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November 8th
On this day in history in ....
1975 - Nick Bockwinkel defeats Verne Gagne for the AWA World Heavyweight Title, ending Gagne's ninth reign, in St. Paul, Minnesota. This was Bockwinkel's first reign, and lasted well over four years.
1980 - Tony Garea & Rick Martel defeat The Samoans for the WWF World Tag Team Title in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ending the second reign for Afa & Sika.
1993 - Brian Christopher & Jeff Jarrett defeat Rex Hargrove & Koko B. Ware for the USWA Tag Team Title in Memphis, Tennessee, starting their second reign. They had lost the belts to Hargrove & Ware only seven days earlier.
1997 - ECW ran at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the following results:
- Chris Candido & Lance Storm defeated Tommy Rogers & Jerry Lynn.
- Mikey Whipwreck defeated Spike Dudley.
- Al Snow defeated Paul Diamond.
- Axl Rotten defeated D-Von Dudley, John Kronus and Tracy Smothers in a Four Way Dance.
- Justin Credible defeated Chris Chetti.
- Blue Meanie defeated Jason Knight.
- ECW World Champion Bam Bam Bigelow defeated Shane Douglas.
- Taz & Tommy Dreamer defeated Sabu & Rob Van Dam.
1997 - Bull Pain defeats Buddy Landell in Bardstown, Kentucky to win back the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title, which Landel had won the night before.
1999 - The New Age Outlaws defeat Mankind & Al Snow for the WWF World Tag Team Title in State College, Pennsylvania. This would be the fifth, and final tag title reign for Billy Gunn & Road Dogg.
1999 - Scott Hall defeats Bret Hart, Sid Vicious & Goldberg for the vacant WCW U.S. Heavyweight Title in a Ladder match in Indianapolis, Indiana, starting his second title reign.
2003 - In a battle of WWE announcers, Jerry Lawler defeats Al Snow in Secaucus, New Jersey to win the Jersey All Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Title.
2003 - Kid Kruel defeats Christopher Daniels in Wilmington, Delaware to win the ECWA Heavyweight Title.
2005 - At a Smackdown taping in Indianapolis, Indiana, Eddie Guerrero defeated Ken Kennedy (now Mr. Anderson in TNA) via disqualification when Guerrero tricked referee Charles Robinson into thinking that Kennedy had used a chair. As a result of the win, Guerrero had earned a spot on the Smackdown team for the Raw vs. Smackdown match at Survivor Series. Sadly, this would be Eddie Guerrero's last match, and would be broadcast just two days before his death.
2006 - WWE ran Nuremberg, Germany with the following results:
Here are the results of today's SmackDown! house show event from the Arena Nuremberger Versicherungen at Nuremberg, Germany
~ 90% of the arena was sold out!
1. Non-Title match: Matt Hardy def. Cruiserweight champion Gregory Helms after his Twist of Fate.
2. CM Punk def. Mike Knox (w/ Kelly Kelly) by submission with the Anaconda Vise.
3. Kane def. MVP after he was able to hit the Chokeslam.
4. WWE Tag Team Championship: Brian Kendrick & Paul London (c) def. KC James & Idol Stevens (w/ Michelle McCool) with a crucifix. Theodore Long restarted the match after James and Stevens were able to win the match and the titles because of a screw job.
5. Lashley def. Tatanka after hitting a spear.
6. Diva best body contest - Referee: Matt Striker: Layla vs. Kristal ended in a no contest after the Sandman appeared and beat the crap out of Striker with his Singapore Cane.
7. The Undertaker def. Mr. Ken Kennedy with his Tombstone Piledriver.
8. Extreme Rules handicap match: Rob Van Dam def. Paul Heyman's Security (Bashams) with a 5 Star Frog Splash through a table.
9. William Regal def. Funaki after hitting a high knee.
10. United States Championship: Chris Benoit (c) def. Chavo Guerrero via crippler crossface submission.
11. World Heavyweight Championship: Triple Threat Match - Batista def. "King" Booker (c) (w/ Queen Sharmell) and Finlay via DQ. After the match also the Undertaker, William Regal and Lashley appeared and a war between the faces and the heels ended this house show.
Pictures of the fanfest with Bobby Lashley and Layla are already available at WWE.com (Worldwide).
WWE will return (as mentioned on PWInsider earlier today) to Germany in April with 4 RAW house show events in Munich, Mannheim, Oberhausen and Bremen starting April 19, 2007. Tickets will go on sale Nov. 18, 2006 and are available at eventim.de. The SmackDown! brand will tour in Viena, Austria for the first time in over 10 years on Saturday, April 21, 2007.
2007 - WWE announced that they have released Chris Masters. Masters was in the midst of serving a 60 day suspension for his second Wellness Test failure. .
2007 - Joanie Laurer legally changed her name to Chyna.
2007 - World Wrestling Entertainment released WWE developmental talent Ryan Wilson, who worked in OVW as masked character Jacob Duncan. Wilson, who at one point was OVW champion, appeared briefly in TNA as Trytan and signed with WWE in November 2005.
2007 - CNN ran a special on professional wrestling "Death Grip." Bedford Crenshaw filed the following report:
Review of Death Grip: Inside Professional Wrestling
Show starts after its intro by showing a highlight reel of Chris Benoit, with his Wrestlemania XX WWE World title win and Chris Jericho ladder match.
They go to Michael Benoit (Chris father) looking at paranoid letters Chris wrote to Eddie, talking about dreams where his parents had perished, and Nancy's parents were next, done by high-ranking people. Nineteen months later, Benoit killed his wife and child. Michael says he wishes he did not encourage Chris dream, with the dream being a wrestling superstar.
Dr. Keith Pinkers studied wrestlers' deaths from 1983-2003, finding 64 wrestlers dead before the age of 40. CNN found 18 wrestlers who died before age 50 in past five years.
Chris Kanyon discusses overdosed on sleeping pills and could have killed himself.
We come to the first segment with Vince and Linda McMahon, who said they had no idea Chris would become such a monster.
