The official wrestling sim topic

[Evil Vito]

WWE Raw – June 28, 2010
Game Restarted?

Another week, another action-packed edition of Monday Night Raw. A future Hall of Famer appears to be looming closer to his return to the ring, the first-ever WWE World Cup got underway, and the superstars of Raw are preparing for the Money in the Bank PPV on July 18th.

Main Event booked, Shawn Michaels and Triple H cross paths
To kick off the show, new Raw GM Shawn Michaels announced a huge main event here for tonight – “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus will go one-on-one with the number one contender for the WWE title, John Cena. Triple H, one week after his shocking return, walked into Michaels’ office and quickly embraced his longtime friend. He said that although he’s not quite ready to return to the ring, he plans on getting his hands on Sheamus in the very near future.

WWE World Cup – Raw Group C: R-Truth (1-0) def. Santino Marella (0-1)
Two of Raw’s more entertaining superstars kicked off the inaugural WWE World Cup. Clearly fired up after having been cheated out of a spot in the Raw MITB last week, R-Truth showed some serious fire, picking up the win in short order following the Lie Detector to get his World Cup off on the right foot.

Ted DiBiase has a message for R-Truth
Following R-Truth’s victory, United States champion Ted DiBiase emerged on the ramp, flanked by Michael Tarver and Mark Henry. DiBiase felt that if he couldn’t be in MITB, neither should a low-class lowlife like R-Truth. Although Virgil betrayed him, he has so much money that he can simply hire not one but TWO associates. With these two men by his side, DiBiase will hold onto the United States title for a long time.

WWE World Cup – Raw Group A: Chris Jericho (1-0) def. Yoshi Tatsu (0-1)
Prior to this bout, Jericho (accompanied by his former NXT rookie Wade Barrett, assigned to the same group) vowed that by the end of this World Cup, they would be Unified Tag Team champions and one of them would be Television champion. Jericho’s claims look to be justified, as he got a World Cup victory over a game Yoshi Tatsu following a Codebreaker. After the bout, Wade Barrett made a statement of his own by planting Tatsu with a forward fireman’s carry slam.

Zack Ryder & The Miz def. Evan Bourne & Justin Gabriel
All four of these men will be participating in the WWE World Cup as well as the Raw MITB match, but tonight they were in tag team action. Bourne and Gabriel presented one of the fastest duos we’ve seen in some time, but their high risk nature may have caught them. With Miz on the ground in his own corner, Zack Ryder made a blind tag. Bourne landed a Shooting Star Press on Miz and Gabriel tried a 450, but Ryder pulled Miz out of the way. Ryder hit the wounded Gabriel with a Zack Attack to get the win.

WWE World Cup – Raw Group B: John Morrison (1-0) def. Tyson Kidd (0-1)
Simply put, this was a classic between two guys who went all out to win the WWE World Cup. Kidd locked Morrison in a Sharpshooter, but the MITB participant was able to get to the ropes and ultimately battle back and connect with a Moonlight Drive to pick up the win. The two men showed mutual respect with a handshake after the bout.

The Cutting Edge with special guest Randy Orton
The Cutting Edge never seems to be short of controversy, and tonight was no exception as for the second week in a row, WWE champion Edge interviewed a nemesis of his only to have it turn into verbal sparring. “The Viper” swore that he would win the Raw MITB, and cautioned Edge that if he retains his title, he can receive an RKO at any moment’s notice to lose the belt. Orton feigned an RKO attempt that sent a paranoid Edge jumping out of the ring.

WWE World Cup – Raw Group D: David Hart Smith (1-0) def. The Great Khali (0-1)
David Hart Smith is no small man, and yet he seemed diminutive compared to The Great Khali, who was competing in his first match in months. Smith smartly worked on Khali’s knees, attempting to get the big man off his feet. Once Khali was grounded, Smith locked on a Dragon Sleeper and Khali tapped out, giving Smith an extremely impressive victory to start his World Cup.

Number One Contender’s Match: Natalya def. Gail Kim
For weeks its been looking like Natalya is on the verge of cementing herself as the next challenge for the WWE Divas title. On Raw, she made it official with a hard-fought victory over Gail Kim. With Divas champion Maryse watching from the ringside announce table, Natalya got the win after an intense spinning powerbomb.

John Cena def. Sheamus (DQ)
John Cena and Sheamus have been consistent rivals ever since Sheamus came to Raw, and tonight marked another chapter in that rivalry. Both men know each other very well, and countered each others moves on more than one occasion. Cena sidestepped a Bicycle Kick and lifted “The Celtic Warrior” up for an Attitude Adjustment, only to receive a huge Spear from an interfering Edge! Looking to make a statement, Edge continued to assault Cena with Sheamus joining in, until Triple H rushed out wielding a sledgehammer! Edge and Sheamus smartly vacated the ring, as Triple H pointed his hammer in Sheamus’ general direction. With emotions spilling over on Raw, where will this lead to next week?

[Evil Vito]

WWE have sort of stolen my thunder. 6 rookies and 2 pros that I had planned on using for my NXT Season 2 were also selected to be in the REAL NXT Season 2. Funny how that worked out. At least I didn't give some of them really horrific names! Also chose to scrap using Brett DiBiase cause I figured I'll honor the real-life injuries (except for Beth, cause the SD women's division is bad enough as it is).

WWE NXT – June 29, 2010
Season 2 Cast Revealed

We are just one week away from the beginning of NXT Season 2. Tonight was meant to be a little preview for what’s in store next week. The Raw Pros would square off in singles action against the SmackDown Pros, and each Pro would tell us a little bit about their NXT rookie. If tonight was any indication, we can expect NXT Season 2 to be one wild ride.

Non-Title Match: Kane def. Ted DiBiase
The United States champion reiterated that everybody has a price – hence why he was able to fork over the cash necessary to ensure that he was assigned a one-of-a-kind rookie. His rookie has wrestled all over the world, won numerous championships, and is a martial arts expert. His rookie is Kaval.

After a burst of flames, Kane emerged from the back. He may not be your conventional WWE Pro, but neither is his rookie. Recently reintroduced to society from the Kelloggs Sanitarium, his rookie is Eli Cottonwood.

Kane was in the mood to lay a beating on someone tonight, and on occasion he tossed DiBiase around like a ragdoll. Kane connected with a Big Boot and geared up for a Chokeslam, prompting NXT Season 1 alumni Michael Tarver and Mark Henry to climb the apron on opposite sides. This distracted Kane long enough for DiBiase to regain his composure and jump out of the ring, choosing to live to fight another day. Kane wins via count out.

Sheamus def. Finlay
Who better to have as your mentor than the Belfast Brawler? Finlay vowed to impart all of the knowledge he’s gained in his 30-plus year career to his promising young rookie. At 6’6” and 250 lbs, his has the physical tools to succeed with the proper guidance. His rookie is Johnny Prime.

Sheamus quipped that despite being in WWE for less than a year, he has already accomplished more than Finlay has in 30 AND is the true face of Irish wrestling. His rookie is a mountain of a man, and if he heeds Sheamus’ advice, he may very well reach the top just as quickly as his mentor did. His rookie is Titus O’Neill.

This was the sort of brawl that you would expect to see in a bar in Ireland. Both men slugged each other profusely, with each shot seemingly increasing in stiffness. Finlay went for a Celtic Cross but Sheamus countered with an elbow to the gut. A stunned Finlay was then easy pray for an Irish Curse as Sheamus got the impressive victory.

John Morrison def. MVP
“The Monday Night Delight” feels he has a distinct advantage with his rookie. His rookie already has wrestling in his bloodlines, and Morrison can teach him the nuances of wrestling in WWE. The son of Mr. Perfect, his rookie is Joe Hennig.

MVP hasn’t forgotten how he was scratched from the initial Pro lineup for NXT Season 1. He fully intends on making up for that by making sure his rookie becomes WWE’s next breakout star. Hailing from Honolulu, his rookie already has the flashy nickname of “The Polynesian Prince”. His rookie is Donny Marlow.

John Morrison continues to deliver one fantastic match after another. He bounced back after a lengthy bout against Tyson Kidd on Raw last night to put on another thriller against MVP. Plenty of near falls and false finishes had the crowd antsy. MVP put Morrison in position for the Playmaker, only for Morrison to counter with an inside cradle for the three count. Both men shook hands and embraced after as a sign of respect. Both of their rookies will be very fortunate to have them as Pros.

Non-Title Match: Jack Swagger def. Goldust
The World Heavyweight champion considers himself to be a perfect mentor. He has racked up countless accomplishments both athletically and academically. It takes extreme intelligence to reach your potential, and he is proud to announce that his rookie has just that. His rookie is Alex Riley.

Goldust presents quite the unique person to have a Pro. His experience can’t be denied, nor can his unorthodox style. If his rookie is willing to listen, Goldust can show his appropriately gold-haired rookie so tips that he will never forget. His rookie is Drake Brewer.

As per usual, Goldust put up a great showing – and for some time it appeared as though he would pull off a huge upset against World Heavyweight champion Jack Swagger. However, showing true fortitude, Swagger was able to withstand Goldust’s offensive attack and then counter with one of his own. One Gutwrench Powerbomb later and Swagger was able to tack another one in the win column.

Next week, the NXT Rookies will be making their first appearances in a WWE ring. You don’t want to miss it. WHO WILL BE WWE’S NEXT BREAKOUT STAR?

[loopydate]

Good choices, Vito. And thank you for not changing Prime and Joe's names. I like Donny Marlow, too. Well done

[Evil Vito]

Yeah, NXT seems like it will be fun to book. Kinda funny how it worked out - I had decided on several guys based on gimmick/character potential (Cottonwood, Hennig, Riley), and Kaval cause it's Kaval. The other 4 spots pretty much went to the guys I decided had a "good look" and had the best stats (which is still nothing to write home about, the match qualities might be pretty shitty, but who cares) - and when all was said and done WWE used 6 out of the 8 guys I was gonna use.

I also nearly used Percy Watson instead of Drake Brewer, but I wanted to beef up the tag team division asap and since I plan on having all the NXT Rookies "graduate" to the main roster when the show is over, I may just give him a direct call up in the near future to team with Darren Young.

[Evil Vito]

WWE Superstars – July 1, 2010
Dudes Busted

As always, WWE Superstars provided a large dose of variety. In just one night we saw some exciting tag team action, the Raw divas in action, and two superstars having their debut matches with their respective new brands.

Goldust def. Skip Sheffield
A WWE Pro for NXT Season 2, Goldust was scheduled to face William Regal. However, Regal informed Goldust that he had found a replacement – his NXT Season 1 rookie Skip Sheffield, making his debut as a member of the Raw roster. Sheffield looked tougher than ever, although the occasional mental lapses still seemed to be evident. One misstep is all it took for Goldust to hit a big Curtain Call for the win.

After the bout, Goldust proceeded to shake Sheffield’s hand and congratulate him on a solid outing. After Goldust left, Regal and Vladimir Kozlov jumped Sheffield out of frustration. Goldust ran back into the ring to ward them off, before helping Sheffield to his feet. Goldust claimed that he would have been a better mentor Sheffield than Regal would ever be.

Eve Torres def. Jillian Hall
Just over a month removed from her run as Divas champion, Eve has to be looking to get back into the title picture. She went a long way towards establishing that with a win against the always-irritating Jillian Hall. Eve showed some impressive jiu jitsu skills and forced Jillian to tap out with an impressive armbar. Could this match be a stepping stone for Eve to get back into the title hunt? We’ll see in the coming weeks.

Joey Mercury def. Darren Young
Accompanied by fellow Straight Edge disciples Luke Gallows and Serena, Joey Mercury vowed to make an example of his opponent, new SmackDown signing Darren Young, CM Punk’s rookie in NXT Season 1. Mercury pleaded with Young to join them, and undo the mistakes he’s made in the past, but Young still refused.

If Young’s performance tonight is any indication, then SmackDown have got themselves a great signing. He took Mercury to the limit, and had several nearfalls during the match. Unfortunately for him, the numbers game was just too great, as both Serena and Luke Gallows at ringside were able to distract him as Mercury connected with an enzuiguri to the back of the head for the victory. Luke Gallows jumped in and added a Gallows Pole for good measure.

Christian & Kofi Kingston def. The Dudebusters
Despite not being a regular tag team by any means, Christian and Kingston worked like a well-oiled machine in this bout against the Dudebusters. All four men got equal time in the ring before Christian managed to put Caylen Croft in position for the Killswitch. Trent Barreta attempted to intervene, but was cut off at the past with a Trouble in Paradise from Kingston. Christian then delivered the Killswitch to Croft as the popular duo picked up the win. Both men certainly seem primed and ready for the SmackDown Money in the Bank match as well as the WWE World Cup.

[Evil Vito]

WWE SmackDown – July 2, 2010
Phenomenal Surprise

Another thrilling Friday night has come and gone on the blue brand. It was quite the eventful night that saw the crowning of a new champion, a new match set for the Money in the Bank PPV, the World Heavyweight champion continuing to be bombarded by his challengers, and the start of the SmackDown portion of the inaugural WWE World Cup.

Theodore Long announces main event
With three episodes of SmackDown left to go before Money in the Bank, General Manager Theodore Long has decided to build up to that match with some big main events. Each of the next three weeks will see the participants in the World Heavyweight title match square off in singles action. Tonight, champion Jack Swagger will face “The Big Red Machine” Kane.

Women’s Title Match: Beth Phoenix def. Layla
For weeks its looked as though “The Glamazon” was destined to win back the Women’s Title that was robbed from her, and on this night the destiny became a reality. Michelle McCool’s efforts to interfere couldn’t save her Team Lay-Cool partner as Phoenix won back her belt in short order with the Glam Slam.

WWE World Cup – SmackDown Group B: CM Punk (1-0) def. JTG (0-1)
CM Punk was last seen losing his spot in the SmackDown MITB match due to interference from Rey Mysterio. Tonight was a chance at redeeming himself to kick off the SmackDown segment of the WWE World Cup. Facing off against JTG is never an easy outing, but Punk showed some extra fire tonight and there was simply no way he was going to be denied. With the Straight Edge Society looking on, the savior connected with the GTS for the win.

CM Punk and Rey Mysterio confront once more, PPV match booked
After his victory, CM Punk addressed Rey Mysterio. Punk stated that he has spent entirely too much time attempting to convert Mysterio, and it has become abundantly clear that he lacks the strength and reserve to be saved. However, he cannot have his last memory of Mysterio be him costing Punk a chance at MITB. So he had one more proposition. They have met one-on-one in the last four PPV events, and they currently have two wins apiece. Punk wants his shot at retribution, and he wants the score to be settled once and for all. Never one to back down from a challenge, Mysterio appeared on the Titan Tron remotely from his home, and he accepted. He wants closure just as badly as Punk does, and at Money in the Bank, he will show once and for all why he is the better man.

WWE World Cup – SmackDown Group C: Shad Gaspard (1-0) def. MVP (0-1)
The last time these two men faced off, MVP came up victorious, leaving Shad Gaspard aghast. They met again tonight with World Cup implications on the line. Shad couldn’t seem to put MVP away, and choked out MVP on the ring ropes until the count of four. While arguing with referee Justin King, a man recognized as NXT Season 1 rookie David “A-List” Otunga dropped MVP’s throat on the ropes. Gaspard took advantage by hitting MVP with a GTO for the victory. Hopefully we will learn about Otunga’s actions in the near future.

