It’s that time of the year again, ladies and gents, where the leaves change color, the weather becomes chillier, the smell of turkey fills the air and teams are formed to see who will survive and be considered the best.
Yes, my fellow wrestling fanatics, it is time for WWE’s fourth biggest event of the year; it is time for the Survivor Series.
This survival of the fittest PPV began on Thanksgiving night in 1987. It was created, according to WWE’s Home Video WWF Best of Survivor Series 1987-1997, because of the “overwhelming world wide fan support”. Now, a full 22 years later, the Survivor Series hasn’t only become synonymous with its traditional tag team elimination matches, but also where the Undertaker, Goldust and the Elimination Chamber were born (1990, 1995 and 2002, respectively). Also, this is where the infamous “Montreal Screwjob” occurred back in 1997.
So much history has been created at the Survivor Series and two weeks ago was no different. Let’s get started reviewing all of it shall we.
Team Miz vs. Team Morrison in a Traditional Tag Team Elimination match:
Honestly, there wasn’t any build for this match what so ever, not even between the team captains. Everybody had their individual feuds (i.e. Morrison vs. Ziggler; Drew McIntrye vs. Finlay) that I’m not going to go over because it’ll be too confusing and it wasn’t like they were building up to the PPV; it was just a part of their storylines. The only real mentioning of this match was on Raw on Nov. 9 when Josh Mathews interviewed Miz asking him about it. Miz replied saying that he knows that his team will beat them because he already beat Morrison once at Bragging Rights (he was, actually, the only Raw Superstar to win). He also stated that his team consists of wrestling’s most elite men.
Um…really? Most elite? Wow…Miz is actually saying something nice about somebody, but the problem is…it’s not true! Team Miz consists of Miz, Jack Swagger, Sheamus, Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler. Then there’s Team Morrison that consists of John Morrison, Shelton Benjamin, Evan Bourne, Matt Hardy and Finlay. Who’s team has wrestling’s most elite men? Definitely not Miz's team! The only good wrestlers on his team are Sheamus and Drew so he’s, pretty much, screwed. That’s why I believe Team Morrison is going to be the winners of this traditional Survivor Series tag team elimination match.
In the end, Team Miz wins when “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus pinned “The Friday Night Delight” John Morrison. Ouch! Well at least the two who I said were the best were the ones who survived the match along with their captain. :)
Rey Mysterio vs. Batista:
This is the one match I think everybody has been waiting to see for quite sometime. The massive brutality of Batista vs. the innovative acrobatics of Mysterio; it screams match of the year. Even though there were times (specifically their segment on the Oct. 30 Smackdown) I thought this was more of a lover spat than a fight between friends, it was still very intense and it made you believe what was happening was real. Something that happens once in a blue moon.
Their feud, as you all know, began at Bragging Rights when Batista attacked Rey after their Fatal 4 Way match against CM Punk and Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship. On Smackdown that week (Oct. 30) Rey came out asking for an explanation from him. When Dave came out he talked down to him saying that he doesn’t know how bad it could get for him. He also asked him who the hell he thinks he is calling him out and ended with saying that he’ll be the bigger man giving him the chance to walk away, but Rey didn’t. He wanted answers. He wanted to straighten things out between them. He asked Dave, “What? You didn’t want me to try in the Fatal 4 Way?”
He then said he’s willing to let bygones be bygones because that’s how much he treasured their friendship. He saw Dave as his big brother and looked up to him. He continued with the fact that brothers fight all the time, but what they have will out last their careers (Now can you see why I was thinking this was more of a lover spat?) and when they retire from the ring they’ll still be family. As Rey said all of this Batista just stared at him with no emotion at all. That’s when he asked him what he was thinking. However, instead of Batista giving him a straight answer, he asked him what was on his mind and then gave him his answers of what Rey was thinking. He said he’s thinking how easily it was for Dave to hurt him on Sunday, what he was going to do now that “Big Dave” isn’t protecting him anymore, that he shouldn’t have stabbed him in the back and what Dave is going to do to him if he didn’t get out of the ring.
Mysterio responded that if he knew this would’ve happened he wouldn’t have ever accepted the match. It just seemed like Batista wasn’t listening, though, ‘cause all he said was he’ll give him one more chance to get out of the ring. After a moment of pondering, Rey decided not to leave and stood his ground. He came out to straighten things out between them and he wouldn't leave until he did. That’s when he brought up everything they’ve been through together from being tag team champions to their friendship with Eddie. After Rey said that Batista coldly retorted, “Eddie’s dead.” That, literally, sent a chill up my spine. Then Dave said he wasn’t thinking about Eddie, what they (him and Rey) have been through, or Mysterio…he’s just thinking about himself.
Oh my gosh that segment was so intense and, like I said before, it felt so real. Trust me when I say the other segments between them and interviews are no different. The next week (Nov. 6) on Smackdown Josh Mathews interviewed Rey asking him how he felt about everything that has occurred over the past couple of weeks. Rey replied, “Could you imagine one of your family members walking out on you over something so small? Well, that’s how I feel.”
Then Josh asked him if he had a message for Batista with their match being made official for Survivor Series. He responded saying since David won’t listen to logic and decided to throw away their friendship and the spirit of Eddie Guerrero he’s going to beat out whatever has gotten into him and show him a side of Rey that he never thought existed.
Later on that night Josh interviewed Batista asking him why all the attacks on Rey and Matt Hardy (since Matt tried talking some sense into Dave using his fight with Jeff as an example, he decided to attack him for putting his nose into his business). He responded saying he’s not in the WWE to make friends, but to be the World Heavyweight Champion and Mysterio stopped him from doing that. With Matt, he just needs to mind his own business. He ended saying that his point is if he has to hurt Rey, Matt or anyone else to become champion, he will.
On the Nov. 13 Smackdown, Rey and Dave came out to do the contract signing for their match. Batista came out holding a black folder that, we later found out, contained a “hold harmless agreement”, which he wanted Rey to sign. It stated that he won’t be held accountable for what he would do to Rey at Survivor Series. At first Rey wouldn’t sign it, which, of course, angered Dave. He said he was exactly what he thought he was…“a coward hiding behind a goofy mask.”
He continued saying he was suppose to be his friend, but he cost him the title. He threatened that he either sign it or he'll snap his neck like a twig (Holy crap!!). With that in mind, Rey signed the agreement. After he did he called Dave a bully. He said that he’s just bullying him, but it will be David who will be embarrassed at Survivor Series and not him. He then pushes that table over onto him and runs out the ring. By the way…seeing Batista’s legs waving around in the air was HILARIOUS!! Every time I picture that scene I start laughing. I mean all you see are these huge, tree trunk like legs waving around as he falls over!! God I love this business!! :)
The next week (Nov. 20) Batista faced off against Matt and won. After the match Josh tried to interview him, but he stopped him and said that Rey made three mistakes: he cost him the title, he signed the “hold harmless agreeement” and he embarrassed him. He promised that Rey will never embarrass him again because he will punish him at Survivor Series with no mercy, no regrets and no remorse.
Later that night Rey faced off against Tyson Kidd with Batista at ringside. Towards the end, Dave decided to get up and throw Tyson into the barricade to cost Rey the match. A moment later, Rey attacked Dave who then chased him into the ring, but Mysterio was too quick and got away.
I believe Rey is going to win because he’s a major underdog going into this and usually the underdog comes out on top; especially since Rey has gotten the upper hand on Batista and has embarrassed him for two weeks straight.
In the end, Batista wins because of referee stoppage after Rey received three Batista Bombs in a row and was hurting. However, I was truly disappointed with this match. The way they built the match up you thought this was going to be a brutal match between them as they went back and forth beating each other to a pulp, but that didn’t happen. It only lasted maybe 10 minutes and it was lack luster. WTF WWE!!! You’re so much better than building and building and building only to produce a huge flop!! Pick up the slack guys!!
Team Orton vs. Team Kofi in a Traditional Tag Team Elimination match:
Unlike Team Miz vs. Team Morrison, there was a tremendous build to this match. The feud between Kofi and Orton technically began at Bragging Rights when Kofi chased out Legacy from the ring during Orton’s match with Cena. However, it actually began the night after the PPV (Oct. 26) when, following his defeat over Chris Jericho, Kofi was walking up the ramp and Orton attacked him from behind throwing him off the stage. Later that night after Legacy defeated MVP and Mark Henry, Orton came out saying that Bush and Lagano (Kyle Bush and Joey Lagano from Nascar racing, who were the guest General Managers that night. By the way...they sucked!) are thinking about who should be the No. 1 contender for the WWE Championsip knowing he won’t be it because of the terms of his match at Bragging Rights. However, he’ll do anything and everything in his power to get the title back.
Then we see Kofi backstage with Orton’s Nascar (a little present from Legacy). After some talking he decided to destroy it by keying it, hitting it with a crowbar and pouring paint on it. Orton is peeved by this, but I don’t know if you can really tell since Orton doesn’t know how to show any emotion except for when he goes completely insane.
The next week on Raw (Nov. 2) Kofi was interviewed by Josh. He asked him if he regretted what he did last week. Kofi replied that he doesn't regret it at all. He then calls Orton a bully, blaming everyone else for his problems. Right on the button! Later on he faced off against Orton, but Legacy came out and attacked him. As they surrounded him the Osbournes (Yes, “The Prince of Darkness” along with his awesome wife were the guest General Managers and I think they did a pretty good job) showed up and decided to make a six man tag match with Orton and Legacy going against Kofi and his partners…MVP and Mark Henry. Kofi, MVP, and Henry won, by the way.
So then on the Nov. 9 Raw, MVP brought back the VIP Lounge with Henry and their guest host was, you guessed, Kofi Kingston. He said that Team Orton won’t know what’ll hit them. That’s when Orton and his cronies (Legacy) came out calling them a bunch of “low-class street thugs”. Come on Randy don’t bring up MVP’s past in front of everybody! That’s just rude! He said that they (him and Legacy) are the ones who belong in VIP and not them; they belong in the hood and they should go back to where they belong. After all of that, Henry went against him with Orton prevailing. However, it’s what happened after the match that’s worth noting. Afterwards, Orton hit Kofi and ran away. Ok, so it wasn’t that huge, but I still have to mention it. Haha!!
Lastly, on the Raw before Survivor Series (Nov. 16) the Hot Rod himself, Mr. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, was suppose to go against Vince when Orton came out and attacked him. He was about to give him a punt to his head when Kofi ran out to and attacked Orton. They brawled all over the ringside area going into the crowd where one the most awesome maneuvers was performed. At one point, Kofi had Orton on a table ready to give him his Boom Boom Legdrop from the guardrail when the officials stopped him. They pulled him down trying to get him to go to the backstage area, but he pushed them away and performed the move. IT WAS BRUTAL!! :)
I really don’t have a winner for this one. I’m actually torn! I mean it could be Team Orton, which consists of Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, William Regal and CM Punk, because…well…look at the team. This team is truly filled with great competitors. But so is Team Kofi, which consists of Kofi Kingston, MVP, Mark Henry, Christian and R-Truth. I’m truly torn and I’m not going to pick a winner; just going to go with the flow on this one.
In the end, Team Kofi won when Kofi hit a Trouble in Paradise out of nowhere onto Orton. Nice!! I like the fact that Kofi is starting to get a huge build off of Orton. He totally deserves it. Orton is a big star on Raw and to be feuding with him and getting the upper hand over him is huge. GO KOFI!! Hopefully he’ll be wearing the WWE Championship around his chiseled abs soon.
Chris Jericho vs. Big Show vs. Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship in a Triple Threat Match:
This was actually very interesting. I think I would’ve liked to have seen just Jericho vs. 'Taker for the title since it would’ve been the first time they faced each other. We wouldn’t know what to expect and I know they would’ve put on an amazing show. Jericho is definitely one of the best in the business and so is 'Taker, who is still giving us 110% after his hip surgery. However, WWE thought differently deciding to add Big Show to the mix. Like we haven’t seen Show vs. 'Taker a hundred times.
It all started, again, the night after Bragging Rights when Jerishow came out. Jericho was wielding the Bragging Rights trophy as if it was the Stanley Cup. Show grabbed a mic and said that it doesn’t matter what he did last night he’s “still a proud member of Raw”. But Jericho stopped him saying he didn’t have to explain himself to, what does he usually call us, the gelatinous parasites because he understands why he did it. He’s very loyal and saw that their partnership was more important than Raw being known as the better show. Rrriigghhtt!
Jericho was incessantly talking while Show tried getting his two cents in, but he couldn’t with Jericho constantly cutting him off. Finally, Show stopped him and said he did it for himself since the only thing that is most important to him is his career. He announced that he struck a deal with Teddy Long where if he helped Smackdown win the PPV he would get a title shot at Survivor Series against the Undertaker. Jericho did not appreciate him going behind his back, which made them bicker back and forth like an old married couple until Bush and Lagano came out in their Nascar cars.
So on that week’s Smackdown (Oct. 30) while Teddy Long was in the ring talking about their win at Bragging Rights, Jericho came out saying he’s the crown jewel and the face of Smackdown so he should be the No. 1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. That’s when Kane came out saying he had as much to do with winning at the PPV then Jericho so he should be the one facing 'Taker for the title. Jericho retorted saying he was the one who got his hand raised; he’s the true hero of Smackdown. Then he tells Kane to leave the ring since HE’S the captain. Well, that was the wrong thing to say to the Big Red Machine since he grabbed Jericho to perform the chokeslam. Luckily, Teddy stopped him. Wow...and I thought you were smart, Jericho!
Teddy continued saying that even though 'Taker already has a match for Survivor Series with the contract all done and signed he could follow Raw and make it a Triple Threat Match. Very creative, Teddy…NOT!! So he made Kane vs. Jericho for that night with the winner joining 'Taker and Show at Survivor Series for the World Heavyweight Championship. Obviously, in the end, Jericho won.
The next week on Smackdown (Nov. 6) 'Taker came out talking about the fact that he was born at Survivor Series with year after year perishing those who oppose him, but year after year they come back for one thing…the World Heavyweight Championship. He mentioned how Show betrayed an entire team to fight for the gold, but “what he won was the opportunity to be terminated by the hand of the Deadman.”
He continued, “And that brings me to Chris Jericho. There are few things in this world that bring joy to my dark heart. One is being able to fight alongside my brother, Kane. The second thing is fighting against my brother, Kane. But last week, Chris Jericho took that opportunity away from me. So at Survivor Series, Chris Jericho’s fate, health, and soul will be mine.”
Oh wait folks there’s more. After those remarks, Jericho came out saying that finally after ten years it will be the two biggest stars in WWE history facing off against each other (with Show). However, he said he’s more of a phenom than 'Taker since Webster defines phenom as “an exceptional, unusual, and abnormal person”. He went on to describe how he’s all these things, which was utterly brillant. I mean he undoubtedly proved he was a true phenom. He said he’s exceptional because he’s exceptionally talented with accolades that are second to none. He’s unusual because he’s “the best in the world at what he does”. Lastly, he’s abnormal because he’s bold and brave enough to stand up for what he believes in and tells the truth.
He then talked about how 'Taker has been brainwashing us, the gelatinous parasites, for the past 20 years. He’s not a deadman, but just a man. Ouch! He’s on the roll of his career and there’s nothing that’ll stop him, which means at Survivor Series he will beat 'Taker (and Show) and become World Heavyweight Champion for the sixth time. He said that he’s not afraid of him because he’s just a plain ol’ man. Ok are we forgetting the fact that the seven foot tall, close to 500 lb. Big Show is in this match, too.
Then Jericho gets is his face calling himself the true phenom and asking 'Taker if he understood calling him, one more time, a man. That’s when 'Taker grabbed him for a chokeslam, but he was able to kick out of it to only run into a big boot. Seriously, Jericho, I really thought you were smarter than that! DON’T MESS WITH THE DEADMAN!!
Hey, we can, finally, bring Show into this picture for a bit because on the Nov. 9 Raw, Jerishow came out to confront Ricky Hatton (a boxer from the very beautiful England) when they, actually, verbally fought back and forth as Hatton just sat back taking it all in. We also see him for a little bit on Smackdown that week (Nov. 13) after Jericho’s match with 'Taker, but first I just want to briefly go over Jericho’s interview with Josh. He asked him if he was at all concerned about facing 'Taker later on that night and Jericho just scoffed at that question. He said 'Taker is a regular man who can be beaten. He’s the best in the world at what he does (God, Chris, we know this already! You announce it literally every week at least twice! WE GET IT!!) and tonight a man won’t beat him and at Survivor Series a man nor a giant will stop him from becoming the champion.
Well “a man” did beat him that night since he tapped out to 'Taker’s Hell’s Gate submission. However, after the match Show came out and they both attacked him. At one point Jericho had him in the Walls of Jericho while Show had him in the Colossal Clutch when Kane came out to save his brother. We then see Vince backstage as he’s calling Teddy Long and makes Brothers of Destruction vs. Jerishow for the Nov. 20 Smackdown. YES!! THE RETURN OF BOD!! Even if it is one night only it’s still freakin’ awesome!!!
So before their huge match with BOD, we see Jericho and Show talking backstage. Jericho said to him they need to be on the same page or the Brothers of Destruction will destroy of them. Show replied that they should have their minds on their present, but he has his on the future thinking about Survivor Series and winning the title. Jericho retorted that that’s the sort of selfishness that will bring them down. Show said that it sounds like he’s scared, which he says he isn’t, but Show tells him not to worry about tonight since he’s been tag champs with both men and knows how they work. However, at Survivor Series he will knock out Jericho to win the title. Jericho replied that he’s not intimidated by either man. Show went to leave, but when he did he shut the lights off on Jericho who flipped out. Show turned on the lights laughing. Jericho stared at him like he was ready to kill him.
The main event came and went ending in a No Contest because the referee lost control of the match. However, if you thought they would stop fighting when they heard the bell ring you were dead wrong. 'Taker punched Jericho and then Kane gave him a chokeslam. Show then dragged Kane to the outside and knocked him out with his huge right hook. He went into the ring to attack 'Taker, who tried to chokeslam him, but to no avvail. Instead Show chokeslams him. Then Show went to help his partner up, but Jericho hit the Codebreaker on him, ran out of the ring, grabbed the World Heavyweight Championship, ran up the ramp and screamed that the title is his as he raised it above his head.
With this match I know 'Taker is going to retain because, like I said in previous entries, this is probably his last reign so they’ll make it a long and memorable one for the Deadman. I also think, not directly after the PPV, but sometime down the line, that the team of Jericho and Show will be ending and they will be going their separate ways. I think that’ll be good though because I like Jericho more as a singles competitor then in a tag team. Even though he deserves to have the title again he needs to get away from Show, be on his own for a little bit and then go after the title.
In the end, 'Taker did retain when Show tapped to his Hell’s Gate submission. I apologize for reverting back to the days of Goldberg when he was in WCW, but the question now for 'Taker is “Who’s next?”.
Team Michelle vs. Team Mickie in a Traditional Tag Team Elimination match:
CRAP! Another Divas match. yea. I will not be happy about these matches until I see Natalya in a match for the Women’s Championship. Not the Diva’s Championship because that’s a total joke, but the coveted Women’s Championship. When she’s in any match that’s when you’ll maybe get something nice out of me about the Divas. Until then I’m going to rip these girls a new one. You’ve heard my reasons why so I’m not going to explain myself again, but if you would like to talk to me about it giving me your reasons why you either agree or disagree with me you’re more than welcome to send me an e-mail and I would love to talk to you guys about this or anything else about wrestling in general.
