May 23, 2010- May 29, 2010
Welcome to the one-hundred eighth of the WWE Week in Review. Feel free to contact me on TWO or Wrestling 101 anytime with comments, questions, and anything in between. Make sure to check out the section at the end of the article highlighting a different WWE Superstar, Diva, or Alumni every week. I have also added a section that lists where WWE will be hosting their weekly television shows and monthly pay-per-views. Also, you can find me on Facebook and on Twitter under the username, TheCiSH
The debut edition of WWE Over The Limit came to you, live on pay-per-view, from the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, MI. After a rivalry dating back to February and animosity dating back to their rise to superstardom, the final clash between John Cena and Batista will take place at WWE Over The Limit in one of the most brutal matches conceivable in the WWE as John Cena will defend the WWE Championship against “The Animal” Batista in an “I Quit” Match. On April 2, Jack Swagger cashed in his Money-in-the-Bank title opportunity to win the World Heavyweight Title from Chris Jericho and, at WWE Over The Limit, Jack Swagger will face his “largest” title defense to date as Jack Swagger will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show. Upon being drafted to RAW via the 2010 WWE Draft, “The Rated-R Superstar” Edge made an immediate impact by costing Randy Orton a shot at the WWE Championship and, now at WWE Over The Limit, Edge will go one-on-one with “The Viper” Randy Orton. In their third pay-per-view match against each other, CM Punk and Rey Mysterio will put it all on the line as, if CM Punk loses, then “The Straightedge Savior” will be forced to suffer the same fate as his followers by having his head shaved bald, but if Rey Mysterio loses, then Mysterio will be forced to join The Straightedge Society. After combining their agendas for revenge on Big Show, The Miz & Chris Jericho formed a team and the new team did not take long to make an impact as JeriMiz attacked Unified WWE Tag Team Champions The Hart Dynasty and, now at WWE Over The Limit, The Hart Dynasty will defend their Unified WWE Tag Team Titles for the first time against the formidable new team of The Miz & Chris Jericho. After seemingly winning the vacant Intercontinental Title, Kofi Kingston had the Intercontinental Title belt taken away from him and given back to Drew McIntyre by the order of WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon and, now at WWE Over The Limit, Kofi will get his shot at revenge as he challenges “The Chosen One” Drew McIntyre for the Intercontinental Championship. After Ted DiBiase tried to enlist him as the new “Virgil”, R-Truth slapped “The Fortunate Son” across the face and, now at WWE Over The Limit, R-Truth will go one-on-one with Ted DiBiase, who will have the original Virgil in his corner. After weeks of back-and-forth attacks on each other, Maryse has invoked her rematch clause at WWE Over The Limit as she will challenge Eve Torres for the Divas Championship.
WWE Over The Limit (May 23, 2010)
Good Night For: John Cena (successfully retained the WWE Title in a brutal “I Quit” Match)
Bad Night For: Batista (was forced to say “I Quit” against John Cena and was sent crashing through the stage by Cena)
After having the Intercontinental Title taken away and given back to Drew McIntyre per the orders of WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon, Kofi Kingston would be looking for revenge as the opening match of the night would see “The Chosen One” Drew McIntyre defend the Intercontinental Title against Kofi Kingston! In the end, it was a driven and determined Kofi Kingston successfully hitting his S.O.S. finisher and pinning Drew McIntyre to win the Intercontinental Title! After the match, the now former Intercontinental Champion got in the ring and vowed that the pay-per-view event will “stop” until SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long comes out and “reverses” the decision and gives him the Intercontinental Title back! While Drew McIntyre wanted Theodore Long to come out, “The Chosen One” got the Superstar who has been victimized by Drew McIntyre as of late, Matt Hardy! Things then went from bad to worse for the former Intercontinental Champion as Matt delivered a Twist of Fate to “The Chosen One”! How will Drew McIntyre respond to losing the Intercontinental Title to Kofi Kingston and getting laid out by Matt Hardy? How will WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon respond to Drew McIntyre losing the Intercontinental Title?
