WWE 2005: Down a Different Path

[GermanDragon]

Vengeance 2005. It was here that feuds were ended, and rivalries further heated. Few will soon forget the brutal Hell in a Cell, where Batista defeated Triple H to retain his World Heavyweight Title; Or the rematch between the Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, and the Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels. Shawn Michaels came out on top, tying the score between the two wrestlers at one-to-one. Further, this was the night John Cena once again overcame the odds, by retaining his WWE title against both Christian and Chris Jericho. Perhaps this was the beginning of negative crowd reactions for John.

But yes, two heavyweight title matches on a single RAW pay-per-view. Vengeance had the fortune, for better or for worse, to occur smack in the middle of the WWE's annual draft lottery. And it really shook things up. In previous weeks, John Cena (among Carlito, The Big Show, Kurt Angle, and an injured Rob Van Dam) had been drafted to RAW. In exchange, Smackdown was given Muhammad Hassan, Chris Benoit and Randy Orton. The week following Vengeance, it was given Christian and Batista. It was clear that many of the superstars would be soon heading down drastically different paths.

WWE Vengeance 2005 Results

Heat Match: World Tag Team Championship: Hurricane©/Rosey© def. The Heart Throbs [5:06]

Intercontinental: Carlito© def. Shelton [12:46]

Victora def. Christy Hemme [5:05]

Kane def. Edge [11:11]

Shawn Michaels def. Kurt Angle [26:11]

WWE Championship: John Cena© def. Christian and Chris Jericho [15:08]

World Heavyweight Championship: Hell in a Cell: Batista© def. Triple H [26:54]

Edited August 28, 2006 by GermanDragon

[GermanDragon]

WWE RAW- Monday, July 4th 2005

At the opening of RAW, Eric Bischoff congratulated Shawn Michaels for beating Kurt Angle at Vengeance, and decided to award him with a title shot in the main event. However, things would not turn his way, as in the main event, John Cena would end up hitting an FU for the win. John Cena helped Michaels to his feet, and they shook hands, but both were forced onto their toes when Kurt Angle's music hit. They both leaned against the ropes waiting for him at the entrance ramp, but the Gold Medalist slid into the ring behind them, after coming out of the crowd, and layed them both out with a steel chair. Eric Bischoff came out clapping, while Kurt Angle displayed a vicious intensity in the ring, as the show went off air. Earlier in the night, Kurt Angle easily defeated Rob Conway via submission.

RAW's first match of the night was an Intercontinental Title match between Carlito and Shelton Benjamin. Again, Carlito was able to hook Benjamin's tights and put his foot on the ropes, allowing him to steal the win. This time, however, Benjamin became aggrivated at Carlito, and chased him up the entrance ramp, delivering a T-Bone suplex onto the steel floor. Shelton lifted the title, and looked at it for a moment, before laying it back down on Carlito's body, and leaving. Another title rematch saw The Hurricane and Rosey defeat the Heartthrobs.

With Trish Stratus still out due to an injury, there was no way for the Women's title to be defended. But that didn't stop Victoria from telling the crowd that she deserved a title shot. According to her, she was the most dominant diva on RAW. There were mixed reactions from the crowd towards these comments, but Lita obviously didn't agree, as she came out and challenged Victoria to a match. Victoria and Lita locked up in the ring, and put on a match. Approaching the ten minute point, Victoria landed a Widow's Peak. It looked like Victoria would be winning the match, until Edge pulled the ref out of the ring, at the two-count. As Victoria stood up, she was hit with a spear. Edge then dragged Lita over her, and called for another ref to get in there. What he got was not another ref, but an angry Kane, who came out and chased both Lita and Edge off. When the unconsious ref awoke, he had no choice but to count Lita out.

During a commercial break, Victoria was helped out of the ring. When the television feed continued, Chris Masters was in the ring. Claiming that no one on RAW had been able to break his Masterlock, he decided to challenge any of the draft picks from SmackDown! to a Masterlock challenge. The Master Piece was in for a shock when it was the Big Show that accepted. It's not often that the Master Piece looks small in comparison to someone, after all. The challenge never offically went under, though. Chris Masters contemplated applying the Master Lock several times, the Big Show already sitting on the steel chair set up for him. Eventually, Masters decided to just forget the challenge, as he rolled under the ring, to the crowd's boos.

Perhaps the most interesting comments came from the newly drafted Eddie Guerrero, who did not even have a match. Latino Heat gave a promo stating that he and Rey Mysterio are not done just because he was drafted to RAW. He said that on word of the chairman, Vince McMahon himself, he has permission to wrestle Rey Mysterio at the Great American Bash, as his final SmackDown! match. The stakes are the same: If Rey Mysterio wins, Eddie will agree not to tell the secret, that he keeps speaking about Rey having.

RAW Results

Intercontinental Title: Carlito def. Shelton Benjamin - 79%

Victora def. Lita (via Count Out) - 65%

Masterlock Challenge: Chris Masters vs Big Show (No Contest) - 68%

Hurricane and Rosey def. The Heartthrobs - 69%

Kurt Angle def. Rob Conway - 70%

John Cena def. Shawn Michaels - 84%

Edited August 17, 2006 by GermanDragon

[GermanDragon]

WWE SmackDown! - Thursday, July 7th, 2005

Last week JBL won the right to be the number one contender to the World Heavyweight title, and this week he confonted Batista about this. The two had a harsh trade of words, but did not get into a physical fight -- that is until later in the evening, after Batista defeated Paul London in a champion vs champion non-title match, in the main event. After the match ended, JBL and Orlando Jordan tried to ambush Batista. Their attempt backfired after Orlando Jordan was Spinebustered, then Batista Bombed after JBL fled the ring.

In the opening match-up, Chris Benoit faced Orlando Jordan for the United States title, with Christian joining Tazz and Cole on commentary. Orlando Jordan was able to hit a low-blow without the ref seeing, and was able to steel a win because of it. But in a shockng turn, Christian slid into the ring and hit Orlando Jordan with the Unprettier, before helping Benoit to his feet. After the commercial, Christian stood alone in the ring, with a mic. He told everyone that he had his sights set on the United States title. This should make things interesting.

Other RAW draft picks, Tajiri and Muhammad Hassan were given chances to showcase their talent as well. In a well-fought match, Tajiri defeated Mark Jindrak. Hassan was able to sneak a victory off of Hardcore Holly, when Daivari distracted the ref, allowing Hassan to hit Holly with a chair. But although the match was won, Hassan was not able to celebrate. His music was cut off by the lights going out, and several gongs that shook through the arena. The Undertaker didn't make an appearence, but Hassan didn't stick around to wait.

The WWE Tag Team champs were also seen in action, facing off against Scotty 2 Hotty and Funaki in a match for the tag team championship. Joey Mercury was easily able to pick up a pin on Scotty 2 Hotty (despite taking a worm earlier in the match), and MNM then focused on beating down their opponents. It was Road Warrior Animal that ran in for the save, chasing both MNM off. MNM made several remarks about Animal's dead partner Hawk as they left, but challenged Animal to a match regardless, saying that he should find a new partner. Heidenreich's music hit as he came out and offered to be Animal's partner for the upcoming match. Animal accepted. The two are scheduled to face MNM next week on SmackDown!

SmackDown! Results:

Orlando Jordan def. Chris Benoit - 84%

Tajiri def. Mark Jindrak - 62%

Muhammad Hassan def. Hardcore Holly - 75%

MNM def. Scotty 2 Hotty/Funaki - 69%

Batista def. Paul London - 72%

Edited August 17, 2006 by GermanDragon

[GermanDragon]

WWE RAW - Monday, June 11th 2005

At the start of the show, Eric Bischoff explained that he had found the perfect solution to the problem that was John Cena, and that that solution was Kurt Angle. John Cena and HBK decided to interrupt this promo, however, and they called Kurt Angle out for a tag match. They told him that he could find any partner he liked. Eric Bischoff was visibly against this idea, but Kurt Angle accepted. This proved to be a good decision, as in the main event, Kurt Angle and the partner of his choice, Chris Masters defeated HBK and John Cena. This happened after The Master Piece locked in a Master Lock on HBK, and drove him into the referee, knocking him down. In the time the referee was out, Kurt Angle was able to strike John Cena over the head with the WWE belt. Master Piece then tossed Shawn Michaels out of the ring, and shook the ref, in order to wake him. The referee made a count just in time for Angle to pick up the win.

