This Week In WWE: November 22, 2009- November 28, 2009

Welcome to the eighty-second 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. I have also added a section that lists where WWE will be hosting their weekly shows.

You can follow me on Twitter at WWELife. I will be posting the latest news (from the wrestling world and my own personal opinions and activities) via my Twitter account, as well as Wrestling101.com. Also, make sure and follow TWO on Twitter at talkwrestling for all the latest, as well.

The 23rd annual Survivor Series came to you, live on pay-per-view, from the Verizon Center in the “Nation’s Capital” of Washington, D.C. Two Triple Threat Matches would determine the WWE & World Heavyweight Titles, respectively, as John Cena would defend the WWE Championship against Triple H & Shawn Michaels; D-Generation X, while The Undertaker would defend the World Heavyweight Championship against the WWE Unified Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho & Big Show; Jeri-Show. Three 5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Matches would take place as Randy Orton would lead Legacy, CM Punk, & William Regal against Kofi Kingston, The World’s Strongest Tag Team, R-Truth, & ECW Champion Christian. United States Champion The Miz would lead his team of Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, & Jack Swagger against Intercontinental Champion John Morrison, Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, Finlay, & Shelton Benjamin in the second Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match. The third Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match would see Mickie James, Divas Champion Melina, Gail Kim, Eve Torres, & Kelly Kelly take on Women’s Champion Michelle McCool, Layla, Beth Phoenix, Jillian, & Alicia Fox. In a one-on-one match, Batista would face Rey Mysterio in a grudge match drenched in personal animosity between two former friends.

WWE Survivor Series
Good Night For: John Cena & The Undertaker (overcame the odds of the Triple Threat Match and retained their respective titles)
Bad Night For: Rey Mysterio (had to be wheeled out of the arena on a stretcher thanks to Batista)

The 23rd installment of Survivor Series kicked off with one of the reasons why the Thanksgiving tradition is the second longest running WWE pay-per-view behind WrestleMania; and that is the Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Matches! United States Champion The Miz led his ruthless team of Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, & Jack Swagger against his former friend and tag team partner, John Morrison, as the Intercontinental Champion led Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, Finlay, & Shelton Benjamin into the battle.

After failing to win the Intercontinental Championship from John Morrison on SmackDown, Dolph Ziggler’s bad run of luck continued as Evan Bourne eliminated the former #1 Contender.

Immediately after Ziggler’s elimination, Drew McIntyre planted Evan Bourne with the Scot Drop, followed by a pin and the subsequent elimination of the high flyer.

With just one well-placed kick to the skull, “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus eliminated fellow Irishman, Finlay! After this fall, the match broke down as the remaining Superstars fought in and around the ring. The brawl even concussed referee Scott Armstrong, who was calling the match!

After a new referee stepped in, the match was back under control, as was Team Morrison as team captain, John Morrison, hit Starship Pain and pinned Jack Swagger to eliminate “The All-American American”.

While John Morrison eliminated a collegiate All-American in Jack Swagger, The Miz responded by eliminating Team Morrison’s own collegiate All-American, Shelton Benjamin!

Scoring his second elimination in the match, Drew McIntyre would deliver the Scot Drop to Matt Hardy to send Hardy packing to the locker room.

With Matt Hardy’s elimination, John Morrison was left all alone to fend off The Miz, Sheamus, & Drew McIntyre. This was a feat that the Intercontinental Champion was unable to pull off as Sheamus delivered a devastating powerbomb to “The Friday Night Delight” to put an end to score the win for his team with himself, Drew McIntyre, and The Miz as the sole survivors!

The battle of friends turned bitter rivals was next up as Rey Mysterio squared off with “The Animal” Batista. Unfortunately, for Mysterio, Batista delivered on his promise to show “no remorse” to his former friend as Batista annihilated Rey with three Batista Bombs, even though the referee called an end to the match after the second Batista Bomb. After the match, medics tend to Mysterio, but they scrambled once Batista re-entered the ring with a steel chair in hand. “The Altered Animal” then placed the steel chair in the middle of the ring and delivered a thunderous spinebuster to Rey onto the steel chair! As the cold-hearted Batista made his exit, medics returned to the side of Mysterio, who would ultimately be wheeled out of the arena on a stretcher. What is the condition of Rey Mysterio? When will we see Mysterio again?

Up next was the second of three Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match as team captain, Randy Orton, enlisted the help of his protégés, Legacy, “The Straightedge Superstar” CM Punk, and the 2008 King of the Ring, William Regal, to battle the man who has gotten under the skin of “The Viper” as of late, Kofi Kingston and his team consisting of The World’s Strongest Tag Team, R-Truth, & ECW Champion Christian.

