September 1st
On this day in history in ....
1868 - Homer Lane defeats James H. McLaughlin for the American Collar-and-Elbow Title in Utica, New York.
1923 - Clarence Weber defeats Billy Meeske in Melbourne, Australia to win the Australian Heavyweight Title for the second time.
1941 - Wild Red Berry defeats Danny McShain for the World Light Heavyweight Title in Hollywood, California, ending McShain's third reign and beginning Berry's third.
1946 - George Becker defeats Babe Sharkey in Portland, Oregon to win the Pacific Northwest (later Los Angeles) World Heavyweight Title.
1953 - Ted Petty is born in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey.
1958 - Eddie and Jerry Graham defeat Don Curtis and Mark Lewin in Washington, DC to win the Northeast NWA United States Tag Team Title.
1961 - Bam Bam Bigelow is born in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
1965 - KC Thunder is born in Asheville, North Carolina.
1967 - Killer Kowalski defeats Bearcat Wright in Melbourne, Australia for the International Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title. This began Kowalski's fifth reign and ended Wright's second.
1968 - Kyoko Okada and Miyuki Yanagi defeat Lucille Duprée and Mary Jane for the American Girls' Wrestling Association International Tag Team Title in Tokyo, Japan.
1971 - Former WWE star Deuce is born in Laie, Hawaii.
1972 - Doug Williams is born in Reading, Berkshire, England.
1972 - The AWA held an event at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. The results:
- René Goulet and Don Muraco fought to a 10-minute time-limit draw.
- Ramón Torres defeated Angelo Poffo.
- Art Thomas defeated Hans Harmann.
- Bobo Johnson defeated Little Bruiser.
- Baron Von Raschke defeated Billy Red Cloud.
- André Rousimoff (André the Giant) defeated Larry Hennig and Butcher Vachon in a Handicap match.
- Dusty Rhodes defeated Wahoo McDaniel by disqualification.
- AWA World Tag Team Champions Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens defeated Billy Robinson and Wilbur Snyder in a Best-of-Three Falls match to retain the title.
- AWA World Heavyweight Champion Verne Gagne defeated Ivan Koloff in a Best-of-Three Falls match to retain the title.
- Dick the Bruiser and The Crusher defeated The Blackjacks (Lanza and Mulligan) in a Steel Cage match.
1972 - Johnny Valentine defeats Johnny Powers to win the National Wrestling Federation North American Heavyweight Title in Cleveland, Ohio, ending Powers' third reign.
1973 - WWWF ran Scranton, PA at the CYC with the following results:
-Little Louie & Farmer Jerome defeated Little Brutus & Pee Wee Adams
-Manuel Soto defeated Joe Turco
-Tony Garea fought Mr. Fuji to a draw
-Haystacks Calhoun defeated Mike McCord via disqualification
-Chief Jay Strongbow defeated George Steele in a steel cage match
1977 - Don Leo Jonathan defeats Otto Wanz for the Catch Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Title in Johannesburg, South Africa.
1977 - Dory Funk, Jr. defeats Ciclón Negro in Amarillo, Texas to win the Amarillo NWA International Heavyweight Title, ending Negro's third reign and beginning Funk's second.
1977 - Yumi Ikeshita defeats Jane O'Brien in Honolulu, Hawaii for the All Pacific Title.
1978 - Pak Choo and Roddy Piper defeat Ryuma Go and Black Gordman to win the NWA Americas Tag Team Title.
1978 - Paddy Ryan defeats Mr. Sakurada for the Stampede North American Heavyweight Title in Calgary, Alberta.
1979 - The WWWF Intercontinental championship is officially introduced with Pat Patterson as the first champion, having won a fictional tournament in Rio De Janeiro. In actuality, he had defeated Ted DiBiase for the WWWF North American title and the promotion decided to replace that title with the IC championship.
1979 - Jim Crockett Promotions held a 12-man tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina for the Mid-Atlantic NWA United States Heavyweight Title. The title had been vacated by Ric Flair after he won the NWA World Tag Team Title with Blackjack Mulligan on August 8. The results were:
First round:
- Bruiser Brody defeated Johnny Weaver.
- Jimmy Snuka defeated Tim Woods.
- Buddy Rogers defeated Bob Marcus.
- Wahoo McDaniel and Big John Studd fought to a double-countout, putting Buddy Rogers through to the semifinals.
- Ken Patera defeated Rufus R. Jones.
Quarterfinals:
- Jim Brunzell defeated Bruiser Brody.
- Ricky Steamboat defeated Ken Patera.
Semifinals:
- Jimmy Snuka defeated Jim Brunzell.
- Ricky Steamboat defeated Buddy Rogers.
Final:
- Jimmy Snuka defeated Ricky Steamboat to win vacant Mid-Atlantic NWA United States Heavyweight Title.
1980 - Tommy Rich defeats Jimmy Valiant for the AWA Southern Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee. This began Rich's third reign and ended Valiant's fourth.
1982 - Paul Jones defeats Jack Brisco to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Title in Charlotte, North Carolina, to end Brisco'e second reign.
1984 - The WWF held an event at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The results were:
- Iron Mike Sharpe pinned Steve Lombardi after a clothesline.
- David Schultz pinned A.J. Petrucci after a dropkick.
- WWF Women's Tag Team Champions Velvet McIntyre and Princess Victoria defeated Leilani Kai and Despina Mantagus to retain the title, when Victoria pinned Mantagus with a reverse crossbody and McIntyre pinned Kai with a sunset flip.
- Jesse Ventura pinned Ivan Putski after hitting him with a foreign object.
- Rocky Johnson and Greg Valentine fought to a time-limit draw.
- André the Giant defeated Roddy Piper by countout when Piper walked out after a big boot knocked him to the floor.
- Nikolai Volkoff pinned Rick McGraw after a gorilla press gutbuster.
- The Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika) defeated WWF Tag Team Champions Adrian Adonis and Dick Murdoch by disqualification after Murdoch threw the referee out of the ring. Adonis and Murdoch retained the title.
1985 - The WWF held an event at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario. The results:
- Randy Savage defeated Dennis Goulet.
- Lanny Poffo defeated Iron Mike Sharpe.
- King Tonga defeated Moondog Spot.
- King Kong Bundy defeated Rick McGraw and George Wells in a Handicap match.
- The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart) defeated The British Bulldogs (The Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith) by disqualification.
- Cousin Junior defeated Johnny Valiant.
- Don Muraco and Ricky Steamboat fought to a double-countout.
1985 - American Force (Paul Diamond and Shawn Michaels) are awarded the TASW Texas Tag Team TItle in San Antonio, Texas.
1985 - El Hijo del Santo defeats Aristóteles in Naucalpan, Mexico for the UWA World Lightweight Title, to begin his second reign.
1985 - El Dandy defeats Américo Rocca to win the Mexican National Welterweight Title in Guadalajara, Mexico, ending Rocca's third reign.
1986 - Championship Wrestling from Florida hosted the NWA's "Battle of the Belts III" at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. The results were:
- Jimmy Backlund defeated Bob Cook.
- Tyree Pride defeated The Cuban Assassin.
- NWA Florida United States Tag Team Champions The Fabulous Ones (Steve Keirn and Stan Lane) defeated The Sheepherders (Butch and Luke) to retain the title.
- The White Ninja (Keiji Muto) defeated NWA United States Junior Heavyweight Champion Tim Horner to win the title.
- AWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel defeated Kendo Nagasaki by disqualification to retain the title.
- Ed Gantner and Kareem Muhammad fought The Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk) to a double-disqualification.
- Kendall Windham defeated NWA Bahamas Heavyweight Champion Chris Champion by disqualification. Champion retained the title.
- NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair fought NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight Champion Lex Luger to a 45-minute time-limit draw to retain the title.
- Barry Windham defeated NWA Florida Heavyweight Champion Ron Bass to win the title, beginning his fourth reign.
1986 - The World Class Wrestling Association held its fourth-annual "Labor Day Star Wars" event at the Tarrant County Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The show featured an 11-team tournament to crown the first WCWA World Tag Team Champions, following World Class' departure from the NWA, when the company's title was the NWA American Tag Team Title. The results were:
First round:
- Mark Lewin and Kevin Sullivan defeated The Batten Twins (Bart and Brad).
- Matt Borne and WCWA Texas Heavyweight Champion Buzz Sawyer defeated WCWA World Six-Man Tag Team Champions Kevin and Mike Von Erich by countout.
- Chris and Mark Youngblood defeated Jos LeDuc and Rick Rude by disqualification.
- The Dingo Warrior and Socko defeated Killer Tim Brooks and The Grappler.
Quarterfinals:
- Matt Borne and WCWA Texas Heavyweight Champion Buzz Sawyer defeated Mark Lewin and Kevin Sullivan.
- Chris and Mark Youngblood defeated Jerry and Ted Oates.
- The Dingo Warrior and Socko defeated Brian Adias and Scott Casey.
Semifinals:
- WCWA World Heavyweight Champion Chris Adams and WCWA World Six-Man Tag Team Champion Lance Von Erich defeated The Dingo Warrior and Socko.
- Matt Borne and WCWA Texas Heavyweight Champion Buzz Sawyer defeated Chris and Mark Youngblood.
Finals:
- Matt Borne and WCWA Texas Heavyweight Champion Buzz Sawyer defeated WCWA World Heavyweight Champion Chris Adams and WCWA World Six-Man Tag Team Champion Lance Von Erich to become the first WCWA World Tag Team Champions.
Non-tournament:
- WCWA World Heavyweight Champion Chris Adams defeated Rick Rude by disqualification to retain the title.
- Abdullah the Butcher defeated Bruiser Brody by disqualification.
1986 - Tarzan Goto and Akio Sato defeat Jeff Jarrett and Pat Tanaka for the CWA International Tag Team Title in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning their second reign. At the same show, Don Bass and Dirty Rhodes (Roger Smith) defeat Cousin Junior and Giant Hillbilly Elmer to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Title.
1986 - Denny Brown defeats Steve Regal to win the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title in Greenville, South Carolina, beginning his third reign.
1987 - WWE talent Solomon Crowe, who first made his name in CZW and DGUSA as Sani Callihan, is born.
1987 - Yoshiaki Fujiwara and Kazuo Yamazaki defeat Akira Maeda and Nobuhiko Takada for the IWGP Tag Team Title in Fukuoka, Japan.
1990 - Fit Finlay defeats Steve Wright in Vienna, Austria to win the CWA World Middleweight Title, to end Wright's second reign.
1990 - One of the most memorable angles in Memphis wrestling took place during a live Saturday morning wrestling broadcast on WMC-TV in Memphis, Tennessee, as Eddie Gilbert attempted to run down Jerry Lawler with his brother Doug's car in the parking lot outside the studio. The car hit Lawler, who rolled over the hood and fell to the ground, suffering a bruised hip. Fans watching the show on television actually called the police to the WMC studios to report what had happened.
1990 - New Japan Pro Wrestling ran their first ever show in Halpin, China, drawing 4,000 fans. Here are the results:
- Kensuke Sasaki defeated Michiyoshi Ohara.
- Kantaro Hoshino defeated Black Cat.
- Masahiro Chono defeated Takayuki Iizuka.
- Jushin Liger defeated Osamu Matsuda.
- Riki Choshu defeated Hiro Saito.
- Antonio Inoki defeated Tatsutoshi Goto.
1991 - WCW ran the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, VA, with the following results:
-PN News pinned Joey Maggs
-Oz (Kevin Nash) pinned the Iceman
-El Gigante pinned the One Man Gang
-Terrance Taylor defeated Big Josh
-Ron Simmons defeated Tommy Rich
-Rick Steiner & Bill Kazmaier defeated The Hardliners, Dick Murdoch & Dick Slater
-Tom Zenk pinned the Diamond Studd
-WCW World TV Champion Steve Austin defeated Johnny B. Badd
-Dustin Rhodes pinned Richard Morton
-WCW U.S. Champion Sting pinned Cactus Jack
-WCW World Champion Lex Luger pinned Barry Windham
1991 - The Grappler and Don Harris defeat Demolition Crush and Steve Doll for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title in Seaside, Oregon.
1993 - Los Cowboys (Silver King and El Texano) become the first two-time WWA World Tag Team Champions in Tlanepantla, Mexico, by defeating Corazón de León (Chris Jericho) and El Dandy.
1994 - Hiromichi Fuyuki, Gedo and Jado defeat Bob Backlund, Scott Putski and Warlord to win their second WAR World Six-Man Tag Team Title in Saku, Japan.
1995 - CMLL held its "Second Generation Tag Team Tournament" at Arena Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico, an eight-team one-night tournament featuring second generation wrestlers, whether in name or by blood.
Quarterfinals:
- Apolo Dantés and Emilio Charles, Jr. defeated Brazo de Oro and Brazo de Plata
- Blue Demon, Jr. defeated Tinieblas, Jr. defeated Espectro, Jr. and Pierroth, Jr.
- Negro Casas and El Hijo del Solitario defeated Karloff Lagarde, Jr. and Scorpio, Jr.
- El Hijo del Santo and Rayo de Jalisco, Jr. defeated Gran Markus, Jr. and Dr. Wagner, Jr.
Semifinals:
- Apolo Dantés and Emilio Charles, Jr. defeated Blue Demon, Jr. defeated Tinieblas, Jr.
- El Hijo del Santo and Rayo de Jalisco, Jr. defeated Negro Casas and El Hijo del Solitario.
