Survivor Series 2004
Date: November 14, 2004
Location: Gund Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 7,500
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

This is an interesting show as the two big matches are a match where the impact comes over the next four weeks and another where there is little more than bragging rights on the line. The build for this show hasn’t been the strongest, though a lot of that is due to the changes taking place in the company. There are some fresh talents coming in and they’re still finding their footing, so it should be interesting to see where this show takes us. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look back at the show’s history, which means about five of the seventeen shows get a look. The video talks about trust and how only the strong will survive. Fair enough, though I’d have rather had more of the historical stuff.

Cruiserweight Title: Rey Mysterio vs. Billy Kidman vs. Chavo Guerrero vs. Spike Dudley

Spike is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. It’s a brawl to start with Rey taking a shot to the ribs and Chavo getting double teamed in the corner. Kidman doesn’t waste time in dropkicking Spike to the floor and here’s Spike to clothesline Kidman to the other side of the floor. That leave Rey to sunset flip Chavo for two and armdrag him outside. Spike replaces Chavo and stomps Rey down in the corner as Chavo comes back in.

A double clothesline puts Spike and Chavo down at the same time, leaving Rey to hurricanrana Kidman off the apron. Chavo picks Rey up and throws him into a seated senton Kidman, setting up a dive onto both of them. Spike’s dive just hits floor in a nasty crash but he’s fine enough to run back in and break up Chavo’s belly to back on Kidman. Rey gets whipped hard into the corner, leaving the other three to set up a Tower of Doom with Spike getting the worst.

Kidman was just the electric chair so he BK Bombs Rey but gets posted by Chavo. Spike’s running headbutt to the ribs puts Chavo down, only to have Rey come back with a 619 to the champ. Kidman breaks up the West Coast Pop and drops a slingshot legdrop on Chavo. Rey takes Kidman to the floor though, allowing Spike to pin Chavo to retain.

Rating: C+. Pretty good choice for an opener here with Rey and Chavo handling the dives and a Tower of Doom before it was a cliché. Spike retaining the title isn’t the most thrilling thing in the world but I think I could go for that over another Rey or Chavo reign. Kidman has already fallen off a lot and at the moment there isn’t another better option.

Gene Snitsky comes up to Heidenreich to compliment his poetry. Heidenreich likes what Snitsky does to babies. An uncomfortable amount of grunting ensues.

Intercontinental Title: Christian vs. Shelton Benjamin

Christian, now with Just Close Your Eyes for theme music and with Tyson Tomko in his corner, is challenging. Shelton goes with a hammerlock to start and Christian bails to the ropes to avoid the wrestling on the mat. Back up and Shelton blasts him with a shoulder to show off some power for a change. Christian is already frustrated and slaps the champ in the face before sending him over the ropes.

The cat is skinned and Shelton hits a springboard Blockbuster (looked like it was supposed to be a clothesline but he rotated too far) for two. For some reason that wakes Christian up even more and he hammers away in the corner. Shelton sticks the landing on a monkey flip and threatens Christian to the floor with a superkick, leaving the announcers to discuss the origins of the Oklahoma roll. A Tomko distraction lets Christian kick him into the barricade and the angry Christian pounds away.

The neckbreaker gets two and we hit the chinlock to stay on Shelton’s neck. Shelton gets thrown outside with someone’s elbow pad flying onto the announcers’ table in the process. Back in and Christian’s reverse tornado DDT gets two but Shelton reverses a whip to send Christian chest first into the buckle. A Jackknife rollup gets two and a reverse slingshot suplex (not quite a fisherman’s JR) is good for the same on Christian.

Shelton misses the Stinger Splash though and it’s an inverted DDT to give Christian two of his own. With nothing else working, Tomko slides the title in and even though it hits the referee in the foot, he doesn’t actually notice. It doesn’t work for Christian, who gets the title tossed, only to have Tomko kick Shelton in the face for two. Back up and Christian tries the Unprettier, which is countered into a quick exploder to retain the title.

Rating: B. This is a good example of a difficulty of five but an execution of ten. They went with a simple story but did it so well that it was easy to get behind as you wanted to see the more athletic champion overcome the cheating and retain. It’s a story that you can get into in a single viewing and Shelton played his role very well. Good match and I could go for another one.

Kurt Angle doesn’t like how Edge portrayed him in his book. He did like the chapter on Edge winning the World Title….or at least he would have if there had been one. Edge laughs it off because his team will win tonight and he’ll get a title shot. Angle goes off for his match but Eugene comes in to list off Angle’s resume and sing YOU SUCK.

Wrestlemania Recall: STONE COLD! STONE COLD! STONE COLD!

Team Angle vs. Team Guerrero

Kurt Angle, Carlito, Mark Jindrak, Luther Reigns

Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, Big Show, Rob Van Dam

Cena charges to the ring to chase Carlito off and beats Jesus up the aisle. Carlito keeps running and Cena shouts about Carlito sending his guys to stab him. With Jesus getting in a cheap shot, Carlito and Jesus jump into a car and run away. Everyone else gets in a fight on the floor and we get the opening bell, meaning Carlito is eliminated due to running away (in other words, he was injured).

We officially start with Show chopping Jindrak in the corner and handing it off to Van Dam for a spinning kick to the face. Rolling Thunder gives Eddie two and the headscissors/armdrag combination puts Jindrak and Reigns down. Angle comes in and punches Guerrero down before handing it back to Reigns for a backbreaker into a side slam. Jindrak’s full nelson is countered with a trip into the buckle but Kurt dives over to break up the hot tag attempt.

The chinlock goes on and switches into a front facelock before it’s back to Jindrak for more entry level offense. Actually hang on as he throws in a hip swivel in between the elbows. Eddie finally gets up and brings Rob in to punch Angle. Jindrak tries to save Angle from the Five Star but takes it instead, allowing Kurt to roll Rob up with the ropes for the elimination. Eddie is right back with a rollup in the ropes to get rid of Jindrak (with a fast count) to make it 3-2.

Big Show comes in to face Angle, who bails out so Reigns can do it instead. Reigns finally goes after the big bandage on the ankle, meaning it’s all of five extra seconds before the chokeslam can get rid of him. That leaves Angle by himself so he grabs the ankle lock, which is countered to send him into the aisle. Angle tries to leave but runs into Rob, who sends him backing up the aisle….and right into Show, with Angle reaching up and finding the very tall head to realize how much trouble he’s in. Back in and the FU into the frog splash is enough for the pin.

Rating: D. I was having flashbacks to the Hulkamaniacs vs. the Million Dollar Team from 1989 as the faces were never in serious trouble. There was almost no doubt after just a few minutes because Jindrak and Reigns were the lamest of goons against a bunch of top stars. They never did anything beyond stomps and slams and it wasn’t exactly believable that they could be a threat. There was no drama here and it showed badly.

