WWE has released five of the Superstars and Divas from NXT and developmental:
Mason Ryan (Barri Griffiths)
Raquel Diaz (Shaul Guerrero)
Danny Burch (Martin Harris)
Oliver Grey (Joel Redman)
Shara (Sarah Backman)
It was previously said that WWE would not release people in droves, but let contracts expire instead. This may have been a more proactive version of "spring cleaning" when they realized that these people weren't making enough progress to justify keeping them on board—or there may have been other issues at play. Whatever the case may be, WWE is down six more people, which means there's room for more to add to the roster.
On tonight's Main Event, Bray Wyatt is scheduled to face Sheamus. Also expect to see recpas from the events on this week's Raw including Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella's confrontation with Stephanie and Kane, Bray Wyatt's promo with the creepy singing children, and The Shield's showdown with Evolution.
Tonight's show starts with a match between Goldust and Alberto Del Rio.
MATCH: Alberto Del Rio vs. Goldust
Del Rio attacks Goldust in the corner but Goldust reverses. Del Rio Gains the upper hand and delivers a backstabber to Goldust. Del Rio chokes Goldust on the middle rope and follows up with a scoop slam for the 2 count. He locks in the chinlock. Goldust fights out but is stopped by Del Rio. Goldust ducks the clothesline and hits the uppercut. He powerslams Del RIo but meets a kick to the head from Del Rio. Del Rio exposes his knee but Goldust catches it and hits the Final Cut for the 3 count.
WINNER: Goldust via Pinafall
Goldust is interviewed after the match and asked if the Rhodes brothers are going their separate ways. Goldust says they will always have each other's backs. Cody is asked if he is proud of Goldust's victory and Cody takes it as an insult because he lost to Del Rio last night on Raw. He then says that he hasn't been himself lately, but the brotherhood is still together.
A video package for Make-A-Wish plays.
The handicap match on SmackDown for the U.S. Championship is now a fatal four way.
MATCH: Paige vs. Alicia Fox
The two women lock up and roll outside the ring. Paige gets to her feet and delivers a hurricanrana off the apron. They go back in the ring and Fox rolls back out. She fends off Paige and climbs back in the ring, throwing her to the corner. Fox covers Paige for the one count. Fox locks in the sleeper hold and throws Fox to the corner. Paige fights out but eats a kick to the face for a 2 count. Fox tries to roll up Paige but paige delivers a kick to the face. She knees Fox repeatedly in the face as she is tangled in the middle rope. Fox fights back and rolls up Paige for a 2 count. The two women exchange blows in the ring. Paige gains the upper hand and delivers a DDT for the 3 count.
WINNER: Paige via Pinfall
Tamina shows up behind Paige at the top of the ramp and the two women stare each other down.
A replay airs of Bray Wyatt's promo in which he led a choir of sheep children to ring singing "He's got the whole world in his hands"
Sheamus is interviewed backstage about his upcoming match against Bray Wyatt. He says that while monsters aren't real, people can be terrifying. However, he is not afraid of the Wyatt's.
*Commercial Break*
A vignette for Adam Rose plays.
MATCH: Kofi Kingston vs. Bad News Barrett
Before the match, Barrett gets on the mic and says he's got some bad news. He calls Big E. Langston boring and says he has as much personality as a piece of dry toast. He says Big E won't look so big when he gets knocked down on Sunday.
Kofi and Barrett lock up and Kingston is driven to the corner. Kingston fights out but meets a kick to the midsection. He goes for the slam but Kingston fights out with several kicks. Kingston hits a crossbody from the top rope for a 2 count. He is sent off the ropes and Barrett catches him in the tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Barrett goes for the Bull Hammer but is rolled up for the 2 count. Barrett rolls out of the ring. Kingston goes for the baseball slide but Barrett moves. Kingston is whipped towards the steel steps but leaps over them. He turns around and takes a running jump off the steps but Barrett catches him with the Bad News Bull Hammer. Kingston is rolled back in the ring for the 3 count.
WINNER: Bad News Barrett via Pinfall
A vignette plays for Bo Dallas.
A video package plays highlighting Daniel Bryan's feud with Kane since WrestleMania.
*Commercial Break*
Bray Wyatt is on his knees upon return and starts singing. He is interrupted by Sheamus' entrance.
MATCH: Bray Wyatt vs. Sheamus
The match starts off with the two locking up. Sheamus drives Wyatt to the corner. They are broken up and Wyatt sits down in the corner. They lock up again and Wyatt locks in the headlock. He is sent off the ropes and sends Sheamus to the mat with a shoulder block. Sheamus gets up and gets Wyatt in a headlock. He delivers 2 huge shoulder blocks for a 2 count. Sheamus lock in the wrist lock but Wyatt fights out with a right hand. They exchange blows in the middle of the ring and Sheamus gets choked on the top rope. Sheamus sends Wyatt into the ropes and sends him to the mat with an elbow. He hits a knee from the middle rope for a 1 count. Sheamus goes for the 10 beats of Bodhran but Harper and Rowan pull Wyatt off the apron.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with Wyatt in control. Sheamus rolls outside. Wyatt follows but meets a shoulder block. Sheamus drives Wyatt's head into the announce table and sends him onto the apron. The two battle it out on the apron and Wyatt sends Sheamus to the apron. Sheamus is rolled back in the ring for the 2 count. Wyatt hits the senton splash. He whips Sheamus into the corner and delivers a stomp for the 2 count. Wyatt locks in a submission hold. Sheamus tries to fight out but meets a scoop slam. Wyatt goes for another senton but Sheamus gets his knees up.
Wyatt and Sheamus exchange blows in the middle of the ring. Wyatt is sent off the ropes and eats an axe handle strike. Sheamus throws Wyatt into the corner and delivers several knees. Wyatt fights back and slams Sheamus for a 2 count. Wyatt goes for the Sister Abigail but Sheamus reverses and hits the white noise. Wyatt sends Sheamus over the top rope but Sheamus lands on the apron. He delivers the 10 Beats of the Bodhran and follows up with the battering ram. Wyatt is sent into the ropes and hits Sheamus with a huge shoulder. Wyatt ducks a Brogue Kick from the corner but Sheamus manages to hit a big big breaker. Sheamus beats his chest for the Brogue Kick but is distracted by Rowan. Wyatt runs towards Sheamus but Sheamus reverses and hits a big slam. Sheamus is distracted by Rowan followed by Harper. Wyatt capitalizes and hits the Sister Abigail for the 3 count.
WINNER: Bray Wyatt via Pinfall
Harper and Rowan beat on Sheamus after the match. The Usos come from the back and aid Sheamus in fending of The Wyatts.
REVIEW
This was an above average episode of Main Event. It looks like the Rhodes Brothers are going to break up any week now, which will most likely culminate in a feud between the two wrestlers. Paige continues to bring a new dimension of intensity to the Diva's division. To paraphrase Lord William Regal, a good worker can make a bad wrestler look good and Paige is proving this to be true. Every match she's in is not only watchable, it is a damn good match. I hope she has a long run with the Divas Championship because she is single handedly legitimizing the division.
Wyatt and Sheamus stole the show with a high impact brawl that pushed both men to their limits. Sheamus has been looking great since his return a few months ago and kept his momentum going tonight. Although he didn't pick up the victory, he went pound for pound with Wyatt and proved that he is one of the best workers in the company.
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WWE Superstars 4/28/2014 Spoilers & Results of Tapings Before Monday Night Raw
- Monday, April 28, 2014
This week's episode of WWE Superstars was taped on April 28, 2014 before Monday Night Raw at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The following are spoilers for the results of what transpired during the show:
Sin Cara defeated Damien Sandow
Tamina Snuka defeated Natalya
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS WEEK'S EPISODE OF SUPERSTARS?
TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
Last week saw Daniel Bryan taken out of commission with three deadly tombstones at the hands of Kane. Bryan is set to return to TV for the first time since the death of his father and is expected to address his match with Kane at Extreme Rules. Stephanie McMahon is set to make a public apology for Kane's actions last week. Also on this episode is the final round in the Intercontinental Championship #1 contenders tournament with a match between RVD and Bad News Barrett. There will also be special appearances from Rick Flair and X-Men star, Hugh Jackman.
