Raw Results 04/05/14

Raw Results from Albany, NY:

The Shield made their standard entrance through the crowd. Commentary was being handled by Cole, Lawler and JBL, with Cole noting that The Authority ordered Dean Ambrose to defend the U.S. Title in a 20-man battle royal to open the show.

Sheamus won a 20-Man Battle Royal to become the new United States champion. The match featured Jack Swagger, Alex Riley, Ryback, R-Truth, Fandango, Santino, Goldust, Kofi Kingston, Heath Slater, Dolph Ziggler, Mark Henry, Damien Sandow, Cody Rhodes, Titus O’Neil and Sin Cara. It came down to a final five of Ambrose, Ryback, Axel, Sheamus and Swagger. Ambrose was able to eliminate Axel, then kicked Ryback in the knee on the apron to send him off the apron. From there, he was able to dump out Swagger, but then turned around and was struck by Sheamus’ Brogue Kick. Sheamus tossed Ambrose out to the floor to win the match.  

Post-match, Triple H walked out onto the stage and said that The Shield was extremely lucky at Extreme Rules but it looks like now their luck is running out. He booked Shield to face Wyatt Family later on Raw.

Backstage Sheamus was interviewed about his US title win. He told Renee Young he had been spinning his wheels since his comeback to WWE, and this was the perfect time to step back into glory. When asked what he’d say to Ambrose about having to face 19 other mean, Sheamus smiled and said “No hard feelings fella.”

Rob Van Dam defeated Cesaro due to disqualification. At one point in the match, Cesaro tied RVD into the ropes in a Tree of Woe and kept throwing punches at him. The ref warned him to stop and when Cesaro didn’t, the ref called for the bell. Cesaro kept on with the attack after the bell, and Heyman told him to walk away before getting suspended.

The Wyatt Family did an in-ring promo with Bray sitting in his rocking chair. Footage was shown of the boy singing in a demonic voice during last night’s cage match that Bray won against Cena. He talked about how the innocent eyes of the children “see right through John Cena.” He said Cena calls him a monster and he is, because he believes the world has to be burned to the ground and reborn in his image. Wyatt said he does this for the children, for the poor man begging on the streets to the teenaged girl who wakes up crying thinking she isn’t pretty enough to be prom queen. He said people will remember Bray Wyatt for what he really is, “A god.”

Ryback defeated Cody Rhodes via pinfall. Late in the match, Axel tried to interfere from the outside but Goldust rushed over to stop him. Axel fought Goldust and drove him into the ring post. Cody was on the top rope and fell onto Ryback. Ryback caught Rhodes and hit Shellshocked for the win.

Daniel Bryan and Brie were shown backstage, with Bryan warning Brie to stay nearby. The lights went out in the room they were in so they left. The camera revealed a Kane mask covering the light. Bryan and Brie went into the hall and saw Stephanie. Bryan confronted Steph insisting she knows what’s going on. She played dumb then told them to stay put and she’d have their car brought to the building.

Los Matadores and El Torito held a Cinco de Mayo in-ring celebration with Torito throwing candy into the audience. 3MB came out with Hornswoggle to interrupt. Torito tried to give some candy to Hornswoggle, but they got into a fight. Los Matadores and Torito got the upper hand in the fight, clearing out the heels.

Alexander Rusev defeated Kofi Kingston via submission. The match lasted just under 3 minutes. Kofi had some momentum and tried to springboard with a cross body but Rusev caught him, then slammed him. Lana gave the order to crush Kofi, so Rusev did so and put on the Accolade finisher to cause Kofi to tap out.

Backstage in the parking area, Bryan and Brie went to their car. Bryan opened the door first and looked around for Kane. They both got into the car. All of a sudden someone knocked on the glass window and Brie screamed. Stephanie was there and told Bryan he needs to compete in a match now or will be stripped of his title. Raw went to commercial break.

Daniel Bryan defeated Alberto Del Rio via submission in a non-title match. The match lasted over 15 minutes. Bryan hit several dropkicks late and then a suicide dive onto Del Rio on the floor. Bryan got up on the top rope, but Del Rio came back with a kick to the head. However, moments later Bryan responded by locking on the Yes Lock to make Del Rio tap out. 

Post-match, Kane’s music and pyro went off so Bryan raced to bring Brie to the car backstage. When they got to their car it wouldn’t start. Bryan looked under the hood and said a wire was unplugged. He put it back in and slammed the hood down, but then saw Kane in the backseat behind Brie. Kane and Bryan got into a fight with Bryan able to fight off Kane and get into the car. Kane tried to grab Bryan through the sunroof, but Bryan hit the gas causing Kane to fall off the car. Bryan got out to check on Kane who soon sat up. Bryan rushed back into the car to drive off with Brie, with Kane smiling at the incident.

Bad News Barrett defeated Big E via pinfall to retain the Intercontinental Championship. Late in this one, E hit several belly-to-belly suplexes, then lowered a strap on his singlet. Big E went for the finisher, but Barrett slid off and raked his eyes. Barrett followed with a Bull Hammer for the win.

They had an in-ring appearance from Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger. Colter talked down about Cinco de Mayo being just May 5 in the U.S. and an excuse for Americans to get drunk. He listed off a bunch of WWE stars who need to be deported right now: Cesaro, Emma, Sheamus, Paul Heyman, Santino and Paige. Suddenly Colter was interrupted by Adam Rose’s theme song. Rose’s entourage danced onto the stage followed by Rose with the Rosebuds. They danced their way to ringside. Rose got in the ring and danced around Colter and Sagger a bit. After the music stopped, Rose took the lollipop out of his mouth and offered it to Zeb. Zeb told him to get back. Rose told him to be a “rosebud, not a lemon.” Swagger charged at Rose who backdropped him out of the ring. Rose’s entourage got in the ring and all dance around Zeb who eventually escaped the ring.

The Wyatt Family defeated The Shield via pinfall. Late in this one, The Shield set up for a Triple Powerbomb on Bray Wyatt. Evolution’s theme music hit to interrupt that idea. All three of Evolution headed to the ring in their new t-shirts. Shield cleared Wyatts out then Rollins and Ambrose hit suicide dives out onto Orton and Batista. Reigns hit a Superman Punch on HHH too, but then Bray Wyatt was right there to hit a running splash on him. He followed that with Sister Abigail for the pinfall win.

Post-match, Evolution kept attacking Shield, including a near Pedigree by HHH on Reigns. Reigns backdropped Hunter, but Orton hit an RKO to take down Reigns. Triple H hit a power bomb on him, then all of Evolution Triple Powerbombed Reigns to finish Raw.

Smackdown Results 05/02/14

Smackdown results from Kansas City, MO:

Smackdown opened with a video package talking about the feud that has developed with Evolution and The Shield. Michael Cole and JBL were on commentary and reminded fans of the big four-man match over Dean Ambrose’s US Championship later with Rollins and Reigns banned from ringside. The Wyatt Family arrived out for the opening match followed by The Usos and Sheamus as their opponents.

