WWE Superstars Results: 1/28/10

Not even the fans believe in The Truth

R-Truth interrupted Chris Jericho, who stated that he would go on and win the Royal Rumble. Truth, who pinned Jericho last week in their tag team match, not only insulted Jericho, but proclaimed that he would win the Rumble. Usually fans are behind fan favorites, but even the fans couldn't see Truth headlining WrestleMania. And Truth has to stop talking with a southern accent, no one can take him seriously as a competitor. He spends more time skipping and jumping rather than winning hard fought matches. I understand whole heartily that the WWE is catering to a family audience, but what happened to hard fought intense matches? What happened to superstars and gimmicks that we could scream our heads off. Where are the future Kurt Angles, the Chris Jerichos, the Shawn Michaels, the Eddie Guerreros, the Chris Benoits, the Stone Cold Steve Austins, the Rocks... what happened to real star power being seriously made in the WWE? Just because it's a family show, doesn't mean that the spirit of true compeition must die with these animated gimmicks.

You Can Look, But You Can't Tell Them Apart

The last time the Bellas were in a match was in a losing effort to Maryse in the Divas' Tournament. However, this time, the Bellas stepped up their game and executed a higher quality match against Jillian Hall and Katie Lea. The Bellas went from drop kicks, to forearms, to twin related combination moves, the bottom line, the Twins were red hot. Much like Kelly-Kelly last week, when she defeated Jillian Hall, the Twins have improved and they looked good doing so.

Chris Masters Lost in a Sea of Spanish People

Chris Masters, a.k.a. Pecks Masters, contested this week in a Triple-Threat Match to determine a entry spot at the Royal Rumble against Chavo Guerrero and Primo Colon. Masters appeared with his Spanish girlfriend, Eve Torres, and was the favorite to win the match. I never pay much mind to these below average mid-card matches, but the aggressiveness of Chavo Guerrero showed promise of a good fight. At one point, Chavo launched from the top turnbuckle and frog splashed Masters and Primo on the outside. And later, Chavo side-stepped out of an oncoming Primo, who went head first through the ropes and into Masters who was still on the outside. Chavo vowed to make a name for himself and to be taken more seriously, well this match gets him just a bit closer in doing so. If Chavo were to raise the intensity of his matches, then I can see him going on to win a mid-level title in the near future, but as for now, he passed out from the Master-Lock, granting Masters an entry spot at the Royal Rumble.

Matt Hardy's Key of Destiny Stolen by Jeff

Last week on SmackDown, Matt Hardy pinned D.H. Smith in a tag team match, turned handicap as his partner Khali was of no use. This week on Superstars, Matt Hardy would go one-on-one with the son of the British Bulldog, David Hart Smith. In Matt's corner was Khali and Runjin, and in Smith's corner was Tyson Kidd and Natalya. Has Matt Hardy fallen so far down in his WWE career that he's tag teaming with Khali? Matt recently went through surgery for his burst intestinal wall because he refused to take time off during a big push in his mediocre career. He went back to back capturing the United States Title and then switching to the ECW Title and reigning as the face of the Tuesday C-brand. He later started a feud with his brother, costing him the WWE title, for a reason. Matt has not, and probably never will, captured a World Title. Etched on the pants of Matt Hardy is an emblem of a key that is suppose to unlock his destiny, but Jeff stole that key long ago. Jeff Hardy, despite his drug addictions and tardiness, has done something that his brother will most likely never accomplish - superstardom. While word has it that Jeff has jumped flagships and will start wrestling on TNA with his friend Shannon Moore, Matt Hardy cannot even manage to build any momentum for himself, as the only Hardy left in the WWE, to grasp the brass ring that has always alluded him. Instead of being in the title picture, Matt Hardy is here on Superstars getting pinned by D.H. Smith.

WWE Superstars Results: 1/14/10

RAW Tag Team Match. The opening match was a Mix-Gendered Tag Team Match set for one fall, the participants: Primo and Gail Kim versus Chavo Guerrero and Jillian Hall. The rules are simple, the men fight the men and the women fight the women. If a man tags in a woman, than the other woman is forced into the match to take on the woman... same rules applies for the men. Primo and Chavo started off the match and then entered the women. Gail Kim, who is a former Women's Champion, is looking to become the new Divas' Champion as she has advanced into the semi-finals of the tournament. The new Divas' Champion will be determined sometime after the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Jillian Hall, the world's shortest reigning Divas' Champion, was no match for Gail Kim's quick offense, but when she tagged back in Chavo... things got interesting. As Primo was reeling on the mat, Chavo started to taunt Gail Kim, grapping her wrists and pulling her close. Gail used the opportunity to lock in the Eat Defeat maneuver, which is an inverted stomp facebreaker. Primo then rolled up Chavo for the pinfall victory. This mixed tag team was decent, because it gave a young Primo a chance to shine, and Chavo and Jillian to act on their goofy gimmicks.

