klunderbunker
Welcome to My (And Not Sly's) House
Monday
Flair is officially gone from TNA and has been for a month now apparently.
Monday Night Raw
Date: June 18, 2012
Location: Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler
Guest Star: Cyndi Lauper
It's the first show after No Way Out and Ace has been fired. Naturally he's here tonight to say goodbye or whatever. Is anyone really surprised that someone is here the night after he got fired? Other than that we're probably going to start the build towards MITB which is in four weeks. Punk is still champion so he needs a new challenger. Let's get to it.
Here's Foley to open the show. He got a call last night from the Board of Directors regarding the new permanent GM. Since he's a former Commissioner, he was asked to host both Raw and Smackdown this week. Therefore tonight, it's Kane/Daniel Bryan (HUGE Yes chant) vs. Punk/Sheamus. There's something he has to do that isn't so pleasing though, which is bring out Johnny Ace for his farewell address.
Ace is in a sling and a neckbrace while walking with a cane. Foley of course hugs him, making Ace cringe. The fans boo a lot and Ace keeps asking the fans to keep it down. Foley requests the same but also says Ace whispered that Long Island sucks. Ace says that before he was fired last night, he made the main event of Cena vs. Big Show, Otunga, and himself.
Sheamus/CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan/Kane
Sheamus and Bryan start and Danny Boy sends him to the apron. Sheamus comes back with the slingshot shoulder and a powerslam for two. Tag to Punk with a slingshot hilo for two. Off to Kane who kicks the champion in the face for two. That would be the shorter champion in case you're confused for some reason. Punk hits forearms to both guys but Kane stops him cold again.
Punk ducks a clothesline and hits the suicide dive onto Bryan. This is a fast paced match so far. The springboard clothesline hits uppercut though and we take a break. Back with Punk fighting out of a chinlock with a failed GTS attempt. The chokeslam is countered by a high kick and both guys are down. Sheamus comes in with the top rope shoulder block. Bryan isn't on the apron for some reason.
Powerslam gets two for Sheamus and there's the Irish Curse. Bryan comes in sans tag but gets caught by six forearms to the chest due to Kane making the save. Regal Roll is countered and Kane shoves Sheamus to the floor. Bryan hits a running dropkick on the floor and takes over back inside. Some kicks to the chest get two and it's back to Kane. Side slam gets two as does the top rope clothesline.
Back to Danny Boy who fires off more kicks but misses a running dropkick in the corner. Off to Punk who fires off with his usual stuff on Bryan. The neckbreaker is countered but Bryan's kick misses. Powerslam sets up the running knee into the bulldog out of the corner. The Macho Elbow is countered and Bryan hits a superplex to put both guys down. And here's AJ in Kane colors and a Kane match. The song being called Let's Light It Up seems somewhat appropriate now. She skips around the ring and leaves with Kane following here. This allows a GTS into a Brogue Kick combination get the pin on Bryan at 14:29.
Ziggler and Swagger are arguing in the back when Vickie finally shoves them apart. She says that right now they're going to have a match and the winner full attention.
Ace, Otunga and Show are in the back. Ace talks about how Show is going to know Cena out so Ace can pin him. He says it's going to be funny when the fans get a great moment as their final Ace moment. Show says he doesn't find anything funny.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger
BIG face pop for Ziggler here in Smark Land. They trade takedowns to start and show off afterwords. Ziggler gets thrown off and may have hurt his knee. Swagger goes after it with a leg lock and shouts that he's better than Ziggler. There's the ankle lock and Ziggler is pulled back to the middle of the ring. Swagger CRANKS on that thing but gets rolled off into the corner. Zig Zag gets the pin at 4:10. That was the only big move Ziggler hit all match.
Vickie kisses Ziggler post match.
We get HHH challenging Brock from last night.
Lawler's favorite Raw moment is Vince in the hospital in 1998. Mr. Socko debuted and Austin hit him with a bedpan. The anal violation is missing.
Here's Heyman to answer for Lesnar: No. As he leaves, here's HHH. You know, I don't think we're in a bingo hall here. HHH says he wants to only talk to Brock Lesnar and Brock Lesnar will face him at Summerslam. Lesnar wants things to be about him, so Lesnar will be the star of Summerslam and we get a promotional poster with Lesnar on it. Heyman says Lesnar has no ego and even HHH laughs at that. HHH knows Lesnar will fight because there's no way Brock will go down in history as the guy afraid of HHH.
Heyman tells HHH to stop pretending to be a fighter he used to be. Go back home to your wife and kids and be the King of Kings, because around here you're not the king of anything. Paul tries to goad HHH into hitting him, even saying that HHH is becoming like Vince more and more every day.
Heyman says go ahead and hit me because them he and Lesnar will own this place, and there won't be anything in it for HHH. There will however be something for Stephanie, and that snaps the Game. He doesn't hit Heyman but he chokes him. Heyman says he's HHH's match because he's smarter and knows everything HHH will do. And there's a right hand for Paulie. HHH leaves as referees help Paul up.
Alberto Del Rio vs. Santino Marella
Non-title of course. Also since it's the US Champion, this is a total squash with Santino tapping to the cross armbreaker in 1:25. Ricardo gets in a shot on the arm post match.
Video on Cyndi Lauper in the WWF in the 80s. Basically she was the catalyst for Hogan vs. Piper which spawned Wrestlemania.
Here's Layla to introduce Lauper as part of the 1000th episode of Raw celebration. You know, a show Lauper has NEVER BEEN ON. Wendi Richter is here too. Lauper is BOMBED. Even Cole says we're sorry for this after she says about two words. Richter says nothing of note. THANKFULLY Heath Slater comes out to brag about not needing a band. He's going to debut his single here tonight and it's him badly singing his theme song. Lauper makes fun of him and here's Piper for the rescue.
He calls all four of them Miss and Slater says that Piper didn't like Lauper back in the day. Piper takes off his jacket. He says he loves Lauper and gives her a gold record to replace the one he broke over Lou Albano's head back in the day. Slater is still here for some reason. He says it's time for him to sing and Lauper breaks the record over his head. Cole says this is one of the worst segments in Raw history. That would be correct.
Primo/Epico vs. Prime Time Players
AW introduces his new team, which is the Prime Time Players if you didn't watch the PPV last night. Epico and Titus get things going and the power controls to start. Off to Young who Titus suplexes onto Epico for two. After a quick chinlock by Young it's off to Primo as things speed up. Everything breaks down and Young's gutbuster is countered. Backstabber to Young but Titus pulls him to the floor. The Colons hit steres dropkicks through the ropes but the Players leave before the double dives can hit. It's a countout loss at 2:56. Ok then.
Jericho is back next week.
Here's Ace to talk about how all of the fans are losers now because they don't have People Power. Post break Teddy is here to rip up his name tag. Big Show says that there's no need for him to be here because he knows he can beat Cena and that he doesn't have to answer to Ace anymore. Otunga and Ace are on their own.
John Cena vs. John Laurinitis/David Otunga
Otunga starts and is slammed and bulldogged very fast. Ace walks away from a tag of course and after more of a beating, Cena FINALLY misses a charge and gets sent into the steps. Ace comes in and throws off the sling and brace and stomps away a lot. Now Otunga won't tag in and walks out. Cena is back up, hits three AA's and the STF for the tap at 6:21. I'm not even going to bother to rate this but it was nothing at all other than a way to write Ace off TV for at least a week.