Tonight's show starts out with a recap of last week's handicap match between the Wyatt Family and John Cena.
The action begins with a steel cage surrounding the ring. John Cena's music hits and he makes his way to the ring.
Cena gets on the mic.The crowd boos him and he asks "Why?" He elaborates by asking why 11 million fans voted for him to take on all 3 members of the Wyatt Family. He says that you either die a hero or live to become a villain. He recounts his draft to the Raw brand 11 years ago and the ovation he received on that night. Cena acknowledges that the WWE Universe is fickle and realizes that no one remains on top forever. He warns the Universe that Bray Wyatt is a dangerous man. He says that if Wyatt escapes the cage, then so does his message.
The Wyatt's entrance interrupts Cena and the place goes dark. A child's voice begins singing "He's got the whole world in his hands". The lights go on and a choir of children stands at the top of the ramp singing. The lights go off again and Bray Wyatt approaches the ring, also singing. The children follow Wyatt down to the ring. Wyatt blows out his lantern and when the lights come on, the children are wearing sheep masks. Wyatt lets out a maniacal laugh. One of the sheep children is sitting on Bray's lap.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with a replay of Wyatt's stunt from before the break.
MATCH: The Usos vs. Rybaxel
The match starts out with Jey Uso and Curtis Axel. Axel drives Uso to the corner. Uso fights back with a shoulder block. Ryback is tagged in. Jay takes it to Ryback with a series of right hands. Ryback fights back and goes for the splash but Jay moves and tags in Jimmy. They double team Ryback. Axel interferes and the Usos send both of them out of the ring. The Usos dive over the top rope and land on Ryback and Axel. Jay appears to have hurt his ankle.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with Ryback in control of Jimmy Uso. Axel is tagged in and delivers a strike from the middle rope for a 2 count. Axel gets Uso in an armbar. Uso fights back but is stopped by a knee to the face from Axel for the 2 count. Ryback is tagged in and delivers a slam to Uso for a 2 count. Ryback drives Uso to the corner and sets him on the tope rope. Axel is tagged in and they go for the double superplex. Jimmy fights back and knocks Ryback off the ropes. He then shoves Axel onto Ryback. Jey is is tagged in and hits the crossbody on Axel for the 2 count. He drives Axel into the corner. Ryback tries to interfere but eats a superkick. Axel meets a Samoan drop followed by a stink face for the 2 count. Axel reverses the whip and tags in Ryback. Ryback hits a spinebuster for a 2 count. Ruback loads up the meat hook but eats another superkick for the 2 count. Uso hits a couple chops. Ryback reverses and hits the clothesline. Ryback goes for Shellshock but Jey rolls him up for a 2 count. Axel is tagged in and so is Jimmy. Axel doesn't see the tag on Jimmy. Jey hits another superkick on Ryback. Axel hits the Perfectplex but Jimmy hits the splash from the top rope as Axel comes down to the mat. The Usos get the 3 count.
WINNERS: Usos via Pinfall
*Commercial Break*
A vignette plays for Adam Rose. It announces that he will be appearing next week on Raw.
Cesaro and Paul Heyman are shown bag stage talking about RVD. Heyman says that RVD is getting under his skin and that the last person who got under his skin was The Undertaker. He says while he may practice unethical business practices, he nonetheless takes his clients to the top.
A replay airs of Kane's attack on Daniel Bryan last week on Raw.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with a shot of Kane's mask in the glass box.
Sheamus makes his way down to the ring. He is attacked from behind by Titus O'Neil. Despite the attack, Sheamus chooses to go on with the match.
MATCH: Sheamus vs. Titus O'Neil
The match starts with O'Neil driving Sheamus to the corner. Sheamus comes out of the corner and hits the brogue kick for the 3 count.
WINNER: Sheamus via Pinfall
The Twitter exchange between Ziggler and Sandow concerning Hugh Jackman is shown. Jackman will be coming on after the break.
*Commercial Break*
A vignette for Bo Dallas plays.
The show returns with Dolph Ziggler in the ring. Ziggler talks about how much he loves the warm weather. He plugs the new X-Men movie. A trailer plays for X-Men: Days of Future Past. Upon return Ziggler welcomes Hugh Jackman to the ring. Jackman gets on the mic. He talks about how great it is to be back on Raw. He says the best part is that anything could happen. Ziggler says thats funny because something happened to him last time Jackman was on Raw. A video plays showing Ziggler getting knocked out by Ziggler. The 2 men shake hands to bury the hatchet.
Sandow interrupts dressed up as Magneto. He talks trash to Ziggler and Hugh Jackman saying that Ziggler is shaking in the ring not because he is afraid, but because he is starstruck. The crowd starts chanting "Knock him out!" Jackman makes fun of Sandows costume. Sandow says behold the power of magnetism. A sound effect plays and Jackman pretends that the mic is being attracted to Magneto's hands. He throws the mic down and delivers a hip toss to Sandow and Ziggler hits the Zig-Zag.
A recap plays of Evolution's feud with The Shield.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter making their way to the ring.
Paul Heyman gets on the mic and says that he isn't the evil manager everyone thinks he is. He says that his kids at home thinks he is funny. He tells a knock-knock joke saying "Knock Knock" "Who's There?" "Mike" "Mike Who?"
The match starts out with Swagger getting behind Cesaro and slamming him. Cesaro fights back with 2 no leverage slams. Swagger rolls out of the ring. Cesaro delivers a double axe handle to the outside. Swagger fights back by driving Cesaro into the barricade. He gets a 2 count back in the ring. Swagger drives Cesaro into the ring post and hits a clothesline for a 2 count. Swagger gets Cesaro in a submission hold. He delivers a knee to the mid section and sends Cesaro into the ropes. Cesaro hits a European uppercut but his momentum is stopped with a big boot for the 2 count. Cesaro fights back but is distracted by Zeb Colter. Swagger takes advantage and attacks Cesaro. Swagger is distracted when Heyman attacks Colter and pulls his mustache. Cesaro hits a German suplex and gets the 3 count.
WINNER: Cesaro via Pinfall
A replay airs of Bray Wyatt's stunt from earlier in the night.
Cena is asked backstage about what was just shown. Cena says nothing and walks away.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with another shot of Kane's mask in the glass box.
MATCH: Alberto Del Rio vs. Cody Rhodes
Del Rio attacks Rhodes from behind. Rhodes fights back and drives Del Rio to the corner. Del Rio hits a suplex for a one count. Rhodes reverses again and hits a clothesline followed by a scoop slam. RHodes hits the arm drag and gets Del Rio in a submission hold. Del Rio gets up but is driven to the corner. He gihts back and hits RHodes with a right hand. Del Rio hits a back side slam for a 2 count. Del Rio gets Rhodes in a headlock. He goes for another back side slam but Rhodes fights back with a drop kick. Del Rio catches Rhodes with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a 2 count. He gets Rhodes in another headlock. Rhodes fights out and hits the uppercut. He hangs Del Rio on the middle rope and kicks him in the groin. Rhodes goes to the top and ears a right hand from Del Rio. Del Rio locks in the cross arm breaker and Rhodes submits.
WINNER: Alberto Del Rio via Submission
*Commercial Break*
Cesaro and Heyman are seen again talking backstage.
Lana comes out and introduces Alexander Rusev.
MATCH: Alexander Rusev vs. Xavier Woods
Woods hits a dropkick early on and follows up with an aggresive offense. Rusev catches Woods and slams him to the mat. Lana tells Rusev to Crush. Rusev stomps Woods on the back and goes to lock on the Accolade but R-Truth interferes. They send Rusev out of the ring and knock him off the apron.
WINNER: Alexander Woods via Disqualification.
A video package plays of John Cena granting wishes for Make-A-Wish foundation.