Masters vs. Carlito. The following RAW match pit the other brother Colon, Carlito, against Chris Masters. For those who have not been watching RAW, Chris Master's entrance theme has changed from "The Masterpiece" to "Overdrive" by Jim Johnston. It's a steady rock beat, which I could see suited better with someone else, but what are you going to do? Carlito, prior to the match, chewed his apple, and spit in the face of Chris Masters. I don't know how smart that was, seeing as Masters decimated Carlito for the act. Chris Masters was more on point for this match, and did NOT waste valuable time with his pectoral dance. Carlito miscalculated a move, which lead to his eventual demise in the unforgiving Master Lock. Chris Masters finally chalks up a victory, and yes... Eve is still by his side.

SmackDown Tag Team Match. SmackDown did not want to let RAW have all the tag team action, so it was Team Delusional Gangstas versus Team Beards. Why have I given them these particular names? Well... Team D.G. has a former southerner resident of North Carolina, Jesse has ditched the tights for some jeans, some bling, and the only corn he deals with is corn rose. As for Jimmy Wang Yang, he's initially an Asian who believes he's a redneck cowboy. Even the great J.B.L. was offended by this persona, but I think we should all be upset over the fact that he wants to referred to as the Asian Redneck Gangsta.... talk about a personality disorder. Honestly, WWE has no idea what they are doing with these two superstars. As for Team Beards, Mike Knox, who won Beard of the Year in WWE Magazine, has a freakishly long beard that he shampoos everyday to keep it clean. And as for his partner, Charlie Haas, once a part of the World's Greatest Tag Team, has fallen off the reservation for some time now. It was said that he wanted to be released from his contract, so what did WWE do? Gave him a raise instead, as long as you stay with the company and I guess grow a beard while you are at it. At first, I thought Daivari had returned to the WWE, but it was just Charlie Haas with a beard. The match saw a better showing of athletic ability from both J and Yang, as their high flying and technical offense is impressive but deeply goes underrated. These two men managed to knock out Knox out of the ring, allowing Wang Yang to strike with the moonsault, that even The Fallen Angel Daniels would be impressed, as he got the winning pinfall over Charlie Haas.

Byron Saxon, Lame. This past Tuesday, Ezekiel Jackson was named the #1 contender for Christian's ECW Title after eliminating Kane to win the ECW Homecoming Showdown. Now, to learn from his mentor/master William Regal, Ezekiel will pin point the weaknesses of Christian. But enough about that, what really stood out of this match was the lackluster commentating of ECW's Bryon Saxton and Josh Matthews. Saxton was the new kid of the block, taking a first crack at commentating for prime-time television, but he has grown stale. Saxton was stale since the first day he walked into the land of the not-so-extreme, but he recently started adopting a heel-gimmick personality while commentating. It's usually how it goes, the commentator roots for the faces, and the color commentators hype up the heels. Yet, Josh and Bryon have no personality, it's like watching two politically correct voices trying to argue in a polite manner. It's hard to believe that Saxton wrestled over on FCW, unless I told you so, well I did. When William Regal was down flat on the canvas as Christian went for a high-risk maneuver, Saxton called it being dazed, while Matthews called it as being laid flat out. Saxton tries to hard to root for the bad guys, but in this PG world of ECW sequel, it's best not to get the kids confused. Honestly, "Just look at him" doesn't quite cut it when explaining why Ezekiel would win the ECW Title. Which, speaking of Jackson, he was ejected from the arena after doing his best Mad Dog impression. Talk about guys that have too much testosterone, Jackson was grunting and growling at Christian. I'm glad the ref pulled him out of the match, he looked as if he were going to bite Christian. Not too long after Jackson made an exit that Christian took control of the match as he avoided the Knee Trembler and Regal Stretch to finally lock in the Killswitch. The question isn't whether or not Christian will retain his title, but how will William Regal react as to his follower capturing a title that he himself could not?

I'm really not too impressed with these 1-hour segments, which is really a compilation of dark matches, tapped just to fill more WWE-TV time. It allows for the mid-carders to actually shine, but how about a new concept? Inter-brand matches? Imagine a C.M. Punk vs. Christian, or a Jack Swagger vs. Zack Ryder? So that's it for this edition of WWE Superstars, have a good night people.