Results
Sheamus/CM Punk b. Daniel Bryan/Kane Brogue Kick to Bryan
Dolph Ziggler b. Jack Swagger Zig Zag
Alberto Del Rio b. Santino Marella Cross Armbreaker
Epico/Primo b. Prime Time Players via countout
John Cena b. John Laurinitis and David Otunga STF to Laurinitis
Tuesday
Raw got a 3.4, which is far better than they've been doing with their two hour shows lately.
Wednesday
NXT
Date: June 20, 2012
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, William Regal
It's FINALLY a new season of this shindig and things are really shaken up. We're permanently in Florida now with FCW and NXT merging and I can't say I'm complaining a bit. These will now be up on Thursdays instead of Wednesdays as they only air internationally at the moment, so I have to wait for the videos to surface online. I don't know what to expect from this so let's get to it.
The opening video is about how each generation has its own stars that define their era. NXT is about those that strive to make their own history. Cool video and this looks great so far.
Regal welcomes us to the show in a voiceover. I really like the arena as there's a small Titantron which looks like it belongs in a more intimate setting.
Here's JR to welcome us to the show. He brings out Dusty Rhodes who apparently is the new General Manager of NXT. The main event is McGillicutty vs. Kidd and Dusty is very excited about it. You can say a lot about Dusty Rhodes and a lot of it is critical, but you can NEVER say he comes off as bored or dull. The guy always sounds like he cares about what he's talking about and that makes a ton of difference.
Video on Bo Dallas which I believe we saw last week. His dad is Mike Rotunda, more famous as IRS. He talks about smiling all the time and being ready to go at any time.
We get the Vince Hospital clip from Raw.
Bo Dallas vs. Rick Victor
Regal and JR are on commentary so I can't complain there. The crowd sounds fired up already and I'm really digging this so far. It looks different from the regular WWE setup whih is a nice change of pace. Dallas controls with some armdrags to start but Victor chops away in the corner. Snap powerslam puts Victor down and a spear gets the pin for Dallas at 2:17. I didn't see enough of Dallas here to tell what I thought of him but it wasn't bad.
Dallas says you just saw his game plan being executed and that this is just the beginning. He talks about his smile some more. Dallas is only 22 and looks even younger than that, but that's the point of being in the minors like this. He has potential at least.
Video on Seth Rollins who talks about being the change we've been waiting for. He debuts next week.
Video on Antonio Cesaro and how awesome he is. He's The Future and will also debut next week.
Damien Sandow vs. Jason Jordan
The announcer messes up Sandow's hometown, calling it Palto Alo. Sandow does his usual schtick, talking about how this is an unworthy opponent. Therefore, he won't be wrestling tonight. No match.
Video on The Ascension, which is a stable I've heard a lot of good things about. They're standing on a rooftop and say they will rise. There are only two here instead of the three that I believe they usually have.
Raw ReBound is about John vs. John.
The Ascension vs. Mike Dalton/CJ Parker
Ascension is Conor O'Brien and Kenneth Cameron. Their entrance is pretty awesome with music that sounds like something out of a thriller movie's trailer and blue lighting. They actually look intimidating and above all else, they look DIFFERENT. That's been missing so badly on this show as everyone is just out there in trunks wrestling. Cameron and Parker start things off and the Ascension controls early. Off to O'Brien who stomps away on Parker in the corner. Ascension hits rapid fire elbows followed by a jawbreaker from Cameron into a flapjack by O'Brien for the pin at 1:11. I like what I see again. The finisher is called The Downcast.
Video on Bray Wyatt, more commonly known as Husky Harris. He's in a small town in the south and says that it's time for parents to quit lying to their children because monsters like him are real. I've heard rave reviews about this character and I think I can see why.
Derrick Bateman is looking for Johnny Curtis in the bathroom where Curtis is brushing his teeth. They leave the room together and Bateman looks annoyed. Apparently they're the main event next week. Curtis washes his hands on Bateman's shirt. These two still annoy me.
Tyson Kidd vs. Michael McGillicutty
Kidd works over the arm to start as the fans chant USA. McGillicutty runs Kidd over and counters an O'Connor Roll, only to have Kidd fire off kicks. Michael bails to the floor for a breather before locking up in a test of strength. Kidd climbs the ropes to escape and hooks the armbar again. Kidd throws him over the top and face first into the apron. That's followed by a suicide dive and we take a break.
Back with Tyson stomping McGillicutty down in the corner and hitting a leg lariat for two. McGillicutty sends him to the apron and hits a knee lift, followed by an elevated neckbreaker for two. We hit the chinlock but Kidd gets back up quickly. Kidd hooks a sunset flip but McGillicutty hits a clothesline to the back of the head for two. McGillicutty puts him in the Tree of Woe and chokes away.
Kidd gets put in the Tree of Woe again but his baseball slide misses, giving us his pop's signature crotch shot into the post. Kidd speeds up and fires off a bunch of kicks including a dropkick to the side of the head for two. McGillicutty counters a springboard clothesline with a dropkick for two.
Kidd comes back with a moonsault press for two. The fans are really getting into this. Dungeon Lock doesn't work and McGillicutty hits a Saito Suplex for two. McGillicutty puts on a half crab which is supposed to be called a Sharpshooter. The Perfectplex is countered into a small package for two. Kidd grabs the Dungeon Lock for the tap at 14:07.
Results
Bo Dallas b. Rick Victor Spear
The Ascension b. Mike Dalton/CJ Parker Downcast to Parker
Tyson Kidd b. Michael McGillicutty Dungeon Lock
Thursday
Impact Wrestling
Date; June 21, 2012
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tazz
It's Open Fight Night 3 and the BFG Series gets going tonight as well. The two main focuses of the show though are going to be Aries decision about forfeiting the X Title in exchange for a world title match and Dixie revealing what is going on with her and AJ. TNA is on a total roll at this point so hopefully they can keep things going. Oh and we might be able to find out who attacked Sting. Let's get to it.
Here's Hogan to open things up. He isn't going to give the masked men any more publicity but things will be made right for Sting. That's enough about that though so let's talk about Austin's choice. Here's Aries to answer Hogan's ultimatum. He talks about being given two options, either to drop the title for a shot or keep this title. Aries says he has Option C: he'll hand over the title for his title shot, but every year the X Champion gets the same option at Destination X. Hogan says ok, and here's Roode.
Bobby freaks out and asks if Hogan and Aries are kidding him. He told Hogan to stay in the office a long time ago. Roode wants to know what Aries thinks he's doing because the X Title means nothing to Roode. He talks about how he won't be a footnote and says he'll keep his title at Destination X. Aries says this is Open Fight Night so let's do it right now. They brawl in the aisle until the agents break it up. Once they're split up, here's Anderson, who says he'll win the BFG Series and face the winner.
Bound For Glory Series: Mr. Anderson vs. Christopher Daniels
They're going to have everyone face everyone in this which is a BIG improvement over last year where they seemingly had people fighting at random. Also every match has a ten minute time limit. Daniels works on the arm of Anderson which may have been injured by Roode last week. An elbow to the face puts Daniels down but the Mic Check is countered into a Blue Thudner Bomb. Anderson pops back up again and hits his spinning neckbreaker into the Mic Check for the pin at 3:04, giving Anderson 7 points.
AJ thinks there's another way to do this. Dixie isn't sure.
Brooke is in the back with the Knockouts who might be getting the title match tonight. The girls have to tell her why they want the title. ODB says she's different than everyone else. Madison says she's held the title forever and Brooke tells her to drop the crush. Mickie says she's the best female wrestler in the world and Madison says she's the second longest reigning champion ever. Madison gets thrown out. Velvet didn't say anything.
