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July 27th
On this day in history in ....
1945 - Buddy Rogers defeats Dave Levin to win the Texas Heavyweight Title in Houston.
1956 - Duke Keomuka & Tony Martin defeat Iron Mike DiBiase & Danny Plechas to win the Texas Tag Team Title in Houston, ending DiBiase & Plechas' second reign. Complete results from the card saw:
Buddy Rogers and Pepper Gomez fought to a no contest
Jerry Woods won by DQ over Johnny Valentine
Gene Kelly beat Ramon Torres
Irish Danny McShane beat Al Kashey
Larry Chene and Chico Casasola fought to a 15 minute draw.
1957 - Matt Osbourne aka Matt Borne and the original Doink the Clown is born.
1963 - WWWF ran Baltimore, MD with the following result:
The Shadow defeated Al Smith
Tim Woods defeated Gordo Chihuahua
Hans Mortier defeated Jack Miller
1963 - WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino & Bobo Brazil defeated the Fabulous Kangaroos in Atlantic City, NJ.
1965 - WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino fought Bill Watts to a no contest in Staten Island, NY.
1966 - WWWF ran Newark, NJ for a TV Taping, headlined by Miguel Perez & Pete Sanchez defeating Angelo Savoldi & Tomas Marin and Jerry Graham defeating Frank Martinez
1966 - WWWF ran Hershey, PA with the following results:
Ricky Sexton defeated Ronnie Etchison
Curtis Iaukea defated Arnold Skaaland
WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna
Little Beaver & the Jamaica Kid defeated Sky Low Low & Little Brutus
Louis Cerdan defeated Smasher Sloan
Antonio Pugliese defeated Waldo Von Erich
1968 - WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeated George Steele via disqualification in Boston, MA at the Boston Garden.
1969 - Paul Levesque aka Triple H is born.
1972 - WWWF ran North Dartmouth, MA at Lincoln Park with the following results:
Chuck O'Connor defeated Joe Turco via count-out
El Olympico fought the Black Demon to a draw
Chief Jay Strongbow fought George Steele to a double count-out in an Indian strap match; Tomas Marin was the guest referee for the match
WWWF Tag Team Champions Prof. Toru Tanaka & Mr. Fuji fought Sonny King & Gorilla Monsoon to a draw in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match; fall #1 and #2: the teams traded wins; fall #3: the two teams fought to a double count-out
1974 - A Mid-Atlantic Wrestling event in Spartanburg, SC at the Memorial Auditorium featured the following results:
Tommy Seigler beat John Heidemann
Bob Bruggers defeated Gene Lewis
Nelson Royal & Tommy Seigler defeated Mr. Hayashi & Mr. Ota
Tiger Conway Jr. & Paul Jones beat Ivan Koloff & Johnny Valentine
1977 - WWWF ran Hamburg, PA, headlined by WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeated Jose Gonzales
1978 - During a New Japan Show at Budokan Hall in Tokyo, WWWF World Champion Bob Backlund wrestled Antonio Inoki to a one-hour draw in a three fall match. Inoki won the first fall twenty minutes into the match, and Backlund won the second at the 36 minute mark, before they went the distance. Additional results from the show saw:
Makoto Arakawa fought Yoshiaki Fujiwara to a draw
Bad News Allen pinned Haruka Eigen
Osamu Kido pinned Peter Maivia
Chabo Guerrero pinned Kantaro Hoshino
Riki Choshu defeated Haystacks Calhoun via disqualification
Seiji Sakaguchi & Strong Kobayashi defeated Pedro Morales & Larry Zbyzsko when Kobayashi forced Zbyzsko to submit to a backbreaker
WWWF Jr. Heavyweight Champion Tatsumi Fujinami pinned Ryuma Go at 13:52
1978 - WWWF ran Lewiston, Maine, featuring:
Butcher Vachon defeated Tony Russo
Victor Rivera defeated Johnny Rodz
Stan Stasiak defeated SD Jones
Luke Graham fought Tony Garea to a draw
1979 - Former WCW, TNA, and WWE star Shannon Moore is born.
1980 - WWE star Dolph Ziggler is born.
1980 - WWF ran New Haven, CT at The Coliseum with the following results:
Rick McGraw fought Johnny Rodz to a 20-minute draw
Rene Goulet defeated Jose Estrada
Larry Zbyszko defeated Ivan Putski via count-out
Pedro Morales defeated Tor Kamata (sub. for Don Muraco)
Andre the Giant & Angel Marvilla defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-0; fall #1: the champions were disqualified; fall #2: Andre pinned Afa; the titles remained with the champions due to the DQ finish of the first fall
Women's Champion the Fabulous Moolah & Beverly Shade defeated Kandi Malloy & Peggy Lee in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-0; fall #1 - Beverly pinned Lee; fall #2 - Moolah pinned Lee
1982 - WWF ran Portland, ME at the Civic Center featuring the following results:
Johnny Rodz pinned Fred Marzino (sub. for SD Jones) at 14:45
Tony Atlas pinned Swede Hanson at 10:55
Bob Orton Jr. pinned Tony Garea at 11:40
Ivan Putski defeated Jimmy Snuka via count-out at 15:30
Chief Jay & Jules Strongbow defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito in a Best 2 out of 3 falls non-title match at 18:14, 2-0; fall #1: Fuji was disqualified at 14:44 for choking Chief Jay; fall #2: Chief pinned Saito and Jules pinned Fuji at the same time at 3:30
1983 - NWA World Tag Team Champions Jack & Jerry Brisco defeated Ric Flair & Roddy Piper via disqualification in the main event of a Mid-Atlantic Wrestling TV taping in Spartanberg, SC.
1984 - The AWA ran the Showboat Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada with the following results:
Billy Robinson wrestled Larry Zbyszko to a draw
Tony Atlas beat Steve Regal
AWA World Tag Team champions The Road Warriors defeated Curt Hennig & Steve O
Jim Brunzell beat King Kong Bundy by DQ
The Fabulous Ones beat Nick Bockwinkel & Mr. Saito
1984 - Jim Crockett Promotions ran Hampton, VA at the Coliseum with the following results:
Sam Houston defeated Paul Kelly
Brian Adidas defeated Jeff Sword
NWA TV Champion Tully Blanchard defeated Johnny Weaver
Pez Whatley defeated Kurt Von Hess
Adrian Street defeated Paul Jones
Angelo Mosca Jr. defeated Buzz Sawyer
Dusty Rhodes & Jimmy Valiant defeated the Assassins
1984 - WWF ran The Dunn Center in Elizabeth, NJ featuring the following results:
Salvatore Bellomo fought Rene Goulet to a draw
Samula (aka Samu) defeated Jose Luis Rivera
Johnny V defeated SD Jones
Bob Backlund defeated Bob Orton
Andre the Giant defeated Greg Valentine
Roddy Piper defeated Rocky Johnson
Ivan Putski defeated George Steele via disqualification
1984 - Jim Crockett Promotions ran Charleston, SC at the County Hall:
Tom Shaft defeated Jeff Sword
Vinnie Valentino defeated Bobby Bass
Nikita Koloff defeated Brett Hart
The Junkyard Dog & Rufus R. Jones defeated Gary Royal & Jesse Barr
NWA Tag Team Champions Ivan Koloff & Don Kernodle defeated Mark Youngblood & the Renegade
1985 - Jim Crockett Promotions ran Greensboro, NC at the Coliseum featuring the following results:
Ricky Reeves defeated Mark Fleming
Sam Houston defeated George South
Ron Bass defeated Joel Deaton
Jimmy Valiant defeated Paul Jones in a dog collar match
NWAWorld Tag Team Champions Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson fought Ivan & Nikita Koloff to a draw
NWA TV Champion Dusty Rhodes defeated Buddy Landell
NWA World Champion Ric Flair defeated Nikita Koloff
1985 - WWF ran Philadelphia, PA at the Spectrum with a card that was broadcast on the PRISM Network featuring the following results:
Jim Neidhart pinned Tony Garea at 9:25 with a powerslam
Bret Hart pinned Swede Hanson at 8:53 with an elbow drop after raising his knees to prevent a splash
The Missing Link (w/ Bobby Heenan) pinned Salvatore Bellomo at 4:16 with a diving headbutt from the middle turnbuckle
Pedro Morales pinned Rene Goulet at 12:38 wit a reverse roll up
Paul Orndorff fought Roddy Piper to a double disqualification at 5:31 after Orndorff shoved referee Joey Marella and Piper threw Marella to the floor; after the bout, both men continued brawling in and out of the ring until they were separated by Tony Garea, George Wells, and Swede Hanson
Brutus Beefcake pinned George Wells at 9:01 after reversing a powerslam attempt from the apron into a small package
The Spider Lady pinned Susan Starr at 9:08 with a powerslam and grabbing the tights for leverage
George Steele defeated Big John Studd (w/ Bobby Heenan) via disqualification at 3:57 when Heenan interfered as Steele was about to attempt a bodyslam; after the bout, Steele was double teamed
Terry Funk pinned SD Jones at 10:13 with a reverse roll up and grabbing the tights for leverage
Andre the Giant & Ricky Steamboat defeated Don Muraco & Mr. Fuji at 4:32 when Andre pinned Fuji following a boot to the face
1985 - WWF ran Kansas City, MO with the following results:
Jim Brunzell defeated Barry O
Randy Savage defeated Rick McGraw
B. Brian Blair defeated Steve Lombardi
Lanny Poffo fought Moondog Spot to a draw
WWF Tag Team Champions The U.S. Express, Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo defeated Nikolai Volkoff & the Iron Sheik
WWF Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana defeated Tiger Chung Lee
WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan defeated Greg Valentine
1986 - WWF ran Toronto, Ontario at the Maple Leaf Gardens with the following results:
Sivi Afi defeated Jake Roberts via forfeit when Roberts appeared in street clothes, grabbed the microphone, and said he would not wrestle in Toronto again until he could face Ricky Steamboat in his own type of match; as Roberts began to leave ringside, he returned to the ring, attacked Afi, and hit the DDT; moments later, Afi was helped backstage by Jacques & Raymond Rougeau
Hercules Hernandez defeated Scott McGhee via submission with the backbreaker at 6:59
Jacques & Raymond Rougeau defeated the Moondogs at 11:25 when Jacques pinned Spot with a roll up
Billy Jack Haynes pinned the Iron Sheik at 5:27 after Sheik accidentally kicked an interfering Nikolai Volkoff on the ring apron
Jimmy Jack & Dory Funk Jr. defeated Mike Rotundo & Danny Spivey at 15:25 when Dory pinned Spivey after Jack hit a clothesline while Spivey attempted the bulldog
Cpl. Kirchner pinned Nikolai Volkoff in a Bootcamp match after hitting him with his boot
The Junkyard Dog defeated King Kong Bundy (w/ Bobby Heenan) via disqualification when Heenan broke up JYD's pinfall attempt at 6:16
Ricky Steamboat defeated WWF IC Champion Randy Savage via count-out after Savage failed a bodyslam on the floor, with Steamboat falling on top of him
1986 - WWF ran Scranton, PA at the Catholic Youth Center with the following results:
Iron Mike Sharpe defeated Brickhouse Brown
Lanny Poffo defeated Les Thornton
Bob Orton Jr. defeated King Tonga
George Steele defeated Adrian Adonis via disqualification
WWF Tag Team Champions The British Bulldogs, Davey Boy Smith & the Dynamite Kid defeated Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake
Tito Santana fought King Harley Race to a draw.
1986 - The Universal Wrestling Federation ran Dallas, Texas with the following results:
Road Warriors & Bill Watts beat The Fabulous Freebirds by DQ
NWA World Champion Dusty Rhodes beat Ric Flair
Hacksaw Duggan beat Kamala by DQ
Missing Link won a Battle Royal
The Fantastics beat John Tatum & Jack Victory
Magnum TA beat Baron Von Raschke
Terry Taylor beat Eddie Gilbert
The Rock & Roll Express fought The Midnight Express to a draw
Chavo Guerrero beat Rick Steiner
One Man Gang beat Jeff Gaylord
Koko Ware beat Gustavo Mendoza
Sting beat Brett Sawyer
1987 - Jim Crockett Promotions ran Fayetteville, NC featuring the following:
The Italian Stallion defeated Thunderfoot #1
The Barbarian defeated Todd Champion
Paul Ellering defeated Paul Jones
NWA Jr. Heavyweight Champion Lazertron defeated MOD Squad Basher
NWA U.S. Tag Team Champions Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane defeated UWF Western States Heritage Champion Barry Windham & Kendall Windham
NWA World Tag Team Champions Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson defeated NWA TV Champion Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson
The Road Warriors defeated Manny Fernandez & Ivan Koloff
Ron Garvin defeated NWA World Champion Ric Flair
Nikita Koloff defeated NWA U.S. Champion Lex Luger in a non title match
1987 - A card at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, TN featured the following results:
The Clone beat Lou Winston.
Brickhouse Brown beat John Paul.
Don Bass beat Jerry Bryant.
Pat Tanaka & Paul Diamond beat Mark Starr & Alan West.
Billy Joe Travis & Jeff Jarrett beat The Nasty Boys via DQ.
The Moondogs beat Big Bubba & Goliath.
George Barnes & Blooey beat Rocky Johnson & Bill Dundee.
Jerry Lawler beat Nick Bockwinkel.
1987 - WWF ran Allentown, PA at Ag Hall, featuring the following results:
Omar Atlas defeated Frenchy Martin
Outback Jack defeated Jose Estrada
Ron Bass defeated Jerry Allen
Superstar Billy Graham defeated Don Muraco
Koko B. Ware defeated Nikolai Volkoff
Davey Boy Smith & the Dynamite Kid defeated Demolition
1988 - Stan Hansen defeats Genichiro Tenryu in Nagano, Japan to win the PWF World Heavyweight and NWA United National Heavyweight Titles, which would later become part of the All Japan Triple Crown.
1988 - Jim Crockett Promotions ran Jacksonville, FL for a Worldwide TV taping featuring the following results:
Ricky Morton pinned Cruel Connection with a crossbody off the top at 1:20
Rick Steiner (w/ Kevin Sullivan), Ron Garvin, & Al Perez (w/ Gary Hart) defeated Curtis Thompson, Larry Stephens, & an unknown at 3:58 when Garvin pinned Stephens after landing several punches in the corner; during the bout, Hart briefly joined the commentary team to remind them that Garvin was a former NWA World Champion; after the contest, David Crockett conducted a ringside interview with Garvin, Sullivan, Hart, Perez, & Steiner in which Crockett said Dusty Rhodes had accepted Hart's challenge to face Garvin in a dog collar match; moments later, Hart gave Garvin an envelope of cash before then cutting a promo on what Garvin would do to Rhodes in the match
NWA U.S. Tag Team Champions The Midnight Express, Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane (w/ Jim Cornette) defeated George South & an unknown at 2:37 when Eaton pinned South after hitting the Double Goozle; during the bout, JJ Dillon cut an insert promo in which he said Cornette's mother obviously wore the pants in the family and he would put Cornette over his knee and teach him the manners his father never did
Ivan Koloff & the Russian Assassin (w/ Paul Jones) defeated Trent Knight & Bob Emory at 3:58 when Emory submitted to the Assassin's Cobra Clutch; after the bout, Koloff pulled the Assassin off Emory and shoved him; moments later, Crockett conducted a ringside interview with Jones, Koloff, & the Assassin in which Jones said he wanted victims, not necessarily victories; Jones then said he had a rocky summer but he would have Koloff & Assassin bring him victims
Dick Murdoch pinned Agent Steel with the brainbuster at 2:31
Lex Luger & Dusty Rhodes (w/ Magnum TA) vs. NWA World Champion Ric Flair & NWA US Champion Barry Windham (w/ JJ Dillon); Rhodes came to the ring wearing a Road Warriors T-shirt; Jim Ross was the ring announcer for the match; less than a minute of the match aired before the broadcast ended
1989 - NWA ran Jacksonville, FL with the following results:
Brian Pillman defeated Bill Irwin
The Dynamic Dudes defeated the New Zealand Militia
Norman defeated Steve Casey
Rick & Scott Steiner defeated Kevin Sullivan & Mike Rotunda
Steve Williams & The Midnight Express defeated Terry Gordy & NWA World Tag Team Champions Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin
Eddie Gilbert won a battle royal
The Great Muta defeated Eddie Gilbert via count-out in a Dragon Shi match
NWA U.S. Champion Lex Luger defeated Tommy Rich
The Road Warriors defeated the Samoan Swat Team
Sting defeated Terry Funk via disqualification
1990 - Stan Hansen defeats Mitsuharu Misawa in Matsudo, Japan to win the vacant All Japan Triple Crown (NWA International, NWA United National and Pacific Wrestling Federation World Titles). The title had been declared vacant when previous champion Terry Gordy was hospitalized.
1990 - WWF ran three live events the same day, featuring the following results:
WWF in Los Angeles, CA at the Sports Arena:
Black Bart pinned Shane Douglas
Hercules defeated Jim Powers
Jimmy Snuka defeated the Barbarian via disqualification
Jake Roberts defeated Bad News Brown
Nikolai Volkoff defeated Boris Zhukov
The Rockers, Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty defeated the Orient Express via countout
WWF World Champion the Ultimate Warrior defeated Rick Rude
WWF in Landover, MD at the Capital Centre:
The Big Bossman pinned Ted Dibiase with a small package
WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition Smash & Crush (w/ Ax) defeated Bret Hart & Jim Neidhart when Ax involved himself in the match and pinned Hart
The Warlord pinned Sam Houston with a powerslam
Dustin Rhodes pinned Buddy Rose with a clothesline and elbowdrop
Paul Roma pinned Paul Diamond with a powerslam
Akeem pinned Pez Whatley with a splash
Jim Duggan & Tugboat defeated Earthquake & Dino Bravo when Duggan pinned Bravo after hitting him with the 2x4
WWF in Hamilton, Ontario at Copps Coliseum:
Haku pinned Jim Brunzell at 14:50 with a backbreaker
Koko B. Ware pinned the Genius with a bulldog; after the bout, Koko took off the Genius' blonde wig, put it on, and danced in the ring
Sensational Sherri pinned Sapphire
Dusty Rhodes pinned Randy Savage in a Texas Bullrope Match after hitting Savage with Sensational Sherri's loaded purse
Greg Valentine & the Honkytonk Man defeated the Bushwhackers via count-out
The Brooklyn Brawler pinned Barry O at around the 10-minute mark with a reverse roll up
Tito Santana defeated WWF Intercontinental champion Champion Mr. Perfect via disqualification after the champion hit the referee; the match replaced the scheduled Brutus Beefcake vs. Rick Martel bout, as both men were out with injuries.
1991 - Adam "Hangman" Page is born.
1991 - WWF ran Denver, CO at the Coliseum, featuring:
Ricky Steamboat defeated Haku
Kerry Von Erich defeated Demolition Smash
The Bushwhackers defeated the Orient Express
Col. Mustafa defeated Shane Douglas
Davey Boy Smith defeated Typhoon via count-out
The Big Bossman & the Legion of Doom defeated the Mountie & WWF Tag Team Champions the Nasty Boys
WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan defeated Sgt. Slaughter; Randy Savage was the guest referee for the bout
1991 - WWF ran Chicago, IL at the Rosemont Horizon with the following results:
The Barbarian defeated Koko B. Ware
Typhoon defeated Greg Valentine
The Berzerker defeated Jimmy Snuka
Power & Glory, Paul Roma & Hercules defeated Jim Powers (sub. for Shawn Michaels, who was out with a knee injury) & Marty Jannetty
Jake Roberts (with Andre the Giant) defeated Earthquake
Money Inc., Ted Dibiase & IRS defeated Hacksaw Duggan & Virgil
The Ultimate Warrior defeated the Undertaker in a bodybag match
1991 - Steve Simpson & Chris Walker defeat Scott Anthony (Raven) & Rip Rogers in the tournament final to win the Global Wrestling Federation Tag Team Champions in Dallas, Texas.
