The official wrestling sim topic

[loopydate]

JUNE 7, 2004 - MONDAY NIGHT RAW

Tonight, the Queen of the Ring tournament comes to an end as Women's Champion Trish Stratus takes on Mickie James. If James wins, she can earn a shot at the Women's Title any time between now and June 7, 2005! Also, the final two spots in the RAW side of the King of the Ring quarterfinal bracket will be filled as Edge takes on Chris Jericho and Rhyno faces Chris Benoit! Who will join Rhyno and Damien as RAW's final four? All that, plus a Hardcore Match for the United States Title that will finally put an end to the Rob Van Dam/Sean O'Haire feud!

We open with a six-man tag match - A-Train, Luther Reigns, and Rikishi taking on Mark Jindrak, Rob Conway, and William Regal! Regal carries most of the match, with Rikishi shouldering most of the load for the babyfaces. In the end, though, Reigns takes the loss, as he falls victim to Regal's Power of the Punch.

The Divas are in action next as Lita teams with Victoria against Shaniqua and the returning Jacqueline! EWR doesn't like Diva matches that don't involve anyone not named Trish or Mickie, so this one doesn't rate that high. In the end, Victoria picks up the win by hitting Jacqueline with the Black Widow.

Next week, Shelton Benjamin takes on Damien in a King of the Ring quarterfinal match, but tonight they go at it in an eight-man tag match. Shelton is bringing his World's Greatest Tag Team partner Charlie Haas, as well as ECW Originals Lance Storm and Tommy Dreamer to take on Damien and his Ministry partners Big Show, Kane, and Undertaker! Throughout the match, the two manage to avoid each other until the very end, with Tommy Dreamer and Kane carrying most of the match. In the end, though, Damien remains undefeated as he pins Benjamin with a Chokeslam.

Up next is a triple-threat match for a shot next week at Canadian Violence's WWE Tag Team Titles. It's the Playboys versus Natural Born Thrillers Chuck Palumbo and Johnny Stamboli versus La Resistance. The NBTs fight a smart match, spending most of it on the apron, picking their spots and letting the other teams carry the load. Palumbo picks up the well-earned win with a Jungle Kick to set up Canadian Violence against the Natural Born Thrillers!

And now it's time for the finals of Queen of the Ring as best friends Mickie James and Trish Stratus go one-on-one. The Divas put on a tremendous match . They trade strikes to start, then Trish hits a flapjack, but Mickie takes to the air and picks up a near-fall with a side suplex. More back-and-forth ends with Mickie getting a foot into Trish's face as she prepares for the Stratusfere, then puts her away with a tornado DDT! Mickie James is Queen of the Ring!

After the match, the referee hands the briefcase with the title match contract in it to Mickie... and she hands it straight back! She wants her shot now! The crowd goes nuts as the two go at it one more time. Their first match was better, but this one was still very good. In the end, the result is the same, though, as Mickie hits another Tornado DDT... to win the Women's Title!

Sean O'Haire comes to the ring for our next match. He grabs the microphone and states that tonight's United States Title match is going to have the same finish as all the rest of his matches with Rob Van Dam. The only difference is, if RVD wants to relive his ECW days with a Hardcore Match, that's all the more opportunity to end things once and for all. But he's not telling us anything we don't already know.

RVD comes out next, and it's time for the big feud-ending bout! RVD starts off with strikes, but O'Haire fights back with a chop. Spear gets two. O'Haire charges the corner, but RVD gets a foot up, then gives him a facecrusher onto a chair. Big kick by RVD gets two, then another two after a shining wizard. He goes for a backdrop, but O'Haire kicks him the face, then drops him face-first across a table for two. RVD, though, trips O'Haire up, and quick as lightning, heads up top and lands the Five-Star Frogsplash for the win! We have a new United States Champion! After the match, a shocked O'Haire kicks the turnbuckles and throws a tantrum in the ring. He can't believe he lost!

King of the Ring continues next as Edge takes on Chris Jericho for a spot in the quarterfinals. These two put on a tremendous contest, as the Canadian imports showcase their unique brand of high-flying physicality. As Jericho starts to put together a run, his old rival, the World Champion Kurt Angle comes to ringside with a chair. Edge whips Y2J off the ropes, and Angle cheapshots him with the chair! Edge rolls him up and picks up the win. After the match, Angle continues his beating, when Edge's rival Chris Benoit hits the ring and chases Angle and Jericho off. But the big news is, Edge advances to the quarterfinals!

Angle grabs the microphone and says that he put Jericho out of King of the Ring so that at the pay-per-view, he can finally end this nonsense. Angle is tired of Jericho coming after him at every opportunity. So tonight he took the fight to Jericho. Just like he's going to do at King of the Ring. One last time for the World Title, it's going to be Angle versus Jericho! Oh, it's true. It's damn true!

Tonight's main event is another King of the Ring second-round contest, the winner will face Edge in two weeks. It's Rhyno versus Chris Benoit in a match that promises to be incredibly physical. They definitely live up the expectations, as both men hit their trademark moves back and forth. In the end, Benoit clamps Rhyno into the Crippler Crossface. Rhyno struggles mightily, but in the end, he has no choice but to tap out. Benoit will now face Edge in two weeks in the King of the Ring quarterfinals!

[loopydate]

JUNE 10, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

Tonight, the final two spots in the King of the Ring quarterfinals will be determined, plus both the Cruiserweight and World Tag Team Titles will be on the line, and we'll sign the contract for next week's huge Last Man Standing Match (that is also a King of the Ring quarterfinal) between The Rock and Brock Lesnar!

But first, Zach Gowan made his return to World Wrestling Entertainment last week in a six-man tag team match, being pinned by up-and-comer Johnny Jeter. Tonight, those two go one-on-one. Gowan uses his educated foot early on with a spinning back kick and a missile dropkick, but he misses a legdrop, and Jeter takes control. Gowan gets in only a little bit of offense the rest of the way as Jeter picks up the win for the second week in a row.

Up next, ten of the top cruiserweights on the SmackDown! roster go at it in an over-the-top-rope battle royal! Nunzio is the first elimination, courtesy of Jamie Noble. Noble then turns around and takes out Spike Dudley as well. Ultimo Dragon eliminates his countryman Funaki. Noble's domination ends quickly as Chavo Guerrero dumps him out. The six remaining superstars battle for a while in a very exciting match until Chavo makes another elimination, taking out Nova. Almost simultaneously, Carlito eliminates Akio. And then there were four - Carlito, Chavo, Dragon, and Paul London. London takes out Carlito to turn it into a triple threat, then takes out Dragon to make it one-on-one. Chavo and London go back and forth for a bit, but Chavo's veteran skills wind up being just too much as he eliminates London to win the match.

Dave Batista and John Layfield are two men with a lot in common. They're both angry, hateful giants who seem to enjoy nothing more than pummeling their enemies until they can no longer stand. They've clashed a couple of times as enemies, but tonight they team up for the first time. This is bad news for Aaron Stevens and Matt Morgan, as they draw them as opponents tonight. The match goes pretty much as is to be expected, the Intercontinental Champion and former Tag Team Champion dominate the youngsters, with Batista picking up the win with the Batista Bomb on Stevens.

Backstage, Paul Heyman is with his Dangerous Alliance with some choice words for their rivals. As we know, next week Brock Lesnar will face The Rock in a Last Man Standing match that will end their long-time feud. And anyone who's seen their past matches knows that Lesnar is going to once again make an example out of Rock and advance to the King of the Ring pay-per-view, then wipe the floor with the competition there to earn another title shot. In addition to that match, though, Billy Kidman and Tajiri will face off against Los Guerreros next week in a Ladder Match for a shot at the World Tag Team Titles. Kidman and Tajiri have struggled lately, and next week is their chance to shine. And, yes, Tajiri, next week is your chance to seriously hurt people!

More cruiserweight action is next in triple-threat action as Hurricane, Billy Kidman, and Rico tangle. No title shots or anything on the line, but the winner will definitely earn some bragging rights in the division. Kidman hits Rico with a back heel kick, then Hurricane lands some punches, but blows an elbow dorp allowing Rico to hit him with a senton. Plenty more of this type of quick-hitting action as the match goes on until Kidman takes Rico down with a tiger suplex, then hits a Shooting Star Press for the win.

More triple-threat action next as the World Tag Team Titles are on the line! It's the unlikely champions the Metro Connection defending against the Dudley Boyz and Teddy Long's Playas' Club. Yet another disappointing match from the SD tag-team division, and once again Billy Gunn and Chris Kanyon squeak one out, with Gunn hitting the Fameasser on Chris Nowinski to walk away with the gold.

King of the Ring continues next as former WWE Champion John Cena takes on the Dangerous Alliance's Tajiri in a second-round match. Tajiri uses his speed advantage early on, and sprinkles them off and on throughout the rest of the match. But eventually, the former champ's power advantage proves to be too much as he lands a neckbreaker and a powerbomb to set up the FU for the win.

Bad booking on my part followed that red-hot match with a heel-versus-heel Cruiserweight Title match between Christian and Jeff Hardy. 47% crowd reaction because they were let down after being so pumped up from the KotR match. Christian hits Hardy with the Unprettier, but out of nowhere, Rey Mysterio comes flying into the ring and hits the West Coast Pop to give Xian the DQ victory. After the match, Jeff attacks Rey, pissed that he cost him the title. He lays him out with the Swanton Bomb, then storms off.

Christian grabs the microphone and tells Rey that this has to stop, and at King of the Ring, it's going to. One last time, the Cruiserweight Title will be on the line. And one last time, the Peepulation is going to watch Christian walk out with the gold, 'cause that's how he rolls!

And now for our main event! It's our last second-round King of the Ring match as WWE Champion Matt Hardy Version 2.0 takes on Eddie Guerrero. The winner will face Cena in two weeks. These two put on a tremendous match with lots of high-flying and technical wizardry. Pretty much what we'd expect out of these two with something like King of the Ring on the horizon. In the end, though, the champ's newfound confidence pushes him through to a victory, hitting his middle-rope legdrop to pick up the win.

The Rock and Brock Lesnar are in the ring now for their big contract signing. Next week on SmackDown!, they will face off in a Last Man Standing Match for a spot in the King of the Ring semifinals. Also, this will finally end their long-running feud. After the last "I" has been dotted and the last "T" has been crossed, Lesnar flips the table over onto The Rock and hits the F5. He stands tall over his rival as SmackDown! goes off the air.

[loopydate]

KING OF THE RING BRACKETS - UPDATED AFTER ROUND 2

RAW
Round 1
Kurt Angle over Big Show
Damien over A-Train
Sean O'Haire over Val Venis
Shelton Benjamin over Sylvan Grenier
Chris Jericho over Rob Van Dam
Edge over Rene Dupree
Rhyno over Undertaker
Chris Benoit over Charlie Haas
Round 2
Damien over Kurt Angle
Shelton Benjamin over Sean O'Haire
Edge over Chris Jericho
Chris Benoit over Rhyno
Round 3
Shelton Benjamin vs. Damien
Edge vs. Chris Benoit

SmackDown!
Round 1
John Cena over Carlito
Tajiri over Rico
Matt Hardy Version 2.0 over Paul London
Eddie Guerrero over Dave Batista
Brock Lesnar over Ultimo Dragon
Rey Mysterio over Billy Kidman
The Rock over John Layfield
Christian over Hurricane
Round 2
John Cena over Tajiri
Matt Hardy Version 2.0 over Eddie Guerrero
Brock Lesnar over Rey Mysterio
The Rock over Christian
Round 3
John Cena vs. Matt Hardy Version 2.0
The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar

[loopydate]

JUNE 14, 2004 - MONDAY NIGHT RAW

Just two weeks away from King of the Ring, our first semifinalist will be determined tonight as the undefeated rookie monster Damien takes on Shelton Benjamin! Plus, a fatal fourway for the United States Title, Canadian Violence defending the WWE Tag Team Titles, and a huge main event pitting World Champion Kurt Angle against Sean O'Haire in a non-title match.

We open with a triple-threat pitting Luther Reigns against Rikishi and Tommy Dreamer. Reigns holds his own against the veterans in this match, but in the end falls victim to Dreamer's DDT.

Six-man tag team action is next as the three members of La Resistance take on A-Train and Terri Runnels' Playboys Lance Cade and Val Venis. Rene Dupree and Lance Cade carry most of the match, each facing off at one point or another against all three enemies. Eventually, though, it's A-Train who takes the fall, tapping out to Dupree's Figure-Four Leglock.

Two RAW midcarders who are looking to break through into the upper echelon go head-to-head next as Lance Storm takes on Mark Jindrak. The match is hot, but the relative low ratings of both men don't get a whole lot of crowd reaction, which is a shame. Jindrak winds up putting Storm away with Splash Mountain.

Two of the most technically-sound members of the RAW roster are William Regal and the World's Greatest Tag Team's Charlie Haas, and tonight they go head-to-head. They put on a tremendous display of technical wizardry, but Regal has to stoop to using the Power of the Punch to put Haas away.

Kane has struggled mightily over the last several months, while Edge has continually flirted with the main event. Can Kane climb back up using Edge as a stepping stone? He never gets much of a chance to find out, because two or three moves into the match, Edge's rival Chris Benoit hits the ring and clamps on the Crippler Crossface, resulting in a disqualification. Benoit isn't content to wait for next week's King of the Ring quarterfinal match, as he continues pummeling Edge until he finally pulls himself away and walks off.

Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho recently vaulted to the top of the WWE Tag Team Title rankings, surprising the world by winning the gold. Tonight, they take on Natural Born Thrillers Chuck Palumbo and Johnny Stamboli, coming off a big #1 contenders' match win. The four WCW alumni put on a tremendous tag match that - despite the fact that there are no babyfaces - the crowd gets way into. Eventually, they clear Palumbo out of the ring, then Jericho locks Stamboli in the Walls of Jericho while Benoit applies the Crippler Crossface. The Bull has no choice but to tap out, and the champs retain.

In two weeks, either Shelton Benjamin or Damien will be one of four superstars competing to be the 2004 King of the Ring. Damien is 9-0 since his WWE debut, and Benjamin is going to try everything to keep from being victim #10. He starts off with some rights and lefts, then a headbutt, a gutbuster, and a thrust kick. Damien blocks a punch to take momentum away, then hits a clothesline and a spear for two. He charges into the corner, but Shelton gets a boot up, then hits a jawbreaker for two. Delayed brainbuster for two. Damien fights back with some punches, but Benjamin lands a spinning neckbreaker. The referee catches a punch and goes down. Shelton sends Damien to the floor. Damien returns to the ring as Shelton lines up for a superkick, but Damien blasts him in the face with the ring bell! The referee sees it happen and calls for the disqualification! Shelton Benjamin is going to King of the Ring! Damien can't believe he just lost his first match and jumps Benjamin. The two brawl all the way up the ramp and out of view. This is not over by a longshot!

