One Night Stand 2008
Date: June 1, 2008
Location: San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, California
Attendance: 9,961
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Mick Foley, Mike Adamle, Tazz

It’s time to go EXTREME as every match has some sort of a stipulation announced. The big Raw main event is HHH defending the Raw World Title against Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match. On the other side, the vacant Smackdown World Title is literally up for grabs in a TLC match between Edge and Undertaker. Let’s get to it.

The opening match focuses on how everything is EXTREME with all kinds of matches.

Umaga vs. Jeff Hardy

Falls Count Anywhere. Umaga goes with the power to start but a quick Whisper In The Wind gives Hardy a breather. Hardy goes up top but dives into a swinging release Rock Bottom. Umaga misses a charge and falls to the floor though, allowing Hardy to hit a dive for two. They fight into the crowd and then up to the set, where Hardy hits him in the face with a traffic cone. That just earns him a superkick but Umaga misses a charge.

The fight heads into the back, where Umaga shrugs off a fire extinguisher blast and sends him into a wall. Hardy walks up the steps and slides down the handrail to take Umaga down in a rather unique crash. They wind up outside with Hardy being sent into an anvil case for two, only to send Umaga into the back door of an equipment truck. Hardy climbs up onto another truck and knocks Umaga down, setting up a Swanton off of said truck for the pin in one of the most unique looking dives you’ll ever see.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t the longest match, but I can absolutely appreciate them doing something other than the same old stuff. This was only in and around the ring for a minute or two at the start and then it felt like something of an old school hardcore match. It’s nice to see them going into a few different places for a change. Have some fun with the match, especially when you can open the show.

Earlier today, Mick Foley explained a stretcher match, complete with a demonstration.

Chavo Guerrero vs. Big Show vs. CM Punk vs. John Morrison vs. Tommy Dreamer

Singapore cane match (meaning each corner has a pole with a cane at the top) and the winner gets the ECW Title shot later this month at Night Of Champions. Bam Neely is here with Chavo to make it six people out there at once. Everyone goes after Show to start and it goes about as well as you would expect, with Show being the last man standing.

The others get back up though and take Show down, setting up the quadruple sticking. With Show down on the floor, everyone quickly turns on each other until Chavo takes Punk outside. Chavo’s big swing hits NFL star Shawn Merriman, who takes it back and hits Chavo instead. Show picks up the steps so Morrison takes out his knee, sending Show’s face into the steps.

Back in and Dreamer counters the GTS into a Texas Cloverleaf but Morrison makes the save. A Tower of Doom takes out everyone….except for Show, who pops up. Neely gets taken down and Morrison is beaten up next. Back in and Show unloads with the stick and chokeslams Dreamer. Show’s eyes are busted open from the steps but he’s fine enough to hit a big cane shot to pin Dreamer.

Rating: D+. This didn’t work so well as while it was mainly about the sticks, those things kind of lose their impact rather quickly. Show was the monster in there and it makes sense that he wins, though they didn’t quite hide what was likely to happen from the start. Not an all time bad match or anything close, but more just a bad concept.

Vince McMahon promises to give away money on Raw. And no, WWE employees like interviewer Tod Grisham, are not eligible. Ron Simmons comes in to voice his displeasure.

John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

First Blood. Cena wastes no time in pulling off a turnbuckle (revealing a large yellow pad) and then knocks JBL outside. JBL goes face first into the announcers’ table but, after a trip back inside, manages to low bridge him back outside. Some right hands have Cena in more trouble and a big boot makes it even worse. It’s already time for the chair but the big swing only hits post.

A microphone to the head drops Cena again and they head back inside for more mic shots. Cena is right back up with the comeback sequence (seems rather early) but JBL isn’t about to get FU’ed this soon. There’s a posting and Cena is down hard but not bleeding. A DDT onto the steps is broken up and now it’s Cena with the mic to the head.

Back in and JBL kicks him rather low and a ram into the exposed buckle makes it worse. With that not working, JBL gets in a hard shot to the ribs and grabs a chain, only to walk into an FU. JBL is able to hit a big boot and Cena gets tied up in the ropes (uh oh). That means it’s time for a bullwhip but Cena gets free and chains him down. The STFU with the whip goes on and JBL is bleeding from the mouth so the referee calls it.

Rating: B-. They had a few creative spots in there but the ending left a good bit to be desired. I can go for the idea of bleeding from the mouth for a different way to go, though that doesn’t make it all the more interesting. Also, you would think this was a way for JBL to win without Cena taking a fall but instead it’s Cena getting him again. Oh well.

Randy Orton comes in to see Batista and pitches a reuniting if they’re drafted to the same show. Batista doesn’t say a word.

Beth Phoenix vs. Melina

I Quit and they’ve hated each other for a while now. One of Melina’s photographers falls down on the way to the ring for a funny blooper. Beth trash talks her to the ropes to start but Melina snatches a guillotine of all things. That’s broken up with a backbreaker and Beth bends her over the knee for a bonus. What looked to be a slam off the top is reversed into a faceplant from Melina, who grabs a Muta Lock. Beth breaks that up as well and then drives her hard into the corner.

The over the shoulder backbreaker has Melina in more trouble before Beth switches off to an armbar. Melina is able to kick her into the post though and the rather logical Fujiwara armbar goes on. Make that a cross armbreaker but Beth powers up into a toss powerbomb. A wheelbarrow faceplant sets up a double chickenwing on Melina, whose legs are bent up against Beth’s as well. Beth switches into a neck crank, making Melina’s head touch the bottoms of her feet and that’s finally enough for the submission.

Rating: C+. That ending alone was enough to make this worth a look as no one is supposed to bend that way. It looked like Beth was about to break her and that is the kind of painful ending you want in a match like this. Beth almost has to be getting ready to go after the title again, as she is such a force over the other women that it is hard to not head in that direction again.

Mickie James comes to see John Cena in the trainer’s room but Mike Adamle comes out of the bathroom. He invites them to Tijuana with them but that’s a no, as is their status as a couple. Instead, Cena talks to Mickie about a rear naked choke.

We recap Shawn Michaels vs. Batista. Shawn beat him before but faked a knee injury to do so, which hasn’t set well with Batista. Tonight, it’s a stretcher match for revenge.

Shawn Michaels vs. Batista

Stretcher match. Shawn’s charges don’t work to start and Batista drops him with a clothesline. Another clothesline puts Shawn on the floor but he manages to send Batista into the steps. A stretcher shot to the ribs puts Batista down and Shawn does it again for a bonus. Batista is back up with a Batista Bomb attempt but Shawn reverses into a guillotine choke. The partially out Batista is put on the stretcher but it’s way too early to go anywhere.

Shawn gets rammed into the apron and then the barricade, followed by one heck of a clothesline. The big running powerslam looks to set up the spear but it only hits the post. Shawn’s forearm into the nipup into the top rope elbow connects but Sweet Chin Music is blocks. The Batista Bomb is escaped as well and there’s the superkick to put Batista on the stretcher (in a nice crash).

Batista gets back off of it though, meaning Shawn gets to spear him with the stretcher again. With the power not working, Batista goes with the smarts and see-saws the stretcher into Shawn’s face for a creative spot. Back in and the spinebuster into the Batista Bomb puts Shawn down again but here is Chris Jericho….to cheer Shawn?

Back in and Batista says he’s sorry but loves Shawn, setting up another Batista Bomb. Shawn is wheeled up to the finish line, only to have Jericho stop him for another pep talk. It’s enough to get Shawn off the stretcher (ok by falling but off), so Batista goes and gets the steps. The spinebuster onto the steps is enough for Batista to get the win.

Rating: B. Commentary made a good point by saying that Batista wanted to hurt Shawn rather than beat him, and that is exactly how this went. Batista destroyed Shawn in the end here and of course Shawn knows EXACTLY how to sell that. It was a heck of a beating near the end, though Shawn was putting in a rather awesome fight until they got there. Jericho’s part will probably be brought up later, but here it was just a little weird. Either way, best match of the night so far here.

We recap Randy Orton vs. HHH for the Raw World Title, which is about Orton wanting to get the title back after losing a few times. Orton beat him to win the title in a Last Man Standing match last year so let’s do it again here.

Raw World Title: HHH vs. Randy Orton

HHH is defending and it’s Last Man Standing. After a weapons check (Why?), we’re ready to go, with Orton sending him outside to start. HHH gets in a whip to the steps and it’s time to go into the announcers’ table. Back in and HHH rips at Orton’s face before sending him shoulder first into the post (been done too much tonight).

Orton’s shoulder is fine enough to hit a dropkick though and they head outside. HHH hammers away on the announcers’ table but Orton slugs his way out of a Pedigree attempt. The DDT onto the floor has HHH down for about eight so Orton hammers away at the head. The frustrated Orton peels the floor mat back but the RKO is blocked.

Instead Orton grabs the steps and blasts HHH in the face for a nine. Now it’s time for some choking with an electrical cord before the RKO is loaded up. HHH shoves him over the top this time and Orton lands HARD on his shoulder. Orton can be heard saying he’s broken his collarbone but he gets up anyway, allowing HHH to hit a quick sledgehammer shot to retain.