After refusing Ted DiBiase’s offer to be his “Virgil” via a slap to the face, R-Truth would go one-on-one with “The Fortunate Son” Ted DiBiase, who would have the original Virgil in his corner! Despite interference by Virgil, R-Truth was able to hit the Lie Detector en route to picking up the win over Ted DiBiase!
Backstage, Drew McIntyre storms into the office of SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long and demands that Theodore Long reverse the decision of his match and give him the Intercontinental Title back and also demands that Long fire Matt Hardy! The GM refuses to do any of those things and Drew McIntyre responds by destroying Long’s office! After being begged by Long to not wreck his picture of Martin Luther King, McIntyre calls MLK a “revolutionary” and calls Long “spineless” and says that he is more like Martin Luther King than Theodore Long! How will Theodore Long respond to the words and actions of Drew McIntyre?
Two SmackDown Superstars would put their way of life on the line as “The Straightedge Savior” CM Punk would go one-on-one with Rey Mysterio with the stipulation being that, if Rey Mysterio loses, then Rey must join The Straightedge Society, but if CM Punk loses, then Punk would be shaved bald! Not only that, but, by the orders of SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long, any outside interference would be banned! In an incredible and, for CM Punk, bloody war that saw both men give it their all, it came down to Rey Mysterio rolling Punk up for the win, meaning that Punk would have his head shaved bald! However, the mysterious ally of The Straightedge Society attacked Rey! Luke Gallows & Serena then came down to the ring and Gallows brought out a pair of handcuffs! Whatever diabolical plans The Straightedge Society were foiled by the arrival of “The Big Red Machine” Kane, who took out The Straightedge Society before planting CM Punk with a chokeslam! Rey then handcuffed CM Punk to the ropes and delivered the 619 to Punk before Rey proceeded to forcefully shave the head of “The Straightedge Savior”! How will CM Punk & The Straightedge Society respond to CM Punk’s head getting shaved bald?
Then it was time for the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles to be put on the line as The Hart Dynasty would make their first defense of the gold against the newly formed team of The Miz & Chris Jericho! At the end of a hard-fought match, it was The Hart Dynasty successfully hitting the Hart Attack on The Miz en route to successfully retaining the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles! Now that they have failed to secure the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles, what is next for the team of The Miz & Chris Jericho?
After choosing to make an impact at the expense of Randy Orton after being drafted to RAW, “The Rated-R Superstar” Edge would go one-on-one with “The Viper” Randy Orton! During the course of the match, Edge worked on the right arm of Randy Orton and, as Orton pounded the mat to signify he is about to hit the RKO, Orton stopped and held his right arm, which was rendered useless as it simply hung as the right shoulder of Orton showed a distinct discoloration and unnatural look! Despite only having one functioning arm, Randy Orton continued the match with Edge and the match spilled to the outside where Edge narrowly missed a Spear on Orton and instead found the barricade! With both Superstars down on the outside, the referee’s count reached ten meaning that the match was ruled a Double Count-Out! What is the status of Randy Orton following this match?
Then it was time for the World Heavyweight Championship to be decided as “The All-American Champion” Jack Swagger would face his biggest test to date as he would defend the World Heavyweight Title against “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show! After throwing his best at Big Show, Jack Swagger resorted to getting himself disqualified to retain his World Heavyweight Title by blasting Big Show with the World Heavyweight Title! Swagger followed that up with a second shot with the title belt and a steel chair shot to the back, but none of this was able to keep Big Show down as “The World’s Largest Athlete” fired back by delivering a chokeslam to Swagger before blasting “The All-American Champion” with a steel chair shot of his own, planting Swagger with a chokeslam on a steel chair, and, finally, laying Swagger out with the Knockout Punch! What will be the fallout of this controversial title match and the post-match exchange between World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger and Big Show?
The Divas Title was also on the line at WWE Over The Limit as Eve Torres would make her first defense of the Divas Championship against former champion Maryse! In the end, it was Eve hitting a unique facebuster maneuver on Maryse that allowed Eve to pick up the win and retain her Divas Championship! Who will be the next Diva to step up and challenge Eve Torres for the Divas Title?
