On this day in history in ....
1977 - Seji Sakaguchi & Strong Kobayashi defeat Tiger Jeet Singh & Umanosuke Ueda for the NWF North American Tag Team Title in Fukuoka, Japan. This begins the second run with the belts for Sakaguchi & Kobayashi.
1980 - Killer Karl Krupp & El Mongol defeat Ken Lucas & Ricky Morton to win the AWA Southern Tag Team Title in Memphis, Tennessee.
1983 - Satanico defeats Ringo Mendoza for the NWA World Light Heavyweight Title in Mexico City, Mexico.
1985 - The Cobra defeats Hiro Saito for the WWF World Junior Heavyweight Title in Osaka, Japan. This match starts The Cobra's second reign with the title, and he would ultimately vacate it when WWF and New Japan break off relations.
1986 - The Great American Bash tour pulled into the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. Here are the results from the show:
- Steve Regal defeated Sam Houston.
- Black Bart & Konga The Barbarian defeated Denny Brown & The Italian Stallion.
- Manny Fernandez defeated Baron Von Raschke in a Loaded Glove On A Pole match.
- Wahoo McDaniel defeated Jimmy Garvin in an Indian Strap match.
- Tully Blanchard pinned Ronnie Garvin in the fourth round of a Taped Fist match.
- The Rock N' Roll Express vs. Ole & Arn Anderson went to a 20-minute draw.
- Paul Jones defeated Jimmy Valiant in a Hair vs. Hair match, and Valiant had his head shaved bald.
- The Road Warriors & Baby Doll defeated The Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey & Bobby Eaton) & Jim Cornette in a steel cage match.
- Dusty Rhodes defeated Ric Flair to win the NWA World Heavyweight Title in a steel cage match. This would begin The American Dream's third, and final, NWA World Heavyweight Title reign.
1987 - Wendi Richter defeats Monster Ripper (Bertha Faye) for the WWC Women's Title in Trinidad. This would begin Richter's second run with the title.
1990 - The 27th edition of WWF's "Saturday Night's Main Event" aired on NBC, earning a 7.2 rating. The show featured the following matches, which were taped on July 16th in Omaha, Nebraska:
- WWF World Heavyweight Champion The Ultimate Warrior defeated Rick Rude via DQ.
- WWF Tag Team Champions Demolition defeated The Rockers when Ax pinned Shawn Michaels.
- WWF Intercontinental Champion Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig defeated Tito Santana.
- Texas Tornado Kerry Von Erich defeated Buddy Rose.
1992 - Destructores (Volcano & Tony Arce) defeat Misterioso & Volador for the Mexican National Tag Team Title for the third time in Monterrey, Mexico.
1994 - Silver King defeats Black Magic (Norman Smiley) for the CMLL World Heavyweight Title in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
1995 - Eddie Guerrero defeats Dean Malenko in Middletown, New York to win back the ECW World Television Title he had lost a week earlier in Florida. This show also saw the ECW debut of the Steiner Brothers, who defeated Vampire Warrior & Dudley Dudley. Additional results of the outdoor show, which was held in the rain following a tornado watch at the Orange County Fairgrounds, saw:
Jim Powers defeated Primo Carnera III (the future Big Guido)
Hack Myers pinned Val Puccio
2 Cold Scorpio defeated Mikey Whipwreck via TKO
ECW World Tag Team Champions Raven & Stevie Richards defeated the Pitbulls when Richards pinned Pitbull #1
Marty Jannetty fought Jim Neidhart to a double disqualification
Cactus Jack defeated ECW World Champion the Sandman via disqualification
The Public Enemy fought The Gangstas to a double countout
1995 - Smoky Mountain Wrestling ran Princeton, WV with the following results:
Boo Bradley defeated Killer Kyle
SMW Tag Team Champion the Dirty White Boy defeated Unabom
Robert Gibson & Boo Bradley defeated the Headbangers
Brad Armstrong defeated Buddy Landel
1997 - Alex Wright defeats Chris Jericho for the WCW Cruiserweight Title in Charleston, West Virginia.
2000 - Masao Inoue & Yoshinobu Kanemaru of Pro Wrestling Noah defeat Jado & Gedo for the WEW (FMW) Tag Team Title in Tokyo, Japan.
2000 - Extreme Championship Wrestling ran Dallas, Texas at the Bronco Bowl with the following results:
Chilly Willy defeated Redd Dogg (the future Rodney Mack)
Nova & Chris Chetti defeated E.Z. Money & Julio Dinero
Mikey Whipwreck & Yoshihiro Tajiri defeated The FBI, Little Guido & Tony Mamaluke
Danny Doring, Roadkill & Tommy Dreamer defeated Simon Diamond, Johnny Swinger & C.W. Anderson
ECW World champion Justin Credible defeated Kid Kash
The Baldies, Tony DeVito & Angel defeated Christian York & Joey Matthews
ECW World TV champion Rhino defeated Jerry Lynn
Rob Van Dam defeated Steve Corino
2002 - Dave Scherer broke the following: NWA TNA has terminated their contract with Jay Hassman after finding out that he was also working for Team Services, the company that markets WWE PPV events.
I have heard from a few sources that NWATNA officials found that Hassman had misled them about buyrates and about clearances on Dish and Cablevision, among other things. Sources have told me that NWATNA is in possession of emails from Hassman stating that he had confirmed the show would be airing on Dish and on Cablevision, and is also in possession of emails from Hassman that include inflated "extrapolated" projections related to buyrates on the first two programs.
I have heard from sources in both in TNA and WWE that Hassman withheld the fact that he was working for Team Services from Jeff and Jerry Jarrett and they found out about his connection with the WWE on July 10, when they met with an InDemand official in Nashville who explained that to them.
A lawsuit is expected to be filed by NWA TNA within the next few days.
2002 - WWE ran Columbia, SC. Patrick Sweeny:
Shelton Benjamin defeated one of the Island Boys.
Chris Nowinski defeated Goldust.
Trish Stratus and Linda Miles beat Molly Holly and Jackie Gayda.