After the main event, the camera cut to a Big Show, in the back, shaking his head. Despite him easily beating Kenzo Suzuki earlier in the night, it is clear that he is not satisfied. He still wants the Master Piece in a match. On a similar note, The Hurricane and Rosey were able to defeat the team of Tyson Tomko and Val Venis, in the first match of the night.

On the Intercontinental title scene, Shelton was denied another rematch for the title, and was told by general manager Eric Bischoff that he would have to earn this shot. And in a fatal fourway to decide the number one contender, that's exactly what Benjamin did. Facing off against Eugene, Rob Conway, and Ric Flair, Shelton was able to hit a T-Bone on Eugene and pick up the victory. He is scheduled to face off against Carlito again on the next RAW.

In another match of a rivalry that is quickly picking up steam, Edge was able to pin the Big Red Monster, Kane. Of course it was not a clean victory, but Edge seems to be proud of his work. When Lita got up onto the apron, distracting both the referee and Kane, Edge was able to pull himself up by using the turnbuckle ropes in the corner. While Kane wasn't distracted for very long, it was long enough to give Edge the time he needed to get ready for a spear; And when Kane turned around, that's exactly what he got. Edge won the match, and quickly slid out of the ring. What happened next was quite shocking. Kane stood up, looking exceedingly angry. He then walked to the side of the ring, and demanded a mic. He then stated that he and Edge were not done. He said he wanted Edge in a cage match. Edge didn't have a mic, but fans could easily read his lips, as he shouted "No way!" as he proceeded down the entrance ramp.

It should prove interesting to see how these situations pan out. Make sure to watch RAW, every Monday at 9:00PM on Spike TV to find out.

RAW Results

The Hurricane and Rosey def. Tomko and Val Venis - 66%

Intercontinental #1 Contenders Match: Shelton def. Eugene, Ric Flair, Rob Conway - 66%

Edge def. Kane - 73%

Big Show def. Kenzo Suzuki - 64%

Kurt Ange and Chris Masters def. John Cena and Shawn Michaels - 75%

Edited August 17, 2006 by GermanDragon

[GermanDragon]

WWE SmackDown! - Thursday, July 14th, 2005

On the last SmackDown! before the Great American Bash, Batista and JBL cemented their match with a contract signing. After the contract signing was complete, JBL and Batista began to get physical. After several hard punches to the head, JBL attempted a Clothesline from Hell, but was lifted into a Spinebuster, and put through the table. The self-proclaimed wrestling god can only hope that things will go differently come tihs Sunday, on pay-per-view.

The number one contender for the Cruiserweight title was decided in a triple threat match between Tajiri, Scoty 2 Hotty, and Nunzio. Tajiri was able to pick up the victory by covering Nunzio after a Buzzsaw kick. It is clear that Tajiri intends to make a name for himself on the SmackDown! brand; And he will have a perfect oppurtunity to do so when he faces Paul London for the cruiserweight title at the Great American Bash.

It has also been made official, that there will be a fatal fourway for the United States title, on Sunday. Originally, Christian and Chris Benoit were scheduled to have a match to decide the number one contender, but as it turns out, Booker T decided he was not happy not to have been included in the match-up, and he layed out both of the competitors: Chris Benoit with a Scissors Kick, and Christian with a Book End. Shortly after this encounter, Teddy Long made the announcement official. It will be Orlando Jordan defending his title against Chris Benoit, Booker T, and Christian.

In other match-ups, Heidenreich was able to pin Joey Mercury, allowing him and Animal to gain some momentum, as they approach their title match. Maven was able to pick up a victory over Rene Dupree. In the main event, Rey Mysterio faced off against Chris Jericho. Though there was no greater incentive, the two put on an excellent match, which ended with Rey Mysterio getting the victory after a 619 and a springboard leg drop.

Perhaps the most interesting segment of the night, however, occured when the Undertaker entered the ring, and actually called out Muhammad Hassan. What happened next was completely unexpected. Muhammad Hassan kneeled down on the outside of the ring, and looked as if he were performing a prayer. Shortly afterwards, several men in ski masks ran down the entrance ramp, and entered the ring. The Undertaker did his best to hold them off, but eventually it turned into a numbers game. The segment ended with the Undertaker being choked out by a thin piece of wire. Much of the crowd was in a state of shock during this segment.

The Great American Bash, live this Sunday is a show that you do not want to miss!

SmackDown! Results:

Cruiserweight #1 Contender's Match: Tajiri def. Nunzio, Scotty 2 Hotty - 72%

Heidenreich def. Joey Mercury - 67%

Maven def. Rene Dupree - 61%

Chris Benoit vs Christian (No Contest) - 76%

Rey Mysterio def. Chris Jericho - 82%

Edited August 17, 2006 by GermanDragon

[GermanDragon]

SmackDown! Presents: The Great American Bash - Sunday, July 17th, 2005

The Great American Bash opened up with an impressive display of red, white, and blue pyros going off, while the theme song of the Bash, To Kill a Stranger (supplied by Chris Jericho's band Fozzy) played. Shortly after this display was over, the cameras cut to the parking lot area, where a silver convertable pulled up to the arena. The camera panned, to show Batista getting out of his car. He reached into the passenger's seat of the car, and pulls his World Heavyweight Title out, placing it on his shoulder. He then makes his way towards the locker room, as the cameras cut back to the ring, just before the first match begins.

Cruiserweight Championship

Tajiri vs Paul London©

Both wrestlers came out looking strong, and the match swung back and forth. Paul London was able to ground Tajiri with a dropsault, and went on to hit a few more important movies, including a Leg Sweep DDT which Tajiri was able to kick out of. However, once Tajiri began to rebuild his momentum, Paul London found himself tied in the ropes in a Tarantula, after a failed clothesline attempt. The ref counted, and Tajiri let up the hold on four, before rolling back under the bottom rope. Tajiri stood up and motioned for the Buzzsaw Kick. As Paul London began to get back up, he was greeted with a Buzzsaw Kick, which put him right back down, allowing Tajiri to get the three-count for the victory.

Winner and new Cruiserweight Champion, Tajiri!

Eddie Guerrero vs Rey Mysterio

In another close match up, Eddie Guerrero faced off against Rey Mysterio. Both wrestlers were able to hit several signature moves throughout the course of the match (Eddie with the Three Amigos, and Rey with a top rope Hurricarana and a Crucifix). The match actually ended with the two almost completely equally matched. Eddie found himself on the second rope after taking a headscissors takedown, but was able to duck under an incoming 619, and score a roll-up pin for the victory, after putting his legs on the rope. Winning the match earned Eddie the right to tell Rey's secret. Realizing this, Rey got on his knees, and again begged Eddie not to tell.

Eddie grinned, and said "Relax homes!" Eddie then helped Rey get to his feet, brushed him off, and then got out of the ring, leaving a confused Rey Mysterio behind.

WWE Tag Team Championship

Heidenreich and Road Warrior Animal vs MNM©

Heidenreich and Road Warrior Animal came out announced as the Legion of Doom -- Heidenreich even had his head shaved into a mohawk to match Animal's. The two certainly performed well together, as they managed to defeat MNM despite their constant dirty tactics. Heidenreich should have picked up the victory after a powerbomb on Nitro got a pin that the ref never saw, due to being distracted by Milena. MNM fought back after that, however, and looked to even the match up. It wasn't long before Milena was on the ring apron again however. At this time, Animal was beating on Mercury, in the corner. Nitro took this as an opportunity to run and strike Animal with the title. Unfortunately for him, Animal ducked, causing him to hit his own partner with the belt. Shortly afterwards, he found himself on the losing end of a brawl with Animal, and was soon lifted onto the man's shoulders. Heidenreich tagged himself in, and climbed to the top rope. He jumped, hitting the Doomsday device, and immediately covered Nitro afterwards, earning him the victory much to Milena's dismay.

Winners and new WWE Tag Team Champions, Heidenreich and Road Warrior Animal: The Legion of Doom!

