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July 25th
On this day in history in ....
1953 - Blue Demon defeats El Santo in Mexico City, Mexico, for the NWA World Welterweight Title, ending Santo's second title reign.
1955 - Frank Jares defeats Sonny Myers for the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title in Birmingham, Alabama.
1958 - Sonny Myers wins a tournament final in St. Joseph, Missouri for his ninth Central States Heavyweight Title. The belt had been vacated months earlier by Richard Brown.
1977 - Captain USA (Big John Studd under a mask) defeats Bruiser Brody for the American Heavyweight Title (later to become the World Class World Heavyweight Title) in Ft. Worth, Texas. This ended Brody's second reign with the belt.
1980 - Ken Mantell defeats Wahoo McDaniel in a tournament final to win the Mid-South Louisiana Heavyweight Title. Junkyard Dog had been forced to vacate the title after he was blinded by the Fabulous Freebirds.
1983 - Jimmy Garvin defeats Kevin Von Erich in Ft. Worth, Texas to win the American Heavyweight Title (later to become the World Class World Heavyweight Title). The title had been held up following a controversial no-contest between the two on July 11th. This ended Von Erich's 4th run with the title.
1983 - Jerry Lawler defeats Ken Patera for the AWA International Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee, starting his second title reign.
1984 - Bull Nakano defeats Itsuki Yamazaki for the All Japan Singles Title in Yamato, Japan.
1987 - Jim Crockett Promotions ran Philadelphia, PA at the Civic Center with the following results:
-Kendall Windham & Todd Champion defeated the MOD Squad.
-NWA Jr. Heavyweight Champion Lazortron defeated Nelson Royal.
-Sean Royal defeated the Italian Stallion.
-Florida Heavyweight Champion Mike Rotundo fought Dory Funk Jr. to a 20-minute time-limit draw.
-The Barbarian defeated Jimmy Valiant.
-Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, & Buddy Roberts defeated Ivan Koloff, Vladimir Petrov, & Manny Fernandez.
-UWF Western States Heritage Champion Barry Windham defeated Arn Anderson.
-NWA World Tag Team Champions The Rock N' Roll Express, Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson defeated NWA U.S. Tag Team Champions The Midnight Express, Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane in a non-title lumberjacks with tennis racquets match.
-UWF World Champion Steve Williams defeated Dick Murdoch in a bunkhouse match.
-Jimmy Garvin & Precious defeated Paul Jones (sub. for JJ Dillon) & Dark Journey.
-Dusty Rhodes & Ron Garvin defeated NWA World Champion Ric Flair & NWA TV Champion Tully Blanchard in a double bullrope match when Rhodes pinned Blanchard.
-Nikita Koloff defeated NWA US Champion Lex Luger via disqualification in a steel cage match.
1991 - a WCW event in San Bernadino, CA is canceled due to low ticket sales.
1992 - WCW ran Kansas City with the following results:
-Tom Zenk & Marcus Alexander Bagwell defeated Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin.
-Ricky Steamboat pinned Cactus Jack.
-WCW World TV Champion Steve Austin pinned Barry Windham.
-Bobby Eaton pinned Larry Zbyzsko after Paul E. Dangerously interfered.
-Dustin Rhodes & Ron Simmons defeated WCW US Champion Rick Rude & the Super Invader (Hercules Hernandez).
-Unified NWA/WCW World Tag Team Champions Terry Gordy & Steve Williams defeated Rick & Scott Steiner.
1993 - Terri Boatwright and Dustin Runnels, best known as Goldust and Marlena, are married.
1995 - WCW ran a WCW Pro TV Taping in Dalton, GA with the following results:
-Big Bubba defeated Dave Sullivan.
-Kevin Sullivan defeated Mark Starr.
-Brian Pillman defeated Alex Wright.
-Mark Starr defeated Tim Horner.
-Brian Pillman defeated Alex Wright.
-Arn Anderson defeated Tim Horner.
-Meng & Kurasawa (w/ Col. Rob Parker) defeated Tim Horner & Torin Reader when Reader submitted to Kurasawa.
-Alex Wright defeated Chris Kanyon.
-Shark (w/ Kevin Sullivan) defeated Larry Santo.
-Ric Flair & Arn Anderson defeated Scott & Steve Armstrong when Flair pinned Scott.
-Brian Pillman defeated Steve Armstrong.
-Kevin Sullivan & Shark defeated two unknowns.
-Arn Anderson defeated Tim Horner.
-Sgt. Craig Pittman defeated the Italian Stallion.
-Big Bubba Rogers defeated Jim Duggan.
-In a Dark match, The Nasty Boys defeated Lord Steven Regal & Bobby Eaton.
-In a Dark match, WCW U.S. Champion Sting defeated Meng via disqualification.
1996 - WCW ran Charleston, WV with the following results:
-Alex Wright defeated Disco Inferno.
-Eddie Guerrero defeated Dean Malenko.
-The Nasty Boys defeated Public Enemy in a dog collar match.
-Rick & Scott Steiner defeated WCW World Tag Team Champions Harlem Heat in a non-title match.
-Kevin Nash & Scott Hall defeated Sting & WCW World TV Champion Lex Luger via disqualification.
-Randy Savage defeated WCW U.S. Champion Ric Flair in a non-title match.
1997 - Extreme Championship Wrestling ran Rochester, NY with the following results:
-Shane Douglas defeated Chris Chetti.
-Jason defeated Marty Barnett.
-Little Guido defeated Danny Morrison.
-ECW TV Champion Taz defeated John Kronus.
-Chris Candido & Bam Bam Bigelow defeated Axl Rotten & Louie Spicolli.
-Mikey Whipwreck & Spike Dudley defeated Buh Buh Ray & D-Von Dudley.
-Rob Van Dam defeated Balls Mahoney.
-Sabu defeated Tommy Dreamer.
1998 - Extreme Championship Wrestling ran Tampa, Fl at the Expo Park with the following results:
-Lance Storm pinned Tommy Rogers.
-Tracy Smothers & Little Guido fought the Blue Meanie & Super Nova to a no contest.
-Axl Rotten & Balls Mahoney defeated Tracy Smothers & Little Guido.
-Chris Chetti pinned the Cuban Assassin.
-John Kronus pinned Ulf Hermann.
-Jerry Lynn & Masato Tanaka defeated Justin Credible & Mike Awesome when Lynn pinned Credible.
-Taz fought Mike Lozansky to a no contest.
-ECW TV Champion & ECW Tag Team Champion Rob Van Dam fought Bam Bam Bigelow to a no contest.
-Sabu defeated Mikey Whipwreck.
-Buh Buh Ray, D-Von, & Big Dick Dudley defeated Tommy Dreamer, the Sandman, & Spike Dudley when D-Von pinned Sandman.
1999 - WWF holds their Fully Loaded Pay-per-view event in Buffalo, New York at the Marine Midland Arena. Here are the results:
In matches shown on Sunday Night Heat:
- Val Venis defeated Joey Abs.
- The Godfather defeated Meat (Sean Stasiak).
- Christian defeated Viscera.
In matches shown on the Pay-per-view:
- Jeff Jarrett defeated Edge to win the Intercontinental Title when Gangrel interfered, allowing Jarrett to hit a forward legsweep (later called The Stroke) for the win. Post-match, Steve Austin ran out and gave Jarrett a stunner, then promised to take care of the Undertaker later in the show.
- The Acolytes (Faarooq & Bradshaw) defeated The Hardy Boyz & Michael Hayes in a handicap match when the Acolytes hit a double powerbomb on Michael Hayes and pinned him. As a result, the Acolytes won the WWF World Tag Team Title from the Hardys, even though neither belt holder was pinned.
- D'Lo Brown defeated Mideon to win the WWF European Title with the Lo-Down frog splash.
- Big Bossman defeated Al Snow to win the Hardcore Title by pinning him against a metal gate.
- The Big Show defeated Kane with the Showstopper. Hardcore Holly was the referee, and was biased against Kane for much of the match. Post-match, X-Pac attacked Holly and Show, but The Undertaker ran out and attacked Pac, then helped Big Show beat down Kane.
- Ken Shamrock defeated Steve Blackman by knockout in an Iron Circle match (parking lot brawl) when he hit Blackman with a chain.
- Road Dogg & X-Pac defeated Billy Gunn & Chyna to win the rights to the "D-Generation X" name when Road Dogg pinned Gunn with a pumphandle slam.
- Triple H defeated The Rock in a strap match with a Pedigree, after interference from Chyna & Billy Gunn. Post-match, Triple H claimed he didn't need their help, and walked off without them.
- WWF World Champion Steve Austin defeated The Undertaker in a First Blood match. Earlier in the evening, Austin and Undertaker attacked each other backstage, each drawing blood, so both men entered the match bandaged. The finish of the match saw X-Pac come down and kick a chair out of the Undertaker's hands. Austin hit Undertaker with a TV camera, busting him open, and winning the match. As a result, Vince McMahon was no longer allowed to appear on television. Post-match, Triple H came down to attack Austin, and Rock came down to attack Triple H.
1999 - Extreme Championship Wrestling ran Baton Rouge, LA with the following results:
-Chris Chetti & Nova defeated Simon Diamond & Tony Devito following the Tidal Wave.
-Steve Corino (w/ Jack Victory) defeated Vito Lagrasso.
-Super Crazy defeated Little Guido (w/ Sal E. Graziano).
-ECW World Tag Team Champions Spike Dudley & Balls Mahoney defeated Danny Doring & Roadkill. with simultaneous pinfalls following the Acid Drop and Nutcracker Suite
-Jerry Lynn defeated Lance Storm (w/ Dawn Marie) with the cradle piledriver.
-Justin Credible defeated D-Von Dudley (w/ Joel Gertner) after Sabu interfered and put D-Von through a table.
-Sabu pinned the One Man Gang with the Arabian Facebuster in a death match; after the bout, Justin Credible interfered and assaulted Sabu with a Singapore cane.
-ECW World Champion Taz defeated Yoshihiro Tajiri via submission with the Tazmission.
1999 - WCW ran Jackson, MS at the Coliseum, featuring the following results before 6.234 fans:
-Fit Finlay fought Brian Knobbs to a no contest when Finlay sustained a severe cut to his leg going through a table. Finlay would be out of the ring for many months due to the injury.
-Ernest Miller defeated Chavo Guerrero.
-Prince Iaukea defeated Blitzkrieg.
-WCW Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio Jr. & Billy Kidman defeated Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko.
-Buff Bagwell defeated WCW TV Champion Rick Steiner in a non-title match.
-Bill Goldberg defeated Diamond Dallas Page.
-Sting defeated Ric Flair.
2000 - WCW ran a Thunder taping in Wheeling, WV at the Civic Center with the following results:
Thunder (broadcast on 7/26/00)
-Rey Mysterio Jr. & Juventud Guerrera defeated Shane Helms & Shannon Moore.
-Elix Skipper pinned the Artist formerly known as Prince Iakeau.
-MI Smooth defeated Yang, Kaz Hayashi, & Jamie-san (Jamie Noble) in a handicap match.
-Ms. Hancock (Stacy Keibler) defeated Major Gunns in an arm wrestling contest; David Flair was the guest referee.
-The Great Muta & Vampiro defeated Sean O'Haire & Mark Jindrak.
-Kanyon fought Judy Bagwell to a no contest.
-WCW U.S. Champion & WCW Hardcore Champion Lance Storm defeated Big Vito in a non-title match.
-Jeff Jarrett pinned WCW World Champion Booker T in a non-title bunkhouse match.
Worldwide (broacast 8/5/00):
-Shane Douglas defeated Scotty O.