Then it was time for the main event of WWE Over The Limit as, after a three month rivalry and years of animosity, the feud between John Cena and Batista would come to an end in one of the most brutal matches ever to take place in the WWE where there are no pinfalls, no submissions, no count-outs, no disqualifications, and no mercy as John Cena would defend the WWE Championship, for the final time, against “The Animal” Batista in an “I Quit” Match, where the only way to win is to force your opponent to publicly utter the words, “I Quit”! During the course of the match, a determined and sadistic Batista actually managed to outmaneuver John Cena and deliver a powerslam to the WWE Champion through the Spanish announce table, leaving Cena bloody, but still Cena refused to quit! Shortly after this, Batista took Cena through the crowd and threatened to throw over a high-level barricade in the audience if Cena refused to quit and, after Cena refused, Batista was set to deliver the Batista Bomb over the barricade to the cold concrete several feet below, but Cena fought out and managed to knock Batista off of the rail and into a gathering of arena security, but Batista refused to quit! The two combatants then fought through the arena and onto the staging area where “The Animal” wore the WWE Champion out with a steel chair, but still Cena wanted to continue! A desperate Batista then resorted to trying to back Cena over with a car placed on the staging area, but Cena managed to get out of the way! After realizing the sick intentions of Batista, John Cena unleashed an assault on Batista that saw Cena bash the head of Batista off of the car hood before delivering the Attitude Adjustment on the hood, but Batista still refused to quit! Cena then brought Batista to the roof of the car and loaded Batista up for an unbelievable Attitude Adjustment onto the stage, but once Batista realized the fate that awaited him, “The Animal” quickly shouted “I Quit” to end the match and prevent being destroyed by the move! John Cena successfully retained the WWE Championship by forcing Batista to say “I Quit”, but Cena was not done with “The Animal” as Cena still delivered an Attitude Adjustment to Batista from the roof of the car and all the way through the stage! As referees and other officials attended to Batista, it looked as though John Cena was going to end the night on a high note with a successful title defense in a brutal “I Quit” Match, but as Cena turned around to exit, he was caught with a pump kick by Sheamus! What is the status of Batista after being sent crashing through the stage at the hands of John Cena? How will John Cena respond to Sheamus blasting the WWE Champion after the match was over?
The 887th edition of WWE Monday Night RAW came to you, live, from the Lucas County Arena in Toledo, OH. One night after an unforgettable and controversial WWE Over The Limit, legendary actor and comedian Jon Lovitz will serve as the Guest Host of RAW. Last week on RAW, after being on the job for just under two hours, Vickie Guerrero resigned as the RAW General Manager after being confronted by “The Viper” Randy Orton and, now on RAW, a new General Manager of RAW will be announced!
Monday Night RAW (May 24, 2010)
Good Week For: R-Truth (defeated The Miz to be crowned the new United States Champion)
Bad Week For: Batista (frustrated and irate, actually quit the WWE)
One night after a brutal “I Quit” Match against WWE Champion John Cena at WWE Over The Limit that ended with him getting sent through the stage with an Attitude Adjustment, RAW shockingly kicked off with “The Animal” Batista, who was sporting the wounds of war with taped ribs and his arm in a sling! After referees helped him into the ring and placed him in a wheelchair in the center of the ring, Batista admits that there is no dispute that he said “I Quit” last night, but he did it because his “life was being threatened” and reveals that he is contemplating “filing suit” against John Cena, the WWE, and every fan that supported his destruction at the hands of John Cena! Batista continues that he could of done what Cena did, but he believes in “honor” and that, now, he will be out of action indefinitely, but when he returns, he will get a rematch with John Cena for the WWE Title! Batista is interrupted by RAW Ring Announcer Justin Roberts, who reveals that he has been asked to introduce the new General Manager of RAW, which is revealed as WWE Hall of Famer and new United States Champion Bret “The Hitman” Hart! The new RAW GM comes out and proclaims that there is a “new sheriff in town” and cuts right to the chase by announcing that John Cena will defend his WWE Title in a Fatal 4-Way match at the debut edition of the WWE Fatal 4-Way event on June 20! Bret continues that the qualifying matches to determine John Cena’s three opponents will take place on RAW and that, if Batista wants his rematch with John Cena, he will have to earn it in a qualifying match! Batista responds by protesting that he is hurt and can not compete, which Bret responds too by saying that Batista’s opponent is also injured as he would face off with “The Viper” Randy Orton! Batista continues to refuse to compete, which leads to Bret telling Batista to “take it or forfeit”! Batista responds by saying that, if Bret makes him forfeit, then he will “quit” the WWE! The new GM ignores the threat and announces Randy Orton the winner of the Fatal 4-Way Qualifying Match over Batista by forfeit! A disgruntled and distraught Batista then solidly proclaims that he “quits”! Has Batista really walked away from the WWE? Could this have been the last appearance of Batista in a WWE ring?