RVD is interviewed backstage about his match tonight. He says Bad News Barrett like giving bad news and tonight he is going to get some at the hands of RVD. Zeb Colter interrupts and proposes that they team up to stop Cesaro and Heyman. RVD refuses and walks away.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with Los Matadores and 3MB in the ring
MATCH: Los Matadores vs. 3MB (Heath Slater and McIntyre)
The show starts with McIntyre and Los Matadores squaring off. Matadores hits a dropkick. McIntyre fights back and tags in Slater. Matadores ducks a clothesline and hits a back elbow off the middle rope. Los Matadores makes the tags and sends Slater into the corner. Los Matadores does a headstand in the corner and hits an armdrag on Slater. Outside the ring Mahal is gored by El Torrito. Inside the ring Slater hits his finisher for the 3 count.
WINNER: 3MB via Pinfall
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with Stephanie McMahon making her way to the ring. She gets on the mic and says that she tried to stop Kane but the demon is unstoppable. She then invites Daniel Bryan to the ring. His music hits and Daniel Bryan makes his way to the ring with Brie Bella. Bryan is wearing a neck brace.
Daniel Bryan gets on the mic and says that he almost believed Stephanie when she told Kane to stop beating him but everyone knows that she is full of crap. Stephanie says its no secret that her and HHH never wanted him to be WWE Heavyweight Championship and that at times emotions ran high. Bryan retorts by asking how Stephanie thinks his wife felt every time he got beat up at the hands of the authority. Stephanie kisses up to Bryan and says she understand what its like to see your husband in pain. She then apologizes to Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella. Bryan says he still thinks she is full of crap. Stephanie invites Bryan and Bella to the ring to look her in the eyes as she apologizes. Bryan says he will still see a liar in her eyes. He says that although he is battered, he will never give up. He promises that if Kane takes him down, he is taking Kane down with him. Stephanie gives Brie Bella a shot at the Diva's Championship tonight as proof of her apology.
Another shot plays of the glass box but now Kane's mask is missing.
*Commercial Break*
MATCH: Paige vs. Brie Bella
The Match starts with both women locking up. Paige take Brie to the mat. Brie fights out and hits a dropkick for a 1 count. Paige fights back and tosses Brie into the corner. She proceeds to stomp Brie and follows up with a suplex for a 2 count. Paige shoves brie through the ropes and delivers a series of knees to Brie's head. Brie fights back and goes to the top rope. Paige stops her and hits the superplex. Flames explode at the top of the ramp and Kane's music hits. Kane's is nowhere to be seen. Kane emerges through the mat from under the ring. Daniel Bryan tries to fight him off but is thrown aside. Kane tries to drag Brie under the mat but Daniel Bryan attacks him with a monkey wrench. Kane sits back up and chokeslams Daniel Bryan. He drags Brie towards the hole in the ring but she fights out and runs to the aid of Bryan. Kane laughs in the ring as the flames explode again.
*Commercial Break*
A replay of Kane's attack is shown as the show returns.
Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella are shown backstage. Brie is visibly shaken. Bryan is being examined by a WWE doctor. Stephanie McMahon comes in and asks if Daniel Bryan will be able to compete at Extreme Rules. Bryan assures her he will be there and she will regret dragging his wife into this. Brie Bella flips out, calling Stephanie a bitch and telling her to get out.
Another replay of Bray Wyatt's choir spot plays.
John Cena is shown coming out of his locker room. He apologizes for ignoring the interviewer before. He says that he was so caught up in Wyatt's mind games that he thought the WWE Universe had turned its back on him. He says that he will buy Wyatt a mule to ride to the ring at Extreme Rules. Cena assures that he will win at Extreme Rules.
Bad News Barrett takes his place atop the raised podium and says he's got some bad news for RVD. He says that while WWE's slogan is "Now, Then, Forever", RVD's should just be "Then", because "Then" is when he was last relevant.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with Bad News Barrett in the ring.
MATCH: Bad News Barrett vs. Rob Van Dam
The match starts out with the two locking up. Barrett drives RVD to the corner and RVD fights out. They square up again and RVD gets Barrett in a wristlock. He bring Barrett to the mat. They lock up. RVD brings Barrett to the mat in a headlock. Barrett runs towards RVD but RVD pulls down the top rope and sends Barrett to the outside. RVD hits the moonsault off the apron. He sends Barrett into the ring for the 2 count. He locks in a headlock. Barrett fights out and send RVD to the outside with an elbow to the face. Barrett drives RVD into the barricade and follows up by smashing his head into the announce table. Barrett throws RVD back in the ring for the 2 count. He sends RVD off the rope. RVD reverses and rolls up Barrett for a 2 count. RVD is sent to the corner. He tries to leap over Barret but is caught and meets a kick to the midsection.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with Barrett in control. RVD fights back. Barrett reverses the Irish whip. RVD rolls over the back of Barret. RVD is caught by a big slam from Barrett for the 2 count. RVD is sent to the corner and sent choked with Barrett's boot. Barrett hits the neckbreaker for a 2 count. Barrett locks in a sleeper hold. RVD fights out and rolls up Barrett for the 2 count. Barrett eats a kick to the jaw. RVD hits several clotheslines and takes Barrett down to the mat. Cesaro approaches the ring but is stopped by Swagger. The 2 fight outside the ring. Barrett goes for the Bull Hammer. RVD ducks it and hits the spin kick. He follows up with the rolling thunder and goes to the top rope for the 5 star frogsplash. RVD is distracted by Cesaro. He fights him off and goes for the frogsplash but Barrett gets his knees up. Barrett hits the Bull Hammer for the 3 count.
WINNER: Bad News Barrett via Pinfall
Cesaro attacks RVD after the match. Swagger come sin and attacks Cesaro. He slams Cesaro and turns his attention to RVD. RVD fights out of Swagger's grasp and sends him to the mat. Swagger flees the ring. RVD goes to the top rope and hits the frogsplash on Cesaro.
A replay of The Shield taking out their opponents on SmackDown and the 5 on 3 match that followed.
The Shield is shown backstage talking about how they're going to take out Evolution.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with Randy Orton making his way to the ring with HHH and Batista.
Triple H gets on the mic and says that The Shield reminds him of Evolution. Orton says that they will never be Evolution. Triple H goes on to say that he brought them into this world, and Evolution is going to see them out. The Shield's music plays and they make their way to the ring.
The two teams stare each other down and Rick Flair's music hits. Flair says he has had alot of fun in St. Louis in the past. He says it is an honor to share the ring with men who exhume dominance. He recounts his days with the Four Horseman. He says that he has seen the word greatness come full circle, and that he is talking about the Shield.
MATCH: Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns
Reigns takes it to Orton with several right hands. Orton fights back and sends Reigns to the outside. Randy Orton goes for the suplex to the floor but Reigns reverses. He sends Orton back in the ring but Orton rolls back out. Orton fight back and sends Reigns into the steel steps. Orton sends Reigns back in the ring for a 1 count. Reigns fights out but is clotheslined over the top rope. Orton drags him back in the ring and goes for the DDT but Reigns squirms out. Reigns fights back. He ducks a clothesline and delivers one of his own. He hits a big right hand to Orton in the corner. Orton's head hangs outside the ring and Reigns dropkicks it. Reigns loads up the Superman punch but HHH pulls his leg. The Shield attacks HHH and Batista o nthe outside. Reigns is sent off the ropes and hits the Superman Punch. He goes to the outside to fight Batista and HHH. The ref calls for the bell.
Evolution gains the upper hand and beats up the Shield. Evolution sends Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns back in the ring. HHH gets Ambrose in position for the pedigree but Seth Rollins hits a dropkick off the top rope. The Shield fights back and gains the upper hand. Reigns delivers a round of spears. They go to triple power bomb HHH but Batista and Orton come into the ring with chairs. The Shield fights them off but HHH manages to escape.
REVIEW
This was a decent episode of Raw. Cena and Wyatt's promo in the beginning was creepy, over the top, and incredibly awesome. Cena seems to really be cracking from the mind games of The Eater of Worlds. I can see this rivalry ending with Cena being put to pasture. He hasn't had a break in a while and this would be the perfect opportunity for him to take a nice long vacation. This feud will probably not end at Extreme Rules, but when it does , the results are sure to be monumental.
