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This Week In WWE: November 29, 2009- December 5, 2009

This Week in WWE: Edition LXXXIII
November 29, 2009- December 5, 2009

Welcome to the eighty-third 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 Wrestling101com. 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 862nd edition of WWE Monday Night RAW came to you, live, from the 1st Mariner Arena in the “Monument City” of Baltimore, MD. Best known for his portrayal of “Mini-Me” in the Austin Powers film trilogy, actor Verne Troyer would serve as the Guest Host of RAW.

Monday Night RAW
Good Week For: DX (after all the chaos in the main event, will face Chris Jericho in a Handicap Match next week)
Bad Week For: Kofi Kingston (was assaulted by Legacy and defeated by Randy Orton)

And The Rest of the Story…
Thirteen days before they defend their titles against DX in a TLC Match at WWE TLC, Unified WWE Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho & Big Show open RAW. Chris Jericho states that they are out there to clear up some “misconceptions” regarding DX, saying that DX is not the greatest tag team of all time. Jericho then vows to “expose” DX using “facts”. Jericho claimed that Jeri-Show has “embarassed” every team they have faced in their over four month reign as champions and that DX have been around for twelve years and have not yet won the tag team titles! Big Show then states that DX are “frauds” and that Jeri-Show has more in-ring dominance than DX, adding that they have more combined championships that DX. Jericho then proclaims that Jeri-Show “can not be beat” and that DX “don’t know what they are getting into” when they compete in a TLC Match. DX interrupts the tag champions and Triple H tells the duo that Jeri-Show has been “obsessing” about DX never winning the tag team titles together and that DX has made “history” during their existence. Shawn Michaels then vows that DX will make “history” at WWE TLC by becoming the new Unified WWE Tag Team Champion! Triple H then reminds Chris Jericho that, if Jeri-Show loses the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles, then Chris Jericho will be forced back to his home brand of SmackDown! Jericho reponds by claiming that RAW would be “nothing” without him and proclaims that Jeri-Show is better than DX! Jericho then adds that Jeri-Show did in one night what DX could not do in twelve years by winning the tag titles. Triple H then states that “two weeks can’t come fast enough” before challenging Chris Jericho to a one-on-one match! Chris Jericho accepts the challenge, but on one condition; if Chris Jericho loses, then Jericho faces DX in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match next week, but if Jericho wins, then Triple H must face Jeri-Show in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match next week! Jericho then vows that he will “never leave RAW”! Which Superstar will be forced into a 2-on-1 Handicap Match just six days before WWE TLC on next week’s RAW?

After dressing up as the Gobbledy Gooker and assaulting Divas Champion Melina last week, Maryse returned to in-ring action as she teamed with Jillian to defeat Melina & Gail Kim with Maryse pinning the Divas Champion! Is Maryse well on her way to becoming the first two-time Divas Champion in WWE history?

After a dominant display over the WWE Champion John Cena last week, new #1 Contender Sheamus was set to go one-on-one with Santino Marella on RAW, but, after some insulting words from “The Italian Jester”, Sheamus viciously attacked the light-hearted Marella; sending Marella crashing through a table in a clear cut message for John Cena! Will Sheamus be able to put “The Champ” through a table for a second time when he challenges John Cena for the WWE Title in a Tables Match at WWE TLC?

Guest Host Verne Troyer made an appearance, but was quickly interrupted by the brash United States Champion The Miz, who berated Troyer and threatened physical violence before Mark Henry came out to prevent any planned attack by The Miz! Verne then announced that The Miz would go one-on-one with Mark Henry later on in the evening!

Kofi Kingston was set to go one-on-one with his recent rival, Randy Orton, but as Kofi made his entrance to the ring, he was blindsided in a premeditated attack by Legacy’s Cody Rhodes! Following this assault by Rhodes, Kofi managed to roll into the ring and demand that his scheduled match with Randy Orton still take place! The other half of Legacy, Ted DiBiase, then attacked Kofi from behind with a chop block! The evil protégé of Randy Orton then mercilessly attacked the left leg of Kofi Kingston! Barely able to stand on his own two feet, Kofi still demanded the match take place! In the apparent third prong in Orton & Legacy’s three-pronged attack, Orton finally came to the ring and, at the request of Kofi Kingston, the match officially began. Though Kofi’s pride was evident, it was not enough to prevent the sinister Randy Orton from administering a legal assault on Kofi before hitting the RKO to pick up the win! After the match, Orton followed up the lightning-quick RKO with a methodical suspended DDT from the top rope! Has Orton finally taken care of Kofi Kingston or will Kofi continue to pursue “The Viper”?

