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November 25th
On this day in history in ....
1982 - Mid South Wrestling ran a Thanksgiving Day event at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, drawing 15,000 fans. Here are the results:
- Tim Horner defeated Mike Bond.
- Mike Sharpe defeated Marty Lunde (who would go on to greater fame as Arn Anderson).
- Princess Victoria defeated Lelani Kai.
- Bob Roop defeated King Cobra.
- Mil Mascaras & Chavo Guerrero defeated Tully Blanchard & Gino Hernandez.
- Mr. Wrestling II defeated Mr. Olympia.
- Mid South Wrestling Tag Team Champions Ted DiBiase & Matt Borne defeated Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts.
- Tony Atlas defeated Mid South Wrestling Louisiana Champion Hacksaw Duggan via countout.
- Stagger Lee (Junkyard Dog under a mask) defeated Ted DiBiase to win the Mid South Wrestling North American Title, ending DiBiase's third reign. JYD was wrestling under the mask due to losing a "Loser Leaves For 90 Days" match. When the 90 days was up, "Stagger Lee" vacated the title and Junkyard Dog "returned".
1985 - The "other" WWF World Championship screwjob took place in Madison Square Garden in New York City, more than a decade before Bret Hart stepped into the ring in Montreal.
WWF Women's World Champion Wendi Richter was riding a huge wave of popularity as an integral part of the "Rock N' Wrestling Connection" to the point that Richter's title defenses often headlined shows where Hulk Hogan wasn't on the card, something unheard of at the time, as women's matches never main evented WWF cards. She was managed by Cyndi Lauper, and her popularity continued even after Lauper stopped accompanying her to ringside. WWF offered Richter a contract on November 11th, but Richter, who was looking for a pay raise, refused to sign, and said she wanted to meet with her lawyers before signing a new deal. The WWF then hatched a plan to take the title off of Richter at Madison Square Garden, with the internal reasoning later being that they didn't want Richter to hold the belt hostage during negotiations. In truth, the decision had already been made by Vince McMahon to cut ties with Richter, and they wanted to get the belt off of her immediately.
Richter was booked to wrestle the Spider Lady, a masked wrestler usually played by Penny Mitchell, and managed by the Fabulous Moolah, in a successful title defense. However, when it came time for the match, Richter was surprised to find out that Moolah was actually under the mask on this night. Richter was quoted in some interviews as saying she didn't know it was Moolah when the match began, but given the number of times the two wrestled, she had to realize that it was Moolah when they started wrestling. During the match, referee Dick Kroll made several suspect counts, and at the end, counted three on a small package by the Spider, despite Richter kicking out.
Richter pulled the mask off of Moolah at that point (Moolah pretty much let Richter do it), and Moolah then paraded around the ring, as ring announcer Howard Finkel announced her as the new champion. Richter threw some kicks and slaps at Moolah, which Moolah no-sold, infuriating Richter, who then grabbed the belt and tried to hit Moolah with it, before throwing it down and storming off from the ring. Richter never wrestled another WWF match, instead working in the AWA and WWC. She would not return to the company until 2009, when she was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame.
1991 - Kamala defeats Jerry Lawler for the USWA Unified Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee, ending Lawler's tenth reign as champion. On the same card, Robert Fuller & Mike Mitchell defeat Doug Masters & Bart Sawyer for the USWA Tag Team Title.
1992 - WWE Survivor Series was held at the Richfield Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio, headlined by WWF World Heavyweight Champion Bret Hart defeating WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels, the in-ring return of Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig after over a year away from wrestling, and the Pay-per-view debut of Yokozuna.
2007 -
2008 - WWE released a History of the Intercontinental championship DVD set.
2008 - WWE broadcast ECW on SyFy featuring the following results:
CW on Sci Fi:
*Jack Swagger pinned Tommy Dreamer in an Extreme Rules match. Really good match.
*Backstage, The Miz and John Morrison say this past Survivor Series was the greatest one ever, because they debuted matching outfits. Boogeyman showed up and scared them.
*Backstage, Matt Hardy talks about Jeff Hardy, saying he's home getting better and is coming after the WWE title.
*Backstage, Hornswoggle is trying to steal candy from a dish but Mark Henry stops him and throws it at him.
*DJ Gabriel defeated an unnamed opponent. Todd Grisham interviewed Alicia Fox and she said that since she was on Smackdown, she took her wedding planning business overseas and met DJ, and they came to ECW together because not only do they have a passion for dancing, but also for winning.
*Mark Henry vs. Finlay ended in a no contest after Hornswoggle and Tony Atlas got involved. They actually filmed the finish twice, with Finlay clobbering Henry with the shillelagh.
2009 - The Hulkamania tour ran Brisbane, Australia. Andrew Marrington filed the following live report:
I was at last night's Hulkamania show at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. It was a fun nostalgia show, with production values easily comparable to WWE house shows in the same venue. The arena was just over half full. I'm really bad at estimating crowd numbers, but with floor seating the capacity of the Brisbane Entertainment Centre is somewhere between 11,000 and 13,000, so I would guess around 6,000 people were in attendance. I don't think I am going too far out on a limb when I say that every person in the arena was there for the main event.
The first match was Heidenreich vs the Pimp Father (and three young women of questionable virtue). These two didn't really seem to click in the ring, and the match was mercifully short. The finish saw Heidenreich get whipped to the buckle, and then rolled up for the pin. I think Heidenreich went into the turnbuckle the wrong way around (backfirst) as the Pimp Father rolled him up from the front and he had to sort of spin around as he fell in order to land with his shoulders down.
The second match was Spartan 3000 vs Shannon Moore. The crowd didn't know who Spartan 3000 was and wasn't very into Moore, either, although the two men put on a great athletic match. The match was the third match in a best of three series for a briefcase containing $25,000. The crowd did not like the match ending in a time limit draw (I didn't have a time for the match - but the limit must have been very low), and a "bullshit" chant started up. Moore challenged Spartan 3000 to a ladder match for the briefcase, and Spartan 3000 accepted but not for tonight - the ladder match will take place in Sydney. This only provoked louder "bullshit" chants.
Next we had a "Down Undies" lingerie competition. No idea who the participants were, I'm sorry. It was followed by a match between Sean Morley and Nick Dinsmore, both of whom were very much doing their old WWE gimmicks. Morley presented Dinsmore with a soft toy koala, and then attacked him from behind while Dinsmore was cuddling the toy. It was a solid match, although I had forgotten how uncomfortable the "Eugene" gimmick always made me feel. The highlight of the match was Dinsmore hitting Morley with a Rock Bottom, followed by a People's Elbow. Morley ended up turning the tables by grabbing the toy koala and then ripping it apart. As Dinsmore gathered up what remained of his toy koala mournfully, Morley kicked him in the head and pinned him.
Following an intermission, the team of Orlando Jordan and Uso (Umaga) wrestled Brutus Beefcake and Ken Anderson (managed by Jimmy Hart) in a tag-team match. My section of the crowd was profoundly disturbed by Beefcake's tights which revealed far too much of the ageing Barber's buttocks, but were pretty into the match. Beefcake was in the match for no more than a couple of minutes at the start, didn't really do anything but circled the ring, and then tagged in Anderson (who remained the legal man for the rest of the match). Uso got a lot of heat as the Samoan monster, and he and Jordan did all the usual heel tag-team double teaming on Anderson while Beefcake played the moron babyface who was easily goaded into trying to get into the ring, inadvertently distracting the referee from the heels double teaming. Eventually Uso ended up brawling with Beefcake on the outside and Jordan was clobbered by Jimmy Hart's megaphone to let Anderson score the pin.