With Randy Orton qualifying by forfeit and WWE Champion John Cena already in the match by default, that left two spots open for the Fatal 4-Way WWE Title Match at WWE Fatal 4-Way and one of those spots would be filled as former WWE Champion “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus would go one-on-one with “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry! In the end, Sheamus was able to take advantage of the shoulder injury of Mark Henry that was dealt to him by Batista to get out of the grasp of Mark Henry and deliver the pump kick en route to picking up the win and qualifying for the Fatal 4-Way WWE Title Match at WWE Fatal 4-Way! Who will be the final Superstar to qualify for the Fatal 4-Way WWE Title Match?
The announcements just kept coming from the new General Manager of RAW Bret “The Hitman” Hart as it was revealed that Bret has given up and vacated the United States Championship and that a one-on-one match will take place on RAW to determine the new champion as former United States Champion The Miz squares off with R-Truth! Who will become the new United States Champion? Will The Miz regain the gold just one week after losing it or will R-Truth rise to a new level as the new United States Champion?
After engaging in a confrontation with both Edge & Chris Jericho in his office, new RAW General Manager Bret Hart announced that Edge & Jericho will compete with WWE Champion John Cena in a non-title Triple Threat Match and if either Edge or Jericho win, then that Superstar will qualify for the Fatal 4-Way WWE Title Match at WWE Fatal 4-Way, but if Cena wins, then they get “nothing”! Can Edge or Chris Jericho qualify for the Fatal 4-Way WWE Title Match or will John Cena ensure that another Superstar gets the final spot?
One night after successfully defending the Divas Title against Maryse at WWE Over The Limit, Divas Champion Eve Torres would team with Gail Kim to face the team of Maryse & Alicia Fox. In the end, it was Maryse hitting the French Kiss DDT en route to picking up the win by pinning the Divas Champion! Has Maryse earned another opportunity at the Divas Title?
Then it was time to determine the new United States Champion as former United States Champion The Miz would go one-on-one with R-Truth! At the end of a hard-fought, back-and-forth match, it was R-Truth finally putting The Miz down with the Lie Detector en route to pinning Miz and winning the United States Title for the first time in his career! How will R-Truth fare as the new United States Champion?
The Guest Host of RAW then made an appearance as legendary actor, comedian, and owner of the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club Jon Lovitz came to the ring, with The Bella Twins, to host and judge the “Jon Lovitz’s Superstar Search”! The first contestants were The Great Khali & Ranjin Singh, who did their rendition of the musical number from the classic movie, “Young Frankenstein”, but Lovitz was not impressed and hit the buzzer on Khali & Singh! “The Sour Songstress” Jillian then came out and, before Jillian even opened her mouth, Lovitz hit the buzzer to send Jillian packing! Quickly fed up with the Superstar Search, Lovitz turned to the fans and brought a fan out of the crowd by the name of Joe, who pulled his fake eye out of his head! This brings out Ted DiBiase, along with his “personal assistant”, Virgil, as DiBiase tried to by Joe’s fake eye! This brings out Santino Marella, who threatens to use a unique hold that was taught to him by Jon Lovitz! Santino then uses the technique Virgil, rendering Virgil unconscious! Santino then tries it on DiBiase, but to no avail as “The Fortunate Son” grabs Santino and leaves Marella laid out with Dream Street!