After a few moments of Heidenreich and Animal celebrating in the ring, the camera cuts to Christian, back stage. Christian had been standing there with his hood on. Interviewer Josh Matthews managed to get his thoughts on his upcoming match, asking Christian what he thought about his chances in the match. Christian slid off his hood, and took the mic. He told Josh that it was a done deal, and that he would have no problems at all defeating Booker T and Chris Benoit. When asked about Orlando Jordan, Christian laughed for a moment, and then realized that Josh was serious. "Listen, tonight I will win the United States championship. I'll beat Chris Benoit, I'll beat Booker T, I'll beat Orlando Jordan. It doesn't matter. Captain Charisma is going to leave this arena with the gold. Because That's How I Roll! Now excuse me, I have a match coming up." Christian slid his hood back on, as his entrance music began to play.

WWE United States Championship

Chris Benoit vs Christian vs Orlando Jordan© vs Booker T

Christian came out first, getting a large pop from the audience. The cameras scanned the arena, catching several signs spelling out "Peeps". Chris Benoit was the next one out, also getting a positive reaction. Orlando Jordan and Booker T were both booed loudly. At the start of the match, there was a Christian chant. Christian took this as a sign to begin slapping his chest and pointing out peeps -- and nearly had Orlando Jordan score a quick roll-up on him because of it. Thankfully for him, Benoit was there to kick Orlando, breaking up the pinfall. What followed, was fifteen minutes of four-way brawling, and many close calls. Booker T nearly tapped out to a crossface, but Orlando broke that up. Similarly, Booker T hit a Book End on Christian, which Benoit broke up. Orlando Jordan had the least offense, getting a few more failed roll-up attempts throughout the course of the match. The end of the match occurred when Benoit began focusing on Orlando, while Christian focused on Booker. Booker T went for a second Book End, which Christian turned into an Unprettier. At the same time, Benoit locked Orlando Jordan into a Crossface. The ref noticed Christian's pin attempt first. And though Orlando Jordan tapped by the time the ref had finished the three-count, Christian was decided to be the winner of the match. Christian ran to the belt, and grabbed it, getting onto the ropes and pointing at it, slapping his chest. He climbed down, and found himself face to face with an angry Chris Benoit. They stared eachother down for a moment, before Benoit raised Christian's hand in the air. Benoit stated "It's not over yet" before leaving, allowing Christian to continue celebrating.

Winner and new United States Champion, Christian!

After Christian leaves with his new title firmly in hand, a video is played. The video shows highlights of Muhammad Hassan's debut and success on RAW. Then with a change of music, it showed his jump to SmackDown!, and his confrontation with the Undertaker. It showed as he kneeled on the entrance ramp, five men in ski mask arrived to help beat down the Undertaker, and choke him out with wires. The video then played some static sound effects, as it skipped to a picture of a tombstone. Clips of the Undertaker tombstoning and chokeslamming various opponents played for a moment, then the video went blank.

No Disqualifications

Muhammad Hassan vs The Undertaker

Hassan came out, surrounded by the masked men seen on the previous episode of SmackDown! and his manager Daivari. The Undertaker came out next, and though Hassan showed signs of fear, he did not back from the ring. The two then locked up, with The Undertaker taking the advantage early on. The Undertaker controlled most of the match for a while, but due to ocassional legitimate out-maneuvers by Hassan, and not-so ocassional run-ins by Hassan's henchmen, Hassan was able to stay in the match. The Undertaker was eventually able to lift Hassan for a Last Ride, but before he could pin him, he was then rushed by all five of the men in ski masks. This being the last straw, the Undertaker began to fight back, and cleared the ring of all five of them, with Chokeslams, and a Tombstone for the fifth one. Rolling them out of the ring, one at a time, Undertaker then signalled for a Chokeslam on Hassan. He fixed his elbow pad as Hassan got to his feet and then grabbed him by the throat, dropping him for the Chokeslam. However this time, before he could cover, he was met with an RKO! Randy Orton had snuck into the ring! Orton pulled Hassan over Taker, and the ref counted the fall. Hassan had won the match. Randy Orton then climbed out of the ring, and picked up a mic. "Taker, we are not through! My shoulder still hasn't heeled completely, but I'm feeling better every day. And soon, Taker, we will have another match. And I WILL end the Legend of the Undertaker!" Randy then left. Referees helped Hassan out of the ring. Once the ring had been clered, The Undertaker did his famous sit-up, looking very angry, before leaving himself.

World Heavyweight Championship

JBL vs Batista©

JBL had an extravagant entrance, where he came out in a red and white striped limo, with a blue top, dressed as Uncle Sam. However once he and Batista were both in the ring, it was obvious that the match would contain no humor. He and Batista went on to have a brutal match. Highlights included a spear through the guard barrier on the outside of the ring, and JBL whipping Batista into the turnbuckle, from the outside. Knowing that he couldn't win by countout, however, JBL rolled The Animal back into the ring. There, while brawling with Batista, the ref took a bump and went down. JBL took this as a chance to low-blow Batista. After doing that, he rolled out of the ring and grabbed a steel chair. Taking advantage of the fact that the ref was still out, he cracked it over Batista's back, just as he was getting to his feet. However, it did not drop Batista. It only angered him. And though two chair shots hit, Batista grabbed JBL's hand before he could connect with a third. Batista then punched JBL in the face several times, causing him to drop the chair. Batista then planted JBL onto the chair with a vicious Spinebuster, to the roar of the crowd. Batista then pulled the chair out from under JBL, and tossed it out of the ring. By this time, the ref was getting to his feet. Batista lifted JBL, and hit him with a Batista Bomb for the win.

Winner and still World Heavyweight Champion: Batista!

Great American Bash Results

Cruiserweight Championship: Tajiri def. Paul London - 75%

Eddie Guerrero def. Rey Mysterio - 81%

Tag Team Championship: Legion of Doom def. MNM - 70%

United States Championship: Christian def. Booker T, Chris Benoit, Orlando Jordan - 79%

Muhammad Hassan def. The Undertaker - 77%

World Heavyweight Championship: Batista def. JBL - 84%

Edited August 17, 2006 by GermanDragon

[GermanDragon]

WWE RAW - Monday, July 18th, 2005

Immediately after RAW came on air, fans were greeted by the site of Eddie Guerrero riding down to the ring in his low-rider, laughing. When he got into the ring, he got on the mic, doing his signature dance, "Viva la raza!," then with a laugh, "Rey-Rey! What happened, homes? I beat you!" The crowd cheered this. "That gives me the right to let this audience in on your... little secret. But don't worry Rey! You're secret's safe with me for now. See, I wanted to prove that I can beat you. And... I can!" The crowd gave another cheer. "But you see, homes, our match didn't really prove anything. So that's why I'm challenging you to one more match. No special stipulations: Just a match to see who the better man is." After finishing, Eddie Guerrero left the ring, still in a good mood.

Later in the night, Eddie's nephew, Chavo would have a match against Tyson Tomko. Chavo was able to win after a roll-up pin. This match occurred in place of the scheduled Intercontinental Championship match. Carlito was given the week off after complaining to Eric Bischoff about having an injured shoulder. However, it became clear that Carlito's shoulder was just fine, later in the night. He was generous enough to line up an opponent for Shelton, in the form of The Big Show. However, when Shelton scored an upset victory after hitting Big Show with a Dragon Whip, Carlito entered the ring and beat down Shelton with his Intercontinental Title belt. Following this attack, Eric Bischoff announced that Carlito would defend his belt the following week on RAW, or he would forfeit his title.

Another match booked by Eric Bischoff earlier in the night, was Kurt Angle vs HBK in the main event. The winner would become the number one contender for John Cena's WWE Championship. This match was decided after HBK challenged Angle himself, hoping for revenge after being knocked unconsious the previous week. Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels put on an amazing match, that ended in a draw, due to double count-out. By the 20 minute mark of the match, both superstars began to show tire. Shawn Michaels was able to hit Angle with a Sweet Chin Music outside of the ring, but after performing the kick, Michaels was no longer able to stand himself. As he got up at the referee's eight count, and began to crawl towards the ring, Angle amazingly grabbed his ankle, locking in the Ankle Lock. Angle refused to let up, and the referee had to call for the bell. After the match, Eric Bischoff announced that he decided that both HBK and Angle would face John Cena, in a triple threat match, come Summerslam.

