TNA’s IMPACT Wrestling rating saw a nice increase this week mostly thanks to the hype of the angle between the Aces & 8s and Sting, Hogan, etc teaming up to take them out.
This week’s show did a 1.15 rating and a total of 1,717,000 viewers, an increase of almost 300,000 viewers from the previous week. (Ratings compiled by Nielsen Media Research and put online by PWInsider.com)
The new WWE app for iOS is doing good in the iTunes chart, with the one for iPhone sitting in the tenth place while the iPad version is in the twelfth place at time of this writing.
Released last week, the app is taking very positive reviews with fans enjoying the Superstar bio and photos, news, social media integration and tons of video clips which could be streamed to anyone’s television with the Airplay and Apple TV.
The free app is listed under the entertainment category, which is a harder category to score a top placing due to the amount of popular apps in the section.
On the Google Play store, the official WWE app is currently in number seventeen in the Entertainment category.
WWE Hall of Famer and former Diva Tammy Sytch has been released from rehab after spending over a month in a facility paid for by WWE.
Sytch – better known as Sunny – was rushed to the ER last month after drinking a considerable amount of Vodka. After the word about her problem got to Tommy Dreamer, Dreamer called WWE to help her out and within thirty minutes she was booked in a rehab facility. WWE went as far as picking her up from her home apart from picking the overall tab.
“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, free and sober at last,” she wrote on her Facebook page.
The pregnant storyline on IMPACT was written out of television yesterday after the actress portraying the character of Claire Lynch quit her role.
The actress – Julia Reilly – is from Florida and in the past two weeks her online properties were shut down after her identity was leaked online.
During yesterday’s IMPACT, it was revealed that she was never really pregnant and was put up for the task by Daniels and Kazarian. She also “drugged” AJ Styles so she could take scandalous photos of him for blackmail.
The actress never appeared at the show with another individual playing the role of her attorney wrapping up the storyline for her.
It looks like Dolph Ziggler is not only the “show off” in the ring, but apparently he is one in bed too, and in this case, it kinda backfired on him.
Comedienne Amy Schumer – a regular on Comedy Central Roasts and a contestant on Last Comic Standing – was on Howard Stern show to discuss several topics, including her ex boyfriend and Money In The Bank winner Dolph Ziggler.
Schumer said that while she did like Ziggler, the theatrics in bed were “too athletic” for bed and decided to break things off via a text message. Schumer said that Ziggler took the breakup good and described him having a “very tender heart.”
“It wasn’t bad, but it just wasn’t for me,” said Schumer. “The sex was too athletic. Always. The first time, I was like, ‘Oh, this is cool. Nobody’s ever ragdolled me.’ He was spinning me like a Globetrotter. I was like ‘Oh my God!’ I felt so petite!…It was exciting…It wasn’t that crazy, but it felt like we were wrestling,” the busty 31 year old blond said.
Schumer said that she ended up with Ziggler after he kept messaging her on Twitter and admitted that the on the first date, she ended up in bed with him.
“The first night he held my hand he was inside me,” said Schumer!
Eventually Schumer returned with her ex boyfriend and fellow comedian Anthony Jeselnik, another regular on Comedy Central Roasts.
Did you miss Impact last night? Were you too drunk or high to remember the whole thing? No worries, because I am the BEST IN THE WORLD at writing wrestling reports and after a lengthy hiatus I am back on the job!
Actually, I’m really just tied for best in the world with the other W-O reporters, but “Tied for best in the world” would never work as a catch phrase or a t-shirt, so I’m just going to lovingly stroke my ego and call myself the best in the world anyway.
Impact begins with Aces and Eights (in poker, a hand consisting of black A’s and 8’s is called “Dead man’s hand”) riding around in motorcycles outside the arena, and is followed by a recap of all their recent attacks.
In the Impact Zone, the Insane Icon Sting walks to the ring with several members of the TNA roster following him. Sting calls out James Storm, the man falsely accused of being behind Aces and eights, and Storm comes to the ring. After being attacked last week, Storm is no longer under suspicion, and he wants to turn this wrestling show into an “ass kicking show!”
I think wrestling shows are supposed to be ass kicking shows anyway, but I understand what he means.
Two member of Aces and Eights finally show up and are immediately beaten down by the TNA wrestlers. The two men are unmasked and are not people I recognize. They appear beaten and bloodied, but oddly happy. Apparently they just earned a merit badge from their fellow thugs for coming out and getting their asses kicked. They claim that the rest of their gang is going to make sure it’s a long, painful night for everyone.
Commercial
When we return, Miss Tessmacher comes to the ring for the first match of Open Fight Night. Tessmacher calls out her mentor and best friend, Tara, to see if she can beat her. Taryn Tyrrell (formerly known as Tiffany in WWE) is announced as the special knockouts referee. The two women start of slow and exchange armdrag takedowns; Tara eventually gets Tessmacher in a headlock.
Tessmacher fights out and Tara knocks her down with a shoulder block. The two women exchange hip tosses and then Tara hits Tessmacher with a front slam and covers her for a two count. Tara pushes Tessmacher to the corner and Tessmacher fights out with a forearm shot. Tara hits Tessmacher with a chop and Tessmacher responds with a pair of clotheslines.
Tessmacher stays on the attack, land a dropkick, and then shoulder blocks Tara in the corner. Tess climbs to the top rope and hits Tara with a face plant. Tessmacher climbs back to the top but Tara cuts her off with a punch and follows up with a superplex for the win! The two friends hug after the match.
In the back, Sting is talking to the three men still scheduled to face D’Angelo Dinero in the Bound For Glory (BFG) series. The Pope has been injured at the hands of Aces and Eights, so Sting is going to have them wrestle each other instead, so they won’t lose an opportunity to earn more points. The three men are Robbie E, RVD, and AJ Styles.
