Main Event Results 12/18/13

Main Event Results from Austin, TX: 

Santa Claus Mick Foley came out from backstage to start the show as Josh Matthews and The Miz welcomed fans to show.  Santa Foley handed out presents to fans around the ring and gaves a few to Matthews and Miz as they talked over Miz's new Christmas movie now on DVD/Blu-ray.  Foley delivered some Christmas greetings in the ring, but was soon interrupted by Ryback's theme music.  Ryback and Axel appeared on stage with mics and started talking as they walked down to the ring.

The two made fat jokes to insult Santa before stealing his bag of gifts.  Ryback said Santa never gave him the weightlifting set he'd asked for, then he tried to pull off Santa's beard.  Miz stood up from his commentary spot and started his "Really?" routine. From there, he and Santa sang a Christmas carol mocking Ryback and Axel.  Santa set a match for later with Miz vs. Axel. Santa said he'd be in Miz's corner for the match.

R-Truth & Xavier Woods defeated 3MB.  Woods and Truth came down to the ring with Truth doing his "What's Up" intro rap.  For 3MB it was Drew and Mahal in action.  Early on, Mahal got knocked out of the ring so Drew went over to regroup with him as the show went to break.  After a return from commercial break, McIntyre grabbed Woods by the leg and distracted him, allowing his team to gain control.  He and Mahal kept wearing down Woods as they tagged in and out to work him over.  Woods eventually made a hot tag to bring Truth in, who cleaned house.  He eventually hit the Lie Detector on McIntyre for the pinfall win.

WWE Divas Champion A.J. Lee defeated Kaitlyn in a non-title match.  Tamina stood by at ringside for AJ. Early on, Kaitlyn had control of the match due to her power advantage.  AJ avoided Kaitlyn charging at her and tripped her into the turnbuckle.  AJ worked on Kaitlyn's neck and locked in a guillotine hold at one point which brought Kaitlyn down to the mat.  Kaitlyn  eventually recovered and fought back then went on the offense.  Later on, Tamina got up on the apron to distract Kaitlyn.  That allowed AJ to put the Black Widow hold onto Kaitlyn, forcing her to eventually tap out.

The Miz defeated Curtis Axel with help from Mick Foley. Miz tried to hand Axel a holiday gift to start things off, but Axel stomped on it.  He took control early working on Miz's neck.  Miz eventually gained control and went for his finisher but Axel escaped the move.  Miz went for a figure-four leglock but Axel kicked him away.  Axel was able to hit the running neckbreaker for a near fall, then went for a Perfect-Plex.  Miz fought Axel off and hit a DDT for a near fall.  Outside the ring, Foley got into it with Ryback and put the Mandible Claw in his mouth.  Axel was distracted by that outside chaos, allowing Miz to hit Skull-Crushing Finale to get the pin.

Smackdown Results 11/16/12

Smackdown Results from Cleveland, OH:

The show opened with MizTV.  His guest was Mick Foley who said he has the right to book matches now.  Foley promoted his new book called "A Most Mizerable Christmas."  Kofi Kingston, Kane and Daniel Bryan came to the ring as did Orton, to complete the Team Foley reunion in the ring.  They talked about the upcoming traditional Survivor Series match for Sunday, with Team Ziggler then coming out.  Foley set up a match with Del Rio and Ziggler versus Orton and The Miz for later on.

Damien Sandow defeated Kofi Kingston via pinfall in a non-title match.

Natalya, Layla & Kaitlin defeated the team of Eve, Aksana, and Alicia Fox via pinfall in a 6 diva tag team match.

Randy Orton and The Miz defeated Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler via pinfall.  After Miz pinned Del Rio, Orton RKO'd Miz.

Sheamus did an in-ring promo saying Big Show is afraid of him.  He challenged Show to come out and fight.  Show came out saying he wasn't afraid of him, but of what he's going to do to him.  Booker T arrived out and told Sheamus to leave the building.

Kane and Wade Barrett fought to a no contest.  Team Ziggler came down to the ring to attack Kane.  Orton rushed down to attack them.  Orton RKO'd Wade and Dolph Ziggler, then Miz came to the aisle area holding his jaw to watch the action.

Antonio Cesaro defeated Sin Cara via pinfall in a non-title match.  R-Truth was on commentary for the match.

They showed a promotion for the 10th anniversary Tribute to the Troops show for December 2012.

Big Show defeated Great Khali with the Knockout Punch.  Post-match, Show went backstage to a parking garage to look for Sheamus.  Sheamus sprang out of a bus back there and started to attack with punches and kicks on Show.  He smashed Show into a car through the front side window.  Big Show managed to recover and ended up destroying another car as he did.

Sheamus made his comeback too, attacking Show to break another car's window.  He left Show uncoscious as refs and security came in to intervene.  Sheamus tore off his shirt after saying he's ready to fight any time.  SmackDown ended.

Raw Preview 11/12/12

Tonight's episode of Raw will bring plenty of big matches and new devolpments to the WWE Universe. For one, Brad Maddox, the referee who wanted to make a name for himself by screwing over Ryback at the WWE title match for Hell in a Cell, will be competing.  He'll be trying to win a $1 million WWE contract personally signed by Mr. McMahon.  However, he'll be up against tough odds as he'll be competing against none other than the guy he screwed over - Ryback!  Will Maddox be able to find a way to win the match and get a WWE contract, or will Ryback get revenge once again?

Also on tonight's show, there are several big developments to keep an eye on.  Vickie Guerrero has promised to reveal even more evidence to implicate AJ Lee and John Cena in the affair scandal.  Last week she revealed camera footage from the hotel that Cena and AJ were apparently staying at.  Cena said in their defense that it was footage from separate cameras and the two didn't go into one another's hotel rooms.  However, now Vickie has even more evidence to try to prove her case.  What's next from the supervising manager of Raw, and will Cena or AJ have proof against it?

With Survivor Series on the way, Team Ziggler has been formed as CM Punk has to defend his title at the PPV in a Triple Threat against John Cena and Ryback.  The opposing team, captained by Mick Foley, is still in need of a final member, now that Ryback has been assigned to the WWE title match.  Who will get this major spot?  Also, with Ryback and Cena teaming up last week, the two ended up face-to-face in the ring to end the show.  Will there be a showdown between these two on tonight's episode?

And finally, tonight marks a huge return for one WWE legend.  Jerry "The King" Lawler will make his return to WWE Raw for tonight's episode.  It all starts at 8PM EST on USA for the latest live episode of Monday Night Raw!

Raw Preview 11/5/12

This week's Raw arrives after the unveiling of two 5-man Survivor Series teams were unveiled on last week's episode.  It will be Team Foley vs. team Punk at the Pay-Per-View later this month, with plenty of bragging rights on the line.  Punk will be joined by Rhodes Scholars, The Miz, and Alberto Del Rio.  Meanwhile, Foley's five-man lineup features Kane, Daniel Bryan, Kofi Kingston, Randy Orton, and Ryback.  Ryback is eager to get his hands on the WWE champion CM Punk once again, after their clash at Hell in a Cell.  Also, the other team members have their own grudges to settle with members of the opposing team.  What sorts of matches and pre-PPV incidents will occur on tonight's show ahead of this traditional Survivor Series match?

Speaking of Ryback vs. Punk, the referee who interfered in their match to give Punk the victory, Brad Maddox, is scheduled to appear on Raw Monday night.  It seems he will have a huge target on his back, as Ryback will want to destroy him even more for what he did at the Pay-Per-View, costing him the WWE title.  While Maddox has been investigated by WWE for his interference, he may address the WWE Universe tonight over why he did what he did.  Was it to repay Punk and Heyman after he missed Punk's leg on the ropes weeks ago on Raw?  Or was it due to some sort of animosity towards Ryback?

And finally, the John Cena and AJ Lee plot continues to thicken.  Last week, Vickie Guerrero showed special evidence to indicate the duo was having an affair.  That evidence included photos and video footage of the two together, including a dinner out, and a ride up in an elevator at AJ's hotel.  Cena tried to defend himself from the allegations, and one again had to get physical with Dolph Ziggler.  Meanwhile, Vickie continues to look to prove her case against Cena and AJ.  On tonight's show, Vickie has even more evidence to unveil.  What will be the next thing the current supervisor of Raw has on Cena and AJ implicating them in a scandalous affair?

Check out tonight's episode of Raw on USA at 8PM EST for all the answers and action!

Raw Results 10/29/12

Raw opened with the still shot images of last night's Ryback vs. CM Punk Hell in a Cell match.  

Punk was introduced and came to the ring limping with his ribs in bandages.  Punk talked about proving everyone wrong who said Ryback was unbeatable.  He said he's defeated every single hero there is during his reign, including Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton, and John Cena.  He said Ryback isn't part of the conversation.  Punk also brought up the referee getting involved last night and says he wasn't involved in it.  He says that ref, Brad Maddox, was hired by AJ Lee and that's all the people need to know.  Punk also brings up beating Vince McMahon and Triple H before.

Mick Foley's music hit and he arrived out to interrupt.  He talks about how he challenged Punk to do something at Hell in a Cell the last time he talked to him in the ring.  He said Punk blew it last night.  Punk brought up again his reign as champ for 344 days.  Foley challenged Punk to a traditional Survivor Series match, Team Foley vs. Team Punk.  Punk accepted and as he was starting to talk, Ryback's music hit.  He came to the ring, and Punk and Heyman retreated through the crowd.  The crowd did a "Feed Me More" chant with Ryback standing with Foley in the ring.

Ryback defeated JTG via pinfall.  Ryback dominated this much as expected.  He missed a clothesline in the corner, but then connected on a press to slam JTG.  He slammed his head to the mat several times.  In the end, Ryback hit his meathook clothesline and then Shellshocked for the win.

Josh Matthews got into the ring to interview Ryback post-match, asking if he's got an appetite for revenge after last night's incident.  Ryback says "revenge is an admission of pain, and he's not hurting."  He says when he feasts again it will be on Punk.  A "Feed Me Punk" chant starts up.

Randy Orton defeated Wade Barrett via pinfall.  Barrett focused an attack on Orton's arm during the match.  Orton battled back towards the end with a few clotheslines and a powerslam.  Barrett went to the outside apron, with Orton bringing him back in with the DDT from the ropes.  Orton dropped down to prepare for the RKO, but when he went for it, Barrett blocked and hit Winds of Change for a near fall.  He went for the Souvenir Elbow but Orton ducked it and hit the RKO to win.

