Smackdown
Date: June 13, 2008
Location: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Attendance: 6,000
Commentators: Mick Foley, Michael Cole

We’re well on the way to Night Of Champions and Batista is the new #1 contender to Edge’s Smackdown World Title. That alone should make for a good build towards the show, but we’re going to need more than that. Smackdown’s midcard might not be the strongest, but I’m sure we’ll have some Chuck Palumbo involved. Let’s get to it.

Vickie Guerrero is in the ring and we’re starting big with a contract signing. Batista comes out first but won’t sit down, even after Vickie offers him the chance. Vickie hypes up Edge a bit but since he has already signed the contract, he won’t be needed at the moment. She signs as well and tells Batista he needs to, but then won’t hand it over. Apparently Batista has to beat Great Khali tonight to really become #1 contender. That’s fine with Batista, who calls Vickie ugly and leaves. Hold on though as Vickie says if Batista loses tonight, he’s out of WWE. Vickie: “You’re dismissed.”

Finlay vs. John Morrison

Hornswoggle and Miz are here and this is a rather unique match. Finlay runs him over with a shoulder to start so Morrison heads to the floor. A legsweep takes Finlay down for a change but he ties Morrison up in the ring skirt. Hornswoggle is thrown at Miz to break up some interference but Morrison scores with a kick to take over. We hit the chinlock back inside before a neckbreaker gives Morrison two more. Finlay comes back with some clotheslines but Miz goes after Hornswoggle again. That’s enough of a distraction for Morrison to grab a rollup for the pin.

Rating: C. I could go for more of these two but this was more about setting things up for later. Finlay and Hornswoggle are at least a fresh team but I’m not sure I’d get behind the idea of them as serious challengers. Granted that might not be the case anytime soon as Finlay lost here, though I do like seeing a fresh match.

We’ll be looking at some classic Batista moments, like winning the 2005 Royal Rumble.

Edge likes the idea of honoring Batista before he’s gone from WWE, just like he did with Undertaker. Cue CM Punk to hint at cashing in the Money In The Bank briefcase at Edge’s wedding next month.

Mark Henry vs. Tommy Dreamer

Before the match, we see a clip of Henry promising to give Big Show another black eye at Night Of Champions. Henry shoves him into the corner without much trouble to start and knocks him down for a kick to the back. There’s another slam to set up a headbutt in the corner as this is total destruction. Dreamer gets a boot up in the corner and slugs away but the DDT is blocked. The World’s Strongest Slam finishes Dreamer without much trouble.

Edge comes in to see Vickie Guerrero, who is planning her wedding with wedding planner Alicia Fox. He’s worried about the threat of a CM Punk cash-in but here is MVP to interrupt. MVP wants to renegotiate his contract because his talents are being underutilized. Edge doesn’t want to hear it so MVP says he could take the title. Anyway, he wants a new contract but Vickie points out that Teddy Long gave him the original. She’ll consider it…if he takes care of this CM Punk issue. Works for MVP.

Cherry vs. Maryse

Cherry takes her down and hammers away to start so Maryse bails into the corner. Back up and Maryse kicks the leg out to take over and we hit the cravate. Cherry fights up and slugs away, setting up a hammerlock DDT for the fast pin. Not much to this one.

Video on the Great Khali.

MVP vs. CM Punk

Punk wrestles him to the mat to start before grabbing a headlock. MVP reverses into one of his own for a bit, only to have Punk pop up. A spinwheel kick drops MVP and we hit the chinlock again. MVP slips out and grabs an armbar and cranks away for a bit. Punk is able to fight out with his good arm as they’re certainly not breaking out of second gear so far.

A missed charge sends Punk’s bad arm into the post and MVP sends it in twice more. We take a break and come back with MVP hammering away and grabbing a Fujiwara armbar. Punk fights out so MVP puts on another armbar. Back up again and Punk is able to hit a kick to the head for two and a hurricanrana gets the same.

Punk goes up top but the elbow only hits raised knees. With nothing else working, MVP pulls off a turnbuckle pad and uses the distraction to grab the Money In The Bank briefcase. Punk scores with the jumping knee to the head and takes the briefcase back (it’s his after all) but the referee sees it and calls the DQ.

Rating: C+. This was the wrestling match of the show and it got a lot of time, but the armbars took up a good bit of the time. They made sense given what MVP was tasked with doing but that didn’t make for an interesting match. At least Punk didn’t get pinned again, as they seem to be getting close to the cash-in, or certainly teasing the heck out of the thing.

Video on Edge winning the World Title by beating Undertaker in a TLC match.

Here is Chavo Guerrero, with Bam Neely, to announce that he will be Edge’s best man. In addition, at Night Of Champions, he’ll beat Matt Hardy for the US Title!

Matt Hardy vs. Chuck Palumbo

Non-title. Palumbo powers him into the corner to start and kicks Matt outside. Back in and Palumbo hits a belly to back suplex into a chinlock as the pace stays slow. Palumbo misses a top rope legdrop for two and Matt grabs the Side Effect for two. The Twist of Fate finishes Palumbo soon after.

Rating: C. Palumbo continues to hang around and he’s oddly starting to grow on me. At the end of the day, he’s never going to be a big star but he’s someone who can handle a middle of the road spot like this and do just fine. That’s a role that you need to have on any show and Palumbo, while not great, is doing it well enough.

Video on Batista winning his first World Title at Wrestlemania XXI.

Video on the first week of Million Dollar Mania.

Vladimir Kozlov is asked about better competition and answers in Russian.

