjabi Prison match, The Undertaker beat The Big Show in the first. A loss for Batista tonight would make him the only man to have lost at both last years and this years No Mercy event. Batista is 1-1 at No Mercy events, The Great Khali makes his No Mercy debut tonight. The bell rings and The Great Khali knocks Batista down. Khali attempts the chop but Batista blocks it and hits a running shoulder charge which ties Khali up in the ropes. Batista hits some right hands but then runs into The Great Khali’s boot. Khali then hits his trademark chop and calls for one of the doors to be opened. Khali goes to the door but Batista grabs on to his leg. Khali headbutts Batista but Batista fights back and doesn’t let Khali get through the door. The door is closed and locked.

Khali goes back to work on Batista, hitting him with knees in the corner and elbows. This is a first PPV defence for Batista who gets hit by a big boot. Khali hits a powerslam but misses with a legdrop as Batista rolls out of the way. Batista then hits a big spear knocking the big man down. Batista calls for the second door to be opened but Khali makes sure he can’t get out. Khali stops Batista from getting out and the second door is locked shut. Khali chokes Batista with some rope inside the cage and then grabs some leather strap and whips Batista with it. Khali calls for the third door to be opened but Batista stops Khali from getting out. Batista hits a big spinebuster but neither man can get out of the third door. It’s like the Crystal Maze. Batista whips Khali with the leather strap and then climbs up the cage but Khali goes up with him and punches him back down to the mat. Khali is stood on the top rope and it looks unbelievable. Khali pounds Batista down to the mat and then applies the vice grip!

Khali calls for the fourth door but Batista hits him with a low blow! Batista tries to crawl through the door but Khali rams the door into the back of Batista. The timer runs down and the door is shut! Khali climbs up the cage but Batista pulls him down onto the top rope. Batista then climbs up the cage but Khali pulls him down. Khali climbs up the cage, gets to the top and climbs over the first cage and down to the floor. Khali just has to climb up one more cage to win the match. Khali climbs the second cage as Batista climbs up the first. Batista climbs over the first and leaps over to the second. He climbs over the cage and is neck and neck with Khali but Batista sprints down and wins the match! Essentially it came down to a race. What a terrible finish to the match.

Rating: 4/10

Todd Grisham is backstage with Triple H who says that he is just getting started. He tells Orton to get ready to get hurt.

Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton – Last Man Standing match for the WWE Championship

Well this is the fourth PPV match between these two men and so far Triple H is 3-0 up. Triple H’s No Mercy record is 5-1, Randy Orton’s is 1-1. The bell rings and the two men slug it out. Orton gains the advantage by going after Triple H’s ribs. Triple H retreats to the outside and Orton follows laying into him with right hands and uppercuts. Triple H kicks Orton and tries for a pedigree on the steel ramp but Orton fights him off. Orton hits a right hand and them smashes Triple H into the ring steps. Orton hits more right hands and then stomps away at The Game. Orton knocks Triple H back out of the ring and then hits a back suplex on the barricade. The referee starts counting Triple H down but he’s up at 6. Orton then throws Triple H into the ring steps. Back in the ring and Orton hits a nice dropkick before leaving the referee to count Triple H down for an eight count. Triple H counters a back body drop into a facebuster but Orton takes the advantage with a backbreaker.

Triple H is up quickly but Orton goes right back to work on The Game. Orton grabs some cable and chokes Triple H with it but Triple H is up at the count of 9. Orton throws Helmsley out of the ring, takes apart the Raw announce desk and attempts to RKO Triple H but Triple H puts on the breaks and Orton goes flying through the ECW announce desk! Orton is up at the count of 9 but Triple H takes him right back down with a spinebuster. Triple H then picks up the steel steps and drills them into Ortons face. Orton gets up to his feet at the count of 9 and Triple H throws him back into the ring. Helmsley then grabs a chair but Orton kicks it out of his hand and DDT’s Triple H onto it. The two men get to their feet and Orton lays in some big right hands and boots in the corner. Orton sets up a chain in the middle of the ring and then RKO’s Triple H onto it! Triple H just about gets back to his feet, bleeding from the face. He crotch chops Orton but then falls right back down.

