February 21, 2010- February 27, 2010
Welcome to the ninety-fifth edition of the WWE Week in Review. Feel free to contact me on TWO or Wrestling 101 anytime with comments, questions, and anything in between. 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.
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The debut edition of WWE Elimination Chamber came to you, live on pay-per-view, from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO. As has become tradition for the February event, the show will feature two Elimination Chamber Matches for the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships, respectively. The Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship would see champion Sheamus compete in his first Chamber Match as “The Celtic Warrior” defends the gold against the Superstar he took the WWE Title from back in December, John Cena, thirteen-time World Champion “The Game” Triple H, six-time World Champion “The Viper” Randy Orton, Orton’s protégé Ted DiBiase, & Kofi Kingston. In the other Elimination Chamber Match, The Undertaker would defend the World Heavyweight Championship against five-time World Champion Chris Jericho, three-time World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk, R-Truth, “The Rock Star” John Morrison, & former World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio. Following their recent confrontations on SmackDown, Drew McIntyre would make his toughest title defense to date as “The Chosen One” defends the Intercontinental Championship against “The Big Red Machine” Kane. In a tournament that started with eight Divas, it comes down to two as former Divas Champion Maryse goes one-on-one with former Women’s Champion Gail Kim to determine who will win the vacant Divas Title.
WWE Elimination Chamber
Good Night For: Batista & Chris Jericho (won the WWE Title and World Heavyweight Title, respectively)
Bad Night For: John Cena & The Undertaker (were cheated out of their championships by a third party)
No time was wasted in getting the Elimination Chamber Matches started as the opening match of the night was the Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship! John Cena was the first to enter the demonic structure and Cena showed determination and a fearless attitude as the former WWE Champion was locked inside one of the four pods. After Cena was placed in his pod, Legacy’s Ted DiBiase entered the Elimination Chamber for the first time in his young career and was also locked inside one of the pods. The third Superstar to enter the Chamber was St. Louis’ own, Randy Orton! After Orton came face-to-face with protégé turned rival, Ted DiBiase, “The Viper” took his place inside his pod. The fourth and final man to be placed inside one of the pods was the Elimination Chamber veteran, “The Game” Triple H! By process of elimination, the WWE Champion Sheamus and Kofi Kingston would start the Elimination Chamber Match!
The match started with two of the Elimination Chamber first-timers as WWE Champion Sheamus and Kofi Kingston went to battle first. With Kofi Kingston down, the first pod opened and the Chamber veteran Triple H entered the match and squared off with Sheamus; taking it to the WWE Champion! Sheamus got back into it and the two powerhouse Superstars went to war before Kofi Kingston returned to the fray and was able to deliver a Boom Drop to Triple H with “The Game” lying on the steel floor of the Chamber! The clock counted down and the fourth man to enter the Chamber Match was “The Viper” Randy Orton! The vicious Orton was the first to make the competitors taste the steel as “The Viper” ran both Sheamus & Triple H face first into the wall of steel chains of the Elimination Chamber! With all four of the entered Superstars struggling to get to their feet, Ted DiBiase entered the Elimination Chamber Match for the first time in his career! After entering the match, it did not take DiBiase long to come face-to-face with his mentor, Randy Orton and actually helped Orton to his feet! Seemingly back on the same page, Orton & DiBiase ran rough shot over the other Chamber participants! The diabolical Orton then orchestrated putting Kofi Kingston head through one of the chain walls! Orton & DiBiase then slowly and viciously picked apart the helpless Kofi and, after finishing with Kofi, Orton & DiBiase turned their attention to Triple H! The evil Randy Orton then used his patented suspended DDT to plant Triple H face-first onto the steel floor of the Chamber! With Triple H out of it, Orton & DiBiase anxiously waited outside of the pod of John Cena as the clock ticked down and Cena was released from the pod! Cena came into the match on fire as the former champion took it to both Orton & DiBiase! Cena then took DiBiase out the equation, temporarily, by delivering the Attitude Adjustment to DiBiase onto the steel floor! While Cena started out dominant, the numbers game caught up with Cena! With Orton ready to hit the RKO on Cena, Cody Rhodes made his way to ringside and slipped a lead pipe into the confines of the Chamber! DiBiase grabbed hold of the pipe and, with Cena having hoisted Orton up for the Attitude Adjustment, DiBiase cracked Orton in the back with the pipe! Cena delivered the Attitude Adjustment to Orton and DiBiase then struck Cena in the mid-section with the pipe! With both Cena & Orton laid out before him, DiBiase made the decision to pin, and eliminate, his mentor Randy Orton! The first elimination of the match kick-started a series of eliminations as Kofi Kingston caught Ted DiBiase with Trouble In Paradise en route to eliminated the Legacy member! Following this elimination, Sheamus hit his vicious pump kick and patented powerbomb before eliminating Kofi! Triple H made his way back into the match and delivered a low blow to Sheamus before hitting the Pedigree en route to eliminating the WWE Champion! Two men remained as both John Cena & Triple H struggled to get to their feet with one of them guaranteed to be the new WWE Champion! After all of the abuse suffered throughout the contest, Triple H had no choice but to tap out to Cena’s version of the STF! By forcing Triple H to submit, John Cena successfully survived the Elimination Chamber and, more importantly, regained the WWE Title! WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon immediately comes out and makes the shocking announcement that Cena will main event WrestleMania, but only if he can defend the WWE Championship against Batista!