Video on Batista winning the World Title at Survivor Series 2006.

Jesse & Festus vs. Deuce N Domino

Festus runs both of them outside to start before Jesse drop toeholds Deuce down to start. Jesse gets taken into the corner though and the double teaming is on quickly. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Jesse kicks his way out. Festus comes back in to clean house, including an uppercut to Domino. A sitdown splash gives Festus the pin.

Rating: C-. These teams feel like they have been fighting each other in circles for months and neither has shown any signs of moving up the ladder. At some point you need to do something that actually matters or otherwise this is just filler. The Festus Is A Monster deal has gone about as far as it can and it’s not getting any better. In other words, it’s a WWE tag team problem, as they continue to prove why there isn’t enough depth for two sets of titles.

Post match Deuce N Domino go at it, with Domino getting the better of things and walking off. And the depth lowers again.

Video on Batista vs. Great Khali from 2007.

Batista vs. Great Khali

If Batista wins he gets a Night Of Champions title shot but if he loses, he’s fired. Edge and Vickie Guerrero come out to watch as Khali chops away in the corner. Batista tries to fight back and we take a break. Back with Khali headbutting him to the floor before dropping the leg. Khali hits the elbow in the corner but Batista reverses for the shoulders to the ribs. The chokebomb gets two and we hit the nerve hold. Batista fights up and blocks the chop, setting up the sear for the fast pin.

Rating: C. As usual, keeping things short is the right way to go for Khali and Batista gets the win to set up the title match. It wasn’t the most interesting drama but they were in and out of there in about five minutes. They built it up over one night but it worked out well enough for a single night main event.

Overall Rating: C-. This show was almost all about setting up the Batista vs. Edge match and it went well enough. That being said, they needed something else to make things interesting and that was lacking pretty badly. Smackdown doesn’t have the most depth in the storyline department at the moment and as has been the case for a long time now, they need to work on that.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: June 3, 2008
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 10,000
Commentators: Mike Adamle, Tazz

We have a new #1 contender to the ECW Title as Big Show gets to revive his feud against Kane, a mere nine years after they had such a terrible feud in the first place. Normally I would say other than that, but it isn’t like there is much going on here other than Colin Delaney vs. Armando Estrada. Let’s get to it.

Here is One Night Stand if you need a recap.

Teddy Long takes over Armando Estrada’s office and is apparently the new GM.

Opening sequence.

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

The winner gets Kane (not said to be a title match) later tonight. Dreamer and Morrison pair off while Punk knees Chavo in the corner. Morrison misses the break dancing legdrop and Dreamer drops an elbow (on Tommy Morrison, according to Adamle) before Punk takes Dreamer into the corner. A clothesline puts Morrison on the floor and Adamle catches himself before getting the name wrong again (that’s a step). Chavo goes outside as well so Punk hits the big dive to take them out.

Back in and Morrison’s Flying Chuck gets two on Punk with Dreamer making the save. Dreamer gets Morrison in the Texas Cloverleaf so Chavo comes in with Three Amigos to put Dreamer down. Morrison catches Chavo on top but Punk knocks them both down, with Morrison getting tied in the Tree of Woe. Dreamer (who Adamle ALSO calls Tommy Morrison) hits a running basement dropkick but Chavo comes off the top with the frog splash. Punk is right there with the GTS to finish Chavo (of the Chavo Morrison’s I believe) and get the match with Kane.

Rating: C+. Usual fast paced action here with Punk winning to set up what could be an interesting Punk vs. Kane match. That being said, it was a five minute match and I’m not sure how Adamle can be this bad at his job. He’s been doing this for a bit now and it shouldn’t be hard to keep track of basic names. Adamle just doesn’t seem cut out for this job and that is becoming more obvious every week.

Teddy Long shows Armando Estrada a letter from the Board Of Directors, saying he is no longer ECW GM. He’s also no longer going to be so highly paid, but he can have a match tonight….against Matt Hardy.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Matt Sydal

Kofi Kingston is on commentary. Benjamin powers Sydal around to start but Sydal is right back up with a running headscissors. A top rope Meteora gives Sydal two as commentary is rather impressed. Benjamin isn’t having that and hits a rather hard snapmare into the corner, setting up an armbar. A clothesline cuts off Sydal’s comeback and Benjamin tosses him hard to the floor. That’s not enough for Benjamin, who throws Sydal into Kofi and gets the countout.

Rating: C. If that wasn’t a tryout for Sydal, he probably got at least another look as a result. Sydal got in some offense here and looked rather smooth in doing so. Benjamin vs. Kingston continues and is probably building to what could be a nice main event. For now though, points for a bit of a unique finish, with Sydal not even getting pinned.

Post match Kofi charges in for the fight with Benjamin, who manages to send him into the steps and escape.

Matt Hardy vs. Armando Estrada

Non-title. Hardy blocks a kick and sends him down but Estrada gets in a few right hands in the corner. Not that it matters, as Hardy shrugs them off and hits the Twist Of Fate to finish in about a minute.

Post match here is Teddy Long to say not so fast because Estrada has one more chance to prove he is worth all that money in his contract.

Colin Delaney vs. Armando Estrada

Delaney Oklahoma rolls him for two at the bell, followed by an O’Connor roll for the pin in less than thirty seconds.

Post break Estrada yells at Long, who says Estrada can wrestle here, but not with a contract. He can be like Delaney used to be! Ron Simmons comes in for the catchphrase.

