WWE 2006 - A New Era of Sports Entertainment

[alldaws1]

According to Total Extreme Wrestling 2005 the ideal WWE roster consists of 8 Main Eventers, 12 Upper Midcarders, 8 Midcarders, 6 Lower Midcarders, 4 Openers, 2 Jobbers, 4 Managers, 4 Announcers, 2 Colour Commentators, 4 Referees, 1 Authority Figure, 4 Road Agents and 2 Backstage Workers. When Vince McMahon decides to end the roster split and make some huge cuts - he somehow decides upon the exact same thing. With RAW and SmackDown! rosters merged into one, WWE will be cut down to these numbers. The objective is to create better ratings and buyrates than what the roster split would.

As they had already been advertised, Armageddon and New Year's Revolution would take place as scheduled. The following is a recap from the SmackDown-exclusive December pay-per-view, Armageddon.

WHAT: WWE Armageddon

WHEN: Sunday, December W3, 2005

WHERE: Dunkin Donuts Center, Providence, RI

1. Randy Orton def. The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match.

2. World Tag Team Champions Kane & The Big Show def. WWE Tag Team Champions Batista & Rey Mysterio, unifying the belts.

3. Chris Benoit def. Booker T in Match 4 of the Best-of-7 Series. Booker T leads 3-1.

4. MNM def. The Mexicools.

5. Cruiserweight Champion Juventud def. Kid Kash by disqualification, retaining the title.

6. JBL def. Matt Hardy.

The year of 2005 was finished with the 'Tribute to the Troops' shows and the annual 'Best Of' editions of RAW and SmackDown.

The final edition of RAW before New Year's Revolution, Vince McMahon remained 'interim General Manager' and shocked the wrestling world when he announced that the brand split would come to an end, with New Year's Revolution being the final branded event. Ignoring the rule of kayfabe, Vince revealed that there would be some big cuts from the WWE roster to suit the new set-up and that all would be revealed next week on RAW. Vince also completed the New Year's Revolution card, adding Triple H versus The Big Show, Edge versus Ric Flair in a non-title affair and Shelton Benjamin versus Trevor Murdoch.

That week's SmackDown was a special show designed to put on some great wrestling action interspersed with classic SmackDown memories and moments. The show included Batista and Rey Mysterio defeating MNM, a cruiserweight battle royal in which Kid Kash emerged the winner and Matt Hardy teaming up with Chris Benoit to defeat JBL and Booker T.

The following is a recap from the final brand-exclusive event, RAW's New Year's Revolution.

WHAT: WWE New Year's Revolution

WHEN: Sunday, January W1, 2006

WHERE: Pepsi Arena, Albany, NY

1. WWE Champion John Cena def. Kurt Angle, Carlito, Chris Masters, Shawn Michaels and Kane in an Elimination Chamber match to retain the title.

2. Triple H def. The Big Show.

3. Women's Champion Trish Stratus and Mickie James fought to a no contest as Victoria, Candice and Torrie attacked both competitors.

4. Trevor Murdoch def. Shelton Benjamin.

5. Edge def. Ric Flair.

----------

Next to be posted will be a RAW preview, then RAW itself and then current roster, champions and the like to keep you all up to date with the WWE's situation.

[R.W.]

I said this in AD's last diary, and I'll say it again. Postwhoring will not be tolerated, and I will warn anyone who does so. Like the posts I've already deleted.

Edited December 19, 2005 by Rabid Wolverine

[alldaws1]

A New Era of Sports Entertainment

Monday January W2, 2006

Nothing is confirmed for this week's edition of RAW as everything is up in the air. The first non-branded event of the new era of sports entertainment will have a lot of questions surrounding it, but will we get the answers?

Vince McMahon announced last week the end of the brand split, also revealing that many changes would have to be made. Who will still be in the WWE? What will happen to the titles? And will this enormous change affect the Royal Rumble in just under four weeks time?

For more news on the new-look world of sports entertainment and hopefully answers to the many, many questions we all have, tune into WWE RAW this Monday night at 9/8 CT on the USA Network.

[alldaws1]

WHAT: WWE RAW

WHEN: Monday, January W2, 2006

WHERE: Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT

CROWD: 15,000

To kick off the 'new era of sports entertainment' we were shown a highlight video, recapping events of the last branded event, New Year's Revolution. The final RAW-exclusive pay-per-view's results were recapped with still frames and short clips from the event. The Elimination Chamber main event was obviously the main feature of the video package, a bloody, action-packed match that saw John Cena hold on to his WWE Championship once again, lastly eliminating Kurt Angle with an F-U onto the steel mesh of the chamber.

Vince McMahon then made his way down to the ring as Joey Styles and Jerry 'The King' Lawler welcomed the viewers to RAW. Vince took a microphone and invited the crowd to join him in the 'new era of sports entertainment'. He then explained that many roster changes had been made but they would not be individually addressed. An up-to-date roster would be posted on WWE.com shortly after the show, though. McMahon went on to address the title situations. The World Tag Team Championship, which was unified with the WWE Tag Team Championship at Armageddon, was now vacant as the team of Kane and Big Show had decided to go their seperate ways. Juventud was still the holder of the Cruiserweight Championship, as was Ric Flair of the Intercontinental Championship, John Cena of the WWE Championship and Batista of the World Heavyweight Championship. However, there could not be two World Champions said Vince, so at the Royal Rumble John Cena and Batista would go one-on-one to unify the titles and an undisputed World Champion would be crowned!

