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April 4th
On this day in history in ....
1969 - The Assassins (Jody Hamilton & Tom Renesto) defeats El Mongol & Louie Tillet in Atlanta, Georgia in a tournament final to win the NWA Georgia Tag Team Title.
1984 - Jack & Jerry Brisco defeat Wahoo McDaniel & Mark Youngblood for the NWA World Tag Team Title in Spartanburg, South Carolina, starting their third reign with the belts.
1993 - Wrestlemania IX took place. Mike Johnson penned the following:
WRESTLEMANIA IX
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Venue: Cesar's Palace
Announced Attendance: 16,891
RESULTS
*Tatanka with Sherri Martel defeated WWF Intercontinental champion Shawn Michaels with Luna Vachon via DQ when Shawn struck referee Joey Marella. Vachon made her WWF debut here. Tatanka had been chasing Michaels for several weeks on Monday Night Raw.
*The Steiner Brothers, in their Wrestlemania debut, defeat The Headshrinkers when Scott Steiner hit Samu with a Frankensteiner.
*Doink the Clown (Matt Borne) pinned Crush (Bryan Adams in his second WWF guise as Crush, the first being a member of Demolition) after a second Doink (Steve Keirn) came out from under the ring and his Crush with a prosthetic arm. The original Doink had clobbered Crush with one on TV several weeks earlier to set up this match. The two Doinks mimmick each other's moves in a bit stolen from the Marx Brothers.
*Razor Ramon (later known as Scott Hall) pinned Bob Backlund with a cradle. This was a Wrestlemania debut for both men. Backlund looked like he stepped back in and returned from the chasm his disappeared into in the mid-1980s .
*WWF Tag Team champions Money, Inc. defeated "The Mega-Maniacs" Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake by DQ. Beefcake returned to the ring against DiBiase on Monday Night Raw for the first time since his parasailing accident several years earlier and was laid out and hit with Money Inc.'s metal briefcase. The attack was so evil that Money Inc.'s own manager Jimmy Hart saw the light and abandoned them, starting his long running associated with Hogan which continues to this day. Beefcake wore a special mask to protect his face in the ring. Hogan worked the show with a bad black eye, which was attributed to a jet skiing accident. Hogan looks way smaller than he did a year prior.
*The Narcissist Lex Luger pinned Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig after hitting him with a forearm with a metal plate planted inside it from a motorcycle accident that prevented Luger from posing during the WBF championships the prior year. Luger enters the ring with several women who all hold mirrors with sparklers blowing out of them for him to pose. Once Hennig is revived after the match, he goes looking for Luger, and ends up in a brawl with Shawn Michaels to start their program.
*The Undertaker defeated Giant Gonzales via DQ in one of the worst Wrestlemania matches ever. Undertaker came out in grand style with a vulture perched next to him on a cart he rode in. Just a bad match.
*Yokozuna, with Mr. Fuji pinned Bret Hart to win the WWF championship after throwing salt in Bret's eyes. Hart had been on a tear as the new WWF champion for the last several months while Yokozuna was undefeated. Hulk Hogan came out to check on his friend Bret Hart (so close they were never seen teaming or on camera together before this) and ended up challenged by Fuji to challenge for the belt right there. Hart tells him to go for it. 90 seconds and a legdrop later, Hogan ended a Wrestlemania as champion when he wasn't even advertised for the main event.
Celebrities: Um, None. Todd Pettingill interviewed singer Natalie Cole in the crowd, but that was about it.
Notes: What more can be said about the debuting Jim Ross, in his first WWF appearance, being dressed in a toga?....The actual theme of the show was to have the biggest toga party in the history of modern times but there are some things that not even wrestling fans were willing to do.....This show is memorable as the only Wrestlemania to be held in an outdoor venue, which was actually a tennis court dressed up as a recreation of the Roman Coliseum, complete with King Cesar and Cleopatra characters...They did grand entrances to open the show with Randy Savage on an elephant and Bobby Heenan backwards on a camel to play up Heenan's comedic character. Savage, Ross, and Heenan hosted the PPV....Yokozuna became the first man in the history of Wrestlemania to main event the show and win the WWF championship at the same time at this show....There were actual Wrestlemania-themed slot machines at Cesar's Palace, promoting the show with photos of Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart and Money, Inc...This was the first Wrestlemania of the "Raw era", taking place just four months after the debut of Monday Night Raw on the USA Network....In a dark match before they went on the air, Tito Santana pinned Papa Shango, who went from a run-in during the main event last year to dark matches this year....If you watch the crowd during the scene at ringside with The Undertaker and Giant Gonzales, you'll see future Men on A Mission manager Oscar sitting there. Folklore has it that he followed several WWF officials into an elevator that weekend and with a captive audience began rapping for them and ended up with a job. A year later, he was managing the challengers for the tag straps at Wrestlemania X.
Mike Johnson: This was a show that didn't seem to click at all, and if you were a fan who was into the big push (and great matches) Bret Hart was having at the time, by the end of the show you were wanting to strangle Hulk Hogan. Shawn Michaels had an OK match with Tatanka and The Steiners looked good but nothing really clicked on this show. This was during a major downturn in WWF business and they were struggling to recreate what they were using smaller, more athletic performers. It showed.