The Wyatt Family defeated The Uso Brothers and Sheamus in a six-man tag match. Late in the match, Jimmy Uso came in and took out all of the Wyatts but then missed on a corkscrew moonsault attempt. The action broke down with multiple superstars hitting their finishers and guys falling out to the floor. Ultimately, Bray made a bling tag on Harper, then snuck up on Jimmy Uso to hit Sister Abigail. Post-match, Jey Uso and Sheamus tried to attack, but got taken down by the Wyatts. Bray knelt over Jey to close things out.

They had the contract signing in the ring for Hornswoggle vs. El Torito’s Extreme Rules WeeLC match on the pre-show. Both guys signed or stamped their foot on the contract to sign it, but then a brawl broke out involving Los Matadores and Torito against 3MB and Hornswoggle. It ended with Matadores clearing the ring and Torito diving out onto 3MB on the outside.

Rob Van Dam defeated Jack Swagger. RVD won in about two minutes. Late in the match, Swagger had the advantage and took down RVD on the outside. He rolled him back in, but Cesaro grabbed Swagger’s leg as he was back in. RVD used it to his advantage to kick Swagger down then hit a Frog Splash for the win. Post-match, Cesaro made an attack on RVD to hit The Neutralizer.

Alexander Rusev defeated R-Truth via disqualification when Xavier Woods interfered. During the early part of the match, Rusev knocked Truth to the floor, then went out to attack him some more. Rusev also knocked down Xavier Woods who was ringside. Rusev slammed Truth into the ring apron and rolled him back in the ring. Woods attacked Rusev before he could get back in the ring. Post-match, Woods and Truth were able to overpower Rusev a bit, but not enough. Lana and Rusev finally retreated from the scene.

Daniel Bryan came to the ring and did a speech about how he plans to leave Extreme Rules as champion but it’s about more than that. He brought up Kane getting personal and attacking Brie on Monday’s Raw. He said he’s going to take Kane straight to hell even if he has to go too. Kane showed up on the big screen and he told Bryan he likes hell and when they get there together, he’ll give him the tour. Kane set off a video to show their feud including his attack on Brie Monday night. Kane told Bryan he’d only begun to show him "the depths of his depravity."

Dolph Ziggler defeated Damien Sandow via pinfall. Sandow wore his Magneto costume from Raw and pretended to have magnetic powers at one point in the ring. Ziggler eventually hit the Zig Zag to get the win.

Big E defeated Titus O’Neil via disqualification in a non-title match. During the match, Big E knocked Titus out of the ring to the floor. Big E went outside to get Titus, but Titus responded by tossing Big E over the announcers’ table. They crew lost their headsets. Titus kept up his attack on the outside, and the ref called for the DQ. Post-match, Big E was irate and retaliated, destroying Titus on the ringside area before rolling him back in the ring and getting in to place a foot on his chest as a pose.

Dean Ambrose defeated Ryback, Curtis Axel and Alberto Del Rio in a four-way matchup to retain the U.S. Title. During the match, Ryback took out Ambrose in the time keeper’s area. Meanwhile, Del Rio knocked out Ryback, but then Axel hit a Perfectplex for a two count. Axel went for a Superplex on Del Rio later, but ended in a tree of woe type move, with Del Rio getting a near fall. Ryback got in the ring and accidentally clotheslined Axel down. Del Rio then hooked a cross-arm breaker submission on Ryback. Ryback was able to power up and drive Del Rio to the mat for a near fall. Ryback made a cover, but Axel yanked him from the ring. Axel got in to go for a cover on Del Rio, but Ambrose was able to quickly get in and grab a roll-up pinfall to retain. Post-match, all of the heels ganged up to attack Ambrose. Rollins and Reigns rushed in to make a save and eventually The Shield hit a Triple Powerbomb on Axel to close the show.

Main Event Results 10/16/13

Main Event results from Kansas City, MO:

The latest Main Event started out with a United States Championship match featuring Dean Ambrose defending against Dolph Ziggler.

Dean Ambrose defeated Dolph Ziggler via pinfall to retain the United States Championship.  Late in the match, Ziggler got the sleeper hold on Ambrose, who was able to escape it and then went outside the ring.  Later, Ambrose dodged Ziggler charging at him in the corner, then took him off the second rope to cause Ziggler to fall on his head.  Ziggler got up stumbling around a bit and Ambrose hit his finisher for the pinfall win.

They showed a video package covering John Cena and his road to recovery since having surgery.  Cena returns for WWE Hell in a Cell PPV where he'll take on Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Title.

Tons of Funk & Santino Marella defeated 3MB via pinfall.  Santino hit The Cobra for the win.

Damien Sandow defeated R-Truth via pinfall.  Sandow hit the Full Nelson Slam for the win by pin.

The Great Khali defeated Fandango via pinfall.  Late in the match, Fandango tried to jump off the corner at Khali.  Khali chopped him down from the air, then collected the pinfall victory to close out Main Event.

2013 WWE Summerslam Live Stream Pre-Show Online

On Sunday, the 2013 WWE Summerslam live stream pre-show will help to launch the latest WWE pay-per-view in Los Angeles, CA.  The show, called the SummerSlam Kickoff, will feature a free live streaming match as part of the special, to warm up the fans ahead of the main event.  Fans can watch the free match online Sunday night which will feature Rob Van Dam challenging Dean Ambrose for the WWE United States Championship!

During the show, there will be pre-SummerSlam hype and reports from the venue, the Staples Center, as WWE and their panel discuss all the latest info.  Also, returning superstar Rob Van Dam will attempt to take the United States title from Dean Ambrose of The Shield.  Ambrose has held the title ever since defeating Kofi Kingston on May 19th at Extreme Rules 2013.  Ambrose has had an 88 day reign and counting now.

Meanwhile Rob Van Dam recently outlasted nineteen other competitors to win a 20-man battle royal which gave him the title shot at the SummerSlam pay-per-view.  Among those RVD defeated in the end were Mark Henry and Ryback.  He's no stranger to WWE championship gold, and will look to add the US title to his list of accolades.

The WWE SummerSlam Kickoff show starts live streaming at 7 p.m. EST online and is scheduled to last for an hour.  The live stream kickoff show is listed as appearing on the WWE website or app, WWE's YouTube or Facebook pages, Yahoo!, Samsung Smart TV's and the Sony PlayStation 3, among other places.

Visit WWE FanNation at YouTube for the pre-show on Sunday at 7PM EST.

Raw and Main Event Spoilers Bring Title Matches

Both the 12/24 Raw and 12/26 WWE Main Event shows have already taped, meaning spoilers hit the web recently.  With reveals of the matches that took place, were also details for two championship matches set to take place in 2013.  Whether the titles change hands is another story.  For those who want surprises this coming week, stop reading now.