-Mark Jindrak & Sean O'Haire defeated Mike Rapada & Chris Harris.
-Buff Bagwell defeated Disco Inferno (w/ Rey Mysterio Jr.)
2005 - WWE broadcast Monday Night Raw. Richard Trionfo filed the following TV Report:
We are live from Cleveland, Ohio and your announcers are JimRoss, Jonathan Coachman and Jerry Lawler.
It is time to start with the Kurt Angle Invitational. Kurt says the last two weeks he made a liar tap out. He is looking for some real competition this week and is not going to waste any time. Instead of a wrestler, it is Christy Hemme who comes to the ring. Kurt wants to know if Christy wants to be in the challenge. He says that he will be a gentleman, and suggests that they start in the referee's position so she can choose to be on the top or the bottom. Christy tells Kurt that she is out here to introduce his opponent. It is Eugene. Eugene hugs Christy and the ref, but Kurt does not want any hugs from Eugene. Angle wants to know what Eugene is doing out here. Kurt tells Eugene that he is not from Cleveland. Eugene takes off his ring jacket to reveal a Brown jersey. Angle wants Eugene to focus and not insult his intelligence. Eugene says he is from Cleveland. They go back and forth before Angle stops him. Angle says that Eugene is making him mentally challenged. Angle will accept the illusion that Eugene is from Cleveland. Angle tells Eugene to prepare to go back on the injured list because it won't even take three minutes to break his ankle. Angle attacks Eugene while he helps Christy out of the ring. Angle rips off the jersey and wipes his nose in it before choking Eugene with it. Angle with crossfaces to Eugene followed by European uppercuts. Angle with boots to Eugene followed by an elbow drop. Angle with a suplex followed by a kick to the ribs. Angle chokes Eugene with his boot. Angle with European uppercuts followed by kicks in the corner and he chokes him again with his boot. We are down to a minute and Eugene "Hulks Up". Eugene punches Angle and Angle goes down. Eugene tries for a Stunner, but Angle pushes Eugene off and hits a clothesline followed by an Angle slam. Angle puts Eugene in the ankle lock, but he rolls through and Angle goes out of the ring and Eugene lasts the three minutes. Eugene and Christy celebrate in the ring with the gold medal. Angle is not in a good mood as Eugene goes around the ring to celebrate with the fans.
Viscera is walking in the back and he has a smaller version of himself with him and we go to commercial.
We are back with footage of Eugene winning the Kurt Angle Invitational and the gold medal.
We see Eric Bischoff in the BischOffice and John Cena comes up behind him. John tells Eric he is taking it too hard because someone in the family is a winner. Cena talks about the phases he went through; including thinking he was Scott Baio. Now he is the champ. Eric says that Cena is not the kind of champion he wants representing him and his company. Eric knows what Cena is all about and knows his type. Eric says that Cena is nothing but white trash. Eric calls Cena a wannabe and he and his people are scum and slime. They care about nothing but themselves. If Cena wants to embarrass himself tonight, his reign as WWE champion will come to an end. When it ends, the only person to be embarrassing Cena will be Bischoff. Bischoff turns around and Cena has already left the BischOffice.
The Heart Throbs with Pocket Rocket are already in the ring. It is time for their opponents to come to the ring, and it is Viscera and Cloacas. This is being billed as a mixed tag match with Antonio teaming with Pocket Rocket. Cloacas drop kicks Antonio before the bell. Pocket Rocket attacks Cloacas and then tags in Antonio. Antonio slaps Cloacas and slams his head into the turnbuckle. Antonio with an Irish whip to Cloacas and then he slaps him again before a snap mare. Antonio with an Irish whip, and he misses Cloacas on a charge to the corner. Antonio with a kick followed by an airplane spin. Antonio misses an elbow drop. Romeo pulls Cloacas down, but Viscera tags in and he clotheslines Antonio followed by a hip toss. Viscera with an open hand slap. Viscera with a Samoan drop. Romeo climbs Mount Viscera and then Viscera throws him down and clotheslines him over the top rope to the floor. Pocket Rocket punches Viscera but it has no effect. Viscera tosses Pocket Rocket onto Romeo. Viscera slams Antonio and then Cloacas with a splash off Viscera's back before Viscera covers Antonio for the pin.
We go to the back where the ambulance is being backed into the arena and they show the stretcher in the back of the ambulance.
Jim Ross talks about the passing of Lord Alfred Hayes and it is time for a video package to look back at his career. We go to commercial.
We are back with a WWE Rewind: Carlito getting disqualified against Shelton Benjamin last week.
Shelton Benjamin is in the BischOffice and Shelton says that Eric does not owe him anything. Shelton earned his opportunity at the Intercontinental title. So far, Carlito has won by count out and by disqualification. He wants a no count out/no disqualification match against Carlito. Eric says that Shelton will not get an Intercontinental title match. It will be Shelton against Gene Snitsky and Chris Masters. Shelton says that it stinks that he has to wrestle a muscle head and a toe sucking psycho.
Maria is in the back to interview Chris Jericho. She is excited to be there. Maria talks about Fozzy and she says that she loves Fozzy the Bear because he is so soft and cuddly. She wants to know if any of the other Muppets will be there. Chris tells Maria that it's not easy being ditzy. Jericho says that Maria is just like everyone in Cleveland with all of the negativity. Chris says that he is a hall of fame level performer, but he is being treated like Ashlee Simpson. Chris says that we already know who is going to win the battle of the bands. He says that he is the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla. He is the epitome of all that is rock and roll. He says that hip hop is not real music, just manufactured music. We go to commercial.
We are back with the Battle of the Bands. Cena goes first and performs "Bad, Bad Man". Now it is time for Chris Jericho to come out. However, he is without Fozzy. Jericho tells John that he wants to be honest with him, and says that the performance "Plain sucked." John asks Chris to show what he has. Jericho says that everyone has bought into what he is doing by cheering for him. Jericho says that everyone is biased and they are a flock of sheep so things are unfair. It is unfair to him and his band. Anywhere else, people would be ready to chant Fozzy's name, just like 50,000 people did at the Download Festival in England. Jericho says that the crowd is ready to boo for him. He will save the crowd the opportunity to boo him because he is pulling Fozzy from the competition. The crowd does not deserve to see or hear Fozzy. He tells everyone that they can see him perform at SummerSlam, when he will become the new WWE champion. Jericho leaves and we get a bonus performance from John Cena.
We go to the back where the remaining Diva Search II: Saline Away contestants are grooving as they prepare for the "Hot Dog Eating" contest.]
Time to take a look at footage from this week's episode of Hogan Knows Best.
Shawn Michaels is walking in the back and he takes a look in the mirror. He calls for makeup as we go to commercial.
We are back and Bischoff is in the BischOffice with Carlito. He wants to talk about John Cena. Bischoff reminds Carlito that Cena is supposed to defend his title against Jericho at SummerSlam. Eric says that based on the "Battle of the Bands" he is going to have a surprise for Cena. Carlito will face Cena tonight. If Carlito can win tonight, it will be for the WWE title next week. If Carlito can win the title, he will be defending the title against Chris Jericho at SummerSlam. Eric wants to find a referee he can trust to call it right down the middle. His guest referee is Chris Jericho. Carlito says that is cool and gives Eric an apple.
Shawn Michaels comes to the ring, and it looks like he has something to say because he is in a suit and not in wrestling gear. Shawn does not pose for his pyro on the ramp. Shawn says that he would call Hogan out right now, but Hogan is promoting his television show. The crowd boos and Michaels says that they have probably seen the show if that is their reaction. Shawn has no aspirations to be a rap star, a rock star, a movie star, or have his own television show. He just wants to be known as the greatest in ring performer that the WWE has ever known. Five star matches, tearing the house down, and breaking his back is not enough for him. It might be enough for Hogan. Hogan has been living off his reputation that he built 20 years ago. Shawn goes out there every single night and recreates himself every night. He doesn't mind earning his stripes. Hogan lives in a million dollar home paid for by the sweat of everyone in the arena and watching at home. It is the same old tired stuff for 20 years. The best that he can do is turning his ear to the crowd. Maybe he will rip his shirt or even give you the same old tired pose down at the end of the night. In the back, they are having a conniption fit because Shawn Michaels is doing stuff out here that people aren't supposed to do. We are not allowed to do anything to "hurt" the Hulkster. We cannot tell the truth. Will they fire him? Shawn reminds them that they are looking at their main event at SummerSlam so they need to deal with it. You wanted the old HBK, and now you got him. When it started, it was about Shawn needing to know who was the "all around cowboy." All that matters is when SummerSlam is over and when he looks in Hulk Hogan's eyes, that he knows that Shawn Michaels is the showstopper, the headliner, the main event, and the icon. Michaels asks Hogan whatcha gonna do when the Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels won't lay down for you? Shawn has a message for Vince before he leaves the ring.
It is time to look back at Eugene winning the Kurt Angle Invitational. Next Monday, we will have the Eugene Invitational. We go to commercial.
We are back and Gene Snitsky is in the ring. It is time for Shelton Benjamin to come to the ring. Shelton's other opponent; Chris Masters comes to the ring. Benjamin attacks Masters before he comes into the ring. Snitsky attacks Benjamin and misses a charge in the corner. Benjamin clotheslines Snitsky over the top rope to the floor and then he low bridges as Masters charge at him. Benjamin goes up top and hits a senton from the top turnbuckle. Snitsky with a forearm to Benjamin and then he tags in Masters. Both men with boots to Benjamin. Masters with a front face lock. Benjamin tries to escape the hold, but Masters with a forearm. Benjamin with a Samoan drop followed by a forearm to Snitsky. Masters charges at the corner, but Benjamin moves. Benjamin with the Stinger Splash. Masters distracts the ref and that allows Snitsky to hit a big boot from behind. Masters locks in the MasterLock, but he is unable to break the hold. Benjamin refuses to tap, but he goes out and the ref calls for the bell. After the match, Snitsky tells him to keep the hold on Benjamin. Masters does not release the hold, but from out of nowhere, Big Show comes to the ring. Show wants a piece of Snitsky and Masters. Snitsky with a big boot to Show, but Show with a big boot to Snitsky that knocks him down. Masters leaves the ring as Show checks on Benjamin.
We have a twelve pack of Diva Search contestants walking in the back and we go to commercial.
We are back and it is time for Diva Search II: Saline Away. We are going to find out which Diva will not get a chance to put any meat in their mouth. It is time to say good-bye to Cameron. The rules are that they have one minute to eat as many hot dogs as possible. The winner gets immunity. We have a tie and an eat-off. Leyla is the winner of this contest, and she has immunity. Next week we will have the Queen of the Mountain competition for the Diva Search.
Edge and Lita are walking in the back and they walk past the stretcher and tests it out as we go to commercial.
We are back with the Slam of the Week: Kane and Edge in their steel cage match from last week that Edge won.
It is time for our stretcher match. Lillian tells us the rules, where the winner is the person who pushes the other past the "finish line" on the stretcher. I think you know who is coming out first, but from out of nowhere Kane attacks Edge from behind. Kane with forearms to Edge and then he slams Edge's head into the apron. Kane rolls Edge into the ring. Kane with an uppercut to Edge followed by a punch and elbow to Edge. Edge rakes Kane's eyes and then connects with a series of forearms. Edge with a spear in the corner. Edge tries for another, but Kane gets his knee up. Kane throws Edge over the top rope to the floor and follows that with a kick to Edge's head. Kane slams Edge's head into the ring steps followed by a punch. Kane slams Edge into the ringside barrier and then hot shots Edge onto the ringside barrier. Kane Irish whips Edge into the ring steps while Lita cowers away from the action. Kane puts Edge on the stretcher and then chokes Edge. Kane pulls Edge up the ramp, but Edge punches Kane. Kane with an eye rake and then Kane pushes Edge down the ramp into the apron. Lita checks on Edge as we go to commercial.