WWE Superstars Results: 1/7/10

Second Contender in Divas' Tournament: The opening match was a Divas' Championship First-Round Tournament Match to determine the new Divas' Champion. It was reported this past Monday that Melina was injured at a WWE Live Event, which means she would be unable to compete, thus, the title has been vacated. Sadly, Melina was brought over on RAW solely to be the champion and enter a feud with the returning Maryse, but those plans have changed. Maryse, as expected, has already advanced in the tournament this past Monday Night after pinning the Bella Twins. This match was Gail Kim, a former Women's Champion, vs. Jillian Hall a recent Divas' Champion in her own right. Much like the first Divas' contest, this match up was less than desirable. Gail Kim, just coming off of an amazing run in TNA, returned to the WWE. She may have gotten a bigger paycheck, but she definitely did not gain better competition. Jillian Hall, possibly one of the worst excuses of a wrestler, slowed down the pace of the match. Jillian's gimmick is too cartoony and thus has impaired her wrestling craft. Jillian took to long to go into a cover, and, when she did, had her leg under the rope. No limb of any of the wrestlers can be underneath the rope during a cover, those are the rules. Jillian obviously has no understanding of her surroundings while in the ring, and fails to quickly execute her maneuvers. Her wrestling is choppy to say the least, and to give her a title win over Mickie James only to lose it five seconds later to Melina has become a footnote in the annals of the WWE. Gail Kim picked up the win, maybe she can become the top face of the RAW Divas' division.

Money Trumps Pecks. The following was Ted DiBiase Jr. against "The Masterpiece" Chris Masters w/ Eve Torres. The match was clearly a testament to the evolution of Ted DiBiase. Chris Masters may have a sculpted body, but DiBiase has amazing ring awareness, because each time Chris Masters attempted the Master lock, DiBiase would get himself to the ropes to break the hold. Despite there being some issues within Legacy, Ted DiBiase is looking more and more like a guy that can inch his way to the main event scene thanks to the guidance of Randy Orton. Chris Masters, on the other hand, is doing well for himself... a babyface turn... dancing peck routine... and Eve Torres. However, he has been losing more matches than winning. Chris Masters, incorporating the dancing pecks, tries to intimidate his opponents, but personally, the routine seems out of place. And a sighting of old school was seen in this match... no, not Undertaker's tight rope trick... DiBiase attempted to lock in his father's finisher The Million Dollar Dream, while Masters executed Hogan's Guillotine Leg Drop. Ted DiBiase picked up the win after forcing out of the Master lock and striking with Dream Street.

ECW Match. The following match was Caylen Croft w/ Trent Barreta against Yoshi Tatsu w/ Goldust. The friendship between Tatsu and Dust is merely linguistical... Tatsu learns English while Dust learns Japanese. Croft, recently coming over to ECW, did well in his first singles match. Yoshi attempted a hurricanrana but fell flat because Croft retained a strong grip while on the turnbuckle. Still not to impressed with Croft and Barreta, but at least their entrance song has changed to a generic rock theme rather than that circus one. Yoshi picked up the win with his Roundhouse Kick.

Shillelagh Tops Beard. The main event was Finlay versus Mike Knox. The match was nothing special from all their previous encounters. Knox and Finlay have a set fighting style which is to punch, kick, and claw their way to the finish. Honestly, this should not have been the main event... the DiBiase-Masters match expressed wrestling a lot better than this. Fit Finlay is a 51 year old man who, despite a short run as the United States Champion years back, WWE has no interest in ever putting another title around his waste. Heck, after the aborted McMahon's illegitament child story line, Finlay was forced to change his gimmick after being relevealed that it was his son. Finlay's entrance music started out "My Name is Finlay, and I love to fight." Not anymore... Finlay has fallen far from the reservation and does not look too intimidating. Mike Knox cannot be taken seriously either because, despite having a new gimmick, he doesn't win any matches. He went through a trilogy of matches with Kane and lost all of them. This match up is considered below mid-card in my standards. Mike Knox attempted to cheat after removing the protective padding on the turnbuckle, and dropped it in the middle of the ring. The referee sees the padding and does not look to even attempt to fasten it back on... he just tosses it out. Well, Finlay only needed a second to strike with his shillelagh and he picked up the win. That's another thing, Finlay matches usually end with a shillelagh strike, when has he ever won a fair match? Wrestlers tend to watch videos of the competition and themselves in order to better themselves... but what about the referees? Shouldn't they catch on and think, 'Hey, we shouldn't let Finlay bring that shillelagh anymore. Heck, what do I know?