With the help of Legacy, Randy Orton took the biggest factor out of the match early on as he delivered the RKO to and pinned Mark Henry to take “The World’s Strongest Man” out of the match!

The apparent plan of the diabolical Team Orton continued to equal success for the recently unsuccessful group of Superstars as a distraction by Legacy member Cody Rhodes led to CM Punk catching rival R-Truth with the GTS, followed by the pin that would eliminated the exciting SmackDown Superstar.

However, things started to fall apart for Team Orton as the veteran ECW Champion Christian was able to outmaneuver Legacy’s Ted DiBiase to eliminate the third-generation star from the match!

MVP followed that up by eliminating the resident veteran of Team Orton, William Regal.

Randy Orton, CM Punk, & Cody Rhodes got back on track as a distraction by Randy Orton led to Cody Rhodes catching MVP with Cross Rhodes to eliminate “The Franchise Player”.

Christian regained the advantage for the remaining members of Team Kingston by eliminating Cody Rhodes from the match.

With himself and Kofi Kingston left to face Randy Orton & CM Punk, Christian looked to have Orton right where he wanted him until Punk provided a timely distraction for his team captain; a distraction that allowed Orton to hit the RKO on the ECW Champion and gain the 2-1 advantage over the lone Kofi Kingston.

After an incredible battle with his former tag team partner, Kofi was able to surprise Punk with a roll-up to eliminate “The Straightedge Superstar”.

With it down to Orton Vs. Kingston, Orton entered the ring to face Kingston, but as soon as he did so, Kofi caught Orton with Trouble In Paradise to defeat Orton and become the sole survivor for his team!

Then it was time for the first of two Triple Threat Matches of the evening, as The Undertaker would defend the World Heavyweight Championship against the WWE Unified Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho & Big Show. Despite their differences as of late over the title, Jeri-Show double-teamed The Undertaker early on in the match, but “The Phenom” was able to divide and conquer to temporarily take Big Show out of the match by sending “The World’s Largest Athlete” into the steel ring post!

A little later on in the contest, Chris Jericho would get the better of “The Deadman” and would lock in the Walls of Jericho on the champion. However, Big Show would prevent any potential submission by The Undertaker by chokeslamming Jericho!

With Chris Jericho temporarily out of commission, it was the two big men, Big Show & The Undertaker, who battled it out over the World Heavyweight Title. The two giants would arrive at a stalemate with both men having their opponent by the throat for a potential chokeslam! Meanwhile, Jericho grabbed the World Heavyweight Title belt, came back into the ring, and blasted his tag team partner, Big Show, with it!

The Undertaker then hoists Chris Jericho up for the Last Ride, but the opportunistic Jericho blasts Undertaker with the title belt as well! Jericho tries to pin both men to no avail.

Undertaker would recover and set Jericho up for the Tombstone Piledriver, but Big Show would intervene with a vicious Knockout Punch to “The Deadman”! Jericho then tries to repeat his actions from SmackDown as he attempts a Codebreaker on Big Show, but Show throws Jericho off and delivers a knockout blow to his tag partner as well!

With the match seemingly well in hand, Big Show sets The Undertaker up for a chokeslam, but the champion counters into Hell’s Gate; forcing Big Show to tap out and, subsequently, retaining the World Heavyweight Championship! What will be the fallout of the turmoil between the WWE Unified Tag Team Champions?

The Divas took part in a Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match, as well, as Mickie James, Divas Champion Melina, Gail Kim, Eve Torres, & Kelly Kelly went against Women’s Champion Michelle McCool, Layla, Beth Phoenix, Jillian, & Alicia Fox.

Kelly Kelly was able to score the first elimination by defeating Layla.

Following the elimination of her “partner in crime”, Michelle McCool responded by eliminating Gail Kim from the contest!

Eve Torres was able to defeat Jillian to eliminate “The Sour Songstress” from the match.

However, things changed once Beth Phoenix entered the match as she eliminated both Eve Torres & Kelly Kelly in back-to-back eliminations!

Familiar with Beth Phoenix from past encounters, Mickie James was able to roll-up and eliminate “The Glamazon”! Mickie James would then eliminate Alicia Fox from the contest!

The end of the match came with the Divas Champion pinning the Women’s Champion as Melina defeated Michelle McCool to win the match for Team Mickie with herself and Mickie James as the sole survivors!