Rating: B-. Well you can only rate this one so well as the injury derailed everything they were doing. Orton was seriously hurt so there wasn’t much of a choice but to wrap it up. What we got before that was pretty good as these two can occasionally work well together, but as usual, it wasn’t exactly some classic. We won’t be seeing Orton for a good while though as that was a horrible landing.

Orton gets up and oh yeah that thing is HORRIBLE looking. Orton walks around for a bit to yell at fans and we get some replays, likely to try and kill off a few minutes.

We recap the Smackdown World Title match, with Edge vs. Undertaker in a TLC match for the vacant title. They’ve fought for the title for months but Edge can’t beat him. Instead Edge’s girlfriend/Smackdown GM Vickie Guerrero has been helping, including this time as she is giving Edge his signature match for the title.

Smackdown World Title: Edge vs. Undertaker

For the vacant title in a TLC match and if Undertaker loses, he’s gone. Undertaker hammers away to start and hits a rather early Old School . Edge is able to send him outside though and some tables are stacked up. As usual that takes too long though and Undertaker fights back. There are now four tables stacked up 2×2 and the first ladder is set up. Undertaker would rather put it on the corner though, where Edge sends him face first into the steel.

Edge gets sent into the corner as well, allowing Undertaker to climb. They fight on the ladder but then knock each other onto a ladder in the corner. It’s Undertaker getting the better of things and kicking Edge in the face, setting up the apron legdrop, which hits raised chair. Edge bridges the ladder between the ring and the apron, which cannot end well. A chair to the head drops Undertaker and then Edge does it again for a bonus.

With Undertaker on a table, Edge dives off the announcers’ table to crush him again. Back in and Edge cuts him down with a spear, followed by Undertaker’s leg being crushed in the ladder. Two more chair shots to the head keep Undertaker down but getting another chair for some reason lets him get up.

Undertaker throws him through a ladder and to the floor, but cue the Edgeheads for the save. That doesn’t last long as Undertaker fights up again and puts them through a table each. Edge is back up again now and sends Undertaker’s knee into the barricade. With Edge climbing, Undertaker Last Rides him off the ladder and through two tables for a huge crash.

Now it’s Bam Neely and Chavo Guerrero coming in for another save so Undertaker chairs both of them down. Undertaker goes up again but this time Edge shoves it over, with Undertaker crashing through four tables at ringside (geez that’s a huge bump or him, or anyone for that matter). That’s finally enough for Edge to win the title.

Rating: B. It’s quite the spectacle, with Edge pulling out every cheating tactic he had available (which granted in a match like this means “send in the goons”) and Undertaker doing a bunch of bigger than usual spots. Other than that, it was time for Edge to get the title back, or at least beat Undertaker, as Undertaker had beaten him over and over. Now Undertaker can go away for a bit and come back looking for revenge, which is often what he does best. Good main event, but not a classic.

Vickie Guerrero walks out and celebrates with La Familia. Undertaker gets up and does the big slow exit to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a strange show in that the matches were mostly good, but they weren’t that interesting. The problem here comes down to the fact that we’ve covered almost every facet of most of these feuds and it’s time for something new. That’s the biggest problem with WWE at the moment, as the build for the last few weeks has only been so good and now it is time to move on to something else. Good show, but this really needs to be the turning point to a new set of stories.

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Smackdown
Date: May 30, 2008
Location: World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Commentators: Mick Foley, Michael Cole

It’s the final show before One Night Stand and as was the case last week, the show is completely set up. There isn’t much more than needs to be said around here as Edge vs. Undertaker in a TLC match sells itself. Other than that, Batista vs. Shawn Michaels in a stretcher match is already there so it should be time for the big final push towards Sunday. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Edge joins us to start and says he will be introducing a series of clips of the Undertaker throughout the night, because this will be Undertaker’s last night on Smackdown. It will also be his first time on the Cutting Edge, which could be fascinating. Ok more like moderately interesting but fascinating sounds better.

Opening sequence.

Here is Batista to get things going and the fans seem rather happy to see him. Batista doesn’t have much to say because the time for talking is LONG gone. If nothing else, he is a man of his word and on Sunday he is going to hurt Shawn Michaels. Some people will have a problem with that but he hopes they can find it in their hearts to forgive him. After that, the winner of the TLC match between Batista and Undertaker….and here is Vickie Guerrero, with the Edgeheads, to cut him off.

Vickie says that it’s great for Batista to be looking at the future, but maybe he’ll be drafted to Raw. On top of that, what if he loses to Shawn Michaels and his bag of trick (Bag of tricks?)? He would humiliate all of Smackdown and VICKIE WOULD LOOK BAD! Batista cuts off whatever she is demanding and says this has nothing to do with her. This is about Batista vs. Shawn Michaels so go worry about Edge. The Edgeheads are ready to fight, but Vickie makes a tag match later, with Batista getting to pick his partner.

We look at Undertaker debuting at Survivor Series 1990.

Matt Hardy vs. Elijah Burke

Non-title. Burke knocks him into the corner to start but Hardy slugs his way out of trouble. That earns Hardy the Four Up before Burke rains down more right hands. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Hardy fights up. Burke drops him with a clothesline for two and we hit the chinlock with a knee in Hardy’s back. Hardy finally suplexes his way to freedom but it’s too early for the middle rope elbow. Instead Hardy settles for two off a Side Effect but Burke blocks the bulldog out of the corner. Not that it matters as Hardy grabs the Twist of Fate for the pin.

Rating: C. Not much to see here as they only had so much time and a lot of it was spent on punches. This felt like a way to get Hardy on the show but it would have been nice if the match had been a bit better. Burke has been pretty much nothing for a good while now so the title not being on the line here made a bit more sense.

MVP says no one cares about Matt Hardy but Jamie Noble interrupts. Noble thinks they’re a lot alike but MVP doesn’t want to hear it. A match is made for later.

Finlay vs. Chuck Palumbo

Hornswoggle is here with Finlay. Palumbo kicks away to start and hits a heck of a right hand in the corner. Finlay ducks a charge though and Palumbo goes shoulder first into the post. Some arm cranking ensues and they head outside with Finlay sending him arm first into the steps. Back in and Palumbo hits one heck of a big boot for two, with Finlay’s arms rolling back into his head. Finlay’s eyes are fine enough to see Palumbo going to the floor off a running clothesline. That means it’s time to go after Hornswoggle, followed by a chain to Finlay’s face for the DQ.

Rating: C. Well they’re certainly trying with Palumbo and having him take it to Finlay like this was a good way to go. They’re having a nice enough mini feud and even though I don’t think it’s going to be some big breakthrough for Palumbo, I can go for some fresh feuds like this one. Just throw some people out there and see what happens.

Jamie Nobel comes into Vickie Guerrero’s office and is granted a match with MVP without much trouble. He thinks its too simple so Vickie and the Edgeheads tell him to get out.

We look at Undertaker throwing Mankind off of the Cell. Foley being on commentary to talk about how important that was helps a bit.

John Morrison vs. CM Punk

The Miz is here with Morrison. Well in theory at least as the referee ejects him before the bell. Punk grabs a fast rollup for two before kicking Morrison down. Back up and Morrison hits a running shoulder, setting up a kick to the head for two. A seated full nelson goes on but Punk is right back up with the running knee into the corner. The bulldog back out of the corner gets two but Morrison cuts him off again. Punk is fine enough to reverse a suplex though and the GTS is good for the fast pin.

Batista/??? vs. Edgeheads

Batista…doesn’t need a partner so here is Vickie to say this can be a handicap match. Actually scratch that, as Batista said he doesn’t need a partner, but he does have one.

Batista/Big Show vs. Edgeheads

Show wheels Vickie to the back before heading to the ring. Hawkins slugs away at Batista to start and is quickly run over. Batista drives him into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs and Show adds the chop. It’s off to Ryder, who is pulled in (by the head, off the floor) for one heck of a chop. Batista easily fights out of the corner and a cheap shot just earn Hawkins a spinebuster. The chokeslam finishes as Show chokeslams Ryder for a bonus.

Rating: C-. Total squash here, and what els were you expecting it to be? Batista winning this on his own wouldn’t have been a stretch so bringing in a fellow monster like Show made it some entertaining destruction. I’m not sure how much it helps get them ready for their One Night Stand matches, but at least they got to do this first.

We look at Undertaker winning the 2007 Royal Rumble after an incredible finish with Shawn Michaels.

Cherry is rather banged up after Maryse kicked her in the face last week. Maryse comes into the trainer’s room and says she hurt her ankle…when she kicked Cherry.

One Night Stand rundown.

MVP vs. Jamie Noble

MVP stomps him down in the corner to start but Noble grabs a leglock. A shot to the ribs and a faceplant bangs up said ribs even more. Noble gets whipped hard into the corner and we hit the abdominal stretch. The big kick to the head is cut of with a kick to MVP’s knee though and a Cannonball (“Throwing your body at your opponent” according to Cole or “upside down back spasm” according to Mick.) rocks him again. A high crossbody hits Noble but MVP drops him ribs first across the top. The big boot finishes Noble.

Rating: C+. I liked this more than I was expecting as Noble was working (as usual) and they even had something of a story between the ribs vs. knee. This was a match that got more effort than it probably needed but it wound up being pretty nice. MVP needs something to do, though I’m not sure what that could be at the moment.