Before Vince could say anything else, Booker T interrupted him, provoking loud boos from the Hartford crowd. Booker T said he had heard of Chris Benoit's 'unfortunate' exit from the company and thought he deserved to be named the new United States Champion, having been up 3-1 in the Best-of-Seven Series for the vacant belt. Vince thought that was a good idea, until he had a better one. He wasn't going to name Booker T the new champion. He was going to name a replacement for Chris Benoit. The score (3-1) would stay the same, with the fifth match taking place tonight - Booker T against... KANE! Booker T was shocked and looked at Vince in disbelief.

Carlito then made his way to the ring, interrupting Vince. He said that last night in the Elimination Chamber he was the star and he was 'cheated' out of the WWE Title. McMahon disagreed, remembering that Carlito was the first man eliminated. Vince would then punish Carlito for interrupting him, forcing him to meet The Boogeyman in singles action... next!

The Boogeyman v. Carlito. Carlito did not want to face the extremely unusual newcomer that was The Boogeyman. He waited anxiously in the ring as The Boogeyman made his unique entrance. Carlito attacked his opponent before the match got underway, gaining a clear advantage - this was the most offense The Boogeyman had received in his entire WWE career so far. Carlito stamped Boogeyman into the corner and then connected with a DDT for a near fall. Boogeyman would battle back, though, slamming Carlito down with a spinebuster. The Boogeyman then reached outside the ring and grabbed Carlito's apple, bringing it back into the ring and taking a bite to reveal worms spilling out of the apple! Boogeyman ate them up as Carlito looked like he was about to be sick as he exited the ring and walked away from the ring, retreating to the backstage area and awarding Boogeyman a count-out victory.

We then went backstage as Randy Orton entered Vince McMahon's office. 'The Legend Killer' reminded Vince of his accomplishments, of the many legends he has 'killed', of his being the remaining survivor in the past three Survivor Series matches, of his being the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history and also of his ending the 'reign of The Undertaker' by beating him inside Hell in a Cell at Armageddon last month. Vince had to agree that Orton had a very impressive resumé and he thought that deserved a spot in this year's Royal Rumble match. Orton thanked McMahon, even though he stated it comes as no surprise that McMahon would want a 'legend-in-the-making' such as Orton in the prestigious match. Before leaving, Orton would guarantee a Royal Rumble victory for himself.

Matt Hardy & Rey Mysterio v. Paul Burchill & William Regal. These two relatively inexperienced teams did battle on RAW. The up-and-comer Paul Burchill dominated for a large part of the match, man-handling both opponents and then working effectively with William Regal to isolate Rey Mysterio. Mysterio's resilience shined, though, as the San Diego native fought back with hurricanranas and cross body blocks. Eventually Matt Hardy was tagged in and he cleaned house, sending both opponents to the mat with back drops and then clotheslining Regal out of the ring. Mysterio followed up with a springboard plancha to Regal on the outside. Burchill would try and take advantage of Matt, but he wouldn't go down easy. Burchill went for the Royal Mutilation armbar, but a quick counter from Hardy lead to the Twist of Fate and the win for his team.

Coming back from a commercial break, Matt Striker was in the ring. Striker said that tonight he would be going one-on-one with the World Heavyweight Champion - Batista! Striker said normally he'd be pumped up for any match, but he had to 'work', he had to 'teach Batista not only values but also how to be a worthy champion'. The crowd and Joey Styles laughed at Striker's words as Batista made his way down to the ring leaving Striker looking annoyed.

World Heavyweight Champion Batista v. Matt Striker. Striker tried to get an early advantage, but was tossed around easily by the champion. Batista seemed to enjoy beating on Striker. The only lesson being taught in this match was that Striker shouldn't talk about the World Heavyweight Champion in that way again if he wanted to avoid a beating. Needless to say, Batista destroyed Striker, ending the match with a powerful Batista Bomb.

A Kurt Angle promo was then shown. The Olympic Gold Medalist was shown in front of an American flag-backdrop. Angle said that at New Year's Revolution, 'Cena somehow got lucky yet again'. He then went on to talk about the Royal Rumble, how he would be entering the match and that he would win it. 'Whether the World Champion is Cena or Batista after the Rumble, it doesn't matter. The only thing that is for certain is that Kurt Angle will win the Royal Rumble and go on to WrestleMania and become the new World Champion. Oh, it's true, it's damn true!'

We then cut to the backstage area and the crowd erupted with a big cheer as John Cena was shown walking through a corridor, WWE Championship on his shoulder. He suddenly stopped and the camera panned out to see Batista with the World Heavyweight Championship. After initial greetings, Batista praised Cena. He said that his title run, much like his own, had been simply dominant, retaining the title 'time after time after time'. 'The Animal' then said that it was unfortunate that such a good run had to come to an end, which it would according to Batista at the Royal Rumble. Batista walked away, with Cena looking on in a thoughtful manner.

Shelton Benjamin v. Edge w/Lita. This match was a highly competitive outing from both superstars. Shelton took control with a Dragon Whip, and then a leap over the top rope, flattening Edge on the outside. Edge would come back strong, though, using the steel steps and ring post to his advantage, damaging the shoulder of his opponent. In the ring again, Edge trapped Shelton in the Edgecator, but added an armbar to add further pressure to the already injured shoulder. Shelton would somehow break the hold and mount a comeback which was cut short as Edge connected with an inverted DDT, reversing a northern lights suplex attempt. He could only manage a two count. Shelton would dodge a spear, hitting the Stinger Splash and then the T-Bone Suplex. In the end it would be Shelton's 'new attitude' that cost him again, as he went to add insult to injury looking to use Edge's spear against him. Edge would escape the move and instead use Shelton's T-Bone Suplex for the three!