Robbie challenges anyone in the BFG Series to a match.
Bound For Glory Series: Robbie E. vs. Kurt Angle
Suplex, Angle Slam, ankle lock, ten points for Angle in 31 seconds.
Video on Taeler Hendrix who is the Gut Check girl tonight.
Here's Magnus who says he's going to pick his opponent for a BFG Series match here. Women around the world want a shot at him so he knows what it's like to have women trouble. He doesn't go after other men's wives though, so AJ, get out here.
Bound For Glory Series: AJ Styles vs. Magnus
AJ charges into the ring and starts fast. A backbreaker puts Magnus down but AJ changes his mind before going up. Magnus pops up and catches AJ's cross body into a suplex. Cool counter. AJ snaps off his dropkick but the Pele misses. Off to a chinlock which AJ breaks before Daniels and Kaz come out with more papers. The distraction allows Magnus to hit a Juvy Driver for the pin at 2:31 for seven points.
Taeler Hendrix vs. Tara
Gut Check time. Tara suplexes her down but gets caught in a quick sunset flip for two. Tara chokes her in the corner for awhile before getting caught in a Stratusphere. Joseph Park is being taken out for some reason. Hendrix comes back with some clotheslines but a spin kick misses. Widow's Peak and it's over at 2:36.
Back from a break and Park wants to know why he's being taken to the back. It turns out to be a trap set by Ray, who yells at Park. Park talks about Ray beating him up last week and gets shoved for it. If Ray ever sees either of them again, it'll be the last time they're ever seen.
Bound For Glory Series: Samoa Joe vs. James Storm
Joe pounds him down into the corner and hits his kick to take Storm down. The armbar is countered as Storm makes the rope so Joe slaps on a nerve hold. Storm fights out of it but walks into a snap powerslam for two, followed by an armbar. They trade forearms but Joe goes back to the arm to slow Storm down. There's a crossface chickenwing but Storm breaks that quickly as well. The Cowboy goes up top but gets kicked in the head. No MuscleBuster but Joe hooks the Clutch. That gets broken up and the Last Call ends this at 3:56.
We recap the AJ/Dixie stuff which has been going on for awhile now.
Back to the Knockouts Reality Show with Velvet saying she never got a rematch. ODB gets thrown out because of Eric Young. Next.
Bound For Glory Series: D'Angelo Dinero vs. Bully Ray
This is another call out, this time by Bully. Ray jumps Pope to start and gets some quick two counts. A boot to the face puts Dinero down but a splash misses for Ray. Dinero comes back with some elbows but Ray hits a corner splash. As he pounds away in the corner, here's Abyss in the crowd. He tells Ray to bring it and the DDE sends Ray to the floor. Abyss comes over the rail and goes after Ray, who gets back in the ring but walks into an STO for the pin at 3:45.
Hogan makes Hardy vs. RVD as the main event because they're the only two BFG people that haven't fought tonight.
Here's the Montgomery Gentry video with Velvet in it.
Knockouts Title: Miss Tessmacher vs. Mickie James
Ok then. Feeling out process to start with Mickie taking her down to the mat pretty quickly. She hooks a chinlock with a bridge and even adds in a cheap shot. Mickie hasn't ever been heel in TNA that I remember so that could be something interesting to see. Brooke gets in a few shots including a facejam out of the corner but Mickie takes her down with that spin kick of hers for two. Tessmacher hooks a sunset flip out of nowhere for the pin at 5:20.
Bound For Glory Series: Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy
Van Dam takes him down with a leg scissors but Jeff speeds things up, hitting a legdrop to the back of Van Dam's head and a pair of dropkicks for two. Hardy sends him to the floor but van Dam comes off the top with the jumping kick. Rolling Thunder gets two as does the split legged moonsault. Hardy comes back with a bulldog but the Swanton misses. Van Dam goes up and tries a 450 of all things, but Hardy moves. DDT gets two and the Twist gets the pin at 3:48.
Here are AJ and Dixie for the big reveal. The fans still cheer for Styles because he's their hero. Dixie has trouble talking and AJ says we don't have to do this. Some woman comes out and says she wants to do this. Both of them seem to know who she is and she seems to be pregnant. She says she's known both of them forever and says they've both helped her a lot. She's going to tell us the truth: they're not having an affair.
This chick says she's an addict and she's stolen money to pay for it. She's woken up with a stranger more than once and had to go to AJ and Dixie for help. AJ took her to rehab and the video/photos were about her. Daniels is freaking out in the back and here he comes. AJ runs him over as the girls get out. Here's Kaz as well and AJ beats him up too. AJ kills Kaz with a powerbomb and Peles Daniels. He pounds away on him as the show ends.
Results
Mr. Anderson b. Christopher Daniels Mic Check
Kurt Angle b. Robbie E. Ankle Lock
Magnus b. AJ Styles Scoop Tombstone Piledriver
Tara b. Taeler Hendrix Widow's Peak
James Storm b. Samoa Joe Last Call
D'Angelo Dinero b. Bully Ray STO
Miss Tessmacher b. Mickie James Sunset Flip
Jeff Hardy b. Rob Van Dam Twist of Fate
Friday
Impact got a 1.0, down slightly from last week. The NBA Finals did a monster number too.
Smackdown
Date: June 22, 2012
Location: 1st Mariner Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Michael Cole, Josh Matthews, Booker T
We're past No Way Out and we have the same world champion in the form of Sheamus. We're starting the build up to MITB as well so maybe we'll have someone added to the ladder match here. If I understand it right we have eight people in it again, but I'm really not sure if they have enough people to put 16 guys in two ladder matches. Besides that's too many in a single match anyway. Let's get to it.
Do You Know Your Enemy? Mine is this heat. It's way too hot to be early summer.
Bryan vs. Kane later tonight plus Sheamus vs. Ziggler in a non-title match.
Here's Teddy to open the show. Ace is officially fired and tonight, Mick Foley is in charge. Here's Big Show instead though for a chat. He doesn't care that Ace is fired because he didn't care about him. Show doesn't care about the fans either and now he can do whatever he wants. He congratulates Cena for the win on Sunday but doesn't care about that anymore. Yep, another main event loss is being written off.
Instead Show is moving on to something, but the fans have to chant for Cena first. Since Show doesn't care about them though, he's moving on to the MITB match. He says there are no five men that can stop them, which is a great sounding thing as it might mean that there are only going to be six people in the match. Once he wins the case and cashes in, he's going to be champion for as long as he wants to be. He's going to win the title for himself instead of the people in the back or the fans, because it's all about him.
Cue serious Brodus who is a little hard to take seriously when he has the girls with him. Brodus charges in and is immediately taken down by knee strikes. Brodus hits the headbutt and Show goes down fast. He pounds on Show in the corner but Otunga comes out and hits the bad knee to put Clay down. Show hits him in the knee a few times as the fans chant that Show can't wrestle. The WMD leaves Brodus laying. Otunga gets in the ring and says someone should call Brodus' mama. He'll do it himself and tell Mama Clay that Brodus can't get up. Otunga does the Carlton Dance and the Thriller Dance. Ok then.
Ryback vs. Frank Venanzia/Jared Walker
Booker says Walker is Brickhouse Brown's cousin. There's a name out of the past. Ryback calls them stupid a lot and powerbombs Walker onto Frank. Double Samoan Drop gets the pin at 1:43.