The segment with Daniel Bryan, Brie Bella, Stephanie, and Kane was also awesome, if not a bit predictable. I loved how they kept showing the mask throughout night and then all of sudden it was gone. Kane coming out from under the ring brought me back to The Attitude Era and really established Kane as The Big Red Monster once again. The wrench was also a nod to classic Kane.
I don't know why, but the feud between Evolution and The Shield seems to be missing something. Overall, I think it's that I'm just tired of seeing Batista, Orton and Triple H. While they are all talented inside the ring, I find them to be three of the most boring wrestlers to ever lace up their boots. Triple H plays a good heel, and he was awesome back in the day with DX, but he has gotten stale over the years. Hopefully The Shield will decimate Evolution at the conclusion of their rivalry and send them to the wrestling retirement home. It seems to be going that way and as I mentioned in previous coverage, this is turning out to be a symbolic rivalry that signals the dawning of a new era in sports entertainment.
KEEP REFRESHING FOR UPDATES & LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW!
Don't forget to call in to the live Raw Post Show on Mega Powers Radio immediately following tonight's episode and listen to the Smark Out Moment team's opinions on what transpired!
Episode 5 Review
Last week on Total Divas we saw the wedding of Trinity and Jon. We saw Nattie & TJ go through a horribly uncomfortable visit from a sex therapist. Also we saw Eva Marie go through some health problems which lead to her and her husband Jonathan reconcile with Eva's family. Interestingly enough Summer Rae has only made a couple on screen appearances since she slapped Nattie, I wouldn't be surprised to see her more involved tonight.
Episode 6 Synopsis
Tonights show starts with a nice discussion about boobs and twerking! Happy Sunday! Nattie breaks out a copy of flex magazine that she has a photo shoot in. Summer Rae mentions that it's a mens body building magazine. Nattie is going on trip to New York to promote her magazine and wants a romantic vacation with TJ. She says she needs someone to watch her cats and Ariane volunteers to house sit for Nattie. The Bellas are grocery shopping, This looks very very scripted. Brie and Nikki get into an argument about chicken, this could be a long night. Nattie and TJ are packing for New York and TJ tells Nattie he invited his sister to New York. Nattie doesn't like TJ's sister all that much. Not a great move TJ.
*Commercial Break*
Nattie and TJ arrive in the big apple. Nattie is determined to make this a romantic get away. TJ got his sister an adjoining room for some reason. Ariane arrives in tampa and we get a Vinnie sighting. Ariane seem genuinely annoying throughout this whole segment, my head hurts. Back in New York Nattie and TJ continuing arguing about the amount of money TJ spending on his sister, who just happens to show up. Nattie is rightfully upset. Coming back to Natties house where Ariane arrives and her and Vinnie just start rummaging through the house. This girl is just awful. Ariane is pretending to be Nattie and do annoying stuff. This is awful. Thankfully the Bellas are now on my tv. Nikki and Brie are doing a video shoot with Trey Songz. Brie is crushing Nikki for eating processed food and shows her videos of animals being abused. I'm so confused what is going on at this point.
*Commercial Break*
*Commercial Break*
Lets see if we can restore order back in New York with Nattie & TJ. Nattie is doing an interview for her magazine. Nikki now can't eat any meat after the videos Brie showed her. Ugh this is another awful segment. TJ has been investing or lending money to his sister behind Natties back. Nattie is upset at TJ for spending money on his sister. TJ's sister is interjecting in this argument. This is so awkward and bizarre.
*Commercial Break*
Toronto is beating Brooklyn and The Yankees are down 1-0 but here comes more of this strange episode of Total Divas! Nikki and Brie are going to an organic free range farm. They walk around with chickens and learn about free range farms and I have lost all interest. Nikki is going to only eat free range animals from now on. Is it sad I'm excited to see Vinnie is back? Ariane is throwing a huge party at Nattie's house. This is beyond disrespectful. Nattie has a really good turn out for her autograph signing. Trinity and Jon show up to the party at Natties. People are just showing up that nobody knows. Ariane has now lost the cat because someone left the door open.
*Commercial Break*
T dot is still beating Brooklyn get out your lint rollers! No one has seen the cat. Trinity, Ariane and Jon go looking for the cat. Vinnie is making cat calls to call the cat or something. Natties neighbor comes asking what is going on and the party is out of control. Nattie's neighbor calls her to inform her what is going on so Nattie calls Ariane who starts lying and then tells her the truth. Nattie says she is taking the next flight home. She is pissed. TJ is rightfully pissed as well.
*Commercial Break*
Toronto wins! Nattie gets to her hotel and starts arguing with TJ. They continue the search for Louie the cat annnnnnd they find him. Problem averted. An awkward phone ensues. TJ and Nattie start arguing about the money he gave his sister.
*Commercial Break*
The argument continues. Nattie and TJ admit they were both wrong to spend money without consulting each other. They make up and all is right in the world. Back at Nattie's Ariane admits what she did is wrong and she is sorry. END OF EPISODE!
Review: This episode was awkward and awful. Nattie and TJ are just not a ton of fun on screen. Ariane is worst person on the show. She is loud, disrespectful and annoying. Does whoever edits this show think it is a good idea to portray Ariane this way? It was a mess. The best part of the show was the outfits that the Bella's wore to the grocery store. Their segments tonight came off as super fake. I'm stunned they didn't try to capitalize on the hate Summer Rae gained after the infamous slap. She has had maybe 3 or 4 appearances on the show since then. I don't understand. Overall I would give the show a fail tonight but hey can't win them all I guess.
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At WrestleMania 30, Brock Lesnar did the impossible when he hit a third F5 and broke The Undertaker's undefeated streak, which previously stood at 21-0. I was in attendance when the 3-count that broke The Streak happened, and the sound that was created by the Superdome crowd when they realized what had happened was like nothing I have ever heard before. It was like the stadium had just vacuumed up all the sound that the crowd was making (which wasn't really much since the match was so crap, but we'll ignore that), and very slowly, the shock, confusion and despair crept out in murmurs. It was bizarre. My jaw almost literally hit the floor, and no-one around me could quite believe what had just happened. We had all grown used to that number climbing higher and higher while the '0' always remained, but the mind-blowing graphic that showed up on the Superdome's screens confirmed it; '21-1' it read, and The Streak was over.
The immediate reaction was incredible. My brother went to the toilet afterwards, and told me that many people were pissed off and some were even leaving the stadium in anger. Most people were more subdued; I just watched the Divas match, still trying to digest what had just happened. How had The Undertaker lost? The guy behind me thought that it was a botch. No-one could believe it, and as I was leaving the stadium that night, even after Daniel Bryan's triumph, many people were still sombre, or just angry.
Now, 3 weeks removed from WrestleMania, we can really begin to analyze the implications of Brock Lesnar 'conquering' The Streak. And while many people still argue that it's ridiculous that a part-time guy who will be around for a couple more years at best got to break the most sacred accomplishment the WWE has, rather than giving the rub to a future main-eventer to cement his stardom, I'm going to argue against this. I'm willing to put my chips on the table and say Brock Lesnar was the best choice to defeat the Undertaker and end the streak, more so than Roman Reigns or Cesaro or any of the other people who have been suggested for the honor. I suppose I better back up that statement now...
Reason #1: A young guy breaking The Streak would have faced extreme backlash
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| Roman Reigns can become an icon, but not by breaking The Streak. |
With Brock Lesnar, WWE do actually take care to book him like a dangerous monster (most of the time). Paul Heyman's promo on the RAW after 'Mania was so captivating it prevented the crazy crowd from crapping all over it. Even though Lesnar isn't around right now, when he returns, you can be sure that Heyman will remind you of what he did.With Lesnar and Heyman, WWE know that the heat from The Streak ending is in safe hands, and it won't disparate as easily as it could with a younger guy. Every match Lesnar has from now on has the spectre of The Streak hanging over it, and they will be more interesting, dramatic, and just plain better because of it.