Commercial
Match #2: AJ versus Robbie E versus RVD.
AJ and RVD team up against Robbie and hit him with several punches, knocking him back and forth between them and eventually knocking him to the floor. RVD and AJ trade headlocks before AJ lands a kick and a chop. RVD gets AJ in a body scissors and takes him down for a two count. Robbie re-enters the ring and RVD and AJ hit him with a double hip toss. AJ suplexes Robbie and sends him back to the floor.
RVD puts AJ in a headlock and wrenches it tightly until AJ is able to fight his way out of it. AJ dropkicks RVD to the floor and Robbie comes back in. Robbie knocks AJ down with a clothesline and then stomps him. Robbie hits AJ a couple more times and then goes after RVD when Van Dam tries to re-enter the ring. AJ hits Robbie with a punch, a chop, and then a running forearm. Robbie responds with a shoulder block.
Commercial
When we return, Robbie and AJ are in the ring and Robbie appears to be in control. AJ starts to fight back but misses a flying forearm. Robbie knocks AJ down again and then puts him in a headlock. AJ escapes with a jawbreaker, but Robbie quickly responds with a back elbow. RVD pulls Robbie out of the ring and onto the floor and then pummels him. Styles slingshots himself out of the ring and takes out RVD and Robbie E at the same time. AJ rolls RVD back in and then hits him with a neckbreaker.
Robbie E climbs back up to the apron and AJ clotheslines him off it. RVD goes to the top rope, hits AJ with a thrust kick, and then follows up with Rolling Thunder. Robbie re-enters the ring and RVD knocks him down with a leg lariat and then hits him with a standing moonsault. Van Dam backdrops Robbie to the floor, and then AJ hits RVD with a moonsault into an inverted DDT.
RVD lands a kick and then climbs to the top. AJ tries to cut him off, but RVD pushes AJ to the mat. RVD hits AJ with the frog splash, but Robbie pushes RVD out of the ring and covers the stunned AJ for the win! Robbie E gets a big upset win and 7 points in the Bound For Glory series, but he’s still too far behind for it to matter.
Commercial
Jeff Hardy calls out Big Robbie T. Robbie T comes out wearing a sweater that perfectly matches the sweater of his soul mate, Robbie E.
Match #3: Very short match. Hardy lands a series of punches and Robbie responds with a clothesline and a front slam. Hardy responds with an elbow followed by ‘whisper in the wind’. Hardy hits Robbie with several clotheslines, the Twist of Fate, and the picks up the win with a swanton bomb.
Commercial
Sting again calls out Aces and Eights and tells them he’s easy to find.
We see a recap of the painfully awful “Claire/AJ” storyline. After the short but painful recap, Jeremy Borash is in the ring to announce the results of AJ’s paternity test and calls AJ to the ring. AJ claims he has no memory of the night in question, but promises to accept his responsibilities if it turns out he is the father. Daniels and Kaz come to the ring to yell at AJ and call him a deadbeat dad. They also claim that Claire can’t be there because the stress AJ has put her through has caused a placental disruption and she’s in the hospital.
At this point a woman I’ve never seen before enters the ring and takes the mic from Daniels. She claims to be Claire’s lawyer and reads a written statement from Claire. The statement basically says “this storyline is retarded and we are killing it now. Your welcome.” Actually what it really said is that she was never pregnant and was just helping Kaz and Daniels blackmail AJ, but it would have been better my way.
In the back, Aces and Eights confront Sting. Hulk Hogan comes from behind them and attacks. After they’ve been knocked down, Hogan says if they ever even look at his daughter again, he’ll cut out their hearts and feed them to his dog.
Commercial
After the break, we see a brief video tribute to Alex Silva, recent Gut check winner. The next Gut Check participant is Chris Louie, and his opponent is Gunner.
Match #4: Chris takes Gunner down with an armdrag and then hits him with a shoulder block. Gunner lands a kick to the gut and then the two men exchange punches. Chris hits Gunner with a dropkick, Gunner responds with a clothesline and goes for a cover, getting only two. Gunner hits Chris with a couple elbow shots and then whips him into the corner.
Gunner lands a couple strikes and then whips Chris into the opposite corner. Chris retaliates with a series of clothesline and a Samoan Drop. Chris goes to the top but misses with the big splash. Gunner hits Chris with a Fireman’s carry slam for the win.
Commercial
In the back, ODB is calling her husband, Eric Young, and asking where he’s been. She wanted him to get some beer and fried chicken, and she tells him her fish are jumping. I don’t know what that means, I really have no idea; but I suspect it’s dirty.
Back in the ring, Mr. Anderson is calling out his last BFG opponent, Bully Ray.
Match #5: The match starts of slow, with the two men mainly just jockeying for position. Eventually Anderson gets a headlock and Bully Ray fights out and knocks Anderson down with a shoulderblock. Anderson gets behind Ray, but Ray reverses it and clubs Anderson down to the mat. Anderson hits Ray with a kick, Bully responds with a backdrop suplex.
Commercial
When we return Bully Ray is in control. Ray unsuccessfully goes for a cover, and then steps on Anderson’s head. Ray bodyslams Anderson but then misses a corner slingshot splash. The two men get up to their knees and exchange a series of punches. They get to their feet and continue exchanging punches with Anderson eventually getting the advantage. Anderson hits Bully Ray with a clothesline and a neckbreaker.
Anderson gets Ray up on his shoulders but can’t hold the weight; Anderson collapses under Ray’s weight and gets flattened. Ray hits Anderson with a neckbreaker and then climbs to the 2cnd rope. Anderson cuts Ray off and hits him with a rolling fireman’s carry slam. Anderson climbs to the top rope but Ray knocks him off by pulling on the ropes. Ray props Anderson back up on the turnbuckle and then superplexes him.
