offical wwe thread

[Arcademan]

10 years ago...

WWE RAW Results: Monday, July 5

SPECIAL NIGHT
July 5, 2004

Eugene may have been RAW General Manager for a day, but it was Evolution who ruled Monday night in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

In a Handicap Match ordered by Eric Bischoff’s nephew but orchestrated by Triple H, Evolution (including honorary member Eugene) took down the team of Edge and Chris Benoit. The bout was part of The Game’s master plan to wrestle the World Heavyweight Championship away from The Rabid Wolverine at Vengeance — and it seemed to be working. Evolution walked away victorious Monday, leaving Benoit unconscious and beaten in the ring. The Cerebral Assassin’s mental manipulation of Eugene also paid dividends, as a conflicted Eugene broke up a Sharpshooter and set up a match-ending Pedigree with a chair shot to The Crippler’s back.

Monday Night RAW opened in surreal fashion as a potpourri of Superstars got a taste of what Eugene was cooking up for his special night. Eugene’s first order of business was determining Randy Orton’s challenger for an Intercontinental Championship match later in the evening — usually a routine matter. Instead, Eugene whittled down the hopefuls to one through a game of musical chairs. The final two were big man Tyson Tomko and Winnipeg’s own Chris Jericho. To the delight of the crowd, Y2J “earned” the coveted match, sitting proudly in the sole remaining seat.

In the Intercontinental Championship battle that followed, Jericho gave Orton all he could handle. Y2J tagged the Legend Killer with a running enzuguri. Later he reversed an RKO attempt and locked Orton in the Walls of Jericho. But the looming presence of Evolution member Batista proved too distracting for Jericho, who released the submission hold to eliminate the outside threat. It was exactly the result Batista was hoping for, and he smiled coyly as Orton propped his feet on the second rope and rolled Y2J up for the three-count.

Thanks to Eugene, the animal Batista got a chance to show the world what he’s made of in a match against the Big Red Monster Kane. But an enraged Matt Hardy seemed to snap, erasing the match and slamming Kane’s head against the steel ring steps repeatedly. As a result, Matt Hardy will face Kane at Vengeance in a “No Disqualification” Match.

Eugene made plenty more news Monday. He took full advantage of his authority by making a Vengeance pay-per-view match — and putting himself in it! The team of “Nature Boy” Ric Flair and Eugene will face World Tag Team Champions La Resistance on Sunday.

This latest chapter in the life of Ric Flair must be utterly mystifying. The 16-time World Heavyweight Champion began the night playing musical chairs, then he was ordered to team with the uniquely talented Eugene in a pivotal match.

All the while, Flair is preparing for the imminent release of his eagerly anticipated and extremely honest autobiography, “To Be the Man,” which can be ordered as part of a special ShopZone package now. Flair’s frank discussion of his career — and those with whom he’s crossed paths — is already creating a great deal of controversy. Flair also discusses his tragic youth, shedding light on some of the events that have molded the man. It’s required reading for all those who have followed his storied career and a page-turner for the members of every generation of wrestling fan.

Match Results:
Chris Jericho wins a Musical Chairs contest against Tajiri, Jonathan Coachman, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Stacy Keibler, Ric Flair and Tyson Tomko
World Tag Team Champions La Resistance defeat Rhyno and Val Venis
The match between Kane and Batista ends in a no contest when Matt Hardy interferes
Intercontinental Champion Randy Orton def. Chris Jericho
Nidia def. Victoria and Molly Holly in a “Contract on a Pole” Match
Women’s Champion Trish Stratus (with Tyson Tomko) def. Nidia
Eugene, Ric Flair and Triple H def. Chris Benoit and Edge (Handicap Match)

Source: WWE.com

 

[Arcademan]

Santino Marella retires due to third neck injury

WWE Superstar Santino Marella has announced his retirement from in-ring competition. The announcement was made during Sunday night’s live event in Toronto, Ontario, with Marella (real name Anthony Carelli) telling the crowd that he’d suffered his third major neck injury and would have to end his career as a pro wrestler.

Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean the end of Santino. His WWE run has defined what it means to be a big leagues comedy wrestler in North America, lasting eight years and including everything from sentient snake hands, clotheslines from Snoop Dogg and tea parties with violent Russian guys. Wrestling is weird. He’ll also be remembered as a former Intercontinental Champion, a former United States Champion, a former Tag Team Champion and a guy who (awesomely) almost won the Royal Rumble. Also, one reign as Miss WrestleMania. Like I said, it’s weird.

 

[Arcademan]

10 years ago...

TNA PPV results: 7-7-04

Michael Shane and Kazarian w/ Traci vs. Sharkboy and D-Ray 3000

This week’s show got off to a great start with an explosive X division match up. Two of the X Division’s best, Michael Shane and Frankie Kazarian, continue to form their alliance in an effort to prove that AJ Styles does not belong in their X Division. Their opponents were a pretty odd couple themselves. The very popular Sharkboy and new found friend D-Ray 3000 were looking to pull of the huge upset over the two former X Division Champions.

Traci, who accompanied both Shane and Kazarian to the ring, got involved early on in the match, but she may have literally bit off more than she can chew. Sharkboy caught her trying to interfere and chased the vixen and locked his jaws onto her posterior. The fans were loving it, but Sharkboy may have cost his team the win by turning his attention to the beautiful Traci at ringside. Michael Shane got the superkick on the unsuspecting D-Ray 3000 for the victory.

Soon after the bell rang, David Young came down to the ring and got in the face of referee Mike Posey for his actions against Young last week on the PPV. David kept pushing around Posey until he could take no more and the TNA official started to fight back. Unfortunately for him, Glenn Gilberti became involved as well as Johnny Swinger, still wearing there ridiculous outfits. All 3 of them gave referee Mike Posey a good beating that ended with a spinebuster from Young. Sharkboy eventually cleared the ring and saved the referee using a steel chair.

Cameras then shifted to the back where Scott Hudson was standing by with “The Alpha Male” Monty Brown. Brown was very pumped up for his match and told Hudson that he will get the pounce tonight in his match with D-Lo and that once he gets the victory, he will watch the gauntlet match to see who he may be fighting for the NWA title in the future. He said he didn’t care who wins. Just as he said this, “The King of the Mountain” Jeff Jarrett interrupted him and said that if Monty wants to talk about the NWA World Heavyweight Title, make sure to use his name. Brown told Jarrett that he may be the King of the Mountain, but he is the ruler of the Serengeti. Jarrett followed up by saying that he didn’t think the Alpha Male had what it takes to beat D-Lo later in the evening.

D-Lo Brown vs. “The Alpha Male” Monty Brown

It was time for the 2 top contenders for the NWA World Heavyweight Title to finally determine a winner. After weeks of encounters between the two that ended in a no contest, this time there must be a winner. There is no love loss between the 2 Browns and it was evident again in their match tonight which spilled out all over into the Asylum.

Former New England Patriot, Monty Brown pulled a table out from underneath the ring early on, but was unable to use it. D-Lo and Monty battled back and forth through most of the match, but in the end, The Alpha Male got his “pounce” which sent D-Lo through the wooden table. This is all it took for Monty Brown to get the win over D-Lo and remain unbeaten her in TNA.

Back in the locker room area, Scott Hudson was standing by with 2 NWA legends, Larry Zbysko and Dusty Rhodes. Zbysko exclaimed that it was a big night for TNA and that he will soon get his revenge for a guitar shot given to him by Jarrett, but now he will work along side of Russo. Dusty Rhodes had other things on his mind and told Hudson that Jeff Hardy has 7 days to give him an answer. Will Jeff Hardy sign with NWA TNA? We will find out next week!

Sonny Siaki and Desire vs. Trinity and Big Vito

It was now time for a mixed tag match which saw Big Vito make his TNA PPV debut alongside his tag team partner Trinity taking on the team of Sonny Siaki and Desire. We all know about the hatred between Trinity and Desire, but the start of this match saw Siaki and Vito get most of the action in the ring. Vito looked in great physical condition and gave Siaki problems early on, but when he went to tag his partner Trinity, she seemed a little hesitant about entering the ring against Desire.

Desire finally got a hold of Trinity with a spear and battled with her onto the Asylum floor. While this was taking place, Sonny Siaki was going to finish off the Staten Island native with a high risk move off the top rope. Vito countered by shoving the referee into the ropes sending Siaki to the ring floor. Vito then capitalized with a DDT for the pinfall and victory. However, the two New Yorker’s weren’t finished yet, as they both continued their assault on Siaki and Desire until finally, Pat Kenney came down to make the save.

Scott Hudson then caught up with Goldylocks who was in a great mood tonight. She told Hudson not to hate her because she’s rich! She continued to say how she is rejoicing over the fact that Erik Watts will never be here again. She concluded by telling Hudson that she would reveal her X Division object soon. Hudson asked what this meant and she told him that she is buying a wrestler.

Cameras then shifted back to the ring where Mike Tenay was standing with a microphone. Tenay then brought out both Kazarian and Michael Shane who was accompanied by Traci as always. Michael Shane went on to say that AJ Styles has made a mockery of our X Division. He told Tenay that he was standing in the ring with pure greatness. Out comes Jerry Lynn who had heard enough. Jerry Lynn explained to Shane and Kazarian that AJ Styles has earned and deserved everything he has achieved in this company and that they are afraid of him because they can’t beat him.

Kazarian then grabbed the mic and told Lynn that it’s time he learn some discipline. As soon as he said that, both he and Shane attacked Jerry Lynn. AJ Styles then ran down to make the save, but the numbers game worked against him, until Triple X also ran down for the save. As Shane and Kazarian retreated to the back, they were met by Chris Sabin and Amazing Red on the ramp, but it wasn’t clear as to whose side they were on.

Scott Hudson was standing by with the NWA World Tag Team Champions, America’s Most Wanted. Chris Harris told Hudson that the Naturals were nothing but a couple of punks, but that now they got their attention. He claimed that tonight, AMW gets their revenge. Storm added by saying that AMW have fought wars and won them and tonight they get what they want.

America’s Most Wanted vs. The Naturals for the NWA World Tag Team Championship

After pulling off the upset last week against AMW, Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens earned a title match this week on TNA’s PPV. Harris and Storm were out to get their revenge and retribution on the Naturals for having made their life a living hell in the past couple of weeks. First they stole their ring attire, then they stole their belts, and last week they stole a victory.

AMW went right after the Naturals as the bell sounded, but the unbelievable was about to happen. Andy Douglas had gotten a hold of one of the tag team title belts and clocked James Storm with it over his head, thus allowing Douglas to get the 123. The crowd was stunned as well as Chris Harris as the two young gifted athletes stole another victory and took home tag team gold!

In the back, Scott Hudson was standing by with Team Canada and Scott D’Amore. D’Amore did all the talking as usual and told Hudson that they succeed as a team and they fail as a team. He was upset that there was a 6 way match for the X Division Title last week and yet not one Canadian was involved. He concluded by saying that this is they type of discrimination that Canadians have suffered since the beginning of this sport.