WWE Superstars Results: 12/31/09

Last Call for Alicia Fox. Since becoming the Divas' Champion in October, Melina has taken on all comers. Actually, Melina has only defended her title twice... against Jillian Hall as to her rematch clause... and against Alicia Fox at Madison Square Garden. Once again she would take on Alicia Fox in a non-title match. And unlike the Women's Champion, Michelle McCool, Melina does not sit at ringside with funny shirts, but, instead, participates in every possible divas' match on RAW. Alicia Fox, who has not been seen in quite some time, took on Melina in one-on-one action. The former wedding planner attempted an inverted double underhook to contort the spine of Melina, but Melina's flexible back bent her body in ways that should not be humanly possible. With that said, Alicia actually walked away from the match... feeling that she gave it her all, yet Melina brought her back in order to execute The Last Call. The competition is really weak over on RAW, while SmackDown has all the diva star-power.

Vance Archer, Future Champion? ECW's contribution to WWE Superstars was a squash match between "The Gold Standard" Shelton Benjamin and Vance Archer. Since the TLC pay-per-view, Shelton Benjamin has not seen ring action, yet his return match was not for the faint of heart. Vance Archer got slapped hard in the face after placing Shelton in the tree of whoa (wrapping the opponent upside down from the top turnbuckle). With that empathic statement imprinted on the side of the face, Vance Archer started mercilessly kicking the abdominal region of Benjamin well past the 5-count. And if that were not enough, Vance connected with the Bull's Eye as his empathic statement to the Gold Standard. Now, this match played off the same way as when Shelton faced off against Sheamus, who also failed to adhere to the 5-count, and that man is the current WWE Champion. Will Vance Archer follow suit and climb the mountain as well?

What to do with Charlie Haas? Aside from 2008, and short stints in 2009, Charlie Haas has, for the majority of the time, been off WWE television; leaving most to speculate that he had been released. Indeed, Charlie Haas did request to be released from his contract, but WWE gave him a raise instead after it was presupposed that Kurt Angle had plans for Haas over on TNA. So, after months of being off screen, Charlie Haas teamed up with Mike Knox in a losing effort against Cryme Tyme. On last week's episode of SmackDown, Cryme Tyme took on a team of local wrestlers, for what reason we will not know; but it appears that WWE took an interest from WWEStrikesBack blog post, since they teamed two superstars mentioned here last week. However, after much fortitude against the likes of Shad Gaspard, Haas fell to the Shout Out of JTG. If WWE really wants to make an interesting team - unite Vance Archer and Haas. Or, they can do the sensible thing, which is to bring Haas over to ECW to be established as a top heel. And what would be better than for the once World's Greatest Tag Team to feud?

Carlito Not Forgotten. The main event was provided by RAW with Chris Masters and MVP taking on Jack Swagger and Carlito. Carlito, really? MVP, no doubt finally severing ties with Mark Henry; not so much that there were bad words exchanged but a mutual understanding of branching off. Mark Henry is doing his own thing on RAW, while MVP has become a regular on WWE Superstars. Jack Swagger, a phenomenal wrestler, uses his height and strength to overpower his opponents, just last week he gave the former WWE Champion, John Cena a run for his money. Both MVP and Jack Swagger are primed for the main event scene, they just need that one match that will catapult them to super-stardom. Chris Masters is beyond shadow of doubt excelling as a fan favorite with his dancing pecks. But are the pecks being over done? Chris Masters is also sporting a new entrance theme, which sounds like any other rock theme, but it doesn't fit "The Masterpiece" as did the theme prior. And if pecks and a new theme were not enough, he also has the lovely Eve Torres by his side. Then comes Carlito... In 2004, Carlito in his first match defeated John Cena for the United States Title. So how can someone who defeated Cena in his first night have such a horrible wrestling career? Ric Flair believes it was due to lack of passion. But at the start of his career, Carlito won both the US and I-C Titles in little over a year, and contested for Cena's WWE Title at New Years Revolution in an Elimination Chamber match, but since then WWE has failed to continue pushing his character. The best possible thing to do with Carlito is to reunite him with his brother, and actually work on their gimmick as Caribbean Cool Brothers. As for the match, Chris Masters flex, or made-dance, his pecks as setting up for the Master Lock on Carlito, but the distraction of MVP knocking Swagger over the ropes prompted Carlito to strike Masters with the backstabber for the 3-count. Carlito, only with Chavo Guerrero, has vowed to make the most of the new year, but will he be able to keep that promise as RAW goes head to head with TNA this Monday Night.