In the back, Aces and Eights get jumped by several TNA wrestlers as the match continues. Bully Ray hits Anderson with a Bully bomb but only gets a 2 count. Anderson hits Bully with a DDT and then follows up with a swanton, but only gets a two count. The two men get back to their feet Anderson misses with a clothesline but then hits with the Mic Check for the win!
After the match, Aces and Eights congratulates TNA for winning most of the battles so far tonight, but they promise to unleash hell in 3 and a half minutes.
Commercial
When we return Sting is in the ring with most of the TNA roster and he’s calling out Aces and Eights again. He says it’s been over three and a half minutes and he wants to know where they are. Then they come out, and there are a lot of them. The TNA roster has the upper hand at first and several of the gang members have been unmasked, although I still don’t recognize any of them. More and more members of Aces and Eights come out, with many of them attacking AJ Styles, Hogan and Storm in the back.
Back in the ring, World Champion Austin Aries, Jeff Hardy, and RVD are standing tall in the ring, but even more people are coming out of the crowd to attack them. Eventually, they knock RVD and Hardy out of the ring and isolate Austin Aries.
They bring in one of the metal security barriers and pin Austin’s hand and arm in it, then break his arm with a steel chair. Bully Ray comes to save Aries wielding a steel chair and a chain. Aces and Eight’s bail out of the ring and leave the arena. As Impact goes off the air, the triumphant thugs ride off on motorcycles.
UFC President Dana White said that Middleweight champion Anderson Silva offered to save the UFC 151 pay-per-view from being canceled by fighting a light heavyweight fighter.
The only problem was that the message reached White a few hours after the UFC Pres announced that the show was officially canceled.
The message was delivered by Silva’s manager Ed Soares and admitted that he wasn’t in the best shape but was still volunteering to keep the show alive on an eight days notice. White said he appreciated the offer and never expected that Silva would offer to fight.
The main event for UFC 152 has been changed once again as Lyoto Machida refused to fight Jon Jones in Toronto on September 22, capping off a disastrous day for everyone at UFC.
With Jones refusing to fight Sonnen, and Machida refusing to fight Jones, Vitor Belfort has stepped up the plate to take on the current Light Heavyweight champion. Belfort was going to fight at UFC 153 in Rio De Janeiro against Alan Belcher but obviously he has been pulled from that show.
Machida said he turned down the fight because he needed to train more before going for the UFC Light Heavyweight title and White said that after refusing the fight, Machida will most likely have to earn his shot again in the future.
It did not take long for Rey Mysterio to get on the injured list again. Almost one month after making his return during a July episode of RAW, Rey Mysterio is on the sidelines yet again, this time however it’s due to a concussion.
The former World Heavyweight champion suffered the injury during his SummerSlam match against The Miz for the Intercontinental title and doctors have not cleared him to wrestle.
WWE pulled him out of upcoming shows until he gets the green light again. The company takes concussion injuries very serious and would not give permission to anyone to wrestle unless a doctor signs off.
A new main event for UFC 152 in Toronto, Canada, was announced today with the previous top fight – Joseph Benavidez vs Demetrious Jonson for the Flyweight title – moved to the co-main event spot.
After the cancelation of UFC 151 from Las Vegas, the reigning Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones will be defending his title against Brazil’s Lyoto Machida, a rematch from their UFC 140 main event which also coincidentally enough took place in Toronto.
Their first fight went two rounds with Jones finishing off Machida with a standing guillotine choke for the victory.
In the past few days, Jones said he would not find Machida on pay-per-view as he’s a businessman and doesn’t think Machida has the star power to sell the show.
UFC President Dana White admitted that while the Jones vs Machida fight has not been officially signed yet, Jones won’t refuse it, and if he does, he gave the impression that there would be some serious repercussions for the champion.
UFC 152 takes place on September 22.
UFC 151 will go down in history as the event that never happened as a very angry Dana White today announced the cancelation of the pay-per-view from Las Vegas.
The challenger for the title, Dan Henderson, suffered a partial MCL tear and was unable to take on the fight. White announced that Chael Sonnen had agreed to take on Jon Jones on a week notice however just before the conference call started, Jones refused to take on the fight, effectively killing the main event and the whole card.
The UFC President blamed MMA trainer Greg Jackson, calling him a “f**king sport killer,” for getting into Jones’ ear to not take the fight.
“This is one of those selfish disgusting decisions that doesn’t just affect you, but you affected 16 other people’s lives,” White said during the call.
There has never been a UFC show canceled just a week before the actual show, and the cancelation will take a big hit on the UFC finances as the company has to refund all the tickets and spent money on print, TV, and online advertising for nothing.
White said that the new main event for UFC 152 in Toronto is now Jones taking on Lyoto Machida for the title.
“If I get a call he won’t fight Machida, we’ll have another conference call later this afternoon and it won’t be good,” a pissed off White added.
Tyler Reks was released from WWE this week after asking to be let go to spend time with his family and newborn baby daughter.
“I realized recently that being a Superstar means sacrificing certain things, including time with my family. As a new father, my heart broke every time I had to leave to go on the road,” Reks wrote on his Twitter page.
“I didn’t ever want to miss another moment with my daughter, so I made the decision to be a full time dad and hang up my boots.”
Reks – real name Gabriel Tuft – has been with the company since 2008, first signing a developmental deal and reporting to Florida Championship Wrestling till his WWE TV debut on the ECW brand in 2009.
In 2010, Reks joined the Smackdown brand and then moved to RAW in 2011, teaming up with Curt Hawkins.