Backstage, AJ Lee is shown, with Vickie Guerrero walking in to talk to her.  She says she'll have a chance later to explain her affair with John Cena.  AJ says she didn't have an affair.  Vickie says the WWE Board has asked Vickie to consider hiring AJ back as one of the divas, and Vickie will determine if she's eligible.  AJ says she wants to be a performer again.  Vickie asks AJ her biggest weakness and she says becoming too emotionally attached to her job.  Vickie tells AJ she needs to give her one good reason to give her a contract to come back. Raw goes to commercial.

Team Hell No defeated Prime Time Players via submission in a non-title matchup.  In the late part of this one, Kane went to the top rope and came off with a big clothesline on D-Young.  Titus comes in but Kane sent him to the outside.  Young attacks Kane, but Kane grabs hold of him and hits a chokeslam.  Titus came back in the ring, but Kane grabbed him again and sent him back out of the ring.  Bryan makes a tag to Kane blindly, then comes in and puts the No Lock on Young to win the match.  Post-match, Bryan celebrated the win holding both tag titles.  Kane looked upset by it and makes the ring corners explode with pyro, before yanking his belt away from Bryan and arguing with him a bit.

Vickie Guerrero arrived out to the ring to reveal her evidence that AJ and Cena had an affair.  She calls Cena out to the ring.  She shows footage from three weeks ago in the ring when Cena asked AJ out on a date during one of his in-ring speeches.  Cena says it was just a joke.  She shows AJ and Cena hugging last week, and Cena says he was giving a friend a shoulder to cry on.  She has a photo of Cena and AJ out for dinner, and Cena says that was a business meeting.  He says he had dinner with AJ to discuss his elbow condition.  Finally, Vickie had footage of Cena shown with AJ at a hotel elevator.  AJ enters the elevator and rides up with Cena.  Cena looks worried after the footage, then says AJ was going to confront Vickie, but he convinced her it was a bad decision.  He says he simply walked AJ to her hotel room and that was it.  Vicke suggests AJ allowed Cena to come into her hotel room and more happened.  Vickie started berating AJ over it all, and Cena cut her off to defend AJ.  Dolph Ziggler arrived out.

Dolph says everyone's seen enough to draw their own conclusions.  Cena grabbed Ziggler by the collar, getting right in his face.  He tells him never to mention his name with AJ in the same sentence again.  Cena shoves Ziggler down on the mat and then walks backstage.

Kofi Kingston won due to disqualification of Antonio Cesaro in a non-title matchup.  Late in the match, Kofi fought out of an arm hold by Cearo.  Kofi hit a dropkick to send Antonio out of the ring.  Cesaro yanked him outside, but Kofi hits a huge punch from the steel steps.  Miz gets up from the commentary area to have words with Kofi.  Cesaro attacks Kofi from behind to continue their brawl.  Kofi throws Cesaro across the announce table into Miz.  Kofi tosses Cesaro back in the ring, but as he gets on the apron, Miz yanks him off to attack, causing the DQ.  Post-match, Kofi got double teamed by Cesaro and Miz.  R-Truth ran down to the ring to make a save with Miz escaping.  Truth unloaded on Cesaro and sent him to the outsidee with Miz.  Kofi and Truth stand together in the ring, with Miz and Cesaro on the outside.

After a commercial break, Vickie walks in to talk to AJ again, this time taunting her over a relationship with Cena.  AJ says nothing is going on between them.  Vickie promises she'll put AJ on the divas roster if she admits she cares about Cena.  AJ refuses saying she won't lie to get a job like that.  Vickie says she's hired AJ back.  She tells her if she ever lays a hand on her though, she's done.  She tells her her first match is against Beth Phoenix.  AJ thanks her and leaves.

Heath Slater and Jinder Mahal defeated Zack Ryder and Santino Marella via pinfall.  Late in the match, Santino got control against Slater.  Drew McIntyre ran distraction from the outside.  Santino hit him with the Cobra but was distracted enough that Slater was able to hit his finisher for the win.

They announced that Jerry Lawler will return to Raw in two weeks from now.

AJ Lee defeated Beth Phoenix via pinfall.  Beth tried to bully and intimidate AJ early on, shoving her to the mat and trash talking her.  AJ snapped and started to unload on Beth.  Beth slammed AJ down and then started to kick her around.  Beth took things to the outside and kept beating up AJ.  She brought her back into the ring and had a near fall.  Moments later, AJ managed to roll up Beth for a surprise win.  Post-match, Vickie comes out and says she was expecting more out of AJ.  She has the match restarted.

Beth Phoenix defeated AJ Lee via pinfall.  After the match was restarted, Beth hit a quick Glam Slam to get the pin on AJ.

Sheamus came to the ring to discuss losing at Hell in a Cell.  He says he still has a smile on his face despite the loss.  He admits Big Show was the better man last night.  He says he didn't come to WWE to always win, but to always fight.  He talks about how bad he wants the rematch to happen, saying it will be an all out war, and when it's over, he'll have the title back.  Big Show's music hits to bring out the new champ.

Show comes to the ring gloating and said he thinks Sheamus is hiding, because he knows he gave everything he had last night and came up short.  Show said he did everything he promised to, he walked into HIAC, knocked Sheamus out, and won the title.  Show talked about how he's going to enjoy knocking the smile off Sheamus' face.  He continued to insult and taunt Sheamus calling him a redheaded ginger snap, saying "you can't beat me and you will never take this championship from me."  Sheamus told Show it was a great speech and asked if he's ever seen a ginger snap?  From there, Sheamus dropped the mic and picked up Show for the White Noise slam.  Sheamus left the ring and backed up the ramp smiling as Show stood up glaring at him.

Backstage, Cena talked to AJ telling her to keep her chin up.  He gave her a hug.  Vickie is seen watching from behind a curtain.  AJ walks off and Beth walks up to Vickie to thank her for re-starting her match.  Vickie told her if she had done her job the first time, she wouldn't have had to.  She fired Beth on the spot and walked off.

Damien Sandow & Cody Rhodes defeated Sin Cara & Rey Mysterio via pinfall.  In the late part of this one, Cara had a near fall on Sandow.  Cara followed that with some kicks and the big arm drag on Sandow.  He dropkicked Sandow to the outside, with Cody getting into the ring.  Cara sets him up for a 619 for Rey.  Cody slides out of harm's way as Rey comes in.  Things move to the outside, with Cody sending Rey into the steel steps.  Cara hits a corkscrew spinning move out onto Rhodes.  He kicks Sandow in the head, then climbs to the top for a move.  Cara goes for it, but Rhodes pulls Sandow out of the way form the outside.  Sandow follows up with his finisher The End for the win.

Backstage, Mick Foley is showing Kaitlyn the new WWE 13 video game for Xbox 360.  Paul Heyman comes in to taunt him about how he shouldn't be playing video games, but should be choosing superstars for Team Foley at Survivor Series.  Foley says he doesn't have to because they were lining up.  Heyman says they need to be backing him up because he has a target on his back.  He says the target was put onto Foley's back by the reigning WWE Champ CM Punk.  He says Punk's made it his mission to personally victimize Foley at the PPV.  The teams are scheduled to  be revealed later on tonight.

Vince McMahon was up on stage with most of the divas and superstars in street clothes.  Vince introduced Cena who was in the ring with two members of the Susan G. Komen foundation.  Cena talked about their campaign to have fans buy the special WWE gear to help them raise money for the cause.  He said "and you did, oh you did."  Cena presented a big item which was under a cloth, pulling it down to reveal a check for one million dollars.  Dorothy Jones of the Komen foundation was speechless as she said this money will help them work to eradicate breast cancer.  She thanked Cena, the Cenation, Vince McMahon and the WWE Universe.  Cena introduced the true breast cancer survivors in the audience and their families.

Alberto Del Rio defeated Justin Gabriel via submission.  During the match, Del Rio used his strategy of attacking Gabriel's arm, leaving him vulnerable later on.  Towards the end, Gabriel unloaded with kicks on Del Rio, and had a near fall after countering ADR on a move.  Del Rio was able to make a comeback though and landed his kick on Gabriel in the corner, before locking on the cross arm breaker to make Justin tap out.

The main segment had Paul Heyman in the ring to boast about the WWE Champion and WWE 13 cover wrestler, CM Punk.  Punk came to the ring still limping but laughing.  He got in the ring and then they had pyro go off before a huge WWE 13 banner dropped down over the ring.  From there, Heyman introduced all of the members he assembled for Team Punk: The Miz, Teams Rhodes Scholars, and Alberto Del Rio.  They all came to the ring and Punk gave a speech about how at Survivor Series he will teach Mick Foley about respect and how to survive.  That brought out Foley who came to the ring to answer.

Foley asked Punk if he really refers to what happened in the cell as "surviving," and says he calls it "weaseling."  Foley says he has no problem referring to Punk as the WWE champ, but he does have a problem referring to him as a man.  Foley says Punk enlisted a crooked referee to help him weasel out of the cell.  Punk asked Foley to open his good ear and said again he had nothing to do with that referee last night.  Punk told Foley to bring out his team already.  Foley introduced all of his team member: Kofi Kingston, Kane, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton and Ryback.

Punk said he was impressed with the team, but said the strategy will be to eliminate all of his other team members and then leave Foley for last to teach him a lesson in respect.  Foley said normally he'd be the weak link on the team at Survivor Series, but he won't be competing, he'll be standing ringside to help manage his team.  Instead, this man will be competing…out came Ryback to the ring and a huge brawl started up.  Heyman helped lead Punk up the ramp with Ryback staring out at him from inside the ring.  Meanwhile, Foley's team cleared out Team Punk, leaving Ryback to stare down Punk as he held the championship belt up from the top of the ramp.  A "Feed Me More" chant started up and Ryback leveled Rhodes with his Meat Hook clothesline then stared at Punk some more, before picking up Rhodes to hit Shellshocked.  Ryback's music hit and the "Feed Me More" chant started up some more.

WWE Raw Results 09/24/12

Raw opened with CM Punk and Paul Heyman in the ring talking about the injustice of the decision last week by the ref missing Punk's foot on the ropes.  Punk and Heyman called the referee out and asked him to resign.  The ref said he made a mistake, but won't resign.  Heyman and Punk asked where he came from and he said when Raw went to 3 hours, AJ Lee called to ask him to be a ref.  Heyman called him a replacement ref.  Punk and Heyman kept berating the guy until AJ came out skipping down to and around the ring.