Final:
- Apolo Dantés and Emilio Charles, Jr. defeated El Hijo del Santo and Rayo de Jalisco, Jr. to win the Second Generation Tag Team Tournament.
1996 - Tomoko Miyaguchi defeats Yoshiko Tamura in Tokyo, Japan for the AJW Junior Title. At the same event, Chikayo Nagashima and Sugar Sato defeat Yumi Fukawa and Rie Tamada to win the AJW Tag Team Title.
1997 - WCW held its 103rd episode of "Monday Nitro" live from the Civic Center in Pensacola, Florida. The show aired unopposed for a second straight week, due to USA covering U.S. Open tennis, and got a 4.74 rating on hours of 4.51, 4.82 and 4.90. The results were:
- Chris Benoit and WCW United States Heavyweight Champion Steve McMichael defeated Eddie Guerrero and Jeff Jarrett (with Debra), when McMichael pinned Guerrero after Dean Malenko interfered.
- Mortis (with James Vandenburg and Wrath) pinned Silver King after the Dead on Arrival.
- Yuji Nagata pinned Dean Malenko after Jeff Jarrett came out and dropped Malenko throat-first on the ropes.
- Ultimo Dragon pinned La Parka (with Sonny Onoo) after dropkicking a chair into Parka's face.
- Buff Bagwell (with Vincent) pinned Glacier after the Blockbuster.
- Lizmark, Jr. pinned Villano IV with a springboard moonsault.
- WCW World Television Champion Alex Wright pinned Hugh Morrus after a spinning heel kick to retain the title.
- Stevie Richards pinned Damien after Raven attacked Damien on his way to the ring.
- Ray Traylor pinned Prince Iaukea after the Traylor Trash.
- Randy Savage and WCW World Tag Team Champion Scott Hall (with Elizabeth) defeated Diamond Dallas Page and Lex Luger, when Hall pinned Page after Luger forearmed Page after Hall ducked.
1998 - Pirata Morgan loses his hair to Vampiro in Houston, Texas.
2000 - The American Dragon (Bryan Danielson) defeats Pokerface to win the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title in Dyersburg, Tennessee, ending Pokerface's second reign.
2000 - Archangel Vincent and Reverend Axl Future defeat Barfly Mike and Corporal Robinson for the Mid American Wrestling Tag Team Title in West Allis, Wisconsin.
2000 - Kevin Duncan defeats Samir in North Richland Hills, Texas to win the NWA Texas Junior Heavyweight Title.
2001 - Tannie Mouse and Yuki Miyazaki defeat Chiaki Nishi and Acute Sae in Tokyo, Japan for the NEO Kitazawa Tag Team Title, beginning their second reign. At the same event, Lioness Asuka defeats Misae Genki to win the NEO/NWA Pacific Women's Title.
2001 - Scott Wrenn defeats Prince Justice (Abyss) to win the NWA Wildside Heavyweight Title in Cornelia, Georgia.
2001 - Daron Smythe defeats Dash Bennett in Parkersburg, West Virginia to become the first NWA West Virginia/Ohio Television Champion.
2001 - Agente Bruno and Zaruxx defeat Huracán Castillo, Jr. and Miguel Pérez, Jr. to win the IWA World Tag Team Title in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, ending Castillo and Perez's second reign. Also at that event, Big Ross McCollough wins the IWA World Hardcore Title from Glamour Boy Shane, ending his third reign, before losing it to Zaruxx, beginning his third reign.
2001 - Two titles change hands at the Frontier Wrestling Alliance's "Back 2 School" in London, England. The New Breed (Ashe and Curve) defeated La Familia (Alex and Jorgé Castano) to become the first FWA British Tag Team Champions, and Paul Travell defeats champion Ahmed Chaer and Scottie Rock in a three-way match to win the FWA All-England Title.
2002 - Jason Dukes and The Skull Crusher defeat The Furies for the MAW Tag Team Title in Big Bend, Wisconsin.
2002 - It was announced in Japan that former International sensation Ultimo Dragon will return to the ring for the first time in several years for his Toryumon promotion's 9/8/02 event at the Ariake Coliseum in Japan. Dragon, the creator of the Asai Moonsault and a top high flying performer in Japan and Mexico before joining World Championship Wrestling (being incorrectly billed as "Ultimate Dragon" at first.) At one point in his career, Dragon held no less than nine Junior Heavyweight/Cruiserweight championships at the same time. Suffering an injury to his arm while performing for WCW, Dragon underwent a surgical procedure to remove bone chips from his elbow. During the surgery, Dragon suffered nerve damage to his arm, forcing him out of the ring. He would return to the ring on 9/8 and as of 2022, still performs in the ring.
2002 - WWE broadcast Heat. John Keane filed the following TV report:
Heat Report for 9/1/2002.
Matches taped on 8/26 in New York City.
Your Announcers are Jonathan Coachman and D’Lo Brown.
Pyros explode, Coach and D’Lo welcome us in and we go straight to work…
1st Match: Goldust vs. Johnny Stamboli.
Before the bell, Johnny offers marital tips in a pre-taped bit.
Good pop for Goldust, mild heat for Johnny. Lockup, Johnny forces Goldust to corner, ref calls for break. Johnny does so, then quickly scores a cheap elbow to the face, followed by boots to the gut. Johnny brings Goldust out of corner, scores sharp suplex, Goldust down, Johnny off ropes, drops the elbow, Goldust rolls clear and gets to feet, Johnny to canvas. Goldust scores kick, forearm, whips Johnny off ropes, hits the butt-bump, Johnny down. Up, Goldust works an armdrag takedown into an armbar, Johnny gets to feet, scores trio of forearms, whips Goldust off ropes, Johnny takes a forearm to the face. Goldust sets for the Curtain Call, Johnny elbows out, scores a boot to the gut, brings Goldust up, drops him kidney first on top rope (looked nasty). Goldust down, Johnnny lays in the boots, goes for a choke until warned off by ref. Goldust up, Johnny gets in a forearm, whips Goldust off ropes, brings him up on the rebound, drops him gut-first on knee, Goldust down, Johnny covers for 2. Up, Goldust gets in some forearm shots, whips Johnny off ropes, gets in boot to gut, sets for snap suplex, scores, Johnny down. Goldust off ropes, drops the elbow, Johnny rolls clear, Goldust to canvas. Johnny up, lays in more kicks, drops the elbow, once more, covers for 2. Up, Johnny gets in a pair of forearm shots, scores a snapmare, Goldust down, Johnny lays in a sleeper. Goldust gets to feet, fires off punches to gut, tries for whip, reversed, Goldust to corner, Johnny clotheslines him to canvas, covers for 2. Up, Johnny connects with a forearm, whips Goldust to ropes, goes for a dropkick, Goldust evades by holding ropes, Johnny to canvas, Goldust goes for a Victory Roll, just gets 2. Up, Goldust scores what looks like version of One and Only, both men down. Both to feet at count of 5, they exchange forearms, Johnny goes off ropes, Goldust scores with a pair of clothesline knockdowns, follows up with an inverted Atomic Drop and another clothesline, Johnny down for 2. Goldust brings Johnny up, attempts whip, reversed, Johnny sets for back body drop, Goldust drops to mat as he goes off ropes, gets in a shot to the face, Johnny staggered, Goldust scores the Curtain Call, gets the 1-2-3.
Winner: Goldust.
We cut to video documenting the D’Lo/Raven feud that’s been unfolding on the last few weeks of Heat. Later on they’ll be going one on one during our Main Event. Break.
WWE Rewind: Last week, The Un-Americans plot to burn an American flag was foiled by Kane, making his return to Raw.
Straight back to the ring…
2nd Match: Steven Richards vs. Crash Holly.
Big heat for Steven, decent pop for Crash. Lockup, Steven forces Crash to corner, ref calls for break, Steven gets in the obligatory forearm to the face before complying. The 2 trade words, crisscross routine follows, Crash ends it with a clothesline sending Steven down. Up, Crash gets in a dropkick, Steven down and up quickly, misses with a clothesline, Crash connects with a forearm, Steven down again, retreats to corner. Up, Steven charges, Crash scores with a hiptoss, follows up by wringing the arm, Steven pushes him to corner, ref calls for break, Steven goes for the cheap shot again, Crash blocks, fires off forearms, whips Steven back into corner, charges, Steven gets the boots up, Crash staggered. Steven sends Crash down with a back elbow, brings him up, tosses Crash into corner, lays in knees and shoulders to midsection. Forearm shot sends Crash down, Steven brings him up, lays in a chop, follows up by sending Crash face first into top turnbuckle. Steven whips Crash to opposite corner, scores another chop, Crash staggers to knees in center of ring, Steven gets in a clubbing forearm to the back. Steven locks in a body scissors to the seated Crash, Steven takes an elbow to the face, responds by locking in a full nelson. Crash breaks nelson, fires off elbows to face, Steven down, Crash to feet, drops the elbow, Steven rolls clear, Crash to canvas. Steven ascends top turnbuckle, Crash to feet, scores forearm to lower abdomen, tosses Steven to land on back in ring center. Up, Crash gets in a series of forearms, goes off ropes, scores with a forearm, Steven down. Up, Crash scores another forearm for a knockdown, Steven up at ropes, Crash whips him off opposite, scores back body drop, Steven down. Crash brings him up, scores textbook slam, ascends top turnbuckle, Steven gets to feet, Crash flies, missile dropkick sends Steven down, Crash covers, Steven gets his foot on the ropes at the count of 2, ref calls for break. Up, Crash whips Steven into corner, tries for version of Dudley Dog, Steven evades, throws Crash over shoulder. Crash rolls to feet, Steven charges, Crash ducks a clothesline, Steven puts on brakes, scores StevenKick, Crash down for the 1-2-3.
Winner: Steven Richards.
More hype for D’Lo/Raven sends us to break.
Back for Raw recap. Early on last weeks show, Raw GM Eric Bischoff announced we’d be seeing a title unification match, Hardcore Champion Tommy Dreamer vs. Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam. Eric specified this to be the last match on Raw ever to be fought under ‘hardcore rules’, with the winner being declared the ‘Undisputed’ Intercontinental Champion and the HC title being sent to retirement. Tommy and RVD sent the HC belt out with class in a great match, Rob ended up retaining the IC strap after hitting Tommy with his new version of the Van Terminator and the 5-Star Frog Splash. Post-match Rob raised Tommy’s arm in a show of respect. Break.
Boot of the Week: Last week on Raw, WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka got the ‘3-minute’ treatment courtesy of Bischoff’s henchmen Rosie and Jamal.
Back to work…
3rd Match: Bradshaw vs. Justin Credible.
Bradshaw still getting decent pop, usual hatefest for Justin. Lockup, Bradshaw quickly forces Justin to corner, throws on a side headlock, Justin tries to forearm his way out, manages to shoot Bradshaw to ropes only to take a shoulder charge, Justin down. Bradshaw off ropes, over Justin, off opposite ropes, Justin tries a hiptoss, blocked, Bradshaw counters with an armdrag, Justin down. Bradshaw brings him up, slams him right back down, goes off ropes, drops the elbow, Justin rolls clear, Bradshaw to canvas. Justin gets in a boot, forearm, attempts whip, reversed, Justin off ropes, Bradshaw scores boot to face, Justin down. Bradshaw brings him up, scores a snapmare, Bradshaw off ropes, gets in a shoulder to the back of the seated Justin. Justin attempts to beg off, Bradshaw will have none of it, lays in forearms, Justin retreats to corner, Bradshaw brings him out, whips Justin off ropes, sets for back body drop, Justin scouts it, counters with swinging neckbreaker, Bradshaw down. Justin gets in a forearm to the face as Bradshaw gets to feet, attempts whip, reversed, Justin off ropes, ducks a clothesline, goes off opposite ropes into Bradshaws arms, fallaway slam sends Justin to canvas. Up, Bradshaw sets for powerbomb, Justin counters with a backdrop, tries to bridge, just gets 1. Up, Bradshaw again tries to set for powerbomb, Justin evades by holding a leg, Bradshaw opts for clubbing forearms to the back, follows up with a suplex, Justin to canvas. Bradshaw brings him up, whips Justin off ropes, misses with a clothesline, Justin off opposite ropes, low dropkick to leg sends Bradshaw down. Justin gets in a pair of kicks as Bradshaw gets to feet, Justin takes a series of forearms sending him to ropes, Bradshaw whips him to opposite, Justin ducks a clothesline, scores a low superkick, Bradshaw down for 2. Justin brings him up, gets in a forearm, tries for whip, reversed, Justin off ropes, Bradshaw sets for back body drop, Justin scouts it, gets in a kick to the face that annoys Bradshaw slightly, Clothesline from Hell follows, Justin down for the 1-2-3.
Winner: Bradshaw.
Footage shot at last Mondays ‘WWE Pledge to Participate’ rally, held in beautiful downtown NYC, sends us to break.
More Raw recap next. The show opened with Paul Heyman introducing his client and new Undisputed Champion Brock Lesnar to the Madison Square Garden crowd. HHH and The Undertaker soon came out to steal the spotlight and squabble over who’d get the first shot at Brock’s title. Bischoff set up a ‘#1 contender’ match between the two as the nights Main Event. HHH got the win with help from Brock to get the #1 contendership. Didn’t last long, Raw ended with a visit from Smackdown GM Stephanie McMahon, who informed Bischoff that she was paying Brock quite well to be an exclusive talent on her show, and that last Monday was the last time we’d be seeing him on Raw.
Coach reminds us that later in the week ‘Taker jumped to Smackdown. Break.
On to our main event…
4th Match: Raven vs. D’Lo Brown.