After commercials, we were taken to Vince McMahon's office again as Edge burst into the room. Vince congratulated Edge on his victory, but he was cut off as Edge demanded to be told the status of his Money-in-the-Bank contract. Would it be valid for the new World Championship when the titles were unified at the Royal Rumble? McMahon said it would be and Edge grinned, thanked Vince and left the room leaving Vince looking a bit taken-a-back.

Joey Styles and Jerry 'The King' Lawler then received word that should Kane beat Booker T here tonight and force the United States Championship series to a sixth match, it would take place the following week on SmackDown.

Kane v. Booker T - Match 5 in the Best-of-Seven Series. As usual Sharmell accompanied Booker T to the ring for the fifth match in the series - but Booker's first against Kane. Kane looked confident as he approached the ring, forcing Booker T to retreat out of the squared circle. The match began with Kane overpowering Booker and throwing him around the ring. After a few regroups on the outside, though, Booker's offense began as he used his speed and wife-advantage to distract his bigger adversary. Booker worked on Kane's legs, even using Ric Flair's patented Figure 4 Leglock. Kane did not give up and he would brutalise Booker with punches and elbows in the corner. Sharmell proved a distraction again and Booker took advantage, nailing Kane with a big side kick to the jaw. Booker hit the Book End, but could only get two... and then Kane sat up. Booker went crazy with chops and kicks, but could not take the big man down. Kane battled back but was caught off-guard with a kick to the gut. Booker went for the Scissors Kick, but Kane dodged it and then sent Booker T to the mat with a devastating Chokeslam! Kane made the cover and got the three, closing the series gap to just three wins to two in advantage of Booker T! RAW came to a close with Kane victorious in the ring and Booker T nursing his injuries with Sharmell by his side on the ramp.

[GA!]

I like how you have booked this so far (and I really, really, really love the concept ) and in terms of what you've done - it's quite good. You could have immediately gone for just Raw vs. Smackdown matches over and over again, but you've shown cleverness and self control by having at least one Raw vs. Raw/Smackdown vs. Smackdown match while the Smackdown vs. Raw matches actually had purpose.

It's a shame to see Chris Benoit gone (luck of the draw, huh?) - however Booker T now has a challenge to win that final time against a seemingly undefeatable guy. The pushes of Boogeyman and Matt Striker are satisfactory so far. I am interested to see where the Carlito angle is going. However, I feel that (and this is problem #1 of booking) Matt Striker got a bit buried by Batista. But the problem is that if you do what the WWE does and have a newcomer has a 50 match winning streak (for example like Brock Lesnar, Carlito, Boogeyman, Bobby Lashley, Muhammad Hassan etcetera have done in the past) then it gets boring.

I'm looking forward to Smackdown.

[Lineker]

An interesting first show. I'm very intrigued to what your World title picture is, I'm thinking we'll see some kind of feud between Cana/Batista/Angle/Edge. I hope that uniting the rosters will see a rebirth of the tag division.

[Kwanzabot]

Great show AD!, the style is detailed enough for a TV show, and pretty much any other style of show. I think it's a good idea to have someone replace Benoit in the fued, which is clever, and Kane can innovate with Booker for at least three matches. The unification is clever, and all of that stuff should work.

[I Don't Mind]

Usually I don't enjoy split-disintigrated diaries but this one is going great so far - much better than I expected. Looking to see a news report or something to see who got the pink slip. Kane is an interesting replacement to face Booker T instead of Benoit, not that it's a bad choice, its just a very different style than Booker was used to working to in the previous four matches, making the next ones more challanging for him, not knowing his opponent as well. The Heavyweight/World Heavyweight Title scene's looking very interesting now as well. Looking forward to seeing Cena vs. Batista the final two in last year's Royal Rumble. Personally, My only real grief with the show was having Hardy team with Mysterio but I can see and understand why it was done and i'm glad that he's still around and atleast *getting* TV time instead of being lost in the shuffle. Good Diary so far, looking to see the next show/newscap

[arwrestling]

Its really good so far, I liek it a lot, and I normally don't like the one brand ones. But, one question, is it EWR or TEW?

[alldaws1]

Its really good so far, I liek it a lot, and I normally don't like the one brand ones. But, one question, is it EWR or TEW?

It's TEW2005. Re-read the concept I posted at the start. There's not much point to seeing what TEW2005 says is the ideal roster and then playing the game on EWR

----------

The following roster and champions list will be updated throughout the diary.

Arn Anderson (Road Agent)

Batista

Bob Orton Jr. (Road Agent)

Booker T

Carlito

Charles Robinson (Referee)

Chavo Guerrero

Chris Masters

Dean Malenko (Road Agent)

Edge

Hardcore Holly

Jamie Noble

Jerry Lawler (RAW Color Commentator)

Jillian Hall

Jim Korderas (Referee)

Joey Mercury

Joey Styles (RAW Commentator)

John Cena

Johnny Nitro

Juventud

Kane

Ken Kennedy

Kid Kash

Kurt Angle

Lashley

Lilian Garcia (RAW Ring Announcer)

Linda McMahon (WWE C.E.O.)

