ECW On Sci Fi
Date: April 8, 2008
Location: TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We are still starting the new reality around here, with Kane as the ECW Champion and CM Punk as the star who is way too big for this show. Other than that, we have the continuing adventures of Colin Delaney, who is still trying to get a contract. That hasn’t been going well for him and odds are it doesn’t get better this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Miz vs. CM Punk

John Morrison is on commentary. Punk grabs a headlock to start and runs him over with a shoulder to start. Back up and Miz hits his own shoulder, only to have his leg tied up for some hard cranking. Punk gets sent outside though and Miz drives him back first into the apron. Morrison gets caught interfering and gets ejected as Miz grabs a chinlock.

We take a break and come back with Miz snapping Punk’s throat across the middle rope for two. Punk gets out of the double arm crank without much trouble but Miz pulls him into a reverse chinlock. Back up and it’s a double clothesline for the double knockdown, followed by Punk making the comeback. The powerslam gives Punk two and it’s the running knee in the corner into the GTS for the pin on Miz.

Rating: C. Punk continues to feel like the biggest star in ECW but Miz has improved by leaps and bounds. He still isn’t exactly polished but he can wrestle a completely watchable match. You can see the effort that he has put in and it is starting to pay off. Just find some actual challenges to go after he and Morrison and you might be on to something.

Colin Delaney and Tommy Dreamer come up to Armando Estrada to ask about Delaney getting a contract. Estrada says sure….if Delaney can beat Dreamer tonight. Oh and if Dreamer goes easy on him in any way or loses, he’s fired. Neither seems pleased.

Here is Armando Estrada in the ring for the Kane/Chavo Guerrero contract signing at Backlash. Guerrero, with the Edgeheads, comes out first, with Kane following. Kane goes to sign first, but Chavo says that means signing away the title. That makes Kane laugh as he signs, but Chavo says he’ll have someone watching his back at Backlash. Cue a bald man in a suit to start the brawl, including a belt shot to Kane. The beatdown is on and Chavo frog splashes Kane through the table. Now Chavo signs.

Elijah Burke vs. Nunzio

Burke works on the arm to start and sends him face first into the apron to keep Nunzio rocked. A hard shot to the face sets up the running crotch attack to the back of Nunzio’s head. There’s a middle rope forearm into a release German suplex before an STO finishes Nunzio off. Total squash.

Kofi Kingston vs. Domino

No Deuce or Cherry here. Before the match, Kofi talks about having a good time in the ring and bringing the good vibrations. Domino even wrestles without his shirt to really make things different. Kofi slides between the legs and takes him down, setting up the armdrag into the armbar. It works so well that Kofi does it again before sending him into the corner. Domino manages a faceplant out of the corner (kind of a reverse powerbomb) for two, followed by a knee to Kofi’s face. The chinlock goes on but Kofi fights out and hits his jumping back elbow. Domino ducks a crossbody but charges into Trouble in Paradise for the pin.

Rating: C. Kofi is still building himself up but this was a win over a slightly bigger name. You need to do something like this over the months as Kingston needs to move up the ladder. He still needs a lot more than beating Domino, but you can tell that WWE is paying attention to him and sees something there.

Eve Torres is in the back with Kelly Kelly when Layla comes in. Layla says there is room for one Diva Search winner around here. She is the top Diva around here and Eve needs to learn that. This stuff continues to be bad.

Colin Delaney vs. Tommy Dreamer

Basically only the winner has a job and Armando Estrada is at ringside. Dreamer wrestles him to the mat to start and grabs a slam. The elbow misses though as they are firmly in first gear here. Delaney gets in a shot or two before low bridging Dreamer to the floor. There’s the slingshot dive and a slingshot hilo gets two on Dreamer back inside. Dreamer grabs some kind of a reverse suplex and avoids a missile dropkick to send Delaney crashing down. The Tree of Woe dropkick sets up the DDT to finish Delaney.

Rating: C-. There was a story here with Delaney wanting a contract and Dreamer having to beat him up despite not wanting to. The problem though is the Delaney matches are only so good as he can’t do much in the ring and is mainly getting squashed. Delaney got in a little more than usual here, but it is still only going so well. They need to go somewhere with this, as I don’t know how much fuel this version has left.

Overall Rating: C. Kind of a lackluster show here, as there is only so much that you can get out of this roster. Kane is a star and Kofi feels like he is on the way up, but then you have whatever is left of Elijah Burke, Chavo Guerrero and a somewhat out the door CM Punk. That isn’t going to make for the best show, with the hour long run time being this show’s saving grace.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: March 25, 2008
Location: Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, North Carolina
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

It’s the final ECW before Wrestlemania and that means pretty much nothing around here. There is no title match set for Wrestlemania as it is going to be all about the battle royal. I’m not sure what that is going to leave us to do on this show but maybe they have one more week of nothing before things, at least hopefully, reset next week. Let’s get to it.

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

Hardcore Holly/Cody Rhodes/Kofi Kingston/Kane/Tommy Dreamer/Jesse & Festus/Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore/Jim Duggan/Val Venis/Jamie Noble vs. Great Khali/Miz/Chuck Palumbo/Matt Striker/Mark Henry/Snitsky/Lance Cade/Trevor Murdoch/Brian Kendrick/Deuce N Domino/Elijah Burke

Because THIS is a good idea. This is all twenty four entrants into the battle royal thrown into a tag match, which makes me wonder how many people the aprons can hold. Cody rolls Kendrick up for a fast two and then backslides him for the same. It’s quickly off to Noble vs. Palumbo, with the latter grabbing a belly to back suplex.

Yang comes in off some of that Jung Dragons chemistry but gets suplexed for his efforts. A middle rope hurricanrana gets Yang out of trouble and it’s time for a parade of dives. We take a break and come back with everything breaking down, as you might have expected. Kofi dives onto Deuce N Domino and Holly gets to hit an Alabama Slam. Khali and Kane have finally had enough of this and start wrecking people. With the two of them down, Henry feeds Dreamer into a big boot from Snitsky for the pin.

Rating: C. This is one of those matches that isn’t about the action itself but rather telling you what you might be seeing on Sunday. In that sense it worked out well enough, but my goodness the battle royal might as well have about three people. Chavo almost has to lose at this point as there is just nothing to his title reign and someone else can take the title to hopefully do something with it.

Post match everyone gets in the ring for the huge staredown.

Boxing personalities talk about Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Chavo Guerrero comes up to mock the injured Tommy Dreamer. A match is set for tonight, thanks to some insults to Colin Delaney (sure why not).

Shelton Benjamin vs. Carlito

Feeling out process to start with Carlito slugging away as Taz says he has been hit in the face with a ladder in a match but never had a ladder match. Benjamin skins the cat but Carlito snaps his throat across the top for a crash to the floor. We hit the chinlock back inside and the fans do not seem impressed. Benjamin fights up but gets knocked back into the corner as this isn’t exactly burning up the mat.

Another chinlock goes on but this time Benjamin electric chairs his way to freedom. Carlito is back with a neckbreaker for two and we hit the chinlock with a knee in Benjamin’s back. Benjamin finally makes the comeback and hits the overhead belly to belly. A neckbreaker gives Carlito two more but the Backstabber is countered into a buckle bomb. Paydirt is countered into a backbreaker to give Carlito two more but Benjamin catches him on top. A super Paydirt finishes Carlito off.