Undertaker beat Batista at Wrestlemania XXIII.

Vladimir Kozlov vs. Shannon Moore

Kozlov chops him down without much trouble. Moore fights back but gets knocked out of the air. A belly to belly overhead suplex sets up the reverse DDT to keep Kozlov undefeated.

Vince McMahon is giving away money starting next week on Raw.

Michelle McCool vs. Maryse

Deuce N Domino are here with Maryse. McCool fireman’s carries her down, with Foley saying that’s the same thing he used to do. A sunset flip doesn’t work for Maryse as McCool rolls through and hits a basement dropkick. Back up and Maryse chokes in the corner but gets knocked down again. Deuce N Domino offer a distraction so Maryse can take out the let and grab a half crab. Cue Cherry for a distraction though, allowing McCool to switch into a heel hook for the fast tap. These matches still aren’t great, but you can see McCool getting better.

We look back at Edge cashing in Money In The Bank on Undertaker last year.

It’s time for the Cutting Edge, with the World Title above the ring, with a ladder set up. Edge is a little more serious than usual here and talks about his feud with the Undertaker over the last year. It all ends on Sunday because it has to, and Undertaker will be gone from WWE. And FOR REAL this time, not just a few months.

It comes down to experience in the match, and we see a video of the two of them in TLC matches. In other words, a blank screen for Undertaker’s half and a bunch for Edge (with an Indiana Jones theme for some reason). Edge finally brings out Undertaker, who makes his rather slow way to the ring and doesn’t seem overly happy. Edge knows that Undertaker isn’t comfortable about all these things, so here is La Familia with a casket to make him feel better.

Undertaker slugs Edge down and the fight is on, with Undertaker fighting through the numbers game. That just lets Edge chair Undertaker in the back, as well as the head, to put him down. More chair shots let them put Undertaker in the casket, leaving Edge to (slowly) climb the ladder. Before he can grab the belt though, the gong strikes and the lights go out. Undertaker is on top of the ladder and house is quickly cleaned. Hawkins is Last Rided through a table to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was mainly about Edge vs. Undertaker, which went better than I expected given that they’ve been feuding for months now. Other than that you didn’t get much of a build for Sunday, though there were a few decent enough matches. The Edge vs. Undertaker stuff was good enough, but this was a skippable show as you would be better off just going straight to the pay per view.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: May 27, 2008
Location: World Arena, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Commentators: Tazz, Mike Adamle

It’s the go home ECW for One Night Stand and we have quite the addition in the form of Big Show. Last week Show returned and decided he was getting back in the ECW Title picture, which is at least more interesting than some of the other recent challengers. I’m not sure how well it is going to go but I’ll take it over the other options. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Big Show vs. Tommy Dreamer

Show tosses him around to start and gets in a shot to the ribs to put Dreamer down. There’s an elbow to drop Dreamer again and Show sits on him for a bonus. Dreamer tries to go up but get knocked out of the air, setting up the chokeslam (or body slam according to Adamle) for the win.

We look at Big Show winning the ECW Title from Rob Van Dam in 2006.

Kofi Kingston vs. Mike Knox

Shelton Benjamin is on commentary. Kofi’s kick to the chest is shoved away as Benjamin calls him “the monkey man from Bloodsport.” Knox chokes on the ropes for a bit and a butterfly suplex sets up the chinlock. That’s broken up and Kofi hits a quick dropkick into a high crossbody. Knox’s eye is cut and the spinning kick to the face, officially dubbed Trouble In Paradise, finishes him off.

Rating: C. They kept this one moving due to the lack of time but it was good to see Kofi get some momentum back after last week’s loss. You can tell WWE sees something in him and it is smart to push someone new around here, especially when they are rather unique like Kofi. Getting a big win over Benjamin could do him some good and odds are that is where this whole thing is going.

Post match the villains beat Kofi down so Benjamin can leave with a smirk.

We look at CM Punk beating John Morrison for the ECW Title last September.

We look at Chavo Guerrero winning the ECW Title from CM Punk in January.

Chavo Guerrero vs. CM Punk

Bam Neely is here with Chavo. An early GTS attempt has Chavo panicking so Punk kicks him in the leg. Chavo manages a quick hot shot for a breather and we hit the chinlock with a bodyscissors. We take a break and come back with Chavo being backdropped to the floor for quite the crash. Neely low bridges Punk down though and Chavo starts in on the back. The half crab stays on said back but Punk makes the rope. The GTS is countered into a hurricanrana though and Chavo grabs a rollup with the trunks for the pin.

Rating: C+. The match was good enough but my goodness it’s hard to get overly invested in Chavo doing much of anything. He just isn’t that interesting and there isn’t much of a way around it. Granted it doesn’t help that his two big feuds of the year, against Punk and Kane, have been done so much to death that it’s hard to care about them at all.

Tommy Dreamer won the ECW Title in April 2000.

Raw Rebound.

Colin Delaney is worried about a whole new set of opponents around here in the Draft. He could go for getting rid of Armando Estrada though.

John Morrison won the ECW Title in June 2007.

Kane vs. Miz/John Morrison

Non-title. Miz and Morrison jump him to start and choking on the ropes slows the giant down. Ranted it slows him down for all of a few seconds as the comeback is on, with Kane grabbing Miz by the throat. Morrison comes in and the double teaming is enough for the DQ.

Post match everyone else in Sunday’s #1 contenders match runs in for the big brawl. Kane and Big Show have a staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The best thing I can say about this show is that it had a focus. It was building towards one match and almost nothing more, but that’s all it needs to be. The Draft could do ECW A LOT of good at this point, but at least they have have something to bridge some of the gaps on the way there.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: May 26, 2008
Location: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 16,524
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s the last Raw before One Night Stand and the end of last week’s show set up a pair of huge matches for the show. Now we are getting ready for JBL vs. John Cena in a first blood match and HHH vs. Randy Orton in a last man standing match for HHH’s Raw World Title. I’m sure we’ll get some more tonight so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Memorial Day video.

Opening sequence.

Vince McMahon joins us on the Titantron to say William Regal got what he deserved last week, but are the fans getting what they deserve? They deserve appreciation, and tonight they will receive it like never before. He’s open to suggestions, including from the wrestlers. By the end of the night, fans will receive appreciation like they have never seen.

Here are HHH and Randy Orton for a face to face standoff. Orton is asked about how he beat HHH in a last man standing match before, but it was HHH’s third match of the night and Orton’s second. Orton is sick of having his accomplishments downplayed, because what matters is that he beat HHH in this very match.

HHH says the fans are laughing at Orton because he’s a censored. He isn’t laughing though, because Orton has a tendency to find a cheap way out. If Orton wants to be the best, he has to face the best over and over. Orton says HHH doesn’t thrive on competition because he either brings in his threats or just flat out eliminates him.

Like Shawn Michaels or Evolution, because HHH knows he needed to fear them. HHH says Evolution was about making Orton realize his potential but he isn’t just going to walk away. Orton promises to win and goes to leave, but HHH promises to end the Age Of Orton like it never happened. There wasn’t much left to be said about this feud so this was nothing we haven’t heard before.

Melina vs. Jillian Hall

Beth Phoenix is on commentary. Jillian jumps her to start and hits a flipping faceplant before hitting some kicks to the back. Melina fights back and elbows her in the face, setting up an Indian Deathlock for the fast tap.

Chris Jericho comes in to see Vince McMahon with an idea to appreciate the fans: a match with Shawn Michaels tonight. Deal, and we’ll make it non-title. Cryme Tyme comes in and steal some of Williams Regal’s stuff to sell.

Paul London/Brian Kendrick vs. Cody Rhodes/Hardcore Holly

Non-title. Rhodes dropkicks London down to start but a double dropkick puts Rhodes down for two. Holly comes in to knock Kendrick down but Rhodes misses a middle rope crossbody. It’s off to London to dropkick and hurricanrana Holly as everything breaks down. London tries to skin the cat, only to get caught in the Alabama Slam for the pin.

Rating: C. Fast paced stuff here but they only had so much time to make it work. London and Kendrick are still an entertaining team but for some reason WWE insists on sticking with Rhodes and Holly as champions. The tag division barely exists, though you would think WWE might want to go with the better of the two teams here.

Post match here is Ted DiBiase of all people. He has a special moment for us, in the form of the newest member of the Raw roster: his son Ted DiBiase! Ted Jr. says he has always wanted to become a champion and that is what he is going to do in his debut match. So Holly and Rhodes need to pay attention, because everybody has a price, but he is priceless. That’s a great line.

Roddy Piper is training Jimmy Kimmel’s Cousin Sal for his match against Santino Marella. Kimmel comes in to watch the training and isn’t sure if this is going well as Piper beats up Sal. Oddly enough this is included on Peacock, along with a recap of last week’s segment, which wasn’t on Peacock.

Mickie James suggests a contest to Vince McMahon where schools get to say why they love WWE and the winner gets a Diva For A Day. JBL comes in to say that sounds like an escort service (working for strangers you see) and suggests the ring mat, covered in John Cena’s blood on Sunday, be cut up and sold.

