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September 19th
On this day in history in ...
1956 - The Great Malenko defeats Herb Welch in Mobile, Alabama for the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title, ending Welch's second reign.
1969 - Joe Scarpa (aka Chief Jay Strongbow) defeated Paul DeMarco in Atlanta, Georgia to win the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Title, ending DeMarco's second reign.
1977 - WWWF World Champion Superstar Graham defeated Chief Jay Strongbow in a steel cage match when Strongbow threw Graham against the cage near the door, allowing Graham to crawl out the door for the win at the Boston Garden in Masachusetts. On the undercard, Bruno Sammartino defeated Ken Patera in a Texas Death Match.
1980 - The Grappler defeats Ted DiBiase in Shreveport, Louisana for the Mid-South North American Heavyweight Title.
1981 - WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeats George Steele in a Texas Death Match at the Capital Center in Landover, Maryland.
1982 - Jos LeDuc defeated Jimmy Valiant in Charlotte, North Carolina for the NWA Mid-Atlantic Television Title, ending Valiant's second reign.
1986 - Shiro Koshinaka defeats Nobuhiko Takada for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title in Fukuoka, Japan, starting his second title reign.
1986 - Ron Starr defeats Invader I in Ponce, Puerto Rico to become the first WWC Television champion.
1992 - Atsushi Onita defeats Tiger Jeet Singh for the WWA World Martial Arts Heavyweight Title (top FMW title) in Yokohama, Japan. This began Onita's third and final reign with the belt, as the title was soon retired.
1993 - WCW held their Fall Brawl Pay-per-view in Houston, Texas. Here are the results:
- In a dark match, Erik Watts defeated Bobby Eaton.
- Steven Regal defeated Ricky Steamboat for the WCW World Television Title with a suplex and bridge after Sir William (Bill Dundee) hit Steamboat with an umbrella.
- Charlie Norris defeated Big Sky with a kick.
- 2 Cold Scorpio & Marcus Bagwell defeated The Equalizer & Paul Orndorff when Scorpio pinned Equalizer with a 450 splash after Orndorff accidentally hit him.
- Ice Train defeated Shanghai Pierce with a powerslam.
- The Nasty Boys defeated Arn Anderson & Paul Roma to win the WCW World Tag Team Title when Sags pinned Roma with a top rope elbow. This result was hardly a surprise, as television tapings had already been held with the Nasties as tag champs, Missy Hyatt (who "debuted with them here) as their manager, and Roma & Anderson broken up.
- Cactus Jack defeated Yoshi Kwan with a double-arm DDT.
- Rick Rude defeated Ric Flair to win the WCW International World Heavyweight Title when Rude knocked out Flair with a foreign object as Flair had Rude in the figure four.
- Sting, Davey Boy Smith, Dustin Rhodes & The Shockmaster defeated Sid Vicious, Vader & Harlem Heat in a WarGames match when The Shockmaster forced Kole (Booker T) to submit to a bearhug.
1998 - ECW ran a show at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Here are the results:
- Mikey Whipwreck defeated Jerry Lynn.
- JT Smith, Chris Chetti & Tommy Rogers defeated The FBI (Tommy Rich, Tracey Smothers & Little Guido).
- The Blue Meanie & Super Nova defeated Danny Doring & Ulf Hermann.
- Chris Candido defeated Lance Storm.
- Masato Tanaka defeated D-Von Dudley.
- Balls Mahoney defeated Mike Awesome.
- New Jack, Tommy Dreamer & John Kronus defeated Justin Credible, Rod Price & Jack Victory.
- Sabu, Rob Van Dam & Masato Tanaka vs. The Triple Threat (Shane Douglas, Bam Bam Bigelow & Chris Candido) ended in a no-contest.
1999 - ECW held their Anarchy Rulz Pay-per-view in Villa Park, Illinois, drawing the largest live crowd in original ECW history, with over 6,000 fans in attendance. The show featured Taz losing the ECW World Title to Mike Awesome in a Three Way Dance with Masato Tanaka. Despite the way it is portrayed on WWE's "Rise And Fall Of ECW" DVD, this was not Taz' final ECW match, as he continued to wrestle for the company through November. Here is Tim Whitehead's original report on the show:
ECW followed up on their TNN debut by putting forth a strong PPV effort with Anarchy Rulz. The show drew over 6,000 fans, packing the Odeum in suburban Chicago for the largest live house in the promotion's history.
The highlight of the show was the creation of a new major star in Mike Awesome. Though Awesome is now a veteran wrestler, he's totally new to the vast majority of American fans and the apparent idea here is to create a Goldberg type charismatic newcomer. It's a formula that has worked in the past with the right type of wrestler, and at first glance Awesome has the right combo of looks and talent to carry the ball, though of course only time will tell on something like this.
There were a lot of good matches on the show. ECW's main advantage over the other two groups is workrate. No one ever dogs it out there. It creates an atmosphere at their shows, which is very different. The weak parts of the PPV were the "clusters" (I'll avoid the more descriptive version of that term) where one thing leads to another and then leads to another, etc. etc. etc. These things get over at ECW Arena but they come off looking confusing on PPV, and almost never work so I'm not sure why they keep pushing these things. The main event wasn't as hot as it could have been, and was overshadowed by the good lower card matches.
Commentary was good. Joey Styles and Cyrus argue a little too much but they do at least try to keep most of the arguing between the matches rather than during. Technically, this may have been the best ECW PPV ever. The only major screw-up was a video/sound timing problem in the opening video angle.
Overall, a darn good PPV for the promotion's first show of the TNN era.
They opened with a video angle where the sound got screwed up. Masato Tanaka arrived and was going to be interviewed by Steve Prazak but Jeff Jones stuck his nose in things and Tanaka walloped him.
LANCE STORM defeated JERRY LYNN in 16:36. They may now called Tammy Lynn Bytch by the name Dawn Marie, but that doesn't mean the fans will show similar restraint. A "Show Your Tits" chant erupted immediately upon her arrival. They did some good back and forth action early, including leapfrog spots. Lynn hit a spinning headscissors. They traded hard chops to a series of "whooos". Lynn dropkicked Storm to the floor. Lynn kept taking Storm down until Storm dropped Lynn's throat across the ropes. Storm dominated and got a series of twos working on Lynn's taped ribs. Lynn retaliated with a plancha and got two with a missile kick. A "she's a crack whore" chant started, but Cyrus claimed they were saying, "She's a great girl". Hilarious! They did an innovative low blow spot where Storm was on the receiving end. They began trading fast two counts to a lot of heat. Dawn tossed a chair in but Lynn DDT'd Storm on it. He would have gotten three but Dawn put Storm's boot on the rope. Lynn ducked to avoid a chair spot and hit the post, further "injuring" his ribs. Lynn blocked a DDT and hit a stunner on Storm for two, but was selling the ribs big time. Lynn hit a huracanrana but Storm out of nowhere grapevined the legs and rolled Lynn up for the pin. Real good opener.
Simon Diamond came down and did his "Simon Says" routine on Tom Marquez. He challenged anyone in the back to a fight. Jazz came out and he informed her that he didn't say "Simon Says" when issuing the challenge, and also noted that she was a female and said all they can do in wrestling is provide T & A, which drew a big babyface pop. He told her to get her "flat chested ghetto booty" out of the ring. She shoved him and Diamond then instructed Marquez to wrestle her.
JAZZ beat TOM MARQUEZ by DQ in 0:51. At least I think it was a DQ. Maybe it was a no-contest. It was never really announced what it was, as this was the beginning of the confusing "cluster" segment. Marquez bodyslammed Jazz but she grabbed him in the crotch and began squeezing (ouch!) but Diamond and Tony DeVito ran in at this point, followed by Chris Chetti and Nova to start the next match.....
CHRIS CHETTI & NOVA fought SIMON DIAMOND & TONY DEVITO to a no-contest in 3:53. This was pretty bad. Nova & Chetti started off well, hitting sentons and quebradas. But Chetti then wiped out his knee in a pescado spot. DeVito and Nova messed up a spot real bad and got booed out of the arena. Roadkill & Danny Doring ran in and attacked everyone, including Jazz. Miss Congeniality (formerly Angelica) got in the face of Jazz after she was laid out. Roadkill was going to splash Jazz but Rod Price, C.W. Anderson, Bill Wiles, Vito Lograsso, and Spanish Angel all charged the ring. I guess it gave the lower card a chance to be on PPV but it was still a mess. Finally, New Jack arrived to a massive pop with his cart full of weapons and destroyed everyone, including using a staple gun and a guitar on Price.
They showed the ecwwrestling.com crew at the internet broadcast booth. I think those guys should have had to pay to get in like everyone else.
YOSHIHIRO TAJIRI beat SUPER CRAZY and LITTLE GUIDO in a three-way match in 14:37. Tajiri started off with dropkicks, and hurled Guido out to the ramp. He did a tilt-a-whirl headscissors on Crazy. Crazy came back with a springboard missile kick. They did a variation on an AJW spot. Guido put Crazy in a camel clutch and Tajiri kicked him, but then he kicked Guido. Tajiri did a baseball slide, which sent Crazy over the rail. He then did an Asai moonsault. Big Sal Graziano interfered and nailed both Tajiri and Crazy. Guido did a Rocker Dropper off the top. They all traded some two counts and went back to the floor where Crazy did an Asai moonsault. Crazy also kicked Big Sal off the apron and he went through a table. Tajiri put the tarantula hold on Crazy. Guido dropkicked Crazy while he was locked in the hold. Crazy and Guido cooperated long enough to hook a double Sicilian Crab on Tajiri. Guido did a Tomikaze on Crazy. Guido got hung upside down in the corner and kicked by Tajiri. Crazy then pinned Guido with a moonsault to eliminate him at 9:17. Tajiri and Crazy continued at a fast pace, hitting moonsaults and Tornado DDT's for two counts. Crazy went for another moonsault but landed on Tajiri's knees. Tajiri kicked the hell out of him and pinned him with a brainbuster. Real good match!
They showed Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins in the crowd.
They buried Insane Clown Posse, who teased coming to ECW last week only to decide to stay with WCW. Steve Corino said he had been planning to bring ICP in to take the tag titles but they backed out because they knew they couldn't beat Raven & Tommy Dreamer. Styles then added that he hoped Bill Busch would have enough respect for his new position not to take ICP back after they tried to humiliate WCW by jumping in the first place.
JUSTIN CREDIBLE defeated SABU in 14:04. The storyline here was that Sabu has been reinstated (even though he's been wrestling on house shows all along) from his suspension. Credible came out and had a restraining order against the reinstatement. Referee Jim Molineaux said it was a legal restraining order but since Anarchy Rules in ECW the law is irrelevant. When Bob Artese refused to declare Credible the winner by forfeit, Credible caned him. The lights went out and Sabu appeared to start the match. Sabu used a chair on Credible but Credible responded by putting Sabu through a table on the ramp. Sabu did a somersault plancha to the floor. Credible ended up on a table but escaped before Sabu could put him through it. Sabu worked Credible over some more and put him on a table, which was propped against the rail and legdropped him from the top. The table didn't break so he did it again. This time it broke and a metal shard slashed Credible above the eye and he juiced like crazy. Another sharp edge cut Sabu's mid-section and he juiced from there. Very dangerous! They slowed things down a little after this and traded camel clutches. Sabu legdropped Jason. Credible used a cane on Sabu but only got two since Sabu got his boot on the rope. They did a few chair spots and traded twos. Credible bulldogged Sabu through table but took the brunt of the blow himself. Sabu did a moonsault as they picked back up with the highspots. Bill Alfonso kicked Credible. Sabu kicked out at two after receiving That's Incredible, but the second time Credible scored the pin. Styles pushed Credible's win as a major deal. The match was good but the ending looked a little weak.