Two other matches took place during the night. Kane defeated Kenzo Suzuki in an extremely short match, and Chris Masters put another hometown hero down in a Master Lock challenge. Neither of these matches ended with a handshake. Chris Masters used his time to mock the Big Show for losing to Shelton Benjamin earlier in the night, while Kane had his victory time cut short by Edge running in for a Spear after his match had ended. Edge picked up a mic and shouted "You want a cage match? You got it! Next week, here on RAW!" before tossing the mic at Kane. It does seem like both Masters and Edge areplacing themselves in positions today they may not want to be in tommorow.

RAW Results

Chavo Guerrero def. Tyson Tomko - 61%

Shelton Benjamin def. Big Show - 71%

Kane def. Kenzo Suzuki - 73%

Masterlock Challenge: Chris Masters def. A Random Jobber- 59%

Number One Contenders: Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels (Double Countout) - 95%

Edited August 17, 2006 by GermanDragon

[GermanDragon]

WWE SmackDown! - Thursday, July 21st, 2005

SmackDown! opened up with JBL riding out in his limo, and getting on the mic. He was visibly upset at how the Great American Bash had gone. He got on the mic, and began to shout, asking what happened at the Bash. He claimed that Batista had to use a steel chair to defeat him, and that he was a terrible champion, and that he wanted another shot at the title. In the middle of his promo, he was cut off by an all-too familiar entrance music, as Muhammad Hassan stepped out. Hassan told JBL that he had no business getting another shot at the title. He had already lost, while Hassan had defeated the Undertaker. He claimed that it was disgusting how he was being kept out of the title scene, just because he was arab, and that JBL, an American, would be given another shot even after losing. However, Teddy Long came out and said that he was not going to discriminate against anyone, and that in the main event, Hassan would face off against JBL in a number one contender's match. Hassan would go on to win this match after hitting JBL with a chair, while Daivari distracted the referee. In the closing moments of SmackDown!, the World Heavyweight Champion, Batista stood on the entrance ramp and stared down Hassan, who was still in the ring.

And although Summerslam is still one month away, a second match was decided as well, when Rey Mysterio answered Eddie Guerrero's challenge, by saying that he accepted. This got a great reaction from the crowd.

Christian was given interview time, following Rey Mysterio's, but he was quickly cut off by Orlando Jordan who demanded that he get a rematch for his title. Christian agreed to this, but defeated Orlando Jordan in just over a minute, via pinfall after an Unprettier. Christian then continued his interview as if nothing had happened. He said that he was looking ahead at a long reign as the United States champion, and that he would face off against anyone without hesitation. As things turned out, his next challenger would be decided later on in the night, when Chris Benoit faced off against Booker T. Chris Benoit was eventually able to make Booker T submit to a Sharpshooter, earning him the right to face Christian for the United States Championship.

In other matches, Tajiriwas able to defeat Paul London in a Great American Bash rematch, for the Cruiserweight title. In this match, Paul London got a second taste of the Buzzsaw Kick. The new tag team champions, Heidenreich and Animal, were also seen in action, taking on Nunzio and Akio in a non-title match that they easily won. However, following their match, MNM made their way to the ring. And after tossing Road Warrior Animal out of the ring, they delivered a Snapshot to Heidenreich, leaving him lying on the ground in pain. It's clear that these two teams are not done with eachother.

SmackDown! Results

Cruiserweight Title: Tajiri def. Paul London - 77%

LOD def. Nunzio and Akio - 73%

Christian def. Orlando Jordan - 80%

United States Championship #1 Contenders Match: Chris Benoit def. Booker T - 84%

World Heavyweight Championship #1 Contenders Match: Muhammad Hassan def. JBL - 60%

Edited August 17, 2006 by GermanDragon

[GermanDragon]

WWE RAW - Monday, July 25th, 2005

In the opening bout on RAW, Eddie Guerrero faced off against Gene Snitsky, and went on to get the three-fall after successfully hitting a Frog Splash. The match didn't take much out of Latino Heat, however, as he was still able to get on the mic for a short promo. He kept it short and simple, thanking Rey Mysterio for accepting his match, and saying that their upcoming match at Summerslam was sure to be a classic. He then left, to cheers of the crowd. Directly after he was gone, Chris Masters made his entrance, and defeated Steven Richards in a short match. His reaction was far less positive, getting a large ammount of boos.

RAW cut to commercials after Chris Master's match, but the cameras began rolling again just in time to catch a stare down between Kurt Angle and HBK, in the backstage area. Kurt Angle showed that he was less-than-pleased at having to take on both John Cena and Shawn Michaels at Summerslam. He asked why the hell HBK had to stick his head into the title scene in the first place, to which Michaels reminded him of the match Angle himself had interfered in: The match that he knocked out both Cena and Michaels with a steel chair. The continued to shout, until eventually Kurt Angle brushed Michaels off with a "psh" sound, and walked away.

In the match following this encounter, John Cena would take on the Big Show. This match was back-and-forth for a while. Perhaps the most shocking part of the match, was The Big Show powering out of a pinfall made after John Cena hit his FU finisher. After this point the match went on for a bit longer, until Cena went for a second FU. This time he was unsucessful in his attempt to lift the Big Show. The Big Show took this opportunity to lift Cena for the Chokeslam. He was unable to make a cover, however, as The Masterpiece, Chris Masters entered the ring behind him, holding a steel chair. After cracking the Big Show in the head with it several times, Masters locked in his signature Master Lock, bringing the giant to his knees.

The match proceeding John Cena versus The Big Show, was Ric Flair versus Sylvain Grenier, in which Flair easily made Grenier tap to a Figure Four Leglock. The crowd cheered the Nature Boy, many taking part in chants of "Wooo!", however it was the following match that truly got many of the fans on their feet. Carlito who could no longer delay his match with Shelton, was forced to defend his Intercontinental title. In this match, Carlito attempted to gain any advantage he could through illegal means, but was unable to come out on top. Eventually, Benjamin was able to hit him with a T-Bone suplex, and gain a clean win over Carlito, securing his position as the new Intercontinental Champion.

In the main event, Edge and Kane's hate for eachother cumulated, as they participated in a Steel Cage match. This match was hard-fought on both sides, but Edge was eventually able to steal the victory, after Lita tossed his MITB briefcase over the top of the cage, and Edge clocked Kane with it. This gave him just enough time to climb out of the cage door. That is not to say that Edge didn't put up a good fight. A Spear through the ropes, and into the sides of the cage onto Kane proved that he certainly can. But it was the cheapshot with the briefcase that won him the match. However, Edge's night was not over. As he and Lita made their way to the entrance ramp, Kane sat up in the ring, and immediately exited the cage, and followed Edge. Edge, being the gentleman that he is, told Lita to head backstage, as he went to confront Kane -- while holding a steel briefcase as a weapon. However, even with this briefcase, he was unable to out-brawl Kane. The end result was a chokeslam off of the entrance ramp. The show faded to black with Kane laughing, as Edge was taken out by paramedics, strapped to a stretcher.

RAW Results

Eddie Guerrero def. Gene Snitsky - 77%

Chris Masters def. Stevem Richards - 68%

Big Show def. John Cena (Via DQ) - 74%

Ric Flair def. Sulvain Grenier - 61%

Intercontinental Championship: Shelton Benjamin def. Carlito - 81%

Cage Match: Edge def. Kane - 84%

Edited August 17, 2006 by GermanDragon

[Guest mAXi]

Just some advice. Do NOT colour in your writing like what your doing. I would of probably started to read your diary but i was immediately turned off by the colours of your updates. Maybe for every match or segment make a title for it and bold it in your choice of colour but leave the majority non-colour.

Then you will probably get people reading. Like me.

Edited August 17, 2006 by mAXi

[GermanDragon]

OOC: I don't see what was wrong with it, but being as you are the reader, and I am not, I'll take your word for it. You'll notice that all of the previous shows have been edited, to no longer over-use color. If this entices you to read it, please do -- and tell me what you think.

WWE.com

At the recent press conference held for WWE Summerslam, Vince McMahon, chairman of the board for World Wrestling Entertainment, made an announcement relating to WWE television. He said that WWE has struck a deal with USA network, and will be allowed to air one show a week, on Saturday night. Mr. McMahon announced that this deal would mark the return of Saturday Night Velocity, and that the webcasts of Sunday Night Heat would be drawing to a close.

