Smackdown
Date: July 13, 2007
Location: New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 2,271
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

The Great American Bash is in less than two weeks and we have a somewhat intriguing main event of Kane vs. Edge for the World Title. At the same time though, we also have Batista vs. Great Khali, which might not be the best idea in the world. They have some time to set things up though so let’s get to it.

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

Edge is on the phone and seems paranoid that Kane is behind him. This could be due to Kane popping up in a window over Edge’s shoulder.

Opening sequence.

Matt Hardy vs. Chris Masters

MVP is on commentary. They take their time to start, with Hardy grabbing a headlock. A hard shoulder drops Matt and an elbow to the face does it again. Masters drives him into the corner as MVP talks about how he is absolutely the greatest US Champion of all time. The Masterlock is teased and we take a break.

Back with Matt missing the middle rope legdrop as MVP says he isn’t scared of Hardy at the Bash. Hardy gets in some right hands but Masters sends him back into the corner to cut that off in a hurry. Masters bends Hardy’s back over the knee, setting up a hard clothesline out of the corner for two. The neck crank goes on as MVP talks about everything he has accomplished in WWE so far. Matt fights back up and hits the middle rope elbow to the back of the neck, plus the Side Effect for two. Masters gets up and walks right into the Twist of Fate for the pin.

Rating: C. This was another longer form Matt match and now they are using the winning streak to set him up for a title match. That’s how this thing can work very well and it’s making me want to see what happens when he faces MVP. Good enough stuff here, which is all the more impressive with someone as simple as Masters.

Post match Matt and MVP have a staredown but Masters grabs the Masterlock on Hardy. With Matt done, MVP hits the Playmaker for good measure.

Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Finlay

Finlay powers him around to start but has to avoid a spinning kick to the face. With that not working for Yang, Finlay grabs a front facelock. Yang fights up and manages to dropkick Finlay outside, which has JBL stunned. Finlay pulls Yang down into the ring skirt to administer the beating though, which has JBL back to normal.

Back in and Finlay starts cranking on the arm before blasting Yang with a clothesline. The Fujiwara armbar goes on to keep Yang in trouble but Yang manages some shots to the face. Back up and Yang hits the running spinwheel kick in the corner, followed by a high crossbody for two. Finlay backdrops him so hard that Yang lands on his face, setting up the Celtic Cross for the pin.

Rating: C+. I liked this one a good bit better than I would have expected and that’s a nice surprise. Finlay beat him up but Yang scored a few shots here and there to make it interesting. It’s always nice to see a random pairing like this work out and they had a rather fun TV match.

Post match Hornswoggle is let out from underneath the ring, gets in a bite on Yang, and then hides again.

Chavo Guerrero/Jamie Noble vs. Major Brothers

Noble and Brian start things off with Noble elbowing his way out of a hammerlock. An armdrag into an armbar works a bit better and it’s off to Brett for an armbar of his own. Noble kicks him into the corner though and it’s off to Chavo for a chinlock. Noble grabs a camel clutch and even holds Brett away from a hot tag attempt, allowing Chavo to come back in.

That doesn’t last long either as Brett gets up and knocks Chavo away, setting up the hot tag to Brian. Everything breaks down and Noble is suplexed to the floor, leaving Chavo to get caught with a missile dropkick for the fast pin (because you have to pin the Cruiserweight Champion here).

Rating: C+. Champ getting pinned aside, this was another solid, back and forth match between talented wrestlers. You can always use something like that on any show and it is great to see the Major Brothers already getting some success. They feel like an old school team with the name and matching gear. Go with more like that, especially if they work well like this.

Vickie Guerrero runs into Runjin Singh, who has some issues with Great Khali’s contract signing with Batista tonight. He puts his arm around her shoulders but Vickie doesn’t care, so the contract signing/match are still on. Khali shows up to yell at Vickie and then beats up a backstage worker.

Rey Mysterio is coming back.

Kane invades the inside of Edge’s TV, making me think of the time Lucy got inside the Ricardos’ TV on I Love Lucy.

Here is Teddy Long to run the contract signing between Batista and Great Khali. Batista wastes no time in signing the contract, but Runjin Singh warns him that he will see a real animal at the Great American Bash. Khali isn’t scared and shouts a lot before signing. Batista offers a handshake but then slaps Khali in the face, which is enough to send Khali outside. The steps are thrown in but Batista throws them right back, along with everything else.

Chuck Palumbo vs. Luke Hawx

Palumbo grabs a headlock takeover to start and shrugs off a spinwheel kick for a bonus. Hawx gets up a boot in the corner but Palumbo tosses him down with a suplex. A running big boot and Full Throttle give Palumbo the pin. It’s amazing what happens when you have someone with a good look and don’t give them a comedy gimmick.

Jesse and Festus like the Divas because Festus is a ladies man.

Kane scared Edge while he’s brushing his teeth.

Deuce N Domino don’t like Eugene looking at their car but they agree to drive him to the ring if he’ll take Deuce’s match.

Eugene vs. Mark Henry

Henry glares at Deuce N Domino and Cherry before running over Eugene in the corner. Forearms to the back and shots to the knees set up the World’s Strongest Slam. Henry grabs the bearhug for the easy win.

Michelle McCool rollerblades.

We look back at Torrie Wilson and Victoria brawling last week.

Teddy Long and Kristal are happy with the wedding plans. Vickie Guerrero comes in and is offered the position as maid of honor. Planning mode activates.

Torrie Wilson vs. Victoria

Victoria takes her into the corner to start and gets in a hard slap to the face. Torrie’s hair pulling doesn’t work so Victoria hits a knee to the ribs. She yells about Torrie not being so pretty and kicks her down for two more. There’s the choking on the ropes but Torrie fights up with forearms. A swinging neckbreaker gives Torrie two and they fight outside, with Torrie hitting a Thesz press off the apron. The beating continues and Torrie wins via countout.

Rating: D. What else were you expecting here? This is the same kind of match that we have seen for years and it’s one of the most common stories you would see involving Torrie. I’ve lost count of the amount of wrestlers to insult her looks but it’s not like she has much of a character to talk about otherwise.

Edge has a Mardi Gras party of characters ready for a celebration.

Here is the full on Mardi Gras float, complete with Edge right in the middle. Edge goes a bit nuts with the celebrating before saying that this is his kind of town. The celebration you’re about to see will pale in comparison to what you see at the Great American Bash after he retains the title. The celebration is on again until one of the people in costumes stares at him. Edge spears him, but one of the other people takes their mask off to reveal Kane. The beatdown is on in a hurry until some of the other try to help Edge. Kane beats them up instead and stares Edge down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling here was better than expected for the most part and that takes away from some of the goofy stuff involving Kane and Edge. You kind of have to expect that kind of thing in a Kane story and it could have been a lot worse. Other than that, it was a show that didn’t have much going on but offered enough good wrestling to make it entertaining. That isn’t something you get to see very often in WWE so itwas nice for a change.

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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.

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Vengeance 2007
Date: June 24, 2007
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 15,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Joey Styles, Tazz, John Layfield

It’s time for a Night of Champions (that has a ring to it) as this whole show is about title matches. We have nine title matches and that is almost a guarantee for a couple of changes. One of which will be the ECW World Title, which is vacant coming into the show. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at how everything is about the titles, with all of the titles on the line. As usual, the biggest matches get their own focuses.

Before the first match, Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo are presented at ringside, complete with some clips of their US Express days. That would be a nice touch throughout the night.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Lance Cade/Trevor Murdoch vs. Hardys

The Hardys are challenging and Cade starts with Matt. Cade powers Matt into the corner to start but Matt isn’t falling for the offer of a handshake this time around. They run the ropes until Matt hits a crossbody for an early two. Jeff comes in but Murdoch makes a blind tag and grabs a swinging neckbreaker. Back up and the Hardys start taking over on Murdoch’s arm, allowing Jeff to hit the slingshot dropkick in the corner.

The champs are cleared out to the floor but the Hardys aren’t about to let them walk out. Matt chases Murdoch but Cade makes a blind tag and takes out Matt’s knee. Cade and Murdoch start taking turns on said knee (which was banged up pretty badly on Smackdown), including Murdoch’s half crab. That’s finally broken up and Matt gets over to Jeff to pick the pace way up. The sitout gordbuster plants Cade but Murdoch breaks up the Swanton. With the referee getting Matt out of the ring, Cade hits the sitout Rock Bottom spinebuster to retain.

Rating: C. They didn’t exactly tear the house down here as this was more of a house show style match to warm the crowd up. That’s all it needed to be too as you don’t want to wear the crowd out at the start of a show. This is a feud that probably needs to wrap up already, as Cade and Murdoch have beaten them pretty definitively more than once.

King Booker tells Queen Sharmell that this is his night.

Jackass is coming to Summerslam. Do they really have to?

We look at Eddie Guerrero winning the WWE Title, with JBL declaring him the greatest Latino champion ever.

Cruiserweight Title: Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Chavo Guerrero

Chavo is defending and we get a video on Dean Malenko, who is in the back instead of ringside, during his entrance. Yang grabs a quick rollup for one as JBL runs down the history of the Guerrero family. The armbar doesn’t last long for Yang as Chavo sends him outside for a crash.