MIKE AWESOME defeated TAZ and MASATO TANAKA in 13:46 to capture the ECW World Title. This was supposed to be a one-on-one defense by Taz against Tanaka but Awesome arrived and he and Taz got into an argument, leading Paul E. Dangerously to make it a three way. They were chanting "you sold out" at Taz (he's WWF bound) but they handled this so well that he was given a babyface pop after it was all over. Tanaka hit a plancha. Taz suplexed both opponents but Tanaka nailed him with a roaring elbow and Awesome pinned him with a frog splash in 2:00. They treated it like a big deal that Taz lost so quickly, and sold it big by having the lower card wrestlers all come out and watch from the ramp, making this come off as a major event. Awesome hit a tope suicida and a powerbomb. Tanaka did a running chairshot on the ramp. He followed up with a series of Tornado DDT's for near falls. They traded chair spots. Tanaka was Awesome Bombed from the ring through a table. Awesome hit the frog splash but only got two, which put Tanaka over in a major way since Taz was pinned earlier with that move. Awesome pulverized Tanaka with chairshots. Tanaka went for the roaring elbow but Awesome moved clear. Awesome hit a German suplex and a spear. Awesome hit a chairshot off the top and used a chair, somewhat weakly, on Tanaka on a table. Awesome finally powerbombed Tanaka through a table for the pin. Real hot match! Taz returned and kissed the belt before handing it over to Awesome and shaking his hand. Paul E. and the other wrestlers hugged Taz as he left. A great way to handle this situation!
RAVEN & TOMMY DREAMER defeated STEVE CORINO & RHINO in 3:23 in an "unscheduled" match to retain the ECW World Tag Titles. Tommy came out and cut a babyface promo, including mentioning Sammy Sosa. Francine was there, looking too much like Karen Carpenter to be healthy. Corino arrived and instructed Rhino to attack Dreamer. Tommy fought back, including dumping Jack Victory from his wheelchair. Dreamer did some moves like neckbreakers but kept selling his back. Corino brought in a ladder. Rhino powerslammed Francine. Raven then ran in and it became the tag title match somehow, with Raven & Tommy scoring double pins on Corino & Rhino with DDT's. Another "cluster" so it came off poorly. Chicago radio personality Mancow came out with two overweight indie guys named Toad & Al Roper Jr. to congratulate Raven & Dreamer.
Axl Rotten got on the mic and said he wanted a World Title shot and called Awesome out. He never arrived (which kind of looked bad) but the Impact Players did and they tripled on Axl until Spike Dudley & Balls Mahoney made the save. Spike did the Acid Drop on Dawn Marie. Somewhere in here Balls hit Johnny Smith was a standard chairshot, but they sold it as being so devastating it knocked Smith out of the main event. Balls ended up substituted into the match instead.
ROB VAN DAM beat BALLS MAHONEY in 19:36 to retain the ECW TV Title. I think Smith could have had a better match here but I guess the idea was that he was too new to most fans to be in the main event. The first half of the match was actually slow, with no heat. Mostly they bawled, both in the ring and on the floor, to very little crowd response. Van Dam finally popped the crowd with an amazingly high somersault plancha from the top. Balls juiced after a Van Daminator. Balls came back and got a series of twos as the crowd began to get into it as the pace was picking up. Bill Alfonso gave Van Dam a chair and he kicked it into Balls' face. They traded a bunch of spots where each landed on a chair, leading to near falls. Balls hit Van Dam with a sick chairshot. Alfonso broke up the pin at two. Alfonso hit Balls with a chair but he no-sold. Balls was stalking Alfonso when Van Dam recovered and hit the Van Daminator for two. Finally, Van Dam hit the frog splash for the pin, though it looked like it also hurt him. They shook hands afterward. The last half of the match was okay. But the hot lower card bouts made the show.
1999 - Glamour Boy Shane defeats Gangsta Mustafa Saed in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico to win the WWC Television Title.
2000 - Mike Rapada (Colorado Kid) won the NWA World Heavyweight Title in a tournament in Tampa, Florida, defeating Hector Guerrero in the first round and Jerry Flynn in the finals.
2003 - Sonjay Dutt became the first (and as it turns out, only) MLW Junior Heavyweight Champion by defeating Tony Mamaluke, Eddie Colon and Christopher Daniels to win the J-Cup USA tournament in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. On the same card, Terry Funk, The Sandman, Steve Williams, Sabu & Bill Alfonso defeated The Extreme Horsemen (Steve Corino, Simon Diamond, CW Anderson, PJ Walker & Barry Windham) in a WarGames match. Originally, Jerry Lawler was supposed to participate, but a week before the show, WWE forced Lawler to back out, since they felt MLW's television exposure on the Sunshine Network made them more than just an "independent company" (Because he is an announcer, not a wrestler, for WWE, Lawler is allowed to work indy shows). Mike Johnson filed the following live report of the event, which was released on DVD as MLW Wargames:
The show opened with The Extreme Horsemen, MLW champion Steve Corino, MLW Global Tag Team Crown champions CW Anderson & Simon Diamond and a masked man coming to the ring to cut a promo.
Corino said that Jerry Lawler wouldn’t be in Wargames tonight because Vince McMahon realized that The Extreme Horsemen and MLW weren’t just another outlaw company. Corino said “JR doesn’t want Lawler to bleed” and they are scared of competition. The crowd chanted MLW.
Corino looked into the camera and told Vince McMahon that the Extreme Horsemen would never sell out to WWE and don’t care about his product. He said that The Horsemen care about wrestling, not sports-entertainment. Corino promised the end of the Funkin’ Army tonight.
Simon Diamond said the Extreme Horsemen have a problem and they needed someone who could not only be a member but a teammate as well. Diamond said they needed someone tired of being held back and knew exactly who to call.
The masked man unmasked to reveal former ECW World champion Justin Credible. Credible said that The Extreme Horsemen are the most elite in wrestling and that the fans are looking at someone who’s not just the coolest, not just the best….but PJ Walker (which is the name he will be using in MLW).
Corino said that there are four Extreme Horsemen but the real surprise is the original mystery Horseman…Barry Windham, who comes to the ring to a big pop.
Corino said tonight, the Wargames will be 5 on 3!
Our first match tonight is Los Maximos, Jose and Joel Maximo (aka the SAT) as they “begin their quest to prove they are the best tag team in the world” taking on Juventud Guerrera and Super Dragon.
Dragon and Jose started out with matwork. Jose hit a leg lariat on Dragon, who tagged in Juventud. Juvi hit a bulldog on Jose but Joel tagged in tagged in and hit him with head scissors. Guerrera returned the favor. Guerrera and the Maximos battled in between the rings. He hit a frankensteiner on Joel and then laid Jose between the rings across the ropes, hitting a springboard legdrop.
Guerrera hit a legdrop for a one count on Jose. He tagged in Dragon who worked on Jose with chops. Joel tagged in and hit a running forearm in the corner on Dragon, then teamed up with Jose to put both of their opponents in a submission combination. Joel came off the ropes with a dropkick on Guerrera for a two count.
Guerrera hit a pump handle into an X-Factor. Guerrera hit the people’s elbow. Juvi went for a slam but Jose rolled him up. Dragon tagged in but was hit by a missle dropkick by Joel. Dragon hit a Dragon suplex on Joel for a two count. He went to the top but was cut off by Joel. Jose went for a hurrancanrana but was caught. Joel pulled them down sending Dragon into a hurrancanrana of sorts.
Guerrera hit a falcon arrow on Joel but wasn’t the legal man and referee John Finnegan refused to make the count. Joel and Dragon traded two counts, until Joel caught him with a rollup submission for the pin.
Your winners, Joel and Jose Maximo.
I’ll try to find out what happened to their scheduled opponents, Halloween and Damien 666 and update on what happened to them later.
Our next match is a first round match in J-Cup USA, which will crown the first MLW Junior Heavyweight champion as Tony Mamaluke takes on Sonjay Dutt.
They start off counterwrestling until Dutt ends up outside the ring and takes Mamaluke out of the ring with a headscissors. Dutt dives out of the ring, Mamaluke moves and Sonjay lands on his feet. Mamaluke charges him from behind and takes out his knee. Mamaluke hit an awesome senton dive from the top to the floor.
Back in the ring, Mamaluke worked on Dutt’s leg and hamstring. He wraps his body around Dutt and locks in a submission but Dutt knocks him into the turnbuckles to break it. Dutt hit a over the shoulder Kryptonite Krunch and his a spinning 360 dive off the top on Mamaluke for the pin. Sonjay was selling his leg bigtime after.
Your winner, advancing in the tournament, Sonjay Dutt!
For those curious, I am estimating the crowd at about 550-650 fans.
The next match in the J-Cup USA features Eddy Colon from the WWC in Puerto Rico, taking on Jerry Lynn. Lynn was announced “New Fn’ Evil” as he works as part of the Sinister Minister’s Legion of Lost Souls (with Mikey Whipwreck and Christopher Daniels) here. No sign of the Minister.
The crowd chants “Jerry” and Lynn yells at them. They start off working on each other’s arms with Lynn getting the better of it. The crowd chants “RVD” at Lynn and he gets up in the corner to yell at them.
Lynn hiptosses Colon, who lands then tips up on his feet. They face off. Colon hits a spinning head scissors on Lynn and locks in an armbar. Lynn throws Colon out of the ring to the floor and slams him into the guard rail. He beats on Colon and tosses him back in the ring. They chop each other. Colon hits a dropkick on Lynn in the corner.
Lynn beats down Colon who continues to fight back. Colon tries to suplex him back but Lynn reverses and hits a tilt-o-whirl backbreaker for a two count. Lynn locked in a side chinlock.
Colon hits an inverted DDT but is too exhausted to make the cover. Colon backdrops Lynn and hits a neckbreaker. Colon got a two count with a forward roll. Lynn hit a tiger driver for a two count. Lynn hits a TKO for a two count. Lynn is bleeding from his forehead, although not sure where that happened.
Colon slingshotted Lynn into the corner and scored the pinfall. Colon tried to shake Lynn's hand but Lynn gave him a "F U" sign with his arm, then slammed a chair down in anger. The camera followed him back, where he continued his tantrum.
Advancing in the tournament, Eddy Colon.
Next up is another first round match in the J Cup-USA, as Jimmy Yang faces Juventud Guerrera. Juvi isn’t wearing his mask and wasn’t earlier tonight, although earlier reports were that he was going to bring the mask back tonight.
Guerrera backed Yang into the corner and gave him a hard chop. They wrestled back and forth, culminating with Guerrera kicking Yang in the behind. They continue to go back and forth, including while holding a knucklelock. Yang ended up outside the ring, where Guerrera did a dive on him over the ropes.
Back in the ring, Guerrera chopped and beat Yang, who retaliated by dropping him on the turnbuckles head first. Yang hung himself over the ropes, choking Guerrera in the process. Guerrera went for a Falcon Arrow, but Yang blocked it. He hit a leg lariat for a near fall.
Guerrera and Yang chopped each other. Yang locked him in a version of the Cobra Sleeper. Guerrera hit a DDT for a near fall. Guerrera hit a modified side slam for another near fall. They went back and forth with a furious series of near falls, culminating with a bridge up by both men. Yang went for a backslide, but Guerrera got out of it. Both men clotheslined the other.
Guerrera hit a Falcon Arrow and pulled Yang towards the corner. He ascended to the top turnbuckle and went for a 450 splash. Yang went for move but Guerrera hit a Falcon Arrow for a major near fall. The sound guy actually played Yang’s music after the two count and the crowd gave him static for it.
Guerrera came off the top but Yang dropkicked him as he came down. Yang hit Yang Time off the top for the pin.
Your winner, advancing is Jimmy Yang!
Our next match is the final match in the first round of the J-Cup USA Tournament as Super Dragon takes on Christopher Daniels. Daniels got a nice pop coming out.
