Monday Night Raw
Date: September 29, 2008
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Attendance: 7,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

It’s the last Raw before No Mercy and hopefully that means a lot more from Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels. The two of them have done some great stuff lately and are carrying the show on their backs. That’s about all there is going on around here and that can make for a tedious watch. Let’s get to it.

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

Batista vs. Santino Marella

Non-title and Beth Phoenix is here with Marella. Before the match, Marella wants the Honk-A-Meter, which shows that he’s 58 weeks behind Honky Tonk Man’s record. He also has the Brain Barometer, which shows he has ten trillion brain cells compared to Batista’s 12. Shoulders in the corner, spinebuster, Batista Bomb finish in less than a minute.

Post match Batista yells at Phoenix but JBL runs in to give him the Clothesline.

Shawn Michaels, who is teaming with a mystery partner tonight, says Chris Jericho has six days left to be World Heavyweight Champion. As for tonight, how about he teams up with a Real American? A Texas Rattlesnake? Or the Best There Is, The Best There Was And The Best There Ever Will Be? Ok Michaels knows that last one is too far so he’ll settle for someone who likes him.

Miz vs. JTG

Their respective partners are here too. After a quick look at the Dirt Sheet, which featured an interview with Cryme Tyme’s “parents”, Miz drives JTG into the corner to start but gets cut off by a flying shoulder. An uppercut staggers Miz again but he’s back with the running corner clothesline. A regular clothesline drops JTG again, though he’s right back with a jumping over the back Fameasser for two. John Morrison offers a distraction so Shad Gaspard cuts him off, which allows Miz to grab the Reality Check for the pin.

Rating: C. Miz is at the point where he just needs reps, as he’s so young in his career. The good thing is that you can see the development coming along each week, as he’s having competent matches. That’s a long way to come in such a short amount of time and his chemistry with Morrison makes it even better.

Jamie Noble goes up to Jillian Hall and insults her singing before asking “sweet cheeks” to be his partner tonight. She sings a no but gets to meet Dolph Ziggler, who doesn’t impress her.

Paul Burchill/Katie Lea vs. Jamie Noble/???

William Regal and Layla come out to watch and Noble actually has a partner in the form of….Mickie James. Yeah that works. Burchill hammers Noble down to start and hands it off to Katie, who can beat on Noble as well as this is an intergender match. That doesn’t last long as James comes in and gets caught with a double arm crank. James fights up just as quickly and hands it back to Noble, who shouts at Regal before missile dropkicking Burchill. A cross armbreaker gives Noble the fast submission.

Rating: C. The ending was a nice surprise as Noble seems to be turning to the good side. Granted he needs to work on his ability to speak to others but at least the stuff in the ring is working. The cross armbreaker is a good addition, as it certainly looks devastating enough. I can’t imagine he survives the showdown with Regal, but at least Noble is doing something well.

Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase and Manu find Kane (their partner tonight), with Rhodes saying that since Kane is Paul Bearer’s son, he’s basically a second generation star. That means they can work together, but Kane would rather massacre Rey Mysterio no matter who is on his side. Stay out of his way or he’ll end all of them.

We look back at last week, when Lance Cade beat Shawn Michaels, albeit thanks to a Chris Jericho distraction.

Here is Cade to brag about his win and say that Jericho is just better than Michaels. He doesn’t care who Michaels has as a partner tonight either.

Cody Rhodes/Ted DiBiase/Manu/Kane vs. CM Punk/Kofi Kingston/Rey Mysterio/Evan Bourne

Manu elbows Bourne in the face to start but Bourne slips out of a suplex attempt and brings in Mysterio. Everything breaks down early, with Punk and Kingston hitting stereo dives, followed by another dive from Mysterio as we take an early break. We come back with Bourne fighting out of Rhodes’ chinlock but Manu is in to keep Bourne down. That doesn’t last long though as Bourne is up for the tag off to Punk, who comes in with a clothesline.

Rhodes takes him down to start in on the knee though, with Kane coming in to just stomp on him. DiBiase, who seems to get the idea of a game plan, is back on the leg, followed by Rhodes doing the same. Kane comes in and gets enziguried but boots Mysterio off the apron. It doesn’t make much of a difference though as it’s Kingston getting the tag to start cleaning house. Kingston dives at Kane though and gets caught in the chokeslam for the fast pin.

Rating: C+. Pretty basic match here but it’s nice to see Kane going into monster mode to win in the end. He knows how to do that style well enough and Kingston is expendable enough to take a loss. That’s the point in putting so many people in this match as it gave them some options for taking the fall and it went well enough.

Here is Mike Adamle for a chat. Earlier tonight, Kane requested something from him and since he won, he gets his request: if Kane wins at No Mercy, Rey Mysterio will have to unmask. This brings out Randy Orton of all people to interrupt and he mocks Adamle for being Shane McMahon’s lackey. Adamle needs to re-suspend CM Punk right now because the reality is Adamle needs Orton on his side. He’s going to wreck everyone when he gets back but here is JBL to interrupt.

JBL complains about losing money on his stock market this week but he has a lot to lose. Then he’ll become #1 contender at No Mercy and move on to win the World Title. Orton is always living in the past because he’s the hottest commodity since ethanol. Cue Batista behind JBL, who realizes what’s waiting on him and turns around to eat the spear (well that was dumb). Batista promises to make JBL’s week worse at No Mercy.

Santino Marella is on the phone and gets nervous when he runs into Beth Phoenix. Apparently it was a sick kid named uh, Frankie! Phoenix doesn’t want him out there with her this week because she’s bad luck. Marella says it’s a good thing he doesn’t have a Moolah Meter, because Phoenix is trailing Moolah by about twenty two years. Phoenix is annoyed and leaves, with Marella thinking it was a “female problem”.

Kelly Kelly/Candice Michelle vs. Beth Phoenix/Jillian Hall

Phoenix and Michelle start things off but Kelly quickly comes in for a double dropkick. It’s off to Hall, who manages to pull Michelle face first down in the corner. Phoenix’s backbreaker gets two and we hit the chinlock for a bit. Hall comes back in and takes too long cartwheeling, allowing Michelle to get her boots up in the corner. It’s back to Kelly for the screaming headscissors as everything breaks down. Kelly’s rollup (how she won last week) is countered into the Glam Slam for the dominant pin.

Rating: C+. They did well enough here as you can tell the women are working hard to improve. It’s still not exactly great, but they’re looking confident in the stuff they’re doing. Phoenix is of course still miles ahead of the other three, but at least she’s getting something a bit better to work with over time. Nice quick match here.

Deuce vs. Great Charli

Runjin Singh is here with Charli, who yells in some mock Punjab about the greatness of…curry. Charli tells Deuce to come at him but the chop doesn’t do much. Instead Deuce knocks him down but dives into a raised boot. Charlie’s wig comes off and a top rope clothesline finishes Deuce quick.

Post match the real Great Khali comes out to wreck Charli.

We hype up the Smackdown move to MyNetworkTV.

No Mercy rundown.

Chris Jericho/Lance Cade vs. Shawn Michaels/???

Before the reveal, Jericho complains about being wished good luck in his match against Michaels at No Mercy because he’s better than Michaels could ever be. We hear about various things Jericho plans on doing to Michaels with the ladder, with Cade using a ladder to demonstrate. After a break, the partner is….HHH. Well who else was it going to be? Funny bit as Michaels runs to the back and comes back out in a DX shirt and hat because he knows his merchandise.

HHH and Jericho start things off with Jericho getting taken down, meaning it’s already off to Cade. That’s fine with HHH, who takes him down in a hurry, allowing the tag to Michaels to go after Jericho. Michaels gets caught in the wrong corner though and Jericho pulls him down into a chinlock. With that not getting him anywhere, Jericho tries and misses the Lionsault, allowing the double tags to HHH and Cade. The spinebuster puts Cade down but Jericho is in with the Codebreaker to HHH. Jericho and Cade beat on Michaels so much that it’s a DQ.

Rating: C+. Well it was going to be this or Cade losing so they didn’t have a ton of options. It’s not like HHH or one of the World Title participants are going to lose less than a week before the pay per view. At least they didn’t let this go long, as there wasn’t much of a point to doing anything beyond what they did here.

Post match Jericho grabs the ladder but HHH is back in with the sledgehammer to Cade so Michaels can splash him off the ladder. DX stands tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was about getting ready for No Mercy, which, at least on the Raw side, is a one match show. Does anyone really care about Batista vs. JBL for a future title shot? Or pretty much anything else that Raw is offering? There isn’t much you can do to build towards a one match half show but they managed to make it work well enough here. Not a great show, but Jericho and Michaels should be great.

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Monday Night Raw
Date: September 22, 2008
Location: US Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

We’re coming up on No Mercy, and as has been the case in recent months, Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho is absolutely carrying the show. Now we’re coming up on a ladder match for Jericho’s World Title at the pay per view, which should be a great way to go. As a bonus, this is the 800th episode so expect some celebration. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Chris Jericho to get things going, with the World Title above the ring and a ladder between them. Jericho climbs the ladder and sits on top with a smirk before saying Shawn Michaels is trying to rewrite history. Michaels has convinced Mike Adamle to make their match at No Mercy a ladder match. The dumb fans are going along with Michaels’ claims of revolutionizing the ladder match, even though Michaels can lie.