We're treated to a guest interview from SmackDown! superstar Christian, who just wants to remind us that - in addition to whatever crap RAW puts on at KotR - he's going to put on the show of the night when he beats the crap out of Rey Mysterio and checks him into the International House of Pain-cakes. 'Cause that's how he rolls!

Last week, Rob Van Dam finally took the United States Title away from Sean O'Haire after months of trying. Tonight, he has his first defense, and GM Eric Bischoff isn't going easy on him, throwing him into a fatal fourway against Rhyno, Big Show, and Undertaker! RVD proves his mettle by taking the fight to all three challengers, finally putting Show away with the Five-Star Frogsplash to retain his gold.

Kurt Angle is in the ring, ready for tonight's main event, but first he needs to remind Chris Jericho that the opportunity he faces at King of the Ring to win the World Title is going to be his last. Angle is tired of the same old song and dance, and so he's going to finally shut Jericho up and break his freakin' ankle!

Angle remains in the ring as Sean O'Haire makes his way out for the main event. They go hold-for-hold for the entire match, and even a Kurt Angle who doesn't give a shit is better than just about anyone else. In the end, though, Angle is cheated out of the clean victory as Jericho decides to take out some frustrations by laying Angle out as he prepares for the Angle Lock. The ref calls for the bell, but Angle clears the ring of the heels as RAW goes off the air.

[loopydate]

So I'm a little bored with my WWE game, so I thought I'd take the same approach with 2003 TNA. First order of business was signing as many guys to written contracts as I possibly could. Unfortunately, Amazing Red, Christopher Daniels, Low Ki, Mike Awesome, and Perry Saturn all have Japanese commitments, so I couldn't sign them. This is still the weekly-PPV era of TNA.

JUNE 4, 2003

The first NWA-TNA event with Pat Dooley at the helm kicks off with tag-team action pitting ECW veterans Sabu and Sandman against DeGenerates BG James and Sean Waltman. Sandman gets double-teamed for the first part of the match until he manages to hit Waltman with a clothesline and tag in Sabu. Sabu goes to work on Waltman with his trademark high-impact offense until we get a double-tag spot. Amid the confusion, James grabs a chair from ringside. He swings and misses Sandman, who takes the chair. He lays out James as the referee turns around and he is disqualified! After the match, all four men brawl to the back. Clearly, this is not the last we'll see of these teams.

Backstage in a darkened corridor, the deranged Raven cuts a promo on the phenomenal AJ Styles. Raven is going to beat Sting later tonight for a shot at Jeff Jarrett's NWA Title, and he's going to be the new face of TNA. AJ may be phenomenal, but every phenomenon has its end, and in this case, that end is a bloody one in the Terrordome. Quoth the Raven - Nevermore.

Up next, it's fan-favorite D'Lo Brown taking on the Franchise Shane Douglas. Unfortunately, their styles don't mesh particularly well (I say "unfortunately" because I have them feuding. Uh-oh. War of words time, I guess). Eventually, Douglas lays out D'Lo with brass knuckles to pick up the cheap win. Afterwards, he takes off running, leaving D'Lo pissed off in the ring.

WCW alumni Devon Storm and Buff Bagwell tangle next. A bunch of near falls throughout this one until Storm puts Buff away with the Mindbender. After the match, Storm shows his appreciation by offering a handshake, but Buff blasts him with a forearm that stuns him long enough to set up the Blockbuster!

The X Division is on display next in a triple-threat tag team match pitting the SATs (Joel and Jose Maximo) against the teams of AJ Styles and Jerry Lynn and Elix Skipper and Kid Kash. All six men fly around the ring with each team taking the advantage at one point or another. In the end, AJ blasts Joel Maximo with a superkick to set up the Spiral Tap and the win!

After the match, TNA Director of Authority Vince Russo comes onto the ramp to announce that, by virtue of their victory tonight, AJ Styles and Jerry Lynn have earned a match next week. It will be Styles versus Lynn... versus X Division Champion Chris Sabin for the title!

The NWA World Tag Team Titles are on the line next as Chris Harris and James Storm - America's Most Wanted - defend the belts against cocky upstarts Sonny Siaki and "Above Average" Mike Sanders. The crowd is way into this one. Pretty average match quality, though. James Storm hits Siaki with a powerslam, appearing to set up for the Death Sentence, but suddenly the 3 Live Krew's Ron Killings and Konnan hit the ring! The referee calls for the bell as 3LK attack the champions. Konnan prepares to lock in the Tequila Sunrise when The Gathering's CM Punk and Julio Dinero hit the ring to make the save. 3LK clear out of the ring, leaving the fans wondering, why did the Gathering save the champions?

And now it's time for our main event as Sting and Raven face off for a shot at Jeff Jarrett's NWA Title next week. Sting punches Raven to start, but Raven hits a clothesline and a chokeslam for a near count. He sets up for a piledriver, but Sting backdrops out of it, then hits a punch and a DDT for two. Big clothesline from Sting gets two more. Sting goes for a Stinger Splash, but he wipes out and Raven gets two after a big backbreaker. Suddenly, the champ is in the ring with a chair! Jeff Jarrett lays Sting out with the chair, and the ref calls for the bell. After the match, Jarrett and Raven pound the hell out of Sting.

Jarrett grabs the mic and issues the challenge for next week. Jarrett just gave Sting the shot at the NWA Title, but the Chosen One always stacks the deck in his favor. And for next week's title match, there's going to be a special guest referee. And his name... is Raven! The heels stand over Sting as we fade to black.

[loopydate]

JUNE 11, 2003

TNA on pay-per-view's preshow kicks off with six-man tag action pitting fan favorites Frankie Kazarian, New Jack, and Rick Steiner against Brian Lawler, Elix Skipper, and Legend. Steiner and Legend spent most of the match on the apron, and Elix Skipper carried most of it, putting on a tremendous show against all of his opponents. Skipper winds up taking the fall, though, as Kazarian pins him following the Flux Capacitor.

Jeff Jarrett is in the ring with a microphone as the PPV comes on the air. The NWA World Champion talks about tonight's main event title defense against Sting and how last week he revealed that Raven would be the guest referee. Raven's music hits, and the disturbed referee comes to the ring. He joins Jarrett on the mic proclaiming this to be the start of a New Era in TNA. AJ Styles has been the face of this company since its inception, and we're still looking for a TV deal. Sting is the number-one contender, and when was the last time he was relevant? Jeff Jarrett came to Raven a week ago and told him what he already knew - If TNA was ever going to be a true alternative, it was going to take their combined efforts to put it there. Over the coming weeks, Jarrett and Raven will be scouting the entire TNA roster, looking for the stars who will join them in leading TNA into this New Era. TNA will never be the same. Quoth the Raven - Nevermore!

Last week in a pair of singles matches, Devon Storm picked up a win over Buff Bagwell while Shane Douglas cheated to beat D'Lo Brown. Tonight, we see tag team action pitting Storm and Brown against Bagwell and Douglas. Quick tags from both teams, with several near falls. The match ends with D'Lo hitting Buff with the Lo Down for the win.

Kid Kash is out next for his match against Erik Watts. These two put on a surprisingly good match, and the crowd really gets into it. Kash picks up the win by hitting the Cha Ching for three.

DeGenerates BG James and Sean Waltman picked up a cheap DQ victory last week against Sabu and Sandman when Sandman got caught with a chair that James had brought into the ring. Tonight, Sabu and Sandman look for revenge in a match that's right up their alley - a hardcore match! Unfortunately, the ECW alumni never get that revenge as Mike Sanders and Sonny Siaki hit the ring with chairs and lay them out, allowing James to hit the Dogg Pound for the win. After the match, Sanders and Siaki continue to pummel the extremists until referees pull them away.

The NWA Tag Team Champions America's Most Wanted hit the ring next for a promo, but they're blindsided by the 3 Live Kru's Konnan and Ron Killings. But just like last week, CM Punk and Julio Dinero of The Gathering run in to make the save, finalizing their face turn.

This segues into an eight-man tag match pitting AMW and The Gathering against Konnan, Killings, Sanders, and Siaki. Chris Harris and Mike Sanders carry most of the load in this match, with each of them facing off against each of their opponents at some point or another in the match. In the end, Ron "The Truth" Killings pins James Storm to pick up the win for his team with True Conviction. These teams have definitely not seen the last of each other.

Our first title match of the evening pits X Division champion Chris Sabin against the men who won a triple-threat tag match last week to earn a shot - AJ Styles and Jerry Lynn! Surprisingly short match that nonetheless has lots of action squeezed into it. The veteran Lynn winds up picking up the win and the title by hitting Sabin with Cradle To Grave!

And now for our main event! Jeff Jarrett hits the ring, accompanied by guest referee Raven for his NWA Title defense against the icon Sting. Lots of back-and-forth near falls in this match. Eventually, Jarrett hits a spear on Sting, then clamps on a headlock. He rolls Sting onto his back, and Raven throws down a quick three count! Sting has been screwed! Jarrett jumps around the ring with the title to celebrate his "victory" as the pay-per-view goes off the air.

[loopydate]

JUNE 18, 2003

The preshow match this week is a handicap encounter pitting Altar Boy Luke and Jimmy Rave against the monster Abyss. The double-teams come quick and often, and they actually manage a few near-falls, but Abyss' strength is just too much as he lays out Rave with a sidewalk slam for the win.

Sting is in the ring to open the PPV with a microphone to cut a promo about his tag team match with AJ Styles against the New Era's leaders Jeff Jarrett and Raven. But before he can get to the good stuff, Jarrett's music hits the speakers and he and Raven are on the ramp. The icon turns his attention to his rivals, but suddenly Mike Sanders and Sonny Siaki are in the ring behind him, and they take him out! Jarrett grabs Sting's microphone and announces that the New Era has begun and the first two recruits are Sanders and Siaki!

The two new members of the New Era are up next in a tag-team match against Sabu and Sandman. The ECW alumni have had a rough go of it the last couple of weeks against BG James and Sean Waltman, and last week, Sanders and Siaki blindsided them, costing them a hardcore rematch. Quick tags throughout the match, with each team picking up two near falls. Sanders picks up the win for his team with 3.0 on Sabu.

After tours of Japan with All-Japan, New Japan, and Zero-One, Amazing Red faces off against Triple X teammates Christopher Daniels and Low Ki! All three men start off with strikes until Red hits Ki with a flying elbow for two. Daniels hits Red with a diving headbutt for two. Red dropkicks Daniels hard in the corner, but eats a brainbuster from Ki, who clamps on the Dragon Clutch for the submission victory and a shot at the X Division Title next week!

Backstage, Buff Bagwell cuts a promo. It's pretty standard self promotion stuff. I'm The Stuff, you're not. Whatever.

Up next is a six-man tag match pitting all three members of the 3 Live Kru against D'Lo Brown and the NWA Tag Team Champions America's Most Wanted. Ron Killings spends a big chunk of the match in the ring, taking on all comers. In the end, though, Chris Harris gains a measure of revenge, pinning Killings with the Catatonic.

Next week, Low Ki will face off against one of these two men for the X Division Title. It's new champion Jerry Lynn defending against Sean Waltman! These two men pull out all the stops against each other, with several near falls and close calls. Lynn nails Waltman with a diving headbutt, and Waltman rolls to the outside. He stays on the floor and walks laps around the ring, picking his moment when he gets a devilish glint in his eye. The referee calls for the bell, counting Waltman out, but Waltman doesn't seem bothered.

He grabs the X Division Title from Lollipop at ringside, then blasts Lynn with it! He stands over the champion, holding the X Title.

And now for our tag-team main event pitting Sting and AJ Styles against New Era's Jeff Jarrett and Raven! Jarrett and Raven, for having such disparate styles, work well as a team together. In the end, though, Jarrett misses an avalanche in the corner, allowing Sting to hit a bulldog and lock in the Scorpion Deathlock for the win as the PPV goes off the air.

[Evil Vito]

I don't even see a purpose in me even starting another sim game...I book like one week and then completely lose track.

My hope is that with SVR 2010's Create-a-Story mode, I'll have more of an incentive to try simming.

[Xero]

Now with the SVR storyline creator, people could easily book through something like EWR and put together whole shows to put online.

A lot of work but it would be an awesome concept.

[Evil Vito]

I hadn't thought about that actually. Doing each show individually complete with matches and storylines, then uploading it. It could definitely work out if you had a following...depends on how many people would be willing to sit down and watched simmed matches, and whether or not you are allowed to upload stories in which you don't actually play as anyone.

I'm hoping they actually allow us to do all CPU matches...but if not, I'll just use Create-a-Story to run angles for my own amusement while booking the matches in Exhibition as I always have.

[loopydate]

JUNE 17, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

It feels like it's been over a hundred days since the last WWE program, but it's really only been three Tonight on SmackDown!, we find out who will join Shelton Benjamin in the semifinals of the King of the Ring tournament as The Rock and Brock Lesnar do battle one last time in a Last Man Standing Match! Plus, the feud between the Dangerous Alliance and Los Guerreros will come to an end in a brutal Ladder Match!

We kick things off with a handicap match as the Intercontinental Champion, the animal Batista hopes to continue his roll as he takes on Funaki and the one-legged man in the ass-kicking contest Zach Gowan. The babyfaces take an early advantage, double-teaming Bats until he manages to catch Gowan with a spinebuster to set up the Batista Bomb for the win.

The Cruiserweight division is once again on display next as Jamie Noble, Nova, Paul London, and Ultimo Dragon take on Akio, Carlito, Johnny Jeter, and Nunzio. Dragon and Carlito carry most of the match, with Dragon at one point taking offense from all four heels, isolating him from his corner. Eventually, though Paul London manages to make a hot tag to turn things back in his team's favor. And in the end, he hits Akio with Diamond Dust to set up London Calling and the win in a very exciting match.

Matt Morgan is walking by himself backstage when there's an off-screen "Whoosh!" Morgan turns to see Hurricane standing with his hand outstretched. "Citizen Morgan, the Hurricane has been watching you since your debut. You're a very impressive physical specimen, yet you let the supervillain Paul Heyman control your destiny for so long. Whassupwitdat?!?" Morgan tries to answer, but "Never mind all that. Lately, you've been a man without a mission. You have such potential for good, but you need guidance to become the hero you're destined to be. With your power and my Hurri-powers, we could one day be the most unstoppable force on SmackDown! What do you say, Matthew?" There's a long beat while Morgan eyes the bizarre diminuitive superhero. "Yeah, sure, what the hell."

