Wrestling History Today - 20th July
On this day in history in ....
1963 - Verne Gagne defeats The Crusher in Minneapolis, Minnesota to win the AWA World Heavyweight Title for the fourth time. Gagne also won the Omaha version of the World Title, which Crusher had won from Fritz Von Erich five months earlier.
1973 - Jack Brisco defeats Harley Race in Houston, Texas to win the NWA World Heavyweight Title, ending Race's first reign after less than four months. It would be over three years before Race would be champion again. This is the first of two runs with the title for Brisco.
1979 - Adam Rose is born.
1992 - Eddie Gilbert defeats Ricky Morton in Memphis, Tennessee to win the USWA Unified Heavyweight Title for the second time. On the same card, Brian Christopher defeats Tom Prichard for the USWA Southern Heavyweight Title, ending Prichard's fifth reign as champion and starting his own third run with the belt.
1992 - The Natural Disasters (Earthquake & Typhoon) defeat Money Inc. (Ted DiBiase & IRS) to win the WWF World Tag Team Title in Worcester, Massachusetts.
1998 - The Monday Night Wars between WWF's Raw and WCW's Nitro raged on, with WWF barely getting a win with a 5.0 rating to WCW's 4.7 rating.
Raw featured Kane & Mankind defeated Steve Austin by DQ in the main event, Intercontinental Champion The Rock defeating X-Pac by DQ, and D'Lo Brown defeating Triple H for the WWF European Title. There was also a Brawl For All match, as Steve Williams (a favorite to win the competition) defeated Quebecer Pierre.
WCW countered with Scott Hall & The Giant defeating Sting & Lex Luger for the WCW World Tag Team Championship, Curt Hennig defeating Lex Luger, and Bret Hart defeating Diamond Dallas Page for the vacant United States Championship (the title was vacated by Goldberg when he won the World Title). There was also a strong International presence on the show, as Masahiro Chono & The Great Muta defeated Disco Inferno & Alex Wright, Yuji Nagata defeated Perry Saturn and Ultimo Dragon defeated Tokyo Magnum.
1999 - The Suicide Blondes (Rip Rogers & Jason Lee) defeat Flash Flannagan & Trailer Park Trash to win the OVW Southern Tag Team Title in Louisville, Kentucky.
2000 - Tatsuhito Takaiwa defeats Jushin Liger in Sapporo, Japan to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. This ended Liger's eleventh (and to date, last) reign as champion. The closest to Liger's record is Koji Kanemoto, with four reigns.
2002 - WWE ran Sarnia, Ontario. Ryan Gow filed the following live report:
Here are the results from the Sarnia house show on July 20th.
Christian and Lance Storm defeated Hardcore Holly and the Big Valbowski. Christian and Lance were way over being in Canada.
Jamie Noble kept the Cruiserweight belt against Billy Kidman, with Nidia's help.
Bubba Ray and Spike Dudley lost to Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit.
Edge defeated Test with the Edgeacution.
Tajiri lost to Rey Mysterio Jr. This match was full of high flying.
Booker T lost to The Big Show when the Show landed the choke slam. In an interesting note, The Show came to the ring to NWO music.
The Hardy Boyz defeated William Regal and Chris Nowinski. Very good match with The Whisper in the Wind and Swanton Bomb to finish.
Y2J lost to John Cena with interference from Edge. The ref was clotheslined by Jerhico, then Cena landed a power slam and rolled him up for the pin. When Cena went to get the ref, Y2J rolled out of the ring for a chair. He planted it in Cena's stomach than across his back. While waiting for the crowd he pulled the chair back again and was speared by Edge. The ref woke up to count the pin.
Molly beat Trish Stratus to keep her belt while faking an injury to blindside Trish.
Brock Lesnar lost to RVD when he brought a chair into the ring. He was disqualified for a foreign object in the ring. After the ref tried to take it away and was thrown across the ring, RVD nailed the Van Daminator.
2002 - WWE broadcast Confidential. John Keane filed the following TV report:
Recorded at the WWE TV Studios in Stamford CT.
Your Host: Mean Gene Okerlund.
Gene welcomes us in, and we get straight to work. He claims to have thought he'd seen it all in this business, but this week surprised him, as Eric Bischoff, former head honcho of (the real) WCW, was shockingly announced as the new General Manager of Raw by Vince McMahon last Monday. Gene reminds us of the real-life animosity between Vince and Eric during the heated Monday night wars of a few years ago.
The segment features comments from Eric, Vince and Jim Ross.
We see Vince announcing Eric as Raw GM last Monday. Eric states he was worried the crowd would meet him with apathy, as he hasn't been on TV for a few years. He feels pretty surprised to actually be working for WWE.
Vince feels bringing Eric in has the potential to open up some intriguing storylines.
Eric professes his love for the business and his excitement at being back on TV.
J.R. states last Monday was shocking not only for the fans but also for a lot of the WWE workers not 'in the know'.
Vince reveals that he only met Eric face to face 5 minutes before he announced him as the Raw GM.
J.R. states Eric's appearance on Raw was met by mixed reactions by the crew-but adds no one was 'writing up picket signs'.
Eric claims he's met no outward resentment backstage.
J.R. feels he and Eric will never have the closest of relationships, but does profess respect for some of his accomplishments.
Eric talks about having a discussion with Ted Turner, then-owner of WCW. Eric was told he'd be getting 2 TV hours every Monday night. He felt he needed to present something that was different from the WWF at the time. His first innovation-the show would be live every week.
(Commentary: Back when Nitro debuted in '95, Raw would alternate between live and taped shows.)
Vince admits WCW being live every week gave his competition an advantage. He was constantly worried that a 'dirty trick' would take place; as an example, we see the infamous clip of Alundra Blayze (now known as Madusa), who'd jumped ship to WCW when she was still WWF Women's Champion, dumping her belt in a garbage pail. Vince claims he took such 'tricks' personally.
Eric has no apologies for his actions-he feels they were warranted in his quest to make WCW #1. We go to a clip from the Nitro that aired on 1/4/99; right before Raw, which was a taped show that week, was scheduled to go on the air announcer Tony Schiavone revealed that Mick Foley would be winning the WWF Title.
Vince felt at the time he felt the best way to compete with WCW was to simply present a better product; however, he admits the competitions tactics were groundbreaking and intriguing.
Eric admits that giving away match results was a 'lousy, low' thing to do, but at the time simply didn't care about breaking any unwritten rules of the business.
Vince felt at the time Ted Turner was 'insane' for using such tactics.
We flash back to last weeks Raw; in Eric's first WWE promo, he reminded the fans that at it's peak, Nitro beat Raw in the ratings 84 weeks in a row.
Vince felt at the time he had a superior product, but the ratings said otherwise. He gives his exact feelings for the WCW product at the time: "My God, what does the audience want? How can they be watching this crap?"
Eric rather shamefacedly tells of one time leaving a boastful message on Vince's answering machine.
Vince seems to remember the message. In a nutshell, Eric claimed he'd continue to win in the ratings. Vince describes the message as 'out there'.
(Commentary: Methinks Mr. B. may have had consumed a few adult beverages)
J.R. points out that the continual butt-kickings the WWF took in the ratings gave the company motivation to improve.
Vince admits Raw actually benefited in the long run due to the influence of Nitro.
Eric finishes up the segment by claiming he'd always looked forward to Monday nights, even after the WWF had started pulling ahead in the ratings. He states that the challenge of building his former company into a legitimate threat to the WWF, and trying to continually improve it, provided a 'rush that (he) can't even really describe'. Break.
Back, Gene presents us part 2 of the Torrie Wilson 'Before They Were Superstars' segment. Last week we left off with the teenage Torrie entering the modeling business. She was asked early on to lose weight, and she complied readily-too readily it seems, she rapidly developed an eating disorder that lasted for 4 years. Torrie's mom and a friend give details on her minimal meals. Torrie also started working out on a regular basis-her brothers describe her as 'obsessed' over her bodies' appearance. Torrie relates being hospitalized at one point for dehydration-this stemmed from the use of diuretics, excessive exercise and self-induced vomiting. She finally decided enough was enough when her modeling agency told her to stop losing weight, as she was starting to look 'sick'.
Torrie took a detour into fitness modeling and its healthier eating and exercise regimen. She feels a lot better about herself in her present shape. Break.
WWE Rewind: Maven is chosen male winner of a WWF contract on the final show of Tough Enough 1. After the announcement, finalist Chris Nowinski was interviewed. He claimed we haven't seen the last of him.
Gene reminds us that, while Chris showed impressive skills on TE1, his attitude didn't endear him to his fellow contestants or his trainers. This leads into a 'Before They Were Superstars' segment on the Harvard graduate.
We cut to Chris on the grounds of his alma mater. He describes his TE1 loss as a heartbreak that quickly turned into a blessing. He immediately started working the indies in the Boston area and spent 6 months honing his skills. He felt the WWF, having built him as a 'monster' on Tough Enough, would eventually want him back. His persistence paid off, and after a guest appearance at the last Wrestlemania, Chris was signed to a developmental contract.
We go back to Chris's childhood-his mom describes him as an active but well-behaved kid, going so far as to say he was 'boring' (!). He quickly took to all forms of sports-however, his sisters describe him as being totally dedicated to academics, earning him the 'nerd' tag. He shook that when he started playing football in high school. After some blatant self-promotion of his scholastic and athletic achievements, we go to his Harvard days. He got off to a shaky start-we hear from one of his former football teammates, who informs us of Chris's freshman nickname: "Pussinski", due to his constant whining and ploys to evade practice. One of the coaches seemed to take Chris' attitude personally, going so far as to encourage the upper class players to tackle Chris to the ground whenever they saw him walking, rather than running, during practice. Chris started shaping up after a talk with the head coach, and went on to play with the team for the duration of his college days.
Chris' interest in wrestling came comparatively late-his mother forbade him from watching the shows as a kid, citing potential brain damage. After failing to get a spot in the NFL, Chris enrolled in Killer Kowalski's wrestling school. 3 months later he noticed the WWF was accepting applications for the first season of Tough Enough. He produced a videotape to send to the Fed-highlights roll, pretty funny stuff, centering on his clubberin' of his much-smaller day job boss. Chris got the Tough Enough spot, and admits he was not the most popular contestant on the show due to his attitude and standoffishness. He feels he's learned a lot since then, and is happy with his role in WWE. Break.
Gene returns with more on Eric Bischoff. He informs us Eric tried out for an announcers role with the Fed way back in 1990. A clip of his video tryout airs-simply terrible, present day Eric admits he wouldn't have hired himself at that point. Vince claims to not remember the tryout, but in hindsight feels he should have hired Eric due to his strong look and presence.
