World Wilson Entertainment

[ZJ Penn]

The following results are taken from the Heat web cast:

- The Big Show pinned Rob Conway with the Showstopper

- Eugene beat Lance Cade with The Rock Bottom

- Mark Copani & Johnny Parisi defeated Johnny & Nick of The Spirit Squad with The Running Death Valley Driver

- Val Venis pinned Matt Striker with the Money Shot

[ZJ Penn]

It was a night of expectation from Batista as the fans waited impatiently to find out just who, if anyone, he had found to wrestle as his tag team partner in the main event. Throughout the evening we cut to the back to see that The Animal had yet to arrive, until only a few minutes from the match-up when he came through the front door, alone. Eventually, John Cena and Triple H got fed up of waiting and came down to the ring, demanding that Batista come and face them. Indeed The Animal, never one to back down from a challenge, hit the stage with a microphone and told them that it had been tough to find a partner, he even thought he wasn’t going to manage it till he got a knock on his dressing room door a few seconds ago. After Cena then challenged him to unveil his ‘friend’ and he brought out his partner and its last weeks draft lottery pick, the 2006 King Of The Ring, Lashley!!! With both of his opponents clearly unnerved and shocked at the unexpected arrival of Lashley, Batistas team clearly held the advantage throughout, using a wide variety of power manoeuvres to outmuscle their adversaries. However, if there is one thing that the WWE has taught us in over 20 years, its that things are never that simple. At the end of the match, Batista and his long-term rival HHH began brawling viciously, the referee being hit with a Batista clothesline after The Game dragged him in front of him like the coward he can be, before they inevitably spilled out of the ring to the ramp. This set-up a frankly tantalising showdown between Lashley and the WWE Champion, John Cena as the crowd rose to their feet in anticipation. They quickly went into a slobber knocker of a fight, with Lashley the victor, hitting a monstrous power slam and signalling for The Dominator as Cena writhed in agony on the mat. What he didn’t bank on though, was Smackdown superstar Finlay heading through the crowd and jumping the barrier to nail the KOTR winner with his stick before returning to whence he came, as Lashley stumbled across the ring, trying to gain a grip of himself. Cena, ever the opportunist, quickly got to his feet, getting him up for, and hitting, the F-U as the referee woke up to count a cheap three count before Batista could return to the squared circle. With Lashley out, the dastardly duo then became true to their word, nailing Batista with numerous cheap shots, finally busting him wide open with a Pedigree onto the WWE title belt. As the show went off the air, we were treated to the sickening site of HHH and Cena once again standing over a fallen and bloodied Batista. The main question is, can Batista come back from this? Or have his opponents made his quest of a second World Championship nothing more than a pipe dream? Speaking of slobber knockers, the WWE and its fans were proud to announce the return of good old Jim Ross JR to the role of lead announcer on the RAW brand. Unfortunately, what this holds for the man who held the fort so to speak in Joey Styles, we have no idea at this point.

Also tonight saw the first ECW Open Challenge held by Edge. After coming to the ring with Lita, he told any ECW superstar to get out to the ring, and the challenged was answered by little Spike Dudley! The ultimate underdog was given a rapturous reception from the crowd, topped only by the fact he took it straight to Edge, almost getting the pin with a Dudley Dog through a table, although Lita broke up the count. Edge was then able to come back with the help of Lita, at one point hitting a Spear into the steel ring post on the outside for inexplicably only a two count. His experience and talent showed through though, no matter how much Spikes desire could match it, The Rated R Superstar eventually picking up the three with an Edge-o-Matic onto a Lita provided chair. Edge then grabbed a microphone, telling RVD that that was just a sample of what he can expect from him for when he finally plucks up the guts to come back and face him in the ring and that another ECW ‘star’, saying that he uses the term very loosely, should prepare for another beating next week. As previously told by WWE.com, Ken Kennedy was at the show with words for Carlito and as expected, they were regarding the Intercontinental Championship. Kennedy met with Josh Matthews backstage, and after introducing himself, announced that he could simply cost Carlito match after match with unnecessary interference until he was willing to put anything on the line to face him, but his is going to do this straight up, because he is an honest man, as everyone knows. He finished by saying that he is challenging Carlito to a match, at Summerslam, for his Intercontinental title. Will Carlito accept? It looks like we’re going to have to wait till next week on RAW to find out!

With regards to the title matches tonight, neither title changed hands after successful defences from both. Mickie James retained against Trish Stratus and Victoria in a triple threat match after waiting patiently outside for Trish to hit Victoria with a Chick Kick, before climbing inside the squared circle to land a high impact Mick Kick onto Stratus and get the three. In terms of the tag team match, The New Wave again looked impressive, this time seeing off only three members of the squad, after Nick and Johnny were demolished earlier on Heat by Mark Copani and Johnny Parisi. This made the task infinitely simpler, Palumbo getting the deciding pinfall with a Yakuza Kick on Nick whilst Test fought with the other two on the outside. Finally tonight, Umaga was able to extend his streak with a Second Rope Splash onto Chris Masters, when Armando Allejandro Estrada distracted him allowing Umaga to capitalise. Masters looked especially without focus, perhaps still stunned that Lashley broke his previously thought to be ‘unbreakable’ Masterlock last week on RAW. Again the mysterious and now infamous ‘video’ played once more, something which is clearly frustrating Umaga and his manager.

Confirmed Results:

- John Cena & Triple H pinned Batista & Lashley after Finlay from Smackdown interfered

- Edge defeated Spike Dudley with the Edge-o-Matic onto a steel chair

- The New Wave beat The Spirit Squad in a match for their World Tag Team Championships

- Umaga w/Armando Allejandro Estrada defeated Chris Masters with the Second Rope Splash

- Mickie James beat Trish Stratus and Victoria to retain the Women’s Championship

[ZJ Penn]

Smackdown Preview For Friday 28th July

We are only two nights away from Smackdown PPV Vengeance and World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio is in for rough ride when he takes on Mark Henry tonight in a match for his title. Originally, it had been General Manager Theodore Longs plan to rest all of his superstars involved in the big matches this Sunday so that they could be refreshed and put on the best Pay-Per-View possible. However, John Bradshaw Layfield had other plans. WWE.com can now exclusively reveal that Layfield confronted Mysterio mid-week, telling him that he risked the biggest match of the year to give HIS friend a title shot, and that if Mysterio is a true World Champion like he was, he will do the same. Never one to turn down a challenge, the Champion is now on the verge of a massive defeat to The Worlds Strongest Man that could potentially ruin the PPV on Sunday. One thing that Rey will have to be aware of is that Mark Henry is on a demolition path. Last week it was Chris Benoit who found out the ruthlessness of Henry. Benoit has yet to return to the WWE since last week after being admitted to a nearby hospital, and is a major doubt ahead of his match this Sunday.

Also tonight, another ruthless competitor is in action when Finlay once again teams up with Paul Burchill to face WWE Tag Team title chasers Londrick. With high flying and risk taking up against the old school technical style, it should make for an interesting encounter. It could be considered however, that MNM will be looking to make an impact on their opponents ahead of their encounter, although Finlay will also no doubt be worried that Lashley has yet to accept his challenge for this Sunday regarding the King Of The Ring title opportunity. Gregory Helms will be accompanied by Texas Lewis in his PPV warm-up non-title match against Nunzio, in a match were Helms can look to show his opponents, Kid Kash and Super Crazy, that he doesn’t need bodyguards to win matches. As mentioned previously, Long is trying to rest the majority of his most popular superstars and so the other match on the card features Doug Basham and Funaki competing, with Basham looking to pick up some momentum ahead of his match with Chavo Guerrero on Sunday. Also, Shelton Benjamin has said that he will be at the show to find out just who his opponent for Vengeance is. After completing his hat-trick of styles with a win over Hardcore Holly last week, Benjamin announced that he wanted to face someone who encompassed all three styles, just who is it, if anyone does indeed respond to the challenge? Find out tonight. Finally, with both brands having only one draft lottery pick left, Smackdowns was scheduled for tonight, although Teddy Long has decided to make an announcement regarding it tonight.

Can Mark Henry finally become the World Heavyweight Champion? Will MNM be a factor in the tag team match? What does Theodore Long have to say about the draft? Who, if anyone, will respond to Shelton Benjamin’s challenge? Are there going to be anymore surprises ahead of Vengeance? Find out tonight, only on Smackdown!!!

Confirmed Matches:

- Rey Mysterio Vs Mark Henry [World Heavyweight Championship]

- Finlay & Burchill Vs Londrick

- Gregory Helms w/Texas Lewis Vs Nunzio [Non-title]

- Doug Basham Vs Funaki

[ZJ Penn]

The following match results are taken straight from the Velocity web casts:

- Chavo Guerrero defeated Animal after Matt Hardy interfered

- Hardcore Holly pinned Simon Dean with the Alabama Slam

- Chris Hero beat Scotty 2 Hotty with the Running STO

- Psychosis defeated Jamie Noble with the Guillotine Leg Drop

[ZJ Penn]

In the past the WWE has certainly seen some underhand characters, such as The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, The Nature Boy Ric Flair, even the Chairman himself, Vincent Kennedy McMahon. However, as of tonight, John Bradshaw Layfield can most certainly add himself to that list. In the main event, Rey Mysterio defended his World Heavyweight Championship against Mark Henry in a match notably set up by JBL, who forced him into the contest after defending his United States title against Chavo Guerrero the week previously. However, this soon turned out to be a plan all along, as only a matter of minutes into the match, JBL ran down to the ring, creating a 2 on 1 scenario. As the blows rained down on the Champion and the referee called for a disqualification giving Mysterio the win, the crowd were surprised to see a heavily banged up and bandaged Chris Benoit hobble to ringside and try to save his friend. Despite slugging it out bravely, Benoit was eventually too weak and a shot to the ribs soon brought him down to the canvas, where Henry proceeded to continue with splashes and horrific submissions whilst JBL hit a high-impact Clothesline on Mysterio, almost taking his head off. As the show went off of the air, EMT’s and the backstage staff were able to drag the cunning twosome off their enemies, although the damage has now been done, with Benoit looking particularly in pain. Where this leaves the PPV in two days time, only time will tell, although General Manager Theodore Long is undoubtedly hoping that neither man picks up the win on Sunday.