After narrowly surviving the Elimination Chamber match to regain the WWE Championship, John Cena was forced to immediately defend the WWE Title against Batista! With Cena running on “empty”, Batista got his reward from the Chairman as “The Animal” planted Cena with the Batista Bomb en route to taking the WWE Championship from Cena and guaranteeing himself a spot in the main event of WrestleMania! How will John Cena respond to his WWE Title and WrestleMania aspirations being stolen from him?
Following the shocking changing of hands of the WWE Championship, the Intercontinental Title was up for grabs as “The Chosen One” Drew McIntyre made his toughest title defense to date as he would face “The Big Red Machine” Kane. In the end, it was a well-laced thumb to the eye, followed by the Future Shock DDT, that led to McIntyre retaining the Intercontinental Title against Kane! How will Kane respond to the controversial loss to Drew McIntyre?
Backstage, Maryse catches up with Gail Kim on her way to the ring and tells Gail something in French, but Gail responds in French and reveals that she knows that Maryse has been bad-mouthing her in French! Gail then states that she will enjoy beating Maryse and claiming the Divas Title!
It was then time for the Finals of the Divas Tournament as Maryse and Gail Kim went one-on-one with the winner earning the vacant Divas Title. Before the contest can begin, SmackDown Consultant Vickie Guerrero comes out and states that being the only “Diva with power” in the arena, she is “postponing” the Finals of the Divas Tournament and, in its place, Maryse & Gail Kim would be forced to team together to face SmackDown’s Michelle McCool & Layla! As one would expect, Maryse & Gail Kim did not work together as a team as Maryse refused to tag into the match, which led to Michelle McCool hitting the Faith Breaker and pinning Gail for the win! After the match was over, Maryse did enter the ring; to plant Gail Kim with the French Kiss DDT! With Vickie Guerrero postponing their match, when will Maryse & Gail Kim go one-on-one with the vacant Divas Title on the line?
Backstage, United States Champion and one-half of the Unified WWE Tag Team Champion The Miz discusses his mentoring of his Rookie, Daniel Bryan. The Miz calls Bryan a “guy with no personality” and a “loser”, but that with his “help”, Daniel Bryan will have “the look, the personality, and the charisma to be a star”! MVP then confronts The Miz and reminds Miz that he and Mark Henry defeated The Miz & Big Show on RAW with himself pinning The Miz. MVP then reveals that his pin over The Miz earned him a United States Title opportunity against The Miz; a title shot that will take place later in the night! Can The Miz retain the Untied States Title or does MVP have the number of the double champion?
One of the Pros for WWE NXT, William Regal, made a special appearance and stated that, of all the NXT Pros & Rookies, he has the most “tenure” and demands that he be treated with “respect”! Regal continues that he is the “model of professionalism” and his Rookie can learn a lot from him ,as can the fans! Regal’s speech is cut short by the arrival of the 2010 Royal Rumble Winner, Edge! Edge states that he came out there to say something that the fans “want” to hear! Edge reminds Regal that he won the Royal Rumble Match and reveals that, on RAW, he will reveal which champion he will challenge at WrestleMania XXVI! Edge then states that his announcement will be on RAW, but then reveals his reason for being at WWE Elimination Chamber by spearing William Regal! Who will Edge decide to challenge at WrestleMania XXVI? Will he challenge new WWE Champion Batista or World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker? Will The Undertaker even be the World Heavyweight Champion?
With his tag team partner, and fellow tag team champion, Big Show accompanying him to the ring, United States & Unified WWE Tag Team Champion The Miz would defend the United States Title against MVP, who brought his tag partner, Mark Henry, with him for the match! After Big Show pulled The Miz to the safety of the outside of the ring, Mark Henry got involved and shoved Big Show into the ring post! However, Big Show recovered and hurled Mark Henry all the way through the barricade on the outside! The match continued in the ring and, with Miz distracting the referee, Big Show knocks out MVP with a vicious right hand en route to The Miz pinning MVP and retaining the United States Title! How will The Miz be as a mentor to Daniel Bryan? How will MVP & Mark Henry respond to the actions of The Miz & Big Show?
