No Mercy 2005: Eddie Guerrero's Last PPV Is More Haunting Than Great

The opener is built more around novelty and crowd recognition than wrestling quality. MNM wisely targets Animal's taped shoulder and uses quick tags to keep Heidenreich from spending too much time in the ring. Christy receives a strong reaction when she finally enters against Melina, but her offense is visibly rough and the sequence depends on the experienced wrestlers positioning everything around her. The finish is the right spectacle for the story: Animal places Melina on his shoulders and Christy comes off the top with the Doomsday Device before making the pin. Houston enjoys it, and the babyfaces get their celebration. The six minutes are painless, yet nothing about the match suggests a pay-per-view opener beyond the familiar names.

Lashley's first WWE pay-per-view match is designed as a demonstration rather than a contest. Dean arrives with twenty double cheeseburgers and promises to eat them if he loses, which tells the audience immediately that the comedy matters more than competitive suspense. Lashley throws him around with amateur-influenced power, shrugs off a shot with the serving tray, and finishes with the Dominator in under two minutes. The physical message is effective because Lashley looks enormous, explosive, and completely unbothered by anything Dean attempts. The surrounding gag is another matter. WWE keeps returning to Dean eating burgers throughout the show, turning a useful debut into an extended comedy bit. As wrestling, there is almost nothing here to grade.

The four-way gives the undercard its busiest and most athletic stretch. Benoit and Booker feel like the most credible winners, while Christian and Jordan spend enough time breaking up submissions and pin attempts to keep the match moving. The structure avoids the usual problem of two wrestlers disappearing for long stretches; bodies rotate in and out quickly, and several combinations involve more than one opponent at a time. Booker gets a strong hometown response for the Spinarooni and Axe Kick, while Benoit keeps returning to German suplexes and submission threats. The finish is clean. Benoit catches Christian in the Sharpshooter and forces the tap. Sharmell's frustration afterward becomes the more important long-term story, nudging Booker toward his eventual turn.

Kennedy's pay-per-view debut is exactly the kind of veteran-versus-newcomer match WWE used to establish someone without overcomplicating the assignment. Holly starts aggressively and makes Kennedy earn control, while Kennedy targets the arm and works at a slower pace than his microphone persona suggests. The match never produces a major near fall or dramatic momentum swing, but it does enough to show that Kennedy can survive a physical veteran. The finishing Green Bay Plunge from the ropes gives him a distinctive visual for the clean win. The more memorable material comes around the match, with Kennedy announcing himself before and after the bell. Eight minutes is fine for the purpose. It succeeds as introduction more than as pay-per-view wrestling.

Mysterio and JBL tell the clearest story on the card because every exchange reinforces the size difference. Rey attacks the knee, moves quickly, and repeatedly forces JBL to chase him, while JBL answers by throwing Mysterio around with fallaway slams and grinding down the back. The crowd stays involved because Rey's comebacks are brief enough to feel urgent. A moonsault and 619 create believable winning chances, but JBL keeps surviving or avoiding the decisive follow-up. The finish is excellent in its simplicity. Mysterio finally lands the 619, springs back into the ring, and runs directly into a massive Clothesline From Hell. JBL gets a needed major win without making Rey look weak. It is the most complete conventional match of the night.

The casket match has enough story history to hold attention, but nineteen minutes is a long time for a two-on-one stipulation built around repeated attempts to close a lid. Undertaker wisely removes Bob from portions of the match and focuses on Randy, while the Ortons use numbers whenever the action starts turning against them. Several casket teases work, and Randy surviving the Last Ride keeps the finish uncertain. The ending is unapologetically cheap. Bob uses a fire extinguisher, Randy attacks with a chair, and the Ortons finally trap Undertaker inside. The post-match angle becomes the lasting image as they damage the casket with an axe, pour gasoline over it, and set it on fire. The spectacle outlives the match itself.

Juventud and Nunzio work a competent cruiserweight title match in front of a crowd still processing the casket fire angle. That placement hurts them immediately. The wrestling is technically sound, with quick cover attempts, headscissors, a Northern Lights suplex, and several counters built around the wrestlers' contrasting styles. Juventud is more restrained than in his WCW years, while Nunzio keeps much of the bout grounded. Vito and the Mexicools create a little ringside activity without taking over the match. Juventud eventually survives the interference, hits the Juvi Driver, and wins the championship cleanly. The title change matters, but the building never gives the action much energy. Six minutes of decent wrestling disappears almost as soon as it ends.

The main event is more interesting as a character study than as a championship match. Guerrero spends much of the first half attacking Batista's back, then repeatedly faces opportunities to cheat and chooses not to take them. A chair becomes the central symbol. Eddie sees the referee down, grabs it, considers using it, and throws it away instead. Batista's power comeback is straightforward, while Guerrero gets the Three Amigos and misses the Frog Splash late. Batista then wins with a spinebuster, an unusually modest finish for a pay-per-view title defense. The match never reaches the pace or drama expected from these names. In hindsight, the handshake and Eddie's hesitation carry enormous emotional weight because this became his final pay-per-view match.