The official wrestling sim topic

[loopydate]

OCTOBER 18, 2004 - MONDAY NIGHT RAW

Tonight's RAW kicks off with the latest chapter between the leader of the Natural Born Ministry (who will be introducing their Survivor Series lineup tonight), Sean O'Haire and the man who shocked the world by taking the World Title from him last month, A-Train. The crowd is loving this feud, even though their in-ring chemistry leaves a little bit to be desired. O'Haire hits a fallaway slam, then a scoop slam, but Train gets a foot up on an avalanche attempt. Train works over O'Haire with punches, driving him into the corner. The official attempts to pull Train back, which gives O'Haire the opportunity to pull out a pair of brass knuckles. Train charges, and gets blasted! Unfortunately, O'Haire isn't sneaky enough and the ref sees it and calls for the bell. Once Train shakes the cobwebs loose, they brawl back up the ramp and out of sight.

Backstage, Big Show is in Eric Bischoff's office with the WWE Tag Team Titles. A video plays of Kane being laid out by the Ministry last week. Bischoff informs Show that he is incapable of defending the belts tonight against La Resistance, a shot La Res earned last week by defeating the World's Greatest Tag Team. Bischoff gives him a choice - find a partner, or it's a handicap match!

The challengers are in the ring, awaiting Show and his partner (?)'s arrival. Show makes his way to the ring with the belt and introduces his new partner... Payne! The monstrous brawler makes his way to the ring and shakes Show's hand. Good match, but the live crowd is still a little confused why Kane isn't out there (yay, pre-tape!). As Payne looks about set to put Dupree away, Johnny Stamboli and Chuck Palumbo hit the ring with chairs, and blast Payne behind the ref's back! Dupree clamps the Figure-Four on Payne, but he's out cold and it's just a formality. The ref calls for the bell and awards the belts to La Resistance, and the crowd is absolutely shitting on the title change. After the match, Palumbo and Stamboli go to work on Show and Payne, continuing the fledgling rivalry.

Eric Bischoff is backstage, and he has something to say to Paul Heyman. "Paul, I have to tell you, I have to admire the fact that - despite the fact that I almost single-handedly put you under four years ago - you keep coming back for more. What I don't admire is that you seem to be taking this so personally! Paul, you may hate me, and aligning with Shane McMahon is a wise move on your part if you want revenge, but you're just another employee. And while I may not have bought your ass in 2000, I own it now, because as long as you're under WWE contract, you work for me. And you can rouse all the rabble on SmackDown! that you want, because my predecessor made the mistake of signing you to a long-term contract. But you have no authority, and you can't touch me on Monday nights. And you can throw all the 'ECW Originals' at me you want, but the fact is - just like you - they were big fish in a small pond, and now that they're on my programming, my boys are going to crush them just like Nitro did to RAW for so long."

Last week, Randy Orton cost the World's Greatest Tag Team a shot at the WWE Tag Team Titles in a bid to get at his longtime rival Shelton Benjamin. WGTT has issued a challenge for tonight, and Orton has selected the Ministry's rookie monster Damien as his partner. This should be good! And it is, as Orton and Damien show impressive chemistry for two men who've never teamed before. Eventually, Orton heads up top for what will likely be a cross body, but Damien accidentally hits the ropes in an attempt to get at Benjamin, who then takes advantage of Orton crotching himself to hit the Dragon Whip for the win. After the match, Orton grabs Damien and gets in his face over the mistake.

Trish Stratus recently beat Mickie James to become the new Women's Champion. Tonight, Mickie faces Jazz, with the champ as the special referee! Mickie controls most of the match until Jazz gets her into a corner and starts raining down fists. Trish starts to utilize her five-count, and as Jazz lands her tenth punch, Trish calls for the bell. Jazz flips her shit over the DQ loss and locks in an STF, putting the champ out cold.

Rhyno and Rob Van Dam make their way down to the ring for a tables match against Canadian Violence, prompted by last week's altercation. They say they realize that they're marked men now that they've allied with Shane and Paul, drawing Bischoff's ire. Well, you know, that's fine, because we're bringing in some backup of our own. A guy Rob knows well. From the back, we can hear the unmistakable shrill whistling of... oh, dear God... The crowd (the smart ones anyway) flip their shit as Bill Alfonso (!!!!!) makes his way down the aisle and jumps around the ring like... well... Bill Alfonso.

Canadian Violence makes their way to the ring for the tables match next, and they're visibly distracted (who wouldn't be?) by Alfonso's presence at ringside. It's an exciting match with some old-school ECW moments. In the closing moments, RVD sets up Benoit for a piledriver on a table, but Benoit backdrops out of it while Rhyno blasts Jericho with a spinebuster. RVD sets Benoit back up atop the table, then heads up top and hits a split-legged moonsault to put him through it for the win! After the match, Benoit and Jericho get revenge, leaving their rivals laying.

Backstage, the Natural Born Ministry is gathered around Sean O'Haire who runs down the Surivor Series team they're putting up in four weeks. O'Haire is bringing Damien, Undertaker, Palumbo, and Stamboli with him to the PPV, and he lets Taker work in his "Rest in peace" line since he doesn't want to tell us anything we don't already know.

It's an elite six-man tag match next as WWE Champion The Rock teams with Eddie Guerrero and Rico to take on Brock Lesnar, Christian, and Jeff Hardy. The announcers hype the multi-man aspect of the match as a preview for the type of action we'll see at Survivor Series, even speculating that these six would have to be among the favorites to advance to the War Games main event. Eddie Guerrero gets the triple-team treatment from the heels until Rico gets a hot tag and the babyfaces work over Lesnar for a bit until Christian tags back in to the match and puts Eddie away with an Unprettier.

And now for our main event, pitting two members of the Elite who've been in a long-term feud against each other. It's John Cena and Tajiri live int his very ring! Once more, they put together a very good match, and Cena eventually picks up another big win with the F-U to send the fans home happy.

[Evil Vito]

I still love the idea of the Natural Born Ministry

[Evil Vito]

So, after an extended absence...I'm going to (yet again) - try my hand at a WWE game. I abandoned my last attempt after just a few shows, because TEW is just so tedious to use.

Furthermore, the EWR games I had going are so old at this point that I've lost track of my storylines and I don't really feel like playing with an old roster.

So my new attempt at a WWE game will be in the present - starting in June 2010. I will do as I did with an older game, and mimic the write-ups on WWE.com. I won't have to list every segment, but I'll give the match results and the jist of what went down.

[M-A-G]

I've been doing some EWR booking as well but I had to start over with another version because the files I had ended up crapping out on me and I couldn't advance any further because of a bug.

[Evil Vito]

Originally Posted by M-A-G I've been doing some EWR booking as well but I had to start over with another version because the files I had ended up crapping out on me and I couldn't advance any further because of a bug.

Noooooo The never-ending game finally ended.

What year were you on when it shit the bed?

[M-A-G]

Originally, I lost the files when my laptop went to hell. I was around WrestleMania 54 so that would've been 2038. When I asked you for the files that I had left to you, I worked it to about 2024, I think.

[M-A-G]

And there's no way in hell I'm gonna recreate everything year-by-year. I booked so much stuff and only wrote down PPV events in the notepad so it's basically a whole other timeline.

[Evil Vito]

Damn. WrestleMania 54, that's insane.

I'd be definitely intrigued in seeing how you'd book a modern WWE game, as I'm going to attempt to do before inevitably getting bored after a month.

[M-A-G]

Well, it's certainly going to be different as I had to delete everyone who is dead and I got a bunch of guys who retired way before they did in my other game (Booker T, John Cena, The Hardys). If I can, I'll post my rosters and my Royal Rumble plans.

[Evil Vito]

Anyway, since I don't feel like beginning in May 2010 and autobooking through 3 weeks worth of shows (risking injuries and fluke occurrences on the way), here's what went down in my mind from Over the Limit through the final day of the month, when I then start on Tuesday, June 1st:

Over the Limit - May 23: Cena retains. Swagger retains. Punk beats Rey via help from the masked man, meaning Rey must pledge to the SES. Orton beats Edge in a close contest. Hart Dynasty retain with Bret at ringside. McIntyre retains. Maryse wins the Divas title. R-Truth beats Ted Jr, turns out Virgil was in cahoots with Truth to give Ted a taste of...well, the truth.

Raw - May 24: Batista gives a bitter farewell speech to the crowd's chagrin. This is his last night in the company. Orton and Edge are announced as two of Cena's challengers at Fatal 4 Way. Miz cashes in mandatory rematch against Bret, no DQ again, the Hart Dynasty are held at bay but Daniel Bryan comes out of the crowd and kicks Miz' head in, Bret retains.

NXT - May 25: Wade Barrett over Justin Gabriel. David Otunga beats Heath Slater. PROS POLL - 1. Barrett stays at the top, 2. Ditto for Otunga, 3. Gabriel. Heath Slater is gone.

Superstars - May 27: Who cares? It's Superstars.

SmackDown - May 28: General fallout from the PPV. It is announced that Rey will have to pledge to the Straight Edge Society NEXT week - but there's a catch. Much like those who pledge have to shave, Rey will have to remove his mask. To demonstrate, the SES masked man unmasks to reveal Joey Mercury, who explains his real life problems and how Punk has saved him.

Raw - June 30: A Cena/Edge/Orton main event match is spoiled by Sheamus, who is then announced as the final participant at Fatal Four Way. Bret Hart announces that tonight is his final night in WWE, and as such, he's vacating the United States championship. A tournament will be held to crown a new champion, and the finals of the tournament will happen at Fatal Four Way.

And so, that brings me to June 1st. The first show I post will be NXT whenever I get to it.

[M-A-G]

You already did Over the Limit. You want the tournament to culminate at the NEXT PPV.

[Evil Vito]

Originally Posted by M-A-G You already did Over the Limit. You want the tournament to culminate at the NEXT PPV.

Edited. Nice catch.

I'll do NXT at some point this evening. I'm actually really looking forward to booking that show going forward. Season 1 will be wrapped up in short order, so I'm scouring the FCW ranks to try and find 8 guys I'd like to use for Season 2.

[M-A-G]

Well, at the very least, here's the Royal Rumble for 2014:

The 30 Man Royal Rumble
Backstory: Well, back in 1988, Vince McMahon needed to fill an hour-long slot on the USA network and was having a tough time coming up with what do on the show. Pat Patterson then came along and said, "Hey, thanks for that Intercontinental Title, Vince. I wonder how long we can keep pulling that whole "tournament in Brazil" thing." And then Vince said, "Hey, thanks for the ass-kissing, Pat. By God, have you seen my gold plated limo? That Hulk fella's making one rich son-of-a-bitch. I don't really feel like going to Canada for this USA special thing, though. You mind booking that thing? Canadian's make me feel all creepy. Like that Bret kid we signed a while back." And then Pat was all, "Oh, I got a great idea for that thing, Vince! Lot's of men!" And then Vince was all, "That's your answer for everything, Pat." Then they laughed about that and then Pat told him about his Rumble Royale with Cheese idea but then Vince corrected him by pointing out that although France has the metric system and there are French-Canadians who would understand the title, it would be best to have a name for non-metric countries. Pat then pointed out that that's only the U.S. and then Vince said, "F*CK YEAH! U-S-A! U-S-A!". Thus the Royal Rumble was born.