After a commercial break, they talk about the Chris Benoit tribute show, with Phil "CM Punk" Brooks saying how he was disappointed that he did not get to wrestle Chris, who Punk saw as a hero. Vince's apology for the tribute show the next night on ECW is briefly shown. Del "The Patriot" Wilkes says that Vince changed the wrestling, making it a place for big wrestlers, because that was what Vince liked; it was mentioned that Wilkes went to jail for a brief time.
We have our first view of an anonymous wrestler. We see a small-built anonymous wrestler with hooded jacket and masked voice, billed as a former longtime WWE employee, saying how Vince changed not just the wrestlers (who used to look like unemployed uncles), but changed the fans by making them think wrestlers should look a certain way.
The 1990s Steroid trial is mentioned, with Hulk Hogan shown, noting he admitted to using steroids, that 80% of WWF wrestlers used them, and that Vince knew of the use. CNN called this damning evidence. WCW is then mentioned, with a brief bit with Eric Bischoff and disclosure that Ted Turner had owned WCW as he had once owned CNN.
Going back to Vince, who evades the question that he prefers big guys, Irv Muschnik (author of Wrestling Babylon) states how the lack of spaces for top wrestlers encourages steroid use. Chris Jericho defends WWE, saying how you don't have to be big to make it. We go to commercial.
We come back seeing pictures of teenage Chris lifting weights. Michael says he regrets buying weights for Chris, saying it was the biggest mistake of his life. They talk about how Chris convinced Michael to let him drive 3 hours away to Calgary on weekends, eventually idolizing The Dynamite Kid.
We go to the ex-wife of Tom "Dynamite Kid" Billington, Michelle, who blames Billington's acts on steroids. She says that Billington would drag her by the hair, and she actually contemplated killing her kids and herself, only stopping for fear that someone might survivel. She never told Billington that. She paid for Billington's one-way ticket back to England, so he would no longer be in her and their children's lives.
CNN finds Billington, who is first seen rolling his wheelchair in his public-housing apartment outside Manchester. He has a pin sticking out of toe next to his big left toe. He admits that wrestling caused this to happen to him, as he smokes a cigarette. Billington says he had went back to wrestling for the money after a doctor's warning about his health. A drug overdose revealed an enlarged heart, which stopped Billington from ever using steroids again. Billington has never seen his daughter, and feels that Michelle has unfairly poisoned their children's minds against him. The documentary reinforces the fact that Billington was who Chris idolized, using similar looking photos of the two juxtaposed against the other.
After commercial, we go back to Michael. He said they were planning on cremating Chris, when Chris Nowinski called Michael, asking for a piece of Chris brain for study to see if brain damage was the cause of Chris episode. They show the Sports Legacy Institute's findings, claiming Chris' brain was like a senile 85-year-old brain with dementia. Michael said it turned his grief to anger; that Chris' wrestling style caused this. They return to clips of Chris in action, with his trademark diving headbutt.
The McMahons mutually comment they are not trusting the results, saying that they are laying off chairshots to the head, but are hesitant to blame concussions. Vince says Vince could not have performed at his job or even gone to the airport if he was like an 85-year-old with dementia.
We come back from commercial, discussing Eddie Guerrero. They then concentrate on the WWE Steroid policy. Dr. Gary Waddler is then questioned. He was an witness against McMahon in the 1990s steroid trial. McMahon said the 90s tests were successful, but ended up losing too much money to continue them as they weren't a public company at that point, WCW wasn't testing and the company was losing millions. Waddler refers to a gold standard, which is the testing system of the US Olympic team, where the first offense is a 2-year suspension, and a second meaning possible life-banning.
Travis Tygert of the US Anti-Doping group dismisses the WWE policy, which allows for 4 offenses and has a medical loophole. We go to Dr. David Black of Aegis Science, who was hired by Vince to strengthen the WWE policy. Black hopes the WWE is sincere, lest he is viewed as a fool. Black admits that the current policy, and how many of the physiques are not natural. We return to the anonymous wrestler, who said how the business suffered after the first steroid scandal due to smaller wrestlers. We go to commercial.
We come back to Phil "CM Punk" Brooks, who is said to be in more demand than ever since attaining the ECW belt. We see Punk in action, and how he's straight-edge. They question Punk, who they said wrestled for 10 years but is only now in the forefront. Punk accredits his rise more to circumstance than because the WWE wants a clean wrestler.
They go to John Cena, who CNN says doesn't like being asked about steroids. Cena says that I can't tell you I haven't, but you'll never be able to prove I have (used them). We go back to Vince, who says the Media didn't force him to institute the Wellness Policy. When asked if the WWE is now free, Vince said that that no group could say that they are totally steroid-free. They mentioned that 10 wrestlers were outed in newspapers and by a new Yokr State prosecutor and that they were suspended by the WWE afterwards. Vince denies any culpability for wrestlers dying young.
We conclude with Michael Benoit, who says it is too late for his son and daughter-in-law, but its not for the current wrestlers.
2008 - Tickets for Wrestlemania 25 in Houston, Texas officially went on sale with sales of $4.8 million.
2008 - Ring of Honor ran Markham, Ontario. Darrin filed the following live report:
last night's show was pretty good. Not as good as their Toronto debut (but in fairness, they had a lot to live up to, in my opinion), but very good, nonetheless. Definitely worth the road trip.
The preliminary match was local favorites Stupified and Player Uno(aka the Super Smash Brothers) vs. Ernie Osiris & The Yellow Ninja. SSB were very over with the crowd. They've wrestled many times in Ottawa, so we were very familiar with them and were pleasantly surprised to see them, since I don't remember hearing about them advertised for this show. SSB did get the win, but I don't remember who pinned who.
I believe the official opening match was Jerry Lynn vs. Davey Richards. Obviously a huge pop for Lynn and no doubt about it, he's still got it. Davey won the match via pinfall.
The next match was Kenny King & Rhett Titus vs. Delirious & Brodie Lee. King and Titus were answering the open challenge from Delirious and Brodie. King and Titus won by count out when the Titus, Delirious and Brodie brawled to the back. The crowd seemed to hate the whole 20 count change the rules. At least the fans in my immediate area, crapping all over Adam Pearce. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with it.