Then it was time for the main event as the World Heavyweight Championship would be decided inside the Elimination Chamber and the first Superstar to enter the Chamber was Rey Mysterio as Rey took his place inside his locked pod. Next out was John Morrison who, for the first time in his career, stepped inside the Elimination Chamber and was placed inside his pod. The third Superstar to come out and enter the Chamber was the veteran of the Elimination Chamber Match, Chris Jericho, who was locked inside his designated pod. The final Superstar to be locked in a pod was none other than the World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker! With Rey Mysterio, John Morrison, Chris Jericho, & World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker locked in the four pods, that leaves R-Truth & CM Punk to start the Elimination Chamber Match!
With his Straightedge Society in tow, CM Punk made his way to the ring and states that he hopes the “symbolism” of the four of them being locked inside the Elimination Chamber is not lost on the four Superstars locked in! Punk calls all four of them “extremely weak” and alleges that they are “locked inside a prison of addiction”! Punk then says that the opposition is “locked” in there with him and that after he defeats them, they should think of it as him “saving” them and setting them “free”! Punk’s speech was then interrupted by the arrival of R-Truth, who would make his first venture into the demonic Elimination Chamber!
The Elimination Chamber Match for the World Heavyweight Championship then got underway as CM Punk and R-Truth faced off inside the evil structure. CM Punk was able to hit the GTS on R-Truth en route to eliminating R-Truth and earning himself some time to recover before the first Superstar is released from his pod! Punk gets in the face of The Undertaker and tells the World Heavyweight Champion that “The Deadman” better “pray” he gets released last because he will make The Undertaker “tap out again”!
Following his bold declaration, CM Punk was faced with Rey Mysterio; the first Superstar to be released from his pod into the Elimination Chamber Match! Following a hurrincanrana off of the top rope onto the steel floor, Rey hit a springboard frog splash on Punk en route to eliminating Punk from the match! Shortly after this elimination, Chris Jericho was released from his pod into the match! The next Superstar out of the pod and into the Elimination Chamber Match was, for the first time in his career, John Morrison! Morrison quickly adapted to the Chamber as “The Rock Star” was able to eliminate Rey Mysterio after hitting Starship Pain! Last, but certainly not least, World Heavyweight Champion The Undertaker entered the Elimination Chamber! After holding his own against veterans The Undertaker & Chris Jericho, John Morrison was finally eliminated following a vicious chokeslam onto the steel floor of the Elimination Chamber by The Undertaker! Then it was down to two Superstars as The Undertaker and Chris Jericho were left to battle over the World Heavyweight Championship!
As The Undertaker was set to deliver the Tombstone Piledriver to Chris Jericho and retain the World Heavyweight Title, a steel section of the Elimination Chamber floor is removed and Shawn Michaels emerges! Michaels then proceeds to deliver Sweet Chin Music to The Undertaker, followed by Chris Jericho pinning The Undertaker to win the World Heavyweight Championship! How will The Undertaker respond to Shawn Michaels’ shocking actions? What will be the ramifications of Michaels’ actions?
One night after an absolutely shocking WWE Elimination Chamber event, the 874th edition of Monday Night RAW came to you, live, from the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN. Singer Jewel & her husband, bull rider Ty Murray, would serve as Guest Co-Hosts of a, no doubt, chaotic edition of Monday Night RAW. Before spearing William Regal at WWE Elimination Chamber, the 2010 Royal Rumble Winner, Edge, revealed that he would make his much anticipated WrestleMania announcement on RAW as “The Rated-R Superstar” would reveal which champion he will be facing at WrestleMania XXVI; either new WWE Champion Batista or new World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho. Speaking of the World Heavyweight Title, one night after making his shocking appearance inside the Elimination Chamber where he delivered Sweet Chin Music to The Undertaker; costing “The Phenom” the World Heavyweight Title, Shawn Michaels would appear on RAW to explain his actions. On last week’s RAW, Batista appeared on the big screen and told John Cena that the next time they are in the same ring together, Cena would wish it was a “nightmare” and, at WWE Elimination Chamber, John Cena learned exactly what “The Animal” meant as, moments after surviving the Elimination Chamber and winning the WWE Title, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon immediately brought out Batista and announced that Cena would have to go through Batista to keep his WWE Title until WrestleMania and, being in no condition to defend himself, Cena was quickly defeated by “The Animal” as Batista won the WWE Championship from Cena. One night after this shocking event, the new WWE Champion Batista would appear on RAW. With “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase & Antonio Inoki confirmed for the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame, the third inductee would be announced on RAW.