Finlay & Big Show def. Curt Hawkins & Vance Archer
With Hornswoggle on the sideline, Finlay was given the option of selecting his own partner to face off against Hawkins & Archer, the men responsible for injuring his son. Certainly, the egotistical new tag team couldn’t have predicted the Finlay would one-up them by selecting “The World’s Largest Athlete”. Show appeared to have a chip on his shoulder as he tried to make a statement before Money in the Bank. He was dominant as per usual, knocking out Archer with a huge right hand and then Chokeslamming Hawkins on top of him for the victory.

Christian hypes up Money in the Bank and World Cup
Captain Charisma was not in action tonight, but he was given a few minutes of interview time backstage. He said this is a great time to be a Peep, because he’ll be winning his World Cup debut match next week and then go on to become SmackDown’s Mr. Money in the Bank. Intercontinental champion Kofi Kingston stopped by to shake Christian’s hand. He thanked Christian for being a good partner on last night’s WWE Superstars, but it will be HIM that achieves all of the accolades, not Christian.

WWE World Cup – SmackDown Group D: Bryan Danielson (1-0) def. Dolph Ziggler (0-1)
Quite simply, Bryan Danielson continues to show why he is ready for the big time of WWE. These two SmackDown MITB participants put on a clinic that saw Danielson continue to apply various holds that have never been seen before in WWE. Danielson once again locked in the Cattle Mutilation, leading to Ziggler tapping out. It may be fitting if the worldwide experience of Bryan Danielson can lead him to a World Cup victory.

WWE World Cup – SmackDown Group A: Drew McIntyre (1-0) def. Matt Hardy (0-1)
The Intercontinental champion seems to have everything handed to him on a silver platter, including cheap entry into MITB last week. But credit must be given where it’s due. Tonight he was on his A-game and he truly earned a hard-fought victory over rival Matt Hardy. McIntyre avoided a Twist of Fate and threw Hardy off his game. McIntyre parlayed that confusion into a Future Shock to get his World Cup off to a good start.

Non-Title Match: Jack Swagger def. Kane
An entertaining styles clash in this bout saw “The All-American American” consistently being overpowered in his attempts to out-wrestle the monster Kane. The crowd got very much into it after a series of nearfalls from both men. Swagger was able to ground Kane and connect with a slingshot splash from the corner, and as the fall was being counted he put his feet on the ropes for extra leverage to get the cheap victory. Swagger grabbed his belt and tried to get out of dodge only for the lights to go out. When they came back on, Undertaker was at ringside, standing right in Swagger’s path. Undertaker delivered a Chokeslam on the outside before staring at his brother in the ring. The Brothers of Destruction will collide next week! You don’t want to miss it.

[loopydate]

OCTOBER 2004 RECAP


RAW

(Overall Won-Loss, Season 2 W-L) The Elite (Oct. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(46-26, 8-5) The Rock (6-2, 99) (W Matt, W 6-man tag, W Matt, L w/Cena vs Violence, W Jeff, L 6-man tag, W UT, W Matt)
(47-28, 7-7) Brock Lesnar (5-5, 97) (W Rey, L 6-man tag, W w/Tajiri vs Cena/Rey, W Rey, L w/Jeff vs Rhyno/Rico, L w/Xian vs Eddie/Rey, W 6-man tag, L three-way tag, W w/Jeff vs WGTT, L Eddie)
(44-30-3, 10-5) Chris Benoit (7-3, 94) (W O'Haire, L w/Y2J vs Rhyno/RVD, W w/Y2J vs Eddie/Rico, L RVD, W w/Y2J vs Cena/Rock, W Rico, L w/Y2J vs Rhyno/RVD, W Rico, W RVD, W w/Y2J vs Londrick)
(43-34, 6-9) John Cena (4-6, 97) (W Orton, W 6-man tag, L w/Rey vs Brock/Tajiri, L Tajiri, L w/Rock vs Violence, L Y2J, W Tajiri, L three-way tag, L Xian, W Jeff)
(37-35-2, 9-5) Chris Jericho (7-3, 96) (W Rhyno, L w/Benoit vs Rhyno/RVD, W w/Benoit vs Eddie/Rico, W Rhyno, W w/Benoit vs Cena/Rock, W Cena, L w/Benoit vs Rhyno/RVD, W three-way tag, L Eddie, W w/Benoit vs Londrick)
(34-34, 5-5) Christian (5-3, 94) (W RVD, L 6-man tag, L Eddie, W Eddie, L w/Brock vs Eddie/Rey, W 6-man tag, W three-way tag, W Cena)
(30-33-1, 7-6) Tajiri (4-4, 91) (L Eddie, W w/Brock vs Cena/Rey, W Cena, W fatal fourway, W London, L Cena, L three-way tag, L Rhyno)
(34-39-1, 7-8) Eddie Guerrero (6-4, 99) (W Tajiri, W 6-man tag, L w/Rico vs Violence, W Xian, L Xian, W w/ Rey vs Lesnar/Xian, L 6-man tag, L three-way tag, W Y2J, W Brock)

(Overall Won-Loss, Season 2 W-L) Upper Midcard (Oct. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(24-6, 6-2) Damien (2-2, 84) (W Kane, L w/UT vs Show/Kane, L w/Orton vs WGTT, W Orton)
(15-5, 1-2) Mickie James (1-2, 100) (L Trish, W Jazz, L triple threat)
(42-26-1, 2-6) Sean O'Haire (1-4, 74) (L Benoit, L w/Orton vs Train/Shelton, W Train, L fatal fourway, L Train)
(35-25-2, 6-4) Rhyno (4-2, 87) (L Y2J, W w/RVD vs Violence, L Y2J, W w/Rico vs Lesnar/Jeff, W w/RVD vs Violence, W Tajiri)
(36-31-1, 5-5) Rob Van Dam (3-3, 86) (L Xian, W w/Rhyno vs Violence, W Benoit, L fatal fourway, W w/Rhyno vs Violence, L Benoit)
(15-16, 4-6) Randy Orton (1-5, 85) (L Cena, L w/O'Haire vs Train/Shelton, W Shelton, L fatal fourway, L w/Damien vs WGTT, L Damien)
(28-34-1, 2-3) Undertaker (0-2, 66) (L w/Damien vs Show/Kane, L Rock)

(Overall Won-Loss, Season 2 W-L) Midcard (Oct. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(17-12-1, 3-0) Trish Stratus (2-0, 82) (W Mickie, W triple threat)
(12-9, 0-1) Victoria (0-0, 71) (N/A)
(34-30-1, 4-2) Big Show (1-2, 67) (W w/Kane vs Damien/UT, L w/Payne vs La Res, L 6-man tag)
(1-1, 1-1) Payne (1-1, 61) (W Palumbo, L w/Show vs La Res)
(30-35, 2-7) Shelton Benjamin (2-3, 79) (W w/Train vs Orton/O'Haire, L Orton, L w/Haas vs La Res, W w/Haas vs Damien/Orton, L w/Haas vs Lesnar/Jeff)
(12-14, 0-4) Jazz (0-3, 74) (L triple threat, L Mickie, L triple threat)
(20-25, 1-1) Chuck Palumbo (0-2, 68) (L Payne, L 6-man tag)
(21-28, 7-4) A-Train (3-2, 78) (W w/Shelton vs Orton/O'Haire, L O'Haire, W triple threat, W O'Haire, L 6-man tag)
(16-23, 1-3) Johnny Stamboli (0-2, 70) (L triple threat, L 6-man tag)
(19-28, 1-1) William Regal (0-1, 70) (L three-way tag)
(21-36, 1-5) Charlie Haas (1-2, 74) (L w/Shelton vs La Res, W w/Shelton vs Damien/Orton, L w/Shelton vs Brock/Jeff)
(18-31, 2-3) Tommy Dreamer (1-0, 71) (W three-way tag)
(15-28, 1-3) Lance Storm (1-0, 62) (W three-way tag)
(6-12-1, 0-1) Gail Kim (0-0, 69) (N/A)
(7-15, 1-1) Lita (1-0, 77) (W triple threat)
(12-26, 3-1) Sylvan Grenier (2-0, 70) (W w/Dupree vs WGTT, W w/Dupree vs Show/Payne)
(6-14, 0-2) Molly Holly (0-1, 74) (L triple threat)
(14-33, 3-2) Rene Dupree (2-1, 72) (L Rico, W w/Grenier vs WGTT, W w/Grenier vs Show/Payne)
(6-27, 1-2) Rob Conway (0-1, 68) (L three-way tag)

(Overall Won-Loss, Season 2 W-L) Lower Midcard (Oct. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
60.7 (17-11, 0-2) Mark Jindrak (0-1, 60) (L 6-man tag)
48.2 (26-28-1, 3-3) Kane (1-2, 66) (L Damien, W w/Show vs Damien/UT, L 6-man tag)
25 (2-6, 0-1) Shawn Stasiak (0-0, 68) (N/A)
25 (2-6, 0-3) Fred Williams (0-1, 61) (L triple threat)
(1-5, 0-1) Shaniqua (0-0, 52) (N/A)
(1-6, 0-3) Tom Howard (0-1, 52) (L triple threat)

(Overall Won-Loss, Season 2 W-L) Opener (Oct. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(1-3, 0-1) Jacqueline (0-0, 60) (N/A)

(Overall Won-Loss, Season 2 W-L) Future Endeavors (Oct. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(3-13, 0-2) Lance Cade (0-1) (L triple threat)

Non-Wrestlers (Overness)
Eric Bischoff (97)
Shane McMahon (86)
Al Snow (75)

Managers (Clientele)
Dawn Marie (75) (None)
Bill Alfonso (71) (Rob Van Dam, Rhyno, Lance Storm, and Tommy Dreamer)
Terri Runnels (70) (None)

RAW Title Changes
WWE Tag Team - La Resistance beat Big Show and Payne (substituting for Kane) (10/18)
Women's - Trish Stratus beat Mickie James (10/4)
World Heavyweight - None (Chris Jericho has been champ since 9/27)
United States - None (Chris Benoit has been champ since 8/22)

RAW Feuds
Rhyno vs. Chris Jericho (88 Heat)
A-Train vs. Sean O'Haire (85 Heat)
Shelton Benjamin vs. Randy Orton (84 Heat)
TBD

[loopydate]

OCTOBER 2004 RECAP

SmackDown!

(Overall Won-Loss, Season 2 W-L) The Elite (Oct. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(46-26, 8-5) The Rock (6-2, 99) (W Matt, W 6-man tag, W Matt, L w/Cena vs Violence, W Jeff, L 6-man tag, W UT, W Matt)
(47-28, 7-7) Brock Lesnar (5-5, 97) (W Rey, L 6-man tag, W w/Tajiri vs Cena/Rey, W Rey, L w/Jeff vs Rhyno/Rico, L w/Xian vs Eddie/Rey, W 6-man tag, L three-way tag, W w/Jeff vs WGTT, L Eddie)
(44-30-3, 10-5) Chris Benoit (7-3, 94) (W O'Haire, L w/Y2J vs Rhyno/RVD, W w/Y2J vs Eddie/Rico, L RVD, W w/Y2J vs Cena/Rock, W Rico, L w/Y2J vs Rhyno/RVD, W Rico, W RVD, W w/Y2J vs Londrick)
(43-34, 6-9) John Cena (4-6, 97) (W Orton, W 6-man tag, L w/Rey vs Brock/Tajiri, L Tajiri, L w/Rock vs Violence, L Y2J, W Tajiri, L three-way tag, L Xian, W Jeff)
(37-35-2, 9-5) Chris Jericho (7-3, 96) (W Rhyno, L w/Benoit vs Rhyno/RVD, W w/Benoit vs Eddie/Rico, W Rhyno, W w/Benoit vs Cena/Rock, W Cena, L w/Benoit vs Rhyno/RVD, W three-way tag, L Eddie, W w/Benoit vs Londrick)
(34-34, 5-5) Christian (5-3, 94) (W RVD, L 6-man tag, L Eddie, W Eddie, L w/Brock vs Eddie/Rey, W 6-man tag, W three-way tag, W Cena)
(30-33-1, 7-6) Tajiri (4-4, 91) (L Eddie, W w/Brock vs Cena/Rey, W Cena, W fatal fourway, W London, L Cena, L three-way tag, L Rhyno)
(34-39-1, 7-8) Eddie Guerrero (6-4, 99) (W Tajiri, W 6-man tag, L w/Rico vs Violence, W Xian, L Xian, W w/ Rey vs Lesnar/Xian, L 6-man tag, L three-way tag, W Y2J, W Brock)

(Overall Won-Loss, Season 2 W-L) Upper Midcard (Oct. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(41-24, 4-4) Matt Hardy (1-3, 97) (L Rock, L Rock, W w/Jeff vs Dudleyz, L Rock)
(35-32, 3-6) Rey Mysterio (1-3, 94) (L Brock, L w/Cena vs Brock/Tajiri, L Brock, W w/Eddie vs Lesnar/Xian)
(29-31, 8-5) Rico (4-4, 79) (W Damien, W Dupree, L w/Eddie vs Violence, W Jeff, W w/Rhyno vs Brock/Jeff, L Benoit, L 6-man tag, L Benoit)
(13-26-2, 5-4-1) Paul London (2-3, 77) (L Jeff, W Hurricane, L Tajiri, W w/Kendrick vs Metros, L w/Kendrick vs Violence)

(Overall Won-Loss, Season 2 W-L) Midcard (Oct. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(18-11, 8-6) Jeff Hardy (4-5, 79) (W London, L 6-man tag, L Rico, L w/Brock vs Rhyno/Rico, L Rock, W 6-man tag, W w/Matt vs Dudleyz, W w/Brock vs WGTT, L Cena)
(34-21, 3-3) D-Von Dudley (1-1, 77) (W w/Bubba vs Metros, L w/Bubba vs Hardyz)
(32-23, 3-3) Bubba Ray Dudley (1-1, 75) (W w/D-Von vs Metros, L w/D-Von vs Hardyz)
(35-27, 2-3) Dave Batista (0-1, 80) (L Chavo)
(25-21, 4-2) John Layfield (1-1, 74) (W Stevens, L Hurricane)
(14-15, 1-4) Billy Gunn (0-2, 71) (L w/Kanyon vs Dudleyz, L w/Kanyon vs Londrick)
(16-19, 3-2) Nova (0-1, 70) (L battle royal)
(4-5, 3-2) Brian Kendrick (1-1, 62) (W w/London vs Metros, L w/London vs Violence)
(15-19, 2-4) Chris Kanyon (0-2, 73) (L w/Gunn vs Dudleyz, L w/Gunn vs Londrick)
(3-4, 1-2) BJ Whitmer (0-1, 63) (L battle royal)
(3-4, 1-2) Trent Acid (0-1, 62) (L battle royal)
(3-4, 1-3) Christian York (0-1, 61) (L battle royal)
(25-35-1, 3-3) Chavo Guerrero (1-1, 77) (W Bats, L battle royal)
(21-30, 2-1) The Hurricane (2-1, 83) (L London, W battle royal, W Layfield)
(10-17, 2-2) Jamie Noble (0-1, 64) (L battle royal)
(10-18, 1-1) Test (1-1, 72) (L battle royal, W Funaki)
(7-17-1, 1-2) Akio (0-1, 66) (L battle royal)
(6-29, 0-5) Nunzio (0-1, 72) (L battle royal)
(5-27, 1-3) Carlito (0-1, 72) (L battle royal)
(2-14, 1-3) Funaki (0-2, 63) (L battle royal, L Test)

(Overall Won-Loss, Season 2 W-L) Lower Midcard (Oct. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(1-2, 0-1) Jay Briscoe (0-1, 56) (L battle royal)
(1-2, 0-1) Matt Stryker (0-1, 56) (L battle royal)
(1-2, 0-1) Colt Cabana (0-1, 52) (L battle royal)
(6-16-1, 1-1) Mark Henry (1-1, 58) (L battle royal, W Gowan)
(2-6, 0-1) Johnny Jeter (0-1, 45) (L battle royal)
(1-8, 0-2) Zach Gowan (0-2, 57) (L battle royal, L Gowan)
(0-2, 0-2) Vito Thomaselli (0-1, 56) (L battle royal)

(Overall Won-Loss, Season 2 W-L) Openers (Oct. W-L, Overness) (Matches)
(2-3, 0-1) Generalin Intikami (0-1, 45) (L battle royal)

(Overall Won-Loss, Season 2 W-L) Future Endeavors (Sep. W-L) (Matches)
(3-14, 0-5) Aaron Stevens (0-1) (L Layfield)

Non-Wrestlers (Overness)
Eric Bischoff (97)
Tazz (72)

Managers (Overness) (Clientele)
Paul Heyman (94) (Dudley Boyz)
Theodore Long (66) (Mark Henry)

SmackDown! Title Changes
WWE World - The Rock beat Matt Hardy (10/10)
Intercontinental - None (Jeff Hardy has been champ since 7/15)
World Tag Team - None (Hardy Boyz have been champs since 8/22)
Cruiserweight - None (Tajiri has been champ since 8/22)

SmackDown! Feuds
Eddie Guerrero vs. Christian (94 Heat)
Rey Mysterio vs. Brock Lesnar (92 Heat)
John Cena vs. Tajiri (92 Heat)
TBD

[Evil Vito]

WWE Raw – July 5, 2010
The Viper Strikes

Money in the Bank is shaping up to be a stellar pay-per-view, with another blockbuster match being added to the already stacked card tonight. Also, the WWE World Cup continued on and the participants in the Raw MITB match jockey for position on tonight’s edition of Monday Night Raw.

