Note: Apparently Vinnie didn't learn from history and he's letting the
World title become sullied again with a champ who never wins carrying it.
~Mark.
____________________________________
WWE Fatal Four-Way PPV Results
June 20, 2010
Long Island, N.Y.
Report by James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor
This month's WWE PPV has (1) WWE champion John Cena vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge
vs. Sheamus in a four-way WWE Title match, (2) World Hvt. champion Jack
Swagger vs. C.M. Punk vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Big Show for the World Hvt.
Title, (3) The Miz vs. R-Truth for the U.S. Title, (4) Kofi Kingston vs.
Drew McIntyre for the IC Title, and (5) Divas champion Eve defending in a
four-way title match vs. Maryse, Alicia Fox, and Gail Kim. Plus, follow-up
on the NXT Invasion angle.
The WWE PPV started with a video package still trying to sell that fuzzy WWE
Math on four contenders for each of the major Raw and Smackdown titles. The
video was interrupted by a recap of Kane's quest to find out who put The
Undertaker in a vegetative state.
Arena: Full pyro and fireworks shot off inside the building as they focused
on a giant "4" as part of the entrance set. Michael Cole plugged five titles
on the line tonight. Justin Roberts then welcomed out the chairman of WWE,
Mr. McMahon to start the show.
On-stage: McMahon strutted out on the stage and said he hates to start the
show on a somber note, but Raw GM Bret Hart will not be here tonight.
McMahon fed to a video package from Monday's Raw when the NXT Rookies sent
Hart around and around in a limo to inflict "physical and emotional damage"
on Hart. Back live, McMahon said he's meeting with Bret Hart's
representatives later tonight to determine Hart's future. McMahon said he
hopes to have an update at a late time.
Cue up Drew McIntyre's theme music. McMahon paused as his chosen one, Drew
McIntyre walked out on stage. McIntyre shook hands with McMahon, who gave
him some instructions before McIntyre smugly walked to the ring. McMahon
remained on the stage watching McIntyre all the way to the ring before they
recapped the angle on Smackdown when McIntyre made Teddy Long crawl across
the ring and take a three count. They cut back live where McIntyre watched
the video with pleasure. McMahon was then shown walking backstage where he
entered a limo. Apparently he's going to meet with Hart's representatives.
The limo took off, then they cut back to McIntyre in the ring. McIntyre said
he has instructions from McMahon for Teddy Long to come out here to the
ring.
Long somberly walked out sans music. Long made his way to the ring as
McIntyre called him a pathetic shell of a man. McIntyre said Long did the
right thing collecting a paycheck for his family. He told Long to sit in the
chair and watch him win back his Intercontinental Title. He told Long he'll
hand it to him when it's over. Cue up Kofi Kingston's theme music to bring
out the IC champion. With Kingston in the ring, Tony Chimel handled the
formal ring intros as Kofi paced the ring ready to strike.
1 -- Intercontinental champion KOFI KINGSTON vs. DREW MCINTYRE -- IC Title
match
Kingston aggressively went after McIntyre early on before knocking him to
the outside as the announcers played up the "personal issue" between Mac and
Long that has played out on Smackdown. Kingston then set up a move on the
outside, but McIntyre cut him off targeting the left knee. McIntyre then
picked up an aggressive attack on Kingston with control of the match. The
match moved back to the floor where McIntyre wrapped Kingston's left arm
around the ringpost to continue the attack. Back in the ring, McIntyre
continued to dominate the contest as the announcers stressed points that
painted Long as a sympathetic authority figure. McIntyre then mocked Kofi's
trademark hand-clap, which drew heat. Kofi fought back from his knees, but
McIntyre pounded away on his back to retain control. Kingston reached his
feet, but Mac kicked him in the shoulder and landed a fallaway
shoulder-yank-type maneuver for a two count.
At 7:30, Kingston suddenly came back with a floatever DDT that drew applause
from the interested crowd. Long was shown ringside looking like a fan at the
World Cup with his hands clasped wishing and praying for his "team."
Kingston teased a comeback with kicks and punches, then he landed a Kenny
Omega-style double chop. Kingston then tried a roll-up crucifix pin, but
McIntyre kicked out in time. Kingston followed with a turnaround cross-body
splash off the ropes, but Mac kicked out again. McIntyre proceeded to cut
off Kingston, but Kingston came back with a Russian legsweep. Kofi then
started marching around the ring before hitting the Boom Drop. Kingston came
to his feet and started his hand clap while selling the shoulder. Mac saw
the Trouble in Paradise coming and he ran backwards to avoid the move before
sending Kofi head-first into the ringpost. Mac then followed with a big
running boot to the head to cut off Kofi's momentum.
