Tonight: WWE.com says Umaga vs. Cena will take place at the Royal Rumble, and the contract signing will be TONIGHT! Thats going to end well. Plus, HBK faces Orton and Edge in a handicap match! Will this be the final nail in the coffin for DX?
And wwe.com has talked to several wrestlers slated to appear in this years Rumble match, apparently forgoing the traditional announcement/earning of the spots on RAW, or even announcing them on WWE.com. Oh well. Among those from RAW: Kenny Dykstra, Chris Masters, Viscera, Shelton Benjamin, Jeff Hardy, and perhaps Johnny Nitro and Carlito (not officially announced, as the wording is a little ambiguous
-We get the Martin Luther King, Jr. open. Long Live The Dream.
-WWE opening.
-We open to a raucous crowd, which gets even raucousier when Cena enters. JR says were LIVE from Bossier City, Louisiana at the Centurytel (huh?) Center . Were starting things off with the contract signing, always a ratings winner. Coach is moderating. Umaga is then brought out, with Estrada by his side. Umaga gets the furniture out of the way early. Coach announces that AAE will choose the stipulation- he picks Last Man Standing. AAE signs on behalf of Umaga (Samoans are DUMB remember). Cena then says hes crazy enough to sign and then jumps Umaga. He goes to the outside and takes the big man down with the steps. FU to Estrada through the table.
-Preview of the handicap match, TONIGHT.
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(1) Johnny Nitro & Melina vs. Jeff Hardy & Maria This is mixed-tag rules. Hardy and Nitro start things off. Big European uppercuts from Nitro. Nitro avoids the twist of fate early and tags Melina, who gets slapped by Maria. Bulldog by Maria for a near-fall. Nitro trips her up though and Melina takes control. Maria counters a backbreaker into a sloppy (but A for effort) headscissors. Maria nails Nitro and the men are in. Melina grabs the leg of Jeff on the top rope to distract him, but Maria takes care of her. Nitro goes for a superplex. He gets pushed off and Hardy hits the swan-ton for the three. Winners: Hardy & Maria by pinfall at 4:01 * Standard action
-Coach and Vince are backstage. Vince calls up the Donald. He has trouble getting through, though. Well, theyre certainly setting up this Donald angle well, considering he hasnt even been on camera yet.
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-Team RKO, in matching vests, enter, mics in hand. We get the flatline sound, representing DX according to Orton. Orton yells a lot then leaves. Edge says this is the place of HBKs first match and will be for his last as well. They then drag out a bloodied Hacksaw Duggan, who they think would help HBK later. They set up a conchairto. Refs, Malenko and Rotunda come out, but they just stand there, then help after the damage is done. They say that was a message to those considering helping HBK.
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(2) Ric Flair vs. Kenny Dykstra: Highlights of NYR and RAW last week are shown, which covered KD and Flairs feud. Flair starts off with chops (what else?). Dykstra barely hits a dropkick to the knee and he goes to work on it. Dykstra locks in the figure four, but Flair clasps the ropes. They trade chops and punches and KD is down. Flair gets caught on the top, but he shoves Kenny away and hits a chop. Dykstra rolls Flair up, but the ref sees that he has the ropes. Then Flair rolls up Dykstra, with the ropes, for the pin. Winner: Flair by pinfall, 3:32 1/2* Flair doesnt have much left in the tank
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-HBK is just arriving and of course, Todd Grisham bothers him. HBK goes out there with just one partner, and hes on the shelf. HBK intends on doing things alone. Flair enters and wants to be at Michaels side. Hell be out there with him.
-Vince still hasnt heard from Trump. Coach asks him why he needs to talk. Vince pulls out a letter from the Donald. Trump says everything about the skit from last week that fans have been saying all week. Coach likes The Apprentice- I thought they wanted people to watch? Vince vows to give Trump compelling TV tonight.