In the ring, AJ chastised them for berating a referee on her show.  She said he made a mistake but she won't be reversing the decision.  Punk insinuated that AJ set this up because Punk wouldn't marry her a while back and broke off their relationship.  He said he was the one who put the skip in her step and told her to tell everyone "I'm the best in the world."  Heyman pulled Punk aside and said he'd handle things.  He got down on one knee to propose to AJ, saying they'd be the ultimate power couple trumping Angelina and Brad, Bill and Hillary, and Stephanie and Triple H.  Heyman kept up his plea, and then AJ slapped him, before leaving the ring and storming up the ramp.

Backstage, another ref was talking to the guy from earlier who got yelled at by Heyman and Punk.  AJ showed up and the ref thanked AJ for standing up for him tonight.  AJ told the referee if that happens again, he will never work again.  She said she doesn't like cleaning up his messes.  She said she put him in the main event and he made her look like an idiot.  AJ started staring off into space as the guy apologized.  He walked off and AJ started to smile before tearing up a bit. 

Cole was on commentary with Jim Ross filling in for Lawler on commentary.  An "Excuse Me" came belting out from the mic as Vickie arrived to introduce Dolph Ziggler.

Dolph Ziggler defeated Kofi Kingston by pinfall.  Cole and Ross said this one started over a Twitter war of words.  Truth accompanied Kofi to the ring, and then went over to the commentary area.  He put an extra chair over next to him for Lil Jimmy then poured a little water out on the chair.  Vickie came over and made faces at "Lil Jimmy" causing Truth to get up all upset.  Kofi and Ziggler got involved, with Truth throwing his water all over Vickie.  She went into a hissy fit, and then the ref told both her and Truth to go backstage.

Late in this one, Kofi went for Trouble in Paradise, but Ziggler countered.  Kofi tried for SOS, but Ziggler shoved him off.  Kofi went to the apron and hit a pendulum kick on Ziggler followed by a springboard move for a near fall.  Moments later, he had a crosbody off the second rope for another near fall.  Once both guys got up, Ziggler hit Kofi in the gut, then hit Zig Zag, but was slow for the cover, allowing Kofi to kick out.  Kofi followed from there with SOS and Ziggler managed to kick out of that.  The finish saw Ziggler throw Kofi into the corner causing him to hit the mat hard.  ZIggler followed up with Zig Zag to finally secure the pinfall.

Jim Ross talked about how Cena had elbow surgery in Alabama with Dr. James Andrews last week and how it was a bit worse than initially expected.  Ross said Cena will speak on his future plans tonight on Raw.

They showed highlights from Friday's Smackdown with the incidents involving Daniel Bryan and Kane interfering in each other's singles matches, causing each other to lose.  However, they won a tag team bout at the end of the night against Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes, then did some chair bashing on them and all the lumberjacks around the ring.

Cole and Ross talked about Dr. Shelby's radical new form of therapy.  They showed a clip from a diner earlier today in Albany.  Shelby said he set up a role playing exercise to try to help them get along better.  Kane came up walking up to their table in a waitress apron.  Bryan placed an order including a tag team partner who isn't a big red freak.  Kane talked about how earlier he got rid of the cook by dumping his head in the deep fat frier and then sprinkling his goat face beard all over the dish.  An older lady seated nearby started to get scared.  Dr. Shelby asked Kane if he was kidding.  Kane said "I don't know what you're talking about, my name is Gerald."

Cole said in Raw Active tonight, fans can pick the official tag team name for Daniel Bryan and Kane.

Cole announced that @CrissANgel is the official Social Media Ambassador for Raw tonight.

The Prime Time Players defeated Santino Marella & Zack Ryder via pinfall.  Santino got control of things late hitting his move set on Darren Young, including the diving headbutt.  However, at one point he missed a blind tag made by Titus to Young.  Santino prepared his Cobra punch, but Titus came up from behind him and grabbed his arm.  Titus shoved Santino to the ropes then hit Clash of the Titus for the win.

Mick Foley arrived out and started to talk about CM Punk and his recent alignment with Paul Heyman.  That brought out Punk to get in his face in the ring.  Foley talked about relevancy and being a legendary champion.  He told Punk he thinks he needs to prove he's that legend by going at it with Cena in Hell in a Cell next month.  Foley told Punk that AJ gave him permission to come out and extend the offer to Punk to have the match.  Foley told Punk Cena just had surgery but he'll be ready by Hell in a Cell, so Punk will need to decide later on tonight.

Ryback defeated The Miz via pinfall in a non-title match.  Ryback totally dominated The Miz in this one, with Miz unable to get any sustained offense.  At one point, Ryback was getting revved up and a random fan got into the ring.  Several refs tackled him down so security could get him.  Ryback finished things up on Miz with the Shellshock for the win.

Backstage, AJ was holding a meeting with four referees saying they're the backbone of the WWE.  She says occasionally mistakes are gonna happen, and put her arm around the ref who made the call in Punk's match last week.  She told them to go out there and give it their best.  Alberto Del Rio, David Otunga and Ricardo Rodriguez showed up.  AJ said she saw all three of them have been a victim of the Brogue Kick, so tonight they get a shot at redemption.  AJ said she booked a six man tag match with Sin Cara, Rey Mysterio and Sheamus vs all three of them.

Wade Barrett defeated Tyson Kidd by pinfall.  Barrett hit his huge clothesline finisher to get the big win.

After commercials, Michael Cole was in the ring to update everyone on Lawler's condition.  Cole said he spoke to the doctor earlier saying it's an absolute miracle that Lawler is progressing so rapidly after the trauma he went through.  Cole asked the fans to welcome Lawler live from his home in Memphis, TN.  Jerry was shown seated in a King's throne in his home live on satellite.  Barrett apologized for his raspy voice but thanked the WWE Universe for all their support through this tough time.  Lawler said the last thing he can remember is the first segment of Raw, when Bret Hart came out and got confronted by CM Punk.  Lawler said he knows he had a match with Orton against Punk and Ziggler but didn't remember any of that or anything after that.  

Lawler also said when he woke up in the hospital in Montreal he thought he and his girlfriend were still on a trip they had recently taken to Aruba.  Lawler said it seems like everyone he's ever encountered in his life has sent well wishes and prayers.  He said from the bottom of his heart it's meant a lot to him.  Cole asked when the King will march back down the stage to take his commentary position on Raw.  Lawler said he defies anyone to sit next to Cole for 3 hours and not have a heart attack.  He said as soon as his doctors give clearance he'll be back to the show.

Sheamus, Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara defeated Ricardo Rodriguez, Alberto Del Rio and David Otunga via pinfall.  Ricardo Rodriguez got involved at one point, coming in to take on Sin Cara.  Cara had the early advantage, but Del Rio delivered a cheap shot kick to Cara's back, allowing Ricardo to attack.  Ricardo kicked Cara in the gut then tagged in Del Rio for more damage to Sin Cara.  Ricardo got back in again with Del Rio instructing him to try to remove Cara's mask.  Cara kicked Ricardo in the head then did a head scissors to toss him across the ring.  Del Rio and Mysterio both tagged in with Rey taking control.  Del Rio gained the advantage though and used some rest holds to keep down Mysterio.

Mysterio eventually broke away to make a hot tag to Sheamus, as Del Rio tagged in Otunga.  Sheamus got control of things and went for a Brogue Kick, but Otunga tagged Ricardo and fled the ring.  Sheamus tossed Ricardo into the ring then eventually got him on the apron for the chest bashing move.  Del Rio got on the apron but Sheamus knocked him away.  Ricardo fell onto the middle rope so Rey got in to do the 619.  Cara got the finisher with his diving move from the corner for the win.  Cara's music played as the three winners celebrated.  Prime Time Players were shown backstage during this one watching it go down.  Post-match, Otunga was trying to recover in the corner with Cara and Rey pointing it out to Sheamus.  Otunga turned around and Sheamus ran to connect on a huge Brogue Kick.

They had another segment at the diner with Dr. Shelby counseling Kane and Daniel Bryan.  He had them each eat a bite of the other's meal.  Kane had to try some salad and Bryan had to have a meatball from Kane's pasta dish.  After they each took a bite, Shelby asked them to say how they feel.  Kane burped in Shelby's face.  Bryan said "it wasn't as bad as I thought."  Bryan started to look sick then, and Shelby started telling him to hold it, then said "No, No, No!" but it was too late as Bryan puked on Shelby's lap.  Kane watched and chuckled them raised his hand up and said "Check please."

Fans got to choose the official tag team name for Daniel Bryan and Kane: Team Teamwork, Team HellNo, Team Friendship.

Daniel Bryan and Kane came to the ring with their tag team championships.  Cole had the results of the tag team name Twitter poll revealed, and Team Hell No will be their official name.  Just then, Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes rushed into the ring and attacked Kane and Bryan from behind, each hitting their finishers on them.  As Sandow and Rhodes backed up the ramp, Rhodes got on the mic saying "Let's talk real tag team names," then revealed he and Sandow are the Rhodes Scholars.  Sandow said "Now you really have something to be angry about, You're Welcome!"  Cole and Ross talked about how the tag champs are sitting ducks right now.

They replayed the earlier incident involving AJ Lee getting proposed to by Paul Heyman.

Eve Torres and Beth Phoenix defeated Layla and Alicia Fox by pinfall.  Beth seemed to do most of the work but Eve came in to score the winning pinfall.  As they were celebrating in the ring, all of a sudden Kaitlyn's music hit.  She came walking out onto the stage with a crutch.  She said she saw the security footage from her attack at Night of Champions.  She told them that she couldn't see her attacker's face, but she saw her hair, and it was a blonde.  Eve looked shocked and started pointing to Beth, accusing her. Beth looked puzzled and started arguing with her.  Beth went over to the ropes to try to yell out to Kaitlyn she didn't do it.  As Beth turned back around, Eve kicked her in the gut, then hit a swinging neck breaker to leave her layer out on the mat.

John Cena was shown backstage talking to a member of the WWE staff.

Lord Tensai defeated Brodus Clay due to disqualification.  Tensai arrived without Sakamoto for the match.  Tensai got the early advantage after smashing Brodus in the corner.  Brodus came back to headbutt Tensai down and then splashed him in the corner.  He hit a modified suplex and then went for his big splash move, but Tensai rolled away.  Tensai went for his Senton splash but Brodus moved.  All of a sudden, Big Show's music hit and he came down to the ring.  Show got on the apron and then clocked Tensai with the KO punch, causing the ref to call for the bell.  Brodus started to get revved up as Show climbed into the ring.  Clay charged Show but got knocked out by the right hand punch as well.