(Commentary: Watch the clip Vince. You'll want to send the former or current employee responsible for not hiring Bisch at that time a nice gift.)
Eric feels that not getting the spot with the WWF was for the best, as it indirectly led to the Monday night wars and all that resulted, both positive and negative.
Vince praises Eric for his abilities as a performer, his innovations and his ruthlessness. Though at one time Eric's goal was to put the WWF out of business (Vince reminds us Hulk Hogan had a similar goal upon his exit from the Fed), he feels his presence has high potential to help improve the product.
J.R. reminds us that Eric never actually stole WWF talent (hmm), he simply lured them away using the vast resources of Ted Turner's checkbook as bait.
Eric affirms that he only went after talent that was either no longer under WWF contract, or those who SOON would not be under contract. He reminds us Vince did the same with WCW talent.
Vince brings up the departure of Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to WCW. Things get a bit confusing to me here-I think Vince is trying to make the point that Nash and Hall left for the promise of guaranteed pay, rather than the incentives offered by the Fed and merchandising deals.
Eric clarifies-he states at the time the WWF had an extensive infrastructure of PPV payouts, merchandising deals and licensing, which enabled the Fed to have a profit sharing policy based on performance and drawing power. Back in the day, WCW had none of these, just Uncle Ted's money. Ergo, Eric could only sign talent with the promise of ironclad paychecks.
Vince feels the decision to not change his pay policy proved the correct one. We go back to the subject of Nash and Hall-Vince feels that WCW highly played up the 'invasion' by the 'WWF' stars. He cites it as an example of unfair business practices, which he had his lawyers thoroughly investigate.
Vince describes the backstage chaos due to the talent raids. He confirms that he occasionally wondered if he'd be put out of business.
J.R. gets to the heart of the matter. He claims Eric was 'right' in opening up Ted Turner's checkbook, in convincing a 'less than intelligent' Bill Shaw to hire him, and in signing recognized WWF stars. He describes his decision to make Nitro a 2-hour show as 'brilliant'. However, he feels Bischoff has made his share of mistakes, in particular his treatment of certain (unnamed) people. J.R. feels that as long as Eric 'leaves his baggage at the door', the Fed and he can move forward.
Eric feels enough time has gone by to heal old wounds, and hopes to make a positive contribution to the Fed-adding that if he can't, he's gone.
Vince finishes up by citing both his and Eric's readiness to work together as a mutual display of lack of ego. Break.
Gene returns, and reminds us last week we saw a pre-taped segment showing Bradshaw trouncing The Big Show on the basketball court in a game of 'Horse'. This week Bradshaw takes on Linda Miles in an abbreviated game (just 3 letters, 'WWE'). Linda spots Bradshaw the first letter and ends up getting shut out. Break.
Back to Eric-he states he'll be meeting with 'Bill' soon as footage of former WCW Champion Goldberg fills the screen. He hints that he'll be talking to his former colleague about a possible future with WWE.
Gene informs us next week we'll be talking about the decline of WCW, and the single moment that triggered the ascendancy of the WWF. End of show.
2002 - Shane Douglas captured the XPW title. Jim in Los Angeles filed the following report:
Shane Douglas made his return to XPW tonight, promptly defeating Webb to become the new XPW Heavyweight Champion. Upon winning the gold, Douglas quickly pummeled owner Rob Black and declared that he was "bringing XPW east, where it should be." He confirmed the rumored August 31 show at the ECW Arena.
Supreme regained his King of the Death Match title, after his opponent Angel was shot off a 40 ft. scaffold through three tiers of tables into an exploding ring. The finale of the 2002 King of the Death Match tournament found Supreme and Angel on top of the scaffold. When it looked as though Supreme would be the likely freefall victim (his tenure at XPW includes being set on fire, ripped to shreds in countless death matches and a near-fatal fall from a 20 foot ladder in last year's death match final), Shane Douglas came out with a paint ball gun (yes, a paint ball gun...) and fired two shots at Angel, knocking him off the scaffold and squarely through the tables (fortunately, it looked like a clean fall so hopefully he's OK).
Hoping for some good hype at the show, owner Rob Black wanted a big crowd for the show, which was held at the outdoor Pico Rivera Sports Arena. Unfortunately, to accomplish that goal, the show was comped like never before. As such, a few hundred fans of super-rival EPIC Pro Wrestling turned up and really squashed the mood of the event. At one point during the heavyweight title bout, the vast majority of the crowd was chanting about a beach ball that security had grabbed. When they gave up on that, a massive chant of "BORING" erupted. I actually enjoyed the whole show but the vibe tonight was just brutal. Black was at ringside during that match and he must have been thinking "Oh no" to himself. Even a drunk fan made it into the ring before being swarmed by security.
All things considered, a decent show (though not nearly as good as the show run three weeks ago). As to the ECW Arena show...I would really look at what happened tonight and the whole idea that the fans in L.A. have finally turned their backs on Black and all the shenanigans he's pulled on us the past year. If he can't even control his own event's crowd, how is he going to have a prayer in Philly?
2002 - WWE broadcast Velocity. Matt Zylbert filed the following TV report:
Hosted by Michael Cole and Mark Lloyd (In for Al Snow)
It's the return of Mark Lloyd to MY show, and I couldn't be more happier! Hello all, and welcome back for what you know as THEE 'five-star' 1Wrestling.com Velocity report. You know my name is Matt Zylbert, and you know I get rave reviews around the globe, so with that said, let's immediately get the party statrted by sending it down to our good buddy, TONY THE CHIM, for our opening contest.....
Shannon Moore vs Hugh Morrus
To kick off THIS week's edition of Velocity, we have the Essa Rios clone against the Alliance Warthog. I bet you can just FEEL the suspense in this one folks, and by the way, if you wanted any more proof of what a jobber Hugh Morrus is, he doesn't even get his own entrance here. There were tons of recaps throughout the show this week, but the humorous one doesn't get his own entrance? Shannon Moore had his, so you can bet that really got Hugh Morrus all PUMPED up!.... or maybe not.
To the match now as Hugh gets some chops in the corner to start, but is unable to follow-up as he misses a ram attempt soon after. Moore capitalizes with a modified roll-up for the early two-count, and as he goes for a cross-body moments later, the warthog shows off his strength by catching him. Unfortunately for Hugh though, Moore wiggles out of a powerslam attempt, and would then deliver a dropkick to the knee area. On the follow-up, Hugh launches Moore up in the air, only to be dropkicked again, and let me just say how nice it is to hear Marky Mark say Hugh Morrus' name again. Brings back memories of the Mark Lloyd era on Jakked/Metal. Heh, Hugh would take control at this point as he executes a flapjack, and follows with some clubs to the back for a near fall. At this point, I notice the crowd is just totally dead. I don't get it. I mean, it's Hugh Morrus, a guy that hasn't appeared on Smackdown in god knows how long, taking on a guy that just made his TV debut just last week. Hmmm. Back to the match as Hugh continues the punishment with a ram in the corner, and Marky Mark refers to it as a "locomotive." Lloyd is so cool. Anyway, after another two count for Mr. Humorous, Hugh resorts to the ol' chinlock, and I think I can actually hear the air now when Cole and Lloyd aren't talking. That's how quiet it is. Heh, Moore would elbow his way out, but Hugh pulls him down by the hair, and I think if this was in the early-80's, that might've been a DQ. Moore would come back though, as Hugh gets him up for a face-first slam, but Mr. "I'M NOT ESSA RIOS DAMNIT!" counters it into a bulldog for a near fall. Shannon would now go for a victory roll, but the warthog turns it into a samoan drop, and now as Hugh heads up top for the No Laughing Matter.... wait a minute, Michael Cole ONCE AGAIN FAILS TO CALL IT! Thankfully, Mark Lloyd calls it right, because remember, you don't go months on Jakked/Metal without seeing a Hugh Morrus every week. Unlike Michael Cole, HE does his homework. Focusing back on the match, Moore is able to recover and knock the big warthog off the top rope, and then go up top himself, where he hits what looks to be a 450 splash on the standing Hugh... to pick up the three count and his first victory. Michael calls it an upset, but IF HE DID HIS HOMEWORK, he would know Hugh Morrus loses every week anyway. And Hugh gives a look of shock after the match, but why? I thought he would be used to losing by now after ALL this time.
Winner: Shannon Moore
Commercial
Marky Mark and Cole show us a highlights package, mainly consisting of the announcement of the two GMs for RAW and Smackdown, which are of course, Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon. Both GMs will be gunning for Triple H at Vengeance, although I have no idea why any of them would even want him. Like I said in my Vengeance Predictions, if you don't have Triple H, it saves you a lot of money on some of the actual better wrestlers, plus you wouldn't have to worry about someone using their own political power in their favor. And did anyone else notice that as Bischoff and Steph were having that conversation backstage, you could see ma' man, Chavo Guerrero, and Funaki talking with each other in the background? Well that's great. The GM angle is supposed to get everyone's attention, but when two of your lowest mid-carders aren't even paying attention, that's when you know things are already in trouble.
Commercial
An interview with The Rock is shown, as he talks about upcoming match at Vengeance. He says he has a chance to make history if he wins the title for a seventh time (I thought they stopped counting, now that it's 'Undisputed') and that he doesn't know how he feels. Yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah, nothing important here. Let's move on, shall we?
From an interview to more recaps. Cole and Lloyd intro a highlights package about Brock Lesnar, from his arrival to WWE, as well as the King of the Ring, and of course, his encounters with Rob Van Dam, as they will square off at Vengeance.
Albert vs Nick Dinsmore
From an interview, to a recap, to another one of the Albert Squashes that I oh-so love to talk about. Haven't seen one in a while, but remember, it's ALBERT SQUASH SEASON! In a few months, those Perry Saturn Squashes will become ripe for the picking, and maybe when he returns, I can get my dream match: Perry Saturn vs Albert: WHO really is the master of the squash?
