June 20, 2010- June 26, 2010
Welcome to the one-hundred twelfth 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
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) where five championships would be decided. The WWE Championship would be on the line in a Fatal 4-Way Match as WWE Champion John Cena would defend the gold against “The Viper” Randy Orton, “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus, & “The Rated-R Superstar” Edge! The World Heavyweight Championship would also be defended in a Fatal 4-Way Match as “The All-American Champion” Jack Swagger would defend the World Heavyweight Title against “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show, “The Straightedge Savior” CM Punk, & “The Master of the 619” Rey Mysterio! The Intercontinental Championship would also be up for grabs as Kofi Kingston defends the gold against “The Chosen One” Drew McIntyre. Six nights after regaining the United States Championship, new champion The Miz would defend the gold against former champion R-Truth. The Divas Championship would also be on the line in a Fatal 4-Way Match as Eve Torres would defend the gold against Maryse, Gail Kim, & Alicia Fox.
WWE Fatal 4-Way (June 20, 2010)
Good Night For: Rey Mysterio, Sheamus, & Alicia Fox (all claimed gold in their respective Fatal 4-Way Matches)
Bad Night For: John Cena (lost the WWE Title and was, once again, mugged by the ex-Rookie contingent)
The inaugural WWE Fatal 4-Way event kicks off with a surprise appearance by WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon, who announces that RAW General Manager Bret Hart will not be at the event as a result of the attack by the season one NXT Rookies on RAW! The Chairman states that he is meeting with Bret’s “representatives” to determine when Bret will be able to return and what action will be taken against the ex-Rookie contingent! Before leaving, the Chairman shakes the hand of “The Chosen One” Drew McIntyre and has a short talk with his hand-picked Superstar before Mr. McMahon gets in his limo and exits the arena and McIntyre enters the ring!
Before he challenges Kofi Kingston for the Intercontinental Championship, “The Chosen One” Drew McIntyre states that WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon has informed him that SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long is ordered to come out! Long reluctantly comes out and McIntyre calls the GM “pathetic” before telling Long that he must sit at ringside and states that “when” he regains the Intercontinental Title, Theodore Long will “hand” the title to him! During the match, Kofi Kingston locked in a rope-aided submission maneuver on Drew McIntyre and McIntyre throws Kofi off of the maneuver and inadvertently into the referee; knocking the referee down in the process! McIntyre then throws Kofi shoulder-first into the steel ring post before planting Kofi with the Future Shock DDT and pinned Kofi, but it did not matter seeing as the referee was down and unable to make the count! McIntyre then set his sights on SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long at ringside before going and retrieving Long from his seat at ringside! McIntyre then proceeded to strip the referee’s shirt off of the assigned referee and ordered Long to put the referee shirt on and count the pin for him! McIntyre then pins Kofi and Long counts the one and then the two, but the GM then refuses to count the three! McIntyre then threatens Long to count the three and McIntyre sets Kofi up for another Future Shock DDT, but the suspended Matt Hardy rushes the ring and plants McIntyre with the Twist of Fate, which leads to Kofi hitting Trouble In Paradise on McIntyre and, a three count by Theodore Long later, Kofi successfully retains the Intercontinental Title in a grueling and controversial title defense! How will Drew McIntyre to losing such a controversial title match?
The Divas Championship was also on the line as Eve Torres would defend the gold against Maryse, Gail Kim, & Alicia Fox in a Fatal 4-Way Match! In the end, it looked like Eve Torres was set to retain the gold after hitting the Evesault on Maryse, but Alicia Fox tossed Eve Torres out of the ring and scored the pin on Maryse herself to win the Divas Title! How will Eve Torres respond to losing the Divas Title?