On Raw for Christmas Eve, it will be revealed that Ryback and CM Punk will meet for the WWE Championship on the first episode of Raw in the New Year.  This will be a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match, just like they would have had at the TLC Pay-Per-View.  That match was postponed due to Punk's surgery.

On the Main Event episode showing the day after Christmas (12/26), there is a 20-man battle royal.  The winner of that match gets a shot at Antonio Cesaro.  The Great Khali won the match, eliminating Wade Barrett as the last opponent.  Other opponents in the match included Usos, Primo, Epico, Damien Sandow, Cody Rhodes, Zack Ryder, Santino Marella, Brodus Clay and Ted DiBiase.  DiBiase hadn't been seen in quite a while on any WWE programs.

Now Khali will go on to face Cesaro for the United States Championship on the January 2nd episode of WWE Main Event.  It's a longshot to believe that Khali will win the title, but who knows with the way they operate.  As for Ryback, it's almost a given that he'll probably lose the match on Raw, so Punk can carry the title into the 2013 Royal Rumble and face The Rock.  That's been the plan for some time now, and Ryback's rise to popularity has just been another stepping stone in the plan.

Of course 2013 will certainly bring title changes.  Expect all three titles to change hands, with the WWE title probably going first.  Dolph Ziggler has to cash in at some point too, so keep an eye on the Money in the Bank briefcase holder to see what happens.

2012 Night of Champions Free Live Stream Pre-Show Match

There will be a 2012 Night of Champions PPV pre-show on Sunday night right before the big main event Pay-Per-View.  WWE has been holding these for several months now, and offers a free live streaming show for fans to get ready for the official Pay-Per-View.

This particular live online show will feature a Battle Royal to determine the #1 contender for the United States Championship.  The winner of the Battle Royal gets to face current champion Antonio Cesaro during the Night of Champions Pay-Per-View.  So far, names haven't been revealed for who will be in the match, but some of the names that might be seen could include Damien Sandow, Ryback, Christian, Zack Ryder, Alex Riley, Michael McGillicutty, Tyson Kidd, Prime Time Players, Santino Marrela and Tensai.

Just last month at Summerslam, WWE offered a free live streaming United States title match, where Santonio Marella was defeated by Antonio Cesaro.  Will Santino be able to overcome the odds and win a battle royal to get another shot at his title, or will someone else emerge victorious?

The special free live streaming pre-show is set for a start time of 7:30 PM EST on the official WWE YouTube channel, as well as their Facebook page, and the WWE website.  The Night of Champions Pay-Per-View will start immediately after on cable, satellite, and live stream internet feed from WWE's site for various charges.

SummerSlam 2012 Free Live Stream US Title Match

The SummerSlam 2012 live streaming matches will continue with Sunday's event, as a free match will be shown online for fans ahead of the Pay-Per-View.  This time around, it'll be Santino Marella putting his United States Championship up for grabs on the free pre-show match.

Previously, Marella defended his title against The Miz on another live stream match for a prior PPV.  This time, he'll be challenged by newcomer Antonio Cesaro.  The guy has WWE diva Aksana in his corner, and previously helped her torment Teddy Long a bit.  Now he's been tormenting Marella and has a championship match, ahead of the main card.

To see this match, fans will need to go to the WWE's Fan Nation YouTube channel starting at 7:30 PM EST on Sunday night.  There will be a special pre-show presented there for a half hour, with behind-the-scenes coverage, interviews, and the free live streaming SummerSlam pre-show match.  Will Antonio Cesaro be able to defeat Santino and become new United States champion, or will Santino continue his lengthy reign?

Head over to the WWE YouTube channel on Sunday to watch all of the action before the SummerSlam 2012 PPV begins!

WWE Extreme Rules 2012 Live Stream Pre-Show Match

The WWE Extreme Rules 2012 pre-show goes live on Sunday, April 29th, starting at 7:30 PM EST.  This special show prior to the main Pay-Per-View will be live streaming on YouTube and features a United States Championship match.

The current US Champion, Santino Marella, will be putting his title belt on the line against one of the former champions, The Miz.  Miz and Marella were opponents at Wrestlemania as they were on Team Johnny and Team Teddy respectively.  Miz ended up winning the match for his team, which ultimately gave John Laurinaitis control of both Raw and Smackdown as the General Manager.

Santino has now held the US title for at least 54 days heading into the Pay-Per-View pre-show match.  He's recently defeated opponents such as David Otunga, Jack Swagger, and Dolph Ziggler, with the latter two in a Triple Threat match.  The Miz held the title for 224 days before losing it to Bret Hart on an episode of Monday Night Raw in Toronto.  The Miz won the title again on an episode of Raw in a Fatal Fourway match, where R-Truth was current champion.

Now on Sunday night, the former champion steps into the ring to try to win the United States Championship for a third time by defeating Santino Marella.  Marella has been dubbed the Milanian Miracle.  Can he continue his winning ways, or will the "Awesome one" reclaim the championship belt?

The WWE Extreme Rules 2012 live streaming pre-show will start at 7:30 PM EST on the WWEFanNation YouTube channel.

Santino Marella is New US Champion

Congratulations are in order for the master of "The Cobra," Santino Marella, who captured the United States Championship for his first-time ever on Monday night.  Santino won a match against Jack Swagger which involved a lot of outer interference, arguing, pushing, shoving, and attempted cheating.  However, the good guy was able to overcome all of that and get the schoolboy pinfall on Jack Swagger, after escaping an Ankle Lock.

Santino previously held the Intercontinental twice, and tag team titles once (with Vladimir Kozlov).  Santino's first IC reign came thanks to the help of Bobby Lashley during an event in Italy, where Santino was a "random" fan picked from the crowd to compete against Umaga for the IC title.  Lashley helped him score the big pinfall to win it though.

The great part about this latest win for Santino was despite all the outer shenanigans, he didn't need Kofi Kingston to hit Trouble in Paradise on Swagger to give him the pinfall.  Santino won on his own, which was well deserved after the show he put on against Daniel Bryan in the Elimination Chamber.  It's nice to see someone's hard work rewarded, and it certainly beefs up Santino's resume.  It also makes you wonder who he's being set up for to take the title.

Maybe it'll lead to a match at Wrestlemania 28.  Will Zack Ryder get the match since he was never truly able to compete healthy in his rematch against Swagger?  Will Santino be on the main card, or in a dark match ahead of the official Pay-Per-View.  WWE would be wise to have him on the card since he has been really gaining more and more fan support as he goes.  Yes, at times he appears to be a comedy act, but his work in the Elimination Chamber was among the best of the event.  Kudos to Santino for getting rewarded for that effort with another singles title belt around his waist!

WWE Night of Champions 2010 Predictions

WWE presents its Night of Champions Pay-Per-View on this Sunday, September 19th, 2010. The theme of this particular event, is that all of the titles in the WWE will be contested in addition to a few non-title matches. As of this posting, there is just one non-title match, but there's always potential for more when the PPV actually airs. Also as of this post, the WWE Tag Team Championships are not on the line, but will be as of the event. We've got some compelling matches including a No Holds Barred match and a Six Pack Challenge WWE title match. With that, let's get a quick look at WWE Characters the Blog Night of Champions 2010 predictions!