Reason #2: Lesnar has got his heat back in a huge way
Many people believe that Lesnar's loss to John Cena at Extreme Rules 2012 in his first match back was a mistake, and made Brock look less intimidating for future matches. I am definitely in that camp, and Lesnar's matches since then have never felt as important as that one did, because Lesnar had already been presented as beatable. His loss to Triple H at last year's WrestleMania further cemented this view, and it meant that heading into Brock's match with Undertaker this year, no-one was giving him a chance. That made his victory all the more shocking of course, but it also allowed Lesnar to win back the aura that surrounded him heading into his match with Cena. Lesnar feels 'unbeatable' again for the first time since 2012, and his future matches will feel more important because of that aura.
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| Lesnar feels really dangerous again. |
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| Cesaro's link with Heyman can set up a big feud with Lesnar. |
What do you think about The Streak ending? Was Brock Lesnar the right choice to end it? The comment section below is all yours to debate and discuss.
Will Bray Wyatt and The Wyatt Family show up on SmackDown? Will The Shield be on the program and what does Evolution and The Authority have in store for them? Cesaro will face former tag partner Jack Swagger in a one-on-one match. Eric Rowan and Luke Harper also take on the Brotherhood of Cody Rhodes and Goldust and much more!
Vickie Guerrero opens the show and she says she wants to address The Shield. They will be facing Curtis Axel, Ryback and all we need to know is eleven superstars will be facing The Shield later tonight.
Ceasro and Heyman will have a face to face for ninety seconds against Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger. Zeb is first and he puts Cesaro and Heyman down. Colter exclaims how he wanted to help him, talking Swagger into helping Cesaro along. Heyman takes his turn to further push the fact that Heyman's client Brock Lesnar's client broke Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania XXX. Heyman's time was up. Colter took the mic and told Swagger that Heyman was a fake and asked Heyman why he stole Cesaro from Colter, Heyman says he is the man behind the one in twenty-one and one. Heyman claims he was already the advocate of the man who won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Zeb tells Cesaro that he knew the debate he was in was a sham. Zeb and Heyman got into an argument. Swagger and Cesaro held Zeb and Heyman back. Swagger and Cesaro one-on-one is next.
MATCH: Cesaro vs. Jack Swagger
Cesaro on the early advantage on Swagger. Cesaro on a quick pin kick out and then Swagger sends Cesaro to the outside. Cesaro counters Swagger with a European uppercut and slings Swagger into the barricade. Once in the ring, Cesaro pins Swagger for a near-fall. Swagger puts Cesaro into the corner. Swagger gets a near-fall. Swagger puts Cesaro into a Full Nelson. Cesaro powers out, countering with an uppercut off the ropes. Near-fall by Cesaro. Cesaro with forearms into the corner. Swagger counters with a Swagger Bomb. Swagger and Cesaro shoot back and forth with shots until Cesaro hits Swagger over the top rope.
*Commercial Break*
Swagger gets caught with a forearm from the top and a near-fall from Cesaro. Swagger counters with a forearm and Swagger gets a near-fall. Swagger misses a Swagger Bomb but gets caught in a Ankle Lock by Swagger, into a pin by Swagger for a near-fall. Swagger is frustrated. Cesaro catches Swagger with a European uppercut into a butterfly powerbomb on Swagger. Cesaro lures Swagger into a swing position. Cesaro Swing on Swagger. Cesaro hits the Neutralizer on Swagger for the win!
WINNER: Antonio Cesaro via pinfall
Following the Cesaro match, The Shield's music hits. Roman Reings hits the Superman Punch on Swagger. After the onslaught Swagger is hit with the triple powerbomb by The Shield. Rollins grabs a mic and yells that Swagger failed to adapt. Reigns says they are just getting started. "Believe that!"
*Commercial Break*
Cole thanks everyone who watched WrestleMania XXX on WWE Network. Closer look at new Divas champion Paige. Vignette of how Paige won Divas Championship against AJ Lee. Paige cries after winning Divas Championship. She says not to underestimate her for her age (21). Paige says she is confident but a little petrified of Tamina. She promises she will walk out of Extreme Rules Divas champion.
MATCH: Tamina Snuka vs. Natalya
Tamina and Natalaya have an exchange. Natalya keeps the advantage on Tamina until Tamina uses Natalya's own leverage against her to pour her onto the outside of the ring. Tamina puts Natalya into the ring. Near-fall by Tamina. Rear chin lock applied by Tamina and a cover for a near-fall. Samoan Drop by Tamina and followed up by a splash and a near-fall. Sunset Flip into a sharpshooter and out of that and Natalya attempts a pin on Tamina. Near-fall for Natalya. Tamina sends Natalya into the corner. Straight kick by Tamina for the win.
WINNER: Tamina via pinfall
Backstage segment: 3MB celebrate that they will be in the main event of SmackDown. Seth Rollins interferes. The rest of The Shield appear. The Shield attack 3MB and Reigns hits a Superman Punch on Heath Slater. The Shield are systematically taking out opponents in the eleven-on-one handicap match later tonight before they can compete.
*Commercial Break*
After the break, Cole and JBL hype WWE Network and the events to place after SmackDown. Another one week free offer for WWE Network that ends tonight at midnight. Brad Maddox takes Guerrero's place as general manager for the night and is going to call The Shield out later.
MATCH: Jey Uso vs. Curtis Axel
Uso and Axel fire off at each other with punches. Uso with a forearm to Axel. Uso into a headlock and grinds it in. Axel drives Uso into the turnbuckles. Axel stomps away at Uso. Uso fights back with shots but Axel fights back to the advantage. Axel with a back breaker to Uso and a near-fall. Stomps in the corner by Axel. Axel misses a splash and Uso nails Axel with shots to the face. Axel regains advantage with shots to Uso's head to the turnbuckle and lays him Uso out in the ring. Axel with face first Russian leg sweep to Uso for the win!
WINNER: Curtis Axel via pinfall
*Commercial Break*
A vignette for Bo Dallas is shown.
Bray Wyatt comes up on the stage. Bray tells Hershey that the Wyatt Family are there. Bray is inside of a steel cage and laughs. He tells the WWE Universe to see and tells them that power is measured by how much love you have. Whether you want to bring love or suffering. He says that love has beautiful flames; you have to feel it. Wyatt says the WWE Universe will do anything for the ones they believe in but he has lost their love. He likes Cena's style! The people did not give Cena a fair fight on Raw and threw him to the Wyatt Family. Bray says it is high time Cena stop taking him lightly. His words are working on Cena. Wyatt and Cena have a date inside a steel cage at Extreme Rules. Like modern day gladiators fighting for the respect of their people, they are trapped together. Bray says Cena invited him in the steel cage but he hasn't even taken Wyatt's venom yet. Wyatt asks if he can see "them" singing with him. He's got the whole world in his hands. He's got the whooooole world in his hands!
MATCH: Luke Harper and Eric Rowan vs. Cody Rhodes and Goldust
Harper and Rhodes start the match. Rhodes takes Harper out at the knees. Rowan and Goldust tag in. Momentum goes to Goldust and a tag to Rhodes, but Rowan stops the momentum of Rhodes. Bray gets on the mic and taunts the audience. Rowan tags in and takes it to Rhodes. Rowan tags back in and stomps the ribs of Rhodes and tortures Rhodes with a side headlock. Another tag to Harper and Rhodes gets gator rolled by Harper. Rhodes comes back but Goldust is knocked off the apron and can't get the tag but he retains the advantage.
Goldust comes in as a house on fire against Harper. Double crossbody by Goldust to Harper and Rowan and Goldust retains the advantage. Harper power slams Goldust but Rowan breaks the count. Rhodes hits Rowan with a missile drop kick. Harper knocks Rhodes off the top turnbuckle. Harper hits clothesline from hell on Goldust and the match is over.
WINNER: Luke Harper and Eric Rowan via pinfall
Backstage segment: The Shield attack Brad Maddox in his office and take out the GM before their eleven-on-one match later in the program.
MATCH: Santino Marella and Emma vs. Fandango and Layla
Emma and Santino come to the ring. Fandango and Layla come out and join them but The Shield attack Fandango. The Shield triple powerbomb Fandango off the stage and through a table. Another participant is taken out of the eleven-on-one tag match against The Shield later in the show.
An Adam Rose vignette is shown before the commercial break.