1992 - WCW ran Atlanta, GA at Center Stage for a WCW Saturday Night taping featuring:
Tom Zenk & Marcus Alexander Bagwell defeated Terry Taylor & Scotty Flamingo
8/1/92 -
Brian Pillman pinned Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker at 3:35 with a dropkick off the middle turnbuckle
Tom Zenk & Brian Pillman defeated Greg Valentine & Dick Slater via disqualification when the Barbarian interfered
The Barbarian pinned Chad Bird with a boot to the face at 1:33
WCW/NWA Tag Team Champion Steve Williams (w/ WCW/NWA Tag Team Champion Terry Gordy) pinned Jimmy Garvin at 7:41 with the Oklahoma Stampede; the ring announcer almost named Williams the victor 20-seconds earlier after he thought the match had ended
Rick & Scott Steiner defeated Mike Thor & Danny Deese at 2:03 when Scott pinned Thor with the Frankensteiner; after the bout, the Steiners brawled in the ring with WCW/NWA Tag Team Champions Williams & Gordy, who watched the match from ringside, until referees swarmed the ringside area
Van Hammer pinned John Peterson at 2:27 with the slingshot suplex
WCW World Champion Big Van Vader (w/ Harley Race) pinned Jim Nash at 2:07 with a splash
WCW TV Champion Steve Austin (w/ Paul E. Dangerously) defeated Ricky Steamboat via reverse decision at around 18:08; Steamboat originally won the match and title but referee Nick Patrick awarded the title to Austin after realizing Steamboat scored the win after knocking Austin out with a foreign object, which was thrown in the ring by Dangerously
8/8/92 -
Dustin Rhodes pinned Mark Cantabury at 2:54 with the bulldog; during the bout, Greg Valentine & Dick Slater cut an insert promo on Rhodes & Barry Windham; it was announced during the contest that Sting would not be in Chicago or Chattanooga, TN in the coming days due to the injury he sustained in Baltimore at the hands of Jake Roberts
Dan Spivey defeated Randy Stallings via submission with a dragon sleeper at 2:01; during the bout, Spivey cut an insert promo in which he said he wanted the WCW World Title from Ron Simmons
The Junkyard Dog & Big Cat defeated Chris Sullivan & James Motes at 2:08 when Cat pinned Motes with an elbow drop; during the match, it was announced the Nikita Koloff vs. WCW US Champion Rick Rude match taped 8/2/92 in Baltimore would be shown in its entirety
Van Hammer pinned Tracy Smothers with the slingshot suplex at 6:24
Greg Valentine & Dick Slater defeated Ian Weston & the Itallian Stallion at 8:17 when Weston submitted to Valentine's figure-4; during the bout, Valentine & Slater cut an insert promo on Slater's match with Dustin Rhodes the following night on The Main Event; it was also announced Jake Roberts would be in Chicago later in the night and Chattanooga, TN the following night and that Clash of the Champions 20 would celebrate 20 years of wrestling on TBS and Gordon Solie would be part of the broadcast
The Barbarian pinned Tommy Angel with a boot to the face at 3:21
Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton (w/ Paul E. Dangerously) defeated Larry Zbyzsko & Brian Pillman via referee's decision at around the 21-minute mark as Zbyzsko was caught in an armbar by Eaton after Eaton his a kneedrop onto Zbyzsko's already injured arm; the off-the-top rule was waived for the match, allowing the wrestlers to come off the top without it resulting in a disqualification; the match ended during the commercial break; when the show returned, Zbyzsko was being attended to by medics in the ring before the finish was shown
1993 - WWF held a Wrestling Challenge taping in Plattsburgh, NY featuring the following results:
Tatanka fought Bam Bam Bigelow to a double count-out after Tatanka hit the Samoan Drop on the floor
Damien Demento defeated Van Hammer
Bastion Booger pinned Phil Apollo with the sit-down splash at 2:34
The Heavenly Bodies defeated Virgil & Glen Ruth at 5:33 when Jimmy Del Ray pinned Ruth with the moonsault
The Bushwhackers defeated the Quebecars at around the 7-minute mark when Butch pinned Jacques with a roll up; after the bout, the Quebecars attacked the Bushwhackers in the aisle until several referees pulled them away
Well Dunn defeated Mike Khoury & Scott Amonte at 2:50 when Steven Dunn pinned Khoury following a double DDT
Razor Ramon & Marty Jannetty defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels & Diesel when Razor pinned Michaels at 11:30 with a uranagi after Jannetty hit Michaels with a superkick (Inside the WWF)
Randy Savage defeated Mr. Hughes
Bret Hart defeated WWF World Champion Yokozuna via disqualification
Men on a Mission (w/ Oscar) defeated Reno Riggins & Gus Kantarakis at 2:39 when Mabel pinned Kantarakis after being pushed onto him by Mo on the top rope
Adam Bomb (w/ Johnny Polo) pinned Scott Despres at 1:38 with the powerbomb
Bam Bam Bigelow (w/ Luna Vachon) pinned Dan Dubiel at 1:01 with the diving headbutt
The Bushwhackers defeated Barry Horowitz & Blake Beverly at 2:31 when Butch pinned Horowitz following the battering ram after Blake threw his partner back in the ring following a miscommunication between the two
The Quebecars defeated Mike Bucci & Mike Moraldo at 2:19 when Pierre pinned Moraldo following the Tower of Quebec
Razor Ramon pinned Barry Hardy at 2:11 with the Razor's Edge
The Heavenly Bodies defeated Darren Trujillo & Curt Sloan at 2:06 when Jimmy Del Ray pinned Trujillo with a moonsault
The 1-2-3 Kid pinned Fred Williams at 2:26 with a somersault splash off the top
The Smoking Gunns defeated Duane Gill & the Brooklyn Brawler at 1:36 when Bart pinned Gill following the Revolver
The Ludvig Borga defeated Bert Centeno at 2:25 with a clothesline off the top
Marty Jannetty pinned Iron Mike Sharpe at 3:53 with the flying fistdrop
Mr. Hughes (w/ Harvey Wippleman) pinned Dan Dubiel at the 2-minute mark with the sidewalk slam; after the match, Hughes destroyed a black wreath placed at ringside (Hughes' last TV appearance for more than 3 years)
Tatanka pinned Bobby Who at 2:08 with the Samoan Drop
WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels (w/ Diesel) pinned Rich Myers at 2:52 with a superkick and piledriver
1993 - WCW held a TV Taping for the Main Event in Anderson, SC, featuring:
Mark Starr & Sean Royal defeated Rip Rogers & Pat Rose
Lord Steven Regal (w/ Sir William) pinned Marcus Alexander Bagwell with a roll up and grabbing the tights for leverage after Sir William hit Bagwell with his umbrella
Maxx Payne defeated an unknown
Davey Boy Smith defeated Fred Avery
WCW/NWA Tag Team Champions Steve Austin & Brian Pillman defeated Keith & Kent Cole when Austin made the pin with a roll up and grabbing the tights and Pillman for leverage
The Nasty Boys defeated two unknowns
Yoshi Kwan defeated Mike Winner
The Equalizer defeated Chris Sullivan
2 Cold Scorpio & Marcus Alexander Bagwell defeated WCW TV Champion Paul Orndorff & Lord Steven Regal (w/ Sir William) via disqualification when Orndorff ran Scorpio into the ringpost
Johnny B. Badd pinned Maxx Payne with a roll up after avoiding a charge in the corner
Sid Vicious defeated Brad Anderson (sub. for Van Hammer)
Thunder & Lightning defeated Bobby Eaton & Chris Benoit when Benoit was pinned following a shoulderblock off the top
Harlem Heat defeated Joe Cruz & Mike Thor
2 Cold Scorpio fought Lord Steven Regal (w/ Sir William) to a time-limit draw; Scorpio had Regal covered following the 450 splash when the bell rang
NWA World Champion Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, & Paul Roma defeated WCW TV Champion Paul Orndorff (sub. for Barry Windham), WCW/NWA Tag Team Champions Steve Austin & Brian Pillman when Anderson pinned Pillman with the DDT at around the 18-minute mark
1995 - WWF ran Cohasset, MA at the South Shore Music Circus with the following results:
Skip pinned Aldo Montoya with a reversal
Jean Pierre Lafitte defeated Duke Drose
The Smoking Gunns defeated Jacob & Eli Blu
Bob Backlund pinned Man Mountain Rock
Razor Ramon vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley
King Mabel pinned Bam Bam Bigelow
1996 - Dr. Wagner Jr. defeats Aquarius (Yoshihiro Tajiri) to win the CMLL World Light-Heavyweight Title in Sapporo, Japan. Wagner had lost the title to Aquarius eight days earlier, and neither of these title changes (which took place on Big Japan cards) were authorized by EMLL, who control the title.
1996 - WWF ran Anaheim, CA at the Arrowhead Pond with the following results:
Justin Bradshaw pinned Bob Holly
WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn, Skip & Zip, and Marty Jannetty & Leif Cassidy
Psycho Sid defeated Davey Boy Smith
Owen Hart defeated Aldo Montoya
Marc Mero defeated Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Steve Austin defeated Savio Vega in a No DQ match
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels defeated Vader via disqualification when Goldust interfered
Goldust defeated Yokozuna
The Undertaker defeated Mankind
1996 - Extreme Championship Wrestling debuted in Warwick, PA, featuring the following results
Taz & Bill Alfonso defeated the Sandman & Tod Gordon when Sandman submitted to Taz
Super Nova defeated El Puerto Ricano
Hack Myers defeated Devon Storm
Mikey Whipwreck defeated Stevie Richards
ECW World Tag Team Champions The Eliminators defeated Buh Buh Ray Dudley & Pitbull #2
The Gangstas defeated the Bruise Brothers
ECW World TV Champion Shane Douglas defeated Chris Jericho
Taz & Brian Lee defeated Terry Gordy & Tommy Dreamer
1996 - WCW ran Dayton, Ohio featuring the following results:
Alex Wright defeated Disco Inferno
The Nasty Boys defeated Public Enemy in a dog collar match
Eddie Guerrero defeated Dean Malenko
Harlem Heat defeated WCW World Tag Team Champions Rick & Scott Steiner to win the titles
Kevin Nash & Scott Hall defeated Sting & WCW World TV Champion Lex Luger via disqualification
Randy Savage defeated WCW U.S. Champion Ric Flair in a non-title steel cage match
1997 - WCW ran Johnstown, PA featuring the following results:
Chris Jericho defeated Alex Wright
Chris Benoit defeated Lord Steven Regal
Eddie Guerrero defeated Dean Malenko
Rick & Scott Steiner defeated Buff Bagwell & Scott Norton
WCW U.S. Champion Jeff Jarrett defeated Steve McMichael
Randy Savage defeated Diamond Dallas Page via count-out
Ric Flair defeated Syxx
WCW World Tag Team Champions Scott Hall & Kevin Nash defeated Lex Luger & the Giant
1998 - WCW broadcast Monday Nitro, featuring the following results in San Antonio, Texas:
Jim Duggan pinned the Barbarian with a roll up
Scott Norton pinned Jim Neidhart
WCW Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho defeated Dean Malenko via disqualification at around the 9-minute mark when referee Mark Curtis stopped the match after spotting Malenko in possession of a foreign object, which Jericho brought in the ring moments earlier and Malenko used against the champion behind the referee's back; stipulations stated it would be Malenko's last shot at the title (Breaking the Code: Behind the Walls of Chris Jericho)
Curt Hennig pinned Steve McMichael
Konnan pinned Eddie Guerrero
Sting defeated Scott Hall via disqualification
WCW World & US Champion Bill Goldberg pinned Brian Adams
Diamond Dallas Page defeated Hulk Hogan via disqualification
Dark match after the show: WCW World & US Champion Bill Goldberg defeated the Giant
1998 - WWE broadcast Raw from Anaheim, CA featuring the following results:
Marc Mero defeated Dustin Runnels.
Debut Sunday Night Heat episode:
Edge pinned Jeff Jarrett (w/ Tennessee Lee) at 3:59 after Lee accidently tripped Jarrett
Droz & the Headbangers defeated Dick Togo, Mens Teioh, & Sho Funaki (w/ Yamaguchi-San) at 6:20 when Droz pinned Teioh with a sit-out powerbomb; prior to the match, Val Venis appeared atop the entrance stage with Mrs. Yamaguchi, causing Yamaguchi-San to throw a fit; following the match, Venis gyrated in front of 'Pacific Blue''s Amy Hunter Cornelius and shoved Mario Lopez, with Lopez then hopping the rail and tackling Venis before security broke up the fight
WWF European Champion D-Lo Brown (w/ Mark Henry) defeated Ken Shamrock via disqualification at 2:53 when Dan Severn interfered after Brown shoved him on the arena floor; after the bout, Steve Blackman attempted to calm down Shamrock, who yelled at Severn for costing him the title match
WWF IC Champion the Rock & Owen Hart defeated Mankind & Kane (w/ Paul Bearer) via count-out in 8:53; stipulations stated the winners would receive a WWF Tag Team Title match the next night on Raw
Raw:
Vader defeated WWF European Champion D-Lo Brown via count-out in a non-title match after ripping D-Lo's chest protector off and hitting a splash outside the ring
Brawl for All Quarter-Finals: Bart Gunn defeated Steve Williams
Owen Hart defeated Dan Severn via disqualification when Ken Shamrock interfered and attacked Owen; after the match, Severn locked Shamrock in a Dragon sleeper until Steve Blackman and a host of referees broke it up
Farooq & Scorpio fought Skull & 8-Ball (w/ Paul Ellering) to a no contest when all four men and Bradshaw began brawling in and out of the ring
Triple H (w/ Chyna) and X-Pac defeated WWF IC Champion the Rock via count-out at 6:55 when the champion left ringside as Triple H and X-Pac were busy fighting in the ring
Brakus pinned Jesus Castillo with a spinebuster in under 2 minutes
Val Venis pinned Brian Christopher (w/ Scott Taylor) with a fisherman's suplex; Taka Michinoku made the save after the match
Mark Henry & Kama defeated the Legion of Doom after Kama hit the DVD on Road Warrior Animal after Road Warrior Hawk tripped while attempting the flying clothesline
WWF Tag Team Champions - WWF World Champion Steve Austin & the Undertaker defeated Billy Gunn & the Road Dogg when Austin pinned Road Dogg with the Stunner
1999 - WWF taped an episode of Raw in Columbus, OH at the Schottenstein Center featuring the following results from the taping:
Kurt Angle pinned Rick Keyes with the Angle Slam
Super Astros:
Jose Estrada (w/ Miguel Perez) fought El Mangero (w/ Papi Chulo) to a no contest when the seconds began brawling in the ring
Papi Chulo & Apollo Dantes defeated Pantera & Sean Casey when Chulo pinned Casey with a Shooting Star Press
Sunday Night Heat:
Edge pinned Meat (w/ Terri & Jackie) with the Downward Spiral
Steve Blackman fought Mideon to a no contest when Blackman attacked Mideon before the bell with knunchucks
WWF Tag Team Champions the Acolytes defeated the Undertaker & the Big Show via disqualification when Taker used a chair; Hardcore Holly attacked the Acolytes after the match
Matt & Jeff Hardy (w/ Michael Hayes) defeated Papi Chulo & Sho Funaki when Jeff pinned Funaki
Shotgun: Joey Abs defeated Johnny Paradise
Raw is War:
Edge defeated Gangrel in a Bloodbath match when Christian turned on Gangrel to join his brother; a bucket of blood sat outside the ring and the first to use it would win the match
WWF European Champion D-Lo Brown pinned WWF IC Champion Jeff Jarrett (w/ Debra) to unify both titles after hitting him with one of the title belts, brought in the ring by Debra
The Undertaker & the Big Show defeated the Road Dogg & Kane when Taker pinned Kane with the tombstone; Hardcore Holly jumped the Acolytes after the match with a baseball bat
WWF Hardcore Champion the Big Bossman pinned Viscera
Test defeated Rodney
Steve Blackman fought Val Venis to a no contest when Ken Shamrock chased Blackman all over the building
WWF World Champion Steve Austin fought the Undertaker to a no contest in a No Holds Barred match when the Big Show, Triple H, the Acolytes, Kane, the Road Dogg, Hardcore Holly, Billy Gunn, and the Rock interfered; after the match, Austin hit the Stunner on Triple H and the Big Show
2001 - Former WWF Women's champion Rhonda "Bertha Faye" Singh passed away.
2001 - WWF and IWA Puerto Rico held a joint card in Bayamon, featuring the following results:
Crash Holly defeated NWA-IWA Junior Heavyweight Champion Super Crazy to win the title
The Big Show defeated Agente Bruno & Andy Anderson in a handicap match
Tiger Ali Singh defeated Test
Gran Nuevo Apolo & Ricky Banderas defeated Russ McCullough & Diamond Dallas Page
2001 - Pro Wrestling Noah celebrated their 1st anniversary as a promotion with an event at Budokan Hall in Tokyo. The main event of the show saw Jun Akiyama defeat Mitsuharu Misawa to win the Noah Global Honored Crown, becoming the second man to hold the title.
2001 - Kayo Noumi defeats Miho Wakizawa to win the All Japan Women's Singles Title in a tournament final in Tokyo.
2002 - Thelma Cornette, Jim Cornette's mother, who was referenced in countless Cornette promos over the years, passed away. Ohio Valley Wrestling announced the following:
OVWrestling.com was notified this morning by OVW owner Danny Davis that Jim Cornette's mother, Thelma Cornette, passed away early this morning after a long illness fighting cancer. Jim had been taking some time off from his duties as OVW Matchmaker during this time, and for a brief time, the Wednesday night tv tapings at Davis Arena will be untelevised house shows instead.
If you wish to e-mail a note of sympathy to Jim, it will be delivered to him personally. Sad day for the Cornette family
On behalf of Jim and his family, we sincerely thank all the friends and fans who've contributed their well-wishes and ask that you all continue to keep Jim and the entire Cornette family in your thoughts and prayers as well.
2002 - Low Ki defeats Spanky, Christopher Daniels & Doug Williams in a 60-minute Iron Man match to become the first Ring Of Honor Champion in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mike Johnson and Jess McGrath filed the following live reports:
ROH CROWNS FIRST CHAMPION IN ONE HOUR MATCH
by Mike Johnson
RF Video's Ring of Honor promotion crowned it's first ROH champion last night at their Philadelphia, PA event in the Murphy Recreation Center as Low Ki outlasted Christopher Daniels, Spanky, and Doug Williams in a One Hour Marathon Match which received a standing ovation from the estimated 450+ fans in attendance.
With rules stating that a win would give the wrestler 2 points and a loss would subtract a point, Christopher Daniels handed Low Ki his first pinfall loss in ROH in 25:31. Low Ki forced Spanky to tap out, bringing the scores at Daniels 2 points, Low Ki 1 point, Spanky -1, Williams 0. Low Ki then forced Doug Williams at 48:47, bringing Ki's total up to 3 points and putting him in the lead. No other falls took place and Ki became the champion as the 60 minute time limit expired as he fought not to tap out to Daniels while trapped in his own finisher The Dragon Clutch. The bout ran a legitimate 60 minutes from bell to bell.
Interestingly enough, the booking featured Daniels pinning Low Ki in the match, and never getting pinned once, thus giving "The Fallen Angel" a reason to continue his storyline tirades against the Ring of Honor promotion. The final point totals were Low Ki 3 points, Daniels 2 points, Spanky -1, Williams -1.