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-Vince is out. He calls the skit last week brilliant, then we see highlights of it, because so many liked it. WWE is certainly Vinces plaything, as if there was any doubt. Actually a mixed reaction to the skit. We now see it in slow motion, because it was so good. Vince says he doesnt ask his audience what they want, he tells them what they want and they like it. Vince then says he wouldve done the Miss USA thing differently, and brings out Torrie Wilson with a Miss USA sash. Vince re-creates the fiasco and has Torrie apologize. Torrie reads her lines with apathy. Carlito then interrupts. He tells Vince he aint cool. He says the skit was bad. The ringside mic picks up some guy yelling, Hey Torrie, leave Carlito for me, baby. Carlito is the voice of the fan here. Vince wants to fight, but he brings out Khali to do his dirty work for him. Is this Vinces way to pretend he was in on how bad the skit was last week? Predictably, Carlito is no match for the man from the Middle East.
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(3) Mickie James vs. Victoria, Womens Title Match : The girls both go to the hair early. Mickie spanks Victoria, hearkening back to Fabulous Moolahs classic matches from decades ago. Vicious hair toss by Victoria. She pulls James leg into a split then works the leg. Hurricanrana for two by Mickie. Side kick from Mickie surprises Victoria, and gets the three. Winner: Mickie James by pinfall, 3:20 *1/2 Quite good while it lasted
-Contract signing highlights from earlier tonight. They show all 30 men already entered into the Rumble, but I cant write that quickly.
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-Chris Masters is out and says hell win the Rumble. Yeah, right. Masters has a signed document from Mr. McMahon stating that the Masterlock break from Iraq doesnt count because of interference. Ron Simmons then accepts the Masterlock Challenge. Masters tries to back out of it, but eventually locks it in. Super Crazy comes out of the crowd and dropkicks Masters, which breaks the hold. Huh.
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-WrestleMania recall is from 22- the Money In The Bank Ladder Match.
-Grisham, in the locker room, stands near a fallen Ric Flair while doctors and HBK look him over. Ever the investigative journalist, Grish says Rated RKO were the last two seen in the area.
(4) JTG vs. Shelton Benjamin: JTG with a cross-body for one. Shoulderbreaker from Shelton turns the tide. Shelton with a key lock, which doesnt last long. JTG fights out of the corner and hits a reverse elbow. Boot to the jaw puts him down. Shad takes the buckle off of one corner. Haas tries to put it back on, and Shad holds Sheltons leg on a powerbomb attempt, with JTG falling on top for the pin. Winner: JTG by pinfall at 2:38 1/4*
-Grish with an update: Flair is in an ambulance. HBK storms in saying he wont go down alone- and hell go down in a blaze of glory. He then superkicks Grisham.
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-We come back with Triple Hs Story, his injury and surgery.
-Edge and Orton come out for the match and go through the DX intro. They tell security to bring every DX sign into the ring. Rated RKO rip them up, saying they told HBK hed have no help in the main event, not even from the fans.
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(5) Edge & Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels: HBK charges the ring and dumps Edge. Orton goes out soon after. HBK stomps a mud-hole in Edge. Edge reverses momentum with a boot on a corner charge. That doesnt last long though. HBK is brawling his way through this one. Edge low-bridges Michaels to the outside. Randy Sucks chant as Orton tags out. Edge and Orton trade punches on HBK in the corner, with the ref distracted by each. Now THATS a heel move. Michaels is bloodied after that attack. More punches from Edge. Michaels flips in the corner but catches Orton with a clothesline. Both men are down. Flying forearm and nip up (or is it kip up?). HBK getting more offense than I expected here. Elbow off the top hits. HBK tunes up the band, but goes after Orton instead. Edge then spears Michaels. Edge gets two chairs from ringside as the ref calls for the bell, presumably because of HBKs blood loss. Michaels kicks a chair into Edges face and drop-toe holds Orton into another one. Low-blow for both. HBK goes under the ring for the sledgehammer. He uses it on both as well. Conchairto on Orton as Edge retreats. So much for building up the heels. Winner: No contest at 9:45 *3/4
-The Final Word: 5.0 Mid-card stuff was advanced nicely, but the whole McMahon thing was bizarre and just as WWE needs to find and build up a heel or heels to face Cena at WM with Trips out, they demolish the top two on the show in a handicap match. Way to go.
