WWE 2010: The Ripple Effect

[magiconz]

WWE: The Ripple Effect

March 28th, 2010. The date of WrestleMania 26.

Held at the University of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona, it was the real 25th anniversary (despite the fact that WWE had advertised the previous year’s WM as so) of what had been dubbed “The Grandest Stage of Em’ All”. The show had all the potential to be one of the best WM’s yet. The show not only had a huge main event of Shawn Michaels putting his career on the line against the Undertaker and his streak, it also featured Bret Hart wrestling his first match in a decade as he took on the man that screwed him over 12 years ago, Vince McMahon. In addition to that, two of the biggest stars of the modern era were set to collide as “The Animal” Batista defended his WWE championship against the Chain Gang Leader, John Cena. Over on the SD side, Chris Jericho was set to defend his World Heavyweight Championship in a highly anticipated match against “The Rated R Superstar” Edge.

By all means, WrestleMania 26 should have been one of the greatest shows that WWE had ever put on.

Little did anyone know that it would change the landscape of the company forever.

1. The (pre)show kicked off with a 26 man Over-the-Top-Rope Battle Royal. In the end, it came down Zach Ryder and Yoshi Tatsu. After a back and forth battle, the Japanese wrestling sensation managed to catch “Long Island Iced Z” with a Buzzsaw kick as he was standing on the apron to win the match.

So far, the show’s off to a decent start. The battle royal was inoffensive and a face won to make the crowd happy. Really simple stuff. This when things start to go awry.

2. In the opening match of the actual PPV broadcast, ShowMiz managed to hang onto their Tag Team Championships after putting away John Morrison & R-Truth in a short match. Despite using their speed to rock the champions in the early goings, the power of the Big Show was just too much for the challengers. The finish of the match saw Show absolutely destroy Morrison’s jaw with a WMD punch. One thing that the announcers took note of was that, after the match, Show was walking with a noticeable limp and had to be helped to the back by WWE officials.

At first glance, everything still seems fine. The match could have been given more time but it was inoffensive. It wasn’t until the show was over that the news came out that Show had torn his calf during the match and would be out of action for more than a year. “That’s a shame”, you’re probably saying to yourself, “but, that doesn’t really change the landscape of the company.” Keep reading.

3. The second match of the evening saw Randy Orton come out on top in a triple threat match between himself and his former Legacy cohorts, Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase. From the outset, it looked like the younger superstars were going to work together to take their former leader out. This plan fell apart as each man’s own ambitions began shining through and the match quickly devolved into an “every man for himself” affair. This worked out in the Viper’s favor as he was able to catch Dibiase with an RKO and pin him after he had laid out Rhodes with a devastating Punt kick to the skull.

Many people argued that it was incredibly foolish that Orton, the established veteran of the match, picked up such a dominant victory but others argued that it was necessary for Orton to keep looking strong. These defenders of the decision would have to end up eating crow within the next few weeks but let’s not talk about that now. Onto the next match!

4. In the 6th annual Money in the Bank Ladder Match, Jack Swagger secured himself a World Title shot any time he wants for the next year. In order to capture the briefcase, Swagger had to overcome Christian, Matt Hardy, Kane, Drew McIntyre, Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, Shelton Benjamin, MVP, and Dolph Ziggler. Like the MITB matches that came before it, this one was fast and furious with all of the competitors willing to do anything to get their hands on the briefcase hanging high above the ring. As luck would have it, Swagger was the one that was able to earn the opportunity of a lifetime.

This would end up being one of the highlights of the show. A good match with lots of crazy spots that ended with a rising star being put in a position to main event in the future. Granted, Swagger, just months prior to this, had been losing comedy matches to Santino Marella but oh well.

5. In a heated grudge match between two fierce competitors, Sheamus picked up, arguably, the biggest win of his career by pinning “The Game”, HHH. With both men trading the advantage throughout the match, it looked like “The Game” was going add another win to his impressive WM track record as he ducked under a Brouge Kick from Sheamus and planted him with the Pedigree! There was no cover, however, as HHH did not roll Sheamus over. Instead, he rolled over, grimacing in pain and clutching his knee. A few days later, it was discovered that HHH had actually torn his left quad again when he hit the Pedigree. Since the original finish of the match had HHH winning off the Pedigree, The Game called an audible. He staggered his way to his feet to allow Sheamus to lay him out with the second Brouge Kick of the match and pick up the duke.

Another match, another injury. It was very unfortunate that HHH re-tore the quad that had given him trouble almost a decade earlier. It was even more unfortunate when the Game said that he was taking his injury as a sign and announced his retirement from in-ring action. Just like that, WWE had lost another one of their top stars.

6. In what was one of the more anticipated matches in the IWC, Rey Mysterio overcame the numbers advantage possessed by CM Punk and his Straight Edge Society en route to victory. To the surprise of many, this match was kept short. Seemingly aware of the short time that they had been given, both men went at each other as soon as the bell rung, neither one wanting to give the other a chance to breathe. Despite repeated attempts at interference from Luke Gallows and Serena, Rey was able to take the Straight Edge Messiah out with his signature 619! After the ref had counted three and awarded the match to Rey, Punk popped up, acting as if nothing had happened, and stormed his way up the ramp. People in the front row could clearly hear Punk angrily scream, “THAT’S IT! I’M FUCKING DONE!” As Rey and the rest of the SES looked confused in the ring, the announcers speculated about why the loss had fired the former WHC up so much.

As it turned out, Punk’s outburst after the match was actually him expressing his frustrations with the company. Feeling that he was being mistreated and wasn’t truly being appreciated for his hard work, Punk felt that the short length of what should have been a MOTY contender against Mysterio was the last straw. As soon as he got backstage, Punk confronted several road agents and told them that he was “done with this company”. The agents tried to diffuse the situation and calm Punk down but it was to no avail as Punk packed up his bags and left the building before the show had even concluded.

During an interview with F4Wonline the following week, Punk revealed that he was refusing to wrestle for WWE and, due to his contract forbidding him from performing anywhere else, was taking an extended hiatus. When asked when he would return from his hiatus, he simply replied, “When wrestling becomes fun again”.

Another big blow had been dealt to the company. Although Punk wasn’t a top guy, he was still a vital part of Smackdown and one of most talented in-ring hands that WWE had.

7. In a match 13 years in the making, Bret Hart finally got his revenge on Mr. McMahon as he forced the Chairman to tap out to the Sharpshooter as the entire Hart Family watched on. It looked as if the match was one huge set-up from the get-go as Vince brought the Hart Family out to try and screw Bret again. The joke was on McMahon as the Hart Family proceeded to beat down the maniacal WWE chairman before allowing Bret to get revenge and the closure needed to leave the Montreal Screwjob in the past.