According to Mr. McMahon, the new Velocity would hold no restrictions on brands, and that both RAW and SmackDown! superstars would be in attendance, although that the show itself would mainly focus on the development of new talent, and that storylines would be minimal. There are currently no plans for any championship belts to be allocated to Velocity.

The announcers for Velocity were also disclosed at this press conference. Joey Styles is set to be the main announcer, with Jonathan Coachman as the color commentator.

Edited August 17, 2006 by GermanDragon

[Guest mAXi]

Consider yourself fortunate your getting this type of detailed feedback. I will post as i read but Before i go onto the shows though i just got to say a few things.

Editing your main post and updating your champions could spoil it for new readers who will go in there and read on but not be suprised when there is a title change and such. Now i know Christian and Shelton will be champs on there respective brands before even reading the story. Maybe once you get a set of regular readers then you should update it but no need for it now.

I like your writing style, nice and easy to read. Lets get on with the shows. Once again, im reading this at the same time as replying so i will do it show to show.

RAW-Week 1

- You have made an interesting situation in the main event scene for yourself. I can see Bischoff playing a major part in it. Anyway, im interested if HBK is involved in the fued.

- Shelton losing again was balls but the aftermath was pretty good. I like that your atleast putting focus into his character on your shows. Oh and i don't much care for the Tag Title scene but thats really not your fault, you can't change that from week one but lets hopefully see some changes for the better.

- Victoria ?. Ok fair enough. Lita ?. Ugh. Keep her away from the ring. I'm sorry but please god don't do it. Debut Mickie James as fast as you can mate so we can make this a bit more interesting in the womens division. Maybe you could make Trish return in a managerial role if she is legitimately injured in your game.

- Don't much care for Masters vs. Big Show. The match would be by no means a classic in any sense. Hopefully you move one of them onto better things.

- Eddie Guererro drafted to RAW?. Not bad to be honest. Him continuing with Rey is a good move just for the sake of finishing that fued and moving him into some fueds with the RAW guys. Hopefully you can keep the fued fresh despite them being on seperate brands.

Smackdown-Week 1

- Good booking for the mainevent fued, making JBL look like the cowardly guy but the match itself i can predict being pretty bad.

- Christian in the US Title picture is interesting. Using Benoit as somewhat fodder for that fued is NOT cool though. Neither is Christian being the face in this situation. He is one of those workers who is only effective as a heel in my opinion and this fued is off to a bad start to be honest.

- Little hype for Tajiri. Him defeating Jindrak ?. Fair enough i guess but this would make Jindrak look REALLY bad considering the size difference between the two. Hassan and Taker fued is pretty uninteresting...

- I think at this time, Animal didn't have a partner anyway. Why did you HAVE to choose Hiedenrich ?. He has pretty much no talent and his fueds at the time were horrid and that is why he is fired. And no hype for the Mysterio/Guererro fued. Dissapointing considering this was the best fued and probably got the most fan interest out of all the fueds at the time.

RAW-Week 2

- Making Masters look strong is ok but at the expense of HBK... thats not ok. I like Bischoff's participation in this fued, he has been booked well so far. Anyway, give Angle some promo time with HBK and Cena and im sure it will work out really well for you.

- Yet again ... Show/Masters. *Yawn* Tag Team Division *Yawn*. You have potential to book them well however.

- One highlight on your RAW shows has been the focus on Shelton. Good booking with him picking up the win in the match.

- Im digging the Kane/Edge fued but cone again the best fued in WWE has been ignored. Where is Mysterio/Guererro ?.

Smackdown-Week 2

- Bad booking all around. JBL and Batista in a physical confrontation ... its just not JBL's style in my eyes. Aswell as that, JBL should of got the advantage going into GAB. Oh well...

- Tajiri really hasn't had enough build up to get a Cruiserweight title shot but meh whatever. As for the Tag Team fued, it's continuing to be a drag and i dislike it imensely.

- But aside from the tag team fued theres a US Title fued i like. Despite Christian being a face there are 3 credible performers in this match and im looking forward to it.

- Im not going into even comment on the Hassan/Taker segment. Isn't this somewhat of a familiar segment to the one that got Hassan fired.

It's a good read but so far very average booking. I will post my second half of feedback later but for now i will give this a 7.5/10. It's not there yet but it has potential.

(Y)

[Guest Brad Blaze]

Let me add in my thoughts.

I agree with Maxi on the Championships. You shouldn't spoil those because spoilers cause you to be disinterested in the shows. Just look at the real life ratings differential between Raw and Smackdown. Smackdown is often the better brand, but draws much lower ratings because almost everybody clicks into the spoilers. But take my word for it, it's a much better show when you haven't read the spoilers.

I like Christian as a face. I was against his recent heel turn in TNA (I think that's safe to mention, since the spoiler rule for PPV is 48 hours, I think). I don't think he should be held behind stiffs and I'm glad to see you're booking him better than either WWE or TNA did. Including Booker T and Chris Benoit is a good move, because both guys are better at putting guys over than Orlando Jordan.

In Orlando's case, I'm glad to see you didn't decide to job him out in 30 seconds or so to Chris Benoit. When WWE did that, they basically had OJ buried by the man who could have made him a superstar and I doubt Benoit came up with the idea.

I like that you put Hassan over Taker and I think Orton Interference was the best option. I'd like to see him go over Batista at Summerslam because if you think back to Batista's title reign, it had the same problem that Cena's did, it went on too long. Summerslam is the night to switch the title belts. If not then, do it within 1 brand PPV of Summerslam.

As far as the Womens Division goes, I agree with keeping Trish out until after Summerslam, when she returned in real life. If you're taking over a promotion, you should also take over the injuries if you want to book realistically. Victoria VS Lita is a great match to put on because no other diva on the roster has good stats. I'm guessing there is no Ashley in this game as well, so you may need to run a Diva Search. No, I don't mean hiring a bunch of models of training them. I mean hiring some of the top Divas on the Independent Scene, such as maybe Trinity and why not bring back Gail, Molly, and Jazz (among the other previously fired divas) while you're at it. When I think back a year ago, Maria was established as a great backstage interviewer, but Michelle had been sent off to development because she was green at the moment. Ashley and Kristal were not yet in the WWE. This year's Diva Search, from which the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th place finishers are likely to be hired and sent to DSW (with the exception of the winner who will be released after 1 year or so) was nothing more than a dream/nightmare on the horizon. Then there was also Melina, who was being used as a manager for MNM and hadn't yet come to Raw. On second thought, though, was Lita still injured at that point? Who knows since she has only wrestled a few matches in over a year and a half.

Some undercard guys in the WWE who probably deserve a push if you can work it into plans are Steven Richards and probably William Regal as well. Richards has been a very over and entertaining wrestler during his previous runs in ECW (though not his current run, where he's being jobbed out). Regal is a former Intercontinental Champion (believe it or not) and arguably the greatest wrestler under WWE contract never to hold the World Title (either Regal, Finlay, Richards, or Al Snow).

As for Tajiri beating Jindrak, as long as Tajiri has a minority of the moves and wins by some miracle, it doesn't make Jindrak look all that bad. If its acceptable for Eddie Guerrero to beat JBL, it should be acceptable for Tajiri to beat Jindrak. I only have a problem with jobbing out wrestlers by giving them no offense.

One thing about Shelton winning the belt off Carlito. Carlito had just won that belt post draft-lottery. Shelton winning the belt so soon after having his long reign ended would put into question why he lost the belt in the first place if he goes on another long-term reign. If you think back to the 2 long reigning IC Champions in recent memory, they came out of their reigns very differently. Randy Orton, for all his faults, came out as a legitimate main eventer, though he'd be buried by his misuse which really started around December around the time he was GM. Had WWE not dropped the ball on his push, he'd have come out of Wrestlemania as the World Heavyweight Champion, not Batista and Batista would have never recieved a push. Shelton Benjamin, despite a great rep, came out of his IC Title reign still a midcarder. What was the difference between the 2 reigns? Merely timing. When Orton won the belt, he won it from RVD, picked a fight with Mick Foley which got him eliminated from the Rumble, won a 3-on-2 Handicap Match at Wrestlemania XX against The Rock & Mick Foley, beat Mick Foley in a hardcore match, then feuded with Shelton Benjamin and Edge for a few months. Shelton won the belt from Jericho, and was put into a feud with Maven and another not-so-memorable feud against Snitsky. Despite its longer length, all anybody remembers about Shelton's IC Title reign is how weak his opponents were. So I do agree with giving Shelton the title, as long as the feud with Carlito is continuing. However, I don't think Carlito needs the belt to get over. Look at what he's doing on the real life Raw these days. Dating Trish and recieving a push to be the WWE Champion after Wrestlemania, despite Johnny Nitro winning the IC Title (in a 3-way feud in which Carlito went over, despite losing).

