ART + LIFE
Wrestling Blog: Week of 6-29-09
WWE RAW Results: 6-29-09
Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Keller's complete report). Condensed here to in-ring results only (Note: apparently Caldwell's report is missing the first half-hour due to storms in Houston last night so I'm using Keller's report this week).
(1) Triple H beat MVP. Lawler wondered who Triple H was standing after what he went through at the PPV last night. MVP dominated early as Triple H sold an injured quad on his left leg, which was wrapped. Triple H avoided a Playmaker at 4:00 and snapped into a Pedigree for the clean win. (3/4*)
(2) Edge & Chris Jericho defeated Primo & Carlito Colon for the Unified Tag Team Titles in 8:00. A minute into the match, the Colons knocked the heel duo to the floor, then they cut to an early break. [c] Back from the break the heels were in control, tagging in and out against Primo. Carlito got a hot-tag at 7:00 and went on sustained offense. He hit Edge with his Back Stabber finisher for a near fall, with Jericho breaking it up with a great save (not one of those whimpy stomps but a full diving tackle). Primo knocked Jericho to the floor. Carlito then gave Edge a kneelift. As Carlito set up a springboard on the middle rope, it appeared he got knocked off balance by Primo. He looked angrily down at Primo. The cameras didn't pick up what happened, and the announcers seemed to miss it entirely, and then Edge gave Carlito a spear for the win. The replay showed that Jericho shoved Primo into the ropes, throwing off Carlito. Carlito had some words for Primo afterward, although surely he'll see the video replay and forgive his brother. Right? (*1/2)
(3) John Cena pinned The Miz in 14:00. Cole asked Lawler if Miz could have learned anything about his loss last night. Lawler said he had to have learned what not to do, comparing it to the lesson people learn when they put their hand on a hot stove. Cena stared down Miz, then got a crowd pop when he took off his t-shirt. Miz scored early with a kneelift, forearm, chop, and kick. Lawler and Cole talked about how Miz did dominate Cena early in the match last night. Cena came back right away with an armdrag, bodyslam, and elbowdrop. Cena settled into a chinlock at 2:00. Miz escaped and applied a side headlock. Lawler said Cena got in people's faces early in his career just as Miz does now, implying Miz might be on Cena's path. Cena went for a bulldog at 4:00, but Miz escaped and leaped over the top rope and snapped Cena's neck-first over the top rope. He followed with a neckbreaker and a near fall. [c] Back from the break, Miz had Cena in a sleeper at 8:00. Lawler again said Miz more than held his own last night most of the match, and perhaps that gave him the confidence necessary to avoid defeat again. Miz blocked an Attitude Adjustment and dropped Cena hard to the mat and scored two consecutive two count near falls. Miz took time to trash-talk Cena. Cena made a brief comeback, but Miz countered with a sleeper. Cena made his faces, and then began to fade. He dropped to one knee and then all the way to the mat. Cena made a comeback by powering out and hitting a series of shoulder blocks and a release side suplex. He signaled for his You Can't See Me routine. He hit Miz with a legdrop off the ropes to the back of his neck and then applied the STF for another clean tapout win. Cole confirmed that sets up Cena vs. Triple H next week. (**3/4)
(4) Mickie James defeated Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix and Rose Mendez when she pinned Mendez at 5:00 to earn a shot at Maryse's Divas Title at Night of the Champions. Maryse joined in on commentary. She gave Cole a hard time about how be pronounces her name. He As Phoenix punched Mickie, Rosa stepped in to help and it seemed to upset Phoenix. Mickie avoided a Phoenix suplex and then applied an inverted sleeper. Mendez then put Mickie in a sleeper. Kelly jumped on Mendez's back with her own sleeper. Phoenix escaped and shoved the other three into the corner turnbuckle. Kelly got a near fall on Phoenix after a sunset flip. Mickie moved in and went for a pin, but Mendez broke that up with a backslide of her own. Maryse indicated she wanted to face Kelly if she had a choice, almost to the point of seeming to have a crush on her. Mickie eventually finished Mendez with a DDT. Mickie and Maryse had a staredown afterward, then she hugged Kelly afterward. (*1/4)
(5) The Big Show fought Kofi Kingston to a double countout at 3:00. Kofi showed his usual good fighting spirit. Show, though, overpowered him. He knocked him to the floor to defend against being mounted and punched in the corner. Show pressed Kofi, practically poking his finger up his butt in the process, but Kofi slipped out and shoved Show into the ringpost. The ref got to the ten count before either could get back into the ring. A fan held up a sign that said, "Big Slow." Show frowned and walked to the back. Short, but fine. (1/2*)
(6a) Randy Orton pinned Evan Bourne in 4:00. Bourne was revealed to be new to the Raw brand. Lawler talked up Bourne's style. Cole said Orton is so used to wrestling Triple H (tell us about it) that he may not know what to make of the pacing of Bourne. Bourne got in early offense including flying moves and kicks leading to a near fall. Orton gave Bourne a jaw-jacker out of nowhere. Bourne made a comeback and went on a flurry of rapid-moves and Orton seemed slowed by the effects of the PPV beating he took at the PPV. Bourne flew off the top rope. Lawler said Bourne is fun to watch. Bourne set up a top rope move, but Orton got up and knocked him off balance; Bourne straddled the top rope. Orton then gave Bourne a flying bulldog for the win. (*)
(6b) Randy Orton defeated Jack Swagger via countout. Swagger outwrestled Orton early by charging in and then powerslamming him. Swagger did his signature chest pound and then seemed to consider the moment. He then walked out onto the ring apron and got intentionally counted out. He told Orton afterward he has always respected him, so on his first night on Raw (sort of), he wanted to leave a lasting impression. He shook Orton's hand, and Orton accepted it and gave him a half grin.
(6c) Mark Henry pinned Randy Orton in 4:00. Henry said he also came to Raw to make an impression. He said he respects Orton, too. He stepped onto the ring apron and let the ref count. When the ref got to five, Henry grabbed the ref's hand. Henry then began to laugh and he stepped back into the ring and waved his finger at Orton, as if to say he wasn't letting him off that easily. Orton sunk into the corner, like those guys on those Highway Patrol shows do when the cop asks if they will open their trunk for them and they have 250K worth of weed back there. Orton actually got on his knees and begged off. Henry slowly moved in and grabbed Orton by his throat and tossed him hard to the mat. Henry headbutted Orton and then soaked up some cheers. Orton tried to fight back with an RKO, but Henry shoved him away, into the ropes, and then slammed him to the mat with a powerslam. That was a big win for Henry. Do they have big plans for him?
Batista stepped out onto the stage and smiled as Henry celebrated for over a minute.
