WWE Week In Review XIX
September 7, 2008- September 13, 2008
Welcome to the nineteenth 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 blog on Wrestling101.com.
The 10’th annual WWE Unforgiven came to you, live on pay-per-view, from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH on September 7, 2008.
WWE Unforgiven
WWE presented a very unique, unpredictable Unforgiven in Cleveland. Three Championship Scramble Matches would take place in Cleveland (revealed in the opening bout to be the brainchild of Pat Patterson)- CM Punk would defend his World Heavyweight Title in a Scramble Match against JBL, Kane, Batista, & Rey Mysterio. Mark Henry would defend his ECW Title in a Scramble Match against The Miz, Finlay, Chavo Guerrero, & Matt Hardy. Triple H would defend the WWE Title in a Scramble Match against Jeff Hardy, MVP, The Brian Kendrick, & Shelton Benjamin. Shawn Michaels would also face Chris Jericho in an Unsantioned Match. Michelle McCool would defend her Divas Title against Maryse and Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase would defend their World Tag Team Titles against Cryme Tyme.
-After some audio problems (which consisted of only the Spanish Commentators being audible; they cut this out of the immediate replay and just started "in progress" where the viewers could first hear Striker & Grisham)The opening match was the first of the three Championship Scramble Matches- the ECW Championship Scramble. The match started off with Cleveland’s own Miz taking on Matt Hardy. Five Minutes in, Chavo Guerrero joined the fray and immediately hit the Frog Splash on Matt Hardy to become the first interim champion of the evening. The World’s Strongest Champion Mark Henry would enter fourth and pin Chavo Guerrero to become the interim champion. At the fifteen minute mark, Finlay (with Hornswoggle) made his entrance and pinned Matt Hardy to become the fourth interim champion. Matt Hardy pins The Miz to become interim champion. Matt Hardy would survive the match to become the NEW ECW Champion.
-Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase successfully defended their World Tag Team Titles against Cryme Tyme. Some teamwork and "heelish" tactics helped the duo retain. During a post-match brawl between the two teams, a mystery wrestler that looks like Umaga & Carlito’s (the afto version) love child came to the aid of the tag champions and ridded the ring of Cryme Tyme. We would later find out that this man’s name is Manu and he is the son of WWE Hall of Famer, Afa Anoai. This trio would also join forces with Randy Orton to lay out World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk to keep the champion from competing later on in the evening. RAW General Manager Mike Adamle promised a "suitable replacement" for Punk if he can not compete.
-In the highly personal Unsanctioned Match between Shawn Michaels & Chris Jericho, HBK would extract some vicious revenge on Jericho and beat him so mercilessly, that the referee had to stop the match. Michaels would superkick the referee after the match. Later, in a backstage interview, Michaels stated that he was content, but not satisfied and that the worst is yet to come for Jericho.
-Then it was time for Scramble Match #2, this time for the WWE Title; Jeff Hardy & Shelton Benjamin started off the match. The Brian Kendrick would enter third. Jeff Hardy would pin The Brian Kendrick to become the first interim champion. The Brian Kendrick would pay back the Enigma as he hit The Kendrick on Jeff to become interim champion (probably the closest Kendrick will get to being WWE Champion in the lifetime). MVP would enter fourth and the WWE Champion himself, Triple H would enter last. Triple H would waste no time in hitting Kendrick with the Pedigree to become interim champion. Jeff would pin MVP to become interim champion, Triple H pinned Kendrick again to become interim champion, Jeff would pin Kendrick yet again to become interim champion, and Triple H would narrowly get the last pinfall over MVP to survive the match with his WWE Title intact. Poor Kendrick jobbed four times in one match. So much for that winning streak.
-It was then time for The Undertaker and Vickie Guerrero to have their confrontation. First, Big Show came out to throw his name in the hat to replace Punk in the World Heavyweight Championship Scramble, but he was interrupted by SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero, who threatened to fine and suspend the "big, dumb giant" as she called him. Big Show would hold Vickie as Undertaker came to the ring to take her "soul", but after Undertaker grasped Vickie’s throat, Show unloaded on Undertaker with a vicious beating, including three straight right hands. Big Show & the GM then left the ring together.