My ranking of the top ten Simpsons episodes and more!: Experience It
Originally posted by geemoneyHBK storms in saying he wont go down alone- and hell go down in a blaze of glory. He then superkicks Grisham.
Highlight of the show. It was the first time in awhile that I've laughed so hard and loud.
The 2 on 1 match, to me, was enjoyable. With just a few minutes left, it felt certain that someone was going to run down and make the save, but alas, no one did, and who would it have been, anyway?
I think the main event was a DQ victory for Michaels due to the chairs being brought into the ring. They really were stretching it a bit to say that Duggan would have helped Michaels. Has there ever been interaction between the 2 in the past 20 years. When Ric Flair gets attacked and it isn't shown, doesn't the antenna go up that he was going to hit the ring and turn on Michaels to end the program? Shelton would have been better off wrestling a broom. First Carlito gets stuck facing Masters. Now, Khali. Please don't tell me they are going to try to recreate Abdullah the Butcher vs. Carlos Colon out of Worse Then a Piece of Camel Dung Khali and Colon's kid. Notice how Vince gets attached to Trump just as Trump's star is plummeting. Didn't Trump go into financial difficulty the last time he was involved in Vince's orbit in the late 80's?
(edited by redsoxnation on 15.1.07 2335) The Horsemen DVD is 3 Discs and 9 hours. Let Us Rejoice and Sing Its Praise.
Originally posted by geemoneywwe.com has talked to several wrestlers slated to appear in this years Rumble match, apparently forgoing the traditional announcement/earning of the spots on RAW, or even announcing them on WWE.com. Oh well. Among those from RAW: Kenny Dykstra, Chris Masters, Viscera, Shelton Benjamin, Jeff Hardy, and perhaps Johnny Nitro and Carlito (not officially announced, as the wording is a little ambiguous
From WWE.com:
The following participants (listed in alphabetical last name order) have already been announced:
1. Shelton Benjamin 2. Chris Benoit 3. Carlito 4. Kenny Dykstra 5. Edge 6. Finlay 7. Ric Flair 8. Chavo Guerrero 9. Jeff Hardy 10. Matt Hardy 11. Hardcore Holly 12. Kane 13. King Booker 14. Chris Masters 15. Shawn Michaels 16. The Miz 17. Johnny Nitro 18. Randy Orton 19. Montel Vontavious Porter 20. CM Punk 21. Sabu 22. The Sandman 23. Undertaker 24. Rob Van Dam 25. Viscera
Who will round out the field of 30? Stay tuned to WWE programming and WWE.com as more names are announced.
Originally posted by redsoxnationThey really were stretching it a bit to say that Duggan would have helped Michaels. Has there ever been interaction between the 2 in the past 20 years
*This* is what grabbed my attention the most during the hour or so that I watched...
It sounded like some Joey Styles commentary dubbed in the MitB ladder match WM Recall - Joey didn't call that match, did he? I thought he called Foley-Edge. Or did I just think that I heard Joey?
- Are we really going to get Donald Trump on the Road to WrestleMania? It sounds horrible.
- I never believed that Ron Simmons was as tough as he acted or looked, but he is sportin' a nice 80's dad fro and stache combo. He kind of looks like a memeber of the Commadors and would fit right in if they ever had a reunion gig and needed a fill in drummer.
- It's a shame they can't figure out what to do with Super Crazy. His stuff has looked pretty crisp everytime I've seen him on Raw.
- HBK bled a lot, but is was sloppily done. The huge line on his forhead after taking blows to the head was a great way to expose the blade job to the world.