(1) Triple H beat MVP. Lawler wondered who Triple H was standing after what he went through at the PPV last night. MVP dominated early as Triple H sold an injured quad on his left leg, which was wrapped. Triple H avoided a Playmaker at 4:00 and snapped into a Pedigree for the clean win. (3/4*)
(2) Edge & Chris Jericho defeated Primo & Carlito Colon for the Unified Tag Team Titles in 8:00. A minute into the match, the Colons knocked the heel duo to the floor, then they cut to an early break. [c] Back from the break the heels were in control, tagging in and out against Primo. Carlito got a hot-tag at 7:00 and went on sustained offense. He hit Edge with his Back Stabber finisher for a near fall, with Jericho breaking it up with a great save (not one of those whimpy stomps but a full diving tackle). Primo knocked Jericho to the floor. Carlito then gave Edge a kneelift. As Carlito set up a springboard on the middle rope, it appeared he got knocked off balance by Primo. He looked angrily down at Primo. The cameras didn't pick up what happened, and the announcers seemed to miss it entirely, and then Edge gave Carlito a spear for the win. The replay showed that Jericho shoved Primo into the ropes, throwing off Carlito. Carlito had some words for Primo afterward, although surely he'll see the video replay and forgive his brother. Right? (*1/2)
(3) John Cena pinned The Miz in 14:00. Cole asked Lawler if Miz could have learned anything about his loss last night. Lawler said he had to have learned what not to do, comparing it to the lesson people learn when they put their hand on a hot stove. Cena stared down Miz, then got a crowd pop when he took off his t-shirt. Miz scored early with a kneelift, forearm, chop, and kick. Lawler and Cole talked about how Miz did dominate Cena early in the match last night. Cena came back right away with an armdrag, bodyslam, and elbowdrop. Cena settled into a chinlock at 2:00. Miz escaped and applied a side headlock. Lawler said Cena got in people's faces early in his career just as Miz does now, implying Miz might be on Cena's path. Cena went for a bulldog at 4:00, but Miz escaped and leaped over the top rope and snapped Cena's neck-first over the top rope. He followed with a neckbreaker and a near fall. [c] Back from the break, Miz had Cena in a sleeper at 8:00. Lawler again said Miz more than held his own last night most of the match, and perhaps that gave him the confidence necessary to avoid defeat again. Miz blocked an Attitude Adjustment and dropped Cena hard to the mat and scored two consecutive two count near falls. Miz took time to trash-talk Cena. Cena made a brief comeback, but Miz countered with a sleeper. Cena made his faces, and then began to fade. He dropped to one knee and then all the way to the mat. Cena made a comeback by powering out and hitting a series of shoulder blocks and a release side suplex. He signaled for his You Can't See Me routine. He hit Miz with a legdrop off the ropes to the back of his neck and then applied the STF for another clean tapout win. Cole confirmed that sets up Cena vs. Triple H next week. (**3/4)
(4) Mickie James defeated Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix and Rose Mendez when she pinned Mendez at 5:00 to earn a shot at Maryse's Divas Title at Night of the Champions. Maryse joined in on commentary. She gave Cole a hard time about how be pronounces her name. He As Phoenix punched Mickie, Rosa stepped in to help and it seemed to upset Phoenix. Mickie avoided a Phoenix suplex and then applied an inverted sleeper. Mendez then put Mickie in a sleeper. Kelly jumped on Mendez's back with her own sleeper. Phoenix escaped and shoved the other three into the corner turnbuckle. Kelly got a near fall on Phoenix after a sunset flip. Mickie moved in and went for a pin, but Mendez broke that up with a backslide of her own. Maryse indicated she wanted to face Kelly if she had a choice, almost to the point of seeming to have a crush on her. Mickie eventually finished Mendez with a DDT. Mickie and Maryse had a staredown afterward, then she hugged Kelly afterward. (*1/4)
(5) The Big Show fought Kofi Kingston to a double countout at 3:00. Kofi showed his usual good fighting spirit. Show, though, overpowered him. He knocked him to the floor to defend against being mounted and punched in the corner. Show pressed Kofi, practically poking his finger up his butt in the process, but Kofi slipped out and shoved Show into the ringpost. The ref got to the ten count before either could get back into the ring. A fan held up a sign that said, "Big Slow." Show frowned and walked to the back. Short, but fine. (1/2*)
(6a) Randy Orton pinned Evan Bourne in 4:00. Bourne was revealed to be new to the Raw brand. Lawler talked up Bourne's style. Cole said Orton is so used to wrestling Triple H (tell us about it) that he may not know what to make of the pacing of Bourne. Bourne got in early offense including flying moves and kicks leading to a near fall. Orton gave Bourne a jaw-jacker out of nowhere. Bourne made a comeback and went on a flurry of rapid-moves and Orton seemed slowed by the effects of the PPV beating he took at the PPV. Bourne flew off the top rope. Lawler said Bourne is fun to watch. Bourne set up a top rope move, but Orton got up and knocked him off balance; Bourne straddled the top rope. Orton then gave Bourne a flying bulldog for the win. (*)
(6b) Randy Orton defeated Jack Swagger via countout. Swagger outwrestled Orton early by charging in and then powerslamming him. Swagger did his signature chest pound and then seemed to consider the moment. He then walked out onto the ring apron and got intentionally counted out. He told Orton afterward he has always respected him, so on his first night on Raw (sort of), he wanted to leave a lasting impression. He shook Orton's hand, and Orton accepted it and gave him a half grin.
(6c) Mark Henry pinned Randy Orton in 4:00. Henry said he also came to Raw to make an impression. He said he respects Orton, too. He stepped onto the ring apron and let the ref count. When the ref got to five, Henry grabbed the ref's hand. Henry then began to laugh and he stepped back into the ring and waved his finger at Orton, as if to say he wasn't letting him off that easily. Orton sunk into the corner, like those guys on those Highway Patrol shows do when the cop asks if they will open their trunk for them and they have 250K worth of weed back there. Orton actually got on his knees and begged off. Henry slowly moved in and grabbed Orton by his throat and tossed him hard to the mat. Henry headbutted Orton and then soaked up some cheers. Orton tried to fight back with an RKO, but Henry shoved him away, into the ropes, and then slammed him to the mat with a powerslam. That was a big win for Henry. Do they have big plans for him?
Batista stepped out onto the stage and smiled as Henry celebrated for over a minute.
ECW on Sci-Fi Results: 6-30-09
Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report). Condensed here to in-ring results only.
1 -- SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. YOSHI TATSU
Bell sounded and Shelton went around the ring mock bowing to the crowd to apparently mock the entire Japanese culture. Shelton did a praying mantis pose to mock Yoshi, who continued to be annoyed. Shelton then did a Sumo wrestling warm-up pose while laughing at the whole ordeal. Shelton did a deep bend, then Yoshi blasted Shelton in the face with a roundhouse kick. He covered Shelton for the pin and the win. Yoshi then bowed over Shelton, who slowly tried to put the pieces back together.
WINNER: Yoshi in 2:00 with 0:05 of action. That was quite possibly the worst, dumbest segment I've seen in a while on WWE TV. Well, at least since the Santina stuff. Managed to offend an entire culture right before touring there. I just don't get WWE's booking of Shelton. It's just another step backward moving to ECW. (n/a)
2 -- SHEAMUS vs. OLIVER JOHN
A graphic flashed on the screen announcing next week with a special time of Thursday at 7:00 p.m. EST. Perhaps WWE is too embarrassed to actually draw attention to when next week's ECW TV is. Sheamus took it to Oliver early on as Matt Striker talked about Sheamus not following tradition of introducing himself to the boys in the back when he arrived. Sheamus cut off a brief comeback with a big bicycle kick. He followed with a Rock Bottom with a backbreaker for the pin and the win.
WINNER: Sheamus in 3:00. Sheamus was fine in his national TV debut, but it would help if WWE actually took the time to give these guys some pre-debut vignettes to introduce them to the audience. (*)
3 -- ECW champion TOMMY DREAMER & CHRISTIAN vs. KOZLOV & WILLIAM REGAL
Christian and Regal started things off with an aggressive exchange of holds. Nice to see some physical action on the show. Dreamer and Kozlov then tagged in and Kozlov pounded Dreamer into the corner before landing body blows. Dreamer landed a kick to the chest before delivering some right hand blows. He hit a cross body block, then pulled the top rope down to send Kozlov to the floor. Christian tagged in, then flew through the ropes with a dropkick. He teased a top rope splash, but Regal ran over to guard Kozlov and prevent a highspot. Cut to break.
Back from break, Regal had Dreamer in a reverse chinlock wearing down the champ. Kozlov then tagged in and landed multiple elbow smashes, mixing in grunts for added effect. Christian took a hot tag at 8:00 and cleaned house on Regal before going to the second rope for a missile dropkick. Christian tried a sunset flip pin, but Regal kicked out. Regal then cut Christian off with a slingshot smash across the top rope focused on the shoulder. Kozlov then tagged in and started focusing on the left shoulder. Regal and Kozlov exchanged tags to work over Christian's shoulder for a while.
Dreamer finally took a hot tag at 13:00 and came in hot on Kozlov with a flying shoulder tackle. Dreamer teased a DDT on Kozlov, but opted for a neckbreaker for a two count. Meanwhile, Regal and Christian battled on the outside with Regal throwing Christian into the ring steps. Regal then tagged himself in and Dreamer flung him into the ring. Dreamer with a small package, but Regal kicked out. Dreamer missed with a corner smash and ate the ringpost. Regal followed with an exploder suplex, but Kozlov blind-tagged in as Regal was setting up a finish. Kozlov then entered the ring and gave Dreamer the Iron Curtain slam for the pin and the win.
Post-match: Regal clapped for Kozlov, who smiled his Kozlov smile. Kozlov saluted himself, then Regal walked over to Kozlov for a handshake. Regal not showing any frustration with Kozlov stealing the pin from him. A minute or two after the finish, Striker apparently got a bug in his ear to remind viewers that Kozlov just pinned the ECW champion. Hint hint. Regal and Kozlov shared another few celebration moments as Regal looked a little too longingly at Kozlov to close the show.