Spanky headed to a Zero-One tour and Daniels to a Michinoku Pro tour late because they didn't want to miss the booking. That says worlds about what they think of ROH as a company. The match was excellent and a very well laid out bout that never slowed down, and this was easily one of best live bouts I can recall seeing, but that said, I honestly felt like the four could do even better if given another chance, which is almost mind-boggling to say even as I write it. The match is a must-see when the video is available.
Other results from ROH's event last night:
*Tony Mamaluke forced the debuting Jeremy Lopez to tap out.
*Christian York and Joey Matthews defeated Prince Nana and Jacobs Ladder. York and Matthews were accompanied by Alexis Laree. After the match, the victors were confronted by the Christopher Street Connection and Alison Danger which turned into a brawl after Danger hit on Laree.
*In a Texas Wrestling Academy Challenge, Michael Shane and Biohazard defeated Paul London and Don Juan with Shane scoring the pin to win a "ROH contract." London had a simultaneous pin at the same time, but the referee awarded Shane the win. London and Shane got into it after the bout, but were held apart by TWA trainer Rudy Gonzales and the others in the match.
*Da Hit Squad defeated Quiet Storm and Chris Divine.
*James Maritato (aka ECW's Little Guido) pinned Jay Briscoe with the Kiss of Death after Jay's younger brother Mark distracted Jay by walking out on the match. There has been an ongoing storyline where the younger Briscoe has been happy to see his brother losing, and when Jay was on the verge of victory, Mark walked out to distract him and cause his pinfall loss.
*In an old school Bunkhouse match complete with Dusty Rhodes-esque jeans with the kneepads atop of them, The Natural Born Sinners, Homicide and Boogaloo defeated The Carnage Crew, HC LOC and Tony Devito. All four men bled with Devito submitting after Boogaloo choked him out with barbed wire across his mouth. The Crew attacked the Sinners afterwards and laid them out. Da Hit Squad made the save, but afterwards the Sinners were upset with Da Squad.
*NWA TNA X Division champion AJ Styles defeated David Young and Adam Jacobs in a Three-Way Dance. Young was pinned by Styles, followed by Styles pinning Jacobs in a top rope Styles Clash. AJ busted his head open hardway on the ring apron early in the match.
*In a six man tag, Mike Tobin of the Boogie Knights, Marcos and Dunn defeated Dixie, Brian XL and Black Gordon. A large unnamed African American male in a suit hopped the railing and chokeslammed everyone before hopping the rail again and leaving through one of the side doors of the building.
*Scoot Andrews pinned Xavier with the Force of Nature. Andrews had promised to leave ROH had he lost the bout.
*All four competitors in the One Hour Marathon match were exhausted by the last ten minutes of the match, which was described as "pure hell." All four were very happy with the way the bout turned out, and that they were able to keep the pace going so fast for a legitimate 60 minutes. When given the option of going a legitimate 45 minutes or 60 minutes, they all wanted to work the complete hour for the match.
*Low Ki was having trouble putting weight on his leg backstage after the match and collapsed in the back when he made his way backstage. Low Ki was OK afterwards. Ki dedicated the match and the win to the late Russ Haas in an emotional moment. Christopher Daniels, who acknowledged he wasn't the person who should be making the speech, spoke to the crew about what an important night it was for Ring of Honor.
*The promotion drew it's largest crowd to date, with over 450 fans in the building. The building was very hot. ROH brought in a number of industrial strength fans, but acknowledged they didn't do much to cool down the building. There is already talk of finding a new venue for the shows.
*There was a pre-show fight between tag teams Da Hit Squad and The Natural Born Sinners in the early afternoon of the show. The fight was not seen by any of the fans, and ROH booker Gabe Sapolsky got punched in the face while trying to break it up. Although he declined comment on the fight, when asked if whatever the problem was is taken care of, Sapolsky responded, "I hope." All four, who are considered friends outside the ring, were being professional during and after the show.
*AJ Styles, who is normally flown into ROH events, sacrificed his airfare so that the promotion could instead use that money to bankroll the driving expenses of David Young and Adam Jacobs, who he worked with in the NWA TNA X Division match last night. The trio drove to the show from Atlanta with Tony Mamaluke and Jeremy Lopez. Lopez, Jacobs, and Young will all be returning to the promotion in the future.
*Homicide suffered a deep cut to the head taking a shot with a hubcap after the Bunkhouse match, but was OK after being checked out at the hospital.
*Elax was originally booked as Prince Nana's partner last night but had to cancel due to a high fever. His replacement, Jacobs Ladder is from the Texas Wrestling Academy. Ghost Shadow from New York City independents was originally booked to the third man on Brian XL's team in the six man tag match last night, but missed the show due to a communications error. His replacement was Black Gordman, also from the Texas Wrestling Academy. Ladder and Gordman had driven up with the Texas Wrestling Academy crew (Rudy Boy Gonzales, Paul London, BioHazard etc.) to watch the show but instead were put on at the last minute. Biohazard from the TWA impressed ROH last night and will be brought back as well.
*Dixie from Jersey All-Pro Wrestling debuted last night in the six man tag. His brother, who works as Insane Dragon, will be debuting for the promotion on 8/24 in their Boston area debut under a new ring name. Dixie and Dragon will be placed into a six man unit with Brian XL doing a "club/raver" gimmick.
*Michael Shane got over as a heel last night as the crowd wanted to see Paul London win the "ROH contract." Shane is the nephew of Shawn Michaels.
*The Travel Channel was at the show filming a documentary on the lives of independent wrestlers which should be edited and airing on the station towards the end of the year. They interviewed a number of people who work for the promotion as well as a number of fans in attendance.
*The promotion filmed different sets of promos for home video release as well as for inclusion on their TV show, which is scheduled to debut in Philadelphia in September.
*RF Video filmed a number of "Mini-shoot interviews" with members of the ROH crew for insertion into future DVD releases as extras.
CROWNING A CHAMPION THOUGHTS
by Jess McGrath
Last night, Ring of Honor promoted their fifth show in Philadelphia, built around a 60:00 four-way Ironman match to determine the first ROH champion. The first time I went to ROH was back in March, and my feeling at the time was that, for my tastes, they were doing too much of the same thing in every match. That's no longer the case. This was an excellent show that gave a little bit of everything. There was the Moondogs style plunder match (Loc & DeVito vs. Homicide & Boogalou), which got over strong with the crowd. There was the Christopher Street Connection's ha-ha stuff, including a catfight between Allison Danger and Alexis Laree. And of course there was lots of solid wrestling.
It's a waste of words to attempt to describe just exactly how good the main event was, because it can't be done justice in print. This was probably the best match I've ever seen live. Just tremendous. Near flawless execution, amazing moves, a great storyline throughout with Christopher Daniels and Low-Ki. Doug Williams is phenomenal. I was very impressed by his work in the King of Indies tournament in California last year, but he was off the charts here. Any arguments about Match of the Year can't be made without first seeing this one.
The undercard was very good. The only thing that seemed to be universally panned was the six-man tag that came right after intermission, which thankfully I missed. The Mamaluke-Lopez opener was solid. Another thing I was thankful about was the shortness of the Christian & Joey vs. Prince Nana & his new partner match. Nothing against Christian and Joey, of course. The Texas Wrestling Academy match was pretty good. Paul London took some bumps that made me cringe. He's going to have a short career if he keeps that up. The finish where two guys are scoring pins simultaneously is always a tough one to pull off credibly, but they did a decent job with it. Post-match angle with London and Michael Shane was good. James Maritato-Jay Briscoe was a backdrop for the angle with Jay and brother Mark. Crowd seemed to be into it. Maritato is a great worker. Mike Johnson called him the "2002 version of Beautiful Bobby Eaton", which if you think about it seems pretty apropos. Hit Squad-Divine Storm was fine. Finish was a little weak, as one of the Hit Squad appeared to have trouble getting his opponent up high for the powerbomb. DHS seemed to run out of gas near the finish. I liked Styles-Young-Jacobs, although Jacobs was a bit disappointing here. Styles looked fantastic. That was a nasty hardway gash on his head too. Scoot Andrews-Xavier was a victim of card placement. Going on right before the strongly anticipated main event, they had no chance. It was smart to keep it short.
For the next Philadelphia show on 9/21, they announced American Dragon vs. Steve Corino, plus Michael Modest and the crowning of the first ROH tag team champions. Dragon-Corino stemmed from a promo cut by Rudy Boy Gonzalez. Corino has been dogging Gonzalez as a trainer in his commentary on the ROH video tapes. Low-Ki's first title defense will be at the 8/24 Wakefield, MA show vs. A.J. Styles.
One note about those ROH tapes: One of the best things they do on those is cut down ring entrances and the extra-curricular BS to just a few seconds. Nothing is more tedious for me than turning on a tape and being greeted by ten minutes of the ring announcer coming out, making introductions, the playing of the national anthem, every guy's ring entrance taking five minutes, etc. Other indies would be smart to follow their lead on that one and tighten up the tapes.
2002 - WWE broadcast Confidential. John Keane filed the following TV report:
Confidential Report for 7/27/2002.
Recorded at the WWE TV Studios in Stamford, CT.
Your Host: Mean Gene Okerlund.
Gene welcomes us in, lets us know that later on tonight we'll be hearing about the beginning of the end of WCW ascendancy in the fabled Monday night wars.
First order of business-3rd generation WWE Superstars. Gene reminds us that the first such performer in WWE, The Rock, grandson of Peter Maivia and son of former tag champ Rocky Johnson, had a shaky start on his entrance to the Fed. This leads us into tonight's 'Cover Story'-new 3rd generation star Randy Orton.
We see Randy with his granddad Bob Sr. and his dad 'Cowboy' Bob, the latter probably best known for being in Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper's corner at the original Wrestlemania. Randy credits the two for encouraging him to enter the biz. He first made serious consideration of wrestling as a career toward the end of his high school days, but decided to do a stint in the Marine Corps first.
Boot camp went well, but Randy soured on military life upon entering active service. He went AWOL for 3 months, decided to turn himself in, faced a court martial and ended up spending over a month in a military prison. His dad, who states he tried to dissuade Randy from joining the Corps, feels the punishment was just. After Randy's discharge, his dad managed to get him a tryout with WWE. We hear from agent Tom Prichard, who states he felt Randy had a lot of natural talent. Tom's brother Bruce signed Randy to a developmental deal, and he was sent to OVW. He met some animosity there, due to feelings among the long-time workers that he was trading on the family name. Randy claims this encouraged him to work all the harder to prove himself. Tributes to Randy's work ethic air from Mark Henry, D-Von Dudley and Val Venis. Bob Sr. feels his grandson resembles a cross between George Clooney and Lou Thesz (!). Randy (naturally) states his long-term goal is to one day be WWE Undisputed Champion. Break.
Back, Gene brings us a 'Before They Were Superstars' segment on Rob Van Dam. We hear from his mom and dad, who discuss Rob's tendency as a kid to not back away from a fight, even with aggressive canines. Rob talks about growing up in Battle Creek, Michigan-pretty standard childhood, he first started 'taking to the air' during summers spend on a diving board. We hear from some of his high school teachers, who describe Rob as a bit of a show-off, constantly performing gymnastic feats to garner attention.
Hey, business picks up here! We hear a story about one of Rob's earliest dealings with the Fed-he attended a show as an adolescent that featured The Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase (greatest heel of all time, IMHO). Footage rolls of Ted offering a crisp $100 bill to anyone who'd get in the ring to kiss his bare 'stinking, sweaty feet'. Taking the offer-yep, our current Intercontinental Champion.
Rob considered joining the school wrestling team, but balked at the idea of having to lose weight. He opted for kickboxing as an alternate route to lead to pro wrestling. After graduating high school, he got serious about breaking into the biz and attended a school run by the original Sheik. After busting his butt for peanuts on the indy circuit, he got his big break in ECW, and you and I know the rest. Rob finishes up by describing himself as a 'regular guy'. Break.
Back, Gene reminds us of the teased DX reunion earlier this week on Raw. This leads to a segment on one of the more memorable skits in WWE history-the DX (mark 2-this version of the faction consisted of HHH, Chyna, X-Pac, Billy Gunn and Road Dogg) 'Invasion' of WCW from April of 1998.
Hunter reminds us that at the time, the Fed had put up with talent raids and verbal shots from WCW boss Eric Bischoff. This prompted Vince and company to take things a step further-DX, donning paramilitary garb and driving surplus vehicles, showed up outside the Norfolk Scope, site of the evenings Nitro. The early arriving fans voiced their support of DX. We hear from Bischoff-he admits to being 'REALLY pissed off' at the time. Kevin Nash, then working for WCW, describes being shocked by the gathering mob scene. We see Hunter interviewing the fans, some of whom admitted to getting free tickets. Present day Bischoff admits he'd been outfoxed. Nash observes WCW had no real way to retaliate as at the time the company was having a hard time buying coffee. Bischoff puts over the aggression and ruthlessness (oy) displayed by the WWF.
Segment finishes with Nash admitting the WCW guys would gather around the TV to watch the antics of DX, and X-Pac expressing nostalgia for the good old days. Break.
WWE Rewind: Randy Orton makes his debut on the Smackdown of April 25th, getting an upset victory over Bob Holly.
Gene returns for more on the Ortons. Randy admits he has some rather large boots to fill. We see footage of Bob Sr. and Jr. in action, accompanied by tributes from the Prichards, Gerald Briscoe, D-Von and Steve Lombardi. Subject turns to the long-present cast on 'Cowboy' Bob's left arm-he claims his arm REALLY was healing for a year and a half, but now feels 'real good'. Video collage of all 3 Ortons in action ends the segment.
Back, we pay a visit to Tough Enough trainer Al Snow's house. Main body is a showcase for an antique collection-Al admits these sections are rarely occupied. Moving on, we get a glimpse of 'Pierre', the stuffed deer head Al used to bring to the ring-Pierre now enjoys quiet retirement on the wall of Al's house. On to Al's office (AKA 'I Love Me' room)-hey, there's Head! Quick stops in Al's daughter and son's rooms grant us a glimpse at one of Al's most cherished possessions-his 'Avatar' mask. Moving RIGHT along, we head to the garage and Al's favorite vehicle, a fully restored '64 T-Bird.
Al expresses his satisfaction with his current lifestyle and we take a break.
When we return, Gene previews a new commercial hyping Summerslam-Trish Stratus pilots an ice cream truck Yes, we get the obligatory 'One scoop or two?' gag. Gene wraps up with a mention that next week we'll be going in-depth with Booker T. End of show.
Kind of a fluff episode this week, but any show that features Ted DiBiase immediately gets a BIG thumbs-up from me.
2002 - WWE Smackdown ran Jonesboro, AR at the Convocation Center. Neil Raimies filed the following live report:
Just got back from the Arkansas State University Convocation Center, where the Smackdown Crew gave the folks a pretty good show. Here are the results, in no particular order...
Jamie Noble (w/Nidia) d. Sho Funaki and Billy Kidman to retain the Cruiserweight Title.
In a USA vs. Canada match, Test d. Albert (playing face to the hilt) with the big boot, when Albert went for the Baldo Bomb.
Tajiri and Chavo Guerrero d Shannon Moore and Rey Mysterio, in a
Cruiserweight Tag match, as Chavo pinned Moore.
In 6-man tag action, Billy, Chuck and Rico d Faarooq, Bull Buchanan and Mike Awesome, when Chuck super-kicked Awesome, and Billy got the pin.
Mark Henry and The Hurricane d. Reverend D-Von and Batista, Henry getting the win after a HUGE powerslam on D-Von. Funny Moment when Hurricane tried to Hurri-slam Batista, and got clobbered for his trouble.
Christian and Lance Storm d. Hardcore Holly and........JERRY "THE KING" LAWLER, to retain the Tag Team Titles. Folks, Jerry can STILL bust his ass in the ring after all this time. Besides, Jerry is from the area, since Memphis is only an hour and 15 minutes southeast of Jonesboro. After Christian and Storm did their usual USA-bashing, Lawler got in the line, "You Canadians better be glad you're attached to the USA, because our Salvation Army could whip your regular army's butts". Then all kay-fabe broke, as all four men lost it laughing, when Holly tried to bust on Christian, accidentally calling him "Jay" instead of Christian, but he got the line out. "You were backstage bragging about how tough you Canadians are. Well, I also heard you bragging that Storm had the softest chin you had ever rested your nuts on". My daughter had made a colorful sign for Lawler, and The King graciously signed it for her after the match. She went away happy. BTW, the pin came after Storm super-kicked Holly, when he went to Alabama Slam Christian.
Torrie Wilson d. Dawn Marie in a Bra and Panties match.
The Main Event saw Edge and John Cena d. Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho. Some funny stuff in this one, too...Angle got his unitard pulled down far enough to expose his whole bottom, he was held in the corner, while Jericho was rammed into Angle's cheeks face first. Finish came when Jericho went to throw powder into Edge's eyes, got Angle instead, and the blinded Angle applied the Ankle Lock on Jericho. After he released it, and was knocked outside, Edge hit the Edgecution for the win.
All in all a good show, with attendance hitting 2,000--2,500, which is good for a Jonesboro house show.
Interesting to note, while the other Championship belts in the WWE are new, the tag belts are still the same old belts, even down to still having "WWF" all over them. Guess we now know how much respect the tag team division gets.
Biggest pops
1) Lawler
2) Edge
3) When Angle's unitard came down
Biggest Heat
1) Angle
2) Jericho
3) Christian and Storm (cheap heat)
No heat
1) Test vs. Albert
2002 - WWE Raw ran San Antonio, TX at the Freeman Coliseum. Kenny Williams filed the following live report:
Match #1
Tommy Dreamer Vs. Steven Richards
This was a very good opening match. Most of the stuff that you would like to see these guys do (ECW/hardcore) was not used. But these guys are both solid workers and it showed. Richards is a good dork/heel. He hits Dreamer with the Stevenkick in a sick looking maneuver to win.
Match #2
Matt Hardy vs. Raven
Everyone popped huge for Hardy. Surprisingly there was a great pop for Raven (I tried to get a Scotty the Body chant going - this would be the first of many depressing chant attempts during the night for me). Raven played to the crowd well. Matt attempted to throw his shirt to the crowd. Raven grabbed it and used it to wipe his ass. Little girls booed (guys laughed and chanted Raven's name). All the typical spots you see on TV. Raven won with a rollup in the corner and a hold on the ropes.
Match #3
Trish and Linda vs. Molly and Jackie
This was really a match between Molly and Trish. The TE3 girls stink (Linda has an ass bigger than Molly) and really were painful to watch. You could see Jackie's knee brace. Gayda missed at least two spots during the match. There is hope for her, but it is going to take some work. Stratisfaction for the win.
Match #4
Justin Credible vs. Shelton Benjamin
First huge mark out for me of the night for yours truly when Justin hit the ring. I love this guy. He plays the heel great. Benjamin has the look, and is he athletic. The crowd went dead during the match because many of the people did not know whom the two guys were (the idiot in front of me said "Damn X Pac looks different"). Some guy yelled at Justin, telling him that he sucked. Justin yelled back to "get your ass in the ring d@#%head". FUNNY STUFF! Justin won with a reversal.
Match #5
Benoit and Eddie vs. The Dudleys - Table Match
Dudleys come out to a huge face pop. The Radicalz are the best in the business. Not much to say here except these guys put on a great match. It was the exact match we have seen from them over the past few weeks. Dudley Dog and Spike goes through the table on the outside.
Match #6
Goldust vs. Christopher Nowinski
My wife loved Goldust. She thought he looked cool (and reminded her, I am certain, of some of her hairdresser friends). Nowinski is going to be a great heel. The people HATE the guy. And he has a GREAT smirk. I was sitting on the aisle by their entrance, and he was so pompous. The old guy behind me (who I am certain thinks wrestling is all rigged) thought he should have gone a better school than Harvard. Anyway, Goldust wins with some sort of bodyslam. Susie (my wife) marked out!!!