Sheamus Finds Third Table Guest; Chris Masters Turns Babyface; Orton-Kingston PPV Match Revealed

First Match: John Cena vs. Carlito. Really?? First off, these two had a history. Carlito defeated John Cena for the United States Title when he first arrived in the WWE. And how interesting to see how much success one has while the other became not so successful. Last week, Carlito stated that the locker rooms are filled with people who cannot stand John Cena and wishes Sheamus all the luck in defeating him at the TLC ppv; Lawler tried to erase that comment by commenting that Carlito was only talking about himself, while reaffirming Cena's position in the WWE. John Cena may be a nice guy, but there is no doubt that what Carlito claimed does not have a large kernal of truth embedded somewhere. John Cena is the top of the business and always will be, you cannot say that people are happy about that. Word has it that Charlie Haas wanted his release from the WWE over not being used, but instead WWE gave him a raise to keep him away from rival TNA. People like Haas will never get a world title shot as long as Cena is the peak of Sports Entertainment. Sheamus, who is leading the revolution, came to interfere with the match, but was ejected from the ring by Mark Cuban's security team. Then Carlito "took advantage" while Cena was distracted. Well, the match never stopped, so that would be Cena's fault for taking his eyes off of his opponent. But, as usual, Cena ended it quick with a firearm carry followed by his U Can't C Me hand gesture, finished off with the attitude adjuster. What a slap in the face to Carlito, and they wonder why people can't stand The Champ.

Second Match: Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase vs. Evan Bourne and Primo. Mark Cuban was unwilling to accept Rhodes' request for a match, seeing as if Rhodes would have won, then the ban, restricting Orton to face Cena for the WWE Title, would be lifted. Instead, Cuban announced that Legacy would be in action immediately, while Orton would face Kofi one-on-one with him as the special guest referee. Michael Cole mentioned that Mark Cuban watched WWE Superstars because this was a rematch from last Thursday, when we all know Cuban had no clue who Legacy would face, "Don't you have a match now? Go!" The match was decent, not as great as last Thursday, but it still had its moments. Again, Bourne is the strongest member of the team, but once again Primo did not concentrate on the match costing Bourne to be pinned by Dream Street. It's interesting that Primo is the weakest link seeing as he was the first ever Unified Tag Team Champion alongside his brother Carlito. But, Primo is also the one that cost them from recapturing their titles against Edge and Jericho. Bourne would be well advised to find another partner. Legacy didn't have much time to celebrate their win since they were ejected from the Airlines Arena by Cuban's team of security guards; thus, insuring that Legacy would not interfere in Orton's match.

Third Match: Gail Kim vs. Maryse. Kelly Kelly was the special guest ring announcer for the match, a little rough around the edges but makes a formidable announcer. Gail Kim was fluid in her motions and carried the entire match; and when I say entire, I mean Gail executed every offense within the match. Seeing as Gail Kim is a former Women's Champion prior to the decline of women's wrestling, I would expect Gail to be in the title picture. But one swift kick to the back of the knee dropped Gail on her back. And Maryse, with the assist from the ropes, covered Gail for the win. Mark Cuban was right, the WWE referees are worse than the NBA, how do you not see that! Kelly Kelly announced Maryse as the winner with very little enthusiasm, but Maryse demanded that she'd be recognized as the next Divas' Champion. Refusal to adhere to her request led to a beat down, followed by a rescue from current Divas' Champion, Melina. So far, SmackDown has the better Divas storyline.

Fourth Match: Kofi Kingston vs. Orton w/Special Guest Referee, Mark Cuban. Randy Orton won his match last week thanks to the blatant assault that occurred prior to the match. The referee allowed the match to go one, despite seeing Kofi assaulted by both members of Legacy, which is one of the reasons Cuban opted to be the referee for this match. The second reason would become clear after the match. Cuban, much like Stone Cold at Cyber Sunday 2007, allowed pretty much anything to go down. Orton attempted an RKO, but was countered into a backslide, which would not normally win a match, but Cuban's fast 3-count ended the match. Oh yeah, that's the second reason. In 2003, at the Survivor Series, Randy Orton RKO'ed Mark Cuban, so after 6 years, he has gotten his revenge on Orton. And seeing as each one has a win over the other, at TLC, Randy Orton will face off against Kofi Kingston one more time.