Monday Night RAW
Good Week For: Randy Orton (averted the “plan” of Legacy by striking first against Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase)
Bad Week For: John Cena (was viciously assaulted by Batista and a steel chair)
One night after a historic and controversial WWE Elimination Chamber event, the show kicks off with the product of Shawn Michaels’ delivery of Sweet Chin Music to The Undertaker as the new World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho opens the show and proclaims that he’s “going to WrestleMania” with an ear-to-ear grin! Jericho then states that he is the “true face of the WWE” and says that he “changed his mind” about never returning to RAW after “beating” five of SmackDown’s greatest Superstars, including The Undertaker, one night earlier! Jericho again proclaims that he is “going to WrestleMania” before the new World Heavyweight Champion is interrupted by Edge! As Jericho turns his attention to the entrance, Edge enters through the crowd and lays out the new World Heavyweight Champion with a Spear before announcing his decision to challenge Jericho for the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania XXVI!
After Edge and Jericho exit, an enraged John Cena comes out and says to “add him to the list” of people who have been “screwed” by Mr. McMahon! Cena wastes no time and states that, for however brief a time, he won the WWE Championship last night before losing it to Batista and, thus, he wants his rematch on RAW! However, Cena did not get the new WWE Champion, Batista, he got the WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon! The Chairman states that his end of the “business” deal with Batista was to give “The Animal” a title shot anytime and anywhere he wanted! Determined to get his rematch, Cena says he “wants” the WWE Title back, which the Chairman responds to by reminding Cena that Sheamus is also entitled to a rematch for the WWE Title! McMahon then makes the announcement that John Cena will be in action on RAW and, if he wins his match, he will challenge Batista for the WWE Title, but if he loses, then Sheamus gets that opportunity! After demanding to know who he would be facing, the Chairman revealed that Cena would be facing the new WWE Champion himself, Batista! Can John Cena defeat Batista to earn a WWE Title shot against “The Animal” at WrestleMania or will Sheamus earn that opportunity?
After being postponed by SmackDown Consultant Vickie Guerrero at WWE Elimination Chamber, the opening match of the night saw Maryse going one-on-one with Gail Kim in the Finals of the Divas Tournament to determine which Diva will claim the vacant Divas Title! After planting Gail Kim with the French Kiss DDT, Maryse made history by becoming the first two-time Divas Champion in the title’s history! Who will be the first Diva to step up and challenge Maryse for the Divas Title?
Backstage, Cody Rhodes confronts Randy Orton and tells Orton he does not want to say that he “told” Orton about Ted DiBiase’s plans to beat Orton and “The Viper” that he is the one to blame for the tumultuous partnership between himself and Legacy! Orton then revealed that he requested that the three of them compete in a 6-Man Tag Match and tells Rhodes to tell DiBiase that he is “sorry”! DiBiase then confronts Rhodes and asks him how it went and Rhodes stated that it went “almost too good” before DiBiase asks if they are “sticking to the plan”, which Rhodes assures DiBiase that they are! What is this “plan” that Legacy has in mind?
Randy Orton & Legacy were then in 6-Man Tag action as they squared off against Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, and the newest addition to RAW, Yoshi Tatsu, who opted to sign with RAW after becoming a “free agent” following the end of ECW! With Randy Orton in control of the contest, Cody Rhodes opts to tag himself in and Orton responds by planting Rhodes with his suspended DDT! Orton then tried to abandon Rhodes & DiBiase, but DiBiase confronts Orton on the outside and Orton responds to DiBiase’s questioning by planting DiBiase with the RKO on the arena floor! After all of this, Rhodes was left all alone in the ring against Kofi, Bourne, & Tatsu and, after hitting Air Bourne, Evan Bourne pinned Rhodes to pick up the win for his team! How will Legacy respond to Randy Orton preventing them from executing their “plan” and laying them both out?
After emerging from beneath the Elimination Chamber and costing The Undertaker the World Heavyweight Title one night earlier, Shawn Michaels makes an appearance to explain his actions! Michaels states that his explanation is not “complicated” before saying that he did what he “needed to do”! HBK then says that “for every action, there must be a reaction” and states that he is “counting” on a reaction from The Undertaker! A reaction is certainly what HBK got as Michaels is interrupted by the familiar gong of The Undertaker! A visibly enraged Undertaker then made his way to the ring; not taking his eyes off of Shawn Michaels! With Undertaker standing before him, HBK says that he wrestled a “near perfect” match at last year’s WrestleMania and he made “one mistake” and it cost him the match. Michaels says that Undertaker “ignored” him and left him “no choice” but to cost him the World Heavyweight Title! HBK says that Undertaker wants his “revenge” and tells Undertaker to face him at WrestleMania and “get his revenge” and Undertaker responds by accepting the WrestleMania challenge, but as Michaels leaves, Undertaker states he will accept on “one condition”! Undertaker then lays down the gauntlet and says that, if Michaels wins, then he successfully ends the undefeated streak, but if Michaels loses, his career is over! Michaels responds by saying that, if he can’t beat Undertaker at WrestleMania, then he has “no career” before accepting the challenge! Will Shawn Michaels finally end the undefeated WrestleMania streak of The Undertaker or will The Undertaker responsible for the end of Shawn Michaels’ career?