We recap Heidenreich vs. Undertaker. I’d go into the details here but Heidenreich is the definition of a monster for Undertaker to slay. There have been a lot of them over the years but Heidenreich is one of the lowest of the low. He tried to crush Undertaker with a car, which worked as well as you might have expected. Then he read poetry and seemed to sexually assault Michael Cole. Do I need to continue the explanation?

Undertaker vs. Heidenreich

Undertaker punches him into the corner to start and the referee wisely bails out to the floor. There’s a big boot to put Heidenreich down and Undertaker sends the arm into the corner. Some pulls on the arm look to set up Old School but Heyman offers a distraction so Heidenreich can break it up with a low blow.

Undertaker gets crotched against the post, which Cole thinks may be a kink in his armor. They head outside with Undertaker taking over off the shots to the ribs and the elbows on the apron. The apron legdrop completes the standard sequence and now Old School can connect. A Downward Spiral has Heidenreich in more trouble but the running boot in the corner misses.

Undertaker gets knocked off the apron so Heidenreich can hammer away against the barricade for two back inside. The chinlock goes on for a bit until a clothesline gives Heidenreich two more. Undertaker gets in a suplex and it’s time for the slugout. The clothesline takes Heidenreich down and it’s Snake Eyes into the big boot.

Right hands get Heidenreich out of the chokeslam and a Boss Man Slam gives him two. The punches in the corner are countered into a weak Last Ride with Heidenreich grabbing the rope for the break. Undertaker slams his way out of a sleeper in a hurry and now the chokeslam connects. The Tombstone finally finishes Heidenreich off.

Rating: D. This was far worse than bad as it was really, really boring. Heidenreich had nothing that felt like a threat to Undertaker and the match itself was much longer than it needed to be at about sixteen minutes. The villains continue to be weak on Smackdown with Undertaker dispatching this goon without much serious trouble, as he should have done.

Eric Bischoff says Maven may not be wrestling tonight and since there is so little time left, Bischoff won’t be naming a replacement. His vacation is too valuable to listen to HHH’s complaints about a replacement.

We recap Trish Stratus vs. Lita. Trish mocked Lita for getting pregnant by Kane and referred to her as the Kiss of Death for destroying so many careers over the years. Lita lost the baby thanks to Snitsky but Trish wouldn’t shut up, with some of the best heel promos the women’s division has ever seen. Lita wants to kill her and if she wins the title as well, so be it.

Women’s Title: Trish Stratus vs. Lita

Trish is defending and starts by hiding in the corner. That’s fine with Lita who slugs away and heads outside where a chair shots DQ’s Lita at just over a minute.

Post match Lita stays on her as Trish’s nose is busted.

Theodore Long comes in to see Team Guerrero and asks if he can talk to Cena alone. Show takes off his towel and Cena is a little disturbed. Long has some good news for him: Cena gets his US Title shot this week on Smackdown.

We recap JBL vs. Booker T. Booker earned the title shot by winning a title shot and the rest of the feud has been built around JBL’s lackey Orlando Jordan vs. interviewer Josh Matthews, because this feud doesn’t have the strongest legs.

Smackdown World Title: John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Booker T.

JBL is defending and will leave Smackdown if he loses. Feeling out process to start with JBL shouting that this isn’t WCW. Some right hands have JBL in trouble so he hits Booker in the back of the head to take over. Booker’s clothesline doesn’t do him much good as a swinging neckbreaker gives the champ two. A much better clothesline sends JBL outside, though he’s fine enough to poke Booker in the eye.

They fight over the announcers’ table and it’s Jordan getting a cheap shot in from behind. We hit the cobra clutch on Booker, followed by some elbow drops for two. And now, just to mix it up a bit, we hit the chinlock. With that broken up, JBL heads up top and gets superplexed right back down. They head outside with a Book End dropping JBL again though Jordan keeps it on the floor.

JBL and Jordan both get taken out and it’s Booker’s missile dropkick for tow back inside. The Houston Hangover misses but Booker is right back with more kicks to the face. Another Jordan distraction lets JBL get two off a DDT….and the ref gets bumped. It’s Jordan coming in again and this time bringing in a chair. Cue Josh Matthews to take the chair away but JBL kicks him in the face. Booker gets in his own kicks but the second referee takes his time diving in for two, allowing Jordan to make the save. The Book End hits Jordan but JBL hits Booker with the title to retain.

Rating: D. Back to back overly long matches from the blue show with JBL and Jordan being as dull of a combination as you can get. The JBL title reign has lost what little charm it had thanks to the Jordan addition, as the guy isn’t adding anything and was the focal point of this feud, despite being that bad. Booker was trying but he needs something better than this reheated HHH/Ric Flair formula.

Evolution has a pep talk before the main event. HHH leaves and Batista talks about wanting to have his night running Raw. The seeds are being planted.

We recap the Raw elimination tag. Bischoff is tired of being in charge so he’s taking a month off. Therefore, the winning team gets to run Raw a week at a time for a month. They have all made it clear that if they win, they’re coming for the World Title, which is about as logical as you can get. The problem though is there’s little reason to watch this show because it’s all about the next four weeks.

Team HHH vs. Team Orton

HHH, Batista, Gene Snitsky, Edge

Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Maven

There’s no Maven to start and Ric Flair is at ringside to make it 5-3. Benoit gets aggressive with Edge in the corner to start and elbows him in the face to take over. That’s enough to bring in Snitsky and Orton, which is quite the strange looking showdown. Their slugout doesn’t last long and it’s off to Jericho vs. HHH to keep up the alternating matchups. Orton is right back in to hammer on HHH with Flair panicking about HHH taking such a beating.

The jumping knee to the face gets HHH out of trouble and it’s Batista hitting his powerslam for two. Edge comes in and gets sent into the corner, allowing the quick tag to Benoit, who beats up everyone in short order. The rolling German suplexes have HHH in trouble and Benoit suplexes Edge onto him. A double Swan Dive gets two with Snitsky having to make a save.

The Sharpshooter has HHH In trouble but Snitsky makes another save. That’s enough for HHH to hit a quick Pedigree so Edge can pin Benoit for the first elimination. Jericho comes in next and gets taken down by a neckbreaker but HHH and Snitsky gets in a shouting match. HHH gets shoved down so Batista comes in to go nose to nose with Snitsky. Batista realizes what’s going on and breaks up the Walls on HHH.

