June 13, 2010- June 19, 2010
Welcome to the one-hundred eleventh 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. 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 under the username, TheCiSH
Former NXT Rookie Released: WWE.com announced on Friday that World Wrestling Entertainment has come to terms on the release of NXT Season One Rookie, Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson). Daniel Bryan was eliminated from the first season of WWE NXT on May 11 and, over the next several weeks, Bryan would engage in a personal rivalry with commentator, Michael Cole. His final appearance on WWE television was during last week’s three-hour Viewer’s Choice edition of RAW where Bryan, along with the other season one NXT Rookies, took part in the vicious destruction of John Cena, as well as several other WWE employees.
The 890th edition of WWE Monday Night RAW came to you, live, from the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, NC. The star of the USA Network series, “Royal Pains” will appear on RAW as Mark Feuerstein will serve as the Guest Host of RAW with his own guest as Feuerstein will be joined by a guest star on an upcoming episode of “Royal Pains”; none other than “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show, who would be making a special RAW appearance just six days before he is one of three challengers to Jack Swagger’s World Heavyweight Title at WWE Fatal 4-Way!
Monday Night RAW (June 14, 2010)
Good Week For: The Miz (regained the United States Title by taking advantage of the rules of a Fatal 4-Way Match)
Bad Week For: Bret Hart (was abducted and tortured by the ex-Rookie contingent)
One week after the heinous and shocking assault on WWE Champion John Cena and several other WWE employees perpetrated by the season one NXT Rookies, the leader of the attack, Wade Barrett, opens the show and reveals that he has been ordered by RAW General Manager Bret Hart to “apologize” for what he and the other Rookies last week! Barrett then brings out the other Rookies as Michael Tarver, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Darren Young, Skip Sheffield, & David Otunga enter through the crowd, which prompts several members of the ringside crew, including commentators Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and ring announcer Justin Roberts, to leave their posts to avoid being victims of another NXT assault! The season one NXT Rookies line up in the ring and Wade Barrett requests that they all apologize for their actions! Barrett asks Heath Slater for his apology and Slater responds by saying “absolutely not” and declaring that he would “do it again in a heartbeat”! Justin Gabriel then says he will “never” apologize and says that he still has “goosebumps” from their attack last week! Skip Sheffield says “no apologies, no regrets” and Michael Tarver says that there is no reason to apologize because “no one in the WWE” can make him! Darren Young then says that he had the “time of his life” last week and, lastly, David Otunga says that they need to be the ones being apologized to! Wade Barrett then states that the “problem” with WWE NXT is that they were treated like “dirt” and “animals” and that, when people are treated like “animals”, they will start to behave like “animals”! Barrett continues that they were given small locker rooms and they were “forced to compete in ridiculous challenges” and they were “at the mercy of overzealous WWE Pros” and “worst of all”, they had the WWE management! Barrett continues that WWE management eliminated them “on a whim” and that WWE management tried to make an “international joke” out of them, but that he did not see anyone “laughing” after RAW last week! Barrett then proclaims that they beat the “living daylights” out of WWE Champion John Cena last week and that they “impressed everyone” last week! RAW General Manager Bret Hart then comes out and tells the Rookies that, where he comes from, an eight on one attack makes them “cowards”! Wade Barrett responds that by saying that they had an eighth member, Daniel Bryan, who felt like Bret did and had some “remorse”! Barrett then proclaims that they will “never” see Daniel Bryan again! Bret then assures everyone that John Cena will defend his WWE Title at WWE Fatal 4-Way this Sunday! Barrett responds by saying that it is not about John Cena or the fans, that it is between them and WWE management! Barrett continues that, with the exception of some former WWE Pros, no one has a “problem” with them in the locker room! Barrett then reminds Bret that he has a WWE contract and also has a guaranteed title opportunity at an upcoming pay-per-view of his choosing before revealing that the other season one Rookies have “demands” as well! David Otunga states that, like Wade Barrett, they all want “guaranteed WWE contracts” and they want their own “private dressing rooms”, as well as “first class travel accommodations” and threatens that if Bret does not “comply”, then last week will prove to be “just the beginning”! Wade Barrett then states that Bret’s decision is an “easy” one before saying that the competitors in the ring can be the “future” of the WWE and all they need are contracts! Bret then says that, while it is part of his job to find new talent, his answer is “no”! Bret continues that he is not going to sign any of them and Barrett responds by saying that Bret is making a “big mistake”! Bret responds by saying that they made the “biggest mistake of their lives” last week by attacking John Cena and informs Wade Barrett that he is no longer the next breakout star in the WWE and he will no longer be getting his title shot at a future pay-per-view, because Wade Barrett is “fired”! Bret then orders all of them to leave the arena before he calls the police and has them arrested for trespassing! Has RAW General Manager Bret Hart and the WWE seen the last of the season one NXT Rookies?