Some soldiers wish us Happy Memorial Day.

John Bradshaw Layfield/Umaga vs. John Cena/Jeff Hardy

Cena and JBL start things off but let’s go with Umaga instead. The FU attempt doesn’t work but Umaga misses a charge in the corner so Cena can slug away. The swinging release Rock Bottom cuts Cena off though and we take a break. Back with JBL hammering Hardy into the corner and whipping him into another one.

The abdominal stretch goes on but Hardy slips out and hits a Whisper In The Wind. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Cena and house is cleaned in a hurry. Umaga knocks Cena into Hardy for the tag but the Swanton misses. With Cena and Umaga on the floor, the Clothesline From JBL finishes Hardy off.

Rating: C+. The ending came a bit out of nowhere but it was a good enough match to get the people involved out there. Umaga vs. Hardy has been a bit forgotten amid the two main event level matches at One Night Stand so giving them a bit of exposure was a good idea. Then again JBL vs. Cena isn’t exactly thrilling and it’s more interesting to go in another direction, even for one match.

Shawn Michaels comes to see Vince McMahon and doesn’t buy Vince wanting to appreciate the audience. Vince says Shawn will have to give the devil his due. Shawn: “You would know about that wouldn’t you?”

Video on the recent tour of Mexico.

Mr. Kennedy vs. Carlito

Carlito takes him down fast and grabs a quickly broken chinlock. The Backstabber is loaded up but Kennedy reverses into the Mic Check for the fast win.

Post match Katie Lea Burchill comes out to say some people aren’t happy with Kennedy getting rid of William Regal. Paul Burchill pops up from behind and lays Kennedy out.

Trevor Murdoch tries to sing a country version of No Chance but Vince McMahon sends him away.

One Night Stand rundown.

Video on Randy Orton vs. HHH.

More troops say hi.

Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho

Non-title. They go to the mat a few times to start and that’s good for a standoff. Shawn sends him crashing out to the floor and we take a break. Back with Shawn fighting out of a chinlock but Jericho takes him into the corner for some stomping. Jericho’s bulldog is blocked with a shove into the corner and there’s the nipup.

The superkick is countered into a Walls attempt, which is countered into a small package for two. The second Walls attempt works far better but Shawn makes the ropes. That doesn’t work for Jericho, who takes him tot he floor and grabs the Walls again for the double countout.

Rating: B-. Jericho vs. Shawn is going to work almost every time but Jericho is teetering on the brink of a heel turn. I’m curious to see how they get to what should be Jericho as quite the villain, as they could go a few different ways to get there. I’m not sure how much we’ll get out of the Shawn vs. Batista match to get there, but they have an interesting story on the way there.

Post match Jericho grabs a chair but puts it down.

Here is Vince McMahon for the big announcement despite there not being much time left. Vince walks through the roster on the stage before talking about how everyone together. Let’s do that in four weeks with the WWE Draft. Until then, for the next four weeks, Vince is going to give away MONEY. What if he gave away a thousand dollars? Ten thousand dollars? Or even A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS? Heck he’s a billionaire, so over the next week, he’s going to give away the sum of ONE MILLION DOLLARS. End of show.

Overall Rating: C+. They did a nice job of covering just about everything on this side of the One Night Stand card and that is the right idea. Other than that, the money thing at the end was more than a bit different, but at least they’re trying to set something up for after the pay per view. WWE certainly needs something fresh at the moment as they continue to milk another pay per view out of feuds they’ve been running for a long time. Not a bad show, but the build to Summerslam needs to start fast.

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Smackdown
Date: May 23, 2008
Location: Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, Iowa
Attendance: 6,300
Commentators: Michael Cole, Mick Foley

We’re on the way to One Night Stand but first of all, we have to deal with the fallout from Judgment Day. That shouldn’t be too hard, as there the show didn’t have much in the way of major developments. There is still no World Champion and that means we’ll probably need to set up another title match. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here are Vickie Guerrero and Edge to start things off. Vickie says none of the people here know what it’s like to have to run Smackdown. Everyone knows that a title can only change hands on a pinfall or a disqualification, so Undertaker couldn’t win the World Title on a countout. Therefore, at One Night Stand, it’s Undertaker vs. Edge for the title in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match. Oh and if Undertaker loses: he’s gone from WWE FOREVER.

Jesse & Festus/Cherry vs. Deuce N Domino/Maryse

Festus powers Domino around to start and then slams Jesse down onto him for two. Deuce comes in and gets taken down so Jesse can hammer away as we hear about Deuce N Domino not winning a match since August. A springboard clothesline gets Deuce out of trouble as we hear about Mick Foley enjoying Maryse as the Daily Diva on WWE.com. We’ll move away from that rather quickly as Deuce N Domino take turns beating on Jesse, including a jumping fist drop for two.

This not so interesting match lets Cole point out that Vickie Guerrero said the World Title can only change hands on a pinfall or submission and then made the next title match Tables, Ladders, and Chairs. Jesse clotheslines his way to freedom, allowing the hot tag off to Cherry. This means Foley can recite a poem about her, which sounds quite Bruce Springsteenish. Everything breaks down and Festus kicks Domino into Cherry, allowing Maryse to get in a big kick for the pin.

Rating: C-. This was a rough sit, partially because Foley was transforming into something closer to Jerry Lawler with the women involved. That sounds like a Vince In His Ear transformation more than anything else, but it wasn’t going to help such a dull match anyway. It kept going and felt a lot longer than it was, which is one of the worst things that can happen in a match. Granted it doesn’t help when both teams feel like losers, with commentary pointing out how true that is for Deuce N Domino.

Chavo Guerrero comes in to see Edge and Vickie Guerrero, who he hopes aren’t mad at him. Vickie isn’t, but Chavo does happen to have a match with the Undertaker tonight. Don’t worry though as the rest of La Familia will be out there with him.

It’s time for the VIP Lounge, with MVP bringing out Teddy Long for a chat. MVP brings up their history, which doesn’t matter as much now that Teddy isn’t his boss. Teddy is JEALOUS of his money, looks, clothes and HAIR. Teddy is about to leave but cue Batista to interrupt. MVP doesn’t want Batista out here as the big hero, but Batista just wants to thank Teddy for everything and say goodbye. Oh and if MVP threatens Teddy again, Batista will put a fist through his face. MVP doesn’t like the disrespect, but Batista says he’ll show MVP disrespect. The set is promptly destroyed as MVP leaves.

Post break MVP goes in to see Vickie Guerrero and Edge to complain about Batista. Vickie makes MVP vs. Batista instead, which isn’t much of a heel decision.

Finlay vs. Chuck Palumbo

Hornswoggle is here too. Finlay gets in a quick elbow and takes him down by the leg for some cranking. Back up and Palumbo hits him in the face before hitting a hard clothesline for two. The chinlock goes on as it already feels like they’re filling in time. Hold on though as Hornswoggle whips out a water gun to spray Palumbo, allowing Finlay to run him over. The face/heel dynamics have been a bit off on this show. Back in and a side slam puts Finlay down but he pulls Palumbo into a Fujiwara armbar of all things.

Palumbo fights up and comes out of the corner with a heck of a clothesline for two, followed by the chinlock. A big boot gives Palumbo two and we’re already back in the chinlock. Finlay gets up this time and hits a crossbody for two of his own but Palumbo drops him again. This time Palumbo goes after Hornswoggle though, allowing Hornswoggle to bust out the Irish mist (which is apparently a thing). The shillelagh to the head gives Finlay the pin.

Rating: C-. Well I can certainly check the “Finlay vs. Chuck Palumbo for about ten minutes” match off my wish list. I’m not sure why this match needed this much time but the Irish mist certainly, uh, existed. Palumbo continues to be the relatively nothing midcard villain but there are worse choices out there. Not a good match here, and it felt like they were just killing time.

MVP vs. Batista

Feeling out process to start with Batista powering him into the corner without much effort. A headlock has MVP in trouble and Batista knocks him outside to make it worse. Back in and Batista leapfrogs (!) him before hitting a big boot to put MVP down again. MVP manages to send him into the corner though and a running boot to the face puts Batista on the floor for a change.

We take a break and come back with MVP grabbing a front facelock to keep him down. MVP hammers on the arm until Batista powers into the corner, meaning MVP needs to hammer him down even more. The armbar goes on for a bit until an armdrag gets Batista out of trouble. Another running boot is cut off by a spear but Batista can’t cover. A one armed spinebuster plants MVP and the Batista Bomb finishes him off.

Rating: C. This started off well but once it got to the arm work, the interest fell straight down. These two are capable of having a much better match and I’m not sure what happened here. As has been the case all night, the match just wasn’t very fun or exciting and that is disappointing given who was involved here.

Nunzio vs. Vladimir Kozlov

Kozlov starts in on the arm and gets two off a northern lights suplex. A headbutt to the chest sets up a kick to the ribs and the reverse DDT finishes for Kozlov in a hurry.