Keep up the good work. This is very realistic to the WWE and I could see them making similar booking decisions. It's also great to see Velocity getting a time slot, though the weekend shows were not on the Internet at this point, but still on Spike and drawing ratings just below what TNA has drawn on Spike since it replaced Velocity. But that's off topic.

Just one last comment. I think you mean Joey, not Joe Styles. After all, he's too well known to be renamed to Joe Styles, but that's a mistake anybody could make. It is really easy to forget 1 key. Just make sure you correct it, now that you know about it.

[GermanDragon]

WWE SmackDown! - Thursday, July 28th, 2005

This week's episode of SmackDown! kicked off with JBL delivering an angry promo about how he still deserves a title shot. He mentioned that not only was he screwed at the Great American Bash and not allowed a rematch, but that he was then screwed in the number one contender's match that he was placed in. Delivering this promo would actually earn JBL a title shot, however, as Batiata's music hit, and the World Heavyweight Champion came out. Batista said that he was sick of JBL's complaining, and that if he wanted a rematch he got one. In the main event of SmackDown! Batista took on JBL for the World Heavyweight Title. The match didn't quite go as JBL had planned, however, as he was pinned cleanly after a Batista Bomb. Despite retaining his title, however, the night did not go in Batista's favor either. Following the main event, Batista was grounded by repeated chairshots to the back of the head by Muhammad Hassan. SmackDown! would go off the air as Muhammad lay kneeling in the ring with his arms in the air.

Earlier in the show, Maven took on Matt Hardy, and was able to score what many considered an upset victory, after hitting Matt Hardy with a vicious dropkick off of the top rope. Following this match was a rather interesting message delivered by Maven. "Look at this body," he said slyly. "I know I may not be as big as guys like the world champion, or Chris Masters over on RAW. That actually works in my favor though. See, over the last few weeks, I've dropped a few pounds. This morning I weighed in at 219 pounds. That's remarkable. Let me spell it out for those of you who don't get it. My current weight actually marks me as a cruiserweight -- although as far as cruiserweights go I'm obviously in a league of my own." Maven grins. "I spoke to Teddy Long earlier. And I already have a title shot in my future. Next week, I'm going to face Tajiri and I'm going to beat him." With that, Maven tossed the mic to the ground and headed backstage. Prior to his match, the Cruiserweight Champion, Tajiri, successfully defended his title against Billy Kidman.

Both the United States champion, and the number one contender for it saw action in the ring as well. While walking in the backstage area, Chris Benoit was double-teamed by Booker T and Orlando Jordan, both angry at no longer being in the United States title hunt. Thankfully, the United States champion, Christian was able to make the save before too much damage had been done. Shortly after this confrontation, a tag match was announced. Chris Benoit and Christian faced off against Booker T and Orlando Jordan in a tag team match. They would go on to win this match, as Chris Benoit held Orlando Jordan in a Sharpshooter, forcing him to watch as Christian delivered an Unprettier to Booker T and won the match. Chris Benoit and Christian shook hands after the match. Chris Benoit stated that he was looking forward to their match coming up at Summerslam.

Road Warrior Animal was in a single match against MNM's Johnny Nitro, but this match didn't last long, as Johnny Nitro got himself intentionally disqualified by running Animal's own title belt into his face shortly after the match began. Heidenreich attempted to make the save, but was beaten down in a two-on-one by MNM. MNM then delivered a snapshot to Animal, planting him onto one of the tag belts. Melina then got on the mic and shouted that MNM had not yet been granted the rematch that their contract guaranteed, and that they would be facing off again soon.

SmackDown! Results

Cruiserweight Championship: Tajiri def. Billy Kidman - 77%

Maven def. Matt Hardy - 71%

Road Warrior Animal def. Johnny Nitro (Via DQ) - 67%

Chris Benoit and Christian def. Booker T and Orlando Jordan - 82%

Worldy Heavyweight Championship: Batista def. JBL - 85%

[GermanDragon]

WWE RAW - Monday, August 1st, 2005

RAW kicked off with the Nature Boy, Ric Flair, defeating Tyson Tomko after using some of his colorful tactics that fans seem to get a kick out of. After squeezing Tomko's jewels for nearly 10 seconds, Ric Flair was able to sneak in a Figure Four Leglock for the submission victory. After his match, Ric Flair stated that he had been winning his matches lately, and that he had his eye on the Intercontinental Championship. This got a good reaction, but the crowd was for more interested in Kurt Angle's hunt for the WWE gold. After Flair's match, the camera switched to Kurt Angle and Cena having a conversation in back. Angle told Cena that he's a good fighter, but that he can't wrestle, and that come Summerslam he would not be walking out as champ. Angle showed that he can back up his talk, however, by going out and defeating both of the Hearthrobs in a handicap match, with ease.

In the main event, Shawn Michaels showed off that he was truly a contender as well, after pinning Viscera. He hadn't had a chance to celebrate before Kurt Angle had made his way to the ring, in attempt to lay out the Show Stopper. It wasn't long before John Cena was out there as well, trying to help Shawn. John Cena was able to deliver an FU to Kurt Angle. Shawn Michaels then began to tune up the band. As Kurt Angle got up, however, he saw the Superkick coming and grabbed John Cena, pushing him in the way of the kick. Michaels inadvertently clocked Cena with a Sweet Chin Music. Angle took this as a chance to roll out under the bottom ropes and head backstage. The show faded to black as Michaels looked at what he had done, with an expression of sorrow on his face.

Other than the previously-mentioned matches, Shelton Benjamin defended his Intercontinental title against Chavo Guerrero in what was easily the match of the night. After a solid match, Shelton picked up the win after a T-Bone Suplex. There was also a match between Eddie Guerrero and Chris Masters. Eddie walked away with the victory, after suplexing Masters while the ref was down, then placing a steel chair in his arms, before pretending to be in pain. The ref woke up to the site of Masters holding a chair, and Eddie Guerrero on the ground. While not actually issuing a DQ, the confusion going on gave Eddie enough time to roll-up Masters for the three count. This greatly angered Masters, and after getting to his feet, he clotheslined Eddie. Masters then picked up the steel chair, and struck it against the ground several times before motioning towards Eddie. Thankfullyt for Latino Heat, the Big Show showed up and chased Masters off before anyone was hurt.

Hurricane and Rosey were able to successfully defend their titles against Eugene and Val Venis.

We were also able to get a live update on Edge's condition from his hospital room. Edge didn't seem to be concerned about his injury, however. He was far more concerned with getting revenge on Kane. He said that it was his own fault for being hurt. He said what he should have done, was beaten Kane to within an inch of his life, and that not doing so was his only regret about the cage match. Before the cameras left, Edge issued a challenge of his own for Kane. He said that though he will be in no condition to wrestle on RAW next week, that he'll be cleared to wrestle at Summerslam, and that he wants Kane in one more match -- a match that he's the master off: Tables Ladders and Chairs. We have yet to see Kane respond to this, but Kane is not usually one to turn down a challenge.