David Flair beat Crash Holly.
Matt Hardy defeated Raven in a typical match from them.
Booker T beat Steven Richards.
Bradshaw beat Shawn Stasiak. Raven and Justin Credible ran in and they did the multiple hardcore champions finish and Bradshaw ended up with the belt after giving Stasiak the Clothesline from Hell.
RVD beat William Regal with the 5 star.
Undertaker and Ric Flair beat Brock Lesnar and the Big Show.
RVD and Ric Flair got the loudest pops of the night by far. And, the crowd popped huge for the spinarooni.
By far it was a decent show by all of the Raw guys.
2002 - WWE's Smackdown brand ran Little Rock, Arkansas. Troy Littledeer filed the following live report:
Sunday, July 28th 2002, the JVC TOWER OF POWER presented the WWE SMACKDOWN TOUR OF DEFIANCE at the Alltel Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas.
Sorry for any inaccuracies in the report, or if the report seems a rushed. I'm typing this report at 2:34 AM, cause it take about 3 hours, roughly, to get to Little Rock from where I live in Stilwell, Oklahoma. And then about another 3 hours to get home.
The card for the show had been updated at least twice this week on WWE.com. Most of the athletes scheduled to appear were still there. But there was the understandable exception of Chris Kanyon.
On that note I'd like to say "WHO BETTA THAN KANYON?!?"
Get well soon Chris Kanyon...
1st match
Mark Henry & The Hurricane vs. Batista & D-Von
This being the first match, it really got the crowd fired up. I think that the Hurricane must really be a super hero if he's able to withstand the clotheslines he took from Batista. The Hurricane went for a choke slam on Batista, who in return gave the Hurricane another clothesline. The Hurricane and Henry were the definite crowd favorites.
Winners: Mark Henry & The Hurricane
I don't know if there was anything wrong or if it was a work, but immediately following the match, Mark Henry looked a bit woozy. I didn't really know what was done to him, but there seemed to be concern on the faces of all those at the ring at the time. I hope it's turns out to be nothing to report on.
2nd Match Three-Way Elimination Cruiserweight Championship
Jamie Noble w/ Nidia vs. Chavo Guerrero vs. Billy Kidman
This was a really good match with the excitement you'd expect from a cruiserweight match. The match started off almost like a handicap match, pitting Kidman against both Noble and Guerrero. Then eventually everyone was against everyone. Nidia did a great job helping out Noble through out the match. In the end, Noble got the pin over Kidman while using the ropes for leverage.
Winner and still Cruiserweight Champion: Jamie Noble
3rd Match
Faarooq, Mike Awesome & Bull Buchanan vs. Billy, Chuck & Rico
This was a pretty good match, not the best, not the worst. It got off to a funny start with Chuck trapping Tony Chimmel in the corner of the ring and doing, well, let's not say what he was doing...
Winners: Faarooq, Awesome & Buchanan
4th Match
Rey Mysterio & Shannon Moore vs. Tajiri & Funaki
This match had some high flying spots that were quite a site to see in person. The crowd was definitely with Mysterio and Moore. Personally, I'm glad to see Mysterio back.
Winners: Rey Mysterio & Shannon Moore
5th match for the Tag Team Championship:
Christian & Lance Storm vs. Hardcore Holly & Jerry "The King" Lawler
Scheduled and advertised to be Holly's partner was the Big Valbowski; but RAW announcer Jerry "the King" Lawler was a welcomed substitute and he received quit an ovation.
The Anti-Americans got a lot of heat by trashing America and more specifically, ARKANSAS (Hey, I'm from Oklahoma so it
didn't bother me that much...apologies to everyone in Arkansas). Lawler & Holly got a bit retribution for the Arkansans in the ring. Once Christian and Storm got the courage up to step into it, that is. But The King & Holly lost the match due to Test interfering.
Winners and still Tag Team Champs: Lance Storm & Christian
Intermission: Chimmel announced that they were giving away a JVC TOWER of POWER, and when he read the winning ticket, I'm not sure if there was even anybody sitting in it. Yeah, it was that empty.
6th Match:
John Cena vs. Albert
The crowd wasn't as into this match as the others. Mainly because most weren't back from intermission yet. Those who were back were cheering for Albert, because I don't think they knew much about Cena. But by the end of the match most were rooting for the rookie sensation John Cena though. Cena was the female favorite from the moment he entered the arena; as there were tons of screams. Albert dominated most of the match. In the end Cena got the pin with a really quick roll up on Albert.
Winner: John Cena
7th Match
Edge vs. Chris Jericho
This was probably the best of the night. Jericho is excellent at getting Heat and Edge is just a total fan favorite. The Actual match was excellent. A notable spot was Jericho got tangled in the Ropes and Edge Speared him while he was trying to get free. But after a ref bump, Jericho came out of the ring to get a steel chair but missed when he took a shot at Edge. Edge then countered with a spear to get the pin
Winner: Edge
8th Match Bra & Panties:
Torrie Wilson vs. Dawn Marie
Well, well, well, what can you say? I mean, you can try to discuss the athleticism of the women involved, but I don't think that's what they wanted you to discuss after the match was over...you know? But both girls worked as hard as they could and deserve credit for that. There was a pretty funny spot where the girls rolled over the ref and he held on as they rolled around, enjoying every minute of it. But when they got up, his pants were unbuttoned. Torrie then pulled his pants down. But I really just don't know what to say...without making my wife mad!
Winner: Torrie Wilson...and the fans on hand at the Alltel Arena.
MAIN EVENT:
"Hollywood" Hulk Hogan vs. Kurt Angle
Hogan pretty much squashed Angle through out the first part of the match. Angle mounted a little come back until the Hulkster started Hulking up. Hogan got Angle with the Big Foot and then with the Leg Drop. But as Hogan went for the pin, Chris Jericho ran out and pulled the ref out of the ring to stop the count. Hogan took on Jericho and Angle for a bit before whipping Angle into Jericho, causing Jericho to fall to the floor. Then Hogan got a roll up on Angle.