Backstage, Todd Grisham asks Batista about his actions earlier in the night to Rey Mysterio. Batista responded by saying that he is “embarrassed for” Rey Mysterio. What does “The Animal” mean? What kind of damage has Batista done to his former friend?

Then it was time for the main event, as John Cena would defend the WWE Championship against D-Generation X, Triple H & Shawn Michaels, in a Triple Threat Match.

The title match kicked off with a shocking turn of events as Shawn Michaels immediately delivered Sweet Chin Music to his unsuspecting friend, Triple H, as soon as the bell rang for the match to begin!

After this shocking betrayal, Triple H was out of it for the time being, which allowed John Cena & Shawn Michaels to wage war over the WWE Title. Later on in the contest, both Cena & Michaels find themselves on the outside of the ring where HBK disassembles the announce table in an apparent effort to try and put Cena through it! However, Cena was able to get a hold of Michaels and set HBK up for an Attitude Adjustment through the table! Surprisingly, Triple H rescued Michaels from the sure devastation of the maneuver that allowed HBK to take Cena out of the match temporarily. However, Michaels turned right into the clutches of Triple H, who delivered a spinebuster through the announce table as payback for the beginning of the match!

With HBK out of the equation for the time being, Cena & Triple H waged war over the WWE Championship. A little later in the bout, Cena was able to hoist Triple H up for the Attitude Adjustment, but Michaels rejoined the fray and prevented the Attitude Adjustment by saving Triple H and sending Cena shoulder-first into the ring post. With Cena temporarily out of it, the two DX members faced each other for the prestigious championship!

John Cena would get back into the match a little bit later, but would be taken right back out of it when Shawn Michaels delivered Sweet Chin Music to “The Champ”! HBK would then deliver Sweet Chin Music to Triple H as well! After the punishment endured in the match, the two superkicks was all that HBK seemed to have left as he fell out of the ring.

Unfortunately for HBK, his second rendition of Sweet Chin Music on Triple H knocked “The Game” out right on top of Cena; in a pinning predicament. However, Cena would manage to kick out and save his title for the time being! Cena & Triple H then slowly recover from the two superkicks, but as soon as the opportunity presented itself, Cena lifts Triple H and delivers the Attitude Adjustment to “The Game”! While Cena crawls to make a cover on the prone Triple H, Shawn Michaels re-enters the ring and is also crawling towards the cover. Both men make the cover, but Triple H manages to kick out!

After recovering from the Attitude Adjustment, Triple H sets Cena up for the Pedigree, but Shawn Michaels blasts Triple H with another superkick! Cena then delivers the Attitude Adjustment to Shawn Michaels; planting HBK right on top of his DX teammate! Cena then pins Triple H to survive the hellacious Triple Threat Match with the WWE Title intact! After such a shocking and grueling match, what is the status of DX? How will Triple H respond to Shawn Michaels’ turning on him so quickly? Who will be the next challenger for John Cena and the WWE Championship?

One night after Survivor Series, the 861st edition of Monday Night RAW was a special three-hour RAW Thanksgiving celebration and it came to you, live, from the Giant Center in “The Chocolate Capital of the World” Hershey, PA. WWE Hall of Famer, former Governor of Minnesota, and host of the new TruTV show, “Conspiracy Theory”, Jesse Ventura, would serve as the Guest Host of the three-hour celebration.

On a night where RAW & SmackDown Superstars would converge to express what they are thankful for this holiday season, the three-hour RAW kicked off with a Superstar who has not had a lot to be thankful for lately, Randy Orton. After the introduction of Guest Host Jesse Ventura, Orton opted to come to the ring before Ventura got the chance! “The Viper” states that he does not care about the “routine” of having the Guest Host open RAW before revealing that Jesse Ventura intends to make a “major announcement” regarding the WWE Championship! Orton states that he remembers what his father, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, said about Jesse Ventura; that Jesse is a “radical” and is not afraid to “break the rules”. Orton then invites the Guest Host to “prove it” to him by lifting the “ban” that prevents him from challenging John Cena for the WWE Title; what Orton called doing the “right thing”! As Orton requested, “The Governer” came out and tells Orton that he “respects” him and that Orton reminds Ventura of himself when he was a “little bit younger”. The Guest Host then declared that he is the “Governer of revolution” before denying Randy Orton his request to lift the “ban”! “The Governer” stated that the same guys are always getting the title shots week in and week out and that those same guys will not be getting a title shot this time around! Ventura then announced that there will be a series of matches, featuring Superstars from RAW as well as SmackDown, with the winners of these matches advancing to a “Breakthrough Battle Royal” where the winners will compete to crown the new #1 Contender for either the WWE or World Heavyweight Title, depending on which brand they belong to! The Guest Host then revealed that the qualifying matches will feature Superstars who have never been WWE or World Heavyweight Champion! Upon hearing this news, Orton told Ventura that he was making a “big mistake”, but Ventura was undaunted by Orton and proclaimed that what he says, goes! As if the Breakthrough Battle Royal announcement was not enough, “The Governer” announced that RAW will feature many “firsts”, including the first ever one-on-one meeting between WWE Champion John Cena and former World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk, as well as the first ever match pitting D-Generation X against The Hart Dynasty! With the new #1 Contender to be a Superstar who has never won the WWE or World Heavyweight Title, who will compete in the qualifying matches? Who will ultimately win the Breakthrough Battle Royal to face either John Cena or The Undertaker for their respective gold at the inaugral WWE TLC event?

