Dynamite
Date: October 16, 2024
Location: SAP Center, San Jose, California
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re done with WrestleDream and the big story is Jon Moxley is the new World Champion, having kind of retired Bryan Danielson. It seems we are going to need some saviors to fight for the company and maybe we find that out tonight. Other than that, Adam Cole and MJF are both back and don’t like each other. Let’s get to it.

Here is WrestleDream if you need a recap.

The opening video features Jon Moxley and friends in the back of a truck with Moxley talking about how there are so many wrestlers on the roster who get paid and then do nothing. He hates what AEW has become because there is no need for all of the dancing and partying. He’ll burn down the forest and do what has to be done because they can see a better future.

If you want to come with them you can, but otherwise, run while you can. The new paradigm is you work for him now. Wheeler Yuta looks off into the darkness. This included shots of wrestlers being upset at what happened to Bryan Danielson, meaning we probably have some people ready to fight back. That being said, “Wah, they’re making too much money and are too soft but we’re all tough” isn’t exactly a thrilling story.

Here is Adam Cole for a chat. He loves his friends but he has to do this on his own. Cole wants to talk about the worst person in this company, MJF. After years of seeing him be this way, the only thing that Cole can say is that MJF is fake. Just look at his hair: it took two surgeries but that fake hair is on his head. MJF will act all tough and stoic on social media when fans insult him but then he’ll cry in his hotel room.

This place has the best talent roster in the world and there are a lot of hungry people who are ready to go around someone like MJF. He’ll act like he’s something special but the reality is everyone, including Cole, hates him. Cole hates everything about him, including his stupid face, so get out here for the fight they’re going to have right now.

MJF’s music plays but he pops up on screen to say he’s a multi millionaire at 28, but he knows what it’s like to be alone. Cole tried to be his friend but then MJF took it away, but now Cole is never going to get his revenge. MJF will always dangle the carrot of revenge and Cole can thank him for everything later. Cole swears vengeance anyway. This only worked to an extent, as the feud felt like it was over and Cole didn’t have much to say other than “I really hate you”.

Chris Jericho feels vindicated after his loss to Mark Briscoe because Briscoe cheated. Jericho wants a rematch to become the two time Ring Of Honor World Champion, just like Jay Briscoe.

Mark Briscoe doesn’t like Jericho bringing up his brother’s name again, so of course they can have a rematch. Next week. In a ladder war. Tonight though, FTR is going to take out Jericho’s Learning Tree. I appreciate the logic of Briscoe wanting to avenge his brother’s memory being tarnished, but if this is continuing, Briscoe shouldn’t have beaten Jericho clean on Saturday.

FTR vs. Learning Tree

Harwood takes over on Keith to start and hammers away before handing it off to Wheeler. Keith gets in a slam and a knee drop but Wheeler fights up. Bill comes in off a surprise though and it’s a Boss Man Slam to send us to a break. Back with Harwood hitting a clothesline on Keith but getting dropped by the same thing from Bill. The Shatter Machine is broken up and Wheeler takes Bill to the floor for a tornado DDT. Back in and Keith walks into the Shatter Machine for the pin at 8:20.

Rating: C+. As usual, there is only so much that can be done with a match that only gets eight minutes and includes a commercial break. Bill continues to look like a monster and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him do something better in the future. For now though, he’s part of a tag team where Keith is taking the fall, so at least Bill is being protected. At the same time, dang FTR feels like they’ve fallen a very, very long way in the last few months.

Post match the Outrunners come out to post with FTR.

Acclaimed and Billy Gunn are ready to head to the gym, with Billy going to get the car ready. They’re ready for more, but MVP and Shelton Benjamin come in. MVP offers a business card, with Bowens saying they don’t need anything from them. Caster slips the card into his pocket.

TBS Title: Mercedes Mone vs. Queen Aminata

Mone, with Kamille, is defending. Mone tries to take her down but gets some swiveling hips to the face for her efforts. A victory roll gives Mone two but Aminata gives her a fall away slam to the floor. Kamille offers a quick distraction and Mone gets in a whip to the steps as we take a break. Back with Aminata hitting an Air Raid Crash for two and they both need a breather. A sunset flip gives Aminata one and a neckbreaker gets two, followed by a snap suplex to send Mone into the corner. Mone fights her way out of said corner and hits the Statement Maker for the pin at 8:41.

Rating: C+. Same problem with the match being cut off by the break as the previous one, which is quite the recurring issue in modern wrestling. Mone continues to be good in the ring but other than Britt Baker, she hasn’t had much in the way of competition. Aminata and Emi Sakura haven’t exactly done much in AEW but have gotten recent title shots. Find someone a bit more elevated to get the shot at her.

Private Party talks to the Young Bucks and wants another title shot. The Bucks admit that Private Party took them to the limit but that was their last shot. The Bucks are gone so Stokely Hathaway comes in to say the team has been here since the Obama administration and never gotten anywhere. If they lose next time, they should split up, because Kassidy is the singles star anyway. Not that that’s any of Hathaway’s business of course. I would certainly hope that’s it for the Bucks vs. Private Party, as it wasn’t exactly a big match in the first place.

The Elite talk about how important today is to the history of AEW. Today is Kenny Omega’s birthday and even though he’s had a bunch of his intestines taken out, they have a cake for him. Then they pour a bunch of fake intestines on it. Jack Perry: “Get well soon Kenny. Or die.” Kazuchika Okada throws in a b****. Teasing Omega’s return, even if it’s a bit off in the distance, is a good thing.

Elite vs. Conglomeration

Nick gets taken own by Cassidy to start and O’Reilly strikes away before they do the same to Matt. Romero comes in for a running hurricanrana to Okada and we take a break. Back with O’Reilly making Nick clothesline Matt but Okada comes back in for the save. The Rainmaker is broken up but Matt hits an elbow to give Okada two. Romero is back up with the Forever Clotheslines, only for Okada to break it up with the tombstone. The Bucks spend their time pumping up their shoes and Cassidy starts cleaning house….but Wheeler Yuta runs in to jump O’Reilly for the DQ at 9:21.

Rating: B-. Well at least they had a way to avoid either team losing here. The Conglomeration would be fine enough as the first people to stand up to the Club and some of that was already started at WrestleDream. There’s a good chance the Elite are the real ones to fight the villains of though and….egads that is going to take some incredible efforts. Or they’ll just make the Elite good again and forget everything about what has happened in the last six months with no major repercussions.

Post match the rest of Moxley’s friends, including Moxley, come in for the beatdown, with commentary calling Cassidy “the leader of AEW” which….no. Top Flight comes in for the failed save so the Dark Order runs in, passing by the Elite on the way and asking them to help. The Order is beaten down as well (including Pac beating people up with a briefcase, which may contain the World Title) and the violence continues as Moxley says this is just the cost of doing business. Excalibur: “There’s no rhyme or reason to what these people are doing here.”

Commentary is aghast.

The Elite, minus Okada, says that wasn’t their business but Daniel Garcia and Private Party come in. Perry and Garcia….kind of nuzzle a bit before the Elite leave.

We look at Swerve Strickland picking Prince Nana at WrestleDream.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Lio Rush

MVP and Leila Grey are here too. Rush dodges around to start and can’t get anywhere, so Benjamin drops him with a hard shot. Back up and Benjamin is sent outside, where he jumps up to the apron for a knee (MVP approves) and we take a break. We come back with Benjamin knocking him down again but Rush hits his springboard Stunner.

A cutter catches Benjamin again, followed by a rather spinning tornado DDT for two. Rush goes up top so Benjamin runs the corner for a belly to belly superplex. A release German suplex sends Rush flying and another one does it again. Benjamin superkicks the heck out of him and hits the exploder for the pin at 11:01.

Rating: C+. Benjamin looked great in his first feature match in a long time, but there was no reason or this to be eleven minutes. People know who Benjamin is and he has a long resume. There was no reason for Rush to get in this much offense, as Rush on his best day is nowhere near what Benjamin has done. This should have been WAY shorter, but that’s not how AEW works.

Post match MVP says he wants to keep this going with Swerve Strickland (MVP: “HOW CAN THIS BE SWERVE’s HOUSE WHEN SWERVE’S HOUSE WAS BURNED TO THE GROUND???”) because this is Strickland’s future.

Darby Allin isn’t here tonight, but we do see him talking about Tony Hawk….who isn’t with him. They are however selling signed photos of the two of them together for charity. Sure.

Swerve Strickland is ready for Shelton Benjamin and is ready for him anytime. Benjamin set a lot of records, which have been broken, but Strickland breaks bones.

Here is Don Callis, flanked by Lance Archer and Brian Cage, for a press conference. Since there is no press in wrestling though, he’ll answer the questions himself. First up, he wants the Tag Team Titles back, so these two are going to get them. With that out of the way, Callis brings out Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher.

Callis says Takeshita is defending the title all around the world, with Takeshita saying come take it. Fletcher is given the chance to explain why he turned on Will Ospreay….but he’s not going to say anything because the fans keep chanting for Ospreay. This could have been summed up as “Brian Cage is now on the team”.

Mariah May wants competition so here is Anna Jay to charge at her. Christopher Daniels tries to break it up and Jay hits him in the face. Nigel McGuinness is thrilled.

Ricochet is ready to show that he is the best in the world and doesn’t need the lackeys to do it for him like Konosuke Takeshita. The open challenge is on for Collision.

Jon Moxley and company are still beating up the Dark Order and Top Flight. The villains leave and Evil Uno rants about how Moxley and company are taking food off their plates. Darius Martin issues the challenge for Collision. If I’m supposed to care about the Dark Order and Top Flight as AEW’s saviors, AEW has a lot more work today.

Christian Cage vs. Jay White

A bunch of their friends are here too. They start slowly until White sends him into the corner a few times. White grabs something like an Indian deathlock as commentary does their inside jokes. Nick Wayne makes the referee believe the Bang Bang Gang used a chair so they’re ejected, but Wayne gets beaten up first. We take a break and come back with White fighting out of a chinlock.

White pulls the turtleneck over Cage’s face and hammering away in the corner, followed by the chops to the exposed chest (Nigel: “You sadist!”). Cage fights back and hits a reverse DDT onto the apron but cue Kip Sabian (because of course) for a distraction. White gets a rollup for two as Hangman Page is hiding on the floor (he might have shown up too early). Cage’s Killswitch gets two but Sabian offers another distraction, allowing Page to come in with the Buckshot Lariat so Cage can get the pin at 16:03.

Rating: B-. Oh someone botched the heck out of that interference, as Sabian and Page did the exact same thing twice about five minutes apart. That feels like it’s something the producer screwed up as the wrestlers were probably given the cue early. Other than that, it was a long main event with a bit of a story behind it (Cage put White out earlier this year) and it keeps White vs. Page going, which does fit after they had a quick one off match.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to make of this show. While it wasn’t bad, it absolutely did not feel like something coming off of what was supposedly a huge ending to a pay per view. Moxley and company are still all violent and beating people up, but now they’re beating up some of the lowest of the low around here. After everyone was so devastated by Bryan Danielson being taken out, you would think there would be bigger names than Dante Marin and Evil Uno ready to fight back.

Other than that, there was a lot of stuff that seems like it will be continuing from WrestleDream, which only felt so important coming in. That’s the theme of this show: stuff happened, but it didn’t feel like it matters that much. The big story is what people will focus on though and that’s….well it’s going to be a bit before we get to the meat of the matter. Until then, we have Battle Of The Belts, which had its first (and so far only) match announced with ten seconds left on the show: a non-title match between Anna Jay and Mariah May. That show, much like a lot of other things around here, is going to need some work.

Results
FTR b. Learning Tree – Shatter Machine to Keith
Mercedes Mone b. Queen Aminata – Statement Maker
Conglomeration b. Elite via DQ when the Blackpool Combat Club interfered
Shelton Benjamin b. Lio Rush – Exploder
Christian Cage b. Jay White – Buckshot Lariat

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WrestleDream 2024
Date: October 12, 2024
Location: Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, Washington
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back on pay per view and that should make for a solid show. The card has only looked so good during the build, but that does not always translate to what you see in action. The main event is Jon Moxley challenging Bryan Danielson for the World Title so let’s get to it.

Zero Hour: Ring Of Honor TV Title: Brian Cage vs. Atlantis Jr.

Atlantis is defending and has a bad neck coming in. Cage strikes away to start and hits a spinebuster to put him down again. After some posing, a hard whip into the corner has Atlantis in more trouble. Cage is confident enough that he gets to lounge on the ropes for a bit as commentary talks about Taz. The slow beating continues with Cage shouting at the crowd and cutting off Atlantis’ comeback attempt.

Atlantis scores with a crossbody to send him outside, setting up the suicide dive. Back in and Atlantis gets two, only to be planted with a pumphandle slam for two more. Atlantis superkicks him down and hits a frog splash for another near fall. Cage is right back with a discus lariat into the Drill Claw for the pin and the title at 10:55.

Rating: C+. Well, Cage did win something and it gets the title off of Atlantis, who was doing a grand total of nothing with it, but it’s still one of the lower titles on the minor league show. The match had nothing significant built up about it and the title just changes hands. It’s going in the right direction, but dang this isn’t overly interesting, or exactly a great way to fire up the crowd.

Zero Hour: Anna Jay vs. Harley Cameron

Cameron takes her down without much trouble to start and Jay is looking moderately annoyed. A shot to Jay’s back just fires her up and she hits a hip shot to the face. Jay hammers away in the corner and sends her to the apron for a choke. With that broken up, a running dropkick sends Cameron outside, where she gets in some choking and rams Jay onto the floor.

Back in and some knees to the ribs set up a Russian legsweep for two on Cameron but Jay hits a running spinwheel kick in the corner. A running flipping neckbreaker gives Jay two but she gets taken into the wrong corner. Jay kicks her leg out though and hits a nasty Gory Bomb for the pin at 8:18.

Rating: C. So the idea is what Anna Jay is back from Japan and all tough and such. Well then maybe it’s not the best idea to have her take eight minutes to beat a comedy star. Cameron has improved in the ring in recent months but she still isn’t someone who should be treated as a serious threat. If Jay has undergone this big improvement and learned a bunch of new stuff, she didn’t get to show much of it here.

Zero Hour: MxM Collection vs. Acclaimed

The Collection brings out Rico (yes THAT Rico) of all people to counteract Billy Gunn. Mansoor kicks Bowens down to start, earning himself a flip onto his face. Mason comes in and sends Caster to the apron but the posing lets Caster hit a quick shoulder block. The slow beating continues with Caster getting chopped in the corner, setting up an old Smoking Gunns’ Sidewinder for two.

Caster fights up and hands it off to Bowens to clean house. That’s broken up as well and a belly to back suplex/chokeslam combination puts Bowens down. Caster makes the save but has to break up the Collection’s Scissor Me Timbers. Bowens hits a big dive to take out Mason on the floor, which brings Rico in for an attempted save. Billy Gunn cuts that off and gives him a Fameasser to a big reaction, leaving the Arrival into the Mic Drop to pin Mansoor at 11:24.

Rating: C. I liked the Rico stuff a lot here as he’s kind of the perfect choice for such a spot. Between the fashion deal and his history with Gunn, it was about as perfect of a choice as you could have had. I can’t imagine he’s a full time addition to the team, but for a one off bit of nostalgia and a great choice for the spot, it couldn’t have been much better. The match was…well it was exactly what you would expect from these teams.

Mercedes Mone and Kamille complain about things not being ready for them when Queen Aminata comes in. She’s not impressed, but Mercedes doesn’t have time for them.

Here is Tony Khan to bring out Antonio Inoki’s family for the big tribute. Khan wants the fans to do the Inoki chant…..and the fans sit there in silence, with Tony Schiavone having to tell the fans the words. That was hysterical.