At 11:00, McIntyre measured Kofi to continue working him over. Kingston
blocked the Future Shock, then he came off the second turnbuckle with a nice
Tornado DDT. He made a cover, but McIntyre placed his foot on the bottom
rope to stop the three count. Kingston then went to the corner for ten
punches, but McIntyre grappled Kingston to chuck him across the ring with a
powerbomb for a close two count. After a pause, they came to their feet and
Kofi suddenly busted out the SOS out of nowhere. It looked good for a pin,
but McIntyre slipped out before a three count. Mac and Kofi then got caught
in the corner and ref Charles Robinson took the worst of it with a kick to
the head. The crowd popped, thinking Teddy Long would get involved now.
They reset the match with McIntyre hitting the Future Shock. He had a cover,
but there was no ref available. McIntyre had the visual three count, but
Robinson was KO'ed. McIntyre then pointed to Teddy and walked out of the
ring. He grabbed Teddy and threw him into the ring to make him count a three
count. McIntyre then ripped off Robinson's ref t-shirt and told him to put
it on. Apparently a t-shirt makes you a qualified official. Anyways, Long
put the ref shirt on as McIntyre told him to hurry up. McIntyre then covered
Kingston and Long counted one, two, then he paused before three. The crowd
popped big for the pause.
McIntyre shot him a look and Long shook his head, "No." McIntyre got up and
stared down at Long, who begged off. McIntyre said he'll drop Long if he
doesn't count to three. McIntyre then went for the Future Shock again, but a
suspended Matt Hardy stormed the ring and attacked McIntyre. He hit the
Twist of Fate as Long nodded along. Kingston then dropped McIntyre with
Trouble in Paradise and made the cover, with Long making the cover for the
win. Long celebrated with Kingston as the announcers speculated on what
potential repercussions there would be for Long after this.
WINNER: Kingston at 16:30 to retain the IC Title. Kingston and McIntyre had
a really nice match before the "storyline portion" of the match unfolded. It
was a bit over-booked for a PPV title match, but WWE did the heavy lifting
on TV to make it a passable storyline-driven opening match. The crowd was
hot for everything in the story, which was a good sign. Good crowd tonight.
(***)
Backstage: Hart Dynasty was shown pacing around backstage. They were selling
concern over Bret Hart's issue. Savannah asked them how they're going to
fare in a six-person tag tonight. Natalya said they're going to make Bret
proud tonight. Tyson Kidd said they get to make a name for themselves
against the Usos tonight. D.H. Smith recapped Bret signing the Usos to Raw
so they can achieve everything they want in WWE. Smith vowed to fight for
Bret on Father's Day. Basic stuff, but effective.
2 -- Divas champion EVE TORRES vs. MARYSE vs. ALICIA FOX vs. GAIL KIM --
Divas Title match
No formal ring intros for the first four-way title match of the evening. Eve
and Maryse quickly paired off against each other while Gail and Alicia
battled against each other. Alicia hit a Northern Lights suplex with a
bridge on Gail for a close two count, then chaos ensued with rapid fire pin
attempts. Alicia then hit a spinning backbreaker on Gail before Eve smashed
her with elbow strikes. Eve cleaned house before Maryse and Alicia tried to
double-team her. Maryse grabbed Eve by the hair and shoved her into the
corner. Suddenly, Gail and Eve slapped on simultaneous submission holds on
the heel opponents.
After the submission teases, Maryse and Alicia had a disagreement that led
to an exchange of forearm shots. Maryse landed a big kick on Alicia, but Eve
broke up a pin attempt. Gail suddenly flew in the ring with a double
dropkick on Maryse and Eve. Gail then came off the top with a double-foot
dropkick on Maryse, but Eve broke up a pin. Alicia then pulled Gail to the
outside and took her out of the match. Back in the ring, Eve dropped Maryse
with a spinning neckbreaker and went to the corner. Eve readied and
connected with a moonsault, but Alicia yanked Eve out of the ring. Alicia
then made the cover on Maryse and she is the new Divas champion.
WINNER: Alicia at 5:41 to capture the Divas Title. Good, fast-paced action
throughout the match. The Raw Divas were given a rare spotlight match on PPV
and they delivered a pretty good match. The title switch to Alicia was
surprising, though. (*1/2)
Backstage: Rey Mysterio was preparing for the World Title match in his
locker room, then Big Show walked in to stare down at Rey. Rey said he's
been World champ before and he plans to do it again. Show bent down and put
his hand on Rey's shoulder to tell his "little son" that he's not going to
hesitate to pull the trigger on the KO Punch. Rey shot back that as big as
that fist is, his heart is bigger. The crowd oohed live in the arena. Rey
walked off and Show smirked.