Video on a press conference today in Los Angeles to promote Million Dollar Mania (with HHH getting in the required Dr. Evil impression).

Kane vs. CM Punk

Non-title. Kane shoves him down to start and Punk might need a different strategy. Punk works on the arm for a change but Kane powers him down again. Back up and Punk knocks him outside, only to get dropped with a heck of a right hand. Kane chokes Punk over his back but Punk fires off some knees. Not that they make much of a difference as Kane hits a big boot to send us to a break.

Back with Kane holding an abdominal stretch before kicking him down again. Some forearms to the back set up a bodyscissors to make Punk scream a bit more. Punk fights up and manages a sunset flip for two, only to get his head take off by a clothesline. The bodyscissors goes on again but Punk fights up for the fourth or so time.

A bunch of running knees in the corner look to set up the running bulldog but Kane reverses into a belly to back for two. Punk grabs a springboard bulldog for two of his own, only to get dropped with a side slam. There’s the top rope clothesline for two more but the chokeslam is countered. Punk’s ribs are too banged up for the GTS though and Kane chokeslams him for the pin.

Rating: B-. This took time to get going but it picked up a lot once it stopped being a squash. I’m not sure why Kane needed to beat him up this badly, though Punk does have an out by wrestling three times in two days as opposed to Kane’s one. Still though, this was a bit more one sided than it needed to be, as Punk is hardly some loser who should be getting crushed.

Post match Miz and John Morrison come in to take out Kane.

A bunch of replays end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event helped a lot and Punk opening and closing the show was a good idea, but my goodness the Draft cannot come soon enough around here. They just need some fresh blood and this show proved it badly. You can only rearrange people so many different ways before you run out of ideas and they reached that point a good while ago. Punk and Kane can’t do everything forever and that is going to have to change sooner than later.

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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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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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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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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 6, 2008
Location: Labatt Center, London, Ontario, Canada
Attendance: 6,000
Commentators: Mike Adamle, Tazz

It’s a special night as this is the 100th episode of ECW. That is quite the accomplishment, especially given how messy the early days were around here. The big story continues to be Kane vs. Chavo Guerrero, because that feud just can’t end already. Other than that, hopefully we get another big time story around here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at ECW over the last nearly two years, some of which is rather good. There are some not so great moments in there either, but given what kind of resources they had, they did pretty well.

Opening sequence.

Mike Adamle is brought to the ring to start for an explanation if why he walked out last week (with Tazz saying he walked out in support of Adamle). Adamle apologizes to the fans but says he’s been a broadcaster longer than most of them have been alive. He played in the NFL and covered it for seven years, in addition to covering the Olympics. The truth is he had no idea it is to do this job though and how great the fans are. Yes he has made mistakes, but he loves working here and he is going to get better. That explains last week a bit, but hopefully they don’t try to turn this into an angle.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Mike Knox

Extreme Rules and Stevie Richards is on commentary. Knox goes after him to start but they head outside where Dreamer can send him into the steps. It’s time to bring in the weapons though and Knox smashes him in the back with a cookie sheet. A hockey stick is loaded up but Dreamer dropkicks the trashcan into Knox and takes it away.

Back in and Dreamer hits him with various wooden objects before tying Knox in the Tree of Woe. That means a dropkick to drive the shopping cart into the trashcan into Knox, but instead of covering, it’s time for a table. The bulldog through the table is countered though and Knox suplexes him through it for two instead. A chair is brought in and Knox hits the spinning Downward Spiral onto said chair to finish Dreamer.

Rating: C+. You had to have this kind of a match on here somewhere and Dreamer losing is a fine enough way to go. Knox still isn’t really interesting in any way but at least they kept it relatively short and got some violence in there. Richards didn’t really add anything, but I wonder if he is there to take some pressure off of Adamle.

We look at the Zombie on the debut episode and getting wrecked by the Sandman. I’m still not sure if that’s hilariously stupid or stupidly hilarious.

We get the return of Kelly’s Expose until Layla interferes and dances as well. Catfighting ensues and referees break it up.

We look at the Hardcore Holly vs. Rob Van Dam Extreme Rules match and the ghastly cut on Holly’s back after going through a table.

We look at Roddy Piper and Boogeyman abusing Matt Striker on his birthday.

Chuck Palumbo says he attacked CM Punk because he got in Palumbo’s face. Don’t do that again.

Kofi Kingston vs. Matt Striker

Shelton Benjamin is on commentary. Striker knocks him down to start but Kofi is back with a heck of a dropkick. Trouble In Paradise finishes Striker in about a minute.

Post match Benjamin comes in and lays Kingston out with a jumping Downward Spiral.

CM Punk and a bunch of other ECW stars give Colin Delaney a pep clap on the way to the ring.

We look at the New Breed beating the ECW Originals in an Extreme Rules match. That wasn’t the worst story actually.

Colin Delaney vs. Armando Estrada

If Delaney wins, he gets a contract. We see Estrada without a shirt for the first time and it turns out that he’s in incredible shape. Delaney tries a rollup to start but gets blasts with a clothesline for his efforts. A beal sets up an armbar as this is getting one sided in a hurry. Back up and Delaney hits a dropkick but gets sent out to the apron. Delaney slides back in though and a sunset flip (Is it still a sunset flip if he doesn’t actually flip?) pins Estrada to give Delaney the contract in a huge upset.

Post match Delaney thanks everyone for helping him get here, including Tommy Dreamer and all of his doubters.

