All right, it's time to give a huge shout out to the sponsor of today's episode, Happy Hippo dot Com. So if you guys haven't checked this out, you gotta go to Happy Hippo dot com because they have some of the highest quality cradam products that I've ever come across. And if you guys aren't familiar with the kradam is, it's an herbal substance that has many different uses, everything from a balanced mind, energy, you can it can help
you relax. And my wife and I over the last couple of weeks have tried out some of their products and I have to say it has improved her sleep. Specifically, she's very anxious and her mind runs at night and it has helped her fall asleep and stay asleep. She actually was using one of the powders that comes in a pouch from Happy Hippo and just dropped it into her water, and you know, off she went and she was just she
she was very happy. Let me just put it that way. And so myself during the work day, if you guys didn't know, I have a big boy job. I work in contract management and I need that balance. I need the energy during the day, and they have something called hyper Hippo and an energy shot. Those energy shots coming those little tiny bottles. You guys are familiar with it from other brands that use that type of packaging, But there's nothing like this all right, this energy shot. I take it,
easy to take and within minutes I feel the effects. There's no massive crash after I take it either, which is a huge deal. Right. How many energy drinks have you taken and coffee have you drank throughout the day that just leads to the massive crash. Well, this doesn't, and it's an all natural herb, and I'm telling you right now it will help you
get through your day, can help you relax. Depending on the type of product you're looking for, Happy Hippo delivers and guess what, right now, if you have an order of two hundred or more, you can get free next day FedEx shipping. And also their stuff tastes great. So check out Happy Hippo dot com, support the w W podcast and Happy Hippo, and
do yourself a favor as well. Guys, I'm telling you right now, if it can help my wife go to sleep, for somebody as anxious as she is and as somebody that needs as much energy as I do during the day to to do this podcast and to do my job during the day. Check out Happy Hippo dot com whether you're trying to relax or whether you need energy or balanced during the day, Happy Hippo dot com. It's still told
stop please as fell listen to the Salton Sino versus the show. Stop oh covid in the lock in the same way, never take my place at the head of the table. Oh my god, what dot mins tip stus down? All the best leave and thereable. Hey, what's going on guys and welcome back to WWW Retro on the WWW podcast on this Friday, August eighteenth.
As we creep closer and closer towards the end of summer, as it is just absolutely insane how fast summer goes about these days, and especially if you're up here in Canada or the northeastern United States, you blink and three or four months later it is over and you're getting ready for fall. But in the wrestling world, we usually get accustomed to a lull around this time.
Matt and I have spoken about it that you have the annual lull l after WrestleMania and then usually an annual lull laughter SummerSlam, and this time around we are getting ready for Payback and then fast Lane before the next big pay per view in Survivor Series. But the period and the pay per views that takes place between Lean, Summer Slim and Survivor Series has been kind of shifting for the last several years. Payback has seemed to be a consistent theme as
they brought back Backlash. Payback was originally done in late April or early May as the payback for WrestleMania, but with Backlash moving back into the rotation, they've moved Payback following SummerSlam. But then you've also kind of had a rotating cast of pay per views to follow Payback. You know, for a while, we had Helen a Cell in October that was kind of like a hallmark of early October. For quite some time. Last year we saw Extreme Rules
take that place, the return of Bray Wyatt. We've had Crown Jewel at times in late October, early November. Way back in the day, we had the pay per views Taboo Tuesday or No Mercy in the month of October. So this has always kind of been a period where WWE has shifted the pay per views that they would have, but one pay per view that was always the one to follow SummerSlam in my early recollection of watching wrestling was unforgiven,
and unforgiven was the September pay per view. It was always the pay per view that would follow SummerSlam, and when the brands play came into effect, it was almost always I think it was always I don't even think it was ever belonging to SmackDown at a point, a raw exclusive show, so unforgiven obviously on the B level side of pay per views, I don't think that they've had a Unforgiven for at least fifteen years now, like it's been