Anyway, this seemed to all start when Mickie went over to Smackdown in the beginning of October. She’s really the only babyface there except for Maria, who’s been missing (where the hell she went to I don’t know, but with her I do care because I actually like Maria. She might not be the best, but I like her effort), which I think is really dumb to have two babyfaces and five heels. I mean I love Smackdown, but they definitely are stupid when it comes to the Divas.
Sorry for all the ranting :).
Ok so back to how this match came to be. On the Oct. 30 Smackdown they had a Divas Halloween Contest with Mickie James winning as Electra. Michelle, Layla, and Natalya didn’t take lightly to that since they attacked her after she won. The next week on Smackdown (Nov. 6) it was announced that Team Mickie (consisting of Mickie James, Gail Kim, Eve, Kelly Kelly, and Melina) would be going against Team Michelle (consisting of Michelle McCool, Jillian, Beth Phoenix, Layla, and Alicia Fox) at Survivor Series. Later on we see Mickie walking backstage when she's approached by Michelle and Layla who tell her that they don’t like her and she should leave. She replied with she’s not going anywhere and after her team wins she’ll go after Michelle’s title.
The next week on Smackdown (Nov. 13) as Mickie was about to head out to the ring to face her opponent, Natalya, she's confronted by Layla. She said she was surprised that Mickie was still on Smackdown and advised her to leave. Mickie said she’s surprised she’s still talking (Good come back, Mickie…NOT!!) and called her Scary Spice. They bicker back and forth as Michelle sneaks into Mickie’s locker room. Then she had her match against Natalya where she lost when she tapped out to the Sharpshooter. (GO NATTIE!!). However, she was distracted when Michelle and Layla came out with a pair of her pants and decided to cut them up (Really mature girls! How old are we? 12...13?).
Then on Raw (Nov. 16) Melina went against Alicia Fox for the Divas Championship in a Lumberjill Match where the lumberjills were members of Team Mickie and Team Michelle. Melina did retain her title, but after the match there was an all out brawl with Team Mickie standing tall in the middle of the ring. Is this a sign of things to come? Maybe.
Lastly, on Smackdown that week (Nov. 20) Mickie went against Layla and won, but after the match Layla grabbed a mic and told her to look up at the Titan Tron and watch a video Michelle made especially for her. We see Michelle at a farm with a pig that had Mickie’s face superimposed on it as Michelle called it Piggy James. She started singing “Old McDonald” and then segment ended with the Looney Tunes “That’s all Folks” with Mickie as Porky Pig. Ouch! That’s definitely a low blow! We’re sent back to the ring where Mickie is crying.
I think Team Mickie is going to win this one. Just look at Team Michelle. The only good competitor on her team is Beth Phoenix. She’s totally screwed.
In the end, Team Mickie won when Melina pinned Michelle McCool. The two survivors for Team Mickie were Mickie and Melina.
And last, but certainly not least.
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship:
Now is it me or did it seem like it was more of a feud between DX and Hornswoggle for copyright infringement then DX and Cena for the WWE Championship. I mean it was unique how they built up this match and, I guess, a little creative, but I would’ve liked to have seen more DX and Cena then DX and Hornswoggle. What they did with them was more of a comedy act then tearing out each other’s throats like Jericho, Show and 'Taker did.
This is all started when Bush and Lagano announced on Raw (Oct. 26) that the new No. 1 contenders for the WWE Championship were Shawn and Hunter. The next week on Raw (Nov. 2) we see DX backstage talking to a hanging Hornswoggle (they were hanging him by his shirt just to clarify! LOL!!) telling him he needs to stop infringing on them. After some time Cena came in and saved him warning them of the dangers of hanging a leprechan, but he also reminded them of Survivor Series. Hunter said he’s really not sweating it since he beat him two weeks ago and Shawn has beaten him in England. Cena screams out, “I beat you, you beat him, he beats you, we all beat each other.” I wasn’t thinking that sounded wrong until they showed the Bella Twins walking away from them grossed out. And they're suppose to be family-friendly?
Hunter continued saying that DX has a mathematical probability of walking out with the title, but Cena reminded them that it’s a Triple Threat match, which means they could beat each other up (meaning Hunter and Shawn). Later that night, Cena had a match against Jericho and Show in a Triple Threat match with DX at commentary. Jericho won, but after the match Jerishow continued to attack Cena. DX ran in to, actually, help him, but Shawn received a massive right hand from Show and Hunter received the Codebreaker from Jericho.
The next week on Raw (Nov. 9) we see Cena talking to Hornswoggle in his locker room telling him he needs to stop wearing all the DX merch. Then he heard them coming and told him to hide. They came in yelling at him for hiding Hornswoggle. Shawn even chopped Cena across the chest, which was, in fact, pretty funny, for not telling them where he was. Cena turned around and told them they should maybe be focusing on their tag match later on that night and their Triple Threat match at Survivor Series reminding them that it is every man for himself. Hunter said they get it, but Cena needs to get that it’ll be one of them walking out with the title. Then they told him to bring out Hornswoggle, which he does who was decked out in Cena merch.
Lastly, on Raw on Nov. 16, DX came out towards the middle of the show to talk about Survivor Series. Hunter said they’ll be on the same page and will remain a unit since their goal is to bring the title into DX. Later on, we see Cena backstage talking about his match at the PPV. He asked himself how can one man face off against two future Hall of Famers. Then he realized, thanks to some help from the WWE crew, that it’s a Triple Threat not a Handicap. Wait…so the man who’s been reminding his opponents this entire time that they’re in a Triple Threat Match forgot he was in it?!? Are you serious?!? Anyway, he pointed out that they’ll have to make a choice and he hopes that they do stay friends afterwards because they’ll need a shoulder to cry on when they realize that the champ is still here.
Finally, we have the HUGE main event that night with Jerishow going against DX and Cena and his partner…the Undertaker. Cena and 'Taker won when Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment on Hunter, but after the match 'Taker gave Cena a Tombstone Piledriver. Is this another sign of things to come? Hopefully.
Even though I really want Shawn to win that way he can have his last reign as champion, I think Cena is going to retain. I don’t know about DX splitting, though. That’s really hard to say right now because they’re really tight and I don’t think they’re going to let a match split them up, but who knows.
In the end, Cena did retain. Darn it! But I loved how they began the match with Shawn giving his Sweet Chin Music to Hunter. It was awesome!!
Before I end this there's one thing I want to address really quickly. My one really close friend, Mike Tedesco, has his own column that I'm sure most of you know about, but if you don't you should really check it out. If I ever miss a Smackdown, which recently I have been doing a lot I'll admit it, I always check out his column because he gives you a complete overview of what happened on the show. He has also promoted my blog to help me get a bigger fan base so now I'm going to do the same for him, even though he really doesn't need it because his fan base is already huge. :) So make sure every Saturday after Smackdown to check out wrestleview.com and look for the Smackdown recap done by my best friend, my brother, Mike Tedesco. Thank you so much bro for all your help and support!! You're the best!!
Thank you very much for reading. I hope you guys enjoyed. If you would like to send me a comment, ask me any questions, or just want to chat about wrestling please don't hesitate to e-mail me at wrestlingchick19@gmail.com.
Much love and "Have a nice day!".
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Bragging Rights - October 25, 2009 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Throughout the course of the year, for reasons I can not fathom, WWE has decided to change certain pay-per-views to make them either more theme-oriented (i.e. Extreme Rules, Hell in a Cell) or something the superstars could utilize in their promos (i.e. Breaking Point, Bragging Rights). In the haunting month of October we were truly unlucky to have two of them; Hell in a Cell in the beginning of the month and now Bragging Rights. I know you guys have been waiting a long time to see what I have to say so let’s get started on this bad boy shall we. :)
Miz vs. John Morrison:
Wow. I honestly thought this day would never come, but, thankfully, it has. We finally have one of the greatest tag teams in history facing off against each other. Now you guys know I’m not exactly a huge Miz fan and that he doesn’t deserve a shot at the United States Championship (or, in this case, being US Champion), however, Miz and Morrison did make up a pretty darn good team, which was proven with their two Slammy Awards in 2008.
This entire storyline started back in November of 2007 when Miz and Morrison first teamed up to attack Punk on the Nov. 13 edition of ECW and then three days later on Smackdown to go against Matt Hardy and MVP to win the WWE Tag Team Titles. They were able to hold on to the titles until July 20, 2008 when they lost them to Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder at the Great American Bash. About three weeks later (Aug. 5) on ECW Miz and Morrison debuted the soon to be Internet sensation “The Dirt Sheet” making fun of Matt Hardy and Mark Henry.
But they did continue to team up going against Cryme Tyme, Jesse and Festus, and even DX. On the Dec. 8 episode of Raw, Miz and Morrison left with two Slammy Awards in their hands; one for Best Tag Team and one for Best WWE.com show. Then a couple of days later (Dec. 13) at a house show they won the World Tag Team Titles from CM Punk and Kofi Kingston. From there they would go on to have a somewhat impressive feud with Carlito and Primo that would culminate at the show of shows, WrestleMania 25. Whoever won the match would become the first Unified Tag Team Champions. Unfortunately, they lost and the next week on Raw (April 13) Miz attacked Morrison as a sign of their partnership ending since he was drafted onto Raw while Morrison stayed on Smackdown.
Now, let’s jump to a year and six months later where on Raw (Oct. 12) Miz comes out to announce that at Bragging Rights he will be facing Morrison to see which champion is better. He continued saying that they were the greatest tag team of the 21st Century, however, Miz was the talent of the team. All Morrison was was a hair-do with abs (Excuse me, he has a beautiful hair-do, amazing abs and amazing talent. Geez Miz). He’s essentially the new Richard Simmons. He goes on saying that in ten years while Morrison is bedazzling his abs, wearing tank tops and hanging out with 400 pound women he will become the face of the No.1 show, Raw, because HE IS THE MIZ AND HE IS AWESOME. Yeah, right.
Then on WWE Superstars that Thursday, Morrison was going against CM Punk with Miz doing commentary. By the way…I think having Morrison vs. Punk part 2 or 3 or whatever number we are up to with these guys would be amazing since they are both young and very talented superstars who have great chemistry together. That’s one feud I wouldn’t mind seeing over and over again. Anyway, towards the end of the match, Miz ran in and attacked Punk to disqualify Morrison. So then on Smackdown the next night they did a special live edition of the “Dirt Sheet” to promote their match. I must say this sketch was amazing! It was so funny, but at the same time so emotional. They truly did a great job with it.
Morrison was the first one to “throw a punch” when he said that he’s going to prove that being Intercontinental Champion is far more superior than being the Miz. As he looks at him he sees that he has a title and wonders if he brought it at WWE Shop. Ouch! Miz says that everyone knows he was the star of their team, and says, “Throughout history pairs have broken up, with one going on to fame and fortune, while the other one fizzles into obscurity,” giving examples like Mork and Mindy, Bill and Ted and the Rockers. He’s Shawn while Morrison is Marty. Yeah, in your dreams there Mizzy!
Morrison says he’s disagrees because Marty didn’t have sweet merchandise like he does. Also there’s only two Marty’s: Marty Jannetty and The Miz. Poor Marty getting compared to likes of Miz. Then Morrison points at Miz and says, “This is what happens when you don’t have a girlfriend.” Double ouch!
He continues to say that Miz had the courage to dress like himself and look like a loser (he shows an old photo of him) but “now he’s a strange mixture of Michael Phelps, Mr. Ed, Pink and Big Dick Johnson. When you put them all together you get…the Miz” (shows a picture of the new Miz). He retorts with the fact that he has great hair, girls love his teeth and he looks good in trunks. Morrison says, “You look husky.” Damn, hit after hit after hit! I don’t think Miz really got a punch in yet.
So Miz says he will prove to everyone that he’s better at Bragging Rights. However, Morrison doesn’t want to wait till Sunday and wants to go now. Miz doesn’t want to, though, because they’re in a second-rate city, state, and show. Morrison responds saying the Miz thinks Raw is the A show, but it’s a rip off of Saturday Night Live. Then he asks if Big Bird is going to be next weeks guest host. That one had me on the floor laughing. Then he says, “If you want entertainment you watch Smackdown.” HELLZ YEAH!! Sorry I like Smackdown more than Raw. :)
He calls Miz boring, but Miz comes back saying he’s the most entertaining superstar in the WWE and that he carried Morrison for two years because he’s awesome. Wow…I think Miz just got a punch in. Morrison replies that he’s the Miz and all he does is run his mouth. He’s sick and tired of listening and wants to see what Miz will do. That’s when he gets up and knocks Miz out of his seat and gets in his face, but all Miz does is walk away. Winner of this “match”: John Morrison.
The taunting continued the next week on Smackdown (Oct. 23) after Morrison beat Mike Knox. He grabbed a mic and said that he will be facing his former tag team partner at Bragging Rights, but while Miz is on Raw proving he’s Shawn and not Marty (the Oct. 19 episode of Raw showcased Miz going against the Marty Jannetty. Even though Marty lost he put up a great effort and hopefully we’ll get to see him in the ring again soon), he’s on Smackdown knowing he’s the Friday Night Delight and Intercontinental Champion.
I think Morrison is going to win this one because he’s just…let’s admit everybody…better. I mean think about it. How many chances has Miz gotten against either the WWE or World Heavyweight Champion? If my memory serves me correctly, he’s gotten none. Morrison, on the other hand, has gotten a couple against both CM Punk and Jeff Hardy. He had GREAT matches against them, but, unfortunately, always came out a little short of winning the title. Morrison, since being a single competitor, has been ECW Champion and Intercontinental Champion. Miz has only been the US Champion. You guys do the math.
In the end, Miz wins. WHAT?!? How? Why? What? Well Miz just proved me wrong and I tip my hat off to him. Maybe he is as talented as Morrison; just on the wrong show.
Smackdown Divas vs. Raw Divas:
Oh boy! Of course, how could we go through a pay-per-view; especially one about which show is better than the other, without having a Diva squash match. Well I guess they figured it was a perfect time for a bathroom break. This match was announced a week before the PPV so, obviously, there was no build to it at all. It was just made to showcase which show has the better Divas. It was Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix and Natalya (Smackdown) vs. Melina, Gail Kim, and Kelly Kelly (Raw). The only good thing coming out of this match was the fact that Natalya was in it.
Smackdown is definitely going to win this one because they have the brute force of Beth Phoenix, the technical wrestling of Natalya and the…the…well…Michelle has nothing, but two out of three isn’t bad. Raw really has nothing. I mean Gail Kim does have an amazing ability, but she’s not being used properly (just like poor Natalya) so they’re not going to win this one.
In the end, the Smackdown Divas won. oh…ah…yeah. Moving on.
Undertaker vs. CM Punk vs. Batista vs. Rey Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Championship:
This match was first announced on the October 9 edition of Smackdown (I was actually there! You might’ve seen me…I was the one holding the “John Morrison Rocks!” sign. Lol!). We know the feud between Undertaker and CM Punk, but why add Batista and Rey to the mix I will never understand. I think Punk should’ve gotten his one-on-one rematch, but I guess whatever is best for entertainment purposes. Anyway, that same night Punk faced off against one of the men he will be going against in three weeks, Batista. He won via count-out, but after the match Batista attacked him giving him the Batista Bomb.
Now for you guys who don’t know, the dark match that night was CM Punk vs. Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship. What happened was after Batista gave him his finisher and left the ring, Punk got a mic and talked about how he just won the match and he wants to prove that he can win again and get back his title so he invited ‘Taker to come out and face him. Well he got his wish. ‘Taker came out, gave him a choke slam, and covered him for the win. It lasted maybe five seconds, but it was an awesome five seconds.
Also, that night, ‘Taker came out and gave a great promo (as usual) stating that Rey has a great heart and courage, but it won’t help him at Bragging Rights. Batista is very strong and rabid, but it’s his Achilles heel that will hinder him at the PPV. However, with Punk, he pretty much said he was going to take his soul at Bragging Rights.
The next week on Smackdown (Oct. 16) Punk approached Vince. He said to him that it’s unfair he’s in the Fatal-4-Way and wants a one-on-one match with ‘Taker for the title. McMahon agrees. He makes a Submission match for next week with Scott Armstrong as referee and having Teddy Long be at ringside. That same night ‘Taker did a vignette where he says that at Bragging Rights he will take Punk’s soul, but next week on Smackdown he will read him his rites when they tempt fate again.
However, everybody was tuning in for Batista vs. Rey that night. Best friends/brothers/family will be facing each other in a match. Oh my gosh this is something that has never been done before…NOT! Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart. Undertaker vs. Kane. Yeah, one wanted to face the other while the other was hesitant, but still the same concept. Isn’t this business all about every man for himself? So before their match we see Rey and Batista talking backstage going back and forth on how they love each other like family and want to help each other out at the PPV, but also want to win the titles. Blah, blah, blah…just have Batista turn on Rey already and end this sappiness. I mean I love seeing friends helping each other and a romantic storyline, but when they shove it down your throats like they’ve been doing with Batista and Rey you know something bad is going to happen eventually. Just, with them, please let it happen sooner rather than later.
Later on they faced off. At first they started off wrestling playfully, laughing off how the one got over the other, but then it started getting serious. In the end, Rey hit a hurricarana on Batista and pinned him for the win. However, Batista did have his shoulder up before the three count, but the referee didn’t see it. He talked to the referee about it, but the decision was already made so Batista hugged Rey, congratulated him, and left to let him celebrate. Then CM Punk comes out of the crowd and gives Rey the GTS. Batista runs back down to help Rey, but Punk already ran out back into the crowd. So Batista helps him up and gives him another hug. Please God just end it!
The next week, all there really was to build this match was the Undertaker vs. Punk Submission Match for the title with 'Taker winning after Punk tapped to his Hell's Gate submission finisher.
I believe that ‘Taker will retain because this is probably his last reign as World Heavyweight Champion so they’re going to make it a long and memorable one.
In the end, ‘Taker did win, but what happened afterwards totally overshadowed the entire match. Batista FINALLY attacked Rey, blaming him for losing the match. Their feud is only beginning and I have a funny feeling it’s going to last for some time. I’m very excited about this.
Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown:
The match of all matches for this PPV. We get to see which show is truly better; Raw or Smackdown. In my opinion, Smackdown is. Some will agree. Some will disagree. But as soon as this match is over we’ll know which is truly the best.
We have Team Raw being led by DX featuring Kofi Kingston, Big Show, Jack Swagger, Cody Rhodes, and Mark Henry. Then there’s Team Smackdown being led by Chris Jericho and Kane featuring…well…at first it was Cryme Tyme, Drew McIntyre, Eric Escobar, and Dolph Ziggler, but three days before the PPV it was changed to the Hart Dynasty, Matt Hardy, R-Truth, and Finlay. Trust me, this will all be explained.
It all started on Oct. 12 on Raw when Triple H (without Shawn since he was home taking care of his sick daughter) came out followed by JeriShow. Hunter actually said that Jericho was better and deserves to be on top. Of course. Let the sexual innuendos begin. Show steps in saying no, he’s better and they go back and forth on who’s the superior one in the team. Show noted that Jericho was knocked out by Mickey Rourke at WrestleMania 25 while Jericho noted that Big Show was knocked out by Floyd Mayweather at WrestleMania 24. At least Jericho was knocked out by a guy who’s about the same size as him while Show was knocked out by a little pipsqueak who’s about two or three times smaller than him. Who’s the one who should be embarrassed Show?
