Unforgiven 2005 had no right to be as good as it was. On the heels of a strong SummerSlam, several feuds and questionable booking decisions had fans scratching their heads. Shawn Michaels, fresh off his memorable main event against Hulk Hogan, was stuck in a rivalry with green rookie Chris Masters. Big Show and Snitsky were stinking up Raw on a weekly basis with a series of singles bouts that were about as exciting as watching paint dry. Then there was the uninspired program between John Cena and Kurt Angle over the WWE Championship that felt more like an excuse for yet another babyface vs. heel authority story than anything as the champion Cena found himself at odds with general manager Eric Bischoff. Only the rivalry between Matt Hardy and Edge had any real heat to it, and that was due largely to the real life animosity between the two over the affair between the latter and Lita that had led to a bitter war of words on the Internet. The show proved all preconceptions wrong, overcoming questionable booking to deliver an outstanding show. Not only did the aforementioned feuds deliver inside the squared circle, so did bouts pitting Ric Flair against Carlito for the intercontinental title, Shelton Benjamin against the ill-conceived Kerwin White (Chavo Guerrero) and a divas tag bout featuring Trish Stratus and Ashley Massaro taking on Torrie Wilson and Victoria.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