Wow, did this match suck. It was an idea that was good on paper but was dragged out way too long in execution. At least it had the right ending.

8. In the first World Title match of the night, Chris Jericho and Edge went tit-for-tat in an effort to walk out of Phoenix with the WHC around their waist. The match was going along well as the Rated R Superstar had wiped away any signs of ring rust by this point while Jericho was on the top of his game as usual. Suddenly, the WHC encounter came to a tragic end. As both men were battling on the top rope, Jericho had Edge in position for a superplex. Edge lost his balance, however, and went tumbling to the floor outside, his neck taking the brunt of the force. Immediately, the match was stopped and medics rushed out to check on Edge. After a brief examination, it was determined that Edge could not continue and was quickly stretched out of the ringside area. All the while, Jericho looked on in disbelief, stunned by what had just occurred.

As it turned out, that fall to the outside would be Edge’s last as it caused a significant amount of trauma to his neck. The doctors informed him that any more damage to his neck could cause him to become paralyzed or, even worse, die. Keeping this in mind, Edge was forced to retire from wrestling, his career cut short by a tragic accident.

Despite the incident being a freak accident, Jericho was still very shook up about it. After the show, he had a talk with Vince McMahon and admitted that he wasn’t sure if he could continue wrestling since he felt responsible for Edge’s injury. Despite Vince telling him that it wasn’t his fault, Jericho didn’t budge and stated that, at the very least, he needed to take some time off immediately. On the SD! after WrestleMania, Jack Swagger ambushed Jericho during an in-ring promo and cashed in his MITB briefcase. One Gutwrench Powerbomb later and Swagger was the new World Heavyweight Champion. This would be Jericho’s last appearance before he went into seclusion, claiming that he needed to spend time with his family and reflect upon his career.

BOOM. Two more top stars have been taken out.

9. Since the show had to go on, the divas match was put on next to give the crowd some time to process what happened in the WHC match. In it, Vickie Guerrero, LayCool, Maryse, and Alicia Fox beat Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly, Mickie James, Gail Kim, and Eve Torres. This was your typical divas match. It was short and fairly sloppy. The finish saw Vickie Guerrero pay tribute to her late husband, Eddie, when she came crashing down on Kelly with a Frog Splash from the top rope for the win.

Nothing to say here. It was what it was.

10. In the Penultimate match of the night, John Cena forced “The Animal” Batista to submit to the STF to earn his sixth WWE championship. Batista dominated most of the match, working Cena over and doing his best to not allow “The Champ” to get any momentum going. As he has done so many times before, however, Cena overcame the odds, and was eventually able to trap Batista in the STF and force him to relinquish his title.

After Cena had retreated up the ramp, celebrating with his newly won gold, Batista stumbled his way to his feet. Embarrassed, The Animal looked around the arena as the crowd broke out into a “YOU TAPPED OUT!” chant. A furious Batista snatched a mic away from a technician and began tearing into the crowd. “I was the best damn champion that this company ever had and THIS is how you people treat me?!”, an incredulous Batista asked as the crowd continued to boo him. After continually being unable to talk due to the massive amount of boos, Batista yelled into the mic, “You know what?! You people don’t deserve me! I QUIT!” Tossing the mic on the ground, Batista exited the ring and walked up the ramp, proclaiming that WWE would go out of business in a month without him!

This was actually the plan all along as it had been known within the company for months that WrestleMania was going to be Batista’s last show. The Animal had grown tired of the exhaustive WWE schedule and was displeased with the “PG” direction that the company had taken. Batista decided not to renew his contract and, as it just so happened, his contract expired at midnight that night. As such, WWE lost another one of it’s main eventers.

11. In the main event of the evening, The Undertaker extended his streak to 18-0 while simultaneously ending the career of Shawn Michaels. Much like their match last year, this match was a bonafide MOTY contender that had the crowd along for the ride the entire way. At one point, it looked as if Shawn could actually end the streak as he brought his whole body crashing down onto Taker’s leg (which had been injured earlier in the match) with a Moonsault through the announce table! The Deadman persevered, however, and soon put Shawn away after hitting him with three Tombstone Piledrivers. After the match, HBK and Taker hugged it out and Shawn tearfully waved goodbye to the WWE Universe.

As per the stipulations of the rules, this was Shawn’s last match. What many didn’t know was that this would also wind up being Taker’s last match. Feeling that he would never be able to match his performances against Shawn as his body continued to deteriorate, Taker decided to call it quits while he was on top and quietly went into retirement.

For those of you keeping track, WWE lost eight big names due to this show. Obviously, this left a huge gap in the company that would be very hard to fill.

But our story isn’t over.

The following morning, Randy Orton was nowhere to be found. Officials and wrestlers alike tried to get ahold of him but no one succeeded. Finally, a couple of the boys found Orton after they busted down the door to his hotel room. As it turned, Orton had OD’ed on pain killers. He was alive but barely. Immediately, an ambulance was called and he was taken to a local medical facility. A few days after the incident, Randy was confronted by Vince McMahon and told, in no uncertain terms, that he had to go to rehab. If he didn’t, he would lose his job. Fortunately, Orton was in no mood to argue and was soon placed in a rehab center on WWE’s dime. Unfortunately, this now left an even bigger hole for WWE to fill.

Vince was getting worried but he still had his ace up his sleeve. John Cena. Quite possibly the biggest workhorse to have ever worked for the company, Cena could handle picking up the slack caused by the losses of the roster. Or so Vince thought. Cena was already being overworked before all of this newfound pressure. As the media appearances piled on and the stress of carrying an entire company on his back got to him, Cena became more and more exhausted. It was evident in his face and his movements. People within WWE began to speculate about how long it would be before the WWE champion finally cracked.

Then, on April 26th, 2010, the day after the Extreme Rules PPV, it happened.

Everybody knew that something was up when Cena lost the WWE championship at the show but their speculations were soon confirmed. It first appeared on WWE.com and soon spread like wildfire across the wrestling dirt sheets.

“WWE.com is reporting that John Cena is, effective immediately, taking an indefinite sabbatical from active competition. We hope that the former WWE champion makes the most of his well-deserved time off and comes back stronger, both physically and mentally, than ever.”

The sky had fallen. Now it’s time for WWE to pick up the pieces with the tools that they have left.

After years of holding off on it, the company's hand was being forced.

It was time for new stars to be created.

[Dan O'Mac]

Very cool. This should be fun

[comahan]

Nice premise. Looking forward to it.