So after their little fight Show decided he wanted to be on the Raw team. Hunter said that the team was pretty much filled, but if he wins his qualifying match he can be in it. His opponent was Jericho and the match was next. Show did qualify when he won via count-out. Throughout the rest of the night everybody else on the team would qualify except for Mark Henry who qualified on WWE Superstars. Cody qualified after defeating his tag team partner Ted DiBiase and John Cena. Swagger qualified after defeating MVP. Kofi qualified after defeating Evan Bourne. Finally, Henry qualified after defeating Chris Masters.
On Smackdown that week, Long came out to introduce everybody to the captain of Team Smackdown…Chris Jericho. Good choice! He comes out and says that he’s going to put together a team that will listen to him and allow him to lead them to victory over the two delinquents and their team. That’s when Kane comes out to tell Jericho he’s the co-captain of the team. Jericho immediately agrees saying that with the combination of Kane’s strength and his intelligence the Raw team has no chance. I agree! That night Ziggler qualified after defeating Finlay and Knox. Cryme Tyme qualified after defeating Hart Dynasty. Escobar qualified after defeating Matt Hardy. Finally, McIntyre qualified after defeating R-Truth.
Then on the Oct.19 edition of Raw, DX came out to make fun of Team Smackdown. Wow…so surprising…NOT! They made fun of Jericho for losing to them at different WrestleManias. They talked about the storyline between Kane, Triple H, and Kane’s “ex-girlfriend” Katie Vick, which was absolutely terrible. I beg you guys don’t go to Youtube or any other video Web site and look up the videos from that. You will have nightmares! It’s not worth it. Triple H actually said when they were talking about that, “Yeah she was boring. A real stiff.” Wow! They continued by making fun of Cryme Tyme for selling all of the left over Smackdown tickets that no one buys. With Dolph Ziggler, Hunter said he’s the one who always introduces himself, but he still doesn’t know his name. With the last two guys he said Teddy must’ve played guess how many jellybeans are in the jar or sold the spots on E-bay because he definitely doesn’t know them. How typical. Triple H putting down the rookies.
That’s when Shawn steps in and says he knows Drew McIntyre. He says he’s a great kid with great talent. Thank you Shawn! However he doesn’t know the other guy, but then remembers he’s the one who sleeps with Vickie. Hunter said, “He’s the guy who boffs Vickie Guerrero.” Boffs? Never heard it described like that, but OK. They both say, “He’s a really tough guy.”
Hunter says, “If you want to make your way to the top, sleep with someone who weighs less than you.”
HAHA!! Oh my gosh that’s great! Shawn replies, “You would know about that.”
Wow! That was great! After they make fun of Smackdown’s team they introduce their team one by one. However, when they came to Cody they didn’t say anything about him. Cody says he won’t listen to DX because he’s the one who should be the captain of the team since he has the talent. After that pretty much everybody attacks each other verbally. DX steps in and tells them that they want to make sure there’s no weak link in the team so they put them in a match where if anyone on their team is pinned they would be replaced by the person who pinned them. They faced off against MVP, Chavo Guerrero, Evan Bourne, Primo, and Chris Masters and won, but after the match they attacked each other. Great team you got there Raw…NOT!
Now after all of that, later in the night Shawn would face off against Jericho, but the match never got started because the Smackdown team came out from the crowd to corner Shawn. It wasn’t long, though, when the Raw team came out to help him. They stared each other down and did some trash talking when the cow…I mean Vickie Guerrero came out saying there will be no fighting. Triple H said he doesn’t work for Vickie and an all out brawl occurred between the two teams.
Finally, on Smackdown that week (Oct. 23) Jericho came out saying that after winning this Sunday he will further cement his legendary status as one half of the Unified Tag Team Champions, the face of Smackdown and the man who led Smackdown to victory over Team Raw. However, he needs to know if the guys on his team are worthy to be with him, which they will prove at Bragging Rights. That’s when his teammates came out one-by-one saying they’re the corner stone of the team and will be the one who leads them to victory. The last one to come out is Kane and says that none of them are worthy of being in the same ring as him (Jericho chimes in “or me.”). He wants to know if they really want to be on the team so he makes a 10-man tag match where if the other team wins they will replace them (since Shad was out with the flu it was four on five instead of five on five).
They faced the Hart Dynasty, Finlay, Matt Hardy, and R-Truth and, unbelievably, lost. So three days before the freakin’ PPV we have a totally new team. You know, if they didn’t want to have the five original superstars on the team then why have them win in the first place. Now those five rookies have been thrown to the side and their hopes of being on a great team have been thrown out. Great job with that one, jerk offs!
As the new Team Smackdown celebrated backstage they were approached by Jericho and Kane. Jericho said they were all truly worthy to fight with them at Bragging Rights and was about to give a speech when R-Truth stops him. All of them say that they will be on the same page and are ready to beat and embarrass Team Raw on Sunday. Awesome!
I believe Team Smackdown is going to win, but with help from Big Show. I don’t know I just have this funny feeling that Show is going to betray his team and help Smackdown; especially since his tag team partner is leading Team Smackdown.
In the end, Team Smackdown did win after Show attacked Kofi and knocked out Triple H. Nice! I’m just happy that Smackdown can now “brag” that they are the better show instead of Raw. About freakin’ time.
Lastly, we have…
Randy Orton vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship in a Anything Goes Iron Man Match:
Once again, ladies and gents, we have these two against each other, but thankfully this is the LAST MATCH! My prayers have been answered! This final match came together when Cena came out on Raw the night after Hell in a Cell (Oct. 5) to congratulate Orton on beating him. He continued saying that Orton-Cena is a rivalry…no…THE rivalry. WHAT?!? Are you serious? What about Hogan vs. Andre? What about Shawn vs. Bret? What about The Rock vs. Triple H? What about The Rock vs. Stone Cold? Are those great rivalries crap compared to Orton-Cena? Hell no, but I guess WWE thinks so. Cena then says that their rivalry needs to end (Yay! Somebody who’s smart!) so he makes the match for Bragging Rights.
Honestly, there was no real build for this match. The only build was on the Oct. 12 edition of Raw when Cena went against Cody and Ted for a spot on Team Raw (Yes, you read that right. Even though Cena already had a match for Bragging Rights they still put him in a qualifying match to be on Team Raw. Idiots!) with Orton being at ringside distracting Cena. As he had Ted in the STF, Orton made his presence known by jumping onto the ring apron then backing away so Cena attacked him. After Cody won the match by pinning Ted they were fighting verbally with each other as Orton tried to play peace maker between them. Nancy O’ Dell (one of the guest hosts of Raw that night) came out to annouce she would save this with a match. O boy. It would be Legacy, to get over their little spat, going against the team of Orton and Cena.
When Orton and Legacy came out, Orton made an announcement that next week Cena will be in “the biggest match of his career” when he faced Triple H since it might be his last match on Raw. Legacy did beat them, but after the match Cena gave Orton the Attitude Adjustment and that was it. They did nothing together on Raw the next week so that’s that.
I truly think that Orton is going to win and Cena is going to go to Smackdown because they need people right now. I mean, like I said earlier, Smackdown is a great show, but with Jeff out, Edge still recovering, and ‘Taker on his way towards retirement they are in desperate need of some stars so Smackdown fans…get ready to welcome Johnny to the show.
In the end, CENA WON winning his seventh title. Wow…I can’t believe they had him win. But, as my bro, Mike, said, “Why would they have him win the title, lose it three weeks later, and then win it again three weeks after losing it? It makes no sense. Either have him win it and keep it or not win it at all.”
I totally agree with you bro, but that’s how WWE is working right now. They don’t know what to do anymore so they just make us (the fans) go crazy wondering what the hell is going on.
Thanks everybody for reading. If you have any questions, comments, or just want to talk about wrestling, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at wrestlingchick19@gmail.com. I hope you guys enjoyed and I’ll be seeing you again in two weeks for Survivor Series; I promise. :)
Much love and “Have a nice day!”.
Miz vs. John Morrison:
Wow. I honestly thought this day would never come, but, thankfully, it has. We finally have one of the greatest tag teams in history facing off against each other. Now you guys know I’m not exactly a huge Miz fan and that he doesn’t deserve a shot at the United States Championship (or, in this case, being US Champion), however, Miz and Morrison did make up a pretty darn good team, which was proven with their two Slammy Awards in 2008.
This entire storyline started back in November of 2007 when Miz and Morrison first teamed up to attack Punk on the Nov. 13 edition of ECW and then three days later on Smackdown to go against Matt Hardy and MVP to win the WWE Tag Team Titles. They were able to hold on to the titles until July 20, 2008 when they lost them to Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder at the Great American Bash. About three weeks later (Aug. 5) on ECW Miz and Morrison debuted the soon to be Internet sensation “The Dirt Sheet” making fun of Matt Hardy and Mark Henry.
But they did continue to team up going against Cryme Tyme, Jesse and Festus, and even DX. On the Dec. 8 episode of Raw, Miz and Morrison left with two Slammy Awards in their hands; one for Best Tag Team and one for Best WWE.com show. Then a couple of days later (Dec. 13) at a house show they won the World Tag Team Titles from CM Punk and Kofi Kingston. From there they would go on to have a somewhat impressive feud with Carlito and Primo that would culminate at the show of shows, WrestleMania 25. Whoever won the match would become the first Unified Tag Team Champions. Unfortunately, they lost and the next week on Raw (April 13) Miz attacked Morrison as a sign of their partnership ending since he was drafted onto Raw while Morrison stayed on Smackdown.
Now, let’s jump to a year and six months later where on Raw (Oct. 12) Miz comes out to announce that at Bragging Rights he will be facing Morrison to see which champion is better. He continued saying that they were the greatest tag team of the 21st Century, however, Miz was the talent of the team. All Morrison was was a hair-do with abs (Excuse me, he has a beautiful hair-do, amazing abs and amazing talent. Geez Miz). He’s essentially the new Richard Simmons. He goes on saying that in ten years while Morrison is bedazzling his abs, wearing tank tops and hanging out with 400 pound women he will become the face of the No.1 show, Raw, because HE IS THE MIZ AND HE IS AWESOME. Yeah, right.
Then on WWE Superstars that Thursday, Morrison was going against CM Punk with Miz doing commentary. By the way…I think having Morrison vs. Punk part 2 or 3 or whatever number we are up to with these guys would be amazing since they are both young and very talented superstars who have great chemistry together. That’s one feud I wouldn’t mind seeing over and over again. Anyway, towards the end of the match, Miz ran in and attacked Punk to disqualify Morrison. So then on Smackdown the next night they did a special live edition of the “Dirt Sheet” to promote their match. I must say this sketch was amazing! It was so funny, but at the same time so emotional. They truly did a great job with it.
Morrison was the first one to “throw a punch” when he said that he’s going to prove that being Intercontinental Champion is far more superior than being the Miz. As he looks at him he sees that he has a title and wonders if he brought it at WWE Shop. Ouch! Miz says that everyone knows he was the star of their team, and says, “Throughout history pairs have broken up, with one going on to fame and fortune, while the other one fizzles into obscurity,” giving examples like Mork and Mindy, Bill and Ted and the Rockers. He’s Shawn while Morrison is Marty. Yeah, in your dreams there Mizzy!
Morrison says he’s disagrees because Marty didn’t have sweet merchandise like he does. Also there’s only two Marty’s: Marty Jannetty and The Miz. Poor Marty getting compared to likes of Miz. Then Morrison points at Miz and says, “This is what happens when you don’t have a girlfriend.” Double ouch!
He continues to say that Miz had the courage to dress like himself and look like a loser (he shows an old photo of him) but “now he’s a strange mixture of Michael Phelps, Mr. Ed, Pink and Big Dick Johnson. When you put them all together you get…the Miz” (shows a picture of the new Miz). He retorts with the fact that he has great hair, girls love his teeth and he looks good in trunks. Morrison says, “You look husky.” Damn, hit after hit after hit! I don’t think Miz really got a punch in yet.
So Miz says he will prove to everyone that he’s better at Bragging Rights. However, Morrison doesn’t want to wait till Sunday and wants to go now. Miz doesn’t want to, though, because they’re in a second-rate city, state, and show. Morrison responds saying the Miz thinks Raw is the A show, but it’s a rip off of Saturday Night Live. Then he asks if Big Bird is going to be next weeks guest host. That one had me on the floor laughing. Then he says, “If you want entertainment you watch Smackdown.” HELLZ YEAH!! Sorry I like Smackdown more than Raw. :)
He calls Miz boring, but Miz comes back saying he’s the most entertaining superstar in the WWE and that he carried Morrison for two years because he’s awesome. Wow…I think Miz just got a punch in. Morrison replies that he’s the Miz and all he does is run his mouth. He’s sick and tired of listening and wants to see what Miz will do. That’s when he gets up and knocks Miz out of his seat and gets in his face, but all Miz does is walk away. Winner of this “match”: John Morrison.
The taunting continued the next week on Smackdown (Oct. 23) after Morrison beat Mike Knox. He grabbed a mic and said that he will be facing his former tag team partner at Bragging Rights, but while Miz is on Raw proving he’s Shawn and not Marty (the Oct. 19 episode of Raw showcased Miz going against the Marty Jannetty. Even though Marty lost he put up a great effort and hopefully we’ll get to see him in the ring again soon), he’s on Smackdown knowing he’s the Friday Night Delight and Intercontinental Champion.
I think Morrison is going to win this one because he’s just…let’s admit everybody…better. I mean think about it. How many chances has Miz gotten against either the WWE or World Heavyweight Champion? If my memory serves me correctly, he’s gotten none. Morrison, on the other hand, has gotten a couple against both CM Punk and Jeff Hardy. He had GREAT matches against them, but, unfortunately, always came out a little short of winning the title. Morrison, since being a single competitor, has been ECW Champion and Intercontinental Champion. Miz has only been the US Champion. You guys do the math.
In the end, Miz wins. WHAT?!? How? Why? What? Well Miz just proved me wrong and I tip my hat off to him. Maybe he is as talented as Morrison; just on the wrong show.
Smackdown Divas vs. Raw Divas:
Oh boy! Of course, how could we go through a pay-per-view; especially one about which show is better than the other, without having a Diva squash match. Well I guess they figured it was a perfect time for a bathroom break. This match was announced a week before the PPV so, obviously, there was no build to it at all. It was just made to showcase which show has the better Divas. It was Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix and Natalya (Smackdown) vs. Melina, Gail Kim, and Kelly Kelly (Raw). The only good thing coming out of this match was the fact that Natalya was in it.
Smackdown is definitely going to win this one because they have the brute force of Beth Phoenix, the technical wrestling of Natalya and the…the…well…Michelle has nothing, but two out of three isn’t bad. Raw really has nothing. I mean Gail Kim does have an amazing ability, but she’s not being used properly (just like poor Natalya) so they’re not going to win this one.
In the end, the Smackdown Divas won. oh…ah…yeah. Moving on.
Undertaker vs. CM Punk vs. Batista vs. Rey Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Championship:
This match was first announced on the October 9 edition of Smackdown (I was actually there! You might’ve seen me…I was the one holding the “John Morrison Rocks!” sign. Lol!). We know the feud between Undertaker and CM Punk, but why add Batista and Rey to the mix I will never understand. I think Punk should’ve gotten his one-on-one rematch, but I guess whatever is best for entertainment purposes. Anyway, that same night Punk faced off against one of the men he will be going against in three weeks, Batista. He won via count-out, but after the match Batista attacked him giving him the Batista Bomb.
Now for you guys who don’t know, the dark match that night was CM Punk vs. Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship. What happened was after Batista gave him his finisher and left the ring, Punk got a mic and talked about how he just won the match and he wants to prove that he can win again and get back his title so he invited ‘Taker to come out and face him. Well he got his wish. ‘Taker came out, gave him a choke slam, and covered him for the win. It lasted maybe five seconds, but it was an awesome five seconds.
Also, that night, ‘Taker came out and gave a great promo (as usual) stating that Rey has a great heart and courage, but it won’t help him at Bragging Rights. Batista is very strong and rabid, but it’s his Achilles heel that will hinder him at the PPV. However, with Punk, he pretty much said he was going to take his soul at Bragging Rights.
The next week on Smackdown (Oct. 16) Punk approached Vince. He said to him that it’s unfair he’s in the Fatal-4-Way and wants a one-on-one match with ‘Taker for the title. McMahon agrees. He makes a Submission match for next week with Scott Armstrong as referee and having Teddy Long be at ringside. That same night ‘Taker did a vignette where he says that at Bragging Rights he will take Punk’s soul, but next week on Smackdown he will read him his rites when they tempt fate again.
However, everybody was tuning in for Batista vs. Rey that night. Best friends/brothers/family will be facing each other in a match. Oh my gosh this is something that has never been done before…NOT! Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart. Undertaker vs. Kane. Yeah, one wanted to face the other while the other was hesitant, but still the same concept. Isn’t this business all about every man for himself? So before their match we see Rey and Batista talking backstage going back and forth on how they love each other like family and want to help each other out at the PPV, but also want to win the titles. Blah, blah, blah…just have Batista turn on Rey already and end this sappiness. I mean I love seeing friends helping each other and a romantic storyline, but when they shove it down your throats like they’ve been doing with Batista and Rey you know something bad is going to happen eventually. Just, with them, please let it happen sooner rather than later.
Later on they faced off. At first they started off wrestling playfully, laughing off how the one got over the other, but then it started getting serious. In the end, Rey hit a hurricarana on Batista and pinned him for the win. However, Batista did have his shoulder up before the three count, but the referee didn’t see it. He talked to the referee about it, but the decision was already made so Batista hugged Rey, congratulated him, and left to let him celebrate. Then CM Punk comes out of the crowd and gives Rey the GTS. Batista runs back down to help Rey, but Punk already ran out back into the crowd. So Batista helps him up and gives him another hug. Please God just end it!
The next week, all there really was to build this match was the Undertaker vs. Punk Submission Match for the title with 'Taker winning after Punk tapped to his Hell's Gate submission finisher.
I believe that ‘Taker will retain because this is probably his last reign as World Heavyweight Champion so they’re going to make it a long and memorable one.
In the end, ‘Taker did win, but what happened afterwards totally overshadowed the entire match. Batista FINALLY attacked Rey, blaming him for losing the match. Their feud is only beginning and I have a funny feeling it’s going to last for some time. I’m very excited about this.
Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown:
The match of all matches for this PPV. We get to see which show is truly better; Raw or Smackdown. In my opinion, Smackdown is. Some will agree. Some will disagree. But as soon as this match is over we’ll know which is truly the best.
We have Team Raw being led by DX featuring Kofi Kingston, Big Show, Jack Swagger, Cody Rhodes, and Mark Henry. Then there’s Team Smackdown being led by Chris Jericho and Kane featuring…well…at first it was Cryme Tyme, Drew McIntyre, Eric Escobar, and Dolph Ziggler, but three days before the PPV it was changed to the Hart Dynasty, Matt Hardy, R-Truth, and Finlay. Trust me, this will all be explained.
It all started on Oct. 12 on Raw when Triple H (without Shawn since he was home taking care of his sick daughter) came out followed by JeriShow. Hunter actually said that Jericho was better and deserves to be on top. Of course. Let the sexual innuendos begin. Show steps in saying no, he’s better and they go back and forth on who’s the superior one in the team. Show noted that Jericho was knocked out by Mickey Rourke at WrestleMania 25 while Jericho noted that Big Show was knocked out by Floyd Mayweather at WrestleMania 24. At least Jericho was knocked out by a guy who’s about the same size as him while Show was knocked out by a little pipsqueak who’s about two or three times smaller than him. Who’s the one who should be embarrassed Show?