WINNERS: Kozlov & Regal in 15:00. Good, physical match-up. Had some rough moments throughout, but it was nice to see some actual wrestling action on the show. Apparently Regal killed Christian on the outside before the finish, as Christian completely disappeared at the end. Dreamer vs. Kozlov coming soon. Great. So concludes a very rough episode of ECW TV. Lots of growing pains coming up and they didn't even bother to verbally plug next week's show on Thursday night. Too embarrassed to point that out, apparently. (**)
1 -- SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. YOSHI TATSU
Bell sounded and Shelton went around the ring mock bowing to the crowd to apparently mock the entire Japanese culture. Shelton did a praying mantis pose to mock Yoshi, who continued to be annoyed. Shelton then did a Sumo wrestling warm-up pose while laughing at the whole ordeal. Shelton did a deep bend, then Yoshi blasted Shelton in the face with a roundhouse kick. He covered Shelton for the pin and the win. Yoshi then bowed over Shelton, who slowly tried to put the pieces back together.
WINNER: Yoshi in 2:00 with 0:05 of action. That was quite possibly the worst, dumbest segment I've seen in a while on WWE TV. Well, at least since the Santina stuff. Managed to offend an entire culture right before touring there. I just don't get WWE's booking of Shelton. It's just another step backward moving to ECW. (n/a)
2 -- SHEAMUS vs. OLIVER JOHN
A graphic flashed on the screen announcing next week with a special time of Thursday at 7:00 p.m. EST. Perhaps WWE is too embarrassed to actually draw attention to when next week's ECW TV is. Sheamus took it to Oliver early on as Matt Striker talked about Sheamus not following tradition of introducing himself to the boys in the back when he arrived. Sheamus cut off a brief comeback with a big bicycle kick. He followed with a Rock Bottom with a backbreaker for the pin and the win.
WINNER: Sheamus in 3:00. Sheamus was fine in his national TV debut, but it would help if WWE actually took the time to give these guys some pre-debut vignettes to introduce them to the audience. (*)
3 -- ECW champion TOMMY DREAMER & CHRISTIAN vs. KOZLOV & WILLIAM REGAL
Christian and Regal started things off with an aggressive exchange of holds. Nice to see some physical action on the show. Dreamer and Kozlov then tagged in and Kozlov pounded Dreamer into the corner before landing body blows. Dreamer landed a kick to the chest before delivering some right hand blows. He hit a cross body block, then pulled the top rope down to send Kozlov to the floor. Christian tagged in, then flew through the ropes with a dropkick. He teased a top rope splash, but Regal ran over to guard Kozlov and prevent a highspot. Cut to break.
Back from break, Regal had Dreamer in a reverse chinlock wearing down the champ. Kozlov then tagged in and landed multiple elbow smashes, mixing in grunts for added effect. Christian took a hot tag at 8:00 and cleaned house on Regal before going to the second rope for a missile dropkick. Christian tried a sunset flip pin, but Regal kicked out. Regal then cut Christian off with a slingshot smash across the top rope focused on the shoulder. Kozlov then tagged in and started focusing on the left shoulder. Regal and Kozlov exchanged tags to work over Christian's shoulder for a while.
Dreamer finally took a hot tag at 13:00 and came in hot on Kozlov with a flying shoulder tackle. Dreamer teased a DDT on Kozlov, but opted for a neckbreaker for a two count. Meanwhile, Regal and Christian battled on the outside with Regal throwing Christian into the ring steps. Regal then tagged himself in and Dreamer flung him into the ring. Dreamer with a small package, but Regal kicked out. Dreamer missed with a corner smash and ate the ringpost. Regal followed with an exploder suplex, but Kozlov blind-tagged in as Regal was setting up a finish. Kozlov then entered the ring and gave Dreamer the Iron Curtain slam for the pin and the win.
Post-match: Regal clapped for Kozlov, who smiled his Kozlov smile. Kozlov saluted himself, then Regal walked over to Kozlov for a handshake. Regal not showing any frustration with Kozlov stealing the pin from him. A minute or two after the finish, Striker apparently got a bug in his ear to remind viewers that Kozlov just pinned the ECW champion. Hint hint. Regal and Kozlov shared another few celebration moments as Regal looked a little too longingly at Kozlov to close the show.
WINNERS: Kozlov & Regal in 15:00. Good, physical match-up. Had some rough moments throughout, but it was nice to see some actual wrestling action on the show. Apparently Regal killed Christian on the outside before the finish, as Christian completely disappeared at the end. Dreamer vs. Kozlov coming soon. Great. So concludes a very rough episode of ECW TV. Lots of growing pains coming up and they didn't even bother to verbally plug next week's show on Thursday night. Too embarrassed to point that out, apparently. (**)
WWE Superstars Results: 7-2-09
Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report). Condensed here to in-ring results only.
1 -- SANTINO MARELLA vs. THE BRIAN KENDRICK
Crowd with a "Santino, Santino" chant and Santino started blushing trying to downplay the cheers. So great. Kendrick then kicked Santino in the gut and put him on the mat, which drew boos. Santino quickly countered with a series of takedowns into headlocks, showing off his hidden judo background. Santino started talking to an inanimate object, so Kendrick kicked him in the gut. Santino then tried to skin the cat back into the ring, but Kendrick yanked his right leg across the top rope. Kendrick went Mexican-style and started working the right. Kendrick started calling Santino a loser, a nobody, a never-will be, which only made Santino ah-so-ah-mad. He Hulked up on Kendrick with a round of hip tosses before walking right into a kick to the face. Kendrick had a cover, but Santino casually grabbed the bottom rope for a break. Kendrick tried a roll-up, but Santino flipped him over and trapped the shoulders for a pin as Kendrick tried to wiggle out.
Post-match: Santino then did his big "trumpet and dancing" celebration. He said today was his day. He tried to shake Kendrick's hand to adhere to the Code of Honor, but Kendrick wanted to slap him. Santino moved away and simply said, "I try. But he too angry." Santino then worked out the leg work on the way to the back with a victory in his pocket.
WINNER: Santino in 4:00. Santino is so great in his babyface role. Kendrick was just playing the enhancement talent, which is apparently his permanent role on Raw. (*1/4)
2 -- CHARLIE HAAS vs. JOHN MORRISON
Match moved to the floor in the opening minute with Morrison trying to drag Haas up the ring steps, only to have Haas drop him abs-first across the steps with a leg sweep. Haas then dragged Morrison back into the ring to start working on the six-pack. Morrison suddenly nailed a head-stand kick to the head followed by a leaping dropsault into a running kick for a two count. Sweet three-move combo. Haas then cut him off with a knee to the abs again. Haas missed with a kick, then Morrison hit a spinning neckbreaker. He followed right up with the Starship Pain springboard corkscrew plancha for the pin and the win.
WINNER: Morrison in 4:00. Haas had a decent showing enhancing Morrison, who looked very sharp with his offensive display. Ross and Grisham had ample time to talk up Morrison, which was the key to the match. Morrison is slowly connecting with the audience as a babyface with his flashy moves that the fans are recognizing more and more. (*1/2)
3 -- ZACK RYDER vs. TAYLOR REKS
Hot start with a back-and-forth exchange until Ryder blasted him with repeat kicks to the body before hitting a Samoa Joe-like kick to the face in the corner. I miss the Face Wash. Ryder then settled into a side headlock, but Reks slipped out and hit a neckbreaker. They had a forearm exchange before Reks landed an elbow smash and face-into-the-mat slam. Reks tried a move from the second rope, but Ryder cut him off with a kick to the knee. Ryder followed with the Zack Attack - reverse Fameasser - for the pin and the win.
WINNER: Ryder in 4:00. Another brief four-minute match, but really nice action. Ryder continues to "grow into his shoes" as a legit heel with a mean streak. He's at that Jack Swagger make-or-break point where he needs to put on a suit, step into the ring, and cut a ten-minute promo to see if he can handle the big time. Reks was solid in his debut. Curious he would lose in his first match, though. (*1/2)
4 -- World Hvt. champion C.M. PUNK vs. Unified tag champion EDGE -- non-title match
Bell sounded and Edge shoved Punk in the corner. Punk was pissed off that Edge went after the "injured" eye, so he chased Edge back into a corner. Ross tried to play up Punk as a credible man by saying Punk apologized to the official he "accidentally" kicked in the back during The Bash after the show. Grisham interjected that Hardy would see it differently. Great storyline.
Edge landed a forearm to the eye, then Punk dumped him to the apron and kicked his legs out from under him. Punk then sent Edge to the floor with a baseball slide kick. Punk followed on the floor, took Edge back into the ring, then Edge blasted him in the "injured eye." Ref held Edge back and checked on Punk, who covered his eye and tried to shake it off. Edge wasn't buying it. Cut to break.
Back from break, Edge was working over Punk. Ross said he'd bet a rack of ribs that Jeff Hardy is watching the match intently. Grisham said it must be weird for Jeff to root for Edge after their series of recent matches. Nice interjection of history. Punk came back with a standing enziguiri on Edge for a two count, then he checked the eye again. Punk attempted a Pedigree or butterfly suplex, but Edge cut him off with a DDT for a two count. Punk came back with an attempted springboard clothesline, but Edge ducked, only to take a powerslam from Punk.
