Batista vs. John Cena

[9.0] "9.5 This just might be the best Last Man Standing match I've ever seen.. maybe I just have a bad memory but.. damn, this was outstanding. I think live I didn't like the finish but on rewatch, its great on several fronts, first, Batista tries to take Cena's legs out to start the match. its abandoned eventually, however, Cena sells the overall damage well, so it feels like he's the one barely hanging on. Even when Cena hits the big AA through a table, its not enough so instead of Cena going bigger, he goes smarter and doesn't allow Batista to stand. I think Batista and Cena in this feud are at peak form. I haven't liked some of the choices, but I think they are executing everything so well that its really draw me in. Very excited to next watch the I quit match."

[4.0] "Unfortunately, this match is severely hurt and the stipulation disrupts its rhythm; literally two minutes in and the counts begin to take place, from there on out, there were an egregious and excessive amount of counts to the point where things felt stop start for most of it. There is a version of this match without the counts that could've been really good. I just wanted to see these two massive blocks of beef tear each other apart and I felt cucked by the stipulation. This actually started with some good urgency from John and some anger with a visibly frustrated Batista but then things came to a halt. I thought the piece of limp work by Batista was interesting and the way it mirrored his loss was a nice touch. Most of the counts felt like they lacked gravity because it would be the simplest of moves performed and the ref would Immediately start counting. It wasn't until the announcer's table spot that the counts began to feel significant. I want to point out how hilarious it was that Matt Striker was putting Batista over on commentary only for Batista to chuck a monitor in between him and the other person and it suddenly silenced Striker for a minute. It's not a terrible match, and there are things I enjoyed here, but not something I was able to fully immerse myself in due to its stipulation **1/4"

[8.0] "I don't think I've seen this match before, although I know the finish which is famous. A very good match and a good use of the stipulation. The finish is very original, like many Last Man Standing matches in WWE, and humiliates the Heel. It's very well thought out. (4*)"

[7.0] "It had a few spots that caught my attention. Batista's leg work was fine (Cena ignored selling it a bit later unfortnately), constant getting up at 8-9 also got the crowd going. And sure, the finish was unique and prolonged their feud, but it didn't exactly fit Cena's character. He was supposed to beat Batista up, not do some shenanigans to win"

[3.0] "Looking at the ratings of my contemporaries to this match made me second guess if I watched the right match. For me, this match was terrible. To say it moved at a glacial pace would be putting it mildly. Last Man Standing matches are usually quite slow for sure, but they put a count on these two for everything. Clotheslines? A count. A basic vertical suplex? Count 'em ref, he's definitely out. A single BACK ELBOW? Yup. That's it for sure. Count 'em. And for ALL of these, they stay down for a while! On all of these simplistic moves, they're staying down for a 6 or 7 count! Usually in Last Man Standing matches, when the ref starts a count after a simple move, they'll be up at 2, 3, or 4 so there's some build. But not here. There honestly might be more time counting in this match than there is wrestling time. Even the 'big spots' are nothing special. A few weak table breaks and the one big AA through the table. The AA was a solid spot, but nothing so impressive that it lifted up a bad match. The finish was extremely clever for sure. It was a way to give Cena a win and extend the feud another month without really beating Batista again. But in all honesty? The best moment in this match by a landslide is the now-famous "I hate you Batista! " "I HATE YOU TOO! " exchange between him and a fan. Hilarious moment. Just a boring, sluggish, uninspired match that even the big moments do little to save."

[7.0] "It was a decent main event, never felt like Batista was gonna win because it was Super Cena, who wasn't fun to watch and exemplifies why Cena will never be the GOAT in my eyes no matter how much revisionism happens. That STF Cena did was terrible too. But away from the negativity, it was a good power brawl and I didn't mind the ending, it was something fresh, but felt more like something an Eddie Guerrero would do than Cena. Batista also sold the shock and disgust well, he was really good as a heel and it's unfortunate he left soon after."

[8.0] "I'll sound like a broken record here, but I always have a problem with these kinds of matches because of the constant pauses for the ten count. However, this Last Man Standing Match between John Cena and Batista really worked for me. These two really made up for the slow start with some crazy spots towards the end. The AA through the announce table was really awesome, and both of these guys really put some major effort into this. The ending was clever as well, with Cena using a clever strategy to keep the Animal down."