Team Canada vs. Sabin and Amazing Red vs. Triple X

Does the X Division just keep getting better or what? This match was truly a treat for all fans of professional wrestling at it’s best. Each wrestler in this match, without a doubt, deserves to be where they are today. I truly believe that words alone can not describe the type of moves and holds that were used in this match. You have to see to believe. The Fallen Angel, Christopher Daniels made his return tonight to the TNA ring and it didn’t seem like he lost a step. He and his tag team partner Elix Skipper looked like the Triple X of old.

Bobby Roode and Petey Williams also looked fantastic as they have been on quite a role here in TNA as of late. Although Scott D’Amore got involved in an attempt to seal the deal for Team Canada, Christopher Daniels got the pin on Chris Sabin to get the victory. Triple X is back baby! As the two victors were heading up the ramp, they were viscously attacked from behind by the rest of Team Canada, Eric Young and Johnny Devine. Although Team Canada appeared as sore losers, they got the last laugh of the night. Security eventually came down to break up the ensuing fight.

Hudson caught up with the Naturals after winning the titles earlier in the night. Chase Stevens told Hudson that it felt so good and that just a week ago they were in a gut check match and now they were champs. Douglas and Stevens then noticed Russo walking by and wanted to celebrate their victory with the Director of Authority. Russo wasn’t too happy with them and told them that they have a match next week with AMW which will see the stolen ring attire hung above the Asylum with two ladders set up in the ring. If AMW gets their clothing back, they get a rematch for the NWA World Tag Team Titles the following week. AMW then came storming in and attacked the new champs. Harris and Storm seemed to have lost it as they continued to attack both Stevens and Douglas all over the Asylum. It took many members of security to get AMW off the new tag team champions.

AJ Styles then came out to ringside and grabbed the microphone. He explained to Michael Shane and Kazarian that he has the X Division Title because he can! He also laid out an invitation to both of them to get in the ring with him. He said if they can beat him they can get a shot at the title. Out came Michael Shane who told Styles to take on him and Kazarian in the same night. AJ Styles accepted but told them that when he wins, both of them will be out of his X Division. Just then Styles was jumped from behind by Kazarian. Shane ran down to help out his friend and the two ganged up on the champ, but AJ took care of both of them and ran them off.

Back in the locker room area, Hudson stood by with former NWA World Champion, Ken Shamrock who explained that he wasn’t a part of any team and that he has one thing on his mind, and that’s me!

Gauntlet Match for the NWA World Heavyweight Title
Jeff Jarrett vs. 3 Live Kru vs. Elite Guard vs. Ken Shamrock

It was now time for the main event which saw Ken Shamrock make the jump from the Octagon to the Hexagon. Each 60 seconds, a new person was added to the mix in this gauntlet match. Once all 8 competitors were in, it was clear that the Elite Guard was working together with Jeff Jarrett and 3 Live Kru got each other’s back as well. As for Ken Shamrock, he was out for himself. Once Shamrock hit the ring as the 8th man in, he cleaned house, by going after both the Elite Guard and 3LK.

Konnan was the first to be eliminated. In what came as a shock to most, the second competitor eliminated was Ken Shamrock, who was thrown out by the Elite Guard and 3LK. Shamrock lost it and completely snapped. He was flipping over the steps at ringside, attacking the announcer’s booth, swinging as steel chair etc. Security came down to try and calm him down and take him to the back, but Shamrock grabbed one of them and put them in the ankle lock submission. He finally was pushed to the back.

After that little incident, Onyx was eliminated 3rd followed by Colyer, BG James, and Hernandez, which left the Truth to take on Jeff Jarrett one on one. Both the Elite Guard and 3 Live Kru remained at ringside to see the outcome. Both teams interfered in the match to try and help their guy win, but in the end, Colyer threw Jarrett his guitar. After seeing this, Ken Shamrock ran back down to the ring and grabbed the musical instrument away from Jarrett. He looked as if he was going to swing for the fences on Jarrett’s head, but instead, The World’s Most Dangerous Man crushed the guitar over the Truth’s skull. Jeff Jarrett saw his opportunity and then covered the motionless Killings for the 123 and to retain the NWA World Title. In a night that had many shocking moments, the actions by Shamrock had the whole Asylum left stunned! Why did he do it? Stay tuned!

 

[Arcademan]

10 years ago...

TNA Impact results: 7-9-04

Here is the report for the Impact show from Friday, July 9. The show was taped on Thurs., 7/8 at Universal Studios in Florida.

First match out is challengers TRIPLE X (“PRIMETIME” ELIX SKIPPER & CHRISTOPHER DANIELS) VS. champions THE NATURALS(CHASE STEVENS & ANDY DOUGLAS) in a non-title match

The first part of this match featured Mike Tenay rambling on about America’s Most Wanted dropping the belts to set up The Naturals vs. AMW on next Wednesday’s PPV (more on the PPV later). Larry Zybysko is shown watching backstage as he is the judge for this match. Back and forth action including Daniels hitting a “Best Moonsault Ever” and face buster on Stevens, Skipper a spine buster on Douglas, The Naturals with a flapjack on Daniels, and Daniels nailing Stevens with a nice superplex. All four men in the ring brawling at the end of 10 minutes, it’s a time-limit draw. Zybysko declares Primetime and Daniels the winners. AMW hit the ring and clear out The Naturals, setting up the ladder match for Wednesday. Why they had The Naturals lose, albeit not completely cleanly, to Triple X (no mention of Lo-Ki btw) in their first match as champs I have no idea. After it was announced that The Naturals would defend the titles on the next PPV, Russo changed this to a double ladder match where AMW have to get their ring gear back from above the ring in order to earn a title match, so Wednesday’s match is non-title as well.

Next up is SHARKBOY & D-RAY 3000 VS. MICHAEL SHANE AND KAZARIAN (with Traci)

Basically a squash rematch from last week’s PPV that ended when Kazarian finished D-Ray with the Flex Capacitor. Another curious match leading into Kazarian and Shane facing AJ Styles in separate singles matches at next week’s PPV.

Next match is ABYSS & “BABYBEAR” ALEX SHELLEY (with Goldylocks) VS. MIKEY BATTS & JERELL CLARK (2 Local Orlando guys)

Another squash, Shelley hit a reverse DDT, tagged in Abyss. Clark in the torture rack, finish comes when Abyss hits Batts with the Black Hole slam for the 3. Shelley was recently “purchased” by Goldylocks. Abyss and Shelley face Sabu and Sonjay Dutt on the PPV Weds.

The fourth match is 3 LIVE KRU (RON “THE TRUTH” KILLINGS, KONNAN, AND BG JAMES) VS. THE ELITE GUARD (HOTSTUFF HERNANDEZ, CHAD COLLYER, and ONYX)

Elite Guard wins after Konnan has Collyer in a submission hold but Jarrett hits the ring and cracks the guitar over Konnan’s head. Hernandez got the pin. Jarrett and the Guard attack 3LK but here come Dusty Rhodes and Larry Zbyszko creaking down to the ring to make the save. Dusty’s got to be 73 yrs. old or so, but anyway this sets up Wednesday’s “Guitar on a Pole” match featuring JEFF JARRETT, KEN SHAMROCK AND THE ELITE GUARD VS. 3LIVE KRU, DUSTY RHODES AND LARRY ZBYSZKO. If the 3LK/Dusty/Zbyszko team is to win, it better be Killings or James that climbs the pole because I think the other 3 probably need help climbing out of bed.

Taped promo for new announcer from NASCAR, Jeff Hammond, who joins the announce team to commentate on the final match and main event:

X CHAMPION AJ STYLES VS. CHRIS SABIN VS. PETEY WILLIAMS (WITH SCOTT D’AMORE) OF TEAM CANADA (NON-TITLE MATCH)

Good match, part of the way through Kazarian and Michael Shane came down and distracted Styles, who jumped on both before they could get in the ring. With Styles brawling outside with Shane and Kazarian, Petey Williams hit the nice looking flip over piledriver on Sabin for the win. Styles, Kaz, and Shane fought afterwards with Sabin helping Styles finally clean house. Styles fights Kazarian and Shane in individual singles matches on Weds.

Good (if confusing on some match selections) show, PPV stacks up like this:

10 SUPERSTAR GUITAR ON A POLE MATCH
NWA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION JEFF JARRETT, KEN SHAMROCK AND THE ELITE GUARD VS. 3LIVE KRU, DUSTY RHODES AND LARRY ZBYSZKO

DOUBLE LADDER MATCH
NWA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS THE NATURALS VS. AMERICA’S MOST WANTED

AJ STYLES VS. MICHAEL SHANE w/ Traci
AJ STYLES VS. KAZARIAN

THE AMAZING RED, CHRIS SABIN AND XXX (DANIELS AND SKIPPER) VS. TEAM CANADA w/ Coach Scott D’Amore

SABU AND SONJAY DUTT VS. ABYSS AND BABY BEAR & SHELLEY w/ Goldylocks

They also are teasing Jeff Hardy making a decision on Wednesday as to whether he’s joining TNA, and Raven’s return and whether there will be trouble between Raven and Sabu with both in the building.

 

[Arcademan]

10 years ago...

WWE Smackdown:

COLD NIGHT IN CANADA
July 8, 2004

Winnipeg, Manitoba, was a tough place to be a title holder on Thursday night. WWE Champion JBL was deceived, United States Champion John Cena was stripped and the 18-time tag champs fell to a couple of crisp, counterattacking cruiserweights.

After months of trying to wrestle the United States Championship away from Cena through a steady diet of difficult matches, General Manager Kurt Angle finally succeeded — by taking an out-of-the-ring shortcut. Angle vacated the belt after Cena defied previous warnings and put his hands on the SmackDown! GM. But it might be worthy to note that at the time, Cena was battling his scheduled opponent, Booker T, as well as enforcer Luther Reigns, a cane-wielding Angle and fiery Kenzo Suzuki. A Reigns sneak-attack and powerslam left Cena writhing in the ring; Angle’s proclamation added insult to injury.

After nearly losing the WWE Tag Team titles on Velocity, The Dudleys were wary of the courageous tandem of Paul London and Billy Kidman. They isolated London in classic Dudley fashion, using their superior size to grind down the challenger. But both London and Kidman proved far more resilient than expected, eventually turning the tables on D-Von and Bubba Ray.

With a WAZZUP! headbutt of their own, the challengers began building momentum. When a London crescent kick set up Kidman’s patented Shooting Star Press, we suddenly had an upset special. The new WWE Tag Team Champions were met with a hero’s welcome backstage, and surprisingly, they even received a congratulatory handshake from the beaten Dudleys.

