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Bragging Rights 2009
Date: October 25, 2009
Location: Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 13,562
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Todd Grisham
Well we’ve got two PPVs left before we’re FINALLY bridged between Night of Champions 2009 and now so let’s knock one of them off. The idea here is simple: win the best of 3 series and you get a trophy. We have a 14 man tag, Miz vs. Morrison and a Divas match. The real main event though is Cena vs. Orton in an iron man match for the title but if Cena loses he leaves Raw. This show got big time positive reviews back in the day, so let’s get to it and see if it holds up all these….months later.
The opening video is all about the competition and not a ton of people care. Vince wonders why Survivor Series bombed. Maybe because this was three weeks prior to it?
Miz vs. John Morrison
I was at the Smackdown a few weeks before this show and these two stole the damn thing with their comedy segment. It was absolutely hysterical as the chemistry these two have is off the charts. We get clips of the debate I guess you would call it from Smackdown which was great. The Jannetty line was great.
The Jannetty hate isn’t right though. Two time tag champion and an IC Champion. How many guys would love to have that kind of a resume? Both seven man teams are watching. Riveting indeed. It really is amazing that Miz is flat out better than Morrison at this point. I mean who would have guessed that? It’s also odd to watch stuff this new as they’re talking about Superstars.
I’ll give Cole this: he’s trying to keep up the illusion that people actually give a damn about this competition. Miz is mostly in control here but not entirely. They kind of mess up a backslide spot but it wasn’t that awful. Morrison hits something cool. No clue what it was as we were seeing the Raw team watching the match.
In a cool looking spot, Morrison goes for a headscissors and Miz just casually throws him to the floor. I loved that. This is almost all Miz now as Lawler channels Gorilla Monsoon. Looks like we’re getting close to the end here. I kind of wish they would have put this on ANY other show as this is a big match that just feels like it’s part of an angle that no one cares about.
Lawler sounds like an idiot as he gets excited over such tiny things. We even get a THIS IS AWESOME chant. It’s small but those are rare at WWE shows. Starship Pain is blocked and Morrison is in trouble. And that’s enough for the pin. Very abrupt but they got the point across.
Rating: B. Solid stuff here. This is more or less the beginning or continuation more likely of Miz’s current insane roll. I mean DAMN his push has been perfect. These two work very well together and this was no exception. I was legit surprised they went with this result though but Miz winning clean was a big deal. Solid match as Miz continues to show he can wrestle with anybody.
We recap Team Smackdown being replaced. I think they realized there was zero chance for the 7 guys they had having a prayer at being credible so they switched it. That was a very smart move.
Cody Rhodes argues with R-Truth. Truth wasn’t much at this point but the push was coming. Rhodes repeats the recap we just now saw. Truth says Dusty is the only reason he’s there. Yep, that’s true. Well not really, but it used to be. Show coems in to save Cody from having to think.
Ad for (the final?) Survivor Series.
Michelle McCool/Natalya/Beth Phoenix vs. Melina/Kelly Kelly/Gail Kim
Beth in blue is an amazing sight. This was when Michelle got really hot really fast. Look at the rosters. Who do you think is going to win? Beth and Gail start. Can’t believe I’m typing this but DAMN at Michelle. All three Smackdown girls have been in there in less than a minute. Kelly tries a sunset flip. It’s bad.
This is just painfully uninteresting as there is less than zero chance for Raw to win two in a row. I mean the match is ok, but people just couldn’t care any less as there is zero drama. Crowd is more or less dead too. Glam Slam ends Melina for the pin.
Rating: W. As in who cares? Like I said, the idea that THIS was going to decide the cup and not the big tag was just ridiculous and it crippled the match. Also the match was just generic as hell. This could have been any other Divas match which really shows how bland the division is at this point.
Team Smackdown celebrates. Team Raw has a meeting. Each of them talk and DX makes fun of them. This was just after Kofi lost his accent which was freaking hilarious. Ok Show and Cody don’t talk but they did earlier. This is mainly about Swagger and here’s Hornswoggle to be an idiot. They all shake. This too two minutes and was rather pointless other than the Kofi joke.
Oh I forgot to mention: Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 is sponsoring the game and clips of the wrestlers show up before all of the matches or graphics.
We recap the fatal fourway and it’s pointless. Punk lost the belt to Taker and Rey and Batista qualified. It was thrown together but whatever. Oh and Rey has been getting in the way of Batista a lot. This is a LONG package as they’er filling for time with only five matches including the Iron Man.