Rating: C-. These two were left out there to fill in as much time as they could and it didn’t exactly work. There were far too many chinlocks to get them through the match until Benjamin finally won in the end. This really didn’t work very well, but like everything else around here, none of that is going to matter by next week.

Video on the Raw World Title triple threat match.

Wrestlemania rundown.

The final inductee into the Hall of Fame Class: Gordon Solie.

Kelly Kelly/Stevie Richards vs. Mike Knox/Layla

The women actually wrestle to start with Kelly getting two. Knox gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and Layla takes over for a bit. The men come in and Richards swings away until the women getting in a fight distracts him. Knox grabs a swinging Downward Spiral for the fast pin.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Chavo Guerrero

Non-title and the battle royal participants are at ringside. Dreamer backdrops him to the apron and punches him out to the floor to start, with the unofficial lumberjacks sending Chavo back inside. Chavo sends him shoulder first into the post and we hit the front facelock. The fans think Chavo sucks, even as Dreamer fights up with a bulldog. Guerrero blocks something out of the corner so Dreamer settles for a neckbreaker. Dreamer gets crotched on top though and the frog splash gives Chavo the pin.

Rating: C-. And that’s another Chavo match these days, as they are still rather uninteresting with little going on that could make me care about the title. Dreamer making his comeback is always decent enough but there was only so much that can be done with a three minute match less than a week before Wrestlemania. Just get the title off of Chavo already because this reign is dragging down everything else.

Post match everyone gets inside and the fight is on to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. My goodness Wrestlemania needs to come and go already because this show is falling apart in a hurry. There is only so much that can be done when you have one important story and that one is in limbo due to the champion not having an opponent. Other than that, it is a bunch of people trying to fill in time and that is not going to work long, or even short, term.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: March 18, 2008
Location: Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

Now we continue the lame duck string of shows as there is very little actually going on around here that matters for Wrestlemania. The main ECW involvement is going to be a battle royal for a title shot later on and that isn’t something that is easily built up outside of the Royal Rumble. Maybe they have something else for the next two weeks though so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kane vs. Elijah Burke

Kane snaps off an uppercut to start and Burke bails out to the floor. Burke pulls him outside too and gets driven into the apron for his efforts. Back in and Kane hits a backbreaker before cranking on the neck for a change. That’s broken up and Burke gets in a shot of his own before avoiding a charge in the corner. The Elijah Express is loaded up….and cut off with a chokeslam to give Kane the pin.

Rating: C-. Pretty nothing match here as Kane gets a squash and Burke continues to be little more than a jobber to the stars. Kane is someone who can be pushed as a top star around here as he is the definition of a big fish in a small pond. It’s not like he was doing anything on Smackdown anyway so let him come here and get reheated.

Armando Estrada shakes hands with Mark Henry, who is in the Wrestlemania battle royal. ECW Champion Chavo Guerrero comes in and panics over the giants in the battle royal. Colin Delaney comes in to ask about a contract but Chavo doesn’t like being interrupted. Chavo rants about Delaney being disrespectful and a match is made, with Delaney getting a contract (rather than the title) if he wins.

Video on Floyd Mayweather Jr., the same as on Raw.

Kofi Kingston vs. James Curtis

Kofi shoulders him down to start and grabs a drop toehold as commentary talks about Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather. A headlock takeover has Curtis down again but he fights up and actually takes over for once. Curtis works on an armbar until Kofi upkicks his way to freedom to start the comeback. The double chops set up the double legdrop and the buzzsaw kick finishes for Kofi.

Rating: C. Kofi continues to get built up, at least as much as you can be by beating James Curtis again. What matters is keeping him in the ring and making him look dominant until they find something or him to do. ECW has been needing fresh talent for a long time and Kofi is as good as anyone else they can throw in there.

CM Punk meets Jesse and Festus before their six man tag. Jesse insists that Festus will be fine when the bell rings.

CM Punk/Jesse & Festus vs. Miz/John Morrison/Shelton Benjamin

Festus clears the ring at the bell until he slams Morrison down. Jesse comes in for a basement dropkick before Punk comes in to send Miz and Morrison outside. There’s the springboard spinning crossbody before Festus pulls Benjamin over the top and out onto everyone else in a big crash.

We take a break and come back with Punk kicking Miz in the head (Morrison: “Stay in there Miz! You’re doing good!”). Benjamin pulls Punk off the top though and the villains take over for the first time, despite the CM PUNK chants. We hit the chinlock, followed by an exploder suplex to plant Punk again. Morrison comes back in for a chinlock of his own until Punk fights out. The tag brings in Festus to clean house and everything breaks down. Miz can’t hit the Reality Check, allowing Festus to hit the fireman’s carry flapjack for the pin.

Rating: C+. This was a fun match, as Punk never felt like he was overly worried about any of his opponents. That’s how this match should have gone anyway, as Punk is by far and away bigger than any other regular ECW star right now. Let him have an entertaining match and give Jesse & Festus a win before their Tag Team Title match later this week.

We look back at HHH making John Cena and Randy Orton face the Raw roster this week. Or some of it at least.

Wrestlemania rundown.

Eddie Graham is going into the WWE Hall Of Fame. Now there’s an influence on the business.

Video on Big Show.

Colin Delaney is in the ring and says he’s ready to go, despite JBL beating him up last night.

Chavo Guerrero vs. Colin Delaney

Non-title and Delaney gets a WWE contract if he wins. Chavo pounds him down without much trouble to start but Delaney fights up. A dropkick sends Chavo outside and he isn’t pleased with the developments. Back in and Chavo kicks away before hitting a belly to back suplex. We hit a seated double arm crank for a bit as the slow beating continues. The frog splash (with a lot of trash talk) misses though and Delaney gets a desperation two. Chavo is annoyed and finishes with the Gory Bomb.

Rating: C-. What else were you expecting here? Delaney has been treated as a joke his entire time in ECW and he wasn’t going to pin the champion for his first singles win. The good thing is that they didn’t treat this as anything more than what it should have been, though Delaney getting in a bit of offense here and there is a nice little progression.

Overall Rating: C. This show isn’t much to see at the moment and I don’t see that getting any better next week. The good thing is it seems like we might be in for a change of course after Wrestlemania, as Chavo hasn’t been doing much as ECW Champion and it seems like time to move somewhere else. That doesn’t make the shows on the way there that much better though, as these shows are in a holding pattern as you can get until Wrestlemania.

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Great Khali vs. Stevie Richards

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

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

Deuce vs. Kofi Kingston

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

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

Raw Rebound.

Wrestlemania rundown.

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

Festus vs. Elijah Burke

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

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

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

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

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

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Smackdown
Date: January 6, 2023
Location: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are less than a month away from the Royal Rumble as we are officially in the new year. That means we should be in for some fun tonight and there is certainly a big main event. This week, the Usos will be defending the Tag Team Titles against Drew McIntyre/Sheamus in a match that was originally scheduled for last month. Let’s get to it.