Sheamus def. John Morrison
Both of these men will serve as Pros for NXT Season 2, which premieres tomorrow night, but tonight they were in one-on-one action. Trying to build momentum before the Raw MITB match, Morrison continued his streak of excellent matches, nearly collecting an upset over the former WWE Champion. But tonight belonged to the Celtic Warrior, who was able to catch Morrison off guard with a Bicycle Kick and then deliver a brutal Irish Curse to win the bout.

Triple H issues a challenge
“The Game” Triple H walked out to the rampway to deliver a message to Sheamus. Sheamus may have put him on the shelf for a couple of months, but he will be back and better than ever to extract his revenge. In fact, he thinks he’ll be set to compete by, say, July 18th at the Money in the Bank PPV, and he wants a match against Sheamus. Sheamus laughed and accepted the challenge – claiming that Triple H just made the worst decision of his life.

WWE World Cup – Raw Group C: The Miz (1-0) def. Justin Gabriel (0-1)
These two Raw MITB participants took each other to the limit with World Cup standings on the line. Gabriel has been thrilling the Raw fans with his high-risk style of offense, but tonight it cost him. For the second straight week, Gabriel’s face smashed onto the mat as his opponent dodged the 450 Splash. Miz picked up the pieces with a Skull Crushing Finale for the win.

Following the match, the Viper struck. Randy Orton, another Raw MITB match participant, came out and RKO’d The Miz. Then when he got back to his feet, Justin Gabriel also received an RKO. Randy Orton has sent a message to his MITB match opponents tonight.

Shawn Michaels announces tonight’s main event
It didn’t take long for the message to be received. Raw GM Shawn Michaels appeared on the Titan Tron. Based on what has transpired last week and this week, he can tell Orton is itching for a shot at WWE champion Edge. So tonight, those two men will face off one-on-one.

WWE World Cup – Raw Group B: Zack Ryder (1-0) def. Evan Bourne (0-1)
The WWE World Cup continued with a bout involving two more Raw MITB match participants. For the second match in a row, one of the participants’ acumen for using high-risk moves served as an undoing. Evan Bourne got to the top rope, only for Zack Ryder to pop up and trip Bourne, casuing him to land groin-first on the top turnbuckle. Ryder also ascended the turnbuckle and hit an impressive Rough Ryder from the top. Bourne hit the mat hard, and it was enough for Ryder to get the victory.

Mixed Tag Team Match: Natalya & Tyson Kidd def. Maryse & Primo
Primo’s horrendous luck continues. Despite being paired with the sexy Divas champion Maryse, he could not put together a win. As number one contender Natalya and Maryse brawled outside the ring, Tyson Kidd was able to lock in the Sharpshooter on Primo. It didn’t take long for Primo to tap out. Maryse walked off looking disgusted, her match against Natalya will come soon enough.

WWE World Cup – Raw Group A: Wade Barrett (1-0) def. Goldust (0-1)
Chris Jericho mockingly applauded The Hart Dynasty on their victory, but then said the real show was about to begin. His partner Wade Barrett was in World Cup action against Goldust. Barrett showed off his English street fighting roots, and made it abundantly clear why he won NXT Season 1. Most superstars would have a difficult time against Goldust, but Barrett made it look shockingly easy, picking up the win with his forward fireman’s carry slam. The Hart Dynasty will certainly have their hands full at Money in the Bank when they defend their Unified Tag Team Titles against Barrett and Jericho.

WWE World Cup – Raw Group D: Ted DiBiase (1-0) def. William Regal (0-1)
This wasn’t even a match. The United States champion entered in a suit, much to the confusion of the veteran Regal. DiBiase produced a bundle of Great Britain pounds from his jacket, and offered to give it to Regal in exchange for an easy countout win. With Mark Henry and Michael Tarver staring at him menacingly, a smirk came across Regal’s face and gladly took the money and the defeat. Just more proof that everybody has a price.

Non-Title Match: Edge def. Randy Orton
John Cena was introduced before the participants, as he’d be at ringside for commentary for our main event. This was another very solid match between the former teammates of Rated RKO. Both men brought intensity, and nearly connected with their finishers on several occasions before the opponent countered. The fight spilled to the outside of the ring, where Edge threw Orton into the steps. Edge rolled Orton back into the ring before walking over to the commentary table and taking a cheap shot at Cena. Cena chased Edge back into the ring, where a rejuvenated Orton was waiting for an extremely quick RKO. Orton pinned the champion, which is something we might see at any given second if Randy walks out of Money in the Bank victorious.

[Evil Vito]

Originally Posted by loopydate (15-5, 1-2) Mickie James (1-2, 100) (L Trish, W Jazz, L triple threat)

100 overness?

[loopydate]

I know! I really wish I had a strong enough heel to go up against her. I'm trying to get Jazz more exposure and I have a surprise debut coming up on RAW that will hopefully rise up quickly. Feuding her with a suitable heel could give me my first female member of the Elite! ...not really sure what good that would do since all the Divas are on RAW, though. Maybe I could split them up a bit in the draft in four months?

[Evil Vito]

Yeah, your women's division seems to be getting pretty good. Expanding it between two shows may not be a bad idea.

I gotta sort some shit out with the women's division in my game. I gave Beth the Women's belt and plan on having Natalya win the Divas belt. I may just unify the belts and allow the Women's champion the right to float along with the tag champs and (eventually) TV champ. SD's division is horrid, the only two women there that can work are Beth and Serena (who I haven't had wrestle yet but will likely be Beth's next feud).

May have to do what M-A-G did in his game and hire a ton of women to development - maybe in a few years I'll have a shitload of talented ladies ready to restore credibility to the division.

[loopydate]

NOVEMBER 1, 2004 - MONDAY NIGHT RAW

The first show of November, just two weeks before Survivor Series, is one of the biggest of the year! Three major feuds will come to an end as Chris Jericho defends the World Title against Rhyno in a Hardcore Match, A-Train and Sean O'Haire battle it out one last time inside a steel cage, and John Cena and Tajiri's final battle will end when one man can draw first blood! Plus, one more SS team is introduced, and an exciting challenge is issued!

But first, a pair of former WWE Women's Champions go toe-to-toe as Mickie James takes on Jazz! Decent quality match, but the fans get into it, as both of these Divas are definitely on the rise. Mickie lands a tornado DDT on Jazz, but before she can go for a cover, former WCW wrestler/valet Daffney hits the ring! She hits Mickie with a Frankenscreamer, and the ref calls for the bell. Jazz and Daffney double-team Mickie, and it looks like Mickie's in for even more trouble when Gail Kim's music hits, but to the surprise of everyone in attendance, Gail actually helps drive Jazz and Daffney off. There's an uneasy look between Mickie and Gail as they stand tall.

The announcers run down the Survivor Series card when Christian's music hits, and Captain Charisma makes his way to the ring. He grabs a microphone and introduces his five-man team for the Survivor Series. He introduces an exciting young team that's made up of Randy Orton, Test, Carlito, and Nunzio! A great young nucleus of talent that's going to make things tough for whoever goes up against them!

Up next is a very exciting one-on-one encounter between the Elite's Brock Lesnar and former U.S. Champion Rob Van Dam. Both guys put on a tremendous match, with RVD making a strong case for getting himself into the Elite. Eventually, though, Lesnar puts RVD away with the F5.

Shelton Benjamin heads to the ring for our next match, but before it starts, he cuts a promo on Randy Orton. Short and sweet to help cover up for Shelton's charisma issues, but it definitely looks like this feud is coming in for a landing.

Benjamin's opponent is the United States Champion Chris Benoit. It's an exciting match, but it's cut short as Orton hits the ring and blasts Shelton with the RKO, allowing Benoit to pick up the win. The two heels beat Shelton down after the bell.

One of the great success stories of the last year has been the Natural Born Ministry's rookie monster Damien. But he has a tough challenge ahead as he takes on the WWE Champion, The Rock! Damien possibly puts on the best performance of his career, but it's ultimately not enough as the champ puts him away with the Rock Bottom. After the match, Damien gets a measure of revenge as he chokeslams The Rock and leaves him laying.

Undertaker continues his surprising run of quick losses next as he takes on Eddie Guerrero. Eddie hits a pair of dropkicks, a running senton, and Diamond Dust to set up the Frogsplash. What has gotten into the Dead Man lately?

After the match, Eddie grabs a microphone from ringside and issues a challenge to Christian. The two of them have been tearing the roof off of every arena they've been in over the last couple of months, and they've accomplished their original goal of working their way into the Elite. But the back-and-forth is getting old, and it's time to put this to rest. Starting Friday night on SmackDown!, let's do a best-of-three series. Friday night, next Monday, then if neither of us can pick up two wins in a row, then next Friday night, we end the whole thing in an Iron Man Match! Christian comes out on the ramp and accepts the challenge. This is going to rock!

A steel cage lowers from the ceiling as the first part of our triple main event kicks off. It's A-Train versus Sean O'Haire one last time inside the cage! Decent match that the crowd is way into. Eventually, O'Haire takes the advantage and puts Train away with the Prophecy, putting him out long enough to climb up and over the top of the cage for the win!

John Cena and Tajiri's First Blood match is up next, and it's just as exciting as the rest of their battles. When this feud started, Tajiri was the upstart, gunning for the former WWE Champion trying to establish a name for himself. Now as a card-carrying member of the Elite, Tajiri put the finishing touch on his resume for a title shot by blasting Cena in the head with a lead pipe, splitting him open and picking up the win! After the match, a bloodied Cena extends a hand to Tajiri, showing incredible sportsmanship after this brutal war.

And now for our main event. Rhyno has been chasing the World Heavyweight Championship for eight months since coming to the red brand, and the WWE Title for about six before that. The Manbeast has been thwarted at every attempt, but now that he's got Chris Jericho in his match, a Hardcore Match, maybe he can turn things around in his favor! Before Rhyno can even make it into the ring, Jericho hits an Asai moonsault onto him on the floor with a steel chair. He blasts him with a kick for two. He goes for a piledriver, but Rhyno backdrops out of it, then hits a slam and a spinning neckbreaker for two. He uses a monitor from ringside to lay Jericho out for two more. He hits another clothesline, then attempts an avalanche only to eat Jericho's boot. Jericho hits a running senton for two, then a slingshot senton for two more. Legsweep by Jericho, who then hits a springboard kick sending Rhyno into a table. Jericho charges, but gets a foot to the face, then another slam. Rhyno hits a standing spinebuster to pop the crowd. An injured Jericho staggers to his feet... GORE! GOOOORE! GOOOOOOOOOORE! Rhyno hooks the leg. One! Two! Three! NEW WORLD CHAMPION! The crowd comes unglued as Rhyno goes to each corner in turn, raising the World Title belt to the crowd, emotion wracking his face, and the last image of RAW is Rhyno strapping the belt around his waist, soaking in the adoration of the crowd.

[Evil Vito]

Rhyno

[loopydate]

NOVEMBER 5, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

Tonight's SmackDown! will see the debuts of three new Superstars, as well as the debut of another Survivor Series team, a series of matches between the members of the Reyes de Lucha Libre and the Next Big Things, and our huge main event, the first match in the best-of-three series between Eddie Guerrero and Christian!

We open with Tough Enough Season 3 winner John Morrison making his debut against Richard J. Criado, one of the best technical wrestlers in the world. It's a very exciting match that the crowd slowly warms to. In the end, Morrison picks up the win with the Moonlight Drive.

Avery Thompson, who just graduated from the WWE training camp a month ago is already making his way to the main roster tonight, making his debut against fan-favorite Rico. Thompson seems to have something against Rico and is a bit overzealous in his attempts to put him away. Eventually, Chris Kanyon makes his way to ringside and he hangs Rico out across the top rope, allowing Thompson to hit his finisher the Stiff Neck on Rico for the cheap win. Afterwards, Kanyon and Thompson work over Rico.

Thompson grabs a microphone and cuts a definite rookie promo about how he's a sexual-harassment lawyer and he's representing Mister Kanyon in his case against Mister Constantino. Rico, you've officially been served. Pretty awful promo, so that's probably the last time I'll give him a live mic.

Our next four matches will pit the participants in the Reyes de Lucha Libre vs. Next Big Things Survivor Series match against each other. Up first, it's The Hurricane against "Nature Boy" Dave Batista. Hurricane still has a bone to pick with Batista over he and John Layfield putting Aaron Stevens out of WWE forever last month. It's a pretty solid match with Hurricane getting the advantage. The ref gets bumped as Hurricane sends Bats to the floor. He crouches down, ready for the Shining Wizard, but Bats clocks him with the ring bell and goes for the cover. The ref must have come to just in time, though, as he signals for the disqualification! After the match, both men brawl up the ramp and out of sight.

Their partners Nova and Tajiri are out next, and these two former ECW cruiserweights put on a tremendous contest with Tajiri eventually putting Nova away with the Kick of Death.

Jamie Noble must have drawn the short straw, as he goes one-on-one with Brock Lesnar! Lesnar hits a belly-to-belly, a neckbreaker, a spear, a DVD, then the F5 for a squash win. After the match, Rey Mysterio hits the West Coast Pop on Lesnar to leave his rival laying. Afterwards, Noble seems to be favoring his arm. Looks like he has a legit injury coming out of the match. What will that mean for his team at Survivor Series?

Rey remains in the ring, as he teams with Chavo Guerrero against the Hardy Boyz, hoping to even the score at two apiece between the SS opposing teams. It's a very exciting match with all four men taking to the air at every opportunity. Rey looks to be about ready to put Matt away after a big huracanrana, but before he can, Lesnar returns the favor from earlier, blasting him with an F5! Matt picks up the cheap win, then Lesnar hits the ring for a 3-on-2 beating. The Next Big Things have a clear advantage going into the Survivor Series in just nine days!

Backstage, Eddie Guerrero introduces The Warriors, the team he's fielding to combat The Coalition at Survivor Series. He's joined by Rico, Paul London, and the World's Greatest Tag Team! What a fantastic quintet Eddie has put together!