Continuing with Teddy Long, he announced before the show that he would explain the final draft lottery pick scenario and was true to his word. Long arrived at ringside prior to the main event, and announced that he does indeed know who the draft pick is, and it is a big one. However, the pick hasn’t arrived here tonight, and so he is pushing his debut back to Vengeance. Long then returned to the back, having created an air of mystery for the fans to mull over. The match that preceded the main event saw Finlay and Paul Burchill face Londrick in tag team action. The match was a mixture of brawling and high flying, as all four men looked to exert pressure on their opponents, Paul London nearly ending the match early on with a Dragonrana onto Paul Burchill for a near fall. As expected with their titles on the line against Londrick later this week, MNM made an appearance at the end of the bout, in fact costing them the victory when they hit The Snapshot on Paul London whilst the referees back was turned. The beat down continued post match, with all four men scoring with shots on Londrick, until the familiar music of now RAW superstar Lashley sounded and he hit the ring, clearing house of his rivals and MNM!!! With Finlay backing up the ramp in disbelief, Lashley told the fans and him, that although it pains him to say, RAW is now his home and he couldn’t give a damn about Finlay. However, when he comes to RAW unannounced, he crosses the line. Which is why, he will face him at Vengeance, and he will beat him! Then, and only then, will Finlay finally realise that he is the better man. With that match now re-confirmed, there was only one persons opponent left to announce, Shelton Benjamin’s. He came down to the ring prior to the tag team match and told him that the challenge is now a week old, so he wants someone who can brawl, someone who can fly, and someone who can wrestle to get out here and make it official. The cameras then got perhaps the picture of the year of Shelton’s face when his call was answered by non other than Ric Flair!!! Flair entered the ring to deafening cheers and ‘Woo!’ chants before grabbing a microphone. He said that he wants someone who encompasses all three of those attributes huh? Flair then said that how about he goes one on one with someone who has NONE of those skills! He might not throw hands like The Undertaker, he might not execute a perfect side headlock takedown like Chris Benoit and he might not be able to perform a Moonsault quite like Rey Mysterio. However, he should make no mistake about it, that he is the biggest jet-flying, limousine riding, kiss-stealing, wheeling-dealing son-of-a gun on the entire roster!!! He finished by telling Benjamin that he is willing to take him to town…so long as Shelton accepts. Benjamin announced that even though he was hoping for someone a bit more…athletic, he guesses a 16-time World Champion will do for now, before offering a handshake to seal the deal so to speak. Cautiously, Flair went to accept the shake, although Benjamin quickly retracted his hand only to spit right in the legendary Flairs face! The former Intercontinental Champion then headed to the back to prepare as Flair looked on, no doubt fuming inside, despite keeping a cool exterior.

Gregory Helms also came out of tonight riding high. The WWE Cruiserweight Champion picked up a win over Nunzio on Smackdown, with some assistance. The match rolled back and forth for a while, although Nunzio eventually gained the advantage, at which point Helms collapsed, holding his knee. As the referee tried to offer assistance, Texas Lewis climbed in from the outside, wrapping a steel chair around Nunzio’s head, before exiting with the chair. Helms then showed to in fact be feigning injury, nipping up off of the mat, to hit a Shining Wizard on Nunzio to record a win. Although it was far from an impressive performance on Gregory Helms part, Lewis looked capable of winning the match for him, which no doubt will be in Kash and Crazy’s this Sunday. One thing that they will take heart from, is that after the match, Helms barked orders at Lewis to ‘get him his gold’. Lewis looks to be getting more and more frustrated at Helms treatment of him as the weeks go by, which could work in his opponents favour if he pushes him too far this Sunday. Finally in action tonight, Doug Basham was able to beat Funaki with a Second Rope Spine Buster in an efficient performance, not letting the Japanese Star get any offence in whatsoever. With both him and Chavo winning convincingly this week on Smackdown and Velocity respectively, their match at Vengeance looks more and more unpredictable as the time goes by. After his victory, Doug was met by his brother Danny Basham inside the squared circle, with Danny pleading with his brother to leave Daivari behind and rejoin with him, to become the team they once were and abandon the thuggish antics Daivari his imposed onto him. For a second, it looked as though he might see sense, although the silver tongue of Daivari quickly squashed this when he had a word in his ear. The two then double teamed Danny, leaving him spread out on the canvas in a sickening assault. Also, a video aired across the world, showing the highlights of Kurt Angles career, who is unfortunately injured, although everyone in the WWE and we’re sure you do to, wish him a speedy recovery.

Confirmed Results:

- Rey Mysterio defeated Mark Henry by DQ when JBL interfered to retain his World Heavyweight Championship

- Finlay & Burchill pinned Londrick after MNM landed the Snapshot on Brian Kendrick

- Gregory Helms w/Texas Lewis beat Nunzio when Texas Lewis hit Nunzio with a steel chair

- Doug Basham defeated Funaki with the Second Rope Spine Buster

Edited June 27, 2006 by wilson316

[ZJ Penn]

Sunday 30th July 2006, Smackdown Presents...Vengeance!!! Live, only on PPV!!!

Ultimate Challenge II

United States Championship Vs World Heavyweight Championship

John Bradshaw Layfield © Vs Rey Mysterio ©

Casket Match

The Great Khali Vs The Undertaker

Chris Benoit Vs Mark Henry

King Of The Ring Title Opportunity Match

Finlay Vs Lashley

WWE Tag Team Championships

Londrick Vs MNM ©

'The Nature Boy' Ric Flair Vs Shelton Benjamin

Loser Leaves Smackdown Match

Booker T w/Sharmell Vs The Boogeyman

Chavo Guerrero Vs Doug Basham w/Daivari

WWE Cruiserweight Championship

Gregory Helms © w/Texas Lewis Vs Super Crazy Vs Kid Kash

ALSO, MATT HARDY FACES ROAD WARRIOR ANIMAL IN A HARDCORE MATCH IN SUNDAY NIGHT HEATS MAIN EVENT!!!

Edited June 27, 2006 by wilson316

[Guest Rabidwolverine36]

JBL Vs Rey Mysterio

Winner- Rey Mysterio

Undertaker Vs Great Khali

Winner- Deadman

Chris Benoit Vs Mark Henry

Winner- Henry (Im predicting a Kind of Angle/Henry Judgement Day finish)

Lashley Vs Finlay

Winner- Finlay

Londrick Vs MNM

Winner- MNM

Flair Vs Benjamin

Winner- Benjamin

Booker T Vs Boogeyman

Winner- Booker T

Chavo Vs Doug Basham

Winner- Chavo (But Basham rocks)

Helms Vs Crazy Vs Kash

Winner- Helms

Matt Hardy Vs Animal

Winner- Hardy

[ZJ Penn]

Tonight, the Smackdown brand held its first Pay-Per-View since the new management took over, and if its thrills, shocks and changes that you wanted you were not disappointed. The event saw one of Smackdowns biggest matches to date, when Rey Mysterio and John Bradshaw Layfield defended their respective titles, the World Heavyweight Championship and the United States title, in the Ultimate Challenge II. This was the same as when Hulk Hogan faced the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI and so they had to live up to something big. Also, with Hogan, the WWE Champion at the time coming up short in that match, the pressure was most definitely on Mysterio to get a result. Could he get the job done and continue living the dream? Or was it finally time for JBL to bring that World Title ‘home’? Another big match tonight saw The Great Khali and The Undertaker square off once more, this time in a casket match. With the general consensus being that once someone gets trapped in that casket, the other will make sure that they never set foot in the WWE again, and this could be the last we see of Taker in the company. With Undertaker only ever hurting Khali once or twice over the previous weeks, it looks like a Deadman exit from the industry could be imminent. Whatever the results, you could be sure that the PPV was definitely not one to miss!

Sunday Night Heat Main Event: Hardcore Match

Matt Hardy Vs Road Warrior Animal [Hardcore Rules]

The final match of Heat was also seen as the warm-up bout before the Vengeance PPV got underway and didn’t fail in entertaining the fans. The contest was between Animal and former Tag Team Champion Matt Hardy, with bad blood built up over recent weeks as former partners became bitter enemies when an enraged Hardy blamed Animal for costing them the chance to become tag team champions. Hardy followed his vendetta up with a series of assaults on Animal, who responded in similar fashion leading up to this match. Just in case you thought it couldn’t get any more vicious, the match was held under hardcore rules, meaning that anything was legal. The match was a high paced affair, with both men going straight for the weapons underneath the ring, Animal almost causing an early end to the match with a power slam onto a trash can. Hardy kicked out though and went back at his opponent, nailing him with numerous chair shots and even a Twist Of Fate onto it. In the end it was Hardys experience in hardcore matches and unwavering desire which spurred him on, getting the three count when he landed the Second Rope Leg Drop through a table. After the match, Hardy hit another Twist Of Fate onto Animal then tossed him out of the ring before grabbing a microphone. Matt finished by telling the eager crowd in attendance that this wouldn’t be the last time that we see him tonight, as he has something shocking in store that will rock Smackdown.

The show then opened with pyro and POD supplied theme music to please the crowd, before a video was rolled to show the matches for tonight and how they came about. Surprisingly to some, the show then opened with Chavo Guerrero and Doug Bashams encounter.

Chavo Guerrero Vs Doug Basham

Prior to the match, both superstars made their separate entrances to obviously different crowd reactions, however Chavo looked particularly concerned when the cunning Daivari accompanied his opponent to the ring. The match was a back and forth contest, with both competitors showing their individual talents. Ultimately, though Daivari was never going to stay out of the match once his client looked in danger of being beaten, and once Chavo took control, there was no hesitation. Guerrero was able to take the advantage when a high risk top rope manoeuvre was ducked by the Mexican, and he followed up with The Three Amigos. As the crowd felt it coming and the ‘Eddie’ chants began, Chavo ascended to the top rope and prepared for a Frog Splash. Daivari then climbed onto the nearby apron and began shouting at Guerrero in Arabic, seriously irritating Chavo and forcing him to hit the schemer with a solid right hand. The distraction lasted for long enough though for Doug to meet him on the turnbuckle and deliver a ring shaking Second Rope Spine Buster, although somehow Chavo found the intestinal fortitude to kick out at two and a half. A now recovered Daivari continued to bark orders at Basham, telling him to do it again. He hoisted him to the second rope, looking for another Spine Buster, although the experienced Chavo showed particularly intelligent skill to roll him up in mid-air, picking up a big win with a small package to the delight of the fans! The action was far from finished here though as after Chavo finished celebrating his PPV victory and returned to the locker room, Daivari confronted a despairing Basham, telling him that he is useless, dead weight, and that he doesn’t want him with them anymore, as he is making the rest of his Army look bad. Basham even went as far as to get on his knees and beg and plead Daivari to reconsider, although all he got was a kick to the face and spat on. At this, his brother Danny Basham hit the ring, chasing Daivari back away. He then gestured to Doug with a handshake…which was accepted! The two brothers then hugged, showing they are back together as a team once more.