Smackdown World Title: CM Punk vs. Undertaker vs. Batista vs Rey Mysterio
Batista is pretty freshly back from a long injury. Rey’s pop is of course rather loud and high pitched. And he’s wearing a Skelator mask. He’s an underdog remember. Aww he and Rey are friends. Could Punk be any more awesome? It’s Clobberin Time! Marvel references are made of win. It really is amazing how far Punk has come in the time he’s been in WWE.
I’m stunned but loving it, especially with the gimmick he’s got going on now. The belt does look awesome on Taker. Big match introductions are always great things. Egads I can’t stand the odds argument. We get it ok? Of these four, I wonder who has the least tattoos? Somehow I think it’s Punk.
Punk jumps Rey so we get another tiny Mania preview. Rey can get a crowd going. I’ll give him that. Cole says the Igloo is electric. My guess is that there’s always electricity there, unless they play hockey in the dark. Taker dominates for a bit until STRAIGHTEDGE POWER prevails! Rey can bump if nothing else. This is a very back and forth match as everyone gets a chance to dominate for a few seconds. Note that I said dominate and not control. Batista keeps saving Rey.
Taker gets the choke on Batista but Punk saves as he’s done a lot tonight. And there’s the Last Ride to get rid of that theory. Batista almost gets pinned and Punk makes his fourth save. Expecting Rey to show up again soon as he’s been gone for a good while now. The Batista Bomb connects and there he is, trying to steal the pin.
Batista is PISSED. Sweet. The small man gets destroyed. Taker hits a chokeslam and calls a spot to Batista who kicks out. He cleans house but walks into the Tombstone for Taker to retain.
Rating: C+. The drama was decent here but it was the traditional issue with these matches: it turned into finisher then cover then interference and repeat. It’s fairly short but it came off ok. This was nothing great at all but I don’t think it was meant to be that. What it was meant to be was the setup to this.
So Taker of course takes a LONG time leaving and Josh Matthews gets in the ring to talk to Rey and Batista. That’s just a dumb idea. Rey said they did their best but they’re still friends and good try. Batista says he was close but not Rey and that he’s tired of Rey getting in his way. Oh and Rey stabbed him in the back. Well that’s what happens when you jump into a BFF relationship Dave.
Maybe you should make sure how you feel about him before you give up your best friend cherry to him. Batista looking down at Rey and saying he’s going to rip his head off is great stuff. This was an awesome heel turn and I think it was because it came from nowhere but made sense as Batista was just furious for a bunch of reasons and couldn’t take it anymore so he exploded. Also there was no clichéd shocking twist or anything and it just happened. Batista destroys Rey and leaves. I loved this.
We go to the Don’t Try This At Home promo, where Rey says injuries can happen at any time. That’s rather funny.
We recap the Bragging Rights feud which is they were both told to have a match. There you go. We ask the fans, which is something they need to do more often. It’s pretty split.
Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown
HHH, Shawn Michaels, Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston, Big Show, Cody Rhodes
Chris Jericho, Kane, Matt Hardy, R-Truth, Tyson Smith, David Hart Smith, Finlay
The intros here could take a LONG time. Seriously who thought 7 on 7 was a good idea? DX and Jericho/Kane are the co-captains. Hmm, I wonder if anyone is going to make a BIG jump and work with his Smackdown buddy. Oh good only the four captains get intros. The original Smackdown team (minus the two captains who were always the same) were Drew McIntyre (totally unproven), Eric Escobar, Shad, JTG and Dolph Ziggler.
Man Raw is more stacked than Smackdown. I think Kofi got introduced twice. Oh man we’re going to have to put up with the announcers being stupid aren’t we? And they’re staying in their shirts. Cody and Truth start. I expect a lot of tags. It’s amazing that Truth has a much better position right now than Rhodes.
We get Show vs. Kane. Good to see WWE going with those brand new and fresh feuds! I’m not even going to bother trying to tell you who is fighting who for the majority of this match as it’s just a waste of my time if I do. There’s a big staredown on the floor. I wonder if they’ll sing. Shawn and HHH of course have to be dicks and wear their DX shirts but then their Raw shirts around their waists.
Sweet Chin Music lands on Finlay. Oh hey the Hart Dynasty are in this match. Seriously, WHY ARE THERE 14 PEOPLE IN THIS? It’s just a stupid idea all around. Jericho hooks a choke which isn’t actually a choke as his arm isn’t over the you know, throat? Shawn is getting the hell beaten out of him for the most part here so at least they’re going with the right guy to do that. I mean it’s not like there are other young guys on his team that need the PPV experience or anything.