Before he would compete, Chris Jericho states that it seems he is no longer the “hot topic” of the WWE and says that his NXT season one Rookie, Wade Barrett, has been getting more attention than him and that he deserves it because Barrett has been making an “impact”, while he has not been! Jericho continued that, throughout his career, he has been the “underdog”, but now he is at the “top of the mountain” and everyone is trying to knock him off! Jericho then proclaims that he is the “most important performer” on RAW and that he now has a “target” on his back! Jericho then states that he was a “victim” on RAW when Evan Bourne hit him with the Air Bourne after their match and he has challenged Evan Bourne to a rematch! Jericho then proclaims that, he will “snuff out” the career of Evan Bourne! At the end of an incredibly hard-fought match, it was Evan Bourne, after countless attempts, finally hitting the Air Bourne maneuver to the back of Chris Jericho en route to pinning the former World Champion to pick up the upset win! How will Chris Jericho respond to being pinned by Evan Bourne?
As the accusing eyes of “The Big Red Machine” Kane oversees all the potential Superstars responsible for the attack on his brother, The Undertaker, the World Heavyweight Championship was up for grabs in a Fatal 4-Way Match as “The All-American Champion” Jack Swagger would defend the gold against “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show, “The Straightedge Savior” CM Punk, & “The Master of the 619” Rey Mysterio! During the match, with all four of the Fatal 4-Way participants down, “The Big Red Machine” Kane came out and wheeled a casket to ringside before entering the ring and selecting CM Punk as the assailant of his brother, The Undertaker! Kane grabs “The Straightedge Savior” and drags CM Punk to the outside of the ring and delivers a chokeslam to Punk; landing Punk in the casket! However, when Kane tried to close the casket on Punk, Luke Gallows came out and knocked down Kane long enough to rescue CM Punk! Kane then chases Punk & Gallows to the back as, in the ring, Rey Mysterio hits the 619 on Jack Swagger and follows it up with the springboard splash to win his second World Heavyweight Championship! How will Jack Swagger respond to losing his gold? Is CM Punk really responsible for the attack on The Undertaker?
Six nights after winning the United States Title, the new champion The Miz would defend the gold against former champion R-Truth! In the end, it was The Miz taking advantage of the injured ribs of R-Truth to sit out on a sunset flip attempt by R-Truth to pick up the win and successfully retain the United States Title!
The Unified WWE Tag Team Champions The Hart Dynasty were in action in a 6-Person Tag Match as Tyson Kidd, David Hart Smith, & Natalya would face Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, & Tamina! In the end, it was Natalya catching Tamina with a discus clothesline en route to pinning Tamina to pick up the win in 6-Person Tag action!
Then it was time for the main event as the WWE Championship would be put on the line in a Fatal 4-Way Match as John Cena would defend the WWE Title against “The Viper” Randy Orton, “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus, & “The Rated-R Superstar” Edge! During the match, Edge pulls Randy Orton to the outside of the ring and the two Superstars brawl until Sheamus joins the fray, but “The Celtic Warrior” is hurled over the announce table by Orton, which leads to Edge spearing Orton into the barricade; taking himself out in the process! With John Cena alone in the ring, the cameras show R-Truth, Evan Bourne, & The Hart Dynasty watching the match backstage when the seven season one NXT Rookies attack again and lay out the four Superstars and leave the backstage area in shambles. With John Cena alone in the ring, the ex-Rookie contingent takes out a stage hand before setting their sights on Cena, who manages to hit the Attitude Adjustment on Darren Young before being outnumbered by the contingent. Edge then joins the fray in an attempt to run the NXT contingent off, but the odds are too much for Edge as well as the ex-Rookies also leave Edge laid out. While the Rookies work over Edge, Sheamus rushes back in the ring and quickly pins John Cena to steal the WWE Title! After Sheamus narrowly escapes being caught by the ex-Rookies, the contingent resumes their assault on John Cena as the NXT season one alumni again beat down and leave John Cena laid out in the middle of the ring before the sight of Sheamus holding his newly obtained WWE Title leads to the former Rookies chasing after Sheamus! What will be the backlash of yet another attack by the ex-Rookie contingent? How will John Cena respond to losing his WWE Title and suffering another attack by the season one NXT Rookies?