quite a while, because then you even had a Night of Champions take the place of Unforgiven as well. That kind of slid into the spot of the September show, And this was a pay per view that, even though it was a B level pay per view, unforgiven that is, we had some pretty significant matches and title changes go on here. In two thousand and one, you had The Rock successfully defend the WCW Championship against Booker T and Shay mcmahn in a handicap match. At that very same pay per view, you
had Curd Angled defeat Stone Cold Steve Auston for the WWF Championship. In two thousand and three, you had Goldberg dethrone Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. In two thousand and four, you had Triple H defeat Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship just one month after Orton had won his first ever world title. In two thousand and three, you had Sha McMahon and Kane go to war and won the more memorable and often not talked about last man Standing
matches. And they're very, very historic, right at least as far as I'm concerned. So we get into the year two thousand and six and two thousand and six, near the end of the unforgiven era in WWE, and the landscape is much different from the past unforgivens. You have the WWE Championship
as now the prominent title on Monday Night Raw. You have Triple H and Shawn Michaels reuniting as Degeneration X. You have the Man's side by side with the Big Show locked horns with Degeneration X like coming to a head at this pay per view. You have Tris Stratus arguably the best women's wrestler of all time to this point in time, and No. Six on her way out.
All being held in front of the Toronto crowd at what was then known as the Air Canada Center and the WWE Championship on the line, with Edge defending it in his hometown against John Cena in a TLC match, the match
that Edge himself made famous. So there were a lot of underlying storylines kind of barreling towards ahead at this point in time in WWE, and to really think about how significant this pay per view felt as a non A level pay per view, as a B level pay per view, a pay per view that doesn't even exist anymore, kind of tells you all you need to know about the significance of this particular unforgiven and not just unforgiven in OH six,
but kind of the history of it and how you know this point in time, usually following SummerSlam, we were accustomed to a pay per view that had so much lineage to it, and two thousand and six in Toronto was one
of the better ones. So we get the party started in a match for the Intercontinental Championship with Johnny Nitro defending it against Jeff Hardy in a match that when seventeen minutes and thirty six seconds with Johnny Nitro successfully retaining the Intercontinental Championship, And it was crazy just to think that, you know, Johnny Nitro breaking away from eminem along with Molina, who I believe was his real life girlfriend at the time, becomes kind of a staple in that mid card scene
in on Monday Night Raw and one on one in a feud with Jeff Hardy, just an absolutely great feud to kick off the show, a great match and a really fun match for the mid Card Championship. Then Kane versus Oomaga when seven minutes and three seconds that ended in a double count out. Cananomaga kind of had a feud that started at the summer spilled out into the fall kind Monserver versus Monster Umaga had been on the scene for I believe four months
at this point in time. He debuted after Wrestling at twenty two in April of two thousand and six, so they were trying to push Umaga as a big monster heel, and obviously Kane was kind of like the elder statesman of monster heels in WWE, so he kind of was the benchmark for Umaga to face off against. Then the Spirit Squad of Kenny and Mikey defending the World Tag Team Championships against the Highlanders Robbie McAllister and Roy McAllister In eight mints and
fifty nine seconds, they successfully retained the championships. The Highlanders didn't last long. Obviously they were they were from Scotland. They were kind of like the predecessors to the Viking Raiders in a lot of ways, Like, obviously the Viking Raiders more of a Scandinavians end, at least the characters are supposed to be maybe Norwegian, but the Highlanders always kind of struck me as the I don't know, like the toned down version, the less serious version of the
Viking Raiders. They didn't last long. I was gonna say they didn't have as much success as the Viking Raiders, but I mean, I don't think the Viking Raiders have had that much success in their own rights. They were kind of like what would happen if the Viking Raiders Andrew McIntyre meshed together. That was basically the Highlanders, but they never really did much of significance, and the Spirit Squad, I'm sure not. Maybe you guys remember them.
