Due to the length of today’s post, I have edited it to better suit the front page. The draft picks will be listed here by brand at the top of the post, and the in-depth analysis will be found after the jump. This is done in Real-Time, so click your browser’s refresh button every 10 minutes or so for the latest picks!
RAW
The Great Khali & Ranjin Singh
Natalya
Ezekiel Jackson
Goldust JTG The Hart Dynasty
SMACKDOWN
Chavo Guerrero
Cody Rhodes
Chris Masters
Hornswoggle
Rosa Mendes
Montel Vontavious Porter
Full analysis of the 2010 supplemental draft picks, after the jump!
Well, as you guys may or may not know, Friday was both JT’s and my birthday. That said, I missed SmackDown on TV this week. Luckily, I never actually watch SmackDown on TV, so that’s not a problem. I’ve get the show cued up and ready to go, so once again I’ll be giving quick thoughts on everything as we go along!
I am back from my one week absence. Sorry about that, my loyal readers, but my family was in town last weekend and I couldn’t find the time to sit down and write my thoughts on last weeks episode. With that said…let’s get retarted in here.
Match 1: Fatt Lardy er…Matt Hardy vs David Hart Smith
I’m not sure if Matt can slap a tornado, but by the looks of things lately, he can probably belly bump one. This match is very technical at the beginning. Not to offend anybody…and I sure as hell don’t need GLAAD on my ass…but David Hart Smith looks extremely gay in the pink camo…Matt kinda does too in his purple footie pajamas. I will say this about DH, however…he is really good with his move set, but he seems to get lost out there at times and doesn’t quite know what to do. Matt Hardy actually lands a Moonsault, that didn’t quite land, but at least he did it. Tyson Kidd jumps on the mat to distract Matt and DH lands a big boot. The ref attempts to send Natalya and Tyson Kidd to the back, and Matt rolls Smith up for the 3-count. This match was pretty good. It got a little slow at times, as David Hart Smith seemed to be searching for moves.
Ask the Divas segment…who cares?!
Match 2: Zack Ryder w/Rosa Mendes vs Shelton Benjamin
This match is very athletic. Shelton has the exact opposite problem of DH Smith. He seems to go to fast at times, which causes him to botch some of his moves. I think they could have found someone hotter to accompany Zack Ryder to the ring, but that’s not a big deal I guess. Ryder’s Flying Leg Larriot is awesome. He will be a future midcard title holder…I don’t see much else from him at this point and time, but maybe. As the action spills to the outside, Rosa goes to check on Zack. Ryder doesn’t pay attention to the count and loses by countout. Shelton hits Pay Dirt when Ryder re-enters the ring for good measure.
Video package for Sheamus. I definitely like that guy! He’s gonna be a STAR!!!!
Josh Matthews interviews Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase. They talk some smack about MVP and Mark Henry. It was a good carryover from Monday.
Main Event: MVP vs Ted DiBiase
It’s time to give the ball to MVP and DiBiase. I think everybody is tired of seeing Cena, Orton, and HHH in the title hunt every month. I guess the creative team on RAW just doesn’t get it though. That’s why Smackdown and ECW are the shows to watch right now. This match was dominated by TD2 for the most part, but MVP gets the comeback victory with a rollup. This match was nice and physical as both guys have mean streaks.
That’s it for this week. Check me out next week for another review of WWE Superstars. Remember to check back in for the Smackdown review tonight.
This match looked like a squash until the end, when Bourne made his comeback and hit his Shooting Star Press for the win. Raw is not doing a good job in building their midcard scene. Masters should be in the US Title race…not losing to Evan Bourne. Evan Bourne should be on Smackdown in the IC Title race…not beating huge guys like Masters and Jack Swagger.
Match 2: William Regal vs Tyler Reks
Tyler Reks sucks. He looks like he needs to take a massive duece when he walks. Regal wins with his running knee. After the match, Big Zeke and Kozlov hit their finishers on Reks for good measure.
Match 3: Cryme Time and Eve vs the Hart Dynasty
Good match…even with the divas involved. Eve looks good in the ring and Natalya is good in the ring. Natalya gets the win after Eve missed her acrobatic splash followed by a Natalya clothesline.
I’m looking forward to seeing Morrison/Hardy for the World Heavyweight title on Smackdown! The craftiness of Kidd and Morrison make for a great match. These two guys are prime examples for why Smackdown is so much better than Raw right now. Kidd hit a sick neckbreaker at the edge of the apron on Morrison during the middle of the match. Morrison exhibited his usual greatness. David Hart Smith and Natalya were ejected from ringside, which ulitimately spelled doom for Tyson Kidd in this match. John Morrison is one of my favorite superstars and his explosiveness is second to none. The Shaman of Sexy hit Starship Pain for the win.