Flair gets caught breaking up the Walls again and that means an ejection. With the referee taking care of Flair, Batista blasts Jericho and Orton with a double clothesline. Orton breaks up the big clothesline to Jericho with a belt shot and it’s a running enziguri to eliminate Batista. That’s not it for Batista to leave in peace though so he blasts Jericho with the big clothesline and then heads out. Snitsky comes in for stomping and choking instead of covering because he’s new at this. It’s off to Edge, who gets taken down with a sleeper drop but Snitsky breaks up the hot tag attempt. Everything breaks down again but here’s a bandaged up Maven to come in and go after Snitsky.

Maven’s middle rope bulldog takes HHH down but Snitsky caves his head in with a chair shot that would get him tossed out of the building today. Here it’s just a DQ, though HHH pins Maven with no trouble a second later. We’re down to HHH/Edge vs. Orton/Jericho with Jericho slipping out of the Pedigree but getting speared down for two. HHH and Edge smile down at Orton, who says bring it on.

The double stomping is on with Edge stomping away and handing it off to HHH, with JR losing his mind that Edge won’t get out of the ring. HHH’s DDT gets two and he argues with the referee, allowing Orton to roll him up for two. Edge comes in and accidentally spears HHH to give Orton the easy pin. We’re down to HHH vs. Orton with the former starting fast with a low blow. Orton gets up again and counters the Pedigree into the RKO for the pin. The Orton vs. HHH part was barely a minute and a half long.

Rating: B-. Perfectly watchable match here with Snitsky still being protected and Maven still being Maven. Other than that they’ve done a good job of making Orton look like a threat to the title, but the two Canadians are just kind of there with little reason to believe that they’re going to be a threat t o the title. That leaves us waiting until probably the Royal Rumble for a new challenger, meaning it’s time for winter vacation without missing any time from the show.

Orton poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This is a really weird one as it contains a lot of perfectly watchable to good wrestling, but absolutely nothing that changes anything long term. The main event stipulation lasts a grand total of four episodes of Monday Night Raw, and while that might change something, there’s no guarantee that any of this could actually matter. The Smackdown stuff was even less important with the two main matches being long and dull, leaving us with no one to challenge JBL at the moment.

Overall, the show is a rather quick sit (only a little over two and a half hours) with nothing too bad (boring, but not terrible). It could have been worse, but the biggest problem is how nothing actually matters in the end. Like I said, they’re in a big transitional period right now and while they probably have long term goals in mind, this is a rather hard stretch to get through because the villains feel like placeholders, which is the case with most of the stories at the moment. It can get better, but we have some long stretches to get through first.

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Smackdown
Date: July 4, 2008
Location: Tulsa Convention Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Mick Foley, Jim Ross

We’re into the new reality around here as both Night Of Champions and the full Draft are done. There is only one World Champion after Edge lost his title to CM Punk on Raw, meaning HHH is once again on top. Other than that, we should get to see how some of the new stars mesh with what’s left of the old. Let’s get to it.

Here is Night Of Champions if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at the 4th of July and talks about how the wrestlers get to live the American Dream with live action fireworks.

Opening sequence.

We open with MVP’s VIP Lounge. MVP wastes no time in bringing out his guest, the still World Champion HHH. After a nice hello, MVP congratulates HHH on his win at Night Of Champions and welcomes him to Smackdown. It’s been a long time since HHH has been here but he is already a big fan of MVP. HHH appreciates the bling and the Power Ranger outfit that MVP wears when he wrestles.

MVP says it’s cutting edge technology and Olympians wear it to compete. HHH says that sounds like a performance enhancer and MVP might get thirty days off. With that shrugged off, MVP brings up that he makes more money than HHH, who could see how that would make some people angry. Not that it matters as he would rather be a 12 time World Champion rather than the biggest waste of money in Smackdown history.

HHH is out here to get a rub from MVP though and he has some special footage. MVP doesn’t like that, so he says let’s play footage instead. We get a recap of CM Punk winning the Raw World Title and retaining it over JBL in the main event, followed by a brawl with security to end the show. Back in the arena, HHH says Edge got Punked out and MVP says Edge got his punk card pulled.

The jokes continue until Vickie Guerrero, back in the wheelchair, interrupts. HHH wishes her well on her upcoming wedding. HHH: “Imagine: marrying the boss to get ahead. Who thinks up that kind of stuff?” HHH thinks she and Edge just need to go to Vegas because he knows a great drive thru place. You don’t even need to be conscious!

Vickie brags about Edge’s success against Batista, but HHH says looking at her, there are things Edge would do that HHH would never do. Vickie doesn’t get what he means but eventually tells him to shut up. Edge is on his way here and speaking of Edge, HHH will be defending the title against him at the Great American Bash.

Michelle McCool vs. Victoria vs. Cherry vs. Maryse vs. Kelly Kelly

Star on a pole match with the winner facing Natalya, on commentary and now a redhead, for the Divas Title. A quick brawl to start leaves Kelly as the only one standing but Victoria knocks her off the pole. Cherry cuts Victoria off before Maryse has to knock Michelle down. A double electric chair drops Maryse and Cherry catapults Kelly into the corner. Victoria adds the slingshot flipping legdrop to Cherry and goes up. That’s cut off as well so Michelle kicks Maryse down and wins.

Rating: D+. What are you supposed to say about this? It’s the kind of match that is all about one thing and not exactly having much to do with wrestling. This felt like something out of another company and it really doesn’t fit with what they’ve been trying with the women in recent weeks. Michelle finally gets put into the title match, which is long overdue as she has been the obvious pick for a long time now.

Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder come in to see Vickie Guerrero, who wants to know where Edge is. They don’t know, so she asks them about Edge losing the title on Raw. Vickie blames them both and gives them a match with Jesse and Festus. That’s a punishment?

Edge arrives and a lot of people look at him in silence.

Video on Vladimir Kozlov.

Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder vs. Jesse And Festus

Festus is dressed as Uncle Sam. Hawkins and Ryder jump Festus to start and are quickly shrugged off, setting up a middle rope Hart Attack. Jesse has to fight out of a double team in the corner but gets pulled into another corner to begin the beating. Hawkins grabs a Russian legsweep for two and we hit the neck crank. Jesse is able to get over to the corner for the tag to Festus so house can be cleaned in a hurry. With Hawkins sent to the floor, a seated senton and the fireman’s carry flapjack (with a great sell from Ryder) finishes for Festus.

Rating: C. This was in fact a Jesse and Festus match and that’s about as good as it’s going to get for them. The team isn’t overly interesting and the one joke of Festus losing it at the bell has long since used up its usefulness. It’s not like Hawkins and Ryder are great, but they’re a heck of a lot better than the other choice.

Post match Edge comes to the ring and beats on the catatonic Festus as Hawkins and Ryder make Jesse watch. Edge throws in a nasty chair shot to the head and stares down at Festus.