WWE Champion JBL hand-picked another opponent Thursday, seemingly ensuring a smooth path to next week’s Steel Cage Match with Eddie Guerrero. Promising a “champion vs. champion” competition, JBL brought out a Mexican title holder, El Gran Luchadore.

Just as planned, JBL dominated with power moves. But when he tossed El Gran Luchadore to the outside, things quickly got interesting. The masked Mexican Superstar switched with an near-identical wrestler under the ring — one who could hold his own with the WWE Champion. Suddenly, JBL had his hands full with his opponent. And before he could fully sort out the circumstances, El Gran began to strut just like Latino Heat! After finding himself on the wrong end of the “Three Amigos” suplexes, JBL knew something was amiss and made for the entrance ramp. The familiar-sounding second Luchadore reminded JBL that next week, there will be no running from the Steel Cage.

Match Results:
Rob Van Dam defeats Mark Jindrak
Paul London and Billy Kidman def. The Dudleys (new WWE Tag Team Champions)
JBL and El Gran Luchadore wrestle to a no contest
Chavo Guerrero/Akio/Jamie Noble def. Spike Dudley/Scotty 2 Hotty/Rey Mysterio (Six-man tag match)
John Cena def. Booker T (DQ; United States Championship vacated)

Source: WWE.com

 

[Arcademan]

TV Results: Week of 7-7-14

Well, start of the week anyway. Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to list of TV listings reports).

WWE RAW: 7-7-14

1 -- WWE tag champions THE USOS vs. LUKE HARPER & ERICK ROWAN -- non-title match

The Usos clotheslined Rowan over the top rope early on, then Rowan limped around ringside back to the heel corner to regroup. Harper got in offense, then Rowan eventually found himself back in the ring, where he lost control of the match. Jey tagged in, but he lost control on Rowan. The Wyatts exchanged tags heading into commercial.

The Wyatts were still controlling the match back from break. Slow pace, so the crowd picked up a "C-M Punk" chant. Hot tag to Jimmy, who dropped Harper with a top-rope cross-body splash. All four men in the ring, then Uso flew over the top rope to splash Rowan. Back in the ring, Harper back-kicked Jimmy in the face for a two count. Jimmy returned the favor for a close two count on the Usos's end.

Uso climbed to the top turnbuckle, but Harper cut him off. Harper followed with a sit-out powerbomb for a two count when Uso broke up the pin. Chaos involving all four men, then Harper smashed Uso with a big clothesline. It was good for the pin and the win. Afterward, Jey complained to referee Rudy Charles about the officiating because the wrong Uso took the fall.

WINNER: Wyatts at 11:03. Another good match in their series, but they're wearing out the match-up without another top tag team for either team to work with in the division.

2 -- NIKKI BELLA vs. ALICIA FOX -- One hand tied behind the back match

The rope was administered to Nikki first while Alicia waited for Nikki to be tied up. The crowd sat quietly waiting for the pre-match to unfold. When it was her turn, Fox played games with the ref, then eventually just yanked the rope away and kicked Nikki.

The fight spilled out to the floor as Cole said this is convenient with The Authority involved in the match-making. Alicia continued to beat up Nikki before the ref eventually got in-between Fox and Nikki to prevent further damage. But, Fox jumped back into the ring and roughed up Nikki some more before leaving the ring.

WINNER: No Match. A long way to go to continue building to Brie Bella's return.

2 -- ROB VAN DAM vs. RUSEV (w/Lana)

Van Dam went for a Five-Star Frogsplash early on, but Rusev cut him off, then smashed RVD in the back of the head with a clothesline. Rusev followed with an overhead slam as the crowd amused themselves by singing. Suddenly, Cole introduced an inset promo from Zeb Colter as Rusev sat on a resthold. Once Rusev got the cue to end the resthold, RVD broke free, but Rusev took back control of the match.

RVD landed punches to the gut, then tried an overhead slam, but RVD rolled through into a two count. RVD followed with a kick strike, then another. Van Dam followed with a top-rope thrust kick, then he tried Rolling Thunder, but Rusev moved and smashed him with a thrust kick. Rusev yelled and shouted, then Lana called for the end. Rusev put a boot to the back of a prone RVD, then slapped on The Accolade as the crowd booed. RVD tapped.

WINNER: Rusev via submission at 4:38. The whole segment captured how overly-scripted and unnatural this show can feel at times. It also came across like WWE made RVD seem important for a few weeks just to feed him to Rusev.

3 -- RANDY ORTON vs. DEAN AMBROSE

Ambrose taunted Orton early on, then trapped him to the mat and wrenched his arm. Ambrose maintained the advantage working on Orton, but Orton slipped Ambrose face-first into the middle turnbuckle to take control. Orton tried to slow things down with corner punches, but Ambrose said that was taking too long, so he spun Ambrose around and landed ten rapid-fire blows. Ambrose wanted to follow up, but Orton dropped him with a short-arm clothesline.

Orton resumed control, then again slowed down the pace and decided to pose, so Ambrose had enough of that and attacked Orton. Ambrose cleared Orton out of the ring heading to break.

Orton was in control back from break. He again slowed the pace, which was like an alarm bell going off for crazy Ambrose, but Orton retained control. Ambrose eventually fought back with strikes and kicks and punches, then Ambrose decided to slap on a figure-four leglock out of nowhere. The crowd wooo'ed for Ric Flair as Orton fought the hold, then he eventually leaned back and grabbed the bottom rope for a break.

Reset at 13:00 with Orton selling the figure-four work. He sold it so much that he failed to turn around and block a top-rope attack from Ambrose, causing Dean just to fall down. The announcers quickly tried to cover for the botched spot by selling Orton being hurt and Ambrose being crazy. Orton decided to start posing to try to get the crowd back into the match, then Ambrose dumped him over the top rope to the floor.

On the outside, Ambrose grabbed a bunch of chairs and chucked them into the ring. Ambrose then rolled Orton into the ring, but Orton bailed, not wanting to take a chair shot. On the outside, though, Orton ran Ambrose shoulder-first into the ringpost, further damaging Dean. Orton then tossed Ambrose into the timekeeper's area before grabbing him for a traditional second-rope DDT right into the floor.

Orton rolled back into the ring as the referee administered a ten count. Five and some stirring. Seven and to his knees. Nine and a desperation lunge back into the ring just before ten. Orton sighed and re-approached Dean for another DDT, but Ambrose slipped under Orton for a quick two count. Backslide for a two count. Rebound lariat attempt, but Orton saw it coming a la Christian's turnaround splash and dropped Ambrose with an RKO to counter. Orton covered Ambrose for the win.

WINNER: Orton at 17:40. Fine recovery from the botched spot mid-way through to finish with a needed win for Orton ahead of his inclusion in the PPV title match in two weeks. Ambrose can easily get back on-track with his character, so he did not lose much here.

4 -- DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. ALBERTO DEL RIO

As the match unfolded, Cole hyped the winner of this match getting a U.S. Title shot against Sheamus tomorrow night on Main Event. The in-ring battle moved to the top turnbuckle, where Del Rio blocked Ziggler and delivered an inverted DDT into a faceplant for a close two count.

Ziggler walked into a single-arm DDT, but ducked a corner enziguiri. Ziggler sprung on Del Rio for a Fameasser, which resulted in a two count, then Fandango excused himself. His music played and Fandango hopped on the announce table to dance and taunt Ziggler, who made out with Summer Rae last week. Del Rio then popped Ziggler in the head and scored a three count. Del Rio gets another U.S. Title shot fresh off losing to Sheamus on Smackdown. As Fandango continued to dance and taunt Ziggler, Cole hyped the U.S. Title match tomorrow night on the Network, where re-run title matches are free.

WINNER: Del Rio at 4:34.


5 -- U.S. champion SHEAMUS vs. DAMIEN SANDOW -- non-title match

The match was joined in-progress with Sandow doing Hart's moves and mannerisms. Sheamus blocked a Sharpshooter, though, and lined up Sandow for Ten Forearms to the Chest that spilled into 15 or so blows. Sheamus then backed up to the corner looking for a Brogue Kick and smashed Sandow in the face. It was good for a three count as JBL mock shouted about this not happened again to Hart in Montreal. As Sheamus celebrated, Cole re-plugged the repeat U.S. Title match tomorrow night on WWE Network.

WINNER: Sheamus at 2:34.


6 -- CHRIS JERICHO vs. THE MIZ

Jericho quickly went after Miz's money-maker, angering the "movie star." Meanwhile, the announcers hyped this as a battle of "multi-media stars" who haven't wrestled a lot recently, so they're a bit rusty. Jericho ran over Miz with a shoulder tackle, then climbed to the top turnbuckle for a chop to the head. Jericho tried to follow with Walls of Jericho, but Miz spun him away.

Reset as the crowd became quiet enough for a trash-talker on the front row to get airtime yelling at Miz. Miz then applied a figure-four leglock, but Jericho grabbed the bottom rope for a break. They came to their feet and Jericho struck Miz right in the face. Miz sold it like a low-blow, then Jericho slapped on the Walls of Jericho for a tap-out win.

WINNER: Jericho via submission at 5:52. Jericho has really aged since his last run. He'll have to make up for the cosmetics with some strong in-ring and verbal work once he shakes off the rust.

7 -- Divas champion A.J. LEE & PAIGE vs. CAMERON & NAOMI

The announcers noted a lot of combustible elements to this match with Cameron and Naomi not getting along as of late. Back-and-forth, then Paige got the pin for her team. Afterward, Paige excitedly shook A.J.'s hand as if they're best friends now. Meanwhile, Cameron and Naomi had more issues following their loss. Cameron finger-pointed Naomi on the head, then a shoving match broke out. They eventually scrapped. It turned into more of a fight than a scrap, requiring a referee to separate them.

WINNERS: Paige & A.J. at 2:20.

8 -- CESARO (w/Paul Heyman) vs. KOFI KINGSTON

Kofi quickly knocked Cesaro out of the ring, then bounced him head-first off the announce table. Kofi tried to return to the ring, but Cesaro smashed him into the ropes. Cesaro continued to attack the mid-section before swinging him across the ring apron. Meanwhile, the crowd taunted Cesaro with a local chant in response to the promo. Cesaro dropped Kofi with a military press, but Kofi kicked out of a pin attempt. Suddenly, Kofi surprised Cesaro with a quick three count for the win. Heyman sold annoyance ringside.

Post-match: Cesaro again attacked Kofi after losing to him. But, Big E. hit the ring and chased off Cesaro before his music played. Big E. and Kofi stood tall in the ring while Cesaro and Heyman recovered to the stage.

WINNER: Kingston at 1:51.


9 -- BO DALLAS vs. EL TORITO

Once the bell sounded, Bo watched as Torito ran circles around the ring. Bo then got down on both knees, so Torito playfully whipped him with his tail. Torito followed with a crotch shot, then a slap to the face, angering Bo. Bo then shoved down the non-injured Matador ringside with Torito. Bo lost his cool, then knocked down Torito back in the ring. He regained his cool and his smile, then dropped Torito with a running Bo-Dog for the pin and the win.