Raven makes his way down through a sea of hostility, D’Lo leaves the announcers table and runs to the ring getting a good pop. Raven immediately bails as D’Lo enters, giving him a chance to pose for the crowd. Raven re-enters, lockup is teased, Raven gets in a quick knee to the gut, tosses D’Lo into corner, lays in forearms, tries for whip, reversed, Raven to ropes, again bails from ring. D’Lo gets in a low dropkick while Raven attempts re-entry, sending him down outside. Raven up slowly, D’Lo scores with a pescado, both men down outside. Up, D’Lo rolls Raven in, follows, gets in a 10 (looked like 11 to me, crowd thought otherwise) count of mounted punches. Ref warns D’Lo off, Raven to feet in corner, D’Lo charges, Raven sidesteps, D’Lo goes shoulder first into ring post. Raven brings him out, sends him back into ring post, D’Lo goes down outside. Raven joins him, scores trademark leg sweep into guard barrier. Raven rolls D’Lo in, follows, sets D’Lo’s left arm on ropes, lays in boots (same arm that went into ring post, for you psychology fans), follows with a knee lift, D’Lo down for 2. Raven brings D’Lo to corner, ascends second turnbuckle, sets knee on injured shoulder, drops to canvas, D’Lo again goes down for 2. Raven brings D’Lo up, whips him off ropes, misses with a clothesline, D’Lo counters with same using injured left arm, Raven down and up quickly. Raven back to work on arm, whips it around sending D’Lo down. Raven gets in a quick kick as D’Lo attempts to get to feet using ropes for help, Raven wrings the bad arm, D’Lo counters with forearm shots, attempts whip, Raven puts on brakes, boot to gut precedes DDT attempt, D’Lo evades by holding ropes, Raven’s own momentum sends him down. D’Lo ascends second turnbuckle, drops the elbow, Raven rolls clear, D’Lo to canvas, Raven covers for 2. Raven brings D’Lo up, whips him into corner, Raven off ropes, D’Lo ducks a clothesline, scores with a dropkick, both men down for a count of 6. D’Lo fires off forearms to face, attempts whip, reversed, D’Lo off ropes, sends Raven down with an elbow. Up, D’Lo sends Raven back down with a clothesline, follows up with a textbook slam and the Famous Legdrop, Raven down for 2. Up, Raven gets in a thumb to the eye, tries for whip, D’Lo puts on brakes, scores what Coach refers to the Side Effect (was referred to as Sudden Impact when D’Lo was using it as a finisher a few months ago, looks very little like Matt Hardy’s trademark move), Raven again down for 2. Raven to feet in corner, D’Lo ascends second turnbuckle, gets in 9 mounted punches as Raven goes down, attempts to haul him up for #10, Raven counters with powerbomb variation, D’Lo down, Raven goes for the cover with feet ropes, ref doesn’t see it, D’Lo kicks out at 2 regardless. Raven brings D’Lo up, goes for whip, reversed, Raven off ropes, D’Lo sets for back body drop, Raven scouts it, scores boot to face. D’Lo doubled over, Raven follows up with boot to gut, sets for Raven Effect, D’Lo reverses into the Sky High out of nowhere, Raven down for the 1-2-3.
Winner: D’Lo Brown.
Coach wonders how Bischoff and HHH will respond to Steph’s proclamation tomorrow night on Raw. End of show.
Not a bad show this week, but I think Raven should have gotten a chance to cut a pre-match promo. Bradshaw/Credible seemed rather perfunctory, rest of matches were all pretty good. Will be interesting to see what Bischoff has to say tomorrow night-I’m thinking it’ll be something big.
2002 - WWE's Smackdown brand ran Dallas, Texas. Brian Cannaday filed the following live report:
Mark Henry def. Albert
- As boring as it sounds
Dawn Marie def. Stacy Keilber in a bra and panties match
- Special guest referee Nidia attacked and stripped Dawn Marie after the bout, then Dawn Marie stripped Nidia.
Billy and Chuck w/Rico def. Hardcore Holly and Randy Orton
- very entertaining match... as much as people hate B&C, they are fun to watch.
Batista def. D-Von
- Batista is HUGE and received a fairly decent pop for his win.
Kane def. Bull Buchanan
- Not a bad match at all. Kane received a monster pop! After the match, Eric Bischoff came down and talked smack about the Smackdown wrestlers. Stephanie
then came out and started talking smack to Eric. Eric kissed Stephanie, to which Steph replied by smacking Bischoff. He then ordered Kane to chokeslam Steph, but he chokeslammed Eric instead. Most entertaining moment of the night!!!
Kidman, Hurricane, Moore def. Noble, Tajiri, Chavo
- Good opener, lots of high spots, including a shooting star press from Kidman!
Matt Hardy def. John Cena
- Second most boring match of the night, although Hardy received a big pop!
Mysterio def. Eddie Guerrero
- Second best match of the night! Great work by both wrestlers to entertain throughout the match.
Angle def. Rikishi
- This was the best match of the night. It should have been the main event, but instead was the match right before intermission. It was a kiss my ass match. Angle hiked up is trunks and said it was time for Rikishi to kiss his ass. Rikishi fought back and gave Angle the stink face.
Edge def. Chris Benoit
- Decent match, but for the most part pretty boring. Should NOT have been the main event!
Loudest Pops:
1. Kane
2. Edge
3. Rey Rey
4. Rikishi
5. Stephanie McMahon/Matt Hardy/Batista
Most Heat:
1. Kurt Angle (he is still my hero)
2. Matt Hardy (after he got on the mic)
3. Eddie Guerrero
4. Eric Bischoff
5. Rico/D-Von
There were at the most, 3000 fans at the American Airlines Arena. The floor was about 80% full, and the actual arena was only about 10% full. May be good since there was hardly any advertising for it, but very bad as far as the WWE standards are concerned. No return date was announced. The crowd stayed hot for most of the night.
2003 - WWE's Raw brand ran Chicago. Chad Zelenovic filed the following live report:
- I had always been at RAW or SmackDown!'s or Pay-per-Views, and got use to the Superstar Entrances, but tonight it was just a curtain and instead of the WWE's speakers, they used the Allstate Arena speakers and they sucked, but it was a decent show. Now to the results.
- Tommy Dreamer defeated Steven Richards when Richards went for the Stevenkick but Dreamer caught his foot, turned him around and delivered the Dreamer DDT for the pinfall.
- Justin Credible and Shawn Stasiak defeated Crash and Shelton Benjamin when Credible hit the Superkick for the three.
- D'Lo Brown defeated Raven when he went for the Raven-Effect but D'Lo countered and hit the Sky-High to pick u the victory. Huge pop for the hometown boy, D'Lo Brown.
- Brock Lesnar defeated The Undertaker to retain his WWE Undisputed Championship when the referee caught Undertaker chairing Lesnar to the head. But before that, the referee got knocked out twice and Lesnar hit Taker with a chair when the ref was down. After the bout, Ric Flair brought Heyman into the ring and put the Figure Four Leglock on him.
( Intermission For About 10 minutes )
- Trish Stratus and Jacqueline defeated Molly Holly and Victoria when Trish hit The Complete Stratusfaction on Victoria for the three. Also, Jerry The King Lawler was special referee for the bout. But before the bout began, Jerry took the microphone and said that he and all these great people of Chicago have seen wrestlers hide foreign objects before to use in the match, he then said he just wants to check them for any of the foreign objects. He checked Trish and Jacqueline but Molly and Victoria said no and they promised they didn't have anything. So Jerry let them go but just this once.
- Chris Jericho defeated Bubba Ray Dudley with The Walls of Jericho for the tap-put on his second attempt after a low-blow. After the bout, Jericho went under the ring and grabbed a table and set it up in the ring when Spike Dudley came out. Jericho went to put Spike through the table but Spike flipped over and pushed Jericho into Bubba, and Bubba put Jericho through the table with a Release Back Drop.
- Next-Up was a 2 out of 3 Falls Match between The Un-Americans, Booker T, and Goldust. The Un-Americans got the first win over Goldust when Lance Storm hit a Superkick to him. Booker T snatched a victory over The Un-Americans when he pinned Lance Storm following an Axe-Kick. The Un-Americans retained their Tag Team Championships when Booker was trying to suplex Christian from the apron into the ring but Lance Storm held Booker's foot down while Christian fell on top of Booker and pinned him while he had no way to kick out. After the bout, Booker was about to leave but Goldust told him to comeback and satisfy this crowed with The Spinaroonie. After Booker did his 'Roonie, Booker then grabbed the microphone and said well Goldust, why don't you also satisfy this crowed by doing The Ultimate Gold-a-roonie. It looked kind of better than Booker's actually.
- Rob Van Dam defeated The Big Show when Show went to use the chair but Rob Van-Daminated back into his face, went up top and hit the 5-Star Frog Splash for the victory.
Pops of the night:
1. Undertaker
2. Trish Stratus and Jacqueline
3. D'Lo Brown
4. Booker T and Goldust
5. Rob Van Dam
Most Heat of the Night:
1. Chris Jericho
2. The Un-Americans
3. Brock Lesnar
4. Raven
5. Steven Richards
Notes: The floor level and middle deck were full, all four sides, but they closed down the whole entire upper deck/balcony. Crowed was good for a live event. I would say about 7,000 people attended the show tonight. Pretty good for a live event. Also some people were upset that Kane or Triple H weren't there and they had a Mid-Carder Main-Event.
2003 - WWE held its 536th edition of "RAW" live from the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana. The show got a 4.3 rating on USA. The results:
- Jonathan Coachman defeated Jerry Lawler.
- WWE Intercontinental Champion Christian defeated Chris Jericho to retain the title.
- Molly Holly and Gail Kim defeated Ivory and Trish Stratus.
- World Tag Team Champions La Résistance (René Duprée and Sylvain Grenier) defeated The Hurricane and Rosey.
- Stacy Keibler and Test defeated Steven Richards and Victoria in a No Disqualification match.
- Goldberg, Maven and Shawn Michaels defeated Evolution (Ric Flair, Randy Orton and Triple H).
2004 - TNA held its 113th weekly pay-per-view event at the TNA Asylum in Nashville, Tennessee. The results:
Xplosion:
- D-Ray 3000 and Shark Boy defeated C.W. Anderson and Chaz Taylor.
- Monty Brown defeated Eddie Venom and Nate Webb in a Handicap match.
Pay-per-view:
- NWA World Tag Team Champions The Naturals (Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens) defeated America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm) and Triple X (Christopher Daniels and Elix Skipper) in a three-way match to retain the title.
- Kazarian and Michael Shane (with Traci) defeated The Amazing Red and Chris Sabin.
- TNA X Division Champion Petey Williams (with Coach D'Amore) defeated Sonjay Dutt to retain the title.
- The 3 Live Kru (B.G. James and Konnan) and The Midnight Rider (Dusty Rhodes) defeated Team Canada (Johnny Devine, Bobby Roode and Eric Young).
- Sonny Siaki and Erik Watts (with Desire) defeated Alex Shelley and Abyss (with Goldylocks).
- Ron Killings and A.J. Styles defeated Kid Kash and Dallas in a Street Fight.
2005 - The final Thursday night edition of WWE Smackdown airs, ending a six-year run in the 8-10pm slot on UPN. The episode, headlined by Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio, earns a 3.0 rating.
2006 - Brent Dail defeats Hammett and champion José Rivera, Jr. in a three-way match in Caguas, Puerto Rico to win the WWC Junior Heavyweight Title.
2006 - ChickFight held "ChickFight VI" at Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco, California. The results:
- MsChif defeated Hailey Hatred in a ChickFight VI Tournament quarterfinal match.
- KAORU defeated Tiana Ringer by referee stoppage in a ChickFight VI Tournament quarterfinal match.
- Allison Danger defeated Frankie in a ChickFight VI Tournament quarterfinal match.
- Cheerleader Melissa and Daizee Haze fought to a 35-minute time-limit draw in a ChickFight VI Tournament quarterfinal match. As a result of the draw, both women advanced to the semifinals.
- Vennis DeMarco (with Chris Colione) defeated Scotty Aboot.
- Mr. Primetime defeated Chris Hero and J.J. Perez in a three-way match.
- KAORU defeated MsChif in a ChickFight VI Tournament semifinal match.
- Daizee Haze defeated Cheerleader Melissa and Allison Danger in a three-way ChickFight VI Tournament semifinal match.
- KAORU defeated Daizee Haze to win the ChickFight VI Tournament.
2006 - PWG held the first of three events of its second-annual "Battle of Los Angeles" weekend at the American Legion in Reseda, California. The show featured the first half of the first round of the 24-man Battle of Los Angeles Tournament. The results were:
First round:
- Chris Sabin defeated Colt Cabana.
- El Generico defeated Delirious.
- CIMA defeated M-Dogg 20.
- Kevin Steen defeated Matt Sydal.
- Dragon Kid defeated Quicksilver.
- PWG World Tag Team Champion Roderick Strong defeated Rocky Romero.
Non-tournament:
- B-Boy, Excalibur, Homicide and Human Tornado (with Candice LeRae) defeated The Dynasty (Chris Bosh, Scott Lost and PWG World Champion Joey Ryan (with Jade Chung)) and Petey Williams.
2006 - Mike Bennett defeats Spike Dudley in a Street Fight in Fall River, Massachussetts for the NRG Heavyweight Title.
2006 - The Ruthless Bastards (Heresy and Mark Kodiak) defeated The Remarkables (Bubblegum and Dr. Dirk Feelgood) in a tournament final at "Shockwave III" in Poeldijk, Netherlands to become the first Dutch Championship Wrestling Tag Team Champions.