They announced that Big Show and Randy Orton will square off in the ring on Friday's Smackdown.

John Cena came out in a right arm sling to a typical mix of cheers and boos.  Cena got in the ring and held the mic out to survey the crowd response before speaking.  Cena said as always there's mixed emotions about him being there tonight.  He said he wasn't supposed to be there, but with his future in question he wanted to come say "thank you" personally.  He removed his pink "Rise Above Cancer" hat and thanked everyone for the overwhelming support the WWE Universe has sent forth.  Cena said don't ever doubt the WWE Universe, a "very powerful group of people."  Cena also thanked everyone for their well wishes and support, even the guys over in the crowd booing him.

Cena cut a promo on his feelings about CM Punk, saying he did everything he could to keep it PG.  Cena said he also apologizes for the arm situation, he says they have fun every Monday night because of the fans.  Cena said he wanted to make a guarantee tonight that he will walk into Hell in a Cell as a fighter.  He continued to make his guarantee, but then was interrupted by CM Punk's theme music.  Punk came out with Heyman trailing him holding up the WWE championship belt on the stage.

Punk and Heyman got in the ring, with Punk applauding before he got on the mic.  He told Cena it was a beautiful speech.  Punk told Cena to be a politician instead of a wrestler, because he has character assassination down pat.  Punk said he doesn't buy into the crap Cena shovels, like the masses in Albany might.  Punk said he's not going to lose his reign to a one-armed man, so Cena got on the mic and told him to face him at Hell in a Cell and shut up.  Punk said there's a lot of reasons he won't face him at the PPV, but mostly because it's not fair to the others backstage that Cena always gets these title shots.

Punk told Cena to run while he can.  Punk said he's going to turn his back and give Cena the chance to run, but if he turns back around and sees him standing there, he's going to hurt him, real bad.  Punk said he will not have his integrity called into question and as the WWE champion he commands respect.  Heyman held up the championship belt for effect.  Punk told Cena "You Have tip 5," then glared at him before turning around.  While Punk started counting, Cena pulled a lead pipe out.  Pun hit 5 and then turned around to go at Cena.  As he rushed at him he saw the pipe and started to back away.  Cena hit him in the gut, causing Punk to hit the mat and eventually roll out of the ring to the ramp.  Cena got on the mic saying "Real men wear pink, I hope to see you at Hell in a Cell."

Cena went over and shook hands with Cole and Lawler, then greeted fans in the audience, giving one boy his pink hat.  

Backstage, Punk was holding his midsection and started walking past WWE staff.  He passed by Mick Foley who looked at him.  Punk paused after passing Foley, then went back over and interrupted Foley's conversation with a WWE staffer.  He kicked Foley in the leg, causing Foley to keel over and hit the ground.  Punk composed himself then started walking again.  He stopped then said, "From now on…" but as Punk turned he looked to be in shock.  The camera stayed on him for several moments, then revealed Ryback huffing and puffing staring down the WWE champion.  Raw ended after this backstage encounter.

2012 Royal Rumble Entries & Eliminations

The 2012 Royal Rumble was held in St. Louis, Missouri with a field of 30 participants competing this year.  Last year's event had 40 wrestlers in it, with Alberto Del Rio winning the match, and going on to a Wrestlemania 27 championship match against Edge.

See the complete 2012 Royal Rumble results including the other matches on the card.

This year's event saw all sorts of comical spots, twists, turns, and amazing feats, as well as surprise entries.  All three members of the commentary team entered the Rumble at one point or another (Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Booker T).  WWE Diva Kharma made her return to the ring to become the third diva to compete in a Rumble.  Other former WWE stars such as Mick Foley, The Road Dogg Jesse James, and Hacksaw Jim Duggan were also part of the match.

However, there could only be one true winner and this year's was The Celtic Warrior Sheamus.  Sheamus arrived at the 22nd spot for the match, and managed to last until the end, facing Chris Jericho.  Jericho and Sheamus went back and forth, nearly eliminating each other.  Finally, Sheamus was able to block the Codebreaker and put Jericho over the top rope.  Despite Jericho hanging on and getting back to the apron, Sheamus' Brogue Kick sent him to the outside.

Here's a look at all 30 competitors, their entry spots and their order of elimination for the Royal Rumble 2012 edition!


01) The Miz (24th by Big Show)
02) Alex Riley (1st by Miz)
03) R-Truth (2nd by Miz)
04) Cody Rhodes (25th by Big Show)
05) Justin Gabriel (4th by Ricardo Rodriguez/Mick Foley)
06) Primo (3rd by Mick Foley)
07) Mick Foley (8th by Cody Rhodes)
08) Ricardo Rodriguez (5th by Santino Marella)
09) Santino Marella (7th by Cody Rhodes)
10) Epico (6th by Mick Foley)
11) Kofi Kingston (18th by Sheamus)
12) Jerry Lawler (9th by Cody Rhodes)
13) Ezekiel Jackson (11th by Great Khali)
14) Jinder Mahal (10th by Great Khali)
15) The Great Khali (14th by Rhodes & Ziggler)
16) Hunico (16th by Kharma)
17) Booker T (13th by Rhodes & Ziggler)
18) Dolph Ziggler (26th by Big Show)
19) Hacksaw Jim Duggan (12th by Cody Rhodes)
20) Michael Cole (15th by Booker/Lawler/Kharma)
21) Kharma (17th by Ziggler)
22) Sheamus **WINNER**
23) Road Dogg Jesse James (19th by Wade Barrett)
24) Jey Uso (20th by Randy Orton)
25) Jack Swagger (23rd by Sheamus/Big Show)
26) Wade Barrett (21st by Randy Orton)
27) David Otunga (22nd by Chris Jericho)
28) Randy Orton (28th by Jericho)
29) Chris Jericho (29th by Sheamus)
30) Big Show (27th by Orton)

It should be noted that several of the eliminations above were assisted by outside interference.  Michael Cole was technically eliminated by Kharma who was in the ring, but it was his fellow commentators, Lawler and Booker, who yanked him off the apron.  Also, Sheamus was in the middle of pushing Jack Swagger over the top rope, when Big Show made his way to the ring and pulled Swagger to the outside.

Raw Gets Rock & Mick Foley!

Raw definitely gave a good pre-Survivor Series 2011 hype show this past Monday, with the exception of a few glitches.  The highlights were obvious, with the returns of two of the Attitude Era's greatest stars, The Rock and Mick Foley.  Foley's in-ring segment with Cena had some moments of hilarity, and it was all capped off by The Rock Bottom planting Mick onto the mat.  It's unknown if he'll be back again for future Raw shows, but let's hope!

Meanwhile, The Rock is definitely looking older, but still jacked up as ever.  He was fresh off the set of the upcoming GI Joe sequel.  For those wondering, Rock will be playing the role of Roadblock, a classic GI Joe character.  The new film is called "GI Joe: Retaliation" and is scheduled for release in June of 2012.

The in-ring bits featuring Cena and Rock showcased their ability to draw heat or crowd reaction, but it was mostly The Rock winning them over.  It seemed clear that Rock fans outnumbered Cena fans even in his hometown area of Boston, MA.  It's very likely that a lot of fans traveled to the venue just to see Rock back on Raw though.

Some of the miscues of the night were obviously the Michael Cole contests with Jim Ross, and the Team Orton vs Team Barrett antics.  In the past, Survivor Series elimination matches were built up by having both teams brawling in the ring ahead of the event.  On Raw, they simply had Orton's team run out the bad guys, making it look like they were the dominant crew.  Why not have Team Barrett start a beatdown on Orton and then Orton's teammates rush to the ring to have a brawl?  Would've built up the SS clash a lot better.

Nonetheless, Raw got rocked.  And for those wondering, Rock got Twitter to trend "BOOTS TO ASSES" and "#cenasladyparts."  Not bad for a return to WWE Raw in Boston!

Raw Results 11/14/11

WWE Raw Results from Boston, MA:

The show opened with Michael Cole getting into the ring and saying he has three challenges for Jim Ross. Cole said if JR wins all three, he'll quit and JR can have his job back. The first challenge was an arm wrestling challenge. Cole purposely gave up, then said he lost due to JR's awful breath. Second challenge was a dance contest, judged by the crowd. They obviously cheered JR louder. The final contest was a "who weighs less" contest. Cole was 200 pounds and Ross was 239, so he lost. As JR started to leave, CM Punk came out with a mic in hand.

CM Punk said Cole's time is up, and between him Del Rio and Laurinaitis, everyone wants to fast forward on the DVR. John Laurinaitis was also on the scene and told Punk he'd be teaming up with Big Show against Mark Henry and Del Rio later tonight. Cole said it looks like the pipe bomb blew up in Punk's face. He asked Punk to apologize for all he said about him. Instead, Punk put Cole in the Anaconda Vice submission hold, with Cole tapping out.

Matt Striker was back in the garage area with a stretch limo. He said one of the greatest Superstars in WWE history is back. Out of the limo came Mick Foley, who said he wouldn't miss The Rock's return for anything.

They showed highlight clips from Randy Orton beating Cody Rhodes on Smackdown two weeks ago.

Jim Ross joined Lawler on commentary saying he saw an open chair.

Hunico and Cody Rhodes defeated Kofi Kingston and Sin Cara by pinfall. Late in the match, Kofi was fighting Rhodes, but got distracted by Hunico. Cody was able to hit Crossroads for the win.

The Rock was shown backstage wearing his "Team Bring It" t-shirt.

Santino was playing a WWE videogame backstage when Zack Ryder came up to him. He asked him to sign an online petition so he can get a US Title match against Dolph Ziggler. They argued about who would win between Cena and The Rock, with Santino saying "it doesn't matter!" Santino then signed the petition for Ryder.

JR and Lawler talked about the upcoming WWE 12 video game.

Vickie Guerrero arrived out to say that Christian suffered an injury this past Friday, so he'll be out of Survivor Series and Team Barrett. Replacing him on the team is Dolph Ziggler, who will face Mason Ryan tonight.

John Laurinaitis brought Michael Cole back to the ring, wearing a sling on his hurt arm. John ordered ross to get out of the chair so Cole could continue commentary. Ross tried to give a handshake to Cole but Cole refused. JR patted Cole on the shoulder and Cole said he was going to sude him.

Mason Ryan defeated Dolph Ziggler due to DQ when Vickie Guerrero slapped Mason. Post-match, John Morrison rushed down to the ramp and grabbed Dolph Ziggler, then threw him back in the ring for Mason Ryan. Ryan slapped on a Full Nelson on Ziggler as Vickie screamed from up the ramp.