Match 2: William Regal vs the Japanese Sensation Yoshi Tatsu
Yoshi Tatsu gets some of the biggest pops when he comes out to the ring. The fans love this guy. He kicks and karate chops guys to death. However, William Regal gets the win with a running knee. Regal gets his win back with that one.
Josh Matthews interviews Randy Orton in the locker room. He asks Orton’s impressions on John Cena winning the beat the clock challenge. He said Cena has won pain and agony with his beat the clock victory.
Main Event: WWE Champion Randy Orton vs the cartwheeling Primo Colon
Here is the random match of the night…but I like it. Primo is exciting and its always nice to see the CHAMPION get a chance at a real victory. Primo starts like an A.D.D. kid without his meds. He bounces all over the place and gets his offense in until the commercial break. During the break, Orton regains control and starts his methodical beatdown of Primo. Primo hits the ropes and nails a flying elbow and then his cartwheel. Missile dropkick hits but the springboard splash misses and Orton hits the RKO for the win. Refreshing match for the both of them.
This was a good, entertaining show. I like how they mixed good matches with the randomness this week. I guess thats what Superstars is for. Anywho…come back and check me out next week.
So on RAW earlier tonight we found out that Evan Bourne, Jack Swagger, and Mark Henry have all joined RAW as part of a 15 Superstar trade. Here’s the complete list:
Coming to Monday Night RAW:
Jack Swagger (from ECW)
Evan Bourne (from ECW)
Mark Henry (from ECW)
Alicia Fox (from SmackDown)
Gail Kim (from SmackDown)
Coming to Friday Night SmackDown:
Matt Hardy (from RAW)
Finlay (from ECW)
The Hart Dynasty – Tyson Kidd, DH Smith, and Natalya (from ECW)
Coming to ECW:
Shelton Benjamin (from SmackDown)
Goldust (from RAW)
William Regal (from RAW)
Nicki & Brie Bella (from RAW)
Somebody please tell me – what the hell was the point of the draft? The Bellas went to RAW from SmackDown with the Draft, as did Matt Hardy. Alicia Fox just got over to SmackDown from ECW and now she’s on RAW. It’s ridiculous. Ah well, whatever. Be interesting to see if ECW is as good minus Swagger, Bourne, Henry, and the Hart Dynasty. Shelton Benjamin is the only major SmackDown loss – and I say this because they pretty much treat Gail Kim like she’s a jobber anyway. In fact, SmackDown will be even better with David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, and Natalya (who was drafted to ECW from SmackDown earlier this year in the supplemental draft, incidentally).
I just don’t see the point of this – the draft was just two months ago!
Ok, maybe not, but it is in real-time, so don’t forget to refresh the page every so often if you’re visiting between 10PM and 11PM Eastern on June 23, 2009!
ECW theme plays: Look, new ECW. I just brought up the original ECW, how can I not question your heart?
Five nights away from The Bash, where Mark Henry, Jack Swagger, Christian, Finlay, and ECW Champion Tommy Dreamer will attempt to walk out as champion in a Scramble match!
But tonight, Evan Bourne is here with taped up ribs due to injuries suffered at the hands of The World’s Strongest Man, Mark Henry. Bourne’s opponent is The Hart Dynasty’s Tyson Kidd.
Evan Bourne def. Tyson Kidd
Matt Striker assumes that if he presses Triangle and L1, Kidd or Bourne will do something exciting, since they’re almost like video game characters with their high flying offense. David Hart Smith and Natalya hopped up on the apron at the same time, earning themselves an ejection from the referee. Bourne knocks Kidd out of the ring and hits a high-flying maneuver to the outside, earning himself a classic “ECW” chant! Back in the ring, however, Kidd goes after the injured ribs of Bourne. Kidd stretches Bourne as only a Hart Dungeon graduate can do, but Bourne reverses a back suplex attempt into a pin attempt for one. Kidd doesn’t let this minor setback impede his progress, he goes right back after Bourne’s ribs, driving his knee into them and then draping Bourne across the top rope. Bourne starts to battle back amid “Let’s Go Evan” chants. Bourne uses a unique rollup to score a two count and starts to build momentum. Bourne hits a hurricanrana and a Tito Santana-esque flying forearm before taking Kidd down with a high knee. He climbs the ropes and launches a picture perfect Shooting Star Press for the victory! Excellent match to kick off ECW!
