WrestleMania 25 thru WrestleMania 26
Writing Began: April 6th, 2009 (Day after WrestleMania 25)
Writing Finished: May 16th, 2009 (Day before Judgment Day 2009)
iEvents Going on at the Time:i
"WrestleMania 25"
Triple H retained the WWE-Championship against Randy Orton, while John Cena brought the World-Championship back to "Raw" by defeating Edge in a 3-way match also involving The Big Show, both from "Smackdown". The Undertaker from "Smackdown" defeated Shawn Michaels from "Raw" in a match that many fans are calling one of the greatest of all time. Matt Hardy defeated his brother Jeff Hardy in an "Extreme Rules" match. John "Bradshaw" Layfield lost the Intercontinental-Championship to Rey Mysterio in a mere TWENTY-ONE seconds; JBL had originally been claiming that he would be making a major announcement at "WrestleMania", but was so overcome with embarrassment that he quit WWE on the spot. CM Punk from "Raw" won the "Money-in-the-Bank" ladder-match for the second year in a row, defeating Kane and Kofi Kingston from "Raw", Montel Vontavious Porter and Shelton Benjamin from "Smackdown", and Christian, Fit Finlay, and Mark Henry from "ECW". Chris Jericho defeated the 3-man team of WWE Legends "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, and "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, all of whom were accompanied by Ric Flair; after the match, Jericho challenged actor Mickey Rourke (star of the movie "The Wrestler", whom Jericho had been making fun of) to get into the ring, resulting in Rourke dropping Jericho with one punch. The 25-diva "Miss WrestleMania" battle-royal was won by Santino Marella, who, in a wig and dress, later went on to claim to be his own twin sister "Santina". Lastly, on the pre-show, WWE-Tag-Team-Champions Carlito Colon and Primo Colon (from "Smackdown") defeated World-Tag-Team-Champions John Morrison and Mike "The Miz" Mizanin (from "ECW") in a lumberjack-match; the tag-titles were subsequentally unified (both sets of belts were kept, with the title becoming known as the "Unified-WWE-Tag-Team-Championships") and became part of "Smackdown".
Other Notes:
On February 11, 2009, it was announced that the "2009 Roster Draft" would take place on April 13, a mere eight days after "WrestleMania 25".
Tazz departed WWE, with his final appearance being on April 3, 2009.
Immediately after "WrestleMania 25", rumors began circling that Vince McMahon was really pushing for new main-eventers to be created, both from the stand-point of the writing-team (meaning that they should focus on pushing some new blood into the main-event scene), and the wrestlers themselves (meaning that they should all do their best to get themselves over). The accuracy of these rumors were and are, of course, somewhat questionable, but with several main-eventers getting older and/or racking up more injuries - and, thus, possibly contemplating retirement - the need to create more main-eventers is certainly there.
"WrestleMania 25"
Triple H retained the WWE-Championship against Randy Orton, while John Cena brought the World-Championship back to "Raw" by defeating Edge in a 3-way match also involving The Big Show, both from "Smackdown". The Undertaker from "Smackdown" defeated Shawn Michaels from "Raw" in a match that many fans are calling one of the greatest of all time. Matt Hardy defeated his brother Jeff Hardy in an "Extreme Rules" match. John "Bradshaw" Layfield lost the Intercontinental-Championship to Rey Mysterio in a mere TWENTY-ONE seconds; JBL had originally been claiming that he would be making a major announcement at "WrestleMania", but was so overcome with embarrassment that he quit WWE on the spot. CM Punk from "Raw" won the "Money-in-the-Bank" ladder-match for the second year in a row, defeating Kane and Kofi Kingston from "Raw", Montel Vontavious Porter and Shelton Benjamin from "Smackdown", and Christian, Fit Finlay, and Mark Henry from "ECW". Chris Jericho defeated the 3-man team of WWE Legends "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, and "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, all of whom were accompanied by Ric Flair; after the match, Jericho challenged actor Mickey Rourke (star of the movie "The Wrestler", whom Jericho had been making fun of) to get into the ring, resulting in Rourke dropping Jericho with one punch. The 25-diva "Miss WrestleMania" battle-royal was won by Santino Marella, who, in a wig and dress, later went on to claim to be his own twin sister "Santina". Lastly, on the pre-show, WWE-Tag-Team-Champions Carlito Colon and Primo Colon (from "Smackdown") defeated World-Tag-Team-Champions John Morrison and Mike "The Miz" Mizanin (from "ECW") in a lumberjack-match; the tag-titles were subsequentally unified (both sets of belts were kept, with the title becoming known as the "Unified-WWE-Tag-Team-Championships") and became part of "Smackdown".
Other Notes:
On February 11, 2009, it was announced that the "2009 Roster Draft" would take place on April 13, a mere eight days after "WrestleMania 25".
Tazz departed WWE, with his final appearance being on April 3, 2009.
Immediately after "WrestleMania 25", rumors began circling that Vince McMahon was really pushing for new main-eventers to be created, both from the stand-point of the writing-team (meaning that they should focus on pushing some new blood into the main-event scene), and the wrestlers themselves (meaning that they should all do their best to get themselves over). The accuracy of these rumors were and are, of course, somewhat questionable, but with several main-eventers getting older and/or racking up more injuries - and, thus, possibly contemplating retirement - the need to create more main-eventers is certainly there.
DRAFT 2009
Nothing major happens during the week between “WrestleMania 25” and the “2009 Draft”. Feuds continue on from “WrestleMania”, in preparation of everything changing.
“Raw” acquires:
- Show, MVP (w/ US-title), Shelton, Kennedy, Helms, Funaki, Ryder, Gail, Maryse (w/ Divas-title), McCool
- Finlay, Henry, Ortiz, Hornswoggle, Atlas
“Smackdown” acquires:
- Orton, Jericho, Kane, Rey (w/ IC-title), JTG, Shad, Cody, TJ, Kelly, Layla
- Burchill, Morrison, Miz, Striker, KatieLea
“ECW” acquires:
- Noble, Goldust, Sim, Haas, Duggan
- Khali, Yang, Hawkins, Natalya, Ranjin
[Note: The General-Managers remain the same as before, with Vince as the GM of “Raw”, Vickie of “Smackdown”, and Long of “ECW”. Also, with Tazz gone, Striker becomes the new color-commentator of “Smackdown”, with Duggan filling Striker’s old position as color-commentator of “ECW”.]
- Show, MVP (w/ US-title), Shelton, Kennedy, Helms, Funaki, Ryder, Gail, Maryse (w/ Divas-title), McCool
- Finlay, Henry, Ortiz, Hornswoggle, Atlas
“Smackdown” acquires:
- Orton, Jericho, Kane, Rey (w/ IC-title), JTG, Shad, Cody, TJ, Kelly, Layla
- Burchill, Morrison, Miz, Striker, KatieLea
“ECW” acquires:
- Noble, Goldust, Sim, Haas, Duggan
- Khali, Yang, Hawkins, Natalya, Ranjin
[Note: The General-Managers remain the same as before, with Vince as the GM of “Raw”, Vickie of “Smackdown”, and Long of “ECW”. Also, with Tazz gone, Striker becomes the new color-commentator of “Smackdown”, with Duggan filling Striker’s old position as color-commentator of “ECW”.]
APRIL 2009
RAW
Show challenges Cena to a rematch, but Henry interrupts, claiming that while Cena’s strength is undeniably impressive, he’s still not “The World’s Strongest Man”. Cena accepts the challenge of both men.
Punk wants to thank the fans for their support, but is interrupted by Shawn. Shawn tells him that the fans are a fickle bunch, turning on you when you least expect it. Punk calls Shawn out on his hypocrisy, but Shawn doesn’t want to hear it; Shawn challenges Punk at “Backlash”.
Divas-champion Maryse wastes no time in “introducing” herself to Womens-champion Melina. The two will meet at “Backlash” to unify the championships. Along the way, “Santina” interjects “herself”, feeling that, as the winner of the “Miss WrestleMania” match, she should be in the match. It is made into a 3-way. Beth, of course, is losing patience with Santino.
Shelton picks a feud with MVP.
SMACKDOWN
With all three members of “Legacy” being drafted to “Smackdown”, the feud with Trips continues. Trips, however, quickly finds back-up - Taker and Kane.
Jeff and Matt continue to feud, with a match seemingly on the horizon at “Backlash”. Matt, however, decides to offer his spot in the match to Edge, saying that he understands how upset Edge is that he didn’t win the title at “WrestleMania”, and figures he’d cherish the opportunity to beat on an old foe. In exchange, Edge and Vickie grant Matt “one reasonable request”.
Miz-Morrison want a rematch with The Colons.
Rey takes exception to Jericho’s treatment of the legends.
ECW
Bourne is granted a shot at Swagger’s title.
Yang, Gabriel, Sim, Hawkins, Noble, and Haas are all given more TV-time, in an effort to make “ECW” more “wrestling-oriented”, with less focus on angles than “Raw” or “Smackdown”. Goldust is used to add a little color and change-of-pace to the brand.
INTERFED
A tag-match is made, featuring "Raw's" US-champ Mvp and "Smackdown's" IC-champ Rey against "Raw's" Shelton and "Smackdown's" Jericho.
Show challenges Cena to a rematch, but Henry interrupts, claiming that while Cena’s strength is undeniably impressive, he’s still not “The World’s Strongest Man”. Cena accepts the challenge of both men.
Punk wants to thank the fans for their support, but is interrupted by Shawn. Shawn tells him that the fans are a fickle bunch, turning on you when you least expect it. Punk calls Shawn out on his hypocrisy, but Shawn doesn’t want to hear it; Shawn challenges Punk at “Backlash”.
Divas-champion Maryse wastes no time in “introducing” herself to Womens-champion Melina. The two will meet at “Backlash” to unify the championships. Along the way, “Santina” interjects “herself”, feeling that, as the winner of the “Miss WrestleMania” match, she should be in the match. It is made into a 3-way. Beth, of course, is losing patience with Santino.
Shelton picks a feud with MVP.
SMACKDOWN
With all three members of “Legacy” being drafted to “Smackdown”, the feud with Trips continues. Trips, however, quickly finds back-up - Taker and Kane.
Jeff and Matt continue to feud, with a match seemingly on the horizon at “Backlash”. Matt, however, decides to offer his spot in the match to Edge, saying that he understands how upset Edge is that he didn’t win the title at “WrestleMania”, and figures he’d cherish the opportunity to beat on an old foe. In exchange, Edge and Vickie grant Matt “one reasonable request”.
Miz-Morrison want a rematch with The Colons.
Rey takes exception to Jericho’s treatment of the legends.
ECW
Bourne is granted a shot at Swagger’s title.
Yang, Gabriel, Sim, Hawkins, Noble, and Haas are all given more TV-time, in an effort to make “ECW” more “wrestling-oriented”, with less focus on angles than “Raw” or “Smackdown”. Goldust is used to add a little color and change-of-pace to the brand.
INTERFED
A tag-match is made, featuring "Raw's" US-champ Mvp and "Smackdown's" IC-champ Rey against "Raw's" Shelton and "Smackdown's" Jericho.
Backlash, 2009
S - Orton-Cody-Tj/Trips-Taker-Kane
R - World: CENA/Show/Henry
S - Edge/Jeff
R - Shawn/Punk
S - Tag: COLONS/Miz-Morrison
R - Womens Unification: MELINA/MARYSE/Santina
2 - Mvp-Rey/Shelton-Jericho
E - ECW: SWAGGER/Bourne
///
Swagger/Bourne - Bourne goes for the SSP, but Swagger moves, leading to the Swagger-bomb and the win.
Mvp-Rey/Shelton-Jericho - Kennedy makes his surprise return, as a heel, causing Mvp to get pinned by Jericho.
Womens - Melina has Maryse beat, but Santina tosses Melina out of the ring and steals the pin.
Colons/Miz-Morrison - Morrison pins Carlito.
Shawn/Punk - Punk has Shawn up for the “Go-To-Sleep”, but Shawn slips out and hits the Super-Kick for the win.
Edge/Jeff - Matt interferes, giving Edge the win.
Cena/Show/Henry - If it’s at all possible, even for a second, Cena will get both men up for the “Attitude Adjuster”; if not, he hits both of them with the move in succession to retain.
Legacy/Trips-Taker-Kane - At the end, Trips and Orton are the legal men; things get out of control, as the other four men all run into the ring, with Trips and Orton getting knocked to the outside. Taker and Kane hit stereo “Tombstones” on Cody and TJ, and then stand over the fallen carcasses; however, they don’t notice Orton get back into the ring behind them, allowing Orton to hit a double-RKO on the two of them. It’s all for naught, however, as Orton turns around into a “Pedigree” and the 1-2-3.
S - Orton-Cody-Tj/Trips-Taker-Kane
R - World: CENA/Show/Henry
S - Edge/Jeff
R - Shawn/Punk
S - Tag: COLONS/Miz-Morrison
R - Womens Unification: MELINA/MARYSE/Santina
2 - Mvp-Rey/Shelton-Jericho
E - ECW: SWAGGER/Bourne
///
Swagger/Bourne - Bourne goes for the SSP, but Swagger moves, leading to the Swagger-bomb and the win.
Mvp-Rey/Shelton-Jericho - Kennedy makes his surprise return, as a heel, causing Mvp to get pinned by Jericho.
Womens - Melina has Maryse beat, but Santina tosses Melina out of the ring and steals the pin.
Colons/Miz-Morrison - Morrison pins Carlito.
Shawn/Punk - Punk has Shawn up for the “Go-To-Sleep”, but Shawn slips out and hits the Super-Kick for the win.
Edge/Jeff - Matt interferes, giving Edge the win.
Cena/Show/Henry - If it’s at all possible, even for a second, Cena will get both men up for the “Attitude Adjuster”; if not, he hits both of them with the move in succession to retain.
Legacy/Trips-Taker-Kane - At the end, Trips and Orton are the legal men; things get out of control, as the other four men all run into the ring, with Trips and Orton getting knocked to the outside. Taker and Kane hit stereo “Tombstones” on Cody and TJ, and then stand over the fallen carcasses; however, they don’t notice Orton get back into the ring behind them, allowing Orton to hit a double-RKO on the two of them. It’s all for naught, however, as Orton turns around into a “Pedigree” and the 1-2-3.
MAY 2009
RAW
Shawn, riding high, wants his shot at Cena’s title.
Shelton picks a feud with Punk, focusing on Punk’s loss to Shawn. Shelton claims Punk doesn’t deserve to hold the “MITB” contract.
Finlay and Regal begin a feud.
Kennedy allows his jealousy of Mvp to show, claiming that they used to be friends and made their way into WWE together, but that Mvp has been a constant player and has climbed the ladder faster. Mvp claims that Kennedy is injury-prone, a coward, and should have been spending the last year improving his wrestling-skills instead of making “awful movies”.
Mickie gets fed-up with the whole “Santina” charade, and challenges “her” to a match. Just to try something different, this match actually main-events “Raw”. Mickie overcomes the interference of Beth and Rosa to win the title.
Show and Henry decide to join forces, feeling that nobody on the “Raw” roster could possibly stop them.
SMACKDOWN
Trips, Taker, and Kane continue to feud with “Legacy”.
Matt gets a shot at Jeff, this time in a Cage.
Jericho challenges Rey for the IC-championship. Much is mentioned of their long feud back in WCW, with plenty of video-footage shown.
Miz-Morrison successfully defend their tag-titles against The Colons.
ECW
Long wants to make an impact at “Judgment Day”, setting-up an 8-man tag. It will be Bourne, Christian, Yang, and Gabriel against Swagger, Tyson, Sim, and Hawkins.
Shawn, riding high, wants his shot at Cena’s title.
Shelton picks a feud with Punk, focusing on Punk’s loss to Shawn. Shelton claims Punk doesn’t deserve to hold the “MITB” contract.
Finlay and Regal begin a feud.
Kennedy allows his jealousy of Mvp to show, claiming that they used to be friends and made their way into WWE together, but that Mvp has been a constant player and has climbed the ladder faster. Mvp claims that Kennedy is injury-prone, a coward, and should have been spending the last year improving his wrestling-skills instead of making “awful movies”.
Mickie gets fed-up with the whole “Santina” charade, and challenges “her” to a match. Just to try something different, this match actually main-events “Raw”. Mickie overcomes the interference of Beth and Rosa to win the title.
Show and Henry decide to join forces, feeling that nobody on the “Raw” roster could possibly stop them.
SMACKDOWN
Trips, Taker, and Kane continue to feud with “Legacy”.
Matt gets a shot at Jeff, this time in a Cage.
Jericho challenges Rey for the IC-championship. Much is mentioned of their long feud back in WCW, with plenty of video-footage shown.
Miz-Morrison successfully defend their tag-titles against The Colons.
ECW
Long wants to make an impact at “Judgment Day”, setting-up an 8-man tag. It will be Bourne, Christian, Yang, and Gabriel against Swagger, Tyson, Sim, and Hawkins.
Judgment Day, 2009
R - World: CENA/Shawn
S - Cage: Jeff/Matt
R - Punk/Shelton
S - WWE: TRIPS/Orton
R - Finlay/Regal
S - Cody-Tj/Taker-Kane
R - US: MVP/Kennedy
S - IC: REY/Jericho
E - Bourne-Christian-Yang-Gabriel/Swagger-Tyson-Sim-Hawkins
///
8-Man - Christian pins Swagger.
Rey/Jericho - Jericho uses the “Walls-of-Jericho” to win the IC-title.
Mvp/Kennedy - Kennedy wins the US-title in an upset.
Cody-TJ/Taker-Kane - Taker pins Cody.
Finlay/Regal - Finlay.
Trips/Orton - Cody and TJ try to interfere, but Taker and Kane run interference. With the ref distracted by everything going-on on the outside, nobody notices D.H. SMITH run into the ring and hit Trips with a Running Powerslam! DH runs out of the ring, allowing Orton to win the title.
Punk/Shelton - Punk.
Jeff/Matt - Jeff wins with a Swan-Bomb off the cage.
Cena/Shawn - Cena wins.
R - World: CENA/Shawn
S - Cage: Jeff/Matt
R - Punk/Shelton
S - WWE: TRIPS/Orton
R - Finlay/Regal
S - Cody-Tj/Taker-Kane
R - US: MVP/Kennedy
S - IC: REY/Jericho
E - Bourne-Christian-Yang-Gabriel/Swagger-Tyson-Sim-Hawkins
///
8-Man - Christian pins Swagger.
Rey/Jericho - Jericho uses the “Walls-of-Jericho” to win the IC-title.
Mvp/Kennedy - Kennedy wins the US-title in an upset.
Cody-TJ/Taker-Kane - Taker pins Cody.
Finlay/Regal - Finlay.
Trips/Orton - Cody and TJ try to interfere, but Taker and Kane run interference. With the ref distracted by everything going-on on the outside, nobody notices D.H. SMITH run into the ring and hit Trips with a Running Powerslam! DH runs out of the ring, allowing Orton to win the title.
Punk/Shelton - Punk.
Jeff/Matt - Jeff wins with a Swan-Bomb off the cage.
Cena/Shawn - Cena wins.
JUNE 2009
RAW
Shawn wants a rematch with Cena, but BATISTA makes his return to dispute that. Batista makes no secret that he wants a title-shot, even if it’s against his friend Cena; Cena accepts the challenge of both men, leading to a 3-way at “Extreme Rules”.
Shelton whines about his loss to Punk, Kofi tells him to shut his mouth.
Mvp and Kennedy continue to feud. Finlay and Regal continue to feud.
Beth wants revenge on Mickie.
Ortiz and Helms are given more TV-time.
Show-Henry begin issuing open-challenges, beating several lower-card faces. They plan to issue another at “Extreme Rules”.
SMACKDOWN
The Trips/Orton and Jeff/Matt feuds continue, eventually leading to some tag-matches between the four men (and, by extension, eight men with Taker, Kane, Cody, and TJ involved). This leads to Vickie making a tag-team “HIAC” match (Trips-Jeff/Orton-Matt) at “Extreme Rules”. Matt later speaks to Vickie about that one “reasonable request” he was promised, which turns out to be the added stipulation that the losers must leave “Smackdown”! Orton protests at first, but Edge goads him by questioning his guts.
DH Smith begins going by his birth-name of “Harry Smith”. Edge, after his little verbal spar with Orton, decides that Harry should be given a “challege” at the next PPV, in the form of Umaga.
Rey and Jericho continue to feud. CrymeTyme emerge as the new challengers to Miz-Morrison’s tag-titles.
Burchill is given more TV-time.
ECW
Dreamer reminds everyone of his promise to win the ECW-championship one more time before his contract expires, but also admits that his win-loss record has not been all that great lately. Christian tells him that, while he feels that he [Christian] himself deserves the next shot at Swagger’s title, he would be willing to let Dreamer have it, “provided you can PROVE that you deserve it”. These words motivate Dreamer, who manages to beat several heels (Sim, Noble, Hawkins) leading-up to “Extreme Rules”. Swagger begins to worry a bit, and points-out that Dreamer’s contract actually expires one day BEFORE the PPV. In response, Long offers Dreamer a one-day contract extension.
INTERFED
A 10-man, inter-gender tag is set-up, with Mvp and Mickie from “Raw” teaming up with Rey and CrymeTyme from “Smackdown”, against “Raw’s” Kennedy and Beth, and “Smackdown’s” Jericho and Miz-Morrison.
A 20-man battle-royal is set-up. From “Raw”, it’s Punk, Finlay, Regal, Ortiz, and Helms; from “Smackdown”, it’s Edge, Truth, Burchill, Kendrick, and Kozlov; and from “ECW”, it’s Christian, Bourne, Gabriel, Yang, Noble, Goldust, Tyson, Sim, Haas, and Hawkins.
Shawn wants a rematch with Cena, but BATISTA makes his return to dispute that. Batista makes no secret that he wants a title-shot, even if it’s against his friend Cena; Cena accepts the challenge of both men, leading to a 3-way at “Extreme Rules”.
Shelton whines about his loss to Punk, Kofi tells him to shut his mouth.
Mvp and Kennedy continue to feud. Finlay and Regal continue to feud.
Beth wants revenge on Mickie.
Ortiz and Helms are given more TV-time.
Show-Henry begin issuing open-challenges, beating several lower-card faces. They plan to issue another at “Extreme Rules”.
SMACKDOWN
The Trips/Orton and Jeff/Matt feuds continue, eventually leading to some tag-matches between the four men (and, by extension, eight men with Taker, Kane, Cody, and TJ involved). This leads to Vickie making a tag-team “HIAC” match (Trips-Jeff/Orton-Matt) at “Extreme Rules”. Matt later speaks to Vickie about that one “reasonable request” he was promised, which turns out to be the added stipulation that the losers must leave “Smackdown”! Orton protests at first, but Edge goads him by questioning his guts.
DH Smith begins going by his birth-name of “Harry Smith”. Edge, after his little verbal spar with Orton, decides that Harry should be given a “challege” at the next PPV, in the form of Umaga.
Rey and Jericho continue to feud. CrymeTyme emerge as the new challengers to Miz-Morrison’s tag-titles.
Burchill is given more TV-time.
ECW
Dreamer reminds everyone of his promise to win the ECW-championship one more time before his contract expires, but also admits that his win-loss record has not been all that great lately. Christian tells him that, while he feels that he [Christian] himself deserves the next shot at Swagger’s title, he would be willing to let Dreamer have it, “provided you can PROVE that you deserve it”. These words motivate Dreamer, who manages to beat several heels (Sim, Noble, Hawkins) leading-up to “Extreme Rules”. Swagger begins to worry a bit, and points-out that Dreamer’s contract actually expires one day BEFORE the PPV. In response, Long offers Dreamer a one-day contract extension.
INTERFED
A 10-man, inter-gender tag is set-up, with Mvp and Mickie from “Raw” teaming up with Rey and CrymeTyme from “Smackdown”, against “Raw’s” Kennedy and Beth, and “Smackdown’s” Jericho and Miz-Morrison.