*Commercial Break*
Cole recaps the happenings when The Shield triple powerbombed Fandango off the stage through the table.
Reported that Bryan will be on Raw Monday and so will Stephanie to apologize to Bryan.
The Shield come to the ring for the main event.
*Commercial Break*
A recap of the attacks of The Shield throughout the night: 3MB, Curtis Axel, Brad Maddox and Fandango.
MATCH: Wade Barrett, Alberto Del Rio, Titus O'Neil, Ryback and Damien Sandow vs. The Shield
Rollins and Ryback start the match. Ryback overpowers Rollins and send him to the mat. Rollins comes out of the onslaught and tags Reigns. Ambrose is then tagged in. Shield works over Ryback in the corner. Shield tag in Rollins and Rollins is taken down. Ryback tags in Titus O'Neil. O'Neil slams Rollins but Rollins takes O'Neil into The Shield's corner and tags Ambrose into the match. Ambrose wails O'Neil in The Shield's corner. Reigns is tagged in and works over O'Neil. Ambrose tags in and is taken into the corner by O'Neil where O'Neil tags in Barrett. Barrett is taken into The Shield's corner and The Shield come in to take over match.
*Commercial Break*
Barrett has a reverse chin lock on Ambrose. Barrett hits a near-fall on Ambrose and tags in Del Rio who lands several offensive maneuvers and gets a near-fall. Del Rio continues the onslaught. Del Rio kicks the back of the head of Ambrose and gets a near-fall. Ryback interferes a bit and gets the tag. Reverse chin lock by Ryback. Ambrose fights out and drives Ryback's head into the corner. Ryback misses a lariat clothesline and Ambrose tags in Roman Reigns. Reigns takes over the match and it falls apart with many of the participants brawling in the ring. Sandow is hit with a Superman kick from Reigns on the outside. Reigns is distracted by the members of the eleven man tag team. Barrett and Del Rio leave the ringside area. Rollins hits a Swanton Bomb on Ryback and then Ambrose and Reigns hit a double suicide dive on Sandow and O'Neil. Reigns hits a Superman Punch on Del Rio near the ramp. In the ring, Ambrose dropkicks Sandow and the Reigns nails the spear for the pin.
WINNER: The Shield via pinfall
After the match Reigns hits the spear on O'Neil and then nails Ryback with a triple powerbomb to end the show.
REVIEW
All in all, the matches were good. I enjoyed how the show built The Shield and made them look powerful moving into the Extreme Rules pay-per-view. Cesaro got the clean win over Swagger and this allowed him to keep his momentum coming out of WrestleMania. Bray Wyatt cut another great promo and built the suspense for his cage match against Cena at Extreme Rules all the while establishing himself as one of the best anti-heroes the WWE has seen in the last decade. The crowd is really behind the Wyatt Family.
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Every wrestling fan knows that on March 31, 1985, Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation changed the landscape of professional wrestling forever with the inception of WrestleMania. Since that time, even the most casual of wrestling fans tune in for the annual wrestling extravaganza and anticipate the culmination of the top programs of the year. It's the time when you must brace yourself, as this is where some of the most timeless moments in professional wrestling take place—Hulk Hogan slamming Andre the Giant in front of a reported 93,000 fans at WrestleMania III, the boyhood dream of Shawn Michaels coming true at WrestleMania XII, the undefeated Undertaker's streak coming to an end at WrestleMania XXX—just to name a few.
With no off season in professional wrestling, many times, a feud will carry over to the next month's pay-per-view event. Sometimes, these sequels can stand up alongside even the greatest of WrestleMania contests themselves.
For the first edition of the Green Room, where you'll be getting insight into my point of view, I present to you a list ranking what I feel are the top ten WrestleMania return matches of all time. The following are the entries in Part 1 of this two-part article:
10. CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio (Extreme Rules 2010)
The feud between CM Punk and Rey Mysterio was born only two weeks before WrestleMania XXVI. At the show of shows, CM Punk was accompanied to the ring by his Straight Edge Society (Luke Gallows and Serena), but even their presence couldn't quell the Avatar-inspired aerial showcase that Rey Mysterio flooded CM Punk with and Mysterio got the victory.
Fast forward to the weeks after WrestleMania and CM Punk was not going to settle for a loss being the final word on his feud with Mysterio. The Straight Edge Savior was committed enough to his cause of defeating Mysterio that he agreed to put his hair on the line for a rematch. If Punk lost, his head would have been shaved. The match was great and far surpassed the match at WrestleMania since it was given more time to develop. In the end, Punk won this chapter of this epic feud and saved his "pure" locks...for the time being.
9. Batista vs. Triple H (Backlash 2005)
In the months leading up to the 2005 Royal Rumble, a group called Evolution had been dominating the main event scene in WWE. Triple H was the leader of this unstoppable faction and Batista was one of his running mates (along with Ric Flair and Randy Orton before he was exiled following SummerSlam in 2004). Batista entered the Royal Rumble and walked out the winner of the thirty man match with a guaranteed contract to face either the World Heavyweight or WWE champion at the time. This posed a major problem for Evolution, since Triple H was the current World Heavyweight champion. Most people assumed Batista would challenge for the WWE Championship and Evolution would become the strongest faction in WWE history. However, The Animal had other plans and decided to face his mentor Triple H at WrestleMania for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Batista went into WrestleMania with the deck stacked against him as Triple H was a seasoned main event veteran and Ric Flair was at his side. Against all odds, Batista knocked off The Game and won the World Heavyweight Championship on that faithful night in the spring of 2005. It goes without saying that Triple H did not take to the loss very well. In the weeks leading up to Backlash 2005, Triple H once again attempted to get into the head of Batista as the Cerebral Assassin prepared to enact his rematch clause at the event. If WrestleMania was the coming of age for Batista, Backlash only served as proof that Batista had real staying power in the main event scene on Raw. He picked up his second consecutive victory over the self proclaimed "measuring stick" and continued to ride that success for years to come.
8. Undertaker vs. Edge (Backlash 2008)
When a champion comes into WrestleMania season holding the World Heavyweight Championship and the General Manager of Smackdown on his arm he should by all means be confident that he can leave with the strap still firmly in his possession. This should have been the scenario that Edge was enjoying in early 2008 when heading into the road to WrestleMania. His hopes of having an easy WrestleMania victory were thwarted when a challenger emerged that had revenge on his mind. That man, whom Edge had cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on in the last part of 2006, was The Undertaker. Not only did Edge have the insurmountable task of attempting to end the Demon from Death Valley's WrestleMania undefeated streak, but he also was forced to put his prized World Heavyweight Championship on the line against that hallowed streak. Needless to say, Edge was unsuccessful in his attempt to finish The Deadman at WrestleMania.
Like all former title holders in WWE, Edge had a clause in his contract that guaranteed him a rematch against the Undertaker. Edge decided to use his pull with Vicki Guerrero to cash in that clause at the next month's pay-per-view, Backlash. In the weeks leading into the rematch, Guerrero placed Undertaker in a series of matches designed to injure The Deadman before his match with Edge. In the end, Undertaker walked into Backlash a bit battered but ready to fight with his life to retain his World Heavyweight title. After a grueling match with a plethora of interference on behalf of the challenger, Undertaker caught Edge in the Hell's Gate to finish the Rated R Superstar in a barn burner of a match.
7. Chris Benoit vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels (Backlash 2004)
In January of 1995, Shawn Michaels became the first man in the history of the Royal Rumble match to win the contest from the number one position. He stood alone as the only man to win from the unenviable first spot for nearly ten years. Then, in 2004, another underdog entered the brawl from the number one spot: Chris Benoit. The Rabid Wolverine lasted for more than an hour before becoming the second man to win the match from bell to bell. In the years since the 1993 rumble match, the winner of the grueling bout was guaranteed a world title shot at WrestleMania against whomever the champion might be. The World Heavyweight Champion in 2004 happened to be the Cerebral Assassin just the same as it would be the following year. Triple H had been in a bitter feud with his former Degeneration X stable mate, Shawn Michaels. Michaels argued that he belonged in the main event of WrestleMania to end his long standing series of matches with The Game once and for all. Benoit had his contract and was not about to let a third man rain on his Championship match. During a controversial contract signing where Chris Benoit was supposed to ink his name on the contract for WrestleMania XX, Michaels superkicked him and signed his name as the challenger instead. The decision was made that the World Heavyweight Championship match would become a triple threat. If Benoit were not already the underdog before, that certainly was the case now. In typical Benoit fashion, he defied the odds and, when he was able to make Triple H tap out to his Crippler Crossface, he won his very first World Heavyweight title in an epic WrestleMania moment.