First up, a prediction for the tag titles, or what they should do with them. The Hart Dynasty should defend in a Triple Threat due to the match that went awry on Raw. So this match would feature Hart Dynasty defending against R-Truth/John Morrison and Cody Rhodes/Drew McIntyre. If that happens, or even if its just Drew/Cody, I think they will be the new tag champions.

There's also potential that Smackdown GM Theodore Long comes out and puts Alberto Del Rio into a one-on-one with Christian, just based on what we saw on Smackdown Friday. If that happens, Del Rio's the clear favorite as he's yet to lose and a loss would hurt him early on.

As for Big Show vs CM Punk, the Straight Edge seems to have disbanded, with Luke Gallows now on his own, and Punk left as the final solo member to face Big Show. On Smackdown we saw Show deliver a KO right hand punch to Punk, leaving him on the mat. The match could be Show's final moment in dismantling Punk's SES, or it could lead to a new push for Punk. He hasn't really been part of the title picture due to SES, with the exception of Fatal Fourway. Let's say Punk wins this one, either by some sort of cheating or a new person emerges to befriend Punk.

Now for the titles. First up, Dolph Ziggler will defend the Intercontinental Title against Kofi Kingston. The stipulations, no countout or DQ for Ziggler or he loses that title. Vickie is likely to be involved again, and we've seen some "Trouble in Paradise" for her and Dolph as of NXT. We didn't see Dolph on Smackdown, so it makes you wonder what will happen next. They could go several ways with the whole Vickie-Dolph and Kaitlyn love triangle, making for a unique story. Let's say Dolph wins this one somehow, seeing as he has both a sleeper submission and the Zig-Zag that he can use to finish Kofi.

In the Womens division, the Divas and Womens Championship will be historically unified at NOC. This will be a Lumberjill match, featuring one member of Team LayCool with the Womens Championship against Divas Champ Melina. On Smackdown, we saw Michelle rigged the "draw from a hat" so that she'd be the team member facing Melina. Layla was none too please and made it seem she won't be joining Michelle at ringside. With that in mind, let's assume that Team LayCool is on the verge of splitsville, Layla will cost Michelle the win, and Melina becomes first ever unified champion in the womens division.

The United States title will be on the line as The Miz will face his former NXT rookie Daniel Bryan. These two guys have never liked one another and now its time to put up or shutup. A win by Bryan is a big stepping stone for both he and The Miz. It clears the Miz of the title so he can soon cash in that MITB contract for a bigger prize, the WWE Title. If Bryan wins this one and the title, I'm expecting Wade Barrett wins as well, so WWE can claim two former NXT stars made it big already.

The World Championship currently rests around the evil waist of the Big Red Monster, Kane. He'll put it on the line against Big Brother, The Undertaker, in a No-Holds Barred contest. It could be the match of the night, or feature a lot of slow action. Best bet here is Kane finds a way to survive with the title to continue on for another PPV match. It seems this is the kind of feud that needs to end with a buried alive match.

Finally, there's the Six Pack Challenge. You can check out a breakdown of the Six Pack Challenge WWE match by Matt Clark of Gather.com. His pick, like mine is that Wade Barrett will win the match, since he is using his NXT prize here, basically cashing in for the title shot. He's got a five-man team to help him out which could come into play. Darren Young could also come into play and cost him the title. Let's say it comes down to Wade Barrett and Jericho, with Barrett schooling his former NXT mentor and taking the WWE Title for his first reign.

Feel free to leave your own WWE Night of Champions predictions below. As always, results will be updated here on the blog starting at 8PM EST Sunday up until 11PM EST when the PPV ends. Enjoy!

Raw Results 06/14/10

Raw Results from Charlotte, NC:

Raw opened with highlights from last week's main event, where John Cena faced CM Punk. Wade Barrett arrived to the ramp and came closer to the ring, then was joined by his former NXT competitors from Season 1. They surrounded the ring and gave Cena a beatdown, then proceeded to dismantle the ring and surrounding Raw set. Others were attacked including Jerry Lawler, Matt Striker, Justin Roberts and the referee. Cena was taken out on a stretcher but gave the thumbs up sign up on the ramp.

NXT winner Wade Barrett was in the ring to start off Monday Night Raw. He introduced himself to the booing fans, and said he's in the ring because the GM of Raw demanded he come and apologize for last week. Barrett said he'd like the rest of the NXT athletes to come down so they can do it properly. The other guys came down from the crowd. Everyone from NXT season 1 arrived to the ring except Daniel Bryan who was recently fired by WWE.

Jerry Lawler had Michael Cole and the other WWE staff near ringside all take off through the audience, fearing for their safety. Barrett gave the mic to each guy asking for an apology, but they all said "no way" and said they'd do it over again. Otunga said he won't apologize after the way they were treated, he said "they need to apologize to us." Barrett said they were all treated like dirt and animals on NXT. He cited the silly challenges they had to do, and the WWE management changing rules to eliminate contestants on a whim.

As Barrett kept bragging about what they did last week, Bret Hart's music hit and the Raw GM came out to talk. Hart said 8 guys on 1 makes them cowards. He talked about them beating up Cena, Punk and all the others. Wade Barrett brought up Daniel Bryan saying he actually had some remorse over the whole thing. Barrett said "let me assure you, you'll never see Daniel Bryan here again". Bret Hart told Barrett that John Cena will be ready to go for this Sunday's Fatal 4Way PPV.

Barrett brought up how he gets a WWE contract and a WWE title match at a Pay-Per-View of his choice. Barrett said the other NXT guys have demands of their own. Otunga said they all want WWE contracts, their own dressing rooms and 1st class travel accommodations. Otunga said if Hart fails to comply, then last week was just the start. Barrett said Hart can make history by giving these guys contracts. Hart said his answer is "NO". Barrett said he's making a big mistake, but Hart said he made the mistake. Hart told Barrett he was fired too and suggested the other guys all leave the ring or he'll call the police in. Raw went to commercial break with them still in the ring.

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Raw returned with Lawler and Cole back in the commentary positions. They said it was good to see those NXT guys get tossed out by Hart, then turned the discussion to Fatal 4Way PPV. Lawler said there's no better demo then to have a Fatal Fourway match as a preview tonight and it will be for the United States Title.

John Morrison vs. The Miz vs. Zack Ryder vs. R-Truth
US Title Fatal Fourway match

In the closing moments, Ryder hit the Rough Ryder leg drop on Truth near the corner and took a pin. Morrison rushed over and kicked Ryder off, causing him to roll outside. From there, Morrison hesitated a moment but noticed Truth right in position for his finisher. He went for Starship Pain and hit it, then took the pin. The Miz rushed over and tossed Morrison out of the ring, then stole the winning pinfall to win the title.

Winner: The Miz wins via pinfall over R-Truth to win the United States Championship.

