Smackdown Preview 05.22.09

This week's Smackdown episode comes almost a week after the latest WWE Pay-Per-View, Judgment Day 2009. At the event, several of Smackdown's superstars were in action. In the main event, the Rated-R Superstar Edge defended his World Heavyweight title against the enigma, Jeff Hardy. The match was a back and forth affair, which saw Hardy start to take an advantage on the outside of the ring. Unfortunately for Jeff, his vengeance-fueled brother Matt decided to spoil the fight. Matt came out and suddenly bashed his brother with his arm cast, which eventually led up to Edge pulling off the win. While many fans and wrestling analysts were predicting Jeff Hardy's second major title reign, it was not to be. Now that the next PPV, Extreme Rules is on the horizon, will a rematch be set up between Jeff and Edge for the title? Or will a new challenger step into the World Heavyweight Title scenario?

Smackdown superstar Rey Mysterio made a successful defense of his Intercontinental Championship against Chris Jericho at Judgment Day. Jericho had cockily bragged prior to the match that he'd leave the arena as the champion, but failed to do so in his first attempt at Mysterio. Many fans and analysts referred to this as the match of the night, with Shelton Benjamin and John Morrison's match also rating highly. John Morrison seems to have major momentum now that he's coming off a big victory over Shelton. Will Morrison soon be thrust into the Intercontinental Title picture, or will Chris Jericho still be top contender? Also, will Jericho be celebrating a victory over CM Punk on WWE Superstars this Friday night?

And finally, the opening match of Judgment Day saw the Samoan Bulldozer Umaga beat the reigning Money in the Bank winner, CM Punk. It appeared Umaga was in complete control of the straightedged superstar, beating him in and around the ring. CM Punk started to gain some momentum, but unfortunately for him, he couldn't lift Umaga into the GTS, due to the strain and wearing down Umaga gave him. Umaga won it with the Samoan Spike, leveling Punk to the mat for a victory. CM Punk has now suffered back-to-back losses at Pay-Per-Views, with Kane and Umaga both defeating him. Will Mr. Money in the Bank be able to rebound from these losses? Will Punk have scored a big victory over Chris Jericho on WWE Superstars? Is Umaga going to keep going after Punk and preventing his opportunity to cash in for a title match?

Find out all the answers on WWE's Smackdown this Friday evening at 8PM EST on MyNetworkTV!

Raw Recap 05.18.09

Raw recap from Louisville, KY:

Michael Cole welcomed fans in on the heels of an astonishing and controversial Judgment Day. Randy Orton came down the ramp with his WWE title to start off the show. Slideshow images from Judgment Day were shown of Orton using all sorts of tricks to escape the match against Batista with his WWE Title. Orton finally slapped the referee to get disqualified. Legacy rushed the ring to attack Batista, but out of nowhere Ric Flair came charging to the ring to make the save.

In the ring, Orton spoke about still being WWE Champion as he held up the belt proudly. Orton said last night's goal wasn't just to keep the title but to take out Batista for good. Orton said he was stopped by Ric Flair. Orton talked about how he has punt kicked every member of Evolution, then dared Ric Flair to get involved in his business again. Just then, Ric Flair came down the ramp as his theme music hit. In the ring, Flair continued strutting around as Orton stared at him. Flair told Orton he might still be champion, but he didn't actually defeat Batista. Flair said until Orton beats the man, he's accomplished nothing. Orton told Flair the fact he has the title means he is the man. Orton said he can beat Batista anytime, any place. Flair said he spoke to Vickie Guerrero an hour ago, and she took an idea Flair gave her and made it official. Flair said in 3 weeks there's a Pay-Per-View and Orton will defend the WWE Title again against Batista. Flair said the match will be a Steel Cage match for Extreme Rules PPV. After Flair was done, Orton said he had a message for Flair to deliver to Batista. Orton knocked Flair to the mat and began stomping on him. Legacy started down the ramp to go help but just then Batista came running down behind them and punched both men down.

Batista slid into the ring but Rhodes and Dibiase grabbed his feet from the outside as Orton started beating on him. John Cena ran down the ramp next and helped chase off Orton and Legacy, before he and Batista checked on Ric Flair.

---

After a commercial break, Raw returned to show what just went down involving Orton, Flair, Legacy and Cena.

Backstage, Josh Matthews caught up with Cena to ask about him intervening in the situation. Cena said people were questioning his resolve after he had been broken and beaten down, but he overcame the odds to defeat Big Show last night. Cena said may the best man win between Orton and Batista, but it won't be long before "the champ is here!" Just then Cena walked off and as he turned the corner, GM Vickie Guerrero was there. Vickie told Cena that tonight's main event will be him and Batista taking on all 3 members of Legacy. Cena joked about how horrible that is, then said just kidding I love it.

Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole discussed the upcoming main event as well as the main event for Extreme Rules between Orton and Batista.

Divas Battle Royal

The winner of this divas battle royal would receive a future WWE Divas Championship match. Wrestling in the match were Kelly Kelly, Brie & Nikki Bella, Beth Phoenix, Rosa Mendes, Jillian Hall and Mickie James. The Divas Champion Maryse joined Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole for commentary during the match.

Rosa Mendes was tossed first by Mickie James, followed by the Bella Twins. It came down to Mickie James, Beth Phoenix, Jillian and Kelly Kelly. Jillian got eliminated first, and Mickie went after Beth. Beth was able to pick up Mickie and hang her upside down in the corner. Kelly Kelly came up from behind Beth and began punching her, then managed to dropkick Beth out through the ropes eliminating her. As Mickie was still over near the other ropes, Maryse got up and went over to spray her in the face with aerosol. Mickie began rolling around holding her eyes. Kelly walked over and kicked her out of the ring to win it, with Maryse laughing at Mickie James.

Winner: Kelly Kelly wins the Divas Battle Royal and will have a future title opportunity against Maryse.

Cole and Lawler announced a match has been scheduled between MVP and Matt Hardy tonight for the US Title.

---

WWE Rewind showed footage from Judgment Day where Santino Marella interrupted The Miz' insulting rant in the ring. Miz ended up knocking Santino to the mat, and Chavo Guerrero came to the ring to Frogsplash Santino for insulting Vickie earlier.

Santino Marella vs. Chavo Guerrero

Early on Chavo dominated the match, until Santino began to favor his back. Santino decided to walk it off, and started pacing back and forth against the ropes. Chavo watched briefly, then clotheslined him down. Chavo continued to dominate as he put Santino in a submission move on the mat, stretching both arms back. Santino stood up to power out, but was leveled. After Chavo kept slapping away at Santino, Santino started getting counter moves. After a forearm, punch and clothesline, Santino tried to rush Chavo in the corner. Chavo stuck his legs up and Santino fell to the mat. Chavo went for the Frogsplash, but Santino rolled over to the corner. As Chavo jumped down he tried to run at Santino in the corner, but Santino ducked it and Chavo hit the turnbuckle. Santino walked over quickly and grabbed Chavo's legs for the surprise pin.

Santino celebrated on the ramp. Chavo grabbed the mic to yell at him. Chavo told Santino to tell his sister to get dressed because she'll be defending her Miss Wrestlemania crown against Vickie Guerrero tonight.

Winner: Santino Marella wins via pinfall over Chavo Guerrero.

---

When Raw returned, a Mr. Kennedy promo video was shown announcing that Mr. Kennedy is "Coming Soon" to Raw.

Backstage, Maryse was talking out loud when The Miz walked up to her. Miz told Maryse he had no clue what she was saying in French but it was hot. Maryse put a hand in Miz' face, and Miz started talking up what he had in store for Cena later tonight. Miz fake kissed each side of Maryse' face before saying "Ciao" and backing away. Maryse mouthed the words "Oh my God".

Josh Matthews interviewed Matt Hardy. Hardy still had the cast on his right arm/hand. Matthews asked about Matt costing Jeff the World Heavyweight title at last night's Pay-Per-View, and now Matt has a US Title match. Josh suggested maybe Vickie is rewarding him, but Matt said it wasn't like that. Matt said Jeff broke his hand, so he was getting payback last night. Matt said Vickie erased his loss to Kofi Kingston last week, forever. Hardy said the only reason he's getting a title shot tonight is because he's earned it.

Backstage, Chavo and Vickie Guerrero talked, with Vickie enraged that Chavo set up a match on her behalf. Chavo said tonight the games stop from Santino. Just then, Orton burst into the office asking Vickie what she was thinking setting up a steel cage match for Extreme Rules. Vickie said last night's match ended in DQ, so she needs a match that will end with a winner at Extreme Rules. Orton warned Vickie she better stay on his good side.

---

Carlito & Primo Colon vs. The Brian Kendrick & Goldust

Highlights were shown from WWE Superstars where Big Show had an exhibition against Hornswoggle. Goldust came in to save Hornswoggle, but Big Show made sure to punish Goldust for it.

Kendrick took exception to Goldust's handling of Carlito at one point so he called him over and slapped him for a tag. Kendrick got Carlito down in a headlock to wear him down some. Carlito stood up to try to escape but Kendrick backed him to the corner and stuck his boot in Carlito's throat. Kendrick again yelled at Goldust for not helping out when Carlito was in the corner. Carlito tagged Primo in who started to knock Kendrick around the ring. Kendrick went for Sliced Bread, but Primo shoved out of it, then hit a cross body off the ropes to pin Kendrick.

Kendrick got in Goldust's face after the loss and eventually slapped him. Goldust got in the ring to confront Kendrick. As the two stared at one another, Hornswoggle snuck in the ring and ran up to grab Kendrick's leg. Kendrick shoved him away, and Goldust got in front of Horney to protect him. Hornswoggle ran under Goldust's legs and kicked Kendrick in the shin, then Goldust lifted Horney up to dropkick Kendrick out through the ropes.

Winners: Primo and Carlito Colon win via pinfall over The Brian Kendrick & Goldust.

Backstage, a close up was shown of Cena's Hustle, Loyalty, Respect shirt. As the camera moved back, it was revealed to be The Miz. Miz started walking in a mocking way to make fun of Cena as he went down the hallway.

---

Miz came down to the ring dressed as John Cena, with Cena's old music "Basic Thuganomics" playing. Miz said he made a remix called "Nerd Life - the Story of John Cena". Miz spit out some rap lines to insult Cena's movie roles and merchandise. Miz called himself the new face of Raw and tried to call out Cena. The fans started chanting for Cena. Miz announced himself as Miz 5, and John Cena as 0. Jerry Lawler left his commentary position and got into the ring with a mic. Lawler said just because someone doesn't come out when Miz calls them, it doesn't mean he gets a victory. Lawler gave an example by pretending to call out Batista. Lawler laughed that Batista didn't show and said it doesn't make him 1-0 against Batista. Then Lawler called out Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold. None of them showed. Lawler told Miz if he really wants a match with Cena to go talk to Vickie Guerrero. Miz said maybe he would. Just then, Big Show's music came on. Show came walking down the ramp looking angry.

Show got in the ring with a mic and told Miz "make believe time is over". Big Show said he's not done with John Cena yet because at Extreme Rules they'll fight again. Show said they'll have a Submission match at Extreme Rules, and until then The Miz will have to wait. Miz said that's fine he can wait to beat Cena, after he's done beating Big Show. Miz hid behind Lawler and shoved him at Big Show before rushing out of the ring. Miz backed up the ramp and Show took out his frustration on Lawler by hammering him in the back, then squeezing him in a submission hold.

---

Highlights were shown from last week's tag match won by MVP and Kofi Kingston over William Regal and Matt Hardy.

Jim Ross was filling in for Jerry Lawler who was taken backstage hurt after Big Show's beatdown. They showed a replay again of what happened with Miz, Big Show and Jerry Lawler.

Matt Hardy vs. MVP
US Title Match

Slide pictures were shown from Judgment Day where Matt Hardy interfered in the Jeff Hardy vs. Edge World Heavyweight Title match.

