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September 22nd
On this day in history in ....
1928 - Johnny Valentine is born.
1944 - Ole Anderson is born.
1966 - Baron Mikel Scicluna & Slasher Sloan defeat Johnny Valentine & Antonio Pugliese to win the United States Tag Team Title when Pugliese can't continue during the second fall due to injury.
1970 - Paul Jones & Nelson Royal defeated Gene & Ole Anderson for the NWA Atlantic Coast Tag Team Title in Greensboro, North Carolina.
1971 - Luther Reigns is born.
1980 - At a WWF event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, WWF World Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund defeated NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race via disqualification after a thirty minute match. However, due to the disqualification rule, the titles remained with their respective champions. Here are the full results from the show:
- The Hangman defeated Dominic DeNucci.
- Rick Martel defeated Rick McGraw.
- Les Thornton defeated Jose Estrada.
- Pat Paterson defeated Johnny Rodz.
- Pedro Morales defeated Samoan Afa.
- Tony Atlas defeated Samoan Sika.
- Ken Patera defeated Rene Goulet.
- Larry Zbyszko defeated Tony Garea via disqualification.
- Andre The Giant defeated Hulk Hogan when special referee Gorilla Monsoon gave Hogan a fast count after dealing with Hogan cheating for a majority of the match.
- WWF World Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund defeated NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race via disqualification when Race, in order to escape a Backlund sleeperhold, pulled the referee into Backlund.
1984 - Big John Studd, subbing for Jesse Ventura, defeats WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan via countout at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan makes his WWF debut in this match as the manager of Studd. Heenan, who had just come in from the AWA, was originally scheduled to be Ventura's manager, but due to health issues (blood clots in his lungs), Ventura would soon go into semi-retirement.
1986 - Hulk Machine (Hulk Hogan under a mask) teams with Big Machine & Super Machine to defeat King Kong Bundy, Big John Studd and Bobby Heenan at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Also on the show, the Rougeau Brothers make their MSG debut, defeating the Hart Foundation.
1995 - Gran Hamada defeats Koji Kanemoto for the UWA World Welterweight Title in Nagoya, Japan.
1996 - WWE holds their "In Your House: Mind Games" Pay-per-view at the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Corestates Center. Here are the results:
- In a match that aired on the Pre-Show, Savio Vega defeated Marty Jannetty by reverseing a cross bodyblock into a pin. Justin Bradshaw attacked Vega after the match, following an interview where he complained about not being on the PPV. Vega then challenged Bradshaw to a Caribbean Strap Match on the PPV.
- Savio Vega defeated Justin Bradshaw in a Caribbean Strap Match by touching all four corners. During the match, ECW's Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman and Paul Heyman (who came out and took seats in the front row during the preshow) were seen at ringside and Sandman spat beer at the wrestlers, leading to a brief scuffle and the ECW stars being ushered out. This was a planned angle between ECW and WWE, although they did a fairly good job of making it look like a "shoot" incident. Tazz and Perry Saturn, also with ECW at the time, were seated in the crowd as well.
- Jose Lothario defeated Jim Cornette in under a minute following two punches.
- Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith defeated WWF World Tag Team Champions The Smoking Gunns to win the belts when Smith powerslammed Bart after Billy had shoved his partner. Previously, Bart had collided with Billy accidentally. After the match, Sunny, who was managing the Gunns, fired them.
- Mark Henry defeated Jerry Lawler with a backbreaker. During the match, Marty Jannetty, Leif Cassidy and Triple H tried to interfere, but Henry ran them off and press slammed Triple H on top of the New Rockers on the floor.
- The Undertaker defeated Goldust with a tombstone piledriver.
- WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Mankind via disqualification when Vader interfered. Sid Vicious came out and brawled with Vader, and the Undertaker came out of a casket that Mankind and brought to the ring and chased Mankind off. This match is available on the History Of The WWE Championship DVD.
1997 - WWF held Raw at Madison Square Garden in New York City with the WWF debut of Cactus Jack. Prior to a scheduled streetfight with Triple H, Mick Foley appeared on the screen as Dude Love (who was scheduled for the match), Mankind and finally Cactus. Cactus Jack then won the match with a piledriver through a table on the stage. This match is available on the Mick Foley: Hard Knocks And Cheap Pops DVD. Mike Johnson filed the following live report of the taping for the Wrestling Lariat Newsletter:
Cactus Back!
by Mike Johnson
The World Wrestling Federation pulled out as much as they could when they brought Raw is War to their home base building in New York City, Madison Square Garden, on 9/21. I was in attendance at the show, and yes, they even surprised me, as you’ll see in the report!
The show opened with a dark match as Northeastern Indy workers Steve Corino and Jimmy Cicero met each other. Corino controlled most of the bout with armdrags and armbars, boring the crowd, who started chanting, “Let’s go Rangers”. Cicero came back with a head and arms Tazplex style move and a swinging neckbreaker but Corino got the pin with a Northern Lights suplex. It was pretty flat as doing all the matwork totally bored the crowd waiting for stars but the work itself was good.
They followed with a battle royal, which in local advertising had the stipulation that the winner would get a WWF World title shot at the next Garden show. From the result, I’m assuming that's no longer the case. Since there was nothing of note in the bout, the order of elimination was as follows: Blackjack Bradshaw, Headbanger Mosh, Brian Christopher, Chainz, Blackjack Windham, The Bruise Brothers, Boriqua Jesus, Crush, Tiger Ali Singh, all three Truth Commission members, Savio Vega, Miguel Perez, Jr., Scott Taylor. At this point, Sal Sincere and Headbanger Thrasher both flipped over the ropes together, leaving longtime jobber Steve “Brooklyn Brawler” Lombardi as the winner. The place popped and there were scattered “Brooklyn” chants.
The rumor going around was Shamrock was supposed to win and challenge Hart at the next show, but he’s injured with a lung infection. In any case, the match sucked. Why couldn’t we have gotten a Christopher-Taylor match instead?
The Spanish announcers come out to Tito Santana’s music, followed by Jim Ross & Jim Cornette, as they were going to be taping Shotgun Saturday Night first.
They opened with Vader & the Patriot taking on the Godwinns. The bout started with Vader & the Patriot taking over on Phinneas, including Patriot dropkicking him through the ropes. Henry tried to jump the Patriot but he fought him off. The Godwinns took over by choking Del Wilkes with the Confederate flag. The Patriot hit a sunset flip for a two count but was shrugged off. Henry tried to come off the top but the Patriot got his foot up and tagged Vader, who killed all three Godwinns and pinned Phinneas with a Vader Bomb. Eh.
They followed this with the Blackjacks meeting Boriquas members Savio Vega & Miguel Perez Jr. Talk is the Blackjacks will be broken up soon and Justin Bradshaw will get a makeover. Poor Bradshaw- he can’t keep up with his action figure! I mean, geez, just ship the guy to ECW to build him back up. Vince, you blew it. Windham was wearing a knee brace but still took a bump over the top rope from a Perez dropkick. Fans at ringside were chanting, “Wookie” at Perez. Windham and Savio chopped each other stiffly. Savio was beaten by Bradshaw for a bit but then hit a sunset flip. He followed with a spin kick on Bradshaw and a suplex on Windham. Perez then hit a bad frankensteiner on Windham. The other two Boriquas came down and Windham confronted them. Bradshaw set Perez up for a powerbomb but Savio spinkicked him in the side of the face, gaining the pin. Flat match.
They introduced Jerry Lawler, who joined the commentary desk. Remember what I said about Bradshaw and having blown it? Out came another worker who fit that category, Flash Funk, who was taking on Jesse Jammes. Neither guy got any real reaction. Funk started out fast with a leapfrog into a dropkick and a leaping clothesline. James hit a running clothesline on Funk in the corner. Funk dropkicked Jammes off the top, then hit a forward flip legdrop off the middle turnbuckle. He went to the top but Jerry Lawler, for no reason, pulled his legs out and crotched him. HUH? Jammes pulled Scorp off the top and picked him up in a cradle like position, then slammed him down for the pin. Lawler leaves ringside. Ugh. Funk chased Jammes back. As you can guess, at this point the show wasn’t very good.
Vince McMahon and Lawler come out to the commentator’s desk as two members of the Truth Commission (I don’t know who and frankly I don’t care) met Crush & Chainz of the DOA. Has anyone lost his personality quicker than Brian Lee? This was really quick and nondescript as the other Truth Commission members interfered, leading to the Bruises jumping in and the DOA winning by DQ. All the refs came out to break it up. Yawn.