Jess McGrath: As Mike said, not a high point for the Mania series. It started off great, actually, as Shawn Michaels-Tatanka was really good, and the Steiners had a good match with the Shrinkers. But it went downhill from there. I was so disappointed when they moved the belt off Bret and onto Hogan of all people. It was one of those deals, much like when Michaels beat HHH for the title in the elimination chamber, where it sounded like a good idea on paper, and that night it got a great reaction, but the next day you had a hangover-like feeling as you wondered to yourself, "Did they really do that?" They set up an incredibly boring post-Mania feud between Bret Hart and Lex Luger with an angle, aired on the syndicated shows the week afterward, where Luger attacked Bret with the metal plate in his forearm (remember that whole deal?) during some Wrestlemania brunch. Yes, it was actually a feud built around "You attacked me during brunch, dammit!"
Dave Scherer: This show started out with two good matches and went way downhill from there. Jim Ross' debut in a toga is probably the biggest memory that I have of the show, and that says it all. The wrestling business in the US was in the toilet at this time, no doubt about it. When we complain about the product today, we should keep that in mind! On the bright side, we were just a few months away from ECW's first super show!
Buck Woodward: I remember being bummed that Tito Santana was given a dark match on this show, as he was neck and neck with Hogan for consecutive Wrestlemania appearances. If this match had aired, and he made it to the tenth, he would have had a ten year streak. ... I also thought it was ridiculous that they killed Bob Backlund's comeback streak with a four minute loss to Razor Ramon. Little did we know how far he was about to be pushed in the company. ... The Steiners-Headshrinkers and Tatanka-Michaels matches were the only real wrestling highlights of the event. ... The toga motif for the event looked ridiculous. ... I remember joking with a friend about how "Hogan can't hog the glory this year" and then he went and did it. ... This show just didn't impress me as being anything special.
1994 - Tatsumi Fujinami defeats Shinya Hashimoto for the IWGP Heavyweight Title in Hiroshima, Japan, the fifth of his record six reigns with the title.
1998 - Rob Van Dam defeats Bam Bam Bigelow for the ECW World Television Title in Buffalo, New York, beginning the longest ECW Title reign of any kind ever (one year, eleven months).
1998 - Tatsumi Fujinami defeats Kensuke Sasaki for the IWGP Heavyweight Title in Tokyo, Japan, for his record sixth reign (and to date, final reign) with the title.
2000 - Shawn Michaels comes out of retirement to defeat Texas Wrestling Alliance Champion Venom in a streetfight, the culmination of a long storyline between the two. Michaels would immediately vacate the belt and go back into retirement.
2001 - Nick Gage & Nate Hatred defeat Wife Beater & Justice Pain for the Combat Zone Wrestling Tag Team Titles.
2011 - Ring of Honor on HDNet airs its final episode. Stu Carapola filed the following TV report:
Davey Richards & the Briscoes defeated ROH World Champion Roderick Strong & ROH World Tag Team Champions The Kings of Wrestling in the final ROH match on HDNet.
Mark & Claudio start, but Mark frustrates Claudio with some chain wrestling so Hero & Davey come in, and Hero outwrestles Davey and controls him with an armbar, and Davey counters out with an armbar but Hero is able to cradle him for 2. Hero with some kneestrikes and tags in Roderick and he also works over Davey's arm, but Davey kicks his way free and tags in Jay. They do a chain wrestling sequence but Roderick catches Jay in a front facelock and tags out to Claudio, who begins working Jay over with heavy blows. Jay gets a Frankensteiner and some hard forearms of his own, then takes Claudio to the corner and tags out to Mark, who quickly finds himself on the wrong side of the ring and the recipient of a double big boot from the KOW. Hero tags in and lays in some chops, but Mark hits a leg lariat for 2 and now Hero finds himself in the wrong corner and on the receiving end of triple teaming from Davey and the Briscoes.
Hero goes to the eyes and stomps on Jay's face, then tags out to Roderick and he and Jay do a chop exchange until Roderick goes to the eyes as well. Jay recovers and takes over on Roderick, and then tags out to Mark, who nails Roderick with Redneck Kung Fu and then whips Roderick into a hard clothesline from Jay. Jay hits a hard clothesline in the corner, snapmare, and running boot to Roderick's face for 2. Roderick with a roaring elbow and tags to Claudio, who nails Jay with a big standing dropkick and then eats a Flatliner into the second turnbuckle. Tag to Mark and the Briscoes double suplex Claudio and Davey hits a diving headbutt for 2. Davey with a Texas Sunrise but Hero and Roderick both come in and boot Davey in the head, so the Briscoes come in and Beel Claudio across the ring for 2.
Davey tries for the handspring enziguiri but Claudio catches him and hits the UFO for 2, then tags out to Hero, who comes in and unloads on Davey with heavy strikes. Roderick comes in and hits a gutbuster for 2 and then Claudio tags in and goes for a chokeslam, but Davey counters to a victory roll and turns that into an anklelock. Roderick comes in and nails Davey with a leaping enziguiri and allows Claudio to hit the chokeslam for 2. Hero tags in and boots Davey in the face and hits a senton for 2, then catches him in the Stretch Plum. Jay comes in and breaks it up with a superkick to Hero, but Hero tosses Davey to the floor where the rest of his crew beat Davey up 4-on-1.