We are back and Edge is choking Kane with the cable. During the break we saw Edge hit an Impaler DDT on the ring steps and then Edge hit Kane in the head with the ring steps. Edge rolls Kane back into the ring. Kane tosses Edge to the mat on a front face lock. Kane goes up top for the Robb Nen Jumping Clothesline. Lita brings in a chair, but Kane grabs it. Edge with a spear on Kane who was still distracted by Lita's actions. Edge kicks Kane and then rolls him onto the stretcher. Kane grabs Edge by the throat, but Lita hits Kane with a kendo stick. Edge knocks Kane to the floor. Edge has the kendo stick and hits Kane with it in the head. Edge sits the chair on Kane's neck and he goes up top. However, Kane sits up and he hits Edge in the head with the chair and Edge goes to the floor. Kane choke slams Edge onto the stretcher and Edge falls to the ground. Lita cowers up the ramp. Kane puts Edge on the stretcher and he pulls Edge up the ramp. Lita has the briefcase and she hits Kane with it. Kane is not happy and he backs Lita up the ramp. Lita begs for mercy, but Kane grabs Lita for a choke slam. Edge hits Kane twice with the briefcase and Kane is down. Edge has Lita hold the stretcher for him while he prepares to put her on it. Edge pulls Kane up the ramp, but Kane sits up at the line. Edge hits Kane with the briefcase and pulls Kane the final few inches to win the match. Kane sits up and hits Edge from behind. Kane drives Edge into the TitanTron. Kane grabs Lita by the hair and he gets her up for a tombstone and he hits the move on Lita. Lita is not moving as the medical staff checks on her. From out of nowhere, Matt Hardy comes out and attacks Edge. Security grabs Matt while Matt has some words for Edge and we go to commercial.
We are back and they are strapping Lita into the ambulance, but Kane attacks the EMTs. Kane has a question for Lita. He asks if she ever rode on the highway to Hell? Kane hits a policeman and gets in the ambulance. Kane drives away without closing the doors to the back of the ambulance.
It is time to talk about the Shawn Michaels/Hulk Hogan match at SummerSlam. Now it is time to look at a video package about Hulk Hogan.
We see Chris Jericho walking to the back and he is wearing the official referee attire. We go to commercial.
We are back and it is time for the main event. Since every other referee just walks to the ring, we get Jericho's pyro and entrance music. The first wrestler in the match to come out is the Intercontinental champion, Carlito (with apple). His opponent is the WWE champion, John Cena. Eric Bischoff watches from the ramp. Carlito wants to make sure that Jericho calls it down the middle. Cena back Carlito into the corner, but Carlito turns him around. Carlito misses a punch in the corner, but Cena with a punch followed by a back body drop. Carlito with a back elbow and Cena goes outside the ring. Carlito goes out after Cena and hits a double sledge from the apron. Carlito slams Cena's head into the apron and then rolls Cena back into the ring. Carlito gets a chair and brings it into the ring. Jericho takes the chair and that allows Cena to hit a clothesline. Cena with a punch followed by an Irish whip. Cena punches Carlito. Carlito escapes a slam attempt and hits a DDT on Cena. Carlito with boots to Cena in the corner and then punches Cena. Carlito with a suplex. Cena punches Carlito, but Carlito with a flapjack. Carlito with a reverse chin lock. Carlito with a drop kick followed by a forearm to Cena's back and a neck breaker. Cena with a suplex to Carlito. Cena with a kick to Carlito, but Carlito with a rake to Cena's eyes. Carlito with a modified Flatliner and then has Cena in a reverse head lock. Carlito with a knee to Cena's gut. Carlito punches Cena, but Cena responds with a punch of his own. Carlito and Cena exchange punches until Cena with a clothesline. Cena with more clotheslines. Cena with the hip toss slam followed by the Blue Thunder Driver, and it is time for the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena gets Carlito up, but Jericho kicks Cena in the groin followed by a bulldog. Jericho with a Lionsault and then he rolls Carlito on top for the three count. After the match, Jericho takes off his referee shirt and takes a look at the WWE title belt while Carlito and Bischoff celebrate on the ramp. We go to credits.
2006 - WWE broadcast ECW on SciFi. Dave Scherer filed the following TV report:
The show opened up with a preview of the Kane vs. Big Show match later tonight. The match will be for the ECW Title and under Extreme Rules.
After the opening intro, Mike Knox and Kelly Kelly were in the ring. Knox said that before his match tonight, he wanted to show us all something we could enjoy. He showed a video montage of Kelly, with her saying she's an exhibitionist and likes to take off all her clothes. The montage was footage of her previous attempts to do that on ECW on Sci Fi. After it ended, Knox then told Kelly she could never take her clothes off in public again. She was sad. They showed a clip of Sandman caning her from last week when Knox pulled her in front of him to take the blow, in cowardly fashion. Knox said that he had no doubt that Sandman hit her on purpose. He said that people said he abandoned her but he didn't. He said he went to the back to get the EMTs as fast as he could. He said he would never abandon her. He said on the mic to Sandman that if he wanted to treat his girlfriend that way, he will see how he treats him. This led to a match between the two, as Sandman came out of the crowd to his horrible music. It was a lame, goofy angle that, in typical in WWE fashion, went along the assumption that no one involved ever sees what happens on TV.
Styles and Tazz questioned Knox's sincerity, as did anyone with an IQ over 60. Sandman drank beer, busted his head open with the cans and walked along the barricade, playing to the fans. When he came into the ring, referee Dope E. took Sandman's cane because this, of course, wasn't an Extreme Rules match, even though this is Extreme Championship Wrestling. Knox attacked while the ref was taking the cane, but Sandman made a comeback. He went to the floor and got his cane as Kelly came up on the apron. When Sandman came back in, she laid over Knox as Sandman was about to hit him with the cane, so he stopped. Test ran in from nowhere and attacked Sandman, leading to the bell. The two heels then beat on Sandman and laid him out. My wife, who was briefly excited to see Sandman wrestle, said, "This sucks, I am going to bed". The announcers told us that Test was intense. That was lost on the crowd, who didn't react at all to his run in.
A promo ran for next week's Raw. Shawn Michaels will take on Umaga.
In the back, Test told Knox that, well, it was unintelligible for a while. Then he said that he and Knox are unstoppable and was saying something about his girl Kelly, "but not like that" implying that it wasn't sexual, when Tommy Dreamer attacked the two and was beating on Test until security pulled him off.
In the back, Paul Heyman (with security) was talking to Sabu. Sabu wanted an ECW title match. Heyman told Sabu he didn't know why he would want that, since the Big Show is so tough and will destroy Kane later tonight. He said he knows what Sabu is capable of, but he can't ever make the match, not ever, to save Sabu from himself. He said that Sabu needed to take the night off because he was so emotional, even though Sabu never said a word. Sabu said, "Fine by me, I get paid to do nothing and my time on this show is minimal, works for me." OK, he didn't say that but you can't say for sure that he wasn't thinking it.
Heyman walked away from Sabu. He saw Guido sitting in a chair. He cut a promo on Guido, saying he heard what he just said about him under his breath about how he runs ECW and if he has a problem with him, why not say it to his face. Guido, who never said a word, replied that he didn't know what Heyman was talking about. He said he never had a problem with Heyman. Guido looked confused (he wasn't alone). Heyman's security then attacked Guido and laid him out until Heyman called them off. Heyman then told Guido that his match was next and he told the security guys to drag him to the ring.
CM Punk did a promo saying he was born in Chicago and raised on the street. He saw a lot of rich guys come and go while he fought for all he has achieved. He is disciplined enough to wait but it's over next week when he debuts on ECW. It was another good promo by Punk. He seems like a star already.
Back at the ring, Count Chocula, er Fertig, was waiting with Elvira, er Ariel. Security dragged Guido out and Fertig attacked him. He didn't bite his neck, or anything else, though. Chocula and Elvira did some Goth love thing on the apron, and then Chocula beat up Guido some more, since he was already out due to the security attack. It should be noted that the crowd was hating this. Finally, Chocula got the win with the Razor's Edge/Splash Mountain. It was a pure squash. After the match, Chocula and Elvira did some more Goth love. All kidding aside, they never gave Fertig a name, so why should I?
They ran a video package for Kane so we knew why he got a title shot tonight. He's a monster, which given the match that just aired with Count Chocula, actually made sense as to how he was getting a title match on Sci Fi.
In the back, we saw The Reject. He was in full Reject wear. He stared at the camera. He was probably wondering how no one told him how funny he looked.
Balls Mahoney came to the ring for a match with Justin Credible. The announcers were putting over Balls a lot. Balls was on the the attack from the get go. A few minutes in, Credible made a comeback and hit a big DDT and a Northern Lights suplex. He was in control on the mat (read doing restholds) for the next few minutes as Balls grunted, then asked for the people to get behind him. Balls then came back with a back suplex. He threw punches while some of the fans in the crowd chanted "Balls", just like in the old days. Then, someone loudly chanted "Boring", followed by a number of fans chanting "Justin A******" as the match went back and forth. Credible went to the floor and grabbed a chair. Balls took it from him and hit Credible with a shot that landed all over Credible's raised arms (hell, I would protect myself to). Ref Mike Posey only saw Balls with the chair and DQ'd Balls. Balls argued with the ref, got mad and pasted him with a sick chairshot. In the saddest ECW moment yet, Joey Styles said, "That's a little too Extreme even for ECW." UGH. Some of the fans chanted for Balls after the match.
In the back, Big Show was with Paul Heyman. Show said he was tough. He will take anyone on, so why couldn't he fight Sabu? Heyman said he had his reasons and to trust him. Show said OK. The title match is next.
After a plug for the Diva Wannabes (TEXT YOUR VOTE FOR JUST 99 CENTS EVERYONE) we saw a graphic for the return of Kurt Angle. He will be back next week. The month is up already folks.
Now, it's time for the main event, Big Show defending the ECW Title against Kane under Extreme rules. Show came out first, followed by Kane. They gave these guys a while as there are 15 minutes left in the show when it started, not counting the two minute overrun. Kane had the early advantage and went under the ring to get plunder. Just as Show made a comeback, they went to commercial. When they came back, we saw a clip where the two men beat each other up while we were gone. Kane was liberally using plunder, which made for a good time. He set up a chair in the top two ropes in the corner but Show reversed him and threw him into it face first. Kane came back and suplexed Show off of the second rope. Kane went for a cover but only got a one count. The men got to their knees and exchanged punches. Kane hit a running clothesline in the corner, then another. Show wouldn't go down. Kane went for the chokeslam but Show countered and hit one instead for a two count. The crowd really started heating up. Show went to the floor and set up two tables, side by side. He went back in the ring and nailed Kane with a chairshot to the head. Kane got on the apron and went to suplex Kane to the floor on the tables. Kane countered with a guillotine on the ropes. Kane pasted Show with a chairshot to the head, another on his hand to get him to break his hold on the ropes, then another to the head. Show went off the apron through the tables and when he got up was bleeding from the head from a blade job. Heyman came out and was yelling something at Show (I think it was to get up). Kane came out and dragged Show back to the ring. Kane went to the top and as he came down, Show caught him by the throat. Show went for the chokeslam but Kane countered into a DDT. He had Show pinned but Heyman broke the count. Kane went after Heyman and Show hit him with two chairshots, followed by a chokeslam on the chair to get the pin and retain the title The match was much better than I thought it would be and was easily the best part of the show, though admittedly that doesn't say much given what it went up against.