2007 - WWE taped the 65th edition of "ECW" and the 420th episode "Friday Night SmackDown!" at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. "ECW" got a 1.6 rating on August 4 on SciFi "SmackDown!" got a 2.3 rating on August 7 on The CW. This was a Saturday night taping, due to the Labor Day holiday. The results were:
- In a dark match, The Daltons (Jesse and Festus) defeated Los Locos (Ramón and Raúl).
ECW:
- The Boogeyman defeated Matt Striker (with Big Daddy V) by disqualification, when Big Daddy V clotheslined on Boogeyman as he chased Striker around the ring.
- The Miz (with Brooke, Kelly Kelly and Layla) pinned Balls Mahoney after the Reality Check.
- Elijah Burke and Kevin Thorn defeated Tommy Dreamer and Stevie Richards, when Burke pinned Richards after the Elijah Express.
- CM Punk pinned ECW Champion John Morrison after the GTS to win the title.
SmackDown!:
- WWE Tag Team Champion Matt Hardy (with WWE Tag Team and United States Champion MVP) pinned Deuce (with Cherry and Domino) after the Twist of Fate after MVP tripped Deuce.
- Chuck Palumbo (with Michelle McCool) pinned Kenny Dykstra (with Victoria) after the Full Throttle.
- Batista and Kane defeated Finlay and World Heavyweight Champion The Great Khali (with Runjin Singh), when Kane pinned Finlay after a chokeslam.
- WWE Cruiserweight Champion Hornswoggle defeated Jamie Noble by countout to retain the title, after he didn't make it out to the ring in time.
- Rey Mysterio defeated Chavo Guerrero, Jr. in an I Quit match after hitting Chavo, hung over the top turnbuckle, in the knee repeatedly with a chair until Chavo gave up.
2007 - The IWA hosted the final match of the 16-man "Reclaming the Glory" tournament for the NWA World Heavyweight Title, held after the NWA ended its partnership with TNA, in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, with Adam Pearce defeating Brent Albright to win the vacant title. Pearce took the place of Bryan Danielson, who was unable to compete due to a broken orbital bone and injured retina suffered in a match with ROH World Champion Takeshi Morishima on August 25.
Albright's road to the finals included wins over Osamu Nishimura on June 2 at an NWA Bluegrass event in Salyersville, Kentucky, Fred Sampson on June 30 at an NWA Universal event in Wagoner, Oklahoma and Claudio Castagnoli on August 12 at the NWA Legends Fanfest in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Danielson had defeated Nelson Creed on June 16 in Vancouver, British Columbia at an ECCW event, Fergal Devitt on July 21 in Tonawanda, New York at an NWA Empire event, and Adam Pearce on August 18 in North Vancouver, British Columbia at an ECCW event.
Before losing to Danielson in the semifinals, Pearce defeated Aaron Aguilera at an NWA Pro East event in Clifton, New Jersey and Chad Parham at an EWF event in Covina, California on July 13.
2007 - PWG held the second of three events of its third-annual "Battle of Los Angeles" weekend at the American Legion in Reseda, California. The show featured the second-half of the first round of the 24-man Battle of Los Angeles Tournament.The results were:
Non-tournament:
- T.J. Perkins and Ronin defeated Karl Anderson and Bino Gambino.
First round:
- CIMA defeated Human Tornado.
- SHINGO defeated Scott Lost.
- Necro Butcher defeated PWG World Tag Team Champion Kevin Steen.
- Nigel McGuinness defeated Davey Richards.
- PWG World Tag Team Champion El Generico defeated Tony Kozina.
- Dragon Kid defeated Susumu Yokosuka.
2007 - IWA Deep South Heavyweight Champion Mike Quackenbush defeats IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Taylor in a double-title match at IWA Deep South's "2Xtreme Warfare" in Pelham, Alabama to leave with both titles. Taylor, also the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Champion, had just won title the Light Heavyweight title from Brandon Thomaselli the night before in Midlothian, Illinois.
2007 - Two titles change hands at Athletik Club Wrestling's "Saturday Night #23" in Weinheim, Germany. Kosta Kaperdos defeats Toby Nathland for the ACW German Title and Viktor Krüger defeats Van Miller to win the vacant ACW World Title.
2007 - Valentine defeats Stark Adder and champion Erik Isaksen in a three-way match at "Syyskuun Selkäsauna" in Tikkurila, Finland for the Fight Club Finland Finnish Heavyweight Title.
2007 - Tony Torres defeats Frank Scoleri for the vacant Independent Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Title at "Great Falls Festival Day 1" in Paterson, New Jersey. This began Torres' second reign.
2008 - WWE broadcast Raw. Following the broadcast, they publicly acknowledged Shawn Michaels' torn triceps, something PWInsider.com had reported several days prior.
Richard Trionfo filed the following TV Report:
We are less than a week away from Unforgiven and the trifecta of title scramble matches. Who will walk out of the ring with the World Title. With Raw in St. Louis, will we see anybody who lives in the area make an appearance? What is next for the most powerful couple on the Raw brand? What will Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase do to get their titles back from Cryme Tyme? What will happen during the contract signing between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho?
We begin with a graphic in memory of Walter Kowalski, who passed away over the weekend.
We are live on tape from St. Louis, Missouri and your announcers are Jerry 'Gateway Arch' Lawler and Michael 'Why is everyone calling me Eckstein' Cole.
Randy Orton comes out and his arm is in a sling. He enters the ring and he has something to say. Orton says that he is still injured and the crowd is pleased. He says that he wanted to wait until he was 100 percent but he has something to get off his chest. He says that a brand is only as strong as its champions. Orton says that when he was champion, Raw was the top brand in the WWE. Now Raw is a joke. The women’s champion Beth Phoenix walks around like a love sick teenager. Randy says that this is not 90210 and she is embarrassing herself. Now it is time to talk about the weakest Intercontinental Champion in the history of the WWE. Randy says that he could beat Santino with a broken clavicle. At least he has a title. Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes don’t even have their titles. They should be called ‘Worthless’. Randy says that if someone took his title, he would beat that person to a pulp. The real problem on Raw is there is a guy who is disgracing the World Heavyweight Title and his name is CM Punk. Four years ago, when he won his first world title, Punk was wrestling in no name towns, wrestling in a no name company. Then he climbed a ladder and lucked into a title match. That is how he became champion. Orton says that insults everything he stands for. Randy says that he would love to challenge CM Punk tonight to take back what is his. Orton says that he cannot do that because he is not medically cleared. When he is cleared, and it won’t be long. He will challenge Punk for the title and he will reclaim his show. Orton says that he will make everyone forget about the sorry history of Raw known as CM Punk.
Speak of the devil, CM Punk’s music plays and he comes to the ring. Punk gets in Orton’s face and he says that he got a headache listening to Randy talking. He says that he does not want to live in the past. Not everyone has daddy and granddaddy to usher them into the WWE. Some people have to earn it. It doesn’t matter how he got the title, he is the champion. Punk says that he does not drink, he does not smoke, and he does not take joyrides on his motorcycle at three in the morning. He went from the Age of Orton to an afterthought. Punk says that Orton is jealous.
Orton says that Punk is the most pathetic champion, but Punk tells Orton that he is not going to get a shot at the title. Punk says that he has a battle royale to win tonight, and a Championship Scramble on Sunday. Then he wants Orton to walk down the aisle and tell him who the joke is. Punk says that there is one person in the ring who is pathetic and it is not him. Orton says that this conversation will have to continue at a later time. Orton leaves the ring. Punk tells Orton that he will do everything to hold on to the title until Orton comes back.
Punk is interrupted by John Bradshaw Layfield who walks to the ring. Bradshaw has a mic and he tells Punk that he does not get it. Fairy tales are not real. In six days, it will strike midnight for Cinderella. The fluke of a title run will be over. There is an eighty percent chance that Punk loses the title. Bradshaw says the odds are higher because out of nowhere, the Clothesline from Hell can hit and he will be the champion. Bradshaw says that he would love for it to be Punk to take the Clothesline, it does not have to be him. It could be Batista, Kane, or Rey Mysterio.
Bradshaw is interrupted with Kane and he is without his child scaring sack. Kane asks Bradshaw about the Clothesline from Hell. Kane says that he has been in hell and he has not seen the clothesline. He says that Rey is in hell and regardless of what Adamle says, Rey Rey will not be there on Sunday. Kane says that he made sure that Rey will not be here tonight. That means that there is one less person in the Scramble.
Batista cannot be left out of this gabfest and he comes to the ring. Batista spears Kane and then he spears Bradshaw while Bradshaw goes after Punk. Batista then spears Punk. Batista leaves the ring and there are bodies in and around the ring.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Cole and Lawler talk about the battle royale. Cole says that there will be some ECW wrestlers on the show tonight. There is an ECW battle royale with the Scramble participants.
John Cena’s music plays and he has turned into Charlie Haas. We see the footage from last week when Charlito debuted. Charlie says that Cena might not be here, but the Haas is here and you can’t see him.
Match Number One: Charlie ‘Master of Thuganomics’ Haas versus Kofi Kingston
They lock up and Haas with a knee but Kofi with a monkey flip. Kofi sends Haas into the turnbuckles. Haas with a punch and it is time for the five knuckle shuffle, but Kofi with a kick and punch. Kofi with a drop kick and flying forearm. Kofi with a cross body and then he hits a side Russian leg sweep. Kofi with the leaping leg drop. Haas with a punch and he gets Kofi up for the FU but Kofi escapes the hold and tries for a rollup. Kofi with Trouble in Paradise for the three count.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
We go to commercial.
We are back and Randy Orton is with the tag team champions. Cody reminds Orton that they are the tag team champions. Orton asks Cody if he remembers the first time they met. He asks if he remembers Randy slapping Cody’s father. Randy slaps Cody. Randy says that they are the toughest in the locker room, but they lost to John Cena and then they got their titles taken from them. Randy tells them to grow a set.
Mike Adamle is with Teddy Long and The Tiffany. Mike thanks them for attending tonight’s show. Mike mentions the scrabble participants from ECW and the ones from Raw. Mike suggests a Labor Day tradition. Maybe it could be like the Jerry Lewis Telethon without the sick kids.
Kane enters the office and he talks deliberately saying that Adamle was wrong to announce that Rey was coming back. Kane asks Mike why he would do that, while reminding Mike his name. Mike says that he was hoping that Rey would come back and accept the invitation. Maybe Rey will be here tonight. Kane says that Rey’s body and soul has been massacred.
Match Number Two: ECW Scrabble Scramble Contender Battle Royale featuring Matt Hardy, Chavo Guerrero with Giant Bam Neely, Finlay with Hornswoggle, The Miz, and Mark Henry with Tony Atlas
Everyone surrounds Henry and they go after him to try to eliminate the champion. Henry pushes everyone off and Henry with punches to everyone. Miz and Hardy with a double DDT to Henry and Miz and Hardy with elbow drops. Miz with a clothesline to Hardy. Finlay slams Chavo onto Henry. Finlay gets Chavo up for a fireman’s carry slam. Hardy with a Side Effect to Miz and Miz is sent to the apron. Finlay and Hardy with a double clothesline and both men are down. Miz and Chavo discuss strategy but Chavo tries to eliminate Miz. Henry eliminates Miz and Chavo at the same time. Henry with a splash to Finlay followed by a boot to Hardy and a clothesline. Hardy with a boot to Finlay’s head and it is time for a splash in the corner. Henry tries for one to Hardy but Matt moves. Hardy with punches and then Finlay and Hardy try to eliminate Henry. Henry eliminates Finlay and then Hardy with clotheslines to Henry but Henry does not go down. Hardy with an elbow from the second turnbuckle and then he tries for the Twist of Fate but Hardy is sent to the floor by Henry.
Winner: Mark Henry
We go to commercial.
We are back and Chris Jericho is reviewing paperwork for the Unsanctioned Match with Lance Cade and another unnamed man.
Jamie Noble is in the ring and Layla is at ringside with him. Noble says that he wants to prove to her that he has what it takes.
Match Number Three: Jamie Noble versus William Regal
Regal with punches to Noble and the referee pulls him off. Regal with an Exploder and then he chokes Noble by the ropes. Regal with a full nelson but Noble stomps on Regal’s foot. Regal with a cover, but Noble rolls through for a two count. Regal with a punch to Noble and Noble goes down. Regal with an Irish whip and then he charges into the corner. Regal kicks Noble in the corner. Regal hits a half nelson German suplex. Noble with an inside cradle for the three count.
Winner: Jamie Noble
After the match, Noble goes over to Layla and Layla seems to be impressed.
Mickie James and Kelly are in the back and they are having an awkward conversation while random Diva music plays. We go to commercial.
We are back and Jillian is in the ring and she is going to perform for the crowd. Jillian starts to scare the kids and she is interrupted by Mickie James’s music. Beth tells Randy Orton to take a look at this. She reminds Orton that she is the Glamazon and she is the most beautiful Diva to enter the ring. There is no one who can match her power or her beauty.
