WWE House Show Results from Springfield, Illinois 8/1/08

Report sent in by Shane Pastrovich

WWE Raw house show results
Springfield, IL Prairie Capital Convention Center
August 1, 2008

I thought this show was much better than the Smackdown show I saw last September. Here are the results.

Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston beat Paul Burchill with the Trouble in Paradise spin kick to retain the title. A good, albeit, somewhat short match.

Snitsky beat Hacksaw Jim Duggan with a big boot. This was basically a squash. Duggan got very little offense in but the crowd loved him like always.

Lance Cade beat Paul London with his Rock Bottom/powerbomb finisher. Cade did some mic work before the match.

Women’s Champion Mickie James beat Beth Phoenix with her DDT to retain the title in a typical match between the two. A kid was selected earlier in the night to be the guest manager for Mickie James. Afterwards, Santino Marella did some mic work which lead to the next match.

D-Lo Brown beat Santino Marella with the frog splash

Intermission

Batista beat Kane with a spear after Kane was preoccupied with that bag he’s been carrying around. A slow match in the beginning that got better late with both hitting their signature moves along with several near falls. Another kid was picked to be the bell ringer for this match.

John Cena beat World Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase in a handicapped match when he made Dibiase tap out to the STFU. Cena hit all his signature moves and hit an FU after the match and celebrated with Cryme Tyme. No mic work by any of them.

World Champion CM Punk beat Chris Jericho in a no disqualification match with the GTS after hitting Jericho with a chair that Jericho had intended to use on Punk. Fans got to vote on the stipulation for the match. Either Falls Count Anywhere, Best 2 out of 3 Falls, or no DQ. I think they knew which one it was going to be without the so-called voting. Text messaging sucks and is overrated. Both Lance Cade and Jericho did some mic work before Punk came out. Jericho kept stalling and Punk got on the mic and said he’d let the fans in Springfield beat up Jericho after he’s done beating him up. After the match, Punk told the crowd he’s a 200 plus pounder from Chicago but the Springfield crowd made him feel right at home and he thanked the crowd.

Show started right at 7:30 and with the intermission it ended at around 10:15 or so. Howard Finkel was the announcer. He came out to Guns N Roses “Welcome to the Jungle” to signal the start of the show. Jillian Hall was there and she picked out the kids who got to participate and she started to “sing” before Kane’s entrance music cut her off. All in all a good show.

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Jim Ross Blog: Freddie Prinze Jr., SummerSlam, Mike Adamle As GM

Source: JRsBarBQ.com

Jim Ross is back with another blog entry at his official website, which you can read here in its entirety. Some highlights:

Mike Adamle as Raw GM: The uproar regarding Mike Adamle being named as the new G.M. of Monday Night Raw seems a little like overkill to me. Firstly, I am not sure how prominate a role the Raw G.M. will have going forward. Does any one as of today? The object of any creative endeavor should be to establish wrestling stars and all those that are involved in the process should focus on that particular matter. Secondly, Adamle has yet to have one complete Raw episode under his belt but he has apparently already been deemed a disaster by many fans and some pundits. It would seem reasonable, unless some one has a crystal ball, that one would allow Mike a few weeks to settle into his role and to see what individuality and entertainment content Adamle can bring to the game. Personally, I think it wold be easier for a newcomer like Adamle to successfully pull off the General Manager role easier than doing play by play.

We fans focus on the damnedest things at times. The Raw G.M. role has been at times a major character on the weekly, cable TV show while at other times the role was down scaled. One could assume that the position of Raw G.M. will evolve based on Adamle’s skills in a new role. It seems like the least we can do is give the guy a fair shake at creating is own persona before websites start polls and more editorials are written damning Adamle’s selection.

SummerSlam: As a fan, I am much more surprised to see John Cena face Batista at Summerslam this year than I was seeing Mike Adamle moved to the “front office” of Raw. Point being, I wasn’t expecting to see Cena battle The Animal until maybe even WM25. It certainly adds a marketable match to Summerslam but, no matter what is scheduled, Summerslam will be headlined and dominated by the Hell in a Cell match pitting the returning Undertaker to face Edge. If any thing else closes Summerslam, I would be shocked.

On this week’s SmackDown: Friday Night Smackdown has one of the most compelling endings that I can recall in years. The show, as a whole, has a fair amount of wrestling, some many of you will enjoy and, naturally, some that some of you won’t….same as always. I do know that Kennedy vs. Benjamin was a solid, two segment wrestling match while “The” Brian Kendrick continues to impress. Jeff Hardy vs. The Great Khali certainly had its moments between two wrestlers with completely opposite styles. But back to my original point, the build to the last segment of Friday Night Smackdown is intriguing and the payoff is one of the most memorable moments on WWE TV in a long time.

Freddie Prinze, Jr. signing with WWE: Freddie Prinze, Jr. is going to be involved creatively in the Smackdown brand from what I gather. Freddie is a big time wrestling fan and seems like a respectful and intelligent individual in the brief moment that we had to say hello a day or two ago . It will be interesting to see Freddie’s future contributions within the unique, WWE community. Freddie has achieved some great success in Hollywood but the WWE is a much different animal that most perceive until they enter the “WWE Universe”. I just hope that Friday Night Smackdown continues to feature more wrestling than not which is what I feel is still the WWE’s most uniquely, marketable asset, in ring wrestling.

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Vince McMahon Hanging Out After Raw, Adamle Replacement, More

Source: PWInsider.com

Vince McMahon was seen hanging out in the hotel lobby after Raw last night which is actually very unlike him, even when he’s not selling an “injury” angle. It was reported that a fan congratulated him on the birth of his new granddaughter, but Vince didn’t respond.

Joey Styles was also at the hotel and fans asked him about whether or not he was going to replace Mike Adamle on ECW. He responded with, “You know I can’t answer that”. However, the word going around behind the scenes is that Todd Grisham may replace Adamle instead. Here’s hoping that’s it’s Styles rather than…anyone.

MVP was apparently backstage at Raw. No reason on why outside of simply hanging out.

Mae Young was also at the show involved with the “Kiss Cam” segment they do for the live crowd.

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Taste My Rainbow [25] – At RAW Up Close And Personal

 

Taste My Rainbow [25] – At RAW Up Close and Personal

Do I know you? Ha! Of course I do! That was obviously a trick question. Welcome back my Fruity Followers to the latest and greatest edition of Taste My Rainbow. The only column around this joint fruity enough to fulfill your daily sugar intake. I’m the guy they call SkittleZ and I will be your tour guide for the day. Got a lot going on lately. Work as always, baseball is beginning to get interesting, the USA basketball team whooped the ever loving shit out of Canada Friday night (120-65) and we are now on the road to SummerSlam. Today’s column will be a little departure from what you’re probably use to. But what can I say… I like to take the easy way out in life. So sit back, get comfortable and fucking pay attention. As they say, It’s on with the show.