RAW Results:

Ric Flair def. Tyson Tomko - 60%

Kurt Angle def. The Hearthrobs - 72%

Intercontinental Championship: Shelton Benjamin def. Chavo Guerrero - 80%

Eddie Guerrero def. Chris Masters - 79%

Hurricane and Rosey def. Eugene and Val Venis - 77%

Shawn Michaels def. Viscera - 65%

[GermanDragon]

WWE SmackDown! - Thursday, August 4th, 2005

Tonight's SmackDown! was a special one, as it marked the return of the Legend Killer, Randy Orton. Orton was seen briefly at the Great American Bash when he helped Muhammad Hassan defeat the Undertaker. On SmackDown! he announced that he was cleared to wrestle, and that he was going to call out the Undertaker himself. That is precisely what Randy Orton did, although the Undertaker did not answer his call-out in person. The lights went out, and smoke filled the arena, and Orton began to show visible signs of fright. The Undertaker's face then appeared on the video screen. The Undertaker spoke in a cryptic tongue about how Randy Orton had opened Pandora's Box. When the lights finally went back on, Randy Orton actually looked frustrated that the Undertaker hadn't answered his call in person.

Aside from the memorable return of Randy Orton, SmackDown! had an amazing main event, in which Christian and Benoit battled it out for the United States title. Christian retained after the two wrestled to a draw, due to exceeding the 20-minute time limit. Chris Benoit was able to hook in a Crippler Crossface just moments before the bell rang, and it is anyone's guess whether or not Christian would have tapped out. Christian has stated that he can beat Benoit, and that he wants to face him again. Benoit showed no malcontent, as he shook Christian's hand after their match, but it is clear that the Rabid Wolverine still has his eye on the United States title.

The Cruiswerweight title was defended as well, when Tajiri was able to pin Maven. Maven looked as if he was going to get the victory, until Tajiri ducked under a top rope dropkick. Tajiri was then able to roll Maven up for the 3-count. This caused Maven to become very frustrated. He began slapping the ring mat, shouting that he wanted another shot. Immediately following his match, he headed directly to Theodore Long's office, and told Teddy that he wanted a rematch. Long told him that if he wanted a rematch he was going to have to earn it. Maven told him that this was fair enough, but looked positively horrified when Long elaborated on this. In order for Maven to earn another Cruiserweight title shot, he would have to defeat the Undertaker on the next week of SmackDown!

Early in the show, Muhammad Hassan began shouting at the World Heavyweight Champion, calling Batista weak and stupid. Daivari agreed with everything Hassan said, although he would likely regret this later. Theodore Long's music hit, and the SmackDown! general manager told Hassan that he would not be facing Batista until Summerslam, but if Daivari wanted to pick a fight, that he got one. Later in the night, Batista easily defeated Daivari in a non-title match. However, after his match, Hassan entered the ring, and tried to take Batista down with a chair. Batista was able to fight him off, until a recovering Daivari hit a low-blow, allowing Hassan to get the upperhand, locking Batista into a camel clutch. The rivalry between these two wrestlers is really getting personal.

SmackDown! also featured a tag match between MNM and Matt Hardy and his old friend, Shannon Moore. MNM was able to pick up the victory here, after Mercury struck Shannon Moore with brass knuckles, while Melina distracted the ref. However, despite picking up the victory, MNM wasn't content. Mercury and Nitro began a vicious beat down on Hardy and Moore. Melina got on the mic after the beatdown had ended, and began to speak. "Last week, we beat down LOD so hard, that they couldn't even be here this week. And come Summerslam, when we get our rematch, we are going to do it again -- just like how we did to Matt Hardy and... who's that other guy?" Despite some laughter from the crowd on that comment, MNM garnered mostly boos.

In addition to the established SmackDown! roster putting on a good show for the crowd, we were able to witness a new superstar make his SmackDown! debut. The debuting superstar, Bobby Lashley, truly is -- as SmackDown! announcer Taz puts it -- the real deal. Standing in at six-foot-three, 275 pounds Lashley certainly has the superstar look. And defeating William Regal after delivering a vicious spear shows that he has the talent to back up the look. Bobby Lashley is a three-time national champion in amateur wrestling. We are interested in seeing if he can cumulate the same success on SmackDown!

SmackDown! Results

Bobby Lashley def. William Regal - 72%

MNM def. Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore - 68%

Cruiserweight Championship: Tajiri def. Maven - 73%

Batista def. Daivari - 74%

United States Championship: Christian drew Chris Benoit - 85%

[GermanDragon]

WWE RAW - Monday, July 8th, 2005

At the start of RAW, Eric Bischoff had an announcement concerning the WWE Champion, John Cena, as well as the two number one contenders, Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels. The General Manager said that all three of these men would be in singles matches tonight on RAW, and the general manager came through on his word. Shawn Michaels defeated Gene Snitsky after a Sweet Chin Music in the first of the three matches, but after that, things got a little more interesting. While Eric Bischoff claimed to be completely unbiased in deciding the match-ups, Kurt Angle having to face off against the female announcer, Maria doesn't seem like mere coincidence. This match lasted less than a minute, before it was ended via Ankle Lock. However, after the match ended, Angle refused to let up on the move, until he was chased off by John Cena.

John Cena was paired up against Eddie Guerrero in the main event. Prior to this match, Eddie Guerrero delivered a message to Rey Mysterio on SmackDown!, telling him to watch this match closely, as it will give him a preview of how he will be beaten come Summerslam. And although Eddie did walk away with the victory, it is most likely not as he envisioned it. After taking a bump, the referee was down. In this moment, John Cena delivered an FU to Eddie Guerrero, only to have an angry Kurt Angle enter the ring behind him, and deliver an Angle Slam. Kurt then pulled Eddie over the WWE champion, and shook the ref until he awoke, and made the three count. After the match up, Angle put John Cena in an ankle lock. Shawn Michaels made the save, and after a short brawl, delivered a Sweet Chin Music to Angle, shortly before RAW went off air.

The Big Show was also in action, easily defeating Tyson Tomko. After his match, Chris Masters attempted to level the Big Show with a chair shot to the back, but after the Big Show failed to go down, Masters quickly exited the ring, looking nervous. To say that these superstars haven't been able to see eye-to-eye would be truthful in reference to both height and situation.

Other high points of the show included Carlito defeating Ric Flair in a number one contender's match for the Intercontinental title, by putting his feet on the ropes during a three count, and interesting promo with Kane. The Big Red Machine accepted Edge's challenge to a TLC match from what appeared to be a boiler room in the basement of the arena. As Kane sat there with a sadistic look on his face, talking about how he will accept any opportunity he gets to inflict pain on someone, and that if that person happens to be Edge, it's all the better. TLC has always been a match Edge is familiar with. One could make the argument that there's no one better. Kane is not going into the match looking for glory or honor though. Kane is going into the match to hurt Edge.

RAW Results

Carlito def. Ric Flair - 71%

Big Show def. Tyson Tomko - 73%

Shawn Michaels def. Gene Snitsky - 78%

Kurt Angle def. Maria - 65%

Eddie Guerrero def. John Cena - 81%

[GermanDragon]

WWE SmackDown! - Thursday, August 11th, 2005

The night kicked off with complaints from JBL. According to him, he was only beaten by Batista two weeks ago, because he was still in pain from being Spinebustered onto a chair at the Great American Bash. He then went on to complain about not even being on the card last week. He kept shouting about how he should be given a title shot again. It was Christian who cut him off, by saying that people were tired of hearing his constant whining. JBL and he got into an argument immediately. Christian took off his shirt, and began to walk towards the ring but was cut interuptted by general manager, Theodore Long. "Listen, playas," he said, "if you two want to go at it, then here's what we're gonna do. In the main event, JBL will have a match against Christian, and it will be for the United States championship! Now are ya feelin' that?"

In the main event, Christian and JBL had a relatively even match until JBL sought to tilt the odds in his favor by whipping Christian into the ref. While the ref was down, JBL dropped Christian with a low-blow, then left the ring to pick up a steel chair. As he got into the ring with it, however, Chris Benoit ran down the entrance ramp, and jumped onto the ring apron, to pull the chair from JBL's hands. After a brief argument with Benoit, JBL gave up on using the chair, and turned to Christian, walking right into an Unprettier. A recovering ref made the count here. After the match, Chris Benoit handed Christian his belt, but not before sataring at it for a moment. It should be noted, that Chris Benoit did not lose to Christian.

Prior to making the save in the main event, Benoit had been in the ring once more, earlier on in the evening. He suffered a pin from Muhammad Hassan, who held his tights during a roll-up pin. Benoit looked extremely angry at the end of the match, as Hassan slid under the bottom rope, and began to head up the entrance ramp. The anger was soon replaced by a smile as Hassan walked right into Batista, who was now standing at the top of the entrance ramp. Hassan and Batista traded punches, but the show saw Batista gain the upperhand, and lay Hassan out with a Spinebuster onto the steel floor.