The truth is that Jericho has won a lot more titles and high profile ladder matches than Michaels could ever hope to. At No Mercy, all you’ll see is this, and he pulls the title down. Jericho is going to leave as champion because he’s just too good. Cue Randy Orton of all people to interrupt, saying it doesn’t matter who wins at No Mercy, because they’ll be champion on borrowed time. Jericho threatens to hit him in the mouth, but Orton isn’t worried because he’s still protected, meaning anyone who touches him is suspended. Orton says he gets what he wants, but Jericho says he gets the same and tells Orton to get well soon.

With Jericho done, Orton says he’ll be champion soon and throws the ladder into the aisle. Cue a ticked off CM Punk to go nose to nose with Orton and then hit him in the face. Mike Adamle runs out and suspends him…which brings out Shane McMahon of all people. After the usual dancing, McMahon says Punk gave Orton “a receipt” but he’s here for something else. Punk’s suspension is lifted, though no one can touch Orton going forward. As for tonight, we’ll also have Michaels/Batista vs. JBL/Jericho. For now though, Punk can have a match of his own.

CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes

They fight over a lockup to start with Rhodes grabbing a headlock, only to get hit in the face and dropped. Rhodes manages to send him outside so Punk fires off a hard kick to the chest. Back in and Punk rolls through a high crossbody for two but gets whipped hard into the corner. Rhodes has to bail out from a GTS attempt though and we take a quick break. We come back with Rhodes working on Punk’s leg, which is reversed into an ankle lock. Rhodes makes the rope so Punk strikes away, followed by the running knee in the corner. The GTS finishes Rhodes off.

Rating: C+. Rhodes is still figuring out the being a top level guy and he has almost no experience in being a singles star either. That being said, it helps to be out there against someone like Punk, who can work well with anyone. That’s what we got here and it made for a nice match as Punk is on his revenge tour against Orton and company.

Post match Ted DiBiase and Manu run in for the beatdown but Kofi Kingston makes the save.

Smackdown Rebound.

Shane McMahon is in Mike Adamle’s office when Kane comes in. Kane wants Rey Mysterio and gets him at No Mercy. That makes Kane laugh, and he tells Shane to say hi to his mom. Adamle doesn’t know the story so Shane explains the whole thing in one of those “this only works in wrestling” moments.

Beth Phoenix, with Santino Marella, yells at Kelly Kelly about laughing at the injured Marella. For some reason Marella mocks Batista, who pops up to scare him off. Phoenix warns Kane not to interfere, or Marella will beat him up.

Here is Santino Marella to announce that he is only 59 weeks behind the Honky Tonk Man’s record…and he’s interrupted by a surprise name.

Santino Marella vs. Deuce

Non-title. Marella says this is what he’ll do to Batista, so watch what he does to Fonzie over here. Deuce hammers away at Marella’s masked face and knocks him down for a quick two. Marella is back up with an accidental headbutt to stagger Deuce and a sunset flip gets the fast pin.

Post match Beth Phoenix comes out to check on Marella.

Rey Mysterio wishes Evan Bourne good luck.

Evan Bourne vs. Kane

Yeah Bourne might need it. Bourne fires off some forearms to start but can only get so far as Kane hits him in the face. A crucifix attempt is cut off with a punch to the face (there’s always something about keeping it that simple) but Bourne avoids a big boot. Bourne sends him outside for a moonsault so Kane drops him with a pop up uppercut. An Oklahoma Stampede of all things drops Bourne and the chokeslam finishes him off.

Rating: C+. That’s all this needed to be as Bourne was able to do his thing for a bit, only to get destroyed by Kane, as he should have been. Kane is warming up by destroying another cruiserweight, but Mysterio is different enough to make it interesting. They were also smart enough to keep it short, which makes this a rather nice piece of business.

Post match Kane stays on Bourne but Mysterio comes out for the save. That means Kane gets to beat him down as well, as a monster tends to do. Kane says Mysterio is just like everyone else.

Jamie Noble asks Shane McMahon for a rematch against William Regal but Dolph Ziggler comes in to introduce himself again. Randy Orton comes in and doesn’t like CM Punk’s suspension being lifted and they compare family histories.

Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly

Non-title and Santino Marella is here with Phoenix. Kelly gets powered into the corner but comes out working on the arm. A bouncy armdrag out of the corner drops Phoenix, who buckle bombs her right back into the corner. Phoenix works on the arm a bit but Kelly is right back with the clothesline into the middle rope crossbody. Marella’s distraction doesn’t exactly work though as Kelly gets the rollup pin for the upset.

Rating: C. It was more of an angle than a match but what matters is Kelly is feeling like someone who is a bit more than the usual Diva. Both the Raw and Smackdown women have made some strides in recent weeks and it’s nice to see the efforts paying off. We’ll have to see how it goes, but at least they’re actually having serious matches for once. That’s so nice to see after the drek that they had been doing for so long.

Post match the villains go after Kelly but Batista comes out for the save. Marella ACTUALLY HITS him and…well you can probably guess.

We recap the Dirt Sheet (Miz/John Morrison) vs. Word Up (Cryme Tyme) in a battle of web series. Naturally this resulted in Miz and Morrison doing a rap video, because what else could it result in? Morrison: “You’re not street Shad. I met your dad. He wears a sweater vest.” The Dirt Sheet was absolutely hysterical at times and it won here hands down.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Cryme Tyme

Morrison and JTG start things off, with Morrison mocking JTG’s dancing, which is really not that nice. That earns him a right hand, which allows JTG to dance a bit more (as you might have expected). Morrison comes in and gets hit in the face as well, allowing Gaspard to come in and clean house. A big boot drops Miz and JTG drops both villains on the floor as we take a break. We come back with JTG fighting out of an armbar and getting two off a rollup.

Miz is right back with the corner clothesline into the chinlock before pulling JTG into the corner. Morrison takes him down and grabs the chinlock, allowing Cole to talk about how many pyro displays the show has had throughout its history. Is that really supposed to be impressive? I know it’s one of those factoid things, but come on. JTG fights up and dives over for the tag, allowing Gaspard to come in with a powerslam. Everything breaks down and Morrison pulls JTG outside, leaving Miz to roll Gaspard up for two. Gaspard gets two off a suplex, but Morrison kicks him in the back of the head to give Miz the cheating pin.

Rating: C+. They could only do so much here, but at the end of the day, the only thing that mattered here was the pre-match stuff. This is the kind of feud that is going to get over based on everything with the microphones and the wrestling is secondary. That’s a fine way to go and thankfully the match was good enough, even with a kind of weak finish.

Chris Jericho, with Lance Cade, comes in to see Mike Adamle and suggests that Shane McMahon has ulterior motives. He has an idea for the main event, which we don’t get to hear.

No Mercy rundown.

Earlier today, Charlie Haas was at Dave And Busters and did some less than successful versions of Perfect’s sports bits. Ok that’s clever. Oh and get the new Mr. Perfect DVD.

Chris Jericho/John Bradshaw Layfield/Lance Cade vs. Batista/Shawn Michaels

So there’s the idea. Cade and Michaels start things off with Michaels yelling a lot before hammering away in the corner. Michaels pounds him down again but JBL gets in a cheap shot from behind so Jericho can come in to hammer away. A belly to back suplex sets up a chinlock, followed by an enziguri. JBL adds a neckbreaker and we hit the abdominal stretch to keep Michaels in trouble.

Cade comes in to choke in the corner before it’s right back to JBL for a big boot. The fall away slam is countered into a DDT though and they’re both down. The tag brings in Batista to clean house, including a powerslam to Jericho. Michaels comes back in but has to break out of a Walls attempt. Batista spears JBL down on the floor to even things up a bit. Jericho bulldogs Michaels but misses the Lionsault, allowing Michaels to beat on Cade. The threat of the superkick sends Jericho outside but Cade hits a sitout Rock Bottom to pin Michaels.

Rating: B-. This was a pretty standard match and that worked well enough, as it boosts up both matches for No Mercy. There’s something rather nice about putting two stories together into one, especially when they’re pretty much the only things going on with this show. It’s not a good sign when most of the show is in one match, but it got the job done.

Overall Rating: C. The main event summarized the whole show, as Michaels vs. Jericho is the only thing that really matters, with Batista vs. JBL a rather distant second. Shane McMahon being back is a good thing though, as Adamle being around is just so dull. I get that’s the point, but it’s only going to work for so long. Other than that, the only interesting part was the Dirt Sheet, which isn’t even part of the show. Not great stuff overall, but Michaels vs. Jericho certainly is.

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

ECW On Sci Fi
Date: March 11, 2008
Location: Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois
Attendance: 15,121
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

Wrestlemania continues to inch closer and thankfully it seems that Chavo Guerrero can finally move on from CM Punk and find a new challenger for the ECW Title. This week is about the Tag Team Titles though as Tommy Dreamer and Colin Delaney are challenging Miz and John Morrison for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles in an Extreme Rules match. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Miz/John Morrison vs. Tommy Dreamer/Colin Delaney

Miz and Morrison are defending in an Extreme Rules match. Since there are tags in an EXTREME RULES match, Dreamer gets taken into the corner for an early double teaming. Delaney, realizing how rules should really work, dives onto both champs and the fight goes to the floor. A big running flip dive takes Miz and Morrison down as Taz and Cole are way behind Delaney doing nutty things.