Six nights before WWE Fatal 4-Way, a Fatal 4-Way Match for the United States Championship kicked off the show as Charlotte’s own United States Champion R-Truth would defend his gold against “The Monday Night Delight” John Morrison, “The Long Island Iced Z” Zack Ryder, and former United States Champion The Miz! In the end, it was John Morrison and R-Truth left alone in the ring and Morrison managed to hit Starship Pain on R-Truth, but the opportunistic Miz pulled Morrison out of the ring and pinned R-Truth to win the United States Title! How will R-Truth respond to losing the United States Title to The Miz?
Backstage, “The Viper” Randy Orton comments on last week’s attack by the season one NXT Rookies by saying that the Rookies “deserved to be fired” or have their “brains beaten in” before stating that Wade Barrett should consider himself “lucky” that he was fired!
After a confrontation with “The Fortunate Son” Ted DiBiase & Virgil, Guest Host Mark Feuerstein enlisted the assistance of his special guest, “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show, as Big Show challenged DiBiase & Virgil to a tag team match against Big Show & Mark Feuerstein, which DiBiase agreed to! How will Mark Feuerstein fare when he teams with Big Show to face Ted DiBiase & Virgil?
After being defeated by Big Show last week in a Body Slam Challenge, forced to tap out to Big Show, and hurled over the top rope by Big Show, Chris Jericho was in action on RAW as he went one-on-one with the high-flying Evan “Air” Bourne! Jericho looked to have the match won after hitting the Codebreaker on Evan Bourne, but after Bourne kicked out, Jericho lost it and attacked Bourne and even shoved and threatened the referee, which led to the referee disqualifying Jericho! After the match, Jericho looked to continue to take out his frustrations on Bourne, but Bourne fights back and hits Air Bourne on Jericho! How will Chris Jericho respond to his recent string of losses?
For the first time since he was the primary target in the heinous assault by the season one NXT Rookies, WWE Champion John Cena made an appearance on RAW! Cena stated that he was given the “night off” and he thanks Bret Hart for having his “best interests” at heart! Cena also thanks Bret for not accepting the demands of the season one NXT Rookies before stating that they needed to “make a statement” and for that, they needed a “target”, and there is no “target” bigger than the WWE Champion! Cena states that their plan was “almost brilliant”, but their “genius” was “blinded” by their “ignorance” as their problem was with WWE management, but that they took RAW away from the WWE fans! Cena then says that Wade Barrett getting fired will not “solve the problem” before proclaiming that he will defend the WWE Title at WWE Fatal 4-Way and he will be on RAW next week and he will be out there every week demanding that they come out and “finish” what they started! Cena says that the season one NXT Rookies have “nothing to lose” and all he has is his word before assuring the NXT contingency that he will “not press charges”! The NXT contingency then hop the barricade as John Cena states that the NXT contingency has taken the target off of his back and it has been placed on their heads! Refusing to be victimized again, commentator and Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler joined the WWE Champion in the ring, then Evan Bourne, R-Truth, William Regal, & Santino Marella join in! An all-out brawl then breaks out between the Superstars and the NXT contingency as Mark Henry enters the ring to help out! Randy Orton then comes in and joins the Superstars in the fight against the former Rookies and Edge comes out and delivers the Spear to Wade Barrett on the outside before joining the Superstars and, finally, Sheamus, armed with a lead pipe comes out and the WWE Superstars rid the ring of the ex-Rookies as rivalries are put aside to quell a repeat of last week’s assault and a few of the Superstars even chase the former Rookies out of the arena to ensure that the contingency does not return! Has the WWE truly seen the last of the ex-Rookie contingency?