Next up we had a four team elimination match featuring The Vampire Warrior (Gangrel) and Black Pearl vs Rok of Love vs The Nasty Boys vs Brian Christopher and JR Fatu (Rikishi). The Vampire Warrior and Black Pearl jawed with the crowd a lot, and got a lot of heat. Rok of Love were everybody's punching bag, and were lit up bright red from all the chops they took. Christopher was eliminated first, after a DDT by Vampire Warrior. The Nasty Boys were eliminated next, when they brawled with Rok of Love outside the ring, and were disqualified for using a trashcan and a chair (which Sags broke by hitting the Rok of Love guys over the back with it so much). Rok of Love was then counted out as the Nasty Boys continued to beat them down on the outside. This left Vampire Warrior and Black Pearl to double team Fatu, until some interference from the babyface participants in the match let Fatu win by pinning Black Pearl (no idea when Vampire Warrior was eliminated - he wasn't pinned and it wasn't announced that he had been disqualified or counted out). Fatu and Christopher danced in the ring afterwards. A rematch between the Vampire Warrior and Black Pearl and Fatu and Christopher was setup in a backstage vignette.
Finally, the main event featured Ric Flair (accompanied by Lacey von Erich) vs Hulk Hogan in a no disqualification match. Hogan entered the ring to his WCW "American Made" theme. The match featured a lot of brawling and interference. Hogan started bleeding early on, and Flair followed soon after. Flair bumped a lot for Hogan throughout this match, and Hogan spent a lot of the match selling (if not bumping) for Flair. Hogan had several "hulk ups" before it was all said and done. Entertaining spots included Hogan hitting an atomic drop on Lacey von Erich, then hitting Flair, who staggered around doing his out on his feet routine before falling face first into von Erich's nether regions. Flair was assisted at one point by Uso, who Flair would "psyche up" by chopping until Uso was worked up into a frenzy and directed at Hogan. The match ended with Hogan clocking Flair with Jimmy Hart's megaphone, and scoring the pin fall. There were no leg drops, but there was a classic Hogan pose down at the end. This was a really fun match, and was booked well to work around the limitations of both men (especially Hogan).
All in all, the show gave the crowd exactly what they wanted - nostalgia in spades. It definitely seemed like there were a few storylines which were being progressed across the whole tour, which, combined with recent advertisements for "Hulkamania" as part of One HD's summer programming, suggested to me that all of the shows on the tour may end up on TV and DVD.
2010 - WWE broadcast Superstars. Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:
We start off this week’s show with the Smackdown brand and your announcers are Matt Striker and Todd Grisham.
Match Number One: Curt Hawkins versus Trent Barreta in a Rematch from Last Week Match
They lock up and Hawkins backs Barreta into the corner and Hawkins teases a clean break and he punches Trent. Curt with a snap mare and kick to the back. Hawkins with a suplex to Trent and he gets a near fall. Hawkins with a side head lock take down into a side head lock. Curt with a shoulder tackle and kick to the back. Curt taunts Trent but Trent punches Curt. Curt responds with kicks and then he chokes Trent in the ropes. Trent with a rana followed by a clothesline that sends Curt over the top rope to the floor and then Trent with a plancha onto Hawkins. Curt sends Trent into the ringside barrier as we go to commercial.
We are back and Hawkins with a side head lock but Trent with elbows but Curt with an STO for a near fall. Hawkins with an elbow and a near fall. Hawkins returns to the head with a reverse chin lock. Hawkins with knees to Trent and then he tries for a suplex but Trent blocks it. Trent is sent to the apron and Trent with a knee when Curt tries for a shoulder. Barreta with a leg drop that sends Curt to the floor. They return to the ring and Trent with forearms to Curt followed by a European uppercut. Trent with a flying clothesline and then he hits a running knee into the corner. Trent goes to the apron and hits a springboard drop kick to the back of the head but he can only get a two count.
Trent avoids a slam and gets a near fall with a rollup. Curt misses a splash into the corner but he is able to recover and hit an inverted suplex for a near fall. Hawkins with a belly-to-back suplex and then he goes up top for the elbow drop but he misses the elbow drop. Trent sets for a running knee and he hits it but can only get a near fall. Hawkins avoids the tornado DDT and hits a snap neck breaker for the three count.
Winner: Curt Hawkins
It is time to take a look back at what happened on Raw when John Cena said goodbye to the WWE Universe . . . until he came back later in the night to cost Wade Barrett (and eventually Randy Orton) the WWE Title.
Even though we aren’t halfway through the show, it is time for the Raw two-thirds of the show and your announcers are Scott Stanford and Jerry Lawler.
Match Number Two: Vladimir Kozlov and Santino Marella versus Zack Ryder and Primo in a Which One Doesn’t Belong Match
Kozlov and Ryder start things off and Ryder woo woo woos before locking up. Ryder with a kick but Kozlov with an arm drag and Ryder tags in Primo. Primo says that he wants a piece of Santino and he obliges. Santino does his pre-locking up foot work. They lock up to a deadlock. Primo with a knee to Santino’s midsection. Santino with a hip lock take down for a near fall. Santino with a front face lock and he rolls through and tags in Kozlov who kicks Primo in the back. Kozlov with shoulders in the corner followed by a fireman’s carry and he gets a near fall. Santino tags back in and he connects with a forearm to the back. Santino with a fireman’s carry for another near fall.
Santino with a hammer lock but Primo with an elbow and kicks. Primo with a suplex and float over for a near fall. Santino with a jawbreaker and Ryder tags back in and gives Ryder a drop toe hold. Ryder with a punch followed by a knee drop. Santino blocks a punch and he takes Ryder to the floor. Kozlov hits Primo when he tries to attack Santino and we go to commercial.
We are back and Primo has Santino in a surfboard but Santino with a kick to escape. Santino blocks a hip toss and gives Primo one of his own. Santino tries for the saluting head butt but Santino connects with Primo’s knees. Ryder tags in and he sends Santino into the corner with a hard Irish whip and he gets a near fall. Ryder punches Santino and tags in Primo. Primo with a rear chin lock as Santino is almost able to make the tag to Kozlov. Primo with a punch but Santino with an inside cradle and near fall. Primo with a forearm to Santino and Ryder tags back in. Ryder with a knee to Santino and then he chokes him in the ropes. Primo hits Santino while Ryder talks to the referee. Ryder gets a near fall and then he punches Santino in the back. Primo tags in and they hit a double flapjack on Marella but Santino kicks out.
Primo with a side head lock but Santino with an arm drag and Kozlov is tagged in. Kozlov with a head butt and kick to Primo. Kozlov with a head butt to the midsection followed by a running power slam but Ryder breaks up the cover. Kozlov sends Ryder over the top rope but Santino made the tag. Santino with a punch and split stunner and it is time for the cobra and Santino gets the three count.
Winners: Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov
We go to commercial.
We are back and it is time to take a look back at the main event of Raw when we had a new WWE Champion crowned in the Raw Rebound featuring ‘I Hate Miz because he won’ kid.
Match Number Three: Mark Henry versus The Usos with Tamina in a We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Tag Team Division Match
Jey starts things off and Mark gets the crowd into the action before they lock up and Henry sends Jey to the mat. Jey with a side head lock but Henry with a shoulder tackle and Jey appears to have hurt his shoulder and Mark stands on Jey’s chest. They lock up again and Henry sends Jey into the corner and Jimmy tags in but Henry does not feel the punches from Jimmy but he punches Jimmy. Jey tries to interfere but Henry with a head butt to Jey and then he punches Jimmy. Tamina with a kick to Henry’s back that has no effect because she isn’t wearing any shoes. Jey hits Henry from behind but he does not Irish whip Henry. Henry with an Irish whip but he misses a splash in the corner and Jey kicks Henry in the leg and then hits a running butt splash to the head. Jimmy tags in and does the same thing. Jimmy gets a near fall and Jimmy applies a front face lock. Henry with a power slam to Jimmy and both men are down.