As promised last week on SmackDown! Maven was forced to face The Undertaker in a match determining whether or not he would be given a rematch against Tajiri for the Cruiserweight championship. The Undertaker easily dominated Maven, but was unable to pick up the win. As he moved in for a Chokeslam, Maven panicked, and used his foot to kick the referee in the crotch. This didn't stop The Undertaker from Chokeslamming him to the mat, but it did stop the obvious three-count. What happened next was completely unexpected. Randy Orton ran down to the ring, wearing a referee shirt! Immediately upon entering the ring, Orton not-so-surprisingly nailed The Undertaker with an RKO, before pulling Maven on top of him, and counting to three. This marked the second time since Orton's move to SmackDown! that the Undertaker has lost due to Orton's Interference.

SmackDown's newest superstar, Bobby Lashley was also seen in action again. This time he was able to pick up an easy victory on Simon Dean. Rey Mysterio was also seen in action, picking up a victory of Billy Kidman. After the match, he got on the mic and again addressed Eddie Guerrero. "I watched RAW, and I saw your match. You won, esse! But I think my win says a little bit more." As Summerslam approaches, Eddie and Rey continue to outperform eachother on their respective shows. Come Summerslam, on August 21st, however, they will be facing off one-on-one.Legion of Doom, consisting of Road Warrior Animal and Heidenreich, were also given interview time. They addressed the beating MNM delivered to them two weeks prior, and said that lightning would not strike twice. They promised the victory come judgement day.

SmackDown! Results

Bobby Lashley def. Simon Dean - 73%

Muhammad Hassan def. Chris Benoit - 82%

Maven def. The Undertaker - 77%

Rey Mysterio def. Billy Kidman - 76%

United States Championship: Christian def. JBL - 80%

[GermanDragon]

WWE RAW - Monday, August 15th, 2005

It was announced early in the evening, that the main event match would be a three-way tag, featuring Kurt Angle, John Cena, and Shawn Michaels, each with a partner of their choosing. Kurt Angle made it no secret who his partner was going to be. He said that in the last tag match he was in, The Masterpiece destroyed Michaels and Cena. He promised that they would do the same tonight. Things did not go exactly as planned for Angle though. In the main event, Shawn Michaels teamed up with Shelton Benjamin, and Jon Cena paired up with the Big Show. The match ended with a chokeslam from the Big Show onto the Masterpiece. While Angle and Shawn Michaels both still have their eyes focused on the title, this definitely gives The Big Show all of the momentum moving into Summerslam -- his match against Chris Masters was cemented earlier in the night, when it was listed in the commercial for the pay-per-view.

The rivarly between Edge and Kane was also further heated. Kane was booked in a match against Carlito. Carlito did better than most people expected, getting several near-falls, but was ultimately put down by the Chokeslam, allowing Kane to pick up the victory. After the match had ended, Kane took a violent spear from Edge, however. While Edge still had a bandage wrapped around his head, it's clear that he's ready for the TLC match. He really drove the point home. He exiting the ring, picking up two steel chairs, and getting back in with them. Kane showed his strength by sitting up -- shocking Edge -- but was then put down by a stiff chairshot. Edge then dropped one chair, and rolled Kane onto it, before striking him with the other: A one-man con-chair-to. Edge got on the mic and asked Kane how it felt, stating that it was only a taste of what he will feel this sunday at Summerslam.

Chavo Guerrero put on a match with Ric Flair, pinning him after a Gory Bomb. In another match, Charlie Haas was able to make Rob Conway tap out to the Haas of Pain. While neither of these matches had any added stipulations, they could both go a long way in determining who will be the number one contender for the Intercontinental, or even WWE title. Both wrestlers in each of these matches were able to get in their share of offense. This was not the case, when Matt Morgan made his return to the WWE. In a completely one-sided match, he put down Val Venis with an F5 in just over two minutes.

Eddie Guerrero was given interview time. As expected, he responded to Rey MYsterio's lighthearted taunts on the previous episode of SmackDown! He congratulated him on pinning Kidman, but said that on Summerslam, he wouldn't be facing Kidman: He'd be facing Latino Heat.

RAW Results

Chavo Guerrero def. Ric Flair - 66%

Kane def. Carlito - 78%

Matt Morgan def. Val Venis - 74%

Charlie Haas def. Rob Conway - 74%

John Cena/Big Show def. HBK/Shelton Benjamin, Kurt Angle/Chris Masters - 82%

Edited August 22, 2006 by GermanDragon

[GermanDragon]

WWE SmackDown! - Thursday, August 18th, 2005

In the final SmackDown! before Summerslam, all of the final matches on the Summerslam card were cemented. The most important of these being that between The Undertaker and Randy Orton. Randy Orton headed to the ring, and began taunting the Undertaker, guaranteeing a victory at Summerslam. He was cut off mid-promo, by the lights going out, and the sound of a gong hitting. Randy Orton immediately left the ring, and ran towards the entrance ramp. There, a wall of flame shooting out of the ground knocked him off of his feet, and caused him to turn back to the ring, and get inside. However, once there, the lights went out again, and this time when they went back on, Randy Orton was face-to-face with The Undertaker. Showing courage, Randy Orton initiated a brawl with The Undertaker. Unfortunately for Orton, this brawl ended with a Chokeslam, and the Undertaker folding his arms, saying "Rest in Peace."

In the main event of the evening, occuring just before the segment between Randy Orton and The Undertaker, Chris Benoit competed against JBL in a number one contender's match for the United States title. After a hard-fought match, Benoit was able to make the self-proclaimed Wrestling God tap out the the Crippler Crossface. Benoit picking up the win over JBL means that he will be facing Christian, who defeated Shannon Moore in a non-title match earlier in the night, at Summerslam. It should be noted, that these two haved faced off for this title once before, with Christian retaining after a time limit draw. It will be interesting to see how the second match turns out. This time no time limits will be in place. Christian assured the crowd in an interview, prior to his match with Shannon Moore, that he would walk out of Summerslam as the champion, regardless of who he faced.

Tajiri defended his cruiserweight championship against Maven, after Maven defeated The Undertaker (with Randy Orton's help) on the previous edition of SmackDown! However, even with the momentum carried by picking up a pinfall victory over The Undertaker, Maven was unable to pick up the win over Tajiri. Instead, he tasted bitter defeat, as well as Tajiri's shoe, when he was put down by a Buzzsaw Kick. Tajiri was able to walk out of SmackDown! with the gold still around his waist, as well as another win on his record.

As for the World Heavyweight Champion, things were a little less positive. Muhammad Hassan, at one point in the night, took it upon himself to get on the mic and promise a win over Batista at Summerslam. He then called out Batista, telling him that if he has any balls, he would go to the ring, and face him like a man. Of course, Batista answered this call, and got into the ring. He and Muhammad Hassan exchanged some words, none of them pleasant, and then stared eachother down, nose-to-nose. That is, until Daivari delivered a low-blow to Batista. Hassan and Daivari then began to kick Batista for several seconds, before Hassan locked in a camel clutch. Once Batista had been choked out, Hassan dropped to his knees as if in prayer. The next time these two step into the ring together, it will be for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Newcomer, Bobby Lashley made his third SmackDown! appearence. He picked up another win, this time over Orlando Jordan. Lashley picked up the three-count after a running power slam nearly knocked Jordan unconsious. Johnny Nitro was also in singles action, pinning Heidenreich after a brass knuckle shot that went unnoticed by the referee. Road Warrior Animal chased off both members of MNM after the fight, before they could team up on Heidenreich, but he has to be worried about the title defense he and Heidenreich have coming up at Summerslam. MNM has seem to have had their number for a while now. Will things turn out different for Legion of Doom this sunday, or will their reign as tag champs come to an end?

SmackDown! Results

Cruiserweight Championship: Tajiri def. Maven - 66%

Christian def. Shannon Moore - 67%

Bobby Lashley def. Orlando Jordan - 70%

Johnny Nitro def. Heidenreich - 58%

United States Title #1 Contenders: Chris Benoit def. JBL - 73%