Miz manages to knock Dreamer down though and it’s a double gutbuster to Delaney inside. Hold on though as Dreamer slides in a kendo stick and Delaney gets to swing a bit. Dreamer comes back in and the champs are able to get back up with some weapon shots of their own. The catapult into the slingshot elbow crushes Delaney but Dreamer is back with some trashcan lid shots.

With Morrison down, Delaney puts on a Chicago Bears helmet for What’s Up because ECW. Miz is back up with some trashcan lid shots but Dreamer and Delaney tie the champs in the Tree of Woe for running shots to the face. Stereo covers get stereo twos with stereo feet on the ropes, so let’s grab a table.

With that taking too long, Dreamer and Miz go up, with Morrison going over to break it up. That means a superplex to Miz and a superbomb to Morrison for another double delayed near fall. Delaney’s Sliced Bread is broken up with a hard toss out to the floor, allowing Morrison to moonsault off the apron while holding a trashcan. Back in and Miz and Morrison send Dreamer through the table to retain the titles.

Rating: B-. This was WAY better than it had any right to be and it worked out rather well. Delaney and Dreamer were never going to be serious threats to win the titles but they did have some fun on the way there. The helmet spot was fun if nothing else, but this should wrap up the feud for good.

Here is Armando Estrada to announce a 24 man battle royal at Wrestlemania. The winner will get an ECW title match later that night. Estrada brings out one of the participants.

Great Khali vs. Stevie Richards

I’m assuming you can guess which of the two Estrada was excited about. Chokebomb finishes Richards in about 20 seconds.

Post match Mike Knox comes out and wrecks Richards even more. So much for that push.

Deuce vs. Kofi Kingston

Domino and Cherry are here with Deuce. Kofi goes after the arm to start but Deuce snaps the throat across the top rope for a breather. Granted not for Kofi but it’s kind of hard to share one of those. The neck crank goes on but Kofi pops up for the right hands in the corner. The Boom Drop connects and a spinning kick to the face (the Jamaican Buzzsaw according to Joey) finishes Deuce fast.

Rating: C. This is Kingston starting to move up the ladder a bit as Deuce might not be a big star but he is a bigger deal than the other people Kingston has beaten. You can see some potential in him and WWE seems to be moving him in the right way. Nothing special as far as a match goes, but at least he is moving in the right direction.

Raw Rebound.

Wrestlemania rundown.

CM Punk is ready to beat Big Daddy V. and qualify for Money In The Bank. And hey, we’re in his hometown.

Festus vs. Elijah Burke

Jesse is here too. Festus goes off on Burke to start but gets punched back into the corner for his efforts. Burke works on the arm and dropkicks him down for one. Festus shoulders him down, drops a knee, and finishes with the fireman’s carry flapjack. This really wasn’t good and you could see the fans walking out.

Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Big Daddy V. vs. CM Punk

Shelton Benjamin is on commentary and Matt Striker is here with V. Punk gets shoved down to start so he switches to the leg kicks. V runs him over though as the CM PUNK chants are rather loud here. The slow, plodding offense begins but Punk is back with a running knee in the corner. For some reason, Punk tries the GTS and gets crushed by V landing on his back (a deserved result for being stupid). Back up and Punk knocks him to the floor and that’s a fast countout for the win.

Rating: D+. Yeah what else were you expecting here? There is only so much that anyone can do with V and as a smaller wrestler, Punk is even more limited. Punk winning wasn’t much of a shock here, but what mattered was giving the fans something to cheer about. It was a bad match of course, but they did what they needed to do.

Overall Rating: C. The opener was good but the rest was a mixture of dull and bad. ECW just has nothing going on with Wrestlemania as the title match is going to be set up at the show. What does that leave for the next few weeks as we get to the show? Not a great show here, but at least they set something up going forward.

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown
Date: December 21, 2007
Location: Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole

We have a new World Champion around here as Edge defeated Batista and Undertaker in a triple threat match at Armageddon. That is going to be a big change of pace as we head into the new year but now Edge needs a new challenger for the Royal Rumble. I doubt we find out who that is tonight but maybe there is something else out there. Let’s get to it.

Here is Armageddon if you need a recap.

Teddy Long wheels Vickie Guerrero to the ring and we look at Edge winning the World Title at the pay per view. Back in the arena, Vickie introduces Edge, who is officially presented with the title by Teddy. Edge isn’t sure who he should thank first before starting with Teddy. Then he thanks the fans, the Edgeheads, but there are two in particular, so here are the Major Brothers (who weren’t identified on Sunday).

They just went by the Major Brothers to get noticed, and now we get to meet the real people: Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder. With that out of the way, Edge thanks the real star here by kneeling next to Vickie. Edge declares her the love of his life (again) and we get a music video of the two of them together in a park, at dinner, under a gazebo and more.

Back in the arena, Edge needs to talk about Batista, who doesn’t need to carry the show anymore. Tonight, after Batista loses his rematch, the last image you will be seeing is Edge holding up the title. This was the big celebration, but Edge now having Ryder and Hawkins makes him a bit more dangerous.

Great Khali/Runjin Singh vs. Finlay/Hornswoggle

Singh is in a copy of Khali’s gear and mocks his pose for one of the few out of the ordinary things he has ever done in WWE. Finlay’s right hand to Khali doesn’t do much to start as Khali throws him into the corner. A big boot puts Khali down as JBL wants to know what isn’t big on Khali. Singh comes in, or at least gets tagged, as Hornswoggle pulls his pants down on the apron.

Everything breaks down and Khali is knocked down on the floor, leaving Finlay to throw water at Singh (as Hornswoggle hides under an umbrella). Back in and a giant swing sets up the Tadpole Splash to finish Singh. Not enough shown to rate, but this was comedy and nothing more.

Dancing ensues post match.

Here is Ric Flair for a chat. Flair wishes us a Merry Christmas, because it might be the last chance he gets to in a WWE ring. He got to see everyone here today and he respects all of them. Anyone who knows him knows that he has been in the ring for 35 years and he has only want to be the best. Now Vince McMahon has decided that the next time Flair loses a match, he has to retire.

In ten days, he has to face the greatest wrestler alive today, HHH. That’s who Flair has said he wanted to face in his final match, just for some irony. Five years ago, he came back here and wasn’t in a good place, but HHH told him to go be himself. Therefore, Flair knows that HHH is going to bring the best he can. Flair loves HHH as a brother, but if he loses, he’ll have no regrets. This was serious Flair and he made the match feel a lot bigger.

Maryse, in a bit of a Mrs. Claus outfit, welcomes us back and wants us to keep her warm.

Rey Mysterio/CM Punk/Kane vs. Big Daddy V/Mark Henry/MVP

Kane and Henry start things off with Henry taking him into the corner for the heavy right hands. That’s reversed so Kane can get the better of things but Punk comes in and gets knocked away without much effort. MVP runs Punk over but gets caught with the running knee in the corner. A rollup gives Punk two and it’s a six man standoff as we take a break. Back with Rey coming in to kick MVP in the head and snap off an anklescissors. It’s quickly off to Punk vs. Big Daddy V, the latter of whom plants Punk without much trouble.

A gorilla press slam makes it even worse and MVP comes in to work on an armbar. Henry gets in some choking but it’s right back to MVP, who gets enziguried down. The hot tag brings in Kane to clean house, including the side slam to drop MVP. The top rope clothesline sets up a moonsault from Rey Mysterio but Henry breaks up the 619. Everything breaks down and Punk knees Henry in the corner, setting up the 619. A chokeslam and the springboard splash are enough to finish Henry.

Rating: B-. This got some time and built up rather well until the hot ending saw the good guys slay a monster. The time is a big factor here as there were multiple stories going on at once and you need the extra few minutes to make that work. They pulled it off here and I had a nice time with the match as a result. Well done and a near hidden gem.

We look at Edge winning the World Title again.

We see Jamie Noble and Michelle McCool on their date at a restaurant, which looks quite a bit like the backstage room at any given WWE TV show. Noble seems to be in a little over his head with the menu and shocked at the prices, but he wants Michelle to meet his granny. Then he tries to order a bunch of French food (fries, onion soup etc) because it’s a French restaurant.

The waiter can’t do that so Noble goes on a bit of a crazed rant (Jean Claude Van-Damme is mentioned) before he is told this is actually an Italian restaurant. Later, after dinner, Noble gives her a gift: Old Spice cologne so she can smell him when he’s gone. Noble talks about hunting and fishing, plus enjoying magic. He tries to pull the tablecloth out and….yeah. Noble: “Check please!”

Festus vs. Deuce

And they’re both Santa Claus. The bell rings and Festus pulls on his beard before unloading in the corner. Deuce (Santa Deuce actually) gets in a knee to the ribs and starts clubbering before taking out the knee. Festus is sent outside and then brought back inside for a chinlock, which of course triggers the comeback (as chinlocks are known to do). Some uppercuts set up a splash and, after Jesse takes out an interfering Deuce, a fireman’s carry into a flapjack is enough to give Festus the pin.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here and the Christmas deal was pretty tacked on. This match didn’t do much for me other than show how weak the tag division is at the moment, as you have Miz and John Morrison running roughshod over the division and Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly as champions on the other show. How good can the divisions really be with that kind of depth?