Triple-threat action is up next, but it may as well be another handicap match as Aaron Stevens takes on Theodore Long's Playas' Club proteges, Chris Nowinski and Mark Henry. It looks like there might be trouble in paradise early as Henry and Nowinski exchange blows, but they eventually turn their attention to Stevens, double-teaming him mercilessly. As Stevens starts to get some momentum going, Teddy Long jumps up onto the apron to distract him, allowing Henry to lay him out and hit a big splash for the win.

Over the last several weeks, the Dudley Boyz have tried - and failed - to wrest the World Tag Team Titles back from the Metro Connection. Tonight, it's six-man action as Bubba and D-Von team with their brother Spike to take on Billy, Chris, and John Layfield. Spike and Gunn carry most of the action, with all three heels taking turns teeing off on Spike until Bubba manages to turn things around for the faces, isolating Gunn. Spike winds up taking the fall as Kanyon hits him with I'm Betta Than You for the win.

From his backstage office, Vince McMahon announces a new match for King of the Ring. The loser of tonight's Last Man Standing Match will face off against the man who can retrieve the briefcase with the tag-team title shot in our Ladder Match for a WWE Title shot on SmackDown!

At King of the Ring, Christian will be defending the Cruiserweight Title against his longtime rival Rey Mysterio. Tonight he faces a tune-up match of sorts as he faces Rico. Good match with a couple of nearfalls, but Christian winds up putting Rico away with the Unprettier for the win. After the match, Mysterio springboards into the ring to lay Xian out with the West Coast Pop!

Rey gets to stay in the ring, as he's in a huge tag-team match next. He teams with John Cena against the newly-reformed Hardy Boyz! The crowd is red-hot for this one. Quick tags all around setting up every possible combination in the ring. Matt lays out Rey with a superkick, then all hell breaks loose. While the ref is distracted, Christian hits the ring for a measure of revenge, hitting Rey with an Unprettier allowing WWE Champion Matt Hardy to pick up the cheap win after the match, the three heels pummel the babyfaces.

After the match, the Hardyz grab the microphone. They cut a decent promo on Cena and The Rock, of all people. Matt and Jeff have been "on the cusp" for four long years. Every announcer, every fan talks about how superstardom is right around the corner for them. Well, they're tired of waiting for their opportunity. This beating tonight was a message to the SmackDown! main event scene. We're done waiting - we're coming for your spot! And Matt has a special reminder for Cena. Next week, it's you and me for a spot in the King of the Ring semis, and all it takes is a simple Twist of Fate for your luck to run out! I'm the champion now, and next week, I officially climb out of your shadow!

And now it's time for the first half of tonight's double main event. It's Eddie Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero against Billy Kidman and Tajiri one last time... in a Ladder Match! The winners face off against Metro Connection next week for the World Tag Team Titles, and whoever retrieves the briefcase is entered into that huge #1 contender's match at King of the Ring! Los Guerreros take the early edge as Eddie hits a back heel kick on Kidman and Chavo hits a rolling kick on Tajiri. Eddie whips Kidman into a ladder, but Tajiri trips Chavo and hits a rolling kick of his own on Eddie. The Dangerous Alliance hit a double back elbow on Eddie. Tajiri hits a flying cross body, and Kidman climbs halfway up the ladder and nails Chavo with a flying clothesline. Tajiri tries to hiptoss Eddie, but it's reversed, and he hops up to hit a super Frankenseiner on Kidman, sending him to the floor! Tajiri starts to climb up for the briefcase, but he's met at the top by Eddie and Chavo, who send him crashing to the mat with a double superplex! Eddie reaches up and grabs the briefcase! Eddie is going to King of the Ring and Los Guerreros get their title shot!

For months, The Rock and Brock Lesnar have battled each other in a grueling series of matches. Tonight, they meet for the final time in a Last Man Standing Match. Not only that, the winner advances to the SmackDown! final of King of the Ring, making them one of the final four men with a chance at the crown and a guaranteed title shot any time in the next year! Rock slams Lesnar, but gets tripped. Lesnar slams Rock and hits him with a massive lariat. Lesnar goes to suplex Rock on the outside, but Rock reverses it and Lesnar slides across the announce table. He makes it to his feet at six. Rock powerbombs Lesnar, but Lesnar grabs a kendo stick from under the ring and hits a White Russian Legsweep. Rock stays down for an eight count. Lesnar tries to get Rock up for the F-5, but Rock counters it into the Rock Bottom! And Lesnar's not getting up! Rock wins! Rock wins! The crowd erupts as SmackDown! goes off the air. The People's Champion is now two wins away from being the People's King!

We now know that Shelton Benjamin will represent RAW at King of the Ring and that The Rock will be in SmackDown!'s final. Over the next week, their opponents will be decided. Also, by virtue of Eddie's win and Brock's loss tonight, Eddie Guerrero vs. Brock Lesnar has been officially announced for King of the Ring. That added to Rey Mysterio versus Christian for the Cruiserweight Title and RAW's World Title match between Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho, and King of the Ring is shaping up to be one of the biggest shows of the year! Who knows what will happen over the next week to help shape the rest of that supercard?

[Evil Vito]

Great to see this back.

The closest thing I'm going to be doing to a sim is something with SVR10. I've downloaded pretty much the whole left out roster, so I'm working on leveling up their stats. I'll probably sim matches, post results...and for PPVs I might put together highlight reels of the matches using the game's highlight reel functionality and post them here.

Not sure yet. Might make a new thread when I get to it.

[Indifferent Clox]

Total Extreme Warfare
-presents-

A John Carico Production


Jim Ross: Ladies and Gentlemen welcome to "Understanding myself through WWE" here on HBO. I'm Jim Ross alongside my broadcast colleagues Joey Styles and Jim Cornette

Cornette: It's been building for weeks and this sunday at NO WAY OUT it will finally happen The Undertaker will go one on one with Royal Rumble winner Bryan Danielson.

Joey Styles: It all started when Danielson went on an intense 3 month win streak capturing just about every title there is to capture here in the WWE and then winning the Royal Rumble, with a little help from his "honorable" friends.

Ross:American Dragon is currently the United States champion and holds 1/3 of the Triple Tag titles alongside his stablemates Brian Kendrick and CM Punk.

Cornette: And it was just this week that Triple H was finally able to take that IC title off of him at Rampant Debates

Styles: That's got to be a big drop in momentum For Danielson, I mean first you have to consider the pure terror that The Undertaker instills in his opponent, then add to that, he lost one of his 3 belts the week before arguably the biggest match in his career.

Ross: well tonight he has a chance to gain some of that momentum back. We are starting this show off big tonight! Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, and Brian Kendrick are going to face The Undertaker, John Morrison, and Evan Bourne. But first, Earlier today WWE held the No Way Out Press conference, one of the most interesting turn of events is this exciting match that will also take place in 2 days at No WAY OUT! Rob Van Dam and IC Champion Triple H ever since Triple H cost Van Dam his title. Shawn Michaels won the Titan title that night a month ago but when he didn't keep his eye on the ball against Nigel Mcguiness, he lost his title. Nigel will be defending that title in an elimination match this Sunday against The Big Show, Kofi Kingston, John Cena, Kane, and Batista. The Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar will be facing the man he beat for the title, the man Undertaker defeated earlier this week, Kurt Angle.

Joey Styles: and in a hardcore match that may become the match that steals the show Hardcore champion and ECW original Tazz will take on the Hardcore Legend Mick Foley. Tazz has made it his mark to bring back Hardcore. The Hardcore we love. No 24/7 bullcrap, not just mindless use of weapons, but intelligent use of your environment in order to prove yourself as the toughest there is.

Jim Cornette: and the team of Austin Aries and Evan Bourne will take on Shelton Benjamin and Chris Benoit for the Unified championship. A match that, I'll go ahead and say, has peaked my interest as much as anything else. All of these men respect each other. Both of these teams feel like they are the more cohesive unit. We will find out who is correct in a ladder match at NWO.

Jim Ross: Another Exciting match is the cruiserweight title bout Homicide v. Rey Mysterio. Homicide lives by the streets and says he can beat anyone regardless of weight class, but Rey hasn't just talked the talk he has backed it up, newcomer Homicide has a whole lot to prove this coming sunday at NWO.

Joey Styles: and Finally Cm Punk will take on John Morrison, the winner will get a shot at Triple H's IC title at WM.

(actual show to come)

[Indifferent Clox]

I have heel and face ROH stables, a Bischoff led stable, and Chris Jericho is the third man in DX now

[loopydate]

JUNE 21, 2004 - MONDAY NIGHT RAW

It's the last Monday Night RAW before King of the Ring! Tonight, Edge and Chris Benoit will end their brutal feud in a Cage Match - the winner faces Shelton Benjamin on Sunday in a KotR semifinal match. Also in tonight's main event, World Champion Kurt Angle takes on Big Show!

Last week, A-Train took the fall in a six-man tag match, tapping out to Rene Dupree's Figure-Four Leglock. Tonight, he looks for revenge in a singles contest. Not the cleanest match ever fought, but Train does get what he wants by hitting Dupree with the Derailer for the win.

Two of the top contenders for the Women's Title go head-to-head next as Trish Stratus takes on Jazz. Decent match that gets a good reaction from the crowd involves lots of back-to-back action. In the end, Jazz hits a flapjack on Trish, then uses the ropes for the cheap win.

Our Olympic Hero's music hits, and Kurt Angle comes to the ring with his World Title belt. He cuts a promo about his Submission Match against Chris Jericho this Sunday night. As always, Angle delivers the good, and the crowd is definitely hyped for that title match.

Last week, The Ministry's rookie monster Damien suffered his first defeat at the hands of Shelton Benjamin in a KotR quarterfinal. Tonight, he looks to bounce back against the always-dangerous United States Champion Mister Monday Night, Rob Van Dam in a non-title match! Tremendous match that the crowd absolutely eats up. RVD starts off with a series of kicks, but winds up eating a headbutt and fallaway slam. From there, the monster begins to work over his flexible bump machine opponent until RVD catches him out of nowhere with a superkick. He almost picks up the win with a shining wizard. Unfortunately, he goes to the well once too often and Damien blocks a kick to set up the Chokeslam for the win. After the match, RVD gets a measure of revenge as he jumps Damien and lands a Five-Star Frogsplash.

Women's Champion Mickie James has firmly cemented her spot as one of the top Diva wrestlers of all-time. Tonight, she defends her title against former champ Molly Holly! Match of the night so far with some very exciting spots. Mickie hits her trademark tornado DDT for the win to retain.

Two of the most physical stars on the RAW roster lock up next as Rhyno takes on Sean O'Haire. These two do not disappoint, with punches, neckbreakers, backdrops, spike slams, elbows, spinebusters, a DVD from Rhyno... Really brutal match that ends with both men tied up in the corner and taking turns shoving the referee away from them. The ref finally has seen enough and calls for the double-disqualification. They brawl up the ramp and out of sight.

RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff appears on the TitanTron and announces that these two will meet again at King of the Ring!

The giant steel cage that's been lurking above the ring the whole night descends for our next King of the Ring match pitting Edge against Chris Benoit. These two have been battling each other for months and tonight they're hoping to finally put this feud to rest. Benoit is still all mopey and "Why am I not on both shows?" so he doesn't put in much effort. Edge nails Benoit with a powerbomb and is about to escape, when suddenly Undertaker comes down to ringside and slams the door on his head! Benoit takes the opportunity to climb up and over for the win and to advance!

After the match, Edge grabs a microphone and challenges Undertaker to a match at King of the Ring. And Taker accepts!

Bischoff appears on the Tron once more to make it official - the RAW final at King of the Ring will pit the Rabid Wolverine Chris Benoit against Shelton Benjamin!

And now for our main event. It's the World Champion Kurt Angle against Big Show! Angle also doesn't put in a ton of effort, and the match suffers as a result. He's about to put Show away with the Angle Lock, but Jericho hits the ring and lays him out with a big punch. The ref calls for the bell, but Angle is incensed and drives both heels out of the ring as RAW goes off the air.

[loopydate]

JUNE 24, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

Just three nights away from King of the Ring, and we've still got one more semifinal berth to decide tonight as WWE Champion Matt Hardy Version 2.0 takes on one of the men he and his brother called out last week, former champion John Cena! Plus, non-title action between Intercontinental Champion Batista and The Rock and a World Tag Team Title match with Los Guerreros challenging the Metro Connection!

Last week, The Hurricane approached Matt Morgan with a proposal - Hurricane would give the youngster the guidance he needs if he would team up with him against the forces of evil. Tonight, Morgan, now named The Blueprint, takes his first step toward heroism as the Superfriends take on Teddy Long's Playas' Club - Mark Henry and Chris Nowinski. The heroes take the early advantage, isolating Nowinski with brawling from Blueprint and martial artistry from Hurricane. The Harvard grad manages to catch Hurricane with a powerslam and tag in Henry. Henry goes to work on Hurricane for a bit until Hurricane tags in someone the World's Strongest Man's size. Blueprint hits the ropes for a big move, but Long trips him! The ref sees it and calls for the DQ. The Playas' Club starts to triple-team the faces when Aaron Stevens, who got laid out by PC last week, rushes in to chase Teddy Long out of the ring. Curiouser and curiouser.

Backstage, Paul Heyman is with Brock Lesnar. Heyman tells the camera that Brock Lesnar has been naked since WrestleMania. For three months, this 300-pound monster has been light. When John Cena took the WWE Title from Lesnar, he ended the most dominant reign in recent memory. And Cena had to squander it against Matt Hardy. And now the brass says that for Brock to earn another shot at the belt, he has to go through Eddie Guerrero at King of the Ring? Brock has annihilated Guerrero before and he's going to do it again. And to give Eddie a glimpse of what's in store for him on Sunday, Lesnar has asked for a match against one of Eddie's luchador amigos, Ultimo Dragon. Let this be a lesson, Eddie. Nothing stands between Brock Lesnar and what is rightfully is. Nothing.

