The 2006 Vengeance was the sixth annual
Vengeance professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
(PPV)
event
Event may refer to:
Gatherings of people
* Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion
* Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest
* Event management, the organization of e ...
produced by
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and va ...
(WWE). It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's
Raw
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
brand division. The event took place on June 25, 2006, at the
Charlotte Bobcats Arena in
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
. It was the final brand-exclusive Vengeance event until
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
.
Eight professional wrestling matches were featured on the event's
card Card or The Card may refer to:
* Various types of plastic cards:
**By type
***Magnetic stripe card
*** Chip card
*** Digital card
**By function
***Payment card
****Credit card
**** Debit card
****EC-card
****Identity card
****European Health Insur ...
. The
card Card or The Card may refer to:
* Various types of plastic cards:
**By type
***Magnetic stripe card
*** Chip card
*** Digital card
**By function
***Payment card
****Credit card
**** Debit card
****EC-card
****Identity card
****European Health Insur ...
featured eight televised matches, including two
main events which resulted in
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
defeating
Edge
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed ...
to retain the
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...
and
D-Generation X
D-Generation X (DX) is an American professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable, and later a tag team, who consisted of Triple H and Shawn Michaels.
The group originated in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF ...
(DX) (
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as on ...
and
Shawn Michaels) defeating
Spirit Squad
The Spirit Squad was an American professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) consisting of Kenny, Mikey, Johnny, Mitch, and Nicky. The team's ring personas were those of an all-male cheerleading squad.
Before forming ...
(
Kenny
Kenny is a surname, a given name, and a diminutive of several different given names.
In Ireland, the surname is an Anglicisation of the Irish ''Ó Cionnaith'', also spelt ''Ó Cionnaoith'' and ''Ó Cionaodha'', meaning "descendant of Cionnaith" ...
,
Johnny
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females.
Varian ...
,
Mitch
Mitch is a short form of the masculine given name Mitchell. It is also sometimes a nickname, usually for a person with the surname Mitchell. It may refer to:
People
* Mitch Altman (born 1956), hacker and inventor
* Mitch Apau (born 1990), Dutc ...
,
Nicky, and
Mikey
Mikey is a masculine given name, often a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Michael. It may also refer to:
People
* Mikey Ambrose (born 1993), American Major League Soccer player
* Mikey Arroyo (born 1969), Filipino actor and politician, son of Phil ...
) in a 5-on-2
Handicap match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
. One bout was featured on the
undercard
In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
, in which
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied ...
defeated
Sabu in an
Extreme Rules lumberjack match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
, which featured
superstars from the Raw and
ECW ECW may refer to:
Professional wrestling
* Extreme Championship Wrestling (originally Eastern Championship Wrestling), a professional wrestling promotion that operated from 1992 to 2001
* The Alliance (professional wrestling) (originally the WCW/E ...
brands at ringside.
Vengeance grossed over US$400,000 in ticket sales from an attendance of 6,800 and received 320,000 pay-per-view buys, which helped WWE increase its pay-per-view revenue by $21.6 million compared to the previous year. When the event was released on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
, it reached the number one position on ''
Billboard''s DVD Sales Chart. The professional wrestling section of the
Canadian Online Explorer
Canoe.com is an English-language Canadian portal site and website network, and is a subsidiary of Postmedia Network. The phrase Canadian Online Explorer appears in the header; the name is also evidently a play on words on canoe (or ''canoë'' in ...
website rated the entire event a 6.5 out 10 stars, higher than the
2005 event rating of 6 out 10.
Production
Background
Vengeance was an annual
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
(PPV) event produced by
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and va ...
(WWE) since 2001. Like the previous two years' events, the 2006 event was a
Raw
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
-exclusive PPV, only featuring wrestlers from that
brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
. The 2006 event was the sixth event in the Vengeance chronology and was held on June 25 at the
Charlotte Bobcats Arena in
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
.
Storylines
The event featured eight
professional wrestling matches
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
with different wrestlers involved in pre-existing
scripted
''Scripted'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Icon for Hire. It was released on Tooth & Nail Records on August 23, 2011, and went on to break the label's new artist record for albums sold during the first week of release.
Back ...
feuds,
plots and
storylines. Wrestlers were portrayed as either
villains
A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...
or
fan favorites as they followed a series of tension-building events, which culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. All wrestlers belonged to the Raw brand – a
storyline division in which WWE assigned its employees to a different program, the other two being
SmackDown! and
ECW ECW may refer to:
Professional wrestling
* Extreme Championship Wrestling (originally Eastern Championship Wrestling), a professional wrestling promotion that operated from 1992 to 2001
* The Alliance (professional wrestling) (originally the WCW/E ...