CM Punk/Kane vs. Bam Neely/Chavo Guerrero

Miz and John Morrison are on commentary, with Miz giving Tazz a Chick Magnet shirt. Neely goes for Kane’s leg to start and gets punched in the face for his efforts. Punk comes in with a slingshot hilo for two as Morrison lists of the things he hates about Punk (Morrison: “His tights, his kickpads.”) in quite the rant. It’s off to Chavo, who slips out of a double underhook and brings Punk into the wrong corner. Punk is fine enough to send Chavo to the floor (Punk: “YOU ALMOST WENT SPLAT!”) and we take a break.

Back with Punk being sent into the corner so Neely can slowly forearm away. As Miz and Morrison needle Adamle (who doesn’t seem happy), Chavo comes in and gets punched out of the corner. Chavo pulls Punk back down into a chinlock before it’s back to Neely for a belly to back suplex. Miz and Tazz argue a bit as well as Chavo slingshots in with a knee to the chest.

Punk finally kicks Neely away (Adamle: “Have mercy!” Morrison: “Did you just say ‘have mercy’?”), allowing the tag to Kane. House is cleaned and Neely is sent outside, leaving Kane to hit the top rope clothesline on Chavo. Kane seems to bang up his knee though and it’s back to Punk for the knees to Chavo’s chest. Another knee rocks Chavo again as everything breaks down. Kane kicks Neely outside and the GTS finishes Chavo.

Rating: C+. As has been the case for a long time now, there isn’t much of a way around it: Chavo Guerrero isn’t very interesting as a main event level star. The other big problem is Neely, who is as generic of an enforcer as you can get. The fact that he is also a glorified punching bag doesn’t help either. Kane and Punk winning was the fool good ending, but I can’t imagine Chavo and Neely being seen as a serious threat to them anyway.

Miz and Morrison hold up the titles at Kane and Punk to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The 100th episode deal and the special clips were kind of nice, but other than that, the Delaney win was the only thing that mattered here. Starting the show with the Adamle promo didn’t help things, and it just wasn’t that interesting of a show. The action was good enough and the show was fine, but you have to remember how little most of this matters. It isn’t a bad show (as is the case a lot of the time), but it isn’t important, and that becomes a problem over time.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: May 5, 2008
Location: Air Canada Center, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Attendance: 16,664
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We are less than two weeks away from Judgment Day and we have a bit of a crazy boss. Last week saw General Manager William Regal crowned as King, though the power seems to have already gone to his head as he cut the show off so fans who booed him couldn’t see the ending. Mr. Kennedy isn’t happy and it might be time to deal with things. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of William Regal going all scooters last week.

Here is Vince McMahon to say Regal pulled the plug in the end of a title match. This has led to a variety of protests from the fans, with many of them demanding that Vince appear tonight. However, McMahon finds Regal’s actions to be visionary, so Regal reminds Vince of himself! He is all for Regal’s actions and no punishment is coming.

Here is Regal for a chat. Regal doesn’t like the fans disrespecting him again here….so turn out the lights again. He has the lights turned back on but says he won’t be disrespected. Cue Mr. Kennedy to interrupt, saying all Regal has to do is agree to face him. Instead, Regal puts him in the main event against…..the entire ECW roster (or about six members). This is part of a deal with Armando Alejandro Estrada to promote tomorrow’s 100th ECW, but here is HHH to interrupt.

Just like Mr. Kennedy Kennedy here, HHH means no disrespect and tells Regal to not make mistakes. Last week, Regal cutting the lights off during HHH’s match and disrespecting him would be mistakes. HHH says Regal doesn’t want a war with him, but Regal says HHH already has to defend the title against Randy Orton in a cage at Judgment Day. As for tonight, HHH can join Mr. Kennedy in the main event against ECW. Regal is absolutely nailing it here and Kennedy is feeling like quite the rebel.

Women’s Title: Beth Phoenix vs. Mickie James

James is defending in a lumberjack match. Beth easily powers her around to start and gets two off a running shoulder. With James on the floor, the evil lumberjacks get in their required cheap shots but James is right back with a neckbreaker. The lumberjacks get into their big fight (at least they didn’t waste time here) and we take an early break. Back with Beth cranking on both arms until Mickie fights up and dropkicks her way to freedom. The top rope Thesz press gets two and Beth is sent outside for a beating. In the melee, Melina goes for Mickie but hits Beth by mistake, allowing Mickie to grab a small package to retain.

Rating: C. This was all about the insanity going on around the ring while Mickie and Beth were just kind of in the middle. There are a lot of women in the division but there aren’t many who are ready to go after the title. That is going to have to change, but for now it’s likely going to be Mickie/Beth/Melina.

Chris Jericho comes up to see William Regal, who asks about Shawn Michaels’ knee. Jericho is sure that Shawn is faking, which doesn’t go well for him because tonight it’s Jericho/Shawn vs. Miz/John Morrison.

Trevor Murdoch is singing when Trish Stratus comes in to look confused. Ron Simmons shows up for his cameo line.

Randy Orton doesn’t agree with the idea that HHH had him beaten last week but that’s not the point. As for tonight, he has CM Punk, who might cash in Money In The Bank on him when Orton gets the title back in two weeks.

Katie Lea Burchill/Paul Burchill vs. John Cutler

Hold on though as William Regal pops up to say Jim Ross isn’t going to call this match. Instead, here is Mike Adamle to take the spot, leaving Ross looking rather annoyed. Paul chops him up against the ropes as Katie seems rather pleased. A knee drop lets Katie stomp away and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Cutler tries to roll Katie up, earning a stomping from Paul. The top rope double stomp from Katie sets up the single version from Paul, giving Katie the pin.