Lita

Matt Hardy

Matt Striker

Melina

Michael Cole (SmackDown Commentator)

Mickie James

Mike Chioda (Referee)

Nick Patrick (Referee)

Nunzio

Paul Burchill

Paul London

Psicosis

Randy Orton

Rey Mysterio

Ric Flair

Rob Conway

Rob Van Dam

Sgt. Slaughter (Road Agent)

Shane McMahon

Sharmell

Shelton Benjamin

Simon Dean

Snitsky

Stephanie McMahon

Super Crazy

Tazz (SmackDown Color Commentator)

The Boogeyman

Tony Chimel (SmackDown Ring Announcer)

Trevor Murdoch

Triple H

Tyson Tomko

Val Venis

Victoria

Vince McMahon (WWE Chairman)

William Regal

Key

= Champion (See WWE Champion Rollcall for more details)

WWE Championship

John Cena

(def. JBL at WrestleMania 21, April 3 2005)

United States Championship

Booker T

(def. Kane at Royal Rumble, January W4 2006)

Intercontinental Championship

Booker T

(def. Ric Flair on SmackDown, February W1 2006)

World Tag Team Championship

MNM (Joey Mercury & Johnny Nitro)

(won Tag Team Turmoil at Royal Rumble, January W4 2006)

Cruiserweight Championship of the World

Kid Kash

(def. Juventud at Royal Rumble, January W4 2006)

Edited January 22, 2006 by alldawson

[alldaws1]

Blockbuster Main Event

Friday January W2, 2006

Last Monday night on RAW, Vince McMahon explained the huge changes that have recently affected the WWE. There are currently two vacant titles, the United States Championship and the World Tag Team Championship. Vince has said he will be sorting out the Tag Team Championship situation this Friday night on SmackDown.

Booker T was not at all happy with Vince McMahon's decision to have Kane replace Chris Benoit in the Best-of-Seven Series for the U.S. Title. Kane came up big on RAW, winning the fifth match in the series to cut Booker's lead down to just one match at 3-2. Match number six will take place on SmackDown in just one week, but the two will clash again this Friday as they take part in a huge six-man tag team match. Booker T will team up with Triple H and Edge to take on Kane, World Heavyweight Champion Batista and WWE Champion John Cena!

Shelton Benjamin's new attitude cost him yet another match last Monday night, against Edge. Will Shelton ever win a match with this attitude?

Also on SmackDown this Friday, Intercontinental Champion Ric Flair will see in-ring action.

You don't want to miss this, the first SmackDown of the new era - TV that's changing Friday nights, at 8/7 CT on UPN!

[arwrestling]

QUOTE(arwrestling @ 21st Dec 2005, 11:10 pm)

Its really good so far, I liek it a lot, and I normally don't like the one brand ones. But, one question, is it EWR or TEW?

It's TEW2005. Re-read the concept I posted at the start. There's not much point to seeing what TEW2005 says is the ideal roster and then playing the game on EWR

[alldaws1]

WHAT: WWE Friday Night SmackDown!

WHEN: Friday, January W2, 2006

WHERE: FleetCenter, Boston, MA

CROWD: 15,000

Chavo Guerrero v. Kid Kash v. Paul London for a shot at the Cruiserweight Title. SmackDown kicked off with an exciting triple threat match between three talented cruiserweights, with the added stipulation that the winner would receive a shot at Juventud's Cruiserweight Championship of the World. With such a prize on the line, all three men gave it their all in this one. London pulled out an asai moonsault to the outside on both men. Chavo stunned everyone with a picture-perfect leap from the corner to the outside, taking out Kash. It would come to the end with Chavo receiving a top-rope hurricanrana from London and Kash took advantage, drilling London with a brainbuster to pick up the three count and become the new number one contender.

After coming back from a commercial break, we see Cruiserweight Champion Juventud backstage. Kid Kash approaches him and says that Juventud may have walked away with the belt at Armageddon, but the roles will reverse when they battle again because he is 'the notorious K-I-D, Kid Kash'. Juventud argued that 'The Juice' is the best Cruiserweight in the world and there is no way he'd lose it to 'the notorious L-O-S-E-R'. Vince McMahon then walked into the scene and said that they could both shut up because Vince was the boss. He would then go on to add Juventud's defense of the Cruiserweight Championship against Kid Kash to the Royal Rumble card.

Michael Cole and Tazz briefly discussed the injury to Ken Kennedy that would keep him out of in-ring action for months. He is, however, WWE's newest 'interviewer', and they went to Kennedy (complete with WWE t-shirt) backstage. Kennedy told Michael Cole to 'shut up and watch how the pro's do it' before announcing himself and introducing his guest, Shelton Benjamin. Shelton didn't know what to make of Kennedy, who asked him about his 'new attitude' and why it 'sucked so much'. Shelton told Kennedy that his new attitude didn't suck, it brought more intensity to his game but was yet to be shown to its full potential. Benjamin said he would show Kennedy and everyone else that he's more intense and even better than he used to be by beating William Regal tonight. Kennedy watched Shelton walk off before turning back to the camera and finishing with 'This is MISTER KENNEDY... Kennedy... signing off.'

Shelton Benjamin v. William Regal w/Paul Burchill. William Regal's protégé Paul Burchill watched closely from ringside as this bout got underway. Shelton Benjamin did indeed show more intensity, not letting up on Regal but also continuing to use as much of the referee's count on illegal holds as possible. Regal would take a breather on the outside, but Shelton didn't leave him any time to do anything as he leaped over the ropes after him. Unfortunately for Benjamin, Burchill had pulled Regal out of the way and Benjamin crumpled to the floor. Regal got back in the ring as Burchill beat on Benjamin, tossing him into the steps. Regal went to work in the ring, but Shelton battled his way back. Burchill would get the final say as he shoved Benjamin off of the top rope. Shelton bounced neck-first off the ropes and walked into a small package roll-up from Regal which got the three!