WWE Title: John Morrison (c) vs. U.S. Heavyweight Champion Ted DiBiase
Backstory: John Morrison has been on a role after his draft to Raw and immediate title win over HHH his first night in. Ted DiBiase believes he's on a similar track and has demanded his opportunity at the title. Will Morrison embark on another amazing year or is greatness truly in the genes of Ted DiBiase?

World Heavyweight Title: Chris Sylvain (c) vs. Shawn Michaels
Backstory: Shawn earned this opportunity by winning the Bragging Rights Triple Threat match on SmackDown! against his Bragging Rights teammates CM Punk and Shelton Benjamin. His arrival on SmackDown! seems to be a gateway to a revitalized career for HBK but standing in his path is the reigning World Champion for the last 8 months; a man with only one loss to his name and who seems to have no respect for the legacy of the Showstopper. Shawn vows that Sylvain's overconfidence will be his downfall. It's classic old-school vs. new school at the Royal Rumble for the World Heavyweight Title!

WWE Unified Tag Team Championship: Cash Inc. (c) vs. AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels vs. Tajiri and ???
Backstory: It's the annual Triple Threat Tag Team Title match where the champions must defend against a team from Raw and a team from SmackDown!. Styles and Daniels seem to be doing well renewing their relationship after Daniels' tenure on SmackDown! but the injury to Tajiri's usual partner, Kaz Hayashi, leaves a huge question mark over the title match. Who will be Tajiri's replacement? There's two huge obstacles for the champions to overcome: Uncertainty and the fact that no set of champions have retained the titles in these annual tag title matches at the Royal Rumble.

WWE Cruiserweight Title: Jeremy Lopez (c) vs. Don Maiden:
Backstory: Jeremy Lopez shocked the world at Bragging Rights by bringing the Cruiserweight Title to Raw in the Triple Threat match against Don Maiden and then champion, Kevin Daniels. When Daniels' jump to Raw voided his rematch clause, Don Maiden emerged as the new number one contender after a fatal four way cruiserweight match. Maiden looks to right a wrong from Bragging Rights by taking the gold.

WWE Diva's Title: Kim Roderick (c) vs. Victoria
Backstory: Victoria's been the one Diva that Roderick has been ducking for months but after losing out in a tag match, the champ has no choice now. Will Victoria usher in the Age of Chaos at the Royal Rumble?

WWE Women's Title: Beth Phoenix (c) vs. Oracle
Backstory: The unstable and eccentric Oracle has not taken her title loss at Survivor Series well. But dealing with the Glamazon is a whole other story than the average Diva. Oracle claims to not be afraid of the dominating champion but will that be enough to unseat Phoenix?

So, there. I'm about 3 weeks away from the show but I doubt I'll get around to it anytime soon.

[Evil Vito]

Daaaaamn Shawn Michaels still trucking in 2014.

[Evil Vito]

WWE NXT - June 1, 2010
Down to Two

With just 3 rookies remaining, this week's NXT would be done a little differently. Each rookie was to compete in two matches on the night, one against each of the other remaining rookies. Afterwards, the Pros would conduct the Pros Poll.

Justin Gabriel def. David Otunga
For the last three weeks, Wade Barrett and David Otunga have been the top two ranked superstars. This made it paramount for Justin Gabriel to have a good showing. Indeed he did, pinning the braggadocios A-lister with a 450 Splash following a highly competitive bout.

Justin Gabriel def. Wade Barrett
No rest for the weary, as big Wade Barrett jumped into the ring immediately to capitalize on the winded Justin Gabriel. However, Gabriel managed to shock everybody by keeping Barrett at bay with a bevy of kicks and strikes. Ultimately, Gabriel scored what many would view as an upset - pinning the #1 ranked rookie with a 450 to make it two wins in a row.

Wade Barrett def. David Otunga
Otunga sauntered out to the ring following his breather, knowing full-well that this match could determine the fate of each man. He cockily entered the ring, appearing to take the exhausted Barrett lightly. This backfired on him dearly, as Barrett immediately picked Otunga up and planted him with his barrel roll finishing maneuver for the victory.

Pros Poll
The 7 WWE Pros convened, and the following were the results:

1. Justin Gabriel
2. Wade Barrett
3. David Otunga - ELIMINATED

The A-Lister is headed home to Jennifer Hudson, much to his chagrin. To close the show - it was announced that this was the last Pros Poll. In two week's time, Justin Gabriel and Wade Barrett will meet one-on-one, and the winner will be crowned the first ever winner of NXT. Can Gabriel ride this incredible wave of momentum into next week, or will Barrett prove this week to be a fluke? Tune in next week to find out!

[Evil Vito]

WWE Superstars - June 3, 2010
His Tyme

One superstar continues his ascension up the ranks, a monster continues to dominate, the divas are in action, and more.

Yoshi Tatsu def. Primo
Just about a month ago, Primo put aside his differences with his brother to re-form their tag team. In the blink of an eye, that was gone and Primo is once again left to fend for himself. He looked to gain some momentum against the electrifying Yoshi Tatsu, but it was not to be. A very exciting high-flying contest came to an end when Yoshi planted Primo with a kick right to the head.

Natalya def. Jillian Hall
Now that David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd are wielding gold, Natalya surely would like to get some of her own. Tonight was a good place to start, silencing the ever-annoying Jillian Hall following an impressive spinning powerbomb.

Kane def. Tyler Reks
This is the first time Tyler Reks has been seen on WWE television in quite some time, and he is the final member of the former ECW roster to re-surface, newly signed to the SmackDown brand. Reks seemed to be a bit more arrogant compared to the last time he was seen. He faced some steep competition in his return, as the Big Red Monster Kane made fairly quick work of the arrogant surfer, finishing him with a Chokeslam.

Shad Gaspard def. Matt Hardy
Shad has looked quite impressive since splitting away from JTG, and tonight was no exception. Established veteran Matt Hardy put up a good fight, but in the end he would fall victim to an STO from Shad Gaspard. This victory can only be a sign of bigger and better things to come for Shad, perhaps it really is "his tyme".

[Evil Vito]

Changed up the NXT results slightly. I'm going to allow an extra week of buildup before the finale, and rather than thrust the NXT winner onto a PPV I'll allow them to build up to the July show before they get their title match.

The two weeks left of June after the finale can function as hype build-up for season 2, which will begin in July. Most of the guys in FCW are horrible right now, so I want to buy them this extra month to boost their stats before coming onto NXT.

[Evil Vito]

WWE SmackDown – June 4, 2010
The Bell Tolls

Jack Swagger learning his opponents at Fatal Four Way, rivalries escalating, and Rey Mysterio’s induction into the Straight Edge Society were just a few of the many stories going on tonight.

Christian def. Chavo Guerrero
Chavo felt that Christian had disgraced his aunt Vickie, and looked for retribution tonight. He put up a very good showing, but it was simply not enough as Christian picked up the win following the Killswitch. Immediately following the match, Dolph Ziggler continued to be a thorn in Christian’s side, attacking him from behind once again and locking him in the Sleeper Hold.

Drew McIntyre attacks Kofi Kingston backstage
Having narrowly missed out on the Intercontinental Title at Over the Limit, Kofi Kingston was back at SmackDown this week and ready to right the ship. However, he was jumped backstage by champion Drew McIntyre. Security had to break up the fight as McIntyre continues to abuse the fact that Mr. McMahon won’t allow him to be fired.

Jack Swagger learns his opponents, and tonight’s match
Theodore Long gave Jack Swagger some unwelcome news in regards to his opponents at Fatal Four Way. Firstly, since Jack unfairly retained his title at the PPV, Big Show will get another chance. Secondly, a title shot will be granted to a man who never got to exercise his rematch clause when he lost the belt way back in February due to his feud with Shawn Michaels – The Undertaker will be in the match! The third and final participant would be determined next week via 20-man battle royal. On top of everything else, Swagger will face the Undertaker one-on-one, tonight!

Handicap Match: Big Show def. The Dudebusters
Celebrating the fact that he would be getting another crack at the gold, Big Show looked as impressive as ever, throwing around Trent Barreta and Caylen Croft like ragdolls. Show picked up the win following a Double Chokeslam.

Beth Phoenix def. Michelle McCool
The Glamazon shocked doctors by recovering incredibly fast from her knee injury ( ) and she was out for retribution tonight. Not even Layla’s best attempts at ringside could keep the self proclaimed “Co-Women’s Champion” Michaelle McCool from falling victim to the Glam Slam.

Rey Mysterio’s Induction to the SES
CM Punk, Luke Gallows, Serena, and Joey Mercury looked to welcome yet another member into their Straight Edge family. However, Rey Mysterio was less than enthusiastic, and he refused to remove his mask. Punk insisted that the mask hides weakness, and that to be saved, sacrifices must be made. When Mysterio continued to refuse, he fell victim to a 4-on-1 assault. The SES could have easily unmasked him, but Punk waved them off. He vowed that in the very near future, Rey WILL accept Straight Edge into his life.

Finlay def. Curt Hawkins
The veteran Finlay made his return to a SmackDown ring after a prolonged absence, facing the re-emerging Curt Hawkins. Finlay seemed to finally regain momentum after a back-and-forth contest, prompting Hawkins’ partner Vance Archer to climb to the apron. His effort was thwarted by none other than Hornswoggle, who came from under the ring to hit Archer’s shins with a shillelagh. Hawkins stumbled into the Celtic Cross for a Finlay win.

Tag Team match next week
Theodore Long made a big announcement for next week’s show. In addition to the 20-man battle royal for the final World Heavyweight Title spot at Fatal Four Way, we would see a tag team match combining two rivalries as Kofi Kingston and Christian would be going up against Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler.

Cody Rhodes def. JTG
Sporting a new jacket dubbing him “The Uncommon Man”, Cody Rhodes continues to make his mark as a singles star. Rhodes and JTG competed in a very fast-paced matchup that saw Rhodes get the nod following the Cross Rhodes.

Undertaker def. Jack Swagger (DQ)
Swagger appeared to be undeterred by the legendary Phenom. He blocked several of Taker’s attempts at a Chokeslam, and planted the Deadman with a plethora of offensive maneuvers. Still, nothing could keep Taker down for the count. Finally, a frustrated Swagger went outside the ring, retrieved the World Heavyweight Title, and blasted Undertaker in he face with it. When Taker sat up, Swagger jumped out of the ring and retreated, only to bump into the Big Show, who punched him in the face once again.

[Evil Vito]

WWE Raw – June 7, 2010
Mayhem

A stacked show tonight saw chaos ensue in the main event as well as five first-round matches in the tournament to determine the new WWE United States champion (the other three first-round matches will take place on WWE Superstars this Thursday night). Who took the first step to championship gold tonight?