Match Number Four: Jillian Hall, Katie Lea, and Beth Phoenix versus Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, and Candice Michelle
Kelly and Katie start things off and Katie with a hammer lock and a pull of the hair for a near fall. Kelly gets flipped over and then Kelly hits a drop kick. Mickie tags in and hits a Thesz Press and punches Katie. Mickie with a drop kick for a near fall. Jillian tags in and they send Mickie into the corner. Jillian charges into a boot and then Mickie fights her way out of the corner. Mickie tries for a head scissors but Beth pulls Mickie down by the hair. Jillian with a biel by the hair. Beth tags in and she hits a slingshot suplex for a near fall. Beth sends Mickie into the turnbuckles and then she tags in Katie. Katie kicks Mickie in the ribs and then she chokes Mickie in the ropes. Katie with forearms to the back and then Jillian is tagged back in. Katie with an Irish whip but Jillian misses a charge into the corner and Mickie hits a clothesline on Katie. Mickie with a neck breaker to Jillian. Candice and Beth tag in and Candice with forearms. Candice with a jawbreaker to Beth and then she sends Jillian and Katie to the floor. Candice with a breakdown and then she punches Beth. Candice goes up top but Jillian and Katie hold Candice. Mickie and Kelly take care of Jillian and Katie. Candice with a cross body but Beth rolls through and gets Candice up. Candice with an inside cradle for the three count.
Winners: Candice Michelle, Mickie James, and Kelly Kelly
Cole and Lawler talk about the situation between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho. Video package time.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Santino Marella makes his way to the ring. First, he has something to say to Randy Ortan the sommanagun. He says that Orton insulted him and his girlfriend. He will prove that he is greatest Intercontinental Champion. He wants the Honk-a-Meter. Santino says that the Honkydonkey Man was the champion for 64 weeks while Santino has been champion for two weeks. That means in 62 weeks he will be the greatest of all time.
Match Number Five: D’Lo Brown versus Santino Marella
Santino with a kick and punches followed by shoulders in the corner. D’Lo with a punch but Santino with punches of his own. Brown with a drop kick and a running clothesline into the corner. Santino misses a drop kick when Brown hold on to the ropes. Brown with a Shining Wizard and then he goes up top and misses a frog splash and Santino gets the three count.
Winner: Santino Marella
Shawn Michaels is staring into space as he focuses on the Unsanctioned Match Contract. We go to commercial.
We are back with the WWE 24/7 Classics on Demand Moment. In September 1997, Raw was in Madison Square Garden and we saw Steve Austin start stunning people left and right. That night, Vince McMahon got his first Stunner.
Match Number Six: John Morrison and The Miz versus Cryme Tyme
Miz and Morrison confront Shad and JTG and they start fighting on the floor. The referee separates them. Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase attack Cryme Tyme and then DiBiase hits Shad with the title belt. Rhodes and DiBiase wait for JTG in the ring and Rhodes with a DDT onto the title belt. Rhodes and DiBiase reclaim their title belts.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Ted and Cody are walking in the back. They see Orton in the hall and they walk past him without saying anything.
The St. Louis Rams are in the crowd and they hit more than they did during last season.
Time to go to the Republican Convention and Mickie James and Ken Kennedy join Josh Mathews. Kennedy talks about why people should vote. Mickie talks about the issues that she feels are important.
Todd Grisham is with Batista and he is done spearing people. Todd asks Batista about Rey and whether he will be here tonight. Todd asks Batista about his game plan tonight and for Sunday. Batista says that his game plan is to destroy everyone.
We run through the card for Unforgiven
We also get the latest ‘We are watched by a lot of people’ factoid.
Randy Orton is watching the action from the general area of the announce table.
Match Number Six (Take Two): Raw Brand Connect Four Scrabble Scramble Battle Royale featuring Batista with Wonder Woman spin, John Bradshaw Layfield with JBLimo, CM Punk, Kane, and Rey Mysterio . . . Playing the Part of Rey Mysterio Tonight is the Invisible Man
Kane goes after Batista while Punk goes after Bradshaw. Batista with a flying shoulder tackle to Bradshaw and Kane. Batista with a spinebuster to Kane followed by a running clothesline to Bradshaw and Punk. Batista with a spear to Bradshaw. Batista tries to eliminate Punk but Punk kicks him off. Batista with a spinebuster to Punk but Kane with a big boot when Batista tries for a Batista Bomb. Punk clotheslines Batista over the top rope to the floor. Punk does the same to Bradshaw when Bradshaw charges at him. Punk and Kane circle each other in the ring and Punk with kicks to Kane’s legs followed by forearms. Kane with an uppercut and then he slams Punk’s head into the turnbuckle. Kane with a punch and Irish whip followed by a running clothesline in the corner. Kane tries to eliminate Punk, but Punk with forearms to the back. Kane with a boot to the head and Punk goes down. Kane with a side slam while the fans chant 619. Kane with an Irish whip but he misses a charge into the corner. Punk with three knees in the corner but Kane does not go down on the bulldog. Kane with a boot to Punk. Punk tries to get Kane up for the Go To Sleep but Kane is in the ropes. Kane tosses Punk to the apron and Punk tries for a springboard move and Kane tosses Punk over the top rope to the floor.
Winner: Kane
After the match, Punk gets in Orton’s face at the announce table. Punk throws water at Orton.
Rey Mysterio’s music plays and he comes out. Rey with double sledges to the leg followed by a kick and then he clips Kane. Rey with forearms aplenty to Kane. Kane charges and Rey with a drop kick and Kane strategically falls into the ropes but he goes to the floor before Rey can hit the 619. Rey with a drop kick to Kane and then he tries for a rana but Kane catches him. Rey sends Kane into the ring post and then Rey hits a 619 using the ring post. Kane grabs Rey by the throat but Rey stands on the ringside barrier and he sends Kane into the front row.
We go to commercial and the contract signing for the Unsanctioned Match is next.
We are back with the Slam of the Week: Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, and Rebecca Michaels at SummerSlam.
It is time for the Feature Main Event Segment of the Night. Jerry Lawler and the ‘attorneys’ for Shawn and Chris are in the ring while security surrounds the ring. Chris Jericho comes out. Lawler says that he was asked by Mike Adamle to moderate the contract signing for the Unsanctioned Match. All liability will be waived in the match and the WWE will not be subject to any legal action resulting from the match. Shawn Michaels comes out next.
Lawler says that both lawyers have reviewed the contracts. Lawler says that if there is any physicality in the ring during the contract signing, the match will be off. That is according to Mike Adamle. Chris signs the contract first followed by Shawn. Lawler thanks both men, but Jericho cuts off Lawler.
Chris asks Shawn why they need the security. Does he need someone to protect him. Why would he want to throw away his shot at the chance to end Shawn’s career. Shawn says security is not his idea. Jericho says that he does not need to be watched like an animal in the cage. Shawn agrees that there is no need for security because the contract has been signed. Lawler is asked to leave and the attorneys leave as well.
Chris tells Shawn that he followed Shawn’s advice. He asks Shawn to remember when Shawn told him to sit down his wife and kids to tell them that he would not be like Shawn. Chris says that he sat them down and forbade them from watching Unforgiven because of the brutality that will result. Chris says that he will not let up because of what happened to Shawn’s wife. He will end Shawn’s career on Sunday. He will show everyone what happens when you live your life like him. Chris says that he is going to put Shawn out of his misery. Chris says that he will not say that he is sorry, like Shawn said to Ric Flair. With no legal restrictions, he is going to finish off Shawn forever. Chris reminds Shawn that he asked for this match. He tells Shawn to remember that when he sees his disappointed wife and children who think he is a failure, it is all Shawn’s fault.
Shawn says that he takes comfort in the fact that Chris’s family will not be watching. He says that his family will not be watching either. He will tell them about how their father was so close to walking away. While it is good to walk away, sometimes you have to look evil in the face and spit in its eye. All of the pain and suffering will rain down on Jericho at Unforgiven with absolutely no remorse. Shawn says that he will not apologize for what he has done and he will have no regrets for what he will do to Chris. Shawn says that the name is appropriate because he will never forgive Chris for what he has done. Shawn hopes that God will forgive him for what he is going to do to Chris.
Shawn and Chris stare each other down and then they get up. Shawn takes off his jacket and then we see Lance Cade try to attack Shawn, but Shawn sees him out of the corner of his eye. Shawn goes after Jericho and then he turns around and kicks Cade in the head. Jericho attacks Cade in the ring and we go to credits.
2009 - WWE broadcast ECW on Sci Fi. Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:
We are live on tape from Cleveland, Ohio and your announcers are Matt ‘Mistake on the Mic’ Striker and Josh ‘Winking Lizard’ Mathews.
We see footage from last week when Shelton Benjamin and Zack Ryder were tag team partners.
Match Number One: Shelton Benjamin versus Zack Ryder
They lock up and Benjamin throws Ryder into the corner and Zack ‘throws’ his WooDana at Shelton and then Zack kicks Shelton and connects with forearms. Benjamin with an Exploder followed by a running clothesline into the corner. Benjamin misses the Stinger Splash but Ryder hits a swinging neck breaker for a near fall. Ryder works on the neck. Benjamin gets Ryder up but Ryder escapes an electric chair move. Ryder with a leg lariat for a near fall and then he applies a rear chin lock into a reverse chin lock. Benjamin gets to his feet and he punches Ryder in the abdomen to escape. Benjamin leaps to the top turnbuckle and hits a cross body. Benjamin with a forearm and kick followed by punches. Benjamin with a back body drop. Benjamin hits the Stinger Splash followed by a neck breaker. Ryder sends Benjamin over the top rope but Benjamin stays on the apron. Benjamin with a springboard blockbuster followed by Paydirt for the three count.
Winner: Shelton Benjamin
Josh and Matt talk about the feud between Sheamus and Goldust and we have the moving pictures to prove it.
We go to commercial.
We are back and The Magic Show transformation is complete for Abraham Washington with his master of ceremonies Tony Atlas. We get some witty banter between Abe and Tony. Abe says that he is happy to be in Cleveland and Tony laughs like Michael Cole. Abe mentions that Arsenio is from Cleveland. Abe brings out his guest, Gregory Helms. Abe has a serious and hard hitting question for Helms. He wants to know if Gregory is the Hurricane. Helms denies that he is the Hurricane and Tony laughs for no apparent reason. Helms says that he was a two time Cruiserweight Champion and then he suffered a neck injury and became an interviewer on ECW. Abe bring out his next guests, Paul Burchill and Katie Lea. Paul wants to know why Abe is wasting his time with Helms because he is a joke, a fraud, and an embarrassment. Paul reminds us that he beat Hurricane last week. We go to the Hurri-Cam and we see Hurricane and he addresses Paul and says that he will be back next week and he challenges Burchill to a match.
We have an Undertaker video package.
Team Bromance of Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Kozlov are walking in the back and their evil puppet master William Regal is behind them. We go to commercial.
We are back and did you know that ECW has a lot of people watching it and WWE can name a lot of other channels.
We see highlights from last week’s match between Regal and Christian when Kozlov and Jackson helped Regal win.
Match Number Two: Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson with William Regal
versus Jim Parks and Mike Tolar
Tolar and Kozlov start things off and Kozlov with a boot to the chest. Kozlov with an overhead belly-to-belly throw and then he sends Tolar into Jackson’s knee. Jackson comes in and he hits a back breaker on Tolar and then he decides to give him another for luck. Jackson sends Tolar into the corner and then Kozlov tags in and throws Tolar to the mat. Kozlov with a head butt to Tolar’s chest and Jackson is tagged back in. Jackson with a delayed vertical suplex. Jackson knocks Parks off the apron after sending him into the ring post. Jackson with the uranage and then he tags in Kozlov who will finish him for the Flawless Victory after the spinebuster slam.
Winners: Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Kozlov
After the match, Regal puts Tolar in the Regal Stretch to add insult to injury.
Christian comes out and Regal wants Sunshine to come to the ring and join them. Christian says he will come to the ring, but he isn’t coming by himself. Tommy Dreamer joins Christian and Regal gets a Tony Atlas like giggle attack. He wonders if Dreamer is okay after the concussion he received. Regal threatens Christian and Dreamer and says that if they take a step to the ring, they have made a mistake.
Dreamer pulls a couple of kendo sticks out of his shirt and he uses them on Kozlov and Jackson who confront Christian and Dreamer on the way to the ring. Christian and Dreamer make it into the ring and Regal escapes.
We now have a Shawn Michaels video package.
We are back and Tiffany presents the match between Shawn Michaels and Undertaker from ‘IT WASN”T’ the 25th Anniversary of Wrestlemania. We see the portion of Saturday’s Wrestlemania 25 special featuring the Taker/Michaels match.
We are told by Matt Striker that Taker makes his first appearance on Smackdown since before Wrestlemania (assuming Wrestlemania was after April 17th) this week.
We see Sheamus and Goldust walking in the back and we go to commercial.
Match Number Four: Sheamus versus Goldust in a No Disqualification and No Count Out Match
They lock up to a stalemate. Goldust with a side head lock and he tries for a shoulder tackle but Sheamus stays on his feet. Sheamus with forearms and then Goldust with a kick and punch. Sheamus slaps Goldust but Goldust slaps him back and then hits a drop kick. Sheamus goes to the floor but Goldust follows him and hits a clothesline. We go to commercial.