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

The Bloodline opens things up by throwing chairs from the crowd as Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman come to the ring to join them. Reigns demands acknowledgment and seems to receive it but doesn’t seem happy. This week, we are going to hear from Sami Zayn, who says this year belongs to the Bloodline.

Zayn brags about the team winning its matches on Raw but that’s not what Reigns wants to talk about. He wants to talk about LAST YEAR when he and Zayn faced John Cena and Kevin Owens. Some people have said they lost, but Reigns doesn’t remember his shoulders being on the mat. Nah, Sami lost last week, so why did he call his shot? That’s what Reigns does, just like Babe Ruth.

Reigns thinks Sami might want to be the Tribal Chief. Why is Sami doing what Reigns does? Reigns starts screaming at Sami about wanting his job until Kevin Owens interrupts. Owens talks about how Reigns has a KO Problem and can’t get rid of him. Maybe he should deal with it in a title match at the Royal Rumble. Reigns: “Yeah sure whatever.” Reigns will give him the shot if Owens leaves forever after he loses. Owens seems to agree but the wording is a bit vague on if it’s title vs. career.

Earlier today, Kofi Kingston and Santos Escobar got into it backstage over Kofi’s Royal Rumble botch last year, meaning we’ve got something tonight.

Kofi Kingston vs. Santos Escobar

Xavier Woods and the rest of Legado del Fantasma are here too. Escobar gets in a shot to start and Kofi is rocked, allowing him to go up top. That’s fine with Kofi, who kicks him to the floor as we take a break. Back with Kofi in trouble but managing to fight his way back up. Woods offers a trombone distraction but Escobar is fine enough to kick Kofi in the head for two.

Kofi slips out of a fireman’s carry and gets two off the SOS. Kofi goes up but gets kneed out of the air for two, leaving them both needing a bit of a breather. The brawl starts on the floor though and the distraction lets Escobar hit a jumping superkick. The Phantom Driver finishes Kofi at 10:05.

Rating: C+. You had two talented wrestlers with a bit of time so of course this worked out fairly well. Kingston is the definition of bulletproof in WWE so having him put over a newcomer like Escobar is one of the smarter things to do. It wasn’t a classic but for ten minutes on Smackdown, this was quite easy to watch.

Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns for the title is set for the Royal Rumble. No words on Owens leaving if he loses so that doesn’t sound like a stipulation.

Sami Zayn tries to talk to Roman Reigns but gets Paul Heyman instead. Heyman thinks this isn’t a good time as the Usos go in to see Reigns. Last week Heyman said stay three steps ahead, but that still might be a bad time for Sami.

Liv Morgan enters the Women’s Royal Rumble and is willing to go in at #1.

We look back at Uncle Howdy attacking Bray Wyatt last week, which freaked out LA Knight in the process.

LA Knight was walking through Memphis earlier today and after getting over how bad that was, he thought it was great that Bray Wyatt can’t keep his freaks in line. At the Royal Rumble, Wyatt is getting what is coming to him, YEAH.

Emma/Madcap Moss vs. Karrion Kross/Scarlett

This is Scarlett’s in-ring TV debut and we’re joined in progress with the women coming in off double tags. Scarlett shrugs off some right hands and suplexes her for two. Kross comes in to glare at Emma, allowing Scarlett to post her. Emma gets sent over the announcers’ table, leaving Kross to hit the Krosshammer into the Krossjacket for the win at 3:08.

Rating: C-. This was little more than a squash for Kross and Scarlett, as Emma and Moss never felt like they were a threat to win. Scarlett is someone who can easily handle herself in the ring and doesn’t always have to be on the floor. Kross seems to be ready for a showdown with Rey Mysterio and that means he wasn’t going to need to break a sweat here with Moss.

Post match Kross and Scarlett put a Rey Mysterio mask on Moss and says Rey is running out of time.

We look back at Charlotte returning and winning the Smackdown Women’s Title from Ronda Rousey in less than a minute.

Sheamus and Drew McIntyre were at Jerry Lawler’s bar earlier and fired each other up for their Tag Team Title match tonight.

Here is Charlotte for a chat. She is happy with her title win last week and doesn’t really care what people think of her. The one thing she isn’t is complacent, so she will face anyone. Cue Sonya Deville, who wants and receives a title shot.

Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Sonya Deville

Charlotte is defending and kicks Deville out to the floor to start. Back from a break with Deville going after the knee and grabbing a chinlock. That’s broken up and Charlotte hits some clotheslines, followed by a flipping clothesline for two. A spear cuts Sonya down and the Figure Eight retains the title at 6:46.

Rating: C-. So that happened. Charlotte wasn’t going to drop the title this fast but they didn’t even bother with anything close to drama. It was all about getting Charlotte in the ring again to clarify that she’s all nice and good now, with Deville being a good first victim to the title reign.

Video on Cody Rhodes returning to WWE last year.

Remember how Lacey Evans has been training? She still is.

Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Ricochet vs. Top Dolla

Dolla powers him into the corner to start and gets Ricochet on top to toss him down. A big boot gives Dolla two but he takes too long dancing, allowing Ricochet to kick him in the head. The standing Sliced Bread drops Dolla and the shooting star press finishes him off at 1:57.

Post match Dolla shakes Ricochet’s hand….allowing Ashante Adonis to superkick Ricochet in the face. B Fab adds in a kick of her own as all of Hit Row seems to have turned. Braun Strowman runs in for the save, which shouldn’t have happened as Top Dolla needed to look dominant here.

The Usos go to the ring for their title match. Roman Reigns tells Paul Heyman to bring him Sami Zayn.

Video on Gunther vs. Braun Strowman for the Intercontinental Title next week.

Sami Zayn comes in to see Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman, with Reigns telling him to sit without giving him a look. Sami immediately says that Reigns is the Tribal Chief and no one else is. Reigns doesn’t accept because he holds himself to a high standard and no one should be treated like Sami was earlier. He doesn’t accept because he should be apologizing, so Reigns says he is sorry.

Reigns understands that he is mad at Kevin Owens and taking out on Sami. That’s why he’s going to let Sami help him get rid of Owens, when Sami and Owens face off next week. Sami is in but hears the Usos’ music and goes towards the ring. Hold on though, as Reigns wants Sami to watch with him.

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Drew McIntyre/Sheamus

The Usos, with Solo Sikoa, are defending. Sheamus takes Jimmy down to start and it’s off to Drew, who tosses him into the corner. Jey comes in and manages a quick suplex to take over, allowing Jimmy to come in for some choking. Drew gets sent outside and suicide dived into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Sheamus hitting the ten forearms to Jey’s chest but Jimmy gets in a shot to take over again. Drew cuts off the double Uce and it’s a double super White Noise for two on the champs. A flip dive off the apron takes the Usos down and it’s a Claymore for two on Jey with Jimmy making the save.

We see Reigns/Zayn/Heyman eating popcorn as they watch the match as the 1D hits Sheamus….for two as McIntyre makes the save. Sikoa goes after Drew but here are the Brawling Brutes to cut him off. Sheamus Brogue Kicks Jey so Jimmy makes the save. A dive takes the Usos out so Sheamus picks Jey up, only to be rolled up with Jimmy giving an assist to retain at 13:19.

