This Week In WWE: August 2, 2009- August 8, 2009

Welcome to the sixty-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. I have added a new section at the end of the article highlighting a different WWE Superstar or Diva every week. Please contact me if you have a request for a Superstar or Diva you would like to see highlighted in an upcoming edition.

The show kicked off with the Guest Host of RAW, Jeremy Piven. However, the Golden Globe winner did not come alone as he brought a fellow popular actor that goes by the name of Dr. Ken. Piven and the "pimped out" Dr. Ken made their way to the ring, fired up to be in charge of Monday Night RAW. After the "Entourage" star gets done hyping the main event match between Triple H and Legacy, The Miz interrupts the actor and tells RAW’s Guest Host that Piven is "making a mockery" of RAW. The self-proclaimed "Chick Magnet" then stated that he’s an "acclaimed television star". Amused by Miz’s bravado, Piven referred to Miz as "Lay-Miz" and told the "awesome" Miz that all Miz is known for is "drinking and sitting in a hot tob on TV". The star of "The Goods" tells Miz that Miz does not have "the goods". Miz then cuts to the chase and tells the Guest Host that he wants a rematch with John Cena; referring to Cena’s win over Miz last week as being "lucky". Miz then demands that Piven make the match. This brings out John Cena, who says that Miz is "really not that good" and refers to "The Awesome Chick Magnet" as being "pathetic". Cena then tells the Guest Host to make their match "interesting". At the urging of the #1 Contender for the WWE Title, Jeremy Piven announces that the match will be a Lumberjack Match! After Miz scoffs at the idea of a Lumberjack Match being "interesting", Cena suggests to Piven, and Piven makes it official, that if The Miz loses to John Cena in the main event, then Miz is not only banned from competing at "The Biggest Event of the Summer", SummerSlam, but Miz is banned from Monday Night RAW! With his career as a RAW Superstar on the line, can The Miz find a way to defeat John Cena in a Lumberjack Match or will John Cena finally rid RAW of The Miz?

The opening match of the night saw "The All-American American" Jack Swagger avenge his loss last week by defeating Evan Bourne with authority. After the match, Swagger continued to assault Bourne until MVP made the save for the grounded high-flyer. Upon the arrival of "The Franchise Playa", Jack Swagger made his exit, proud of his actions. Will we see a retaliation by MVP on the behalf of Evan Bourne?

Backstage, Unified Tag Team Champion Big Show confronts Jeremy Piven and tells the Guest Host that he wants Shaquille O’Neal one-on-one! After angering "The World’s Largest Athlete", Big Show threatens Piven by challenging Piven to a match on RAW! Piven was able to save himself by possibly sacrificing another as Piven placed Big Show in a match for the United States Title against Kofi Kingston! Pleased with the prospect of possibly holding the United States & Unified Tag Team Titles at the same time, Big Show backed off of Piven. Can even Kofi Kingston survive "The World’s Largest Athlete"? Will we see Big Show become a double champion?

The Diva’s Champion, Mickie James, was in action, teaming with Gail Kim in a losing effort to "The Glamazon" Beth Phoenix and "The Sour-Noted Songstress" Jillian. Will Beth Phoenix be the first to challenge Mickie James for the Diva’s Title?

Then it was time for a 2-on-1 Handicap Match that was requested by Triple H as "The Game" squared off with both members of Legacy- Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase. In a surprising turn of events, Legacy was actually able to get the win over Triple H! After the match, Triple H pondered if Legacy was "too much" for him to handle. Triple H then contemplated being part of a group again, saying that he used to be good at "gang warfare". Triple H then stated that he would only need to make "one phone call". Triple H then tells Legacy that he’s got "two words" for them! Is "The Cerebral Assassin" referring to what we think he is referring to? If it is, what is Legacy’s plan to fight back?

In a "Battle of a Broken Brothers’ Bond", Carlito was able to defeat his younger brother, Primo, in a one-on-one match.

Before Chavo Guerrero was set to face off with Hornswoggle with no "tricks" being played on Chavo, Jeremy Piven & Dr. Ken made an appearance and informed "The Mexican Warrior" that Hornswoggle had come down with "adult chicken pox", but that Chavo would be facing Hornswoggle’s "cousin" instead; "Mark Swoggle". The biggest leprechaun in history came down to the ring in the form of "The World’s Strongest Man" Mark Henry. Henry made quick work of Chavo, leaving Chavo laying in the ring. After the match, Henry let his "cousin" out from under the ring and Hornswoggle hit the Tadpole Splash on Chavo; humiliating "The Mexican Warrior" for the fifth straight week!