We are back and Goldust is kicking Sheamus in the ring. Goldust with a clothesline that sends him and Sheamus over the top rope to the floor. Goldust sends Sheamus into the ringside barrier before returning to the ring. Sheamus with a shoulder and then he Irish whips Goldust into the ring post. Sheamus slams Goldust on the floor and then he kicks Goldust. Sheamus sends Goldust back into the ring and he gets a near fall. Sheamus with a knee drop. Sheamus with a chin lock and then he blocks the drop down uppercut and he kicks Goldust in the arm. Sheamus stretches Goldust using the ring post in a crude bow and arrow. Sheamus returns to the ring and gets a near fall before returning to the chin lock. Sheamus works the back but Goldust returns to his feet. Sheamus pulls Goldust back to the mat and returns to the back. Goldust gets to his feet but Sheamus pulls him back down to the mat. Goldust tries again and he punches Sheamus but Sheamus punches back. Goldust with punches while Sheamus responds with forearms. Goldust with a flying clothesline followed by a regular clothesline. Goldust with the reverse atomic drop followed by a bulldog. Sheamus with kicks but Goldust with a small package for a two count. Goldust follows that with a power slam for a near fall. Sheamus goes to the floor again and Goldust follows and hits a clothesline from the apron. Sheamus sends Goldust into the ring post and then Sheamus returns to the ring. Sheamus gets Irish whipped into the ring post by Goldust and then Goldust punches Sheamus. Goldust tries for a bulldog but Sheamus sends him off. Sheamus with kicks in the corner and then he chokes Goldust. Goldust is able to hit the drop down uppercut but Sheamus with a bicycle kick and then he hits a uranage back breaker for the three count.
Winner: Sheamus
2010 - Former WCW World champion Diamond Dallas Page filed a lawsuit against the band 3OH!3 over their unauthorized use of his Diamond Cutter symbol.
2010 - Dwayne Johnson signs on for film "Journey 3D2", a sequel to the Brendan Frasier film "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D".
2011 - TNA broadcast Impact. Mike Johnson filed the following TV report:
Welcome to PWInsider.com’s ongoing (via my DVR) TNA Impact Wrestling report. We are “live” in Huntsville, Alabama as the announcers welcome us. It looks WAY better than the Impact Zone.
Hulk Hogan comes out and says that the Network has decided that Ric Flair’s challenge to Sting is binding, so Flair will wrestle Sting on Thursday 9/15.
Note from Mike: WHAT THE HELL? This is EXACTLY what is wrong with this company. They are going to promote the first Flair vs. Sting match since March 2001 and not charge people to watch it? Really? Egads. I’m not saying it will do a record buyrate but there is certainly a percentage of fans who would be willing to order No Surrender to see them lock up one more time. But, alas, it’s not to be. Sure hope it draws a rating because if not, what a wasted opportunity.
Hogan says that the stips are that if Sting loses, he will retire. If Sting “gets lucky” and beats Flair (you know, like all the times he’s beaten Flair before?), Hogan will have to face Sting. Hogan said that’s all Sting has wanted for the last ten years. He said that if The Network wants to bully him and Immortal, it’s time he stops bowing down to them and they bow down to Hulk Hogan. He says that the only way Sting is going to get him into the ring is when he’s good and ready.
Out comes TNA champion Kurt Angle. Hogan cuts off Angle before he can speak and says that he wants to apologize for showing Angle how Dixie Carter manipulated him and distracted him from seeing how his personal life was falling apart. Hogan said that it shows why Dixie Carter should never run the company again and says TNA was a “sick place” before he got there. Hogan says he’s giving it a clean bill of health. He said there’s still some bacteria in the blood and asked Angle to drag Sting to the ring and “cut the cancer” out of Sting and leave him in pieces. By doing so, he’ll stop Carter from ever returning.
Angle tells Hogan that his enemies are Angle’s enemies. Angle says that he promised to take out all the young talents but would be happy to take out a veteran like Sting. Angle says he’ll do it and do it by the rules – he tells Sting he can have a rematch for the TNA title tonight. Angle tries to sign off the promo, but out comes Sting. Big pop for Sting.
The long shots of the building as Sting comes out look awesome. TNA looks so much like a bigger deal when they are on the road. I really do hope the tapings continue.
Sting says that he’s honored that Angle wants him on a list of people that Angle wants to take out of pro wrestling and it makes him think that Angle likes him a lot. Sting says he’s in. He’s doing his Jim Carrey in the Mask delivery but it’s good. Sting said that it’ll start with taking the belt from Angle, then beating Flair before getting to the grand prize, Hulkamania.
Sting tries to leave but Hogan questions who the hell does Sting think he is. Hogan says Sting must think he has something in his bag of tricks, so Hulk announces he’ll be the special enforcer tonight. Sting is unfazed by all this.
Matt Morgan joins the announcers as we take a look at the three of the final four for the Bound for Glory series with promos from Robert Roode, James Storm, Robert Roode and Gunner. Good promos from both. Well edited video piece. The announcers note that we’ll know who the final man is tonight.
Bound for Glory Series: Gunner vs. Rob Van Dam
The announcers note that they are tied, so the winner will end up in the final four.
They lock up and Gunner is grabbed in a waistlock. Van Dam gets an early pin attempt. Samoa Joe comes out but Morgan gets past him and prevents Joe from entering the ringside area. Joe backs off and kicks Morgan low. Ronnie Lang of Atlas Security holds back Joe.
Decent “RVD” chant early. Van Dam controls the action with several shoulderblocks and goes for his backflip into another but is kicked off and deposited to the floor.
Gunner works him over on the floor, then tosses RVD back into the ring for a near fall. Van Dam nails him with shots to the mid-section and nails a Tully Blanchard slingshot suplex. Van Dam comes back with a rebound clothesline and a spinkick. He slams Gunner and nails Rolling Thunder for a two count.
Gunner reverses an Irish whip but is caught with a shoulder block. Jerry Lynn comes towards the ring but is told by Van Dam to get lost. Lynn tries to tell him that he’s there for support but Rob wants nothing to do with him.
Van Dam returns to the ring and sets up for a Five Star Frog splash but thinks better of it. He’s caught with a small package but kicks up. Van Dam nails a Ryder Kick off the top for a two count. He nails a reverse windmill kick for another two count.
RVD went to the top for the Five Star Frog Splash but Lynn shoves him down. Gunner nails a ring strike and pins RVD.
Your winner, Gunner, who goes into the Final Four!
Lynn does his signature pose on the stage, showing Van Dam that he took away Rob’s chance at the title.
Match itself was decent, although they had waaaay too much going on outside with the Joe-Morgan angle right before the Lynn interference.
All the Knockouts are revealed on the stage and head to the ring for Eric Bischoff’s big announcement.
Bischoff and Traci Brooks come to the ring. The Knockouts are assembled and waiting in the ring. Brooks is all over Bischoff. Does TNA expect us to forget they already established she’s Kazarian’s wife? Brooks looks like she’s about to be named President.
Bischoff butters up the women by saying he’s never worked with a more talented group and they are incredible. He said that the Knockouts are the heart and soul of the company, are ratings getters and one of the keys to success for the company.
He said that doesn’t change the fact that they are women who don’t know when to keep their mouths shut and can’t keep focus. He said all the sexual innuendo is driving him up a wall, which is why when Brooks convinced him that only a woman knows how to “manage another woman.” He says they worked “long and hard” and Brooks proved she’d be able to do “almost anything” for the company, so he’d like to introduce the new VP of the Knockouts division.
He sets up Traci like she’s getting a big introduction but instead introduces Karen Jarrett. Karen comes out with Jeff Jarrett, brandishing the Mexican title. All the women are upset, especially Brooks. Jeff heads to the back.
Karen says its their lucky day and Bischoff made the right decision. “Karen sucks” chant. She told the women that she’s proud of all of them but they have a long way to go. She said that she’s a lady and the rest of them are no and have no etiquette. “She’s a ho” chant. Jarrett said that all of them will learn to walk with honor, dignity and Jarrett. Oh dear God, they are going to do Pygmalion with all the women.
Jarrett announced Jackie Moore and ODB have been hired full-time on the roster. She tells Brooks that she knows that she is disappointed but there is still a place for her in the company – beneath Jarrett. She tells her that Brooks will be Jarrett’s executive assistant. She mocks Brooks and tells her that as long as she kisses Jarrett’s ass, she’ll be employed. She warns the others to do as they are told or they’ll be back stripping.
We come back from commercial and see that Mickie James and Winter got into it during the break, previewing their match later tonight.
Austin Aries & Kid Kash vs. Brian Kendrick & Jesse Sorensen
I got a kick out of Kendrick’s wacky outfit and walk to the ring. Kash and Aries start off. Aries teased locking up, then immediately tagged out to Kash. The announcers tried to claim the weight limit has defined the X-Division.
Kash is caught in an hiptoss and a deep armdrag. Sorensen tagged in and nailed a dropkick then a hiptoss and armdrag of his own. Sorensen doesn’t seem to be too pissed given what happened with Kash a few weeks back. Kash catches him with a slam and tagged Aries, who drops a leaping elbow and stomps his face.
Aries drilled Sorensen into Kash’s boot. The heels tag in and out, cutting the ring off. So far so good. Sorensen battled his way out of the corner but was cut off. He shoved Kash into Aries, then dropkicked them both at the same time.
Sorensen made the tag to Kendrick, who cleaned house on both of his opponents. He nailed Aries with an enziguiri. Sorensen was tagged in but Kendrick was shoved into the corner as Sorensen climbed to the top. This set up a Tower of Doom out of the corner, although it seemed a little off.
Kash charged Soresen but was backdropped to the floor. Sorensen was brought to the floor and shoved into the railing. Aries drilled him with a crazy dive. Kendrick hit a tope to the outside on Aries as well.
Back in the ring, Kash nailed a missile clothesline and went for a powerbomb, but Sorensen rolled through and turned it into a sunset flip on Kash for the pin.
Your winners, X-Division champ Brian Kendrick & Jesse Sorensen!
Solid match given how little TV time they were given. One has to wonder how much better if might have been if there was time to get some real heat on Sorensen to set up the hot tag to Kendrick, but the work from bell to bell was as good as could be expected given the time limitations and was entertaining.
They air a video feature on the Knockouts title rivalry. Mickie James said that she’s tired of Winter’s voodoo bullsh**. She said tonight, she’s going to wrestle Winter’s ass off and we’ll see how good the champion really is. She told Winter to bring her A game.
They aired a video feature with comments from different talents on Jeff Hardy’s personal problems. They announced Hardy would be on next week’s show to address the fans as he’s been given the chance to talk by the Network. Piece was well done. Mike Tenay pushed that Hardy would return.
Kurt Angle was telling a camerman that tonight, he was going to take out Sting. Hulk Hogan came in and said the idea of taking all the talent out had to change and told Angle he needed to go to New York and take out the entire Network for him. The idea of Angle suplexing everyone in the SpikeTV offices is pretty funny, but come on. Hogan was upset that Jeff Hardy was being brought back next week. Angle was shocked and asked Hogan what he wanted him to do. Hogan said that he wanted Angle to come to NYC and help him take out the Network.
They came right out of it with Tenay all shocked that the Network would given Hardy a live mic. Well, uh, why weren’t you shocked two minutes ago when you just promoted it? He said that with Hardy’s personal and legal issues and with Hardy hitting rock bottom last time we saw him, who knows what he’s going to say.
TNA Knockouts champ Winter vs. Mickie James
As James came to the ring, Tenay was in full cheerleading mode, pushing the fact Hardy was back next week. That comes off so goofy.
As Winter came to the ring, I was struck by how good the theme music was. One of the more underrated aspects of the company are the original themes, some of which have been really good in the last year.
James charges Winter in the corner but Winter slips into the ropes to break up the assault. They lock up and James gets the better of it but Winter immediately rolls to the floor. Chant for Mickie.
Back in the ring, James locks in a wristlock but James reverses it and rolls her up for a two count. They do some decent reversals and James works over Winter’s arm. They exchange strikes and kicks. James nailed a Dragon Screw Legwhip. Think Inoki ever slapped her?
Winter is caught with a rana out of the corner. James nailed a neckbreaker and went to the top rope. Angelina Love tried to interfere but was kicked off the apron by Mickie. James hit a top rope Thesz Press.
Love tried to interfere but James cut her off and choked her. Love tried to toss the title belt into the ring but Earl Hebner caught it and threw Love out of ringside. Winter used the distraction to blast James and rub her face into the mat. She continued working over James as the crowd rallied her.
James powered out of a hammerlock but Winter nailed her. James ducked a right hand and locked in a single leg Boston Crab. Winter reached the ropes. She caught James with a back elbow but James still backdropped Winter.
James called for the leaping DDT but Winter broke it. Both women tried to fling the other by the hair and hit the mat hard. The referee began counting them down. Mickie went for a rollup but Winter rolled through and almost got a three cout.
James nailed the leaping DDT but Winter broke it with the ropes. Winter nailed the enziguiri for another near fall. Winter went to use a piece of fabric to choke James but he grabbed it from her. That allowed James to nail the Chick Kick and score the pin.
Your winner and new TNA Knockouts champion, Mickie James!
With the exception of the second attempt at interference by Love, which led to everything falling apart briefly, a solid back and forth match.
Video feature on the Chris Daniels vs. AJ Styles bout later tonight.
Matt Morgan comes to the ring. He said that for weeks, everyone has had to watch Samoa Joe put half the roster on the injured reserve for weeks. He said that was stupid and evil, but lowblowing Morgan was downright suicidal. He challenged Joe to bring his “fat, dumpy ass” to the ring for the asskicking he deserves and told TNA to send an official out here to make it official. Good promo.
Joe made his way to the ring. Joe drilled the referee who came out and hit the ring. They brawled back and forth in the ring. Joe went for Morgan’s eyes and went for a sidewalk slam. Morgan escaped and nailed a right hand and a discus clothesline.
Morgan hit the rapid fire reverse elbows in the corner. He drilled Joe with a charge into the corner. Joe rolled out to the floor, but pulled Morgan out with him. Morgan nailed Joe and slammed him into the ringside barrier. Morgan blocked a shot from Joe and sent him headfirst into the ringpost.