It was announced on RAW that, this Sunday at WWE Fatal 4-Way, the Divas Title will be on the line in a Fatal 4-Way Match as Eve Torres will defend her gold against former Divas Champion Maryse, former Women’s Champion Gail Kim, & Alicia Fox! Can Eve Torres survive the odds to retain the Divas Title or will a new Divas Champion be crowned this Sunday?
Six nights before she defends the Divas Title in a Fatal 4-Way Match at WWE Fatal 4-Way, Divas Champion Eve Torres was in tag team action on RAW as Eve would team with Gail Kim to face the team of Maryse & Alicia Fox! In the end, it was Alicia Fox accidentally kicking Maryse off of the ring apron that led to Eve Torres hitting a swinging neckbreaker on Alicia Fox to win the match for her team! When it is every Diva for herself this Sunday at WWE Fatal 4-Way, who will walk out as the Divas Champion?
After losing the United States Title to The Miz earlier in the night in a Fatal 4-Way Match, it was announced on RAW that R-Truth is invoking his rematch clause for the United States Title this Sunday at WWE Fatal 4-Way! Can R-Truth regain the United States Title this Sunday?
Then it was time for Guest Host Mark Feuerstein to enter the ring as the star of “Royal Pains” would team with “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show to face “The Fortunate Son” Ted DiBiase and his “personal assistant” Virgil! After Virgil tried to escape facing Big Show, Mark Feuerstein did his part in the match by throwing Virgil back into the ring, which led to Big Show planting Virgil with a chokeslam before tagging in Feuerstein, who pulls off the vintage “Worm” maneuver before dropping an elbow drop and pinning Virgil for the win!
As he continues to try and recruit Vladimir Kozlov to his side, Santino Marella was in action on RAW as he went one-on-one with Kozlov’s former mentor, William Regal, with Vladimir Kozlov as the Special Referee! In the end, it was Santino rolling Regal up and hooking the tights that led to Kozlov counting the three for Santino to win the match!
After this match, RAW General Manager Bret Hart comes out and states that he is refusing to let “history repeat itself” before calling all of the RAW Superstars to the stage to form a wall to prevent another attack by the season one NXT Rookies!
Then it was time for the main event as WWE Champion John Cena, who refused to take the night off, would team with “The Viper” Randy Orton to face the team of “The Rated-R Superstar” Edge & “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus six nights before all four men square off with the WWE Title on the line this Sunday at WWE Fatal 4-Way! In the middle of this hard-fought tag team match, the lights went out in the arena as the tron showed the seven season one NXT Rookies coming back into the arena and tearing apart the backstage area before it is revealed that the ex-Rookie contingent had gotten a hold of RAW General Manager Bret Hart! The seven radical former Rookies drug the already beat down Bret and threw him into a limousine as they instructed the driver to collide with several cars before finally ramming the rear end of the limo containing the GM at a high velocity right into a parked car. The contingency then pulled Bret out of the wrecked limo and gave the RAW GM the ultimatum to give them an answer regarding their contracts this Sunday at the WWE Fatal 4-Way event. After another heinous assault, this time victimizing RAW General Manager Bret Hart, does Bret have any choice but to grant the ex-Rookies their requested contracts?
The second edition of WWE NXT Season Two came to you from the RBC Center at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. One week after being “initiated” by their WWE Pros on their first night on NXT, it would be time for the eight NXT Rookies to impress the WWE Pros and the WWE fans as Kaval, Husky Harris, Alex Riley, Eli Cottonwood, Lucky Cannon, Titus O’Neil, & “Showtime” Percy Watson would be looking to land a favorable spot in the first NXT Poll in just two weeks!