United States Title Tournament Match: Chris Jericho def. Tyson Kidd
Despite being the self-proclaimed “best in the world at what he does”, Chris Jericho needed to resort to unfair means to defeat one half of the Unified Tag Team champions. After an excellent bout, Jericho saw no other alternative but to hook Kidd’s tights. David Hart Smith chased Jericho out of the ring before he could get too boastful.

United States Title Tournament Match: Evan Bourne def. Yoshi Tatsu
Two of the fastest men on the Raw roster were hoping to get their first taste of WWE gold in this tournament. They certainly didn’t disappoint the WWE Universe with their match, but ultimately Evan Bourne got the victory following Air Bourne. The two shook hands afterwards in a great show of sportsmanship.

Divas Title Match: Maryse def. Eve Torres
Just a couple weeks after losing her title, Eve looked to make good on her mandatory re-match clause. She certainly took the fight to Maryse, but was once again unable to escape the French Kiss as Maryse maintained her grip on the Divas Title.

United States Title Tournament Match: David Hart Smith def. The Miz
After two defeats to Bret Hart, The Miz will still not get back the belt that he had held for so long. After Tyson Kidd thwarted Miz’ attempt to cheat, Chris Jericho came out to attack him and the referee was distracted. Out from the crowd emerged Daniel Bryan, who kicked Miz in the head and once again cost him a match. David Hart Smith took advantage of the situation and will advance in the tournament.

The Miz challenges Daniel Bryan
Upon recovering from the kick, Miz demanded that security allow Daniel Bryan to come out to the ring. Miz was furious at what has transpired, and has decided to finally grant Bryan his wish to see who is the better man. The Miz challenged Daniel Bryan to a match at Fatal Four Way, an unsanctioned match because Bryan is unemployed. The indy superstar responded by stating “Daniel Bryan has to decline, but Bryan Danielson will gladly kick your head in again at Fatal Four Way.”

United States Title Tournament Match: Ted DiBiase def. Goldust
The Fortunate Son had an appropriate path to traverse en route to championship gold: a match against the Golden One. Although the wily Goldust appeared to get the better of Ted at times, he still fell victim to the Dream Street as DiBiase advanced.

United States Title Tournament Match: R-Truth def. Vladimir Kozlov
Having just seen his rival Ted DiBiase advance, R-Truth must have felt more pressure to do the same. He had the unfortunate task of facing off against the Moscow Mauler, Vladimir Kozlov. Truth utilized his quickness to keep Kozlov off his game, finishing him off with a Scissors Kick to advance. That’s what’s up.

Edge & Sheamus vs. John Cena & Randy Orton ended in a double count out
This match pitted the four men involved in the WWE Championship match at Fatal Four Way. Neither team could completely co-exist with one another, and it certainly showed. The first several minutes resembled a proper tag team match, but soon enough it degenerated into an all-out brawl between all four men. The fight spilled outside the ring and both teams got counted out. Hoards of security attempted to break the brawl up as Raw went off the air.

[Evil Vito]

WWE NXT - June 8, 2010
Momentum

With just 1 week to go until the NXT Season 1 Finale, finalists Justin Gabriel and Wade Barrett would see similar action as compared to last week - two matches in one night. Each man would face their opponent's WWE Pro, followed afterward by a tag team match.

Matt Hardy def. Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett continued to be the offensive brute that he'd been throughout the duration of NXT, pulverizing Hardy. However, he clearly had some extra cockiness rub off on him from his WWE Pro, as Matt Hardy kicked Barrett in the gut while he was showboating, leading to a Twist of Fate and a win for Hardy.

Justin Gabriel def. Chris Jericho
Nearly two months ago, the world was shocked when NXT Rookie Heath Slater pinned then-World Heavyweight champion Chris Jericho in the middle of the ring. Jericho was deeply disturbed by it, and certainly he didn't think it would happen again. Yet, it has, and in an all-too familiar fashion. Both men countered each other move-for-move until Gabriel caught Jericho in a sudden roll-up for the victory. Jericho brutally attacked Gabriel after the bell, weakening him for the upcoming main event.

Justin Gabriel & Matt Hardy def. Wade Barrett & Chris Jericho
With Gabriel being battered from the Chris Jericho beatdown, Matt Hardy had to work most of the match solo. Barrett and Jericho took turns wearing down Hardy for most of the match, before Justin Gabriel bravely slapped Hardy on the back, tagging himself into the match. Gabriel showed an incredible amount of guts, taking both opponents by surprise. Hardy recovered well enough to throw Jericho out of the ring as Gabriel picked up the win for his team following the 450 Splash. If Gabriel pins Barrett next week, he will be the inaugural victor of NXT!

With Gabriel and his Pro going 3-0 on the night, they will ride a huge wave of momentum headed into the final. It's Wade Barrett vs. Justin Gabriel in the NXT Finale next week. You don't wanna miss it!

[Evil Vito]

WWE Superstars – June 10, 2010
Thursday Night Delight

The weekly interbrand show saw some exciting tag team action from the SmackDown brand, as well as the final three first-round matches in the WWE United States championship tournament.

Joey Mercury & Luke Gallows def. JTG & MVP
The power of straight edge was flowing through CM Punk’s disciples on this night as they showed great chemistry in picking up a win over fan-favorites JTG and MVP. Joey Mercury scored the pinfall victory in his first match back following a double underhook DDT on JTG.

United States Title Tournament Match: Zack Ryder def. Santino Marella
Santino’s boasting on the microphone prior to the match certainly did him no favors, as the Long Island Loudmouth looked more fired up than ever. Ryder made relatively quick work of Santino, finishing him off with the Zack Attack to advance. Woo woo woo, you know it.

United States Title Tournament Match: William Regal def. Mark Henry
Regal certainly appeared unhappy that he was drawn to face The World’s Strongest Man in the tournament. For that reason, using cheap tactics must have been even more paramount, as Regal utilized brass knuckles to pick up the victory and move on in the tournament following a ringside distraction from Regal’s associate Vladimir Kozlov.

United States Title Tournament Match: John Morrison def. Primo
On this night Morrison truly was the Thursday Night Delight, electrifying the crowd in his win over Primo. Primo put up a good showing but appeared to get frustrated after a series of nearfalls, which allowed Morrison to capitalize with the Moonlight Drive. For good measure, Morrison finished it off with the Starship Pain to complete the first round of the tournament. The quarter-finals will continue on next week live on Raw!

[Evil Vito]

WWE SmackDown – June 11, 2010
Tall Order of Business

The World Heavyweight Title match for Fatal Four Way is now set, and champion Jack Swagger cannot be happy with it. If any of his three enormous opponents are victorious, he will lose the belt. After what transpired tonight, one has to wonder how Swagger has any chance of retaining.

Jack Swagger addresses the SmackDown Superstars
The night started off with 20 SmackDown superstars standing in the ring ready to fight: Caylen Croft, Chavo Guerrero, Chris Masters, Christian, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Curt Hawkins, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Finlay, JTG, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Matt Hardy, MVP, Rey Mysterio, Shad Gaspard, Trent Barreta, Tyler Reks, and Vance Archer. World Heavyweight champion Jack Swagger stood on the rampway and announced that he would be watching this match up-close to see who his final challenger at Fatal Four Way would be. He promised that no matter who it was, there was no way they would be able to beat him.

Kane wins 20-Man #1 Contendership Battle Royal
As if dealing with two giants was bad enough for Swagger, the biggest man in the battle royal (and one of the most prolific monsters in WWE history) came out victorious. Jack Swagger watched from the ramp in horror as Kane eliminated a quarter of the field, lastly clotheslining an impressive Shad Gaspard over the top rope to the floor.

Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly, & Tiffany def. Layla, Michelle McCool, & Rosa Mendes
Layla, Michelle, and Rosa had a sound strategy in mind for this match – don’t allow Beth Phoenix to get into the ring. But after isolating Kelly for several minutes, she eventually got the hot tag in to Beth, and when that happened, Lay-Cool abandoned their partner Rosa Mendes. Beth connected with the Glam Slam to get the win for her team.

Finlay def. Vance Archer
A week after defeating his partner Curt Hawkins, Vance Archer looked for retribution against the recently-returned Finlay. Unfortunately for him, Finlay’s son Hornswoggle played a role in the match yet again. Hornswoggle attacked Hawkins with a shillelagh at ringside, and that distracted Archer long enough to eat the Celtic Cross for the loss.

Rey Mysterio to put his Mask on the line at Fatal Four Way
The Straight Edge Society continued to pressure Rey Mysterio into removing his mask in order to properly accept straight edge into his life. Punk accused Rey of being dishonorable and a disgrace to all of those who look up to him. Rey brought up the legacy of Mexican wrestling, and the sheer significance of the mask. Then he countered with a proposal – at Backlash, Punk put his hair on the line while Rey wagered nothing. At Over the Limit, each man wagered something. And now at Fatal Four Way – Rey will show how much his mask means to him by making the only wager in another match against CM Punk. Rey’s mask (and pride) will be on the line. With everything to gain and nothing to lose, Punk agreed to the terms, and much like last week, the Straight Edge Society beat him down.

Christian & Kofi Kingston def. Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre
Two of SmackDown’s continuing feuds were carried out in this tag team contest. All four men got their fare share of ring time in this one. A miscommunication by Drew McIntyre led to Dolph Ziggler being hit with Trouble in Paradise as Kofi got the pinfall victory for his team. After the bout, the Intercontinental champion hit both opponents with his title belt, and then executed a Future Shock to his rival Kofi Kingston.

Shad Gaspard def. Chris Masters
Shad looked just a little bit meaner during this match, obviously still fuming after coming so close to winning the battle royal. The Masterpiece looked impressive in his own right, and so this made for a fairly even bout. Shad continued his quest to show the world that it was “his tyme”, picking up the win following an STO.

Big Show and Undertaker fought to a no-contest
This was a big main event in more ways than one. Former rivals, Big Show and Undertaker took each other to limit as each one looked to gain momentum just 9 days away from Fatal Four Way. How this battle would have turned out is anybody’s guess, as Jack Swagger hit the ring with a steel chair and blasted his challengers with it. For the second week in a row, Swagger got a rude awakening while backing up the rampway, receiving a big chokeslam from Kane on the stage to close the show.

[loopydate]

OCTOBER 22, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

Tonight promises to be a huge episode of the Friday night mainstay. In a triple-threat tag match, Eddie Guerrero and John Cena take on Vitamin C (Chris Jericho and Christian) and Brock Lesnar and Tajiri in a battle of the Elite. Also, the Hardy Boyz defend the World Tag Team Titles against the Dudley Boyz who earned their shot last week with a win over the Metro Connection. Plus, in another huge encounter, Chris Benoit defends the United States Title against Rico. Winner gets the gold... loser has to leave the Elite!