A 20-man battle-royal is set-up. From “Raw”, it’s Punk, Finlay, Regal, Ortiz, and Helms; from “Smackdown”, it’s Edge, Truth, Burchill, Kendrick, and Kozlov; and from “ECW”, it’s Christian, Bourne, Gabriel, Yang, Noble, Goldust, Tyson, Sim, Haas, and Hawkins.
Extreme Rules, 2009
S - HIAC, Losers Leave “SD”: Trips-Jeff/Orton-Matt
E - ECW: SWAGGER/Dreamer
3 - Show-Henry’s Open Challenge
R - World: CENA/Shawn/Batista
S - Harry/Umaga
2 - Mvp-Rey-Mickie-CrymeTyme/Kennedy-Jericho-Beth-Miz-Morrison
R - Kofi/Shelton
3 - Battle Royal: Punk, Finlay, Regal, Ortiz, Helms, Edge, Truth, Burchill, Kendrick, Kozlov, Bourne, Christian, Gabriel, Yang, Noble, Goldust, Tyson, Sim, Haas, Hawkins
///
Battle Royal - Punk wins, last eliminating Edge.
Kofi/Shelton - Kofi.
10-man - Beth pins Mickie.
Harry/Umaga - Harry hits the Running Powerslam for the win.
Cena/Shawn/Batista - The Cena/Batista friendship doesn’t last long, as the competitive nature of both men gets the better of them. At the end, Batista hits the B-Bomb on Cena, but then gets Super-Kicked, allowing Shawn to get the win.
Show-Henry - The challenge is answered by Taker-Kane. Taker-Kane win, with stereo Tombstones if possible.
Swagger/Dreamer - Dreamer lights Swagger up with cane-shots, leading to the win. The “ECW” locker-room empties, and raise Dreamer up on their shoulders.
Trips-Jeff/Orton-Matt - Right from the beginning, the four men utilize various weaponry from under the ring, including Tables, Ladders, and Chairs; things eventually get so violent that they manage to break out of the Cell. The end of the match features all four men brawling on the outside, with the faces getting the advantage; this leads to Jeff setting-up a table in the aisle (close to the cell), and a ladder next to it. Trips and Jeff put Orton and Matt on the table, with Trips signaling to Jeff to climb the ladder, while Trips holds the heels in place. Jeff climbs the ladder, but pauses, and looks at the Cell; he proceeds to climb the Cell, and signals that he’s going to Swan-Bomb off, but just before he jumps, the heels manage to get off the table. As the heels double-team Trips, Cody-Tj run-out to help, but Taker-Kane make their way out to counter it; all the while, Jeff is on top of the cell, not sure of what to do. As everyone is fighting on the outside, HARRY jumps out of the crowd and climbs the Cell - Taker and Kane manage to fight Cody and Tj to the back, while Harry blind-sides Jeff on top of the Cell. Eventually, Orton and Matt low-blow Trips, and put him on the table; at that moment, Harry THROWS JEFF OFF THE CELL, crashing through Trips and the table! Orton pins Trips for the win.
S - HIAC, Losers Leave “SD”: Trips-Jeff/Orton-Matt
E - ECW: SWAGGER/Dreamer
3 - Show-Henry’s Open Challenge
R - World: CENA/Shawn/Batista
S - Harry/Umaga
2 - Mvp-Rey-Mickie-CrymeTyme/Kennedy-Jericho-Beth-Miz-Morrison
R - Kofi/Shelton
3 - Battle Royal: Punk, Finlay, Regal, Ortiz, Helms, Edge, Truth, Burchill, Kendrick, Kozlov, Bourne, Christian, Gabriel, Yang, Noble, Goldust, Tyson, Sim, Haas, Hawkins
///
Battle Royal - Punk wins, last eliminating Edge.
Kofi/Shelton - Kofi.
10-man - Beth pins Mickie.
Harry/Umaga - Harry hits the Running Powerslam for the win.
Cena/Shawn/Batista - The Cena/Batista friendship doesn’t last long, as the competitive nature of both men gets the better of them. At the end, Batista hits the B-Bomb on Cena, but then gets Super-Kicked, allowing Shawn to get the win.
Show-Henry - The challenge is answered by Taker-Kane. Taker-Kane win, with stereo Tombstones if possible.
Swagger/Dreamer - Dreamer lights Swagger up with cane-shots, leading to the win. The “ECW” locker-room empties, and raise Dreamer up on their shoulders.
Trips-Jeff/Orton-Matt - Right from the beginning, the four men utilize various weaponry from under the ring, including Tables, Ladders, and Chairs; things eventually get so violent that they manage to break out of the Cell. The end of the match features all four men brawling on the outside, with the faces getting the advantage; this leads to Jeff setting-up a table in the aisle (close to the cell), and a ladder next to it. Trips and Jeff put Orton and Matt on the table, with Trips signaling to Jeff to climb the ladder, while Trips holds the heels in place. Jeff climbs the ladder, but pauses, and looks at the Cell; he proceeds to climb the Cell, and signals that he’s going to Swan-Bomb off, but just before he jumps, the heels manage to get off the table. As the heels double-team Trips, Cody-Tj run-out to help, but Taker-Kane make their way out to counter it; all the while, Jeff is on top of the cell, not sure of what to do. As everyone is fighting on the outside, HARRY jumps out of the crowd and climbs the Cell - Taker and Kane manage to fight Cody and Tj to the back, while Harry blind-sides Jeff on top of the Cell. Eventually, Orton and Matt low-blow Trips, and put him on the table; at that moment, Harry THROWS JEFF OFF THE CELL, crashing through Trips and the table! Orton pins Trips for the win.
JULY 2009 (Part 1)
RAW
The night after “Extreme Rules”, Shawn opens the show by bragging about having won the championship. He is interrupted by both Cena and Batista, whom both want a rematch; Cena and Batista end-up arguing, refuting each others’ claims that they are the only one that deserves a shot, until they get in one another’s faces. Over the next week, tensions run high, until Cena and Batista are so pre-occupied with each other that their title-aspirations are put on the back burner.
With Cena and Batista out of the picture for now, Shawn has all the time in the world to brag about his accomplishments. That is, until TRIPLE H makes his surprise return to “Raw”! Trips says that he’s not on “Raw” to complain about his “HIAC” match, but to find-out what has been up with Shawn lately. The two bicker, with Trips questioning Shawn’s attitude, and Shawn questioning exactly when Trips started having a problem with ego. Eventually, Trips gets to his point, that being that he “has some pull”, and managed to secure a match at “The Great American Bash” against Orton and Harry, and wanted to know if Shawn could be the dependable friend and partner he’s always been in the past. Shawn thinks it over, and eventually agrees. DX is back!
Beth gets a shot at Mickie’s title.
SMACKDOWN
Jericho congratulates Matt on ridding “Smackdown” of Trips and Jeff, and says that he is interested in doing some business together. The two decide to combine forces, feeling that the world would be theirs. Their first order of business? Attacking Taker and Kane.
“Legacy” do their best to “warm-up” for DX.
CrymeTyme get their shot at Miz-Morrison’s titles.
Edge asks Vickie if she can secure him a match against Punk, citing that “using pull” seems acceptable now. Vickie does her best to get it done.
ECW
Christian wants his shot at Swagger’s ECW-title, but JEFF HARDY makes his surprise debut on “ECW”! The three agree to a three-way at “The Great American Bash”.
Tyson picks a feud with Yang, feeling it was Yang’s fault that he was eliminated from the 20-man battle-royal at “Extreme Rules”.
INTERFED
Shawn-Trips/Orton-Harry is confirmed.
A 6-man is set-up between Punk and Edge, with both men allowed to pick their partners. Punk picks Rey from “SD” and Bourne from “ECW”, while Edge picks Ryder from “Raw” and Hawkins from “ECW”.
The night after “Extreme Rules”, Shawn opens the show by bragging about having won the championship. He is interrupted by both Cena and Batista, whom both want a rematch; Cena and Batista end-up arguing, refuting each others’ claims that they are the only one that deserves a shot, until they get in one another’s faces. Over the next week, tensions run high, until Cena and Batista are so pre-occupied with each other that their title-aspirations are put on the back burner.
With Cena and Batista out of the picture for now, Shawn has all the time in the world to brag about his accomplishments. That is, until TRIPLE H makes his surprise return to “Raw”! Trips says that he’s not on “Raw” to complain about his “HIAC” match, but to find-out what has been up with Shawn lately. The two bicker, with Trips questioning Shawn’s attitude, and Shawn questioning exactly when Trips started having a problem with ego. Eventually, Trips gets to his point, that being that he “has some pull”, and managed to secure a match at “The Great American Bash” against Orton and Harry, and wanted to know if Shawn could be the dependable friend and partner he’s always been in the past. Shawn thinks it over, and eventually agrees. DX is back!
Beth gets a shot at Mickie’s title.
SMACKDOWN
Jericho congratulates Matt on ridding “Smackdown” of Trips and Jeff, and says that he is interested in doing some business together. The two decide to combine forces, feeling that the world would be theirs. Their first order of business? Attacking Taker and Kane.
“Legacy” do their best to “warm-up” for DX.
CrymeTyme get their shot at Miz-Morrison’s titles.
Edge asks Vickie if she can secure him a match against Punk, citing that “using pull” seems acceptable now. Vickie does her best to get it done.
ECW
Christian wants his shot at Swagger’s ECW-title, but JEFF HARDY makes his surprise debut on “ECW”! The three agree to a three-way at “The Great American Bash”.
Tyson picks a feud with Yang, feeling it was Yang’s fault that he was eliminated from the 20-man battle-royal at “Extreme Rules”.
INTERFED
Shawn-Trips/Orton-Harry is confirmed.
A 6-man is set-up between Punk and Edge, with both men allowed to pick their partners. Punk picks Rey from “SD” and Bourne from “ECW”, while Edge picks Ryder from “Raw” and Hawkins from “ECW”.
The Great American Bash, 2009
2 - Shawn-Trips/Orton-Harry
R - Cena/Batista
S - Taker-Kane/Jericho-Matt
E - ECW: SWAGGER/Christian/Jeff
R - Womens: MICKIE/Beth
S - Tag: MIZ-MORRISON/CrymeTyme
E - Yang/Tyson
3 - Punk-Rey-Bourne/Edge-Ryder-Hawkins
///
6-Man - Edge pins Punk.
Yang/Tyson - Tyson wins.
Miz-Morrison/CrymeTyme - CrymeTyme win the Tag-Titles.
Mickie/Beth - Beth wins the Womens-Title.
Swagger/Christian/Jeff - Jeff pins Swagger to win the ECW-Championship.
Taker-Kane/Jericho-Matt - Matt distracts Taker, while Jericho rolls him up and grabs his tights. The heels scamper away quickly, while Taker and Kane stare angrily from the ring.
Cena/Batista - Cena wins cleanly. Cena wants to shake hands, but Batista attacks him after the match, leaving him lying with a Batista-Bomb.
Shawn-Trips/Orton-Harry - The faces are decked-out in their “DX” attire. At the end, the heels double-team Shawn, causing Shawn to get pissed and walk out in a huff. Trips runs after Shawn, yelling "I thought I could count on you", to which Shawn angrily points out that he doesn't have to deal with Trips' problems. Trips shoves Shawn, so Shawn responds with a "Super-Kick" before walking backstage. Harry rolls Trips back into the ring, Orton hits the RKO, and gets the win.
2 - Shawn-Trips/Orton-Harry
R - Cena/Batista
S - Taker-Kane/Jericho-Matt
E - ECW: SWAGGER/Christian/Jeff
R - Womens: MICKIE/Beth
S - Tag: MIZ-MORRISON/CrymeTyme
E - Yang/Tyson
3 - Punk-Rey-Bourne/Edge-Ryder-Hawkins
///
6-Man - Edge pins Punk.
Yang/Tyson - Tyson wins.
Miz-Morrison/CrymeTyme - CrymeTyme win the Tag-Titles.
Mickie/Beth - Beth wins the Womens-Title.
Swagger/Christian/Jeff - Jeff pins Swagger to win the ECW-Championship.
Taker-Kane/Jericho-Matt - Matt distracts Taker, while Jericho rolls him up and grabs his tights. The heels scamper away quickly, while Taker and Kane stare angrily from the ring.
Cena/Batista - Cena wins cleanly. Cena wants to shake hands, but Batista attacks him after the match, leaving him lying with a Batista-Bomb.
Shawn-Trips/Orton-Harry - The faces are decked-out in their “DX” attire. At the end, the heels double-team Shawn, causing Shawn to get pissed and walk out in a huff. Trips runs after Shawn, yelling "I thought I could count on you", to which Shawn angrily points out that he doesn't have to deal with Trips' problems. Trips shoves Shawn, so Shawn responds with a "Super-Kick" before walking backstage. Harry rolls Trips back into the ring, Orton hits the RKO, and gets the win.
JULY 2009 (Part 2)
RAW
Trips wants his pound of flesh from Shawn, which Shawn is more than willing to give him. However, Vince announces that, with the next PPV being “Night of Champions”, he has decided to put Shawn in a “Championship Scramble” match. The other participants will be Trips, Batista, and Cena, with the fifth man being the winner of a battle-royal that night. Mvp wins that battle-royal.
Kennedy decides that he, too, wants to compete in a “Championship Scramble” match, feeling that it’s a great way to make a name for himself. He will defend the IC-championship against Finlay, Regal, Kofi, and Shelton.
Gail emerges as the new challenger to Beth’s Womens-championship.
SMACKDOWN
Having pinned Taker, Jericho feels that he should be granted a shot at the WWE-championship. Vickie, however, announces that she has already signed a “Championship Scramble” match, but is still undecided on whom to put in the match. Jericho insists on being in the match, to which Vickie claims that Jericho is already in a “Scramble” match, defending his IC-championship. Jericho thinks for a moment, and says that he’s willing to compete in two matches on one night. Jericho’s cock-sure attitude is quickly dampened when he hears that the WWE-championship match will feature his partner, Matt, as well as Taker and Kane!
Edge later asks Vickie why he wasn’t included in the WWE-Championship match, to which Vickie replies that she got him something she thought he’d enjoy even more - a shot at Punk, with the “MITB” contract on the line!
“Priceless” begin to harass Rey and Truth, leading to 6-man matches of Cody-Tj-Harry against Rey-Truth-Umaga. Harry, Rey, Truth, and Umaga are named for the IC-championship “Scramble”.
Kendrick - and, by extension, Ezekiel - pick a feud with CrymeTyme.
ECW
Christian wants a shot at Jeff’s ECW-championship, citing that he wasn’t pinned in the 3-way at “Extreme Rules”. Bourne also wants a shot, and goes out of his way to tell both men how much he respects them and how much they’ve impacted his career. Jeff accepts the challenges of both men.
INTERFED
Punk/Edge is confirmed.
Trips wants his pound of flesh from Shawn, which Shawn is more than willing to give him. However, Vince announces that, with the next PPV being “Night of Champions”, he has decided to put Shawn in a “Championship Scramble” match. The other participants will be Trips, Batista, and Cena, with the fifth man being the winner of a battle-royal that night. Mvp wins that battle-royal.
Kennedy decides that he, too, wants to compete in a “Championship Scramble” match, feeling that it’s a great way to make a name for himself. He will defend the IC-championship against Finlay, Regal, Kofi, and Shelton.
Gail emerges as the new challenger to Beth’s Womens-championship.
SMACKDOWN
Having pinned Taker, Jericho feels that he should be granted a shot at the WWE-championship. Vickie, however, announces that she has already signed a “Championship Scramble” match, but is still undecided on whom to put in the match. Jericho insists on being in the match, to which Vickie claims that Jericho is already in a “Scramble” match, defending his IC-championship. Jericho thinks for a moment, and says that he’s willing to compete in two matches on one night. Jericho’s cock-sure attitude is quickly dampened when he hears that the WWE-championship match will feature his partner, Matt, as well as Taker and Kane!
Edge later asks Vickie why he wasn’t included in the WWE-Championship match, to which Vickie replies that she got him something she thought he’d enjoy even more - a shot at Punk, with the “MITB” contract on the line!
“Priceless” begin to harass Rey and Truth, leading to 6-man matches of Cody-Tj-Harry against Rey-Truth-Umaga. Harry, Rey, Truth, and Umaga are named for the IC-championship “Scramble”.
Kendrick - and, by extension, Ezekiel - pick a feud with CrymeTyme.
ECW
Christian wants a shot at Jeff’s ECW-championship, citing that he wasn’t pinned in the 3-way at “Extreme Rules”. Bourne also wants a shot, and goes out of his way to tell both men how much he respects them and how much they’ve impacted his career. Jeff accepts the challenges of both men.
INTERFED
Punk/Edge is confirmed.
Night of Champions, 2009
R - World, Scramble: SHAWN/Trips/Batista/Cena/Mvp
S - WWE, Scramble: ORTON/Taker/Kane/Jericho/Matt
E - ECW: JEFF/Christian/Bourne
R - Womens: BETH/Gail
S - Tag: CRYMETYME/Kendrick-Ezekiel
R - US, Scramble: KENNEDY/Finlay/Regal/Kofi/Shelton
2 - MITB: Punk/Edge
S - IC, Scramble: JERICHO/Rey/Truth/Umaga/Harry
///
IC: Jericho and Rey start off, chain-wrestling back and forth. Harry is the next in, and the heels double-team Rey. Rey manages to counter a double-team by rebounding off the ropes, catching both men with a flying bodypress and then hitting a splash off the ropes to get the pin. Truth is the next in, and helps Rey against the heels. Truth and Jericho square-off, allowing Harry to hit a Running Powerslam on Rey for the pin. Umaga is the next in, and absolutely decimates everyone, eventually pinning Harry. As the seconds tick away, Harry manages to get Umaga up for a Running Powerslam, but just after he hits the move, Jericho dumps him out of the ring and gets the pin just as time expires. Jericho retains the IC-Championship.
Punk/Edge - Punk wins.
US: Finlay and Regal begin the match, stiffing the hell out of each other. Kofi is the next in, using his speed to confound the veterans, and scoring a quick pin on Regal. Shelton is next in, and the four men brawl, with nobody getting the advantage. Kennedy is in last, and a while free-for-all erupts. At the end, Kofi is thrown out of the ring, while Kennedy and Finlay both hit Rolling Fireman’s-Carry Slams in unison, before Finlay catches Kennedy in the Celtic Cross for the pin. However, just after Finlay pins Kennedy, Kofi comes flying off the turnbuckles, onto Finlay and Kennedy, getting the pin just before time expires. Kofi is the US-Champion.
CrymeTyme/Kendrick-Ezekiel - CrymeTyme manage to cut the ring off and keep Kendrick in the ring most of the time… that is, until Kendrick fakes a leg injury, thus distracting the ref and allowing Ezekiel to sneak into the ring and hit the Uranage on Shad. Ezekiel sneaks back out of the ring, and Kendrick gets the pin and the titles.
Beth/Gail - Gail wins.
Jeff/Christian/Bourne - Christian pins Jeff.
WWE: Jericho is the first to the ring, and is dismayed when Taker is the next out. Jericho plays chickenshit-heel, employing a hit-and-run strategy. Kane is the next entrant, and he and Taker beat-up on Jericho for a while. After about three minutes, Taker hits the Tombstone on Jericho, and gets the pin. Immediately after that, Kane grins an evil grin, picks Jericho off the mat, and gives him a second Tombstone, resulting in a pin and Kane becoming interim-champion. Taker is a bit miffed, picks Jericho up, and gives him a THIRD tombstone, making Taker interim-champion again. Taker and Kane are about to square-off, when Orton makes his entrance, flanked by the other three members of “Legacy”. The ref attempts to throw them out, but Cody, TJ, and Harry surround the ring, distracting Taker and Kane enough to allow Orton to run-up from behind and catch Kane with an RKO. Taker turns to grab Orton, but Orton slinks back out of the ring again. Eventually, CARLITO AND PRIMO come out and attack “Legacy”, allowing Taker to Chokeslam Orton for another pin, while “Legacy” and Carlito-Primo brawl to the back. During this time, Jericho and Kane are recovering, which leads to Taker-Kane brawling with Jericho-Orton, with Taker and Kane dominating. Matt is the last man to make his entrance, and goes full-force on Taker and Kane, running back and forth between the two while delivering punches to both. The heels triple-team Taker and Kane, with all five eventually brawling to the outside. The ref is powerless to rule a count-out or disqualification, since the match has to go a certain time-limit, and allows pretty much anything to go. Matt uses a chair on both Taker and Kane, then runs into the ring to celebrate… where he is caught by an RKO, allowing Orton to get the pin. Taker gets back into the ring, where he hits Orton with another Tombstone, giving Taker the pin with only ten seconds left. However, Taker turns right into a Codebreaker, giving Jericho the pin and the WWE-Championship!
World: Cena and Batista start, with neither man really getting the advantage. Trips is next, and the three brawl, again, with no man getting the advantage. Shawn is fourth, going right after Trips while Cena and Batista brawl. Batista manages to get Cena down, and then runs across the ring to spear Shawn, but when Batista turns around, he gets hit with the Pedigree! Trips makes the cover, but then gets hit with the Attitude-Adjuster, giving Cena the pin. Cena’s celebration, however, is short-lived, as he turns around into a Super-Kick! Shawn is the interim-champion as Mvp makes his way to the ring. Mvp psyches himself up, and runs straight towards Shawn; he ducks Shawn’s Super-Kick, and then connects with a running Drive-By Kick! Mvp has just pinned Shawn! The rest of the match is a lot of Finisher-sequences, eventually leading to Shawn getting his pin back on Mvp. At the end, Shawn seems like he’ll be able to avoid everything, only to fall to a Pedigree at the very end. Trips is the World-Champion.
R - World, Scramble: SHAWN/Trips/Batista/Cena/Mvp
S - WWE, Scramble: ORTON/Taker/Kane/Jericho/Matt
E - ECW: JEFF/Christian/Bourne
R - Womens: BETH/Gail
S - Tag: CRYMETYME/Kendrick-Ezekiel
R - US, Scramble: KENNEDY/Finlay/Regal/Kofi/Shelton
2 - MITB: Punk/Edge
S - IC, Scramble: JERICHO/Rey/Truth/Umaga/Harry
///
IC: Jericho and Rey start off, chain-wrestling back and forth. Harry is the next in, and the heels double-team Rey. Rey manages to counter a double-team by rebounding off the ropes, catching both men with a flying bodypress and then hitting a splash off the ropes to get the pin. Truth is the next in, and helps Rey against the heels. Truth and Jericho square-off, allowing Harry to hit a Running Powerslam on Rey for the pin. Umaga is the next in, and absolutely decimates everyone, eventually pinning Harry. As the seconds tick away, Harry manages to get Umaga up for a Running Powerslam, but just after he hits the move, Jericho dumps him out of the ring and gets the pin just as time expires. Jericho retains the IC-Championship.
Punk/Edge - Punk wins.
US: Finlay and Regal begin the match, stiffing the hell out of each other. Kofi is the next in, using his speed to confound the veterans, and scoring a quick pin on Regal. Shelton is next in, and the four men brawl, with nobody getting the advantage. Kennedy is in last, and a while free-for-all erupts. At the end, Kofi is thrown out of the ring, while Kennedy and Finlay both hit Rolling Fireman’s-Carry Slams in unison, before Finlay catches Kennedy in the Celtic Cross for the pin. However, just after Finlay pins Kennedy, Kofi comes flying off the turnbuckles, onto Finlay and Kennedy, getting the pin just before time expires. Kofi is the US-Champion.
CrymeTyme/Kendrick-Ezekiel - CrymeTyme manage to cut the ring off and keep Kendrick in the ring most of the time… that is, until Kendrick fakes a leg injury, thus distracting the ref and allowing Ezekiel to sneak into the ring and hit the Uranage on Shad. Ezekiel sneaks back out of the ring, and Kendrick gets the pin and the titles.