WWE NXT (June 15, 2010)
Good Week For: Michael McGillicutty (picked up the win for his team in the main event)
Bad Week For: Matt Striker (was hit from behind by Cody Rhodes)
The show kicks off with NXT Host Matt Striker who brings out the eight NXT Rookies as Alex Riley, Eli Cottonwood, Husky Harris, Kaval, “Showtime” Percy Watson, Michael McGillicutty, “Lucky” Cannon, & Titus O’Neil take their spots in the ring. Matt Striker then brings out the WWE Pros as “The Monday Night Delight” John Morrison, “The Uncommon Man” Cody Rhodes, the self-proclaimed “co-Women’s Champions” Lay-Cool, “The Ballin’ Superstar” MVP, Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston, “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry, & “The Long Island Iced Z” Zack Ryder make their way to the ring to join their NXT Rookies! MVP states that he is going to “explain” what happened to them last week and states that being a WWE Superstar is a “privilege” and none of the WWE Pros are going to just “give it” to them! MVP continues that, whether they think it was fair or not, what they did last week was making them “pay for the transgressions” of the season one NXT Rookies and assures the Rookies that it will make them “stronger”! MVP says that they will work hard to “teach” them, but they have got to work hard to “learn” from them and proclaims that the second season of NXT will be “done right” and asks the Rookies if all is forgiven for the “initiation” last week and the Pros & Rookies shake hands and embrace to signify that all is well between the Pros & Rookies! NXT Host Matt Striker then steps back in and reminds the NXT Rookies that, in two weeks’ time, the first NXT Poll will take place as the WWE Pros and the WWE fans will determine who is the best Rookies and who is the Rookie who is the closest to going home! With the first NXT Poll rapidly approaching, who will be the top Rookie and who will be deemed the worst Rookie?
As the Rookies look to impress the WWE Pros and the WWE fans, the NXT Rookie of Lay-Cool, who was on commentary for the match, “The World Warrior” Kaval went one-on-one with “The Varsity Villain” Alex Riley, who was sans his WWE Pro, the new United States Champion The Miz! Despite the absence of The Miz, Alex Riley was able to take advantage of Kaval missing his Warrior’s Way maneuver to hit the Riley Rack en route to picking up the win! How will Alex Riley’s win over Kaval weigh in with the WWE Pros and the WWE fans for the first NXT Poll in two weeks?
Then it was time for the tag team main event as “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry would team with his NXT Rookie, Lucky Cannon, to face Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston and his NXT Rookie, the third-generation competitor Michael McGillicutty! In the end, it was Michael McGillicutty coming from the clutches of defeat to hit a unique swinging neckbreaker en route to pinning Lucky Cannon to pick up the win for his team! After the match, WWE Pro Cody Rhodes called Lucky Cannon “all style and no substance”, which led to Lucky’s WWE Pro Mark Henry challenging Cody Rhodes to go one-on-one with Lucky Cannon on next week’s NXT! Rhodes responded by saying that Cannon would be “lucky” to last “five minutes” in the ring with him before accepting the challenge for next week! NXT Host Matt Striker then asks Cody Rhodes what everyone can expect from him next week against Lucky Cannon and Rhodes responded by hitting Striker in the back of the head; knocking the NXT Host to the concrete floor in front of the stage! After taking out his frustrations on Matt Striker, Cody Rhodes looks to next week’s NXT where he will go one-on-one with NXT Rookie Lucky Cannon! Can Lucky Cannon pick up an upset victory over the second-generation Superstar or will Cody Rhodes embarrass the Rookie?
The 61st edition of WWE Superstars came to you from the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, NC and from the RBC Center at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. WWE Superstars would feature the in-ring debut of Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso as The Usos would be in tag team action against the team of “The Bizarre Lonestar” Goldust & “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry. The Intercontinental Champion would be in non-title action as Kofi Kingston would go one-on-one with one-half of The Dude Busters, Trent Barreta. Also, in a high-flying face-off, Yoshi Tatsu would go one-on-one with Primo.
WWE Superstars (June 17, 2010)
Good Week For: The Usos (had a successful in-ring debut, defeating two veteran Superstars in Goldust & Mark Henry)
Bad Week For: Primo (defeated Yoshi Tatsu by hooking his tights, but paid for it after the match thanks to The Great Khali)
The opening match of the night saw the Intercontinental Champion in non-title action as Kofi Kingston, with his NXT Rookie, Michael McGillicutty, went squared off with one-half of The Dude Busters, Trent Barreta, with tag partner Caylen Croft in his corner! Despite interference from Caylen Croft, Kofi Kingston was able to hit the Trouble In Paradise on Trent Barreta en route to picking up the win!
WWE Superstars also featured two of the RAW high-flyers as Yoshi Tatsu went one-on-one with Primo. In the end, it was Primo catching Yoshi Tatsu with a roll-up and hooking the tights to pick up the win! However, Primo paid for it after the match as The Great Khali came out and backed Primo back into the ring where Tatsu strikes with a kick to the head before Khali plants Primo with the Punjabi Plunge!