Benoit's celebration was short lived, though, and it didn't take long for the former World Heavyweight champion Triple H to announce he would be enacting his rematch clause for the Championship at the next pay-per-view Backlash. Shawn Michaels weaseled his way back into this match as well, citing that The Game was the participant at WrestleMania who tapped out to lose the match. Benoit's first title defense since becoming the World Heavyweight champion was also his toughest challenge to date because the roles in the match were reversed. Now, he was the hunted instead of the underdog. Benoit fought with all of his heart and came out the other side of the event with his championship still intact in a match that mirrored the magic that these three great competitors created on the grandest stage of them all.
6. John Cena vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels (Backlash 2007)
The history of WrestleMania has been told and retold endless times. It can be argued that when the discussion of great WrestleMania competitors is brought up in water cooler conversation, one man stands alone as the single greatest competitor in the history of the event. He has been dubbed "Mr. WrestleMania". That man is Shawn Michaels. The Heartbreak Kid entered the Royal Rumble match in 2007 with every intention of winning for a third time and going on to headline WrestleMania once more. He came within a hair of accomplishing this task, but was eliminated by The Undertaker, who went on to face Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXIII.
The WWE Championship picture was lacking a challenger, so it was announced that the three other members that made up the final four would compete in a #1 contender's match. Michaels defeated both Randy Orton and Edge for a shot at John Cena's title. At the event, Cena was able to put an end to HBK's hopes and plans by defeating him in the main event.
Later on Raw, another #1 contender's match resulted in Michaels and Orton simultaneously pinning each other and the match was ruled a no-contest. Meanwhile, Edge announced to the WWE Universe that the General Manager of Raw had named him the #1 contender to Cena's championship. It was decided that at Backlash, there would be a Fatal 4-Way with all of these men. John Cena won a landmark victory in his career, holding back three of the greatest superstars in WWE history and retaining his title. Although Michaels lost the match, he thought enough of it to include it on his definitive career DVD that WWE released shortly before his retirement in 2010.
5. Edge vs. Chris Jericho (Extreme Rules 2010)
A ruptured Achilles tendon is an injury that is substantial enough to sideline any professional athlete indefinitely, ending their career—but not Edge. In early 2009, Edge suffered the devastating blow of an Achilles tendon injury while competing at a house show. Dreadfully so, the tendon didn't simply tear...it ruptured! He was immediately put on the operating table, but many in the industry assumed the young superstar's career was over.
In a surprising turn of events, Edge made a shocking return to the ring at the 2010 Royal Rumble match and punched his ticket to the main event of WrestleMania by winning the match from entry #29. One month later at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Edge's former tag team partner Chris Jericho won the World Heavyweight Championship and the stage was set. Jericho vs. Edge would be the title match on the grandest stage of them all. Edge went into the match the fan favorite, but despite his best efforts, he was unable to knock off Jericho.
Unfortunately for Chris Jericho, Edge was not interested in letting their rivalry rest with the conclusion of WresleMania. Jericho was attacked by Edge the next Friday on SmackDown and after the attack, Jack Swagger came to the ring to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase and become the new World Heavyweight champion. It was decided that the only way for the two to settle their fierce rivalry would be inside a steel cage at the next pay-per-view, Extreme Rules. The match lived up to the hype and Edge was able to finally get his retribution on Jericho as he defeated the former World champion inside the inanimate structure.
4. CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho (Extreme Rules 2012)
CM Punk was once considered by many professional wrestling enthusiasts as an indy darling and when he was signed by WWE in 2005, there were whispers that he would never be successful in the company because he did not fit the mold of the conventional superstar. Punk proved all of his doubters wrong when he defeated John Cena at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view in 2011 for the WWE Championship. By all accounts, Punk had risen to the top of the WWE jungle and he took to calling himself the best in the world. In January 2012, CM Punk was the WWE champion and vignettes began airing claiming that someone was coming back to bring an end to something. The vignettes ended up culminating in the return of Chris Jericho, who was returning to bring an end to Punk's claims of being the best. After all, Jericho called himself the same thing months beforehand, so he wanted to take Punk's title at WrestleMania to prove that he was indeed the real best in the world. Jericho launched a very personal feud with Punk that saw Jericho make claims of substance abuse and infidelity toward Punk's family. Try as he might, on the grandest stage of them all Punk was able to rise above the veteran and retain his WWE Championship.
Jericho was not leaving his issues with Punk alone following his loss though. Jericho continued to attack Punk's families integrity and was able to get in the favor of Johnny Ace who was the General Manager of Raw and SmackDown at the time. Jericho was granted a rematch against Punk for the WWE Championship, only this time, the venue would be Punk's hometown of Chicago and the match a Chicago Street Fight. With Punk's sister at ringside for the match, Punk was able to dig deep within himself and conclusively vanquish all hopes Jericho had of taking his WWE Championship. With this, he took another step toward substantiating his claim of being the best in the world.
3. Triple H vs. The Rock (Backlash 2000)
The Rock was the winner of the Royal Rumble match in the year 2000...or was he? He was named the official winner of the match, but controversy surrounded the finish as many people believed that The Rock's feet hit the arena floor simultaneously with the runner-up in the match, The Big Show. In the end, Big Show and Rock were granted access to the main event of WrestleMania 2000 in a Fatal 4-Way match along with a returning Mick Foley and the WWE champion Triple H. Early in the match, Foley and Big Show were eliminated, leaving Rock and Triple H to battle one-on-one for the coveted championship. Each contestant had been accompanied to the ring and endorsed for the match by a member of the McMahon family. Stephanie McMahon was in Triple H's corner and Vince McMahon (the owner of the WWE) was in the Rock's. At the match's end, it looked as though The Rock had the championship within his grasp, but Vince McMahon turned his back on The Great One, bashing him in the skull with a chair and snuffing out his chances of winning the company's greatest prize on the grandest stage of them all.
All seemed right with the McMahon family. Stephanie's husband was the champion and the head piece for the company and The Rock's momentum had been thwarted at WrestleMania. In a turn of events, the matriarch of the McMahon family Linda McMahon made a surprise appearance on Raw naming The Rock the number one contender to the WWE Championship and announcing that Stone Cold would be in the great one's corner at Backlash for his rematch. Vince and the other members of the McMahon family asserted their power when they named Shane McMahon the guest referee for the match and announced that Vince and Stephanie would be in Triple H's corner. The McMahons' attempted every underhanded tactic that they could get away with to ensure a Triple H victory. By the end of the match, Stone Cold cleaned the clock of Vince, Shane and Triple H with a steel chair, allowing The Rock a fair chance at the championship. The Rock capitalized and won the title off of a People's Elbow for the ages.
2. Triple H vs. Hulk Hogan (Backlash 2002)
The events that brought Triple H and Hulk Hogan together in a match for the WWE Undisputed Championship were a series of circumstances that the best writers of professional wrestling fiction could never have dreamed up. In early 2001, Triple H was competing in a tag team match on Raw when he planted awkwardly on his leg and tore his quadriceps muscle off the bone. Dr. James Andrews explained to The Game that very few professional athletes had ever came back from such an injury and his ever wrestling again was a little more than wishful thinking. Triple H was stubborn though, and he moved to Alabama near Dr. Andrew's practice in order to rehab his injury with the best in the field and push his body to the brink of breaking everyday, hoping that he would be able to get back in the ring one day. Miraculously, Triple H worked so hard and so intensely that he was able to return to the WWE in time for the 2002 Royal Rumble match. His entering the match defied every good logic in medicine and winning the match only corroborated what Triple H had known all along—he would reach the top again. The Game went on to face Chris Jericho for the Undisputed Championship at WrestleMania X8 and once again reach the pinnacle of his profession.