In his goodbye message, Reks thanked his fellow wrestlers especially Hawkins who he said he’s like a brother to him. “I wish you the best and thanks for understanding that I had to go be a dad,” adding that when his daughter gets older and understand what he did, she will thank Hawkins as well.
TNA Wrestling announced on its website that D’Angelo Dinero is officially out of the Bound For Glory Series due to an injury.
The man formerly known as Elijah Burke in the WWE suffered a shoulder injury during a match and he was written off by having Aces and 8s attack him at the Hardcore Justice pay-per-view.
Last week he tweeted a picture of an x-ray of his shoulder showing a broken bone and saying that he will have to sit out for a couple of months.
The post-SummerSlam RAW this week drew a 3.14 composite rating with a total average viewership of 4,352,000. Hour one did 4,352,000 viewers, hour two did the best with 4,657,000 viewers and the third hour scored 4,426,000 viewers. The overall number is up from last week’s 2.84. (Ratings compiled by Nielsen Media Research and put online by PWInsider.com)
“There’s nothing here left for me to conquer. I’m leaving the WWE, and I’m never coming back.”
And with those words, former WWE and UFC champion Brock Lesnar signed off – temporarily of course – via a 15 second Tout video message posted on Paul Heyman’s account. Lesnar’s multi-million dollar deal with the WWE is only good for a very limited number of appearances leading up to WrestleMania next year and it makes sense to leave the rest of what he has left to promote big pay-per-views, most likely making a comeback at the Rumble to start his WrestleMania push.
Following his return earlier this year, Lesnar worked a couple of dates to push his program with John Cena leading up to the pay-per-view match. After the angle was wrapped, Lesnar attacked Triple H on RAW, planting the seeds for their SummerSlam main event match. The addition of Paul Heyman bridged the gap between his appearances, saving his working dates for more important shows as Heyman continued to build the match with HHH without his client.
Lesnar has several dates remaining on his current WWE deal which was signed around the time of WrestleMania this year. His return was pretty much the world’s worst kept secret that weekend. Fans inside the American Airlines Arena the night after WrestleMania didn’t stop chanting his name when Cena was in the ring and the roof almost blew off when his music hit, sparking a “holy $hit” chant from the hyped-up Miami crowd.
Las Vegas, Nevada – One teammate publically backing another to win a big title fight is probably to be expected, but nevertheless Chael Sonnen’s characteristically bombastic declaration that Dan Henderson will defeat UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones at UFC 151 on September 1 has people talking.
Sonnen and “Hendo” have known each other a long time, both being signature members of the famed Team Quest since the 1990s. And “the American Gangster” – who last week announced his own move up to the light heavyweight division – believes his friend will blast his way to yet another big fight victory.
“I believe in Hendo – and so should you,” Sonnen said. “If you look at Jon Jones and think of a man who can beat him, you would think of someone with great KO power, the best chin in the sport because – with his reach – Jones is going to hit you, great wrestling and a relentlessly aggressive style. That man already exists – and his name is Dan Henderson.”
The two-time UFC middleweight title challenger went on to state the main event of UFC 151 is nothing less than a fight to determine the identity of the greatest light heavyweight of all time.
Sonnen said: “Here’s the thing people are missing about this fight at UFC 151. Yes, the UFC light heavyweight championship is on the line, but this is about more than who currently holds the UFC 205lbs gold.
“This fight on September 1 is a fight to determine who is the greatest ever light heavyweight. I give Jon Jones his due as a great fighter. He’s beaten some outstanding fighters already and looked impressive each time. He’s already accomplished so much in the sport – just not as much as Dan Henderson.
“Everyone talks about pound-for-pound champions and pound-for-pound achievements. But if you look at what pound-for-pound should mean – who has the ability to beat small fast guys, the ability to knockout big, strong guys, to move through the divisions with your skill-set and win – the only conclusion a rational person would make is Dan Henderson is the pound-for-pound greatest of all time.
“Dan beat the 170lbs champion in Carlos Newton, he’s won the PRIDE 183lbs title, the PRIDE 205lbs title, the STRIKEFORCE 205lbs title, and he’s won the two great tournaments in our sport, the UFC tournament back in the day and the PRIDE Grand Prix. All in all he’s beaten 11 world champions in his career. The man is the best of all time. That is who Jon Jones is facing.
“Jones is a talented kid but he’s taking on a man, and I’d bet on the man any day of the week.”
UFC 151: JONES vs. HENDERSON will be available live on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on UFC.TV, iN DEMAND, DirecTV, DISH Network, Avail-TVN, and in Canada on BellTV, Shaw Communications, Sasktel, and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $44.99 US/$49.99 CAN for Standard Definition and $54.99 US/$59.99 CAN for High Definition.
Y2J Chris Jericho said his goodbye to his WWE fans yesterday on Monday Night RAW as he once again leaves for duty with his band Fozzy.
Jericho fought Dolph Ziggler with the stipulation being that if Jericho won, he’d get the Money In The Bank contract which belonged to Ziggler while if Ziggler won, Jericho’s contract would be terminated. Ziggler eventually won the match, sending Jericho packing. The outcome was not a surprise as Jericho made it clear that he would be leaving in the Summer.
“Thanks to all of my Jerichoholics for an amazing 9 months! I have the BEST fans and I promise u haven’t seen the last of Y2J,” Jericho wrote on Twitter. “See u on tour…And congrats to @heelziggler for finally winning the big one…”
The first Undisputed WWE champion made his return to WWE during the first RAW of 2012 after a fifteen month hiatus from the company.
The night after what was (hopefully) a great SummerSlam (it did present a great card), I’m sure many questions are looming. I phrase it this way because once again, I have managed to avoid the big results of the title matches and special attraction bouts from the Pay-Per-View.