To the match now, as Albert shoves the rookie down a few times, before he can get some punches in. Of course, they really have no effect, as Albert just shoves him down again. On the follow up, Albert misses a ram in the corner, allowing Nick to roll up his opponent for two. Albert gets in a knee to the mid-section at this point, but would fall victim to an enziquiri soon after. Unfortunately for the rookie, that's all the offense he would see for a while as Albert absolutely drills him with a bicycle kick. After taking some time, Albert gets a two count, and Cole gives the "If he went for the pin earlier, he could've had him" speech. Do we really need to hear that? WE KNOW! Albert does some corner work now, and I'm not sure if this is supposed to be funny or sad, but Albert chases referee Mike Chioda out of the ring, NOT once, but twice. Then as he comes back in, Chioda points to his ref shirt, and tells Albert he has to listen to him. Okay buddy, you just ran out of the ring two times in fear of Albert, so I don't think he's really gonna listen. Anyway, Albert continues the onslaught with an elbow, right before slingshotting Dinsmore into the second rope. On the pin after, Albert pulls up Dinsmore by his HEAD right before three, and what a total squash this has been. Albert now works Crush's old Cranium Crunch finisher, and Cole says he is trying to squeeze Dinsmore's head like a grape. How exactly would YOU know, Michael? Albert would soon just throw him down by his head, and that's gotta hurt. Albert gets another two count, and as he goes for a ram on the follow up, he runs right into a crescent kick instead. Cue Nick's token jobber offense. Here we go, we got a drop toehold into the turnbuckle, and every jobber's favorite move, the flying forearm. At this point, Michael calls Nick "impressive", although he's BARELY had any offense here. I guess Michael is saying that it's "impressive" that Dinsmore would actually accept being squashed by Albert in his TV debut. Now there's something you don't see every day....bu... debut. MAN I crack myself up. Anyway, Nick scores with another usual jobber move; the top rope missile dropkick, which gets him a two count on the pin after. As Nick stupidly works a waistlock now, Albert rams him into the corner. A Baldo Bomb attempt is avoided by the rookie jobber, and Nick capitalizes with some chops. However, he would fall victim to a ram soon after, and then a bodyslam. As Albert goes for the Vader Bomb now, he ends up eating knee. Unfortunately for Nick though, he is unable to capitalize, as Albert hits the Baldo Bomb for the win soon after to complete the exciting squash. As far as Nick's debut went, I can't really judge, because like I said before, he barely had any offense and sold just like any other normal wrestler. We'll have to wait and see what he does in the near future.
Winner: Albert
Commercial
More recaps.... the end of the Rock/Angle match from Smackdown is shown. Cue me to get up and take some ice cream, with a drink of milk. Don't forget the chocolate syrup! So I bring my dessert back to my big screen, 55-inch television (Us Velocity reporters all have big screen tv's ya know), only to see....
The Undertaker interview with Michael Cole is also shown, and I'm surprised Undertaker didn't just get up and punch Michael in his ugly rat-like face. I definitely would, because remember, there's no one else that can piss me off more than Michael Cole does.
Commercial
Oh boy, even more highlights. Now I feel like I'm being cheated out of my Saturday night this week. Anyway, THIS highlights package consists of Edge and Hogan's Tag Team Championship win back on July 4th, as well as highlights of their challengers at Vengeance, the Anti-Americans, Lance Storm and Christian.
Molly Holly Interview
Yay, an interview. Meaningless fact of the day: The last interview on Velocity/Jakked/Metal was the VERY famous (Well to me it is) Godfather heel turn, but I doubt this interview will be as significant as that one was. I mean, an actual heel turn actually took place on my show! That's why I will always like and respect the Godfather.
To the interview now as Molly starts off by saying her responsibility is to defend the Women's Championship against women on both rosters. Well, we already knew that one. Molly says she hears the people saying nasty things during her matches, and that obnoxious, rude, disgrace of a journalist named Michael Cole sneaks in the word, "snoring" on commentary. Hey Michael, SHUT THE HELL UP! You don't interrupt people while we're listening to them. What a jerk. Back to the interview as Molly states she is comfortable with who she is, being the Women's Champion (That's always good) and a role-model, which I can't disagree with. She also goes on to say that her be-hind is not big, and it's just fine. And to wrap things up, Molly says how because the people are so filthy and disgusting ("Yeah Lloyd"- Michael), she will not be defending the Women's Title tonight, even though I never even heard there was going to be a Women's match in the first place. Molly then leaves, as this pretty much pointless interview is complete, and once again, Michael continues to be rude. He sarcastically says he's disappointed, and obviously, he's trying to get some laughs, but I assume everyone watching is human, so no one thinks it's funny. And for that comment about my good buddy Marky Mark, LOOK WHO'S TALKING! You don't get any more filthy than Michael Cole, and if you're gonna refer to "Funky Bunch", at least give him a good nickname like The Coach and K.K. did back on the days of Jakked/Metal. I swear, I'll pay anything to get Michael Cole off Velocity.
Commercial
Reebok Slam of the Week: After performing the Shooting Star Press, Kidman pins Jamie "I HATE THE LETTER K!" Noble two weeks ago on Smackdown, which helped set up their match at Vengeance.
Jamie Noble w/Nidia vs Funaki
Noble on Velocity again? Well I certainly have no complaints. As a matter of fact, I'm really starting to like this guy. He's got pretty good music, a cool gimmick, and plays it REALLY well. Unlike most of the other title holders in WWE, he actually makes HIS title look important, and in original fashion, he makes it like he can't live without the Cruiserweight Title. It all gets a thumbs up from me, and I expect his match with long-time Jakked/Metal favorite, Funaki, to also get my thumb up.
To the match now as we get some basics at the start, leading into a nice snapmare from Noble. Mr. "I PREFER N OVER K IN MY NAME.... OK?" continues his offense with some kicks in the corner, but would lose control soon after. After elevating himself using the top as he was being sent in the corner, Funaki manages to perform a hip-toss, and then a dropkick. As Funaki now works an arm bar at this point, Cole and Lloyd talk about Chavo Guerrero and his challenge to Rey Mysterio. Wow, that's the first time I've heard announcers talk about Chavo during a match that doesn't have him in it. I like it, and you can bet I'm really looking forward to his match with Rey. No, this time it's not mainly to listen to Chavo's music, or to watch him strut down the ramp and into the ring, but it is a potential match-of-the-year candidate. Back to the match as Funaki hits a single-arm DDT for a near fall, and Noble high-tails it out of the ring from there. On the outside, Funaki misses a baseball slide, and Noble capitalizes by sending him into the steel steps. As the action heads back in now, Michael gives his usual "Nidia is turned on by aggression" statement, just as he does for EVERY Jamie Noble match. Anyway, Noble goes to work on the left leg of Funaki, which is setting him up for the Trailer Hitch. As Noble rams the leg with his rear, Funaki manages to kick him way over the top, in which Noble completely oversells, but nothing wrong with there. Noble would take advantage back as he pulls down Funaki down from the outside, and slamming his left leg against the post twice, before heading back in. Funaki would score with a roll-up for two, but Noble keeps in control as he goes back to the left leg. He works a submission, and as he goes for a knee-breaker, Funaki counters with an enziquiri out of desparation. Funaki follows up with punches and a clothesline, before hitting his signature dropkick to the face for a near fall. The Indeed One now goes for a Tornado DDT, but Noble counters nicely with a northern lights suplex for another two count, and would proceed to hit a scoop slam. Noble heads up top, but is crotched by his opponent, and now Funaki looks to capitalize. In a weird, yet unique manuever, Funaki gets Noble off the top rope in backslide form. He would then hit his Tornado DDT from there, and as he has Noble down for the three count, Nidia's up on the apron to distract the referee. This is amazing because Funaki actually has Noble beat here. Anyway, Funaki of course walks over to see what the commotion is about, and this allows Noble to recover, and take Funaki down for the Trailer Hitch to pick up the submission win. Great match that almost makes up for all the annoying recaps.
Winner: Jamie Noble
With Velocity coming to an end, Michael shills for Confidential and Vengeance, before showing a highlights package that recaps everything leading up to tonight's main event.
That's all she wrote for this week, so with another 'five-star' Velocity report in the record books, this is Matt Zylbert wishing you guys and gals a great week, and I'll see ya next week.
Before I go though, let me remind you that if you're looking for another 'five-star' read, check out my Vengeance Predictions Column, in which I give you my sure-money predictions. With that out of the way, I'll let you go now, and if you're seeing Vengeance, I hope it doesn't turn out to be a waste of $35 for you. Peeeeaaaace.
2002 - CMLL and AAA TV aired on Galavision. Victor Martinez filed the following TV report:
AAA/EMLL Lucha Libre block on Galavision
July 20th, 2002
CMLL came in at 1hr/51mins. AAA came in at 1hr/05mins.
CMLL:
Nitro, Arkangel, and Hooligan vs. Tony Rivera, Ricky Marvin, and El Volador.
1st Fall: Hooligan I take it was supposed to be British, he was wearing the British flag. Good match, very exciting moves by these young luchadors. Marvin when whipped into the ropes landed on the top rope and did a quick corkscrew plancha on Nitro outside the ring. Volador did a sunset flip and pinned Hooligan. Rivera did a huricanrana from the top rope and pinned Arkangel.
2nd Fall: Arkangel did a running Liger bomb on Rivera with the others delivering elbow drops on him. Nitro finally pinned him. Hooligan did a moonsault on Marvin and pinned him.
3rd Fall: Rivera dnd Volador did twin topes on Nitro and Hooligan. Very good match. Marvin finallly pinned Arkangel with a majistral cradle.
Shocker and Mascara Magica are discussing the trios tournament. And looking for the third Guapo. Magica suggests Apollo Dantes, but Shocker says he's bald and doesn't qualify. Magica expresses regret that Silva didn't want to join them. But Shocker says it's just as well, because he certainly doesn't qualify as a Guapo. They talk about holding a nationwide hunt for their third Guapo. Shocker says to remember the saying Everything is relative as said by Albert Shockerstein.
The Trios Tournament: All one fall matches.
Black Tiger, Masada and Nosawa vs. Gran Markus, Poder Mexica, and Mr. Mexico.
Mexico and Poder do topes on Black Tiger and Nosawa. Tiger does 3 successive moonsaults on Markus. When the rest of the Boricua army interferres attacking Markus' team outside the ring. And they get counted out. Japanese win. Pierroth does his usual spiel this time hiding behind a female souldier. When the Dinamites come in and beat them down and run them off.
Satanico, Averno, and Mephisto vs. Villano 3, 4, and 5.
Very short, after a few minutes, Satanico fakes a low blow and when the rudo is about to raise thier hand the other ref. DQ's Satanicos team. Why I don't know. Villanos win.
Shocker, Mascara Magica and Apollo Dantes vs. Gigante Silva and Mr. Niebla
Niebla does the bulk of the wrestling for his two man trios team. The usual Silva antics ensue. But this ends with Shocker giving Niebla that move, a DVD from a torture rack. And pins him.