The ring is full of SmackDown! superstars as the show goes on the air as we prepare for a 20-man battle royal! Once the bell rings, all twenty men throw themselves into it, though it's unclear what the reward is for the winner. Nova is the first man out, dumped by Colt Cabana. Shortly thereafter, Chavo Guerrero takes out Generalin Intikami. In one of the more shocking moments to possibly ever occur in a battle royal Zach Gowan eliminates Mark Henry! Matt Stryker is the next one out, eliminated by Funaki, and Chavo follows up with his second elimination as he takes out Jamie Noble. Test eliminates Christian York next, and Chavo gets bundled over by The Hurricane. Colt manages to avoid being tossed out by Vito Thomaselli, but Funaki hits a spinning back kick to take him out. Nunzio's gone next, courtesy of Hurricane. Funaki continues his improbable run as he eliminates Jay Briscoe to drop it down to a top ten. Trent Acid makes his presence known as he eliminates Akio. Speaking of surprising runs, Zach Gowan picks up another elimination as he takes out Johnny Jeter. Test joins the two-elim club when he takes out BJ Whitmer. Funaki's run comes to an end as Carlito takes him out. Gowan's the next one out courtesy of Acid, and apparently the "both feet must hit the floor" rule doesn't apply to him. Vito Thomaselli, who many seem to have forgotten is even in this thing, is the next one out courtesy of Test. And then there were four - Carlito, Test, The Hurricane, and Trent Acid. It turns into a solid fatal fourway with everybody getting in some solid offense. Acid is the next to go as Test dumps him out. Hurricane takes out Carlito next to set up him versus Test at the end. After a little brawling, Hurricane eliminates Test to win the battle royal!

"If ya smeeeeeeeeeeeeelll..." The crowd goes nuts as The Rock makes his way to the ring. He cuts a brief promo about Survivor Series and how he's been selected to captain the team that's going up against the Natural Born Ministry. He then introduces The Great Ones, which is made up of Rock's frequent tag partner John Cena and three men with a long-standing issue with the Ministry - A-Train, Big Show, and Payne! The five men pose for the crowd, and Payne looks like he's getting a hell of a rub being surrounded by four former champions.

Two men who seem to be wandering aimlessly through the midcard lately go toe-to-toe next, hoping to regain some direction. It's Aaron Stevens versus John Layfield. Unfortunately, this winds up being a disappointment, as neither looks very good. Layfield whips Stevens off the ropes, where he's laid out by a Dave Batista chairshot! Stevens staggers into a roll-up for the cheap three-count. After the match, Layfield and Batista pound the living crap out of Stevens, basically leaving him for dead.

John Cena is backstage, and he puts over The Great Ones Survivor Series team, but then goes off on Tajiri. He mentions that he beat him on RAW, but that he knows it's not over. But before Survivor Series, it's going to be. One way or the other, it will be.

Up next is a tag match featuring former champions the Metro Connection taking on the red-hot Paul London and another exciting up-and-comer Brian Kendrick! Great quick tags and double-team offense with several near-falls. Eventually, it comes down to London and Kanyon, who winds up taking London Calling for the loss. Big win for the youngsters!

The Hardy Boyz come to the ring for their World Tag Team Title defense against the Dudley Boyz, but first Matt has something to say to The Rock. Next week, Eric Bischoff has set up one last title match between the two of them... inside Hell In A Cell! And he's going to walk out of SmackDown! once again the WWE Champion, and that is a certifiable Matt FACT!

The Dudleyz are out next for their title shot, and it's a good one. These teams always have tremendous chemistry, and tonight is no exception. Unfortunately, the Dudleyz haven't quite elevated themselves to the same degree that the Hardyz have, and the Hardyz have definitely learned to win the big matches. Eventually, Matt spears D-Von to set up Jeff hitting the Swanton Bomb for the win and the successful title defense.

Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio are backstage talking about Christian and Brock Lesnar and their ongoing feuds. Eddie's part of a huge triple-threat tag main event tonight, and both those guys will be involved. Rey just asks him to save him a piece of Lesnar.

Rico and Chris Benoit's United States Title match is up next, and it's solid. Benoit doesn't put in much effort... again. But Rico again proves that there's really not anybody he can't put on a good match with, but he falls victim to the Crippler Crossface. Benoit remains the champion, and Rico's out of the Elite!

Benoit grabs a microphone after his match and cuts a brief promo on RVD. He likes what Cena said earlier about wrapping things up with Tajiri, and he's ready to do the same with RVD, and he's going to do it on RAW in a Ladder Match. And if RVD thinks he's going to take away the U.S. Title, he's going to prove. him. wrong!

And now for our main event. It's a pretty thrilling, albeit brief match. Lesnar, Cena, Tajiri, and Guerrero do most of the work, with Vitamin C picking their spots. Eventually, Christian picks up another win over his rival Guerrero with the Unprettier. Not exactly sending the fans home happy, but it was a fun match.

Next week on SmackDown!, we know that The Rock will defend the WWE Title against Matt Hardy Version 2.0 inside Hell In A Cell, The Hurricane looks for revenge against John Layfield for putting his friend Aaron Stevens out of WWE possibly forever, Mark Henry looks for revenge on Zach Gowan for his embarassment earlier, and another Survivor Series team will be announced, plus much much more! You don't want to miss SmackDown! next week!

[Evil Vito]

WWE Raw – June 14, 2010
Unfavorable Odds

WWE Champion John Cena got a firsthand reminder that he doesn’t even need to be pinned to lose his title on Sunday. In addition, the final four competitors in the United States Title tournament were decided as well as the announcement being made that a new general manager of Raw would be named next week.

United States Title Tournament Match: R-Truth def. William Regal
Fan-favorite R-Truth advances in the tournament despite a very solid effort from William Regal (and Vladimir Kozlov at ringside). His celebration got cut short when Regal and Kozlov both pounced on him. That didn’t last long as Mark Henry came out and got some retribution on Regal and Kozlov for cheating him out of his tournament match on Superstars last Thursday.

United States Title Tournament Match: Chris Jericho def. David Hart Smith
It should be no surprise that Jericho successfully found a way to cheat in a match yet again. One week after winning unfairly against Tyson Kidd, Jericho managed to do the same to Kidd’s partner, David Hart Smith. Jericho had to hightail it out of the ring quickly as Kidd rushed out to his partner’s aid.

Bizarre tag team main event announced, new General Manager next week
Raw announcer Jerry “The King” Lawler got a tidbit of information in his earpiece that he couldn’t hold back. He announced to the world that there is a new General Manager of Raw, and he will be revealed next week. Furthermore, he’s shaking things up tonight by pitting enemies against each other in tag teams – it’ll be Edge and Randy Orton against John Cena and Sheamus!

Natalya def. Alicia Fox
Natalya turned a bad night for The Hart Dynasty into a moderate success with an impressive victory over Alicia Fox. Divas champion Maryse looked on from ringside, one has to think Natalya is in line for a title shot in the very near future.

United States Title Tournament Match: John Morrison def. Zack Ryder
Although he’s won matches on Superstars since joining the Raw brand, the Long Island Loudmouth still has yet to win a match on Monday Night Raw. That wait will have to continue, as his best efforts weren’t enough to keep John Morrison from advancing. Starship Pain never fails to get the job done, and tonight was no exception.

The Miz has some choice words for Bryan Danielson
The Miz cut a promo from backstage, citing that if he went into the arena the cowardly Bryan Danielson would attack him from the crowd again. Miz vowed to give Danielson a taste of his own medicine in their unsanctioned match at Fatal Four Way.

United States Title Tournament Match: Ted DiBiase def. Evan Bourne
DiBiase may soon be able to trade in his Million Dollar belt for real gold after advancing in the tournament over a very game Evan Bourne. Not long after the match ended via Dream Street, R-Truth emerged on the rampway with a microphone, congratulating Ted on advancing and stating that he hopes to see him in the finals, so he can beat him once again live on PPV.

John Cena & Sheamus def. Edge & Randy Orton
The main event tag team bout felt eerily similar to last week’s main event. Neither team could co-exist, and eventually all four men brawled in the ring. With Orton and Sheamus as the legal men, Edge attempted to intervene only for John Cena to cut him off, hoisting him up for an Attitude Adjustment. Cena then got met with an RKO right after. Lastly, Sheamus connected with a Bicycle Kick to the face of Orton as Sheamus picked up the victory for his team. As the Celtic Warrior posed in celebration, it bares repeating that if this same thing happens on Sunday, John Cena will lose his title belt without even getting pinned. Can the champ survive? Order Fatal Four Way to find out!

[Evil Vito]

WWE NXT – June 15, 2010
Season 1 Finale

After several months, the first ever winner of NXT has been crowned. He now gets a title match of his choosing at a future PPV. Before the final match, the other 6 NXT rookies were also invited back to ply their craft in randomized matches and hope to impress management with the competition ending.

David Otunga def. Skip Sheffield
Skip Sheffield showed much more fire and tenacity than he did in his previous NXT appearances, and he certainly seemed to have the A-Lister reeling. Unfortunately for Skip, that wasn’t enough to keep the crafty Otunga from grabbing a victory following a hook of the tights.

Bryan Danielson def. Darren Young
Darren Young got an unlucky draw on this night, as the former Daniel Bryan was certainly in the mood to use Young as target practice in advance of his unsanctioned match against The Miz. After using a flurry of unique offensive maneuvers, Danielson netted his first ever win against an NXT rookie following a bridging dragon suplex.

The Miz attacks Bryan Danielson
Danielson didn’t have much time to celebrate, as The Miz hopped into the ring and assaulted him before hitting a Skull-Crushing Finale. Miz belittled his downed opponent as if to say “how do you like it now?” These two men are surely going to tear into each other on Monday.

Michael Tarver def. Heath Slater
If Danielson’s returning performance was the most impressive, Michael Tarver’s surely was the most surprising. Although Slater got the early advantage, Tarver connected with a well-placed punch to the jaw for the victory. Tarver had boasted about his punch going into the contest, but this was the first time it had actually been seen, and it failed to disappoint.

Wade Barrett def. Justin Gabriel to win NXT
After being #1 in the Pros Poll for several weeks running, Wade Barrett seemed to lose some steam after suffering a defeat at the hands of Justin Gabriel last week and falling to #2 on the poll. However, he made up for it this week in a big way. The two finalists had an intense back-and-forth battle that captivated everybody. The turning point came when Justin Gabriel appeared to have the 450 all set up only for Barrett to put his knees up upon impact. Barrett capitalized by hitting his fireman’s carry finishing move, and three seconds later he was crowned the winner of NXT Season 1.

Barrett and his WWE Pro Chris Jericho celebrated afterwards amid streams of confetti. Wade Barrett has now earned the right to a title shot on PPV, and doubtless the intelligent Barrett will inform everybody of his decision in the near future. Furthermore, he has also earned the right to call himself WWE’s next breakout star. How high will Barrett’s rising star go? Will any of the other NXT rookies be able to establish themselves? Continue watching WWE programming to find out!

Next week on the standard 10 PM timeslot, we will take a look back at the most memorable moments from Season 1 of NXT. The following week, we will be introduced to the WWE Pros for NXT Season 2, and they will look to gain momentum before meeting their rookies. NXT Season 2 will formally begin on July 6th.

[Evil Vito]

WWE Superstars – June 17, 2010
Giant Redemption

One superstar gets redemption from last week, and another bounced back from a loss in tag team action on SmackDown. 4 more great matches from both brands on another fun edition of WWE Superstars.