Before leaving, Guest Host Jesse Ventura announced that the first Breakthrough Battle Royal Qualifying Match would open the show! With that announcement, Kofi Kingston made his way to the ring and passed bitter rival, Randy Orton, on the way! For the first time ever, Kofi would go one-on-one with Dolph Ziggler from SmackDown and Kofi was able to outmaneuver Ziggler to hit Trouble in Paradise to secure his spot in the Breakthrough Battle Royal for a potential shot at his first World Title!

After their initial confrontation in the 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match the night before, “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus went one-on-one with “The Fighting Irishman” Finlay in a Breakthrough Battle Royal Qualifying Match! Seeking revenge for his quick elimination from the match at Survivor Series, the elder Irishman took it to Sheamus early on, but in the end it was a vicious crucifix powerbomb that won the match for Sheamus to advance him to the Breakthrough Battle Royal!

However, winning the match was apparently not enough for Sheamus as “The Celtic Warrior” pulled Finlay out of the ring after the match was over and sent him into the barricade before delivering a vicious kick to the skull of “The Fighting Irishman” that sent Finlay over the wall and into the crowd! After retiring Jamie Noble, assaulting Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler, and now attacking Finlay, who will Sheaamus target next on his path of destruction?

Before he went one-on-one for the first time ever with WWE Champion John Cena in a match he requested, “The Straightedge Superstar” CM Punk discussed his thoughts on Thanksgiving. Punk stated that he is “thankful to be straightedge”, saying that being straightedge makes him “better” than everyone. Punk then accuses the crowd of being “gluttonous” at Thanksgiving, saying he does not “abuse” his body. Punk then calls Cena a “turkey” and proclaiming that, with his “sober eyes”, he “can see” Cena!

For the first time in their careers, WWE Champion John Cena went one-on-one with “The Straightedge Superstar” CM Punk and, after an impressive match between these two main event Superstars, it was Cena who used an Attitude Adjustment off of the second turnbuckle that finally put Punk down for the three count!

Backstage, “The Governer” Jesse Ventura is confronted by WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon! The Guest Host tells The Chairman that he remembers Vince McMahon, Sr. and that Vince, Sr. did not “believe” in his son and that is why a young Vince McMahon, Jr. was made an announcer! With that, Ventura announced that, since he is in charge of RAW for the night, that he is going to reunite the Vince McMahon/Jesse Ventura announce team for one night only! Ventura then presented an apprehensive Mr. McMahon with the old school tuxedo and bow tie that Mr. McMahon wore nearly twenty years ago!

In the third Breakthrough Battle Royal Qualifying Match, SmackDown Superstar R-Truth teamed with RAW Superstars MVP & Mark Henry to defeat the team of Chavo Guerrero, Chris Masters, & Jack Swagger in a 6-Man Tag Match to allow all three of them to qualify for the Breakthrough Battle Royal!

Backstage, DX discuss what went down at Survivor Series with Shawn Michaels giving the credible answer to why he hit his friend and partner with Sweet Chin Music by saying that the match was for the WWE Championship. After smoothing things over with one another, DX were confronted by a “little lawyer”, who presented the legendary team with a legal document stating that they were being sued by Hornswoggle and that they must appear in “little people court” next week!

It was announced on RAW that, on next week’s show, Verne Troyer will serve as the Guest Host of RAW! What will the former “Mini-Me” have in store for RAW in his hometown of Baltimore?