Rating: D+. There’s something to be said about Katie being the focal point here as she has the charisma to get noticed, but I’m not sure where this is going to go. The bigger focus being on the commentary didn’t help either, but the Burchills are at least different. Paul still has the intensity to make something like this work, though it hasn’t exactly gotten there yet.

Chris Jericho comes up to Shawn Michaels in the back. Shawn says he’s really hurt but he’ll do his best, as always. Jericho doesn’t seem to buy it.

Chris Jericho/Shawn Michaels vs. Miz/John Morrison

Non-title, JR is back on commentary and Shawn is badly limping on the way to the ring. Jericho and Miz start things off with Jericho hitting a quick suplex. Morrison comes in to kick away in the corner, setting up the springboard spinning kick to the face. It’s right back to Miz, who is quickly pulled into the Walls. Morrison makes the save so Shawn comes in with Sweet Chin Music, leaving him writhing in pain. A quick Lionsault gives Jericho the pin.

Rating: C. This was more storyline advancement than anything else as Michaels is either telling the truth or milking the heck out of faking the injury. It’s an interesting story as it could go either way, which is something you don’t get very often. If nothing else, Jericho being all smug and knowing that Shawn is faking it is making for good TV. Now just stop pinning the champs and it’s that much better.

Shawn needs help getting to the back and Jericho is confused.

CM Punk vs. Randy Orton

Orton starts fast by sending him to the apron and then down to the floor in a crash. Back in and Orton starts the circle stomp but misses the knee drop. Punk kicks away but misses a springboard spinning crossbody. Back up and Punk kicks away, setting up the knee into the corner and the bulldog right back out of it. Cue William Regal though and let’s turn out the lights because this match is over.

Rating: C. Well that’s certainly a different way to go and this Regal stuff is getting more interesting. It’s not often that you see someone actually shaking things up like this and it’s making things feel different. Sometimes that is the way you need tog o and making Orton mad is going to be an upgrade as well. The match was energetic while it lasted but it didn’t exactly have time to go anywhere before the storyline ending.

Post break Orton is livid and goes to find Regal for some answers.

It’s time for Carlito’s Cabana. We look at Roddy Piper making a surprise appearance last week and slapping Santino Marella in the face. Therefore, here is Piper as this week’s guest. Carlito says he gets that Santino can be annoying but Piper took it too far. Piper: “Listen Buckwheat.”

We hear about Piper taking it too far every time, including when he beat cancer. He’s not going to apologize for anything, including not wanting to sit and talk about what he did. Carlito says he would have slapped Piper back but Piper says Carlito should be glad that Piper didn’t bring a seagull to make a next in Carlito’s hair.

Cue Santino Marella to mock Piper for taking so long to become Intercontinental Champion. Piper brings up Santino’s recent DUI, but here is Cody Rhodes to interrupt. Now it’s Cryme Tyme (Piper: “HOLY COW!”) and the villains (oddly enough not including Piper) bail. The good guys dance. This was there to get Piper on the show and for the dancing at the end, but the seemingly endless Carlito/Marella Tag Team Title chase is dragging things down.

Post break Cryme Tyme is still in the ring and thinks they have a lot of stuff to sell around here. They have a hammock and coconuts! Selling ensues and a lot of money changes hands (with a fan getting the hammock).

Judgment Day rundown.

JBL is standing next to his limo and offers to share his lifestyle. We go inside the limo for a ride into the arena, with JBL talking about all of the features in the limo (full bar, high speed internet). This was a very JBL thing to do and it worked.

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. DH Smith

Before the match, JBL talks about Smith’s father but says the British Bulldog can’t help him. The beating is on fast and the Clothesline From JBL finishes in about a minute.

Post match the big beating is on until referees break it up.

William Regal tells the ECW roster to get it together tonight because they have a big mission. The team goes to the ring, with Kane glaring at Regal as he leaves.

Smackdown Rebound.

HHH/Mr. Kennedy vs. ECW Roster

One fall to a finish. Kennedy and Elijah Burke start things off with Kennedy grabbing a front facelock and handing it off to HHH. The jumping knee drops Matt Striker so it’s quickly off to Mike Knox. The villains (mostly at least) take over on HHH, who shrugs it off and brings Kennedy back in. Tommy Dreamer grabs a snap suplex and brings in Kofi Kingston, only to have Shelton Benjamin tag himself in. The distraction lets HHH come back in and everything breaks down. Kane chokeslams Kennedy but Bam Neeley jumps Kane, allowing Chavo Guerrero to hit a frog splash for the pin.

Rating: C. These things are always weird as there is only so much you can do with two vs. more than a dozen wrestlers. ECW was more or less rotating wrestlers in and out and the real focus here was on the visual of having that many people out there. I’m not sure how much of a punishment it was, but at least it wasn’t the same stuff we see every week.

