WWE Week In Review XV
August 10, 2008- August 16, 2008
Welcome to the fifteenth edition of the WWE Week In Review. Feel free to contact me on TWO or Wrestling 101 anytime with comments, questions, and anything in between. Also, check out my new blog on Wrestling101.com.
With only six days left until The Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer, Monday Night RAW rolled into the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, VA where the final bricks would be laid on the road to SummerSlam this Sunday night.
The show opened with one half of the new World Tag Team Champions- John Cena. The (tag) Champ stated that himself and other half of the World Tag Team Champions Batista did not need to have a press conference or a weigh-in or anything of the sort to create hype for their one-on-one encounter at SummerSlam. All they needed was Cena & Batista in the ring, face-to-face. The Animal came out and stood in front of his World Tag Team Championship partner and his SummerSlam opponent. Cena wastes no time in getting in Batista’s face. Cena proclaims that their impending battle at SummerSlam will determine who is better- John Cena or Batista. Making no buts about it, Cena said that he would be better, come SummerSlam. Batista retaliates by telling Cena that he would love to beat him senseless and the fans would love to see Batista beat Cena senseless and proclaimed that he would be better than Cena come Sunday. The opponents/tag champions shook hands in the middle of the ring.
The opening match of the night saw The Glamazon Beth Phoenix take on Kelly Kelly. Kelly Kelly put forth a strong effort against a strong opponent, but Phoenix got the duke with the Glam Slam. Santino Marella congratulated his "partner" and told Phoenix to send a message to Kofi Kingston & Mickie James. Before The Glamazon could comply, Kofi & Mickie chased "Glamorella" from the ring. A frustrated and embarrassed Marella laid out a challenge to the champion. Kofi accepted, but Santino stated that he was talking to Mickie James. After some deliberation and support from her hometown crowd, Mickie accepted Santino’s challenge to an Intergender Match. With the referee distracted by Kofi Kingston, Beth Phoenix rammed Mickie James shoulder first into the steel ring post, allowing Marella to pick up the win over the Women’s Champion. These four will face off again this Sunday at SummerSlam when Kofi Kingston & Mickie James team up to defend both the Intercontinental & Women’s Titles against Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix in a Winners Take All Match. Can the new couple claim gold in this unique "Adamle Original" match-up or will The Jamaican Sensation Kofi Kingston & Mickie James retain their gold?
Backstage, The Big Red Machine Kane confronts RAW General Manager Mike Adamle. Adamle informs The Malfunctioning Machine that he will face Chris Jericho in an "Adamle Original" on RAW- a SummerSlam Match taking place on RAW. Kane tells the GM that it’s fine, as long as that’s the only "business" that is taken care of. Kane started to leave, thinking that Adamle forgot, but unfortunately for Kane, he did not. Adamle reminded Kane that he will personally find out what is in Kane’s burlap bag. Kane says that Adamle does not want to do that.
The next contest saw Cryme Tyme take on The Highlanders in tag team action. The Brooklyn Businessmen defeated The Kilt-Clad Duo to rise a notch in the tag team title hunt.
JBL was out next with a contest that he says CM Punk "can’t win". After some strong words between champion and challenger, JBL reveals that the contest is a "Drinking Contest". JBL tells the World Champion that if he takes a drink of alcohol, he will win the contest. The No Drugs, No Drinking, No Nonsense Straight Edge Champion told JBL that he would give up his body, but he will not give up his beliefs and become another JBL. Punk threw the alcohol into the eyes of the challenger, sending a clear message to the Millionaire Mauler that CM Punk will prove that he deserves to be champion at SummerSlam. Punk defeated JBL on his first night as champion. Can Punk make it a two-peat against the former WWE Champion or will JBL prove to everyone that Punk is a "paper champion" at SummerSlam?
Next up was an "Adamle Original"; a SummerSlam Match on RAW. Chris Jericho and Kane are no strangers to facing one another, as they have done so several times in days gone by. The two former World Champions fought each other tooth and nail, but all that changed when Mike Adamle came out with security and ordered them to surround the ringside area. Kane immediately grabbed the mysterious burlap bag and clutched it to his chest. Unwilling to give the bag up, Kane got hit with Chris Jericho’s Codebreaker to give Jericho the win.
Kane continued to keep a tight grip on the burlap bag as Adamle entered the ring. Adamle explained to Kane that he already knew what was in the bag and that he knows who Kane is referring to when Kane says "is he alive or is he dead?". Adamle explains that the "he" in question that is "dead" is Kane himself. Adamle then tells Kane that Ronald Reagan once proclaimed, "Tear Down This Wall". Adamle told Kane to "hand me that bag". Kane told the RAW GM and everyone watching that there was a mask in the bag; a mask that covered up a scarred and hideous human being. The demented Kane said that the mask is not his. Kane then opened the bag and held up the mask of Rey Mysterio. Mysterio has been absent from RAW since June 30. What has Kane done to Rey Mysterio? Kane has proclaimed that "he" is dead, but that "he" is Rey Mysterio. Has Kane done the unthinkable?
In a match that stemmed from the brawl that took place last week, "King" William Regal took on Jamie Noble. Regal made quick work of the quick superstar, using his patented knee lift to get the win.
The main event of the night saw new World Tag Team Champions John Cena & Batista defending their titles against former champions Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase, who invoked their rematch clause on RAW. The shaky partnership between the two SummerSlam opponents turned out to cost them, as Cena & Batista got so wrapped up in getting in each other’s face that Ted DiBiase was able to roll up Cena to get the win and regain the tag team titles for himself and Cody Rhodes only one week after losing them.