Hardy tried to get out of the ring early, with MVP suplexing him back in from the apron. Matt hit an early Side Effect but couldn't score the pinfall. Matt went over to remove a turnbuckle cover, with the ref noticing it. The ref went to re-adjust it and Matt clipped MVP's leg with his cast. Matt began to target MVP's leg, squeezing it against the ropes and smashing it against the ringpost. MVP eventually got to his feet although he was hobbled by the leg injury. MVP hit a Facebuster then hit his Ballin elbow drop. Matt pleaded with MVP to stop, then grabbed him and pulled him out through the ropes. On the outside, Matt continued his attack, kicking MVP in the leg.

Matt rushed at MVP near the ringpost, with MVP avoiding it so Matt hit his hurt had on the post. MVP grabbed him by the arm and smashed it against the steps. Back in the ring, MVP took control, stomping on the cast several times. MVP was able to hit a high boot on Hardy in the corner, then followed with the Playmaker to win it.

Winner: MVP wins via pinfall over Matt Hardy to retain the United States Title.

---

Again, highlights of the incident involving Randy Orton, Ric Flair, Legacy, Batista and John Cena were shown.

Backstage, Batista walked into the locker room where Flair was all smiles. Batista asked what he was smiling about. Flair said next week he's returning to Raw and he's going to get in the ring to call out Orton. Batista told him he doesn't have to prove anything anymore, but Flair insisted saying Orton punched him down tonight. Flair said Batista seems to doubt his ability to fight still. Flair said if he's lost confidence in him then Batista can go out there by himself.

Chavo Guerrero was shown laying down backstage, telling Vickie to pretend he was Santina. Vickie was shown standing up on 2 couches preparing for a Frogsplash. Vickie told Chavo it was insane and that the match was off. Just then, Santina came into the office and said she was looking forward to beating Vickie. Santina said the only way Vickie would beat her is "if pigs could fly". Vickie decided she'd had enough and yelled the match was on.

Vickie Guerrero vs. Santino Marella
Miss Wrestlemania Crown

Chavo walked a hesitant yet angry Vickie Guerrero down the ramp to the ring. Chavo waited at ringside. Santina took the mic as the bell rang and insulted Vickie again calling her a pig and grabbing her to give her a kiss. Chavo got into the ring and yanked the mic away and said the match is now a No DQ.

The bell rang again to start things off. Santina walked towards Vickie ready to fight, but Chavo got back in the ring and knocked Santina down from behind. Chavo started beating on Santina on the mat, then Santina would roll him over and start punching on him. At one point, Santina got up near the ropes and Chavo ran at her, only to be thrown over the ropes. Santina prepared to finish off Vickie, but William Regal got into the ring out of nowhere and leveled Santina. Regal followed with a hard knee to Santina's head, knocking her out. Vickie stole an easy pinfall and became Miss Wrestlemania.

Chavo helped put the crown and sash on a joy-filled Vickie after her win.

Winner: Vickie Guerrero wins via pinfall over Santina to become Miss Wrestlemania.

---

Jim Ross confirmed that next week Flair will appear on Raw to call out Randy Orton.

John Cena & Batista vs. Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase
3 on 2 Handicap Match

Cena started with Rhodes, who took a quick advantage and tagged in Orton. Orton began trying to pick apart Cena. Cena escaped Orton's attempt quick and tagged in Batista, but Orton slid over to his corner and slapped Dibiase to come in the ring. Batista began to unleash his fury, clotheslining Dibiase down and staring down Orton. At one point, Orton was able to double clothesline Rhodes and Dibiase down. Cena came in and the two men clotheslined Rhodes and Dibiase outside the ring. Orton got down in the ring, stalking Batista. Cena and Batista turned around and Orton slid outside the ring as Raw went to commercial.

Raw returned with Orton smashing Batista head first into the apron outside the ring. Orton started stomping away on the Animal. Dibiase came in next and applied a headlock to further wear down Batista. Rhodes took a turn briefly, and started to punch away at Batista before tagging Dibiase back in. Batista finally made the tag to bring in Cena, who exploded against Cody Rhodes. Cena hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Rhodes, then put him into the Attitude Adjustment. Orton made a blind tag to Rhodes as he was hoisted up on Cena's shoulders. Orton ran in to beat on Cena as Cena tried to pin Rhodes. Orton drove a knee to the back of Cena's head and continued punishing him by stomping on him. Dibiase came in and went for a move off the ropes, with Cena moving away. Dibiase still clotheslined Cena down hard and kept him from tagging.

The triple team on Cena continued with Rhodes coming in. Cena fought back, but missed Rhodes in the corner. Rhodes landed a moonsault off the top rope to pin Cena, but Cena escaped it. Orton finally came in to work on Cena further, putting a headlock on him. With both men on their feet, Cena mustered up the strength to pull over and tag an outstretched Batista. Batista came in and went at Orton, leveling him with a clothesline and powerslamming him to the mat. Orton kicked out right before 3. Out of nowhere, Big Show came down to attack Cena. Cena grabbed a steel chair and chased Show backstage.

Back in the ring, Batista was able to knock Dibiase, then Rhodes out of the ring. Rhodes managed to climb back on the corner, but suddenly was shown falling into the ring. Ric Flair showed up, distracting Orton, and allowing Batista to Spear him down for a pinfall. Afterwards, Flair celebrated with Batista in the ring.

Winners: John Cena & The Big Show win via pinfall over Legacy.

---

The Verdict: 2009 Judgment Day

The 2009 Judgment Day Pay-Per-View was pretty much done by the book as the matches were relatively easy to figure out based on the fact that 3 titles changed hands at the last Pay-Per-View, Backlash. No title changes occurred last night and we basically saw an extension of the current feuds and title pictures. John Cena once again showed his Superman/Hulkster type will to win against the odds, and Randy Orton found a way to DQ himself in a match yet again, to preserve the WWE Title from the Animal. There were a few surprises (Ric Flair & Matt Hardy), and the Mysterio-Jericho Intercontinental Title match gave us some classic stuff unseen before, as did Shelton vs. Morrison.

The opener may have given some fans a false impression. CM Punk's loss to Umaga made it look as if he would in fact show up after the Edge vs. Jeff Hardy match to cash in the MITB briefcase. Remember that Chris Jericho showed up after being beaten up by Shawn Michaels at a Pay-Per-View and took Punk's spot in the Championship Scramble, to win the title. So it appeared that Punk would be dominated by Umaga and somehow make it out to cash in, but that was not to be. Many people were under the belief that Jeff Hardy would leave Judgment Day as WWE champion, but once again Edge found opportunity and kept his gold. Matt Hardy showing up and interfering was surprising and a strange situation as that feud appeared dead. It really looked as if Matt Hardy was now moving on to going after MVP's US Title. But instead, Matt showed up to club Jeff with his cast, and basically played a part in the match. Will these two brothers be competing yet again at the next Pay-Per-View or on one of the TV shows perhaps?

Another surprise was Ric Flair showing up out of nowhere at the end of the Orton-Batista match. Orton exited the scene with his belt in hand, while the fans went wild for the Nature Boy. Flair has stated he'd love to still be a part of the Raw show, even if it's not in a traditional wrestling role. In an interview he spoke of his love for the business and just being part of Raw. So possibly Flair will now be a corner man for Batista in the next WWE Title match. If I had to choose a next match, it'd be great to see a Triple Threat or Fatal Fourway for the WWE Title though. Big Show, John Cena, Batista and Orton would make for a pairing we really haven't seen before. Or maybe we'll get the unfortunate news that they will be in tag action for the next Pay-Per-View. I think a Batista-Cena-Orton Triple Threat could be spectacular to watch.

Perhaps the main thing to take away from this Pay-Per-View is quite simple; there were several rule-bending wins and some trickery involved in the big title matches of the event, allowing all 3 champs to retain. The next Pay-Per-View is called "Extreme Rules" which seems fitting. If you look at how Christian won (by pulling on tights), Orton DQ'd himself, and Edge won with a little help from Matt Hardy's involvement, then it will definitely lead up to a set of different matches with "extreme rules" stipulations. Possibly a No DQ between Batista and Orton? Falls count anywhere between Swagger & Christian (although Tommy Dreamer may need to get involved in a title match soon)...There may be a lack of ideas though, because the Hardy's have fought in all sorts of situations, so what's left? Maybe a TLC match, and where's that leave Edge, Umaga and CM Punk? I think the best thing WWE is doing right now is the story involving Punk's constant attempt to cash in with Umaga getting in the way. It's a fresh story and keeps us all on our toes as to whether Punk will ever cash in, or someone else will take it away from him (like Edge did to Kennedy years back).

So now that the basics of Judgment Day are out of the way, let's prepare to get extreme...

Get 2009 Judgment Day PPV Results here

Raw Preview 05.18.09

Amongst the 2009 Judgment Day Pay-Per-View results, Randy Orton was able to successfully retain his WWE Title. The catch is Orton got himself disqualified so that Batista had no chance to pin him and win the gold. Their match saw Orton try every trick in the book to prevent Batista from winning the title. Orton continually went outside the ring trying to get counted out. He tried to bring a steel chair into the match as a weapon, but the Animal knocked it away. Finally, Orton just slapped the referee, prompting for the disqualification. A smug Orton had retained his title, and the Animal had no chance of winning. But to the surprise of the WWE Universe, the Nature Boy Ric Flair emerged from the crowd and attacked Orton! Will Batista get another chance at winning the WWE Title from his nemesis Randy Orton? And what exactly does Ric Flair's appearance and involvement mean in the grand scheme of things?

Since coming to Raw, The Miz has seemed to be the replacement for the loudmouth trash talker, Chris Jericho. In several weeks time, The Miz has come to the ring and insulted WWE Superstar John Cena. After calling out Cena each time, Miz somehow found a way to pronounce himself as victorious over Cena, whether it be via forfeit, or Big Show showing up to intervene. At last night's Judgment Day PPV, The Miz came to the ring again to disrespect Cena. After insulting the former champion, Miz turned his attention to baseball player Alfonso Soriano of the Chicago Cubs, who was in the crowd. Miz challenged Soriano to a fight in the ring, then claimed that Soriano's manager was calling to say he'd rather Soriano get hurt on the field, like he does every year. From there, Santino Marella came down to the ring to interrupt Miz. Marella made jokes about Vickie Guerrero and then called Miz a "jackass". As the two Raw stars fought it out, Miz gained the advantage and eventually Frogsplashed Santino. With the arrogant new Raw star seeming to have momentum, what will go down between these two stars on Monday night's show?

And finally, Judgment Day saw a heated feud finally hit the ring as John Cena got into the ring with Big Show. Cena was reported as less than 100% for the match, but still cleared to go. During this tough match for the former champ, Big Show punished Cena in and around the ring, using slams, splashes, clotheslines, kicks and submission holds to try to wear the injured wrestler down. Cena appeared to be favoring his ribs and Show used that fact to his advantage, as he stood on Cena's ribs at one point. Cena managed to gain momentum and in the end, he ducked Show's knockout punch attempt, then lifted Show up for the Attitude Adjustment. A less than 100% Cena managed to pull off the valiant effort for the victory in Chicago. But will this match be just the first round of a Big Show-John Cena feud? What will both men have to say on the latest episode of Raw?

Tune in to tonight's Monday Night Raw on USA at 9PM EST for all the follow-up and fallout from the 2009 Judgment Day PPV!

View full 2009 Judgment Day PPV results!

2009 Judgment Day PPV Results

Welcome to the 2009 Judgment Day Pay-Per-View results page courtesy of WWE Characters the Blog! The 2009 Judgment Day Pay-Per-View occurred live presented by WWE from Chicago's Allstate Arena on Sunday, May 17th, 2009 starting at 8PM EST. It included matches involving superstars from WWE's Raw, ECW and Smackdown television programs.