Rating: B-. They had a bit of drama when Sheamus survived the 1D but there is only so much of a reason to believe the Usos are losing anytime soon. Sheamus and McIntyre could have gotten the title shot on a big stave and just a Smackdown main event doesn’t feel that big. Good TV match, but it should have been a bit bigger.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty solid show tonight, but the question now is what happens with Sami/Owens/Reigns. That seems like it is about to blow up either in the next few weeks or at the Royal Rumble at the latest. Other than that, the Rumbles continue to loom, but there are only three out of sixty spots filled. That could take up a lot of time over the next few weeks so things could start picking up rather quickly. For now though, a good show that could have been bigger.

Results
Santos Escobar b. Kofi Kingston – Phantom Driver
Scarlett/Karrion Kross b. Emma/Madcap Moss – Krossjacket to Moss
Ricochet b. Top Dolla – Shooting star press
Usos b. Drew McIntyre/Sheamus – Assisted rollup to Sheamus

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Smackdown
Date: December 2, 2022
Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We are done with Survivor Series and on the long road to the Royal Rumble, as there is somehow no major event between now and the end of January. That is a lot of time to fill and first up we are probably going to be seeing the Bloodline celebrate their WarGames win. Other than that, the World Cup wraps up this week so let’s get to it.

Here is Survivor Series if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is most of the Bloodline to get things going. After a WarGames recap, Sami Zayn praises the Usos but Jimmy cuts him off, saying tonight is about Zayn. On Saturday, Zayn was the MVP and the fans were chanting SAMI USO (as they do here). Jey says he didn’t like Sami for a long time but now Zayn has earned his respect and they won WarGames because of him. Jimmy asks Sami how he’s feeling and that would be pretty FREAKIN UCEY. We get a three way special handshake between the Usos and Zayn, who even dances a bit. Cue Sheamus to interrupt, saying he hates the idea of beating up a fellow ginger.

Sheamus vs. Sami Zayn

Their respective friends are here too as Sheamus runs him over to start. We get the Dublin Smile before Sami is sent outside, with Sheamus and company glaring at the Usos as we take a break. Back with Sheamus getting distracted by the Usos, allowing Sami to hit a DDT for two. A jumping kick to the face sets up the chinlock to keep Sheamus down, followed by a tornado DDT to give Sami two more.

In what doesn’t seem to be the best idea, Sami tries his own forearms to the chest, with Sheamus blocking them without much trouble. The powerslam and Irish Curse set up the Cloverleaf to put Zayn in a lot of trouble. A rope is grabbed and Sheamus is sent outside, setting up the running flip dive as we take another break.

Back again with Zayn grabbing a sunset bomb out of the corner for two. Sheamus grabs White Noise for two of his own and the ten forearms rock him again. The Usos offer a distraction so Sami can hit the Blue Thunder Bomb and the Brawling Brutes go after the brothers. Solo Sikoa comes in so the numbers came can beat down the Brutes. Sheamus hits the jumping knee and picks up Sami for no logical reason, allowing Jey Uso to superkick Sheamus into a rollup to give Sami the pin at 18:23.

Rating: B. They beat on each other rather well with Sami more than hanging in there until the finish. Sami beating Sheamus isn’t some huge upset but it does give him a win over a credible challenger. This got time and is a match that you don’t see that often, making this a rather nice opener as the fans continue to LOVE Zayn.

Santos Escobar and Legado del Fantasma are ready to prove how amazing they are, starting by winning the Intercontinental Title.

Kofi Kingston officially declares for the Royal Rumble and picks Ricochet to win the World Cup. Imperium comes in to mock Kofi, who is alone tonight but will fight either of them. Gunther pops up to accept that challenge and Kofi gets a bit more serious.

Bray Wyatt talks about how everyone has technology these days but we were all wild animals at one point. We were just creatures trying to survive and that includes him. He is not the man who hurt LA Knight, but if he had been, you would know, because there would be nothing of Knight left.

Emma and Madcap Moss make some googly eyes at each other in the back.

Emma vs. Shayna Baszler

Baszler doesn’t seem to think much of Emma, who grabs a rollup for an early two. A Russian legsweep gives Emma two but Baszler is right there on her arm. Back up and Emma uses the good arm for a clothesline, followed by a hanging neckbreaker for two. The Tarantula has Baszler in more trouble but she is able to catch Emma on top. The Kirifuda Clutch finishes Emma at 4:11.

Rating: C. Short and to the point here with Baszler weathering the storm and beating an opponent she should have beaten. Emma is in a story with Moss at the moment but that isn’t enough of a reason to have her beat someone like Baszler. At some point Emma is going to have to beat someone, but for now, Baszler getting the win makes a lot more sense.

Post match Shayna goes after her again but Shotzi runs in for the save. With Baszler about to break her arm, Raquel Rodriguez runs in for the real save.

Video on Lacey Evans training as part of the United States Marine Corps.

Video on Ricochet training to win the World Cup.

Kofi Kingston vs. Gunther

Non-title and Imperium is here with Gunther. Kofi strikes away to start but gets caught with a backbreaker. There’s a chop to put Kingston down but he low bridges Gunther to the apron. That doesn’t last long as Imperium offers a distraction. Cue Braun Strowman to take care of the two of them and the SOS gives Kingston two. We take a break and come back with Kofi fighting out of a sleeper and dropkicking the knee. A running forearm sets up the Boom Drop but Trouble in Paradise misses.

Instead Kofi kicks him in the head and hits a top rope splash to Gunther’s standing back. Kofi tries to go up again but this time gets chopped out of the air. A German suplex gives Gunther two and we hit the Boston crab. That’s escaped as well but another SOS is countered. The shotgun dropkick sends Kofi into the corner and the powerbomb….gets two. A powerslam (the Last Symphony) is enough to finish Kofi at 11:50.

Rating: B. I know Kingston can get some eye rolls for all of the rather goofy New Day stuff, but he can still wrestle a very good match against just about anyone. That is what you had here, as Kingston played a great David to Gunther’s Goliath. Gunther has figured out how to do this match as well as anyone right now, as he sells when he needs to sell and goes into a monster mode as needed as well. This was a very good match and I even bought that Kingston could get the big upset off that SOS.

Sami Zayn is ready to go eat and the Usos sent Solo Sikoa to watch his back. Jimmy and Jey can’t believe he has been accepted, but they’re willing to overlook him lying to Jey’s face last week. Sheamus runs in and beats them down with the shillelagh. Sheamus says he and Drew McIntyre will be waiting for them. Usos vs. Sheamus/McIntyre would be great for a big time TV main event.

Here is Damage Ctrl for a chat. Bayley rants about how they fought in WarGames and complains about how little respect they get for what they did. As for tonight, she isn’t impressed with the roster….but here is Liv Morgan to interrupt. 3-1 seems fair to Morgan so she charges the ring to fight all of them at once. This works for all of ten seconds until the beatdown is on. Cue the returning Tegan Nox for the save, with Morgan grabbing a kendo stick to even things up a bit more. That’s a cool return as Nox is another star who never got a real chance on the main roster.