With his partner, Chris Jericho, providing commentary at ringside, one-half of the Unified Tag Team Champions, Big Show, looked to add more gold to his impressive resume as he faced Kofi Kingston for the United States Title. However, the frustration of being humiliated by Shaquille O’Neal last week bubbled over into the match and "The World’s Largest Athlete" found himself getting disqualified for ignoring the five-count of the referee. Kofi kept the title, but was completely demolished by Big Show after the match. With a broken United States Champion on the mat, the seemingly unstoppable duo of Big Show & Chris Jericho stood tall and proud over the scene. How does Cryme Tyme expect to overcome the freakish size of Big Show at SummerSlam?

Backstage, Triple H is making his "one phone call", but it did not go the way that "The Game" had thought it would. After finding out that the individual on the other line was not only not watching RAW, but was not even home, Triple H asked the other person for help and asked the individual "are you ready"? The question was answered by a dial tone as Triple H got hung up on! What is Triple H’s "Plan B"? Will Triple H be able to change this individual’s mind or will "The Game" have to find someone else to help him?

Backstage, Guest Host Jeremy Piven & his "associate", Dr. Ken, are confronted by the WWE Champion, Randy Orton. The two actors tried to have some "fun" with the champion, but "The Viper" wanted none of it, intimidating Piven & Dr. Ken by threatening to punt their skulls and end their careers.

It was revealed on RAW that next week’s Guest Host will be WWE Hall of Famer and former WWE Champion, Sgt. Slaughter! How will "The Sarge" run things on RAW as he steps back into a WWE ring? What affect will the WWE Legend have on SummerSlam?

Before the Lumberjack Match between John Cena & The Miz was set to get started, Jeremy Piven & Dr. Ken came out. After the intense intimidation by "The Viper" just moments earlier, Piven announced that he was a fan of Orton’s! Piven then stated that he "hand-picked" the Lumberjacks for the match. At the head of these Lumberjacks was the WWE Champion Randy Orton and his henchmen, Legacy. Despite the odds and being brutally assaulted at every turn by the Lumberjacks, John Cena was able to plant The Miz with the Attitude Adjustment and ban Miz from Monday Night RAW! However, Cena’s work was not done as Jeremy Piven climbed the top rope and attempted to take down the former World Champion! Cena caught the Guest Host with ease and used to body of Piven to knock down his attackers. However, Dr. Ken took matters into his own hands as he blasted Cena in the back with a cane! Cena threw Piven down and turned his attention to Dr. Ken, who begged for John Cena to show him some mercy. Cena declined and opted to show Dr. Ken what happens to those who try to double-cross him as he tossed the doctor out on top of the Lumberjacks. Cena then stared up the ramp at the WWE Champion, Randy Orton. With his determination evident, will John Cena recapture the WWE Championship at SummerSlam or will "The Viper" manage to keep the gold once again?

The 165th edition of ECW on Syfy came to you from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on the largest island in the contiguous United States- Long Island, NY. Christian would defend his ECW Championship against the "ECW Original" Tommy Dreamer in an Extreme Rules Match.

The show kicked off with "The Abraham Washington Show" and the brash talk show host, Abraham Washington, did not endear himself to the Long Island fans by telling the audience that he was excited about coming to New York, but "disappointed" to find out it was Long Island, New York. Long Island’s own Zack Ryder then crashed "The Abraham Washington Show" and proclaimed that he is the "best thing to come out of Long Island". Attempting to regain control of his show, Abraham Washington told "The Long Island Loudmouth" that he was originally supposed to have Shelton Benjamin as the guest on his show. Ryder responded by telling the host that he is better than "The Gold Standard". Washington jumped on the bandwagon and admitted that he did not want Shelton Benjamin on his show either, but was forced to by ECW General Manager Tiffany. Abraham refers to Shelton Benjamin as "boring" and the two brash Superstars continue to joke about Benjamin until "The Gold Standard" interrupts the "festivities". After throwing a few jokes of his own at Washington & Ryder, Abraham refers to Shelton Benjamin as a "Dennis Rodman wannabe" and the quick-witted "Gold Standard" replied by calling Abe a "Byron Allen wannabe". The accomplished South Carolina native then turned his attention to Zack Ryder, challenging the Long Islander to see who is more entertaining between the two of them. Washington intervened and announced he would hold the first ever "Abraham Idol" where Ryder & Benjamin would "battle" over who is the better singer. In the middle of Benjamin’s song, Zack Ryder abruptly interrupted the contest by blasting "The Gold Standard" from behind. Shelton responded by attacking Ryder and the two cocky ECW Superstars brawled before Benjamin shoved Ryder over the leather couch on the show’s set and Ryder thought better of continuing the brawl and retreated to the back. Where will these two Superstars run into each other next? Who truly is better?