The 2009 Judgment Day PPV card included all three major titles up for grabs, as Edge defended against Jeff Hardy (World Heavyweight Title), Randy Orton defended against Batista (WWE title), and Christian defended against Jack Swagger (ECW Title). In addition, Rey Mysterio defended his Intercontinental title against Chris Jericho. Also, there were two feuds on the card with WWE Superstar John Cena took on the massive Big Show, and CM Punk challenging the Samoan Bulldozer Umaga...

Here's the complete 2009 Judgment Day results:

CM Punk vs. Umaga

From the onset of this matchup, the Samoan Bulldozer was in complete control of CM Punk. Even though Punk tried to attack as things started, Umaga showed his dominance. Umaga tossed Punk around like a ragdoll early on, and at one point threw him into the steel post. Several times, Umaga used his nerve pinching hold on Punk, who had hurt his shoulder on the ring post. The crowd kept chanting for Punk, giving him support, as Umaga continued to stay on offense. CM Punk finally gained advantage as Umaga missed on a flying headbutt attempt. Punk was able to knock Umaga to the outside and dove out onto him. Back inside the ring, Punk hit a running knee on Umaga, and eventually the Bulldog. After a high kick and bodypress on Umaga, Punk tried to pick up Umaga, but couldn't. Umaga went for the Samoan Spike once, but Punk avoided it, but on the next try Punk wasn't so lucky, as Umaga connected to level Punk for the pinfall.

Winner: Umaga wins via pinfall over CM Punk.

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Jack Swagger vs. Christian
ECW Title Match

Early on in this title fight, Christian nearly had the Killswitch on Swagger. As the match continued, Swagger rushed at Christian, with the champ pulling down the ropes so Swagger would fall out. Christian followed up by jumping onto Swagger on the outside. Back in the ring, the two continued the fight, with Swagger using various amateur wrestling takedowns and moves. At one point, Swagger tried for a rollup pin on Christian, but was grabbing Christian's tights. The referee noticed it and stopped counting the pin. Christian went for the Killswitch again, but Swagger reversed it and slammed Christian down hard. As Swagger pulled his straps down, Christian grabbed him and rolled him up. While holding Swagger's tights, Christian scored the winning pinfall to retain the ECW title.

Winner: Christian wins via pinfall over Jack Swagger to retain the ECW Title.

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John Morrison vs. Shelton Benjamin

A late addition to the PPV card saw the Gold Standard and the Shaman of Sexy going at it in the ring. Benjamin was accompanied by Charlie Haas.In the match, Morrison and Benjamin both displayed some impressive offense never seen before, including a flying Russian leg sweep by Morrison, and Shelton catching Morrison from the air to Powerbomb him into the corner turnbuckle. Shelton went for a pinfall from there but only score the two count. With both men back up, Morrison was able to go off the second rope to hit Charlie Haas off the apron, then delivered a high kick on Shelton, knocking him down. Morrison followed up with his finisher to score the winning pinfall on Shelton Benjamin.

Winner: John Morrison wins via pinfall over Shelton Benjamin.

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An in-ring segment went down involving The Miz, as he came down to the ring unexpectedly. Miz called the winner of the last match (Morrison) "Marty Janetty" as the crowd started to get annoyed with The Miz. Miz began insulting John Cena again and then turned his attention to Chicago Cubs player, Alfonso Soriano who was in the crowd. Miz challenged Soriano to come fight him in the ring, then pretended to get a phone call. Miz told Soriano it was his manager who said he'd rather Soriano get his annual injury on the baseball field rather than off it. Santino Marella came down to interrupt The Miz, and began talking about how certain wrestlers look like animals, such as Vickie Guerrero looks like a pig, and then said Miz is like a "jackass". The two wrestlers started going at it, reversing each others' moves as the crowd was back and forth rooting for Santino or booing Miz. Finally, Miz knocked Santino to the mat, then did a Frogsplash on him off the corner. Miz left the ring cockily after taunting Santino some more.

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Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio
Intercontinental Title Match

Smackdown commentator noted on his JR's BBQ blog this past week that this could be the match of the PPV. Prior to the match in a backstage interview Chris Jericho promised he'd become the new Intercontinental champion tonight. Jim Ross pointed out during the match that Jericho holds the record for most reigns as Intercontinental champion with 8. Both men gave it their all in this one, including Mysterio knocking Jerich outside the ring, crashing onto him, then whipping him to the crowd barrier. At one point in the ring, Jericho attempted to remove Mysterio's mask. Mysterio came off the corner to Splash Jericho and hit him with a huge kick, but could only score a 2 count. While Mysterio went for 619, Jericho was able to counter and turn it into the Walls of Jericho. Mysterio tried to crawl his way over to the ropes, but Jericho pulled him right back to center ring. Finally, Rey reversed it into a pinfall, but Jericho escaped it. Jericho Powerbombed Mysterio but Rey bounced back. With a surprise move, Rey was finally able to hit the 619 on Jericho in the corner. After a springboard off the top onto Jericho, Rey collected the pinfall win to retain his title!

Winner: Rey Mysterio wins via pinfall over Chris Jericho to retain the Intercontinental Title.

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Batista vs. Randy Orton
WWE Title Match

This matchup spilled to the outside several times, and also saw Orton take refuge outside the ring several times as well. Orton finally managed to gain the upperhand and began to systematically kick away at Batista. Orton used the chinlock quite a bit to try to wear The Animal down. In a move similar to the DDT on Stephanie McMahon, Orton DDT'd Batista from off the middle rope to the mat. From there, Orton tried to go for a Punt kick on Batista, but The Animal responded with a furious Spear to take down the champ. Batista continued with the momentum and also Speared Orton in the corner, before hitting a huge Powerslam. After a two count, Orton escaped the ring and yelled at the ref to count him out, with Batista coming out after Orton.

The fight continued outside, as Orton tried to hold onto a ringpost and get counted out. Batista finally pried him away and tossed Orton back inside the ring. Orton continued trying to find ways to avoid getting pinned, as he went outside the ring again, and then yanked Batista face first against the top rope. Orton grabbed a steel chair and tried to bring it inside, but Batista knocked the weapon out of his hands. In the ring, Batista slammed Orton then went for the Batista Bomb, but Orton managed to escape. This time, Orton went to the outside, grabbed his WWE Title belt and started up the ramp. The Animal was able to retrieve him and get him to the ring before a countout. In the ring, Batista once again tried for the Batista Bomb, but Orton escaped. Orton was able to toss Batista into a ringpost hurting his shoulder, then went for the RKO. Batista shoved Orton away. A frustrated Orton finally got himself disqualified with a hard slap to the referee. Suddenly, the Nature Boy Ric Flair showed up to attack Randy Orton. Orton escaped up the ramp, as Batista's theme music went on and the crowd erupted.

Winner: Batista wins due to disqualification of Randy Orton. Orton retains the WWE Title.

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John Cena vs. Big Show

It was noted by the commentators that John Cena was cleared to wrestle Big Show at Judgment Day 2009, but he was nowhere near 100% for the match. Early on, Cena appeared to be favoring his ribs as he rolled to avoid Big Show. Show finally caught Cena and began his punishment in the ring. Big Show slammed Cena, tossed him to the outside, stood on his ribs, and even splashed him hard in the corner. Cena managed to break free of an excruciating Bear Hug by Big Show. Cena finally gained some momentum, with a Bulldog on Big Show and eventually the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Big Show recovered fast and tried to Chokeslam Cena down. Cena escaped it and was able to get Show down for the STF submission. Show escaped and was able to level Cena with a clothesline, then eventually came off the ropes to hit a "Vader Bomb" on Cena. Cena kicked out at 2 to the surprise of Big Show and the commentators. Cena tried for his finisher several times with Big Show avoiding it. After slamming Cena down hard, Show prepared to give him a knockout punch. Cena staggered to his feet and ducked the punch attempt, then picked up Show on his shoulders. Cena was able to hit the Attitude Adjustment and claimed a tough pinfall victory.

Winner: John Cena wins via pinfall over Big Show.

---

Jeff Hardy vs. Edge
World Heavyweight Title

The crowd was definitely behind the enigmatic superstar, Jeff Hardy, as he made his way down to the ring for the PPV's main event. World Heavyweight Champion Edge looked to find an opportunity to put Hardy away and keep his title secured. It seemed as if Hardy was able to keep coming at Edge, no matter what during this matchup. At one point, Jeff missed on a move from off the top rope, with Edge moving away. Jeff was able to hit suplexes, neckbreakers and a big flying cross body on the champ. At one point, Jeff locked a Sharpshooter on Edge, and at another Hardy went for a running move to jump at Edge on the announcers' table. Edge was able to tackle Jeff down from the air with a Spear. Jeff was nearly counted out and got back inside the ring at 9. Inside the ring, Jeff got his Whisper in the Wind on Edge. Jeff hit a Twist of Fate, then took Edge to the outside for an interesting move involving the steel steps where Jeff clotheslined Edge into the crowd. Suddenly, Jeff's brother Matt came into play and hit Jeff with his cast. Edge prepared for the Spear in the ring, but Jeff managed to trip him into the turnbuckle. Jeff went to the top rope, but slipped on his climb. Edge climbed up to battle him and ended up hitting the Edgecution from the top rope for the pinfall victory.

Winner: Edge wins via pinfall over Jeff Hardy to retain the World Heavyweight Title.

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You can click here to refresh this page during WWE's 2009 Judgment Day event for updated results from the Pay-Per-View! Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out WWE Characters the Blog for all the results, as well as a preview of the upcoming 05/18/09 episode of WWE's Monday Night Raw!

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2009 Judgment Day PPV Predictions

Some WWE Pay-Per-Views bring several title changes at once, while others bring rather predictable outcomes. Wrestlemania 25 seemed pretty predictable while Backlash seemed to hold several big title wins. In that event, it may be a foregone conclusion to say Backlash will be back basics and routine. There's 1 potential title change, but for the most part things should stay status quo. Jeff Hardy is back in the title picture against Edge with a ton of momentum, as is Batista in his quest to beat Randy Orton for the WWE belt. We also are continually being teased by CM Punk cashing in his MITB briefcase on Edge, but to no avail. Could this be where it finally happens? Let's take a look at the 2009 Judgment Day analysis and predictions.

CM Punk vs. Umaga

Umaga is not only the Samoan Bulldozer, he's also a big obstacle that's been standing in CM Punk's path for the World Heavyweight title. Several times Punk was ready to cash in the briefcase, and several times Umaga intervened and prevented it. This match may be on the card to take the focus away from the MITB. This could be a grueling match that Punk survives, and leaves Umaga KO'd so he can finally cash in later in the night.

Prediction: CM Punk knocks out Umaga with the briefcase.

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Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio
Intercontinental Championship

There were earlier reports that Mysterio was injured during his match against Shelton Benjamin for Smackdown this past week. Commentator Jim Ross has noted that the IC match will go on for Judgment Day and may be "match of the PPV". Since Rey's injury seems like he'll be ok, Rey should retain here to continue this feud on Smackdown. I'm really thinking we may get a Jericho-Undertaker feud heading into Wrestlemania 26, but that's months away.

Prediction: Rey Mysterio is able to retain the IC title.

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John Cena vs. Big Show

So much emphasis has been put on Big Show being the big bully, while Cena is the man fighting for his honor and dignity while he's injured. Cena will probably pull off the victory here. After all, he was able to hit the Attitude Adjustment on Edge and Show during their Wrestlemania 25 title fight. Cena will eventually move on to challenge Batista at Summerslam, which is approaching quickly. But for now, Cena and Show will continue their feud.

Prediction: John Cena wins via pinfall over Big Show, but the feud lives on.

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Jack Swagger vs. Christian
ECW Title Match

These guys have the potential to put on yet another great match, and waiting in the wings is Tommy Dreamer who is just weeks away from a retirement. Swagger made an excellent champ, and really he should already be on Smackdown, leaving Vladimir Kozlov as the big heel on ECW. Nonetheless, Swagger will once again try to regain his title. At Backlash, both guys tried to expose a turnbuckle cover, with Christian being successful, while the ref stopped Swagger. Christian's held the ECW title for several weeks now and should continue. Maybe in this one we see Swagger pull the turnbuckle cover off and try to whip Christian into it, but the whip is reversed, sending Swagger to the corner and then the Killswitch?