So, did C.M. Punk retain his WWE Championship against John Cena & The Big Show? (Hope so!) Was Alberto Del Rio able to win his first World Heavyweight Championship? (I’d be okay with that result, but if Sheamus kept the gold, that’s fine too)
How bad did Brock Lesnar and Triple H abuse each other? (Personally, I think Brock should’ve won this to build momentum that was lost during his Cena feud)
Are new Tag Team champions crowned in the Prime Time Players? (Also would like that). And, could Chris Jericho finally win “the big one” against Dolph Ziggler? (I actually know this outcome, but won’t spoil it for those who are reading this and don’t know. I will say I was disappointed by who won – the other guy should’ve absolutely.)
All these questions and more will be answered as we move on to Monday Night Raw!
Monday Night Raw for August 20th, 2012 – “Controversy Creates Demands”
Introduction Segment: Welcoming & Arena Promo
Michael Cole welcomes us to Monday Night Raw, live from Fresno State University in Fresno, California. “Here comes the pain!” Brock Lesnar, followed by Paul Heyman, walks out and is all smiles. Cole informs us that he did indeed defeat Triple H last night, and still photos of the match are shown.
Heyman takes the mike first, to a chorus of boos. He says he understands how they feel, because the match was a “most uncomfortable match to watch.” He cites HHH’s ability to “play through the pain,” and references his torn quadriceps in 2001. (He did so by also taking a shot at Jerry “The King” Lawler and Michael Cole on commentary, saying that when Heyman was behind that desk, he did a far better job.) Heyman says that while even a torn quad couldn’t keep “The Game” down, Brock Lesnar did.
“Brock Lesnar forced Triple H to quit on his own family. Brock Lesnar forced Triple H to quit on his company. Brock Lesnar forced Triple H to quit on his friends. Brock Lesnar forced Triple H to quit on his fans. Brock Lesnar forced Triple H to quit on all of you!”
“This man, this athlete, forced Triple H down to the canvas and left Triple H a beaten, battered, former-shell of a man. And I don’t feel sorry for Triple H, and neither should any of you.” Heyman makes this statement because it was HHH who picked this fight. He even says that Triple H asked the referee to let everything go, so it could be a “fight to the finish.”
Heyman wants said referee, Scott Armstrong, to the ring because “his client” Brock Lesnar would like to address him. Referee Armstrong does come down, slowly and nervously. Lesnar is just staring a hole through Scott.
Paul E. asks Armstrong to assure him that Triple H wanted it to be a “fight to the finish” and then tells him Lesnar has two words for him. Lesnar approaches Scott, puts his hands on his head, taps it, and says “good job.”
Heyman now anoints Brock Lesnar “the new King Of Kings, the master of the Brocktagon, and the conqueror of the WWE Universe. Each and every one of you are now the loyal subjects to the lord and master of the WWE Universe, the conqueror himself. My client, BROCK LESNAR!”
Lesnar salutes the crowd and both exit the ring.
Later tonight, Shawn Michaels will be live via satellite.
Commercials.
Segment #2: Tout Promo
Cole & Lawler talk about the “controversial ending” to the Triple Threat WWE Championship, and C.M. Punk did retain (yay!). The Champ himself now appears via the Tout internet program, and asks to pick his opponent tonight, since he defended his title twice at SummerSlam. (Okay, missed something there not reading results). Apparently, General Manager A.J. Lee is heavily considering.
Match #1: 6-Man Tag-Team – WWE Tag-Team Champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth, & Sin Cara VS. Cody Rhodes and The Prime Time Players (Darren Young & Titus O’Neil)
(So wrong on the P.T.P. winning the tag-straps, but hopefully they get another shot). Young and Kingston start out with a lock up and waistlock by Darren. Kofi ducks a clothesline and clamps on a side headlock. Flashy high-flying action from Kofi, including a jumping-tornado-elbow. He tags in R-Truth and they hit a double-hip-toss on Young and double-dropkick on O’Neil. Sin Cara pulls Cody out of the ring and the faces stand tall for a break.
Ads.
Back live, Kofi rolls out of a headlock and jump-tags R-Truth again. Truth is all over Darren, and hits the Scissors Kick for a nearfall! Cody blind-tags Young and works over Truth. Front-face suplex and he stomps away on Truth. Titus is now in and twists Truth’s head and neck to the side. Big boot from O’Neil, 1 – 2 – Truth kicks out.
Young is switched back in now and locks in a grounding chinlock with scissors. Harsh clothesline and another grounding chinlock by Titus. He knocks Kofi off the apron as Kingston was cheering on his teammate, but Titus turns around into a running calf-kick. Both tag, so now it is Cara and Rhodes.
Cara ducks a clothesline and pulls out his aerial offence. Springboard back elbow, Hurricanrana, and top-rope crossbody from Cara put down Cody, but only for two when Young saves the bout. The Tag-Team Champs now take out The P.T.P., and in the ring, Cody tries to unmask Cara, but gets jacknife-pinned for the three-count!
Winners via Pinfall: WWE Tag-Team Champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth, & Sin Cara
Segment #3: Backstage Promo
Matt Striker begins to interview Raw General Manager A.J. Lee, when a certain Harvard Educated lawyer makes his return. David Otunga offers his services, but she goes for them in a different way – in the ring. Otunga will be in a match.
Meanwhile, Striker gets back to the main question, whether WWE Champion C.M. Punk can pick his own opponent. A.J. does agree to that notion, however, in the end, she has to have approval. The General Manager skips away as usual.
Commercials.