Post match the big brawl is on with HHH cleaning house but the lights go out. They come back up and it’s Randy Orton with an RKO to HHH to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The Regal stuff is interesting and that is what the show needed given how weak the wrestling was this week. There is only so much you can get out of a bunch of weak matches and a kind of strange Roddy Piper segment and this show proved it. Hopefully this was just a one off weak show, as there are pieces, like Jericho vs. Shawn, there that could help carry the weak portions.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: April 29, 2008
Location: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Commentators: Tazz, Mike Adamle

We’re done with Backlash and believe it or not, Bam Neely wasn’t enough to get Chavo Guerrero past ECW Champion Kane. The feud still isn’t that interesting as there is still no reason to believe that Chavo is a real threat to get the title back. Unfortunately there aren’t many options available to challenge Kane at the moment so things might continue. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kofi Kingston vs. Shelton Benjamin

Before the match, Benjamin promises to show that Kofi beating him last week was a fluke. A very fast rollup gives Benjamin two and he slams Kofi down a few times for the same. Kofi fights out of a backbreaker but another backbreaker cuts him right back down. A superplex attempt is broken up though and Kofi hits a high crossbody. Benjamin isn’t having that and plants him hard, setting up a corner clothesline. Kofi is right back up with Trouble In Paradise (it’s as sudden as it sounds) for the pin.

Rating: C. The ending was so out of nowhere that it almost felt weird. I’m assuming they’re going with the idea that Kofi can hit the kick anytime and another win helps him, but this was almost a squash until the ending. What matters is that Kingston gets another win though, as his slow rise continues.

Mike Knox vs. Tommy Dreamer

This is revenge for Knox hurting Dreamer’s buddy Colin Delaney (in the corner). Dreamer stomps away in the corner to start but Knox blasts him with a clothesline. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Knox sends Delaney into the steps for fun. The distracted Dreamer gets caught with the spinning Downward Spiral for a fast pin.

It’s time for Striker’s Classroom, with Matt Striker thinking the people here need some education after Spring Break. Striker brings out the newer Smackdown broadcaster, Mick Foley. We get a quick lesson for Foley to know what he is going to be doing, but Foley brings up his bestselling books in addition to his in-ring career. Striker mocks Foley’s smile, physical fitness, hair and lack of air ear.

Foley likes the way he looks because it reminds him of the sacrifices he has made to entertain the fans over the years. That might be foreign to Striker, who is a pretty boy and has never entertained anyone. Striker gets on him about his sweat pants but Foley says they are full of testicular fortitude. As Striker keeps going on about move names Foley won’t know, Foley pulls out Mr. Socko and, using a phantom Gore Vidal sighting, knocks Striker out. Beating up a loudmouthed villain will always work.

CM Punk vs. Chuck Palumbo

Palumbo shoves him in the face to start and we’re ready to go fast. A slam takes Punk down but Palumbo misses an elbow, meaning it’s time to strike away. Punk gets clotheslined hard into the corner though and the chinlock goes on. Punk fights up again and gets dropped with some right hands in the corner. Make that enough right hands that Palumbo gets disqualified.

Rating: C. Well ok then. I kept waiting on Punk to come back and hit the GTS for the pin but it never happened. Instead Palumbo dominated to start, kept doing so, and then got disqualified for being Punk up too much. Was Punk in trouble here or something? It’s hard to fathom Palumbo beating up Mr. Money in the Bank at this point yet here we are for some reason.

Post match Punk goes after Palumbo again and gets dropped again.

Raw Rebound.

Kane vs. Chavo Guerrero/Bam Neely

Non-title…and commentary leaves for some reason. As that bizarre change takes place, Kane hits a basement dropkick and gorilla press on Chavo to start. The threat of a chokeslam has Neely pulling Chavo to the floor as we take a break. Back with Chavo dropkicking the knee and handing it off to Neely (in dress clothes). Chavo offers a distraction though and the villains get to take over.

Kane sends Chavo over the top but Neely pulls Kane down, banging up the knee even more. Back in and Chavo wraps the leg around the rope before hitting a basement dropkick. Kane’s sit up has Chavo panicking in a great visual and the side slam gets two. It’s back to Neely, who gets taken down with the top rope clothesline, followed by Kane bringing Chavo back in the hard way. Neely goes right back to the leg though (smart bodyguard) and the frog splash gives Chavo the pin.

Rating: C+. The lack of commentary aside, this was a nice match with the villains going after the knee to take Kane down and then putting him away. If nothing else, Chavo getting a pin might make him seem that much more important in the required rematches, as Kane still has no better opponents. Neely still doesn’t offer much but muscle, though at least he looks decent while doing so.

Overall Rating: C. I’m still trying to get over that Chuck Palumbo deal, but the best thing I can say about this show is it felt a little different. ECW still needs quite a talent boost, though at least they tried to make things more interesting this week. That being said, Neely, Knox and Palumbo are only going to get you so far. Kingston’s rise helps though and hopefully these problems can get fixed sooner rather than later. They probably won’t as I’ve been saying that for months, but at least they’re making some minor adjustments.

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Backlash 2008
Date: April 27, 2008
Location: 1st Mariner Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Attendance: 11,277
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Mick Foley, Tazz, Mike Adamle

We are at the official Wrestlemania followup pay per view and the top of the card is rather stacked. First up we have a Wrestlemania rematch for the Smackdown World Title, though this time Edge is challenging Undertaker. On Raw, it’s a similar situation from Wrestlemania, but this time JBL is added to the John Cena/Randy Orton/HHH mix and it’s elimination Rules. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at how this is the Wrestlemania fallout, including the bigger matches.

Mick Foley is replacing Coach on commentary, which has to be a nice upgrade.

US Title: Matt Hardy vs. MVP

MVP is defending in a match almost a year in the making, as they had a big feud going but then health issues slowed both of them down at different times. Feeling out process to start with neither being able to get very far early on. Matt drops the wrestling and hits him in the face, followed by a hiptoss for a quick one.