Following another loss, the cameras caught Shelton Benjamin backstage knocking boxes over and kicking trash cans, obviously very angry that he had lost again.

The arena lights turned red, smoke filled the ringside area and The Boogeyman made his way to the ring, smashing a clock over his head on the way. The lights remained red as Boogeyman got in the ring and took a microphone. Boogeyman recited another one of his freaky songs and finished with his catchphrase 'I'm The Boogeyman, and I'm comin' to getcha!' He slid out of the ring and returned backstage as Cole and Tazz were left questioning Boogeyman's intentions here tonight.

Hardcore Holly & Val Venis v. MNM w/Melina. Holly and Venis had the experience singles-wise over MNM, but MNM had the tag team experience edge. A very even match on paper turned out that way as Venis and Holly used their strength to dominate the opening, even using a double powerbomb to take out Mercury early on. MNM would gain momentum as they were able to use their tag teaming experience to isolate Venis. Venis eventually made a tag, but Holly's brief offensive flurry was stopped short as Melina distracted him from the apron. Melina would then distract Val as MNM hit Holly with the Snapshot for the three count.

Following the tag team match, Vince McMahon came out to the stage as MNM were celebrating in the ring. McMahon said he liked what he'd just seen from MNM, especially Melina. He was then interrupted as he was saying he was going to give MNM something as Mercury took a microphone and prematurely thanked the WWE Chairman, believing that he was going to hand MNM the World Tag Team Championship. Vince had other ideas, saying that he was going to give them a shot at the titles. MNM looked disgusted. Vince made another match for the Royal Rumble - MNM versus The Mexicools versus Snitsky and Tomko versus Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio - a four team elimination match for the vacant World Tag Team Championship!

Intercontinental Champion Ric Flair v. Randy Orton in a non-title match. Randy Orton's youth, stamina and speed advantage put him in control early on, but it wasn't long before his cockiness cost him as Flair went on the offensive, stinging his adversary's chest with knife-edge chops. Orton would change the tide and send Flair to the mat with numerous back body drops before 'The Nature Boy' countered an RKO attempt. Flair pulled out his dirty tricks and began to work on the younger Orton's legs. Orton would finally connect with the RKO, but could not capitalise as he had to tend to his damaged legs. Flair countered another RKO attempt and tripped Orton before locking in the Figure 4! Orton would reach the ropes, but Flair shifted backwards into the middle of the ring. With nowhere to go, Orton had to tap! Flair pulled off a huge upset victory by beating Randy Orton.

After a commercial break we were shown what happened 'during the break'. Randy Orton was walking backstage looking dejected when Kurt Angle walked up to him. Angle laughed that Orton couldn't beat an 'old man' like Flair and insulted him, bashing his accomplishments and calling them 'flukes'. Orton looked angry as Angle told him to watch how it's done and walked away to the ring.

Elsewhere backstage, John Cena walks into the locker room of Batista, who finishes tying his boots. Cena and Batista exchange heated words, both proclaiming themself as the dominant champion, getting in each other's face. Kane then came into the room and separated the two, saying they better be on the same page tonight because Kane wasn't going to lose to Booker, Triple H and Edge. Cena responded that he and Batista were 'cool' and he left the room.

Lashley v. Kurt Angle. Lashley would face his toughest opponent yet by far as he battled Olympic Gold Medalist and multi-time WWE Champion, Kurt Angle. Angle began the match off at his pace and the two exchanged holds, putting on a good display of chain wrestling. Angle's mean streak reared its ugly head when Kurt had had enough and began laying into Lashley with stiff right hands. Lashley responded with his brute force, slamming Angle down with a powerslam. Angle went for the Angle Slam, but Lashley span out of it and charged Kurt into the corner and followed with some shoulder thrusts. Lashley's impressive belly-to-belly suplexes were on display next, but Angle replied with his own and then connected with some German variations. Kurt looked to have had enough, pulling down his straps and looking for the Ankle Lock. Lashley countered, thrusting Kurt away - and into the referee, knocking the official down. Kurt went to attack, but was flipped out of the ring by a Lashley suplex. Randy Orton then ran down the aisle with a steel chair in his hand. Angle staggered to his feet, only to receive a devastating shot from Orton and the steel chair. Angle looked to be out cold as Orton escaped through the crowd. The referee regained conciousness and counted Angle out, awarding Lashley the huge victory.

A video was then played, hyping the return of Rob Van Dam. RVD's career highlights, including ECW and WWE action were shown before a short segment about his injury and the announcement that he was nearly back at a hundred percent health. The video ended with the words 'RVD Returns...Soon.'