.
The main
rivalry
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
heading into Vengeance was between WWE Champion and ECW World Champion
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
who was defending the WWE Championship against
Edge
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed ...
in a singles match. The buildup to the match began on the television premiere of ''ECW on Sci Fi'', in which Van Dam was awarded the
ECW World Heavyweight Championship
The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...
(which later become simply known as ECW World Championship) by Paul Heyman, thus making Van Dam a double champion, by holding both the ECW and WWE Championships. Van Dam's celebration was then interrupted by Edge and his girlfriend
Lita. Edge, who was the number one contender for the title,
informed Van Dam that they both had a lot in common, referring to them being both
Money in the Bank winners and successfully becoming WWE Champions. Edge concluded with giving Van Dam some kind words, in which afterwards he performed a
Spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...
on Van Dam.
On the June 19 episode of ''Raw'', in retaliation Van Dam attacked Edge, moments after winning a match against
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...
.
On the June 20 episode of ''ECW'', Rob Van Dam and
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former Collegiate wrestling, ...
defeated Edge and
Randy Orton in a tag team match when Van Dam pinned Edge after a
Five Star Frog Splash.
Another predominant rivalry scripted into Vengeance was between
D-Generation X
D-Generation X (DX) is an American professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable, and later a tag team, who consisted of Triple H and Shawn Michaels.
The group originated in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF ...
(DX)
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as on ...
and
Shawn Michaels versus the
Spirit Squad
The Spirit Squad was an American professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) consisting of Kenny, Mikey, Johnny, Mitch, and Nicky. The team's ring personas were those of an all-male cheerleading squad.
Before forming ...
(
Kenny
Kenny is a surname, a given name, and a diminutive of several different given names.
In Ireland, the surname is an Anglicisation of the Irish ''Ó Cionnaith'', also spelt ''Ó Cionnaoith'' and ''Ó Cionaodha'', meaning "descendant of Cionnaith" ...
,
Johnny
Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females.
Varian ...
,
Mitch
Mitch is a short form of the masculine given name Mitchell. It is also sometimes a nickname, usually for a person with the surname Mitchell. It may refer to:
People
* Mitch Altman (born 1956), hacker and inventor
* Mitch Apau (born 1990), Dutc ...
,
Nicky, and
Mikey
Mikey is a masculine given name, often a diminutive form (hypocorism) of Michael. It may also refer to:
People
* Mikey Ambrose (born 1993), American Major League Soccer player
* Mikey Arroyo (born 1969), Filipino actor and politician, son of Phil ...
) in a 5-on-2
Handicap match consisting of one team of wrestlers facing off against a team of wrestlers with numerical superiority such as five against two. The buildup to the match began after
Backlash
Backlash may refer to:
Literature
* '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi
* ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston
* Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character
* ''Backla ...
, Raw's previous pay-per-view event, where
The McMahons (
Vince
Vince is a given name, it is the anglicisation and shortened form of the name Vincent, as well as a surname.
It may refer to:
Given name People
* Vince Agnew (born 1987), American football player
* Vince Cable (born 1943), British politician ...
and
Shane
Shane may refer to:
People
* Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress
* Shane (New Zealand singer) (born 1946)
* iamnotshane (born 1995), formerly known as Shane, American singer
* Shane (name)
Shane is mainly a masculine g ...
) defeated Michaels and "
God
In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
" in a tag team match, with help from the Spirit Squad in a
No Holds Barred match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
. Throughout the weeks on ''Raw'', Michaels got revenge on both Vince McMahon and the Spirit Squad, until the May 22 episode of ''Raw'', where the Spirit Squad were
scripted
''Scripted'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Icon for Hire. It was released on Tooth & Nail Records on August 23, 2011, and went on to break the label's new artist record for albums sold during the first week of release.
Back ...
to injure Michaels' left knee.
Then, by orders of McMahon, Triple H was to "break Michaels' skull",
with a
sledgehammer. Triple H failed to do what McMahon ordered and instead attacked the Spirit Squad, thus turning into a fan favorite.
Two weeks later, McMahon booked Triple H in a
gauntlet match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
, consisting of two wrestlers beginning the match, and replacing whenever one is eliminated, with the last person standing being named the winner, against the Spirit Squad.