Karrion Kross and Scarlett use tarot cards to say they’re coming for Rey Mysterio.

Here is what is coming on various shows, but Uncle Howdy interrupts to suggest that Bray Wyatt is a monster.

World Cup Finals: Ricochet vs. Santos Escobar

Legado del Fantasma is at ringside and Zelina Vega is on commentary. An early Legado distraction doesn’t work as Ricochet springboard dropkicks him to the floor, setting up a suicide dive. Back in and another Legado distraction works a bit better, as Ricochet’s springboard is broken up. That’s enough for mass ejections, leaving us one on one.

We take a break and come back with Ricochet fighting to his feel until stereo crossbodies put them both down. Escobar rolls to the floor so Ricochet follows and charges on the barricade. Things start going too fast and Ricochet has to put the brakes on, allowing Escobar to snap off a hurricanrana. Back in and Escobar tries another off the top, only to get shoved down.

Escobar rolls away before Ricochet can launch anything before going up top with Ricochet at the same time. A super hurricanrana doesn’t work on Ricochet as he sticks the landing, allowing him to take Escobar down again. The Lionsault gives Ricochet two and he dropkicks Escobar into the corner. The 630 only hits knees though in a rather nice fake out. Escobar’s poisonrana gets two more so they both go up top, with Ricochet hitting a super poisonrana. That’s enough to set up the 630 for the pin and the title shot at 21:47.

Rating: B+. Now that is a TV main event as you had two guys leaving everything they had in the ring because they were fighting for a prize. Ricochet winning was a strong moment as he plays the underdog so well, while Escobar looks like someone who can give anyone a run for their money around here. This version of Ricochet vs. Gunther could be great and I had a blast with the whole thing. Great match and an awesome end to the tournament.

Post match Ricochet gets the cup and Gunther comes out for the staredown (and the announcement that the title match is in two weeks) to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. You don’t get this kind of a TV show very often as it had three very good matches crammed into two hours. They went with the wrestling heavy show here after weeks of building up Survivor Series and it worked very well. With nothing to build to for weeks they are going to need a show or two like this and the good thing about WWE is they have the roster depth to make that work. Excellent show here and one of the better WWE TV shows in a good while.

Results
Sami Zayn b. Sheamus – Superkick from Jey Uso
Shayna Baszler b. Emma – Kirifuda Clutch
Gunther b. Kofi Kingston – Last Symphony
Ricochet b. Santos Escobar – 630

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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Note that this was written live in 2010 and the quality is far, far below what I would have today.  I apologize in advance.

Over the Limit 2010
Date: May 23, 2010
Location: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Commentators: Matt Striker, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole

It seems like we’re STILL on the same angles as we were on at Mania. I’m not sure if that’s good or not. Allegedly tonight is Batista’s last or one of his last appearances with WWE. I’m not so sure if that’s the case or not but with the gimmick match tonight, it’s certainly possible. Also on the card tonight we have Swagger vs. Big Show in a match I truly can’t predict but on instinct it’s Swagger. That all being said, let’s get to it.

We have a Spanish announce team. That’s rather odd for this day and age.

Intercontinental Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre

Could Drew’s music be sweeter? So remember the idea here is that Drew got stripped of the belt and Kofi won a tournament for it. Drew got it put back on him because Vince likes him. This is the big showdown for it I guess. Drew jumps him early as Striker thinks we need to know that it’s been eleven years since the title has changed hands in Detroit. Ok then. The fans are all over Drew who is dominating early.

Apparently most people don’t like working with him which is odd. I guess you can tell more when you’re in the ring though. That makes more sense at least. Smackdown has definitely been having the better in ring stuff lately and this shouldn’t be an exception. Drew does one of those idiotic spots where he jumps into Kofi’s feet when he puts them up. What the heck was that supposed to be? The set might look cool but I can’t tell.

There’s this weird kind of spotlight thing going on from the end of the arena behind the announcers. It’s rather odd and looks like 6 lights coming off of it. Boom Drop in the corner of all places hits. Ok then. Trouble in Paradise misses and the SOS gets a clean pin. Wow did not see that one coming.

Post match Drew gets on the mic and says the show doesn’t keep going until he’s declared champion by Teddy Long. Instead we get Matt Hardy to an ERUPTION. Seriously it’s been like two weeks not 4 months. Twist of Fate puts Drew down.

Rating: B-. Not bad for an opener I guess. Kofi winning is kind of a surprise but I’d bet on Drew being pushed higher up on the card or into something against Christian or someone like that. Anyway, Kofi doesn’t need the title really, but then again neither does McIntyre. This worked well enough I guess and wasn’t bad at all. Not up to their TV stuff but not bad at all.

Punk is looking in a mirror and says he’s awesome. Tonight Mysterio goes straightedge. Luke hugs him which is kind of awkward.

We recap Ted DiBiase vs. R-Truth. This is a simple but effective feud. What more can you ask for? In short, Ted wanted Truth to be his Virgil.

Ted DiBiase vs. R-Truth

Truth’s entrance is awesome. I’m not a fan of him but I have to give him that one. The real Virgil is here with him instead. You can’t beat that for old school guys. Striker says rich people are better. Amen to that brother man. We even get a Virgil chant. WOW. Cole says that DiBiase paid a couple of guys a few weeks ago to take out R-Truth. One was Carlito. That’s rather amusing.

We get a Harley Race impression from about 1983 and the bounty to take out Flair. I love obscure references like that. Truth busts out a Downward Spiral. I hate that move. Virgil looks more or less exactly the same as he used to. That’s either really impressive or bad. This is really sloppy. Truth…kind of hits the Lie Detector (spinning forearm) for the clean pin. That was bad. Virgil gets the Million Dollar Belt and tries to wake up DiBiase, despite the forearm grazing him at best.

Rating: D. Not very good and just SLOPPY. The stuff came off as weak looking and just all over the place. I didn’t like what I was seeing and the Truth pin just came off as from out of nowhere, which isn’t bad I guess.

Drew goes into Teddy’s office and says change the decision. Drew destroys the office and a picture of Martin Luther King. Never mind as he doesn’t wreck the picture.

We recap the Punk/Rey feud. More or less, Punk wants Rey in the SES. Rey says they’re hypocrites. This is one of the matches I have no clue on, which is the point I guess.

CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio

All outside parties are banned here, which makes me think Masked Man messing things up somehow. Rey is in yellow tonight which makes him look stupider than usual somehow. Punk jumps him to start. That’s my boy. We get into a semi-Master/Slave dialectic from Lawler. That was bizarre but an essay on that got me through a college class. In a SICK spot, Rey gets thrown into the barber’s chair at ringside. That seriously HURT.

Punk is cut open too so they have to stop the blood flow. Can we get Linda in the Senate already? Rey looks at something under his wrist tape for some reason. The match stops for like three minutes because of this. We get an EPIC boring chant and Punk goes off. Seriously, a trickle of blood is ok. Stopping a PPV for that long because of a cut like that is idiotic. I’ve never seen Punk snap like that and I loved it.