One night after a historic and controversial WWE Fatal 4-Way, the 891st edition of WWE Monday Night RAW came to you, live, from the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, CT. One night after the season one NXT Rookies perpetrated another attack on several WWE Superstars, including John Cena, and cost Cena the WWE Title in the Fatal 4-Way main event, the ramifications of the ex-Rookie contingent’s attack would be felt on RAW!
Monday Night RAW (June 21, 2010)
Good Week For: Chris Jericho (finally defeated Evan Bourne to keep his career intact)
Bad Week For: Mr. McMahon (was viciously assaulted and laid out by the newly signed ex-Rookie contingent)
On the heels of a historic and controversial WWE Fatal 4-Way, RAW kicks off with WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon, who states that, among the “ultimate sheer chaos” of last night’s event, there is a new WWE Champion in Sheamus and states there is “one person” who is responsible for that “chaos” and that is RAW General Manager Bret Hart! The Chairman states that Bret made a “bad decision” last week by firing Wade Barrett and dismissing the other ex-Rookies and says that, despite his abduction and being shaken up last week, it is “no reason” to not show up for WWE Fatal 4-Way! Mr. McMahon continues that Bret did not hire extra security or inform the RAW Superstars that another attack by the NXT contingent might occur and says that it is “all on Bret Hart! Mr. McMahon then announces that he has “no alternative” but to “relieve” Bret Hart of his duties as RAW General Manager; meaning that Bret Hart is fired! The Chairman then states that his firing of Bret Hart brings him “closure”! Mr. McMahon then announces that there is already a new RAW General Manager, but that the new GM has chosen to remain “anonymous” and that the GM will make their announcements through a laptop that will be situated on the announce table and, whenever the GM sends an email to the laptop, commentator Michael Cole will stand up and will read what the new GM wants to announce! Michael Cole then reads the first email from the anonymous RAW GM that makes the blockbuster announcement that all seven members of the ex-NXT contingent are now hired as Superstars and they will address the WWE fans on RAW! Before Mr. McMahon can exit the ring, the new WWE Champion Sheamus comes out! “The Celtic Champion” apologizes to the Chairman and says that last night was not how he wanted to win the WWE Championship; he wanted to defeat three of the top WWE Superstars by himself! Sheamus then announces that he “can’t accept” the WWE Championship under the given “conditions”! Sheamus starts to hand the WWE Title over to Mr. McMahon before putting the title back on his shoulder and states that he will “accept” it anyways! The new WWE Champion then delivers a message to the ex-NXT contingent by saying “thank you” for giving him the “opportunity” he “needed” to win the WWE Title, but states that he did not “need” their help because he could have won the WWE Title in the Fatal 4-Way Match on his own! Sheamus then says that the ex-Rookie contingent set out to “make a statement” at WWE Fatal 4-Way, but the only “statement” that was made was him winning his second WWE Championship! This brings out the former WWE Champion, John Cena, who “thanks” Mr. McMahon for the new anonymous General Manager and asks Michael Cole to send “thanks” to the new mystery GM for hiring the ex-NXT Rookies because now he knows that he can expect the ex-Rookie contingent! Cena then “thanks” Sheamus for winning the Fatal 4-Way and winning the WWE Title because now he can invoke his rematch clause for the WWE Championship on RAW! Sheamus responds by saying that Cena can “bark” all he wants, but he is still not getting a rematch for the WWE Title on RAW! However, the new anonymous RAW General Manager interrupts with a new email that announces that Sheamus will defend his newly won WWE Championship against former champion John Cena on RAW and, to ensure that there is no outside interference, there will be a Special Enforcer for the WWE Title match as the WWE Chairman himself, Mr. McMahon will serve as the law in the WWE Title match! Will John Cena regain his WWE Title just one night after losing it or will Sheamus find a way to retain the WWE Title? What role will Special Enforcer Mr. McMahon play in the result of the WWE Championship match?