Back in and Yang kicks Chavo off the top but he’s right back up with a hiptoss into the corner. Chavo starts cranking on both arms but Yang fights up and hits a middle rope dropkick. The high crossbody gets two, only to have Chavo come back with the Three Amigos. Yang shrugs that off and hits a spinwheel kick but misses the moonsault, allowing Chavo to load up the Gory Bomb. That’s countered into a sunset flip for two so Chavo crotches him on top and hits the frog splash to retain.

Rating: C. The match was fairly good as you probably expected but the title is so worthless these days that it doesn’t matter. Yang was a good choice for a challenger as his gimmick makes him stand out, but the build was the usual lame, back and forth stuff that doesn’t make the champion or challenger look good. Again: find a better use for the title or get rid of it.

Commentary talks about Vince McMahon’s limo exploding with JR and King trying to figure out Vince’s mindset, including how he had a bad feeling something was going to happen to him.

Bobby Lashley wishes Vince was here to see him win the WWE Title.

We see some clips of Tazz in the original ECW.

ECW World Title: CM Punk vs. Johnny Nitro

The title is vacant coming in and Nitro is replacing Chris Benoit, who is missing the show due to personal reasons. The Peacock version changes the intro from “CM Punk’s opponent, the man who will be replacing Chris Benoit” to “CM Punk’s opponent” and commentary is muted during Nitro’s entrance. What isn’t edited out is the WE WANT BENOIT chants as they circle each other to start. Punk wastes no time in kicking him out to the floor and it’s time for a chase on the floor.

Back in and Nitro hits the Flying Chuck to take over and some right hands are rained down. We hit the armbar as the fans still want Benoit. A flying armbar takes Punk down again and Nitro grabs a cobra clutch to keep him in trouble. Punk fights up and hits an enziguri, setting up the slugout. Nitro gets up an elbow in the corner and puts his feet on the ropes for two, with the referee catching him. Back up and Punk hits the running knee in the corner into the bulldog for two. Nitro avoids the springboard clothesline though, setting up the hanging flip neckbreaker for the pin and the title.

Rating: C+. Nitro has come a long way and is actually feeling like a serious threat to win some fairly big matches. That being said, this was still an upset and Nitro looking surprised was a nice touch. It came out of nowhere and this wasn’t quite the original match, but at least they did rather well with what they had.

We look at Shawn Michaels beating Bret Hart in the Iron Man match to win the WWF Title.

Randy Orton comes up to Mick Foley and threatens to end his career with another concussion. Foley says he had that look on his face and remembers the same look on Orton’s face the last time they fought. Orton points out that he won that match and glaring ensues.

Ricky Steamboat is the feature former Intercontinental Champion.

Intercontinental Title: Umaga vs. Santino Marella

Marella is defending and avoids a charge in the corner to hammer away. That earns him a hard toss down but Umaga misses a headbutt. It doesn’t seem to bother him that much as he kicks Marella’s head off, setting up the nerve hold. Umaga unloads in the corner…and that’s a DQ to retain Santino’s title.

Umaga wrecks Marella, likely setting up a rematch to win the title.

Jackass is coming to Summerslam.

We look at the Vince McMahon investigator saying there was DNA from another well known personality. Possibly more no this tomorrow.

Magnum TA is the special former US Champion.

US Title: Ric Flair vs. MVP

MVP is defending and gets in TA’s face like a true heel should. Flair tries to go over to Magnum but MVP gets in his face. Cole says there’s no respect, but JBL asks if Flair wouldn’t have done the same thing. Point, JBL. They talk trash to start, or at least MVP does, while Flair goes with the WOO. A chop sends MVP outside and Flair gets to strut a bit. Back in and Flair takes him down by the leg and cranks away, setting up some knees to the leg.

MVP’s leg is fine enough to drape Flair over the top and a big boot knocks him outside. Flair gets back in and we hit the chinlock to keep him in trouble. MVP: “GO TO SLEEP! TAKE A NAP!” The rope gets Flair out of trouble and he chops his way out of trouble. Cole talks about great wrestlers who won the US Title and then moved on to become World Champion. JBL is incensed that he is not mentioned on that list, though the fact that he won the World Title first might have something to do with the omission.

Flair chops him so hard that MVP has to look at his chest as Cole (incorrectly) corrects himself by saying JBL belongs on the list as well. MVP takes him down into another chinlock before a fireman’s carry faceplant drops Flair again. Now it’s a reverse chinlock to keep Flair in trouble but he fights up for more chops. The comeback includes a backdrop and right hands in the corner before it’s time to go after the knee. The Figure Four goes on but MVP grabs the rope. Back up and MVP distracts the referee, allowing him to get in a thumb to the eye. That’s enough to set up the Playmaker to retain the title.

Rating: C+. Flair’s formula was on full display here and that’s what it needed to be. Flair can make anything work and he had someone talented in MVP here. While the title change would have been a stretch, Flair is in just the right spot to make it seem like a long shot chance. MVP was rather good here as well, with the trash talk and antics before the match making it better.

Edge interrupts a John Cena promo and says Cena is in trouble tonight. They accuse each other of wanting to take out Vince McMahon. Cue the investigator with some questions for Edge.

Tony Garea and Rick Martel of all people are here as former champions, despite having nothing to do with the titles about to be defended.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Deuce N Domino vs. Sgt. Slaughter/Jimmy Snuka

Slaughter and Snuka are challenging because WWE’s tag divisions really are that weak. Snuka pounds on Domino’s head to start and hands it off to Slaughter for some elbows to the head. A snapmare gets two and a backdrop is good for the same as it’s all old guys to start. The Cobra Clutch goes on until Domino makes the rope so it’s the Slaughter Cannon to drop Domino again.

Slaughter grabs another Cobra Clutch but Deuce gets in a cheap shot to break it up. Deuce comes in and points at Snuka (his dad, not mentioned) before missing a Superfly Splash. Snuka comes in and gets to clean house, including a high crossbody….which Deuce rolls through to retain.

Rating: D+. All things considered, this wasn’t too bad. You’re only going to get so much out of two retired wrestlers in a short match with no heat and they got about as much as they could out of it here. It was a bizarre match, but the Deuce vs. Snuka stuff was at least a cool enough moment.

We recap Edge vs. Batista, in Batista’s last chance to win the World Title. Edge has cheated to beat him twice so now Batista is getting his final shot.

Harley Race is here. I don’t think that needs any further explanation.

Smackdown World Title: Edge vs. Batista

Edge is defending. Batista takes him into the corner to start and hammers away, setting up a shoulder for two. A front facelock slows Edge down until Batista switches to an armbar. Edge fights up with right hands but walks into a powerslam for two. That’s enough to make Edge bail to the floor but he catches Batista with some kicks to the floor on the way back in.

Batista gets sent shoulder first into the post and there’s a baseball slide to put him on the floor again. Back up again and Batista misses a charge to go shoulder first into the post again so Edge grabs the armbar. That’s not enough so Edge turns it into a crucifix to work on both arms at once. Batista fights up but charges into a boot in the corner, only to come back with a heck of a clothesline.

Edge slips out of the Batista Bomb and hits the Impaler for two of his own. A powerslam is countered into the Edge-O-Matic and they’re both down. Back up and Batista cuts off the spear with one of his own…but Edge hits him low for the DQ. Hold on though as here is Teddy Long to say restart the match, and if Edge gets himself disqualified again, he loses the title. Edge hammers away and hits a quick spear for two but Batista clotheslines him outside. Batista follows and hits the Batista Bomb on the floor but takes too long throwing Edge back inside for the countout.

Rating: B-. This felt like a big match and that is how it should have been, though they had a weird ending as they didn’t want Batista to get pinned again so this was about all they could have done. Edge retaining the title is the right call as Batista doesn’t need to get it back anytime soon. Probably the best match on the show so far, but that’s not the biggest accomplishment.

Batista is furious post match and Batista Bombs Edge again.

We look at the Fabulous Moolah, as the Spider Lady, taking the Women’s Title from Wendi Richter in the Original Screwjob.

Women’s Title: Melina vs. Candice Michelle

Candice is challenging and gets kneed in the face for trying a test of strength to start. Melina breaks up a triangle choke over the ropes and sends her outside for the big crash. Back in and Melina rakes the face in the corner, setting up a running knee to the ribs. There’s a faceplant to rock Candice again and we hit the bow and arrow.

Candice fights up and drops her ribs first across the top, setting up a powerslam. A running hair takedown gets two but Melina grabs a neckbreaker for two of her own. Back up and Candice hits a spinning….body attack we’ll say, though I think it was supposed to be a kick, for the pin and the title out of nowhere.

Rating: D+. It was pretty sloppy, but at least they finally had a title change on the show. Candice has been built up for months and while this wasn’t a great match, it was well built up over time. WWE has needed a new singles star in the division and Candice is about as good of a choice as they have.

JBL is recognized, and yes he has his own prepared statement about his greatness, both in and out of the ring.