Next up was Roderick Strong & Erick Stevens vs. Go Shiozaki & Eddie Edwards. By this time, it was obvious that Larry Sweeny was not in attendance, and the crowd didn't like it. At one point, Shane Hagadorn who I guess is Larry's second in command was insulting the crowd, and someone yelled "We paid to see Larry Sweeny tell us we suck", which I thought was pretty funny. Strong & Stevens won via tap out. It looked like they might have been teasing a breakup between the two as there were a few points in the match with "missed spots" where one guy hit the other, but they shook hands after the match, so no breakup yet, I guess.
Dog Collar match was next with Jimmy Jacobs vs. Austin Aries. The idiot rednecks in the crowd made their presence felt as they directed a very loud "Emo F****t" chant at Jimmy. Some things never change. For the majority of the match, Jimmy didn't have his end attached as he kept stopping the ref from putting it on. The funny part was when some of the crowd crapped on the ref for not starting the new 20 count when the guys spilled outside, not realizing of course than in a Dog Collar match, there are no count outs which was pointed out to them by some of the other fans. Jimmy bled a gusher in this match but in the end, Austin prevailed. But the crowd still gave Jimmy a nice ovation as he was leaving the arena. 0
After the intermission we had Grizzly Redwood vs. Alex "Sugerfoot" Payne. Grizzly wasn't as over as you would think he would be in a Canadian crowd, but I liked him. I liked how, because of his height, instead of aiming his chops at Payne's chest, he was aiming at his legs, and focusing his attack there, which I though was a unique offense. Grizzly won the match.
3 way match was next with Bryan Danielson vs. Kenny Omega vs. Tyler Black. This was the second best match of the night, in my opinion. One of the coolest spots was when Bryan got both Kenny and Tyler with the cattle mutilation. Bryan was over with the crowd, except for one person who kept trying to start an "overrated" chant, which as you can imagine got him a lot of heat from the crowd. In the end Bryan won with a cattle mutilation, but Kenny still got a pretty good ovation after the match and Bryan even put him over as he was exiting the ring. Kenny definitely has a bright future in this business. And he's super hot as well, which doesn't hurt in this business.
Our World title match was next with Nigel McGuiness vs. Necro Butcher. Nigel had a shiner on his left eye, which he said was from last night when he beat up "15 or 16 guys" or something to that effect. And Necro had his left calf wrapped up and seemed to be visibly limping, so I guess it was legit (wouldn't surprise me, knowing Necro). Nigel made a deal with Necro that if he didn't punch him in the face, he wouldn't go after his injured calf. Obviously that didn't last long as every time the ref's back was turned, he went after the injured calf. Which didn't make much sense to me, since technically it wasn't against the rules, but whatever. Crowd seemed into Necro when he first came out, but as the match progressed, it seemed to switch more to 50/50 with the dueling "Necro - Nigel" chants. I'm not sure if that's due to the quality of Necro's work (which wasn't very good, in my opinion), or the Canadian ties to Britain. Either way, a lot of the crowd seemed to turn on Necro. The match ended in a DQ when the Age of the Fall interfered (I think it was Delirious and Brodie Lee). Crowd did not like that result. At that point, Steen and Generico ran off the AOTF, and helped Necro out of the ring, saying how much they respected Necro, but didn't respect AOTF.
Then we get the Briscoes out for the tag team title match. Crowd seemed pretty spilt on this one as well, with Steen and Generico having the edge. To me, this was match of the night. Lots of crazy spots, but luckily it didn't look like anyone seriously hurt themselves. Nothing to the degree of their ladder match last year, thank God. Steen got a huge pop with his Sharpshooter on one of the Briscoes. Steen and Generico won here although again I forget who pinned who.
The crowd was definitely not a big as the show in July. It was a smaller venue (but not by much) and it was not sold out. The floor seats were full, but the bleacher section was about half full. I suck and crowd estimates, but I would say probably 500-700 people were in attendance. Merchandise table was busy before and after the show, as well as during intermission, so I think they still probably did well in sales. Lots of DVDs were sold, as they had a "Buy 3 get 1 free" deal. I myself bought 4 DVD's and decided to get the "old school Macho Man" style Sweet & Sour t-shirt.
2009 - WWE developmental Florida Championship Wrestling aired TV on the Brighthouse Network in Florida. Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:
We start off with a look back at Justin Angel defeating Heath Slater to win the FCW Title in the thirty minute time limit two out of three fall match a few weeks ago.We are live on tape from Tampa, Florida and your announcers are Byron ‘Mr. Tuesday Night’ Saxton and Dusty ‘Going to the Pay Window’ Rhodes.
Steve Keirn comes to the ring to address the fans in the FCW Arena. Steve says that as President of Florida Championship Wrestling, there have been a lot of great champions. He says that the title is the stepping stone to being a superstar. Steve brings out the current FCW Champion, Justin Angel. Steve says that Justin will be facing his toughest opponent yet, Sheamus. Steve wishes him the best of luck. He also has a surprise for Justin Angel and it is a photo of him on the wall with the WWE banners.
Justin has a few words after Keirn leaves. He says that is amazing and he doesn’t know what to say. He thanks everyone in FCW for the honor. He talks about his match against the former FCW Champion, Sheamus. He says that if he is not focused, then he can lose everything and will have to start at the beginning again.
Justin is interrupted by Abraham Washington, who is accompanied by Liviana and Rosa Mendes. Abe says that he wants to be the first to congratulate him on the banner and he apologizes for not being there for the unveiling, but he had a few ‘business issues’ to deal with in the back. Abe says that now that the banner is up, it was his idea. Abe wants Justin to know that he owns him right now. Everything that Justin does, he owes it to Abe.
While Abe talks to Justin, Sheamus sneaks into the ring undetected and he attacks Justin from behind with a bicycle kick and a uranage back breaker. Sheamus holds the belt over Justin and then he drops it on Angel as the referees come into the ring to check on the champion.