After being slammed through a table by Sheamus last week, WWE Champion John Cena made an appearance on RAW and stated that he is still the WWE Champion and that he is there to make a “statement” just like Sheamus did by putting him through a table! Cena then made that “statement” by announcing himself against Sheamus for the WWE Title that night on RAW instead of waiting for WWE TLC in two weeks! However, Cena did not get Sheamus as Carlito came out instead and stated that he likes what Sheamus “represents”! Carlito then says that the locker rooms of all three brands want to see Sheamus win the WWE Title at WWE TLC! Carlito then states that those in the locker rooms are “tired” of Cena and vows that Sheamus will do what they all want to do in the Tables Match at WWE TLC by putting Cena through a table! “The Champ” responded by saying that Carlito picked the “wrong guy on the wrong night”, before challenging Carlito to “step up”! Carlito then rares back to spit his signature apple in the face of Cena, but the WWE Champion grabs Carlito and delivers the Attitude Adjustment before throwing Carlito out of the ring! The #1 Contender, Sheamus, then comes out, but when Cena challenges him to face him in the ring, “The Celtic Warrior” opts to turn around and walk away from the fight!

In a match made by Guest Host Verne Troyer, “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry was able to pick up the win over United States Champion The Miz in a non-title match! With this win, Mark Henry has to be considered the front runner for a shot at the United States Title. When will Henry receive this title opportunity?

On next week’s RAW, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban will serve as the Guest Host of RAW! What will Cuban have in store when RAW rolls into the hometown of the Mavericks next week?

Then it was time for the main event as DX member Triple H went one-on-one with one-half of the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions, Chris Jericho. The end of the match came when Big Show threw Shawn Michaels into the ring apron on the outside! While the referee’s attention was turned to check on Shawn Michaels, Big Show leveled Triple H with the Knockout Punch! Spotting the actions of Big Show, the referee ejected “The World’s Largest Athlete” from ringside! While the referee was busy getting Big Show to leave, Shawn Michaels evened the odds by delivering Sweet Chin Music to Chris Jericho! Also caught in the act, HBk was also ejected from ringside! After Big Show & HBK were sent to the back, both Triple H & Chris Jericho were down in the ring! Both men slowly recovered and narrowly beat a double count-out. After a series of counters, it was Triple H who rolled Chris Jericho up to earn the victory! With this loss, Jericho must face both members of DX in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match on next week’s RAW! Can Jericho survive both members of DX? Will Big Show lend a “hand” to his tag team partner? What will go down between these two teams just six days before they square off in a TLC Match for the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles at WWE TLC?

The 182nd edition of ECW on Syfy came to you from the Hampton Coliseum in the independent city of Hampton, VA. Two dysfunctional teams would meet in the main event as WWE TLC opponents ECW Champion Christian and his #1 Contender Shelton Benjamin would team up to face the crumbling “Ruthless Roundtable” of Ezekiel Jackson & Vladimir Kozlov.

ECW on Syfy
Good Week For: Shelton Benjamin (picked up the win for his team en route to WWE TLC)
Bad Week For: William Regal, Ezekiel Jackson, & Vladimir Kozlov (despite the efforts of William Regal, the trio continued to crumble)

And The Rest of the Story…
The opening match of the night saw “The British Brawler” William Regal face off with “The Bizarre Lonestar” Goldust. Goldust was able to pick up the roll-up victory over William Regal after a “shoving match” that was taking place between Ezekiel Jackson & Vladimir Kozlov on the outside distracted Regal! After the match, Vladimir Kozlov once again blamed “Big Zeke” for the loss; however, Kozlov opted to do so behind the back of Jackson. Can this team survive the main event?