[Brain Of J]

Very interesting. Obviously, we all operate these promotions in alternate universes, but the basis is almost always "a change in management". You've gone and created a deeper, more realized universe that's unique. I look forward to this.

Jed Shaffer
~Who did Cena drop the title to? And when does the diary start?

[deadpan]

This was great! Love the unique set up. Cant wait to read more

[magiconz]

Results of Extreme Rules:

1. The Hart Dynasty beat Awesome Perfection (Dolph Ziggler & The Miz), MVP & Mark Henry, and Truth & Wisdom (John Morrison & R-Truth) in a Tag Team Gauntlet match where the winners (if they weren’t Awesome Perfection) would receive a Tag Team Title shot at a later date.

After the injury to Big Show, the Miz was allowed to pick a replacement partner. He chose Dolph Ziggler to be his new partner. Miz claimed that he saw Ziggler as being an improved version of his former partner, John Morrison, and deemed him as the only superstar still on the active roster worthy of holding tag team gold with “The Awesome One”.

First match: Truth & Wisdom beat MVP & Mark Henry after a Starship Pain from Morrison onto Henry

Second Match: Awesome Perfection beat Truth & Wisdom after Ziggler caught Truth with a Zig-Zag.

Final Match: The Hart Dynasty beat Awesome Perfection after the Calgary kids caught Ziggler with the Springboard Hart Attack. The Hart Dynasty is now entitled to a Tag Team Title shot at a later date!

2. JTG beat Shad Gaspard in a Strap match

On the SD! After WM, Shad turned on his good friend JTG and nailed him with a Big Boot during a match with Truth & Wisdom. Shad claimed that JTG was the weak link of the team and that he was tired of carrying him around. In this match, JTG showed that he wasn’t as weak a link as Shad believed as he was able to overcome the massive size advantage possessed by his former partner and win the match.

3. Drew McIntyre beat Kane to retain his Intercontinental Championship in an Extreme Rules match.

For the past month, McIntyre has desperately been avoiding a one-on-one encounter with Kane over the IC title, claiming that he had suffered various injuries in the MITB ladder match that prevented him from defending the belt. One week, it would be a sprained wrist. The next week, it would be a swollen ankle. Eventually, he ran out of excuses and was forced into a No-DQ match with the Big Red Machine. To the surprise of many, McIntyre managed to escape with the belt after using the rules of the match to his advantage and catching a stunned Kane with the Future Shock DDT onto an upright chair.

4. In an NXT showcase, Skip Sheffield beat Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, Daniel Bryan, David Otunga, Michael Tarver, Heath Slater, and Darren Young in an “Extreme” Trivia challenge.

In a lighthearted segment, the NXT rookies showcased their knowledge of WWE history, answering difficult questions such as, “Who was the longest reigning WWE Champion of all time?”, and “Who was Shawn Michaels’ partner in his old tag team, The Rockers?” Surprising everyone, the country bumpkin Skip Sheffield proved that he was the most knowledgeable of all the rookies and earned the right to choose which pro he wanted to take on during the next episode of NXT. Thinking about it for a second, Skip proclaimed, “Yep Yep Yep, what it do? William Regal, I’m comin’ for you!” Skip was going after his own pro!

5. Jack Swagger beat Rey Mysterio in a ladder match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. After winning the WHC by cashing in his MITB briefcase on Jericho, Swagger’s confidence soared to levels that were previously thought unattainable. On the same Smackdown where Swagger won the belt, he put together an impromptu ceremony to celebrate his title win. During the celebration, Rey Mysterio came out and questioned how Swagger could have the gall to celebrate his title win when he won it in such an underhanded manner. The two went back and forth, trading verbal barbs, until Swagger stated that he would face Mysterio at any time in order to prove he was a real World Champion. Mysterio suggested that they face off at Extreme Rules in the type of match that began Swagger’s rise to glory…a ladder match! Immediately, Swagger tried to dismiss the idea but General Manager Teddy Long made the match. Mysterio proved that he truly is the ultimate underdog by taking Swagger to his absolute limit and coming within inches of becoming the new WHC multiple times during the match. In the end, however, a Gutwrench Powerbomb through a ladder that was positioned between the ring and the barricade allowed the All-American American to walk out with the gold.

6. Beth Phoenix beat Michelle McCool in an Extreme Makeover match to become the NEW Women’s Champion. For months (with a very brief break in-between caused by Mickie James holding the title for a few weeks), Michelle McCool has reigned as Women’s Champion. Being backed up by her BFFs, Layla and Vickie Guerrero, It seemed as if Michelle was destined to reign over Raw’s diva division for months to come. Then, she ran into the Glamazon. With the lights on bright, Beth Phoenix won her third Women’s Championship after sending the former champ crashing into the mat with her signature Glam Slam.

7. In the highly anticipated main event, Sheamus defeated John Cena in a Last Man Standing match to win his second WWE championship in less than 6 months. The Raw after WM, Sheamus had an in-ring confrontation with Cena and challenged him to a match at Extreme Rules. Sheamus claimed that he beaten Cena for the title before and that he could damn sure do it again! Never one to back down from a challenge, Cena accepted. In the weeks leading up to the event, the two would have various run-ins with one another, trying to gain the upper hand going into the PPV. Keeping in line with the “Extreme Rules” theme of the PPV, the match was turned into a Last Man Standing match by guest GM, David Hasselhoff.

The match itself wound up being one of the more physical matches in recent WWE history. Cena, notorious for never giving up, absorbed an incredible amount of punishment from the Celtic Warrior and gave as good as he got. It was Cena’s body that ended up giving up on him as he lost consciousness after multiple shots to the head from a lead pipe followed by a Brouge Kick from Sheamus. Sheamus had done what very few superstars could claim to do. He had beaten John Cena for the WWE championship.