Post-match: A victory lap for Dallas, including "accidentally" running over Torito when he did not see him recovering on the outside and not breaking stride. And there was Torito face-down on the floor to wrap the segment.

WINNER: Bo Dallas at 1:22.

10 -- WWE champion JOHN CENA vs. MITB holder SETH ROLLINS -- non-title match

Rollins controlled the champion heading to an early commercial break squeezed in before the top of the hour.

Back live one minute before the top of the hour, Cena powered out of a mathold with an electric chair. Rollins regained control, though, and Cena returned to selling Rollins's early attack.

Rollins continued to work on Cena until the champ came back with a big powerbomb to counter a running attack by Rollins. Cena shook off the attack before climbing to the top turnbuckle, where Rollins caught him with a head attack that resulted in a two count. Cena came back with the STFU out of nowhere, Cena re-applied center-ring of the ring, and Kane's pyro suddenly shot off.

Cena released the hold as Kane walked down the ramp toward the ring. Cena backed right into Randy Orton, who attacked Cena from behind. No bell to be heard for a DQ, as the ref apparently bailed when Kane hit the ring.

WINNER: No Result in 10:00. As far as the booking goes, poor ending to the night going for yet another non-finish to a match WWE hyped for three hours.

Post-match: Orton, Kane, and Rollins beat Cena until Roman Reigns's music played. Reigns walked down the ramp instead of through the crowd, and Reigns promptly dropped Kane with a Superman Punch. He also blasted Orton in the ring.

But, Rollins popped Reigns with the MITB briefcase. Then, Cena took a briefcase shot to the head. Rollins contemplated cashing in the briefcase, but how could he cash in when the previous match never ended? Another ref emerged to receive the case from Rollins, but Dean Ambrose showed up through the crowd to spear Rollins to the ground. Ambrose ran Rollins up the ramp to the back as Cole house-cleaned on no MITB cash-in again this week.

Back in the ring, Cena was waking up as Randy Orton slid into the ring. Orton thought he had Cena ready for an RKO, but Cena sprung on him with an AA. Kane wanted a chokeslam on Cena, though, only to take a spear from Roman Reigns. The Shield's music played as Reigns and Cena stood tall in the ring. Reigns then yanked Cena's hand in the air for the faces to stand tall, but Cena was taken aback by the gesture, not trusting anyone right now. "Spear, spear" chant from the crowd, then Cena returned the gesture by holding Reigns's hand in the air. Cena and Reigns came face-to-face, then Reigns held Cena's hand in the air to boos. Cena sold slight annoyance as Raw signed off eight minutes past the top of the hour.

 

[Arcademan]

TV Results: Week of 7-7-14 (continued)

WWE Main Event: 7-8-14

1 -- U.S. champion SHEAMUS (267 lbs.) vs. ALBERTO DEL RIO (239 lbs.) -- U.S. Title match -- Last Man Standing match

The duo lived up to the pre-match discussion by pulling out weapons and using them with frequently before Main Event cut to an early break.

Del Rio was in control back from break, but Sheamus re-took control and snapped off 20 Forearms to the Chest before bouncing Del Rio into the announce table. The referee administered a ten count, but some crowd members chanted for tables instead of buying the potential finish. Del Rio answered the count and Sheamus remained in control heading to break.

Back from break, Del Rio intercepted a chair and kicked the chair into Sheamus's face. Later, Del Rio went for a running kick, but Sheamus countered with White Noise. Both men answered the ten count, then Sheamus brought out a table requested by the crowd. Sheamus set up the table in the ring, but Del Rio caught him with an enziguiri.

Del Rio followed up with the cross arm-breaker, torquing Sheamus's shoulder. But, Sheamus regained his strength, powered to his feet, and lifted Del Rio into the air to powerbomb him through the table. Both men answered a ten count, then Sheamus popped Del Rio right in the face with a Brogue Kick. Del Rio tried to get up at nine, but he slumped to the mat and Sheamus secured the win.

WINNER: Sheamus at 17:01 to retain the U.S. Title.

2 -- NIKKI BELLA vs. NATALYA & SUMMER RAE & CAMERON(?) & NAOMI & EVA MARIE & ROSA MENDES -- handicap match

The heel members of the Total Divas team took turns tagging in and out working on an over-matched Nikki while Natalya and Naomi sold being conflicted over this situation. Not conflicted enough to stand up to an obviously ridiculous scenario, though, as they watched Nikki get pummeled. Nikki tried a comeback with weak-looking strikes, then Eva tagged in, tried a DDT, blew a kiss to the wrong camera, and scored the pin.

Post-match, Natalya and Naomi checked on Nikki, then Cameron barged into the ring and tried to attack Naomi from behind. Naomi chased after Cameron, leaving Natalya to tend to Nikki.

WINNERS: Total Divas at 2:34. Rough all the way around.

Highlight Reel: Chris Jericho was introduced to the ring for the "main event segment" of the show. Quite the stark difference between the Jericho shown in the Titantron highlight package and the 2014 Jericho. As Jericho walked to the ring, the announcers plugged Jericho vs. Randy Orton for this Friday on Smackdown.

Once in the ring, Jericho pointed out the Jerichoholics in the crowd. He said he is excited to bring the Highlight Reel to Main Event and the WWE Network for the very first time. But, he's even more excited to introduce his guest, Bret Hart.

In the ring, Hart said it's great to be back in the capital for the first time in a long time. And, he's glad to be on the Network. He said it's hard to believe how many years it's been since Jericho was training in the dungeon. Hart joked about some family members betting on Chris and others betting on his sister. Jericho said Georgia stretched him all right. He talked up Hart's career, then asked who his greatest rivals are.

Hart mentioned Mr. Perfect, brother Owen, Stone Cold, The Undertaker, and the one that stands out the most, Shawn Michaels. Suddenly, Michaels's music played. The announcers took the bait and popped for Michaels coming out, but it was Damien Sandow dressed in Michaels's 2010s look of a straw hat, camo shirt, jeans, and boots. Sandow posed like Michaels before being greeted by a mock "You Screwed Bret" chant.

Sandow did Michaels's voice before Jericho said he's really let himself go. He said Sandow/Michaels looks like a big, ugly fish with a beard. Sandow/Michaels ignored, then offered jabs at Jericho and Hart before saying Montreal will have nothing on the Ottawa Screwjob. Sandow vowed to send Hart back to Ted Turner and WCW, then Hart popped Sandow in the mouth, just like last night on Raw. This time, Hart threw in a Sharpshooter for nostalgia. Jericho called for the bell, then Hart's music played and he stood tall with Jericho to close the infomercial for the WWE Network.

 

[Arcademan]

TV Results: Week of 7-7-14 (continued)

TNA Impact Wrestling: 7-10-14

1 -- TNA tag champions THE WOLVES (DAVEY RICHARDS & EDDIE EDWARDS) vs. MAGNUS & BRAM -- TNA Tag Title match

Early on, The Wolves double-teamed Bram with rapid-fire kicks that drove Bram to a corner. Bram grunted with each kick, then found a kick to the face. But, Magnus cut off Davey from the ring apron behind the ref's back. The ref was Stiffler, who was been identified as a crooked ref, yet Angle's character allowed him to officiate this match. Magnus then walked around ringside to yank Eddie off the ring apron, which Taz called a smart move and prevented Davey from tagging in Eddie. No rebuttal from Tenay on it not being legal and the ref missing it. Rules don't seem to matter in TNA, so you can't get heat on anyone.

Davey finally made the tag to a recovered Eddie, who chopped Bram over and over. Bram stumbled across the ring after missing with a clothesline as Eddie made his comeback. As Taz evaluated the match instead of reinforcing face/heel roles, the Wolves gathered themselves to double splash the challengers on the outside. Back in the ring, Davey escaped a gutbuster attempt by Bram, then Eddie slipped into the ring to roll up Bram for a surprise three count.

Post-match: Magnus and Bram attacked the champs immediately after losing. The bell sounded to no avail as the sore losers continued to beat up the champs. Taz surmised that Bram did not care about losing the match, which was evident when Bram got them DQ'ed in the same Tag Title match one month ago.

WINNERS: Wolves at 7:13 to retain the Tag Titles. This was just mindless, amateur booking starting with Magnus & Bram getting a second Tag Title shot without explanation, the crooked ref allowed to officiate this match under the supervision of new babyface authority figure Angle, Taz slipping into an undefined role evaluating the match instead of reinforcing face/heel points, and Tenay rattling off the scripted talking points instead of defending the faces and calling out the heels for their tactics to get people to emotionally react to/invest in what's happening. It's just on to the next item on the list...

2 -- X Division champion SANADA vs. AUSTIN ARIES -- X Division Title match

Nice back and forth to begin the match, then Aries slapped on the Last Chancery. But, Sanada grabbed the bottom rope for a break. Aries continued to punish Sanada before they went into a rolling pin situation that resulted in a two count for Sanada. Sanada clotheslined Aries over the top rope, but Aries pushed Sanada off the top rope down to the floor in response.

Back in the ring, Aries delivered running elbow smashes, then tried a top rope move, but Sanada blocked with a glancing blow via dropkick. Aries came to his feet, then promptly took a back-elbow smash from the champion. Sanada followed with a springboard chop to the head for a two count, then a corner boot. Sanada tried to follow with a top-rope moonsault, but Aries blocked and nailed a corner dropkick.

Aries wanted to follow with a Brainbuster suplex, but Sanada blocked and nailed a Tiger Suplex with a bridge pin for a close two count. Sanada showed frustration, then he nailed a top-rope moonsault, but Aries kicked out. Sanada showed even more frustration, then he tried another top-rope moonsault, but Aries moved. Aries nailed a discus forearm, then a corner dropkick. Brainbuster suplex followed, but Sanada kicked out just before three.

Aries regrouped, climbed to the top rope, and nailed a 450 splash. It was good for the pin and the win. Post-match, Aries took the X Title and thought about his Option C opportunity at Destination X. After a look at Aries celebrating, TNA replayed the high points of the match.

WINNER: Aries at 8:20 to capture the X Division Title. Nice match all the way around, including Sanada showing uncharacteristic frustration from the nearfalls after Storm got in his ear about disappointing Muta to set up the next chapter. (**1/2)

3 -- TNA KO champion GAIL KIM vs. ANGELINA LOVE (w/Velvet Sky) vs. MADISON RAYNE vs. BRITTANY -- four-way Knockouts Title match

he Beautiful People were introduced first for the Knockouts Title match. Madison Rayne was out next, but Brittany attacked her from behind. The BPs joined in the beating and the bell suddenly sounded despite the match not in the ring and the champion not even introduced. Gail then came out to try to defend Madison and get the match in the ring.