We go to commercial.
We are back with a Moments Ago Moment of Sheamus’ attack of Justin Angel.
Match Number One: Curt Hawkins versus Brett DiBiase
They lock up and they roll to the floor and break. They rush back in and Hawkins with a slap. DiBiase pushes Hawkins back. Hawkins sends DiBiase into the turnbuckles and then he hits a suplex for a near fall. Hawkins with a knee to the back and then he stretches DiBiase and works on the back. DiBiase reverses but Hawkins with a forearm to the back. Hawkins with a snap mare and a kick to the back. Hawkins returns to the back but DiBiase runs Hawkins into the turnbuckles. DiBiase with punches followed by a back elbow and a standing drop kick. DiBiase with a forearm into the corner followed by a cross body and he gets a near fall. DiBiase with a slam and a fist drop for a near fall. DiBiase goes to the top turnbuckle but Trent Baretta and Caylen Croft distract the referee and DiBiase long enough to allow Hawkins to get a rollup for the three count.
Winner: Curt Hawkins
We go to commercial.
Match Number Two: Caylen Croft with Trent Baretta versus Bo Rotundo with Duke Rotundo
They lock up and Bo with a side head lock but Croft sends Bo into the corner. Bo with a side head lock take down. Bo with a shoulder tackle and then he blocks a leap frog and he catapults Croft into the turnbuckles. Bo returns to the side head lock. Croft with a belly-to-back suplex followed by a forearm to the back. Croft chokes Bo in the ropes and then he works on the back with a knee. Croft with a snap mare and a near fall. Croft with a sleeper on Rotundo. Croft turns it into a front face lock and Bo escapes but Croft with a drop kick for a near fall. Croft with a double sledge to the back and he gets a near fall. Croft with a leaping knee drop for a near fall. Croft with a knee to the head but he misses a second knee drop when Bo moves out of the way. Bo with punches but Croft with a knee. Bo with a power slam and both men are down. They get back to their feet and Bo with a clothesline and a back elbow. Bo with an Irish whip and a running clothesline into the corner followed by a bulldog for a near fall.
Beretta tries to interfere but Duke comes over to pull Beretta off the apron. Bo with a spear for the three count.
Winner: Bo Rotundo
After the match, Beretta attacks Bo Rotundo while Curt Hawkins comes out and goes after Duke. Brett DiBiase comes out to even the sides.
We go to commercial.
Match Number Three: Tyler Reks and Gabriel versus Alex Riley and Eli Cottonwood
Riley and Gabriel start things off but Riley goes to the floor and he hides behind Cottonwood. Gabriel returns to the ring to wait for Riley. Gabriel allows Reks into the match and they lock up but Riley with a knee and he works on the arm. Reks punches Riley. Reks with a flying clothesline and a running back elbow and then he slams Riley to the mat. Cottonwood distracts Reks but Riley misses a punch. Riley with a rollup. Riley with a neck breaker and he gets a near fall. Cottonwood tags in and he kicks Reks and chokes him with his boot. Cottonwood with a biel and a short arm clothesline. Cottonwood with a chin lock on Reks but Reks with a jawbreaker and Riley tags in and stops Reks from making the tag. Reks avoids a slam and he tags in Gabriel. Gabriel with a double leg take down and he punches Riley. Gabriel with more punches to Riley. Gabriel with a series of Irish whips and a back body drop. Gabriel tries to knock Cottonwood off the apron. Gabriel with a neck breaker but Cottonwood breaks up the cover. Reks with a drop kick that sends Cottonwood to the floor. Reks tries for a pescado but Cottonwood moves out of the way. Reks lands on his feet but he is not up there too long because of a punch. Gabriel tries for the Vindicator but Cottonwood grabs Gabriel by the throat. Reks pulls Cottonwood off the apron, but Riley is able to get the three count with a leaping sit out uranage.
Winners: Alex Riley and Eli Cottonwood
Match Number Four: Justin Angel versus Sheamus for the FCW Title
Angel with forearms at the start of the match and then he kicks Sheamus in the legs and hits a drop kick that sends Sheamus to the floor. We have to go to commercial.
We are back and Angel has Sheamus in an arm bar. Sheamus with a forearm and Irish whip but Angel moves when Sheamus charges into the corner. Sheamus sends Angel onto the turnbuckles and then he knocks Angel off the turnbuckles and to the floor. Sheamus goes to the floor and he sends Angel into the apron. They return to the ring and Sheamus with a near fall. Sheamus with knees to the back and then he chokes Angel. Sheamus with a back elbow. Sheamus catches Angel when he charges into the corner and he hits a fallaway slam and gets a near fall on Angel. Sheamus with forearms across the chest and then he works on the back. Sheamus with more forearms and he gets another near fall. Sheamus with a chin lock. Sheamus with more forearms across the upper chest. Sheamus with European uppercuts and then he hits a back body drop. Sheamus with a punch and then he connects with another knee before returning to the chin lock. Angel with knees and punches to Sheamus. Sheamus with an Irish whip and then he connects with another forearm across the chest and gets a near fall. Sheamus chokes Angel and kicks him. Sheamus with a series of knees to the chest followed by a knee lift and Angel goes to the mat. Sheamus gets a near fall. Sheamus with a rear chin lock as he works on Angel’s back. Angel with punches and forearms and Sheamus goes to the mat. Angel with a back kick and a few more kicks followed by a DDT for a near fall. Angel with a kick to the chest and then Angel with a springboard moonsault for a near fall. Angel with a European uppercut but Sheamus with a kick and then he tries to throw Angel over the top rope but Angel skins the cat and takes Sheamus to the floor with a head scissors. Angel with a corkscrew pescado onto Sheamus and both men are down. Angel goes up top but Sheamus crotches Angel. Sheamus with punches and then he hits the Fiery Red Hand but Angel kicks out at two. Angel with an inside cradle for a near fall but Sheamus with a kick to the chest. Angel blocks a suplex but he cannot avoid a back body drop. Sheamus sets for the bicycle kick but Angle rolls out of the way and Angel with a tilt-a-whirl head scissors and Sheamus is down. Angel hits the 450 splash for the three count.