They start out with Daniels outwrestling Dragon. Dragon reverses a hiptoss and hits a forward dive over Daniels, catching him as he goes down. Dragon hit a running tope through the ropes on Daniels.
Daniels is whipped into the ring post. Dragon tosses him back in the ring and hits a double stomp. Daniels shoulder blocks him down and hits him with a neckbreaker. He hits an elbow to the back of his neck. The crowd chants for Daniels.
Dragon charged Daniels in the corner but was kicked down. Daniels put the boots to Dragon. He hit a suplex on Dragon then jumped from the apron, over the ropes, and came down with a legdrop.
Daniels hits a leg lariat on Dragon. Daniels climbs the ropes and hits a neckbreaker on Dragon, coming off the top in the process. Daniels goes to the top but Dragon cut him off and hit an armdrag off the ropes on him, bringing Daniels into the ring.
Dragon goes for an armbar submission, but Daniels comes back. Dragon stomps on his arm. Daniels catches him in a wheelbarrow but Dragon turns it into a bulldog. Daniels catches Dragon with a big side slam for a two count.
Daniels lowblows Dragon and hits him with Last Rites for the pin. Advancing is your winner, Christopher Daniels.
The second round of J Cup USA shapes up as Christopher Daniels vs. Jimmy Yang and Sonjay Dutt vs. Eddy Colon.
Next up is Mikey Whipwreck vs. Norman Smiley.
Here is a trivia note: Whipwreck and Smiley actually teamed up in this building in January 1995 in ECW, against Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko.
Smiley and Whipwreck go back and forth with reversals. Whipwreck hit a dropkick for a two count. Smiley scooped and slammed Whipwreck and went for the big wiggle but Mikey low blowed him. Mikey hit a dropkick on Smiley and wrapped his legs around Smiley and the ropes, choking him. Mikey hit a superkick on Smiley for a two count and tossed him from one ring to the other.
Mikey whipped Norman into the corner and he did the Flair Flop bump upside down into the space between the rings. Mikey got caught by Smiley and was slammed into alternating turnbuckles in the middle. Norman gives him the big wiggle as he’s straddled over the ropes.
Norman puts Mikey on the ropes but is caught with a top rope whipper snapper for the pin.
Your winner, Mikey Whipwreck!
Our next match is a handicap match as Rich Criado and Matt Rite (Stryker from NYC independents) take on Mana.
Criado started off the match but was pummeled by Mana. Rite helped but was unable to stop him. Francine came out scouting talent. The Samoan Island Tribe brawled into the building with Monsta Mack from the crowd. As they brawled, ring announcer Stephen DeAngelis announced it was now a six man Falls Count Anywhere Weapons Match.
Francine continued to watch from the crowd as weapons were brought out on the stage. Rich Criado was put in a wheelchair and sent flying off the stage to the floor. Samu hit him with the Hulk Hand toy. The chaos is everywhere. Two trash cans full of weapons were tossed into the ring.
Team Mack tried to take out the Samoans with chairs to no effect. Rite was hit with a broom by Samu and then with a trash can by Ecmo. Mack hit Samu with a can. Ecmo missed a charge into the corner when Rite moved.
Mack came off the top for a Van Terminator but slipped, turning it into a headbutt into a trash can on the floor. Criado and Rite worked over Mana, setting up Mack for a clothesline. Mana was hit by a VCR by Mack.
The Island Tribe hit the ring and saved Mana. They put Criado on the top and Mana hit a Samoan Drop off the ropes. Samu sent Rite into the air where Ecmo caught him with a vicious Samoan Drop.
They placed Rite on a table in the crowd. Ecmo climbed the ropes and dove off to the floor, putting Rite through the table. That was freakin’ awesome. The crowd chanted “Holy sh-t.”
I assume there was a pinfall on the floor on Rite because the Samoans were announced the winners. The crowd loved this one. Francine walked out after the pinfall
Next up is Joe Senoa (Samoa Joe) taking on Mike Awesome. Awesome came out to his old ECW music, “The Zoo”, which rules.
They did power moves bouncing off the ropes. Joe was knocked to the floor. Awesome did a dive off the ropes. Awesome whipped Joe into the guard rail twice, then set up a table.
Awesome tossed Joe into the ring and whipped him into the ropes. As Joe rebounded, Awesome hit a shoulderblock over the ropes onto him. Awesome splashed Joe in the corner and then went for a second but was caught him with a side slam.
Joe kicked Awesome in the face several times and hit a suplex, then chopped him stiff. Joe hit an enziguiri and Awesome went to the floor. Joe tossed him into the guard rail, then hit him with a pair of chairshots.
Joe put him in a chair and did a running kick into the guard rail. Back in the ring, they chopped each other. Awesome clotheslined Joe but he popped up and hit a big kick to the face. Joe got a two count with a belly to back suplex and then a powerbomb.
Joe locked on a STF variation but Awesome got to the ropes. Joe brought a chair into the ring but Awesome clobbered him with it over the head and back. Awesome hit a powerbomb for a two count. He put the chair on Joe and hit a big splash off the top for the pin.
Our next match is a Semi-Final of the J-Cup USA to determine the first MLW Junior Heavyweight championship as Eddy Colon faces Sonjay Dutt.
Dutt came out still selling the leg injury from his first round match with Tony Mamaluke. Colon tried to catch him with a quick rollup for a two count. They did a test of strength with Colon bridging Sonjay down with his power, followed by a series of near falls. They face off in center ring.
Sonjay hit a series of hiptosses and a hurrancanrana on Colon but was cut off as he charged him in the corner. Colon charged him but missed, flying to the floor. Sonjay hit a springboard spinning plancha off the ropes to the floor, then a springboard dropkick off the ropes on Colon. He went to the top but Colon hit the ropes, crotching him.
Colon hit a powerbomb for a near fall and began beating on Dutt. He superplexed Dutt off the top turnbuckle. Dutt backdropped Colon. He Irish whipped Colon into the ropes and hit a big boot, then a standing moonsault press.
Colon kicked out and took out Sonjay’s injured leg. Colon hit a sunset flip off the top for a near fall. They went back and forth with near falls. Colon hit a flapjack on Dutt. Colon went over the top with a missle dropkick but was caught by Dutt, who flipped over into a rollup for the pin.
Sonjay Dutt advances to the final of the J-Cup USA.
Our next match is a Semi-Final of the J-Cup USA to determine the first MLW Junior Heavyweight championship as Jimmy Yang faces Christopher Daniels. Mikey Whipwreck came out with Daniels and was running around.
They started out fast ging back and forth. Yang hit a hurrancanrana on Daniels and he slid outside. Yang followed and beat Daniels into the rail. Back in the ring, Yang hit a running springboard kick with a flip that was awesome. Yang whipped Daniels down into an innovative armringer. Daniels puts his knee up as Yang charges him in the corner and hit an inverted atomic drop.
Daniels tossed Yang out where Whipwreck slammed him into the apron. Daniels worked over Yang with an armbar and a side chinlock. Yang came off the ropes with a high cross bodyblock for a near fall.
Daniels locked Yang into an abdominal stretch, pulling on Mikey’s hand for leverage. Daniels rolled him up for a two count. They chopped back and forth until Daniels cut him off with a clothesline.
Daniels ascended to the top but as he dove off was with a spinning kick by Yang. Yang hit a hard clothesline. Daniels hit a DDT but Yang popped up on his feet. Yang got a near fall with a standing moonsault press. Daniels missed his double springboard moonsault and was hit with a spinning kick. Yang got a two count with that.
They battled to the top. Yang knocked Daniels off and missed a spinning dive. Yang went to the top and Whipwreck crotched Yang. He crashed to the mat and was hit with Last Rites for the pin.
Christopher Daniels advances – It’s Sonjay Dutt vs. Christopher Daniels in the finals of J-Cup USA.
Our next match is CM Punk’s follower Nosawa taking on Punk’s enemy Raven. This is, to the best of my knowledge, Raven’s first appearance since getting his head shaved on NWA TNA.
Nosawa entered in one ring, while Raven went and sat in the corner of the other. Nosawa finally entered Raven’s ring. Crowd chanted Raven’s name. They locked up, culminating with a shoulderblock by Nosawa taking down Raven several times. Raven responded with several of his own, leading Nosawa to retreat from the ring.
Raven went after him but was caught and crotched on the ringpost by Nosawa. Nosawa beat on Raven, hitting him with a running kick to the head. Raven began to make a comeback and hit a DDT.
CM Punk’s straight edge referee came out and began arguing with referee Mike Kehner. Raven bumped him off and took out Nosawa. Kehner and the straight edge ref began to argue, CM Punk ran out and held Raven but was hit by Nosawa. Raven DDT’d Nosawa for the pin.
Punk argued with Nosawa and began burying him, saying he took Nosawa under his wing but Nosawa didn’t get the job done and beat Raven. As Nosawa and Punk argued, Vampiro hit the ring from the crowd and attacked him.
The referee rang the bell- it’s Punk vs. Vampiro.
CM Punk and Vampiro brawled to the floor. Vampiro back bodydropped him into the crowd and they brawled to the top of the building. Punk hit Vampiro with a beer. They brawled back to the ringside area.
Vampiro gave Punk a charging kick to knock him over the rail back inside. As Vampiro re-entered the ring, though, Punk kicked the middle rope, crotching him. Punk hit a side Russian leg sweep for a two count. Punk hit a standing suplex on Vampiro for another near fall.
Punk locked Vampiro in a side chinlock. He yelled at the crowd, which began chanting “You suck” at him. Vampiro hit a series of elbows to escape but Punk took him down with a leg lariat. Vampiro hit him with a side kick and asked the crowd if the wanted Punk. Vampiro climbed to the top but Punk shoved Mike Kehner into the ropes to crotch him.
Punk tried to give Vampiro a hurrancanrana from the ropes but Vampiro held on and turned it into a sunset flip and scored the pin. Vampiro jumped into the crowd to celebrate as Punk seethed in the ring. Crowd went nuts for Vampiro. He spit beer at Punk. Punk yelled at him from the stage and left.
Next up is the final of the J-Cup USA Tournament as Sonjay Dutt faces Christopher Daniels (with Mikey Whipwreck) with the winner becoming the first MLW Junior Heavyweight champion.
Daniels argued with the referee John Finnegan as Whipwreck attacked Dutt on the floor. Daniels held up Dutt for a long time before dropping him down with a suplex. Daniels shoots Dutt up in the air but Dutt comes down with a hurrancanrana for a near fall. Daniels hits a springboard press on Dutt.
Daniels hit a tilt-o-whirl backbreaker. Dutt comes off the ropes and wraps Daniels with his Octopus but Daniels sends him thru the ropes. Mikey attacked Dutt and tossed him back in the ring.
Daniels continued to beat down Dutt. Daniels argued with the referee but was rolled up for a near fall. Daniels hit a chokeslam and then his double springboard moonsault for a near fall. Daniels continued the assault but Dutt hit a springboard leg lariat off the ropes for a near fall.
Dutt hit Daniels with a series of knee strikes. Daniels ended up on the floor. Dutt springboarded off the ropes fives times in succession across the rings before hitting a spinning dive on Daniels on the floor. That was awesome. He came off the top with a splash but Daniels, moved. Dutt sold the leg. They went back and forth with nearfalls.
Dutt hit a dragoncanrana, then knocked Whipwreck off the apron and did a dive over the ropes on him. The crowd chanted Sonjay’s name. Sonjay hit the Hindu Press (spinning 360 dive) off the ropes for the pin.
Your winner and the first MLW Junior Heavyweight champion, Sonjay Dutt!
MLW is going to intermission. We will return with the The WarGames!
Intermission News:
They filmed a vignette backstage where Steve Corino and Terry Funk had a coin toss to decide which team had the advantage in Wargames with Corino winning.
Damien 666 and Halloween were stranded in San Diego due to flight problems, according to a MLW official.