Zack Ryder met with Mick Foley backstage and got him to sign his online petition. Foley asked Ryder to show him the fist bump and teach him the catchphrase "Woo woo woo!"

Mick Foley came to the ring to promote John Cena and The Rock as a tag team. He called Cena one of the greatest performers of all time, and introduced Cena. Foley then did a "trip down memory lane" video montage of Cena as a kid and wrestler. He also brought out Cena's litte league coach, former tag partner Bull Buchanan, and Cena's father to tell the people "you suck." Cena tried to tell Foley to end the segment but he kept going, until The Rock showed up. Rock came to the ring and hit Rock Bottom on Foley to finish the segment, then left the ring and went backstage.

Sheamus defeated Jack Swagger by pinfall. Late in the match, Sheamus escaped an Ankle Lock and then was able to hit the Irish Curse backbreaker. Sheamus beat on his chest, then hit a huge boot kick on Swagger to get the win.

Backstage, the Bella Twins signed Ryder's petition, then they went up to Alberto Del Rio. They said they don't agree with anything Punk says about him. Bellas offered to hang out with Del Rio after SS 2011. Ryder said they can party with him and so can Del Rio. Del Rio brushed him off, and then The Bellas groaned before walking off.

They showcased behind-the-scenes for Kelly Kelly's Maxim photo shoot.

Kelly Kelly defeated Natalya by pinfall. Natalya tried for a Sharpshooter after Beth Phoenix distracted Kelly. Kelly was able to counter the submission with a rollup pinfall though.

Backstage, John Laurinaitis was talking on his cell phone to Brodus Clay. He told him that they'll debut him on Raw next week so he's not overshadowed by The Rock. Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez came into the scene as John hung up the phone. Laurinaitis said that lately Punk's been showing Del Rio up a lot. He said if Punk wins the WWE title it could cause more trouble for WWE. Del Rio said that won't happen because he doesn't think Punk will make it to Survivor Series. Del Rio said he'll be champion a long time, even longer than Laurinaitis is the GM.

At ringside, Michael Cole said he'll be rooting for Del Rio on Sunday after what Punk did to him tonight. Cole and Lawler discussed the upcoming Survivor Series matches on the card.

Backstage, Matt Striker tried to interview Awesome Truth about their match with Cena and The Rock, but neither guy would comment. They glared at Striker a bit then left the scene.

CM Punk was shown walking backstage all smiles on the way out for his tag match. Alberto Del Rio jumped him and threw him into a nearby truck. Two refs had to intervene to bring order back.

Alberto Del Rio and Mark Henry won by pinfall over CM Punk and Big Show. Punk was able to make it out for the match despite the previous attack. In the late stages of the match, Big Show got involved in the action, so the ref had to get him out of there. CM Punk tried to go flying at Del Rio, but Henry shoved him out of the way and caught Punk in the air. Henry hit World's Strongest Slam. Show got back in and knocked Henry out to the floor and then went after him. Show and Henry got into it outside the ring, with Henry pushing him into the ringpost. Del Rio managed to crawl over and cover Punk for the pin.

Santino Marella came out to the ring to talk about nearly winning the Royal Rumble in Boston, except for Del Rio eliminating him. Kevn Nash came out to interrupt Santino's speech and talked about how his return to WWE's Royal Rumble got a huge ovation. He asked Santino to show him the trombone and Santino did. Nash then delivered a big boot kick to ground him. He talked about how Triple H didn't hire him after the Rumble. Nash said "I'm here and you're not" as a message to HHH at home. Nash finished with a Jackknife on Santino before leaving the ring.

They showed Orton backstage doing pushups to prepare for his match against Wade Barrett.

Barrett brought his Survivor Series tag team partners to the ring with him for his match against Orton and vowed to "de-venomize The Viper" tonight. During their match, all of Barrett's SS team got into the ring, and then Orton's team did as well. They all started to brawl with Team Orton clearing the heels out. Orton won the match by DQ.

Justin Roberts introduced The Rock to the "electrified crowd." They went crazy as Rock arrived to the ring. Rock spoke about his day's schedule including working out and filming on location for the new GI Joe movie, before flying to Logan Airport in Boston so he could say "finally...The Rock has come back, to Bos-ton!" Rock continued his promo talking about his upcoming Survivor Series match, and how he can get things to trend on Twitter just by saying something like "Boots to Asses."

Awesome Truth interrupted Rock's promo to talk about how they don't care what he did in his day. Miz said they'll leave Rock a quivering beaten mess after Survivor Series. Truth suggested they do it now, but Miz stopped him saying they don't care what Rock wants or The People want. Miz said tonight "Raw gets rocked," but on Sunday "Rock gets beat." As Awesome Truth prepared to leave, Cena came to the ring.

Cena and The Rock traded barbs about each other. Rock talked about how he could stick his boot up Cena's lady parts, then suggested that should trend on Twitter (it did later). The two kept going at it, with Miz breaking in to say he was sick of them. Eventually, things broke down with Cena and Rock attacking Miz and Truth. Rock did Rock Bottom on Truth. Cena prepared for the Attitude Adjustment on Miz, but Rock grabbed him and yanked Miz off to hit another Rock Bottom. Rock left the ring with Cena looking surprised by Rock stealing the spotlight.

Raw Revelations: Hitman vs Hulkster

On Raw this past Monday night the WWE Universe saw history made as Bret "The Hitman" Hart made his return to the WWE ring. While Bret was merely there as host, the implications were huge. Questions began to mount, including what would happen between Bret and Shawn Michaels, or between Bret and Chairman Vince McMahon. Those were the three individuals involved in the infamous 1997 Survivor Series event known as the "Montreal Screwjob". So tensions were high as wrestling fans watched and waited for something to happen.

Early in the show we got a goosebump-generating confrontation when Bret called Shawn Michaels to the ring. The two spoke back and forth about the Montreal incident with Michaels admitting he was in on the plan, and felt Bret deserved what he got back there. The fans chanted "you screwed Bret" with Bret saying he rested his case. However, Michaels said in 12 years a lot has changed and he was ready to move on. Eventually, Hitman offered a handshake, and Michaels obliged. Before leaving the ring, Michaels turned, went back over and gave a wrestler he truly respected a hug to show that respect even more. A great moment in the history of the WWE, and set the stage for a later incident.

That later incident came when Bret Hart and Vince McMahon finally had their in-ring "discussion" of what's gone down between them in 12 years time. Vince brought up being spit on and sucker punched backstage by Bret, as well as the dis when he offered him a handshake at the Hall of Fame ceremony. He said all those things still bother him to this day, but ended up thanking Bret for all his contributions to wrestling on behalf of the WWE. The two ended up shaking hands, before Vince tossed both mics out of the ring. Hitman's music hit and the two began to raise their arms together in a sign of peace. But moments later, the often diabolical chairman turned and delivered a swift kick to Bret Hart in the groin, causing the Hitman to fall to the mat in pain. Vince left the ring and headed up the ramp. Hitman was back on his feet before the show ended looking disgusted at McMahon.

The rumors and speculation have already indicated that Bret Hart has signed on with WWE through April of this year, which of course would be through Wrestlemania 26. That gives time for futher build up of McMahon and Bret's feud, to lead into a potential match at Wrestlemania 26. Some have even posted the idea that Shawn Michaels will be part of the match in some capacity, but will ultimately "screw Vince McMahon" and help Bret Hart win, making for sweet payback. That remains to be seen. Vince McMahon hasn't really stepped back into the ring for a match in some time, so it will be interesting to see exactly what sort of contest is set up for the big PPV.

Also, WWE must have forked over a lot of money for the Hitman to return to WWE. They had to do something big to try to compete with TNA which was also looking to make history. They debuted Hulk Hogan and did it by running their TNA Impact show at 8PM on Monday night, to directly compete with WWE. To further add to the "Monday night war" they had a few handfuls of former WWE/WCW stars debut as well. One of the biggest names to emerge was former WWE Champ, Jeff Hardy, who just retired from WWE last year. In addition to Hardy, Ric Flair was in the building, Val Venis, the Nasty Boys, Orlando Jordan and Shannon Moore. The show concluded with an attack segment featuring Eric Bischoff, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean Whitman (X-Pac). The trio were reunited to give Mick Foley a beatdown.

If you look at the direction TNA is heading, they seem to be borrowing a lot from the older style of WWE, as well as WCW. There's the TNA Knockouts wearing next to nothing just like the divas used to. There's matches full of blood and guts, and skits involving the sort of mayhem seen back in the days of the Attitude Era of WWE. The direct battle TNA launched into this past Monday is yet another sign that they intend to put up a fight much like WCW did with Eric Bischoff and Vince McMahon pulling out all sorts of tricks to try to one up each other. It's hard to say that TNA can outdo WWE, but if they bring in guys like Hardy, Hogan and Flair, and eventually other former WWE stars like Mr. Kennedy and Tommy Dreamer, they're making quite a bit of progress.

However, we all know what happened to WCW despite their valiant efforts to dethrone the mega-wrestling brand known as World Wrestling Entertainment. WCW ended up being part of a wrestling food chain and was gobbled up by billionaire Vince McMahon. Some stars were tossed out, while others remain with the company today (notably Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio). Ironically, many of those former WCW stars are now part of TNA in some capacity now, making this seem like deja vu. TNA is a collection of WWE & WCW talents including Mick Foley, Kurt Angle, the Dudley Boyz, Bobby Lashley and Kevin Nash. The move to bring in Hulk Hogan along with several other big stars is TNA's statement that they're ready for a war. Now the wrestling universe will sit back and watch to see if TNA's Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Dixie Carter can go toe-to-toe with Vince McMahon and his WWE sports entertainment juggernaut.

Sun UK Interviews Jerry Lawler

The Sun UK website has a recent candid interview with WWE Raw commentator and wrestler, Jerry "The King" Lawler. In this interview Lawler discusses the hectic workload that comes with the Road to Wrestlemania, as well as how he feels about working with Michael Cole and not Jim Ross quite so much. In addition, Lawler had some interesting comments regarding Vince McMahon, Mick Foley as a commentator and Lawler possibly wrestling full time. Here's an excerpt regarding how Vince McMahon interacts with announcers:

SUN UK: Mick Foley was very vocal when he left WWE, saying Vince McMahon was shouting in his headset and telling the announcers off too much. Is that true?