One night after pinning Chris Jericho in a hard-fought match at WWE Fatal 4-Way, Evan Bourne would once again go one-on-one with Chris Jericho, who, before the match starts, reveals that he requested the rematch so that he can “make a statement” as, if he does not defeat Bourne, he will “walk out of the WWE forever”! At the end of another hard-fought match, Jericho was finally able to hit the Codebreaker and defeat Evan Bourne to keep his career intact! After the match, it looked like Chris Jericho was going to help Bourne to his feet and congratulate the high-flyer, but Jericho instead shoves Bourne down before leaving the ring! Now that Chris Jericho has finally defeated Evan Bourne, what is next for the former World Champion?
Backstage, “The Fortunate Son” Ted DiBiase confronts his “personal assistant” Virgil and tells Virgil that his “services will no longer be needed” because he has “upgraded”! Ted DiBiase is then joined by Maryse before getting in the face of Virgil and telling Virgil that he is fired! Have we seen the last of Virgil? How will this new relationship between Ted DiBiase and Maryse work out?
One night after pinning Tamina in 6-Person Tag action at WWE Fatal 4-Way, the daughter of Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, Natalya, would go one-on-one with the daughter of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, Tamina! In the middle of the match, the seven newest RAW Superstars make their way to ringside as the season one NXT Rookies hop the barricade and Wade Barrett states that he is there to “apologize” for their actions last week, but Barrett is interrupted by Tyson Kidd taking flight into the crowd of ex-Rookies! David Hart Smith joins the fray, but the seven-on-two odds are too much for the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions and the ex-NXT contingent leave The Hart Dynasty laid out on the outside!
In their first address as RAW Superstars, the seven ex-NXT Rookies appear in the ring and David Otunga “apologizes” on behalf of the group for their actions over the last few weeks and stated that they did it because of their “love” for the WWE and they would do “anything” to get signed by the WWE, but now that they have their contracts, things can get back to “normal”! Heath Slater then states that they have nothing against the WWE Superstars or the WWE fans before saying that the attacks have been “nothing personal” and there are a few individuals they want to “single out” and apologize to! Justin Gabriel then steps forward and apologizes to Bret Hart for their action last week and also apologizes to The Hart Dynasty for attacking them and hopes they can “co-exist”! Darren Young then apologizes to John Cena and states that it was “nothing personal”, but they needed to “make an impact” and to do so, they needed to attack the top guy before saying that John Cena will regain the WWE Title from Sheamus! Skip Sheffield then apologizes to the WWE fans, stating that the fans supported him in NXT and wants it to be like “old times” again before telling all of the fans they scared, they hope that the fans can “forgive and forget”! Michael Tarver then apologizes to his own children for what they have seen their father over recent weeks and states that, if any of the fans were in the same position, they would have done the same thing they did! Wade Barrett then speaks and states that he had a contract and a guaranteed pay-per-view title shot, but that he aligned himself with the other ex-Rookies due to “loyalty” and that they all decided to “stick together” and they were not going to let WWE management dictate their careers! Barrett then “promises” that the bond between the seven of them will “never be broken” before revealing that, not only has he been reinstated, but his pay-per-view title opportunity has been reinstated as well! Barrett then addresses the new WWE Champion Sheamus by saying that Sheamus would not be WWE Champion if it was not for them! Barrett continues that, regardless of who is champion, he will make “no apologies” for taking their title away! When will Wade Barrett cash in his guaranteed pay-per-view title match? What is next for the seven former NXT Rookies now that they are all RAW Superstars?
With his NXT season two Rookie, Eli Cottonwood, in tow, “The Monday Night Delight” John Morrison was scheduled to go one-on-one with “The Fortunate Son” Ted DiBiase, but DiBiase states that he has “better things” to do, but that he found a “suitable replacement” before bringing out “The Long Island Iced Z” Zack Ryder, with his NXT season two Rookie, Titus O’Neil! In the end, it was John Morrison hitting Starship Pain en route to picking up the win over his fellow WWE Pro!