Emilio Charles Jr., Scorpio Jr., and Bestia Salvaje vs. Rayo De Jalisco Jr., Hijo De Lizmark, and Black Warrior
Warrior did a tope on Salvaje. Lizmark does one on Scorpio. Rayo does that backward headbutt on Charles and pins him.
Semi-Finals:
Black Tiger, Masada, and Nosawa vs. Villanos III, IV, and V
Masadas' skin is painted green now. V-3 tried a huricanrana pin on Tiger but Tiger rolls through it and pins him instead.
Shocker, Mascara Magica and Apollo Dantes vs. Rayo De Jalisco Jr., Hijo De Lizmark, and Black Tiger
Rayo did a tapatia on Apollo and submits him. The two Guapos did not look happy.
Final: Black Tiger, Masada, and Nosawa vs. Rayo De Jalisco Jr., Black Warrior, and Hijo De Lizmark
Warrior gets his mask ripped by Tiger. Warrior DDT's him on the ramp and rips his mask. Rayo did his legdrop on doom on Tiger, as did Warrior and Rayo pinned him. The Japanese aren't in time to save him. Rayo's team beat up on the Japanese afterward. Rayo, Lizmark, and Warrior are the trios tourney winners and are given hugh trophies.
Highlight Moments: Ramstein doing a couple of moves, (this guy looks amazing). Valentine Mayo and Dr. X beating up on Sicodelico. Sangre Azteca giving Ricky Marvin a rock bottom from the top rope. Volador Jr. superkicking Virus.
For the EMLL tag team titles: Champions Rey Bucanero and Ultimo Guerrero vs. Halloween and Damien 666 with Lady Victoria
1st Fall: Ultimo monkey flipped Rey over the top rope onto Halloween. Ultimo goes up on the top rope but Damien gives him that nasty neckbreaker dropping him on his own shoulder instead. And Pinned him. Rey got his foot caught inside a chair at ringside and couldn't get out.
2nd Fall: Ultimo and Rey did twin topes. Rey and Ultimo barely beat the 20 count inside the ring, but Halloween and Damien did not and get counted out.
3rd Fall: Damien tried for a frankensteiner on Ultimo but Ultimo turned it into a top rope power bomb instead. Rey did that outsiders edge where he drops him face first and pinned him. Halloween did Lesnars' F-5 move on Rey and pinned him. Leaving Halloween and Ultimo. Halloween superkicked Ultimo and topes him. When Ultimo was getting back inside, Lady Victoria a redhead pulled him back out. But Rey from the other side trips Halloween and Ultimo pinned him. Los Infernos retain the titles.
Next Week: Pierroth returns to action, as does Vampiro. with Hijo De Lizmark, Shocker, Black Tiger, Mr. Niebla, Mascara Ano 2000, Satanico, and Gran Markus Jr.
AAA: This was interesting for a change, not a repeat, this show originated from Korakuen Hall, in Tokyo, Japan. Triplemania 8. In the last few months AAA has had shows from 3 different countries, Mexico, U.S.A., and Japan.
Octagoncito vs Mini Abismo Negro
Octagoncito did a corkscrew tope. Good match with these two going all out for this Japanese audience. Goes back and forth for a while, when Octagoncito submitted Mini-Abismo with a nice move.
Oscar Sevilla vs El Gran Apache
Billed as disciple vs teacher. Oscar did a somersault tope on Apache. Both do topes and plachas, not a bad match. When Apache submits Oscar.
Jushin Liger, Octagon, Latin Lover, and Hector Garza vs. CIMA, Cibernetico, Abismo Negro, and Electroshock
Naturally the loudest pops where for Liger and Cima. Abismo attacks Liger with a chair at the outset. Then did a frog splash on Latin. Alot of throwing guys into the ringside chairs, (no ringside barrier). Latin superkicks Cima, Garza superkicked Cibernetico and did a corkscrew tope. Everybody does topes and planchas at one time or another. Not bad. Ends when Liger gives a brainbuster to Electroshock and pins him. Afterward Abismo said, you haven't beaten me, until you do, you really haven't won. Liger said as translated, This is my country, you'll never beat me here, whenever you want a one on one just say so.
And that's it for this week. Very good show.
2002 - NWA Wildside held a TV taping. Larry Goodman filed the following report:
NWA Wildside returned to the NCW Arena on 7/20 for a taping that should yield two very solid hours of television. Nothing that was off the charts fantastic, but little to complain about either. Hope to see more of Briscoe Brothers vs. T-N-T, which was the best match of the night. Probably the biggest news was former World TV Champion, Cru Jones; coming out on the short end of a loser leaves town match. An energetic crowd of 90 was in the house, which was up from last time.
1) Derrik Driver & Jeremy V beat Future Shock (Jay Freeze & Brandon P) in 6:18. Driver hit a huracanrana on Freeze almost right off the bat. Tag to V, who got some offense on Future Shock. Freeze turned the tide with a neat hotshot maneuver on V. Future Shock did a double team that finished with a Mr. Wrestling II kneelift by Freeze. Future Shock kept the heat on V, doubling behind ref Speedy Nelson's back. Freeze got two with a vertical suplex. V hit a dropkick that got the crowd behind him. Nice tease of the hot tag as V's desperate reach toward his partner fell short when Freeze grabbed a leg at the last instant. Future Shock did a Rolling Thunder legdrop (P)/slingshot senton (Freeze) combo. Driver got the hot tag, but ended up on the receiving end of the Aftershock. V foiled another double team attempt by Future Shock, setting Driver up for a frogsplash pin on Freeze. A fine way to open the show. By a strange coincidence, Freeze had posted his dissatisfaction with Future Shock's position in Wildside on their website the day before. Freeze has a valid point in that Future Shock has shown a lot of improvement, without getting a shot at moving up on the tag team ladder.
2) Rainman (with Jeff G. Bailey) beat Rick Michaels by DQ in 3:35. This was hot. Real good pop for "The Original Chosen One" who had some new gear with OC1 emblazoned on the trunks. Michaels got some quick offense with a high knee and suplex. Michaels pursued Rainman to the floor to brawl. Back on the inside, Rainman hit a leg lariat. Michaels fired back with three left hands. Michaels took a boot to the face charging into the corner. Bailey choked Michaels from the floor. Rainman hit a killer version of his Spinesplitta (Sky High powerbomb). They wound up on the floor just slugging each other in the face like it was 1980's Memphis. Michaels shoved ref Andrew Thomas, who called for the DQ. Fans yelled bulls***. Michaels and Rainman told each other to get f***ed. Should make for some great TV.
3) Jimmy Rave beat "Mr. Delicious" Jacey North to retain the NWA World junior heavyweight title in 6:02. Overall, this was a good match because it played to the mat wrestling strengths of Mr. Delicious, rather than his athletic ability. It had been a while since Rave got the strong pop for his entrance that he did here. They went back and forth with chain wrestling to start things off. Mr. D dropped Rave with a forearm to the back and followed with a dropkick to the face for a near fall. Delicious did a Bubba Bomb. Mr. D used a version of Jinsei Shinzaki's (Hakushi) Nirvana Strangle. Delicious followed with a fireman's carry into a gutbuster. Delicious did a move that Gordon Solie used to call a side salto for another near fall. Rave came back with quick pinning combinations. Rave blistered Delicious with chops and hit some jarring clotheslines. Rave hit a sitout gourdbuster for a two count. Delicious planted Rave on the top and did the Iconclasm. Mr. D missed on a top rope splash. Rave got two with a bridging German suplex. Rave hit a spinning jackknife powerbomb for the three count ... and Mr. Delicious is still the NWA Virginia heavyweight champion.
4) Caprice Coleman & Sweet Dreams & Onyx & Kevin Hardner beat Cru Jones (with Destiny) & Malakai & Tony Mamaluke & Lazarus (with Lisa) in 7:30. Stip was that the loser of the fall had to leave Wildside. Lisa came out with a better look and some serious attitude this time. She got one woman so hot at her that she carried it out into the parking lot as Lisa was trying to leave. Lazarus looked like a real natural as a heel. Same look as his Dustin character though, which was a surprise. Coleman's new royal blue and silver gear really works. He rudely interrupted the football drill Jones was doing with Mamaluke and Lazarus. Coleman and Jones started it out. Fans chanted "One Bad Homo" at Jones. Coleman had his way with Jones, who bailed out after taking a dropkick. Mamaluke and Onyx were next, with Mamaluke taking some huge bumps. Onyx dropped Mamaluke on his face out of a gorilla press. Onyx gorilla pressed him again for a toss over the top rope straight to the floor. Brutal. Dreams briefly worked on Molokai, and it was Harden vs. Lazarus. Harden hit a belly to belly suplex and a clothesline that had Lazarus begging for mercy. Coleman took over on Lazarus, hitting a sitout powerbomb. Lisa got on the apron to distract, allowing Lazarus to kick Coleman low. The heels took turns beating on Coleman. Malakai showed some good power moves. Malakai attacked the babyface corner causing the match to break down to an eight-way brawl. In the turmoil, Coleman hit the Thermal Shock on Jones for the win. The postmatch saw Mamaluke lock Dreams in a submission and hit his high angle back suplex on Coleman. More of Mamaluke vs. Coleman would be sweet.
5) Briscoe Brothers (Mark & Jay) beat T-N-T (Todd Sexton & Tony Stradlin) in 7:07. Great stuff while it lasted. They cut it short on time due to a miscommunication, so it sure left the fans wanting more. The set a furious pace in the opening minute, with Briscoes getting the best of Stradlin. The Arena was chop city on this night, as Jay and Stradlin exchanged some stiff ones. Stradlin appeared to get off balance at one point for an accidental potato shot on Mark. All four got into it, as Mark knocked Sexton off the apron with a kick and landed a springboard plancha. Mark pulled Stradlin's leg from the outside to set up Jay for a legdrop two count. When Jay went for a drop down, Stradlin followed suit and punched him. Tag to Sexton, who hit a jawbreaker and got two with a dropkick on Jay. Mark hit a springboard dropkick for a near fall, the got another with a high flying Flair knee. The momentum shifted to T-N-T when Stradlin shoved Jay right into a superkick from Sexton. T-N-T got heat on Jay. Tony hit a back elbow. Jay did a dragon screw legwhip, but Sexton cut off the tag. Jay got a sunset flip, but Sexton made a tag. Jay hit a dropkick to the shins. Stradlin cut off the ring again. Stradlin hit a lightning fast powerslam for a near fall. Stradlin whipped Jay hard into the buckles. Jay countered a superkick with a fireman's carry into a sitout facebuster. Jay made the tag and Mark came flying off the top with a kick to Stradlin's knee. Mark planted Stradlin with a brainbuster. Mark hit an enzuigiri and went for a leglock submission that was broken up by Sexton. Stradlin used a low blow on Jay. T-N-T destroyed Jay with an incredible double team with Sexton locking on the tarantula on one side of the ring, while Stradlin came from the opposite apron with a Van Terminator dropkick. Just as T-N-T was setting up for another double team, Lost Boyz appeared on the entrance ramp. Mark took advantage of the distraction to surprise Sexton with a roll up.