Winner: Justin Angel
2010 - WWE's Smackdown brand ran Newcastle, Great Britain. Ian Willis filed the following live report:
Smackdown results from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England:
1) Finlay beat Tyler Reks. Decent match... finish came from Reks got the shillelagh... ref stopped him using it...Hornswoggle then passed a second shillelagh to Finlay who blasted Reks while the ref got rid of the first one.
2) Mason Ryan beat Chavo Guerrero. Ryan is a powerhouse... impressed me quite a bit... his "move-set" kind of Goldberg/Batista style.
3) Drew McIntyre beat Chris Masters. Very good match... before the match Drew got on the mic and said that he used to wrestle in Newcastle (which was true, he did a lot a work for a now defunct local promotion - Mick Foley appeared on one of their very last shows as well) and go out partying in Newcastle, but that the place was a Dump ! Great way to draw heat ! Good reversal before Masters could lock in the Masterlock into Drew's finisher
4) Dolph Ziggler beat Kaval and MVP in a Triple Threat Intercontinental title match. Ziggler spent most of the time selling outside of the ring. When he was in the ring there were a lot of roll-ups and 2 counts. The finish came when Kaval hit Ziggler with some excellent kicks. Ziggler again went to the outside and MVP hit his finisher on Kaval... then Ziggler jumped back in, threw out MVP and scored the pinfall.
5) Edge & Rey Mysterio beat Alberto Del Rio & "Dashing" Cody Rhodes in an excellent tag match. Before the match Cody jumped the barrier and started throwing a chair about in a fit of rage (having just made a speech about how him and Del Rio are future Hall of Famers, which was virtually inaudible due to booing), the two WWE security guards came over to check on us as the chair came quite close. What was surprising here was Mysterio wrestled 80% of the match himself ! You would have thought Edge had the injury rather than the other way round. Finish came with 619 on Cody, who then turned a round, straight into a spear. After the match Edge got on the mic and said him and Rey were true Hall of Famers... everyone agreed. How quickly can Edge go from Heel to Face ?
INTERMISSION
6) Kelly Kelly beat Layla in a non-title match. Layla came out with a large Gym ball and started doing some kind of poor fitness routine, which was abruptly ended when Kelly threw the gym ball right in her face. Usual diva's match, nothing special. Layla blindsided Kelly after the match leading Hornswoggle to come out and help Kelly. They celebrated in the ring and even got Tony Chimmel involved (Tony has, and always will be insanely over in Newcastle).
7) Kofi Kingston beat Jack Swagger (with the annoying Eagle) with trouble in paradise. Lots of interference and stalling, but good solid contest. Swagger and the Eagle started double teaming Kofi after the match leading to the arrival of the Big Show, who issued the knockout punch on the Eagle and a chokeslam on Swagger, then the big red pyro went off leading to...
8) MAIN EVENT - Kane vs. Big Show - No Contest. I was expecting a slow slugfest, but the match exceeded my expectations greatly (apart from the finish). A good third of the match was outside the ring and got the crowd really involved. The finish came via ref bump. Show hits chokeslam, no-one to count to 3, then all the heels hit the ring. All the faces promptly followed clearing the ring. The heels then regrouped on the ramp and looked like they were going to storm the ring but they all stopped at the last second apart from Chavo, who took 5 finishers in a row. Edge then got on the mic and thanked the crowd.
This was my tenth WWE live event at Newcastle (One PPV, 6 Raws, 3 SD! ) and I'd say this event was in the top 5 easy. I was apprehensive reading the reports of the earlier shows of this tour but the fact they shuffled everything around and Edge made it gives it an 8 out of 10. Tickets for next April's Wrestlemania Revenge tour go on sale this Wednesday at 9 a.m. BST.
2010 - TNA taped Impact in Orlando, Florida. Alex Hernandez filed the following results:
Dark Match:Impact:
*Immortal comes out then introduces Jeff Hardy, who cuts a promo. Hulk Hogan comes out and thanks Ric Flair for watching over everything while he was not there. Hogan says he has a surprise for Hardy and lowers a new TNA title belt. They throw the old belt in the garbage. Hogan says if anyone is against them, they are going down. Pope is in the crowd and says he is going to put Eric Bischoff in a coffin. Samoa Joe comes out from another end of the Impact Zone and cuts a promo on Jeff Jarrett. Rob Van Dam appears by the announcers and calls out Hardy. Matt Morgan comes out and asks for a match with Hardy again. Hogan tells them they will get a fight.
*TNA X-Division champion Robbie E and Cookie defeated Jay lethal and Taylor Wilde.
*Kaz defeated Rob Van Dam after Rhino turned on RVD, then laid out Tommy Dreamer in the back with a chair as well.
*Backstage Eric Bischoff was yelling at the referee from the TNA Turning Point bout, but Matt Morgan later told him it was OK because mistakes happen.
*Team 3D came out for their farewell and gave a speech, only to see Bubba turn on Devon after they hugged.
* AJ Styles defeated Stevie Richards. It appeared Richards may have taken the Styles Clash wrong and had to be helped to the back with a neck brace on.
*Samoa Joe defeated Gunner and Murphy in a handicap match. Jeff Jarrett attacks Joe but Kurt Angle makes the save.
*They showed backstage vignettes where Pope Dinero captured Bischoff humiliated him and put him in a casket. When he brought Bischoff him the ring, Abyss attacked. They put Pope in the casket and rammed it into a wall.
*Matt Morgan defeated Doug Williams and Beer Money after Money left Williams to tend to Ric Flair, who Morgan had nailed. Hardy appeared on the Tron and as Morgan was watching him, Hardy came from behind, lowblowed him and nailed the twist of fate to close the show.
*After Impact they re-taped the Robbie & Cookie vs. Lethal & Wilde match, so something must have gone wrong the first time.