Oh look it’s HHH beating up tag team jobbers. And there’s Kane with the chokeslam. He’s messed up HHH’s grove. Time to be thrown out of a window. The announcers are REALLY annoying here as they’re acting all goofy and talking about how this is about them and all the rest of the roster.
No one buys that and no one cares but whatever. Kofi gets the hot tag and cleans house. Jericho finally counters the Boom Drop, since that’s so hard right? It’s a melee with everyone beating on everyone and apparently it’s Vintage Bragging Rights. Yep, Show “turns” and Jericho pins Kofi off his chokeslam.
I think that might have been the most shocking thing ever. I mean really, WHO WOULD HAVE THROUGHT the guy that has turned on people more than anyone in history turns here? I for one am shocked.
Rating: D. This did not do it for me at all. It felt like a TNA broadcast as you had guys just popping into the thing over and over again but there were so many people you would just forget about that it was too hard to keep up with it. I have NO IDEA why they went 7 on 7 as this should have been DX vs. Jerishow or 3 on 3, with 4 on 4 being the ABSOLUTE highest this should have gone.
Ad for Smackdown vs. Raw 2010.
We recap John Cena vs. Randy Orton. Seriously, if you don’t get this feud, why are you watching? They’re both big stars and they decide that this is THE rivalry. That’s bullshit but whatever. They’ve traded the title about 4 times in the last month. Let’s get to Vince’s wet dream.
Rhodes yells at Kofi. Then beats him up. Keep that in mind.
Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Randy Orton
So this is more or less a hardcore match and if Cena loses he has to leave the roster. If Orton wins he just loses the belt. The recap does kind of show how epic this had been, but everyone was glad to see this end as they had just rammed it into the freaking ground at this point. After every fall there’s a 30 second rest period.
Orton comes out first. Ok then. I don’t get why they’ve changed the tradition like that. After I went downstairs and watched HBK vs. Hart’s iron man match, I have a better idea of what to look for here. I had to do something to kill time during Orton’s entrance didn’t I? The big match intros waste even more time. Seriously we’ve had over ten minutes of buildup for this damn thing. JUST DO IT! Cena’s chest of course gets a pop. There’s the bell.
If nothing else here it’s nice to know how long there is left in the match. It’s nice for people like me that are obsessed with time and the like. They’re working slowly here but it makes sense in a match like this. That’s all I ask. One very good thing the non wrestler commentators are doing here is serving up softball questions for Lawler. Stuff like is this what Orton is doing here or what would you do in a match like this. THAT is what play by play guys need to do for analysts.
An analyst is there to offer his experience on wrestling and use his knowledge to give some insight as to what the match will be like. Lawler is REALLY bad at jumping into things, so having guys like Grisham and Cole set him up is great. Once he gets in there he’s great. Serve him up and things will work better. Cena hooks the STFU out of nowhere and Orton immediately taps to avoid any further injury (thank you Jerry. See what I’m talking about?)
We start the second fall with Lawler talking about the psychology of both guys. What the hell is going on? If there’s a tie we have sudden death apparently. Orton hits a chinlock as we reach the issue of having to stay into the match for a full hour when not a ton is going to happen until the very end anyway.
The announcers are off topic a lot but that’s fine here as they have a lot of time to kill here. Cena hits some of his old favorites (moves 6 and 7 in case you’re wondering) but the 5 Knuckle Shuffle is caught in an RKO to tie us up. LOVE that move.
Cena is knocked to the floor with about 50 minutes to go at the start of the third fall. Solid stuff so far but with 50 minutes to go, there’s only so much you can grade them on at this point. Orton goes Viper at the announce table. Monitor to the head of Cena but remember it’s No DQ. That gets two of course. A simple bit of head trauma won’t pin Cena. Back in the ring, a microphone to the head gets two. When you can get a chair or something like that, why use a microphone?
With 47:04 to go, the doctors come out to check on the cut on Cena’s head. Cena’s like fuck that and spears Orton. We’re on the floor now. I like how they’re actually having the hardcore aspect mean something. Oh I forgot to mention: the ropes are half blue and half red which is a bit confusing at times as it’s causing a lot of double takes. Orton begins having a seizure. Oh never mind: he’s just getting ready for the RKO.
Ok, Cena initiating his ending sequence IS something that qualifies to be called Vintage. In a SICK move, Orton counters the FU into an RKO for a double pin. Good. Having Orton be ok there would have been freaking stupid.
Orton charges Cena and hits the post. Cena’s cut was closed in the interval. An FU from the second rope gives Cena the lead back. During the break, Legacy is here and beats the hell out of Cena. Apparently the clock doesn’t stop for the 30 second intervals. With 40 minutes to go, it’s 3-2 Cena (the double pin was a fall for each.)