They then went live on the air and there were a TON of fireworks. The show opened with a really cool Garden history retrospective. Live, Hogan’s image was booed while Piper & Savage’s were cheered. It was pretty cool to watch live as the place was “ooohing” to the older clips.
They opened the show with the return of Ahmed Johnson, as he took on the NOD’s Rocky Maivia in an Intercontinental Title tourney match. While Sgt. Slaughter made the other NOD members go to the back, Rocky spit at the fan who had the initial “Die Rocky” sign and dared him to meet him outside the building. Ahmed clotheslined him through the ropes. Lou Albano came out and as wandering around ringside taking notes for some reason that wasn’t clear live. Rocky threw Ahmed into the ringside steps, cutting open Ahmed’s hand. Oh no! He’ll be out another two months and come back even bigger! Ahmed finally got the pin with the Tigerdriver.
Steve Austin was in the upper level of the building with a live mic and did a promo saying that one way or another, somebody’s going to get their ass kicked. It was hard to make out live but it popped the house anyway. Half the building swarmed Austin as he tried to leave.
They showed old boxer Floyd Patterson in the crowd and recapped Shawn Michael’s European title victory over Davey Boy Smith at the "One Night Only” PPV show.
Vince McMahon then interviewed the Undertaker and they announced the winner of the UT-Shawn Cage match would get a title shot at Survivor Series in Montreal this November. As an aside, there was a nice effect here. After UT set off an explosion, the smoke was rising from under the ring, giving an eery effect which was nice given the character. Michaels interrupted the interview, saying the WWF was trying to put him in another no-win situation and the pair argued.
After Sunny came out to be the guest ring announcer, they had Legion of Doom taking on NOD members Kama & Faarooq. This was real boring but real quick. They knocked Kama out of the ring and went for the clothesline on the shoulders finisher but the other NOD members ran in. Ahmed Johnson, his hand taped, made the save.
They followed this with Hart Foundation members Owen Hart and Brian Pillman coming out for their match against each other in the IC title tourney. Hart was accompanied by four NYC cops, who were really Indy workers like Bud Licious, Cpl. Punishment, and Wild Bill. Marlena was there, looking like she stepped out of any New York City club that I frequent. She’s even got a navel piercing now. Pillman and Owen were joking and he asked Owen if he wanted a piece of her ass.
Pillman had a sling on and announced he was forfeiting as he hurt his arm, “Making Marlena squeal like a pig last night”. Sgt. Slaughter came out and asked where his proof was. Pillman said, “In the car and in the hotel”. Slaughter tossed the mic to Pillman, who caught it with his “hurt” arm. Slaughter told them both to wrestle or they’ll be suspended forever. They both get mad but agree.
The two wrestle the match as a joke, getting two counts after snapmares and the like. I found it hysterical but the building was chanting “Boring”. They did a spot where Owen wound up outside the ring and Marlena hit him with the purse. Pillman took it away and Owen accused him of hitting him. Marlena told him it was him and Owen hit Pillman. The pair brawled back into the ring. The two crisscrossed the ropes and both hit a flying bodypress on the other and are down.
As they got to their feet, Goldust hit the ring, shoved Owen down and attacked Pillman. Owen wins by DQ. The officials stormed the ring and held Goldust, as Pillman pulled Marlena away. Owen took the mic and dedicated his hard fought win to his brother Bret.
Steve Austin attacked him from the crowd and the NYC “cops” grabbed him as Owen has the restraining order. Vince McMahon tried to calm down Austin and told him that they understand he’s upset but he has to wait until he can wrestle. McMahon told him that no one wants to see him in a wheelchair. Austin pondered, apologized, then kicked McMahon and hit him with the Stone Cold Stunner! Austin jumped on Vince and gave him the finger. The place erupted! The cops arrested Austin, who gave Vince the finger from the cuffs. McMahon was carried off, but really should have been stretchered. Other than that, great angle to finish off the first hour.
They opened the second hour with more explosions that were really cool and loud.
They recapped the Austin angle, and previewed the Falls Count Anywhere match between Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Dude Love. HHH and Chyna come out but when Dude Love’s music started, he was nowhere to be found. What followed that was truly a Mick Foley classic. Dude Love appeared on the screen and said that a Falls Count Anywhere match really wasn’t his thing and he said he knew a “Kind” man who would be perfect for it. Using split screen technology, Mankind sat next to him and they spoke. He said that as much as he’d like to brawl all over the building, he knew someone who would be even better - and Cactus Jack appeared on the screen!! THE PLACE GOES NUTS!!!
Music starts. Garbage is tossed from behind the curtain. A shovel. A Mop. A Trashcan. Finally, after a year and a half, Cactus Jack returned to life in the US and appeared. The place gave him a standing ovation, even louder than they were for the Austin angle. The place chanted “ECW” and “Cactus” as Foley smirked and hit the ring. He hit the Cactus clothesline and they brawled on the floor. He slammed HHH for a two count. They brawled into a backstage area where Helmsley got a two count, but Jack shot him with a fire extinguisher.
Cactus whipped Hunter into the rail, then stomped him, taking the whole side of railing down. He got Hunter back in the ring and threw him into the corner, where HHH took a cool bump over the top. Jack throws a trashcan at him but missed the Cactus elbow off the apron, hitting the can instead. Chyna threw him into the stairs and Hunter got a two count. The place was chanting “Cactus” as Hunter put him in an abdominal stretch, but the ref caught him using the ropes and made him break it. Hunter shoved the ref, and the ref shoved him back, knocking him on his ass, a la Ric Flair. The place popped. Cactus put the Mandible Claw on Hunter but Chyna hit him low. Hunter then broke a broom over Cactus’ back. What’s the difference between that and Sandman’s cane, USA Network?
Cactus came back and knocked Hunter off the apron, then hit a sunset flip to the floor for a two count. He backdropped Hunter on the ramp but Chyna hit him with a chair. He snatched it and went to go after her but HHH tackled him. Chyna was sandwiched between Cactus and the stairs in a great spot. They brawled up the ramp and Cactus hit a belly to back suplex. He hit HHH with another trash can for a two count. HHH hit Cactus with a shovel and slammed him down headfirst on the ramp hard. He retrieved a table from backstage as the place chanted “ECW”. He tried to give Cactus the pedigree but Cactus got out and piledrove HHH through it for the pin. Great match, probably the best Helmsley has ever been in.
On an aside, Chyna works really hard and is a great personality. Welcome back Cactus. I hope you stay around. This was a great moment for me personally, as I hated Dude Love and never really got into the Mankind character. Let’s see some of those great promos, Mick.
What happened next was weird to say the least. Shawn Michaels came out saying he was going to talk about his title win and him being the first and only Grand Slam champion of all four belts, but then started slamming the Undertaker and daring him to come out. Next thing we know, the cameras are off and Michaels goes backstage looking for the Undertaker. Huh? He comes back out clucking like a chicken saying UT fears him.
Michaels finally went to leave but UT’s music came on. UT headed to the ring and was jumped by Michaels, Chyna, Rick Rude and HHH, who had gauze on his head showing some red soaking through. They beat him up but the Undertaker rose and chased them away. It was like, what was the point of that?
They finished off the live show with the WWF World champ Bret Hart facing Goldust. Hart did a promo saying he beat UT already and that sooner or later, Shawn Michaels would be getting what was coming to him. Hart dominated the entire match, working on Goldust’s leg. Michaels showed up on the ramp and the crowd was on him, chanting “Faggot” and “Shawn is gay”, which he played up to and preened around. Hart gave Dust the figure four on the ringpost. The ringside fans were really on Hart so he gave them the finger. He finally got the submission with the Sharpshooter.
Michaels must have ignored his cue as Pat Patterson came storming out of the curtain shoving and screaming at Michaels, who then hit the ring and attacked Bret. Owen Hart, Hunter, a limping Davey Boy Smith, Rick Rude, Chyna, and even Jim Neidhart, hit the ring and brawled before the Undertaker showed up and chokeslammed Michaels and Hart to end the live show.
This left us with an immediate three way for the WWF title with UT vs. Bret vs. Shawn and everyone at ringside. Once the cameras were off the guys at ringside were goofing with the crowd. Owen asked an ECW regular to buy him an ECW hat next time he saw him and Bulldog chanted “ECW” softly at him. Neidhart looked bigger, if that’s possible. Bret hit a Russian legsweep on Shawn. Fans at ringside were calling for Bret to shoot, making the Harts laugh at ringside, while Hunter was glaring at said fans. Hart tied Shawn up in the ropes and hit him. UT recovered and tied up Bret, then took turns kicking both in the mush.