We recap the Raw World Title match, which is John Cena vs. any former World Champion on the Raw roster. That’s about as easy of an idea as you can get and that’s not a bad thing.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Mick Foley vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Randy Orton vs. King Booker

Cena is defending and it’s one fall to a finish with no countouts/DQ’s. Booker heads to the floor to start for a shoulder rub from Queen Sharmell so Foley hits the Cactus Clothesline to Orton, leaving us with Lashley vs. Cena. That’s broken up by Booker but everyone winds up on the floor, leaving Lashley to hit a big dive (that was scary). Back in and Lashley hits a Rack Attack on Booker but Cena makes the save, setting up the big showdown.

A spinebuster drops Cena and Lashley sends him outside for a ram into the steps. Everyone brawls on the floor, with Booker whipping Foley knees first into the steps. An FU puts Lashley through the announcers’ table (which exploded) but Booker kicks Cena in the face for two. The ax kick gets the same but Cena quickly dispatches an invading Orton and beats up Booker.

Cena loads up the FU, which is cut off by an RKO out of nowhere. Foley is back in to go after Orton, including the double arm DDT for no cover. Instead Foley busts out Mr. Socko, only to get kicked down by Booker. Foley grabs a chair but hits Lashley by mistake, followed by more shots to Cena and Booker. Orton jumps Foley from behind and Punts Foley but gets speared by Lashley. Everyone else fights to the floor and it’s the FU to Foley to retain Cena’s title.

Rating: C. This wasn’t designed to be a classic or anything, but rather having five people out there flying through everything they could to get us to the ending. Cena retaining works of course, as his title reign has gone on so long now that you don’t have him lose in a spot like this. Lashley vs. Cena was set up here too so we might already have a title match for the Great American Bash.

Cena poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. It wasn’t the worst show or anything close to it, but this was also one of the most middle of the road and mediocre collections of matches I’ve seen in a long time. There was one title change (not counting a vacant title win) and almost nothing felt like it was going to matter beyond the next show each. Certainly not a bad show, but nothing is necessary viewing either. At least they have a concept with the Night of Champions though and that’s an easy way to go in the future.

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

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Smackdown
Date: June 22, 2007
Location: Bobcats Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

It’s the go home show for Vengeance: Night Of Champions and the card is set. It isn’t a show that needs a lot of setup, so it’s a good thing that we have one of the biggest storylines in years to help pad things out. Other than that, we likely have Batista/Ric Flair vs. MVP/Edge. Let’s get to it.

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

We open fast with the Cutting Edge, with Edge saying he had Vince McMahon’s final interview on this very show. There will be a special tribute to Vince on Raw, even if Vince made him face Batista in a Last Chance match at Vengeance. For now though, let’s bring out someone brand new to the show, and someone you wouldn’t expect as a suspect: Torrie Wilson.

Torrie isn’t sure what Edge is talking about, but Edge accuses her of being scored by Vince and put into a match with Carlito. Edge sees one liar in the ring but here is MVP to cut them off. MVP doesn’t think Torrie should have to go through this…because she should be going through a lie detector test! Cue Ric Flair to go after both of them but the beatdown is on. Batista runs in for the save, setting up a likely tag team main event.

Post break, Teddy Long and Vickie Guerrero have made the tag match.

Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore vs. Chavo Guerrero/Jamie Noble

Not this tag match. Noble headscissors Moore down to start and grabs a rather early chinlock. That’s broken up so Noble hits a running shoulder before it’s off to Chavo. A dropkick gives Moore two and it’s off to Yang, who gets a bit of a response (which may be canned but it’s better than nothing). Noble comes back in and gets caught in a jumping hurricanrana, only to stomp Yang down without much trouble.

Chavo comes in and stomps away before it’s right back to Noble to work on the arm. Yang fights up but Chavo avoids a charge to send Yang’s shoulder into the post. That doesn’t stop Yang from hitting a dropkick though and the hot tag brings in Moore. House is cleaned in a hurry and Chavo is dropped face first onto the buckle. Yang hits a big dive onto Noble but Chavo Gory Bombs Moore for the pin.

Rating: C. It’s the least valuable title this side of the Texas Hardcore Title but there is something about putting four high fliers out there and letting them go for a few minutes. Chavo needed the win to get him back on track before the title match so at least there is a bit more set up for Sunday. Now just do something with the title already.

Maryse welcomes us back to the show.

Mark Henry vs. Funaki

Henry throws him around a few times to start as commentary raves over the power. The bearhug goes on and Funaki is out in a hurry.

We see more of the same clips of Vince’s explosion and people talking about it that we’ve seen for a week and a half now.

Vickie Guerrero comes in to see Teddy Long because she has set up all of the travel for everyone to go to Raw next week. Long is happy but seems to have some special plans for himself and Kristal. Cue Kristal, and Long seems nervous about something he has planned in public tonight, with Kristal joining him in the ring.

Finlay vs. Matt Hardy

They take turns powering the other into the corner to start until Finlay hits him in the face. Matt sweeps the leg and grabs a headlock on the mat so Finlay rips at his face. A belly to back suplex has some more success at getting Finlay out of trouble and we hit the chinlock. That’s eventually broken up and Matt sends him face first into the corner over and over.

They head outside where Finlay is sent into the barricade, which draws out Hornswoggle from under the ring. The distraction lets Finlay run Matt over and we take a break. Back with Finlay pulling him down by the hair and going back to the chinlock. With that broken up, Finlay’s Vader Bomb hits raised boot but Finlay goes after the knee. Some kicks to the knee set up a leglock, followed by a kneeling half crab.

Hardy makes the rope so Finlay takes him outside and drops him knee first onto the steps. Back in and Finlay rips the knee brace off and sits on the leg again. Finlay grabs the leg but gets caught with an enziguri to start the comeback. The Side Effect gives Matt two and he manages the middle rope elbow to the back. Hornswoggle offers a distraction but Matt shrugs off the Shillelagh shot and hits the Twist of Fate for the pin.

Rating: B-. This got some serious time and it’s a good sign to see Matt pick up this kind of a win. Matt fought through an injury and interference to win clean. That’s the kind of a win that can help build someone up and it came over someone with enough credibility. It helps to have people like this who can eat up a lot of time and have a rather effective match and they did so here.

We look at Stephanie McMahon’s appearance on Raw, where she remembered her dad and swore vengeance for whoever blew him up.

Here are Teddy Long and Kristal for a chat in the ring. Long says he didn’t know what it meant to be happy before he met her. He has a question for her and proposes, but she starts crying and walks away without saying anything.

Chris Masters vs. Danny Shanley

We get a Masterlock highlight reel before the match, which is pretty much all of Masters’ career. Shanley can’t Irish whip him to start so Masters hits a hard clothesline. Masters snaps him throat first across the top and starts pulling on Shanley’s head. A slam plants Shanley again and we hit the neck crank. Masters switches up to the Masterlock for the easy win.

Rating: D. Yeah it was a squash and yeah it played to Masters’ strengths, but it was the same Masters that we have seen since he debuted. That’s why his career stalled: he looked great and had a good full nelson, but what else did he have? There was little more than a physique and eventually you need something more than that to have a successful career.

In Memory of Sherri Martel. How nice of them to get to this almost three fourths of the way through the show.

Teddy Long finds Kristal in the back and she’s still in tears. He apologizes and she puts the ring on to accept. Well that was anti-climatic.

We run down the Vengeance card.

We get a press conference from the lead investigator in the Vince McMahon case. They have found DNA from Vince, the limo driver and one more well known (and unnamed) personality. This apparently warranted a full press conference (minus press).

Michelle McCool…plays tennis? She gets to take her aggression out on tennis balls and wear these cute outfits (her words). Not their most subtle work here.

Ric Flair/Batista vs. MVP/Edge

Flair gets the big hometown entrance, which is rather well received, and Little Naitch gets to hold the ropes for him. Edge’s pyro leaves the arena a bit smoky to start so Flair chops him in the corner for lowering the air quality. JBL says you don’t want to wrestle someone in their hometown, showing that JBL has no idea how WWE works. Flair cranks on the arm so it’s off to Batista, who gets to run over MVP.

With MVP down, Flair comes in to drop the elbow for two and it’s right back to Batista. MVP kicks Batista in the face and gets plowed over for his efforts as we take a break. Back with Edge stomping on Batista and grabbing a waistlock. MVP’s crossface forearms get two but Batista catches him in the swinging Boss Man Slam. The tag brings in Flair (POP) and house is cleaned, only to have Edge come in with a quick spear to cut him down. Batista makes the save and it’s Flair getting stomped this time.

MVP grabs a seated abdominal stretch but Flair fights up and hits a chop. JBL: “That’s like getting hit with a frying pan.” How many times has he been hit with a frying pan? MVP kicks Flair in the head to cut him off and Edge comes back in to talk a lot of trash. A backdrop gets two as Batista is pacing on the apron. MVP misses a big running boot in the corner though and Flair goes for the leg, allowing the hot tag to Batista. Everything breaks down and Batista counters Edge’s spear into a spinebuster. The Batista Bomb finishes Edge off.

Rating: B. This was good and egads it was nice to not see the hometown star get crushed to end a show. Flair didn’t need to get the fall here because having him get to celebrate to end the show was more than enough. Batista gets some momentum before the title match and Flair gets to pose. That’s how this should have gone and it was a good match too.