So after their little fight Show decided he wanted to be on the Raw team. Hunter said that the team was pretty much filled, but if he wins his qualifying match he can be in it. His opponent was Jericho and the match was next. Show did qualify when he won via count-out. Throughout the rest of the night everybody else on the team would qualify except for Mark Henry who qualified on WWE Superstars. Cody qualified after defeating his tag team partner Ted DiBiase and John Cena. Swagger qualified after defeating MVP. Kofi qualified after defeating Evan Bourne. Finally, Henry qualified after defeating Chris Masters.
On Smackdown that week, Long came out to introduce everybody to the captain of Team Smackdown…Chris Jericho. Good choice! He comes out and says that he’s going to put together a team that will listen to him and allow him to lead them to victory over the two delinquents and their team. That’s when Kane comes out to tell Jericho he’s the co-captain of the team. Jericho immediately agrees saying that with the combination of Kane’s strength and his intelligence the Raw team has no chance. I agree! That night Ziggler qualified after defeating Finlay and Knox. Cryme Tyme qualified after defeating Hart Dynasty. Escobar qualified after defeating Matt Hardy. Finally, McIntyre qualified after defeating R-Truth.
Then on the Oct.19 edition of Raw, DX came out to make fun of Team Smackdown. Wow…so surprising…NOT! They made fun of Jericho for losing to them at different WrestleManias. They talked about the storyline between Kane, Triple H, and Kane’s “ex-girlfriend” Katie Vick, which was absolutely terrible. I beg you guys don’t go to Youtube or any other video Web site and look up the videos from that. You will have nightmares! It’s not worth it. Triple H actually said when they were talking about that, “Yeah she was boring. A real stiff.” Wow! They continued by making fun of Cryme Tyme for selling all of the left over Smackdown tickets that no one buys. With Dolph Ziggler, Hunter said he’s the one who always introduces himself, but he still doesn’t know his name. With the last two guys he said Teddy must’ve played guess how many jellybeans are in the jar or sold the spots on E-bay because he definitely doesn’t know them. How typical. Triple H putting down the rookies.
That’s when Shawn steps in and says he knows Drew McIntyre. He says he’s a great kid with great talent. Thank you Shawn! However he doesn’t know the other guy, but then remembers he’s the one who sleeps with Vickie. Hunter said, “He’s the guy who boffs Vickie Guerrero.” Boffs? Never heard it described like that, but OK. They both say, “He’s a really tough guy.”
Hunter says, “If you want to make your way to the top, sleep with someone who weighs less than you.”
HAHA!! Oh my gosh that’s great! Shawn replies, “You would know about that.”
Wow! That was great! After they make fun of Smackdown’s team they introduce their team one by one. However, when they came to Cody they didn’t say anything about him. Cody says he won’t listen to DX because he’s the one who should be the captain of the team since he has the talent. After that pretty much everybody attacks each other verbally. DX steps in and tells them that they want to make sure there’s no weak link in the team so they put them in a match where if anyone on their team is pinned they would be replaced by the person who pinned them. They faced off against MVP, Chavo Guerrero, Evan Bourne, Primo, and Chris Masters and won, but after the match they attacked each other. Great team you got there Raw…NOT!
Now after all of that, later in the night Shawn would face off against Jericho, but the match never got started because the Smackdown team came out from the crowd to corner Shawn. It wasn’t long, though, when the Raw team came out to help him. They stared each other down and did some trash talking when the cow…I mean Vickie Guerrero came out saying there will be no fighting. Triple H said he doesn’t work for Vickie and an all out brawl occurred between the two teams.
Finally, on Smackdown that week (Oct. 23) Jericho came out saying that after winning this Sunday he will further cement his legendary status as one half of the Unified Tag Team Champions, the face of Smackdown and the man who led Smackdown to victory over Team Raw. However, he needs to know if the guys on his team are worthy to be with him, which they will prove at Bragging Rights. That’s when his teammates came out one-by-one saying they’re the corner stone of the team and will be the one who leads them to victory. The last one to come out is Kane and says that none of them are worthy of being in the same ring as him (Jericho chimes in “or me.”). He wants to know if they really want to be on the team so he makes a 10-man tag match where if the other team wins they will replace them (since Shad was out with the flu it was four on five instead of five on five).
They faced the Hart Dynasty, Finlay, Matt Hardy, and R-Truth and, unbelievably, lost. So three days before the freakin’ PPV we have a totally new team. You know, if they didn’t want to have the five original superstars on the team then why have them win in the first place. Now those five rookies have been thrown to the side and their hopes of being on a great team have been thrown out. Great job with that one, jerk offs!
As the new Team Smackdown celebrated backstage they were approached by Jericho and Kane. Jericho said they were all truly worthy to fight with them at Bragging Rights and was about to give a speech when R-Truth stops him. All of them say that they will be on the same page and are ready to beat and embarrass Team Raw on Sunday. Awesome!
I believe Team Smackdown is going to win, but with help from Big Show. I don’t know I just have this funny feeling that Show is going to betray his team and help Smackdown; especially since his tag team partner is leading Team Smackdown.
In the end, Team Smackdown did win after Show attacked Kofi and knocked out Triple H. Nice! I’m just happy that Smackdown can now “brag” that they are the better show instead of Raw. About freakin’ time.
Lastly, we have…
Randy Orton vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship in a Anything Goes Iron Man Match:
Once again, ladies and gents, we have these two against each other, but thankfully this is the LAST MATCH! My prayers have been answered! This final match came together when Cena came out on Raw the night after Hell in a Cell (Oct. 5) to congratulate Orton on beating him. He continued saying that Orton-Cena is a rivalry…no…THE rivalry. WHAT?!? Are you serious? What about Hogan vs. Andre? What about Shawn vs. Bret? What about The Rock vs. Triple H? What about The Rock vs. Stone Cold? Are those great rivalries crap compared to Orton-Cena? Hell no, but I guess WWE thinks so. Cena then says that their rivalry needs to end (Yay! Somebody who’s smart!) so he makes the match for Bragging Rights.
Honestly, there was no real build for this match. The only build was on the Oct. 12 edition of Raw when Cena went against Cody and Ted for a spot on Team Raw (Yes, you read that right. Even though Cena already had a match for Bragging Rights they still put him in a qualifying match to be on Team Raw. Idiots!) with Orton being at ringside distracting Cena. As he had Ted in the STF, Orton made his presence known by jumping onto the ring apron then backing away so Cena attacked him. After Cody won the match by pinning Ted they were fighting verbally with each other as Orton tried to play peace maker between them. Nancy O’ Dell (one of the guest hosts of Raw that night) came out to annouce she would save this with a match. O boy. It would be Legacy, to get over their little spat, going against the team of Orton and Cena.
When Orton and Legacy came out, Orton made an announcement that next week Cena will be in “the biggest match of his career” when he faced Triple H since it might be his last match on Raw. Legacy did beat them, but after the match Cena gave Orton the Attitude Adjustment and that was it. They did nothing together on Raw the next week so that’s that.
I truly think that Orton is going to win and Cena is going to go to Smackdown because they need people right now. I mean, like I said earlier, Smackdown is a great show, but with Jeff out, Edge still recovering, and ‘Taker on his way towards retirement they are in desperate need of some stars so Smackdown fans…get ready to welcome Johnny to the show.
In the end, CENA WON winning his seventh title. Wow…I can’t believe they had him win. But, as my bro, Mike, said, “Why would they have him win the title, lose it three weeks later, and then win it again three weeks after losing it? It makes no sense. Either have him win it and keep it or not win it at all.”
I totally agree with you bro, but that’s how WWE is working right now. They don’t know what to do anymore so they just make us (the fans) go crazy wondering what the hell is going on.
Thanks everybody for reading. If you have any questions, comments, or just want to talk about wrestling, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at wrestlingchick19@gmail.com. I hope you guys enjoyed and I’ll be seeing you again in two weeks for Survivor Series; I promise. :)
Much love and “Have a nice day!”.
R.I.P. Captain Lou Albano: 1933-2009
It’s Oct. 14, 2009. It’s probably around midnight or later when I’m online checking my usual Web sites. For some reason, as I’m logging onto Yahoo! and Google checking my e-mail, I was drawn to onlineworldofwrestling.com to look up Captain Lou Albano. As I scrolled down, reading his historic career, I was shocked by what I read at the very end of the page…“October 14, 2009: Legendary Captain Lou Albano passed away in Florida at the age of 76.”
I couldn’t believe it. It couldn’t be true. Not Captain Lou.
But, alas, my dear wrestling fanatics it is true. The wrestling world has lost one of the greatest managers of all time…Captain Lou Albano.
Albano was born July 29, 1933 in Rome, Italy. Eventually him and his family immigrated to the United States and lived in the great state of New York. He grew up there actually wanting to become a boxer, but Willy Gilzenberg, a boxing promoter, said he was too short to be a boxer (how rude!) so he instead suggested he become a wrestler. Albano recalls the moment in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Pro Wrestling: Second Edition (he's one of the authors), “After I had gotten out of the service, I went to Willie Gilzenberg, who handled boxers ‘Two Ton’ Tony Galento and Red Cochrane, and I told him that I wanted to be a boxer. Gilzenberg said I was too short and suggested that I try wrestling as a career move. Not incidentally, Gilzenberg was also part of the World Wresting Federation. He arranged for me to train, one-on-one, with Soldier Barry and Arnold Skaaland.”
According to the WWE Encyclopedia, Albano began competing in front of small crowds around the New York area. However, after some time, he started working for better promotions in Canada and Chicago. It was while he was working in Chicago he began teaming up with Tony Altomare and created one of the most controversial teams in history; The Sicilians (they were considered controversial because of their mafia innuendos they made on a nightly bases). In 1967 they made the move to the WWE (then, of course, the WWF) and became the WWF US Tag Team Champions after defeating Spiros Arion and Arnold Skaaland (Albano’s mentor).
However, Albano wasn’t exactly the greatest wrestler in the world and he admitted to that. He stated in The Complete Idiots Guide that when he did wrestle he was the one who would ran away from the likes of Andre the Giant, Bruno Sammartino, and “anyone else who looked like they could do bodily harm”. Even though his act of running away was selling out arenas he was starting to give his career some second thoughts. That’s when Bruno Sammartino said to him, “You’re not a great wrestler, but you never shut up. You’d be a good manager.” With this in mind, Albano went to Vince, Sr. who replied, “You’d be a natural--you’re a good BS-er."
After that Captain Lou Albano was born.
Now it says in the encyclopedia that the first wrestler he managed was Crusher Verdu, a.k.a The Spanish Hercules, while The Complete Idiot’s Guide says it was Oscar LeDoux. Well, whoever was first it was only the beginning of an amazing managerial career that spanned from the late sixties to the early nineties; an incredible twenty-plus years career. Throughout the Complete Idiot's book, Albano tells numerous stories of when he managed the likes of Ivan Koloff, George “The Animal” Steele, Freddie Blassie, the Wild Samoans, and, of course, his infamous feud with Cyndi Lauper that led to one of WrestleMania’s great matches Wendi Richter vs. Lelani Kai. There’s two of Albano’s stories that I have to tell because they’re so unbelievable that they need to be retold so hopefully you guys don’t mind hearing them again.
The first one is how he hyped up Koloff when he faced Bruno Sammartino for the WWF Championship at Madison Square Garden in the early seventies. He decided to attack Italians since Sammartino was, obviously, one. In one promo he stated, “Bruno Sammartino’s Italian. I used to be an Italian, but I changed my name to Captain Lou Albert. Let’s face it, what have ‘guineas’ ever done? All they’ve ever done is drive garbage trucks. I mean, you take the garbage trucks in NY and you see an Italian driving and a Puerto Rican loading. At midday they switch off…”
Ouch! I’m a fellow Italian and that just smarts; especially since my brother works for the town primarily as a garbage man. However, because of those remarks Puerto Ricans and Italians were threatening him. There was one Puerto Rican gang called the Young Lords that actually threatened to kill him.
The night of the match, MSG was packed, which made Captain Lou very happy, but everybody else was scared for their lives. In fact, Koloff told Albano to stay away from him that way he didn’t get hurt, or worse, killed. As soon as the match was over, as Koloff ended Sammartino’s seven year reign as champion, somebody fired off a firecracker. When Albano heard it go off he ran straight out of the arena. As he did fans were throwing everything at him from flowerpots to beer cups, etc.
He ran into a nearby restaurant to seek refuge, but in there there were a bunch of young guys starring at him with ill intent. The bartender said, “Captain Lou, you’d better get out of here!”
He yelled, “Call the cops,” and ran outside to grab a cab. As he did some of those guys followed him out and started banging on the windows and doors of the cab. The cab driver asked him to get out, which he did and ran right back into the restaurant. They followed in and would cause $27,000 worth in damage. Albano, at one point, said in the book, “It was a wild scene, and my managerial hype had created it.” Something good ol’ Captain Lou would say.
The other story is how his feud with Cyndi Lauper began and how he was a huge part of making WrestleMania what it is today. It all started when he met Lauper on a plane ride to Puerto Rico a few years before the first WrestleMania happened. She approached him and said how she’s been a wrestling fan all her life and asked if he wanted to be in her music video “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”. Interesting side story…there was a rumor going around at the time that Lauper was his daughter. However, Albano put an end to it when he said in The Complete Idiot’s Guide that he might’ve played her father in her videos, but that’s it. He was only acting.
While filming the video, Rowdy Roddy Piper asked him to appear on his show “Piper’s Pit”. When he did Piper instead started talking about male supremacy and not the music video or his personal life. So Albano went with the flow and said some derogatory remarks like, “Women are garbage and only good for having babies and cleaning the house.”
Now I’m telling you this story to set up for this story. Since Vince McMahon, Jr. is open to new ideas, Albano decided to go to him with an idea for the very first WrestleMania; Wendi Richter vs. Lelani Kai for the Women’s Championship. However, because of his close friendship with Lauper it became more of Captain Lou Albano vs. Cyndi Lauper to see which gender was better. They set-up the match by having him and Lauper run into each other one night at MSG. That night he, again, said some derogatory remarks like, “You were just a dirty little broad before you met me.”
However, she stood her ground and said, “Tell you what, fat man -- I’m going to put a woman wrestler up against one of your choice. And if my woman wins, you’re going to have to apologize and admit women are at least as good as men -- maybe even better!”
She picked Richter while he, obviously, picked the champion, Kai, but for Vince to truly include the match at the grand spectacle Albano had to publicize it. He did so by going on the Letterman Show. The night he was on women liberation advocates were in the audience booing him though Lou said they were screaming, “Lou, Lou” because he has “the body women love and men envy.” Again a typical Captain Lou response. In the end, Wendi did win and Albano had to eat his words. He considers the match to be very successful, which added to the success of WrestleMania.
Albano wasn't famous just in the wrestling world, though. He would become very famous in the entertainment world starring in movies like Body Slam, Wiseguys, and Stay Tuned. He also lent his voice as Mario in “The Super Mario Bros. Super Show” and created “Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection” in the mid-80’s. But he always stuck with wrestling, managering not only single competitors, but some of the greatest tag teams in wrestling history including the Valiant Brothers, the Wild Samoans, and the British Bulldogs. According to the encyclopedia he actually lead close to twenty teams to titles, which is more than any other manager in sports-entertainment history.
Albano has also showed his kinder side by giving to charities. He was actually named National Fundraising Chairmen of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Finally, in 1996 he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Unfortunately, on Oct. 14 Captain Lou was found dead in his home. He was only 76 years old.
In the encyclopedia writers Brian Shields and Kevin Sullivan had this to say about the wacky manager…“Capt. Lou Albano was a short, round man with limited wrestling ability, but that didn’t stop him from becoming one of the greatest entertainers the industry has ever seen. After a brilliant five decades in the wrestling business, the eccentric Albano will forever be remembered for managing an unprecedented number of champions, an amazing speaking ability and, believe it or not, rubber bands hanging from his face.”
I don't think William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens or any other great writer could've said it any better.
I might be 22 years old, but I do remember Captain Lou and his antics. He was creepy, with the rubber bands hanging from his cheeks, but he was truly a great entertainer.
You will be sorely missed not only by your family and friends, Capt. Lou, but by your fans. Rest in peace!
Much love and “Have a nice day!”.
I couldn’t believe it. It couldn’t be true. Not Captain Lou.
But, alas, my dear wrestling fanatics it is true. The wrestling world has lost one of the greatest managers of all time…Captain Lou Albano.
Albano was born July 29, 1933 in Rome, Italy. Eventually him and his family immigrated to the United States and lived in the great state of New York. He grew up there actually wanting to become a boxer, but Willy Gilzenberg, a boxing promoter, said he was too short to be a boxer (how rude!) so he instead suggested he become a wrestler. Albano recalls the moment in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Pro Wrestling: Second Edition (he's one of the authors), “After I had gotten out of the service, I went to Willie Gilzenberg, who handled boxers ‘Two Ton’ Tony Galento and Red Cochrane, and I told him that I wanted to be a boxer. Gilzenberg said I was too short and suggested that I try wrestling as a career move. Not incidentally, Gilzenberg was also part of the World Wresting Federation. He arranged for me to train, one-on-one, with Soldier Barry and Arnold Skaaland.”
According to the WWE Encyclopedia, Albano began competing in front of small crowds around the New York area. However, after some time, he started working for better promotions in Canada and Chicago. It was while he was working in Chicago he began teaming up with Tony Altomare and created one of the most controversial teams in history; The Sicilians (they were considered controversial because of their mafia innuendos they made on a nightly bases). In 1967 they made the move to the WWE (then, of course, the WWF) and became the WWF US Tag Team Champions after defeating Spiros Arion and Arnold Skaaland (Albano’s mentor).
However, Albano wasn’t exactly the greatest wrestler in the world and he admitted to that. He stated in The Complete Idiots Guide that when he did wrestle he was the one who would ran away from the likes of Andre the Giant, Bruno Sammartino, and “anyone else who looked like they could do bodily harm”. Even though his act of running away was selling out arenas he was starting to give his career some second thoughts. That’s when Bruno Sammartino said to him, “You’re not a great wrestler, but you never shut up. You’d be a good manager.” With this in mind, Albano went to Vince, Sr. who replied, “You’d be a natural--you’re a good BS-er."
After that Captain Lou Albano was born.
Now it says in the encyclopedia that the first wrestler he managed was Crusher Verdu, a.k.a The Spanish Hercules, while The Complete Idiot’s Guide says it was Oscar LeDoux. Well, whoever was first it was only the beginning of an amazing managerial career that spanned from the late sixties to the early nineties; an incredible twenty-plus years career. Throughout the Complete Idiot's book, Albano tells numerous stories of when he managed the likes of Ivan Koloff, George “The Animal” Steele, Freddie Blassie, the Wild Samoans, and, of course, his infamous feud with Cyndi Lauper that led to one of WrestleMania’s great matches Wendi Richter vs. Lelani Kai. There’s two of Albano’s stories that I have to tell because they’re so unbelievable that they need to be retold so hopefully you guys don’t mind hearing them again.
The first one is how he hyped up Koloff when he faced Bruno Sammartino for the WWF Championship at Madison Square Garden in the early seventies. He decided to attack Italians since Sammartino was, obviously, one. In one promo he stated, “Bruno Sammartino’s Italian. I used to be an Italian, but I changed my name to Captain Lou Albert. Let’s face it, what have ‘guineas’ ever done? All they’ve ever done is drive garbage trucks. I mean, you take the garbage trucks in NY and you see an Italian driving and a Puerto Rican loading. At midday they switch off…”
Ouch! I’m a fellow Italian and that just smarts; especially since my brother works for the town primarily as a garbage man. However, because of those remarks Puerto Ricans and Italians were threatening him. There was one Puerto Rican gang called the Young Lords that actually threatened to kill him.