I don’t ever get a break, folks. If anyone’s been following me and DaveyBoy’s Prediction Contest, you are probably aware of the standings and know enough basic math to figure out that the Great American Bash didn’t exactly work in my favor. I was two matches back of Davey going in and now currently sit FOUR matches behind that foreigner. And Prediction Contest aside, I really didn’t do well overall. However, the two matches I dropped to DaveyGirl were the Divas Championship Match (I picked Neidhart) and the NYC Street Fight (I went with Cena) and those are the only two that really matter at this point. Don’t get me wrong… I’m still right on his ass (no homo). But losing ground this late in the game never helps. I suppose I’ll have to wait for SummerSlam to get my revenge. Anyhow, here are the updated standings:
DaveyBoy (42-21-1) / SkittleZ (38-25-1)

Are stables on the rise? More like mini-stables but I’ll take what I can get. When they aren’t overused, stables can be a thing of beauty as is the case right now in the WWE. On RAW, Cena and Cryme Tyme have been hanging out more and more regularly and all signs point to some kind of three man stable. The same goes for Rhodes and Dibiase. The World Tag Team Champions are a bright young team who have JBL as the leader and mouthpiece of the group. While the two teams may just be joining forces for a short duration to benefit all involved, stables are still a dying breed in pro wrestling today and its great to see them pop up on the radar every now and then. I would throw La Familia in there as well but they appear to be having some internal issues as of late.

While the majority my feel differently, I am really looking forward to the Matt Hardy/Mark Henry ECW Title Match at SummerSlam. Perhaps not as much from a match quality standpoint but due to the risk for reward ratio that works in this bout’s favor. WWE has an opportunity to do something big here and I believe they’ve realized that. If you ask around, a good portion of the IWC would explain that the ECW Championship was only put around Mark Henry’s waist at Night of Champions because Kane was heading to RAW and Henry was set to put over an up and comer down the road somewhere. Matt dropped the United States Championship to Benjamin at the Great American Bash and now doesn’t that seem like an opportune time to do so. Hardy isn’t what you’d call new to the game but this would be another monumental step in building on his credibility and taking him to that next level. That’s why I’m pulling for Matt to overcome all the obstacles at SummerSlam (Atlas, Delaney, etc.) and upset Henry to capture the ECW Title.

Call me silly but doesn’t it appear like the WWE is putting more emphasis on the SmackDown product since the Draft Lottery? Before you even start, I disagree. I don’t think it’s because Jim Ross and Triple H were moved over to the blue brand. For those who’ve forgotten, SmackDown is changing networks in a few months and therefore WWE is working to turn on more viewers to the program before it jumps ship. Shit… I don’t blame them. I can’t even remember the name of the new network. MyNetwork or something to that effect? Might as well air the shit on paid programming. That is the best the WWE could do? The number one wrestling organization in the world is reduced to putting one of their main shows on a network no one cares about? With all due respect, fuck you CW Network.

Although I’ve been a wrestling fan for over a decade, I have never once been to a live event. House show, RAW, SmackDown, ECW, Pay Per View… absolutely nothing. Plenty of opportunities however with the best coming nearly two and a half years when WrestleMania 22 was held at the Allstate Arena in Chicago (a mere 30 miles from my house). I often wondered if I’d ever end up going to a WWE show. As of now, I plan on heading to Houston for WrestleMania 25 with a number of friends from LOP next April but that’s ages away. Well as I mentioned numerous times in my last few columns, I’ve been on vacation in Connecticut since late April. I was hanging out one night watching TV in the living room when my step-mom was checking her emails and realized that RAW was coming to the Mohegan Sun Arena on July 21st (only a 45 minute drive from my Dad’s house) and asked if we should go. I marked like a little kid and my Pops bought tickets for him, myself, my step-mom and my sister. He told me they were great seats and I believed him when he told me the total cost came to $630!

Usually when you’re anxiously awaiting a certain day, time seems to slow down significantly. Well fortunately, that wasn’t the case here as the days just flew by and it was Monday night in a heartbeat. I wasn’t really all that excited until we actually stepped foot into the arena. Mohegan Sun is a casino in Connecticut with an arena inside. Once we arrived, there were lines wrapped all around the casino. The most popular t-shirts were Cena, Batista and Mysterio without question. Oh and on that note, make sure you check out JetSetPoker’s RAW Report from last Monday’s show. But like I was saying, it wasn’t until we headed in for our seats that I played witness to what I see on television each and every week. The atmosphere was amazing and the crowd was pumped up before the dark matches even got underway. We were located right up against the barricade in the corner of the main isle and the TitanTron. The dark matches were nothing to write home about. Charlie Haas and Jamie Noble beat two local nobodies. Lilian Garcia came out and same the National Anthem before Michael Cole and ‘The King’ (who got a huge pop) walked out. Lilian then informed us all to get rowdy as we were going on the air in 20 seconds. The show’s opening firework display is quite a sight when you’re standing barely 15 feet away.

Batista’s Challenge

I waited for Batista’s pyro to blow my eardrums but I was saved as the Animal was pissed at Kane for costing him the World Heavyweight Title the previous night at Great American Bash and appeared to be in no mood to take part in such nonsense. Batista blabbed about wanting to kick Kane’s ass and demanded a rematch until CM Punk came out to a big pop. The World Heavyweight Champ told the Animal he was on but JBL suddenly popped up on the TitanTron to remind us all that he was running the show and deserved a title shot more than Batista. He and Punk then took turns making fun of JBL and watching Bradshaw’s facial expressions on the big screen was priceless. Punk then invited Batista again to meet him up later on (in the ring you sick bastards) and they cut to commercial.

The segment was far from special but kept the title picture progressing. Punk hasn’t been given a clean win over Batista yet but it’s totally understandable. JBL put him over and I don’t expect Punk to play the role of transitional champion. JBL has done a great job of stepping in as RAW’s main heel during Orton’s absence. And Batista has just been his bad ass self and remained in the title picture like he always tends to do. Batista was pretty fucking sizable in person and JBL was taller than I’d imagined. I actually got to high five Punk as he walked back up the ramp!

Lance Cade vs. Paul London

The split up of Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch still to this day does not sit well with me. I know all tag teams have to go their separate ways at some point or another but these two were better off sticking together for the long haul. Too many of WWE’s tag teams these days are broken up early before they’re able to really accomplish much or reach their full potential. So out of all the possible options available, WWE decided to fire Murdoch and push Cade. Excellent booking you fucking morons! I honestly believe a goofy singing babyface Trevor Murdoch had a better chance of succeeding than a big serious heel Lance Cade. What happens to Cade after Y2J doesn’t need him anymore? I personally would be insulted as a fan if Cade was headlining the latter matches of pay per view down the road. Instead of breaking up Cade and Murdoch prematurely, WWE should’ve just sucked it up and switched them over to SmackDown or ECW in the Draft.

This bout was obviously a squash to continue Cade’s push and sell him to the audience as a legitimate threat. Look at poor Paul London…. another career butchering thanks to the Draft Lottery forcing him and Brian Kendrick to go their separate ways. Now the entertaining aerial act of Londrick is no more and both of them now stand little chance of achieving much on their own. London’s glass ceiling is the Intercontinental Championship and even that doesn’t look very hopeful from where I’m sitting. So like I said, the match was over before I even knew what had happened. The only aspect I like about Lance Cade is his high impact finisher. There were tons of “Cade Sucks!” chants which I gladly took part in.

