Cyber Sunday 2006: Millions Voted, and Almost None of It Made the Show Better

Umaga and Kane work a straightforward power match that has a sensible purpose but very little surprise. Kane’s early strikes and clotheslines give the crowd a comeback to rally around, while Umaga’s refusal to stay down keeps his undefeated aura intact. The match improves when Umaga misses the Samoan Spike against the ring post because that finally gives Kane a believable opening. Kane follows with corner clotheslines and a back suplex, but the momentum never develops into a convincing threat to the streak. Umaga catches the top-rope attempt, lands the Spike, and wins cleanly. The result is correct, the crowd understands the story, and the action remains too basic to rise above filler.

The Texas Tornado stipulation should make four teams feel chaotic in a productive way, but the match is over before the chaos can form a shape. Everyone pairs off, the Highlanders hit unexpected dives, Viscera provides the size spots, and Cade and Murdoch briefly impose structure with their double teams. Cryme Tyme mostly waits for the opening that the booking has already telegraphed. JTG and Shad clear the immediate traffic, steal the deciding pin, and move on in barely more than four minutes. Nothing is catastrophically botched, yet no rivalry, team identity, or escalation survives long enough to matter. The post-match laptop theft has more personality than the wrestling that precedes it.

Hardy and Carlito need time to find each other, and the first half makes that search visible. A few timing errors and long control holds flatten the pace, especially when Carlito shifts from athletic counters into extended body work. The match becomes much better once Hardy starts forcing shorter exchanges. Carlito blocks the Swanton, strings together springboard offense, and creates believable near falls without turning the finish into a stunt exhibition. Hardy answers with Whisper in the Wind, survives the challenger’s last rush, blocks the top-rope hurricanrana, and lands the Swanton to retain. It is too uneven to call genuinely good, but the closing minutes finally deliver the competitive match the pairing promised.

This is the one match where Cyber Sunday’s voting hook improves an existing rivalry instead of replacing one. Bischoff’s presence gives Edge and Randy Orton a believable path to victory, while Shawn Michaels and Triple H can spend most of the match wrestling as the stronger team. Michaels’ face-in-peril stretch is familiar but effective, Orton’s backbreaker and Edge’s cutoffs keep the middle organized, and the referee bump finally turns the structure loose. A second official nearly counts the fall after an RKO before Bischoff drags him out. Edge uses the chair, Orton drives Triple H onto it with the RKO, and Rated-RKO gets the major win the feud needs. The cheating is excessive, but the story is coherent and the crowd stays invested.

Lita and Mickie James have enough history and ability to produce something stronger than this, but the Lumberjill stipulation keeps pulling attention away from them. The early exchanges are acceptable, and Mickie’s armbar counter gives the match a brief technical spark. Then both women tumble outside, the ringside group becomes part of every transition, and a badly missed corner DDT exposes how little rhythm they have established. Victoria trips Mickie during the final sequence, allowing Lita to land the DDT and win the vacant championship. The title change matters, and the finish protects the rivalry for Survivor Series, but the match itself feels like a stipulation chosen because the poll required one rather than because it improved the story.

The wrestling is limited, but the segment understands exactly what the crowd wants from it. Piper absorbs the control stretch, which is the safest way to structure the match, while Kenny provides most of the athletic movement for the champions. Flair’s hot tag immediately wakes up the building, and the finish is kept simple enough that nobody has to pretend this is a technical showcase. Flair applies the Figure Four, Kenny breaks it once, then the hold returns and Mikey submits while Piper prevents the save. The veterans winning the titles produces a huge reaction and a genuinely warm celebration with Dusty Rhodes and Sgt. Slaughter. Sentiment carries almost everything, but sentiment is still something.

The main event has enough star power to overcome a thin premise for most of twenty-one minutes. Big Show dominates early in carefully measured bursts, forcing Booker and Cena to cooperate before they inevitably turn on each other. Once Show leaves the center, Cena and Booker produce the smoothest wrestling in the match, trading counters and near falls that finally make the championship feel at risk. Show returns for the multi-man power spots, Cena survives the traffic, and the STFU on Booker creates a natural closing question. Then Queen Sharmell occupies the referee and Kevin Federline hits Cena with the title belt. Booker retains, but the celebrity interference replaces the match’s own climax instead of enhancing it.