As part of General Manager Tiffany’s New Superstar Initiative, the impressive tag team of Trent Barreta & Caylen Croft made their WWE debut and picked up the win over Tyler Hilton & Bobby Shields. What can ECW expect from this new team?

Then it was time for the main event as ECW Champion Christian teamed up with his #1 Contender Shelton Benjamin to face Ezekiel Jackson & Vladimir Kozlov. Things looked to be under control between the “Ruthless Roundtable” for most of the match, but when Kozlov tagged himself into the match, the relationship between the two behemoths was once again on the rocks! When Kozlov was in dire need of a tag, Ezekiel Jackson refused to make the tag and walked out on his former Russian comrade! Shelton Benjamin was able to take advantage as “The Gold Standard” hit Pay Dirt on Kozlov to pick up the win for himself and Christian! William Regal has tried his best to salvage the “Ruthless Roundtable”, but to no avail. Is the partnership over or will Regal continue to try and mend the rocky relationship between his large cohorts?

The 34th edition of WWE Superstars came to you from the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, MD and from the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, VA. Matt Hardy would go one-on-one with the former #1 Contender for the Intercontinental Title, Dolph Ziggler, Legacy would square off with the high-flying tandem of Primo & Evan Bourne, and The Hurricane would face Zack Ryder.

WWE Superstars
Good Week For: Dolph Ziggler (ended his recent losing streak with a win over Matt Hardy)
Bad Week For: The Hurricane (was attacked and laid out by a masked wrestler)

And The Rest of the Story…
The opening match of the night was from RAW and it saw Randy Orton’s protégés, Legacy, pick up an impressive win over the lightning-quick team of Primo & Evan Bourne.

In the ECW representation of WWE Superstars, The Hurricane went one-on-one with Zack Ryder. However, during the match, a mysterious masked competitor attacked The Hurricane and laid him out with a familiar looking Jackhammer maneuver! Who is this new masked man and why has he targeted The Hurricane?

The main event of the evening was from SmackDown and it saw Dolph Ziggler return to his winning ways with a victory over the veteran Matt Hardy. Now that Ziggler has one in the “win” column, will the braggadocios Superstar get back on track in his quest for championship gold?

On Friday evening, it was announced that former WWE Superstar Eddie “Umaga” Fatu had passed away at the age of 36 following two heart attacks due to alleged abuse of prescription drugs. I encourage all of you to read a special report on the career of Eddie Fatu at the end of this article. My condolences go out to the Fatu family.

The 537th edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown came to you from the Hampton Coliseum in the independent city of Hampton, VA. Following a heinous attack by a chair-swinging Batista last week, World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker would call out his WWE TLC opponent.

Friday Night SmackDown
Good Week For: Drew McIntyre (pinned the Intercontinental Champion in a non-title match)
Bad Week For: The Undertaker (for the second week in a row, was assaulted and laid out by Batista and a steel chair)

And The Rest of the Story…
The opening match of the night saw rivals CM Punk & R-Truth face off. However, much like last week, “The Straightedge Disciple” Luke Gallows interfered in the match. After the match, Punk & Gallows assaulted R-Truth before Gallows laid Truth out with his innovatively vicious powerbomb! Can anyone stop the straightedge crusade of CM Punk now that Luke Gallows is backing up “The Straightedge Superstar”?

After controversially losing the opportunity to face his brother for the World Heavyweight Championship last week, Kane was in action on SmackDown, picking up an impressive victory over “Monstrous” Mike Knox.

As Women’s Champion Michelle McCool and her “partner in crime” Layla sat at ringside, a Triple Threat Match took place on SmackDown to determine the new #1 Contender for the Women’s Title as Mickie James, Natalya, & Beth Phoenix all fought for the opportunity! While the powerhouse Divas, Natalya & Beth Phoenix, clashed for much of the match it was Mickie James who took advantage of Beth Phoenix’s Glam Slam that led to Mickie becoming the new #1 Contender for the Women’s Title!