The opening match of the night saw another dominant victory for Ezekiel Jackson, who made quick work of Danny Danger. After the match, "The Moscow Mauler" Vladimir Kozlov came to the ring and attempted to "one up" Jackson by laying the unfortunate victim, Danny Danger, with the Iron Curtain. Not to be outdone, "Big Zeke" responded by laying out Danger for the second time with Total Domination. Which one of these beefy behemoths is the better man in ECW? Will we ever see this game of one upsmanship turn into a one-on-one match?

Backstage, another crew member was caught being saved by the mysterious green-clad masked marvel, who once again saved the crew member before whooshing away with the sound of a hurricane. After the heroic act, "The Ripper" Paul Burchill appeared and called the whole thing "ridiculous". Will Burchill be the one to expose this mystery man or will ECW’s resident lime-colored hero reveal his true identity?

In a rematch from last week, "The Celtic Warrior" Sheamus squared off with "The Bizarre One" Goldust and the ECW newcomer defeated the veteran once again by knocking Goldust off of the second turnbuckle and picking up the win. After the match, Goldust blind-sided Sheamus in an uncharacteristic attack. Goldust continued to assault the Irishman until a referee stepped in between the two of them, giving Sheamus a chance to escape the wrath of "The Bizarre One". What has come over Goldust? How will Sheamus respond to this attack?

Then it was time for the much-anticipated main event as ECW Champion Christian defended his crown against the former champion and "ECW Original", Tommy Dreamer in an Extreme Rules Match. Before the match began, Dreamer proclaimed that an Extreme Rules Match was "his match" and Dreamer showed why he is one of the few "extreme" competitors in the WWE today by using whatever means necessary to try and regain the ECW Championship, but in the end, the resourceful "Captain Charisma" utilized a car door that he brought with him to the ring to hang on to the ECW Championship in a unique, but grueling, match. Which ECW Superstar will step up to the plate and challenge "Captain Charisma" for the ECW Title next? Where does Tommy Dreamer go from here now that the "ECW Original" has lost his shot at regaining the ECW Title?

The 17th edition of WWE Superstars came to you from the Mohegan Sun Arena in the casino town of Mohegan Sun, CT and from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in the United States’ largest and longest island of Long, Island, NY. Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio would battle "Monstrous" Mike Knox in a non-title match. Also, in his WWE Superstars debut, "The Masterpiece" Chris Masters would square off with Santino Marella..

The opening match of the night was from RAW and it seen "The Masterpiece" Chris Masters force Santino Marella to submit to the ultimate full nelson- the Masterlock.

In a tag team match from ECW, William Regal teamed with "The Ripper" Paul Burchill to defeat the young team of "The So-Cal Surfer" Tyler Reks & "The Tokyo Buzzsaw" Yoshi Tatsu. The end of the match came when the veteran William Regal rolled through a high cross body by Tyler Reks and turned it into a pinning situation.

The main event of the evening was from SmackDown and it featured the Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio squaring off with "Monstrous" Mike Knox in a non-title match. Rey would end up getting the victory via disqualification when Dolph Ziggler, who was seated at ringside providing guest commentary, knocked "The Ultimate Underdog" off of the ring apron. After the match had abruptly ended thanks to his handy work, Dolph Ziggler delivered vile kick to the mid-section of Mysterio before throwing the Intercontinental Champion back into the ring. The quickness of Mysterio saved Rey from an attempted attack by Dolph Ziggler & Mike Knox when "The Master of the 619" narrowly escaped the grasp of Ziggler & Knox. On tomorrow night’s SmackDown, who will emerge from the Fatal 4-Way as the new #1 Contender for Rey Mysterio’s Intercontinental Title at SummerSlam? Will "Monstrous" Mike Knox get the opportunity to win the Intercontinental Title or will "The Fighting Irishman" Finlay be the one to challenge Rey for the gold? Will it be the always impressive R-Truth getting his shot or will it be "The Name Dropper" Dolph Ziggler who gets the win and a second shot at Mysterio and the Intercontinental Championship at "The Biggest Event of the Summer"?