-Michelle McCool defeated Maryse in her first title defense to keep the Divas Title.
-The time had come for the main event- the World Heavyweight Championship Scramble. Batista & JBL started it out, with Kane entering third. Kane would pin JBL to become the first interim champion of the match. Rey Mysterio would enter fourth and a bloody and battered Chris Jericho would be revealed to be CM Punk’s replacement, meaning that we were guaranteed a new World Heavyweight Champion. Batista pinned Kane following a spinebuster to become interim champion, but with Batista pre-occupied with Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho would take advantage of both a downed Kane and just a few seconds left in the match to become the NEW World Heavyweight Champion (his first World Title since he won the Undisputed Title in December of 2001).
The fallout from Unforgiven was felt as RAW emanated from the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, IN. New World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho was scheduled to make an appearance and Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix would defend her title against Mickie James.
WWE Monday Night RAW
-The night started off with RAW’s new World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho. The new champ wasted no time in berating Shawn Michaels and calling Michaels a "hypocrite" and stated that he is better than Shawn Michaels. Mike Adamle appeared and informed Chris Jericho that CM Punk had suffered a concussion at the hands of Randy Orton at Unforgiven, but that Punk would be ready to go on next week’s RAW. The GM then revealed that Chris Jericho will defend his newly acquired title against CM Punk in a Steel Cage Match next week and that Jericho will go one-on-one with Batista in the main event.
-The opening match saw Beth Phoenix successfully defend her Women’s Title against former champion Mickie James. Beth will defend her title against Candice Michelle at No Mercy on October 5, which is the same match that took place at last year’s No Mercy, except that Candice was the champion going in, but was defeated by Phoenix. You botch almost every move in your return one week, and the next you’re booked to challenge for a championship. I guess it’s the "Khali Theory".
-William Regal also defeated Jamie Noble.
-Charlie Haas was at it again this week, this time posing as "CHL- Charlie Haas Layfield". His opponent, JBL, was not impressed, but he was embarrassed. Embarrassed enough to leave the ring once the match started, giving Haas the win.
-As part of the apparent RAW/ECW Talent Exchange (which came out of the blue sometime between this week and last week), RAW’s Rey Mysterio teamed up with ECW’s Evan Bourne to take on ECW’s The Miz & John Morrison. The high-flying duo would get the win over Miz & Morrison, but Rey’s nemesis, Kane had a message for Rey. The Big Red Monster revealed that Rey will go one-on-one with Kane next week and that Kane will not tell him why, but he would give him a very special hint. Kane then held up his old mask.
-In 6-Man Tag Action, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, & Manu defeated the team of Cryme Tyme & Kofi Kingston.
-In non-title action, Santino Marella rolled up Snitsky for a win.
-It was then time for the main event, but after the match got underway, RAW General Manager Mike Adamle opted to stop the match and give Chris Jericho a tag team partner- JBL. JBL was there to hold Jericho’s side of things against Batista and since JBL should be fresh, seeing as he walked out of his match with Haas. Didn’t JBL & Jericho try to choke each other out back in January? Wasn’t Jericho the one that made JBL come to RAW to compete? I guess if there both heels, that no longer matters. In any case, Jericho & JBL picked up the win after JBL hit the Clothesline From Hell on Batista and Jericho picked the bones to get the fall. After the match, JBL & Lance Cade would assault Batista, only for Batista to retaliate and Batista Bomb Cade as the World Champion looked on from the stage.
Tuesday’s ECW emanated from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI. New ECW Champion Matt Hardy made an appearance.
ECW
-New ECW Champion Matt Hardy opened the show and discussed how it was his dream come true to be ECW Champion (way to shoot for the stars) and that he will be the greatest ECW Champion ever. Former champion Mark Henry interrupted and demanded a rematch for "his" title, as the bitter former champion always does. Henry sucker-punched Hardy, but the champion retaliated by low-bridging Henry out of the ring and laying out Tony Atlas with the Twist of Fate.
-The opening match saw John Morrison defeat Evan Bourne with a huge assist from The Miz on the outside.