2010 - Raw was taped and broadcast from Manchester, England. Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:
We are live on tape from Manchester, United Kingdom and your announcers are Michael ‘The New King of WWE’ Cole and Josh ‘The Prince of NXT’ Mathews.John Cena is in the ring and he is behind a Nexus podium in his alternate Nexus gear. He has a proclamation to read and the Town Crier begins. It is his distinct honor to introduce everyone the man who promised the winds of change and has delivered. He is the leader of the most dominant and revolution force to set foot in a WWE ring, Nexus. In two weeks, he will be your WWE Champion. Welcome your hero who is making his triumphant return to Manchester, England . . . Wade Barrett.
Wade comes to the ring and the rest of Nexus follows behind at a distance.
Wade thanks John for the outstanding introduction. He says that he couldn’t have said it better himself, but he did write it for John. Wade says that the prodigal son has returned. What better way to celebrate his upcoming championship reign than to have a preview of the championship celebration tonight. He says that there is going to be a big party and everyone is invited. Before Nexus hoist him victoriously on his shoulders and get ahead of ourselves, Wade says that there is some business to get finished.
Wade says that there are a couple of issues that happened last week that need to be dealt with. We go to the footage from Smackdown when David Otunga brought much shame to Nexus by getting pinned in the ten man tag match. Wade tells David to step forward. He tells David that the next time he undermines his authority as leader of Nexus and take them to Smackdown without his permission, make sure that you are successful. Wade tells David to get back in line and he will deal with him later. Wade says that he wants to deal with John Cena. Last week, John had the opportunity to showcase on Raw what he is going to do at Survivor Series in the match between Wade Barrett and Randy Orton. We go to footage of Cena not allowing a tag from last week’s tag match leading to the loss by Nexus.
Wade wants John to explain himself. John says it started as a joke when he rapped on a Thanksgiving episode of Smackdown and then he started wearing his hat backwards and saying that he was invisible. Wade wants John to explain what happened last week. John says that they lost. Wade says that he isn’t going to let anyone ruin his homecoming. In two weeks, John Cena is either free of the Nexus or he is fired. Either he raises Wade’s hand and gives him the WWE Title, or he flushes Cena’s career down the toilet.
Cena says that he is glad that Barrett is home. Cena reminds Wade that freed or fired, he will give Wade and anyone else who wants to get involved the beating of a lifetime.
Wade tells Cena that he holds Cena’s destiny in his hands so he will do exactly what he tells Cena at Survivor Series. Wade says that he wants to rehearse what he will say after Survivor Series. He wants Cena to tell the world that Wade is the WWE Champion. Cena points out that Wade hasn’t won anything.
Before Cena can play pretend, Randy Orton slithers out onto the stage.
Randy says that the last time he checked, he was still WWE Champion. He tells Wade that he has John Cena under his thumb, but Cena isn’t fighting him for the title. Randy says that he can beat Wade regardless of who the referee is. Randy says that he doesn’t care about what happens to Cena in two weeks, all he cares is that Wade Barrett never gets the title.
Wade tells Orton that he had an army of men behind him at his beck and call, but Orton doesn’t have anyone.
The General Buzzkill has made the trip over the pond and Michael Cole climbs Mount Why Am I Here. He quotes, Wade Barrett’s championship celebration preview has officially been cancelled. To ensure that there is a decisive victor, the match must be won by pinfall or submission only. The remaining members of Nexus will be banned from ringside. That is at Survivor Series, but tonight since Wade Barrett has an army behind him, Randy Orton will have one tonight as well. Team Barrett will face Team Orton in a ten man tag match. The General Buzzkill will be choosing the team later tonight and the referee will be John Cena.
Cena knocks over the Whole N’ing Podium and then he pushes David Otunga down . . . ONCE.
We go to commercial.
Match Number One: The Bellas and Eve Torres versus Tamina, Alicia Fox, and Maryse in a Divas Cup Match
Tamina and Eve start things off and Tamina backs Eve into the corner and breaks. Tamina with a kick and the referee warns her. Eve with kicks to Tamina followed by a forearm. Tamina with a Samoan drop for a near fall. Maryse tags in and she kicks Eve and then gets a near fall. Maryse slams Eve’s head into the mat and then she pushes Eve around and then Maryse flips her hair for no reason. Maryse with a reverse chin lock. Eve with an elbow and enzuigiri.
Alicia and Brie tag in and Brie with drop kicks and clotheslines and then she counters a tilt-a-whirl back breaker with a lateral press. Tamina breaks up the cover and there is pandemonium in the ring and then Maryse with a DDT to Brie but then Nikki rolls Brie out of the way and Nikki with a rollup for the three count.
Winners: Eve Torres and The Bellas
Nexus is in the locker room and David says that Cena tried to punk them and nobody punks them. Wade enters and David shuts up. David says that he is telling everyone to step it up tonight. Wade says that David will be stepping it up not as a member of Team Nexus but he will be facing John Cena. Wade reminds David that he said that he was the most talented member of Nexus and we will find out tonight. Wade tells David to give everything in the ring but he reminds David that he will be saying the same thing to Cena.
Barrett leaves and the rest of Nexus leave Otunga like rats from a sinking ship.
We go to commercial.
We are back wit the WWE Rewind: Natalya defeating Michelle McCool last week to allow Natalya to get another title match at Survivor Series.
Match Number Two: David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd with Natalya versus The Usos in a Remember when these two teams feuded match
Jimmy and Smith start things off and Smith with knees and a European uppercut. Smith with a slam and then he knocks Jey off the apron. Smith with a shoulder tackle to Jimmy that knocks him to the floor. Kidd tags in and he goes for a somersault dive and he hits a rana on Jey on the floor. Kidd misses a springboard elbow drop and Jimmy sends Kidd into the corner and he punches and kicks Kidd. Jey tags in and he slams Kidd. Jimmy tags back in and he hits an elbow off the turnbuckles but he can only get a near fall. Jimmy with a reverse chin lock and back elbow.