Matt Rite is OK but was coughing up blood after the six man match. He will be coming in as a regular for the promotion.
They are almost done setting up the steel cage around the rings. We will be back shortly with Wargames coverage!
The Cage is set and we are ready for Wargames: The Match Beyond!
Ring announcer Stephen DeAngelis announced the rules, which we covered on Page 1.
First out to the ring, representing the Extreme Horsemen was CW Anderson. Traditionally, Arn Anderson was always the first man into the Wargames cage in the old Jim Crockett NWA promotion. Second out, representing The Funkin’ Army was The Sandman. He made his grand entrance.
As Sandman hit the ring, CW began beating him down. Sandman is already bleeding 30 seconds in from beating the beer can into his head. He fought back and chased CW Anderson into the second ring with the Singapore Cane but was caught and taken out by CW. Sandman fought back with a series of punches. Sandman posed for the crowd but was caught with an Anderson superkick. Anderson beat him with the Cane but Sandman caught him with the White Russian Legsweep.
Anderson tries to whip Sandman into the Cage but Sandman reverses. Anderson is tossed into the Cage and is busted open. Sandman suplexes Anderson. Sandman locked him in a crippler crossface, but there is no submission at this point.
The next out for the Extreme Horsemen was captain/MLW champion Steve Corino, who attacked Sandman with a strand of barbed wire. Anderson and Corino doubleteamed Sandman. Corino whipped the barbed wire over Sandman’s back. Anderson holds Sandman over the ropes as Corino canes Sandman’s bare back and keeps beating him. They toss Sandman over the ropes from ring 1 to ring 2.
Next out for The Funkin’ Army is Captain Terry Funk who tossed a chair into the cage and brought a branding iron. Funk jettisoned the chair at Corino and then at Anderson. Funk began beating Corino into the cage and Corino was busted open. Funk and Sandman doubleteamed Anderson. Funk caned the Horsemen and then Sandman joined suit.
Next out for the Extreme Horsemen was Simon Diamond. Diamond and Corino doubleteamed Anderson. Funk wrapped Corino’s face in barbed wire. The Horsemen mauled Funk and Sandman.
Next out for The Funkin’ Army was Steve Williams. Anderson attacked him as he entered the cage but Williams cleaned house on the Horsemen. Corino battles Funk on top of the ring ropes as they climb the cage and Funk gets crotched. Funk began setting a chair up in the mesh of the Cage and slammed Corino into it.
Next up for the Extreme Horsemen was PJ Walker, bringing in a ladder. Sandman was whipped into it and then returned the favor. Corino and Funk battled between the rings. Funk used the ladder in an airplane spin and then slammed it into Diamond’s head. Everyone is battling all over the place.
Next up for the Funkin’ Army is mystery partner Sabu with Bill Alfonso. Guess he didn’t have another indy date after all! Sabu cleans house on all the Horsemen. A table is brought into the ring. Diamond is whipped into the ladder. Sabu and Justin brawl in the corner. Sabu tried to climb the cage but was cut off.
Funk crotched Anderson. Diamond set up the ladder between Sandman’s legs and hit a chair into it.
Next out was the final member of The Extreme Horsemen, Barry Windham, who piledrived Funk. Bill Alfonso said it was 5 on 4 and it wasn’t fair so he was going to help the best he could and hit the ring, and was murdered by the Horsemen.
They announced the match beyond had begun. Terry Funk lit his branding iron on fire and branded Corino, then blew a huge fireball in Corino’s face. He branded him again and locked on the spinning toehold. Corino, holding his face, submitted. The Horsemen tended to Corino as several referees and officials came out. The Army celebrated and left. Corino left walking carried by Windham holding a towel over his face.
Simon Diamond declared that “They may have won this match, but we will win this war!”
Your winners, The Funkin’ Army.
If you liked the old Wargames, this was a hell of a match.
2004 - The trailer for the WWE DVD "The Rise and Fall of ECW" was released. The DVD, upon release, would break WWE DVD sales charts and begin a ripple effect that launched the successful ECW One Night Stand PPV, Hardcore Homecoming, and the WWE's revival of the ECW brand.
2004 - New Jack missed his own retirement show. You read that right. New Jack was on his way to the USA Pro Wrestling event on 9/17 in Jamaica, New York when he was called and warned that once he arrived at the building, he was going to be arrested for a warrant on an outstanding charge (not sure what), so he was advised not to come to the show. Jack was slated to have an "official" retirement match as part of the show. He was still wrestling as late as 2012.
2004 - Charlie Haas and Jackie Gayda announced their plans to marry.
2005 - WWE's legal department took aim at several website devoted to different wrestlers, including a site titled BigVanVader.com. What was interesting about the Vader site is that WWE never owned the trademark to the name "Vader", much less "Big Van Vader."
2006 - TNA President Dixie Carter made the following statement online: "In the course of history, there are defining moments that change the fabric of a company forever. These are moments that are spoken about for years, not days, and serve as benchmarks in the annals of a company growth. And on occasion, those moments transcend the individual company and re-write the history of an industry. This Sunday at the NO SURRENDER PPV, an announcement will be made that will do just that. You will not want to miss the NO SURRENDER PPV."
At the PPV, TNA announced they were expanding their Impact series to a two hour primetime time slot AND announced that Kurt Angle would be debuting.
2007 - Pro Wrestling Unplugged in Philadelphia debuted on TV locally in the city of Brotherly Love.
2007 - Former NWA Tag Team champion Ricky Morton was again arrested in Tennessee due to issues related to non-payment of child support.
2007 - WWE released Marcus Cor Von. Cor Von, real name Monty Brown, had taken extended time off from the company to assist with his family following the death of a relative. He had been expected to return once the situation had resolved itself. Cor Von signed with the company in November 2006 after a long run with TNA. He worked Wrestlemania 23 as part of the New Breed faction, losing to the ECW Originals. While he has worked limited independent dates since his release in the Michigan area, this marked the end of his career on a national level.
2008 - Ring of Honor taped a PPV in Boston, MA. Stu Carapola filed the following live report:
-In a non-PPV opener, Chasyn Rance defeated Grizzly Redwood, who is Mitch Franklin doing a new lumberjack gimmick, saying that he had taken a month off from ROH and spent it in the Yukon learning under the Yukon Lumberjacks. The gimmick was way over with the crowd.
-The PPV proper opened with Austin Aries in the ring calling out Jimmy Jacobs. Jacobs came out and confronted Aries from the entranceway before sending Delirious in to attack Aries, leading to an impromptu match. The match was pretty good, Delirious is working a lot more aggressively now that he's turned heel, but Aries came out the winner. After the match, Age Of The Fall attacked Aries, and Jacobs put Aries through a table at ringside with a senton off the top rope. The story here was that Jacobs injured himself doing the move, and now what condition would he be in for the tag title defense later?
-From here it turned into the Sweet & Sour Show for a while, with Larry Sweeney coming out with the entire group. First we got a women's match featuring Sara Del Rey against a woman I didn't recognize or catch the name of. Sara basically squashed her in less than a minute.
-Following Del Rey's victory, Sweeney sent her to the back and called out Brent Albright and Erick Stevens, who went right into their tag match with Adam Pearce and Eddie Edwards. Edwards impressed me and kept up pretty well with everyone else in the match. Albright and Stevens picked up the win when Albright hit Pearce with the half nelson suplex. After the match, Sweet & Sour Inc attacked Albright and Stevens, but they recovered and chased most of the group to the back.
-Still at ringside was Chris Hero, but when he tried to leave, he was confronted by Jerry Lynn, who said that he had requested and been granted a match with Hero after Hero knocked out his buddy Lance Storm. Good match and I was amazed at what great shape Lynn is in even at his age. Hero won after hitting Lynn with a loaded elbow pad. Jerry got a great reaction from the crowd.
-Next up was the three way elimination match between Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson, and Go Shiozaki. Danielson didn't have the GHC Junior Title with him, but Go did have the FIP Title belt, which surprised me because they haven't really featured the FIP Title on their PPVs. Danielson went right after Claudio at the beginning and most of the beginning was a brawl between the two, but Claudio again got himself disqualified for attacking the referee and every official he could get his hands on. He tried to Pillmanize Danielson's head again, but he was dragged out before he had the chance. From here it was down to Danielson and Shiozaki, and as usual Danielson got a great match out of Go before putting him out with a triangle choke.
-Next, the Briscoes won a tag team scramble over YRR members Kenny King & Jason Blade (the FIP Tag Team Champions, and they brought the belts to the ring with them as well), the Vulture Squad of Ruckus and Jigsaw (who did have Julius Smokes with them) and the Necro Butcher, who went solo. PRetty good, fast paced match, but nothing to write home about.
-After intermission, we got a couple more dark matches. First was another women's match as Daizee Haze picked up a win over a tall, lanky Australian girl whose name I believe was Madison Eagles. This was a little disjointed, but not bad or anything, and Daizee put her away with the Mindtrip.
-Up next, Rhett Titus picked up a win over Josh Daniels, who came out of mothballs to return to ROH for the first time in like five years. I always thought Daniels was a great worker, but he really didn't impress me here. He came in looking kind of heavy and wasn't really as crisp as he had been in the past. I don't get the impression he'll be back based on his performance and the lack of crowd reaction.
-The PPV taping portion continued, as Nigel McGuinness retained the ROH World Title with a victory over Roderick Strong. The crowd didn't like Nigel, which I guess is to be expected these days, but were really into Roderick. Roderick looked great in this match, taking a ton of Strong's best shots, including several lariats, a Tower of London, and a Tower of London to the ring apron. Finally, Nigel hit a third Tower of London in the ring and that was enough to beat Strong, who did have several close counts that were almost three, but not quite.
-The main event saw Kevin Steen & El Generico defeat Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black to win the ROH World Tag Team Title. This was a great match and easily the highlight of the evening. Steen & Generico were over like Grover here. There were two false finishes before we got the real one, first Steen hit a swanton on Tyler Black followed by a top rope guillotine legdrop by Generico that got two and 99/100ths. The second near fall saw Generico put out Jacobs on the outside while Steen had Tyler Black in the Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring. Tyler crawled to the ropes and almost had it and Steen dragged him back to the middle of the ring, and you could swear he was about to tap when Jacobs made it in the ring for the save. After each of those false finishes you thought that was it and Steen & Generico were going to get screwed again, but finally they hit the package piledriver/brainbuster combo for the win, and the place exploded. The fans were really emotionally into this match, and after getting handed the belt, Steen went out into the crowd and into the bleachers to hug what I assume was his family. Really great moment to send the crowd home happy.
Overall the show was kind of so-so, but the last two matches made up for it, especially getting caught up in the celebration after Steen & Generico won the title. The place wasn't sold out, but still had a good sized crowd. The announced return date isn't until May of 2009 though, so I hope the fans don't mind driving down to Connecticut or New York if they want to attend a live show.
2009 - Triple H walked boxer Floyd "Money" Mayweather to the ring prior to Mayweather's defeat of Juan Manuel Marquez with a unanimous (and decisive) 12 round decision at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
2009 - WWE Raw ran Moncton, New Brunswick. Paul Lirette filed the following live report:
I just got back not too long ago from the WWE Raw house show. It was a great show, the place was about 65% - 70% full. Tony Chimmel comes out to a great ovation, think the ovation was people were glad the show was starting.
First Match: Evan Bourne defeated Chavo Guerrero with the distraction of Hornswoggle.
Second Match: Primo defeated some guy named Alex Riley, who supposedly lived here 10 years ago, beating people up and stealing their lunch money. At least that is the promo he cut.
Third Match: Chris Masters defeated Santino with the Master lock. Santino was hilarious asking the fans if they wanted him to punch Masters in the face, the fans cheered loudly then he says to Masters consider your face punched. He also put the Master lock on Masters himself but Masters powered out and put Santino in the Master lock.