Overall Rating: B. Rather strong show here, with the only thing close to bad being a Chris Masters squash. Other than that, it was a pair of good, long matches and a way to make me want to see both Vengeance and Monday’s big show. I liked this one a lot and it’s one of the better TV shows WWE has had in a long time. Nice job.

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Smackdown
Date: June 15, 2007
Location: Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

It’s the first Smackdown after the Draft, but more importantly it is the first one after Vince McMahon lost to a car bomb. That was the dominant story on ECW and it is likely going to be the case again this week. There are some new wrestlers to get to meet though and that needs to be done well. Let’s get to it.

Here is the Draft if you need a recap.

We get a parental discretion advised notice due to issues involving Vince McMahon’s death. That’s a very specific reason.

Opening sequence.

We open with a long recap of Vince McMahon’s bad Monday, though the explosion isn’t shown. Yet.

The Smackdown roster (or at least most of it) is on the stage for the ten bell salute.

Earlier this week, a lawyer gave a statement at WWE Headquarters, saying federal officials are investigating what happened, but the show will go on.

Paul London/Brian Kendrick vs. Deuce N Domino

Non-title and it’s always a good idea to start a NEW era with a match that has been done to death. Kendrick and Domino lock up to start but London comes in for a double dropkick. Kendrick gets in a few shots to the face but gets low bridged to the floor as commentary talks about the greatness that was Vince McMahon. Back in and Deuce cranks on Kendrick’s arms but Kendrick enziguris his way to freedom. London comes back in for some kicks to the face as everything breaks down. With Kendrick and Domino on the floor, Crack Em In Da Mouth finishes London.

Rating: C. Yes, again. I’m not sure how they have no fresh tag matches after the Draft but somehow here we are again with these same teams with the same results. Not a bad match of course as these teams know each other well, but can we please never see these teams fight again? You need more than two teams for a division, and you wouldn’t guess that at the moment.

We get some sitdown interviews about Vince, starting with William Regal talking about how much he enjoyed being inducted into Vince’s special club. And something about Al Snow and clowns.

Teddy Long talks about how he had been around wrestling for fourteen years before he came to WWE and Vince gave him his first real chance to show him what he can do. The photos on his office wall are of Vince McMahon and Martin Luther King. Vince made it happen and King made it possible.

Matt Hardy vs. William Regal

The rather popular Hardy headlock takeovers him to start and grinds away for a bit. They fight over a top wristlock as JBL goes on about Torrie Wilson coming to Smackdown in the Draft. It’s too early for the Twist of Fate though and Regal hits Hardy in the face to take over. They head outside where Regal gets in a few shots to take over, meaning it’s time to stomp away back inside.

Regal starts tying up the limbs in the middle of the ring before switching to a simple kick to the back. Hardy flips out of a double arm crank and the Side Effect connects for two. Regal is right back with a belly to back suplex into a tiger driver for two. Not that it matters as Hardy gets a boot up in the corner and hits the Twist of Fate for the pin.

Rating: C+. This isn’t a match you see very often and they had a pretty solid match. I’m still not sure why we’re watching two people who were on Smackdown before the Draft rather than showcasing some of their new acquisitions, but at least it was a fresh pairing. Matt continues to seem to be someone WWE wants to push on his own, though beating Regal isn’t the fast track to the main event.

Jillian Hall is devastated at being there in person to see Vince’s final moments.

We see footage from after Raw, with firemen putting out the limo fire.

JBL and Cole talk about what could have caused the explosion, which is under investigation.

Chavo Guerrero talks about how Vince was a jerk but that is what you have to do to be successful in wrestling.

MVP vs. Batista

Non-title. In the back, Ric Flair, who is challenging MVP at Vengeance, wishes Batista luck in a reunion. MVP has to dodge a few leg dives to start but Batista blocks MVP’s own attempt. A big shove sends MVP outside where he wants a twenty second timeout. Back in and Batista hits some Razor Ramon shoulder blocks while holding MVP’s arm, sending MVP straight to the ropes. They talk trash to each other until MVP hits him in the face to take over.

MVP gets knocked outside again but this time Batista follows, only to miss a charge into the steps. A posting and whip into the barricade rock Batista again and we hit the chinlock back inside. Batista powers up and blasts MVP with a clothesline for a breather. Cole: “Can you imagine what it feels like to be hit by a cannonball?” JBL: “I know what it’s like to be hit by Batista!” A side slam gives Batista two but MVP gets in a shot of his own. The spear cuts MVP off though and the Batista Bomb gives Batista the pin.

Rating: B-. There’s a double shot for the show: a champion gets pinned clean and it’s a match we saw last week, before the Draft. It’s kind of amazing to see how inconsequential the Draft has been, as you would think this was any given episode without something special going on. I know the Vince angle changed things, but can they at least play with some of their new toys?

Sgt. Slaughter talks about how the WWE has lost its commanding officer. Vince was no ordinary general because he was on the battlefield with them and jumped in the foxhole with them. Everyone owes Vince a thank you and Slaughter promises to keep fighting for WWE and Vince’s American way.

We see some footage of the charred and destroyed limo.

Lead investigator Daniel Beck isn’t answering questions at this time.

Edge isn’t sure where he goes from here after everything has changed. He isn’t sure who becomes the rudder or the foundation around here and maybe it’s him.

Kristal talks about how her last interaction with Vince was a little strange as he went off the deep end. He’ll be missed.

Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Daivari vs. Jamie Noble vs. Shannon Moore

For the Cruiserweight Title shot at Vengeance, champion Chavo Guerrero is at ringside and Moore is looking normal. The four of them pair off to start until Noble and Yang are left alone in the ring. Yang is sent outside though and it’s Noble coming in to beat on Moore. Noble dives onto Daivari but Yang dives onto all of them for the big crash. Back in and the Tower of Doom puts everyone but Daivari down so he comes in for some near falls. Moore and Noble are sent outside, leaving Yang to moonsault press Daivari for the pin and the title shot.

Rating: C. They kept this fast and that’s all they needed to do. Yang had more or less become the #1 contender weeks ago and now he is officially getting the title shot. There was little need to do more than that and they got in and out in a hurry. Yang vs. Guerrero isn’t going to light the world on fire but at least they have a bit of a history set up.

Edge vs. Ric Flair

Non-title. Feeling out process to start and Flair slicks the hair back with a WOO. Edge grabs a headlock takeover but gets rolled up, sending him bailing to the ropes. Back up and Edge slaps him in the face in the corner, meaning it’s time to get serious. There’s a hiptoss to send Edge outside as commentary goes into a discussion of the New York Yankees. Flair chops him down but the threat of the Figure Four sends Edge bailing to the rope.

Some more chops set up a half crab of all things, with Flair eventually laying back onto the mat to pull on it even more. Another Figure Four attempt is broken up and they head outside, where Edge scores with a backdrop. We take a break and come back with Edge unloading in the corner, setting up a suplex for two. Edge chokes away but Flair kicks him in the knee, which only just annoys Flair more. An enziguri cuts Flair off again so Edge goes up, only to get chopped out of the air. Now it’s time to go after the knee again and this time the Figure Four has Edge in more trouble…and here is MVP for the DQ.

Rating: C+. This was a perfectly good Flair formula match as he went after the leg, got in trouble, then went back after the leg again before we got to the ending. I can go with MVP interfering to cost Flair the match as Edge can escape while keeping some dignity. Good enough main event and at least they finally had one of the new stars included.

Post match the double beatdown is on but Batista runs in for the save. Batista gets rid of MVP but Edge hits the spear down and runs to end the show. There’s your tag match for next week.

Overall Rating: C. The Vince stuff is the kind of a story that is going to change everything but it made this show more of a skippable week than anything else. That’s kind of annoying when they had such a huge story on Monday, but I’m not sure how else they could have done this. The biggest change they needed to make was having more of the new Smackdown stars included, but for some reason we only had Flair around, which made for a bit of a less than inspiring show.

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Smackdown
Date: June 8, 2007
Location: Amway Arena, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

One Night Stand has come and gone and not a lot has changed around here. Edge beat Batista to retain the World Title again and other than that….yeah that’s about it really. It wasn’t a major show, but now we need to get ready for Vengeance, which will be focused on the titles. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Edge for the Cutting Edge to get things going. Before we get started, Edge calms the people down by saying that he’ll be in action tonight. Well at least he should, as Vickie Guerrero is making a double main event and he better be involved. As for the Cutting Edge though, he has a guest who requested to be on the show: Vince McMahon! Vince is still looking all shaken up so Edge asks how he is feeling. He quotes the 23rd Psalm before changing the ending to say that thou aren’t with me.

Edge brings up the Draft and how Smackdown needs to be shaken up. Vince looks like he is having severe stomach pains as Edge sucks up to him, even handing him the World Title. That’s too far for Vince, who gets up to say that Edge is no better than John Cena or Bobby Lashley. Vengeance will be his, so at Vengeance, Edge is defending the title against Batista. Vince: “Life sucks and then you die.” The match is a Do Or Die match, though we don’t actually get an explanation of what that means. Vince is still rather odd here and it’s kind of awesome, though it still feels like it came up really fast.

Boogeyman vs. Mark Henry

Little Boogeyman is here too. Henry headbutts Boogeyman to start but seems to stagger himself a bit. We’re already in the bearhug on Boogeyman but Henry lets go to beat up Little Boogeyman. The World’s Strongest Slam finishes for Henry in a hurry.