After the match, as Show was about to attack Kane with the chair, Sabu came out with a chair of his own. As Show turned around with his chair at head level, Sabu came off the top with a double chair drop kick to the face. Sabu then left the ring to end the show. As Sabu left, a few people patted him on the back and he clearly didn't like it. I guess they need to tell him he's a babyface. The last 15 minutes were the best part of the show.
2007 - Word came out that former WCW World champion Diamond Dallas Page officially settled his trademark infringement lawsuit against rapper Jay-Z on 7/10 with the court signing off on a settlement agreement made between the two parties. The settlement was said to have included a monetary fee paid to Page, who in return has now dropped all claims in regard to the situation. Each side was responsible for their own legal fees.
The lawsuit stemmed from the user of the "diamond cutter" hand signal that was a trademark of Page's in-ring wrestling career.
2008 - Former ECW World champion is finally released from jail following an assault arrest during an incident at a New York birthday party held for Captain Lou Albano.
2008 - NBC issued the following press release, promoting a Saturday Night's Main Event special:
WWE AND JENNY McCARTHY TEAM UP TO FIGHT AUTISM ON NBC'S "SATURDAY NIGHT MAIN EVENT" AUGUST 2
NEW YORK, NY - World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) will take over "Saturday Night's Main Event" returning to NBC for a special presentation on Saturday, August 2, from 9:00 - 10:00 pm ET/PT.
"Saturday Night's Main Event" on NBC will feature thrilling WWE competition, but this show will have special meaning. Jenny McCarthy along with other celebrities will tag team with WWE Superstars to raise awareness for children with Autism. Jenny McCarthy, who is a board member of Generation Rescue and has been called a "mother warrior" by Oprah, hopes to body slam Autism by educating parents and kids. WWE is happy to lend its ring on "Saturday Night's Main Event" to Jenny for the cause, also including star-studded video messages from Carmen Electra, Piers Morgan, James Roday, Toby Keith, Jewel, Billy Ray Cyrus, the cast of "Nashville Star" and more.
For more information and the most up-to-date news visit www.wwe.com and for further information on Generation Rescue please visit www.generationresuce.org.
Additional information on World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE) can be found at corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.
2008 - WWE broadcast Smackdown. Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:
On Sunday night, Triple H defeated Edge to retain the WWE Title and in the process, Edge speared his ‘wife’ Vickie Guerrero-Edge instead of his ‘mistress/wedding planner’. What is next for the happy couple? Who will be the next person to challenge Triple H for the title? We saw Shelton Benjamin defeat Matt Hardy to win the United States Title. Will this be the time that they let Shelton do something or will he be sent back down the ladder? New WWE Tag Team Champions were crowned when Curt Hawkins and Zach Ryder won the Fatal Four Way Match, but John Morrison and the Miz were not the ones who got pinned on Sunday night. Will we see the former champions try for another shot at the titles? What is next for Brian Kendrick now that he has a new (for the WWE) persona and a bodyguard? Is this the week that Maria debuts on Smackdown or is that coming in the next few weeks? While Raw has been out of control, what will happen tonight?
We start off tonight with a look back at last week’s Wedding of the Century of this Month on Fridays between Edge and Vickie Guerrero. That all went to crap when Triple H came out with his wedding present. Edge’s trapezoid gets him in trouble.
We are live on tape from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and your announcers are Jim ‘BBQ Cheesesteaks’ Ross and Mick ‘Why are people calling me TastyKake’ Foley.
Jim Ross talks about the problems that we saw at the end of Smackdown, and then Jim Ross mentions the match between Triple H and Edge at the Great American Bash. Jim Ross mentions that Edge accidentally speared Vickie. Mick mentions that she will be on the show tonight.
Time for the VIP Lounge with Montel Vontavious Porter. Montel reminds us what happens when he is in the ring. He tells everyone to enjoy the view of the VIP Lounge. Porter talks about how the fans are hating on him. Montel tells us that his guest tonight is the most controversial guest in his VIP Lounge. His name makes men and women scream like kids. Porter runs through the resume of his guest, and it is Jeff Hardy.
Montel welcomes Jeff to Smackdown and he welcomes Jeff back to the big leagues. Montel points out that Jeff will be in the Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer Battle Royale. In that match will be Ken Kennedy, Umaga, The Great Khali, and Big Show for a chance to face Triple H at SummerSlam. Montel says that the favorite in that match is him.
Jeff laughs at the idea that he is the favorite and points out that he hasn’t seen Montel win a match since he lost the United States Title to his brother Matt. Montel talks about the roll that Jeff is on. He is battling for a chance at the title. He is on the cover of the WWE Magazine. He is on the VIP Lounge. Porter points out that Jeff is known as a risk taker who will take death defying leaps from anywhere. Montel points out that those risks led to some failures. Jeff says that he made a mistake and had to deal with a 60 day suspension. He points out that he missed Wrestlemania, but he was honest. Porter points out that Jeff lost the Intercontinental Title; and that his house burned down. Porter wonders what it is like to lose your home. Jeff says that it sounds horrible, but when it happens to you . . . then he wonders why Montel wants to know that. Porter says that Jeff is an emotional individual and he suggests that Jeff is wrestling with some guilt over being responsible for his behavior and how it cost him the life of his dog. Porter says that Jeff feels responsible for the death of his dog for his reckless behavior. Hardy wonders if he is a doctor in addition to being a jerk. Porter says that Jeff is ruining his career with his behavior. Porter calls Jeff reckless one more time and he says that Jeff is a detriment to his friends and family. Porter says that is why he will never be a champion. Hardy points out that if he ‘fails’ again, he will be released; and Porter thinks that means that he will continue to be reckless. Porter says that Jeff needs to take responsibility and that it has to be burning him up inside.
Hardy tells Porter that if anyone knows about second chances, it should be him. Porter tells Jeff to settle down, but Jeff pushes Porter and Porter goes out of the ring. Hardy yells at Hardy. Porter walks to the back. We go to commercial.
We are back and Vickie is on her way.
We see footage of Matt Hardy losing the United States Title to Shelton Benjamin at the Great American Bash.
Shelton is on the mic and he points out that on Sunday night at the Great American Bash, he did exactly what he said he would do. He hit the mother lode when he liberated the United States Title from Matt Hardy. Not only is he the Gold Standard of the WWE, he is the new United States Champion and there ain’t no stopping him now.
Match Number One: Shelton Benjamin versus Jimmy Wang Yang
They lock up and Benjamin with a waist lock take down and then he tosses Yang to the mat. Benjamin with a knee to Yang for a near fall. Benjamin with knees to the shoulder and then he works on Yang’s neck. Benjamin with an elbow to the neck and then he puts Yang in the corner. Benjamin with a punch to Yang, but Yang with an enzuigiri. Yang with a tilt-a-whirl head scissors and Yang with a kick and punch. Yang tries for a monkey flip but Benjamin tosses Yang into the turnbuckles. Yang goes to the turnbuckles but Benjamin pulls him off. Benjamin misses the Dragon Whip and Yang misses a kick of his own. Benjamin gets the three count after Paydirt.
Winner: Shelton Benjamin
Edge is in Vickie’s office and the new tag team champions enter. Edge says that he wasn’t expecting them, but he wanted to see them. He congratulates Hawkins and Ryder for winning the titles. Edge apologizes for last week and they understand. Curt says that they don’t need an explanation, but maybe Vickie does. Curt says that they have a match and they need to go to the ring. We go to commercial with Edge pacing.
We are back with the Slam of the Week: Curt Hawkins and Zach Ryder winning the tag team titles by pinning Jesse.
Match Number Two: Curt Hawkins with Zach Ryder versus Festus with Jesse
The bell rings and Festus backs Hawkins into the corner and he punches him before the referee pulls him off. Festus with an uppercut but then he misses a charge. Hawkins kicks Festus in the leg and punches him. Festus blocks a snap mare attempt and Festus throws Hawkins down followed by a series of flailing punches. Festus with an Irish whip and a running butt splash and flying shoulder tackle that sends Hawkins out of the ring. Jesse punches Ryder to keep him from ringing the bell.
Festus rolls Hawkins back in and Hawkins kicks Festus. Festus misses a kick but Festus hits a TKO out of a fireman’s carry position for the three count.
Winner: Festus
After the match, Ryder goes after Jesse and throws him out of the ring. Hawkins and Ryder attack the catatonic Festus and hit a double DDT.
It is time for a video feature on the Generation Rescue event at Jenny McCarthy’s house.
We see a wide shot of the outside of the arena as we wait for Vickie Guerrero. We go to commercial.
We are back and Edge is talking to someone and it is Alicia. He says that she needs to blend into the woodwork. She says that she is blending. We see Bam listening in on what is going on.
Match Number Three: Stevie Richards versus Vladimir Kozlov
They lock up and Kozlov with a knee to the midsection but he misses a charge into the corner. Richards tries for a rollup but Kozlov stays up. Richards with a bulldog to Kozlov and then he kicks him in the back and the leg. Kozlov with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Kozlov with a boot to the solar plexus and then he hits a front chancery take down and then he puts Richards in a Fujiwara arm bar. Kozlov with a kick to the arm but Richards responds with a kick. Richards kicks Kozlov to the mat but Kozlov charges at Richards but Richards moves and Kozlov goes to the floor. Richards with kicks to Kozlov followed by a drop kick for a near fall. Richards calls for the StevieT but Kozlov backs Richards into the corner. Kozlov misses a kick but he does not miss the head butt into the chest for the three count.
Winner: Vladimir Kozlov
After the match, Kozlov goes to the announce table and he says something to Jim Ross and Mick Foley.
We go to commercial.
We are back with the video package that aired at the start of the show and the infamous ‘Trapezoid Massage’.
Ken Kennedy comes to the ring first and he points out where he is from, but then he turns into Mick Foley for a second as he gets the cheap pop before reminding everyone who he is.
Match Number Four: Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer Battle Royale featuring Ken Kennedy, Great Khali with Runjin Singh, Montel Vontavious Porter, Jeff Hardy, Big Show, and Umaga
Khali and Show have some words and then Porter goes out of the ring as the bell rings. He returns the ring. Umaga battles with Show while Hardy and Kennedy go after Khali and Hardy hits Poetry in Motion on Khali. Khali pushes Kennedy and Hardy off. Show continues to battle with Umaga. Khali with a double clothesline to Hardy and Kennedy. Show with a side slam to Umaga. Khali and Show exchange head butt but Umaga with a savate kick to Show and Khali. We go to commercial.
We are back and Hardy hits Whisper in the Wind on Umaga and Kennedy is the only one on his feet. Porter with a clothesline to Hardy while Show connects with a head butt on Kennedy. Show with elbows to Khali and then Umaga takes over. Show chokes Kennedy while Porter chokes Hardy. Porter tries to eliminate Hardy but Hardy holds on to the ropes. Show with a forearm to Kennedy’s back. Hardy tries to return the favor but Porter holds on to the ropes. Show with a loud chop to Kennedy.
Show with a head butt to Umaga and then Show punches Khali. Hardy eliminates Porter and then Umaga grabs Hardy and sends him over the top rope but Hardy rolls back in. Umaga squares off with Show and Umaga with a forearm but Show with a chop. Show with a shoulder tackle and then Show eliminates Umaga with a clothesline. Hardy and Kennedy go after Show but Show knocks them off. Show with the cobra clutch throw on Hardy. Kennedy with kicks and punches to Show but Show grabs Kennedy by the throat and eliminates him. Khali punches Show and then connects with the chop and then Khali raises his arms in celebration despite not winning anything yet.