One night after losing the Divas Title in a Fatal 4-Way Match at WWE Fatal 4-Way, Eve Torres was in Mixed Tag action as Eve would team with The Great Khali to face new Divas Champion Alicia Fox and Primo! In the end, it was The Great Khali planting Primo with the Punjabi Plunge en route to picking up the win for his team!
“The Viper” Randy Orton makes an appearance on RAW and warns the newly signed NXT contingent that he will punt each and every one of them in the skull! Orton then states that he hopes that Wade Barrett becomes the new WWE Champion because he will be the one to “take it” from him! United States Champion The Miz then interrupts and says that he is “sick” of seeing Randy Orton in the main event and just “sick” of Randy Orton altogether! Miz then states that no one in the WWE has ever held the WWE and United States Titles at the same time before telling Orton that it is time for him to go to the “back of the line” because he will get the next shot at the WWE Title! The Miz then cheap shots Orton and attacks Orton, but Orton fires back and hits a powerslam on Miz before setting up for the RKO, but Miz is able to escape the ring! However, Orton is then blindsided by a Spear by Edge and, following the Spear, Edge tells Orton that “now the real fun begins”! What does this ominous message from Edge mean for Randy Orton?
Then it was time for the huge main event as, one night after winning the WWE Championship at WWE Fatal 4-Way, the new WWE Champion, Sheamus, would defend the gold against former champion John Cena and, per the orders of the new, anonymous RAW General Manager, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon will serve as the Special Enforcer for the title match to ensure that there is no outside interference! In the end, it looked like Sheamus was poised to successfully retain the WWE Title after hitting the pump kick, but the newly signed NXT contingent once again crashed the main event as the seven ex-Rookies chased Sheamus off before setting their sights on John Cena as the ex-Rookies pulled Cena out of the ring and hurled him over the announce table before turning the entire announce table over on top of Cena! WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon then enters the ring and brings the ex-NXT contingent into the ring and says he is taking “partial responsibility” for the actions of the contingent and starts to say that, next week, the new RAW General Manager will make an announcement, which changes the looks on the faces of the seven former Rookies as the season one NXT Rookies surround the WWE Chairman! The ruthless group of ex-Rookies viciously assault the head of the WWE; an assault that is capped with Wade Barrett hitting his signature maneuver on Mr. McMahon before Justin Gabriel hits the 450 Splash. After assaulting the ultimate force in the WWE in its Chairman, Mr. McMahon, what action will be taken against the ex-Rookie contingent? What will be the response from the new, anonymous RAW General Manager?
The third week of WWE NXT season two came to you from the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, NH. One week before the first NXT Poll, NXT Rookie Lucky Cannon will get the ultimate chance to impress the WWE Pros and the WWE fans as Lucky will go one-on-one with WWE Pro, Cody Rhodes!
WWE NXT (June 22, 2010)
Good Week For: Michael McGillicutty (picked up the win in singles action)
Bad Week For: Matt Striker (for the second week in a tow, was attacked from behind)
The show kicks off with the new host of NXT, Ashley Valence, as Ashley reveals that, in the first NXT Poll next week, the fans will be able to vote via WWE.com to determine their half of the votes to go along with the WWE Pros’ votes! With the first NXT Poll just one week away, the NXT Rookies would get their chance to impress the fans and the Pros as “Showtime” Percy Watson would team with his WWE Pro, “The Ballin’ Superstar” MVP, to face Alex Riley and his WWE Pro, United States Champion The Miz! In the end, it was The Miz planting Percy Watson with the Skull Crushing Finale en route to winning the match for himself and his NXT Rookie! How will the NXT Rookies’ performance in this tag match affect the first NXT Poll next week?
As the Rookies continue to try and impress the WWE Pros and the WWE fans, the third-generation competitor, Michael McGillicutty, would go one-on-one with the former Florida Gator, Titus O’Neil! In the end, it was Michael McGillicutty hitting his signature neckbreaker en route to pinning Titus O’Neil to pick up the win! How will this win weigh in with the WWE Pros and WWE fans?