Josh Matthews interviewed Randy Orton backstage, asking the status of his shoulder for Fatal 4Way. Orton said to watch and see what happens to Sheamus later on. Josh asked Orton for his thoughts on what NXT did last week and tonight. Orton said part of him respects them trying to get noticed, but a bigger part of him thinks they deserve to have their brains beaten in and got off lucky for what they did.

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Tonight's guest host is Mark Feurestein of "Royal Pains" from USA. This week's episode will guest star WWE's The Big Show. Behind-the-scenes footage was shown on Show's work, where he will play a horror film star. The episode airs this Thursday on USA at 10PM EST.

The Bella Twins were backstage with guest host Mark Feurestein. They were cozying up to him as he suggested they could play twins on his TV show. Just then, Ted Dibiase and Virgil came up behind Feurestein. Dibiase suggested there could be a new shiny car out there for him if he makes him co-guest host tonight. Feurestein said "no way", and admitted he was scared of him. Just then, Big Show showed up behind them, so Feurestein started talking trash. Finally Show butted in and asked for a main event tag match: Mark & The Big Show against Ted Dibiase & Virgil. Dibiase and Virgil left, so Feurestein started celebrating with Big Show. Feurestein showed off his ice skating moves and jumped up into Show's arms. The Bella Twins were nearby and gave strange looks then said bye.

John Cena was shown walking backstage on the way out to the ring.

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They showed highlights from last week's Viewer's Choice Bodyslam challenge between Chris Jericho and Big Show. Big Show won with the bodyslam, but then won by the other two methods by making Jericho submit and tossing him over the top rope.

Evan Bourne vs. Chris Jericho

Cole said a few weeks ago a star was "Bourne" Evan Bourne, when he teamed with John Cena to take on Edge and Sheamus. Michael Cole rattled off that last week on Monday night, WWE.com had more visitors than NBA.com, MLB.com and ABC.com.

Late in the match, Bourne escaped from Walls of Jericho, then went for a unique cover with Jericho kicking out. Jericho hit Codebreaker, then took the pin with Evan Bourne kicking out of it. Jericho was shocked and started beating on Bourne near the ropes. Jericho kept attacking despite the ref warning him. Jericho threatened to punch the ref, so the ref said to ring the bell.

Jericho went back over at Bourne who was on the apron. Bourne got a high kick to Jericho's head to knock him down, then climbed up to the corner and hit Air Bourne.

Winner: Evan Bourne wins due to disqualification of Chris Jericho.

---

John Cena made his way down to the ring for a speech, making his return after last week's attack from the NXT guys. They replayed Bret Hart firing Barrett and the other NXT guys earlier. Cena thanked Bret Hart for what he did earlier. He talked about being used to being a target in the WWE, because nobody wears a bigger target. He said there plan was almost brilliant, but their genius was blinded by ignorance. John Cena said he won't press charges against the NXT guys but wants to finish this with each and every one of them.

Just then, the NXT guys came down through the crowd. Cena got ready for a fight. He was soon joined by other guys from the Raw locker room: Regal, Santino, Mark Henry, Edge, Sheamus, Orton, Evan Bourne and R-Truth all came down to aid Cena. They gave the NXT a beatdown in the ring and drove them off into the crowd. The NXT guys were shown running out of the arena as Raw went to commercials.

Sheamus was walking backstage when Josh Matthews caught up to him. Josh asked why he just came out to help John Cena. Sheamus said he's not going to let a bunch of NXT guys ruin his WWE Championship match at Fatal 4Way. He said if anyone's going to take out Cena, it's him.

WWE Rewind showed the Viewer's Choice match for the Divas. It was overwhelmingly a divas battle royal. It came down to Eve, Jillian and Maryse. Maryse and Jillian worked on Eve and eliminated her. Jillian held up Maryse's arm, but got kicked in the gut and tossed out of the ring.

Eve Torres & Gail Kim vs. Maryse &

They announced another Fatal 4Way match with Eve defending the Divas title against Gail, Alicia Fox and Maryse at the PPV this Sunday.

Late in the match, Maryse and Alicia worked the doubleteam on Eve. Eve dodged a kick from Alicia, causing Fox to kick Maryse off the apron. With Maryse taken out, Eve hit a neckbreaker on Alicia for the pinfall win. Maryse held her chin outside the ring. Gail Kim picked up the Divas title, eyed it, then handed it to Eve.

Winners: Gail Kim & Eve win via pinfall over Maryse & Alicia Fox.

Cole and Lawler started talking up the Fatal 4Way, saying another match has been added with The Miz required to defend the US Title against R-Truth on Sunday.

Lawler said they also changed the main event to a tag match, with Cena and Orton teaming up to face Sheamus and Edge.

They showed host Mark Feurestein backstage doing a chest bump with Big Show.

---

ark Feurestein & Big Show vs. Ted Dibiase & Virgil

Cole reminded fans Big Show will be part of the Fatal 4Way match for the World Title with Jack Swagger, CM Punk and Rey Mysterio. Show got on the mic in the ring and introduced the guest host for Raw and his tag partner, Mark Feuerestein.

Dibiase tried his best against Big Show but at one point tagged in Virgil. Virgil didn't want any part of Show and got down off the apron. Big Show grabbed Virgil by the head and pulled him up onto the apron then tossed him into the ring. Virgil was able to roll to the outside, but Feuerstein rushed over and grabbed him then threw Virgil back in for Show Show gave Virgil a chest chop in the corner, then chokeslammed him down. Show pointed to Feuerstein then tagged him in. He did "The Worm" then an elbow drop which didn't really connect, but Virgil was still out for the pin.

Show and Feuerstein left the ring. Dibiase got in and looked down at Virgil who was flat on his back on the mat. He picked up his belt and prepared to leave, then turned back. He put a bill in Virgil's mouth a la his dad's old move. Dibiase then turned back again, went over and took the money before leaving.

Winners: Mark Feuerstein & The Big Show win via pinfall over Ted Dibiase & Virgil.

---

Santino Marella vs. William Regal
Special guest referee Vladimir Kozlov

Kozlov officiated the match between Santino and Regal, with Regal getting the upperhand early on. Regal went for what looked like a backdrop, but Santino turned it into a Sunset Flip pinfall. It appeared Santino had a handful of tights so Regal kept arguing with Vladimir after the decision. Santino celebrated outside the ring.

Winner: Santino Marella wins via pinfall over William Regal.

Bret Hart arrived out to the top of the stage. He told Regal, Kozlov and Santino to all come stand up on stage with him. Hart said he's not going to let history repeat itself, so he had every member of the Raw roster come out to the staged for the main event. Hart Dynasty, The Usos, Morrison, Dibiase, Khali, Henry and others all lined up at the top of the ramp.

---

A WWE Did You Know? fact came up when Raw returned stating that last Monday for Viewer's Choice Night the website WWE.com had more visits than: MLB.com, NFL.com, MTV.com, Apple.com, NBA.com and Disney.com.