Khali sets for the vertical choke on Show but Show gets out of the hold and then Show with a choke slam to Khali. Umaga comes back in and hits the Samoan Spike on Show. Hardy goes up top but Show catches him, but Hardy with a rana to eliminate Show. Hardy goes up top and hits a Swanton on Khali. Hardy takes off his shirt and then he kicks Khali. Khali with an elbow to Hardy and then he applies the Khali Krush. Hardy with a low kick but Khali pushes Hardy off. Khali with a chop to Hardy’s head and then Khali throws Hardy over the top rope to eliminate him.
Winner: Great Khali
After the match, Triple H come out to address his opponent at SummerSlam. Hunter gets face to neck with Khali but Runjin Singh pulls Khali away. Khali and Singh leave the ring. We go to commercial.
We are back and it is time to go through the tough part of town and we see where R-Truth grew up. He talks about the bad things that happened in his neighborhood. He talks about living the fast life to get ahead, but now he got in trouble with the law. Now he is in charge.
We see highlights of Michelle McCool find a way to become the underdog Divas Champion at the Great American Bash.
Match Number Five: Michelle McCool versus Maryse
They lock up and Maryse tosses Michelle to the mat and Maryse poses because there is only a wrestling match going on. Michelle with a drop kick and near fall. Michelle sends Maryse into the turnbuckles and then she kicks Maryse. Michelle with a drop kick and Maryse goes to the apron. Maryse with a shoulder and then she throws Michelle out of the ring. Maryse Irish whips Michelle into the apron. They return to the ring and Maryse gets a near fall. Maryse with an Irish whip and forearm to the back. Maryse with a knee to the back followed by a short arm clothesline and punches. Michelle tries for a moonsault, but Michelle lands on her feet. Michelle rolls through and applies the heel hook and Maryse taps out.
Winner: Michelle McCool
We go to commercial.
We are back with the Raw Rebound.
We are reminded that Triple H will be facing the Great Khali at SummerSlam
We see Vickie Guerrero-Edge being wheeled into the building by Chavo Guerrero. Bam stops by and asks how Vickie is doing. Bam wants to know if Chavo told Vickie what Edge said, but Chavo says that they will talk about it in the office. We go to commercial.
We are back and Maria is going to be on Smackdown next week.
Edge is in the hallway waiting for Vickie and Bam tells Edge that Vickie is in her office. Edge says that he needs to apologize to Vickie, but he needs to do it in public.
Brian Kendrick comes to the ring and he tells everyone that they are privileged to see the fasted, and most well trained wrestler in the WWE. Kendrick says that the fans will be able to tell their children and grandchildren that they saw Brian Kendrick way back when. Brian says that if you want to touch greatness, you will have to take it up with Zeke.
Match Number Six: Shannon Moore versus Brian Kendrick with Ezekiel
They lock up and Moore with a waist lock but Kendrick backs him into the corner. Kendrick with a forearm on the break followed by an Irish whip but Kendrick with a knee to the back when Moore anticipates a float over but Kendrick does not do it. Kendrick with kicks and knees to Moore. Kendrick with a slam and then he goes to the turnbuckles but he misses a knee drop. Moore with a reverse atomic drop followed by a punch. Moore with a leg drop to Kendrick and then he goes to the apron but he is distracted by Ezekiel. Kendrick with a knee and then he sends Moore into the turnbuckle. Moore with Sliced Bread #2 for the three count.
Winner: Brian Kendrick
We go to Vickie’s office and Chavo talks to Vickie. Bam says that Edge wants to meet Vickie in the ring to apologize to her, or does he want her to apologize to him. Bam says that Edge wants it to be done in public. We go to commercial.
We are back and Edge comes to the ring. Edge says that he wanted to come out to apologize publicly to his wife Vickie. He wants to do it face to face in public so he asks Vickie to come out. Vickie does not come out at first, but she eventually comes out with Chavo and Bam and they make their way to the ring.
Vickie tells Chavo and Bam that she is okay and they can go. Edge gets on his knees and Vickie will not look at him. Edge tells Vickie to listen to him. He knows that what he did was horrible. He understands if she cannot find it in her heart to forgive Edge. What the video did not show was how many times he tried to say no. Edge says that she was so aggressive and she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Edge tells Vickie that he knows the question running through her head. He says that he did not leave because he wanted to iron out the wedding plans to make sure that everything went perfect. He wanted to make sure that their day went without a hitch because nothing means more to him than Vickie’s happiness. Nothing means more to him than her love. Edge tells Vickie that he will not live without her love.
Vickie tells Edge that she understands and they hug. Vickie tells Edge that he needs to understand that hell hath no fury over a woman scorned. Vickie says that when she was really really really mad at him, she did something that Edge might not like. Edge thinks about what Vickie might have done and he says that he understands. He asks her what she did. Vickie says that she reinstated the Undertaker.
Edge has a look on his face like someone is going to really really really hurt him. Edge says that is okay and understands that Vickie is a businesswoman and that is good business. Edge says that they can go on their honeymoon while Undertaker and Triple H can destroy each other. Edge says that he can take back his title when they are done with each other. Vickie says that she has already scheduled an opponent for Taker at SummerSlam. Edge wonders who it might be and Vickie tells Edge that he is the Undertaker’s opponent.
Vickie also tells Edge that she means it and it will be Hell in a Cell. Vickie lets out an evil laugh and Edge looks like he has seen a ghost as we go to credits.
2009 - Dragon Gate USA debuted, taping their first PPV event at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, PA. Mike Johnson filed the following live report:
Dragon Gate USA debuted tonight in Philadelphia, PA at the ECW Arena. The following is live coverage written as the show was ongoing.
The Fray: Lince Dorado vs. Cheech vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Cloudy vs. Chris Jones vs. Louis Linden vs. Aaron Arbo vs. Andy Harper
A special bonus match for ringside ticket holders with staggered entrances and eliminations.
Arbo and Harper opened the bout, going back and forth with some good wrestling. Number three in was Johnny Gargano, who works regularly in the Mid-West and recently had a TNA tryout. He quickly eliminated both. Gargano got a chair from ringside and stood atop it celebrating while he waited for the fourth entrant, then brandished the chair. Referee Mike Kehner took it away before lucky number four, Louis Linden made his way to the ring. Linden, from the Michigan area, nailed some cool Lucha style takedowns and martial arts kicks. Gargano came back with a thrust to the throat and then began choking Linden against the ropes. Linden battled back out of the corner but Gargano raked his eyes. Gargano continued to work over Linden, clobbering him across the back of the neck. He went for a Dragon suplex but it was blocked.
The fifth entrant, Chris Jones, hit the ring. Jones works the Florida indies. He and Gargano go back and forth. Gargano retreated to the floor. Linden and Jones exchanged headlocks and mat wrestling counters. Jones nailed Gargano on the apron but was caught with a double chop by Linden. Linden leapfrogged over a Gargano charge, causing Jones to be speared. Cheech, a Tony Devito student who has wiorked ROH and CZW, among other indies, was sixth. He got a nice reaction since the Philly fans were familiar with his work.
Cheech and Jones exchanged chops. Jones charged him but got tossed into a flapjack. Cheech hit a springboard moonsault off the ropes. Gargano knocked him out of the ring but Linden kicked him in the face. Cheech hit a back suplex on Linden. Jones leapfrogged Cheech and did a forward headscissors takedown. Jones and Linden exchanged strikes in the center of the ring. Linden caught him with a running big boot. Gargano catches Linden with a thrust and pins him.
Number seven was Lince Dorado, who came in with a flying bodypress on everyone. Dorado went after Gargano but was dropkicked out of the ring by Cheech. Cheech hit a Thesz Press on Jones. Everyone locked on an insane looking submission combination on the other but no one tapped. Cheech nails Jones with a big boot to the face, then hits a knee strike in the throat. Gargano sneaks in and covers Jones, but Cheech breaks it up.
Number eight was cloudy, Cheech's partner and sometimes rival. He hit a double knee charge on Dorado in the corner. Cheech hit a slingshot on Dorado into a Cloudy STO. Cheech and Cloudy continued the double-team assault. They turned their attention to Jones, who ate stereo kicks top the head. Cheech and Cloudy then hit stereo dives over the top to the floor. Back in the ring, Jones was eliminated about a double team knee strike off the top by Cloudy into a powerbomb across the knees by Cheech.
Lince Dorado and Cloudy went at it and Dorado got a quick elimination. Crowd booed that somewhat since Cloudy was so impressive. Gargano rolled up Cheech and eliminated him, then tried to do the same to Dorado, who kicked up. Dorado dropkicked Gargano as he was on the ropes and stunned him. Gargano flipped over to attempt a sunset flip powerbomb but Dorado avoided it. Gargano dropped Dorado on his head out of the corner but Dorado kicked up. The crowd got into the kickout and clapped for Dorado to rally.
Gargano went for a full nelson suplex. Dorado went for one of his own but it slipped, the only miscue of the entire bout, which is impressive when you have eight guys who are for the most part unfamiliar with each other working for the first time.. Dorado went to the top and nailed a shooting star press for the pin.
Your Fray winner, Lince Dorado!
After the match ended, DGUSA opened for the general admission fans.
At 8 Pm, the lights went out for an awesome countdown video. When they hit one, Dawn Marie was in the ring to welcome everyone to the PPV and introduce the first bo
BXB Hulk vs. YAMATO
Hulk was accompanied by dancing girls, who were Daizee Haze and Kelly Dempsey (ROH star Bobby's sister). They went right to the mat with YAMATO taking the early advantage. Hulk was caught in a wristlock and chopped his way out before reversing it. They faced off and the crowd applauded. YAMATO shoulderblocked hulk down, but he kipped up. Hulk came back with a series of dropkicks to take YAMATO out. The crowd chanted for Hulk. He followed up with another dropkick for a near fall. Hulk nailed a reverse crescent kick but was caught in a legbar. Hulk got to the ropes as the crowd rallied both.
YAMATO missed a charge in the corner but Hulk's leg got caught when he went for a kick. YAMATO charged and kicked him off the apron to the floor, the followed. He slammed Hulk's leg into the guard rail on the floor and continued to work on it as when they returned to the ring, using kicks to the knee. He torqued the leg but Hulk tried to fight out. Hulk finally used a spinkick to break YAMATO's momentum, but was taken down with another leglock. YAMATO locked on a sleeper, then went for a unique leg submission from a crab position while on his back. The crowd chanted for Hulk. YAMATO worked Hulk in the corner with chops. He whipped Hulk out of the corner but his knee gave out and he collapsed in the middle.
The crowd continued to rally Hulk, who cartwheeled out of another takedown attempt then hit a beautiful dropkick off the middle rope. He flipped over YAMATO and nailed a clothesline. He went for a Mafia kick, It was reversed and he reversed it. Hulk hit a standing moonsault press for a two count. They exchanged strikes in the center of the ring with Hulk getting the better of the exchange, YAMATO nailed a forearm off the ropes for a two count. YAMATO speared Hulk for a two count, then rolled him over into a Sharpshooter. The crowd chanted for Hulk not to tap. He made his way to the ropes but was pulled away and locked away in a crossface. He finally got to the ropes again.