Y2J Speaks on HBK

After Cade’s victory, he got on the microphone and hyped Chris Jericho and the ass beating he gave to Shawn Michaels at the Great American Bash. Y2J then walked out in street clothes and at first, the crowd seemed confused whether to cheer or boo him. Well that all changed when Jericho took over the mic and informed us that he’d ended HBK’s career for good and that he didn’t regret it whatsoever. After that, it didn’t take very long until the fans were bombarding him with “HBK! HBK!” chants. He was even kind enough to show us a nice video package of him beating the shit out of HBK’s eye until the referee stopped the match. Got to love the WWE’s never ending attempts to amplify the drama with loud sounds, slow motion and black and white photography.

I was actually lost at the beginning when Jericho initially came out. Cade told the crowd to show them the proper respect and when the fans didn’t show said appreciation, he and Jericho left the ring and walked behind the curtain. Then it was silent in the arena for a minute or two and Y2J and Cade came right back out! I was unsure and even contemplated whether the segment had been botched somehow. That wasn’t the case as Jericho laid into Michaels with another awesome promo. The feud has been tremendous even though HBK has been injured through the last several weeks of it. The audience would have erupted if Shawn made an appearance but he was nowhere to be found. Not that I expected him to be there live or anything. When it comes to HBK, it’s all about the hard sell!

Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix

They showed a quick video of Phoenix getting the upset win over Santino the previous week and it got a few laughs from the crowd. You don’t have to watch wrestling very long to realize this match wouldn’t last long. I honestly never thought Kelly Kelly was anything special but in person, she was absolutely gorgeous. I would’ve jumped over the barricade and made love to her right there if I knew Security wouldn’t rip my head off. And Phoenix was a beast from ten feet away. Kelly got a few impressive moves in but it was Phoenix who dominated as expected. Nice finish however when Kelly countered Beth into a roll up and nearly stole a victory. Beth showed off her strength by not only kicking out but rolling through the pin, lifting Kelly into the air and dropping her face first on the mat for the three count.

I guess they have to keep Beth strong for whenever she’s placed back in the Women’s Title picture down the road. Since Phoenix and Mickie have basically exhausted their rivalry for the time being, the writing team will probably wait until Candice Michelle comes back before Beth shows significant interest in another championship reign. No matter what she does, Phoenix will be just fine. Kelly Kelly is low on the radar but you never know… she could be a vital part of the Women’s Division two or three years down the road. She reminds me a lot of Maria as far as where her in-ring skills are and Kelly will most likely take over the role that Maria once held on RAW. Hey, I’ve got no complaints with that.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan Speaks

Hacksaw’s music hit and we all marked out with some “Hooooooooo!” chants. I figured Duggan was just coming out during commercial to tell us about some type of charity or to take part in an activity that involved the audience. His street attire assured me that he definitely wouldn’t be wrestling or getting squashed on tonight’s show. Hacksaw got on the mic and let us all know that he was contemplating retirement after a lengthy career. The fans protested until Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler jumped in the ring to talk some sense into Duggan. ‘King’ surprisingly got some of the biggest pops of the night. Lawler basically told him that as long as Hacksaw was still passionate about wrestling, that he can wrestler for as long as he wants (see Ric Flair).

Duggan appeared to be convinced on sticking around and all was fine and dandy until the World Tag Team Champs made their presence felt and walked out to greet the two veterans. Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase took turns making fun of both Lawler and Hacksaw until ‘The King’ had heard enough and slapped the taste out of Cody’s mouth much to the adulation of the crowd. Rhode’s wanted to lay into Lawler but Dibiase held him back and JBL came out to back up the young heel duo as well as hype them. Cryme Tyme’s music suddenly hit the loudspeakers. Huge pop for JTG and Shad by the way as they’ve got to be one of WWE’s most over tag teams at the moment. Solid segment with Hacksaw and it led up greatly to Rhodes and Dibiase coming out to disrespect the old timers. Building on the Champs’ heat and moving in the right direction. Rhodes and Dibiase look a lot like Orton to me. Almost as if you combined them together, you’d get a Randy Orton. Just wanted to throw that out there. Make your own assumptions, dickwads.

Six Man Tag Team Match

I was none too happy when JBL came out through the curtain instead of in his trademark limousine. The problem I think was that the arena was a little small for a limo to be driven out into the arena and JBL’s fat ass would’ve been quite cramped trying to squeeze his way to the ring between the limo and the barricade. As Cryme Tyme waited at ringside for their partner in the upcoming contest, you can just feel the intensity in the arena turn up a few notches Everybody knew who was about to come out and it was no secret that the place was going to erupt. Cena’s music hit and the ovation was deafening. I don’t know how it came off on television but that place was going bonkers as Cena walked out and played up the crowd. I didn’t hear a single boo during Cena’s entrance. He and Cryme Tyme jumped in the ring and took out JBL, Rhodes and Holly. The referee tried to restore order and I’m assuming that’s when they cut to commercial.

Good early action and it unsurprisingly ended up being JTG playing the face in peril who just simply could not get a tag to save his life. But alas, JTG broke free and made the hot tag to Cena. The crowd came unglued yet again though there were noticeable boo’s as Cena handed Dibiase his usual flurry of offense. He went for the Five Knuckle Shuffle but JBL ran in to break it up. Cena held his ground and fought JBL off who escaped through the crowd (a mere twenty feet from where I was sitting). Back in the ring, Cena hit a double FU on Rhodes and Dibiase and made the pin. Great co-main event and the audience was in pandemonium for the last thirty seconds of the bout. Cena and Cryme Tyme celebrated before exiting to the backstage area.

Mixed Tag Team Match

Honestly, I haven’t seen much of Kofi Kingston thus far. I never really watch ECW and he was on the C brand from his debut in January up until the Draft Lottery. So he’s been on RAW for three or four weeks and I’m still not completely up to date on Kingston. Well I totally forgot about his pyro and the couple of green fireworks that I WEREN’T expecting nearly sent me backwards toppling over a folding chair. Very good pop for Kofi but an even bigger one for the Women’s Champion Mickie James. What a hot bitch. Burchill and Katie followed to a chorus of boo’s and I was almost stunned by how beautiful and sexy Lea was in real life. If you recorded RAW, you can actually see me at this point stick my head over the barricade and turn it sideways to get a good look at Katie’s ass. I’m a dude… I can’t help it.