Edge regrouped in the corner and Punk charged him with a running knee in the corner. Edge blocked a bulldog, but Punk teased the G2S. Edge raked the eyes to break the hold, prompting Punk to run into the corner to sell an eye injury. Edge then attacked Punk in the corner and the ref held him back. Punk suddenly waved his arms and said he can't continue because he can't see. Edge was stunned, but he was announced as the winner. Mixed cheers for Edge, who laughed and pointed at Punk.
WINNER: Edge via Punk not being able to continue in 12:00. Solid TV match. Very intriguing with the slow babyface turn for Edge (via Punk) and Punk's slow progression as a heel, but still remaining tweener. A few great exchanges in this one before the No Mas finish. If they really want to add fuel to the fire without turning Punk full heel, they can have him plead Wellness Policy combined with the Nigel-as-ROH-champ storyline that he's not going to risk his health for the sake of the fans's enjoyment and protect his interest as champ by only defending every 30 days. It wouldn't be a heel line because it's smart business for his personal career, but the fans wouldn't want to hear it. Lots and lots and lots of potential for this storyline before Punk turns full-fledged heel. Keeping him as a tweener trying to explain himself to unappreciative fans should make for great TV over the next few weeks and months. (**1/2)
Post-match: Ref checked on Punk, then Josh Mathews entered the ring to check on Punk. He asked Punk if he would have done the same thing if this was a title match. Ref checked on Punk, who said if he can't see, he can't compete. He said he'd be happy to give Edge a re-match. Crowd booed Punk as a doc tried to get a light in the eye, but he couldn't open his eye. Ross said it must have hurt Punk's pride to wave this one off. They showed a replay of Edge "raking the eyes" leading to the finish. They did a close-up on Edge's eye as he sold pain to close the show. Great closing shot.
1 -- SANTINO MARELLA vs. THE BRIAN KENDRICK
Crowd with a "Santino, Santino" chant and Santino started blushing trying to downplay the cheers. So great. Kendrick then kicked Santino in the gut and put him on the mat, which drew boos. Santino quickly countered with a series of takedowns into headlocks, showing off his hidden judo background. Santino started talking to an inanimate object, so Kendrick kicked him in the gut. Santino then tried to skin the cat back into the ring, but Kendrick yanked his right leg across the top rope. Kendrick went Mexican-style and started working the right. Kendrick started calling Santino a loser, a nobody, a never-will be, which only made Santino ah-so-ah-mad. He Hulked up on Kendrick with a round of hip tosses before walking right into a kick to the face. Kendrick had a cover, but Santino casually grabbed the bottom rope for a break. Kendrick tried a roll-up, but Santino flipped him over and trapped the shoulders for a pin as Kendrick tried to wiggle out.
Post-match: Santino then did his big "trumpet and dancing" celebration. He said today was his day. He tried to shake Kendrick's hand to adhere to the Code of Honor, but Kendrick wanted to slap him. Santino moved away and simply said, "I try. But he too angry." Santino then worked out the leg work on the way to the back with a victory in his pocket.
WINNER: Santino in 4:00. Santino is so great in his babyface role. Kendrick was just playing the enhancement talent, which is apparently his permanent role on Raw. (*1/4)
2 -- CHARLIE HAAS vs. JOHN MORRISON
Match moved to the floor in the opening minute with Morrison trying to drag Haas up the ring steps, only to have Haas drop him abs-first across the steps with a leg sweep. Haas then dragged Morrison back into the ring to start working on the six-pack. Morrison suddenly nailed a head-stand kick to the head followed by a leaping dropsault into a running kick for a two count. Sweet three-move combo. Haas then cut him off with a knee to the abs again. Haas missed with a kick, then Morrison hit a spinning neckbreaker. He followed right up with the Starship Pain springboard corkscrew plancha for the pin and the win.
WINNER: Morrison in 4:00. Haas had a decent showing enhancing Morrison, who looked very sharp with his offensive display. Ross and Grisham had ample time to talk up Morrison, which was the key to the match. Morrison is slowly connecting with the audience as a babyface with his flashy moves that the fans are recognizing more and more. (*1/2)
3 -- ZACK RYDER vs. TAYLOR REKS
Hot start with a back-and-forth exchange until Ryder blasted him with repeat kicks to the body before hitting a Samoa Joe-like kick to the face in the corner. I miss the Face Wash. Ryder then settled into a side headlock, but Reks slipped out and hit a neckbreaker. They had a forearm exchange before Reks landed an elbow smash and face-into-the-mat slam. Reks tried a move from the second rope, but Ryder cut him off with a kick to the knee. Ryder followed with the Zack Attack - reverse Fameasser - for the pin and the win.
WINNER: Ryder in 4:00. Another brief four-minute match, but really nice action. Ryder continues to "grow into his shoes" as a legit heel with a mean streak. He's at that Jack Swagger make-or-break point where he needs to put on a suit, step into the ring, and cut a ten-minute promo to see if he can handle the big time. Reks was solid in his debut. Curious he would lose in his first match, though. (*1/2)
4 -- World Hvt. champion C.M. PUNK vs. Unified tag champion EDGE -- non-title match
Bell sounded and Edge shoved Punk in the corner. Punk was pissed off that Edge went after the "injured" eye, so he chased Edge back into a corner. Ross tried to play up Punk as a credible man by saying Punk apologized to the official he "accidentally" kicked in the back during The Bash after the show. Grisham interjected that Hardy would see it differently. Great storyline.
Edge landed a forearm to the eye, then Punk dumped him to the apron and kicked his legs out from under him. Punk then sent Edge to the floor with a baseball slide kick. Punk followed on the floor, took Edge back into the ring, then Edge blasted him in the "injured eye." Ref held Edge back and checked on Punk, who covered his eye and tried to shake it off. Edge wasn't buying it. Cut to break.
Back from break, Edge was working over Punk. Ross said he'd bet a rack of ribs that Jeff Hardy is watching the match intently. Grisham said it must be weird for Jeff to root for Edge after their series of recent matches. Nice interjection of history. Punk came back with a standing enziguiri on Edge for a two count, then he checked the eye again. Punk attempted a Pedigree or butterfly suplex, but Edge cut him off with a DDT for a two count. Punk came back with an attempted springboard clothesline, but Edge ducked, only to take a powerslam from Punk.
Edge regrouped in the corner and Punk charged him with a running knee in the corner. Edge blocked a bulldog, but Punk teased the G2S. Edge raked the eyes to break the hold, prompting Punk to run into the corner to sell an eye injury. Edge then attacked Punk in the corner and the ref held him back. Punk suddenly waved his arms and said he can't continue because he can't see. Edge was stunned, but he was announced as the winner. Mixed cheers for Edge, who laughed and pointed at Punk.
WINNER: Edge via Punk not being able to continue in 12:00. Solid TV match. Very intriguing with the slow babyface turn for Edge (via Punk) and Punk's slow progression as a heel, but still remaining tweener. A few great exchanges in this one before the No Mas finish. If they really want to add fuel to the fire without turning Punk full heel, they can have him plead Wellness Policy combined with the Nigel-as-ROH-champ storyline that he's not going to risk his health for the sake of the fans's enjoyment and protect his interest as champ by only defending every 30 days. It wouldn't be a heel line because it's smart business for his personal career, but the fans wouldn't want to hear it. Lots and lots and lots of potential for this storyline before Punk turns full-fledged heel. Keeping him as a tweener trying to explain himself to unappreciative fans should make for great TV over the next few weeks and months. (**1/2)
Post-match: Ref checked on Punk, then Josh Mathews entered the ring to check on Punk. He asked Punk if he would have done the same thing if this was a title match. Ref checked on Punk, who said if he can't see, he can't compete. He said he'd be happy to give Edge a re-match. Crowd booed Punk as a doc tried to get a light in the eye, but he couldn't open his eye. Ross said it must have hurt Punk's pride to wave this one off. They showed a replay of Edge "raking the eyes" leading to the finish. They did a close-up on Edge's eye as he sold pain to close the show. Great closing shot.
TNA Impact! Results: 7-2-09
Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Park's complete report). Condensed here to in-ring results only.