After the match, the former tag champions stared each other down, but when the new champions tried to jump Cena & Batista, the two cleaned house of Rhodes & DiBiase. The two then continued to stare each other down in the ring until Mike Adamle showed up with his security and separated the two to preserve "his" SummerSlam match. The disdain between the two would reach fever pitch, as they continued to break through security and brawl with each other. A match that started with an accidental right hand has now become a legendary and heated rivalry between two of the WWE’s biggest superstars today. Both have said they are better than the other, but only one will walk out of SummerSlam with his hand raised high. Who will be able to say that they were the better man come this Sunday?
Tuesday’s ECW kicked off with an Extreme Rules Match against former friends Tommy Dreamer and Colin Delaney. The ECW Original extracted his revenge and completely dominated the match, ending it with his patented DDT on a "stop" sign to get the win.
Evan Bourne was also in action, defeating Bam Neely. Backstage, Theodore Long & Tiffany are interrupted by The Undefeated Ricky Ortiz. Ortiz pitches his new merchandising idea to the ECW General Manager. Long schedules a match for next week, where the 3-0 Ricky Ortiz will take on the newest ECW Superstar, as part of Theodore Long’s New Superstar Initiative.
Finlay also faced off with Armando Estrada, who had his first match since regaining his ECW Contract last week (with a big assist from Colin Delaney). The Angry Irishman looked right into the evil eyes of Mike Knox, who was standing on the stage, as he delivered the Celtic Cross to defeat Estrada decisively.
In the main event, SummerSlam opponents teamed together as ECW Champion Mark Henry teamed up with #1 Contender Matt Hardy to face former WWE Tag Team Champions John Morrison & The Miz. The ECW Champion did not even need to get his hands dirty, as Matt Hardy was able to successfully win the match, without any involvement by the World’s Strongest Champion. Mark Henry raised Matt’s hand, but quickly turned on his SummerSlam opponent by laying him out with the World’s Strongest Slam. Is this a sign of things to come at SummerSlam for Matt Hardy or will Matt be able to pull off the upset and win the ECW Title?
Two days before SummerSlam, Friday Night SmackDown emanated from Norfolk, VA. The night started off with a match for the United States Championship. In his first title defense, champion Shelton Benjamin took on The High-Flying Enigma Jeff Hardy. The two extraordinary superstars fought an extremely close battle with several near falls, but when Jeff went in for the kill with the Swanton Bomb, it was MVP once again interfering in Jeff’s business, this time costing him the United States Title. Jeff Hardy got a measure of revenge after the match, laying out MVP with the Twist of Fate and hitting dual Swantons on The Ballin’ Superstar MVP and the United States Champion Shelton Benjamin. Jeff Hardy will try to rid his life of MVP when the two face off this Sunday at SummerSlam.
In Divas Tag Action, Divas Champion Michelle McCool teamed up with Maria to take on Natalya & Maryse. In the end, it was a distraction by Maryse that allowed Natalya to roll up the champion for the win.
Next in action was The Brian Kendrick, as the confident high-flyer took on the debuting Scotty Goldman. Goldman put up a good fight in his WWE debut, but The Brian Kendrick was able to pick up the win.
Friday Night also saw the WWE Champion Triple H in action, as he took on the returning Kenny Dykstra just two nights before he faces The Great Khali at SummerSlam for the title. With The Great Khali & Ranjin Singh at ringside, Triple H made quick work of Dykstra. After the match, The Game got his hands on Ranjin Singh and used the translator to lure the #1 Contender into the ring. Khali and Triple H would brawl it out in a small preview of their encounter this Sunday, but in the end, it was the WWE Champion knocking The Punjabi Giant out of the ring. This Sunday at SummerSlam, Triple H will defend the WWE Championship against The Great Khali.
Backstage we see SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero in fear of her life of The Undertaker and her own husband, Edge. Victoria escorted the GM out of the arena and to her limo, but what Vickie didn’t expect was to find Edge already in the limo. Edge took Vickie Guerrero and informed his fearful wife that they was going to the ring.
The World’s Largest Athlete was also in action, against another debuting SmackDown Superstar- Ryan Braddock. Big Show made short work of Braddock, knocking him out with a huge right hand.
In a battle of the titans, The Undefeated Moscow Mauler Vladimir Kozlov took on The Corn-Fed Colossus Festus. Festus gave Kolov quite the challenge, but Kozlov was able to capitalize on Festus taking to the air with his devastating head ram.
As promised, Edge brought his wife, Vickie to ringside. The unstable Edge forced Vickie out of her wheelchair, again, and demanded that Vickie apologize to The Undertaker. Edge blames the GM for all of the pain and suffering that they have endured with The Undertaker and Edge’s mental breakdown. Edge proclaims that when he faces The Undertaker in Hell in a Cell at SummerSlam, it will be "’Till Death Do Us Part". Can this new relentless Edge take The Undertaker to hell, as promised? What roll will Vickie & La Familia play this Sunday? Will any of this matter once The Undertaker faces off with Edge? Find out this Sunday, when WWE Presents the 21’st Annual SummerSlam from the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN.
Superstar of the Week: Edge
Ratings Report
SmackDown: August 8- 2.0 Rating (Down From Last Week’s 2.4 Rating)
RAW: August 11- 3.1 Rating (Down From Last Week’s 3.4 Rating)
ECW: August 12- 1.2 Rating (Down From Last Week’s 1.5 Rating)