New Year's Revolution 2007: One Injury Changed WrestleMania Before Cena Saved the Night

Jeff Hardy and Johnny Nitro give the show an energetic opening cage match built around athletic escapes rather than prolonged weapon-style violence. Nitro targets Hardy with several creative high-risk counters, including a powerbomb from the corner, while Hardy repeatedly creates openings for the door or the top of the cage. The crowd responds well to the near escapes because both men keep the objective visible throughout the match. The finish is especially inventive: Nitro reaches the outside near the door, Hardy kicks the door into him, and the champion slips out first. It is not a classic cage match, but the pace, creativity, and clean title retention make it one of the night's strongest complete bouts.

The Tag Team Turmoil match fills nearly twenty minutes with competent wrestling but never develops into a compelling pay-per-view attraction. Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas provide the crispest work and survive the first two teams, which gives the gauntlet at least one steady thread. Cade and Murdoch then eliminate them before Cryme Tyme arrive as the final entrants and receive the strongest reaction of the sequence. The format makes the eventual result easy to anticipate once JTG and Shad Gaspard appear, and several earlier stretches feel like television-level filler. Cryme Tyme winning a future title opportunity is logical, but the match is more useful for advancing the division than for producing memorable action.

Kenny Dykstra defeating Ric Flair is structured as a generational showcase, with the twenty-year-old heel trying to prove that his Spirit Squad past does not define him. Flair supplies the crowd connection through chops, the Figure Four, and familiar comeback rhythms, while Dykstra handles most of the control work. The Boston Crab section drags because the hold never looks especially convincing, but the closing minutes improve once Flair targets the leg and the audience senses a submission. Dykstra escapes by using a low blow behind the referee's back and steals the pin with an inside cradle. The win is meaningful in theory, although later booking prevents it from becoming the launch point the match seems designed to create.

Mickie James and Victoria work a short title match that has enough movement to stay watchable but never settles into a strong championship rhythm. Victoria's power offense gives James something clear to fight against, while Mickie's quick counters and headscissors create the sharper moments. Melina's attempted interference adds a layer to the finish, but the ringside involvement becomes messy once Candice Michelle and Maria arrive to neutralize her. James ultimately counters into the Mickie DDT and retains after less than seven minutes. The match is not actively bad, yet the limited time and cluttered interference make it feel like an episode of Raw rather than an important pay-per-view defense.

Rated-RKO and D-Generation X are building toward a strong, violent tag match when Triple H's legitimate quadriceps tear changes everything. Before the injury, Edge and Randy Orton isolate Shawn Michaels effectively, blood adds intensity, and the champions spend meaningful time attacking Triple H's leg. After Triple H collapses following a spinebuster, the wrestlers improvise around a serious physical limitation and turn the closing stretch into a chaotic revenge angle. Michaels attacks the referee, the match is thrown out, and DX brutalize the champions with chairs and announce-table spots. The no-contest prevents a satisfying title resolution, but the professionalism and improvisation after the injury keep the segment compelling under extraordinary circumstances.

Chris Masters and Carlito are placed in the worst possible spot after the emotional Rated-RKO and DX segment, and the crowd never recovers enough to care. Carlito contributes a few athletic bursts, including a springboard sequence, but Masters controls most of the match with basic power offense and rest-heavy pacing. The chemistry is limited, the stakes are modest, and neither man creates a believable sense that this feud belongs on pay-per-view. Masters eventually counters a sunset-flip attempt, sits down on Carlito, grabs the tights, and steals the pin. The post-match Masterlock adds little because the audience has already detached, leaving a six-minute match that feels both flat and badly positioned.

John Cena and Umaga close the show with the best complete match on the card by leaning into the challenger's undefeated aura. Umaga dominates long stretches with size, speed, and sudden counters, repeatedly stopping Cena whenever the champion tries to build his familiar comeback. Cena's failed attempts to lift Umaga reinforce the physical mismatch and make each later burst feel more desperate. The finish protects both men: Cena avoids a charging Umaga and catches him with a quick roll-up, ending the undefeated streak without proving he can overpower the challenger. That narrow escape immediately creates demand for the Royal Rumble rematch, where the rivalry would produce its definitive Last Man Standing match.