It was announced on RAW that former ECW Champion Christian has opted to sign with RAW before “Captain Charisma” went one-on-one with Carlito in a qualifying match for the annual Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania! After hitting the Killswitch, Christian pinned Carlito to punch his ticket to WrestleMania XXVI to compete in the Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match! Given his Ladder Match prowess, can Christian claim the Money-in-the-Bank briefcase at WrestleMania? How will both Christian & Carlito do with their NXT Rookies?
RAW Guest Co-Hosts and celebrity couple, Jewel & Ty Murray, make an appearance to present the “Divas Bull Riding Championship”! Eve Torres was the first Diva to ride the mechanical bull, followed by Kelly Kelly, then both of The Bella Twins rode the bull together! Unified WWE Tag Team Champions The Miz & Big Show interrupt the festivities and asks if RAW has been “demoted” to Divas Bull Riding! Miz then states that RAW revolves around them! After Big Show questions the difficulty of riding the bull, Big Show gets goated into riding the bull and does not survive the eight second round that the Divas did! After the Guest Co-Hosts alleged that the bull was “taunting” Big Show, Show knocked the bull all the way around with a right hand that took Big Show off of his feet! After “knocking out” the mechanical bull, Jewel & Ty Murray informed Miz & Big Show that they would defend their Unified WWE Tag Team Titles against the team that defeated them on last week’s RAW, MVP & Mark Henry!
In match made by Guest Co-Hosts Jewel & Ty Murray, The Miz & Big Show defended their Unified WWE Tag Team Titles against the team that defeated them in non-title action last week, MVP and his partner, who was sent crashing through the barricade by Big Show one night earlier, Mark Henry, who was bandaged up for the match! In the end, it was Big Show waylaying Mark Henry with a Knockout Punch en route to winning the match for himself and The Miz as the team successfully retains the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles!
The third inductee in the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame was announced as the legendary five-time Women’s Champion Wendi Richter will be inducted on March 27 in Phoenix and will be inducted by fellow Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper! Who else will join the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame?
WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon makes another appearance on RAW and states that he actually wanted to face Bret Hart at WrestleMania, but claims that he had nothing to do with Bret’s accident last week! The Chairman then invites Bret to RAW next week and says that, if necessary, he will provide Bret with an ambulance and a wheel chair to get there! What will Bret Hart have to say when he appears on RAW next week? What role will Mr. McMahon play when Bret makes his appearance?
In addition to Bret Hart’s “farewell”, next week’s RAW will be co-hosted by the legendary comedy duo of Cheech & Chong! Not only that, but Randy Orton will go one-on-one with Ted DiBiase! As the Road To WrestleMania runs through Oklahoma City, what will happen on next week’s RAW?
Then it was time for the main event as John Cena would go one-on-one with the new WWE Champion, Batista, in a non-title match where, if Cena wins, he will challenge Batista for the WWE Title at WrestleMania XXVI, but if he loses, then Sheamus will get the title opportunity! Almost as soon as the bell rang, Batista blatantly low-blows John Cena; meaning that Cena wins via disqualification and will challenge Batista for the WWE Title at WrestleMania XXVI! After the match, Batista viciously stomped Cena down n the corner before exiting the ring! Not satisfied with the damage done, Batista came back to the ring and tossed Cena to the outside before hurling Cena into the barricade and delivering a spinebuster to Cena in to the steel ring post! Batista starts to exit again, but once he sees Cena recovering, “The Animal” comes back and grabs a steel chair and smashes it into Cena’s back! “The Animal” then waits for Cena to stir before hitting him with a second steel chair shot to the back, followed by a third! Despite the ruthless punishment dealt out by Batista, Cena continues to try and get up to fight Batista, but Batista hits a fourth chair shot to the back of Cena to put down Cena to Batista’s satisfaction! John Cena has technically defeated Batista, by disqualification, to earn the opportunity to challenge Batista for the WWE Title at WrestleMania XXVI, but is it a moot win following the horrendous attack by “The Animal” or will Cena find a way to make it to WrestleMania?
The debut edition of the “next evolution of the WWE”, WWE NXT, came to you from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI. Eight WWE Pros will mentor eight Rookies with the winning Rookie earning a WWE Contract to join RAW or SmackDown. New World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho would serve as the Pro to his Rookie Wade Barrett, former ECW Champion Christian would serve as the Pro for Rookie Heath Slater, former World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk would serve as the Pro to his Rookie Darren Young, R-Truth would serve as the Pro for Rookie David “The Marquee” Otunga, Matt Hardy would serve as the Pro to Rookie Justin Gabriel, Carlito would be the Pro for Rookie Michael Tarver, and United States & Unified WWE Tag Team Champion The Miz would serve as the Pro for independent wrestling veteran, Daniel Bryan.