Beth/Gail - Gail wins.
Jeff/Christian/Bourne - Christian pins Jeff.
WWE: Jericho is the first to the ring, and is dismayed when Taker is the next out. Jericho plays chickenshit-heel, employing a hit-and-run strategy. Kane is the next entrant, and he and Taker beat-up on Jericho for a while. After about three minutes, Taker hits the Tombstone on Jericho, and gets the pin. Immediately after that, Kane grins an evil grin, picks Jericho off the mat, and gives him a second Tombstone, resulting in a pin and Kane becoming interim-champion. Taker is a bit miffed, picks Jericho up, and gives him a THIRD tombstone, making Taker interim-champion again. Taker and Kane are about to square-off, when Orton makes his entrance, flanked by the other three members of “Legacy”. The ref attempts to throw them out, but Cody, TJ, and Harry surround the ring, distracting Taker and Kane enough to allow Orton to run-up from behind and catch Kane with an RKO. Taker turns to grab Orton, but Orton slinks back out of the ring again. Eventually, CARLITO AND PRIMO come out and attack “Legacy”, allowing Taker to Chokeslam Orton for another pin, while “Legacy” and Carlito-Primo brawl to the back. During this time, Jericho and Kane are recovering, which leads to Taker-Kane brawling with Jericho-Orton, with Taker and Kane dominating. Matt is the last man to make his entrance, and goes full-force on Taker and Kane, running back and forth between the two while delivering punches to both. The heels triple-team Taker and Kane, with all five eventually brawling to the outside. The ref is powerless to rule a count-out or disqualification, since the match has to go a certain time-limit, and allows pretty much anything to go. Matt uses a chair on both Taker and Kane, then runs into the ring to celebrate… where he is caught by an RKO, allowing Orton to get the pin. Taker gets back into the ring, where he hits Orton with another Tombstone, giving Taker the pin with only ten seconds left. However, Taker turns right into a Codebreaker, giving Jericho the pin and the WWE-Championship!
World: Cena and Batista start, with neither man really getting the advantage. Trips is next, and the three brawl, again, with no man getting the advantage. Shawn is fourth, going right after Trips while Cena and Batista brawl. Batista manages to get Cena down, and then runs across the ring to spear Shawn, but when Batista turns around, he gets hit with the Pedigree! Trips makes the cover, but then gets hit with the Attitude-Adjuster, giving Cena the pin. Cena’s celebration, however, is short-lived, as he turns around into a Super-Kick! Shawn is the interim-champion as Mvp makes his way to the ring. Mvp psyches himself up, and runs straight towards Shawn; he ducks Shawn’s Super-Kick, and then connects with a running Drive-By Kick! Mvp has just pinned Shawn! The rest of the match is a lot of Finisher-sequences, eventually leading to Shawn getting his pin back on Mvp. At the end, Shawn seems like he’ll be able to avoid everything, only to fall to a Pedigree at the very end. Trips is the World-Champion.
AUGUST 2009
RAW
Shawn wants his rematch for Trips’ title, which Trips is more than happy to give to him. The feud is built around their long history together.
Batista whines about how unfair the “Scramble” was, with Mvp telling him to stop whining.
Punk puts his MITB-contract on the line against both Show and Henry, winning both matches. This leads to the heels attacking and double-teaming him; Cena makes the save.
Shelton wants a shot at Kofi’s US-Championship.
SMACKDOWN
Taker and Kane go to war with Jericho and Matt.
Edge is pissed at not winning the MITB-contract, and makes a suggestion to Vickie: since Jericho is both the WWE- and IC-champion, she should strip Jericho of the IC-championship. Vickie runs with the idea (which of course causes friction between Edge and Jericho), and sets-up an eight-man tournament for the title, with the finals taking place at “Summerslam”. The first-round matches are:
- Edge/Burchill
- Umaga/Kozlov
- Rey/Kendrick
- Truth/Orton
Edge/Burchill - Burchill puts-up a surprising effort, getting several two-counts on Edge. Eventually, Edge goes outside the ring to threaten KatieLea, leading to Burchill chasing after him, before getting caught with a Spear when they both get back in the ring.
Umaga/Kozlov - Umaga wins.
Rey/Kendrick - Rey wins.
Truth/Orton - Harry accompanies Orton to the ring. Truth is doing well, until Harry trips him up, allowing Orton to hit the RKO.
Edge/Umaga - Umaga demolishes Edge for most of the match, but a ref-bump allows Kozlov to interfere and lay Umaga out, giving Edge the win.
Rey/Orton - Harry again accompanies Orton, but Truth accompanies Rey. During the match, Cody-Tj make their way out, leading to Carlito-Primo making their way out as well. A big brawl erupts at ring-side, with Kendrick-Ezekiel emerging through the chaos to lay Rey out, allowing Orton to the get the win.
This all leads to Edge/Orton for the vacant IC-Championship at “Summerslam”, a Rey/Kendrick feud, and an Umaga/Kozlov feud. In the mean-time, Carlito-Primo feud with Cody-Tj, with the faces considering the heels disgraces to their respective families’ legacies.
ECW
Christian and Jeff acknowledge their 1-1 record with each other, and decide to have the rubber-match at “Summerslam”… in a Ladder match!
Tyson picks a feud with Bourne, claiming that he [Tyson] is sick of hearing how Bourne is the new face of “ECW” and is turning the wrestling-world on its ear.
Swagger notices Gabriel dancing and having a good time in the back, and just can’t resist ruining the party by attacking him.
INTERFED
Vince signs a 6-way match for “Summerslam” featuring Kofi and Shelton from “Raw”, Rey and Kendrick from “Smackdown”, and Bourne and Tyson from “ECW”.
Vince also decides to sign a 10-man tag, featuring Cena, Punk, Show, and Henry from “Raw”, Truth, Umaga, Burchill, and Kozlov from “Smackdown”, and Gabriel and Swagger from “ECW”.
Shawn wants his rematch for Trips’ title, which Trips is more than happy to give to him. The feud is built around their long history together.
Batista whines about how unfair the “Scramble” was, with Mvp telling him to stop whining.
Punk puts his MITB-contract on the line against both Show and Henry, winning both matches. This leads to the heels attacking and double-teaming him; Cena makes the save.
Shelton wants a shot at Kofi’s US-Championship.
SMACKDOWN
Taker and Kane go to war with Jericho and Matt.
Edge is pissed at not winning the MITB-contract, and makes a suggestion to Vickie: since Jericho is both the WWE- and IC-champion, she should strip Jericho of the IC-championship. Vickie runs with the idea (which of course causes friction between Edge and Jericho), and sets-up an eight-man tournament for the title, with the finals taking place at “Summerslam”. The first-round matches are:
- Edge/Burchill
- Umaga/Kozlov
- Rey/Kendrick
- Truth/Orton
Edge/Burchill - Burchill puts-up a surprising effort, getting several two-counts on Edge. Eventually, Edge goes outside the ring to threaten KatieLea, leading to Burchill chasing after him, before getting caught with a Spear when they both get back in the ring.
Umaga/Kozlov - Umaga wins.
Rey/Kendrick - Rey wins.
Truth/Orton - Harry accompanies Orton to the ring. Truth is doing well, until Harry trips him up, allowing Orton to hit the RKO.
Edge/Umaga - Umaga demolishes Edge for most of the match, but a ref-bump allows Kozlov to interfere and lay Umaga out, giving Edge the win.
Rey/Orton - Harry again accompanies Orton, but Truth accompanies Rey. During the match, Cody-Tj make their way out, leading to Carlito-Primo making their way out as well. A big brawl erupts at ring-side, with Kendrick-Ezekiel emerging through the chaos to lay Rey out, allowing Orton to the get the win.
This all leads to Edge/Orton for the vacant IC-Championship at “Summerslam”, a Rey/Kendrick feud, and an Umaga/Kozlov feud. In the mean-time, Carlito-Primo feud with Cody-Tj, with the faces considering the heels disgraces to their respective families’ legacies.
ECW
Christian and Jeff acknowledge their 1-1 record with each other, and decide to have the rubber-match at “Summerslam”… in a Ladder match!
Tyson picks a feud with Bourne, claiming that he [Tyson] is sick of hearing how Bourne is the new face of “ECW” and is turning the wrestling-world on its ear.
Swagger notices Gabriel dancing and having a good time in the back, and just can’t resist ruining the party by attacking him.
INTERFED
Vince signs a 6-way match for “Summerslam” featuring Kofi and Shelton from “Raw”, Rey and Kendrick from “Smackdown”, and Bourne and Tyson from “ECW”.
Vince also decides to sign a 10-man tag, featuring Cena, Punk, Show, and Henry from “Raw”, Truth, Umaga, Burchill, and Kozlov from “Smackdown”, and Gabriel and Swagger from “ECW”.
Summerslam, 2009
S - WWE: JERICHO/Taker
R - Batista/Mvp
E - ECW, Ladder: CHRISTIAN/Jeff
R - World: TRIPS/Shawn
3 - Kofi/Shelton/Rey/Kendrick/Bourne/Tyson
S - IC: Edge/Orton
3 - Cena-Punk-Truth-Umaga-Gabriel/Show-Henry-Burchill-Kozlov-Swagger
///
10-man - The faces dominate most of the match, with Swagger ultimately just leaving the match in disgust. Punk pins Henry for the win.
Edge/Orton - Just before the match begins, Vickie announces that “Legacy” is barred from ring-side. Chavo, however, is not included in that stipulation, and manages to interfere in order to give Edge the win.
6-way - Wild free-for-all, with bodies flying everywhere. Bourne eventually hits the Shooting-Star on Rey for the win.
Trips/Shawn - Shawn gets a completely clean win over Trips.
Backstage: Edge and Cena are both at the catering table at the same time, and decide to fire a few jabs at each-other. Cena notices that Edge is “up to the same old tricks”, while Edge notes that Cena is now “curtain-jerking”. Cena says it’s a good thing that they’re on different rosters, with Edge adding “yeah, for you.”
Christian/Jeff - Jeff wins.
Batista/Mvp - Mvp.
Jericho/Taker - Matt attempts to interfere, but Kane stops that. Taker wins.
S - WWE: JERICHO/Taker
R - Batista/Mvp
E - ECW, Ladder: CHRISTIAN/Jeff
R - World: TRIPS/Shawn
3 - Kofi/Shelton/Rey/Kendrick/Bourne/Tyson
S - IC: Edge/Orton
3 - Cena-Punk-Truth-Umaga-Gabriel/Show-Henry-Burchill-Kozlov-Swagger
///
10-man - The faces dominate most of the match, with Swagger ultimately just leaving the match in disgust. Punk pins Henry for the win.
Edge/Orton - Just before the match begins, Vickie announces that “Legacy” is barred from ring-side. Chavo, however, is not included in that stipulation, and manages to interfere in order to give Edge the win.
6-way - Wild free-for-all, with bodies flying everywhere. Bourne eventually hits the Shooting-Star on Rey for the win.
Trips/Shawn - Shawn gets a completely clean win over Trips.
Backstage: Edge and Cena are both at the catering table at the same time, and decide to fire a few jabs at each-other. Cena notices that Edge is “up to the same old tricks”, while Edge notes that Cena is now “curtain-jerking”. Cena says it’s a good thing that they’re on different rosters, with Edge adding “yeah, for you.”
Christian/Jeff - Jeff wins.
Batista/Mvp - Mvp.
Jericho/Taker - Matt attempts to interfere, but Kane stops that. Taker wins.
SEPTEMBER 2009
RAW
Trips and Mvp feud with Shawn and Batista.
Kennedy mockingly congratulates Punk for his victory, and asserts that he deserves a shot at the MITB-contract, since his last one was “stolen” from him.
Kofi, wanting to impress Vince and the fans, reaffirms that he wants to be a fighting champion. Vince is impressed, and tells him he’ll keep some challengers in mind. In the mean-time, Shelton is sure to point-out that Kofi didn’t win at “Summerslam”; this leads to a short Kofi/Shelton feud, with Kofi retaining the US-Championship.
SMACKDOWN
Jericho-Matt continue their feud with Taker-Kane, with Jericho eventually getting a “Casket” match with Taker at “Unforgiven”.
Carlito-Primo get the best of their feud with Cody-Tj, and move on to challenge Kendrick-Ezekiel for the Tag-Championships.
Cena’s words at “Summerslam” have gotten under Edge’s skin, and he tells Vickie to sign a match between them. Vickie doesn’t have the power to do that, but she says she’ll speak with Vince. At the same time, Edge begins courting Kozlov and Burchill as potential stable-mates, claiming that he’s been impressed by them. Kozlov will work for whomever pays him, but Burchill is more naïve, wanting to continue doing things on his own; Edge mentions that the job comes with benefits, which intrigues Burchill.
ECW
Swagger wants another shot at the ECW-Championship, but Jeff responds that after his disgraceful actions at “Summerslam” (walking out of the match), he deserves nothing. Swagger counters that he’s in this business to be champion, and can’t be responsible if he gets teamed with a bunch of idiots. Long agrees that Swagger doesn’t deserve the match, but Jeff wants Long to sign it.
Gabriel wants to at least have a #1-contendors match with Swagger; Swagger wins that.
Tyson notes that, while Bourne won the match for his team, he didn’t do it by pinning him [Tyson]. Tyson boasts that anything Bourne can do, he can do better.
INTERFED
Vince asserts that he listens to the fans, and wants to really shake things up. He announces that, after speaking with Vickie and Long, he has signed two inter-brand matches for “Unforgiven”: Kofi from “Raw” will defend the US-Championship against Burchill from “Smackdown” and Tyson from “ECW”, and Edge will defend his IC-Championship against Cena from “Raw” and Bourne from “ECW”.
Trips and Mvp feud with Shawn and Batista.
Kennedy mockingly congratulates Punk for his victory, and asserts that he deserves a shot at the MITB-contract, since his last one was “stolen” from him.
Kofi, wanting to impress Vince and the fans, reaffirms that he wants to be a fighting champion. Vince is impressed, and tells him he’ll keep some challengers in mind. In the mean-time, Shelton is sure to point-out that Kofi didn’t win at “Summerslam”; this leads to a short Kofi/Shelton feud, with Kofi retaining the US-Championship.
SMACKDOWN
Jericho-Matt continue their feud with Taker-Kane, with Jericho eventually getting a “Casket” match with Taker at “Unforgiven”.
Carlito-Primo get the best of their feud with Cody-Tj, and move on to challenge Kendrick-Ezekiel for the Tag-Championships.
Cena’s words at “Summerslam” have gotten under Edge’s skin, and he tells Vickie to sign a match between them. Vickie doesn’t have the power to do that, but she says she’ll speak with Vince. At the same time, Edge begins courting Kozlov and Burchill as potential stable-mates, claiming that he’s been impressed by them. Kozlov will work for whomever pays him, but Burchill is more naïve, wanting to continue doing things on his own; Edge mentions that the job comes with benefits, which intrigues Burchill.
ECW
Swagger wants another shot at the ECW-Championship, but Jeff responds that after his disgraceful actions at “Summerslam” (walking out of the match), he deserves nothing. Swagger counters that he’s in this business to be champion, and can’t be responsible if he gets teamed with a bunch of idiots. Long agrees that Swagger doesn’t deserve the match, but Jeff wants Long to sign it.
Gabriel wants to at least have a #1-contendors match with Swagger; Swagger wins that.
Tyson notes that, while Bourne won the match for his team, he didn’t do it by pinning him [Tyson]. Tyson boasts that anything Bourne can do, he can do better.
INTERFED
Vince asserts that he listens to the fans, and wants to really shake things up. He announces that, after speaking with Vickie and Long, he has signed two inter-brand matches for “Unforgiven”: Kofi from “Raw” will defend the US-Championship against Burchill from “Smackdown” and Tyson from “ECW”, and Edge will defend his IC-Championship against Cena from “Raw” and Bourne from “ECW”.
Unforgiven, 2009
S - WWE, Casket: TAKER/Jericho
R - Trips-Mvp/Shawn-Batista
E - ECW: JEFF/Swagger
3 - IC: EDGE/Cena/Bourne
R - Punk/Kennedy
3 - US: KOFI/Burchill/Tyson
S - Tag: KENDRICK-EZEKIEL/Carlito-Primo
///
Kendrick-Ezekiel/Carlito-Primo - Kendrick-Ezekiel retain.
Kofi/Burchill/Tyson - Tyson seems to be on the verge of an upset, until Chavo sneaks out of the crowd and interferes, giving Burchill the win, and bringing the US-Championship back to “Smackdown”.
Punk/Kennedy - Punk.
Edge/Cena/Bourne - Bourne is able to play hit-and-run against both men, continually keeping them off balance and unable to grab him. Cena hits Edge with the Attitude-Adjuster, but when he goes to pin him, Bourne hits an SSP onto the both of them, then covers Cena; Cena kicks out, and the two stand-up. Edge goes to Spear Cena, but Cena moves out of the way, resulting in Bourne taking the hit; Cena then grabs Edge and hits a second Attitude-Adjuster for the win and the return of the IC-Championship to “Raw”.
Jeff/Swagger - Jeff.
Trips-Mvp/Shawn-Batista - Mvp pins Shawn.
Taker/Jericho - The casket used is an old-fashioned wooden one. Matt tries to interfere, but once again, Kane stops that. However, MIZ AND MORRISON run out, and the four heels manage to get both Taker AND Kane into the casket. From there, they nail the casket shut, roll it up the ramp, and throw it off the stage into a mess of electrical equipment, resulting in sparks flying and the casket erupting in flames. Stage-hands race to douse the flames. The show goes off the air with Jericho, Matt, Miz, and Morrison raising their arms in victory.
S - WWE, Casket: TAKER/Jericho
R - Trips-Mvp/Shawn-Batista
E - ECW: JEFF/Swagger
3 - IC: EDGE/Cena/Bourne
R - Punk/Kennedy
3 - US: KOFI/Burchill/Tyson
S - Tag: KENDRICK-EZEKIEL/Carlito-Primo
///
Kendrick-Ezekiel/Carlito-Primo - Kendrick-Ezekiel retain.
Kofi/Burchill/Tyson - Tyson seems to be on the verge of an upset, until Chavo sneaks out of the crowd and interferes, giving Burchill the win, and bringing the US-Championship back to “Smackdown”.
Punk/Kennedy - Punk.
Edge/Cena/Bourne - Bourne is able to play hit-and-run against both men, continually keeping them off balance and unable to grab him. Cena hits Edge with the Attitude-Adjuster, but when he goes to pin him, Bourne hits an SSP onto the both of them, then covers Cena; Cena kicks out, and the two stand-up. Edge goes to Spear Cena, but Cena moves out of the way, resulting in Bourne taking the hit; Cena then grabs Edge and hits a second Attitude-Adjuster for the win and the return of the IC-Championship to “Raw”.
Jeff/Swagger - Jeff.
Trips-Mvp/Shawn-Batista - Mvp pins Shawn.
Taker/Jericho - The casket used is an old-fashioned wooden one. Matt tries to interfere, but once again, Kane stops that. However, MIZ AND MORRISON run out, and the four heels manage to get both Taker AND Kane into the casket. From there, they nail the casket shut, roll it up the ramp, and throw it off the stage into a mess of electrical equipment, resulting in sparks flying and the casket erupting in flames. Stage-hands race to douse the flames. The show goes off the air with Jericho, Matt, Miz, and Morrison raising their arms in victory.
OCTOBER 2009
RAW
Mvp feels it is his time, and challenges Shawn for the World-Championship. Shawn completely disrespects Mvp, calling him “rookie”, and asserting that he is far too “green” to ever beat him.
Trips and Batista feud.
Shelton picks a feud with Cena; Kennedy continues to feud with Punk.
SMACKDOWN
Taker and Kane are both gone for now.
Edge is furious over losing the IC-Championship, so Vickie gives him a shot at Jericho’s WWE-Championship at “No Mercy”. Orton takes issue with the way Edge is continually handed title-shots, which Edge and Vickie deny. This causes some friction between Edge and Orton, and, by extension, their stables: Orton with “Legacy”, and Edge’s new version of “La Famiglia”, consisting of Chavo, Kozlov, and the new addition of Burchill, who accepted the offer after Chavo’s interference helped him to win the US-Championship.
The four-man team of Jericho, Matt, Miz, and Morrison christen themselves “Anastatica”, which is a type of plant known as “Resurrection Plant” and “Rose of Jericho”. He claims that “Smackdown” is currently in the midst of a rebirth - a resurrection - and that the four men in the ring are at the head of it. Jericho’s three underlings begin harassing Truth, Rey, and Umaga.
Kendrick’s ego is at an all-time high, and claims that there isn’t a man on Earth tough enough to beat big Zeke. Ezekiel issues an open-challenge to anybody that thinks they can take him on.
ECW
Long is very impressed with the showings of Bourne and Tyson at “Unforgiven”, and puts them in a #1-contendors match that night. Natalya pushes Bourne off the ropes, giving Tyson the win.
INTERFED
Both Show (“Raw”) and Khali (“ECW”) answer Ezekiel’s challenge.
Mvp feels it is his time, and challenges Shawn for the World-Championship. Shawn completely disrespects Mvp, calling him “rookie”, and asserting that he is far too “green” to ever beat him.
Trips and Batista feud.
Shelton picks a feud with Cena; Kennedy continues to feud with Punk.
SMACKDOWN
Taker and Kane are both gone for now.
Edge is furious over losing the IC-Championship, so Vickie gives him a shot at Jericho’s WWE-Championship at “No Mercy”. Orton takes issue with the way Edge is continually handed title-shots, which Edge and Vickie deny. This causes some friction between Edge and Orton, and, by extension, their stables: Orton with “Legacy”, and Edge’s new version of “La Famiglia”, consisting of Chavo, Kozlov, and the new addition of Burchill, who accepted the offer after Chavo’s interference helped him to win the US-Championship.
The four-man team of Jericho, Matt, Miz, and Morrison christen themselves “Anastatica”, which is a type of plant known as “Resurrection Plant” and “Rose of Jericho”. He claims that “Smackdown” is currently in the midst of a rebirth - a resurrection - and that the four men in the ring are at the head of it. Jericho’s three underlings begin harassing Truth, Rey, and Umaga.
Kendrick’s ego is at an all-time high, and claims that there isn’t a man on Earth tough enough to beat big Zeke. Ezekiel issues an open-challenge to anybody that thinks they can take him on.
ECW
Long is very impressed with the showings of Bourne and Tyson at “Unforgiven”, and puts them in a #1-contendors match that night. Natalya pushes Bourne off the ropes, giving Tyson the win.
INTERFED
Both Show (“Raw”) and Khali (“ECW”) answer Ezekiel’s challenge.
No Mercy, 2009
R - World: SHAWN/Mvp
S - WWE: JERICHO/Edge/Orton
R - Trips/Batista
E - ECW: JEFF/Tyson
S - Harry/Chavo
R - Cena-Punk/Shelton-Kennedy
3 - Show/Ezekiel/Khali
S - Truth-Rey-Umaga/Matt-Miz-Morrison
///
Truth-Rey-Umaga/Matt-Miz-Morrison - Morrison hits the Moonlight-Drive on Rey for the win.
Show/Ezekiel/Khali - Ezekiel beats both men down. After the match, Kendrick gets into the ring, and “pins” both Show and Khali, counting to three himself, before celebrating with Zeke.
Cena-Punk/Shelton-Kennedy - Punk pins Shelton.
Harry/Chavo - Harry wins.
Jeff/Tyson - Natalya tries to interfere, but Bourne won’t let that happen. Jeff retains.
Trips/Batista - Trips.
Jericho/Edge/Orton - “Anastatica”, “La Famiglia”, and “Legacy” all manage to make their ways down to the ring, and a huge brawl erupts. The ref throws the match out, and all twelve men brawl in the ring. BOOM, the ring-posts and staging area all erupt in flames, and Kane makes his way to the ring, carrying the big hook he used back for “See No Evil”. Kane clears the ring of everybody.