LAWLER: Let’s face it, Vince is the man who owns the company and he has definite ideas about how he wants things done.

And if you do something that he doesn’t approve of, then he’s going to let you know it.

I don’t know if I’m fortunate, or if Vince is just a big fan of my work, but he absolutely in the 15 years of me doing it has never ever yelled at me. Not even once.

I was surprised when I heard that from Mick.

But Vince has a direct line to every announcer.

If we’re doing a broadcast and Vince wants to say something to me, Michael Cole doesn’t hear it, and the same goes with Michael Cole.

So occasionally, after a show, Michael will say: “Oh man, Vince yelled at me when I screwed this up.”

But if you’re out there doing a good job, and saying what you’re supposed to say, he’s not going to yell at you!

Another interesting tidbit in the Lawler interview is when he talks about the recent Chris Jericho fan incident where Jericho hit a female fan after being mobbed by fans and the altercation was caught on tape. Lawler recalls an interesting story involving a conversation between himself, Vince McMahon and Jericho, and basically discusses how Jericho excels at playing the bad guy role.

Read the full Sun UK interview with Jerry Lawler here.

Legends of Wrestlemania - 36 Wrestlers Confirmed

The WWE will be releasing its next video game, "Legends of Wrestlemania" in March of 2009, to coincide with Wrestlemania 25. The game will feature classic WWF/WWE wrestlers competing in matches. Just today, a list of 36 confirmed characters for the Legends of Wrestlemania video game was reported by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Legends of Wrestlemania Confirmed Characters:

Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, The Rock, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Undertaker, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, Jerry "The King" Lawler, Ultimate Warrior, "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, Mr. Perfect, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, Yokozuna, Haku, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, "Ravishing" Rick Rude, "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Jim Ross, Sgt. Slaughter, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, "Mean" Gene Okerlund, Honky Tonk Man, Earthquake, Iron Sheik, Legion of Doom, "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart, Gorilla Monsoon, Mr. Fuji, Tito Santana, Joey Marella (as referee), Virgil and Howard Finkel.

According to the report, two huge omissions from the roster in the upcoming game: Macho Man Randy Savage and Mick Foley. Savage competed in a totle of 8 Wrestlemanias, winning the WWF title at 2 of them. Mick Foley's recent contract expiration happened just around the deadline for characters to be featured in the game. Speculation says that back in September Vince McMahon decided to pull Mick Foley from game due to their personal differences, and that he also banned Savage from the game for unknown reasons.

As seen above, Brutus the Barber Beefcake and Hulk Hogan have both made the cut, despite the recent situation involving WWE and Hogan's Celebrity Wrestling show.

Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Classic Match #3: Mankind vs. Undertaker - KOTR 98'

It's a week off for WWE Characters the Blog, but we're taking a look at 5 Classic WWE Matches, as determined by AskMen.com. You can view the full list of Top 10 WWE Matches here. In the #3 Classic match, many a fan remembers the carnage and destruction caused within the cell-like cage structure at King of the Ring 1998. The competitors are two of the most storied in pro-wrestling as well. In this match, Mankind (Mick Foley) battled his nemesis at the time, the legendary Undertaker in Hell in a Cell.

King of the Ring had become a classic PPV event over the years for WWE, as it produced a "King" out of a tournament of singles matches. At this particular event which took place on June 28, 1998 at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ken Shamrock was able to make The Rock sumbit, making Shamrock the reigning King for the year. But the crowning match of the event was the much-heralded Hell in a Cell between Undertaker and Mankind. These two had been involved in numerous contests including boiler-room brawls and regular matches since 1995-96. Their feud renewed when Mankind cost the Undertaker a #1 Contenders spot in a match against his brother Kane.

During this famous match at KOTR 98, fans are very familiar with the image of Undertaker tossing Mankind off the roof off the cage. Mankind was thrown 16 feet and crashed down onto the Spanish commentatators' table. Later in the match, Undertaker was able to chokeslam Mankind through the roof off the cell. If that wasn't enough, Taker chokeslammed Mankind onto a pile of tacks in the ring to finally win the matchup. Both men were battered and bruised, with Undertaker winning despite a bone spur. Mankind had been legitimately knocked unconscious by the chokeslam through the top of the cell. At one point, he was put on a stretcher and was being taken backstage. Foley, the consumate competitor and hardcore legend, got up willingly from the stretcher and went back to finish the match. This match is definitely one for the ages and the role model for any other pro-wrestling's attempts at hardcore feats.

See footage of the Hell in Cell match at YouTube!

See the complete Top 10 WWE Matches list by AskMen!

WWE Releases Hell in a Cell DVD

On Tuesday 10/14/08 the WWE released a great compilation DVD highlighting the Hell in a Cell match. These matches have been both brutal and historic, as one of the all-time greatest matches featured Mankind vs. The Undertaker in the cell. During the match, Micky Foley (aka Mankind), was beaten within an inch of his life, thrown off the cage, onto nails/tacks and taken away by stretcher. Despite all his body damage, Foley got up off the stretcher and returned to fight in the match, earning great respect from wrestling fans. To this day, Foley is still considered a Hardcore legend based on how much punishment he took. Many other WWE superstars launched or defined their careers through the Hell in a Cell match.

The new WWE's Hell in a Cell DVD features superstars such as Mankind, Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, Triple H, Batista and more as they compete in the grueling match known as "Hell in a Cell". In these matches, pinfalls have occurred inside the structure as well as on the top of the cage. On the DVD you'll find Hell in a Cell matches from 1997-2007. Hosted by Mick Foley it's a comprehensive DVD for any wrestling fan with full-length matches.

Matches you'll see on this 3 DVD set:

Hell in a Cell Disc 1:

The Devil's Playground

The Debut
Hell in a Cell
Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
Badd Blood (October 5, 1997)

RAW in Hell
Tag Team Hell in a Cell Match
Stone Cold Steve Austin & Undertaker vs. Mankind & Kane
RAW (June 15, 1998)

The Defining Match
Hell in a Cell
Undertaker vs. Mankind
King of the Ring (June 28, 1998)

Partners turned Opponents
Hell in a Cell
Mankind vs. Kane
RAW (August 24, 1998)

Career on the Line
Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Championship (Cactus Jack's Career is on the Line)
Triple H vs. Cactus Jack
No Way Out (February 27, 2000)

The Six Men
Six-Man Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Championship
Kurt Angle vs. Rikishi vs. The Rock vs. Undertaker vs. Triple H vs. Steve Austin
Armageddon (December 10, 2000)

Hell in a Cell Disc 2:

End the Game
Hell in a Cell
Triple H vs. Chris Jericho
Judgment Day (May 19, 2002)

Earning Your Respect
Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Championship
Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar
No Mercy (October 20, 2002)

Special Guest Referee
Hell in a Cell Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Triple H vs. Kevin Nash
Bad Blood (June 15, 2003)

Good Friends Gone Bad
Hell in a Cell
Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H
Bad Blood (June 13, 2004)

Hell in a Cell Disc 3

The Animal's Evolution
Hell in a Cell Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Batista vs. Triple H
Vengeance (June 26, 2005)

The Legend Killer
Hell in a Cell
Undertaker vs. Randy Orton
Armageddon (December 18, 2005)

The Amplified Version
Hell in a Cell Handicap Match
Degeneration-X vs. Shane McMahon, Mr. McMahon & Big Show
Unforgiven (September 17, 2006)

The End of the Line
Hell in a Cell Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
Undertaker vs. Batista
Survivor Series (November 18, 2007)

Defining A Career

As you can see from the above lineup, this 3 disc set is definitely one for your WWE collection. There's some all-time great matches which are worth re-living again and again! Pickup the WWE's Hell in a Cell DVD at Amazon.com to see all of the action of some of the most brutal contests in WWE history!

Smackdown Recap 08.01.08

Smackdown Recap from Hershey, PA:

Smackdown's opener included highlights of the events between Edge and Vickie Guerrero, including Edge cheating with the wedding planner Alicia, and asking for Vickie's forgiveness at the end of last week's show. Vickie dropped the bombshell on her former lover that he'd be facing Undertaker, who she reinstated to WWE in her time of anger and grief.

Jim Ross informed Smackdown viewers that Edge will have a special guest later tonight on Cutting Edge. Jeff Hardy made his way to the ring to sit near the commentary table and observe the first match.

Jimmy Wang Yang vs. MVP

Before the match started, MVP took the mic and spoke directly to Jeff Hardy at ringside. MVP started telling Jeff he'll never be WWE champ because he keeps engaging in reckless behavior. MVP said he'll show Jeff how it's done now, and asked for the match to begin.

At one point Yang whipped MVP to the corner then ran over and hit him in the face with his legs. Yang went over the rope onto the side apron then jumped on the corner ropes. As Yang jumped at MVP, MVP slapped him down to the mat. With Yang down on the mat, MVP charged from the other side of the ring and delivered a serious boot to Yang's head. MVP took the pinfall victory right before Jeff Hardy came into the ring with a mic.

Jeff warned MVP to never mention his home, the fire or deceased dog again, or he'd prove how tough he is. MVP shrugged it off and turned to leave the ring, then tried to strike Hardy. Hardy blocked and hit the Twist of Fate, then delivered several kicks to MVP while he was down.

Winner: MVP wins via pinfall over Jimmy Wang Yang.

---

Chavo was shown pushing Vickie in her wheelchair backstage saying he hasn't heard anything yet. They came towards Vickie's office, then saw Alicia Fox, the wedding planner talking to a WWE staff member. Vickie shot her a sly grin before Chavo pushed Vickie's wheelchair into her office.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Mr. Kennedy

Kennedy faced a tough test in taking on the recent US Champ in a 1 on 1 bout. Benjamin had the advantage as he tried to use a backslide pin on Kennedy. Kennedy countered to get out and tried for his own backslide pin. Benjamin escaped the move and sent Kennedy to the ropes. Kennedy was able to come back and kick Benjamin while he had his head down, then quickly hit the Mic Check to pick up a big win.

After the match, Shelton exited the ring carrying his US title. Eve Torres was at ringside as Shelton left and asked for his insight into what just happened. Shelton said he doesn't make excuses, but probably shouldn't have been wrestling tonight due to acute Bronchitis. Shelton walked up the ramp slowly with the title as fans booed.

Winner: Mr. Kennedy wins via pinfall over Shelton Benjamin.

Backstage, Ryder and Hawkins were talking when Chavo rushed into the locker room. Chavo asked what Alica Fox was doing at Smackdown and where Edge was. Ryder and Hawkins said they had no idea and Chavo asked them to help out. Chavo left the locker room and Ryder & Hawkins went back to talking.