Morgan worked over Joe on the floor. Morgan went for the Carbon Footprint but Joe shoved referee Jackson James in the way. Morgan stopped himself, leaving him open for another low blow. Joe grabbed a chair and drilled Morgan with it across the back. Joe set up and nailed Morgan’s arm with it as Morgan was leaning again the ringpost.
The officials checked out Morgan as Joe stood triumphant. Joe cut a great promo on the way out into the camera. Good, effective angle on all counts.
Somewhere, Robbie E was working out. Rob Terry shows up and E asks him if he’s considered his offer. Before he can respond, Eric Young shows up and thinks Robbie E is Johnny D. He offers him a TV title shot for next week. Young was pretty funny in his delivery. E tried to say this was proof Terry needed to get on board with him.
Backstage, AJ Styles told Christopher Daniels it was almost time and not to hold back, because he won’t. Daniels said he wouldn’t and thanked Styles for the chance. Styles said it would be the last one and asked him if he heard who was coming back. Daniels hadn’t. Styles tells him Hardy and Daniels was surprised. Styles said that he guesses life is all about third and fourth chances but it’s not their problem. He headed out and Daniels finished preparing. Fine for what they needed to establish.
They announced 20% off ShopTNA.com merchandise.
Backstage, Hogan said he was sick of seeing Jeff Hardy’s named everywhere because they were done with him. He said that the good news is that there were seven of them and one of him. Hogan said he was the special enforcer tonight and you never know when you are going to get called into action. He called for an Immortal group affirmation but Abyss just hung around in the background, angry and sulking.
Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles
They shook hands before the match and went back and forth with a fast exchange that led to Daniels being caught for a one count. He was already annoyed at himself.
They locked up again and Daniels locked in a side headlock. Styles nailed a leapfrog and rolled Styles into a two count. Styles escaped and drilled him with a dropkick. Daniels shoulderblocked him into the corner and cinched in a side headlock. Styles escaped and slammed Daniels, then came off the ropes with and nailed a big kneedrop across the forehead.
Styles slammed Daniels into the turnbuckles and drilled him with a series of rights. Styles cinched up and suplexed Daniels, covering him for a near fall. Styles was caught with a leg lariat, sending Styles to the outside. Daniels went for a dive but Styles returns to the ring. With Daniels on the outside, Styles hit a rana off the apron to the floor.
They returned to the ring, where Styles covered him for a near fall. Styles locked in the Oriental Torture Device. Daniels fought for the ropes and finally made it. Daniels began to nail some shots to the mid-section but was caught with a knee breaker and a gutbuster for another two count.
Styles whipped Daniels into the corner and nailed a forearm. Chant for Styles. Styles went for a suplex but Daniels landed on his feet and nailed an elbow to the back of the head, followed by an STO. Daniels nailed a series of clotheslines but is kicked off as he charged Styles in the corner. Styles nailed the springboard forearm smash for a two count.
Daniels nailed a barrage of palm strikes. Styles drilled him with chops. They went back and forth. Daniels finally nailed him with a kick to the head. Each man recovered.
Styles charged but Daniels cut him off by raising his legs. He elevates Styles to the apron. Styles went for the moonsault into the reverse DDT but Daniels held onto the ropes. Daniels went for the Arabian Press but Styles pulled his knees up.
AJ went for a powerbomb but Daniels reversed and went for Angel’s wings. They went back and forth with counters with the story being that they knew each other that closely. Styles finally went for a springboard but slipped. Daniels covered him and scored the pin.
Your winner, Christopher Daniels!
As Styles was down hurt, Daniels celebrated on the ropes, having finally proven he was good enough.
After a replay, we see Styles offer a handshake. Daniels backs off and then leaves the ring excited, not taking the hand. He looked into the camera and excitedly said, “I won!”
The usual good back and forth match you’d expect from these two. Nice storytelling here.
They showed Hogan and Angle preparing.
TNA champ Kurt Angle vs. Sting with Hulk Hogan as the guest enforcer
They lock up and Angle breaks clean in the corner. They cinch up again and Angle is shoulderblocked down. Sting halts a hiptoss attempt and nails one of his own, followed by an armdrag. Angle went to the outside. Hogan told Angle to get the job done.
Angle catches Sting with a kick to the midsection. Sting reversed an Irish whip and clotheslines Angle. Angle goes to the outside but Sting follows and sends him into the railing.
Back in the ring, Sting hits the Stinger Splash but Angle caught him and nailed a suplex. I don’t think we’ve ever seen that before. Angle locked in a rear chinlock. Sting used a series of back elbows to escape. Sting nailed a back suplex to finally escape.
Sting went for another Stinger Splash but Angle nailed an elbow. Sting caught him with a DDT for a two count. Angle went into the German suplex symphony for a two count.
Angle went for the Olympic Slam but Sting slipped out and nailed the Scorpion Death Drop for a two count. Angle reversed an attempted Scorpion Deathlock into an anklelock but Sting kicked him off. Angle hit his shoulder in the post but still nailed a suplex and an Olympic Slam for a two count.
Angle pulled down the straps and charged but ate a clothesline. Sting locked on a Scorpion Deathlock and turned it over. Hulk Hogan began looking for something and motioned to the back. Gunner hit the ring with a chair but ref Brian Hebner yanked it out of his hands. Angle began tapping but Hebner missed it, getting rid of Gunner.
Hogan nailed Sting in the chest with the chair but no effect. Angle grabbed Sting and nailed the Olympic Slam on Sting, pinning him.
Your winner and still TNA champ, Kurt Angle!
Sting knocked Angle out of the ring and went nose to nose with Hogan, who backed off. Hogan began doing a poor man’s Flair begging routine. Bully Ray attacked Sting, followed by the rest of Immortal. They all worked over Sting except for Abyss, who just watched.
Mr. Anderson’s theme played and he cleared the ring with a baseball bat. The heels regrouped on the stage as we went off the air.
The expected match you’d get from Sting and Angle as well as the expected shenanigans. The upside was they were doing all this in front of a much more boisterous crowd than usual and it made all the difference.
2012 - CW broadcast WWE Saturday Morning Slam. Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:
Welcome to the second episode of WWE Saturday Morning Slam.
This week’s show takes a look at the autographs of the WWE Superstars. Brodus Clay will be wrestling this week. Rey Mysterio will be in the Superstar Spotlight.
The first thing on this week’s show is a look at the catchphrases of the WWE Superstars. We start with the Rock’s ‘If You Smell’.
We see the Top Five Catchphrases of the WWE.
Number Five is ‘If You Smell what the Rock is cooking’ from The Rock. We see some of Rock’s past uses of the catchphrase.
Number Four is ‘Woooooooooooo’ from Ric Flair.
Number Three is ‘I’m the Miz . . . and I’m Awesome’ from the Miz.
Number Two is ‘You Can’t See Me’ from John Cena.
The Number One catchphrase is ‘And that’s the bottom line because Stone Cold said so’ from Steve Austin. We even hear Steve Austin singing Kumbaya to Vince McMahon. We even get a few ‘whats’ from Austin.
It is time to talk about signatures. They mention John Hancock’s signature on the Declaration of Independence and how John Hancock is a part of the lexicon today.
Dolph Ziggler says that asking for his autograph is part of the dream come true about becoming a WWE Superstar. Kofi Kingston mentions that he was told that his cursive was chicken scratch, but now people are asking for his autograph. Miz says that people have asked him whose autograph he would want, but he says that he wouldn’t want any because he is satisfied seeing himself in the mirror every day.
The next topic in autographs is the strangest thing that someone has had to sign. Derrick Bateman says that he has signed a man’s prosthetic leg. Kofi says that he had to sign a dirty shoe. Dolph says that he has signed a kid. Layla says that he has signed cellphone covers.
We go to the WWE Pop Quiz, hosted this week by Alex Riley. This week’s question is ‘On March 26, 2001, who beat Vince McMahon to the punch and signed on the dotted line to become the new owner of WCW?’ A. Stephanie McMahon, B. Shane McMahon, or C. Triple H.
We go to commercial.
We are back and it is time for our match of the week. Your announcers are Josh Mathews and Santino Marella.
Brodus Clay (with the Funkadactyls) versus Curt Hawkins
They lock up and Clay sends Hawkins to the mat. Hawkins with a waist lock but Clay uses his rear end to escape the hold. Clay dances a little while Hawkins gets back to his feet. Hawkins with another waist lock and Clay shimmies and Hawkins releases the hold.
Hawkins wants some music so he can show his dance skills, but without music, it will not stop Hawkins from dancing. Clay laughs at the performance and the referee has some trouble keeping a straight face. Clay with a shoulder tackle and Hawkins goes to the floor. Santino scares Hawkins back to the apron by teasing the Cobra.
Clay slingshots Hawkins back into the ring from the apron. Clay with an airplane spin and Hawkins falls through the ropes and to the floor.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Clay has Hawkins in a bear hug. Hawkins claps his hands to get out of the hold. Hawkins goes for the knee and he clips him and he starts to work on the leg. Hawkins with a step over toe hold but Clay uses his other leg to kick Hawkins away. Hawkins returns to the let and he puts it on the rope and he drops his weight on the leg.
Hawkins does some dancing while Clay struggles to get back to his feet. Hawkins with another take down and elbow to the leg. Hawkins returns to the step over toe hold and Clay kicks Hawkins away one more time. Hawkins keeps Clay on the mat and he continues to work on the leg with some help from the ropes. Clay sends Hawkins over the top rope with his good leg when Hawkins tries to use the ropes too many times.
Clay with two slams followed by an Irish whip. Hawkins floats over but he tries a second time but Clay does not bite. Clay with the t-bone suplex and he hits the splash for the three count.
Winner: Brodus Clay
After the match, Brodus, Cameron, and Naomi bring some of the younger members of the WWE Universe into the ring to dance. Santino Marella joins the dance party.
We go to commercial.
We are back and it is time for the answer to the WWE Pop Quiz. The correct answer is Shane McMahon.
On next week’s Saturday Morning Slam, we will be graced by Damien Sandow’s presence.
It is time to take a look at Rey Mysterio in the Saturday Morning Spotlight. Rey says the 619 is a variation on Austin 3:16 and he wanted to represent his home town of San Diego. We see him hitting the 619 the first time against Chavo Guerrero.
We see the way that Rey gets his opponent ready for the 619 from a SummerSlam Axxess event. Rey talks about what he can do after hitting the 619 to finish off his opponent.
2012 - TNA held a Basebrawl event in Bowie, MD. Lee Petry sent the following live report:
TNA Basebrawl 9/1 live report Prince Georges Stadium in Bowie, MD, home of the Bowie Baysox which is a farm team for the Baltimore Orioles, has a great atmosphere for a wrestling show. Not even a 20 minute thunderstorm could keep the crowd down.
A local match featuring current Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW) stars featured ECW Alum Christian York and another talent from Bowie, MD started things off. York loses to the home town star...
A Battle Royal to determine who would face TNA Champion, Austin Aries was up next. Mic work by Aries and former champ, Bobby Roode got the crowd going. Since Roode is barred from facing Aries for the belt, he and Aries would watch the action from outside the ring. Dutt, Ion, Magnus, Storm, Styles, Angle, Daniels & Kazarian are the participants. At one point, 'Cowboy' James Storm chased Roode down the first base line to the outfield... Styles and Daniels were the final two in the ring after Kazarian was eliminated. However it quickly turned into a 3 on 1 as Roode and Kazarian joined Daniels, leading to Aries and Angle making the save. Your new main event is now a six-man tag featuring Roode, Kazarian & Daniels vs Aries, Angle & AJ.
Mickie James defeated Gail Kim.
Zema Ion defeated Sonjay Dutt with help from 'Gorgeous' Jimmy Garvin's hairspray can (no sign of Garvin or Precious).
Jeff Hardy was out in the ring addressing the crowd, when he was interrupted by a member of Aces & 8's from the stands (appeared to be Luke Gallows). After a brutal back and forth, Hardy chased off the A&8's member back into the crowd.
'Cowboy' James Storm beat the '60 Second Man' Magnus in a fun match.
The main event featured action all over the ballpark, including battles on top of each dugout, a snap mare from Aries onto Roode out in left field and Angle forcing Kazarian to tap to his ankle lock.
Overall, a fun show that ended just as the next wave of thunderstorms was rolling in. Estimated crowd of 500. Angle looked to be working with a pulled groin or hamstring which limited his mobility and you could see he was walking gingerly.
2012 - Ohio Valley Wrestling celebrated 10 years of running the Davis Arena with a Saturday Night Special event. Trent Van Drisse filed the following live report:
Here's the Ohio Valley Wrestling Saturday Night Special report for September 1st, 2012, a show that marked the 10th anniversary of the Davis Arena at its current location in Louisville, Kentucky. The main things on this show were a 30 man "Nightmare Rumble" to determine a new #1 contender for the OVW Heavyweight title, with the winner getting their title shot at the October SNS, and "Smooth" Johnny Spade defending the OVW title against Jamin Olivencia in a 30 minute Ironman match.
Dean Hill & Gilbert Corsey were the announcers for the upcoming DVD of this show. Ron Hed & Terry Boddie were the ring announcers. The attendance was around 150.
The show opened with Josette Bynum coming to the ring with a cupcake. Bynum asked her boss that she hates, Trailer Park Trash, to come out, and offered him the tasty treat. TPT refused to take a bite, and instead ordered Bynum to take a bite. She finally reluctantly did, and ended up running from the ring holding her tummy while TPT was making announcements.