Matt Hardy def. Tyler Reks
Perhaps frustrated by his NXT rookie Justin Gabriel losing out on the competition, Matt Hardy took out his anger on the Laguna Beach native Tyler Reks. Matt was able to stave off a small Reks rally and pick up the victory after the Twist of Fate.

Gail Kim def. Jillian Hall
Gail did the world a favor by not allowing Jillian to begin singing prior to the match. As per usual, Gail wowed the crowd with her innovative offense and ultimately made Jillian Eat Defeat. Perhaps this win will vault Gail back into the title picture.

Dolph Ziggler def. JTG
Dolph Ziggler’s theme tells everybody that he is “perfection”. He certainly looked the part in this match. JTG put up a good fight as he always does, but that was not enough for the egomaniacal Ziggler, who ducked a JTG clothesline and proceeded to hit a Zig Zag for the victory.

Mark Henry def. Vladimir Kozlov
The World’s Strongest Man clearly hasn’t forgotten Kozlov’s interference in last week’s match. Not only did he aid R-Truth before Kozlov & William Regal could attack him, but he also showed his brute strength against the Sambo Specialist. Henry seemed to absorb Kozlov’s normally formidable headbutts, and then he hoisted the big Russian before World’s Strongest Slamming him to the mat. After this big win, who knows what’s next for Mark Henry.

[Evil Vito]

WWE SmackDown – June 18, 2010
Temporarily United

Tonight’s main event was slated to be a Fatal Four Way preview – a four-way tag team match pitting each of the participants in Sunday’s World Heavyweight title match with partners of their choosing against each other. However, two of the participants decided to make their own rules – and really, who’s going to tell them no? Jack Swagger may be in trouble this Sunday.

Rey Mysterio def. Chavo Guerrero
This bout served as a rehash of the bitter feud that these two men once had. After plenty of jaw-dropping lucha libre counters and maneuvers, Mysterio got the victory following the 6-1-9 and West Coast Pop. The victory will surely give Mysterio a head of steam with Fatal Four Way just 2 days away.

CM Punk and Rey Mysterio Confrontation
Rey’s celebration was cut short as CM Punk’s music intervened. Out walked the Straight Edge Society. Punk continued to preach the straight edge lifestyle to the WWE Universe and Mysterio himself. Punk reminded Rey on several occasions that he can simply remove his mask now and prevent the beating of a lifetime, but Rey once again refused. The Straight Edge Society appeared poised to gang up on Mysterio for the third straight week, but Rey evaded it. Is this the last we’ve seen of a masked Rey Mysterio on SmackDown? We’ll find out on Sunday.

Women’s Title Match: Beth Phoenix def. Layla (Count-Out)
The Glamazon continues to be on an absolute warpath. Any offense that Women’s champion Layla could muster seemed to have little if any effect on Phoenix. For the second straight week, Layla opted to walk out of the match. Lay-Cool ran to the back, leaving a clearly annoyed Beth Phoenix standing in the ring, taking an unsatisfying count out victory. The Women’s champion can’t dodge the Glamazon forever.

Kofi Kingston def. Cody Rhodes
“The Uncommon Man” Cody Rhodes has really upped his game since being drafted to the SmackDown brand a month and a half ago. He has shown great potential to shine in the singles spotlight at some point. Unfortunately for him, tonight just was not his night as he was bettered by the ever-popular Kofi Kingston. After a high quality bout, Kingston picked up the win with the Trouble in Paradise. Almost instantaneously, Intercontinental champion Drew McIntyre performed yet another sneak attack on Kingston, hitting him in the back of the head with the Intercontinental championship and then landing a Future Shock.

Intercontinental Title bout booked for Fatal Four Way
SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long was quick to burst onto the scene. He informed Drew that he was growing sick and tired of these constant sneak attacks, and so Sunday at Over the Limit – he will once again be defending the Intercontinental Title against Kofi Kingston!

Curt Hawkins & Vance Archer def. Finlay & Hornswoggle
SmackDown’s newest tag team has been wanting to make an impact, and tonight they did just that. Hornswoggle tagged himself in and was soon met with a swinging scoop slam from Hawkins. As Hawkins climbed to the top rope, Finlay attempted to intervene but was met with a boot to the face by Archer. Hawkins connected with a top rope elbow drop to Swog for the victory.

MVP def. Shad Gaspard
Ever since finding his mean streak, Shad Gaspard has looked nearly unstoppable. He found himself some tough competition tonight in MVP. Both of these men are looking to make their marks in title pictures – and for much of the contest no one man seemed to have the advantage. Shad whipped MVP into the ropes for a Big Boot, but MVP ducked. MVP kicked Shad in the gut and then delivered a Playmaker for the big win. Shad appeared to be absolutely livid upon recovery.

Triple Threat Tag Team Match: The Brothers of Destruction def. Jack Swagger/Drew McIntyre & Big Show/Christian
Although all four men were supposed to pick their own partners, Kane and The Undertaker operate under their own rules – and shocked the other four participants by picking each other as partners. This match was certainly a fitting precursor to what can be expected to be seen on Sunday. With McIntyre and Christian preoccupied with one another and Big Show outside the ring, the Brothers of Destruction hit World Heavyweight champion Jack Swagger with a huge double chokeslam. Both men pinned Swagger, perhaps a sign of things to come for him. Although they were united tonight, it’s going to be every man for himself come Fatal Four Way. Who will walk out as World Heavyweight champion? Call your PPV provider and find out!

[Evil Vito]

FINALIZED FATAL FOUR WAY CARD

WWE Championship: John Cena (C) vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge vs. Sheamus

World Heavyweight Championship: Jack Swagger (C) vs. Big Show vs. Undertaker vs. Kane

Intercontinental Championship: Drew McIntyre (C) vs. Kofi Kingston

Semi-Finals and Finals of United States Championship Tournament: R-Truth vs. Chris Jericho, John Morrison vs. Ted DiBiase, Winners Meet in the Finals

Rey Mysterio's Mask on the Line: Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk

Unsanctioned Match: The Miz vs. Bryan Danielson

[Evil Vito]

I will continue posting my progress here on the off-chance that anybody outside of Loopydate actually reads this thread, however, I have also begun posting my game on the EWBattleground. They have a pretty active area for EWR/TEW diaries called "The Dome". I haven't received very many comments on my game, but it's gotten about 300 views so at least I know people are reading.

They are admittedly pretty anal about certain things (namely posts - you shouldn't post in your diary topic unless you are making a significant update and/or answering a question or criticism from somebody. If you simply make a post like "Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, my game's not dead, etc." they will chew you out)...but it seems like a good community to post these in overall and help maintain my interest.

Anyways, Loopy - I think you've done some great things with your game, and I definitely think they'd like it over there. If I were you I'd totally set up a topic over there and start posting your shows gradually from the very beginning (until you can catch up to where you are now). They really love to see character development and you've definitely shown that with people like the Natural Born Ministry, "Nature Boy" Dave Batista, etc.

If you're interested the link is: http://www.ewbattleground.com/forum/index.php

[loopydate]

Thanks, Vito. May need to take you up on that. And thanks for the compliments. Really enjoying your game, too. Very interested in seeing what you've got in mind for Fatal Fourway and the second season of NXT. Guessing Alex Riley, Joe Hennig, and Johnny Prime all get looks. Probably one or both of Jackson Andrews or Eli Cottonwood. Maybe Brett DiBiase and/or Wes Brisco? Big FCW fan so I'm interested to see how you play it off. Of course, you could also just have Kaval come in and destroy everybody for a few weeks too.

[Evil Vito]

WWE Fatal Four Way
June 20, 2010

Dark Match: Christian def. Chavo Guerrero
Fans arriving to the arena early were treated to a bonus match between two of SmackDown’s most athletically gifted superstars. The match was a back-and-forth affair until Chavo charged the cornered Christian and was hit with a Pendulum Kick. Chavo stumbled and Christian took advantage and got the win with the Killswitch, getting the night started on a happy note for the fans.
Winner: Christian
***1/2, 83% Overall Rating

United States Title Tournament Semi-Finals: Chris Jericho vs. R-Truth
Chris Jericho’s insulting of the crowd before the match had the fans rooting harder for R-Truth than ever before. Both men seemed fairly even to start before Jericho took over proceedings. Jericho seemed to perpetually be on the brink of victory, but Truth kept kicking out at two. Jericho clearly was getting flustered, and that would prove to be his undoing As R-Truth began to mount a rally that would not let up until he connected with the Lie Detector to beat the first ever Undisputed champion and advance to the finals of the tournament.
Winner: R-Truth
***, 85% Overall Rating

United States Title Tournament Semi-Finals: John Morrison vs. Ted DiBiase
Now knowing who their opponent would be, both Ted DiBiase and John Morrison pulled out all the stops to ticket themselves for a spot in the finals. The crowd was emphatically behind Morrison, hoping to see a match between him and his occasional tag team partner. Morrison battled back late, planting DiBiase with a smooth dropkick and setting him up near the ropes. Morrison attempted to seal the deal with the Starship Pain, but DiBiase moved out of the way, sending Morrison crashing to the mat. DiBiase put Morrison on Dream Street to advance and set up a bout with his rival, R-Truth.
Winner: Ted DiBiase
***1/2, 83% Overall Rating

Intercontinental Title Match: Kofi Kingston vs. Drew McIntyre (C)
As is quickly becoming the norm for situations involving Drew McIntyre, there was plenty of controversy. As the match progressed Kofi Kingston appeared all but certain to walk out of Fatal Four Way with the gold. Perhaps sensing this, McIntyre took it upon himself to “accidentally” knock out referee Charles Robinson by whipping Kofi into the corner where the ref was standing. McIntyre retrieved his championship belt and took a swing at Kofi with it, but Kofi ducked and gave Drew a taste of his own medicine. Robinson recovered and counted three, giving us a new Intercontinental champion.