In-ring: Suddenly, Chris Jericho's music hit. He's not on the card. Jericho
came out dressed to wrestle as the announcers talked about Jericho being
ready to compete tonight. Cole said Jericho is still in shock that Evan
Bourne kicked out of his finisher on Raw earlier this week. Lawler said
Jericho isn't right and suggested there's self-doubt with him. Jericho took
the mic and said everyone over the age of 25 continues to watch WWE to this
day. He said he has a problem. "It seems Chris Jericho is no longer the hot
topic or the buzz word of this company," he said. Jericho said even his NXT
Rookie is getting more attention lately.
Jericho said he realized that during his entire career, going back to WCW
and when he interrupted The Rock, and until he led Shawn Michaels to one of
the greatest rivalries in WWE history, he's always fought uphill and been
the underdog. Jericho said he's at the top of the mountain and now everyone
is trying to knock him off. He said is the "most important performer on this
roster" and the "greatest champion of this generation or any other." Jericho
said no one can relate to him because he's the best in the world at what he
does and now he has a target on his back. Jericho name-dropped Evan Bourne
and said he's trying to make a name for himself off him. He has demanded
restitution and has challenged Evan Bourne to a re-match tonight. Jericho
said he is an honest man and he faces his challenges eye-to-eye. He said
Bourne's career will fade out and be snuffed out tonight at his hands. Cue
up Evan Bourne's theme music. At least they set this up rather than just
throwing it out on PPV with no pre-match promo.
3 -- CHRIS JERICHO vs. EVAN BOURNE
The New York crowd was behind Jericho early on here. Jericho taunted Bourne,
who came back with a flying head scissors into a double-foot dropkick to the
head for a two count. Jericho then took a shortcut to take control of the
match and continue to cut off Bourne's comeback teases. The crowd picked up
a dueling chant of "Let's Go Bourne" and "Let's Go Jericho," with the adult
males taking Jericho's side. Bourne then made a full comeback with
rapid-fire kick strikes for a close two count. At 5:00, Bourne went back on
the attack with kick strikes, but Jericho came back with a German Suplex and
a bridge for a two count. Jericho paused to begin another methodical attack
before Bourne suddenly nailed a huracanrana with Jericho standing on the
second ropes. Jericho and Bourne then exchanged aerial moves before Jericho
rolled into a Walls of Jericho center ring. Bourne crawled toward the bottom
rope and made a last-gap lunge for a rope break. The males booed as Jericho
started arguing with the ref.
Jericho then followed up by running Bourne off the ring apron into the
announce table on the floor. Jericho followed up by ramming Bourne
head-first into the table, but he ran right into a drop toe hold sending
Jericho head-first into the ring steps. Bourne rolled Jericho back into the
ring, then he went up top and landed a flying double knee smash to the
shoulders for a close two count. Nice sequence.
Bourne and Jericho reset coming to their feet. Jericho hit a butterfly
suplex into a backbreaker, but Bourne kicked out at two. Jericho teased the
Lionsault, but Bourne moved and hit a martial arts kick. Bourne then went up
top and teased the Shooting Star Press, but Jericho moved. Bourne landed on
his feet and Jericho followed right up with a codebreaker. Jericho took his
time making a cover and Bourne placed his foot on the bottom rope to break
up the pin attempt. Jericho argued with the ref again before yelling at
Bourne, "Stay down, you idiot!"
Jericho pounded on Bourne with forearms, then he missed with a corner attack
and Bourne nearly scored a pin with a roll-up. Jericho teased the Walls of
Jericho again, but Bourne countered with a nice DDT out of a guillotine
choke. Borune then went to the corner again and teased Air Bourne for a
second time, but Jericho cut him off. Jericho teased a superplex, but Bourne
shoved him off. Bourne then readied for the Air Bourne again, but Jericho
crotched him. Jericho teased a superplex again, but Bourne threw him off.
Bourne then went for the Air Bourne onto Jericho's back and he connected
right on Jericho's back. Bourne then rolled him over and scored the three
count for the win. The announcers sold it as one of the most important
moments on Bourne's career to really sell the outcome.
WINNER: Bourne at 12:05. That was a hot match. If they were given five or
six more minutes, it could have been at the four-star level. Good win for
Bourne with the heavy emphasis on Bourne solidifying himself as a top future
star. Meanwhile, Jericho's losing streak story continues. So far, a really
strong PPV card on match quality. (***1/2)
SECOND HOUR
Up next: World Title match from the Smackdown brand. They cut to a video
package on Kane's quest to find out who did in The Undertaker.
