Commentator: Michael Cole & Josh Matthews
Championship’s roll call: WWE Champion: CM Punk… World Champion: Sheamus… Intercontinental Champion: The Miz… United States Champion: Antonio Cesaro… Tag Team Champions: Kofi Kingston & R-Truth… NXT Championship: Seth Rollins… Diva’s Champion: Layla
Alberto Del Rio, Ricardo Rodriguez, and David Otunga all head to the ring; poor Ricardo has on a neck brace. Rodriguez looks like he is practically in tears. Del Rio talks about the roll of his career, tapping Randy Orton, beating Kane and then on Raw defeating John Cena in a falls count anywhere match; he calls Sheamus’ Brogue Kick more dangerous than a steel chair. He feels it should be banned. Del Rio adds kicking someone in the head is a criminal act; he says Ricardo is his friend. He says that he has physical and emotional damage. He calls his cross-armbreaker poetry but the Brogue Kick barbaric. Otunga takes the mic and shows a video package of Sheamus killing people with Brogue Kicks. Ricardo has flashbacks. Otunga plans on pressing legal action. He says that they just came from the GM’s office, which draws Booker T to the ring. Booker says in the office conversation was confidential but since Otunga brought the case to the people. Booker asks the people if he should ban the Brogue Kick. They respond with “no”, Booker says the Kick is still legal… sucka. 4/10 So they are going with the neuter the champion since we know the challenger has ZERO percent chance of winning at Night of Champions. Let’s see if they actually go through with it.
Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara vs. The Miz & Cody Rhodes: Miz and Rey start and he pounds on him in the corner; Mysterio counters a back suplex with a flip and brings in Sin Cara. They hit stereo soccer kicks as we head to break. We return with Cara kicking away in Rhodes. He hits that twirling armdrag and helps Mysterio set Cody up for the 619. Miz saves Rhodes from more facial reconstructive surgery so Mysterio slides to the floor but they both avoid the baseball slide and Rey is FUCKED. The overwhelm him and Cody tosses him back into the ring for a knee trembler, for two. Rhodes applies an armbar. Mysterio breaks the hold and drop-toeholds him into the bottom buckle; Cara gets the tag and springs into a crossbody. He nails the handspring elbow, hurracanrana, and pendulum kick. He tries a sunset flip but Miz blind tags and stamps on Cara. Miz kicks him in the corner and hits the Vintage Clothesline; he scales the buckles for a double axe handle. Rhodes tags back in and hits a delayed release gourdbuster. He works in another neck crank chinlock. Cara fights free and hits a reverse DDT off a back suplex counter. Mysterio tags and hits a seated senton and a roundhouse kick for two. Rey winds up on the apron and slingshots back in with a sunset flip but Miz pulls a Mysterio and rolls through into a kick. Rey looks for that wheelbarrow bulldog but Miz almost counters into the Skull-Crushing Finale. Mysterio counters into a rollup but allows Miz to reverse when he sees Cody charging and Rhodes kicks Miz. Clever. Cara takes Cody out with a springboard dropkick and corkscrew plancha. Alone in the ring, Mysterio dials up 619 and Drops a Dime for three for Team Lucha. 5.5/10 I like this masked team; they can get the fans to back Cara, he can learn from one of the best who transitioned from Mexico to the WWE and also do a sort of passing of the torch thing as well.
Here are your winners… Sin Cara & Rey Mysterio @ about 8:25 (broadcast) via 619/Dime Drop pinfall.
In the back Hornswoggle wants to hug it out with Daniel Bryan. They shake instead until Hornswoggle kicks him in the shin and runs away. Bryan uses his anger management skills to prevent himself from blowing up. In the back, David Otunga bitches to Booker T and shows him stills of the Brogue Kick. Booker still isn’t convinced; Otunga asks him to meet him in the training room.