Once the match started, Brittany turned into a monster going after Madison, then ending her heel partnership with Angelina to attack her. Madison then took out Brittany before Gail dropped Angelina with Eat Defeat. It was good for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Gail at 5:32 to retain the KO Title.

4 -- 20-MAN BATTLE ROYAL -- Winner gets TNA Hvt. Title shot next week

Bodies started flying early on, clearing out The Menagerie to put a damper on Knux's strategy. Knux tried to fight alone, but he awkwardly crotched himself on the top rope before Magnus and Bram kicked him to the floor for an elimination. Tigre Uno and Sanada were eliminated next. Then, Tenay suddenly got excited voicing-over an announcement that James Storm just eliminated Mr. Anderson. Storm then eliminated Gunner. Meanwhile, Hardy eliminated Bram, who freaked out ringside.

Suddenly, Abyss's music played. Abyss stumbled down to ringside to pick a fight with Bram, taking him away from ringside. Back in the ring, Manik was eliminated to take care of the X Division's representatives. Impact cut to break with the field cut in half.

Back from break, Roode dumped Storm over the top rope without a struggle. Bully then cornered Rockstar Spud and grabbed him by the crotch in a threatening manner. ECIII cut off Ray, though, and waited for Spud to recover to work on Bully. But, Bully recovered and press-slammed Spud clear over the top rope. Ray then eliminated ECIII and himself with an over-aggressive clothesline. Taz said he doesn't think Bully cares. Then, why did he enter the match?

Kenny King took center stage working on Roode with right hands. Roode came back with a spinebuster, but MVP smacked Roode with his crutch from the outside. That allowed King to eliminate Roode. But, EY dumped King over the top rope. So, it came down to EY and JEff Hardy, who started doing wild gyrations and moves as if he were half-Willow, half-Hardy.

Young and Hardy shook hands to have a clean fight to the finish. They battled before Young found himself on the ring apron. Young did a Flair Strut, avoided an elimination, and tried to make a comeback, but Hardy eliminated him to win the match and get a title shot next week. Afterward, Hardy shook hands with EY, who handed back the top babyface challenger spot to Hardy.

WINNER: Hardy at 16:02 to earn a TNA Title shot next week.

Post-match: Jeremy Borash entered the ring to talk to Jeff Hardy about his victory. Hardy said he is your next TNA World champion. He said Bobby Lashley is extremely tough, but he can go to the extreme to recapture the title. Hardy called for his creatures. Suddenly, Lashley walked out on-stage to give Hardy a look at what he's up against next week.

Lashley slowly entered the ring as Hardy continued to catch his breath following the battle royal. Lashley came face-to-face with Hardy, then held up the TNA Title belt in Hardy's face. Taz told Hardy to bring his A-Game next week. Tenay offered final hype for Lashley vs. Hardy next week from New York City as Impact signed off with a close-up on Lashley and Hardy in the ring.

WWE NXT: 7-10-14

1 - BAYLEY vs. SUMMER RAE - #1 Contender match for the NXT Women's Championship

Bayley immediately puts Summer Rae's face into all four turnbuckles, but a cover only gets one. Bayley embarrasses Summer Rae with armdrags, then helicopters on top of her. Summer Rae bails to the outside then kicks Bayley in the head when she tried to get back into the ring. Summer Rae with her typical leg-based offense.

Rae catches a running Bayley with a dragon sleeper then transitions into a DDT. Summer Rae with a roundhouse, but Bayley catches it and leverages Summer Rae's face into the mat to a "Bayley's gonna hug you" chant. Bayley wrecks Summer Rae in the corner, then nails a big suplex into a two count. Bayley wants the Hugplex, but Summer Rae escapes, and follows up with the Summer Crush for the win.

WINNER: Summer Rae in 5:28. The women's matches in NXT are a cut above the main roster, and this was a good sample. Lots of quality back-and-forth to put both wrestlers's moves and personality on display and a clean pin in the middle of the mat to make Summer Rae look strong going against the dominant Charlotte.

2 - SIN CARA vs. WESLEY BLAKE

Sin Cara's offense prevails early on. Blake with a boot to the middle on a lock-up ruse. Sin Cara dumps Blake through the ropes then follows with a suicide dive.

Blake surprises Sin Cara after a ref break and slows it down with basic offense. Sin Cara is able to turn the speed on again and hits his usual notes. Enziguiri from the apron drops blake, then the Swanton Bomb for the win.

WINNER: Sin Cara in 3:42. A Sin Cara win on NXT against a relative unknown points to him being built up as a threat for an NXT player to conquer and look good against, like how they used Brodus Clay a few months ago.

3 - BULL DEMPSEY vs. ANGELO DAWKINS

Dempsey with some very strong mat work, reversing a hip toss or arm drag into a headlock takedown. Dempsey sits on a Sunset Flip and Dawkins sells it like it was a ten ton bomb. Dempsey with old-school offense. Dawkins makes a brief comeback but runs into Dempsey's elbow. Big corner splash from Dempsey, then the Bulldozer for the win.

WINNER: Bull Dempsey in 3:00. Dempsey is like Scott Dawson, someone who isn't flashy or have a massive moveset, but conveys this aura of power with a well-executed competence that impresses.

4 - NXT champion ADRIAN NEVILLE & SAMI ZAYN vs. TYSON KIDD & JUSTIN GABRIEL (w/Natalya) - Tag Team match

Kidd and Neville start. They trade control with mat work. Zayn and Neville keep Kidd isolated with frequent tags. Albert points out that despite the respect and friendship between Zayn and Neville, Zayn wants the title. Kidd tags in Gabriel who takes a big arm drag and gets isolated too. Zayn gets on his hands and knees so Neville can hit a sweet corkscrew moonsault.

Gabriel breaks free but Neville pushes through Kidd's attack and gets to Zayn. Zayn fights out of the corner, clears Gabriel, but gets sent over the top rope to the outside.

Gabriel has control of Zayn. Kidd unloads on Zayn inthe corner and looks crazed. Gabriel puts Zayn in a Tree of Woe behind the ref's back so Kidd works Zayn. Kidd and Gabriel with some great heel offense.

Dual kicks to Zayn's head. Natalya cheers on her man. Zayn manages to escape and bring in Neville. Neville with insane speed and offense on Gabriel. Standing moonsault gets a nearfall for Neville.

Powerbomb draws Kidd into the ring to break up the pin, and he drags Gabriel to the corner so he can tag himself in. Neville counters a springboard move with a kick and slides into a corner for two. "We want Natty!" chant from the crowd. Neville to the top, but he hesitates when Gabriel menaces him, letting Kidd recover and knock him down. Springboard elbow drop from Kidd and Zayn breaks it up, then dumps Gabriel to the outside. Neville and Zayn work together and a blind tag lets Neville hit a big dive on Gabriel and Zayn unleashes a crossbody that takes him more than halfway across the ring for a nearfall.

Natalya is falling apart ringside as Zayn weighs his options. Kidd jams his fingers into Zayn's face to fend off offense so Zayn tosses him over the ropes where Gabriel and Neville are still taking a nap. Zayn with a huge flip dive to take out everyone ringside. Kidd plays up a hurt knee, but how real is it?

The ref backs Zayn off and Natalya gets ont he apron, but it's a trick. Zayn blocks the sucker punch and responds, which sends Kidd sprawling into Natalya. Zayn and Kidd both show concern, but when Zayn tries to check on Natalya, Kidd surprises him with a schoolboy for the win.

WINNERS: Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel in 11:44. What a heck of a match. This is what you'd expect from these two in nearly 12 minutes, but I sure wish this was 15 or 20 minutes. Kidd has emerged into a quality heel over the last few weeks.

 

[Arcademan]

10 years ago...

WWE RAW Results: 7-12-04

BLOODY MONDAY
July 12, 2004

When Chris Benoit raised the World Heavyweight Championship high after defeating Triple H at Vengeance, he couldn’t have imagined that he’d have to defend that title the next night on RAW … against Eric Bischoff’s nephew Eugene. When Eugene learned he’d be in Monday night’s main event, little did he know it was simply part of The Game’s vicious plan. And neither competitor expected to end the night bloodied and incapacitated at the hands of a third party.

The match began beautifully for the challenger. He avoided Benoit’s patented diving headbutt, later mimicking his opponent with German suplexes and even the Crippler Crossface. The Rabid Wolverine was clearly willing to do whatever it took to retain, ripping into Eugene with quick, stinging moves. But Eugene again caught Benoit using other Superstars’ attack arsenal, hitting a Rock Bottom that came dangerously close to being the end. Benoit managed to get a foot on the bottom rope, but Eugene thought he won and went to claim his World title.

With the match still technically in progress, Evolution descended upon the ring. It was perfect timing for Triple H and Company, as Benoit was down and Eugene was celebrating. Soon, the contest disintegrated into a barbaric beat-down. When Evolution had their fill with Benoit, they turned their full attention to tearing apart Eugene. Randy Orton hit an RKO. That was followed by a Batista Bomb. And worst of all, Eugene’s “favorite wrestler” blasted him with a Pedigree and left him an unconscious mass of crimson.

Besides taking his turn beating up Eugene, Ric Flair also found time to school The Hurricane. Flair weathered an early storm from his young opponent, who even managed to draw first blood. But that seemed to incite the “Nature Boy,” who took over in signature fashion. He isolated The Hurricane’s leg, setting up a Figure Four Leg Lock from which there was no escape.

Fellow Evolution member Batista had no such luck against the new Intercontinental Champion Edge. The animal dropped everything but the kitchen sink on the five-time Intercontinental Champion, but Edge’s resourcefulness saw him through. When Batista went for his high-impact spinebuster, Edge rolled him up and grabbed the top rope for leverage. The illegal advantage went undetected by the referee, and Batista lost in what could be considered poetic justice after Batista’s controversial Vengeance win over Chris Jericho.

The Lita-Kane-Matt Hardy saga spilled over into Jericho’s Highlight Reel on Monday night. In the end, Lita told off Kane and Y2J infuriated the monster into an impromptu match. Kane clearly was more interested in taking out his frustration than winning, opting for a DQ-causing low blow — just because he could.

Lita wasn’t the only pretty face on Monday Night RAW. Trish Stratus watched as Tyson Tomko beat Maven, and three Diva hopefuls were interviewed by a very pleased Jerry “The King” Lawler.

Match Results:
Intercontinental Champion Edge defeats Batista (non-title match)
Rhyno (with Tajiri) def. Robert Conway (with Sylvain Grenier)
Tyson Tomko (with Trish Stratus) def. Maven (with Nidia)
Chris Jericho def. Kane (DQ)
Ric Flair def. The Hurricane
The match between World Heavyweight Champion Chris Benoit and Eugene ended in a no contest.