WWE Cruiserweight Championship

Gregory Helms © w/Texas Lewis Vs Kid Kash Vs Super Crazy

The second match of the PPV was in fact the first title match of the night, as Gregory Helms defended his WWE Cruiserweight Championship against two of the finest athletes on the roster in Kid Kash and Super Crazy. As expected, Texas Lewis also accompanied Helms to ringside and also as expected was involved from the off. They took advantage of the fact that it was no disqualification to make it almost like a tag team match. This was until the referee told Lewis to return to the back or he would remove Helms from the match! Reluctantly, Texas left the ringside area and the match was restarted, with both Kash and Crazy now teaming up, it went from a tag team match in Helms’ favour, to a handicap match in his opponents favour. The three superstars used a variety of moves associated with this division to try and gain the advantage, with Super Crazy sending the audience into raptures with a double tornado DDT from the top rope getting near falls on both superstars, but not a three on either of them. The finish to the match came when a title shot from Helms was grabbed by Kash, who tried to return the favour, only to nail the referee. At this point Lewis re-emerged from the back and destroyed both of the stunned and equally tiring competitors with his patented Texan Backbreaker, allowing the drained Helms to crawl across the ring and grab the victory, to the disgust of the fans. After the contest had finished and the bell rang, Helms demanded that Lewis hold up Kash for him to hit the knockout blow with the Shining Wizard. However, Crazy dragged him out of the way at the last second, meaning that Helms landed the Wizard on Lewis!!! As his opponents exited the stage, Helms abandoned his bodyguard, telling him that his services are no longer needed if he cant carry out simple instructions and he would be better off without him.

Ric Flair Vs Shelton Benjamin

The third match on the card was definitely one for ‘pure’ wrestling fans as old school met new school, when high flying Shelton Benjamin met the somewhat ‘underhand’ Ric Flair in the squared circle. The bout was hotly contested with neither man wanting to give up his chance to make an impression at their first Smackdown PPV since joining in the draft in recent weeks. Flair was at his best, firing away with knife-edge chops left, right and centre. With the crowd firmly behind the ‘Nature Boy’, the ‘Woo’ chants nearly blew the roof off of the arena. Benjamin seemed unable to cope with the rather unexpected offensive flurry from Flair, almost falling victim to the Figure Four Leg Lock three times, but getting to the ropes every time. Flair then took a defensive approach, also showing strong character to kick out of a top rope suplex from Benjamin, as well as a Springboard Bulldog to follow it up. Just when the match seemed to be approaching the thirty minute time limit set beforehand, both men somehow were able to hit low blows on one another. As they rose to their feet at a count of nine, Benjamin looked for his T-Bone Suplex, but Flair caught him off guard with an inside cradle, which was then rolled through by Shelton to get the win!!! The victory was tainted though, as replays showed Benjamin to have grabbed hold of the tights to keep Flair down for a three count. As Shelton continued to celebrate his quite remarkable change in fortunes since moving to Smackdown, Flair looked pretty downbeat in the ring despite his standing ovation, as he realised he was beaten with tactics that the ‘dirtiest player in the game’ should have been well aware of.

Loser Leaves Smackdown Match

Booker T w/Sharmell Vs The Boogeyman

The next match on the card was far and away the shortest one, culminating in a grand total of eight minutes, including entrances. Also featuring The Boogeyman, it was never going to be anything but weird. Booker took the aggressor role, hitting his opponent with everything he had, kicks, chops, even a Book End to only get a two count. The Boogeyman fought back from there against a bewildered Booker T, concluding with his Supernatural Touch finishing manoeuvre. Sensing that her man was done for, and that they might both be out of a job, Sharmell then took it upon herself to nail Boogeyman with his own weapon whilst the referee checked on Booker. Although this only got his attention and he produced from his pocket a handful of worms! Just before he could smother them on Sharmell, she was able to hit a sickening low blow which the five time WCW Champion followed up with a Scissors Kick! Here the match took an even stranger twist when instead of covering the unconscious Boogeyman, Booker left the ring and went back up the aisle, getting himself counted out in the process to the shock and disgust of his wife Sharmell, who understandably chased after him. The referee pronounced the now conscious Boogeyman the winner, and that Booker was no longer a Smackdown superstar. To finish, just when you thought it couldn’t get any weirder, it did, as the classic music of Papa Shango sounded in the arena and the old voodoo man appeared on the stage. As The Boogeyman looked on perplexed, he motioned for him to follow Shango back through the smoke from which he came, and The Boogeyman agreed. This match solved one question, who is leaving Smackdown, but threw up a few more. Such as, what is Papa Shango doing back in the WWE? And what does The Boogeyman have to do with him?

WWE Tag Team Championships

MNM © Vs Londrick

The second title match on the card and the only tag team match was between two of the hottest young teams in the industry, MNM and Londrick. With Melina banned from ringside, Londrick weren’t afraid to go all out and attacked with their no-fear, all risk style which has got them where they are today. For the majority, this paid off, sending Nitro and Mercury crashing from pillar to post with an assortment of top rope dropkicks, shoulder tackles and spinning wheel kicks. It wouldn’t be high risk if there wasn’t any danger involved though and this cost Brian Kendrick dear. Kendrick was looking for a Shooting Star Press on Nitro to end the match, when Mercury used his tag team knowledge and wits to pull the rope down, crotching him on the turnbuckle. This obviously swayed the match big time, with MNM blocking Brian from his partner Paul London, and hitting several seamless double team moves including backdrops, clotheslines and flapjacks to put him out of commission. With arrogance comes complacency though, and MNM are two of the most arrogant people in WWE today, if not all-time. This eventually gave Kendrick the chance to duck a double clothesline and make the big tag to partner London! As expected, he came in all guns blazing, knocking them down with hard rights and lefts, although in the hustle and bustle, he knocked his own partner off the apron with a misplaced shot, before knocking Nitro out to join him with a Moon flip Kick, landing on Mercury with the cover with what could have been a hundred count. The pin never came though as, of all people, Matt Hardy was distracting referee Nick Patrick on the outside. Out of the blue though, another superstar darted through the crowd and over the barrier. He looked a lot like Matt Hardy but from closer range was instantly recognisable as his brother, Jeff!!! As the crowd exploded once they realised, Jeff hit the top rope, and then for the first time in a WWE ring in years, dropped a soaring Swanton Bomb onto the unaware Paul London, before rolling Mercury back on top of him! As the referee turned, Hardy exited the ring and joined his brother on the outside, just in time for MNM to retain their titles under questionable circumstances. Post match, The Hardy Boyz joined MNM in the ring and Nitro and Mercury now with Melina, put out their hands in friendship, which was accepted…but no! Jeff and Matt both hit them with a Twist Of Fate each!!! As the crowd cheered them on, they then followed up with a Leg Drop and another Swanton Bomb from Matt and Jeff respectively, before chasing Melina backstage! Already we have four matches left but already this crowd are happy to have come, and the surprises sure as ever aren’t finished yet.

KOTR Title Opportunity Match

Finlay Vs Lashley

With perhaps two of the toughest brawlers on the roster, this match was never going to be pretty to watch, especially coupled with the fact that they have history together, now stretching back months. It would all end tonight though, and it did, in spectacular fashion. Lashley took the early advantage in the match, as he was obviously able to outmatch Finlay when it came to strength and brute force. Finlay is nothing if not tough though and was able to admirably kick out of two or three potentially match winning moves, including a devastating Running Power Slam. The grizzled veteran then showed his wily tactics and years of ring experience to set up Lashley for a mule kick to the groin in the corner behind the referees back. With the pendulum now swinging the other way, Finlay moved in for the kill, punishing his rival with savage blows and then using a variety of holds to keep him down on the mat, but was just unable to hit the killer blow to put Lashley away. Time after time this happened, and once Finlay let up for just a second, Lashley exploded out of the corner and clotheslined him right out of his boots and prepared for The Dominator. At which point Paul Burchill hit the ring, biding Finlay some time by taking a Spear for his efforts. With his partner now down, Finlay blindsided Lashley and scooped him up for The Muscle Buster. Lashley wasn’t done yet though and powered out with a wiggle of the legs and even went so far as to land back on his feet and get Finlay up for, and hit with, The Dominator!!! The crowd then went wild for their now RAW hero, as he covered Finlay and the referee counted for three for Lashley to keep his KOTR title opportunity.

Chris Benoit Vs Mark Henry

Chris Benoit is indeed, a long match veteran, although this was particularly short, mainly due to the injuries caused by Mark Henry to his ribs over recent weeks. Benoit hit the ring to meet Henry and at first tried to outwrestle him with his technical style, although every time Henry respond with a shot to the ribs and sometimes even locking on a bear hug. Realising that he was risking not only career, but his life, Benoit snapped and forgot all about the match, heading to the outside. He returned with a chair and after the referee tried to get it away, forced it into his ribs, prompting a swift disqualification. This rivalry wasn’t about who pinned who though, it was about revenge and being the last man standing once all the smoke had cleared. Benoit indeed was that night, knocking the life out of Henry with no fewer than five solid chair shots to his head and spine, even then locking on the Crossface till the team of staff, security and referees could break it up. Again, he might not have pinned his opponent, but Benoit sure as ever won this contest.

Casket Match

The Great Khali Vs The Undertaker

Some PPV’s are seen as having two main events, and if with Vengeance this was the case, then this was most definitely the other one, as The Deadman faced his arch-nemesis in recent weeks, the 7 foot 3, muscle-bound Khali. To make things even more risky for both men, it was a casket match, with the winner set to be gone from the WWE, forever. Before the match began, the accompanying Daivari grabbed a microphone, before telling The Undertaker that he is always one step ahead of everyone else. You see, he said he realised that casket matches are no disqualification, and then motioned to the back as Mark Henry joined them in the ring, albeit still suffering from a slight concussion at the hands of Benoit. Still, the odds of three to one looked bad for Taker, who then came down to ringside, the arenas atmosphere changing entirely and the crowd jumping out of their seats. The Deadman reached the ring and removed his attire there, still weighing up the situation. Just as it looked like we were about to get going, the music of Smackdown General Manager Theodore Long sounded over the deafening crowd atmosphere, and he arrived on the stage. He said that he realised that this might happen, making a slight reference to the 1994 Royal Rumble. Which is why he didn’t do anything about it, puzzlingly. He then went onto explain that he now gives us the final draft lottery pick! Long got well out of the way as the pyro went off and it’s The Undertakers brother, Kane!!! This wasn’t how we knew him though, as he had returned to his previous form of being completely covered apart from one arm, even wearing the mask from years ago. He stood toe-to-toe with the Deadman for a few seconds, before acknowledging that he still has a score to settle with Daivari’s Army for the Inferno match at Bad Blood, and together the brothers rushed the ring clearing house of all three men. The match eventually began, and the adrenaline fuelled, invigorated Brothers Of Destruction went on the rampage, at one point Taker hit a Tombstone on Henry as Kane simultaneously nailed Daivari with one. It wasn’t completely one sided though, as Khali ambushed them from behind, knocking them both down with two brutal chops. As he stood over them, arms held high, he was then shocked to see both men sit up simultaneously, then hit a couple of punches to stagger him, before both coming off of the ropes to hit a double flying clothesline to topple the big man for perhaps the first time! With the other two still out of it, The Brothers made the cut-throat symbol to each other, showing they were on the same page, before getting Khali up and somehow nailing a Double Chokeslam on the man mountain!!! The frankly amazing match was then ended as they rolled him into the casket and shut the lid, and just like that Khali was gone. The duo then stayed in the ring as Henry and Daivari headed to the back, Taker celebrating on one knee and Kane setting off the turnbuckle flames. The unstoppable team finished by walking off to the back, with the casket and it looks pretty safe to say that they aren’t going to let Khali rear his ugly head in the WWE ever again.