However, after only being able to celebrate for a few minutes, agent Tony Garea was seen at ringside talking with ring announcer Tony Chimel. Chimel then whispered something in Charles Robinson’s ear. Chimel then proceeded to announce that by order of Mr. McMahon, Kofi Kingston has been disqualified for illegal use of the Intercontinental Title. Therefore, the decision was reversed and “The Chosen One” once again walks out with gold.
Winner and STILL Intercontinental Champion (DQ): Drew McIntyre
**3/4, 76% Overall Rating

Unsanctioned Match: Bryan Danielson vs. The Miz
Bryan Danielson has been waiting over ten years for the opportunity to not only compete in WWE, but compete on PPV. Months of animosity with The Miz, Danielson’s NXT Pro, has led to this match. Wowing the crowd with a previously unseen variety of strikes and grapples, Danielson showed the world what he had stored up inside of him all along. With Miz grounded face down in the center of the ring, Danielson locked both arms and then bridged over the top, leaving Miz trapped in an excruciating double chickenwing. It was either tap or snap, and Miz elected to tap. Bryan Danielson got the victory as the crowd went wild. All the while, Michael Cole couldn’t believe that The Miz lost to a man who was not even a contracted WWE Superstar.
Winner: Bryan Danielson
***1/4, 80% Overall Rating

Rey Mysterio’s Mask on the Line: CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio
CM Punk and Rey Mysterio have been immersed in one of the most bitter and memorable rivalries in recent memory, with this being the fourth straight PPV telecast they’ve competed on. As per usual, these two put on an absolute clinic loads with near falls in both directions and leaving the fans on the edge of their seats waiting to see if they would catch a glimpse of Rey Mysterio’s unmasked face. Punk hoisted Rey up for the GTS, but when he flung Rey upwards, Rey landed on his feet before sweeping Punk throat-first into the middle rope. Rey connected with the 6-1-9 and the West Coast Pop to remain a masked man.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
****, 87% Overall Rating

United States Title Tournament Finals: R-Truth vs. Ted DiBiase
R-Truth already held one PPV victory over DiBiase, and appeared to have the advantage of extra rest on this night. Both men showed how badly they wanted the United States championship – but when push came to shove, its pretty clear that DiBiase may have more resources. After kicking out of Dream Street, DiBiase argued with referee John Cone. While the distraction took place, NXT Rookie Michael Tarver snuck into the ring and connected with a right hand to R-Truth. DiBiase then picked up the helpless R-Truth and landed another Dream Street, and three seconds later he was awarded the United States title. Why did Michael Tarver help DiBiase? We’ll hopefully find out soon enough.
Winner and NEW United States Champion: Ted DiBiase
***, 79% Overall Rating

World Heavyweight Title Fatal Four Way: Undertaker vs. Kane vs. Big Show vs. Jack Swagger (C)
Going into this match, few thought “The All-American American” had any chance of walking out with his title. Not only were the odds stacked against him, but he had three giants to contend with. Swagger played it perfectly, picking and choosing his spots. However, offense was hard to come by without the larger superstars shrugging him off and dishing out offense of their own. With Jack Swagger looming outside the ring: Kane, Undertaker, and Big Show all had their hands wrapped each other’s throats attempting to chokeslam one another.

Show kicked Undertaker in the stomach, catching Kane by enough surprise to land a huge Chokeslam. Undertaker retaliated by punching Big Show and then stunning the WWE Universe by delivering the World’s Largest Tombstone Piledriver to the 500 pounder. From behind, Swagger hopped in and shoved Undertaker out of the ring through the ropes. Swagger immediately covered the downed Big Show for a shocking title retention.
Winner and STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Jack Swagger
***, 83% Overall Rating

WWE Title Fatal Four Way: Sheamus vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. John Cena (C)
Having just witnessed a crazy World Heavyweight Title match, all four of these men surely realized how quickly their hopes and dreams of becoming WWE Champion can come to an end. The crowd was on the edge of their seats throughout this contest as all four Superstars broke out all of their signature maneuvers. There were at least a dozen near falls that would be barely broken up at the count of two by other participants of the match.

With Edge and Sheamus downed in the ring, Orton attempted an RKO on Cena. Cena blocked it and sent Orton into the ropes, and then hoisting him up for an Attitude Adjustment to the outside the ring. Cena turned around and ducked a Bicycle Kick from a recovered Sheamus, and then attempted another Attitude Adjustment. Sheamus rolled out of it and then picked Cena up for a crucifix powerbomb. However, before he could hit the move, he was Speared by Edge. Edge covered Sheamus for the three count. The Ultimate Opportunist struck again to win his 5th WWE Title, 10th World Title, and his astounding 30th overall title in WWE.
Winner and NEW WWE Champion: Edge
***, 86% Overall Rating

80% Overall Rating for Fatal Four Way

[Evil Vito]

Originally Posted by loopydate Thanks, Vito. May need to take you up on that. And thanks for the compliments. Really enjoying your game, too. Very interested in seeing what you've got in mind for Fatal Fourway and the second season of NXT. Guessing Alex Riley, Joe Hennig, and Johnny Prime all get looks. Probably one or both of Jackson Andrews or Eli Cottonwood. Maybe Brett DiBiase and/or Wes Brisco? Big FCW fan so I'm interested to see how you play it off. Of course, you could also just have Kaval come in and destroy everybody for a few weeks too.

Nice, I'd love to see your game posted over there on the Dome. They'd probably dig it.

I'm thinking about using most of the guys you mentioned for NXT Season 2. I don't follow FCW much but I'm basing my decisions on what little I've seen and what I hear about the guys.

Thus far the only Rookie/Pro pairings I've decided on are Eli Cottonwood/Kane and Brett DiBiase/Ted DiBiase. I will also definitely bring along Alex Riley, Joe Hennig, and Kaval. As far as pros go, I'm not too sure yet - I want to get at least one surefire main eventer in there so I'll probably use Edge.

I actually plan on using NXT as a fun "house rule". I plan on continuing to run NXT every 6 months and at the end, the winner receives the title shot although all 8 wind up free agents to help fill out the main roster. As such, once a new NXT season starts up I have to continually replenish FCW and prepare to future endeavor some people once my main roster becomes overcrowded. I'll treat it like the minor leagues, and as a term of condition that every year I MUST wind up calling up at least 16 new people from NXT (along with anyone else I may call up).

[loopydate]

OCTOBER 25, 2004 - MONDAY NIGHT RAW

It's the last RAW of October, just three weeks away from the Survivor Series. Tonight, a new team is announced, an old rivalry ends, two titles are on the line, and more rivalries than you can shake a stick at!

We open with an unusual singles match, as the hated Randy Orton takes on the equally hated Damien. Last week, Damien inadvertantly cost himself and Orton a tag match against the World's Greatest Tag Team, and Orton looks for revenge against the rookie monster tonight! Good solid match that the crowd doesn't even seem to mind (even though they usually shit on heel-heel matches). Eventually, Damien sends Orton off the ropes and - unbeknownst to the referee - Shelton Benjamin blasts Orton with a steel chair to send Orton into a Damien roll-up for the three-count. After the match, Benjamin hops into the ring and - ignoring his former rival Damien - pounds on Orton for the weeks of attacks Orton has perpetrated against him. Eventually, Benjamin walks away, leaving his rival out cold.

Up next is a six-man tag match I fucked up while booking. It was supposed to be A-Train, Big Show, and Payne representing their Survivor Series team against NBM members Palumbo, Stamboli, and Jindrak, except I accidentally clicked Kane instead of Payne because I'm so in the habit of putting him in matches with Show. So, even though he's selling the attacks from NBM that put his "future in jeopardy" a couple of weeks ago, he's in there banging. Crap. I'm an idiot. Jindrak hits Splash Mountain on Train after Sean O'Haire interferes.

Afterwards, O'Haire grabs a microphone and continues the assault, this time verbally. He talks about how Train was supposed to be a walk in the park after he "won" the #1 contender tournament, but he's proven to be a thorn in his side. And the more he thinks about it, the more he understands it. Everyone has that one rival that for whatever reason - despite not being on the same level - they just can't seem to shake. Superman had Lex Luthor, an alien god against a bald guy in an office. Hulk Hogan had Paul Orndorff. And now Sean O'Haire has A-Train. Well, in the end, Superman always saves the day, Hogan always won the feud, and Sean O'Haire is going to finally derail the A-Train. But I'm not telling you anything you didn't already know.

The Rock and Undertaker, two of the biggest stars of the last fifteen years, battle it out. Well, not so much a battle. Punches, slam, full nelson slam, DVD, and Rock Bottom, and The Rock wins a squash that gets a 71% match quality? This game is weird...

The Women's Title is on the line next in a triple-threat match as Trish Stratus defends against Mickie James and Jazz (who feels she was screwed by Trish in a contender's match that Trish was officiating. It's a good match, though Mickie seemed to phone it in a bit. Trish winds up hitting the Stratusphere on Jazz to retain.

Earlier tonight, Shelton Benjamin interjected himself in Randy Orton's business. Tonight, he teams with his longtime partner Charlie Haas to take on Elite members Brock Lesnar and Jeff Hardy. Can he put his issues with Orton behind him? Not easily, because Orton returns the favor by hitting SHelton with a chair to allow Lesnar to roll him up. After the match, Orton joins Lesnar and Hardy in beating WGTT down.

"Here come the moneeeeeeeeeeeeeey..." The crowd goes nuts as Shane McMahon makes his way to the ring. He talks a bit about his ongoing feud with Eric Bischoff, but his primary reason for being out there is to introduce the next Survivor Series team. Rey Mysterio's music hits, which leads to another big reaction. Rey leads his team to the ring, including The Hurricane, Jamie Noble, Chavo Guerrero, and Nova. What an exciting collection of cruiserweights. These are Reyes de Lucha Libre (Kings of Wrestling)!

ECW alumni Rhyno and Tajiri come out next for what promised to be a brutal encounter, and more than lived up to it! One of the best matches either man has put on in a long time, but unfortunately we don't get a clean finish. Rhyno blasts Tajiri with the Gore and looks to be about to pick up the win when the World Champion Chris Jericho hits the ring and locks him in the Walls of Jericho. The referee calls for the bell, but Jericho and Tajiri continue the beating until John Cena hits the ring to clear them out and make the save.

Cena remains in the ring after the break, because he's got a match with Christian next. Tajiri gets some revenge while the ref's back is turn, blasting Cena with the Kick of Death allowing Christian to get the cheap win. After the match, it's once again two-on-one, but Eddie Guerrero gets a turn to make the save, driving off the heels.

Finally, our Trinity Of Interference comes to an end as Eddie takes on Jericho. Eddie takes Jericho down with a big kick and looks about to pick up a big non-title win with the frogsplash, but Christian hits the Unprettier to result in the DQ. After the match, Vitamin C go to work on Eddie until Rhyno comes out to even the score once again.

Our main event is a Ladder Match for the United States Title! Since Rob Van Dam and Chris Benoit pulled off a lot of ladder-related moves, I'll let the game tell you how the match went: Flying elbow by Rob Van Dam from the top of the ladder. Super kick by Rob Van Dam. Chris Benoit powers out of a Rob Van Dam headlock. Benoit drives a forearm into the chest of RVD. Stun Gun from Chris Benoit! There used to be this blonde guy in WCW in the early 90's who used that...i wonder what happened to him? Face-first suplex onto the ladder from Benoit. Benoit drives a thrust kick into the chest of RVD. RVD backdrops Chris Benoit out of a piledriver attempt. Lightning kick by RVD on Benoit. Benoit walks into a face crusher variation. Rob Van Dam hits a rolling kick on Benoit. RVD hits a face jam on Chris Benoit onto the ladder. Benoit drops out the back of a Rob Van Dam bodyslam attempt. Gut buster, RVD hits hard. Chris Benoit nearly kills RVD with a released tiger suplex. Chris Benoit floors Rob Van Dam. Here it comes...Crippler Crossface! Rob Van Dam is almost unconscious with pain! Chris Benoit goes up ladder and grabs the prize for the win. Chris Benoit climbs each turnbuckle in turn, working the crowd as he celebrates his victory.