They were the ones to dethrone Big Show and Kane for the World Tag Team Championships Following Wrestling at twenty two, and we covered Big Show and Kane as a tag team two weeks ago and how dominant of a force they really were to really dominate that tag team scene on Monday Night Raw and kind of ignite
their careers in a lot of ways. It was a really good kick in the backside for Big Showing Kine and really changed their characters as a whole after it was kind of getting stale in late two thousand and five, and the Spirit Squad, who was fresh off of a feud with with a Degeneration X kind of like a spinoff of the McMahons and Degeneration X. The Spirit Squad kind of became like the henchman to the McMahon family. So they get back
on the on their winning ways. Then we get to the three on two handicap Hell in a Cell match that went twenty five minutes and five seconds of Degeneration X, Shawn Michaels and Triple H versus the Big Show, the then ECW World Champion mister McMahon and Shame McMahon, And I gotta tell you, as far as hell and the Cell matches go, this is one that isn't talked about a lot, but man, was it gory? Was it bloody?
It made a lot of sense. It was kind of slow at times, but I remember the match started with them each Shawn Michaels and Triple H simultaneously kicking a big show in the balls and takes him out of action. They actually did it twice. But you know the Shay McMahon has always put his like his body on the line. There was a really graphic scene where Shawn Michaels gave him the elbow drop from the top rope with the ladder wrapped
around his neck and he was coughing up blood. And the ending to this match in particular was one that was not only humorous but pretty graphic at the same time. The carnage were the cancel teach, how this helped him myself over here tonight? How do you how this thing gonna end? Rich mey Man witting with his arms, whitting with's face, his black made me cracked, But the evil chairman is standing. How defiance bo the crack Wace, the sick, the minute man. At this point in time, he truly
hates he mats whom doing it? Whom? How are you doing black when there's a hit us crack I saw put show the pass man. Maybe what you want? Do you think? I never thought that I wouldn't want to be a billionaire, but right now I would not want to be mister r Man bag pleat do anything you kill It does happen to be any man pros in the world, but could be the billionaire book club that your partners do anything all the time and count on some sucking bid big with the press.
Which man the next had literally a bit sho's ass love he needs don't for hunting? My guy actually believe only like that what he realiation? What did help? What was this mad else? From humiliation to demonstation. Now this is where you records to say that you get injury to itself. The worst of your mans. You can't. They're gonna ask the bitch own show you get up the man no more hide the lower run for sweet your music. Now come on turn like as another was another lakes hands lads, Yeah ticket
go another go okay wars All that is that's terrible. The film could not be so. First they give Vince McMahon a stink face pretty much at the expense of the big show. Then Vince mcmahn hits it, or eats rather a switch in music, and then Triple H breaks the sludge hammer over the
back of his head. And to this day, I'm not exactly sure how they pulled off the sludgehammer spot, Like if you go back and watch it, like I guess, he kind of hits the shaft of it across the back of the neck upper shoulder area, but it snaps like it completely snaps off, And obviously they had to design the piece of wood in a way
that would break on impact like that. But it was a very grueling match, and in a lot of ways, this was kind of like the final time we would see Vince McMahon in a program of this magnitude from a physical standpoint. Obviously that following WrestleMania he would feud with Donald Trump, but like I guess, well, I guess the following year he would feud with Bobby Lashley as well, and then they would have Brett Hard and then he would
team with Triple H and Shane to go up against Legacy. So I guess this wasn't the final time we saw Vince mcman in a physical capacity, but it felt like this was one of the more one of the last significant programs that we would see Vince mcmah and, and you know, I guess two thousand and six, he's what seventy nine, now seventy eight, So my math isn't very good, as I always say, but that's seventeen years ago. Wow, seventeen years ago. It's nuts to absolutely say. So he
was in his early sixties. We'll put it like that. He was in
his early sixties. So it was about time that he started that he started to wrap up his in ring career slowly but surely, and even for Shane McMahon, like I think that beyond Shane McMahon's return against the Legacy, I think this was probably the last time we would see Shane and kind of like an in ring capacity, maybe against Bobby Lashley, though that whole Bobby Lashley feud with the mcmahn's, which was very forgettable, I mean, anyway,
we won't get into it, but a very significant program for the McMahons all in all, and arguably their most they're most memorable aside from Stone Cold Steve Austin. And it all culminated with Degeneration X at this unforgiven pay per view.