Match #2: 2-On-1 – Ryback VS. Local Talent
As par for the course, Ryback dominates, hits three powerbombs, and goes for his finisher, but Jinder Mahal runs in and attacks from behind. The bell rings for the d.q.
Winner via Disqualification: Ryback
Post-match, Jinder locks in the Camel Clutch, until Ryback stands up and drops him with a jawbreaker. Mahal rolls out of the ring and watches Ryback properly finish the local talent, and demand “feed me more!”
Segment #4: Locker Room Promo
Chris Jericho is texting on his cellular phone when Dolph Ziggler walks in. “The Show-Off” congratulates Jericho on winning “the big one” but reminds him he has only won one “big one” this year, and Dolph wants to face him again to prove he can defeat “The Ayatollah Of Rock N’ Rollah!”. Jericho reminds Ziggler of who he is, until General Manager A.J. Lee skips (literately) in.
She books a rematch between the two superbly-talented wrestlers, but adds a stipulations – Dolph’s Money In The Bank briefcase will be on the line, as will Chris Jericho’s contract. If Jericho loses, he is terminated, but if Ziggler loses, the MITB contract goes to Y2J.
Alberto Del Rio, sans World Heavyweight Championship, is walking backstage a little mad. It is made known that Sheamus apparently cheated to keep his World Title and Del Rio has filed a formal complaint.
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Segment #5: Arena Promo
Alberto Del Rio is out and demands another World Heavyweight Championship contest. He shows the evidence of Sheamus getting the pinfall, despite Del Rio’s foot being on the ropes. Once again, Raw General Manager A.J. inserts her skills and books a match for Del Rio, however not a World Title one since this is not Smackdown; instead he will be facing “The Viper” Randy Orton.
Commercials.
Match #3: Single – Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodriguez) VS. “The Viper” Randy Orton
(Note: World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus comes out and joins the commentary table.) Punches from both grapplers begin the bout, then a dropkick from Orton. He runs down Alberto with a shoulder block and then a springboard suplex. 1 – 2 – Del Rio kicks out. Orton stomps away and drops a high-knee to Del Rio. Randy punches away in the corner but Alberto drops him on the turnbuckle, then nails him in the back-of-the-head with a resounding kick.
Del Rio is now in full-control, working over Orton with angry stomps. Del Rio ascends the turnbuckles but is cut off by Orton, who brings him down with a top-rope superplex! 1 – 2 – kickout from Alberto! Both punch back and forth at each other until Del Rio gets a kick on Randy’s left arm. That didn’t do much damage, as Randy came back with a clothesline and a powerslam. He goes for the Sprinboard DDT, but Del Rio counters and takes him down with an enziguri. 1 – 2 – Orton kicks out!
Alberto kicks away again at Orton’s arm and sets up for the cross-armbreaker submission, but the former “Legend Killer” reverses into a swinging neckbreaker. Randy uses the corner to drive Del Rio down with the Springboard DDT, then hypes himself up for the R.K.O. Ricardo Rodriguez distracts Orton before he can hit it, but Sheamus scares off Del Rio’s servant.
This allows Del Rio to hit The Backstabber from behind and cover Orton. Randy puts his foot on the ropes, which Sheamus points out to the referee. Alberto only gets a two because of this, then with his attention to the World Champion, he turns around into an R.K.O. 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: Randy Orton
Segment #6: WWE.com Exclusive Promo
WWE Champion C.M. Punk is questioned on the “controversy” from his title defense at SummerSlam. He totally plays down the “controversy,” instead holding up the championship on his shoulder and saying “respect this!”
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Segment #7: SummerSlam Promos
Clips of Antonio Ceasaro defeating Santino Marella for the U.S. Championship from the SummerSlam pre-show on YouTube are shown, as well as the week of WWE invading Los Angeles for SummerSlam Week.
Match #4: Single – “The Funkasaurus” Brodus Clay (with “The Funkadactors” Naomi & Cameron) VS. “The Intellectual Savior Of The Masses” Damien Sandow
Sandow tries to go for Brodus’ legs, but the big man overpowers and punches away in the corner. Huge clothesline and right hands. Big belly-to-belly suplex and elbow drop. Clay splashes him in the corner, then thumps him with his rear-end. “The Funkasaurus” runs at him with a headbutt. He misses another corner splash however, and Sandow manages to roll him up for the victory!
Winner via Pinfall: “The Intellectual Savior Of The Masses” Damien Sandow
Post-match, as Sandow is celebrating, Brodus sneaks up from behind and T-Bone Suplexes him, then dances with some young fans in the ring.
Up next, Shawn Michaels live via satellite.
Commercials.
Segment #8: Satellite Promo
Prior to Shawn, a replay of Brock Lesnar breaking his arm from last week is shown. Michael Cole asks Shawn’s opinion on Triple H and his career potentially being over.
Shawn says despite preparing for it, no one can know the feeling of “it” being over, even when it hits you in the face. As still images of the match last night are shown, Shawn puts over Triple H as a warrior, a man of honor and integrity. Shawn says he wanted to support his friend, which may have been a mistake because he ended up as a distraction more than anything. Michaels tells the truth – “I didn’t think he could beat Brock Lesnar.”
However, Hunter has nothing to be ashamed of. Michaels touts him as one of the “greatest, greatest superstars to ever live. I’ve always respected you and I’ve always been proud of you. And I’ve always loved you. We all love you. On behalf of myself and the entire WWE Universe, we thank you for a job well done.”
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Match #5: Single – David Otunga VS. The Big Show
Show immediately goes after Otunga. Huge blows and scoop slams, and Big walks over Otunga. Show gears up and knocks out David with the Big Punch, 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall: The Big Show
Post-match, another WWE.com Exclusive is shown, with an extremely angry Big Show following his SummerSlam match. He complains about the constant double-teaming in the Triple Threat and wants a fair one-on-one match.