6) Tank vs. Malakai went to a double DQ in 4:43. Least interesting match of the night. Malakai is reminiscent of Power Plant trainees, he's got the size and the look, but his ringwork lags behind. Malakai controlled the first few minutes. He needs to lay those punches in with authority. Tank came back with a Russian legsweep. Malakai didn't get off his feet much for Tank's suplexes. Tank hammered Malakai HARD on a senton splash. Tank dumped him out and went for a chair. Tank nailed Malakai with chairshots to the back. Malakai came back with a chairshot of his own and tossed Tank into the rail. Ref signaled for the DQ as they continued to battled on the outside. Tank suplexed Molokai on the floor and wailed on him with chairshots as they headed up the ramp.
7) The Rage (Scott Cage & Mike Pittman) beat G-Rated (Kid Xtasy & Kid Kool) in 8:23. Fast-paced match filled with spots galore. Not the greatest psychology but lots of fun. It was Xtasy and Cage with the chain wrestling that has become a staple in Wildside lately. It ended in an exchange of pinning combinations. Pittman and Kool's each used their quickness to cause the other to miss moves. Pittman scored with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Cage used his partner's uranage buttbuster on Kool. G-Rated came back with a double hiptoss on Cage. Pittman got near falls on Kool with a moonsault and a Northern lights suplex. Xtasy made a blind tag and surprised Pittman with a clothesline off the top. G-Rated put the heat on Pittman. Xtasy used the Unprettier. G-Rated did their drop toehold/facebuster to the knee combo. Pittman rolled out of the way of Kool's 450 splash to make the hot tag. Cage cleaned house on Xtasy. Kool pulled Pittman out to break up Rage's finisher. They did a series of dives. Xtasy did a plancha. Cage followed with twisting springboard plancha. Kool hit a corkscrew. Pittman did a springboard tope that was pretty awesome. Back inside the ring, Cage did a rocker dropper on Kool for a near fall. Xtasy hit the Chalupa Crunch on Cage for another near fall. Pittman did the sitout uranage buttbuster on Xtasy. Kool made the save and hit and up and over inverted X factor on Pittman. Xtasy went to the top and took one of those insane crash and burn bumps to the floor that he is noted for. Rage won it with their nagasateru neckbreaker finisher, with Pittman coming off the ropes for the neckbreaker. The newly formed team of "Outlaw" John Dalton and Big Henry Hoss attacked Rage and destroyed them. Hoss hit a slice 'n dice elbow drop on Pittman. Rage had to be helped to the back by security.
8) David Young beat Dagon Briggs (with Seven) in 5:08. Match was OK. Really just there to get Young a clean win and get on to the postmatch angle. Briggs was in from IPW with Seven, who is Fluff Dupp in TNA. Briggs said he came to Wildside for some competition. Young went right to work with swinging wheelbarrow facebuster, a pair of clotheslines and high backdrop. Seven got on the apron to distract Young, giving Briggs a chance to land a double ax blow to the back. Briggs got near falls with a rolling neckbreaker and a leg lariat. Seven choked Young while the fans chanted "she's a whore tramp." Young fired back with hard slaps before taking a big flying bump into the buckles. Briggs worked over Young's hamstrings, even throwing in a quick spinning toehold. Young hit an enzuigiri, followed by a Shining Enzuigiri. They countered back and forth, leading to the inevitable spinebuster finish.
Iceberg hit the ring pasting Young with chairshots to the back and head. Iceberg squashed Young with TWO Ground Zero splashes. Young had to be helped to the back. It looked like Bailey's health might be in jeopardy with the way he was having difficulty controlling Iceberg. Bailey pulled out the veggie peeler, He appeared to put Iceberg in a bizarre trance that soothed the savage beast.
9) Jeremy Lopez beat Slim J to retain the NWA Wildside junior title in 8:43. J made a good showing in his first shot at a title. Crowd was pulling for J, as Lopez has got to be the heel in this building. J went hold for hold with Lopez, who got frustrated and took a powder. J faked a dive and pulled on his crotch. "What the hell is that?" said Lopez as they went nose to nose. Lopez wanted a test of strength. J caused more frustration by switching hands on Lopez. It was all J with a shooting star press, a back suplex, a Russian legsweep and a twisting splash. Lopez tossed J up in the air. Face meets mat and Lopez took over. Lopez got J in the Mexican surfboard ... once ... twice and then added a camel clutch the third time. Lopez stood on J's throat. J landed on his feet off a monkey flip, but Lopez came back with a Yakuza kick and a neckbreaker for a two count. Lopez blocked a rolling reverse cradle and backdropped J to the apron. J tried for a slingshot move back into the ring, but Lopez turned it into a powerbomb for another near fall. Lopez got pissed at the ref for slow counts. J hit a devastating step up roundhouse kick that left both men on the canvas. J hit a spinkick and then a beauty of a flying roundhouse for a near fall. J missed on a moonsault. Lopez went to the top. J had Lopez mounted on his shoulder for his finisher, when Lopez got a forward rolling cradle for the three count. Applause for J as he was lead away in the handcuffs. Face turn in the offing?
10) Adam Jacobs beat John Phoenix (with Jeff G. Bailey) by DQ to retain the NWA Wildside heavyweight title in 10:50. The main event was meeting of the former partners in Suicidal Tendencies. They worked a really good match here. It's just that at this stage, Jacobs doesn't have babyface charisma close to the level he had as a heel. Phoenix's flying moves looked great. Jacobs charged the ring to launch a heated exchange. Jacobs hit a huracanrana and did a clothesline that sent them both tumbling over the top. Jacobs whipped Phoenix towards the camera stand. Phoenix moonsaulted to his feet off the stand, but Jacobs did a back suplex with Phoenix landing on the hardwood with a sick thud. Jacobs rolled Phoenix back in the ring and covered for two. More chops. Phoenix countered a spinning headscissors with a hotshot. Very cool. Jacobs took a chest bump into the buckles off a whip. Phoenix missed on a corkscrew senton. Jacobs dumped him out and went for a pescado, but Phoenix caught him in midair with a kick to the face. Back inside, Phoenix turned Jacobs inside out with a clothesline. Phoenix hit a top rope legdrop for a near fall. Bailey used his Gucci shoe. Jacobs came back with an inside cradle at the five minute mark. More interference by Bailey. Phoenix went for some type of a flip off the top that Jacobs turned into a powerslam. Phoenix did a somersault legdrop to the back of Jacobs' neck. Phoenix hit a moonsault for a two count. At eight minutes in, Phoenix dropped his head and took a superkick. Both men down. Jacobs made the comeback. He got Phoenix in the tree of woe for his trademark baseball slide/dropkick. That was good for a near fall. Phoenix caused a Jacobs crotch job on the top. With his height and flexibility, Phoenix was able to land kicks to the face of Jacobs while standing. Phoenix tried to climb, so Jacobs shoved him off, with Phoenix doing a backflip to his feet. Jacobs hit a flying bodypress. Phoenix rolled through to get a two count. Jacobs tried for a pin using an Oklahoma roll. Phoenix hit a spinkick and climbed to the top. Jacobs rolled away from his 450 splash.
Jacobs planted Phoenix with a facebuster and Phoenix looked done. Bailey interfered to save his man. Bailey tossed a chain to Phoenix, who blantantly clocked Jacobs right in front of ref Andrew Thomas. Bailey ordered Thomas to make the count. 1 ... 2 ... Speedy Nelson hit the ring to call for the DQ. Thomas got into it with Nelson, nailing him with a forearm shot and putting the boots to him. Phoenix hit a frogsplash. Thomas made his three count. Bailey grabbed the belt and handed it to Phoenix. Bailey badgered Dan Wilson to announce Phoenix as the new champion. Wilson refused to do it. Phoenix left with the title belt and his arms raised in victory, while Jacobs needed help getting to the back.
NOTES: A slew of talent is scheduled to appear at the 8/3 TV taping: Briscoe Brothers return along with SATs, Red, Scoot Andrews and Mike Sullivan. ... Behrens announced that the 9/21 would be the Wildside 3rd Anniversary. ... Fright Night is planned as a two night extravaganza on 10/1 and 10/2 with a tag team tournament featuring The Briscoes, Backseat Boys and Overboyz. ... Jason Cross made contact with the promotion about a possible return. The powers that be on the Wildside roster had an understandably negative response, given the way Cross retired while holding the title without giving notice. ... Cru Jones took a job in the Chicago area, forcing his departure from Wildside. Jones plans to work for Midwest Championship Wrestling. ... Scottie Wrenn was on vacation. ... Homicide was a no-show. Nothing came of the match proposed by New Jack at the last taping. ... 7/26 at the NCW Arena features Rick Michaels vs. Rainman in a cage match.
2003 - At a WWE House show in San Jose, California at the HP Pavilion Triple H and Goldberg met in one-on-one action for the first time, with Triple H winning via pinfall after a low blow in a match that saw both Ric Flair and Randy Orton interfere.
2007 - Memphis Wrestling ran Tunica, MS. Brian Tramel filed the following report:
LAWLER CONTINUES TO WORK AN ANGLE
----Just before intermission at the show, Hollywood Jimmy Blaylock came out to ringside and had party hats and noise makers. He said it was a “bon voyage” party for Jerry Lawler. They called out Lawler as Blaylock said he had a big surprise for him. A "police officer" came out to serve papers to Lawler. Lawler took the papers and put them in his tights and then gave the officer a piledriver. I was told it was a good skit. Lawler continues to work the whole Sal Corrente incident as an angle.