At TLC PPV: Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston.

United States Title Match: (C) The Miz vs. Mark Henry. Resulting from last week's win, Mark Henry was granted a title match against The Miz. Sadly, the WWE showed a video recap of Verne Troyer celebrating with Mark Henry and the Divas, which was a pathetically low point in last week's show. The Miz has defeated MVP, so how would he fare against the World's Strongest Man? Well, it helps when the strongest man is also the slowest man. Mark Henry obviously doesn't work out like he use to, and his two knee braces are indications that his body mass is getting to him. The Miz utilized his agility and his hunger to remain a champion to retain his title. It almost looked as if Mark Henry would capture the U.S. Title as he had Miz positioned for the World's Strongest Slam, but it was countered into a DDT. Beautifully done Miz, I saw the DDT coming and it was worth it.

Mixed Gendered Tag Team Match: Hornswoggle and Eve vs. Chavo Guerrero and Jillian. Billed as a mixed gendered tag team match was actually disguised as a second divas match. Hornswoggle, who now sports a self-made DX-Hornswoggle t-shirt, which is also available at WWEShop.com, started the match. Hornswoggle is just as bad as DX with his self merchandise promoting. Hornswoggle started the match, but then quickly tagged himself out, so that Eve and Jillian would fight. The team of Eve and Hornswoggle doesn't surprise me seeing as they travel together and twitter one another on the road. Eve is still rusty, but she is starting to look more like a wrestler. She doesn't bother dressing sexy to the ring, but wears lady trunks to her matches. She pinned the former Divas' Champion with a rolling senton. Chavo then started pushing around Hornswoggle, a little pay back for all the countless times Hornswoggle one-uped the Warrior. Side note, I miss JBL's commentating, "The name Guerrero, it means Warrior!" Eve then took a firm stance before Chavo, which really got the crowd moving. It's nice to have a woman not afraid to confront a guy. Yet, Chavo wasn't shy about shoving Eve out of his way to get to Hornswoggle, so cue in Chris Masters. Ever since his peck dance when Ozzy hosted, WWE has been pushing Masters as a babyface during house shows to see how the crowd would respond. I'm guessing that it went over big, seeing as the audience were for Masters scaring Chavo with his dancing man pecks, followed by a Masterlock powerslam. Then a love interested bloomed as Masters told Guerrero that he better not dare touch Eve. Let's see if this love story with Eve sticks, unlike the short-lived love triangle between Swagger and Miz.

2-0n-1 Handicap Match: DX vs. Chris Jericho. Chris Jericho made another great promo, stating that Jericho is greater than RAW and SmackDown, that he transcends all of the WWE. A man of his calibur knows no boundaires and he can do whatever he likes. DX's strategy was to make frequent tags, trying to keep Jericho in the corner. A lot of good that did seeing as Jericho knocked the referee into Triple H, which apparently means that the ref is knocked out for the remainder of the match, and the Big Show appeared. How did we not see that one coming? Then, Tables, Ladders, and Chairs came into play, leaving DX destroyed. Chris Jericho set up the ladder and symbolically climbed to the top hositing the Unified Tag Team Titles in the air. Was this truly Jericho's final night on RAW, or will he be back next week?

WWE TLC ShowDown: Mark Cuban set up this Q&A session between Sheamus and WWE Champion, John Cena for further build up to their Tables Match this Sunday. It would have been wise for Sheamus to have actually had a match, instead of being ejected from the ring. But, Sheamus spoke of how it took Cena three years to become the WWE Champion, while it will only take him a few months. John Cena states that he is impressed with the Celtic Warrior, but he is not intimidated. Cena has faced off against everyone from the greats, to the one-hit wonders, and that Sheamus won't be any different. I have no doubt in my mind that Sheamus could overpower Cena, but I also foresee John Cena finding the strength deep inside from all his Hulkamaniacs... I mean Cenation and put Sheamus through a table. Sheamus delivered two boots to Cena's face and shoved Cuban around. Mark Cuban was all big and tough earlier when he had a whole security team at the snap of his command, but what happens when its just you starring at a man like Sheamus, a man who retired Jamie Noble? Well... Sheamus propted a table on one corner of the ring and rammed Cuban through the table. Unlike Ben Roethlisberger, who had his whole defensive line to protect him, Cuban's Dallas Mavericks were of no help. Overall, Sheamus is indeed ready to face off against John Cena, but all things considered, Cena will be Sheamus first real challenge since Shelton Benjamin. Will the revolution come full circle with a new WWE Champion, or will The Champ Still be Here?