The Briscoes run over and it turns into an all-out brawl on the floor. Back in the ring, Hero powerbombs Davey for 2 and then Roderick tags in and puts the boots to Davey and unloads with forearms but Davey fires back at him and hits the handspring enziguiri. Davey makes the hot tag and the Briscoes come in and clean house on the Kings Of Wrestling, hitting stereo backdrops and then catching Hero with the double football tackle. Double superkick for Claudio, followed by a Death Valley Driver from Jay and a top rope elbowdrop from Mark for 2. Mark goes for a dive out of the corner but Claudio catches him in midair and turns it into a windmill backbreaker for 2.
Hero tags in and hits a running forearm and goes for a moonsault, but accidentally lands on his head. He's okay enough to cover for 2 and then exchange blows with Mark until nailiing a roaring Yakuza Kick on Mark. Kings with a double hiptoss into a double parachute slam for 2, and then Hero drags Mark to the middle of the ring and tries another moonsault, Mark moves but Hero lands on his feet and Mark nails him and hits an Iconoclasm for 2. Davey tags in and hits a missile dropkick and a charging forearm in the corner and a running knee as well, then sets Hero up top and hits a top rope superplex for 2. Hero catches Davey with a Yakuza Kick and a roaring elbow to send Davey to the outside and then misses a dive to the floor, and Davey goes for his insane dive but Claudio nails him and hits a pop up European uppercut and then everyone winds up in the ring hitting big move after big move. Davey gets a backdrop suplex on Hero for 2, but Roderick comes in and nails Davey and then tags himself in, hitting a leaping kneestrike for 2.
Another crazy brawl breaks out as this becomes increasingly difficult to recap, with Jay hitting a somersaujlt dive over the top rope onto the Kings and hits the guardrail on the way down, and Mark tries one of his own but Sara Del Rey knocks him off the top rope and Claudio tries a bicycle kick but Mark moves and he nails Sara. Mark dumps Claudio to the floor and everyone winds up over the guardrail and Mark hits a dive into the crowd that wipes out both Kings. Davey and Roderick are alone in the ring and Davey hits an Alarm Clock and a roaring clothesline for 2, then they exchange several reversals until Roderick hits the Tylerkick and Gibson Driver for 2 and gets Davey in the Boston Crab. Davey reverses to an anklelock but Shane Hagadorn comes in and nails Davey. Davey no-sells and Hagadorn starts begging, and Truth Martini came in to hit Davey with the Book Of Truth but Davey moved and Truth nailed Hagadorn.
Roderick comes from behind with a rollup for 2, but Davey reversed to the anklelock and grapevines the leg and Roderick taps. Davey kicked the Book Of Truth to pieces and then the winning team raised their arms in victory to the crowd. This match was just unbelievable.
2011 - WWE signed Dragon Gate USA star Jon Moxley to a developmental deal. Moxley is now known as Dean Ambrose.
2011 - WWE broadcast Raw. Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:
We are live from Atlanta, Georgia and your announcers are Jerry ‘They Terk My Win’ Lawler and Jim ‘Just like riding a bike’ Ross.
The show starts and would you like to play The Game? Triple H comes to the ring and he does his first GameFountain since losing last night to the Undertaker.
Hunter says that this is the most tired and beat up he has been in his entire life. Last night, 71,000 fans in the Georgia Dome, he stood in the ring at Wrestlemania against the Undertaker and his undefeated streak. He says that he has never been a nervous guy, an emotional guy, a guy who gets rattled; but he stood in the ring last night with 71,000 fans and when that gong hit and he came down the ramp, Hunter says that he almost hyperventilated.
Hunter says that he has wrestled Undertaker before, he wrestled him at Wrestlemania before but it has never been like that. The undefeated streak has become everything and Taker is willing to destroy himself to keep it intact. Hunter says that he hit Taker harder than any man in his life. He beat on Taker more than any man in his life and Taker kept coming.
They both left everything in that ring last night. Apparently for him, it wasn’t good enough. Hunter says that you can call him whatever you want but no man has ever walked through his stuff like that. He says that it must be willpower because what Hunter saw being carried out of the arena in a stretcher is a man. A man who is willing to destroy himself to keep that streak intact.
A lot of people are talking about how Taker was carted out and how he is just a man and will never be the same again. Hunter says that he will never be the same again. Some are saying that the Undertaker will not be back. Hunter says that if that is the case, he isn’t buying it, but he wants to say one thing.
Hunter takes off his sunglasses and he says ‘thank you Deadman’. He gave him the fight of his life. Thank you. Hunter says that he doesn’t believe that Taker won’t be back after what happened last night. He knows that Taker will be back and Hunter says that he will be waiting.
Jim Ross mentions that he never remembered seeing Undertaker being carted out. JR also mentions that there are rumors that Michael Cole is going to call Lawler out. Lawler says that he heard that rumor too and that is why he wore his gear.
We go to commercial.
We are back and it was not a dream, Jim Ross is still doing play by play. JR mentions that Steve Austin will be on tonight because Tough Enough debuts after Raw.