Shawn Micheals came out to cut a promo on HHH. I am not sure if the people in attendance were aware of what happened on Raw. The point of the promo was to lay the seed that he was coming back. He stated that he was half the man he used to be, that he should turn the other cheek. He said he was not sure that he could do that. "Dancin" Stevie Richards of the RTC/BWO comes out to say that he doesn't think that HBK can get his leg up high enough anymore for Sweet Chin Music. Mistake, crowd pops HUGE, and he leaves.
Match #7
Bradshaw vs. Planet Stasiak
I tried to start a "Meat" chant - nothing. Then Justin Bradshaw hits and cuts a promo on Stasiak about how his old college roommate from ACU is here and he is in a hurry to get out of the building in order to go drink beer. I guess Bradshaw forgot about HHH's "pep" talk. Of course at the end of the match Raven won the title and so did Credible. Why do they leave after they have won the title once and not try again? The lariat from purgatory for the win.
Match #8
RVD vs. William Regal
According the old man behind me, Regal is evidently not a nice person. I explained to the entire section why he was wiping his feet on the apron. They thought I was making it up. RVD comes out to a huge pop. This was an OK match. Can someone explain how these two are a good match? RVD wins with the five star. He came over after the match and high fived all of the people in out section. Pretty cool.
Match #9
Taker and Booker T vs. Show and Lesnar.
This is one of the moments a man cherishes for the rest of his life. One of those call your buddies from the arena I am going to pee myself moments. Show comes out first and Susie is not looking in his direction. He is standing right by the rail, she turns and he is about two feet from us and she screams at him in fear. He laughs and goes to the ring. After soiling myself, I stop laughing. Lesnar is a MONSTER. Taker and Booker are WAY WAY over. Just a note, people may not like Taker, but that guy is great. He sold everything and even took the F-5. When Booker pinned Show, Taker called for the Spinaroonie. Priceless.
Heat:
1). Nowinski - at least in my section
2). The morons saying "what during the national anthem" - have some respect
3). Raven - from the various 14 year old girls
4). Eddie and Chris
Pop:
1). Shawn Micheals promo
2). Bradshaw promo
3). Taker and Booker
4). My wife for Goldust
5). Me for seeing Arn stick his head out of the curtain to watch the main event (Tried to start a Horsemen chant - nothing)
2002 - WWE broadcast Byte This on WWE.com. John Shepard filed the following report:
We open to a highlight section from last Monday's Raw.
Kevin Kelly and Tom Pritchard are in the studio together. Dr. Tom puts over Lance Storm and Christian. He talks about how good the Vengeance PPV was. Kelly now talks about how a new guy is working the audio board today and some other guy seems angry about it (Thanks for this info). Seth the angry technician is now discussed for awhile.
Kelly mentions the quick rise and fall of DX and asks Dr. Tom about Raw. Dr. Tom mentions he was shocked when DX was going to return and thought it was a great idea to bring it back, but believed it was also a great move for HHH to turn on Shawn Michaels to get out of Shawn's shadow. Dr. Tom says Michaels has a big ego and HHH put it in check (Michaels has an ego? Huh?). Kelly says that Shawn Michael's carried the WWE when it was on its ass.
Now Droz now checks in and says he thought the Body Donnas carried the WWE back in the day. Droz is asked about Vengeance. Droz says the PPV was great and the triple threat match was one of the best ever. Kelly says he didn't feel cheated by the end of the RVD/ Lesnar match. Dr. Tom says he didn't either, but he can understand those who do. Kelly discusses how Brock leaves for Smackdown. Droz is asked about DX and HHH. Droz says HHH put the past to rest on Monday and that he is a leader not a follower (I can here the internet smarts laughing now) Droz says Michaels will respond, but HHH did the right thing. Kelly asks if Shawn Michaels is even capable of responding to HHH in the condition he is in. Dr. Tom says HBK still has enough desire and fire inside him to respond. He might call on his friends in the WWE to help him. Kelly then mockingly asks who HBK's friends are and no one can think of one. Droz says Shawn won't get HHH back in the ring, but may get him back stage with a chair shot to the head or something like that.
Kelly says that Smackdown was great, and asks Droz who he thinks was in the limo with Bischoff at the end of Smackdown. Droz says he has no idea, but the general manager idea is the greatest thing to happen to the brand extension. Dr. Tom says that Bischoff is making the general manager thing work so well because he is so great at playing an asshole. Droz says that Bischoff is very slimily and that he was shocked when Eric came in. Droz says he will do whatever it takes to put Raw ahead of Smackdown. Droz says this was a great week for the WWE, one of the best in a long time. Droz now leaves.
We now get more backstage wacky fun with Big Country and the new sound board guy, and angry "why can't I be running the sound board" Seth. More banter to stall for Jim Ross to get on the phone and of course it involves Dr. Tom's Body Donna career. Dr. Tom talks about how his young step daughter loved the debut of Rey Jr. Jim Ross now comes on the phone live from the set of Tough Enough 3. JR. says things are going well for TE and they have some good athletic wrestlers on the male side. JR says in this group there are not one or two talents that stand above the rest like in the first two Tough Enoughs. But he says it may be the most competitive of the three. Kelly asks if JR thinks the Triple Threat match at Vengeance was the best one ever (Triple threat match that is). JR says he would be hard pressed to find one better and he was blown away by the match. JR says it was the great end to a solid PPV. Dr. Tom asks if the general manager idea has given the brand extension more strength. JR said it has given it more teeth and he puts over how great Stephanie was on Smackdown and says that Bischoff really nailed his role on Raw on Monday. He says things are really taking shape. JR says the brand extension took a positive step this week. JR says that the brand extension has been decimated by injuries and that has caused a lot of problems and creative gets too much blame. He says the brand extension is going to really catch on.
Kelly asks who JR thinks the next superstars will be. JR says Lesnar is at the top of the list and puts over his mic work on Smackdown. JR says Edge is an amazing talent and a main event star waiting to happen. JR also puts over John Cena and talks about how good his verbal skills are. He also mentions the Anti-Americans and that they are great. Then JR puts over Chris Nowinski and thinks he is a huge talent. JR also mentions Rey Jr. and says while he is not as green as some of the other guys, but he is still very young. Then he mentions how great Rey's debut was. JR says Shelton Benjamin has a lot of potential and he reminds him of a young Kurt Angle. Then he mentions how Shawn O'Haire is really progressing. JR says that Goldust is taking off and becoming a fan favorite for some perverse reason and says he doesn't know why. He says that Jeff Hardy has also been really getting over as well. Kelly asks what JR thinks about the moving of the announce table back from ringside. JR says it is strange to him, but he will get used to it. However, he enjoys being closer to the fans. He throws a dig at the internet by saying that there have been a lot of false rumors circulating about his emotional state last week.
Kelly asks if JR has spoken to Stone Cold. JR says he hasn't and comes off still bitter about this. Kelly asks if the slowing down of business is stopping or if there is a lower point to reach. JR says he can see a light at the end of the tunnel and he thanks things are headed in the right direction. JR says fans want new and fresh stars and angles. JR says people are getting healthy and that the older guys will also benefit from fresh faces by setting up new match ups for them. JR says the kids in the developmental league have a lot of talent and that they are making great strides. JR mentions how more events are starting to sell out and mentions how bad the economy is bad. He says as the economy stabilizes and that wrestling will under go a bigger boom than it did in the late 90's. JR now leaves.
Kelly mentions how JR & King and Michael Cole & Tazz both did great jobs on the PPV. Dr. Tom says you can tell the excitement in all the announcers' voices this week. Kelly says Tazz won't be on this week and sets up a phony Smokey & the Bandit scenario that Tazz is hauling beer across state lines while being chased by the law. Now we go back again to the on going saga of the dueling technicians in the control room (This is riveting. I am on the edge of my seat... ) The guy who is running the sound board named Matt Duda keeps miming and smiling when we see him. Now Kevin Kelly asks Seth (the guy who has been upset because he wasn't allowed to work the sound board) to talk about what is wrong. Seth asks if he can "shoot" with the guys and the Matt Duda guy puts up quote signs when Seth says shoot (I am not sure why, but that was funny) Seth says he is upset because Matt Duda is getting to produce the show only because he always sucks up to Kevin. Seth says he was the one who got JR and Matt wanted Shawn Stasiak (I am not sure why I am even recapping this because if you are interested, you are a very sad person). Kelly says that Duda is permanently running the audio boards and that Seth is stuck doing what he is doing (No one seems to know what that is) At this point, I am going to easy all our pain by waiting until all this ends to continue. Believe me you should think me because this goes on for a long time and descends painfully into sit-up contests, talk of Seth's penis size, and the word "ass" being thrown out a lot.
Rey Jr. now comes on (mercifully). Dr. Toms puts over Rey's entrance and Rey says everything went great. Kelly asks how Rey will get over with fans who don't know him. Rey says he is going to pace his wrestling style differently and not just a lot of high spots that occur in Mexican wrestling. He says his high moves are still going to be there, but instead of doing 5 big spots he might do 3. Rey is asked about his start in wrestling and he says he grew up in the wrestling business because his uncle is a wrestler in Tijuana. Rey says he first wrestled when he was 8 and always wanted to wrestle. He trained for 7 years and at age 15 felt he was ready to put on a match. Finally, he did his first show and things took off. He says promoters at first were scared he was too young and too skinny and often his parent had to come to the arena to let him wrestle because you had to be 18 to wrestle. Rey then mentions he was brought into the states by Konnan. Now Kelly alludes to the freezing death of dog at the hands of Tom Pritchard in Tijuana (I have no clue what this means either, and I don't want to). Dr. Tom mentions again his step daughter loving Rey and talks about how good to the segments announcing his coming into the WWE were. Dr. Tom asks if Rey has ever fought Jaime Noble. Rey says he fought him a couple of times in the WCW and once in the developmental territories.
Kelly asks about the cultural significance of the mask to Mexican wrestlers. Rey says it enhances everything you do and that it is an art and a great honor to wear masks (An art?) Rey says it has gone back for years and it sets up great mask vs. mask contests that can uncover people who fans haven't seen before. Rey is asked how he feels to the comparison between him and Mil Masceras (Forgive my spelling). Rey says he is honored to be compared to him and that Mil Mascaras was one of the first guys to cross the border and be internationally known. Rey mentions how next the Guerrero brothers, including Eddie and then Chavo Jr. came in to the US. Rey mentions how Mil Mascaras never takes off his mask even in the shower (He supposedly has different mask for the shower. That is too weird).
A caller comes on and puts over Rey, and then asks if Rey will fight some of the bigger guys in the WWE. Rey says he hopes so, and he believes he can make history and take on the heavyweights. Another caller asks Rey if he and Billy Kidman will work together again. Rey says he and Billy have been tagging in house shows already and he hopes it continues. Kevin Kelly asks Rey about a move called the "619" which he says is called that because 619 is the San Diego area code where he lives. So it is called the 619 because when he puts on the move the match is over and he is going home (I have to admit that it clever). By the way the move is when he swings his leg through the ropes and pulls the other guy through and down. A very effeminate caller asks what the difference between WCW and WWE is. Rey says the WCW didn't know how to create stars and a lot of talented guys were held back. While the WWE gives you the chance to shine and you get you chances to get over (Man that wasn't a towing the company line response). Kelly asks how Rey felt during his match and the during the day leading up to it. Rey said it was the greatest feeling in his life and he was just focused on making things work correctly and he thanks God for letting him live his dream.
Kelly asks what Rey felt while the other WCW guys were in the WWE over this last year. Kelly asks if Rey was worried about his future at that point. Rey said he was worried and heard how Vince doesn't push smaller guys, but that he is so thankful to get the chance and will prove the guys wrong who didn't think he would make it. Dr, Tom mentions how it must have hurt Rey to see that guys like Spike Dudley were on TV and he wasn't (What has Spike done to deserve that comment). Rey mentions that he was a little bothered by Spike and guys like X-Pac (I think all of us are bothered by X-Pac) getting a chance and he wasn't. Dr. Tom puts Rey over and asks Rey about the possibility for working for Bischoff again and if he would go to Raw. Rey says he is happy on Smackdown and comments on how he wasn't pushed as well as he would have liked while working for Bischoff.
Kelly asks Rey if he was satisfied with his match with Chavo. Rey says you can always be critical, but he is very happy with the WWE and how things have gone. Kelly puts over how much effort has been put up by the WWE to build up Rey and asks if that causes more pressure. Rey says it did provide a little more pressure and made him want to work harder. Kelly puts over Matt Duda liking Rey's tattoos (Please no more talk of Mr. Duda). He also asks Rey about putting on more muscle and how did he do that. Rey says that since he was home at lot he could work out better and eat better as opposed to being on the road all the time. Another caller asks Rey about the WCW Invasion and why he didn't' get involved. Rey mentions his contract didn't get bought out and he got paid by Time Warner while sitting out for a year. Kelly puts over Rey and Rey leaves (Man this guy is so excited to be in the WWE).
Kelly mentions the frozen dog again to Tom Pritchard and we now go to what everyone has been waiting for, the sit-up challenge between Matt Duda and Seth for control of the audio board (Father give me strength). Of course the segment wouldn't be complete without gay jokes and one of the guys taking their shirts off. Well to not keep you in suspense, Matt Duda won and Big Country and Seth lose and have to leave the show as a result of the stipulations (Please let this be for good). We are even lucky enough to get Matt Duda's victory speech. Kelly says Duda can book the guests for next week , and he wants to put Sean Stasiak on (Man I miss Big Country and Seth) and Dr. Tom and Kevin go in and out of Spanish accents. Kelly now spends 5 minutes reading the chat room comments about the sit-up battle (which trust me are as bad as you are imagining). Kelly says that Byte This has reached its lowest point (I have to concur). Matt says he wants the fans to e-mail in and request who they want to see next week and the one with the most votes gets on. Kelly raps things up and says the upcoming week will be more unpredictable than last week.
2002 - WWE broadcast Velocity. Matt Zylbert filed the following TV report:
WWE Velocity
Hosted by Michael Cole and Mark Lloyd (In for Al Snow)
Report by Matt Zylbert - BigShot5021@aol.com
It's the 10th edition of Velocity, and everyone is psyched! Hello everyone and welcome back to my demonstration of writing's excellence of execution. As you may know, I am your potential award-winning reporter, Matt Zylbert, and THIS is the 'five-star' 1Wrestling.com Velocity report that would win gold in the Olympics. Now let's get the show underway by sending it down to our buddy, TONY THE CHIM, for our opening bout.....
Billy & Chuck w/Rico vs The Hurricane & Shannon Moore
Interesting way to kick off THIS week's episode of Velocity, as we have former Tag-Team Champions going up against two-thirds of the ol' 3-Count. I have nothing else to say, surprisingly, so let's just get straight to the match.
The Essa Rios clone and Mr. I'M NOT ROCKABILLY ANYMORE start us off, and Shannon would assume control after some punches and a victory roll for a near fall. He would continue the early offense with an alley-oop dropkick, and then an arm drag before Billy would tag out. In the process, WWE's favorite super hero, as well as current part-time jobber, makes a blind tag, and as Chuck is focusing on Shannon, he turns around, only to walk right into some HurriPunches. Hurricane would follow up with a flying head scissors take-over, before hitting what looks to be a modified ghetto blaster. Yes, a ghetto blaster. Good to see some shades of Bad News Brown. Anyway, Hurricane only gets a count of one on the pin after, but would stay in control, as he flips through a back suplex, and manages to execute a neckbreaker. Shannon tags back in, and on commentary, Cole mentions how this would be an upset if Hurricane and Shannon won, considering Billy and Chuck are former Tag Team Champs. Oh yeah, like THAT really means something anymore. Back to the match as Shannon works over Chuck with a cool modified swinging neckbreaker for another near fall, and the dominance would end soon after. Essa.... err, Shannon would be caught in the grasp of Chuck, who sends him to the outside. The former champs do some double-teaming, as Hurricane tries getting involved, but only ends up distracting the referee. The action would head back in, where Billy hits his old finisher, The One and Only, and on the pin after, Hurricane breaks it up just before a three-count.... get it? Heh, I love stupid jokes. Tag to Chuck now, and meanwhile, Michael Cole is saying how he's been hitting his head against the wall trying to figure out who was in the limo with Bischoff. You mean he doesn't do that anyway? Judging by his stupidity, I thought that was a daily routine for him. Oh well, back to the match as Shannon starts making a comeback, hitting a spinning heel kick and a hurricanrana. Both men are down, and they would make the tag. The super-hero ends up cleaning house and taking care of both Billy and Chuck. He hits a swinging tornado DDT for a near fall as Chuck broke it up, and Hurricane would do some work on his former teammate in the Alliance. He hits a top-rope crossbody on him, allowing Shannon to jump off and catch Billy with a nice head scissors take over. Moore now seeks to take out Chuck with a pescado, but that's changed as Palumbo catches him, and drops him on to the fan barricade. Back inside, Hurricane actually hits the HurriChokeSlam on Billy, but as Rico distracts referee Jimmy Kordares, Chuck comes back in to drill Hurricane with the Jungle Kick. Billy would now pin Hurricane, just as Rico gets off the apron, and gets the three-count to give his team the needed-win. Pretty good tag match.
Winners: Billy & Chuck
Commercial
Cole and Lloyd present a highlights package, featuring all the wars between the two new GMs from this past week between Stephanie McMahon and Eric Bischoff. First, it was Steph who signed Brock Lesnar away from RAW, but then on Smackdown, we learn that Bischoff came away with a Smackdown star..... question is: WHO is it?? FEEL the suspense! And by the way, why is it that Steph didn't use this completely simple strategy.... which is to just simply go back to the locker room and see what big star from Smackdown isn't there! It's that SIMPLE! And I thought the McMahons were made to be smarter than everyone else in storylines. Guess not.
Commercial
Tajiri vs Mike Awesome
It's the return of Mike Awesome! For those that don't know, Awesome frequently appeared on Jakked/Metal back in the day, and I liked seeing him. He's a pretty good wrestler, and certainly not a pain to watch. I especially enjoyed his matches with Albert, which unfortunately for Awesome, mostly resulted in a squash. And now that's he back, will I have some 'Awesome' squashes to be looking forward too? I hope so!
To the match, and let me point out that Awesome STILL has his old Alliance music. I'm happy about that because it brings back some good memories of Jakked/Metal. Oh yeah, his hair looks to have grown a little, but that doesn't really matter. Now we get to the match, as Awesome tosses Tajiri away at the start, but becomes a victim of some kicks to the leg soon after. However, Awesome would come back with a hard shoulder block, before executing a nice overhead belly-to-belly suplex. A corner ram by Awesome next leads me to believe that these are the signs of a squash. Awesome goes for another ram now, but Tajiri counters and looks to lock on the TUUUUUHHHH.... wait a minute, Awesome re-counters it with a face-first slam, and then a clothesline to gain a near fall on the pin after. After a scoop slam now, Awesome goes for a splash, but ends up eating a kick to the face instead. Mike was way off on that splash anyway so it's well-deserved. Tajiri capitalizes by hitting a low dropkick to the right leg, complete with that weird scream. It sounds like he's saying "EEEEEEEEE!". Who does he think he is? The Panasonic E-Ware guy? I don't think so. Anyway, Tajiri goes to work on the right leg, and as he stomps on it with his be-hind, Awesome boots him over the top rope. He's unable to capitalize though, as he misses a pescado on the follow-up, which Michael Cole calls a mistake. Oh, I guess we're suddenly Mr. Know It All now, ain't we Michael? Idiot, Awesome's connected on the pescado hundreds of times. You would know that if you ever watched Jakked/Metal. Now shut-up. Anyway, Tajiri uses the opportunity to now put on the TUUUUUUHHHHHHHRANTULA.... but can only hook one foot. Oh well, sucks for him. It's "illegal" anyway. Tajiri now bounces off the ropes, but Awesome, who was still on the apron, manages to pull off a nice slingshot shoulder block for a two count. He follows with a sit-out powerbomb to draw another two count, and now as Tajiri tries coming back with the handspring elbow, Awesome catches him. He hits a clothesline, and then goes for the Awesome Bomb, but Tajiri gets out of it, hits a kick to the right leg, and then follows with the Kick of Death to pull off the win. Ok, let me get this straight here. You re-debut Mike Awesome after he was injured for awhile... and have him job in his first match back? Hold on a second here. Why not just put Awesome over? And you wouldn't need Tajiri in this type of match. Why not have him go over someone like Hugh Morrus? Again, this makes no sense. Then again, it's WWE Booking, so I'm not surprised at all. By now, we should be used to this kind of non-sense booking.