Then it was time for the main event as the newest tag team on RAW would make their debut on WWE Superstars as Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso would face the team of “The Bizarre Lonestar” Goldust & “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry! In the end, it was Tamina tripping Goldust up that allowed Jimmy Uso to hit the superkick and land the Superfly Splash on “The Bizarre Lonestar” to pick up the win in The Usos’ debut match! Have The Usos taken one step closer to getting a shot at the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles?
The 565th edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown came to you from the RBC Center at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. After weeks of going back-and-forth with “The Chosen One” Drew McIntyre and his top supporter, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long will be forced, per the orders of Mr. McMahon, to compete in a one-on-one match with Drew McIntyre as, if he refuses to compete, Theodore Long will be fired! Just two nights before all four of them square off in a Fatal 4-Way Match for the World Heavyweight Title at WWE Fatal 4-Way, World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger would team with “The Straightedge Savior” CM Punk to face the team of “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show and “The Master of the 619” Rey Mysterio!
Friday Night SmackDown (June 18, 2010)
Good Week For: Rey Mysterio (pinned the World Heavyweight Champion for the second week in a row)
Bad Week For: Theodore Long (was publicly humiliated by Drew McIntyre)
Two nights before he is one of the three challengers in the Fatal 4-Way World Heavyweight Title Match at WWE Fatal 4-Way, the show opens with “The Straightedge Savior” CM Punk, who proclaims that he will be a four-time World Heavyweight Champion come this Sunday and the only thing that would make it “better” would be if The Undertaker was there to see it! Punk then proclaims that he is the only man in WWE history to make The Undertaker “tap out” and if Undertaker was not in his current “vegetative state”, he would make him “tap out” again at WWE Fatal 4-Way! Punk then states that he and The Straightedge Society are not responsible for the attack on The Undertaker, but that does not make it any less “hilarious” to him and states that he wishes he was responsible for it, but that when the “perpetrator or perpetrators” are found, he will be the first to “shake their hand”! Punk then proclaims that the WWE is “so much better” with The Undertaker gone! This leads to the lights going out in the arena and when the lights come back, The Undertaker appears in the ring or so it would appear before CM Punk would reveal that The Undertaker was a fraud and it was just Luke Gallows disguised as “The Phenom”! CM Punk then symbolically crushes the signature black hat of The Undertaker! This brings out a none too happy Kane, who has his sights on CM Punk & Luke Gallows, but Kane is blasted from behind by Jack Swagger! The masked ally of The Straightedge Society then joins in on a four-on-one attack on “The Big Red Machine” as Punk and the masked ally hold Kane while Gallows hits a big splash on Kane and Jack Swagger hits two of his signature middle rope splashes! Big Show & Rey Mysterio then rush out and run Swagger & The Straightedge Society out of the ring, but Rey then hits the 619 on Kane and Big Show plants Kane with a chokeslam in an apparent dose of payback for Kane’s attack on them last week! Rey then slowly backs away from the ring as Big Show shouts at Kane that he had “nothing” to do with The Undertaker being taken out, but also yells that “nothing” will stop him from becoming the World Heavyweight Champion! How will Kane respond to this multiple-pronged attack?
After being attacked by Curt Hawkins & Vance Archer the last two weeks, “Captain Charisma” Christian would team with “The Ballin’ Superstar” MVP to face the newly signed team known as The Gate Crashers! At the end of a chaotic tag match, it was The Gate Crashers isolating Christian and Vance Archer hitting the Archer’s Arrow which led to Curt Hawkins hitting the Heat Seeking Elbow on “Captain Charisma” en route to picking up the win over the two veteran Superstars! Despite having their SmackDown contracts, The Gate Crashers were not done trying to make an “impact” as they brought MVP back into the ring and Archer hit the Archer’s Arrow and Hawkins hit the Heat Seeking Elbow on MVP as well! Now that Curt Hawkins & Vance Archer have their SmackDown contracts, what heights will this new team reach on SmackDown?
After his aunt, SmackDown Consultant Vickie Guerrero, was too busy “admiring” Dolph Ziggler in her office, Vickie got her privacy with Dolph by placing Chavo Guerrero in an impromptu one-on-one match against “The Brooklyn Baller” JTG! In the end, it was JTG hitting the Shout Out on Chavo en route to picking up the win! As long as Vickie is obsessed with Dolph Ziggler, will Chavo Guerrero continue to be treated in such a manner by his aunt?