Both eventually got free and Hart went to slam Michaels off the top rope. Michaels yelled, “I’m nature boy!” before he was slammed. Michaels got a chair and went to hit UT but he kicked it in his face. He tombstoned Shawn but HHH pulled him out of the ring and Bret jumped on Shawn for the pin. Shawn does the job. I was shocked. The Harts pulled Bret out as UT trashed the “Kliq”. Eventually he left and they played Shawn’s music. The heels got up joking and all three did the Fargo Strut out of the Garden.
MSG Notes:
Overall, the show was fine, although the crowd was dead and leaving starting with the Bret-Goldust match. Marc Mero was advertised as appearing for this show, but there was no sign of him anywhere. I’ll assume Merro, who is now bald and does an aggressive gimmick, was held off as they had so much going on and he would have been lost in the shuffle.
Samoan Gangsta Party members Big Matty Smalls & Tahitian Warrior were backstage.
There were rumors of Yokozuna returning tonight as well.
The show came off flat live for the most part but it was the TV audience that they were shooting for.
I saw signs confiscated but it was because they were hindering the cameras, and they were taken away after their owners were warned to please keep them down.
The entire Raw set, with the screen and ramp and explosions, is pretty impressive live.
They return to the Garden this November. I guess we'll find out if the Brawler gets his title shot!
2000 - Spanky (Brian Kendrick) defeats American Dragon (Bryan Danielson) in Vicksburg, Mississippi to win the Memphis Championship Wrestling Light Heavyweight Title.
2000 - Extreme Championship Wrestling ran Salem, New Hampshire with an ECW on TNN taping, featuring the following results:
Dark match: Michael Shane defeated Red Dogg
Simon Diamond & Johnny Swinger defeated Christian York & Joey Matthews
Julio Dinero defeated Prodigy
The Blue Boy (w/ Jasmine) (sub. for Chris Chetti) defeated Nova
Prodigette defeated Jazz
Mikey Whipwreck pinned Psychosis with a Whippersnapper off the top
ECW Tag Team Champions Little Guido & Tony Mamaluke defeated Danny Doring & Roadkill when Doring was pinned
Jack Victory & the Blacksmith defeated Lou E. Dangerously, Bilvis Wesley, & CW Anderson in a handicap match
Balls Mahoney defeated EZ Money & Chris Hamrick in a handicap streetfight
Justin Credible, Danny Daniels, & Rhino defeated Steve Corino, Jerry Lynn, & HC Loc when Credible pinned Lynn with That's Incredible
Rob Van Dam & Kid Kash defeated the Baldies following a hurricanrana off the top by Kash and the Five Star Frog Splash from RVD
2002 - WWE holds Unforgiven at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Here are the results:
- In a Heat match, Rey Mysterio defeats Chavo Guerrero with the West Coast Pop.
- Booker T, Kane, Goldust & Bubba Ray Dudley defeated Lance Storm, Christian, William Regal & Test when Kane pinned Storm with a chokeslam.
- WWE Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho defeated Ric Flair with the Walls Of Jericho.
- Eddie Guerrero defeated Edge with a sunset flip-style powerbomb.
- Three Minute Warning defeated Billy Gunn & Chuck Palumbo when Rosey pinned Gunn with a Samoan Drop. As a result, Smackdown General Manager Stephanie McMahon had to perform "Hot Lesbian Action" and Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff said he found the "ugliest lesbian" around for the job. However, it turned out to be Rikishi in drag, who then gave Bischoff a side kick and a stinkface.
- World Champion Triple H defeated Rob Van Dam with a Pedigree.
- Trish Stratus defeated Molly Holly to win the WWE Women's Title with a bulldog.
- Chris Benoit defeated Kurt Angle by turning an anklelock into a rollup and putting his feet on the ropes for leverage.
- WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker ended in a double DQ when the referee couldn't control the two as they brawled in and out of the ring.
2004 - Former WWF and WCW star "Big Boss man" Ray Traylor passed away suddenly in his home. According to a report by Georgiann Makropoulis, Traylor's wife found him unconscious and paramedics were unable to revive him. He had not been complaining of feeling ill beyond a bad knee. Traylor is believed to have been 41.
A legitimate former prison guard out of Marietta, Georgia, Traylor first broke into the business as Big Bubba Rogers, working some smaller territories including Memphis (where he and Jerry Lawler held the Southern Tag Team titles, but as was par for the course in Memphis, he soon turned on Lawler). He ended up as the penultimate UWF champion, dropping the belt to Steve Williams right before the company was completely absorbed into Jim Crockett Promotions. He is best known during that time period for his role as the bodyguard of Jim Cornette and the Midnight Express, where he also had a series of taped fist matches with Ronnie Garvin.
Traylor was signed by the WWF in 1988 where he became the Big Bossman, an evil heel known for brutalizing enhancement talent with a nightstick after handcuffing them to the ropes, managed by Slick. During this time, Bossman had a huge main event run with Hulk Hogan including a Steel Cage series featuring a superplex off the top of the cage, which was a huge deal for two guys that big during that time period.
Bossman also formed a tag team with Akeem as The Twin Towers after his main event singles run was done, defeating The Rockers in Shawn Michaels' Wrestlemania debut at Mania 5. They headlined the 1989 Survivor Series as well against a team captained by Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. That set up a national NBC special where the teams met, which was the backdrop for Savage turning on Hogan to build to the Wrestlemania V main event.
Bossman was turned babyface during an angle where he was hired to retrieve Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Belt from Jake Roberts as it was in Robert's snake bag. After tiring of the browbeating from DiBiase, Bossman put the belt back in the bag and told DiBiase to get it himself. This led to a feud with DiBiase and Bossman dishing out "hard time" to the heels of the company, including a memorable feud with Rick Rude that stemmed from Rude and manager Bobby Heenan making fun of Bossman's mother. Perhaps the most memorable feud featured a storyline where a convict from Bossman's past, Nailz came to WWF for revenge.
Boss man left the company in the early 90s, working the independent scene including a revisiting of his feud with Nailz, who was working as "The Convict" for a number of companies. At the same time, he was working regularly for All Japan Pro Wrestling.
Traylor debuted for WCW in December 1993 as a last minute surprise to face Rick Rude at Starrcade '93 as "The Boss" due to copyright issues with his WWF name. That soon led to a series of gimmicks as he became "The Man," then "The Guardian Angel" (including vignettes filmed with the Angels in New York City ) and finally a return to Big Bubba Rogers. He was a member of the New World Order for a brief time as well.
Traylor (as Bossman) jumped back to WWF in 1998, appearing as a member of Vince McMahon's Corporation in a feud with Steve Austin. He remained with WWF in some capacity until last year when his deal expired. He was extremely well liked by management, especially McMahon himself, to the point that I recall a worker who debuted in 2000 once telling me he had to be careful with Bossman as hurting him was a surefire way to get on McMahon's bad side right out of the gate.
During his final WWF run, he racked up several championship reigns, defeating Mick Foley for the first of several Hardcore championships and a WWF Tag Team championship with Ken Shamrock.
Bossman had several more feuds during this run including The Big Show (which as irony has it given the Rick Rude feud, was based on Bossman badmouthing Show's father, who "died" during the storyline) and Al Snow, which saw the kidnapping and cooking of Snow's Chihuahua Pepper and one of the all-time greatest "bad" matches, the Kennel from Hell, which is one of Mick Foley's favorites.
Traylor underwent knee surgery in the Fall of 2000. He worked briefly was a trainer for Ohio Valley Wrestling in 2002. Earlier this year, Traylor had run Paulding County , Georgia 's Commission Chairman but was defeated in a three person race.
Traylor had been scheduled to appear alongside the Midnight Express on 10/30 at a big charity event in Waynesboro , Virginia and also this November for Frank Goodman's USA Pro Wrestling in Jamaica , New York . Greg Price had also hoped to include him in some of the upcoming conventions that were scheduled. He had also expected to return to WWE at some point, turning down a shoot interview offer a few months back, saying, "Call me in six months if I'm not back in WWE."
Atlanta TV Station WSB-TV reported that Ray Traylor's cause of death was a "massive heart attack."
