This Week In WWE: May 24, 2009- May 30, 2009

Welcome to the fifty-sixth edition of This Week In WWE. 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 835th edition of Monday Night RAW came to you, live, from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA. Confirmed for RAW was a special appearance by WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon, who would call out Denver Nuggets’ owner E. Stan Kroenke to settle the "Denver Debacle". In WWE’s version of the Lakers Vs. Nuggets playoff game, the team of Batista, John Cena, MVP, Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler, & a mystery "player" would represent the Los Angeles Lakers as they took on the team of Legacy, The Miz, & Big Show who would represent the Denver Nuggets in a major 10-Man Tag Match. WWE Hall of Famer "Nature Boy" Ric Flair would make an appearance to call out WWE Champion Randy Orton. Also, Maryse would defend her Divas Title against #1 Contender Kelly Kelly.

The show kicked off with a very unwelcome visitor in Los Angeles- the owner of the Denver Nuggets, E. Stan Kroenke. Kroenke proclaimed that the Nuggets would defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the NBA Playoffs. It does not take long for WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon to interrupt E. Stan Kroenke. McMahon reveals that the "E" in E. Stan Kroenke stands for Kroenke’s first name, which is "Enos". The WWE Chairman mocked Kroenke’s embarassing first name and told Kroenke that he has "Enos envy". Standing up for the WWE fans, Mr. McMahon shoved E. Stan Kroenke to the mat right on his "nugget"!

As Mr. McMahon made his exit, The Miz made his entrance. Miz claims that he is a "big star" in Los Angeles and then mocks the L.A. Lakers. Miz then reveals a jersey of his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Miz switched his attention to John Cena, who he called a "poser". Having heard enough of the taunts, John Cena made his way to the ring. However, Cena was ambushed by Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase. "The Animal" Batista came to Cena’s rescue, but was soon outmatched when Big Show came to the ring and attacked Cena & Batista. Finally, Jerry "The King" Lawler comes out and attacks Big Show, but Big Show knockes Lawler down. In the meantime, Cena & Batista recovered and teamed up to clothesline Big Show out of the ring. What will happen when all these Superstars meet up again in the main event?

The opening match of the night was for the Divas Championship as Maryse defended the title against #1 Contender Kelly Kelly. In the middle of the match, the action spilled to the outside, where Maryse shoved Kelly Kelly over the announce table. This prompted the referee to call for the disqualification, which gave Kelly Kelly the win, but kept the Divas Title with Maryse. After the match, Kelly Kelly attacked the Divas Champion, but Maryse made a quick escape. Will these two Divas meet again?

The next match of the night was a Triple Threat Match to determine the #1 Contender for the United States Title. During the match, United States Champion MVP was a guest on commentary for the match. In the end, "The Jamaican Sensation" Kofi Kingston was able to defeat the malicious Matt Hardy and the 2008 King of the Ring, William Regal, to earn the right to face MVP for the United States Title on next week’s RAW. Kofi has been on a roll of late, can Kingston rise to the occasion and defeat MVP for the gold or will "The Ballin’ Superstar" keep his title?

WWE Hall of Famer "Nature Boy" Ric Flair made a special appearance on the show to call out WWE Champion Randy Orton. Flair stated that he has not forgotten about the cheap shot Orton dealt him last week. Flair then challenges Orton to fight him face-to-face. Orton comes out and says that he should "beat down" Flair, but he won’t becaue of Flair’s age. Orton told "The Nature Boy" that Flair was only in Evolution because Triple H "felt sorry" for Flair. Orton then tells Flair that "it is over". Flair responds by slapping the WWE Champion! Orton then attacks and beats down Flair. Just like he did for John Cena, Batista made the save for his friend and former mentor, clearing the ring of Randy Orton and holding Flair back from going after Orton. "The Viper" then tells Batista that, at Extreme Rules, Orton will tell Batista the same thing that he just told Ric Flair; that "it is over". As Orton gets ready to exit, Mr. Kennedy makes his surprise return to RAW! Kennedy proclaimed that tonight was his official return because he would compete in the 10-Man Tag Team main event! Kennedy then stated that he will be the next WWE Champion! Is this issue between Flair & Orton over? Can Orton survive as champion with all these men gunning for him and the WWE Championship?