Post match Vickie Guerrero tries to calm Edge down but even the Great American Bash match doesn’t make it better. Vickie mentions giving him permission and Edge loses it, saying she doesn’t understand what is going on. He has been at this for sixteen years to the day but Vickie cuts him off, saying she is still his boss. She calls him a fool and Edge storms out.

Jeff Hardy vs. John Morrison

Hardy shoves him down to start so Morrison grabs the arm to slow things down. Morrison gets sent outside and a slingshot dive….doesn’t launch as Hardy head fakes him instead, setting up a dive off the apron instead. Back in and Morrison hits a running knee to the face for two but the Flying Chuck misses. Hardy’s slingshot dropkick in the corner is broken up though and Morrison drops him out to the floor in a crash.

We take a break and come back with Morrison working on an armbar before blocking a Whisper In The Wind attempt. The armbar goes back on, allowing commentary to talk about Edge and Vickie Guerrero. Morrison cuts off a comeback attempt by sending him shoulder first into the post but Hardy counters a dive with a sitout powerbomb. Hardy fights up with some forearms and a cradle gets two. The Whisper In The Wind gives Hardy two but Morrison Pele kicks him on top. The Moonlight Drive doesn’t work for Morrison though and it’s the Swanton to give Hardy the pin.

Rating: B-. This was the “Hardy is here and he’s good on his own” match of the show. It worked well with these two showing the same chemistry they’ve had before, with Hardy showcasing his ability to fight from behind. Morrison feels good on his own too, making for a nice match.

Video on Maria.

Umaga vs. Funaki

Umaga wastes no time in knocking him into the corner and a superkick puts Funaki down as well. Foley even goes inter promotional by saying this is like Mark Henry beating up Colin Delaney on ECW. The running hip attack in the corner sets up the Samoan Spike for the squash pin.

Edge is ranting to Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder when he is told that Vickie Guerrero wants to see him. He goes to Vickie’s office, where she goes on about how she is going to be in the wheelchair with back problems for life (keeping in mind that she was standing earlier tonight). Edge says not to talk to her in that gibberish, so Vickie screams at him to GET OUT. That’s exactly what he does, with the door closing behind him. Edge walks a bit, then turns around and tries to get back in, but the door is locked.

US Title: Matt Hardy vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Chavo Guerrero vs. Shelton Benjamin

Hardy is defending and Bam Neely is here with Chavo. It’s a brawl to start with Matt running Kennedy over but Kennedy is back up with a kick to the face. Kennedy clotheslines Chavo in the corner but Benjamin is back up with a kick of his own. Chavo is back up to take Benjamin down, only to have Benjamin toss him into the air for a nasty crash. Matt and Kennedy put the other two down before knocking each other down as we take a break.

Back with Kennedy cleaning house as Foley compares this to Barack Obama vs. Hilary Clinton. Everyone but Chavo is caught in a Tower Of Doom but Benjamin is up to suplex Chavo down. Neely distracts Benjamin though and Chavo gets to Three Amigos Matt. The frog splash gets two as Kennedy makes the save. Matt hits a quick Twist of Fate on Chavo before dropping Kennedy onto Neely. Benjamin comes in and gets Twist of Fated onto Chavo, with Matt pinning the latter to retain.

Rating: B-. I believe they call this a sprint, as they were packing in whatever they could for about ten minutes. The 4th of July aspect meant that this more or less had to be the main event and it was a good match as a result. Matt retaining is a fine way to go too, even if getting the US Title off of ECW is not a bad idea.

Here is Edge, without music, for a chat. Edge says this will be his first and last statement about what happened on Raw. He was attacked twice on Raw and now he is going to get the World Title back at the Great American Bash. Ever since he came in here tonight, he was feeling the disrespect, including from Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder, who should have been trying to make him happy.

He didn’t even receive the support of Vickie Guerrero, who should be there for him in his time of need. Therefore, Edge is going to let us in on some dirty little secrets, but here is a screeching Vickie (walking) to interrupt. She asks what Edge is doing so Edge walks up to her. Edge says the wedding is off, leaving Vickie to scream a lot and take off her ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling was good enough here (ignoring the stupid women’s match) and having Edge’s breakdown throughout the show made it work better. They have at least a main event set for the Great American bash and there is time to set up the rest of the card. Nice show here, as they didn’t have a bad lull after getting the new roster set up.

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: June 24, 2008
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 14,748
Commentators: Mike Adamle, Tazz

It’s the night after the Draft and ECW didn’t exactly do well. Not only did they lose the ECW Champion, but Mr. Money In The Bank is gone as well. With Kane and CM Punk gone, they now have Matt Hardy back as well, but we are still on for Kane defending the ECW Title against Big Show at Night Of Champions. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Million Dollar Mania, with Vince McMahon nearly dying at the end.

Teddy Long is in the ring to start things off and say that everyone in ECW has McMahon in their thoughts tonight. He can’t give out any information about McMahon’s status, but the show must go on. Therefore, here is the newest member of ECW, United States Champion Matt Hardy!

Matt Hardy/CM Punk vs. John Morrison/The Miz

Non-title. Matt armdrags Morrison down to start before it’s off to Punk. Miz comes in and gets kicked in the ribs so Matt can take over in the corner. Morrison manages to take Matt into the corner so Miz can take over and grab the chinlock. With that broken up, everything breaks down and Miz and Morrison get caught with running knees in the corner. Punk’s springboard clothesline is broken up for a crash out to the floor though and we take a break.

Back with Morrison hitting the slingshot elbow to Punk, whose back was bent over Miz’s knees. Morrison kicks Punk in the head but Punk manages a takedown on Miz. That’s still not enough for the tag though as Morrison is right there to cut it off and grab the chinlock. Punk fights up again and hands it back to Matt for the real house cleaning. The middle rope elbow to the back of the head gets two on Morrison and everything breaks down. Morrison blocks the Twist Of Fate and kicks Matt in the face for two. Cue Hornswoggle to distract Miz though and the Twist Of Fate finishes Morrison.

Rating: C+. The match got some time and thankfully it wasn’t another clean loss for the champs. They’ve had a rocky time with the titles so far and losing to a thrown together team wouldn’t have helped things in the slightest. At the very least though, the ending helps with Sunday’s title match, which could use the help.

Kofi Kingston vs. Shelton Benjamin

Extreme Rules. Kofi fights out of the corner to start but Benjamin runs him over with an elbow to the face. A suplex doesn’t work for Benjamin so Kofi hits a dropkick to put him outside. Naturally that means a dive to take Benjamin down again and they need a breather. Back up and Benjamin grabs the microphone to stagger Kofi, meaning it’s a whip into the steps to put him down again.