Henry misses a splash and Jey tags in and gets a near fall after a leg drop. Jey with a low clothesline and he gets a near fall. Jimmy tags back in and they hit a double elbow drop. Jimmy kicks Henry in the chest as he tries to wear him down. Jimmy gets a near fall. Jimmy with a front face lock but Henry gets to his feet and he tosses Jimmy to get out of the hold. Jey tags in and he runs into a few clotheslines. Henry with a head butt followed by another clothesline for a near fall. Henry stops Jimmy and brings him over the top rope into the ring. Henry with a head butt and then he puts Jimmy on top of Jey before he hits a big splash and then he hits the World’s Strongest Slam for the three count.
Winner: Mark Henry
2010 - TNA broadcast Impact Wrestling. Stu Carapola filed the following TV report:
We open with a recap of last week when Matt Morgan had to defeat Ric Flair to earn the right to name the special referee for the match.
From there we go backstage where Eric Bischoff is settling down for Thanksgiving dinner with Immortal and Fortune, and Bischoff says he loves Thanksgiving and they have plenty to be thankful for, and he personally is thankful for being part of such a terrific group and raises a toast to the entire lot of them. Bischoff has one more thing: Bischoff regrets how a couple of things have happened over the year that he could have done differently, and one in particular is that he invited Dixie Carter to supper. The entire group is shocked at this, and Hogan in particular says that Bischoff needs to talk to the rest of the group before making a decision like this.
Cue the opening and we're off to the Impact Zone for our opening promo, with this week's lucky winner, Matt Morgan. He says that over the past two weeks he's beaten Fortune to get his rematch with Jeff Hardy at Final Resolution, and then he beat Ric Flair to earn the right to name a special referee for the match. Morgan says that what happened at Turning Point won't happen again because the only reason he still has the belt is because of a mistake by a nervous rookie referee. But here's the thing: (stuff) happens, and he doesn't blame the referee, he blames himself because he should have annihilated Hardy so bad that Hardy wouldn't be able to move his shoulders for three days, let alone three seconds, so naming a special referee is beyond important at this point since it's never going to be just the two of them, it'll be Morgan vs Hardy and Immortal. So what Morgan needs is a man who will stand up and isn't scared of being bullied and will kick ass and take names and do whatever he needs to keep the match done: a man kind of like Matt Morgan. He tells Jeff that there's nothing he can do about it this time and there'll be no excuses, it's just the two of them and when this is over, he'll prove to Hardy and the people that there'll be a new TNA World Champion that they can be proud of. Douglas Williams' music hits, and out he comes. Williams says that Morgan doesn't need to look any further for a referee because he doesn't know what his life has been like for months now looking after those tosses. He tells AJ Styles that he wants to be the next Ric Flair, but needs to lose his virginity first, Kazarian's dream is to be America's Next Top Model, and there's Beer Money with James Storm, who is only happy when he blows a number on the breathalyzer that's higher than his IQ, and Robert Roode who enjoys the finer things in life but is one of the tightest guys he knows and bought his suit at a garage sale. Then there's Ric Flair, who is living for yesterday while Williams lives for now, and speaking of now, Williams was there for Morgan last week and Morgan can trust him to be there again. Morgan says Williams is right and Williams showed balls of steel last week and Morgan and the fans appreciate it, but Morgan's going to be straight: Williams is in the running but there's been a couple of other guys in the running and he promises that Williams will be the first person he tells. Williams seems to take that in stride, but now Fortune's music hits and here they come. Flair tells Morgan and Williams that their problem is that they are on the outside looking in, and last week was not Flair's finest night but all they've done is open his eyes to a man he's going to take more seriously. Williams made a mistake when he walked the aisle against Fortune and he's on the outside looking in, and that means he's pissed Flair off and you don't piss off the Nature Boy. Kazarian holds Flair back and says to relax, because when he was a kid, Thanksgiving meant there would be live pro wrestling, so he says that the Queen of England and the Greenprint should get a couple of partners so they can have a good, old fashioned eight man elimination match tonight. Morgan says he's beaten them once, he's happy to do it again tonight. Kazarian says that since he's a gentleman, he's going to tell them his battle plan up front: first, they're going to get rid of the Limey, and then the two chodes they get to team with them, leaving Matty Matty Chicken Patty all by himself. (Kazarian's words) So come Final Resolution, the DNA of TNA is going to be DOA for Jeff Hardy, then he tells Fortune that it's time to head to the back for Thanksgiving dinner with Dixie Carter.
We look at a video package looking at the history of EV2.0 in TNA and Fortune gradually taking them all out, culminating in Rhino turning on them and joining up with Eric Bischoff. Speaking of EV2.0, Tommy Dreamer and Rhino are backstage, and they're...WALKING!
We head backstage to the Bischoff Thanksgiving Extravaganza where Flair is drilling into Fortune's heads that they're up against a couple of nobodies tonight while Bischoff is having a conversation on his cell phone. Fortune asks Flair to get some ice from the bucket and...yep, they iced him! Flair chugs the Smirnoff and struts out of the room. Bischoff gets everybody's attention to inform them that it's official, Dixie Carter has landed and is on her way to the Impact Zone. Hogan again says they need to talk about this. Well, what were they doing during that entire opening promo? They really don't NEED to wait for the cameras before doing anything.
Back to the ring for our opening match...
Rhino vs Tommy Dreamer
Rhino jumps Tommy on his way into the ring and rams him into the corner, but Tommy fires back with a series of rights and sends Rhino to the floor, and Tommy catches him with a baseball slide and goes out after him, slamming Rhino's arm across the guardrail to injure his wrist after Rhino went after Tommy's wrist last week. Tommy pulled a table out from under the ring and slides it into the ring, but Rhino nails him and they brawl over to the entranceway where Rhino suplexes Tommy onto the ramp. Rhino grabs a bunch of plunder out of a trash can and tosses it in the ring, bashes Tommy with the trash can, then tosses it at the ring and flips off the crowd. Rhino rams Tommy into a roadblock that just happened to be there, then rolls him back into the ring where Rhino nails him with a Singapore cane. Rhino wedges the trash can in the corner and rams Tommy into it, but Tommy moves out of the way of a charge and Rhino crashes into the trash can and Tommy lays him out with a series of shots from a cookie sheet, then gets a cooke sheet legdrop. That was unique. Tommy goes for the DDT but Rhino backdrops him and sets up the table in the corner, and Tommy kicks Rhino low and goes for a Death Valley Driver, but Rhino escapes and hits a belly to belly suplex. Rhino tries to gore Rhino through the table but Tommy nails him coming in with a cookie sheet and rolls Rhino up for the win.
Winner: Tommy Dreamer
Tommy grabs a mic and tells Rhino that this is what it's all about: if EV2.0 is going down, he went down with a fight and he went down entertaining the people, and if EV2.0 is over, they've been friends for 14 years but they're over as friends and this is done. He asks Rhino not to forget about their friendship and not to forget about the fans. Rhino pulls himself to his feet and extends his hand to Tommy and Tommy shakes. They hug and Rhino raises his hand, but then...get ready for this...Rhino nails him and rams him through the table. RVD's music hits and out he comes with a chair and chases Rhino off. Van Dam tells Rhino that he may think he's doing right by his family, but asks Rhino how his family's going to feel when he busts him open at Final Resolution. Rhino tells Van Dam that he can't make Rhino bleed, so Van Dam says that busting him up is what the match is all about for him, so he challenges Rhino to make it a First Blood Match. Rhino points at Van Dam and tells him he's got it.