1- CODY DEANER vs. AMAZING RED
Deaner was a bit too aggressive early on, and he paid for it. He wore jeans with kneepads, but no shirt. He tried to work the arm, but Red came back with a few arm-drags. Head-scissor take-over that sent Deaner to the outside to consult with his woman, ODB. Red did a twisting dive over the top onto Deaner. Back in the ring for a side-roll that got two. A few more kicks from Red, but he was turned inside-out by a clothesline. A cover got two for Deaner and ODB bounced around at ringside. Right hands from Deaner in the corner on Red. I think he’s got duct tape rather than athletic tape on his wrists. Whip into the buckle by Red, then a spin kick that got a near-fall. Red went to the top, but Deaner knocked him off as he was pointing to ODB. Deaner decided to go to the top, much to the chagrin of ODB. He put on his ball cap, but missed a diving headbutt. Red came back with the “Red Eye,” a sort of inverted DDT, for the win.
WINNER: Red, at 4:18. Pretty much a comedy match, but at least Red got a win.
2- ERIC YOUNG vs. RHINO
Jesse Neal came to the ring with Rhino. Young attacked Rhino as soon as the Michigan native ran into the ring. Rhino soon was on the offense, but an Irish whip was reversed hard by Young, who then caught Rhino with a clothesline. Right hand and some choking by Young in the corner. EY settled into a rest-hold about 1:30 in. Tenay said Foley would be back next week to confront Jarrett. Wasn’t that supposed to be resolved, according to Jarrett, a few weeks ago? During the match, Young attacked Jesse on the outside, throwing him head-first into the guardrail. He was very deliberate in getting back in the ring. Rhino fought back and hit Young with a flying clothesline. Shoulder into the gut of Young in the corner, then a spinebuster. Neal got on the apron as Rhino was in a pin. Rhino confronted him, but Young shoved him into Neal, and rolled him up for the win.
WINNER: Young, at 3:37. This Rhino-Neal thing is really advancing at a much quicker pace than it needs to. Rhino should slowly get frustrated with him over a longer period of time, but instead, Neal has wrestled one match and was backstage once last week, and now, not long after training him, the story is that Rhino is already unhappy with him.
3- VELVET SKY & ANGELINA LOVE vs. AWESOME KONG & TARA
Madison Rayne had a giant poster of Victory Road with the Beautiful People on it with her as she accompanied her team to the ring. Apparently, Tara is short for “Tarantula,” and she brought one in a box to the ring with her. West talked about texting back-and-forth with Velvet at four or five in the morning about Tara. That was pretty funny. Tara worked over Velvet with a few arm-drags. Tara had Velvet by the arm and Awesome Kong made the tag, not allowing Sky to get away. Finally, after sending her into her corner, Love tagged in. Shots to the throat and head by Kong, then she tossed Love into the corner. Tara came back in and Madison got on the apron to distract the ref while Velvet interfered. That rarely causes a DQ anyway, so was the distraction even necessary? Sky and Love double-teamed Tara in the ring, then Velvet dropped an elbow that got two. Hair toss into the heel corner by Velvet, and Love came back in, but they did a double face-drop. Kong made the tag and Velvet’s offense had no effect. She took out Love too. Awesome Bomb coming up, but Love got involved, as did Tara. Love got sent into the post on the outside while Kong hit the Implant Buster for the win.
WINNERS: Kong & Tara, at 4:38. A good way to continue the Beautiful People vs. Tara feud.
4- TEAM 3D vs. SCOTT STEINER & BOOKER T- WINNERS GET A SHOT AT TNA TAG TITLES AT VICTORY ROAD
The four men got into a shoving match before the bell rang. Steiner kicked away at Brother Ray in the corner, but Bubba splashed him in the opposite corner. Beer Money was not having any of West’s ass-kissing on commentary. Steiner suplexed Ray down. Ray came back with a scoop slam, but missed an elbowdrop. Steiner did the same. Ray with a sidewalk slam for two. Booker kicked Devon in the back when Steiner had the ref’s attention. Booker came in and superkicked Devon in the corner. Booker held Devon, allowing Steiner to kick away at his mid-section and upper body. Overhead suplex by Steiner on Devon, which looked pretty impressive. Side-kick by Booker on Devon. Clothesline by Devon coming off the ropes and both men were down. Tagged made to Brother Ray. Hip-toss for Booker, Bubba Bomb for Steiner. Booker came back with the Bookend for two. Sheik Abdul Bashir and Kiyoshi, dressed nicely, came out and started brawling with Beer Money. Back in the ring, Team 3D hit the 3D on Booker. Sharmell got in the ring to distract the ref a Ray went for the pin. Steiner missed a clothesline and Ray slammed him, while Devon went to the top and hit the headbutt to the groin. The crowd chanted “get the tables” and Devon did so. The British Invasion came down and as Rob Terry distracted the ref, Doug Williams took out Devon on the outside and Brutus Magnus hit Brother Ray with the briefcase and he draped Booker’s arm over Ray to get the victory for the Mafia.
WINNERS: Booker & Steiner, at 7:33. Four veterans who still know how to put together a match, even though they certainly aren’t in their prime.
5- JEFF JARRETT & A.J. STYLES vs. KURT ANGLE & SAMOA JOE- TNA WORLD TITLE MATCH
JB handled ring introductions for this one. Jarrett and Angle went at it to start, and Angle quickly shrugged off a Stroke. The two traded offense and Styles tagged in. Angle raked the face. What incentive is there to tag out here, when you need to be in to win the title, since winning as a team means nothing here? Joe came in and got dropkicked down, then Angle came in and Styles and Jarrett traded off punching him. Angle was sent to ringside as the faces hit a double-clothesline on Joe.
Styles was on the mat out of break and Joe had just made a tag to Angle. They seemed to be focusing on the knee of Styles. Both Angle and Styles were down, but Joe knocked Jarrett off the apron and no one was there when A.J. went for the tag. Joe came in and kinda toyed with Styles. Headbutt, but Styles came back with a moonsault that turned into an inverted DDT, at the same time he hooked Angle and gave him a regular DDT. Jarrett tried to get on the apron, but Styles got locked in a submission by Joe. Styles broke out and Pele kicked Joe, then made the tag. Pedigree (called a “double-arm DDT” by Tenay), then Joe came in to give Angle the advantage again. Angle Slam turned into a DDT by Double J. He fought off Joe and Jarrett looked like he was going to hit the Stroke off the top. Instead, Joe hit the Muscle Buster on Jarrett, but Styles took out Joe and, inadvertently, the referee. Jarrett was able to finally hit the Stroke, but the ref was out. Jeff went for the guitar but by then, the ref was up and he took the guitar away. At that point, Angle locked in the ankle-lock. He tried to make the tag to Styles, but Joe pulled him off the apron. Angle grape-vined the leg of Jarrett. Jarrett didn’t tap, but passed out from the pain. Slick Johnson raised and dropped his arm three times, then called for the bell.
WINNERS: Joe & Angle, at 12:50.
The Mafia celebrated in the ring following the match. Styles took the title and threatened the Mafia with it, causing them again to flee to ringside. He attacked Joe, then the MEM came back in and attacked Styles. In a split-screen, Morgan was beating up Daniels backstage. As Nash was about to hit Styles with the Legends Title, the lights went out. When they came back on, Sting was in the ring with a baseball bat. He cleaned house on the Mafia with the bat. He grabbed the belt, held it above his head, then the lights went out again. Sting and the belt were nowhere to be seen when the lights came back on.
1- CODY DEANER vs. AMAZING RED
Deaner was a bit too aggressive early on, and he paid for it. He wore jeans with kneepads, but no shirt. He tried to work the arm, but Red came back with a few arm-drags. Head-scissor take-over that sent Deaner to the outside to consult with his woman, ODB. Red did a twisting dive over the top onto Deaner. Back in the ring for a side-roll that got two. A few more kicks from Red, but he was turned inside-out by a clothesline. A cover got two for Deaner and ODB bounced around at ringside. Right hands from Deaner in the corner on Red. I think he’s got duct tape rather than athletic tape on his wrists. Whip into the buckle by Red, then a spin kick that got a near-fall. Red went to the top, but Deaner knocked him off as he was pointing to ODB. Deaner decided to go to the top, much to the chagrin of ODB. He put on his ball cap, but missed a diving headbutt. Red came back with the “Red Eye,” a sort of inverted DDT, for the win.
WINNER: Red, at 4:18. Pretty much a comedy match, but at least Red got a win.
2- ERIC YOUNG vs. RHINO
Jesse Neal came to the ring with Rhino. Young attacked Rhino as soon as the Michigan native ran into the ring. Rhino soon was on the offense, but an Irish whip was reversed hard by Young, who then caught Rhino with a clothesline. Right hand and some choking by Young in the corner. EY settled into a rest-hold about 1:30 in. Tenay said Foley would be back next week to confront Jarrett. Wasn’t that supposed to be resolved, according to Jarrett, a few weeks ago? During the match, Young attacked Jesse on the outside, throwing him head-first into the guardrail. He was very deliberate in getting back in the ring. Rhino fought back and hit Young with a flying clothesline. Shoulder into the gut of Young in the corner, then a spinebuster. Neal got on the apron as Rhino was in a pin. Rhino confronted him, but Young shoved him into Neal, and rolled him up for the win.