The match had good energy and there was a good mix of everything during the short amount of time the contest was given. There is no way Burchill isn’t on the juice because he easily has twice the amount of muscle mass he did during his Pirate days. Anyways, Paul worked over Kofi’s legs and nailed his neckbreaker finisher to pick up the win for him and Katie. Although most people don’t realize it (general wrestling fans at least), this feud is benefiting RAW in many ways. It keeps two feuds going at once for two respective championships. It allows different parties to work together for several weeks and the Kofi/Burchill program helps out the midcard and more importantly the Intercontinental Title. I’m a firm believer that allowing main eventers to carry the IC Title does little to aid the division. The division was built to elevate guys lower on the card to a status where they can really make a name for themselves. At this point, I wouldn’t even mind a Burchill/Kofi rematch at SummerSlam. On her way by, Mickie kissed a little girl on the cheek who was standing like five feet to my right. Too bad that wasn’t me…

D’Lo Brown vs. Santino Marella

This drunk fat guy from across the aisle way had been screaming for Santino to come out for minutes on end. To the point where it was starting to get downright annoying. The guy even took it as far as to yell out “Come on Vince! Give us what we want! Santino!” While I admit I rather enjoy Santino’s company as well (no homo), I doubt I’d ever take it to that extreme. So when Marella’s music finally hit, me and I’m sure hundreds of others were relieved to hear the chunky white dude shut his trap. Santino assured all of us in attendance that his inaugural challenge was intended for strictly males and offered any other superstar to meet him in the ring again tonight. And out of every possible superstar, it was D-Lo Brown who answered the call and let us know he’s still alive after all these years!

I was surprised how few people seemed to know who D-Lo was as I wasted no time in marking out like a schoolgirl. Then I took a glance around and remembered how many little kids were present and how the majority of them weren’t even alive when the Nation was at its peak. Brown’s upbeat personality always garners attention and the crowd quickly rallied behind him. D-Lo made quick work of Santino and finished him off with his old Sky-Hi frog splash. Perhaps this is mainly a feel good story as I don’t see much the WWE can do with him. Throw him in the Intercontinental Title picture? Meh… works for me. Beth Phoenix came back out and appeared as if she wanted to beat the shit out of Santino. However, Marella gave her a few looks before pulling her in and planting a kiss on the Glamazon! And she didn’t exactly stop him. The two then traded awkward moments until an intrigued Santino headed up the ramp. I have no idea where this is heading but when you have a clash of styles such as Beth and Santino working together, it can only turn into brilliant segments.

CM Punk vs. Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship

I knew for a fact we were getting a taste of Batista’s pyro this time around. Isn’t it funny how when you don’t know something is coming, it can make you uneasy? But when you know it’s coming, you’re ripe with anticipation? Nonetheless, the Animal did his usual entrance and I loved it. Punk was surely out next so I relaxed when two huge burst of flames erupted behind me and I almost jumped into my sister’s lap! Kane marched to the ring and traded blows with Batista before giving The Animal a chokeslam (which they nearly botched). Punk sprinted to the ring to fend off Kane and clotheslined the Big Red Machine out of the ring. Batista was given time to recover before the match officially began. I was really taken aback by how much of the contest Punk dominated though I’m assuming it was mostly Batista selling Kane’s earlier attack. Punk went for his springboard clothesline but Batista caught him in midair and nailed the spine buster. The Animal appeared to be closing in on his fourth World Title after hitting Punk with a spear but JBL ran down to the ring.

Bradshaw and Batista slugged it out at ringside and the referee called for the bell. JBL got the upper hand on both The Animal and Punk before Cena ran out to make the save. Cena was whooping the holy hell out of JBL until Bradshaw ducked a punch and Cena accidentally hit Batista in the face. The Animal tried to give Cena the Batista Bomb but he slid out and went for the FU on Batista. The Animal wiggled free however and he and Cena brawled until a slew of referees hit the ring to break up the melee. RAW went off the air and Batista walked back up the aisle with his eyes on Cena the entire time. Cena then got on the mic and talked about the possibility of a one on one encounter between himself and Batista which the crowd responded in approval. He then told us that his Dad and friends were there and pointed them out in the front row. Cena thanked us all for coming and then slid out of the ring to hug his Dad and exchange words with his buddies. Cena high fived a bunch of fans and then walked back through the curtain. Nowhere near a great show but being there in person was amazing. Even a decent show seems amplified. I can’t wait to feel the electricity at WrestleMania 25 in Houston come next April. Yep… that’s going to cost a pretty penny.

The answer to my riddle from TMR [24] was indeed “John Morrison”. There was a slight jump in the correct guess percentage (57%) but nothing drastic enough to concern me. After a ton of soul searching, I think I’ve stumbled upon a riddle that will rack your brains and force each and every one of you to the brink of insanity. Try to crack this one, losers.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Somehow, I can relate to John Cena.

My matches towards the end of my WWE run were short and swift.

I’ve won tag team gold with both individuals from my former stable.

One of my past allies is mostly remembered as a comedic character but showed a dark side at the start of the new millennium.

As long as I’ve been around the business, you’d swear I was considerably older.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Think you know the answer? Give it some thought and guess away. If you answer incorrectly, I’ll laugh and poke fun at your severe lack of intelligence. Get it right however and earn the right to… oh who am I kidding? You’ll win nothing and like it! NO ONE will solve my masterful riddle. I will reveal the answer in my next column.

I’m not sure where the urge originated from but I’ve been on an Nintendo 64 binge as of late. Like most kids, I got the N64 back when it came out in 1996 for Christmas. Around 2001, I inexplicably bought the Nintendo GameCube (dumb move on my part) and went on to buy other various video game systems. Thus, leaving the N64 behind and never looking back. I never sold or threw out my Nintendo 64 but I lost track of it quite a while back. Over the last few weeks, I’ve suddenly got the itch to play it again. I had no idea where my old system was so I did what anyone would do… I bought one off eBay. The game console and three controllers for just fifteen bucks! Everything worked just fine too. Obviously, I had to purchase some games. I’m an adventure guy all day so I got my hands on Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie. Two classic platforms. Every day since I received them in the mail, I get home from work, shower and then play until three or four in the morning. While it isn’t a healthy addiction, it beats drugs and alcohol. Now I just need to snag a copy of Donkey Kong 64 and my life will be complete.

Who doesn’t love Fact or Fiction? I have risen it from the dead and have some good news regarding one of LOP’s most traditional columns. Along with three other individuals, Tito and DaveyBoy will both guess starring in the August installment of Fact or Fiction! * thunderous ovation ensues * Alright now. Settle down, people. I understand it’s hard not to get excited but you still have around three weeks so please try to contain yourselves. And don’t flood Davey and Tito’s email boxes with nude and/or inappropriate photos. We want them to come back in the future and I don’t want to be labeled a pioneer of filth. Oh and special thanks to Noc who made a spiffy column banner for Fact or Fiction. He’ll also be participating in next month’s column.

When in doubt, plug it out…

>>> Young Andy is stinking up the joint once again in a depressive manner Savana’s Chamber of Pain #32: Quitting

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>>> MadChuck isn’t exactly what I’d call shy and polite. Click here to see what I mean The MadRanter: Brooke Hogan should be brutally raped

That’s all you get for now. Hopefully, this didn’t come off as overly generic for the majority of you. I figured an event of this magnitude to myself personally was worth sharing with you ungrateful homosexuals. Hell… tell me whether you enjoyed or outright despised it. If you have anything to add or point out, just shoot me a quick email at (Skittlez601028@aim.com) and either praise me or bash my literary skills to no end. You know how the story goes. I’ll be back at it in two weeks time with some new bullshit. Take care until we meet again and watch your ass in dark alleyways (or in prison for that matter). Later homies.