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Highlights were shown of last week's match between Brian Kendrick and Shannon Moore. Kendrick was able to pick up the win thanks to his large bodyguard at ringside who distracted Moore just enough. Kendrick boasted on the mic that he's the reason everyone pays to see Smackdown now.

Stevie Richards vs. Brian Kendrick

Kendrick was accompanied to the ring by his bodyguard, Ezekiel. Prior to the match, Kendrick took the mic and said he originally got his foot in the door at WWE by finding any old partner, like Paul London. Kendrick said he doesn't really care about any of the fans, but if they have a problem with it then can talk to his bodyguard Ezekiel.

During the match, Kendrick took control and began to kick away at Richards down on the mat. Ezekiel glared at Richards while Kendrick ran at him for another move. Richards escaped and gained momentum, taking a near pinfall. Richards hit a Powerbomb and had another near pinfall. Kendrick rolled under the bottom rope to the side apron and tried to ram Richards in the gut. Richards ran and kicked Kendrick in the face, but as Kendrick fell off the apron his bodyguard caught him in the air. Ezekiel put Kendrick back into the ring as Richards came out. Kendrick was able to run at Richards and yank his head down against the top rope due to Ezekiel's distraction. Kendrick finished Richards off with his DDT style move off the corner ropes to win it.

After the match, Ezekiel grabbed Richards and hoisted him up in a backbreaker, then dropped him to the mat

Winner: Brian Kendrick wins via pinfall over Stevie Richards.

Edge was shown walking backstage at Smackdown, preparing for his Cutting Edge show in the ring later on.

---

Jeff Hardy vs. Great Khali

Khali toyed with Hardy for some time as he knocked him around the ring with headbutts and chops, then took him to the corner. Khali continued to hammer away at Hardy and chop his chest despite fans trying to get Hardy going. Jeff finally started to fight back and Khali had backed off. As Jeff went to the corner ropes, Khali slapped him causing Jeff to spill to the outside.

Jeff gained serious momentum after a commercial break, eventually hitting a Swanton Bomb on Great Khali. Jeff was ready for the pin, but spotted MVP at ringside. Hardy ran over and dropkicked MVP through the ropes, then dove over the ropes onto MVP. MVP got up and rammed Jeff to the apron to keep him there for Khali. Khali grabbed Hardy over the ropes and brought him into the ring then slapped him to the mat. Jeff tried to get to his feet and Khali gripped him around the head with his hands to squeeze Hardy's energy out. Jeff eventually fell to his knees and then to the mat. The ref called for the bell, awarding the match to Khali.

MVP stared at the fallen Hardy in the ring as Khali stayed in the ring with his handler Singh. After Khali left, MVP got into the ring and posed above Hardy on the mat to taunt him.

Winner: The Great Khali wins via submission over Jeff Hardy.

A promo video was shown of new superstar R-Truth, headed to Smackdown soon. Truth claimed he's a free man again, and "that's the truth".

---

Maria vs.Victoria

WWE Diva Maria made her Smackdown debut, fighting against Victoria. Victoria took control early on as she took Maria down to the mat and had her in several submission holds to wear her down. Victoria continued to dominate using a spinning sideslam, but couldn't capture the pinfall. Maria slid out under the bottom ropes to regroup then slid back in as Victoria came out. Maria was able to land a headscissors on Victoria, but got powerslammed as she came off the ropes.

At one point, Victoria charged at Maria in the corner. Maria jumped up with the corner ropes then kicked Victoria away. Maria jumped off the ropes for a clothesline to take Victoria down for a pin.

Winner: Maria wins via pinfall over Victoria.

In a backstage hall, Edge told Alicia Fox he got her a ticket for up close in the audience so she could see the big moment on Cutting Edge later on.

---

A promotional video was shown chronicling the impressive career of current WWE champion, Triple H. Jim Ross remarked about how great HHH is and what a great Summerslam it will be. Mick Foley and JR ran down the list of current Summerslam matches including Cena vs. Batista and Triple H vs. Great Khali. The match between Undertaker and Edge was also highlighted which will be a Hell in a Cell match.

Domino vs. Big Show

Early in the contest, Domino tried to grip Show around the midsection from behind. Show escaped easily, then tossed Domino out through the bottom ropes.

Domino went for several punches to Show's head but as he came off the ropes, Show knocked him down with a solid boot to the face. After several more moves, Show finished off the quick match by Chokeslamming Domino the mat for a pin.

After the match had ended, Show stood in the ring and was about to leave. All of a sudden, Umaga came down to the ring looking upset. The Samoan Bulldozer entered the ring and he and Show stared one another down, pacing around.

Winner: Big Show wins via pinfall over Domino.

The camera cut to a backstage office with Chavo talking to Vickie Guerrero. Chavo informed Vickie he's asked around to find out who the mystery guest but has no leads. Chavo told Vickie they'd have to wait and find out like everyone else, next.

---

The Cutting Edge w/Mystery Guest

Edge came to the ring to mixed crowd reaction. A ladder, chair and table were set up in the ring for Edge's show. Edge sat in the steel chair then discussed how all week he's been searching for inner peace about his rough marriage and Summerslam match with Undertaker. Edge said tonight to find inner peace he surrounded himself in the ring with Tables, Ladders & Chairs. Edge said it's these items that helped him originally banish Taker from WWE. Edge said he also found the one person to help him survive Hell in a Cell and defeat Undertaker.

Edge introduced his mystery guest, the person who knows Undertaker better than anyone else. Edge rolled out under the ropes then shouted his guest was Mick Foley. Edge begged for Mick to get into the ring as his guest. Foley obliged and left his commentary position to get into the ring. Edge said he knows Foley still has something lingering in him, and rolled footage of the "Attitude Era" of WWE which included Mankind vs. Undertaker in Hell in a Cell. In the classic match, Taker threw Foley off the cage onto the announce table. Foley got off a stretcher to come back and fight, but was thrown through the top of the cage, then Tombstoned by Undertaker.

Edge complimented Foley on walking away from the match on his own. Edge said he's seen Foley try to walk properly since the match, but knows he can't do it. Edge tried to incite Foley, saying he can tell Foley still hurts from that match. Edge told Foley if he helps him, he can exercise the demon of the Undertaker. Foley said he's always said Edge has been the greatest superstar in WWE. Foley said the fans believe Edge sucks because he's always taking the easy way out to win. Foley said he won't help him, but knows the one person who can help him, himself. Foley told Edge to find that great superstar inside of himself not the one who professed undying love to Vickie.

Edge became enraged by Foley's speech, then clocked him. Edge went to the outside after Foley, but Foley fought back. Foley went under the ring and retrieved a chair then rushed at Edge. Edge kicked the chair into Foley's face, then speared Foley into the metal stairs. In the ring, Edge moved the ladder into the corner and set the table up center ring. Foley got back into the ring under the bottom rope, and tried to put the Mandible Claw in Edge's mouth. Edge gave a low blow then put Foley on the table. Grabbing a chair, Edge jumped off the ladder and slammed the chair down across Foley, breaking the table. As Smackdown ended, Edge stood over the fallen Foley, smiling.

In the Media: Mick Foley, JR, Santino

Two of the WWE's commentators made appearances recently via radio and television show. Raw commentator Jim Ross appeared on NBC affiliate KFOR while Smackdown commentator Mick Foley appeared on The Opie and Anthony radio show on XM Satellite radio. In addition, both Santino Marella and Rowdy Roddy Piper were part of Jimmy Kimmel's late night show on ABC last week.

Regarding JR, from WWE.com:

WWE Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross will be a guest on NBC affiliate KFOR-TV in Oklahoma at 4:30 p.m. CT today. In his appearance, J.R. will discuss his Hall of Fame announcing career with WWE, as well as the upcoming Monday Night Raw that will emanate from the Ford Center in Oklahoma City June 30. J.R.’s appearance will be available on KFOR.com after the newscast.

Check out KFOR.com to see footage of JR's appearance.

Regarding Mick Foley, from Rajah.com:

XM radio will be replaying this morning’s appearance by Mick Foley on The Opie and Anthony Radio Show today, reports a news item on Rajah.com May 15. Replays of the show will be at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. ET.

Santino Marella along with Roddy Piper made a surprise appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel show on ABC. WWE.com offers the following blurb on the appearance:

Santino Marella and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper made a surprise appearance on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night. Kimmel surprised Cousin Sal by inviting his favorite WWE Superstar, Piper, to his birthday celebration at Hooters. But the festivities quickly came to a halt when Marella crashed the party, insulting the guests, including Sal and Piper, Marella’s recent rival.

Check out the video of Marella and Piper on Kimmel now!

Smackdown Recap 05.02.08

Smackdown recap from Atlantic City, NJ:

Smackdown opened with a dark arena and Smackdown Assistant GM Teddy Long standing at the top of the ramp. Teddy Long announced that the tag team titles, US Championship and World Heavyweight titles will all be defended on tonight's show.

Michael Cole was in the ring and introduced brand new color commentator Mick Foley. Foley came down the ramp slapping hands with audience members, then joined Michael Cole at the commentators table. Foley told Cole to keep telling himself he's not the "Coach".

Wang Yang & Moore vs. The Miz & Morrison
WWE Tag team title match

Miz took the early advantage, punching Yang around the ring. After a missed clothesline, Yang knocked Miz down and tagged in Moore for a flip over the ropes onto Miz. Miz eventually regained control to bring in Morrison.

Moore eventually escaped Morrison and tagged Yang in for a dropkick then quick pin attempt. Morrison was able to gain control on Yang, keeping him down in a headlock. Yang tried for a surprise pin, but Morrison kicked out then tagged Miz back in. Miz and Morrison kept Yang isolated and away from the tag. Yang finally was able to kick away Morrison then made the tag to Moore. Moore came in with momentum using a headscissors and hurricanrana kick, but Morrison was able to recover. After some offense, Morrison tried a pin on Moore eventually. Yang came in to break things up, and Miz fought him out of the ring. Moore and Morrison were left alone in the ring where Morrison used his finisher "The Moonlight Drive" to slam Moore to the mat.

Winners: The Miz & John Morrison win via pinfall over Shannon Moore & Jimmy Wang Yang.

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Smackdown returned with ECW GM Armando Estrada in the ring as guest announcer. Estrada first introduced Colin Delaney weighing just 107 pounds from Rochester, New York. Later Michael Cole said Estrada was exaggerating. Next, Estrada introduced Vladimir Kozlov who had a menacing look as he walked down the ramp.