Up next, two members of the Elite go head-to-head as John Cena takes on the United States Champion Chris Benoit! It's a really good match, and Benoit is putting more and more effort into his matches. He'll probably do more as he picks up the submission victory with the Crippler Crossface! After the match, Benoit snaps and lays Cena out with a chair! Benoit is a crazy man!

Up next is a match that, up until four nights ago, would have been champion-versus-champion. But now that Chris Jericho has been defeated by Rhyno, he's looking to bounce back against the WWE Champion The Rock! Not surprisingly, they put on a fantastic match that Rock eventually wins clean with the Rock Bottom. Rock goes to shake hands with Jericho, but Jericho lays him out with a big punch then clamps on the Walls of Jericho! What a cheap-shot artist!

And now for our main event, the first in a best-of-three series between Eddie Guerrero and Christian! Once again, these two put on the match of the night. Eddie hits a big DDT, then lands the Frogsplash to pick up the win and go up 1-0! Can he end the feud once and for all Monday night on RAW?

[loopydate]

In light of Jamie Noble's arm injury, it was announced on WWE.com that newcomer John Morrison will be taking his place on Rey Mysterio's Reyes de Lucha Libre Survivor Series team. What an opportunity for the youngster!

[Evil Vito]

WWE NXT – July 6, 2010
Season 2 Premiere

NXT is the perfect opportunity for eight men to live their dream. Since the end of Season 1, we have seen all eight participants make their respective marks on WWE programming. For the NXT Rookies of Season 2, their foot is now in the door. Who will be able to kick that door wide open?

Matt Striker explains the Rules
The track to becoming WWE’s next breakout star is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. As such, the length of this season of NXT has been significantly expanded. After six weeks, the first Pros Poll will be revealed. Rookies will be scored based on four factors: Win/Loss record on NXT, quality of opponents, work ethic, and the “it factor”

Six weeks after that, another Pros Poll will be conducted, with the Rookie coming in last being eliminated from competition. Elimination-bearing Pros Polls will then take place every other week until it’s down to the final two. Those two men will compete one-on-one on December 14th to determine the winner. The winner will receive a title match of their choosing live on PPV.

Alex Riley issues an open challenge
After the introductory video and pyrotechnic display, out walked World Heavyweight champion Jack Swagger along with his rookie, Alex Riley, wearing a letterman’s jacket. Swagger boasted that his rookie is the perfect fit for him – an All-American wrestler. Swagger said that his rookie was ready to make an impact, starting right now. He then whispered something in Riley’s ear while handing over the microphone.

Riley validated all of Swagger’s statements – he was an All-American wrestler from American University in Washington, DC. And with the guidance of a great role model like Swagger, there is no way he isn’t going straight to the top. He then boldly issued a challenge to any of the other seven NXT rookies.

Eli Cottonwood (1-0) def. Alex Riley (0-1)
A wall of flames illuminated the arena, and out walked one of Swagger’s opponents at Money in the Bank, Kane. Coming along with Kane was an absolute monster of a man – he stood a couple of inches taller than Kane with long hair, a goatee, and a jacket reading “Kelloggs Sanitarium”. This was Eli Cottonwood, Kane’s menacing rookie.

Perhaps Riley will think better of issuing open challenges next time, as Cottonwood threw him around like a rag doll. Cottonwood seemingly enjoyed inflicting pain on Riley, his twisted smile matched only by that of Kane at ringside. Cottonwood finished off the damage with a huge chokeslam before getting the first victory of NXT Season 2. A horrified Swagger pulled his rookie out of the ring as Cottonwood and Kane simply exchanged nods of approval.

Sheamus def. Donny Marlow (0-1)
Having the opportunity to face a former WWE champion in your first match in the company is a fantastic opportunity, and Donny Marlow took it to heart. Sheamus almost appeared unprepared for the amount of fight that Marlow brought to the table, and very nearly lost the matchup. But Sheamus was able to right the ship and pin Marlow following the Irish Curse, setting a good example for rookie Titus O’Neill at ringside. Marlow’s WWE Pro MVP helped his rookie to his feet and patted him on the back for his fantastic effort against “The Celtic Warrior”.

Kaval (1-0) & Ted DiBiase def. Joe Hennig (0-1) & John Morrison
Last week, United States champion Ted DiBiase quipped that he had the “best rookie that money can buy”. That statement may very well be true as Kaval electrified the WWE Universe with his insane hybrid of high-flying and martial arts. The most impressive maneuver he pulled off was also the move responsible for netting his first victory. With Joe Hennig laying face-up on the mat, Kaval landed an excruciating double-stomp from the top turnbuckle. First impressions are key in WWE, and Kaval has left a great one tonight.

Not to be lost in all of this was the great effort by Joe Hennig. The son of Mr. Perfect showed some excellent poise and possesses a wrestling style very reminiscent of his father. He was able to go toe-to-toe with fellow second-generation star Ted DiBiase, and may very well have been the first WWE Pro to lose to a Rookie this season if he didn’t reach the ropes and tag in Kaval. John Morrison seemed quite pleased with Hennig’s performance, so look for further development from him in the coming weeks.

NXT is back, and it’s better than ever. Tune in next week as we will see more action from these young men trying to make a statement, including the in-ring debuts of Drake Brewer, Titus O’Neill, and Johnny Prime.

[Evil Vito]

WWE Superstars – July 8, 2010
Unfortunate Twist of Fate

As always, WWE’s weekly dual-branded show provided plenty of entertainment as the superstars from both Raw and SmackDown look to make their marks to slide up the ranks of their respective shows.

Mark Henry def. Yoshi Tatsu
In his first match since becoming an associate of United States champion Ted DiBiase, a ruthless Mark Henry made short work of Yoshi Tatsu, mercifully finishing the bout with The World’s Strongest Slam. “The World’s Strongest Man” may be the best bodyguard that money can buy. After the bout, Henry raised Tatsu to his feet only for Michael Tarver to send him right back down to the mat with a right hand.

Skip Sheffield def. Vladimir Kozlov
Last week on Superstars, Sheffield lost a close bout to Goldust before being attacked by his former Pro on NXT, William Regal as well as his comrade Vladimir Kozlov. Tonight, Sheffield was able to gain a measure of revenge as he faced off against Kozlov. The Moscow Mauler showed his Sambo prowess and used several headbutts, but it wasn’t enough to stop Sheffield. Sheffield showed great power and won following a vertical suplex pin. Afterwards, Goldust chased away William Regal before he could deliver a cheap shot with brass knuckles.

Luke Gallows def. Darren Young
Much like last week, Young fell victim to a numbers game that comes with facing a member of the Straight Edge Society. While Joey Mercury was able to distract the official, Serena tripped up Young from the outside. That left Young as easy prey for a Gallow’s Pole and a victory for Gallows. With two losses in two weeks to Punk’s disciples, one has to wonder if Young will be able to bounce back in the coming weeks.

Dolph Ziggler def. Matt Hardy
Our main event certainly didn’t disappoint, as the two experienced superstars put on quite the clinic. Coming off losses in their first try at the WWE World Cup, both of these men needed a strong showing to build some momentum for their next match. Ziggler showed some extra tenacity on this night, which should benefit him greatly at Money in the Bank in just 10 days. Hardy went for the Twist of Fate, but took a bit too long to showboat, as Ziggler surprised Hardy with a rollup victory. That was quite the unfortunate twist of fate for Hardy, but a great win for Ziggler.

[Evil Vito]

WWE SmackDown – July 9, 2010
Standing Tall

With Money in the Bank just over a week away, everybody on the roster is hoping to generate momentum. World Heavyweight champion Jack Swagger made his presence known to his opponents, and the WWE World Cup continued on. All of this and more took place on another thrilling Friday night.

WWE World Cup – SmackDown Group A: Rey Mysterio (1-0) def. Vance Archer (0-1)
Rey Mysterio has made a career out of being the underdog, and tonight was no exception as he was completely dwarfed by big Vance Archer. After several big power moves by Archer, Rey decided to change things up. He took Archer out of his comfort zone by utilizing his speed. Archer attempted to catch him, and wound up tripping over and landing on the ropes. Following a 6-1-9 and West Coast Pop, Rey had himself an upset victory to begin his World Cup.

CM Punk’s proposal
Continuing a trend over the past several months, CM Punk decided to involve himself with Rey Mysterio after his match. Punk appeared on the Titan Tron and explained that ever since beating him at Over the Limit – he’s become obsessed with forcing Rey Mysterio to accept the straight edge lifestyle and remove his mask. They have already agreed to meet for the fifth and final time at Money in the Bank – but a match of that magnitude needs even higher stakes. Punk wants Rey to put his mask on the line yet again – and Punk will put his hair on the line. Rey, as always, accepted the challenge and before you knew it, this match just got much, much bigger.

WWE World Cup – SmackDown Group D: Cody Rhodes (1-0) def. Finlay (0-1)
Ever since being drafted to SmackDown, “The Uncommon Man” Cody Rhodes has been looking to score a huge win to jumpstart his solo career. This match may be just that, as he withstood the stiff offense of the 30-year veteran Finlay and picked up the victory after the Cross Rhodes. Cody not only bested a man far more experienced than him, but also begins his World Cup with a flawless record. Look for big things from Cody Rhodes in the coming weeks.

David Otunga def. MVP
Last week, MVP lost his World Cup match against Shad Gaspard due to surprising interference from David “A-List” Otunga. Tonight, MVP looked to give Otunga some payback as he officially became the final NXT Season 1 rookie to sign with a brand. Both superstars seemed evenly matched, until Shad Gaspard ran to the ring and distracted the referee. This enabled Otunga to land a low blow on MVP, followed by a Spinebuster for the victory. It appears as though Shad returned the favor from last week – but the question is, why?

WWE World Cup – SmackDown Group C: Christian (1-0) def. Chavo Guerrero (0-1)
Last week, Captain Charisma said he would win the WWE World Cup. Tonight got off to a good start towards validating those statements with a strong win over Chavo Guerrero. The match was a back-and-forth battle until Chavo ran towards the cornered Christian and was promptly hit with a Pendulum Kick. Chavo stumbled and Christian took advantage and got the win with the Killswitch.

Jack Swagger has a message for his opponents
World Heavyweight champion Jack Swagger delivered a promo from backstage. He said he that he was looking forward to watching the Brothers of Destruction beat the tar out of each other tonight, “The All-American American” might just have a surprise up his sleeve for later on in the night.

Non-Title Match: Bryan Danielson def. Drew McIntyre
Since coming to WWE, Intercontinental champion Drew McIntyre has not lost very many matches, however the 10-year veteran Bryan Danielson might just be his toughest competition to date. These two SmackDown MITB competitors gave it their all, but McIntyre just seemed to have no answer for Danielson’s innovative offense. McIntyre became yet another in a rapidly increasing list to tap out to the Cattle Mutilation, generating a head of steam for Danielson and possibly putting him into consideration for a title match in the very near future.

Beth Phoenix ambushed backstage
New WWE Women’s champion Beth Phoenix was watching the show in the locker room when she fell victim to an ambush at the hands of Lay-Cool. With Vickie Guerrero barking orders, Layla and Michelle McCool looked more vicious than ever. Security was alerted to the scene and helped break it up, but not before the damage was already done.

WWE World Cup – SmackDown Group B: Kofi Kingston (1-0) def. Curt Hawkins (0-1)
It was not a good night for the Hawkins and Archer tag team, as Curt Hawkins was also defeated in singles action, being pinned after a Trouble in Paradise as Kofi Kingston grabs the World Cup win. Vance Archer hit the ring and laid out Kingston with a huge Big Boot, much to the crowd’s disapproval. Although tonight was not their night, Hawkins and Archer will live to fight another day.

Kane def. Undertaker
The Brothers of Destruction have clashed on many occasions, and often times Undertaker has gotten the better of the exchange. That was not the case tonight. Undertaker grabbed Kane’s neck in preparation for a Chokeslam, only for the lights to go out and the bells to toll. When they came back on, Undertaker looked around surprised only for Kane to catch him in a Chokeslam of his own for the victory. But before Kane could celebrate, the lights went off again as the bell tolled once more. When they came back on, Jack Swagger was in the ring with his title belt in hand, and he blasted Kane with it. Swagger was behind the light and sound effects all along! This was certainly the surprise Swagger alluded to earlier, and the champion has certainly made a statement to his Money in the Bank opponents tonight.

[Evil Vito]

Wrestling Observer Exclusive:
WWE Signs Four Developmental Talents

Fueled by rumors that WWE intends on utilizing its Florida Championship Wrestling territory as a revolving-door minor league system for new talent and promoting participants on WWE NXT television program to the main roster, we can now confirm that WWE has bolstered its developmental roster by signing four workers to contracts.

The most noteworthy signings are Jay and Mark Pugh, better known as Jay and Mark Briscoe, from Ring of Honor. The Briscoe Brothers were given tryout matches last November prior to a SmackDown taping, in addition to tryout matches in Florida Championship Wrestling. It's been said that WWE is trying to find ways to improve the floundering tag team division, so signing an experienced team with two versatile workers makes sense. It remains to be seen whether or not they retain the Briscoe name, with Wes Brisco, son of WWE agent and Hall of Famer Gerald Brisco currently employed.

Another former Ring of Honor employee, Kenny Layne, formerly known as Kenny King, has also been inked to a contract. Layne had fallen victim to Ring of Honor budget cuts in early June and has since been competing for various independent promotions since. WWE feels that Layne has the charisma to succeed on the roster, and will report to FCW to further hone his in-ring skills. This will be a homecoming of sorts for Layne, who was a participant on 2nd season of Tough Enough (which was eventually won by Linda Miles and Jackie Gayda).

The final signing is 28-year old Canadian wrestler J-Busta. From Montreal, J-Busta has spent the majority of his career competing as a territorial worker throughout the Northeastern United States. Clearly, scouts saw something in him, as he has been brought on board.

All four men should be starting up with FCW before the end of the month. It remains to be seen how long it will take any of them to appear on WWE television.

[M-A-G]

Here are my results from the last two PPVs I did. I don't have my computer on me so I don't have access to the match ratings. Insert your own if you'd like.

Royal Rumble 2014

WWE Diva's Champion Kim Roderick defeated Victoria to retain the title.

WWE Unified Tag Team Champions Cash Incorporated (EZ Money and Ryan Creed) defeated AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels and Tajiri & Alex Furious to retain the titles after Creed pinned Tajiri.

Oracle pinned Beth Phoenix to regain the WWE Women's Title.

Don Maiden won the WWE Cruiserweight Title from Jeremy Lopez via submission.

WWE Champion John Morrison pinned Ted DiBiase to retain the title.

World Heavyweight Champion Chris Sylvain retained the title against Shawn Michaels via countout.

Jason Collins won the Royal Rumble last eliminating CM Punk.

No Way Out 2014

Bret Banderas defeated Mark Henry in a submission match.

HHH, R-Truth, and Pete Shapiro defeated Batista, The Miz, and Scott Blackmore when HHH pinned The Miz.

WWE Intercontinental Champion Cash Stevens retained the title against Montel Vontavious Porter and Ian Moore after pinning Porter.

WWE U.S. Champion Ted DiBiase retained the title against Bryan Danielson.

Bobby Lashley pinned Randy Orton in the Road To WrestleMania Tournament Finals after the supposedly injured Edge speared Orton. Lashley is now the number one contender to the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.

Jason Collins pinned CM Punk. As per the match stipulations, CM Punk will not be added to the World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania.

WWE Champion John Morrison defeated John Bradshaw Leyfield to retain the title.

World Heavyweight Champion Chris Sylvain retained the title against Shawn Michaels in a cage match when CM Punk slammed the cage door shut on Shawn Michaels.