Fourth Match: Triple Threat match for the US Title. Kofi Kingston defeated Jack Swagger & the Miz. This was a great match and a great performance from all 3 men. Miz cut a promo on he stole the US Title on Raw and said he was the true champion. Kofi pinned Swagger for the win as the Miz walked out with the title belt while Kofi was pinning Swagger.
There was a brief intermission and when Chimmel came back he brought in 2 kids from the audience to throw T-shirts in the audience.
Fifth match: Alicia Fox defeated Rosa Mendez. This match was ok but the audience wasn't into it all that much, mostly quiet during the match.
Sixth Match: Legacy defeated MVP & Mark Henry. Legacy came off with a lot of heel heat during this match while MVP & Henry got a good pop from the fans. DiBiase pinned MVP for the win. There were a lot of DX chants. HHH was a no show for today's show, probably because he is with Mayweather for the fight tonight. Fans were very disappointed with no HHH.
Main Event was for the WWE Title: John Cena defeated Randy Orton in the best match of the day. Cena got a huge pop from the fans. An Austin/Hogan like pop. A very pro Cena crowd. Orton got lots of heel heat from the crowd. Orton dominated the match but like a true fighting champion Cena makes the come back and avoids getting the punt to the head and nails Orton with Attitude Adjustment (aka FU).
A couple of notes. A teenager got kicked out for cussing at Jack Swagger. That was a first for me, probably has to due with the WWE being PG. Also my brother noticed at the concession stand they were selling Bret Hart T-shirts. That puzzled us both since the guy hasn't worked for the WWE in nearly 12 years.
Biggest Pop:
1. John Cena
2. Kofi Kingston
3. Hornswaggle/Santino
4. MVP/Henry
Biggest Heat:
1. Randy Orton
2. Legacy
3. Chavo
4. Chris Masters
2009 - Ring of Honor ran Dayton, Ohio. S. Aaron Rund filed the following live report:
Pre-show got started about 20 minutes late. The first match was Pattrick O'reilly and Tony Kozina vs The Bravado Bros. Not a whole lot to write home about. O'reilly and Kozina win when O'relly made one of the Bravado Bros tap to a Kurt Angle style Ankle Lock.
Next match was Andy "Right Leg" Ridge and Jordan McIntyre vs Bobby Dempsey and Tim Donst. To be completly honest, I missed most of this match, Bobby Dempsey was way over and he has lost about 20-25 pounds since the last time I saw him, Tim Donst also got a good pop. Bobby Dempsey and Tim Donst won the match.
Pre-Show Main Event was Sal Rinauro vs Alex "Sugarfoot" Payne. Alex Payne came out to what sounded like New Found Glory. I didn't see much of this match either (I was mingling with friends I hadn't seen in about six months) I do remember that at one point Payne tried a sunset flip but caught Rinauro's tights and exposed his bare ass. Rinauro then proceeded to land an Earthquake splash on Sugarfoot (Come on Guys, that is how people get Pink Eye). Sal got the victory.
Main Show started Close to 8:30 prompting a few Ian Rotten jokes from some of the people I was with.
First Match was Eddie Edwards w/ Shane Hagadorn vs Brent Albright . This was a very hard hitting match between both competitors. A lot of strikes from both Albright and Edwards here and they were hard. Albright even took to the air a little bit during the match. He hit a reverse cross body off of the top rope on Edwards as well as a Suicide Dive on to Edwards through the middle and top ropes landing right in front of me. Edwards wins the match after interference from Hagadorn allows Davey Richards to run in and hit a kick combination on Albright and allowing the 'Wolves to hit a double team Superkick/German Suplex combo.
House of Truth (Josh Raymond and Christian Abel w/Truth Martini) vs Dark City Fight Club (Jon Davis and Corey Chavis). Based on some of the reports I read, I am in the minority of enjoying this match. There were a few moments that were a little scary, Abel was going for the Powerbomb senton where he Powerbomb's Raymond on to his oppenents back. Instead Abel Powerbombed Raymond back of the head first into the side of Jon Davis' head. Also Raymond hit a shooting star body press on both Davis and Chavis while they were standing up and may have hit his chin on the back of both their heads. DCFC wins with a double team move that if I remember correctly was a Spinebuster/Diamond Cutter combination. I think Jon Davis is going to be a star one of these days. He seems to have a lot of Charisma and has a good mix of power moves and striking in his repetoir.
Jimmy Rave w/Prince Nana vs Grizzly Redwood was next. This matchup reminded me a lot of the old Jimmy Rave-Pelle Primeau feud from late in 2007. Grizzly Redwood reminds me a lot of Groundskeeper Willie in that when he has a shirt on he looks like a normal (as normal as a 5'5" man with a long beard can be) but when he takes his shirt off he looks like a body builder. Grizz got in some good offense and won by DQ after Jimmy Rave hit him with a Chain (presumably the same one he and Necro will be attached to for the Dog Collar match in Chicago). This brought out The Necro Butcher for the save. Necro and Jimmy brawled all around the arena, including scaring the crap out of a little kid sitting in the front row in section D when Necro tried to slam Jimmy into the front row. It was a fun little brawl that saw Necro beat up a few referees in addition to Jimmy Rave). Prince Nana was gold in this match with his fan interaction.
Next Match saw Davey Richards w/Shane Hagadorn vs Claudio Castagnoli. This was a great match. Both men worked their asses off and the crowd was split for their support for most of the match. Both men played the heel in this contest. Davey almost had Claudio tapping to the Kimura on more than one occasion. Claudio hit the Alpamari Waterslide on Davey but only got a two count. Davey wins the match after he reverses a Riccola Bomb into a Yoshi Tonic/Code Red. After the match Davey said that he was going to be the Next World Champ. So far, this was the match of the night. I was pleasantly surprised by Claudio's performance in this match. I had seen Claudio have great matches outside of ROH in 2008 and 2009 but for whatever reason it wasn't transfering to ROH. This match was on par with some of those other matches.
Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) vs The Briscoes (Jay and Mark Briscoe.) This match will probably be better on DVD than it was live. The crowd was still coming down from the Davey-Claudio match and I don't think they were as into this match as they could have been due in part to that. Young Bucks were impressive but it felt like both teams were holding a little back (that is not saying that it wasn't a good match). Jay and Mark win with a traditional Doomsday Device after Nick and Matt Jackson missed More Bang for your Buck (their Finlay Roll, 450 Splash followed by Moonsault Combo). After the match, both team showed mutual respect for one another. I look forward to more from these two teams. The ROH tag team division is once again, in my opinion as good as it was in 2006-2007. This was my first time seeing the Young Bucks live and they did not disappoint.
Intermission. I found out through my "sources" that Austin Aries, Rasche Brown and Silas Young had car troubles and arrived at the show late.
Rasche Brown vs Silas Young, The match was short and it was good for what it was. Rasche won with a power move that I cannot recall.
Petey Williams and Colt "Boom Boom" Cabana vs ROH World Champion Austin Aries and "Addicted To Love" Rhett Titus. This was a good match. Prior to his team being introduced, while his music was playing and it played for a good minute before Austin Aries came out with Rhett Titus and a Microphone and berated the sound guy for playing his music first. Aries said the champion always comes out second regardless of whether the title is on the line or not. This was a pretty good match. At some point in the match Rhett Titus was busted open Hardway (possibly from a guard rail)underneath his eye. I was told by my "sources" that he did go to the hospital after the match and the cut required stitches. Petey Williams and Colt Cabana won pinning Titus after a Colt 45. Just before Cabana won Petey Williams hit the Canadian Destroyer on Austin Aries but he fell out of the ring. Aries berated Titus for the loss after the match.
"American Dragon" Bryan Danielson vs "That Young Knockout Kid" Chris Hero w/Shane Hagadorn. That Main Event did not disappoint. Dragon and Hero put on a great show that included Hero being knocked off of the guard rail into the second row and Danielson Diving off the top rope on to Hero who was in the second row. A lot of hard hitting exchanges in this match. Hero picks up the victory after a Roaring Elbow to the back of Danielsons Head. After the match, Dragon left the arena but came back with "The Final Countdown" by Europe playing and thanked the fans of Dayton.
Return was announced for 04/23/2010. Overall, I thought I got my money worth on this show. I had a great time, saw some good to great wrestling and I was not disappointed.
2010 - Dragon Gate USA announced they had signed Jon Moxley to a deal. Moxley would later be released from his deal so that he can sign a WWE developmental deal. He's currently wrestling under the name Dean Ambrose.
2010 - CHIKARA made its NYC debut in Brooklyn, NY, an event that featured the American debut of Japanese legend Manami Toyota. Joshua Higham filed the following live report:
Chikara made its NYC debut today at the Warsaw in Brooklyn. They started 15 minutes late. But when they started, they started hot.
Soldier Ant and 3.0 vs. F.I.S.T. - Chuck Taylor pinned Soldier Ant after an Awful Waffle. Lots of fun, craziness, humor. Great opener.
15 minutes of awesomeness, I loved this match.
Hallowicked vs. Ultramantis Black - Ultramantis pinned Hallowicked with the Mantis Bomb. UMB was constantly saying that he didn't want to hurt Wicked, but wanted Wicked to join his team at next month's Dark Ciberknetico. When he asked after the match, Wicked just left.
Daizee Haze and Delirious of the BDK vs. Osirian Portal - The Portal wins, pinning Haze after the Egyptian Conniption. The win gave the Portal their third point to challenge for the Campeonatos de Parejas.
Da Soul Touchaz vs. Lince Dorado, Tim Donst, and Tursas of the BDK - Willie Richardson pinned Lince Dorado with a version of the Pounce. After the match, Donst got into an argument with Dorado.
20 Minute Intermission
Eddie Kingston vs. Ares (with his pet, Delirious) - Ares pinned Kingston with a schoolboy. Eddie hit Ares with the Backfist. Claudio Castagnoli came out to distract, which allowed Delirious to hit Eddie with his chain to set up the schoolboy.
The Future is Now (Jimmy "Equinox" Olsen, Jigsaw, and Helios) vs. The UnStable (Stigma, Coin Delaney, and Vin Gerard) - The Future is Now wins by disqualification when Vin Gerard hit a lowblow on Equinox. During the match, Gerard took Delaney to finish off his brother, Equinox. Instead, Delaney allowed Equinox to hit Gerard with his finisher. Postmatch, we had the reunion of the Olsens with Britney Spears's Toxic on the PA and the crowd chanting "Hug It Out." Equinox took off his mask, and Delaney took off his UnStable wristbands, leaving together.
For the Young Lions Cup, Frightmare vs Pinkie "Pink Ant" Sanchez - Frightmare wins after countering out of Burning Snicklefritz and hitting Kneecolepsy.
Manami Toyota and Mike Quackenbush vs. Sara Del Rey and Claudio Castagnoli - Toyota forced Del Rey to tap to the Chikara Special. A lot of false finishes, a lot of action, fun main event.
Notes: Chikara is already too big for the Warsaw, which is a great venue. The place was packed tight... Gavin Loudspeaker, at one point, invoked subway etiquette rules, saying if you'd get up for someone on the subway, do it now too... A wide mix of people in the audience including a couple special needs groups. A few of the wrestlers came out and mingled at intermission... A few Pro Wrestling Respect (ROH Academy students) guys were seated in the balcony... The majority of the roster went to the balcony to watch the main event... Ultramantis Black, Bryce Remsburg, Leonard Chikarason, and Gavin Loudspeaker handled commentary... Once again, Chikara proves to have a great mix of personalities, characters, and action. A great, fun show.
2010 - WWE held their Night of Champions PPV. Mike Johnson filed the following PPV report:
Welcome to PWInsider.com's live coverage of the 2010 WWE Night of Champions PPV!
We open up with a whole lot of pyro as Michael Cole asked who would leave Chicago as champion. Cole introduced his announcing partners, Matt Striker and Jerry Lawler.