Winner: "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan
Hogan then was double teamed by both Angle and Jericho until Edge came out to make the save. Both Edge and Hogan ran Angle and Jericho back to the locker room. Edge then joined Hogan in the traditional "Hulking Up" pose down for the crowd.
The crowd at the Alltel Arena was hot for the whole show, although the arena was probably barely a quarter full.
The Superstars were really pleasing when it came to the fans too. Most took the time to slap the hands or pose for pictures with Kids as they went down the isle back to the locker room. Jerry Lawler was one that was really accommodating. He took his time going back to the locker room, as he was almost everywhere shaking everyone's hands or slapping them.
Dean Malenko and Nidia were standing along the isle way during the Bra and Panties match. Dean watched the match almost candidly with one of the refs; as Nidia taped the match with a camcorder.
Although the Arena was no where near being Sold out. You couldn't be able to tell once Jimi Hendrix's "Voo Doo Child" started, because when Hogan entered the arena they crowd went nuts! The crowd was wild, alive & completely behind Hogan the whole match and during his "Hulking Up" before and after the match. They especially liked when Edge Hulked up with him. Hulkamania was definitely runnin' wild in Little Rock, that's for sure!
I was expecting, or hoping maybe, to see the "NEXT BIG THING" Brock Lesnar, considering he had changed brands. According to WWE.com; Lesnar is scheduled for the Smackdown show in Asheville, North Carolina on Monday night.
In all the show was really one of the best I've been to. And I've been to at least 30 or more live wrestling events. It was nice to see the Superstars take the time to acknowledge the fans, even if it was just for a bit. My wife; Kelli and I had with us my 6 year old cousin; AJ. AJ got the chance to see Edge, one of his favorites. But then after the match, Edge came over and slapped his hand too. So the excitement on his face was enough for me.
It's kind of disappointing to think that there was such a low turn out. But still, I'm a loyal WWE fan (or mark, you pick), and I still have a belief that business will pick up sooner or later.
This report was written by Troy Littledeer exclusively for 1wrestling.com. It cannot appear on any other website besides that of the author or 1wrestling.com without permission from either the author or 1wrestling.com. If this report is used at any other website, please credit the Troy Littledeer & www.SlobberKnocker.cjb.net and www.1Wrestling.com.
Barton Wayne Harrison sent this report
There was very poor attendance, almost 3/4 of Alltel Arena was empty
Mark Henry and The Hurricane defeated Batista and D-Von in the opening bout when the Hurricane pinned D-Von
Faarooq, Mike Awesome & Bull Buchanan defeated Billy, Chuck & Rico when Faarooq pinned Rico
Torrie Wilson defeated Dawn Marie in a Bra and Panties match (the ref got his pants taken off as well, hmmmm..)
Rey Mysterio & Shannon Moore defeated Tajiri & Funaki when Mysterio pinned Funaki
Jamie Noble w/ Nidia defeated Chavo Guerrero and Billy Kidman in a Triple Threat Match for the Cruiserweight Championship when Noble pinned Chavo
Christian and Lance storm defeated Hardcore Holly and Jerry Lawler in a tag team championship match after Test interfered with the big boot to Holly allowing Christian to get the pin
John Cena pinned Albert after about 15 minutes of squash time by Albert
Edge pinned Chris Jericho after Jericho hit himself with a chair
Hulk Hogan defeated Kurt Angle with a roll up after Jericho interfered. Edge came out and posed with Hogan for about 15 minutes afterward
Overall, a very entertaining show, but like I said, attendance was way down since the last time the WWE came to Little Rock.
The biggest pops of the night were Hogan and Edge and the biggest heat goes to D-Von and Christian.
2002 - WWE broadcast Heat. John Keane filed the following TV report:
Matches taped on 7/22 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Your Announcers are Jonathan Coachman and D’Lo Brown.
Show opens with footage from last Sundays Vengeance PPV. Shawn Michaels persuaded HHH to jump ship from Smackdown to Raw.
Pyros explode, Coach and D’Lo welcome us in-D’Lo seems in surprisingly good spirits despite his humiliation on last weeks Raw. We get to work…
1st Match: Matt Hardy vs. Steven Richards.
Usual big pop for Matt, good heat for Steven. Lockup, Matt forced to corner, ref calls for break, Matt blocks a cheap shot, scores punch to face. The 2 separate, circle, another lockup, Matt wrings the arm, whips Steven to corner. Steven springboards, Matt puts on brakes, gets in a shot to face as Steven turns to face him. Steven in corner, charges, Matt scores an armdrag takedown, whips Steven off ropes, misses with a clothesline, Steven off ropes again, Matt gets in a hiptoss, Steven down, crawls to ropes. Matt approaches, Steven tosses him through ropes and out of ring. Matt recovers quickly, ascends apron, blocks a forearm, scores a punch, then slams Steven’s head into a top turnbuckle for a 10-count. Matt goes up top, hits the moonsault, covers Steven for 2. Steven gets in a thumb to eye as Matt tries to bring him up, Steven at ropes, Matt charges, gets back body dropped over top to the floor outside (looked nasty). Steven joins him outside, quickly rolls Matt in, drops a pair of elbows, drags Matt up by hair, lays in forearm shots to back of neck. Steven sends Matt off ropes, gets in a knee to the small of the back, slams Matt to canvas, covers for 2. Steven sets Matt in corner, continues forearms to back of neck, Matt turns, the 2 exchange punches, Steven scores with a kneelift and a snapmare, applies a REALLY odd Figure-4 variation from behind (neither Coach or D’Lo knew the name, sorry), Matt forearms his way out. Steven slaps on a headlock on his seated opponent, Matt gets to feet, elbows out, scores belly-to-back suplex/elbow drop combination, Steven down for 2. Up, Steven sets for suplex, takes too long, Matt counters with a snap suplex, both men down. Up, Steven getting frustrated, whips Matt off ropes, gets clotheslined to canvas. Both men down and up quickly, Matt lays in series of forearms to face, whips Steven off ropes, scores back body drop, Steven up slowly, Matt scores with a neckbreaker, covers for 2. Up, Matt sets for Side Effect, Steven elbows out, goes for the superkick, Matt grabs the boot, scores the Side Effect, Steven down for 2. Matt brings Steven up, slams him to canvas, ascends 2nd turnbuckle, Steven up, scores shoulder to gut, tosses Matt to canvas. Steven to 2nd turnbuckle, goes to drop the leg, Matt gets a boot up, Steven takes it in face. Matt up, sets for Twist of Fate, Steven elbows him to corner, charges, Matt springboards, tries for sunset flip, Steven graps the ropes to counter, holds on as Matt is pinned to canvas, ref DOES NOT see it, counts the 1-2-3.