Prediction: Christian wins via pinfall to retain the ECW title.

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Batista vs. Randy Orton
WWE Title Match

This seems to be the easiest match to predict of the card. Orton's dominance has been highlighted over the McMahon's, and he's spotlighted as the top heel on Raw. Batista's had the upperhand and momentum going towards this match, meaning it's most likely that he'll lose in his first attempt at Orton's title. I'm going to say Orton gets DQ'd in this fight, leading up to Batista having another chance against him. Possibly Legacy gets involved, but Orton will retain and we'll see another contest between these two.

Prediction: Randy Orton retains the title, match ends in DQ.

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Jeff Hardy vs. Edge
World Heavyweight Title

This may be the wildcard and highlight of the show. Once again, Jeff Hardy looks ready to defeat Edge for the Gold. It seems almost like Edge has the belt 3/4 of every year, giving it up to a few other guys like Hardy and Undertaker while Edge takes a breather. The fact Hardy keeps taking Edge down week in and out would make you think Edge will win this one. Another thing to consider is how we've been teased week in and out with CM Punk trying to cash in his briefcase. Let's have some fun with this pick and say Jeff defeats Edge, but CM Punk rushes to the ring, free of Umaga who he earlier decimated, and cashes in the MITB for the World Heavyweight Title.

Prediction: Somehow CM Punk ends up World Heavyweight Champion.

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Be sure to check out WWE Characters the Blog as the 2009 Judgment Day event hits PPV on Sunday night for updated 2009 Judgment Day PPV results during the event!

Smackdown Recap 05.15.09

Smackdown recap from Dayton, OH:

John Morrison & CM Punk vs. Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas

The World's Greatest Tag Team was reunited as they took on Smackdown newcomers CM Punk & John Morrison. There's been no love lost between Shelton and Morrison in weeks past, as the two took to the ring once again. Benjamin was able to keep Morrison down on the mat in headlocks, and Haas used a similar grounded attack when he had Punk in the ring. The former tag champs looked impressive, but eventually Punk turned the match around as he hit a huge kick to Shelton, then took him to the outside. Morrison scored the winning pinfall after hitting a move off the ropes on Haas. Benjamin seemed furious on the outside as CM Punk and Morrison were announced victorious.

Winners: John Morrison & CM Punk win via pinfall over Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas.

Chris Jericho talked about how he was running Smackdown now. Edge came out to disagree, saying Smackdown is his show. GM Teddy Long came out and announced that Chris Jericho and Edge would battle it out in tonight's main event.

R-Truth vs. Mike Knox

Just a week ago, R-Truth suffered a loss at the hands of Smackdown newcomer Mike Knox. On tonight's show, Truth evened the score, despite being brutally attacked early in the match and leveled to the mat by Knox. After being catapulted face first into the bottom ropes, Truth eventually recovered and hit a powerfully fast spinning forearm/elbow on Knox. Truth was able to defeat the powerful Knox with a pinfall victory.

Winner: R-Truth wins via pinfall over Mike Knox.

Jeff Hardy vs. Ricky Ortiz

Jeff Hardy looked to prepare himself for Judgment Day as he took on another Smackdown new arrival, former ECW star Ricky Ortiz. Ortiz showed a tremendous amount of offensive power against the #1 Contender, as he got him down to the mat and kept him down in a headlock. Ortiz seemed to dominate things, and eventually went for the Big O splash to finish Jeff, but Hardy was quick to avoid the move and turn the match in his favor. Jeff fought back ferociously and was able to hit a Twist of Fate, followed by his finisher the Swanton Bomb.

After the match, Josh Matthews got into the ring to interview Hardy about his upcoming title match at Judgment Day. Hardy discussed how Edge tends to win the titles only to lose them soon afterwards. Jeff vowed to leave Judgment Day as the new champion.

Winner: Jeff Hardy wins via pinfall over Ricky Ortiz.

Gail Kim & Melina vs. Alicia Fox & Michelle McCool

WWE Divas Gail Kim and Michelle McCool once again found themselves fighting, but this time each was aided by a diva tag partner. Womens champ, Melina was on Gail's side, while Alicia was there for Michelle. All of the divas displayed intense maneuvers in this match, including Melina delivering a serious boot kick to McCool at one point. Gail Kim was able to dropkick Alicia Fox while she was standing outside the ring, then went after her. With those two on the outside, Melina flipped Michelle into a pinfall for the win.

Winners: Gail Kim and Melina win via pinfall over Alicia Fox and Michelle McCool.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Jimmy Wang Yang

Dolph Ziggler continued to try to build upon his Smackdown resume, this time taking on Jimmy Wang Yang. In the match, Ziggler used his power attack, trying to keep Yang down on the mat with headlocks. Yang escaped to start up his fast-paced and high flying moves, including a Moonsault attempt off the corner. Ziggler was able to counter the flip and ended up pinning Yang for a win.

Afterwards, the Great Khali made his way down to ringside to avenge Ziggler hitting him with a chair last week. Ziggler pleaded with Khali to let him go, but Khali knocked Ziggler over the top rope and out of the ring.

Winner: Dolph Ziggler wins via pinfall over Jimmy Wang Yang.

Cryme Tyme was talking to Eve backstage, then Layla showed up and the two WWE divas started fighting again.

Edge vs. Chris Jericho

A compelling main event contest saw Smackdown's two most cocky and loud mouthed stars, Chris Jericho and Edge battling it out. As the match went on, Jeff Hardy came down to the ring and attacked Edge, and then attacked Jericho. The ref called for the DQ, awarding the win to Edge. CM Punk came out and tried to cash in his MITB opportunity, but once again Umaga showed up to intervene, preventing Punk from the cash in. Both men took their fight to the crowd. Rey Mysterio came out and battled with Jericho all the way up the ramp to close out the show.

Winner: Edge wins via disqualification over Chris Jericho.

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Superstars Recap 05.14.09

Rey Mysterio vs. Shelton Benjamin

Preparing for Judgment Day, the Intercontinental Champ Rey Mysterio took on the Gold Standard, Shelton Benjamin. John Morrison was nearby on guest commentary for the match, eyeing Benjamin who he's been feuding with for a few weeks now. Early in the match, Shelton kept Mysterio grounded applying various holds including a headlock and leglock around Rey's waist. The little big man eventually battled back and was able to hit the 619 and a flying bodypress, followed by his trademark splash on Benjamin off the ropes. After the match, Morrison and Benjamin got into it outside the ring, with Morrison knocking Benjamin down.

Winner: Rey Mysterio wins via pinfall over Shelton Benjamin.

Christian vs. Mark Henry

Captain Charisma took on the World's Strongest Man, as Christian looked ahead to his ECW title defense at Judgment Day. In the match with Tony Atlas watching from ringside, Henry applied his traditional Bear Hug to squeeze the life out of Christian. Every time Christian seemed to mount an attack, Henry smirked as he leveled the champion back down. Finally, Christian got things going with several high dropkicks to take the big man down to the mat. Amazingly, Christian scored the pinfall victory after a flying cross body block on Henry, and now will look ahead to Jack Swagger at Judgment Day.

Winner: Christian wins via pinfall over Mark Henry.

Hornswoggle vs. Big Show
Exhibition Match

Vickie Guerrero scheduled a joke of a match as she put the incredibly small Hornswoggle against the mammoth Big Show. During this match, Hornswoggle tried his best, after going for the Tadpole Frogsplash off the corner, but Show still was unstoppable. Big Show readied himself to deliver a knockout punch on the leprechaun, but Goldust showed up to intervene. Goldust took the fight to Show, but was eventually overpowered and put into a vicious submission by Show. Show left the ring with Hornswoggle checking on the fallen Goldust.

Winner: Big Show wins via disqualification over Hornswoggle.

Smackdown Preview 05.15.09

With Judgment Day Pay-Per-View quickly approaching this Sunday, the superstars of Smackdown will be looking to prepare for the big event. Two champions will be defending their gold at the event, while another new feud was recently hatched. First off, the longtime star of Smackdown, Edge, will be defending his World Heavyweight Title against Jeff Hardy. Hardy earned the #1 Contender's spot after winning a tough Fatal Fourway match. In recent weeks, Hardy has seemed to have the upperhand against the Rated-R Superstar, giving him the Swanton Bomb and Twist of Fate in the ring at different moments. Edge always looks for an opportunity to strike back and gain the advantage, so what will he have brewing as Smackdown goes on the air tonight? Will Hardy once again be standing over a fallen Edge?

Another champion looking ahead to Judgment Day is Rey Mysterio. Mysterio who is the Intercontinental champ, was recently challenged by cocky superstar, Chris Jericho. Both men are newcomers to Smackdown, but Jericho continues to be a loudmouth now that he's on a new show. Mysterio seemed to have the laugh at Jericho's expense recently, as he shoved Jericho down to the ground. You'd have to wonder if Jericho will find a way to retaliate on tonight's episode of Smackdown. Will Jericho hit Mysterio with a sneak attack prior to the Pay-Per-View? How will these superstars prepare for Judgment Day tonight?

And finally, a feud which was hatched several weeks ago, saw the Samoan Bulldozer, Umaga rush the ring and attack the 2009 Money in the Bank winner, CM Punk. Punk had just defeated Edge in a non-title contest and was ready to cash in to claim the World Heavyweight title. Umaga spoiled the party when he came in and ended up leveling the Straightedged Superstar, Punk. Umaga continued to show up and attack Punk in other weeks, leading up to their impending fight at Judgment Day. Will Umaga strike again on tonight's episode, or will CM Punk find a way to attack Umaga?

Also tonight, a divas tag match featuring Gali Kim and Womens Champion Melina against Michelle McCool and Alicia Fox!

Catch Smackdown tonight at 8PM EST on MyNetworkTV ahead of the Judgment Day PPV!

ECW Recap 05.12.09

ECW Recap from Dayton, OH:

ECW opened with Jack Swagger and Christian meeting with ECW interim GM Tiffany. Tiffany said tonight will be the first Peep Show ever on ECW hosted by Christian, with Swagger as his guest. Tiffany said it will be a great thing for ECW but could also mean chaos. She warned both men about physical contact or there would be consequences. Christian said he understood before leaving. Tiffany told Swagger she was serious and Swagger said he heard her the first time.

Matt Striker and Josh Matthews welcomed viewers to the show just days ahead of Judgment Day. Matthews said tonight will be the Return of Christian's Peep Show with Jack Swagger as guest. Mark Henry came to the ring for the opening match.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Mark Henry

Early on Dreamer tried to work on Henry's right arm, yanking it down against the top rope, and chopping at it in the ring. Henry responded by knocking Dreamer to the mat, then eventually standing on him at the ropes. Henry kept Dreamer down on the mat in a headlock, with Dreamer eventually getting to his feet. Henry threw Dreamer to one corner, but as he rushed at him, Dreamer got a leg in his face. Off the ropes, Henry caught Dreamer in a Bear Hug, but Dreamer escaped it. With Dreamer coming off the ropes running, Henry leveled Dreamer, but then missed on an elbow drop.

Dreamer was able to score a DDT on Henry, but Henry managed to get a leg on the ropes before 3. Tony Atlas got up on the apron briefly to attempt to distract. In the corner, Dreamer tried to roll up Henry but the weight was too much. Henry did a sit splash onto Dreamer's arm, then hit the World's Strongest Slam.

Winner: Mark Henry wins via pinfall over Tommy Dreamer.

Backstage, Gregory Helms interviewed Tyson Kidd along with Natalya. Helms asked how it will affect Kidd since Natalya is banned from tonight's match against Finlay. Kidd said Finlay is the man who loves to fight, but they're from the Hart Foundation and know how to fight. Natalya said Kidd will be fine on his own. Helms asked Natalya if she wanted to watch the match backstage with him. Natalya smirked at him then left. Helms looked side to side then asked "What's up with that?!"