Jey misses a diving head butt and Smith tries to leave but Natalya forces him back on the apron. Jimmy and Smith tag in and Smith with a belly-to-belly suplex for a near fall. Smith hits the running power slam for a near fall as Jimmy makes the save. Kidd misses a baseball slide to the floor and Jimmy hits a superkick. Smith knocks Jimmy off the apron and Jey goes up top and hits the superfly splash for the three count.
Winners: The Usos
We go to commercial.
We are back and Matt Striker is with Randy Orton and Matt asks Randy who he thinks his partners will be tonight. Orton says that he does care who his partners are because he needs to worry about five members of Nexus and John Cena. He says that his team better be the best of the best.
The Miz enters and he says that he heard from the General Manager and one member of Orton’s team is him. Miz says that Orton’s team is awesome right now.
Back to the Nexus locker room and the members of Team Barrett are talking and David Otunga enters and they give him the silent treatment. Otunga says that he was talking about Cena and not Barrett last week. Otunga says that he is going to beat Cena and he wants them at ringside with him. Justin Gabriel asks if Wade knows about this and then Otunga says that they are started off together and either you’re Neuxs . . . or against us. Otunga says that he will see them at ringside as we go to commercial.
We are back with the WWE Slam of the Week: The Wedding of the Century of Last Week on the Internet.
Match Number Three: Ted DiBiase with Maryse versus Goldust in a Wedding Crashers Match
They lock up and Goldust backs Ted into the corner and then he inhales in front of Ted but Ted with a slap and punches. Goldust with a hip toss and arm drag followed by a clothesline that sends Ted over the top rope to the floor. They return to the ring and Goldust with a reverse atomic drop but Ted with the short clothesline and then he punches Goldust. Ted with a running back elbow for a near fall. Ted with an elbow to the top of the head and then he chokes Goldust in the ropes. Goldust with punches but Ted with a kick and he goes to a rear chin lock. Ted with a neck breaker for a near fall.
Ted tells Maryse to get the belt and Maryse grab the belts and walk away. Goldust punches Ted and then hits the drop down uppercut followed by a bulldog for a near fall. Ted with an Irish whip but Goldust with a power slam for a near fall.
AksanaDust comes out and she take belt from Maryse and slap her in the face. Goldust with a rollup for the three count.
Winner: Goldust
After the match, Goldust goes after his wife . . . and his Million Dollar Belt.
We go to commercial.
Match Number Four: John Cena versus David Otunga in a Who in Nexus is Number Two Match
Nexus accompanied Otunga to the ring who is sporting the new Nexus jacket, but Barrett sends them to the back and Otunga is not happy.
Otunga leaves the ring and goes to the back but Cena hits Otunga from behind. Cena sends Otunga into the vintage car on the stage. They return to the ring and Cena punches Otunga. Cena with a gutwrench suplex and the Cena punches Otunga twice. Cena with a standing drop kick to Otunga. Cena with an Irish whip but he misses a charge into the corner and hits the ring post. Otunga with forearms to the back and then he kicks Cena on the apron.
Otunga with a forearm across the chest. Otunga sends Cena into the ringside barrier and then they return to the ring and Otunga gets a near fall. Otunga punches Cena and then he chokes Cena but he misses an elbow drop. Cena with two flying shoulder tackles followed by the Blue Thunder Driver and it is time to finish the Legendary Sequence with the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena waits for Otunga to get up and he hits the Attitude Adjustment. Cena stands over Otunga and it is time for the STF and Otunga taps like a drummer.
Winner: John Cena
We go to commercial.
We are back and David Otunga has ice on his neck and Wade stops by to clarify things. David got pinned last week on Raw in the tag match. Then he went to Smackdown with the rest of Nexus and got pinned. Then David embarrassed Wade in his home town tonight. Wade wants David to take Nexus back to Smackdown. He tells David that he will wrestle Edge on Smackdown and if he can’t beat Edge, he is done with Nexus.
It is now time for Tea Time with Santino and he is joined by Vladimir Kozlov and they are in suits with umbrellas and matching hats. We see what happened last week with Santino and Sheamus only to see John Morrison get involved in this international battle.
Santino says that him and his friend like to blend in everywhere they go. They were very excited to come to the United Kingdom so they studied British culture and they watched James Bond, Austin Powers, Mr. Bean, and Benny Hill. Santino says that the cars come from a different direction. He asks everyone to drive on the other side tomorrow for him. Santino says that he wants to make a-peace and bury the hatchet with his friend from Irishland. He says that he wants to sit down in an old fashioned tea party and everything will be okay.
Sheamus comes out and he is not dressed for tea.
Santino welcomes Sheamus to his tea party. Santino says that they got off on the wrong foot but he wants to be on the right foot. Santino says that they have green tea and ginger tea and he is afraid that Sheamus will kill him. Santino says that he has a picture of Mr. T.
Sheamus says that Santino is misunderstood. Santino is like a friend of his in Ireland. They each only had one friend and his best friend was a donkey.
Santino asks Sheamus if he likes his tea dark or milky and Santino looks nervous.
Santino says that Sheamus has some rage and anger in him. Santino says that there are two reason. First, it is because he has been overexposed to gamma rays. Second, it was because he was excluded from other activities with children because he is a ginger.
Santino says that he is not going to exclude Sheamus from the fun. He won’t treat Sheamus like a ghost.
Sheamus says that he forgot why he hates Santino in the first place.
Santino says that he can’t remember why Sheamus hates him either.
Vladimir says that it is because Santino beat Sheamus in biggest upset in Double Double E history.
Santino is nervous as he pours some tea for Sheamus and he spills it on Sheamus.
Sheamus attacks the table and the General Buzzkill stands up for other furniture. Michael Cole says that it is time for action and Santino will face Sheamus.
We are back and Did You Know that the WWE received an award for their Chinese debut?
Match Number Five: Sheamus versus Santino Marella
Sheamus waits for Santino to get into his wrestling gear and then he goes to the floor to avoid Sheamus. Santino runs into the crowd and he wants a time out.
The General Buzzkill interrupts the match and Michael Cole goes up a hill and comes down a mountain. He tells Santino to get back into the ring and compete or he will be immediately suspended.
