[loopydate]

OCTOBER 10, 2004 - NO MERCY

Last month, Unforgiven kicked off with the shocking upset of A-Train winning the World Title from Sean O'Haire. The following night, O'Haire cost Train the title in a match against Chris Jericho, which has set up tonight's grudge rematch.

A-Train vs. Sean O'Haire

Stiff chop lights up A-Train. O'Haire bodyslams A-Train. Bodyslam by O'Haire. Fallaway slam by Sean O'Haire. A-Train ducks a wild right hand. A-Train with a badly-executed spinning neckbreaker on O'Haire. A-Train hits a stump piledriver on Sean O'Haire, although it was quite weak in its execution. Hooks the leg for a two count. O'Haire reverses a waistlock. Massive backbreaker, A-Train got planted. Early reports indicate that the back was *not* actually broken, so the move's name should actually be backhurter. Hooks the leg for a two count. Death valley driver by Sean O'Haire, A-Train got planted. Pin, but A-Train is out just before the three count. O'Haire drops an elbow...but misses. Fate can be so cruel. O'Haire receives some unexciting punishment. A-Train gets taken down out of nowhere. Bodyslam by O'Haire. Sean O'Haire moves in for the kill. Prophecy!!! That shook the ring. 1....2....3!! **1\2 rating for a decent contest.

Overall Rating: 77%
Crowd Reaction: 82%
Match Quality: 68%

The feud between RAW Superstars Shelton Benjamin and Randy Orton has heated up over the last couple of months, and Benjamin looks to bounce back from last month's loss to Orton with a win tonight.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Randy Orton

Big clothesline on Orton. Shelton hits a stump piledriver on Randy Orton. Hooks the leg for a two count. Orton counters an arm wringer with an elbow to the side of the head. Randy Orton fires off some right and left hands. Orton slams Shelton Benjamin down. There's a two count on the pin. Brutal seated powerbomb on Shelton. Cover, but there's a last second kick-out. Running knee lift from Randy Orton. Shelton Benjamin elbows Randy Orton in the face to break a hammerlock. Gutwrench into a powerbomb, Orton hits hard. Cover for a two count. Shelton Benjamin plants Orton with an exploder suplex. Hooks the leg for a close fall. Flying shoulder tackle by Shelton sends Orton to the mat. Shelton Benjamin fires off some right and left hands. Orton blocks a kick from Shelton Benjamin. Orton slams Shelton Benjamin down. Randy Orton drills Shelton Benjamin with a press slam into a Michinoku Driver. Randy Orton gets a roll-up...and grabs a handful of tights as well! The referee doesn't see it: 1....2...3!! Randy Orton slides out of the ring to the floor, then turns and leaves through the crowd. He's happy to have the win, and evidently isn't going to hang around for Shelton to get some payback. I'm knocking off half a star for some blown spots, so that's a ***1\2 rating.

Overall Rating: 84%
Crowd Reaction: 85%
Match Quality: 85%

Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy and #1 contender Rico have both moved their way into Eric Bischoff's Elite, allowing them to appear on both RAW and SmackDown! Tonight, they go one-on-one with Hardy's title on the line!

Intercontinental Title Match - Rico vs. Jeff Hardy (c)

Jeff Hardy gets hip tossed by Rico. Jeff Hardy comes up with a right hand out of nowhere. Hardy hits a wicked chop that echoes through the building. Hardy whips Rico into the turnbuckles...and predictably, the referee gets sandwiched. Vicious kick to the teeth from Jeff Hardy. Hooks the leg, but the referee is still out. Rico comes up with a right hand out of nowhere. Jeff Hardy takes a knee lift from Rico. Flying elbow off the top rope by Rico, poor elevation though. Hooks the leg for a two count. Slingshot clothesline by Rico, who almost messed it up by slipping on the ropes. Hooks the leg for a close fall. Rico misses a clothesline. Flying reverse elbow by Jeff Hardy. Pinfall attempt gets a 2.9999. Rico ducks a wild right hand. Jeff Hardy is in trouble. Spinning Leg Lariat! Matt Hardy Version 2.0 quickly comes running down the aisle and into the ring! Rico turns around. Matt Hardy Version 2.0 spins Rico around. Matt Hardy Version 2.0 hits the Twist Of Fate! The referee calls for the DQ because of the interference of Matt! Hardy and Matt are putting the boots to Rico! The Rock comes running down the aisle with a chair! He slides in, sending Hardy Boyz running for cover. The Rock saved Rico from a major beating. *** rating, as it was good, but nothing too special.