WWE Superstars Results: The Miz Punks Morrison; WSM Joins RAW Team

Last night's WWE Superstars featured a match from each show, and with Bragging Rights less than 2 weeks away, every match is crucial.

RAW Match:" WSM" Mark Henry vs. "The Masterpiece" Chris Masters. This was the final qualifying match for the final slot on the RAW Team, captained by D-Generation X. Mark Henry is the world's strongest man, that is not a moniker, he is indeed, but how would he fare with a bum knee? The medical bands around the knee of Mark Henry was the result of his tag team match, with MVP, against Masters and Guerrero just 2 weeks ago on RAW. How fitting that Henry would have to face, possibly the most impressive specimen of human body sculpting, Chris Masters. The match seemed decent at first, but it was obvious who would win the match. With MVP losing his qualifying spot to Jack Swagger, it would only make sense that the other half of the tag team would make it. Masters, near the end of the match, attempted the Master Lock, but, as King said, his arms aren't long enough to wrap around Mark Henry. With a quick release of The World's Strongest Slam, WSM fills the final slot on the RAW team.

The RAW Team is finalized: DX, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, and The Big Show.

ECW Match: Vladimir Kozlov vs. Tommy Dreamer. Last week, Dreamer and Goldust lost miserably to the team of Kozlov and Jackson, and this week would be the same in singles competition. Goldust already lost to Jackson on this week's ECW, it was only a matter of time for Dreamer to fall as well. Dreamer either did well for lasting so long in a match, or Kozlov allowed him to remain as long as he did. The Moscow Mauler focused on the right arm of Tommy Dreamer, vital to Dreamer's finishing DDT. But with an Iron Curtain, Kozlov proves dominate yet again.

Note: WWE Bragging Rights is a SmackDown vs. RAW pay-per-view, so ECW will not appear on the card.

SmackDown Match: Intercontinental Champion, John Morrison vs. CM Punk (Non-Title). Despite their run in for the ECW Championship back in 2007, Morrison (now a face) and Punk (now a heel) have jump started their rivalry. And so far the records stands 2-1 in favor of John Morrison. Filling in for J.R. on commentary, was guest commentator, United States Champion, The Miz. Both The Miz and John Morrison, former tag team partners, will face off at Bragging Rights. The Miz already knows everything there has to about Morrison's offense - so why was he there? - to screw up the match. It was obvious before the match started, it's classic wrestling feud 101. The Miz claims Morrison's downfall is his high flying, much like Jeff Hardy, and that in 2 weeks, the better of the team will emerge. Morrison had CM Punk set up for Starship Pain but The Miz interfered and attacked Punk, thus awarding the win via DQ to CM Punk. However, John Morrison got the last say-so by connecting with a Flying Chuck to the forehead of CM Punk. The record now stands at: 2-2.

Tonight marks the return of The Dirt Sheet. What will these two have in store for each other on the Friday Edition of SmackDown?

WWE Superstars Matches Preview: 9/24/2009

Tonight on WWE Superstars, like every week, expect the unexpected!


ECW: Goldust vs. William Regal

- William Regal is desperately trying to get back into the ECW title picture, but will Goldust prove to be a speed bump along the road to Extreme?

Divas: Michelle McCool & Layla vs. Melina & Maria

- McCool and Layla have done everything possible to ruin Maria's relationship with Ziggler, while they just don't like Melina because she proves a threat to the Women's Title. However, Maria believes that Melina has been trying to humiliate her by posting photos of Ziggler's possible soiree - so things are not looking good for this team.

Smackdown: Matt Hardy vs. Kane

Matt Hardy has been out of action since tapping out to the Anaconda Vice, how will he fare when up against the giant who took out the Great Khali out of action?

RAW: Chris Masters vs. Primo

Neither superstar has been seen on RAW for weeks, but they have made their home on WWE Superstars. Masters has destroyed Santino time and time again. How will Primo fare against the Master Lock? It will be a test of Strength vs. Speed tonight on WWE Superstars!

Hornswoggle Ruins Match; D-Generation X and Legacy Evenly Matched?

For months, Chavo Guerrero has been humiliated time and time again by jobbing to Hornswoggle. It's always in these ridiculous stipulation matches that guarantee Swoggle the victory. Yet, last Monday, Chavo was finally given a serious match - against Evan Bourne.

This was the first time that my finger didn't reach for the fast forward key on my DVR, because his opponent was NOT Hornswoggle.