Foley is in the back with Yoshi Tatsu when Vickie comes up. She's the guest GM of both shows next week. If Foley doesn't behave, she'll make him her assistant. Foley likes the idea and offers Khali as an assistant instead. Khali and Foley dance.
Bryan's memorable Raw moment is Jannetty beating Shawn for the IC Title.
Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian
Non-title of course. Christian hits a shoulder block to take Del Rio down and hooks the sunset flip out of the corner for a fast two. Del Rio responds by kicking him in the head to take over but Christian sends him to the floor. The champ dives onto Del Rio as we take a break. Back with Del Rio holds Christian in an arm lock. During the break Christian's shoulder went into the steps to start the attack.
Elbow drop gets two for Del Rio and he stays on the arm. A kick to the arm gets two. Alberto goes up but Christian gets in a right hand and a top rope rana for two. With Del Rio in the rope Christian hits his uppercut but the top rope cross body misses. The corner enziguri misses and Christian hits the tornado DDT for another two. The Codebreaker to the arm slow Christian down again but he shrugs it off and hits a missile dropkick for two.
The Killswitch is countered into a Stunner on the arm for two. Christian takes him down and loads up the spear but he charges into a kick to the face. Cross armbreaker is countered into a countered Killswitch. They go to the corner but Rodriguez interferes, allowing Del Rio to hit the corner enziguri and the Armbreaker for the tap at 6:14 shown of 9:44.
Cody comes out and beats up Christian post match because this feud isn't done for some unexplained reason. Cody shouts that he is Smackdown and that Christian is stealing his time.
We get a recap from Raw on Monday with Bryan/Kane/Punk/AJ.
Kane vs. Daniel Bryan
AJ is guest timekeeper for this for no apparent reason. Bryan fires off kicks to the legs but charges into a slam. Kane pounds away but charges over the top by mistake. That doesn't seem to matter much as he keeps beating on Bryan on the floor, only to get sent into the post. Bryan loads up the knee off the apron but Kane gets back inside instead. Running dropkick in the corner gets two and it's time for the kicks.
Kane comes back with his low dropkick for two and follows Bryan into the corner with a clothesline. Bryan comes back with more kicks but Kane grabs the leg. That gets him nowhere as Bryan sends him into the buckle. He slips coming off the top with the dropkick but a second attempt at it gets two. Kane gets all fired up and pounds away in the corner. Big boot looks to set up the chokeslam but Bryan dropkicks the knee.
A hard kick to the head gets two for Bryan but his Swan Dive is caught in a choke. That gets countered into a failed YES Lock but the chokeslam is countered into a guillotine. Kane powers out of that too but Bryan gets the YES Lock. AJ rings the bell without a tap at 7:25. That gets waved off because Kane didn't tap and the chokeslam gets the real pin at 7:54.
AJ skips off of course.
Here's Foley for a chat. He's glad Ace got fired so he can come back for one night only in Baltimore. Cue Heath Slater to a big cheer from Cole. Slater complains about what happened on Raw with Lauper and Piper, but Foley says there's nothing to be embarrassed about. Foley makes a match for Slater here tonight though.
Heath Slater vs. Zach Ryder
You know, because the LONG ISLAND GUY couldn't be on Raw in LONG ISLAND right? Ryder takes over quickly but Slater hides in the corner. He comes back with a neckbreaker for two but walks into knees out of the corner. Rough Ryder gets the pin at 1:12.
Foley and Ryder celebrate in the back but run into Sandow. He's disgusted by what he just saw and says that Ryder has brought the WWE Universe down to new levels of stupidity. I guess Sandow has his first feud.
Usos vs. Prime Time Players
Darren and Jey start things off with the Uso taking over. They head to the corner and the brothers double team Darren. Titus avoids a double superkick and it's off to Jimmy. Darren drives him into the corner and it's off to Titus for some power. We hit the chinlock which Jimmy escapes pretty quickly. Hot tag brings in Jey but he and Darren go to the floor quickly. Jimmy goes up for the Superfly Splash but Titus pulls him down and hits the Clash of the Titus for the pin at 3:24.
Post break Epico and Primo jump the Players in the back.
Here's Santino for Sign of the Night. Most of these signs suck. Some chick has an I Love Santino sign and he invites her into the ring. She's dressed like Santino and their Cobras kiss. Then she kisses him and Santino faints.
Jerry Lawler likes Vince in the hospital. This is the third time I've seen this in a week.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus
Non-title here. Ziggler gets behind Sheamus to start but Sheamus easily powers out of it. Sheamus takes him down to the mat with a headlock followed by a shoulder for two. Ziggler gets a boot to Sheamus' face and sends him to the floor. Dolph is hitting and running here which makes sense. What doesn't make sense is diving at a power guy, resulting in him getting caught in a fallaway slam into the barricade as we take a break.
Back with the guys in the ring and Ziggler putting on a chinlock. They go to the floor and Sheamus sends Dolph into the steps but he stops to yell at Vickie. Dolph comes back with a sweet Fameasser off the steps to take over. Neckbreaker gets two as does an elbow drop. A quick sleeper is countered but Dolph dropkicks him down for two. Another neckbreaker gets two so let's hit the chinlock again.
Sheamus breaks out of that one just as easily as he has all of the other ones. He starts running over Ziggler and loads up White Noise but Ziggler escapes into a rollup for two. Dolph comes back with a jumping DDT for two and Sheamus goes to the apron. He goes up top and knocks Ziggler out of the air when Dolph tries to run the ropes. The top rope shoulder gets two and there are the ten forearms in the ropes. Irish Curse is broken up but Ziggler charges into the Brogue Kick for the pin at 10:00 shown of 13:30.
Results
Ryback b. Frank Venanzia/Jared Walker Double Samoan Drop
Alberto Del Rio b. Christian Cross Armbreaker
Kane b. Daniel Bryan Chokeslam
Zach Ryder b. Heath Slater Rough Ryder
Prime Time Players b. Usos Clash of the Titus to Jey Uso
Sheamus b. Dolph Ziggler Brogue Kick
Saturday
Nothing.
Sunday
Nothing either.
Quick Results
Raw
Sheamus/CM Punk b. Daniel Bryan/Kane Brogue Kick to Bryan
Dolph Ziggler b. Jack Swagger Zig Zag
Alberto Del Rio b. Santino Marella Cross Armbreaker
Epico/Primo b. Prime Time Players via countout
John Cena b. John Laurinitis and David Otunga STF to Laurinitis
NXT
Bo Dallas b. Rick Victor Spear
The Ascension b. Mike Dalton/CJ Parker Downcast to Parker
Tyson Kidd b. Michael McGillicutty Dungeon Lock
Impact Wrestling
Mr. Anderson b. Christopher Daniels Mic Check
Kurt Angle b. Robbie E. Ankle Lock
Magnus b. AJ Styles Scoop Tombstone Piledriver
Tara b. Taeler Hendrix Widow's Peak
James Storm b. Samoa Joe Last Call
D'Angelo Dinero b. Bully Ray STO
Miss Tessmacher b. Mickie James Sunset Flip
Jeff Hardy b. Rob Van Dam Twist of Fate
Smackdown
Ryback b. Frank Venanzia/Jared Walker Double Samoan Drop
Alberto Del Rio b. Christian Cross Armbreaker
Kane b. Daniel Bryan Chokeslam
Zach Ryder b. Heath Slater Rough Ryder
Prime Time Players b. Usos Clash of the Titus to Jey Uso
Sheamus b. Dolph Ziggler Brogue Kick
Flair is officially gone from TNA and has been for a month now apparently.
