I didn’t really like this match too much. Way too much meandering up until the final moments. They are trying really hard to present Val as this bad ass new attitude character but it isn’t working and I think it was appropriate for them to reboot and go in a different direction for him about a month for now. The cage was utilized well enough as a weapon but I didn’t feel the hatred between the two men. I also think having this match the same night as a LMS match took some of the wind out of the sails for what each man could do. The finish with Lita coming out to whip Trish with the belt as a receipt for earlier in the night is well done. In addition, we get the most memorable spot of the match with the big splash from Rikishi from the top of the cage which is a great spot that has the crowd going crazy. Tazz comes in and grabs a camera slamming it into Rikishi’s head allowing Val to get the cop out win. I think this is remembered fondly for the agreeably awesome Rikishi dive, but I thought the match was a slog a lot of the way through otherwise. **1/2

There has been so much more violence in this feud than we saw in this match. So it is a tad disappointing. More than anything this just feels like paint by numbers. They work through the motions of hatred and conflict but it feels much like time wasting to get to the convoluted finish. It is one nice moment with Rikishi coming off the top but ultimately it's not much more than a vehicle to advance this Tazz-Rikishi thing.

 

**3/4