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Finlay vs. Tyson Kidd

At one point in the match, Finlay was able to catch Kidd in the apron cover as Kidd tried for a dropkick slide. Finlay pounded on Kidd's back while keeping him in the apron cover. Kidd was able to recover and swiped Finlay's leg as he tried to get back in the ring. Kidd was also able to gain an advantage as he dropkicked Finlay into the steel steps on the outside.

Back in the ring, Kidd had the advantage and worked on Finlay's arm down on the mat. Finlay started to battle back and clotheslined Kidd several times, then hit the Celtic Cross. Finlay had the pin but Kidd kicked out. Finlay started whipping Kidd to the ring corners and ramming into him. Just as Finlay had Kidd up for another Celtic Cross, DH Smith came rushing into the ring and attacked Finlay. Smith continued kicking and beating up Finlay to the corner, but Finlay started to fight back. Kidd got into the ring from behind Finlay and took out his leg with the shilaleigh. The two men continued to beat on Finlay until Natalya eventually joined them and the 3 held up their arms as the new Hart Foundation.

Winner: Finlay wins due to disqualification of Tyson Kidd.

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ECW returned to show what just went down with the new Hart Foundation beating up on Finlay. Striker and Matthews switched their attention to what happened on last night's Raw. Batista ended up facing Randy Orton 1 on 1, after Batista was able to take out Rhodes and Dibiase backstage. Batista then got himself disqualified by bringing a steel chair into play and smashing it across Orton several times. After smashing it on Orton's ankle, Batista went for the steel steps to use on Orton, but Orton escaped thanks to Legacy. Batista tossed the steps out at Orton who just barely avoided being hit by them on the ramp.

Striker and Matthews ran down the lineup for Judgment Day including ECW's own Christian vs. Swagger for the ECW title.

Backstage, Paul Burchill and Katie Lea came up to ECW interim GM Tiffany. Burchill complained about not being on the ECW show to wrestle the past two weeks. Tiffany said she can't have everyone on each show. Burchill muttered something then left. Katie Lea gave Tiffany a word of advice that when her brother has too much time on his hands, he tends to get himself in trouble.

A promo video was shown of Vladimir Kozlov in his training sessions, stating that the ECW star would be up next.

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Chad Collyer vs. Vladimir Kozlov

Another amateur stepped into the ring to try to grapple with the Moscow Mauler. This time around, Collyer was the latest victim for Kozlov. Kozlov grabbed Collyer by both arms at one point and began headbutting him in his chest. Collyer tried to jump off the ropes at Kozlov but was batted down. After a few more power moves, Kozlov did a powerful one handed slam to put Collyer to the mat for a pinfall.

Josh Matthews got in the ring to interview Kozlov, asking what makes him superior to the other superstars. Kozlov said he is trained in Samba which is a superior form of martial arts involving a lot of discipline. Kozlov said Russia dominates the Olympics for nearly 50 years then began yelling in Russian to make his point.

Winner: Vladimir Kozlov wins via pinfall over Chad Collyer.

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Christian's Peep Show feat. Jack Swagger

Christian hosted the return of his Peep Show in its first airing on ECW. Christian came to the ring carrying the ECW belt, then showed it off in the ring. Matt Striker noted that Christian will be facing Mark Henry on WWE Superstars this Thursday as a tune up for Judgment Day. Christian introduced his guest, former ECW champion Jack Swagger. Swagger came down the ramp but wasn't smiling like usual as he walked to the ring. Swagger kept his eyes locked on Christian and the belt as he got into the ring.

Swagger called the Peep Show stupid, but Christian came back saying Swagger's a sore loser. Swagger confronted Christian for cheating at Backlash to win the ECW title. Swagger had them roll a clip from Backlash on the Titantron. Christian tore the turnbuckle cover off before Swagger rushed over at him. When Swagger hit into the exposed metal, Christian was able to hit the Killswitch and then pin Swagger for the title.

Christian reminded Swagger he tried to do the same thing but left that out of the clip. Christian played a highlight reel of his own which showed Swagger's lisp when he spoke and ended with Christian saying "Sufferin' Sucatash!" Swagger asked what that proved, and Christian said nothing really, just made Swagger look dumb. Swagger got angry and told Christian he's going to lose Sunday and will soon find himself out of action without any peeps or the ECW title.

Swagger told Christian he can't touch him because of what Tiffany told them earlier, no physical contact during the Peep Show. Christian said the great thing about hosting his own show is he decides when the show's official over. Suddenly, Christian punched Swagger in the face with the mic. Swagger rolled to the outside holding his eye and angrily looking back at Christian. Christian dared Swagger to get back in the ring, laying the ECW belt down as bait. Swagger walked up the ramp angrily with Christian holding up his belt as ECW ended.

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Raw Recap 05.11.09

Raw Recap from Columbus, OH

Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler welcomed fans to Nationwide Arena for Raw, just 6 nights away from Judgment Day. Lillian Garcia introduced WWE Champion Randy Orton who came to the top of the ramp along with Rhodes and Dibiase. Orton compared the McMahons to the audience, then chastised the audience for just sitting there and taking it day in and day out while life beats them down. Orton called the audience cowards because they pay to live their lives through him. Orton had a replay shown of what he did to Shane last week, saying he put an end to the McMahon era.

After the highlights were shown, Orton and Legacy were in the ring. Orton discussed the no physical contact stipulation between he and Batista, which will end on Sunday at the PPV. Orton said they can still talk and Batista will want to hear what he has to say. Batista came down to the ring to confront Legacy. Orton told Batista he'll never win the WWE title ever. Orton then offered Batista the opportunity to become a member of Legacy. Dibiase took the mic and told Batista he can relate to being kicked in the skull by Orton, but after joining Legacy he feels differently. Orton reminded Batista how unstoppable they were in Evolution, and said HHH was holding them back, but now Orton's taken him out. Orton compared Batista's role to that of Arn Anderson for Flair's Horsemen, where Batista could be the "Enforcer".

Batista told Orton everything he said makes sense but there's a problem; he loathes Orton, so he'll never be his backup. Batista said he's not there to help him but to hurt him. Orton became enraged and said Batista's lucky there's a no contact clause. Batista said he doubts Vickie will call off the main event at Judgment Day, so there's nothing stopping him from destroying Orton tonight. Just then, Vickie Guerrero came to the ramp with Chavo. Vickie said she is waving the physical contact clause for tonight so Orton and Batista can tear each other apart, and the main event will still happen at Judgment Day. Vickie then ordered Batista to face Dibiase & Rhodes in the ring now, and if Batista wins he will face Orton one on one tonight. If Rhodes & Dibiase win, it's a 3 on 1 handicap match against Batista.

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Batista vs. Dibiase & Rhodes
2 on 1 Handicap Match

The former tag champs did their best to keep Batista grounded early on, working on his left leg. Batista fought back from their corner then began leveling Rhodes before rushing over to kick Dibiase off the apron. Batista hit Rhodes with a huge boot, causing Rhodes to roll out under the ropes to recover. As Dibiase was getting back in the ring, the referee became distracted with him. Rhodes grabbed a steel chair from under the ring and slid it under the ropes. Batista grabbed it and took a swing at Rhodes. Rhodes avoided him and the referee saw, causing the ref to call for a DQ on Batista. Batista will now have to face all 3 men from Legacy in a 3 on 1 Handicap match.

Winners: Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase win via pinfall over Batista.

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WWE Torpedo Takedown showed higlights from last week of Mickie James vs. Maryse. Maryse tossed Mickie off the corner ropes and had her in a severe submission, but eventually Mickie turned the tide and DDT'd Maryse for a non-title victory.

Mickie James & Kelly Kelly vs. Maryse & Jillian Hall

Before Mickie James came to the ring Maryse spoke in French on the mic, and ended by saying if she wasn't Maryse she would want to be.

Kelly Kelly gained the advantage against Jillian, until Maryse walked over on the apron to distract Kelly. Jillian rushed over and knocked Kelly to the mat, right near Maryse who tagged in next. Maryse eventually locked in her Camel Clutch like submission on Kelly, who was able to stand up and tried to power out. Maryse yanked Kelly by her hair back down to the mat. Kelly eventually escaped on a kick to Maryse, and Mickie James came in with serious momentum. After a headscissors, Mickie climbed the corner ropes and flew off onto Maryse for a roll up pinfall. Jillian came in to break it up, and Kelly came in to go after her. Kelly and Jillian eventually went to the outside, with Maryse knocking Mickie down inside. Maryse went for her DDT near the ropes, but Mickie held on to the ropes causing Maryse to fall. From there, Mickie brought Maryse to center ring and hit her own DDT finisher to score her second pinfall on Maryse in consecutive weeks.

Winners: Kelly Kelly & Mickie James win via pinfall over Jillian Hall & Maryse.

Backstage, Josh Matthews interviewed Randy Orton, asking his thoughts on tonight's 3 on 1 match against Batista. Before Orton could get an answer out, Dibiase came rushing up to him, saying Cody was missing. Orton took Dibiase aside and pushed the camera away so they could confer, then the two rushed off in search of Cody Rhodes.

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Cole & Lawler revisited the incident at Backlash where Big Show came out to chokeslam Cena into a huge spotlight, allowing Edge to win the World Championship in the Last Man Standing match. On last week's Raw, an already hurt Cena was stuck in the ring with Big Show, who punished Cena even further, leaving him layed out.

Backstage in an office, Chavo complimented Vickie for how she handled herself with the Orton-Batista situation. Chavo then suggested that Vickie should force John Cena to compete tonight to prove he's ready for Judgment Day. Vickie agreed and said it could be an exhibition match against The Miz. Chavo wished Vickie Happy Mother's Day then left the office.

Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler were in the ring to discuss Judgment Day. They ran down the matches, including recently added Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio for the Intercontinental Title and CM Punk vs. Umaga. All 3 major titles will also be on the line.

Backstage, Orton and Dibiase continued searching for Cody Rhodes. The two split up and Orton found Rhodes talking to a girl. He told Rhodes to come with him because Batista may be up to something. They went looking for Dibiase. A WWE staff rushed by them saying he'd go find a doctor. Rhodes and Orton turned a corner to see Dibiase layed out with Kofi Kingston and the Bella twins checking on him. Orton and Rhodes pushed them all out of the way. As the camera focused on Orton he looked up and said it must be Batista.

---

A promo video was shown for Mr. Kennedy, coming soon to Raw.

Carlito vs. The Brian Kendrick

Cole said Kendrick requested the rematch after losing to Carlito last week on Raw. Kendrick started the punishment early on, slapping Carlito around and clotheslining him hard in the corner. Kendrick jumped at Carlito off the corner but Carlito kicked him in the stomach. Carlito started the beatdown on Kendrick, but Kendrick reversed him on an Irish whip to the ropes. Carlito tried to jump up on the ropes to do his elbow but Kendrick quickly grabbed him and threw him to the mat hard. From there, Carlito was able to reverse a Kendrick move, shoving him to the corner. Then, Kendrick came back at Carlito and reversed a move to shove Carlito shoulder first to the ringpost, then rolled him up for the win.

Following his victory, Kendrick got on a mic saying this was just Step 1. Step 2 will involve him finding "The partner" who will help him win the tag team championships.

Winner: The Brian Kendrick wins via pinfall over Carlito.

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"Rescue Me" by Buckcherry is the official theme for Judgment Day.

John Cena vs. The Miz
Exhibition Match

Prior to the match, the Big Show arrived down to the ring and took a seat on the commentators' table to watch the match. Lillian announced that this match will continue until it's officially stopped by GM Vickie Guerrero. The Miz walked out from backstage with a mic in hand telling Cena that what Big Show did to him at Backlash is nothing compared to what Miz will do to him tonight. Miz kept taunting Cena as Cena kept his eyes on Big Show. Miz told Cena this isn't 12 Rounds and people will actually see this. Miz said Vickie may be calling this an exhibition but he's calling this 3-0.