ROSTER:

RAW:

WWE Champion: Sheamus


United States Champion: The Miz


Divas Champion: Eve Torres

THE REST:

Alicia Fox | Brie Bella |Carlito |Chavo Guerrero |Chris Masters| Christian| Cody Rhodes| Evan Bourne| | Gail Kim| Hornswoggle| Jerry Lawler| Jillian Hall| Katie Lea Burchill| Kelly Kelly| Kofi Kingston| Mark Henry| Maryse| Melina| MVP| Mr. McMahon| Nikki Bella| Primo Colon| Rosa Mendes| Santino Marella| Ted Dibiase| Vladmir Kozlov| William Regal| Yoshi Tatsu| Zach Ryder

SMACKDOWN:

World Heavyweight Champion: Jack Swagger


Intercontinental Championship: Drew McIntyre

Women’s Champion: Beth Phoenix

THE REST:

Caylen Croft| David Hart Smith| Dolph Ziggler| Ezekiel Jackson| Finlay| Goldust| Jimmy Wang Yang| John Morrison| JTG| Kane| Kung Fu Naki| Layla| Luke Gallows| Matt Hardy| Matt Striker| Michelle McCool| Mickie James| Mike Knox| Natalya| Ranjin Singh| Rey Mysterio| R-Truth| Serena| Shad Gaspard| Shelton Benjamin| Slam Master J| The Great Khali| Theodore Long| Tiffany| Trent Baretta| Tyson Kidd| Vickie Guerrero

Unified Tag Champions (Can appear on both shows)
The Miz & Dolph Ziggler

THE ROSTER THAT IS WILD AND YOUNG (AKA NXT)

Rookie: Daniel Bryan
Pro: The Miz

Rookie: Skip Sheffield
Pro: William Regal


Rookie: David Otunga
Pro: R-Truth

Rookie: Michael Tarver
Pro: Carlito

Rookie: Heath Slater
Pro: Christian

Rookie: Wade Barrett
Pro: William Regal (After Chris Jericho went into seclusion after losing the WHC, William Regal offered to be Barrett’s pro, claiming that he coach both him and Sheffield equally. It’s pretty obvious, however, that Regal sees Barrett as his star pupil and he ignores Skip more often than not)

Rookie: Justin Gabriel
Pro: Matt Hardy

Rookie: Darren Young
Pro: Zach Ryder (On the NXT after WM, Ryder stepped up and offered to replace CM Punk as his pro. Ryder claimed that they both had so much in common with their incredibly tan skin (“Of course, my skin is tanner”, claimed Ryder) and spiked up hair (“Mine’s way more spiked out but don’t worry bro, you’ll get there”, Ryder assured Young) Young wasn’t too keen on the idea but, since he needed a pro to stay on the show, didn’t have much of a choice)

The next show will be the April 26th edition of Monday Night Raw. The Draft is upon us!

NOTE: Excluding the changes that have been noted, just assume that whatever happened between WM and Extreme Rules IRL still happened.

[magiconz]

THE DRAFT!
April 26th edition of Monday Night RAW [68%]
LIVE from Richmond, Virginia

- After all the ballyhoo and pyro that kicks off Monday Night RAW, the show cuts to the ring where newly crowned WWE Champion Sheamus is standing with a mic in hand. The announcers, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler, inform us that Sheamus marched his way out to the ring before the show started and has demanded time to talk. Seemingly soaking in the boos from the crowd, The Celtic Warrior raises his championship high above his head and screams four words into the mic. “THE CHAMP IS HERE!” Unsurprisingly, this doesn’t make the champ any more popular with the fans in attendance. Sheamus goes on to say that last night, he did what nobody had done before. He didn’t just put John Cena through a table. He didn’t pin him. He BEAT him. He beat the former champ to the point where he was unable to stand up under his own power before a count of ten. “That is what you call victory, fellas!” Sheamus calls himself the fastest rising star in WWE history, citing his victory over HHH at WrestleMania 26 and his two WWE championship wins. “What some men wish they could accomplish after decades of trying, I did in four months!” The Irishman states that he learned from his past mistakes in his previous title reign and is ready to rule over the WWE as its greatest champion!

“I beg to differ!” echoed over the speaker system to the confusion of the crowd and Sheamus. The Virginians initially popped for the interruption to Sheamus’ speech but soon went right back to booing as the All American-American Jack Swagger, World Heavyweight Championship strapped around his waist, appeared on the ramp with a mic of his own. He had a noticeable limp as he walked onto the ramp, presumably from his ladder match against Rey Mysterio at the previous night’s PPV. Apparently taking offense to Sheamus’ comment, Swagger says that it’s HIS time to rule over WWE! “Everybody knows that Smackdown is the A show! After all, you can’t have an A show without the All-American American.” Swagger claims that Sheamus’ win at last night PPV paled in comparison to his own impressive win over “The World’s Biggest Little Man.” The men trade insults between one another, each one trying to put themselves over as the better champion. The game of one-Upsmanship quickly comes to an end as Smackdown General Manager Theodore Long swaggers his way out onto the ramp.

After sarcastically commentating on how entertaining it is to watch the two bicker, he states that words can only go so far. “As far as I’m concerned, the only real way to see who can back up their claims is to have a match! As luck would have it, since Raw doesn’t have an official General Manager, I have been informed by the Board of Directors that I am this week’s guest GM! So, right now, it will be Jack Swagger taking on Sheamus in a non-title Champion vs. Champion match! The winner gets bragging rights and a draft pick for their brand!”

Swagger immediately begins protesting the decision, claiming that he is still feeling the effects of last night’s ladder match, but is ordered by his boss to get in the ring and fight for the pride of Smackdown! Begrudgingly, Swagger takes off his belt and heads to the ring. It looks like we have one hell of a match to start off the show! [81%]

1. The crowd was unsure of whether to cheer or boo as Sheamus hammered away on Jack Swagger. As the Celtic Warrior picked apart his injured opponent, the crowd seemed to settle for just cringing at each stiff shot the WWE champion delivered. Through sheer brute force, Sheamus dominated the early portion of the match, not giving the All-American American any room to breathe. His eagerness ended up costing him as he went for the Brogue Kick a bit too early and ended up crouching himself on the top rope as Swagger wisely got out of dodge. Taking advantage of the Irishman’s stunned state; the WHC turned the match into his favor, applying various mat wrestling holds and wearing Sheamus down. It looked like Swagger was well on his way to picking up a big victory after he had splashed down on the WWE champion with his signature running splash from the second rope. His offense was stopped dead in its tracks, however, as the music of Santino Marella played!

The Milan Miracle strutted out to the ramp with a mic in hand. He says that “Swagg-ah” may be high and mighty now but he wants to remind “The All-Ah-meri-khan Ah-meri-khan” of where he was just a few months ago. Santino then points up to the titantron, which plays a short clip of Swagger losing an over-the-top-rope challenge to Santino in what was considered a huge upset! After the video ends, Santino proclaims that his victory on that night should guarantee him a shot at the “Heavyweights Championship of the World”. Swagger just looks on in disbelief from inside the ring, flustered by the embarrassing clip that was just replayed to the WWE Universe. Swagger’s embarrassment ends up being his downfall as he turns around and is nailed by a brutal Brouge Kick from a recovered Sheamus! Three seconds later, RAW had secured the first draft pick of the night!