Post match Henry beats up Little Boogeyman, including a World’s Strongest Slam and a splash.

Vickie Guerrero announces our main events: Edge vs. Chris Benoit and Batista vs. MVP.

Post break, Kristal comes in to see Vickie Guerrero to praise her for her work so far. Teddy Long says Vickie wasn’t bad for her first time but here is Vince McMahon to be all nuts and say that Kristal is Long’s problem. She’s half his age! Vince leaves and Teddy isn’t happy.

Jamie Noble/Daivari/Chavo Guerrero vs. Jimmy Wang Yang/Brian Kendrick/Paul London

Yang and Noble start us off as the Jung Dragons explode (or at least wrestle). Noble gets armdragged into an armbar before it’s off to London to twist the arm as well. Chavo comes in and gets armdragged as well as they’re certainly moving fast. A monkey flip allows the tag to Yang, who comes in off a high crossbody.

Daivari comes in and stomps Yang down, followed by Noble doing the same. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Chavo grabs a suplex for two. Yang finally kicks Noble away though and the hot tag brings in Kendrick to clean house. Noble gets in a cheap shot though and everything breaks down. Yang hits a springboard dive to the floor, leaving Chavo to get caught in an assisted Sliced Bread for the pin.

Rating: C+. This was the kind of fun six man tag you would expect with the champion taking the pin, as you would probably also expect. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a title as intentionally devalued as the Cruiserweight Title, but it would be nice if WWE did anything to try and make it seem valuable.

Edge vs. Chris Benoit

Non-title and we’re told that Edge vs. Batista is on no matter what happens in the Draft. Feeling out process to start with Benoit working on an aggressive wristlock. An armdrag sends Edge into the corner so Benoit just stares at him. Benoit takes it to the mat again and grabs a chinlock, followed by an armbar. Back up and a hard whip into the corner gets two but Edge is in the ropes before the Crossface can go on. Edge has to fight his way out of a German suplex from the apron and we take a break.

Back with Benoit holding a cravate so Edge rakes the eyes to escape. Benoit sends him outside and hits a baseball slide into the barricade to put Edge right back in trouble. Edge is fine enough to whip him hard into the corner but Benoit headbutts his way out of a superplex attempt.

The Swan Dive misses though and Edge gets two. A big boot connects for the same and Edge works on the arm but Benoit scores with an enziguri. Benoit rolls the snap suplexes and then rolls the German suplexes for a bonus. The Swan Dive connects but Benoit can’t get the Crossface. Edge is back up for the spear but that gets countered into the Crossface, sending Edge to the rope. Back up and now the spear can connect to give Edge the pin.

Rating: B. This felt like a big time main event level match so well done at making something work. Sometimes you need to have two talented people wrestle a long match and that’s what we got here. These two have some great chemistry together and Benoit made Edge work hard to survive.

Ashley is getting her hair and makeup done when Jillian Hall comes up to say Ashley can’t look as good as she does. Jillian says if Ashley had talent, she wouldn’t have to interfere in other people’s matches. Ashley threatens violence if they wind up on the same show (tonight has no consequences apparently). A slap lets Jillian run away, with Ashley in pursuit.

Matt Hardy is signing something for charity when Vince McMahon comes up to ask how he is doing. Hardy talks about how brutal things have been for him lately but here is Ashley to knock Vince’s coffee onto him. This earns Matt a handicap match with Deuce N Domino. Matt leaves to get ready so Vince asks how Ashley is doing. She feels terrible but Vince laughs a lot and suspends her. Ashley breaks down in tears as Vince leaves.

Matt Hardy vs. Deuce N Domino

Non-title. The double stomping is on in a hurry but Matt manages to knock Domino outside. That leaves Deuce to kick Matt in the bad ribs for two and here’s Domino to clothesline Matt down again. Double stomping sends us to a break and we come back with Matt crotching Domino on top. A clothesline gets two on Deuce but Matt has to deal with the returning Domino. Matt can barely get up so Domino kicks him in the face for the pin.

Rating: C-. Matt tried to make this competitive but it was a match that didn’t need to go as long as it did. The Tag Team Champions shouldn’t have that much trouble beating up a banged up Matt Hardy, though it was nice to see him fighting back for a bit. There was a story of Matt fighting his way through the pain but just coming up short, so this could have been a lot worse.

MVP brags about how great he is and how he has everything these people don’t, including a title. He is straight up ballin and he’ll prove it to Batista tonight.

Commentary recaps Vince McMahon’s insanity.

MVP vs. Batista

Non-title. They start slowly with MVP getting in a quick shot and posing, earning himself a drive into the corner. MVP starts kicking at the leg and gets knocked down again as Batista is right back with a clothesline. We take a break and come back with MVP getting whipped hard into the corner. A suplex gives Batista two but he misses a charge in the corner so MVP can kick away.

MVP’s big running kick sends Batista outside and it’s a bunch of right hands back inside. The catapult sends Batista throat first into the bottom rope for two and there’s another kick to the head to send him outside. Back in again and MVP grabs a chinlock with a knee in the back, followed by some knees to the face. Somehow that’s enough to make Batista fight back, including the running clotheslines in the corner. The swinging Boss Man Slam connects but here is Edge to jump Batista for the DQ.

Rating: C+. This was a bit of a surprise as they got some time to set up a good match. I was worried that they were going to have MVP take the pin here so well done on going with the good ending. Edge vs. Batista doesn’t quite need to go to a third match but that’s about all they can do at this point. Pretty good main event here, mainly due to not making any dumb decisions.

Post match Batista goes after Edge, who runs from the threat of a Batista Bomb to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Another fairly strong show here, though your taste in the latest Vince stuff may vary. Vince being so out of it after losing the ECW World Title is a way they can go, but it still feels really rushed. That being said, crazy Vince walking around tormenting people is something that can work out well and it’s adding some spice to what has otherwise been a pretty dull start to the summer.

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Smackdown
Date: May 25, 2007
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Des Moines, Iowa
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole

We’re done with Judgment Day and now we have less than two weeks to go before One Night Stand. Edge cheated to defeat Batista and retain the Smackdown World Title so we might be in for a rematch at the next pay per view. I’m not sure what else we’ll be getting but building to a low level pay per view can be rough. Let’s get to it.

Here is Judgment Day if you need a recap.

The opening video, set to Ozzy Osborne’s I Don’t Wanna Stop, looks at Edge becoming World Heavyweight Champion, and retaining against Batista on Sunday.

Here is Edge to get things going. Edge talks about the praise Batista vs. Undertaker has been receiving but where did it get them? Nowhere, other than leaving them vulnerable for the Ultimate Opportunist. Edge beat Undertaker and Batista 1-2-3 and here he is as the World Heavyweight Champion. This is the Rated R Era and it DOES NOT SUCK, despite what the fans say. Cue Teddy Long to announce a #1 contenders match for tonight, with Kane vs. Finlay vs. Mark Henry vs. Batista. Edge can go with that, but Teddy ups the ante by putting the title match inside a steel cage.

Paul London/Brian Kendrick vs. William Regal/Dave Taylor

Hold on though as here are Deuce N Domino and Cherry to watch from their car. Taylor headlocks Kendrick down to start but gets monkey flipped for his effort. A dropkick puts Taylor on the floor but he counters a headscissors into a toss out to the floor. Regal comes in to fire off some knees to the face (simple yet effective), setting up the wishbone split. Kendrick manages to dodge a shot though and the hot tag brings in London to clean house. A spinwheel kick drops Regal but Domino shoves London off the top for the DQ.

Rating: C. London and Kendrick vs. Deuce N Domino needs to go far away but I’ll take this over half of a team vs. half of a team. Regal and Taylor are the kind of team who can always have a place on the roster as you can always use some brawlers. This was a perfectly fine match and that’s all they could hope for with so little time.

Post match the big brawl is on.

We look back at Randy Orton injuring Shawn Michaels at Judgment Day.

Hornswoggle has stolen the World Heavyweight Title and Edge is giving chase. They run into Finlay, who makes Hornswoggle give it back to Edge, for now.

Jillian Hall is singing in the ring when Boogeyman, with full entrance, comes out but she somehow doesn’t notice him until he’s in the ring. Jillian bails but Michelle McCool throws her back in for the worming.

Teddy Long officially makes Vickie Guerrero his assistant and she’s rather happy. Vickie leaves and Krystal offers to thank Teddy for his decision.

Matt Hardy vs. Miz

Feeling out process to start with JBL ranting about how evil the Guerreros are. Miz elbows his way out of a hammerlock and bends Matt’s neck around the rope. The cravate goes on and Hardy can’t even roll his way to freedom. An elbow drop misses but Miz is fine enough to pull him down by the hair for two more.

Matt fights up with forearms to the face but gets caught with the running corner clothesline for another near fall. The chinlock goes on so Matt fights up with right hands and the clothesline. Matt’s middle rope elbow gets two and the Side Effect is good for the same. A right hand sets up the Twist of Fate (which Miz takes like a swinging neckbreaker) for the pin.