Zero Hour: Conglomeration/Outrunners vs. Dark Order/Premiere Athletes

Nese kicks Magnum in the head to start and grabs a headlock before it’s off to O’Reilly vs. Reynolds. O’Reilly easily chokes him down so Cassidy can add some falling headbutts. Reynolds gets sent into the corner for some right hands from various opponents. Cassidy is knocked out to the floor to cut that off though and the big stomping ensues.

Back in and Silver hammers on Cassidy before stopping to pose, allowing Cassidy to get in a backdrop. The tornado DDT is enough for the tag to Magnum as commentary is cracking up. Nese kicks Magnum down and Daivari hammers away, but it’s time to Hulk Up, which has the fans all over this. Cassidy is back in with the Orange Punch but Mark Sterling makes the save. Cassidy’s top rope trust fall takes out the Dark Order and Total Recall finishes Daivari at 11:30.

Rating: C+. This is where AEW tends to lose me a bit. What did the Conglomeration add here? They had a tag match last night on Rampage, so why did they need to be in action again here when the Outrunners are one of the hottest acts in the company? Let them have their own match rather than running the Conglomeration out there and cut down on some of the people clogging up the show.

And now, the show proper, with no opening video but some pyro.

Hangman Page vs. Jay White

Juice Robinson is here with White, who slugs away to start. Page hammers him down in the corner without much trouble but misses a charge into the corner. White starts in on the leg before sending White throat first into the ropes. Back up and White charges into a boot in the corner so Page can fire off some right hands.

A fall away slam into the corner gives Page two but his sleeper is quickly broken up. It’s too early for the Buckshot Lariat though and White gets in a knockdown of his own. White grabs a DDT for two and a bridging German suplex gets the same. Page is sat on top and chopped down, with his leg getting tied in the ropes for some extra pain. Said leg is fine enough for Page to grab a Death Valley Driver onto the apron and a powerbomb onto the steps keeps White in trouble.

Page stops to argue with the referee though, allowing White to drop Page knee first onto the ramp for a nasty crash. Back in and they slug it out until White manages a swinging Rock Bottom for two. The Bladerunner is countered into the Deadeye though and Page heads to the apron. The Buckshot Lariat is loaded up but the knee gives out, allowing White to grab the Bladerunner for the pin at 16:25.

Rating: B. Well it was a good opener, though that’s certainly a surprising result. White getting a win is a nice thing to see, but Page losing clean just after he went all evil and over the top to beat Swerve Strickland is not what I was expecting. We’ll have to see where it goes, but dang that result was a shock.

Women’s Title: Willow Nightingale vs. Mariah May

Nightingale is challenging after winning a four way on Dynamite. May’s early slap in the corner is blocked so she jumps over Nightingale and takes her down. That just earns her a heck of a Pounce but May knocks her back into the corner to keep up the stomping. Nightingale powers out of a chinlock and strikes away, including a superkick for a big knockdown.

A spinebuster gives Nightingale two but May is right back with a release German suplex. Nightingale shrugs that off and grabs something like an Indian Deathlock before ramming May’s face into the knee for a bonus. May’s leg is fine enough to hit a quick dropkick into May Day for two and the shock is rather strong.

The Babe With The Powerbomb is blocked so they trade rollups until Nightingale can kick her in the face. The Death Valley Driver into the corner gives Nightingale two so she takes May up top. May is right back with a super hurricanrana for a great counter though, setting up the running knee and Storm Zero to retain at 10:48.

Rating: B. Back to back strong matches to start here as May felt like she earned the win rather than stealing it. May needed a win like this as she hasn’t looked like the strongest champion at times. On the other hand you have Nightingale, who loses another title match and leaves fans wanting to see her win again. That needs to happen at some point, and this time maybe it could be for her rather than to give Mercedes Mone a big moment.

We recap Jack Perry vs. Katsuyori Shibata for Perry’s TNT Title. Perry attacked Shibata’s friend Minoru Suzuki and gave Shibata a title shot when he was mad.

TNT Title: Jack Perry vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Perry is defending and bails to the floor when Shibata tries too much wrestling. Back in and the threat of a cross armbreaker has Perry on the floor again. Perry comes back inside and fires off the kicks, followed by the driving shoulders in the corner. Shibata easily wins a battle of the chops though, with the fans seemingly pleased with Perry being in pain. A suplex puts Perry down but Shibata sits down or the free kicks to the back.

Perry’s kicks just seem to annoy Shibata, who takes him outside for a suplex against the apron. Back in and another suplex gives Shibata two but Perry pulls him into the Snare Trap. A hanging DDT onto the floor knocks Shibata silly again for two but he’s fine enough to counter the running knee into a Death Valley Driver. Shibata gets the sleeper and drops back, only for Perry to stack him up for the pin to retain at 9:20.

Rating: C+. Well points for a surprise finish if nothing else, as Perry outsmarted Shibata to get the pin. This match was completely fine, but it was dealing with the issue of having very little in the way of drama. Shibata was pretty clearly not winning the title as Perry is probably going to hold it for a long time, but they did have a good ending and that helped a lot.

Post match Perry loads up a belt shot but Daniel Garcia comes in for the save. The staredown is on but here is MJF to interrupt. The distraction lets Perry drop Garcia and MJF brags about his movie career before hammering on Garcia again. MJF mocks the idea of a bidding war over Perry and, after forgetting that we’re in Tacoma instead of Seattle, pulls out the Dynamite Diamond Ring again. That’s loaded up but Adam Cole makes his return and MJF gets to panic a bit. Cole chases him off without much trouble and helps Garcia up.

We recap Will Ospreay defending the International Title against Ricochet and Konosuke Takeshita. Ricochet was getting a title shot when Takeshita interfered (on Don Callis’ behalf), setting up the three way.

International Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay

Ospreay is defending and Don Callis is on commentary. Takeshita gets kicked down to start before the other two can do their flip into the double pose. Back up and Takeshita takes Ospreay outside for a DDT and it’s already time for a table. Said table is sat up on the floor but Ricochet kicks Takeshita down. A Sasuke Special is pulled out of the air so Takeshita can hold him up, only for Ospreay to Sasuke Special down onto both of them (that was sweet).

Back in and more double teaming has Takeshita staggered until Ricochet drops Ospreay for two. Ricochet can’t Blue Thunder Bomb Takeshita so Ospreay kicks both of them down at the same time. All three head to the apron, where Ricochet has to block an Oscutter. Instead it’s a Death Valley Driver to Takeshita, setting up Ricochet’s middle rope Meteora. Takeshita is laid on the table but Ospreay catches Ricochet with a running Spanish Fly for two back inside.

Ricochet hits a backslide bomb but misses a 450, allowing Osprey to hit a Styles Clash with Takeshita making the save. Ricochet’s handspring is countered into the Blue Thunder Bomb for two and everyone is down again. Takeshita shrugs off shots from both of them and puts them down with a single shot each. Some double teaming puts Takeshita down for a second but he BLASTS THEM with a forearm each to take over again. Ospreay is back up with a springboard forearm to Takeshita, only for Ricochet to come off the top with a 450 for two in a great sequence.

An exchange of poisonranas lets Takeshita German suplex both of them at once, with Callis (and the fans) being rather appreciative. With the other two on the floor, Takeshita hits a big flip dive for two on Ricochet back inside. Ospreay is back in with a hurricanrana to send Ricochet flying into Takeshita before stealing the near fall himself. Ricochet hits a quick shooting star press on Ospreay but Takeshita makes the save and gets two of his own.

Takeshita and Ricochet head to the apron, where Takeshita hits a kneeling Tombstone through the table to a BIG reaction. Back in and the Hidden Blade connects but Callis pulls the referee like a good heel manager should. Ospreay loads up the Stormbreaker on Callis but Kyle Fletcher runs in to deck Ospreay for the save. Takeshita’s running knee finishes Ospreay for the pin and the title at 20:42.

Rating: A-. They got a little too much weight the Fletcher turn (which really wasn’t that shocking) but this was ALL action and Takeshita absolutely had to win the title after that kind of a performance. As great as Ospreay is, he was out shined on this one as Takeshita was in a class by himself and deserved the win. Awesome match which lived up to the hype it had coming in.

Post match Fletcher gives Ospreay the Tiger Driver 91. Geez what a dastardly villain. That might cause Ospreay some mild discomfort for a week or two!

Jerry Lynn talks to Orange Cassidy and says he’s never seen anyone like him. If Cassidy were to try, he could be something special. Hook comes in and seems to agree.

Here is Prince Nana, who plugs his coffee company and brings out Swerve Strickland for a chat. Swerve is happy to be back and thanks the fans for the hometown reception. His neck is still tingling a bit but he is medically cleared. Swerve is here to talk about his future but here are MVP and Shelton Benjamin to interrupt. MVP wants to talk about Swerve’s future as well but he hasn’t heard back from Swerve at all.

The reality is MVP was the one who saw greatness in Swerve years ago and YES this is Swerve’s house. MVP brags about his own resume and wants to talk business. Swerve talks about a match they had in Defy Wrestling (MVP and the fans both approve) and yeah MVP has done some great things for a lot of people. It’s true that things have been going badly for Swerve under Nana’s leadership, but he wouldn’t have had it in the first place without Nana.

Swerve has been hearing things about Nana selling weed to high school students in parking lots, but the reality is Nana is family. That’s something Swerve won’t turn his back on, and MVP can forget his business card. Benjamin doesn’t accept that and takes his jacket off but referees break it up. This really didn’t need to be a long PPV segment as it could have easily been on Dynamite without missing a beat.

Hologram vs. The Beast Mortos

2/3 falls and Hologram’s PPV debut. They trade mostly ineffective springboards to start until Hologram is flipped into a pose. Hologram is up with some superkicks and a backdrop to the floor, setting up a big suicide dive. Back in and Mortos hits a quick bulldog, followed by a pop up Samoan drop for two. The super gorilla press is reversed though and Hologram hits a high crossbody into a crucifix for the first fall at 3:44.

Back up and Mortos runs him over with a Pounce to the floor, setting up a heck of a dive. A running gorilla press plants Hologram onto the ramp and they head back inside, where Hologram is tied in the Tree of Woe. That means a running spear to cut Hologram in half, but he pops up to the top rope for a dive to drop Mortos again. Back in and a heck of a poisonrana plants Mortos but he grabs a backbreaker to cut Hologram off again. A powerbomb backbreaker and a discus lariat ties things up at 8:49 total.

Mortos is smart enough to wait for Hologram to get up before running him over. They go up top, where Hologram spins out of a backbreaker and grabs a headscissors for a needed breather. Mortos rolls outside and that means a big rope walk flip dive to take him out again. Back in and a top rope double stomp hits Mortos but a 450 hits raised knees.

Now the super gorilla press can plant Hologram for two, followed by another powerbomb backbreaker and discus lariat for a rather near fall. Hologram is back up with a rope rope crucifix bomb for two of his own, setting up the torture rack helicopter bomb to finish Mortos at 16:42.

Rating: B. Another rather entertaining match with Hologram looking good, though it’s another case where he’s just kind of put in a spot to entertain the crowd and little more. He needs to have an actual feud or story, and that’s not what we got here. Instead we got a bunch of enjoyable spots with Mortos being a great monster against Hologram’s superhero. Nice stuff here, even if it felt like a Collision main event.

We recap Brody King vs. Darby Allin, which is the result of King, an old rival of Allin, accepting an open challenge. Then Allin hit him in the face with a rock, like any good hero would do.

Darby Allin vs. Brody King

Allin gets a special skateboard themed entrance, complete with video of him, uh skateboarding. King misses a charge into the corner but throws Allin outside without much effort. After picking Allin up with one hand, King loads up the steps and chops the heck out of Allin. A dive over the steps doesn’t work for Allin, only for King to knock him out of the air. King puts the steps onto Allin and climbs onto them, followed by one heck of a chop back inside.

A Cannonball misses though and Allin hits some hard dives. The Coffin Drop to the floor has King rocked and a Code Red gives Allin two. A sleeper goes on but King drops him down onto the apron for the break. King snaps off a German suplex, followed by a release German superplex, because Allin is kind of dumb. It works so well that King does it AGAIN, only to load up another superplex to the floor. This time Allin shoves him onto the steps, setting up a top rope Coffin Drop onto King onto the steps to leave them both down again. Back in and another Coffin Drop finishes King off at 12:25.

Rating: B. Your taste in this match is going to depend on how much you enjoy Allin doing stupid things and taking very painful bumps. As usual, he’s an incredible pinball and can take a great beating, it feels like the same kind of thing he’s done over and over. They were hyping up the idea that Allin had never beaten King so points for tying up a loose end that a handful of people might have remembered coming in.

We recap Private Party challenging the Young Bucks for the Tag Team Titles. Private Party beat then five years ago and, having done pretty much nothing important since, are getting a title shot here.

Tag Team Titles: Private Party vs. Young Bucks

The Bucks are defending and Private Party gets a mini training video before their entrance. Hold on though as the Bucks point out that Private Party beat them five years ago and then beat up Kassidy on the stage. Quen climbs the set and dives onto everyone else before they go inside to officially start. Private Party double teams Matt on the floor for two, with Nick making a save back inside.

The Bucks superkick Kassidy down but the posing takes too long, allowing Kassidy to fight back. The slingshot X Factor is blocked and Kassidy kicks Nick in the head for two. Silly String is broken up though and Nick hits a big step up flip dive to the floor. A poisonrana, Canadian Destroyer and 450 on the floor leave everyone down for a breather. Back in and Kassidy takes Nick up, where Nick grabs a super cutter for a near fall.

The TK Driver is broken up and everyone is taken down again. McGuinness thinks the Bucks are trying to expunge their loss from five years ago. You can’t buy this kind of in-depth analysis people. More Bang For Your Buck is broken up and Gin & Juice gets two on Nick. Private Party hits their own More Bang For Your Buck for two with Matt having to make a save. The EVP Trigger gets two but the second hits knees, allowing Kassidy to get two off a small package. Back up and a quick TK Driver finishes Quen to retain the titles at 15:49.

Rating: B-. This is a fine example of a match where the wrestlers were trying but they were running uphill with an anchor. Private Party were not pay per view level challengers and there was no way around it. The Bucks were getting their win back from five years ago and get to hold onto the titles which lose more and more value every single day. There was no reason to believe Private Party was getting the belts here and they weren’t getting around that reality. This did not need to be on pay per view.

Private Party are left in the ring for the big ovation and get some polite applause.

We recap Chris Jericho challenging Mark Briscoe for the Ring Of Honor World Title. Jericho beat him in a tag match and has made it personal by mentioning Mark’s brother Jay. Those are major fighting words.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Mark Briscoe vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho, with Big Bill, is challenging. Briscoe stomps away in the corner to start and knocks him outside for some more shots to the face. The elbow off the apron connects and Briscoe loads up the chair, only to hit a big running flip dive to take out Jericho and Bill. There’s the Blockbuster off the apron to take Jericho down again but Bill tries to get involved.

Cue Orange Cassidy to fight Bill to the back, leaving it one on one. A Death Valley Driver has Jericho rolling out to the apron, where he knocks Briscoe out to the floor. Back in and Jericho takes him up top but gets sent crashing back down, allowing Briscoe to strike away. A fisherman’s buster gives Briscoe two but Jericho is right back with the Walls.

That’s broken up so here is Bryan Keith, with Rocky Romero running out to fight him to the back. Back up and Briscoe sends him outside for the big step up flip dive through a well placed table. The Jay Driller is countered and Jericho hits a Judas Effect, setting up his own Jay Driller for two. They slug it out from their knees, which fires Briscoe up as he knocks Jericho down again. The Froggy Bow sets up the Jay Driller to retain the title at 15:19.