THE RESULTS
----"The Genocide Agents" [Maxx Corbin/Albino Rhino] beat "Naughty By Nature" [Rude/Pokerface] with help from Kevin White…"Too Cool 2" [Tim Grind/Flex] retained the Southern Tag Team Titles beating Tatt2/Dustin Starr. The finish involved Tatt2 getting pinned…Kevin White beat Spellbinder…TLC Match: Derrick King retained the JR Title Match by beating Johnny Dotson…Spellbinder won the battle royal eliminating Mr. Hughes leaving him in the ring with Corbin/Albino. They ran at him and he ducked sending them over the top rope…Sid Vicious beat Jerry Lawler with from Ron Rage. Lawler was making his comeback, when Johnny Rotten ran out. Lawler goes to hit Rotten and Rage comes thru the crowd and gives Sid brass knuckles to hit Lawler for the win. Vicious/Rage/Rotten beat Lawler down after the match with NBN trying to make the save and getting beat down also.
NOTES:
----280 people in the crowd with a gate close to $5,600…Security was real tight with scanning of tickets and hand stamp. Everyone HAD TO HAVE A TICKET to get in the building. The guys that gave Sal Corrente so much hell and Sal got into it with were there in their same seats…The finish of the White/Spell match had Spell with a in the scorpion death lock on White and after a ref bump and one of the Agents used a taser gun on him. Before the match, Spell did some magic while White and Agents were holding the Skull pole. Spell's magic made him taken over the pole while they held it. Shango Sting???...Not much of a TLC match as no table was broken, but DK used a chair to win…Lawler has the balls to actually do this angle with him piledriving the “officer”…
2008 - WWE broadcasting the Great American Bash PPV. Richard Trionfo filed the following PPV report:
We begin the pay per view with a look back at the greatest moment for Vickie Guerrero and Edge, only to be ruined by Triple H’s special footage of Edge with the wedding planner. Wedded bliss is not the only thing that has been destroyed. The JBLimo was ruined by Cryme Tyme and John Cena. Then Bradshaw tried to destroy John Cena only to see Cena escape. CM Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase, but he will have to deal with the man who helped him win the title tonight, Batista.
Your announcers are Jim Ross and Mick Foley from the Smackdown brand; Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler for the Raw brand; and The Tazz and Mike Adamle for the ECW brand.
Match Number One: John Morrison and The Miz versus Finlay and Hornswoggle versus Jesse and Festus versus Curt Hawkins and Zach Ryder in a Fatal Four Way for the WWE Tag Team Titles
The bell rings and Festus goes after anyone in the ring but Jesse calms him down and everyone else is on the floor. Miz and Morrison throw Hornswoggle into the ring. Hornswoggle rolls up his sleeves and wants a piece of Festus. Miz and Morrison hit Festus from behind and then Hornswoggle with a tope onto Miz and Morrison. Miz is sent into the ring and Festus with a leg drop to Miz followed by a head butt to the back. Festus throws Miz into the corner and he punches Miz until the referee pulls him away. Jesse tags in and he hits a monkey flip followed by a neckbreaker. Jesse tags Festus back in and he Irish whips Miz into a punch from Festus. Festus with a boot to Miz and then one to Finlay who made a blind tag. Morrison tags in and he chokes Finlay. Morrison kicks Finlay and has him in a front face lock followed by a European uppercut. Miz and Morrison double team Finlay and Miz with elbows to Finlay followed by an arm bar and cross face combination. Miz with knees to Finlay followed by a side Russian leg sweep for a two count. Morrison tags in and Morrison with a forearm and slingshot elbow while Finlay is on Miz’s knees.
Morrison with a side head lock on Finlay. Finlay gets to his feet but Morrison with a swinging neck breaker and he tags in Miz. Finlay punches Miz but Miz with a knee. Morrison is tagged back in and Finlay with a double leg take down. Finlay with a forearm to Morrison’s head and both men go down. Ryder tags in and he goes after Finlay. Ryder with a suplex to Finlay for a near fall and then he works on the neck. Hawkins tags in and he connects with a knee and punch in the corner but Finlay fights off Hawkins and Ryder and he takes Hawkins down but Hawkins regains control and punches Finlay. Hawkins with an arm bar and cross face and then he sends Finlay into Ryder’s knee Ryder tags in and he Irish whips Finlay. Finlay with a rolling fireman’s carry slam. Hornswoggle hits Ryder with the shillelagh but he cannot get the three count. Hornswoggle makes the save for Finlay when Ryder had a rollup.
Hawkins tags back in and he has Finlay in a reverse chin lock. Finlay with a kick to Hawkins and Hornswoggle tags in and he hits a tilt-a-whirl head scissors. Jesse makes the blind tag and he hits a clothesline and Lou Thesz Press. Jesse with a snap suplex for a near fall. Hawkins knocks Hornswoggle off the apron. Festus is tagged in and he punches Hawkins followed by a flap jack. Festus knocks Ryder off the apron and hits a flying shoulder tackle followed by a splash onto Hawkins. Festus throws Miz and Morrison out of the ring and Festus is tripped by Ryder as he sets for a Rocket Launcher. Hawkins pulls Jesse off the turnbuckle and gets the three count.
Winners: Curt Hawkins and Zach Ryder
Match Number Two: Matt Hardy versus Shelton Benjamin for the United States Title
Benjamin with a waist lock and he gets a near fall. Benjamin with a front face lock into a side head lock. Benjamin with a shoulder tackle. Hardy with an inside cradle for a near fall. Benjamin with a side head lock that takes Hardy to his knees. Hardy with a hip toss and an arm drag into an arm bar. Benjamin backs Hardy into the corner and after a brief break, he kicks Hardy. Benjamin floats over on an Irish whip. Hardy with a forearm to the head. Hardy with a back elbow and he connects with a forearm. Benjamin throws Hardy over the top rope and Hardy tries to skin the cat, but Benjamin with a drop kick that sends Hardy to the floor. Hardy with a shoulder to Benjamin but Benjamin with a boot and then he sends Hardy into the ring post. Benjamin goes out after Hardy and he rolls him back into the ring to get a near fall.
Benjamin with a belly-to-back suplex for a two count. Benjamin with a back breaker and then he applies pressure to Hardy’s neck. Benjamin with a key lock and he works on Hardy’s neck some more. Benjamin with another back breaker. Benjamin with a seated abdominal stretch but Hardy gets to his feet and he hits a version of a Samoan drop. Hardy with a punch to Benjamin’s head and then he charges into a boot. Hardy tries for a Side Effect but Benjamin take Hardy down for a near fall. Benjamin continues to work on the back and neck as he has Hardy in an inverted suplex position. Benjamin with the dragon whip that sends Hardy into the corner. Benjamin with a Stinger Splash into the corner but he tries again and he leaps into Hardy’s boots. Hardy with forearms and a clothesline to Benjamin. Hardy with an Irish whip followed by a running clothesline and bulldog for a near fall. Hardy with a slam and then he goes to the turnbuckles for the screaming leg drop that connects but Hardy can only get a two count. Hardy returns to the turnbuckles for an elbow but Benjamin catches him and throws Hardy into the turnbuckles and Hardy goes down hard.
Benjamin tries for a power bomb but Hardy rolls through into a sunset flip. Benjamin with another near fall. Hardy with a Side Effect for a two count. Hardy sets for the Twist of Fate and Benjamin sends Hardy into the turnbuckles. Benjamin with a forearm to the kidneys and then he puts Hardy on the turnbuckles. Hardy with an elbow to knock Benjamin off. Hardy with a moonsault but it appears that Hardy overshot Benjamin. Benjamin hits Paydirt for the three count.
Winner: Shelton Benjamin
Michael Cole wonders if CM Punk will lose his title in the same way that Matt Hardy just did.
We go to comments from CM Punk after Raw last week in a WWE Mobile Exclusive. Todd Grisham asked Punk about the people who don’t think that he will win the title. Punk talks about how Batista came to help him against Kane. Batista thinks that he will win. People did not think that he was supposed to make it into the WWE but he made it and won the ECW Title. People said he would never make it to the flagship show, but he made it there and he won the title. He tells Batista that you don’t have to be six foot six and be chiseled to win the title. He is not a fluke. Punk says that he is in the business of proving everybody wrong. He plans to be the champion next week. He says that he is not Batista, John Cena, Shawn Michaels, or Bret Hart. He is CM Punk, the World Champion.
Mick Foley says that he has seen Punk too many times to doubt him.
We take a look back at Smackdown from Friday night when Triple H unveiled the video that led to Vickie Guerrero attacking her husband Edge. The WWE Mobile poll asks who do you sympathize with more.
Match Number Three: Tommy Dreamer with Colin Delaney versus Mark Henry with Tony Atlas for the ECW Title
Henry has some words for Dreamer before the bell rings and he pushes Dreamer. They lock up and Henry tosses Dreamer to the mat. Dreamer tries to take Henry down by going for the leg but Henry tosses Dreamer away again. Dreamer with punches but Henry with a body block that knocks Dreamer down. Henry with a kick to the ribs and then he steps on Dreamer’s head. Henry chokes Dreamer in the ropes. Henry with a head butt to Dreamer and then he works on Dreamer’s neck. Dreamer tries to escape the hold but Henry sends Dreamer back to the mat. Henry with a wrist lock on Dreamer and he tries to break the wrist. Dreamer punches Henry but Henry with another body block. Atlas talks trash to Dreamer while he is down. Henry returns to the wrist and then he sends Dreamer to the mat again by the hair. Henry misses a splash but Dreamer hits a drop kick. Dreamer punches Henry and then Henry charges into an elbow. Dreamer tries to take Henry down but he cannot get it done. Henry misses a charge into the corner and Dreamer hits a neck breaker for a two count.
Dreamer with a DDT but Atlas gets on the apron to distract him. Dreamer goes to the turnbuckle and Delaney gets on the apron and instead of helping Dreamer, he pulls Dreamer into the ropes and Dreamer catches Henry and hits a power slam for the three count.
Winner: Mark Henry
Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler talk about the feud between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels. We go to the video package.
Match Number Four: Chris Jericho versus Shawn Michaels
Michaels and Jericho stare each other down before the bell rings. The bell rings and they stay a few inches apart for a few seconds before they lock up and Jericho with knees followed by punches. Jericho with more knees to Michaels. Michaels with a chop to Jericho and then he sends Jericho into the corner and punches him. Jericho with an Irish whip but Jericho charges into a boot and then he clips Jericho. Michaels tries for the figure four and he locks it in. Jericho gets to the ropes and Michaels continues to work on the leg and knee. Michaels with a punch to Jericho and then he puts the leg in the rope. Jericho holds the referee in front of him so Michaels cannot continue his assault. Jericho with an Irish whip and Michaels does the Michaels flip into the corner and he goes to the apron. Jericho with the springboard drop kick and Michaels goes to the floor, but Jericho feels it as he favors his knee. Jericho goes to the floor and hits an elbow from the apron. Jericho rolls Michaels back in and Jericho with a kick to the ribs. Jericho with a belly-to-back suplex and then he slaps Michaels. Jericho with shoulders in the corner but Michaels with a forearm. Jericho with a snap mare and he works on the back. Michaels with forearms but Jericho with an enzuigiri and Michaels goes down but Jericho can only get a two count. Jericho slams Michaels and then he goes to the turnbuckles and wants Michaels to get up. Michaels catches Jericho with a reverse atomic drop. Michaels with a chop to Jericho followed by forearms.