The smallest NXT Rookie, “The World Warrior” Kaval, would go one-on-one with the largest Rookie in the gargantuan Eli Cottonwood! Despite an impressive showing by Kaval, the size difference was too much for “The World Warrior” as Eli Cottonwood was able to plant Kaval en route to picking up the all-important win!
Then it was time for the main event as, for the first time in season two of NXT, an NXT Rookie would go one-on-one with a WWE Pro as Rookie Lucky Cannon would square off with Pro Cody Rhodes and, in a stipulation added before the match by Cody Rhodes, the match would be contested with a five minute time limit! In the end, it was Rhodes hitting the Cross Rhodes on Lucky Cannon en route to picking up the win with a time of 3:58!
In their last appearance before the first NXT Poll, the eight Rookies would make their “closing statements” on NXT! “The Varsity Villain” Alex Riley was up first and states that, after what he has done on NXT, he should not need to deliver a statement and that, ten years ago, he was stuffing “nerds” in lockers and now, he is beating “losers” on WWE NXT! “The World Warrior” Kaval is up next and Kaval stated that, ten years ago, he tried to get his foot in the door in the WWE, but he was told that he was “too small”, but now he stands in a WWE ring! Titus O’Neil is next up and O’Neil proclaims that, all his life, he has been told what he can not do, but when it comes to NXT, he will make it a “win”! Michael McGillicutty is up next and McGillicutty states that, unlike the competition, he has “no weaknesses”! Eli Cottonwood then takes the mic and states that he is the “biggest and the baddest” on NXT and that he is “patient” and, when the time is right, his “actions will speak louder than words”! The charismatic Percy Watson is up next and “Showtime” says that he is a “heavy hitter and not a quitter”! Next up was Lucky Cannon and Lucky states that he is “lucky” because he does what he loves by being a wrestler and vying for the opportunity to become a WWE Superstar! Lastly, Husky Harris states that he does not need forty-five seconds to explain why he is the next WWE breakout star before mimicking his WWE Pro Cody Rhodes by blasting NXT Host Matt Striker from behind and squashing Striker with his modified senton bomb! How will Matt Striker react to being attacked two weeks in a row? How will the actions of Husky Harris sway the votes of the WWE Pros and WWE fans?
The 62nd edition of WWE Superstars came to you from the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, CT and from the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, NH. Former United States Champion R-Truth would be in action as R-Truth would go one-on-one with the 2008 King of the Ring, William Regal! “The Masterpiece” Chris Masters would also squared off with “The Straightedge Disciple” Luke Gallows, as well as “The Brooklyn Baller” JTG going one-on-one with one-half of The Dude Busters, Caylen Croft! The RAW Divas would also be in action as one of the Bella Twins, Brie Bella, would go one-on-one with “The Sour Songstress” Jillian.
WWE Superstars (June 24, 2010)
Good Week For: R-Truth (came out of nowhere to pick up a win over William Regal)
Bad Week For: Jillian (thanks to Nikki Bella, lost to Brie Bella)
The show kicks off with one-on-one action as “The Brooklyn Baller” JTG would go one-on-one against one-half of The Dude Busters, Caylen Croft. In the end, it was JTG hitting the Shout Out on Caylen Croft en route to pinning Croft to pick up the impressive win!
“The Straightedge Disciple” Luke Gallows was in action on WWE Superstars as the right-hand man of CM Punk went one-on-one with “The Masterpiece” Chris Masters! In the end, it was “The Anti-Diva” Serena distracting Chris Masters long enough for Luke Gallows to lift “The Masterpiece” up and deliver the Gallows Pole en route to picking up the win!
The Divas were also in action on WWE Superstars as one of the Bella Twins, Brie Bella, would go one-on-one with “The Sour Songstress” Jillian. Despite the referee being wise to their Bella switch, the Bellas were still able to pull the switch as Nikki Bella came in for her twin sister and rolled up Jillian to pick up the win for Brie Bella!