One night after successfully defending the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles against The Miz & Chris Jericho at WWE Over The Limit, Unified WWE Tag Team Champions The Hart Dynasty were in action on RAW as they squared off with William Regal & Vladimir Kozlov in a non-title bout! In a quick bout, it was The Hart Dynasty hitting the Hart Attack on William Regal en route to picking up the dominant win! Immediately after the match, a never-before-seen tag team and Diva assaulted The Hart Dynasty and hit a triple Frog Splash as all three members of this new trio hit a Frog Splash on Tyson Kidd, David Hart Smith, & Natalya! Who is this mysterious new trio? How will The Hart Dynasty respond these strangers attacking them after their match?
After being attacked by eliminated NXT Rookie Daniel Bryan on last week’s NXT, commentator Michael Cole revealed that he is going to call Bryan out on NXT and “demand” that Bryan “apologize” for the attack last week or he will sue Bryan for “everything he’s worth”! Will Cole get his apology from Daniel Bryan?
Then it was time for the main event as, one night after a brutal “I Quit” Match against Batista, WWE Champion John Cena would face “The Rated-R Superstar” Edge and Chris Jericho in a Triple Threat Match where, if Edge or Jericho win, then that Superstar will qualify for the Fatal 4-Way WWE Title Match at WWE Fatal 4-Way, but if Cena wins, then neither man will qualify! In the end, it was Chris Jericho hitting the Codebreaker on John Cena, followed by Edge hitting the Spear on Jericho that led to Edge pinning Jericho at the end of a unique and hard-fought match to qualify for the Fatal 4-Way WWE Title Match at WWE Fatal 4-Way! After the match, both Sheamus and Randy Orton came out as Orton, Sheamus, Edge, & WWE Champion John Cena all stared each other down, knowing the stakes of the upcoming Fatal 4-Way Match! Can John Cena survive “The Rated-R Superstar” Edge, “The Viper” Randy Orton, & “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus in an every man for himself Fatal 4-Way Match to retain the WWE Title or will one of these former champions regain the gold?
The fourteenth edition of WWE NXT came to you from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH. With only Wade Barrett, David Otunga, Heath Slater, & Justin Gabriel remaining, the fourth WWE Pros’ Poll will be revealed and yet another NXT Rookie will be eliminated from the competition! After being verbally and physically attacked by eliminated NXT Rookie Daniel Bryan last week, commentator Michael Cole will call out Daniel Bryan and demand an apology and, if Bryan refuses, Cole has vowed to sue Bryan for “everything he’s worth”!
WWE NXT (May 25, 2010)
Good Week For: Daniel Bryan (got his hands on Michael Cole, as well as The Miz, before being escorted out by security)
Bad Week For: Heath Slater (was eliminated from NXT)
The show kicks off with NXT Host Matt Striker as Striker brings out six of the seven WWE Pros, with CM Punk refusing to appear due to his head being shaved at WWE Over The Limit, as Chris Jericho, The Miz, Matt Hardy, William Regal, Christian, and the new United States Champion R-Truth take their seats on the stage! Matt Striker then introduces the final four NXT Rookies as Wade Barrett, David Otunga, Heath Slater, & Justin Gabriel enter the ring before Striker announces that next week’s NXT will be the Season Finale of NXT as the Rookie who survives next week will be the winner of the NXT competition! When asked who should be eliminated, Wade Barrett stated that he wants Heath Slater gone, Justin Gabriel says that David Otunga should go home, David Otunga says that Justin Gabriel should go, and Heath Slater says Wade Barrett should be eliminated! Matt Striker then announces that the Rookies will be teaming up with their respective WWE Pros in tag team action on NXT!
With another NXT Rookie set to be eliminated by night’s end, the final four NXT Rookies would be looking to impress the WWE Pros and two NXT Rookies would be looking to impress their WWE Pros, first-hand, as Heath Slater team with his WWE Pro, Christian, to face David Otunga and his WWE Pro, the new United States Champion R-Truth! In the end, it was David Otunga utilizing a veteran-like move by rolling through a high cross body by Heath Slater into a pinning situation to win the match for himself and R-Truth! How will David Otunga’s performance in the tag match weigh in with the WWE Pros’ Poll?