Shawn/Mvp - Mvp puts up an amazing fight, kicking out of a Super-Kick, and getting many near-falls on Shawn. It is all for naught, however, as Shawn uses a little misdirection, telling the ref to look up the ramp, to give Mvp a low-blow and hit a second Super-Kick for the win.
R - World: SHAWN/Mvp
S - WWE: JERICHO/Edge/Orton
R - Trips/Batista
E - ECW: JEFF/Tyson
S - Harry/Chavo
R - Cena-Punk/Shelton-Kennedy
3 - Show/Ezekiel/Khali
S - Truth-Rey-Umaga/Matt-Miz-Morrison
///
Truth-Rey-Umaga/Matt-Miz-Morrison - Morrison hits the Moonlight-Drive on Rey for the win.
Show/Ezekiel/Khali - Ezekiel beats both men down. After the match, Kendrick gets into the ring, and “pins” both Show and Khali, counting to three himself, before celebrating with Zeke.
Cena-Punk/Shelton-Kennedy - Punk pins Shelton.
Harry/Chavo - Harry wins.
Jeff/Tyson - Natalya tries to interfere, but Bourne won’t let that happen. Jeff retains.
Trips/Batista - Trips.
Jericho/Edge/Orton - “Anastatica”, “La Famiglia”, and “Legacy” all manage to make their ways down to the ring, and a huge brawl erupts. The ref throws the match out, and all twelve men brawl in the ring. BOOM, the ring-posts and staging area all erupt in flames, and Kane makes his way to the ring, carrying the big hook he used back for “See No Evil”. Kane clears the ring of everybody.
Shawn/Mvp - Mvp puts up an amazing fight, kicking out of a Super-Kick, and getting many near-falls on Shawn. It is all for naught, however, as Shawn uses a little misdirection, telling the ref to look up the ramp, to give Mvp a low-blow and hit a second Super-Kick for the win.
NOVEMBER 2009 (Part 1)
RAW
The Shawn/Mvp and Trips/Batista feuds continue.
Cena defends the IC-Championship against all-comers.
Regal picks a feud with Punk. Finlay, Ortiz, Helms, Ziggler, Ryder, and Knox are all given more TV-time, fighting amongst each other.
SMACKDOWN
Kane is out for blood against “Anastatica”, as well as anybody else that might get in his way - this includes “Legacy” and “La Famiglia”.
“La Famiglia” change their name to “Grand National”, due to the different regions they represent.
The Edge/Orton feud continues, with the fans voting on which match they want to see at “Cyber Sunday”: Edge vs. Orton, Burchill vs. Harry for Burchill’s US-Championship, or Chavo-Kozlov vs. Cody-Tj.
Kendrick-Ezekiel happen across Jesse-Festus backstage, with Kendrick insulting Festus, and Ezekiel sizing him up before quickly dismissing him as a non-issue. This leads to a tag-match where Festus manages to get the upper-hand and beat-down Zeke, but before Jesse-Festus can win, Kendrick rings the bell, allowing Zeke to destroy the now-catatonic Festus. Carlito-Primo and CrymeTyme make the save.
ECW
Jeff announces that, at “Cyber Sunday”, he will put his title on the line against anybody on the “ECW” roster.
INTERFED
At “Cyber Sunday”, all the divas will compete in the annual “Fulfill Your Fantasy” battle-royal, where fans will vote on their outfits.
The Shawn/Mvp and Trips/Batista feuds continue.
Cena defends the IC-Championship against all-comers.
Regal picks a feud with Punk. Finlay, Ortiz, Helms, Ziggler, Ryder, and Knox are all given more TV-time, fighting amongst each other.
SMACKDOWN
Kane is out for blood against “Anastatica”, as well as anybody else that might get in his way - this includes “Legacy” and “La Famiglia”.
“La Famiglia” change their name to “Grand National”, due to the different regions they represent.
The Edge/Orton feud continues, with the fans voting on which match they want to see at “Cyber Sunday”: Edge vs. Orton, Burchill vs. Harry for Burchill’s US-Championship, or Chavo-Kozlov vs. Cody-Tj.
Kendrick-Ezekiel happen across Jesse-Festus backstage, with Kendrick insulting Festus, and Ezekiel sizing him up before quickly dismissing him as a non-issue. This leads to a tag-match where Festus manages to get the upper-hand and beat-down Zeke, but before Jesse-Festus can win, Kendrick rings the bell, allowing Zeke to destroy the now-catatonic Festus. Carlito-Primo and CrymeTyme make the save.
ECW
Jeff announces that, at “Cyber Sunday”, he will put his title on the line against anybody on the “ECW” roster.
INTERFED
At “Cyber Sunday”, all the divas will compete in the annual “Fulfill Your Fantasy” battle-royal, where fans will vote on their outfits.
Cyber Sunday, 2009
S - WWE: JERICHO vs. Kane [First Blood, Hook-on-a-Pole, Inferno]
R - World: SHAWN vs. [Trips, Mvp, Batista]
E - ECW: JEFF vs. [Anyone on “ECW”]
R - IC: CENA vs. [Kofi, Shelton, Kennedy]
S - Pick the Match: [Edge/Orton, US: BURCHILL/Harry, Chavo-Kozlov/Cody-Tj]
R - Pick Their Partners: Punk & [Finlay, Ortiz, Helms] vs. Regal & [Ziggler, Ryder, Knox]
3 - Pick Their Outfits: Divas Battle Royal [Pick Their Outfits]
S - Tag: KENDRICK-EZEKIEL vs. [Carlito-Primo, Jesse-Festus, Jtg-Shad]
///
Kendrick-Ezekiel - If Jesse-Festus are picked, they win the Tag-Championships, with Festus able to out-muscle Zeke; if not, Kendrick-Ezekiel retain.
Divas - X
Punk/Regal - Punk pins Regal.
Legacy/Famiglia - The “Legacy” rep(s) will win.
IC - If Kofi is selected, he pulls off a big upset and beats Cena for the Championship, followed by the two men shaking hands; if not, Cena retains.
ECW - Jeff retains.
World - Mvp wins the championship if picked; otherwise, Shawn retains via cheating.
Jericho/Kane - The machines used for the “Inferno Match” are in place before the match begins, just incase it is picked; in addition, Jericho is wrestling in street-clothes, hoping it will help him a bit with the stipulations. No matter what match is picked, it will be No-DQ, which means that Jericho will be able to cheat all he wants. Jericho grabs a weapon, and continually beats on Kane; at this point, he either tries to drag Kane into the fire, or pins/bloodies him, THEN turns the flame-machines on and attempts to drag Kane into the fire. Before he can, however, the famous “gong!” rings out over the speakers, followed by complete darkness; when it comes back on, Kane has disappeared, and Jericho is on fire. Stage-hands douse him as quickly as possible. Jericho is screaming and writhing in agony, which prompts “Anastatica” (in street-clothes) to run to the ring to check on him. The “gong!” sounds again, and again, darkness; this time, when the lights come back on, Matt, Miz, and Morrison are ALL on fire! Again, stage-hands douse them as quickly as possible. Four stretchers are raced to the ring, and as all four men are being loaded onto them, Taker appears on the Tron: “Let this serve as a warning. Rest. In. Peace.” The show goes off the air with the arena bathed in purple light, and Taker’s “Funeral March” playing over the speakers.
S - WWE: JERICHO vs. Kane [First Blood, Hook-on-a-Pole, Inferno]
R - World: SHAWN vs. [Trips, Mvp, Batista]
E - ECW: JEFF vs. [Anyone on “ECW”]
R - IC: CENA vs. [Kofi, Shelton, Kennedy]
S - Pick the Match: [Edge/Orton, US: BURCHILL/Harry, Chavo-Kozlov/Cody-Tj]
R - Pick Their Partners: Punk & [Finlay, Ortiz, Helms] vs. Regal & [Ziggler, Ryder, Knox]
3 - Pick Their Outfits: Divas Battle Royal [Pick Their Outfits]
S - Tag: KENDRICK-EZEKIEL vs. [Carlito-Primo, Jesse-Festus, Jtg-Shad]
///
Kendrick-Ezekiel - If Jesse-Festus are picked, they win the Tag-Championships, with Festus able to out-muscle Zeke; if not, Kendrick-Ezekiel retain.
Divas - X
Punk/Regal - Punk pins Regal.
Legacy/Famiglia - The “Legacy” rep(s) will win.
IC - If Kofi is selected, he pulls off a big upset and beats Cena for the Championship, followed by the two men shaking hands; if not, Cena retains.
ECW - Jeff retains.
World - Mvp wins the championship if picked; otherwise, Shawn retains via cheating.
Jericho/Kane - The machines used for the “Inferno Match” are in place before the match begins, just incase it is picked; in addition, Jericho is wrestling in street-clothes, hoping it will help him a bit with the stipulations. No matter what match is picked, it will be No-DQ, which means that Jericho will be able to cheat all he wants. Jericho grabs a weapon, and continually beats on Kane; at this point, he either tries to drag Kane into the fire, or pins/bloodies him, THEN turns the flame-machines on and attempts to drag Kane into the fire. Before he can, however, the famous “gong!” rings out over the speakers, followed by complete darkness; when it comes back on, Kane has disappeared, and Jericho is on fire. Stage-hands douse him as quickly as possible. Jericho is screaming and writhing in agony, which prompts “Anastatica” (in street-clothes) to run to the ring to check on him. The “gong!” sounds again, and again, darkness; this time, when the lights come back on, Matt, Miz, and Morrison are ALL on fire! Again, stage-hands douse them as quickly as possible. Four stretchers are raced to the ring, and as all four men are being loaded onto them, Taker appears on the Tron: “Let this serve as a warning. Rest. In. Peace.” The show goes off the air with the arena bathed in purple light, and Taker’s “Funeral March” playing over the speakers.
NOVEMBER 2009 (Part 2)
RAW
If Mvp was not chosen to face Shawn at “Cyber Sunday”, they build a big “Raw” main-event between the two, with Mvp winning the title cleanly. Shawn is embarrassed.
Likewise, if Kofi was not selected to face Cena at “Cyber Sunday”, they will have a match on “Raw”, with Kofi winning the title cleanly. Show, Henry, Regal, and Knox all want shots at Kofi’s IC-title.
Trips and Batista continue to feud. Kennedy and Shelton continue to harass Cena and Punk.
Ziggler and Ryder begin to team-up, feeling that they’re better - and better looking - than everyone else. They begin to harass Beth, calling her “manly” and such, only for Santino to defend her honor. Ziggler-Ryder feel they’re both jokes, referencing the whole “Santina” debacle, and don’t take their threats seriously. This prompts Beth to ask Vince if she can compete against them; Vince allows it, and Santino, while not being thrilled with the idea, accepts it and supports her.
SMACKDOWN
If the BURCHILL/Harry match was not selected at “Cyber Sunday”, they have a match on “Smackdown”, in which Harry wins the US-Championship.
The “Legacy”/”GrandNational” feud continues, with it being clear that both Edge and Orton are simply two egotists that just can’t stand each other - they both feel they deserve to be the centerpiece of “Smackdown”, with Orton claiming that he’s always had a problem with “people marrying into power”, and Edge claiming that he was a multi-time champion even before he and Vickie began dating. Both sides attempt to come to their leaders’ defense, arguing over the number of titles each won, their win-loss records against the same opponents, and any other trivial matter they can think of.
Taker uses his mystical powers to threaten “Anastatica”. Jericho gets fed-up with his “magic tricks”, and demands that Taker show himself. Vickie announces that, at “Survivor Series”, Taker will return to captain a 4-man team against “Anastatica”… and that the captain of the winning team will become the WWE-Champion!
Kendrick-Ezekiel are on a mission to destroy Jesse-Festus, attacking them backstage while Festus is in his catatonic state. Jesse will be out with injuries for a while; Truth steps-up to help Festus.
ECW
Jeff, Christian, Bourne, Swagger, and Tyson are all feuding with each other; Gabriel, Sim, and Noble pick sides. Long announces that these eight men will compete in an elimination-tag match at “Survivor Series”, and that as far as who is going to get the next title-shot, “let’s just see what happens at ‘Survivor Series’ first.”
Khali is pissed that he didn’t win the ECW-championship (or get picked) at “Cyber Sunday”, and attacks Yang out of frustration. Yang, however, does not take it lying down, and over the next few weeks, uses hit-and-run techniques to frustrate Khali.
INTERFED
There will be a 10-man tag featuring all three brands, featuring Beth, Santino, Ziggler, and Ryder from “Raw”, Truth, Festus, Kendrick, and Ezekiel from “Smackdown”, and Yang and Khali from “ECW”.
If Mvp was not chosen to face Shawn at “Cyber Sunday”, they build a big “Raw” main-event between the two, with Mvp winning the title cleanly. Shawn is embarrassed.
Likewise, if Kofi was not selected to face Cena at “Cyber Sunday”, they will have a match on “Raw”, with Kofi winning the title cleanly. Show, Henry, Regal, and Knox all want shots at Kofi’s IC-title.
Trips and Batista continue to feud. Kennedy and Shelton continue to harass Cena and Punk.
Ziggler and Ryder begin to team-up, feeling that they’re better - and better looking - than everyone else. They begin to harass Beth, calling her “manly” and such, only for Santino to defend her honor. Ziggler-Ryder feel they’re both jokes, referencing the whole “Santina” debacle, and don’t take their threats seriously. This prompts Beth to ask Vince if she can compete against them; Vince allows it, and Santino, while not being thrilled with the idea, accepts it and supports her.
SMACKDOWN
If the BURCHILL/Harry match was not selected at “Cyber Sunday”, they have a match on “Smackdown”, in which Harry wins the US-Championship.
The “Legacy”/”GrandNational” feud continues, with it being clear that both Edge and Orton are simply two egotists that just can’t stand each other - they both feel they deserve to be the centerpiece of “Smackdown”, with Orton claiming that he’s always had a problem with “people marrying into power”, and Edge claiming that he was a multi-time champion even before he and Vickie began dating. Both sides attempt to come to their leaders’ defense, arguing over the number of titles each won, their win-loss records against the same opponents, and any other trivial matter they can think of.
Taker uses his mystical powers to threaten “Anastatica”. Jericho gets fed-up with his “magic tricks”, and demands that Taker show himself. Vickie announces that, at “Survivor Series”, Taker will return to captain a 4-man team against “Anastatica”… and that the captain of the winning team will become the WWE-Champion!
Kendrick-Ezekiel are on a mission to destroy Jesse-Festus, attacking them backstage while Festus is in his catatonic state. Jesse will be out with injuries for a while; Truth steps-up to help Festus.
ECW
Jeff, Christian, Bourne, Swagger, and Tyson are all feuding with each other; Gabriel, Sim, and Noble pick sides. Long announces that these eight men will compete in an elimination-tag match at “Survivor Series”, and that as far as who is going to get the next title-shot, “let’s just see what happens at ‘Survivor Series’ first.”
Khali is pissed that he didn’t win the ECW-championship (or get picked) at “Cyber Sunday”, and attacks Yang out of frustration. Yang, however, does not take it lying down, and over the next few weeks, uses hit-and-run techniques to frustrate Khali.
INTERFED
There will be a 10-man tag featuring all three brands, featuring Beth, Santino, Ziggler, and Ryder from “Raw”, Truth, Festus, Kendrick, and Ezekiel from “Smackdown”, and Yang and Khali from “ECW”.
“Survivor Series, 2009”
S - WWE: Taker-Kane-Rey-Umaga/JERICHO-Matt-Miz-Morrison
R - Mvp-Trips-Cena-Punk/Shawn-Batista-Kennedy-Shelton
E - Jeff-Christian-Bourne-Gabriel/Swagger-Tyson-Sim-Noble
S - Edge-Kozlov-Chavo-Burchill/Orton-Cody-Tj-Harry
R - Kofi-Finlay-Helms-Ortiz/Show-Henry-Regal-Knox
3 - Beth-Santino-Truth-Festus-Yang/Ziggler-Ryder-Kendrick-Ezekiel-Khali
///
10-man - Beth quickly eliminates Ryder, and Santino eliminates Ziggler. Khali gets in the ring and Brain-Chops Santino, pinning him. Beth gets back in the ring, and gets right in Khali’s face, shoving him in his chest; Khali isn’t sure what to do, and tags-in Ezekiel. Beth begins shoving Ezekiel, while the announcers concede that, while Beth’s guts are commendable, she’s definitely over-matched; Santino gets back into the ring, and tries to talk Beth out of competing, but she argues with he and the ref. Meanwhile, Kendrick secretly tags-in, positions himself behind Beth, and rolls her up for the pin. Beth is flabbergasted, while Kendrick mockingly waves good-bye to her; before she leaves, Beth delivers a knock-out punch to Kendrick, which allows Truth to run-in and pin Kendrick. Ezekiel is angry, and wastes no time in eliminating Truth. Festus finally gets into the ring, and knocks Zeke to the outside. Khali gets into the ring, but he, too, is knocked out of the ring by Festus. At this point, Festus is going nuts, screaming and pacing back and forth… that is, until Ezekiel rings the bell, putting Festus into his comatose state. Ezekiel runs in and quickly pins Festus, before dumping Festus outside of the ring. Yang realizes the odds are against him, and tries some hit-and-run offense, but gets caught by Zeke. Zeke lifts Yang over his head, and tosses him out of the ring, towards the time-keeper; Yang rings the bell, which awakens Festus, who then runs into the ring and begins beating the crap out of Zeke. The ref tries to stop it, but Festus and Zeke end-up brawling all the way to the back, resulting in Zeke getting counted out. Yang uses his speed to keep Khali off-balance. Yang runs in and out of the ring, leading to Yang being able to trip Khali while he’s getting into the ring; Khali bangs his head on the mat, which allows Yang to hit a quick Moonsault and score the win.
Survivor: Yang
Kofi/Show - Henry eliminates Ortiz, Finlay eliminates Henry (using Hornswoggle to distract the ref and slide the shillelagh in). Knox grabs a hold of Hornswoggle, allowing Regal to eliminate Finlay. Helms eliminates Regal, and Kofi eliminates Knox. Kofi and Helms take turns on Show, but Show manages to Chokeslam Helms for the pin. Kofi does his best against Show, but while attempting a spring-board, Kofi gets caught in a Chokeslam.
Survivor: Show
Edge/Orton - Harry eliminates Chavo quickly. Kozlov eliminates Cody, but an RKO out of nowhere eliminates Kozlov. A Spear from Edge is enough to eliminate Tj, but Harry quickly jumps into the ring and hits Edge with the Running-Powerslam for the pin. Burchill whips Harry into the ropes, and catches him with the C4 as he bounces back, eliminating him. Orton and Burchill square off, with Burchill grabbing Orton for the C4; however, Orton pushes him off and hits the RKO for the pin.
Survivor: Orton
ECW - Gabriel eliminates Noble. Christian hits the “Kill-Switch” on Sim for the pin. Tyson eliminates Gabriel. Things spill to the outside, with Christian diving over the ropes onto Tyson and Swagger. The ref starts counting to ten, with Christian rolling into the ring and tagging Jeff; Tyson and Swagger are up around the count of four, which prompts Jeff to dive over the ropes onto them. The ref continues counting as Jeff rolls into the ring and tags Bourne; again, Tyson and Swagger manage to get to their feet, this time around the count of eight, and now BOURNE dives over the ropes onto them. Bourne rolls back into the ring, and Swagger and Tyson are counted out. The faces celebrate while the heels angrily storm to the back.
Survivors: Jeff, Christian, Bourne
Mvp/Shawn - Right from the start, Batista makes himself into a major nuisance, constantly running into the ring, distracting the ref, delivering cheap-shots from the outside, etc. Shelton and Cena are squaring off, but a knee in the back from Batista distracts Cena, allowing Shelton to hit “Pay-Dirt”, eliminating Cena. Likewise, while Trips and Kennedy are squaring off, Batista trips Trips while Trips is bouncing off the ropes, and when Trips turns around, he gets hit with the “Mic-Check”, eliminating Trips. Trips is less accepting of Batista’s antics, and as Batista gets into the ring, Trips grabs the sledge-hammer from under the ring, and slams Batista in the head with it, sending him through the ropes and onto the floor. Batista is counted out. Mvp eliminates Kennedy, and Punk eliminates Shelton. Punk hits the “Go-To-Sleep” on Shawn, but Shawn kicks out; Shawn comes back with a Super-Kick, though, giving Shawn the pin. Mvp and Shawn square off, with Shawn eventually getting a Super-Kick out of nowhere. Mvp kicks out, but a second Super-Kick does the trick.
Survivor: Shawn
Taker/Jericho - Jericho tries to avoid Taker at all costs, tagging-out whenever Taker tags in. Miz and Morrison manage to double-team Umaga for the elimination, and Matt catches a quick “Twist-of-Fate” on Rey to eliminate him. The heels cheat with double- and triple-teams, but that catches up with them when Taker catches Miz and Morrison in a double-Chokeslam; he pins one and then the other. Matt shows no fear in fighting Taker, but gets caught with a “Tombstone” to be eliminated. Taker tags Kane, with Kane taking it to Jericho, until a low-blow into a “Lionsault” eliminates Kane. Taker and Jericho go at it, with Jericho using every trick he can think of, including going for a “Code-Breaker”, only to switch that into a “Hell’s-Gate”; Taker fights against the hold, eventually standing-up with Jericho on his shoulders, allowing Taker to hit the “Last-Ride”. Jericho shockingly kicks out, but a “Tombstone” does the trick. Taker wins the match and the WWE-Championship.
Survivor: Taker
S - WWE: Taker-Kane-Rey-Umaga/JERICHO-Matt-Miz-Morrison
R - Mvp-Trips-Cena-Punk/Shawn-Batista-Kennedy-Shelton
E - Jeff-Christian-Bourne-Gabriel/Swagger-Tyson-Sim-Noble
S - Edge-Kozlov-Chavo-Burchill/Orton-Cody-Tj-Harry
R - Kofi-Finlay-Helms-Ortiz/Show-Henry-Regal-Knox
3 - Beth-Santino-Truth-Festus-Yang/Ziggler-Ryder-Kendrick-Ezekiel-Khali
///
10-man - Beth quickly eliminates Ryder, and Santino eliminates Ziggler. Khali gets in the ring and Brain-Chops Santino, pinning him. Beth gets back in the ring, and gets right in Khali’s face, shoving him in his chest; Khali isn’t sure what to do, and tags-in Ezekiel. Beth begins shoving Ezekiel, while the announcers concede that, while Beth’s guts are commendable, she’s definitely over-matched; Santino gets back into the ring, and tries to talk Beth out of competing, but she argues with he and the ref. Meanwhile, Kendrick secretly tags-in, positions himself behind Beth, and rolls her up for the pin. Beth is flabbergasted, while Kendrick mockingly waves good-bye to her; before she leaves, Beth delivers a knock-out punch to Kendrick, which allows Truth to run-in and pin Kendrick. Ezekiel is angry, and wastes no time in eliminating Truth. Festus finally gets into the ring, and knocks Zeke to the outside. Khali gets into the ring, but he, too, is knocked out of the ring by Festus. At this point, Festus is going nuts, screaming and pacing back and forth… that is, until Ezekiel rings the bell, putting Festus into his comatose state. Ezekiel runs in and quickly pins Festus, before dumping Festus outside of the ring. Yang realizes the odds are against him, and tries some hit-and-run offense, but gets caught by Zeke. Zeke lifts Yang over his head, and tosses him out of the ring, towards the time-keeper; Yang rings the bell, which awakens Festus, who then runs into the ring and begins beating the crap out of Zeke. The ref tries to stop it, but Festus and Zeke end-up brawling all the way to the back, resulting in Zeke getting counted out. Yang uses his speed to keep Khali off-balance. Yang runs in and out of the ring, leading to Yang being able to trip Khali while he’s getting into the ring; Khali bangs his head on the mat, which allows Yang to hit a quick Moonsault and score the win.