Monday Night Raw
Date: June 18, 2012
Location: Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler
Guest Star: Cyndi Lauper
It's the first show after No Way Out and Ace has been fired. Naturally he's here tonight to say goodbye or whatever. Is anyone really surprised that someone is here the night after he got fired? Other than that we're probably going to start the build towards MITB which is in four weeks. Punk is still champion so he needs a new challenger. Let's get to it.
Here's Foley to open the show. He got a call last night from the Board of Directors regarding the new permanent GM. Since he's a former Commissioner, he was asked to host both Raw and Smackdown this week. Therefore tonight, it's Kane/Daniel Bryan (HUGE Yes chant) vs. Punk/Sheamus. There's something he has to do that isn't so pleasing though, which is bring out Johnny Ace for his farewell address.
Ace is in a sling and a neckbrace while walking with a cane. Foley of course hugs him, making Ace cringe. The fans boo a lot and Ace keeps asking the fans to keep it down. Foley requests the same but also says Ace whispered that Long Island sucks. Ace says that before he was fired last night, he made the main event of Cena vs. Big Show, Otunga, and himself.
Sheamus/CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan/Kane
Sheamus and Bryan start and Danny Boy sends him to the apron. Sheamus comes back with the slingshot shoulder and a powerslam for two. Tag to Punk with a slingshot hilo for two. Off to Kane who kicks the champion in the face for two. That would be the shorter champion in case you're confused for some reason. Punk hits forearms to both guys but Kane stops him cold again.
Punk ducks a clothesline and hits the suicide dive onto Bryan. This is a fast paced match so far. The springboard clothesline hits uppercut though and we take a break. Back with Punk fighting out of a chinlock with a failed GTS attempt. The chokeslam is countered by a high kick and both guys are down. Sheamus comes in with the top rope shoulder block. Bryan isn't on the apron for some reason.
Powerslam gets two for Sheamus and there's the Irish Curse. Bryan comes in sans tag but gets caught by six forearms to the chest due to Kane making the save. Regal Roll is countered and Kane shoves Sheamus to the floor. Bryan hits a running dropkick on the floor and takes over back inside. Some kicks to the chest get two and it's back to Kane. Side slam gets two as does the top rope clothesline.
Back to Danny Boy who fires off more kicks but misses a running dropkick in the corner. Off to Punk who fires off with his usual stuff on Bryan. The neckbreaker is countered but Bryan's kick misses. Powerslam sets up the running knee into the bulldog out of the corner. The Macho Elbow is countered and Bryan hits a superplex to put both guys down. And here's AJ in Kane colors and a Kane match. The song being called Let's Light It Up seems somewhat appropriate now. She skips around the ring and leaves with Kane following here. This allows a GTS into a Brogue Kick combination get the pin on Bryan at 14:29.
Ziggler and Swagger are arguing in the back when Vickie finally shoves them apart. She says that right now they're going to have a match and the winner full attention.
Ace, Otunga and Show are in the back. Ace talks about how Show is going to know Cena out so Ace can pin him. He says it's going to be funny when the fans get a great moment as their final Ace moment. Show says he doesn't find anything funny.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger
BIG face pop for Ziggler here in Smark Land. They trade takedowns to start and show off afterwords. Ziggler gets thrown off and may have hurt his knee. Swagger goes after it with a leg lock and shouts that he's better than Ziggler. There's the ankle lock and Ziggler is pulled back to the middle of the ring. Swagger CRANKS on that thing but gets rolled off into the corner. Zig Zag gets the pin at 4:10. That was the only big move Ziggler hit all match.
Vickie kisses Ziggler post match.
We get HHH challenging Brock from last night.
Lawler's favorite Raw moment is Vince in the hospital in 1998. Mr. Socko debuted and Austin hit him with a bedpan. The anal violation is missing.
Here's Heyman to answer for Lesnar: No. As he leaves, here's HHH. You know, I don't think we're in a bingo hall here. HHH says he wants to only talk to Brock Lesnar and Brock Lesnar will face him at Summerslam. Lesnar wants things to be about him, so Lesnar will be the star of Summerslam and we get a promotional poster with Lesnar on it. Heyman says Lesnar has no ego and even HHH laughs at that. HHH knows Lesnar will fight because there's no way Brock will go down in history as the guy afraid of HHH.
Heyman tells HHH to stop pretending to be a fighter he used to be. Go back home to your wife and kids and be the King of Kings, because around here you're not the king of anything. Paul tries to goad HHH into hitting him, even saying that HHH is becoming like Vince more and more every day.
Heyman says go ahead and hit me because them he and Lesnar will own this place, and there won't be anything in it for HHH. There will however be something for Stephanie, and that snaps the Game. He doesn't hit Heyman but he chokes him. Heyman says he's HHH's match because he's smarter and knows everything HHH will do. And there's a right hand for Paulie. HHH leaves as referees help Paul up.
Alberto Del Rio vs. Santino Marella
Non-title of course. Also since it's the US Champion, this is a total squash with Santino tapping to the cross armbreaker in 1:25. Ricardo gets in a shot on the arm post match.
Video on Cyndi Lauper in the WWF in the 80s. Basically she was the catalyst for Hogan vs. Piper which spawned Wrestlemania.
Here's Layla to introduce Lauper as part of the 1000th episode of Raw celebration. You know, a show Lauper has NEVER BEEN ON. Wendi Richter is here too. Lauper is BOMBED. Even Cole says we're sorry for this after she says about two words. Richter says nothing of note. THANKFULLY Heath Slater comes out to brag about not needing a band. He's going to debut his single here tonight and it's him badly singing his theme song. Lauper makes fun of him and here's Piper for the rescue.
He calls all four of them Miss and Slater says that Piper didn't like Lauper back in the day. Piper takes off his jacket. He says he loves Lauper and gives her a gold record to replace the one he broke over Lou Albano's head back in the day. Slater is still here for some reason. He says it's time for him to sing and Lauper breaks the record over his head. Cole says this is one of the worst segments in Raw history. That would be correct.
Primo/Epico vs. Prime Time Players
AW introduces his new team, which is the Prime Time Players if you didn't watch the PPV last night. Epico and Titus get things going and the power controls to start. Off to Young who Titus suplexes onto Epico for two. After a quick chinlock by Young it's off to Primo as things speed up. Everything breaks down and Young's gutbuster is countered. Backstabber to Young but Titus pulls him to the floor. The Colons hit steres dropkicks through the ropes but the Players leave before the double dives can hit. It's a countout loss at 2:56. Ok then.
Jericho is back next week.
Here's Ace to talk about how all of the fans are losers now because they don't have People Power. Post break Teddy is here to rip up his name tag. Big Show says that there's no need for him to be here because he knows he can beat Cena and that he doesn't have to answer to Ace anymore. Otunga and Ace are on their own.
John Cena vs. John Laurinitis/David Otunga
Otunga starts and is slammed and bulldogged very fast. Ace walks away from a tag of course and after more of a beating, Cena FINALLY misses a charge and gets sent into the steps. Ace comes in and throws off the sling and brace and stomps away a lot. Now Otunga won't tag in and walks out. Cena is back up, hits three AA's and the STF for the tap at 6:21. I'm not even going to bother to rate this but it was nothing at all other than a way to write Ace off TV for at least a week.