The cobra is unfurled but Sheamus runs him over as he does his St. Patrick tribute and kills a snake. Santino continues to beg for mercy and Santino with a low blow to get disqualified.
Winner: Sheamus by disqualification
After the match, Santino celebrates in the ring, but then he turns around and is met with a pump kick. Sheamus with knees to Santino. Sheamus picks up Santino for the Irish Curse but John Morrison sticks his nose in things one more time.
Morrison punches Sheamus and then Morrison with the springboard round kick. Morrison pulls Santino across the ring to safety.
John Cena is in the locker room and he is watching the Wrestlemania Tickets are going on Sale shortly video package.
We go back to the locker room and Cena is joined by Wade Barrett. Barrett goes through all of the clichés for Wrestlemania and he talks about how John Cena might never experience it again. In two weeks, all he will have to do is raise Barrett’s hand and award him the WWE Title. Then Nexus will be a distant memory. He gives Cena his referee shirt and he tells him to do his job and do it right or his WWE job will be a distant memory.
We go to commercial.
We are back and November 2nd may have passed, but we can still Stand Up for WWE.
As the final member of Team Orton comes to the ring, Michael Cole officially jumped the shark and hugged Alex Riley.
Match Number Six: Randy Orton, Miz, R Truth, Daniel Bryan, and Mark Henry versus Wade Barrett, Husky Harris, Michael McGillicutty, Justin Gabriel, and Heath Slater with guest referee John Cena in a Will this be a preview of the Survivor Series Match
Bryan and Gabriel start things off and Gabriel with a side head lock and Bryan with a drop kick. Gabriel with a kick and he tags in Michael but Bryan with an arm drag into an arm bar. Miz tags in and Miz hits Michael from behind with a clothesline. Miz sends Michael into the turnbuckles and he kicks him. Cena warns Miz and then Miz hits the Awesome Clothesline for a near fall. Miz offers his hand to Orton and Orton tags in. Orton with a snap mare followed by a leaping knee drop. Orton says that he wants Barrett but Slater tags in. Orton punches Slater and then stomps on his head. Truth tags in and he punches Slater and kicks him as he wants to know what’s up. Truth with a float over after an Irish whip and Truth with a split and leg lariat for a near fall. All ten men are in the ring and then Team Orton stands tall while Nexus is on the floor.
David Otunga makes his way to the ringside area as we go to commercial.
We are back and Gabriel and Truth lock up and Otunga has a nasty look on his face at ringside. Gabriel with forearms to Truth but Truth with kicks and punches. Gabriel with a spin kick to Truth for a near fall. Harris tags in and he punches Truth. Truth with punches and kicks.
Mark Henry tags in and the behemoths are in the ring and Henry with punches and a slam. Henry misses a splash and Harris hits a splash into the corner. Michael tags in and Harris sends Michael into the corner but Henry with a clothesline and then Henry with a head butt. Bryan tags in and he connects with a European uppercut and kicks in the corner. Bryan avoids Michael and hits a German suplex followed by a drop kick into the corner but he can only get a two count. Bryan with more kicks to Michael but Michael with a kick. Harris makes a blind tag and Harris breaks up a LeBell Lock attempt on Michael. Harris with a short arm clothesline for a near fall. Harris sends Bryan into the corner and Barrett tags in. Barrett kicks Bryan in the corner.
Bryan gets a near fall. Barrett with an Irish whip and back breaker for a near fall. Barrett with a surfboard on Bryan. Bryan with kicks but Barrett with a Blackpool Slam. Gabriel tags in and he kicks Bryan before tagging in Harris. Harris with kicks and then Slater is tagged in and he kicks and punches Bryan. Slater with an Irish whip but he misses a forearm into the corner and both men are down. Slater knocks Miz off the apron but Bryan with a kick to Slater. Bryan struggles to make it to his corner and Barrett and Orton tag in.
Orton with clotheslines followed by a power slam. Orton kicks Barrett and hits the IEDDT. Orton stares at the ceiling and then twists into the RKO push ups but Barrett with kicks and he gets Orton up for Wasteland. Orton with a back breaker but he only gets a near fall.
Truth with a sit out gourdbuster to Slater. Henry with the World’s Strongest Slam to Gabriel. Slater and Harris send Henry over the top rope to the floor. Bryan with a missile drop kick to Harris and Slater. Orton with another back breaker and it is time for the RKO push ups again. Otunga distracts the referee while Riley hits Orton with the briefcase while Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale and Barrett gets the three count.
Winners: Husky Harris, Michael McGillicutty, Heath Slater, Wade Barrett, and Justin Gabriel
We go to credits with Nexus celebrating on the stage.
2011 - An attorney for Kurt Angle, on behalf of his client, entered a plea of No Contest to a charge Reckless Driving in a Warren County, VA court. This was in response to a charge filed against Angle on 9/3/11 when he was cited for driving erratically on Interstate 66 after appearing at the Shenandoah County Fair earlier that day. After being pulled over, a State Trooper charged Angle with DUI after a field test recorded a 0.091 blood alcohol level on a breathalyzer. On a later test Angle blew of 0.06 so the state dropped the charge to Reckless Driving. Angle was fined $1,500.
2011 - WWE ran Newscastle, England with a Raw brand event. Ian Willis filed the following results:
Santino def D. Otunga.
Mason Ryan def. Kurt Hawkins.
D. Ziggler def Drew McIntyre and John Morrison (Triple Threat US Title Match).
Local boy won Bella Dance off contest to go Backstage.
INTERMISSION
Beth Phoenix def. Eve Torres (Divas Title).
Ryder, Kofi & Cena def Nash & Awesome Truth (Mick Foley Guest Ref).
CM Punk def Alberto Del Rio via DQ. After heel interference, Ziggler ended up taking all the faces finishers and then Mr. Socko appeared to send crowd home happy.
Brief summary - Major surprise that Nash was here tonight. Foley was excellent on the mic. Prior to intermission, first few matches were terrible. After intermission, the matches were excellent. WWE back in Newcastle on April 20th next year, tickets on sale friday 19th November.
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