Ultimate Challenge II

World Heavyweight Championship Vs United States Championship

Rey Mysterio Vs John Bradshaw Layfield

The final match was indeed the Championship match, and was indeed a clash of champions, the World Heavyweight Champion and the United States Champion. With one man set to lose his title for sure tonight, neither wanted to make any mistakes and both made a cautious start to the bout, not letting the opponent have an opportunity to take an advantage. Frustration eventually got the better of JBL and he made several lunges at Rey, although the speed worked to Rey’s benefit and he countered, scoring with several high-impact moves to almost get the win with a near fall after a bulldog. JBL had learnt from previous encounters with Rey though to know who to avoid this and went to the outside where he thought that he was safe. Mysterio’s ability knows no boundaries though, as he came over the top rope with a corkscrew piancha, although Layfield dodged, sending Mysterio crashing and burning to the floor. Never one to miss an opportunity, JBL continued on the outside, sending the fan favourite into the steel steps, the ring post, even putting him through the Spanish announce table with a sickening power bomb. After rolling the World Champion back in the ring, he covered for only a frustrating near fall. His book of tricks wasn’t done with yet though as he removed the turnbuckle padding to distract the referee, who tried and failed to replace it. As he did this though, JBL got hold of the World Title and wrapped it around his arm, before attempting a powerful Clothesline From Hell!!! Mysterio was somehow able to avoid though, by ducking, sending Layfield crashing into the exposed (by himself) turnbuckle. The dazzled JBL then stumbled backwards into a dropkick to the spine from Mysterio, and landed on the ropes! The 619 followed and Layfield somehow kicked out of the Frog Splash that followed! Mysterio tried to end it with the ‘Drop Of The Dime’, but this time JBL had the awareness to counter into a power bomb for a two and three quarters count. With the referee counting both men down, as he reached nine the crowd were booing as they didn’t want a classic match to end this way, and it didn’t. JBL spurred on to win the World title once again, rose to his feet and looked for The Clothesline From Hell once more, this time Mysterio again dodged the move, but also able to hang onto both arms and put a crucifixion in place. In an ironic scenario, JBL then caught both his feet in the ropes whilst trying to kick out and trapped himself, allowing Rey to get the three and become joint World Heavyweight and United States Champion!!! The crowd went wild, Benoit and Chavo came down to the ring to celebrate as the show went off the air and JBL trudged to the back, now that Rey Mysterio had two titles, and he didn’t have any!!!

Quick Results:

- Rey Mysterio pinned JBL to retain the World Heavyweight Championship and win the US title

- The Undertaker beat Khali in a casket match

- Mark Henry defeated Chris Benoit by Disqualification

- Lashley defeated Finlay to keep his KOTR title opportunity

- MNM retained the WWE Tag Team titles against Londrick

- The Boogeyman beat Booker T by count out

- Shelton Benjamin pinned Ric Flair

- Gregory Helms retained his WWE Cruiserweight Championship against Kid Kash and Super Crazy by pinfall

- Chavo Guerrero beat Doug Basham by pinfall

- In the Heat main event, Matt Hardy beat Animal with a Second Rope Leg Drop through a table

Edited June 28, 2006 by wilson316

[Guest Rabidwolverine36]

Ohhh I rock I am one of the few who think that Henry isnt great but is overly criticized and he tries hard. The End was honestly what I was hoping for to keep Benoit strong but give Henry some credibility. He deserves his push and im glad you arent jobbing out the two monsters on Smackdown like every other diary.

Basham Brothers

Awesome Show man

Edited June 28, 2006 by Rabidwolverine36

[ZJ Penn]

WWE Vengeance Report

By Dave Meltzer

Last night the Smackdown brand held its first solo Pay-Per-View. The event was billed as having ‘thrills, shocks and changes’, or at least that’s what the tag-line wanted you to believe. Here is my match-by-match coverage of the event:

- The Sunday Night Heat web cast was held prior to the event and was one of the only times Smackdown superstars appeared on it, with Animal and Matt Hardy main eventing in a hardcore match, although it wasn’t really main eventing. JBL versus Rey is the main event, this is the notch above a dark match. Prior to this, we got the usual stuff you expect from Heat nowadays as Mark Copani squashed another superstar and Big Show appeared against Rob Conway once again. In any event, this match was actually decent enough considering one of the competitors peaked about 15 years ago. This was largely down to the hardcore element involved, meaning that they could be forgiven for a lack of technical or high flying wrestling, which isn’t exactly Animals forte now is it? Instead all he had to do was hit Hardy with a chair, or be hit with it, which was enjoyable while it lasted. Some nice spots here also to get the crowd going, the power slam onto the trash can and the Twist Of Fate onto a chair being notable. The finish was also solid, with Hardy putting Animal through a table for the win. Again, nice match that knew its place, focusing more on the entertainment than the wrestling, something that Animal based his entire career on, very successfully. Finally, Hardy cut a decent promo telling everyone to watch out, he’ll be back in what appears to be one of the worst kept secrets in wrestling. I’d say the crowd were as expected, impatient for the PPV to start at 64% whilst the match was above average at 77%. Overall, a **¾ rating.

- The proper PPV then started and we got the usual warm-up video showing everything that had gone on, followed by some rather extravagant explosions and lighting which made you feel that if you didn’t have epilepsy before, you might have it now. Another nice touch was the Vengeance stage, which was showing the faces on one side of the Titantron and the heels on the other. The set had two entrances also, with I guess the workers to come out of their respective side. A bit like Fully Loaded a few years back if I remember rightly.

- Right, onto the first match of the evening which shocked a lot of people who thought that the cruiserweight match might open as usually with Smackdown PPV’s. Hopefully, this means Helms and co. will get more time to showcase their talents. The opener instead is Chavo and Doug Basham. Chavo held a terrific match with Benjamin last month at Bad Blood and I had the inkling that him and Basham could once more produce the goods. To be honest, it was nowhere near as enjoyable as Chavo - Benjamin, but still very watch able at 81%. The airborne small package finish was done well, considering if it goes wrong it can kill the contest. Unfortunately, it appears that no matter how hard they try, the audience just wont get into either of these two workers, still an improvement on Hardys match at 70%, leading to a good *** rating. If the event continues improving like this, I can’t wait for the main event. Sadly, I’m not that convinced that will be the case.

- Now its time for the cruiserweight title match, which had positive points, and negative points. Positive point, so far the match of the night. Crowd into it the most so far at 78% and the contest was terrific at 86%. The bout was really enjoyable with the Smackdown creative team finally giving the cruiserweights time to shine, the double DDT spot bringing the crowd to their feet, not to mention Kid Kash pulling out another Dragonrana to the outside. The negative point being Texas Lewis. Looks like a rehash of the Diesel and Shawn Michaels storyline from 1994, and on a lower scale just isn’t working. I mean, how are they supposed to build up cruiserweight wrestling if Lewis destroys them single handedly every week? Lewis is a great brawler, but has being introduced wrong. They’ve blown his gimmick off quickly it looks like with the finish of Helms firing him. I can see him being sent back to OVW with this experience and then brought back later. The fans just don’t take to him. In any event, I think ***½ is a fair rating, plus with Helms keeping the title, the belt and division stay credible, no doubt their image has improved.

- Usually I only don’t give ratings to squashes, however that precedent is broken tonight when I don’t rate Boogeyman - Booker. Not only because even the five time champ couldn’t carry Boogeymans lack of talent, but because it was too short and well frankly, weird. The match was kept short with Booker having a flurry, then Boogeyman having the comeback, before Sharmell’s interference led to Boogeyman winning. Interesting finish saw Booker turn down the chance to end Boogeymans undefeated streak when he scored with his finisher, by leaving the ring and getting counted out, and consequently, kicked off Smackdown. As far Papa Shango leading Boogeyman into the smoke and beyond, surely not a Shango - Boogeyman tag team?

- Next contest is one I was really looking forward to, and had good reason. Benjamin and Flair are two really great talents, and their mixing styles should combine well. The bout was more or less as expected with the one week build-up that they had. Crowd and match quality were pretty evenly positive at around 76% each. Obviously Shelton got the dirty win but both were kept strong in an interesting contest that worked the crowd as much as the wrestlers. Overall, I’d give it ***, maybe four with my bias towards Flair. One thing I must point out is that I was really enjoying this PPV at this point, one of the best Smackdown had put on in months, although Henry and Khali are yet to come. Another thing I have to tell is that both still seem to be finding their feet on the Smackdown way of things and this may hurt their overness with the crowd very slightly.

- Next title match was the WWE Tag Team title match, and this was one for the ages, living up to the tagline. The quality on show here was incredible, its been a long time since I gave a WWE tag team match a 95% match quality rating, but this got it. Almost every tag spot was included, and the story told, although basic, was done to perfection. Crowd were interested all the way, but only really got to their feet at the finish, for obvious reasons at 76%. Overall, MNM retaining sets up the future well and Summerslam should produce another good encounter. Obviously the finish stole it though, Jeff Hardy returning as Matt Hardys surprise to cost Londrick the match, and the titles. Tag team wrestling just went back up a notch in the WWE, as long as Jeff stays on the straight and narrow. Also good to see Matt Hardy given a decent storyline. First since Jeff left to be honest, minus the Edge encounters. I'm slapping a ****1\4 rating on this.