Then it was time for the main event as former United States Champion R-Truth would go one-on-one with the 2008 King of the Ring, William Regal! In the end, it was R-Truth coming out of nowhere with the Lie Detector on Regal en route to picking up the win!
Five nights after a historical and controversial WWE Fatal 4-Way, the 566th edition of WWE Friday Night SmackDown came to you from the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, NH. Five nights after being selected by Kane as the Superstar responsible for The Undertaker’s assault and inevitably cost the World Heavyweight Title at WWE Fatal 4-Way, “The Straightedge Savior” CM Punk would go one-on-one with “The Big Red Machine” Kane in a No Disqualification Match!
Friday Night SmackDown (June 25, 2010)
Good Week For: Matt Hardy (was reinstated by Theodore Long and defeated Drew McIntyre)
Bad Week For: Big Show (had his ankle badly injured at the hands of Jack Swagger)
Five nights after a historic and controversial WWE Fatal 4-Way event, SmackDown kicks off with SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long & SmackDown Consultant Vickie Guerrero! Long speaks first as the GM announces that, in four weeks time, at the inaugural WWE Money-in-the-Bank event, the new World Heavyweight Champion, Rey Mysterio, will defend his newly acquired gold against the former champion “The All-American American” Jack Swagger! SmackDown Consultant Vickie Guerrero then announces that, over the next weeks, the two of them will be “evaluating” the SmackDown Superstars to determine who will take part in the eight-man Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match at the WWE Money-in-the-Bank event! Vickie then begins to discuss the condition of WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon following the attack by the seven season one NXT Rookies on RAW, but Drew McIntyre interrupts and asks Theodore Long why he is “smiling” and Long reveals that he had a meeting with the WWE Board of Directors and they ruled that, given the current state of Mr. McMahon, they have informed him that he can run SmackDown as he sees fit! The GM then proceeds to reinstate Matt Hardy and Matt in a one-on-one match with “The Chosen One” himself! Together, Long & Vickie then order Drew McIntyre to leave their office! Now that the absence of Mr. McMahon has given Theodore Long ultimate control over SmackDown once again, how will Drew McIntyre react to Long’s rulings?
Before he would go one-on-one with “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show, the former World Heavyweight Champion, Jack Swagger, reveals that he has filed a “protest” against the WWE for having him defending the World Heavyweight Title in a Fatal 4-Way! Swagger calls the Fatal 4-Way Match “lawless” and says that it is “not fair”! Swagger continues that there were no rules in place to “protect” him or the World Heavyweight Title and Kane’s interference cost him the title! Swagger then claims that he was “cheated” and proclaims that he is “confident” that he will regain the World Heavyweight Title at WWE Money-in-the-Bank; citing that his father taught him that “cheaters never win and winners never cheat”! Swagger then vows that, until he regains the World Heavyweight Title, he will make everyone “suffer”, including his opponent, Big Show! After working on the ankle of Big Show in the match, Jack Swagger locked in an ankle lock on Big Show and, even after Big Show got to the ropes, Swagger continued to wrench the ankle of Big Show, which led to Swagger getting himself disqualified! Even with the match being over, Swagger refused to relinquish the ankle lock, which gave Big Show no choice but to tap out! Referees were finally able to get Swagger to let go of the hold, but, after Swagger left the ring, Big Show could not even put any weight on the injured ankle! Just how badly has Jack Swagger injured Big Show? Who else will Jack Swagger look to make “suffer” on his way to his rematch for the World Heavyweight Title against new champion Rey Mysterio at WWE Money-in-the-Bank?
SmackDown also featured a 6-Man Tag Match as, five nights after a successful, but controversial, title defense against Drew McIntyre, the Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston would team with “Captain Charisma” Christian and “The Ballin’ Superstar” MVP to face the team of “The Platinum Superstar” Dolph Ziggler, Curt Hawkins, & Vance Archer! At the end of a chaotic 6-Man Tag match, it was Christian hitting the Killswitch en route to picking up the win for his team!