WWE Intercontinental champion Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston - If Dolph is Disqualified or Counted Out, Kofi wins the championship
Vickie Guerrero interrupted ring announcer Tony Chimel to introduce Ziggler. Caitlin from NXT was with them, making her PPV debut. Kingston and Ziggler locked up. Crowd is solidly behind Kingston. Striker mentioned Kingston just got married to his High School sweetheart. Good for them!
They have a nice back and forth exchange. Kingston forces Ziggler to back off with a dropkick attempt. Kingston clotheslines Ziggler over the top to the floor. Caitlin tends to him but Guerrero makes her back off. Guerrero sends her to the back. Ziggler returns to the ring where Kingston maintains his advantage until missing a charge in the corner.
Ziggler dropkicks Kingston in the face and scores a two count. Ziggler locks on a rear chin lock. He rides Kingston to the mat and wears him down. Kingston fires back with several shots to the ribs and chest. Kingston nails a shoulder block but is caught with a big boot for a two count. Ziggler scores several two count. Ziggler nailed a running snap mare for another two count.
Kingston fired back but was nailed with a Famouser and rolled over onto his shoulders for another near fall. He cinched in a side chinlock. Kingston fought his way to his feet and battered Ziggler in the corner with a series of punches. Ziggler nailed a back elbow coming out of the corner but Kingston nailed a clothesline. Kingston nailed a bodypress off the top rope and scored a two count.
Kingston unloaded on Ziggler with a series of chops but missed a kick. Ziggler was caught with a variation of a Lou Thesz Press and peppered with punches. Ziggler was nailed with the Boom Drop. Kofi began calling for Trouble in Paradise but Ziggler avoided it and was caught in a sleeper. Kingston turned it into an inverted DDT and nearly scored the pin but Guerrero put Ziggler's leg on the rope. Ziggler went to the floor where Kofi dove on him and slammed him on the floor. Kofi rolled Ziggler back into the ring and scored a two count.
Ziggler caught Kingston in a sleeper but Kofi broke the grip and locked in his own. Ziggler ran and used the ropes to snap Kofi's throat on them. Guerrero went to slap Kofi but Ziggler told her not to ruin anything and said he had the match won. Kingston went to the top but Ziggler caught him, nailed the Zig Zag and scored the pin.
Your winner and still WWE Intercontinental champion,Dolph Ziggler!
Good opener.
They aired a Paperjamz commercial featuring the Miz.
Todd Grisham interviewed Edge backstage, asking him his strategy. Edge asked him why he wondered that and asked if it was because he had to defeat five men and not just one. He advised him to ask the others how they are going to beat him. Edge said they call him the Ultimate opportunist for a reason and tonight he'll walk out the champion.
CM Punk vs. Big Show
Punk, who came out alone, got a nice reaction since they were in his hometown in Chicago. Matt Striker said Punk's childhood friends Scott and Chris were in attendance. That has to be Scott "Colt" Cabana and Chris "Ace Steele" Guy. Punk took the mic and said that he loves Chicago. He said he loves the parks, the museums, the history and Navy Pier, but what he hates are the inhabitants of the city. He blamed everyone in the building for ruining the city, calling them lazy Teamsters and corrupt politicians. He crapped on the Chicago White Sox and then said the out of work dads and boozy mothers disgust them. He said that the entire city should be burned to the ground for the second time so he can build a straightedge utopia. Punk turned his attention to Big Show. He said that Show knocked him out at Smackdown but unlike the rest of them, he doesn't run from anyone. He's in his home and he is still here standing. Punk said he is David tonight and Show can be Goliath. Punk said the slingshot will be "the power of almighty Straightedge."
Punk had his elbow taped up. Punk tried to nail several kicks but was hit by Show with a mauling paw. Punk dropkicked Show but it didn't faze him. Show drilled Punk across the back and then choked him in the corner with a boot to the face. Show chopped Punk across the chest so hard Punk bumped out of the ring. Show went outside to toss Punk back in the ring. As Show returned, Punk drilled him in the face with a kick, then nailed a knee to the jaw. Punk nailed a rolling senton over the top to the floor on the prone Show. The building began chanting for Punk.
Punk waited for Show to return and attacked him as Show rolled in. Show began firing back with shots to the ribs and chest. Punk elbowed Show in the back of the neck and scored several near falls. Punk began peppering Show with kicks but Show punched him away. Punk kicked Show in the head with a kick and smothered him in the throat with his knee. Punk went to the apron for the springboard clothesline but Show tackled him in mid-air.
Show nailed the KO punch and scored the pin.
Your winner, Big Show!
Entertaining.
Josh Mathews interviewed Chris Jericho. Jericho said he didn't need to be lucky tonight. Jericho pointed out how well he had done in the past with tournaments. He said he was going to eliminate everyone and walk out the new WWE champion. He said the reason isn't luck, but because he's the best in the world at what he does. No mention of Jericho's pledge that he would leave if he didn't win but Michael Cole pointed it out after the interview.
They showed several members of the National Guard in attendance.
WWE United States champion The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan
They lock up with Miz getting an early advantage but Bryan went for the LeBell Lock and Miz bailed out. When he returned, Bryan went after Miz's arm but Miz jumped off the apron and slammed it over the ropes. Miz then hammerlocked Bryan and ran him shoulder-first into the corner. He continued working over Bryan's shoulder. Bryan worked his way into a counter and used a backslide for a two count. Miz kicked out and went right back after the shoulder. Miz argued with the referee, allowing Alex Riley to attack Bryan's shoulder from the outside. Miz then snapped the arm backwards.
Miz kept up the offense and kicked Bryan to the floor. He tossed Bryan back in and covered him for a two count. The crowd began rallying Bryan as he mounted a comeback with a series of rights. Miz nailed the shoulder and charged Bryan who ducked and Miz went to the floor. Bryan nailed a dive through the ropes on Miz. Miz was tossed back in. Bryan, selling the shoulder, still nailed a top rope missile dropkick for a two count. Bryan battered Miz with rights as he sold his left shoulder, then added in several kicks to the gut.
Bryan nailed a dropkick into the corner. Miz crumpled down to his knees and Bryan drilled him with a stiff kick to the back of the head for a two count. Bryan put Miz on the ropes and worked him over with punches. Miz crotched him on the top rope and clotheslined him off. Bryan landed on the "bad arm" but still kicked out. Miz looked frustrated. Miz went back to the bad shoulder, cranking back on it. Miz measured Bryan and went for the Skull Crushing Finale. He went for it but Bryan pulled Miz into a forward roll for a two count.
Danielson went for the LeBell Lock but Riley got on the apron. Bryan drilled him with a punch and rolled up Miz for a two count. Everyone thought that was the finish. Miz tossed Bryan out to the floor. Riley went after Bryan but was tossed into the ringpost. Bryan was caught with a cradle but kicked out. Miz kicked him down and began beating him with punches. The referee had to pull him off several times and warned Miz he was going to be DQ'd. Miz was caught in the LeBell Lock and Miz fought but finally tapped out.
Your winner and new United States champion, winning his first WWE title, Daniel Bryan!
LUMBERJILL UNIFICATION MATCH: WWE WOMEN'S CHAMPION MELINA VS. WWE DIVAS CHAMPION MICHELLE MCCOOL
Layla was one of the Lumberjills and didn't look happy as McCool walked to the ring. Striker made a crack about Jillian still being "here" when she came out.
McCool tried to dropkick Melina as she did her split entrance but Melina jumped up and McCool landed hard on the floor. When she returned to the ring, they locked up and jockeyed for position. They actually ended up going through the ropes and to the flooor. McCool slapped one of the girls and then returned to the ring. Melina avoided the tiltowhirl backbreaker. Lots of Melina chants. Melina nailed her with a series of forearms. She positioned McCool across the turnbuckles but was grabbed by the hair and dumped over the top to the floor.
The Lumberjills didn't do much to force Melina back in, which they explained by saying McCool had pissed off all of the other Divas. McCool controlled Melina when they returned to the ring. McCool went for the Faithbreaker but Melina escaped and turned it into a Facejam. Melina was caught with a belly to belly suplex for a two count. McCool took a swipe at Natalya, who got on the apron. Melina rolled up McCool but the referee was arguing with Natalya.
McCool was tossed out of the ring and the Lumberjills had their way with her for a moment. They tossed her back in and Melina nailed a dropkick to the lower back, then Matrixed out of a kick. McCool grabbed her by the hair and slammed her back into the mat. Melina and McCool battled to the top and fell over to the floor. McCool tossed Melina back in and was attacked by all the other girls except for Layla. Layla attacked Melina in the ring but was battled off and tossed out.
McCool re-entered the ring from behind Melina and drilled him with a boot to the face, then scored the pin.
Your winner and Unified champion Michelle McCool!
Layla El and Michelle McCool celebrated together so their entire issues were all a ruse to begin with.
Todd Grisham interviewed Wade Barrett and noted it was his first chance at the WWE championship and asked him what he felt his chances were. Barrett said that his opponents represent greatness but also the status quo in WWE. He said that he stated months ago that the winds of change were blowing and he has his chance to prove that tonight. He said that he was the future of WWE and the next WWE champion.
NO HOLDS BARRED: WWE WORLD CHAMPION KANE VS. THE UNDERTAKER
Undertaker did his grand entrance, then attacked Kane as he came down the aisle. They brawled on the stage. He propped up Kane up against one of the giant columns for the stage and beat him with punches, then whipped him into another one. Kane hit it and fell to the floor in front of the stage. Undertaker stalked Kane but the champ kicked him in the knee and worked him over with punches on the ramp. Undertaker came back and choked him on the ramp. Kane came back with a boot to the face.
They battled their way back to ringside and Kane whipped Taker into the steel ring steps. Kane grabbed the World championship belt and drilled Taker with it on the floor. He then measured Taker and kicked him low. They battled back in the ring where Kane trapped Taker in the corner and clotheslined him again and again. Taker crumpled to the mat but kicked out when Kane covered him.
Kane dragged Taker back out to the outside of the apron and began drilling him with punches. Taker fell off the apron to the floor. Kane slammed Taker head-first on the announcer's table, then nailed him with the covering for the table. The storyline was that Undertaker was completely overpowered by Kane's strength. Taker finally reversed a whip and sent Kane into the stairs. They battled back and forth with punches on the floor.
Kane was prepped on the apron and Taker nailed a guillotine legdrop on the apron. Undertaker kicked Kane over the barrier, then dove over it onto Kane. Kane came back to drill Taker with a chair. Kane continued to work over Taker with punches. Taker wandered, glazed eyed in the crowd. Kane followed and they exchanged punches in the crowd. They battled near a production area and then back into the ringside area. Kane clotheslined Taker off the barricade to the floor.
Back in the ring, Kane battered Undertaker with kicks. Kane beat Taker with punch after punch in the corner. Taker went down to one knee but pulled himself back up, wobbly. Kane continued the onslaught in another corner. Kane just totally dominated Taker with punches, beating him down. Taker fought back and they began exchanging big shots in the middle of the ring. Undertaker finally got the better of the exchange but Kane kneed him in the gut. Taker came back with a heat seeking missile, but Kane was back to his feet first.
Undertaker got the better of their back and forth again and nailed Snake Eyes followed by a big boot. Undertaker legdropped Kane for a two count, then called for the chokeslam. Taker nailed the chokeslam. Taker went for the tombstone but Kane reversed it and scored the clean pin.
Your winner and still World champion, Kane!
Kane left victorious and the story was that Kane had dominated Taker. Taker took a long time leaving, crumpling over in pain and dropping to his knees at moments. The announcers wondered if we were seeing the end of an era. Lawler said, "I hate to say it, but I think Undertaker's powers are completely sapped."
Legendary film promo. They announced the film was a Wal-Mart exclusive on DVD, which explains why it was yanked from online retailers.
FIVE TAG TEAM TURMOIL: WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS THE HART DYNASTY DEFEND THE TAG TITLES.