- The next match was for the KOTR title opportunity and Lashley won clean in a bit of a shock leaving people wondering how that will fit into RAW stories with Summerslam’s main event already set up. The actual match and feud was done well, with Lashley now looking pretty legitimate, Finlays first real feud finished in the WWE, even Paul Burchill got credit from it. Overall, ***¼ rating, meaning that this PPV is not the 2001 Royal Rumble or WrestleMania 17, but it still looking pretty good. The clean break on the feud now means that the workers are free to begin new feuds, with Lashley now on RAW and Finlay and Burchill set to tag for a while longer.

- First of the three big matches saw Henry beat Benoit by disqualification then get beat down. Pretty average match with fans now just waiting for the two final matches and Henry and Benoit limited to chair shots and ribs based manoeuvres. A good *** rating still, as it did everything right in a short space of time, and gave them both clean breaks from each other, whilst keeping each man strong. It looks like Henry is really coming out well from this, fans finally getting round to the fact that he might not be Kurt Angle, but has done well with what he has had to do, and he seems to be over now more than ever.

- Time for the casket match now and in all honestly, it wasn’t as bad as everyone thought it would be, although Khali’s inability to sell hurt the match rating. Overall, it was short and sweet at **½, which in my opinion is perfectly acceptable wrestling. Biggest point to come from this match was Kane returning, albeit in his mask. This I am currently undecided, as Brothers Of Destruction has been done to death in the past. Who knows though, can the new management rekindle some of the magic of 2001? One good thing though, it seems like Khali is gone for good, as much as I wanted him to be a success, him in the ring hurt my eyes. Still, casket matches always leave superstars open for a return. Hopefully, he can return to OVW and brush up his skills to avoid being released.

- The final match of the night saw another *** contest. This time Rey beat JBL clean again to capture the US title. Something tells me though, that one of these reigns isn’t going to last very long. Considering the size difference, the match was decent enough, Rey getting the win with a pretty unique finish with JBL preventing himself from kicking out. This leaves JBL title less, but I think not out of the title race. Although surely they cant have another JBL - Rey contest at Summerslam can they? My prediction, a swerve coming soon.

Overall, one of the best PPV’s of recent months, I’d give it around 80% overall, maybe 79%. The buy rates are set as early indications of 1.74, up 0.16 on Raw’s Bad Blood. Thus bringing in $4,350,000 [PPV rate] and $1,137,840 [ticket sales] for WWE, $5,487,840 overall and $487,840 more than last months PPV. Who’d have thought you’d see the day that Mark Henry and Khali outsold HHH, RVD, Edge and Cena by so much? That’s good booking for you!

[ZJ Penn]

Another TV Show Dropped/Big Trouble Down At CW!!!/NWA-CS Hiring’s/NWAPWX Releases And Show Cancelled/Promotion Show Stats/SW Gone

I know what you’re thinking. ‘Its only the 31st July, aren’t the big reports supposed to come at the beginning of each month?’. Well yes, and no, as there will still be the big August 1st Wrestling Heat Newsletter, but there has also been big waves over recent weeks, unfortunately the majority of it is bad, with lots of people losing their jobs:

- First point of order today is that NWA: Pro Wrestling Express, has had its only television show, NWA Top Ranked TV dropped by its local network. As reported earlier, WXW had a TV show cancelled two or three weeks ago and now the exodus of wrestling on the air continues, despite the alleged rise in popularity. This leaves only eleven other shows on the air that isn’t WWE or TNA programming. The loss came as a shock to NWAPWX owner Jim Miller, who was then forced to cancel last weeks TV tapings. As expected Miller has begun the cost-cutting measures early, so as not to fall victim to what has happened to other promotions, by releasing Brant. Despite the brawler wanting only £12,000 on his open contract, one of the cheapest Indy workers in the area, his lack of overness with the fans didn’t fit with Millers sports entertainment style and he took the plunge. This raises questions over Adam Cages future, with him being in the same boat.

- More bad news new, this time regarding Chaotic Wrestling. The company seems destined for closure, once news spread of owner Jamie Jamitkowski quitting the promotion. This lack of an investor has left them high and dry, with so many firings and releases that the business is now only recognised as a small promotion, one step up from a backyard one. The lack of an owner, considering he was pretty hands on, meant that they also had to cancel their previous show, losing further cash and irritating their stars who had turned down other bookings to appear there. In any event, they have had to release staff, the full list being:

Mike Hollow

Dave Daniels

Don Schwimmer

Kevin Loeb

Dan Pancoast

Rich Palladino

Hopefully other promotions can pick them up. Workers have also being sacrificed, with the majority being the new, younger stars who haven’t being exposed much on their shows, becoming much more expendable, these being; Dukes Dalton, Andre Lyonz and Max Bauer. Psycho CW is the other release, notable as he was one of the main eventers at the company, with a gimmick based around the promotion.

- Finally some good news now, that NWA: Cyberspace has decided to go on a bit of a talent search, bringing in new workers Bison Smith and Kaos both on open contracts. Both are talented workers who should do some good for the company.

- Time for the results of the shows that were not cancelled this month, all listed below:

NYWC's 'NYWC Bad Obsession' show was attended by 304 people!

They made $6080 from ticket sales.

IWA-EC's 'IWA-EC Come Out And Play' show was attended by 317 people!

They made $6340 from ticket sales.

IWC's 'Showdown In Turkeytown' show was attended by 465 people!

They made $9300 from ticket sales.

NWA-CS's 'NWA-CS Dissident Movement' show was attended by 301 people!

They made $6020 from ticket sales.

ECCW's 'ECCW The End Of The Line' show was attended by 68 people!

They made $1360 from ticket sales.

IWA-PR's 'Summer Attitude' show was attended by 477 people!

They made $14310 from ticket sales.

IWA-MS's 'Stylin in the Summertime' show was attended by 463 people!

They made $9260 from ticket sales.

JAPW's 'JAPW The Writing On The Wall' show was attended by 456 people!

They made $9120 from ticket sales.

ECWA's 'Hot Summer Fights' show was attended by 368 people!

They made $7360 from ticket sales.

TNA got a 0.77 PPV buy rate for 'Victory Road'!

The event was attended by 9145 people.

They made $1925000 from pay-per-view revenue.

They made $365800 from ticket sales.

WWE got a 1.74 buy rate for 'Vengeance (Smackdown!)'!

The attendance was 18964 people.

They made $4350000 from pay-per-view revenue.

They made $1137840 from ticket sales.

WWC got a 0.55 television rating for 'Superestrellas'!

The event was attended by 190 people.

AAA got a 1.54 television rating for 'Lucha De Vuelta'!

The event was attended by 374 people.

They made $7480 from ticket sales.

They made $2850 from ticket sales.

Obviously big news here aside from WWE and TNA doing respectively well, is that AAA also scored well with their Mexican TV show, could they be finally bringing a third big company to the table?

Finally tonight, we’ve saved the biggest news till last in that the WWE have taken over the Hart families famous Canadian promotion, Stampede Wrestling. The promotion was said to be struggling financially, and the McMahons helped out one of the biggest wrestling families when they reached a deal of $924,000 for a complete takeover. Obviously some big names are left without a job, they’ll no doubt be snapped up quickly. The promotion was flagged up as being in trouble when they fired a huge list of staff and workers, namely these listed:

Workers

Belle Lovitz

Duke Durrango

Gama Singh Jr.

Tiger Raj Singh

Staff

Steve Jaggar

Martyn Standish

Steve Bullock

Lucy Chase

Chuck Etchels

Danny Boy Drake

This forced the promotion into a small level and left them without a show this month, as they had advertised the majority of the departed workers as being there. One final thought this leaves us with though, have WWE finally patched things up with the Hart family after nearly a decade? My guess is yes, as you don’t sell off your pride company to someone you hate.

[ZJ Penn]

The Wrestling Observer is pleased to announce that aswell as its monthly review of all WWE PPV's, it will also be launching a fortnightly feature looking at a different aspect of the industry every time.

This will begin this Saturday with a look at who is selling the merchandise for the biggest promotion in the world, World Wrestling Entertainment. It also will look at just why the fans are buying their merchandise over others.

The next two reports after that will feature the over $100,000 report, on the most well off workers in the industry, and The Undercard, giving a closer look at the workers who take up the majority of your viewing time.

Edited June 29, 2006 by wilson316

[ZJ Penn]

RAW Preview For Monday 31st July 2006

It may well have been Vengeance last night over on Smackdown, but RAW has absolutely no intentions of playing second fiddle to them, when it showcases perhaps its three biggest talents of the moment in a triple threat warm-up match of the Summerslam main event. That’s right, tonight its WWE Champion John Cena, The Game Triple H, and Batista, all in the ring, fighting for the right to go into their match in 27 days time as ‘the threat’ and ‘the one to watch’. However all isn’t so simple, as HHH and Cena will no doubt be working as a team to try and inflict further injury on Batista than they have in recent weeks, that’s if The Animal is still able to wrestle after their brutal assaults. Staying with World title scene, last night Lashley retained his right to a King Of The Ring title opportunity match at Summerslam after pinning Finlay. However he appears to have hit a snag with the fact that the WWE Championship match has already been decided. In any event, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has told us at WWE.com that he WILL be in attendance, and plans on cleaning up a few issues and putting an end to some situations. Lashley will also be in action at this evenings broadcast, opening the show against Rob Conway in singles competition.

The ECW Open challenge continues tonight as Edge challenges another former ECW superstar to step into the ring with him in an ECW Rules contest, till Rob Van Dam is fit to face him. Last weeks challenger was Spike Dudley, who despite putting up an admirable fight, was struck down with an Edge-o-Matic onto a steel chair. Will Edge be able to get another one up on ECW and its stars, whoever it is? Find out tonight! The draft lottery reaches its conclusion tonight, when the loser of the ‘Loser Leaves Smackdown’ match arrives on RAW, Booker T. The match was finished in questionable circumstances when Booker left the ring despite having The Boogeyman beat after interference from his wife Sharmell, to lose the contest via count out. One thing that is interesting though, is that Booker has yet to receive an official RAW contract, if he will at all. The stipulation to the match was that RAW would receive the loser of that match as their final draft pick, whether the brand wanted to keep him however was entirely up to the General Manager. Although with RAW being GM-less, it looks like another situation for Vince McMahon to sort out tonight. In any event, Booker T WILL appear tonight in some capacity, with fans eager to know his reasons for wanting to leave the Smackdown brand and come to RAW.