The members of the Raw roster were up on stage for the main event. Edge arrived out first and nodded to Mark Henry and Great Khali then made his way to the ring. Next out was Sheamus, followed by Randy Orton and finally the champ, John Cena. Cena came onto the stage, then turned around to salute the Raw roster members for being there.

Randy Orton & John Cena vs. Edge & Sheamus

Early in the match, Orton gained momentum after a backbreaker on Edge. He went for the RKO, but Edge shoved Orton away then scurried out of the ring as Raw went to commercial.

After break, things went haywire. Orton managed to make a hot tag to Cena, who came in and started to go wild in the ring. Cole called it "vintage John Cena". Suddenly, the arena lights went dark. The cameras cut backstage where the NXT guys had returned to the arena. They started throwing around and knocking over equipment backstage, destroying the place.

Somehow they had Bret Hart and dragged him down the hall. Two of the NXT guys loaded him into the back of a waiting limosine, then told it to take off. The limo started going in reverse to back up, screeching its tires. It hit another car on the way out, then kept driving around and crashing into other cars in the parking garage. Barrett opened the door and they pulled Hart out. He told Bret his brains rattled now, they want an answer by Sunday. They left him propped up against the car they backed up into.

Winners: No contest, match never ended due to NXT invasion backstage.

---

Raw's Buzz kill, Bryan vs Cole & Over the Limit

It's been an interesting week with a lot going on in WWE. I'll start with the recent episode of Monday Night Raw hosted by Buzz Aldrin. While he deserves much respect for his accomplishments in space exploration and NASA, his Raw hosting job was lacking oxygen. The unfortunate thing was he added basically nothing to the show, and it was very obvious WWE was thinking they'd get a publicity moment out of his moonwalking in the ring. Didn't work so well. Buzz had trouble with his lines several times, couldn't really get the WWE Universe too excited, and even got drowned out when trying to introduce Gail Kim and Evan Bourne. It's almost like Mr. McMahon was calling the people in the truck and screaming at them - "Enough already! start Bourne's music I can't take any more of this!!" Kind of like the silly ads WWE ran trying to mock GEICO and other commercials. At least it once again gave something for Santino, Hornswoggle and Great Khali to do on Raw.

So who will take over as the Raw GM next week? That's going to be an interesting move. It could be a former wrestler, could be Linda McMahon to promote herself a bit for her Senate aspirations. Could be Vince McMahon returning to form, or maybe good ol' Stone Cold Steve Austin. And what about The Rock? He was supposed to host at one point but never came around. Would be great to see him in the GM position, but that's extremely wishful thinking.

Aside from some bad skits and Buzz Aldrin's issues, Raw was textbook in its approach to promoting the upcoming PPV. Nobody really lost who is heading into a big PPV match, they either were part of interferences or won against guys who won't be competing at OTL. Batista interfered in Cena's match against Sheamus, so Sheamus still hasn't really been defeated by Cena. Orton got attacked by Edge while fighting Jack Swagger, so Swagger didn't lose cleanly heading into his World Title match. The Undertaker part was interesting. He keeps lingering around for bits here or there, but hasn't appeared on Smackdown since WM26, only Raw. Strange.

We also have learned of a few new matches added to the OTL card, with Eve defending the Divas title in her first ever PPV appearance against Maryse. Also, R-Truth will battle Ted Dibiase. In a nice surprise, Dibiase has aligned himself with the original Virgil who accompanied his dad to the ring. Pretty cool to see him back again, and will be interesting to see how it plays out. I see someone else stepping in and eventually taking Virgil's job away. Maybe the currently injured Ezekiel Jackson?

Another problem with Raw, Bret Hart shouldn't be winning the US Title. I sort of get the reasoning behind it. Give him a big title win in Canada, after he had been screwed out of a title in Montreal years ago. That makes sense, but the way he won it was not really by his own wrestling, it was due to the assistance of The Hart Dynasty. Sure it builds up their feud and upcoming match against Jericho/Miz but it weaknes the US Title and Miz's title reign. Will they be retiring the US title after that, or holding a tournament to determine the champ after Bret retires? Maybe Hitman will just retire with the belt and it will no longer be contested. If that's the case, why have 2 womens titles?

Gotta admit the best event of the week so far has been seeing the Daniel Bryan and Michael Cole altercation on WWE NXT Tuesday night. Striker had both Bryan and Michael Tarver in the ring to discuss their recent eliminations by WWE management last week. Both guys said it was strange that management eliminated them, not a Pros poll. After a big rant, even calling out The Miz, Bryan turned his attention on Michael Cole, saying he's the only guy who won't admit he's got talent. Bryan ended up attacking Cole outside the ring, slapping off his headset and knocking Cole to the ground for a few kicks. It resulted in refs pulling Bryan away and Cole very heated afterwords. He said he was planning to press charges. Will be very interesting to see if that incident somehow gets Bryan back into the WWE because he showed the intensity and "IT" factor or fire that a superstar needs. Cole will not be happy if that's the case, but that certainly made for some good WWE TV. (In case you're wondering, Darren Young was the latest NXT rookie to go)

Coming up this week, we're still leading up to the Over the Limit PPV on Sunday in Detroit, MI. Thursday's Superstars has yet to announce matches on the WWE.com site. Smackdown will feature Big Show in action against Intercontinental Champ Drew McIntyre. Expecting Matt Hardy to get involved somehow, or Show to win that one heading into OTL. Drew McIntyre will also be in action at OTL as he defends the IC title against Kofi Kingston. Enjoy the close of the week and keep an eye out for my upcoming Over the Limit predictions!

Raw Preview 05.16.10

Tonight's Raw will be a special "commercial free" episode hosted by NASA's own, Buzz Aldrin. The Raw superstars will be looking to shoot for the moon as they head towards Sunday's Over the Limit Pay-Per-View. In particular, John Cena and Batista will look to prepare for their I Quit match at the event. On last week's show, Batista gave Cena a possible preview of what may happen to him at the PPV. In a match against Mark Henry, Batista punished the World's Strongest Man, using a steel chair on him, then locking a submission hold on. Henry was left passed out in the ring, leaving Cena to wonder if the I Quit match was the best idea. However, the champ has vowed that he will never quit. What will be next for these two superstars as they prepare for Sunday's match?

On tonight's show, there will also be a match for the United States Championship. Current champion, The Miz, lost to Tyson Kidd last week, meaning Miz would have to choose a member of the Hart Dynasty to defend against. Mockingly, Miz chose to fight the legendary Bret "The Hitman" Hart on tonight's Raw. Hart's last match was against Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania 26, but he's shown during his famed career that he is titleworthy. Will The Miz be able to continue to brag following this contest, or will the Hall of Famer win yet another title for his already impressive resume?