Michaels with a flying forearm and he kips up but he favors his ribs. Jericho with a rollup and then he puts Michaels in a Boston Crab. Michaels is able to make it to the ropes before he has to tap. Jericho wants to know if Michaels tapped. Jericho kicks Michaels in the back. Jericho kicks Michaels in the corner and then he punches him. Jericho with an Irish whip and Jericho tries for the bulldog but Michaels anticipates it and hits a clothesline for a two count. Michaels goes up top but Jericho gets to the ropes and crotches Michaels. Jericho with a forearm to the head but Michaels pushes Jericho off the turnbuckles when Jericho tries to climb up top. Jericho tries for a superplex but Michaels holds on to the top turnbuckle. Michaels punches Jericho and kicks him off. Michaels goes up top and hits the elbow drop. Michaels sets for Sweet Chin Music. Lance Cade comes out and that distracts Michaels. Michaels with a baseball slide to Cade. Jericho tries for the Codebreaker but Michaels is close enough to the ropes to counter it. Michaels with a two count. Jericho with a rollup on Michaels for a two count. Michaels with forearms and chops. Jericho charges at Michaels and Michaels hip tosses Jericho over the top rope onto Cade.
Michaels goes up top and hits a moonsault to the floor and he hits Cade and Jericho. Jericho with an elbow to Michaels and Jericho rolls into the ring. Michaels makes his way back in. Michaels gets up and his eye is busted open. Michaels punches Jericho. Jericho with a kick to the head and he punches Michaels in the injured eye. Michaels pops back up and goes into the corner. The referee checks on Michaels and he allows them to continue. Jericho with another punch to the eye. Michaels tries to fight back but Jericho is able to avoid the punches while Jericho continues to connect to the eye. Jericho with a boot to the head. Cade with a boot to the head while the referee deals with Jericho. Jericho with more punches to the head. Jericho with head butts to Michaels. Michaels puts Jericho in the Crippler Crossface but Jericho gets to his feet and he sends Michaels into the ropes. Jericho punches Michaels in the head and the referee tells Jericho to wait to allow him to check Michaels. Michaels does not want to stop and Jericho returns to the assault on the head.
Jericho is pulled off the referee one more time and is told to stay in the corner. The referee asks Michaels if he wants to stop the match and Michaels refuses. Jericho finds out that Michaels wants to continue so he kicks him in the head. Jericho returns to the head and connects with punches. Michaels tries to pull himself up while he continues to bleed from the earlier injury. Jericho with forearms to the eye as he ties up the other arm. The referee pulls Jericho off Michaels and then he stops the match.
Winner: Chris Jericho by referee stoppage
After the match, the medical staff checks on Michaels while Jericho and Cade celebrate in the ring. The medical staff helps Michaels out of the ring. Michaels is helped to the back.
Jim Ross comments on Shawn Michaels and hopes that he is okay. Mick talks about the comeback match that Shawn had and hopes that he is okay.
Edge is in the locker room and Jim Ross asks him how he feels. Edge asks Jim to think how he feels. Triple H crossed lines and boundaries and he did it because he can. What kind of pervert puts a camera in another man’s hotel room. Triple H took away his personal life. He still has his professional life and Triple H has made him desperate. When he is desperate, he is dangerous. Edge says that he knows how to ruin Hunter’s life and that is by taking the WWE Championship.
Match Number Five: Michelle McCool versus Natalya Neidhart for the Divas Title
They lock up and Michelle with a waist lock take down. Natalya with a standing switch. Michelle with a drop kick for a near fall and then she works on the arm. Michelle with a series of European uppercuts. Michelle with a kick to Natalya. Michelle tries for a wheelbarrow move but Natalya turns it into a hot shot. Natalya with a near fall and then she slams Michelle’s head into the mat. Natalya works on the knee and then she tries for a surfboard move. Michelle powers out of the move and turns it into a heel hook but Natalya gets to the ropes and apron. Natalya wraps Michelle around the ring post. Natalya with a kick to the head and then she starts to work on the hamstring before getting another near fall.
Natalya with forearms and then she sets for the Sharpshooter and she locks it in. Michelle makes it to the ropes to get Natalya to release the hold. Natalya slams Michelle’s head into the mat. Natalya tries for the Sharpshooter again, but Michelle with the heel hook again. Natalya rolls to the ropes but she cannot reach them and she taps out.
Winner: Michelle McCool
After the match, Cherry and Eve celebrate with Michelle.
Chris Jericho comes out and he tells everyone to save their ticket stubs because they are from the night that Shawn Michaels had his last match. Jericho says that Michaels has a detached retina and Shawn’s career is over. This shows that some times the good guys win and the wicked are punished. Shawn can take comfort in one thing, the worst has finally come.
We see CM Punk and Batista getting ready for their match and it is time for the video package.
Match Number Six: CM Punk versus Batista for the World Title
They lock up and Batista backs Punk into the corner but gives a clean break. They lock up again and Punk with a side head lock but Batista gets Punk into the ropes for another break. Punk with a hammer lock but Batista with an elbow to the jaw. Punk with kicks to the legs and midsection followed by forearm. Punk gets out of a power slam attempt but Batista with a back elbow when Punk misses a rollup. Batista with a snap mare and boot to the head for a near fall. Batista with an Irish whip but he misses a charge. Punk tries for a rollup but Batista blocks it. Punk with an enzuigiri that sends Batista out of the ring to the floor. Punk with a baseball slide that sends Batista into the ringside barrier. Punk sets for a tope and he hits it.
They return to the ring and Punk gets a number of near falls. Punk with a kick to the back followed by one to the midsection. Batista with a hard Irish whip. Batista with another hard Irish whip followed by a suplex for a two count. Batista tries to humble Punk with a camel clutch. Batista works on Punk’s back to impact on the Go To Sleep. Batista with a forearm to the back and then he does it again. Batista tries it a third time and Punk turns around and hits a clothesline. Punk with a leg lariat that sends Batista out of the ring. Batista tries to get back into the ring and Punk kicks Batista and the challenger falls back into the ring. Punk with kicks to the leg but Batista with a knee. Punk with a boot to a charging Batista. Punk with a cross body for a two count. Punk with a kick to Batista but Punk tries for the knee in the corner but Punk is caught by Batista and he tries for the Batista Bomb. Punk runs into a spinebuster and Punk tries for the Batista Bomb but Punk grabs the ropes. Punk with a kick from the apron and then he comes back in and he hits the knee into the corner and he gets pushed out of the corner on the bulldog attempt. Punk with a round house kick to the head and Punk with a two count.
Punk tries for the Go To Sleep but Batista gets out of the hold and he hits Punk in the back. Batista with a running clothesline into the corner. Batista with an Irish whip and another running clothesline. Batista puts Punk on the top turnbuckle but Punk has Batista in a cross arm breaker in the ropes. Punk with the springboard clothesline for a two count. Punk works on the arm but Batista rolls Punk over to get a near fall. Batista grabs the leg but Punk with a series of slaps. Batista responds with a clothesline that takes Punk down. Batista runs Punk into the corner and hits a series of shoulders. The referee gets in the way and Punk moves when Batista charges again and Batista runs his shoulder into the ring post. Punk tries for a move from the apron but Batista catches him and hits a spinebuster on the floor.
Batista rolls Punk into the ring and while the referee is not looking Kane comes down and attacks Batista. The referee calls for the bell.
Winner: No Contest Double Disqualification
After the match, Kane choke slams Punk and then he leaves the ring with his bag of magic beans. Kane asks if he is dead and then he turns around and gives a camera man a big boot. I hope he wasn’t asking about the camera man because I think we know the answer to that question.
Punk holds the title belt up and Batista kicks Punk and hits the Batista Bomb. Batista leaves the ring and walks to the back.
Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler talk about the past between John Cena and Bradshaw. Time for the video package for the parking lot brawl.
Match Number Seven: John Bradshaw Layfield versus John Cena in a New York Parking Lot Brawl
We see the garage where they will wrestle and the JBLimo pulls up and Bradshaw emerges in his suit and with a crowbar. He wonders where Cena is and the referee says that he hasn’t seen anyone. Bradshaw calls for Cena and he tries to see if he is in one of the cars. Bradshaw gets on the hood of one of the cars and we see Cena across the way and he hits the car and then he grabs some jumper cables and punches and chokes Bradshaw. Cena slams Bradshaw’s head into the hood of one of the cars and then he closes the hood on Bradshaw. Cena puts the jumper cables on Bradshaw’s groin and then he gives him some juice. Cena sends Bradshaw onto one of the cars and then he gets a keg and he throws it at Bradshaw but he moves out of the way. Bradshaw gets into one of the cars and Cena slams Bradshaw’s head into the steering wheel.
Cena and Bradshaw with punches and Bradshaw tries to slam Cena’s head into one of the windows. Cena punches Bradshaw and then he tries to Irish whip Bradshaw into the door but Bradshaw reverses it and the door comes off the hinges. Bradshaw punches Cena and slams his head into the door. Bradshaw punches Cena some more and he slams his head onto another car hood. Bradshaw gets on the hood and he connects with forearms to the back. Bradshaw with a swinging neck breaker onto the hood and he gets a two count. Bradshaw with a kick to the head. Bradshaw throws Cena into the window of one of the cars and the glass shatters.
Bradshaw with a DDT on the roof of the car and he covers Cena but only gets a two count. Bradshaw gets the tire iron and he swings and misses. Cena with punches but Bradshaw with a kick to the midsection. Cena gets sent into the side window and on the second attempt, Cena goes through the window. The referee asks if he wants to continue. Cena is placed in the back seat of one of the cars.
Bradshaw leaves the circle of cars and goes into the JBLimo for a container of gasoline. The JBLimo leaves and the referee tries to convince Bradshaw not to do this. Bradshaw pours the gasoline on the car and then he pulls out a lighter as the referee tries to stop him. Bradshaw lights the car and they quickly put it out. Cena gets out of the car and Bradshaw gets down from the fork lift. Cena throws Bradshaw into one of the cars and he bounces off the window. The third time is not the charm as he bounces off the door. Cena puts Bradshaw in one of the cars and it is time for the fork lift to come into play.