The next Breakthrough Battle Royal Qualifying Match was set to take place with Primo going one-on-one with Evan Bourne, but Primo was attacked by Randy Orton during his entrance and, like Kofi Kingston was several weeks ago, was thrown off of the ramp with his head hitting the steel stage before landing on the cold concrete! Orton then entered the ring and pressured the referee to start the match! Guest Host Jesse Ventura appeared and told Orton that “persistance pays off” before allowing Orton to face Bourne in the Qualifying Match!

Though Evan Bourne put up an impressive fight against Randy Orton, “The Viper” utilized the RKO to pick up the win and qualify for the Breakthrough Battle Royal! Will his questionable means lead to Orton getting another shot at the WWE Title?

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, six RAW & SmackDown Divas competed in a “Mayflower Melee” with Divas Champion Melina, Mickie James, & Kelly Kelly dressed up as Native Americans to face the Pilgrim team of Women’s Champion Michelle McCool, Layla, & Jillian! The legendary Gobbledy Gooker even made a special appearance to serve as the Guest Timekeeper!

The Mayflower Melee ended with Michelle McCool & Layla abandoning Jillian which led to Melina rolling up “The Sour Songstress” to pick up the win for her team! However, the big story came after the match was over; as the Divas Champion was being interviewed, The Gobbledy Gooker entered the ring and, behind Melina, revealed to actually be Maryse! The former Divas Champion then blasted Melina from behind with the head of the Gooker, leaving Melina laid out in the ring! Out of action since July, Maryse has returned and targeted reigning Divas Champion Melina. How will Melina respond to this vicious surprise attack?

Back on the same page following their “issues” at Survivor Series, D-Generation X was in action, picking up the win in their first ever match with The Hart Dynasty. After the match, the DX celebration was cut short by one-half of the WWE Unified Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho! Jericho revealed that he and Big Show will be defending the WWE Unified Tag Team Titles against D-Generation X at WWE TLC! Apparently one step ahead of Jericho, Shawn Michaels informed Jericho that their title match will be contested as a TLC Match! The Unified Tag Champion told DX that they have never held the tag team titles together and, as long as he has any say in it, they never will! With tables, ladders, and chairs all at their disposal, which team will ascend a ladder to grab the gold and walk out as the WWE Unified Tag Team Champions? Will DX be able to end the nearly five month reign of Jeri-Show in Shawn Michaels’ hometown of San Antonio or will Jeri-Show triumph in their toughtest title defense to date?

Following his heinous assault of Rey Mysterio at Survivor Series, Batista made an appearance on RAW and stated that Rey would not be at RAW because he will be “spending Thanksgiving in a hospital”. The remorseless Batista then claimed that Mysterio did it to himself when he “chose to embarrass” Batista and so Batista “chose” to assault Rey at Survivor Series. “The Animal” then declares he is putting everyone “on notice” by saying that he will take out the SmackDown Superstar that wins the Breakthrough Battle Royal because he will face The Undertaker for the title! This brings out Kane, who asks Batista what constitutes “embarassing” or “disrespecting” him. “The Big Red Machine” then “begs” Batista to “make an example” out of him! Faced with having to contend with Kane, “The Animal” opted to back away from “The Big Red Machine” and leave the ring!

Despite avoiding Kane on RAW, Batista will face “The Big Red Machine” on SmackDown as the two big men go one-on-one this Friday night! Who will prevail in this battle of SmackDown titans?

In the final Breakthrough Battle Royal Qualifying Match, Legacy was able to defeat Cryme Tyme to join Kofi Kingston, Sheamus, R-Truth, MVP, Mark Henry, & their mentor, Randy Orton, to qualify for the Breakthrough Battle Royal!

Then it was time for all eight Superstars to square off in the Breakthrough Battle Royal to determine the #1 Contender for the WWE Title or World Heavyweight Title. Before the Battle Royal, Guest Host Jesse Ventura took his spot at the announce table and introduced a tuxedo and bow tie-clad Mr. McMahon, who joined his old announcing partner as they called the Breakthrough Battle Royal!

The 8-Man Breakthrough Battle Royal got underway and the hopes of R-Truth were the first to be dashed as the lone SmackDown Superstar was eliminated from the match by Sheamus! “The Celtic Warrior” kept on rolling in the contest as he eliminated MVP. After his partner’s elimination, Mark Henry was able to simultaneously eliminate both members of Legacy before being eliminated by Sheamus! Kofi Kingston then once again got the better of Randy Orton by eliminating “The Viper” from title contention! Sheamus quickly took advantage of a distracted Kofi to elimate Kingston and become the new #1 Contender for the WWE Championship!