The night of the match, MSG was packed, which made Captain Lou very happy, but everybody else was scared for their lives. In fact, Koloff told Albano to stay away from him that way he didn’t get hurt, or worse, killed. As soon as the match was over, as Koloff ended Sammartino’s seven year reign as champion, somebody fired off a firecracker. When Albano heard it go off he ran straight out of the arena. As he did fans were throwing everything at him from flowerpots to beer cups, etc.
He ran into a nearby restaurant to seek refuge, but in there there were a bunch of young guys starring at him with ill intent. The bartender said, “Captain Lou, you’d better get out of here!”
He yelled, “Call the cops,” and ran outside to grab a cab. As he did some of those guys followed him out and started banging on the windows and doors of the cab. The cab driver asked him to get out, which he did and ran right back into the restaurant. They followed in and would cause $27,000 worth in damage. Albano, at one point, said in the book, “It was a wild scene, and my managerial hype had created it.” Something good ol’ Captain Lou would say.
The other story is how his feud with Cyndi Lauper began and how he was a huge part of making WrestleMania what it is today. It all started when he met Lauper on a plane ride to Puerto Rico a few years before the first WrestleMania happened. She approached him and said how she’s been a wrestling fan all her life and asked if he wanted to be in her music video “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”. Interesting side story…there was a rumor going around at the time that Lauper was his daughter. However, Albano put an end to it when he said in The Complete Idiot’s Guide that he might’ve played her father in her videos, but that’s it. He was only acting.
While filming the video, Rowdy Roddy Piper asked him to appear on his show “Piper’s Pit”. When he did Piper instead started talking about male supremacy and not the music video or his personal life. So Albano went with the flow and said some derogatory remarks like, “Women are garbage and only good for having babies and cleaning the house.”
Now I’m telling you this story to set up for this story. Since Vince McMahon, Jr. is open to new ideas, Albano decided to go to him with an idea for the very first WrestleMania; Wendi Richter vs. Lelani Kai for the Women’s Championship. However, because of his close friendship with Lauper it became more of Captain Lou Albano vs. Cyndi Lauper to see which gender was better. They set-up the match by having him and Lauper run into each other one night at MSG. That night he, again, said some derogatory remarks like, “You were just a dirty little broad before you met me.”
However, she stood her ground and said, “Tell you what, fat man -- I’m going to put a woman wrestler up against one of your choice. And if my woman wins, you’re going to have to apologize and admit women are at least as good as men -- maybe even better!”
She picked Richter while he, obviously, picked the champion, Kai, but for Vince to truly include the match at the grand spectacle Albano had to publicize it. He did so by going on the Letterman Show. The night he was on women liberation advocates were in the audience booing him though Lou said they were screaming, “Lou, Lou” because he has “the body women love and men envy.” Again a typical Captain Lou response. In the end, Wendi did win and Albano had to eat his words. He considers the match to be very successful, which added to the success of WrestleMania.
Albano wasn't famous just in the wrestling world, though. He would become very famous in the entertainment world starring in movies like Body Slam, Wiseguys, and Stay Tuned. He also lent his voice as Mario in “The Super Mario Bros. Super Show” and created “Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection” in the mid-80’s. But he always stuck with wrestling, managering not only single competitors, but some of the greatest tag teams in wrestling history including the Valiant Brothers, the Wild Samoans, and the British Bulldogs. According to the encyclopedia he actually lead close to twenty teams to titles, which is more than any other manager in sports-entertainment history.
Albano has also showed his kinder side by giving to charities. He was actually named National Fundraising Chairmen of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Finally, in 1996 he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Unfortunately, on Oct. 14 Captain Lou was found dead in his home. He was only 76 years old.
In the encyclopedia writers Brian Shields and Kevin Sullivan had this to say about the wacky manager…“Capt. Lou Albano was a short, round man with limited wrestling ability, but that didn’t stop him from becoming one of the greatest entertainers the industry has ever seen. After a brilliant five decades in the wrestling business, the eccentric Albano will forever be remembered for managing an unprecedented number of champions, an amazing speaking ability and, believe it or not, rubber bands hanging from his face.”
I don't think William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens or any other great writer could've said it any better.
I might be 22 years old, but I do remember Captain Lou and his antics. He was creepy, with the rubber bands hanging from his cheeks, but he was truly a great entertainer.
You will be sorely missed not only by your family and friends, Capt. Lou, but by your fans. Rest in peace!
Much love and “Have a nice day!”.
Please accept my apologies!!
Hello my fellow wrestling fanatics!
I know it's been a long time since I last posted. I just want to apologize to all of you who do read my blog and enjoy it for not posting in over a month. I've had a lot going on in my life that has really distracted me and stopped me from writing about what I love. I honestly can't promise that that will happen again, however, I will gurantee that I will never go that long without posting ever again (unless there's like a two month period of no PPVs for some odd reason, but I highly doubt that).
Please accept my apologies! Now I am back on track and you guys will not only get one, but two posts to read. I wrote a tribute to the late Captain Lou Albano and the preview and results to Bragging Rights. Enjoy everybody!
Much love and "Have a nice day!".
I know it's been a long time since I last posted. I just want to apologize to all of you who do read my blog and enjoy it for not posting in over a month. I've had a lot going on in my life that has really distracted me and stopped me from writing about what I love. I honestly can't promise that that will happen again, however, I will gurantee that I will never go that long without posting ever again (unless there's like a two month period of no PPVs for some odd reason, but I highly doubt that).
Please accept my apologies! Now I am back on track and you guys will not only get one, but two posts to read. I wrote a tribute to the late Captain Lou Albano and the preview and results to Bragging Rights. Enjoy everybody!
Much love and "Have a nice day!".
Friday, October 9, 2009
Hell in a Cell - October 4, 2009 - Newark, New Jersey
Satan’s structure. The devil’s playground.
Whatever nickname you want to give it, Hell in a Cell is one the most violent and destructive matches any wrestler can compete in. Jim Ross incessantly says that careers will end and people will change after being in this match. Since its inception in 1997 at the In Your House: Badd Blood pay-per-view, Hell in a Cell has become one of the more popular matches to see with seventeen of them being contested within the last twelve years. This is probably because of it’s brutality. People love violence; it’s very entertaining.
The very first cell, according to the Hell in a Cell: The Greatest Hell in a Cell Matches of All Time DVD, was sixteen feet tall and weighed over two tons. Then, as stated in the WWE Encyclopedia, in 2006 the cell was reconstructed to be 30 x 30 with 3,500 square feet of steel beams and steel mesh. Guys like Undertaker, Triple H, Mankind, Batista, and many others have contested in it coming out never being the same. Mick Foley admitted on the DVD he was in four out of the first five cell matches and doesn't even remember he was, but he has the scares to prove it. The very first was between Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. The best one out of all of them, in my opinion, was Undertaker vs. Mankind at King of the Ring in 1998. From the get go that match was pure brutality. 'Taker throwing Mick off the top of the cage onto the annoucer's table, then chokeslamming him through the cell, and the thumbtasks. But it is also where we've heard some of JR's most famous lines like "Good God all mighty. Good God all mighty. They killed him" and "As God as my witness he's broken in half."
Just one quick question before I start. Is it me or does the Hell in a Cell PPV kind of remind you of TNA’s PPV Lockdown? Somebody’s stealing ideas!! Anyway, let’s get to work shall we.
CM Punk vs. Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship in a Hell in a Cell match:
After Montreal Screwjob III at Breaking Point they really didn’t do much to promote this. There were no mind games from ‘Taker, which is very unusual, and there were only two matches between them (one of them was an 8-man tag so they barely faced each other). At first they were only focusing on Teddy Long and the whole conspiracy thing. I have only one thing to say about that…WHO CARES?!?
On the September 18th episode of Smackdown we did have Punk come out to gloat about the fact that he made ‘Taker “tap” and state that he’s a champion the people could be proud of. However, the main focus of that night was Long coming out with a horde of security guards apologizing to everybody for what he did, but he did it to keep his job. Whatever. Then when he went out to his limo he was abducted by the Deadman himself. (By the way, ‘Taker saying “Buckle up, Teddy” was priceless. And Teddy’s face was just hilarious. Haha!!). If they wanted to concentrate on the conspiracy then play it out. Undertaker is known for his mind games so do it to Teddy. Give him another heart attack and let somebody else take over Smackdown for awhile, as long as it’s not Vickie Guerrero. I mean I used to love Teddy and how he ran Smackdown. Honestly, I thought he was one of the best, but now, especially with the whole conspiracy thing, he’s pissing me off. I also have another way they could’ve played out this feud, but I’ll get to that in a bit.
Now the next week on Smackdown (September 25) Punk came out once again to state all of his achievements including making ‘Taker tap at Breaking Point and calling himself the face of Smackdown and the poster boy of the WWE. Face of Smackdown…definitely. Poster boy of the WWE…sorry Punk, but that’s taken by the likes of John Cena, Triple H, and Undertaker. Anyway, after some time we hear the infamous bong and the lights go out. Then we hear the Druids music come on and they come out with a casket. Well you guys know what comes next. Teddy is in the coffin. Punk helps him out and unties him only to have him say that Hell’s Gate is legal, Punk will be facing Undertaker with the World Heavyweight Championship on the line at Hell in a Cell in the hellish structure, and he was facing him that night. Punk wasn’t exactly happy after that. Later on that night they faced off with Punk winning when ‘Taker couldn’t make it back in the ring by the end of the ref’s ten count.
Lastly, on October 2nd at the Decade of Smackdown celebration (I can’t believe it’s been ten amazing years already!! CONGRATULATIONS SMACKDOWN!!) there was the biggest 8-man tag team match in its history with John Cena, DX, and Undertaker vs. Randy Orton, Legacy, and CM Punk. That match was truly a great match. Sometimes 8-man tags can be very sloppy, but they all performed very well. Cena, DX, and 'Taker did win after 'Taker gave Orton the Tombstone Piledriver.
So after all of this I, honestly, don’t have a winner for this match. Like I said in my last post I want ‘Taker to win, but then that’s unfair to Punk making him look like a paper champion and I want Punk to win, but that would make ‘Taker look bad so here’s the other way I believe this feud should’ve been played out. They really should’ve saved it for Survivor Series. They could’ve build it with maybe a match here and there and, of course, mind games, which would’ve made the ending product that much better, instead of a screw job and then three weeks later another match. Plus, Survivor Series is where the world was introduced to the Undertaker. How great would it be on his eighteenth or nineteenth year of being with the WWE he won the World Heavyweight Championship; possibly for the last time.
In the end, ’Taker did win becoming World Heavyweight Champion for the seventh time. Even though I was completely shocked and pissed that they opened with this main event match it was still an amazing bout. I figured it wasn’t going to last long with the shape ‘Taker’s hips are in now, but for the ten to fifteen minutes it did last they kept the audience in aw. Punk took some nasty bumps like the one when ‘Taker pushed him off the apron right into the Cell, but it was a hard fought battle. This feud isn’t over yet and I’m very happy about that. That means more ‘Taker!!
John Morrison vs. Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship:
Technically, this feud started at Breaking Point. However, Ziggler became No.1 Contender for the Intercontinental title on the August 27th episode of WWE Superstars when he defeated Mike Knox and Finlay. He was suppose to face Rey Mysterio, who was champion at the time, at Breaking Point, but because of Mysterio’s suspension for “drug use” and Morrison just winning the belt on August 28th they postponed it until Hell in a Cell.
They did, however, have them interact at Breaking Point. Since the PPV was held in Montreal, Pat Patterson, a true legend in the business being the first man to hold the Intercontinental Championship and a native to Montreal, came out to address his home town crowd. As he talked about his storied career Ziggler came out. Patterson was kind enough to comment Ziggler on his amazing talent saying he has a very bright future ahead of him and wishes him luck, but Ziggler wasn’t as kind with his comeback making fun of him saying he didn’t know Patterson was still alive until he came out. He kept on insulting him saying they’re wasting valuable PPV time on someone no one even remembers. Then attacks the poor guy. Luckily, Morrison came to his rescue with his long, flowing hair and amazing abs and…um…sorry about that.
Then on Smackdown the following Friday (Sept. 18) Morrison had a match with Mike Knox with Ziggler doing commentary with Good ol’ JR and Todd Grisham. After he kicked Knox’s, most likely hairy, butt, Morrison grabbed a mike and said that Ziggler might be making a name for himself, but the only name the fans will be chanting is Mr. Ziggles. Really? Mr. Ziggles? Don’t get me wrong I love the name; it’s great. It just sounds like something Disney would call one of their characters. Anyway, in the course of the next two weeks before Hell in a Cell they had two matches against each other (both tag team matches) and a talk on the Abraham Washington show. That was actually so dumb and so degrading towards Ziggler that I actually felt bad for him.
Even though I think it’s definitely Ziggler’s time because, like Patterson said, he is very talented and is a great character with a prominent future ahead of him, Morrison is going to retain.
In the end, Morrison did retain with his finisher the Starship Pain. This feud is only just beginning and probably will continue until at least Survivor Series or maybe later than that. Who knows?!? I do like this feud, though, since it is building two rookies who will very soon be amazing superstars.
Alicia Fox vs. Mickie James for the Divas Championship:
Yay! I can finally say something about the Divas.
Before I talk about this atrocity I need to get something off of my chest. When Divas like Chyna, Trish Stratus, and Lita were around the Women’s Division in WWE was amazing!! They performed in a way a woman never did before, which made me very hopeful that one day I could get into it and be like them. All three women were truly my idols. Now we have Divas like Mickie James, Michelle McCool, and Maria who don’t know what they hell they’re doing in the ring and are an embarrassment to the Women’s Division. Yeah, there’s girls like Gail Kim and Natalya that are absolutely amazing performers, but they’re not being used correctly. Also, the Divas Title is a total sham and any woman who goes into the WWE saying “My life goal is to become Divas Champion” should be thrown out, immediately. The Women’s Championship is very prestigious being held by the likes of the Fabulous Moolah, Alundra Blayze, and Trish Stratus an unprecedented seven times. A title I would love to have myself, but only God knows if that’ll happen or not. So, in other words, thanks WWE for now letting the Divas just be plan ol’ eye candy instead of being the very strong, but very beautiful women they were.
Phew! I feel better now.
Ok, so this feud started when Alicia Fox defeated Gail Kim on Raw on September 14th to become the No.1 contender for the Divas Championship. Then the next week on Raw (Sept. 21) as Mickie James faced off against Beth Phoenix, Alicia sat at ring side scouting her opponent. After the match she attacked Mickie hitting her over the head with her belt. That’s it. That’s everything leading to Hell in a Cell. Wow…I’m so excited for this match. NOT!! Mickie is definitely going to retain because, one, there was no build to it, and, two, they're not going to give the belt to a true rookie; especially one who can’t wrestle if her life depended on it.
In the end, Mickie does retain. Moving on.
Big Show and Chris Jericho vs. Batista and Rey Mysterio for the Unified Tag Team Championships:
There wasn’t really any build for this match either, but I was very excited about it because of the fact we’re seeing Batista and Rey Mysterio teaming up again. I love these guys and just having Rey back after his senseless suspension over a month ago was awesome.
It all started when Batista returned on Raw on September 14th to announce that he was actually moving to Smackdown (and to get one last shot at Orton). That Friday (Sept. 18) he debuted much to the chagrin of Jericho. Batista made a match with Jericho for that night and he, to take a quote from JR, “whipped him like a government mule”. Show watched on and after the match made one with Batista for the next week. Of course, Batista accepted. The two behemoths faced off with Batista prevailing via disqualification because Jericho ran in. However, Jericho got what was coming to him when Batista put him in an ankle lock. Later that night, Batista announced he wanted to face Jerishow at Hell in a Cell with his partner being Rey Mysterio.
I really want Mysterio and Batista to win. They are such an unlikely tag team with Batista being 6’6”, 290 lbs, and a mat wrestler while Mysterio is 5’6”, 175 lbs, and a high flyer, but they mesh so well together. They were great in 2005 when they did it in loving memory of Eddie Guerrero (RIP) and I think they can do it again just for the hell of it.
In the end, Jerishow retained after Show hit a huge right fist on Mysterio. Darn it! Hopefully this isn’t over and they keep up with these teams. I like both teams and I think they’ll work well together, but we’ll see.
Randy Orton vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship in a Hell in a Cell:
Ah, the feud that never ends. Thank God this wasn’t the main event or I wouldn’t have been a happy camper. Let’s see, after Orton squealed like a pig at Breaking Point, the guest GM on Raw the next night, the lovely Trish Stratus, decided to make the match between Orton and Cena for Hell in a Cell. Out of the entire night that was the only thing she did that I disagree on. That night during an interview Cena said, “I promise you will see a different side of me.” A more brutal and vicious side of him. Why do I feel like he says that for every match, but in a different way?
Anyway, the next week on Raw (Sept. 21) Orton and Cena signed the contract for the match. After they did, Orton brought out his new arsenal…Jerishow. WTF?!? Why are Jericho and Show helping Orton? Where’s Legacy in all of this? But I digress. As soon as Jerishow came out MVP and Mark Henry came to help Cena. So later on that night Orton, Jericho, and Show went against Cena, MVP, and Mark Henry with this “awesome” stipulation. If Orton’s team wins Cena would have to face them in a Gauntlet Match the next week on Raw, but if Cena’s team wins Orton would have to face them in a Gauntlet Match. Well Orton’s team did win. On the September 28th Raw Cena first fought Jericho and won via DQ when Jericho wouldn’t let Cena out of the Walls of Jericho since he was at the ropes. After that was Show and again won via DQ. As Orton walked slowly down the ramp Jericho and Show attacked Cena to soften him up. Once Orton was in the ring Cena had the cell lowered down around them. Orton tried to run out and get away, but was too late. Again, WWE, making your top heel look like a pussy is not a good thing at all. Better rethink doing that. But Orton was able to get out, decided to climb the cage, Cena climbed after him, and gave him the Attitude Adjustment on top of the cell.
Cena is, obviously, going to win because he’s superman. He can overcome any adversity. Whenever he’s put in a tough situation he always comes out on top. Plus, he just won the title so they’re not going to have him lose it three weeks later; not their top babyface.
In the end, Orton became WWE Champion for the sixth time. CENA LOST!!! However, he should’ve won since Orton was tapping to the STF, but the referee was knocked out. Oh well! This feud, unfortunately, is still not over because you know Cena is going to say something to try to get his belt back. The feud that never ends will continue in my next post for Bragging Rights I guarantee it.
R-Truth vs. Drew McIntyre:
This was a total surprise. No text messages. No announcement on wwe.com. I wonder why they did that. But they have been building this feud very well and I really like it. (Mainly because of Drew!! What? So I have a soft spot for long-haired bad boys. Is that a bad thing?!? Haha!!). It all started on the August 28th Smackdown when Drew debuted facing R-Truth. Before the match even started Drew attacked R-Truth giving him a Double-underarm DDT. That’s an excellent way of putting yourself out there; being very aggressive.
Then on Sept. 4th R-Truth had a match, but before his opponent even came out Drew attacked him from behind. After his assault Drew grabbed a mike and said that since he was overlooked he decided to make his own statement by attacking R-Truth. He will continue to do so until he is finally signed onto Smackdown. He wasn’t lying when he said this because on Sept. 11th and Sept. 18th he viciously attacked R-Truth. Finally, on Sept. 25th Vince officially signed him. As he’s talking, R-Truth came out and attacked him. “The tides have turned.” Lastly, on Oct. 2nd, as Drew was making a toast to himself, R-Truth once again attacked him.