In the match, Kenny grabbed a
steel chair and inserted the chair on Triple H's left knee, similar to what the group did to Michaels.
Mitch, who was the only member not participating in the match, was thrown out from the backstage curtain by Michaels.
Following this, he joined Triple H in the ring as they began to beat down the four members of the group.
This saw Michaels and Triple H reform D-Generation X since their teased reunion in 2002.
That same night, McMahon scheduled the Spirit Squad and D-Generation X in a 5-on-2 handicap tag team match.
On the June 19 episode of ''Raw'', DX marked their return, when the duo humiliated the Spirit Squad as DX dumped green slime onto the group and embarrassed the team afterwards, by beating them.
One of the featured matches was between
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied ...
versus
Sabu in an
Extreme Rules lumberjack match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
, a standard match with the exception that the ring is surrounded by a group of wrestlers not directly involved in it and competed under
hardcore
Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to:
Arts and media Film
* ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film
* ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott
* ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...
rules. On the television debut of ''
ECW on Sci Fi
''WWE ECW'' (also known as ''ECW on Sci-Fi'' and later ''ECW on Syfy'', or simply ''ECW'') is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by WWE, based on the independent Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) promoti ...
'' on June 13, a brawl broke out between Rob Van Dam and Edge.
Edge, who stormed through the ECW crowd, was attacked by Cena, who cost Cena the
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...
at
ECW's One Night Stand,
and written into the storyline, sought revenge against Edge.
Following the attack, Cena went to ringside where he knocked
ECW Representative Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former promoter, photographer, and executive. He is currently signed to WWE, appearing on the SmackDown brand as manager for Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweig ...
unconscious,
after Heyman awarded the pinfall win to Van Dam at One Night Stand.
Following the attack, Heyman announced that all ECW superstars would be at ''Raw'' the following week.
The following week on ''Raw'', Heyman appeared alongside ECW superstar,
Balls Mahoney
Jonathan Rechner (April 11, 1972 – April 12, 2016), better known by his ring name Balls Mahoney, was an American professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) during the late 199 ...
, who was booked to face Cena in a singles match. The match was won by Cena after he made Mahoney
submit.
After the match, Cena was attacked by ECW superstar Sabu, who, on the premiere of ''ECW on Sci Fi'', won a 10-man Extreme
Battle Royal
Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...
,
and earned the right to face Cena at Vengeance in a singles match.
Sabu assaulted Cena in which he performed a
leg drop
A leg drop or legdrop refers to an attack used in professional wrestling in which an attacking wrestler will jump and land his leg across a fallen opponent's chest, throat, face or head or in some cases, the groin/lower-abdominal area.
The mov ...
on Cena, diving onto him and putting Cena through the Raw announcers' table.
The following night on an episode of ''ECW on Sci Fi'', Cena showed up in the ECW locker room, where he challenged Sabu to an Extreme Rules lumberjack match, for which Sabu accepted.
Event
Before the event went live on
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
,
Val Venis
Sean Allen Morley (born March 6, 1971), better known by the ring name Val Venis, is a Canadian retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (WWF/WWE) fro ...
defeated
Rob Conway in a
dark match
Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...
.
Preliminary matches
![KurtAngleSs05](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/KurtAngleSs05.jpg)
In the first televised match,
Randy Orton faced
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former Collegiate wrestling, ...
. In the early stages both superstars took the advantage over one another. Angle controlled most of the match, as Orton tried to avoid Angle's assaults. Angle tried to perform a
suplex
A suplex is an offensive move used in sport wrestling as well as amateur wrestling and professional wrestling. It is a throw that involves lifting the opponents and bridging or rolling to slam them on their backs.
Professional wrestling featu ...
on Orton off the ring apron, but did not perform the move. This was followed by Angle performing a
belly to back suplex on Orton on the outside ring floor. Mid-way in the match, Orton attempted to perform an
RKO
RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...
, but he countered by pushing Orton to the
turnbuckle
A turnbuckle, stretching screw or bottlescrew is a device for adjusting the tension or length of ropes, cables, tie rods, and other tensioning systems. It normally consists of two threaded eye bolts, one screwed into each end of a small metal ...
. Orton took the padding off the turnbuckle, leaving it exposed. Following this, Angle began performing a series of
German suplexes on Orton. Angle then applied the
ankle lock
A leglock is a joint lock that is directed at joints of the leg such as the ankle, knee or hip joint. A leglock which is directed at joints in the foot, is sometimes referred to as a foot lock and a lock at the hip as a hip lock. Leglocks are fe ...
hold. Orton, however, flipped over and sent Angle face-first into the exposed turnbuckle. As he turned around, Orton performed the RKO, and
covered
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of co ...