1. Randy Royal beat VIP
Royal beat the heavily tattooed VIP with his Pedigree/Angels wings type finisher.
2. Rocco Bellagio & Jason Wayne w/Prince Bolin & Joe Coleman beat Nick Dumeyer & Cody Castle
Cody Castle looks like a 12 year old kid, and he took some really scary looking bumps, nearly landing on his head a few times. Bellagio and Jason Wayne got the win after a double choke slam on the much abused Cody Castle. Wayne has put quite a bit of weight back on, and spent a lot of time intimidating announcers here, especially Terry Boddie.
3. Heidi Lovelace beat OVW Women's champion Taeler Hendrix w/Dylan Bostic in a non-title no DQ match
Hendrix said before the match that the OVW BOD has ruled that Heidi Lovelace could have a no DQ match tonight, but that it must be non-title. That made no sense to what they said on TV this past Wednesday, it was just called a title match, the no DQ stip was never in the equation, until now, though these two ladies did go to a no contest on TV the week before last. Hendrix and Lovelace brawled outside the ring for a few minutes before the bell even rang. Hendrix ended up bringing the OVW Women's title belt into the ring, but Lovelace garnered the non-title win after kicking Hendrix in the head, though it wasn't exactly a devastating looking shot.
4. Crimson won the 30 man "Nightmare Rumble" to become the new #1 contender to the OVW heavyweight title
Rob Terry was in first, thanks to the sneaky manipulations by Crimson on TV the past few weeks, and Terry totally dominated things early on. The entries were in two minute intervals here, but they had problems with that at first. Much later in the match Chris Silvio had one of the prime spots, like #26, but he wasted it by going right after Cliff Compton, eliminating himself, and chasing Compton out of the arena. Rob Terry had petered out a lot by that point, but made a big comeback, overpowering like 10 guys at once, and tossing a few out right in a row. Crimson was in at #29, but was more than content to just lay on the floor at watch the proceedings once he got sent out under the bottom rope. Alex Silva had the coveted #30 spot, and soon as he came in he tossed Dylan Bostic clear out of the ring with way too much gusto. Bostic landed with his leg/ankle hitting the announce desk in a rude manner, and appeared to injure his shoulder as well, they had an ice pack on it, and he had to be legit helped out of the arena. A super scary looking bump. Hope he's OK. Silva gets too keyed up and becomes reckless at times. Yeesh.
It came down to Crimson, Silva, and a spent Rob Terry, which it was highly predictable it would come down to those three. Silva and Terry had a Hell of an interesting battle for a few minutes, while Crimson watched from the floor. Terry finally eliminated Silva, but Crimson then ran back in the ring and dumped Terry out for the win at 64:53. Some of this was boring, but some was good, it picked up down the stretch. Rob Terry went for over an hour here, and he looked like it, heck of a workout for him.
Intermission
5. "Smooth" Johnny Spade beat Jamin Olivencia in a 30 minute Ironman match to retain the OVW Heavyweight title
Olivencia rolled up Spade soon as the bell rang to win the first fall instantly. Olivencia stayed on a roll, and was up 3-0 around the 10 minute mark. Spade finally got uptrapped around the 20 minute mark, tying things up at 3-3 with three straight superkicks and pinfalls on Olivencia. Spade then went up 4-3 when Olivencia rolled to the floor and was counted out. Olivencia tied it up at 4-4 by holding the trunks of Spade. Both guys used each others finishers, but couldn't get a fall with them. Olivencia went up top with time rapidly winding down, but Spade caught him with yet another superkick in mid air, to get the pin and win it 5-4 as the time limit expired. A very good match, and a very physical one too. A battle of attrition no doubt.
Crimson ran in and speared Spade after the match, and talked smack to him. So far everything has gone Crimson's way since arriving in OVW. Can he win the OVW title at the October Saturday Night Special? I wouldn't be against it, but Rob Terry will want revenge no doubt. Send any feedback to tvd65@hotmail.com
2013 - Wrestling Is Fun ran Reading, PA. Seth Abraham filed the following live report:
Wrestling Is Fun show "Keep your eyes peeled" at the Goodwill Beneficial Association in Reading, PA. Crowd was in the 100 range.
1. The Osirian Portal vs. Los Ice Creams
El Hijo started off by doing the Ice Cream Shuffle and forcing fans at ringside to do it. Osirian Portal both danced in response but El Hijo slapped Amassis hard. Osirian Portal began working the arm and did a number of comedy spots with the arm. They turned it up a notch and did the Slave Initiation double team move in the corner (Amassis with a split legged wheelbarrow on ophidian who turns it into an arm drag on Amassis who launches into his opponent). Ice creams did get some offense in on amassis and worked him over with kicks and then some sharp punches. They began doing Kwang the Ninja throat thrusts which angered Ophidian. They did multiple kwang thrusts on Amassis. Amassis was catapulted into a forearm and then bodyslammed. Amassis took a nasty ddt for a near fall. Eventually a third attempted catapult was blocked and the hot tag to Ophidian was made. Ophidian came in with kicks and then the portal did simultaneous dives to the outside on Los Ice Creams. Ophidian came up short on his but he walked it off. In the ring, el hijo got a flurry of kicks and then a discus elbow from Amassis which set up a running double knee press by Ophidian for the three. Great opener that had comedy and some nice wrestling. Can't say enough how good it is to see the portal together again.
2. The Proletariat Boar of Moldova vs. Assailant
Boar absolutely annihilated Assailant with a spear as Assailant entered the ring. Boar followed this up with a nasty big boot. Boar mauled Assailant early on and threw him into a bunch of fan's seats. Boar did a lot of power spots on the not much smaller Assailant. Boar nailed a nasty Sickle to the back of Assailant's head and then a nasty belly to belly overhead toss for a near fall. Assailant was getting decimated. Boar then did a bizarre spot where he had Assailant up in a samoan drop but then walked around to all 4 turnbuckles and tapped them. He then dropped Assailant down in the samoan drop for a near fall. Assailant battled back but then came off the turnbuckles and got caught mid-air for a side slam and a nearfall. Eventually Boar B Smoothe rolled Assailant up and held the tights for the three. After the match the crowd said Boar cheated by ring announcer Gavin Loudspeaker reminded the crowd that Bryce Remsburg was the only licensed ref here so his call stood.
Another solid match. This was probably the best Boar has looked in my opinion. Really a nice match between two power guys.
3. Eric Corvis vs. Kobald
corvis has a steampunk, book of eli kind of look going on but he looks like he's dropped a bit of weight. Originally Missle Assault Ant was supposed to be the opponent but He got moved to facing Green Ant. Kobald stepped in. Both wrestlers commented about how hot the venue was. Kobald got the advantage early on as he hit Corvis with a demon's toilet while Corvis was sitting on a chair. Kobald focused on the abdomen and bit Corvis as he was in a adominal stretch. Kobald miss a top rop demon's toilet. Corvis battled back and hit a splash but sold his injured body and stomach. Corvis then got the advantage and looked to be going for a package piledriver but dropped Kobald neck first on his knee. Very Innovative move. Corvis then got the win with a violent backpack snapmare slam.
Another really solid match! Both guys worked hard here.
4. Green Ant. vs. Missile Assault Ant
Missile Assault did the thing where he says his name over and over. The crowd really goes nuts over it with both hatred and laughs. Missile would do one move and then do say his name and this allowed Green ant to continually make comebacks.Green Ant really is starting to get crazy good in the ring. His moves are very crisp and he's got some swagger and character. Green Ant nailed Missile with a jumping front enzigiri but Assault came back with a launching superman lunge. Assault then did an amazing spot where multiple Garvin Stomps while chanting his own name. Amazing stuff for the older fans in attendance. Assault hurled Green to the outside but then did the name thing again and got lit up by one of the best chops I've ever seen thrown in a match. Flair would have been proud. Green Ant lit up Missile again and then tossed him back in. They went back and forth until Missile went for a turnbuckle lawn dart and Green Ant was able to counter and get Missile caught in a modified Chikara Special where both legs are trapped instead of just one for the tap out.
After the match Missile kept repeating his name as he left.
Great match! More Promotions should be looking at Green Ant. That is all I have to say.
5. Juan Francisco de Coronado vs. Shynron
This is a rematch from the last WIF show which saw Shenron get a tapout against the Ecuadorian Arstocracy. Coronado berated Herbert, his manservant for not earning his keep and told him he needed to do better. Coronado worked Shynron's legs early and ddted one of the legs, trying to ground the dragon spirit. Shynron nailed the dragon ball z spot early on Juan Francisco and followed up with a twisting body splash to Coronado on the outside. Shynron hopped over the top rope and spike ddted Coronado for a near fall. He caught the Ecuadorian with a standing shooting star press for another near fall. Coronado went for a german and got blocked and then then went for a half nelson suplex but Shynron fought him off. Crowd was getting into this.At one point Shynron hit an unbelievable split legged press in the corner, basically using only his legs to get himself from the mat to top rope. The kid has some great balance and aerial ability. Shynron then went for the Dragon's Maw submission but Coronado got to the ropes. The ref got distracted as Coronado ascended the turnbuckle and Shynron tried to catch him with headstand headscissors. As Shynron went for this Coronado's man servant nailed Shynron in the ribs with the Ecuadorian flag. Coronado then locked up the ankle of Shynron in the Coronado clutch. Shynron fought valiantly but was forced to tap out.
The crowd gave Shynron a standing ovation afterwards. He was very impressive and has only been in the business a few short years. He and Coronado put together an amazing match. This match was 800% better than their match in Easton.
6. Fire Ant vs. The Brown Morning of Belarus
The Brown Morning looked like Wolverine during his feral comic book run. He nailed Fire Ant with a few running strikes and power moves. Fire Ant was able to fight back with a nice senton and a running kick to the chest. He followed up with a stunner and then nailed the Brown Morning with the beach break for the three count. Shorter match but still everyone worked hard.
7. The Spectral Envoy (UltraMantis Black & Hallowicked & returning Blind Rage) vs. The Wrecking Crew ( Ax Smashmaster & Oleg The Usurper & JAKA)-
No Backabella here at ringside which was sad. His Gimmick is great. Oleg was thrown off by Blind Rage being on the opposing team. All 6 men wanted to start in the ring so the ref let them and then Ultra Mantis battled Smashmaster in a test of strength. While the other watched in the ring. Eventually all six battled and things got wild. Oleg and Blind Rage fought in the back to the locker room and Oleg yelled "off with his head (he always yells this before his clubbing closeline finisher). Smashmaster nailed a violent powerslam on Hallowicked. Mantis and Hallowicked then battled back and nailed a number of shots on Smashmaster and a double big boot which sent the big man to the outside. Jaka nailed a chokebomb into a samoan drop on Wicked and then was distracted by Blind Rage dressed in oleg's Viking armor. Ultra Mantis captalized and rolled through from the top rope into a beautiful rollup with a bridge on Jaka for the three count.
Fun Main Event. Really a great afternoon of wrestling. I can't stress enough how people in the PA area should come out and see this group. They really knocked it out of the park this afternoon with everyone working very hard. If you can make a show...I highly recommend it! They announced they would becoming to Norristown, PA in November 3rd ( Norristown is near the King of Prussia mall) and that they'd be going up to the New England area on 9/21/13
2013 - WWE ran Washington, DC. Jamie Bishop filed the following live report:
I went to the WWE show in DC last night. As you noted on the site, no Mark Henry. They had locally advertised Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio as well but that didn't happen as well.
Here is what we did get:
*Dolph Ziggler beat Big E. Langston with the ZigZag. Really entertaining opener. Langston was really good here, showing much more than he usually does on TV. Ziggler got a big reaction. Shame he's working openers.
*WWE U.S. champ Dean Ambrose beat R-Truth after rolling him up. Decent.
*Vickie Guerrero came out to announce that a fan poll via texting meant we'd get a Divas dance-off. It was AJ, Layla and Brie Bella vs. Kaitlyn, Naomi & Natalya. Yes they did a dancing deal without the other Funky girl. & Naomi ended without a winner in a dance-off. AJ refused to dance, so the other villains danced pretty awful. When it was the heroes' turn, they got attacked and it became a six woman tag.
*Kaitlyn, Naomi and Natalya defeated AJ, Layla and Brie Bella. Brie got angry at AJ playing off her promo on Raw and left her, allowing Kaitlyn to spear the champ for the win. OK. You could see they were doing all they could do.
*Ryback nailed Kofi Kingston with Shell Shock for the win.
*RVD and Big Show & Rob Van Dam beat WWE Tag champs The Shield by DQ when Ambrose attacked them with a chair. long match. Shield retained the WWE Tag Titles. Ambrose ran in for the DQ.
*The Wyatt Family defeated The Usos. Too short to be anything.
*CM Punk pinned Curtis Axel in a non-title No DQ match. Paul Heyman was there working the house show and cut an interview saying the title was not on the line. Punk destroyed Axel and nailed Heyman with a Kendo Stick.
*WWE champion Randy Orton pinned Daniel Bryan. Really good 20 minute match. At one point, Orton was trapped in the Yes Lock but Brad Maddox pulled the referee out, so he missed Orton tapping. The Shield worked over Bryan and Orton pinned him with the RKO. They kept beating him down, so the heroes hit the ring. Orton ran off and the Shield was destroyed by everyone with their finishers.
Overall, a fun show.
2021 - Shannon Claire Spruill aka Daffney during her time in World Championship Wrestling and Impact Wrestling passes away.
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