Colin Delaney vs Vladimir Kozlov

Kozlov tossed Delaney down to the mat quick, then yelled at him to get up. Delaney charged at him but Kozlov wrapped him up in a headlock then flipped him down to the mat. As Colin stood up, Kozlov delivered a boot to his face. Kozlov continued to kick and stomp Colin. After Colin got some kicks back at Vladimir from the corner, Kozlov rammed into Colin then picked him and threw him onto the corner. Kozlov kicked Delaney hard in the gut causing him to fly up and then caught him off the ropes for a slam. Kozlov finished Delaney with a reverse DDT for the pinfall.

Winner: Vladimir Kozlov wins via pinfall over Colin Delaney.

Nunzio shown in a lockerroom backstage lacing his boots up. Mark Henry entered to remind Nunzio they have a match tonight and he's Mark Henry "World's Strongest Man".

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WWE Rewind was off Natalya defeating Cherry last week on Smackdown using a Sharpshooter submission hold. After the victory, Natalya celebrated on the ramp with her pal Victoria, while Michelle looked at Cherry in the ring.

Michelle McCool & Cherry vs. Victoria & Cherry

Footage shown from earlier tonight when Victoria and Natalya were harassing Cherry in a lockerroom. Michelle came in and Victoria remarked "Look who it is, Yahoo's most searched person". Natalya asked Michelle how long she was typing her name in for tonight and Michelle retorted if that was the case it gives them more time to get ready for the match later.

Michael Cole noted that over the weekend Michelle was the most searched person on Yahoo. In this matchup between WWE Divas, Michelle took it to her opponents, getting the best of Natalya and then Victoria. Michelle tagged in Cherry who did a flying cross body onto Victoria but couldn't score the 3 count. Cherry had a few impressive moves against Victoria, then was shoved into the corner where Natalya was. Cherry turned and shoved Natalya off the apron. Victoria tried to kick Cherry as she turned back, but Cherry caught her foot, then slapped her. Cherry tried to run off the side ropes, but Natalya snagged her foot to trip her. Victoria and Natalya took control and tried to keep Cherry from Michelle.

Natalya locked a sleeper hold on Cherry then tried to keep her in the corner with Victoria. Cherry fought her way out then tried to crawl under Natalya's legs. Natalya did her best to grab Cherry's foot but Cherry stretched to get the tag to Michelle. McCool came in and splashed Natalya in the corner. Michelle ripped off part of Natalya's top and the ref went to throw it to the side. As Michelle was climbing the corner ropes for a move Victoria shoved her, allowing Natalya to gain the pinfall while pulling on Michelle's tights.

Winners: Natalya & Victoria win via pinfall over Michelle & Cherry.

Cole and Foley replayed the end of the World Heavyweight match from Backlash, with Edge going for the pin. Undertaker countered and slapped his Triangle Choke Submission hold on Edge to win it. Edge spit up blood and required a stretcher to be taken out of the arena. Smackdown GM Vickie Guerrero came to the ring and screamed and cried as Edge was taken away. Michael Cole posed the question will the same happen to Great Khali later tonight?

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Nunzio vs Mark Henry

As he came out to the ramp, Nunzio motioned for someone to come out from backstage. All of a sudden, Big Show's music came on and Show came down to the ring with Nunzio. Show stayed in Nunzio's corner for the match.

Nunzio went at Henry as the match got underway using quick kicks and punches. Henry shoved Nunzio down to the mat, then picked him up for a headbutt. Henry glared over at Show then tossed Nunzio to the corner. Still looking at Show, Henry picked up Nunzio tossed him in the air, caught him and slammed him down viciously for a pinfall. Finally after the bell, Show got into the ring and walked up to Henry staring him down. Henry backed out and exited off the side apron chuckling and nodding, then raised his arms up victoriously. Show took a mic and told Henry next time to try picking on someone his own size.

Winner: Mark Henry wins via pinfall over Nunzio.

---

Highlights were revisited from Backlash where Matt Hardy defeated MVP for the United States Championship.

MVP vs Matt Hardy
US Championship match

A determined MVP came to the ring first followed by Matt Hardy with the US belt strapped around his waist. The crowd went wild as Hardy entered the arena and made his way to the ring.

Cole and Foley noted MVP's near year long title reign, and how devastated MVP was over losing the belt. In the match, Matt locked a headlock onto MVP early on and continued with it after ducking an MVP clothesline off the ropes. MVP was able to get up and gain momentum as he slammed Matt into the corners of the ring. Matt turned things around and was able to run off the ropes to clothesline MVP down.

MVP gained the advantage as he dropped Matt down then punched away at him down on the mat. MVP used a hold to pull Matt's arm back down on the mat, but Hardy stood up and then dropped his weight down causing MVP to be stunned. A bulldog by Hardy followed but Matt couldn't get the 3 count. Matt continued to be in control until MVP escaped his hold then started to kick away at him.

Matt started to fight back, punching MVP then jumped on him on the ropes. MVP regained control and whipped Matt to the corner, then was met with Matt's boot. MVP retaliated using a vicious clothesline to knock Matt down. Matt was near the ropes and rolled onto the apron to try to pull himself up, but MVP charged over and rammed him off the apron. Matt hit the crowd barrier and was down outside the ring as Smackdown went to commercial.

MVP was hammering away at Hardy down on the mat when Smackdown returned. MVP sat on Matt's back and kept Matt's arms pulled against his throat/neck to wear him down. Matt was able to finally stand up, ram MVP back into the corner and then flip him down to the mat. As MVP got up to go at Matt, he used the Side Effect but couldn't score the pinfall. MVP soon regained control and kept Matt down on the mat again. MVP sat Matt up on the corner and went to strike him, but Matt pushed him off. Matt was able to DDT MVP from off the ropes, but again couldn't get the pin.

Matt got up and moved the corner where MVP delivered a running kick. MVP went for the pin but Matt grabbed the rope. MVP exited the ring then ran over to kick Matt in the head. MVP tried for 2 pinfalls but Matt kicked out of each, so MVP resumed a submission hold. MVP seemed to be in control of things as both men were on their feet, but Matt fought back and grabbed MVP's boot then delivered a surprise Twist of Fate for the win!

Winner: Matt Hardy wins via pinfall over MVP to retain the US Championship.

---

Mick Foley was in ring to introduce the Animal Batista. Batista came to the ring to good crowd reaction throughout the arena. Mick discussed the great match Batista just had at Backlash against Shawn Michaels. Foley said the end of the match is surrounded in controversy with Michaels landing on his leg bad, then delivering Sweet Chin Music to finish off Batista. Mick asked Batista's feelings regarding the match. Batista said he won't make excuses, he was beat and that's the bottom line. Mick asked Batista if he felt Shawn faked the leg injury to win the match, and Batista said it would make him sick to think HBK did that. Batista delivered the message to HBK that he better be hurt for real, because if not he will be.

Jesse & Festus vs. Ryder & Hawkins

Festus went into a rage as the bell rang and he chased down Ryder & Hawkins. Festus used headbutts to the gut of Hawkins down on the mat, then tagged in Jesse for a move off the ropes. Hawkins was able to eventually back Jesse to the corner and tag in Ryder. Jesse went on the offensive again using quick paced moves. Ryder & Hawkins eventually gained control of Jesse and played keep away from his bigger partner.

Jesse finally was able to escape to make a tag in to Festus. Festus cleared the ring of Ryder then began to pummel Hawkins, eventually doing his finisher by running off the ropes and sitting on him. Ryder came in to break up the pin. Hawkins managed to jab Festus in the throat, and the big man started to clutch his throat as if injured badly. Festus staggered over and Jesse slapped him for a tag. Jesse climbed the corner then tried to fly off the top ropes at Hawkins. Hawkins moved out of the way then did a spinning neckbreaker to finish Jesse off.

Winner: Ryder & Hawkins win via pinfall over Jesse & Festus.

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Julio Dinero vs. Finlay

Early on Finlay dropped Dinero to the mat then suplexed him. Finlay was aggressive early on as he rammed Dinero in the corner then punched at him. Dinero tried to retaliate but Finlay clotheslined him down. Finlay was able to toss Dinero out of the ring as he charged at him from the ropes.

On the outside Finlay rammed Dinero into the side apron area. All of a sudden Dinero was tripped and pulled under the ring. Finlay pulled him back out and Hornswoggle was on the other end holding Diner's legs. Back in the ring Finlay continued to control the match, eventually using the Celtic Cross to finish off Dinero.
After the bell, Finlay put Dinero near the corner ropes so Hornswoggle could jump off and Tadpole Splash onto Dinero.

Winner: Finlay wins via pinfall over Julio Dinero.

Footage shown of Undertaker using the Triangle Choke submission on various opponents such as Big Daddy V, Mark Henry and most recently Edge. Undertaker kept the hold locked on Edge even after the bell, causing Edge to spit up blood. Vickie Guerrero was wheeled down to the ring by Teddy Long and screamed out about the fallen and bloody Edge.

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Great Khali vs. The Undertaker
World Heavyweight Championship

After Undertaker arrived to the ring, all of a sudden Edge's theme music came on. Teddy Long wheeled Vickie onto the top of the ramp and Edge accompanied them. Vickie said there would not be a title match tonight. Vickie told Undertaker he's injured other wrestlers with his choke hold and chokeholds like that aren't allowed in WWE. Vickie said it is her responsibility to look after the well being of other superstars, then told Undertaker that from this moment on the choke hold is banned. Vickie warned Taker if he ever uses the chokehold in a match again, he will have hell to pay.

Vickie told Undertaker that she's under extreme pressure from regulatory authorities and Undertaker has officially been stripped of the World Heavyweight title. Vickie told Taker to bring the title up the ramp to them, but Taker wouldn't budge. Great Khali came out from backstage then went down to the ring to try to retrieve the title. Undertaker layed the belt down in front of him for Khali to come get.

After the two men stared at each other, Khali walked up to Taker and crouched down to pick up the belt. Undertaker delivered a serious kick which leveled Khali, dropping him to the mat. With Khali down, Undertaker applied the Triangle Choke. While Taker kept the hold locked in, Ryder & Hawkins snuck into the ring and stole the World Heavyweight title, running it up the ramp to Edge & Vickie. Undertaker finally released the hold as Khali had passed out. Smackdown ended with Taker staring up the ramp at Vickie and Edge as they went backstage with his World Heavyweight belt.

Winner: No match due to orders of Vickie Guerrero.

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