The first team out are the Usos, who are with Tamina. Tyson Kidd and Jey Uso start off. They go back and forth. Kidd nailed a forward roll for a two count. Jimmy tagged in and they nailed the old Demolition finisher for a two count. Jimmy missed a charge in the corner and Smith tagged in. Hart nailed several clotheslines and nailed a belly to belly suplex. The Usos regrouped outside on the floor but Kidd hit a springboard moonsault off the top rope to the floor on them. Kidd tossed them back in the ring for a two count. Hart went for the Sharpshooter. Tamina and Natalya got into it. Jimmy clotheslined Hart from behind and scored the pin.
The Harts are eliminated so we'll have new champions tonight.
Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov hit the ring. Santino cleaned house but when he went for the Cobra, Tamina got on the apron and made it as well, distracting him. When Santino finally went for it, Jimmy caught him in a Samoan Drop and scored the pin.
Santino and Kozlov are eliminated.
Next out are Mark Henry and Evan Bourne. Bourne scored with several flying knee strikes. Bourne escaped a splash in the corner and tagged Henry. Henry nailed a big punch on Jimmy then knocked Jey off the ropes. Henry tagged in Bourne, who nailed the shooting star press off the top and scored the pinfall.
The Usos are eliminated.
The final team are Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes. They hit the ring. Drew and Bourne go back and forth with Drew getting the better of the exchange. Cody and Drew begin tagging in and out while working over Bourne. Drew drilled Evan with an uppercut forearm. Bourne gets cut off with a clothesline for a two count, McIntyre began working over Bourne's arm but was tossed off. Bourne tried to make the hot tag but was cut off by Cody. Cody and Drew continued their back and forth tags as they controlled Bourne. Bourne kicked at Drew but was cut off with a forearm smash while rebounding off the ropes. Bourne was knocked to the floor, where Cody went right after him before tossing him back in the ring. Drew locked in a reverse chinlock.
Drew picked up Bourne for a suplex but Bourne drilled him with kicks while suspended upside down. Bourne finally made the hot tag to Henry, who cleaned house on Drew, then hit a running Avalanche in the corner on Cody. Henry pressed and dropped Cody, then tagged in Bourne for a shooting star press off Henry's shoulders. Drew kicked Henry in the knees so Bourne fell off. Drew kicked Henry out of the ring. He went after Drew but Cody grabbed Bourne and nailed him with the CrossRhodes for the pin.
Your winners and new WWE Tag Team champions Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes!
Matt Striker sent us to a video feature on Albert Del Rio.
They aired a great video feature on the WWE championship and the Six Pack Challenge.
Josh Mathews interviewed WWE champion Sheamus. He said Sheamus was at a huge disadvantage but Sheamus asked him if he looked like he was concerned. He said he was WWE champion because he wins, no matter what the stipulation match is. Sheamus said that he always leaves with the WWE title and no matter what the match is, it suits him. He said tonight was going to leave with a Throw Kick to the skull and Sheamus leaving with the WWE title on his shoulder and a smile on his face.
SIX PACK ELIMINATION CHALLENGE: WWE CHAMPION SHEAMUS VS. JOHN CENA VS. RANDY ORTON VS. CHRIS JERICHO VS. EDGE VS. WADE BARRETT
Ring entrances in order are Sheamus, Cena, Edge, Jericho, Barrett (No Nexus) and finally Orton for the big pop.
Everyone battled at the bell. It powdered down to Jericho working over Orton but Cena, who Jericho had tossed out of the ring, returned. Cena and Jericho faced off. Jericho shoved Cena into a corner but was caught with the RKO and pinned.
Chris Jericho has been eliminated.
Cena even asked if that was really three. According to his claims, he's done with WWE. Jericho received a huge "Y2J" chant as he exited. Edge looked like he was screwed with the idea being that they had plans to work together. They focused for a long time on Jericho's exit with the rest of the match stopping.
When they started again, Barrett found himself circled by the other four as they got to give him the beatdown the Nexus has given all of them. They dispatched Barrett out of the ring. Cena and Orton then tossed Sheamus and Edge out. Orton and Cena faced off but Barrett attacked them. The heels all began beating down the babyfaces. Barrett tried to get the heels to work together but they wanted nothing to do with him. They doubled on him.
Cena nailed a glancing dropkick on Edge. Orton took out Sheamus. We were back to Orton and Cena facing off again. They went nose to nose so Orton went for the RKO. Cena escaped and went for the STF. Orton and Cena went back and forth. Edge joined in and tried to help Orton suplex Cena out but Barrett pulled them both off the apron. Sheamus began stomping everyone to maintain control and then focused on Cena.
Cena and Sheamus went back and forth. Sheamus nailed an elbow and Cena crumpled in the corner. Sheamus controlled Cena and placed him on the top rope for the Celtic Cross. Cena used back elbows to avoid the move. He fought off Sheamus but got his foot caught as he came down. Edge and Sheamus worked over Cena and placed him back atop the ropes. They went for a double suplerplex and nailed it. Edge covered him but Cena kicked out.
With Cena down and out, they went to the floor and attacked Barrett, sending him into the guard rails. They then turned their attention to Orton, dragging him to the ring and tossing him in. Sheamus began pummeling Orton's chest with punches. Edge and Sheamus continued to work over everyone, maintaining the control. Edge tried to turn on Sheamus but missed the spear and Sheamus hit the Irish Curse Backbreaker.
Orton went for the RKO on Cena but was shoved off as Edge speared Orton. Edge went for Cena but was caught with the Attitude Adjustment and pinned.
Edge is eliminated.
Barrett attacked Cena immediately. Barrett took out Orton and Sheamus as well. Barrett began drilling Cena with punches but Cena came back with a series of shoulderblocks and a slam. Cena hit the five knuckle shuffle. He picked up Barrett for the Attitude Adjustment and drilled Barrett into Sheamus. Cena locked Sheamus in the STF in the center of the ring but Sheamus fought hard to get to the ropes and finally did.
Nexus hits the ringside area. Cena goes after them but Barrett grabs Cena and nails his finisher, pinning Cena.
John Cena has been eliminated.
The Nexus attacked Orton outside the ring and mauled him. They tossed him into the ring for a waiting Barrett. As Orton made his way to his feet, he was surrounded with Nexus on the aprons. Cena attacked them with a chair and ran them off. Orton took out Barrett and teased the RKO. He drilled him and scored the pin.
Wade Barrett has been eliminated.
Sheamus snuck in from behind Orton and nailed the throw kick but Orton kicked out. Sheamus began screaming in anger. Sheamus went for the Celtic Cross but Orton slipped out and scored the RKO and the pin.
Your winner and new WWE champion, Randy Orton!
2011 - WWE announced that the Muppets would be guest starring on the Halloween edition of Raw.
2011 - WWE broadcast Raw. Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:
We are live from Cleveland, Ohio and your announcers are Jim ‘I miss the slobberknockers at Municipal Stadium’ Ross, Jerry ‘I still call it Jacobs’ Field’ Lawler and Michael ‘Did you miss my best work last night during the main event’ Cole.
We begin things with the man who could not oust Triple H as the COO and CM Punk makes his way to the ring with a bit of a limp due to last night’s match with Triple H and the things that happened towards the end.
Punk says that he has to admit that this particular building has never been super kind to him. He had to forfeit the World Championship one time, Bob Holly punched him so hard in the eye that he now has a dead spot. Now Punk says that he can barely turn his head and he is having trouble standing on his leg. Punk says that his pride is also hurt because he might have to admit that he was wrong.
R Truth and the Miz were right. There is a conspiracy here in World Wrestling Entertainment. It is not the one that Truth and Miz are talking about. It is a . . .
Punk is interrupted by Triple H and he is not in GameFountain attire tonight.
Punk stares a hole through Hunter before the COO speaks. Hunter says that he gives Punk credit because he is just as beaten up. He says that he can barely move too. They went to war last night but he is still the COO of the WWE. Hunter says that he is going to do his day job first.
The next pay per view is in two weeks and it is Hell in a Cell. John Cena made history on Sunday night by becoming the WWE Champion for a tenth time. Alberto Del Rio deserves his rematch. Hunter says that Punk deserves the rematch that he never received. For the first time ever, the WWE Championship will be contested in a Triple Threat Hell in a Cell Match.
Now it is time for Hunter to address Punk. Hunter says that he is not involved in this conspiracy and he had nothing to do with Kevin Nash’s attacks since SummerSlam. He also had nothing with Miz and Truth. He also did not cut Punk’s mic last week. Hunter takes off his jacket and he says that he has no problem going back to war with Punk right now.
Punk tells Hunter that he has no problem going back to war with Hunter either. Punk says that he was going to get to his point before Hunter interrupted him. Punk says that his pride was a bit hurt. They don’t like each other and someone is using that to their advantage. Somebody is playing both of them. Punk says that he should have realized that it wasn’t Punk, but it is someone who is using him. It is somebody higher up on the ladder than Hunter.
Punk says that he could go on about Truth and Miz . . .
But John Laurinaitis comes out and he says that he agrees about a conspiracy but he says that Punk is in the middle of it. He tells Hunter not to believe anything that Punk says. Punk is upset because he could not beat Hunter.
Punk says that he is upset because he figured out . . . but first he introduces John Laurinaitis and then he says that it is ironic that John wished him luck last night because John figured that he could be the COO if Hunter lost. He says that Truth and Miz were sent to the ring last night and cut off his mic last week. He was the one who got Nash involved at SummerSlam and Night of Champions.
John says that Hunter has lost control of the show because of Punk. He says that he already has a job as Executive Vice President of Talent Relations. He reminds Punk that Punk works for him. Hunter reminds John that he works for Hunter.
Hunter says that he is going to get to the bottom of this.
Laurinaitis blames Punk for this and then he fires CM Punk and wishes him the best in his future endeavors.
Hunter tells Punk that he is not fired. He says that if anyone is going to be fired, he will be the one to do the firing. Hunter says that by the end of the night, someone is going to get fired.
Hunter and John leave the ring while Punk stays in the ring.
We go to commercial.
Match Number One: Evan Bourne, Kofi Kingston, Justin Gabriel, and Sheamus versus Christian, Wade Barrett, David Otunga, and Michael McGillicutty
Gabriel and Michael start things off and Michael works on the arm but Gabriel with a drop kick and Kofi tags in and he slingshots over and gets a near fall with a rollup. Kofi with a European uppercut and then he tags in Bourne who hits a double stomp off the turnbuckles and gets a near fall. Bourne tries for a head scissors take down but Michael counters with a side slam for a near fall. Otunga is tagged in and Michael with a reverse atomic drop and Otunga with a clothesline.
Otunga with a slam and Barrett is tagged in and he kicks Bourne. Barrett with an Irish whip and a back breaker for a near fall. Christian tags in and he punches Bourne and then he chokes Bourne in the ropes. Bourne with an elbow followed by kicks but Christian with a punch. Bourne with a leaping knee to a charging Christian and both men are down.
Otunga tags in and he stops Bourne and he knocks Kofi off the apron. Otunga misses a short arm clothesline and Sheamus tags in and he hits running double sledges but Otunga with a boot in the corner. Sheamus with a power slam followed by a uranage back breaker but the cover is broken up.
Kofi goes up top while everyone battles in the ring and he hits Barrett with a cross body. Sheamus waits for Otunga to get up and Christian tries for a spear but Sheamus stops him. Sheamus sets for the power bomb on Christian but he gets out of the ring. Sheamus hits the Brogue Kick on Otunga and then he hits the Celtic Cross while looking at Christian and gets the three count.