Debut Episode of WWE NXT
Good Week For: Christian & Heath Slater (teamed together to defeat Carlito & Michael Tarver)
Bad Week For: Daniel Bryan (tapped out at the hands of Chris Jericho and was attacked, post-match, by his Pro The Miz)
The inaugural episode of WWE NXT starts with all eight WWE Rookies and United States & Unified WWE Tag Team Champion The Miz, who tells his Rookie, Daniel Bryan, to go to the ring and introduce himself and can even go out to his music! After Daniel Bryan exits, The Miz states that if Bryan does not show the crowd personality, he will “slap” it into him!
Daniel Bryan makes his first appearance in a WWE ring and states that he “wishes” his Pro was William Regal instead of The Miz! Bryan then introduces himself and states that, after ten years in the independents, he is finally in the WWE! Bryan’s first address to the fans was interrupted by his Pro, The Miz, and Daniel Bryan threatens to make him submit! The Miz states that Daniel Bryan may be a submission expert, but he has no “personality”! Bryan tells Miz that if they ever competed, that he would leave Miz with two options, “tap or snap”! The Miz then looks into the face of his Rookie and tells Daniel Bryan that Bryan “failed” before slapping his rookie across the face! Following the slap, Daniel Bryan proclaims that one day, there will be a time when he slaps The Miz back! How will this tumultuous partnership play out in the weeks to come?
Shortly after this confrontation, it was announced that, in his first match in a WWE ring, Rookie Daniel Bryan will go one-on-one, in a non-title match, against the new World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho! How will “The American Dragon” fare against the World Heavyweight Champion?
With his Rookie, Michael Tarver, by his side, Carlito comes out and vows that, with his help, Tarver will be a “breakout” star! Following the proclamation, Carlito would team with his Rookie, Michael Tarver, against WWE Pro Christian and his Rookie, Heath Slater! In their first outing as a team, Christian & Heath Slater proved to be the better Pro & Rookie team by defeating Carlito & Michael Tarver! How will Carlito & Tarver respond to the loss?
The relunctant Pro, CM Punk, presented his Rookie, a self-proclaimed “partier”, Darren Young as Young went one-on-one with the confident Rookie David Otunga, who is mentored by his Pro, R-Truth! David Otunga made quick work of Darren Young as Otunga planted Darren Young with a modified spinebuster en route to winning his debut WWE match. Is the confident David Otunga as good as he thinks he is? How will CM Punk mentor Darren Young?
Next week on WWE NXT, Pro Matt Hardy will debut his Rookie, Justin Gabriel! What kind of impact will Justin Gabriel have when he debuts? What kind of partnership will Gabriel have with Matt Hardy?
Then it was time for the main event as the new World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho, accompanied by his Rookie Wade Barrett, would go one-on-one with The Miz’s Rookie, Daniel Bryan, in a non-title match. While Daniel Bryan had a good outing against Chris Jericho, “The American Dragon” found himself trapped in the Walls of Jericho and was forced to submit; giving Jericho the win! After the match, The Miz enters the ring and pummels his defenseless Rookie! How will Daniel Bryan react to his near defeat of Chris Jericho and post-match attack by The Miz?
The 45th edition of WWE Superstars came to you from the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI. In a rematch from last week’s SmackDown, Matt Hardy, Maria, & The Great Khali would team up to face all three members of The Hart Dynasty in a 6-Person Mixed Tag Match. One of the newest members of the RAW Roster, William Regal, would team with “The All-American American” Jack Swagger to face “The Masterpiece” Chris Masters & Santino Marella. The newest addition to RAW, Zack Ryder would be in action as “The Long Island Loudmouth” would go one-on-one with Primo.
WWE Superstars
Good Week For: The Hart Dynasty (evened the score for their 6-Person Tag loss on SmackDown with a win in the main event)
Bad Week For: Sylas Young (was dominated by Luke Gallows)
The show kicks off with tag team action as Chris Masters, with Eve Torres in tow, and Santino Marella face off against “The All-American American” Jack Swagger and one of the newest members of the RAW Roster, William Regal. In the end, it was Jack Swagger hitting the Swagger Bomb on Chris Masters en route to picking up the win for himself and William Regal!
The newest RAW couple appeared on WWE Superstars as Rosa Mendes accompanied the newest RAW Superstar, Zack Ryder, as he went one-on-one with Primo. Following a timely distraction by Rosa Mendes, Zack Ryder was able to hit the Zack Attack on Primo en route to picking up the win! How will Ryder & Rosa fare now that the couple is on RAW?