MVP puts him on top but gets elbowed back down, setting up a moonsault onto MVP’s raised knees. The abdominal stretch stays on the banged up ribs and MVP is evil enough to grab the rope. Matt grabs the leg and counters with something like a Samoan drop but MVP goes right back to the ribs. A big clothesline gets Matt out of trouble but MVP hot shots him ribs first onto the top.

The Playmaker is countered into the Side Effect for two and Matt goes up. This still doesn’t go well for him as MVP crotches him down but a super Side Effect gives Matt another near fall. MVP goes a little more basic by kicking him in the head and then does it again for a bonus. The running boot in the corner misses though and the Twist of Fate gives Matt the pin and the title.

Rating: B. The ending was a little flat but what mattered here was giving Matt the big win to FINALLY pay off the feud. Other than that, they had a hard hitting match with Matt having to fight from behind for a good portion but he managed to hang in there enough. The ending was clean too and now Matt can move on to something else, albeit likely after a big rematch with MVP first.

In the back, Matt Hardy talks about how this is the biggest win of his career and emphatically says he is BETTER THAN MVP.

ECW Title: Kane vs. Chavo Guerrero

Guerrero, with Bam Neely, is challenging. Kane sends him into the corner to start and hits a basement dropkick but seems to be limping a bit. A gorilla press plants Chavo but he’s right back with some shots to the hip/leg. The still limping Kane sends him outside and gets in a ramp into the apron to work on Chavo’s back. The rather wise Chavo goes right back to the leg, sending it into the apron and post.

Neely gets in a cheap shot to validate his presence before Chavo is right back to a leglock. Kane powers up with an electric chair drop and some corner clotheslines. The side slam gets two and the top rope clothesline knocks Chavo to the apron. That’s enough for a tornado DDT to get Chavo out of trouble and it’s right back to the knee. The frog splash connects….with Kane’s hand, as he grabs Chavo by the throat for the chokeslam to retain.

Rating: C-. The problem with Kane vs. Chavo continues, as there is no reason to believe that Chavo, even with help, is going to be able to beat Kane. Throw in Neely doing almost nothing here and there was no reason to get involved here. Kane limped around a lot and then shrugged it off to take over in the end. There isn’t much to get invested in here and it shows worse every week this feud has continued.

Randy Orton isn’t worried about defending against three challengers tonight because he’s retaining the title.

Great Khali vs. Big Show

The fans seem interested as we get the big staredown to start, followed by the slugout. They trade headbutts and chops until Khali drops him with a clothesline. Show’s attempt at a slam doesn’t work as Khali knocks him out to the floor with another clothesline. A big boot drops Show back inside and Khali grabs something like a crossface (ok then). Show fights up but Khali falls on him to break up a slam attempt. The nerve hold goes on before the big chop to the head drops Show again. Show fights to his feet again and finally gets the slam, followed by the chokeslam for the pin.

Rating: D+. It wasn’t good, it was very slow paced, and I have no idea why anyone would have expected anything else. There is only so much that Khali is going to be able to do in the ring and they didn’t deviate from that plan, with a lot of Khali’s stuff involving him standing still. Not a good match by any means, but it was exactly how this should have gone and was far from some disaster.

John Cena and Jimmy Wang Yang seem to be talking country music when Randy Orton comes in. Cena and Orton trade threats for the main event.

We recap Batista vs. Shawn Michaels. Batista was unhappy that Shawn Michaels didn’t lay down for Ric Flair to keep his career alive. Shawn more or less told Batista to get over it and the match was set. Chris Jericho got involved as the guest referee and seems to be more on the Batista side, despite Batista sounding incredibly whiny in the whole thing.

Batista vs. Shawn Michaels

Chris Jericho is the guest referee. They circle each other a bit to start and both miss their early finisher attempts. Michaels tries to go after the arm by driving in some knees and grabbing the short armscissors. Batista powers up but they fall over the top, cranking the arm even more.

The bad arm is sent into the post and the armbar goes on back inside. Batista finally powers out of it and hits a Samoan drop, followed by a clothesline to turn Shawn inside out (that always looks cool). The good arm is used for some shoulders in the corner but Shawn counters the Batista Bomb into a Crossface. With Batista getting too close to the ropes, Shawn is smart enough to roll it back into the middle to keep cranking.

The rope is finally grabbed but Jericho has to pull Shawn off (rather quickly at that). Batista is back up with a side slam and a spear cuts Shawn in half for two. Shawn is placed up top but shoves Batista down, setting up the top rope elbow. The superkick is countered into a heck of a one armed spinebuster and Batista is shaking the ropes levels of fired up. The Batista Bomb is countered….but Shawn has hurt his knee on the landing. Batista, ever the genius, falls for it and gets superkicked for the pin.

Rating: B. This was a somewhat slower paced match but the psychology worked well. Shawn knew that he couldn’t handle Batista in a straight fight but he also knew that Batista was so mad he was going to come right for him. That let Shawn pick him apart, mainly with the arm, before outsmarting him in the end. That’s how the match should have gone and it worked well, with Jericho not being much of a factor whatsoever.

Shawn’s knee is banged up enough that he has to be helped to the back. Why do I not quite believe him?

HHH and Randy Orton have their own psych out session, with HHH saying that pride comes before the fall.