Survivor: Yang
Kofi/Show - Henry eliminates Ortiz, Finlay eliminates Henry (using Hornswoggle to distract the ref and slide the shillelagh in). Knox grabs a hold of Hornswoggle, allowing Regal to eliminate Finlay. Helms eliminates Regal, and Kofi eliminates Knox. Kofi and Helms take turns on Show, but Show manages to Chokeslam Helms for the pin. Kofi does his best against Show, but while attempting a spring-board, Kofi gets caught in a Chokeslam.
Survivor: Show
Edge/Orton - Harry eliminates Chavo quickly. Kozlov eliminates Cody, but an RKO out of nowhere eliminates Kozlov. A Spear from Edge is enough to eliminate Tj, but Harry quickly jumps into the ring and hits Edge with the Running-Powerslam for the pin. Burchill whips Harry into the ropes, and catches him with the C4 as he bounces back, eliminating him. Orton and Burchill square off, with Burchill grabbing Orton for the C4; however, Orton pushes him off and hits the RKO for the pin.
Survivor: Orton
ECW - Gabriel eliminates Noble. Christian hits the “Kill-Switch” on Sim for the pin. Tyson eliminates Gabriel. Things spill to the outside, with Christian diving over the ropes onto Tyson and Swagger. The ref starts counting to ten, with Christian rolling into the ring and tagging Jeff; Tyson and Swagger are up around the count of four, which prompts Jeff to dive over the ropes onto them. The ref continues counting as Jeff rolls into the ring and tags Bourne; again, Tyson and Swagger manage to get to their feet, this time around the count of eight, and now BOURNE dives over the ropes onto them. Bourne rolls back into the ring, and Swagger and Tyson are counted out. The faces celebrate while the heels angrily storm to the back.
Survivors: Jeff, Christian, Bourne
Mvp/Shawn - Right from the start, Batista makes himself into a major nuisance, constantly running into the ring, distracting the ref, delivering cheap-shots from the outside, etc. Shelton and Cena are squaring off, but a knee in the back from Batista distracts Cena, allowing Shelton to hit “Pay-Dirt”, eliminating Cena. Likewise, while Trips and Kennedy are squaring off, Batista trips Trips while Trips is bouncing off the ropes, and when Trips turns around, he gets hit with the “Mic-Check”, eliminating Trips. Trips is less accepting of Batista’s antics, and as Batista gets into the ring, Trips grabs the sledge-hammer from under the ring, and slams Batista in the head with it, sending him through the ropes and onto the floor. Batista is counted out. Mvp eliminates Kennedy, and Punk eliminates Shelton. Punk hits the “Go-To-Sleep” on Shawn, but Shawn kicks out; Shawn comes back with a Super-Kick, though, giving Shawn the pin. Mvp and Shawn square off, with Shawn eventually getting a Super-Kick out of nowhere. Mvp kicks out, but a second Super-Kick does the trick.
Survivor: Shawn
Taker/Jericho - Jericho tries to avoid Taker at all costs, tagging-out whenever Taker tags in. Miz and Morrison manage to double-team Umaga for the elimination, and Matt catches a quick “Twist-of-Fate” on Rey to eliminate him. The heels cheat with double- and triple-teams, but that catches up with them when Taker catches Miz and Morrison in a double-Chokeslam; he pins one and then the other. Matt shows no fear in fighting Taker, but gets caught with a “Tombstone” to be eliminated. Taker tags Kane, with Kane taking it to Jericho, until a low-blow into a “Lionsault” eliminates Kane. Taker and Jericho go at it, with Jericho using every trick he can think of, including going for a “Code-Breaker”, only to switch that into a “Hell’s-Gate”; Taker fights against the hold, eventually standing-up with Jericho on his shoulders, allowing Taker to hit the “Last-Ride”. Jericho shockingly kicks out, but a “Tombstone” does the trick. Taker wins the match and the WWE-Championship.
Survivor: Taker
DECEMBER 2009
RAW
Shawn wants his rematch for Mvp’s World-Championship, which Mvp gladly accepts.
Trips, Cena, and Punk continue to feud with Batista, Shelton, and Kennedy. They interfere in each others’ matches, attack each other backstage, etc. Vince has enough, and makes an “Elimination Chamber” match for them at “Armageddon”.
Ziggler-Ryder continue to hound Beth-Santino.
SMACKDOWN
Vickie announces that she has set-up a 20-man Battle-Royal to determine a #1-contendor to Taker’s WWE-Championship, with the winner getting that shot at “Armageddon”. Jericho, Orton, and Edge all take exception to this, as Jericho feels that he deserves an automatic rematch, Orton feels that his win at “Survivor Series” should have been enough to earn him a shot, and Edge feels he’s just automatically entitled to one. All members of “Anastatica”, “Legacy”, and “Grand-National” will be involved in the Battle-Royal. During the Battle-Royal, the members of all three competing stables end-up eliminating each other, with the exception of Jericho; Jericho and Rey are the last two men, with Rey eventually eliminating Jericho to get the win.
The three heel factions continue to be unable to coexist, so Vickie makes another announcement. At “Armageddon”, we will have a unique take on the “Elimination Chamber” match, featuring nine men. Matt, Harry, and Burchill will compete as individual entrants, with the tag-teams of Miz-Morrison, Cody-Tj, and Chavo-Kozlov occupying the other three slots; what this means is that a tag-team could either end-up starting the match together, or they could be locked in a pod together. This leads to several immature insults, like that Miz-Morrison and Cody-Tj already spend lots of time locked together in close proximity, or that Chavo should watch-out for Kozlov’s bad gas. In addition, Edge, Orton, and Jericho will all be barred from ring-side.
Truth-Festus are scheduled to defend their tag-titles against Kendrick-Ezekiel on an episode of “Smackdown”, but Truth is attacked before the match, with “CrymeTyme” looking on in concern for their friend. Truth valiantly tries to make it through the match, but ends-up getting pinned by Ezekiel. After the match, Kendrick-Zeke attempt to destroy both men, but “CrymeTyme” runs out for the save. At a later time, Kendrick encounters Rey backstage, bragging about his domination, and challenges Rey to a match; Rey wins the match, but Ezekiel attacks him after the bell, prompting the Colons to make the save. This leads to a 3-way at “Armageddon”, with Kendrick-Ezekiel defending against “CrymeTyme” and Carlito-Primo.
ECW
Long decides that, due to being the survivors of their matches at “Survivor Series”, Christian, Bourne, and Yang will all get a shot at Jeff’s ECW-Championship at “Armageddon”. Swagger and Tyson protest, arguing that they were never pinned at “Survivor Series”, and that the faces were simply looking for a “cheap” victory - “you wouldn’t let us in the ring, because you know you would have lost.” Long takes the opportunity to make an “Elimination Chamber” match for “Armageddon”, with Jeff’s ECW-Championship on the line.
Shawn wants his rematch for Mvp’s World-Championship, which Mvp gladly accepts.
Trips, Cena, and Punk continue to feud with Batista, Shelton, and Kennedy. They interfere in each others’ matches, attack each other backstage, etc. Vince has enough, and makes an “Elimination Chamber” match for them at “Armageddon”.
Ziggler-Ryder continue to hound Beth-Santino.
SMACKDOWN
Vickie announces that she has set-up a 20-man Battle-Royal to determine a #1-contendor to Taker’s WWE-Championship, with the winner getting that shot at “Armageddon”. Jericho, Orton, and Edge all take exception to this, as Jericho feels that he deserves an automatic rematch, Orton feels that his win at “Survivor Series” should have been enough to earn him a shot, and Edge feels he’s just automatically entitled to one. All members of “Anastatica”, “Legacy”, and “Grand-National” will be involved in the Battle-Royal. During the Battle-Royal, the members of all three competing stables end-up eliminating each other, with the exception of Jericho; Jericho and Rey are the last two men, with Rey eventually eliminating Jericho to get the win.
The three heel factions continue to be unable to coexist, so Vickie makes another announcement. At “Armageddon”, we will have a unique take on the “Elimination Chamber” match, featuring nine men. Matt, Harry, and Burchill will compete as individual entrants, with the tag-teams of Miz-Morrison, Cody-Tj, and Chavo-Kozlov occupying the other three slots; what this means is that a tag-team could either end-up starting the match together, or they could be locked in a pod together. This leads to several immature insults, like that Miz-Morrison and Cody-Tj already spend lots of time locked together in close proximity, or that Chavo should watch-out for Kozlov’s bad gas. In addition, Edge, Orton, and Jericho will all be barred from ring-side.
Truth-Festus are scheduled to defend their tag-titles against Kendrick-Ezekiel on an episode of “Smackdown”, but Truth is attacked before the match, with “CrymeTyme” looking on in concern for their friend. Truth valiantly tries to make it through the match, but ends-up getting pinned by Ezekiel. After the match, Kendrick-Zeke attempt to destroy both men, but “CrymeTyme” runs out for the save. At a later time, Kendrick encounters Rey backstage, bragging about his domination, and challenges Rey to a match; Rey wins the match, but Ezekiel attacks him after the bell, prompting the Colons to make the save. This leads to a 3-way at “Armageddon”, with Kendrick-Ezekiel defending against “CrymeTyme” and Carlito-Primo.
ECW
Long decides that, due to being the survivors of their matches at “Survivor Series”, Christian, Bourne, and Yang will all get a shot at Jeff’s ECW-Championship at “Armageddon”. Swagger and Tyson protest, arguing that they were never pinned at “Survivor Series”, and that the faces were simply looking for a “cheap” victory - “you wouldn’t let us in the ring, because you know you would have lost.” Long takes the opportunity to make an “Elimination Chamber” match for “Armageddon”, with Jeff’s ECW-Championship on the line.
Armageddon, 2009
E - ECW, Elim-Cham: JEFF/Christian/Bourne/Swagger/Tyson/Yang
R - World: MVP/Shawn
S - Tag: KENDRICK-EZEKIEL/Carlito-Primo/Jtg-Shad
R - Elim-Cham: Trips/Cena/Punk/Batista/Shelton/Kennedy
S - WWE: TAKER/Rey
R - Beth-Santino/Ziggler-Ryder
S - Elim-Cham, #1: Matt/Harry/Burchill/Miz-Morrison/Cody-Tj/Chavo-Kozlov
///
“SD” Elim-Cham - This year, the “Elimination Chamber” is held closed with a pad-lock, which the refs must unlock every time they want to open the door. Cody-Tj and Chavo-Kozlov are the first in, with the four pods containing Matt, Harry, Burchill, and the Miz-Morrison team. The two teams are pretty evenly matched, though Cody-Tj concentrate more on taking Kozlov down than Chavo. Matt is the next in, and, despite being out-numbered, goes full-force on anything that moves. He manages to get everyone down for a second, but is soon quadruple-teamed; once Matt is sufficiently beaten down, the two teams go back to working on each other. Harry is the next in, helping his team-mates against Cody-Tj, and then concentrating on Matt. Burchill is the next in, and he manages to make quite the showing; he takes Tj down with a “C4”, and then hits Cody with a “C4” on TOP of Tj. He pins and eliminates both. The three “GrandNational” members surround Matt and Harry; Matt and Harry actually manage to fight them off, but Harry grabs Matt, and hits a Running-Powerslam to eliminate him. Harry’s celebration is short-lived, however, as he catches a hard kick in the stomack from Kozlov, followed by a Frog-Splash by Chavo, eliminating him. The clock ticks down, and Miz-Morrison make their way into the match. Miz goes right after Burchill, while Morrison uses hit-and-run techniques to keep Chavo and Kozlov off balance. As Morrison has Kozlov down, he runs across the ring and delivers the “Moonlight-Drive” to Burchill, allowing Miz to pin and eliminate him. We’re down to Miz-Morrison against Chavo-Kozlov. Miz brawls with Chavo, while Kozlov beats Morrison down. Eventually, Miz hits Chavo with the “Mizard of Oz” to win the match! Kozlov looks on in disbelief, but Vickie makes her way out to announce that this match is conducted under elimination-rules, and that just because Chavo was eliminated, that doesn’t mean that Kozlov is eliminated, also. The match restarts, and Kozlov laughs menacingly… for a few moments, before Morrison surprises him with a spring-board roundhouse to get the win.
Beth-Santino/Ziggler-Ryder - Beth pins Ryder.
Taker/Rey - They shake hands before the match. Rey fights his heart out, managing to flip and flop his way out of the “Tombstone” and “Last-Ride”, but even Rey’s biggest offensive moves can’t stop Taker. Miz and Morrison make their way out to the ring, which prompts Kane and Umaga to come out and fight them off; Matt jumps out of the crowd and decks the ref, which prompts Taker and Rey to beat him down. Amidst all the confusion, JERICHO jumps out a different section of the crowd, hits Rey and Taker with a chair, drapes Rey on top of Taker, and wakes the ref. The ref is groggy, but counts the 1-2-3. Rey is the new WWE-Champion. “Anastatica” high-tail it out of there. Rey is obviously upset at the way he won the title, but Taker extends his hand. The two men shake, and Taker leaves to allow Rey the spot-light.
“Raw” Elim-Cham - Punk and Kennedy begin; they are evenly matched, with Punk having the advantage when the buzzer sounds. Batista is the next in, running across the ring in an attempt to Spear Punk; Punk, however, jumps over Batista, resulting in Batista Spearing Kennedy! Batista doesn’t really care, but as soon as he turns around, Punk lifts him for the “Go-To-Sleep”, nails the move, and gets the pin on Batista! Batista has been eliminated in a matter of seconds! Batista, of course, is furious, and nails Punk with a Clothes-line before leaving the Chamber. Kennedy takes the opportunity to cover the downed Punk, but Punk kicks out. The two go back and forth until Cena makes his way in. Cena and Punk take turns pounding on Kennedy, until Punk tries to surprise Cena with the “Go-To-Sleep”; Cena wriggles out of the hold, and Punk gives him a knowing shrug. The two begin to go at it, with Cena obviously having the strength advantage, but Punk making up for it with his speed and strikes. Kennedy takes the opportunity to just hang-back and let his opponents take each other out, but the faces take notice, and turn their attention back towards him. Shelton is the next in, and goes after the faces; Shelton brawls with Punk as Cena brawls with Kennedy on the outer part of the Chamber. Kennedy whips Cena into Trips’ pod, with Kennedy mockingly waving “hello” at Trips; however, Cena is able to get Kennedy up into the “Attitude-Adjuster”, slamming him down onto the metal floor, and eliminating him. Trips mockingly waves “good-bye” to Kennedy. Cena goes over to join the Punk/Shelton brawl, but Shelton manages to whip Punk into Cena, causing them to both fall to the metal ground; Shelton follows this up by splashing both men. Shelton is feeling great until the buzzer sounds, and Trips makes his way into the match. Shelton tries to intimidate Trips, but Trips simply kicks him, “Pedigrees” him, eliminates him. Cena and Punk make their way to their feet, and the three faces circle around each other. The match is conducted as a normal 3-way, with very little 2-on-1 action; each man is in it to win it. Batista, still in a rage from his quick elimination, makes his way to the Chamber, and wants to get involved; he attempts to rip open the door, but is unable to. Batista then tries to bully the ref into giving him the keys, but Kofi, Finlay, Ortiz, and Helms come out to chase him off. Inside the ring, Cena hits the “Attitude-Adjuster” on Punk, but then turns around into a “Pedigree” by Trips! Cena is eliminated. With Punk having been in the match from the start, and having just felt the “Attitude-Adjuster”, Trips is feeling mighty confident. He silently, stoically, waits for Punk to get back up; he kicks Punk in the stomach, hooks his arms… and Punk reverses into the “Go-To-Sleep”! 1-2-3, Punk pins Trips and wins the match.
Tag-Titles: The faces manage to keep Kendrick in the ring for most of the match, but once Ezekiel is tagged-in, it’s all over; Zeke mows through everybody, pinning Jtg for the win. Kendrick, as usual, celebrates as if he’s the one that overcame all the odds, only to be interrupted by the familiar strains of BISCUITS AND GRAVY! A psychotic Festus and chair-wielding Jesse run to the ring, clearing Zeke and Kendrick, both of whom walk-run to the back.
Mvp/Shawn - Very evenly paced match, until a surprise Super-Kick gets Shawn the win and the World-Championship.
“ECW” Elim-Cham - Christian and Swagger begin the match, with neither man getting the advantage. Bourne is the next in, and he begins flying around the ring, catching everybody off-guard. He attempts a few pins, but doesn’t get any. Tyson is the next in, and he goes straight for Bourne; Tyson manages to ground Bourne while Swagger and Christian fight. Yang is the next in, and he too begins flying around the ring; amidst all the confusion, Swagger catches Christian with a Gutwrench-Powerbomb for the elimination. As Christian leaves, he hits Swagger with the “Kill-Switch”, leaving him open to a standing moonsault by Yang, eliminating Swagger. Jeff is the last to enter, and the four men try to “out-daredevil” one another, flipping and flying around the metal floor of the Chamber. Tyson hits his spring-board elbow-drop to the outer metal floor on Yang, eliminating him. Tyson, Jeff, and Bourne continue to fight, with Tyson getting the other two men down; Tyson motions to Natalya, who begins grabbing smaller weapons from under the ring and sliding them into the ring. Tyson gets a kendo-stick, and begins whipping Jeff and Bourne. Natalya opens one of the pods from the outside, and Tyson whips Jeff inside of it; Natalya then closes the door (and holds it closed), trapping Jeff inside. Tyson continues beating on Bourne, but a quick huracanrana by Bourne onto a chair that’s lying on the mat eliminates Tyson. Tyson and Natalya leave, allowing Jeff and Bourne to finish. The two men hit each other with everything they can (both literally and figuratively), but neither man can get the three count. Suddenly, KHALI comes out from the back, shoves the outside-ref out of the way, rips the door off the hinges, and beats on both men. He brain-chops both, then hits them both with the Double-Chokebomb. Khali leaves. Jeff is the first to regain consciousness, and he covers Bourne for the three. As soon as the bell rings, Christian and Yang come out to the ring to help their fallen comrades.
E - ECW, Elim-Cham: JEFF/Christian/Bourne/Swagger/Tyson/Yang
R - World: MVP/Shawn
S - Tag: KENDRICK-EZEKIEL/Carlito-Primo/Jtg-Shad
R - Elim-Cham: Trips/Cena/Punk/Batista/Shelton/Kennedy
S - WWE: TAKER/Rey
R - Beth-Santino/Ziggler-Ryder
S - Elim-Cham, #1: Matt/Harry/Burchill/Miz-Morrison/Cody-Tj/Chavo-Kozlov
///
“SD” Elim-Cham - This year, the “Elimination Chamber” is held closed with a pad-lock, which the refs must unlock every time they want to open the door. Cody-Tj and Chavo-Kozlov are the first in, with the four pods containing Matt, Harry, Burchill, and the Miz-Morrison team. The two teams are pretty evenly matched, though Cody-Tj concentrate more on taking Kozlov down than Chavo. Matt is the next in, and, despite being out-numbered, goes full-force on anything that moves. He manages to get everyone down for a second, but is soon quadruple-teamed; once Matt is sufficiently beaten down, the two teams go back to working on each other. Harry is the next in, helping his team-mates against Cody-Tj, and then concentrating on Matt. Burchill is the next in, and he manages to make quite the showing; he takes Tj down with a “C4”, and then hits Cody with a “C4” on TOP of Tj. He pins and eliminates both. The three “GrandNational” members surround Matt and Harry; Matt and Harry actually manage to fight them off, but Harry grabs Matt, and hits a Running-Powerslam to eliminate him. Harry’s celebration is short-lived, however, as he catches a hard kick in the stomack from Kozlov, followed by a Frog-Splash by Chavo, eliminating him. The clock ticks down, and Miz-Morrison make their way into the match. Miz goes right after Burchill, while Morrison uses hit-and-run techniques to keep Chavo and Kozlov off balance. As Morrison has Kozlov down, he runs across the ring and delivers the “Moonlight-Drive” to Burchill, allowing Miz to pin and eliminate him. We’re down to Miz-Morrison against Chavo-Kozlov. Miz brawls with Chavo, while Kozlov beats Morrison down. Eventually, Miz hits Chavo with the “Mizard of Oz” to win the match! Kozlov looks on in disbelief, but Vickie makes her way out to announce that this match is conducted under elimination-rules, and that just because Chavo was eliminated, that doesn’t mean that Kozlov is eliminated, also. The match restarts, and Kozlov laughs menacingly… for a few moments, before Morrison surprises him with a spring-board roundhouse to get the win.
Beth-Santino/Ziggler-Ryder - Beth pins Ryder.
Taker/Rey - They shake hands before the match. Rey fights his heart out, managing to flip and flop his way out of the “Tombstone” and “Last-Ride”, but even Rey’s biggest offensive moves can’t stop Taker. Miz and Morrison make their way out to the ring, which prompts Kane and Umaga to come out and fight them off; Matt jumps out of the crowd and decks the ref, which prompts Taker and Rey to beat him down. Amidst all the confusion, JERICHO jumps out a different section of the crowd, hits Rey and Taker with a chair, drapes Rey on top of Taker, and wakes the ref. The ref is groggy, but counts the 1-2-3. Rey is the new WWE-Champion. “Anastatica” high-tail it out of there. Rey is obviously upset at the way he won the title, but Taker extends his hand. The two men shake, and Taker leaves to allow Rey the spot-light.
“Raw” Elim-Cham - Punk and Kennedy begin; they are evenly matched, with Punk having the advantage when the buzzer sounds. Batista is the next in, running across the ring in an attempt to Spear Punk; Punk, however, jumps over Batista, resulting in Batista Spearing Kennedy! Batista doesn’t really care, but as soon as he turns around, Punk lifts him for the “Go-To-Sleep”, nails the move, and gets the pin on Batista! Batista has been eliminated in a matter of seconds! Batista, of course, is furious, and nails Punk with a Clothes-line before leaving the Chamber. Kennedy takes the opportunity to cover the downed Punk, but Punk kicks out. The two go back and forth until Cena makes his way in. Cena and Punk take turns pounding on Kennedy, until Punk tries to surprise Cena with the “Go-To-Sleep”; Cena wriggles out of the hold, and Punk gives him a knowing shrug. The two begin to go at it, with Cena obviously having the strength advantage, but Punk making up for it with his speed and strikes. Kennedy takes the opportunity to just hang-back and let his opponents take each other out, but the faces take notice, and turn their attention back towards him. Shelton is the next in, and goes after the faces; Shelton brawls with Punk as Cena brawls with Kennedy on the outer part of the Chamber. Kennedy whips Cena into Trips’ pod, with Kennedy mockingly waving “hello” at Trips; however, Cena is able to get Kennedy up into the “Attitude-Adjuster”, slamming him down onto the metal floor, and eliminating him. Trips mockingly waves “good-bye” to Kennedy. Cena goes over to join the Punk/Shelton brawl, but Shelton manages to whip Punk into Cena, causing them to both fall to the metal ground; Shelton follows this up by splashing both men. Shelton is feeling great until the buzzer sounds, and Trips makes his way into the match. Shelton tries to intimidate Trips, but Trips simply kicks him, “Pedigrees” him, eliminates him. Cena and Punk make their way to their feet, and the three faces circle around each other. The match is conducted as a normal 3-way, with very little 2-on-1 action; each man is in it to win it. Batista, still in a rage from his quick elimination, makes his way to the Chamber, and wants to get involved; he attempts to rip open the door, but is unable to. Batista then tries to bully the ref into giving him the keys, but Kofi, Finlay, Ortiz, and Helms come out to chase him off. Inside the ring, Cena hits the “Attitude-Adjuster” on Punk, but then turns around into a “Pedigree” by Trips! Cena is eliminated. With Punk having been in the match from the start, and having just felt the “Attitude-Adjuster”, Trips is feeling mighty confident. He silently, stoically, waits for Punk to get back up; he kicks Punk in the stomach, hooks his arms… and Punk reverses into the “Go-To-Sleep”! 1-2-3, Punk pins Trips and wins the match.