Angle to gain the pinfall victory.
The next match was between
Umaga and
Eugene. Before the match got underway, Eugene invited
Jim Duggan
James Edward Duggan Jr. (born January 14, 1954), better known by his ring name "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE on a Legends contract. His best-known character is that of an American patriot, which ...
,
Doink the Clown
Doink the Clown is a professional wrestling persona originally and most popularly portrayed by Matt Osborne, who debuted the Doink persona in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1992. Doink is a clown (or evil clown) wearing traditional clo ...
, and
Kamala
Kamala refers to:
People
* Kamala (name), given name and surname, includes list of people and characters with the name
** Kamala Harris, the 49th and current Vice President of the United States
* Kamala (wrestler) (1950–2020), American profess ...
down to ringside. Umaga, who stood at and weighed , used his body size to his advantage as he
squashed, or easily and quickly performed moves on, Eugene. The match concluded with Umaga performing the
Samoan Spike to the throat of Eugene. Umaga pinned Eugene to win the match. After the match, Umaga attacked Jim Duggan and Doink the Clown.
In the next match,
Mick Foley
Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American actor, author, retired professional wrestler, and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE under the company's Legends program, acting as a company ambassador.
Foley worked for m ...
faced
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...
in a
2-Out-of-3 Falls Match. Foley gained the advantage after he executed a
Double Underhook DDT
In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock/inverted headlock and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat. The classic DDT is performed by putting the opponent ...
. Foley then began to taunt Flair and took out
Mr. Socko, a dirty
sock puppet
A sock puppet or sockpuppet is a puppet made from a sock or a similar garment. The puppeteer wears the sock on a hand and lower arm as if it were a glove, with the puppet's mouth being formed by the region between the sock's heel and toe, and ...
, dressed like Flair. Foley controlled most of the match, until he attempted to apply the
Figure-Four Leglock
Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring. Some wrestlers use ...
, but Flair countered with an
inside cradle over Foley to win the first fall.
Frustrated, Foley grabbed a
trash can
A waste container, also known as a dustbin, garbage can, and trash can is a type of container that is usually made out of metal or plastic. The words "rubbish", "basket" and "bin" are more common in British English usage; "trash" and "can" a ...
from under the ring and brought it to the ring to hit Flair with it. But, Flair avoided the attacked, as he tripped Foley to apply the Figure-Four Leglock. At the end, Foley got disqualified when he hit Flair with the trash can. The referee awarded Flair the win. After the match, Foley attacked Flair with a barb-wired bat, leaving Flair busted open.
The fourth match was a
triple threat match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
, for the
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roste ...
, in which champion
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under his real name.
He is also known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wres ...
defended the title against
Carlito and
Johnny Nitro. The match began with Carlito performing a
springboard moonsault
A moonsault, moonsault press, or back flip splash is a Professional wrestling aerial techniques, professional wrestling aerial technique. It was innovated by Mando Guerrero. Much of its popularity in both Puroresu, Japanese and professional wrestl ...
from the ring apron hitting both Nitro and Benjamin in the process. A
spot
Spot or SPOT may refer to:
Places
* Spot, North Carolina, a community in the United States
* The Spot, New South Wales, a locality in Sydney, Australia
* South Pole Traverse, sometimes called the South Pole Overland Traverse
People
* Spot (prod ...
in the match saw Carlito set up Nitro in a
Tree of Woe. Carlito stood on the turnbuckle, in which Benjamin followed by jumping up with Carlito. Nitro then hit Benjamin with a
powerbomb
A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted (usually so that they are sitting on the wrestler's shoulders) and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a sta ...
, while Benjamin dropped Carlito, making both men hit the mat. Later in the match, Carlito performed a
backcracker on Benjamin. Nitro, who was thrown out of the ring, returned and removed Carlito from making the cover on Benjamin. He instead covered Benjamin for the pinfall victory, thus becoming the new Intercontinental champion.