Winners: Evan Bourne, Kofi Kingston, Sheamus, and Justin Gabriel
Triple H is with referee Chad Patton and he is talking about how they don’t feel safe in the ring. Hunter tells Chad to have Miz and Truth go to his office when he sees them. Alberto Del Rio enters and he says that Triple H is the worst COO. He has to get his rematch in Hell in a Cell and CM Punk is added. Hunter explains his decision and he offers Alberto the chance to have his rematch tonight. Alberto says that he prays that Mr. McMahon comes back to run things. Hunter says that he has been inside Hell in a Cell and he will need all the prayers that he can take. Del Rio leaves in a huff as we go to commercial.
Match Number Two: Alberto Del Rio with Ricardo Rodriguez versus John Morrison
Del Rio with a kick and forearm followed by more kicks and punches. Del Rio with kicks to Morrison and then he tries for the cross arm breaker but Morrison avoids it and hits an enzuigiri. Del Rio with a cutter and then he wraps Morrison’s arm in the rope. Del Rio applies the cross arm breaker and Morrison taps.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
After the match, Del Rio gets another kick to Morrison.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Did You Know that you could go to a lot of countries and watch WWE programming.
It is time to bring back the guest host with the star of Real Steel, Hugh Jackman.
Hugh says hello to the people of Cleveland and he says that he is so excited to be on Raw. He says that hosting the Oscars were cool, but it wasn’t in front of fifteen thousand screaming fans in Cleveland. He says that if you love the action in the ring, you are going to like Real Steel.
Hugh is interrupted by Vickie Guerrero and she is accompanied by Dolph Ziggler. Vickie throws out a few excuse mes on her way to the ring. Vickie gets sultrier with her excuse me when she gets closer to Hugh. She tells Hugh that she is his biggest fan. She says that he is the sexiest man alive. Dolph starts to act jealous. Vickie says that Hugh would agree that she is the hottest WWE Diva.
Hugh tells Vickie that she is the Diva . . . Vickie interrupts and she wants to tell Hugh that she represents the hottest superstar in the WWE, Dolph Ziggler.
Dolph says that he didn’t come onto the set of Batman to berate a sound man so he doesn’t appreciate Hugh interrupting his time. Dolph says that this was supposed to be his celebration because he defeated three superstars to retain the US Title. He says that they are not robots and he apologizes to Mason Ryan.
Dolph says that he knows that Cleveland is the city of the underdog. He points out that Hugh is the coach of an underdog in his movie, but he says that this is the real deal.
Dolph says that underdog is another word for loser and losers lose. Hugh points out that Dolph may have disrespected an entire city. Hugh says that he loves underdogs so much that he is going to go into the locker room and find the biggest underdog and help them beat Dolph in a match.
Dolph says that he will embarrass that person and make them wish that they never entered the business.
The fans chant for Zack Ryder and Hugh goes into the crowd and he gets a sign that says Ryder > Wolverine.
A car enters the parking garage and Miz and R Truth emerge. John Laurinaitis says that Hunter wants to see them. Miz apologizes for compromising his integrity last night. He tells John to tell Hunter that they are on their way. John wants to know how things go.
We go to commercial.
We are back with the WWE rewind: Los Dos Sin Caras . . . que lastima!
Match Number Three: Sin Cara versus Cody Rhodes with his Bag Men
Before the match starts, the other Sin Cara comes out and we see both Caras playing for the fans.
The second Cara kicks and chops the second one. They avoid each other and they each give head scissors take downs. Sin Cara with a monkey flip followed by a drop kick. Sin Cara Uno goes up top but then he flips back into the ring.
Triple H is getting some coffee when Miz and Truth enter his office and they have their heads hung in shame. Miz says that this is all on him because he never should have touched the referee. They know that Hunter isn’t involved in the conspiracy and they never should have gotten involved in the match.
Truth apologizes to Hunter, the WWE Universe, and even Little Jimmy. They realize the errors of their ways and they will never do it again. They love being WWE Superstars. Truth says that they think Hunter is doing a great job as COO.
Hunter accepts their apologizes and Miz and Truth hold their heads a little higher. He tells them that since they put their hands on officials, they are being fined $250,000 each and he expects to see the check on their desks by Monday. Hunter tells them that they will have no problem competing tonight against CM Punk and John Cena. He tells them to get out of his office.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Teddy Long is walking to the back. Jim Ross is in the ring and he says that he was told by Teddy Long that Randy Orton has invoked his rematch clause and it will take place at Hell in a Cell. Jim introduces the new World Heavyweight Champion, Mark Henry.
JR congratulates Mark on his win and he says that many in the WWE said that he could not win the big one. He wants to know what Mark has to say to his naysayers. Mark says that he knows that Jim Ross is one of them. He tells the haters and naysayers that he will deal with them in a minute. Mark says that he has never been in a Hell in a Cell match but he does know that he gave Randy Orton hell last night and he will do it again. Mark says that the title belt says World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry. Mark says that there ain’t no man gonna take what he got. Jim Ross and the rest of the people, he will never forgive them because none of them ever supported him or believed in him.
Mark says that Jim Ross will apologize for all of them and then Mark says that Jim is going to apologize to him. Mark tells Jim not to pull the microphone from him and he says that everyone knows that Jim Ross wasn’t very high on him and Jim wanted Vince to fire him because he was injury prone and an overachiever. He holds the title belt in JR’s face and he says that everything that needs to be said is right there.
Mark says that he will give Jim the opportunity to apologize. Jim apologizes and Mark says that he hates asskissers. Mark grabs Jim by the neck and Jim says that Mark is hurting him.
Jerry Lawler comes into the ring to stop Mark and Mark knocks off Jim’s hat. Jim says that he is going to pass out and Mark lets go of Jim. Mark grabs Lawler by the shirt and then he tells Jerry that he is going to take Jim’s place.
Lawler punches Henry but Henry with a head butt and then he picks up Lawler and hits the World’s Strongest Slam. Mark pulls Jerry to the ropes and then he kicks Lawler to the floor. Mark rearranges the announce table and then he sends Jerry over the announce table. Henry picks up Lawler again and he hits another World’s Strongest Slam through the announce table.
The medical staff checks on Henry as he walks to the back and he appears proud of what he just did.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Jerry Lawler is being helped to the back by officials and we see what happened between Mark Henry, Jerry Lawler, and Jim Ross.
Josh Mathews joins Michael Cole at the announce table and Josh talks about how scary Mark Henry is right now.
Match Number Four: Eve Torres and Kelly Kelly versus Beth Phoenix and Natalya
Beth and Kelly start things off and Beth with a knee and kicks. Beth with an Irish whip but she runs into a boot. Kelly with the screaming head scissors that sends Beth into Kelly’s corner. Eve tags in and Beth pushes her away. Eve with kicks to Beth but Beth with a knee to Eve.
Natalya tags in and they hit a double shoulder tackle and Natalya gets a near fall. Natalya backs Eve into her corner and she connects with a shoulder. Eve fights out of the corner and Eve gets a rollup for the three count.
Winners: Eve Torres and Kelly Kelly
Hugh Jackman is with Zack Ryder and he says that Zack isn’t an underdog, he is delusional and pathetic. He says that Zack is perfect.
We go to commercial.
We are back and it is time to take a look at Real Steel.
Match Number Five: Dolph Ziggler with Vickie Guerrero versus Zack Ryder with Hugh Jackman
Ryder with a punch and rollup for a near fall and he says that he came close to winning. Ziggler with a punch to Ryder but Ryder blocks another punch and he connects with a series of punches until the referee warns him. Ryder with a running boot into the corner and he gets a near fall. Ziggler with a punch that knocks Ryder down and Ziggler with kicks and then he says something to Jackman on the floor.
Ziggler with a neck breaker but Ryder with a rollup for a near fall. Ziggler with a drop kick. Ziggler with an arm bar and then he punches and slaps Ryder in the corner. Ryder and Ziggler each go for clotheslines and they are both down. Vickie slaps Ryder and the referee sends Vickie to the back.
Jackman sneaks onto the apron and he punches Ziggler and that allows Ryder to hit the Rough Ryder for the three count.
Winner: Zack Ryder
We go to commercial.
We are back with a Jack Swagger video package.
Vickie Guerrero is watching a monitor and Jack says that what she just saw is more impressive than what Dolph did. Jack says that he can get Vickie to meet Hugh Jackman. Vickie says that she is looking forward to having Jack join Dolph in her stable. Jack walks past Dolph and Dolph is not happy.
CM Punk is working on his neck and John Cena enters the locker room and Cena jokes about them being tag team partners. Cena says that they both surround themselves with controversy. Cena says that they also both make history. Cena says that Punk probably doesn’t care that they are tag team partners. In two weeks, they make history again with Alberto Del Rio in the first Triple Threat WWE Title Match in a Hell in a Cell. Cena wonders if Punk will be the one fired.
Punk says that it would be a shame if Cena was the first WWE Champion to be fired because that would be history.
We return to the announce table and we see what Mark Henry did. It is time for a Hell in a Cell video package.
Match Number Six: Miz and R Truth versus John Cena and CM Punk
Miz and Cena start things off after Punk is excited to see Cena throw his shirt into the crowd. Miz shakes the referee’s hand and then Cena does the same and Miz tries to attack Cena but Cena stops him and Cena with an Irish whip and bulldog for a near fall.
Punk tags in and they hit a double hip toss and then Punk with a snap leg drop for a near fall. Miz with a knee and he tags in Truth. Punk with a drop toe hold and elbow to the head. Punk with a Northern Lights suplex for a near fall. Truth with a punch and knee followed by more punches and kicks. Punk with a kick to Truth followed by a slam and he tags in Cena. Punk and Cena make a wish with Truth and Cena gets a near fall. Miz tags in and Cena with a drop toe hold. Cena gets Miz up for the Attitude Adjustment but Miz escapes and he hits a DDT and gets a near fall.
We are back and Miz gets a near fall on Cena after a running boot to the head. Miz misses another boot and Cena with punches but Miz hits the Reality Check and he gets a near fall. Miz argues with the referee and Truth tries to stop Miz from hitting the referee. Truth leaves the ring and Miz stops Cena from making the tag. Truth tags in and he gets a near fall.
Truth with a side head lock but Cena with a suplex to escape the hold. Cena tries to make the tag but Truth with a clothesline. Miz tags back in and he kicks Cena in the ribs. Miz with more kicks to Cena. Miz with punches to the head but Cena with a knee and a gutwrench suplex and both men are down.
Truth tags in and Cena struggles to make the tag but Truth stops Cena and they send Cena to the apron. Truth talks to the referee and Miz stays in the corner and does not try to cheat. Truth punches Cena when he gets back to his feet and Truth gets a near fall. Miz with punches and kicks to Cena in the corner and Miz breaks before the referee can get to the five count.
Miz with a knee to the head and Miz has something to say to Punk. That allows Cena to hit a reverse atomic drop and he knocks Truth down on the apron but Miz with a clothesline. Miz waits for Cena to get up so he can hit the Awesome Clothesline and Miz misses and he crotches himself in the corner.
Punk calls for the tag and Punk tags in and he hits a series of clotheslines followed by a leg lariat. Punk with a kick to Truth followed by a Falcon Arrow. Punk with a knee into the corner followed by a bulldog. Punk goes to the apron for the springboard clothesline and he hits it. Punk gets Miz up for the Go To Sleep but Miz with elbows. Miz tries to punch Punk but Punk moves and Miz almost hits Truth. Punk pushes Miz into Truth and Punk hits the Go To Sleep for the three count.
Winners: CM Punk and John Cena
After the match while Punk and Cena celebrate their victory, Triple H comes out because it is time to hand out a pink slip.
Hunter apologizes for interrupting the celebration. He tells Punk that he had a good match. He tells Miz and Truth that they are fired.
Miz and Truth cannot believe what happened. Miz and Truth go to the back and we see on the monitors while the WWE roster watches this. Triple H is stopped by Scott Stanford and that allows Truth and Miz to attack Hunter from behind. Hunter, Truth, and Miz are separated by the WWE roster. Miz and Truth are thrown out of the building.
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