It’s no DQ so the Legacy interference is perfectly legal here. DiBiase hits Dream Street and it’s tied up. Kofi, armed with a chair, chases Legacy off and starts the Orton/Kofi feud. I was really glad they covered Legacy being run off rather than just having them leave.
They’re up at the computer area now with Orton dominating. Orton slams him into the control panel and fireworks go off, giving him an idea. Cena gets thrown through some lights that explode. That can’t be fun. It gives Orton the lead with about 34 minutes to go.
We’re at the best known part of the match as Cena is on the stage and Orton tries to blow Cena up. There’s a conchairto but no cover first though. Remember kids: don’t try this at home. No attempted murder. Orton getting ready to press the button is straight out of Ren and Stimpy. The button doesn’t work. That’s hilarious.
Ah that one does. Is this a yearly tradition? Hardy got blown up, Cena got blown up, Taker got blown up. Oh and Vince got blown up too. That happens a lot in wrestling. Back at ringside and it’s 4-3 Orton with 30 minutes to go. In a SICK spot, Orton chucks the stairs at Cena’s head. Umaga and Kane did it better. That’s good for two so Orton still leads by one.
In another brilliant spot, Orton hits the post with a chair that Cena’s arm is behind. Ok then. Vibrations maybe? From out of NOWHERE, Cena hooks a small package for a pin. The referee shouting that you have to give him 30 seconds cracks me up. HE TRIED TO BLOW HIM UP!
The match seems like it’s going by really fast so that’s a good sign. Orton’s eyes are great. Cena takes the elevated DDT to the floor for a 5-4 lead with 25 minutes to go.
Looks like they’re shaving a few extra seconds off the clock but I’m not sure. One thing I don’t get: it’s no count out and no DQ and Orton is ahead. Why is he still doing anything? Why not just hop in a car and say call me in 25 minutes? I love how with 20 minutes left and them averaging over a fall every five minutes they decide that it’s over.
Orton finally wakes up and starts running. With 20 minutes even, Orton is standing on the stage and staring at Cena in the ring. That’s psychology people. They’ve really managed to have this go in long segments that stay fresh. That’s hard to do and very impressive. Orton hits the crowd as Cole hits like his 5th sports analogy of the match.
Something they do here that’s lacking in the original ECW: they get a camera up there so you can clearly see what’s going on. It’s things like that which made ECW annoying. Fifteen minutes to go and Cena is in control again. Orton goes through the barricade which is becoming a clichéd spot somehow.
Cena’s cardio is not of this world. After 50 minutes, Cena picks up the steps and gets them next to a table then picks up Orton like a freaking pizza and the FU through the table ties us up. We’re about 51 minutes into this. I’m in awe of Cena.
With seven minutes to go, Cena has set up a table in the ring. We’re tied up at 5 in case you were wondering. And of course the table spot messes up for Cena and with five minutes left both are down. Now who would have predicted that? It’s Boo/Yay time. Three minutes to go and Cena is coming back.
I guess he is at least as it was even before that so maybe he’s just coming. And there goes the referee of course. RKO hits but no referee. Another referee hits and we get two. We need another referee at 2 minutes left. Punt misses and the STFU is on with 55 seconds left. How amazing is it that three iron man matches have had a guy in the other guy’s submission move with like 30 seconds left? What are the odds of that? Orton taps with 5 seconds left to give Cena the title back and end the show.
Rating: B+. This was called a classic for some reason. No, not really. It’s good but far from anything close to a classic. The hardcore element helped it a lot I think. They managed to keep the falls different and interesting so that it wasn’t always finisher pin etc. That’s a nice perk. Either way, this ended the feud for the time being at least but it worked. Good match if not very good, but no classic.
Overall Rating: D+. This is a one match show at best. If there’s ever been a show that flat out did not need to exist, this is it right here. The whole concept of the PPV was for one show to be bigger than the other but they went with a WEAK three match thing that proves nothing at all with a big tag that completely sucked.
The Smackdown title match was all for the sake of one angle. The Iron Man match is this show, but based on the title of it it’s not even the focus of the PPV. This felt like they had to fill a requirement or something like that rather than having it on a schedule. This was just not a good PPV at all.
The Iron Man match and the opener are ok, but the Iron Man isn’t actually recommended as the hour is just too much I think. Nothing here is really bad, but overall it just doesn’t work for me. This is a great example of a show where the individual matches do not add up to the whole show at all.