[M-A-G]

My planned WrestleMania 30 card:

World Heavyweight Championship: Chris Sylvain (c) vs. Jason Collins
This is essentially the Royal Rumble winner getting his opportunity at the big show but it's become more about being the new top name on SmackDown!. Sylvain has shown no signs of losing momentum and despite facing someone he's never encountered before, that's never been a problem for the champion in the past. Collins looks to end a 10 month long reign of terror and become only the second man to claim a win over the champion.

WWE Championship: John Morrison (c) vs. Bobby Lashley
The champion has yet to look back since capturing the title his first night on Raw. The challenger is looking to unload months upon months of frustration stemming from not being able to secure a title match despite forming lucrative alliances and securing key victories. Morrison's run at the top may come to a disasterous end when he defends the title against the pure rage that is Bobby Lashley.

CM Punk vs. Shawn Michaels
A feud that has carried on from last year's WrestleMania when HBK was able to score a win over the Straight Edge superstar, this match is about finality. After being drafted to SmackDown!, Shawn Michaels has had to endure more of CM Punk than he'd care to and the rivalry has managed to see both men end up with 2 victories over the other. Punk's actions at No Way Out was the last straw as he wound up costing Michaels the World Heavyweight Championship out of a jealous rage. Who will the score the decisive victory needed to grant bragging rights in this feud ender?

Hell In a Cell: Batista vs. Triple H
HHH has never been able to beat Batista. This is a fact that has feuled Batista's campaign against the Cerebral Assassin after making the point that Triple H is still considered the top dog on Raw. After returning from an injury caused by Batista's path of rage, HHH is now determined to finish something that started so many years ago. It's time to put the debate to an end inside the demonic Hell in A Cell.

Edge vs. Randy Orton
Originating from the first night Edge came to Raw and was chosen by Randy Orton as a partner, Edge's refusal to play second fiddle to the Viper has been the driving force behind the rift between these two unstable superstars. Edge has been more than happy staying away from Orton's wrath but after an attack that looked to put Edge on the shelf, the Rated R Superstar took the opportunity to really stick it to Orton by costing him the chance to headline WrestleMania by spearing him at No Way Out. Now there's only place to settle the chaos: WrestleMania 30!

WWE U.S. Title: Ted DiBiase (c) vs. Bryan Danielson vs. R-Truth vs. The Miz
The egos of these 4 men have clashed over who is more deserving of the coveted U.S. Title. Danielson seeks to regain what he feels was stolen from him, The Miz wants to regain the respect he commanded, R-Truth is still looking for his first major singles title in the WWE, and DiBiase is still hoping to outdo his father's legacy. Who will emerge with the gold once the dust settles?

WWE Intercontinental Title: Cash Stevens (c) vs. Ian Moore vs. Montel Vontavious Porter vs. Cody Rhodes
The champion's hopes of surpassing his previous reign's length is in dire straights as he faces the man from who he stole the title from, Ian Moore, the straight up ballin' MVP, and the man looking to carve his own niche in the annals of WWE, Cody Rhodes. Is Cash Stevens looking at another lengthy run? Can Ian Moore regain the title? Will MVP add the IC title to his bling? Or will Cody Rhodes embark on a successful singles career outside Legacy?

Mr. Kennedy vs. Christian
Kennedy has pegged Christian as another man responsible for the fans turning on him but despite these outlandish claims and his apparently diminishing sanity, the Green Bay native is still one dangerous individual. Christian will look to finally silence the loud-mouthed Mr. Kennedy in this grudge match between two of the WWE's top chatterboxes.

Money In the Bank: JBL vs. Scott Blackmore vs. Pete Shapiro vs. AJ Styles vs. Mark Henry vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kane vs. Jack Swagger vs. Shad vs. a mystery entrant.

[Evil Vito]

Surprised to see you've still got some of those guys under your employ in 2014

[M-A-G]

So am I. Why the f*ck won't HHH, Batista, and HBK retire already?

[Evil Vito]

Not even them...but midcarders as well who are probably well into their 40s. Mark Henry probably has aged to like a 40 brawl rating at this point and nothing else

[loopydate]

I was midway through writing up the RAW recap when my girlfriend and I ran out to do some errands. While we were gone, my dumbass laptop decided to install some updates and restart itself. When I got home, my write-up was gone as was the game I had going. I had e-mails from people about things that happened, but the show was gone and it's not showing up in Event History. So, basically, I'll have to rebook the whole thing and re-write it from scratch. Not the end of the world, but really frustrating.

Fuck.

[loopydate]

NOVEMBER 1, 2004 - MONDAY NIGHT RAW

Quick recap since I'm still annoyed by what happened yesterday.

1) William Regal over Charlie Haas with the Power of the Punch.
2) Gail Kim and Mickie James over Daffney and Jazz when Mickie hit Jazz with a tornado DDT.
3) A-Train, Big Show, and Payne over Chuck Palumbo, Johnny Stamboli, and Sean O'Haire when Stamboli taps out to the Payne Killer.
4) Shane McMahon introduces Stratus' Faction Survivor Series team (Trish Stratus, Mickie James, Gail Kim, Lita, and Victoria)
5) Randy Orton over Shelton Benjamin in a falls-count-anywhere match with the RKO to end their feud.
6) Damien over John Cena thanks to interference from Undertaker, The Rock makes the save.
7) Canadian Violence over Rhyno and Rob Van Dam when Benoit pins Rhyno after Rhyno managed to not tap out to the Crossface/Walls combo.
8) Brock Lesnar cut a promo on Rey Mysterio and their Last Man Standing match on SmackDown!
9) The Rock over Tajiri with the Rock Bottom. Afterwards, Tajiri gets revenge with a chair shot.
10) Christian over Eddie Guerrero with the Unprettier to even their best-of-three series at 1-1.
11) Christian closed out the show by cutting a promo on his Iron Man match with Eddie on Friday night.

[loopydate]

NOVEMBER 12, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

It's the last show before Survivor Series, and it promises to be an eventful one, as Eddie Guerrero and Christian will once again main-event, this time in a feud-ending Iron Man match! Plus, Rey Mysterio versus Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing match and a huge 10-man battle royal for a spot in the Elite!

And of course it's a dud show. Fuck. The night opens with a cruiserweight fatal fourway pitting Akio against the three members of the New Generation. Surprisingly Whitmer, York, and Acid go at it a fair amount, but in the end, York gets Akio to tap out to the Irish Cloverleaf.

More cruiserweight action is next as Brian Kendrick and Funaki team up to take on two men who will team up at Survivor Series as members of the Coalition, Carlito and Nunzio. It's an exciting match, but the fans blow and it's a dud show. ugh. Nunzio gets Funaki to tap out to the Sicilian Crab.

WWE Chairman Eric Bischoff cuts a brief promo, hyping this Sunday's Survivor Series as well as running down the ten participants in tonight's battle royal, saying that one of them will join the Elite! Not only that, but Sunday night we'll get our first female member/s of the Elite. Any Diva that survives the Diva Survivor Series match will become a member!

In a preview of Sunday night, Reyes de Lucha Libre members Chavo Guerrero, John Morrison, and Nova take on Next Big Things members "Nature Boy" Dave Batista, Intercontinental and World Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy, and the Cruiserweight Champion Tajiri. The babyfaces actually isolate Batista early until he manages to tag in Jeff Hardy, which allows the heels to triple-team the newcomer Morrison. In the end, Chavo manages to get the massive Batista up for a Brainbuster to pick up what has to be considered a bit of an upset.

And now it's time for our ten-man battle royal, the winner joins the Elite! Paul London is the first elimination, courtesy of Shelton Benjamin. Rico is the next one out, thanks to Damien, who then shocks the world by eliminating his mentor, Undertaker! In another surprise, World Champion Rhyno takes out his frequent tag partner Rob Van Dam! There are no friends when it comes to a spot in the Elite! Randy Orton takes out Damien while he continues to jaw-jack with Undertaker, then he takes out his former rival Shelton Benjamin. And then there were four. Either Matt Hardy Version 2.0, Randy Orton, Rhyno, or The Hurricane will be the newest member of the Elite. It turns into an exciting fatal fourway for a while with all four guys getting in some big spots until Hardy takes out his old rival Hurricane. Hardy then turns his attention to Orton, who gets eliminated quickly. Matt turns around right into a Gore! Rhyno dumps Hardy to the floor, and now the World Champion is Elite!

Bischoff hits the ring once more, this time to announce the last Survivor Series team. He brings out the Jazz Quintet, made up of captain Jazz, Molly Holly, Jacqueline, Shaniqua, and Daffney.

Tag action is next as John Cena and The Rock team up once again to take on John Layfield and Test. Layfield and Test are looking to build momentum going into their SS matches, but Layfield falls victim to the Rock Bottom.

Two of the hottest teams in WWE go at it next as the Dudley Boyz take on Canadian Violence! It's the match of the night up to this point, and the Dudleyz fight valiantly against Eric Bischoff's chosen ones, but eventually Bubba falls victim to the Crossface/Walls combo and CV pick up another big win.

Backstage, Avery Thompson is with his client Chris Kanyon and Kanyon's partner Billy Gunn. They talk about Kanyon's sexual harassment lawsuit against Rico, and Thompson has brought in some backup, the "World's Strongest Man" Mark Henry and his manager Theodore Long. Good! Somebody can talk for Thompson now.

And now for the first half of our double main event, the Last Man Standing match pitting Rey Mysteiro against Brock Lesnar. Rey gets the first count, putting Lesnar down with a series of kicks, but Brock's back up at four. Lesnar strikes back, getting a six count after a massive brainbuster suplex. Once Rey's back up, Brock plants him with a Death Valley Driver for an eight-count. Rey then concentrates his attacks on Lesnar's head, hitting an elbow, a rolling kick, and a back heel kick to set up the West Coast Pop, and Lesnar stays down! Rey Mysterio wins!

And now for our main event, a thirty-minute Iron Man match that will finally end the Eddie Guerrero-Christian feud! Eddie hits a tiger suplex to go up 1-0. Christian evens it at 1-1 after a spinebuster. Eddie hits a Frogsplash at the last moment to pick up the decisive third fall as time expires and Eddie is the winner! After the match, he offers Christian a handshake, and he accepts. These two have put themselves in the upper echelon of World Wrestling Entertainment through their incredible feud, and they both obviously respect each other.

[loopydate]

NOVEMBER 14, 2004 - SURVIVOR SERIES

Last year, Shelton Benjamin won a 20-man battle royal at Survivor Series, and now he's on the verge of being one of the biggest stars on RAW. Whose star will be made in tonight's battle royal?

20-Man Battle Royal

Conway walks into a high dropkick from BJ Whitmer. Rob Conway was eliminated by BJ. (Elimination # 1) Second rope flying axe handle, Henry goes down. Stiff high kick on Henry by BJ Whitmer who has evidently been watching some old AJPW tapes recently. J.Briscoe hits a wicked chop that echoes through the building. Trent Acid got bundled out by J.Briscoe. (Elimination # 2) Forearm to the face from Gowan on Colt. Colt Cabana got thrown over the top rope by Gowan. (Elimination # 3) Regal suplexes Stryker to the canvas. Matt Stryker got eliminated by Regal. (Elimination # 4) Stiff high kick on Henry by Jay Briscoe who has evidently been watching some old AJPW tapes recently. J.Briscoe tried to eliminate Mark Henry, who hung onto the top rope. Richard J. Criado strikes Generalin. Richard J. Criado nearly kills Generalin with a released tiger suplex. Some weak shots by Henry. Henry threw William Regal over the top rope. (Elimination # 5) Big dropkick by Generalin Intikami, who got good elevation. Richard J. Criado got eliminated by Generalin. (Elimination # 6) Spin kick by Funaki to the face. Stiff high kick on Jindrak by Funaki who has evidently been watching some old AJPW tapes recently. Jay Briscoe hits a rolling kick on Henry. J.Briscoe tried to eliminate Mark Henry, who hung onto the top rope. Spinebuster by Mark Jindrak. Jindrak tried to get Generalin Intikami over the top rope, but Gravity made the save. Funaki hits a dropkick on Johnny Jeter. Funaki threw Johnny Jeter over the top rope. (Elimination # 7) Chanelling the spirit of Misawa, Shawn Stasiak uses a forearm to the face. Generalin Intikami got bundled out by Stasiak. (Elimination # 8) Standing leg lariat by BJ Whitmer on Jindrak. Tiger suplex on Jindrak, right from out of the Misawa playbook. Henry gets slammed. Kane tried to eliminate Mark Henry, who hung onto the top rope. Avery Thompson scores with a back heel kick on Funaki. Legsweep out of Nowhere. Where is Nowhere, and why do moves keep coming out of there? Does it have a factory? Avery hits a wicked chop that echoes through the building. Avery tried to eliminate Kane, who hung onto the top rope. Avery Thompson hits a rolling kick on J.Briscoe. Jay Briscoe got thrown over the top rope by Avery. (Elimination # 9) Mark Henry strikes Funaki. Funaki got thrown over the top rope by Henry. (Elimination # 10) BJ hits a wicked chop that echoes through the building. Second rope flying axe handle, Kane goes down. Gowan receives some punishment. Zach Gowan was eliminated by Stasiak. (Elimination # 11) Thomaselli crushes Kane with a big legdrop. Thomaselli tried to get Kane over the top rope, but Gravity made the save. Mark Henry strikes Vito Thomaselli. Vito Thomaselli was eliminated by Henry. (Elimination # 12) Mark Henry strikes Christian York. Uninspiring brawling from Mark Henry. Avery Thompson hits a rolling kick on Kane. Avery tried to get Kane over the top rope, but Gravity made the save. Avery receives some punishment. Big backdrop on Avery, executed well. Dropkick connects, Henry goes down. BJ uses a basement dropkick to the knee. Some weak shots by Henry. Henry threw Shawn Stasiak over the top rope. (Elimination # 13) Storm crushes Henry with a running senton. Storm tried to eliminate Mark Henry, who hung onto the top rope. BJ uses a basement dropkick to the knee. Avery Thompson got thrown over the top rope by BJ. (Elimination # 14) Standing leg lariat by Lance Storm on Jindrak. Mark Jindrak got bundled out by Storm. (Elimination # 15) Storm takes a headbutt from Kane. Lance Storm got thrown over the top rope by Kane. (Elimination # 16) Uninspiring brawling from Mark Henry. BJ Whitmer got eliminated by Henry. (Elimination # 17) Spin kick by Christian York to the face. York went for the elimination, but Mark Henry held on to the ropes. Mark Henry punches away at Christian York. Mark Henry strikes Christian York. Weak slam from Henry. Henry threw Christian York over the top rope. (Elimination # 18) Mark Henry is in trouble. Chokeslam!!! That shook the ring. Mark Henry got bundled out by Kane.

Overall Rating: 51%
Crowd Reaction: 58%
Match Quality: 58%

In a match added on WWE.com Saturday, La Resistance are defending the WWE Tag Team Titles against Fred 'n' Tom, making their PPV debuts!

WWE Tag Team Titles - Fred 'n' Tom vs. La Resistance (c)

Williams gets slammed. Rene Dupree with a spinning neckbreaker on Williams. Hooks the leg for a two count. Tag to Sylvan Grenier. La Resistance whip Williams into the ropes and hit a double back elbow. Cover for a two count. Sylvan Grenier hits a right hand on Fred Williams. Williams drops out the back of a Sylvan Grenier bodyslam attempt. Vicious snap suplex! Sylvan Grenier got whipped over hard. Cover for a two count. Williams tags out to Tom Howard. Brainbuster suplex by Tom Howard, who apparently is in the mood to bust some brains. Hooks the leg for a close fall. Big dropkick by Tom Howard, who got good elevation. Grenier counters an avalanche with a raised foot to the face. Big kick from Grenier. Tag between Sylvan Grenier and Rene Dupree. Stiff chop lights up Howard. Tag to Fred Williams. Running knee lift from Rene Dupree. La Resistance have Fred Williams to themselves. La Crepe! 1....2....3! It's over. I'll give this a ***1\4 rating.