We head backstage to Matt Morgan and Douglas Williams backstage, and they approach Samoa Joe and tell him that they've got to take charge and they all need to be smart. Joe tells them to get one thing straight: there is no we because Joe is smart enough to mind his own business. Williams tells Morgan to forget it because Joe has a screw loose, and Joe tells him that he's got a screw loose for speaking without being spoken to. He asks Williams if he thinks he's a madman and Williams says yeah he does, but he'll see them out in the ring tonight.
We head somewhere else backstage with Velvet Sky & Angelina Love, who are apparently disgusted with Thanksgiving turkey (I guess that Angelina doesn't have the same attachment to Thanksgiving, being Canadian and all) and then Ric Flair struts over going Woo Woo Woo Woo. He says he promised the boys he'd bring back some candy and that's them. Mickie James comes over and Flair smiles and tells her not to be smacking him around tonight, but she wants to talk to Angelina and thank her for wrestling her last week, but Velvet covers Angelina's ears and goes "lalalalala". Mickie asks if they're really serious, but Madison Rayne and Tara come over and Mickie and Tara start brawling, so Angelina and Velvet beat up Madison. Angelina comes up behind Mickie, but Mickie didn't know it was her so she elbows Angelina in the face before going back to beating up Tara. They brawl into the parking lot where they take turns slamming each other into a giant pickup truck and then head off where the camera can't follow them. Velvet and Angelina continue beating up Madison, but Sarita comes out of nowhere and just flat out kicks the crap out of both of them. Now suddenly Winter comes out and drags Sarita off by the hair and tells her to leave Angelina alone because she's with her now. Winter goes to check on Angelina and gives an uncomfortably close hug.
We head backstage to the Bischoff Thanksgiving Extravaganza, and Bischoff asks for everyone's attention to let them know that Thanksgiving is a time to learn and reflect, and they need to realize there's one person to thank for all of them being here, and it's time we give thanks to this person and welcome the guest of honor. He has Eric Young lower the lights, and in comes...Jeff Hardy, complete with purple smoke. Hardy says that everything he's done, he has nobody to thank for it because it's all due to his greatness. He is larger than life itself, he is the elements and Earth and all things to all people...but he will eat. Hardy settles down and starts digging in.
We go out to Mike Tenay and Taz and they take us back to last week when Generation Me fought the Motor City Machine Guns on Reaction. It was definitely unique to watch because it was portrayed as if they were doing this in the middle of the night with all the lights out and nobody in the building. The Guns put Jeremy Buck through a table and then tied Max's hands behind his back, and Max asked them if that was all they had and spat at them, so the Guns responded by superkicking his head off. We then go out back to the Guns who are still all lit up about how intense the fight was and how good it felt to kick their teeth down their throats. But at Final Resolution it's Full Metal Mayhem and they can do whatever they want. Suddenly, Madison Rayne storms up to them and asks where Sarita is, and says "You know, sombrero, maracas...?" Such an ethnically sensitive episode this week! They tell him they don't know what to tell her, they haven't seen her, and Madison goes stalking off. Sabin asks if he'd do her, and Shelley says no way.
We're backstage again, and Matt Morgan and Douglas Williams are asking Pope to join up tonight. Pope seems taken aback that they asked Samoa Joe before him, and he doesn't trust Joe as far as he can throw him. Furthermore, he was only fighting Morgan and Williams a month ago and he wishes them their best, but Pope's out. Morgan says to hold on, and asks him what happens if and when he beats Abyss? Then he's got Jarrett, then Fortune, then Jeff Hardy. Williams and Morgan both know the playbook and can tell Pope that he can't get through them all by himself. Pope stops to consider and says that it's going to be very interesting and he wants to see how it turns out, so he'll see them out there. The team is complete!
Okay, we head back to the Imapct Zone as Madison Rayne is dragging Earl Hebner out to the ring and she wants to know know who Sarita thinks she is laying her hands on her like that, and she knows that Sarita's been playing on the JV team on Xplosion, but Impact is her show. She'll say it slow since she knows that Sarita only understands "El Spaniard" and tell Sarita to get her ass out here now. So yeah, Sarita may have spent a lot of time living and working in Mexico, but she's actually Canadian. Just saying. Sarita comes out and rolls into the ring, and I guess we have a match!
TNA Knockouts Champion Madison Rayne vs Sarita
This is the first time I think we've seen Madison wrestle on Impact in like two months. Also, Sarita is so far above Madison as a worker that it's not even funny. Madison grabs her hair so Sarita goes after her and Hebner tries to get between them, so Madison takes a cheapshot, but Sarita gets a drop toehold and a rolling cradle for 2. Sarita with a spinning victory roll for 2 and then Madison keeps throwing punches that Sarita keeps ducking, and Sarita goes for a hiptoss but Madison flips through and lands on her feet and clotheslines Sarita, then chokes her on the ropes. Madison goes for a kneelift but Sarita dodges and gets a rollup for 2, but misses a charge in the corner and Madison sits her on the ropes and gets a neckbreaker for 2. Taz says he loves spending Thanksgiving watching two hot chicks pound each other, and I start considering the merits of that statement as Madison tries a victory roll, but Sarita counters to a rollup of her own for 2. Sarita gets a big swinging armdrag off the ropes that sends Madison into the corner and then catches her coming out with a version of the Angle Slam. Madison rolls to the outside and Sarita goes for a dive, but Madison moves and Sarita crashes to the mat, so Madison mocks her by doing Mexican dancing and rolls her back in. Madison continues mocking Sarita and dancing, but Sarita rolls her up and it looks like they may have blown the finish, but Sarita got 3 so there you go.
Winner: Sarita
I can't tell you how happy I am to see this, Sarita is probably the second best female worker in the company after Tara and I've been screaming for her to get a bigger push for months now, so it's nice to see it finally happening because she's awesome and she deserves it.
We go back to the Bischoff Thanksgiving Extravaganza where Everybody's enjoying themselves and Jeff Jarrett, who's spent the whole night warming up in a jumpsuit, says he's going to fight and is only drinking water because he needs to make weight. He wants to give something back to everybody here because without them, he doesn't know where he'd be in his MMA career, and to reward them, he's got a DVD to show them...right after the commercial break!
Okay, we're back from commercial and Robert Roode (also a Canadian) says he's thankful for beer, and James Storm stands up and says he's thankful for Money, and the whole bunch of them do the Beer Money cheer. Kazarian is thankful for Fortune and his movie star good looks, that Dixie and Serge share one wardrobe, he's beaten RVD and Mr Anderson and proven that he really is the Future, and AJ Styles says they're all thankful for the Nature Boy, and Flair is thankful for this Fountain Of Youth. Abyss is thankful for his baby girl Janice (which he has at the dinner table) and also for caskets and coffins, because at Final Resolution, that's where Pope is going to end up. The entire group awkwardly toast Abyss for that, and Jarrett thanks Bischoff for not inviting Samoa Joe because there wouldn't be any food left.