What appears to be a squash waiting to happen turns out to be anything but. Dragon has been languishing in clusterfuck midcard matches for months, and sees tonight as a genuine opportunity to put himself on the radar. Dragon goes right after Lesnar wtih a back suplex and a flying cross body. He misses an elbow, and Lesnar hits a back suplex of his own, then a neckbreaker, and a brutal DVD for two. Lesnar kicks Dragon hard in the chest, but Dragon takes Lesnar down and hits a running senton for two. Tornado DDT for two. Can Dragon pull off the huge upset? Rolling kick, then a stiff high kick. Dragon goes for a clothesline, but Lesnar ducks it and hits a fallaway slam and another Death Valley driver. From there, it's all academic as Lesnar picks up the win with the F-5. After the match, Lesnar continues to pummel Dragon with a series of brutal punches.

Multiple-time World Tag Team Champions the Dudley Boyz have struggled lately against the Metro Connection and badly need a notch in the W column to work back into the title scene. Tonight, they face the makeshift duo of Carlito and John Layfield. Not surprisingly, the duo's lack of chemistry costs them in the end as Carlito accidentally takes a punch from Layfield which allows D-Von to hit his reverse DDT for the win. After the match, Layfield and Carlito argue until Layfield walks off.

This Sunday night, Rey Mysterio will challenge Christian for the Cruiserweight Title, but tonight he teams with the man Xian beat last week (Rico) to take on Billy Kidman and Tajiri, the Dangerous Alliance! These four put on a tremendous match with lots of near falls, quick tags, and high spots. Eventually, Rey looks about set to finish off Tajiri when Christian blasts Rey from behind with a chair allowing Tajiri to roll him up for the win. After the match, Christian joins Kidman and Tajiri as they brutalize Rey and Rico.

Back from commercial, and Rey is stopped by an interviewer. This match at King of the Ring is going to finally be the end of this rivalry with Christian. Only one man can be Cruiserweight Champion, and since they can't seem to do it cleanly, let's pull out all the stops. Rey Mysterio versus Christian at King of the Ring, the Cruiserweight Title on the line... in a Hardcore Match!

Last week, Los Guerreros beat the Dangerous Alliance in a Ladder Match to earn a shot at the Metro Connection's World Tag Team Titles tonight. Eddie has got to be aware that Brock Lesnar will be watching this match, looking for any sign of weakness before their big match Sunday at King of the Ring. Vince McMahon has called that match a #1 contender's match, so the stakes are insanely high. But first, Eddie and his nephew Chavo have to make it through Billy Gunn and Chris Kanyon in this title match. Los Guerreros work over Kanyon early until a double hot-tag spot brings in Eddie and Gunn. Eddie looks ready to put Gunn away, but Paul Heyman makes another appearance, distracting Eddie, allowing Gunn to sneak up and hit the Fameasser to retain the belts! Heyman must be out here on Lesnar's behalf, and he's cost Eddie the World Tag Team Titles! After the match, Eddie and Chavo get a small measure of revenge against Gunn and Kanyon.

Three out of the final four in the King of the Ring tournament have already been determined. The RAW final will feature Shelton Benjamin against Chris Benoit. We also know that The Rock will face the winner of our next contest - John Cena against the WWE Champion Matt Hardy Version 2.0! These two have had a storied rivalry, and the crowd is red hot for what winds up being a decent match. Matt winds up laying Cena out with a punch, but collapses. The ref checks on him and doesn't notice Jeff Hardy race to ringside and ascend the turnbuckles, blasting Cena with the Swanton Bomb! Matt drags himself on top of Cena for the cheap victory. Matt's going to King of the Ring! After the match, Cena chases off both Hardy Boyz and grabs the microphone.

He issues a challenge. If Jeff Hardy wants to get in on his business like this, Cena's going to make Hardy his business. You want my spot? Come and get it! The match is on for King of the Ring!

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon appears on the TitanTron and announces that Matt Hardy Version 2.0 has officially been added to the King of the Ring semifinals against The Rock! Rock versus Hardy and Benjamin versus Benoit in three nights!

In tonight's non-title main event, Intercontinental Champion Batista takes on the man one of SmackDown!'s King of the Ring finalists, The Rock! These two match up pretty well from a physical standpoint, and "physical" is a great way to describe the contest. In the end, though, The Rock is just too much for the up-and-coming IC Champion and puts him away with the Rock Bottom to send the crowd home happy.

[loopydate]

KING OF THE RING BRACKETS - UPDATED AFTER ROUND 3

RAW
Round 1
Kurt Angle over Big Show
Damien over A-Train
Sean O'Haire over Val Venis
Shelton Benjamin over Sylvan Grenier
Chris Jericho over Rob Van Dam
Edge over Rene Dupree
Rhyno over Undertaker
Chris Benoit over Charlie Haas
Round 2
Damien over Kurt Angle
Shelton Benjamin over Sean O'Haire
Edge over Chris Jericho
Chris Benoit over Rhyno
Round 3
Shelton Benjamin over Damien
Chris Benoit over Edge
Round 4
Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Benoit

SmackDown!
Round 1
John Cena over Carlito
Tajiri over Rico
Matt Hardy Version 2.0 over Paul London
Eddie Guerrero over Dave Batista
Brock Lesnar over Ultimo Dragon
Rey Mysterio over Billy Kidman
The Rock over John Layfield
Christian over Hurricane
Round 2
John Cena over Tajiri
Matt Hardy Version 2.0 over Eddie Guerrero
Brock Lesnar over Rey Mysterio
The Rock over Christian
Round 3
Matt Hardy Version 2.0 over John Cena
The Rock over Brock Lesnar
Round 4
The Rock vs. Matt Hardy Version 2.0

[loopydate]

JUNE 27, 2004 - KING OF THE RING


The preshow match pits Edge against the leader of the new Ministry, Undertaker! Undertaker inexplicably attacked Edge a couple of weeks back, leading up to tonight's contest.

Edge vs. Undertaker

Edge receives some unexciting punishment. Lame kick from Undertaker. Edge takes a right hand to the temple from Undertaker. Big kick from Undertaker. Edge blocks the suplex attempt. Running knee lift from Edge. Undertaker walks into a spike slam. There's a two count on the pin. Undertaker fights out of a grapple. Powerslam from Undertaker on Edge. There's a two count on the pin. Undertaker scores with a crappy looking standing spinebuster. Pin : 1 - 2 - 2.9999999. Edge pushes out of a Undertaker hold. Edge hits some punches. Undertaker blocks a punch. Edge takes a right hand to the temple from Undertaker. Edge is in trouble. Here it comes - Last Ride. 1....2...3, it's finished. Worth a ** rating, but no more than that.

Overall Rating: 65%
Crowd Reaction: 67%
Match Quality: 63%

The pay-per-view kicks off the RAW's final King of the Ring match. The winner will advance to tonight's main event against the winner of the SmackDown! bracket. The winner of tonight's tournament will be 2004 King of the Ring and will earn a title shot of their choice at any time in the next year! Shelton Benjamin earned this spot by defeating Sylvain Grenier, Sean O'Haire, and the previously undefeated Damien. Chris Benoit made it to this match by knocking off Charlie Haas, Rhyno, and Edge.

King Of The Ring RAW Bracket Final - Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Benoit

Shelton gets caught with a belly to belly suplex from Benoit. Shelton takes a back suplex. 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? Shelton Benjamin takes a butterfly suplex from Benoit. Shelton backdrops Chris Benoit out of a piledriver attempt. Chris Benoit takes a butterfly suplex from Shelton. Shelton hits a stump piledriver on Chris Benoit. Cover for a two count. Chris Benoit reverses a hip toss. Vicious snap suplex! Shelton Benjamin got whipped over hard. Cover for a two count. Devastating Tiger Driver 91 very nearly crushes the neck of Shelton. Misawa is probably laughing with glee at the moment. Cover, but there's a last second kick-out. Shelton Benjamin fights out of a grapple. Shelton Benjamin uses move #193 (arm-BAR). Shelton Benjamin gets taken down out of nowhere. Chris Benoit snap suplexes Shelton...with authority! ('With authority', trademark G.Monsoon 1986.) Chris Benoit floors Shelton Benjamin. Here it comes...Crippler Crossface! Shelton Benjamin taps! Damien comes running down the aisle, and gets into the ring! Damien spins Shelton around. Damien hits the Choke Slam! Shelton Benjamin has been left down on the canvas. Almost a *** rating, but there were some bits that dragged, so **3\4 instead.

Overall Rating: 76%
Crowd Reaction: 77%
Match Quality: 75%

Six days ago on RAW, Rhyno and Sean O'Haire - two men destined for greatness in World Wrestling Entertainment, battled to a double-disqualification draw. Tonight, they get another shot at each other in one-on-one action.

Rhyno vs. Sean O'Haire

Rhyno hits a right hand. Stiff chop lights up O'Haire. Big backdrop on O'Haire, executed well. Fallaway slam by Rhyno. O'Haire drops out the back of a Rhyno bodyslam attempt. O'Haire slams Rhyno down. Rhyno walks into a spike slam. There's a two count on the pin. Rhyno kicks Sean O'Haire in the gut to reverse the momentum. Spear by Rhyno. Hooks the leg for a two count. Rhyno scores with a standing spinebuster. Cover, but there's a last second kick-out. Rhyno walks into a trip. Chanelling the spirit of Misawa, Sean O'Haire uses a forearm to the face. O'Haire walks into a trip. Fallaway slam by Rhyno. Sean O'Haire can barely stand. Here it comes - Gore. 1....2...3, it's finished. Rhyno is still in the ring celebrating. Sean O'Haire pushes the referee away. Sean O'Haire spins Rhyno around. Sean O'Haire hits the Prophecy! This one gets a ***1\4 rating, it was a good bout.

Overall Rating: 83%
Crowd Reaction: 85%
Match Quality: 80%

For the last several months, Cruiserweight Champion Christian's most persistent rival has been Rey Mysterio. These two have battled numerous times, and tonight Rey has issued the challenge for a Hardcore Match to finally settle the score.

Hardcore Match for the Cruiserweight Title - Rey Mysterio vs. Christian (c)

Kick from Rey Mysterio to the leg. Dropkick connects, Christian goes down. Rey uses a basement dropkick to the knee. Rey Mysterio hits a rolling kick on Christian. Christian reverses a waistlock. Big dropkick by Christian, who got good elevation. Rey walks into a spike slam. There's a two count on the pin. Christian gets taken down out of nowhere. Rey crushes Christian with a running senton. Hooks the leg for a two count. Vicious kick to the teeth from Rey Mysterio. Pin, but Christian is out just before the three count. Christian kicks Rey Mysterio in the gut to reverse the momentum. Christian drives a forearm into the chest of Rey. Rey Mysterio fights out of a grapple. Rey Mysterio hits a rolling kick on Christian. Rey Mysterio moves in for the kill. Here it comes - West Coast Pop. 1....2...3, it's finished. Rey Mysterio remains in the ring, celebrating the victory. *** rating for a good bout.

Overall Rating: 86%
Crowd Reaction: 91%
Match Quality: 77%

Since returning to World Wrestling Entertainment, Jeff Hardy has been a thorn in John Cena's side. He made his return by costing Cena the WWE Title to Jeff's brother Matt. He also cost Cena his King of the Ring quarterfinal match against Matt. Tonight, Cena looks for revenge.

John Cena vs. Jeff Hardy

Spinning back kick from Jeff Hardy. Hardy only gets knees on a splash. Cena hits a right hand. John Cena misses a clothesline...and takes out the referee by mistake. Death valley driver by John Cena, Jeff Hardy got planted. Cover, but there's no one to count for John Cena. Hardy counters a backdrop attempt with a kick to the face. Driven DDT by Jeff Hardy. The ring shook violently, instantly making it better at selling than some of the current roster. Hardy crushes Cena with a running senton. Cover for a two count. Tornado DDT from Jeff Hardy, Cena got planted. Pin : 1 - 2 - 2.9999999. Hardy drops an elbow...but misses. Fate can be so cruel. Full nelson slam on Hardy. Cover, but there's a last second kick-out. Hardy counters an arm wringer with an elbow to the side of the head. John Cena is stunned as Hardy heads to the top rope. Whisper In The Wind! 1....2....3. John Cena leaves and walks back down the aisle. Wait...Jeff Hardy comes running as well, and Cena gets dropped with a clothesline, followed by a load of stomps. He is left lying in the aisle. Almost a *** rating, but there were some bits that dragged, so **3\4 instead.

Overall Rating: 81%
Crowd Reaction: 87%
Match Quality: 70%

Speaking of side-thorns, Chris Jericho has been one for World Champion Kurt Angle. Tonight, Angle hopes to finally put his rival away for good in a Submission Match!

Submission Match for the World Title - Kurt Angle (c) vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho gets slammed. Flying shoulder tackle by Angle sends Jericho to the mat. Rude Awakening on Chris Jericho by Angle. Jericho ducks a wild right hand. Springboard reverse elbow by Chris Jericho. Excellent move. Chris Jericho misses a clothesline. Massive backbreaker, Jericho got nailed. Kurt Angle nearly kills Jericho with a released tiger suplex. Angle only gets knees on a splash. Angle walks into a high dropkick from Chris Jericho. Jericho walks into a trip. Jericho tastes a high angle back suplex. It probably tasted like chicken. Kurt Angle has Chris Jericho down...and locks in the Angle Lock for the submission victory! Kurt Angle climbs each turnbuckle in turn, working the crowd as he celebrates his victory A **** rating for a good contest.

Overall Rating: 88%
Crowd Reaction: 90%
Match Quality: 86%

Chris Benoit has already advanced to the finals of King of the Ring by winning our opening contest tonight. His opponent in that match is about to be determined. The Rock made it to the finals of the SmackDown! bracket by defeating John Layfield, Christian, and his long-time rival Brock Lesnar. WWE Champion Matt Hardy Version 2.0 beat Paul London, Eddie Guerrero, and John Cena for this spot. If Matt walks away King of the Ring tonight, what does that mean for the WWE Champion? Will he go after Kurt Angle's World Title?

King Of The Ring SmackDown! Bracket Final - The Rock vs. Matt Hardy Version 2.0

Driven DDT by Matt Hardy Version 2.0. The ring shook violently, instantly making it better at selling than some of the current roster. Super frankensteiner on Rock, who hit hard. There's a two count on the pin. Rock blocks the suplex attempt. The Rock fires off some right and left hands. Fallaway slam by The Rock. Hooks the leg for a two count. The Rock scores with a standing spinebuster. Pin, but Matt is out just before the three count. Rock slams Matt Hardy Version 2.0 down. Matt counters a backdrop attempt with a kick to the face. Super kick by Matt Hardy Version 2.0. Cover for a two count. Vicious kick to the teeth from Matt Hardy Version 2.0. Pin : 1 - 2 - 2.9999999. Driven DDT by Matt Hardy Version 2.0. The ring shook violently, instantly making it better at selling than some of the current roster. Rock walks into a high dropkick from Matt Hardy Version 2.0. The Rock fights out of a grapple. Running knee lift from The Rock. Lifting DDT by The Rock, looked good. Jeff Hardy comes running down the aisle with a chair! Matt goes to irish whip The Rock into the ropes. Hardy prepares to swing the chair...but The Rock reverses! Hardy accidentally smacks Matt with a chair to the back! Matt Hardy Version 2.0 can barely stand. Rock Bottom!!! That shook the ring. 1....2....3!! Hardy Boyz are beating down on The Rock! The music of John Cena hits, and he comes running down the aisle into the ring. Matt and Hardy bail out of the ring, leaving The Rock down in the ring. John Cena may have saved The Rock from a brutal beating. A good *** rating.