Rey hits a sunset flip powerbomb for two. They crank it up and they both get a bunch of near falls. We get some weird dueling chants that I can’t quite make out. GTS of course doesn’t work. Punk gets a corner powerbomb though. Nice one. Punk kicks Rey’s head off. GTS is reversed again and Rey hits the 619. Springboard Splash misses though and this is a good match.

And then we get the same pin that HHH beat Jeff Hardy with at some PPV where Rey rolls him up off a sloppy pin. I hate Vince. Punk is busted open again. Here comes Gallows and Serena and I hope I don’t know what’s coming. They have handcuffs. And here’s….KANE? What the HECK? Punk is handcuffed and gets his hair cut. I hate WWE sometimes. I truly do.

Rating: B+. I really liked this match. I hate the booking, but the in ring stuff was great. There were all kinds of great back and forth things going on here with the great near falls. I can’t blame them for the cut thing as that’s a company decision. Also Punk just going OFF after that was great.

Ad for Fatal Fourway with all championships being in the title of the show style of matches.

Jericho makes fun of Show and Miz sneaks up on him which doesn’t work. Show threatens to know Jericho out, wake him up and knock him out again. This was funny.

And now let’s have a trailer for Prince of Persia.

Unified Tag Titles: Hart Dynasty vs. Chris Jericho/The Miz

There’s not much to say here at all. It’s not bad but it’s ok I guess. Natalya is solid as a manager. They say that on Monday when Hart won the US Title he was in his homeland. They make it sound like he came from an island nation with like four people on it. It’s a very standard tag match which is both good and bad I suppose. Kidd takes the Walls and the Codebreaker off a springboard. It just wasn’t a very good one. Somehow that only gets two. Wow.

Jericho goes off and yells at Kidd to stay down. That was kind of amusing. We’re getting a lot of near falls here. Miz and Jericho yell at the referee A LOT. Natalya trips Jericho and Smith hits the powerslam for the LONG two. This started slow but has gotten a lot better.

Skull Crushing Finale is blocked but Miz gets a rollup and the tights for two. VERY good match here. I’m very surprised. Miz does his running clothesline into the corner but Smith catches him to set up the Hart Attack. NICE match with a SWEET ending.

Rating: B. I liked this a lot more than I expected to. Like I said it started slow but it picked WAY up soon after that. The clean retaining surprised me very much actually but it’s certainly a good thing. They needed that for some credibility and I’ve very glad they didn’t do the switch to another random tag team. Nice match and a very pleasant surprise.

We recap Edge vs. Orton which is just that Edge turned heel again and had a great segment on Raw to set this up. This is the most hyped show on the card. Not sure if it’s going to live up to it. I doubt it will actually.

Edge vs. Randy Orton

They try to talk down the pop that Orton gets for no apparent reason. Orton goes for no tape again which is his new look I guess. Nothing wrong with that. Orton dominates early as would be expected I guess. Edge takes ove and the match is decent enough I guess. Edge hooks a body scissors and the fans think it’s boring. Orton reacts and counters with elbows to get a HUGE RKO chant going. Orton hits the elevated DDT to a huge pop.

The lack of tape thing is working for me. Spear is blocked by a kick. This crowd is NUTS for Orton but his arm is hurt from earlier. Hey we got some psychology in there! Orton might be legit hurt. Yeah he must be. We go to the floor and Edge misses a spear. This has to be legit. At least I think it is. Oh dear.

Rating: C-. What we got is what I’m grading it on as it’s pretty clear that wasn’t the planned ending. Orton was doing his mat slap thing and just stopped dead. Also no way that was going to end in a double count out. Until then it wasn’t that good but it did ok.

We recap Swagger vs. Show which you can read the Smackdown review if you want the story on.

Smackdown World Title: Jack Swagger vs. Big Show

This is another one where I don’t know how it’s going to end. Show uses some wrestling here and Swagger’s look is great. SHOW DOES PUSHUPS! Somebody get that boy a Twinkie before he passes out! Swagger goes for the leg and that doesn’t work. Show keeps coming back. After some boring stuff, Show sets for the chokeslam…..and Swagger blasts him in the head with the belt for the intentional DQ. WOW.

Well they went old school with that so I can’t complain. Two belt shots and Show gets up. A chair shot doesn’t work either and Swagger takes a chokeslam. So the world champion can’t put a guy down with two belt shots and a chair. Right. Show drops him with a punch again. Pay no attention to Swagger opening his eyes to make sure things are going right.

Rating: D. It was short and the ending completely sucked. Swagger looks weak after losing to Kofi on Monday. He’s also lost to Morrison and Orton. Is there a point to him being champion? Yes he’s champion, but he’s another weak champion. It’s a good bit annoying but that’s WWE for you. They’ve been awesome lately so I can’t complain much I guess.

We recap Batista vs. Cena and Batista says he’ll make Cena say he quits.

Raw Women’s Title: Maryse vs. Eve Torres

This is better than I’d expect it to be actually. This has gotten some great build over the past few weeks and due to a lack of matches they have to give it a lot of time. Maryse randomly starts crying for no adequately explained reason. We actually get some near falls. Eve hits some messed up face plant into a rollup for the pin. Cole, Striker and Lawler make jokes about Eve and just lose it on commentary.

Rating: C-. For what you had to work with here and given what Divas matches tend to be, this was actually decent. I tend to start most Divas matches at a D or so, meaning this was pretty good. There was some actual drama and Eve won with a nice finisher. Solid little match.

We recap Batista vs. Cena which is about 3 months old now. Mainly it’s about Batista being mad about getting Duct-Taped to the post to lose last time.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Batista

Batista has a mic and asks Cena if he wants to quit right now. Batista says the words I Quit but for some reason that’s not the end of the match. Cena of course blasts him with the mic. He has a chair within seconds. Some hero eh? Cena gets the split chants again. You can’t argue the guy gets people talking. The problem here is you don’t have to watch the first 20 minutes or so here as nothing is going to happen.

Batista hits the spear if you want to call it that. The fans are awesome tonight. Batista hooks his Rings of Saturn kind of thing but puts far less pressure on it. Cena stands up to get out of it and there’s the STFU. Ropes don’t count for breaks here. Batista passes out in the hold. Some animal indeed. In Austin vs. hart that would be enough. Not here I guess though. Cena gets some water and wakes him up. Ok, now HOOK THE HOLD AGAIN.

Cena won’t quit off a spinebuster. So Batista takes about 9 hours to set up the two tables on the floor and Cena just lets him. I can’t say I blame him though as it’s a breather for him. Batista gets a powerslam through one of the tables and Cena is cut BAD. Let’s get an EMT out there as we can’t have blood in an anything goes match! This is idiotic. We head into the crowd for a bit now and walk forever.

I guess they wanted to get away from the doctors. Cena is told to quit or he’ll be thrown over. Cena has to answer apparently. Or what? He’ll get water thrown on him? Idiotic line if there ever was one. Cena fights out of it and they fight on the barrier up there. Dangerous looking spot and Batista falls all of 6 feet onto some people. Shockingly, that doesn’t end it. I’m glad as if they didn’t it would have sucked to say the least.