Since I didn’t know this match was happening until that night I can’t give my prediction on who would win, but I’m very happy that in the end Drew won with his signature Double-underarm DDT. I’m glad that they’re really building him to be something. I just hope they continue to build him and not give up on him like they did when he was Dave Taylor's protege back in 2007. He has a lot of potential and I think he can be huge in the WWE. This feud is definitely not over, I just hope next time they do announce it.
Miz vs. Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston for the United States Championship:
Ok, so let me get this straight. Because Swagger comes out saying that he deserves the US Title since he is the All-American American and steals the title one night from Kofi, that qualifies him to wrestle for the title. When did WWE change the rules to if you steal the title or proclaim that you deserve a title you get a title shot? I must’ve missed that memo. That means EVERYBODY should be getting a shot at a title, right? Again, WWE, great job. NOT!!
This is going to be such a quick overview. The Raw after Breaking Point Miz and Swagger teamed up to go against Kofi and Primo. Towards the end of the match Miz stole the US title, distracting Kofi so his team could win. The next week on Raw as Miz was being interviewed before his match with Evan Bourne, Kofi attacked him and took back his title. Later on, Kofi had a match with Swagger, which ended in a no contest because Miz came out to steal the title again. However, Swagger stopped him and took it for himself. Then on Raw on Sept. 25th Swagger faced off against Bourne and won. After the match he says he’s going to become the All-American American US Champion (try saying that five times fast). Miz then comes out and says he’s going to be the next US Champion. Well the egos collide with Swagger attacking Miz. As they fought Kofi came out to take back his title. It’s like a freakin’ game of hot potato. Lastly, on the Oct. 1st episode of WWE Superstars Kofi defeated Miz in a match, but Swagger came out afterwards to attack both men.
Kofi’s definitely going to win this match. The egotistical Miz and over-confident Swagger really don’t deserve the title in my eyes since they really haven’t proven themselves. Plus, they’re going to knock each other out to prove who’s better, which will give Kofi an easy win over these two bozos.
In the end, Kofi retains. The end of the match was pretty incredible, though. Swagger hit a Gutwrench powerbomb on Miz. Kofi hit the Trouble in Paradise on Swagger, but covered Miz. This isn’t over, either, so we might just see this feud go into Survivor Series. Hopefully not, but we might.
Finally, we come to our main event of the night…
DX vs. Legacy in a Hell in a Cell:
Unbelievable! Hunter really couldn’t handle the fact that he wasn’t main eventing at the PPVs so they make this the last match of the night instead of CM Punk vs. ‘Taker. Really sad.
So after Breaking Point, Legacy came out on Raw to gloat about the fact they made DX tap. “Are you ready…to welcome the dawning of a new era in WWE?” They stated that they aren’t known as the sons of Dusty Rhodes and the Million Dollar Man, but that they are the fathers of Legacy. LOVE IT!! Later on, Ted went against Shawn, but it ended in a no contest when Triple H attacked Cody and an all out brawl waged on throughout the arena. On the Sept. 21st Raw, Triple H went against Cody. This one ended in a DQ when they attacked Shawn throwing him onto the announcer’s table then hitting Hunter with a chair.
Finally, on the Sept. 28th Raw, Legacy came out showing a lot of respect by admitting that Hunter and Shawn are the best, but they will be the ones who end their careers. Then you hear Shawn saying, “BORING!” The cameras find them in a luxury box. Hunters says that Legacy is like a butt; not as much the cheeks, but the part in the middle. Sorry, I need to stop for one second to say one thing. You have Cody and Ted who are in their mid-twenties showing respect towards DX. You have Hunter and Shawn who are in their forties calling Legacy a butt. Who are the mature ones here? I rest my case.
Hunter continues by comparing himself and Shawn to David Banner and the Incredible Hulk. When Banner changes into the monster he doesn’t like it, but when they let their monsters out they love it. They went to go attack Legacy, but they ran.
Like I mentioned in my last post I think DX needs to end, but I LOVE this feud. The build for it is amazing. I love the fact that two rookies are being brought up and they’re really shining bright. I also love that they’re slowly cutting ties with Orton to be on their own. It’s kind of like Batista and Orton in Evolution. It was great that they were a part of it so their names could become well-known. Once they did they broke away and now they’re huge. I can totally see that happening for Cody and Ted; I really hope it does, too. I really want Legacy to win yet with Hunter and Shawn’s experience in the cell they’ll most likely prevail.
In the end, DX won after a pretty darn good match. The torture sequence went on longer than it should, but some of the things Legacy did to Shawn were brutal. I mean Ted’s dropkick to Shawn’s face while Cody held a chair there was painful. Unfortunately, I think this might be the end to this amazing feud. Hopefully, I’m wrong on that my fellow wrestling fanatics.
Thanks everybody for reading and I hope you enjoyed. I want to thank really quickly everybody who has been sending me comments (especially Donna and Issac!!). I really appreciate what you guys have said. I hope you continue to enjoy my blog and leaving comments so it can continue to get better. If you would like to send a comment or talk about wrestling you can e-mail me at wrestlingchick19@gmail.com. I would love to hear what you guys think so please don't hesitate to get in contact with me. Thanks again!
Much love and "Have a nice day!".
Whatever nickname you want to give it, Hell in a Cell is one the most violent and destructive matches any wrestler can compete in. Jim Ross incessantly says that careers will end and people will change after being in this match. Since its inception in 1997 at the In Your House: Badd Blood pay-per-view, Hell in a Cell has become one of the more popular matches to see with seventeen of them being contested within the last twelve years. This is probably because of it’s brutality. People love violence; it’s very entertaining.
The very first cell, according to the Hell in a Cell: The Greatest Hell in a Cell Matches of All Time DVD, was sixteen feet tall and weighed over two tons. Then, as stated in the WWE Encyclopedia, in 2006 the cell was reconstructed to be 30 x 30 with 3,500 square feet of steel beams and steel mesh. Guys like Undertaker, Triple H, Mankind, Batista, and many others have contested in it coming out never being the same. Mick Foley admitted on the DVD he was in four out of the first five cell matches and doesn't even remember he was, but he has the scares to prove it. The very first was between Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. The best one out of all of them, in my opinion, was Undertaker vs. Mankind at King of the Ring in 1998. From the get go that match was pure brutality. 'Taker throwing Mick off the top of the cage onto the annoucer's table, then chokeslamming him through the cell, and the thumbtasks. But it is also where we've heard some of JR's most famous lines like "Good God all mighty. Good God all mighty. They killed him" and "As God as my witness he's broken in half."
Just one quick question before I start. Is it me or does the Hell in a Cell PPV kind of remind you of TNA’s PPV Lockdown? Somebody’s stealing ideas!! Anyway, let’s get to work shall we.
CM Punk vs. Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship in a Hell in a Cell match:
After Montreal Screwjob III at Breaking Point they really didn’t do much to promote this. There were no mind games from ‘Taker, which is very unusual, and there were only two matches between them (one of them was an 8-man tag so they barely faced each other). At first they were only focusing on Teddy Long and the whole conspiracy thing. I have only one thing to say about that…WHO CARES?!?
On the September 18th episode of Smackdown we did have Punk come out to gloat about the fact that he made ‘Taker “tap” and state that he’s a champion the people could be proud of. However, the main focus of that night was Long coming out with a horde of security guards apologizing to everybody for what he did, but he did it to keep his job. Whatever. Then when he went out to his limo he was abducted by the Deadman himself. (By the way, ‘Taker saying “Buckle up, Teddy” was priceless. And Teddy’s face was just hilarious. Haha!!). If they wanted to concentrate on the conspiracy then play it out. Undertaker is known for his mind games so do it to Teddy. Give him another heart attack and let somebody else take over Smackdown for awhile, as long as it’s not Vickie Guerrero. I mean I used to love Teddy and how he ran Smackdown. Honestly, I thought he was one of the best, but now, especially with the whole conspiracy thing, he’s pissing me off. I also have another way they could’ve played out this feud, but I’ll get to that in a bit.
Now the next week on Smackdown (September 25) Punk came out once again to state all of his achievements including making ‘Taker tap at Breaking Point and calling himself the face of Smackdown and the poster boy of the WWE. Face of Smackdown…definitely. Poster boy of the WWE…sorry Punk, but that’s taken by the likes of John Cena, Triple H, and Undertaker. Anyway, after some time we hear the infamous bong and the lights go out. Then we hear the Druids music come on and they come out with a casket. Well you guys know what comes next. Teddy is in the coffin. Punk helps him out and unties him only to have him say that Hell’s Gate is legal, Punk will be facing Undertaker with the World Heavyweight Championship on the line at Hell in a Cell in the hellish structure, and he was facing him that night. Punk wasn’t exactly happy after that. Later on that night they faced off with Punk winning when ‘Taker couldn’t make it back in the ring by the end of the ref’s ten count.
Lastly, on October 2nd at the Decade of Smackdown celebration (I can’t believe it’s been ten amazing years already!! CONGRATULATIONS SMACKDOWN!!) there was the biggest 8-man tag team match in its history with John Cena, DX, and Undertaker vs. Randy Orton, Legacy, and CM Punk. That match was truly a great match. Sometimes 8-man tags can be very sloppy, but they all performed very well. Cena, DX, and 'Taker did win after 'Taker gave Orton the Tombstone Piledriver.
So after all of this I, honestly, don’t have a winner for this match. Like I said in my last post I want ‘Taker to win, but then that’s unfair to Punk making him look like a paper champion and I want Punk to win, but that would make ‘Taker look bad so here’s the other way I believe this feud should’ve been played out. They really should’ve saved it for Survivor Series. They could’ve build it with maybe a match here and there and, of course, mind games, which would’ve made the ending product that much better, instead of a screw job and then three weeks later another match. Plus, Survivor Series is where the world was introduced to the Undertaker. How great would it be on his eighteenth or nineteenth year of being with the WWE he won the World Heavyweight Championship; possibly for the last time.
In the end, ’Taker did win becoming World Heavyweight Champion for the seventh time. Even though I was completely shocked and pissed that they opened with this main event match it was still an amazing bout. I figured it wasn’t going to last long with the shape ‘Taker’s hips are in now, but for the ten to fifteen minutes it did last they kept the audience in aw. Punk took some nasty bumps like the one when ‘Taker pushed him off the apron right into the Cell, but it was a hard fought battle. This feud isn’t over yet and I’m very happy about that. That means more ‘Taker!!
John Morrison vs. Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship:
Technically, this feud started at Breaking Point. However, Ziggler became No.1 Contender for the Intercontinental title on the August 27th episode of WWE Superstars when he defeated Mike Knox and Finlay. He was suppose to face Rey Mysterio, who was champion at the time, at Breaking Point, but because of Mysterio’s suspension for “drug use” and Morrison just winning the belt on August 28th they postponed it until Hell in a Cell.
They did, however, have them interact at Breaking Point. Since the PPV was held in Montreal, Pat Patterson, a true legend in the business being the first man to hold the Intercontinental Championship and a native to Montreal, came out to address his home town crowd. As he talked about his storied career Ziggler came out. Patterson was kind enough to comment Ziggler on his amazing talent saying he has a very bright future ahead of him and wishes him luck, but Ziggler wasn’t as kind with his comeback making fun of him saying he didn’t know Patterson was still alive until he came out. He kept on insulting him saying they’re wasting valuable PPV time on someone no one even remembers. Then attacks the poor guy. Luckily, Morrison came to his rescue with his long, flowing hair and amazing abs and…um…sorry about that.
Then on Smackdown the following Friday (Sept. 18) Morrison had a match with Mike Knox with Ziggler doing commentary with Good ol’ JR and Todd Grisham. After he kicked Knox’s, most likely hairy, butt, Morrison grabbed a mike and said that Ziggler might be making a name for himself, but the only name the fans will be chanting is Mr. Ziggles. Really? Mr. Ziggles? Don’t get me wrong I love the name; it’s great. It just sounds like something Disney would call one of their characters. Anyway, in the course of the next two weeks before Hell in a Cell they had two matches against each other (both tag team matches) and a talk on the Abraham Washington show. That was actually so dumb and so degrading towards Ziggler that I actually felt bad for him.
Even though I think it’s definitely Ziggler’s time because, like Patterson said, he is very talented and is a great character with a prominent future ahead of him, Morrison is going to retain.
In the end, Morrison did retain with his finisher the Starship Pain. This feud is only just beginning and probably will continue until at least Survivor Series or maybe later than that. Who knows?!? I do like this feud, though, since it is building two rookies who will very soon be amazing superstars.
Alicia Fox vs. Mickie James for the Divas Championship:
Yay! I can finally say something about the Divas.
Before I talk about this atrocity I need to get something off of my chest. When Divas like Chyna, Trish Stratus, and Lita were around the Women’s Division in WWE was amazing!! They performed in a way a woman never did before, which made me very hopeful that one day I could get into it and be like them. All three women were truly my idols. Now we have Divas like Mickie James, Michelle McCool, and Maria who don’t know what they hell they’re doing in the ring and are an embarrassment to the Women’s Division. Yeah, there’s girls like Gail Kim and Natalya that are absolutely amazing performers, but they’re not being used correctly. Also, the Divas Title is a total sham and any woman who goes into the WWE saying “My life goal is to become Divas Champion” should be thrown out, immediately. The Women’s Championship is very prestigious being held by the likes of the Fabulous Moolah, Alundra Blayze, and Trish Stratus an unprecedented seven times. A title I would love to have myself, but only God knows if that’ll happen or not. So, in other words, thanks WWE for now letting the Divas just be plan ol’ eye candy instead of being the very strong, but very beautiful women they were.
Phew! I feel better now.
Ok, so this feud started when Alicia Fox defeated Gail Kim on Raw on September 14th to become the No.1 contender for the Divas Championship. Then the next week on Raw (Sept. 21) as Mickie James faced off against Beth Phoenix, Alicia sat at ring side scouting her opponent. After the match she attacked Mickie hitting her over the head with her belt. That’s it. That’s everything leading to Hell in a Cell. Wow…I’m so excited for this match. NOT!! Mickie is definitely going to retain because, one, there was no build to it, and, two, they're not going to give the belt to a true rookie; especially one who can’t wrestle if her life depended on it.
In the end, Mickie does retain. Moving on.
Big Show and Chris Jericho vs. Batista and Rey Mysterio for the Unified Tag Team Championships:
There wasn’t really any build for this match either, but I was very excited about it because of the fact we’re seeing Batista and Rey Mysterio teaming up again. I love these guys and just having Rey back after his senseless suspension over a month ago was awesome.
It all started when Batista returned on Raw on September 14th to announce that he was actually moving to Smackdown (and to get one last shot at Orton). That Friday (Sept. 18) he debuted much to the chagrin of Jericho. Batista made a match with Jericho for that night and he, to take a quote from JR, “whipped him like a government mule”. Show watched on and after the match made one with Batista for the next week. Of course, Batista accepted. The two behemoths faced off with Batista prevailing via disqualification because Jericho ran in. However, Jericho got what was coming to him when Batista put him in an ankle lock. Later that night, Batista announced he wanted to face Jerishow at Hell in a Cell with his partner being Rey Mysterio.
I really want Mysterio and Batista to win. They are such an unlikely tag team with Batista being 6’6”, 290 lbs, and a mat wrestler while Mysterio is 5’6”, 175 lbs, and a high flyer, but they mesh so well together. They were great in 2005 when they did it in loving memory of Eddie Guerrero (RIP) and I think they can do it again just for the hell of it.
In the end, Jerishow retained after Show hit a huge right fist on Mysterio. Darn it! Hopefully this isn’t over and they keep up with these teams. I like both teams and I think they’ll work well together, but we’ll see.
Randy Orton vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship in a Hell in a Cell:
Ah, the feud that never ends. Thank God this wasn’t the main event or I wouldn’t have been a happy camper. Let’s see, after Orton squealed like a pig at Breaking Point, the guest GM on Raw the next night, the lovely Trish Stratus, decided to make the match between Orton and Cena for Hell in a Cell. Out of the entire night that was the only thing she did that I disagree on. That night during an interview Cena said, “I promise you will see a different side of me.” A more brutal and vicious side of him. Why do I feel like he says that for every match, but in a different way?
Anyway, the next week on Raw (Sept. 21) Orton and Cena signed the contract for the match. After they did, Orton brought out his new arsenal…Jerishow. WTF?!? Why are Jericho and Show helping Orton? Where’s Legacy in all of this? But I digress. As soon as Jerishow came out MVP and Mark Henry came to help Cena. So later on that night Orton, Jericho, and Show went against Cena, MVP, and Mark Henry with this “awesome” stipulation. If Orton’s team wins Cena would have to face them in a Gauntlet Match the next week on Raw, but if Cena’s team wins Orton would have to face them in a Gauntlet Match. Well Orton’s team did win. On the September 28th Raw Cena first fought Jericho and won via DQ when Jericho wouldn’t let Cena out of the Walls of Jericho since he was at the ropes. After that was Show and again won via DQ. As Orton walked slowly down the ramp Jericho and Show attacked Cena to soften him up. Once Orton was in the ring Cena had the cell lowered down around them. Orton tried to run out and get away, but was too late. Again, WWE, making your top heel look like a pussy is not a good thing at all. Better rethink doing that. But Orton was able to get out, decided to climb the cage, Cena climbed after him, and gave him the Attitude Adjustment on top of the cell.
Cena is, obviously, going to win because he’s superman. He can overcome any adversity. Whenever he’s put in a tough situation he always comes out on top. Plus, he just won the title so they’re not going to have him lose it three weeks later; not their top babyface.
In the end, Orton became WWE Champion for the sixth time. CENA LOST!!! However, he should’ve won since Orton was tapping to the STF, but the referee was knocked out. Oh well! This feud, unfortunately, is still not over because you know Cena is going to say something to try to get his belt back. The feud that never ends will continue in my next post for Bragging Rights I guarantee it.
R-Truth vs. Drew McIntyre:
This was a total surprise. No text messages. No announcement on wwe.com. I wonder why they did that. But they have been building this feud very well and I really like it. (Mainly because of Drew!! What? So I have a soft spot for long-haired bad boys. Is that a bad thing?!? Haha!!). It all started on the August 28th Smackdown when Drew debuted facing R-Truth. Before the match even started Drew attacked R-Truth giving him a Double-underarm DDT. That’s an excellent way of putting yourself out there; being very aggressive.
Then on Sept. 4th R-Truth had a match, but before his opponent even came out Drew attacked him from behind. After his assault Drew grabbed a mike and said that since he was overlooked he decided to make his own statement by attacking R-Truth. He will continue to do so until he is finally signed onto Smackdown. He wasn’t lying when he said this because on Sept. 11th and Sept. 18th he viciously attacked R-Truth. Finally, on Sept. 25th Vince officially signed him. As he’s talking, R-Truth came out and attacked him. “The tides have turned.” Lastly, on Oct. 2nd, as Drew was making a toast to himself, R-Truth once again attacked him.
Since I didn’t know this match was happening until that night I can’t give my prediction on who would win, but I’m very happy that in the end Drew won with his signature Double-underarm DDT. I’m glad that they’re really building him to be something. I just hope they continue to build him and not give up on him like they did when he was Dave Taylor's protege back in 2007. He has a lot of potential and I think he can be huge in the WWE. This feud is definitely not over, I just hope next time they do announce it.