Main event matches
The first main match was for the WWE Championship, in which champion Rob Van Dam defended the title against Edge accompanied with Lita. In the beginning of the match, Edge performed a
sunset flip powerbomb on Van Dam outside the ring. Van Dam, however, managed to execute a
crossbody on Edge inside the ring, resulting in the two landing on the outside of the ring floor. Both men took the upper hand in the match, until Van Dam was scripted to knock the referee unconscious. Edge took advantage, as Lita gave him the title. Edge tried to hit Van Dam with the title, but Van Dam dodged the hit as he performed a
spinning kick on the title, resulting in hitting Edge's face. Edge, however, got the advantage as he attempted to perform a shoulder block takedown on Van Dam, while Lita propped a chair on a ring corner. Edge went for the shoulder block takedown, but Van Dam moved out of the way, resulting in Edge to crash head-first onto the chair. Capitalizing on the situation, Van Dam then performed a
Five Star Frog Splash from the top turnbuckle on Edge, which he followed with a cover and a pinfall, thus retaining the WWE Championship.
The sixth match was a singles match between
Kane versus
Impostor Kane. The match began with Impostor Kane executing a
sidewalk slam on Kane. The Impostor tried to
chokeslam
A chokeslam is a type of body slam in professional wrestling, in which a wrestler grasps an opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks power ...
Kane, but Kane countered with a
DDT
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, commonly known as DDT, is a colorless, tasteless, and almost odorless crystalline chemical compound, an organochloride. Originally developed as an insecticide, it became infamous for its environmental impacts. ...
. The match concluded with Impostor Kane performing a chokeslam on Kane and pinning him for the pinfall victory.
The seventh match was the Extreme Lumberjack match between Sabu and John Cena. Before the match began, the ECW and Raw superstars made their way to ringside to take their place as lumberjacks. The match quickly began with Cena throwing Sabu out of the ring onto the Raw lumberjacks, in which they assaulted Sabu and threw him back in the ring. Sabu would later get the upper hand and throw Cena out onto the ECW lumberjacks, at ringside. Throughout the match, Sabu took the advantage over Cena as he performed a
somersault leg drop, driving a
steel chair onto Cena's face. Cena got the upper hand when he was able to counter a flying crossbody attempt by Sabu. Mid-way in the match, the ECW and Raw lumberjacks started brawling at ringside. At ringside, the ECW lumberjacks began their assault on Cena, after he was hit with a steel chair by Sabu. They laid his head on a table, in which Sabu attempted to perform a high-flying maneuver. The Raw superstars, however, gave Cena the upper hand to hit Sabu with a
kendo stick in mid-air. Back in the ring, Cena hit Sabu with a steel chair then lifted him over his shoulders and threw him down on a table that was at ringside to execute the
FU. Following this, Sabu was thrown back into the ring where Cena applied the
STFU in which Sabu submitted to and giving Cena the win.
The last match on the card was the five-on-two handicap match between D-Generation X (D-X) versus the Spirit Squad. During the beginning of the match, Michaels quickly took control of Mitch, before tagging in Triple H. Johnny was tagged in the match, after encouragement from his team, to face off against Triple H. The match was then controlled by the Spirit Squad, after Johnny performed an
enzuigiri on Michaels. Nicky, who was tagged in, distracted the referee, allowing the other squad members to pull Michaels out of the ring and hit Michaels with a steel chair. Back in the ring, the assault continued, as each member took the upper hand over him. Michaels came back after countering a double team maneuver and hitting both Nicky and Mikey with a double
DDT
Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, commonly known as DDT, is a colorless, tasteless, and almost odorless crystalline chemical compound, an organochloride. Originally developed as an insecticide, it became infamous for its environmental impacts. ...
. Michaels then tagged Triple H into the match. The match concluded with Triple H performing a Pedigree and Michaels performed Sweet Chin Music. Both Triple H and Michaels got the pinfall victory respectively over the Spirit Squad. After the match, the three remaining members tried to attack D-X, but were unsuccessful in doing so.
Reception
The
Charlotte Bobcats Arena usually can accommodate 20,000, but the capacity was reduced for the event. This event grossed over $400,000 from an approximate attendance of 6,800 – the maximum allowed.
It also received 320,000 pay-per-view buys.
Vengeance helped WWE earn $21.6 million in revenue from pay-per-view events versus $19.9 million the previous year, which was later confirmed by
Linda McMahon
Linda Marie McMahon (née Edwards; October 4, 1948) is an American political executive, retired professional wrestler, executive, and performer. She served as the 25th administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019.
McMahon ...
, the
CEO of WWE, on August 31, 2006 in a quarterly result.
The event received positive reviews.
Canadian Online Explorer
Canoe.com is an English-language Canadian portal site and website network, and is a subsidiary of Postmedia Network. The phrase Canadian Online Explorer appears in the header; the name is also evidently a play on words on canoe (or ''canoë'' in ...