YAMATO went for an over the shoulder slam but Hulk reversed it into a Lucha takedown. He nailed a running kick to YAMATO who was in the ropes, then hit a Spanish Fly off the top on YAMATO. Hulk began beating down YAMATO with kicking combinations to the face. He picked him up for a pumphandle into a Michinoku Driver for a two count but YAMATO got his legs on the ropes. Hulk slammed him and went for a twisting moonsault press but missed. Hulk grabbed at his knee.
YAMATO made his way to his feet, smiling at Hulk. He charged with a forearm smash and a big head dropping suplex but Hulk kicked out again. YAMATO hit an overhead kick but Hulk battled his way to his feet. YAMATO locked on a sleeper then suplexed Hulk over. Hulk again kicked out. YAMATO finally hit a Michinoku Package Driver for the pin.
Your winner, YAMATO!
Great, great opening match. The crowd is absolutely loving it. It was cool to see them do a variation on BXB Hulk's dance entrance here to bring some of the pageantry over.
Ken Doane vs. 2 Cold Scorpio
Doane is former WWE star Kenny Dykstra. Scorpio is obviously well known in these parts. The crowd chanted the Dykstra name at Doane early, then chanted for Scorpio. Scorpio tried to shake hands but Doane slapped it away. The crowd chanted "Spirit Squad" at Doane. They finally locked up and Scorpio got the better of the first exchange, pushing him into the corner with a clean break. The next chant was "Where's your pom poms" followed by "We want Ziggler."
They locked up again, with Doane getting the better of it and slapping Scorpio. They locked up and Doane took Scorpio down with an armbar. Scorp bounced out of it and faced off with Doane. Doane grabbed a top wristlock but Scorpio used his acrobatics to escape. Doane grabbed a side headlock but Scorp used a back suplex. Doane hung onto the move and rolled around, getting back to his feet. Scorp shot him off into the ropes and nailed a dropkick, then used a superkick.
Doanie retreated to the floor. Scorpio teased a dive and Doane retreated. He slammed the ring steps in frustration. While the opener was balls to the wall hot wrestling, this is more of a traditional heel vs. face bout with a slow early build. Doane returned to the ring for a test of strength but Doane cracked him with a right hand. They boxed for a second with Doane nailing a dropkick. Scorp returned to his feet for a dropkick of his own. Doane drove Scorpio's mid-section into the turnbuckles. Scorpio battled back and began chopping Doane around the ring. He whipped Doane, who reversed. Scorp hit the turnbuckles and came off with a flying bodypress off the second for a near fall.
Doane battled back with a dropkick into the midsection, then cradled Scorpio for a two count. Scorp began mounting a comeback with a series of punches but Doane snapped his neck on the ropes, then dropped an elbow across the back of his head and neck for a two count. Doane unloaded with rights but Scorp began psyching himself up. He made his way top his feet but was caught with a thrown suplex. Doane got a two count.
Doane ducked a kick and caught a German suplex with a bridge for a two count. He locked in a side chinlock and Scorpio's arm dropped twice but at the third, he began to fight back. Doane tried to push Scorpio's arm down in a funny heel move. Scorp got to his feet and rolled through but Doane kept the chinlock on. Scorpio escaped but was immediately grabbed in a sleeper. Scorp escaped and backdropped Doane over the ropes to the apron, then back into the ring. He took down Doane with a punching combo but Doane returned and did the same. They began exchanging kicks and strikes. Scorp finally got the best of it with a big standing kick to the face. He nailed a running clothesline in the corner, then hit a springboard into an Arabian Press for a two count.
Doane came back with an Alabama Jam off the top but there was no water in the pool. Scorp went for a moonsault but Doane got his knees up and covered him for a two count. Doane charged Scorpio in the corner but missed and Scorp took him out. Scorp hit the Tumbleweed off the top and scored the pin.
Your winner, 2 Cold Scorpio!
Scorpio offered his hand after the bout and Doane took it. Scorp raised Doane's arm as if to endorse him. Doane left and Scorpio bowed before the crowd.
More of your traditional bout than the opener, but a really good face vs. heel chemistry mixed with some strong back and forth wrestling. Watching Doane here, you couldn't help but feel that WWE completely blew it. Scorpio is older than his glory days era, obviously, but can still go with the best of them and in a lot of ways, was the perfect opponent for Doane's debut here. By competing and losing to someone this audience loves, it gave him credibility.
Dawn Marie announced there were fans from Great Britian, France, Japan and Canada, among other countries in the house. She plugged the 9/6 Chicago debut and 11/28 return here. She promised a special announcement by the end of the night.
CHIKARA 8 MAN TAG: Mike Quackenbush & Jigsaw & Fire Ant & Solider Ant vs. Hallowicked & Amasis & Gran Akuma & Icarus
Given the amount of talent here, it's going to be impossible to do a traditional play by play, so we'll just do some highlights. Quackenbush got a monster pop coming out. It was actually bigger than Scorpio. In fact, all the talent got their names chanted. All the CHIKARA talents have colorful outfits and gimmicks as they do an Americanized Lucha Libre style in their home promotion.
As you can imagine, a ton of Lucha style stuff with fast tags in and out, counters, etc. Team Jigsaw worked on Solider Ant for some time. Amasis hit a spinebuster. Soldier Ant finally came back with headscissors on Gran Akuma but was jumped by Icarus. He ducked under an Icarus charge and tagged Quackenbush, who cleaned house and tagged in Jigsaw. Jigsaw hit an enziguiri and rolled him up in a small package for a near fall. Jigsaw used a Lucha armdrag to toss Hallowicked out of the ring. He went for a dive but was kicked and cut off. Icarus hit a spear. Jigsaw tried to cradle him for a two count. He ate a kick to the head. The heels continued to work over Jigsaw while tagging in and out.
Amasis used a series of strikes and a clothesline for a two on Jigsaw. Icarus tagged in and was powerbombed atop of Jigsaw for a two count by his regular partner Gran Akuma. Akuma continued to use kicks to the chest, then rammed Jigsaw into the corner. Jigsaw hit a dive over the top on Akuma and Icarus. Fire Ant and Hallowicked went back and forth. Amasis ducked a double kick from the Ants but then got nailed on the rebound off the ropes.
It settled down to Icarus and Fire Ant. He picked up Ant and ran him into the corner. Soldier Ant kicked him out of the ring. Hallowicked nailed a press into a gutbuster. he and Solider Ant battled in the corner. Quack hit the ring and hit a top rope frankensteiner. Soldier Ant came off the ropes for the pin but Amasis broke it up. Amasis hit a face first driver on Ant. Quack hit a lariat and Amasis took a 360 bump. Quack nailed a side slam. Fire Ant went to the top but was suplexed off by Akuma, who then hit a moonsault for a two count. Great match.
There was an amazing flurry of Lucha dives, leaving Jigsaw with Icarus. He hit a sitdown Michinoku Driver and scored the pin.
Your winners, Team Quackenbush!
Great, fun Lucha bout. The crowd chanted CHIKARA after the bout. There was no way to keep up with this match, that's how insane it was.
Mike Quackenbush took the mic after the bout. He said that if the home office in Japan hasn't figured it out yet, "Doesn't Dragon Gate and CHIKARA make a splendid combination?" He said that they were all part of the same extended family, having been trained by an often underappreciated Luchadore, Jorge Rivera. He asked everyone to watch a video on Rivera, which was a collection of his highspots.
Quack said it feels like there's a bit of sibling rivalry in the back and issued a challenge to see how any CHIKARA talent fares against any talent from Dragon Gate. YAMATO came to the ring. YAMATO cut a quick promo, then kicked Quack low. Jigsaw hit the ring and attacked YAMATO, stomping him. Gran Akuma came to the ring to check on Quack, but then attacked Jigsaw. Akuma and YAMATO worked over Quack and Jigsaw. Several CHIKARA wrestlers hit the ring but were laid out. The other CHIKARA babyfaces finally cleared the ring to check on Quackenbush. Dawn Marie said that YAMATO told her he doesn't have respect for Quackenbush, Jorge Rivera or CHIKARA. Quack was pissed but was helped out of the ring.
Dawn Marie plugged the 8/16 CHIKARA event in this venue.
Dragon Kid (with Shingo) vs. Masato Yoshino (with Naruki Doi)
Yoshino and Kid had some awesomely fast back and forth counter wrestling early. Kid used a head scissors takedown to shoot Yoshino to the floor. He went for a dive but when Yoshino got out of dodge, faked it with a slide around the ropes. Yoshino walked around the floor and returned, getting cut off by Kid. Yoshino ducked under Kid and caught him and slammed him down. He measured and came down with a splash across Kid's arm. He continued to work over Kid's arm, wrapping it around the ropes as the referee warned him to break. Yoshino used his leg to twist the arm and slam Kid to the mat, then pretzeled him with a leg submission around the neck and torso.
Yoshino broke when Kid got to the ropes, but continued assaulting Kid. Kid faked a rebound off the ropes and kicked him in the face. Kid went for a springboard and was shoved down onto the apron. Yoshino charged in the corner but was kicked away. Kid did several rotation spins around Yoshino's neck before sending him to the floor. Kid hit a standing moonsault to the floor on Yoshino.
Kid tossed Yoshino back in and hit a springboard missile dropkick for a two count. Kid psyched himself up and charged. Yoshino evaded and came off the ropes, slammed Kid down neckfirst. Yoshino went to the top rope but was caught by Kid, who followed. Kid went for a superplex but Yoshino fought back. Yoshino went for a sunset bomb but Kid turned it into a rana and hit a 619 in the ropes. Yoshino caught Kid with a powerbomb to cut off his momentum, but was locked in an Octopus submission. Yoshino caught Kid with a boot. He charged Kid, who was on the apron but Kid kicked him in the legs. Yoshino went down and Kid went for a springboard moonsault but Yoshino got his knees up. Yoshino hit a monster missile dropkick for a two count and the fans chanted his name.
They exchanged chops. Kid nailed a twisting DDT. Kid set up Yoshino in the corner but was pushed off. Kid landed on the apron and fired away with chops. He got to the middle rope as Yoshino went to the top. Yoshino went for Splash Kid but Kid turned it into a rana in mid-air, which the Arena popped for huge. Yoshino caught Kid and slammed him down with a tornado. He locked in a submission but Kid rolled him upside down for a two count. Kid nailed a Stone Cold Stunner. Kid came off the ropes with a springboard into a rollup for the pin.
Your winner, Dragon Kid!
Yoshino shoved down Kid after and Shingo got in his face. Doi got in Shingo's face. 2 Cold Scorpio came to the ring and took the mic. He said he was here when Eddie Guerrero and Dean Malenko was a classic. He said he was here when Psicosis and Rey Mysterio "blew our minds." The Arena chanted ECW. Scorpio said he was involved in a few classics here as well with Sabu. He told Yoshino and Kid that they are today's version of those classics and said that he and everyone here would love to see a rematch. Yoshino and Kid both agreed.
A really good bout, but as good as this was, they can do ever better based on tapes I've seen. I was surprised it was as short as it was, but given the angle afterwards, it was probably by design to build the rivalry here in the United States for a new audience. There was definitely a lot of nods to old school Rey in Kid's performance here (which was the booking plan, to make Kid the modern day equivalent of Rey Jr.) and it was smart booking to have ECW alumni Scorpio come out to tie all the history in the venue to these talents to help get them over.
Dawn Marie announced the 11/28 show will feature a one night tournament to crown the first-ever Dragon Gate USA Open the Freedom Gate championship.
After intermission, Dawn Marie plugged her Wrestler's Rescue charity.