Rating: B-. Again, a perfectly good match which did have some drama to it as there is always the chance that Jericho will get a big win. Other than that, it’s probably the biggest singles win of Briscoe’s career and he had a nice moment by avenging his brother’s memory. At the same time though, it’s just another Jericho match and that’s kind of hard to get fired up about again.

We recap Bryan Danielson vs. Jon Moxley for the former’s World Title. Danielson has said he’s done the next time he loses, but Moxley has gone all evil and talking about how he has to do this to Danielson, suggesting some kind of a higher power. Danielson is fighting for himself and the company.

AEW World Title: Bryan Danielson vs. Jon Moxley

Danielson is defending and Marina Shafir is here with Moxley. They start the fight on the floor with Danielson hitting a running dropkick but getting choked with a camera cable. Shafir’s cheating is enough for Moxley to hit a clothesline and they go inside for the opening bell and the YES chants are on. Danielson suplexes his way out of a choke and hits the running knee for an early two. Moxley is sent outside for a big dive but he’s right back with a piledriver onto the announcers’ table.

More choking ensues and Moxley yells at the referee, because he’s all tough and mean and such. Shafir gets in a few shots of her own so Moxley can get two, followed by various strikes around the ropes. Moxley stomps away and snaps the fingers before Shafir peels back the floor mats. A piledriver onto the exposed concrete is countered with a backdrop but Moxley is able to catch Danielson on top. They take turns raking each others’ skin until Danielson ties him in the Tree of Woe.

A spider German superplex plants Moxley but the Swan Dive misses, allowing Moxley to hit his own Stomp. The bulldog choke goes on but Danielson rolls out and grabs a piledriver. They slowly pull themselves up and slug it out (BOO/YES) until Danielson hits a running clothesline. Shafir breaks up the running knee so Moxley can hit a cutter, but that’s enough for an ejection.

Now the running knee can connect to give Danielson two and the LeBell Lock goes on. The rope is reached for the break and Moxley heads outside, where he counters a suicide dive into a Death Rider on the exposed concrete. Back in and Moxley grabs a choke, with Danielson climbing the corner and crashing down for the break. Another running knee gets another two but Moxley hits some lariats. The Death Rider gives Moxley one so Moxley piledrivers him into another choke and Danielson is out at 26:52.

Rating: B. Yeah the big bad Moxley wins after kicking out of a bunch of finishers. That’s what you have to expect with Moxley because his whole deal is “I’m really tough and awesome and don’t care and violence and blood and such”. That doesn’t make for the most compelling character, but it’s likely going to be the focal point of the company for another good while.

The bigger story here is Danielson’s in-ring career (at least the full time version) coming to an end and…are you really surprised he went out with someone beating him in what passes for clean in a main event match around here? He’ll be back at some point, but that’s the kind of loss that should put him on the shelf for a long time to come.

Post match Moxley’s crew comes out and whip out the plastic bag but here is Darby Allin to make the save. Wheeler Yuta runs in and takes Allin out (shocking I know) before putting the bag over Danielson’s face. Private Party and Jeff Jarrett run in but get fended off as well, with Castagnoli Pillmanizing Danielson’s neck. A bunch of guys finally run in for the save. Everyone gets all somber and Excalibur is crying as Danielson does a stretcher job to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. So that’s another pay per view and it’s rather dark times for AEW. Right now, all eleven (yes eleven) champions are heels, leaving a grand total of nothing happy at the moment, at least when it comes to gold. It feels like we’re going to be seeing Moxley and company on top for a bit, and unless the Elite turns good (oh geez), it could be a dark time for a long while.

As for the show, it was your usual AEW fare, with nothing bad, one very good match, and a bunch of solid enough material filling in the gaps. At the same time, as usual, I’m exhausted after watching this show and could use a break from AEW, which is how it feels every time they have one of these four hour pay per views with an hour plus Kickoff Show out in front. The show was good and I did enjoy most of it, but there were times where I needed a breather because there is so much on here. You could have easily cut out an hour and a half of this show and made it an easier sit, but that’s not how AEW works.

Overall, it’s a good but not great show, which needs some things cut out. I’m not overly thrilled with AEW at the moment and as usual, the good in-ring action is all that’s carrying it. Hopefully they find something that can be a bit more fun for a change, because seeing the villains dominate and the two big heel groups and Jericho on almost every show is a bit much to take week in and week out. Just find something for me to get happy over and it’s a lot better. That really shouldn’t be such a rare thing.

Results
Brian Cage b. Atlantis Jr. – Drill Claw
Anna Jay b. Harley Cameron – Gory Bomb
Acclaimed b. MxM Collection – Mic Drop to Mansoor
Conglomeration/Outrunners b. Dark Order/Premiere Athletes – Total Recall to Daivari
Jay White b. Hangman Page – Bladerunner
Mariah May b. Willow Nightingale – Storm Zero
Jack Perry b. Katsuyori Shibata – Rollup
Konosuke Takeshita b. Will Ospreay and Ricochet – Running knee to Ospreay
Hologram b. The Beast Mortos 2-1
Darby Allin b. Brody King – Coffin Drop
Young Bucks b. Private Party – TK Driver to Quen
Mark Briscoe b. Chris Jericho – Jay Driller
Jon Moxley b. Bryan Danielson – Choke

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Smackdown
Date: August 22, 2008
Location: iWireless Arena, Moline, Illinois
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tazz

Summerslam has come and gone and the big story is that Undertaker destroyed Edge inside the Cell, which should get rid of him for a good while. Other than that, HHH dispatched the Great Khali in a match that was better than expected, meaning he’s going to need a new challenger. Let’s get to it.

Here is Summerslam if you need a recap.

We open with a look at the Smackdown matches from Summerslam.

Opening sequence.

Vickie Guerrero welcomes us to the show and says we haven’t been seeing the real her in recent weeks. Everything she has done has been because of Edge, because she corrupted who she was as a person. Now she is free to be her real self with Edge stuck in the same h*** he put her in. She has made some changes, and one of the things she feels the best about is reinstating the Undertaker. Another thing is the Championship Scramble at Unforgiven, which will see five people wrestling for twenty minutes with unlimited falls. Whoever gets the last fall will be WWE Champion. Tonight, we find out the competitors.

Maria vs. Natalya

Natalya fireman’s carries her down without much trouble to start but Maria reverses into a headlock. Back up and they fight over wrist control until Maria snaps off a snappy armdrag. Some kicks to the leg don’t work very well though as Natalya is back with a dragon screw legwhip. Natalya cranks on the leg until Maria fights up and hits some clotheslines. A Bronco Buster gets the fans a bit more interested…and here is Maryse to go after Maria for the DQ.

Rating: C-. This was little more than a few moves going on until the ending, which just kind of happened. Maria feels more and more like the Smackdown version of Kelly Kelly, who is the young, up and coming star who needs a lot more experience. The potential is there, but Maria is going to need some more time before it happens.

Post match the beatdown is on but Michelle McCool comes in for the save.

La Familia runs into the Big Show, who talks to Vickie Guerrero like a child. He’s happy for the Championship Scramble and he’s ready to face anyone in a qualifying match….but Vickie forgot to put him in one.

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Battle Royal

Scotty Goldman, Super Crazy, Armando Estrada, Funaki, Brian Kendrick, Curt Hawkins, Brian Kendrick, Jimmy Wang Yang, Vladimir Kozlov, Ryan Braddock

Big Show is sitting at ringside and this is one of the lamest battle royals I’ve ever seen. A bunch of people get together and toss Kozlov before Goldman is sent out as well. Then Show comes in and tosses most of the people, with Ezekiel Jackson saving Brian Kendrick…which is enough for Kendrick to win, as Show threw everyone else out and then stepped over the top (as apparently he was in).

Rating: D+. The match was barely a thing but points for a clever ending. I guess I’ll take this over another one off match with little in the way of drama, but this was more of a joke than anything else. That being said, they got through it quickly and Kendrick being in the title match is more interesting than most options.

Post match Kendrick does a victory dance for a nice touch.

R-Truth talks about how the truth is what you do when people aren’t watching. It’s about respecting who you are and getting better every day to build a better future. He’s been on the bottom but now he’s heading for the top.

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: MVP vs. Festus

Jesse is here with Festus. Before the match, we hear from MVP at Summerslam, where he promises to win the WWE Title. Festus freaks out at the bell but MVP knocks him into the corner anyway. A suplex sends MVP down for two and a clothesline is good for the same. Festus fall away slams him into the corner, only for MVP to pull him into the post. The logical armbar goes on and MVP cranks away, with Festus finally fighting up.

Some fight hands connect while the left arm is left hanging but the bad arm is sent into the corner again. MVP cranks on the arm again….as we see a sign saying “I Love My Mommy And Grandma.” Well that’s just sweet. Festus fights up again and hits a running elbow, setting up something like a running seated senton. A big boot sends MVP outside, where he kicks Jesse in the face. That’s enough of a distraction for Festus to get counted out. Oddly there’s a delay between the ten count and MVP being declared the winner, with MVP’s music starting before the bell rings, making for a bit of a weird situation.

Rating: C-. It’s kind of odd to go with two fairly screwy endings in a row, especially when it’s a star like MVP against Festus, who is almost a novelty. Obviously it’s the right result, but you would think there would be a better way to go than a bunch of sitting around pulling on Festus’ arm. Pretty dull match here, with MVP being capable of better.

Post match the bell turns Festus off again so MVP boots him out to the floor.

Classic On Demand: Trish Stratus b. Stacy Keibler in a swimsuit contest. Same exact clip from Raw.

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Shelton Benjamin vs. Finlay

Non-title and Hornswoggle is here with Finlay. Before the match, Benjamin talks about how being a champion is about being obsessed with gold. He doesn’t like Olympic phenom Michael Phelps being called the new Gold Standard, because there is only one of them. Finlay wastes no time in taking Benjamin down for some face ripping before driving him into the corner.

A headlock grinds Benjamin down a bit so he bails into the corner for a needed breather. Back up and Benjamin tries to go low on Finlay, who takes him out to the floor where a lot of seething can ensue. They go back inside where Finlay can crank on the leg a bit, with Benjamin going to the ropes. A missed charge sends Finlay shoulder first into the post, giving Benjamin a rather nice target. The chinlock with a bodyscissors goes on, followed by one heck of a kick to the back of the head to have Finlay curled up in the corner.

Finlay bails to the floor for a second, where he ties a sliding Benjamin up in the ring skirt for some clubberin. Benjamin knocks him back into the apron though and we take a break. Back with Benjamin working on a neck crank Finlay jawbreaks his way to freedom for two but Benjamin grabs the neck again. Back up again and Benjamin hits a dragon whip, followed by the t-bone to cut Finlay down again for a delayed two. Finlay fights up but here is Mike Knox to go after Hornswoggle, allowing Benjamin to grab Paydirt for the fast pin.

Rating: C. They went pretty long here until the ending, which was more about setting up Knox vs. Finlay in an ECW feud. They could have done the same match in less time and things would have been that much better. Benjamin getting the nod is fine as it isn’t like he’s doing anything important with the US Title.

Post match Knox beats up Finlay a bit more.

We look back at Chris Jericho punching Shawn Michaels’ wife at Summerslam.

La Familia isn’t sure why Undertaker hasn’t arrived yet. Chavo Guerrero thinks he might even be holding a grudge. Maybe Vickie Guerrero should apologize?

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Great Khali

HHH is on commentary. Hardy slugs away to start but is quickly knocked outside for his efforts. Back in and Khali stomps away before the nerve hold goes on. With Hardy ground down, the tree slam is loaded up (HHH looks nervous) but Hardy goes up to slip out. That earns him a chop out to the floor but Hardy is back in with a Twist of Fate. The Swanton is loaded up but Runjin Singh offers a distraction (Khali was about 80% of the way across the ring so that thing wasn’t coming close anyway). HHH isn’t having this and pulls him down before chairing Khali in the head. The Whisper in the Wind into the Swanton finishes for Hardy.

Rating: C. I’m hoping HHH has to deal with Khali again, as that was quite the heelish move for someone who was just trying to protect his title. Hardy is one of the hottest things in WWE at the moment so he almost had to be in the title match. It also wouldn’t have been the best idea to ask Khali to go for twenty minutes, so there wasn’t much of a choice to be made here.

Post break HHH is in the ring to talk about the challengers coming for the title in the Championship Scramble. The fifth person in that match is a 12 time World Champion and someone who has won everything in every kind of match. Cue Kenny Dkysktra to interrupt because he should be in the match too. The Pedigree lays him out in a hurry, with HHH saying it was good to see him.

Here is La Familia to offer an apology to Undertaker, complete with a standing ovation. Cue Undertaker, with Vickie (eventually) saying she gave Undertaker a chance for revenge on Edge at Summerslam and now she wants a chance to be forgiven. If Undertaker needs more time, they can do this next week and she even gets on her knees to beg him. Undertaker says “look at me woman” because he isn’t here for an apology, but rather Vickie’s soul. The fight is on with Undertaker getting beaten down for a bit, only to fight up and clean house. Undertaker does the throat slit to Vickie to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I do appreciate a show with a central theme running throughout, but this wasn’t their best effort. The qualifying matches set up a nice field for Unforgiven, but it would have been nice to have them be a bit less dull. The ending with Undertaker hunting Vickie isn’t the most thrilling thing either and feels like something rather simple and not that interesting. This show set up the one match at Unforgiven but it didn’t have me wanting to see anything until then.

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Smackdown
Date: August 15, 2008
Location: Scope, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tazz

It’s the final show before Summerslam and the big story around here is Edge finally snapping on Vickie Guerrero. That should make for the main focus around here, but it would be nice to have Undertaker acknowledged a bit more. HHH vs. Great Khali needs the attention more, but that might not go so smoothly. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Edge attacking La Familia last week.

Opening sequence.

US Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin

Benjamin is defending. Feeling out process to start until Benjamin’s headlock is countered into an early rollup attempt. The Twist Of Fate attempt is blocked, with JR mocking himself for getting the name wrong. Benjamin stomps away in the corner and we hit the early chinlock. Hardy fights up and knocks him into the corner for the slingshot dropkick and a near fall.

We take a break and come back with Hardy holding a headscissors on the mat of all things. Benjamin slips out and hits a knee to the face for two, followed by a nasty buckle bomb to knock Hardy silly for two more. We hit the half crab with a foot in Hardy’s back, meaning some groaning ensues. That’s broken up as well so Benjamin knees him in the back of the head and hits an Angle Slam for another two.

Back up and the Dragon Whip (that looked great) connects for another near fall, meaning frustration is setting in. Hardy fights up again and hits his jawbreaker to start the comeback. A middle rope Whisper In The Wind (you don’t see that version very often) gives Hardy two but the Twist Of Fate is countered into a backbreaker to give Benjamin a breather. Benjamin sends him to the apron and tries a sunset bomb but Hardy reverses into a hurricanrana. Back in and the Swanton is loaded up…and here is MVP to shove Hardy off for the DQ.

Rating: B-. This was getting going after a slow start, which had me worried as there have been some dull matches around here lately. You could see MVP coming, which was kind of the point, but dang there is something to be said about seeing Hardy make a comeback like that. He’s always been great at making you believe something is going to happen and that is what he was doing again here.

Post match MVP goes after Hardy again but kicks Benjamin by mistake. That lets Hardy get the Twist Of Fate into a Swanton, followed by a Swanton to Benjamin as well.

Victoria of all people comes in to see Vickie Guerrero, who is worried about Edge and Undertaker. Both of them are here and Vickie doesn’t want to be left alone.