Overall Rating: 88%
Crowd Reaction: 94%
Match Quality: 75%

Two weeks ago, Vince McMahon announced a match which wound up being the following. Eddie Guerrero against Brock Lesnar for a shot at Matt Hardy's WWE Title. After the match was announced, Lesnar and his manager Paul Heyman have made Eddie's life a living hell. Can Eddie get his revenge - and a title shot - tonight?

#1 Contender Match for the WWE Title - Eddie Guerrero vs. Brock Lesnar

Eddie tastes a high angle back suplex. It probably tasted like chicken. Reverse DDT on Eddie. There's a two count on the pin. Eddie blocks a punch. Lesnar walks into a high dropkick from Eddie Guerrero. Eddie hits a dropkick on Brock Lesnar. Hooks the leg for a two count. Power drive elbow by Eddie Guerrero. Pin, but Lesnar is out just before the three count. Second rope flying axe handle, Lesnar goes down. Eddie only gets knees on a splash. Eddie walks into a jaw breaker. There's a two count on the pin. Brock Lesnar brings out a jumping powerbomb to nearly kill Eddie. Pin : 1 - 2 - 2.9999999. Gut buster, Eddie hits hard. Brock Lesnar fires off some right and left hands. Eddie reverses a Brock Lesnar hammerlock. Spin kick by Eddie Guerrero to the face. Power drive elbow by Eddie Guerrero. Brock Lesnar gets knocked to the ground by Eddie, who is already climbing the turnbuckle. Frog Splash!!! 1....2....3!! It's all over. Lesnar grabs the referee, then nails him with a right hand! Dozens of people hit the ring to stop any further incident. A good *** rating.

Overall Rating: 88%
Crowd Reaction: 94%
Match Quality: 76%

And now it's time for our main event! For the last several weeks, thirty-two men have battled it out for a shot to be King of the Ring. Thirty have fallen by the wayside, and now it's time to crown a king. Will it be the Great One, the People's Champion, RAW Bracket winner The Rock? Or will it be the sadistic, vile, Rabid Wolverine, SmackDown! bracket winner Chris Benoit?

King Of The Ring Final - The Rock vs. Chris Benoit

Rock gets caught with a belly to belly suplex from Benoit. Back suplex on Rock, which is a backdrop to you NOAH fans. Rock tastes a high angle back suplex. It probably tasted like chicken. Big dropkick by Chris Benoit, who got good elevation. Benoit only gets knees on a splash. Bodyslam by Rock. Massive backbreaker, Benoit got planted. Early reports indicate that the back was *not* actually broken, so the move's name should actually be backhurter. Cover for a two count. Benoit blocks a kick from The Rock. Reverse DDT into a backbreaker by Chris Benoit, great move. There's a two count on the pin. Corkscrew brainbuster suplex, Benoit hit it well. Hooks the leg for a close fall. The Rock ducks a clothesline attempt. Benoit gets slammed. Rock walks into a trip. Vertical suplex by Chris Benoit. Chris Benoit floors The Rock...and climbs the turnbuckles. Through the air, Swandive Headbutt! 1....2....3. Chris Benoit climbs each turnbuckle in turn, working the crowd as he celebrates his victory *** rating, as it was good, but nothing too special.

Overall Rating: 83%
Crowd Reaction: 87%
Match Quality: 75%

[Evil Vito]

Why did The Rock face nobody for the KOTR title and somehow lose? Awful booking.

[Evil Vito]

Anyway, I think I'm gonna post a SVR10 idea I had in here for the time being. I'm still working on leveling up stats for all the CAWs I've acquired. It's easy to gain points but allocating them to the stat areas you want is still a bit of a pain.

In the meantime, I've looked through the roster and I've decided to sim a mini-tourney using all active WWE competitors in the game with an OVR of at least 80 (conveniently, that works out to exactly 32). I'm basing it on the "Raw World Cup" idea Loopy once did in an EWR game.

I've split the 32 guys up into 8 groups of 4...and each group has a theme. These themes make it somewhat more interesting and in some cases they ensure that big names WILL be eliminated in the first round in some instances.

Here is the master participant list...groups in next post:

Batista 91
Big Show 89
Carlito 83
Chris Jericho 93
Christian 90
CM Punk 90
Cody Rhodes 82
Dolph Ziggler 85
Edge 93
Evan Bourne 84
Finlay 87
Jack Swagger 89
John Cena 95
John Morrison 86
Kane 88
Kofi Kingston 84
Mark Henry 80
Matt Hardy 87
Mike Knox 80
MVP 85
Primo 81
Randy Orton 93
Rey Mysterio 88
R-Truth 83
Shawn Michaels 93
Shelton Benjamin 85
Ted DiBiase 83
Tommy Dreamer 81
Triple H 94
Undertaker 96
Vladimir Kozlov 82
William Regal 82

[Evil Vito]

I used Random.org to sim the order in which the groups are listed (which might affect tournament seedings in the later rounds, not sure yet). I also used Random to help serve as a "tiebreaker" when I had multiple guys who each qualified for more than one bracket.

WRESTLED IN TNA: CM Punk, Evan Bourne, MVP, R-Truth
This group contains WWE competitors who at one point worked for the 6-sided ring promotion. R-Truth held the NWA World Title under his real name of Ron "The Truth" Killings and was far an away the most successful there of anyone listed. CM Punk briefly was there, Evan Bourne wrestled in the X-Division as Matt Sydal, and MVP had a short stint as Antonio Banks.

ECW DEBUTS: Chris Jericho, Mike Knox, Rey Mysterio, Tommy Dreamer
This is certainly a mixed basket. Tommy Dreamer is an ECW Original in every sense of the word, joining them when they changed their name to Extreme Championship Wrestling. Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio got their first notable North American exposure in ECW, and Mike Knox made his debut a short time after ECW became WWE's third brand.

BROTHERS: Christian, Edge, Kane, Undertaker
Not much explaining needed here. 4 recognizable names, 2 sets of brothers. These brothers have both teamed together as well as feuded with one another...but in this tournament, it's every man for himself. Whoever survives from this group should be looked on as a favorite to win the whole thing.

WM WINNERS: Batista, John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Triple H
This mega group contains not only former WWE champions...but all of these men have won gold in the main event of sports entertainment's grandest stage. Much like the previous group, whoever gets out of this one unscathed is sure to be hotly tipped to win the whole thing.

ECW CHAMPS: Big Show, John Morrison, Mark Henry, Matt Hardy
Obviously, this group contains men who have won the ECW Championship since it became the third brand of WWE. It's an interesting mix.

WORLD ELITE: Finlay, Kofi Kingston, Vladimir Kozlov, William Regal
Another eclectic mix of superstars here, featuring all guys who were born overseas. Finlay and Regal have had some absolutely brutal brawls in the past, should be interesting to see those revisited. The Moscow Mauler also packs a serious punch. But don't discount the man from Ghana, Kofi Kingston. He could use his speed to keep the others off balance.

AMATEUR: Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Shelton Benjamin
All four of these men have had their share of amateur wrestling success. Ziggler, Swagger, and Benjamin all excelled at the collegiate level while Rhodes nearly did but opted to start his professional wrestling career instead. Which of these talented grapplers will advance?

BUSINESS BLOOD: Carlito, Primo, Randy Orton, Ted DiBiase
Another group that doesn't need much explanation. Orton has seen the most success and is the only third generation wrestler in the bunch. Ted DiBiase is the son of the legendary Million Dollar Man. Lastly, the Colons have had their differences at some points and were also the first ever Unified Tag Team champions, they are the sons of Carlos Colon.

---

Each group will compete round robin style. The top two from each group advance into the next round.

[Evil Vito]

SVR10 Tourney

Gonna keep a running tally and keep adding to this post as it goes on:

ROUND 1

WRESTLED IN TNA
Day 1
-CM Punk pulls out a win over Evan Bourne with a powerslam after a highly competitive bout that did a great job of setting the tone for the tournament. (8:26)
-MVP wins an even more grueling, close contest, battling a bloody R-Truth into submission and making him tap out to a full nelson. (9:47)

ECW DEBUTS
Day 1
-Chris Jericho puts away Tommy Dreamer with a scoop slam, and it has already become obvious that if you are weakened enough, you will lose on any move. (6:24)
-Mike Knox put up a fight with his powerful offense, but none of it was enough to keep the feisty Rey Mysterio down. Rey gets the win with a spinning neckbreaker. (10:22)

BROTHERS
Day 1
-Christian put in a valiant effort but it was just too much for the demonic Kane. Kane puts him away with a Chokeslam. (7:06)
-The Undertaker saw what his brother did, and somehow managed to top it by silencing Edge with a Chokeslam followed by a Tombstone Piledriver. (8:16)

WM WINNERS
Day 1
-A bloodied Batista persevered and continued to wade off an onslaught from Shawn Michaels, whose chest was left red as ever. Batista wins with a neckbreaker. (11:02)
-As expected, Triple H and John Cena put on one of the most back-and-forth matches of the tournament. The Game scores a huge win with the Pedigree. (9:34)

ECW CHAMPS
Day 1
-Big Show and Mark Henry put on an absolute masterpiece. I’m being completely serious, awesome match this was. Show gets the nod after a big stomp. (11:38)
-John Morrison got his tournament off to a great start, besting Matt Hardy following a hurricanrana in a really fast-paced encounter. (9:59)

[Indifferent Clox]

did you up guys like mine at all? i have to put up the show and stuff in a bit.

Danielson v. Lesnar v. Angle at Mania

Mcguiness v. Michaels

[loopydate]

JUNE 28, 2004 - MONDAY NIGHT RAW

It's the last show of the first half of 2004, and King of the Ring fallout is sure to occur. Plus, the first matches for Vengeance are announced and a king is crowned!

Our opening contest is a ten-man tag-team match featuring Tommy Dreamer, A-Train, Rikishi, and the Playboys taking on La Resistance's Rob Conway and Sylvan Grenier and Natural Born Thrillers Chuck Palumbo, Mark Jindrak, and Johnny "The Bull" Stamboli. The heels use quick tags for the first several minutes to isolate first Rikishi then Lance Cade. Eventually, A-Train makes a hot tag and he, Val, and Tommy work over Conway. The match evens out eventually, and it ends with Jindrak hitting Train with Splash Mountain for the win.

After the break, "Whatever" by Our Lady Peace hits the speakers, and Chris Benoit comes out to the ring wearing his half of the WWE Tag Team Titles. Inside the ring, a throne, a scepter, a crown, and a briefcase are waiting. Jim Ross informs us that the briefcase is Benoit's "Money In The Bank." By winning King of the Ring, he now owns the contract inside the briefcase which earns him a shot at any title at any time he pleases. The Crippler King enters the squared circle and picks up the briefcase. He looks at the ornate royal items in front of him, blows his nose on the throne and walks off with his contract. "Bah Gawd King, what disrespect! Chris Benoit just blew his nose on decades of tradition! What kind of psychopath is our King?"

Up next is a triple-threat match pitting Lance Storm against Luther Reigns against William Regal. Young Reigns seems a bit out of his element against the two wily veterans, and eventually he eats the Power of the Punch as Regal walks away victorious.

Backstage, Damien cuts a brief promo, challenging Shelton Benjamin to a match at Vengeance. Shelton handed Damien his only loss and he's going to avenge it in four weeks. Pretty good promo for a pretty unproven commodity. JR announces that Shelton has accepted. The match is on!

These two rivals are on opposite sides of the following six-man tag match as Shelton teams with his World's Greatest Tag Team partner Charlie Haas and Edge against Ministry members Damien, Big Show, and Kane. Edge and Damien carry most of the match, and the fans get a brief showdown between Shelton and Damien that Shelton controls until Big Show tags in. Shelton tags Edge back in, who puts Show away with the Edgecution for the win.

Edge grabs a microphone and tells Undertaker that he just beat one of Taker's proteges. Taker got lucky last night when he took Edge for his Last Ride. That's not going to be the case at Vengeance. Taker, I want a rematch!

World Champion Kurt Angle is up next in non-title action against Rene Dupree in what should be a solid technical encounter. Unfortunately, Kurt's still phoning it in, so it's not the match it could be. Eventually, Dupree tags out to the Angle Lock.

Backstage, United States Champion Rob Van Dam is doing his trademark stretching routine. He's up next after the break in a title defense against the King of the Ring Chris Benoit!

RVD and Benoit put on a tremendous contest with lots of near-falls and high spots. Eventually, RVD heads to the top rope and hits the Five-Star Frogsplash! He looks like he's about to successfully defend his title when Benoit's partner Chris Jericho enters the ring and clamps RVD in the Walls of Jericho! The referee calls for the DQ as Canadian Violence continue to pummel the US Champion. Out of nowhere, the Manbeast Rhyno rushes down the aisle. He goes toe-to-toe with Benoit, then clotheslines Jericho out of the ring to stand beside RVD.

And now for our main event. It's a fatal fourway to determine a new #1 contender for Kurt Angle's World Title. Jericho and Rhyno remain in the ring after the last segment, and they're joined by the respective leaders of the Ministry and the Natural Born Thrillers - Undertaker and Sean O'Haire. Solid match all around with everybody getting in their offense. Eventually, O'Haire picks up the big win via the Prophecy on Rhyno. Guess that means Undertaker's free to accept Edge's challenge.

Eric Bischoff appears on the TitanTron and makes the match official - Kurt Angle will defend the World Title against Sean O'Haire at Vengeance!

[loopydate]

World Wrestling Entertainment has come to terms for the releases of Divas Torrie Wilson and Nidia. We wish them both the best in their future endeavors.