Date: October 25, 2009
Location: Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 13,562
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Todd Grisham
Well we’ve got two PPVs left before we’re FINALLY bridged between Night of Champions 2009 and now so let’s knock one of them off. The idea here is simple: win the best of 3 series and you get a trophy. We have a 14 man tag, Miz vs. Morrison and a Divas match. The real main event though is Cena vs. Orton in an iron man match for the title but if Cena loses he leaves Raw. This show got big time positive reviews back in the day, so let’s get to it and see if it holds up all these….months later.
The opening video is all about the competition and not a ton of people care. Vince wonders why Survivor Series bombed. Maybe because this was three weeks prior to it?
Miz vs. John Morrison
I was at the Smackdown a few weeks before this show and these two stole the damn thing with their comedy segment. It was absolutely hysterical as the chemistry these two have is off the charts. We get clips of the debate I guess you would call it from Smackdown which was great. The Jannetty line was great.
The Jannetty hate isn’t right though. Two time tag champion and an IC Champion. How many guys would love to have that kind of a resume? Both seven man teams are watching. Riveting indeed. It really is amazing that Miz is flat out better than Morrison at this point. I mean who would have guessed that? It’s also odd to watch stuff this new as they’re talking about Superstars.
I’ll give Cole this: he’s trying to keep up the illusion that people actually give a damn about this competition. Miz is mostly in control here but not entirely. They kind of mess up a backslide spot but it wasn’t that awful. Morrison hits something cool. No clue what it was as we were seeing the Raw team watching the match.
In a cool looking spot, Morrison goes for a headscissors and Miz just casually throws him to the floor. I loved that. This is almost all Miz now as Lawler channels Gorilla Monsoon. Looks like we’re getting close to the end here. I kind of wish they would have put this on ANY other show as this is a big match that just feels like it’s part of an angle that no one cares about.
Lawler sounds like an idiot as he gets excited over such tiny things. We even get a THIS IS AWESOME chant. It’s small but those are rare at WWE shows. Starship Pain is blocked and Morrison is in trouble. And that’s enough for the pin. Very abrupt but they got the point across.
Rating: B. Solid stuff here. This is more or less the beginning or continuation more likely of Miz’s current insane roll. I mean DAMN his push has been perfect. These two work very well together and this was no exception. I was legit surprised they went with this result though but Miz winning clean was a big deal. Solid match as Miz continues to show he can wrestle with anybody.
We recap Team Smackdown being replaced. I think they realized there was zero chance for the 7 guys they had having a prayer at being credible so they switched it. That was a very smart move.
Cody Rhodes argues with R-Truth. Truth wasn’t much at this point but the push was coming. Rhodes repeats the recap we just now saw. Truth says Dusty is the only reason he’s there. Yep, that’s true. Well not really, but it used to be. Show coems in to save Cody from having to think.
Ad for (the final?) Survivor Series.
Michelle McCool/Natalya/Beth Phoenix vs. Melina/Kelly Kelly/Gail Kim
Beth in blue is an amazing sight. This was when Michelle got really hot really fast. Look at the rosters. Who do you think is going to win? Beth and Gail start. Can’t believe I’m typing this but DAMN at Michelle. All three Smackdown girls have been in there in less than a minute. Kelly tries a sunset flip. It’s bad.
This is just painfully uninteresting as there is less than zero chance for Raw to win two in a row. I mean the match is ok, but people just couldn’t care any less as there is zero drama. Crowd is more or less dead too. Glam Slam ends Melina for the pin.
Rating: W. As in who cares? Like I said, the idea that THIS was going to decide the cup and not the big tag was just ridiculous and it crippled the match. Also the match was just generic as hell. This could have been any other Divas match which really shows how bland the division is at this point.
Team Smackdown celebrates. Team Raw has a meeting. Each of them talk and DX makes fun of them. This was just after Kofi lost his accent which was freaking hilarious. Ok Show and Cody don’t talk but they did earlier. This is mainly about Swagger and here’s Hornswoggle to be an idiot. They all shake. This too two minutes and was rather pointless other than the Kofi joke.
Oh I forgot to mention: Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 is sponsoring the game and clips of the wrestlers show up before all of the matches or graphics.
We recap the fatal fourway and it’s pointless. Punk lost the belt to Taker and Rey and Batista qualified. It was thrown together but whatever. Oh and Rey has been getting in the way of Batista a lot. This is a LONG package as they’er filling for time with only five matches including the Iron Man.