Commentator Michael Cole makes an appearance in the ring and states that he could sue Daniel Bryan for “everything he’s worth”, but he is going to be a “bigger man” than Daniel Bryan last week and give Bryan the opportunity to avoid being sued by delivering a public apology to him for his actions last week! Daniel Bryan comes out and Michael Cole takes his place behind a four-man security force as Bryan says he is going to agree to apologize to Cole! Cole then asks the security team to wait outside the ring before Bryan says he is “truly sorry” for his attack last week and states that it is “all over” before he shakes the hand of Cole! Daniel Bryan then says that he is “sorry” that Cole is “by far the worst announcer in WWE history” and, after the security force steps between Bryan and Cole, Bryan says that a “man” does not hide behind security or an announce table! Bryan then says that he was paired with the “worst Pro” in The Miz and that Cole did not get his announcing job because he was “good”! Cole responds by saying that Bryan should take a “look in the mirror” and stop “making excuses” by blaming The Miz, him, and WWE Management! Cole continues that Bryan did not have “what it took” and the only person he saw “tap out” was Bryan, because he “tapped out of the competition”! Cole then calls Bryan a “loser” and says that “losers have no heart”! Michael Cole then actually slaps Daniel Bryan and Bryan had then heard enough as he tried to attack Michael Cole again and, after slipping away from security, Bryan gets his hands on Cole before security quickly pulls Bryan off the announcer! As security escorts Daniel Bryan out, The Miz gets in the face of Bryan and tells Bryan that he should just “leave” and Bryan responds by attacking The Miz, which sparks a brawl between Bryan and Miz that, after several attempts, security is finally able to break up! What will be the fallout of Daniel Bryan’s attacks on both The Miz & Michael Cole?
With another NXT elimination looming, “The Bare Knuckle Brit” Wade Barrett would go one-on-one with the lightning-quick Justin Gabriel! In the end, it was Gabriel overcoming his larger adversary and hitting the 450 Splash en route to picking up the win over Wade Barrett! How will this match affect the WWE Pros? Could Wade Barrett’s loss lead to his elimination?
Then it was time for the WWE Pros’ Poll to be revealed as Wade Barrett retained his #1 spot in the competition and David Otunga retained his #2 spot in the competition! That meant that either Heath Slater or Justin Gabriel would be eliminated from NXT and it was announced that Justin Gabriel secured the number three spot, meaning that Heath Slater was eliminated! Slater’s WWE Pro, Christian, spoke on the elimination first by stating that Heath Slater could have “done it” and tells Slater that he believes that Slater has a “big future” ahead of him! The Miz then states that Slater’s elimination came as a result of Slater not giving it his “all” and says that a WWE Superstars needs to go “full throttle” and says that a Superstar can never be “off” in the WWE! United States Champion R-Truth states that, in the WWE, it is the “survival of the fittest” before wishing Slater the “best of luck”! Chris Jericho then comments by saying that it does not matter who is eliminated because his NXT Rookie, Wade Barrett, will win the competition! Jericho then tells Barrett that on NXT, he is the “best” and it is time that he start “acting like it”! Heath Slater then comments on his eliminated by saying that he has done “far too much” in NXT to be going anywhere and reminds the WWE Pros that he was the first NXT Rookie to defeat a WWE Pro and also defeated Chris Jericho during his time in NXT before vowing that Heath Slater will have an “encore”! Just three NXT Rookies remain with Wade Barrett, David Otunga, & Justin Gabriel surviving, but who will win the NXT competition and become a WWE Superstar in the NXT Season Finale next week?
The 58th edition of WWE Superstars came to you from the Lucas County Arena in Toledo, OH and from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH. “The Uncommon Man” Cody Rhodes would be in action against “The Brooklyn Baller” JTG. Also on WWE Superstars, Evan Bourne would go one-on-one with “The Long Island Loudmouth” Zack Ryder. Two of RAW’s high-flyers would also be in action on WWE Superstars as Primo would go one-on-one with Yoshi Tatsu.