Winner: Steven Richards.
Backstage, Terri interviews Raven. Referencing his banishment from Raw a few weeks ago, Terri asks why he hasn’t tried to take advantage of the recent decision by Vince McMahon to allow wrestlers to change their roster affiliation to possibly sign with Smackdown and get back on weeknight TV. Raven points out that his recent lack of airtime has decreased his marketability. Besides, he feels it really doesn’t matter which roster he works, he’ll always end up getting held back due to perceptions of him being a ‘freak’. His new mission statement-make Heat a personal playground. He makes his exit and we take a break.
Extreme Blast of the Night: New Raw GM Eric Bischoff grudgingly allowed D’Lo and Shawn Stasiak a ‘3-minute match’ last week on Raw last week, warning both that if he was not entertained there’d be hell to pay. Match went on, Eric declared his dissatisfaction and had 2 huge guys come in from the crowd to lay a clubberin’ on D’Lo and Shawn.
D’Lo apparently has no clue as to the identity of the assailants.
(Commentary: They’re the Island Boys, recently of HWA.)
Back to work…
2nd Match: Raven vs. Crash Holly.
Mixed, generally negative response for Raven, small pop for Crash. Lockup, Crash forced to corner, ref calls for break, Raven does so clean. They circle, another lockup, Crash again to corner, ref calls for break, Raven quickly decides ‘no more Mr. Nice Guy’, gets in a knee to gut, series of forearms to face, Crash to canvas. Raven backs off under warning from ref, Crash up, Raven whips him off ropes, brings him up, Crash counters with hurricanrana, follows up with a clothesline that sends Raven over top and out of ring. Crash follows, rolls him in, Raven up in corner, Crash charges, Raven drops to mat, Crash rams his left knee into turnbuckle, looks to be hurt. Raven seizes the opportunity, scores a shoulder to back of bad knee, Crash crawls to ropes, Raven drops him to canvas with kick injured leg. Raven continues to work on the knee, drops a series of elbows, applies a leg lock, Crash kicks his way out. Crash to corner, Raven sets his bad leg on ropes, lays in kicks, forearm, attempts whip, Crash’s knee gives out, he falls to mat. Raven goes to bring him up, Crash gets in a small package out of nowhere, covers Raven for 2. Up, Raven scores a quick clothesline, Crash down for 2. Raven goes back to work on leg, applies spinning toe hold, Crash kicks him to corner, scores a rollup as Raven bounces back in, just gets 2. Raven getting frustrated, scores with a kneelift as Crash gets to feet, sends him down for another 2. Raven back to work on leg, scores a pair of kicks, backs off, taunts Crash into getting to feet, lays in more boots to leg as he does so. Raven goes off ropes, tries another kick, Crash catches the boot, whips Raven around, scores neckbreaker. Both men down and up, Raven charges, Crash connects with a back elbow, Raven again charges, Crash scores with a drop toe hold, sending Raven face first into ropes. Up, Crash gets in some forearms, Raven counters with a kneelift, tosses Crash into corner. Crash holds him off with elbows, Raven charges straight into a boot to face, goes down. Crash ascends top turnbuckle as Raven rises, flies, scores missile dropkick, Raven down for 2. Up, Crash elbows Raven to mat, goes for another rollup, just gets 2. Both men up, Raven scores boot to gut, sets for Raven effect, Crash counters with a clothesline, AGAIN just gets 2. Both up slowly, Crash tries his version of the Dudley Dog/Acid Drop, Raven tosses him over shoulder, Crash lands on feet in obvious pain, Raven scores boot to gut, Raven Effect, Crash down for the 1-2-3.
Winner: Raven.
Pretty good match, let’s take a break.
Back, we recap last weeks Raw. Show opened with Eric appointing Shawn Michaels as HHH’s manager. Shawn declared he had no problem managing his pal, but had a BIG problem being summarily assigned the role by Bischoff. After trading words with his new GM, Shawn made to split, and was only stopped when Hunter informed him they could make the situation into a positive. Later, the 2 teased a reformation of the legendary DX faction in the ring-quickly ended when The Game hit his best friend with a Pedigree. HHH then wordlessly left the arena.
Coach and D’Lo express their hope to get some clarification on the Michaels/HHH situation tomorrow night. Break.
Burn of the night: Last week on Raw, a ladder match was held to unify the Intercontinental and European titles. Rob Van Dam defeated Jeff Hardy to retain the IC title and send the Euro belt to retirement.
Back to the ring…
3rd Match: Goldust vs. Justin Credible.