WINNER: Young, at 3:37. This Rhino-Neal thing is really advancing at a much quicker pace than it needs to. Rhino should slowly get frustrated with him over a longer period of time, but instead, Neal has wrestled one match and was backstage once last week, and now, not long after training him, the story is that Rhino is already unhappy with him.
3- VELVET SKY & ANGELINA LOVE vs. AWESOME KONG & TARA
Madison Rayne had a giant poster of Victory Road with the Beautiful People on it with her as she accompanied her team to the ring. Apparently, Tara is short for “Tarantula,” and she brought one in a box to the ring with her. West talked about texting back-and-forth with Velvet at four or five in the morning about Tara. That was pretty funny. Tara worked over Velvet with a few arm-drags. Tara had Velvet by the arm and Awesome Kong made the tag, not allowing Sky to get away. Finally, after sending her into her corner, Love tagged in. Shots to the throat and head by Kong, then she tossed Love into the corner. Tara came back in and Madison got on the apron to distract the ref while Velvet interfered. That rarely causes a DQ anyway, so was the distraction even necessary? Sky and Love double-teamed Tara in the ring, then Velvet dropped an elbow that got two. Hair toss into the heel corner by Velvet, and Love came back in, but they did a double face-drop. Kong made the tag and Velvet’s offense had no effect. She took out Love too. Awesome Bomb coming up, but Love got involved, as did Tara. Love got sent into the post on the outside while Kong hit the Implant Buster for the win.
WINNERS: Kong & Tara, at 4:38. A good way to continue the Beautiful People vs. Tara feud.
4- TEAM 3D vs. SCOTT STEINER & BOOKER T- WINNERS GET A SHOT AT TNA TAG TITLES AT VICTORY ROAD
The four men got into a shoving match before the bell rang. Steiner kicked away at Brother Ray in the corner, but Bubba splashed him in the opposite corner. Beer Money was not having any of West’s ass-kissing on commentary. Steiner suplexed Ray down. Ray came back with a scoop slam, but missed an elbowdrop. Steiner did the same. Ray with a sidewalk slam for two. Booker kicked Devon in the back when Steiner had the ref’s attention. Booker came in and superkicked Devon in the corner. Booker held Devon, allowing Steiner to kick away at his mid-section and upper body. Overhead suplex by Steiner on Devon, which looked pretty impressive. Side-kick by Booker on Devon. Clothesline by Devon coming off the ropes and both men were down. Tagged made to Brother Ray. Hip-toss for Booker, Bubba Bomb for Steiner. Booker came back with the Bookend for two. Sheik Abdul Bashir and Kiyoshi, dressed nicely, came out and started brawling with Beer Money. Back in the ring, Team 3D hit the 3D on Booker. Sharmell got in the ring to distract the ref a Ray went for the pin. Steiner missed a clothesline and Ray slammed him, while Devon went to the top and hit the headbutt to the groin. The crowd chanted “get the tables” and Devon did so. The British Invasion came down and as Rob Terry distracted the ref, Doug Williams took out Devon on the outside and Brutus Magnus hit Brother Ray with the briefcase and he draped Booker’s arm over Ray to get the victory for the Mafia.
WINNERS: Booker & Steiner, at 7:33. Four veterans who still know how to put together a match, even though they certainly aren’t in their prime.
5- JEFF JARRETT & A.J. STYLES vs. KURT ANGLE & SAMOA JOE- TNA WORLD TITLE MATCH
JB handled ring introductions for this one. Jarrett and Angle went at it to start, and Angle quickly shrugged off a Stroke. The two traded offense and Styles tagged in. Angle raked the face. What incentive is there to tag out here, when you need to be in to win the title, since winning as a team means nothing here? Joe came in and got dropkicked down, then Angle came in and Styles and Jarrett traded off punching him. Angle was sent to ringside as the faces hit a double-clothesline on Joe.
Styles was on the mat out of break and Joe had just made a tag to Angle. They seemed to be focusing on the knee of Styles. Both Angle and Styles were down, but Joe knocked Jarrett off the apron and no one was there when A.J. went for the tag. Joe came in and kinda toyed with Styles. Headbutt, but Styles came back with a moonsault that turned into an inverted DDT, at the same time he hooked Angle and gave him a regular DDT. Jarrett tried to get on the apron, but Styles got locked in a submission by Joe. Styles broke out and Pele kicked Joe, then made the tag. Pedigree (called a “double-arm DDT” by Tenay), then Joe came in to give Angle the advantage again. Angle Slam turned into a DDT by Double J. He fought off Joe and Jarrett looked like he was going to hit the Stroke off the top. Instead, Joe hit the Muscle Buster on Jarrett, but Styles took out Joe and, inadvertently, the referee. Jarrett was able to finally hit the Stroke, but the ref was out. Jeff went for the guitar but by then, the ref was up and he took the guitar away. At that point, Angle locked in the ankle-lock. He tried to make the tag to Styles, but Joe pulled him off the apron. Angle grape-vined the leg of Jarrett. Jarrett didn’t tap, but passed out from the pain. Slick Johnson raised and dropped his arm three times, then called for the bell.
WINNERS: Joe & Angle, at 12:50.
The Mafia celebrated in the ring following the match. Styles took the title and threatened the Mafia with it, causing them again to flee to ringside. He attacked Joe, then the MEM came back in and attacked Styles. In a split-screen, Morgan was beating up Daniels backstage. As Nash was about to hit Styles with the Legends Title, the lights went out. When they came back on, Sting was in the ring with a baseball bat. He cleaned house on the Mafia with the bat. He grabbed the belt, held it above his head, then the lights went out again. Sting and the belt were nowhere to be seen when the lights came back on.
WWE Smackdown Results: 7-3-09
Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Park's complete report). Condensed here to in-ring results only.
1- RICKY ORTIZ vs. FINLAY
Ortiz got the dreaded “currently in the ring” treatment. He also had the mic after Finlay made his entrance. He asked if Finlay was upset about losing his little buddy (a few months late there, Rick). He asked why Finlay was so negative, and told him to drop the shillaleigh, lose the frown and rally up. Finlay responded by slapping Ortiz.
The bell rang and Finlay got a headbutt to the gut and was then clotheslined over the top rope. Ortiz tripped him up though as he was heading back into the ring. The men continued to fight on the outside and Ortiz powerslammed him out there. Belly-to-back suplex by Ortiz once they were back in the ring and that got two. He missed a running shoulder to the gut in the corner though and Finlay snuck up with a roll-up for two. Couple clotheslines, then a rolling Samoan drop. Finlay got the momentum, but his lower back wouldn’t allow him to pick Ortiz back up. Ortiz tried to back-drop him, but Finlay hooked him in the Celtic Cross, then dropped him and got the pin.
WINNER: Finlay, at 2:26. Just a showcase match for Finlay, but if they really see something in Ortiz, they should continue to put him with guys like Finlay.
2- DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. R-TRUTH
When Ziggler made his entrance, they showed clips of his match with Khali at The Bash. When Truth rapped to the ring, they showed two girls in the crowd with a Punk t-shirt and Jeff Hardy arm-bands and face-paint. They must feel quite conflicted. Truth was quick to get on the offensive until Ziggler got into the ropes, causing a break. He then took advantage of it by attacking Truth when the ref was backing him away. He suplexed Truth over his head, then applied a rear chin-lock. He took Truth down by the hair when the former K-Kwik was trying to make his comeback. Ziggler hit a number of elbowdrops on Truth. He then put Truth in a full-nelson. Truth began to come back, utilizing right hands and a back elbow to do the job. Powerslam got him a two-count. Kick to the jaw by Truth, but Ziggler held onto the bottom rope, then managed to choke Truth on the top. Ziggler hit his finisher and got the win.
WINNER: Ziggler, at 3:06. This win means a bit more for Ziggler since Truth has been picking up some victories on the show.
3- REY MYSTERIO vs. KANE
JR noted the past run-ins these two have had. A few kicks early on didn’t faze the big man and he pounded away on Rey with kicks and punches. Rey kicked out of a chin-lock, but couldn’t capitalize. Rey took out Kane’s knee, but couldn’t hit the 619. Kane tried a chokeslam, but Rey got out. Kane threw him into the corner and did some damage there as the show went to break.