World Heavyweight Champion Batista, WWE Champion John Cena & Kane v. Booker T w/Sharmell, Edge w/Lita & Triple H. The blockbuster of a main event got underway with all six men brawling around ringside. When the referee restored order, a good match followed. Cena and Batista worked well as a team with Kane, showing none of the trouble they seemed to have earlier. Kane dominated most of the match, using his power to dominate all three opponents, until a double team from Booker and Edge put the big man down. Kane was then isolated and worn down by constant tags and double team moves. The Big Red Machine would make a comeback, drilling Edge and Triple H with big boots and sending Booker to the outside with a clothesline. Kane then crawled towards his corner where Batista and Cena were both dying to be tagged in. Batista was the one who got the tag and he cleaned house on Edge and Triple H. Batista was rolling and looked to put Edge away after slamming both him and Triple H with spinebusters. It wouldn't happen, though, as Cena tagged himself in, much to Batista's dismay. Cena cleaned house and looked for the F-U on Triple H, but Batista tagged himself in. The two champions got in each other's face again, but this time it degenerated into physical blows as they brawled. Kane tagged himself in and tried to separate the two, but couldn't as they brawled all the way up the aisle and backstage, leaving Kane three-on-one. Edge and Triple H double-teamed the Big Red Monster until Kane battled back, fighting away both men as Booker T looked on from the outside. Edge then attempted a Spear, but Kane dodged and Edge demolished Triple H with the move. Instead of showing remorse, however, Edge simply laughed and turned into a Chokeslam from Kane. Kane trash-talked to Edge, but was then hammered out of nowhere with a Scissors Kick by Booker T! Booker rolled into the cover on Kane and picked up a one, two, three! Booker T had pinned Kane, grabbing victory for his team. SmackDown went off the air with Sharmell raising Booker T's hand as Kane looked on, beaten from the ring.

Edited December 22, 2005 by Ad!

[Twist]

Looking great so far, still, could you tell us who got cut? It's a pain having to work it out by who didn't. Though I noticed Undertaker is gone, should of kept him really given his pull in the locker room.

[alldaws1]

WWE Roster Cuts

Saturday, January W2, 2006

PWW has come to the conclusion that the WWE has released the following workers from their contracts:

Ashley Massaro

Brian Kendrick

Candice Michelle

Chris Benoit

Daivari

Danny Basham

Doug Basham

Eugene

Funaki

Gregory Helms

Heidenreich

John 'Bradshaw' Layfield

Johnathan Coachman

Johnny Parisi

Josh Mathews

Kristal

Lance Cade

Maria Kanellis

Orlando Jordan

Rene Dupree

Road Warrior Animal

Rosey

Scotty 2 Hotty

Shawn Michaels

Stacy Keibler

Steve Romero

Steven Richards

Sylvain Grenier

The Big Show

The Dicks (Chad & James)

The Heart Throbs (Antonio & Romeo)

The Undertaker

Theodore Long

Todd Grisham

Torrie Wilson

Trish Stratus

Viscera

Vito

Please note, this list was created from the official roster put up on WWE.com and may not be 100% accurate. There were also members of staff released that have not been noted here.

The big names to go include Chris Benoit, JBL, Shawn Michaels, Stacy Keibler, The Big Show, The Undertaker and Trish Stratus. Benoit, JBL, Michaels, Big Show and Undertaker were probably released due to their age with the WWE seemingly looking towards the future to create big named stars. Trish Stratus is somewhat of a shock release, it looks like WWE will be doing away with the Women's division, which probably won't hurt their image that much at all looking at the way it had been used previously.

Triple H, of course, kept his job and looks to stay on top of the company for a while to come still. John Cena, Batista, Randy Orton and Edge have the potential to be Hall of Famers so look for them to step up big time and take the spotlight within the coming year. Kurt Angle staying seems to be a good sign that the Olympian is in good health and can still perform for a long time to come.

[Tarheels.]

damn, what a cut. I'm glad you got rid of Taker, Show, and those other untalented people but Benoit was a shock to me. I hope you keep us up to date on signings with your mass release. I'd like to see how the wrestling world changes with these releases. Also, great SD! I liked the main event. Kane/Booker intrigues me, it has potential.

[alldaws1]

Note: I will not be reporting on Heat or Velocity. Why? Well there's a couple of reasons. First off, they're 'off-air' in my game so the only way to book them would be with pre-show matches and there's a limited time for those. Also, they're only shown on WWE.com and it's just the lowly guys that are used on them (whom I can now fit into the main shows because of the decreased roster size). So I don't feel the need to report on those two shows as they wouldn't add anything to the game.

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Conflict Among the Ranks

Monday January W3, 2006

Last Friday's SmackDown main event wasn't just huge on paper and in practice, it caused multiple problems too.

World Heavyweight Champion Batista and WWE Champion John Cena, who meet in just under two weeks at the Royal Rumble, were supposed to be team-mates but they ended up brawling with each other and leaving their tag team partner Kane alone against their three opponents. The tension is building as we get closer to the unification match at the Rumble. What will happen between these two on RAW?

Also in that main event, Booker T pinned Kane to win the match. Does this give Booker T a psychological advantage heading into the sixth match in the Best-of-Seven Series in just four days? Get his and his wife Sharmell's thoughts on Monday as Carlito brings the Cabana back to television!

Edge inadvertently speared his supposed tag team partner Triple H in that 6-man main event last Friday, but he didn't seem too bothered by what he had done, instead laughing it off. What will Triple H have to say about this?

After being laughed at by Kurt Angle for losing to Ric Flair, Randy Orton cost Kurt Angle a match against Lashley last Friday. Kurt Angle will get his chance to show Orton how it's done on RAW when he clashes with 'The Nature Boy'. Randy Orton will be watching this one closely, that's for sure.

Don't miss RAW this Monday night, tune in at 9/8 CT on the USA Network.

[Cole]

Haven't been on much lately, finally got a chance to read this...

Week 2 Raw

Cena/Batista is a huge mark feud, although face vs. face is tricky to book, lets see how you do...

Kane going against Booker T is meh, not interested.