BIG pop for the Bizarre One, loads of hate for the former ECW champ. Stalling to start, lockup, Goldust goes behind, grabs Justin’s boot, drops him to canvas. Up, the 2 circle, again lockup, Goldust slaps on a side headlock, Justin to ropes, shoots Goldust off opposite, Justin goes down to a shoulder. Goldust off ropes, over Justin, off again, Justin up, Goldust blocks a hiptoss, scores a pair of armdrag takedowns, Justin down and up quickly. Goldust sent to knees with hard shot to face, Justin pauses to bask in crowds hatred, Goldust to feet, clotheslines Justin down. Up, Goldust scores another armdrag, holds on, applies a wristlock, drops the knee on Justin's arm. Justin to feet as Goldust maintains hold, gets in a knee to gut, breaks hold, tries for whip, reversed, Justin off ropes, scores what Coach referred to as a ‘running sidewinding DDT’, Goldust down. Justin tosses him into turnbuckles, lays in boots, uppercut sends Goldust to knees. Justin taunts Goldust, scores boot to face, Goldust down. Justin applies an apparently illegal facial hold (out of camera view), ref calls for break. Goldust still on knees, Justin slaps on a rear chinlock, Goldust slowly to feet, elbows out, goes off ropes, ducks a clothesline, off again, Justin ducks a clothesline, scores superkick, Goldust down for 2. Goldust to knees, Justin lays in punches to face, Goldust counters with shots to gut, gets to feet, scores chops to face, tosses Justin toward corner, he ends up sliding on the mat to be crotched on the ringpost. Both men up at 5-count from ref (my man Nick Patrick by the way), Goldust connects with a chop, the 2 exchange punches, Justin goes off ropes, Goldust clotheslines him down. Up, Goldust whips Justin off ropes, scores inverted Atomic Drop, follows up with a forearm, Justin down and up at ropes. Goldust attempts another whip, reversed, Goldust off ropes, Justin sets for back body drop, Goldust drops to canvas, scores punch to face. Goldust to feet, scores headlock takeover, Justin down. Up, Goldust sets for Curtain Call, Justin punches his way out, Goldust ducks a clothesline, scores the Director’s Cut (AKA, um, powerslam…), Justin down for the 1-2-3.
Winner: Goldust.
Post-match, man in gold seems genuinely appreciative of the crowds cheers. Break.
Back for more recap. The aforementioned loosening up of the roster restrictions appears to have brought about a re-birth of talent raiding, as last week’s Raw ended with Brock Lesnar and his ‘agent’ Paul Heyman leaving the venue with Stephanie McMahon to join the Smackdown roster. Later that week on SD, Brock ran in on Kurt Angle’s match with Mark Henry and hit the big man with the F-5, costing Kurt a loss by disqualification. Later on Brock and an enraged Kurt squared off verbally, and still later Kurt was seen venting to ‘Eric’ on his celphone. End of show saw Bischoff driving off in a limo as Steph looked on, apparently with the newest star jumping to Raw. Turned out not to be Kurt, as he approached and informed the happily surprised Steph the ‘Eric’ he’d been talking to was his brother. Steph and he were left to wonder who was actually with Bischoff. Break.
Extremely Disgusting Moment of the Night: During a commercial hyping the MTV music awards, talentless idiot Jimmy Fallon grabs Natalie Portman’s butt. Sorry, I don’t usually go off topic, but this was just too much.
Straight back in for our Main Event…
4th Match; For the Hardcore Title: Johnny Stamboli vs. champ Bradshaw.
Pre-match, we see Johnny using the 24/7 rule to defeat Bradshaw for the HC title on Raw 2 weeks past, only to lose it back to him later in the show.
Big pop for Bradshaw, mild heat for Johnny. Lockup, Bradshaw forces Johnny to corner, attempts clean break for no good reason (HC rules, right?), Johnny gets in kick to gut, tosses Bradshaw face first into top turnbuckle. Bradshaw immediately fires off chops, slaps on a side headlock, Johnny breaks free, shoots Bradshaw off ropes, Johnny goes down to a shoulder charge. Bradshaw brings him up, applies top wristlock, Johnny rakes the eyes, breaks hold. Bradshaw doubled over, Johnny scores pair of kneelifts, goes off ropes, forearm to back sends Bradshaw down for 1. Up, Johnny gets in another forearm to back, snap suplex sends Bradshaw down again, this time for 2. Johnny scores punch to face, Bradshaw to corner, Johnny whips him to opposite, charges, Bradshaw sidesteps, Johnny into turnbuckles, Bradshaw goes off ropes, Clothesline from Hell sends Johnny to the outside. Bradshaw exits, tosses Johnny into ring steps. Johnny staggered, Bradshaw grabs top level of steps (funny, I thought they were one piece units), applies it forcefully to the side of Johnny’s head as I wonder who the hell this guy pissed off.
Johnny crawls outside as Hardcore (AKA plunder-filled) section of match begins. Bradshaw goes beneath the ring, grabs an oar, whacks Johnny with it as he tries to re-enter ring. Bradshaw gets bored with the oar, tosses it aside, lays Johnny out with a big boot to face. Bradshaw rolls Johnny in, then goes for more junk. To wit:
1. A personal flotation device, which he dons.
2. A kayak, that he pushes through the ropes, then uses as a see-saw under Johnny’s jaw, sending him down.
3. A garbage can containing another personal flotation device, thrown into the ring.
4. An old tire, thrown into the ring.
5. Empty garbage can and lid, thrown into the ring
6. Another old tire, rolled up the entry ramp.
OK, Bradshaw finally re-enters to level Johnny with the trash can lid. Quoth the Coach, “This is just getting ridiculous”. Amen. Whatever, Bradshaw sets the kayak between ropes in a corner, Johnny mounts a comeback, sends Bradshaw down with a trio of trash can shots, covers for 2. Johnny briefly applies choke, gets in a 3-count of mounted punches, tries another cover, just gets 2. Both up, Johnny gets in a trash can lid shot, follows up with a DDT on the lid, Bradshaw again down for 2. Johnny goes up top in kayak corner, Bradshaw pummels him with lid shots, stands on kayak, superplexes Johnny to canvas. Johnny slowly to feet, Bradshaw fetches his cowbell, brings it down on Johnny’s head to send him to canvas. Cowbell loses appeal, Bradshaw exchanges it for length of rope, binds Johnny’s ankles, brings him to feet, gets empty un-dented trash can, puts it on Johnny. Clothesline from Hell sends the aluminum-covered Johnny down, Bradshaw covers, gets the 1-2-3.
Winner and still Hardcore Champion: Bradshaw.
During the match, Coach and D’Lo eliminated some names from the list of those who could be jumping to Raw. Can’t be Edge, Rey Misterio, Chris Jericho, Test, Christian or Lance Storm, as they were all involved in an in-ring melee as Bischoff made his exit (no mention of John Cena, who was there also).