And this was something that started with Sean mike Les all the way back in January, had a one on one match between Vince and Sean at Wrestleman at twenty two, and then ultimately goes all the way until until September, so between Vincent, Vincent, Seawan and then d X and the McMahons. It was a program that lasted just about nine months. Then we move on
to Tris Stratus versus Lida in a match that was highly anticipated. Two of the more significant women in the history of the company and certainly the two most popular women in WWE at the time. Trish is on her way out retiring. Well we didn't know that seventeen years later she'd be back in a pretty much full time capacity, but in two thousand and six she was ready to step away, and Lita, side by side with Edge, the Women's Champion, was the perfect person to send Trish on her way out. The only
question was how would Trish go out? All Right, it's time to give a huge shout out to the sponsor of today's episode, Happy Hippo dot Com. So if you guys haven't checked this out, you gotta go to Happy Hippo dot com because they have some of the highest quality cradam products that I've ever come across. And if you guys aren't familiar with the kradam is, it's an herbal substance that has many different uses everything from a balanced mind,
energy you can it can help you relax. And my wife and I over the last couple of weeks have tried out some of their products and I have to say it has improved her sleep. Specifically, she's very anxious and her mind runs at night and it has helped her fall asleep and stay asleep. She actually was using one of the powders that comes in a pouch from Happy Hippo and just drive into her water and you know, off she went and she was just she was very happy. Let me just put it that way.
And so myself during the work day, if you guys didn't know, I have a big boy job. I work in contract management and I need that balance. I need the energy during the day. And they have something called hyper Hippo and an energy shot those energy shots coming those little tiny bottles. You guys are familiar with it from other brands that use that type of packaging, But there's nothing like this all right, this energy shot. I
take it, easy to take and within minutes I feel the effects. There's no massive crash after I take it either, which is a huge deal. Right, How many energy drinks have you taken and coffee have you drank throughout the day that just leads to the massive crash, Well, this doesn't, and it's an all natural herb, and I'm telling you right now it will
help you get through your day, can help you relax. Depending on the type of product you're looking for, Happy Hippo delivers and guess what, right now, if you have an order of two hundred or more, you can get free next day FedEx shipping. And also their stuff tastes great. So check out Happy Hippo dot com, support the w W podcast and Happy Hippo,
and do yourself a favor as well. Guys, I'm telling you right now, if it can help my wife go to sleep, for somebody as anxious as she is, and as somebody that needs as much energy as I do during the day, to do this podcast and to do my job during the day. Check out Happy Hippo dot com whether you're trying to relax or whether you need energy or balanced during the day. Happy hippo dot com.