Smackdown World Title: CM Punk vs. Undertaker vs. Batista vs Rey Mysterio
Batista is pretty freshly back from a long injury. Rey’s pop is of course rather loud and high pitched. And he’s wearing a Skelator mask. He’s an underdog remember. Aww he and Rey are friends. Could Punk be any more awesome? It’s Clobberin Time! Marvel references are made of win. It really is amazing how far Punk has come in the time he’s been in WWE.
I’m stunned but loving it, especially with the gimmick he’s got going on now. The belt does look awesome on Taker. Big match introductions are always great things. Egads I can’t stand the odds argument. We get it ok? Of these four, I wonder who has the least tattoos? Somehow I think it’s Punk.
Punk jumps Rey so we get another tiny Mania preview. Rey can get a crowd going. I’ll give him that. Cole says the Igloo is electric. My guess is that there’s always electricity there, unless they play hockey in the dark. Taker dominates for a bit until STRAIGHTEDGE POWER prevails! Rey can bump if nothing else. This is a very back and forth match as everyone gets a chance to dominate for a few seconds. Note that I said dominate and not control. Batista keeps saving Rey.
Taker gets the choke on Batista but Punk saves as he’s done a lot tonight. And there’s the Last Ride to get rid of that theory. Batista almost gets pinned and Punk makes his fourth save. Expecting Rey to show up again soon as he’s been gone for a good while now. The Batista Bomb connects and there he is, trying to steal the pin.
Batista is PISSED. Sweet. The small man gets destroyed. Taker hits a chokeslam and calls a spot to Batista who kicks out. He cleans house but walks into the Tombstone for Taker to retain.
Rating: C+. The drama was decent here but it was the traditional issue with these matches: it turned into finisher then cover then interference and repeat. It’s fairly short but it came off ok. This was nothing great at all but I don’t think it was meant to be that. What it was meant to be was the setup to this.
So Taker of course takes a LONG time leaving and Josh Matthews gets in the ring to talk to Rey and Batista. That’s just a dumb idea. Rey said they did their best but they’re still friends and good try. Batista says he was close but not Rey and that he’s tired of Rey getting in his way. Oh and Rey stabbed him in the back. Well that’s what happens when you jump into a BFF relationship Dave.
Maybe you should make sure how you feel about him before you give up your best friend cherry to him. Batista looking down at Rey and saying he’s going to rip his head off is great stuff. This was an awesome heel turn and I think it was because it came from nowhere but made sense as Batista was just furious for a bunch of reasons and couldn’t take it anymore so he exploded. Also there was no clichéd shocking twist or anything and it just happened. Batista destroys Rey and leaves. I loved this.
We go to the Don’t Try This At Home promo, where Rey says injuries can happen at any time. That’s rather funny.
We recap the Bragging Rights feud which is they were both told to have a match. There you go. We ask the fans, which is something they need to do more often. It’s pretty split.
Team Raw vs. Team Smackdown
HHH, Shawn Michaels, Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston, Big Show, Cody Rhodes
Chris Jericho, Kane, Matt Hardy, R-Truth, Tyson Smith, David Hart Smith, Finlay
The intros here could take a LONG time. Seriously who thought 7 on 7 was a good idea? DX and Jericho/Kane are the co-captains. Hmm, I wonder if anyone is going to make a BIG jump and work with his Smackdown buddy. Oh good only the four captains get intros. The original Smackdown team (minus the two captains who were always the same) were Drew McIntyre (totally unproven), Eric Escobar, Shad, JTG and Dolph Ziggler.
Man Raw is more stacked than Smackdown. I think Kofi got introduced twice. Oh man we’re going to have to put up with the announcers being stupid aren’t we? And they’re staying in their shirts. Cody and Truth start. I expect a lot of tags. It’s amazing that Truth has a much better position right now than Rhodes.
We get Show vs. Kane. Good to see WWE going with those brand new and fresh feuds! I’m not even going to bother trying to tell you who is fighting who for the majority of this match as it’s just a waste of my time if I do. There’s a big staredown on the floor. I wonder if they’ll sing. Shawn and HHH of course have to be dicks and wear their DX shirts but then their Raw shirts around their waists.
Sweet Chin Music lands on Finlay. Oh hey the Hart Dynasty are in this match. Seriously, WHY ARE THERE 14 PEOPLE IN THIS? It’s just a stupid idea all around. Jericho hooks a choke which isn’t actually a choke as his arm isn’t over the you know, throat? Shawn is getting the hell beaten out of him for the most part here so at least they’re going with the right guy to do that. I mean it’s not like there are other young guys on his team that need the PPV experience or anything.