After his revolutionary idea spawned a new #1 Contender for the WWE Title, Guest Host Jesse Ventura served as the moderator of the contract signing that would make John Cena Vs. Sheamus for the WWE Title at WWE TLC official! “The Governer” requested that John Cena come to the ring, which “The Champ” complied with. Cena sat down across from Sheamus, who chose to remain standing. “The Celtic Warrior” then demands that Cena stand up and “face” him. Not impressed by the recent actions of Sheamus, Cena said that Sheamus “preys on the weak” while he has defended the WWE Title against the best in the world and stated that Sheamus had “better be ready to make a statement”! Sheamus says that he retires people and attack Hall of Famers because he “can” and that it is “nothing” compared to what he will do to Cena at WWE TLC! The champion and #1 Contender then go face-to-face with Sheamus signing the contract, followed by Cena. Jesse Ventura then steps in and claims that there is a “conspiracy” to keep John Cena the WWE Champion because Cena has the “look” and has a “goes along to get along” attitude! The controversial Hall of Famer then stated that he never got a shot at the title in his wrestling career. Cena then goes face-to-face with “The Governer” which gave Sheamus the opportunity to blast Cena with a vicious kick to the head! “The Celtic Warrior” continued his assault of the WWE Champion by sending Cena shoulder-first into the ring post and making his “statement” by putting Cena through a table! As Sheamus stands over the broken champion, Jesse Ventura announces that the WWE Title match at WWE TLC will be a Tables Match! Now faced with a new, intense, and hungry #1 Contender, can John Cena retain his WWE Title against Sheamus in a Tables Match or will Cena become the next, and biggest, victim of “The Celtic Warrior”?

Two days after Survivor Series, the 181st edition of ECW on Syfy came to you from the Arena at Harbor Yard in Connecticut’s most populous city, Bridgeport. ECW Champion Christian would make an appearance on the show to discuss the upcoming WWE TLC pay-per-view.

ECW on Syfy
Good Week For: Shelton Benjamin (defeated rival Zack Ryder to become the #1 Contender for the ECW Title)
Bad Week For: William Regal & Vladimir Kozlov (both were laid out by an irate Ezekiel Jackson)

The opening match of the evening was a rematch between “The Gold Standard” Shelton Benjamin and Zack Ryder where, if Shelton Benjamin defeated Zack Ryder, he would become the #1 Contender for the ECW Championship! “The Gold Standard” did just that and will now face Christian for the ECW Championship!

The ECW Champion wasted no time in confronting his new #1 Contender as Christian came down to the ring immediately following Shelton Benjamin’s victory! The champion stated that he is out there to discuss the upcoming WWE TLC pay-per-view, saying that it is “no secret” that the ECW Championship has not been defended on pay-per-view in the last couple of months. “Captain Charisma” then proposes he and Shelton do battle over the ECW Title at the event in a Ladder Match! Christian then says that he wants to “steal the show” in San Antonio and he wants Shelton Benjamin to help him do it. The new #1 Contender agreed to face Christian for the ECW Championship in a Ladder Match at WWE TLC before vowing that there will be a new champion after the event! With two Ladder Match veterans going to war over the ECW Championship in the exciting, but dangerous, match, the odds are good for the ECW Title match to “steal the show”. Will Christian & Shelton Benjamin accomplish this goal? Who will walk out as the ECW Champion?

The newest ECW Superstar, Vance Archer, was in action on the show, picking up another dominant victory; this time over Bridgeport’s own Alex Reynolds.

Looking to get back in the ECW Title picture, William Regal went one-on-one with Yoshi Tatsu in the main event with Regal’s monstrous backup of Ezekiel Jackson & Vladimir Kozlov at ringside. In the middle of the match, Vladimir Kozlov got involved in the match by shoving Yoshi Tatsu towards William Regal in an attempt to allow Regal to take advantage. However, the plan failed as the shove helped Tatsu blast Regal with a buzzsaw kick to the head that earned him the victory!

After the match, Regal got in the face of his “ruthless roundtable” and demanded to know what had happened. Trying to cover his own tracks, Vladimir Kozlov used Ezekiel Jackson as the scapegoat for the incident! “Big Zeke” did not take kindly to the finger being, literally, pointed at him, and responded by planting “The Moscow Mauler” with Total Domination! After witnessing the fate of Kozlov, William Regal tried to calm Ezekiel down, but Regal was also planted with the same maneuver before Jackson stormed out of the ring! How will William Regal & Vladimir Kozlov react to the attack by Ezekiel Jackson? Has Jackson excommunicated himself from the trio?