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WWE House Show Results from Wheeling, West Virginia 7/26/08

Report sent in by Mr. Tito

WWE made an appearance back to one of the original suburbs of Pittsburgh and near the heart of Mr. Tito country, in Wheeling, West Virginia, just in time to take in the Upper Ohio Valley Italian Festival which was going on the same streets surrounding WesBanco Arena.

In its prime, WWE would produce standing room only crowds for Raw, with full capacity being around 13,000. Estimated attendence would be roughly 6,000. Ticket prices were 20.00 upper deck, 30.00 mid level, and 45.00 for around the ring.

Notes from the show.

Pre-Match- Our supposed WWE Event host, Layla, roamed the crowd and gave a family of 4 from the upperdeck the chance to sit in 4 ring side seats. Also announced was that the fans had the chance to text and decide the stipulation for the triple threat championship match for later that night between JBL, Bautista, and CM Punk. Choices included Falls count anywhere or No DQ.

First match-
Lance Cade vs. D-Lo Brown.
D-Lo got a surprisingly nice crowd pop being his first appearance since the Nation of Domination days.
D-Lo Brown wins with the Frog Splash.

Post match, host Layla came down and looked for a volunteer to be a special guest manager for an upcoming match. She picked a little boy from ringside and away they went to the back.

Second Match-
Matt Stryker vs. Johnny Curtis
Stryker got nice heel heat after a stellar mic performance about facing a rookie who will be learning the ropes.
Curtis with the crossbody for the win. Stryker ran away down the aisle. Wish he could see some face time with the big boys down. Could be devastating if paired with Jericho and his “you all are fools to believe in HBK gimmick.”

Third Match-
Divas tag team bout.
Kelly Kelly and her shiny silver chaps with Mickie James vs. Katie Lea Burchill and Beth Phoenix
Mickie James did her usual hop skip and jump routine, but this time dragging the special guest manager along with her. Looked like a rag doll being thrown around. The kid was very excited and again, a nice gesture from WWE to get the crowd involved.
Action packed bout which saw Kelly Kelly attempt a cross body only to be caught in mid air by the Glamazon which set up a Mickie James drop kick help send both out of the ring, and Mickie’s DDT of doom on Katie Lea for the win.

Post match-
Santino Marella came to the ring to comfort Beth after the loss. As he always does, he grabbed the mic and declared that if Wheeling was going to have a Santino Marella Festival (referring to the Italian Festival on the streets outside the arena) that they should ask for his permission. He then turned his attention to Beth and said that what happened Monday made him not sleep for the past week. And it was out of pure excitement. Look for this lovefest to carry on. So he wanted to challenge a soon to be retiring wrestler, and reveal his new move the Mazzarati Crush, to prove he won’t let the kiss be a distraction to his wrestling.

Out comes Hacksaw Jim Duggan to welcome arms from the crowd. Plenty of Hoooooooo’s and U.S.A chants going around. Duggan grabbed the mic and did his bit and the crowd ate it up with a spoon. And he told Marella he can’t tell Duggan when to retire, and Marella looked at Phoenix who was at ringside and laughed a lil but as soon as the bell rung, he turned around and got hit by Duggan’s 3 point stance clothesline in the shortest match I’ve seen this side of the Bushwackers in the rumble.

Post match-
Phoenix picks Marella off the ground, plants two hands on him, and bends him over her knee and plants a kiss. Then carried him to the back on her shoulder.

Intermission.

Layla came out to remind the crowd that the voting was almost over. Which doesn’t really make sense to vote, because it was pretty much announced as a No DQ match on the radio. Out came Jamie Noble and he said since he was in his home state that there was nobody better to show her around and asked her for a date. She said okay, but don’t get any ideas or get into any fights. Kane’s music hits. As well as an impromtu match.

Fifth Match-
Noble vs. Kane
Almost as quick as the previous. Kane with a choke slam early.

Sixth Match-
I.C. Title
Paul Burchill vs. Kofi Kingston
Kingston is still a fresh babyface, so the crowd was a little leary to get behind him. Finally did towards the end of the match. Kingston with his Trouble in Paradise kick for the win. And I still can’t help but laugh when I think of Michael Cole saying “You know, when he says BOOM BOOM BOOM.” So in Kingstons defense, BOOK BOOK BOOK!

Seventh Match-
6 Man Tag
Jericho w/ Lance Cade. Jericho is masterful on the mic. Always a joy to see it.
DiBiase and Rhodes. There were a couple Cody has a Wisp signs. Loved it.
vs.
John Cena and Cryme Tyme.
They now all do a pose similar to the jerk, cling weightroom and then give the word life before the match.
Good action, which saw Cena pulling a Y2Jerk sign from the crowd into the ring. Finish was set up by Rhodes hitting his DDT on Cena. JTG hitting his spinning neckbreaker on Rhodes, DiBiase hitting his MillionDollar Dream Russian Leg sweep on JTG, Shad hitting DiBiase out of the ring, Jericho hitting the codebreaker on Shad, and then Cena hitting the FU on Jericho, then drop toe hold a charging DiBiase into the STFU for the tap out.

Final Match
Championship
Announced it was a No DQ bout.
JBL vs. Bautista vs CM Punk
JBL came out first, and issued some very serious remarks about not wanting to be in a toilet hole, third country state like West Virginia, and challenged every Redneck to get in the ring. Then singled out a decent looking blonde at ringside and said that she may be the best WV has to offer, but she couldn’t be a garbage woman at Score’s in NY. Finish was set up by a Bautista spine buster on JBL, then Punk grabbing a chair that JBL brought into the ring, Punk with a chair shot to Bautista’s back, which sent him out of the ring. Punk covers JBL and gets the win.

Post match-
Bautista stares at Punk kicks him and Bautista Bombs him.

Top Heel Heat-
1. JBL
2. Jericho
3. Santino Marella

Top Pops
1. John Cena
2. Bautista/Punk
3. Hacksaw Jim Duggan

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When in Rome XXXV – Remembering a King

Welcome to When in Rome, the column that only has two rules: hustle and be on time. Wait, no, those are actually Charlie Manuel’s rules for the now floundering Philadelphia Phillies, and last year’s National League MVP Jimmy Rollins has managed to break both of those rules this past week. Rollins just doesn’t seem like the same player at all this year compared to last. His stats are way down and he just gives off vibes like he isn’t happy. I have no clue what his deal is, but Jimmy’s got to step up and back up his bold claims (like that the Phils will win 100 games this year) if the Phillies are going to make it back to the playoffs this year.