After an embarrassed Swagger had retreated up the ramp, all the while complaining about Santino’s unfair interference, Sheamus stood in the ring, awaiting the draft pick to be revealed on the titantron. After a few moments of suspense, Finlay was revealed as the pick and walked out on the ramp to be awarded a red RAW shirt by a staff member. The Irishmen had a tense standoff, the WWE champion telling Finlay to “bring it, fella”. To his credit, the experienced veteran didn’t back down and simply told Sheamus that he’s ready to fight at “any place, any time”. [68%]

2. With a “Diva’s-Only” draft pick on the line, Maryse, Gail Kim, and Kelly Kelly defended the honor of RAW against the Smackdown team of Beth Phoenix & LayCool. In the end, this match was decided by the RAW team being more willing to put their differences aside for the good of the brand than the Smackdown team. While Kim & K2 were annoyed by the arrogance of Maryse, who insisted that her partners “stand back and watch a real diva”, they were able to work as somewhat of a cohesive unit. On the other side, LayCool, still upset about Michelle McCool’s loss to Phoenix the previous night, outright refused to allow themselves to be tagged in or help Beth, essentially making it a 3-on-1 handicap match. The Glamazon hung on as long as she could but eventually fell to the numbers game and ended up being pinned after an Eat Defeat (Inverted Stomp Facebreaker) from Gail Kim.

LayCool mocked the Women’s Champion after the loss, openly stating that they hoped Beth was the one being traded to Raw so that they never had to see her again. Needless to say, they were quite surprised when it was revealed that Layla was the one being drafted to RAW! Actual tears began flowing down the cheeks of both women as they hugged in the middle of the ring and complained about how unfair it was that they were being broken up despite the fact that they had inadvertently caused their own breakup. The tears of sadness quickly turned into tears of pain as Phoenix, rightfully upset at being abandoned by her teammates, attacked both women and sent them fleeing from the ring. Thanks to the Glamazon, LayCool’s last moments as a team were not happy ones. [68%]

3. Knowing that RAW was ahead 2-0 when it came to draft picks, the pressure was on Shelton Benjamin to get some momentum going for Smackdown and defeat Zach Ryder. “The Gold Standard” didn’t disappoint as he tore through Ryder in a short match. During the match, Ryder repeatedly asked his NXT rookie, Darren Young, for help but Young just continued to look on from the ringside area, seemingly amused at his pro’s plight. It only took “Long Island Iced Z” three minutes to get planted with a Pay Dirt from Benjamin and end up looking at lights for a three count. Proud that he was able to get Smackdown on the board, Benjamin watched as Evan Bourne was drafted to the blue brand! Bourne’s time on Raw after the end of ECW has turned out to be brief as he is now Smackdown bound! [71%]

4. Smackdown’s fortunes continued to improve as Intercontinental Champion Drew McIntyre continued his hot streak and defeated RAW superstar Yoshi Tatsu. Even though this match was non-title, Tatsu realized what a win over the IC champion could do for his career and went after McIntyre as soon as the bell rung. “The Sinister Scot” was rattled by the initial onslaught but managed to weather the storm and gain control of the match with a well-placed thumb to the eye. Tapping into his inner fighting spirit, Tatsu doesn’t go down easily and makes several brief comebacks. At one point, he even manages to get a LONG two count after driving McIntyre skull-first into the mat with a Backdrop Driver! In the end, however, a missed Roundhouse Kick led to Tatsu being dropped with the Future Shock which led McIntyre to victory. McIntyre’s victory led to the blue brand picking up another valuable superstar in Ted Dibiase. As he appeared on the ramp to accept his SD! Shirt, the Million Dollar Son informed anybody who would listen that it was “his time” and that he’s going to take Smackdown by storm. [68%]

5. The Smackdown roster looked to keep the good times rollin’ but had an uphill battle to fight as The Dudebusters, Caylen Croft & Trent Baretta, did battle with William Regal & Vladimir Kozlov. Wade Barrett and Skip Sheffield bickered amongst one another at ringside as their mentor (Regal) stretched out each member of the “New Dudes with Attitude”. In contrast, Kozlov went with the complicated strategy of beating his opponents into mush. The only point where it looks the Dudes could walk away with the victory is when Baretta, after being worked over for an extended period of time, made a tag to Croft. Although Caylen comes in as a house of fire and turns the tide of the match for a couple of minutes, he is soon shut down by a battering ram-style Headbutt from Kozlov.

Just when it looked like all hope was lost for the SD! Team, Barrett and Sheffield’s bickering on the outside reached a boiling point and Barrett pushed Sheffield down. The “Corn-fed Meathead” wasn’t going to take this lightly, however, and quickly pushed Barrett back! Seeing a situation developing, Regal stepped outside of the ring and tries to separate the two big men. Meanwhile, in the ring, Kozlov had Croft in position for the Iron Curtain (One-Handed Spinebuster). As Kozlov is wrapping his hand around Croft’s throat, he is nailed with a Running Knee Strike from Baretta! The Running Knee fells the big man and the Dudes waste no time in ascending to the top rope on opposite sides of the ring each. Croft comes crashing down on Kozlov with a Flying Elbow Drop and Baretta immediately follows it up with a Moonsault! Croft goes for a cover and earns Smackdown it’s third draft pick of the night!

The sound of the bell ringing causes Regal to turn his eyes back to the ring, realizing that his team has just lost the match. He doesn’t have much time to reflect on this, however, as Barrett & Skip go at it once again, this time actually trading blows! With the ringside area in full anarchy as Regal and several road agents try to stop the fight, The Dudebusters are free to celebrate the new addition to the Smackdown roster inside the ring…MVP! [63%]

- After a quick commercial break, the crowd collectively groans as the music of The Awesome Perfection plays, ushering out the Unified Tag Team Champions. Once they’re in the ring and have snatched away mics from technicians that are at ringside, they begin talking about their loss in the Tag Team Gauntlet match the previous night. Not surprisingly, they dismiss the Hart Dynasty’s victory last night as just being a “fluke”. Dolph Ziggler sarcastically congratulates the Dynasty on being “perfect for one night” only for The Miz to interject and say that they better treasure that moment because it won’t happen again. Miz says that even the best teams have an off night and that Extreme Rules was simply the Awesome Perfection’s off night. The two men continue to make excuses for their loss the previous night, citing that they were exhausted from partying with Kobe Bryant the night before the PPV, before addressing tonight’s show.