Winner: Tajiri
In a RARE backstage segment here on Velocity, Rico is shown having a walking conversation with Funaki. He talks about Billy and Chuck's victory earlier in the night, as well as how it's only going to be a matter of time before they recapture the titles. Cue Hardcore Holly. Holly, being the bully he is, interrupts by asking, "What's that smell?" He then brags about how him and The Big Valbowski beat Billy and Chuck a few weeks ago on Smackdown, which Rico calls a fluke. Holly then challenges him later in the night, to which Rico hesitantly accepts, and as Holly leaves, Funaki gives Rico two thumbs up. I think the two thumbs up were referring to the fact that Rico's actually gonna wrestle.... ya know, the thing he was doing down in OVW.
Michael and Marky Mark show us the Edge/Jericho Cage Match from Smackdown, which saw Edge climb over the Cage to win it. Ya know, I'm starting to feel really bad for Jericho. Besides his commentary bashing the Internet for something that wasn't even true, he's turned into WWE's official Jobbing Machine. He jobbed to RVD in the opening match at the King of the Ring, and at Vengeance, he was pinned cleanly by a rookie, John Cena. I can't even recall the last time Jericho actually pinned someone, and the funny thing is, he JUST signed a contract extension. Oh yeah, WWE must've snuck in something that said, "Will job for the next three years." Sounds like fun. I hope the "first ever" UN-DES-PUTE-ED Champion knows what he just got himself into. And ya know, I wouldn't be surprised if he cried about all this too.
Commercial
Blast of the Night: Some of the highlights from Rey Mysterio's debut win over ma' man Chavo Guerrero are shown. Don't be mad Chavo, after a two-week absence, you'll be coming back to my show, hopefully, next week.
Billy Kidman vs Jamie Noble w/Nidia- WWE Cruiserweight Championship
THIS, as you may know, is a re-match from their battle at Vengeance, and I'm happy to see their showing it right here on Velocity. Like I said last week, I'm starting to really like Jamie "K IS MY LEAST FAVORITE LETTER IN THE ALPHABET!" Noble, and of course, there is definitely nothing wrong with Kidman.
To the match now as we get an exchange of punches and basics, before Kidman takes down his opponent with a flying head scissors. Noble ends up on the apron, where Kidman hits him off. As the action would head back in soon after, Nidia grabs Kidman's foot while he was on the apron, allowing Noble to knock him off and right into the barricade. We finally head back in, where Noble gets a two count first thing, and then sends Kidman hard into the corner. He follows up with a back suplex for another near fall, before resorting to a modified surfboard. In the process, Noble screams out, "Come on boy!", which I'm sure you all love to hear. Anyway, Kidman powers his way out of it and scores with a roll-up for two, but Noble comes back with a pump-handle suplex for yet another two count. The Cruiserweight Champion now works over Kidman with an abdominal stretch, and Nidia helps him out with it by grabbing his hand. I notice how funny it is that the ref always checks AFTER Noble and Nidia release each other. Heh. Kidman would counter anyway with a hip-toss, and then hits a slingshot leg drop from the apron. After a clothesline for a near fall from Kidman, Noble comes back with an electric chair drop another two count, and at this point, I am getting REALLY annoyed at Nidia's voice. She's becoming as annoying as Sensational Sherri used to be, and we all know how annoying she was. Ugh. Noble now goes for a tornado bulldog, which is Crash's finisher, but Kidman counters, and hits some kind of death valley backbreaker. On the pin after, he gets a two count, and follows with a sit-out powerbomb. Nidia gets on the apron for distraction, and now Kidman walks over. Noble gets up, and tries running into Kidman, but accidentally knocks Nidia off instead. This allows Kidman to roll up Noble for a VERY CLOSE two count. I literally heard a three-count, as did Mark Lloyd and most of the fans in attendance, but it turned out to have been a two count. If I was Kidman, I would appeal that. Back to the action as Kidman hits Mr. I PREFER THE LETTER N OVER K! with a boot in the corner, enabling him to dropkick Noble out of the ring. After a pescado, Kidman now attempts a suplex from the apron, but luckily for Noble, she has Nidia, who grabs Kidman's foot, causing him to collapse. Noble falls on top while Nidia holds Kidman's foot down, and it's enough to get the three count and retain the title. Haven't seen that ending used in a while, and guess what? Michael Cole, as per every Noble match, gives the "Nidia is turned on by aggression" speech, like we already don't know. And for your meaningless fact of the day, Sherri once used this strategy as the then "Macho King" Randy Savage was defending the crown against former king, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, on an edition of Saturday Night's Main Event in January 1990. I say that because Nidia and Sherri are so much alike, and unfortunately, that's not a good thing.
Winner and STILL Cruiserweight Champion: Jamie Noble
Commercial
Hardcore Holly vs Rico
You look soooo..... good to me. It's main event time here THIS week on Velocity, and for the second time tonight, I have to put up with Billy and Chuck's theme music. Oh well, I don't mind because their music debuted ON Jakked/Metal! With that said, how do you like me now? Heheh, MAN, I crack myself up.
To the match now, as Mike Chioda sends Billy and Chuck to the back, and Rico doesn't like it at all. Meanwhile, I forget why, but Mark Lloyd mentions how Michael Cole has been with WWE for SIX years now, and man, has it been a long and painful six years of hearing him. Actually, he didn't become annoying until he became Smackdown's announcer. I liked him on HeAT with Kevin Kelly, and then Tazz. Anyway, Hardcore starts out in control as Rico runs around the ring in fear, a la Lanny Poffo as The Genius, until Holly finally catches him. Rico grabs the ropes, trying to get a break, but instead, gets a kick to the groin area for his troubles. Holly continues his dominance with a clothesline for a near fall, and I question why Rico just didn't stay down. Cole now says, "This is going to be hysterical" in his REALLY annoying laughing voice. I mean when he laughs and talks at the same time, it sounds so annoying. UGH. Holly now works over Rico in the corner with some hard chops, but the stylist would reverse a whip attempt into the corner. He follows up with a superkick, and now he's in control. After some chops and shoulder rams from Rico now, he hits a kick to the face for a near fall. At this point, I notice Rico's chest is really red, as now he connects with some knees to the face of Hardcore, who may I add has on his 1998 tights. Rico would continue his boring offense with some more kicks, a choke, and an eye rake with the boot. A scoop slam later sees Rico head up top, where he attempts an Essa Rios-like moonsault, but misses as Hardcore got out of the way. Holly now looks to capitalize, as he hits a clothesline and his beautiful dropkick for a two count on the pin after, and then plants Rico on the mat with a powerbomb. He would get another two count, and Michael mentions how he doesn't know how Rico is still alive. Idiot, he was in control for a good part of the match. How could he be dead? Anyway, Hardcore Holly uses Pete Gas' (!!!) finisher, which Michael Cole even calls correctly, the Gasmask. Shades of the MEAN STREET POSSE, BABY! Holly would get, yet another near fall on the pin after, and loses control after a powerslam by Rico. Hardcore kicks out on the pin proceeding it, and as Rico goes for a heel kick, Holly ducks it and follows with the Alabama Slam to pick up the win. After the match, here comes Billy and Chuck to take out Holly, and Michael claims it's ruthless aggression. For the 100th time, IT'S NOT RUTHLESS AGGRESSION YOU IDIOT! Anyway, Val "I refuse to acknowledge him by the other name" Venis comes down for the save, and both he and Holly even perform the Hart Foundation's old finisher on Chuck. Wow, I just felt like I was watching an ending to Saturday Night's Main Event. Bossman and Akeem coming to the aid of the Slickster as they beat up Savage. But wait, here comes Hogan for the save! It was just like that.
Winner: Hardcore Holly
Cole and Lloyd quickly shill for Confidential, and that's that.
With another Velocity report in the books, this is Matt Zylbert wishing you guys and gals a great week, and I'll see ya next week. For now though, peeeeeaaaace.
2003 - WWE held their Vengeance Pay-per-view, the first ever Smackdown brand-only event, in Denver Colorado at the Pepsi Arena. Here is Tim Whitehead's original report on the event:
Vengeance, WWE's first ever Smackdown brand PPV, was a big success. It was easily the best PPV since WrestleMania, and it highlighted how much stronger the Smackdown brand is when it comes to in-ring action. The show benefited from great heat from the live crowd in Denver. Commentary was also strong from Tazz & Michael Cole. Tazz has the ability to be funny without being silly and distracting from the seriousness of the matches. There were three terrific matches on the show. There were also three gimmick matches, two of which were better than expected. Only one was truly bad, and it was short. Some might question the booking for a couple of the matches, but any booking quirks were more than overridden by the strong match quality on the show.
EDDIE GUERRERO defeated CHRIS BENOIT in the finals of the U.S. Title tournament in 22:12. They need fewer titles, not more, and this one is supposedly the revived WCW version of the U.S. belt which traces its lineage back to the Mid-Atlantic area. They at least had two awesome competitors for the finals. They started out trading fast mat spots. Guerrero went on offense, and got a babyface reaction. He wasn't the only supposed heel to get a face reaction on this show. Guerrero used a kick to win a test of strength. He hit a huracanrana on Benoit and they traded twos as each kept reversing the pin attempt. Benoit bailed out for a while. Guerrero locked on a headlock. They traded tombstone piledriver attempts, with Benoit eventually nailing Guerrero with a shoulderbreaker and hooking the crossface. Guerrero made the ropes. Guerrero went to the floor and Benoit caught him with a tope. Guerrero did a huracanrana off the top. Guerrero scored some twos until Benoit came back with a high backdrop and a superplex. Benoit scored a two. Benoit hit two German suplexes but Guerrero blocked a third. Benoit hooked the crossface again. The crowd popped big for the crossfaces, as that hold is over big time. Guerrero made the ropes once again. Guerrero hit some suplexes and a high superplex. He went for the frog splash but Benoit rolled clear. Benoit hooked yet another crossface, with Guerrero again making the ropes. There was a ref bump. Guerrero got the title belt and laid Benoit out. He then hit the frog splash but the revived ref only counted two before Benoit kicked out. Guerrero then hit the ref with the belt and tried to set it up to look like Benoit did it. The ref stayed down forever, and Guerrero became frustrated when he wouldn't revive. Meanwhile, Benoit revived and hooked the crossface. Guerrero tapped but the KO'ed ref didn't see it. Benoit tried to revive the ref. Guerrero tried to use the tite belt again. Benoit ducked and caught Guerrero with a suplex. Benoit went for the diving headbutt but hit the ref when Guerrero moved. The ref stuff was starting to get old and it hurt the match a little. At this point, Rhyno ran in and turned on Benoit, nailing him with a gore. This turn had been building off and on for weeks, but as of the most recent TV Rhyno was fully in Benoit's corner. Anyway, Guerrero hit the frog splash on the gored Benoit as the ref finally revived and counted the pin. The ending was way overbooked but the match was a great opener.
Vince McMahon gave daughter Stephanie a small bouquet of artificial flowers. He had a huge bouquet of real flowers for Sable. Steph didn't appreciate the size difference. Vince also reported that he'll appear on RAW on Monday to confront Kane over his attack on Linda.
JAMIE NOBLE beat BILLY GUNN in 4:59. The stipulation here was that Noble would get to "sleep" with Torrie Wilson on Smackdown if he won the match. He came out with a briefcase, saying it was full of sex toys. Gunn kicked the case into Noble's face. He opened it and looked inside. The cameras only caught a glimpse but it appeared to be a lot of lotions and various "objects". Noble gave Gunn a plancha and pounded him on the floor. Nidia came out, jealous because Noble wants to have sex with Torrie. Gunn went on offense and scored some twos. Noble hit Gunn with a DDT, but when he went for the pin, Nidia put Gunn's foot on the rope to break the count. Noble went out and confronted her and ended up getting his face slapped by both Nidia and Torrie. Noble, by the way, was another supposed heel treated by the fans as a face. The finish saw Gunn almost collide with Torrie, which allowed Noble to roll him up and score the pin with a handful of tights. Noble got a big babyface pop from the crowd. Torrie acted horrified that she will now have to have sex with Noble on Smackdown, but of course it'll be a lame screwjob (no pun intended), since technically she promised to "sleep" with him. Guess she'll show up with a bottle of Sominex and take a nap. Noble was later shown drooling over a well "used" copy of the Torrie Playboy issue. This was an okay short match.
BRADSHAW won a barroom brawl in 4:32. They had a fake barroom set up, and the rules were that the last man left standing would win. The other participants were (and forgive me if I miss someone here, as they didn't do intros for most of the guys) Faarooq, Spanky, Nunzio, Chuck Palumbo, Johnny Stamboli, Matt Hardy, Shannon Moore, the Basham Brothers, Kanyon, Sean O'Hair, Funaki, Orlando Jordan, Brooklyn Brawler, Doink the Clown, Brother Love, and some guy dressed as the Easter Bunny. Brother Love asked everyone to bow their heads for a pre-fight prayer, but then sneak attacked someone with a bar stool. They just sort of brawled around using beer bottles, bar stools, and assorted other objects as weapons. It was a mess. One guy after another went down and stayed down. Funaki just sat and drank beer. It came down to Bradshaw, Brother Love, and Funaki. Bradshaw broke a beer bottle over Love's head and he went down. Funaki then passed out drunk. Bradshaw was declared the winner. Faarooq was standing there, too, but I guess he went down at some point. It was pretty bad.
CHARLIE HAAS & SHELTON BENJAMIN defeated REY MYSTERIO JR. & BILLY KIDMAN in 14:53 to retain the Smackdown World Tag Titles. Let me start off by saying the Haas & Benjamin are improving at an amazing rate. WWE needs to start building some regular tag teams who stay together long term. And by long term I mean years and years and years. Haas & Benjamin are good enough that I'm afraid there are already plans to break them up. As for Mysterio & Kidman, they were off the charts here. Mysterio started off against Benjamin. Mysterio hit a spinning headscissors. Kidman hit a dropkick and another spinning headscissors. Haas came in and was caught by Mysterio with a springboard legdrop. Haas gave Mysterio a sit-down slam and a powerslam. Haas vaulted Mysterio high for a huge bump. Mysterio kept kicking out of pin attempts at two. Benjamin came back in and did a great roll through on a huracanrana, but Mysterio then caught him with a dropkick out of nowhere. Benjamin evaded a 619 but Mysterio still caught him with a springboard splash to the floor. The Denver altitude certainly didn't hurt anyone in this match. Kidman did a shooting star press to the floor onto both opponents. Haas recovered and posted Kidman, who got worked over for a while. Kidman made the tag but the ref disallowed it since he didn't see it. They doubled on Kidman some more until he finally made the hot tag. Mysterio hit a somersault springboard dropkick on Benjamin. He then kicked Haas from the ring. Benjamin tried for a suplex but Mysterio reversed it into a DDT. Mysterio hit Haas with the 619 and went for the West Coast Pop. It ended up as more of a springboard Thesz press, leading to a near fall. Kidman vaulted Mysterio up and he gave Haas a huracanrana off the top. They've been teasing a Kidman turn but I'm glad they didn't do it here. The finish saw Haas hoist Mysterio on his shoulders, allowing Benamin, who made a blind tag, to crossbody him off to the mat for a clean pin. Excellent match with great heat!
They aired a great SummerSlam promo. It was a takeoff on the movie "Jaws", with everyone on a beach running from a shark. But Brock Lesnar ran into the water and gave the shark an F5.
SABLE beat STEPHANIE McMAHON in 6:25. This was billed as a no-countout catfight. Steph attacked Sable on the ramp. Sable fled into the crowd, with Steph chasing her down and throwing her back across the barrier. Sable came back and stomped Steph through the mat. Sable kicked and bitch slapped Steph. Steph got a chair but the ref took it from her. They fought some on the floor to tease the no-countout stips. This wasn't good, but it wasn't nearly as bad as one would expect. It was actually passable. Steph tore off Sable's top and the ref took his shirt off to cover her up. While this was going on, A-Train ran in and gave Steph a lariat. I guess they needed to find something for A-Train to do. Sable crawled on top of Steph and got the pin on the boss' daughter. Steph had to be helped to the back afterward, selling it as a rib injury even though A-Train gave her a lariat.
UNDERTAKER defeated JOHN CENA in 16:01. Undertaker manhandled Cena for the first few minutes. He unceremoniously kicked Cena out to the floor. Cena got mauled on the floor by UT's methodical offense. UT did the legdrop on the apron and the old school rope walk. He chokeslammed Cena, but pulled him up at the two count to inflict more punishment. UT went for the last ride but Cena blocked it and hit a DDT. Cena removed the padding from a turnbuckle and UT hit the exposed steel on a charge. Cena went on offense. which included bumping UT off the apron onto the ring barrier. UT began coughing up blood, and it was sold that he had internal injuries. Cena kept it up, stomping on UT's rib area. Cena scored a bunch of twos. The pace slowed as they were out there a long time in the Denver thin air. UT came back with a lariat and went for the tombstone, but Cena blocked it. UT blocked the FU. UT caught Cena with a boot to the face for a near fall. Cena hit UT with UT's bike chain. Cena hit the FU but UT kicked out at two. Cena, by the way, was yet one more heel who got his fair share of cheers. Cena backed UT into the corner with punches but UT lifted him up and nailed him with the last ride for the pin. It was a little long, but an okay match. A good case could be made that Cena should have gone over here, but if they do a follow-up at SummerSlam with Cena winning, this will turn out okay, as UT did sell it big as if he had been through a war at the end.
VINCE McMAHON defeated ZACH GOWEN in 14:00. You didn't think two McMahons would job on this show, did you? Vince looks totally freakish for a man his age. He toyed with Gowen, who got a fair number of boos, for the first half of the match. He kept bodyslamming Zach and kicking his one leg out from under him. Yes, Vince also strutted and smirked. Vince lariated the hell out of Zach. Zach made a comeback when Vince bumped out to the floor. He hit the Asai moonsault on Vince. Vince grew enraged and went after Zach's one leg. He hooked a crab hold, and Zach nearly tapped. In fact, he did a spot where he pounded his fist on the mat to gain strength, and it looked like a tap, but wasn't. Zach made the ropes. Zach hit a dropkick and crotched Vince on the post. He also wrapped Vince's leg around the post. Vince came up limping and was hit with a missile kick. Vince got his foot on the rope to keep from being pinned. Vince got a chair, but as he fought with the ref over it, Zach dropkicked it into Vince's face. It appeared to cut Vince hardway, as he juiced a major gusher. I mean, seriously, Vince was spouting blood like a fountain. Blood was all over the mat. Zach went up for a moonsault off the top, but Vince rolled clear and scored the pin when Zach crashed to the mat. Vince limped out with blood all over his face, but victorious. Zach got a standing ovation for his loss. This one was good for a gimmick match, and everyone worked hard. The crowd liked it.