Boogeyman winning by count out is acceptable, as long as he doesn't go over anyone that matters, I don't care.

Cena/Angle still? Hopefully Batista comes out on top, that way I can see something new with Angle/Batista.

Keeping with the Shelton angle, works with me, hopefully it goes somewhere though. Whatever gets him TV time...

Raw ending with the US title match was an interesting way to end the first show of the new era, I for one didn't like it but, oh well.

-

After this show it seems like you've got yourself quite the competition going for the top belt/belts. I'm intriqued to see where you go with all the possibilites.

Week 2 Smackdown

Figured you'd continue Kash's push, could work out well for you.

Kennedy in the interviewer role is good, love the sign off aswell

Shelton loses again Hopefully this goes somewhere that pays off for Shelton's jobbing.

Orton's push gone, ok...I guess that eliminates one person from the title contentions. Although, I figure you'll keep pushing him, just not at the belt.

Yeah, Orton costs Kurt the belt. I guess Kurt's title hopes are gone for the time now aswell...

A better match to end a night of a new era with, although Cena/Batista brawling to the back continued the feud, I don't really know what to say about it, thumbs in the middle on that one.

-

Smackdown was the better booked show, hopefully Raw is better in Week 3

-

The releases were super interesting, Michaels, Taker and JBL are all people I never thought I'd see go unless under their own terms.

I guess it'll be a chance to get some new people at the top!

-

Good start, I'm really going to be watching this closely!

[alldaws1]

WHAT: WWE RAW

WHEN: Monday, January W3, 2006

WHERE: Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, NY

CROWD: 15,000

RAW kicked off with Carlito walking to the ring which was already set up for the Cabana. Carlito welcomed everyone and as usual insulted the home crowd, relating their smell to that of The Boogeyman, which Carlito thought was disgusting. He then introduced his guests tonight - Booker T and Sharmell. Carlito showed everyone a recap video of the Best-of-Seven Series between Booker and Chris Benoit/Kane so far. He then asked Booker if he was questioning himself after being in a position to sweep Benoit and then losing two straight matches, leaving him with just a one match lead. Sharmell cut Carlito off, yelling at him and saying that nobody should ever question her husband's abilities. Booker then chimed in, agreeing, and saying that Booker T was 'the man' and he was just making the series 'more interesting for the fans'. Booker went on to say that he would finish the series on Friday night when he beats Kane in the sixth match of the series. Speaking of 'The Big Red Monster', Kane interrupted Booker and made his way to the ring. Booker and Sharmell escaped before Kane could lay a hand on them. Kane turned around, only to have Carlito spit apple in his face! Carlito laughed, initially. His smile turned to a look of fright as Kane wiped away the apple and grabbed Carlito by the throat, proceeding to Chokeslam the host and trash the Cabana.

After a commercial break, Joey Styles and Jerry 'The King' Lawler revealed that Vince McMahon had made a match for tonight due to tonight's events. It would be Carlito against Kane in singles action.

The Mexicools v. Kid Kash & MNM w/Melina. The night's wrestling got underway with a big six-man tag team match. After winning a shot at Juventud's Cruiserweight Title for the Royal Rumble last Friday, Kid Kash teamed up with World Tag Team Title contenders Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury to take on all three Mexicools. All six men delivered some exciting fast-paced action. Melina intervened on a couple of occasions to keep MNM's side in control. The match would degenerate into a wild brawl outside of the ring with consecutive springboard-moves from everyone - Kid Kash taking everybody else out with a springboard flip, reminiscent of his ECW days. With everybody else brawling on the outside, Super Crazy looked for a moonsault on Kash, but couldn't connect and would eventually fall victim to a crushing brainbuster from 'the notorious K-I-D' and the ensuing pinfall was academic. Kash stared down Juventud after the match, the heat building for their clash at the January pay-per-view.

Another video, much like the one that aired last Friday during SmackDown was played, detailing Rob Van Dam's injury. Instead of saying that Van Dam was close to full health this time, the video revealed that 'Mr Pay-Per-View returns... Next Monday!'

Rey Mysterio w/Matt Hardy v. Tyson Tomko w/Snitsky. Both Matt Hardy and Snitsky accompanied their respective tag team partner, but both were ejected early on when things spilled into a four-man brawl. Mysterio used his speed advantage to wear down Tomko, but he was soon caught by his bigger adversary. Tomko slammed Rey down with a couple of powerful slams. Tomko went for the big boot, but Mysterio countered and hit the 619! As Mysterio waited on the apron to attempt the West Coast Pop, Snitsky returned to ringside, this time through the crowd. He took Rey's legs out from under him, slamming him face-first onto the apron. Snitsky rolled Mysterio into the ring and then hid from the referee as Tomko drilled his opponent with a big boot and picked up the three.

Following the match, Snitsky returned to the ring and celebrated with Tomko before double-teaming Rey. After a short double-team offense, Matt Hardy rushed back to the ring and aided Rey in clearing it of two of their Royal Rumble opponents. Hardy and Mysterio stood tall, leaving Snitsky and Tomko to retreat up the ramp.

Michael Cole was backstage with 'The Nature Boy' Ric Flair. Cole asked Flair how he felt after picking up a victory over his former Evolution stablemate and one of today's premier wrestlers, Randy Orton, last Friday on SmackDown. Flair reminded Cole that he was a sixteen-time World Champion and nobody can outdo him experience wise. 'The Nature Boy' said he was also one of today's premier wrestlers and also the Intercontinental Champion. He said he would go out there tonight and show the world that he can hang with the best of them 'when 'The Nature Boy' beats Kurt Angle in that ring'. Flair added a 'Woo!' for good measure before heading towards the ring.