 

[Arcademan]

TV Results: Week of 7-7-14 (concluded)

WWE Smackdown: 711-14

1 – CAMERON vs. A.J. LEE

Cameron was already in the ring, appearing more concerned with how she looked than the upcoming match. After A.J. came to the ring, they replayed Paige’s promo that brought out the returning A.J, and how A.J. won the title from her. Cole broke the news that A.J. would defend the Divas Championship against Paige at Battleground (the graphics for the PPV look like they are leftover from the days of Cyber Sunday). Cameron mounted A.J. and tried to put lip gloss on her. She then moved to choking Lee in the ropes, as JBL wondered if the use of lip gloss on an opponent constituted a foreign object worthy of disqualification. Cameron stretched the arms and shoulders of A.J. Cameron pie-faced A.J. a few times and A.J. just smiled in response. Corner splash from A.J, followed by a swinging neck-breaker. Spinning back heel kick for two at 2:34. Cameron was ticked that A.J. touched her hair so Cameron left the ring. She was going to take a count-out loss when Naomi ran out and put Cameron back in the ring. Shining Wizard connected for the win.

WINNER: A.J., at 3:11. This wasn’t exactly how they booked matches with Paige as champion, but similar. The one difference was A.J. could get over with her personality during the match; Paige struggled with that.

2 – FANDANGO vs. ADAM ROSE

With Layla coming out alongside Fandango, Summer Rae joined the Exotic Express this week. So, those hoping for a Dolph Ziggler/Summer pairing may end up disappointed. After Fandango was slapped on the butt, he went to work with right hands on Rose. Summer Rae ran over and attacked Layla about 40 seconds into the match. Fandango tried to break it up and ended up getting popped in the nose during the skirmish. In the end, he was counted out.

WINNER: Rose, via count-out, at 1:05. Rose took a backseat to the epic Layla vs. Summer Rae feud here, which should tell you all you need to know about his standing at this point.

3 – TITUS O’NEIL & HEATH SLATER vs. THE USOS

Apparently on the App, Slater and O’Neil talked about dropping their respective inferior tag team partners. At Battleground, The Usos face Harper & Rowan in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Tag Title Match. JBL called the heel tag team “Slater and The Gator” (for O’Neil’s alma mater). Heel kick by Slater for a two-count. Titus broke up a pin attempt on Slater, but Slater came off the second rope right into a superkick. Tag was made, and The Usos picked up the win following a top-rope splash.

WINNERS: The Usos, at 1:59. Fine enhancement match for The Usos. Slater and O’Neil don’t seem to have much in common, but I’m all for pairing two lower-card guys who have nothing else going on.

4 – CHRIS JERICHO vs. RANDY ORTON

After Jericho came to the ring, Wyatt came on the TitanTron singing “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” and told Jericho to “save yourself.” Jericho knocked Orton off the apron and to ringside once the match started, signaling a break 1:04 into the match.

Back at 4:10 of the match with Jericho still holding serve. Orton took over by avoiding a Jericho charge, in which Jericho’s own momentum took him over the turnbuckle and to ringside. Still outside the ring, Orton dropped Jericho back-first across the top of the barricade. Jericho kicked out of an ensuing pin attempt at two. Orton applied a rear chinlock, but Jericho got to his feet. After he was knocked back down, Orton posed to draw heat. Another rear chinlock. The announcers spent this part of the match plugging the WWE Network. Jericho made his comeback and came off the top with the point of his elbow meeting the top of Orton’s head. Orton responded with a powerslam for two at 9:39. Enziguiri by Jericho for two. He tried to go to the top again, but Orton crotched him. A superplex attempt was blocked, then Jericho headbutted Orton down. Jericho came down onto Orton and registered another near-fall. An application of the Walls of Jericho led to Orton reaching the ropes for a break. A select few in the crowd were chanting Adam Rose’s theme. Rope-assisted DDT by Orton. Orton set up for the RKO. Jericho countered and hit the Lionsault. The lights then went out and the Wyatts’ signature played. They were nowhere to be found, but Jericho walked into an Orton RKO for the win.

WINNER: Orton, at 13:59. Yet another use of the“babyface gets distracted by music/lights and loses” trope. Appropriate, given Scott Keith’s recent Sporting News column on the subject.

5 – LAYLA vs. SUMMER RAE – FANDANGO AS SPECIAL GUEST REFEREE

No entrance for Layla and Fandango. As Summer came to the ring, they replayed what happened earlier in the evening to lead to this match (“we’re going to show it again, believe it or not,” said Cole). Layla made out with Fandango before the bell rang. So Summer did the same. Layla tried to go after Summer, but Fandango caught her and stopped her. He did the same with Summer. “Best job ever” chanted a few fans. Fandango curiously chose this time to dance in between the two women. Both ladies looked at Fandango questioningly…then attacked him. Fandango escaped their flying fists and left the ring. He sat on the ramp as his music played and the women looked at him from the ring.

WINNER: No contest (no bell), let’s call it 1:00.

Layla and Summer seemed to have an unofficial dance-off in the ring, then Summer offered her hand. Layla accepted, and they both danced. That popped the crowd. After a storyline like this, I guess the women should both get the better of Fandango given how they were treated.

6 – CURTIS AXEL vs. GOLDUST

Axel was already in the ring out of break. Stardust came to the ring with Goldust. Ryback was at ringside with Axel. Quick pace by both men out of the chute. Axel ducked between the ropes in the corner in order to draw Goldust away from him. Stardust stood on the barricade and played to the crowd. Roll-up by Goldust for two. Dropkick by Axel led to Goldust rolling out of the ring. Stardust sat on the announce table, distracting Axel and allowing Goldust to take over. Stardust put on JBL’s hat. Powerslam by Goldust for two. The Final Cut by Goldust for the win.

WINNER: Goldust, at 2:20. At least this offered something different in the ongoing feud between the two teams.

Ryback ran in immediately and attacked Goldust. He tried to give Goldust Shell Shock, but Stardust blew glitter into Ryback’s face to stop the assault.

7 – DIEGO & EL TORITO vs. BO DALLAS – HANDICAP MATCH

JBL said Fernando is out with an injury after being gored by El Torito’s uncle, Mantaur. They showed what happened in the Dallas vs. Torito match from Raw. When Bo came to the ring, he said this may be a handicap match, but he’s handi-capable. He said his fans are his tag team partners tonight. Some “We Bo-lieve” chants early on. Double leg-sweep by Diego, who then worked the arm. Dropkick felled Dallas. Bo dodged a charge and hit the Bo-Dog for the win.

WINNER: Dallas, at 1:16. El Torito didn’t even tag in.

8 – RUSEV vs. ROMAN REIGNS

This is a big test for both men. As Reigns descended the stairs for the second time tonight, a graphic showed the participants in the Battleground Fatal Four-Way title match. They also showed Roman Reigns getting in his verbal shots at Kane on Monday, followed by the brawl. A long collar-and-elbow tie-up went to a stalemate, though Rusev kicked away at the legs of Reigns. Reigns mounted Rusev in the corner and punched away. An angry Rusev regrouped with the help of Lana outside the ring as they went to break 1:11 into the match.

Back at 4:37 of the match. Spinning heel kick sent Reigns to the mat. Rusev kept control for the next few minutes and even whipped Reigns hard into turnbuckle, causing Reigns to collapse to the mat. Two kicks to the mid-section from Rusev, with Reigns on all fours. Reigns eventually exploded out of the corner with a clothesline, then hit one of the flying variety to finally take Rusev off his feet. Jumping kick outside the ring by Reigns. He set up for the Superman punch and connected. At this point, Randy Orton ran in for the disqualification.

WINNER: Reigns, via DQ, at 9:50.

Reigns gave Orton the Superman punch, but Rusev surprised Reigns with the jumping side kick. Instead of the Accolade, Lana ordered a confused Rusev out of the ring. The two of them headed up the ramp, leaving Orton alone with Reigns. Orton took his time getting into the ring. The DQ was replayed as was Rusev’s kick. Orton was finally in the ring and setting up for the RKO. It found the mark. Orton knelt over the prone Reigns as the show drew to a close.

 

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 7-14-14 (hour 1)

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report). Ever so slightly condensed here for your reading pleasure.

In the ring, Cena said this is a feisty crowd ready for Raw. He said they are six days away from Battleground, then told people to sign up for the WWE Network. Cena put himself in jeopardy and stacked the deck, saying in six days, the champ might not be here anymore. He said that's because The Authority has put him in a match against Kane, Orton, and Roman Reigns. And, he doesn't even have to lose the match to lose the title. He notably only pointed to the WWE Title, ignoring the World Title belt.

Suddenly, The Shield's music played to bring out Roman Reigns over Cena's left shoulder in the crowd. Reigns marched down to the ring with his head down making sure he doesn't stumble on the stairs. Reigns then hopped the guardrail and entered the ring, where Cena was standing by to hear what Reigns has to say. First, Reigns listened to the crowd before Cena introduced Reigns to the crowd.

Cena noted they're partners tonight, then face off on Sunday. He thanked Reigns for bailing him out last week, then called his gesture at the end of the show cute trying to make himself stand out. Cena put them both in jeopardy tonight, saying they have to make it to Sunday in the tag match tonight. Reigns was done listening, telling Cena to get to the point.

Cena sold being taken aback, then said they should take out Kane and Orton tonight, then find out if Reigns thinks he's as good as he is on Sunday. Reigns agreed to taking out Kane and Orton, then said they'll find out if Cena is as good as he thinks he is. Dean Ambrose interrupted from the video screen, saying they're going to a dance tonight, but a fight. He told Reigns and Cena that The Authority always has a plan, so they need to have a plan tonight.

Suddenly, Kane appeared over Ambrose's shoulder. Then, Rollins and Orton. A three-on-one beat down ensued, and WWE notably did not cut back to the ring to reveal if Cena and Reigns stormed backstage to make the save or simply watched the beating from the ring. WWE continued to show Ambrose taking a beating with no sign of help from his top babyface partners. Rollins, Kane, and Orton eventually had enough and stood over Ambrose, who asked if that's all they got. Rollins then hopped onto a crate and Curb-stomped Ambrose. Silence as the heels stood over Ambrose. Raw faded to break with no sign of anyone helping Ambrose. Where are his tag partners? What crummy babyfaces.

1 -- U.S. champion SHEAMUS vs. THE MIZ -- non-title match

As the bell sounded, WWE flashed "Cena and Reigns" trending on Twitter right now. That's not a good thing. Meanwhile, the family-friendly crowd quickly picked up a "Let's Go Sheamus" chant to cheer on the U.S. champ. Miz cut off Sheamus's attack, then nailed a double axehandle from the corner. Sheamus came back with a rolling senton sending Miz to the floor heading to break.

Back from break, Miz was protecting his face from Sheamus's attack. Miz then ran Sheamus into the ring steps before flinging him back into the ring. The production team decided it was a good time to cut to a photo gallery showing every IC Title battle royal participant on Sunday, informally announcing some Superstars Brand wrestlers for the match. Back to the match, where Sheamus nailed 15 Forearms to the Chest, reddening Miz's chest.