With fellow Straightedge Society member, Serena, by his side, “The Straightedge Disciple” was in singles action on WWE Superstars as Luke Gallows went one-on-one with Sylas Young. Gallows made short work of Sylas Young as “The Straightedge Disciple” defeated Young decisively by hitting Gallows’ Pole en route to picking up the win!
Then it was time for the 6-Person Tag main event as Matt Hardy, Maria, & The Great Khali would face off with all three members of The Hart Dynasty. At the end of a chaotic match, it was The Hart Dynasty picking up the win over Matt Hardy, Maria, & The Great Khali with David Hart Smith pinning Matt Hardy following the Hart Attack! How will Matt Hardy fare as a mentor when he debuts his NXT Rookie, Justin Gabriel, this coming Tuesday night on WWE NXT?
Three Major WWE Releases: WWE.com announced on Friday afternoon that World Wrestling Entertainment has come to terms on the release of SmackDown Diva Maria, Paul Burchill, & Gregory “The Hurricane” Helms. While with the WWE, Maria (Maria Kanellis) was the 2009 Diva of the Year, as well as a Playboy cover girl, and most recently took part in the NBC series “Celebrity Apprentice”. Maria debuted in the WWE in 2004 as part of the WWE Diva Search. During his time in the WWE, Paul Burchill (Paul Birchall) portrayed a pirate, as well as competed on all three brands with on-screen sister, Katie Lea Burchill. Paul was with the WWE since 2005. During his time in the WWE, Gregory “The Hurricane” Helms competed as Gregory Helms, Hurricane Helms, & The Hurricane and won the Cruiserweight, European, Hardcore, & World Tag Team Titles in the WWE since his WWE debut in 2001.
The 549th edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown came to you from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI. With WrestleMania just 30 days away, seven Superstars would be hoping to join RAW Superstar Christian in punching their ticket to WrestleMania and competing in the annual Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match as three Money-in-the-Bank Qualifying Matches would take place as CM Punk would go one-on-one with Shelton Benjamin, Intercontinental Champion Drew McIntyre would face Kane in a non-title WWE Elimination Chamber rematch, and, in a Triple Threat Match, John Morrison, R-Truth, & Dolph Ziggler would all compete for spots in the Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match. Ever since Mickie James inadvertently dumped cottage cheese on Vickie Guerrero a few weeks ago, the SmackDown Consultant has had it out for Mickie James and, on SmackDown, Vickie has made a match where Mickie James will defend the Women’s Title against former champion Michelle McCool, but the “x-factor” will be the Special Referee as Vickie Guerrero herself will serve as the referee.
Friday Night SmackDown
Good Week For: Edge (for the second time this week, laid Chris Jericho out with a Spear)
Bad Week For: Mickie James (lost the Women’s Title to Michelle McCool with a huge assist by Vickie Guerrero)
Just under a month before he defends his title against Edge at WrestleMania, the new World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho kicks off the show! The proud new champion proclaims that, after fifteen months, he has finally returned to where he “belongs”! Jericho then states that RAW was supposed to be his “inauguration ball” as the new champion, but that it was “taken away” from him by Edge; an act that Jericho claims he did not “deserve”! The World Heavyweight Champion was then interrupted by the man who will challenge him for the title at WrestleMania, Edge, who says he has to “congratulate” Jericho on his title victory! Jericho says that he is the “best in the world at what he does”, which Edge responds by saying that Jericho is the “best at getting speared by him” and states that he sees “doubt” in Jericho’s eyes! “The Rated-R Superstar” tells Jericho that he gets the feeling that he is in Jericho’s “head” and says he wants Jericho’s best at WrestleMania! Edge continues by saying that, if Jericho has doubts about WrestleMania, then Jericho will suffer “one more Spear” by Edge and then it’s “all over”! Jericho responds by vowing that Edge will “never Spear” him again before hitting a cheap shot on the #1 Contender! Jericho tries the Codebreaker, but Edge was prepared and blocked the move, followed by another Spear to the World Heavyweight Champion! For the second time this week, Edge has laid out the new World Heavyweight Champion with a Spear. Will Edge hit the Spear again at WrestleMania en route to being crowned the World Heavyweight Champion? Is Edge in the head of Chris Jericho?
With his NXT Rookie, David Otunga, accompanying him, R-Truth would vie for a spot in the Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania as R-Truth, John Morrison, & Dolph Ziggler would all compete in a Triple Threat Match with the winner earning a spot in the match. In the end, it looked like John Morrison would punch his ticket to WrestleMania after hitting Starship Pain on R-Truth, but the opportunistic Dolph Ziggler pulled Morrison off of the pinfall attempt and pinned R-Truth himself en route to earning a spot in the Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania! Christian & Dolph Ziggler have qualified for the match, but who else will compete for the Money-in-the-Bank title opportunity?