Kane was still in control out of break. Hard whip into the buckle by Kane and Rey took a powder to the outside. He slammed Rey’s back against the ring post. Mysterio barely made it in before the ten count. The match began to drag a bit with Kane’s methodical offense being used. Another comeback attempt by Rey fell short when Kane elbowed him down. After escaping a back-breaker, Rey hit a springboard seated senton. After a near-fall, he landed a seated dropkick for two. Rey went to the top, but Kane met him with an uppercut on the way down. Rey avoided a chokeslam and after an enziguiri, hit the 619. He tried a springboard hurricanrana, but couldn’t hit it. Kane chokeslammed Rey, then pinned him.
WINNER: Kane, at 11:13. JR made some excuses for Rey after the match, but I don’t think this loss to Kane hurt Rey much.
Kane grabbed Rey for another chokeslam after the match, but Great Khali’s music hit before he could squash Rey. Man, he had time to chokeslam him and still got out of the ring before Khali and his chair could make it to the ring. Kane fled through the crowd before Khali could use the chair.
4- THE HART DYNASTY vs. CRYME TYME
JTG took Tyson Kidd down and did some mat work. He took Kidd down face-first to the mat, and Kidd went to the outside. He came back in and made the tag, a tag that JTG did not see. David Hart Smith used his strength to keep JTG grounded. Some double-teaming by the heels kept JTG in their corner. After missing a splash in the corner, Kidd got rolled up for two. But he was soon right back on offense. What’s with Kidd and the “yip’s” every time he does a move? Both men were down, and both were able to make tags. Shad took out Kidd on the apron, then went to work on Smith. He planted Smith with a forward suplex, but Kidd broke up a pin. Cryme Tyme double-teamed Smith, then Shad hit his finisher on Smith to get the win.
WINNERS: Cryme Tyme, at 4:52. Surprising result. I’m guess we’ll see some six-person tags with Cryme Tyme and Eve against all three members of the Hart Dynasty.
5- LAYLA & MICHELLE MCCOOL vs. MELINA & MARIA
Layla tried to take it to Melina, but Melina got a kick in to the face. Layla looked rough taking shots to the head off the turnbuckle. Maria came in and nailed Layla with a few knees to the gut. Layla kicked Maria into a split position and tagged McCool in. She went right to work on the left leg of Maria. They should pull a “50 First Dates” with Maria, where she suffers a concussion and can’t remember Ziggler, so he has to keep introducing himself to her everytime they meet. Maria finally made the tag to Melina, but McCool got out of there after taking a minimal amount of Melina’s offense. Melina turned a neckbreaker attempt by Layla into her finisher (complete with primal scream) and registered the pin.
WINNERS: Melina & Maria, at 3:16. Pretty ugly at times, but it wasn’t a complete disaster.
6- EDGE & CHRIS JERICHO vs. JEFF HARDY & C.M. PUNK
Punk and Edge began things slowly, with Edge working the arm of the World Champion. No problems on the first tag from Punk to Hardy, nor on the second. Even some teamwork shown by the two. Jericho finally tagged and was arm-dragged down. Punk slammed Jericho right in position for Hardy to land his legdrop off the second rope. Jericho took advantage of Punk with a pull of the hair and tagged in Edge. Punk set Hardy up to leap off of him into the corner, taking out Jericho and Edge. After Edge was clotheslined over the top by Punk, the two faces had a stare-down in the ring, clearly still uneasy with each other.
Edge was going toe-to-toe in the middle of the ring with Jeff Hardy, and Hardy ended up getting the better of Edge for the moment at least, with an arm-drag. In the corner, Punk began holding his eye in pain, and the crowd jeered. Jericho tagged in and aggressively went after Hardy and Punk. As he was jawing with Punk in the corner, outside the ring, Edge punched Hardy, sending him into the barricade. Hardy started to come back on Jericho at the 11:00 mark. But Jericho again tossed him to ringside. Punk got the crowd into it to help out their man Jeff Hardy. As Hardy came back in the ring, he crawled to his corner, where Punk was out of position, again dealing with his eye. Hardy hit Whisper in the Wind even without tagging Punk. Edge made the tag first, but he was hit with the Twist of Fate. Hardy quickly went over and slapped Punk in the match. Knee in the corner, then a running bulldog from Punk. He got Edge up for the GTS, but Edge got out and drove Punk to the canvas on the back of his head. Jericho choked Punk in the corner when the ref’s back was turned, dealing with Edge. Jericho came in and kicked Punk right in the ribs. Jericho dug into Punk’s eye with his fist. Punk tried to fight back but they ended up double-clotheslining each other. Hardy got the crowd into the match for Punk. As Punk went for the tag, Hardy comically oversold a fictitious eye injury, falling to ringside and everything. Jericho tried to lock in the Walls as Hardy kept squirming on the ground. Punk got Jericho up for the GTS, but Jericho made a blind tag, and Edge came in with a spear to pin the World Champion.
WINNERS: Edge & Jericho, at 16:15.
After the match, Hardy took out Edge, leaving the unified tag champs to quickly cede the ring to Hardy. JR kept talking up Hardy’s eye injury as if it were serious, even though he was clearly doing it because of what he perceived that Punk did to him. As Hardy went to the back, he continued to hold his eye, while looking back at the ring at Punk. Then, when he got to the top of the ramp, he revealed it was a ruse all along.
1- RICKY ORTIZ vs. FINLAY
Ortiz got the dreaded “currently in the ring” treatment. He also had the mic after Finlay made his entrance. He asked if Finlay was upset about losing his little buddy (a few months late there, Rick). He asked why Finlay was so negative, and told him to drop the shillaleigh, lose the frown and rally up. Finlay responded by slapping Ortiz.
The bell rang and Finlay got a headbutt to the gut and was then clotheslined over the top rope. Ortiz tripped him up though as he was heading back into the ring. The men continued to fight on the outside and Ortiz powerslammed him out there. Belly-to-back suplex by Ortiz once they were back in the ring and that got two. He missed a running shoulder to the gut in the corner though and Finlay snuck up with a roll-up for two. Couple clotheslines, then a rolling Samoan drop. Finlay got the momentum, but his lower back wouldn’t allow him to pick Ortiz back up. Ortiz tried to back-drop him, but Finlay hooked him in the Celtic Cross, then dropped him and got the pin.
WINNER: Finlay, at 2:26. Just a showcase match for Finlay, but if they really see something in Ortiz, they should continue to put him with guys like Finlay.
2- DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. R-TRUTH
When Ziggler made his entrance, they showed clips of his match with Khali at The Bash. When Truth rapped to the ring, they showed two girls in the crowd with a Punk t-shirt and Jeff Hardy arm-bands and face-paint. They must feel quite conflicted. Truth was quick to get on the offensive until Ziggler got into the ropes, causing a break. He then took advantage of it by attacking Truth when the ref was backing him away. He suplexed Truth over his head, then applied a rear chin-lock. He took Truth down by the hair when the former K-Kwik was trying to make his comeback. Ziggler hit a number of elbowdrops on Truth. He then put Truth in a full-nelson. Truth began to come back, utilizing right hands and a back elbow to do the job. Powerslam got him a two-count. Kick to the jaw by Truth, but Ziggler held onto the bottom rope, then managed to choke Truth on the top. Ziggler hit his finisher and got the win.
WINNER: Ziggler, at 3:06. This win means a bit more for Ziggler since Truth has been picking up some victories on the show.
3- REY MYSTERIO vs. KANE
JR noted the past run-ins these two have had. A few kicks early on didn’t faze the big man and he pounded away on Rey with kicks and punches. Rey kicked out of a chin-lock, but couldn’t capitalize. Rey took out Kane’s knee, but couldn’t hit the 619. Kane tried a chokeslam, but Rey got out. Kane threw him into the corner and did some damage there as the show went to break.
Kane was still in control out of break. Hard whip into the buckle by Kane and Rey took a powder to the outside. He slammed Rey’s back against the ring post. Mysterio barely made it in before the ten count. The match began to drag a bit with Kane’s methodical offense being used. Another comeback attempt by Rey fell short when Kane elbowed him down. After escaping a back-breaker, Rey hit a springboard seated senton. After a near-fall, he landed a seated dropkick for two. Rey went to the top, but Kane met him with an uppercut on the way down. Rey avoided a chokeslam and after an enziguiri, hit the 619. He tried a springboard hurricanrana, but couldn’t hit it. Kane chokeslammed Rey, then pinned him.
WINNER: Kane, at 11:13. JR made some excuses for Rey after the match, but I don’t think this loss to Kane hurt Rey much.