Tag-Titles: The faces manage to keep Kendrick in the ring for most of the match, but once Ezekiel is tagged-in, it’s all over; Zeke mows through everybody, pinning Jtg for the win. Kendrick, as usual, celebrates as if he’s the one that overcame all the odds, only to be interrupted by the familiar strains of BISCUITS AND GRAVY! A psychotic Festus and chair-wielding Jesse run to the ring, clearing Zeke and Kendrick, both of whom walk-run to the back.
Mvp/Shawn - Very evenly paced match, until a surprise Super-Kick gets Shawn the win and the World-Championship.
“ECW” Elim-Cham - Christian and Swagger begin the match, with neither man getting the advantage. Bourne is the next in, and he begins flying around the ring, catching everybody off-guard. He attempts a few pins, but doesn’t get any. Tyson is the next in, and he goes straight for Bourne; Tyson manages to ground Bourne while Swagger and Christian fight. Yang is the next in, and he too begins flying around the ring; amidst all the confusion, Swagger catches Christian with a Gutwrench-Powerbomb for the elimination. As Christian leaves, he hits Swagger with the “Kill-Switch”, leaving him open to a standing moonsault by Yang, eliminating Swagger. Jeff is the last to enter, and the four men try to “out-daredevil” one another, flipping and flying around the metal floor of the Chamber. Tyson hits his spring-board elbow-drop to the outer metal floor on Yang, eliminating him. Tyson, Jeff, and Bourne continue to fight, with Tyson getting the other two men down; Tyson motions to Natalya, who begins grabbing smaller weapons from under the ring and sliding them into the ring. Tyson gets a kendo-stick, and begins whipping Jeff and Bourne. Natalya opens one of the pods from the outside, and Tyson whips Jeff inside of it; Natalya then closes the door (and holds it closed), trapping Jeff inside. Tyson continues beating on Bourne, but a quick huracanrana by Bourne onto a chair that’s lying on the mat eliminates Tyson. Tyson and Natalya leave, allowing Jeff and Bourne to finish. The two men hit each other with everything they can (both literally and figuratively), but neither man can get the three count. Suddenly, KHALI comes out from the back, shoves the outside-ref out of the way, rips the door off the hinges, and beats on both men. He brain-chops both, then hits them both with the Double-Chokebomb. Khali leaves. Jeff is the first to regain consciousness, and he covers Bourne for the three. As soon as the bell rings, Christian and Yang come out to the ring to help their fallen comrades.
JANUARY 2010
RAW
Shawn’s ego is at an all-time high, running off at the mouth about how he yet again beat some “flash in the pan”. MVP, of course, feels that things aren’t done between the two; Shawn brags that MVP is out of title-shots, but MVP is more than happy to enter the “Rumble”. Kofi takes offense at what he feels is Shawn ducking MVP; Shawn lays the challenge down to Kofi for a match at “Royal Rumble”.
Santino and Beth feel that they are the greatest power-couple in the history of pro-wrestling, “even better than that ‘Triple Stephanie’ guy”. This causes Trips to make his way to the ring; Santino hides while Beth stands-up to him. Surprisingly, Trips actually laughs at Santino’s joke, and suggests that - seeing as Santino’s statement was a bold one - they see if anybody would like to challenge them at “Royal Rumble”.
SMACKDOWN
Rey wants answers from Jericho, which Jericho is all too willing to give. Jericho makes it clear that, as the new #1-contendor, it only made sense for him to size-up his competition, and make sure that the champion he faced would be the one that would be “much easier” to defeat. Rey is completely insulted, and vows to show Jericho that “it’s NEVER easy to beat Rey Mysterio.” Taker and Kane serve as Rey’s back-up; Taker, Kane, Matt, Miz, and Morrison will all be in the “Royal Rumble”.
Jesse-Festus finally get their shot at Kendrick-Ezekiel’s tag-titles on an episode of “Smackdown”; Jesse-Festus win the match and the titles, with Festus beating the crap out of both opponents. This leads to both Orton and Edge feeling that they should have the tag-championships in their respective stables.
Matt beats Harry for the US-Championship.
ECW
Ranjin explains that Khali was angry about not being included in the “Elimination-Chamber” match, and decided to make a statement. Jeff and Bourne both want revenge, but Bourne convinces Jeff to let him fight this battle on his own; Jeff is the ECW-champion, while Bourne was simply embarrassed. Jeff consents for the most part, but isn’t shy about helping Bourne when it seems he’s about to get sneak-attacked. Bourne and Khali are on a collision-course for “The Royal Rumble”, with Khali beating Christian, Gabriel, and Yang in the weeks preceding the event.
INTERFED
The entrants for the “Royal Rumble” will be:
R: Batista, Cena, Finlay, Funaki, Helms, Henry, Kennedy, Mvp, Punk, Shelton, Show, Trips
S: Burchill, Edge, Ezekiel, Harry, Kane, Kendrick, Matt, Miz, Morrison, Orton, Taker, Umaga
E: Christian, Gabriel, Goldust, Swagger, Tyson, Yang
Shawn’s ego is at an all-time high, running off at the mouth about how he yet again beat some “flash in the pan”. MVP, of course, feels that things aren’t done between the two; Shawn brags that MVP is out of title-shots, but MVP is more than happy to enter the “Rumble”. Kofi takes offense at what he feels is Shawn ducking MVP; Shawn lays the challenge down to Kofi for a match at “Royal Rumble”.
Santino and Beth feel that they are the greatest power-couple in the history of pro-wrestling, “even better than that ‘Triple Stephanie’ guy”. This causes Trips to make his way to the ring; Santino hides while Beth stands-up to him. Surprisingly, Trips actually laughs at Santino’s joke, and suggests that - seeing as Santino’s statement was a bold one - they see if anybody would like to challenge them at “Royal Rumble”.
SMACKDOWN
Rey wants answers from Jericho, which Jericho is all too willing to give. Jericho makes it clear that, as the new #1-contendor, it only made sense for him to size-up his competition, and make sure that the champion he faced would be the one that would be “much easier” to defeat. Rey is completely insulted, and vows to show Jericho that “it’s NEVER easy to beat Rey Mysterio.” Taker and Kane serve as Rey’s back-up; Taker, Kane, Matt, Miz, and Morrison will all be in the “Royal Rumble”.
Jesse-Festus finally get their shot at Kendrick-Ezekiel’s tag-titles on an episode of “Smackdown”; Jesse-Festus win the match and the titles, with Festus beating the crap out of both opponents. This leads to both Orton and Edge feeling that they should have the tag-championships in their respective stables.
Matt beats Harry for the US-Championship.
ECW
Ranjin explains that Khali was angry about not being included in the “Elimination-Chamber” match, and decided to make a statement. Jeff and Bourne both want revenge, but Bourne convinces Jeff to let him fight this battle on his own; Jeff is the ECW-champion, while Bourne was simply embarrassed. Jeff consents for the most part, but isn’t shy about helping Bourne when it seems he’s about to get sneak-attacked. Bourne and Khali are on a collision-course for “The Royal Rumble”, with Khali beating Christian, Gabriel, and Yang in the weeks preceding the event.
INTERFED
The entrants for the “Royal Rumble” will be:
R: Batista, Cena, Finlay, Funaki, Helms, Henry, Kennedy, Mvp, Punk, Shelton, Show, Trips
S: Burchill, Edge, Ezekiel, Harry, Kane, Kendrick, Matt, Miz, Morrison, Orton, Taker, Umaga
E: Christian, Gabriel, Goldust, Swagger, Tyson, Yang
Royal Rumble, 2010
3 - Royal Rumble (Batista, Cena, Finlay, Funaki, Helms, Henry, Kennedy, Mvp, Punk, Shelton, Show, Trips, Burchill, Edge, Ezekiel, Harry, Kane, Kendrick, Matt, Miz, Morrison, Orton, Taker, Umaga, Christian, Gabriel, Goldust, Swagger, Tyson, Yang)
R - World: SHAWN/Kofi
S - WWE: REY/Jericho
E - Bourne/Khali
R - Glamarella’s Open Challenge
S - Tag: JESSE-FESTUS/Cody-Tj/Chavo-Kozlov
///
Tag - Jesse-Festus retain.
Glamarella - Beth and Santino make their way to the ring, with Santino running his mouth about how they’re the most powerful couple in wrestling history. They issue an open challenge to any male/female combination that wants to take them on. The challenge is answered by Tyson and Natalya. A mixed-tag begins, with Tyson obviously running circles around Santino, but also with Natalya - maybe somewhat surprisingly - proving to be Beth’s equal when it comes to power. Natalya ends-up beating Beth down, with Tyson hitting the Springboard Elbowdrop on Santino for the win. Beth comforts the crying Santino.
Bourne/Khali - Ranjin attempts to interfere early, but Jeff knocks him out, and then stays outside for the rest of the match. Bourne uses hit-and-run offense to keep Khali off balance, eventually hitting the SSP for the win.
Rey/Jericho - The match is completely clean, with no outside interference. The finish sees Rey attempting a springboard cross-body on Jericho, only to get hit with the “Code-Breaker” instead. Jericho show-boats with the title… until the lights go out. Jericho can’t hide his fear, and quickly runs to the back.
Shawn/Kofi - Shawn wins via Super-Kick.
Rumble - Howard Finkel is the guest ring-announcer. He explains the rules, and then announces the first entrant of the match.
[1 - Swagger]
Swagger makes his way to the ring, acting as if drawing #1 has no effect on his chances of winning. He grabs the mic from Finkel, and proclaims that he doesn’t care who else is in the match, he’s going to win. Swagger gives the mic back to Finkel, and, after a dramatic pause, announces the second entrant into the match.
[2 - Trips] (Trips, Swagger)
As Trips makes his entrance, Swagger does his best to hide his concern. The bell rings, and Swagger begins by running his mouth; Trips responds with a punch that staggers Swagger. Trips holds the advantage for a moment, but Swagger is able to reverse the momentum by slamming Trips’ head into the turnbuckle. Swagger maintains the advantage as the next man enters.
[3 - Orton] (Orton, Trips, Swagger)
Orton helps Swagger beat Trips down. Once Trips is significantly beaten down, Orton tells Swagger that they should work together, and tries to run a plan by him; Swagger makes like he agrees, and turns his back on Orton, but quickly spins back around as Orton tries to charge at him; Swagger stops him in his tracks with a vicious clothesline. Swagger is doing well for himself.
[4 - Punk] (Punk, Orton, Trips, Swagger)
Punk runs down to the ring and immediately goes for Swagger; Orton and Trips continue brawling.
[5 - Edge] (Edge, Punk, Orton, Trips, Swagger)
Punk tries to keep his eye on Edge, but Orton keeps hitting him; when Edge gets into the ring, he immediately spears Punk. Edge and Orton beat Punk down, while Trips and Swagger continue to brawl.
[6 - Show] (Show, Edge, Punk, Orton, Trips, Swagger)
Show goes right for Edge, but Edge and Orton pick Punk up, and toss him at Show; Show catches Punk, and tosses him right back at Edge and Orton… this time, however, Punk wraps his arms and legs around Edge’s and Orton’s heads, and head-scissors them both over the top rope! Edge is in disbelief, and attempts to get back into the ring, but Show tosses him back out! Orton then sneaks back into the ring, but before he can do any damage, Trips runs at him and clotheslines him down! Trips turns back around, and is caught by a Swagger-Bomb! Punk starts on Swagger, while Show attempts to toss Trips out; Trips hangs onto the ropes as best as he can.
[7 - Christian] (Christian, Show, Punk, Trips, Swagger)
Christian makes his entrance at the same time that Edge is heading to the back; the two cross paths and stare each-other down, but Christian quickly changes his expression to a condescending laugh and smirk. Christian makes his way to the ring while Edge glares angrily. Christian goes right to work on Show, while Punk and Swagger fight.
The buzzer sounds, and Harry is the next entrant. However, just as Harry walks through the curtain, Edge and Burchill run up to talk to him; Burchill and Harry exchange entry-numbers, which leads to Edge accompanying Burchill to the ring. This leads to…
[8 - Burchill] (Burchill, Christian, Show, Punk, Trips, Swagger)
Edge directs Burchill to direct his attention towards Punk; Burchill goes for Punk, while Christian attempts to rally the refs to eject Edge. With Christian’s attention diverted, Show tries to eliminate Christian; however, Christian reverses behind Show, and gets him off-balance, which allows Trips to then come from behind and help Christian toss Show out. Show is angry, and chases Edge to the back. Christian and Trips go over to help Punk against Swagger and Burchill. Christian brawls with Burchill, and Trips goes back to brawling with Swagger.
[9 - Shelton] (Shelton, Burchill, Christian, Punk, Trips, Swagger)
The three faces (Trips, Punk, and Christian) face off with the three heels (Swagger, Burchill, and Shelton). Everything is pretty evenly matched.
[10 - Umaga] (Umaga, Shelton, Burchill, Christian, Punk, Trips, Swagger)
Umaga goes absolutely NUTS, attacking everyone with Samoan-Spikes and Running Butt-Smashes. Umaga tosses Shelton and Burchill, and manages to be the only man left standing.
[11 - Henry] (Henry, Umaga, Christian, Punk, Trips, Swagger)
Henry and Umaga square-off in the middle of the ring, swatting everyone else down when they try to get close.
[12 - Ezekiel] (Ezekiel, Henry, Umaga, Christian, Punk, Trips, Swagger)
Ezekiel enters the ring, and quickly eliminates both Henry and Umaga. Christian tries to toss Ezekiel, but ends-up getting himself eliminated, as well. Zeke motions for both Trips and Punk to try to test him, which leads to he and Swagger beating on Punk and Trips.
[13 - Goldust] (Goldust, Ezekiel, Punk, Trips, Swagger)
Goldust enters the ring, Zeke throws him out. Zeke and Swagger continue trying to eliminate Punk and Trips.
[14 - Kennedy] (Kennedy, Ezekiel, Punk, Trips, Swagger)
Kennedy enters, Zeke tosses him.
[15 - Taker] (Taker, Ezekiel, Punk, Trips, Swagger)
Taker makes his entrance, and Ezekiel can’t wait. However, while Ezekiel is busy watching Taker’s entrance, he doesn’t notice Trips sneak-up behind him; Trips tosses Zeke! Zeke is furious, and exchanges words with Trips; Trips, however, doesn’t notice Swagger sneak-up behind HIM, leading to Swagger eliminating Trips! Taker enters the ring, but Trips isn’t done yet; he grabs the sledge-hammer from under the ring, and decks Swagger in the head with it. Trips leaves. Taker surveys the damage before eyeing a beaten-down Punk propping himself up in the corner. Punk catches Taker’s stare, and decides to do his best; he runs at Taker, but Taker quickly gains the advantage.
[16 - Batista] (Batista, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Batista goes straight for Taker, and the two brawl; meanwhile, Punk and Swagger do their best to regain their bearings, landing some weak shots on each other but trying their best to remain competitive.
[17 - Kendrick] (Kendrick, Batista, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Kendrick slyly makes his way into the ring, sneaking by the Taker/Batista brawl, and helping Swagger beat on Punk.
[18 - Tyson] (Tyson, Kendrick, Batista, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
As Tyson makes his way to the ring - accompanied by Natalya - the announcers note the similarities in personality between he and Kendrick, namely that they’re both brash and egotistical, but also have all the talent in the world. Tyson acts like he, too, is going to sneak past the Taker/Batista brawl, but instead sneak-attacks Taker. Both faces (Taker and Punk) get double-teamed by two heels (Tyson-Batista and Kendrick-Swagger, respectively), and appear to be on the verge of being eliminated.
[19 - Funaki] (Funaki, Tyson, Kendrick, Batista, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Funaki tells both Batista and Tyson to give him a shot at Taker; they oblige, but Batista immediately grabs Funaki and tosses him. Tyson then attempts to eliminate Batista, but Batista is so strong that all he has to do is stand his ground. This leads to Batista getting angry at Tyson, and attempting to toss him; however, while Tyson does go flying over the ropes, he’s able to hang-on to the top-rope and land on the apron. Batista goes to shove him off, but Tyson connects with a big kick to Batista’s head; this staggers Batista, and allows Tyson to spring-board in and land a drop-kick on Batista. Batista gets back up and goes to Spear Tyson, but Tyson jumps over him, causing Batista to Spear Swagger. Swagger, already all beat-up and exhausted, stays on the ground for a while. Tyson and Kendrick focus on Batista, while Taker, Punk, and Swagger all recover.
[20 - Harry] (Harry, Tyson, Kendrick, Batista, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Big Harry gets into the ring, and immediately begins beating on Taker; Harry actually holds the advantage for a while. The Tyson/Kendrick/Batista brawl continues, while Punk and Swagger go back to exchanging weak strikes. The announcers mention how long Punk and Swagger have been in the ring and their common link as former ECW-champions.
[21 - MVP] (MVP, Harry, Tyson, Kendrick, Batista, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
As MVP makes his way to the ring, Harry - feeling confident over how he has manhandled Taker - immediately challenges him. Harry throws a big haymaker, but Mvp dodges, and then Irish-Whips Harry into the Tyson/Kendrick/Batista brawl, resulting in Harry and Batista knocking heads. While both Harry and Batista are down, MVP manages to toss Tyson and Kendrick. Harry and Batista get to their feet, blaming each other for their head-trauma, and fighting over it. MVP hangs back, content to let them go at it, while Punk and Swagger recover.
[22 - Miz] (Miz, MVP, Harry, Batista, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Miz goes straight for Taker, and begins beating on him; Taker is able to fight him off, though, and fights him over to the ropes, nearly eliminating him. Miz fights as hard as he can to hold on. Batista and Swagger continue to fight, while MVP, Punk, and Swagger hang back.
[23 - Morrison] (Morrison, Miz, MVP, Harry, Batista, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Morrison immediately helps Miz against Taker. Harry and Batista put their differences aside and fight Punk and MVP. Swagger hangs back.
[24 - Cena] (Cena, Morrison, Miz, MVP, Harry, Batista, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Cena helps Taker against Miz and Morrison, while Harry and Batista continue fighting with MVP and Punk, and Swagger hangs back. Punk and MVP manage to turn the tide, however, with Punk tossing Harry, and MVP tossing Batista. Batista, of course, is furious, with the refs needing to hold him back. MVP and Punk then go to work on Swagger.
[25 - Kane] (Kane, Cena, Morrison, Miz, MVP, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Kane enters the ring, and he and Taker immediately hit stereo Chokeslams on Miz and Morrison before disposing of them on the outside. Miz and Morrison are obviously upset, and, from the outside, grab the ankles of Taker and Kane, allowing Cena to successfully eliminate Kane, but unsuccessfully attempt to eliminate Taker. Miz and Morrison fight with Kane to the back, while Cena and Taker brawl in the ring. MVP and Punk begin to accidentally step on each others’ toes while beating on Swagger, and the two begin to fight.
[26 - Gabriel] (Gabriel, Cena, MVP, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Gabriel immediately goes after Swagger, while the Cena/Taker and MVP/Punk brawls continue.
[27 - Helms] (Helms, Gabriel, Cena, MVP, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Helms enters by Taker and Cena, whom immediately toss him out. The Cena/Taker, MVP/Punk, and Gabriel/Swagger brawls continue.
[28 - Yang] (Yang, Gabriel, Cena, MVP, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Yang runs to the opposite side of the ring, climbs the turnbuckles from the apron, and Moonsaults onto MVP/Punk. Yang then does the same with Gabriel/Swagger, knocking them both down. Lastly, he attempts to Moonsault onto Cena/Taker; Taker, however, catches Yang in mid-air, and goes to dump him over. Seeing his opportunity, Cena gets behind Taker, and dumps him out of the ring, while Yang is able to get back in through the bottom ropes. Taker is in shock, but while Cena and Taker are staring each-other down, Cena doesn’t notice Swagger sneak-up behind him, eliminating HIM [Cena]! Swagger, exhausted, basically collapses to the mat, while Cena and Taker brawl to the back. The fresher Gabriel and Yang team-up against Punk and MVP.
[29 - Finlay] (Finlay, Yang, Gabriel, MVP, Punk, Swagger)
Finlay plays things intelligently, hanging back while everyone else fights. The announcers note that this is a great veteran move on his part.
[30 - Matt] (Matt, Finlay, Yang, Gabriel, MVP, Punk, Swagger)
Matt is the last entrant, and enters the ring with a big grin on his face. He, too, attempts to hang back, but Finlay targets him immediately. Swagger gets a second (third? fourth?) wind, and joins the Matt/Finlay brawl, while Yang, Gabriel, MVP, and Punk all fight amongst themselves. Swagger somehow gets the upper-hand against Matt and Finlay, and eliminates them one after the other. However, Yang and Gabriel quickly dump Swagger. Swagger is almost in tears to see that all of his hard work was for naught, though the announcers are sure to mention that Swagger put on an incredible showing, being the first entrant, and making it all the way past the 30th entrant.
[Final Four: Yang, Gabriel, MVP, Punk]
The announcers mention that Punk is by far the most exhausted, being the fourth entrant into the match, while the other three men all entered in the 20s (MVP was 21st, Gabriel was 26th, and Yang was 28th). The four men take their stances, circling each other, and then rush at each other. After a while, MVP manages to eliminate Gabriel, while Punk manages to eliminate Yang. The final two men are Punk and MVP. They go at it for a while, with Punk showing a lot of determination, but eventually, MVP is able to get the win. MVP is announced as the winner of the match, but Punk gets back into the ring; the two men shake hands and hug before Punk leaves to allow MVP to celebrate. After a bit of a celebration, Batista is seen standing at the top of the ramp. MVP sees him, and motions for Batista to get into the ring; Batista turns and heads to the back, while MVP celebrates, and the show goes off the air.
3 - Royal Rumble (Batista, Cena, Finlay, Funaki, Helms, Henry, Kennedy, Mvp, Punk, Shelton, Show, Trips, Burchill, Edge, Ezekiel, Harry, Kane, Kendrick, Matt, Miz, Morrison, Orton, Taker, Umaga, Christian, Gabriel, Goldust, Swagger, Tyson, Yang)
R - World: SHAWN/Kofi
S - WWE: REY/Jericho
E - Bourne/Khali
R - Glamarella’s Open Challenge
S - Tag: JESSE-FESTUS/Cody-Tj/Chavo-Kozlov
///
Tag - Jesse-Festus retain.
Glamarella - Beth and Santino make their way to the ring, with Santino running his mouth about how they’re the most powerful couple in wrestling history. They issue an open challenge to any male/female combination that wants to take them on. The challenge is answered by Tyson and Natalya. A mixed-tag begins, with Tyson obviously running circles around Santino, but also with Natalya - maybe somewhat surprisingly - proving to be Beth’s equal when it comes to power. Natalya ends-up beating Beth down, with Tyson hitting the Springboard Elbowdrop on Santino for the win. Beth comforts the crying Santino.
Bourne/Khali - Ranjin attempts to interfere early, but Jeff knocks him out, and then stays outside for the rest of the match. Bourne uses hit-and-run offense to keep Khali off balance, eventually hitting the SSP for the win.
Rey/Jericho - The match is completely clean, with no outside interference. The finish sees Rey attempting a springboard cross-body on Jericho, only to get hit with the “Code-Breaker” instead. Jericho show-boats with the title… until the lights go out. Jericho can’t hide his fear, and quickly runs to the back.
Shawn/Kofi - Shawn wins via Super-Kick.
Rumble - Howard Finkel is the guest ring-announcer. He explains the rules, and then announces the first entrant of the match.