And now, an address from JBL (he has a podium). This is going to be his final appearance on Smackdown because he is getting back in the ring to deal with Chris Jericho. It will be a bigger comeback than anyone has ever seen and we see a clip of JBL costing Jericho the Raw World Title at Armageddon. All Jericho had to do was apologize for bumping into JBL but instead Jericho treated him as an afterthought. JBL isn’t coming back to be in the opening match in Poughkeepsie because he is going to prove that he is the only wrestling god.

Maryse is hanging Christmas ornaments and wishes us Happy Holidays.

Tazz takes JBL’s place on commentary.

Smackdown World Title: Edge vs. Batista

Batista is challenging…but hang on because Vickie Guerrero has a better idea.

Smackdown World Title: Edge/Edgeheads vs. Batista

Batista is still challenging. Curt Hawkins starts things off for the team and gets pummeled in the corner. An Edge distraction lets Hawkins get in a cheap shot so Ryder can come in. Edge has to break up the Batista Bomb and we take a break. Back with Edge stomping on Batista and dropping an elbow to make it worse. Batista fights up but misses a charge into the post.

That doesn’t seem to mind as he runs Edge over and does the same to the Edgeheads without much trouble. The spinebuster is enough to pin Ryder for the title and yeah I wouldn’t buy it either. Vickie says not so fast as Batista has to pin Edge (points for a false finish) so he pulls Edge back in for a top rope shoulder. The Batista Bomb is loaded up but Hawkins brings in the chair for the DQ.

Rating: C. They kept this fast paced and gave us the (not exactly convincing) fake out but you can only get so much out of Batista beating up Edge’s new goons. Giving Edge lackeys is a good thing though and they should serve him well in the future. For a debut as a team it went well, but this felt like a house show main event rather than something big.

Post match Edge hits a Conchairto and wishes us a Merry Christmas to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Much like the rest of the TV from this week, it was pretty clear that they weren’t going to put in the biggest effort between a pay per view and the holiday break. Throw in the Royal Rumble being about a month away and there was little reason to do much on this show. The six man was good, but the rest of the show was little more than a filler week.

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown
Date: December 7, 2007
Location: Civic Center, Florence, South, Carolina
Attendance: 3,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re almost up to Armageddon and the big story continues to be Edge joining forces with Vickie Guerrero, making them the top villains around here. Edge is set to face Batista and Undertaker in a triple threat at the pay per view and that should make for a heck of a show. The rest of the card could use some build as well though so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Vickie/Edge/Batista/Undertaker situation.

Opening sequence.

Here is Teddy Long, now the Assistant General Manager, to get things going with a State of Smackdown address. Teddy is happy to be back while Vickie Guerrero is out of action, which is why he made last week’s announcement. At Armageddon, it will be Edge and Undertaker challenging Batista for the World Title. Speaking of titles at the pay per view, MVP will be defending the United States Title against Rey Mysterio.

Cue Edge to interrupt and say that even a heart attack can’t stop Long. Edge reminds Long that he is the ASSISTANT General Manager, but Long says he is still the boss. After Edge talks to the camera to express his love to Vickie, Edge rants about how Long has screwed him out of the title over and over. Long logically explains all of his actions and gives Edge Kane tonight to shut him up.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Jesse/Festus

Non-title. The bell rings and Festus chases Morrison to the floor, leaving Jesse to hiptoss Miz. A high crossbody gives Jesse two but a neck snap across the top cuts him off. That’s broken up and the hot tag brings in Festus to clean house with reckless abandon. A faceplant and big boot drop Morrison so it’s back to Jesse. That’s fine with Morrison, who crotches Jesse on top and steals the fast win. Miz and Morrison keep racking up wins, but they’re rapidly running out of teams to beat.

Elijah Burke doesn’t like the idea of being the last person on Batista’s mind and is going to beat him tonight.

We recap Edge vs. Kane, which started back in July when Kane attacked him, leading to the big injury.

Batista vs. Elijah Burke

Non-title. Burke backs into the corner to start and then gets backed into the corner for a bonus. A running clothesline rocks Burke but he dropkicks the knee out to get a breather. Burke hits a chop block into a basement dropkick for two, with Batista getting annoyed. Batista spears him out of the air and hits the Batista Bomb for the pin.

Jamie Noble hits on Michelle McCool with offers of….Pepto Bismol? Noble rants about being a real man, unlike Chuck Palumbo and puts out an offer: if Noble beats Palumbo again, he gets a date with McCool. Deal.

Jamie Noble vs. Chuck Palumbo

If Noble wins, he gets a date with Michelle McCool. Palumbo takes him into the corner to start and hammers away but Noble kicks the knee out. An overhead belly to belly rocks Noble, but he gets a knee up in the corner. McCool gets up on the apron and takes off her jacket for a distraction. Palumbo is almost sent into McCool though and a rollup gives Noble the pin (and the date).

Cole has an idea for the date: curling up on the couch and…..watching the Triumph and Tragedy of World Class DVD! Works for me, but I might be the minority.

It’s time for the VIP Lounge with MVP talking about how he has world class everything, so of course he wants to talk about World Class Championship Wrestling. We see what looks like a trailer for the DVD and here it this week’s guest: Michael PS Hayes! Complete with Bad Street! Hayes isn’t interested in sitting down but is willing to talk about all of the deaths from the promotions. Hayes: “Six Von Erich brothers. Five are dead.” The point of the DVD is to say no to drugs and that is a great message (fair).

Hayes wants people to learn that but MVP says that Hayes is a survivor. MVP: “You look good for your age.” Hayes doesn’t like that and asks if MVP can tell time. Of course he can, so Hayes asks how it feels for your time to be running out soon. MVP asks about Hayes’ receding hairline and his expanding waistline but backs off from a fight. Hayes wants to try to stick with the DVD but MVP switches to the Hardys. Like that time when MVP crippled Matt Hardy.

Hayes says the Hardys are their own men and when Matt is back, MVP will have a serious problem. That sends Hayes into a rant about Rey Mysterio taking MVP out last week. MVP calls out Hayes for being the third wheel of the Freebirds and says they carried him. Hayes goes off about how MVP has no respect for the people who got here so he’s ready to beat MVP up. The beatdown is on with MVP laying him out with the Playmaker but Rey Mysterio makes the (very late) save. At least this was a different way to build up the title match.

Remember that Edge vs. Kane video? Here it is again.

Batista is ready for Edge and Undertaker, though he knows how hard of a fight it is going to be.

Raw Rebound.

Hornswoggle is playing in Deuce N Domino’s car and they don’t like it. The chase is on but Finlay comes in, allowing Hornswoggle to break the antenna. A match is implied.

Finlay vs. Deuce

Hornswoggle, Domino and Cherry are here too. Deuce actually hammers him down in the corner to start but Finlay grinds away on the mat to take over. A headlock takeover puts Deuce down again, with Cole referring to Finlay as Great Khali. Domino chases Hornswoggle around the ring, allowing Deuce to jump the distracted Finlay and take over. The neck crank goes on but Finlay slugs away….as Finlay sprays Cherry with a fire extinguisher. The distraction lets Finlay get in a Shillelagh shot for the pin.

Rating: C-. The big thing here is that Finlay needed to cheat to beat Deuce. When in the world would that make sense? Anyway, Finlay and Hornswoggle are slowly becoming a decent team together and that is more than I would have bet on what seems to be a glorified comedy act. The match was nothing to see, but Finlay is still good most of the time.

Post match here is Great Khali but the distraction lets Domino get in a cheap shot. Khali vice grips Finlay down.

Armageddon rundown.

Kane vs. Edge

Batista is on commentary. Before the match, Edge declares his love for Vickie Guerrero. Kane chokes him down to start as Batista doesn’t want to talk about the past. Edge’s arm is wrapped around the post and the rope before a right hand puts him down again. The double arm crank goes on but Edge fights up and hits an Edge-O-Matic. A spear knocks Kane off the apron and we take a break.

Back with Edge driving knees into the ribs but Kane fights up and hits the running clothesline in the corner. There’s the side slam but Edge breaks up the top rope clothesline. The regular spear is cut off with a big boot and now the top rope clothesline drops Edge again. Kane loads up the chokeslam but Edge drops him throat first over the top rope. That’s enough for Edge to bring in a chair (but doesn’t use it), which draws the DQ.

Rating: C+. This was just getting going when they went with the ending to keep both of them strong. That’s the better result, as both of them have a match at the pay per view. At least they got in some good stuff before they wrapped things up, which is all you can ask for in a situation like this one.

Post match Kane beats Edge down and loads up the steps but Edge sends him face first into them. The Conchairto is loaded up but Batista comes in for the save….and there’s the gong. Undertaker pops up to chokeslam Edge, earning himself a spear from Batista to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. There wasn’t much in the way of wrestling on this show, though the pay per view feuds got enough of a quick build to make the show sounds more interesting. While Armageddon isn’t entirely built around the triple threat, it is by far and away the biggest part of the show. Giving it a lot of attention here makes sense, but it would be nice for something else to get some significant time of its own.