[loopydate]

JUNE 2004 RECAP


RAW

(Overall Won-Loss) Main Event (Jun. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(33-20-1) Sean O'Haire (1-3-1, 81) (L RVD, L Angle, D Rhyno, L Rhyno, W 4-way)
(30-23) Kurt Angle (4-0, 99) (W O'Haire, W Show, W Y2J, W Dupree)

(Overall Won-Loss) Upper Midcard (Jun. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(11-2) Mickie James (3-0, 97) (W Trish, W Trish, W Molly)
(26-15-2) Rhyno (1-3-1, 85) (L Benoit, L 4-way, D O'Haire, W O'Haire, L 4-way)
(29-20) Rob Van Dam (3-1, 82) (W O'Haire, W 4-way, L Damien, W Benoit)
(27-23-3) Chris Benoit (5-1, 87) (W Rhyno, W w/Y2J vs NBT, W Edge, W Shelton, W Rock, L RVD)
(22-27-1) Undertaker (2-2, 64) (W 8-man tag, L 4-way, W Edge, L 4-way)
(22-28-1) Chris Jericho (1-3, 89) (L Edge, W w/Benoit vs NBT, L Angle, L 4-way)

(Overall Won-Loss) Midcard (Jun. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(10-2) Damien (2-2, 79) (W 8-man tag, L Shelton, W RVD, L 6-man tag)
(12-6) Victoria (1-0, 72) (W w/Lita vs Jackie/Shaniqua)
(13-9-1) Trish Stratus (0-3, 80) (L Mickie, L Mickie, L Jazz)
(10-8) Jazz (1-0, 74) (W Trish)
(25-24-1) Big Show (1-3, 59) (W 8-man tag, L 4-way, L Angle, L 6-man tag)
(22-23) Shelton Benjamin (2-2, 78) (L 8-man tag, W Damien, L Benoit, W 6-man tag)
(16-17) Chuck Palumbo (2-1, 69) (W 3-way tag, L w/Stamboli vs Violence, W 10-man tag)
(23-25) Edge (3-2, 76) (W Y2J, W Kane, L Benoit, L UT, W 6-man tag)
(12-15) Johnny Stamboli (2-1, 66) (W 3-way tag, L w/Palumbo vs Violence, W 10-man tag)
(18-23-1) Kane (1-2, 41) (W 8-man tag, L Edge, L 6-man tag)
(17-25) Charlie Haas (1-2, 72) (L 8-man tag, L Regal, W 6-man tag)
(13-24) William Regal (3-0, 70) (W 6-man tag, W Haas, W triple threat)
(12-23) Tommy Dreamer (1-2, 72) (L 8-man tag, W triple threat, L 10-man tag)
(10-20) Lance Storm (0-3, 63) (L 8-man tag, L Jindrak, L triple threat)
(9-18) Sylvan Grenier (2-1, 71) (L 3-way tag, W 6-man tag, W 10-man tag)
(5-10) Molly Holly (0-1, 74) (L Mickie)
(10-21) A-Train (1-3, 77) (L 6-man tag, L 6-man tag, W Dupree, L 10-man tag)
(5-11) Lita (1-0, 77) (W w/Victoria vs Jackie/Shaniqua)
(4-10-1) Gail Kim (0-0, 69) (N/A)
(10-24) Rene Dupree (1-3, 72) (L 3-way tag, W 6-man tag, L Train, L Angle)
(7-23) Val Venis (0-3, 75) (L 3-way tag, L 6-man tag, L 10-man tag)
(5-19) Rob Conway (3-0, 69) (W 6-man tag, W 6-man tag, W 10-man tag)
(3-18) Rikishi (0-3, 69) (L 6-man tag, L triple threat, L 10-man tag)

(Overall Won-Loss) Lower Midcard (Jun. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(13-6) Mark Jindrak (3-0, 60) (W 6-man tag, W Storm, W 10-man tag)
(1-6) Lance Cade (0-3, 61) (L 3-way tag, L 6-man tag, L 10-man tag)
(0-3) Shaniqua (0-1, 52) (L w/Jackie vs Lita/Victoria)
(0-6) Luther Reigns (0-3, 43) (L 6-man tag, L triple threat, L triple threat)

(Overall Won-Loss) Opener (Jun. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(0-1) Jacqueline (0-1, 60) (L w/Shaniqua vs Lita/Victoria)

Non-Wrestlers (Overness)
Eric Bischoff (95)
Steve Austin (92)
Shane McMahon (89)
Al Snow (75)

Managers
Terri Runnels (70) (Lance Cade and Val Venis)

RAW Title Changes
United States - Rob Van Dam beat Sean O'Haire (6/7)
Women's - Mickie James beat Trish Stratus (6/7)
World Heavyweight - None (Kurt Angle has been champ since 4/25)
WWE Tag Team - None (Canadian Violence have been champs since 5/31)

RAW Feuds
Shelton Benjamin vs. Damien (87 Heat)
Rhyno & Rob Van Dam vs. Canadian Violence (85 Heat)
Kurt Angle vs. Sean O'Haire (82 Heat)
Edge vs. Undertaker (62 Heat)

[loopydate]

JUNE 2004 RECAP

SmackDown!

(Overall Won-Loss) Main Event (Jun. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(34-17) Brock Lesnar (2-2, 99) (W Rey, L Rock, W Dragon, L Eddie)
(32-16) The Rock (4-1, 99) (W Xian, W Brock, W Bats, W Matt, L Benoit)
(31-20) John Cena (2-3, 96) (W Kidman, W Tajiri, L w/Rey vs Hardyz, L Matt, L Jeff)

(Overall Won-Loss) Upper Midcard (Jun. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(4-1) Jeff Hardy (3-1, 86) (W w/Matt vs Hurricane/Rico, L Xian, W w/Matt vs Cena/Rey, W Cena)
(29-18) Matt Hardy (4-1, 89) (W w/Jeff vs Hurricane/Rico, W Eddie, W w/Jeff vs Cena/Rey, W Cena, L Rock)
(26-21) Rey Mysterio (1-3, 93) (L Brock, L w/Cena vs Hardyz, L w/Rico vs DA, W Xian)
(24-23) Christian (2-2, 86) (L Rock, W Jeff, W Rico, L Rey)
(23-25-1) Eddie Guerrero (3-2, 90) (W Tajiri, L Matt, W w/Chavo vs DA, L w/Chavo vs DA, W Brock)
(18-21-2) Billy Kidman (2-2, 84) (L Cena, W triple threat, L w/Tajiri vs Guerreros, W w/Tajiri vs Rey/Rico)
(16-20) Rico (0-4, 83) (L w/Hurricane vs Hardyz, L triple threat, L Xian, L w/Rey vs DA)
(16-26) The Hurricane (1-2, 79) (L w/Rico vs Hardyz, L triple threat, W w/Blueprint vs Playas)
(15-25-1) Tajiri (1-3, 84) (L Eddie, L Cena, L w/Kidman vs Guerreros, W w/Kidman vs Rey/Rico)

(Overall Won-Loss) Midcard (Jun. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(26-15) D-Von Dudley (1-3, 77) (L w/Bubba vs Metros, L 3-way tag, L 6-man tag, W w/Bubba vs Carlito/Layfield)
(29-19) Dave Batista (3-1, 80) (W 10-man tag, W w/Layfield vs Morgan/Stevens, W Funaki/Gowan, L Rock)
(24-17) Bubba Ray Dudley (1-3, 75) (L w/D-Von vs Metros, L 3-way tag, L 6-man tag, W w/D-Von vs Carlito/Layfield)
(12-9) Billy Gunn (4-0, 71) (W w/Kanyon vs Dudleyz, W 3-way tag, W 6-man tag, W w/Kanyon vs Guerreros)
(12-9) Chris Kanyon (4-0, 70) (W w/Gunn vs Dudleyz, W 3-way tag, W 6-man tag, W w/Gunn vs Guerreros)
(19-15) John Layfield (3-1, 74) (W 10-man tag, W w/Bats vs Morgan/Stevens, W 6-man tag, L w/Carlito vs Dudleyz)
(19-27-1) Chavo Guerrero (2-2, 78) (L 10-man tag, W battle royal, W w/Eddie vs DA, L w/Eddie vs Metros)
(10-15) Nova (1-2, 70) (L 10-man tag, L battle royal, W 8-man tag)
(6-12) Jamie Noble (1-2, 65) (L 10-man tag, L battle royal, W 8-man tag)
(6-14-1) Paul London (2-1, 82) (W w/Dragon vs Carlito/Nunzio, L battle royal, W 8-man tag)
(7-19) Spike Dudley (0-3, 65) (10-man tag, L battle royal, L 6-man tag)
(6-18-1) Ultimo Dragon (2-2, 80) (W w/London vs Carlito/Nunzio, L battle royal, W 8-man tag, L Brock)
(5-19) Nunzio (0-3, 68) (L w/Carlito vs Dragon/London, L battle royal, L 8-man tag)
(1-4) Aaron Stevens (0-3, 67) (L 10-man tag, L w/Morgan vs Bats/Layfield, L triple threat)
(4-18) Carlito (0-4, 72) (L w/Nunzio vs Dragon/London, L battle royal, L 8-man tag, L w/Layfield vs Dudleyz)
(2-15) Chris Nowinski (1-3, 66) (W 10-man tag, L 3-way tag, L triple threat, L w/Henry vs Superfriends)

(Overall Won-Loss) Lower Midcard (Jun. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(11-13) The Blueprint (1-2, 61) (L 6-man tag, L w/Stevens vs Bats/Layfield, W/Hurricane vs Playas)
(2-3) Johnny Jeter (2-1, 45) (W 6-man tag, W Gowan, L 8-man tag)
(5-12-1) Akio (1-2, 65) (W 6-man tag, L battle royal, L 8-man tag)
(4-12) Mark Henry (2-2, 55) (W 6-man tag, L 3-way tag, W triple threat, L w/Nowinski vs Superfriends)
(0-5) Zach Gowan (0-3, 57) (L 6-man tag, L Jeter, L w/Funaki vs Bats)
(0-7) Funaki (0-3, 64) (L 6-man tag, L battle royal, L w/Gowan vs Bats)

(Overall Won-Loss) Sent to OVW (Jun. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(3-18) Doug Basham (1-0) (W 10-man tag)
(3-18) Danny Basham (1-0) (W 10-man tag)

Non-Wrestlers (Overness)
Vince McMahon (92)
Tazz (72)

Managers (Overness) (Clientele)
Paul Heyman (92) (Billy Kidman, Brock Lesnar, and Tajiri)
Theodore Long (66) (Chris Nowinski and Mark Henry)

SmackDown! Title Changes
Cruiserweight - Rey Mysterio beat Christian (6/27)
WWE World - None (Matt Hardy has been champ since 5/20)
Intercontinental - None (Dave Batista has been champ since 4/8)
World Tag Team - None (Metro Connection have been champs since 4/29)

SmackDown! Feuds
Eddie Guerrero vs. Brock Lesnar (93 Heat)
John Cena & The Rock vs. Hardy Boyz (87 Heat)
Yet to start - Rey Mysterio vs. Tajiri (94 Heat)
Yet to start - Rico vs. Christian (93 Heat)

[loopydate]

JULY 1, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

With just 24 days to go until Vengeance and King of the Ring just barely in our rearview mirror, SmackDown! is undergoing some changes. Tonight, Eddie Guerrero - who won a #1 contender match against Brock Lesnar at KoR - cashes in his title shot against WWE Champion Matt Hardy Version 2.0 tonight! Plus, a trio of triple-threat matches showcasing the cruiserweight division. The winners of those matches will face off next week in a fourth triple-threat to determine a shot at Rey Mysterio's Cruiserweight Title at Vengeance!

The night kicks off with the debut of a new WWE Superstar, Generalin Intikami, a high-flier from the UK. His opponent tonight is Funaki. These two men - both looking to get noticed - put on a barn-burner of an opener. In the end, Intikami makes his debut an auspicious one by knocking Funaki out with a foreign object as Funaki attempted a powerbomb. After the match, Randy Orton (?!?) hits the ring with a steel chair. He lays out both men and stands over them as the opening video plays.

Back inside the ring, Orton stands alone in the ring with a microphone and the steel chair he used to lay out Funaki and Intikami. "I know what you're thinking. Randy Orton's a RAW Superstar. What is he doing on SmackDown! Fact of the matter is, I'm a man without a country. Because you see, there was a clause in our contracts that no one before me has exploited. When WWE held the draft in March, anyone not involved in the draft matches became a free agent. And since I've been out for eight months, there was no way I could compete. And now, not only am I a free agent, I'm the free agent. The game changer. Mister McMahon, Mister Bischoff... let the bidding begin!"

The triple threat series begins with a match pitting Billy Kidman against Rico and Ultimo Dragon! Kidman almost picks up the win over Rico with a running senton. Dragon almost pins Kidman with a tiger suplex. In the end, though, Rico puts Kidman away with his spinning kick to advance to next week's #1 contender match.

Backstage, The Hurricane is preparing for his triple threat, but he's joined by The Blueprint and Aaron Stevens who helped Hurricane and Blueprint last week.

Hurricane - Citizen Aaron, on behalf of The Blueprint, I'd like to thank you for your assistance last week. We would also like to invite you to join our organization - the Superfriends!

Stevens - I appreciate the offer, but I'm not sure the whole superhero things is for me.

Blueprint - See, I thought the same thing. But all I needed to do was change my name. Hurricane said I didn't need to wear a mask or run around making "whoosh" sound effects.

Stevens - But I like my name.

Hurricane - Think how much more fear you could strike in the fear of evildoers if you called yourself "The Idol!"

Stevens - But I like my name.

Hurricane - But no superheroes go by their real name!

Blueprint - What about Jean Grey?

Hurricane - Doesn't count. She's a girl.

Stevens - What does that have to do with anything? Besides, Nick Fury uses his real name!

Hurricane - He's not really a superhero, though.

Stevens - What about Doctor Strange?

Hurricane - ...well played.

Tag team action is next as the struggling former champions the Dudley Boyz take on Teddy Long's Playas' Club. The Dudleyz work over Nowinski early until Henry gets the hot tag and overpowers D-Von with a piledriver and a powerslam. D-Von fires off a clothesline from nowhere which leads to a double tag and the Dudleyz catch Nowinski with the 3-D for the win!

Triple threat number two is up next as Chavo Guerrero takes on Jeff Hardy and Tajiri! These three men top our earlier contest with a remarkable match that features a ton of high spots. In the end, Tajiri catches Chavo with the Kick of Death to pick up the win while Hardy recuperates from a massive kick to the face of his own. Tajiri joins Rico in next week's contender's match, as well as whoever wins our third and final triple threat.