Ziggler comments that every superstar in the back is on pins and needles, waiting to see what direction their career will be going after tonight, hoping that they won’t be separated from their friends or their tag partner. Miz then brings up the point that the champs don’t have to worry about what happens to them tonight as the belts over their shoulders ensure that they will be able to visit any brand they want. Ziggler proudly states that he and Miz are going to remain a team for a long, long time, which is good news for the WWE Universe since it will allow them to get two doses of Awesome Perfection every week instead of just one! This doesn’t go over well with the live crowd, who are quick to voice their displeasure with the idea of more Miz and Ziggler.

It looks like the tag champs are going to continue talking but are cut off by the music of Teddy Long, who appears on the ramp once again. T-Lo says that while Miz may be right about not having worry about their team being broken up, at the end of the day, The Miz is still a RAW superstar. Because of this, he still has an obligation to represent Raw in a match tonight. “And just to ensure that Smackdown isn’t betrayed by a potential turncoat, Dolph Ziggler will be banned from ringside during the match!” Of course, this draws out cheers from the crowd and protests from the tag champs. The Awesome Perfection’s protests only grow louder as Matt Hardy is revealed as Miz’s opponent! “Oh and by the way, that match…will be taking place RIGHT NOW!” [70%]

6. With the crowd fully behind him, Matt Hardy rocked The Miz with punches during the opening moments of the match. Hardy looked to make quick work of the US Champ with a Twist of Fate but the Miz was able to escape the move and exit the ring in an attempt to catch his breath. His hopes were dashed as he was forced to run around the ring as Hardy comes running after him. This turns out to be a ploy; however, as Miz runs back into the ring and puts the boots to Hardy as he tries to follow. The match now firmly in his control, Miz takes plenty of time to argue with the crowd as he hits several of his signature moves on Hardy. “The Man That Will Not Die” lives up to his moniker, however, and doesn’t allow himself to succumb to Miz’s offense. Eventually, a missed Clothesline into the corner from Miz allows the North Carolina native to change the tide of the match again and put WWE’s double champion on the back foot. After the two men traded near falls in the final moments of the match, Hardy was able to achieve victory by nailing Miz with the Twist of Fate!

Having won such a hard fought match, the Hardy boy was eager to see which RAW superstar would be joining him on Friday nights. To the delight of the fans, it was revealed to be Santino Marella! Walking out to accept his SD! T-shirt, Santino looked into the camera and delivered a message. “Jack Swagg-ah, I’ma comin’ for your Heavyweights Championship of the World!” [77%]

7. In what turned out to be a damn good match between two fan-favorites, R-Truth tried to make it five wins in a row for Smackdown as he took on RAW’s Christian. John Morrison cheered his teammate on as Truth and Christian went hold for hold, neither man gaining a true advantage. Truth tried to break the stalemate by taking to the air with some high-flying moves but this was neutralized Christian’s years of experience and ring awareness. All it took was one simple mistake for the highly competive match to come to an end as “Captain Charisma” was able to duck under a Lie Detector from Truth and plant him with the Killswitch for the win! Disappointed at not being able to keep Smackdown’s streak going, Truth still shows respect for Christian by shaking his hand after the match. Deciding to stay in the ring, Truth & Wisdom watch as Matt Hardy was selected to be RAW’s newest superstar! Surprised at being forced to go to a new brand so soon after he had represented his old one, Matt seemed optimistic about his new home on Monday Nights as he collected his RAW shirt. RAW may still be down 4-3 when it comes to draft picks but they’ve just earned a big acquisition in “The Man That Will Not Die!” [77%]

- Moments before the big battle royal that is set as the main event, the Smackdown roster is seen discussing strategy in their dressing room. Suddenly, Luke Gallows and Serena stand up and demand everybody to be quiet. After everybody has stopped talking, Gallows states that tonight, he, along with many others in the room, will be fighting for Friday Night Smackdown in the battle royal. This causes big cheers from the locker room but Serena once again shushes them. Gallows states that he is not competing for anybody in this room. He claims that he is not even fighting for Smackdown. Gallows even goes as far as to say that he and Serena can’t stand anybody in the room as they represent everything the SES hates. “Ignorant, disgusting peons that are more than happy to continue wallowing in their own mediocrity and poisoning their bodies.” BUT, he believes that they can be saved. “Our magnificent leader CM Punk may have given up on you all but I haven’t. I promised him that I would continue to fight the good fight and that I won’t stop until all of WWE is under one nation, indivisible, with sobriety and integrity for all! Winning tonight’s battle royal will be a chance for the SES to bring more superstars to Smackdown and get them to see the light and adopt the Straight Edge lifestyle. I’m warning you all right now…stay out of my way and let fate take its course.” With that, Serena and Gallows storm out of the locker room, leaving most of the locker room upset about being talked down to. [57%]

8. The stakes were incredibly high in the 20 man Over-The-Top-Rope Battle Royal that was set to close out the show. Not just one but TWO draft picks were on the line as 10 men from each brand did battle. The RAW side was represented by Matt Hardy, Christian, Kofi Kingston, Sheamus, The Miz, Mark Henry, Carlito, William Regal, Yoshi Tatsu, & Zach Ryder. On the Smackdown side, there was Luke Gallows, Rey Mysterio, MVP, R-Truth, Kane, Ted Dibiase, Dolph Ziggler, John Morrison, Evan Bourne, & Shelton Benjamin. During the match, Sheamus went on a rampage, eliminating John Morrison, Shelton Benjamin, & R-Truth by himself. The WWE Champion tried to up his elimination count to four by tossing Evan Bourne over the top rope with a High Cross (Razor’s Edge)! As both men approached the ropes, however, Bourne caught the Celtic Warrior with a hurricarana and sent the big man over the top rope! Sheamus was absolutely furious over being eliminated and had to be restrained by several WWE officials so that he wouldn’t re-enter the ring to get revenge on Bourne.

Another thing worth noting during the match was that the Awesome Perfection worked together, completely ignoring the fact that they were on opposite teams. They did everything they could to stop one another from being eliminated but this tactic failed when Kane, tired of his teammate's shenanigans, tossed both men out of the ring at the same time! Unfortunately, this left Kane open to being scooped up and eliminated from the match by the World’s Strongest Man, Mark Henry. Recognizing the viable threat that Henry presented, all of the remaining Smackdown members quickly teamed up to eliminate him!