2006 - CHIKARA ran Reading, PA. Ed Sherrifs filed the following live report:
Chikara held their 'Once in a Lifetime' show in Reading, Pennsylvania on September 22nd. It was a benefit for Matthew Kelly, who is waiting for a double lung transplant due to his cystic fibrosis (go to http://www.4mtk.com/ for information on how to help). The event saw the Young Lions Cup and Campeones de Parejas on the line. It was a really fun show with a lot of comedy and great action.
'Sweet and Sour' Larry Sweeney came out first to rile up the fans and put down Eddie Kingston, who he was scheduled to wrestle him in a mixed tag match later on. However, Sweeney informed the crowd that Mickie Knuckles, Kingston's scheduled partner, was not able to make it to the event, so it is going to be a handicapped match.
Match #1: The Colony & Equinox vs. Hydra & Los Ice Creams (El Hijo de Ice
Cream & Ice Cream, Junior)
Before the match, Hydra tried to jump on the apron, which was very low, like Brock Lesnar, but couldn't quite make it. Hydra started with out with Soldier Ant (I think) and couldn't muster enough strength to do anything to him. One of the Ice Creams and Equinox then fought, and the comedy took over. The other ice cream was doing a lot of posing on the apron, they tagged themselves in by clapping their own hands, and one ice cream ran in
to count the pin for the other. Fire Ant came in and Los Ice Creams pulled on the horns on his mask, which he sold like he was shot. Great stuff. The end saw a bunch of innovative near falls and even a triple pinning situation. The finish saw one of Los Ice Creams deliver a 'Jack & Jill Hammer' and throw Hydra onto one of the Colony for the victory.
Your winners, Hydra & Los Ice Creams!
Match #2 for the Young Lions Cup: Arik Cannon (c) vs. Lance Steel
Lots of counters to start the match, and some chops. Steel no sold Cannon's chops to the chest due to his breastplate. Steel got a snap suplex into a pin for a two count and hit a dropkick to knock Cannon out of the ring. Cannon comes back with a neckbreaker, but Steel got a jawbreaker. Steel rolled Cannon up and tried to use the ropes, but was caught by the referee. While he argued with the ref, Cannon rolled him up and got the pin.
Your winner, Arik Cannon!
Match #3: Rorschach & Crossbones vs. Jigsaw & Shane Storm
Rorschach and Jigsaw started out with various submissions on each other and reversals. Jigsaw hit a picture perfect dropkick to knock Rorschach out of the ring. Crossbones and Storm tagged in with Crossbones getting the better of him. Storm was worked over for a fairly long time by his opponents before getting the hot tag to Jigsaw. Jigsaw got Rorschach in a torture rack and followed it immediately with a power bomb. Jigsaw hit a Leap of
Faith (top rope huracanrana) on Rorschach followed by a shining wizard from Storm, who got the pin.
Your winners, Jigsaw & Shane Storm!
Match #4: Gran Akuma vs. Reckless Youth
Youth dominated the early part of the match, and hit a bunch of arm drags on Akuma. Akuma soon took over and hit a suicide dive. In a weird looking spot, Reckless Youth got a top rope superplex. Normally I wouldn't give the move a second thought, but the ceiling was so low that they had to be careful about any top rope moves. Akuma hit a modified stunner on Youth. Youth followed that with a swinging fisherman suplex for a two count. Akuma tried to bring one of the chairs into the ring (no steel chairs, a normal chair) and hit Youth with a low blow while the ref got rid of it. He then got Youth in a Falcon Arrow for the win.
Your winner, Gran Akuma!
There was then an intermission. Lightning Mike Quackenbush came out was kind enough to talk to some fans, and was more than happy to speak to the children. I was really impressed considering he had yet to wrestle, but that's part of what makes this a great family show.
Match #5: UltraMantis Black w/ Hydra vs. Hallowicked
Hallowicked ran right out and jumped all over Mantis. He nailed some absolutely brutal chops and Mantis' chest was very red after all of them. Hydra interfered and hit Hallowicked with a stick. Mantis followed this up by biting his stomach. Mantis worked him over with submissions such as a half camel clutch. Hallowicked fought back, but Mantis got an STO for two. Mantis bit his back and loudly exclaimed, "Salty" after doing so. Mantis tried to lift Hallowicked up, but couldn't do it and yelled, "He is quite heavy." He hit a bulldog and announced the name of the move to the crowd for anyone who didn't know what it was. Hallowicked came back with a huge sit-out powerbomb. He then dove over the top rope and hit a sunset flip powerbomb onto the floor. Back in the ring, a Tiger Driver by Mantis gets two. Hallowicked hit a Yakuza Kick to the back of Mantis' head. Mantis summoned Hydra into the ring to help him. He yanked Hydra in front of him as Hallowicked set up for another Yakuza kick and then got the pin after rolling him up. Really entertaining match!
Your winner, UltraMantis Black!
Match #6: 'Sweet & Sour' Larry Sweeney & Daizee Haze vs. Eddie Kingston
Interestingly, Kingston is a face in Chikara, but a heel in CZW right now. This became a handicapped match due to Mickie Knuckles not being there. Eddie Kingston went right after Sweeney, but Haze distracted him. From then on, Sweeney and Haze dominated the match, working over Kingston's leg. Haze wasn't shy about tagging in and got fairly physical. Sweeney got the pin after punching Kingston with the brass knuckles. The match was basically a set up for next month's big showdown between the two in Philadelphia.
Kingston hardly got any offense.
Your winners, Larry Sweeney & Daizee Haze!
Match #7: Icarus vs. 'Lightning' Mike Quackenbush
Icarus spent a couple minutes before the match insulting various people in the crowd. Quackenbush got the offense at the start, hitting a springboard arm drag and tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. He went into various submissions such as the surfboard and bow & arrow. Quackenbush then repeatedly stomped on Icarus' chest and hit a slingshot senton, then rolling thunder. Icarus got back in the match by getting some illegal eye gouges. A reverse DDT got 2 for Icarus. A pedigree by Icarus also only got 2 and he started to flip out. Quackenbush came back and hit Quackendriver III (modified fisherman driver) for the three count.
Your winner, 'Lightning' Mike Quackenbush!
Match #8 for the Campeones de Parejas: The Kings of Wrestling, Claudio
Castagnoli & Chris Hero vs. The North Star Express, Ryan Cruz & Darin Corbin
The match was best 2 out of 3 falls. The Kings of Wrestling came out with the ROH belts as well and posed for pictures before the match. Hero and Cruz started out, and Hero got him in an arm submission. Ref: "What do you say, Cruz?" Castagnoli: "He says yes." The two continued to do a lot of mat wrestling. Corbin hit a bunch of innovative arm drags to frustrate Castagnoli. Hero came back in and there was a cool spot where the NSE hit
stereo dropkicks to sandwich Hero's head. Corbin had his arm worked over by the KOW for awhile before getting the hot tag to Cruz. A Side Effect on Hero gets two. The NSE cleaned house with double team moves and combined to hit Cruz Control on Hero for the pin and first fall.
First fall goes to the North Star Express.
During the 30 second break, Hero and Castagnoli started to fight with each other. Hero teased like he was going to walk out but he instead ambushed Corbin and throws him out the door into the parking lot and locked him out. The KOW dominated Cruz and turned him inside out when they combined for a 360 degree flip for the pin.
Second fall goes to the Kings of Wrestling.
Castagnoli attacked Cruz before the 30 second break was over. Hero put Cruz in the Camel Clutch, which Cruz fought out of, but they double teamed him in the corner. Castagnoli came in and hit a brutal European Uppercut. Miscommunication by the KOW on a double team move allowed Cruz to knock them both down, and Corbin finally made it back in the building to get the hot tag. A superkick and Ki Krusher on Castagnoli got a two count. The KOW fought back with a double team kick for their own two. Corbin hit the RKO on Hero, then knocked Cruz onto him for a very near fall. Cruz then got tied up in the ropes, which allowed the KOW to hit KRS-1 on Corbin for the third and final pinfall.
Your winners, and still Campeones de Parejas, the Kings of Wrestling!
Post match, Darin Corbin sold the move and acted knocked out, so he had to be carried out of the ring.
Notes/Thoughts:
The DVD is definitely worth going out of your way to pick up. The comedy matches were hilarious, Gran Akuma vs. Reckless Youth was a very good match, and the main event had a lot of suspense and good tag action. All the matches got plenty of time and the show more than delivered.