-In his WWE debut, as part of ECW’s New Superstar Initiative, "The All-American American" Jack Swagger defeated local jobber, Josh Daniels with a Blue Thunder Bomb.
-The main event of the evening saw the team of Matt Hardy & Finlay defeat the team of Mark Henry & Mike Knox.
Five nights after a historic Unforgiven, WWE SmackDown came to you from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI (SmackDown was postponed for St. Louis, MO area viewers and will remain postponed to the 9/8c slot until SmackDown moves to MyNetworkTV on October 3; no warning or announcement was made in regards to the postponement). Announced for the show was a Fatal 4-Way Match to determine the #1 Contender for the WWE Title at No Mercy between Jeff Hardy, MVP, The Brian Kendrick, & United States Champion Shelton Benjamin (yes, he still is the U.S. Champion).
WWE Friday Night SmackDown
-Friday Night’s SmackDown started off with the WWE Champion Triple H. The Game discussed the Scramble Match at Unforgiven and stated that if he’s on the card, he will win. Jeff Hardy interrupts and sarcastically tells Triple H that he is "the man", states that everyone in the locker room looks up to him and respects him (except The Undertaker, apparently), and even calls Triple H a "god" (JBL should sue). Triple H returns the sarcasm by saying that he respects and admires Jeff, but then things get interesting. Triple H tells Jeff that Jeff always tries to grab the brass ring, but is always one second short of accomplishing it. He also stated that if Jeff would concentrate on business instead of "extra-curricular activities", he might’ve accomplished the WWE Title by now. Jeff fired back by telling Triple H that Jeff did not have anyone to push him, that he didn’t have The Clique, DX, or The Family (an obvious reference to Triple H marrying into the McMahon Family, in case you missed it). Triple H asks Jeff is he forgot about his brother, Matt. Triple H states that Jeff’s most successful times were as a tag team with his brother, but now Matt is better than Jeff, because Matt is a champion and Jeff is not. Triple H stops and tells Jeff that a war of words will not get either of them anywhere (but it was entertaining, no doubt) and challenges Jeff to "prove him wrong" in the Fatal 4-Way. He finished it off by telling Jeff to prove him wrong tonight, but he will be proved right come No Mercy (boy, I wonder who will win this one).
-The opening match of the night was a 6-Diva Tag, where the team of Divas Champion Michelle McCool, Maria & Brie Bella defeated the team of Maryse, Natalya, & Victoria. Brie used the old switch-a-roo trick and rolled Victoria for the third week in a row.
-I wanted to note that during the entrance of Chavo Guerrero, Jim Ross accidentally called R-Truth by his old ring name of "K-Kwik". That amused me very much. Seven years isn’t very long, apparently. Anyways, R-Truth defeated Chavo Guerrero by DQ, thanks to Bam Neely’s interference. After the match, Chavo & Neely got into a "disagreement", that ended with Chavo getting shoved to the mat by his bodyguard. R-Truth then laid out the two.
-We also heard from SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero and her new ally- Big Show. Vickie brought out Show and Show explained that he and Vickie had a "business relationship" (yeah and I’m sure it’ll stay that way; wink, wink) and that he helps Vickie in exchange for her helping him to the WWE Title (a lot of good that’s doing, he’s not even in the Fatal 4-Way).
-In a 2-on-1 Handicap Match, Vladimir Kozlov defeated the team of Funaki & Scotty Goldman (a Russian, a Japanese, and a Jewish Guy? It sounds like one of those "walks into a bar" jokes).
-The team of Carlito & Primo Colon (The Colons) defeated the tag team champions Hawkins & Ryder.
-In the main event, Jeff Hardy was able to defeat Shelton Benjamin, MVP, & The Brian Kendrick (with many assists from Ezekiel Jackson) to earn a shot at Triple H and the WWE Title at No Mercy on October 5. After the match, Vladimir Kozlov laid out Jeff Hardy in the ring.
Superstar of the Week: Chris Jericho
Ratings Report
SmackDown: September 5- 2.4 Rating (Up From Last Week’s 2.3 Rating)
RAW: September 8- 3.0 Rating (Up From Last Week’s 2.9 Rating)
ECW: September 9- Not Available