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown
Date: September 7, 2007
Location: US Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole

We are almost up to Unforgiven and now we have a bit of an odd main event. This time around, Great Khali will be defending against Rey Mysterio, which kind of leaves Batista out in the cold. Other than that, we might be seeing some wrestlers written off of television for a month after the latest steroid scandal. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Rey Mysterio winning a mini tournament last week to become the new #1 contender.

Opening sequences.

It’s time for the VIP Lounge with MVP having the US Title and the Tag Team Title on a table. After talking about how great he is, we get straight to the guest with Matt Hardy. MVP brags about giving Matt all of his success and shows a clip of MVP getting the pin to win the Tag Team Titles last week. We see another clip of MVP in his locker room after winning the titles when Matt came in, decked MVP, and took his belt. Matt thinks he looked like Evander Holyfield out there but he still wants another US Title shot. MVP starts getting things cleared out but it’s not for a US Title shot. Instead, MVP has gotten Matt his own singles match.

Deuce vs. Matt Hardy

Domino, Cherry and MVP are here and Matt is in street clothes. Joined in progress with Deuce hitting a shoulder in the corner but Matt shoves him out of the corner. A clothesline gives Matt two and he strikes away, only to get caught in a hot shot. Deuce grabs the neck crank before a fist drop sets up a reverse chinlock. Make that a front facelock as there is a lot of locking going on.

Back up and Matt cuts off a superplex attempt, setting up the middle rope elbow to the back of the neck. There’s a double clothesline to put both of them down but Domino offers a distraction. MVP shoves him into the ring and with the referee distracted, trips Deuce down. The Twist of Fate finishes for Matt without much trouble.

Rating: C-. Just a quick match here but Matt/MVP is growing on me. I know MVP is still limited in what he can do in the ring but this is a nice little change instead of having them feud with over the US Title. I’m sure that’s coming down the line, but this is starting to work, at least for the time being.

Jamie Noble has an AKME Leprechaun Trap to catch Hornswoggle, complete with a trail of Lucky Charms. Shannon Moore doesn’t know what to think. You know, this company will mock WCW endlessly, but this was a dumb deal when Chavo Guerrero had an Acme Eddie Trap and it’s dumber now to see it done again.

Rey Mysterio is facing Chavo Guerrero in an I Quit match later tonight so we look at their first WWE match back in 2002. Of note, Tazz says “Six Nineteen.”

Chuck Palumbo vs. Kenny Dykstra

Victoria is here with Dykstra, so Palumbo has Michelle McCool on the back of his motorcycle. Who would have thought she would have a thing for bikers? JBL: “She could be hit with an ugly stick and still be hot.” Palumbo grabs a belly to back suplex to start but Dykstra goes after the arm. That doesn’t last long as Palumbo hits a clothesline and a shoulder as McCool beats up Victoria for going near the motorcycle. The Full Throttle finishes Dykstra in a hurry.

Vickie Guerrero and Kristal are excited for the wedding when Teddy Long comes in. Teddy has the new Jagged Edge CD and has gotten them to perform at the wedding. Kristal’s mom calls so she leaves, with Vickie suggesting that Long give Vince McMahon the CD. It’s called the Baby Making Project after all.

Chavo Guerrero cost Rey Mysterio the World Title at Great American Bash 2006.

Batista/Kane vs. Great Khali/Finlay

Runjin Singh is here with the villains. Batista and Finlay start things off and they actually go with some grappling to start. A headlock takeover puts Finlay down and an atomic drop makes it worse. Finlay is sent in the corner and Batista wants Khali but he gets a break instead. Back with Finlay being taken into the corner again so Kane can take drop him for two more. A suplex gives Kane two and now it’s Khali coming in for the battle of the giants. Singh offers a distraction though and Finlay low bridges Kane out to the floor.

Back in and Finlay stomps Kane down in the corner, setting up the chinlock. It’s back to Khali for the nerve hold, followed by some forearms to cut off a comeback attempt. The enziguri staggers Kane but Finlay pulls Batista down and drives him into the apron. Back in and Finlay sends Kane’s shoulder into the post but Batista breaks up the Shillelagh shot. The double clothesline knocks Khali outside and it’s a chokeslam to finish Finlay.

Rating: C-. This was working well enough when Finlay was in there but then you had the Khali parts to bring it right back down. You can only get so far with the claw holds and the nerve holds but it’s about all Khali has. That makes for some pretty rough stretches when he needs to fill in time on a fifteen minute match. The rest of the match worked out, but dang the (already limited) shine is already coming off of Khali.

Hornswoggle gets the cereal and leaves the Cruiserweight Title in the trap. Jamie Noble goes to get it and Hornswoggle traps him. This story is dumb.

Rey Mysterio beat Chavo Guerrero at No Mercy 2006 in a Falls Count Anywhere match.

Jesse and Festus are here and find….a talking box! It seems to be named Jamie Noble.

Cruiserweight Title: Jamie Noble vs. Hornswoggle

Noble is challenging and isn’t here to start. The referee starts the count and here is Noble….who gets counted out at the last second. The struggle continues.

Long recap of the McMahon Family drama on Raw.

Commentary talks about what happened with the McMahons but an Undertaker video hacks the feed. Then a druid appears in the ring so here is Mark Henry. Instead of going after the druid, Henry waits and the lights go out. Undertaker’s music plays and that’s it.

Unforgiven rundown.

Here is Chavo Guerrero with a chair, which he promises will make Rey Mysterio scream again tonight.

Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero

I Quit match. Chavo wins a slugout to start and knocks Rey into the corner so Rey takes a breather on the floor. It’s already time for the chair but Chavo keeps missing, allowing Rey to kick him in the head. A running hurricanrana sends Chavo over the announcers’ table but he’s fine enough to send Rey into the post. Chavo goes to drive the knee into the chair, only to get sent face first into it instead. Rey loads up the springboard splash but Chavo pelts the chair at him to cut that off fast. Neither will quit though and we take a break.

Back with Chavo holding something like a one legged Liontamer until Rey fights out. That earns him a toss underneath the ropes and out to the floor. Now the chair can connect with the knee and Rey starts screaming. The chair is wrapped around Rey’s neck and slammed into the post but somehow Rey is back with a kick to the head.

Back in and a top rope seated senton drives Chavo through the chair but he is fine enough to hit a Gory Bomb onto the chair. Chavo goes up and gets crotched (because he felt the need to point at the ceiling for a long time), earning him a spot in the Tree of Woe. Rey unloads with chair shots (and camera cuts) to make Chavo quit.

Rating: B. This wasn’t the most violent brawl but that’s not what they were going for here. Instead, this was the personal fight with Rey wanting revenge and refusing to quit again. It was the kind of match they needed to finish the feud for good too as it tied into everything they had done before.

Post match Great Khali comes in and beats Rey down, including the Vice Grip to make Rey bleed from the mouth. Cue Batista for the save, with a spear sending Khali outside.

In the back, Teddy Long yells at Khali and Runjin Singh. If that’s how they want to do it, we’ll make Unforgiven a triple threat match with Batista included.

Overall Rating: C. Unforgiven is not the best looking show on the Smackdown side but I don’t think they have time to add much else. Undertaker vs. Mark Henry will be one of the bigger deals but how exciting is that going to be? The other big match will be for the World Title and all that matters is getting the belt off of Khali. It has run its course and now things need to move on before he wrecks things even further. The main event helped bring up some other stuff here but it wasn’t one of the better efforts.

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown
Date: August 10, 2007
Location: Chevrolet Center, Youngstown, Ohio
Attendance: 3,700
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re closing in on Summerslam and the main event is set, with Batista challenging Great Khali for the World Title. That may be a problem for Batista, as Khali debuted a Claw hold, which could cause quite the damage. The rest of the card could use some attention though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Batista vs. Domino

They’re starting fast this week and Deuce and Cherry are here with Domino. Batista knees him in the ribs as the smoke from Batista’s pyro is still filling the arena. A suplex gives Batista two but it’s too early for the Batista Bomb. Back up Cherry’s distraction does absolutely nothing as Batista takes Deuce N Domino out with ease. The spear into the Batista Bomb is good for the easy pin. On Domino.

Rating: C-. Total squash and that’s what it should have been. It would have been nice to not see a champion lose this way, but it isn’t like there are any other tag teams worth beating up around here. Batista didn’t break a sweat here and that made for an entertaining enough destruction.

Post match Deuce tries to jump Batista and gets wrecked as well. Great Khali pops up on screen to yell at Batista, who won’t be celebrating at Summerslam. We see a clip of Khali Clawing Ric Flair last week to knock him out.

Here is the returning Rey Mysterio, whose knee surgery must have been a success as he is about four inches taller now. Whoever it is seems to be a big Chavo Guerrero fan because he doesn’t know if Rey can beat Chavo at Summerslam. Or if he can even face Chavo, because Chavo is that amazing. He gets on his knees to beg Chavo to avoid that kind of a beating again but here is Eugene to interrupt.

Eugene vs. “Rey Mysterio”

The fans think Chavo sucks and it’s a headscissors to take Eugene down to start. The 619 misses and believe it or not, it’s Chavo under the mask. Eugene is so offended by the deception that he starts hammering away and hits a Gory Bomb, followed by Three Amigos. The frog splash takes too long though and Chavo moves, allowing him to hit his own for the pin.