Results
Sheamus/CM Punk b. Daniel Bryan/Kane Brogue Kick to Bryan
Dolph Ziggler b. Jack Swagger Zig Zag
Alberto Del Rio b. Santino Marella Cross Armbreaker
Epico/Primo b. Prime Time Players via countout
John Cena b. John Laurinitis and David Otunga STF to Laurinitis
Tuesday
Raw got a 3.4, which is far better than they've been doing with their two hour shows lately.
Wednesday
NXT
Date: June 20, 2012
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, William Regal
It's FINALLY a new season of this shindig and things are really shaken up. We're permanently in Florida now with FCW and NXT merging and I can't say I'm complaining a bit. These will now be up on Thursdays instead of Wednesdays as they only air internationally at the moment, so I have to wait for the videos to surface online. I don't know what to expect from this so let's get to it.
The opening video is about how each generation has its own stars that define their era. NXT is about those that strive to make their own history. Cool video and this looks great so far.
Regal welcomes us to the show in a voiceover. I really like the arena as there's a small Titantron which looks like it belongs in a more intimate setting.
Here's JR to welcome us to the show. He brings out Dusty Rhodes who apparently is the new General Manager of NXT. The main event is McGillicutty vs. Kidd and Dusty is very excited about it. You can say a lot about Dusty Rhodes and a lot of it is critical, but you can NEVER say he comes off as bored or dull. The guy always sounds like he cares about what he's talking about and that makes a ton of difference.
Video on Bo Dallas which I believe we saw last week. His dad is Mike Rotunda, more famous as IRS. He talks about smiling all the time and being ready to go at any time.
We get the Vince Hospital clip from Raw.
Bo Dallas vs. Rick Victor
Regal and JR are on commentary so I can't complain there. The crowd sounds fired up already and I'm really digging this so far. It looks different from the regular WWE setup whih is a nice change of pace. Dallas controls with some armdrags to start but Victor chops away in the corner. Snap powerslam puts Victor down and a spear gets the pin for Dallas at 2:17. I didn't see enough of Dallas here to tell what I thought of him but it wasn't bad.
Dallas says you just saw his game plan being executed and that this is just the beginning. He talks about his smile some more. Dallas is only 22 and looks even younger than that, but that's the point of being in the minors like this. He has potential at least.
Video on Seth Rollins who talks about being the change we've been waiting for. He debuts next week.
Video on Antonio Cesaro and how awesome he is. He's The Future and will also debut next week.
Damien Sandow vs. Jason Jordan
The announcer messes up Sandow's hometown, calling it Palto Alo. Sandow does his usual schtick, talking about how this is an unworthy opponent. Therefore, he won't be wrestling tonight. No match.
Video on The Ascension, which is a stable I've heard a lot of good things about. They're standing on a rooftop and say they will rise. There are only two here instead of the three that I believe they usually have.
Raw ReBound is about John vs. John.
The Ascension vs. Mike Dalton/CJ Parker
Ascension is Conor O'Brien and Kenneth Cameron. Their entrance is pretty awesome with music that sounds like something out of a thriller movie's trailer and blue lighting. They actually look intimidating and above all else, they look DIFFERENT. That's been missing so badly on this show as everyone is just out there in trunks wrestling. Cameron and Parker start things off and the Ascension controls early. Off to O'Brien who stomps away on Parker in the corner. Ascension hits rapid fire elbows followed by a jawbreaker from Cameron into a flapjack by O'Brien for the pin at 1:11. I like what I see again. The finisher is called The Downcast.
Video on Bray Wyatt, more commonly known as Husky Harris. He's in a small town in the south and says that it's time for parents to quit lying to their children because monsters like him are real. I've heard rave reviews about this character and I think I can see why.
Derrick Bateman is looking for Johnny Curtis in the bathroom where Curtis is brushing his teeth. They leave the room together and Bateman looks annoyed. Apparently they're the main event next week. Curtis washes his hands on Bateman's shirt. These two still annoy me.
Tyson Kidd vs. Michael McGillicutty
Kidd works over the arm to start as the fans chant USA. McGillicutty runs Kidd over and counters an O'Connor Roll, only to have Kidd fire off kicks. Michael bails to the floor for a breather before locking up in a test of strength. Kidd climbs the ropes to escape and hooks the armbar again. Kidd throws him over the top and face first into the apron. That's followed by a suicide dive and we take a break.
Back with Tyson stomping McGillicutty down in the corner and hitting a leg lariat for two. McGillicutty sends him to the apron and hits a knee lift, followed by an elevated neckbreaker for two. We hit the chinlock but Kidd gets back up quickly. Kidd hooks a sunset flip but McGillicutty hits a clothesline to the back of the head for two. McGillicutty puts him in the Tree of Woe and chokes away.
Kidd gets put in the Tree of Woe again but his baseball slide misses, giving us his pop's signature crotch shot into the post. Kidd speeds up and fires off a bunch of kicks including a dropkick to the side of the head for two. McGillicutty counters a springboard clothesline with a dropkick for two.
Kidd comes back with a moonsault press for two. The fans are really getting into this. Dungeon Lock doesn't work and McGillicutty hits a Saito Suplex for two. McGillicutty puts on a half crab which is supposed to be called a Sharpshooter. The Perfectplex is countered into a small package for two. Kidd grabs the Dungeon Lock for the tap at 14:07.
Results
Bo Dallas b. Rick Victor Spear
The Ascension b. Mike Dalton/CJ Parker Downcast to Parker
Tyson Kidd b. Michael McGillicutty Dungeon Lock
Thursday
Impact Wrestling
Date; June 21, 2012
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tazz
It's Open Fight Night 3 and the BFG Series gets going tonight as well. The two main focuses of the show though are going to be Aries decision about forfeiting the X Title in exchange for a world title match and Dixie revealing what is going on with her and AJ. TNA is on a total roll at this point so hopefully they can keep things going. Oh and we might be able to find out who attacked Sting. Let's get to it.
Here's Hogan to open things up. He isn't going to give the masked men any more publicity but things will be made right for Sting. That's enough about that though so let's talk about Austin's choice. Here's Aries to answer Hogan's ultimatum. He talks about being given two options, either to drop the title for a shot or keep this title. Aries says he has Option C: he'll hand over the title for his title shot, but every year the X Champion gets the same option at Destination X. Hogan says ok, and here's Roode.
Bobby freaks out and asks if Hogan and Aries are kidding him. He told Hogan to stay in the office a long time ago. Roode wants to know what Aries thinks he's doing because the X Title means nothing to Roode. He talks about how he won't be a footnote and says he'll keep his title at Destination X. Aries says this is Open Fight Night so let's do it right now. They brawl in the aisle until the agents break it up. Once they're split up, here's Anderson, who says he'll win the BFG Series and face the winner.
Bound For Glory Series: Mr. Anderson vs. Christopher Daniels
They're going to have everyone face everyone in this which is a BIG improvement over last year where they seemingly had people fighting at random. Also every match has a ten minute time limit. Daniels works on the arm of Anderson which may have been injured by Roode last week. An elbow to the face puts Daniels down but the Mic Check is countered into a Blue Thudner Bomb. Anderson pops back up again and hits his spinning neckbreaker into the Mic Check for the pin at 3:04, giving Anderson 7 points.
AJ thinks there's another way to do this. Dixie isn't sure.
Brooke is in the back with the Knockouts who might be getting the title match tonight. The girls have to tell her why they want the title. ODB says she's different than everyone else. Madison says she's held the title forever and Brooke tells her to drop the crush. Mickie says she's the best female wrestler in the world and Madison says she's the second longest reigning champion ever. Madison gets thrown out. Velvet didn't say anything.