JR asks Lawler about his Wrestlemania debut and how he felt about it. Lawler says that he was happy with his performance.
The new Syracuse Orange interrupts Lawler and he says that despite overwhelming odds last night, history was made at Wrestlemania. Despite biased refereeing by Steve Austin, Team Cole emerged victorious. Cole says that he overcame every obstacle to defeat Jerry Lawler. When Wrestlemania, the world was not talking about the Rock or Taker’s undefeated streak. The world was talking about Michael Cole and how he stole the show. Cole points out that he is undefeated at Wrestlemania. With Shawn Michaels now in the WWE Hall of Fame, Cole says that he is Mr. Wrestlemania.
Lawler tells Cole to shut his pie hole. He says that Cole didn’t beat anybody. A stupid computer beat him. Lawler says that he made Cole tap out and he was crying like a little girl. Lawler tells Cole that in his record book, he might have gone down as the winner. Cole will forever be known as a worthless jackass.
Cole tells Lawler to get over it because he beat him. Even with Steve Austin, Lawler couldn’t win. He wants Lawler to admit that he is a better athlete and a better man. Cole has a proposition for Lawler and he suggests a rematch.
Lawler accepts the rematch and suggests that it happen right now.
Lawler and Cole walk to the ring but Cole tells Lawler that he isn’t talking about a Wrestlemania rematch. Cole says that he was talking about a rematch from last week’s Raw against Jack Swagger.
Match Number One: Jerry Lawler versus Jack Swagger
They lock up and Swagger backs Lawler into the corner and Swagger punches Lawler instead of giving a clean break. The referee warns Swagger. Lawler blocks a punch and Lawler with punches of his own. Lawler avoids a punch by Swagger and Jerry with another punch. Swagger with a shoulder in the corner and then he Irish whips Lawler but misses a charge into the corner. Lawler with a punch and then he backs up.
Swagger with a kick and a slam to Lawler. Swagger misses a leg drop and Lawler with a punch and he gets a near fall. Lawler with a punch to Swagger’s jaw but Swagger with a clothesline. Swagger with kicks to Lawler followed by an elbow drop. Swagger walks across Lawler’s chest. Swagger sets for the double jump Swagger Bomb and he misses when Lawler moves out of the way.
Lawler with jabs to Swagger followed by a drop kick. Lawler goes to the turnbuckles and the strap almost down. Cole gets on the apron and then Lawler goes after Cole. Lawler catches up to Cole and Lawler punches Cole.
Swagger puts Lawler in the ankle lock and Lawler tries to fight out of the hold but he taps out.
Winner: Jack Swagger
Swagger refuses to release the hold and the referee has reversed the decision.
Cole yells at the referee for reversing the decision and then Cole asks JR if he thinks it is funny. Cole goes into his crime scene and wonders why JR’s barbecue sauce is in his chamber of suck. Cole squirts the sauce in Cole’s face and JR goes after Cole.
Cole runs like a little girl to the back but JR is on the warpath.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Did You Know that Wrestlemania 27 was the largest crowd for an entertainment show.
We go to a Moments Ago Moment of Michael Cole attacking Jim Ross with his own barbecue sauce because JR was in his seat (but Cole is in his own cubicle.
Cole is joined by Josh Mathews and Booker T (Devon . . . hit the selective mute button).
Match Number Two: Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio versus CM Punk and Cody Rhodes in a Pairing Opponents from two matches at the Pay Per View . . . You mean it was yesterday? Match
Cody and Orton start things off in a battle of former Legacy members. They lock up and Orton backs Cody into the corner but Cody reverses things. Cody with kick to the injured leg followed by a punch. Orton with a Thesz Press and punches to Cody. Rey tags in and he kicks Cody but Cody kicks Rey back. Cody with a snap mare and kick to the back.
Rey with a kick and then a snap mare and Rey tries to take off the mask. We go to commercial.
We are back and Orton with a snap mare to Rhodes and then he hits a knee drop to the face and Orton holds his knee. Orton gets a near fall and then he puts Rhodes in a front face lock. Rey tags in and Orton with a slam and Rey with a springboard leg drop for a near fall. Rhodes with a jawbreaker and Punk tags in.
Punk pulls Rey towards his corner and then he has something to say to Orton. Rhodes tags back in and they hit a double back elbow. Rey with an inside cradle for a near fall followed by a kick and Orton tags back in. Rhodes punches Orton and then he kicks Orton before he connects with forearms.
Orton with a kick but Rhodes with an Irish whip and Orton with a clothesline out of the corner. Orton goes after Punk but that allows Rhodes to recover and he kicks Orton and then he chokes Orton in the corner. Punk tries to work on Orton’s leg but Orton kicks Punk away. Rhodes clips Orton and then he focuses on the knee. Punk tags in and they make a wish with Orton.
Punk with boots to the knee and then he gets Orton up on his shoulder. Orton gets out of the GTS and Orton tries for an RKO. Punk gets loose and he clips Orton and gets another near fall. Punk kicks Orton and we go to commercial.