It’s time to bring in some weapons and a few shots put Kofi in more trouble. A trashcan to the head is blocked at first but Shelton just unloads on him with said can. Benjamin suplexes him onto the can and we hit the waistlock to stay on the ribs. Back up and Benjamin’s Stinger Splash is knocked HARD out of the air with a trashcan lid. More lid shots rock Benjamin even harder and Trouble In Paradise finishes for Kingston.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t a classic but it should serve as the big finale to their feud. These two have fought for a few months now and it’s nice to see Kofi getting the big win to end things. At the end of the day, Kingston feels like he could be moving up the ranks and it’s always nice to see some fresh blood. Benjamin knows how to make people look good in defeat and that was the case here.

We look at Mark Henry laying out Kane on Smackdown.

Raw Rebound.

Night Of Champions rundown.

Kane laughs a lot.

Mike Knox vs. Evan Bourne

Knox forearms him in the back to start but falls down, allowing Bourne to pick up the pace. Some kicks stagger Knox but he comes back with one heck of a clothesline. Knox grabs an abdominal stretch while pulling on Bourne’s leg to draw some nice screaming. Bourne fights out and hits a springboard kick before knocking Knox into the corner. A running spinwheel kick is cut off with a backbreaker though and Bourne is done.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to get very far but the hard clothesline made up for Knox’s weird start. I’m not sure I get the point in having Knox go over a newcomer like Bourne clean but there is a good chance we’ll be seeing a rematch. For now though, Bourne’s comeback worked well enough and he should be fine with that kind of speed and high flying.

Kane vs. Mark Henry

Non-title and Big Show is on commentary. Henry powers him around to start and hammers away in the corner, which Show seems to like. A clothesline drops Kane rather quickly and a bearhug cuts off an uppercut comeback. Kane fights out and slugs away, setting up a running enziguri of all things. That lets Kane go up but he stops to look at Show, allowing Henry to crotch him down. The World’s Strongest Slam finishes Kane fast.

Rating: C. The bad night for champions continues as Kane gets beaten by a guest star. That being said, WWE has been pushing Henry in recent weeks and Kane is on his way out of ECW so this isn’t the worst thing. It wouldn’t shock me to see Henry wind up here with the title sooner than later, as they certainly had Kane put him over on the way out.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a bit of a weird show as they were wrapping up a bunch of stuff but didn’t have many people on hand to replace them. Instead we got Miz and Morrison and Kane losing, though at least Hardy got a win on his first night. Kofi got a nice win as well so we’ll say the good outweighs the bad, but this show is going to need some help soon.

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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Monday Night Raw
Date: June 23, 2008
Location: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 15,183
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Mick Foley, Mike Adamle, Tazz

It’s a big night as we have three things going on at once. We have a three hour show with the major focus being the annual Draft, with the focal point being that EVERYONE is available to be drafted. Other than that, Million Dollar Mania is still going so expect a lot of Vince McMahon. Finally, it’s also the last Raw before Night Of Champions. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Commentary welcomes us to the show and hype up the idea of everyone being switched around.

HHH (Raw) vs. Mark Henry (Smackdown)

Non-title and it seems that the winning brand gets a Draft pick. Henry yells a lot and HHH looks nervous, with Henry running him over to make it worse. The headbutts rock HHH some more and Henry runs him over for an early two. A Vader Bomb gets two more and Henry grabs the neck crank. HHH finally slips out and tries some running forearms to stagger Henry. The facebuster sets up more right hands and the jumping knee finally puts Henry down. The Pedigree is countered into the World’s Strongest Slam for two but Henry misses the splash. That’s enough for the Pedigree to give HHH the pin.

Rating: C. There was only so much that HHH could do here and he made it work as well as possible. Henry is a big monster and the Pedigree was only going to look so good, but HHH trying to knock him down was a nice sequence. For a quick match, they did about as well as they could have, with Henry being a fine monster.

Drafted to Raw: Rey Mysterio.

Here is Vince McMahon to announce that tonight, five people will win $100,000 and one will win $500,000. Vince brings out Kelly Kelly to help him and they call a woman….who Vince says gives the wrong password. Kelly says it’s right though and gives us a celebratory dance.

HHH welcomes Rey Mysterio to Raw when John Cena comes in. Rey leaves so HHH can say he’s not losing to Cena again at Night Of Champions. HHH says nothing Cena has done matters until Cena beats him for the title.

Finlay/Hornswoggle (Smackdown) vs. Carlito/Santino Marella (Raw)

For a draft pick. Santino wants Hornswoggle to start and gets Stunned for his efforts. Finlay comes in and ties Santino up in the ring skirt for the beating. A Carlito cheap shot puts Finlay down though and the villains take over. Santino gets caught with the shillelagh and it’s the Celtic Cross into the Tadpole Splash for the pin.

Drafted to Smackdown: Jeff Hardy.

Hardy comes out to pose and we see the still injured Randy Orton watching backstage.

Vince McMahon brings out Randy Orton to help give away more money. First though, Orton warns HHH and John Cena that he’s coming back for the WWE Title. Actually that’s it for Orton, who isn’t in the mood to help give away money. Vince is in the mood to do that, but he’ll also give us a great main event tonight: Cena vs. Edge.

Hardcore Holly/Cody Rhodes (Raw) vs. Chavo Guerrero/Bam Neely (ECW)

For a draft pick and Ted DiBiase Jr. is on commentary to promote his dad’s book. Neely jumps Cody to start and the stomping is on in the corner. Chavo comes in but Cody escapes a belly to back suplex and hands it off to Holly as the crowd is almost eerily silent. Holly hits the hanging kick to the ribs but the Alabama Slam is broken up. Chavo headscissors Cody to the floor, only to walk into the Alabama Slam for the fast pin.

Drafted to Raw: CM Punk. It’s about time.

Here is Chris Jericho for a chat. Jericho is used to fans throwing trash at him, but he’s just waiting for Shawn Michaels to turn on the fans like he does with everyone else. We see a highlight package of Shawn turning on people over the years, including Marty Jannetty, Diesel, Hulk Hogan and John Cena.

Then we move into Shawn faking his knee injury, which has Jericho talking about all of Shawn’s lies. Jericho hates lies more than anyone else, save for maybe one person: the man who helped Jericho against HHH last week, Lance Cade. We see Cade on the Titantron, where he talks about how he was trained by Shawn Michaels and wasn’t going to give Shawn the chance to turn on him.

Jericho never lied to him, but now Jericho needs a person to face for the Intercontinental Title at Night Of Champions. It would have been Shawn, but we see Jericho massacring him. Cue Shawn, with his eye taped up, to go after Jericho. Shawn slugs away, until Jericho sends him eye first into the announcers’ table to cut him off immediately. That match is going to have some crazy heat.