Robbie challenges anyone in the BFG Series to a match.
Bound For Glory Series: Robbie E. vs. Kurt Angle
Suplex, Angle Slam, ankle lock, ten points for Angle in 31 seconds.
Video on Taeler Hendrix who is the Gut Check girl tonight.
Here's Magnus who says he's going to pick his opponent for a BFG Series match here. Women around the world want a shot at him so he knows what it's like to have women trouble. He doesn't go after other men's wives though, so AJ, get out here.
Bound For Glory Series: AJ Styles vs. Magnus
AJ charges into the ring and starts fast. A backbreaker puts Magnus down but AJ changes his mind before going up. Magnus pops up and catches AJ's cross body into a suplex. Cool counter. AJ snaps off his dropkick but the Pele misses. Off to a chinlock which AJ breaks before Daniels and Kaz come out with more papers. The distraction allows Magnus to hit a Juvy Driver for the pin at 2:31 for seven points.
Taeler Hendrix vs. Tara
Gut Check time. Tara suplexes her down but gets caught in a quick sunset flip for two. Tara chokes her in the corner for awhile before getting caught in a Stratusphere. Joseph Park is being taken out for some reason. Hendrix comes back with some clotheslines but a spin kick misses. Widow's Peak and it's over at 2:36.
Back from a break and Park wants to know why he's being taken to the back. It turns out to be a trap set by Ray, who yells at Park. Park talks about Ray beating him up last week and gets shoved for it. If Ray ever sees either of them again, it'll be the last time they're ever seen.
Bound For Glory Series: Samoa Joe vs. James Storm
Joe pounds him down into the corner and hits his kick to take Storm down. The armbar is countered as Storm makes the rope so Joe slaps on a nerve hold. Storm fights out of it but walks into a snap powerslam for two, followed by an armbar. They trade forearms but Joe goes back to the arm to slow Storm down. There's a crossface chickenwing but Storm breaks that quickly as well. The Cowboy goes up top but gets kicked in the head. No MuscleBuster but Joe hooks the Clutch. That gets broken up and the Last Call ends this at 3:56.
We recap the AJ/Dixie stuff which has been going on for awhile now.
Back to the Knockouts Reality Show with Velvet saying she never got a rematch. ODB gets thrown out because of Eric Young. Next.
Bound For Glory Series: D'Angelo Dinero vs. Bully Ray
This is another call out, this time by Bully. Ray jumps Pope to start and gets some quick two counts. A boot to the face puts Dinero down but a splash misses for Ray. Dinero comes back with some elbows but Ray hits a corner splash. As he pounds away in the corner, here's Abyss in the crowd. He tells Ray to bring it and the DDE sends Ray to the floor. Abyss comes over the rail and goes after Ray, who gets back in the ring but walks into an STO for the pin at 3:45.
Hogan makes Hardy vs. RVD as the main event because they're the only two BFG people that haven't fought tonight.
Here's the Montgomery Gentry video with Velvet in it.
Knockouts Title: Miss Tessmacher vs. Mickie James
Ok then. Feeling out process to start with Mickie taking her down to the mat pretty quickly. She hooks a chinlock with a bridge and even adds in a cheap shot. Mickie hasn't ever been heel in TNA that I remember so that could be something interesting to see. Brooke gets in a few shots including a facejam out of the corner but Mickie takes her down with that spin kick of hers for two. Tessmacher hooks a sunset flip out of nowhere for the pin at 5:20.
Bound For Glory Series: Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy
Van Dam takes him down with a leg scissors but Jeff speeds things up, hitting a legdrop to the back of Van Dam's head and a pair of dropkicks for two. Hardy sends him to the floor but van Dam comes off the top with the jumping kick. Rolling Thunder gets two as does the split legged moonsault. Hardy comes back with a bulldog but the Swanton misses. Van Dam goes up and tries a 450 of all things, but Hardy moves. DDT gets two and the Twist gets the pin at 3:48.
Here are AJ and Dixie for the big reveal. The fans still cheer for Styles because he's their hero. Dixie has trouble talking and AJ says we don't have to do this. Some woman comes out and says she wants to do this. Both of them seem to know who she is and she seems to be pregnant. She says she's known both of them forever and says they've both helped her a lot. She's going to tell us the truth: they're not having an affair.
This chick says she's an addict and she's stolen money to pay for it. She's woken up with a stranger more than once and had to go to AJ and Dixie for help. AJ took her to rehab and the video/photos were about her. Daniels is freaking out in the back and here he comes. AJ runs him over as the girls get out. Here's Kaz as well and AJ beats him up too. AJ kills Kaz with a powerbomb and Peles Daniels. He pounds away on him as the show ends.
Results
Mr. Anderson b. Christopher Daniels Mic Check
Kurt Angle b. Robbie E. Ankle Lock
Magnus b. AJ Styles Scoop Tombstone Piledriver
Tara b. Taeler Hendrix Widow's Peak
James Storm b. Samoa Joe Last Call
D'Angelo Dinero b. Bully Ray STO
Miss Tessmacher b. Mickie James Sunset Flip
Jeff Hardy b. Rob Van Dam Twist of Fate
Friday
Impact got a 1.0, down slightly from last week. The NBA Finals did a monster number too.
Smackdown
Date: June 22, 2012
Location: 1st Mariner Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Michael Cole, Josh Matthews, Booker T
We're past No Way Out and we have the same world champion in the form of Sheamus. We're starting the build up to MITB as well so maybe we'll have someone added to the ladder match here. If I understand it right we have eight people in it again, but I'm really not sure if they have enough people to put 16 guys in two ladder matches. Besides that's too many in a single match anyway. Let's get to it.
Do You Know Your Enemy? Mine is this heat. It's way too hot to be early summer.
Bryan vs. Kane later tonight plus Sheamus vs. Ziggler in a non-title match.
Here's Teddy to open the show. Ace is officially fired and tonight, Mick Foley is in charge. Here's Big Show instead though for a chat. He doesn't care that Ace is fired because he didn't care about him. Show doesn't care about the fans either and now he can do whatever he wants. He congratulates Cena for the win on Sunday but doesn't care about that anymore. Yep, another main event loss is being written off.
Instead Show is moving on to something, but the fans have to chant for Cena first. Since Show doesn't care about them though, he's moving on to the MITB match. He says there are no five men that can stop them, which is a great sounding thing as it might mean that there are only going to be six people in the match. Once he wins the case and cashes in, he's going to be champion for as long as he wants to be. He's going to win the title for himself instead of the people in the back or the fans, because it's all about him.
Cue serious Brodus who is a little hard to take seriously when he has the girls with him. Brodus charges in and is immediately taken down by knee strikes. Brodus hits the headbutt and Show goes down fast. He pounds on Show in the corner but Otunga comes out and hits the bad knee to put Clay down. Show hits him in the knee a few times as the fans chant that Show can't wrestle. The WMD leaves Brodus laying. Otunga gets in the ring and says someone should call Brodus' mama. He'll do it himself and tell Mama Clay that Brodus can't get up. Otunga does the Carlton Dance and the Thriller Dance. Ok then.
Ryback vs. Frank Venanzia/Jared Walker
Booker says Walker is Brickhouse Brown's cousin. There's a name out of the past. Ryback calls them stupid a lot and powerbombs Walker onto Frank. Double Samoan Drop gets the pin at 1:43.