After the match, Mickie confronted her tormenters, Michelle McCool & Layla, on the outside of the ring. Mickie then shoved the Women’s Champion to the floor before engaging in a brawl with Layla! However, McCool would recover, as would Layla, and the two Divas double-teamed Mickie until the returning Maria aided Mickie! Mickie & Maria then sent the diabolical duo of Divas packing before celebrating in the ring! How will McCool & Layla react to the return of Maria? When will Mickie James get her shot at the Women’s Title?

Backstage, General Manager Theodore Long informs Batista that, just two days before “The Animal” challenges The Undertaker in a Chairs Match for the World Heavyweight Championship, he will have to face the man he assaulted at Bragging Rights and again at Survivor Series, Rey Mysterio, in a Street Fight next week! Will Mysterio extract revenge from Batista or will “The Altered Beast” further injure his former best friend?

In non-title action, Intercontinental Champion John Morrison went one-on-one with Drew McIntyre. After the match spilled to the outside of the ring, “The Sinister Scotsman” Drew McIntyre looked like he was seeking refuge underneath the ring. However, the cunning McIntyre drew Morrison in and, once Morrison was close enough, McIntyre bounced the skull of the Intercontinental Champion off the steel structure of the ring! With Morrison completely out of it, McIntyre rolled Morrison into the ring and delivered his signature DDT to pick up the win over the Intercontinental Champion!

As announced on WWE.com, John Morrison will defend the Intercontinental Championship against Drew McIntyre at WWE TLC! Can Morrison continue his impressive reign as Intercontinental Champion or will McIntyre claim his first championship by dethroning Morrison?

The Official SmackDown Consultant, Vickie Guerrero, made an appearance to discuss her breakup with Eric Escobar last week. Vickie stated that she was “publicly humiliated” last week by Eric Escobar and Escobar will “face the consequences”! The Consultant then ordered her ex-boyfriend to come to the ring and either apologize to Vickie or lose his job! Escobar complied with Vickie, but stated that he was “sorry”, but that he was “sorry” that they even “met” and he was “sorry” that he “wasted” his time with her! An irate Vickie said that firing Escobar would be “too easy” and declared that Escobar would face The Hart Dynasty in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match!

By the order of Consultant Vickie Guerrero, the match took place with The Hart Dynasty picking up the win over the lone Eric Escobar. After the match, David Hart Smith held Escobar as Vickie delivered a vicious slap to the face of her estranged ex-boyfriend! Is the punishment over or just beginning for Eric Escobar?

With their TLC Match for the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles on the horizon, Unified WWE Tag Team Champions Chris Jericho & Big Show were in action on SmackDown as Jeri-Show picked up a win over Cryme Tyme. Can Chris Jericho survive both members of DX when he faces them in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match on this Monday’s RAW? How will the Handicap Match affect Jeri-Show heading into WWE TLC?

World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker was on his way to the ring to call out Batista for his actions last week, but “The Animal” struck again as Batista blind-sided Undertaker with a chair shot to the back of “The Phenom”! In an even more vicious assault than last week’s, Batista completely battered the World Heavyweight Champion with steel chair shots in and out of the ring! Once back in the ring, Batista leveled Undertaker with a chair shot to the skull, followed by a spinebuster on a steel chair, and, finally, a shot with the World Heavyweight Title belt! Batista then stood tall with title and chair in hand over his demolished WWE TLC opponent. What will happen on next week’s SmackDown when Batista faces Rey Mysterio in a Street Fight? Will The Undertaker be seeking revenge for the vicious steel chair-aided assaults of the last two weeks?

Superstar of the Week: D-Generation X

Superstar Profile of the Week
Name: Shelton Benjamin
Born On: July 9, 1975 in Orangeburg, SC
Age: 34
Resides: Orangeburg, SC
Billed From: Orangeburg, SC
Wrestler Since: November 2000
Trained By: OVW

Accomplishments
One Time United States Champion
Three Time Intercontinental Champion
Two Time WWE Tag Team Champion (with Charlie Haas)

Did You Know?
Shelton Benjamin has competed in four of the five Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Matches at WrestleMania; the most of any Superstar.