Oh look it’s HHH beating up tag team jobbers. And there’s Kane with the chokeslam. He’s messed up HHH’s grove. Time to be thrown out of a window. The announcers are REALLY annoying here as they’re acting all goofy and talking about how this is about them and all the rest of the roster.
No one buys that and no one cares but whatever. Kofi gets the hot tag and cleans house. Jericho finally counters the Boom Drop, since that’s so hard right? It’s a melee with everyone beating on everyone and apparently it’s Vintage Bragging Rights. Yep, Show “turns” and Jericho pins Kofi off his chokeslam.
I think that might have been the most shocking thing ever. I mean really, WHO WOULD HAVE THROUGHT the guy that has turned on people more than anyone in history turns here? I for one am shocked.
Rating: D. This did not do it for me at all. It felt like a TNA broadcast as you had guys just popping into the thing over and over again but there were so many people you would just forget about that it was too hard to keep up with it. I have NO IDEA why they went 7 on 7 as this should have been DX vs. Jerishow or 3 on 3, with 4 on 4 being the ABSOLUTE highest this should have gone.
Ad for Smackdown vs. Raw 2010.
We recap John Cena vs. Randy Orton. Seriously, if you don’t get this feud, why are you watching? They’re both big stars and they decide that this is THE rivalry. That’s bullshit but whatever. They’ve traded the title about 4 times in the last month. Let’s get to Vince’s wet dream.
Rhodes yells at Kofi. Then beats him up. Keep that in mind.
Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Randy Orton
So this is more or less a hardcore match and if Cena loses he has to leave the roster. If Orton wins he just loses the belt. The recap does kind of show how epic this had been, but everyone was glad to see this end as they had just rammed it into the freaking ground at this point. After every fall there’s a 30 second rest period.
Orton comes out first. Ok then. I don’t get why they’ve changed the tradition like that. After I went downstairs and watched HBK vs. Hart’s iron man match, I have a better idea of what to look for here. I had to do something to kill time during Orton’s entrance didn’t I? The big match intros waste even more time. Seriously we’ve had over ten minutes of buildup for this damn thing. JUST DO IT! Cena’s chest of course gets a pop. There’s the bell.
If nothing else here it’s nice to know how long there is left in the match. It’s nice for people like me that are obsessed with time and the like. They’re working slowly here but it makes sense in a match like this. That’s all I ask. One very good thing the non wrestler commentators are doing here is serving up softball questions for Lawler. Stuff like is this what Orton is doing here or what would you do in a match like this. THAT is what play by play guys need to do for analysts.
An analyst is there to offer his experience on wrestling and use his knowledge to give some insight as to what the match will be like. Lawler is REALLY bad at jumping into things, so having guys like Grisham and Cole set him up is great. Once he gets in there he’s great. Serve him up and things will work better. Cena hooks the STFU out of nowhere and Orton immediately taps to avoid any further injury (thank you Jerry. See what I’m talking about?)
We start the second fall with Lawler talking about the psychology of both guys. What the hell is going on? If there’s a tie we have sudden death apparently. Orton hits a chinlock as we reach the issue of having to stay into the match for a full hour when not a ton is going to happen until the very end anyway.
The announcers are off topic a lot but that’s fine here as they have a lot of time to kill here. Cena hits some of his old favorites (moves 6 and 7 in case you’re wondering) but the 5 Knuckle Shuffle is caught in an RKO to tie us up. LOVE that move.
Cena is knocked to the floor with about 50 minutes to go at the start of the third fall. Solid stuff so far but with 50 minutes to go, there’s only so much you can grade them on at this point. Orton goes Viper at the announce table. Monitor to the head of Cena but remember it’s No DQ. That gets two of course. A simple bit of head trauma won’t pin Cena. Back in the ring, a microphone to the head gets two. When you can get a chair or something like that, why use a microphone?
With 47:04 to go, the doctors come out to check on the cut on Cena’s head. Cena’s like fuck that and spears Orton. We’re on the floor now. I like how they’re actually having the hardcore aspect mean something. Oh I forgot to mention: the ropes are half blue and half red which is a bit confusing at times as it’s causing a lot of double takes. Orton begins having a seizure. Oh never mind: he’s just getting ready for the RKO.
Ok, Cena initiating his ending sequence IS something that qualifies to be called Vintage. In a SICK move, Orton counters the FU into an RKO for a double pin. Good. Having Orton be ok there would have been freaking stupid.
Orton charges Cena and hits the post. Cena’s cut was closed in the interval. An FU from the second rope gives Cena the lead back. During the break, Legacy is here and beats the hell out of Cena. Apparently the clock doesn’t stop for the 30 second intervals. With 40 minutes to go, it’s 3-2 Cena (the double pin was a fall for each.)