Chikara is an excellent show to take children to. All of the kids in attendance loved the goofy characters and had a great time. I can't recommend it enough if you have children, but are reluctant to take them to other indy shows or WWE.
Chikara returns to the the former ECW Arena on October 28 for a special double header. The first show is a Monster Mash where prizes will be given for costumes and such (take your kids!). The second show in the evening is the Cibernetico Forever event, featuring a 16 man battle royal.
Various wrestlers came out for commentary during the matches. Chris Hero did a couple, Larry Sweeney called the main event, but from what I could hear, UltraMantis Black was hysterical. During one match, he was cracking up the cameraman with comments like, "That's my move" after someone hit a bulldog. I might pick up the DVD just to hear what he said during the show.
Los Ice Creams come out to hilarious ice cream truck music and only speak in Spanish, randomly shouting stuff like 'Fuerte!' They're really funny and it was a solid comedy match and a great way to start the show.
Arik Cannon takes the old Kool Aid 'Ohhh Yeeaaahhh!' catchphrase, which of course leads to his opponent yelling, 'Ohhhh Noooo!'. Cannon was one of the most over faces of the night.
One of the great things about such a closed setting is being able to hear the wrestlers. Some of them are very funny and play to the crowd, who can hear everything. UltraMantis Black was absolutely hilarious with his comments. I almost died when he said 'Salty' after biting his opponent. He also sells like a champ when he screams.
Daizee Haze looks better than all the WWE Divas, has a great ring presence, can talk, and wait for it, wrestle. They are missing the boat by not pursuing people like her because she could definitely help fill the void left by Trish Stratus.
Castagnoli and Hero are a great tag team. They also had a lot of funny comments, Castagnoli in particular. Even on the apron, he is very animated and involved in the match, almost to the point where you'd rather watch him just to see how he is reacting to what is going on in the ring. As for the match, it was very competitive and the crowd was really into it at the end. It looked like the North Star Express was going to pull off a huge upset but it didn't happen. Awesome main event.
2007 - During a press conference before a NASCAR event at the Dover (DE) International Speedway, Ric Flair once again denounced reports (including one that was posted on the Dover website) that he has or had quit WWE. He said that "those reports were totally incorrect" and that he never gave notice. The piece in the Press said that "Flair spoke in glowing terms about WWE, noting that Chairman Vince McMahon could run NASCAR if he had a month to get up to speed." Flair added that plans to retire in the next year so that he can spend more time with his family.
2007 - Raw ran Champaign, IL. Tiony Khan filed the following live report:
WWE returned to the Assembly Hall in Champaign, IL on Saturday night for a Raw brand house show.
By my estimation, the crowd was the largest for a WWE house show at the Assembly Hall since a 2001 show with Austin vs. Angle and Rock vs. Jericho. I would guess there were over 4,500 in attendance. I would attribute the improved turnout (I believe a show in January that was headlined by Batista vs. Mr. Kennedy drew about 3,000) to the appearances of John Cena and Triple H. The difference between the way the crowd treated those two compared to the rest of the guys on this show was like night-and-day. The people were absolutely rabid for both Cena and HHH.
The show began with Tony Chimmel introducing Maria.
MATCH ONE: Maria announced a 15 man Battle Royal with the winner receiving a title shot against John Cena in the main event. The competitors she introduced were Daivari, Cody Rhodes, the Highlanders, Paul London, Brian Kendrick, Super Crazy, Val Venis, Hacksaw Duggan, Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch, Santino Marella and Shelton Benjamin. I counted several times, and indeed there were only 13 guys in the ring. Then, Santino Marella gave a long speech, saying he would win the battle royal and defeat Cena for the WWE Title for Maria. The crowd roundly booed this. Obviously, Marella was the first man eliminated, which did get a decent pop. Most of this Battle Royal was really sloppy stuff until the final sequence, which was pretty strong.
A few minutes after the intros, Jeff Hardy walked to the ring looking confused and handed the Intercontinental Title to the referees. He climbed in the ring, and the crowd immediately began chanting "HARDY." He was pretty much the only wrestler besides Cena or HHH to command any reaction, except for Hacksaw's USA chants.
The final 5 in the ring were Hardy, Rhodes, Murdoch, Cade and Benjamin. There was a really entertaining spot where Rhodes and Benjamin were both "skinning the cat" and trying to knock each other off the apron to the floor. Both men climbed up, and Benjamin springboarded into the ring while giving Rhodes a modified Hot Shot, knocking Rhodes to the floor.
Murdoch and Cade made a pact with Benjamin against Hardy. However, they quickly turned on Shelton and knocked him out of the ring. Hardy then followed it up by knocking both Cade and Murdoch out to win the 14 man Battle Royal at 13:20 and earn a WWE Title shot against John Cena. Jeff Hardy is, however, NOT the Intercontinental Champion of punctuality. **
MATCH TWO: WWE Women's Champion Candice Michelle pinned Beth Phoenix at 9:18 with a schoolgirl roll-up. The best sequence of this match was Candice doing a springboard huracanrana followed by a spinning heel kick for a near fall. But really, it was way too long and the crowd was starting to turn on them. 1/2*
MATCH THREE: Super Crazy pinned Jay Bradley at 5:35 after a Moonsault. Bradley is a semi-local talent, but because he isn't known from TV, the crowd had no interest in him. *
MATCH FOUR: Val Venis pinned Roughhouse O'Reilly at 10:26 after the Money Shot. There were a few good sequences that I enjoyed, and both guys were moving well, but this was too long and was the recipient of "Boring" chants. *1/4
MATCH FIVE: Hacksaw Jim Duggan pinned Daivari at 7:41 after a Running Clothesline. This match followed pretty much exactly the formula it needed to, and most of the crowd enjoyed it even though Hacksaw isn't exactly very mobile right now. There were big USA chants, and Hacksaw got a very nice reception. 3/4*
There was an intermission at this point.
MATCH SIX: Cody Rhodes pinned Shelton Benjamin at 12:08 after a DDT. I was hoping this match would be a strong showcase for both men, but it wasn't. I thought they set their match up well with the entertaining segment in the Battle Royal, but both guys were off in this one. They could've done better. *1/2
At this point, Carlito came out and ran down Triple H going into their cage match on Monday's Raw. Then Triple H's music hit and the building exploded. HHH talked down Carlito for a few minutes, and then their match began.
MATCH SEVEN: Triple H pinned Carlito at 7:53 after a Pedigree. This match was fairly by the numbers, but the atmosphere in the arena was electric because the crowd saw HHH as such a major star. Carlito went for a chair, but the referee stopped him and took the chair away. As his back was turned, Carlito used a low blow. Triple H recovered and was sneak in a low blow of his own. Then he did a "Suck It" gesture to a big pop and hit the Pedigree for the pin. *3/4
MATCH EIGHT: WWE Champion John Cena and Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy battled to a no-contest when Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch hit the ring after about five minutes and attacked Hardy. Cena and Hardy challenged Cade & Murdoch to a tag match.
MATCH NINE: John Cena and Jeff Hardy beat Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch at 13:17 when Hardy pinned Cade after a Cena F-U and a Swanton Bomb. Decent match. Cena and Hardy make a good team because both guys are good as a face-in-peril and both guys can get the crowd fired up as a hot tag, especially Cena. **1/4
Overall, I think the crowd went home happy. The people seemed restless as the show dragged after the initial Battle Royal, but the fans were clearly there to see Cena and Triple H.
2008 - A promotional trailer for released for Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling, which ran for one season on CMT.
2008 - WWE broadcast Raw. Richard Trionfo filed the following report:
Last week, we found out who Chris Jericho would be defending his World Heavyweight Title against after defeating CM Punk in a steel cage match. Now that we are going to get another match between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels. We also found out that the number one contender for the title is going to be determined when Batista faces John Bradshaw Layfield. We have one more match that has been announced for the brand and that features Candice Michelle trying to get her title back from Beth Phoenix. We are now less than two weeks from No Mercy, so what will these six people do to get ready for their matches? Who will Randy Orton deal with this week and what will happen if he passes Ted DiBiase, Cody Rhodes, or Manu in the back? What will this week’s Honk-A-Meter fact be? Will Charlie Haas adopt another persona this week?
We are live from Cincinnati, Ohio and your announcers are Michael ‘Les Nessman’ Cole and Jerry ‘Dr. Johnny Fever’ Lawler.