We recap the Draft picks to date.

John Morrison/Miz (ECW) vs. Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder (Smackdown)

Vickie Guerrero introduces Hawkins and Ryder, but recent developments have made her change her mind. Here’s the new match:

John Morrison/Miz (ECW) vs. Jeff Hardy/Matt Hardy (Smackdown)

Non-title but for a Draft pick. Matt and Miz start things off as Cole talks about how great this was from Vickie Guerrero. Matt’s wristlock and headlock don’t get very far as Miz takes him into the corner for the left hands. That’s broken up as well so Matt hits a clothesline and hands it off to Jeff for Poetry In Motion. The slingshot dropkick hits Miz in the corner but Morrison gets in a cheap shot to take over.

Morrison grabs a chinlock and then it’s off to Miz for, uh, another chinlock actually. Jeff fights up but Miz runs him over again for two. A legdrop gives Miz two more and we hit a crossface chickenwing. Jeff fights up and nails a quick Whisper In The Wind to put them both down. The diving tag brings in Matt to clean house, including the Side Effect for two on Morrison. The middle rope legdrop connects but Morrison is right back up with a rollup (and tights) for the pin.

Rating: C. This felt like it was supposed to be a low level dream match but it was pretty dull for the most part. There were some good moments with Matt’s comeback working well, but you’re only going to be able to get so far with an eight minute match and a pretty abrupt ending. At least ECW got something though.

Drafted to ECW: Matt Hardy (with the US Title).

Vince McMahon recaps Million Dollar Mania and brings out Ric Flair to help him give away $100,000. Flair calls and the fan wins the money, plus a bonus WOO!

We look at Mickie James participating in the Dreams Take Flight charity event.

Mickie James/Melina (Raw) vs. Natalya Neidhart/Victoria (Smackdown)

For a Draft pick, but only announcers/interviewers are eligible. Natalya grabs a front facelock on Melina to start before a powerslam gets two. Victoria comes in and drives Melina into the corner but Melina rolls her up for two more. Back up and Victoria sends her off the top for a crash to the floor, where Melina looks banged up. Mickie goes over to check on her but the brawl is on for the double DQ.

Drafted to Smackdown: Jim Ross. To say he does not look happy with this would be an understatement.

Drafted to Monday Night Raw: Michael Cole.

Post break we see Melina being taken out of the arena as she seems to have suffered a rather bad leg injury.

Vince McMahon brings out Great Khali to plug his new movie Get Smart, which also features Dwayne Johnson. Khali calls someone who says “wrong number” and hangs up. Someone else answers, tells Vince to hang on and brings on someone else to give the password (Khali looks mad and yells a lot) but the guy wins (and sounds bored).

John Cena (Raw) vs. Edge (Smackdown)

Non-title but for a Draft pick. Jim Ross isn’t sure why he’s calling a match involving a Raw competitor (oh yeah this isn’t going well) as they fight over a lockup to start. Cena sends him into the corner but misses a running bulldog, allowing Edge to score with a big boot. Edge slugs away as Foley is handling most of the commentary. A hard clothesline drops Cena again as JR talks about how he didn’t expect to leave Raw tonight but that’s how the cards were dealt.

Cena comes back with a shot of his own for two but it’s a double clothesline to put them both down. It’s Cena up first to start the comeback until Edge escapes the FU into the Edgecution for two. The spear is countered into the STFU, sending Edge over to the ropes rather quickly. Edge goes up top but has to escape a super FU, allowing him to knock Cena outside. Cena catches him diving off the apron though and decks Edge, who takes the countout.

Rating: C+. These two always have good chemistry together and anything they do is at least worth a look. At the same time, the result was one of the only options they had, as you don’t want either of them losing heading into a World Title match on Sunday. They didn’t have much time here, but what they did was pretty nice while it lasted.

Post match Batista throws Edge inside for a beating.

Drafted to Raw: Batista. Well that’s convenient timing.

Post break Edge and Vickie Guerrero are glad with their win because Batista is out of their hair. Vince McMahon comes in to say the title match is still on for Night Of Champions. This might have had a bigger impact if Michael Cole hadn’t said the same thing before the break. Vince suggests Vickie and Edge could be split up and panic ensues.

MVP (Smackdown) vs. Tommy Dreamer (ECW)

For a Draft pick.  Colin Delaney is here with Dreamer, who gets punched in the ribs and kicked in the head to start. They trade right hands as commentary seems way off here, with Mick Foley joining in and talking about a Playboy Playmate. Tazz: “You know there is a match going on.” MVP misses a charge in the corner and gets hit with a bulldog. Not that it matters as MVP hits a running boot in the corner for the pin.

Drafted to Smackdown: Umaga. Cue Umaga to beat up Dreamer and Delaney.

Draft recap.

John Bradshaw Layfield (Raw) vs. Kofi Kingston (ECW)

For a Draft pick. JBL grabs a headlock to start but Kofi is back up with the jumping back elbow. With the jumping getting on JBL’s nerves, he kicks Kofi in the face to take over. Something close to a cobra clutch keeps Kofi in trouble and the clubbing forearms to the back make it even worse. The bearhug goes on but Kofi sends him into the corner to escape. A dropkick looks to set up the Boom Drop but the Clothesline From JBL finishes Kofi.

Rating: C+. This took some time to get going but there was something good about having Kofi using his weird style and JBL just hitting him in the face over and over. Kofi is still someone who is on his way up and needs to be in there against bigger competition. Fun little match here, and Kofi feels like he is on the way up.

Drafted to Raw: ECW Champion Kane.

Vince McMahon gives away more money…..and the fan happens to be here in the arena.

Night Of Champions rundown.

Battle Royal

Raw: CM Punk, HHH, Kane, John Cena, Batista

ECW: Matt Hardy, John Morrison, Miz, Chavo Guerrero, Shelton Benjamin

Smackdown: Big Show, Edge, Jeff Hardy, Great Khali, MVP

For two Draft picks and that’s one heck of a lineup. We’re joined in progress after a break and a bunch of people get together to toss Khali. Everyone looks at Show who tells them to bring it and then knocks a bunch of them down. Miz can’t get rid of Edge but Batista can get rid of Miz and Morrison at the same time.

Show and MVP send Punk over the top but not out as this is not the most thrilling stuff despite the names involved. Edge fires off some spears and we take a break. Back with Punk having been eliminated and HHH hitting a facebuster on Show. Matt gets the same thing and Jeff enziguris Chavo out. That leaves Matt as the sole ECW star as Benjamin seems to have been tossed during the break as well.