Four days after Survivor Series, the 33rd edition of WWE Superstars came to you from the Giant Center in Hershey, PA and from the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, CT. After taking part in two separate 5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Matches four days earlier, R-Truth would go one-on-one with the former #1 Contender for the Intercontinental Title, Dolph Ziggler. After being one of the three sole survivors, with Sheamus & Drew McIntyre, on his team at Survivor Series, United States Champion The Miz would square off with Santino Marella in a non-title match. Following the shocking actions of Ezekiel Jackson on ECW on Syfy, the remnants of the “Ruthless Roundtable” would be on Superstars as “The Moscow Mauler” Vladimir Kozlov would be accompanied by William Regal as he would face off with “The Bizarre Lonestar” Goldust.

WWE Superstars
Good Week For: R-Truth (followed up his victory in a 6-Man Tag match on RAW with a win over Dolph Ziggler)
Bad Week For: Goldust (defeated by Vladimir Kozlov and attacked by William Regal after the match)

After leading his team to victory over rival Team Morrison at Survivor Series, The Miz earned a one-on-one victory as the United States Champion defeated Santino Marella in a non-title bout from RAW.

Following the emphatic departure of Ezekiel Jackson from the “Ruthless Roundtable” on ECW on Syfy, William Regal & Vladimir Kozlov seemed to “move on” as Vladimir Kozlov picked up the win over Goldust. After the match, “The British Brawler” William Regal blasted Goldust with the vicious Knee Trembler! Once the most dominant force in ECW, will Regal & Kozlov try to bring “Big Zeke” back into the fold or does the international twosome of terror known as William Regal & Vladimir Kozlov plan to continue without Ezekiel Jackson?

Following a “mixed” week of wins and losses, R-Truth picked up a big win over a Superstar who has not had the greatest week to say the least in Dolph Ziggler. After failing to win the Intercontinental Title on last week’s SmackDown, being eliminated first in the 5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Match at Survivor Series, losing to Kofi Kingston on RAW, and now losing to R-Truth on WWE Superstars, can Dolph Ziggler bounce back or has Ziggler fallen into a losing slump in his career?

Five days after Survivor Series, the 536th edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown came to you from the Arena at Harbor Yard in the most populous city in the state of Connecticut, Bridgeport. Following their confrontation on the 3-Hour RAW Thanksgiving special, Batista would go one-on-one with Kane and the winner of that match would be named the new #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title at WWE TLC.

Friday Night SmackDown
Good Week For: Batista (became the new #1 Contender and wore the champion out with a steel chair)
Bad Week For: Matt Hardy (assaulted and laid out at the hands of CM Punk and his new “associate”, Luke Gallows)

In a reigniting of their feud, the opening match of the night saw The Hart Dynasty pick up a tag team victory over Cryme Tyme.

Backstage, Intercontinental Champion John Morrison enters the office of General Manager Theodore Long and requests a one-on-one match with either The Miz, Sheamus, or Drew McIntyre; the sole survivors from the Team Miz Vs. Team Morrison Survivor Series Elimination Match. Before Long could reply, the “official consultant” of SmackDown, Vickie Guerrero, interrupts. The “consultant” reminds Long of her position bestowed to her by WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon, which Long responds to by “reminding” Vickie that he is still the General Manager of SmackDown. Amused by this statement, Vickie reminds Long that the GM is still under “probation” before she “nominates” her boyfriend, Eric Escobar, for a title shot against John Morrison! Long denies Vickie’s “nomination”, saying that Escobar does not “deserve” a title opportunity. Vickie claims that SmackDown “needs” Escobar and his attributes, to which John Morrison replies to by saying that Vickie’s “standards” continue to lower. Vickie then threatens to call Mr. McMahon, but Long diffuses the situation by reluctantly allowing the title match to take place! The GM adds that it will be the only title opportunity he gives to Escobar and assures Vickie that “times have changed” and he will not be “bending the rules” to accommodate her boyfriend. With Vickie Guerrero backing him, can Eric Escobar upset John Morrison and claim the Intercontinental Championship?