Chris Jericho comes out and he climbs the ladder in the ring and he sits under his title belt. Chris hears the chants of ‘HBK’ and then he tells them to leave it to HBK to rewrite history. Last week, Shawn Michaels , in an attempt to permanently disfigure him to take away Chris’s title in a ladder match. Then Shawn said that he created the ladder match. Chris points out that the fans blindly accepted what Shawn said. Just because Shawn Michaels says something, it is not true. But when Chris Jericho says something, it is real because he is an honest man, and a good man. Chris says that he always tells the truth. Chris says that he won three titles in ladder matches and has won more high profile ladder matches than Shawn has been in during his entire life. When the match is through at No Mercy, everyone will see Chris taking the belt off the hook.
Shawn wants to disfigure him? Shawn already did that when he was whipped. He says that he has trapped Shawn in a corner because in order for Shawn to feed his ego, he has demanded a ladder match, but he has given Chris the weapon to finish off Michaels.
Randy Orton’s music plays and he comes out and he eventually makes his way to the ring. Chris addresses Randy and he says that it would be a matter of time before Randy came out to talk to the champion. Randy points out that if it weren’t for him kicking CM Punk in the skull, Chris would not be champion. Randy says that it does not matter who wins at No Mercy because the winner of the ladder match will be on borrowed time. Jericho says that Orton talks a lot of trash but he cannot back it up. Jericho calls Orton a dreamer with a big mouth. Jericho wonders what would stop him from punching Orton in the mouth. When he punched Rebecca, it was an accident. If he does it tonight, it will be on purpose. Orton tells Jericho that he is not going to do a damn thing to him. Orton says that he talked to Mike Adamle. Orton says that he is the future of the company so he needs to be protected. Orton says that he cannot hit anyone, and nobody can hit him. Orton says that if anyone touches him, they are suspended. Orton tells Jericho that he is untouchable. When you are a third generation superstar and the most valuable commodity on Raw, you tend to get what you want. Jericho says that the most valuable commodity on Raw is the World Champion. He says that he tends to get what he wants. Jericho says that he wants to get away from Randy Orton because Orton is wasting his time. Jericho tells Orton to get well soon.
Orton tells Jericho that he will be champion once again and long after Jericho’s days in the industry are gone. Orton throws the ladder out of the ring.
CM Punk’s music plays and he comes out and he has a new t-shirt. Punk approaches the ring and he gets in Orton’s face. Punk and Orton snarl in the center of the ring and then he backs Orton up a few steps. Punk slaps Orton twice.
Mike Adamle comes out and he runs to the ring. He tells Punk to stop what he is doing. Adamle tells Punk to calm down. Adamle says that Punk defied one of his edicts, and as a result of his actions, Punk is suspended.
Shane McMahon comes out and he jogs to the ring. Shane tells Mike that they will do their review later. Shane tells Mike that he is doing a lot of on the job training as general manager. Shane says that what Punk just did is a ‘receipt’. Shane says that normally he would respect Mike’s edict, but not tonight. Shane overrules the suspension of CM Punk. Orton wants to know what Shane is doing because Adamle is the general manager.
Shane tells Randy that he can do that. He also expects Randy to respect him as a third generation superstar. The ‘Touch Randy get Suspended’ edict starts now. Shane tells Randy to leave the ring. Shane tells Punk that he is going to be in the opening match. Punk will wrestle Cody Rhodes tonight. Shane reads Adamle’s mind and the main event will be Chris Jericho and Bradshaw versus Batista and Shawn Michaels. Shane does the Shane-O Shuffle and then leaves the ring.
We go to commercial.
We are back and this time, the ego stroke is read to us by Michael Cole.
Match Number One: CM Punk versus Cody Rhodes
They lock up and they go into the corner and the referee has to separate them. Punk misses a kick as Rhodes moves out of the way. They lock up again and Punk is separated again by the referee. Rhodes with a side head lock followed by a forearm. Punk with a forearm of his own and Rhodes goes down. Punk grabs Rhodes’s leg and hits an elbow. Punk with a back kick, but Rhodes sends Punk out of the ring to the floor. Punk kicks Rhodes from the floor and then kicks Rhodes in the chest. Punk with kicks on the floor. Rhodes slams Punk’s head into the apron. They return to the ring and Rhodes with a cross body from the top but Punk rolls through and gets a two count. Punk with punches to Rhodes. Punk with a kick to the chest. Rhodes with a kick but Punk sends Rhodes into the corner. Punk with a snap mare followed by a kick to the back. Punk continues the attack with punches. Orton reverses an Irish whip and Rhodes works on the back with a knee and gets a near fall. Rhodes with an elbow to the head and then he tries to work on the head. Punk gets Rhodes up for the Go To Sleep but Rhodes escapes the hold and goes to the floor.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Rhodes is working on Punk’s ankle. During the commercial Rhodes was able to crotch Punk on top and then he started to work on the leg. We return to live action and Rhodes is still working on the leg. Punk punches Rhodes but Rhodes hold on to the leg. Punk with knees to Rhodes and then Punk returns the favor and he puts Rhodes in an ankle lock. Rhodes does not want to tap and Rhodes tries to make his way to the ropes and Rhodes is able to do so. Punk takes his time releasing the hold. Punk with slaps to Rhodes followed by a kick to the head and a kick to the back. Punk with a spin kick followed by a knee lift. Punk with the knee into the corner followed by a bulldog attempt but Rhodes gets out of the hold. Rhodes cannot get out of the Go To Sleep and Punk gets the three count.
Winner: CM Punk
After the match, DiBiase and Manu attack Punk and Manu punches Punk in the head. Kofi Kingston comes out and he drop kicks DiBiase. Kingston kicks Manu out of the ring. Rhodes falls out of the ring.
We go to commercial.
We are back and we see some members of the Cincinnati Bengals because when you are 0-3, why not see some wrestling.
Time for the Smackdown Rebound.
Mike Adamle is with Shane McMahon and he says that he felt embarrassed. Shane says that sometimes you have to step on some toes to get things done.
Kane enters and he says hello to Shane while looking at Adamle. Kane appreciates getting Evan Bourne tonight, but he wants Rey Mysterio. Adamle tells Kane that the match has been made for No Mercy. Kane tells Shane to say hello to his mom.
Adamle wants to know if he did okay. Mike asks Shane how Kane knows Linda and Shane tells Mike about some of the things that Kane has done to his family.
Kelly is in the back talking to a production worker. Kelly turns around and see Beth and Santino. Santino says that Batista almost brokeded his face. Beth says that she asked for her match with Kelly tonight. Santino says that Kelly was laughing at him because Batista is not funny. Santino makes fun of Batista’s open but then he turns around and sees Batista. Beth tells Batista not to get involved or her boyfriend will take care of him.
Santino’s music plays and Santino says that Batista is lucky. Santino runs away as we go to commercial.
We are back and we see footage of Batista giving Beth a spinebuster onto Santino’s face. Santino gets on the mic and he says that is not funny. It is time for the Honk-A-Meter. The Honky Donkey Man was champion for 64 weeks. Santino has been champion for five weeks. Santino is interrupted by Deuce’s music. Santino has one thing to say. He tells Batista that he hopes he is watching because he is going to beat him up the same way that he is going to beat up Fonzie. Santino says that that happy days are over.
Match Number Two: Santino Marella versus Deuce
They lock up and Deuce with a clean break. Deuce with a kick and then he slams Santino’s head into the turnbuckle. Deuce with a side head lock and then he punches Santino in the face followed by a knee to the head. Deuce with a leaping fist drop for a two count. Deuce with an Irish whip but Deuce and Santino bang heads. Santino with a sunset flip for the three count.
Winner: Santino Marella
After the match, Santino says that is one win for Glamarella. Santino tells Kelly Kelly Kelly that she will lose to the woman who orders him to be the contraceptics. Beth Phoenix comes out and kisses Santino.
Evan Bourne and Rey Mysterio are walking in the back and Rey is telling Evan what to do. Evan is now able to walk on his own. We go to commercial.
We are back with the Slam of the Week: Rey Mysterio versus Kane last week on Raw and Evan Bourne making the save.