Coach and D’Lo hype tomorrow nights Raw to end the show.
Decent show this week, first 3 matches were fine, main event was…interesting, recap seemed a bit excessive. Positive response for Goldust was pretty wild-bet he’s got a nice Christmas gift planned for Booker T.
2004 - TNA broadcast their weekly Wednesday night PPV from Nashville, TN. Mike Johnson filed the following PPV report:
This week's NWA:TNA PPV opened up with one of the cameramen who worked for the promotion asking fans not to pirate the cable feed.
They aired a video package on recent events in TNA.
Mike Tenay welcome everyone to the PPV and ran down the lineup for tonight.
Team Canada's Bobby Rude & Petey Williams vs. America's Most Wanted
The match quickly broke down into a brawl with AMW cleaning house. Mike Tenay noted that they told him earlier today they were going to start showing a mean streak after the events of last week. Rude tossed James Storm over the top. As he tried to skin the cat and get back into the ring, Scott D'Amore slapped him with a strap. I thought that was Pat Kenney's deal? Team Canada doubleteamed Storm, getting several near falls. Williams came off the top with a sunset flip but Storm rolled through and dropkicked him. He tagged in Chris Harris, who cleaned house on both men. Harris held up Williams for a long time with a suplex. He went to spear Rude, but Rude got out of the way and Harris fell to the floor. D'Amore whipped him with the belt. Harris' shoulder had hit the steel when he went through the railing, so they began working over it. Rude hit a one-armed DDT, focusing the impact on Harris' shoulder. Team Canada continued to focus on the shoulder. They antagonized Storm so the referee was forced to admonish him as they worked over Harris. Williams went for the Canadian Destroyer flip piledriver but Harris was able to block it and slam him down. He tagged in Storm whi hit a tilt o whirl headscissors on Rude and powerslammed him. He worked over Rude and went for the pin, but Williams broke it. Storm hit an exiguiri on Williams. AMW hit the old Hart Attack finisher but Scott D'Amore distracted the referee. Rude was going for a powerbomb but Storm hit a superkick. Harris rolled through for a pin.
Scott D'Amore tried to whip them with the belt but AMW got the belt and worked him over. The rest of Team Canada hit the ring and brawled with AMW. They held down AMW as D'Amore lashed them. Christopher Daniels and Primetime made the save.
Your winners, America's Most Wanted!
Scott Hudson interviewed NWA champion Jeff Jarrett. Hudson asked him who was going to win the match between Jeff Hardy and Monty Brown later for a title shot. Jarrett said he didn't care who was going to win. Hudson questioned him, saying that if Jarrett put Hardy on the same level as Sting and Hulk Hogan last week, it stands to reason that Jarrett wants Brown to win. Jarrett said that Vince Russo and Dusty Rhodes are having personal issues and they better get their house in order before they worry about sending people after Jarrett.
Alex Shelley & Abyss vs. D-Ray 3000 & Shark Boy
The stipulation here is that if D-Ray and Shark Boy don't win, Goldilocks gets their contracts. I can think of nothing worse than having to listen to Goldi speak. D-Ray started off with Abyss but was unable to get any offense in. Abyss shot him into the air, where he came down crashing chestfirst in the center of the ring. D-Ray went for a sunset flip, but Abyss was too strong. Shark Boy came off the top with a bodypress but was caught by Abyss. He tossed Shark Boy back and he crashed onto his partner. Shark Boy hit a stunner-like move on Abyss. Abyss cut off Shark Boy and was going to go for a chokeslam but Goldilocks demanded he tagged in Shelley. He walked over to the ring, where Shelley tagged himself in. Abyss sat down on the ring apron in disgust. Shelley began strangling Shark Boy. Shelley charged in the corner with two knees on Shark Boy then hit a great tornado DDT out of the corner. Shark Boy came back with a sit down neckbreaker in a backslide position and tagged in D-Ray. Shelley tried to go for a tag as well but Abyss didn't care, but finally tagged in when Goldilocks admonished him. D-Ray tricked Abyss into charging into Shelley in the corner. D-Ray and Shark both tried to pin Abyss but he kicked out. Abyss tried to chokeslam both, but they stomped his feet. Abyss hit the black hole slam on D-Ray for the pin. Goldilocks now owns the contracts of Shark Boy and D-Ray 3000. She fawned over Shelley as they walked out.
Your winners, Alex Shelley and Abyss!
As Goldilocks left, she was attacked by Desire and they rolled down the ramp in a catfight. Sonny Siaki came out and everyone faced off as Mike Tenay wondered why that happened.
Scott Hudson interviewed David Young. Young said he didn't care that Glen Gilberti was getting to the building now. Young said he didn't care about Gilberti after last week. Young said that if he couldn't beat referee Mike Posey, he would get another job and never return to TNA. Gilberti showed up and said that they were all on the Gut Check List and needed to work together. Young didn't want to hear it but they all left together.
David Young vs. Mike Posey
Posey slapped Young and ran from the ring. Young began chasing him around the ring. Posey ran under the ring. Young tried to outsmart him and see if he was under another section, but Posey snuck up from behind and began whacking him with a broom. Gilberti (after missing the first time) pulled the broom away from Posey. Young began working over Posey with punches. Young powerslammed Posey but couldn't get the pin because Posey put his leg in the ropes. Posey tried to come off the top but Young ducked. Posey rolled out of the ring but was shoved back in by Gilberti. Young took down Posey and went for a moonsault but Posey evaded him. Posey pulled off his shirt and began flailing away with punches. He's absolutely Mikey Whipwreck in 1994. Posey got the broom and began hitting Young with it. The shots looked bad. Gilberti got the broom. Young charged Posey, who sidestepped him. Young almost ran into Gilberti but stopped short. Posey dropkicked him into Gilberti and rolled him up for the pin. Young is now 0-88. Posey jumped into the crowd to celebrate.
Your winner, Mike Posey!