Matt Hardy/Kofi Kingston vs. Shelton Benjamin/Elijah Burke

Kingston and Burke start things off with Kofi taking him to the mat without much trouble. Matt comes in and starts cranking on the arm before punching the heck out of Burke. Another right hand knocks Benjamin off the apron but the distraction lets Burke knock Matt down for a change. Benjamin comes back in to work on a chinlock, only to dive into the Side Effect for a knockdown. It’s back to Kofi with the high crossbody for two as everything breaks down. Kofi’s spinning kick to the head finishes Benjamin.

Rating: C. This was pretty quick and to the point, but it’s interesting to see the ECW stars around here more often. Kingston has done well enough on ECW and use some better competition. Granted this was the same competition in a different place, but it does at least feel like an upgrade. Now just get Matt a nice challenger for the title and we could be getting somewhere.

Raw Rebound.

One Night Stand rundown.

Undertaker vs. Chavo Guerrero

The rest of La Familia is here too. Undertaker wastes no time in striking him into the corner for an elbow to the face. Old School connects but Undertaker misses a boot in the ropes. The beating is on outside….and La Familia (save for Bam Neely) is ejected. Chavo kicks away and a shot to the knee puts Undertaker down a bit. A hanging DDT puts Undertaker down but he sits up to scare Chavo away. Neely’s distraction breaks up a chokeslam so Undertaker punches him down. Chavo gets in a low blow but dives right into the Tombstone for the pin.

Rating: C. Yeah what were you expecting here? Undertaker beating Chavo even with the big advantage wasn’t out of the question and then the numbers game was mostly neutralized anyway. This gives Undertaker a bit of a boost going into the next title match with Edge and that’s all it was ever supposed to be.

Overall Rating: C-. This whole show just wasn’t very interesting, though that is probably due to the quick turnaround for One Night Stand. It’s a sequel to a show that was already a sequel so how much work do they need to do? This show didn’t make me want to watch One Night Stand though, as it was quite the chore to get through at times. Put in some effort next week and things should be better, but Smackdown needs something new and they need it soon.

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Summerslam 2008
Date: August 17, 2008
Location: Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 15,997
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz, Todd Grisham, Matt Striker

We run down the card because you might have ordered the show blind or something?

MVP vs. Jeff Hardy

MVP makes the ropes and the referee has to keep pulling Jeff out of the corner. Jeff eventually gets free and charges right into a snap belly to belly for two. MVP kicks him in the back and puts on something like a crucifix hold before rolling over into a camel clutch. Off to something like a side leg bar but MVP eventually lets it go. Jeff goes tot he apron but MVP knocks him out of the air to break up a springboard, getting two.

ECW Title: Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy

Jeff Hardy comes out to make the save and the Hardys suplex Henry.

Raw World Title: CM Punk vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

Punk was basically a glorified midcarder at this point but his time would come. JBL shoves Punk into the corner to start and a hard shoulder puts the champion down. Punk comes back with a flying forearm to send him to the outside and a suicide dive fires the fans up even more. Back in and a high cross body gets a one count for Punk but another shoulder block puts him down. Punk tries to go up, only to be taken down by a middle rope fall away slam for two.

Smackdown World Title: HHH vs. Great Khali

Rating: C+. This match, while slow, was a great example of psychology in a wrestling match. HHH knew that there was only one move he could use to hurt Khali and give him a chance for the win so it was the only thing he tried for most of the match. This was HHH working around someone and it worked quite well as HHH is a very talented wrestler, which unfortunately is often forgotten.

John Cena vs. Batista

Back up immediately and Cena throws Batista to the floor in something resembling an FU before collapsing down. Back in again and Cena fires off the shoulder blocks and the ProtoBomb to set up the Shuffle. The FU is countered again and Batista kicks him in the face to put both guys down. Batista drives shoulders into the corner and catches him in the spinebuster to put Cena down. Cena backdrops out of the Batista Bomb and hits a DDT on the leg to set up the STFU. Batista FINALLY crawls over and gets a rope to shock Cena.

The Cell is lowered.

Edge vs. Undertaker

Taker counters the spear into a chokeslam for a close two and Taker is getting frustrated. The Last Ride is countered by a low blow and an Impaler gets two. Back up and Taker loads up the Last Ride again but wants it through the tables on the floor. Edge slips over the top and hits the spear for a very close two. Now the Last Ride connects but Edge gets out at two.

Rating: A. THIS is how you blow off a feud. Edge was completely destroyed at the end here with Undertaker hitting every big move he had and Edge not kicking out of them at all. These two had some great action all year long and the Cell is the best way to blow the whole thing off. Having it as a TLC match inside the Cell was fine and it made for a great main event.

Taker leaves but Edge very slowly gets up. The big man goes back inside and sets up the ladder before lifting Edge onto it. Taker throws in another ladder and climbs up next to Edge so he can throw the Canadian down through the mat. He raises his arms up and lights the hole on fire to end the show in a corny moment.

Ratings Comparison

MVP vs. Jeff Hardy

Original: B

Redo: B-

Kofi Kingston/Mickie James vs. Glamarella

Original: D

Redo: D+

Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry

Original: N/A

Redo: N/A

CM Punk vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

Original: B-

Redo: C+

Great Khali vs. HHH

Original: B+

Redo: C+

Batista vs. John Cena

Original: A

Redo: A-

Edge vs. Undertaker

Original: A-

Redo: A

Overall Rating

Original: A-

Redo: A-

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/08/11/history-of-summerslam-count-up-2008-punk-as-champion-thatll-never-happen-again/

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Monday Night Raw
Date: May 19, 2008
Location: Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
Attendance: 9,300
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We’re done with Judgment Day and the big Raw story coming out of the show was Shawn Michaels defeating Chris Jericho in a rather good match that didn’t seem to wrap up their story. Other than that, HHH successfully defended the World Title against Randy Orton in a feud that will likely never be over. Let’s get to it.

Here is Judgment Day if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga

Umaga is ticked off after last week and hammers away, only to miss a sitdown splash and get dropkicked in the face. The Samoan drop cuts Hardy off fast though and we’re already into the nerve hold. With that not working, Umaga ties him in the Tree of Woe for the running headbutt, only to miss a middle rope version. The Whisper in the Wind missed as well, but Umaga misses the running hip attack. Jeff knocks him outside in a big crash and follows with the slingshot flip dive. The fight keeps going on the floor, including the swinging release Rock Bottom to Hardy, and that’s a double countout.

Rating: C+. This was short and designed to set up a third match but it worked while it lasted. Hardy works well when he is bouncing off of someone and Umaga knows how to do that style incredibly well. What matters here is they kept things interesting, which is exactly what you want to do when you’re trying to set up a rematch, likely at One Night Stand.

Post match Jeff has to be checked on.

Batista tells Chris Jericho to stay out of his way to get to Shawn Michaels, but Jericho isn’t stepping aside. Threats are made before their match tonight.

Here is General Manager to make Jeff Hardy vs. William Regal in a falls count anywhere match. Regal brings Randy Orton and JBL up on the Titantron and tells them they have a tag match against HHH and John Cena tonight. If Orton and JBL win, they get their respective rematches against HHH and Cena and get to pick the stipulations. If Cena and HHH win, they will face each other in an extreme rules match of Regal’s choosing.

Cue Mr. Kennedy to interrupt to offer a challenge for tonight. Regal says he’s above Kennedy and the next person to interrupt him will be fired on the spot. Cue Vince McMahon, with Kennedy mocking Regal about his promise. Vince says that since Regal has taken over, there have been ALL KINDS OF COMPLAINTS and he only cares about the money. Regal is a ratings killer but Vince wants Kennedy gone too. So tonight it’s Regal vs. Kennedy, loser is fired. Well that’s abrupt.

Maria vs. Beth Phoenix

Melina joins commentary and does the splits entrance on the announcers’ table. Maria gets quite the pop as Melina says she isn’t the kind of girl to do Playboy. Beth wastes no time with a gorilla press to start and then bends Maria’s back over her knee. A quick bulldog out of the corner gives Maria two but the Glam Slam (I believe making its debut) into a seated double chickenwing gives Beth the win.

Post match Melina jumps Beth and gets dropped on the ramp for her efforts.

Roddy Piper was at a birthday party for Jimmy Kimmel Live when Santino Marella showed up. A fight with Jimmy’s cousin Sal broke out. This is edited off the Peacock version.

Mickie James is in the back with Katie Lea Burchill, with the latter saying she’ll be Women’s Champion soon. She also accuses Mickie of sleeping with John Cena to get to the top but Mickie denies anything happening. Burchill says more would have happened with her.

Shawn Michaels comes in to see William Regal, who tells him that Shawn is facing the winner of Batista vs. Chris Jericho in a stretcher match.

WWE won an award for how they praise the military.

Batista vs. Chris Jericho

Non-title. Jericho gets powered out of the corner to start as the fans are way behind Batista here. Batista shoves him out of the corner again and hits him in the face, setting up an elbow for two. Hold on though as Jericho grabs his knee and we take a break with Batista not buying it.

We come back with a limping Jericho being whipped into the corner but managing to low bridge Batista to the floor. This time it’s Batista grabbing his own knee and Jericho is fine with going after that as well. Lawler points out how fast Jericho’s knee healed as Jericho cranks on Batista’s knee. Batista is fine enough to kick Jericho outside and then boot him in the face back inside.