Cena kept his eyes on Big Show as he took Miz down to the mat several times. Miz managed to gain the upperhand as he punched Cena in the ribs then suplexed him a few times, before clotheslining Cena in the corner hard. Big Show watched while smirking. Miz continued kicking away at Cena in the ring. Miz went for another running clothesline in the corner, but Cena avoided it then turned the tide in his favor. Cena hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle after giving a look at Big Show. Cena prepared for his finisher, but just then Vickie Guerrero came on the Titantron. Vickie told Cena it's obvious he has no chance against Big Show, so she's stopping the exhibition. Cena looked puzzled and just then, Miz grabbed him for a DDT. Miz declared himself 3-0 against Cena and exited the ring. Big Show smiled as he walked to the side of the ring to look at the fallen John Cena.

Winner: Match stopped due to Vickie Guerrero's orders.

Backstage, Randy Orton instructed Cody Rhodes to go find Batista and take him out.

---

Backstage, Santina showed up to talk to Chavo and Vickie. Vickie asked if it was true that he called her a pig last week. Santina said she wasn't even around last week but knows that Santino says some stupid things. Just then, Rosa Mendes and Beth Phoenix showed up. Chavo told Santino to drop the charade, and Vickie ordered Rosa Mendes to give Santina a good luck kiss on the cheek. Rosa hesitantly went over and kissed Santina on the cheek, but Santina turned and gave her a full lips on lips kiss. Rosa pulled away in shock with Beth upset, and Chavo said he knew it. Chavo told Santino to admit he's got a reputation. After a few moments Santina blurted out she admits she's a lesbian before leaving.

Cody Rhodes was shown backstage with a metal rod in his hands, looking for Batista. Rhodes heard a noise near a door and opened it to find Hornswoggle. The leprechaun rushed out as Rhodes looked around. Just then a big shadow appeared behind Rhodes and Batista was there. Batista shoved Rhodes into some lockers, then into the dark room and went in, shutting the door to give Rhodes a beatdown.

Santina Marella vs. Beth Phoenix

Rosa Mendes accompanied Beth to the ring. Beth began to dominate Santina early on, tossing her to the corner. Santina was able to escape the other corner, but Beth clotheslined her out of the ring. From there Beth whipped her into the side of the ring then pressed Santina overhead to toss her back through the ropes. Beth continued to stay in control, but with Santina down on the mat, Beth fell prey to Santina grabbing her for a surprise roll up pinfall. Beth couldn't believe it as she and Rosa regrouped on the outside and Santina hugged the ref.

Winner: Santina Marella wins via pinfall over Beth Phoenix.

---

Backstage, Josh Matthews caught up with John Cena, asking him how he's even going to compete at Judgment Day. Cena said he's going through hard times just like everybody in the nation. Cena said people have always found a way to adapt and overcome, and he's gotta do the same against Big Show. Cena said he's not going to compete at Judgment Day, he's going to win.

MVP came down to the ring for the VIP Lounge. MVP spoke about how last week William Regal involved himself in MVP's business. MVP told Regal to get his Swagger on and put his dress on for Ladies Night at the VIP Lounge. Regal came to the ring with a mic in hand saying it's revolting to see MVP pretending he owns Raw. Regal said he had great success in 2008, but was ousted. Regal said he's ready to return to action, but people like MVP tried to jump up in the pecking order. Regal said MVP represents the US perfectly, since he's arrogant, misguided and despised by everyone else in the world. Just then, Regal took off his robe to fight, but Matt Hardy's music hit. Hardy came onto the ramp with a mic in hand. Hardy said he wants to air his grievances also, saying he's been forced to compete despite a broken hand. Hardy told Regal he needs to wait in line, because Matt deserves a US title shot first. Hardy said his loss against Kofi Kingston needs to be taken out of the record books.

Suddenly, Kofi Kingston rushed to the ring and attacked Hardy, knocking him down and beating him up outside the ring. MVP began laughing as Regal backed away. MVP layed down on the couch. Chavo Guerrero came out and interrupted to say the ring needs to be cleared now so there can be a tag match between the four men.

MVP & Kofi Kingston vs. Matt Hardy & William Regal

Kofi Kingston had momentum against Regal and hit the double leg drop on him. Matt Hardy rushed in to break up the pinfall and MVP came in as well. The ref tried to get MVP back to his corner, and Matt Hardy used his cast to smash against Kofi's back, allowing Regal to slam him down. Matt and Regal continued to try to keep Kofi down and away from tagging in MVP. Kofi finally countered a Regal move and ducked his clothesline to tag in MVP. MVP began punching away at Regal, eventually hitting him with a Facebuster and then the Ballin' Elbow drop. MVP took the pin but Matt came in to break it up. Kofi rushed in and kicked Matt to the outside. As Kofi prepared to jump out of the ring, Regal grabbed him and tossed him over the ropes.

Matt Hardy was shown exiting backstage. Back in the ring, MVP took control against Regal and hit the Playmaker for the win.

Winners: Kofi Kingston & MVP win via pinfall over Matt Hardy & William Regal.

Randy Orton was shown walking backstage en route to the ring for his match against Batista.

A replay was shown from last week's ankle smashing given to Shane McMahon by Orton and Legacy.

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Batista vs. Randy Orton

Batista evened the odds earlier by taking out Dibiase and Rhodes backstage. Orton got on the mic to say there's no good reason for them to fight 6 days before their title match at Judgment Day. Orton said he was going to leave the ring, but just then Batista's music hit. The Animal came out charged up and got in the ring to do battle anyways.

As the match started, Batista clotheslined Orton down hard. Orton tried to escape into the audience, but Batista went out to grab him and bring him back to the ring. Batista hit the Spinebuster twice on Orton in the ring, then went to the outside for a steel chair. Batista disregarded the ref's warning and smashed the chair down on Orton to cause the quick DQ. From there Batista kept smashing Orton with the chair and eventually drove it down on his ankle. Batista went to the outside and took the top part of the steel steps and brought those in the ring next. Batista chased the ref out of the ring and prepared to hit Orton, but Rhodes came rushing in for the save. Batista quickly knocked Rhodes down with a Batista Bomb. Ted Dibaise rushed in from behind to attack Batista, and Orton slid back in. Dibiase shoved Batista to Orton for the RKO, but Batista shoved Orton away then leveled Dibiase. Batista grabbed Orton for a Batista Bomb, but Dibiase came over to grab Batista. Orton was able to escape out of the ring as Batista knocked Dibiase to the outside.

With Orton holding his ankle down on the ramp, a revved up Batista tossed the stel steps out at him. Orton was able to get off his feet and avoid getting hit by the steps. Raw ended with Orton still down on the ramp and Batista motioning that the WWE belt would be on his waist soon.

Winner: Randy Orton wins due to disqualification of Batista.

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Smackdown Recap 05.08.09

Smackdown Recap from Pittsburgh, PA:

As Smackdown started, GM Teddy Long introduced Rey Mysterio. Rey talked about being back home on SmackDown, then called Jeff Hardy the better man for beating him last week. Rey invited anyone to challenge him for the Intercontinental Championship and Chris Jericho came out. Jericho cockily called himself the face of SmackDown and bragged about his various accomplishments. Jericho also called the fans and wrestlers disrespectful. He went on to call Teddy Long a "fly by night" General Manager and then demanded a title match against Mysterio. Rey told Jericho to shut up before he pushed him to the ground. After Rey left the ring, Jeff Hardy entered and said Jericho will have to beat him later to get a title match. If Chris Jericho can beat Jeff in the main event tonight it will be a Triple Threat Match at Judgment Day. Teddy Long made it official and Jericho left the ring.

R-Truth vs. Mike Knox

The match started with Knox connecting on several punches on R-Truth. Truth was able to get a drop kick but Knox came back with a Spinebuster. Knox put a sleeper hold on R-Truth. Truth finally broke free and hit a scissorkick on Knox. After a flying drop kick for the two-count by R-Truth, Knox connected a kick to the face of R-Truth, did his finisher to score the winning pin.

Winner: Mike Knox wins via pinfall over R-Truth.

Gail Kim vs. Michelle McCool

Alicia Fox was at ringside to cheer on Michelle. At one point, Michelle even hid behind Alicia Fox outside the ring.
In the early part of the match, McCool taunted Kim by doing push ups. Michelle had control of things early on but Kim hit her with a swinging neck breaker off the top rope. Gail Kim managed to get a two-count. McCool caught Gail Kim hanging upside down in her arms, and then hit Gail with her finisher the Faith Breaker to win by pinfall.

Winner: Michelle McCool wins via pinfall over Gail Kim.

Josh Matthews conducted a backstage interview with Jeff Hardy. Matthews asked Hardy about his match with Chris Jericho. Jeff said Jericho is merely a distraction and Jeff added that the WWE Universe is going to see him win the title at Judgment Day.

Backstage, Edge was shown in Teddy Long’s office. Edge complained about the possible Triple Threat for Judgment Day. Teddy Long announced Edge will defend the World Heavyweight title against CM Punk later tonight.

John Morrison vs. Charlie Haas

Haas was joined at ringside by his former tag team partner, Shelton Benjamin. Haas used a technical attack early on. Morrison counters and hits a spring board drop kick off the ropes. Back drop from Morrison on Charlie. Haas hits a couple moves followed by a back breaker. Morrison gained momentum and hit Haas with an elbow to the face followed by an inside out drop kick. Morrison was able to hit a spinning move off the ropes and pinned Haas for the win.

Winner: John Morrison wins via pinfall over Charlie Haas

CM Punk vs. Edge
World Heavyweight Title match

Edge and Punk go back and forth. Punk sends Edge to the outside and hits a diving body. They get back in the ring and Edge hits Punk with a boot. Edge reverses Punk and locks in an arm bar in the middle of the ring. Punk gets lose with knees to the head. Both go for a body dive but collide into each other. Punk comes too and gets a two-count on Edge. He then goes to the top rope and connects with a drop kick. Electric chair attempt by Edge but reversed and hit CM Punk with knees to the face. Edge gets thrown outside and walks away. CM Punk gets the win via countout.

Winner: CM Punk wins via countout against Edge.

After the match Umaga came out of the crowd and kicked Punk down to the mat. Umaga then used the Samoan Spike on Punk, while Edge watched it all before leaving.

Cryme Tyme hosted an arm wrestling match between WWE Divas Eve & Layla. Layla stopped going due to a hurt elbow. When the contest was restarted, Eve won it, prompting Layla to attack Eve.

Backstage Dolph Ziggler was shown with Jimmy Wang Yang and Jesse. Ziggler told both guys he's issuing an open challenge and that he’ll rip through the SmackDown roster. The Great Khali accepted the challenge.

The Great Khali vs. Dolph Ziggler

Khali clothes lines Dolph and follows up with a slap to the chest. Dolph hits him with a chair repeatedly until he knocks him down. The Great Khali gets the win via disqualification.

Winner: The Great Khali wins via pinfall over Dolph Ziggler.

It was announced that CM Punk vs. Umaga will take place at Judgment Day.

Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho

Fast paced match. Jericho counters Hardy and throws him from the steps into the barricade. Hardy attempts Whisper in the Wind. Mysterio comes out. Chris Jericho & Jeff Hardy continue to exchange blows. Chris connects with Walls of Jericho but Hardy counters. He hits a front suplex but misses the Swanton Bomb. Chris Jericho connects with a Lions Sault and gets a two-count. Jericho misses a kick and Hardy reverses and gets him in Walls of Jericho. Two roll ups but both unsuccessful. Both Jericho and Hard get knocked to the outside. Jericho throws Hardy into Edge’s lap whose on commentary. Jericho gets a close two-count. Edge distracts Jericho and Hardy rolls him up for a two-count. Hardy finally hits Twist of Fate followed but a Swanton Bomb for the win.

Winner: Jeff Hardy wins via pinfall over Chris Jericho.