There goes MVP and we get the Hardys showdown. Jeff gets the better of things and kicks Matt out to officially finish off ECW. Edge and Batista both try spears and they’re both down in a heap. Jeff misses Whisper In The Wind and HHH knocks him out and it’s HHH, Cena, Batista (very bloody), Kane, Show and Edge left.

Batista spears Edge but gets punched out by Show. Kane is knocked out as well and it’s two vs. two. Show manages to suplex Edge and Cena at the same time, leaving everyone down. HHH and Cena get back up and dump Show but Edge knocks Cena into HHH to get rid of him. Cena is so shocked that Edge is able to toss him for the win.

Rating: C. The ending got better, but there were some long stretches with pretty much nothing going on here. That isn’t the best way to draw up interest in the match but at least the star power was on display. I was expecting ECW to win to finally get a little something else, though that would imply WWE cares about ECW in any meaningful way.

Drafted to Smackdown: Mr. Kennedy and HHH (Raw World Champion).

We go up to Vince McMahon, who gives away $500,000…..and then the stage collapses. Vince is crushed under a part of the set and yells for Paul because he can’t feel his legs to end the show.

Raw
Rey Mysterio
CM Punk
Michael Cole
Kane
Batista

Smackdown
Jeff Hardy
Jim Ross
Umaga
Mr. Kennedy
HHH

ECW
Matt Hardy

Overall Rating: C+. As you might have guessed, this wasn’t the most traditional show, as they were trying to do a lot of things at once. Between the Draft and the money and hyping up Sunday’s show, this was a bit too all over the place. The Draft was the big focus and some of the moves should shake things up a bit, though ECW is gutted even more than before. Above all else though, I feel sorry for Jim Ross, who gets treated badly again, because Vince McMahon enjoys it or something.

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

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

AND

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

ECW On Sci Fi
Date: June 17, 2008
Location: HP Pavilion, San Jose, California
Commentators: Mike Adamle, Tazz

Things are still kind of sluggish around here, as we have Big Show set to challenge for the ECW Title but he has barely interacted with champion Kane whatsoever. Instead, Kane and CM Punk are still feuding with Miz and John Morrison, which isn’t exactly interesting stuff. Maybe they’ll find something new in next week’s Draft but that is still a long way off. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Hornswoggle vs. Armando Estrada

No Finlay here with Hornswoggle for a change. The chase is on to start until Hornswoggle whips out a bag of marbles to make Estrada slip. Hornswoggle whips out a rubber mallet before running underneath the ring and escaping to the other side. Cue Finlay with a water gun, allowing Hornswoggle to hit a dive off the apron. Back in and the Tadpole Splash gives Hornswoggle the fast pin.

Post match Tazz asks Finlay what is under the ring. Finlay says leprechauns, hobbits and even people Tazz’s size. Tazz didn’t seem to see that coming so we’ll wrap it up there.

Layla danced during the break.

Evan Bourne vs. Matt Striker

Striker sends him to the apron to start and even catches Bourne in a top rope hanging DDT for two. The cravate goes on for a bit before Bourne fights up. What might have been a low blow cuts Bourne off but he gets his feet up in the corner. Bourne pulls himself up top and hits a shooting star press for the fast pin.

Post match Mike Knox runs in to hit Bourne with the spinning Downward Spiral.

Mike Knox vs. Kofi Kingston

Knox goes with the power to start but Kofi gets some boots up in the corner. It doesn’t really matter though as Knox throws him down and cranks on both arms at once. Kofi kicks his way to freedom and hits a dropkick, followed by the Boom Drop. Cue Shelton Benjamin to jump Kofi for the DQ. Well that was quick.

Post match the brawl is on but Shelton Dragon Whips Knox down by mistake.

Long look at this week’s Million Dollar Mania.

Finlay and Hornswoggle are in Teddy Long/Tiffany’s office for a contract signing. They sign, and get a Tag Team Title shot at Night Of Champions. Granted Hornswoggle signs with a big green marker and then goes after Finlay. That’s broken up but here is Miz to be incredulous about the title shot. Finlay drops him with a single shot.

CM Punk vs. John Morrison

Punk kicks away to start so Morrison hits him in the face. A high kick to the head gives Punk two but Morrison sends him into the ropes. Morrison grabs an arm and leg on the mat for some cranking. Back up and Morrison drives him into the corner, setting up a crank on the other arm and leg. Morrison drapes him over the top rope to stay on the ribs, followed by the seated abdominal stretch.

Punk fights up and tries the GTS but the ribs go out, allowing Morrison to drop him again. The bodyscissors goes on but Punk reverses into a giant swing of all things. Punk’s ribs are fine enough to snap off a powerslam and they’re both down for a bit. Morrison knees him in the face for two and loads up a springboard, only to dive into the GTS to give Punk the pin.

Rating: C+. It was nice to have a match that actually got a little bit of time here and Punk and Morrison’s chemistry made it that much better. I’m not sure if we need to keep going with Punk going after the titles, but at least they had a nice main event here. Punk is ready to go from ECW though and there is a good chance that the Draft will take care of that.

Post match Miz pops up to say Morrison is still a Tag Team Champion.

Teddy Long brings out Big Show and Kane for a showdown as this match is suddenly remembered. Show talks about their history together and promises to take the title again. Kane says Show has no idea what is coming for him but Show talks about how crazy he knows Kane is. Cue Mark Henry to say they better hope he gets drafted elsewhere, or he’s coming for the winner. Henry gets double chokeslammed to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. Well that was quite the nothing show. I get that we are coming up on the Draft and the Show vs. Kane match, but this was a bunch of nothing until a good enough main event. I’m not sure how anyone thought this was a show worth presenting, but at least they should be shaking things up after next week.

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

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

AND

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

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/breaking-wwe-releases-nine-wrestlers-including-former-world-champion/

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/wwe-releases-eight-wrestlers/

Rick Boogs

Aliyah

Mustafa Ali

Emma

Top Dolla

Riddick Moss

Elias

Shelton Benjamin

Dolph Ziggler

Dana Brooke
Mansoor
Mace
Quincy Elliott
Bryson Montana
Yulisa Leon
Dabba Kato
Shanky

Their 90 day no compete clauses would be up on December 20.

Dang.  You knew something like this was coming but it is still hard to fathom that it actually happened.  At the end of the day though, most of these names aren’t surprising, as a lot of them haven’t been on WWE TV or used in any meaningful way in a very long time.  That doesn’t make it any better for them, but it’s also not so much of a surprise.