Cena drives the fork lift into the car that Bradshaw is in and then he lifts up the car and he brings it into the arena. Bradshaw gets out of the car and Cena punches him. They fight onto the ramp and Bradshaw punches back. Cena and Bradshaw with punches and Cena hits a Blue Thunder Bomb. Cena gives Bradshaw the Five Knuckle Shuffle on the stage. Cena waits for Bradshaw to get up and he gets Bradshaw up for the FU. Instead of hitting it on the stage, he things about doing it onto the car, but Bradshaw recovers and Bradshaw sends Cena off the stage into the windshield of the car and Bradshaw gets the three count.
Winner: John Bradshaw Layfield
After the match, the referee checks on Bradshaw who is still down on the ground. Cena gets up from the windshield of the car. Bradshaw is helped to the back, but Cena refuses assistance to the back.
Jim Ross and Mick Foley talk about the parking lot brawl. It is time to see the results of the poll and 55 percent of the people sympathize with Edge while only 45 percent sympathize with Vickie. Time for the video package to set up the main event.
Triple H is walking and he is stopped by Eve to find out if he has any regrets for what he did to Edge and Vickie. Hunter asks if he looks like someone who has any regrets.
Match Number Eight: Edge versus Triple H for the WWE Title
Edge with a forearm as the bell rings and he punches Hunter in the corner as the referee has to pull him out of the corner. Edge with punches to Hunter but Hunter tosses Edge over the top rope. Hunter knocks Edge off the apron as he tries to get back into the ring. Hunter Irish whips Edge into the ringside barrier. Hunter rolls Edge back into the ring and then he drops him on the top rope. Hunter drops Edge’s neck on the top rope as he works on Edge’s ‘trapezoid’. Hunter with knees to the head followed by a punch. Hunter with an Irish whip followed by a Northern Lariat. Hunter sends Edge into the ring post and Edge goes to the floor again.
Edge hot shots Hunter onto the ringside barrier. Both men crawl their way back into the ring. Edge with a kick to the hamstring followed by a punch. Edge with a running shoulder into the corner and Hunter goes down hard. Edge with a kick to the midsection. Hunter punches Edge but Edge with a knee and punch to Hunter. Edge with a hard Irish whip. Edge with a forearm to the chest as Hunter lays on the apron. Edge with an Irish whip that sends Hunter into the ring steps. Edge runs Hunter’s back into the ring apron and then he hot shots Hunter on the announce table.
Edge with a body scissors to Triple H as he works on Hunter’s ribs. Hunter with punches to Edge to get out of the hold. Edge with a drop kick to Hunter but he can only get a near fall. Edge with a punch to Hunter while Hunter is on the apron. Hunter is in the ropes and Edge tries for a spear into the ropes but Hunter moves out of the way and Edge goes to the floor. Hunter rolls back into the ring. Edge returns to the ring and Hunter punches Edge. Edge with a kick to Hunter but Hunter with a clothesline and Hunter punches Edge in the corner. Hunter with the face buster and that sends Edge out of the ring. Hunter slams Edge’s head on the ring steps and then he tosses Edge into the ring post. Hunter rolls Edge into the ring and Edge kicks Hunter out of the ring. Edge misses a baseball slide but he hits the Impaler DDT on the floor and both men are down as the referee checks on them.
Edge pushes Hunter into the ring as they both beat the count. Edge gets a two count. Edge goes to the second turnbuckle but Hunter catches Edge and he catapults Edge into the turnbuckles. Hunter hits a DDT on Edge but Edge kicks out before the three count can be made. Hunter punches Edge and Hunter tries for the Pedigree but Edge escapes the hold and he hits a breakdown on Hunter and gets a two count. Edge gets back to his feet first and he sets for the spear but Hunter sends Edge into the turnbuckle. Hunter with a rollup but he can only get a two count. Edge with a boot to the head. Edge sets for the spear one more time but Hunter hits the spinebuster instead. Hunter with a kick and he tries for the Pedigree but Edge backs Hunter into the corner. Edge puts Hunter on the turnbuckles and head butts Hunter. Edge sets for an hits the superplex despite Hunter’s efforts to stop him.
The wedding planner comes out to the ring and she grabs the title belt and she gives it to Edge. Vickie Guerrero comes out and she clotheslines the wedding planner and Vickie takes the title belt. Vickie comes into the ring and she pushes the referee out of the way. We have a catfight. Edge accidentally spears Vickie and he cannot believe what just happened. Edge turns around and Hunter with a kick and Pedigree for the three count.
Winner: Triple H
After the match, Chavo Guerrero comes to check on Vickie while Hunter celebrates by the entrance and the pay per view ends.
2008 - Former WWF champion Ultimate Warrior made a signing appearance prior to the PPV at the Marriot in Uniondale, Long Island right next to the Nassau Coliseum. The signing drew in the area of 100-150 fans paying, at minimum, $55 per autograph. The timing of the signing was a really shrewd marketing move since fans who were attending the PPV could have a chance to meet Warrior prior to going to the show. WWE itself didn't feel the same. At the signing, a legal letter from the company was posted publicly. In the letter, the company was upset about the timing of the event, feeling it was trading off their scheduling, which you really can't argue. The company also was upset that Warrior was advertised as appearing with his WWF championship belt, feeling that was their intellectual property. That may be a grey area, since they don't own the rights to the "WWF" letters and if the WWF championship belt was Warrior's personal property from during his tenure with the company, it's his to do what he pleases iwith.
2008 - There were also two arrests at the PPV. Newsday reported that two men made their way backstage and attempted to make off with several WWE chairs (likely the commemorative ones that the company gives to those who purchase ringside seating at PPVs). When a WWE employee attempted to stop the theft after they reached the parking lot, he was hit over the head with a bottle and bit on the back. Keith Powell and Timothy Vandewater were charged with burglary while Vandewater was also charged with assault.
2009 - World Wrestling Entertainment filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit brought against them in April 2009 by Joe Hamilton (who wrestled as the Assassin) and his company, Deep South Wrestling in the State of Georgia, claiming that WWE had breached their contract with DSW. In their motion, WWE claimed that Hamilton and DSW "failed to state a claim upon which relief may be granted." World Wrestling Entertainment claimed in their filing that Hamilton and DSW have failed to address any alleged wrongdoing on WWE's part in regard to the end of the DSW relationship. WWE claimed in the 25 page filing that Hamilton's lawsuit was, "a misguided attempt to use litigation to lash out against WWE over disappointment with WWE's decision to terminate the parties' business relationship." Hamilton's version of events was that he and DSW were "fully compliant" with their contractual agreement with World Wrestling Entertainment. That partnership saw Hamilton personally paid a salary of $80,000 and Deep South Wrestling, the company, paid $80,000 to provide developmental training for WWE talents. They were to also provide a TV outlet, which the lawsuit claims was provided and aired in the Southeastern United States and Canada (I believe on The Fight Network) for those talents as part of a "talent exchange program". In the suit, Hamilton noted that he had set up a series of live DSW events to be performed at the Six Flags park in Georgia and had set up additional events that would have benefited The American Cancer Society and M.A.A.D.A. for the summer of 2007. In the case of the Six Flags events, Hamilton had arranged for WWE to send talents for each of those live shows. In the April filing, Hamilton claimed that WWE planned to sever their relationship with DSW all along, yet acted as if nothing was wrong by arranging talent for the Six Flags event. Several days before the first Six Flags event was to take place, WWE officials (Mike Bucci and John Laurinaitis, although they are not named in the suit) arrived on 4/18/07 to inform Hamilton that WWE's was severing its agreement with DSW. The first Six Flags date was set for 4/22/07. Hamilton's suit noted that WWE's decision prevented DSW from performing on the scheduled events that summer, causing DSW liability damages in the amount of $320,000 and Hamilton personal damages to the tune of $56,000. WWE responded to that claim in today's filing, commenting, writing "WWE is not alleged to have done anything, much less anything unlawful" in regard to any third-parties that Hamilton and DSW had gone into business with. WWE noted that the claim was, "lacking any basis for liability against WWE". Hamilton alleged that the DSW deal required WWE to provide DSW and himself with 90 days notice that the deal was ending, which did not happen. He also claims WWE "arranged through an intentional and calculated method" to time their officials' arrival at DSW's place of business without providing notice to Hamilton or DSW. Hamilton alleged WWE "made every effort" to prevent him from knowing they were coming to the premises as their "plans were to remove all personal and computer information" without anyone from DSW being present.
Hamilton's lawsuit alleged that when WWE severed their ties on, they "removed wrestling rings, seating, computer hardware, software, and information belonging to DSW." The suit noted that "shared personnel" were informed they were being transferred (to OVW and later FCW) and should have "no further dealing" with Hamilton and DSW.
WWE's response to interfering with the wrestlers and DSW is that the company couldn't have because there were no contracts between DSW and the wrestlers that WWE could have interfered with and that WWE was aware of any business relationships the wrestlers had with DSW, since WWE assigned the wrestlers there in the first place. WWE also states that Hamilton and DSW fail to present any arguments that WWE induced others not to work with and for DSW, especially since the talents were under contract to WWE to begin with. WWE did not respond to the other claims mentioned above. One of Hamilton's claims in the April filing was that he suffered from emotional distress from the situation. In April Hamilton claimed WWE's "intentional actions were intended to cause Hamilton severe emotional distress." The lawsuit requested that Hamilton personally and DSW, as a company, recover all damages arising from WWE's breach of contract and that Hamilton recover damages arising from "Defendants willful and intentional infliction of emotional distress" as well as any punitive damages ruled by a jury.
WWE tried to throw the emotional distress claims out the window in today's filing, noting that Hamilton did not file the emotional distress claim within two years, as legally required. Hamilton's April 2009 filing came two days after the cut-off. WWE also stated that in addition to the late filing, that claim, "must be dismissed as a matter of law because even accepting all factual allegations are true for purpose of this motion to dismiss, WWE's alleged actions do not rise to the level of extreme and outrageous conduct necessary" for such a claim to be filed legally. WWE closed their motion noting that Hamilton's breach of contract allegations are "fatally deficient" since they do not provide any actual allegations beyond WWE's decision to sever the DSW territory. WWE's motion claimed that Hamilton claims a breach of contract without "allegations as to any contractual obligation that WWE supposedly breached." In the end, the suit was settled out of court.