[1 - Swagger]
Swagger makes his way to the ring, acting as if drawing #1 has no effect on his chances of winning. He grabs the mic from Finkel, and proclaims that he doesn’t care who else is in the match, he’s going to win. Swagger gives the mic back to Finkel, and, after a dramatic pause, announces the second entrant into the match.
[2 - Trips] (Trips, Swagger)
As Trips makes his entrance, Swagger does his best to hide his concern. The bell rings, and Swagger begins by running his mouth; Trips responds with a punch that staggers Swagger. Trips holds the advantage for a moment, but Swagger is able to reverse the momentum by slamming Trips’ head into the turnbuckle. Swagger maintains the advantage as the next man enters.
[3 - Orton] (Orton, Trips, Swagger)
Orton helps Swagger beat Trips down. Once Trips is significantly beaten down, Orton tells Swagger that they should work together, and tries to run a plan by him; Swagger makes like he agrees, and turns his back on Orton, but quickly spins back around as Orton tries to charge at him; Swagger stops him in his tracks with a vicious clothesline. Swagger is doing well for himself.
[4 - Punk] (Punk, Orton, Trips, Swagger)
Punk runs down to the ring and immediately goes for Swagger; Orton and Trips continue brawling.
[5 - Edge] (Edge, Punk, Orton, Trips, Swagger)
Punk tries to keep his eye on Edge, but Orton keeps hitting him; when Edge gets into the ring, he immediately spears Punk. Edge and Orton beat Punk down, while Trips and Swagger continue to brawl.
[6 - Show] (Show, Edge, Punk, Orton, Trips, Swagger)
Show goes right for Edge, but Edge and Orton pick Punk up, and toss him at Show; Show catches Punk, and tosses him right back at Edge and Orton… this time, however, Punk wraps his arms and legs around Edge’s and Orton’s heads, and head-scissors them both over the top rope! Edge is in disbelief, and attempts to get back into the ring, but Show tosses him back out! Orton then sneaks back into the ring, but before he can do any damage, Trips runs at him and clotheslines him down! Trips turns back around, and is caught by a Swagger-Bomb! Punk starts on Swagger, while Show attempts to toss Trips out; Trips hangs onto the ropes as best as he can.
[7 - Christian] (Christian, Show, Punk, Trips, Swagger)
Christian makes his entrance at the same time that Edge is heading to the back; the two cross paths and stare each-other down, but Christian quickly changes his expression to a condescending laugh and smirk. Christian makes his way to the ring while Edge glares angrily. Christian goes right to work on Show, while Punk and Swagger fight.
The buzzer sounds, and Harry is the next entrant. However, just as Harry walks through the curtain, Edge and Burchill run up to talk to him; Burchill and Harry exchange entry-numbers, which leads to Edge accompanying Burchill to the ring. This leads to…
[8 - Burchill] (Burchill, Christian, Show, Punk, Trips, Swagger)
Edge directs Burchill to direct his attention towards Punk; Burchill goes for Punk, while Christian attempts to rally the refs to eject Edge. With Christian’s attention diverted, Show tries to eliminate Christian; however, Christian reverses behind Show, and gets him off-balance, which allows Trips to then come from behind and help Christian toss Show out. Show is angry, and chases Edge to the back. Christian and Trips go over to help Punk against Swagger and Burchill. Christian brawls with Burchill, and Trips goes back to brawling with Swagger.
[9 - Shelton] (Shelton, Burchill, Christian, Punk, Trips, Swagger)
The three faces (Trips, Punk, and Christian) face off with the three heels (Swagger, Burchill, and Shelton). Everything is pretty evenly matched.
[10 - Umaga] (Umaga, Shelton, Burchill, Christian, Punk, Trips, Swagger)
Umaga goes absolutely NUTS, attacking everyone with Samoan-Spikes and Running Butt-Smashes. Umaga tosses Shelton and Burchill, and manages to be the only man left standing.
[11 - Henry] (Henry, Umaga, Christian, Punk, Trips, Swagger)
Henry and Umaga square-off in the middle of the ring, swatting everyone else down when they try to get close.
[12 - Ezekiel] (Ezekiel, Henry, Umaga, Christian, Punk, Trips, Swagger)
Ezekiel enters the ring, and quickly eliminates both Henry and Umaga. Christian tries to toss Ezekiel, but ends-up getting himself eliminated, as well. Zeke motions for both Trips and Punk to try to test him, which leads to he and Swagger beating on Punk and Trips.
[13 - Goldust] (Goldust, Ezekiel, Punk, Trips, Swagger)
Goldust enters the ring, Zeke throws him out. Zeke and Swagger continue trying to eliminate Punk and Trips.
[14 - Kennedy] (Kennedy, Ezekiel, Punk, Trips, Swagger)
Kennedy enters, Zeke tosses him.
[15 - Taker] (Taker, Ezekiel, Punk, Trips, Swagger)
Taker makes his entrance, and Ezekiel can’t wait. However, while Ezekiel is busy watching Taker’s entrance, he doesn’t notice Trips sneak-up behind him; Trips tosses Zeke! Zeke is furious, and exchanges words with Trips; Trips, however, doesn’t notice Swagger sneak-up behind HIM, leading to Swagger eliminating Trips! Taker enters the ring, but Trips isn’t done yet; he grabs the sledge-hammer from under the ring, and decks Swagger in the head with it. Trips leaves. Taker surveys the damage before eyeing a beaten-down Punk propping himself up in the corner. Punk catches Taker’s stare, and decides to do his best; he runs at Taker, but Taker quickly gains the advantage.
[16 - Batista] (Batista, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Batista goes straight for Taker, and the two brawl; meanwhile, Punk and Swagger do their best to regain their bearings, landing some weak shots on each other but trying their best to remain competitive.
[17 - Kendrick] (Kendrick, Batista, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Kendrick slyly makes his way into the ring, sneaking by the Taker/Batista brawl, and helping Swagger beat on Punk.
[18 - Tyson] (Tyson, Kendrick, Batista, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
As Tyson makes his way to the ring - accompanied by Natalya - the announcers note the similarities in personality between he and Kendrick, namely that they’re both brash and egotistical, but also have all the talent in the world. Tyson acts like he, too, is going to sneak past the Taker/Batista brawl, but instead sneak-attacks Taker. Both faces (Taker and Punk) get double-teamed by two heels (Tyson-Batista and Kendrick-Swagger, respectively), and appear to be on the verge of being eliminated.
[19 - Funaki] (Funaki, Tyson, Kendrick, Batista, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Funaki tells both Batista and Tyson to give him a shot at Taker; they oblige, but Batista immediately grabs Funaki and tosses him. Tyson then attempts to eliminate Batista, but Batista is so strong that all he has to do is stand his ground. This leads to Batista getting angry at Tyson, and attempting to toss him; however, while Tyson does go flying over the ropes, he’s able to hang-on to the top-rope and land on the apron. Batista goes to shove him off, but Tyson connects with a big kick to Batista’s head; this staggers Batista, and allows Tyson to spring-board in and land a drop-kick on Batista. Batista gets back up and goes to Spear Tyson, but Tyson jumps over him, causing Batista to Spear Swagger. Swagger, already all beat-up and exhausted, stays on the ground for a while. Tyson and Kendrick focus on Batista, while Taker, Punk, and Swagger all recover.
[20 - Harry] (Harry, Tyson, Kendrick, Batista, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Big Harry gets into the ring, and immediately begins beating on Taker; Harry actually holds the advantage for a while. The Tyson/Kendrick/Batista brawl continues, while Punk and Swagger go back to exchanging weak strikes. The announcers mention how long Punk and Swagger have been in the ring and their common link as former ECW-champions.
[21 - MVP] (MVP, Harry, Tyson, Kendrick, Batista, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
As MVP makes his way to the ring, Harry - feeling confident over how he has manhandled Taker - immediately challenges him. Harry throws a big haymaker, but Mvp dodges, and then Irish-Whips Harry into the Tyson/Kendrick/Batista brawl, resulting in Harry and Batista knocking heads. While both Harry and Batista are down, MVP manages to toss Tyson and Kendrick. Harry and Batista get to their feet, blaming each other for their head-trauma, and fighting over it. MVP hangs back, content to let them go at it, while Punk and Swagger recover.
[22 - Miz] (Miz, MVP, Harry, Batista, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Miz goes straight for Taker, and begins beating on him; Taker is able to fight him off, though, and fights him over to the ropes, nearly eliminating him. Miz fights as hard as he can to hold on. Batista and Swagger continue to fight, while MVP, Punk, and Swagger hang back.
[23 - Morrison] (Morrison, Miz, MVP, Harry, Batista, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Morrison immediately helps Miz against Taker. Harry and Batista put their differences aside and fight Punk and MVP. Swagger hangs back.
[24 - Cena] (Cena, Morrison, Miz, MVP, Harry, Batista, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Cena helps Taker against Miz and Morrison, while Harry and Batista continue fighting with MVP and Punk, and Swagger hangs back. Punk and MVP manage to turn the tide, however, with Punk tossing Harry, and MVP tossing Batista. Batista, of course, is furious, with the refs needing to hold him back. MVP and Punk then go to work on Swagger.
[25 - Kane] (Kane, Cena, Morrison, Miz, MVP, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Kane enters the ring, and he and Taker immediately hit stereo Chokeslams on Miz and Morrison before disposing of them on the outside. Miz and Morrison are obviously upset, and, from the outside, grab the ankles of Taker and Kane, allowing Cena to successfully eliminate Kane, but unsuccessfully attempt to eliminate Taker. Miz and Morrison fight with Kane to the back, while Cena and Taker brawl in the ring. MVP and Punk begin to accidentally step on each others’ toes while beating on Swagger, and the two begin to fight.
[26 - Gabriel] (Gabriel, Cena, MVP, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Gabriel immediately goes after Swagger, while the Cena/Taker and MVP/Punk brawls continue.
[27 - Helms] (Helms, Gabriel, Cena, MVP, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Helms enters by Taker and Cena, whom immediately toss him out. The Cena/Taker, MVP/Punk, and Gabriel/Swagger brawls continue.
[28 - Yang] (Yang, Gabriel, Cena, MVP, Taker, Punk, Swagger)
Yang runs to the opposite side of the ring, climbs the turnbuckles from the apron, and Moonsaults onto MVP/Punk. Yang then does the same with Gabriel/Swagger, knocking them both down. Lastly, he attempts to Moonsault onto Cena/Taker; Taker, however, catches Yang in mid-air, and goes to dump him over. Seeing his opportunity, Cena gets behind Taker, and dumps him out of the ring, while Yang is able to get back in through the bottom ropes. Taker is in shock, but while Cena and Taker are staring each-other down, Cena doesn’t notice Swagger sneak-up behind him, eliminating HIM [Cena]! Swagger, exhausted, basically collapses to the mat, while Cena and Taker brawl to the back. The fresher Gabriel and Yang team-up against Punk and MVP.
[29 - Finlay] (Finlay, Yang, Gabriel, MVP, Punk, Swagger)
Finlay plays things intelligently, hanging back while everyone else fights. The announcers note that this is a great veteran move on his part.
[30 - Matt] (Matt, Finlay, Yang, Gabriel, MVP, Punk, Swagger)
Matt is the last entrant, and enters the ring with a big grin on his face. He, too, attempts to hang back, but Finlay targets him immediately. Swagger gets a second (third? fourth?) wind, and joins the Matt/Finlay brawl, while Yang, Gabriel, MVP, and Punk all fight amongst themselves. Swagger somehow gets the upper-hand against Matt and Finlay, and eliminates them one after the other. However, Yang and Gabriel quickly dump Swagger. Swagger is almost in tears to see that all of his hard work was for naught, though the announcers are sure to mention that Swagger put on an incredible showing, being the first entrant, and making it all the way past the 30th entrant.
[Final Four: Yang, Gabriel, MVP, Punk]
The announcers mention that Punk is by far the most exhausted, being the fourth entrant into the match, while the other three men all entered in the 20s (MVP was 21st, Gabriel was 26th, and Yang was 28th). The four men take their stances, circling each other, and then rush at each other. After a while, MVP manages to eliminate Gabriel, while Punk manages to eliminate Yang. The final two men are Punk and MVP. They go at it for a while, with Punk showing a lot of determination, but eventually, MVP is able to get the win. MVP is announced as the winner of the match, but Punk gets back into the ring; the two men shake hands and hug before Punk leaves to allow MVP to celebrate. After a bit of a celebration, Batista is seen standing at the top of the ramp. MVP sees him, and motions for Batista to get into the ring; Batista turns and heads to the back, while MVP celebrates, and the show goes off the air.
FEBRUARY 2010
RAW
MVP wastes no time in announcing his intention to face Shawn for the World-Championship at “WrestleMania 26”, wanting to prove that his previous wins over Shawn weren’t some sort of “flash-in-the-pan” fluke. MVP wants Shawn to accept his challenge, but Batista comes out instead. Batista claims that just about everything MVP has ever done was a fluke, including eliminating him from the “Rumble”. Batista challenges MVP to a match at “No Way Out”, with MVP’s #1-contendorship on the line. MVP accepts.
Shortly after the MVP/Batista confrontation, Shawn sarcastically laments the fact that he is without an opponent for “No Way Out”. Trips answers that call.
MVP and Punk are talking backstage, with Punk congratulating MVP on his win, and MVP putting over Punk’s performance in the “Royal Rumble”. Punk wishes MVP luck against Batista and Shawn, which leads MVP to question Punk on when he’ll be cashing-in his “Money-in-the-Bank” contract. Punk says everybody will find out real soon.
Cena announces that he has no personal problem with Taker, but that he does take offense to getting attacked after they were both eliminated from the “Rumble”. He basically says “anytime, anywhere”.
Knox beats several lower-tier guys (Ortiz, Helms, Funaki), and demands a shot at Kofi’s IC-Championship.
Shelton and Kennedy feel that they have been under-utilized and are failing to live-up to their potential; they put their heads together, and challenge Jesse-Festus for the Tag-Championships.
Beth is upset that she and Santino lost their match at “Royal Rumble”; Santino attempts to cheer her up, via dates and gifts.
SMACKDOWN
Jericho brags about once-again becoming the WWE-Champion, but is interrupted by PUNK! Jericho asks Punk what he’s doing on “Smackdown”, to which Punk replies that he spoke with both Vince and Vickie, and has officially been moved to “Smackdown”. Punk also announces that he intends on cashing-in his “Money-in-the-Bank” contract and taking Jericho’s title. Jericho mocks Punk, claiming that it’s “cute” that he wants to cash-in his MITB-contract tonight, and reminds Punk that Jericho has beaten him several times already. Punk admits that, yes, Jericho has beaten him several times in the past, but also corrects him about the time-frame on when he’ll be getting his title-shot. Jericho: “Oh, you’re not cashing it in tonight? Let me guess, you want to challenge me to a match at ‘No Way Out’, right?” Punk: “No… I’m cashing it in… at ‘WrestleMania’!” Punk leaves to his music, while Jericho is speechless from being caught off-guard. Jericho is about to leave, but EDGE’s music hits, and Edge makes his way to the ring. Jericho has no patience with Edge, and asks him to quickly get to the point of why he came out here. Edge announces that he and Vickie have come-up with a very special opponent for Jericho at “No Way Out”. Jericho guesses that Edge used his marriage to Vickie to secure the title-shot for himself, but Edge says that he has something else planned for himself; as for Jericho, he will be meeting TAKER at “No Way Out”, with Jericho’s WWE-Championship on the line. The announcers note that Jericho’s world is quickly crumbling around him.
Later on, Punk is summoned to Vickie’s office. Punk thanks Vickie for the opportunity to move to “Smackdown”, and asks her why he was summoned. Vickie admits that she had an ulterior motive for allowing Punk to move to her show - that being that she wanted to be able to control the fate of the MITB-contract, and announces that, at “No Way Out”, Punk will be defending his MITB-contract against Edge.
Orton, upset over his poor showing in the “Rumble”, petitions for a title-match. Vickie denies his request, so Orton instead asks for a shot at Punk’s MITB-contract. Vickie initially says “no” to this, as well, but after Orton questions her husband’s guts and claims that Edge is afraid of him, she relents. It will now be Punk/Edge/Orton at “No Way Out”.
With Taker occupied with Jericho, Kane announces that if Cena wants a fight, he’ll get it.
Harry and Burchill both want a shot at Matt’s US-Championship. The three argue over who is most deserving of the title, which draws out Rey. Rey states that the US-Championship has been held by many men of honor, and that none of the three men are worthy of holding a title that has such a rich and proud history. He begs the three of them to clean up their acts, stating that they are all extremely talented, but lack the class needed to be a great US-Champion. The three heels think it over, only to attack and triple-team Rey. A 4-way is announced for “No Way Out”.
Jesse-Festus accept the challenge of Kennedy-Shelton.
ECW
Swagger brags about his great showing in the “Rumble”, and is sure to mention that he was the one that eliminated Cena. This leads Swagger to challenge Cena to a match at “No Way Out”.
Tyson feels that, after his victory over Santino and Beth at the “Royal Rumble”, he deserves another shot at Jeff’s ECW-Championship. Jeff states his belief that Natalya actually did most of the work in that match, but still tells Tyson that he’ll grant him a shot. The match is held the following week, with Jeff winning, but Natalya and Tyson beating on him after the match.
Sim, Noble, Haas, and Hawkins are all conversing backstage, complaining that none of them get enough respect in the locker-room. They decide to make this right by attacking Christian, Bourne, Gabriel, and Yang.
INTERFED
Vince decides to make an interesting match for “No Way Out”: Cena from “Raw”, Kane from “Smackdown”, and Jeff from “ECW” will take on Swagger and Tyson from “ECW” and a partner of their choosing in a 6-man tag. Swagger and Tyson pick Khali, also of “ECW”, as their partner.
Jesse-Festus (from “Smackdown”) will defend their Tag-Championships against Kennedy-Shelton (from “Raw”).
MVP wastes no time in announcing his intention to face Shawn for the World-Championship at “WrestleMania 26”, wanting to prove that his previous wins over Shawn weren’t some sort of “flash-in-the-pan” fluke. MVP wants Shawn to accept his challenge, but Batista comes out instead. Batista claims that just about everything MVP has ever done was a fluke, including eliminating him from the “Rumble”. Batista challenges MVP to a match at “No Way Out”, with MVP’s #1-contendorship on the line. MVP accepts.
Shortly after the MVP/Batista confrontation, Shawn sarcastically laments the fact that he is without an opponent for “No Way Out”. Trips answers that call.
MVP and Punk are talking backstage, with Punk congratulating MVP on his win, and MVP putting over Punk’s performance in the “Royal Rumble”. Punk wishes MVP luck against Batista and Shawn, which leads MVP to question Punk on when he’ll be cashing-in his “Money-in-the-Bank” contract. Punk says everybody will find out real soon.
Cena announces that he has no personal problem with Taker, but that he does take offense to getting attacked after they were both eliminated from the “Rumble”. He basically says “anytime, anywhere”.
Knox beats several lower-tier guys (Ortiz, Helms, Funaki), and demands a shot at Kofi’s IC-Championship.
Shelton and Kennedy feel that they have been under-utilized and are failing to live-up to their potential; they put their heads together, and challenge Jesse-Festus for the Tag-Championships.
Beth is upset that she and Santino lost their match at “Royal Rumble”; Santino attempts to cheer her up, via dates and gifts.
SMACKDOWN
Jericho brags about once-again becoming the WWE-Champion, but is interrupted by PUNK! Jericho asks Punk what he’s doing on “Smackdown”, to which Punk replies that he spoke with both Vince and Vickie, and has officially been moved to “Smackdown”. Punk also announces that he intends on cashing-in his “Money-in-the-Bank” contract and taking Jericho’s title. Jericho mocks Punk, claiming that it’s “cute” that he wants to cash-in his MITB-contract tonight, and reminds Punk that Jericho has beaten him several times already. Punk admits that, yes, Jericho has beaten him several times in the past, but also corrects him about the time-frame on when he’ll be getting his title-shot. Jericho: “Oh, you’re not cashing it in tonight? Let me guess, you want to challenge me to a match at ‘No Way Out’, right?” Punk: “No… I’m cashing it in… at ‘WrestleMania’!” Punk leaves to his music, while Jericho is speechless from being caught off-guard. Jericho is about to leave, but EDGE’s music hits, and Edge makes his way to the ring. Jericho has no patience with Edge, and asks him to quickly get to the point of why he came out here. Edge announces that he and Vickie have come-up with a very special opponent for Jericho at “No Way Out”. Jericho guesses that Edge used his marriage to Vickie to secure the title-shot for himself, but Edge says that he has something else planned for himself; as for Jericho, he will be meeting TAKER at “No Way Out”, with Jericho’s WWE-Championship on the line. The announcers note that Jericho’s world is quickly crumbling around him.
Later on, Punk is summoned to Vickie’s office. Punk thanks Vickie for the opportunity to move to “Smackdown”, and asks her why he was summoned. Vickie admits that she had an ulterior motive for allowing Punk to move to her show - that being that she wanted to be able to control the fate of the MITB-contract, and announces that, at “No Way Out”, Punk will be defending his MITB-contract against Edge.
Orton, upset over his poor showing in the “Rumble”, petitions for a title-match. Vickie denies his request, so Orton instead asks for a shot at Punk’s MITB-contract. Vickie initially says “no” to this, as well, but after Orton questions her husband’s guts and claims that Edge is afraid of him, she relents. It will now be Punk/Edge/Orton at “No Way Out”.
With Taker occupied with Jericho, Kane announces that if Cena wants a fight, he’ll get it.
Harry and Burchill both want a shot at Matt’s US-Championship. The three argue over who is most deserving of the title, which draws out Rey. Rey states that the US-Championship has been held by many men of honor, and that none of the three men are worthy of holding a title that has such a rich and proud history. He begs the three of them to clean up their acts, stating that they are all extremely talented, but lack the class needed to be a great US-Champion. The three heels think it over, only to attack and triple-team Rey. A 4-way is announced for “No Way Out”.
Jesse-Festus accept the challenge of Kennedy-Shelton.
ECW
Swagger brags about his great showing in the “Rumble”, and is sure to mention that he was the one that eliminated Cena. This leads Swagger to challenge Cena to a match at “No Way Out”.
Tyson feels that, after his victory over Santino and Beth at the “Royal Rumble”, he deserves another shot at Jeff’s ECW-Championship. Jeff states his belief that Natalya actually did most of the work in that match, but still tells Tyson that he’ll grant him a shot. The match is held the following week, with Jeff winning, but Natalya and Tyson beating on him after the match.
Sim, Noble, Haas, and Hawkins are all conversing backstage, complaining that none of them get enough respect in the locker-room. They decide to make this right by attacking Christian, Bourne, Gabriel, and Yang.
INTERFED
Vince decides to make an interesting match for “No Way Out”: Cena from “Raw”, Kane from “Smackdown”, and Jeff from “ECW” will take on Swagger and Tyson from “ECW” and a partner of their choosing in a 6-man tag. Swagger and Tyson pick Khali, also of “ECW”, as their partner.
Jesse-Festus (from “Smackdown”) will defend their Tag-Championships against Kennedy-Shelton (from “Raw”).
No Way Out, 2010
S - WWE: JERICHO/Taker
R - World: SHAWN/Trips
3 - Cena-Kane-Jeff/Swagger-Khali-Tyson
S - Punk/Edge/Orton
R - IC: KOFI/Knox
2 - Tag: JESSE-FESTUS/Shelton-Kennedy
R - Batista/Mvp
S - US: MATT/Rey/Harry/Burchill
E - Christian-Bourne-Gabriel-Yang/Sim-Noble-Haas-Hawkins
///
8-man - The faces all hit their finishers in quick order on the heels, with Bourne hitting the SSP on Sim for the win.
US - Rey pins Matt for the US-Championship.
Batista/Mvp - Mvp escapes from a “Batista-Bomb”, ultimately hitting the “Play-Maker” for the win.