[Evil Vito]

Originally Posted by loopydate Up next is a six-man tag match I fucked up while booking. It was supposed to be A-Train, Big Show, and Payne representing their Survivor Series team against NBM members Palumbo, Stamboli, and Jindrak, except I accidentally clicked Kane instead of Payne because I'm so in the habit of putting him in matches with Show. So, even though he's selling the attacks from NBM that put his "future in jeopardy" a couple of weeks ago, he's in there banging. Crap. I'm an idiot. Jindrak hits Splash Mountain on Train after Sean O'Haire interferes.

[Evil Vito]

A bit of a lengthier Raw write-up than I'm accustomed to, but I have a shitload of storyline development plus a bunch of big announcements from the new GM. I've borrowed (and am slightly altering) an idea that I remember Loopydate using a few years ago. The next few weeks should be fun to book.

---

WWE Raw – June 21, 2010
New Sheriff in Town

To say this episode of Raw was monumental might be an understatement. A familiar face has shocked the WWE Universe by returning in the role of Raw General Manager. Not only did he make some major announcements for the next several months, but this show also set up participants for some major matches at the next PPV telecast, as well as the return of an iconic WWE Superstar.

Shawn Michaels introduced as Raw General Manager, Huge Announcements Made
About three months after being retired as an in-ring competitor by The Undertaker, the Heartbreak Kid made his return to television. He told the fans that he had been on the shortlist of candidates for the GM job for a couple of months now, and when he was offered the position he simply couldn’t decline. Although he stressed that his in-ring career was finished, the era of Shawn Michaels as GM will be a wild ride, starting with some major announcements tonight. He had spent the past week conversing with SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long, they’ve listened to the fans - and as such they have come up with some new ideas.

First off, after the overwhelming popularity of the Money in the Bank match – the decision has been made to give it its own PPV on July 18th. Raw and SmackDown will hold their own 6-man MITB ladder matches, and in turn, there will now be two men that hold the honor of being “Mr. Money in the Bank”. With 2 MITB briefcases running around, who knows what sort of chaos will break out? Qualifying matches will take place this week, and in an effort to ensure some fresh faces are involved, no current champions will be allowed to qualify.

And secondly, with the overwhelming popularity of concepts such as the Fatal Four Way PPV, the recently-concluded United States Title Tournament, the keeping of W/L records in NXT, AND the global popularity of the ongoing World Cup, a new concept is being introduced starting next week. The WWE World Cup – 32 men, 16 per brand will compete with the winner being crowned at this year’s Summerslam in August. The winner will receive a brand new championship – the WWE Television Championship.

Much like the Unified Tag Team Champions, the Television Champion will hold the right to compete on both Raw and SmackDown. However, the belt comes with a stipulation. The Television Champion will be forced to defend his gold on every Raw, SmackDown, and PPV until he loses the belt. This prestigious honor can only be held by a true fighting champion. More details on the inaugural WWE World Cup will be posted on WWE.com in the very near future.

Raw Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Justin Gabriel def. Wade Barrett (DQ)
With the NXT competition over, all of the participants were free to sign wherever they wanted. Raw was fortunate enough to sign the two finalists, who had a re-match from last week’s NXT Finale. Barrett couldn’t seem to put Gabriel away, so he pulled a trick out of fellow Englishman William Regal’s book and waffled Gabriel with a pair of brass knuckles that were stored in his trunks. However, referee Jack Doan noticed and proceeded to disqualify the NXT winner, much to his chagrin. Justin Gabriel qualifies.

Raw Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: The Miz def. Goldust
The Miz seemed to be a bit angrier than usual, his typical smugness replaced with disdain. This extra tenacity showed in this contest. As per usual, the veteran Goldust was no walk in the park, but a slight misstep led to his undoing, as Miz picked up the victory and the MITB qualification following a Skull Crushing Finale.

Confrontation between The Miz and Bryan Danielson
Following the win, The Miz seemed to get his sly smile back. However, before he could rattle off on the microphone, he was cut off by Bryan Danielson. Danielson informed The Miz that for four months he’s been wanting to kick his head in and force him to tap out to the “Cattle Mutilation”, and last night he did just that. He’s accomplished what he wanted to, and now he’s ready to move on from The Miz and go to the next stage of his career. Danielson then announced that with the NXT rookies now being free agents, he will be signing with SmackDown. Danielson then left, leaving an image of The Miz tapping out on the Titan Tron.

Raw Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Evan Bourne def. Primo
MITB appears to be a match tailor-made for somebody like Evan Bourne, and in just a few weeks he will get the chance. Primo has been down on his luck recently, and despite a solid showing it still was not enough to ground the high flyer. Evan Bourne qualifies following the awe-inspiring Shooting Star Press.

The Cutting Edge with special guest John Cena, WWE Title Match set for Money in the Bank
New WWE Champion Edge had no problems inviting former John Cena onto his show to mock him incessantly over what happened the previous night. Cena congratulated the Ultimate Opportunist, but also reminded Edge of two things. 1) Cena did not take the defeat, and 2) Cena has a guaranteed re-match clause. Much verbal sparring took place between the two men, before they both agreed to face each other at Money in the Bank for the WWE Title, followed by an uneasy handshake.

Raw Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Zack Ryder def. R-Truth
In what many would deem an upset, Zack Ryder has picked up his first victory on Raw over the fan-favorite R-Truth. R-Truth fought back from a good start from Ryder, and appeared to be on the brink of victory. However, United States champion Ted DiBiase emerged and distracted the referee from the apron. Then from the crowd emerged Michael Tarver, who landed another right hand on R-Truth. Ryder picked up the pieces and delivered a Zack Attack, advancing to MITB three seconds later.

Mark Henry Shocks the WWE Universe
Following the contest, it appeared as though Ted DiBiase and Michael Tarver were going to continure their assault on R-Truth before being run off by The World’s Strongest Man Mark Henry. Henry helped Truth to his feet, only to inexplicably clothesline him. Henry picked up a helpless R-Truth and delivered a World’s Strongest Slam before leaving with DiBiase and Tarver. What’s the meaning of this?

Raw Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: John Morrison def. Chris Jericho
These two men never fail to put on a show, and tonight was no exception. Either superstar seemed like they would be a perfect fit for the MITB style. This was an extremely close match with no one superstar gaining an advantage. About 15 minutes in, Morrison avoids a Codebreaker, leaving Jericho to land flat on his back. Morrison hits the Starship Pain for the victory to qualify.

Unified Tag Team Title Match set for Money in the Bank
As Chris Jericho argued with referee Charles Robinson over a supposed fast count, Wade Barrett came out. While he agreed that both of them were screwed out of their rightful spots in Raw’s MITB – Barrett holds a sort of Money in the Bank on his own. By winning NXT, Barrett is allowed a title match of his choosing at a WWE PPV. Since Barrett feels Jericho was a great mentor, it would be his honor to tag with him against The Hart Dynasty in a Unified Tag Team Title Match at Money in the Bank. Jericho clearly liked the idea, and shook Barrett’s hand. He has taught him well.

Raw Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Randy Orton def. Sheamus
With five slots in the MITB Ladder Match, these two men who came up on the short end of the stick last night had a chance at redeeming themselves. After staving off Orton’s early attacks, Sheamus battled back and appeared to be in line to connect with a Bicycle Kick. Just then, the familiar sound of Motorhead filled the arena as the crowd got on their feet. Out from the back emerged “The Game” Triple H after a lengthy absence. Triple H stared at a shocked Sheamus from the rampway, and when he turned around, he walked right into the RKO. Randy Orton qualifies for MITB, and Triple H has gotten back Sheamus for putting him on the shelf. What will happen as a result of all of this? Tune in next week!

[loopydate]

OCTOBER 29, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

October goes out with a bang tonight on SmackDown! The Rock and Matt Hardy Version 2.0 finally put their feud to rest tonight inside Hell In A Cell! Plus, Eddie Guerrero versus Brock Lesnar, fallout from last week's battle royal, and Eric Bischoff introduces another Survivor Series team!

We open up with battle royal fallout as Mark Henry looks to avenge his humiliating elimination last week as he takes on Zach Gowan. And avenge he does, as he puts the one-legged youngster away with the World's Strongest Slam. After the match, Henry grabs a chair and blasts Gowan with it to further drive home the point that last week was a fluke.

We get a special videotaped message from A-Train next, hyping his match on RAW next week against Sean O'Haire. Most of the big feuds in WWE have been wrapping up lately, and Train is ready to finally do the same against O'Haire.

Two of the most impressive performers in last week's battle royal were Funaki and Test, and tonight they go one-on-one in the hopes of continuing their momentum. Funaki manages to get some martial arts strikes in, but Test uses his size advantage to eventually pick up the win with his running big boot.

"I'm ba-ack!" WWE Chairman Eric Bischoff makes his way to the ring. He hypes the announcement later on of another Survivor Series match, then announces that tonight we will see a match-up pitting Elite members John Cena and Jeff Hardy against each other. And, because he's running the company and he can do whatever the hell he pleases now... the loser of that match has to leave the Elite. "Why? Why the hell not!"

Last week, Dave Batista and John Layfield beat the living hell out of Aaron "The Idol" Stevens, an assault that may have ended Stevens' career. Tonight, Stevens' mentor The Hurricane looks for revenge against Layfield. Hurricane looks about to put Layfield away with the Shining Wizard, but "Nature Boy" Dave Batista hits the ring to save his frequent partner and htis the Batista Bomb. After the match, the heels look to double-team WWE's resident superhero, but Hurricane's SS partner Nova hits the ring to make the save.

World Champion Chris Jericho makes his way to the ring for his tag match tonight, but first he cuts a promo on Rhyno. He's got to hand it to the Manbeast. There's no reason he should be as much of a challenge as he's been. He's never been anything more than a guy full of potential who was going to be a future World Champion. Only problem is, going to be can only get you so far. You see, Chris Jericho is the World Champion. And after RAW, he's going to be the World Champion.

Last week, the team of Brian Kendrick and Paul London picked up an improbable victory over former Tag Team Champions the Metro Connection. Tonight, they take on Elite members Canadian Violence as a true test of their skills. The youngsters are talented and exciting, but unfortunately, Benoit and Jericho just have too much experience. Eventually, they lock Kendrick in their Crossface/Walls combination forcing him to tap out.

Eddie Guerrero and Brock Lesnar at one time had one of the most brutal feuds in WWE. Tonight, they revisit their rivalry as they both gear up for their upcoming Survivor Series matches (neither of which has been announced, but come on, you know they're going to be involved) in a singles match. It's a good match, not as good as some of their matches from earlier this year, but very solid. Late in the match, after Eddie hits a big DDT, Christian hits the ring looking to cost his rival the match, but Eddie ducks a clothesline, and he takes out Lesnar instead! Eddie sends Xian to the floor, then capitalizes on Lesnar being down with the Frogsplash! After the match, Christian hits the ring to attack Eddie, but Rey Mysterio comes out to make the save and drive off his rival Lesnar.

Once again, Bischoff heads to the ring, and he announces that Reyes de Lucha Libre will be taking on the Next Big Things at Survivor Series, a team made up of Lesnar, Cruiserweight Champion Tajiri, "Nature Boy" Dave Batista, and the World Tag Team Champions the Hardy Boyz! The team assembles on the ramp and stares Mysterio down.