Rating: C+. This was a perfectly basic but nicely done match and I’ll absolutely take that. Above all else, Miz looked WAY more comfortable in there, even if Matt was probably walking him through every step. That’s why you put him in there with a veteran like Hardy. Well done here, and one of Miz’s most impressive performances, just because of how big a step forward it seemed to be.

Mark Henry is ready to hurt people and wants the World Title match at One Night Stand.

Here is MVP for his United States Championship celebration. In quite a few words, MVP says he told us so and now he’s right here as US Champion. Then he just flat out says “I told you so”. There is one thing missing from this celebration, so here is Chris Benoit to look really serious. MVP sticks out his hand and Benoit gives him a very firm shake but MVP goes into a bragging speech about beating Benoit two straight falls. Now he wants Benoit to raise his hand because he is better than Benoit on any given day. Instead it’s some rolling German suplexes to send MVP bailing.

We look at John Cena surviving against Great Khali at Judgment Day.

Maryse throws us to the Throw It On Me video.

Kane promises to win tonight.

Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Chavo Guerrero

Non-title. Yang takes him into the corner to start but Chavo slips away for a standoff. They fight over arm control until Chavo takes him down, only to get reversed into a headlock. Back up and Chavo dropkicks the knee out and starts cranking away on the leg. Yang fights up but gets pulled down into a stretch muffler. Make that a half crab as Chavo is at least mixing things up a bit. Back up and Yang hits an enziguri to start the comeback in a hurry. Chavo manages to grab the Three Amigos but the frog splash is broken up. Yang gets knocked away so Chavo tries a sunset bomb, which is reversed into a hurricanrana for the pin.

Rating: C-. I don’t care. This is the same thing that WWE has done for the better part of ever with this title and it isn’t going to change a freaking thing. The champ loses to set up a title match where the title is retained and it is forgotten days later as we start the whole thing over again. Both guys are completely acceptable in the ring but this is the most tired and played out idea WWE has had in years.

Batista promises to win.

Batista vs. Mark Henry vs. Finlay vs. Kane

The winner gets a title shot against Edge, on commentary, at One Night Stand in a cage. It’s a brawl to start with Batista and Henry fighting on the floor as the other two stay inside. We take a break and come back with everyone in the ring again until Kane and Finlay head outside. That leaves Henry to hit a quick World’s Strongest Slam on Batista with Finlay making the same.

Kane goes up top for a clothesline to put Henry down and Batista’s top rope shoulder hits Henry as well. That’s still not enough to keep Henry down as he fights up and hammers on Kane. Batista drops Henry and spinebusters Kane but Henry is back up again. Finlay is back in and cleans house with the Shillelagh but Batista is fine enough to hit the Batista Bomb for the pin and the title shot.

Rating: C+. Take four monsters (or at least a good brawler in Finlay’s case) and have them hit each other over and over again. That’s what we got here and it was a solid way to set up the rematch. Batista had to get around Henry and the Shillelagh, plus the always dangerous Kane to get back at Edge. It feels like he had to do something here and the match worked.

Batista stares down at Edge to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Much like Raw, this felt like a bridge between pay per views, neither of which was all that important in the first place. The wrestling was mostly ok at best and they set things up, but it isn’t like any of this felt important. They need to get done with One Night Stand so we can move on to something fresh, because this crop of stories is pretty much out of gas.

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Smackdown
Date: May 18, 2007
Location: 1st Mariner Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

It’s the go home show for Judgment Day and I’m not sure what that is going to entail. Everything was shaken up last week when Edge won the World Title from Undertaker, who seems to be going on the shelf. Edge is going to be defending against Batista on Sunday, meaning it’s time for the rapid fire build. 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 cage match, Mark Henry’s return, and Edge’s Money in the Bank cash-in to take the title from Undertaker. That was a heck of a way to wrap up the night.

Opening sequence.

MVP vs. Matt Hardy

MVP grabs some headlock takeovers to start but gets armdragged away to give us a standoff. Some right hands put Hardy into the corner as commentary ignore the match to talk about Edge (it would be during a Matt match). A snapmare sets up the neck crank but Matt fights up in a hurry.

Matt drops MVP again and hits a middle rope legdrop for two as the fans aren’t exactly thrilled with this. MVP gets in a few kicks and drops an elbow for two, setting up the neck crank. That’s broken up and Matt hits an elbow of his own for two of his own. You don’t do that to MVP though as he kicks Hardy in the head to send him outside.

We take a break and come back with MVP getting some more near falls, setting up a running boot to the face in the corner for two more. Matt can barely stand up but the referee lets him continue, as the referee continues to not be that sympathetic. An uppercut drops Hardy as commentary is wanting the match to be stopped. MVP hits a fireman’s carry drop but somehow Matt is up with a Side Effect for two of his own. The bulldog out of the corner and a middle rope elbow get two each but MVP sends him into the post. The Playmaker is enough to finish Hardy.

Rating: C+. This was the kind of win that MVP has been needing as it made him look a lot more intense on the way to the (next) title match with Chris Benoit. MVP has not exactly been seen as a vicious guy so far and it’s nice to have him do something like this over an established name like Hardy. Good match with a good story, and that’s what they should have done.

Post match MVP talks about how the deck is stacked against him but beating Chris Benoit will only solidify his greatness.

We get a quick highlight reel of Edge’s World Title moments.

We see some exclusive footage from the after last week’s show, with druids carrying Undertaker away. There are various clips of the big beatdown/Undertaker’s career included.

Jimmy Wang Yang/Brian Kendrick/Paul London vs. Deuce N Domino/Chavo Guerrero

London, with a goatee, starts with Chavo and snaps off a headscissors out of the corner. A rollup gives London one and it’s off to Yang for a high crossbody to Deuce. Domino offers a distraction though and Kendrick gets knocked down to put the villains in control for a change. Kendrick fights out of the corner in a hurry though and it’s off to Yang to clean house. Chavo cuts him off with a suplex but everything breaks down, with Yang hitting a top rope moonsault press for the fast pin.

Rating: C-. This feels like something that we’ve seen a dozen or so times in recent months. It was nice to mix up a pair of feuds instead of doing the singles deals again, but the Cruiserweight Champion taking another fall is hardly the most original idea. I’m sure Yang will get a short and technically sound title shot but it isn’t like it’s going anywhere further. Just find a new way to present the title and the division, because this isn’t helping anyone.

Mark Henry says this is a jungle and he has no predators because he is the king.

Mark Henry vs. Funaki

Funaki bounces off of him to start and is promptly hammered down. The World’s Strongest Slam finishes for Henry in about a minute. That’s how it should have gone.

Raw Rebound.

Finlay vs. Chris Benoit

Non-title. Feeling out process to start until Benoit just hits him in the face to turn violent. Finlay sweeps the leg and pulls on the knee a bit, even with Benoit chinlocking him from the mat. Benoit reverses into a chinlock so Finlay goes to the ropes, setting up a chinlock of his own. That’s broken up so they head outside with Benoit being sent knees first into the steps. Back in and Finlay goes right back to the knee, unfortunately with the same hold.

Benoit fights up again and avoids a charge in the corner, setting up the German suplex. The knee won’t let him hit another one though, meaning he has to settle for Three Amigos. It’s time to load up the Swanton but the knee slows Benoit down again, allowing Finlay to knock him off the apron for the crash. Back in and Finlay grabs another leglock to send us to a break.

We come back with more of the same hold until Benoit fights up again. Some chops don’t do much to Finlay who, say it with me, takes him down to work on the leg again. Benoit gets up again and hits an enziguri, setting up the rolling German suplexes. Cue Hornswoggle, who gets taken down for a Sharpshooter attempt. Finlay uses the distraction to grab the Shillelagh but Benoit reverses into the Crossface. Cue MVP for the DQ.

Rating: C. As soon as I saw Benoit vs. Finlay, my expectations went up. It’s one of those matches that should be pretty great no matter what they do, but then it just wasn’t very good. Most of the match was spent with Finlay working the leg, which is fine in theory but gets pretty repetitive in a hurry. The match was far from awful, but it was pretty boring and that’s not what you expect from these two.

Post match Benoit goes after MVP but Finlay gets in a Shillelagh shot to the knee. MVP leaves Benoit laying.

Ozzy Osborne is here to perform the Judgment Day theme song so Jillian Hall tries to audition for him.

Ashley introduces Ozzy Osborne for I Don’t Wanna Stop. Performing ensues and I’ll have the chorus stuck in my head all day.

We get another movie trailer for Edge’s inaugural address later tonight.

Miz vs. Christian York

Miz clotheslines him down to start but misses an elbow that takes its time being set up. Back up and Miz hits a running corner clothesline but pulls York up at two. A swinging neckbreaker finishes York in a hurry. This was the much more serious version of Miz and even JBL has to compliment him a bit.

Timbaland will have a music video featuring some WWE Divas.

Krystal thanks Teddy Long for giving Vickie Guerrero the chance to be his assistant. Vickie comes in so Krystal leaves, with Teddy saying he isn’t sure about this. He knows the history of the Guerrero family but Vickie wants the chance to change the perception about the family. After some sucking up about Krystal, Teddy agrees to give her the interview.

Another Edge video.