Intercontinental Champion Ric Flair v. Kurt Angle. The Olympic Gold Medalist was out to get back to his winning ways as well as to 'show Randy Orton how it's done'. He began well, taking the Intercontinental Champion to the limit with a range of suplexes. Flair would battle back and begin a chop war with Angle, 'The Nature Boy' coming out on top. Flair resorted to dirty tactics, including grabbing Angle's 'family jewels'. Flair wrapped up Kurt in the Figure Four, but Angle was able to grab Flair's ankle and counter into the Ankle Lock. Flair looked to be ready to tap, when he found the energy to shove Angle off of him - right into the referee. Angle would lock in the Ankle Lock again, until Randy Orton came out of seemingly nowhere and delivered an RKO to Angle. Orton posed and then exited the ring as Flair rolled into the cover and the referee woke to see and count the one, two and three. Orton had cost Angle another match! Following the bout, Kurt looked on angrily from the ring, pulling himself up with the ropes as Orton posed on the stage.

A video was aired for The Boogeyman. Highlights of his dominance over various WWE superstars were shown between clips of him reciting rhymes in the freaky manner we were now accustomed to. The video ended with the catchphrase 'I'm The Boogeyman and I'm comin' to getcha!' and an evil laugh.

Edge made his way to the ring, with Lita by his side as usual. He took a microphone and began speaking about last Friday's main event when he was on the winning team. Edge was shortly interrupted, though, as 'The Game' Triple H made his way to the ring. Triple H also grabbed a microphone as Edge looked on, a bit confused as to Triple H's being there. 'The Game' showed Edge some footage from last Friday's six-man tag team main event when Edge accidently speared him, but laughed afterwards. Following the clip, Triple H said he was a generous and kind man so he was giving Edge the chance to apologise for his actions so nothing further would come of it. Edge refused to do so, saying that he wasn't afraid of Triple H and he wouldn't hesitate in spearing 'The Game' again. Triple H looked around frustratedly at the crowd before clocking Edge with the microphone. Lita slid out of the ring and out of harm's way as Triple H pounded on Edge with punches. He would then hook up a Pedigree when all of a sudden the music and entrance video of Rob Van Dam played. The crowd went wild and Triple H shoved Edge away, looking up at the TitanTron. RVD didn't show, though, and Triple H was left looking confused as to why that had just happened. Edge had escaped the ring by then and was leaving up the ramp with Lita.

Kane v. Carlito. Kane was in the mood for action as he dominated Carlito right from the get-go. Carlito took a few breathers on the outside, but Kane didn't let up, following his opponent around the ringside area. Carlito took some big slams, including one huge sidewalk variation. He would however, be able to escape a Chokeslam and take to the outside again. He then grabbed a steel chair, but Kane snatched the weapon away and chucked it away, delivering a Chokeslam instead. Kane wasn't quite done as he then lifted Carlito up and set him for the Tombstone! Before he could complete the move, however, Booker T rushed into the ring and attacked 'The Big Red Monster' from behind. Booker would end up using the chair himself, bending it over Kane's skull. Booker continued to connect with chair shots before connecting with the Scissors Kick to put Kane down.

Backstage we see WWE Champion John Cena, getting ready for his match. World Heavyweight Champion Batista entered the room and the two immediately got in each other's face, ready to strike. After a few words Vince McMahon stormed into the room and pulled the two apart, saying that he didn't want 'a repeat of last Friday' when the two brawled during their six-man tag team main event. Vince said he was going to lay down the law as he didn't want his Royal Rumble Unification match spoiled. Therefore, McMahon issued a 'zero tolerance' policy between the two. If either man physically attacked the other, he would be stripped of his title. Batista and Cena looked angered by the decision, but nethertheless stepped away from each other. Vince wished Cena good luck in his match and he guided Batista out of the room.

WWE Champion John Cena v. Chris Masters. The WWE Champion received a huge roar from the crowd as he came out for the main event. Masters was ready for the challenge, but Cena took it to him early and nearly hit an F-U, but Masters slid out of the attempt. The match spilled outside the ring and both men used the barricade, the ring apron, the ring post and the ring steps as weapons. Back in the ring, Masters took control with his power advantage. Cena mounted a comeback, but he was distracted as Batista walked out from the back and stood on the stage, watching the match and proudly displaying his World Heavyweight Championship belt. Masters took advantage and went back on the offensive. He then looked for The Master Lock, but Cena was able to block it and hit a back suplex. Cena began to rally, connecting with the spinning-out powerbomb and then the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena 'pumped it up' when Batista began to walk down the ramp. Cena yelled at Batista and was then caught from behind by Masters, who applied The Master Lock! Cena struggled while in the hold, but managed to wrap his legs around the top rope, causing a rope break, forcing Masters to release the hold. Masters went to capitalise, but was caught with an F-U out of nowhere! Cena rolled into the cover and got the three count!

Following the main event, Batista climbed into the ring. He got into an intense stare down with his Royal Rumble opponent as RAW went off the air - both WWE Champion and World Heavyweight Champion, belts on shoulders, staring a whole through each other.

[Cole]

RVD random music cue, odd...don't know where the fuck thats going.

Other then that, I had no problems with the booking on Raw, although I'm still looking for some clear cut storylines I'm still confused where alot of people lie...Although it's getting clearer as you continue.

Keep up the good pace of shows!