We are back and Punk has Orton in an Indian Death Lock but Orton punches his way out of the hold. Punk misses a punch and Orton hits a belly-to-back suplex but he holds his leg after hitting the move. Orton struggles to make the tag but Punk pulls Orton out of the corner. Orton is able to make the tag and Rey with the seated senton followed by a springboard moonsault for a near fall.
Rey with kicks to Punk followed by a snap mare and he misses a kick. Punk sends Rey into the turnbuckles and Cody chokes Rey. Orton takes care of Rhodes from the floor. Rey with the drop kick that sends Punk into the ropes. Rey tries for the 619 but Rhodes hits the springboard round kick. Punk gets a near fall and then Rhodes tags back in.
Rhodes with a kick to the midsection followed by kicks to the chest in the corner. Rhodes with a hard Irish whip. Rhodes pulls Rey back into the corner and Punk tags in and they toss Rey into the air and Punk gets a near fall.
Punk with an arm bar. Punk tries for a power bomb but Rey counters with a rana that sends Punk into the turnbuckles.
Orton and Rhodes tag in and Orton with clotheslines followed by a power slam. Rhodes goes to the apron and it is IEDDT time. Orton turns into the mat for the RKO push ups. Orton waits for Rhodes to get up but Orton sees Punk out of the corner of his eye. Orton with an Angle Slam to Rhodes but Punk breaks up the cover. Rey sends Punk to the floor.
Orton with a European uppercut and Rey with a 619 and then Orton hits the RKO for the three count.
Winners: Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton
Steve Austin is walking in the back and he sees Triple H. Austin tells Hunter that if it happens again, he will be there and he tells Hunter that he had a hell of a match. Austin continues to walk into commercial.
We are back with a Sin Cara video package.
In case you missed it, Undertaker is 19-0. Go to WWE.com to see their stories on the match.
Glass breaks and Steve Austin makes his way to the ring because Tough Enough debuts in about 75 minutes. Cole continues to talk about last night’s win and people are probably wishing Austin had his cement truck with him.
Austin gives a hell yeah. He says that Tough Enough premieres after Raw so he asks if people are ready for it, he wants a ‘Hell Yeah’. Austin brings out the contestants to see what they have.
They finally get to the ring and Austin asks them how they are doing. He says that he has 14 men and women. They are going to put them through the basics Stone Cold Style. Austin talks about his trainers, Booker T, Bill DeMott, and Trish Stratus.
Austin says that they are 14 fine human beings, but at the end, there will be only one and it will be Stone Cold’s choice. Austin says the he will let them introduce themselves.
They introduce themselves and Austin tells them to do it short and sweet. Not all of them listen to Austin.
Austin says that it takes a lot of commitment to make it in the square circle.
Speaking of Tough Enough, The Miz comes out and Cole makes you wish he wasn’t wearing spandex.
Miz tells Steve Austin that he is absolutely right. When he was on Tough Enough in 2004, people were telling him to go back to the Real World, but after last night, no one is telling him where to go. We see footage from last night’s match between John Cena and The Miz.
Miz says that he suffered a concussion that would end most people’s careers, but he continued his match and went on to retain his WWE Title. Miz says that the 14 people in the ring can dream of being as successful as him. He main evented Wrestlemania and beat John Cena. He says that he is the most Must See Champion in WWE. He says that he is the new face of the WWE. Miz enters the ring and tells Buckwheat to move. Miz tells them to soak it in because this is the closest they are going to get to a WWE Championship.
Miz looks at Austin and he asks Steve if he wants to hold his WWE Title belt too. Miz asks Austin if he has one more run. Miz asks Austin if he thinks he is ‘tough enough’. Miz asks Austin if they should clear the ring to see if he has one more match.
Austin looks at Miz and then he tells everyone to clear the ring.
Riley attacks Austin from behind and he punches Austin. Get your Stunner count down clock running because it is coming. Riley punches Austin but Austin opens a can of whoop ass on Riley. Riley punches Austin but Austin with a Thesz Press and he punches Riley and follows that with an elbow drop. Austin kicks Riley and the waiter gets Stunnered.
Austin wants something to drink and he gets some beers. Austin gives the beers to the contestants.
Austin walks to the crime scene and Austin decides to give Cole a shower.
We go to commercial.
We back and Did You Know that a lot of countries saw Wrestlemania in a lot of languages.
Match Number Three: Alberto Del Rio with Ricardo Rodriguez and Brodus Clay versus Evan Bourne
Del Rio with a kick to Bourne and then he backs Evan into the turnbuckles. Del Rio kicks and chokes Bourne in the corner. Bourne with a spinning heel kick followed by kicks to the leg. Bourne runs into a boot from Del Rio. Del Rio with a kick to the chest and Bourne goes to the floor. Del Rio sends Bourne into the ringside barrier. Del Rio sends Bourne back into the ring and he gets a near fall.
Del Rio with a chin lock on Bourne with his knee in Bourne’s back. Bourne with a kick but Del Rio with a knee. Bourne with a rollup for a near fall followed by more kicks.
Bourne with a leaping knee for a near fall. Del Rio with a kick but Bourne escapes a suplex attempt. Bourne with a kick when Del Rio charges and then Bourne goes up top and Bourne takes too long. This allows Del Rio to hit the step up enzuigiri and he puts Bourne in the cross arm breaker and Bourne taps out.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
We go to commercial.