WWE Superstars (May 27, 2010)
Good Week For: Zack Ryder (was able to pick up a hard-fought win over Evan Bourne)
Bad Week For: Evan Bourne (missed his Air Bourne maneuver, which led to a loss to Zack Ryder)
The show opens with “The Brooklyn Baller” JTG, as the former Cryme Tyme member would go one-on-one with “The Uncommon Man” Cody Rhodes! In the end, it was Cody Rhodes hitting the Cross Rhodes on JTG en route to picking up the win in a hard-fought match!
Back on his own and with a new attitude, Primo was in action on WWE Superstars as he went one-on-one with Yoshi Tatsu. In the end, it was Tatsu hitting a spinning heel kick off of the top rope on Primo en route to picking up the win!
Then it was time for the main event of the evening as, in a rematch from RAW a couple of weeks ago, the high-flying Evan “Air” Bourne would go one-on-one with “The Long Island Loudmouth” Zack Ryder! In the end, it looked like Evan Bourne would get the win as he launched himself in the air with Air Bourne, but Zack Ryder was able to get out of the way of the move, which allowed Ryder to hit the Zack Attack on Bourne and pick up the win in a hard-fought match!
The 562nd edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown came to you from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH. For the first time since his epic encounter with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania, The Undertaker would return to SmackDown! Also, five nights after having his head shaved by Rey Mysterio at WWE Over The Limit, CM Punk would make his first television appearance since having his head shaved bald!
Friday Night SmackDown (May 28, 2010)
Good Week For: The Undertaker (made a successful return by defeating Rey Mysterio to qualify for the Fatal 4-Way World Heavyweight Title Match)
Bad Week For: Matt Hardy (was suspended indefinitely, without pay, by WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon)
The show kicks off with SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long announced that, at WWE Fatal 4-Way, “The All-American Champion” Jack Swagger will defend the World Heavyweight Championship in a Fatal 4-Way Match! The GM reveals that, as a result of defeating the champion, via disqualification, at WWE Over The Limit, “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show is already in the match! Long then announces that the qualifying matches to determine the other two combatants in the match will see a newly bald CM Punk go one-on-one with “The Big Red Machine” Kane and the other will see Rey Mysterio go one-on-one against “The Phenom” known as The Undertaker! Following this announcement, Long was interrupted by the former Intercontinental Champion, Drew McIntyre, who said that he should still be Intercontinental Champion because his arm was hurt at WWE Over The Limit and the match should have been stopped! McIntyre then says that, if Long can’t do his job right, then he will have to do it for him! McIntyre tells Long that he is “The Chosen One” and Long responds by beginning to tell him what Matt Hardy will do to McIntyre once Matt gets his hands on him, but McIntyre pulls a letter from WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon out and, per the orders of the Chairman, demands that Long read it out loud! The GM does as he is told as he reads the letter that states that, as a result of his post-match attack on Drew McIntyre at WWE Over The Limit, Mr. McMahon has suspended Matt Hardy without pay until “further notice”! McIntyre then tells Long to consider it a “warning” that, if Long turns a “blind eye” to his “misfortunes” again, then the next letter he presents will be informing Long of his “termination”! As Long exits, the suspended Matt Hardy comes out to get a piece of Drew McIntyre, but Matt is met by Long and a team of security as Long tells Matt that “they” are going to make him “fire” Matt! With Matt on the other side of a wall of security, Drew McIntyre reminds Matt that he is the reason that Matt was “suspended”! When, if ever, will Matt Hardy be on SmackDown again?
After being responsible for WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon suspending Matt Hardy until “further notice”, former Intercontinental Champion Drew McIntyre was in action on SmackDown as he teamed with World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger to face the team of “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show and the new Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston! With his eyes locked on World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger, Big Show ended the match by leveling Drew McIntyre with the Knockout Punch en route to pick up the win! Can Big Show do the same, again, to Jack Swagger at WWE Fatal 4-Way and win the World Heavyweight Title or will one of the other undetermined combatants win the gold or can Jack Swagger survive the odds to retain the title?