Next up was the match for the Women’s Championship where Mickie James would make her first defense of the championship since winning the gold at the Royal Rumble and she would defend it against former champion Michelle McCool, but, by the order of the SmackDown Consultant Vickie Guerrero, Vickie herself would serve as the Special Referee for the title match. Despite the assistance of Layla, Mickie James looked to have the match in hand after Mickie rolled up Michelle McCool, but Special Referee Vickie Guerrero delivered a vile slap to the face of Mickie! Following the slap, McCool hit a big boot on Mickie and three seconds later, McCool had her hands raised by Layla & Vickie Guerrero as the new Women’s Champion! How will Mickie James respond to losing the Women’s Title in such a controversial manner?
Though was unsuccessful in winning the Intercontinental Title from Drew McIntyre at WWE Elimination Chamber, Kane would get a non-title rematch against “The Chosen One” as the two Superstars would compete for the third spot in the Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania. Before the match, Drew McIntyre proclaims that he is “undefeated” and says that no one in the WWE has been able to beat him. McIntyre then says that he will defeat Kane and, by winning the Money-in-the-Bank title opportunity at WrestleMania, the “prophecy” will be fulfilled!
After his bold words, Intercontinental Champion Drew McIntyre went one-on-one with “The Big Red Machine” Kane in a non-title match with the winner earning the third spot in the Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania. After escaping from the Future Shock DDT, Kane was able to hit a vicious kick to the head of Drew McIntyre en route to ending the undefeated streak of the Intercontinental Champion and earning his spot in the Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania! After the match, a furious and unstable Drew McIntyre stared up at the Money-in-the-Bank briefcase hanging high above the ring before snatching his Intercontinental Title belt, pounding on the announce table, shouting at commentator Matt Striker, and marching backstage with the first loss in his WWE career still renting space in his head!
United States & Unified WWE Tag Team Champion The Miz made an appearance on SmackDown and reminds the fans that he and Big Show, as the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions, can appear and defend the tag titles against any team on RAW or SmackDown. Miz then states that he and Big Show do not have a match at WrestleMania and says that they “need challengers”! The Miz then calls on SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long to name their challengers for WrestleMania! The GM comes out and states that he will take Miz’s suggestion “under advisement”, before saying that, if Big Show was in the arena, then he might make ShowMiz defend the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles on SmackDown! Theodore Long continues that, since Big Show is not there, then he is putting The Miz in singles action against none other than the winner of the 2010 Royal Rumble and #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title, Edge! Can The Miz defeat Edge so close to WrestleMania or will Edge temporarily shut the mouth of The Miz?
Two Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match veterans went one-on-one on SmackDown as two-time, back-to-back Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match winner CM Punk, with The Straightedge Society in tow, faced the newest SmackDown acquisition, “The Gold Standard” Shelton Benjamin with a spot in this year’s Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania. Following a distraction by Luke Gallows, CM Punk sets up Shelton Benjamin for the GTS, but Rey Mysterio rushes to the ring and takes Gallows off of the ring apron! Rey’s actions distract CM Punk and Shelton Benjamin takes advantage by hitting Pay Dirt en route to earning his spot in the Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania! Shelton Benjamin has been in four of the five Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Matches, but has not won the Money-in-the-Bank contract; will this year be the year that Shelton Benjamin finally wins it? How will CM Punk and The Straightedge Society react to the interference by Rey Mysterio?
Then it was time for the main event as the 2010 Royal Rumble Winner and #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania, Edge, went one-on-one with United States & Unified WWE Tag Team Champion The Miz in a non-title match. In the end, it was Edge blasting The Miz with a Spear en route to picking up the win! Will Chris Jericho suffer the same fate at WrestleMania? Will Edge win the World Heavyweight Title come WrestleMania or will Chris Jericho retain the gold on “The Grandest Stage of Them All”?
Superstar of the Week: New World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho
Superstar Profile of the Week
Name: The Great Khali
Born On: August 27, 1972 in Dhirana, Himachal Pradesh, India
Age: 37
Billed From: India
Resides: Atlanta, GA
Wrestler Since: October 7, 2000
Trained By: All Pro Wrestling
Accomplishments
One Time World Heavyweight Champion
2008 Slammy Award Winner (DAMN! Moment of the Year)
Did You Know?
The Great Khali used to work as a police officer in his native India and also won the power-lifting title of Mr. India in 1995 & 1996.
Next Week’s WWE Television Schedule
Monday, March 1: RAW, LIVE from the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, OK
Tuesday, March 2: WWE NXT, from the INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, KS
Thursday, March 4: WWE Superstars from Oklahoma City, OK & Wichita, KS
Friday, March 5: The INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, KS Hosts SmackDown