It was announced on SmackDown that, this Sunday at WWE Fatal 4-Way, Kofi Kingston will defend the Intercontinental Championship against “The Chosen One” Drew McIntyre! Will Drew McIntyre regain the Intercontinental Title this Sunday or will Kofi Kingston successfully defend the gold against “The Chosen One”?
Then it was time for SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long to be forced to compete in a one-on-one match against “The Chosen One” Drew McIntyre as, if Long does not compete in the match, he will be fired! After Theodore Long does not appear, Drew McIntyre gets on the microphone and reminds the GM that, per the orders of WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon, if Long does not compete, he will be fired! Faced with this ultimatum, Theodore Long reluctantly comes to the ring and McIntyre tells the GM that, to be sure that the match takes place without interference from Kofi Kingston or Matt Hardy, he has “enlisted” his own “private security force”! McIntyre’s security force comes down to ringside as McIntyre orders the referee to check Long for any “foreign objects”! Drew McIntyre then gets in the face of Theodore Long and tells Long to hit him or be fired! McIntyre continues to badger the GM and tells Long that, without the WWE, he is “nothing” and recommends that Long do as he says! “The Chosen One” then orders Theodore Long to get on his knees and publically dub McIntyre as “The Chosen One”! After McIntyre threatens to see to it that his family goes hungry, Theodore Long calls McIntyre “The Chosen One”! Drew McIntyre then instructs the humiliated GM to lay down in the middle of the ring and do so for his “lovely wife”! With his pride and dignity taken from him by Drew McIntyre, an emotional Theodore Long lays down in the middle of the ring and is given no choice but to let Drew McIntyre win the match! After the match, Drew McIntyre grabs an already dejected and humiliated Theodore Long and sets the GM up for the Future Shock DDT, but Kofi Kingston comes out! However, Drew McIntyre’s large security force gets a hold of Kofi Kingston and the security continues to hold Kofi while McIntyre assaults the helpless Intercontinental Champion! Having seen enough, Matt Hardy hops the barricade and manages to get a few shots in on Drew McIntyre before the security force grabs Matt and holds Matt for McIntyre to beat Matt down before McIntyre rolls Matt into the ring and plants Matt Hardy with the Future Shock DDT before ordering his security force to throw Kofi Kingston into the ring where McIntyre plants Kofi with the Future Shock DDT as well! What effect will this attack have on the Intercontinental Title match this Sunday at WWE Fatal 4-Way?
One-half of the self-proclaimed “co-Women’s Champions” Layla was in action on SmackDown as Layla, with Michelle McCool in her corner, would go one-on-one with Kelly Kelly, with Tiffany in her corner! After Michelle McCool interfered in the match on Layla’s behalf, Tiffany took McCool down and Layla then took Tiffany down, but this left the door open for Kelly Kelly to hit the K2 on Layla and pin the Women’s Champion! Has Kelly Kelly earned herself a Women’s Title opportunity?
With SmackDown Consultant Vickie Guerrero in his corner, “The Platinum Superstar” Dolph Ziggler was in action on SmackDown as he went one-on-one with “The Masterpiece” Chris Masters! After not being able to keep the sleeper hold on Chris Masters, Dolph Ziggler went to the Zig Zag and was able to hit the maneuver en route to defeating “The Masterpiece”!
Then it was time for the main event as, just two nights before they all face off in a Fatal 4-Way for the World Heavyweight Title at WWE Fatal 4-Way, World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger would team with “The Straightedge Savior” CM Punk to face the team of “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show & “The Master of the 619” Rey Mysterio! In the end, it was Rey Mysterio countering the Swagger Bomb that allowed Rey to pin the World Heavyweight Champion for the second week in a row to pick up the win for himself and Big Show! After the match, Kane comes out and, after taking Luke Gallows down on his way to the ring, Kane proceeded to knock Big Show off of the ring apron before planting Jack Swagger and CM Punk with thunderous chokeslams before planting Rey Mysterio with the Tombstone Piledriver! After laying waste to the Fatal 4-Way participants, Kane said that one of them is already in “hell”, but this Sunday will be a “fatal night” for whoever is responsible for the attack on The Undertaker! Will Kane find the perpetrator this Sunday? Will it be one of the Fatal 4-Way participants?