Natalya/Maryse vs. Michelle McCool/Maria

Maria and Maryse start things off, meaning a lot of staring until Maryse trips her down. Natalya comes in and gets headlocked out of the corner without much effort. A side slam out of the corner plants Maria but she fights over for the tag to McCool. House is cleaned in a hurry, including a running flipping neckbreaker for two on Natalya. A Maryse distraction doesn’t work so she tries it again, allowing Natalya to get a quick rollup for the pin.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here but the ending should set up a title match down the line. That’s better than what you are going to see on occasion so this could have been worse. Natalya is a natural for the first big challenge to McCool and is a better choice than Maryse right now. It wasn’t a good match, but it did accomplish something.

The Brian Kendrick vs. Scotty Goldman

Before the match Kendrick, with Ezekiel Jackson, says that yeah he has Big Zeke with him, but who brings more to the table than him? Zeke: “No one.” Kendrick wrestles for himself and you’re looking at the future. Goldman is making his debut and gets an insert interview….where he is confused about being in a box while coming to the ring at the same time. Kendrick cranks on the arm to start as JR can’t remember to put in a “The” before Kendrick’s name.

Goldman manages a quick takedown but gets kicked in the face twice in a row for his efforts. A camel clutch of all things has Goldman in trouble but he fights out and gets some boots up in the corner. Back up and a flying hip attack gives Goldman two but Kendrick sends him into the corner. Kendrick scores with the Kendrick for the pin. Goldman got a nice reaction here, which might have something to do with being better known as Colt Cabana.

Post match Jackson runs Goldman over.

HHH is asked about the violence that happened last week at the hands of the Great Khali. Kenny Dykstra of all people interrupts and says he doesn’t think HHH still has it. HHH says Dykstra is picking the wrong time and a match seems implied.

Here is Great Khali, with Runjin Singh, for a chat. Khali apparently says HHH is great but he is greater. HHH needs to get out while he can because devastation is coming.

HHH vs. Kenny Dykstra

Non-title and Runjin Singh is on commentary. Dykstra starts fast and hammers away but gets taken down by a clothesline. The spinebuster connects as JR is far more fired up than he probably should be for a match like this. The Pedigree finishes Dykstra fast.

Post match HHH and Khali stare at each other until HHH grabs Singh. Violence is threatened until Khali gets in the ring for the brawl. HHH can’t Pedigree him but he can clothesline him out to the floor to stand almost as tall.

Big Show vs. Ryan Braddock

This is Braddock’s entrance and he gets his own entrance. Show wastes no time in throwing him outside as commentary puts over Show’s size. Back in and the chop in the corner sets up a cobra clutch throw as Braddock is in trouble. The KO Punch finishes for Show rather quickly.

MVP is livid at Jeff Hardy for attacking him earlier tonight and promises to make him feel worse at Summerslam.

Vickie Guerrero rants to Victoria about Edge and asks her for help to her limo.

We get another R-Truth video, where he talks about sitting in jail and realizing he needed to change his life.

Victoria wheels Vickie Guerrero to her limo…where Edge is in the backseat. Edge scares Victoria off and puts Vickie in her wheelchair for a ride…to h***. And off they go.

Vladimir Kozlov vs. Festus

Jesse is here with Festus, who freaks out at the bell as usual. Festus wastes no time in knocking Kozlov to the floor, which is the first time he’s ever been in anything resembling trouble. Kozlov gets in a shot to the ribs though and sends Festus into the steps. A headbutt gets two and Kozlov grabs a bearhug. Festus gets suplexed down and Kozlov puts on a waistlock. That’s broken up and Festus hits a clothesline, followed by a kick to the face. Not that it matters as Kozlov cuts him off with the big headbutt for the win.

Rating: C+. They were getting into a hoss fight here before the fast ending. Beating Festus means something for Kozlov as he actually had to work for it for a change, but he’s still only so interesting. Kozlov isn’t exactly an in-depth character and that doesn’t give me much promise about his long term prospects.

Video on John Cena vs. Batista.

Summerslam rundown.

Edge wheels a screaming Vickie Guerrero through the back and seems to tease hurting her. The ride doesn’t end until they get to the ring. The graphic says next, but how do they know that’s where Edge is going? It ends at the ring. How do they know he’s not going to take her out for a hearty lobster dinner first?

Here are Edge and Vickie (after a video on Shawn Michaels, which was “next”, not these two, again showing that WWE needs to pay better attention to their own shows) for the end of the ride. Edge dumps her on the floor and sits next to her, saying this is a rough patch like any other marriage. It wasn’t that long ago that they exchanged vows and said for better or for worse.

We see a video on the last few weeks, with Edge cheating on Vickie and getting put in the Cell match with Undertaker as a result. Mick Foley tried to awaken the old Edge, earning himself one heck of a beating. Back in the arena, Edge orders Vickie to apologize to undertaker, which she does, causing Edge to call her pathetic. She caused all of this and Edge feels like he is burning in h***.

This Sunday, Edge is going to make Undertaker burn with him, but why wait? Edge says that just like their marriage, the match with Undertaker is til death do them part. He kneels on Vickie’s chest to end the show after a heck of a promo that made it feel like the Edge of old. It’s hard to believe he has a chance on Sunday, but they’re making it a lot better.

Overall Rating: C+. As has been the case on Raw, it’s pretty clear that Smackdown is a one match show for Summerslam. The Undertaker vs. Edge match is the only noteworthy thing, which says a lot when it’s more about Edge vs. Vickie. HHH vs. Great Khali doesn’t feel overly important and that leaves MVP vs. Jeff Hardy in third place. This show had its good parts with pretty much everything Edge related, but that and a pretty good Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin match isn’t enough to make this show great.

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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Smackdown
Date: August 8, 2008
Location: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tazz

We are just over a week away from Summerslam and Edge is hopefully getting back on track. That is something he has been needing for a bit and it might have happened last week. In another thing that needs to pick up the pace, we have HHH vs. Great Khali for the former’s World Title. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look back at Edge snapping on Mick Foley last week.

Opening sequence.

Tazz is filling in for the injured Mick Foley. Commentary runs down the card.

Maryse/Natalya/Victoria vs. Maria/Michelle McCool/Cherry

They’re all in various Olympic sports attire, though Maria picks skiing for the summer games. McCool (volleyball) and Natalya (equestrian) start things off with McCool gabbing a Russian legsweep. A middle rope wristdrag takes Natalya down but Maria tags herself in for a double shoulder. Natalya sends Maria outside but Cherry (boxing) comes in with a double arm DDT. It’s off to Victoria for the Widow’s Peak, only for McCool to kick her in the face. Everything breaks down and Natalya Sharpshooters Maria for the fast win. This was a mini theme match and you can pretty easily get the reason why.

Bam Neely has been attacked and there is a black rose near him.

Zack Ryder/Curt Hawkins vs. Shannon Moore/Jimmy Wang Yang

Non-title. Hawkins headlocks Yang to start but gets armdragged into an armbar. Back up and Hawkins fights out of the corner and hits a reverse clothesline, allowing Ryder to come in for a swinging neckbreaker. Hawkins comes in off a blind tag and breaks up a sunset flip, setting up a suplex for two on Yang. We hit the reverse chinlock but Yang slips out and hands it back to Moore to clean house. A high crossbody gets two on Ryder but the referee has to get rid of Yang, allowing a double inverted DDT to finish Moore.

Rating: C+. I’ve long since thought Yang and Moore could have been a bigger deal in the tag division as it isn’t like there was much competition. They had a nice match here and it made for a good use of a few minutes. If nothing else, it made the champions look good, which is always a nice move.

MVP wants to face Jeff Hardy at Summerslam. We see a clip of MVP costing Jeff Hardy a match against Edge on Saturday Night’s Main Event, but where is the footage of Hardy attacking MVP? Hardy is a product of his own actions.

Jeff Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin

Non-title. Benjamin takes him down without much trouble and grabs an early chinlock. Hardy fights up and it’s an armdrag into an armbar as they already see to be filling time. That’s broken up and Benjamin stomps away in the corner before going back to the chinlock. This one doesn’t last as long as Hardy fights up and hits the mule kick out to the floor, where the slingshot dive connects. Back in and a quick Swanton attempt misses to give Benjamin two and we take a break.

We come back with Benjamin grabbing another chinlock, though at least his legs are facing another way to make it different. Back up and Hardy tries the Whisper In The Wind, only to get dropped hard onto the ropes for two. Benjamin starts in on the leg as Tazz talks about fatigue setting in. From what? Excessive chinlock usage? Benjamin starts cranking on the leg, including a half crab for a change.

That’s broken up so Benjamin puts it on again as we’re seeing quite the repetitive theme emerging. Hardy escapes again and they go outside, where Benjamin gets kicked out of the air. Back in and the Whisper In The Wind connects, only for Benjamin to reverse the slingshot dropkick into a powerslam for two. Paydirt is countered into the Twist Of Fate and Hardy hits the Swanton…but gets kicked in the face by MVP for the DQ.

Rating: C+. This got going near the end but they easily could have cut off about five minutes o the chinlocks and leg cranking. The latter wouldn’t have made much of a difference as Hardy’s leg looked fine when he was making his comeback. This wasn’t quite as bad as some of the recent dull matches, but it was definitely following a similar formula.

La Familia can’t find Zack Ryder and something might have happened to him.

And now, arm wrestling between HHH and Great Khali, with broken glass on the table for whichever hand goes down. Before we get going, Khali says something, which HHH says is a good point, even though he has no idea what Khali said. Runjin Singh says Khali told him to get out while he can because this is a different kind of challenge. HHH tells Singh to find a lamp to rub to put Khali back inside.

The reality is Khali has never been in the ring with someone like HHH, who is actually going to tell Khali his plans in advance. HHH is going to break Khali’s legs and there is nothing Singh or the jolly genie can do about it. With that out of the way, we’re ready to go and believe it or not, HHH is about to win when Khali attacks him. The head vice leaves HHH laying and commentary isn’t sure how he is going to survive at Summerslam. This was every step you would have expected, probably right down to the genie jokes.

Curt Hawkins has been attacked and there is another black rose.

We get another R-Truth video, talking about where he came from and showing him playing basketball with his friends. If you want to play the game, you have to get into it, and that is the truth.

Chavo Guerrero thinks he and Vickie Guerrero need Edge’s help to deal with this so he’s off to find him.

Vladimir Kozlov vs. Jesse

Jesse, with Festus, is the better competition that Kozlov requested. The bell rings so Kozlov bails from the crazed Festus before kicking Jesse down to take over. Headbutts and a suplex have Jesse in trouble but he gets in a shot of his own. Kozlov then headbutts him out of the air for the pin.

Raw Rebound.

Summerslam rundown.

Chavo Guerrero found Edge and he is willing to help with Undertaker’s attacks, but Vickie Guerrero has to be civil.

Brian Kendrick vs. Super Crazy

Before the match, Kendrick brags about his power and introduces his bodyguard, Ezekiel Jackson (now with a last name). Kendrick knocks him into the corner to start and a dropkick puts Crazy down again. Back up and Crazy misses a charge into the corner so another dropkick can connect for two.

The camel clutch goes on as Tazz makes insect comparisons. Kendrick kicks him down again and grabs something like a seated abdominal stretch. That’s broken up as Tazz wonders why Crazy, a Smackdown wrestler, is wearing an ECW shirt. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker puts Kendrick down and a standing moonsault gets two. Jackson offers a distraction though, allowing Kendrick to hit the Kendrick for the pin.

Rating: C. Crazy was starting to fight back when he got cut off through the pretty stereotypical means. Kendrick continues to look and feel different while making me want to se more of what he’s doing. That’s a great sign and it was another fine performance, even if it didn’t have much time.

Post match Jackson torture racks Crazy.

Edge comes in to see the Guerreros and says he and Vickie can get by this. As the head of the family, Edge has a plan but it has to be his way. Vickie agrees so they head to the ring, where, after a break, Edge calls Undertaker out and even demands he use the powers. Edge then grabs a chair and cracks Chavo in the back, setting up a Conchairto. Edge turns Vickie’s wheelchair over and says he is who Vickie needs to worry about. Undertaker needs to worry about Edge taking him to h***, but he’s taking La Familia with him. Especially Vickie. Nice little twist there as Edge continues to be built back up before Summerslam.

Overall Rating: C. As has been the case lately, the wrestling wasn’t great but the other stuff didn’t bail it out here. The arm wrestling stuff went on forever and while the Edge surprise as the end was nice, it only got them so far. They need to get to Summerslam now, but they also need something better than HHH vs. Khali as a secondary match. Not the worst show, but Edge continues to carry this thing on his back.

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Smackdown
Date: August 1, 2008
Location: Giant Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Mick Foley, Jim Ross

Things have gotten more interesting around here as Vickie Guerrero seems to be rather vengeful after Edge cheated on her. As a result, Edge is now set for a Hell In A Cell match against the Undertaker at Summerslam, which cannot end well for him. Other than that, HHH is set to defend the World Title against the Great Khali. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Edge apologizing to Vickie Guerrero but getting sent to the Cell anyway.

Opening sequence.

Here is Jeff Hardy to watch the first match as we’re told that he is facing Edge at Saturday Night’s Main Event. This is noteworthy as other than the Jenny McCarthy stuff, the show has not been mentioned in the slightest.

MVP vs. Jimmy Wang Yang

MVP comes out first and is announced as “coming to the ring to face Jimmy Wang Yang”, which isn’t something you often hear. Before the match, MVP mocks Hardy for never being WWE Champion because of his risky behavior. MVP wastes no time in knocking Yang down and then faceplants him without much trouble. The double underhook crank goes on, allowing MVP to yell at Hardy a bit more. Yang fights up and strikes away, including a running spinwheel kick in the corner. MVP is right back with a gutbuster though and the Drive By finishes.

Post match Hardy gets in the ring and tells MVP to never mention his family or dog again. The ensuing brawl goes to Hardy.

Chavo Guerrero isn’t sure who the surprise guest on the Cutting Edge is tonight but he and Vickie Guerrero run into Alicia Fox. JR: “What is the wedding planner still doing here?”

Mr. Kennedy vs. Shelton Benjamin

Non-title. The bell rings and Kennedy gets in another name shout, as is his custom. Benjamin takes him down but gets chased to the floor for a bit of a surprised reaction. Back in and Kennedy starts in on the arm but Benjamin drives him into the corner to break that up. Kennedy gets in a knee to put Benjamin down and goes back to the arm. The armbar keeps Benjamin down before Kennedy kicks him in the face. Back up and Kennedy misses a charge into the post though and we take a break.

We come back with Benjamin working on the arm for a change as they’re not exactly going at a high gear so far. A shoulderbreaker gives Benjamin two and the ensuing arm stomping has the fans a bit restless. Benjamin wraps his legs around the arm (at least he’s mixing it up) before switching to a cross armbreaker.

The cranking continues until Kennedy finally reverses into something close to a Sharpshooter, sending Benjamin over to the rope. Kennedy fights back but Benjamin jumps to the top for a spinning crossbody for two in one of those insane athletic displays of his. Kennedy can’t quite get a backslide but he can kick Benjamin in the face and hit the Mic Check for the pin.

Rating: C-. I don’t know what’s going on with WWE’s matches this week but they have felt incredibly lazy and slow paced. It’s been a lot of laying around in holds without much action in between. That doesn’t feel like what WWE usually does but it’s really not working. The talent is there, but it doesn’t matter if they aren’t going to use it.

Post match Benjamin says he won’t make excuses….but he has bronchitis.

Chavo Guerrero comes in to see Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins, who haven’t seen Edge. Their discussion of wrestling figures continues.