Brock Lesnar comes to the ring. He cuts a promo about how Eddie Guerrero got lucky at King of the Ring to earn his title shot tonight. And there is nothing that means more to Lesnar than the WWE Title. So Lesnar challenges Eddie for a rematch at Vengeance. And Eddie had better hope that the match is for the title. Because Brock wants that belt back, but if Eddie fails to win the gold tonight, he's only going to piss Lesnar off. And he wouldn't like him when he's angry. Paul Heyman (who's filling in on commentary tonight) hypes the hell out of the Lesnar/Guerrero match.

Now it's time to fill that third spot in next week's match. It's The Hurricane versus the former champion Christian and red-hot up-and-comer Paul London! London almost pulls off the upset almost pinning Christian with a running senton. In a spot copied from our first match, Hurricane nearly pins London with a tiger suplex. In the end, though, Christian finishes London off with an Unprettier to advance to next week's triple threat against Rico and Tajiri!

Up next is a huge six-man tag match featuring four of SmackDown!'s reigning champions! Intercontinental Champion "Nature Boy" Dave Batista teams with the World Tag Team Champions the Metro Connection to take on John Cena, The Rock, and the Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio! The crowd is very hot for this match that features the three babyfaces getting in all their normal spots, and the heels more than holding their own. Gunn and Kanyon are really starting to look like they've found the angle that's going to make them stars. In the end, though, Cena plants Kanyon with the F-U for the win.

And now for tonight's main event. Matt Hardy Version 2.0 defends the WWE Title against Eddie Guerrero! The match itself is actually a little disappointing, but the crowd is way into it. In the end, Matt slides out of an Eddie bodyslam attempt and catches him with the Twist of Fate for the win. After the match, a down-and-out Eddie gets assaulted by Brock Lesnar, who lays him out with the F-5! Eddie failed to win the title tonight, and it seems to have only made Lesnar's hatred for Guerrero stronger!

Vince McMahon appears on the TitanTron as officials help Eddie Guerrero to the back. He makes the Guerrero/Lesnar match official, but he also has another announcement. Since it now appears we're short a #1 contender for the WWE Title at Vengeance, he's going to make an executive decision. In just under four weeks, Matt Hardy Version 2.0 is going to defend the WWE Title in a fatal fourway against his brother Jeff and the two men the Hardyz have had in their crosshairs for weeks - John Cena and The Rock! What a main event!

[loopydate]

JULY 5, 2004 - MONDAY NIGHT RAW

Just twenty days away from Vengeance, we already know of three huge singles matches taking place at that pay-per-view event - Kurt Angle defending the World Title against Sean O'Haire as well as huge rematches pitting Edge against the Undertaker and Shelton Benjamin against Damien!

The night opens with a four-team elimination match pitting Terri Runnels' Playboys Lance Cade and Val Venis against La Resistance, The Ministry's Big Show and Kane, and Natural Born Thrillers Chuck Palumbo and Johnny Stamboli. Stamboli, Palumbo, and Kane carry most of the match. In the end, Palumbo blasts Show with a Jungle Kick to pick up the win for NBT.

Luther Reigns is still looking for his first WWE victory and he looks for it tonight against Mark Jindrak from the Natural Born Thrillers. Reigns puts up a good fight, but he again falls short as Jindrak blasts him with the Mark of Perfection for the win. After the match, just like on SmackDown!, Randy Orton hits the ring with a steel chair and lays both men out!

And, just like on SmackDown!, Orton grabs the microphone and cuts a promo about how there is a bidding war for his services between Vince McMahon and RAW's Eric Bischoff. Basically he's going to keep this up until somebody stops him.

Up next is a match that promises to be a technical masterpiece. Well, it should have. But for whatever reason it only gets a 72% quality rating. Regal picks up the win with the Power of the Punch over Charlie Haas.

Mickie James defends the Women's Title next against Jazz. Mickie has been a fighting champion since unseating Trish Stratus to win the belt. She continues her dominance of the Women's Division by hitting a tornado DDT for the win.

Backstage, Lance Storm opens up the door to his and Tommy Dreamer's dressing room. "Come on, it's time for our match." Everybody expects the Innovator of Violence to step out, but instead it's... Dawn Marie! Dawn Marie is the new manager of the ECW Originals!

Her charges have a WWE Tag Team Title match next against Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho (former ECW stars in their own right) - Canadian Violence! This is a really exciting match that gets cut a little bit shorter than a lot of the fans would have liked. Storm winds up getting caught in a combination Crippler Crossface/Walls of Jericho and taps out. After the match, Rhyno and Rob Van Dam hit the ring and nail Jericho with a double powerbomb. After the match, they put Benoit through the announce table! ECW! ECW! ECW!

Up next, it's two of RAW's Vengeance participants - Edge and Damien - going one-on-one. These two put on a very physical match. Eventually, Edge sets up to hand Damien his second singles loss with a spear, but out of nowhere, Undertaker hangs Edge out to dry on the top rope. Damien capitalizes and nails Edge with his trademark DDT for the win. As the Ministry members pummel Edge, Shelton Benjamin rushes to the ring to make the save.

Backstage, the WWE Tag Team Champions are nursing their wounds. They hijack the camera crew and issue a challenge to RVD and Rhyno for Vengeance.

Benjamin remains in the ring for our next match against Sean O'Haire. These two put on a tremendous match. Shelton once again appears to be on the verge of superstardom as he goes blow-for-blow with the #1 contender for the World Title. Damien gets a measure of revenge by blasting Shelton from behind with a chair, allowing O'Haire to hit the Prophecy for the win. As O'Haire and Damien go to work on Benjamin, Kurt Angle hits the ring with a chair of his own to drive off the heels.

And now our main event between Undertaker and World CHampion Kurt Angle barely even gets started as Sean O'Haire returns to the ring for revenge, accidentally blasting Taker with a big clothesline allowing Angle to clamp on the Angle Lock. Taker struggles mightily but winds up passing out. O'Haire returns to the ring to go back to work on Angle, but Edge hits the ring to clear it and the babyfaces stand tall as we fade to black.

[Evil Vito]

I like that clause that Orton is using. Theoretically could also mean you can shift some of the lower tier guys around who didn't compete during the draft...sort of a Supplemental Draft.

Also, @ Aaron Stevens

Hope to see O'Haire win the big one

[loopydate]

JULY 8, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

Last week, a huge fatal fourway WWE Title match was announced for Vengeance, and tonight both halves of that match will be participating in two of our three huge tag team main events. But first...

Generalin Intikami's WWE debut was spoiled last week by the surprising return of Randy Orton. Tonight, he gets a second chance to make a first impression against Spike Dudley. Pretty decent squash that the crowd isn't really into because they're still not really sure who Intikami is. In the end, it's the Intikamio that puts Spike away for the victory.

Up next, two of the most powerful wrestlers on the SmackDown! brand go at it as The Blueprint takes on Mark Henry. Not exactly a technical masterpiece, both men get to show off their prolific strength. Blueprint looks to be on the verge of victory when - out of nowhere - Randy Orton once again hits the ring. He goes after Blueprint, then Henry capitalizes by joining in the fray. Orton slides to ringside and grabs a steel chair and lays both men out. Orton stands tall over both men. The ref calls for the no-contest draw.

"Stand back! There's a Hurricane comin' through!" The crowd erupts as Blueprint's mentor, the leader of the Superfriends, The Hurricane appears on the ramp. "Randall Orton, you have certainly made an impact since your return from injury. But you were on the verge of the main event when you went down. And now you're interrupting first-hour matches? Wassupwitdat? You issued an open challenge to anyone in WWE, and The Hurricane is going to accept it. Do you want to know what your mistake was? By attacking The Blueprint tonight, you proved yourself to be what I always suspected you were. A supervillain. And the Superfriends were assembled to put down supervillains. So at Vengeance, I'm accepting your challenge!" Orton does the Angry Face as we fade to commercial.

Hurricane's newest friend, Aaron Stevens takes on Intercontinental Champion "Nature Boy" Dave Batista in a non-title match next. Stevens looks pretty good until Batista destroys him with a clothesline, then claps on the Figure-Four Leglock. Stevens has no choice but to tap out, but he looked strong against the champ.

Backstage, Paul Heyman is psyching Brock Lesnar up. "Tonight, Brock Lesnar teams with Billy Kidman against Los Guerreros. Brock gets a taste tonight. Last week, Eddie Guerrero lost to Matt Hardy Version 2.0. In doing so, Eddie kept Brock from getting a WWE Title shot at Vengeance. This match is now for nothing but pride. And Brock Lesnar is a very proud man. And do you know when Brock Lesnar feels the most proud? When he's standing over the crippled, bloodied, beaten, mangled, demolished body of the one who wronged him! In seventeen days, Brock Lesnar is going to be the proudest man on the face of the planet and Eddie Guerrero is going to be dead!"

Last week, Rico, Christian, and Tajiri each won triple threat matches to earn a spot in our following contest. The winner of this match will be facing Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio at Vengeance for the title. Lots of all-around action ends with a sweet spot wherein Rico nails Christian with a brutal kick, but eats a tiger suplex and the Kick of Death from Tajiri, who picks up the win.

Vince McMahon appears on the Tron to make it official, it's Tajiri versus the Cruiserweight Champion at Vengeance!

Rey is out next for our first huge tag-team match and his partner is the always-exciting Paul London! This match should prove to be one of the most high-flying encounters of the year, because their opponents are... the Hardy Boyz! London definitely takes the next step in his evolution tonight as he more than holds his own against the charismatic enigma and the WWE Champion, but in the end, the Hardyz's veteran skills are too much as Jeff puts London away with the Swanton Bomb.

Backstage, Rico is recovering from getting kicked in the fucking head by Tajiri when he's approached by Christian. Christian lambasts him for taking the fall in the triple threat earlier and costing him a chance at regaining his Cruiserweight Title from that masked midget. Rico says it's not like Christian was in any position to break it up. Last he saw Christian's face, it was getting blasted by Rico's foot! They're held apart before their war of words can become physical, but not before Christian can challenge Rico to a match at Vengeance. And it's accepted!

Our second of three huge tag team matches is up next, and it's the aforementioned Guerreros/Lesnar/Kidman match! Eddie and Brock start the match, and Lesnar tears into his rival before tagging in Kidman. All four combinations of opponents happens before we wind back up with Eddie and Brock. Eddie pushes Lesnar into the ropes for a roll-up, but Lesnar rolls through and grabs the tights! The ref doesn't see it and calls the three count. After the match, the Guerreros get a small measure of revenge, chasing off Paul Heyman's cronies. This business between Eddie Guerrero and Brock Lesnar just keeps getting more and more personal!

And now for our main event! John Cena and The Rock, who will be facing off against the Hardy Boyz at Vengeance in a fatal fourway for Matt Hardy's WWE Title, come to the ring first for... a WWE Tag Team Title match against the Metro Connection! Cena spears Gunn to start results in Gunn quickly tagging Kanyon in, only to get blasted with an elbow. Rock tags in and and hits Kanyon with a piledriver. The Metros seem at a loss as Gunn tags back in, and Rock nails him with a spear! Rock and Cena are rolling! Suddenly, the Hardy Boyz come tearing down the ramp with steel chairs! Gunn sees his opportunity and whips Rock toward them, only for The Rock to reverse it and send Gunn right into Matt hardy's chair! Rock Bottom! One! Two! THREEEEE! NEW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS! The Hardyz are choked on the ramp. They can't believe it. Rock and Cena go into the crowd with their titles to celebrate and the crowd is absolutely fucking bananas as we fade to black.

[The Mackem]

'Rico is recovering from getting kicked in the fucking head by Tajiri'

'and the crowd is absolutely fucking bananas as we fade to black.'

LOL

[The Mackem]

TEW 2010 was announced at the start of this month btw.

[loopydate]

JULY 12, 2004 - MONDAY NIGHT RAW

Just thirteen days away from Vengeance, and we've got a huge show tonight. All of the participants in RAW's four huge matches will be in action tonight, plus the in-ring return of wrestling's top free agent, Randy Orton!

On the 25th, Shelton Benjamin takes on Damien in a huge rivalry match. Tonight Benjamin's tag-team partner Charlie Haas takes on Damien's Ministry stablemate Big Show. Show didn't sell much at all in this one, which ends with him pulling the referee in the way of a clothesline for a DQ. After the match, Show is pissed and hits the ref with a clothesline of his own.

Terri Runnels and Dawn Marie lead their respective tag teams to the ring next for a huge eight-man tag match against Natural Born Thriller representatives Chuck Palumbo, Johnny Stamboli, Mark Jindrak, and the returning Shawn Stasiak! Tommy Dreamer and Stamboli carry the majority of the match, which is pretty much made up entirely of brawling. It's an entertaining brawl, but a brawl nonetheless. Eventually, Stasiak makes his return a successful one by hitting Cade with his trademark fisherman's suplex for the win.

The music of the former World Tag Team Champions the Metro Connection hits the speakers, and out comes Chris Kanyon! The crowd doesn't know what to think as this SmackDown! superstar comes to the ring. He grabs a microphone. "Three days ago, my... partner Billy Gunn and I got screwed out of the World Tag Team Titles. Now that we're left with no direction, I thought I'd take advantage of something. Randy Orton opened a door for me eleven days ago. I was unaware of the free-agent clause in my contract and - since I wasn't involved in the draft matches in March - I--" But before he can finish, he's nailed out of nowhere by an RKO! Randy Orton is in the ring! He goes to ringside to grab a chair. Kanyon is completely defenseless, and Orton busts him wide open with it! Orton stands over a bloodied Kanyon with a deranged look in his eyes as we go to commercial.

Back from commercial, Orton is still in the ring, but Kanyon has been helped backstage. JR and Cornette talk soberly about Chris Kanyon's health as A-Train's music hits. They then talk about how Orton took out Train's former tag partner Matt Morgan on SmackDown! and Train is looking for revenge in Orton's first match since November. Train gets in a couple of moves, but this is Orton's night, and he puts Train away with an RKO. After the match, he pounds the hell out of Train, once again making a statement.

It's a six-diva tag match next. The winning team will receive a fatal fourway title shot against Women's Champion Mickie James next week on RAW. Trish and Lita carry most of the load for the babyfaces while Victoria spends most of the match on the apron. Jazz and Molly do the same for their team while Gail Kim looks on and watches. Trish and Jazz start the match, then they're right back together in the end. Jazz strikes, powerslams, then hits the Jazz Stinger on Trish to earn the title shot next week.