Another big match, quite literally, sees The Big Show make his first appearance on RAW since he tagged with Flair a few weeks ago. He takes on Chris Masters in singles competition and will without a shadow of a doubt be looking to make as big an impression as possible on the people watching. It will also give The Masterpiece the chance to get another win, after beating Ken Kennedy in recent weeks. The final match on RAW this week actually features Ken Kennedy himself, when he faces off against the monstrous Umaga. This is a huge chance for either superstar to get a feather in their cap as for Umaga, he can add Kennedy to his rapidly growing list of beaten opponents, whereas Kennedy can prove to his strangely mounting legion of supporters that he has skills to back up his mouth. Both men will have things on their minds though, with that strange video still haunting Umaga, and after issuing a challenge for his Intercontinental title at Summerslam, Kennedy will be wary of Carlito showing up before, after, or even during his match tonight.

Who will get the all-important victory tonight, less than 30 days from Summerslam? What does Vince McMahon have to say? Can Edge defeat another ECW star? Is it bye-bye for Booker T? What will happen to Lashleys title shot? Find out tonight, only on Monday Night RAW!!!

Confirmed Matches:

- Batista Vs John Cena Vs Triple H

- Edge Vs ??????

- Big Show Vs Chris Masters

- Umaga w/Armando Allejandro Estrada Vs Ken Kennedy

- Lashley Vs Rob Conway

[ZJ Penn]

The following results are taken from the Heat web cast:

- The New Wave defended their titles against Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, pinning Murdoch with the Double Big Boot

- Goldust defeated Kenny from The Spirit Squad with the Curtain Call. After the match, the five members argued about whose fault their losing streak was

- Gene Snitsky beat Johnny Parisi with the Pump-Handle Slam

- Roadkill pinned Matt Striker after landing The Amish Splash

[ZJ Penn]

Another week passes, another act of cowardice from our WWE Champion John Cena, once again showing that he is fully intent on retaining his title at Summerslam. The main event tonight was as mentioned, the warm-up to the main event later next month, with all three men in a non-title triple threat match. As expected, both Triple H and Cena teamed up to get the advantage over Batista, with The Animal having a number of resurgences throughout, only to be cut off by the numbers game. At the end of the match, both superstars hit their finishing manoeuvres on the challenger, him taking both an FU and a Pedigree. With Batista out of commission, it was just a matter of pinning him to seal the win, however with two egos bigger than the arena in the ring, it was never going to be simple, with both men breaking up counts and then getting in each others faces. Cena was quick to realise this and pointed out to HHH that they cant afford to let their differences get in the way of taking out Batista, even going as far as to let him take the pin. Or so we thought. As The Game turned back to the unconscious Batista, Cena span him round and delivered the FU to HHH!!! The champ then told HHH in no uncertain terms that he couldn’t see him, before covering him for the pinfall victory. Once the bell rang, Cena grabbed his title and a microphone, before retreating back up the stage. Before he disappeared behind the curtain however, he told him that its his title, so they’re going to do things by his rules, which means that he doesn’t need Triple H to watch his back anymore, he is going to have to watch his own in case the champ decides to finish him off ahead of their match.

As previously broken on WWE.com prior to tonight’s show, WWE Chairman Vincent Kennedy McMahon was at the event. After Lashley was able to defeat Rob Conway with The Dominator in a rather one sided match-up to open the program, McMahons music hit the arena instead of the KOTR winners. He marched down to ringside like only he can, before taking a microphone as the puzzled Lashley looked on. McMahon said that he is here to clean this brand up, but first of all, he needs to have a word with this superstar. He told him that even though he pinned Finlay fair and square at Vengeance last night, he will NOT be wrestling for either the WWE title, or the World Heavyweight Championship as the WWE Championship match has already been decided, and he is no longer a Smackdown superstar anymore. The look of bewilderment soon turned to anger on Lashleys face although McMahon was quick to calm him down when he said 'however'. He said that he is a fair and honest man and in the interest of fairness, he WILL get a title opportunity, just not at Vengeance. He cannot say where, he cannot say when, because he honestly doesn’t know, but he will compete in a World title match. In a final guarantee, he told him that it would also be before the year is out. This seemed to pacify Lashley at least for now, and he headed to the back. McMahon went on to deliver his next item of business, which he declared was to re-instate Jim Ross as the lead announcer on RAW. He said that he sure as ever doesn’t like JR, and Ross doesn’t like him either, but he knows a good business decision when he sees one. He thanked Joey Styles for all of his good work, and called Jim Ross out to the ring. The crowd then came alive for JR, who stopped at the stage with a microphone in hand, before walking over to The King at the announce table and telling McMahon that he has been fine sitting at this announce table for damn near twenty years and doesn’t plan on changing that anytime soon, before rejoining Lawler and speaking to the viewers at home. Vince said that was fine, it wasn’t particularly important and moved onto his final point, the RAW General Managers position. He said that nearly six months ago he stood in this very ring, and said that he would find a new GM for this show. However, its been all this time and still no-one has been appointed. His excuse? He said that he searched the world over to try and find someone to take over this job, but the fact of the matter is there was no-one with the credentials for such a high powered task. Which is why, at least for now, you are looking at RAW’s acting General Manager!!! As the crowd looked on in stunned silence, he said that he has to go now, as he has to see a certain Booker T about a contract.

The show then continued from there, with Umaga and Kennedy going one on one. The match was an all out brawl, with even Estrada taking a couple of right hands from Kennedy. Both men had chances to win the match, with Kennedy somehow kicking out of The Second Rope Splash, and Estrada saving Umaga after Kennedy nailed a high impact DDT. Inevitably, Carlito showed his face after a while, at one point being on the verge of climbing into the ring himself! Eventually the three on one odds were too much and Estrada attracted the referees attention for long enough for Carlito to sneak up behind him and score with the Backcracker, allowing Umaga’s streak to continue. After the contest, the weird video played once more. This time though, it continued past the date of Summerslam, flashing up with the words, “Sunday 27th August 2006...The streak begins…Again!!!”. This new twist seemed to puzzle Umaga and Armando further, and they made no hesitation in heading to the back. Meanwhile, Carlito continued to beat down Kennedy, nailing him with the Intercontinental title belt. The champion then took hold of a microphone, before telling Kennedy that he accepts his challenge, and will see him at Summerslam! The next match began almost immediately, when Chris Masters took on The Big Show. Masters was first to the ring, and met with a recovering Ken Kennedy. Masters, never one to resist putting others down, did the same to Kennedy…only to be met with a stiff slap across the face! In any event, the match continued, with Masters strength unable to match Big Shows and his mammoth shoulders too big to apply the Masterlock. Show eventually won the match after scouting an attempted low blow and hitting the Showstopper for a three count. After the match things took a turn for the unexpected when Big Show took a microphone and said that ever since the draft began a few weeks ago, all he has been hearing about is Lashley. About how amazingly strong he is. Well, he said, there isn’t no-one stronger than him right now and maybe he is going to have to see this Lashley for himself, see just how strong he really is.

After this match, Booker T came out to a mixed reception from the crowd. He said that first things first, he is going to explain why he threw last nights match with The Boogeyman. He explained that prior to the match he thought to himself, that he is about to go and fight a Boogeyman, when he should be the World Champion. He then decided that he was going to take his chances on a move to RAW, because lets face it he announced, he has fought the best Smackdown has to offer. The five time WCW Champion continued by saying that he has in his hands a signed and sealed contract from acting RAW General Manager Vince McMahon, for one years employment on this brand. He said that Vince, being the kind hearted man that he is, even allowed him to choose his opponent from the roster for Summerslam. Booker added that he asked to go straight to the top against John Cena, but he was booked, the same for Triple H. He also claimed to have asked for Batista, although got the same response from McMahon. So, he said he had a good look at the roster and found one guy sat on his ass. Which is why, whether he likes it or not, at Summerslam, its going to be Booker T versus Shawn Michaels!!! Finally tonight, Edge continued his ECW Open Challenge. This week it was answered by Yoshihiro Tajiri, who really took it to Edge, nearly scoring the win after giving both Edge and Lita the Green Mist and looking for The Buzzsaw Kick. Once again Edge got the pinfall though, after catching his leg and nailing a low blow, and then the Downward Spiral onto a trash can to get the three count. It may have only been two weeks, but Edge has now beaten some of ECW’s most recognisable names in ECW Rules. Will this continue next week? Find out, only on Monday Night RAW!!!

Quick Results:

- John Cena defeated Triple H and Batista with an FU on HHH

- Edge pinned Tajiri with the Downward Spiral

- Big Show beat Chris Masters with the Showstopper

- Umaga w/Armando Allejandro Estrada pinned Ken Kennedy

- Lashley Vs Rob Conway

Edited June 30, 2006 by wilson316

[ZJ Penn]

1st August 2006 - POWER 25

The Power 25 is an expertly put together list of the top 25 superstars in the WWE at the time of writing. The list changes every month depending upon who is looking unstoppable, and who is looking out of sorts. [NE = New Entry]

Number 1 - Rey Mysterio [World Heavyweight + United States Champion]

He may very well be small, but big things come in small packages they say and Mysterio is proving that theory every day. Not only does Mysterio show guts and determination every week, facing foes such as JBL, Mark Henry, even the now departed Great Khali, but he is also one of the only superstars to become a ‘double champion’ in the entire of WWE history.

Number 2 - John Cena [WWE Champion]

Unlike Mysterio, he is hardly a fighting champion after being involved in the handicap match on RAW a few weeks back, but its only Mysterio’s win over JBL at Vengeance that keeps Cena from the top spot this month after getting the double win over Batista and also beating him down in recent weeks. Although having Triple H on your back is definetly a bad thing.

Number 3 - Batista NE

A return to the Power 25 for The Animal sees him launch in at number 3 behind only the World Champions. Never has someone returned from an injury with so much fire than this man. Although if the attacks from HHH and Cena continue, this position may not be the same next month.

Number 4 - The Undertaker

One of the biggest climbers on the chart this week is The Deadman. The main reason for this is being able to bury The Great Khali in the casket match at Vengeance after everyone else had struggled to even damage the monster. Also the reuniting of The Brothers Of Destruction with his brother Kane, could mean that the rest of Smackdown are sent running.

Number 5 - Triple H

The final superstar in the top five this month is The Game, Triple H. Not only is he in the main event of Summerslam already, but was being able to align himself with the WWE Champion to hamper the competition, Batistas chances of winning the title. Has to be one of the favourites for the WWE title leading into August.

No. 6 - Mark Henry = Took a battering at the hands of Benoit, but still got the PPV win.

No. 7 - Edge = Was influential at Bad Blood and took out RVD, before beating Spike in his ECW Open Challenge.