Overall Rating: 79%
Crowd Reaction: 80%
Match Quality: 78%

The series of battles between Rob Van Dam and Elite member Chris Benoit over the United States Title have been among the best this fall. Tonight, the latest chapter of their feud plays out at No Mercy!

United States Title Match - Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Benoit (c)

RVD tastes a high angle back suplex. It probably tasted like chicken. Benoit almost belly-to-belly suplexes Rob Van Dam through the mat. Cover for a two count. RVD counters an arm wringer with an elbow to the side of the head. Rob Van Dam scores with a back heel kick on Benoit. Hard back suplex on Benoit. Anyone remember when that was Shawn Michaels's finisher? There's a two count on the pin. DDT from the top rope by Rob Van Dam. That looked brutal. Pinfall attempt gets a 2.9999. Legsweep out of Nowhere. Where is Nowhere, and why do moves keep coming out of there? Does it have a factory? Benoit reverses a Rob Van Dam hammerlock. Doctor Bomb, RVD is hurt. Cover for a two count. Corkscrew brainbuster suplex, Benoit hit it well. Pin, but RVD is out just before the three count. RVD gets caught with a short powerbomb from Benoit. Chris Benoit snap suplexes RVD. Benoit only gets knees on a splash. Spin kick by Rob Van Dam to the face. Slingshot senton by RVD, crushing the chest of Benoit. Rob Van Dam signals for the Five-Star Frogsplash! Chris Jericho comes out of the crowd and into the ring! Rob Van Dam turns around. Chris Jericho drops RVD to the canvas. Chris Jericho quickly locks on the Walls of Jericho! The referee calls for the DQ because of the interference of Jericho! Canadian Violence are beating down on Rob Van Dam! The music of Rhyno hits, and he comes running down the aisle into the ring. Benoit and Jericho bail out of the ring, leaving Rob Van Dam down in the ring. Rhyno may have saved Rob Van Dam from a brutal beating. **1\2 rating. Perfectly Acceptable Wrestling.

Overall Rating: 76%
Crowd Reaction: 81%
Match Quality: 65%

Two weeks ago, Rhyno defeated Chris Jericho at Unforgiven. The next night, Jericho won the World Title from A-Train on RAW. Tonight, these two members of the Elite go at it one more time, only this time the title is on the line!

World Title Match - Rhyno vs. Chris Jericho (c)

Jericho hits a wicked chop that echoes through the building. Rhyno reverses a Chris Jericho hammerlock. Jericho gets slammed. We have our mandatory ref bump, as he goes down after accidentally getting caught by an elbow to the face. Rhyno scores with a standing spinebuster. Pinfall attempt, but the ref is conveniently laid out. Jericho blocks a punch. Hard back suplex on Rhyno. Anyone remember when that was Shawn Michaels's finisher? Vicious lightning kick by Jericho on Rhyno. There's a two count on the pin. Tiger suplex on Rhyno, right from out of the Misawa playbook. Cover, but there's a last second kick-out. Jericho only gets knees on a splash. Spear by Rhyno. Hooks the leg for a close fall. Chris Jericho fights out of a grapple. Rhyno gets knocked to the ground by Jericho. Here it comes...Walls of Jericho! Rhyno taps! I'll give this a ***1\4 rating.

Overall Rating: 85%
Crowd Reaction: 88%
Match Quality: 81%

John Cena and Tajiri have had one of the most heated rivalries on SmackDown! over the last several weeks, with Cena picking up the big win at Unforgiven. Can he make it two in a row against the Japanese Buzzsaw?

John Cena vs. Tajiri

Big backdrop on Tajiri, executed well. Spear by John Cena. Hooks the leg for a two count. Cena only gets knees on a splash. Spinning back kick from Tajiri. Tajiri hits a rolling kick on Cena. There's a two count on the pin. Diamond Dust from Tajiri, Cena is out. Cover, but there's a last second kick-out. Hard back suplex on Cena. Anyone remember when that was Shawn Michaels's finisher? John Cena pulls a mule kick out of nowhere. Spear by John Cena. Hooks the leg for a two count. Death valley driver by John Cena, Tajiri got planted. Pin, but Tajiri is out just before the three count. Fallaway slam by John Cena. Cena slams Tajiri. Tajiri reverses a waistlock. Big backdrop on Cena, executed well. Power drive elbow by Tajiri. Tajiri moves in for the kill. Kick Of Death! 1....2....3. *** rating for a good bout.