Sheamus tried a top-rope move, but Miz flung Sheamus off the top turnbuckle down to the mat. Miz collected himself, stared at his mug on the Titantron for inspiration, and tried a figure-four, but Sheamus easily shoved him off with his boot. Irish Curse backbreaker for a two count, then Sheamus airballed a Brogue Kick in the corner. Miz quickly capitalized with a roll-up for the pin and the win. Miz quickly scampered out of the ring to avoid Sheamus's wrath as Sheamus sat stunned in the ring.

WINNER: Miz at 10:45.

2 -- DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. FANDANGO

Back from break, Fandango was dancing in the ring. He was alone without a dance partner after Layla and Summer Rae ditched him. Once the bell sounded, Ziggler angrily attacked Fandango after Fandango cost him his match last week. Suddenly, Fandango's music played. Summer Rae and Layla were on the announce table dancing to distract Fandango. Chaos unfolded in the ring as the music kept playing like a bad Menagerie match on Impact. Ziggler eventually just ended the match with a Fameasser for the pin and the win. Post-match, Layla and Fandango entered the ring to dance in front of Ziggler and taunt Fandango. Ziggler then hooked up with the Divas while Fandango sat despondent in the corner.

WINNER: Ziggler at 3:02.

Cole stood in-between the podiums to note this detente is to ease the hostility and tension between the two nations. The crowd interrupted with a "USA" chant, which Lana shouted over. Cole continued that Lana's harsh words have prompted Colter to book Swagger against Rusev at Battleground on Sunday if Rusev accepts.

Lana laughed at the challenge, then spoke in their language. In English, she told Mr. Colter that he and America are the same - they simply choose violence to solve all your problems. Lana said America wants to be the savior of the world, but they can't save themselves. She called everyone stupid, then laughed. Rusev continued to lock eyes with Swagger, then Lana paused for another "USA" chant." "Shut up!" she shouted.

Lana went back to the Revolutionary War, saying once America won its freedom, they decided to fight amongst themselves in the Civil War. Whereas, Mother Russia has and always be the peace-loving country. Lana said they can come to an agreement, though, if Colter simply admits to its mistakes. Another "USA" chant, prompting more shouts from Lana, then mockery of the chants.

Zeb was tired of listening and took the mic. He said Lana is a visitor in their country, then revisited his character's battle in the Vietnam War. Zeb said he did not do that for Lana and Rusev to come to their country and bad-mouth them. Zeb offered his answer to Lana: "Not no, but hell no." Lana then walked around the podium to stand opposite Zeb. She said Zeb's arrogance is why the U-S-A is crumbling into pieces.

"There is hope," Lana said with a smile. One man has a chance to save the nation and this man is the world-leader Vladimir Putin. Putin's face was displayed on the screen a la Miz, then Zeb said that is one ugly man. He said they have a president they elect every four years, which drew a mix of cheers and boos in a split state. Then, Zeb displayed President Obama's face on the screen.

Zeb turned this to Rusev, asking when he's going to step out from behind his woman and fight like a man. Rusev shouted that this is war, then Zeb said it sounds like they have a match at Battleground. Lana led Rusev away from the ring, then Zeb said he knows who wears the pants or the skirt in their relationship. Zeb said he would like Lana to teach Rusev this important message before Sunday: "We The People."

Lana took exception and slapped Zeb, then Swagger speared Rusev. The fight was on, but Lana hopped on Swagger to distract him. Rusev then capitalized with a corner attack before trying to kick Swagger in the face, but Swagger slapped on the Patriot Lock as Zeb celebrated on the ring apron. Rusev sold extreme pain before managing to get out of the ring and retreat up the entrance ramp to the ramp as Zeb waved the American flag in the background.

 

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 7-14-14 (hour 2)

3 -- ROB VAN DAM vs. ALBERTO DEL RIO

Del Rio quickly knocked RVD to the outside, where he smashed RVD into the ring apron. Back in the ring, Del Rio sat on a reverse chinlock to wear down RVD. Del Rio tried to follow up with a standing kick to the head, but RVD moved just in time and seized the opening to mount a comeback. RVD delivered signature offense, then climbed to the top turnbuckle, but Del Rio got his knees up to block a Five-Star Frogsplash. Del Rio followed right up with the cross arm-breaker and RVD immediately tapped out to relieve the pain.

WINNER: Del Rio via submission at 4:30. Another heel beating a face clean to hype the IC Title battle royal.

Back from break, Nikki Bella was introduced to the ring. After WWE replayed Brie Bella quitting and slapping Stephanie McMahon, Stephanie's music played to bring her out on-stage. Stephanie taunted Nikki for being all alone in the ring once again. She said Brie quit WWE, married Daniel Bryan, and abandoned her own flesh and blood. Steph said Nikki should be in a tag match tonight, but it has to be a handicap match after Brie quit. But, The Authority should not be blamed. She should be blaming her sister. Out came Alicia Fox and Cameron as the opposition. On commentary, Cole robotically said Nikki is suffering for the "sins of her sister," essentially siding with The Authority and not defending Brie for taking a stand against corruption. Not a good night for those in the babyface role.

4 -- NIKKI BELLA vs. CAMERON & ALICIA FOX

Nikki tried to fight against the numbers advantage early on, but the heels quickly took her down and took turns wearing her down. Nikki tried to mount a comeback against A. Fox, but Fox cut her off and finished off Nikki for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Fox & Cameron at 3:35.

5 -- CESARO vs. BIG E. (w/Kofi Kingston)

The two men traded control early on, then Cesaro taunted Big E., telling him to come on and do something. Big E. responded, but Cesaro cut him off with a big clothesline. Cesaro delivered a powerbomb out of the butterfly suplex position, popping Cole, then Cesaro sat down on a chinlock. Big E. fought back before delivering a belly-to-belly suplex and a corner thrust.

Big E. followed with a big running splash, then he dropped the straps, but Cesaro wisely rolled out of the ring to slow down Langston. Cesaro then yanked Big E. down across the ring ropes. Suddenly, Cesaro went under the ring and retrieved two chairs. Cesaro chucked one chair toward Kofi, then tried to use the other chair on Big E., but Kofi yanked it away. Big E. capitalized with the Big Ending to Cesaro for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Big E. at 4:35. And Cesaro has now been saddled with the Losing Stream gimmick, taking a loss on three consecutive Raws.

Raw returned two minutes before the top of the hour with Jericho playing to the crowd with a smile on his face. Jericho welcomed everyone to Raw is Jericho, then said this ring is home to him and he has been working here for 15 years. Jericho said he's seen it all in WWE, then listed everyone and everything he could rhyme together. Until he encountered Bray Wyatt. Jericho called him a manipulator, freak surrounded by freaks, mysterious, and has set his sights on him. And he doesn't know why. Did Bray not explain it in his promo last week?

Jericho hyped their match at Battleground, then vowed to get a little crazy and nuts on Sunday. "Let's Get Crazy," Jericho said before saying that he has the audience in his hands in response to Bray saying he has the world in his hands. Suddenly, Bray interrupted on the video screen. Bray chuckled to himself, then asked Jericho if he remembers what it was like to be a child full of energy and life with no worries. He said that changes when children are struck by the cold hand of life.

Bray asked Jericho if he remembers vowing to save them. "Where were you, Chris?" he asked. Bray chuckled to himself, then brought the lights up in the arena over "boring" chants. He then blew out his lantern and the lights came back on. Bray asked Jericho if he's afraid of the dark, then the lights went out again. Erick Rowan and Luke Harper were in the ring when the lights came back on, then the Wyatts attacked Jericho, but Jericho ducked a big boot from Harper to escape the ring. Jericho removed his t-shirt as his music played, then Jericho backed up the entrance ramp not aware of what was behind him.

Bray Wyatt suddenly blasted Jericho from behind at the top of the stage, then he scooped up a lifeless Jericho to deliver Sister Abigail on the stage. Bray posed over Jericho as the camera zoomed in on Bray's messed-up eye, apparently the result of the MSG house show on Saturday. The video cut out...

 

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 7-14-14 (hour 3)

6 -- Divas champion A.J. LEE vs. EVA MARIE -- non-title match

Paige and JBL got into it on commentary while A.J. took control of the match. A.J. then finished off Eva as Paige played nice applauding the champion. Afterward, A.J. took a victory lap around the ring with the Divas Title, then hopped onto the announce table and sat down cross-legged on the table. A.J. took JBL's headset to talk to Paige., then A.J. and Paige played nice talking up each other. Done with the awkward conversation, A.J. playfully said good-bye and took off.

WINNER: A.J. at 2:22.

Back live, Bo Dallas was posing in the ring as a spotlight filled the ring. Bo then raised his arms victoriously before going back to last week when he beat the Biggest Little Man in WWE. No, not Rey Mysterio, but El Torito, who Bo said has a huge heart. He said he hopes his opponent has as big of a heart as Torito.

Pause, Lawler offered an enlarged heart joke, and Great Khali's music interrupted. Dallas sold being excited by the challenge as Khali entered the ring. Cole noted Dallas's undefeated streak is in jeopardy tonight.

7 -- BO DALLAS vs. GREAT KHALI

Khali lit up Dallas with a big chop, then another. Khali wanted more, so he offered a third chop to the chest. Dallas sold losing his breath as Khali stalked him. Khali then tossed Bo over the top rope, but made the mistake of following up on the outside. Bo found an opening to drop Khali with the Bo-dog, then he scampered back into the ring. The ref reached a ten count and Khali was counted out.

Post-match: Bo Dallas took a victory lap, then paused when he approached Khali recovering after being counted out. Dallas told "little buddy" Khali that he might have lost tonight, but -- Khali chopped him hard in the head, knocking the mic out of Bo's hand. Dallas recoiled across ringside, then stumbled backwards down the ringside area to the stage.

WINNER: Dallas via count-out at 1:46.

Authority Office: Seth Rollins walked in to note he has a MITB briefcase ready if Orton and Kane can't get the job done. Rollins walked off, then Paul Heyman walked into the shot. Heyman casually noted he's been picking his spot tonight and noted he has Plan C ready. Steph whispered to Hunter that he's never trusted him.

Backstage: Ric Flair was shown walking backstage. He continues WCW Night next.

In-ring: Renee Young was standing by in the ring to welcome out "Nature Boy" Ric Flair. Flair walked out dressed in a suit, then strutted down to the ring as Lawler used the word "wrestling" in a sentence on Raw. Flair then entered the ring and checked out Renee, before asking her if she knows they're live in Richmond, Virginia.