And now for the match Bischoff announced earlier - John Cena versus Jeff Hardy, loser leaves the Elite! Cena looks about to put Jeff away with the F-U, but suddenly Tajiri grabs Cena's ankle from ringside and pulls him to the floor. The referee calls for the bell, and Jeff Hardy is furious! Tajiri doesn't care as he slams Cena into the ringpost, then smashes him twice with a chair, then hits a drop toehold onto the chair, leaving Cena a bloody mess, but still a member of the Elite!

And now for our main event! It's short, but exciting, and the crowd absolutely loves it. Rock hits a slam, a spinning neckbreaker, and a big clothesline, but Matt fights back with a spinning bulldog. Rock ducks a clothesline and hits a spear and a DVD. Matt dodges an avalanche then hits a leg lariat, only to get backdropped and take the Rock Bottom! Rock retains inside the Cell! After the match, he poses on the turnbuckles with the belt as SmackDown! goes off the air.

[loopydate]

WWE has come to terms for the releases of RAW superstar Lance Cade and SmackDown! superstar Aaron Stevens. We wish both men the best in their future endeavors.

Several new stars are on the verge of being called up from Ohio Valley Wrestling in the month of November, so the lead-in to Survivor Series will feature some exciting new talent! Plus, on RAW this week both the Train/O'Haire and Rhyno/Jericho feuds will end, and on SmackDown! we'll see the last encounter between John Cena and Tajiri!

[Evil Vito]

No NXT this week as a recap show is aired. NXT Season 2 begins the first Tuesday of July so as to allow the participants the benefit of the end-of-month stat upgrades. In the meantime, this'll do:

WWE.COM – FORMAT FOR WWE WORLD CUP
Last night on Monday Night Raw, new Raw General Manager Shawn Michaels announced the introduction of a new concept – the WWE World Cup. Drawn from the ongoing FIFA World Cup, the WWE World Cup involves both brands as well as recently executed ideas that have been praised by fans (tournaments, chaotic fatal four ways, and keeping track of win-loss records as is done in NXT) all rolled into one.

After an in-depth interview with Shawn Michaels and Theodore Long, we here at WWE.com are happy to report that we’ve learned the rules of the WWE World Cup:

1. 16 superstars from Raw and 16 superstars from SmackDown have been selected. The 16 Raw superstars have been randomly drawn into groups of 4, same with the SmackDown superstars.

2. Throughout a six week span (June 28th-August 6th), the participants will compete in a round robin series of matches against the other members of their group. The two superstars with the best win-loss record in each group after this time period advance to the second stage of the Cup.

3. On the August 9th edition of Raw and August 13th edition of SmackDown, the second stage will be conducted. The surviving participants from Groups A/B and C/D on each show will compete in Fatal Four Way matchups. The four winners will advance to stage three of the Cup.

4. At Summerslam on August 15th, the two advancing participants from Raw and the two advancing participants from SmackDown will compete in two singles matches early in the evening. The two winners advance to the fourth and final stage of the Cup.

5. The two winners meet one-on-one, with the winner of that match being declared the winner of the first-ever WWE World Cup. In addition, the winner will be declared the first ever WWE Television Champion, and will earn the right to appear on both shows and be required to defend the gold on each Raw, SmackDown, and PPV telecast until they are no longer champion.

As if this wasn’t exciting enough, we have acquired an exclusive sneak peak of the randomly drawn groupings. The WWE World Cup is sure to change the scope of WWE as we know it! You don’t want to miss it!

Raw Group A
Chris Jericho
Goldust
Wade Barrett
Yoshi Tatsu

Raw Group B
Evan Bourne
John Morrison
Tyson Kidd
Zack Ryder

Raw Group C
Justin Gabriel
R-Truth
Santino Marella
The Miz

Raw Group D
David Hart Smith
Ted DiBiase
The Great Khali
William Regal

SmackDown Group A
Drew McIntyre
Matt Hardy
Rey Mysterio
Vance Archer

SmackDown Group B
CM Punk
Curt Hawkins
JTG
Kofi Kingston

SmackDown Group C
Chavo Guerrero
Christian
MVP
Shad Gaspard

SmackDown Group D
Bryan Danielson
Cody Rhodes
Dolph Ziggler
Finlay

[Evil Vito]

WWE Superstars - June 24, 2010
Uncommon

Two SmackDown superstars avenge losses from last week, the Raw divas are in action, and a certain Raw superstar can’t seem to keep his mouth shut on this week’s WWE Superstars.

William Regal def. Santino Marella
The always entertaining Santino Marella was sure to make some inflammatory remarks towards the veteran William Regal, and that certainly didn’t help his cause. Regal pulverized Marella with a series of stiff punches and knee strikes before making him tap out wildly to the Regal Stretch in short order.

Natalya & The Bella Twins def. Maryse, Alicia Fox, and Jillian Hall
The second-generation diva Natalya continues to make her case for a shot at the Divas Title with another victory. Although her partners helped out, Natalya worked the bulk of the match and ultimately forced Alicia Fox to tap out to a Sharpshooter. Maryse will certainly have to face Natalya sooner rather than later.

Shad Gaspard def. Heath Slater
“The One Man Rock Band” Heath Slater made his debut as a member of the SmackDown roster, having freshly signed after the completion of NXT Season 1. However, his debut didn’t quite go as planned. Fueled by anger from his loss to MVP on last week’s SmackDown, Shad was able to ward off a good debut by Slater and pick up the victory after a GTO.

Cody Rhodes def. Matt Hardy
Much like Shad, “The Uncommon Man” was eager to wash away the stain of defeat from SmackDown last week. Matt Hardy presented a very formidable challenge, and the two engaged in one of the best matches we’ve seen on WWE Superstars in quite some time. Hardy set up for a Twist of Fate but Rhodes was able to fight out of it and get Hardy in place for the Cross Rhodes. He hit the maneuver and picked up the win. Things are looking up for Cody Rhodes.

---

I mean it when I say that Hardy/Rhodes was a great match. It was like 89% Match Quality and a **** rating. Love it when matches surprise me like that.

[Evil Vito]

WWE SmackDown – June 25, 2010
The Fire Burns

Two momentous matches from the blue brand have already been set for the forthcoming Money in the Bank PPV – the SmackDown MITB match itself as well as a wild World Heavyweight Title match. In addition, one of the most intense feuds in recent history appears to be continuing.

Jack Swagger gloats, Theodore Long informs him of his next challengers
World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger was deservedly boastful about his victory over three giants at Fatal Four Way. General Manager Theodore Long eventually got sick of Swagger’s endless self-promotion, and decided to book a match. Since Swagger claims to be such a fighting champion, he should have no problem giving a title shot to the two men he DIDN’T pin at Fatal Four Way – Undertaker and Kane! Therefore, at the Money in the Bank PPV telecast, Swagger will defend his belt in a triple threat match against both Brothers of Destruction. Swagger looked rightfully upset.

SmackDown Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Big Show def. Rey Mysterio
This was a true case of David vs. Goliath as two fan favorites met to determine the first participant in the SmackDown MITB match. With the heart of a champion, Rey attempted to utilize his quickness to tire Show out. Show was down on one knee in the center of the ring, and Rey springboarded from the ropes as he normally does with the West Coast Pop. However, on the way down, he flew right into a brutal knockout punch from Big Show. Three seconds later, and Big Show had qualified. One has to wonder if they even make ladders strong enough to support his weight.

After Big Show had departed, the Straight Edge Society jumped in from the crowd and mugged Mysterio, ending with CM Punk hitting the GTS. Clearly, Punk has been consumed with Mysterio since his defeat on Sunday. Perhaps the book has not been closed on the epic feud these two men have written.

SmackDown Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Drew McIntyre def. Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio laid unconscious in the ring after all that had happened. Things got worse for him though, as Intercontinental Champion Drew McIntyre emerged, complete with a note straight from Mr. McMahon. By order of the Chairman, the stipulation that current champions will be ineligible to qualify for MITB does NOT apply to Drew McIntyre. Furthermore, McIntyre holds the right to handpick his opponent for his qualifying match.

McIntyre chose the already defenseless Mysterio, who couldn’t even stand. Referee Chad Patton reluctantly rang the bell, and mere seconds later McIntyre connected with the Future Shock for a disgustingly cheap entry into MITB.

SmackDown Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Bryan Danielson def. Chavo Guerrero
On Raw this past Monday Night, Bryan Danielson announced that he had signed with SmackDown. Chavo Guerrero, granted a qualifying match by his aunt Vickie, was out to spoil his debut. Danielson would have none of that, lighting Guerrero up with grapples and suplexes. Once Danielson locked on the very unique Cattle Mutilation, Chavo had no choice but to tap out as Danielson qualified for MITB.

Women’s Title match set for next week
Consultant Vickie Guerrero returned from a meeting with GM Theodore Long with some very regretful news for Team Lay-Cool. Next week, Layla will once again defend her WWE Women’s Title against “The Glamazon” Beth Phoenix, and this time – Layla will automatically lose the belt if she is counted out or disqualified.

Non-Title Match: Curt Hawkins & Vance Archer def. The Hart Dynasty (DQ)
By virtue of being Unified Tag Team champions, The Hart Dynasty paid a visit to SmackDown to take on the up-and-coming team of Curt Hawkins & Vance Archer. The new tandem was able to hold their own and certainly show that they are worthy contenders for a title match in the future. But before any result could occur, an irate Finlay rushed the ring, shillelagh in hand, and brutalized Hawkins & Archer with it for the disqualification ending. There is certainly still bad blood from what Hawkins & Archer did to Finlay’s son Hornswoggle last week.

SmackDown Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Christian def. Finlay
After the attack, Finlay remained in the ring for a MITB qualifier against Christian. The aggressive Finlay got the early advantage, but Christian was able to kick out several times while utilizing his skills to avoid defeat. Finlay ran into a Pendulum Kick and then a Killswitch. After coming up just short in MITB at WrestleMania, Christian qualified and will get another chance.

SmackDown Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Dolph Ziggler def. MVP
Hot off the heels of a big win against Shad Gaspard on last week’s SmackDown, MVP hoped to carry that momentum into his MITB qualifier. But it was just not to be on this night, as Dolph Ziggler brought his A-game. After ducking under MVP to avoid a Playmaker, Ziggler connected with the Zig Zag to qualify. After the bout, Shad Gaspard hit the ring and attacked MVP, planting him with a GTO to send a message.

SmackDown Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Kofi Kingston def. CM Punk
The final slot in SmackDown’s MITB would come as a result of a match between two men who at one time were tag team partners. The Straight Edge Society attempted to make nuisances of themselves at ringside, but Kingston kept his eye on the ball. The crowd got on their feet when a battered Rey Mysterio ran out and tried to fight off both Luke Gallows and Joey Mercury on his own. The fact that Rey could even stand was enough to shock Punk, who unlike Kingston, DID take his eye off the ball – and as a result received a Trouble in Paradise as Kingston qualified. Money in the Bank is already shaping up to be one hell of a show!