It was announced on RAW that, at Extreme Rules, the title of "Miss WrestleMania" will be up for grabs as the new "Miss WrestleMania" Vickie Guerrero would take on the former "Miss WrestleMania" Santina Marella. However, the stipulation was yet to be revealed, but that would change in a Mixed Tag Match as Santina’s "twin brother" Santino teamed with Mickie James to defeat the team of Chavo Guerrero & Beth Phoenix to earn Santino the right to name the match type that his "sister" and Vickie Guerrero will compete in in two weeks at Extreme Rules. Before Santino could select a stipulation, Vickie interrupted and announced that her nephew, Chavo Guerrero, would be in her corner at Extreme Rules! Santino then announced that the match would be a Hog Pen Match!

Unified WWE Tag Team Champions Primo & Carlito were guests on commentary as Goldust & Hornswoggle took on the "tryout team" of The Brian Kendrick & Festus. Much like last week, Kendrick was pinned, but Kendrick blamed the loss on Festus. After the bell rang, Festus went into his stoic, helpless state. Kendrick then went and got a steel chair and was prepared to level Festus with it when Primo rang the bell and "activated" Festus. Realizing what had just occured, The Brian Kendrick made quite "the" quick exit from Festus. Will Kendrick ever find "the perfect partner" to challenge Primo & Carlito for the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles?

It was announced during the main event that on this Thursday’s edition of WWE Superstars, John Cena will take on Ted DiBiase. Will Cena be able to gain some momentum heading into Extreme Rules or will DiBiase pick up a huge upset and make his Legacy teammates proud?

Then it was time for a special main event as WWE presented its version of Game 4 of the NBA Playoffs as "The Animal" Batista, John Cena, United States Champion MVP, the returning Mr. Kennedy, & Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler represented the Los Angeles Lakers as they defeated the team of WWE Champion Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase (Legacy), The Miz, & "The World’s Largest Athlete" Big Show, who represented the Denver Nuggets. After the match, chaos ensued as Ted DiBiase first laid out MVP with Dream Street. Then Mr. Kennedy planted Ted DiBiase with the Mic Check. Big Show then tries to double chokeslam Cena & Batista, but Cena & Batista again double team Big Show and managed to put Big Show down with a gargantuan double team suplex! When it comes time for their Submission Match at Extreme Rules, Cena can ground Big Show all he wants, but he will need to find a way to do the impossible and lock a submission hold onto Big Show and make him submit. Can Cena pull it off or is the sheer size of Big Show too much for Cena? WWE Champion Randy Orton’s enemy list seems to increase the longer he is champion. Can "The Animal" Batista dethrone Orton in a Steel Cage Match at Extreme Rules or will "The Viper" find some way to retain the gold?

The 155th edition of ECW on Sci-Fi came to you, live, from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA. Confirmed for ECW was a 6-Man Tag Match pitting ECW Champion Christian, "The Fighting Irishman" Finlay, & "The Extreme Icon" Tommy Dreamer against "The All-American American" Jack Swagger & The Hart Dynasty of David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd. Also, the high-flying Evan "Air" Bourne would take on "The World’s Strongest Man" Mark Henry.