CIMA & Susumu Yokosuka vs. The Young Bucks
The Bucks are from California and have worked for PWG, ROH and the NWA. Both teams got big reactions from the crowd. Yokosuka shoulderblocked Matt Jackson several times until Jackson got the better of him. CIMA and Nick Jackson tagged in. Nick nailed a good rana. The Bucks did a double backflip followed by stereo dropkicks. Yokosuka tagged in and dragged Nick into the corner. CIMA and Yokosuka continued to work over Nick. Nick struggled to make a tag but was held back. He finally muscled Yokosuka into the corner and tagged his brother. Yokosuka and CIMA regained control and stomped Nick Jackson's face.
Jackson was propelled into the air by his brother and dropkicked CIMA. CIMA came back with kicks and punches to the chest. Yokosuka tagged in and rode Jackson to the mat, riding him with a side chinlock. Jackson was caught with a knee to the gut, bumping over. Yokosuka locked in leg scissors as CIMA interfered to help. Nick Jackson struggled to get into the ring to help but the referee held him back. Yokosuka grabbed Jackson in a wheel barrow position and CIMA drilled him down into his knees. They took Jackson outside to the floor. Yokosuka held held across the ring barrier and CIMA came off of them with a double stomp.
Back in the ring, CIMA began beating Jackson with drilling kicks to the chest and head. They whipped Matt Jackson into the corner then nailed lariats in succession. Jackson came back with a quick flurry of offense and made the hot tag to Nick. Nick clotheslined Yokosuka and took down CIMA with a Mexican armdrag. Nick did a twisting dive over the ropes onto CIMA and Yokosuka on the floor. The Arena chanted for the Bucks.
Nick came off the ropes with a double stomp on CIMA's arm. The Bucks hit stereo dive splashes onto CIMA for a two count. CIMA and Yokosuka made a comeback in a major way. Yokosuka caught an Exploder suplerplex on Matt Jackson for a two count. Jackson caught him with a big boot and hit a Blockbuster for a two count. He went to the top but CIMA caught him and hit a forward flip slam off the top. CIMA went to the top for a splash but Matt got his knees up. The Bucks caught Yokosuka with a double team move for a two count. Matt was left with Yokosuka and put him on his shoulders. Outside, CIMA kicked Nick in the face.
Yokosuka caught Matt with a lariat. CIMA went for a forward roll and got a two count. Nick got on the apron but was kicked off. They tied up Matt in the corner. CIMA hit a Van Terminator dropkick to the back of the head. They slammed Matt down for a pinfall but Nick broke up the pin. The fans chanted for Dragon Gate. Yokosuka went for a powerbomb but matt escaped. CIMA superkicked Yokosuka by accident. Nate kicked him in the head. Matt nailed a rolling forward splash. Nate hit a swanton and Matt scored the pin in a major upset.
Your winners, The Young Bucks!
Excellent match all around. Two stars are born. Unbelievable.
After the bell, everyone shook hands and the fans chanted for each of them before giving the bout a standing ovation. Matt Jackson took the mic and told CIMA and Yokosuka they were two of the best wrestlers in the world. He said that they went from getting their High School diplomas to working for Dragon Gate, which was like getting their college degrees. He said that everyone calls them the tag team of the future, but he disagrees. He said that tonight, in the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, they proved they are the tag team of the present. He said this ring is their turf and if there is a tag team in Dragon Gate that wants to step to the plate, then "step right up, baby!"
Open the Dream Gate & Brave Gate champion Naruki Doi vs. Shingo
The crowd chanted for Shingo at the bell. Shingo muscled Doi into the ropes but broke clean. They went into a test of strength, which Shingo easily won. Doi was able to reverse the knucklelock and went into a standing wristlock. Doi rolled him over with a leg takedown and tied up Shingo's legs. Shingo escaped and went for headscissors on Doi. Doi escaped and they faced off.
Doi tried to run through Shingo but was shoulderblocked down. Shingo caught him with a Fireman's Carry into a Stunner. Shingo slammed Doi and rubbed his boot across Doi's face. Doi nailed a Dragon Screw legwhip. Doi began focusing on Shingo's legs, stomping on his knee. The Arena began dueling chants. Doi grapevined Shingo's leg. That was a set up for the figure four leglock. Shingo reversed it but Doi rolled it back over to the original submission position. Shingo grabbed the ropes to break the hold. Doi went for a cannonball in the corner but Shingo caught him and powerbombed him down. Awesome. He hit a kneedrop to the back of the head.
Doi made a comeback but was hit with a lariat. Shingo went for a standing vertical suplex and held Doi up there for a count of 30 before snapping him back. He chopped Doi in the corner, shushed the crowd and did it again. He whipped Doi into the corner but was kicked in the face during a charge. Shingo caught him with a powerslam for a two count. Shingo worked over Doi on the mat.
Shingo went for a suplex but Doi escaped and kicked him in the legs. He tied up Shingo in the ropes and dropkicked his legs several times. Shingo hung through the ropes, where Shingo hit a diving knee drop off the ropes. Doi ducked a charge and nailed a strike to the chin. The crowd rallied both men. Shingo began unloading with jabs but Doi dropkicked him in thje knee. Doi charged Shingo in the corner but was caught in the goozle and suplexed him over. Shingo nailed a kneedrop off the ropes for a two count.
Shingo grabbed Doi in a Fireman's Carry but Doi escaped. He went for a kick but Shingo evaded it and caught him with an STO. Shingo hit several lariats but Doi nailed a sidewalk slam. Doi tied up Shingo upside down and hit a cannonball splash. Doi nailed a back superplex for a two count. Doi caught them with a Fireman's Carry into a death valley driver. Shingo begasn punching the back of Doi's head as Doi wobbled on unsteady legs. Shingo hit an exploder into a Michinoku Driver for a two count.
Shingo hit as running clothesline in the corner but Doi came back with a sprinting leg lariat. Doi grabbed him in a wheel barrow position but Shingo broke free, then drove Doi headfirst into the mat. Doi and Shingo exchanged forearms and slaps in the center of the ring. Doi nailed several kicks and lariats before nailing a back suplex with a bridge for a two count. Doi hits a sliding kick and rolls up Shingo for a two count.
Doi hits a Package Driver for the three count.
Your winner and still Open the Dream Gate & Brave Gate champion Naruki Doi!
A great main event. Tons of stiff work here.
Overall, from top to bottom, a really strong card designed to please the niche audience it was designed for. Gabe Sapolsky had to feel some level of vindication tonight.
Dragon Gate USA Notes: I'd estimate the crowd at 900-950. The pre-sale before they opened the doors was 598...In a smart inside idea, they were playing music from Japanese American rock band Loudness as fans entered the building....The Arena was a boiling hot, the hottest I can recall in some time, made all the worse by the crowd size....The DG roster from Japan did a free meet and greet for the ringside VIP fans, who were allowed to enter early. The VIP ticket holders also received a gift bag with a poster, a coupon for a t-shirt and inflatable thundersticks similar to the ones you'd see at a major league baseball game...Dragon Gate USA PPV Producer Ken Gelman of G-Funk Productions was in attendance....I saw a lot of fans who were familiar faces at the original ECW and Ring of Honor that I haven't seen at shows in quite a while, so the first outing brought some fans out of the woodwork....The NYC bus trip (I wasn't involved in this one) sold out, which I was really glad to hear....Commentary for the DVD release was done live in the building by Lenny Leonard and Leonard F. Chikarason. Mike Quackenbush replaced Chikarason for the final two bouts.
2009 - TNA ran Southaven, MS. RS filed the following live report:
I just got back from the Southaven TNA House show and thought I'd give you a brief report.
Match #1 X-Division Title match between Homicide and Sheik Abdul Bashir.
Great in ring action from two great workers. For a moment there I thought Homicide was in trouble, but luckily, he came back to get the win and retain the title.
Match #2 Taylor Wilde vs. Kong.
Kong was suppose to be the heel, but a good part of the crowd was cheering for her. She did not disappoint as she took out Taylor with an Implant Buster.
Match #3 Kip James vs. Rhino.
About 2 minutes into the match a guy screamed "Rhino, you suck!" Rhino stopped the match and grabbed the microphone. He proceeded to tell the guy that Rhino did not suck. That in fact, that guy screaming was the one who sucked. Rhino asked the crowd if they thought he sucked. They said no. Then he got pissed that the guy in the crowd would say such a thing. He was going to take it out on Kip James. Kip then became angry at the crowd. Pretty funny bit. Rhino finally won with a Gore...Gore...Gore!
Match #4 The British Invasion vs. Beer Money Inc.
My favorite match of the night. The British Invasion asked if everyone would rise while they sang their national anthem. Can you believe that the crowd booed them? Weird huh? Then Beer Money comes out and cuts an awesome promo and gets the crowd to chant "Beer Money. " Then the match starts. Great action throughout. There was a spot where Doug Williams was hanging upside down in the corner and then Beer Money posted Brutus Magnus crotch first into Doug's face. Then Doug falls and they land in the 69 position. Storm grabs the mic and talks about how "He doesn't know how they do it in England, but over here, that stuff means you're gay." Crowds starts chanting "You Are Gay". Needless to say, this was not televised. Good match from that point on and Beer Money gets the win.
Match #5 Scott Steiner vs. Abyss.
Not that great of a match but not bad. Scott got into it with several fans. Called a lot of people white trash rednecks. Abyss wins with the Blackhole Slam.
Match #6 Main Event Samoa Joe vs. Hernandez.
Good match. Scott Steiner tried to interfere. Hernandez picked up the win cleanly over Joe and then started to catch a beat down from both Joe and Scott. Hernandez then proceeded to Hulk up or and sent them both packing.
After that, Kurt Angle came to the ring and apologized for not being able to wrestle. Explained about his groin injury and thanked the fans for their support. By the way, Kurt is now clean shaven again. Then JB tells us for $20 we can get in the ring and take our picture with Kurt. Line forms on the other side of the arena. We left.
Overall a good show. No AJ Styles as advertised, but still a good card to see live and lots of fun.
2009 - Ring of Honor ran the second and final night of their Death Before Dishonor weekend in Toronto, Ontario. Mike Kenney filed the following report:
It was announced that Nigel McGuinness is not medically cleared to wrestle tonight.
1. The Super Smash Bros beat Kevin Steen & El Generico.
2. Frankie The Mobster beat Bison Smith via DQ
3. Gauntlet Match: Davey Richards beat Jimmy Rave in a Gauntlet match to win a future shot at the ROH World Title.
Ric Flair came out and addressed the crowd.
4. Claudio Castagnoli beat Brent Albright in a European Rules match.
5. Tyler Black beat Tyson Dux.
6. Colt Cabana beat Joey Ryan in an Anything Goes match.
7. Kenny Omega & The Briscoes beat Austin Aries & Kenny King & Rhett Titus when Omega pinned Aries with a rollup.
8. Chris Hero beat Lance Storm with the KO elbow.
2010 - CHIKARA promoted the first-ever CHIKARASAURUS REX event in Philadelphia, PA at the ECW Arena. Mike Johnson & Joshua Higham filed the following live report:
CHIKARA held their biggest event of the summer, Chikarasaurus Rex at the ECW Arena this afternoon. Drawing in the area of 600 fans, the show so far was a great mix of names, fun wrestling and CHIKARA's patented meshing of wrestling styles and fun characters. CHIKARA may end up being the best kept secret in pro wrestling in 2010 and that is extremely screwed up. There was great wrestling, there were vivid and fun characters, there was a buffet of styles and there was an emotionally connected audience having the time of their lives. Anyone choosing to pass up an opportunity to sample the product is really doing themselves a grave disservice.