The 520th edition of WWE SmackDown came to you from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Arena in the United States’ largest island- Long Island, NY. Following a successful title defense and subsequent assault last week, Jeff Hardy would, again, defend the World Heavyweight Title against the man who attacked him- CM Punk! Also, Rey Mysterio will defend the Intercontinental Title at SummerSlam and a Fatal 4-Way Match took place on SmackDown between Dolph Ziggler, Finlay, R-Truth, & Mike Knox to determine the challenger.

The show was set to kick off with the World Heavyweight Title Match, but before he challenged Jeff Hardy for the title, CM Punk made his way to the ring. "The Straightedge Superstar" stated that he tried to empathize with the fans, but it resulted in the fans liking Jeff Hardy even more. Punk proclaimed that he faces his challenges "head on" and that Jeff Hardy and his fans are not "strong enough" to be straightedge and that Jeff and the fans are all "weak". CM Punk then referred to smokers as "stupid" for ignoring the warnings printed on the cigarette packs. "The Straightedge Superstar" then brought up "funny cigarettes" and stated that it was "sad" that the fans cheer when "funny cigarettes" are mentioned. Punk then reminded the fans that marijuana is an illegal drug and that all of the fans are "criminals" for smoking an illegal substance. The former World Heavyweight Champion then turned his attention to alcohol and proclaimed that, in his mind, taking one drink of alcohol makes you an alcoholic. CM Punk states that the fans need a "strong leader who just says no"; a "straightedge World Heavyweight Champion"; the fans need CM Punk.

Then it was time for the much-anticipated World Heavyweight Championship match, but as the champion, Jeff Hardy, entered the ring, a brawl broke out between the two bitter rivals before the match could officially begin! Several referees and officials came down to separate champion and challenger. SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long then came to the ring to try and restore order on his show. With Theodore Long unable to control the situation, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon made an appearance to remedy the situation. The Chairman reminded Long that Long is still on probation and that the GM can not control the situation, so he would find someone who could. McMahon then announced that the World Heavyweight Title match would take place later on in the evening, but that the match would have a Special Enforcer to keep things under control! Following this announcement, the brawl between Jeff Hardy & CM Punk ensued once again, but was quickly broken up by the referees and officials. Who does Mr. McMahon have in mind to be the Special Enforcer? Can even this Mr. McMahon appointed individual keep things under control between the champion and challenger? How will the Enforcer affect the outcome of the World Heavyweight Title match?

In a rematch from last week’s edition of WWE Superstars, "The Guru of Greatness" John Morrison did battle with the self-proclaimed "Crown Prince" of the WWE, Tyson Kidd. Despite some help from his Hart Dynasty teammates, Kidd was on the losing end of John Morrison and Starship Pain, giving "The Friday Night Delight" the victory.

Whether he was wanted or not, Jesse has been hanging out with Cryme Tyme for the past several weeks; getting involved in Cryme Tyme’s "Word Up" segments. The duo has had such an impact on Jesse that the former country boy wants to be Cryme Tyme’s "boy"; Jesse even went as far to change his ring name to "Slam Master J"! With his new style and new haircut, Jesse made a complete transformation into Slam Master J and picked up a big win over Charlie Haas. Has J earned the respect of Cryme Tyme?

With Rey Mysterio providing guest commentary at ringside, four of SmackDown’s premiere athletes squared off in a Fatal 4-Way Match to determine who would challenge "The Ultimate Underdog" for the Intercontinental Title at SummerSlam. When the smoke cleared, it was Dolph Ziggler who outlasted Finlay, R-Truth, & Mike Knox to get another shot at Rey Mysterio and the Intercontinental Championship! After the match, Dolph walked up to Rey and slapped the champion. Mysterio responded by hitting a seated senton on "The Name Dropper". Dolph failed to unseat Rey at the Night of Champions, will the native Floridian be able to defeat the native Californian at SummerSlam to claim the Intercontinental Title?