Rating: D+. They didn’t bother trying to take this one too far as there is only so much you can get out of this kind of a match. It was also a match where the copying moves made sense, but Eugene is so far beyond meaning anything that it is hard to believe that he was kind of a big thing at one point. Chavo is on his way to the big showdown with Rey and that should work out well for both of them.

Kenny Dykstra kisses Victoria as she is getting her makeup done when Michelle McCool comes in to tell them to get a room. Violence is teased.

Raw Rebound.

Mark Henry vs. Sterling Keenan

Keenan is better known as Corey Graves. Bearhug finishes for Henry in about a minute.

Post match Henry says no one will mess with him because of this, sending us to a video of him attacking Undertaker. As the beating is on, we cut to an Undertaker vignette, with the word “Unforgiven” being heard. Back in the arena, a man in black walks away from the ring and his footprints are rather prominent.

Torrie Wilson vs. Victoria

Jimmy Wang Yang and Kenny Dykstra are here. Victoria jumps her to start and takes it to the floor. That means Yang has to dropkick Dykstra down as Torrie is scared. Back in and the Widow’s Peak finishes Torrie in a hurry.

Post match the beating stays on but Michelle McCool runs in for the save.

We recap Matt Hardy beating MVP in arm wrestling and regular wrestling last week.

Commentary tells us that thanks to the Wellness Policy, MVP found out that he had a heart condition and has had surgery, but will be back in a week.

MVP complains about how his heart was messed up last week but Matt Hardy cheated to beat him anyway. It would usually take someone a year to return but he’ll do it in a week because he is half man and half amazing.

Matt Hardy vs. Finlay

Finlay points a finger in his face to start and they take their time to start. A headlock and shoulder have Matt in early trouble so he grabs a headlock of his own. Commentary talks about Mr. McMahon’s illegitimate child (ok fair enough) as Matt hits Finlay in the face for two. Hold on though as Finlay complains of an eye poke, which naturally is a way to sucker Matt in for some uppercuts.

Back up and Finlay charges into a boot in the corner but manages to send Matt hard to the floor. They fight over a ram into the apron so Matt gets posted as we take a break. We come back with Finlay staying on the arm that went into the post, including kicking away at the shoulder. The cranking begins on the arm but the referee is smart enough to see the feet in the ropes. Good of him for doing his job for once.

Back up and Matt hits an elbow to the face, only to get taken down into another armbar. The arm is slammed onto the apron before Finlay goes with the armbar again. Back up and Finlay forearms away in the corner but Matt slugs him down. The middle rope elbow to the back connects and the Side Effect gets two. Finlay fights back but here is Hornswoggle at ringside. Finlay brings him inside but Jamie Noble comes out to chase Hornswoggle off. Finlay goes to rescue Hornswoggle….and it’s a countout.

Rating: C+. This felt like they had set up a joke for seventeen minutes and then forgot the punchline. They set up everything with Hardy’s arm being banged up and then just let it end in the middle of his comeback? Instead of managing to beat Finlay with one arm, it was like they were saying “close enough, we’re done”. This had me really confused and disappointed, even though the rest of it was rather good.

In the back, Jamie Noble asks Kid Kash and Funaki where Hornswoggle is. Finlay comes in and grabs Noble, telling him to stay away from Hornswoggle. Noble says this is three on one….but Kane pops up behind them and beats up Finlay.

Kane vs. Sylvan

Sylvan rants in French until the fire cuts him off. Kane sends him flying into the corner and hammers away without much trouble. The chinlock goes on for a bit but Sylvan cuts off a charge in the corner. Kane hits a big boot though and the top rope clothesline sets up the chokeslam for the easy win.

Post match Finlay runs in and beats Kane down with the shillelagh.

Teddy Long and Vickie Guerrero talk about Teddy’s wedding and gives him some Viagra as a wedding present.

Here is Chris Masters for the Masterlock Challenge to anyone in the crowd. A rather large fan is goaded into it, but says he has played football, wrestled…..and just got out of prison for manslaughter. With that, Masters picks another fan, who he easily beats. I’m still not sure why this is supposed to be interesting, especially after someone already broke the hold.

Batista tells Ric Flair to be careful against Great Khali, but Flair is mad over being rag dolled last week. He’s felt the Claw from other people before and now it is time for a Figure Four on Khali.

Ric Flair vs. Great Khali

Non-title. Flair chops away to start and is tossed to the ground for his efforts. The nerve hold goes on for a good while, followed by the big chop and a big boot. Flair manages a low blow and chops away, with Khali going down to a knee. Then Khali grabs the Claw to finish Flair without much trouble.

Rating: D. This was as good as Khali nerve holding Flair for about a minute and a half was going to be. The Claw is a fine way for someone with Khali’s hands to go, but you need something other than that. The problem is he can’t do much more and this was a bad example of how limited he really is.

Post match the Claw stays on so Batista runs in for the save. Khali Claws Batista down to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. I don’t remember the last time Smackdown came up with such a bad show as this was rather awful. There was nothing on here that you would need to see and the best match, between Hardy and Finlay, has one of the more disappointing endings I have heard of in a long time. This didn’t make me want to see Summerslam and it was one of the weakest shows WWE has put on in a long time.

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown
Date: July 27, 2007
Location: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re done with the Great American Bash and we’re still living in the Great Khali’s world. Khali survived against Kane and Batista in a triple threat match and now we need a new challenger. By that it probably means one of the two, and since Kane got pinned, Batista would seem to be a likely option. Let’s get to it.

Here is the Great American Bash if you need a recap.

We open with a triple threat recap as Khali retains the title.

Opening sequence.

Batista vs. Deuce

Domino and Cherry are here with Deuce. Batista powers him down with as much effort as you would expect him to need and then does it again. Domino offers a distraction though and Batista gets kicked out to the floor. Back in and Deuce scores with a kick to the head before avoiding a charge to send Batista into the post. The armbar goes on for a bit but Deuce spends too much time trash talking, allowing Batista to hit a spear. Some clotheslines set up the shoulders in the corner and there’s the spinebuster. The Batista Bomb finishes Deuce off.

Rating: C. This was a heck of a lot more competitive than I would have bet on and that’s not the worst thing. Batista should have to break a sweat to beat a champion, even if it is Deuce. It might not have been a great match, but it makes sense to get Batista out there in front of the fans.

We look at Hornswoggle winning the Cruiserweight Title.

Jamie Noble is sick of people laughing at him for losing to Hornswoggle so tonight it is time for him to get the title back.

Michelle McCool likes to swim.

Cruiserweight Title: Hornswoggle vs. Jamie Noble

Noble is challenging but there is no Hornswoggle to start. With no champ, Noble checks underneath the ring but Hornswoggle pops up in the ring because of course he does. Noble gets back in so Hornswoggle can bite/kick his leg for some early annoyance. They head outside and Noble kicks the steps by mistake. Hornswoggle tricks him into missing a charge and it’s a dropkick for two on Noble. Back up and Hornswoggle gets tossed outside, where the chase is on. Noble manages to rib off Hornswoggle’s shoe…but falls and gets counted out. Somehow, Cole interprets this as a pin.

Rating: D. Somehow, this might make the title feel a bit more important than it has in months. Yes it was comedy and the champ made Noble look like an idiot, but I’ll almost take this over the lifeless matches that we had for such a long time. Hornswoggle is little more than a joke as champion but it’s not like the title has meant anything in a long time anyway.

Video on Rey Mysterio, who is on his way back.

We look at the Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero I Quit match where Chavo destroyed Rey’s knee to put him on the shelf.

Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Eugene

Apparently Eugene and Cole had a nice chat earlier today. Chavo goes after the knee to start and we hit the half crab to make it worse. That’s broken up and the bad knee means Eugene can’t get the airplane spin. Instead, Chavo can belly to back suplex him down and it’s back to the knee. The leg cranking is on and Chavo bends the knee around the rope. Chavo sends him face first into the corner and Eugene’s comeback is on, meaning the airplane spin can work this time. That’s enough for Chavo, who hits a quick brainbuster and the frog splash for the pin.

Rating: C-. It was about all you could get out of Chavo vs. Eugene with Chavo working on the knee to show he’s ready for the return of Rey Mysterio. Other than that though, it was little more than a squash with Guerrero never being in any serious danger. Fine enough to build Chavo back up though, assuming you can get invested in a Chavo Guerrero feud.

Ric Flair and Matt Hardy are ready for their tag match.

Jesse and Festus really love America.

MVP/Chris Masters vs. Matt Hardy/Ric Flair

Hardy starts with MVP but it’s off to Masters before anything gets going. Masters fights out of an early headlock and powers Hardy into the corner for a shot to the face. MVP comes in and stomps away in the corner but it’s quickly off to Flair for a bunch of chops. The villains are knocked outside for a breather and we take an early break.

Back with Flair working on MVP’s leg but a rope is grabbed in a hurry. Hardy comes in for a few shots and it’s right back to Flair for more chops. One of them knocks MVP over for the tag to Masters, who unloads in the corner. MVP’s running boot in the corner knocks Flair silly and it’s off to a hammerlock. Masters comes back in for a powerslam and an armbar but Flair fights up in a hurry. A kick to the face allows the hot tag to Hardy so house can be cleaned. The Side Effect gets two with MVP making a fast save. Not that it matters as the Twist of Fate finishes Masters (with MVP not bothering to make another save).