In-ring: Big Show came out first to a big pop before C.M. Punk came out
flanked by the SES. Punk walked out, then sent Luke Gallows and Serena to
the back to take this on alone. Rey Mysterio was out next sporting Los
Angeles Lakers colors to sell the idea he's looking for a championship
tonight. With the three challengers assembled, World Hvt. champion Jack
Swagger slowly walked out to defend the World Title. Cole seemed to sell
this as the end of the road for Swagger after a "good three months as
champion." Chimel handled the formal ring intros for the first of two big
World title matches on the card. Rey was booed, befitting of the males not
in favor of the "kid acts."
4 -- World Hvt. champion JACK SWAGGER vs. REY MYSTERIO vs. C.M. PUNK vs. BIG
SHOW -- World Hvt. Title match
Rey took Punk over the top rope to the floor early on with a head scissors.
Show then flung Swagger over the top rope, leading to Show and Rey coming
together for a stand-off center ring. Rey landed a kick, then punches, but
Show shoved him away. More punches had no effect, then Show teased the KO
Punch and Rey comically ran out of the ring. Show suddenly palmed Rey by the
head over the top rope back into the ring and Show started playing with the
other three in the match. Rey then hit a DDT out of nowhere and tried a pin,
but Show bench-pressed him away. Swagger tried to follow with a Vader Bomb
for a pin, but Punk yanked him away.
Rey and Punk suddenly worked together to dropkick Show out of the ring
before Swagger clotheslined both of them. Rey then teased the 619 on Swagger
moments later, but Punk came flying into the ring with a springboard
clothesline on Rey to cut him off. Punk tossed Swagger out of the ring, then
focused on Rey. After Rey and Punk exchanged offense, Swagger re-entered and
teased the gutwrench powerbomb on Punk, but Punk kicked him in the head. Rey
then tried the 619 on Punk, but Show grabbed Rey out of mid-air and yanked
him to the outside to drop him on the announce table.
Back in the ring, Show cleaned house with overpowering offense before he
raised his big hand to sell the chokeslam. The crowd popped, then Show
realized no one was in the ring. Show followed by grabbing C.M. Punk to
throw him into the ring, but Rey dropkicked the ring steps into Show's left
knee. Punk then came off the top with a springboard splash on Show. Back in
the ring, Swagger kicked Rey in the gut to block a springboard, then Punk
dropped Swagger with the G2S.
Rey, Swagger, and Punk were out cold in the ring, then Kane's music suddenly
hit and the lights dimmed. How did he know the match would go this long to
do his bit? Anyways, Kane entered the ring and pointed at Punk. He tossed
Punk through the ropes to the outside and chokeslammed him into a casket he
wheeled to the ring. Suddenly, Luke Gallows showed up to kick Kane in the
face. Punk and Luke ran off to the back and Kane gave chase. So, it's Rey,
Swagger, and Big Show left. In the ring, Rey dropped Swagger to the corner
and hit the 619. Rey followed with his springboard splash and he scored the
three count to become the new World Hvt. champion. Afterward, Rey celebrated
for a bit and they stayed with the moment for a good two or three minutes.
WINNER: Rey at 10:27 to capture the World Hvt. Title. A nice reward for Rey
beating up his body to help carry the brand, but really disappointing
booking here. Swagger needed a strong run with the title after being booked
like an undeserving champion for three months. And now we get another round
of the champion taking TV losses on Smackdown, just like Rey's previous only
title run. Before the Kane run-in, this was another strong match on the PPV.
(**3/4)
Money in the Bank plug: Championship contract for the WWE Title or World
Hvt. Title. They used a Mission Impossible theme to sell the "mission" of
the PPV.
Backstage: Josh Mathews brought in WWE champion John Cena, which drew a mix
of boos and cheers live in the arena. Cena said he's prepared to deal with
the NXT Rookies possibly interfering during the show and there's an
"understanding" among the WWE wrestlers to stand united. Mathews asked him
about the three recent four-way matches resulting in new champs. Classic
stack the deck against Cena. Cena said no matter what happens, whoever wins
the match tonight will have earned it.
In-ring: U.S. champion The Miz came out on stage for the next title match on
the show. Miz cut the music and said he's going to offer his own version of
R-Truth's "What's up?" rap. Miz interjected his own lyrics mocking Truth and
talking himself up. Cole referenced DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince to
intentionally make himself sound like an idiot. Miz then walked into the
ring letting the song finish and Lawler surmised Miz forgot his words. Miz
followed with a Blossom reference and said he's Awesome. What year is this?