They fight up to the entrance near some cars. I wonder if that’s how it ends. Cena won’t quit and the crowd POPS. Batista gets in a car which of course has the keys in the ignition and he runs into Cena and the set which shoots off some sparks. Apparently he didn’t hit Cena as he’s up and fighting. Striker says Cena had to have moved since there’s no other way to explain that. FU onto a 78 Camaro and he won’t quit.

Cena grabs the mic and says he was really hoping Batista would say that. They go on top of the car and Batista quits to avoid the massive FU. Of course he gets it anyway and goes through the stage. Post match Cena celebrates and the graphic in the corner pops up and they say good night but Sheamus kicks his head off as he turns around to really end it. I like that.

Rating: B. This was good. I don’t think anyone believed Cena was going to lose here which is fine. He went over as strong as possible and Batista looks like a defeated man if that’s the end of his run with the company. Either way this was a solid match and a solid way to end the show. It was over the top but that’s fine. Now, KEEP THEM APART.

Overall Rating: D. This just didn’t do it for me. And before anyone jumps on me and says I overreacted to Punk/Rey, heck yes I did. I don’t like Rey and Punk is my favorite wrestler. It’s part of being a fan so shut up with the whole biased arguments. Heck yes I’m biased. Anyway, this show just wasn’t very good.

The best way I can put it is unnecessary. This show was unnecessary. Nothing of major note happened other than Punk and Rey. There was some solid wrestling on the show, but there was just too much that didn’t work for me. Having literally no heels win is just a weird thing to do. This show isn’t as bad as people are saying, but it wasn’t good.

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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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: March 4, 2008
Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’re still on the Road to Wrestlemania and somehow, again, we’re getting CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero for the latter’s ECW Title. This is setting a new standard for trying to squeeze every last drop out of an idea and there absolutely cannot be much left to wring out of the feud. Maybe tonight can wrap it up for good. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the last month or so of CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero, because the feud is so long that you can trim it down like that.

Opening sequence.

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

Delaney and Dreamer are challenging after beating the champs in a non-title match last week. Dreamer and Miz start things off with Miz being taken down rather quickly. A Quebecers’ Cannonball hits Miz for two but he’s right back up to drive Delaney into the corner. Morrison comes in for the springboard spinning kick to the head but Delaney manages to kick him away.

The tag brings in Dreamer to a rather nothing reaction and a neckbreaker out of the corner for one on Morrison. The Texas Cloverleaf goes on but Miz makes the save, knocks Delaney to the floor and hammers Dreamer down. That’s too far for Delaney, who grabs a chair and cleans house for the DQ.

Rating: C-. Yeah this wasn’t much to see and that’s because there was no way the titles were going to change here. Delaney and Dreamer are some teacher/student deal and it is getting better over the weeks, but that doesn’t mean they were ready to become champions. Points for making someone new though, which has been lacking around here for a good bit.

Post match Dreamer looks stunned but also rather pleased with the violence. Ignore Delaney costing them the title shot.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Stevie Richards

Benjamin’s original Ain’t No Stopping Me Now music is gone, taking away one of the catchier themes from the era. Richards grabs a headlock to start but Benjamin pulls him out of the air for a shoulder breaker to take over. An armbar and them a figure four arm lock (Tazz’s words) keep Richards in trouble.

Benjamin elbows him in the face and grabs the same arm lock as things grind to another halt. Back up and Benjamin jumps to the top, only to miss a high crossbody. We get some weak SHELTON chants as Richards makes the comeback, including an enziguri for two. That’s too far for Benjamin, who hits the jumping Downward Spiral for the pin.

Rating: C-. This was as interesting as Benjamin working the arm for two minutes out of less than five was going to be. The new Benjamin is just so lame with the gold hair and the weaker music, but at least they’re pushing someone who still has some star power. Also, so much for Richards’ push, but I don’t know what kinds of legs it had in the first place.

Post match Benjamin promises to win Money In The Bank.

We recap the reveal of Maria’s Playboy cover.

Kofi Kingston and Kelly Kelly are admiring the Playboy cover, with Kingston saying she could be a Playboy cover girl. With that kind of creepy line out of the way, Layla comes in to yell at Kelly about Playboy wanting Layla instead. Catfighting ensues, likely over who could be a worse actress.

Kane vs. James Gibson

Before the match, Chuck Palumbo, who is facing Kane on Smackdown, rides to the ring on his motorcycle. Not that it matters as the chokeslam finishes Gibson in about thirty seconds.

Raw Rebound.

CM Punk talks about how Chavo Guerrero claims to be a warrior, but there is one Guerrero who is a warrior and it isn’t Chavo. Punk talks about the things he’s done to Chavo and promises to regain the title tonight.

ECW Title: CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero

Guerrero is defending. Feeling out process to start as Chavo takes him into the corner, only to get rolled up for a fast two. A hammerlock slam sets up an armbar from Punk, which is quickly reversed into a headlock. With that broken up, Punk tries a springboard but gets knocked out to the floor in a pretty nasty crash.

We take a break and come back with Chavo working on the leg, including a chop block to cut him down again. The leg is wrapped around the post and Chavo seems rather confident. We hit the leg crank but Punk manages to use the good leg to kick Chavo outside. Back in and Punk grabs an armbar, only to have Chavo pull him into a half crab. The rope is grabbed so Chavo plants him with a tornado DDT for two instead. Punk catches him going up but gets knocked back down, setting up the frog splash to retain the title.

Rating: C+. They’re done now right? Chavo has beaten Punk multiple times now and this one was completely clean so the feud is over. There is nothing left for these two to do with each other and it is time for both of them to move on. I’m not sure what that will mean for Chavo, but Punk is more than ready to move up to one of the other shows.

Overall Rating: C. This show is in need of a fresh tank of gas as they seem to be running on empty. Miz and Morrison vs. Delaney and Dreamer is the second biggest story on the show and that has the shelf life of some week old bread. Other than that, you have Benjamin minus the fun stuff and Kane warmed up for something on Smackdown. What does that leave for this show? Decent main event this week and nothing else.

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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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: February 26, 2008
Location: Convention Center, Tuscon, Arizona
Attendance: 5,200
Commentators: Joey Styles, Tazz

We’re on the way to Wrestlemania and this week isn’t likely to have Ric Flair for a main event. Chavo Guerrero vs. CM Punk should be done for good but you never can tell with that feud. It feels like it could somehow keep going despite being long past its expiration date. If not Punk though, who else is supposed to go after the title? Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kelly Kelly/Kofi Kingston vs. Santino Marella/Layla

The women start things off as Tazz talks about some 80s song. Actually we’ll switch to the men as Kelly has to bring in “Koko Kingston”. That’s fine with Kofi, who knocks Marella into the corner and hammers away. Back up and Santino gets in a cheap shot to take over and a clothesline allows for some posing.

Layla even gets in some hair pulling from the apron, allowing Santino to work on an armbar. For some reason Santino tags Layla in, which is as good as Kofi tagging Kelly. Some clotheslines drop Layla and Kelly hits a high crossbody for one as everything breaks down. Trouble In Paradise drops Santino and a Fameasser gives Kelly the pin.

Rating: C-. This was as good as Santino doing his lame offense to Kofi for a few minutes before the women came in for the finish was going to be. Santino is a fun character but he doesn’t exactly have the in-ring work to back it up in any way. Kofi continues to feel like someone WWE is protecting and that is a good sign for his future.