And with that, it's finally time for Jeff Jarrett's DVD, on location at David Deaton's Kickboxing School. Jarrett's with a bunch of kids and he's going to show them submissions today, something that Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle have spent years working on and Jarrett, quite frankly, mastered in weeks. He asks who knows a move and one kid says he knows the Ankle Lock, and Jarrett asks him if he knows who created the Ankle Lock and the kid says Kurt Angle, to whick Jarrett replies that no, Angle actually ripped it off from Ken Shamrock. He tells the kid to put the Ankle Lock on him so the kid applies, but Jarrett no-sells and tells the kid that he did a crappy job applying the move and to let him show the kid how to do it. So Jarrett gets up and put the Ankle Lock on the kid, who starts tapping out, and then we see a montage of shots of Jarrett putting various other submission holds on 8 year olds. Jarrett finishes up by wishing the kids a Happy Thanksgiving because they have a lot to learn, and the camera pans down to all the kids laid out in a pile, apparently unconscious. This was tremendous.
We go back to the Bischoff Thanksgiving Extravaganza, where they're all sharing a good laugh over the DVD, and Hogan stands up and says that on behalf of Flair and Bischoff, he can't wait for Dixie Carter to show up because he's thankful for her and can't wait to tell her exactly what he feels when she walks in.
Jesse Neal is backstage and scoffing at the idea of Jeff Jarrett as an MMA expert, and tonight he's going to find out what Jesse Neal is all about. And by the way, Jarrett has no idea what Neal's seen in the navy and what he's been through.
Back to the ring...
Submission Match: Jesse Neal vs Jeff Jarrett
Both guys are in MMA gear, and circle each other to start as crowd chants at Jarrett that he sold out. They tie up and Neal locks around the head and arm, but they go to the ropes and ref forces the break. Neal with a go behind into a waistlock, but Jarrett makes the ropes again for another break. Jarrett with a go behind and waistlock of his own, but Neal grabs the arm and hiptosses Jarrett over the top. Jarrett with another go behind and this time takes Neal down, fires punches into the back of his head, and gets a cross armbreaker, but Neal makes the ropes. They tie up again Greco Roman style and Jarrett fires in a couple of kneestrikes and Neal goes down, so Jarrett follows up with elbows to the head and hooks an Ankle Lock on Neal, but Neal makes the ropes. The referee pulls Jarrett off of Neal, but Jarrett goes right back after Neal and fires punches to the head until Neal runs to the ropes again for another break. Finally Neal starts firing back with forearms and charges Jarrett in the corner, but Jarrett pulls the referee in the way and Neal wipes out the ref. Jarrett goes under the ring and grabs the guitar (haven't seen that in a while!) and busts it over Neal's head, then tosses all the guitar shards out of the ring and traps Neal in the rear naked choke. The referee revives and sees that Neal is out and calls for the bell.
Winner: Jeff Jarrett
Shannon Moore rushes the ring and chases Jarrett off, then goes to check on Neal as we see replays.
We take a look back to two weeks ago when Brother Ray turned on Brother Devon, and Brother Ray's got a holiday treat for us...NEXT!
Okay, we're back and Brother Ray is in the ring, and he says that over the past couple of weeks, he's heard that some of the fans and wrestlers are pissed off that he kicked Devon in the back of the head, and he wants to know why they're mad. Don't they realize that he deserved it and had it coming to him? Don't they realize that he's the weak one? If it wasn't for him, Brother Ray could have retired a World Tag Team Champion because he lost the match to the Motor City Machine Guns. Chris Sabin kicked out of 3D because Brother Devon is weak, and he understands that this is hard for the fans to swallow, and he knows they're wrestling fans and aren't that bright, but he put together a video package to show the people just how weak Devon really is and how Brother Ray has always been the leader of Team 3D. Right now we look at some of Brother Devon's finest moments, and we see a montage of Devon getting beaten up by nearly everyone on the TNA roster as Brother Ray says that this is what he's been dealing with for 15 years and says he's embarrassed to even watch that. Crowd chants at Brother Ray that he sucks, but he says no, he's going to prove to them how much he doesn't suck when he shows them footage of the greatest tag team wrestler to ever live, Brother Ray. We then see a montage of Ray destroying people, and then the crowd chants that he still sucks. He tells them they don't understand because we just saw with our own eyes that he is the guy responsible for bringing them the greatest tag team of all time, not Devon. The word on the street is that Devon would like to talk to him and he's a little angry with him, so if he wants, he can come to the Impact Zone next week, and if he's got the balls, come meet him face to face. But remember this: if it weren't for Brother Ray, his 15 years of fame would have been nothing more than 15 minutes.
We go out to the parking lot where a limo has pulled in, and sure enough, Dixie Carter steps out and heads backstage.
We got to the Bischoff Thanksgiving Extravaganza, and Bischoff says it's official: Dixie is here and she'll be with them momentarily. Bischoff tells them to hide the liquor because she apparently likes to drink, and Hogan says that the fun and games are over because Hogan's not going to be responsible for what happens when she walks through the door.
It's main event time!
Elimination Match: Matt Morgan, Douglas Williams, Samoa Joe & The Pope vs TV Champion AJ Styles, Frankie Kazarian & Beer Money
AJ and Pope start the match and AJ charges, but runs right into an inverted atomic drop and then Pope just lays him out with some quick punches. AJ comes off the ropes and Pope gets a modified hiptoss for 2, but AJ recovers and rams Pope into the Fortune corner and tags in Storm, who hits a snapmare and running kneedrop and a legdrop for 1. Storm takes Pope to the corner and nails him with a stiff right, then goes and gets his cowboy hat, puts it on, and hits the Evan Bourne clothesline into the corner. Pope with a quick rollup out of nowhere though and pins storm.
James Storm is eliminated.
Robert Roode immediately runs in and attacks Pope as we go to commercial.
We're back and Fortune is still working Pope over, with AJ picking Pope up in a side suplex so Kazarian can hit a slingshot legdrop over the ropes and AJ covers for 2. AJ goes for a leaping forearm in the corner but Pope dodges and tags Morgan in, so AJ casually walks over and tags Kazarian in. Kazarian points at Samoa Joe and says he wants him, so Morgan tags Joe in and Joe immediately knocks Kazarian on his butt with a right, and Kazarian goes for a springboard something off the ropes, but Joe casually walks out of the way and Kazarian hits hard. Joe goes and nails both AJ and Roode and then hits a running elbow on Kazarian in the corner, catches AJ coming in with the STJoe, and then a leaping enziguiri on Kazarian. Awesome. Joe tags in Williams, but Kazarian gets a floatover DDT for 2. Kazarian draws Morgan into the ring and then tosses Williams into his corner so his partners can beat him up, and then we see Pope and Joe arguing in the corner as Kazarian continues to beat up Williams. Kazarian goes for an electric chair, but Williams slips out and hits Chaos Theory and pins Kazarian.
Frankie Kazarian is eliminated.
And Fortune is down 3-2. AJ comes in and viciously goes after Williams and then tags in Roode, who continues working Williams over in the corner with chops and punches. Roode with a slam and then goes to the second rope and hits a kneedrop for 2 as Tenay says bombs away, a reference totally lost on 99% of the people watching. Williams finally is able to make the hot tag, but tags both Joe and Pope at the same time, and after arguing with each other over who got the tag, Joe attacks Pope and they brawl out of the ring and to the back. I'm not going to count them as eliminated until I hear it officially declared, but we go back to Roode and Williams in the ring as Williams goes for Chaos Theory again, but AJ holds onto Roode to keep him from taking the move and Roode nails Williams and hits a spinebuster for 3.
Douglas Williams is eliminated.
Okay, it's officially 3-on-2, but Morgan's realistically on his own, so he slowly steps into the ring and nails Roode, but AJ with a springboard forearm lays Morgan out. Roode puts the boots to him and tags in AJ who stomps a mudhole of his own in Morgan and drops an elbow...and we're out of time!