Cryme Tyme continues to roll towards SummerSlam as last week, they defeated The Hart Dynasty to become the #1 Contenders for the Unified Tag Team Titles at SummerSlam. This week, JTG picked up a huge win over one-half of the Unified Tag Team Champions, Chris Jericho! If JTG can upset Jericho in a one-on-one contest, can Cryme Tyme do it when it counts at SummerSlam and dethrone Big Show & Chris Jericho as the Unified Tag Team Champions?

The Great Khali was also in action as "The Punjabi Nightmare" picked up a very decisive victory over Ricky Ortiz. After the match concluded, "The Big Red Machine" struck Khali, knocking the big man over the top rope. With nothing but evil intentions, "The Big Red Monster" cornered Khali’s interpreter and friend, Ranjin Singh. Khali’s right hand man tried to escape Kane, but Kane was a "monster" on a mission as Kane attacked the helpless Singh and then proceeded to drag the unconscious Singh all the way out of the arena! How will Khali respond to Kane’s attack on his friend? What has Kane done or plan to do to Ranjin Singh?

Then it was the moment that everyone had been waiting for- the World Heavyweight Championship would be decided as Jeff Hardy defended the gold against CM Punk. Earlier in the night, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon deemed that there would be a Special Enforcer on the outside of the ring during the match to keep things in order during the bout. However, no one could have anticipated who the Chairman would choose to serve as the peacekeeper- none other than Jeff’s brother, Matt Hardy! With his estranged brother at ringside with Jeff’s future as World Heavyweight Champion at stake, could Jeff leave as champion?

With Matt Hardy at ringside as the Special Enforcer, the World Heavyweight Title match got underway. Through the course of the match, Matt Hardy showed no emotional reaction to anything happening in the ring. However, things got interesting after both Jeff Hardy & CM Punk found themselves on the outside of the ring at the feet of the Special Enforcer, Matt Hardy. CM Punk recovered first and got back into the ring, but Jeff stared down his brother, trying to get Matt to look him in the eyes. Attempting to take advantage of the momentary distraction, CM Punk went for a baseball slide on Jeff Hardy. However, the champion was able to get out of the way, but Matt was not as lucky as CM Punk careened into Matt Hardy, knocking the Special Enforcer to the floor! Champion and challenger then found themselves back in the ring as the match continued. "The Charismatic Champion" went for the Swanton Bomb, but the resourceful Punk was able to get his knees up to counter the match-ending maneuver. CM Punk then covered the downed champion, but Matt Hardy pulled the referee out of the ring, actually saving the title for his brother! CM Punk was livid at this development and got in the face of the Enforcer and demanded to know what Matt was doing costing him the title. While this argument took place, Jeff Hardy was able to recover and roll CM Punk up into a pinning predicament! Even more surprising was the fact that Matt Hardy counted the fall; ensuring that Jeff Hardy would keep the World Heavyweight Championship! Matt Hardy then headed to the backstage area as CM Punk sat in the ring in disbelief of what just transpired. Punk then tried to catch Matt Hardy, but Matt was long gone. CM Punk then blew a gasket and marched back into the ring and attacked Jeff Hardy with several vicious kicks that knocked the champion to the outside where Punk once again assaulted Jeff. An enraged CM Punk then blasted Jeff in the back with a steel chair before wrapping the steel chair around the neck of the champion and running Jeff and the steel chair throat-first into the steel ring post! As the World Heavyweight Champion lay in a broken heap, CM Punk appeared to be proud of his actions, even taking time to delay the paramedics from tending to Jeff Hardy. CM Punk was stopped on the stage by General Manager Theodore Long. "The Straightedge Superstar" demanded that he get another rematch against Jeff Hardy. Disgusted with Punk’s actions, Long informed Punk that he would get his rematch against Jeff Hardy for the World Heavyweight Title at SummerSlam, but it would be a match that favors the World Heavyweight Champion- a TLC Match! Will Jeff Hardy be able to compete in time for SummerSlam? Even if he makes it to "The Biggest Event of the Summer", what kind of condition will Jeff be in to defend his title; not to mention defend it in a TLC Match? If Jeff does compete, can he use the familiar surroundings to his advantage and walk out of Los Angeles still the World Heavyweight Champion or will the evil desire of CM Punk be enough for "The Straightedge Superstar" to regain the gold and beat Jeff Hardy at his own game?
 

Superstar of the Week: Matt Hardy