We are back and in case you missed Wrestlemania, we see the Georgia Dome. Did you see what happened during Wrestlemania week in Atlanta?
Cole says that he is going to challenge Jerry Lawler in the Art competition.
Vickie Guerrero comes out and she says that Snooki beat LayCool and it was their fault they lost, not Dolph’s.
Dolph congratulates Morrison for his big Wrestlemania win, or should he be congratulating Snooki. Dolph makes a challenge to Morrison and Trish to come to the ring and do what they do best. That is not getting the job done.
We go to commercial.
Match Number Four: Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero versus John Morrison and Trish Stratus
The men start off and they lock up. Ziggler with a knee and punches followed by a kick to Morrison. Morrison runs Ziggler into the turnbuckles and punches Ziggler. Dolph tags in Vickie and it is time for the women to entertain. Vickie does some stretching and a cartwheel but not too well. Trish with a rollup. Trish with the matrix and Vickie looks for Trish and Trish with a rollup. Trish with chops to Vickie and Vickie screams.
Dolph distracts the referee and Vickie takes Trish down to the mat. Vickie continues to use the hair to maintain the advantage and she gets a near fall. Vickie misses a leg drop and Morrison is tagged back in.
Morrison with a forearm and clothesline followed by a leg lariat. Morrison sends Ziggler into the turnbuckles but he misses the springboard round kick. Ziggler with a release German suplex and Dolph gets a near fall but Trish breaks up the cover. Trish slaps Dolph and Morrison hits the springboard round kick. Morrison sets for the corkscrew split legged moonsault and hits it for the three count.
Winners: Trish Stratus and John Morrison
We go to commercial.
Match Number Five: Sheamus versus Daniel Bryan in the This Couldn’t Have Made it onto the PPV United States Title Match
They lock up and Bryan with a hammer lock but Sheamus backs Bryan into the corner. Sheamus with an elbow followed by a biel and a double axe handle for a near fall. Sheamus with a short arm clothesline followed by kicks to the head. Sheamus with a hard Irish whip.
Sheamus with forearms across the chest with Bryan in the ropes. Sheamus goes to the apron and he connects with a knee to the head. Sheamus with a reverse chin lock and arm bar. Bryan runs Sheamus into the turnbuckles but Bryan runs into a tilt-a-while back breaker. Sheamus returns to the chin lock and then Bryan with kicks to the chest. Bryan with a flying clothesline or two.
Sheamus with an Irish whip but Bryan with a knee and a running knee to the head but he only gets a two count. Sheamus with a kick to the knee followed by an attempt at the uranage back breaker but Bryan counters and tries for the LaBell Lock. Sheamus with a back breaker followed by the pump kick for the three count.
Winner: Sheamus
After the match, Sheamus kicks Bryan to show that he is the king of the United States.
Sin Cara’s music plays and he comes out and points to Sheamus. Sin Cara runs to the ring and he flips into the ring. Sin Cara with a rana to Sheamus followed by a drop kick and Sheamus goes to the apron. Sin Cara with a kick to the head followed by a double jump cross body.
Sin Cara runs up the ramp to the stage and we go to commercial.
We are back and Did You Know that Wrestlemania trended well without any sponsoring.
It is time for the confrontation based on what we saw at the end of Wrestlemania. Wait, that was Rock and Miz. Here is the Rock and John Cena confrontation.
Cena says that there are a lot of people upset about a certain someone’s actions at Wrestlemania. Cena says that he would have been naïve if he didn’t expect something because that certain someone was going to Atlanta to kick some candy ass so he knew he wasn’t talking about Zack Ryder. John says that he was surprised that the certain someone got involved in the finish of the match.
However, if that person didn’t get involved, it would have been a draw and that would have sucked donkeys.
Cena congratulates Miz and says that he was able to walk into Wrestlemania as Champion and walk out as Champion. Cena says that Miz is still the most annoying person on the face of the Earth, but he says that after Miz’s showing tonight, he has earned all of our respect.
Now it is time to talk about the certain someone. Cena says that after hearing Rock speak for so long, he hasn’t earned Rock’s respect. It is obvious that Rock doesn’t like him. That certain someone is here tonight. Cena says that this certain someone was supposed to be the guest host but he got involved in business. HIS business.
That means that they have some business to settle right now.
Rock’s music plays and he is not wearing his warm up jacket tonight.
Rock tells Cena that he wants to be direct with him. He asks him what did he think was going to happen. He knows that payback was coming. If you poke a shark in the eye, you get swallowed whole. Has the Rock talked trash about Cena? You bet he has. He does it better than anybody. It is what the people love. Rock tells Cena that he is wrong about respect. Rock says that he respects Cena (and the fans boo).
Rock says that just because he has been gone, he doesn’t know what Cena has done. He says that he knows that Cena lives and breathes the WWE. He knows that it is because of that drive, he has become one of the greatest WWE Superstars and Champions of all time. It doesn’t change the fact that the Rock just doesn’t like Cena.
Rock tells Cena to look at each other. They are complete opposites. They look different, they talk different, they fight different, but they are very similar. It is because whatever they do, they want to do it the absolute best, better than anyone . . . period.