Overall Rating: 88%
Crowd Reaction: 94%
Match Quality: 77%

Two weeks ago, Rey Mysterio picked up a huge win over Brock Lesnar, only for Lesnar to bounce back with a win on SmackDown! to earn a slot in the Elite. Tonight, it's the rubber match between two of SmackDown!'s biggest stars!

Rey Mysterio vs. Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar hits some punches. Rey pushes out of a Brock Lesnar hold. Lesnar walks into a high dropkick from Rey Mysterio. Rey Mysterio misses a clothesline...and takes out the referee by mistake. Lesnar walks into a face crusher variation. Hooks the leg, but the referee is still out. Lesnar ducks a wild right hand. Gut buster, Rey hits hard. Spear by Brock Lesnar. Cover for a two count. Brock Lesnar brings out a jumping powerbomb to nearly kill Rey. Cover, but there's a last second kick-out. Rey pushes out of a Brock Lesnar hold. Flying cross body off the top rope! I'll give a 0.8 on the Steamboat scale for that effort. Pinfall attempt gets a 2.9999. Brock Lesnar powers out of a Rey Mysterio headlock. Brock Lesnar moves in for the kill. F5!!! That shook the ring. 1....2....3!! *** rating for a good bout.

Overall Rating: 87%
Crowd Reaction: 93%
Match Quality: 75%

Eddie Guerrero was supposed to face Christian last month at Unforgiven, but the match was postponed after an injury put Captain Charisma on the shelf. Tonight, they'll finally get their match.

Eddie Guerrero vs. Christian

Christian walks into a high dropkick from Eddie Guerrero. Eddie hits a wicked chop that echoes through the building. Flying elbow from Eddie Guerrero. Flying elbow from Eddie Guerrero. Christian powers out of a headlock. Christian slams Eddie Guerrero down. Gutwrench into a powerbomb, Eddie hits hard. Cover for a two count. Christian misses a big legdrop after stalling too long. Flying reverse elbow by Eddie Guerrero. Cover for a two count. Tiger suplex on Christian, right from out of the Misawa playbook. Cover, but there's a last second kick-out. Christian blocks the suplex attempt. Eddie takes a back suplex. Christian misses a big legdrop after stalling too long. Eddie uses a basement dropkick to the knee. Eddie Guerrero drives Christian into the corner. Swinging DDT, forget about it. 1....2...3! Almost wandered into *** match territory, but there was too much that dragged it down so it only gets a **3\4 rating.

Overall Rating: 89%
Crowd Reaction: 99%
Match Quality: 68%

Like much of tonight's show, our main event is a rematch from Unforgiven, and we're culminating with a battle for the WWE Title! Last month Matt Hardy Version 2.0 successfully defended against The Rock. Tonight, the people's champion once again hopes to become the WWE Champion!

WWE Title Match - The Rock vs. Matt Hardy Version 2.0 (c)

Rock bodyslams Matt Hardy Version 2.0. Matt Hardy Version 2.0 powers out of a The Rock headlock. Matt Hardy Version 2.0 strikes Rock. Matt Hardy Version 2.0 misses a clothesline...and takes out the referee by mistake. Power drive elbow by Matt Hardy Version 2.0. Hooks the leg, but the referee is still out. Rock pushes out of a Matt Hardy Version 2.0 hold. The Rock with a spinning neckbreaker on Matt. Spear by The Rock. There's a two count on the pin. Death valley driver by The Rock, Matt Hardy Version 2.0 got planted. Cover, but there's a last second kick-out. Matt kicks The Rock in the gut to reverse the momentum. Matt crushes Rock with a big legdrop. Pin, but Rock is out just before the three count. Rock pushes out of a Matt Hardy Version 2.0 hold. Matt Hardy Version 2.0 is in trouble. Rock Bottom! 1....2....3. The Rock climbs each turnbuckle in turn, working the crowd as he celebrates his victory I can't decide whether it's a *** or a ***1\2 match...let's go for a ***1\4 rating to make it fair.

Overall Rating: 90%
Crowd Reaction: 96%
Match Quality: 77%