As more and more men were sent over the top rope, the final four boiled down to Kofi Kingston (RAW), Luke Gallows (SD!), Rey Mysterio (SD!), and Zach Ryder (RAW), who had essentially hid in the corner during the entire match. Being in the final four had upped the confidence of “Long Island Iced Z”, however, and he went right after Rey Mysterio. This proved to be a mistake as he was quickly dispatched of and thrown over the top rope, leaving Kingston as the sole RAW member. Oddly enough, Mysterio and Gallows didn’t work together to eliminate Kingston as Gallows wanted to be the one credited with winning the match for Smackdown and told Mysterio to not interfere. Just wanting to see his brand win, Mysterio acquiesced to Gallows’ demands and stepped back, allowing the Ghana native and the Straight Edge soldier to do battle. It looked as if Gallows’ strength would be enough to send Kingston crashing down to the floor but the former IC champion proved to be resilient and managed to hang on to the ropes every time Gallows’ tried to eliminate him. Eventually, Gallows became frustrated and tried to Clothesline Kingston over the top rope as he (Kingston) was leaning against the ropes. The RAW superstar saw this coming, however, and pulled down the top rope, causing Gallows’ to go over it! TAFKA Festus wasn’t eliminated by this action due to him landing on the apron. This situation was quickly remedied as Gallows’ was knocked off the apron by a Trouble in Paradise kick from Kingston!

The crowd buzzed with excitement as the match was now down to the final two. Not just any final two but two of the most exciting and fast-paced superstars in the company. The fans’ expectations were rightfully high and the fan-favorites did not disappoint. Both men moved at a fast speed as they traded blows, each one badly wanting the two draft picks for their brand. Multiple times, one would be sent over the top rope by the other but would find some way to stop both their feet from touching the ground. Finally, after several minutes of back and forth action, Kingston caught Mysterio with a Running Cross Body that sent both men sprawling over the top rope! Mysterio hit the ground…but Kingston didn’t as he was able to hold onto the ropes! Kingston has won the match and two draft picks for Monday Night Raw!

The crowd went nuts as The Dreadlocked Dynamo celebrated his huge victory. Even Mysterio had to applaud the young man for picking up such a huge victory. With baited breath, Kingston waited to see what the fruits of his labor would be. The first draft pick was Shelton Benjamin, who the crowd gave a moderate reaction as he came out to accept his shirt. The second draft pick drew no small reaction as Rey Mysterio’s name popped up! Initially surprised by the graphic, Mysterio quickly overcame his shock to accept his RAW t-shirt and promise Kingston that they had to meet in the ring again sometime soon! [68%]

[comahan]

Nice show. It's weird, once the show was over my reaction was "wait where were all of the top guys, why would he leave them off the sh—Oh yea!"

[Dan O'Mac]

I love your Luke Gallows already

[magiconz]

WE. ARE. WILD. AND. YOUNG!
April 27th, 2010
WWE NXT [61%]
LIVE (Not really but shhh) from Hershey, PA

- Instead of the pyro that usually opens up WWE programming, the show starts cold with a pre-taped video. A quick graphic at the bottom of the screen informs the viewers at home that this took place before last night’s RAW. In the video, Unified Tag Team Champions The Miz and Dolph Ziggler are walking into the arena wearing their stylish street clothes. Trailing behind them, weighed down by many bags of luggage, is the Miz’s NXT rookie, Daniel Bryan. As Ziggler and Miz flap their gums, trying to figure out the best place to get a Filet Mignon steak in Virginia, Bryan’s frustration with being weighed down by all of the luggage becomes more and more evident on his face. Soon enough, he drops the luggage in a heap and gets the attention of the two men in front of him. Reprimanding Bryan for dropping the tag champions’ expensive looking bags, the former reality star asks his rookie, “What is your deal?!”

“My deal is that you’re supposed to be my pro. You’re supposed to prepare me so that, one day, I can become a true WWE superstar. Instead of giving me advice, all you’ve done is make me carry around your luggage, pick up your dry cleaning, and make reservations at restaurants. How is any of this helping me become a WWE superstar?”, is Daniel’s exasperated response.
Speaking in a very condescending tone, The Miz informs Bryan that he IS helping him become a superstar. He’s introducing him to the first step of becoming a part of the main roster. “Paying your dues.” By having Bryan perform all of these mundane tasks, he’s getting rid of any arrogance that might be festering in the former “indie darling” in the hopes that one day, he’ll be as humble as “The Awesome One”. Ziggler adds on that having Bryan adopt his tag partner’s “humility” is a good idea since he’ll never be as talented in the ring as Miz. “Or me, for that matter.”

Blowing off the valid point made by Bryan that he had paid dues for ten years on the independent wrestling circuit, Miz tells his rookie to stop being such a baby and start appreciating the Miz’s various acts of kindness, such as letting him touch the gear of WWE’s only double champion on a regular basis! “Remember, whether you want to admit it or not, you NEED me. I’m your pro. If you don’t have a pro, that means you can’t be on NXT anymore. If you can’t be on NXT, then it’s right back to wrestling in bingo halls for you!” For a moment, it appears that Bryan is going to respond but he begrudgingly swallows his pride and nods his head, knowing that the Miz is right to an extent. No pro, no more NXT.

With the situation defused, for now anyway, Miz informs Bryan that it’s time to “pay some more dues” and hands him a dry cleaning ticket. Initially resigned to his fate, Bryan does a double take after getting a good look at the ticket. “Wait…this is for a dry cleaning shop in LA! You want me to go to California to pick up your clothes?!”, Daniel says indignantly.

“Your flight leaves in 20 minutes. I’d start heading towards the airport right now if I were you.”, was the Miz’s quick response as he handed Bryan a plane ticket, a slimy smirk creeping across his face. Staring at the “Awesome One” in disbelief for a few seconds, Bryan quickly exits the arena, trying to hail down a taxi to take him to the airport.

Shaking his head, Ziggler looks at his tag partner and says, “Don’t worry, he’s a rookie. He’ll know his place eventually.” [73%]

1. The first match of the night was a battle between two rookies as Heath Slater (5-2) went one on one with David Otunga (4-3). The majority of the match was dominated by Otunga as he used his size advantage to throw Slater around the ring, occasionally taking the time out to flex and show off his muscles. This showboating did not please R-Truth, Otuna’s pro, who was standing by at ringside to support his rookie. With encouraging words from Christian, Slater’s pro who was also at ringside, “The One Man Band” was slowly able to turn the tide and fight his way back into the match. As the match began to sway out of his control, “The A-List Superstar” began using more and more dirty tactics. This culminated with Otunga ripping the padding off of one of the turnbuckles. Immediately, the ref went over to try and put the padding back on. With the ref’s attention diverted, Otunga reached into his tights, pulled out some good ol’ fashioned brass knuckles, and nailed Slater with them! Slater dropped to the ground, possibly unconscious, and was unable to kick out of the subsequent pinfall attempt before three.