Overall Rating: 67% (fucking dud PPV...)
Crowd Reaction: 65%
Match Quality: 85%

In another match added Saturday, it's a Cruiserweight exhibition pitting Brian Kendrick vs. Akio!

Brian Kendrick vs. Akio

Legsweep out of Nowhere. Where is Nowhere, and why do moves keep coming out of there? Does it have a factory? Lightning kick by Kendrick on Akio. Hooks the leg for a two count. Akio counters a sleeper hold by turning it into a jaw breaker. Kick from Akio to the leg. Kendrick takes a flying neckbreaker from Akio. Hooks the leg for a two count. Diamond Dust from Akio, Kendrick is out. Cover, but there's a last second kick-out. Akio uses a basement dropkick to the knee. Kendrick drops out the back of a Akio bodyslam attempt. Kendrick crushes Akio with a running senton. There's a two count on the pin. Akio walks into a face crusher variation. Pinfall attempt gets a 2.9999. Legsweep out of Nowhere. Where is Nowhere, and why do moves keep coming out of there? Does it have a factory? Kendrick hits a wicked chop that echoes through the building. Akio elbows Brian Kendrick in the face to break a hammerlock. Akio uses a basement dropkick to the knee. Springboard dropkick from Akio. Nicely done. Akio has Brian Kendrick down on the canvas and is ascending the corner. Off the top - Hang Time, forget about it. 1....2...3! I'll give this a ***1\4 rating.

Overall Rating: 67%
Crowd Reaction: 65%
Match Quality: 86%

Our first Survivor Series match is the Divas' match. Any survivors will join the Elite!

Survivor Series Match - Stratus' Faction (Trish Stratus (c), Gail Kim, Lita, Mickie James, and Victoria) vs. Jazz Quintet (Jazz (c), Daffney, Jacqueline, Molly Holly, and Shaniqua)

First Fall : Shaniqua attacks with some poorly executed flying moves. Back heel kick from Shaniqua on Kim, missed by miles. Cover for a two count. Kim counters a sleeper hold by turning it into a jaw breaker. Gail Kim with an enziguri, although the late Owen Hart's version was far superior. Shaniqua is in trouble. Standing Rana!!! That shook the ring. 1....2....3!! Second Fall : Jacqueline hits a right hand on Victoria. Jacqueline DDTs Victoria, although it was hardly executed with pin-point precision. Cover for a two count. Victoria pulls a mule kick out of nowhere. Flapjack from Victoria on Jacquie. Jacqueline can barely stand. Widow's Peak! 1....2....3. Third Fall : Molly hits a quick kick on Victoria. Molly hits a dropkick on Victoria. 'Hit' may be an exaggeration, as it barely touched. Hooks the leg for a two count. Victoria avoids a Molly Holly avalanche. Victoria scores with a poor standing spinebuster. Pin : 1 - 2 - 2.9999999. Molly Holly comes up with a right hand out of nowhere. Back heel kick from Molly on Victoria, missed by miles. Pin, three count, it's over. Molly Holly pins Victoria. Fourth Fall : Molly Holly takes a knee lift from Lita. Flying elbow off the top rope by Lita, poor elevation though. Hooks the leg for a two count. Lita gets taken down out of nowhere. Slingshot clothesline by Molly, who almost messed it up by slipping on the ropes. Molly Holly climbs to the top turnbuckle as Lita is stunned. Here it comes - Molly Go Round, forget about it. 1....2...3! Fifth Fall : Gail Kim takes a right hand to the temple from Jazz. Weak bodyslam on Kim by Jazz. There's a two count on the pin. Kim counters an arm wringer with an elbow to the side of the head. Gail Kim with an enziguri. Pin : 1 - 2 - 2.9999999. Jazz avoids a Gail Kim avalanche. Jazz DDTs Kim, although it was hardly executed with pin-point precision. Cover gets three. Jazz pinned Kim. Sixth Fall : Daffney hits a flying kick on Trish. Daffney uses a running dropkick into the corner. There's a two count on the pin. Trish reverses a Daffney hammerlock. Trish DDTs Daffney. Daffney gets whipped into the turnbuckles by Trish. Stratusfaction!!! 1....2....3!! It's all over. Seventh Fall : Big kick from Trish. Weak bodyslam by Trish. Cover for a two count. Molly reverses a Trish Stratus hammerlock. Flying knee to the face from Molly Holly. Is it Mutoh Appreciation Night? Trish Stratus is stunned as Molly heads to the top rope. Molly Go Round!!! 1....2....3!! It's all over. Eighth Fall : Mickie James strikes Jazz. Mickie James arm drags Jazz over. Cover for a two count. Jazz ducks a clothesline attempt. Side suplex from Jazz. Pin, but Mickie is out just before the three count. Mickie backdrops Jazz out of a piledriver attempt. Mickie James DDTs Jazz, although it was hardly executed with pin-point precision. Pin, three count, it's over. Mickie James pins Jazz. Final Fall : Flying elbow from Mickie James, barely hitting the target. Hooks the leg for a two count. Weak bodyslam by Mickie. Mickie James with an enziguri. Cover, but there's a last second kick-out. Molly counters an arm wringer with an elbow to the side of the head. Molly whips Mickie into the turnbuckles...and predictably, the referee gets sandwiched. Molly Holly climbs to the top turnbuckle as Mickie James is stunned. Molly Go Round, right on the money! Hooks the leg, but the referee is still out. Mickie takes a chop from Molly. Mickie James powers out of a Molly Holly headlock. Mickie James drives Molly Holly into the corner. Tornado DDT, forget about it. 1....2...3! I'll give it a *1\2 rating.

Overall Rating: 61%
Crowd Reaction: 73%
Match Quality: 57%

The Survivor Series itself begins now with our first battle between teams of five striving to survive. All of the survivors of our next four matches will advance to our War Games main event!

Survivor Series - The Great Ones (The Rock (c), A-Train, Big Show, John Cena, and Payne) vs. Natural Born Ministry (Sean O'Haire (c), Chuck Palumbo, Damien, Johnny Stamboli, and Undertaker)

First Fall : Stamboli takes a headbutt from The Rock. Flying shoulder tackle by Rock sends Stamboli to the mat. Hooks the leg for a two count. The Rock misses a big legdrop after stalling too long. Johnny Stamboli scores with a big spinebuster. Cover, but there's a last second kick-out. Rock counters an avalanche with a raised foot to the face. Full nelson slam on Stamboli. Pin, three count, it's over. The Rock pins Stamboli. Second Fall : A-Train takes a headbutt from Sean O'Haire. Big clothesline on A-Train. Cover for a two count. O'Haire only gets knees on a splash. A-Train scores with a crappy looking standing spinebuster. Hooks the leg for a close fall. O'Haire blocks a kick from A-Train. Spear by Sean O'Haire. Pin : 1 - 2- 3. O'Haire defeats A-Train. Third Fall : Big Show hits a weak elbow on Sean O'Haire. Big Show hits a sloppy bulldog off the ropes. There's a two count on the pin. Sean O'Haire powers out of a Big Show headlock. Brutal powerbomb on Show. Sean O'Haire moves in for the kill. Here it comes - Prophecy. 1....2...3, it's finished. Fourth Fall : Chuck Palumbo hits a right hand on John Cena. Weak bodyslam by Palumbo. Hooks the leg for a two count. Cena reverses a Chuck Palumbo hammerlock. Death valley driver by John Cena, Chuck Palumbo is down and hurt. John Cena moves in for the kill. F-U! 1....2....3. Fifth Fall : Undertaker hits a right hand on Payne. Undertaker hits a sloppy double axe handle. Cover for a two count. Payne ducks a clothesline attempt. Brutal seated powerbomb on Undertaker. Payne moves in for the kill. Powerbomb!!! That shook the ring. 1....2....3!! Sixth Fall : Running knee lift from Payne. Powerful Spear by Payne. Hooks the leg for a two count. Damien avoids a Payne avalanche. Lifting DDT by Damien, looked good. Payne is in trouble. Here it comes - Chokeslam. 1....2...3, it's finished. Seventh Fall : Fallaway slam by Sean O'Haire. Nice piledriver on Cena. Cover for a two count. John Cena ducks a clothesline attempt. Death valley driver by John Cena, Sean O'Haire got planted. John Cena moves in for the kill. Here it comes - F-U. 1....2...3, it's finished. Eighth Fall : Bodyslam by Rock. Cover for a two count. Nice piledriver on Damien. The Rock scores with a standing spinebuster. Cover, but there's a last second kick-out. Rock only gets knees on a splash. Rock reverses an irish whip...and Damien runs into the referee. The Rock is in trouble. Chokeslam! Cover, but there's no one to count for Damien. Damien with a spinning neckbreaker on Rock. Damien drops an elbow...but misses. Fate can be so cruel. Damien is in trouble. Here it comes - Rock Bottom. 1....2...3, it's finished. Almost wandered into *** match territory, but there was too much that dragged it down so it only gets a **3\4 rating.

Overall Rating: 65%
Crowd Reaction: 75%
Match Quality: 71%

[loopydate]

The Survivor Series continues next as World Champion Rhyno captains the ECW Originals against the man he won the title from Chris Jericho's Jerichoholics! Who will join Rock and Cena inside the War Games cage?

Survivor Series - ECW Originals (Rhyno (c), Dudley Boyz, Rob Van Dam, and Tommy Dreamer) vs. Jerichoholics (Chris Jericho (c), Chris Benoit, John Layfield, and Metro Connection)

First Fall : Billy Gunn hits a right hand on Tommy Dreamer. Billy Gunn with a badly-executed spinning neckbreaker on Dreamer. Cover for a two count. Dreamer counters a backdrop attempt with a kick to the face. Lifting DDT by Tommy Dreamer, looked good. Hooks the leg for a close fall. Billy reverses a Tommy Dreamer hammerlock. Weak bodyslam by Billy. Cover gets three. Billy Gunn pinned Dreamer. Second Fall : Billy takes a headbutt from Rhyno. Rhyno with a spinning neckbreaker on Billy. Cover for a two count. Billy powers out of a headlock. Flapjack from Billy on Rhyno. Pinfall attempt gets a 2.9999. Rhyno avoids a Billy Gunn avalanche. Nice piledriver on Billy. Pin, three count, it's over. Rhyno pins Billy. Third Fall : Spinning back kick from Chris Jericho. Jericho uses a basement dropkick to the knee. There's a two count on the pin. D-Von backdrops Chris Jericho out of a piledriver attempt. D-Von Dudley turns Jericho inside-out with a clothesline. Pin, but Jericho is out just before the three count. Jericho blocks the suplex attempt. Flying cross body off the top rope! Even Steamboat would have applauded the execution on that. Cover gets three. Chris Jericho pinned D-Von. Fourth Fall : Back elbow connects, Kanyon staggers backward. Spear by Bubba Ray Dudley. Hooks the leg for a two count. Kanyon reverses a waistlock. Massive lariat, apparently Kanyon has been watching The Best Of Stan Hansen again. Bubba Ray Dudley is in trouble. Here it comes - I'm Betta Than You. 1....2...3, it's finished. Fifth Fall : Dropkick connects, Layfield goes down. RVD uses a basement dropkick to the knee. There's a two count on the pin. John Layfield reverses a hip toss. Layfield DDTs Rob Van Dam. Pin, but RVD is out just before the three count. RVD reverses a John Layfield hammerlock. Flying cross body off the top rope! Even Steamboat would have applauded the execution on that. Cover gets three. Rob Van Dam pinned Layfield. Sixth Fall : Rhyno fires off some right and left hands. Back elbow connects, Kanyon staggers backward. Cover for a two count. Rhyno gets taken down out of nowhere. Powerbomb on Rhyno. Pin, but Rhyno is out just before the three count. Rhyno fights out of a grapple. Massive backbreaker, Kanyon got planted. Early reports indicate that the back was *not* actually broken, so the move's name should actually be backhurter. Cover gets three. Rhyno pinned Kanyon. Seventh Fall : RVD walks into a high dropkick from Chris Jericho. Chris Jericho hits a rolling kick on RVD. There's a two count on the pin. RVD kicks Chris Jericho in the gut to reverse the momentum. Diamond Dust from Rob Van Dam, Jericho is out. Pinfall attempt gets a 2.9999. RVD walks into a trip. Jericho crushes RVD with a sweet running senton. Pin : 1 - 2- 3. Jericho defeats RVD. Eighth Fall : Flying shoulder tackle by Rhyno sends Benoit to the mat. Rhyno hits a stump piledriver on Chris Benoit. Cover, but there's a last second kick-out. Massive lariat, apparently Rhyno has been watching The Best Of Stan Hansen again. Benoit kicks Rhyno in the gut to reverse the momentum. Vertical suplex by Chris Benoit. Chris Benoit has Rhyno down on the canvas. Crippler Crossface!!! Rhyno taps out! Almost wandered into *** match territory, but there was too much that dragged it down so it only gets a **3\4 rating.

Overall Rating: 66%
Crowd Reaction: 76%
Match Quality: 71%

Friday night, Eddie Guerrero and Christian brought their long-running feud to an end in an incredible Iron Man match. Tonight, they captain opposing Survivor Series teams hoping to join Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, John Cena, and The Rock inside War Games!

Survivor Series - The Warriors (Eddie Guerrero (c), Paul London, Rico, and World's Greatest Tag Team) vs. The Coalition (Christian (c), Carlito, Nunzio, Randy Orton, and Test)

First Fall : Test hits Haas. Big kick from Test. Hooks the leg for a two count. Test misses a clothesline. Spear! Test is down and hurt. Pin, but Test is out just before the three count. Test blocks a punch. Test hits a stump piledriver on Charlie Haas, although it was quite weak in its execution. Pin : 1 - 2- 3. Test defeats Haas. Second Fall : Dropkick connects, Test goes down. Legsweep out of Nowhere. Where is Nowhere, and why do moves keep coming out of there? Does it have a factory? Cover for a two count. Test pushes out of a Paul London hold. Sloppy tornado punch from Test, London barely got hit. Hooks the leg for a close fall. London blocks the suplex attempt. London crushes Test with a big legdrop. Pin, three count, it's over. Paul London pins Test. Third Fall : Big dropkick by Nunzio, who got good elevation. Tiger bomb by Nunzio, although no mention is made of whether it originated in Pearl River. There's a two count on the pin. Nunzio only gets knees on a splash. Shelton Benjamin scores with a standing spinebuster. Nunzio can barely stand. Dragon Whip! 1....2....3. Fourth Fall : Eddie Guerrero strikes Carlito. Eddie Guerrero hits a rolling kick on Carlito. There's a two count on the pin. Carlito reverses a waistlock. Carlito with an enziguri. Cover, but there's a last second kick-out. Eddie Guerrero elbows Carlito in the face to break a hammerlock. Eddie crushes Carlito with a big legdrop. Cover gets three. Eddie Guerrero pinned Carlito. Fifth Fall : Big backdrop on Shelton, executed well. Big piledriver on Shelton. Cover for a two count. Shelton Benjamin elbows Randy Orton in the face to break a hammerlock. Shelton Benjamin brings out a jumping powerbomb to nearly kill Orton. Randy Orton can barely stand. Dragon Whip!!! That shook the ring. 1....2....3!! Sixth Fall : Christian uses move #193 (arm-BAR). Hard impact russian legsweep by Christian. If you're going to get impact, 'hard' is probably a good way to go. Hooks the leg for a two count. Rico ducks a clothesline attempt. Rico with an enziguri. Hooks the leg for a close fall. Christian backdrops Rico out of a piledriver attempt. Reverse DDT on Rico. Pin, three count, it's over. Christian pins Rico. Seventh Fall : Flying elbow from Eddie Guerrero. Hooks the leg for a two count. Super kick by Eddie Guerrero. Power drive elbow by Eddie Guerrero. Pin : 1 - 2 - 2.9999999. Christian elbows Eddie Guerrero in the face to break a hammerlock. Christian whips Eddie into the turnbuckles...and predictably, the referee gets sandwiched. Eddie Guerrero is in trouble. Unprettier! Cover, but there's no one to count for Christian. Christian snap suplexes Eddie...with authority! ('With authority', trademark G.Monsoon 1986.) Eddie Guerrero ducks a clothesline attempt. Eddie Guerrero has Christian down on the canvas and is ascending the corner. Through the air, Frogsplash! 1....2....3. Almost a *** rating, but there were some bits that dragged, so **3\4 instead.

