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Welcome to PWInsider.com's coverage of WWE Vengeance. We will be updating this page throughout the night with results from the show, so check back often for updates.
Vengeance opened with a video package putting over the "Night Of Champions" theme for the show, and focusing on the WWE and World Title matches. Jim Ross welcomed us to the show, and then former World Tag Team Champions Mike Rotundo & Barry Windham (who both work for WWE now, although that wasn't mentioned) were introduced to the crowd. They were sitting at ringside, and they showed a short video package on Rotundo & Windham while Ross and Jerry Lawler discussed their history.
World Tag Team Champions Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch vs. The Hardys.
Ross and Lawler called this one, and JR talked about the history of the tag titles before the bout. Cade started out with Matt, and broke clean in the corner as they locked up. They locked up again, and Cade broke clean again. Cade offered a handshake, and Matt kicked him in the gut, then hit a shoulderblock. Murdoch complained that Hardy wasn't following the rules. There was a chant for the Hardys. Matt grabbed a side headlock, and Cade leapfrogged him, but Matt hit a cross bodyblock and a series of rights. Murdoch came in, but was knocked out by Matt. Jeff tagged in for a double elbow and a fistdrop/senton combo. Murdoch got a blind tag and hit Jeff with a neckbreaker for a two count. Jeff gave Murdoch a mule kick and tagged in Matt, who hit a second rope elbowdrop. Jeff tagged in for Air Hardy, then hit an elevated kick in the corner. Cade ran in and was clotheslined to the floor by Matt. Jeff dropkicked Trevor to the floor as well. Cade and Murdoch regrouped on the floor, then started to leave.
The Hardys ran after them and dragged them back to the ring. Trevor slapped Matt, then Matt chased him around the ring and missed a bling tag to Cade, who clipped Matt's leg. Cade went to work on Matt's leg, which had been hurt during his match against Finlay on Smackdown last week. Murdoch tagged in and continued to work on Matt's leg, then hit an elbowdrop. Cade tagged in and clipped the leg, then slammed Matt knee first to the mat for a two count. Murdoch dropped a knee on the leg, and Matt tried to fight back, but Murdoch applied a single leg Boston crab. Murdoch had his left eye swelled up from a match last night. Matt struggled in the hold, and eventually turned over and kicked free.
Matt made the hot tag to Jeff as Murdoch tagged Cade. Jeff cleaned house on Cade and Murdoch, sending Murdoch to the floor after a backdrop and hitting a Slingblade clothesline on Cade for a two count. Jeff nailed Cade with Whisper In The Wind, but Cade kicked out at two. Jeff hit a gourdbuster and went to the top rope, but Murdoch went to stop him. Jeff kicked him away, but Murdoch managed to knock him off. Matt went after Murdoch on the floor, and Cade hit Jeff with a spinebuster in the ring for the pin at the nine minute mark.
Winners: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch.
Backstage, Queen Sharmell told King Booker to be careful in tonight's main event. Booker talked about his championship past, and said that tonight he would prove that the "Night Of Champions" belongs to King Booker.
JBL and Michael Cole then continued the "Night Of Champions" theme by discussing Eddie Guerrero, then showing footage of him winning the WWE Title from Brock Lesnar.
Cruiserweight Champion Chavo Guerrero vs. Jimmy Wang Yang.
As Chavo came to the ring, JBL and Cole discussed former Cruiserweight Champion Dean Malenko, showing some clips of him, and they showed Malenko (now a WWE agent) watching the match on a monitor in the back.
Yang grabbed a cradle at the bell for a one count. They locked up and Yang grabbed a side mare. Yang worked into another cradle for a one count. Chavo complained to the referee, then clipped Yang with a punch and went to work, ramming him into the turnbuckles. Yang came back with some kicks to the gut, then a huge dropkick. Yang hit a vertical suplex for a two count, then grabbed a keylock. Yang whipped Chavo in a corner and walked up his chest with a flip, but Chavo grabbed Yang and threw him to the floor. Chavo hit a baseball slide, then a stiff forearm on the floor. Chavo tossed Yang in the ring and went to the top rope, but Yang kicked him off and Chavo fell to the floor. Yang hit a top rope bodypress to the outside on Chavo.