The Brian Kendrick vs. Stevie Richards

Ezekiel is here with Kendrick. Before the match, Kendrick talks about how smart he is and goes over his history in WWE, which was all a ruse to get here. If you have any problem with that, take it up with Ezekiel. Kendrick takes him down to start and cranks on the neck with something like a camel clutch dragon sleeper. Since that can’t last long, Kendrick hits a middle rope dropkick to the back for two, setting up a Boston crab.

With that broken up, Kendrick settles for kicking Richards back down and then standing on his head. Er, Richards’ head if that isn’t clear. Richards gets fired up and fights back, hitting his own kick for two. A nice Sky High gets two on Kendrick and Richards sends him outside, where Ezekiel cuts off the crash. Back in and a quick shot lets Kendrick hit the Kendrick for the win.

Rating: C. Richards’ comeback was nice here but it’s nice to see Kendrick getting to keep building himself up. He’s different enough kind of star and I’ve been digging the start of his run around here. Richards is a good choice to put someone over and make them look good, thankfully which didn’t take long to make happen.

Post match Ezekiel puts Richards in a torture rack for good measure.

Great Khali vs. Jeff Hardy

Hardy realizes this isn’t going to be easy but shoves Khali anyway. Some right hands and a clothesline stagger Khali a bit but he takes Hardy down with a clothesline of his own. Hardy get knocked into the corner and slowly beaten down, as you might have seen coming. A hard slam puts Hardy down again so Khali does it a second time.

The big elbows in the corner rock Hardy again and Khali knocks him outside to cut off a comeback attempt. We take a break and come back with Khali putting on a nerve hold to keep Hardy in trouble. Hardy fights up again and manages a Whisper in the Wind for the big knockdown. The Swanton connects but Hardy has to take out an invading MVP, allowing Khali to grab the vice for the win.

Rating: C. This was about all you could expect from such a match, as Khali going ten minutes is only going to go so well. Khali’s reputation for being terrible isn’t exactly fair, as he is more than capable of having a passable match. That’s what we got here, as Hardy was fighting from underneath the whole way with a few nice hope spots. It wasn’t terrible by any means, which is getting close to Khali’s peak.

We get another R-Truth video, this time talking about how poor decisions landed him in prison. Someone told him everything to do and when to do it but then he became a free man. Now he’s determined to never let that happen again because he is in control. These have been very good so far and make R-Truth seem rather interesting.

Maria vs. Victoria

Victoria easily takes her down to start and grabs a front facelock. Back up and Victoria mocks the Kiss Cam, setting up the spinning fireman’s carry side slam for two. A headscissors gets Maria out of trouble but Victoria plants her right back down for two. We hit the seated full nelson for a bit before Maria is back up with a sunset flip for two of her own. Maria kicks her way out of the corner and hits a middle rope clothesline for the pin.

Rating: C-. Maria feels like the Smackdown version of Kelly Kelly, as WWE seems like they want to push her based on her looks and charisma. That makes sense, but the in-ring stuff just isn’t quite there. Maybe it could change for her as she is still mostly new in the ring, but it’s easy to see why she’ll get chance after chance. The fact that the fans like her a lot is only going to make it easier too.

Edge is in a confined space with Alicia Fox, apparently having invited her. He got her the ticket to the show because she’ll want to see his special guest.

Video on HHH.

Summerslam rundown.

Big Show vs. Domino

Domino tries a waistlock to start and is quickly knocked outside. Back in and some chops set up the chokeslam to finish Domino quick.

Post match Umaga comes out for the staredown with Show.

Chavo Guerrero and Vickie Guerrero don’t know who the special guest on the Cutting Edge is going to be. Didn’t we already establish that?

Here is Edge for the Cutting Edge, complete with a table, a ladder and a chair. He’s rather worried as he sits down to talk about his recent search for inner peace. His marriage is going through a rough patch, but in just over two weeks, he’ll be locked in a Cell with the Undertaker.

We pause for the UNDERTAKER chant before Edge talks about all the footage he’s seen of the destruction Undertaker can cause. That is why he has surrounded himself with tables, ladders and chairs, because he knows them so well and they helped him vanquish Undertaker in the first place. He has found the one person who can help him against the Undertaker the most: MICK FOLEY!

This seems to take Foley by surprise but he eventually gets in the ring. Edge understands that they have history but he is a changed man. What he wants is Foley to remember what he used to be, so we get a video on 1998, including a bunch of stuff that has nothing to do with Foley.

Eventually we get to the Cell match with Foley and Undertaker, which has Foley smiling a bit. Edge knows Foley is still feeling that match but he walked away on his own. Since then, Edge has seen Foley try and fail to walk properly. Now Foley has the chance to help Edge get back at the Undertaker. Foley talks about how much he would love to help Edge, but the one thing he has going for him is his word.

For years, Foley has praised Edge both on the microphone and on the written page. Unless fans have a really long memory, they think Edge sucks. They have been looking at an Edge who takes shortcuts and plays the numbers game while relying on his wife. Foley cannot help Edge, because only Edge can help himself. He needs to find the Edge who made Foley believe in him.

Where is the Edge who made the letters TLC mean something? Just two years ago, they had the greatest hardcore match in Wrestlemania history. If Edge can find that Edge, Foley and JR can call the greatest match WWE has ever seen. But if it’s the Edge we’ve been seeing, the one who wears a white tuxedo and uses a loofah, Undertaker will massacre him. Edge understands and then decks Foley with the microphone but Foley fights back.

They go outside with Foley finding a chair but Edge kicks it back into his face. The spear sends Foley head first into the steps, allowing Edge to load up the table back inside. A quick Mandible Claw is broken up by a low blow and Edge puts him on the table. The big chair shots off the ladder through the table leaves Foley broken to end the show.

They took their sweet time to get there, but as usual, Foley can bring the goods when you ask him to get serious and emotional. They had to do this kind of a change for Edge, because Foley was right when he said we hadn’t seen the really good one for a long time. It’s the kind of beatdown you need, though I do continue to wonder why anyone would want Foley’s advice on a Cell match when he never actually won any of them.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was almost all about Edge, with only MVP/Jeff Hardy being something noteworthy otherwise. They’re betting heavily on that one match and I’m not sure it’s enough for two hours, especially with Undertaker not being around. Throw in HHH not being here other than for a staredown last week and Edge is carrying this show on his back. He can make that work if everything goes right, but there isn’t enough going on to make this show good. The Edge stuff was good, but they need something else and HHH is going to have to be back to make that work.

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Smackdown
Date: July 25, 2008
Location: Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Jim Ross, Mick Foley

We are done with the Great American Bash and HHH is still the World Champion, having beaten Edge, who is still having all kinds of issues with his new bride, Vickie Guerrero. That could go in a few different ways but odds are it is going to be the big focal point for the time being. Other than that, HHH Is going to need a new challenger for Summerslam so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of Edge marrying and then cheating n Vickie Guerrero.

Opening sequence.

Here is MVP with the VIP Lounge to get things going. After bragging about his hair, MVP lists off his various nicknames before bringing out his controversial guest: Jeff Hardy. MVP gets right to the point by announcing that Hardy will be in a battle royal for the shot at HHH at Summerslam. Naturally MVP is the favorite to win the match but Hardy brings up that MVP hasn’t won a match in….well a long time actually.

MVP talks about how Hardy has a lot going on right now, like being on the cover of WWE Magazine. Hardy likes to take big risks, but some of them have resulted in some big failures. One of those failures is talked about in the Magazine, with Hardy saying it resulted in a 60 day suspension (but not actually saying what it was). MVP brings up Hardy losing the Intercontinental Title and his home in a fire, with Hardy not being sure why we’re talking about this.

MVP thinks Hardy’s reckless behavior might have resulted in the death of his dog and that is making him feel guilty (geez). The reality is that Hardy is ruining his career with his behavior and because of that, he will never be WWE Champion. MVP doesn’t buy that Hardy will never be suspended again, with Hardy saying he’ll be released instead.

That doesn’t work for MVP, who says Hardy needs to start acting like a professional and a grown man. Hardy says he’s all about second changes, which is something MVP should know about. MVP tells him to settle down and gets shoved to the floor. This was a really weird segment and felt more like a public punishment/embarrassment for Hardy than anything else.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Jimmy Wang Yang

Non-title. Before the match, Benjamin says he liberated the US Title from Matt Hardy and there ain’t no stopping him now. Benjamin throws him down to start and drops some knees as Foley talks about Benjamin yelling at him backstage. Yang gets in an enziguri into a headscissors as Foley compares Yang’s speed to Cool Papa Bell (look him up). Not that it matters as Benjamin hits Paydirt for the fast pin.

The Edgeheads come in to see Edge, who is proud of them for winning the Tag Team Titles. Edge wants to apologize but they say it was his business. They have a match to get ready for and leave rather quickly. Edge looks at his wedding ring.

Festus vs. Curt Hawkins

Jesse and Zack Ryder are here too. Festus strikes away to start but misses a charge in the corner. Back up and Festus knocks him to the floor, where Jesse cuts off Ryder from ringing the bell. They head back inside, where Festus grabs the fireman’s carry flapjack for the fast pin.

Post match the bell rings and Jesse and Festus get beaten down.

Jenny McCarthy and her celebrity friends don’t like autism.

Edge corners Alicia Fox in the back and says she needs to blend in more. Bam Neely is shown listening as Edge says they’ll talk about this at the hotel. Saying it in front of a camera might not have been the best idea.

Vladimir Kozlov vs. Stevie Richards

Kozlov takes him into the corner to start but Richards hits a quick clothesline for two. A belly to belly overhead suplex sets up a front facelock suplex as Richards is in trouble. Richards has to fight out of a Fujiwara armbar and sidesteps a charge to put Kozlov on the floor. Back in and a dropkick gives Richards one but a tornado DDT is blocked. The headbutt to the chest gives Kozlov the pin.

We get the same video on Edge/Vickie Guerrero/Alicia Fox that opened the show.

Battle Royal

Great Khali, MVP, Big Show, Jeff Hardy, Mr. Kennedy, Umaga

For the World Title shot at HHH at Summerslam. MVP bails to the floor to start, leaving Hardy and Kennedy to go after Khali in the corner. That gets them nowhere as Khali hits a double clothesline, followed by a big chop to MVP. Show hits a side slam on Umaga and gets the required showdown with Khali. Umaga is back up to superkick both of them down and we take a break.

Back with no one having been eliminated and Hardy hitting the Whisper In The Wind on Umaga. Everyone pairs off again and Hardy tosses out MVP for the first elimination. Show and Umaga slug it out with Show shouldering him down and then throwing Umaga out. Kennedy hammers on Show and is thrown out for his efforts.

That leaves us with Hardy, Umaga and Khali, with Khali chopping Show down. Show blocks the tree slam and manages a chokeslam, only to get headscissored out by Hardy. A Swanton hits Khali but just seems to get him back to his feet. Hardy kicks him low to escape the vice but Khali hits a chop and gets the win.

Rating: C. They kept this moving quickly enough and it for a better battle royal. You can only get so far with six competitors in the first place but the good thing is almost anyone could have won. I’ll take that over having a bunch of people with no chance in there and this worked well enough. Khali is certainly a dragon for HHH to slay and it should make for a….something main event.

Post match HHH comes out for the staredown.

We see a not so nice place with someone talking about growing up in a bad neighborhood, which is why he got caught in a life of crime. It taught him what he needed to know though and that is the truth, because R-Truth is coming to Smackdown.

Michelle McCool vs. Maryse

Non-title. McCool takes her down by the hair to start before they trade rams into the buckle. A dropkick drops Maryse (with a kick) but she sends McCool outside as commentary talks about Jennie Finch (popular softball player of her day). Back in and Maryse hammers away, only to get rolled into the heel hook to give McCool the fast win.

Raw Rebound.

Chavo Guerrero wheels Vickie Guerrero into the arena, where Bam Neely greets them.

Next week: Maria.

Edge tells Bam Neely that he needs to talk to Vickie Guerrero, in the arena.

Brian Kendrick vs. Shannon Moore

Before the match, Kendrick tells us how lucky we are to get to see him in person, because he’s that good. He also introduces us to his rather large bodyguard named Ezekiel, who will deal with anyone who tries to touch greatness. Kendrick hammers away in the corner to start but misses a charge, allowing Moore to hit a quick legdrop. Ezekiel offers a distraction though and Kendrick gets in a shoulder on the apron. Kendrick grabs Sliced Bread #2, which is dubbed the Kendrick, for the fast pin.

Bam Neely tells Vickie Guerrero that Edge wants to see her in the arena…but he can’t remember who is supposed to do the apologizing. Vickie looks….I’m not sure really.

Ben Stiller doesn’t like autism.

Here is Edge for his big meeting with Vickie Guerrero. Edge gets right to the point and says he wants to apologize to her in public, face to face, so he would like her to come out here. It takes a pretty long time but Vickie, with Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely (in the busiest show of his life), finally comes out. Edge apologizes, saying that the video didn’t show how many times he tried to say no to Alicia Fox.

She was so aggressive and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Edge had to stay to hammer out the wedding plans because he knew how important it was to both of them. Nothing means more to him that Vickie’s happiness. Vickie seems touched and says she understands so we get a big hug, with Edge looking relieved. They’re not done though, as Vickie says she was a woman scorned.

While they’re better now, she did something when she was mad at him: she reinstated the Undertaker. Panic ensues but Edge says that’s good business. Undertaker and HHH can fight each other and he can pick the bones and get his title back. It’s not that simple though, as Vickie has already made a match between Undertaker and Edge at Summerslam….and it’s inside Hell In A Cell. Edge knows he’s in big trouble to end the show. This was actually a pretty awesome segment as Vickie strung him along for the whole time, knowing the bombshell she had waiting for him.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t your normal show, with only one match breaking three minutes in two hours. At the same time, they set up a few major matches for Summerslam, which is off to a hot start. The opening and closing segments both worked well, with the battle royal being fine enough. This wasn’t a show that focused on the wrestling, which is ok every so often as it can give you some important results. That’s what they did here and it made for a good show.

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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Wrestlemania XXII
Date: April 2, 2006
Location: Allstate Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 17,159
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz, Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross

It’s time for the biggest night of the year and this time around it has been rather fun. The Raw side has been a heck of a build while the Smackdown side has been hit and miss at best. This is one of the more forgotten Wrestlemanias (given that the image on the poster was of John Cena vs. Booker T., a match which hadn’t taken place in over a year at this point, you can kind of tell that they aren’t caring all that much) and it’s also the last one to date in a regular arena. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Battle Royal

Eugene, Viscera, Goldust, Snitsky, Rob Conway, Tyson Tomko, Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch, Matt Striker, Super Crazy, Psicosis, Funaki, Steven Richards, Joey Mercury, Johnny Nitro, Animal, William Regal, Simon Dean

Half from Raw and half from Smackdown, so yes they are wearing the designated shirts. Dean tries to do his intro and gets kicked in the face for the immediate elimination. Richards gets rid of Conway and Funaki goes out as well. There goes Cade, followed by Goldust getting rid of Richards. Striker is out too and there go Crazy and Goldust as the ring is cleared out in a hurry. Snitsky gets rid of Regal and MNM dumps Eugene after a Snapshot.

We get the Raw vs. Smackdown showdown and Murdoch and Psicosis go out back to back. We’re down to Viscera, MNM, Snitsky, Tomko and Animal with Viscera and Animal being the targets for the other four. Viscera misses a charge in the corner but beats up MNM without much trouble. That means a double Visagra (Cole: “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand!” What in the world could that possibly mean in this context?) and Melina is nearly sick. It gets even worse as Viscera tosses MNM to get us down to four.