KURT ANGLE defeated BROCK LESNAR and BIG SHOW in a three way no-DQ match to capture the WWE World Title in 17:29. Lesnar and Angle attacked Big Show to start things off. Show shook them off, hurling Angle out to the floor and chokeslamming Lesnar. Angle broke Show's pin attempt up. They've done a real good job rehabbing Show after he was reduced to a gimmick jobber on RAW. He didn't look out of place at all in this match. Show overpowered Angle, including using his ass as a weapon. Show blocked an Angle ankle lock attempt. Show legdropped Angle, with Lesnar stopping the pin. Show scored two on Lesnar with a neckbreaker. Angle and Lesnar used garbage can lids on Show. Show suplexed them both. They came back and chokeslammed Show. Lesnar covered Show for the pin but Angle broke it up. Angle and Lesnar then went at it. Lesnar gave Angle an F5, but on the bump Angle rolled out to the floor, saving him from being pinned. Lesnar went back after Show and gave him an F5. Angle recovered enough to pull the ref out of the ring to stop his three count when Lesnar went for a pin. Lesnar rammed Angle into the stairs and posted him. Angle juiced. Show tried to superplex Lesnar but Lesnar, in an amazing move, gave Show a running powerbomb. Angle stopped Lesnar's pin with two chairshots, the second of which busted Lesnar open and he juiced. Show recovered and laid Angle out on the floor. Show cleared the Spanish broadcast desk and was preparing to smash Angle through it. But Angle recovered and Olympic slammed Show through the desk. By this point, the altitude was getting to Show and this KO'ed him long enough to get some rest. Angle and Lesnar brawled, both in the ring and on the floor. Angle gave Lesnar two German suplexes, the second one flipping Lesnar all the way over when released. Lesnar hit a spinebuster for a near fall. Lesnar hooked a choke submission hold on Angle but Show recovered and legdropped them both. He then chokeslammed both but only scored twos when trying to pin them. Angle put the ankle lock on Lesnar. Show broke it up and got Olympic slammed by Angle. Angle then Olympic slammed Lesnar and got the surprise three count to win the title. The thinking was that they put Show in to do the job for either other guy but it didn't come down like that, and it was better that the title changed with a pin on the champ. A great main event to cap off a hot show.
2004 - WWE taped Smackdown in Cincinnati, OH at the US Bank Arena featuring the following results:
Hardcore Holly pinned Carly Colon with the Alabama Slam
Velocity:
Mark Jindrak pinned Scotty 2 Hotty at 2:39 by blocking a sunset flip and holding onto the ropes for leverage
Chavo Guerrero Jr. pinned Sho Funaki with the Gory Bomb at 4:10
Nunzio & Johnny Stamboli defeated Doug & Danny Basham at 6:51 when Stamboli scored the pin with a roll over and grabbing the tights for leverage after Nunzio hit a kick as Stamboli was covered
WWE World Champion John Bradshaw Layfield pinned Shannon Moore with the powerbomb in a non-title match at 2:25
Smackdown:
Spike Dudley pinned WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio Jr. to win the title at 6:25 with the Dudley Dog after Bubba Ray Dudley tripped the champion as Rey prepared to hit the 619, while D-Von Dudley distracted the referee; after the bout, Spike apologized to Rey after realizing that the Dudley Boyz interfered.
WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions Paul London & Billy Kidman defeated the Dudley Boyz at 11:37 when London pinned D-Von after Rey Mysterio Jr. came out of the crowd and dropkicked a steel chair into Bubba Ray's face as he prepared to hit Kidman with the chair
Booker T won an 8-man elimination match to win the vacant WWE US Championship; order of elimination: Billy Gunn pinned Charlie Haas at 3:05 with the Fameasser; Luther Reigns pinned Rene Dupree with a neckbreaker at 8:22; Kenzo Suzuki was disqualified at 11:00 after hitting John Cena with the title belt; Cena pinned Gunn at 19:12 with the FU; Cena pinned Reigns at 20:58 with the FU; Booker T pinned Cena at 23:11 after Cena sustained the Five Star Frog Splash from Rob Van Dam; Booker pinned RVD at 23:21 with the scissors kick
2007 - WWE released Rene Dupree.
2007 - Ring of Honor ran Race to the Top Tournament Night 1 in Deer Park, NY with the following results:
Pelle Primeau defeated BJ Whitmer
Davey Richards defeated Jigsaw
Claudio Castagnoli defeated Hallowicked
Mike Quackenbush defeated Matt Sydal
Chris Hero defeated Erick Stevens
FIP Champion Roderick Strong defeated Austin Aries, Gran Akuma, and Jimmy Rave
El Generico defeated Delirious
Brent Albright defeated Matt Cross
Jack Evans defeated Kevin Steen
ROH Tag Team Champions Mark & Jay Briscoe defeated Bryan Danielson & Nigel McGuinness
2007 - WWE developmental Ohio Valley Wrestling ran Six Flags in Louisville, Kentucky, featuring the following results:
Beth Phoenix won an elimination match
Harry Smith & Teddy Hart defeated Jamin Olivencia & TJ Dalton
WWE World Champion John Cena defeated Shawn Spears
Jerry Lawler defeated KC James
2008 - WWE Smackdown and ECW ran Cape Cod, MA. Eljae Lake filed the following live report:
Cape Cod at the Melody Tent
Carlito defeated Ricky Ortiz. Carlito played to the crowd well. Ortiz did his best to get the crowd with him but hardly anyone knew who he was. He wore warm-up type pants that you could buy at an Olympia and after losing, bowed to the crowd like we were his sensei's. I found that odd since I didn't see one move from him that resembled anything close to any martial art.
R-Truth (Ron Killings) had a nice pop as he went over "Then Natural" Nick Nemeth. Nemeth looks like a good prospect as he was very athletic and interacted with the crowd. Again, some people knew Killings, no one knew Nemeth
There was a diva dance-off. Yep. Victoria wore a Yankees jersey which garnered much heat. Cherry won without dancing because Victoria clotheslined her and the fans were sympathetic. Maryse is so hot in person. It was hosted by Lena of ECW fame.
Finlay (w/Hornswaggle) got a huge reaction from the crowd in a losing effort against The Great Khali. Kids were brought into the ring afterwards to run around with Hornswaggle, which was very nice.
Evan Bourne defeated Chavo with a shooting star. Bam Neely got ejected half-way through the bout due to grabbing Evan's leg.
The Gold Standard, Shelton Benjamin, was victorious over Jimmy Yang.
ECW champion Mark Henry closed out the show with a victory over Matt Hardy. Matt easily got the biggest pop of the night. Crowd went home happy when Colin Delany (who was at ringside along with Tony Atlas) came in the ring to get the twist of fate.
Notes: It was absolutely pouring throughout the show. Wrestlers were led to the tent by staff with umbrellas. Howard Finkel was the announcer and teased that "anything could happen." Unfortunately, all that meant was that HHH never showed and Maria was a "guest host." ....Sign Guy was there and was over HUGE. He had to hold a couple impromptu autograph and picture sessions. I assume he's not on WWE payroll as he was downing beers all night, but I was amazed at how much interaction he has with the wrestlers. Khali grabbed his hat and threw it into the crowd and Shelton Benjamin poured water all over him from the top rope.....The show was entertaining, we had a good time, but I have a bone to pick with WWE. If I payed what I paid for tonight's event a few years ago, I would have seen all the stars. As it was, tickets went on sale a few months ago and we bought a few. We then found out about a month ago that it was a Smackdown/ECW show which we were fine with. But, then they split the ECW/Smackdown roster in half and ran shows all weekend in New England and in New York. While New York was enjoying the main event of Jeff Hardy vs. Edge, we were watching Mark Henry and Matt Hardy (a good feud but they don't mesh styles well). Nothing against Matt Hardy, Finlay, or Mark Henry, but there wasn't one A-list wrestler on the card (a wrestler that's main-evented a PPV within the last 12 months). That would be OK if ticket prices weren't just as high as getting a lodge seat at a PPV!! Hardly anyone knew wrestlers in the first two matches. I certainly understand the business perspective, but they better be careful to give people what they think they're paying for. I'll be thinking twice before buying more tickets to a house show, which is a shame.
2008 - WWE Raw ran White Plains, NY at the Westchester County Center featuring:
Tommy Dreamer defeated Armando Estrada
Vladimir Kozlov defeated Stevie Richards
The Brian Kendrick defeated Sho Funaki
Umaga defeated Nunzio & Shannon Moore in a handicap match
WWE Divas Champion Michelle McCool defeated Natalya
WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions Curt Hawkins & Zach Ryder defeated Jesse & Festus and John Morrison & Mike Mizanin
Jeff Hardy defeated Edge
2009 - TNA announces they will their run first shows in Switzerland and Germany.
2009 - Shaquille O'Neil guest stars on Monday Night Raw. Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:
We are live from Washington, D.C. and your announcers are Michael ‘Shaq’ Cole and Jerry ‘Shaq is no Alexander Ovechkin’ Lawler.
Jerry Lawler is in the ring and he introduces the guest host for tonight’s Raw. Jerry brings out Shaquille O’Neal. He says hello to the people of Washington D.C. He says that his new teammate Lebron James said hello. Shaq says that he was just playing. He points out that he is in charge and then he lets Jerry talk about some of the announcements. Jerry mentions Randy Orton and Shaq says that we will have a Beat the Clock Challenge involving five guys. The participants are Triple H, Montel Vontavious Porter, Jack Swagger, Mark Henry, and John Cena.
Chris Jericho comes out to rain on Shaq’s parade. Chris walks up to Shaq’s chest and he has something to say. Chris says that when he heard the greatest player in the NBA was going to guest host Raw, he thought it was Kobe Bryant. The greatest duo in sports is not Shaq and Lebron, it is . . .
Shaq calls Jericho ‘Christina’ and Jericho is fuming after Shaq gives him a kiss. Chris corrects the parasites who call him Christina. Jericho says that he has been disrespected again by the guest host and he demands to be consulted with and catered to by every member of this company, including guest hosts. Chris says that if Shaq continues to mock him, they will have a problem. Shaq pushes Jericho and asks what kind of problem. Chris says that they will have a big problem and Chris says that he will introduce Shaq to his new tag team partner.
Well, we see what kind of problem because Big Show comes out to the ring. Show and Shaw stand face to face and Show tells Shaq that he will not be able to intimidate him. He tells Shaq has a better chance of making two free throws in a row than intimidate him. He tells Shaq to get out of his ring. Shaq tells ‘Fat Boy’ that he is working on a show called ‘Shaq versus’ where he faces a lot of athletes. He challenges Show to a match tonight. Show says that he is going to pick his teeth with a seven foot toothpick. Show says that he knows that Shaq is going to goad him into something where Show injures Shaq and then the entire NBA comes down on his neck. Then Lebron will get in the ring too and he will have to crush Lebron too. Show says that he does not want to deal with the legal fees so he won’t fight Shaq. Jericho jumps in and he says that he won’t fight Shaq either. Shaq says that he has two people who will fight them and we see Cryme Tyme.
He have a standoff and then the tag champs leave the ring. Shaq tells them that there will be a special outside enforcer tonight and it is Shaq.
We go to commercial.
We are back and did you know that WWE is available in a lot of homes?
Match Number One: Mark Henry versus Carlito in a Beat the Clock Match
The bell rings and Carlito tries to avoid Henry and goes to the floor. Henry waits for Carlito to get back into the ring and then Carlito goes into the ropes. They lock up and Henry sends Carlito into the corner. Henry with a shoulder block and Carlito rolls to the floor again. Henry brings Carlito back into the ring but Carlito with a drop kick and he tries for a pescado but Henry catches Carlito and throws him back into the ring and Henry gets a near fall. Carlito punches Henry but Henry blocks a second punch attempt. Carlito tries to go to the floor but Henry keeps him in the ring but Carlito goes to the floor again. Henry sends Carlito into the ringside barrier and then he gets a near fall when they return to the ring. Carlito with the springboard back elbow and it barely grazes Henry. Henry with a body block for a near fall. Henry with a running splash into the corner and then he covers Carlito but Carlito’s arm is under the rope. Henry with a kick to the head and Henry gets a two count. Henry looks at the clock and Henry tries for a seated splash but Carlito moves out of the way because Henry takes too long. Carlito with a leg drop for a near fall. Carlito drops Henry on the top rope and then Carlito with a springboard missile drop kick for a near fall. Carlito with a reverse chin lock but Henry runs Carlito into the turnbuckles. Henry with a head butt and gets another near fall. Carlito with a sleeper and Henry goes down to one knee. Henry powers up and he gets out of the hold by running Carlito into the turnbuckles. Carlito with a drop kick to the knees and then Carlito tries for a cross body from the second turnbuckle but Henry catches him. Carlito is unable to hit the backstabber and then Henry with the world’s strongest slam for the three count.
Winner: Mark Henry in 6:49
After the match, Mark Henry gets the crowd to stand up.
Mickie James is walking in the back with her title belt and she is joined by Kelly Kelly and Gail Kim.
We go to commercial.
We are back with the WWE Rewind: Mickie James defeating Maryse for the Divas Title.
Match Number Two: Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly, and Mickie James versus Rosa Mendes, Beth Phoenix, and Alicia Fox
Beth and Gail start things off and Gail with a front face lock but Beth throws Gail off. Gail with forearms and then Beth tries to throw Gail down but she tries for a sunset flip. Gail with an octopus but Rosa breaks up the hold. Beth presses Gail over her head and slams her. Beth gets a near fall and then Alicia tags in and she kicks Gail. Gail kick Alicia and Alicia with a tilt-a-whirl back breaker for a near fall. Alicia slams Gail’s head into the mat. Rosa is tagged in and Rosa kicks Gail and then she slams Gail and gets a near fall. Alicia is tagged back in and she snap mares Gail but Gail kicks Alicia and hits a monkey flip and Mickie is tagged in. Mickie with forearms to Alicia and a flying clothesline and another clothesline. Mickie knocks Rosa off the apron but Beth goes to the floor. Mickie with a neck breaker for a near fall. Mickie tries for a DDT but Alicia sends Mickie into the turnbuckles. Mickie with a head scissor and a Thesz Press. Gail makes the blind tag and she hits a missile drop kick for the three count as Kelly hits a clothesline on Rosa to help Gail get the three count.
Winners: Gail Kim, Mickie James, and Kelly Kelly
Shaq and Cole are in the back and he asks Shaq what else is planned for tonight. Shaq tells someone to stay out of his office. We see that it is Hornswoggle and they hug. Hornswoggle tries to dunk on a lowered rim, but he fails. Cole tries to use the phrase Shaqalicious and Shaq walks away as we go to commercial.
We are back and I guess Jeff Hardy won at Night of Champions.
Match Number Three: Montel Vontavious Porter versus Chris Masters in a Beat the Clock Match The Time to Beat is 6:49
They lock up and Porter with a rollup for a near fall and then Porter with a take down. Masters with a punch to Porter but Porter with an Irish whip. Porter charges into a boot. Porter with a rollup to counter the Master Lock attempt. Masters with a clothesline and a kick to the back. Masters with a suplex for a near fall. Masters punches Porter and then Porter punches back. Masters with a knee and then Masters with a sunset flip but Porter rolls through into a clothesline for a near fall. Porter with punches to Masters. Porter misses the boot in the corner and then he gets a near fall. Masters with a rake of the eyes and punches. Masters with an Irish whip but he runs into an elbow. Porter with a clothesline for a near fall. Masters throws Porter to the floor and Masters punches Porter. Porter with forearms when Masters looks at the clock. Masters keeps Porter out of the ring and the referee makes the ten count as Masters has Porter in the Master Lock.
Double Count Out
We go to commercial.
We are back and before our next match, The Brian Kendrick has some nasty looks at Jerry Lawler. Kendrick tells Lawler that he has not forgotten about being embarrassed last week. He says that nobody embarrasses him.
Match Number Four: The Brian Kendrick versus Kofi Kingston
Kofi hits Trouble in Paradise for the three count as he knocks the microphone out of Kendrick’s hand.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
We see Triple H walking in the back and Ted DiBiase attacks Hunter in the leg. Cole wonders if this might hurt Hunter’s chances as we go to commercial.
We are back and we take a look back at the double submission tap out moment from Night of Champions that led to interference by the rest of Legacy.
Match Number Five: Cody Rhodes versus Triple H in a Beat the Clock Match
Cody tries to go for the leg as Hunter starts to show wear from the attack. Rhodes gets the leg but Hunter pushes him off. Hunter punches Rhodes and then he hits a side head lock take down. Rhodes with a punch as the referee tries to break them up in the corner. Hunter with a Harley Race high knee and he returns to the side head lock take down. Hunter punches Rhodes in the corner and Rhodes tries to work on the knee in the corner but Hunter punches Rhodes. Rhodes pulls Hunter down and he wrings the knee into the ring post. Rhodes with an elbow drop to the knee. Hunter punches Rhodes but Rhodes kicks him and then hits a drop toe hold. Rhodes with a modified stretch muffler and then he hyperextends the knee. Rhodes with a single leg trip and a step over toe hold. Rhodes with a drop kick to the leg followed by an elbow from the turnbuckles. Rhodes continues to work on the leg and he applies the figure four leg lock. Hunter is able to reverse the hold. Hunter kicks Rhodes out of another figure four attempt and Rhodes goes into the ring post. Hunter with a clothesline and both men are down. Hunter with punches but Rhodes with a kick. Hunter is able to hit a spinebuster and then he has time to pose before Ted DiBiase gets on the apron. Ted wants Hunter to punch him to get disqualified. Hunter sends Rhodes into DiBiase and then Rhodes turns around and Hunter hits the Pedigree but time runs out.
Time Limit Expires
After the match, Hunter and the referee argue while Rhodes and DiBiase celebrate.
We go to the back and it is time for ‘Too many Qs Scrabble’ with Santino and Shaq. Cryme Tyme stop by and Shaq tells them to do what they need to do. Santino returns and he gets to play Jesse in the Raw version of Word Up.
We go to commercial.
Match Number Six: Hornswoggle versus Chavo Guerrero
Before the match, Lillian announces that Shaq has made a stipulation that Chavo must wrestle blindfolded.
The bell rings and Chavo reaches for Hornswoggle and Hornswoggle kicks Chavo in the rear end. Chavo goes through the ropes to the floor. Hornswoggle punches Chavo and then Chavo goes into the turnbuckles. Hornswoggle punches Chavo and then Chavo grabs Hornswoggle. Hornswoggle goes through the referee’s legs and Chavo with a take down of the referee. Hornswoggle with a rollup for a near fall. Hornswoggle with a side head lock and a bulldog for a near fall. Chavo takes off the hood and he hits a drop kick on Hornswoggle. Chavo looks for the ropes and then he goes to the turnbuckles for a frog splash. Chavo goes up top but Hornswoggle follows Chavo to the apron and Chavo frog splashes the mat. Hornswoggle hits a frog splash of his own for the three count.
Winner: Hornswoggle
Randy Orton gets ready to walk to the ring and Jack Swagger stops him. Jack says that he has good news and bad news. Jack says that the good news is that Triple H did not beat the clock and the bad news is that he will. Orton asks if he should be worried and Swagger says that he is bigger and faster so Orton should worry. Swagger leaves and then Orton turns around and sees Mark Henry. Mark smiles and then Orton walks away.
We go to commercial.
We are back and did you know that WWE loves the military?