The spinebuster connects but Jericho goes after the leg to break up the Batista Bomb attempt. A half crab goes on (that’s a clever twist on the normal Walls) until Batista makes the rope. The leg is fine enough to avoid the Lionsault and a big clothesline drops Jericho again. The charge goes into the post but Batista pulls Jericho off the ropes and into the Batista Bomb for the pin.

Rating: B-. Not exactly a great match here but it turned into a good showdown. The leg injuries were a nice way to tie into everything else they have been doing in recent weeks and they made you wonder what was going on. Batista’s seemed to be legitimate but he was able to catch Jericho trying to be too aggressive. Batista vs. Shawn again should work, and you know Jericho is going to be waiting on the other side.

Post match Shawn Michaels comes out to stare Batista down.

Vince McMahon talks to William Regal about the match with Mr. Kennedy tonight. Ted DiBiase of all people comes in and they need to have a money talk.

It’s time for the return of Piper’s Pit but instead we have Santino Marella dressed as Roddy Piper with a very large fake stomach. As Santino stands next to a birthday cake, he messes up some Piper catchphrases and we see a clip of the Jimmy Kimmel segment from earlier. The real Cousin Sal comes out and Santino mocks Piper for not being able to do anything.

Sal goes off about how Santino can’t accomplish anything, including winning a title, beating up Steve Austin or sleeping with a Playboy Playmate, as apparently…something like being built similar to a fourth grader. Santino picks up the cake but the real Roddy Piper comes in to shove it into Santino’s face. Santino vs. Sal is set up as this feud just keeps going. This is also edited off the Peacock version.

William Regal vs. Mr. Kennedy

Loser gets fired and Kennedy promises to win. Kennedy slugs out of the corner to start and a backdrop gets a very early two. A running kick to the head rocks Regal but he sweeps the leg and takes Kennedy down on the apron. Back in and Regal unloads in the corner before grabbing something close to a Tazmission.

Regal charges into a boot in the corner though and Kennedy’s spinning kick to the head gets two. They go outside, where Regal decides that this is going to be a No DQ match. The brass knuckles are loaded up and Regal sends him into the steps. Back in and the knuckles shot is countered into the Mic Check to give Kennedy the fast pin.

Rating: C+. And that is how WWE dealt with Regal getting Wellnessed again. Regal was on a tear with the power mad General Manager/King deal and then screwed himself over by breaking the rules. The match itself was an energetic fight and having Regal screw himself over by trying to cheat once too often was some nice poetic justice.

Post break Regal tries to go into his office but Teddy Long walks out.

HHH doesn’t are who he faces at One Night Stand.

Randy Orton/JBL vs. HHH/John Cena

If Orton and JBL win, they get their rematches at One Night Stand and pick the stipulations. If HHH and Cena win, they face each other at One Night Stand in a match of….well Regal is fired so there’s a snafu in the plan. Cena and HHH clear the ring rather quickly to start and we take an early break.

Back with HHH in trouble but Orton misses a dropkick. The tag brings in Cena to pick up the pace, including the Shuffle to Orton. The RKO and FU are both countered and JBL kicks Cena in the face for two. Cena knocks Orton outside though and the hot tag brings in HHH. Everything breaks down and the STFU has JBL in trouble but Orton breaks it up with the Punt to give JBL the pin.

Rating: C+. This was another match where they didn’t have a ton of time to get stuff going but it did what it needed to do. The feuds are already set up so getting to the point of a big violent match between the pairings work. Granted they kind of telegraphed the ending with Regal being fired but at least they did what they should have done.

Post match JBL picks a first blood match with Cena while Orton picks last man standing with HHH.

Overall Rating: B-. This was the “ok we need to get the pay per view ready” show and it worked well enough. One Night Stand is the attempt to keep the stories going with some added stipulations and that should be fine. The build to Summerslam can start after that but giving us something this simplistic should work. Not a great show, but an efficient one and that is important too.

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Judgment Day 2008
Date: May 18, 2008
Location: Qwest Center Omaha, Omaha, Nebraska
Attendance: 11,324
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Mick Foley, Mike Adamle, Tazz

We’re back on pay per view here and this feels like the second sequel to Wrestlemania. We have the third Undertaker vs. Edge match (with the Smackdown World Title vacant as we come in this time), plus Raw World Champion HHH defending against Randy Orton inside a cage. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is a look at all of the major matches on tonight’s show, as tends to be the custom.

John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

They circle each other to start until a drop toehold looks to set up the STFU, with JBL bailing to the floor. Cena’s arm gets snapped over the rope though and JBL gets to send it into the post. Cena fights out of an armbar but gets pulled into a cross armbreaker of all things. The power out doesn’t quite get the elevation but works anyway, only to have JBL stomp away in the corner.

A clothesline and shoulder give Cena a breather until JBL knocks him out of the air for a nasty crash. JBL drops him ribs first across the top, setting up a bearhug. A bodyscissors stays on the ribs, with JBL even working on the arm at the same time in a smart move. Cena powers up again but gets pulled into a full nelson as JBL is mixing it up a lot here.

With that broken up, Cena managers a spinebuster and gets the much needed breather. Back up and Cena misses a charge into the corner, allowing JBL to boot him down. Not that it matters though as Cena grabs an FU out of nowhere for the surprise pin (it’s as sudden as it sounds).

Rating: B-. The ending was rather sudden and Cena didn’t exactly get to do much throughout the match. There was something interesting about Cena being on defense for so much and not going through the usual routine for the win. JBL looked more dominant here than I would have expected and it was a nice change of pace. Cena wasn’t going to lose to JBL, but at least they didn’t go in the way they were expecting.

William Regal is watching from a box and doesn’t look pleased.

We get a quick look at the Dirt Sheet, with Miz and John Morrison not being overly worried about defending the Smackdown Tag Team Titles against Kane and CM Punk. Kane is apparently lactose intolerant but drinks Frosties from Wendy’s anyway. Who knew?

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Miz/John Morrison vs. Kane/CM Punk

Miz and Morrison are defending. Punk strikes away at Miz to start before dragging him into the corner so Kane can come in. A basement dropkick to Morrison gives Kane two and it’s Punk coming back in with a slingshot elbow. Something like a reverse Rings of Saturn keeps Morrison in trouble but he gets in a shot of his own and brings Miz back in.

A blind tag lets Morrison get in a cheap shot from behind though and it’s Miz hitting a running clothesline in the corner. Kane boots his way out of trouble though and Punk comes back in to snap off a powerslam. A clothesline/bulldog combination drops the champs and a top rope clothesline gets two on Morrison. Miz breaks up the GTS and gets chokeslammed on the floor for his efforts. The distraction work though and Morrison’s Moonlight Drive retains the titles.

Rating: C. This was rather quick and to the point with Miz and Morrison using some shenanigans to retain the titles. Kane and Punk were little more than challengers of the month so the loss doesn’t exactly hurt them. The match didn’t have time to build up either so the ending felt more like the champs escaped than anything else, which is the way it should have gone.

We recap Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho. After Shawn retired Ric Flair at Wrestlemania, Batista wanted revenge. Shawn beat him at Backlash but hurt his knee in the process. Jericho accused him of faking the knee injury and wound up being absolutely right. Shawn superkicked him down and it’s time for a showdown.

Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels

Non-title. They shove each other around to start and bounce back for a standoff. Shawn grabs a headlock to take it to the mat before an exchange of rollups get two each. That weird Figure Four variation has Jericho in trouble but the rope gets him right back out. Back up and Jericho slaps him in the face, which gets a bit of a smile outside of Shawn. Some right hands don’t get Jericho very far as Shawn grabs an armbreaker over the top.

Jericho is fine enough to whip Shawn into the corner but the superplex attempt is blocked. As is his custom, Shawn tries the top rope elbow but lands ribs first on raised knees (which doesn’t hurt Jericho’s knees because wrestling). The abdominal stretch goes on for a bit before Jericho’s bulldog is sent into the ropes instead.

The forearm into the nipup takes too long though and the Walls go on. Shawn gets to the ropes even faster than Jericho did earlier and they both go to the apron. Sweet Chin Music drops Jericho hard but Shawn drops the top rope elbow instead of covering. The ribs are banged up even more but they’re fine enough to tune up the band.

Jericho collapses before turning around though, allowing him to sucker Shawn into the Codebreaker. As he picks Shawn back up, Jericho gets pulled into the Crossface, meaning it’s another rope break for another escape. Jericho drops the ribs onto the top rope but the Walls are countered into a rollup to give Shawn the fast pin.

Rating: B+. These two always work well together and that was the case again here, as they kept trying to be one step ahead of the other until Shawn caught him with a quick rollup or the win. Jericho spent weeks knowing everything that Shawn was doing and then lost at the last second because Shawn still had a trick up his sleeve. There is a good chance that this will continue, and that is not a bad thing whatsoever, as there seems to be a lot of layers to this story.

William Regal does…..not approve. Yeah we’ll go with not there.

Mickie James is ready for her title defense but is a bit coy about her recent night out with John Cena. JBL comes in and sends Mickie away, demanding that he be asked a Cena question. As JBL looks off into space, he is asked about what he has next for Cena. JBL says interviewer Todd Grisham has never been in a fight, because he just beat Cena for twenty minutes (it was about fifteen) and threatens violent if he is asked another stupid question. Stoic JBL can still be intimidating.