Foley is in the back with Yoshi Tatsu when Vickie comes up. She's the guest GM of both shows next week. If Foley doesn't behave, she'll make him her assistant. Foley likes the idea and offers Khali as an assistant instead. Khali and Foley dance.
Bryan's memorable Raw moment is Jannetty beating Shawn for the IC Title.
Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian
Non-title of course. Christian hits a shoulder block to take Del Rio down and hooks the sunset flip out of the corner for a fast two. Del Rio responds by kicking him in the head to take over but Christian sends him to the floor. The champ dives onto Del Rio as we take a break. Back with Del Rio holds Christian in an arm lock. During the break Christian's shoulder went into the steps to start the attack.
Elbow drop gets two for Del Rio and he stays on the arm. A kick to the arm gets two. Alberto goes up but Christian gets in a right hand and a top rope rana for two. With Del Rio in the rope Christian hits his uppercut but the top rope cross body misses. The corner enziguri misses and Christian hits the tornado DDT for another two. The Codebreaker to the arm slow Christian down again but he shrugs it off and hits a missile dropkick for two.
The Killswitch is countered into a Stunner on the arm for two. Christian takes him down and loads up the spear but he charges into a kick to the face. Cross armbreaker is countered into a countered Killswitch. They go to the corner but Rodriguez interferes, allowing Del Rio to hit the corner enziguri and the Armbreaker for the tap at 6:14 shown of 9:44.
Cody comes out and beats up Christian post match because this feud isn't done for some unexplained reason. Cody shouts that he is Smackdown and that Christian is stealing his time.
We get a recap from Raw on Monday with Bryan/Kane/Punk/AJ.
Kane vs. Daniel Bryan
AJ is guest timekeeper for this for no apparent reason. Bryan fires off kicks to the legs but charges into a slam. Kane pounds away but charges over the top by mistake. That doesn't seem to matter much as he keeps beating on Bryan on the floor, only to get sent into the post. Bryan loads up the knee off the apron but Kane gets back inside instead. Running dropkick in the corner gets two and it's time for the kicks.
Kane comes back with his low dropkick for two and follows Bryan into the corner with a clothesline. Bryan comes back with more kicks but Kane grabs the leg. That gets him nowhere as Bryan sends him into the buckle. He slips coming off the top with the dropkick but a second attempt at it gets two. Kane gets all fired up and pounds away in the corner. Big boot looks to set up the chokeslam but Bryan dropkicks the knee.
A hard kick to the head gets two for Bryan but his Swan Dive is caught in a choke. That gets countered into a failed YES Lock but the chokeslam is countered into a guillotine. Kane powers out of that too but Bryan gets the YES Lock. AJ rings the bell without a tap at 7:25. That gets waved off because Kane didn't tap and the chokeslam gets the real pin at 7:54.
AJ skips off of course.
Here's Foley for a chat. He's glad Ace got fired so he can come back for one night only in Baltimore. Cue Heath Slater to a big cheer from Cole. Slater complains about what happened on Raw with Lauper and Piper, but Foley says there's nothing to be embarrassed about. Foley makes a match for Slater here tonight though.
Heath Slater vs. Zach Ryder
You know, because the LONG ISLAND GUY couldn't be on Raw in LONG ISLAND right? Ryder takes over quickly but Slater hides in the corner. He comes back with a neckbreaker for two but walks into knees out of the corner. Rough Ryder gets the pin at 1:12.
Foley and Ryder celebrate in the back but run into Sandow. He's disgusted by what he just saw and says that Ryder has brought the WWE Universe down to new levels of stupidity. I guess Sandow has his first feud.
Usos vs. Prime Time Players
Darren and Jey start things off with the Uso taking over. They head to the corner and the brothers double team Darren. Titus avoids a double superkick and it's off to Jimmy. Darren drives him into the corner and it's off to Titus for some power. We hit the chinlock which Jimmy escapes pretty quickly. Hot tag brings in Jey but he and Darren go to the floor quickly. Jimmy goes up for the Superfly Splash but Titus pulls him down and hits the Clash of the Titus for the pin at 3:24.
Post break Epico and Primo jump the Players in the back.
Here's Santino for Sign of the Night. Most of these signs suck. Some chick has an I Love Santino sign and he invites her into the ring. She's dressed like Santino and their Cobras kiss. Then she kisses him and Santino faints.
Jerry Lawler likes Vince in the hospital. This is the third time I've seen this in a week.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus
Non-title here. Ziggler gets behind Sheamus to start but Sheamus easily powers out of it. Sheamus takes him down to the mat with a headlock followed by a shoulder for two. Ziggler gets a boot to Sheamus' face and sends him to the floor. Dolph is hitting and running here which makes sense. What doesn't make sense is diving at a power guy, resulting in him getting caught in a fallaway slam into the barricade as we take a break.
Back with the guys in the ring and Ziggler putting on a chinlock. They go to the floor and Sheamus sends Dolph into the steps but he stops to yell at Vickie. Dolph comes back with a sweet Fameasser off the steps to take over. Neckbreaker gets two as does an elbow drop. A quick sleeper is countered but Dolph dropkicks him down for two. Another neckbreaker gets two so let's hit the chinlock again.
Sheamus breaks out of that one just as easily as he has all of the other ones. He starts running over Ziggler and loads up White Noise but Ziggler escapes into a rollup for two. Dolph comes back with a jumping DDT for two and Sheamus goes to the apron. He goes up top and knocks Ziggler out of the air when Dolph tries to run the ropes. The top rope shoulder gets two and there are the ten forearms in the ropes. Irish Curse is broken up but Ziggler charges into the Brogue Kick for the pin at 10:00 shown of 13:30.
Results
Ryback b. Frank Venanzia/Jared Walker Double Samoan Drop
Alberto Del Rio b. Christian Cross Armbreaker
Kane b. Daniel Bryan Chokeslam
Zach Ryder b. Heath Slater Rough Ryder
Prime Time Players b. Usos Clash of the Titus to Jey Uso
Sheamus b. Dolph Ziggler Brogue Kick
Saturday
Nothing.
Sunday
Nothing either.
Quick Results
Raw
Sheamus/CM Punk b. Daniel Bryan/Kane Brogue Kick to Bryan
Dolph Ziggler b. Jack Swagger Zig Zag
Alberto Del Rio b. Santino Marella Cross Armbreaker
Epico/Primo b. Prime Time Players via countout
John Cena b. John Laurinitis and David Otunga STF to Laurinitis
NXT
Bo Dallas b. Rick Victor Spear
The Ascension b. Mike Dalton/CJ Parker Downcast to Parker
Tyson Kidd b. Michael McGillicutty Dungeon Lock
Impact Wrestling
Mr. Anderson b. Christopher Daniels Mic Check
Kurt Angle b. Robbie E. Ankle Lock
Magnus b. AJ Styles Scoop Tombstone Piledriver
Tara b. Taeler Hendrix Widow's Peak
James Storm b. Samoa Joe Last Call
D'Angelo Dinero b. Bully Ray STO
Miss Tessmacher b. Mickie James Sunset Flip
Jeff Hardy b. Rob Van Dam Twist of Fate
Smackdown
Ryback b. Frank Venanzia/Jared Walker Double Samoan Drop
Alberto Del Rio b. Christian Cross Armbreaker
Kane b. Daniel Bryan Chokeslam
Zach Ryder b. Heath Slater Rough Ryder
Prime Time Players b. Usos Clash of the Titus to Jey Uso
Sheamus b. Dolph Ziggler Brogue Kick