And finally, tensions between The Viper and the Rated-R Superstar continue to build as their OTL match approaches. On last week's show, Vickie Guerrero announced she was the new GM of Raw, and ordered Orton to face Edge and Ted Dibiase in a 2-on-1 handicap match. Edge invited Vickie to ringside to watch him destroy Orton, but unfortunately things didn't go as planned. The Viper overcame the 2-on-1 attacks and managed to pin Dibiase for the victory. After the match, Orton stared down Vickie causing her to scream out that she resigned. From there, Edge who had been passed out on the floor, attempted to attack from behind, only to be hit with another RKO. It seems Orton has Edge's number, but will Edge finally get the upperhand tonight?

Check out tonight's commercial free Raw starting at 9PM EST on USA!

Superstars Recap 06.25.09

On the 6/25/09 episode of WWE Superstars a Triple Threat United States Championship match headlined the show as Kofi Kingston defended his title against MVP and Matt Hardy. In the opening match, Jack Swagger and Evan Bourne of the ECW faced off.

Evan Bourne vs. Jack Swagger

Swagger looked to prepare himself for this Sunday's Championship Scramble, but he had high-flyer Evan Bourne tonight. Late in the match, Swagger had control after throwing Bourne halfway across the ring with an overhead suplex. Swagger went for the Gutwrench Powerbomb with Bourne able to counter it, using a headscissors from mid-air. Bourne tried to follow it with his Shooting Starpress but Swagger moved away. Swagger got up and clotheslined Bourne down hard to the mat, then finished with the Gutwrench Powerbomb to win it.

Winner: Jack Swagger wins via pinfall over Evan Bourne.

Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Dolph Ziggler

Ziggler cut a promo on the mic prior to the match talking about his "perfection" and how he left divas on Smackdown speechless. Ziggler also promised to defeat the Great Khali on Sunday at The Bash. Early on Ziggler worked to keep Yang down to the mat in a headlock. Yang made a comeback in the match, and was able to hit Ziggler with a roundhouse kick. Eventually, Yang went to the corner for a high-risk maneuver, bu Ziggler knocked him down, then got his finisher a "leaping reverse DDT" to win it.

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

MVP vs. Matt Hardy vs. Kofi Kingston
Triple Threat US Championship Match

Early on in this one, Kofi and MVP traded shots on MVP, then double-suplexed him down. The two started to discuss tossing Hardy out of the ring so they could fight, but Hardy was up to shove them into each other. The action became more intense as the match moved towards its conclusion. Kofi ran into a big boot from MVP in the corner, but then Matt Hardy hit the Twist of Fate on MVP. MVP kicked out barely before 3, Hardy went for a Twist of Fate on Kofi, but Kofi blocked it and hit Trouble in Paradise to win it.

Winner: Kofi Kingston wins via pinfall over Matt Hardy to retain the United States Championship.

The Next Champions for WWE?

We're a month removed from Wrestlemania 25, and a week or so past Backlash which produced 3 new champions in Edge, Randy Orton and Christian. Now that each of the major rosters has its next major champion, let's look at what may happen next with the rest of the titles within the ranks of the WWE. Below are discussions of the Intercontinental, United States, Divas, Womens and Unified Tag Championships, as well as who may be the next superstars to win the titles.

Intercontinental Championship
Current Champ: Rey Mysterio
Likely Successor: Chris Jericho
Other Contenders: John Morrison, Dolph Ziggler, Umaga

Just based on the recent Fatal Fourway matchup, it looks like Jericho may enter a feud with Mysterio to once again capture the IC title. John Morrison is also a former IC title holder, as is Umaga who seemed to be squashing Jeff Hardy quite a bit when he had the belt. Dolph Ziggler would be a new look champion and establish this guy's credibility, but at the same time it would further make the belt look like anyone and everyone has won it. I'm excluding CM Punk and Jeff Hardy here since they seem to be amongst the major title contenders. Kane just seems to be out of luck when it comes to WWE gold.

United States Championship
Current Champ: MVP
Likely Successor: Matt Hardy
Other Contenders: Big Show, The Miz, The Brian Kendrick

Matt Hardy's latest heel gimmick involved him using his arm (in a cast) to smash down across the back of Goldust's neck, and then collect a pinfall victory. This came after Matt whined about his Backlash loss to Jeff in an I Quit match. It seems like maybe Matt and MVP will renew their old rivalry, this time with Matt on the heel side and MVP the face. Matt would find a way to cheat and regain the US title yet again. The other contenders could just as easily be seen wearing the belt as well, based on their recent transfer to Raw. If The Miz gets the big push he may get, the US title may be a nice addition to his resume.

WWE Divas Championship
Current Champ: Maryse
Likely Successor: Kelly Kelly
Other Contenders: Beth Phoenix, Mickie James

Unless WWE is planning a major comedic moment where Santina Marella wins the title from Maryse, Kelly Kelly seems deserving of a title. She had been showing major improvement in the ring for some time, and just recently has seemed to be taken out of the spotlight. It'd make for a great battle of the blond divas as well. Beth Phoenix and Rosa Mendes are bound to enter in a feud at some point, so one of them may turn face and become the fan favorite taking on Maryse. Mickie James is the veteran diva favorite, and I wouldn't count Candice Michelle out either.

WWE Womens Championship
Current Champ: Melina
Likely Successor: Michelle McCool
Other Contenders: Alicia Fox, Gail Kim?

There seems to be slim pickings on Smackdown for contenders, but maybe that makes Alicia Fox an even stronger possibility. The fact she seemed to be a face valet/wrestler on ECW, but then recently teamed with McCool on Smackdown makes her an interesting possibility. Michelle has always been the strongest of the divas on Smackdown, so she makes the most logical choice to defeat Melina. Alicia Fox has looked good in the ring in various contests, while Gail Kim's a true question mark with how she hasn't been pushed a lot since here return to WWE. There's also Maria to consider, while Eve and Layla are busy dancing rather than wrestling.

Unified Tag Team Championship
Current Champs: Carlito & Primo Colon
Likely Succesors: Rhodes & Dibiase
Other Contenders: The Brian Kendrick & The Miz?

This one seems to be the no brainer of the list and may be the first of these titles we see change over. It seems like everything will align for Legacy, with Orton in command of the WWE title, and his understudies, Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase taking over the tag team belts. Recently, Dibiase defeated Carlito in a singles match on Smackdown, showing that the title match is inevitable. This may even go down at Backlash and be the only title we see change hands. There's not many other tag teams to choose from on Raw, unless we see The Miz & Brian Kendrick team up, or some other tag team thrown together like a Batista-Cena combo again.

Feel free to share your thoughts, comments and opinions on the next champions for the titles mentioned above.

Poll: Best 2009 WWE Draft Move

We're now one week past the 2009 WWE Draft and almost a week past the supplemental draft which sent all sorts of wrestlers to new rosters in WWE. Notably, the WWE Champion Triple H was drafted to Raw, giving the show two major title holders, since John Cena has the World Heavyweight title on Raw as well. The WWE Womens Champion Melina moved to Smackdown, basically trading places as the Divas champion Maryse was drafted to Raw. United States Champion MVP and Intercontinental Title holder Rey Mysterio also swapped shows. Top heels Chris Jericho and Kane moved over to Smackdown giving that show even more star power. In the latest poll below you'll find many of these draft moves listed. Vote for which draft move you think was the best move in 2009!