Zack Ryder vs. Daniel Bryan: Bryan “meditates” to prevent the “yes” chants from getting to him. They lock up and Ryder gets a schoolboy, for two. Ryder leads a “yes” chant to try to get him off-kilter. Bryan No Kicks him into oblivion and hits a kneelift. Bryan begins the No Kicks again and hits a running knee. Daniel calms himself down and goes back to work; he telegraphs a backdrop and gets a faceplant and a spin-around clothesline. Ryder hits the Broski Boot. Bryan begs off in the corner, apologizes, and offers a HUG! Ryder, the dupe, falls for it and gets snagged in the No Lock for the immediate tapout. Post-match, the anger management issues return and he reapplies the No Lock. The referee reverses the decision and Bryan loses his mind and screams “no” a lot. 4.5/10 The match was a squash but I like how he is incorporating his anger management stuff into his matches including the hug it out stuff. Bryan is probably my favorite wrestler on the roster right now.
Here is your winner… Zack Ryder @ about 3:15 via DQ.
A match is about to begin but Damien Sandow interrupts. He discusses his countout loss to Sheamus. He needs time to study his opponent to exploit their weaknesses. He reiterates that he has not been pinned and complains about Tweets and Touts calling him a coward. He rips the anonymous people on social media real cowards; he also says said people would not dare call him coward to his face. Sandow continues about reading over Tweeting; he goes on about Albert Einstein not Touting after he discovered the theory of relativity. The heathen, Randy Orton interrupts Sandow. Damien says “what could you possibly have to say that would add to this discussion?” Funny. Randy is not here to add to the discussion but to fight; apparently, Sandow interrupted his match so now he wants to fight Sandow. Damien says that Booker T can’t go around switching opponents; Orton says he can and did…
Randy Orton vs. Damien Sandow: Here is Sandow main event test match number two. Dolph Ziggler shows up as Sandow is disrobing for the match for commentary. They lock up and Orton works a headlock; Sandow reverses and utilizes his own headlock. Orton reverses again. He steamrolls him with a shoulderblock and Sandow runs out of the ring. Back in, they lock up again; they jockey for position in the ropes and Sandow waits until the referee separates them and lowers the boom. He punches away and hits shoulderblocks in the corner. Orton reverses a cross-corner whip and Sandow retreats again. He reenters and Orton hits a reverse elbow and adds the Orton Stomp. Randy hits a Euro uppercut and almost gets the stretch backbreaker but Sandow slips free and runs to the floor again. Orton comes out after him and levels him with a clothesline on the floor; he beats Sandow about the ringside area right in front of Ziggler. Dolph distracts Orton and Sandow shoves him into the post. Sandow ponders running away but since the Viper is injured, he returns to attack and toss Orton into the post. Back in the ring, Sandow gets two as we head to break. When we return, Sandow has a chinlock applied; Orton fights free but Sandow hits the Russian leg sweep and the Cubito Aequet, for two. Sandow misses the kneepadless knee and Orton begins the comeback with clotheslines and short powerslam. Damien retreats to the apron which is never a wise move against Orton. Viper DDT connects. Orton coils so Sandow WISELY runs away, up the apron, and into the back taking another countout loss. Post-match, Dolph heads for the exit but Orton cuts him off. They staredown and then get into a fight which Orton wins. He tosses Ziggler back into the ring and hits a powerslam. He begins the Viper up again but Sandow returns… and takes an RKO allowing Ziggler to escape unscathed. 5.5/10 Not very bad Sandow is moving up in the world; he could have taken a pinfall loss to Orton and lived to tell the tale. The runaway countout thing shows intelligence but also brands him a coward.
Here is your winner… Randy Orton @ about 8:55 (broadcast) via countout.
In the trainer’s room; David Otunga shows Booker T x-rays of necks battered by a Brogue Kick. If Booker does not ban the Brogue, Otunga will press charges against WWE and SmackDown. Booker says he will think about it and also books Otunga in a match with Sheamus.