After the match Rey Mysterio hits Chris Jericho off the top rope and cheers with the crowd. This ends this week’s SmackDown.

Smackdown Preview 05.08.09

During last week's WWE Smackdown several of the newest superstars drafted to the show made their debuts in Madison Square Garden including John Morrison and CM Punk. In addition, there was an intense Fatal Fourway matchup held to determine who would be the new #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title. Newcomers from Raw Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio and Kane all were part of the match as was Smackdown resident Jeff Hardy, with each wrestler looking to gain victory and head to Judgment Day to face Edge for the title. During the match, a newcomer to Smackdown, Chris Jericho, got himself disqualified when he tossed a steel chair at Rey Mysterio. Jeff Hardy went on to eventually win the match against Mysterio, and will now head to the PPV for a shot at winning the title from Edge. However, Chris Jericho was irate about how he won't be involved in the title picture. After throwing a tantrum backstage, it was recently announced that Jericho is scheduled to fight Jeff Hardy one on one on tonight's episode. Will Jericho's rage come into play in helping him pick up a win? Or will the enigmatic Jeff Hardy roll with the punches and keep his momentum heading towards Judgment Day?

Also on Smackdown the WWE Divas division is heating up again. Last time Michelle McCool did battle against Gail Kim, Kim was able to capture a pinfall over the former Divas Champion. Tonight the two divas will go head-to-head again in the ring with Michelle looking for revenge. Smackdown also saw Cryme Tyme host a Brooklyn dance-off between divas Eve and Layla in the ring. Both divas displayed some hot moves, with Eve winning over the crowd with her dance routine. Layla took exception to this and ended up starting a catfight against Eve, with Cryme Tyme having to separate the two fiery divas. Will their paths cross again on Smackdown? Also, which diva will be the first to take on Melina for the Women's title?

And finally, in the main event on last week's Smackdown, newcomer CM Punk made his presence known when he showed up to the ring and informed Edge & Chris Jericho he was still Mr. Money in the Bank. Later that night, Punk went up against Edge in a non-title contest. Punk defeated the Rated-R superstar with the GTS, and then decided it was a good time to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase to win the title. Unfortunately, the Samoan Bulldozer Umaga showed up to spoil the fun when he leveled Punk to the mat. Umaga's actions cost Punk the opportunity to cash in and become the new champion, and were a surprise to the WWE Universe. Will Punk call out or challenge Umaga on the next edition of Smackdown? Or will the Samoan Bulldozer once again find Punk?

Tune in for all the action of Smackdown this Friday night at 8PM EST on MyNetworkTV!

ECW Recap 05.05.09

ECW Recap from Pittsburgh, PA:

ECW Commentary team Matt Striker and Josh Matthews announced there would be a main event match featuring ECW Champion Christian against World's Strongest Man, Mark Henry. Evan Bourne came out for the opening matchup.

Evan Bourne vs. Tyson Kidd

With Natalya looking on from ringside, Kidd was able to take control of Bourne at one point as he locked both his arms behind his back in an excruciating submission hold. Bourne battled back as he finally got to a corner to escape. From there, Kidd tried to keep control as he went for the clothesline, but Bourne ducked it, ran onto the corner and came back to kick Kidd in the head. Bourne started to use his momentum with several high-flying moves.

Bourne went out to the apron at one point, and when the referee was distracted, Natalya yanked Bourne's leg, causing him to fall and hit the apron. Kidd came to the outside to prepare to finish off Bourne in the ring. Just then Finlay came down to ringside causing Natalya to slide into the ring. The ref ushered her out, and as he was distracted, Finlay smashed Kidd in the leg with his shilaleigh. Bourne finished off Kidd with the Shooting Starpress.

Winner: Evan Bourne wins via pinfall over Tyson Kidd.

Striker & Matthews revisited last week's ECW title match between Christian and Tommy Dreamer. Jack Swagger came down to leave both men decimated on the mat since he wanted the first shot at Christian.

Swagger was shown backstage talking to a WWE staff member, all smiles in a suit. Matthews said Swagger would be coming out to speak to the WWE Universe next.

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Josh Matthews was in the ring as ECW returned from commercial to introduce Jack Swagger to the crowd. Swagger came down the ramp in a suit and tie, smiling as usual. Matthews asked Swagger why he came out and ruined the ECW title match last week. Swagger said he wanted first crack at Christian, and he wants to fight Christian because he cheated to win the ECW title at Backlash. Swagger told the fans it's not fair what Christian did, and that Tommy Dreamer didn't deserve the first title shot. Swagger said Dreamer is the fat & cholesterol of ECW, and in 5 weeks he'll be out of ECW. Swagger continued his speech but was interrupted as Dreamer came charging down the ramp, Dreamer grabbed Swagger's leg and yanked him to the outside for a beatdown. Dreamer got into the ring calling out Swagger to fight, but Swagger angrily walked up the ramp and backstage.

ECW's interim GM Tiffany was shown in her office on a cell phone/PDA. All of a sudden, Zack Ryder came in dressed in a pair of shades and purple shirt. Tiffany welcomed him to ECW and said she can't wait to see what he brings to her show. She said on Thursday, Ryder will get a chance to show his stuff on WWE Superstars against Finlay. Ryder complained Finlay might mess up his hair, but Tiffany said she didn't think it was possible with all the slick gel and product in it.

A promo video was shown for ECW newcomer, Vladimir Kozlov. The video showed Kozlov engaging in his intense training routine, and said he'd be out to wrestle on ECW next.

Jesse Guilmette vs. Vladimir Kozlov

Guilmette went for the grapple early on with Kozlov tossing him down to the mat. Kozlov continued to display his power and strength as he tossed Guilmette over his back several times. Guilmette started to punch back off the ropes, but Kozlov quickly shoved him down. Kozlov picked the man up, holding his arms and started to batter-ram his chest. Kozlov made quick work of his amateur opponent with a one-handed slam down to the mat. Kozlov grabbed a mic after the victory to yell something in Russian before leaving up the ramp.

Winner: Vladimir Kozlov wins via pinfall over Jesse Guilmette.

The Raw Rebound showed the Handicap match with Shane McMahon facing Orton, Rhodes & Dibiase, 3 on 1. Shane gave a valiant effort, but things ended when he missed on a flying elbow onto Orton on the commentators' table. From there Orton and Legacy started to dismantle him. Eventually, in a horrifying scene, Orton smashed a steel chair down on Shane's ankle/foot on the steel steps. He further punished the injury by smashing part of the steel steps down on it. Batista rushed down for the save, but it was too late as Shane was taken out on a stretcher. Orton got on a mic to tell Batista his Judgment Day is coming.

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Gregory Helms interviewed Mark Henry backstage with Tony Atlas standing by. Helms asked if Henry sees tonight as an opportunity to restate his dominance in ECW. Henry said his dominance needs no restating and tonight Christian will be his victim.

Christian vs. Mark Henry

Henry was accompanied to the ring by Tony Atlas who remained at ringside. During the match, Henry continued to display his dominance, but Christian used his fast-paced attack to respond back. Christian tried for a flip over Henry to pull him back for a pin, but Henry wouldn't budge. Henry tried for a sitting splash, but Christian avoided it, then came off the ropes to dropkick Henry in the back. With Henry laying against the middle rope, Christian stood on his back and used the top rope to further press his feet onto Henry. All of a sudden, Jack Swagger came charging into the ring and attacked Christian. Swagger continued to pound on Christian on the mat, but Tommy Dreamer came down for the save. Dreamer knocked Swagger off Christian and made sure Henry was out of the ring. Christian got back up and he and Dreamer double clotheslined Swagger over the top rope.

Winner: Match stopped when Jack Swagger and Tommy Dreamer both interfered.

After the dust had settled, ECW GM Tiffany came out onto the ramp. Tiffany said since Jack Swagger and Tommy Dreamer both got involved, she decided to make this a tag team match.

Tommy Dreamer & Christian vs. Mark Henry & Jack Swagger

ECW returned from a commercial break with Henry dominating Dreamer. Henry stood on the ECW original near the ropes then kicked him over to Swagger for the tag. Swagger continued to keep Dreamer from tagging out and tried to wear him down, until Dreamer used his strength to thrust Swagger back, then kick him away. Christian made the hot tag and came in against Henry with momentum. Off the corner Christian hit a forearm uppercut, then was able to clip Henry in the leg. After a dropkick Henry was down on the mat, but Christian turned his attention to Swagger. Henry got up and leveled Christian, then Swagger came in to further punish the ECW Champ.

Swagger and Henry took turns to continue beating Christian down. Christian finally was able to hit a move against Swagger off the corner, but couldn't get to the tag on Dreamer because Swagger wrapped him up. Christian powered up to his feet and reversed the hold to hit a neckbreaker. Out of energy, Christian made the crawl and jumped to tag Dreamer in finally. Dreamer had momentum as he came in and began attacking. Dreamer hung Swagger upside down in the corner, but Henry came rushing at them. Dreamer moved away and Henry crashed into Swagger.

The action moved outside the ring after Christian knocked Henry to the mat then kicked him outside. Christian went for the jump over the top rope onto Henry who caught him. Dreamer decided to join the fun and jumped onto them both crashing them into a pile. Dreamer got back inside where Swagger was still recovering in the corner. Dreamer grabbed Swagger for a DDT, but he escaped it and shoved Dreamer into the corner hard, then hit his Gutwrench Powerbomb to win it.

ECW ended with Swagger cockily posing and taunting the crowd up on the ring corner, as Christian was still recovering on the outside.

Winners: Jack Swagger & Mark Henry win via pinfall over Christian and Tommy Dreamer.

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Raw Recap 04.04.09

Raw Recap from Buffalo, NY:

Raw opened with highlights of the new age of Orton beginning with his title victory over Triple H at Backlash. On Raw last week, Orton let it be known that as new WWE Champ, he will be respected by all superstars backstage. MVP came out to interrupt Orton and the two ended up in a match later in the night. Orton kicked MVP out of the ring, despite MVP showing signs of dominance. Shane McMahon rushed into the ring and attacked Orton with a Kendo stick, before Legacy arrived to chase him off. Shane appeared up in the audience where he taunted Legacy.

Randy Orton arrived to the ring carrying the WWE title for the opening match.

Shane McMahon vs. Randy Orton

Familiar foes Orton and McMahon once again met in the squared circle. As Orton waited and looked out up the ramp for Shane to come down to the ring, Shane entered from behind him and attacked. The two ended up out in the crowd area, with Shane clotheslining Orton off the ramp, then beating him in front of the audience. Shane started to gain the upperhand again after Orton beat on him some. Shane landed a flying clothesline off the crowd barrier then ripped the cover off the announce table. After setting Orton on the table, Shane got in the ring preparing to make the jump. All of a sudden, Rhodes and Dibiase rushed into the ring and began to attack.

Randy Orton got back in the ring as Rhodes & Dibiase held Shane down. As the three men were attacking, MVP rushed down to the ring to try to make the save. He had some brief offensive momentum, but the three men eventually ganged up on MVP and tossed him out of the ring so they could work on Shane more. Finally, Batista rushed down to save Shane, knocking down both Rhodes & Dibiase as Orton escaped the ring and up the ramp.

Raw GM Vickie Guerrero came out yelling that her main event would not be jeopardized by this mayhem. Vickie ordered Shane to go against Orton later on, Batista to face Dibiase, and MVP to face Rhodes. Vickie said whoever won their matches could either join Orton or Shane later on, in a "Win & You're In" stipulation.

Winner: Match stopped when Rhodes, Dibiase, MVP & Batista all got involved.

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Kofi Kingston vs. Matt Hardy

Matt Hardy came to the ring wearing the same cast on his right hand that he had on last week. Michael Cole said it was a broken hand sustained in the I Quit match against Jeff Hardy. Matt took a mic once again to say he filed a complaint about being forced to wrestle with a broken hand, so he's wrestling under protest tonight.