Snitsky kicks Tomko out by mistake and the LOD chants start back up. A big boot to Animal lets Viscera get rid of him, much to the crowd’s annoyance. Snitsky misses a running big boot though and Viscera wins without touching Snitsky at all. Cole: “I was hoping that would go on for another 15-20 minutes!” Tazz: “One of the best battle royals I’ve ever been a part of!” They’re bringing the Wrestlemania level snark this year.

Rating: D. Yeah this was horrible but the whole point was to get the undercard on the roster. I’m not sure on the logic of having the Chicago guy get all the way to the final three and then have him lose for the sake of Viscera, but I guess they don’t want a heel winning to open the show. Not that it would have mattered as it would have been one of the pops of the night, but it’s not worth getting annoyed about in the first place as it was a six minute battle royal before the feature presentation begins.

Post match Viscera kisses Lilian, who doesn’t seem thrilled.

Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child sings America the Beautiful. You know they’re getting in those American visuals every year and this is no exception.

The opening video looks at some great Wrestlemania moments over I Dare You by Shinedown. I like the song so this is a pretty good combination. They switch over to another song and the matches for this year’s show. That’s a nice mix that they tend to do well most years.

The posters of wrestlers around the top of the arena are a nice touch.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Carlito/Chris Masters vs. Big Show/Kane

Show/Kane are defending and we get the always awesome visual of the city set being on fire during Kane’s entrance. Masters shoulders Kane down to start as JR says this is the first tradition two on two tag match for these titles since Wrestlemania XV. How do you go that long without doing the normal version? Kane is back up with a leapfrog into a dropkick and it’s off to Show for the loud chops in the corner. A poke to the eye allows the tag off to Carlito, who gets a HECK of a reception (one of the loudest reactions I’ve ever seen for him), though Show throws both he and Masters around with ease.

Carlito gets gorilla pressed over the top onto Masters (seemingly elbowing him in the face on the way down) and Kane hits the top rope clothesline onto both of them. Back in and a double flapjack actually gets two on Show, with the replay showing a ram into an exposed buckle had something to do with it. Kane gets the tag so Show has to break up the Masterlock. Everything breaks down and Masters saves Carlito from the chokeslam. Masters hits Carlito by mistake when trying to save him again, meaning Kane can boot Masters to the floor. Not the chokeslam can hit Carlito to retain the titles.

Rating: C-. It was basically a more energetic Raw match and that works well enough for a Wrestlemania opener. I tend to like something like this more than some white hot match to open the show as it means you can go up from here. Carlito and Masters hadn’t been treated as threats to the title coming into the show so it makes sense for them to be little more than an annoyance here.

Post match, Carlito and Masters argue, with the fans being entirely behind Carlito. No violence ensues though.

Shawn Michaels, with a bandage on his head, says he doesn’t regret saying that Vince McMahon needed to grow up. Last year he and Kurt Angle tore the house down and the year before that, he did the same thing with Chris Benoit and HHH. Tonight, Shawn is going to be a different version of himself. Tonight, Vince McMahon needs to bow down and pray because Shawn is taking him to his own personal h***.

Matt Hardy vs. Finlay vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Ric Flair vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Rob Van Dam

Money in the Bank, allowing Cole to get in his first (to be fair in this case, minor) slip up of the night by saying Edge cashed in after John Cena’s Armageddon match. It’s a big brawl to start and the fans are behind Van Dam early on. Hardy goes for the first ladder but Van Dam takes him down with a slingshot dive onto the ladder onto Hardy for the crash. A ladder is bridged against the ropes so Shelton gets a running start for a huge flip dive to take down all of the young people.

Flair and Finlay fight in the ring (go on) but Matt comes in for the save with a superplex to bring Flair off the ladder (egads man). So Flair screams a lot and gets the X treatment (thanks to his knee), meaning we’re going to be down a person after about two and a half minutes. Lashley goes up top but Shelton grabs a sunset bomb. He can’t get Lashley down though so Finlay and Hardy go into the hurt business to bring Lashley crashing to the mat. Hardy crushes Finlay with the ladder in the corner until Finlay throws it back at him.

Finlay loads up the ladder but here’s Flair (after about three minutes away) to cut him off. Chops abound and Flair goes up again until Finlay makes the save with the Shillelagh, making Flair take another bump he shouldn’t be taking. The briefcase is swinging back and forth so Finlay can’t pull it down, allowing Shelton to go up as well. Lashley breaks that up and hits the Dominator on Benjamin, so Van Dam has to dropkick a chair into Lashley for the save.

Matt’s screaming legdrop from the ladder hits Lashley but he has to Side Effect Finlay off the ladder. Finlay gets knocked down as well though and Rob hits a splash off the very top of the ladder for the big crash. Van Dam goes up so Shelton does the always insane springboard onto the top of the ladder (because he can just do that) and hammers away. Matt brings in another ladder and climbs up to slug away at Shelton, who steps over to the other ladder. Rob shoves them both over for the big crash to the floor (always looks great) though and pulls down the briefcase to win.

Rating: B. This was good but not quite up to the standard that the big ladder matches have. It wasn’t all that long either and they didn’t have time to build much up. Shelton got in the big, impressive spots but there were enough high level bumps to go around. Van Dam and Flair were the only realistic winners here too so they picked one of the best options. Not as good as the others, but it still did what it was supposed to do.

New Hall of Famer Gene Okerlund is interrupted by Randy Orton, who doesn’t think much of someone who held a microphone for thirty five years. He promises to win the Smackdown World Title tonight but here’s Batista to say whoever leaves as champion is just holding it for him. Next year, he’s going to be champion at Wrestlemania XXIII.

It’s time for the Hall of Fame class, minus Bret Hart, who was not comfortable with appearing.

Gene Okerlund (No one did it better.)

Sensational Sherri (How was she not in already?)

Tony Atlas (He always seems happy to be around.)

Verne Gagne (Doesn’t mean anything directly to WWE, but you don’t have a wrestling Hall of Fame without him.)

William Perry (Sure, but he couldn’t get a suit? Or a tie? Or a shirt that tucked in?)

The Blackjacks (Again, how were they not in already?)

Eddie Guerrero (Yep.)

Vickie Guerrero looks rather overcome by the reception in a touching moment.

US Title: Chris Benoit vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

JBL, with Jillian Hall, is challenging and the ramp raises up so the limo can drive in. After commentary can manage to stop talking about Jillian’s cowgirl look, they bring up JBL wanting to prove that he can beat another great technical wrestler after Eddie Guerrero. They go straight to the slugout to start until Benoit drop toeholds him to try the Crossface. JBL is able to block it so Benoit headbutts him in the back of the head, which is a rather intense next step.

Some forearms to the neck keep JBL in trouble and a chop takes him down again. It’s too early for the Sharpshooter though and JBL bails to the floor to hide behind Jillian. Back in and JBL hammers him down in the corner until he misses a charge, allowing Benoit to roll the German suplexes. JBL crotches him on top though and hits the Eddie dance for some good mocking. The superplex brings Benoit down in a crash, allowing JBL to dance some more. He even hits two Amigos before having to boot Benoit in the face to cut off the comeback.

We hit the chinlock but Benoit fights up with more suplexes. The Swan Dive gets a close two but JBL blocks another Crossface attempt. He also blocks a German suplex with a grab of the rope and the referee, allowing him to….actually not cheat. Instead the Clothesline From JBL is countered into the Crossface, which is countered into a cradle (with a grab of the rope) to give JBL the pin and the title.

Rating: C+. This has always been a bit of a weird one for me as JBL wasn’t exactly a hot challenger coming in but he did pick up the title, which reheated him in a hurry. He wasn’t going to make it back to the World Title anytime soon (or ever, as he didn’t need it), but he needed to win something instead of losing over and over again. This was good enough though and it’s hardly a stretch to see JBL win a match over Benoit.

We recap Edge vs. Mick Foley. Edge accused Foley of costing him the Raw World Title and wanted to beat him down, so Foley agreed to a fight. Foley wanted that one Wrestlemania moment and Edge is starting to realize that he might be in over his head.

Edge vs. Mick Foley

Hardcore match, Joey Styles joins commentary, Lita is here with Edge and Foley’s flannel shirt is buttoned up for a change. Edge has a bat to start but the early swings miss and Edge drops it to the floor. Foley slugs away in the corner and puts Edge in the Tree of Woe for the running elbow to the face. Lita throws in a metal sign though and it goes upside Foley’s head over and over. The spear hits early….and Edge is in a lot of pain, as Foley opens up the shirt to reveal a band of barbed wire wrapped around his stomach.

Foley cuts himself free and ties Edge in the ropes, meaning it’s time to grab the barbed wire bat. Lita tries for the save so it’s the Cactus Clothesline to Edge, sending all three outside in the process. Foley is certainly bringing it early on. A neckbreaker on the floor drops Edge and Foley pounds him down but his charge is hiptossed into the steps for a REALLY painful looking crash. There go Foley’s knees into the steps and it’s time for a chair. Edge loads up a table on the floor but Foley rolls off before Edge can come off the top.

Instead Edge slams him head first into the steel ramp (for a SICK thud)….and it’s time for the lighter fluid. Edge covers Foley in the fluid but gets piledriven for two. Foley grabs the chair but a Lita distraction lets Edge hit a DDT. Foley is busted and the barbed wire bat to the head makes it even worse. It’s time for the thumbtacks but Foley slams Edge (with no shirt) down onto them for the really big reaction.

A barbed wire Mandible Claw goes on and now it’s Edge being hit with the barbed wire bat over and over. Now it’s time for Foley to spray the table with lighter fluid but Lita hits Foley in the knee with the barbed wire bat. The table is set on fire and Edge hits the spear through the ropes and through the fire for the pin.

Rating: A. What is there to say about this? They massacred each other and Foley bled all over the place before taking a huge bump to end the match. This was a different side of Edge and it’s the side that needed to be shown to make him feel like more than a flash in the pan. This felt like two people wanting to hurt each other and then getting to do so, as Foley continues to know how to make someone into a much bigger star than almost anyone else.

Edge and Lita looking like they’re in physical shock after the match makes it a lot better.

Some fans won tickets to the show from Snickers.

Booker T./Sharmell vs. Boogeyman

Booker makes Sharmell start, jumps Boogeyman from behind, and then comes in to hammer on Boogeyman. The comeback doesn’t take long and Booker is sent into the post. Boogeyman eats some worms and stares at Sharmell for trying a staff shot to the back. Sharmell gets kissed with the worms and runs off, leaving Boogeyman to chokebomb Booker for the pin.

Rating: F. Of course this is a failure as there isn’t anything to be praised here. It was the three of them doing a short, bad match and the big deal was Sharmell getting a mouth full of worms. There isn’t much else to it than that and the fact that this aired at Wrestlemania at any point after about 1991 tells you why it’s a failure.

We recap Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James for the Women’s Title. Mickie is a psycho who was obsessed with Trish (they never said the word lesbian but that’s what they were going for) but Trish wasn’t interested. Once Mickie was flat out turned down, she completely snapped and decided to take the Women’s Title instead. This feels like a big fight and that’s a good thing around here.

Women’s Title: Mickie James vs. Trish Stratus

Trish is defending. They fight over a lockup to start as JR tries to diagnose Mickie’s mental state. The Thesz press (JR: “Maybe the Louise Thesz press.”) puts Mickie down but she comes back with a kick, only to be thrown into the splits. A baseball slide puts Mickie on the floor but Trish kicks the post by mistake. Mickie wraps the leg around the post in a smart move and there’s a dropkick to the knee to make it worse.

The fans get behind Mickie and she wraps the leg around the ropes. The half crab goes on before it’s time to stomp on the leg in the corner. Mickie stops to soak in the cheers and bends the leg some more. This time Trish reverses into the spinning anklescissors but the fans aren’t happy with the comeback. The Stratusphere is countered with another slam of the leg to the mat as Lawler notices that Mickie’s skirt isn’t the most functional in a match.

Trish comes back with a Stratusfaction attempt but Mickie grabs her between the legs (on the Network) and licks her own hand (not on the Network) as JR loses it. Mickie tries the Stratusfaction but she either leaves it short or Trish can’t hold her on the knee, meaning they botch it horribly (also not on the Network). Mickie settles for the Chick Kick for the pin and the title. JR: “THE NUT JOB HAS WON THE TITLE!”

Rating: B-. This was getting really good near the end but then the botch happened and it stopped everything cold. The leg stuff was good and while it would have made more sense to have Trish’s knee give out when she was trying the Stratusfaction, it worked for a story in the match as Mickie knew how to break the thing down. More importantly though, Mickie FINALLY ends Trish’s year long plus reign and becomes the new star, which is long overdue. They needed to have the title change here as Trish had run out of gas a long time ago but it wasn’t like she had anyone good enough to drop it to.

Vince McMahons has the rest of the family drop to their knees in prayer before his match with Shawn. Vince: “God, let’s face it. I don’t like you, and you don’t like me.” Vince praises his own physique and promises to end Shawn.

Mark Henry vs. Undertaker

Casket match and the druids take their time wheeling the casket to ringside. Undertaker does the full entrance and Henry manages to keep glaring at him before jumping him to start things off. Some running clotheslines don’t do much to Henry so he runs Undertaker over with a single shot. They head outside with both guys going head first into the steps. The fans are in am ore traditional role here with the Undertaker cheers, which are cut off when Henry blocks Old School.

A low blow saves Undertaker from going into the casket and now it’s time to go after the arm. Old School connects this time but he still can’t get Henry down. Henry runs him over again but misses the running crotch attack and gets dropped into the casket. Undertaker follows him in and the lid closes before opening up with Undertaker’s hand around Henry’ throat.

They get back inside with Henry hitting the World’s Strongest Slam and covering because he isn’t that bright. Speaking of not that bright, Henry hammers away in the corner but gets planted with the Last Ride. Undertaker throws him onto and over the casket, setting up the Taker Dive (which barely clears the casket). Back in and a pretty impressive Tombstone lets Undertaker put him in the casket for the win.

Rating: D. Another one which didn’t work so well, mainly because there was no drama. Who was believing that Mark Henry was going to be the one to break the Streak? The Taker Dive and Tombstone both looked great but there isn’t much of a way around the fact that it was Mark Henry trying to break the Streak. It had no drama and wasn’t even that long, leaving this near the bottom end of the Streak (at least once it became a big deal).

We recap Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon. Shawn told Vince that it was time to get over the Montreal Screwjob and grow up so Vince decided to destroy Shawn once and for all. He has done a great job of making Shawn miserable and now it is time for Shawn to FINALLY get his hands on Vince in a no holds barred match.

Shawn Michaels vs. Vince McMahon

No Holds Barred and there is a big framed copy of Vince’s Muscle and Fitness Magazine at ringside. Shawn jumps him to start and sends him into JR as the WE WANT BRET chants begin. The framed magazine goes around Vince’s head and Shawn is all ticked off. Cue the Spirit Squad to beat Shawn down though and hit the five man toss into the air. JR: “Someone get the hook!” Shawn gets their megaphone (which is smoking/powdery for some reason) and beats them down though, which sends them off for some reason.

Vince, now bleeding above the eye, gets in a clothesline to take over and it’s time to choke in the corner. The leather belt rips Shawn’s back up and it’s time to choke. Vince actually tunes up the band but Shawn blocks the kick (which had height but was nowhere near the right form) and hammers away. JR: “How are your stock dividends now???” The top rope elbow connects but here’s Shane with a kendo stick to take Shawn down. Always one to rub it in, Vince drops his pants but Shawn puts Shane’s face into it instead, followed by a low blow to Vince.