ECW On Sci Fi
Date: June 10, 2008
Location: Save Mart Center, Fresno, California
Attendance: 6,000
Commentators: Mike Adamle, Tazz

Things took a step back in time last week as it seems like we are on the way towards Miz/John Morrison vs. CM Punk/Kane again. That isn’t the most thrilling concept at the moment, but it isn’t like there is anything else going on. As usual, ECW feels pretty creatively out of gas but maybe they can change it up a bit in the Draft later this month. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Kofi Kingston/Evan Bourne vs. Mike Knox/Shelton Benjamin

Bourne was formerly known as Matt Sydal and we get a quick insert interview where he gets to introduce himself. Knox and Bourne start things off with Bourne’s jumping kick not having much effect. Instead Knox takes him into the corner so Benjamin can come in for a clothesline. That earns Benjamin a jumping spinwheel kick to the face and it’s off to Kofi vs. Knox. Kofi hammers away in the corner and hits some dropkicks (this is a rather kick heavy match) but Benjamin’s distraction lets Knox come back with a heck of a clothesline.

Benjamin grabs the reverse chinlock but Kofi fights up and hits another dropkick. Knox is back in there to cut him off so Kofi kicks him a few times and gets over to Bourne. A pop up hurricanrana into a dropkick rocks Knox, who kicks Bourne in the face. Everything breaks down and Kofi hits Trouble In Paradise, allowing Bourne to hit a top rope dropkick to a laying/seated Knox (that didn’t seem to go as it was supposed to) for the pin.

Rating: C+. It was a fun match but the kicks thing became a joke by the end. It’s still effective enough but that was more than a little weird to see. What matters is Bourne gets a nice start in WWE and Kofi gets to regain some of his momentum. Nice start here, and it’s nice to see some fresh names getting a chance.

A never before seen blonde is waiting in Teddy Long’s office when Armando Estrada comes in, looking for Long. He just stepped out, so Estrada brags about being the former GM. Long comes in and introduces the blonde as his new personal assistant Tiffany. Estrada wants a contract and gets a chance to earn one tonight if he can beat Finlay. Tiffany gets in the holla holla holla.

Victoria vs. Kelly Kelly

So Long’s catchphrase is holla holla holla and Kelly’s song starts with “holla holla” (or something close to it). That’s quite the theme. Victoria mocks Kelly’s stretching before the bell so Kelly sweeps the legs and gets some terrible right hands. Kelly tries to do it again and gets kneed in the face, allowing Victoria to send her shoulder first into the buckle.

We hit the chinlock, followed by a chinlock, and then another chinlock (Victoria might want to work on her variety) until Kelly fights up and grabs a headscissors out of the corner. A victory roll gets two but Kelly gets sent to the apron. Another headscissors is blocked with a simple shove on to the floor (for a heck of a face first bump)….and the referee calls it because Kelly is out. I guess it was a better bump than I thought.

Rating: C. The ending wasn’t quite what I was expecting but it does seem that Kelly is getting better in the ring. She’s still not great, but she is able to do some stuff that makes her look a bit more competent. Victoria is still one of the best hands around despite feeling like a relic from a generation gone by.

Finlay vs. Armando Estrada

Hornswoggle is here with Finlay. Estrada jumps him in the corner to start and hammers away as well. Finlay gets a boot up in the corner though and the seated senton has Estrada in more trouble. The Celtic Cross finishes Estrada in less than a minute.

Post match Teddy Long comes out and says Estrada has another match right now.

Armando Estrada vs. Colin Delaney

Finlay gets in a shillelagh shot before the bell and Delaney hits a DDT for th pin in less than ten seconds.

Hold on though as Long has one more match for Estrada.

Armando Estrada vs. Hornswoggle

Tadpole splash finishes in less than ten seconds. Finishes for Hornswoggle if that wasn’t clear.

The three winners dance…and then Finlay hits Delaney with the shillelagh, apparently for Delaney giving him Hornswoggle’s hat.

Here is Mark Henry for a chat. He addresses Big Show’s challenge for a fight last week and says he’s here right now. Cue Show, and Henry looks rather shocked at these developments. Henry congratulates Show on becoming #1 contender and wants the first shot if Show wins, but for now he’ll settle for a handshake. They shake hands but Show doesn’t let go, because he knows what Henry is doing. If Henry keeps campaigning for an a** whipping, he’ll get elected. That’s enough for Henry to leave, with Show promising to win the ECW Title at Night Of Champions.

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

Kane and Punk are challenging and Kane runs into Show on the way to the ring. Punk and Morrison trade hammerlocks to start until Morrison kicks him down. Miz comes in and gets elbowed in the face before Punk sends him out to the floor. Punk hits a slingshot dive to drop Miz again and we take a break. Back with Kane seemingly trying a cross armbreaker on Miz but Miz reverses into some forearms to a downed Kane.

They get back up and Kane hits a side slam but Miz gets in a cheap shot to bring Morrison back in. Morrison grabs the chinlock before Miz hits the running corner clothesline. Kane manages a backdrop and hands it back to Punk (who is holding his ribs after the dive before the break). Punk’s ribs are good enough to slam Morrison and fire off some knees in the corner. The snap powerslam gives Punk two but everything breaks down. Miz and Kane go outside and Morrison kicks Punk in the bad ribs. The Moonlight Drive retains the titles.

Rating: C+. Mr. Money In The Bank loses again as that tends to be the case far too often. The problem continues to be that these people have little to do other than face each other, but it does make me wonder why Big Show isn’t involved in this whatsoever. He’s the #1 contender to Kane but Kane is busy doing this instead. I’m not sure I get that.

Overall Rating: C. There are at least some different people involved in some things around here and that helps, but the main event didn’t do much in the way of keeping things interesting. Other than that you had more Estrada/Delaney stuff and Show vs. Henry teased, but at least Tiffany and Bourne are some fresh blood. The Draft needs to help this show, but I’m not entirely sure that is going to be the case. For now though, this could have been worse.

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

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

AND

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

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

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

Here is One Night Stand if you need a recap.

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

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

Shelton Benjamin vs. Matt Sydal

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

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

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

Matt Hardy vs. Armando Estrada

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

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

Colin Delaney vs. Armando Estrada

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

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

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

Kane vs. CM Punk

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

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

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

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

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

A bunch of replays end the show.

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

Big Show vs. Tommy Dreamer

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

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

Kofi Kingston vs. Mike Knox

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

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

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

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

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

Chavo Guerrero vs. CM Punk

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

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

Tommy Dreamer won the ECW Title in April 2000.

Raw Rebound.

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

John Morrison won the ECW Title in June 2007.

Kane vs. Miz/John Morrison

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Finlay vs. Chuck Palumbo

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

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

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

MVP vs. Batista

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

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

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

Nunzio vs. Vladimir Kozlov

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

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

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

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

Raw Rebound.

One Night Stand rundown.

Undertaker vs. Chavo Guerrero

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

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

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

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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