Well, sort of. As usual, we're into Reaction's timeslot to finish this one. AJ hits a Pelle Kick to Morgan and then goes out to the apron for the springboard 450, but Morgan moves and AJ crashes and burns, but manages to tag in Roode. Roode doesn't fare any better, taking a Stinger Splash and side suplex and goes for the cover, but AJ breaks up the fall and he and Roode double team Morgan. They whip him into the ropes but Morgan runs them both over with a double clothesline and then clotheslines AJ over the top to the floor. Morgan eats boot on a charge in the corner, but catches Roode coming off the ropes with a goozle, Roode fights free but Morgan with a discus clothesline lays him out. AJ comes off the top but Morgan catches him and hits a fallaway slam, and then measures Roode, but Jeff Hardy suddenly runs into the ring and lowblows Morgan. The referee tries to get him out of the ring and Hardy shoves him, and the referee gets in his face and tells him to get out of the ring, so Hardy kicks him in the gut and hits the Twist Of Hate. Hardy, AJ and Roode all put the boots to Morgan as Hardy's music hits, so I'll assume the match is over. Just for the sake of closure, let's call this...
No Contest
We head back to the Bischoff Thanksgiving Extravaganza as Bischoff tells everyone to be on their best behavior, and Dixie Carter walks in. Bischoff welcomes her and she graciously thanks them all for the invitation. Bischoff thanks her for the opportunity to control TNA and thinks it's time to acknowledge the past. Hogan says it's more than that, it's to be thankful for the opportunity Dixie provided them, and then asks Dixie if she's seen the numbers lately. She says she has, and Bischoff and Hogan think it's time to let bygones be bygones. Bischoff says Dixie can go back to Nashville since the paper clips need to be stocked and she can Twitter, since he knows she loves to Twitter, and she can be fan friendly. Dixie says somebody's got to be, but seriously now, she hands Bischoff a piece of paper and tells Hogan that he's been a busy man lately signing talent contracts that he may not have been authorized to sign. Her attorneys agree with that, and they've also seen a judge who is good friends with her, and he's slapping an injunction on them, and until this is resolved, Hogan's duties are over. Hogan asks if she's seen what he's done with the company and how he's raised the bar for her company, but she just thanks them and wishes them a Happy Thanksgiving and says she'll see them in court, and leaves. Hogan and Bischoff are shocked that Dixie would buy off a judge, and agree that this means trouble.
2011 - WWE broadcast Smackdown. Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:
We start off with the comments from Big Show and Mark Henry prior to Survivor Series and photos and limited video footage of their match at Survivor Series. What is next?
We are live on tape from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and your announcers are Michael ‘Lump of’ Cole, Booker ‘What a great gift idea’ T, and Josh ‘Live from Charlotte on Tuesday night’ Mathews.
Mark Henry makes his way to the ring, but it looks like the Hall of Pain has to be ADA compliant because he still has the boot on his foot and he uses a crutch to help him to the ring.
Mark says that the people in the building act like they are happy to see him in pain. Mark wants to know what kind of people they are. He wants to know who does this kind of stuff. Mark says that this is not the kind of treatment that a World Champion deserves. This is not the respect that you give a champion. He tells Big Show that he is standing here hurt, but he is not broken. Everyone revels in the fact that he is standing here injured because they wish that they could have done it to him.
Mark tells everyone to clap because this is the last chance. Show knows that he kicked him in the knees, but he acts like he was kicked in his private spot because he wanted Mark to look like the bad guy. Mark says that the reason why he is out here is to set an example for all of the kids who watch him. He is here to show them that a champion fights through pain. He fights through injuries.
Mark says that he wanted to compete tonight but Teddy Long and the doctors would not let him because he was not cleared. Mark says that not only is he the World’s Strongest Man, but he is the World’s Toughest Man and the World Champion.
Big Show makes his way to the ring after his music plays. Show tells Mark that the only way the World Championship can change hands is through a pinfall or submission. Then Mark claims that he kicked Show in the knee. He wants Henry to stop lying because he knew that he would get disqualified for kicking him ‘there’. Mark did it because he knows that the title was slipping away.
Show says that he did to Mark what Mark did to him when he injured Mark’s ankle. The next time . . .
Mark says that there won’t be a next time. Mark says that not only is Show the World’s Largest Athlete, he is the World’s Largest Loser.
Show and Henry stare at each other in the ring and then Show punches Henry and Henry is out cold.
Show leaves the ring.
Daniel Bryan’s music plays and he runs to the ring with the briefcase and a referee. Michael Cole does everything short of getting into the ring to protest what Bryan is about to do.
Match Number One: Daniel Bryan versus Mark Henry
The referee rings the bell and Bryan pushes Henry over and gets the three count.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan celebrates his title victory while the crowd celebrates with him. Guess who isn’t happy that Bryan cashed in and won. Bryan goes to the announce table and he stands on top while someone complains about what Bryan has just done.
Bryan returns to the ring and while he looks at the championship belt, Teddy Long runs to the ring. Teddy is out of breath but he is able to tell Daniel that Mark Henry was not medically cleared to compete. As a result, there is no match and Daniel Bryan is not the World Champion. While Daniel Bryan and most of the crowd is disappointed, there is one person who is happy with the decision who was not knocked out by the Big Show.
Bryan tries to plead his case but Teddy wants the title belt back because he has to follow the rules. Bryan hands the championship belt back to Mark Henry and he leaves the ring. Teddy does have a Black Friday special for Daniel and he exchanges the shiny gold belt for the blue briefcase that Daniel has been carrying around since Money in the Bank. Teddy says that since there was no match, he never cashed in the case.
Teddy says that he is going to give another opportunity to wrestle for the World Title. He is in the main event, a Fatal Four Way against Cody Rhodes, Wade Barrett, and Randy Orton with the winner facing Mark Henry on Tuesday’s live Smackdown.
Booker and Cole argue about what happened and whether Teddy was right or not.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Josh Mathews mentions that next week’s World Championship match will be in a steel cage and the winner will face Big Show at TLC.
Match Number One (This time we mean it): Justin Gabriel versus Hunico
They lock up and Hunico with a side head lock. Gabriel and Hunico with reversals. Gabriel with an arm drag but Hunico with a kick and short arm clothesline. Hunico is sent to the apron and then he slides back into the ring and kicks Gabriel in the head and Justin goes to the floor. Hunico suplexes Gabriel back into the ring and gets a near fall. Hunico with a kick to the back followed by a tilt-a-whirl back breaker for a near fall. Hunico with a rear chin lock. Gabriel with elbows but Hunico with a rolling Olympic Slam followed by a leg drop for a near fall.
Hunico returns to the rear chin lock. Hunico with a front face lock and hard Irish whip. Hunico with a slingshot kick to the chest for a near fall. Hunico with an Irish whip but Gabriel floats over and he sends Hunico to the floor with a head scissors. Gabriel with a corkscrew pescado onto Hunico. Gabriel gets a near fall.
Gabriel misses a spinning heel kick but he hits an enzuigiri and then he hits a top rope quebrada for a near fall. Gabriel with a forearm and then he puts Hunico on the top turnbuckle but Hunico with a rake of the eyes that sends Gabriel to the mat. Hunico recovers and hits the Falling Star for the three count.
Winner: Hunico
We go to commercial.
We are back with a look back at the WWE’s European tour.
Alicia Fox has joined the announcers, but she is not wearing any dead animals this week.