Baby, you're all on fresh lot tome. This is somebody has nothing to do the same but listen so much energy doesn't her final fast she's as treet career low down. Gotta believe that Sundays you'll join from adam us move on carry Markdale perhaps in the ww hawk fame with all pitches aboutlished in again aback to set the third times usually this match Chris fighting and see prod trying to get behind Chris and Grimmer the monk my neck breker there and they searched to
repair net by lead up. Our tris well over sixteen thousand fans here to night of the year Canada centermer thankful to care for us wherever you are around the world, including our our armed horses. Thank you for all you do as I dar Trish, Yeah this tras I want to ask the head Irish, hold I wrost the ridge? They know what the ill ball you got together trod of all my time time to time Christ Nagery lead up can't. Can't we do it? Chick, get you do it to get what we
do it. We just don't believe that didn't work. I get either. Here boy here, that's notched up with the w W W, the s O W and I put the play was masing know around who Hrish up you bitty trying to get so on our way out. Tris Stratus wins the Women's Championship against Lada, making her submit to the Sharpshooter, which Jerry Lawler eloquently says the most Canadian submission move or something along those lines. A very Canadian
move, obviously with the history of Brett Hard and all that. But one thing I just to comment on watching that clip back, and I don't mean to, you know, dump on this match, but it is crazy how
far women's wrestling has come. Like Leda and Trish in their time were two of the best, two of the best of all time period, trailblazers in a lot of ways, but like when you watch the quality of the match from seventeen years ago as opposed to Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Ria Rip, like Bailey Becky Lynch, the wrestlers of today, Sasha Banks when she
was in WWE. It is it's absolutely insane how how far women's wrestling has come and how athletically just impressive the women are nowadays, and how you could come away from a match from a pay per view oftentimes now saying like, man, the women absolutely blew that out of the water and was the match of the night. And not to say that Trish and Leda were bad. They would put on admirable matches and we're two of the best at this point
in time. But a match that goes eleven and a half minutes and Trish goes out on top as the WWE Women's Champion and Alito would step away from wrestling to just a few short months later, then a bit of a come down match in a lot of ways, we have Randy Orton defeat Carlito in eight minutes and forty one seconds. Very forgettable period in Randy Orton's career two thousand and six. I mean he really did not have a lot going on.
I mean, like you have Degeneration X and a Helen a Cell, you have John c and versus Edge for the for the w w E Championship main eventing the show, it was just a weird time for Randy Orton. I read something actually last week that he was being punished because of his dad because his dad had a match with the Undertaker in Helen a Cell, but he was tested positive for hepatitis A or heptis or something and didn't tell anyone, and Randy Orn was getting punished at the same time along with being just
a bad locker room guy. So crazy to see Randy Orn just somewhat in a throwaway match against Carlaito in eight minutes and forty one seconds. Then we get to the main event match, John Cena challenging Edge for the WWE Championship in a TLC match, and had John Cena lost, he would have went to SmackDown. So John Cena had been kind of in chase mode for this WWE Championship since early June when he lost the title to Rob van dem at
One Night Stand. Edge was the man who costed John Cena the championship showing up and I have a leather jacket and a motorcycle helmet. Then Rob van Deem gets busted in real life for possession and I believe a dui and he drops the title two Edge, I believe it would have vengeance, or it might have been on Monday Night, but it was in late June. Vandam held the ww Championship for less than a month, so Edge had been the
WWE Champion his second WWE championship in that calendar year. Obviously, Edge had cashed in on John Cena New Year's Revolution in early January and subsequently dropped it
that same month at the Royal Rumble to John Cena. So Edge now on his second run as ww E champion in OH six and him and John Cena a very historic feud that culminates here at unforgiven in OH six in Edgees hometown in his match, and an opportunity to send John Cena back to a brand where he started and a brand that he had not been a part of for about fourteen months or fifteen months actually, since being drafted to Monday and Night
Run early June of two thousand and five. So the cards seemingly stacked against John Cena. Edge on a very solid run in his second stint as w w E Champion, and it begged the question that in a match that went over twenty five minutes, how John Cena would ultimately come out the other side
it's not it's John Singer. What is it that past one namel pitch tim A thegree that's just checked down, im I don't they We're gonna see you were leaved up involvement with former woman's kid bitch back in the far headcape back in the equation to the beach champion, whom in his side of the wires goverbos got time to time the latter the danger standing in the red dangerous for sixteen foot water. This is stepped the fine career ending. Both men retackle