No.8 - Shelton Benjamin = Since his move from Smackdown, he has been on a meteoric rise with victory after victory.

No.9 - Lashley = Another big performer, might have been pinned on RAW, but got revenge at the PPV.

No. 10 - MNM = Might have retained their titles controversially, but that’s their style.

11 - John Bradshaw Layfield

12 - Chavo Guerrero

13 - Carlito

14 - Chris Benoit

15 - Chris Masters

16 - Ric Flair

17 - Kane NE

18 - Rob Van Dam

19 - The New Wave

20 - The Hardy Boyz NE

21 - The Big Show

22 - Londrick

23 - Booker T

24 - Finlay

25 - Shawn Michaels

[ZJ Penn]

Announced Retirements/Worker Birthdays/Murdoch Fired/WWE On The Mend/Contract Expiries + Renewals/New TV Show/BattlArts Roster/RAW Rumours/Massive CW Shake-up

Lots of varying topics for this months newsletter, ranging from good and bad news. However as usual we begin with the months scheduled retirements:

- With the continued announcements from ‘experts’ that the wrestling industry is beginning to experience a boom in interest, more and more wannabees are entering the business to try and make it big. This has lead to more veterans deciding it is time to hang up their boots. As broken at the opening of last month, Dan Severn has now called it quits along with Canek. Severn finished his career at the last night of the PRIDE tour in Japan, with an entertaining main event win over fellow veteran Tiger Jeet Singh, after making him submit to the Beast Choker. In any event, a number of other ‘superstars’ have signalled their intent to leave the business in September. Perhaps the most notable of which being Mil Mascaras. The Mexican high flyer has been a huge asset to wrestling over the years, with the 62 year old showcasing his talents all over the world. Age appears to have finally got to the legendary worker though, with him cutting down on top turnbuckle moves, and increasing the use of the Flying Double Chest Chop, and his final independent booking of the month is likely to be the last we see of him in the ring. Another exodus will be that of Randy Harris. Albeit at the relatively young age of 35, Harris, who was one half of Southside Trash with Big Daddy, will also deliver his last Southside Stunner at his final independent booking at the end of August. Bill Apter is another worker who finishes this month. Apter, who is close friends with fellow retiree Mascaras, as well as other well known names including; DDP, JJ Dillon and Kamala. The announcement will come as a big blow to World Xtreme Wrestling, who Apter announces their big events for every month, and is also recognised as one of WXW’s top five names. The final two retiring stars this month are both Jimmy’s, Valiant and Ocean respectively. Valiant is all set to end his role as CWF Mid Atlantics authority figure at the ripe old age of 62. The charismatic superstar will remain well known for also being involved in the training of numerous workers including former WWE star, Brian Lawler. Jimmy Ocean is a bit younger, coming in at 46 years of age. The other half of The Superflys with Ricky Knight, has decided to call it quits after failing to find a new big promotion to show off his Top Rope DDT in.

- In the WWE, a number of workers will get one year older this month, particularly 10-time World Champion Triple H turning 37 and Shawn Michaels finally hitting the big 4-0. Joey Mercury, one half of WWE Tag Team Champions MNM turns 27. The full list of birthdays is below:

- Al Snow (42)

- Derrick Neikirk (27)

- Gregory Helms (32)

- Joey Mercury (27)

- Johnny Parisi (30)

- Kid Kash (36)

- Scotty 2 Hotty (36)

- Shannon Moore (27)

- Sharmell (27)

- Shawn Michaels (40)

- Shelton Benjamin (31)

- Sonny Siaki (32)

- Texas Lewis (26)

- Tony Mamaluke (29)

- Torrie Wilson (30)

- Triple H (37)

- Former WWE and TNA star Brother Ray, famously Bubba Ray Dudley to most, also turns 35 this month.

- In other news, WWE have finally given up on trying to get Trevor Murdoch to become a team player. After continuously no-selling moves in his matches, the WWE originally wanted to fire him, although Dusty and Dustin Rhodes secured his relationship with the company and he only received a one month suspension. Immediately after returning from suspension, the worker was involved in a tag title match on Heat, again no selling, this time The New Waves manoeuvres. This has led to WWE taking the hard-line, after releasing him from his contract so as to set an example.

- More WWE related news and the company has seen somewhat of a revival in recent times, with the public image of the business not quite what it was in 2001, but pretty close. This has been proved with July being its most profitable month since WrestleMania 22, a net profit of $4,120,000 increasing the McMahon bank balance.

- Another month sees more workers contracts on the verge of expiry. Within the WWE, the list is expansive. As broken previously, both Matt Striker and Sharmell are contracted for only one more month, then will part ways with World Wrestling Entertainment. The only worker who is to be added to this list is Candice Michelle, who has yet to play a part in WWE since the new management took over and will probably be surplus to requirements once the final three months are up. Other than Michelle, there are nine other workers who could now legally speak to other promotions about an advance offer. The first is Armando Allejandro Estrada, the manager of inexplicable super-push worker, Umaga. With both getting reasonably over with the crowd, they appear to be here to stay, and if rumours are to be believed, he has already signed a three month extension at $9,000 a month. Women’s developmental worker Beth Phoenix is also rumoured to have signed a new deal at $7,000 per month, for a years work. Phoenix is seen as the next big thing in women’s wrestling, and the WWE were apparently quick to offer her this new deal, nearly doubling her previous deal, if the rumour is true. Spirit Squad member Mikey is also on the verge of expiry, with his $14,000 a month contract having only 3 months left to go. With the Mikey character now a regular on WWE programming, ‘Mike Mondo’ is all set to sign a one year extension. Another developmental talent is Montel Montavious Porter. He is another ‘one to watch’ and is widely expected to extend his OVW deal when both parties have agreed terms. One worker on a knife-edge is Dalip Singh, otherwise known as The Great Khali. Singh didn’t exactly impress with the WWE airtime given, and was quickly withdrawn in a casket match loss to The Undertaker at Vengeance. He has since been relocated back to Ohio Valley Wrestling for the final three months of his $30,000 per month deal, and if he again fails to improve then it seems unlikely he will return. The final four workers are, albeit at different levels, expected to feature heavily on WWE TV shows in the future and should sign new deals within the week. Steven Richards has become a B-Show favourite and should sign a one year extension to his $54,000 monthly deal. CM Punk has yet to debut on either RAW, Smackdown, Heat or Velocity, but is expected to make an impact in the future. The WWE have realised this and given him a no fewer than 36 month long contract worth nearly $30,000 per month. The other two being Chris Benoit and Shelton Benjamin, both integral parts of the Smackdown brand, and have been given two year extensions to their respective $158,000 and $50,000 monthly deals. Outside of WWE, TNA have been able to complete a big coup when they were able to renew the written exclusivity contract of Steve Borden, AKA Sting. However, The Stinger now has creative control over TNA’s intended direction for his character.

- Continuing with TNA, and Dixie Carter was pleased to announce that him and Spike TV have come to terms on ‘TNA On Tuesdays!’, a new TV show that will air Tuesdays during the graveyard slot, with a view to move to late evening if its successful. The show premiered last night and is expected to be a ‘Heat style re-cap show’. In spite of this, all the big guns were out, the main event of Sting versus Abyss bringing fans out in flocks, over 3500 people in attendance for the show, with ticket sales of over $100,000. The show was a huge success, pulling in a 1.10 rating, 0.1 from the network maximum.

- Moving away from America now, in fact right across the world to Japan, as BattlArts announced its roster for touring workers, or moreover, its lack of. The promotion has decided to keep things strictly Japanese, with only Masahiro Indohara and Akira Maeda confirmed for every date. It is expected the other workers will be booked locally, depending on the venue.

- Turning back to RAW the other night, and two points have been ‘leaked’. The first is that it is said the management were most impressed with the ECW Open, both Tajiri and Spike showing they can still do a job for the business. The other point, which is nowhere near 100% confirmed as truth, is that the management are leaning towards a Lashley - Umaga feud. However, with Big Show more or less setting up a match sometime in the future with him [Lashley] during his promo this Monday, it looks doubtful so take it for what you will.

- Some different news now, not regarding the big two or Japan, is that of Chaotic Wrestling. About a week ago, we reported how the company was set to be closed after owner Jamie Jamitkowski quit the business and there was a mass exodus of both staff and workers, with the business dropping down to a small promotion. However, all is not lost for CW fans as professional wrestling fan Rob Black has finalised plans to take over the ailing promotion. Whilst far from being a talented and popular figure, he is the Ted Turner of smaller promotions, and has brought with him the proverbial deep pockets. Before the signings began, Black looked through the roster and got rid of those who didn’t meet his ‘criteria’. These ‘shake-up casualties’ include;

- Chase Del Monte

- The Mighty Mini

- Fred Sampson

- Rob Eckos

- Roman

- Maverick Wild (Perhaps the most surprising, considering he was one of the most over stars in CW, and also meets his brawling ideals)

- Arch Kincaid

- Luis Ortiz

- Adam Booker

- Dr. Heresy

Another worker who has left the promotion is Billy Bax, however, this is said to have been rather a cost cutting measure as opposed to a talent issue. Now to the signings, and a mixture of promising talent and known Indy’s have been brought in, including Air Paris, NOSAWA and Teddy Hart. The full list is as follows:

- Halo

- Mikey Henderson

- NOSAWA

- El Oriental

- Chessman

- Teddy Hart

- Vic Capri

- Slyk Wagner Brown

- Air Paris

- Julio Dinero

- Tarzan Boy

- Hopefully, the refreshed product can get it back to where it used to be.

- Finally, two of the big TV shows of the week drew the following ratings:

- CMLL got a 1.65 television rating for 'CMLL Thursday'!

The event was attended by 436 people.

They made $8720 from ticket sales.

- TNA got a 4.49 television rating for 'TNA iMPACT!'!

The event was attended by 3505 people.

They made $105150 from ticket sales.