Yang rolled Chavo back in the ring for a two count, but Chavo then hiptossed a charging Yang into the turnbuckles. Chavo put Yang in a surfboard, but Yang twisted out of it. Chavo gave Yang a drop toe hold and hit a forearm to the back, then hit a rolling senton. Chavo whipped Yang hard into the corner, then snapmared him and applied a chinlock while driving a knee into his back. Yang powered up and dropped back to escape the hold. Yang hit an inverted atomic drop, elbowed a charging Chavo, then hit a second rope dropkick. Yang hit a spinkick in the corner, then hit a top rope bodypress for a two count. Yang went to the ropes, but Chavo kicked him in the gut. Chavo went for the Three Amigos, but Yang floated over the third suplex and hit a spinkick for a two count. Yang went for the moonsault, but Chavo moved out of the way. Chavo went for the Gori Bomb, but Yang turned it into a sunset flip for a two count. Chavo grabbed Yang by the jeans and pulled him face first into the turnbuckles. Chavo put Yang on the top rope for a back superplex, but Yang elbowed him to the mat. Yang stood on the top rope for the moonsault, but Chavo knocked him off. Chavo went to the top rope and hit a frogsplash to the back of Yang for the pin at the nine minute mark.
Winner: Chavo Guerrero.
A half hour into the show, Jim Ross had the honor of making the first mention of the Mr. McMahon storyline. Lawler and Ross reviewed the footage of Vince going boom, and analyzed Vince's mindset that night, noting he felt there was a "black cloud" over him. They analyzed every aspect of Vince's walk to the limo, right down to how he opened the door. A fan had a sign that said "Vince is not dead". We then had a plug for the poll on WWE.com to select who might have done the heinous act.
Todd Grisham interviewed Bobby Lashley backstage. Lashley said he wished Vince McMahon was here, so he could see the look on Vince's face when he wins the WWE Title tonight.
Joey Styles & Tazz made their first (and probably only) appearance on the show. They talked about the recent history of the ECW Title, then showed some classic ECW clips of Tazz (back when he was Taz), with Joey Styles stating he was the greatest ECW Champion ever. Tazz said being ECW Champion was the highlight of his career.
Johnny Nitro vs. CM Punk for the vacant ECW Title.
The announcers explained that Benoit had a "family emergency" to the audience watching the PPV, so Nitro was replacing him. The fans in the arena were chanting "We Want Benoit" as Punk and Nitro did some mat work at the start. Punk hit some kicks to the leg of Nitro, then kicked him in the head, knocking him to the floor. Nitro got on the apron and slapped Punk. Punk chased him around the ring, and when Nitro got back in, Punk tripped him from the floor, then hit a slingshot legdrop. Punk slapped Nitro across the face, but Nitro reversed a whip into the corner then hit a springboard kick to the head for a two count. Nitro hit some forearms to the face, then covered Punk for a near fall. Nitro applied a trapped arm choke. Punk fought out of it, but Nitro nailed him with a clothesline for a one count.
Nitro applied an armbar, and the "We Want Benoit" chants started up again. Punk broke free, but Nitro hit a double kick out of the corner, then a backbreaker and a cross armbreaker. Nitro went back to the trapped arm choke. Fans chanted "boring". Punk broke free and hit an enzugiri. Nitro and Punk traded shots, with Punk getting the better of it. Punk hit a sidekick for a two count. Nitro caught a charging Punk with an elbow, but put his feet on the ropes for leverage on a cover, which the referee caught. Punk grabbed Nitro in an STO variation for a two count, then went for the GTS, but Nitro elbowed out of it into a sunset flip, but Punk dropped down on him for a two count. Punk hit some knees to the head, then a jumping knee in the corner and a bulldog. Punk went for a springboard clothesline, but Nitro ducked. Punk rolled across the mat to the opposite apron. Punk went to shoulderblock Nitro from the apron, but Nitro caught him with a knee to the head, then pulled Punk into the ring and hit a flipping neckbreaker for the clean pin at the eight minute mark.
Winner and new ECW Champion: Johnny Nitro.
Coverage continued on next page.
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