Rating: C+. Hardy gets a win back to start his rebuilding and that is a good idea. Ultimately, Hardy is probably not done with MVP and the title so it makes a lot of sense to put him in in a spot like this. Flair and Masters were just kind of there, but at least they did something to keep the match fresh.

Post match MVP says that doesn’t matter because he’s still the US Champion. Hardy brought everything he had at the Great American Bash and lost, because he can’t beat MVP at anything. Matt tells him to put his money where his mouth is and give him another title shot. MVP says the title is off the table but Matt can’t beat him at anything, from baseball to running to chess or anything else. That’s fine with Matt, who says he’ll pick a bunch of games and beat MVP every single time. Then MVP will have no choice but to give Matt a US Title shot. I think Matt’s logic might be a bit off there.

Chuck Palumbo loves motorcycles.

Mark Henry vs. Joey Blaylock

Henry runs him over without much trouble to start and adds a big boot. A powerslam and splash get two, with Henry picking him up. The bearhug finishes Blaylock in a hurry.

Post match, Henry says no man or beast can beat him and tosses Blaylock outside. That was such a bad beating that Henry beat the Blaylock out of him and turned the guy into Joey Ryan.

Raw Rebound.

Teddy Long and Kristal are talking wedding plans when Ron Simmons comes in. Long asks him to be the best man, which is good for a catchphrase and an emotional hug. The guys are off for some cigars and reminiscing.

Here’s the same video on the Great American Bash triple threat from earlier.

Edge had his torn pectoral muscle fixed and he still blames Kane.

Kane vs. Dave Taylor

Taylor isn’t scared and slugs away to start, earning himself a toss across the ring. Kane unloads in the corner and drops an elbow, only to get uppercutted some more. An armbar actually has Kane in a bit more trouble and Taylor pounds him into the corner again. Kane isn’t having that though and scores with a running clothesline, setting up the sidewalk slam. There’s the top rope clothesline and Kane hits the chokeslam for the pin.

Rating: C. Who would have thought that Taylor would give Kane a bit of a fight here? Taylor is someone who certainly does put in the effort every time he is out there and it gives you a match that is far better than you would expect. Kane seems primed for a big enough match at Summerslam, though I’m not sure who he could face.

Torrie Wilson has gone cowgirl for her mixed tag with Jimmy Wang Yang against Victoria and Kenny Dykstra. And no, apparently the shorts aren’t too short.

Torrie Wilson/Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Kenny Dykstra/Victoria

Victoria goes after Torrie before the bell but it’s Dykstra clotheslining Yang a few times to start instead. We hit the chinlock with a knee in Yang’s back as commentary talks about how Torrie looks. Yang fights up and hits a spinwheel kick, allowing the double tag to the women. Some clotheslines have Victoria in trouble but she comes right back with the spinning side slam for two. The double arm crank goes on but Torrie is back up with a swinging neckbreaker. Torrie has to crawl away from Dykstra though…and it’s off to Yang a few seconds later anyway. The moonsault press finishes Dykstra without much trouble.

Rating: D. They had a short and bad match as commentary talked about how great Torrie looked throughout. That’s about all you can expect here and I can’t say I’m surprised. It isn’t like there is anything else for them to do and Torrie wearing the outfit was there to be more fun and silly than anything else, which didn’t help the match that much.

It’s time for Great Khali’s World Championship celebration, complete with a bunch of dancers and music setting up his entrance. Khali and Runjin Singh come out, with Khali holding the title upside down again. Singh translates Khali’s yelling, which is bragging about all of his accomplishments. Now he is one of the greatest Indians of all time, like M. Night Shyamalan and Mother Teresa! It is time for Punjabi dancing but, after a good while, Batista interrupts. The challenge for a title match is on and a spear drops Khali to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This wasn’t a very good show and I’m not sure I can see it getting better anytime in the near future. There was very little worth seeing on here and I don’t know how good things are going to be on the way to Summerslam. Edge being gone hurt things but it wasn’t like it was a great weekly show before his injury. It wasn’t a very good show, but it was more uninteresting than anything else.

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown
Date: July 6, 2007
Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 13,500
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re on the way to the Great American Bash and that could go in a few different directions after last week. Batista beat Edge but isn’t allowed to challenge for the title. Therefore we are going to need a new challenger, but I’m not sure who that is going to be. Maybe we can have a wacky competition to crown a new #1 contender. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

MVP vs. Matt Hardy

Non-title and before the match, MVP says that the title means he is better than anyone here but Matt’s music cuts him off. They lock up to start with MVP grabbing a headlock to take over. Matt gets sent into the corner and MVP is already looking cocky. A slam drops Matt again and MVP gives him the Ballin pose. Matt flips out of a test of strength and but MVP spins over into a backslide for two.

This time it’s Matt working on a headlock of his own, setting up a bulldog out of the corner. Back up and MVP kicks away at the leg before pulling up the pant leg to get at the brace. We take a break and come back with MVP kicking him in the back and grabbing an armbar. Matt fights out of that in a hurry and hits the middle rope elbow to the back for two more. MVP catches him on the apron though and knocks him into the barricade for the big crash to take over.

We hit the seated abdominal stretch on Matt on the mat, followed by a waistlock to mix it up a bit. Matt gets up again and hits back to back Side Effects for two each but catches him on top with a superplex for two of his own. A fireman’s carry drop bangs up Matt’s ribs even worse and MVP kicks him in the head for another near fall. MVP’s running boot to the chest in the corner gets two but Matt is right back with a Twist of Fate for the pin out of nowhere.

Rating: B-. This got some time and Matt continues to be the underrated gem of the roster as he is having one long and pretty good match after another. I liked this one well enough, though some of the ribs work could have been cut out in the middle. I’m not wild on the champ losing twice in a row though, and hopefully that isn’t the start of a trend. It probably is, but hopefully not.

Michelle McCool goes shopping.

Kristal and Teddy Long are discussing wedding plans when Edge comes in. He wants to know what he’s doing tonight so Long says go have the Cutting Edge. Long will even send in the biggest guest the show has ever had.

Chris Masters vs. Jimmy Wang Yang

Masters sends him into the corner to start and runs him over without much trouble. A clothesline knocks him silly as JBL says this is what happens when cruiserweights face heavyweights. Yang fights up and kicks away, including a dropkick, but a high crossbody is pulled out of the air. The Masterlock finishes in a hurry.

Post match here is Great Khali, so Masters bails in a hurry. Yang is picked up and chokeslammed without much effort. Through the translator, Khali issues an open challenge for the Great American Bash, promising to destroy more people until someone accepts.

Jesse and Festus are coming to Smackdown. Apparently Festus is a navigational wizard.

Major Brothers vs. Jeremy Young/Mike Fox

Brian cranks on Fox’s arm to start and it’s off to Brett to work on an armbar. A double hiptoss gets two with Young making the save but Brett knocks him off the apron. That leaves Fox to get caught in a Russian legsweep/STO combination for a fast pin. The Majors didn’t look bad here.

Rey Mysterio is coming back.

Finlay vs. Ric Flair

Somehow this is their first singles match ever. They start slowly as we hear about their various bar activities. A hard shoulder puts Flair into the corner but he takes Finlay down by the leg. Back up and Finlay knocks him into the corner before grabbing the nerve hold. Flair fights up and goes with a thumb to the eye, only to get clotheslined back down for two. Now it’s Finlay starting in on the leg, including a half crab into the Celtic Knot.

Flair makes the rope so Finlay hits a Vader Bomb onto the leg to stay on the target. A cannonball down onto the leg is cut off though and Finlay crashes outside. Back in and Flair grabs the Figure Four, sending Finlay to the ropes this time. A belly to back suplex drops Finlay again but here is Hornswoggle for a distraction, allowing Finlay to hit Flair in the knee with the Shillelagh. The Celtic Knot finishes Flair in a hurry.

Rating: C+. These are the kind of guys who could have a good match with each other just due to pure talent so I’m not at all surprised that this worked out. The ending was an easy way for Finlay to cheat and win so Flair gets to save a bit of face. Not exactly a great match, but it was nice to see for the sake of a curiosity.

Victoria interrupts Torrie Wilson’s Summerslam photo shoot and says Torrie isn’t taking over Smackdown like she did on Raw. Torrie calls her crazy and the fight is on.

Great Khali beats up a stagehand, who had been accused of wanting to face him at Great American Bash.

Chuck Palumbo vs. Kenny Dykstra

This is Palumbo’s return after several years away and he has become a biker in his absence. Palumbo sends him into the corner to start but Dykstra is back with a dropkick. Dykstra sends him arm first into the post and a DDT on the arm gets two. We hit the armbar for a bit but Palumbo fights up and hits a slam spun into a Rock Bottom (Full Throttle) for the pin.

Rating: D+. Not much to see here, but what were you expecting from these two? Palumbo as a biker is about as lower card of a gimmick as you can get but he could be fine to fill in some time for a few weeks. Dykstra continues to be someone who is fine as a heel that you want to see get punched in the face and he filled in that role well enough this time too.

Raw Rebound.

Mark Henry is ready to hurt the new wrestlers around here.