A lot of people are saying Finlay took cheap shots on Tommy Dreamer and Christian last week – but they don’t mention the shot on Jack Swagger. The show a video of the cheap shots in question – including the cheap shot on Swagger that I mentioned.
Speaking of Finlay, he’s on his way to the ring.
<COMMERCIAL BREAK>
For some ungodly reason, Finlay still has Hornswoggle’s music. I know this because he’s on his way to the ring as I type this. And apparently, he’s got something to say. People want to know what his problem is and why he did what he did to Christian and Dreamer. He tried to break up a fight between the two of them a few weeks back, and nobody called him to apologize – they texted him. What he did last week wasn’t a cheap shot, it was an eye for an eye, and this Sunday at The Bash…
Oh radio, tell me everything you know…
Zack Ryder tells Finlay to listen up, because Finlay’s overlooking the fact that he’s got a match with the man of ECW, Zack Ryder. Woo Woo Woo, you know it. Whatever that means.
<COMMERCIAL BREAK>
Finlay def. Zack Ryder
The match is underway when we come back, and Finlay is in control. As Matt Striker says, Finlay is looking to make Ryder’s Woo Woo Woo turn backwards into Ow Ow Ow. Finlay attempts to wear down Ryder with submission holds and fierce strikes. Ryder starts to battle back after he and Finlay inadvertantly cracked heads, which seemed to hurt Finlay’s injured eye. Ryder starts to work over the Irishman with submission holds of his own. Mr. Woo Woo Woo goes after the injured eye, wearing Finlay down. Finlay starts to fight back with a barrage of strikes. He hits the Finlay Roll but only gets a two count. Ryder goes after the eye again, and exposes the steel turnbuckle as the referee checks on Finlay, but Finlay manages to catch Ryder with a surprise roll up for the victory!
<COMMERCIAL BREAK>
RAW REBOUND: Randy Orton and Triple H both failed to answer the referee’s ten count, thus allowing Randy Orton to retain the WWE Championship. Donald Trump sold RAW back to Mr. McMahon for twice what he paid for it. Mr. McMahon then told Randy Orton he’s going to wrestle in Three Stages of Hell at The Bash, defending his title once again against Triple H, who assaulted him in the parking lot after the show.
Josh Matthews and Matt Striker run down the card for The Bash.
Striker gets in the ring and has a blackboard illustrating the ECW Championship Scramble match with him. Your teacher teaches us the rules of the match. He then welcomes Gregory Helms, who is standing by backstage with Mark Henry. Henry starts to talk about tonight’s main event, when a large box falls on a production assistant. When Henry turns back around, Helms is gone, and The Hurricane is saving the production assistant! When Henry turns back around again, Helms is there and asks him again how he feels about his match tonight.
<COMMERCIAL BREAK>
Jack Swagger is the first man out for tonight’s main event, followed by his tag team partner for the evening, Mark Henry. The ECW Champion Tommy Dreamer makes his way out first for his team. Christian makes his way out and we’re set for our main event of the evening.
Tommy Dreamer & Christian vs. Mark Henry & Jack Swagger
Christian and Swagger start off with Christian taking early control. He tags in Dreamer who doesn’t fare as well, until Swagger tags in Mark Henry. Dreamer knocks Henry out of the ring and dumps an incoming Swagger out as well. Dreamer hits the rolling senton from the apron on Henry and Christian hits a cross body from the top onto Swagger, and the “ECW” chants start up again as we head to a…
<COMMERCIAL BREAK>
Swagger is pounding away on Christian as we come back, but Christian starts to battle back. Dreamer gets the tag in, and starts dominating. Christian inadvertently causes distracts the referee, however, allowing Mark Henry to sneak in and attack Dreamer from behind, which gives Swagger the opportunity to take over and tag in the World’s Strongest Man. Swagger and Henry make the ghost of Gorilla Monsoon proud by cutting the ring in half and using frequent tags to keep a fresh man in the ring, but Swagger finds himself caught with a Dreamer spinebuster. Swagger gets to Henry first, but Dreamer gets to Christian soon after. Captain Charisma takes Henry down with a missile dropkick from the top rope and gets a two count. Christian goes for a sunset flip on Henry, but Swagger tags himself in. Henry goes to sit on Christian, who moves, but Swagger, the legal man, goes for a Gutwrench Powerbomb, which Christian escapes before hitting the Killswitch. Swagger was close enough to the ropes for Tony Atlas to pull his foot under the rope. Henry squashes Christian on the outside, allowing Swagger to hit the Gutwrench on a second attempt to pick up the win.