After a month of being suspended by WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon at the behest of Drew McIntyre, the reinstated Matt Hardy would be out for revenge as Matt would go one-on-one with Drew McIntyre! At the end of an incredibly hard-fought contest that saw both Superstars fight in and out of the ring, it was Matt Hardy hitting the Twist of Fate that finally allowed Matt to pin Drew McIntyre to pick up the win! After the match, things went from bad to worse for Drew McIntyre as SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long appeared on the tron and informed McIntyre that McIntyre’s Visa had expired; meaning that McIntyre is in the United States illegally! The GM then ordered security to escort Drew McIntyre out of the arena and back to Scotland! How will Drew McIntyre react to being deported? When will we see Drew McIntyre again?
The second-generation Superstar Cody Rhodes makes an appearance on SmackDown and gloats over being voted the most handsome Superstar in the WWE by the WWE Divas and puts down the fans, as well as SmackDown commentator Todd Grisham, SmackDown Ring Announcer Tony Chimel, and even his NXT Rookie Husky Harris! Rhodes continues that this WWE.com poll should be reason enough for him to be put in the Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match at WWE Money-in-the-Bank and also tells everyone to refer to him as “dashing” from now on!
The Divas were in action on SmackDown as Kelly Kelly would go one-on-one with Rosa Mendes, but before the match could begin, the self-proclaimed “co-Women’s Champions” Michelle McCool & Layla came out to be guests on commentary for the match! However, Lay-Cool did not enjoy a long stay as Kelly Kelly immediately hit her K2 maneuver on Rosa en route to picking up the win! After the match, Lay-Cool looked like they had some unfavorable plans for Kelly Kelly, but Tiffany entered the ring and stood next to Kelly Kelly to fend off a potential attack by the self-proclaimed “co-Women’s Champions”!
Then it was time for the main event as, five nights after being selected by Kane as the assailant responsible for The Undertaker’s vegetative state at WWE Fatal 4-Way, “The Straightedge Savior” CM Punk would go one-on-one with “The Big Red Machine” Kane in a No Disqualification Match! Before the match took place, CM Punk simply stated that his is the “face of an innocent man”! With vengeance on his mind, Kane fought off the entire Straightedge Society and planted the masked ally of The Straightedge Society with a chokeslam on the arena floor before delivering a huge chokeslam to Luke Gallows through the announce table! Kane then pursued CM Punk through the crowd and into the backstage area, where Kane caught up with Punk in the lobby of the Verizon Wireless Arena where Kane put Punk through two tables! Kane was set to deliver more destruction to CM Punk, but Punk was able to escape the arena and make a run for it to get away from the revenge-fueled Kane! Has Kane fulfilled his desires for revenge or is Kane just getting started with the torment of CM Punk and The Straightedge Society?
Superstars of the Week: The Season One NXT Rookies (Wade Barrett, David Otunga, Heath Slater, Darren Young, Skip Sheffield, Justin Gabriel, & Michael Tarver)
Alumni Profile of the Week
Name: Ron Simmons
Born On: May 15, 1958 in Perry, GA
Age: 52
Resides: Marietta, GA
Trained By: Hiro Matsuda
WWE Run: July 22, 1996- January 13, 2009
Accomplishments
One Time WCW Champion
First African-American WCW Champion In History
Three Time WWE World Tag Team Champion (w/ Bradshaw)
One Time WCW World Tag Team Champion (w/ Butch Reed)
One Time WCW United States Tag Team Champion (w/ Big Josh)
Did You Know?
Ron Simmons is one of only three African-American wrestlers to have won the WCW Championship, along with The Rock & Booker T.
Next Week’s WWE Television Schedule
Monday, June 28: RAW, LIVE from the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA
Tuesday, June 29: WWE NXT from the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, PA
Thursday, July 1: WWE Superstars from Philadelphia, PA & Wilkes-Barre, PA
Friday, July 2: The Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, PA Hosts SmackDown