The show opened with ECW Champion Christian, who wasted no time in addressing the Jack Swagger issue. "Captain Charisma" referred to Swagger as a "dork who won’t go away". Christian stated that he was going to do something about it right now. Christian then called out "The All-American American". Jack Swagger came out and told Christian that his "time is just beginning" while Christian’s reign as ECW Champion will soon be over. Swagger proclaimed that his "justice has been served" as Interim ECW General Manager Tiffany put him in a match against Christian for the ECW Title at Extreme Rules! Speaking of the Interim GM, Tiffany made her way to the ring and informed Jack Swagger that he left out an important part of his announcement. Tiffany then revealed that the ECW Championship Match at Extreme Rules will be a Triple Threat Match and that Tommy Dreamer will be the third man! Tiffany then revealed that the Triple Threat Match for the ECW Title will be contested under Hardcore Rules! Dreamer came out, clearly happy about his opportunity. After Jack Swagger protested Dreamer’s involvement due to his contract expiring on June 6 (the day before Extreme Rules), Tiffany revealed that Dreamer has signed a one-day extension so that he could compete at Extreme Rules. Not happy at all with this news, Swagger tried to attack Dreamer, but the "ECW Original" was able to send Swagger to the outside. Dreamer then surprised the ECW Champion by throwing Christian out of the ring as well! Tommy Dreamer has seemingly changed in his hunger for one more reign as ECW Champion. Can Tommy Dreamer win the ECW Championship at Extreme Rules or will Extreme Rules be the final stand of Tommy Dreamer? How will "The All-American American" Jack Swagger do in a Hardcore Rules environment against two veterans of Hardcore matches? In Christian’s toughest test to date as ECW Champion, can he keep the title at Extreme Rules?

ECW was just getting started as "The Russian Militant" Vladimir Kozlov was in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match, making easy work of Russ Taylor & Joey Munos.

In the backstage area, Christian & Tommy Dreamer are in the middle of an argument about what had just occurred. The argument then erupted into a brawl between the two of them. Finlay came in and separated the two of them. Can Christian & Tommy Dreamer co-exist in the main event or will Finlay essentially be on his own?

Evan Bourne faced his toughest task on ECW as he squared off against "The World’s Strongest Man" Mark Henry. Despite interference by Hall of Famer Tony Atlas, Bourne was able to pick up a huge win, via count-out, over Mark Henry. After the match, Henry was livid. Will we see these two square off again?

It was revealed that Finlay had suffered an eye injury when he stepped in to separate Christian & Tommy Dreamer from destroying each other earlier in the evening. Having only partial vision in the injured eye, Finlay would not be able to compete in the 6-Man Tag Team main event. Backstage, Tiffany told Christian & Tommy Dreamer that Finlay is injured because of them and she would punish the two of them by having them face Jack Swagger & The Hart Dynasty in a 3-on-2 Handicap Match in the main event.

Then it was time for the main event as ECW Champion Christian teamed with Tommy Dreamer to take on "The All-American American" Jack Swagger & The Hart Dynasty (Tyson Kidd & David Hart Smith). At the end of the match, Jack Swagger was able to hit his signature powerbomb and pin the ECW Champion Christian! With just under two weeks to go until Extreme Rules, Swagger has pinned the ECW Champion. Can Swagger do it again in New Orleans and regain the ECW Title? Will Tommy Dreamer win the ECW Title one last time and stay a part of ECW or will he walk away for good? Will Christian crush the dreams of Tommy Dreamer and vanquish Jack Swagger and keep the ECW Title at Extreme Rules?

The 7th edition of WWE Superstars came to you from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA. The RAW portion of Superstars would see John Cena make his WWE Superstars debut, facing Legacy member Ted DiBiase. Also, the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions Primo & Carlito would face Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin in a non-title bout. ECW’s contribution would be "The All-American American" Jack Swagger taking on "The Fighting Irishman" Finlay.

The opening match of the night saw Unified WWE Tag Team Champions Primo & Carlito square off with former WWE Tag Team Champions Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin in a non-title match. During the course of the match, Cryme Tyme came out, which distracted Shelton Benjamin. This distraction led to Primo & Carlito getting the win after Carlito hit Charlie Haas with the Back Stabber. It seems that Cryme Tyme wants to be remembered when the time comes for Primo & Carlito to defend their tag titles. How will Haas & Benjamin respond to Cryme Tyme costing them their match? Which one of these teams will challenge the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions for their gold?

The ECW portion of WWE Superstars saw "The All-American American" Jack Swagger defeat Finlay. After pinning the ECW Champion Christian on ECW and pinning Finlay on Superstars, Swagger is rolling into the Hardcore Rules Triple Threat Match for the ECW Championship at Extreme Rules. Can Swagger keep it up as Extreme Rules draws near?