Now, on the wrestling front…

Apocrypha

Well, the Undertaker is returning for Summerslam to face Edge in a Hell in a Cell match. The Edge/Vickie wedding storyline predictably ended with an unhappy couple. What wrestling romance ever does end happily? I’d like to see that happen for a change! Last week Triple H revealed Edge’s cheating ways during the “wedding reception,” last week’s Smackdown. On this week’s Smackdown, Edge apologized to Vickie, who seemed as if she was about to forgive the “Rated R Superstar” when she revealed that she re-instated the Undertaker and booked the big Edge/Taker HIAC match for Summerslam. I do hope that this will be the big, final blowoff encounter for this feud because it has gone on a bit long. Granted, the Taker vacation does make this feud seem a bit fresher, but these guys have basically been feuding for over a year now and I think it would be best to separate them.

My major fear is that Edge/Vickie are going to pull one more swerve and reunite to screw Taker out of the HIAC victory and keep this feud running. Now, I doubt that this will happen, but there is a chance. Hopefully, Taker goes over clean and moves on to feuding with Umaga. That oft rumored feud could be a great one.

Speaking of Umaga, it appears that he and the Big Show are about to begin a program together. Maybe they’ll get a one on one match up at Summerslam. Umaga cost the Big Show a chance to win the #1 contender’s battle royal this past Smackdown when he re-entered the ring after Show eliminated him to deliver the Samoan Spike to Show, leading to Jeff Hardy dumping him over the top with a sweet Hurricanrana type move. I think Show/Umaga will be a great match and I hope it occurs. Often, big man vs. big man matches fail because inevitably one of the hosses isn’t all that great in the ring. But, both of these guys are quite talented for men their size. I think that if they’re given around 12 minutes Show and Umaga could put on one of the better hossfests in history.

In other Smackdown news, the Great Khali is the number one contender for the WWE title after winning a six man battle royal. Yep, anything can happen in WWE… I doubt that anyone saw this coming, but I honestly don’t mind. Khali is much better than he’s credited. He can play the monster role, do comedy, wrestle decently for a guy his size and has the pedigree of being a former World Champion. I can’t really argue with WWE choosing him to face Triple H at Summerslam. Of course, Trips will emerge victorious (I think?) and probably feud with someone else (MVP or Jeff Hardy?) post Summerslam, but WWE could continue with their unpredictable ways and book a Khali win here. But I seriously doubt it.

In Raw news, chaos and CM Punk still reign supreme. Punk survived challenges from Batista on successive nights this past week – thanks to outside interference from Kane at the GAB and JBL on Raw. Some folks in the IWC are not pleased with Punk not getting a clean win over Batista either night and are started to think that WWE is treating Punk much like they did Rey Mysterio a few years back when he played the role of “underdog champion.”

I don’t think that WWE is treating Punk like Mysterio at all. Rey was getting crushed by guys like Khali in non title matches; Punk, while not beating Batista, has not been made to look weak either. Their matches have been back and forth battles; either guy could’ve come out victorious. Now, if Batista would have hit his finish on Punk on successive nights, only to have the three counts broken up by interference, I’d agree that Punk looked weak. But that didn’t happen, and I believe that Punk will start picking up some victories (or at least have some good promos if he doesn’t happen to wrestle in any singles bouts) to lead into Summerslam.

But, what will the World championship match be at Summerslam? Will WWE bust out the Elimination Chamber yet again since Punk, Batista, Cena, JBL and Kane all seem to be intertwined storyline wise at the moment? Or, will WWE run with the Batista/Cena dream match and book a Punk/JBL, Punk/Kane or even a Punk/JBL/Kane match at Summerslam?

I don’t see the EC taking place again this year. It would be overkill. I honestly think that WWE is going to go the Batista/Cena and Punk/JBL route. Now, where that leaves Kane, I really don’t know. Most likely he won’t make the card if this scenario takes place, but I could see him interfering yet again in Batista’s match, It would be pretty lame for Cena/Batista to end without a clear winner, especially at a big event like Summerslam, but if it means that masked Kane makes his return here, I could deal.

Alright, enough babbling – it’s time for…

The Gospel Truth

Ezekiel 43:9

Now let them put away their whoring and the dead bodies of their kings far from me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

This is a tale that demands telling. Everyone needs to hear it so no one will ever forget the life and work of one Edward Davidson. He was one of the greats.

We don’t know much about Davidson’s personal life, but we know that he was one of the best ever at his chosen profession, internet marketing. Davidson owned his own business which he dubbed “Power Promoters,” and he cut his teeth by marketing for companies that sold watches, perfume and other small goods. But he quickly rose to the top of his industry by selling penny stock for small companies. He became known as one of the “Kings,” joining other notables such as Scott Richter, Robert Soloway and Sanford Wallace. Some may even have deemed Davidson the best of them all – the King of Kings.

Now, Davidson chose a profession that most people lambaste. I have called it internet marketing. Many of you would deem it spamming. But remember, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and Davidson became one of the premier players in his field. Undoubtedly his peers would only have respect for his accomplishments. In fact, I bet they would love to talk about how Davidson turned emails for generic Viagra into millions. They would tell and retell Davidson’s exploits to themselves and anyone who would listen. I bet the rest of the boys loved Davidson. Why wouldn’t they? He set the standard for excellence.

I mean, can’t you imagine the scene that probably took place in the Davidson home when Edward became known as a Spam King? I figure that he was drenched with sweat and physically and mentally exhausted from the tortuous labor of sending out those emails to prospective customers. I can only picture him embracing his lovely wife as tears run down both of their cheeks. They would both be so proud of his accomplishment. He was a King! Can you envision him picking up his small daughter, holding her high in the air as she squeals with delight? She couldn’t have understood the magnitude of her father’s achievement, but she could perceive his joy, so she mirrored it in kind.

Maybe one of Davidson’s close friends was at his home when he became a Spam King. I can only imagine the happiness he would have felt for his friend. I bet that he probably went to Davidson, grabbed his arm and raised it in victory as if he had won a World Heavyweight Championship. In fact, Davidson had become champion in his own world. He was a Spam King and nothing could ever dilute his accomplishment. Even though most will now refer to him as a monster…

Is it even fair to label Davidson a monster? Yes, Colorado Police believe that Davidson escaped from a minimum security Colorado prison and murdered his wife and three year old daughter before killing himself, but is that monstrous in light of his awesome career resume? U.S Attorney Troy Eid called Davidson “a coward,” and I’m sure that others will soon jump on the bandwagon to bash Davidson, but I must appeal that all of you not judge him on the last actions of his life. We must remember that he excelled at his chosen field, and surely, excellence at one’s profession should prevent criticism, right?

Think of the inspiring legacy he left for young spammers everywhere. I’m sure that they will continue to view Davidson as nothing less than a hero because he was great at his job. Sure, he had flaws. He should’ve probably paid taxes on his earnings – that would’ve kept him out of prison in the first place, but hey it’s tough to remain a Spam King. Many spammers would be gunning for Davidson’s place as a top earning spammer, so Davidson had to cut corners a bit to keep his income at an optimal level. Anybody in his situation would do the same thing, right?