Flair said he's had some fun in this city. "Ask your mothers and your fathers," he told the crowd. Flair, sounding drunk or just in-character as a WWE cartoon character, told Renee that Virginia is for lovers. He strutted around the ring, then eased up to Renee, who tried to do her job asking Flair for a prediction on who will be WWE champion at Battleground. Cena? Orton? Kane? Reigns? Flair said his man is John Cena, then strutted some more.

Suddenly, Roman Reigns's music played. Reigns walked through the crowd and entered the ring, where Flair shook his hand. Suddenly, Flair's music quietly played as he walked across the ring. Flair then left the ring as Reigns stood by. John Cena's music then played and he stood next to Flair on the stage. Cena handed off the World Title belt to Flair, who held it up with Cena. Flair kept the title, then Cena charged the ring with the WWE Title as Reigns stood by in the ring.

8 -- WWE World Hvt. champion JOHN CENA & ROMAN REIGNS vs. RANDY ORTON & SETH ROLLINS & KANE -- handicap match

Loud dueling chant of "Let's Go Cena / Cena Sucks" once the bell sounded. Cena controlled Orton early on, but Kane tagged in and drove Cena across the ring. Cena sold concern, so Reigns tagged himself in and confidently walked across the ring to lock horns with Kane. Kane got the best of the exchange early on, but Reigns came back with a flying axehandle out of the corner. Reigns rocked Orton, then made a move toward former Shield stablemate Rollins, but Rollins moved. Reigns then turned around and took a strike from Kane. The heels took control on Reigns heading to break.

Raw returned from break with a video package plug for C.M. Punk's DVD airing on the WWE Network tomorrow. Back live on Raw, Kane was wearing down Reigns. Reigns broke free, which fired up Cena, who begged for a tag and got it. Cena exploded on Rollins with trademark Cena Offense, firing up the pro-Cena crowd, and delivered the Five Knuckle Shuffle to Rollins. But, Kane broke up an AA attempt. The heels took down Cena, then isolated him in the heel corner heading to break.

Cena continued to take punishment as Reigns reached out for a tag, but Rollins cut off Cena and nailed two of the Three Amigos suplexes, which drew some "Eddie" chants. Cena blocked the third suplex, then reached across the ring to tag in Reigns, who came in with Orton. Reigns exploded on Orton with offense, then smashed Kane and Rollins out of the ring.

But, Orton cut off Reigns as Rollins sold a knee injury ringside. The ringside doctor ran across ringside to check on Rollins in the background while chaos broke out in the ring. Referee Charles Robinson tried to get Kane out of the ring, but he refused, so Charles called for the bell, apparently DQ'ing the heels.

Post-match: Kane accidentally smashed Orton off the ring apron when Cena ducked, then Cena weakly punched Kane in the mid-section. They set up a four-way deal in the ring where Reigns charged across the ring, Cena was kind of thrown into harm's way, Reigns speared Cena, Orton wildly swung and missed well after the play was over, and then Orton dropped Kane with an RKO, showing problems in The Authority.

Orton stood tall in the corner as Cole wondered if this will be the scene on Sunday. Orton's music played as WWE showed a pile of bodies in the ring. Suddenly, Reigns popped up and exploded on Orton with a spear. The Shield's music played as Cole wondered if Sunday will be Reigns's moment. Cena was shown wincing from Reigns's spear as he watched Reigns now stand tall in the ring. Raw signed off seven minutes past the top of the hour with Cole hyping the four-way WWE Title match on Sunday. No sign of Dean Ambrose returning to go after Rollins, who was apparently incapacitated ringside.

WINNERS: Team Cena via DQ at 14:36. An okay conclusion to the PPV hype; almost felt like too many people in the mix with Cena and Reigns having a new issue still being fleshed out, Orton and Kane having Authority issues, and Rollins's MITB situation and feud with Ambrose hovering over everything. The idea was to sell the chaos of the four-way title match on Sunday, but it came across like classic WWE putting too much in the soup.

 

[Arcademan]

10 years ago...

WWE Smackdown Results: 7-15-04

ANGLE'S A FRAUD
July 15, 2004

WWE Champion JBL retained his title in a Steel Cage Match Thursday night, but the bigger story was who gave him a crucial assist: SmackDown! General Manager Kurt Angle.

Angle, who earlier in the evening said he’d likely be wheelchair-bound for life, made a shocking and all-too-physical appearance during the match between former champion Eddie Guerrero and JBL. As the masked El Gran Luchadore, Angle scaled the 15-foot-high cage, grabbing Guerrero and holding him long enough for JBL to escape for the victory. Eddie succeeded in unmasking Angle before he could make his getaway, revealing Angle to be a fraud and trickster with an unnecessary leg cast and wheelchair.

Angle promised that this would be “a night no one will ever forget.” But at the time he seemed to be referring to his plans for John Cena — not the night’s main event in which the WWE Championship was decided in a Steel Cage Match for the first-ever time on SmackDown!

Before donning the garb and mask of a Mexican champion, Angle made a big-time match for next week: John Cena vs. an infuriated Luther Reigns. Angle also placed Cena in another unfair situation — an Elimination Handicap Match against Rene Dupree, Booker T and Kenzo Suzuki. Cena managed to eliminate two of his opponents, but Booker T finished him off after getting a little help from Luther Reigns. With the big win, is Booker T first in line for the vacant United States Championship?

Earlier, Spike Dudley got some unsolicited help from the Dudleys during a tag-team match. The Dudleys seemed quite pleased until D-Von lost to Paul London one-on-one. With the rollup victory, London stated his case that winning the WWE Tag Team Championship with Billy Kidman wasn’t a fluke, after all.

Lastly, John Heidenreich revealed that he’s now aligned with the dastardly Paul Heyman. Only time will tell what influence Heyman will have on the young WWE Superstar.

Match Results:
Spike Dudley and Rey Mysterio defeat Chavo Guerrero and Jamie Noble
Booker T (eliminated Kenzo Suzuki & Rene Dupree) def. John Cena (Three-on-one Handicap Elimination Match)
Paul London (with Billy Kidman) def. D-Von Dudley (with Bubba Ray Dudley)
WWE Champion JBL def. Eddie Guerrero (Steel Cage Match)

 

[norton9478]

Would have made for better tv if if during the main event, Ambrose came limping down the entrance in a hospital gown and an connected to an IV.

 

[kahel]

Would have made for better tv if if during the main event, Ambrose came limping down the entrance in a hospital gown and an connected to an IV.

I was actually hoping he would crash the place with the ambulance itself ! But i loved his "That the best you got" during the beating ... very Ambrosy lol

 

[norton9478]

We should have known better. No way they would ever let Ambrose get over more than Cena or Reigns.

Ambose has more charisma in his snaggletooth than Cena and Reigns put together.

 

[Arcademan]

10 years ago... (ongoing series)

WWE RAW Results: 7-19-04

GETTING THE EDGE
July 19, 2004

Edge took a page out of the Evolution playbook Monday night, beating Randy Orton for the second straight time with a nifty backslide and a little leverage from the ring ropes.

The Legend Killer hoped to reduce the five-time Intercontinental Champion to another T-shirt statistic, and he seemed a three-count away after a low blow and an RKO. But a groggy referee was slow to make the count, and Edge mustered enough energy to barely kick out. When Orton went to his finisher again, Edge reversed it into a winning — and slightly illegal — pinning predicament.

While the fans in Washington were treated to a highly competitive Intercontinental Championship defense, those live in Pittsburgh next week will witness the biggest RAW contest of the year.

In a 60-minute Iron Man Match that begins promptly at the top of the hour, Chris Benoit will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Triple H. Whoever scores the most decisions in the allotted time will walk out with the title. But one question remains: Can the Crippler even walk after the vicious beating taken at the hands (and feet) of Batista? Early in Monday’s Benoit-Batista bout, it was clear that the Evolution member was taking his cues from The Cerebral Assassin. Rather than even attempt a cover, Batista simply continued to assault Benoit with illegal chokes and skull-crushing kicks. Batista repeatedly defied the referee’s orders while Benoit was tangled in the ring ropes, eventually leaving the official no choice but to call for a disqualification. The attack continued after the bell, punctuated by a ring-jarring Batista Bomb. Unable to walk under his own power, Benoit had to be helped from ringside. It was just what The Game ordered only seven days before a championship match of epic length.

The animal Batista also made his presence felt during a match between Kane and Chris Jericho — leveling Y2J with an all-too-familiar whirlwind clothesline. Capitalizing while deep in the D.C. crowd, Kane covered Jericho for the “Falls Count Anywhere” victory.

Jericho appeared to have earned a count-out victory early on, but a resentful RAW General Manager had different ideas. Eric Bischoff wasn’t the least bit amused after a Jericho prank led to the Diva hopefuls trashing Bischoff’s office. So, he seized the opportunity to get back at Y2J by ordering the match vs. Kane to continue with the unusual match stipulation.

After watching the 10 Diva Search finalists strut their stuff and tear apart Bischoff’s office, which one gets your heart rate revved up? Take a closer look through WWE.com and be sure to vote for your favorite before time runs out.

Match Results:
Sylvain Grenier (with Robert Conway) defeats Tajiri (with Rhyno)
Tyson Tomko (with Trish Stratus) def. The Hurricane (with Stacy Keibler and Superhero Rosey)
World Heavyweight Champion Chris Benoit def. Batista (DQ; non-title match)
Kane def. Chris Jericho (Falls Count Anywhere)
Intercontinental Champion Edge def. Randy Orton

 

[scrubsy]

Is anyone excited for Battlegrounds? I don't know why, but this one just doesn't sound interesting and I just can't get hyped for it knowing Summerslam is right around the corner.

 

[jon713]

Cena will win like he always does, they are gonna milk it til SS. Cena kicks out at 2, 5 moves of doom, super cena wins. Same song

 

[Pope Sazae]

Is anyone excited for Battlegrounds? I don't know why, but this one just doesn't sound interesting and I just can't get hyped for it knowing Summerslam is right around the corner.

The Usos and Rowan-Harper always put on a great match with awesome chemistry so I am looking forward to that.

Ambrose and Rollins should be the very definition of awesome. Expecting a brutal physical brawl but they showed in FCW before it was NXT that they can work a clinic with the best of them.

 

[Hot Chocolate]

Is anyone excited for Battlegrounds? I don't know why, but this one just doesn't sound interesting and I just can't get hyped for it knowing Summerslam is right around the corner.

I keep forgetting it's happening until I see a facebook post about it

 

[scrubsy]

I am looking forward to AJ & Paige. I think this is a divas match that will actually feature good wresting. Dean and Seth will also be the highlight for me. Those two are on top of their game lately and should be a kick ass match.

 

[scrubsy]

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR SUMMERSLAM AND TOMORROW NIGHT
https://twitter.com/hbjaguar/status/490668037763112961
Apparently, this is the official promo for Summerslam.

 

[norton9478]

The Usos and Rowan-Harper always put on a great match with awesome chemistry so I am looking forward to that.

I'm pretty sure that I saw one that was just off.