Before the show, they showed an awesome video, hyping the show, focusing specifically on the two of the trios matches, the women's tag, and Kingston/Dreamer/Ares/Claudio matches.
*Lince Dorado & Tursas & Pinky Sanchez & Tim Donst defeated the Colony and Frightmare. The Colony are a trio of masked Ants. Seriously. Fun opener with lots of comedy spots, multiman Lucha spots and some good wrestling, too. Frightmare at one point jumped on Donst's shoulders, landed, then hit a rana. Tursas was a giant masked Viking who did all these monster power spots against the smaller Ants. The Ants finally did a spot where they flipped Fire Ant over the top into a dive on Tursas. Two Ants hit stereo dives to the floor. Sanchez finally caught Frightmare with a sick Death Valley Driver for the win. Really fun opener with everyone playing their roles to perfection.
After the match, Vokoder appeared in the aisle, but only Pinkie saw him. Pinkie freaked out and Tim Donst didn't believe him since he was Vokoder.
*Shingo pinned Jimmy Olsen. Shingo nailed a Death Valley Driver and then a clothesline to the floor. Olsen came back with several chops but was shoulderblocked down. Shingo used his power to keep Olsen at bay and then nailed a back senton for a two count. Olsen began mounting a comeback but was taken down with a Mongolian Chop. Undaunted, he snapped Shingo's throat across the ropes and nailed a top rope missile dropkick. Shingo went to the floor and Olsen nailed a dive. He caught Shingo with an enziguiri and a brainbuster for a two count. Shingo went for Made in Japan but Olsen landed on his feet and scored with several kicks for a two count. Shingo powered up and slammed Olsen into the buckles. He clobbered him with a running lariat in the corner than another for a two count. Shingo went after Olsen's mask but the referee stopped him. Shingo nailed Made in Japan but Olsen kicked out. Shingo finally drilled him with a lariat for the win. They did a nice job of building Olsen as a babyface who could hang with all the kickouts. Good stuff.
*Eddie Kingston came to the ring to induct Tommy Dreamer into the ECW Arena Hall of Fame. Kingston said that Dreamer helped make the building what it is today and helped put wrestling on the map here. Dreamer said he kind of wanted to do a sort of Terry Funk thing and come back at the end to accept these type of awards but when he was told it was going to be for the Arena and for CHIKARA, a company that has men and women that remind him of the original ECW roster. Dreamer joked about how he and Taz would drive from New York in two hours and then drive around for another hour because they couldn't find the building. He pointed out the many changes in the Arena but that one thing stayed the same, the magic between the wrestlers and the fans. He said that he was born in Yonkers, New York but when he is no longer on this Earth, the banner will tell everyone that Tommy Dreamer was born right here in the ECW Arena. A nice moment. Kingston inducting Dreamer made a lot of sense.
*Daizee Haze and Sara Del Rey defeated Amazing Kong and Raisha Saed. This was the first time Melissa Anderson has done the Saed persona since leaving TNA. Haze and Saed started. Haze tried to talk her way out but Saed attacked. Saed drilled her with a series of elbowdrops. Kong and del Rey tagged in and faced off. The place erupted for that and clapped. Del Rey failed with a series of shoulderblocks so she nailed a kick to the head. Kong wasn't fazed and smashed her down. Kong picked up and slammed Saed onto Del Rey. Saed then locked in a leg submission. Haze bodypressed Kong but was caught. Kong nailed her with the giant swing. Kong tried to slam Saed on Haze, but Haze got her knees up. Del Rey kicked Kong through the ropes. She and Haze worked over Saed. Del Rey began working on Saed's back and shoulder as she and Haze tagged in and out. Saed finally mounted a comeback against Haze but Del Rey attacked. Saed escaped, leaving Kong to Avalanche a shocked Del Rey in the corner. Kong chokeslammed Rey for a two count, then nailed an Implant Buster. Haze jumped on her back with a sleeper but was flipped over. Kong held Haze for a spinning backfist but Haze moved and Kong was struck. Del Rey kicked Kong into a Haze back suplex with a bridge and Haze scored the pin. This was one of the best women's bouts I've seen in a long time.
*CIMA & Super Shen Long & Maasaki Mochizuki defeated Gran Akuma & Icarus & Chuck Taylor. Icarus and Mochizuki started out with Icarus stalling so Mochizuki kicked him so hard his body quivered. He then kicked Icarus off the apron, where he jumped into the front row. Taylor and Long faced off and had a nice back and forth exchange, trading armdrags. CIMA and Akuma was next. CIMA caught him with a nice rolling senton into the ring. CIMA and Long nailed a double dropkick. Team Dragon Gate took turns lighting up Akuma with kicks to the chest. Icarus took control working on Kong with a double arm submission. Akuma locked in a single leg Boston Crab. Taylor and Icarus nailed a double back suplex. They continued beating Long, but CIMA kept breaking up the pinfall attempts. Akuma began breaking Long down with kicks. Mochizuki tagged in and nailed Akuma with a missile dropkick. He began unloading kicks on Icarus and Taylor. Team Dragon Gate kept the control. Long slammed Akuma and nailed a splash off the top. He went for spinning headscissors but was caught with the inverted lungblower. Mochizuki prevented Taylor from scoring the pin. He and Taylor battled back and forth until Mochizuki kicked him in the head. Icarus Pedigreed Mochizuki for a two count. It turned into all sort of crazy moves and sequences too fast to follow. CIMA nailed an Emerald Frosion and a double knee drop off the top on Akuma for the pin in 15:17. Lots of fun!
Johnny Gargano came to the ring and started questioning Taylor about the team's loss. Icarus began helping Akuma but then turned on him, landing an Pedigree. Taylor and Akuma ripped off Akuma's team armbands and handed them to Gargano. They beat Akuma down, so apparently he's going babyface. Foreshadowing the turn, Team FIST (which stands for Friends in Similar Tights) were not wearing matching tights. And only Taylor was wearing the FIST tights. They've been teasing dissension in blogs on the Chikara website, so it will be interesting seeing what happens with Gargano taking Akuma's place.
After intermission, Manami Toyota was announced coming to CHIKARA in September, which I imagine will continue Haze and Del Rey's quest for competition.
*Drake Younger & defeated Colin Delaney & Vin Gerard & STIGMA vs. The Osyrian Portal & Drake Younger. Younger was dressed like the Portal. All six brawled at the bell. There was lots of fighting around ringside and dives. Fun stuff. It was a fun brawl with the crowd into every bit of it. Gerard got dumped head first into a trashcan, which was then dropkicked. Younger was bleeding at one point. SIGMA tombstoned one of the Portal on the ringsteps. The Portal came back with a combination top rope splash and legdrop. Younger got a huge pop dancing with the Portal after the match. Fun brawl and great moment with Younger.
*Ares & Claudio Castagnoli defeated Eddie Kingston & Tommy Dreamer. This was Dreamer's second wrestling match in the venue since the original ECW closed, with the other being a losing effort against Big Show for the WWE version of ECW. BDK's own referee Derek Sabato officiated the match with Dreamer and Kingston vs. BDK. Delirious, who has recently become Ares' new "pet," was ringside. He was spooky, wearing his hood with a lethargic and spaced out mannerism. Everyone brawled briefly before the bell. When it calmed down Ares attacked Kingston in the ring and the referee called for the bell. Ares kicked off a Kingston charge but was caught with a suplex for a two count. Castagnoli called for Dreamer to tag in so he did. Fans chanted for ECW. Dreamer got the better of Castagnoli earlier but was kicked in the gut when he went for a tag. Ares suplexed him for a two count. Dreamer came back with a Fall Away Slam. Dreamer and Kingston locked Claudio in a Boston Crab and a Crossface at the same time. Dreamer suplexed Ares, then suplexed Kingston onto him. Kingston scored a two count, then began beating him with crossfaces. Ares came back with a superplex on Dreamer, who went to the floor. Claudio crotched him on the guard rail. He went to pin Dreamer but Kingston broke it up. He and Claudio went at it while Ares choked Dreamer on the outside. Ares kicked away at Dreamer and locked in an armbar. Dreamer fought back but couldn't escape their grip. Dreamer finally nailed a back suplex on Castagnoli but Ares attacked him before he could make the hot tag. Dreamer finally fought them off with several backhands and clotheslines. Dreamer made the hot tag. Kingston cleaned house on Ares and Castagnoli. He hit a running splash in the corner then did the Kobashi chops. Kingston tied Ares to the tree of woe and did Dreamer's sliding kick. Castagnoli attacked him but Kingston hit a tope. Dreamer did a flip off the apron onto Ares on the floor. Back in the ring, Kingston was whiped into Ares. He then sent Ares into a Dreamer spinebuster but the referee, imagine that, counted slooooow. The ref then helped Castagnoli, counting fast. Dreamer DDTd Castagnoli and the ref counted sloooow. Dreamer grabbed the ref for a Spicoli Buster but Ares clipped him. Castagnoli small packaged him for a two count. He hit the Nicola Bomb on Dreamer and scored the pin. Castagnoli and Ares mocked Dreamer as they left. The crowd chanted for Dreamer as he made his way to his feet. Dreamer instead directed them to chant for Kingston.
*CHIKARA's Mike Quackenbush & Hallowicked & Jigsaw defeated DGUSA's Naruki Doi & BxB Hulk & Masato Yoshino. Hulk and Hallowicked started out with some great back and forth counters and submission holds. Quack tagged in and dropkicked Hulk while he was in a chinlock. Hulk and Quack went back and forth with Lucha spots and reversals. Yoshino tagged in. Quack slammed him and nailed a forearm. He held Yoshino for a Jigsaw dropkick. Yoshino snapped off a great headscissors into a rana. Doi tagged in and worked over Hallowicked. Hulk cinched in a rear chinlock and brought Hallowicked over to their corner. The DGUSA team continued to triple team. Hallowicked made the tag to Jigsaw but he was soon overwhelmed by the Japanese team. Yoshino kept beating down Jigsaw and dragged him back to their corner. Jigsaw finally dropkicked Hulk to the floor but when he went for a tag, DGUSA wiped out his partners. Jigsaw finally dove out to the floor on Doi. Hallowicked and Yoshino battled back and forth and Yoshino trapped him in an Octopus. Quack nailed a top rope rana on Doi. He missed a rolling senton but landed on his feet. He was caught by Doi with an elevated spinebuster. Yoshino and Doi worked over Jigsaw, who made a comeback on Hulk. Hulk drilled him with kicks and a senton for a two count. They triple teamed Jigsaw in the corner. Yoshino hit a monster back senton for a two count. Hulk decimated Jigsaw with a kick to the head for another two count. Yoshino went after Jigsaw but Quack and Hallowicked were on the scene for the save. They worked over Yoshino and set up a Jigsaw Torture Race Driver. It broke down into everyone working on Quack. Doi nailing a running dropkick off a rebound for a two but CHIKARA broke it up. This ser up a great dive sequence. Doi slapped the hell out of Quack but got caught in a tombstone and pinned. GREAT Match!
After the match, fans chanted for both companies as all six embraced and shook hands.
Notes: Alison Danger and Mike Kehner were visiting backstage....The Rocky Run had about 15-20 fans run the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art with The Colony, The Osirian Portal, Drake Younger, Gavin Loudspeaker, and Bryce Remsburg. Leonard F. Chikarason was there as well....A variety of Ultramantis Black, Bryce Remsburg, Gavin Loudspeaker, Leonard Chikarason, and Mike Quackenbush did rotating commentary. Ultramantis had two masked-and-cloaked men behind him whenever he was there. The show will go on sale Monday AM at www.SmartMarkVideo.com.
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