Up next, Kane & Zack Ryder will team to face Intercontinental Champion The Miz and Daniel Bryan!
Commercials.
Match #6: Tag-Team – Kane and “Long Island Iced-Z” Zack Ryder VS. Daniel Bryan and Intercontinental Champion The Miz
Kane & Miz begin, with Kane hammering away in the corner. He throws Miz to his other corner and tags in Ryder. Impressive middle-rope missile dropkick from “Long Island,” but Miz counters with a big boot. He stomps away and then kicks him in the face for a near fall.
Bryan is now in and delivers knees to Ryder’s shoulder/arm and then stretches his other arm. Repeated kicks to the chest (with “no/yes” chants) and a knee drop get a close count for Daniel. Ryder tries to fight out of a side headlock from The Miz, but instead receives a neckbreaker for a two-count.
Bryan is back in and delivers kicks in the corner. Bryan goes to run at Ryder, but he ducks and ends up hitting his own partner, knocking Miz off the apron. This allows Kane to be tagged in, and Bryan wants to do the same, but Miz drops down and leaves him dry. So, Bryan also chooses to leave, running out of the arena.
Furious, Kane decides to chokeslam Ryder and tear apart parts of the arena. He grabs a technical dude and chucks him over the barricade. To the fans’ delight, he Tombstones Ryder and runs away.
Winners: No Contest
Segment #9: WWE.com Exclusive
John Cena’s turn to be interviewed following the SummerSlam, and he takes the high road, saying he lost, but he’ll get him tomorrow.
Segment #10: Backstage Promo
WWE Champion C.M. Punk is with Matt Striker and announces his next opponent for his WWE Championship. It is somebody that “can take a beating like a man, somebody that the WWE Universe looks up to, somebody that a lot of people say I can’t beat. My next opponent – John Cena. However, Punk adds a condition – and later tonight demands respect from John Cena.
Up next, a #1 Contender Battle Royal for the Divas Championship (That’ll be a quick recap!)
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Match #7: Diva Battle Royal for the #1 Contender’s Slot to the Divas Championship – Kaitlyn VS. Aksana VS. Tamina VS. Rosa VS. Natalya VS. Alicia Fox VS. Eve Torres
Rosa and Aksana roll out of the ring together, eliminating themselves. Alicia double-dropkicks Natalya & Tamina, but they do not get out of the ring. Natalya is whipped out of the ring, then Alicia is super-kicked by Tamina over the top, and Tamina is thrown by Kaitlyn, who after a small struggle, manages to dump Eve to the floor for the victory!
Winner via Elimination and NEW #1 Contender for the Divas Championship: Kaitlyn
A quick Tout video from Brock Lesnar is played and he states that he has accomplished everything he wanted, so he’s leaving the WWE and never coming back! (Cha, right!)
Commercials.
Via Twitter, Raw General Manager A.J. Lee announces that next week she will send Daniel Bryan to anger management therapy classes.
Segment #11: Locker Room Promo
Vickie Guerrero is freaking out, but yet encouraging her man Dolph Ziggler at the same time to win the match tonight. Dolph agrees, saying this is the biggest match of his career and he HAS TO and WILL win!
That match is next!
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Match #8: Single “Contract VS. Contract” – “The Showoff” Dolph Ziggler (with Vickie Guerrero) VS. Chris Jericho
Ziggler & Jericho lock up and Jericho starts with a shoulder block and two quick roll-ups. Dolph goes to the outside for a break. Jericho catches Ziggler in a small package for a near fall, then chops him down. Dolph fights his way out of the corner and drops the jumping elbow for a two-count. Ziggler focuses on the injured ribs of Jericho, but gets booted and hit with a second rope missile dropkick. 1 – 2 – Ziggler kicks out! Jericho tosses Dolph to the apron and drops him with a springboard dropkick.
Commercials.
Back live, Ziggler has Jericho in a grounding rear chinlock/sleeper to wear him down. Harsh, quick elbows to the collar of Jericho then another jumping elbow. Y2J counters into a side backdrop and boot-to-the-face. Two running shoulder blocks and an axe handle (a la the late, great “Macho Man” Randy Savage”) put Dolph on the mat. Both are on the top turnbuckle, where Jericho 10-punches him and then pulls out a top-rope Hurricanrana! 1 – 2 – Dolph’s still in it!
Ziggler comes back with a jumping DDT, but only gets two! Jericho throws a Fameasser attempt, and “The Showoff” wiggles out of a Walls Of Jericho. Small Package from Ziggler, 1 – 2 – Y2J kicks out! Running Bulldog and the Lionsault, but Dolph gets the knees up and drives Jericho down with the Zig-Zag. 1 – 2 – 3!
Winner via Pinfall & STILL Money In The Break Contract Holder: “The Showoff” Dolph Ziggler
Post-match, as Dolph is celebrating like he as already won the World Championship, Jericho snatches the briefcase and smashes Ziggler with it. He runs at him and hits the Codebreaker. Jericho leaves, walking up the ramp and slapping the fans hands.
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Segment #12: Arena Promo
WWE Champion C.M. Punk is now out and ready to name John Cena as his next opponent, with a condition. He walks over to the commentary table and talks to Jerry Lawler. The “Straight-Edge Superstar” wants Lawler to tell the WWE Universe it was a lie when he said Punk has turned his back on them on the few weeks ago. Lawler reiterates that’s how he felt at the time, so Punk wants an apology instead.
Before he gets it, John Cena interrupts and meets him in the ring. Punk is disdained by Cena interjecting prior to his apology from Lawler. Punk claims he has taken a back seat to John Cena and The Rock since WrestleMania, despite being the WWE Champion. All he wants is respect, and he named Cena the #1 Contender because he wants to and has to beat him again.