Match Number Three: Kane versus Evan Bourne
Bourne leaps over Kane and kicks Kane in the arm. Bourne with an enzuigiri as he continues to use his athletic ability to outquick Kane. Kane backs Bourne into the corner but Bourne with forearms. Kane with a kick but Bourne with a drop kick to the knees. Kane with a kick and a forearm to the back. Kane with a boot to the head. Kane misses an elbow drop but Bourne does not miss a drop kick to the head. Bourne with a kick and double stomp. Bourne continues to kick Kane. Bourne tries for a crucifix but Kane does not go down. Bourne tries for a sunset flip but Kane with a punch. Bourne with a running drop kick but Kane does not budge for an Irish whip. Kane charges into knees from Bourne. Kane sends Bourne to the apron and Kane misses a big boot and gets caught in the ropes. Bourne sends Kane to the floor and then Bourne with an Asai Moonsault.
Kane rolls back into the ring and Bourne goes up top for the knees to the throat and he gets a near fall. Kane tosses Bourne into the air and hits an uppercut. Kane punches Bourne in the corner and then he kicks him. The referee tries to keep Kane off Bourne. Kane with a tilt-a-whirl back breaker and then he picks Bourne up for another back breaker. He hits a third back breaker. Kane runs Bourne into the turnbuckles and then hits a power slam. Instead of finishing off Bourne, he taunts him. Kane with a choke slam for the three count.
Winner: Kane
After the match, Kane stands over Bourne and chokes him. Rey Mysterio comes to the ring and Rey with forearms to Kane. Rey kicks Kane but when Rey tries for a springboard cross body, Kane with a big boot to Rey. Kane punches Rey and then he choke slams Rey.
Jamie Noble is talking to Shane and he wants another shot at William Regal. Dolph Ziggler stops by to say hello. Randy Orton arrives and Shane asks Noble to leave. Orton says that he does not want Shane to take things the wrong way, but what Shane did out there was not cool. Shane says that he respects Orton and everything that he accomplished. Shane says that Orton got off easy after what he did to Punk. Orton points out that they are third generation superstars, and it would be a bad thing if they got on their bad side. Shane points out that he is fourth generation. Shane walks away and we go to commercial.
Match Number Four: Beth Phoenix with Santino Marella versus Kelly Kelly Kelly
Beth with a side head lock followed by punches to the head. Beth with a forearm in the corner followed by an Irish whip. Beth misses a charge and Kelly kicks Beth. Kelly works on the arm and then hits an arm drag after using the ropes for leverage. Kelly tries for a rana, but Beth holds on and she power bombs Kelly into the corner. Beth rakes the face and tells Kelly to call for Batista. Beth with an elbow to the shoulder followed by a key lock.
We see Candice staring at the monitor that happens to have the match. Beth misses an elbow as we return to the ring. Kelly with forearms and a kick to Beth followed by a drop kick and flying clothesline. Beth sends Kelly onto the turnbuckles and then Kelly hits a cross body for a near fall. Kelly is tripped by Santino and then Santino gets on the apron. Kelly moves out of the way and Beth almost hits Santino. Kelly gets the three count with a rollup.
Winner: Kelly Kelly
After the match, Beth holds Kelly for Santino and Batista’s music plays. Beth gets in Batista’s face and that allows Santino to get in a shot. Batista uses the face mask and then he hits a spear on Santino. Batista leaves the ring and Beth checks on Santino.
We see footage from the Dirt Sheet and Word Up from Cryme Tyme. Each team tries to one up the other. We go to commercial.
Match Number Five: John Morrison and Mike Mizanin versus Cryme Tyme
JTG and Morrison start things off. They lock up and Morrison backs JTG into the corner and then Morrison misses a punch on the break and JTG connects with a punch of his own. Morrison draws Shad in and while the ref deals with Shad, Miz attacks JTG from behind. JTG with a punch to Morrison followed by a neck breaker for a two count. Shad tag in and Morrison turns into Shad and Shad presses Morrison over his head. Miz tags in and he gets a back elbow. Miz with a kick but he misses a knee lift. Shad does not miss Miz. Shad sends JTG over the top rope onto Miz and Morrison on the floor. We go to commercial.
We are back and Morrison with a head scissors and arm bar combination. We see footage during the commercial when JTG was knocked off the turnbuckles by Miz. We return to live action and Morrison slams JTG to the mat and holds on to the arm. Morrison kicks and punches JTG after a near fall. Miz tags in and then Miz with a running clothesline into the corner. Miz gets a near fall and then he goes to the arm bar and cross face combination. Miz runs JTG into the corner but JTG fights his way out of the corner. Miz with a drop toe hold and he stops JTG from making the tag. Morrison tags back in and he returns to the reverse chin lock. JTG avoids Miz and Morrison and Shad is tagged in. Shad takes care of Miz and Morrison. Shad with a flapjack to Morrison and a back body drop to Miz. Shad with a power slam to Miz for a two count but Morrison breaks it up. Morrison trips JTG and Miz gets a two count with a rollup on Shad. Miz with forearms to Shad but Shad with a gourdbuster for a two count. Morrison sends JTG into the ring post and Miz tries for a rollup using the ropes. The referee focuses on Miz and he misses the kick from Morrison that allows Miz to get the three count.
Winners: John Morrison and Mike Mizanin
We go to commercial.
Chris Jericho and Lance Cade are in Mike Adamle’s office. He says that Shane is here to challenge him to see what kind of spin he puts on what Shane sets. Chris has some ideas for the main event.
Time to run through the card for No Mercy.
Michael Cole mentions Charlie Haas. We have footage of Haas from earlier today. We go to nighttime at Dave and Busters and he introduces himself and he says that he is here to pay tribute to Mr. Perfect. Charlie says that is the perfect tribute. Charlie has some trouble with the things that Curt did in his vignettes. Charlie even injures a few people. Charlie says that it proves that there is only one Mr. Perfect.
We go to commercial.
We are back and it is time for Jerry Lawler to read the same ‘WWE fun fact of the night’ that Michael Cole did earlier.
Lillian Garcia makes an announcement that the match is now a two-on-three handicap match.
Match Number Six: Chris Jericho, Lance Cade, and Bradshaw versus Batista and Shawn Michaels
Michaels stares at Jericho as the bell rings and Cade starts off the match. They lock up and Michaels with a clean break. Michaels slaps Cade and then they exchange punches. Michaels does the Michaels flip off the Irish whip. Michaels punches Cade and then he goes after Jericho, but Jericho goes to the floor and Bradshaw punches him. Jericho tags in and he punches Michaels while he is down. Jericho with punches to the head followed by a belly-to-back suplex. Jericho with a snap mare and reverse chin lock and arm bar combination. Jericho slams Michaels’s head into the turnbuckle and the referee admonishes Jericho. Michaels with chops to Jericho but Jericho with an enzuigiri and Bradshaw is tagged in. Bradshaw with punches to Michaels followed by a kick and swinging neck breaker. Bradshaw with an elbow drop for a near fall. Bradshaw with a forearm and boot to the head. Bradshaw with an abdominal stretch and Bradshaw applies more pressure by holding the leg. Michaels with a hip toss and both men are down. Cade tags in and he punches Michaels.
Cade follows that with kicks and he chokes Michaels. Cade takes the ref out of the corner while Jericho attacks Michaels. Bradshaw tags in and he kicks Michaels. Bradshaw punches Michaels, but Michaels blocks a punch and Michaels fights back. Bradshaw with a big boot and then he punches Batista to draw Batista into the ring. Bradshaw gets a two count on Michaels. Bradshaw with a forearm but Michaels with a chop. Michaels with a punch followed by a cross body but Bradshaw catches him and he tries for the fallaway slam, but Michaels is able to counter it with a DDT. Jericho and Batista tag in and Batista runs Jericho into the corner and follows that with shoulders. Batista with a running clothesline into the corner. Jericho with a kick but Batista with a spinebuster and it is time to shake the ropes. Batista punches Cade and then Batista with a power slam. Michaels with the elbow drop and he sets for Sweet Chin Music. Jericho moves out of the way and Jericho tries for the Walls of Jericho but Michaels with a rollup for a two count. Jericho tries for the Codebreaker but Michaels avoids it. Batista and Bradshaw battle in the ring but Bradshaw back body drops Batista over the top rope to the floor. Batista with a spear to Bradshaw on the floor. Jericho with a bulldog to Michaels but he misses the Lionsault. Cade is tagged in and Michaels with punches followed by a flying forearm and kip up. Michaels does not care who he kicks. Jericho goes to the floor and Cade hits the sit out spinebuster for the three count.
Winners: Lance Cade, Chris Jericho, and Bradshaw
2009 - Colt Cabana worked a dark match for TNA. Although he received a huge reaction from the crowd, he was not signed by the company.