Superstar of the Week: Big Show
The debut edition of WWE Fatal 4-Way came to you, live on pay-per-view, from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island, NY (Uniondale, NY). At the inaugural event, five championships would be defended with two of those title matches being Fatal 4-Way Matches!
The WWE Championship will be on the line at WWE Fatal 4-Way as, despite a brutal attack by the NXT contingent a few weeks ago, John Cena will defend the WWE Title against “The Viper” Randy Orton, who will be competing in the match despite the condition of his right shoulder being in question, “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus, who defeated Mark Henry to qualify, and “The Rated-R Superstar” Edge, who defeated Chris Jericho and the WWE Champion himself in a Triple Threat Match to qualify! Now, at WWE Fatal 4-Way, all four of these Superstars will wage war over the prestigious WWE Championship. Who will emerge as WWE Champion when it is every man for himself where the first Superstar to score a pinfall or submission will be the champion?
The World Heavyweight Championship will also be on the line in a Fatal 4-Way Match at WWE Fatal 4-Way as “The All-American Champion” Jack Swagger would defend the World Heavyweight Title against three former champions in “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show, “The Straightedge Savior” CM Punk, & “The Master of the 619” Rey Mysterio. However, this World Heavyweight Title match will have a dark cloud over it as “The Big Red Machine” Kane has targeted the four participants as the ones responsible for his brother, The Undertaker’s “vegetative state”! Kane has vowed that WWE Fatal 4-Way will be a “fatal night” for whoever is responsible for the attack on The Undertaker, but what does that mean for the participants in the Fatal 4-Way World Heavyweight Title match? Who will emerge from WWE Fatal 4-Way as the World Heavyweight Champion?
For weeks, “The Chosen One” Drew McIntyre has “requested” the help of his number one supporter, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon, to deal with his problems with SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long; including having Matt Hardy suspended, without pay, until further notice and forcing Theodore Long to compete and be humiliated in a match against Drew McIntyre, but now Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston has stepped forward to stand in the way of Drew McIntyre and his Chairman-endorsed tactics! Now, at WWE Fatal 4-Way, Kofi Kingston will defend the Intercontinental Championship against “The Chosen One” Drew McIntyre. Who will emerge as the Intercontinental Champion? What lengths will Drew McIntyre go to in order to regain the Intercontinental Title?
After regaining the United States Title in a Fatal 4-Way Match on RAW, The Miz will defend his newly won United States Title in a one-on-one match against the former champion, R-Truth, who would invoke his rematch clause! Can R-Truth regain the United States Title or will The Miz retain the gold?
The Fatal 4-Way matches will not only go to the Superstars as the Divas Championship will be on the line at WWE Fatal 4-Way in a Fatal 4-Way Match as Eve Torres will defend her Divas Title against former Divas Champion Maryse, former Women’s Champion Gail Kim, & Alicia Fox! Which one of these Divas will walk out as the Divas Champion?
Alumni Profile of the Week
Name: John “Bradshaw” Layfield
Born On: November 29, 1966 in Sweetwater, TX
Age: 43
Resides: New York City, NY
Trained By: Brad Rheingans
WWE Run: January 1996- April 5, 2009
Accomplishments
One Time WWE Champion
Longest Running WWE Champion in SmackDown History
One Time Intercontinental Champion
One Time United States Champion
One Time European Champion
Seventeen Time Hardcore Champion
Three Time WWE World Tag Team Champion (w/ Faarooq)
Former SmackDown Color Commentator
Tenth WWE Grand Slam Champion
Twentieth WWE Triple Crown Champion
Did You Know?
After his WWE departure, John “Bradshaw” Layfield began working for the up-start MMA promotion, the Vyper Fight League (VFL), which is affiliated with former WWE developmental territory, OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling). Layfield’s company, Layfield Energy, is a sponsor for both organizations.
Next Week’s WWE Television Schedule
Sunday, June 20: WWE Fatal 4-Way, LIVE on pay-per-view, from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Arena in Long Island, NY (Uniondale, NY)
Monday, June 21: RAW, LIVE from the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, CT
Tuesday, June 22: WWE NXT from the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, NH
Thursday, June 24: WWE Superstars from Bridgeport, CT & Manchester, NH
Friday, June 25: The Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, NH Hosts SmackDown