Match Number Two: Beth Phoenix and Natalya versus AJ Lee and Kaitlyn
Natalya and Kaitlyn start things off and Natalya with a knee in the corner. Natalya misses a charge into the corner and sends Natalya into the turnbuckles. AJ tags in and Kaitlyn sends AJ into Natalya. AJ with a head scissors that sends Natalya into the ropes. AJ with a rollup from a wheelbarrow position for a near fall. Natalya pulls AJ down by the hair and then Natalya locks in the Sharpshooter and AJ taps.
Winners: Natalya and Beth Phoenix
After the match, Kaitlyn checks on AJ and then leaves the ring. Beth gets the mic and says that it is ‘Cry Time’. Natalya locks in the Sharpshooter again and she bridges back. Alicia Fox has seen enough so she takes off her headset and stands at the announce table for a little bit before going into the ring at a nice, leisurely pace. Natalya releases the hold and Beth and Natalya leave the ring since they are pleased with their work.
We go to commercial.
We are back with a Kane is coming back soon video package.
Teddy Long is on the phone with someone and he tells that person that not only will there be a World Title Match in a steel cage, but Mick Foley will be hosting the live show. The Sin Cara lighting is in full effect with the saxophone music to signal that Aksana is entering the room and Teddy Long loses all bodily functions. Aksana asks if there will be mistletoe at the party next week and Teddy figures that there will be some.
There is a knock on the door as the lighting returns to normal and Aksana and the band disappear. Mark wants to know how he could let that happen. Teddy says things were going so fast and he made it right. Mark wants to know how Teddy can put him in a steel cage match next week since he is injured. Teddy says that the show is live, live, live and he needed a big main event. He says that the doctors told Teddy that Mark will be ready to go on Tuesday. Mark says that Teddy is picking on him because he is hurt. He wants to know why Teddy is playing him like a game. Teddy give Mark some more bad news because the match on Tuesday night will be inside a steel cage. Mark tells Teddy to keep surprising him because he will do something.
Sheamus and Zack Ryder are in the locker room and Sheamus says that he has already signed Zack’s online petition and he wishes him luck when he gets his match. Ryder says that they are Broskis and they can go to the club and dance with chicks. Zack sings something but it is not Sheamus’ entrance music. Sheamus stares at Zack like Zack is going to wear a boot from a Brogue kick but he laughs it off and says that isn’t his music. Sheamus says that no one wants to see him naked. He tells Zack that they should concentrate on kicking the collective arses of Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler as well as shutting up Vickie Guerrero. Then they can go and celebrate. Zack and Sheamus do Zack’s catchphrase.
We go to commercial.
We are back and before the next match, Vickie throws out a few excuse mes and she wants everyone to show their respect to Dolph Ziggler for winning twice at Survivor Series. Dolph tells everyone that it is okay. Everyone has to worry about double chin and double mortgages and they don’t know anything about double victories at Survivor Series. Dolph says that is not showing off, he was making history.
Match Number Three: Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler with Vickie Guerrero versus Sheamus and Zack Ryder
Ziggler and Sheamus start things off and they lock up. Sheamus with an arm bar but he is in the ropes and he has to release the hold. They lock up again and Sheamus with a side head lock but Ziggler with a drop kick. Sheamus with a hip lock take down and he gets a near fall. Sheamus with a side head lock. Ziggler tries for another drop kick but Sheamus holds on to the ropes and Ziggler hits the mat.
Sheamus with a fallaway slam and Swagger is able to tag in. Swagger with a waist lock take down and he hits Sheamus in the back of the head. Sheamus with elbows and head butts. Sheamus puts Swagger in the ropes and he connects with the forearms and then he clotheslines Sheamus over the top rope to the floor. Ziggler gets thrown over the top rope to the floor and then Ryder hits a flip pescado onto Swagger and Ziggler as we go to commercial.
We are back and Ryder punches Swagger and Ryder with a flying clothesline for a near fall. Ryder with a front face lock and kick. Sheamus makes the tag and Ryder Irish whips Swagger towards Sheamus and Sheamus with the slingshot shoulder tackle for a near fall. Swagger with a diving shoulder into the knee followed by a running shoulder tackle.
Ziggler tags in and he kicks Sheamus. Sheamus kicks Ziggler but Ziggler kicks back and connects with elbows to the head and chest. Swagger tags back in and he connects with a forearm to the back. Swagger with a kick to the chest. Swagger with knees to the chest followed by a slam. Swagger sets for the double jump Swagger Bomb but he hits Sheamus’ knees. Sheamus with a clothesline and both men are down.
Ryder tags in and he clotheslines Swagger. Swagger with an Irish whip but he runs into knees from Ryder. Ryder with the running boot to the face and then he sets for the Rough Ryder but Vickie gets on the apron and she distracts the referee. Swagger goes to the floor and so does Ryder.
Ryder with a clothesline to Ziggler, but Swagger with a clothesline to Ryder. They return to the ring and Swagger with a near fall. Ziggler tags back in and he tries for a neck breaker but Ryder counters with a rollup for a near fall. Ziggler with a leaping elbow drop for a near fall. Ziggler with a quarter nelson and chin lock as he turns it into an arm bar.
Ryder with a punch but Ziggler with a kick and a neck breaker. Ziggler with a kip up and he kicks Ryder in the head. Swagger tags in and he kicks and punches Ryder. Swagger sends Ryder into the corner and Ryder fights his way out of the corner momentarily and Swagger sends Ryder back into the corner. Ziggler tags in and they hit a wheelbarrow Fameasser for a near fall but Sheamus breaks up the cover.
Swagger tags back in and he kicks Ryder in the chest. Swagger with a slam and he hits the double jump Swagger Bomb but only gets a two count. Ziggler tags in and he punches Ryder in the ribs. Ryder counters a suplex with an inside cradle and Ziggler responds with a drop kick and gets a near fall.
Ziggler tries to keep Ryder from making the tag to Sheamus and he pulls him into the corner and tags in Swagger who drops an elbow to the back. Swagger knocks Sheamus off the apron and Sheamus is stopped by the referee. Swagger kicks Ryder and gets a near fall. Swagger with a front face lock and Ryder tries to get to the corner with the help of some knees. Swagger keeps Ryder inches away from making the tag and he runs Ryder into the turnbuckles for shoulders.
Swagger puts Ryder on top and slaps him. Ryder slaps back and hits a tornado DDT and both men are down. Sheamus and Ziggler tag in and Sheamus with the running double sledges followed by forearms to the back. Sheamus with a short arm clothesline. Sheamus signals for the Celtic Cross but Swagger kicks Sheamus to help get Ziggler out of the hold. Ryder makes the tag, but Sheamus with a Brogue Kick to send Swagger to the floor. Ziggler tries for the Zig Zag on Sheamus while he has his back turned but Sheamus is able to avoid the move. Ryder hits the Rough Ryder for the three count.
Winners: Sheamus and Zack Ryder
Daniel Bryan is in the back with AJ and while she is still showing the effects of the bridging Sharpshooter, Daniel talks about how he dreamt about holding the World Championship belt since he was a kid. Now that he has held it, he wants that feeling again. AJ reminds Daniel that he still has the Money in the Bank contract and another shot at the title tonight. She tells him that he can do it.
Wade Barrett enters and says that he will get plenty of chances in the future, but not tonight. Wade then talks about Daniel’s cheap attempt to take the title from Mark Henry earlier tonight. Wade says that Daniel doesn’t have a chance in the Fatal Four Way and he talks about the Barrett Barrage.