Match Number Seven: Jack Swagger versus Evan Bourne in a Beat the Clock Match
Swagger goes for the legs but Bourne avoids it. Swagger with a double leg take down and then he tosses Bourne away but Bourne lands on his feet and he drop kicks Swagger in the knees and the head. Bourne with a head scissors take down. Bourne with a double underhook but Swagger with forearms. Bourne tries for a wheelbarrow move but Swagger with a wheelbarrow suplex for a near fall. Swagger with a series of near falls and then he works on the arm with a key lock. Swagger with a Northern Lights suplex and bridge for a near fall. Swagger with a suplex for a near fall. Bourne avoids a running power slam and Swagger goes into the turnbuckles. Bourne with a kick to Swagger and then Bourne goes up top but Swagger press slams Bourne across the ring and Swagger with a double jump Vader Splash for a near fall. Swagger with a gutwrench and he tries for the Doctor Bomb but Bourne counters with an inside cradle for the three count.
Winner: Evan Bourne
We are back and next week’s guest host is Jeremy Piven. Greg Gutfield and Andy Levy will be pleased.
It is time to take a look back at the way that Triple H got outsmarted by Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes.
We see Triple H’s knee iced up and Josh Mathews points out that it appears that Cody and Ted are keeping Hunter from trying to get the title back. Hunter says that he blames himself because he has been going after Randy Orton but the tail has been wagging the dog. Without Rhodes and DiBiase, Randy Orton is the same punk he has always been. Hunter tells Rhodes and DiBiase that he is done playing games. Hunter challenges Rhodes and DiBiase to an Epsenhart Special
Miz says that as a Cleveland Cavaliers fan, he is glad that Shaq is coming to his team. He suggests sitting Shaq out when they play the Wizards because they don’t need him. Miz says that teams let the clock run out against the Wizards and the Redskins. That is what he is going to do to John Cena. All he has to do is last six minutes and forty-nine seconds. Miz says that the fans wonder if he can win in that time and Miz gives his comments about the new president’s effectiveness and says “Yes I Canâ€. We go to commercial.
We are back and Randy Orton joins Lawler and Cole at the announce table.
Match Number Eight: The Miz versus John Cena in a Beat the Clock Challenge
Miz avoids Cena and Cena appears to be frustrated. Miz walks out of the ring and the referee stops Cena from going after him. Miz makes it back into the ring at nine and Cena kicks and punches him. Cena sends Miz into the turnbuckles and punches him. Cena with an inside cradle for a near fall. Cena goes to the floor after Miz and Cena with a clothesline. Cena tries for the STF but Miz gets to the ropes. Miz punches Cena and we see Mark Henry watching from the back. Miz sends Cena into the ring post and then Miz with a belly-t-back suplex for a near fall. Miz with an arm bar and cross face. Cena punches Miz and Miz with a flap jack and then Miz throws Cena out of the ring. Cena is Irish whipped into the ring steps. Cena gets in at the last moment but Miz wraps Cena in the ropes. Miz mocks Cena with the ‘you can’t see me’ and then Miz lays down. Cena gets out of the ropes and Miz taps out with more than two minutes to spare.
Winner: John Cena
After the match, Randy Orton is in the ring with John Cena as he slithers in under the radar. Orton holds the title belt over his head.
Shaquille O’Neal is walking in the back and we go to commercial.
Match Number Nine: Chris Jericho and Big Show versus Cryme Tyme with Guest Enforcer Shaquille O’Neal
JTG and Jericho start things off and Jericho backs into the ropes. Jericho with a side head lock and Jericho with a shoulder tackle. JTG with a flying shoulder tackle to Jericho followed by a leap frog leg drop. JTG with punches to Jericho and then Jericho misses a charge into the corner and JTG with a version of an X Factor for a near fall. Jericho punches JTG and kicks him. Show tags in after Jericho sends JTG into his boot. Show with punches to the abdomen. Show with a side head lock. Show with a chop to JTG as he stares at Shaq. Show with a full nelson in front of Shaq. Show flings JTG away and Show stares at Shaq. Show with a spear to JTG and JTG rolls to the floor in pain. Show continues to toss JTG around. Jericho tags in and he kicks JTG. Jericho poses for Shaq before returning to JTG. JTG tries to get to his corner but Jericho keeps him from making the tag and Jericho with a near fall. JTG punches Jericho and hits a flying clothesline and both men are down. Shaq helps JTG make the tag and Shad with clotheslines and a running butt splash in the corner. Shad presses Jericho over his head and then he hits the money money elbow drop. Jericho tries for the Walls of Jericho but Shad powers out of the hold and Jericho is sent into Shaq. Cryme Tyme hits a double team neck breaker/TKO combination and Show makes the save. Show attacks JTG and Shad and the referee calls for the bell.
Winners: Cryme Tyme
After the match, Show grabs both members of Cryme Tyme for choke slams and then he pushes them aside and he wants a piece of Shaq.
Shaq does a Hogan to his shirt and he comes into the ring and confronts Show in the center of the ring. Show pushes Shaq and Shaq pushes back. Show grabs Shaq by the throat and Shaq does the same. Cryme Tyme come to the aid of Shaq and Shaq with a clothesline and Show goes to the floor.
2010 - We are live from Corpus Christi, Texas and your announcers are Josh ‘I get to talk to real people, not a computer’ Mathews and Michael ‘Who is the NXT general manager’ Cole.
The pros are on the stage and it is time to go to Matt Striker, who is in the ring. The rookies come to the ring. Matt mentions that one of the seven men in the ring will be gone at the end of the night. Matt reminds everyone that the poll is a combination of the WWE Universe and the NXT Pros.
Matt says that most of them will be able to prove themselves physically, but now it is time to prove themselves verbally. They will have a minute to talk about anything other than why they shouldn’t be eliminated.
Lucky Cannon goes first and his topic is friends. He says that he didn’t have a lot of friends growing up. When he did well in school and sports, nobody seemed to care. When he was hurt and down, nobody really cared about him. Now that he is this close to making it into the WWE, people seem to care. He says that he lost a childhood friend. Thanks to nobody, he has become a somebody.
Eli Cottonwood is next and his topic is eyes. He says that there is something that I can do that nobody else in the ring can do. There is something I can do that nobody in the arena can do. There is something that I can do that nobody else in the WWE Universe can do. He can look in the eyes of the giant. He can also look in the eyes of the Dead Man . . . The Undertaker.
Husky Harris is next and his topic is husky. He says that he sees a bunch of big bodies, abs, and tans. They look like Tarzan and they fight like Jane. Husky says that if you want to know about him, you can ask MVP. He says that he is like a tank with a Ferrari engine.
Kaval’s topic is dreams. He asks if anyone had a dream that it hurt. He says that he had a dream in Brooklyn to fight on the greatest stage. There were people who told him that he didn’t have what it took. He says that he fought for a decade as Low Ki and he says that it wasn’t about the size of the fighter, but the size of the fight.
Michael McGillicutty is not going to give his topic. Michael mentions that he won the challenge last week so he is the man to beat. He talks about the video package where the pros commented on his progress. He says that it was good except for one man. Michael asks Miz if he called him mediocre. Miz says that he did and he meant it. Michael wants to show Miz that he is mediocre and that Michael is the one who is awesome.
Miz tells McGillicutty to talk to him when he gets a Raw or Smackdown contract.
Alex Riley’s subject is Starbucks. Alex says that if it was up to the pros or anyone with an education, he would have won by a country mile. Since it is being decided by the democracy of dorks, he is competing with a man trying out for the voice of God or as a poor man’s Eddie Murphy. Alex says that he is the sun of the NXT galaxy. He says that everything revolves around him and there are no stars around, just a bunch of Star . . . bucks.
Percy Watson’s topic is having a good time. Percy says that people tell him that he always talks about having a good time. Percy says that life is hard and you have to work hard to get where you are in life. He says that his motto is work hard, but play harder. He says that life is short so you need to shake and groove.
It is time for a video package on Percy Watson. MVP says that Percy has a lot of showmanship. Henry says that he wants to see what is next from Percy. They talk about the connection he has with the crowd. Miz mentions that Percy has no lenses in his glasses so why is he wearing them. Cody says that under the surface is a solid athlete. Zack doesn’t get him. Miz says that you need to be serious in the ring. Porter says that if he shows the dedication, he will teach Percy. Cody says that Percy has more going for him than glasses and a goofy smile.
Match Number One: Percy Watson with Montel Vontavious Porter versus Zack Ryder
Ryder wants Porter off the apron and Ryder with a knee and forearm followed by a side head lock. Ryder with a shoulder tackle but Watson with a back elbow. Ryder with a double leg take down and punches to Watson. Ryder sends Watson into the turnbuckles and kicks him. Ryder with a running face wash to the head for a near fall. Ryder with a knee drop and he gets a near fall as Porter gives Watson some more advice. Ryder with a reverse chin lock. Watson with elbows and punches but Ryder sends Watson into the turnbuckles and he tries for another facewash but Watson moves. Watson with a drop kick or two. Watson with a flying clothesline and Ryder goes to the apron. Ryder drops Watson on the top rope and then he tries for the Rough Rider but Watson hits the floatover DDT and then he hits the twisting Oh Yeah splash for the three count.
Winner: Percy Watson
John Morrison gives some advice to Eli and Morrison says that Eli is doing great. He wants Eli to watch a video tape from last week’s obstacle course. We see the problems that Eli had with the course. John starts to laugh and Eli says that he isn’t an acrobat. Morrison says that people are calling him Eli Rottonwood. Morrison says that Eli has an opportunity against Michael McGillicutty. Eli has one word for Michael. Morrison asks if it is intensity and Eli says that it is mustache.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Michael and Josh talk about the elimination that will take place. However, there is one rookie who has immunity. In case you missed last week’s obstacle course challenge, we have a recap. The challenge was won by Michael McGillicutty and he has immunity.
Match Number Two: Michael McGillicutty with Kofi Kingston versus Eli Cottonwood with John Morrison
Cottonwood sends Michael into the corner but Michael with punches and forearms. Cottonwood with a shoulder tackle. Cottonwood sends Michael into the turnbuckles and then connects with elbows and a forearm. Cottonwood with a an Irish whip and a side slam for a near fall. Eli chokes Michael in the ropes and the referee warns him. Eli stands on Michael’s foot. Eli with a short arm clothesline and he gets a near fall. Eli with a neck vise on Michael but Michael with punches and he sends Michael to the mat. Eli with a leg drop and slam and he gets a near fall. Eli with an arm bar on Michael and Michael with punches followed by a running clothesline but Eli stays on his feet. Eli with a reverse atomic drop but he misses a big boot in the ropes and Michael with kicks to the leg and then he hits a single leg DDT. Michael with a drop kick to Eli and then he hits a swinging neck breaker for the three count.
Winner: Michael McGillicutty
It is time to go to the back where Ashley Valence mentions that we will have the next NXT poll later tonight. The pros comment on Kaval. Miz says that he is very good in the ring. Mark Henry says that he is probably the most polished in the ring. Kofi says that he has a quiet confidence about him. They also talk about his kicks. Cody and Mark talk about Kaval’s pros. Layla and Michelle . Miz says that Kaval needs to be bigger than life. Morrison says that Kaval takes himself too seriously. Michelle and Layla talk about turning the frown upside down. MVP says that Kaval has made an impact. Cody says that in a fair world, Kaval would be the next breakout star. Michelle and Kaval say that they love Kaval.
Michelle and Layla want to know why he isn’t smiling. Husky bumps into Kaval and Kaval asks Husky if he has a problem. Husky says that he didn’t see Kaval standing there. He says that Kaval is not noticeable. Michelle and Layla mention that Kaval was number one. Husky wants to know if Kaval is going to let his girlfriends do all of the talking. Kaval says that he lets his talking take place in the ring. Husky says that if Kaval brings that intensity to the ring, he will have fun in the ring. Kaval says that they are going to have a lot of fun in the ring.
We go to commercial.
Match Number Three: Kaval with Layla and Michelle McCool versus Husky Harris with Dashing Cody Rhodes
Kaval with a kick as he avoids Husky. Husky throws Kaval into the corner and he punches Kaval. Husky with a hip toss but Kaval rolls through. Kaval with a kick and a heel kick for a near fall. Kaval with a kick to the chest and then to the leg. Husky with a head butt. Kaval with a kick but Husky hits a short arm clothesline. Husky with a waist lock to Kaval but Kaval with elbows and a kick followed by a European uppercut. Husky with an Irish whip but he misses a charge into the corner. Kaval with a leg sweep followed by a kick to the back of the head. Kaval with an Irish whip but Husky with a clothesline out of the corner for a near fall. Harris with an Irish whip and he sends Kaval to the apron and then Michelle and Layla go to the floor. Harris sends Kaval into the ring post and then Harris hits an inverted suplex on Kaval. Harris with the Fat Boy Senton for the three count.
Winner: Husky Harris
After the match, Matt Striker comes out and he wants the pros to tabulate their votes so we can find out which rookie gets to take the walk of shame (until they form a group of their own after the end of Season Two?).
We go to commercial.
We are back and more people watched NXT than a lot of other networks’ shows.
We see the Raw Rebound featuring on the split among the CenArmy (or is it JeriChORPS)
Time to run through the card for SummerSlam.
We go to commercial and it is nail biting time for all of the rookies except Michael McGillicutty.
We are back and it is time for the moment that you have been waiting for. Who joins Titus O’Neil in NXT Limbo?
The rookies are at ringside.
Matt says that only one can win NXT and earn a title match on pay per view. Matt also tells us that the rookie at the bottom of the poll will be eliminated, that is unless Michael McGillicutty finishes in seventh.
The new poll is ready.
In first place is Michael McGillicutty. He is followed by Kaval in second place. Third place is Alex Riley.
Fourth place is Percy Watson. Fifth place goes to Lucky Cannon.
That means that Husky Harris or Eli Cottonwood will be eliminated.
The man in sixth place is Husky Harris so Eli Cottonwood is eliminated.
Matt asks Eli if he has anything to say before he takes the walk of shame and turns in his knives. Eli decides to attack Husky Harris and some of the other rookies join in the attack while Kaval and McGillicutty watch from a distance. Eli walks up the ramp and Morrison tries to calm him down and he pushes Morrison.
Matt asks Husky if there is anything that is not connecting with the WWE Universe. Husky says that they have seen the warpath he has made over the last few weeks. He says that it is his competition to win.
Matt asks Micahel what it feels like to be number one. Michael says that he came here to win NXT. He is on the right path. Michael says that he will not lose on NXT and he will become a World Champion.
Matt asks if he was concerned about Eli jumping him. Alex says that he is a better athlete than Eli and he knows that he is better than Michael and Kaval. He says that he will be number one.
Michael and Alex push each other and they brawl at ringside. Lucky tries to hold them off. Eli comes back despite being eliminated.
There is pandemonium as we go to credits.
2010 - TNA taped Impact Wrestling in Orlando, FL. John Benoit filed the following live report from the tapings:
Impact for 8/5/10:
*I arrived during a tryout matches featuring two talents I didn't recognize.
*Jeremy Buck pinned Okada.
Impact:
*Tommy Dreamer calls out Raven to explain his actions last week. Dreamer asks why he attacked him last week and said that his kids call him "Uncle Scotty" and now he has to explain to them what happened. Raven says he attacked Dreamer because he's been waiting to get at Dreamer since Dreamer stole his girl and married her. Dreamer went after Raven but Abyss showed up to make it a two on one. RVD hit the scene to make the save and brawled with Abyss. Raven DDT'd Dreamer on the stage. Mick Foley came out to help Dreamer and announced at the PPV it will be Dreamer vs. Raven in a Final Showdown with Foley as the guest referee.
*Hamada and Taylor Wilde defeated Lacey Von Erich and Velvet Sky to become to new TNA Knockouts Tag Team champions. Madison Rayne and the motorcycle woman show up on the ramp, distracting the champions to set up the finish.
*AJ Styles pinned Rob Terry after a lowblow to retain the TNA Global TV title.
*Later tonight is Abyss and Raven vs. Tommy Dreamer and Rob Van Dam.
*Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne are shown backstage being restrained by security because she's so angry over the loss of the Knockouts Tag titles.
*In a "Capture the X" style Ultimate X Match, it's Beer Money vs. The Motor City Machineguns. Robert Roode cuts a promo saying that The Guns have proven they are great and even though it's their type of match, Beer Money are taking the titles tonight. The Guns respond that the only way they are taking the belts is from their cold, dead hands. There are lots of great spots to open the match and some nice back and forth wrestling. Beer Money gets the upper hand but can't get the X because Roode is afraid of heights and Storm appears to have had a little too much to drink. Another great match between the two teams, with the end being Alex Shelley sliding acrossd the ropes while Roode walked across like a tight rope. They fought near the X and Roode got crotched and bumped into the ring while Shelley grabbed the X. They are tied 2-2.
*Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Miss Tessmacher come to the ring. He announced RVD vs. Abyss match on the big Impact will be a "Stairway to Janice" match as a takeoff on the old ECW Stairway to Hell bout. Bischoff will be the referee. He announces the final Beer Money vs. Motor City Machineguns bout, Mr. Anderson vs. Pope Dinero, Kurt Angle vs. AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy having an open challenge that night as well. Kevin Nash comes out and says he's finally got some face time with Hulk and Eric. Hogan tells Nash it's time to step out of the spotlight and let the younger talents take over. Nash says he doesn't like that and lays out Bischoff. Hogan and Nash go face to face and Nash takes him out. Nash grtabs a chair but Jeff Jarrett hits the ring. He gets the chair and is about to use it but suddenly Sting shows up, in red facepaint and lays out Jarrett with a bat. Nash and Sting leave everyone laying.
*Orlando Jordan vs. Pope Dinero. Jordan and Pope face off. Jordan gets Pope in the corner and starts grinding on him, which Pope doesn;t like. Eric Young runs out and starts collecting all the money that fell during Pope's speech. That distracts Jordan, who Pope surprises with a pin. Matt Morgan attacks Pope after the match but Ken Anderson makes the save. Pope isn't happy Anderson did. The TNA security guards from last week show up and yell at Anderson as well.
*Backstage, Christy Hemme informs Ric Flair that if any member of Fortune interferes, Flair is suspended for 90 days.
*Jay Lethal vs. Ric Flair in a Street Fight. Flair is busted open early. His clothes are ripped off, leaving him battling in underwear and one sock. Douglas Williams shows up to help Flair. We get a Moon over Orlando. Flair finally gets the pin on Lethal after Williams pushes Jay's leg off the ropes.
*TNA champion Rob Van Dam and Tommy Dreamer defeated Raven and Abyss in a pretty good tag match. Van Dam nailed the five star frog splash on Raven. Abyss attacked them after the match but the ECW crew hit the ring. Abyss got the upper hand but the lights went out and when they returned, The Sandman was in the ring with the Singapore Cane and cleaned house. That should be where the show ends.
After they went off the air, they played "Enter Sandman" and all the ECW guys and Hulk Hogan had a beer bash in the ring.
2011 - TruTV issued the following press release:
TruTV issued the following press release:
truTV Announces Premiere Dates for Three Compelling New Series
Network Reveals Premieres of New Seasons of Seven Returning Original Series, Plus the Debut of Hit Series Wipeout
truTV – which is coming off another record-setting quarter in reaching young adults – has lined up an extensive programming slate for the end of 2011 that includes three new series, seven returning hits and the network’s biggest series acquisition ever.
The new series Bear Swamp Recovery, about a larger-than-life family-owned repo business, is set to debut Aug. 22, followed by the Sept. 14 premiere of Hulk Hogan’s MCW, which will take viewers behind the scenes of a new professional wrestling league. truTV’s third new series of the fall and winter, the hidden-camera prank series Impractical Jokers, will arrive in December.
On Sept. 2, truTV adds its biggest series acquisition, the popular competition show Wipeout. Seven of truTV’s original series are also set to return, including the hits Hardcore Pawn, Lizard Lick Towing, Full Throttle Saloon and Black Gold.
truTV just scored its most-watched second quarter ever in primetime delivery of three key demos: adults 18-49, men 18-34 and men 18-49. The network, which is growing in popularity with younger viewers, increased its delivery of adults 18-34 by 11% and men 18-34 by 7% in the second quarter.