Overall Rating: 68%
Crowd Reaction: 78%
Match Quality: 74%

And now for our final "first round" Survivor Series match as Rey Mysterio hopes to pick up another victory over Brock Lesnar as their teams go head-to-head!

Survivor Series - Reyes de Lucha Libre (Rey Mysterio (c), Chavo Guerrero, John Morrison, Nova, and The Hurricane) vs. Next Big Things (Brock Lesnar (c), Hardy Boyz, John Layfield, and Tajiri)

First Fall : Standing leg lariat by Matt Hardy Version 2.0 on Chavo. Matt Hardy Version 2.0 snap suplexes Chavo...with authority! ('With authority', trademark G.Monsoon 1986.) There's a two count on the pin. Chavo Guerrero avoids a Matt Hardy Version 2.0 avalanche. Matt walks into a face crusher variation. Pinfall attempt gets a 2.9999. Chavo Guerrero misses a clothesline. Flying reverse elbow by Matt Hardy Version 2.0. Pin, three count, it's over. Matt Hardy Version 2.0 pins Chavo. Second Fall : Stiff high kick on Morrison by Tajiri who has evidently been watching some old AJPW tapes recently. Hard back suplex on Morrison. Anyone remember when that was Shawn Michaels's finisher? There's a two count on the pin. Morrison kicks Tajiri in the gut to reverse the momentum. Back heel kick off the second rope, Tajiri goes down. Pinfall attempt gets a 2.9999. Tajiri reverses a John Morrison hammerlock. Lightning kick by Tajiri on Morrison. Pin : 1 - 2- 3. Tajiri defeats Morrison. Third Fall : Flying elbow from Nova. Spinning bulldog in the corner, Tajiri is down. Cover for a two count. Tajiri counters a backdrop attempt with a kick to the face. Back heel kick off the second rope, Nova goes down. Nova can barely stand. Kick Of Death! 1....2....3. Fourth Fall : Dave Batista hits a right hand on The Hurricane. Dave Batista hits a bulldog off the ropes. Hooks the leg for a two count. Hurricane blocks the suplex attempt. Back heel kick off the second rope, Batista goes down. The Hurricane has Dave Batista down on the canvas. Shining Wizard! 1....2....3. Fifth Fall : Legsweep out of Nowhere. Where is Nowhere, and why do moves keep coming out of there? Does it have a factory? Super frankensteiner on Matt, who hit hard. There's a two count on the pin. Matt blocks the suplex attempt. Hurricane walks into a face crusher variation. The Hurricane can barely stand. Here it comes - Twist Of Fate. 1....2...3, it's finished. Sixth Fall : Rey hits a massive spinning kick to the jaw. Second rope flying axe handle, Hardy goes down. Cover for a two count. Hardy counters a backdrop attempt with a kick to the face. Tornado DDT from Jeff Hardy, Rey got planted. Hooks the leg for a close fall. Jeff Hardy misses a big legdrop after stalling too long. Hardy takes a hurrancarana from Rey Mysterio. Pin : 1 - 2- 3. Rey defeats Hardy. Seventh Fall : Legsweep out of Nowhere. Where is Nowhere, and why do moves keep coming out of there? Does it have a factory? Matt takes a hurrancarana from Rey Mysterio. Pin, but Matt is out just before the three count. Vicious kick to the teeth from Rey Mysterio. Matt blocks a kick from Rey Mysterio. Matt uses a basement dropkick to the knee. Rey Mysterio can barely stand. Twist Of Fate!!! That shook the ring. 1....2....3!! I can't decide whether it's a *** or a ***1\2 match...let's go for a ***1\4 rating to make it fair.

Overall Rating: 73%
Crowd Reaction: 83%
Match Quality: 80%

And now for our main event! The ten survivors of our earlier SS matches (what a remarkable coincidence that there were exactly ten! ) now go head-to-head inside the most brutal structure in wrestling - War Games!

War Games - Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, Paul London, Shelton Benjamin, and The Rock vs. Brock Lesnar, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Matt Hardy Version 2.0, and Tajiri

Tajiri takes a headbutt from John Cena. Flying shoulder tackle by Cena sends Tajiri to the mat. Tajiri gets slammed. Full nelson slam on Tajiri. The Rock launches Tajiri into the cage wall. Chanelling the spirit of Misawa, Shelton Benjamin uses a forearm to the face. Back suplex on Lesnar, which is a backdrop to you NOAH fans. Shelton \ London whip Lesnar into the ropes and hit a double clothesline. London crushes Lesnar with a running senton. Paul London launches Lesnar into the cage wall. Hard back suplex on Lesnar. Anyone remember when that was Shawn Michaels's finisher? Super frankensteiner on Lesnar, who hit hard. Lifting DDT by John Cena, looked good. John Cena throws Lesnar into the cage. Cena drops an elbow...but misses. Fate can be so cruel. Second rope flying axe handle, Cena goes down. Super kick by Matt Hardy Version 2.0. Matt Hardy Version 2.0 launches Cena into the cage wall. Matt \ Benoit whip Cena into the ropes and hit a double clothesline. Chris Benoit throws Shelton into the cage. Corkscrew brainbuster suplex, Benoit hit it well. Chris Benoit throws Shelton into the cage. Shelton takes a flying neckbreaker from Chris Jericho. Flying cross body off the top rope! Even Steamboat would have applauded the execution on that. Canadian Violence hook up Shelton, then hit a double suplex. Shelton Benjamin avoids a Chris Benoit avalanche. Benoit tastes a high angle back suplex. It probably tasted like chicken. Eddie crushes Benoit with a running senton. Eddie Guerrero misses a clothesline. Benoit \ Matt whip Eddie into the ropes and hit a double clothesline. Matt Hardy Version 2.0 throws Eddie into the cage. Matt drops an elbow...but misses. Fate can be so cruel. Flying cross body off the top rope! I'll give a 0.8 on the Steamboat scale for that effort. Eddie Guerrero has reached under the ring and pulled out a screwdriver, which must be part of the ring crew's gear. Eddie Guerrero slams Matt down. Eddie Guerrero climbs to the top rope and hits the Frogsplash! Matt Hardy Version 2.0 is down, and Eddie Guerrero takes the opportunity to use the screwdriver to rip into his forehead! Blood spills out, and Matt Hardy Version 2.0 collapses as the pain gets too great. The referee calls for the bell, this match is over. A good *** rating.

Overall Rating: 76%
Crowd Reaction: 89%
Match Quality: 78%

[Evil Vito]

Nice show! Your game sure does love screwing you over with those Dud shows though.

[loopydate]

Yeah. Well, it doesn't dig multi-man matches, and when Survivor Series is entirely ten-man tags... It's still frustrating, though.

Working on the next night's RAW, and Bischoff's got some stuff up his sleeve for the next PPV.

BTW, the industry is at 5% of its peak now, which is probably not helping the dud shows, either.

[loopydate]

NOVEMBER 15, 2004 - MONDAY NIGHT RAW

"I'm ba-ack!" The arena is buzzing with a big-event feel tonight. Last night's Survivor Series may have been disappointing from a critical standpoint, but it has opened World Wrestling Entertainment wide. Anything can seemingly happen, and with the Chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment Eric Bischoff opening the show, it almost certainly will. "This is the time of year when my predecessor would have been talking about the Road To WrestleMania. Well, it's a little early for that, my friends. Instead, I'd like to take everybody back. Back to a day when the wrestling industry was divided down the middle. Before WWE wasn't the only game in town. Every spring, WWE broke box-office records with WrestleMania, but three months earlier, World Championship Wrestling put on a show that routinely showcased the best and the brightest of that roster. So, ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce that in six weeks, we will see the return of Starrcade on pay-per-view! And I want to find out the best man to challenge for one of the world titles, and I hit upon another of my brilliant ideas from WCW. Tonight, I've asked both the RAW and SmackDown! rosters to show up, but didn't tell them what for. Well, tonight we're going to put everyone to the test to find out who really most deserves to be the #1 contender. Tonight, World Wrestling Entertainment... and Eric Bischoff... proudly presents World War 3! Three twenty-man battle royals, and the winners will meet in tonight's main event in a triple-threat match for a shot at a champion of their choosing at Starrcade!"

Back from the first commercial, twenty men are in the ring for our first WW3 battle royal. The first casualty of the War is New Generation's Trent Acid, taken out by Tajiri. Test takes out Tommy Dreamer next, then Jeff Hardy eliminates Brian Kendrick. WWE Tag Team Champion Sylvan Grenier is taken out by Chris Kanyon. The Hurricane eliminates Shawn Stasiak next, then Tajiri becomes the first to pick up multiple eliminations when he takes out Test. The rookie monster Damien eliminates Big Show while Show's partner Payne is taken out by Mark Jindrak, and the Natural Born Ministry is rolling! Unfortunately, that ends quickly as Akio dumps out Jindrak. Damien gets his second elim as he takes out Vito Thomaselli, and we're down to ten (50 overall). Damien continues to dominate, eliminating Rico. Eddie Guerrero takes out Hardy next, while Tajiri eliminates Bubba Ray Dudley. Chris Jericho eliminates Kanyon next, and Damien's run comes to an end courtesy of Hurricane. Tajiri gets his fourth elimination as he bundles out his former Kyo Dai partner Akio, and then there were four. Eddie eliminates his one ally when he takes out The Hurricane, but Chris Jericho does the same to Tajiri. Eddie hits a rolling kick on Jericho, then hits the Frogsplash to weaken Jericho enough to dump him to the floor for the win!

Backstage, John Cena and Christian are in each other's faces, both bragging that they're going to win WW3 tonight. Of course, it's a highly entertaining war of words between two of the best promo guys in the business. Could this be building to something?

Eddie Guerrero has already clinched his spot in tonight's WW3 main event, and another spot is about to be filled as twenty more WWE superstars look for their opportunity! For the second straight match, a member of the New Generation is the first casualty as Rob Van Dam eliminates Christian York. In a shocker, Undertaker is the second man out, courtesy of John Morrison. Shelton Benjamin, riding a high from last night, takes out Mark Henry next. Matt Hardy Version 2.0 takes out Fred Williams. In a bit of a surprise, BJ Whitmer eliminates the monstrous Kane! Hardy gets his second elimination, sending Chavo Guerrero to the floor. Brock Lesnar eliminates his old Minnesota Stretching Crew partner Shelton Benjamin next. Dave Batista eliminates Morrison, then Johnny Stamboli. Hardy takes out Whitmer, and it looks like he and Bats are running this match! Lesnar takes out D-Von Dudley next, and Bats continues to dominate, eliminating Rene Dupree. Lesnar looks to stake his spot as the dominant superstar in this match as he eliminates RVD. Billy Gunn eliminates Carlito just to remind people he's still there, which is a mistake, since Batista just eliminates him. Hardy gets his fourth elimination, tying Batista by eliminating him. John Cena eliminates Tom Howard (?!?) who lands awkwardly at ringside, apparently injuring his neck! The remaining superstars put on a good triple threat match until Lesnar eliminates Hardy. Lesnar finishes his dominance of the match by eliminating Cena for the win!

After the match, Shelton Benjamin and Undertaker continue to brawl at ringside. Apparently one said something to set the other off, and they continue to battle it out until an army of officials rush out to break it up!

Backstage, Rhyno is with Bill Alfonso, and they cut a promo about Brock Lesnar. Brock's made it to the triple threat finale tonight, and Rhyno hopes he wins. He hates Brock's guts going back to what happened last year when he turned down Paul Heyman's invitation to join the Dangerous Alliance. At this time last year, it looked like Rhyno was on the verge of beating Lesnar to win the WWE Title. A year later, here Rhyno is with the World Title, and Lesnar's on the outside looking in. Brock, I hope you win!

But who will join Lesnar and Eddie Guerrero in tonight's main event? John Layfield is the first man out of the last battle royal as he's eliminated by Sean O'Haire. Randy Orton then eliminates Rob Conway. Former World Champion A-Train takes out William Regal next, followed by Matt Stryker. Rey Mysterio takes out Zach Gowan before he can do any damage. Orton gets his second elimination, taking out Lance Storm. Nunzio eliminates Funaki, then Chris Benoit eliminates Chuck Palumbo. After an exciting cruiserweight exchange, Nunzio takes out Nova. Orton eliminates Jay Briscoe next to leave ten men in the ring. O'Haire takes out Haas next, then Benoit does the same to Nunzio. Train's run comes to an end, courtesy of Orton. Benoit eliminates O'Haire next, then Christian does the same to Paul London and Orton. Benoit is next out, thanks to Christian. Amazingly, Avery Thompson has managed to fly under the radar throughout the entire match, but no longer as Rey eliminates him only to get blindsided by Christian who dumps Rey to the floor to win the match!

Afterwards, Chris Benoit gets in Mysterio's face, and they look like they're about to fight, but they eventually walk away after an intense stare-down.

Matt Hardy Version 2.0 is backstage, and he issues a challenge. Eddie Guerrero and Christian put themselves on the map by putting on an incredible series of matches over the last couple of months. And he's decided that his time is now, and it's time to make that name. And the guy that's most like him in that regard is Paul London. So, Paul, if you want to start making a name for yourself, let's do it at Starrcade!

In a bonus match before our main event tonight, it's a battle of the top champions in WWE as World Champion Rhyno takes on WWE Champion The Rock! It's a really solid match with some good back-and-forth action. Amid some confusion, Tajiri sneaks into the ring with a steel chair and blasts Rock with it, allowing Rhyno to hit the Gore to pick up the win! After the match, Rhyno realize what's happened, and he goes after Tajiri, hurling him over the top rope to the floor!

And now for our main event! Eddie Guerrero, Brock Lesnar, and Christian have outlasted 57 other WWE Superstars tonight to earn this match, and the winner will get a title shot at a champion of his choosing at Starrcade! Eddie and Christian carry most of the match, but in the closing moments, Chris Jericho hits the ring and clamps on the Walls of Jericho on Eddie! He leaves before the ref can notice him, but it gives Lesnar the opening he needed, as he covers Guerrero for the win! Brock celebrates his win while the announcers speculate on who he'll challenge. We'll find out this Friday on SmackDown!

[loopydate]

NOVEMBER 19, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

Five nights after the Survivor Series and four after the huge World War 3 event on RAW, SmackDown! hits the ground on the road to Starrcade running with the announcement of huge matches for the pay-per-view as well as two blockbuster announcements regarding the future of some of WWE's top titles! Plus, WW3 winner Brock Lesnar chooses which champion he will challenge at Starrcade!