Miz vs. Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston for the United States Championship:
Ok, so let me get this straight. Because Swagger comes out saying that he deserves the US Title since he is the All-American American and steals the title one night from Kofi, that qualifies him to wrestle for the title. When did WWE change the rules to if you steal the title or proclaim that you deserve a title you get a title shot? I must’ve missed that memo. That means EVERYBODY should be getting a shot at a title, right? Again, WWE, great job. NOT!!
This is going to be such a quick overview. The Raw after Breaking Point Miz and Swagger teamed up to go against Kofi and Primo. Towards the end of the match Miz stole the US title, distracting Kofi so his team could win. The next week on Raw as Miz was being interviewed before his match with Evan Bourne, Kofi attacked him and took back his title. Later on, Kofi had a match with Swagger, which ended in a no contest because Miz came out to steal the title again. However, Swagger stopped him and took it for himself. Then on Raw on Sept. 25th Swagger faced off against Bourne and won. After the match he says he’s going to become the All-American American US Champion (try saying that five times fast). Miz then comes out and says he’s going to be the next US Champion. Well the egos collide with Swagger attacking Miz. As they fought Kofi came out to take back his title. It’s like a freakin’ game of hot potato. Lastly, on the Oct. 1st episode of WWE Superstars Kofi defeated Miz in a match, but Swagger came out afterwards to attack both men.
Kofi’s definitely going to win this match. The egotistical Miz and over-confident Swagger really don’t deserve the title in my eyes since they really haven’t proven themselves. Plus, they’re going to knock each other out to prove who’s better, which will give Kofi an easy win over these two bozos.
In the end, Kofi retains. The end of the match was pretty incredible, though. Swagger hit a Gutwrench powerbomb on Miz. Kofi hit the Trouble in Paradise on Swagger, but covered Miz. This isn’t over, either, so we might just see this feud go into Survivor Series. Hopefully not, but we might.
Finally, we come to our main event of the night…
DX vs. Legacy in a Hell in a Cell:
Unbelievable! Hunter really couldn’t handle the fact that he wasn’t main eventing at the PPVs so they make this the last match of the night instead of CM Punk vs. ‘Taker. Really sad.
So after Breaking Point, Legacy came out on Raw to gloat about the fact they made DX tap. “Are you ready…to welcome the dawning of a new era in WWE?” They stated that they aren’t known as the sons of Dusty Rhodes and the Million Dollar Man, but that they are the fathers of Legacy. LOVE IT!! Later on, Ted went against Shawn, but it ended in a no contest when Triple H attacked Cody and an all out brawl waged on throughout the arena. On the Sept. 21st Raw, Triple H went against Cody. This one ended in a DQ when they attacked Shawn throwing him onto the announcer’s table then hitting Hunter with a chair.
Finally, on the Sept. 28th Raw, Legacy came out showing a lot of respect by admitting that Hunter and Shawn are the best, but they will be the ones who end their careers. Then you hear Shawn saying, “BORING!” The cameras find them in a luxury box. Hunters says that Legacy is like a butt; not as much the cheeks, but the part in the middle. Sorry, I need to stop for one second to say one thing. You have Cody and Ted who are in their mid-twenties showing respect towards DX. You have Hunter and Shawn who are in their forties calling Legacy a butt. Who are the mature ones here? I rest my case.
Hunter continues by comparing himself and Shawn to David Banner and the Incredible Hulk. When Banner changes into the monster he doesn’t like it, but when they let their monsters out they love it. They went to go attack Legacy, but they ran.
Like I mentioned in my last post I think DX needs to end, but I LOVE this feud. The build for it is amazing. I love the fact that two rookies are being brought up and they’re really shining bright. I also love that they’re slowly cutting ties with Orton to be on their own. It’s kind of like Batista and Orton in Evolution. It was great that they were a part of it so their names could become well-known. Once they did they broke away and now they’re huge. I can totally see that happening for Cody and Ted; I really hope it does, too. I really want Legacy to win yet with Hunter and Shawn’s experience in the cell they’ll most likely prevail.
In the end, DX won after a pretty darn good match. The torture sequence went on longer than it should, but some of the things Legacy did to Shawn were brutal. I mean Ted’s dropkick to Shawn’s face while Cody held a chair there was painful. Unfortunately, I think this might be the end to this amazing feud. Hopefully, I’m wrong on that my fellow wrestling fanatics.
Thanks everybody for reading and I hope you enjoyed. I want to thank really quickly everybody who has been sending me comments (especially Donna and Issac!!). I really appreciate what you guys have said. I hope you continue to enjoy my blog and leaving comments so it can continue to get better. If you would like to send a comment or talk about wrestling you can e-mail me at wrestlingchick19@gmail.com. I would love to hear what you guys think so please don't hesitate to get in contact with me. Thanks again!
Much love and "Have a nice day!".
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Breaking Point - September 13, 2009 - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
In this one book I own, The Checkerbee Fan Guide to Wrestling, it stated “Feuds are the lifeblood of professional wrestling. You can’t beat the heat of two superstars slugging it out over a title belt, family honor, relationship or just good old-fashioned hatred. Wrestling federations depend on exciting feuds to keep fans coming to the shows and watching pay-per-view events.”
Captain Lou Albano also stated in the book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Pro Wrestling: Second Edition that in order to make a rivalry good or special you need the buildup, the participants, the stakes they are wrestling for, and how the rivalry is going to end. WWE has had some amazing feuds (i.e. The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz), but they also have had their share of flops (i.e. the “feud” between the NWO and DX). Every month, more or less, I will discuss how each feud came to be, give my opinion on if it’s good or not and who’s going to win, and, finally, give the results of each match. So lets begin with WWE’s most recent PPV, Breaking Point, shall we.
Chris Jericho and Big Show vs. MVP and Mark Henry for the Unified Tag Team Championships:
I see these two teams as being one in the same. You’ve got a loud mouth, but excellent wrestler teaming up with a gigantic, powerful man.
This feud started when Floyd “The Money” Mayweather was the celebrity GM on the August 24th edition of Raw. As many of you remember Show had a little rivalry going on with this little pipsqueak of a boxer last year, which culminated at WrestleMania 24. Of course, Show was still a little pissed off that he lost to him so both Jericho and Show called him out. At one point MVP came out to defend him and suggested they have a match. Mayweather stepped in and said that if MVP and his partner won they would face Jericho and Show at Breaking Point for the Unified Tag Team Titles. Well MVP decided to chose “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry. Towards the end of the match Mayweather tossed in a pair of brass knuckles to MVP who used them on Jericho and got the pinfall.
During the next two weeks the only real build they had for this match were independent matches. On the August 31st and September 7th editions of Raw Show faced Henry and MVP faced Jericho. On Aug. 31st Henry won by DQ because Show used an exposed turnbuckle on his mighty foe while Jericho won his match against MVP. On Sept. 7th Henry beat Show in the Body Slam Challenge match after Santino Marella wasn’t able to pick up the behemoth while MVP was able to defeat Jericho in their second bout together.
I wasn’t really excited for this match since there wasn’t any real build to it, but I love Jericho and MVP so I figured it should be enjoyable. I'm leaning towards Jericho and Show to retain since they’ve been tagging a little bit longer than MVP and Henry and already have great chemistry together, plus (like my best friend/bro, Mike, observed) their music is synched together and they come out together so their going to be champions and an awesome team for quite some time.
In the end, they did retain when Show hit Henry with his powerful Knockout Punch and Jericho covered him for the three count. I don’t think this feud is done yet. We might be seeing the beginning of something. Whether it’s going to be great or not I can’t say for sure just yet.
Miz vs. Kofi Kingston for the United States Championship:
As far as I can remember there was no build what-so-freakin-ever for this match since they announced it a day or two before the PPV on WWE.com and through their mobile messaging (that’s how I found out). I looked back through onlineworldofwrestling.com and WWE.com to see if their was anything between these two. According to the two Websites there really wasn’t. Miz would come out saying how he’s the Miz and he’s awesome and he deserves a shot at the US title and blah, blah, blah. He got a shot at it on Raw on Aug. 31st in the fatal four way against Kofi, Carito, and Jack Swagger, but he lost with Kofi retaining.
Then on Superstars three nights before the PPV him and Jack Swagger went against Kofi and Primo. Since Miz won the match covering Kofi that earned him a shot at the title. Huh?!? Anyway, I think my bro, Mike, said it best when he stated that during the summer they were building Miz so much with Cena then all of sudden dropped him like a bad habit that he really doesn’t deserve a shot at the title. They need to BUILD and SHOW that he DESERVES it not just have him come out, say he’s awesome, and then out the blue get a shot. Whatevs.
This one I’m totally giving to Kofi since they did jack with this feud. If there was more build I might’ve gone with Miz, but since it seems like they have other plans with it (maybe a build to Hell in a Cell or Survivor Series) I say Kofi retains.
In the end, he did. Holy crap what a surprise!!! Haha!! After Kofi hit Miz with the Trouble in Paradise he was able to pin him and win.
DX vs. Legacy in a Submission Counts Anywhere match:
OK, don’t get me wrong I was a huge fan of DX when they first formed in the late 90’s and when they returned in 2006, but now it just needs to end. You have two 40-year-olds (albeit two very handsome 40-year-olds) making sex jokes, telling everybody to suck it, and giving us a crotch chop. It’s just a little weird, to me.
Anyway, this feud actually started back at the end of July when Triple H couldn’t beat the clock against Cody and then on Aug. 3rd he was attacked by both Cody and Ted. That’s when he announced he was going to make one phone call. Everybody knew it was to Shawn. However, Shawn didn’t want to come back so Hunter had to go to him and do a little bit of convincing to get him back. On Aug. 10th Hunter went to an office building in Texas to find Shawn working as a chef and being bossed around by child. Really?!? The Showstopper being told what to do by a kid?!?
However, after some persuasion and a grill fire Shawn decided to come back. On Aug. 17th DX made their official return, but, thankfully, Legacy came out and attacked them from behind. It was great I’m not going to lie. Then at Summerslam the future met the past with the past winning the match; of course. Twenty-four hours after facing each other Legacy faced DX once again with Randy Orton teaming with Cody and Ted and Vince McMahon teaming with Hunter and Shawn. Aw…father-in-law and son-in-law are teaming up again. How sweet?!? This was all part of Vince’s birthday, which, in the end, must’ve been one of the greatest ones ever in his life. I mean between winning his match with DX and having Big Dick Johnson pop out of cake and dance in front of you half-naked it just can’t get any better than that.
Their feud continued on Aug. 31st when “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes decided to stab Cena in the back and all of Legacy attacked him. After some time Hunter and Shawn came flying down the ramp to attack Cody and Ted, but Dusty helped out his son by knocking Hunter out with his boot. Legacy got the upper hand that night, but on Sept. 7th it was a different story. After their match against Orton and Chris Masters Legacy came out and attacked them once again, but this time DX fought back bringing them into the backstage area. Legacy fled in a stolen car saving their energy for Breaking Point.
Even though I mentioned earlier that DX needs to end I’ll admit that this feud isn’t all too bad. I really like the build they’re doing with Legacy constantly attacking them and getting the upper hand on DX, which is something you don’t see too often happen; meaning you don’t really see a rookie getting over on Triple H. I really want Legacy to win just to prove that DX can’t always win them all, but I got a funny feeling that DX will win because God forbid Hunter loses to a rookie; especially since it’s a submission match he just can’t submit to the future of wrestling.
In the end, after starting in the ring, going to the ring area, fighting in the crowd, in the backstage area, and every other place you can think of, Legacy FINALLY beat them. As Cody put a figure-four leg lock on Shawn at a ring post and Ted put the Million Dollar Dream on him, Shawn tapped. It’s about time they lost, but you know this ain’t over by a long shot. It’s going to go into a hell in a cell and either end their with blood shed or at Survivor Series. All I know is this is a good future vs. past feud, hopefully with the future coming out on top when it’s all over.
Kane vs. The Great Khali in a Singapore Cane Match:
Wow…two giants facing off against each other. This is something new. NOT!! Giant vs. Kevin Nash, Undertaker vs. Kane, Andre the Giant vs. Black Jack Mulligan…need I say more. Most of the time, these matches end up to be really good because you have two wrestlers who know what the hell their doing and make it look amazing. However, these matches can also be terrible because you have two clumsy giants who can’t do much. Case in point, this feud.
Now I love Kane!! I always have since his debut in ‘97 during the very first Hell in a Cell between ‘Taker and Shawn Michaels, but Khali is the one I have the problem with. He’s very clumsy and only knows a handful of moves to use against his opponents including the vice grip, and the Punjabi Plunge. I feel this feud has already gone longer than what it should and, unfortunately, I don’t think it’s close to being done yet.
This rivalry started at the Bash when Kane decided to interfere in Khali’s match against Dolph Ziggler. Why he did it?!? Who knows. At this point who cares. So then on July 3rd Kane went against Mysterio and after he beat him Khali came out to seek some revenge, but Kane retreated through the crowd. On July 17th Khali came out to attack Kane after his match with R-Truth, but Kane ran away. On July 24th Khali challenged Kane to come out and face him after his match with Mike Knox. Kane walked down the ramp, climbed the apron, but instead of going into the ring to face him Kane decided to back down and return to the backstage area. Do you see a pattern here?!? For the first time ever in his career Kane is not facing his foe. What the hell?!?
Finally, on July 31st Kane came out and interfered in Khali’s match against Charlie Haas and then on Aug. 7th Kane knocked him out to kidnap Rajin Singh. Now that’s the Kane I know!! On Aug. 14th everybody finds out the Rajin is actually Khali’s brother (um…they have to be brothers from another mother cause Khali is over 7ft tall and ugly while Rajin is around 6 ft tall and not that bad looking!! Haha!!), but as Khali came to his rescue Kane attacked him from behind with a lead pipe.
Then we go back to the “pussy” Kane on Aug. 21st when Khali came out to get revenge on Kane, but he retreated. They, finally, met up at Summerslam with Kane pinning Khali. But we ain’t done. The Smackdown after Summerslam (Aug. 28) Kane had a match with Mysterio where he was disqualified. After the match Khali came out and attacked him. On Sept. 4th they had another match, but it was a tag team match where Kane was paired with Mike Knox and Khali teamed with Finlay. Khali and Finlay were able to defeat the two brutes. Finally, on Sept.11th Kane attacked Khali before his match with David Hart Smith and was about to hit him with a Singapore Cane, but Khali retaliated with a Brain Chop and a Punjabi Plunge.
Wow…that took forever!!
I, honestly, don’t have a winner for this match. I should be saying Kane, but since he’s been backing down from every challenge Khali throws at him I can’t. It just shows me that he’s being a coward and doesn’t want to fight him. I don’t want to say that about Kane, but that’s how I’m seeing it. Unless he’s conserving his energy, but I highly doubt it.
In the end, Kane won with a chokeslam. AWESOME!! GO KANE!! But, unfortunately, I don’t think that’s the end of this feud. I don’t think they’re going to do a Hell in a Cell match, but maybe a Punjabi Prison match might end this on going rivalry. We can only hope.
Christian vs. William Regal for the ECW Championship:
Again, really not enough build for this match, but Christian is a great wrestler and so is William Regal so I think this is going to be a hell of a lot better than their 8 second squash match at Summerslam. By the way…that proved to me how much faith the bookers have in ECW at WWE’s big events that they only give them 8 seconds or, like at WrestleMania this year, no match at all.
But Regal won the chance to face Christian at Summerslam when he defeated Tommy Dreamer on the Aug. 11th edition of ECW. On Aug. 18th Regal teamed up with Vladimir Kozlov to go against Christian and Ezekial Jackson. When Jackson was tagged in he went to attack Kozlov, but instead turned around and attacked Christian. Who didn't see that one coming?!? Then Kozlov, Jackson, and Regal attacked Christian leaving him lying in the middle of the ring. Two days after their squash (Aug. 25th) Regal faced off with Christian again and if he beat him he would get his rematch at Breaking Point. He did win and then on Sept. 8th, after his cohorts Jackson and Kozlov beat Christian and Dreamer, he attacked both. That episode ended with Regal standing over Christian. A sign of things to come?!?
Even though I think it’s definitely time for Regal to hold a world title I don’t think it’s the ECW title he should be holding. I think Christian is going to retain with this feud going on to possibly Survivor Series.
In the end, with Jackson and Kozlov being banned from the ring, Christian was able to retain with his finisher the Killswitch, or the Unprettier, whichever name you want to go with.
Randy Orton vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship in an “I Quit” Match:
Oh my gosh I HATE this rivalry. This is the feud that seems to never end. I mean yeah in the past, wrestling has had some notable feuds like Ric Flair vs. Harley Race or Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon that have gone on for months or years, but those were good and entertaining. This feud is just boring and uneventful. I think once this one is totally over most fans will rejoice no matter who wins this war.
For me, Cena vs. Orton kind of reminds me of the Vietnam War or the War in Iraq. They’re senseless wars that nobody wanted to happen, but the powers at be thought they were amazing ideas and went with it anyway. Plus, like the wars, this feud just keeps on going on and on and on. Luckily, the Vietnam War ended, but the War in Iraq is, unfortunately, still going on today for no good reason. So is Cena vs. Orton and it’s destroying people’s love for wrestling.
This lovely match-up seems to start up around the end of July of 2007. Then they met up at Summerslam for the WWE Championship (I was there and I don’t remember it being too good) where Cena retained. Orton would go on to punt Cena’s father in the head on the Aug.27th edition of Raw. They would go on face off at Unforgiven in 2007, No Way Out in 2008, then at WrestleMania 24, then at Backlash. Finally, on May 12th they faced each other one last time and that was it for over a year. Then in July they decided to start over again. Darn it!!
They met up at Night of Champions and Summerslam (why the same match at the same PPV?!? Come on WWE I know you guys are creative start thinking of new stuff please!!). By the way…their match at Summerslam was a total fiasco. When Orton got disqualified that should’ve been it. Not restarting that match over and over again. I was ready to walk out of Hooters I was getting so pissed off by this damn match. Anyway, the night after their crappy match Cena stopped Orton from leaving his match against DX and Vince and gave him the Attitude Adjustment to help them win. Also, that night Vince announced that at Breaking Point it was going to be Orton vs. Cena in an “I Quit” match. Oh yay.
On Aug. 31st, with help from Dusty Rhodes, Orton attacked Cena and then on Sept. 7th Orton, after his match, decided to cut a promo stating he was going to win because he wasn’t going to say “I quit”. That prompted Cena to come out, but Orton was ready giving him an RKO on a chair. Now we all know Cena. He’s not the type to give up and quit so guess who’s winning this match and becoming WWE Champion for the sixth time in his career.
In the end, Orton quits when Cena puts him in an STF with Orton’s handcuffed hand coming around his face. Wow…what a shocker. I’ll admit this though it was a brutal match. I mean Cena was truly being battered and beaten with those shots to the abdomen with the Singapore cane, but he’s superman so he can take it. Unlike Orton who when he’s handcuffed to his nemesis decides to act like a little bitch instead of fight. Great way to make your top heel look tough guys.
Finally, I saved the best for last…
CM Punk vs. Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship in a Submission Match:
This match I was so excited for, but at the same time it was way too soon. Mike and his girlfriend (my best friend), Marianna, agree with me that they did this too early. Three weeks to build a match. Damn, but you know what they did a pretty good job at it. I mean ‘Taker is amazing so you know this is going to be great and Punk has come so far and he’s doing so great as a heel. To be honest, his feud with Jeff Hardy was absolutely amazing and should go down as one of the greatest in history.