Next Week’s WWE Television Schedule
Monday, December 7: RAW, LIVE, from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX
Tuesday, December 8: ECW on Syfy from the Toyota Center in Houston, TX
Thursday, December 10: WWE Superstars from Dallas, TX & Houston, TX
Friday, December 11: The Toyota Center in Houston, TX Hosts SmackDown

 

In Rememberance of Eddie “Umaga” Fatu: 1973-2009
After a heart-wrenching day for the family, as well as the fans, of Eddie "Umaga" Fatu, it has been confirmed that the former WWE Superstar has passed away at the age of 36 in his hospital bed in Houston, TX.

Edward Fatu was born on March 28, 1973 in Samoa. Eddie was a proud Samoan wrestler who was related to some of the greatest Samoan wrestlers of all time as a part of the famed Anoa’oi family. Eddie’s mother, Vera, was the sister of the Hall of Fame team of Afa & Sika; The Wild Samoans. Eddie’s two brothers are Sam "Tamu" Fatu and Solofa "Rikishi" Fatu, Jr. Eddie was also a cousin of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Eddie also had relation to Rodney "Yokozuna" Anoa’i and Matt "Rosey" Anoa’i, among others.

After training in the Wild Samoan Pro Wrestling Training Center, Eddie would hone his wrestling craft throughout various independent companies before making his debut on WWE television in 2002 as Jamal in the tag team, 3 Minute Warning, with his cousin, Rosey (Matt Anoa’i). Eddie’s first WWE stint would conclude in 2003 after allegedly getting involved in a bar fight.

After his WWE release, Eddie briefly joined TNA under the ring name Ekmo before leaving the company the same year in order to compete in Japan.

After wrestling for All Japan Pro Wrestling and briefly competing in Hawaii Championship Wrestling, Eddie would be re-signed to a WWE contract in December of 2005 and was expected to return to television the same way he left it, as one-half of 3 Minute Warning. However, Matt "Rosey" Anoa’i" was released from his contract before that could happen.

Eddie debuted under his new gimmick, Umaga, on the April 3, 2006 edition of RAW by attacking Ric Flair. The Umaga character was accompanied by Armando Alejandro Estrada. Umaga would remain undefeated in the WWE until January 7, 2007 at the New Year’s Revolution pay-per-view where he was defeated by WWE Champion John Cena.

At WrestleMania 23 that same year, Umaga would be the "representative" of Mr. McMahon in a losing effort to Bobby Lashley, who represented Donald Trump.

Shortly after WrestleMania, Eddie would earn his first championship in the WWE when he defeated Jeff Hardy for the Intercontinental Championship. He would lose the championship in controversial fashion to Santino Marella later in the year before winning the title a second time on July 2, 2007.

Eddie would drop the title to Jeff Hardy on September 3, 2007 after Eddie was named in a steroid scandal that resulted in the suspension of ten WWE Superstars. Eddie would return after his 30-day suspension from the company.

In June of 2008, Umaga was drafted to SmackDown in the WWE Draft and entered a brief feud with Mr. Kennedy before Eddie suffered a torn PCL on August 2.

Eddie would return to the WWE on January 30, 2009 and would resume his feud with Triple H before entering a feud with CM Punk that led to a Samoan Strap Match at Extreme Rules, which would be the last match Eddie would have in the WWE.

After violating the WWE Wellness Policy for a second time and refusing to attend a drug rehabilitation facility, Eddie was released from his WWE contract on June 11, 2009.

Eddie would ultimately join Hulk Hogan on his tour of Australia; a tour that Eddie returned from on December 2 (Wednesday).

On December 3 (Thursday) at Eddie’s home in Spring, TX, Eddie’s wife found him with blood coming out of his nose and mouth just a few hours after Eddie fell asleep watching television. Eddie was rushed to a local hospital in Houston, TX and it was determined Eddie had suffered a heart attack as a result of abusing prescription drugs.

Eddie was placed in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and remained there for most of December 4 (Friday). In the late afternoon on Friday, it was decided that Eddie’s life support would be unplugged and, after suffering a second heart attack, Eddie passed away and was declared deceased at 6PM EST. Eddie was 36 years old.