A clothesline puts Shane on the floor but that’s not enough, as Shawn handcuffs Shane to the rope. The Shane dance sets up a bunch of kendo stick shots to Shane and there’s a heck of a chair shot to Vince’s head. Lawler: “CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN!” Vince is busted open and Shawn tunes up the band….before stopping cold. Instead he goes outside and grabs a ladder, which goes straight into Vince’s forehead.

Shawn still won’t cover as he grabs some trashcans and a table instead, even shoving Shane away to get to them. The trashcan to the head drops Vince again and Shawn goes up the ladder. Then he climbs back down and pulls out the BIG ladder. Shawn climbs again, does the suck it sign, and elbows Vince through the table for the huge crash. Medics bring a stretcher out but Shawn scares them off, stands Vince up, yells a lot, and finishes with the superkick.

Rating: C+. Of course it’s junk as an actual match, but this was exactly what they set it up to be. There is no reason to believe that Vince can hang with Shawn in a regular match so he didn’t really come close. Vince brought in a bunch of people, Shawn beat them up and then the beating began. Shawn destroyed him completely (or at least until the next night on Raw, or maybe a week later if they’re feeling generous) and it made sense. Might have gone a little long, but it was the logical way to go.

Post match Vince is taken out on a stretcher and still flips Shawn off. Cole talks about how Shawn promised to never go back to his old self but did it here. Not exactly, as it was just Shawn being violent and aggressive, which isn’t quite what they were talking about on the way here.

We recap Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Kurt Angle for the Smackdown World Title. Rey won the Royal Rumble to earn the title shot but Orton talked enough trash to get him to put the shot on the line at No Way Out. Orton cheated to win, but Teddy Long put Rey in the match too, making it a triple threat.

Smackdown World Title: Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton vs. Kurt Angle

Angle is defending and POD plays Rey, in an Aztec warrior costume this year, to the ring. Orton jumps Angle with the belt before the bell to start but Angle is right back in with a German suplex to Orton, plus a double German to both of them at once (with Rey flying through the air). An overhead belly to belly takes Orton over as well but Rey sends Angle face first into Orton’s crotch.

Angle is fine enough to send Rey up for a super hurricanrana to Orton before throwing Rey outside. Rey breaks up the ankle lock attempt and kicks Angle in the head for two as the fans are split between Rey and Kurt. The 619 is countered into the ankle lock and Rey taps (less than four minutes in) but the referee is with Orton. The German suplexes take down both challengers and an Angle Slam to the floor drops Rey in a heap. That means an ankle lock to Orton but this time Rey grabs the referee so he can’t see a tap.

Rey Drops the Dime on Angle but gets knocked outside again. The RKO connects for a delayed two on Angle and Randy goes up top, earning himself the running belly to belly superplex. Rey is back in with the springboard seated senton for two more on Angle and Orton is back in to kick Angle to the floor. The powerbomb neckbreaker gets two on Rey but the RKO takes too long, allowing Angle to come back in with the Angle Slam on Orton. Rey slips out of the Angle Slam and armdrags Angle to the floor. That leaves Orton to be dropkicked into the ropes for the 619 into the West Coast Pop for the pin and the title.

Rating: C+. This is still one of the more perplexing big matches in Wrestlemania history as it had no real structure other than them doing moves to each other. Nothing was built up, nothing set up the finish and Rey just pinned Orton to win. It was fine as it was, but I was expecting a lot more, including more time as it didn’t even last ten minutes.

Post match the Guerreros come out to celebrate with Rey.

JR and the King talk about HHH and John Cena being ready for tonight. They needed two minutes for this instead of the other World Title match? Ah right: they needed to put a bed and pillows in the ring. Great way to use the Wrestlemania time.

Torrie Wilson vs. Candice Michelle

It’s the annual Playboy match pillow fight so JR talks about Frank Gotch gate records in Chicago during the entrances. They to to the bed to start and then hit the catfighting. Torrie turns the bed over on her and then puts her dog on Candice’s face. Candice loses her dress and then puts on a headscissors over the ropes while bending backwards over the ropes. A middle rope elbow hits Torrie on the bed and it’s time to cut Torrie out of her dress. Candice pulls out her Playboy but gets rolled up for the pin.

Rating: D-. Yeah this happened and that’s about all there is to say about it. They were there to promote Playboy and it worked well enough, even though the Playboy Diva is usually a face and someone who wins but not quite this time around. It wasn’t exactly a match of course, but why would you expect anything else?

We see clips of the Wrestlemania press conference, with HHH saying the match against John Cena will be easy and Cena saying not so fast. HHH won a tournament to get the shot so there isn’t much of a story.

Raw World Title: HHH vs. John Cena

Cena is defending and HHH, sitting on a throne in a Thor/Conan motif (the announcers say Conan but he had a big hammer), rises out from the stage. Cena on the other hand comes out after a gangster video and following an old car, complete with CM Punk as a machine gun toting gangster in one of the more well known Before They Were Famous cameos. Still as close as he ever got to the Wrestlemania main event. We get an old school weapons check as JR puts over the idea of the grunt vs. the seasons, trained professional to give us a good story to the match.

They fight over the arm control to start and Cena is sent into the corner for some frustration. The fans are almost entirely behind HHH here, or at least the loud ones are. The FU doesn’t work and they stare each other down again. Cena is sent outside for a big cheer but he comes back in to slug away. A backdrop gives Cena two and the fisherman’s suplex gets the same.

We’re already into the chinlock as the fans tell Cena that he can’t wrestle. There’s the big whip over the corner to send HHH to the floor and another backdrop puts him on the ramp. Back in and HHH hits the jumping knee for a positive reaction as commentary keeps talking about the crowd reactions. HHH whips him hard into the steps and the fans even pop for him breaking the count.

Back in again and the facebuster into a running clothesline gets two on Cena, with JR calling it a slobberknocker. A pair of neckbreakers gets two more and we hit the neck crank. HHH switches to a sleeper and then a chinlock as JR gets the World Title wrong and has to apologize to Rey Mysterio. Cena fights up and hits his own clothesline before winning the slugout. There’s a powerslam and Cena initiates the finishing sequence but the Shuffle is countered with a spinebuster for two more. Another sleeper is countered into a belly to back suplex and it’s the Shuffle into the STFU.

HHH finally makes the rope and escapes the FU before sending Cena into the referee in the corner. That means a low blow to both of them, meaning HHH can give us the crotch chop. It’s sledgehammer time and Cena is knocked silly for a delayed two. The FU gets the same and the fans are popping hard on these near falls. Cena misses a high crossbody so HHH tries the Pedigree but Cena pulls him into the STFU, even trapping the arm so HHH can’t make the rope. It takes some time but HHH finally taps and Cena retains.

Rating: A-. That’s the ultimate achievement on Raw and the win that Cena really needed to become THE guy. He had been champion for almost a year straight but still felt somewhat like someone who hadn’t made it all the way to the top yet. Cena had been the guy, but he wasn’t THE guy until this one and that’s a big change.

The match itself was great as you would expect from these two on the big stage. They played up the idea that Cena was in over his head but ground out another win as he tends to do. Cena was getting better at the big matches around this point and of course that would become one of his calling cards down the line. This worked well and felt like a Wrestlemania main event as the company is now Cena’s, which is what matters most.

The celebration and five minute highlight package wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B-. Just like it did in the buildup, Raw annihilated Smackdown here with the two matches that made the show and a lot of other good stuff in between (plus winning Money in the Bank). Edge vs. Foley and the main event certainly deliver, but the rest of the show isn’t anything great. There are some really bad parts on here but the rest is good enough. That may sound good, but I’d like a little more than “good enough” for Wrestlemania.

The biggest problem here is that there really aren’t many blow away moments. Cena winning was more of a long term deal, Rey winning the title felt more like Eddie’s big farewell, Money in the Bank is all about the future and Trish finally losing is hardly top tier stuff. Shawn getting the win against Vince was nice to see, but that middle finger after the match doesn’t make it seem like a blowoff. The problem here is Smackdown, as there wasn’t much of note other than Rey’s title win. It was a one sided show between the two brands and when the show is built around both, it doesn’t work so well, Good, but forgettable.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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

Great American Bash 2008
Date: July 20, 2008
Location: Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Attendance: 12,454
Commentators: Jim Ross, Mick Foley, Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Tazz, Mike Adamle

We’re wrapping up the period before the Summerslam build here and the card is one sided to put it mildly. The Smackdown side is pretty much Edge challenging HHH for the Smackdown World Title, plus a four way Tag Team Title match. On the other side, Raw has John Cena vs. JBL in a parking lot fight, CM Punk defending the Raw World Title against Batista and Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho in a grudge match. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at Vickie Guerrero and Edge’s wedding, plus HHH revealing that Edge cheated on her the night before to end Smackdown. The other big matches get some attention of their own.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Edgeheads vs. Miz/John Morrison vs. Finlay/Hornswoggle vs. Jesse and Festus

Miz and Morrison are defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Festus clears the ring as tends to be his custom before Hornswoggle comes in for a stare…uh, up. Hornswoggle rolls up his sleeves but opts to dive onto Miz and Morrison instead. We settle down to Jesse monkey flipping Miz and knocking him down again for two. Festus beats on Miz as well before handing it off to Finlay. Morrison comes in and actually takes over on Finlay before bringing Miz back in for a chinlock.

It’s back to Morrison for his own chinlock as JR continues his Morrison to Rick Rude comparisons. Finlay fights up and double legs Miz down before doing the same thing to beat on Morrison. They collide in the corner so Ryder tags himself in to hammer Finlay down. The neck crank doesn’t last long on Finlay so Hawkins comes in to keep Finlay in trouble.

The Celtic Cross hits Hawkins and a shillelagh shot gets two, with Miz and Morrison making the save. Hawkins grabs a chinlock but Finlay is back up again, this time getting over to Hornswoggle to pick up the pace. Jesse tags himself in just as fast though and the fans are not pleased with the lack of Hornswoggle. Hawkins comes back in for a cheap shot on Hornswoggle but it’s back to Festus to really clean house. Miz and Morrison are sent outside and Hawkins breaks up the Rocket Launcher to pin Jesse and win the titles.

Rating: C+. It was a fast paced opener with a bunch of moving parts but they managed to keep the focus on just a few people at a time until the ending. Hawkins and Ryder winning the titles is the right way to go as Miz and Morrison have gotten everything they can out of them and La Familia is still the biggest thing on Smackdown. Give the team some more gold, as it’s not like Jesse and Festus or Hornswoggle/Finlay are worth anything.

US Title: Matt Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin

Hardy is defending and is quickly taken to the mat to start. A small package gives Hardy two as well as a breather but Benjamin is right back with a headlock. That’s reversed into an armbar as they’re certainly starting slowly. Benjamin sends him to the apron for a ram into the post, setting up the armbar back inside. A gutbuster sets up the seated abdominal stretch as commentary talks about Benjamin’s aggression, despite there being nothing to suggest it exists here.

Hardy fights up and tries a Side Effect but gets planted with something like an STO. Back up and Hardy blocks Paydirt to start the comeback and hits the bulldog out of the corner. Hardy’s middle rope hurricanrana is countered into a heck of a buckle bomb and they’re both down. A Side Effect gives Hardy two but the moonsault…I think it was supposed to hit knees but Hardy overshot it anyway. Paydirt gives Benjamin the pin and the title.

Rating: C. The match was far from bad, but it wasn’t exactly thrilling, as it came off as more of a house show match. The ending didn’t help things either as commentary had to scramble to cover Hardy missing. It’s not like hardy was doing anything with the title anyway so switching it over to Benjamin works as well as anything else.

We see an interview from Monday, with CM Punk talking about how he’s always been the underdog. It’s not about your size or muscle and he’s in the business of proving everyone wrong, which is what he’s always done.

We look at HHH revealing that Edge cheated on Vickie Guerrero the day before their wedding.

ECW Title: Mark Henry vs. Tommy Dreamer

Henry is defending and has Tony Atlas in his corner while Dreamer has Colin Delaney. Dreamer charges at him and is quickly shoved into the corner, with Henry throwing him around again for a bonus. A hard clothesline puts Dreamer down again and Henry steps on his head as a few BORING chants start up.

Henry works on the arm (which is code for he leans over and grabs the wrist), Dreamer fights up, Henry takes him down and works on the arm again. The splash misses though and Dreamer hits the basement dropkick but has to escape the World’s Strongest Slam. The DDT puts Henry down and Dreamer goes up for no apparent reason, allowing Delaney to pull him down. Henry hits the World’s Strongest Slam to retain.

Rating: D+. This was a good example of everything that is wrong with ECW. First of all, there was no reason to believe Dreamer was going to take the title. He hasn’t been nearly that important for a long time now and it wasn’t going to change here. Second, the Delaney turn doesn’t mean much as he’s a loser who didn’t exactly become a star when he was with Dreamer. Third, the match was really boring, which is quite ECW in a lot of ways. Rather dull stuff here and by far the worst thing on the show.

We recap Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels, and thank goodness as the show needs it. Jericho claimed Michaels is a hypocrite (and was kind of right) and then took out his eye. Now Michaels is back for revenge and to prove that no matter what Jericho does, Michaels will always be better.

Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho

They lock up to start and thankfully drop that in all of two seconds to start hitting each other in the face. Shawn gets the better of things with some chops and knocks Jericho into the corner before going after the leg. The reverse Figure Four has Jericho in early trouble but he’s in the ropes pretty quickly. Shawn stays on the leg and the referee stops things for a second to check on Jericho in the corner.

Jericho is fine enough to send Shawn over the corner and out to the apron, with Shawn favoring his back. The knee is fine enough to hit a triangle dropkick out to the floor before Jericho takes him inside for a double arm crank. With that broken up, Jericho dives into an atomic drop and Shawn drops him with the flying forearm. Shawn nips up but Jericho pulls him straight into the Walls, which is counter you don’t see very often.

This time Shawn makes the rope so Jericho loads up the bulldog, only to get dropped with a clothesline for two. The top rope elbow is broken up but Shawn wins a fight on top and now the elbow connects. Cue Lance Cade to break up the superkick but Shawn blocks the Codebreaker. They slug it out again until Shawn hiptosses him out onto Cade for the big crash. Naturally Shawn is right there with a moonsault onto the two of them and everyone is down again.

Back in and Shawn’s bad eye is busted open, with commentary not being sure when it was cut. Naturally Jericho goes right after the eye and knocks him into the ropes, where Cade gets in the cheap shot. The very bloody Shawn manages to pull him into a crossface but Jericho pulls him into the buckle for the violent escape. The referee wants to stop it but Shawn begs him not to, meaning Jericho is right back on the eye. Shawn is COVERED in blood and does the “pull myself up on the other guy’s tights” spot, only to have Jericho punch him down again and hammer away….until the referee finally stops it.

Rating: B+. This took some time to get going but there is almost no one better than Shawn at making you think he was dying in front of your eyes. Shawn was trying to fight and was still in there until the injury flared up again, along with Cade offering the distraction. This felt like the big middle piece in a bigger story and they pulled me in with the emotion and hatred. Awesome match and we’re almost certainly not done yet.

We get the emotional exit for Shawn, who has to be helped out.

Edge is really not pleased with HHH for violating his privacy and taking away his personal life. All Edge has left is his professional life and tonight, he will be extra dangerous.

Divas Title: Michelle McCool vs. Natalya

For the inaugural title but commentary is to busy talking about Edge/Vickie Guerrero. They grapple to the mat to start as commentary compares McCool to softball star Jennie Finch. Natalya wheelbarrow drops her throat first over the top to take over and we hit the surfboard to stay on McCool’s….well various parts. McCool powers out so Natalya switches to the Sharpshooter. That’s broken up as well and this time McCool pulls her into the heel hook for the title.