The following is a rundown of truTV’s new and returning series for 2011:
New Original Series
Bear Swamp Recovery – New series premiering Monday, Aug. 22, with back-to-back episodes at 10 and 10:30 p.m. (ET/PT)
Bear Swamp, where the business is big but the family is even bigger, follows PJ Vinch, who runs a booming New Jersey repo company with the help of his senior-with-an-attitude father and his teen son. With a repo order in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other, these bulky Sicilians never hesitate to take jobs other companies can’t handle, from massive construction equipment to luxury yachts at the Jersey shore to an entire fleet of racecars. They always get the goods, and they never miss a meal. Bear Swamp Recovery comes to truTV from Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment.
Hulk Hogan’s MCW – New series premieres Wednesday, Sept. 14, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
Hulk Hogan, one of the legendary stars of pro wrestling, believes you need to start small if you want to win big. Now he’s lending his expertise to the new Micro Championship Wrestling, where he gives little wrestlers advice on recruiting, training and mentoring. It’s all with the goal of getting the MCW off the ground and into the arena. Hulk Hogan’s MCW comes to truTV from Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment.
Impractical Jokers – New series coming in December
Since they were kids, Sal, Murr, Q and Joe have dared one another to do the most ridiculous, humiliating public pranks imaginable. Now, to find out who’s best under pressure, they’ll compete in unbelievably awkward social experiments – all recorded on camera. The loser must do the most mortifying challenge ever. Impractical Jokers comes to truTV from NorthSouth Productions.
New Acquired Series
Wipeout – Acquired series to air Fridays at 8 p.m. (ET/PT), beginning Sept. 2
truTV has acquired exclusive, off-network cable rights to air this exciting series in which contestants face wildly outrageous barriers, from Big Balls to complex contraptions, for the chance at winning a cash prize. Wipeout, which is also shown in numerous international versions around the globe, ranks among the world’s top-rated game shows. The series was recently voted by Entertainment Weekly’s readers as “Reality TV’s Guiltiest Pleasure.â€
Returning Series
Lizard Lick Towing – Season 1 returns Monday, Aug. 22, at 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT); Season 2 coming in November
Las Vegas Jailhouse – Season 4 launches Sunday, Sept. 4, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
Operation Repo – Season 9 launches Wednesday, Sept. 14, at 9:30 p.m. (ET/PT)
Police POV – Season 2 launches in November
Hardcore Pawn – Season 5 coming in November
Black Gold – Season 4 coming in November
Full Throttle Saloon – Season 3 coming in November
About truTV
truTV is television’s destination for real-life stories told from an exciting and dramatic first-person perspective. Currently seen in 93 million U.S. households, the network is enjoying its best deliveries ever in key demographics. truTV features high-stakes, action-packed originals that give viewers access to places and situations they can’t normally experience. truTV’s primetime fan favorites include the original series Hardcore Pawn, All Worked Up, Lizard Lick Towing, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, Black Gold, Operation Repo and World’s Dumbest… During the daytime, the channel features expert trial coverage under the name In Session.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.
About truTV
truTV is television’s destination for real-life stories told from an exciting and dramatic first-person perspective. Currently seen in 93 million U.S. households, the network is enjoying its best deliveries ever in key demographics. truTV features high-stakes, action-packed originals that give viewers access to places and situations they can’t normally experience. truTV’s primetime fan favorites include the original series Hardcore Pawn, All Worked Up, Lizard Lick Towing, Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, Black Gold, Operation Repo and World’s Dumbest… During the daytime, the channel features expert trial coverage under the name In Session.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.
2011 - Ohio Valley Wrestling taped TV in Louisville, Kentucky at the Davis Arena. Jason Saint filed the following TV report:
OVW TV Taping Results/Spoilers
Taped on July 27th, 2011. To air on July 30th, 2011.
The Davis Arena in Louisville, Kentucky.
Dark Matches:
TV Show:
Dark Matches:
Biggest pops:
Biggest heat:
2012 - It was announced that House of Hardcore, the new promotion launched by Tommy Dreamer, would open a wrestling school in Poughkeepsie, New York. The trainers for the school will be Dreamer, Hale Collins and Vik Dalishus.
2012 - Rita Lee, who wrestled as Rita Cortez in the 1950s and 1960s, passed away in Hermitage, TN.
Lee was featured in the excellent documentary on the pioneers of female pro wrestling "Lipstick and Dynamite" where her marriage to promoter Buddy Lee came up in discussion.
Lee had been married the Fabulous Moolah before becoming involved with Rita, which led to some consternation between the two after Moolah caught them in a compromising situation.
Buddy married Rita soon after getting divorced from Moolah. During "Lipstick", Rita noted that she while never won a title, she had the only title that meant anything, being "Mrs. Buddy Lee" for decades.
Lee was trained by Moolah, who had long partnered with Buddy to control the booking of female talent at the time. When Buddy and Rita became a couple, Moolah took control of the booking of the majority of female talents (setting off Moolah's dominance in the business as one of the most powerful women in it's history), pretty much marking the end of Lee's in-ring career.
Rita and Buddy went on to found Buddy Lee Attractions, a talent agency that is still running in Nashville, handling country musicians among other artists as well as producing numerous charitable events and local fairs.
2012 - WWE broadcast Smackdown. Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:
We begin with a look back at Monday’s Raw when the company celebrated their 1000th episode of the weekly show.
We are live on tape from Kansas City, Missouri and your announcers are Josh ‘Royals’ Mathews, Booker ‘Monarchs’ T, and Michael ‘Did you know that we are just under 230 months from Raw 2000’ Cole.
Miz makes his way to the ring to start things off and he has his Intercontinental Title belt which he earned when he beat Christian to become champion.
Miz says that everyone is looking at the new face of the Intercontinental Championship. He says that he would love to thank every one of Christian’s peeps because they voted for Christian to defend his title on Raw 1000. In that match, Christian lost. Miz says that he is the new Intercontinental Champion because he is the Miz and . . .
Christian feels that his music is more important than Miz’ catchphrase.
Christian says that Miz was going to say AWESOME in an annoying voice. Christian says that it is also awesome that he is going to invoke his rematch clause tonight in Kansas City.
Match Number One: Christian versus Miz
They lock up and Miz with a side head lock and shoulder tackle. Christian backs into the corner and Miz has something to say to the former champion. Christian with a waist lock into a side head lock. Miz backs Christian into the corner but Miz with punches on the break. Christian sends Miz into the corner and he punches him.
Christian with an Irish whip and back body drop. Christian sends Miz over the top rope but Miz lands on the apron. Miz with a shoulder from the apron and then he thinks about suplexing Christian to the floor but Christian stops him and connects with a punch and then he slides to the floor and pulls Miz off the apron.
Christian with a baseball slide to Miz and he sends Miz back into the ring. Christian goes to the turnbuckles and tries for a tornado DDT but Miz escapes and then he connects with a knee to the midsection. Miz with kicks to Christian followed by a punch that sends Christian back to the mat. Christian punches Miz but Miz with an Irish whip and he hits an Awesome Clothesline.
Miz goes up top and hits a double sledge and gets a near fall. Miz with a reverse chin lock. Christian with a flapjack and Miz goes to the apron. Christian stops Miz but Miz with a back body drop that sends Christian to the floor.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Miz with a series of kicks to Christian’s chest followed by a running boot to the head for a near fall. Miz returns to the reverse chin lock. Christian with elbows and a punch. Christian with a sunset flip for a near fall. Miz hits the Reality Check and gets a near fall. Christian falls into the ropes and Miz chokes Christian in the ropes. Miz sets for another Awesome Clothesline but Christian gets his boots up.
Christian goes up top but he takes too long and Miz stops him. Miz with punches and Miz tries for a superplex but Christian fights back. Christian blocks the superplex again and he punches Miz off the turnbuckles. Christian goes for the frog splash but Miz gets his knees up and Miz gets a few near falls.
Miz says something to Christian and Christian slaps Miz and hits a drop kick from the turnbuckles and both men are down. Christian with punches and a running forearm and a drop toe hold that sends Christian to the floor and Christian with a slingshot to the floor and an uppercut. Christian drops the back of Miz’ head onto the top rope and then Christian hits a cross body for a near fall.
Christian goes to the turnbuckles again and he leaps over Miz and hits an inverted DDT but can only get a two count. Miz sends Christian into the turnbuckles but Christian tries for a sunset flip from the turnbuckles but Miz rolls through. Miz misses a kick and Christian gets a near fall with a rollup. Miz tries for the Reality Check again but Christian counters and gets a near fall with a backslide.
Christian with a back elbow from the turnbuckles and he tries for the Killswitch but Miz blocks it and Miz tries for a belly-to-back suplex. Christian lands on his feet but Miz with a DDT for a near fall. Miz goes to the turnbuckles but Christian pulls Miz off the turnbuckles and Christian sets for the spear.
Miz sees it coming and Miz rolls to the floor. Christian follows Miz to the floor and Miz with a boot. Miz tries for the Skull Crushing Finale but Christian blocks it. Christian with punches in the corner but when the referee is out of position, Miz with a thumb to the eyes followed by a rollup with a handful of tights for the three count.
Winner: The Miz
We go to commercial.
Match Number Two: Jinder Mahal versus Ryback
They lock up and Ryback backs Mahal into the corner. Ryback with a clean break. Mahal with forearms but Ryback with a boot to the chest. Ryback with a fallaway slam and Mahal goes to the apron. Mahal with a thumb to the eye and a shoulder followed by a knee from the apron. Mahal with a high knee and he gets a near fall.
Mahal with a kick to the head and then he connects with a knee to the head. Mahal is sent to the floor but Mahal returns to the ring and he connects with knees to the back. Mahal signals for the Camel Clutch but Ryback gets to his feet and he hits a backpack stunner. Ryback slams Mahal’s head into the mat and then he hits a spinebuster.
Mahal avoids a lariat and then he goes to the floor and the referee starts his count. The referee gets to ten and calls for the bell.
Winner: Ryback by count out
We go to commercial.
We see footage from Monday’s main event when John Cena became the first to fail to cash in the briefcase and what happened after the match with Big Show, Rock, Punk, and Cena.
Booker, Josh, and Michael discuss what happened with Punk and they are enjoying some beverages from Sonic.
Who wants to Tout about what Punk did?
Sheamus stops by to talk to Daniel Bryan. Sheamus talks to Daniel’s bad evening on Monday with the wedding, Rock, and Charlie Sheen.
Bryan says that he is not done with AJ. Rock won’t be back for six months. He doesn’t care about Charlie Sheen.
Sheamus has a present for Bryan’s wedding and he says that it might come in handy on his wedding night. Bryan is not impressed and we see that it is a book titled ‘How to Last More than 18 Seconds’.
We go to commercial.
Match Number Three: Sheamus versus Cody Rhodes
They lock up and Sheamus backs Cody into the corner and Sheamus with a clean break. Rhodes with a waist lock but Sheamus with an elbow and Cody goes to the floor. Cody complains to the referee about the job he is doing. Cody returns to the ring and Rhodes with a kick and side head lock. Sheamus with a shoulder tackle and he gets a near fall.
Sheamus works on the arm but Cody with a kick and he starts to work on the arm. Sheamus punches Cody and then he Irish whips Cody. Cody floats over but he runs into a delayed tilt-a-whirl back breaker for a near fall. Cody with a kick but Sheamus with a forearm that sends Cody to the apron. Sheamus puts Cody in the position on the apron but Cody with elbows to avoid the forearms of ten. Cody goes to the floor and Sheamus follows.
Sheamus decides to set up for the forearms of ten from the apron instead. Sheamus tries to suplex Cody to the floor but Cody is able to land on the apron. Cody sends Sheamus into the ring post and Sheamus falls to the floor.
Sheamus barely gets back into the ring and Cody kicks Sheamus. While this is going on, Dolph Ziggler’s music plays and he has his briefcase and Vickie Guerrero with him.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Cody with a key lock while Ziggler waits anxiously at the announce table. Cody with punches to Sheamus but Sheamus with a running double sledge. Cody avoids a second one and Cody with a drop kick for a near fall. Cody with a knee to the head and he gets a near fall.
Cody chokes Sheamus and then Sheamus hangs over the apron and Cody with punches and forearms to the head and neck. Cody gets a near fall and then he tries for a full nelson and he applies it. Sheamus gets to his feet and he escapes with an arm drag. Cody with a kick to the knees followed by the drop down uppercut. Sheamus with a back body drop and both men struggle to get to their feet.
Sheamus with double sledges and then he hits a shoulder in the corner but Cody knows that the knee lift is coming next so he connects with a kick to Sheamus. Sheamus holds on to the ropes on an O’Connor Roll attempt and Sheamus with a running knee lift and tilt-a-whirl power slam for a near fall.
Cody avoids a short arm clothesline and then he connects with a back elbow to the head. Rhodes with a drop toe hold into the turnbuckles followed by a kick. Cody goes up top but misses a moonsault when Sheamus moves. Sheamus with the uranage back breaker and he gets a near fall.
Sheamus gets Cody on his shoulders but Cody with elbows and he sends Sheamus to the floor. Sheamus gets back to the apron and he punches Cody and then Sheamus goes up top but Rhodes with an arm drag. Cody hits Beautiful Disaster but Sheamus kicks out at two. Cody thinks about what he has to do to beat Sheamus while Ziggler waits with the briefcase in his hands.
Cody tries for another Beautiful Disaster but Sheamus catches him and hits White Noise. Sheamus looks around and signals for the Brogue Kick and he connects and gets the three count.
Winner: Sheamus
After the match, Ziggler teases coming into the ring to cash in but he stops short. Ziggler circles the ring and gets on the apron but goes back to the floor. Ziggler takes off his shirt and he looks like he is going to cash in again.
From out of nowhere, someone in a Dolph Ziggler shirt attacks Dolph from behind and sends him into the ring for Sheamus to give Ziggler a Brogue Kick.
We see that the person who sent Ziggler into the ring was Chris Jericho. Sheamus leaves the ring and lets Jericho deal with Ziggler.
Jericho waits for Ziggler to get up and Jericho hits a Codebreaker.
We go to commercial.
Match Number Four: Santino Marella versus Antonio Cesaro with Aksana
Santino goes for the leg but Cesaro blocks him and Cesaro with a front face lock and float over followed by a slap to the head. Santino gets to his feet and Santino pushes Cesaro. Santino with an arm drag. Cesaro offers his hand to Santino and then he tells Santino to look at Aksana and Cesaro with a forearm to the head. Cesaro with head butts to the chest.
Cesaro with a near fall. Cesaro with a deadlift side salto and he gets a near fall. Cesaro with a reverse chin lock. Santino escapes with a Saito suplex and then Santino with jabs and a forearm followed by the diving head butt.
Santino reaches for his sock puppet but Aksana gets on the apron. Cesaro tries to take advantage but Santino with a split and hip toss. Cesaro with a flapjack and Gotch Style Neutralizer for the three count.
Winner: Antonio Cesaro
We take a look back at Damien Sandow’s confrontation with DX.
Damien is walking in the back and he walks past a few wrestlers and some backstage workers as we go to commercial.
We are back with a look at the segment from Raw when we found out that Brock Lesnar will be facing Triple H at SummerSlam.
Match Number Five: Damien Sandow versus Yoshi Tatsu
They lock up and Sandow with a knee and forearm before sending Yoshi to the floor. Sandow goes after Yoshi and sends him into the ringside barrier. Sandow slams Yoshi’s head into the ringside barrier. Sandow sends Yoshi back into the ring.
Sandow with a side Russian leg sweep and then he rolls through for the Elbow of Disdain. Sandow with knees to Yoshi followed by the cross arm neck breaker and the three count.
Winner: Damien Sandow
After the match, Damien gets on the mic and he addresses the repulsive, ruffian, wretches. He says that if you enjoyed what happened to him on Monday night at the hands of those unruly Degenerates, he is their martyr.
He tells everyone ‘You’re Welcome’ and then he does the victory cartwheel.
We go to commercial.
Match Number Six: Kane versus Rey Mysterio versus Daniel Bryan versus Alberto Del Rio with Ricardo Rodriguez in a Number One Contender Match
The bell rings and Kane goes after Bryan while Del Rio works over Mysterio with kicks. Bryan with an elbow to Kane and then Kane goes over the top rope to the floor when Bryan pulls down the top rope. Bryan with a kick to Kane on the floor and then Del Rio tries for a running drop kick but Rey moves and Del Rio goes to the floor. Bryan with a suicide dive onto Kane.
Rey with a seated senton splash onto Del Rio from the apron. Rey with a shoulder to Bryan den then Rey goes up top and hits the seated senton. Bryan with a clothesline and Rey goes down hard. Bryan gets a near fall while Kane sends Del Rio into the ring steps. Kane charges at Del Rio but Del Rio with a drop toe hold and Kane goes into the ring post and steps.
Bryan knocks Del Rio off the apron and Rey with a rollup on Bryan for a near fall. Bryan with kicks of Yes to Rey and then he tries for a power bomb but Rey blocks it. Rey with a drop kick to the knees and Bryan miraculously falls into the ropes for a 619. Rey tries for the 619 but Del Rio with a clothesline.
Bryan with a clothesline to Del Rio. Kane with an uppercut to Bryan. Kane with an Irish whip into the corner and Kane splashes Del Rio and Bryan followed by a side slam to Bryan for a near fall.
Kane goes up top and hits the clothesline on Bryan and he sets for a choke slam on Bryan. Kane kicks Del Rio and then he grabs Rey with his other hand. Rey and Bryan block the double choke slam and they try for a double suplex but Kane blocks it and reverses it.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Del Rio punches and kicks Bryan in the corner. Bryan with a hard Irish whip and then he connects with kicks of Yes in the corner. Bryan sets for the running drop kick of Yes into the corner but Del Rio moves and Bryan hits the turnbuckles hard. Del Rio with the step up enzuigiri and then he floats over into the cross arm breaker. Bryan looks like he is about to tap but Rey with a leg drop to Del Rio from the top and gets a near fall.
Rey with a baseball slide to Del Rio’s nether region. Kane hits Rey from behind and Kane with a clothesline that sends Del Rio over the top rope to the floor. Kane with punches to Rey in the corner followed by a hard Irish whip. Kane gets a near fall on Rey followed by a drop kick for a near fall.
Kane with a rear chin lock while Ricardo checks on Alberto. Kane sends Rey into the corner and Rey with boots to Kane. Rey floats over and Kane catches Rey. Kane tries for a running power slam but Rey counters with a tornado DDT. Rey goes to the turnbuckles and tries for a rana but Kane blocks it and Del Rio with a drop kick to Rey. Del Rio punches Kane but Kane grabs Del Rio as he comes off the ropes. Del Rio with an enzuigiri followed by a lungblower but Bryan breaks up the cover.
Bryan with kicks of Yes to Del Rio but he misses a round kick and Del Rio with a rollup for a near fall. Bryan applies the Yes Lock on Del Rio but Kane prevents Del Rio from tapping out. Kane punches Bryan and connects with an uppercut.
Kane clotheslines Bryan over the top rope. Del Rio with an arm breaker and then he tries to float over into the cross arm breaker but Kane avoids it and hits a chokes slam but Rey breaks up the cover. Kane goes to the floor and Bryan goes to the apron for a running knee to the back.
Rey with a round kick to Del Rio but Alberto kicks out at two. Rey signals for the 619 but Bryan grabs Rey from behind. Rey sends Bryan into the ropes and he falls onto the middle rope. Del Rio charges at Rey but Rey with a drop kick to the knee and Del Rio falls into the ropes next to Bryan. Rey hits the 619 on both men and he goes up top for the dive onto Bryan but Ricardo pulls Rey out of the ring and Del Rio pins Bryan to win the match.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
We go to credits.
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