Deuce vs. Eugene

What an odd match, though it might have something to do with Domino having a broken nose. Eugene is distracted by Cherry’s skates so Deuce sends him into the corner to start. Deuce stops for a kiss from Cherry so Eugene Hulks Up…and here is Great Khali to beat both guys up.

Post no contest (which should have been a DQ), Khali issues the open challenge again and here is Batista to accept. The staredown is on with Khali leaving.

Rey Mysterio is still coming back. Nothing has changed in the last hour.

Here is Edge for the Cutting Edge but he doesn’t know the guest. He would love to tell us about the guest but he can’t do that tonight. Edge is ready to ask the tough questions so here is…..Kane (giving us a great face from Edge, who seems to gulp a bit). Edge: “Like the kids say today, it’s all good.” Edge talks about how Kane debuted in WWE ten years ago this October and brings up Kane introducing the Inferno match.

We hear about See No Evil, but that doesn’t Edge talks about his own accomplishments, which are a bit better than Kane’s. Edge goes to leave but Kane grabs him by the throat, saying he doesn’t like Edge very much. That’s enough for Edge, who says he’ll never be in the ring with Kane again. Cue Teddy Long to say not so fast, because Edge is defending the World Title against Kane at the Great American Bash. It might not be the biggest match in the world, but Kane is as good as anyone else available at the moment.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a nice show with some good action and the main event set for the pay per view. They still need some bigger names around here and hopefully the returning Mysterio can help in that area. The stars they have are good enough at the moment, but they don’t have much of a bench and that could become a problem in a hurry. For now though, they had a pretty good show, even with Deuce vs. Eugene getting the final match slot.

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown
Date: February 16, 2007
Location: KeyArena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

It’s the go home show for No Way Out, which really needs to wrap up already so we can move on to the stuff that matters. This show has been working pretty well as of late and a lot of that is due to focusing a bit more on wrestling than anything else. Now just make me care about the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Commentary runs down the show, which will feature John Cena/Shawn Michaels and Rated-RKO as guest stars for some special tag matches. Dang I love it when the Brand Split is just ignored for the Road to Wrestlemania.

Finlay vs. Boogeyman

Finlay jumps him from behind to start fast and sends Boogeyman into various things on the floor. They get inside for the opening bell and Finlay pounds him down in the corner. The chinlock goes on, followed by a clothesline to drop Boogeyman again. Finlay finally gets sent outside though and the comeback is on.

Back in and a running shoulder in the corner…is about it for Boogeyman, as Finlay clotheslines him in the back of the head. Finlay goes for the Shillelagh so the referee yells at him, allowing the Leprechaun to come in. As you might have guessed, the Little Boogeyman debuts to take the Leprechaun down. Finlay is a bit confused so Boogeyman hits him in the ribs with his staff for the pin.

Rating: D+. So now there’s a Little Boogeyman as this is turning more and more into a Doink style deal. It does kind of fit in a way and I can go for something different, mainly because they are keeping this goofy stuff to one segment for the most part. I’m not sure how much more of it I can take, but at least it isn’t spreading.

Last night on Raw, Vince McMahon meets Donald Trump face to face. And on and on too.

Brian Kendrick vs. Deuce

Of note: the previously announced four way ladder match for the titles has been changed to Deuce and Domino getting a solo title shot. So at least they’ve got the right idea. Paul London, Domino and Cherry are all here. Deuce drives him into the corner to start so Kendrick fights out, only to get dropped with a clothesline.

We’re already in a seated abdominal stretch to keep Kendrick down, followed by a big boot and another seated abdominal stretch to keep things interesting. Kendrick fights up again and makes the comeback, including a bunch of kicks to put him down. The running shooting star gets two so Kendrick goes up, meaning it’s time for the Cherry distraction. Domino shoves Kendrick off the top and Deuce kicks him in the face for the pin.

Rating: D+. I think WWE understands what they have with Deuce and Domino, as they have been treated as a big deal since they debuted. London and Kendrick’s time seems to be over and that’s ok after such a long and successful run with the titles. The title change should happen at the pay per view, but WWE has gotten screwy with things before.

It’s time for a special feature as we have King Booker And Queen Sharmell At The Movies. This week they are looking at See No Evil on DVD, but Kane is not evil. No, he is someone who will be vanquished at No Way Out. They look at the clip of Kane attacking people and crack up, with Booker saying he would have been better in the role. We see King Booker wielding an ax against everyone, which is a lot funnier than it sounds.

Then the lights go red and Kane’s voice says there will be no way out on Sunday. The curtain is torn back with Kane appearing to scare off Booker and Sharmell. See, this was a good idea, as they actually used something going on and turned it into a unique way to build a feud. Why is that so hard for everyone else?

Clips of the eight man tag from Raw.

John Cena needs to make sure that Shawn Michaels has his back tonight. Of course Michaels does, because nothing can happen to him until Wrestlemania. Now that’s interesting.

John Cena/Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. Kennedy/MVP

Non-title. Kennedy takes Shawn into the corner for a clean break to start but gets pulled down into a headlock takeover. Cena comes in for a hiptoss into an elbow for two but it’s off to MVP to take over. The villains start taking turns on Cena for all of about ten seconds before he gets over to Shawn for the hot tag. Cena saves Shawn from a cheap shot from MVP and there’s Shawn’s big dive to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Cena getting two off the release fisherman’s suplex to Kennedy. Michaels comes back in to work on the arm as JBL goes on a rant about Teddy Long being anti-Smackdown. Kennedy low bridges Shawn out to the floor and now it’s time for the real beating to begin. Shawn tries to fight out of the corner but gets sent into it instead.

That means Kennedy can kick him in the face a few times, followed by more of the same from MVP. It’s already back to Kennedy for the chinlock, followed by the Regal Roll. The Kenton Bomb misses though and now it’s back to Shawn to clean house. Kennedy tries to bring in a chair but gets superkicked down, leaving MVP to walk into the FU for the pin.

Rating: C. This was about setting up the new normal, or at least the new temporary normal, between Michaels and Cena. They are going to have to get used to being together as a team and that could make for something interesting. Kennedy and MVP are more guys who have lost so many times that one more is not going to really hurt them, so this was a fine use of about twenty minutes.

Things are cool post match.

Krystal is in Teddy Long’s office where she isn’t sure what to do for the talent show on Sunday (because a WWE pay per view is featuring a talent show). Jillian comes in to say she wants to rap on Sunday, which seems to give Krystal her idea for Sunday: stripping. We even get a demonstration.

Dusty Rhodes Hall of fame package. That’s about as overdue as you can get.

Bobby Lashley comes in to see Teddy Long, though Krystal has to leave them alone first. Cue Mr. Kennedy to say he wants an ECW Title shot at No Way Out because he is a singles wrestler. Lashley tells Long to set it up.

Here is Ashley to recap her life (she went to college, then she became a WWE Diva). With that out of her way, she reveals the Playboy cover. This takes less than three minutes total, though JBL and Cole talking about how much they couldn’t wait to get the magazine was pretty disturbing.

Long video on Vince McMahon vs. Donald Trump from Raw.

Scotty 2 Hotty vs. Gregory Helms

Non-title. Helms jumps him before the bell and the beatdown is on in a hurry, including some choking on the ropes. Scotty fights up and slugs away, setting up a backdrop. The bulldog sets up the Worm but here is Daivari to jump Scotty for the DQ (which isn’t how you spell Worm).

Post match the rest of the cruiserweights run in for the brawl as Helms escapes with the title.

Maryse, in a tub with Big Dick Johnson, welcomes us back to the show.

No Way Out rundown.

Rated-RKO seems ready for the main event.

Video on Rey Mysterio, who is back next week.

Batista/Undertaker vs. Rated-RKO

Undertaker and Edge start things off with Old School being countered in a hurry, but Undertaker armdrags him down to counter the counter. The second Old School connects and Batista comes in to clean house as we take a break. Back with Batista driving Edge into the apron but Orton grabs the backbreaker on the floor to cut him off. Edge adds a baseball slide and it’s back inside so Orton can stomp away.

The chinlock goes on but Batista is back up with the swinging Boss Man Slam. It’s a double tag to bring in Undertaker and Edge but the double chokeslam is broken up. Orton is sent outside again but the referee gets bumped. Snake Eyes into the big boot looks to set up the chokeslam as Orton posts Batista. Orton gets on the apron for a distraction though, allowing Edge to spear Undertaker down.

The Conchairto is loaded up but Undertaker grabs Edge by the throat, only to get hit low by Orton. A chair to the head drops Undertaker and a new referee (who wasn’t watching the cheating but was watching to know that it was time to come down) comes in to count two. Batista comes back in to wreck people as Undertaker sits up. The Batista Bomb drops Orton and a Tombstone finishes Edge.

Rating: C+. This was a pretty good main event, with two major teams making it feel that much bigger. The star power was more than enough to help push this one to another level and it worked well for what they were trying to do. Undertaker and Batista are going to explode in a month and a half so let them get something like this in first.

Post match here are John Cena and Shawn Michaels to take out Undertaker and Batista. The Smackdown guys pull themselves up and glare to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, star power carries the day here and that’s all you could ask for from a show like this. No Way Out is one of the least important shows of the year and the main event is just a commercial for Wrestlemania anyway, but they are getting as much out of it as they can here. The two tag matches made the show feel a lot bigger and for a one off Smackdown, that’s about as good as it is getting.

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.