Think of the opportunities he gave to millions to try new products. Maybe someone needed a new watch – a Davidson email could have brought him happiness. Maybe someone was having trouble in the bedroom – Davidson’s knock off Viagra could have been his salvation. How can we forget or ignore all the wonderful things Davidson had done for others? Maybe he even helped you personally.

Maybe Davidson had a valid reason for committing this double murder suicide. Maybe his commitment to his job left him incapacitated in some way. Maybe sending out all those emails gave him carpal tunnel syndrome and he just wasn’t the same Edward Davidson he used to be. Maybe staring at a computer monitor for extended periods of time left him brain damaged and unable to tell right from wrong. Who knows? The only thing that really matters is that Davidson was excellent at what he did. The final grisly moments of his life were simply that – moments, right?

I’m sure that Davidson’s actions will lead to a real crack down on spammers everywhere. Hopefully some new regulations are put in place so that this kind of tragedy never happens again. Nevertheless, we must be sure not to erase the legacy of Edward Davidson from our memories. He excelled at his job, became rich and made some people happy.

And that’s all that really matters, right?

Before you go read a…

Proverb

My son, to walk the path of wisdom, you must know when to step aside from the road and read Joey Shinobi’s (or is it Shibobi?) The Shinobi Slam # 6 – Cold Day in the Sun

Well, you’ve just read the uninspired, fallible, opinion only word of Rome. Take it for what it’s worth. I’ll be back again soon with another column for you all. In the meantime check out the the LOP Columns Forum and read some more columns. Write some columns. Have fun.

Want to speak your mind? Send me an email at romes_writings@yahoo.com.

Later all.

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SmackDown! Report 07/25/: Edge’s Devoir…Slaying the Dead!!!

Friday Night Smackdown!
Fridays 8/7 ET
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

First off, I would like to inform everyone that Christopher Huynh has left the LOP team. He was the previous SmackDown! reporter and he did a fine job delivering over 20 reports for this site. Believe me when I say this, it takes a lot of time and commitment to deliver these reports. So I say thanks too all the previous reporters that worked for LOP. I won’t take too long covering this issue and will leave it to you guys if you ever decide you want to contact Christopher. His email is xchristopherhuynhx@yahoo.com.

Now to the news everyone is anxious about…

**Please note that due to time constraints, I quickly typed up the following report. I will mention the important parts of the matches and who won. This means that I will not be able to go into specific details tonight. Thanks in for understanding in advance.

Tonight on Friday Night SmackDown!, we will find out who will challenge Triple H for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam when a 6-Man Battle Royal takes place. Also, we will hear what Vickie has to say regarding Edge’s actions last week. Trust me, you will not want to miss this…

Before SmackDown! begins, we see clips of Edge cheating on Vickie from last week’s wedding.

SmackDown! video package plays as we are then welcomed by JR and Foley to another edition of Friday Night SmackDown!

MVP is in the ring and it looks like its VIP Lounge time.

MVP gives us his usual introduction with his “big things poppin, little things stoppin,” speech. He then gets down to business and introduces his guest to be none other than the charismatic enigma, Jeff Hardy.

Jeff Hardy received a great ovation from the crowd.

MVP informed everyone that tonight there is going to be a 6 man “Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer” Battle Royal featuring Jeff Hardy, Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, Great Khali, the Big Show, and of course, MVP himself. MVP then said that despite the competition, he is clearly the favorite to win the match.

Jeff, however thought otherwise as he questioned MVP’s ability by saying that the last time he was actually wrestling in a match, he lost the US title to Matt. Crowd Cheers for Hardy.

MVP responds by talking negative about Jeff being on the cover of the recent WWE Magazine. He further mentions the interview Jeff gave regarding his suspension earlier in the year and how his ‘trailer’ (house) burned down. MVP concludes his trash-talking by saying that is Jeff’s fault for not only the death of his dog, but constantly screwing up his career, and more importantly his life.

Out of frustration, MVP shoves Jeff out of the ring and gives everyone the intention that he is ready to fight.

(Segment Rating: 4/5. Good segment. To be honest, I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that MVP has too many VIP Lounge Segments than actually wrestling matches over the past few months. We get it for crying out loud that he is good on the mic.)

-Commercial-

“Ain’t No Stoppin Me Now!” hits and the Gold Standard, Shelton Benjamin makes his way down to the ring. He basically cuts a promo on how he won the US Title from Matt Hardy at the Great American Bash.

As for his opponent tonight, it’s Jimmy Wang Yang

Match 1: Shelton Benjamin v. Jimmy Wang Yang
This match was pretty good, despite Benjamin dominating Wang for the majority of the match. We saw the typical Yang offense with all the kicks and high flying maneuvers, but the end saw Benjamin overcome the strike attack and win via the PayDirt. (Match Rating: 3/5. These two define the term athleticism.)

Backstage we see Hawkins and Ryder approach Edge. Edge congratulates the two on successfully capturing the tag team titles at the Great American Bash. He then apologizes to them for what occurred last week, but they don’t really want to hear it. They say that it’s Vickie who needs the apology. They walk off as Edge looks on.

-Commercial-

We are ready for our next bout.

Match 2: Festus v. Curt Hawkins
As the bell rang, we saw Festus go into his unique trance rampage. He dominates Hawkins for quite a while until Hawkins gets a cheap shot in. The end result however saw Festus hit the Flapjack like maneuver for the victory.

Post-Match: The bell rings and this means Festus is ‘normal’ again. Ryder and Hawkins begin an assault on Jesse and threw him into the steel post. They then proceeded to hit Festus with an Edgecution.

(Match/Segment Rating: 3/5. I have always been a fan of Ryder and Hawkins as I see a ton of potential in them since day 1. It’s good that they are actually getting an opportunity now while setting themselves up with a credible rivalry.)

Backstage, Edge is talking to Alicia Fox, the wedding planner from last week. As they spoke to each other, Bam Neely can be seen spying on them. Edge tells Alicia that he has something he needs to tell her, but he will do so later on when no one is around.

-Commercial-

Match 3: Vladimir Koslov v. Stevie Richards
This bout was actually decently booked. Richards gave it all he had as the match saw numerous near falls. Richards tried taking down the leg of the Moscow Mauler, but Koslov eventually took him down with a series of grapple holds. In the end, just as it seemed like Richards was building momentum, Koslov struck with a ramming headbutt and got the 3 count. (Match Rating: 2.5/5. Pretty much the same thing we have seen over the past few weeks with some extra stuff. Nothing too spectacular though.)

The superstars make there way down to the ring. Khali is accompanied to the ring with Ranjin Singh.