The main event of the evening went to RAW as John Cena defeated Legacy member Ted DiBiase by forcing the third-generation star to tap out. Cena made DiBiase tap out, but how can Cena possibly get the STF on "The World’s Largest Athlete" Big Show when the two of them face off at Extreme Rules in a Submission Match? Will Cena find a different submission to use on the big man or will Big Show force Cena to tap out come Extreme Rules?

The 510th edition of WWE SmackDown came to you from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA. Confirmed for SmackDown was a star-studded tag team match that would see World Heavyweight Champion Edge team with Chris Jericho to take on the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title, Jeff Hardy, and the Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio. "The Guru of Greatness" John Morrison would face off with "The Samoan Bulldozer" Umaga. Also, Women’s Champion Melina would take on Alicia Fox in a non-title match. Two SmackDown Divas would settle their month-long feud once and for all as Eve went one-on-one with Layla.

The show kicked off with Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio, who said that it feels good to be back in his home state of California. Rey then said that it will feel better to "bash" Chris Jericho at Extreme Rules in a No Holds Barred Match for the Intercontinental Title. Rey proclaimed that, at Extreme Rule, he can use any move he sees fit. Rey then said that he will take any and all measures to shut Chris Jericho up. Chris Jericho then interrupts Rey. Jericho tells the Intercontinental Champion that Rey has "no idea what he’s getting into" with a No Holds Barred Match. Rey cuts Jericho off and tells Jericho to "shut up". Rey then tells Jericho that Jericho’s word means "nothing" since Chris Jericho promised that no one would see the 619 at Judgment Day and that he would win the Intercontinental Title at Judgment Day and neither of those promises held out. Jericho responds by telling Rey that "honest men don’t wear masks". Jericho then makes another promise, this time for Extreme Rules. Jericho promises that he will unmask Rey Mysterio at Extreme Rules! Jericho then tells Rey that "his mask will be his downfall". Jericho then tries to cheap shot the Intercontinental Champion, but Rey dodges the attack and sets Jericho up for the 619. Jericho makes a hasty exit to avoid the maneuver. What will happen when these two proud Superstars try to settle their differences in a No Holds Barred Match at Extreme Rules? Will Jericho hold true to his promise and unmask Rey Mysterio?

The opening match of the night saw the team of R-Truth & The Great Khali defeat the team of Dolph Ziggler & Mike Knox. "The Punjabi Giant" The Great Khali was able to pin Mike Knox after Dolph Ziggler abandoned his partner after Dolph narrowly escaped the wrath of Khali.

The Women’s Champion Melina was in action in her hometown as she defeated Alicia Fox in a non-title bout. The #1 Contender for the Women’s Title, Michelle McCool, was at ringside. When will we see Melina & Michelle McCool battle it out over the Women’s Title?

The #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title, Jeff Hardy, made an appearance. Jeff said that a lot of people think he is "crazy" for choosing a Ladder Match as the stipulation for the World Heavyweight Title match at Extreme Rules. Jeff proclaimed that a Ladder Match is his "comfort zone". Jeff seems focused on taking the World Heavyweight Title from Edge and proving that his title win in December was no fluke. When these two ladder veterans face off in a Ladder Match, who will come out on top as the World Heavyweight Champion?

Los Angeles’ own John Morrison had an uphill battle to climb as he squared off with "The Samoan Bulldozer" Umaga. Despite the size difference, Morrison gave Umaga a run for his money. However, "The Samoan Savage" viciously attacked John Morrison with the Samoan strap he brought with him. Morrison won by disqualification, but the bigger story was the relentless assault by Umaga. Umaga continued to wail away on Morrison. After tying Morrison to the turnbuckles with the strap, Umaga’s opponent at Extreme Rules, CM Punk, had seen enough. CM Punk rushed into the ring and blasted Umaga with the Money-in-the-Bank briefcase. After a couple shots with the briefcase, Umaga decided to take his leave. CM Punk has seemingly found "the great equalizer" in his Money-in-the-Bank briefcase, can Punk manage to drag the super heavyweight Samoan to all four corners of the ring in the Samoan Strap Match at Extreme Rules or will Umaga establish his dominance over "The Straightedge Superstar"?