Gilberti began blaming Young. Young finally snapped and beat down Gilberti. Johnny Swinger hit the ring and blindsided him. The NYC beat down Young with the broom. They shoved the Gutcheck list into Young's mouth.
Looks like Gilberti vs. Young soon!
Backstage, Scott Hudson interviewed Goldilocks, who was with Alex Shelley. She said Georgie Watts, Erik's wife put Desire up to the attack earlier. Goldilocks said that she was rich and she would put up her money to get Desire for putting her hands on her. Desire burst in and went after her. Sonny Siaki stopped her and said that their kids need the money. He accepted Goldilocks challenge. Goldilocks said that he would face Abyss next week and walked off.
They aired a video feature on the Sabu vs. Raven feud.
In the ring, Mike Tenay discussed the history between Sabu and Raven. He noted that Sabu accepted the challenge for a match next week on TNA's PPV. Tenay said that Sabu vowed this will be the only meeting against Raven and once he defeats Raven, the feud is over.
Tenay then introduced Raven. Raven came out through the crowd dressed like The Sheik with Sabu's name written on his body. He brought a trash can with him. Raven told Tenay to get out of the ring for antagonizing him. Raven said that he has been a God in the sport for 16 years and he has waiting that long to pummel Sabu into oblivion.
Raven said that the entire time, Sabu cited an oath to a stale, rotting corpse to mask his cowardice. Raven said that now that he has waited so long, Sabu wants the match on his terms? Raven said that he wasn't going to wait.
He said he was going to make sure Sabu faces him tonight. He said the head dress and robe was The Sheik's. He took them off and threw them into the can. He poured gas on them. Raven said that he knew Sabu didn't care about The Sheik so he had something else. He pulled a bodybag out from the ring. Inside was a bound and gagged Sonjay Dutt. He threw Dutt inside the trash can and poured the gas over him as well.
Raven said that Sabu had 10 seconds to get to the ring or else. At the count of 5, the lights went out and when they returned, Sabu was in the ring making the crucifix sign. They brawled. Sabu hit a springboard off a chair onto Raven on the floor. Security pulled them apart.
Scott Hudson interviewed NWA Tag Team champions The Naturals who boasted about how many times they defeated America's Most Wanted. They said that since AMW beat Triple X, that made The Naturals the best team in TNA.
Pat Kenney showed up with Trinity and cut a good promo, saying that Vito tried to send Trinity to do his dirty work but she failed. He said that he was challenging Vito to a Luck of the Irish Weapons match next week on PPV. I know Kenny worked for ECW, but I don't know they keep putting him in these matches.
Mike Tenay previewed the NWA Tag Team championship match
NWA Tag Team champions The Naturals vs. Christopher Daniels & Primetime
Primetime started off with Chase Stevens. They chopped each other and went back and forth with mat wrestling. Daniels tagged in. Triple X hit a doubleteam takeover on Stevens and Chris Daniels followed up with a kneedrop. The Naturals soon took over on Primetime. They choked him out with the tag rope. Andy Douglas dropped him into a backbreaker. Douglas hit a high knee as Primetime came off the ropes. Primetime was choked out over the ropes. Stevens hit a snap suplex for a two count. They continued to work him over. Primetime finally took Douglas down but was too fatigued to make a tag at first. Daniels tagged in and hit a running clothesline on Douglas. He slammed Stevens and hit the Best Moonsault Ever. Douglas broke up the pin. Primetime climbed the ropes and came off with a bodyblock as Daniels held Stevens up in a suplex position. Douglas pulled the referee so he couldn't make the count. Primetime hit a springboard into a dive on Stevens on the floor. Daniels went for Angel's Wings but Scott D'Amore distracted him. Naturals hit Natural Disaster for the pin. Team Canada swarmed the ring and beat down Triple X. America's Most Wanted to make the save.
James Storm said that Scott D'Amore's days were numbers and they were going to get their titles back. He said that AMW was the best. Primetime said that every week, they claim to be the best tag team in TNA, but Triple X beat them 4-1. He said even The Naturals have them 2-1. Primetime said that if they were so bad, prove it, but Daniels tried to calm him down.
Your winners, The Naturals!
Backstage Monty Brown was interviewed by Scott Hudson. Hudson brought up Jeff Jarrett's comments from earlier and Brown said that Jarrett wanted Hardy to win so he could keep his distance running from Brown. He said that Jeff Hardy should have stayed in North Carolina with his motorbike. Brown went off on everyone, saying that he was the future champion. Ron Killings showed up and said he was tired of Brown bringing up his name. Brown said he was tired of Killings showing up during his interviewed. They brawled as security pulled them apart. Is every interview going to have someone interject themselves tonight?
They aired a video packed on Jeff Hardy vs. Monty Brown.
Jeff Hardy vs. Monty Brown
Hardy got a lot of screaming girls reacting to his entrance. Hardy was dressed in his traditional look, with his face painted. We'll have to see how Monty Brown does in the biggest match of his career. The crowd chanted for Hardy. They locked up but Brown shoved him off. Hardy got shoved off again, this time hitting the turnbuckles. Hardy went for a go behind but Brown reversed it. Hardy blocked a back suplex. Hardy pulled Brown to the mat and he rolled out of the ring. Hardy pulled off his shirt. They got in each other's face. Hardy hit his trademark double legdrop low. Hardy hit a DDT on Brown. Brown hit a double underhook butterfly suplex. Hardy tried to go blow for blow with Brown but was overpowered. Brown forearmed Hardy and hit a back suplex. Brown cinched in an armbar, wrapping his leg over the other arm to neutralize Hardy and prevent him from escaping. Hardy struggled to make it to the ropes. Brown turned it into an STF. Brown set him for a powerbomb but Hardy turned it into a hurrancanrana. Hardy hit a bodypress off the ropes for a two count. Hardy ducked a clothesline but was caught trying a bodypress. He went for an Alphabomb and Hardy went for another hurrancanrana but both crashed to the mat. Brown began nailing Hardy with kicks and motioned for the Pounce. Hardy stopped it and hit the Twist of Fate, although Mike Tenay didn't note that. Hardy went to the top for the swanton but Jeff Jarrett shoved him off. Monty Brown got in Jarrett's face and shoved him away. Brown went for the Pounce but missed. Hardy rolled him up and ended up scoring the pin, so he's the new number one contender. Jarrett got in his face and they brawled. Hardy got Jarrett's guitar, but as he swung it, Brown hit the Pounce. Jarrett pulled Brown off Hardy to attack him. 3 Live Kru hit the ring and saved Hardy.