Kane vs. William Regal

Boogeyman, Little Boogeyman and Dave Taylor are here as I had no idea this feud went on for so long. Regal slugs away to start and actually strikes him down in a bit of a surprise. Some more shots keep Regal down and we hit the chinlock as JBL still seems to be scared of the Boogeyman.

Kane fights up and tries the chokeslam but is quickly countered into an exploder suplex. They slug it out until Kane kicks him in the face and scores with the side slam. The top rope clothesline connects but Taylor offers a distraction to give Regal a breather. Taylor throws Little Boogeyman inside but the distraction lets Kane hit a chokeslam for the pin.

Rating: C. This was another kind of weird match as Regal was nearly squashing him until Kane made his comeback. You don’t often see something like that but it was actually working well enough. Kane and Boogeyman are growing on me as the freak show pairing and it’s not like the tag division has any kind of depth otherwise, so why not see what they can do?

Worms are busted out post match.

Judgment Day rundown.

Teddy Long brings out Edge for his inaugural address. Edge says he’ll handle the introduction before saying that HE is YOUR World Heavyweight Champion. He is ashamed to be a Canadian citizen (but he would be ashamed to be American too) because he never gets any respect.

Another place he didn’t get any respect was on Raw, where he beat everyone but still didn’t get treated right. He’ll take on all comers here, which gets Long’s attention. Long reminds him of his upcoming title defense against Batista, which doesn’t bother Edge. He beat Undertaker in three seconds after Batista couldn’t do it in three months, so bring Batista on. Cue Batista to welcome Edge to Smackdown and promise to take the title back on Sunday.

Overall Rating: C. This was a bit of a weird show as Judgment Day was already set, save for the main event, so they had to cobble something together at the last second. Edge vs. Batista is the only choice they had for the spot and the match should work out. Other than that, it was a totally ho hum edition of the show, which is kind of surprising after what they have been doing as of late. Not bad, but things feel like they have hit a bit of a wall for both shows this week.

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Smackdown
Date: May 4, 2007
Location: BJCC, Birmingham, Alabama
Attendance: 5,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re done with Backlash but it does not seem like we are done with Batista vs. Undertaker. The two of them went to a draw in a Last Man Standing match at the pay per view and that probably means we get another match between the two of them, which is not a bad thing. I’m not sure what that is going to mean, but hopefully WWE can keep up their roll. Let’s get to it.

Here is Backlash if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

William Regal vs. Boogeyman

This isn’t quite the normal start, but Little Boogeyman is back. Dave Taylor is here too but he doesn’t have quite the merchandising potential. Grappling doesn’t quite work for Regal so Boogeyman gyrates a bit. Regal gets a bit more violent by sending him shoulder first into the post and kicking the arm. Some forearms have Boogeyman in trouble as Cole calls him a “must see character”. The chinlock doesn’t last long as the fans bring Boogeyman back to life. The chokebomb connects but Taylor comes in for the DQ.

Rating: C-. This was short and to the point, likely for the sake of setting up another match of some kind. They went a bit more technical than I was expecting here but Regal got better once he turned into the brawler. Keeping this short was probably better for Boogeyman, as he isn’t exactly the best thing to see in the ring most of the time.

Post match the beatdown is on, with Little Boogeyman taking a beating of his own. Kane runs in for the save, chasing the Brits into the crowd.

We look at Vince McMahon becoming ECW World Champion.

Dusty Rhodes is in Teddy Long’s office but Teddy doesn’t think he would be a good choice for an assistant’s role. Rhodes thought it was for the GM’s job and leaves (Dusty: “See ya playa!”). MVP comes in (MVP: “Was that the American Dream?”) and isn’t happy with what happened to him at Backlash. If he doesn’t get another US Title shot, he’s sitting out the rest of his contract. Long says he can have the title shot if he wins tonight….against Kane. Yelling ensues so MVP leaves, running into Sgt. Slaughter, the Brooklyn Brawler and the Miz, all of whom want to be Long’s assistant. Miz even throws in a HOO RAH.

Brian Kendrick vs. Domino

It really would be nice to think that WWE knows another way to present a tag team feud but that seems to be false hope. Deuce, Cherry and the injured Paul London are here too as Domino grabs an early headlock. Kendrick sends him outside and hits a heck of a suicide dive, only to have Domino come back with a knee to the face.

Back in and another knee, this time in the form of a drop, gives Domino two and we hit the chinlock. Kendrick raises a boot to cut off a middle rope unidentified flying….thing and hits a running forearm in the corner. Deuce takes out London but Kendrick kicks Deuce off the apron as he hits Sliced Bread for the pin.

Rating: C. Kendrick was flying all over the place here and it made for a good enough match, even if this feud has gone so far beyond stale that it’s barely worth caring about. The tag division really is that weak at the moment, or at least the face side of it is, because there has been nothing suggesting even one other team coming after the titles.

Here is Mr. Kennedy, complete with a graphic counting down to his Wrestlemania XXIV countdown. It’s 331 days until there is a new champion and his name is…..a catchphrase.

Mr. Kennedy vs. Matt Hardy

JBL thinks that Hardy could be in the main event of Wrestlemania as well, because JBL isn’t a great analyst. Hardy headlocks Kennedy down to start as JBL thinks next year’s Wrestlemania is in Tampa. Back up and Kennedy works on a headlock of his own to little avail. Cole uses this opportunity to hype up an upcoming clip of the end of Batista and Undertaker for approximately the 193rd time tonight.

Kennedy starts working on the arm before elbowing Hardy in the face. A backdrop sends Kennedy over the top though and we take a break, with Kennedy possibly having a busted nose. Back with Hardy hitting a middle rope elbow to the back of the head, only to have Kennedy take him down by the arm. The chinlock goes on again, meaning Cole can get in his 194th reference to the Batista/Undertaker clip.

Back up and they collide coming out of the corner until Kennedy is sent outside. He comes up favoring his shoulder but is still fine enough to kick Hardy hard into the steps. They head back inside with Kennedy grabbing a cravate to keep Hardy down. A clothesline gives Kennedy two and let’s hit that chinlock again. That’s broken up but Hardy’s bulldog out of the corner is broken up.

The second attempt connects to give Hardy two but Kennedy pulls him throat first across the top. The Side Effect drops Kennedy for two more and a double clothesline gives them two each. Kennedy counters the Twist of Fate into a Regal Roll for two but the Kenton Bomb only hits raised knees. Hardy’s middle rope legdrop gets yet another near fall so Kennedy shoves him at the referee. That doesn’t seem to bother Hardy, who comes back with the Twist of Fate for the pin.

Rating: B. This got some time and really picked up the pace in the last few minutes as they were trading a lot of near falls. That is not something you get to see very often in a free TV match and they made it work for the better part of twenty minutes. Nice stuff here, though Mr. Money in the Bank losing again holds it back a bit.

Video on Batista and Undertaker in the Last Man Standing match at Backlash. It was rather good, but not quite the epic showdown Cole made it out to be.

Teddy Long announces that next week, it’s Batista vs. Undertaker in a cage match to finish everything once and for all.

Maryse welcomes us back to the show.

Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Gregory Helms

Yang shoulders him down for a headlock to start, setting up an armdrag into an armbar. Back up and Helms blocks another armdrag and sends him outside. Helms tosses Yang back inside and grabs most of a half crab (minus stepping over), followed by a waistlock. Yang fights up again and hits a dropkick into a hurricanrana for a breather. Helms slams him out of the corner for two but a superplex is broken up. The top rope moonsault press finishes for Yang.

Rating: C. This was two people having a match for a few minutes with some nice moves thrown in. It had nothing as far as interest goes, as it’s not like the Cruiserweight Title means much of anything at the moment. The fact that it took me a little while to remember who the champion was should tell you all you need to know about the division right now, and that isn’t likely to get any better anytime soon.

Here is a serious Batista for a chat. He talks about what he and Undertaker put each other through at Backlash before going over the limit. After they crashed through everything, Batista was laying there asking himself it this was all worth it. Of course it was and he wanted to step out of his body and slap himself for asking such a stupid question. He’s ready to do it all over again because he has promised himself to win the title back, even if it means getting inside a cage next week.

Mark Henry is still coming back.

Finlay vs. Miz

Feeling out process to start until Miz actually manages to knock him outside. Even JBL is impressed, though Finlay nailing Miz in the head cuts that off in a hurry. Hornswoggle pops out for a cheap shot, sending JBL into a rant about how we have Little Boogeyman, Hornswoggle and Tazz around here. They head back in and Finlay takes off the turnbuckle pad, allowing him to throw Hornswoggle at Miz behind the referee’s back. Miz sends him shoulder first into the post for two though and the running corner clothesline hits Finlay again.

Cue Hornswoggle again (three times in a four minute match is a bit much), this time with a Shillelagh shot to Miz. The distraction lets Finlay run Miz over but Miz sends him into the apron. Hornswoggle pulls Miz underneath the ring this time but he’s right back out….wearing Hornswoggle’s hat. That’s too much for Miz, who takes the countout.

Rating: D+. This was basically Miz vs. Hornswoggle and that got a little tiring in a hurry. That being said, Miz is also starting to get a lot more comfortable in the ring and you can see a star starting to emerge. He has always been able to talk but if he can survive in the ring, he becomes even more valuable. Now someone get me Hornswoggle’s hat.