's professional wrestling section rated the event 6.5 out of 10.
The rating was higher than the
Vengeance 2005 event which was rated 6 out 10. The WWE title, Intercontinental title, and 5-on-2 handicap match were all rated an 8 out of 10.
Additionally, the singles match between Kane and Impostor Kane was rated a 3 out 10.
The event was released on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
on July 25, 2006. The DVD was distributed by the label
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
. The DVD ranked number one on ''
Billboard''
's DVD Sales Chart for recreational sports during the week of August 19, 2006, although falling thereafter. It remained in the chart for three months, until the week of November 4, 2006, when it ranked 17th.
Aftermath
On the July 3 episode of ''Raw'', a triple threat match was booked between Rob Van Dam, Edge, and John Cena for the WWE title, after Van Dam made the stipulation.
Edge, as part of scripted events, defeated both Van Dam and Cena to become the new WWE champion, after pinning Van Dam.
The following night on ''ECW on Sci Fi'', Van Dam lost the ECW title to The Big Show, after the Big Show received assistance from Paul Heyman, who declined to make the three-count for Van Dam, but instead gave the pinfall to the Big Show. Later on WWE's official website, it was announced that Heyman suspended Van Dam for 30 days without giving a reason. This
angle
In Euclidean geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two Ray (geometry), rays, called the ''Side (plane geometry), sides'' of the angle, sharing a common endpoint, called the ''vertex (geometry), vertex'' of the angle.
Angles formed by two ...
was written after WWE suspended Van Dam for
his recent drug possession arrest.
The following month at ''
Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIII'', a title match was scheduled between Edge and Cena. Cena won the match by
disqualification, after Lita interfered on behalf of Edge.
A singles match was booked between Edge and Cena for the WWE title at Summerslam, with the stipulation that if Edge disqualified himself, he would have lost the WWE title. At SummerSlam, Edge retained the title after he hit Cena with a pair of
brass knuckles
Brass knuckles (variously referred to as knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, knucklebusters, knuckledusters, knuckle daggers, English punch, iron fist, paperweight, or a classic) are "fist-load weapons" used in hand-to-hand combat. Brass knuckle ...
, this occurred when the referee was not looking.
In a July ''Saturday Night's Main Event XXXIII'', DX defeated the Spirit Squad in a 5-on-2
elimination match
Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...
.
The McMahons (Vince and Shane) continued their feud with DX, as they became frustrated with DX's antics. McMahon scheduled a tag team match, where he would team up with Shane to take on DX at
SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
in August.
Before the match got underway at SummerSlam, the Spirit Squad,
Mr. Kennedy
Kenneth Anderson (born March 6, 1976) is an American professional wrestler. Anderson is known for his tenure with WWE from 2005 to 2009 under the ring name Mr. Kennedy, and his work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as Mr. Anderson from 2010 to 2 ...
,
William Regal
Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is known for his over 20 years spent in WWE, as both a performer and an on-screen authority, and for his t ...
,
Finlay
Finlay is a masculine given name, and also a surname. The given name is represented in Scottish Gaelic as Fionnlagh.
Given name Finlay
* Finlay Mickel, Scottish skier
*Finlay Currie (1878–1968), Scottish actor
* Finlay Calder, Scottish rugby pl ...
, and
The Big Show all interfered on behalf of the McMahons. DX, however, won the match.
The 2006 Vengeance was the last in a three-year stretch of being a Raw-exclusive PPV, as following
WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania 23 was the 23rd annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW brand divisions. The eve ...
in April 2007, brand-exclusive PPVs were discontinued. It would also be the final PPV to be promoted solely as Vengeance until the
2011 event, as the 2007 event was a joint PPV titled
Vengeance: Night of Champions, which was both the final Vengeance event until 2011 and the inaugural
Night of Champions
Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends o ...
event. It was also the final brand-exclusive Vengeance until the
2021 event, which was held exclusively for the
NXT
NXT may refer to:
Professional wrestling
* ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010
** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory
* ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
brand.
Results
Notes
References
*(2006). ''Vengeance VD World Wrestling Entertainment''.
*
External links
Vengeance 2006 Official website (archived)
{{good article
2006 in North Carolina
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
Events in Charlotte, North Carolina
Professional wrestling in Charlotte, North Carolina
2006 WWE pay-per-view events
June 2006 events in the United States
WWE Raw