Your winner, Jeff Hardy!
Dusty Rhodes made his way to the ring. He called Jeff Hardy the next NWA champion. Vince Russo came to the ring and had words with Rhodes. Rhodes began screaming at him while Russo tried to calm him. Tenay and Don West wondered what the situation was.
Scott Hudson interviewed Kazarian and Michael Shane, who now have matching sequined outfits. Hudson said that the best case scenario is that one of them is going down. Shane said that Kazarian stands with him and that the X-Division was theirs, not AJ Styles' and they will prove that tonight.
Don West earned his paycheck with the hard sell on the TNA DVDs, PPVs, and more.
Scott Hudson tried to interview Vince Russo. Dusty stormed in and said he went to North Carolina and he gave Jeff Hardy his word. Russo tried to calm him. Dusty didn't want to hear it and said that he doesn't know what goes on in New York City but in Texas, his word means everything. It was a great promo. He shoved the camera away and followed Russo off as they bickered.
They aired a video piece on the Ultimate X match.
Mike Tenay, before previewing the match, apologized on behalf of TNA and Dusty Rhodes for Rhodes' language.
NWA:TNA X-Division champion AJ Styles vs. Kazarian vs. Michael Shane - Ultimate X Match
Michael Shane is working with a fractured tailbone. OK, verdict's in - he's the man. They immediately went to work on Styles' knee. Shane was the first to go to the wires and try to make his way across. Kazarian hit a gutwretch suplex on Styles. Shane came off the ropes with a forearm on Styles, but he ducked and Kazarian got nailed. Kazarian and Shane had words. Tracy Brooks tried to calm them down. Styles came off the ropes and grabbed Kazarian with an inverted DDT. He hit Shane with a kick and grabbed him in a DDT, then dropped both at once. Styles whipped Kazarian into the ropes, sending him over the ropes to the floor. Styles hit a running flip dive on Kazarian to the floor. It was awesome. Styles began climbed up to the wires. Shane caught up to him but was rammed into the steel girders and sent into the ring. Styles began making his way across the cables but was taken down. Shane tried to come off the railing with a hurrancanrana, but Styles caught him with an attempted Styles Clash. When he couldn't lock it in, he slammed Shane into the guard rail and then the steel steps. Styles went to the wires but was knocked off. Kazarian nearly got the belt but Styles pulled him down. On their knees, Styles and Kazarian exchanged punches. Styles went for a dropkick but Kazarian held onto the ropes. They showed Michael Shane busted open on the floor. Styles went to the wires and began making his way across. Kazarian grabbed his legs and powerbombed him into the ring. Kazarian made his way across but Styles caught up to him and began nailing him with kicks. He maneuvers Kazarian into a Styles Clash like move off the wires into the ring. That was awesome. Shane made his way to the belt, but was pulled off and hit with a Styles Clash by AJ. AJ made his way across but Tracy jumped on him and pulled him down. Styles hit the Pele Kick on her. AJ almost made it to the belt but Kid Kash came out and hit him with a crutch in the knee. Kash and Dallas watched from the stage. Kazarian and Shane made their way across the wires and pulled the belt down at once. They announced Kazarian and Shane were both the winners and co-champions. LAME!!!! Nothing kills a great match like a horrible booking decision and this ranks right up there with Chyna and Chris Jericho as Co-Intercontinental champions. Actually this is worse, because TNA should know how bad the idea was the first time.
Your winners, Shane and Kazarian.
2006 - After being pulled from WWE action due to concerns about elevated enzymes in his liver during a WWE Wellness Policy test, Bobby Lashley is cleared to return to the ring. The test, which also caused problems for other WWE talents, is later thrown out as having been contaminated by the labratory that handled the testing.
2007 - TNA signed suspended Tennessee Titan cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones to a deal that would see the NFL star perform as a professional wrestler. The NFL would step in to prevent Jones from being truly physically involved, although he would have a run as TNA Tag Team champion and would get to pin Sting during his run. Jones was suspended for the entire 2007 NFL season without pay for off-the-field personal conduct problems, including a Las Vegas strip club shooting incident that left former independent pro wrestler Tommy Urbanski paralyzed.
2007 - One of the toughest men to ever walk Planet Earth, Karl Gotch passed away in Florida. Gotch was looked at as one of the toughest men in the world when he was active, and was revered in Japan. He was a big proponent of the "shoot style" and is credited for popularizing the German suplex, to the point that many state he invented the move (although Gotch himself denied creating it).
2007 - WWE Smackdown and ECW ran a live event in Singapore. Go Boon Wan filed the following live report:
I attended the Smackdown/ECW house show last night at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Here are the results of the show.
Ric Flair beat Chris Masters. The crowd was very respectful of Flair and cheered when he put on the Figure Four for the victory.
Deuce and Domino beat The Majors. Cherry was with the champions. They got good heel heat.
Michelle McCool beat Victoria. The crowd seemed surprised by this result.
Elijah Burke beat Stevie Richards by using the ropes. The crowd booed this result.
John Morrison beat Tommy Dreamer to keep the ECW Title. CM Punk was not at the show which made the fans angry.
Kane beat Finlay with the big chokeslam. The crowd loved Kane!
Rey Mysterio beat Chavo Guerrero with the 619. The crowd went crazy for Rey. He seemed to love being in front of the crowd again.
Batista beat Great Khali but it was a DQ so Khali is the champ. What happened was Finlay ran in and beat up Batista. Kane came down and saved him. This led to a tag team match that Batista and Kane won after they pinned Finlay.
It was a very fun show for the fans in Singapore.