Ignoring the boos that were scattered throughout the building, Otunga appeared to be very happy with the way that he won the match. His pro, however, was not as was made evident by Truth entering the ring and informing the ref that Otunga had used brass knuckles to achieve victory. After finding the used knuckle dusters in Otunga’s tights, the official reversed his decision and declared Slater the winner via DQ! Furious at the decision being reversed, Otunga went nose to nose with his pro, asking Truth why he had just cost “The A-Lister” the match. Truth responded by saying, “You made yourself lose that match, dawg. You gots to remember. True stars win matches with their own ability, not with some weapon.” Apparently, Otunga disagreed and he shoved Truth down to the ground! The rapper was quick to pop back up but, before any fists could actually be thrown, security had ran into the ring to keep the two apart. As each man was held back, Otunga yelled out to his pro, “You don’t know nothin’, man! You don’t know nothin’!” As the show cut away to a commercial break, it was obvious that a rift had formed between this rookie/pro duo. [56%]

- When the show returned from its commercial break, we see Zach Ryder and Darren Young watching the events that took place before the commercial break on a monitor backstage. While Young appears to somewhat concerned over the altercation between Truth & Otunga, Ryder is highly amused by it and lets out a loud, obnoxious laugh. “You see that, bro?! The competition is so scared of us that they’re turning on each other! I’m telling ya DY, we got this in the bag! There’s no way that you’re not winning that WWE contract!” Despite Ryder’s confidence, Young remains skeptical and informs his pro that he is still nervous. “The first elimination happens in two weeks. I really have to step up my game in the next couple of weeks and turn some heads if I don’t want to go home. It’s really important that we win our match tonight.” Ryder tells his rookie not to worry. Ryder goes on to say that with “Long Island Iced Z” molding him (Young) into greatness, “those other chumps don’t stand a chance!” Suddenly, Ryder stops talking and starts feeling Young’s bicep.

“D-Young…have you been doing those fist pumping exercises I told you about?” When Young informs his pro that he has not been doing the exercise, Ryder flips out. “How many times do I have to tell you, bro? You have to fist pump it up before you can tear the house down!” After giving Ryder an insincere promise that he’ll start doing the exercises, the two men exit the locker room and head towards the ring. [55%]

2. In a tag team match featuring pro/rookie tandems, Matt Hardy and Justin Gabriel (5-2) took on the team of Zach Ryder and Darren Young (6-2). During the match, Gabriel continued to impress the WWE universe and the other pros who were watching on the stage with his high flying offense. Young was also impressive as he managed to hold his own against his fellow rookie and even managed to get in some offense on Hardy. Unfortunately, “impressive” could not be used to describe Ryder’s performance in the match as the arrogant loudmouth was caught off guard by Gabriel’s fast paced style. Although he managed to take control of the match after Gabriel missed a Crossbody off the top rope, a tag to Gabriel’s partner spelled the end for “Long Island Iced Z”. Ryder was simply no match for Hardy and ended up eating a Twist of Fate to ensure victory for Hardy and Gabriel. After the match, Hardy and his rookie celebrated in the ring by playing to the crowd. Meanwhile, Ryder was helped to the back by his rookie, pinning the loss on Young’s shoulders because he didn’t “do his exercises”. [64%]

- Hey, it’s time for the RAW Rebound! In case you didn’t know, the WWE Draft happened last night. It was pretty rad. [82%]

3. During the opening moments of the main event, Skip Sheffield (0-5) absolutely tore through his pro William Regal as Wade Barrett watched on from ringside. Having earned this opportunity by winning the “Extreme Trivia Challenge” two days prior, Sheffield looked to make the most of it as he went full tilt at his mentor. Overwhelmed by the Cornfed Meathead’s power, it was only Regal’s years of experience that allowed him to stay alive and not suffer a quick defeat at the hands of his rookie. Just when it looked like Skip was going to pick up his first victory on NXT at the expense of his pro, a quick distraction from Barrett, who called Skip a derogatory name as he attempted to run the ropes, allowed Regal to take control.

Unable to stretch his opponent out with submission holds due to Skip’s huge limbs, Regal resorted to vicious strikes to rattle his rookie. The smirk on Barrett’s face grew larger and larger with each hard forearm shot that Regal smashed across Skip’s face. That smirk quickly turned into a frown, however, as Sheffield caught his second wind and began to brush off the forearms. Soon enough, Sheffield was making a full on comeback and turned Regal inside out with a brutal lariat! Feeing off the energy of the crowd, Skip picked Regal and put him in position for a Gorilla Press Slam. This ended up being Skip’s downfall as Barrett reached into the ring and grabbed Skip’s leg, allowing Regal to slip out of his rookie’s grasp. His attention still on Barrett, Skip was quickly rolled up Regal, who had a handful of tights! Oblivious to all of these happenings, the ref made the three count and awarded the victory to the Englishman!

As Barrett went into the ring and congratulated Regal on his victory, Sheffield got back up to his feet and immediately tried to go after Barrett! Regal stopped him; however, by telling him that Barrett had actually helped him by distracting him during the match. Regal informed Skip that Barrett was simply testing him and that, by allowing himself to succumb to the distractions, he had failed the test. Regal concluded his spiel by saying that Skip shouldn’t be blaming Barrett but should be blaming himself for being his own worst enemy. The Cornfed Meathead initially remained skeptical but, after being assured by both men that this was just a plan meant to help him, shrugged his shoulders and shouted, “I can’t stay mad at you two!” He then scooped both men up in a BIG group hug. The show ended on the image of Regal & Barrett looking like they can’t breathe due to Skip’s grip while a grin stretched across Sheffield’s face. [62%]

-------------------------------------


A couple of notes:

-For the sake of this game (and my sanity), I’m just going to auto-book Superstars. Four shows a week is just too much. Hell, three shows a week is pushing it.

- In-Game wise, NXT is gonna have some ROUGH ratings. It says something when the best segment on a show is a recap video.

- Thanks for the positive feedback so far. I have a really bad tendency of giving up on WWE games after only a month (in-game) so let’s hope I can break that trend.

[magiconz]

So, this may already be dead due to me gaining interest in another project. Oh well.

[Brain Of J]

Another EWR project, or just something else?

Jed Shaffer
~Damn ... we have so few frequently-updated diaries ...

[magiconz]

Dec 28, 2012 17:42:59 GMT -5 Brain Of J said:

Another EWR project, or just something else?

Jed Shaffer
~Damn ... we have so few frequently-updated diaries ...

Another EWR project but I may finish Smackdown for this diary just because I'm half-way done with it now.