If I had to rate Vengeance on a scale of 1-10, I would go a solid 7. I thought the show delivered on all accounts and even surprised me in some cases.

I liked the match on Heat between the APA and Billy Gunn & Chuck Palumbo. A couple of hosses and studs going at it. Can't beat that slobberknocker action.

Scotty 2 Hotty & Albert vs. Test & Christian delivered considering they went into the match fairly cold. It was a last minute addition to the card just to get these four on the show and they gave satisfying results. Test has a lot of momentum right now and is only improving his game. He's still got a ways to go if he wants to take it to the next level, but he's not half-assing it. All four men worked their collective asses off in this one.

Edge and William Regal had a solid outing, in my opinion. Regal's European style that he mastered on the carnival circuit may be methodical to American audiences, but it's believable, and that goes a long way in my book. Edge needs more wins under his belt to establish himself as a great IC Champion. If you ask me, I believe there were too many title changes this past year. It seemed like each week on either Raw or Smackdown a title changed hands. I think we need more stability in all the title scenes. Title changes need to occur less often so the importance is therefore re-established.

The styles of Matt and Jeff Hardy are too similar in my opinion and that's why their match didn't deliver satisfying results. There's an old saying in the business that goes: You can take the wrestler out of the backyard, but you can't take the backyard out of the wrestler. Matt is the better worker of the two, as he uses psychology a little more than Jeff. If anything, this match exposed the duo for what they are; former backyard wrestlers who never learned a traditional style.

Dudley Boyz vs. Big Show & Kane was my kind of match. A battle involving a hoss, an ox, and a water buffalo. Unfortunately, D-Von is neither of those. About midway through this match, I screamed, "THIS MATCH IS ALL THAT AND A BAG OF TOSTITOS! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SOMEBODY PASS ME THE DAMN TOSTITOS!" Good Ol' J.R., Jr. was in heaven throughout this match. 3 of the participants were outstanding, and Show was his normal self.

From where I sit, Undertaker and Rob Van Dam had a very surprising outing. Let's face it; this match had all the ingredients to be bowling shoe ugly. Undertaker works at a methodical pace and Van Dam has an unorthodox style (Once again, where have you heard that one before?). Instead, these two worked a very good hardcore match. Both seemed to mesh well with each other's style. Van Dam, surely passed the "test" if you ask me.

Trish and Jacqueline gave a great effort. This match had slight bowling shoe tendencies from the ladies (mostly on Trish's end), but I won't hold it against them.

Stone Cold and Kurt Angle always bring the goods in their matches. You can count on a few things whenever these two step into the ring together: outstanding effort, great psychology and storytelling, and a great build to the finish. There hasn't been a time when these two haven't delivered in a big match setting. Austin and Angle are the two most consistent performers on the roster right now and have been for the last year.

In my humble opinion, Chris Jericho and The Rock not only stole the show, but they had their best match to date. Hopefully, with this match, Jericho silenced his critics once and for all. I'll sound foolish for saying this, but I totally bought the small package roll-up by Rocky sinced he used that to beat Jericho last time. I should have known better, but I was caught up in the moment. For once, I was just sitting back and being a fan. I wasn't worrying about The Rock's weight loss, or Jericho's tendency to blow big spots, or the fact that neither man was a hoss (The Rock, however, is a blue-chipper). It was quite refreshing, and I wish I have more opportunities to feel like this.

Jericho and Austin was a decent contest which consisted of a lot of sports entertainment moments towards the end of the match. Tough situation for these two to be in. Austin had an opportunity to get his wind back, but also, the rest might not have been good for his knees. Hopefully, the Rattlesnake was smart enough to ice down before this match. Jericho's conditioning and training for these matches had to be intense because he didn't look winded at all. Like I said before, hopefully tonight Jericho silenced his critics once and for all. Tonight, Chris Jericho proved once again he is a 5 tool player, and a legitimite force to be reckoned with in this industry.

Allow me to ramble on a little more about the comments made by Aaron Williams in Raw Magazine. I was thinking right after I wrote my column Friday about specific people on the Internet who enjoy this business and support this business during good time and bad. I won't give names of course, 'cause that's not this Okie's style. Anyway, a lot of people who write columns/recaps on the Internet have watched and supported (note: spent money on the product; whether it be attending a show, buying a shirt or PPV) the WWF during the good times and the bad. I think it's very assinine for this arrogant shithead to literally tell off the most loyal fanbase. The casual fans come and go, however, the diehards or smart fans are lifers. They may be cynical, too smart for their own good, and/or disrespectful at times, but the smart fans are in this for the long haul. Just my final thoughts on the whole dilio.

I hope a bottle of my cherished steak sauce is on all of your lists for the holiday season.

That's my prerogative.

J.R., Jr.
The Best Damn Columnist on the Damn Internet