2009 - Judge Roslyn O. Silver ruled that The Ultimate Warrior will have to cover World Wrestling Entertainment's attorney costs and expenses in defending themselves against the breach of contract lawsuit he brought against them to the tune of $18,967.46.
2009 - Former WWE Diva Stacy Keibler announced via her twitter that she booked a role on The USA Network series Psych.
2009 - The Associated Press featured a piece on Linda McMahon's first Senatorial bid, noting that although she helped formed WWE's Smackdown Your Vote campaign, she herself actually missed voting in several elections, including the 2008 Presidential election.
2009 - WWE broadcast NXT. Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:
We are live on tape from Tulsa, Oklahoma and your announcers are Matt ‘Will Matt Hardy Slam Tornados Tonight’ Striker and Josh ‘Supersonic’ Mathews.
We start off with Tony ‘Magic’ Atlas and he is ready to introduce Abraham Washington. Abe gets the reaction that he deserves and you could hear a pin drop. Abe thanks Tony for the introduction and then Abe welcomes everyone to the most critically acclaimed talk show. Abe says that he has a great show and he has a special guest all the way from Ireland to prove himself. Abe brings out Sheamus. Abe puts on some sunglasses because Sheamus is very pale and Tony laughs like he is sitting next to Jerry Lawler on Monday nights. Abe asks Sheamus about his problems with Shelton Benjamin. Sheamus talks about how Shelton stole his glory two weeks ago. Abe then asks about Sheamus eliminating Shelton after Sheamus was already eliminated in the battle royal. Sheamus says that it is an eye for an eye.
Abe has a surprise and it is Shelton Benjamin. Abe wants there to be peace on the couch. Abe comments on Shelton’s hair color. Shelton wonders how Abe’s show has not been cancelled and the crowd finally reacts. Shelton tells Sheamus that in America there are a few concepts and that is team. Shelton says that if he wins, his partner wins. Sheamus talks about how Shelton comes from an area where people take the easy way out and steal. Sheamus says that he knows about respect and honor. Shelton says that he looked at Sheamus’ family tree. Shelton says that he comes from a family of legends and we see the family tree and Tony almost dies laughing at the graphic. Shelton and Sheamus get face to face and Shelton lays down the gauntlet. Tony tells Shelton that he is better than that, but Sheamus uses that opportunity to attack Shelton. Security comes out to try to separate the men and it doesn’t work too well.
Yoshi Tatsu walks in the back and we go to commercial.
We are back and we see footage of Paul Burchill taking care of the superhero of ECW with a jackhammer.
Match Number One: Paul Burchill with Katie Lea versus Yoshi Tatsu
They lock up and Burchill with a forearm to the back and punches to Yoshi. Burchill works on the arm but Yoshi uses the ropes to reverse things and he works on Burchill’s arm. Yoshi with a side head lock and shoulder tackle for a near fall. Yoshi with a sunset flip followed by a Japanese arm drag and drop kick. Yoshi with a clothesline that sends Burchill over the top rope to the floor and then he follows that with a pescado. Yoshi returns Burchill into the ring. Katie distracts Yoshi and the ref and that allows Burchill to stop Yoshi on the turnbuckles. Burchill with a fisherman superplex. Burchill gets a near fall on Yoshi followed by a slam and a knee drop for a near fall. Burchill with a reverse chin lock. Yoshi with punches but Burchill with a Samoan drop for a near fall. Burchill works on the neck with a cravate. Burchill with a full nelson slam and then he holds on to the full nelson as Yoshi tries to escape the hold. Yoshi uses the turnbuckles to get a near fall but Burchill with a kick and forearm. Yoshi with a series of kicks followed by the rolling snap mare and kick to the head. Yoshi goes up top and hits a spinning heel kick for a two count. Burchill sends Yoshi into the turnbuckles and Burchill goes up top and brings Yoshi with him. Burchill sends Yoshi to the mat and hits a knee drop for a two count. Burchill tries for a slam but Yoshi sends Burchill into the turnbuckles and hits a roundhouse kick for the three count.
Winner: Yoshi Tatsu
It is time to take a look at how Zack Ryder got his ECW Title match.
Savannah is in the interview area with Zack Ryder. Zack says that he will not squander his opportunity and he will take advantage of it. He says that he will win the ECW Title tonight. We go to commercial.
We are back and did you know that Do You Know graphics can underline.
Katie and Paul are angry as they walk in the back and Gregory Helms asks Katie a few questions. She says that Helms better stop with the mind games and then Burchill attacks Helms. Burchill says that he is not done with Helms.
Match Number Two: Team Bromance (Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson) with Bill Regal versus Dustin Brady and Brandon Young
Young starts off and Kozlov with an arm drag take down into a key lock. Young with a punch but Kozlov with a head butt. Kozlov with a kick and then he tags in Jackson. Jackson with a forearm to the back. Zeke sends Young into the ring post and Brady tags in. Jackson with a hard Irish whip. Kozlov tags back in and hits head butts to the chest. Kozlov with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex and then Kozlov kicks Young off the apron. Kozlov throws Brady into the turnbuckles and then Jackson tags in and he hits a clothesline followed by the uranage for the three count.
Winners: Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Kozlov
After the match Kozlov hits the spinebuster on Young.
We go to commercial.
We are back and it is time to run through the card for Hell in a Cell.
Regal, Jackson, and Kozlov walk in the back and they see Goldust. Regal wants to remind Goldust about their match on Thursday. Regal says that it is all a joke, just like the ECW Title match. Regal says that he is the only one with the prestige to be ECW Champion.
For a change of pace, we get a Smackdown Rebound.
Christian is walking in the back as we go to commercial.
Match Number Three: Christian versus Zack Ryder for the ECW Title
They lock up and Ryder with a side head lock and shoulder tackle for a near fall. They lock up again and Zack pushes Christian but Christian punches Zack and hits a shoulder tackle for a near fall. Ryder with a knee and forearm to the back followed by a forearm to the head. Christian with a kick and punches. Ryder with another knee and a kick to the head. Ryder chokes Christian in the ropes with his boot followed by a forearm. Ryder blocks a hip toss but Christian with a rana. Christian throws Ryder out of the ring and Christian goes to the apron and kicks Ryder and hits a baseball slide followed by a double jump plancha onto Ryder. We return to the ring and Christian is pulled off the turnbuckles and Ryder gets a near fall. Ryder with a kick to the head and we go to commercial.
We are back and Christian with elbows to the head but Ryder with a back body drop for a near fall. Christian with elbows and a kick followed by a sunset flip for a near fall. Ryder with a knee but Christian responds with a drop kick. Ryder rolls to the apron and Christian follows. Ryder sends Christian off the apron and into the ring steps. Ryder sends Christian into the apron as he works on the ribs. Ryder gets a near fall and then applies a body scissors. Christian with punches to Ryder but Ryder with a knee to the midsection for a near fall. Ryder drops Christian on the top rope and Ryder with a knee lift for a near fall. Ryder returns to the body scissors after some elbows. Ryder goes to the turnbuckles but Christian hits a flapjack when Ryder comes off the turnbuckles. Christian gets his second wind and he punches Ryder followed by a running forearm and he chokes Ryder in the ropes. Christian goes to the apron but Ryder with a knee and hip toss back into the ring. Ryder misses the leg lariat and Christian hit an inverted DDT followed by a forearm for a near fall. Christian goes to the turnbuckles and then he goes up top and avoids Ryder charging at him. Christian catapults Ryder into the turnbuckles. Christian tries for a sunset flip but Ryder drops down but can only get a two count. Christian with the pendulum kick as Ryder misses a charge into the corner. Christian with a missile drop kick for a near fall. Christian tries for the Killswitch but Ryder sends Christian to the floor. Christian misses a cross body and then Ryder hits a leg lariat but he can only get a two count. Christian tries for the Killswitch again but Ryder with a double leg sweep and tries to use the ropes but Christian kicks out. Christian drops Ryder on the top rope and then Christian with the corkscrew elbow from the turnbuckles followed by the Killswitch for the three count.
Winner: Christian
After the match, William Regal comes to the ring and he tells Christian now that the farce of an ECW Title match, the slate is wiped clean and one more time, he will be the number one contender when he becomes the ECW . . .
We will never know what Regal was going to say because Christian punches Regal and Regal makes his way to the floor.
2010 - TNA signed Mickie James.
2010 - SpikeTV announces October will be "Brocktober" built around former WWE and UFC champion Brock Lesnar.
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