Rating: C-. These two were in the death slot as there was almost no way they were going to be able to follow the previous match. It doesn’t help that the match was almost a Natalya squash until McCool got in her one hold for the win. It’s rather nice for the women on Smackdown to have something to do, but they could use some more blood in the division or it is going to turn old fast.

Post match here is Chris Jericho to interrupt, saying you need to save your ticket stubs because this is the night of Shawn Michaels’ last match. Shawn has a detached retina and that means his career is over. It shows that the good guys win and the wicked are punished and the worst has finally come for Shawn. Jericho was feeling the evil here and it worked.

We recap CM Punk defending the World Title against Batista. Punk won Money In The Bank and used it to become champion, meaning he needs to prove himself worthy. Batista doesn’t seem to be overly intimidated so Punk is extra motivated.

Raw World Title: Batista vs. CM Punk

Punk is defending and we go old school with a weapons check. Batista powers him around to start and Punk realizes he might need another plan. Some kicks to the legs slow Batista down but he elbows Punk in the face to cut him off. An enziguri knocks Batista outside and Punk follows him outside with a suicide dive.

Back in and Punk strikes away, only to be run over to give Batista two. The camel clutch goes on to keep Punk in trouble, which is broken up as camel clutches tend to be. Punk gets up a shot to the face in the corner and hits a high crossbody for two. The Batista Bomb is countered but a powerslam isn’t, meaning Punk has to counter the Bomb again.

Punk hits the running knee in the corner but can’t hit the GTS, instead settling for the springboard clothesline. The Anaconda Vice (been a minute since Punk used that) is broken up and Batista hits a heck of a clothesline. Batista’s charge hits the post and he falls outside, where he is able to catch a diving Punk with a spinebuster. Cue Kane to jump Batista for the DQ.

Rating: C+. They were starting to get somewhere but then just stopped for the DQ ending. This is either setting up a triple threat (erg) or Punk vs. Batista II, but Punk needs to win something on a big stage. It was bad enough that he got the title via Money In The Bank, but he’s lucky to crack the top five stars on Raw. This didn’t help things, though I guess Batista needed to be kept strong. Granted that makes me wonder why he was in the match in the first place, but I can picture Vince’s “oh it’s fine” face from here so we’ll move o.

Post match Kane lays out Punk, Batista, and a production worker. With Kane gone, Batista hits the Batista Bomb on Punk to make things even worse for the champ. Somehow this is a double DQ, despite Kane not touching Punk before the bell.

We recap John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield. With Vince McMahon gone, JBL has declared martial law but Cena isn’t having it. Now they’re going to fight in a parking lot.

John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

This is taking place in the parking lot in a circle of cars and JBL shows up in his limo, fighting in most of a suit. There’s no Cena to start so JBL gets on a hood, only to have Cena pop up in another car and ram into him. Cena chokes him with a cord and then slams a car hood onto JBL’s back. Some jumper cables to the crotch set up some electrocution and JBL screams a lot.

JBL is put on another hood and Cena throws a well placed keg, only to hit windshield. With JBL trying to drive away, Cena grabs him for some rams into the horn. JBL fights back to little avail but manages to whip Cena through a car door, knocking it off the hinges. Cena gets punched off a car for two and then sent through the windshield of another for the big crash.

A crowbar shot misses for JBL and Cena slugs away but JBL sends him through a window. With nothing else working, JBL goes to grab some gasoline (with his limo rolling away) and douses one of the cars (with Cena inside). The car is lit on fire and promptly extinguished, with an annoyed looking Cena getting out. JBL goes over to a forklift but Cena is there to send him into another car.

Now Cena gets in the forklift and gores said car, only to lift it up and carry it into the arena. Commentary kicks in as Cena knocks JBL around and plants him with the ProtoBomb onto the stage. Cena loads up the FU but walks JBL over to the edge of the stage, only to take too long as JBL slips off. JBL sends him off the stage and through a windshield for the upset win.

Rating: C-. This was quite the situation and I wasn’t wild on most of it. They had a bunch of slow brawling in the back with car stuff before coming to the arena for a few minutes. JBL had to get a win of some sort but egads this means we’re going to have to hear him talk even more, which is about as painful of a thought as I can imagine. Not exactly great here, but what are you expecting from JBL?

We recap Edge vs. HHH for the latter’s Smackdown World Title. Vickie Guerrero gave Edge the title shot before their wedding but then Edge cheated on her the day before said wedding, with HHH revealing Edge’s, uh, indiscretion. Now it’s about the title, though Edge is more than a bit distracted.

HHH has no regrets over what he did.

Smackdown World Title: HHH vs. Edge

HHH is defending and we get the Big Match Intros with a weapons check. Edge charges right at him and hammers away but gets sent outside. HHH sends him outside and grabs a neck snap across the top. A ram int the buckle has Edge on the floor again but he knocks a diving HHH out of the air. Back in and Edge hits the running shoulder in the corner before sending him outside for a whip into the steps.

A drop onto the announcers’ table keeps HHH’s ribs in trouble and Edge grabs a bodyscissors back inside. HHH fights up but gets dropkicked to the apron, where he sidesteps a spear to send Edge crashing to the floor. Back in and HHH slugs away before they go outside (again) with Edge going into the post. Edge is right back up though and grabs the Impaler on the floor, which means a rather delayed cover gets two.

HHH hits his own DDT for his own two but the Pedigree is countered into the Edge-O-Matic. The spear only hits buckle but Edge’s big boot only hits HHH’s jaw, leaving them both down again. Back up and the spear is countered into the spinebuster to give HHH a much needed breather. The Pedigree is countered again, this time with a ram into the corner. Edge takes him up top for a superplex but here is wedding planner Alicia Fox to send in the title. Cue Vickie Guerrero to take Alicia down and the catfight is on in the ring. The spear hits Vickie by mistake, allowing HHH to grab the Pedigree for the pin to retain.

Rating: B. It was good but they never came close to hitting that really high level. At the same time, it didn’t help that this was more about the Vickie/Edge stuff, with the title just kind of being there on the side. These two feel like they should have had their first big match on a more important show, but at least what they got to do here did work. It just could have been a pretty good bit better.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a perfectly fine show that should have been better than it was. There were some big matches on the card and those matches worked, but the lower card stuff is completely forgettable, even with three new champions being crowned. It’s a show where things happened, but it’s not a show that felt important. Instead, it came off like a “the big one is next time”, which doesn’t make for the most enjoyable event.

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Smackdown
Date: July 18, 2008
Location: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Jim Ross, Mick Foley

It’s the go home show for the Great American Bash and we are getting ready for HHH vs. Edge, which feels something like a major match. On paper it certainly is, but in this case the main story is the continuing saga of Edge and Vickie Guerrero. Naturally things are going well again and now we are probably on the way back towards the wedding. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of Edge and Vickie Guerrero’s rocky relationship.

And now, the wedding, with Chavo Guerrero as best man and everything seems to go off without a hitch. The reception is tonight and that’s a bit of a twist on the usual formula.

The wedding party is introduced for the reception, with the rest of La Familia and Alicia Fox waiting on the stage. Chavo welcomes Edge to the family and thinks he’ll be perfect with some of that wild side. Edge isn’t THAT wild any more though, as he never even turns his phone off anymore so he won’t miss anything from Vickie. It’s Chavo’s honor to be the best man and he’ll be there when Edge wins the World Title on Sunday. Chavo even has a mock WWE Magazine with Edge as champion on the cover. Edge says Vickie loves her action so let’s get things started.

Finlay/Hornswoggle vs. Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder

This is a preview of the four way Tag Team Title match at the Bash, also involving Jesse and Festus and Miz/John Morrison. Before the match, Edge says he’s tired of seeing Finlay and Hornswoggle cheating every week, but Hawkins and Ryder are too smart for the water guns and such. So is Edge, who will be the guest referee.

Hawkins and Ryder (and Edge) are in wedding clothes and Edge throws the shillelagh out before the bell. Finlay takes Hawkins into the corner to start but Edge breaks it up, which JR doesn’t see as the best move. Edge’s distraction lets Hawkins hammer away and it’s off to Ryder for a neckbreaker. Finlay fights up and brings in Hornswoggle to clean house but Edge hits a spear on Finlay to give Ryder the fast pin.

Post match Edge heads back to the stage for the first dance with Vickie. Cue Big Show to cut in so Edge gives him a handicap match right now.

Big Show vs. Great Khali/MVP/Shelton Benjamin/Vladimir Kozlov

So how did Edge know those four would be ready to go if this was an impromptu match? Show shoves Benjamin down without much effort to start so MVP comes in. That involves nothing physical whatsoever before it’s off to Kozlov. Show shoves him into the corner without much trouble so Khali tags himself in. A quick clothesline drops Khali and everyone else comes in for the DQ.

Post match the beatdown is on, including the chokebomb from Khali.

Post break Vickie is in the ring (you might be noticing a theme here) to throw the bouquet, with a bunch of women at ringside. Michelle McCool and Natalya get in a fight, with Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder getting rid of McCool. Cherry catches the bouquet, which earns her a match against….Vickie. But only after her first match.

Cherry vs. Natalya

They’re both in dresses and Natalya wins in less than 45 seconds.

Vickie Guerrero vs. Cherry

Vickie pins her in five seconds.

Jimmy Wang Yang vs. The Brian Kendrick

This is the debut of the new Kendrick, complete with a monster named Ezekiel. Kendrick wants nothing to do with this handshake stuff so Yang takes him down with a headlock takeover. Back up and Yang hits a running clothesline to the floor but an Ezekiel distraction lets Kendrick get in a cheap shot. Kendrick starts in on the arm back inside but charges into an elbow in the corner. A missile dropkick gives Yang two so he goes up for the moonsault, only to have Ezekiel offer a distraction. Kendrick slams him down and hits Sliced Bread #2 for the win.

Rating: C+. This was a good enough debut for the new Kendrick, with Ezekiel playing into the finish like a monster enforcer should. Kendrick’s new attitude worked well and there is some potential for him to do something with this. Yang continues to be a solid hand in the ring and is the right choice to put in a spot like this one.

Edge gets a box of Slim Jim’s, saying he’ll show his spicy side later tonight.

Mr. Kennedy vs. Umaga

Kennedy strikes away to start but Umaga gets in a hard shoulder. An even harder clothesline has Kennedy in more trouble and he runs into an elbow in the corner. This lets Umaga get in his variety of stomping/stepping on Kennedy’s head before grabbing the nerve hold. Kennedy’s comeback is cut off by a knee to the ribs and things slow right back down. We hit the nerve hold again before Umaga drops him one more time as we take a break.

Back with Umaga putting on ANOTHER nerve hold as this match will not get going. Kennedy tries to fight up but his slam attempt falls down and we are off to the fourth nerve hold. With Kennedy daring to do something, Umaga uppercuts him right back down as the fans are dying with every boring second of this mess. Kennedy fights back again and actually gets somewhere with right hands and an enziguri for two. The Mic Check is blocked though and the Samoan Spike finishes for Umaga.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t so much a bad match as much as it was terribly dull. The match was less than fifteen minutes long and it included four different nerve holds. The match just wasn’t interesting and it felt like Umaga was doing less than phoning it in. Kennedy can’t do much when his comeback is cut off time after time so the beatdown can keep going. Really dull stuff here.

Edge is in a new Slim Jim commercial.

Miz/John Morrison vs. Jesse and Festus

Non-title. Festus chases Miz and Morrison outside to start as the champs already need a breather. Morrison gets suplexed to start and Festus slams Jesse onto him for two. Back up and Morrison knocks Jesse into the corner as JR compares Morrison to Rick Rude. Jesse gets out of said corner and brings Festus back in to clean house. A Rocket Launcher top rope forearm hits Miz with Morrison having to make a save. Everything breaks down and Miz grabs the Reality Check to pin Jesse.

Rating: C. They kept this one really short and it didn’t do much to get me excited for the four way Tag Team Title match at the Bash. The champs have already beaten one of the teams, so why would I want to see Jesse and Festus getting a title shot? I get not having the champs loses here as they just lost on ECW, but it’s not the best way to go for Sunday.

Raw Rebound.

Great American Bash rundown.

Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy

Non-title and they come to the ring at the same time, though only after hitting Chavo Guerrero with a cake. Respect is shown to start and Jeff goes after the arm. That’s reversed into an arm crank from Matt, who knocks Jeff down. Neither can hit a Twist of Fate so Jeff runs up the corner for the Whisper In The Wind to take over. The slingshot dropkick (that always looks good) gets two but he has to break out of the Side Effect. Jeff knocks him down again, only to miss the Swanton. Matt’s moonsault gets two but La Familia runs in for the DQ.

Rating: C+. This was a weird one as they didn’t want to fight each other and the fans weren’t sure what to do here. The smart move here is that they kept this short, as there was only so much you can get out of a match like this one. The action was good but the vibe was off, which was kind of the point of the whole thing anyway.

Post match the beatdown is on and Edge hits a spear to each Hardy.

Post break La Familia is in the ring so Edge can talk about how much he loves Vickie. He even has a special video package of their relationship, including their time in a park on a seesaw and in, uh, more intimate areas. With that out of the way, here is HHH to interrupt, complete with a big gift box. First though, let’s get this out of the way: no he isn’t secretly married to Vickie.

While he didn’t have the time to get a big special video together, he does have a video of his own. We see a video dated yesterday, showing Alicia Fox coming to see Edge with Vickie nowhere to be seen. Edge is worried about some wedding details so they go over some planning, including food options (uh, that should probably be decided earlier than the day before the wedding). HHH pauses the video and thinks Edge is a bit anxious, so let’s skip to the good part.

Back to the video, with Edge talking about how a white rose symbolizes his love for Vickie. He’s so attracted to scents, including whatever perfume Fox is wearing. She’s not wearing any perfume (cut to a VERY displeased Vickie in the arena) and Edge touches her arm, saying his trapezoid (Fox: “Your what?”) is locking up on him. A slightly nervous looking Fox rubs his neck (Edge: “I think it’s getting a little stiffer.”) but HHH pauses things again.

Edge explains that his neck was flaring up, with HHH saying lots of guys have women massage their necks when their wives aren’t there. An angry Edge sends the troops after HHH, who pulls out gift #2: a sledgehammer. HHH: “It’s one size fits all and there’s plenty for everyone!”

We go back to the video, which now sees Edge rubbing Fox’s back. Edge suggests taking the bra off (Fox isn’t sure) and mentions he went lingerie shopping yesterday, but there was nothing in Vickie’s size. He was told to go to the store for “bigger people” and talks about how big Vickie’s underwear really is. HHH stops the tape again and says this is awkward. He says he didn’t watch this yet, but it kills gift #3: some rather large underwear. HHH: “I can always park my car under it.”

We go back to the video where Edge takes off Fox’s glasses and…she’s going to leave. Edge stops her and they kiss, with Fox certainly approving. Back in the arena, Vickie glares at Edge, Fox looks like she’s about to cry, and Bam Neely is talking to Chavo Guerrero about something. Vickie screams a lot as Edge leaves to end the show. I’m going to assume they ran out of things to air here, as this went nearly 20 minutes and they easily could have accomplished the same thing in half the time.

Overall Rating: C-. It would be an understatement to call this a one note show as the Edge/Vickie stuff went from start to finish, with the villains sitting on the stage almost throughout the night. The wrestling was nothing special with that Umaga vs. Kennedy match being especially dull. Other than the Tag Team Title match, there is nothing important but Edge vs. HHH at the pay per view on the Smackdown side. Pretty weak show this time, though the reaction to Edge kissing Fox (once they got there) was 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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AND

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