However, C.M. say it may not matter because of all the loyal fans to him. Punk names his stipulation: John Cena must admit, on live television, that “The Second-City Saint” is the BEST IN THE WORLD. He does that, he’ll get his title shot.
Cena retorts and talks about Punk’s 9-month reign as Champion. He says that his relationship with Punk is built on one thing: respect. He compares the fans’ loyalty to their university football team to their loyalty to Cena and wrestling. Because of that, Cena cannot say that Punk is the “best in the world.” Cena has to believe that each and every night, HE is the “best in the world.”
Cena is not going to throw away his integrity to feed Punk’s ego. He is okay if Punk doesn’t name him the #1 Contender, because one way or another, Cena is confident he will get the title back anyway. Cena says name anyone he wants, however Punk has an opportunity – if he chooses Cena and defeats him at Night Of Champions, that will define Punk’s existence because C.M. would have beat Cena in his own hometown of Boston. Cena states that if Punk doesn’t pick him for the challenger to face at Night Of Champions, then he will have no respect for the WWE Title and no respect for himself.
Cena walks off, as Punk contemplates, squatting in the ring. Pretty much completely ignoring what John said, Punk turns his attention back to Lawler and demands an apology. He coaxes him into the ring, where Jerry does apologize, but it’s not over. He wants “The King” to declare that Punk is the “best in the world.” In short, Lawler says he can’t, because he’s at the announce table and have built a rapport with the fans.
Lawler turns around and goes to the ropes, but gets kicked from behind by Punk. The WWE Champion positions himself over a downed Lawler with the WWE Championship draped over his shoulder, saying nothing to close the show.
End Of Raw.
Reporter’s Ramblings – By Moe Tapp
A pretty good Raw with some twists, but a bit lackluster compared to last week’s, especially coming off a big Pay-Per-View. Onto the analysis.
Excellence: Brock Lesnar/Paul Heyman opening promo. Heyman is gold on the mike and really put the emphasis on building Lesnar as a monster, obliterating Triple H. Lesnar too was gold, just standing there looking intimidating. Loved the “scare tactic” he used with Referee Scott Armstrong, only to tell him “good job.” That fit his character perfectly.
Liked the return/interaction of A.J. and Otunga, especially with Otunga not really playing face/heel, just using his outside skills of being a lawyer to help out Ms. Lee.
Again, love the aggressiveness and “anything to win” attitude that Alberto Del Rio has lately. And great finish to the match, throwing the same one from last night back in Del Rio’s face to cause him to lose. This did NOT hurt him one bit and added to the heat of the rivalry. Much like above, also loved Big Show’s no-nonsense aggressiveness in his match with Otunga and just dominated him.
Shawn’s promo was good – came off very heartfelt (pardon the pun) and real. The words seemed to be chosen carefully, since they were statements that could be related to anyone in any type of professional position or life in general. Obviously, it won’t be Triple H’s last match, but they’re playing it up like it is well enough!
Liked the twist to the Kane/Ryder VS. Miz/Bryan match, with the two heels bailing and Kane going nuts again. True to his character and to theirs as well. However, poor Zack – how is star has fallen.
Surprisingly, I actually liked the Divas Battle Royal and it had some unique eliminations. Nice to see Kaitlyn get the top spot too for a fresh challenge.
While I knew the outcome (come on, it was way too predictable), still a FANTASTIC match between Ziggler and Jericho, and glad they were given the main event match on the show.
Cena’s promo in the ending segment also awesome and what he is truly about – as I’ve stated before, when he talks like this, you can truly feel the genuine desire, passion, and love he has for the professional wrestling business and it’s fans.
Bogus: Way too many “WWE.com Exclusives.” The first couple were okay, then it got old fast and was basically the same thing. 6-Man-Tag, Ryback, Brodus/Damien (however a great match) were all just filler – nothing special.
Lesnar announcing he’s leaving WWE via Tout – something like that should’ve been more emphasized and live in the arena. (It did seem weird/off-guard.)
Still not buying the C.M. Punk “in-between” heel turn. Again, while he is excellent on the mike and an awesome wrestler, he is just stating the same stuff over and over, and it is kind of getting old. I like that he is trying to make the WWE Champion deserve respect, but when he makes it about himself and not the title, it’s a “ya, ya, heard that before” in my opinion.
Nonetheless, a decent Raw and they really are doing well so far with the 3-hours, especially since not one episode yet has felt like it “dragged.” They are really mixing promos and matches well (granted, a few fillers could be without, but overall the effort is there to keep interest.)
As always, until next week, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online readers and Wrestling Fans!
MetroPCS will be hosting a live fan chat with UFC President Dana White tomorrow, August 21, at 5PM PT. Those interested to participate are invited to submit questions to the MetroPCS Facebook page leading up and during the chat. White will discuss recent news, talk future fights and answer questions live from participants.
You can visit the MetroPCS Facebook page here.
Initial reports that came out of SummerSlam indicated that the lead singer for Limp Bizkit, Fred Durst, was kicked out of show yesterday after he gave the camera the middle finger when the cameras were showing celebrities who were attending the show.
A WWE spokesman cleared the air with TMZ.COM saying that Durst wasn’t thrown out by security but he felt so bad after flipping off the camera that he went backstage to apologize for his actions.
“We appreciate Fred’s apology. However, we take our family-friendly environment very seriously and this was a violation of that. We sincerely apologize to our fans,” the spokesman said.
Durst later tweeted, “Ya know, I kinda like the rumor. Let’s just keep it as is. Love me some @WWE – Time to Rock !!”