Undertaker promises to make Batista rest in peace next week. Short and to the point here.

We look at Vince McMahon winning the ECW World Title (they’re REALLY high on this story, as they should be).

Kane vs. MVP

The winner challenges Chris Benoit for the US Title at Judgment Day. Kane powers him into the corner to start and then throws him back out, setting up an early bearhug. A powerslam out of the corner gives Kane two and it’s off to a chinlock with a knee in MVP’s back. Kane knocks him down again and we take a break. Back with MVP sending him shoulder first into the post and hammering away to get a breather. The armbar makes it worse for Kane and a forearm to the shoulder gets two.

The referee breaks up something in the ropes so Kane is back with a clothesline. MVP is sent into the corner for the running clothesline but another shot to the arm gets him out of trouble. Kane uses the good arm to hit a side slam for two but MVP’s swinging neckbreaker is good for the same. A slam puts MVP down though and Kane hits the top rope clothesline. Cue William Regal and Dave Taylor though, with the latter distracting the referee so Regal can get in a brass knuckles shot. The Playmaker gives MVP the pin and the title shot.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure how much drama there was to this but it was nice to see things tied back into the opening segment to wrap this up. MVP continues to look like he could be a big deal on the show, but egads he has to win that title at the pay per view. It was a pretty nice match though, and Regal’s knuckles shot looked painful to make it better.

Overall Rating: C+. Overall, this was a solid enough week with Hardy vs. Kennedy being the highlight, but I think you can tell that something is a little off. Undertaker appearing in a pre-tape and a sudden World Title match being booked for TV isn’t the most encouraging sign, as it would suggest that something was wrong (which it turns out there was). Still though, good show, despite what felt like some stuff being thrown together at the last minute.

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Smackdown
Date: March 23, 2007
Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

Much like Raw, things have been going well around here as of late as we head into Wrestlemania. That does lead to a bit of a problem though, as the show runs the risk of running out of things to do with Wrestlemania so soon. It feels like Smackdown can do no wrong at the moment though so let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Arnold Skaaland.

Opening sequence.

Here is Vince McMahon (in a rather gold coat) to get things going. Vince talks about how much fun he had on Monday and we see a clip of the destruction of Eugene. If you think Eugene was humiliated by having his head shaved, imagine what it is going to be like when Donald Trump is shaved bald. Vince recaps Steve Austin’s involvement and promises to shave everyone’s hair. Oh and he’ll beat Bobby Lashley 1-2-3 on Raw.

That was so much fun that Vince thinks Lashley should be in action tonight. Cue Lashley’s opponent for the night: Mr. Kennedy. Eh that’s not enough so we’ll throw in Randy Orton to make it a handicap match. And we’ll make it a tables match, just for fun. They’re certainly making Lashley go through adversity and that is a good way to make him feel important.

Tag Team Titles: Brian Kendrick/Paul London vs. MNM

MNM is challenging as their on/off team continues and Ashley/Melina are the thirds. It seems that something is wrong with JBL’s headset as Cole goes on solo for a long stretch during the entrances. It’s a brawl to start and a double forearm gets two on Mercury. Nitro offers a quick assist though and London misses a dropkick. London gets dropped ribs first onto the top rope and we hit the waistlock.

That’s broken up and London rolls over for the hot tag off to Kendrick. Mercury isn’t wasting time and cuts him off for two, with Melina screaming that it should have been three. The real hot tag brings in London as we talk about a Melina photo shoot. Melina grabs London’s foot on the top but Ashley cuts her off, setting up a high crossbody to retain the titles.

Rating: C. This was a commercial for Melina vs. Ashley disguised as a Tag Team Title match. To be fair, that’s the right call as the Ashley stuff is more important than the titles at the moment. London and Kendrick have held the titles for the better part of a year now and it is time they dropped them. Just not to MNM.

Kane scares Kristal and is very happy about what he did to Daivari last week. As for Khali, he is ready to go all the way at Wrestlemania and has the hook on a chain to help him. I’ll let you make your own comments.

Maryse welcomes us back to the show.

Chavo Guerrero vs. Jimmy Wang Yang

Non-title and JBL is right there saying Yang should be a cook in a noodle house. Yang fights out of the corner and hits a middle rope missile dropkick. Chavo is sent outside for a baseball slide into the announcers’ table but he’s fine enough to dropkick Yang out of the air back inside. We hit the armbar, followed by the double arm crank to keep Yang in trouble. Another armbar is broken up and Yang hits a jawbreaker, only to miss the spinwheel kick. Chavo hits Three Amigos (which Cole finds disrespectful) but Yang kicks him into the corner. The moonsault press gives Yang the upset pin.

Rating: C-. Gee I wonder what we are going to get out of this. I’m completely sick of the non-title losses and they are a reason why this title means so little. Chavo will come back and win the rematch and we’ll be right back where they started. That’s about as good as you’re going to get with the title and nothing is going to change because the cruiserweights don’t mean a thing.

Arnold Skaaland tribute video.

Trailer for the Condemned.

MVP vs. Cedric Von Haussen

Von Haussen’ Lichtenstein’s Title isn’t on the line and he looks like he stepped out of a Swiss clock. MVP clotheslines him down and hits a running boot in the corner. The Playmaker finishes for MVP in a hurry.

Post match, MVP brags about how he is going to win his first title at Wrestlemania and it is going to be a Wrestlemania Moment for both he and Chris Benoit. That’s going to make sure Benoit is on highlight reels and in documentaries forever. The same might be true for Von Haussen as well, who had a much better career when he changed his name to Johnny Gargano.

Celebrity Trump vs. McMahon picks.

Mr. Kennedy/Randy Orton vs. Bobby Lashley

Non-title tables match and Lashley has to put both of them through a table to win. Lashley starts fast and sends Orton outside, leaving Kennedy to take a beating. Orton tries to grab the foot from the floor and gets suplexed for his efforts. The double teaming gives the villains a chance though and Lashley is sent shoulder first into the post.

Cue Vince McMahon as Orton gets out the first table. Lashley fights off the table in the corner and beats on Orton as Kennedy gets another table. That takes too long and Lashley puts Kennedy through said table in the corner. Vince does his panicked face and Lashley powerslams Orton through the table for the win.

Rating: C. Those are quite the odds to overcome but it’s just a tables match so it is a little easier to accept. Lashley is getting a great rub out of this whole story and this was another impressive win. Vince’s stunned face as he realized what he had gotten himself into on Monday was great and it should make for a very shenaniganzy match.

Gregory Helms vs. Chris Benoit

Non-title and joined in progress with a lockup going into the corner. Helms forearms Benoit down until a hard chop cuts him off. A snap suplex drops Helms again but he sends Benoit outside for the slingshot dive. Back in and Helms grabs a guillotine choke, which draws Benoit back up with more chops. Helms neckbreakers him down but Benoit rolls the German suplexes. The Swan Dive into the Crossface finishes Helms in a hurry.

Rating: C. Quick but energetic match here and it’s amazing how much less annoying it is to see Helms lose now that he doesn’t have the Cruiserweight Title. If nothing else, seeing him still lose like this shows you how little the title meant, which isn’t even the case with the Tag Team Titles. Benoit is back on track after the loss on Raw and that’s a good idea on the way to Wrestlemania.

Batista isn’t happy with Undertaker throwing Finlay at him last week. It’s about getting even though and they’ll be fine as a team tonight….at least during the match.

The Wild Samoans are going into the Hall of Fame. How in the world were they not in there already?

JBL leaves to head to the back for something.

Battle of the Billionaires Tale of the Tape.

Teddy Long gives Kristal a rose when JBL comes in. He’d like to moderate an interview between Undertaker and Batista next week. “Captain Cialis” agrees.

Finlay and King Booker jump Batista in the back.

Undertaker vs. King Booker/Finlay

So much for the huge tag match. Booker runs away from Undertaker to start but Finlay’s cheap shot lets Booker take him into the corner. That doesn’t work as Undertaker loads up Old School, which is reversed with a pull off the ropes but Undertaker pulls it down into an armdrag (egads man). Finlay gets booted off the apron and we take a break.

Back with Booker breaking up the apron legdrop and hammering away on the floor. Finlay’s running seated senton gets two as things slow down a bit. The villains start taking turns on Undertaker, with Finlay grabbing a half crab. The comeback is cut off with a clothesline to give Finlay two more but Undertaker fights up. That includes the running DDT to take Finlay down and the real comeback is on. The running clotheslines in the corner connect but Finlay grabs the Shillelagh for the DQ.

Rating: C+. The armdrag alone was worth the look as you don’t see Undertaker do that most of the time. It was a good way to end the show and you know there is going to be something with Batista before we wrap it up. As usual, this has been a very well done setup for the title match and they took another nice step here.

Post match the beatdown is on but Batista runs in for the save. Stereo powerbombs are loaded up but Batista throws Booker at Undertaker to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling was mostly in the middle here, but you don’t watch a show nine days before Wrestlemania and expect some great matches. Instead, you got the storyline reinforcements that make Wrestlemania feel bigger, which is what you should be getting here. I liked the show and I wanted to see Wrestlemania, with none of this being really bad. That’s all they need to do for the next week and they will hit the ground running in Detroit.

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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AND

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