Kane grabbed Rey for another chokeslam after the match, but Great Khali’s music hit before he could squash Rey. Man, he had time to chokeslam him and still got out of the ring before Khali and his chair could make it to the ring. Kane fled through the crowd before Khali could use the chair.
4- THE HART DYNASTY vs. CRYME TYME
JTG took Tyson Kidd down and did some mat work. He took Kidd down face-first to the mat, and Kidd went to the outside. He came back in and made the tag, a tag that JTG did not see. David Hart Smith used his strength to keep JTG grounded. Some double-teaming by the heels kept JTG in their corner. After missing a splash in the corner, Kidd got rolled up for two. But he was soon right back on offense. What’s with Kidd and the “yip’s” every time he does a move? Both men were down, and both were able to make tags. Shad took out Kidd on the apron, then went to work on Smith. He planted Smith with a forward suplex, but Kidd broke up a pin. Cryme Tyme double-teamed Smith, then Shad hit his finisher on Smith to get the win.
WINNERS: Cryme Tyme, at 4:52. Surprising result. I’m guess we’ll see some six-person tags with Cryme Tyme and Eve against all three members of the Hart Dynasty.
5- LAYLA & MICHELLE MCCOOL vs. MELINA & MARIA
Layla tried to take it to Melina, but Melina got a kick in to the face. Layla looked rough taking shots to the head off the turnbuckle. Maria came in and nailed Layla with a few knees to the gut. Layla kicked Maria into a split position and tagged McCool in. She went right to work on the left leg of Maria. They should pull a “50 First Dates” with Maria, where she suffers a concussion and can’t remember Ziggler, so he has to keep introducing himself to her everytime they meet. Maria finally made the tag to Melina, but McCool got out of there after taking a minimal amount of Melina’s offense. Melina turned a neckbreaker attempt by Layla into her finisher (complete with primal scream) and registered the pin.
WINNERS: Melina & Maria, at 3:16. Pretty ugly at times, but it wasn’t a complete disaster.
6- EDGE & CHRIS JERICHO vs. JEFF HARDY & C.M. PUNK
Punk and Edge began things slowly, with Edge working the arm of the World Champion. No problems on the first tag from Punk to Hardy, nor on the second. Even some teamwork shown by the two. Jericho finally tagged and was arm-dragged down. Punk slammed Jericho right in position for Hardy to land his legdrop off the second rope. Jericho took advantage of Punk with a pull of the hair and tagged in Edge. Punk set Hardy up to leap off of him into the corner, taking out Jericho and Edge. After Edge was clotheslined over the top by Punk, the two faces had a stare-down in the ring, clearly still uneasy with each other.
Edge was going toe-to-toe in the middle of the ring with Jeff Hardy, and Hardy ended up getting the better of Edge for the moment at least, with an arm-drag. In the corner, Punk began holding his eye in pain, and the crowd jeered. Jericho tagged in and aggressively went after Hardy and Punk. As he was jawing with Punk in the corner, outside the ring, Edge punched Hardy, sending him into the barricade. Hardy started to come back on Jericho at the 11:00 mark. But Jericho again tossed him to ringside. Punk got the crowd into it to help out their man Jeff Hardy. As Hardy came back in the ring, he crawled to his corner, where Punk was out of position, again dealing with his eye. Hardy hit Whisper in the Wind even without tagging Punk. Edge made the tag first, but he was hit with the Twist of Fate. Hardy quickly went over and slapped Punk in the match. Knee in the corner, then a running bulldog from Punk. He got Edge up for the GTS, but Edge got out and drove Punk to the canvas on the back of his head. Jericho choked Punk in the corner when the ref’s back was turned, dealing with Edge. Jericho came in and kicked Punk right in the ribs. Jericho dug into Punk’s eye with his fist. Punk tried to fight back but they ended up double-clotheslining each other. Hardy got the crowd into the match for Punk. As Punk went for the tag, Hardy comically oversold a fictitious eye injury, falling to ringside and everything. Jericho tried to lock in the Walls as Hardy kept squirming on the ground. Punk got Jericho up for the GTS, but Jericho made a blind tag, and Edge came in with a spear to pin the World Champion.
WINNERS: Edge & Jericho, at 16:15.
After the match, Hardy took out Edge, leaving the unified tag champs to quickly cede the ring to Hardy. JR kept talking up Hardy’s eye injury as if it were serious, even though he was clearly doing it because of what he perceived that Punk did to him. As Hardy went to the back, he continued to hold his eye, while looking back at the ring at Punk. Then, when he got to the top of the ramp, he revealed it was a ruse all along.
EDGE INJURED!
Source: PWTorch.com (direct link to story).
The initial diagnosis on Edge is an Achilles tendon tear after suffering an apparent ankle injury at last night's WWE house show in San Diego.
Edge will need at least a month just to begin healing if the diagnosis is correct. Depending on the severity of the injury, he could opt for surgery to reattach the Achilles tendon or he could immobilize the ankle for a month and let it heal followed by rehabilitation.
The problem with the non-surgical route is a higher risk of injuring the ankle again. An injury like this is usually the result of stress on the ankle by cutting and pushing off.
Reports we receive indicate Edge was simply doing a routine in-ring move like running the ropes when he injured the ankle. There's typically no contact involved when the Achilles tendon is torn, which appears to be the case with Edge.
What's next for WWE is deciding whether to take the Unified tag titles belts off Edge and Chris Jericho. Edge will require at least one month to heal, then there is another very lengthy period of time to recover and get back into in-ring shape where he can properly run the ropes without risk of re-injury.
More on Jeff Hardy's status with the WWE
WWE star Jeff Hardy says he has not decided whether to re-sign with WWE. Hardy claims he has not signed a contract renewal.
Hardy's current contract expires at the end of the month after he signed a contract in August 2006 to return to the company. He is scheduled for a World Title match at the Night of Champions PPV, which takes place on July 26. A decision will have to be made within the next few weeks.
Hardy was asked whether he's made a decision to continue wrestling for WWE during a recent interview with Spain's "Four Network" to promote WWE's European tour in November. Hardy said "I don't know."
"I am 31 years old now and I don't like making plans for the future," Hardy said. "I can wrestle until I am 40 but I don't want to make plans, I don't like thinking about what could happen between now and the next five years."
The initial diagnosis on Edge is an Achilles tendon tear after suffering an apparent ankle injury at last night's WWE house show in San Diego.
Edge will need at least a month just to begin healing if the diagnosis is correct. Depending on the severity of the injury, he could opt for surgery to reattach the Achilles tendon or he could immobilize the ankle for a month and let it heal followed by rehabilitation.
The problem with the non-surgical route is a higher risk of injuring the ankle again. An injury like this is usually the result of stress on the ankle by cutting and pushing off.
Reports we receive indicate Edge was simply doing a routine in-ring move like running the ropes when he injured the ankle. There's typically no contact involved when the Achilles tendon is torn, which appears to be the case with Edge.
What's next for WWE is deciding whether to take the Unified tag titles belts off Edge and Chris Jericho. Edge will require at least one month to heal, then there is another very lengthy period of time to recover and get back into in-ring shape where he can properly run the ropes without risk of re-injury.
More on Jeff Hardy's status with the WWE
WWE star Jeff Hardy says he has not decided whether to re-sign with WWE. Hardy claims he has not signed a contract renewal.
Hardy's current contract expires at the end of the month after he signed a contract in August 2006 to return to the company. He is scheduled for a World Title match at the Night of Champions PPV, which takes place on July 26. A decision will have to be made within the next few weeks.
Hardy was asked whether he's made a decision to continue wrestling for WWE during a recent interview with Spain's "Four Network" to promote WWE's European tour in November. Hardy said "I don't know."
"I am 31 years old now and I don't like making plans for the future," Hardy said. "I can wrestle until I am 40 but I don't want to make plans, I don't like thinking about what could happen between now and the next five years."
__________________
-------------------------
"We wanted her to be something more than a witch with a wand..."- CLAMP
ComicBloc: When you don't read comics, you help the enemy.
TOKYOPOP: The Arcademan Blogs- Wrestling results, TV schedules and other stuff!
-------------------------
"We wanted her to be something more than a witch with a wand..."- CLAMP
ComicBloc: When you don't read comics, you help the enemy.
TOKYOPOP: The Arcademan Blogs- Wrestling results, TV schedules and other stuff!
User Reviews
There are currently no reviews. To review, click on the review link underneath the content.
- POPS: 2
- PROFILE VIEWS: 26
- FANS: 21
- CLANS: 4
- GENDER: M
- LOCATION: USA
USA
UK
JAPAN
Only registered members can post comments