Match 4: “Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer!” Battle Royal Match – Featuring: Big Show, The Great Khali, Jeff Hardy, MVP, Umaga, and Mr. Kennedy
Without question, this was the best match of the night. As the match got underway, the heavyweights stared the super-heavyweights down. Suddenly everyone began to attack everyone as the crowd roared in excitement. A few minutes into the match, MVP got eliminated after Jeff managed to clothesline him over the top rope. On the other side of the ring, we saw Big Show dominating as he hit a headbutt on Umaga which knocked him out of the ring. After this, Show grabbed Kennedy around his neck and manhandled him to the outside. With the three men left in the ring, we got to a point where we saw Khali and Show face to face. As they traded blows, Show got the better end of it as he managed to hit the chokeslam on Khali. When Show got up and turned around, Jeff gave Show a hurricanrana off the top ropes that sent Show flying over the ropes! Jeff, who kept his balance, eventually hit the Swanton Bomb on Khali, who was still suffering from the Chokeslam. The crowd was cheering insanely loud for Hardy at this point. As Jeff tried to get Khali out of the ring, Khali managed to suddenly flip Jeff over the ropes and pick up the win. (Match Rating: 3.5/5. This was a really good bout during the duration of the match. I wish it could have been longer. I realize my detail is still lacking for the bout and I encourage you to watch it yourself online if you get the chance.)

Post-Match: Triple H’s music hit and he made his way down to the ring. He had a brief staredown with Khali and eventually Khali backed away and left the ring.

-Commercial-

A video hyped the arrival of R-Truth aka Ron Killings.

We saw a clip that recapped McCool becoming the first Smackdown Divas Champion.

Match 5: Michelle McCool v. Maryse
A very short match that saw a balanced set of maneuvers from both divas. Nothing new was seen from this match as the end came when McCool locked in her leg submission hold for the win. (Match Rating: 2/5. To be honest, this match was poorly booked. It’s not necessarily McCool as I do think she has potential to be a highly profiled diva. Maryse on the other hand, I would like to see improve.)

Backstage, we see Chavo bringing Vickie into the arena. Bam Neely approaches them and tells them that there is something that is needed to be said in Vickie’s office.

-Commercial-

A video hypes the arrival of Maria coming to SmackDown! She debuts next week!

Back, we see Edge and Bam in a conversation. Edge tells Bam that he wants to apologize to her in the ring.

Brian Kendrick’s music hits and he makes his way down to the ring with Ezekiel. He grabs a mic and simply says that he is the fastest, most well trained, and smartest wrestler in WWE today. Eventually, he is interrupted by his opponent, Shannon Moore.

Match 6: Brian Kendrick v. Shannon Moore
Moments after the bell rang, we saw the two exchange a few holds. This match saw many counters in the following minutes with Kendrick eventually getting control of the match via outside interference. Kendrick connects with the Slice Bread No. 2 for the win. (Match Rating: 2.5/5. Another decent bout here. Kind of in shock that this was the main event match of the evening.)

In the back, we see Bam in Vickie’s office. Bam tells her that Edge wants to apologize in public.

-Commercial-

Edge’s Task!

The Rated R Superstar makes his way down to the ring and grabs a mic.

Edge says that he wants Vickie to make her way down to the ring, because he wants to apologize to her face to face.

Vickie is rolled down to the ring by Chavo and Bam. After they help Vickie into the ring, they leave.

Edge gets down on one knee and he tells Vickie that what he did last week was indeed horrible. He then goes to say that the video did not show how many times he refused to have physical contact with her…in other words, no means no. Edge continues by saying that he didn’t leave, because he wanted finish planning the wedding so that everything would be perfect for Vickie. He tells her that he cannot live without her love and attempts to kiss her, but she pulls away…

Vickie responded by saying, “What you have to understand is that hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn.” She proceeds on by saying that while she was mad at Edge, she came to a decision…and that being reinstating the Undertaker!!!

At this point, Edge looked a bit worried. He suggested that she let Undertaker and Triple H beat the hell out of each other so that he could take the WWE Title from the victor of that feud.

Vickie responded by saying that wouldn’t be possible, because while she was angry at her husband, she also happened to make a match. She announced that at SummerSlam, Edge would take on the Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match! The crowd goes absolutely crazy as Edge looks on in terror.

As the camera zooms into Edge’s scared face, the show rolls off the air…

(Segment Rating: 5/5. That’s a good segment. Finally, the Undertaker returns!)

Quick-Match Results:
-Match 1: Shelton Benjamin def. Jimmy Wang Yang
-Match 2: Festus def. Curt Hawkins
-Match 3: Vladimir Koslov def. Stevie Richards
-Match 4: Great Khali wins 6-man Battle Royal
-Match 5: Michelle McCool def. Maryse
-Match 6: Brian Kendrick def. Shannon Moore

Smack of the Night: Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer Battle Royal

Impact of the Night: The impact of the night would have to go to the announcement Vickie Guerrero made at the end of tonight’s broadcast. Bringing back the Undertaker brought the biggest pop of the night!

Overall, tonight’s show was okay. It could’ve definitely been better. I do realize all the main stars were stacked all together in one match, but that couldn’t have prevented a HHH match, could it? Ever since he went to the blue brand, we have seen very minimal action from the Game. Oh well, I guess one thing that benefits everyone is the return of the Undertaker which will hopefully spark higher interest. Final Rating: 6.5/10. (Worth a Watch. C)

Next week, per popular demand of fan requests, I will share a piece of my mind regarding the SmackDown! Spoilers that surf the internet. Be sure not to miss it!

Any questions, concerns, or comments will be appreciated at mik123@ymail.com.

Now that everyone knows the Phoneme will face Edge at SummerSlam in a Hell in a Cell Match, can we expect the Deadman to rise on SmackDown! next week? And what will the Cerebral Assassin, Triple H have to say regarding his Giant Punjabi challenge that awaits him? There is only one way to find out…Tune in next week to Friday Night SmackDown!

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WWE News: HOF’er Appearing At Monday’s Taping, New SummerSlam Matches, McCool Wants To Be A Legend, Taker

source: www.f4wonline.com

– WWE Hall of Famer Mae Young has been contacted to appear at Monday’s Raw/Saturday Night’s Main Event taping at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. It unknown if she’ll be appearing on Saturday Night’s Main Event for NBC or for Raw on Monday. She’ll likely interact with WWE World Tag Team Champions Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes in some form during her appearance.

– Following last night’s events, WWE.com added Undertaker’s profile back to the SmackDown section, which you can see at this link. On last night’s show, SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero listened to her husband Edge’s apology and then informed him that at SummerSlam, he would face the reinstated Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match.

– Following The Great Khali’s win in a Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer Battle Royal on last night’s edition of SmackDown, he’ll be facing Triple H for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam.

– WWE.com has a story on the “All-American Girl” Michelle McCool being the first-ever WWE Divas Champion. “I’m on top of the world right now,” McCool said. “My mindset was win, lose or draw, history was going to be made … It still hasn’t sunk in.” McCool also hopes to be a legend one day. “I truly feel like Fabulous Moolah is the pioneer for women in sports-entertainment. I don’t think anyone can deny her accomplishments or the road she paved for women wrestlers. I think Trish Stratus helped with the evolution of ‘Divas.’ She was the epitome of beauty and athleticism all wrapped into one. I don’t see myself right there now,” McCool said. “But that’s a place I aspire to be. I think this is the first step toward making history and becoming a legend.” You can read the article in its entirety at this link.

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