Jesse-Festus/Shelton-Kennedy - Festus beats down Kennedy, getting the win and retaining the Tag-Championships.
Kofi/Knox - Kofi retains the IC-Championship.
Punk/Edge/Orton - Orton hits the “RKO” on Edge, but Punk then immediately hits the “Go-to-Sleep” on Orton, resulting in Orton landing on Edge, and Punk pinning them both.
6-man - Kane and Cena step on each-others’ toes a bit, but end-up working pretty well together. At the end of the match, Kane, Jeff, Khali, and Tyson are brawling on the outside, while Cena and Swagger fight on the inside. Cena gets Swagger up into the “Attitude-Adjuster”, but Swagger fights out, and hits the Gutwrench-Bomb for the clean win. Kane and Jeff are in shock, and get back into the ring to attack Swagger, but Swagger runs back up the aisle, celebrating on the way.
Shawn/Trips - Shawn retains cleanly. After the match, MVP makes his way to the ring, and gets in Shawn’s face. Shawn laughs at him, which prompts MVP to hit the “Play-Maker” on Shawn. MVP leaves. Both Trips and Shawn make it to their feet, and Trips hits Shawn with the “Pedigree”. Trips then walks up the ramp, but is met at the top by SWAGGER, who knocks Trips down with one punch! The announcers have no idea why Swagger did that.
Jericho/Taker - The match is pretty even. The rest of “Anastatica” attempt to interfere, but Cena, Kane, and Jeff counter the interference. With the ref attempting to regain control, Jericho grabs a chair from the outside and hits Taker from behind with it; Cena then runs into the ring, steals the chair from Jericho, and threatens to hit Jericho with it. At that moment, the ref turns around, and Jericho falls to the ground, claiming that Cena has hit both he [Jericho] and Taker with the chair. Cena argues it, but the ref rules that the match has been ruled a “No Contest”, meaning that Jericho retains the WWE-Championship. Taker, already pissed, mistakenly assumes that Cena actually did hit him. Taker Chokeslams Cena, while Jericho and “Anastatica” make their way back up the ramp.
S - WWE: JERICHO/Taker
R - World: SHAWN/Trips
3 - Cena-Kane-Jeff/Swagger-Khali-Tyson
S - Punk/Edge/Orton
R - IC: KOFI/Knox
2 - Tag: JESSE-FESTUS/Shelton-Kennedy
R - Batista/Mvp
S - US: MATT/Rey/Harry/Burchill
E - Christian-Bourne-Gabriel-Yang/Sim-Noble-Haas-Hawkins
///
8-man - The faces all hit their finishers in quick order on the heels, with Bourne hitting the SSP on Sim for the win.
US - Rey pins Matt for the US-Championship.
Batista/Mvp - Mvp escapes from a “Batista-Bomb”, ultimately hitting the “Play-Maker” for the win.
Jesse-Festus/Shelton-Kennedy - Festus beats down Kennedy, getting the win and retaining the Tag-Championships.
Kofi/Knox - Kofi retains the IC-Championship.
Punk/Edge/Orton - Orton hits the “RKO” on Edge, but Punk then immediately hits the “Go-to-Sleep” on Orton, resulting in Orton landing on Edge, and Punk pinning them both.
6-man - Kane and Cena step on each-others’ toes a bit, but end-up working pretty well together. At the end of the match, Kane, Jeff, Khali, and Tyson are brawling on the outside, while Cena and Swagger fight on the inside. Cena gets Swagger up into the “Attitude-Adjuster”, but Swagger fights out, and hits the Gutwrench-Bomb for the clean win. Kane and Jeff are in shock, and get back into the ring to attack Swagger, but Swagger runs back up the aisle, celebrating on the way.
Shawn/Trips - Shawn retains cleanly. After the match, MVP makes his way to the ring, and gets in Shawn’s face. Shawn laughs at him, which prompts MVP to hit the “Play-Maker” on Shawn. MVP leaves. Both Trips and Shawn make it to their feet, and Trips hits Shawn with the “Pedigree”. Trips then walks up the ramp, but is met at the top by SWAGGER, who knocks Trips down with one punch! The announcers have no idea why Swagger did that.
Jericho/Taker - The match is pretty even. The rest of “Anastatica” attempt to interfere, but Cena, Kane, and Jeff counter the interference. With the ref attempting to regain control, Jericho grabs a chair from the outside and hits Taker from behind with it; Cena then runs into the ring, steals the chair from Jericho, and threatens to hit Jericho with it. At that moment, the ref turns around, and Jericho falls to the ground, claiming that Cena has hit both he [Jericho] and Taker with the chair. Cena argues it, but the ref rules that the match has been ruled a “No Contest”, meaning that Jericho retains the WWE-Championship. Taker, already pissed, mistakenly assumes that Cena actually did hit him. Taker Chokeslams Cena, while Jericho and “Anastatica” make their way back up the ramp.
MARCH 2010
RAW
Shawn and MVP are on a collision-course for “WrestleMania”.
Kofi once again affirms his intention to be the “fightingest” IC-Champion in history. He manages to successfully defend the title against a different opponent each week (Finlay, Regal, Kennedy, Shelton, Ziggler, Ryder, etc.), until he is challenged by Batista.
Cena wants Taker to know that he did not actually hit him with the chair at “No Way Out”, but notes that they have had some bad-blood between them as of late. “There’s only one way to settle this: 1-on-1, mano-y-mano, ‘WrestleMania’!”
Show-Henry challenge Jesse-Festus for the Tag-Championships.
The entire “Womens”-division are at odds with each other, all feeling that they deserve a title-shot at “WrestleMania”; Vince announces a Battle-Royal for the Womens-Championship at “WrestleMania”.
SMACKDOWN
Jericho and Punk are on a collision-course for “WrestleMania”; Truth, Jtg, and Shad serve as Punk’s back-up.
Edge is furious at Burchill for not re-claiming the US-Championship at “No Way Out”, and Orton is furious at Harry for the same reason. Both Edge and Orton decide to lead by example, with both challenging Rey at “WrestleMania”. Orton wants “GrandNational” barred from ring-side, but Rey wants to make sure “Legacy” is barred, as well.
Taker accepts Cena’s challenge for “WrestleMania”, albeit in the creepy dramatic manner that Taker is known for.
Jesse-Festus accept the challenge of Show-Henry.
All of the SD Divas are upset that their “Raw” counterparts will be a part of “WrestleMania”, and that they will not; after some discussion, they are added to the battle-royal for the Womens-Championship.
ECW
Swagger refuses to explain why he attacked Trips at “No Way Out” after Trips’ match against Shawn; in lieu of waiting for an explanation, Trips simply decides to invade “ECW” and attack Swagger. Swagger keeps ducking Trips until Trips announces that the two have been signed to a match at “WrestleMania”. At that point, Swagger admits that the whole thing has been one long set-up; he knew that if he simply asked for a match, Trips’ gigantic ego wouldn’t allow it to happen, that Trips would mock him for thinking he [Swagger] was up to Trips’ level, while secretly hoping that the match wouldn’t take place simply because Trips is afraid of Swagger. And why would Trips be afraid of Swagger? Because, amongst other reasons, Trips doesn't want people to remember that Trips was eliminated from the "Rumble" by Swagger, thus "proving" his superiority. Trips’ response? A vicious beating.
Long summons Christian, Bourne, Tyson, Gabriel, and Yang to the middle of the ring for an important announcement. Long and Jeff make their way to the ring, meeting with the five men that are already there. Long states that he is very proud of Jeff for being such a great champion, and in the true spirit of “ECW”, wanted to award a title-shot at “WrestleMania” to the man that is most deserving of it. The five potential-challengers are intrigued. Long and Jeff announce that they have been trying to decide which of the five men in the ring deserves it most, but after several discussions, decided that all five are equally deserving of a shot at “WrestleMania”. All five have proven to have the talent and the tenacity to be a great ECW-Champion one day, and for that, Jeff will defend the ECW-Championship in a 6-way match. Everyone in the ring is happy, but Jeff announces that there is one more little detail: that that match will be a LADDER MATCH!
Ranjin claims that Khali not being included in the ECW-Championship match is a disgrace, claiming that there isn’t anybody on the roster that can measure-up to Khali’s ability to deliver punishment. Umaga answers the challenge.
Natalya and Alicia both feel that they should be in the Womens-Championship battle-royal at “WrestleMania”; they are added.
INTERFED
Cena/Taker (“Raw”/”Smackdown”), Trips/Swagger (“Raw”/”ECW”), and Umaga/Khali (“Smackdown”/”ECW”) are all confirmed, with the feuds taking place on both of the shows that are represented.
JESSE-FESTUS/Show-Henry for the Tag-Championships (“Raw”/”Smackdown”), and the tri-branded divas battle-royal for the Womens-Championship are all confirmed. There is no brand-interaction in the build-up to these, instead focusing on the competitors winning matches on their own brands in order to prepare for the big encounters.
Lastly, a tri-branded, 26-man Battle Royal will be held on the pre-show. Initially, only 23 competitors are named, those being:
R: Finlay, Funaki, Helms, Kennedy, Knox, Ortiz, Regal, Ryder, Santino, Shelton, Ziggler
S: Carlito, Ezekiel, Jtg, Kane, Primo, Shad, Truth
E: Goldust, Haas, Hawkins, Noble, Sim
Vince makes the decision that, since all three brands will be represented, then it’s only right for three of the VOICES of those particular brands compete, as well - announcers Lawler (“Raw”), Striker (“Smackdown”), and Duggan (“ECW”) are named as the final three competitors.
Shawn and MVP are on a collision-course for “WrestleMania”.
Kofi once again affirms his intention to be the “fightingest” IC-Champion in history. He manages to successfully defend the title against a different opponent each week (Finlay, Regal, Kennedy, Shelton, Ziggler, Ryder, etc.), until he is challenged by Batista.
Cena wants Taker to know that he did not actually hit him with the chair at “No Way Out”, but notes that they have had some bad-blood between them as of late. “There’s only one way to settle this: 1-on-1, mano-y-mano, ‘WrestleMania’!”
Show-Henry challenge Jesse-Festus for the Tag-Championships.
The entire “Womens”-division are at odds with each other, all feeling that they deserve a title-shot at “WrestleMania”; Vince announces a Battle-Royal for the Womens-Championship at “WrestleMania”.
SMACKDOWN
Jericho and Punk are on a collision-course for “WrestleMania”; Truth, Jtg, and Shad serve as Punk’s back-up.
Edge is furious at Burchill for not re-claiming the US-Championship at “No Way Out”, and Orton is furious at Harry for the same reason. Both Edge and Orton decide to lead by example, with both challenging Rey at “WrestleMania”. Orton wants “GrandNational” barred from ring-side, but Rey wants to make sure “Legacy” is barred, as well.
Taker accepts Cena’s challenge for “WrestleMania”, albeit in the creepy dramatic manner that Taker is known for.
Jesse-Festus accept the challenge of Show-Henry.
All of the SD Divas are upset that their “Raw” counterparts will be a part of “WrestleMania”, and that they will not; after some discussion, they are added to the battle-royal for the Womens-Championship.
ECW
Swagger refuses to explain why he attacked Trips at “No Way Out” after Trips’ match against Shawn; in lieu of waiting for an explanation, Trips simply decides to invade “ECW” and attack Swagger. Swagger keeps ducking Trips until Trips announces that the two have been signed to a match at “WrestleMania”. At that point, Swagger admits that the whole thing has been one long set-up; he knew that if he simply asked for a match, Trips’ gigantic ego wouldn’t allow it to happen, that Trips would mock him for thinking he [Swagger] was up to Trips’ level, while secretly hoping that the match wouldn’t take place simply because Trips is afraid of Swagger. And why would Trips be afraid of Swagger? Because, amongst other reasons, Trips doesn't want people to remember that Trips was eliminated from the "Rumble" by Swagger, thus "proving" his superiority. Trips’ response? A vicious beating.
Long summons Christian, Bourne, Tyson, Gabriel, and Yang to the middle of the ring for an important announcement. Long and Jeff make their way to the ring, meeting with the five men that are already there. Long states that he is very proud of Jeff for being such a great champion, and in the true spirit of “ECW”, wanted to award a title-shot at “WrestleMania” to the man that is most deserving of it. The five potential-challengers are intrigued. Long and Jeff announce that they have been trying to decide which of the five men in the ring deserves it most, but after several discussions, decided that all five are equally deserving of a shot at “WrestleMania”. All five have proven to have the talent and the tenacity to be a great ECW-Champion one day, and for that, Jeff will defend the ECW-Championship in a 6-way match. Everyone in the ring is happy, but Jeff announces that there is one more little detail: that that match will be a LADDER MATCH!
Ranjin claims that Khali not being included in the ECW-Championship match is a disgrace, claiming that there isn’t anybody on the roster that can measure-up to Khali’s ability to deliver punishment. Umaga answers the challenge.
Natalya and Alicia both feel that they should be in the Womens-Championship battle-royal at “WrestleMania”; they are added.
INTERFED
Cena/Taker (“Raw”/”Smackdown”), Trips/Swagger (“Raw”/”ECW”), and Umaga/Khali (“Smackdown”/”ECW”) are all confirmed, with the feuds taking place on both of the shows that are represented.
JESSE-FESTUS/Show-Henry for the Tag-Championships (“Raw”/”Smackdown”), and the tri-branded divas battle-royal for the Womens-Championship are all confirmed. There is no brand-interaction in the build-up to these, instead focusing on the competitors winning matches on their own brands in order to prepare for the big encounters.
Lastly, a tri-branded, 26-man Battle Royal will be held on the pre-show. Initially, only 23 competitors are named, those being:
R: Finlay, Funaki, Helms, Kennedy, Knox, Ortiz, Regal, Ryder, Santino, Shelton, Ziggler
S: Carlito, Ezekiel, Jtg, Kane, Primo, Shad, Truth
E: Goldust, Haas, Hawkins, Noble, Sim
Vince makes the decision that, since all three brands will be represented, then it’s only right for three of the VOICES of those particular brands compete, as well - announcers Lawler (“Raw”), Striker (“Smackdown”), and Duggan (“ECW”) are named as the final three competitors.
WrestleMania 26
R - World: SHAWN/Mvp
S - WWE: JERICHO/Punk
2 - Cena/Taker
E - ECW, Ladder: Jeff/Christian/Bourne/Tyson/Gabriel/Yang
2 - Trips/Swagger
S - US: REY/Edge/Orton
R - Womens: Battle Royal
2 - Umaga/Khali
R - IC: KOFI/Batista
S - Tag: JESSE-FESTUS/Show-Henry
(Preshow) 26-Man Battle Royal: Finlay, Funaki, Helms, Kennedy, Knox, Lawler, Ortiz, Regal, Ryder, Santino, Shelton, Ziggler, Carlito, Ezekiel, Jtg, Kane, Primo, Shad, Striker, Truth, Duggan, Goldust, Haas, Hawkins, Noble, Sim
///
26-man Battle Royal: Ezekiel and Santino (accompanied to the ring by Kendrick and Beth, respectively) are the final two men in the ring, with Ezekiel having dominated everyone, including the announcers, and Santino just hanging onto the ropes for the entire match, often emitting high-pitched screams of fear. Santino manages to elude and confuse Ezekiel with his “unorthodox” style. At the end, Kendrick attempts to trip Santino, and in response, Beth knocks Kendrick down; this draws Ezekiel’s ire, distracting him, and allowing Santino to eliminate him. Santino and Beth celebrate (with Beth daring Zeke to get back into the ring with her), while Kendrick tries to calm Zeke down by escorting him to the back.
Jesse-Festus/Show-Henry - Festus manages to out-muscle both Show and Henry, knocking them down, and allowing Jesse to hit a big splash from the top-rope for the win. Jesse-Festus retain the Tag-Championships.
Kof/Batista - Batista goes to “Batista-Bomb” Kofi, but as he lifts Kofi up, Kofi flips over Batista’s head; when Batista turns around, he is met with the “Trouble-in-Paradise”. Kofi retains the IC-Championship.
Umaga/Khali - Umaga wins.
Womens Battle-Royal - Beth and Natalya (accompanied by Santino and Tyson, respectively) are the final two in the ring. Like the first battle-royal of the evening, Tyson attempts to trip Beth, and in response, Santino knocks Tyson down. Beth eventually wins. She and Santino celebrate, with Santino daring Tyson to get back into the ring; Tyson declines, claiming that he has more important things to worry about tonight.
Rey/Edge/Orton - Rey hits a double-619 on Edge and Orton to retain the US-Championship. After the match, “GrandNational” and “Legacy” both come down to the ring; the two heel factions fight, brawling to the outside of the ring, only for Rey to hit a big tope’ onto everyone, laying everybody out.
Trips/Swagger - During the match, Swagger actually kicks out of a "Pedigree". At the end of the match, Trips goes to hit a second "Pedigree", but Swagger reverses into the Gutwrench-Bomb to score the win!
ECW - All sorts of insane spots and high-flying maneuvers in this. At the end, Tyson and Bourne both grab onto the belt, and in their struggles to knock each other off, the ladder gets knocked over (with the ref moving it out of the way). With the two hanging by the metal-ring supporting the belt, they get some punches and kicks on each other, before Tyson eventually ends-up falling off. Bourne grabs the belt, and falls back to Earth with it. Bourne wins the ECW-Championship.
Cena/Taker - Cena kicks-out of a “Tombstone” and manages to break-out of “Hell’s-Gate”, while Taker kicks-out of an “Attitude-Adjuster” and manages to break-out of the “STFU”. Taker wins after a second “Tombstone”. After the match, Cena extends his hand to Taker; the two shake, and Cena heads to the back to allow Taker to celebrate.
Backstage: Jericho is giving some last-minute instructions to “Anastatica”, and then makes his way to the ring. Punk is then seen knocking on the dressing-room of Truth and CrymeTyme, only to discover that the three of them have all been laid out. Punk tries to help them, but an official lets him know that he has to get to the ring for his match; the official calls for medical-attention, and tells Punk that she’ll make sure everything’s ok. Punk is reluctant, but puts his game-face on and marches towards the ring.
Jericho/Punk - Jericho purposely bumps the ref, allowing “Anastatica” to make their way to the ring. The 4-on-1 attack is short-lived, however, as Cena, Taker, and Kane rush to the ring and get rid of “Anastatica”. Jericho motions that he is going to go for the “Code-Breaker”, but as he jumps, Punk lifts him onto his shoulders and connects with the “Go-to-Sleep”; the ref is groggy, but counts the 1-2-3. Punk is the new WWE-Champion.
Shawn/MVP - MVP kicks out after a “Super-Kick”, and rallies from behind to win the World-Championship. As he’s celebrating, Punk and Bourne make their way to the ring; the three men hold their championships high. Rey, Kofi, Jesse-Festus, and Beth (with Santino) all then make their way to the ring, all proudly displaying their championships. Swagger makes his way out to the top of the ramp, eyeing-up the competition. The show goes off the air with everyone celebrating, and Jim Ross claiming that “I believe we have just witnessed the dawning of a new era”.
R - World: SHAWN/Mvp
S - WWE: JERICHO/Punk
2 - Cena/Taker
E - ECW, Ladder: Jeff/Christian/Bourne/Tyson/Gabriel/Yang
2 - Trips/Swagger
S - US: REY/Edge/Orton
R - Womens: Battle Royal
2 - Umaga/Khali
R - IC: KOFI/Batista
S - Tag: JESSE-FESTUS/Show-Henry
(Preshow) 26-Man Battle Royal: Finlay, Funaki, Helms, Kennedy, Knox, Lawler, Ortiz, Regal, Ryder, Santino, Shelton, Ziggler, Carlito, Ezekiel, Jtg, Kane, Primo, Shad, Striker, Truth, Duggan, Goldust, Haas, Hawkins, Noble, Sim
///
26-man Battle Royal: Ezekiel and Santino (accompanied to the ring by Kendrick and Beth, respectively) are the final two men in the ring, with Ezekiel having dominated everyone, including the announcers, and Santino just hanging onto the ropes for the entire match, often emitting high-pitched screams of fear. Santino manages to elude and confuse Ezekiel with his “unorthodox” style. At the end, Kendrick attempts to trip Santino, and in response, Beth knocks Kendrick down; this draws Ezekiel’s ire, distracting him, and allowing Santino to eliminate him. Santino and Beth celebrate (with Beth daring Zeke to get back into the ring with her), while Kendrick tries to calm Zeke down by escorting him to the back.
Jesse-Festus/Show-Henry - Festus manages to out-muscle both Show and Henry, knocking them down, and allowing Jesse to hit a big splash from the top-rope for the win. Jesse-Festus retain the Tag-Championships.
Kof/Batista - Batista goes to “Batista-Bomb” Kofi, but as he lifts Kofi up, Kofi flips over Batista’s head; when Batista turns around, he is met with the “Trouble-in-Paradise”. Kofi retains the IC-Championship.
Umaga/Khali - Umaga wins.
Womens Battle-Royal - Beth and Natalya (accompanied by Santino and Tyson, respectively) are the final two in the ring. Like the first battle-royal of the evening, Tyson attempts to trip Beth, and in response, Santino knocks Tyson down. Beth eventually wins. She and Santino celebrate, with Santino daring Tyson to get back into the ring; Tyson declines, claiming that he has more important things to worry about tonight.
Rey/Edge/Orton - Rey hits a double-619 on Edge and Orton to retain the US-Championship. After the match, “GrandNational” and “Legacy” both come down to the ring; the two heel factions fight, brawling to the outside of the ring, only for Rey to hit a big tope’ onto everyone, laying everybody out.
Trips/Swagger - During the match, Swagger actually kicks out of a "Pedigree". At the end of the match, Trips goes to hit a second "Pedigree", but Swagger reverses into the Gutwrench-Bomb to score the win!
ECW - All sorts of insane spots and high-flying maneuvers in this. At the end, Tyson and Bourne both grab onto the belt, and in their struggles to knock each other off, the ladder gets knocked over (with the ref moving it out of the way). With the two hanging by the metal-ring supporting the belt, they get some punches and kicks on each other, before Tyson eventually ends-up falling off. Bourne grabs the belt, and falls back to Earth with it. Bourne wins the ECW-Championship.
Cena/Taker - Cena kicks-out of a “Tombstone” and manages to break-out of “Hell’s-Gate”, while Taker kicks-out of an “Attitude-Adjuster” and manages to break-out of the “STFU”. Taker wins after a second “Tombstone”. After the match, Cena extends his hand to Taker; the two shake, and Cena heads to the back to allow Taker to celebrate.
Backstage: Jericho is giving some last-minute instructions to “Anastatica”, and then makes his way to the ring. Punk is then seen knocking on the dressing-room of Truth and CrymeTyme, only to discover that the three of them have all been laid out. Punk tries to help them, but an official lets him know that he has to get to the ring for his match; the official calls for medical-attention, and tells Punk that she’ll make sure everything’s ok. Punk is reluctant, but puts his game-face on and marches towards the ring.
Jericho/Punk - Jericho purposely bumps the ref, allowing “Anastatica” to make their way to the ring. The 4-on-1 attack is short-lived, however, as Cena, Taker, and Kane rush to the ring and get rid of “Anastatica”. Jericho motions that he is going to go for the “Code-Breaker”, but as he jumps, Punk lifts him onto his shoulders and connects with the “Go-to-Sleep”; the ref is groggy, but counts the 1-2-3. Punk is the new WWE-Champion.
Shawn/MVP - MVP kicks out after a “Super-Kick”, and rallies from behind to win the World-Championship. As he’s celebrating, Punk and Bourne make their way to the ring; the three men hold their championships high. Rey, Kofi, Jesse-Festus, and Beth (with Santino) all then make their way to the ring, all proudly displaying their championships. Swagger makes his way out to the top of the ramp, eyeing-up the competition. The show goes off the air with everyone celebrating, and Jim Ross claiming that “I believe we have just witnessed the dawning of a new era”.