In a good back and forth match, Matt had control as he suplexed Kofi to the mat. Kofi reversed Matt's next suplex attempt into a neckbreaker, then got up to start his momentum. Kofi finally got himself the advantage as he slammed Matt to the mat, then did his double leg drop on him. Matt kicked out at a 2 count and tried to whip Kofi to the ropes. Kofi came back and ducked Matt's clothesline, then hit the Trouble in Paradise spinning kick to Matt's head to win it.

As Kofi came down from the corner after celebrating his win with the fans, Matt Hardy caught him with a hard clothesline using his cast to level Kofi.

Winner: Kofi Kingston wins via pinfall over Matt Hardy.

---

Backstage, Santino Marella was talking to Kelly Kelly about how she'll be tag-teaming with Santina on WWE Superstars. Santino said his sister won't be on Raw tonight due to the swine flu scare and since GM Vickie Guerrero is kind of like a pig herself. Chavo Guerrero walked up and wasn't happy with Santino's comments. He asked Santino if he was talking about his aunt. Santino pretended to apologize then insulted Vickie again before walking off.

Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler discussed John Cena's physical condition following what happened to him at Backlash from Big Show. Highlights were shown of Big Show tossing Cena into the huge light near the ramp which put Cena down for 10, and allowed Edge to win the title. Last week on Raw, Cena surprisingly showed up during the Big Show's match against Batista. Big Show was counted out due to Cena's appearance distracting him, and Batista won the #1 Contender's spot for the WWE Title.

Big Show was shown backstage as he headed into Vickie's office. Show told Vickie he wants to end Cena's career tonight. Vickie said Cena has internal injuries and will be out another two weeks. Vickie said Show can have Cena at Judgment Day to get out all his frustrations.

Backstage, the Bella Twins rushed up to MVP saying how they loved him on The View. Both Twins were hitting on him and asked him out. MVP said sure, but first he has a match to go win, and headed off with his US Title.

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MVP vs. Cody Rhodes

Former Raw GM & 2008 King of the Ring, William Regal joined Cole & Lawler on commentary. Highlights were shown again of MVP interrupting Orton & Legacy last week on Raw in his debut.

Rhodes managed to gain control by kicking MVP in the leg hard, then wrenching MVP's left leg to keep him down. Shane McMahon was shown watching backstage. MVP started to fight back with punches to Rhodes, then elbows from the corner. MVP was able to throw Rhodes over him at one point, and hit a Facebuster, before hitting the elbowdrop. Rhodes rolled to the outside, and MVP went out to collect him. As Rhodes was back in, MVP got onto the apron. William Regal walked over and clipped MVP's leg, causing MVP to fall on the apron then to the outside. Regal stood watching MVP as the ref counted him out.

Cody Rhodes will now join Randy Orton against Shane McMahon.

Winner: Cody Rhodes wins due to countout of MVP.

---

Highlights were shown of a dance off that Cryme Tyme hosted on Smackdown between WWE Divas Layla and Eve. The crowd chose Eve as the winner, and afterwards Layla slapped her. Cryme Tyme had to hold the two divas apart.

Lillian Garcia introduced Jerry Lawler who was in the ring. Lawler talked about the dance-off on Smackdown and said now Raw will have a sing-off between Jillian and Festus. Jillian began singing in her usual awful style with members of the crowd booing and holding their ears. Lawler introduced Festus, but he just stood their in a stupor not moving or singing. Jillian kept acting like she won the contest, but Lawler said Festus needs to sing. He handed Festus a mic and told someone to ring the bell. As the bell rang, Festus began singing the Annie song "Tomorrow" to the crowd's amusement. The crowd then cheered to pronounce Festus winner of the contest. Lillian begged Lawler to give her another chance as he went back to his commentator's seat. Just then, The Miz arrived from backstage down to the ring where Festus was still standing with a mic in his hand.

The Miz positioned Festus' hand in a Loser "L" on Festus' forehead. Miz then kicked Festus in the gut and tossed him out of the ring. Miz again called out Cena, saying Cena is scared of him. Miz asked Cena where his hustle, loyalty and respect went. Miz challenged Cena to another match, saying his fans were asking for him. Cena appeared on the Titantron all of a sudden, appearing backstage. Cena started on his way backstage out to the ring with Miz acting ready for him. Raw took a commercial break and when the show returned, Miz was still talking on the mic.

Miz asked the crowd if they are really booing him when Cena's still not out there. Miz continued taunting Cena saying he mailed Cena's latest script to the Rock to use as toilet paper. Miz called himself the biggest superstar on Raw. After several moments, Miz called himself winner again, saying the score is now Miz 2, Cena 0. Miz told Lillian to announce him winner, but she didn't, so Miz went out and grabbed the mic from her. Just then, John Cena's theme music came on and Cena came walking out gingerly onto the ramp. Cena got all the way down to the ring to confront Miz, but just then Big Show's music came on. Show arrived down the ramp to the ring staring at Cena. Miz exited the ring as Show got in with Cena.

Cena prepared for a fight as he and Show stared at one another. Show smirked before kicking Cena in the gut, then beating him up more despite Cena's injured status. Show punched Cena in the head, then put Cena in a vicious submission hold to further punish him before standing over the knocked out superstar.

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When Raw returned highlights were shown of what Big Show just did to Cena in the ring. Cole and Lawler discussed how this will be a major setback for Cena heading into Judgment Day. Lillian introduced "Jared the Subway Guy" as special ring announcer to announce the divas match.

Mickie James vs. Maryse

Divsa Champion Maryse fought in her first solo diva match since being drafted to Raw. Maryse tried to cockily pose near the ropes as the bell rang, and Mickie started the beatdown. Maryse was able to recover on the outside and eventually gain momentum. In the ring, Maryse put Mickie into her submission hold, which Mickie soon escaped. Mickie came back to go shot for shot against Maryse, eventually dropkicking her in the face. Mickie eventually caught Maryse with a hard DDT to take the pinfall victory. Mickie flicked her hair up as she looked down at Maryse then posed as if she would be taking the divas title soon.

Winner: Mickie James wins via pinfall over Maryse.

Batista was shown psyching himself up backstage for his upcoming match against Ted Dibiase.

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"Rescue Me" by Buckcherry will the official theme song for WWE's 2009 Judgment Day PPV.

Batista vs. Ted Dibiase

Dibiase was attacking a lot early as he continually kicked Batista on the mat. The Animal quickly recovered to slam Dibiase down, then clotheslined him down. Batista missed on a kick to Dibiase's head, allowing Dibiase to regain control. With The Animal down, Dibiase tried for a pinfall with no luck. Dibiase landed a neckbreaker on Batista, but again failed at the pinfall. Dibiase used a sleeper hold on Batista down on the mat, with Batista standing up and ramming Dibiase back to a corner to break it up.

Batista took control of Dibiase in the corner ramming into his midsection and kicking him. The ref broke things up telling Batista to move away, and Dibiase slapped Batista. This further angered The Animal and Batista went wild attacking Dibiase in the corner. The ref continued warning Batista to stop, then made a 5 count and finally called for the bell. Dibiase won due to the referee disqualifying Batista.

Ted Dibiase will now join Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes to take on Shane McMahon in a 3-on-1 Handicap match.

Winner: Ted Dibiase wins due to disqualification of Batista by the referee.

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Backstage, Chavo told Vickie he would handle Santino for her. Chavo then said they need to focus on the main event with Shane vs. Legacy and make sure that Batista & MVP don't interfere. Chavo said if he were GM he'd strip MVP of the US title if he interfered, and if Batista got involved he'd take away his title match at Judgment Day. Vickie didn't really say anything, but Chavo said he was glad she agreed and headed off to tell Batista & MVP Vickie's decision.

Carlito vs. The Brian Kendrick

Primo came out with Carlito from backstage, but Carlito told him he could handle Kendrick alone. Primo headed backstage. Carlito dominated early on, but as he went for the springboard off the top rope, Kendrick caught him with a kick to the head. Kendrick went for Sliced Bread but as he got to the corner, Carltio shoved Kendrick into it. With Kendrick seated in the corner, Carlito hit the Backstabber, then dragged Kendrick over to the center of the ring for the pinfall.

Winner: Carlito wins via pinfall over The Brian Kendrick.

Highlights from Smackdown's Fatal Fourway #1 Contender Match were shown between Chris Jericho, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio & Kane. Chris Jericho eliminated Kane by pinfall after Jeff's Swanton Bomb. Jericho was DQ'd next after he threw a chair at Rey Mysterio. It came down to Rey vs. Jeff with both men going back and forth. There were several reversed pin attempts. Jeff hit 619, and a Hurricanrana, but Jeff managed to reverse the pinfall to win it.

Backstage, Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase talked strategy with Orton in the locker room.

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Footage was shown of MVP vs. Dolph Ziggler with the US title on the line, and Sherri Shepherd from The View in MVP's corner. Sherri got on the apron at one point and slapped Ziggler in the face. MVP was able to retain the US title. MVP will appear on The View Tuesday morning.

Highlights were revisited of MVP and Batista's losses earlier in the night. Shane McMahon was shown backstage heading to the ring when Batista rushed up to apologize to him for losing earlier. Batista promised Shane in 2 weeks he's going to take the WWE title from Orton and avenge all he's done to the McMahon's. Shane walked off with Batista telling him to be safe.

Shane McMahon vs. Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase & Randy Orton
3 on 1 Handicap Match

As the bell rang, Shane tried for the quick attack against Cody Rhodes. Shane leveled Rhodes with a clothesline, and started to go after him, but Rhodes was able to back him to his tag partners' corner. Rhodes was able to gain control against Shane by tossing him to the mat, and eventually tagged Orton. Shane was able to start taking control against Orton with a series of jabs. Orton finally was forced to tag in Dibiase. Orton ran outside the ring with Shane chasing. As Orton slid back inside, Shane followed, but Dibiase was there to clothesline him.

Dibiase seemed to be in control, but Shane responded. Dibiase whipped Shane to the corner, but Shane quickly ran back and clotheslined Dibiase down. Dibiase tried to crawl away for a tag, but Shane stopped him. At one point, Shane rushed over and knocked Rhodes and Orton off the apron. Shane gained control over Dibiase and hit an elbow drop off the corner with Orton watching. Shane had the pin, but Rhodes rushed in to break things up. Eventually Shane went to the outside and began to attack both Rhodes & Dibiase, tossing them into the apron and steps. Shane grabbed a nearby chair, but as he went to hit Rhodes, Orton attacked Shane from behind. Orton tossed Shane into the ring, then tossed Dibiase in so he could tag in. Orton came in and methodically stomped away at Shane's body parts.

Rhodes soon tagged back in and missed on a backflip off the corner as Shane moved away. Rhodes managed to tag Dibiase back in who immediately attacked Shane in the corner. Shane made a comeback to again clothesline Dibiase down. Dibiase kicked Shane away as he grabbed his leg. At one point, Shane cleared the ring of Orton, Rhodes and Dibiase as they all got into the ring. Shane ripped the commentators' table cover off and all the TV monitors. From there he placed Orton on the table and went for a jump off the corner. Orton rolled away and Shane crashed through the table breaking it. Legacy pulled Shane over to the steel steps and placed his foot on them, as Orton grabbed a steel chair. Orton told Shane he couldn't stay out of his business so now he's going to pay. Orton smashed the chair across Shane's ankle causing him to yell out in pain. From there, they further punished Shane's ankle and foot by smashing the steel steps down on him. Orton had an evil look in his eye as he watched Shane suffering in pain, grabbing his ankle.'

Batista rushed down to chase off Legacy, as medical staff helped get Shane into a leg cast and onto a stretcher to roll him out. Randy Orton took a mic to address Batista in the ring, saying his Judgment Day is coming. The Animal screamed for Orton to come to the ring now so they could settle things, but Orton dropped the mic and stood ground. The medical staff wheeled Shane up the ramp with Orton still staring down at Batista.

Winner: No winner announced as Legacy began to give Shane a beatdown outside the ring with various objects.

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