After the match, Henry drops Dreamer with a World’s Strongest Slam, and then gives one to Jack Swagger for good measure.
My Thoughts: THE HURRICANE IS BACK! This show is usually awesome enough, but to actually see The Hurricane on my television made it that much better for me.
ECW is consistently one of the best shows every week. There’s a reason for that – the talent. Twice tonight, ECW chants broke out in the crowd. It may not be the original, as I alluded to earlier in this post, but it’s still an extremely (no pun intended) enjoyable professional wrestling program.
Hey everybody! Its your favorite Christian enthusiast, tharvey1, here again for another review of WWE Superstars.
Match Numero Uno por la noche pits Rey Rey and Senor Money in the Bank CM Punk against Kane and El Grande Show. For those of you not fluent in Spanglish, it is Rey and CM Punk vs Kane and Big Show in a tag match.
To start the match, it is Kane taking on Rey. Kane and Rey seem to work well together when they square off, so the beginning of the match was quite entertaining. A pretty cool spot with Kane sliding Rey across the ring on his stomach to outside and Rey landing on his feet caught my eye. The middle of the match saw Kane and Show taking it to the much much smaller Rey. Somehow Rey weaseled away from Kane and made the tag to Punk, who came in hot until Show forced him off the top rope and into a chokeslam by Kane. Winner Kane and Big Show. I was suprised to see how little Punk was used in this match. I give this match a 6.5 out of 10.
The next match of the evening is Finlay and the midget against Tyson Kidd and Natalya, who were already in the ring
Kidd and Finlay start the match, with the troll quickly entering. He somehow pulled off a move, pulled out tennis balls and juggled them, threw them at Tyson Kidd, who proceeded to chase him out of the ring. Finlay then layed him out, tossed him back into the ring, and hit him with the shileighly….screw the spelling…you know what I’m talking about. The “little person” nails Kidd with the tadpole splash for the W. I was wildly disappointed with the lack of action for the B E A utiful Natalya, as her appearance was the only thing that made this squash match bearable to watch. I give this match a 2 out of 10. How can they build a guy like Tyson Kidd up if they are just going to job him to Hornswoggle?! On the way to break, Finlay seranades the audience and Hornswoggle with a rendition of When Irish Eyes are Smiling and just like that, Father and Son are split up. God I hope they future endeavor that little monkey soon.
John Cena talks backstage. Blah Blah Blah. He’s a great person, but there’s just so much I can take of him.
And Now for the Main Event of the evening. In the Blue Corner and fighting out of Jamaica…Kofi Kingston. In the Red Corner and fighting out of Toronto Ontario, Canada and hopefully future World Heavyweight Champion…The Rated R Superstar EHHHDDDDGGGE!!!!!!
Why hasn’t this match occurred sooner? Why didn’t Kofi get any revenge on Edge for stealing his Elimination Chamber spot? Whatever…The ultra, super athletic Kofi Kingston is great to watch…especially when he squares off against the magnificent Edge. The beginning of the match has a lot of arm bars by Kofi Kingston to pass the time on what will be a fairly lengthy match to end the show. Right before the final commercial break of the night, Edge knocks Kofi off the top rope. Back from break, Edge assumes control of the match. A little back in forth leads to Kofi showing off his athleticism off the top rope with a high cross body. Kofi uses an unorthodox, kinda belly to belly sweep for a pin attempt, which results in a twooooooo. Edge gets up and face plants Kofi, then misses a spear as Kofi recovers and hits a spinning kick to knock The Rated R Superstar out of the ring. A series of near falls by both men leads into a spear by Edge for the win. This was good back and forth match and by far the best match of the night. I give this match an 8 out of 10. It would have been a 10 out of 10 if Christian had shown up for a “5 Second Pose.” There’s my cheap plug of the night for Christian.
Overall, the show was just OK. The first match was alright, but lacked “it,” as all four of the guys seemed to care less about being there. The second match was a joke. Somebody please kill Hornswoggle already. The main event was very good, but not good enough to offset Hornswoggle being on the show. Now I will leave you with a fact of life as I know it….Firehouse is the greatest band of the “Hairband” era. Thanks for reading everybody and join me next week for another exhilarating WWE Superstars Review by Yours Truly.