Women’s Title: Beth Phoenix vs. Melina vs. Mickie James

Mickie is defending. Beth tells Melina to get out but gets sent outside instead, allowing Mickie to grab a rollup for two. Back in and Beth sends Mickie out instead, leaving Melina to hammer away. Mickie gets back in and sends Melina outside with a headscissors before choking Beth. Melina is able to catch Mickie on top but Beth makes the save. Mickie’s top rope Thesz press gets two on Beth and Mickie kicks her to the floor. Back up and Beth puts both of them on one shoulder for a double backbreaker, which lasts about as long as you would expect. Melina drops Beth again but gets caught in the MickieDT to retain the title.

Rating: C. Another match that didn’t have time to go anywhere but there was at least a bit more drama than the Tag Team Title match. Beth got to showcase her crazy power here but that has been established for a very long time now. Mickie keeping the title is a fine way to go, especially if she is getting involved with John Cena. They were trying here, but three women can only do so much in about six minutes.

Batista comes in to see Shawn Michaels, but he’ll wait before he hurts him. Shawn looks worried and confused. Granted that’s a normal look for him.

We recap Undertaker vs. Edge. Vickie Guerrero was sick of Undertaker beating Edge with his illegal choke and stripped him of the Smackdown World Title as a result. Undertaker was then put into the title match while Edge “won” a competition for the other spot. The choke is still banned so Undertaker will have to use one of his of other three finishing moves to win.

Smackdown World Title: Undertaker vs. Edge

For the vacant title. Edge dodges away to start and gets knocked outside by a single right hand. Back in and Edge slugs away in the corner, only to be reversed so Undertaker can show him how it’s done. Edge’s shoulder is sent into the post and Undertaker starts working on the arm back inside. Old School is broken up but Undertaker knocks him off the apron and into the barricade.

Not to be outdone, Edge sends him knees first into the steps to take over again. Back in and Undertaker misses the running boot in the corner, meaning it’s time to start working on the leg. The choke is teased but Undertaker puts the brakes on in time, leaving Edge to try his own Old School. That’s broken up and suddenly the leg is fine enough for the running clothesline. A toss into the corner and the big boot give Undertaker two and Old School connects.

Cue the Edgeheads for a distraction though, allowing Edge to grab the Edge-O-Matic. The turnbuckle is exposed as well but Edge misses the spear instead of going for the corner. A buckle bomb (a version of the Last Ride according to Cole) looks to set up Snake Eyes into the exposed buckle but Edge drives him into the corner instead.

The Snake Eyes works a few seconds later though, only to have Edge come right back with the spear for two. Undertaker hits the chokeslam for two of his own and they fight outside. After the brawl goes over the barricade, Edge gets pulled off the apron and only Undertaker beats the count for the win.

Rating: B. The ending doesn’t exactly instill me with confidence about where this is going but these two do continue to have good matches. At the same time, the point of Undertaker being better has long since been proven and having Vickie Guerrero screwing around with things is just prolonging everything. That’s obviously the point, but how many times are we going to see these two fight on pay per view?

Post match Vickie Guerrero comes out to say Undertaker can’t win the title via countout so it’s still vacant. Undertaker is livid and Tombstones Edge to blow off some steam.

Randy Orton promises to get the Raw World Title back tonight because HHH knows he can’t beat him one on one.

Here is MVP to say he doesn’t understand why he isn’t on the card. It’s bad business to not have him on the card because he is synonymous with top tier entertainment. Therefore, get an opponent out here for him right now. Cue Matt Hardy in street clothes to say he’s beaten MVP enough, so here’s someone new to do it instead.

MVP vs. Jeff Hardy

Jeff goes right after him to start but gets sent into the corner and rolled up for two. As we hear about Jeff’s house burning down recently (geez), MVP sends him hard into the corner for another near fall. We hit the front facelock to keep Jeff down but the fans are right behind him. Jeff fights up and tries the slingshot dropkick through the ropes, only to get sent crashing to the floor.

An armbar doesn’t last long for MVP so he pulls Jeff down by the hair instead. MVP slams him onto the arm and grabs another armbar but Jeff fights up. The jump over MVP in the corner doesn’t work as the arm gives out though and a DDT to the arm gets two. A boot to the arm sends Jeff outside and MVP rains down the forearms back inside. The Playmaker is blocked though and Jeff hits something like a Sling Blade. The Swanton misses but MVP misses a running boot in the corner. A Whisper in the Wind of all things finishes for Jeff.

Rating: C+. The arm work was a fine way to keep Hardy down but the ending coming out of nowhere continued a theme here. Jeff does his best when he’s fighting from behind so he was in his element here, especially as he’s freshly back from suspension. He needs to go somewhere, and winning here like this was a good step.

We recap the main event. HHH beat Randy Orton at Backlash in a four way to win the World Title so now it’s one on one in a cage match. Orton beat HHH, albeit in a triple threat, at Backlash and has beaten him before, so the history is strong with this one.

Raw World Title: HHH vs. Randy Orton

HHH is defending and it’s pinfall/submission/escape. Orton dives for the door at the bell but HHH isn’t having that. Instead he’ll have the door slammed in his face, allowing Orton to hammer away. HHH sends him into the cage but gets dropped with a single right hand. Back up and HHH pounds him right back down, setting up the knee drop for two. A catapult sends HHH into the cage and the hanging DDT makes it even worse.

The chinlock doesn’t last long but Orton is right back with a powerslam for two. Orton’s knee drop gets two more and it’s time to stomp away. Another knee misses though and HHH goes after the knee. There’s the Figure Four to stay on the leg until Orton gets out and drops HHH again. Orton goes for the door but gets pulled back in, only to bring a chair with him. HHH grabs said chair but gets dropped with a low blow.

The RKO onto the open chair is countered into a drop toehold onto the open chair and they’re both down again. HHH knocks Orton off the cage and tries to go out but gets caught again, as tends to be the case in cage matches. Orton goes over this time and gets pulled back in by the head. Orton plants him onto the chair but the Punt misses and HHH chairs him in the head. The Pedigree retains the title.

Rating: B-. That was a HHH vs. Orton pay per view match alright and as usual, that doesn’t mean great things. The matches tend to be pretty good, but I’ve yet to see them rise to anything resembling epic. They got in some good offense here, but HHH gets his big epic finish and we move on, likely to another rematch until the Summerslam title program begins. As usual, good enough match, but not exactly pay per view main event worthy.

Overall Rating: B. There was enough quality stuff here for a watch, but they couldn’t have made this any more of a B/C level show if they just flat out said that’s what it was. Between Edge vs. Undertaker being a way to keep the feud going and a not exactly must see main event, the last hour or so wasn’t quite pay per view main event worthy.

The rest of the show was pretty good, with the Shawn vs. Jericho match easily being the highlight. Overall, the show is worth a look if you have absolutely nothing else to see, but don’t expect anything worth your time, save for one match and maybe Edge vs. Undertaker if you don’t mind the storyline stuff.

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Smackdown
Date: May 16, 2008
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Mick Foley, Michael Cole

It’s the go home show for Judgment Day and, for the third pay per view in a row, the Smackdown main event is going to be Edge vs. Undertaker for the World Title. That doesn’t make for the most exciting result, but that is about all they can do in their current situation. I’m not sure how interesting the final push is going to be but let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of last week’s Championship Chase, with Vickie Guerrero adding Edge in at the last minute to steal the title shot.

Opening sequence.

Here is La Familia to get things going. Edge brags about earning the title shot last week and can’t wait to beat Undertaker, who can’t win without the illegal choke. Cue Teddy Long, who is sorry he’s late. Vickie Guerrero can’t believe he’s here and says that as her assistant, he needs to be the first one to arrive and the last one to leave (Uh, how can he help her then?).

Actually Teddy says he was meeting with the Board Of Directors today, because Vickie blew off her meeting with them. He has a letter from the board for her: she can either have her first ever match or be fired from her job, with Long suggesting he would take her place. Vickie threatens to fire him but he quits and leaves instead. Oh and one more thing: her opponent is the UNDERTAKER. They had to do something like this at some point, though Vickie getting in the ring sounds more like comedy than anything else.

CM Punk vs. Chuck Palumbo

Palumbo pounds him down into the corner to start before grabbing a headlock takeover. Punk fights up and low bridges him to the floor, setting up the almost required suicide dive. Palumbo gets in another shot though and we hit the chinlock back inside. The elbow misses Punk and he fires off some kicks to put Palumbo in trouble.

There’s the running knee in the corner into the bulldog for two, followed by a springboard clothesline for the same. One heck of a standing clothesline gives Palumbo two and there’s a fall away slam for another near fall. Full Throttle is broken up though and Punk sends him into the post. The GTS finishes Palumbo off.

Rating: C. That should end this mini feud, as well as Punk’s kind of weird losing streak over his last few matches. I know Punk has the briefcase but that doesn’t mean he needs to lose so often. I’m still not sure why Palumbo got to beat him in the first place but at least they seem to have gotten back on track.