For the first time since having his head shaved by Rey Mysterio at WWE Over The Limit, “The Straightedge Savior” CM Punk would be in action against “The Big Red Machine” Kane in a Fatal 4-Way Qualifying Match! Before his match, CM Punk reluctantly comes to the ring wearing a towel over his head and Punk then takes the towel off to reveal, not his bald head, but that he is wearing a mask! With his bald head safely hidden from the public with a mask, CM Punk would go one-on-one with “The Big Red Machine” Kane with the winner qualifying for the Fatal 4-Way World Heavyweight Title match at WWE Fatal 4-Way! In the end, it was Serena distracting the referee while Luke Gallows interfered that allowed CM Punk the opportunity to hoist Kane up and deliver a huge GTS en route to picking up the win to qualify for the Fatal 4-Way World Heavyweight Title match at WWE Fatal 4-Way! Who will be the fourth and final Superstar added to the match? Will The Undertaker make his return to SmackDown a successful and impressive one or will Rey Mysterio find a way to upset “The Phenom”?
In a match set up by SmackDown Consultant Vickie Guerrero, “Captain Charisma” Christian would team with Hornswoggle to face the team of “The Platinum Superstar” Dolph Ziggler and Vickie’s nephew, Chavo Guerrero! Despite his pint-sized partner, Christian was still able to hit the Killswitch en route to pinning Chavo and picking up the win! However, as soon as the match was over, Dolph Ziggler came in from behind and locked in the sleeper hold on Christian, eventually putting “Captain Charisma” to sleep, much to the delight of SmackDown Consultant Vickie Guerrero! How will Christian respond to this attack? What else does Vickie Guerrero have in store for Christian & Hornswoggle?
It was announced on SmackDown that, on next week’s show, former Intercontinental Champion Drew McIntyre will invoke his rematch clause as “The Chosen One” will challenge new champion Kofi Kingston for the Intercontinental Championship! Can Drew McIntyre regain the Intercontinental Title or will Kofi Kingston retain against “The Chosen One”?
After being very instrumental in his leader, CM Punk’s win over Kane earlier in the night, “The Straightedge Disciple” Luke Gallows was in action on SmackDown as he went one-on-one with “The Ballin’ Superstar” MVP! In the end, it was Serena distracting the referee while the masked ally of The Straightedge Society attacked MVP, which gave Gallows the opportunity to hit the Gallows’ Pole en route to picking up the win!
Then it was time for the main event as, for the first time since his epic encounter with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania, The Undertaker would return to SmackDown to go one-on-one with Rey Mysterio with the winner being the final Superstar to qualify for the Fatal 4-Way World Heavyweight Title match at WWE Fatal 4-Way! In the end, it was Undertaker spiking Rey with the Tombstone Piledriver that led to The Undertaker picking up the win and qualifying for the Fatal 4-Way World Heavyweight Title Match at WWE Fatal 4-Way! The match is now set for WWE Fatal 4-Way as “The All-American Champion” Jack Swagger will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show, “The Straightedge Savior” CM Punk, & The Undertaker! Can Jack Swagger find a way to survive these odds or will Swagger lose the gold to one of these three former World Champions?
Superstar of the Week: WWE Champion John Cena
Alumni Profile of the Week
Name: Owen Hart
Born On: May 7, 1965 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Died On: May 23, 1999 in Kansas City, MO at the age of 34
Trained By: Stu Hart
WWE Run: 1991- May 23, 1999
Accomplishments
1994 King of the Ring
Two Time Intercontinental Champion
One Time European Champion
Four Time WWE World Tag Team Champion (2x w/ Yokozuna, 1x/ The British Bulldog, & 1x w/ Jeff Jarrett)
Two Time Slammy Award Winner (1996 & 1997)
Did You Know?
Owen Hart got married to Martha Joan Patterson on July, 1989 and the couple had two children together, Edward Hart & Christie Athena Hart.
Next Week’s WWE Television Schedule
Monday, May 31: RAW, LIVE from the Frank Erwin Center at UT Austin in Austin, TX
Tuesday, June 1: WWE NXT from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX
Thursday, June 3: WWE Superstars from Austin, TX & Dallas, TX
Friday, June 4: The American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX Hosts SmackDown