Our first Vengeance preview match of the night pits United States Champion Rob Van Dam against one-half of the WWE Tag Team Champions, Chris Jericho. In thirteen days, it will be Van Dam and Rhyno against Jericho and Chris Benoit in a title match. These two put on a tremendous match that definitely whets the fans' appetite for the pay-per-view match. RVD hits a massive springboard back elbow that gets a huge pop. Jericho is hurting and he draws the ref's attention. Suddenly, out of nowhere Chris Benoit hits the ring and clamps on the Crippler Crossface! RVD is in bad shape. Jericho picks up the pieces and gets the pin. After the match, Canadian Violence continue to pummel one of their challengers until Rhyno hits the ring with a chair to chase them off. It's Rhyno versus Benoit next!

Chris Benoit is sitting on a guaranteed title shot at any time in the next year, but his sights are set on his fellow ECW originals Rhyno and Van Dam. Benoit and Rhyno put on a hell of a match. Not as good as the one RVD and Jericho just put on, but it's still pretty damn good. Rhyno hits his piledriver on Benoit for a long two. In a moment of confusion, Jericho returns the favor from earlier by laying out Rhyno with the chair he brought to the ring, allowing Benoit to clamp on the Crippler Crossface for the submission victory. Before the double team can commence again, RVD comes out with a second chair to chase off the champions.

Backstage, Mickie James cuts a short-and-sweet promo about her dominance of the Women's Title over the last couple of months and her upcoming title defense against Gail Kim, Jazz, and Molly Holly. Four of the best female wrestlers in the world in one match? Sign me up!

I was hoping that the promo would help filter the crowd reaction from that last match down so that they wouldn't be terribly disappointed in yet another Undertaker match. Unfortunately it didn't, and so they are, which is a shame because Shelton Benjamin is his opponent, and he keeps looking like he's on the verge of something big. Benjamin manages to blast UT with a Superkick! He's going to pick up the win, except suddenly Damien is in the ring beside him and lays him out with a chokeslam. The ref calls for the disqualification. Edge hits the ring to make the save (and get a shot at his Vengeance opponent in the process), and the heels are driven off.

Edge remains in the ring for his match next against the #1 contender for the World Title, Sean O'Haire. O'Haire dominates the early going with a trio of slams and a neckbreaker, but Edge fights back with a clothesline and a slam for two. This match definitely overshadows our last one, even if it has a pretty similar ending. O'Haire hits the prophecy, but Kurt Angle hits the ring and nails his challenger with a big right hand, resulting in a DQ. Undertaker hits the ring, and once again, two pairs of Vengeance opponents are in the ring.

This time it's Angle's turn to stay behind, as he's got Damien in tonight's main event! Or... he would if I'd booked it. Goddammit... I could have sworn I set up all eleven segments. Ah, well. We'll say it was a dark match.

[Evil Vito]

Originally Posted by loopydate This time it's Angle's turn to stay behind, as he's got Damien in tonight's main event! Or... he would if I'd booked it. Goddammit... I could have sworn I set up all eleven segments. Ah, well. We'll say it was a dark match.

[loopydate]

JULY 15, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

Just ten days away from Vengeance, and the SmackDown! participants are all in action tonight!

Up first, it's one-on-one action pitting the runt of the Dudley litter Spike, against Teddy Long's Harvard grad protege Chris Nowinski. Decent throwaway match that Nowinski wins with a double-arm DDT.

The Cruiserweight division is on display next as two men who are looking to get themselves in the title hunt go toe-to-toe. It's Jamie Noble against Nunzio! Good technical match that has several near falls. In the end, Noble fires off a neckbreaker, a tornado DDT, and his trademark Tiger Driver for the win.

"Folks, for whatever reason, the next segment isn't showing up in my rundown. Apparently, since we're still without a General Manager after Stephanie McMahon's injury, nobody fille--" GLASS SHATTERS! The crowd goes absolutely bugshit as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin makes his way down the aisle. He slides under the bottom rope. Even though he's on RAW, you can almost hear Jim Ross ejaculating all over himself. Austin cuts the same promo he's been cutting for the last five years blah blah blah swear word blah blah blah McMahon blah blah blah hell yeah blah blah blah. Somewhere in there, I think he said something about being the new General Manager of SmackDown!, but I honestly tuned him out. I hate this guy.

Last week, Randy Orton laid out The Blueprint during his match with Mark Henry. Tonight, he makes his first SmackDown! wrestling appearance in over a year as he takes on Blueprint's Superfriends partner Aaron Stevens. Stevens puts on easily his best match since being called up to the Blue Brand, and Orton once again reminds everyone why he's the future of the industry. Orton picks up the win with an RKO. After the match, Billy Gunn hits the ring to try and enact some revenge on Orton for bloodying his partner Chris Kanyon on RAW, but Orton steals Gunn's chair from him and lays him out with the chair! Randy Orton cannot be stopped! Does The Hurricane stand a chance at Vengeance?

Up next, the top tier of the Cruiserweight division tangles in a triple-threat tag match. It's Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio teaming with Eddie Guerrero against Paul London and Rico and the duo of Christian and Tajiri! The heels let the faces beat each other up through most of the match, but Tajiri cleans up at the end of the match, hitting his Vengeance opponent Mysterio with the Kick of Death! Tajiri is building momentum going into his title match!

Backstage, Austin is having one of those "I'm backstage and talking to random jobbers" segments when he's approached by Vince McMahon. "What the hell do you think you're doing? I never named you the General Manager. The Board of Directors never named you the General Manager. You have no authority on this show. So GET THE HELL OUT!!!" Austin looks at him for a long beat. "What?" For some reason, the crowd goes bonkers at that word, and Austin walks off.

Up next is a match that was supposed to be the main event of RAW but was cut due to time constraints It's World Champion Kurt Angle against the dominant rookie monster Damien! Even when Angle is phoning it in, he puts on high-quality matches. Sean O'Haire takes out Angle with the Prophecy, allowing Damien to get the cheap pin. Shelton Benjamin makes the save with a chair.

The deranged "Nature Boy" Dave Batista has dominated the singles ranks on SmackDown! since becoming Intercontinental Champion. So, tonight, he tries something different - defending the title in a fatal fourway against three top tag stars! It's Jeff Hardy and those damn Dudley Boyz against Batista for the Intercontinental Title! Decent overall match that Jeff Hardy pretty much carries. In a bit of a surprise, Jeff catches D-Von with the Swanton Bomb to win the Intercontinental Title! Going into Vengeance's fatal fourway for the WWE Title, Jeff now has gold of his own!

Backstage, the new World Tag Team Champions John Cena and The Rock cut a promo on the Hardy Boyz. At Vengeance, it's going to be every man for himself, but isn't this interesting? Four men. Four contenders to the title. And every one a champion. Never has every champion been in one fatal fourway match, but that's all going to change in ten days. Matt, at Vengeance, one of us is taking your WWE Title, and Jeff had better not get complacent, either. Because he's next, if ya smeeeeeeeelllllll what The Rock is cookin'! Word life!

Earlier this year, the rivalry between The Hurricane and the WWE Champion Matt Hardy Version 2.0 was almost a guarantee to provide the match of the night. Both men have other things on their minds tonight, but you just know that they're looking to make a statement. The match is everything the fans (and the IWC) hoped for and more. Hurricane looks like a legitimate threat to the gold during a tremendous contest before Matt manages to put him away with his middle-rope legdrop. After the match, Randy Orton returns to the ring with the chair he swiped from Billy Gunn and lays out Hurricane! This Hurricane/Orton match at Vengeance is going to be red-hot!

And now for our main event... Right? Okay, yeah. It's actually happening. It's a non-title match pitting the World Tag Team Champions John Cena and The Rock against Paul Heyman's duo of Brock Lesnar and Billy Kidman! Very good match that gives Kidman a pretty solid rub being in the ring with the three main eventers. Eventually, though, the Hardyz have heard enough as Jeff blasts Cena with a steel chair while the ref is distracted by Matt, allowing Lesnar to hit the F-5 for the win. The WWE and Intercontinental Champions stand over their Vengeance opponents as SmackDown! goes off the air.

[Swiss Ultimate]

Taz will be out for 8 months with a neck injury sustained during his barbwire ropes match with Cactus Jack where he lost the World Title.

Rob Van Dam recently lost his Extreme Television Title to CM Punk in a 10 Man Battle-Royal which featured Bryan Danielson, Jerry Lynn, AJ Styles, Nosawa, Masada, Juvi Guerrera, Sabu, Lance Storm and oddly enough Vader.

...

[loopydate]

JULY 19, 2004 - MONDAY NIGHT RAW

It's the last RAW before Vengeance, and tonight's show is headlined by a massive ten-man tag match. World Champion Kurt Angle teams with United States Champion Rob Van Dam, Rhyno, Edge, and Shelton Benjamin against #1 contender Sean O'Haire's team of Undertaker, Damien, and the WWE Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho and the 2004 King of the Ring Chris Benoit! Plus, a fatal fourway for the Women's Title and another appearance from the biggest free agent in WWE, Randy Orton! This would all be freaking awesome... except it's a dud show. Damn.

We open up with a triple threat match and the announcers put over that the three winners of our triple threat matches tonight will face off against Rob Van Dam next week for the United States Title in a fatal fourway. Our first match pits fan favorites A-Train and Luther Reigns against the newest Natural Born Thriller Shawn Stasiak. In the end, Train puts Stasiak away with the Derailer to earn the shot.

It's Lance Cade, Rob Conway, and William Regal next in another US Title triple threat. Short match that ends with Regal putting Cade away with the Power of the Punch to enter the title match next week.

Backstage, a camera is set up outside of the locker room of the leader of the Ministry, Undertaker. An interviewer is set up, apparently to get a few words with Taker about his Vengeance match with Edge, but Sean O'Haire enters the frame, then opens the door and enters. What could the Devil's Advocate want with the Deadman?

Rob Van Dam already knows that he will face A-Train and William Regal next week. The fourth and final spot in that fatal fourway will be filled by either Charlie Haas, Rikishi, or Mark Jindrak. The high spot of the match is Jindrak hitting Rikishi with a Death Valley driver to take him out. Haas puts up a good fight, but this is definitely Jindrak's match, as he puts him away with Splash Mountain to earn his spot.

Trish Stratus and Lita (and their partner Victoria) came up just short last week in their bid to earn a Women's Title shot tonight. They hope to bounce back in this tag team match against Jacqueline and Shaniqua. Not too surprising, they do just that, with Trish pinning Shaniqua with Stratusfaction.

Backstage, the WWE Tag Team Champions Canadian Violence cut a brief promo on their Vengeance title defense against Rhyno and Rob Van Dam. Jericho does most of the talking (as he should), playing up the fact that all four men came from the same place. ECW put them all on the map. But Benoit and Jericho have moved on. Chris Jericho did the unthinkable almost three years ago. He unified the World Wrestling Federation Title and the WCW Title belts. And Chris Benoit has become the greatest technical wrestler on the planet - something he proved by outlast 31 of the best in the world in the King of the Ring tournament - and he's carrying around a briefcase that makes him perpetual #1 contender to any title he damn well pleases. So, Rob, you keep on swinging chairs. And Rhyno, you keep tackling people while hearing Joey Styles in the back of your mind. But the two of us will keep doing what we've been doing all along. Winning.

Val Venis looks like a lamb being led to the slaughter as he heads to the ring to face Randy Orton, who has run roughshod over World Wrestling Entertainment since his return three weeks ago. It's Orton's last match on RAW before his big showdown with The Hurricane at Vengeance, and he means business. Val manages to slam Orton and hit him with a spear, and hits some impact moves late in the match, but Orton never really looked to be in danger, as he puts Val away with the RKO. As Val is helped up the ramp, Orton pounces again, leveling him with punches and walking away victorious once again.

If Canadian Violence retains the WWE Tag Team Titles at Vengeance, then the following night on RAW, they'll defend the gold against the winners of our next contest - an elimination match between four of the top teams on RAW. If Rhyno and RVD pick up the win, then they will defend the belt in two weeks, since RVD is already confirmed for that fourway for the IC belt next week. The first team to fall is La Resistance after Johnny Stamboli puts Grenier away with a piledriver. Shortly thereafter, Lance Storm pins Stamboli with a Tiger suplex. It's down to the ECW Originals Storm and Tommy Dreamer against the Ministry's Kane and Big Show. Show winds up getting the win with the Showstopper on Lance Storm. Big Show and Kane are now the #1 contenders to the WWE Tag Team Titles!

Backstage, another member of the Ministry, the demonic rookie monster Damien cuts a promo for his match with Shelton Benjamin at Vengeance. Shelton handed Damien his first loss in WWE during the King of the Ring tournament. And Damien has a long memory. To err is human. To forgive is divine. And no one will ever confuse Damien for divinity...

Last week, Gail Kim, Jazz, and Molly Holly won a six-Diva tag match to earn this fatal fourway match against Women's Champion Mickie James. And the title's on the line! The heels take turns working over the champ, but eventually things degenerate and Gail and Molly begin fighting each other. Molly and Jazz get taken out, which allows Mickie to nail Gail with a tornado DDT for the successful title defense.

And now for a main event that should have earned a 78% overall rating (which is pretty good for a clusterfuck tag match), but thanks to dud-y goodness only gets a 69 (although, "only" getting 69 doesn't sound so bad...). The match ends with Benoit getting RVD to tap out to the Crippler Crossface, to give the "perpetual #1 contender" huge momentum heading into Vengeance.

So at Vengeance it's Kurt Angle defending the World Title against Sean O'Haire! Canadian Violence defend the WWE Tag Team Titles against Rhyno and Rob Van Dam! Edge takes on Undertaker! And Damien looks for revenge against Shelton Benjamin! You do not want to miss Vengeance, only on Pay-Per-View!

[Swiss Ultimate]

Personal opinion aside...

Why didn't you edit out the majority of the lame wrestlers from the game?

[loopydate]

COURTESY OF THE IWC: World Wrestling Entertainment just issued a press release announcing their acqusition of Major League Wrestling. Several of the MLW workers were sent to report to OVW, and many more were released from their contracts due to conflicts with their Japanese schedules. However, expect a handful to appear on WWE programming following Vengeance. Reportedly, Fred Williams and Tom Howard are headed to the tag division on RAW, while BJ Whitmer, Brian "Spanky" Kendrick, Christian York, Colt Cabana, Jay Briscoe, Matt Stryker, and Trent Acid will join SmackDown!'s Cruiserweight division. Again, don't expect anything to happen this week on SD, as that card was already taped, but more than likely Williams and Howard will be on RAW Monday night. And you can expect that the Cruisers will get put to work next week as well.

Not exactly WWF-buying-WCW, but the depth in SD's cruiser division just got a huge boost. And the prospect of a Kendrick/London reunion?