While Triple H was busy nursing his quadriceps injury, Hulk Hogan found himself out of a job. Hogan had worked for World Championship Wrestling for the past eight years and in the spring of 2001, Vince McMahon announced that he had bought WCW. Hogan had been a major player in the early years of McMahon's global expansion and left the company on less than good terms. Many fans assumed that Hogan would go on to work on other projects outside of wrestling and hang up his boots for good. Then, in early 2002, Vince McMahon made the earth-shattering announcement that he was injecting his own company with a lethal dose of faction known as the New World Order. Hogan debuted his long time heel Hollywood Hogan gimmick for the first time in WWE. Quickly, Hollywood Hogan was put into a high profile feud against, arguably, the top star in WWE at the time, The Rock. Hogan was supposed to go into WrestleMania X8 as the heel, but the top blew off the Skydome when Hogan came to the ring. The fans chanted for Hogan and booed The Rock.
The unforeseen popularity of Hogan with a new generation of fans sparked McMahon to set up a match for the Undisputed Championship between the feel good champion Triple H and the newly invigorated baby face Hulk Hogan who chose to hang up his black and white heel colors for the red and yellow of his HulkaMania days. Due to circumstances directly spawning from WrestleMania, Hulk Hogan found his inner strength as the ultimate good guy and defeated a very inspired Triple H to become the Undisputed champion of the world.
1. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock (Backlash 1999)
Steve Austin was the most unlikely of fan favorites when he began his run on the top of the WWE in 1996. Over the next two years, Stone Cold became the archetype for the fan favorite anti-hero superstar that came to encapsulate the Attitude Era. Austin's high profile feud with the owner of the WWE Vince McMahon was the hottest angle on television in 1998 and during this feud, McMahon made it his mission to ensure that Austin would lose the WWE Championship. After months of trying to create a plan to shaft Austin of the title, McMahon stacked the deck high enough when he placed Austin in a triple threat match against Kane and the Undertaker, where Austin was pinned by both brothers simultaneously. The WWE Championship picture was so scrambled that McMahon decided to vacate the championship and hold a tournament to name a new title holder at Survivor Series 1998. Stone Cold was in the tournament, but was double-crossed by Shane McMahon when he refused to count the shoulders of Mankind down after a Stunner. Austin was eventually pinned, eliminated from the tournament, and wiped clean from the championship picture. The same night, one of the brightest stars in the history of WWE was destined to have one of the biggest nights of his young career. The Rock had been a heel for much of 1998 and had recently turned a corner with a very successful babyface run moving into the Survivor Series WWE Championship tournament. Vince McMahon had been on record exclaiming that since he had a problem with the people, he had a problem with the people's champion The Rock. The hatred of McMahon toward The Rock was all a sham, though, as The Rock faced Mankind in the finals of the tournament and when he put Mankind in the Sharpshooter, McMahon ran to the ringside area and called for the bell. The Rock went from being the people's champion to being the corporate champion.
In the months that followed, McMahon continued to do everything in his power to ensure that Stone Cold would not get another shot at the WWE Championship. Unfortunately for McMahon, Stone Cold would indeed get another chance to get his hands on the WWE Championship. McMahon agreed to face Stone Cold in a steel cage match at St. Valentines Day Massacre and if Austin defeated him, he would move on to face The Rock for the title at WrestleMania 15. McMahon had a plan to foil Austin's chances, but his plans fell through when Big Show (then known as Paul Wight) made his debut and came through the ring to interfere on McMahon's behalf. He threw Stone Cold into the cage wall and it broke, spilling Austin onto the arena floor and technically giving him the victory. Austin went on to face The Rock at WrestleMania 15 and defeated The Great One to finally regain his title.
The Rock was granted his rematch for the championship at the next month's pay-per-view and Shane McMahon was named the special guest referee. Austin once again was able to find a way to defy the odds and win the match to solidify his spot as the top hand in WWE. In the same breath, he created not only the greatest WrestleMania rematch of all-time, but one of the greatest matches in the history of WWE. Steve Austin has went on record as saying that the match he and The Rock had at Backlash was a much better match than their outing at WrestleMania.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE WRESTLEMANIA RETURN MATCHES?
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Last week we were introduced to the entire cast of Legends House. The show concluded with a forlorn Rowdy Roddy Piper roaming the new neighborhood.
Piper finally returns to the Legends House and is welcomed by Hacksaw Jim Duggan. He explains his lonesome experience to Jim Duggan and seems to be over feeling melancholy.
The next morning the Legends are surprised by a cleaning lady. Hillbilly Jim is shocked to be awoken. While other members of the house play cards and chat Tony Atlas meditates, writes, and comments on his disagreement with Hacksaw from last week's episode. Jimmy Hart approaches Hacksaw to have a heart to heart about the topic. Hacksaw seems unaffected by the mouth of the south's advances. Simultaneously Hillbilly Jim and Tony Atlas are pounding protein shakes and discussing the same subject in the kitchen.
Ashley shows up to give the Legends their exciting next mission; "The Polo Challenge." All you hear in the house are crickets as she continues by naming the team leaders. The red team is captained by Hillbilly Jim and the blue team is captained by Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Each team leader is privileged to pick their squad for this particular mission. The Legends are given golf carts instead of horses to play this wacky game of polo. This will be interesting...
The red team is first to score by the mouth of the south, Jimmy Hart! Hacksaw next ties the score for the blue team. The ol' timers rough house with one another as they continue to compete WWE style. The blue team scores again and the game goes to halftime. The score is 2-1 with the blue team in the lead. Some of the Legends tease Jimmy Hart who is "whining and crying" according to Hacksaw and the blue team. The game gets intense with the blue team still in charge. Tony Atlas scores for the red team and the game is tied again! The game goes to a penalty tie-breaker. Hacksaw is first to score in overtime taking the blue team to victory!
The Legends had a nice dinner set for them on the golf course. They ate and exchanged past wrestling stories and experiences. They seem pleased to take a stroll down memory lane with one another after such a competitive game of golf cart polo. Ashley arrives and hands the losing red team each a pair of boots. Their penalty for losing is to clean stools in a stable of race horses! Gene Okerlund's sarcastic mean streak can clearly be seen in this clip from Legends House.
We are entertained the next morning at Legends House by Jimmy Hart taking careful time and consideration to do his hair. He takes forever. He believes it's important for fans to see him as they grew to love him as a WWE Superstar and Legend. Gene Okerlund and Pat Patterson sit outside and become bored with Tony Atlas' story telling. As the morning continues Howard Finkel exercises in the yard and tennis court. It is a comical sight although you have to admire his determination to shed numerous pounds. Ashley arrives to give the Legends their next invitation. She asks them to join her at the gym to join her workout. The Legends enter a Gold's Gym full of women. Ashley introduces them to a zumba training class. Here comes the excitement. Here comes the entertainment. Laugh out loud! The ol' timers are working hard to impress the ladies while Howard Finkel worked for his own benefit. Good show Fink! The other Legends present their special dance moves to further electrify the ladies in class.
For dinner the Legends decide to thaw some great looking steaks and fire them on the grill. Other Legends are bewildered by the thought of cooking frozen meat? After a minor debacle they decide to not eat, go outside to play cards, and drink more. The Legends are starved and Piper has the amazing idea to call a restaurant and have them deliver. Tony Atlas and Hillbilly Jim seem to still be attempting to salvage a BBQ. Piper and Hacksaw are disappointed when the delivery plan fails, but seem to be keeping their composure through jokes between one another. As the other Legends grill out Jimmy Hart approaches Hacksaw and Piper to see if they cared to join. The Legends House is in great spirits as they all enjoy a wonderful meal together. Tony Atlas and Hacksaw seem to be bonding and coming around to one another. As it appears they are 'burying the hatchet' the other Legends seem pleased. The two enemies shake hands and seem to brush off the previous week's beef. We are encouraged to "beware" of what might still pop off between the two Legends by Hillbilly Jim as the show concludes. Tune in next week to hear what happens next!
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