The Usos vs. Prime Time Players vs. Primo & Epico (w/Rosa Mendes) triple threat, number one contender’s match: Kofi Kingston and R-Truth get entrances for their commentary spot but the three teams in the match don’t get them? Primo, Darren Young and Jey Uso start the match; Darren pounds on Jey so Primo nails him with a Backstabber. Well, that was clever. Primo and Uso fight over the pinfall and get into a brawl. Primo backs Jey into his corner and he and Epico quick tag on him. Epico hits a nice dropkick and keeps Young at bay so he can hit the rolling back suplexes. Meanwhile Young tags in O’Neil who clobbers Epico with a running boot. He gives Jey a backbreaker and Epico a standing strongest slam. The Players try the Millions of Dollars Suplex but Jey gets the knees up. Epico wipes him [Jey Uso] with a dropkick. Epico thinks tag but Young nails a Northern Lights (for two) instead. Epico comes back with a springboard tornado DDT. Jey returns and he and Epico wipe each other with a double clothesline. Jimmy tags and kills everyone with superkicks; he nails a Bubba Bomb on Young. Primo tags and Jimmy hits a Samoan Avalanche on Young and superkicks Primo to the floor. O’Neil runs in and gets low bridged to the floor; Epico charges so Jimmy backdrops him, over the top, onto the pile of heels on the floor. Young runs into the press Samoan drop; Jey tags in and Jimmy wipes the pile on the floor with a plancha. Jey heads to the top but Primo crotches him; Tower of Doom spot is countered and Young blasts Primo with the Gut Check; Jey sails off the top with a Superfly splash to Primo. Young tosses Jey off Primo and steals the pinfall to become the number one contenders. Post-match, the champs and the Players trash talk each other. 6.5/10 Usos got robbed there; sooner or later they will get their due as well. All three teams are either talented, entertaining or both so I’m happy with the result any way.
Here are your winners… Prime Time Players @ about 5:50 via Superfly splash pinfall.
Teddy Long talks to Kaitlyn about David Otunga’s potential lawsuit. Dolph Ziggler wants to talk to Booker T about fighting Randy Orton at Night of Champions. Long says despite he not being a champion, he will advise Booker to make the match. That was different as the heel made the challenge.
Yoshi Tatsu vs. Wade Barrett: Barrett has a beard and a new Barrett Barrage t-shirt on. Wade opens with tapes fists and looks to knuckle up at the bell; Tatsu tries a go-behind so Wade backs him into the corner and elbows his lights out. He knees him in the ropes several times and boots him down onto the apron. Barrett gets a one count. Barrett punches the crap out of Tatsu and head-butts him. Yoshi tries to kick his way back but misses a roundhouse and Barrett scores with a savate kick. Barrett hits a short reverse elbow to the face and kayos Tatsu for three. Post-match, Barrett says squash matches bore him and if he is not in the title picture immediately he will do something to make shit more interesting. He adds, “Wade Barrett is open for business”. 2.5/10 Squash to bring Barrett back; I like the intrigue of the “open for business” and the different fighter’s style he is using to separate himself from the rest of the roster.
Here is your winner… Wade Barrett @ about 2:15 via reverse elbow to the face pinfall.
Sheamus vs. David Otunga (w/Alberto Del Rio): Sheamus backs Otunga into the corner; the referee separates them and Otunga takes over. It does not last long as Sheamus fires right back and counters a hiptoss with a short clothesline. Otunga almost becomes his own evidence avoiding a Brogue Kick and Sheamus hangs himself in the ropes. David takes over with elbows and kicks Sheamus to the floor. Back in the ring, Otunga unloads with his thrilling array of clotheslines and shoulder tackles and chinlocks. Sheamus fires back with some Irish Hammers and a kneelift; David retreats to the apron, I guess he got into Harvard in a different way other than the noggin, since that is not very intelligent place against Sheamus; he gets nailed with some O’Clubbering. Sheamus nails White Noise and thinks Brogue Kick. Booker T interrupts? He discusses evidence and high stakes and due to all of that he has NO CHOICE but to ban the Brogue Kick! Sheamus is not happy but quickly shrugs off his frustration and catches Otunga in the Irish Curse. He applies a Texas Cloverleaf to get the quickie tapout. 3/10 So they are going with the “neuter the unstoppable champion by taking away his major move” route. To make people believe that Del Rio can finally beat him. Match was awful BTW; Otunga should stick to the courtroom.
Here is your winner… Sheamus @ about 6:50 via Texas Cloverleaf submission.
OVERALL 5.5/10 The whole show built to the eventual banning of his Sheamus’ Brogue Kick; which I’m surprised they did. I wonder if it has anything to do with head trauma. The rest of the show was status quo; Daniel Bryan ruled as usual. Wade Barrett returned, Sandow got another main event tryout and we got tag team number one contenders; SmackDown rolling along just fine.