MVP comes in to see La Familia and complains about last week’s Championship Chase. Finlay and then Big Show follow him in but Vickie Guerrero doesn’t like the complaining. MVP can find a partner and face Finlay and Show. With the three of them gone, Chavo Guerrero wants to know why he wasn’t in on last week’s plan. Vickie tells him to shut up because they have planning to do.

Michelle McCool vs. Layla

Layla kicks her way out of the corner to start and slugs away, only to have Michelle come back with a leg crank. Commentary talks about how much better Michelle would have been as their science teacher as she gets a heel hook for the rather fast tap.

Here is Batista for a chat. He was watching Raw this week and saw Shawn Michaels admit that he was faking his knee injury at Backlash. Batista is glad Shawn is better….but wait, it was never hurt in the first place. Shawn is going to be at Judgment day, and maybe Batista will be there too. As usual, Batista keeps it simple and to the point, which often goes best or him.

Video on John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield.

Big Show/Finlay vs. MVP/Mark Henry

Henry is the surprise partner and Hornswoggle is here too, as Show is suddenly a nice guy again. MVP and Finlay go to the mat to start with Finlay grabbing a snap suplex for one. Finlay chokes away a bit before handing it off to Show and Henry. Show knocks him down with a shoulder so MVP comes in to be powered straight into the corner. It’s back to Finlay, who has to deal with an invading Henry, allowing MVP to kick him to the floor.

Back in and MVP fires off some forearms to the head. Henry adds a few shots of his own before handing it back to MVP. This time Finlay avoids a charge and brings Show back in as everything breaks down. Finlay low bridges Henry to the floor, leaving MVP to get chokeslammed for the pin.

Rating: C. Not too bad here, with MVP vs. Finlay being a nice feud and Show vs. Henry being there for the monster showdown appeal. I do appreciate it when they throw something new out there, as MVP and Finlay makes for a fresh match. You never know when you might find something that works and I could go for the two of them having a longer match.

Vickie Guerrero does not like being treated like this, so she’s making it La Familia vs. Undertaker tonight.

Vladimir Kozlov vs. Funaki

The fans chant USA as Kozlov takes him down by the arm and cranks away. More cranking ensues as Funaki is on his feet, where some kicks to the ribs don’t do much. Kozlov knocks him down again and hits the reverse DDT for the win. More dominance, but at least it was against a bigger name.

Cherry vs. Maryse

Deuce N Domino are here with Maryse, who shoves Cherry in the face to start. A neckbreaker gives Cherry a quick two and a rollup is good for the same. Maryse grabs a cravate but Cherry forearms her in the face. A bulldog gives Cherry the upset (I think?) pin.

Video on HHH vs. Randy Orton.

Judgment Day rundown.

Kofi Kingston (with Eve Torres for some reason) shows respect to Matt Hardy when Shelton Benjamin comes in. Benjamin isn’t impressed but Matt brings up that the Gold Standard doesn’t have any gold. And no the bad hair doesn’t count.

Matt Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin

Non-title. A running shoulder gives Shelton two and he grabs the quickly broken armbar. As Foley talks about Pennsylvania amusement parks, Benjamin takes him into the corner and backdrops him out. Benjamin gets two off a backbreaker and we hit the seated abdominal stretch. Matt fights up but a double leg and headbutt to the ribs cuts him back down. The bodyscissors goes on but Matt fights up for a Side Effect. Benjamin’s Dragon Whip connects but Matt is right back with a Twist of Fate for the pin.

Rating: C. Another perfectly watchable match here that had a bit of time. Matt continues to rack up victories, which make him feel like that much stronger of a champion. At the same time, that whole Gold Standard idea continues to feel like one of the worst possible moves, as Shelton’s downward spiral continues.

We recap the opening segment.

Undertaker vs. La Familia

Actually hold on as Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely walk out (apparently over not being in on last week’s scheme). Vickie is so terrified that even Mick Foley thinks this might be going too far. Edge and the Edgeheads swarm Undertaker at once but Undertaker fires the heads into the corner. The two of them come back to save Edge, who is playing defense in front of Vickie. The triple teaming puts Undertaker down, where his attempt at the choke is broken up. Undertaker fights up and sends the three of them to the floor before grabbing Vickie by the throat. Edge makes the save with the spear and the villains take the countout.

Rating: C-. This was more of an angle than a match and not exactly a great one at that. They’re teasing the idea of Undertaker getting his revenge on Vickie but we’re probably a good ways off from that actually happening. For now, we’ll have to settle for Edge doing more hitting and running, as the (third) big showdown awaits on Sunday.

Overall Rating: C-. Much like this week’s Raw, most of the build towards Sunday was already done but in this case, there wasn’t much to see here. We’re getting a rematch in the main event plus Batista likely interfering in the Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho match. That isn’t much to go on, and it didn’t make for a good go home Smackdown on the way there.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: May 13, 2008
Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Commentators: Mike Adamle, Tazz

Last week’s show was the 100th episode so we’ll start on the second century. It’s the final show before Judgment Day and the ECW Champion isn’t defending his title at the show. Instead, Kane and CM Punk are teaming up to challenge Miz and John Morrison for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles. That isn’t going to leave much in the way of a build here but maybe they can come up with something else. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Colin Delaney beating Armando Estrada in a huge upset to earn a contract last week.

In the back, Estrada warns Delaney that he hasn’t been in any real pain yet. Delaney signs and is told he gets to face Mike Knox tonight.

Opening sequence.

Miz vs. CM Punk

Miz has John Morrison stay in the back for this one. Punk wrestles him down to start but Miz blocks the running knee in the corner. Some elbows to the chest set up a crossface chickenwing, but Punk is right back up. A slingshot necksnap over the middle rope gives Miz two as they’re certainly starting fast here. Miz grabs the chinlock, followed by a reverse chinlock to change things up a bit. Punk fights up and snaps off a powerslam, followed by a leg lariat. The GTS is broken up and Miz grabs a neckbreaker….for the clean pin.

Rating: C+. It was a fast paced match and that made for an entertaining opener, but were they mad at Punk or something? Miz getting a win over Punk is one thing but a completely clean one is almost hard to fathom. It’s probably the biggest singles win of Miz’s career, but that’s just a weird loss, at least in this fashion, for Punk.

Cherry/Kelly Kelly/Michelle McCool vs. Layla/Victoria/Natalya

Natalya drives Michelle into the corner to start before handing it off to Victoria to start in on the arm. An armdrag gets Michelle out of trouble and it’s Cherry coming in to kick away. Natalya grabs a chinlock but Cherry channels Michelle with an armdrag of her own. This one doesn’t actually work though and it’s Victoria coming back in with a slingshot flipping legdrop. Victoria spends a bit too much time swinging at the other two though and a rollup gives Cherry the pin.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one but you can see that the division has come a very, very long way. Victoria is good as the veteran who is helping the new generation along and McCool has turned into a rather acceptable hand. Natalya is coming along and Kelly….yeah they’re going to push her as a star because of how she looks, ability or not.

Shelton Benjamin wants to get back on track after back to back losses to Kofi Kingston. Cue Kofi, who wins a quick brawl.

Video on Randy Orton vs. HHH.

Video on Colin Delaney’s path to the ECW roster.

Colin Delaney vs. Mike Knox

Delaney has some snazzy, upbeat music. Knox runs him over, hits a splash in the corner, and finishes with the swinging Downward Spiral in about a minute.

Post match Armando Estrada comes out to say he wants a rematch, because he is officially part of the roster (with a very lucrative salary).

Armando Estrada vs. Colin Delaney

Shouting and a Curtain Call finish Delaney in about thirty seconds.

Kane vs. John Morrison

Non-title and Miz is here with Morrison. Kane gets taken into the corner for some shots to the knee, which is wrapped around the rope. That’s broken up and Kane chokes him over the shoulder. Morrison slips out and kicks away, only to get stomped down again. Kane’s missed charge lets Morrison slug away in the corner, with Miz grabbing the foot for a bonus.

That’s enough to draw out CM Punk to even things up as we take a break. Back with Kane grabbing a chinlock, with Morrison going to the leg to get out. Some right hands in the corner and a chop block take Kane down as Morrison is showing the same intensity he was displaying last week. Morrison’s leglock sets up a basement dropkick for two before he wraps the leg around the post.

Kane punches his way out of trouble but Morrison takes him right back down by the leg. Another comeback works a bit better as Kane fires off the uppercuts and grabs the side slam. The leg is ok enough for the top rope clothesline but Miz offers a distraction. Punk is sent into the steps (bad night for him), allowing Morrison to get in a title shot. The Flying Chuck finishes Kane off.

Rating: C+. When did Morrison start getting all aggressive and such? It makes for a rather different person and I’m kind of digging what he’s been doing lately. Much like the opener, it’s a bit weird to see this result, but at least Morrison had to cheat to get there. This was a long match and had a purpose for Sunday so we’ll call that a nice way to go to wrap up the show.

Post match Kane is ticked off but gets beaten down again to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The opener and main event carried most of the show, though having Delaney back to being a punching bag isn’t the most thrilling way to go. The women’s match wasn’t great and that’s more or less the show. Having two big matches around here is better than nothing though and I’ll take that for a show with only so much to build towards on Sunday.

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