After costing them a non-title match against the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions Primo & Carlito on last night’s edition of WWE Superstars, Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin were out for revenge as they took on Cryme Tyme. Proving why they were once known as "The World’s Greatest Tag Team", Haas & Benjamin picked up the big win over Cryme Tyme. Have Haas & Benjamin seen the last of Cryme Tyme or will these two teams butt heads again in the near future?

After almost a month of attacks and personal animosity, Eve and Layla finally faced each other in a one-on-one match. Eve was able to outmaneuver Layla to pick up the win. Have we seen the last of these two battling it out? Will Layla continue her quest to defeat Eve or has Eve proved that she is the dominant Diva of the two?

Before they was set to team together to face Jeff Hardy & Rey Mysterio in the main event, World Heavyweight Champion Edge and Chris Jericho met up backstage. Edge told Jericho to "follow his lead" in the ring tonight. Jericho quipped that Edge did not do too well "following his lead" last week when he lost to Jeff Hardy. Edge reminds Jericho that he is the World Heavyweight Champion and Jericho has to listen to him. Jericho then told Edge to go it alone because he’s "out"! Has Jericho left Edge high and dry in the main event? Will Edge be stuck in a 2-on-1 situation against his #1 Contender Jeff Hardy and the Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio?

Before the main event got underway, World Heavyweight Champion Edge had some choice words for his opponent at Extreme Rules- Jeff Hardy. Edge proclaims that he "owns" the Ladder Match and that Jeff is a "loser" and he is a "winner". "The Ultimate Opportunist" then promises a victory at Extreme Rules.

However, victory may not been in the cards for Edge in the main event of the evening as Chris Jericho apparently stuck by his guns and did not come out when his music hit, leaving Edge to fend off both Jeff Hardy & Rey Mysterio in a Handicap Match! Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio made his way to the ring and did his trademark interactions with his fans in the audience. However, one Rey "fan" was not happy with the Intercontinental Champion as Chris Jericho, dressed as a Mysterio fan with a mask and t-shirt, viciously attacked Rey Mysterio. Jericho then tried to rip the mask of Rey Mysterio! Luckily for Mysterio, Jeff Hardy intervened and prevented Jericho from exposing Mysterio.

With Rey Mysterio deemed unable to compete, the odds were flipped in favor of World Heavyweight Champion Edge as Chris Jericho’s plan worked to a "T" and Edge & Jericho were set to team up. It was revealed that Jeff Hardy had decided to combat both of them alone in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match! Jeff Hardy gave a valiant effort against odds, but after laying Jericho out with the Twist of Fate, Jeff turned right into a Spear by Edge, who pinned his #1 Contender en route to their Ladder Match at Extreme Rules. However, Edge was not done with his "message" to Jeff Hardy as "The Rated-R Superstar" viciously attacked Jeff with a ladder! Edge hit Jeff in the face with the ladder, then the diabolical Edge "sandwiched" Jeff in the ladder. Edge then held his World Heavyweight Title high. With only nine days to go until Extreme Rules, will Jeff be able to compete for the title at Extreme Rules? The same can be asked of Rey Mysterio; will Rey be able to defend his Intercontinental Title against Chris Jericho in a No Holds Barred Match at Extreme Rules?

WWE.com announced on May 29 that World Wrestling Entertainment has come to terms on the release of RAW Superstar Mr. Kennedy (Real Name- Ken Anderson).
 

Superstar of the Week: Jack Swagger

Superstar Profile of the Week
Name: Mr. Kennedy
Born On: March 6, 1976 in Minneapolis, MN
Age: 33
Billed From: Green Bay, WI
Resides: Two Rivers, WI
Height: 6’2"
Weight: 243 lbs.
Superstar Since: August 25, 2005 (Debuted on SmackDown)
Accomplishments
2007 "Mr. Money-in-the-Bank"
One Time United States Champion