Bunnymania is coming at Wrestlemania.

Video on Maria’s Playboy shoot.

Stevie Richards vs. Mike Knox

Knox, ever the villain, goes for the throat to start and a hot shot cuts off a comeback attempt. The slow beating is on and Knox grabs a chinlock to stay on the throat. That’s switched into a choke so the fans start begging for the comeback. Richards comes up with a superkick but the StevieT is blocked. Instead Richards avoids a charge into the corner and now the StevieT is enough to finish Knox off.

Rating: D+. Do you know how fast someone with the limited offense of Knox is going to run out of throat based moves? Richards has a good story, but there is only so much that you can do with it week after week. Yeah he has a bad throat, but if that’s all you’re getting, how far is this supposed to go?

Tommy Dreamer tells Colin Delaney that he as a future as his injuries are starting to heal. Delaney asks if he can have his own theme music when he becomes a star. Dreamer glares at him.

Raw Rebound.

Commentary gets serious about the Vince McMahon/JBL/Hornswoggle/Finlay ordeal.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Tommy Dreamer/Colin Delaney

Non-title. Dreamer armdrags Morrison down to start but Delaney tags himself in (Dreamer: “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”) and hits a dropkick. Morrison takes him down without much trouble though and it’s off to Miz to hammer away in the corner. The backbreaker/slingshot elbow combination gives Morrison two and it’s back to Miz for a chinlock. Delaney fights up and Dreamer gets the tag to start the house cleaning. A reverse DDT plants Miz and Morrison is sent outside. Dreamer sends Miz into Delaney and the DDT is good for the pin.

Rating: C-. It might make sense in the story but Dreamer and Delaney just beat the Tag Team Champions completely clean. That’s not the best thing to see and while Miz and Morrison aren’t likely to drop the titles, it feels like a repeat of the Jimmy Wang Yang/Shannon Moore feud. Just stop having the champs get pinned.

Video on the Wrestlemania press conference, with the focus on Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Miz and John Morrison are yelling at each other when they’re told Tommy Dreamer and Colin Delaney are getting a Tag Team Title shot next week. They aren’t scared.

CM Punk vs. Elijah Burke vs. Shelton Benjamin

The winner gets an ECW Title shot against Chavo Guerrero, on commentary, next week. The fans are behind Punk as Benjamin kicks Burke to the floor. Chavo: “I would have ducked.” Benjamin knocks Punk down but Burke low bridges him outside to even things up a bit. Back in and Punk grabs a slightly scary flapjack on Burke but Benjamin comes in for the jumping Downward Spiral to drop Punk.

We take a break and come back with Benjamin sunset bombing Punk to the floor but getting dropkicked off the apron by Burke. The Outer Limits elbow gets two on Punk and the running crotch attack to the back of the next hits Benjamin as Burke is the only one left standing. Punk pulls Burke off the top, only to get caught with Benjamin’s dragon whip to cut him down as well. Burke knocks Benjamin out to the floor but Punk is back up with the GTS for the pin and the title shot.

Rating: C+. They didn’t hide what they were going to do with the winner here and that isn’t the worst thing. That being said, I’m completely burned out on Punk vs. Chavo, but who else is there to go after the title? ECW is really weak on top faces right now and I don’t think I can see Stevie Richards getting a title shot. That leaves Punk, and that isn’t much to write home about at the moment.

Post match Guerrero gets in the ring for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. Blech, what a weak show this was, with Kofi vs. Santino being one of the more interesting things going on. You can only get so much with this limited of a roster and no one else to challenge Chavo, so this was more a matter of time than anything else. The main event was fine, but I need more than Punk vs. Chavo 47 or whatever it is to pique my interest.

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Fatal 4-Way
Date: June 20, 2010
Location: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Attendance: 10,000
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Matt Striker

The opening video focuses on the World Title matches with a special feature on Kane, who is looking for whoever recently attacked the Undertaker and is basically accusing everyone in sight.

Intercontinental Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre

Kofi is defending and McIntyre is a Scottish wrestler and has been dubbed the Chosen One by Vince. McIntyre has also been treating Teddy Long like trash because he can have Teddy fired (that happens to him WAY too often). We see Vince leaving in his limo before Drew tells Teddy to get out here right now to hand Drew the title when he becomes the new champion. Kofi starts fast with kicks to the ribs and a clothesline to send Drew outside. Considering all the jumping and high flying, Drew is smart enough to go after the let to take over.

The Boom Drop looks to set up Trouble in Paradise but Drew kicks Kofi in the face instead. The Futureshock (double arm DDT) is countered with a springboard tornado DDT for two on McIntyre. Kofi hammers away in the corner but Drew comes out with a running powerbomb for two of his own. Kofi gets the same off the SOS so Drew throws him into the referee. Drew sends the good shoulder into the post before hitting the Futureshock for no count.

With no referee, Drew goes outside and gets Teddy to put on the referee shirt. Teddy makes the count but stops at two, FINALLY standing up to McIntyre. Drew loads up another Futureshock but Matt Hardy, who Drew has been going after as well, for the Twist of Fate. Kingston gets up (after being down from that one DDT for the better part of two minutes) for Trouble in Paradise to retain at 16:29.

Rating: B. I liked this one quite a bit with the story building up towards the ending and Teddy advancing his own story with Drew at the same time. Kofi is rapidly becoming a modern Tito Santana, as in someone who can have a good match with anyone you put him against. McIntyre should have been a much bigger deal and I could easily see him becoming a big star in WWE.

Divas Title: Maryse vs. Gail Kim vs. Alicia Fox vs. Eve Torres

Evan Bourne vs. Chris Jericho

Smackdown World Title: Jack Swagger vs. CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Big Show

One fall to a finish, Swagger is defending and Punk is now under a mask after having his head shaved. Punk is also the leader of the Straight Edge Society but his minions Luke Gallows and Serena are sent to the back before the match. Swagger and Punk go after Mysterio to start but Punk bails before Big Show can get over there. Punk is easily slammed down and Mysterio starts going after his mask.

The champ is sent outside as well, leaving us with the Big Show vs. Mysterio showdown. Rey tries to fire away and has as much success as you would expect. Mysterio bails to the floor and is palmed back inside by the head. Swagger comes back in as Lawler suggests that Show has put on weight. Mysterio actually dropkicks Show down for two and the Vader Bomb gets the same for Swagger. Punk and Mysterio stomp Swagger in the corner but the champ drops them both for two on Rey.

Rating: C. The match was watchable but it felt like a long time until we got around to Kane interfering to work on that storyline. If nothing else it gets the title off of Swagger, who never fit as a World Champion, mainly because his only accomplishment before this was an ECW Title reign over a year earlier. But hey, he won Money in the Bank and that makes him main event material apparently.

US Title: The Miz vs. R-Truth

Hart Dynasty vs. Usos/Tamina

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. Sheamus

Post match, Cena takes a beating, including a Superman Punch, from the NXT guys. Sheamus poses on stage with the title and gets chased off to end the show.

World Titles changing hands is a big deal but they both felt like minor notes compared to the angles attached.