Which of these 2009 WWE draft moves was best?
	Triple H to Raw
	Jericho to SD
	Mysterio to SD
	CM Punk to SD
	Matt Hardy to Raw
	MVP to Raw
	Melina to SD
	Maryse to Raw
	Kane to SD
	Other None of Above
pollcode.com free polls

Smackdown Preview 04.03.09

Tonight's Smackdown arrives just two days ahead of the biggest WWE Pay-Per-View of the year, Wrestlemania 25! One Smackdown superstar looking to prepare himself for the big event is Jeff Hardy. For weeks Jeff had refused to fight his brother Matt in the ring, despite Matt constantly challenging and provoking him. Matt did all but claim responsibility for the series of accidents that befell Jeff in the prior months, including a hotel room attack before Survivor Series, a pyrotechnics backfire, and a hit and run car accident. All of these incidents caused Jeff some bodily harm but nothing equaled the psychological damage suffered by Matt's actions. Jeff finally agreed to a match and that match will be an Extreme Rules match at Wrestlemania 25. But Jeff will have a major test just a few days ahead of that match as he faces the huge Ezekiel Jackson in the ring on Smackdown. Will Jeff be able to achieve a win prior to Wrestlemania, or will the bigger Ezekiel crush him, leaving Jeff with less fight in him for the Pay-Per-View?

Just several weeks ago, Montell Vontavius Porter was able to reclaim the United States Championship with a clean victory over Shelton Benjamin. Benjamin had worn the title for quite some time but had been badmouthing MVP for weeks. Shelton reminded MVP of his terrible losing streak and kept taunting the superstar as he was the wearer of the US title. MVP kicked off a new winning streak and eventually managed to win back his prized possession. These two men are looking to head into Sunday's Money in the Bank Ladder match at Wrestlemania with hopes of capturing the briefcase high above the ring. If one of them grabs it, they'll get themselves a future title shot, anytime, anyplace. Before that, MVP will put his US Championship back on the line as Shelton Benjamin gets his rematch. Will Shelton be able to reclaim the gold as they head into Mania? Or will MVP successfully defend and head to Wrestlemania with a bigger ego and winning streak?

Last week's Smackdown also saw the surprise return of WWE Diva Gail Kim. Gail who had been a member of TNA after leaving WWE has finally returned to do battle with her fellow divas on Smackdown. During the last show, Gail rushed to the ring during a match between Michelle McCool and Maryse for the Divas Championship. Gail's interference caused a DQ win for Maryse who retained the title. Her attack left both Maryse and Michelle McCool sour though. Will these divas seek some sort of revenge on Gail Kim?

Catch Smackdown tonight at 8 PM EST on MyNetworkTV, and Wrestlemania 25 this Sunday at 7PM EST on Pay-Per-View!

Reversal of Fortunes: MVP & Kozlov

Looking back just a few months ago, Smackdown superstars Montell Vontavius Porter and Vladimir Kozlov were on opposite tracks in terms of records. Kozlov continued to build momentum with victory after victory, as the Moscow Mauler was undefeated in singles competition, a feat not accomplished quite so much in WWE these days. On the other hand, MVP was on a terrible losing streak, losing contract money as he couldn't manage to gain a victory no matter how hard he tried. What a difference a few weeks make, or a change in the storyline by WWE makes. One guy is now a 2 time United States Champion headed to Wrestlemania, while the other, as of right now, will be watching the Pay-Per-View from the sidelines.

Friday's 500th edition of Smackdown tells the reversal of fortunes best. Vladimir Kozlov went up against Triple H in the opening bout, as The Game was able to Pedigree his opponent for the convincing win. The problem with this is that WWE spent a good amount of time building up Kozlov's credibility just to make him a Wrestlemania 25 prep opponent. WWE could continue to build Kozlov by having Orton interfere with Legacy to attack Triple H at the Smackdown match. Instead, Kozlov gets manhandled, not that Triple H is a slouch, and now Kozlov appears to be just a big lug who other wrestlers get the easy victory over. In the two prior weeks he lost to two other Wrestlemania 25-bound competitors in Shawn Michaels and Undertaker. It reminds me of a match some time ago where the Undertaker was made to look weak as well on Saturday Night Main Event. This came after Undertaker had this mystique about him which made him look invincible, then gets into this one match and is knocked around the ring like a klutz. Tally things up for the Moscow Maulder, and Kozlov has 3 consecutive losses after an impressive singles record which saw him involved in the WWE title picture as well as in a fight against ECW Champion Matt Hardy. You've got to question what the WWE is doing with this talented superstar, or whether Kozlov somehow got himself in the doghouse with Vince McMahon. He's not exactly the best on the mic in terms of promos, but his story just seems strange right about now.

MVP on the other hand, was in a very interesting storyline that WWE had with him losing match after match. It made sense as he's been built up as the cocky, arrogant sports star demanding big money from the WWE for his talent. It's reminiscent of NFL stars like Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson, or younger Randy Moss. MVP finally flipped things around and started back on a win streak several weeks ago, and began his feud with US Champion Shelton Benjamin. At one time, MVP was the longtime US Champ, holding that title for nearly a year. That year-long reign was of course ended by Matt Hardy, who then held the belt several months before Shelton Benjamin gained the title. On the special 500th edition of Smackdown, MVP was able to get the best of Shelton as he hit the Playmaker to recapture the title. It's a fitting win for a guy who has seen his ups and downs as a top heel, who still has some work to do to gain the fans approval. It will be interesting to see what goes down in the MITB match with both Shelton and MVP competing, but as of right now it appears they may be least likely to win it.

In defense of MVP as new US Champion, some may say that the United States title is meaningless, but which title means much these days? If you compare each of the singles titles, the US title seems to be the one held for the longest reigns recently, when you look at Shelton and MVP's runs as champ. Other individual titles seem to be traded amongst wrestlers between PPV's, forfeits, and Money in the Bank cash-ins. If anything the US Champions seem to have a consistency which adds to that title's value. That said, JBL and Mysterio might have been better off in the MITB match with MVP vs. Shelton for the US Title on the WM25 card, but WWE needs to spread its various brands across the event.

Back to the "Moscow Mishap", Kozlov just may be headed to ECW next with the upcoming 2009 WWE draft. He's definitely a top notch powerful heel, and if Christian or Tommy Dreamer gains the ECW title, they'll need someone besides Mark Henry to contend for the title. Kozlov makes the best sense as guys like Mike Knox, Snitsky and the aforementioned Mark Henry all have provided bigger wrestler foes for smaller, quicker champs to defend against or fight with. With that said, the ECW title wouldn't be so bad on a powerful, dominant heel like Kozlov either.