Before he would face Matt Hardy one-on-one, “The Straightedge Superstar” CM Punk came to the ring accompanied by a large “associate” of Punk! “The Second City Saint” states that he is “not the only one” who is aware of the “harmful” effects of drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes and proclaiming that it is his “crusade” to “help” those individuals who needs it. Punk then introduces the large friend he brought to the ring as Luke Gallows, an apparent “follower” of CM Punk and the “straightedge” lifestyle. Punk reveals that Gallows used to be known as Festus, but that was during Gallows’ days of being under the influence of drugs; an issue CM Punk helped Gallows with!

CM Punk then presents a brown bag and says that the contents are a new “socially acceptable” drug that will be hitting the streets this coming Tuesday, December 1 and that it is “more dangerous” than any drugs, tobacco, or alcohol! Punk then presents the new “Jeff Hardy: My Life, My Rules” DVD set! Referring to Jeff Hardy as a “loser”, Punk states that Jeff ruined his life and career by living by “his rules”. Punk then claimed that the last chapter of the DVD is the “most important”, because it is the one where he “retires” Jeff Hardy! Punk then calls the DVD “garbage” and urges everyone to “just say no” to the DVD! Having listened to all he could take, Jeff’s brother Matt Hardy came out and accuses Punk of behaving like a “cult leader”. Matt then says that Jeff is a “free spirit” and that Punk does not “know” Jeff Hardy! Punk then alleges that, if Jeff accepted his help, then Jeff would still be in the WWE. Matt responded by saying that, if Punk would get off of his “soap box”, then Punk might still be the World Heavyweight Champion!

Following their intense words exchanged between the two of them, CM Punk and Matt Hardy faced off in a one-on-one match; a match that ended when Punk’s new “associate”, Luke Gallows, interfered in the contest! Punk & Gallows then perpetrated a vicious assault on Matt Hardy before Gallows left Matt laid out!

Then it was time to determine the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title as “The Animal” Batista went one-on-one with “The Big Red Machine” Kane! In the middle of the match, the fight spilled to the outside of the ring where Kane sent Batista over the barricade. “The Altered Beast” then formulated a plan; as Kane approached Batista, “The Animal” grabbed a steel chair and blasted Kane in the knee with it, using the barricade as a visual “shield” to prevent the referee from spotting the chair shot! Batista then re-entered the ring to beat the count, but Kane was unable to make it in time, meaning that Batista picked up the win via count-out to become the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title at WWE TLC! Will Batista be able to defeat a very familiar foe in The Undertaker to reclaim the World Heavyweight Championship at WWE TLC?

In a match urged by the “official consultant” of SmackDown and boyfriend of Eric Escobar, Vickie Guerrero, John Morrison would defend the Intercontinental Title against Eric Escobar. Despite interference from the “consultant”, John Morrison was able to hit Starship Pain and retain the Intercontinental Championship for the second week in a row! After the match, an irate Vickie Guerrero screamed at Eric Escobar about Escobar’s loss before slapping Escobar!

Backstage, Eric Escobar confronts Vickie Guerrero moments after their public spat. Still irate, Vickie told Escobar that he makes her “sick” to which Escobar expresses, in detail, all the ways that Vickie disgusts him before proclaiming that they are “done”! How will Vickie respond to the breakup with Eric Escobar? Does this mean bad things for Theodore Long and SmackDown?

In only their second one-on-one match, World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker squared off with WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Chris Jericho in a non-title match. The contest ended in a disqualification when Batista, who had been sitting on commentary at ringside, attacked The Undertaker and viciously wore out the World Heavyweight Champion with multiple chair shots! What kind of shape is The Undertaker in following this brutal assault by “The Animal”? Has Batista ensured victory at WWE TLC with this attack?

Superstar of the Week: Sheamus

Superstar Profile of the Week
Name: Michelle McCool
Born On: January 25, 1980 in Palatka, FL
Age: 29
Resides: Tallahassee, FL
Billed From: Palatka, FL
Wrestler Since: November 18, 2004
Trained By: OVW & DSW

Accomplishments
One Time & Reigning Women’s Champion
One Time & First Divas Champion
First Diva To Hold Both The Women’s & Divas Titles

Did You Know?
Michelle McCool was a second-generation teacher prior to becoming a wrestler? The reigning Women’s Champion used to teach seventh grade before pursuing a wrestling career.

Next Week’s WWE Television Schedule
Monday, November 30: RAW, LIVE, from the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, MD
Tuesday, December 1: ECW on Syfy from the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, VA
Thursday, December 3: WWE Superstars from Baltimore, MD & Hampton, VA
Friday, December 4: The Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, VA Hosts SmackDown