It’s no DQ so the Legacy interference is perfectly legal here. DiBiase hits Dream Street and it’s tied up. Kofi, armed with a chair, chases Legacy off and starts the Orton/Kofi feud. I was really glad they covered Legacy being run off rather than just having them leave.
They’re up at the computer area now with Orton dominating. Orton slams him into the control panel and fireworks go off, giving him an idea. Cena gets thrown through some lights that explode. That can’t be fun. It gives Orton the lead with about 34 minutes to go.
We’re at the best known part of the match as Cena is on the stage and Orton tries to blow Cena up. There’s a conchairto but no cover first though. Remember kids: don’t try this at home. No attempted murder. Orton getting ready to press the button is straight out of Ren and Stimpy. The button doesn’t work. That’s hilarious.
Ah that one does. Is this a yearly tradition? Hardy got blown up, Cena got blown up, Taker got blown up. Oh and Vince got blown up too. That happens a lot in wrestling. Back at ringside and it’s 4-3 Orton with 30 minutes to go. In a SICK spot, Orton chucks the stairs at Cena’s head. Umaga and Kane did it better. That’s good for two so Orton still leads by one.
In another brilliant spot, Orton hits the post with a chair that Cena’s arm is behind. Ok then. Vibrations maybe? From out of NOWHERE, Cena hooks a small package for a pin. The referee shouting that you have to give him 30 seconds cracks me up. HE TRIED TO BLOW HIM UP!
The match seems like it’s going by really fast so that’s a good sign. Orton’s eyes are great. Cena takes the elevated DDT to the floor for a 5-4 lead with 25 minutes to go.
Looks like they’re shaving a few extra seconds off the clock but I’m not sure. One thing I don’t get: it’s no count out and no DQ and Orton is ahead. Why is he still doing anything? Why not just hop in a car and say call me in 25 minutes? I love how with 20 minutes left and them averaging over a fall every five minutes they decide that it’s over.
Orton finally wakes up and starts running. With 20 minutes even, Orton is standing on the stage and staring at Cena in the ring. That’s psychology people. They’ve really managed to have this go in long segments that stay fresh. That’s hard to do and very impressive. Orton hits the crowd as Cole hits like his 5th sports analogy of the match.
Something they do here that’s lacking in the original ECW: they get a camera up there so you can clearly see what’s going on. It’s things like that which made ECW annoying. Fifteen minutes to go and Cena is in control again. Orton goes through the barricade which is becoming a clichéd spot somehow.
Cena’s cardio is not of this world. After 50 minutes, Cena picks up the steps and gets them next to a table then picks up Orton like a freaking pizza and the FU through the table ties us up. We’re about 51 minutes into this. I’m in awe of Cena.
With seven minutes to go, Cena has set up a table in the ring. We’re tied up at 5 in case you were wondering. And of course the table spot messes up for Cena and with five minutes left both are down. Now who would have predicted that? It’s Boo/Yay time. Three minutes to go and Cena is coming back.
I guess he is at least as it was even before that so maybe he’s just coming. And there goes the referee of course. RKO hits but no referee. Another referee hits and we get two. We need another referee at 2 minutes left. Punt misses and the STFU is on with 55 seconds left. How amazing is it that three iron man matches have had a guy in the other guy’s submission move with like 30 seconds left? What are the odds of that? Orton taps with 5 seconds left to give Cena the title back and end the show.
Rating: B+. This was called a classic for some reason. No, not really. It’s good but far from anything close to a classic. The hardcore element helped it a lot I think. They managed to keep the falls different and interesting so that it wasn’t always finisher pin etc. That’s a nice perk. Either way, this ended the feud for the time being at least but it worked. Good match if not very good, but no classic.
Overall Rating: D+. This is a one match show at best. If there’s ever been a show that flat out did not need to exist, this is it right here. The whole concept of the PPV was for one show to be bigger than the other but they went with a WEAK three match thing that proves nothing at all with a big tag that completely sucked.
The Smackdown title match was all for the sake of one angle. The Iron Man match is this show, but based on the title of it it’s not even the focus of the PPV. This felt like they had to fill a requirement or something like that rather than having it on a schedule. This was just not a good PPV at all.
The Iron Man match and the opener are ok, but the Iron Man isn’t actually recommended as the hour is just too much I think. Nothing here is really bad, but overall it just doesn’t work for me. This is a great example of a show where the individual matches do not add up to the whole show at all.