[ZJ Penn]

Smackdown Preview For Friday 4th August 2006

It’s been five days since Vengeance and the celebrations are still continuing after Rey Mysterio defeated John Bradshaw Layfield for his United States Championship to go along with his World Heavyweight Championship. Tonight they will no doubt continue further, as Mysterio has decided to defend his US title against his good friend Chavo Guerrero in the main event. The two have been almost like tag team partners since the untimely death of Eddie Guerrero in 2005 and the contest will no doubt have the intention of being a mark of respect. Mysterio has also told WWE.com that he would not begrudge Chavo a victory tonight, and even though he has only had the belt for a few days, would be glad to pass it on to another superstar such as Guerrero. For Chavo, this could be seen as one of his final chances to at last get that title that he wants so dearly, after admitting he thought he wouldn’t get another shot after losing to JBL last week. Whatever the result of this evenings encounter, one superstar who will not be happy is JB Layfield, who is once again finding out what it feels like to be title less, after once again been beaten fair and square by the Champion. Whilst the main event sees the endearing reunion of two friends inside the squared circle, tonight we may also see one where there is indeed no love lost between the two, when The Brothers Of Destruction, Kane and The Undertaker share the ring once more. With the masked Kane now a Smackdown superstar as of Vengeance, he will no doubt be seeing a lot more of his brother The Undertaker. Neither of the two are scheduled for in-ring competition tonight, but something just seems to be pointing towards them coming together this evening. The big question is; are they back on the same page? Or was Vengeance simply a one-off situation with both monsters having a big score to settle with The Great Khali and his associated thugs? Whether they are back together, or back to beating the life out of each other one thing is for sure, its going to immediately change the face of the Smackdown brand, permanently.

With the annual draft lottery now well and truly over, it could be said that one superstar who has benefited from it greatly is Shelton Benjamin. The former Intercontinental and WWE Tag Team Champion has been in simply excellent form since returning to Smackdown from RAW nearly one month ago, and is undefeated, with Ric Flair the most recent name added to his list a Vengeance in a hard fought match. Tonight Benjamin has decided to continue with what he calls his ‘superiority’ of the Smackdown brand by beating not one, but two opponents in a handicap match. The two superstars who have the opportunity to knock the arrogant superstar down a peg or two are Funaki and Scotty 2 Hotty. Even with the numbers game favouring them, they are still likely to be considered underdogs for the bout, but anything can happen in the WWE. Vengeance also threw up the return of Jeff Hardy to the WWE. Earlier on Heat, Matt Hardy pinned Animal and then went onto fulfil his promise that it wouldn’t be the last time the fans saw him, causing a distraction in the MNM - Londrick WWE Tag Team Championships match, allowing Jeff to enter through the crowd and nail Paul London with his ‘Swanton Bomb’ to allow MNM to retain. This signal of intent from The Hardy Boyz shows that they’re back for more gold and won’t let any other team stand in their way of doing so. The Hardys make their ‘second’ debut in the WWE tonight, in what should be a blistering encounter with The Mexicools, Super Crazy and Psychosis. It will be far from a walkover though, as after missing out on the WWE Cruiserweight Championship five nights ago, Crazy will be determined to fire his team back up the pecking order to face MNM for their titles at the next opportunity. Speaking of the Cruiserweight title, the current Champion of that division Gregory Helms will be in action tonight, opening the show with a title defence against Nunzio. However, after ditching bodyguard Texas Lewis at Vengeance, will Helms finally become vulnerable to losing his precious title gold? Finally, one superstar who will not be in action tonight is Chris Benoit. The Rabid Wolverine has been given the week from Vengeance off to recuperate from the rib injuries sustained in his wars with Mark Henry and all of us at WWE wish him a speedy recovery and a swift return to the ring.

Is tonight Chavo’s night where he finally gets the job done? Are The Undertaker and Kane on the same wavelength, or is their previous hatred for one another about to re-ignite once more? What will become of JBL, now that he has nothing left? Do The Hardy Boyz still have what it takes at this level after being apart for so long? And what of the rest of the fallout from Vengeance? Find out tonight, exclusively on Friday Night Smackdown!!!

Confirmed Matches:

- Rey Mysterio Vs Chavo Guerrero [united States Championship]

- Shelton Benjamin Vs Scotty & Funaki

- The Hardy Boyz Vs The Mexicools

- Gregory Helms Vs Nunzio [WWE Cruiserweight Championship]

[ZJ Penn]

The following results are taken from the Velocity web cast:

- After the main event, Velocity announcer Todd Grisham held an interview with one of this weeks Smackdown main eventers Chavo Guerrero, asking him if he thought he could get that elusive title tonight. Chavo said he knows he can, he said that the skills are there and he can do it here in this arena. However he pointed out, this match was with a great friend in Rey Mysterio and even if he doesn’t win tonight, he just hopes it’s a good match.

- Finlay & Paul Burchill defeated The Pit-bulls by disqualification after Noble blocked a shot from Finlays stick, then nailed him with it instead

- Hardcore Holly & Gunner Scott pinned Sylvan and Orlando Jordan with The Alabama Slam

- Steven Richards beat Funaki with the Stevie T

Edited July 4, 2006 by wilson316

[ZJ Penn]

Tonight was supposed to be a night of celebration for Rey Mysterio, as he fought Chavo Guerrero in what was generally considered a match of goodwill between the two. It was supposed to be the point where Mysterio began a new chapter in his career, as he tries to establish himself as a true great. However one man wasn’t ready for the previous chapter to end just yet, and that man was indeed a John Bradshaw Layfield. In the mentioned main event, Chavo and Rey put on a true exhibition match, with neither superstar holding back. Neither man deserved to lose the match and would both be fitting United States Champions, but in the end, it was JBL who became the deciding factor. Layfield hadn’t been seen since he lost his title match at Vengeance five nights ago, and some were beginning to suspect that we wouldn’t see him again, especially after he failed to show for a scheduled interview with Michael Cole. In any event, the US title match got underway and both superstars had chances to win, when Rey landed a Springboard Leg Drop and Chavo also hit a Frog Splash, although on both occasions the referee only got to a two count. At one point both men collided with a double clothesline and it looked like neither was going to rise to the referees count of ten, although Mysterio clawed him way up, only to have his head taken off with a Clothesline from Hell!!! JBL had made his way through the crowd and snuck up on Mysterio, giving him a successful title defence through disqualification. Chavo tried to help his friend but took a Big Boot to the face, sending him to the outside. Layfield continued the beat down, using kicks, punches, elbow drops, whatever he could think of to harm Rey. The referee finally persuaded him to leave the ring, but he wasn’t done there, sending Chavo into the steel steps on the outside, before grabbing a microphone. The former WWE Champion then told Rey in no uncertain terms that in his contract he has a rematch clause, so whenever he has a title ‘stolen’ from him like Mysterio did, he has the opportunity to win it back. And next week, he said he wants that rematch! However, he was quick to point out, it is a rematch of Vengeances main event, and so Mysterio will also be putting his World Heavyweight Championship on the line next week on Smackdown!!! Unbelievably, it had turned from a friendly title match between two good friends, into the announcement of a double title match right here next week! Surely that is one not to be missed.

Another big announcement that we would find out tonight was whether Kane and The Undertaker still had an allegiance, or was all hell set to break lose here on Smackdown? Prior to the main event title match, the familiar music of the Deadman sounded and he ominously came out to ringside, swiftly followed by his red and black masked brother. They stood toe-to-toe in the ring for what seemed like an eternity, the crowd just waiting for one man to strike the other. It never came though, as The Undertaker raised a microphone between them. He was just about to speak though, when the music of Mark Henry hit, and the Worlds Strongest Man and his manager Daivari came out onto the stage. As the crowd began to wonder how they haven’t learnt their lesson after Vengeance, when The Great Khali was sealed inside a casket and taken away, Daivari began to speak. He screamed that were him and Henry supposed to be scared, now that the two most unpredictable men on the roster were back together? Whether they actually are or not, he doesn’t care. In fact, he said, they’ve found two superstars who are more supernatural than them, if they think they can take them on. Daivari then brought out Papa Shango and The Boogeyman, as Henry sent a referee down there. In perhaps the shortest tag team match in WWE history, both men hit a Chokeslam on their opponents, followed by a Tombstone, and then a Double Chokeslam on Boogeyman to get the pinfall. As an embarrassed Daivari left the arena with Henry, perhaps one of the biggest landmarks on Smackdown ever took place, as both Taker and The Big Red Machine engaged in an icy handshake, showing the reformation of their partnership. What this holds for Smackdown? Only time will tell!

Also, tonight saw Shelton Benjamin continue to impress, this time with a handicap win over Scotty 2 Hotty & Funaki. Having the numbers advantage always meant that they had a chance, but in the end, Kurt Angles former protégé got the win, with the aid of an exposed turnbuckle. As Scotty prepared to charge the former IC Champion in the corner, he moved out of the way, sending him into the steel and stunning him for long enough to allow Benjamin to knock Funaki off of the apron with a Super Kick, and score with a monstrous T-Bone Suplex for a three count. After the match, Benjamin motioned to the crowd, telling them that ‘he was the man’ and deserves a title shot. If he can keep up this impressive record on Smackdown, then Smackdown General Manager Theodore Long will have no option but to recognise his credentials. Sticking with Teddy Long, he made an impromptu appearance after the tag team match between The Hardy Boyz and The Mexicools. The match itself was massively entertaining, with the whole crowd coming to the feet for The Hardys. All four men gave it their all, with The Mexicools almost getting what would have been a slight upset when they nailed a Double Face Buster on Matt. Jeff broke up the count though and they eventually went on to get the victory when they scored with the Twist Of Fate into a Swanton Bomb combination on Super Crazy, after hitting both Mexicools members with Poetry In Motion. After the bout, The Hardys celebrated their success in the ring but were cut off when Teddy Longs theme played. He came down to ringside and told everyone there and at home that as they probably know, Summerslam is nearly upon us, only 23 days away, and they need to decide who will face MNM at the PPV. So, beginning next week, Smackdown will be holding a three team tournament between the two teams we just saw in the ring, and the newly reformed Basham Brothers, beginning with The Basham Brothers versus The Mexicools. Each team faces off against each other once, with the team with the most wins going to Summerslam with the chance to leave as WWE Tag Team Champions. Finally tonight, Gregory Helms successfully defended his WWE Cruiserweight Championship against Nunzio, albeit, not with the most convincing display. After firing his bodyguard Texas Lewis only a few days ago, he found out what was like to have no-one watching your back again, and didn’t look entirely confident as the match bell went. Nunzio had his variety of quick holds and brutal fighting skills with him, but Helms retained his belt after going to the eyes to escape a Sleeper hold and planting the Italian with the Shining Wizard. After the match, Helms celebrated to the back, proclaiming that he was the best cruiserweight that the world had ever seen, and no-one could beat him.

Quick Results:

- Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero drew through interference so Rey retain the United States Championship

- The Brothers Of Destruction destroyed Papa Shango & The Boogeyman with a Double Chokeslam

- Shelton Benjamin defeated Scotty & Funaki with the T-Bone Suplex

- The Hardy Boyz pinned The Mexicools with a Twist Of Fate - Swanton Bomb combo on Super Crazy

- Gregory Helms beat Nunzio with The Shining Wizard to retain his WWE Cruiserweight Championship