Beth Phoenix/Jillian Hall/Layla/Melina/Natalya/Victoria vs. Ashley/Cherry/Kelly Kelly/Maria/Michelle McCool/Mickie James

Beth wants Michelle to start and shoves her down early on. Michelle’s kicks to the back don’t do much as Phoenix grabs a powerslam to take over. Melina comes in and gets beaten up by Mickie but Victoria comes in to slam her down. The dancing moonsault misses and everything breaks down fast. We actually settle back down to Beth chinlocking Ashley, who slips out of the Glam Slam. Everything breaks down again and we hit the parade of finishers. Beth’s release fisherman’s suplex finishes Ashley.

Rating: C-. This is one of those matches where there wasn’t much else that could have been done. You had twelve women sharing less than seven minutes and that is not going to go well. Maybe they were never given the time to do anything or they were trying to hide some of the limitations, but the Smackdown women really need something to fight over other than bragging rights.

We recap Edge challenging Undertaker for the Smackdown World Title. Undertaker took the title from Edge, but Vickie Guerrero has set up the rematch and put Undertaker through a bunch of opponents on the way. Simple story but Vickie knows how to sell it very well.

Smackdown World Title: Edge vs. Undertaker

Edge is challenging and is shoved outside rather quickly to start. Back in and Undertaker starts working on the arm to keep Edge in trouble and a good bit of cranking ensues. Edge gets smart by raking the eyes and knocking Undertaker outside, where a baseball slide knocks him down again. That doesn’t last long as Undertaker runs him over back inside and drops a leg for two.

Edge fights back again and gets in a shot to Undertaker’s banged up back, setting up the bodyscissors. A dropkick to the back, followed by a sliding dropkick to the back, has Undertaker in more trouble. Edge’s camel clutch goes on twice in a row, with Undertaker having to drop backwards onto him for the break.

They collide in the middle for a double knockdown but it’s Undertaker up first with Snake Eyes into the big boot. Undertaker shoves him off the top but misses a top rope legdrop of all things. With that odd visual out of the way, Edge grabs the title, only to have to counter a chokeslam to save himself. Edge goes for the turnbuckle pad, which the referee fixes, allowing Curt Hawkins to run in with a belt shot for two. Undertaker fights up again, takes out Zack Ryder, and grabs the triangle choke to retain the title.

Rating: B. This was a far cry from the Wrestlemania match and felt like a good TV match rather than a pay per view co main event. That being said, there is nothing to suggest that Edge can win a straight match against Undertaker so the ending was what made sense. Odds are this somehow still isn’t over though, as Vickie Guerrero dragging it out would not be a surprise. On top of that, who else is there on Smackdown that would make an interesting challenger right now? Anyway, nice match here, but nothing great or memorable.

Post match Undertaker keeps the hold on, with Vickie Guerrero coming out as Edge is bleeding from the nose/mouth. Undertaker leaves him laying and Vickie freaks out as Edge is taken away on a stretcher.

CM Punk wishes Randy Orton good luck, even as Orton is knocking on JBL’s door.

We recap the Raw World Title match. Randy Orton retained over John Cena and HHH at Wrestlemania so let’s do it again, with JBL added, and under elimination rules.

Raw World Title: JBL vs. HHH vs. John Cena vs. Randy Orton

Orton is defending under elimination rules. We get the Big Match Intros and Orton goes for the belt, only to get knocked outside by JBL. That leaves Cena to hammer on HHH in the corner but HHH sends him outside. Cena runs Orton over on the floor and hammers away, only to get knocked off the apron and into the announcers’ table.

Orton and JBL double team HHH inside, only to have him double clothesline his way to freedom. HHH sends JBL into the steps but it’s Cena back in with the top rope Fameasser to Orton. The STFU goes on and JBL….is smart enough to not break it up. HHH crossfaces JBL, who pokes Cena in the eye to save Orton. With the crossface broken up as well, JBL boots Orton in the face for two but he clotheslines JBL right back.

JBL catches Orton on top and let’s just turn that into a Tower Of Doom for the big knockdown. Cena is back up to initiate the finishing sequence on HHH, who cuts him off with a spinebuster. A backdrop sends HHH to the floor and Cena STFU’s JBL for the tap. Before Cena can get up, Orton Punts him for the pin ten seconds later and we’re down to Orton vs. HHH.

Orton gets sent outside and rammed into the announcers’ table, only to reverse a whip into the steps. A catapult sends HHH over the barricade but a suplex brings him back to ringside. They get back inside with Orton slowly hammering away, including the backbreaker for two.

HHH fights out of the chinlock (eventually) but Orton knocks him right back down. The RKO is shoved off though and HHH scores with the jumping knee to the face. Back up and HHH hits a running clothesline to put Orton on the floor again, setting up a toss over the announcers’ table. HHH drops him onto the steps to make it even worse but Orton manages to counter the Pedigree back inside. An RKO out of nowhere gets two but the Punt, the RKO and the Pedigree all miss, setting up the Pedigree to make HHH champion again.

Rating: B-. This was weird, as the majority of the match was spent on HHH vs. Randy Orton, with Cena and JBL feeling like window dressing. That feels like a big shift over to a new feud and that might be more interesting than the three way or multi person feud. As for the match itself, the first part was quite entertaining but it got pretty dull once it got down to two, which has been the case for HHH vs. Orton over the years. The title change was a surprise though and that is kind of nice to see.

Overall Rating: B. It’s a rather unique show as you had good action and stuff did happen with some title changes, but it still didn’t exactly feel like a major event. What matters here is moving some things forward though, with the Wrestlemania rematch season wrapping up and hopefully getting us on to something else. It’s almost a hidden gem, as the action is worth seeing and nothing is too bad, but I’ll be hoping to remember this show in another day or two.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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