We kick off the show with the Dudley Boyz taking on the new team of Test and Trent Acid, a team calling themselves Blood Test. The new duo put on an impressive show, but the experience of the Dudleyz proves too much as they catch Acid with the 3-D for the win.

Brock Lesnar's music hits, and Cornette and Wilson talk about him not wanting to wait to issue his challenge. He must already know who he wants! Lesnar talks about his history with both Rhyno and The Rock. He talks about the classic matches he's had with The Rock, and he talks about how Rhyno had his chance to be part of the most dominant group in wrestling last year, and he turned it down to try and earn a title shot that never happened. Well, Rhyno, you said Monday night that you wanted me to win so you could finally prove you were better than me. Here I am, title shot in hand, and I'm granting your greatest wish. But at Starrcade, I'm going to once again prove to be your worst nightmare!

I accidentally double-clicked past it, but Matt Hardy Version 2.0 (conspicuously without the World Tag Team Title belt) beat John Cena thanks to interference from Christian.

Chris Jericho is backstage when Eddie Guerrero confronts him. Eddie's not sure why Jericho decided to cost him World War 3, but there will be other opportunities for the title. Eddie knows he's got years ahead of him, and his opportunity will arise again. But there's a brief window open for the one thing he really wants. And that's to kick Jericho's ass at Starrcade! Jericho jaws back and accepts the challenge!

We're still waiting for details on the sexual-harassment allegations that Chris Kanyon is levying against Rico, but tonight they'll get a chance at getting their hands on each other as Kanyon brings his Metro Connection partner Billy Gunn with him to take on Rico and The Hurricane! Solid match up until the Metros' apparent running buddy Mark Henry and their attorney Avery Thompson hit the ring and take out Rico allowing Kanyon to hit I'm Betta Than You for the win. After the match, the Metros continue to pummel Rico and The Hurricane, and clearly whatever is brewing here is far from over!

The first Diva member of the Elite Mickie James is backstage and she cuts a promo on the tournament that's starting on RAW to determine a #1 contender for Trish Stratus' Women's Title. Mickie knows that she's the dominant Diva in WWE, and her Elite status proves that. But if she has to work her way through eight other Divas to earn that shot at Starrcade, so be it.

Up next is a 4.5-star classic for the Cruiserweight Title as Tajiri defends against Paul London! Since the match was so good, I'll let the game's write-up tell the story: Standing leg lariat by Paul London on Tajiri. Paul London misses a clothesline. Tajiri fires off some right and left hands. London reverses an irish whip...and Tajiri runs into the referee. Back heel kick off the second rope, London goes down. Cover, but there's no one to count for Tajiri. London blocks a kick from Tajiri. Legsweep out of Nowhere. Where is Nowhere, and why do moves keep coming out of there? Does it have a factory? Super kick by Paul London. Cover for a two count. Diamond Dust from Paul London, Tajiri is out. Pin, but Tajiri is out just before the three count. Tajiri pulls a mule kick out of nowhere. Flying cross body off the top rope! I'll give a 0.8 on the Steamboat scale for that effort. Pin : 1 - 2 - 2.9999999. London counters an arm wringer with an elbow to the side of the head. The Rock comes running down the aisle with a chair! London whips Tajiri into the ropes. Rock jumps onto the apron with the chair! Collision between Rock, Tajiri, and the chair! Tajiri staggers back into a roll up! 1...2...3! It's over! London and Rock are beating the hell out of Tajiri! Matt Hardy Version 2.0 sprints down the aisle and slides into the ring! He goes toe-to-toe with Paul London, exchanging punches, while Tajiri comes back, sending Rock out of the ring with a clothesline. Matt \ Tajiri have cleared the ring, driving off London and Rock!

The Rock grabs a microphone and says that he attacked Tajiri because Tajiri cost him his "friendly" match with Rhyno on RAW. Well, since Brock Lesnar has decided that he wants Rhyno at Starrcade, that leaves the Great One without a #1 contender for the WWE Title. And rather than waiting for Eric Bischoff to decide on a challenger, the People's Champion has made the decision an easy one for him. He wants Tajiri, and he wants him at Starrcade if ya smellllllllllll what The Rock iiiiiiiis cookin'!

It's another very exciting tag match next as longtime friends Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio team up against Canadian Violence! If it wasn't for Eddie continuing to phone it in, this might have been greater than the London/Tajiri match. In a slight upset, Rey picks up the victory over the U.S. Champion Chris Benoit with the 619! After the match, all four men brawl back up the ramp and out of sight.

"I'm ba-ack!" The crowd erupts in a chorus of boos as WWE Chairman Eric Bischoff comes to the ring, being trailed by a security guard pushing a big cart with a covered box on it. He drops the bombshell that earlier this week, Jeff Hardy checked into a rehab clinic to deal with his personal demons. While WWE wishes Jeff a speedy recovery, he has no choice but to do what is right for the company. He motions to ringside, and the cover is removed from the box revealing the Intercontinental and World Tag Team Titles. Bischoff announces that he's vacating both of Hardy's championships and that next week on SmackDown!, we'll begin the process of determining new champions!

Our main event is a non-title encounter between World Champion Rhyno and Christian! It's a great match capping off one of the best SmackDown!s in recent memory, but unfortunately it's marred by Brock Lesnar interfering and going after the champ resulting in a DQ. John Cena gets revenge for Christian's early interference by making the save, and the babyfaces stand tall as SmackDown! goes off the air.

[loopydate]

NOVEMBER 22, 2004 - MONDAY NIGHT RAW

After a spectacular week of WWE television, RAW looks to continue that trend with a huge main event with John Cena challenging Chris Benoit for the United States Title! Plus, the #1 contender tournament for a shot at Trish Stratus' Women's Title kicks off, a six-man tag match featuring three of the huge matches already signed for Starrcade on December 26th, and an appearance by WWE Chairman Eric Bischoff to discuss the fate of the Intercontinental and World Tag Team Titles!

We kick off with a triple-threat match to kick off the Women's Title contender tournament as Mickie James, Jacqueline, and Shaniqua go at it. Good crowd reaction because Mickie is insanely over, but the match itself isn't anything to write home about. Mickie hits Jacqueline with the Mick Kick to pick up the win and advance to the semifinals.

Payne has been on a roll since his recent debut, but tonight he butts up against one of the most brutal competitors on the RAW roster, William Regal. Payne picks up the win with a powerbomb, but Regal retains some heat, laying him out with the Power of the Punch after the bell.

A video plays hyping the WWE Tag Team Champions La Resistance. I'd love to get these guys over, 'cause I don't have a lot of high-overness tag teams.

Two men who have been struggling in the midcard lately, Charlie Haas and Sean O'Haire, do battle next to try and regain some momentum. It's a pretty solid match, but both guys have lost a step or two during their slide down the card. Eventually O'Haire puts Haas away with the Prophecy to pick up the win.

ECW Originals Lance Storm and Tommy Dreamer have been engaged in a mini-feud with NBM members Chuck Palumbo and Johnny Stamboli for months now, and their in-ring chemistry continues to impress tonight. Lots of back-and-forth action until Lance Storm blasts Palumbo with a superkick to get the three-count.

United States Champion Chris Benoit is backstage, and he's got a huge title defense tonight against John Cena, but first he wants to talk about the tag match from Friday night when Rey Mysterio pinned him. Benoit's going to be on SmackDown! this week, and Mysterio had better watch his back because last week was a fluke, even though everybody seems to think Rey has Benoit's number. Friday night, he's going to prove them wrong.

The Women's Title contender tournament continues, and we now know that the winner of this match will face Mickie James in two weeks on RAW. Gail Kim and Jazz put on a pretty solid match that allows both Divas to show off their skills until Jazz manages to get Gail to tap out to the STF.

Rob Van Dam and Shelton Benjamin are two of the most exciting stars on RAW, and tonight they take on two of the most violent, the Natural Born Ministry's Undertaker and Damien! Really good match that lets all four guys get their spots in. During a moment of confusion, Randy Orton hits the ring and blasts RVD with the RKO behind the ref's back allowing Damien to pick up the cheap win. After the match, Orton joins the Ministry members to triple-team RVD and Shelton, mostly focusing on Van Dam.

Eric Bischoff is backstage and he once again has the Intercontinental and World Tag Team Titles with him. He mentioned on Friday that the process to determine new champions would begin this week on SmackDown!, and he's here to announce the specifics. First, the tag titles will be up for grabs in a triple threat match as a trio of former champions go at it. It's going to be the Dudley Boyz against Los Guerreros against the Metro Connection! Also this Friday, sixteen of the top Superstars will begin a tournament that will culminate at Starrcade and a new Intercontinental Champion will be crowned!

The first half of our double main event is up next as Eddie Guerrero teams with the top champions in WWE, Rhyno and The Rock to take on their respective Starrcade opponents Chris Jericho, Brock Lesnar, and Tajiri! The faces use quick tags to isolate Jericho early, but once Jericho makes a tag to Tajiri, the heels manage to triple-team Rhyno for a while. Eventually, Eddie and Jericho wind up in the ring and Guerrero hits a swinging DDT to pick up the win!

And now for our main event! Big match feel for Benoit versus Cena, but unfortunately it's marred by interference from Christian, which sets up Benoit to clamp on the Crippler Crossface to pick up the submission victory. Benoit holds up the title as RAW goes off the air.

[M-A-G]

Originally Posted by Big Vito 22 Not even them...but midcarders as well who are probably well into their 40s. Mark Henry probably has aged to like a 40 brawl rating at this point and nothing else

I'm gonna have to take a long look at the roster after WrestleMania and start looking for names to trim. Everyone over 40 is suspect. I didn't have a roster problem before because while I had like 140 people under contract the majority were in training or developmental. Now each show has like 45 guys. Here's a list of people who are in danger of being on the chopping block:
HHH (although I want to squeeze one more big star-making fued out of him with an up-and-comer. Maybe Miz or DiBiase)
Mark Henry (the guy's done his job fairly well enough)
Victoria
Ivory
Molly
Finlay (he's a non-wrestler now and I haven't had much reason to use him)
Kidman
The Brian Kendrick (he's been wanting to leave anyway)
Kanyon
JBL (although I'm hoping he becomes a non-wrestler so I can make him Raw GM or retires and decides to become an announcer)

[M-A-G]

And with that, since I am in WrestleMania mode, here are the inductees for the Hall of Fame class of 2014:

The Rock and Roll Express (inducted by Jim Cornette)
Tazz (inducted by Tommy Dreamer)
Jim Crockett Sr. (inducted by the Crockett family)
Steve Williams (inducted by Jim Ross)
Paul Heyman (inducted by Rob Van Dam and Sabu)
Eric Bischoff (inducted by Hulk Hogan)
Vincent Kennedy McMahon (inducted by the McMahon family)

[Evil Vito]

LOL Vince, Heyman, and Bischoff all going in at once.

Anyways, screw it. I've wanted to book more shows for weeks now, but I just haven't got the time/motivation to do those full write-ups. So I'm going to stick to even faster, straight-to-the-point results. I should have the next Raw and NXT up later.

Fortunately it's not all for naught, since I've noticed the number of Views this thread gets seems to increase considerably. So at least SOME people are reading.

[Evil Vito]

WWE Raw – July 12, 2010

Shawn Michaels announced that tonight’s main event would be #1 Contender John Cena facing “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus. There would also be a special twist to the match that we’d learn about later tonight. Also, all of the World Cup participants who started off 0-1 will face off tonight in what are essentially elimination matches.

WWE World Cup – Raw Group C: Justin Gabriel (1-1) pinned Santino Marella (0-2) following a 450 Splash. Gabriel takes some good momentum into the Money in the Bank PPV.

WWE World Cup – Raw Group D: William Regal (1-1) pinned The Great Khali (0-2) following the use of brass knuckles. Vladimir Kozlov distracted the official, which gave Regal the opportunity to cheat.

Backstage, we see David Hart Smith ambushed in a hallway by Chris Jericho and Wade Barrett. Smith will not be able to accompany his partner Tyson Kidd to the ring.

WWE World Cup – Raw Group B: Evan Bourne (1-1) pinned Tyson Kidd (0-2). Evan Bourne delivered a plancha onto an interfering Wade Barrett at ringside, and as the official tried to maintain order, Chris Jericho snuck in and hit Kidd with a Codebreaker. Bourne didn’t notice the extra interference and capitalized with a Shooting Star Press. Jericho and Barrett have sent a message to the Unified Tag Team champions just days before their PPV encounter!

The Cutting Edge involved a dual interview with R-Truth and United States champion Ted DiBiase. It was announced that the two would face off for the belt on Sunday. The two men brawled.

WWE World Cup – Raw Group A: Goldust (1-1) pinned Yoshi Tatsu (0-2) after a Curtain Call. The two shook hands after. Match could be used as a cheap plug for the fact that Goldust will be on NXT tomorrow night.

John Morrison & Randy Orton defeated The Miz & Zack Ryder following an RKO on Ryder. Orton also RKO’ed Miz and Morrison after the bell. The Viper has struck and is ready to run through all of his opponents on Sunday to get that the Money in the Bank contract!

Surprise surprise! It turns out that the Cena/Sheamus main event would have a special guest referee – Triple H! Sheamus was clearly distracted by The Game’s presence, and after shoving him one too many times, received a Pedigree for his troubles as Cena got the victory. WWE Champion Edge ran down and attempted to hit the number 1 contender with a Spear, but Cena scouted it and caught him with an Attitude Adjustment. Cena and Triple H may be standing tall now, but will they be doing so during their respective matches on Sunday?

[Evil Vito]

WWE NXT – July 13, 2010

As NXT Host Matt Striker delivered the opening introductions of the WWE Pros, NXT Rookie Alex Riley rushed the ring and planted Striker with a TKO that he calls the Varsity Blues. What’s the meaning of this attack? (May as well rip off real-life happenings while it’s going on!)

Ted DiBiase looked on with approval as his rookie Kaval picked up his second win in as many weeks. Kaval defeated Finlay’s rookie Johnny Prime in a well-contested bout following his Warrior’s Way double stomp. Kaval moves up to 2-0 on NXT while Prime falls to 0-1.

Goldust formally introduced to the world his rookie, Drake Brewer. Goldust said that although his rookie may look impressive now, Goldust will truly make him into a *deep breath* *sudden exhale* star. Brewer’s reaction:

Matchup of oddball Pro/Rookie pairings as Goldust & Drake Brewer go up against Kane & Eli Cottonwood. The Brewer & Goldust pairing seem to hold their own early on. Goldust eventually winds up standing on the apron trying to convince Brewer to perform suggestive gestures/taunts to try and get the crowd behind him. The lack of prioritizing leads to Brewer eating a Chokeslam from Cottonwood. Brewer starts off NXT at 0-1 while Cottonwood goes 2-0.

Jack Swagger and Alex Riley explain themselves. Swagger says that he instructed his rookie to make the attack. Riley suffered an unfair loss last week, and to make the crowd forget about it…he needed to make a statement this week. He accomplished just that.

It’s Pro vs. Rookie in our main event as Sheamus’ rookie Titus O’Neill makes his debut against the veteran Finlay. The ref ejects Sheamus from ringside for being a nuisance, and as the ref’s back is turned, Finlay’s rookie Johnny Prime tosses Finlay a shillelagh. Titus intercepts it, and as the ref turns, Finlay goes down despite not being hit. The ref sees Titus with a shillelagh and a downed Finlay and calls for the DQ! The 30-year vet outsmarted Titus O’Neill, who falls to 0-1. Sheamus and Titus are livid as NXT goes off the air.