Orton takes a few steps back and lines up for a punt but Triple H grabs his foot! Triple H hits a big clothesline and then throws Orton out of the ring. Helmsley smashes Orton into the ring steps and then into the Smackdown announce desk. Triple H sets up for a pedigree on the outside but Orton counters it and slingshots Triple H into the ringpost. Randy picks up the ring steps but Triple H hits him with as low blow and then smashes the back of his head with a steel chair! Orton just about gets up to his feet but Triple H puts him on the announce desk for a pedigree. Before he can though Orton dives up and RKO’s Triple H on the Raw announce desk! Randy gets up to his feet but Triple H doesn’t make it! Randy Orton wins the match and the WWE Championship!

Rating: 8/10

And that was No Mercy 2007. It wasn’t your standard WWE PPV with so much up in the air but it was entertaining. The show kicked off with a WWE Championship match between Randy Orton and Triple H. Triple H won the match to the surprise of me but the enjoyment of the crowd. That would be the first of three matches for Triple H tonight it what was essentially the Triple H show. We were then treated to a bonus match where Mr Kennedy and the World Tag Team Champions Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch defeated Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy, Paul London and Brian Kendrick. Mr Kennedy pinned Paul London to get the win for his team which makes sense. This was a way to get two feuds onto the show in a 6 man tag match and it was good fun but I think I would have preferred an Intercontinental title match between Hardy and Kennedy.

CM Punk defeated Big Daddy V by disqualification in a minute and a half. What was the point in this? ECW TV had three weeks of build to this match just for it to end like this? It was a big disappointment but clearly they wanted to dedicate more time to the pizza eating competition between Matt Hardy and MVP. Punk retains his title tonight and I guess it keeps the feud going. I’ll be expecting to see a rematch at Cyber Sunday later this month. Triple H then defended the WWE Championship against Umaga and I liked that this match had the WWE title added to it. This was a decent match between two good workers. Triple H won the match pretty cleanly so it may be the end of this feud allowing Triple H to continue his feud with Randy Orton. Raw is struggling in the main event scene at the moment but I think Triple H, Randy Orton and Umaga will be the basis of the main event scene going forward.

Next up was a no contest between Rey Mysterio and Finlay. I actually quite liked this match and as weird as the finish was, it was different and worked quite well. It keeps this feud going and both men look pretty strong coming out of it. Beth Phoenix then beat Candice Michelle for the WWE Women’s Championship and you get the feeling Beth could be pushed very hard in the division. Candice has really improved over the last couple of years and in hindsight really wasn’t as bad as I remember her to be. This may be the end of this feud but I do expect Candice to use her rematch. Beth could then go on to feud with the likes of Mickie James (who they’ve hinted she has a lot of history with). Batista then beat The Great Khali in a car crash of a match which was bad but I just wanted to carry on watching. They actually built tension quite well but Khali is so immobile bless him. Essentially the match came down to a race and it was Batista that won. I have no idea who is up next for Batista because Smackdown’s main event scene isn’t great either.

In the main event it was Randy Orton that left with the WWE Championship. This match told a great story and in the end it was one too many matches for Triple H. I really like Orton’s new gimmick and look forward to him as WWE Champion. I can definitely see this feud continuing and maybe even a triple threat with Umaga at Cyber Sunday. This was definitely the match of the night, great stuff.

Overall Rating: 58.57/100 (ranked joint 97th out of 216)

Match Of The Night: Triple H vs. Randy Orton (2nd match)
Worst Match Of The Night: Batista/Khali or Candice/Phoenix
Surprise Of The Night: 3 WWE title matches
Worst Booking Of The Night: Not giving Punk & Big Daddy V more time
Superstar Of The Night: Randy Orton
No Mercy 2007 Will Be Remembered For: 3 WWE Championship matches