R-Truth then came out to do the Vince McMahon-endorsed rap with the kids. He
gave a shout-out to Long Island before telling the audience to shout "What's
Up?" if they think Miz's rap sucked. Cole then mocked Truth's rap with the
same lyric repeated throughout the song, apparently trying to adhere to
continuity from NXT by supporting Miz. Or something.
5 -- U.S. champion THE MIZ vs. R-TRUTH -- U.S. Title match
Truth quickly took control of the match as the crowd chanted over each other
with a "Miz is Awesome/Awful" chant. After the match moved to the floor, Miz
cut off Truth and knocked him to the outside again. Miz told the ref to make
a count as Truth recovered on the floor. Truth slipped back into the ring at
eight, then Miz stomped on his chest to go back on the attack. The ref
checked on Truth to see if he could continue, then Miz followed with a
corner attack focusing on the ribs. Truth unloaded a loogie and the ref
checked on him again before Miz followed with a running clothesline in the
corner. Miz scored a nearfall and followed with a body scissors on the mat
to focus on the mid-section. Truth teased a comeback, but Miz cut him off
and went back to a mat-based submission.
The refs are heavily mic'ed tonight and the ref audibly said "eight to go"
as Miz continued to work over Truth. Miz slowed down the pace soaking in
boos from the crowd before cutting off another teased comeback. The crowd
was quiet with the slow pace and not much support for the "underdog
babyfaces" on tonight's show. Truth made a comeback at 10:00 and hit a
flatliner for a two count. Truth and Miz traded offense back and forth
before Truth missed with a top rope move. Truth sold an injury to the
mid-section, then attempted a roll-up, but Miz kicked out. Miz then trapped
Truth, who was attempting a wheelbarrow, and Miz pinned Truth's shoulders to
the mat for a pin and the win.
WINNER: Miz at 13:24. Not a strong match. The crowd died and the story
wasn't strong despite the pre-match mic work from Miz. Miz still doesn't
have that "break out match" on his resume to solidify himself as a potential
future top-tier star who can be depended on for that guaranteed strong PPV
main event match. (*1/4)
Backstage: Todd Grisham brought in Edge for an interview. Edge wanted to
play psychology. He said John Cena must be concerned because he's seen every
other champ in a four-way match lose tonight. Edge said they all know Randy
Orton isn't 100 percent healthy with his injured shoulder. As for Sheamus,
he might have it under control, but he knows he doesn't belong in there with
the three of them. And, Edge. Edge said the one thing going through his mind
is walking out the new WWE champion.
6 -- Unified tag champions HART DYNASTY (TYSON KIDD & D.H. SMITH & NATALYA)
vs. USOS (JIMMY USO & JEY USO & TAMINA) -- six-person tag match
Tamina and Natalya wanted to start things off against each other as the
announcers talked up the heritage behind each team. Striker "exposed the
biz" listing Yokozuna along with the other famous Samoan wrestling names.
The crowd was quiet early on, giving the six participants a task to win over
the crowd. Jimmy knocked Kidd to the outside, then tried a suicide dive, but
Kidd kicked him in the head from the outside. Kidd tried to follow with a
DDT onto the outside, but Jimmy dropped him with a mid-air Samoan Drop into
the guardrail. Nice counter. Jey then tagged in and went to work on Kidd
back in the ring. The Usos continued to tag in and out working over Kidd as
Tamina shouted instructions from the apron. Jimmy then came off the top with
a headbutt to extend the attack. He tried to follow with an Umaga-style butt
bomb, but Kidd moved out of the way.
Kidd made a tag to Natalya, which meant Tamina had to come in. Natalya
executed a sequence of suplexes before attempting a nearfall, but Jey broke
it up. Smith then took Jey over the top rope with a clothesline to the
outside. Kidd then came flying off the top with a springboard dive onto the
Uso brothers on the outside. Back in the ring, Tamina ducked a clothesline
and hit a Samoan Drop. Tamina went up top for a Superfly splash, but Natalya
moved and Tamina ate the mat. Natalya then measured Tamina and landed a
discus clothesline for the pin and the win.
WINNERS: Hart Dynasty at 9:29. Fine six-person tag match. They needed the
Divas in the match to avoid a pinfall to either the Harts or Uso Brothers to
extend the feud over the Unified tag titles. (*3/4)
Announcers: Cole said the "highlight of each WrestleMania," Money in the
Bank, has become such a big deal that it's getting its own PPV next month.
credit: pwtorch.com
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