But I digress, let’s get back to Punk and ‘Taker. This rivalry started at Summerslam when, after Punk beat Hardy and become World Heavyweight Champion, ‘Taker returned and gave him a monstrous chokeslam in the middle of the ring. Five days after their brutal ladder match, Punk and Hardy faced off in a steel cage match where, as Teddy Long announced earlier in the show, whoever won would face ‘Taker at Breaking Point for the World Heavyweight Championship. Punk, obviously, won. Then on Sept. 4th as Punk was about to, possibly, end Matt Hardy’s career, ‘Taker came out and chokeslammed him through the announce table.
Finally, on Sept. 11th Punk and ‘Taker cut a great promo together to help build the match a bit more. ‘Taker came out first saying how he was going to win the match with Hell’s Gate, become World Heavyweight Championship, and take Punk’s soul (vintage Undertaker!! O God I’m sounding like Michael Cole. That’s not good!!). So Punk came out and said that ‘Taker has been preying on the peoples minds for over 20 years making them believe in the Undertaker; that he’s invincible, magical, and that he’s going to win at Breaking Point. He continued saying that he wasn’t going to be a victim because he’s stronger. Lastly, he will have the fans cheering for him saying no and being straightedge. ‘Taker replies with the fact that they won’t be saying no, but they will be saying “Rest in Peace”. Later on that night, as Punk celebrated winning his match against Matt, ‘Taker continues his mind games by appearing on stage with Punk’s title.
This one I’m undecided on, too, because I want ‘Taker to win, but that’s unfair to Punk who would be seen as a paper champion. He’s not, he’s actually a damn good champion. However, ‘Taker is not the one to tap and to have him tap out to Punk would be…just…wrong. So with this I really don’t know.
In the end, IT WAS ANOTHER MONTREAL SCREWJOB!!! Seriously?!? Are they kidding me?!? You’re really going to make a parody of something that really happened and that was truly devastating?!? Wow…I’m truly disgusted. ‘Taker had the match won when Punk tapped to Hell’s Gate. As he celebrated, Long came out and stated that Hell’s Gate was banned from Smackdown and ordered the match to continue. As soon as the bell rang Punk tried putting him in the Anaconda Vice. As soon as he had it in the bell rang, the ref ran for his life, and so did Punk. This is definitely going to continue. I hope they put them in a Hell in a Cell. That’ll be an amazing match that just might be compared to ‘Taker vs. Mick Foley (Mankind) at King of the Ring in ‘98.
Thanks everybody for reading and I hope you enjoyed. If you would like to send me any comments you may do so at wrestlingchick19@gmail.com. I would love to hear what you guys think so please don't hesitate to send something. Thanks again.
Much love and "Have a nice day!".
Captain Lou Albano also stated in the book The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Pro Wrestling: Second Edition that in order to make a rivalry good or special you need the buildup, the participants, the stakes they are wrestling for, and how the rivalry is going to end. WWE has had some amazing feuds (i.e. The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz), but they also have had their share of flops (i.e. the “feud” between the NWO and DX). Every month, more or less, I will discuss how each feud came to be, give my opinion on if it’s good or not and who’s going to win, and, finally, give the results of each match. So lets begin with WWE’s most recent PPV, Breaking Point, shall we.
Chris Jericho and Big Show vs. MVP and Mark Henry for the Unified Tag Team Championships:
I see these two teams as being one in the same. You’ve got a loud mouth, but excellent wrestler teaming up with a gigantic, powerful man.
This feud started when Floyd “The Money” Mayweather was the celebrity GM on the August 24th edition of Raw. As many of you remember Show had a little rivalry going on with this little pipsqueak of a boxer last year, which culminated at WrestleMania 24. Of course, Show was still a little pissed off that he lost to him so both Jericho and Show called him out. At one point MVP came out to defend him and suggested they have a match. Mayweather stepped in and said that if MVP and his partner won they would face Jericho and Show at Breaking Point for the Unified Tag Team Titles. Well MVP decided to chose “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry. Towards the end of the match Mayweather tossed in a pair of brass knuckles to MVP who used them on Jericho and got the pinfall.
During the next two weeks the only real build they had for this match were independent matches. On the August 31st and September 7th editions of Raw Show faced Henry and MVP faced Jericho. On Aug. 31st Henry won by DQ because Show used an exposed turnbuckle on his mighty foe while Jericho won his match against MVP. On Sept. 7th Henry beat Show in the Body Slam Challenge match after Santino Marella wasn’t able to pick up the behemoth while MVP was able to defeat Jericho in their second bout together.
I wasn’t really excited for this match since there wasn’t any real build to it, but I love Jericho and MVP so I figured it should be enjoyable. I'm leaning towards Jericho and Show to retain since they’ve been tagging a little bit longer than MVP and Henry and already have great chemistry together, plus (like my best friend/bro, Mike, observed) their music is synched together and they come out together so their going to be champions and an awesome team for quite some time.
In the end, they did retain when Show hit Henry with his powerful Knockout Punch and Jericho covered him for the three count. I don’t think this feud is done yet. We might be seeing the beginning of something. Whether it’s going to be great or not I can’t say for sure just yet.
Miz vs. Kofi Kingston for the United States Championship:
As far as I can remember there was no build what-so-freakin-ever for this match since they announced it a day or two before the PPV on WWE.com and through their mobile messaging (that’s how I found out). I looked back through onlineworldofwrestling.com and WWE.com to see if their was anything between these two. According to the two Websites there really wasn’t. Miz would come out saying how he’s the Miz and he’s awesome and he deserves a shot at the US title and blah, blah, blah. He got a shot at it on Raw on Aug. 31st in the fatal four way against Kofi, Carito, and Jack Swagger, but he lost with Kofi retaining.
Then on Superstars three nights before the PPV him and Jack Swagger went against Kofi and Primo. Since Miz won the match covering Kofi that earned him a shot at the title. Huh?!? Anyway, I think my bro, Mike, said it best when he stated that during the summer they were building Miz so much with Cena then all of sudden dropped him like a bad habit that he really doesn’t deserve a shot at the title. They need to BUILD and SHOW that he DESERVES it not just have him come out, say he’s awesome, and then out the blue get a shot. Whatevs.
This one I’m totally giving to Kofi since they did jack with this feud. If there was more build I might’ve gone with Miz, but since it seems like they have other plans with it (maybe a build to Hell in a Cell or Survivor Series) I say Kofi retains.
In the end, he did. Holy crap what a surprise!!! Haha!! After Kofi hit Miz with the Trouble in Paradise he was able to pin him and win.
DX vs. Legacy in a Submission Counts Anywhere match:
OK, don’t get me wrong I was a huge fan of DX when they first formed in the late 90’s and when they returned in 2006, but now it just needs to end. You have two 40-year-olds (albeit two very handsome 40-year-olds) making sex jokes, telling everybody to suck it, and giving us a crotch chop. It’s just a little weird, to me.
Anyway, this feud actually started back at the end of July when Triple H couldn’t beat the clock against Cody and then on Aug. 3rd he was attacked by both Cody and Ted. That’s when he announced he was going to make one phone call. Everybody knew it was to Shawn. However, Shawn didn’t want to come back so Hunter had to go to him and do a little bit of convincing to get him back. On Aug. 10th Hunter went to an office building in Texas to find Shawn working as a chef and being bossed around by child. Really?!? The Showstopper being told what to do by a kid?!?
However, after some persuasion and a grill fire Shawn decided to come back. On Aug. 17th DX made their official return, but, thankfully, Legacy came out and attacked them from behind. It was great I’m not going to lie. Then at Summerslam the future met the past with the past winning the match; of course. Twenty-four hours after facing each other Legacy faced DX once again with Randy Orton teaming with Cody and Ted and Vince McMahon teaming with Hunter and Shawn. Aw…father-in-law and son-in-law are teaming up again. How sweet?!? This was all part of Vince’s birthday, which, in the end, must’ve been one of the greatest ones ever in his life. I mean between winning his match with DX and having Big Dick Johnson pop out of cake and dance in front of you half-naked it just can’t get any better than that.
Their feud continued on Aug. 31st when “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes decided to stab Cena in the back and all of Legacy attacked him. After some time Hunter and Shawn came flying down the ramp to attack Cody and Ted, but Dusty helped out his son by knocking Hunter out with his boot. Legacy got the upper hand that night, but on Sept. 7th it was a different story. After their match against Orton and Chris Masters Legacy came out and attacked them once again, but this time DX fought back bringing them into the backstage area. Legacy fled in a stolen car saving their energy for Breaking Point.
Even though I mentioned earlier that DX needs to end I’ll admit that this feud isn’t all too bad. I really like the build they’re doing with Legacy constantly attacking them and getting the upper hand on DX, which is something you don’t see too often happen; meaning you don’t really see a rookie getting over on Triple H. I really want Legacy to win just to prove that DX can’t always win them all, but I got a funny feeling that DX will win because God forbid Hunter loses to a rookie; especially since it’s a submission match he just can’t submit to the future of wrestling.
In the end, after starting in the ring, going to the ring area, fighting in the crowd, in the backstage area, and every other place you can think of, Legacy FINALLY beat them. As Cody put a figure-four leg lock on Shawn at a ring post and Ted put the Million Dollar Dream on him, Shawn tapped. It’s about time they lost, but you know this ain’t over by a long shot. It’s going to go into a hell in a cell and either end their with blood shed or at Survivor Series. All I know is this is a good future vs. past feud, hopefully with the future coming out on top when it’s all over.
Kane vs. The Great Khali in a Singapore Cane Match:
Wow…two giants facing off against each other. This is something new. NOT!! Giant vs. Kevin Nash, Undertaker vs. Kane, Andre the Giant vs. Black Jack Mulligan…need I say more. Most of the time, these matches end up to be really good because you have two wrestlers who know what the hell their doing and make it look amazing. However, these matches can also be terrible because you have two clumsy giants who can’t do much. Case in point, this feud.
Now I love Kane!! I always have since his debut in ‘97 during the very first Hell in a Cell between ‘Taker and Shawn Michaels, but Khali is the one I have the problem with. He’s very clumsy and only knows a handful of moves to use against his opponents including the vice grip, and the Punjabi Plunge. I feel this feud has already gone longer than what it should and, unfortunately, I don’t think it’s close to being done yet.
This rivalry started at the Bash when Kane decided to interfere in Khali’s match against Dolph Ziggler. Why he did it?!? Who knows. At this point who cares. So then on July 3rd Kane went against Mysterio and after he beat him Khali came out to seek some revenge, but Kane retreated through the crowd. On July 17th Khali came out to attack Kane after his match with R-Truth, but Kane ran away. On July 24th Khali challenged Kane to come out and face him after his match with Mike Knox. Kane walked down the ramp, climbed the apron, but instead of going into the ring to face him Kane decided to back down and return to the backstage area. Do you see a pattern here?!? For the first time ever in his career Kane is not facing his foe. What the hell?!?
Finally, on July 31st Kane came out and interfered in Khali’s match against Charlie Haas and then on Aug. 7th Kane knocked him out to kidnap Rajin Singh. Now that’s the Kane I know!! On Aug. 14th everybody finds out the Rajin is actually Khali’s brother (um…they have to be brothers from another mother cause Khali is over 7ft tall and ugly while Rajin is around 6 ft tall and not that bad looking!! Haha!!), but as Khali came to his rescue Kane attacked him from behind with a lead pipe.
Then we go back to the “pussy” Kane on Aug. 21st when Khali came out to get revenge on Kane, but he retreated. They, finally, met up at Summerslam with Kane pinning Khali. But we ain’t done. The Smackdown after Summerslam (Aug. 28) Kane had a match with Mysterio where he was disqualified. After the match Khali came out and attacked him. On Sept. 4th they had another match, but it was a tag team match where Kane was paired with Mike Knox and Khali teamed with Finlay. Khali and Finlay were able to defeat the two brutes. Finally, on Sept.11th Kane attacked Khali before his match with David Hart Smith and was about to hit him with a Singapore Cane, but Khali retaliated with a Brain Chop and a Punjabi Plunge.
Wow…that took forever!!
I, honestly, don’t have a winner for this match. I should be saying Kane, but since he’s been backing down from every challenge Khali throws at him I can’t. It just shows me that he’s being a coward and doesn’t want to fight him. I don’t want to say that about Kane, but that’s how I’m seeing it. Unless he’s conserving his energy, but I highly doubt it.
In the end, Kane won with a chokeslam. AWESOME!! GO KANE!! But, unfortunately, I don’t think that’s the end of this feud. I don’t think they’re going to do a Hell in a Cell match, but maybe a Punjabi Prison match might end this on going rivalry. We can only hope.
Christian vs. William Regal for the ECW Championship:
Again, really not enough build for this match, but Christian is a great wrestler and so is William Regal so I think this is going to be a hell of a lot better than their 8 second squash match at Summerslam. By the way…that proved to me how much faith the bookers have in ECW at WWE’s big events that they only give them 8 seconds or, like at WrestleMania this year, no match at all.
But Regal won the chance to face Christian at Summerslam when he defeated Tommy Dreamer on the Aug. 11th edition of ECW. On Aug. 18th Regal teamed up with Vladimir Kozlov to go against Christian and Ezekial Jackson. When Jackson was tagged in he went to attack Kozlov, but instead turned around and attacked Christian. Who didn't see that one coming?!? Then Kozlov, Jackson, and Regal attacked Christian leaving him lying in the middle of the ring. Two days after their squash (Aug. 25th) Regal faced off with Christian again and if he beat him he would get his rematch at Breaking Point. He did win and then on Sept. 8th, after his cohorts Jackson and Kozlov beat Christian and Dreamer, he attacked both. That episode ended with Regal standing over Christian. A sign of things to come?!?
Even though I think it’s definitely time for Regal to hold a world title I don’t think it’s the ECW title he should be holding. I think Christian is going to retain with this feud going on to possibly Survivor Series.
In the end, with Jackson and Kozlov being banned from the ring, Christian was able to retain with his finisher the Killswitch, or the Unprettier, whichever name you want to go with.
Randy Orton vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship in an “I Quit” Match:
Oh my gosh I HATE this rivalry. This is the feud that seems to never end. I mean yeah in the past, wrestling has had some notable feuds like Ric Flair vs. Harley Race or Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon that have gone on for months or years, but those were good and entertaining. This feud is just boring and uneventful. I think once this one is totally over most fans will rejoice no matter who wins this war.
For me, Cena vs. Orton kind of reminds me of the Vietnam War or the War in Iraq. They’re senseless wars that nobody wanted to happen, but the powers at be thought they were amazing ideas and went with it anyway. Plus, like the wars, this feud just keeps on going on and on and on. Luckily, the Vietnam War ended, but the War in Iraq is, unfortunately, still going on today for no good reason. So is Cena vs. Orton and it’s destroying people’s love for wrestling.
This lovely match-up seems to start up around the end of July of 2007. Then they met up at Summerslam for the WWE Championship (I was there and I don’t remember it being too good) where Cena retained. Orton would go on to punt Cena’s father in the head on the Aug.27th edition of Raw. They would go on face off at Unforgiven in 2007, No Way Out in 2008, then at WrestleMania 24, then at Backlash. Finally, on May 12th they faced each other one last time and that was it for over a year. Then in July they decided to start over again. Darn it!!
They met up at Night of Champions and Summerslam (why the same match at the same PPV?!? Come on WWE I know you guys are creative start thinking of new stuff please!!). By the way…their match at Summerslam was a total fiasco. When Orton got disqualified that should’ve been it. Not restarting that match over and over again. I was ready to walk out of Hooters I was getting so pissed off by this damn match. Anyway, the night after their crappy match Cena stopped Orton from leaving his match against DX and Vince and gave him the Attitude Adjustment to help them win. Also, that night Vince announced that at Breaking Point it was going to be Orton vs. Cena in an “I Quit” match. Oh yay.
On Aug. 31st, with help from Dusty Rhodes, Orton attacked Cena and then on Sept. 7th Orton, after his match, decided to cut a promo stating he was going to win because he wasn’t going to say “I quit”. That prompted Cena to come out, but Orton was ready giving him an RKO on a chair. Now we all know Cena. He’s not the type to give up and quit so guess who’s winning this match and becoming WWE Champion for the sixth time in his career.
In the end, Orton quits when Cena puts him in an STF with Orton’s handcuffed hand coming around his face. Wow…what a shocker. I’ll admit this though it was a brutal match. I mean Cena was truly being battered and beaten with those shots to the abdomen with the Singapore cane, but he’s superman so he can take it. Unlike Orton who when he’s handcuffed to his nemesis decides to act like a little bitch instead of fight. Great way to make your top heel look tough guys.
Finally, I saved the best for last…
CM Punk vs. Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship in a Submission Match:
This match I was so excited for, but at the same time it was way too soon. Mike and his girlfriend (my best friend), Marianna, agree with me that they did this too early. Three weeks to build a match. Damn, but you know what they did a pretty good job at it. I mean ‘Taker is amazing so you know this is going to be great and Punk has come so far and he’s doing so great as a heel. To be honest, his feud with Jeff Hardy was absolutely amazing and should go down as one of the greatest in history.
But I digress, let’s get back to Punk and ‘Taker. This rivalry started at Summerslam when, after Punk beat Hardy and become World Heavyweight Champion, ‘Taker returned and gave him a monstrous chokeslam in the middle of the ring. Five days after their brutal ladder match, Punk and Hardy faced off in a steel cage match where, as Teddy Long announced earlier in the show, whoever won would face ‘Taker at Breaking Point for the World Heavyweight Championship. Punk, obviously, won. Then on Sept. 4th as Punk was about to, possibly, end Matt Hardy’s career, ‘Taker came out and chokeslammed him through the announce table.
Finally, on Sept. 11th Punk and ‘Taker cut a great promo together to help build the match a bit more. ‘Taker came out first saying how he was going to win the match with Hell’s Gate, become World Heavyweight Championship, and take Punk’s soul (vintage Undertaker!! O God I’m sounding like Michael Cole. That’s not good!!). So Punk came out and said that ‘Taker has been preying on the peoples minds for over 20 years making them believe in the Undertaker; that he’s invincible, magical, and that he’s going to win at Breaking Point. He continued saying that he wasn’t going to be a victim because he’s stronger. Lastly, he will have the fans cheering for him saying no and being straightedge. ‘Taker replies with the fact that they won’t be saying no, but they will be saying “Rest in Peace”. Later on that night, as Punk celebrated winning his match against Matt, ‘Taker continues his mind games by appearing on stage with Punk’s title.
This one I’m undecided on, too, because I want ‘Taker to win, but that’s unfair to Punk who would be seen as a paper champion. He’s not, he’s actually a damn good champion. However, ‘Taker is not the one to tap and to have him tap out to Punk would be…just…wrong. So with this I really don’t know.
In the end, IT WAS ANOTHER MONTREAL SCREWJOB!!! Seriously?!? Are they kidding me?!? You’re really going to make a parody of something that really happened and that was truly devastating?!? Wow…I’m truly disgusted. ‘Taker had the match won when Punk tapped to Hell’s Gate. As he celebrated, Long came out and stated that Hell’s Gate was banned from Smackdown and ordered the match to continue. As soon as the bell rang Punk tried putting him in the Anaconda Vice. As soon as he had it in the bell rang, the ref ran for his life, and so did Punk. This is definitely going to continue. I hope they put them in a Hell in a Cell. That’ll be an amazing match that just might be compared to ‘Taker vs. Mick Foley (Mankind) at King of the Ring in ‘98.
Thanks everybody for reading and I hope you enjoyed. If you would like to send me any comments you may do so at wrestlingchick19@gmail.com. I would love to hear what you guys think so please don't hesitate to send something. Thanks again.
Much love and "Have a nice day!".
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