Unforgiven 2005: Matt Hardy Finally Gets His Revenge While Cena and Angle Leave the Door Open

Flair and Carlito open with an old wrestler-young champion contrast that works better emotionally than athletically. Carlito attacks the arm and tries to slow Flair down, while Flair leans on chops, headlocks, and familiar timing to keep the crowd with him. The most surprising moment comes when Flair actually connects from the top rope before Carlito later catches another attempt with a dropkick. Carlito reaches for the apple near the finish, but Flair knocks it away and traps him in the Figure Four. Carlito submits, giving Flair his first Intercontinental Championship at age fifty-six. The match itself is merely solid, yet the title change and crowd reaction make the opener feel larger than its mechanics.

The match is built around Trish Stratus returning from injury and Ashley surviving her first pay-per-view program, so the experienced wrestlers do most of the heavy lifting. Trish and Victoria have enough history to give their exchanges some crispness, but Ashley remains limited and the match becomes noticeably less fluid whenever she has to carry a sequence. Torrie and Victoria isolate briefly, Candice Michelle provides the expected ringside distraction, and Trish eventually creates the comeback. A roundhouse kick to Victoria ends it after roughly seven minutes. The outcome is sensible and the crowd likes seeing Trish back, but the wrestling never develops much structure beyond protecting the inexperienced participant. It functions as a television storyline payoff on a pay-per-view stage.

Big Show and Snitsky have a six-minute power match that never finds a compelling reason to exist beyond deciding which large wrestler hits harder. Show dominates early with chops and headbutts, Snitsky briefly gains control by attacking the arm, and the pace slows almost immediately. There is nothing technically disastrous about the work, but every transition feels obvious and the crowd has little reason to believe Snitsky can produce a meaningful upset. Show eventually breaks free, lands the spinebuster, and finishes with the chokeslam. The short runtime prevents the match from becoming painful, yet it also leaves no room for escalation or surprise. It is filler in the purest sense: competent enough to finish, forgettable enough to disappear.

Benjamin gives the match most of its athletic credibility, while White's golf-club character supplies a gimmick that has aged far worse than the wrestling. The early minutes are simple, with Benjamin using speed and power before White targets the knee to slow him down. That leg work gives the match a modest structure because Benjamin has to create his comeback without relying entirely on explosive movement. White eventually reaches for the hidden golf club, turning the finish back toward comedy. Benjamin blocks the attempted weapon shot and lands the T-Bone Suplex for the clean pin. Eight minutes is enough for a competent television-style match, but the character surrounding White keeps the bout from feeling serious or important on pay-per-view.

Hardy and Edge finally turn months of ugly personal history into the cathartic fight SummerSlam failed to provide. Edge repeatedly tries to escape early, then becomes more vicious once Hardy stops him, targeting the head and using the cage as a weapon. Hardy eventually sends Edge into all four walls, busts him open, knocks Lita from the cage, and survives a Spear after Lita enters to interfere. The finishing stretch is tremendous. Hardy could escape, but he looks down at Edge and chooses revenge instead, dropping a leg from the top of the cage for the pin. The decision is reckless, dramatic, and completely faithful to the feud. For one night, the real-life bitterness becomes coherent wrestling storytelling.

The tag-title match has a clear old-school structure before a legitimate injury changes its tone. Cade and Murdoch isolate Hurricane, cut the ring in half, and work with a deliberate pace that contrasts with the champions' superhero presentation. Rosey's hot tag briefly gives the match energy, but the story turns serious when Murdoch hits a DDT on Hurricane outside and Hurricane is checked by medical staff. WWE continues the match, and Cade ultimately pins the injured champion to win the titles. The title change gives the new team credibility, but the injury becomes the memory rather than the wrestling. Seven minutes is not enough for the teams to build a deeper rivalry or a satisfying finish independent of what happened to Hurricane.

Michaels treats Masters like a serious power wrestler and gives the younger man exactly the kind of match his push needs. Masters attacks the back with repeated powerbombs, uses his strength to interrupt Michaels' rhythm, and keeps returning to the Masterlock as the real threat. Michaels sells the damage long enough that every escape feels earned rather than routine. The best sequence comes when Masters locks the hold in again and Michaels leaps over the ropes, forcing the referee to break it without technically escaping. Masters tries to reapply the hold moments later and walks into Sweet Chin Music for the pin. The match protects the Masterlock, gives Michaels the victory, and makes Masters look far more credible than he did walking in.

Angle controls the match like the superior technician and forces Cena to spend long stretches proving he can survive rather than dictate. German suplexes, the Angle Slam, and repeated Ankle Lock attempts create increasingly dangerous moments, while Cena's comebacks are built around power and urgency. The match is strongest when Angle counters Cena's familiar offense and makes the champion look one step behind. Then Bischoff arrives and the finish becomes more complicated than the wrestling needs. Cena escapes the Ankle Lock, grabs the championship, and hits Angle directly in front of the recovering referee for a disqualification. Cena keeps the title and later puts Angle through the announce table, sending the crowd home happy. The feud continues, but the pay-per-view ending feels deliberately incomplete.