Rock says that he shops at department stores while Rock shops at Baby Gap.
Cena says that he appreciates fashion tips from the Tooth Fairy.
Cena reminds Rock that he is the People’s Champ so he tells Rock to listen to the people.
Cena says that people are standing not to see them talk, but to see . . . a match. Not just a match, but a match where generations collide. Only in the WWE would you see Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson in their prime. Only in the WWE would you see Michael Jordan versus Lebron James. It is obvious that it should be John Cena versus The Rock.
Cena wants to know if Rock wants to talk about it or Bring It.
Cena takes off his shirt and Rock stands there.
Rock tells Cena he has no idea what he just asked for. He says that Cena asks him to bring it and the Rock will bring it. Rock says that they make history and do something that has never been done before. They do the biggest match up of all time. They do it on the grandest scale of all time. They do it at Wrestlemania 28.
Rock says not in any matchup. It will be the People’s Champion with Team Bring It and the Millions . . . and Millions of his fans. It will be the main event of the People’s Wrestlemania. Rock asks Cena if he can smell what he is cooking.
Rock puts his hand out and Cena shakes it.
The Corre comes to the ring and they circle Rock and Cena. The Corre go after Cena and Rock with Gabriel and Barrett going after Rock while Slater and Jackson go after Cena.
Rock punches Barrett and Cena with the Blue Thunder Bomb to Slater.
Cena sets for the Five Knuckle Shuffle and he hits it.
Now it is time for the Rock to show what he can do. Rock with a spinebuster to Barrett and it is time for the People’s Elbow.
Cena gives Slater an Attitude Adjustment and Cena’s music plays.
The music stops when Rock hits a Rock Bottom on Barrett.
They shake hands again.
We go to credits.
2012 - WWE broadcast NXT. Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:
We are wild, young, and on the internet from Orlando, Florida and your announcers are Josh ‘Taz Chair’ Mathews and William ‘The Professor’ Regal. Your host is Matt ‘Hemme’ Striker, but is he here this week?
Match Number One: Percy Watson versus Tyler Reks with Curt Hawkins
Reks has something to say to Watson at the start of the match. They lock up and Watson with an arm drag. They lock up again and Reks with a waist lock but Watson with a standing switch and take down. Reks with an escape and hammer lock. Watson gets back to his feet and reverses the hold and applies a side head lock. Watson blocks a hip toss and hits a drop kick followed by a butterfly suplex for a near fall.
Watson with an arm drag into an arm bar and Reks goes to the floor. Reks and Hawkins have something to say to Regal before Reks returns to the ring. Reks sends Watson into the turnbuckles and kicks him. Reks with a hammer lock and slam followed by knees to the back. Reks with a leg drop to the arm for a near fall.
Reks with a key lock. Watson with punches followed by an Irish whip. Reks with a kick to the knee followed by punches and a slam. Reks with a kick to the back followed by a shoulder tackle. Reks slaps Watson in the head and kicks him while Hawkins stares at Regal.
Watson with punches but Reks pulls Watson to the mat. Reks with a key lock and then he runs Watson into the corner and connects with a few shoulders. Reks runs into a few boots from Watson and Watson with an enzuigiri for a near fall.
Watson with a drop kick or two followed by a flying clothesline. Watson with a hip toss throw followed by the Showtime Splash. Watson misses a splash into the corner but he is able to get the three count with a rollup.
Winner: Percy Watson
After the match, Watson is cornered by Reks and Hawkins.
William Regal gets on the mic and he tells Tyler and Curt that they just lost the match and they cannot blame anyone for the loss. Regal tells them if they lay a hand or anything else on Percy, they will be suspended for six weeks. Regal asks them if it is worth it for them to do anything. He tells them to go back to the dressing room with their tails between their legs.
We go to the back and Natalya is in the seamstress’ area. Michael McGillicutty tells Natalya if he can beat Derrick Bateman tonight, he gets a rematch against Tyson Kidd. Michael says that Natalya knows about being a third generation wrestler. Natalya tells Michael to keep her family out of this because it is between him and Tyson.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Tyson Kidd has joined William and Josh at the announce table.
Match Number Two: Natalya versus Kaitlyn
Natalya tries to be Kaitlyn’s bestie before the match and they shake hands. Natalya with a side head lock take down. Natalya with a rollup and Backlund bridge for a near fall. They lock up again and Kaitlyn with a side head lock and take down but Natalya with a rollup for a near fall. Natalya with a head scissors and Kaitlyn with an escape.
Natalya works on the arm and Kaitlyn with a rollup. Kaitlyn continues to work on the arm and wrist. Natalya with a reversal and a hammer lock. Kaitlyn with a reversal and Natalya with a fireman’s carry into an arm bar.
Kaitlyn with a forearm but Natalya with a slap and forearm to send Kaitlyn to the mat. Natalya with a near fall. Natalya pulls Kaitlyn by the hair and she applies an abdominal stretch. Nataly tries for a slam but Kaitlyn escapes and hits a cross body for a near fall. Kaitlyn with a cover but Natalya bridges out and applies the Sharpshooter and Kaitlyn taps out.