AJ says that she doesn’t care about it and then Wade says that now Daniel has a fourteen year old girl fighting his battles. Daniel reminds Wade that for all of his talk, they have won the same number of World Championships. Nobody fights his battles for him. Daniel says that he is not intimidated by Mark Henry or by Wade.
AJ wishes Daniel luck and gives him a good luck kiss before leaving.
We go to commercial.
Match Number Four: Ted DiBiase versus Heath Slater
Before they lock up, Jinder Mahal appears on the TitanTron and he has something to say to Ted in Punjabi before remembering that he speaks English. He talks about how Ted forsakes his family and his money to hang out in a parking lot with mere commoners. He says something else in Punjabi.
Slater attacks Ted from behind and punches and kicks him. Ted with a drop kick and then he sends Slater into the turnbuckles and then he punches Slater from the turnbuckles. Ted with a suplex and he gets a near fall. Slater retreats into the ropes to avoid Ted and the referee stops him. Ted with punches but Slater with a kick and he sends Ted’s shoulder into the ring post. Slater with a divorce court for a near fall. Slater continues to work on the arm and then he hits another divorce court for another near fall.
Slater wraps the arm in the ropes until the referee warns him. Slater with a snap mare and key lock. Ted with punches but Slater wrings the arm and applies a hammer lock. Slater with knees to the arm and he connects with an elbow to the shoulder. Slater with a key lock. Slater with a knee but Ted with an Irish whip and back body drop. Ted with a reverse atomic drop and punch followed by a flying knee and he gets a near fall. Slater with a kick to the thigh followed by punches. Ted with a rebound clothesline and then he hits Dream Street for the three count.
Winner: Ted DiBiase
We go to commercial.
We are back and it is time to delve into the situation between Booker T and Cody Rhodes. We see footage from Raw when Cody decided to get a drink for Booker after Cody’s match with Santino Marella.
Matt Striker is in the interview area with Cody Rhodes and Matt asks Cody if he wants to explain his actions. Cody says that everyone thinks that he threw water in the face of a former Six Time World Champion or a former King of the Ring. He did not do that. He threw the water in the face of a lowly commentator. Cody says that he could see the disparaging and mocking look on Booker’s face and he did something about that. Cody says that without the mask, he is free to do things. He is free to go after Randy Orton. He is free to defend his Intercontinental Championship. He is free to win the Fatal Four Way to become the World Champion. He says that the world is his oyster and he can do whatever he wanted. Cody says that as a certain mentally limited WWE commentator might say, I can dig that . . . sucka. Cody with the maniacal pure evil laugh before he leaves.
Match Number Five: Daniel Bryan versus Cody Rhodes versus Wade Barrett versus Randy Orton in a Number One Contender Fatal Four Way Match
Orton goes after Barrett while Rhodes goes after Bryan. Rhodes with punches while Barrett sends Orton into the turnbuckles. Rhodes and Bryan go to the floor while Orton connects with a European uppercut on Barrett. Barrett with an Irish whip but you don’t do that to Orton because Orton with a clothesline out of the corner. Orton with boots to Barrett followed by a leaping knee drop. Meanwhile, on the floor, Rhodes is punching and kicking Bryan as he controls the situation. Orton gets a near fall and Barrett goes to the floor.
Rhodes returns to the ring and he turns Orton around and that allows Orton to hit a drop kick. Bryan with a kick to Rhodes’ chest. Orton with an Irish whip to Rhodes into the corner and Bryan with a running drop kick and Rhodes goes to the floor with Orton and Bryan in the ring together.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Barrett and Rhodes are in control as they face Orton and Bryan respectively. Barrett with kicks and punches to Orton followed by an elbow to the back. Rhodes with a knee to Bryan while Barrett sends Orton to the floor. Barrett Irish whips Orton into the ring steps while Rhodes hits a gourdbuster on Bryan. Barrett returns to the ring and it looks like there is an alliance as they kick Bryan. Rhodes with punches while Barrett holds Bryan. Rhodes holds Bryan so Barrett can punch Bryan.
Rhodes and Barrett kick Bryan and then they hit a double back elbow. Orton drops Barrett on the top rope and he returns to the ring. Orton punches Rhodes and then he kicks Barrett while Bryan goes to the floor. Orton with a running boot to the corner on Rhodes and then he stomps a mudhole into Rhodes’ chest. Barrett with a savate kick and then he tries for a pump handle slam but Orton avoids the hold. Orton cannot avoid a side Russian leg sweep by Rhodes.
Barrett punches Orton and then Rhodes kicks and punches him. Orton is Irish whipped into the corner and then Rhodes with a kick in the corner. Barrett with a kick of his own. Rhodes and Barrett continue to kick Orton. Barrett and Rhodes focus too much on Orton and they don’t realize that Bryan has recovered and he hits a missile drop kick to Barrett and a flying clothesline to Rhodes.
Bryan with a European uppercut to Rhodes followed by kicks to the chest. Bryan puts Rhodes on top and he goes for a super rana but Barrett stops Bryan and gets him on his shoulders. Cody goes up top and hits the Doomsday Device on Bryan. Barrett with the cover but Rhodes breaks it up.
Rhodes sends Barrett shoulder first into the ring post. Rhodes looks around and he turns his attention to Bryan as we go to commercial.
We are back and Orton with a suplex to Rhodes for a near fall while Barrett is still in the corner. Barrett hits Orton from behind and Orton with kicks and punches followed by an Irish whip. Barrett with an elbow to a charging Orton and then Barrett with kicks. He puts Orton in the ropes and connects with a series of knees and a running boot that sends Orton to the apron and then the floor.
Barrett with the Blackpool Slam for a near fall on Bryan. Rhodes kicks Barrett and sends him to the floor with Orton. Rhodes hits Beautiful Disaster and gets a near fall. Rhodes sends Orton back to the floor with a forearm. Bryan struggles to get to his feet but Orton waits too long. Rhodes charges at Bryan but Bryan with a back body drop to the floor.
Barrett kicks Bryan but Bryan gets Irish whipped and he avoids a clothesline and hits a suicide dive onto Rhodes. Back in the ring, Orton with clotheslines to Barrett followed by a power slam. Orton brings Rhodes into the ring for clotheslines and then he clotheslines Rhodes over the top rope to the floor. Orton with a back breaker to Barrett for a near fall that is broken up by Bryan. Bryan with a round kick to Orton’s head and he gets a near fall that is broken up by Rhodes.
Rhodes with a hot shot to Bryan and Daniel goes to the floor. Rhodes covers Orton but Orton is able to kick out at two. Rhodes with more kicks to Orton. Rhodes with a gourdbuster to Orton and then Rhodes goes up top but he takes too long. Orton crotches Rhodes on top and then Randy with a punch and then he goes for a superplex and hits it. Barrett with a kick to Orton’s midsection and then Barrett covers Rhodes but it is broken up by a diving head butt from Bryan. Everyone is down in the ring as the referee checks on everyone.
Orton gets to his feet on the floor and he thinks about who he should go after. Orton throws Barrett over the top rope. He does the same to Rhodes. Orton sends Bryan into the ropes for the IEDDT and Orton hits it. Orton looks around before twisting into his set up for the RKO. Barrett pulls Orton out of the ring and Barrett gives Orton a DDT on the floor.
Rhodes covers Bryan but Bryan counters the cover and applies the LeBell Lock and Rhodes taps out.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
After the match, Bryan celebrates his victory. Bryan is attacked by Rhodes who hits Bryan from behind and kicks him. Rhodes says that was his win. Orton with an RKO to Rhodes and then he leaves the ring.
Bryan holds up the Money in the Bank briefcase as we go to credits.
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