[8.0] "This was a really fun last man standing match slightly hampered by Cena's inconsistent selling of his leg and the weird finish. It felt weirdly heelish for Cena to win in such an underhanded way. There were plenty of great spots though so the match was still really entertaining."

[9.0] "This is a great match with some great action both men beat each other up and the finish was something unique. ****1/4"

[7.0] "This match, I find, is overrated. While the Last Man Standing stip does enable the classic Cena-match coming from behind and pulling out the Superman win, that's both a blessing and a curse. Cena taking beatings and coming back is cool when you haven't seen it every month. He also forgets to sell his leg. The finish with the legs being taped up is also very hokey, and makes me wonder who's the face here. Even considering this, it's a nice watch with real physicality and spots that make you wonder if Cena can be beaten. That AA through the table... chef's kiss."

[8.0] "This match suffers from the annoying LMS match trope but the action was good enough here to make up for it. Cena's leg selling in the 1st half of the match was good, but he sadly drops all aspects of it during the 2nd half of the match. Cena looked to have gained momentum after the AA on a chair, but Batista pushes the ref into the ropes causing Cena's top rope attempt to be a failure. The 2nd half was both men just taking big moves and they sold it all really well. The finish should've been the AA on the table but the rest of the action, the actual finish was creative enough for me to accept it not being it.****1/4"

[8.0] "The first half wasn't particularly exciting, but the work was always solid, albeit slightly dull. The second half, though, picked it up immensely, with a great burst of synergy from both men and tons of sense of urgency. The big spots that were supposed to be treated as a big deal were treated as such, which makes it all the more meaningful. This had the unfortunate usual methodical approach that most LMS bouts suffered, but I think that was to be expected anyway. The finish is a hit-or-miss for me. On one hand, it was very creative on their part. On the other hand, it completely goes against Cena's white-meat babyface character. Ah well, a great match nonetheless, all things considered. [****]"

[5.0] "Apparently I am lower on this match than everyone else, but I thought it was dreadfully boring at times and even the high spots were pretty mundane. Last Man Standings are often a slog due to the anticlimactic premise and too-frequent counts, and this was no exception. The finish, while creative, made no sense as a tactic for Cena, the babyface, to use to win."

[8.0] "This was a really cool Last Man Standing match with creativity and a very enjoyable dynamic. A match that was solid from start to finish with good work from both sides, the stipulation was very well managed and they made so many big spots. I really liked the Attitude Adjustment across the commentators' table as well as the Spinebuster across the table in the ring. Two really fun moments which are certainly the best spots of the match, accompanied by the finish which is really original and didn't bother me at all. Batista did some good heel-work on Cena's leg and neck, and Cena was a fantastic babyface as usual, so they both did a very good job to make this main event a success. I had already enjoyed their WrestleMania match, and I preferred this one. Good stuff here and there in this solid match-up."

[8.0] "I think that the match suffered from missing its peak and falling victim to the usual annoying tropes that most LMS matches have in the end. The AA through the table got the biggest pop of the match and should've ended the match but it didn't. Batista got up from that which annoyed me a ton. The finish that the match had was good though, so it wasn't a total let down. I dug the rest of the match as it had some great Cena selling, not too much damage that it'll cause them to not sell them properly, great work on the leg by Batista too. Great use of the STF by Cena to try and causing Batista to pass out. There was tons of goodness in this, stuff that far outweighs the bad. Great match. ****"

[7.0] "The first half of the match was ridiculous with the wrestlers asking the referee to count after every basic move. Second half was much better."

[7.0] "The first half of the match is dull (seriously, why are they asking the referee to count after basic moves? ), but the match does pick up in the second half. Cena is often times booked as a superman and this type of wrestler can really excel in this type of matches - no-selling and miraculous recoveries somehow seem less egregious in last man standing matches. The ending is rather underwhelming, but nonetheless a good match."

[9.0] "This was an excellent last man standing match. These guys really did a great job of selling the fact that they had to throw everything at each other to try and get the win... the finish absolutely sucked though. ****1/4"