Winner: Natalya
We go to the back and Darren Young is talking to Titus about what he bought for Tamina. Tamina and Alicia Fox walk in the hall and Darren knows that Tamina has been busy running through his mind all day long. Tamina and Alicia walk away. Darren says that he made reservations for them at McDonalds. Titus laughs at Darren’s line to Tamina.
We go to commercial.
Match Number Three: The Usos with Tamina versus Darren Young and Titus O’Neil
Jimmy and Young start things off and Young with a waist lock take down and side head lock. Young with a shoulder tackle but Jimmy with a chop. Jey tags in and they hit a double back elbow and double elbow drop. Titus tags in and Jey with punches. Titus with a boot to the head and Jey goes down. Titus barks his approval.
Young tags in and he waits for Titus to get done kicking Jey. Young gets Jey on his shoulders and he hot shots Jey to get a near fall. Young punches Jey from the floor and tags Titus back in. Titus with a forearm across the chest and he sends Jey’s arm into the apron. Titus gets a near fall.
Young tags in and he punches Jey and Young with a belly-to-back suplex for a near fall. Young with a body scissors and forearms across the chest before applying a chin lock. Jey gets to his feet and Young pushes him away. Jey with a power slam and both men are down. Jey tries to make the tag to his brother and he rolls into the corner.
Titus and Jimmy tag in and Jimmy with punches. Jimmy with a kick to the leg and to the head. Jimmy with a back body drop and he gets the crowd fired up before getting a near fall that is broken up by Young. Jey throws Young to the floor.
Titus with a knee to Jimmy and Titus wants to know what Darren is doing on the floor. Jimmy with a Samoan drop and Jey is tagged in and he hits the splash from the top for the three count.
Winners: The Usos
After the match, we see the replays of the finish of the match and William and Josh point out that Tamina was looking at Darren on the floor. Titus yells at Darren over the result of the match. He tells Darren to get his head in the game and he says that he doesn’t need anybody.
We go to commercial.
We are back and it is time for the Raw Rebound.
We go to the back where Percy Watson is with Derrick Bateman and Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn asks them if they think he is awesome. Derrick says that they agree that she is awesome and then they talk about how Alex Riley got destroyed by Lord Tensai.
Maxine walks by and she is on the phone and she says that she wants it taken care of. Maxine yells at everyone and Derrick wants a moment to talk to Maxine.
Derrick tells Maxine that she is insane and she is stress eating.
Maxine says that her problem is Derrick. Johnny Curtis interrupts the conversation and says that he got a call from the kidnappers.
Tyson Kidd stops by and tells Derrick that he wants him to tear Michael McGillicutty apart because he will get a shot at Michael regardless of whether Michael earns the rematch for next week.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Johnny and Maxine are in the boiler room and they are alone. Johnny says that he took a fan down here before and things got weird. Johnny gets attacked by Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins.
Curt tells Maxine that they are the kidnappers but they will make it look like Curtis and Maxine did it. They tell Maxine that they better get her boy toy William Regal off of their case. Curt says that is blackmail.
Johnny says that they are not going to be intimidated by a couple of homeless looking people. Maxine says that things are going to get weird and Johnny agrees.
Match Number Four: Michael McGillicutty versus Derrick Bateman
They lockup and Michael with a forearm to the back followed by kicks. Michael with kicks in the corner followed by punches until the referee warns him. Derrick with punches and chops in the corner. Michael with a knee followed by a head butt and punch to the head. Michael with a chop of his own but Derrick chops back. Michael with aanother knee followed by an elbow to the head. Michael with a Hennig leap frog but Derrick with a drop kick and a clothesline that sends Michael over the top rope to the floor.
Bateman with a running drop kick off the apron and he connects. We go to commercial.
We are back and Bateman with a key lock but Michael gets to his feet. Derrick with a punch and Michael goes to the apron. Derrick tries to suplex Michael back into the ring but Michael blocks it and he connects with a head butt to the back of the head followed by a neck breaker using the ropes for extra impact. Michael with a kick to Derrick and then he chokes him in the ropes and connects with forearms.
Michael sends Derrick into the turnbuckles and he kicks Derrick until the referee pulls Michael out of the corner. Michael with a hard Irish whip and he gets a near fall. Michael with a reverse chin lock and Derrick gets to his feet. Derrick with a punch but Michael sends Derrick into the ropes. Michael with a running drop kick for a near fall. Michael rubs his forearm across Derrick’s face and then he returns to the reverse chin lock.
Derrick gets back to his feet but Michael with a knee and forearms. Michael with an Irish whip but he runs into an elbow. Derrick with a side Russian leg sweep into the turnbuckles and both men are down. Bateman kicks Michael in the hamstring. Derrick with a DDT/STO combination and he takes Michael down a few more times followed by a back breaker. Derrick with a flip neck breaker for a near fall.
Derrick sets for a running clothesline into the corner and he connects. Derrick goes up top but he takes too long and Michael recovers and he avoids the cross body. Michael with the Sharpshooter but Bateman with an inside cradle for a near fall. Michael hits the running snap neck breaker for the three count.
Winner: Michael McGillicutty
After the match, Tyson Kidd comes out to the stage and he applauds Michael’s victory.
We go to credits.If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!
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