the the hell look at it, there's nothing. Oh my god, te do this time? You just getting out here? No longer takes from a sixteen fu later. I'm same, John, Yes, John, Yeah. So John Cena ends the match by not owing not only f ewing and yes fewing, not attitude adjusting at the time, but f ewing Alita, but then also doing the same to edge off the top of a twenty foot ladder
through two tables. And John Cena, I don't think he gets enough credit for his facial reactions like we've often like recently we've been praising row and Reigns for that quality. But John Cina, the way that he could kind of
tell a story with his face. I thought that he never got his true a recognition for that, and when the match ended, it was almost like he just he couldn't believe where he had to take himself, what level he had to go to defeat Edge. And I also think that in a losing effort, this was almost the kind of match that solidified Edge as a main event or and positioned him that in let's say a year's time, he would be a consistent world champion, because it was I believe in the summer of
two thousand and seven, after taking the briefcase away from mister Kennedy, that he would go over to SmackDown, cash in on the Undertaker, and become the World Heavyweight Champion, a championship that he held more than once until he
eventually retired in two eleven. I believe it was so, and he would kind of become the face of SmackDown in a lot of ways, main eventing Wrestling at twenty four with the Undertaker, triple threat match with the Big Show and John CeNAT Wrestling at twenty five defending the World Championship against Chris Jericho or I believe he was challenging Jericho for the World Championship from Wrestling at twenty four all the way until twenty seven, Edge was in every single match for the
World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania. So and I really do think that this match was what put him over as a consistent main event ornbelievable because yes, he lost, but it was to the guy who would be the face of the company for the following seven or eight years and had been the face of the company for well over a year at this point, but also showing what he would be able to endure in a match that he made famous along with others
and in his home city. So I mean, for a B level pay per view, Unforgiven two thousand and six was one hell of one and I would highly suggest you guys to go check it out. But anyways, that's all I got for you today. I hope you enjoyed this coverage of Unforgiven two thousand and six. As always, you can get me on Twitter at eight to Mark at twenty five. You can get Matt on Twitter at Wrestling Underscore Audio, or you can email him each and every week for the WWE
podcast Mailbag. Won't be doing a current state of WWE this coming week as Matt is on vacation, so I will be talking to you guys next week. Alright, it's time to give a huge shout out to the sponsor of today's episode, Happy Hippo dot Com. So if you guys haven't checked this out, you gotta go to Happy Hippo dot com because they have some of
the highest quality cradam products that I've ever come across. And if you guys aren't familiar with the kradam is, it's an herbal substance that has many different uses, everything from a balanced mind, energy, you can it can help you relax. And my wife and I over the last couple of weeks have tried out some of their products and I have to say it has improved her sleep. Specifically, she's very anxious and her mind runs at night and it
has helped her fall asleep and stay asleep. She actually was using one of the powders that comes in a pouch from Happy Hippo and just dropped it into her water and off she went and she was just she was very happy. Let me just put it that way, and so myself during the work day. If you guys didn't know. I have a big boy job. I work in contract management and I need that balance. I need the energy during the day. And they have something called hyper Hippo and an energy shot.
Those energy shots come in those little tiny bottles. You guys are familiar with it from other brands that use that type of packaging. But there's nothing like this all right, this energy shot. I take it, easy to take and within minutes I feel the effects. There's no massive crap after I take it either, which is a huge deal. Right. How many energy drinks have you taken and coffee have you drank throughout the day that just leads to
the massive crash. Well, this doesn't, and it's it's an all natural herb and I'm telling you right now it will help you get through your day, can help you relax. Depending on the type of product you're looking for, Happy Hippo delivers and guess what, right now, if you have an order of two hundred or more, you can get free next day FedEx shipping. And also their stuff tastes great. So check out Happy Hippo dot com, support the ww podcast and Happy Hippo and do yourself a favor as well.
Guys, I'm telling you right now, if it can help my wife go to sleep, for somebody as anxious as she is, and as somebody that needs as much energy as I do during the day to do this podcast and to do my job during the day, check out happy hippo dot com whether you're trying to relax or whether you need energy or balanced during the day. Happy hippo dot com. Thanks for listening to the WWE podcast. Don't get to subscribe on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss a show,
or head to WWE podcast dot com. And for all of these shows ad free, head over to Patreon dot com slash WWE podcast. Until then, we'll see you next time.