Originally posted by geemoneywwe.com has talked to several wrestlers slated to appear in this years Rumble match, apparently forgoing the traditional announcement/earning of the spots on RAW, or even announcing them on WWE.com. Oh well. Among those from RAW: Kenny Dykstra, Chris Masters, Viscera, Shelton Benjamin, Jeff Hardy, and perhaps Johnny Nitro and Carlito (not officially announced, as the wording is a little ambiguous
From WWE.com:
The following participants (listed in alphabetical last name order) have already been announced:
1. Shelton Benjamin 2. Chris Benoit 3. Carlito 4. Kenny Dykstra 5. Edge 6. Finlay 7. Ric Flair 8. Chavo Guerrero 9. Jeff Hardy 10. Matt Hardy 11. Hardcore Holly 12. Kane 13. King Booker 14. Chris Masters 15. Shawn Michaels 16. The Miz 17. Johnny Nitro 18. Randy Orton 19. Montel Vontavious Porter 20. CM Punk 21. Sabu 22. The Sandman 23. Undertaker 24. Rob Van Dam 25. Viscera
Who will round out the field of 30? Stay tuned to WWE programming and WWE.com as more names are announced.
I would hope they keep the other 5 open for any "cameo" Rumble appearances or someone returning, but I just can't think of anyone coming back at this time. Makes me wonder if this is when they would debut Monty Brown, or maybe a new call up.
Luckily for WWE, they really don't have to do much to sell the Rumble for me. The Rumble match itself is a big selling point, as is Mania in general. I would guess they add what, another 3, maybe 4 matches to the card.
Co-Winner of the 2006 Time Magazine Person of the Year Award
I'm just shocked that the writers were willing to admit that the "Rosie/Donald" skit bombed ... which begs the question:
Was someone on the writing staff so clueless as to think that the original skit would be a good idea, but the viewers' disapproval was so overwhelming that they were forced to acknowledge their mistake? Or did they purposely write a skit that they knew was going to be horrible (wasting the time of the viewing audience - and their advertisers - in the process) just to progress this storyline with Trump?
Amidst all the crappiness, I honestly really liked the opening segment and the way the Cena/Umaga thing is going.
They very cleanly and neatly establish that Cena didn't overpower Umaga to win the match at NYR, more that he outlasted and outsmarted him. Then, they put Cena in a situation that seems totally insurmountable for him by letting Estrada pick the match and making it a Last Man Standing. But then, just to make sure that while the odds look long they aren't impossible they demonstrate that in this anything-goes environment Cena can put Umaga down. They have done a really nice build with this feud and kept it fairly logical and interesting. I wish they let more things progress in this manner.
It is rare that Vince will go on the air and basically admit he made a mistake. However, I doubt that is the end of these retarded skits. Like Carlito, I watch for the "fighting", but doubt we will get more of it. It is sports entertainment after all.
They did a good job building heat on Rated RKO, taking the signs was a nice, original touch. But Shawn surviving in the handicap match so strong makes me think he will be getting the push vs. Cena more than ever. Remember, the Rumble is in San Antonio, so it makes sense.
Dean! Have you been shooting dope into your scrotum? You can tell me! I'm hip!
Jim Ross keep on referring Bossier City as "Cajun Country". Bossier City is no where near "Cajun Country" just look at a map. If that was "Cajun Country" than I wonder what they will call the location of next week's RAW?
Yeah, I never noticed the big star tat on his tricep until last night. But because of the holidays, last night was the first time I was able to sit down and watch RAW uninterrupted in a few weeks.
"Naughty by Nature, Evil by Choice!" Evil Buddha... Wrestling Fan, Bud Man
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yeah, one of the a1wrestling-linked sites said raven has been called up, too. the ridiculous surprise i'd love to see: jason hervey! eddie and rey might be the only real surprise we get, outside of the injured guys like benoit and rhyno.
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