And lucky I didn't, because it was a great match up. Reminds me of the days of the Cruiser-weight wrestlers. Which, they tend to be high-flyers, and that's what this match was - an excellent showcase of high-flying wrestling.

Then... he showed up! The pint-sized leprechaun showed up with a water gun and sprayed Chavo as he was ready to execute the Frog Splash off the top turnbuckle.

Well... there was a splash alright, but it was from the tadpole - Hornswoggle.

With the distraction, Even Bourne went quickly for the standing roll up - and pinned Chavo for the win.

Which was wrong! Chavo Guerrero should've won the match via disqualification. Hornswoggle, did indeed, attack Chavo with a foreign object and deliberately interfered with the match.

When Chavo went to complain to Bob Barker, he ended up getting more than he bargained for. If anyone recalls Bob Barker's role in the 1996 Adam Sandler film "Happy Gilmore" - Barker knocked out Sandler and said "The Price is Wrong, B---h!" Well, supposedly, Barker was trained by the legendary Chuck Norris, and delivered a devastating punch to the midsection, followed by a karate chop to the back of the neck of Chavo Guerrero.

Well... Chavo... "The Price is Wrong, B---h!"

The Men of D-Generation X, played a game with Bob Barker - to determine their opponents in the main event tag team match. HBK picked "The Masterpiece" Chris Masters, and Triple H chose Randy Orton.

Which, I believe was a great combination. WWE RAW should input random superstars in the main event from time-to-time. It gives it a bit of spontaneity.

Randy Orton may be one of the most gifted wrestlers of all time, next to Chris Jericho, but he doesn't have a submission move. How does Orton expect to make Cena say "I Quit" if he does not have a submission move?

Orton and Masters had great chemistry in the ring - recalling the days of Rated-RKO, when Orton teamed with Edge, or when GM William Regal forced Orton and Cena to team up. Orton may not be remembered as a tag team player, but he is very much so a tag team specialist.

HBK and Triple H showed Legacy what submissions they are capable of - a Figure-Four and a Sharp Shooter. But let's not forget that HBK has also implemented the Sharp Shooter and has the Cross-face.

So, D-Generation X have an arsenal of submission moves at their disposal. What does Legacy have?

Rhodes and DiBiase ambushed DX, yet again, at the end of their match - with the action taking place outside of the arena. Of course, this is a ploy to hype up their Submission counts anywhere match. But seeing as Orton taught them everything they know... they are in dire need of submission moves.

The only thing Rhodes and DiBiase can do is pull a page from their fathers' submission maneuvers - the Figure-Four Leg Lock.

WWE Should Develop: Part II - Tag Team Edition

Cryme Tyme has finally been given the push that most tag teams dream of, a title opportunity for tag team gold - but not just any tag team gold - it will be for the Unified Tag Team Championships at Summerslam.

Cryme Tyme qualified against The Hart Dynasty in a #1 Conteder's Match for the right to face Chris Jericho and The Big Show at Summerslam. The two facing each other is really not a big surprise seeing as there is only three tag teams - the other being Rhodes and DiBiase.

This was surprisingly a decent match, even if Tyson and Davy were afraid to mix it up with Gaspard in the ring.

The most impressive feat was from JTG picking up the win with what he calls "The Shout-Out" - Diving Corkscrew Neckbreaker.

This wouldn't be Cryme Tyme's first title match: they once contended for the World Tag Team Titles at Unforgiven 2008 against Rhodes and DiBiase; yet, they have never won gold.

The team that Cryme Tyme will be facing is Chris Jericho, the Greatest in the World Today, and The Big Show, the World's Largest Athlete - combined, they have held 40 WWE Titles, and frankly, it would be a major upset if Cryme Tyme steals a win at Summerslam.

As for the team of Jericho and Show, it's no Edge but you cannot deny that Big Show is one tag team partner that can eliminate the competition. As for their entrance theme: it's really bad. It is obvious that WWE is trying to recreate the Rated-RKO feel of mixing entrance music - but it's not working.

Best of luck to Cryme Tyme in the most important match of their lives.

Hart Dynasty, there is no pop in the crowd for these guys. What should be a continuation to the Hart Family Legacy is slowly turning into a disaster. Tyson Kid on ECW was considered to be getting the push after he broke DJ Gabriel's undefeated streak and continued as the undefeated one. But during a regular match with Finlay, when D.H. Smith returned after a year at FCW - the WWE Universe got to see The Hart Attack utilized against Finlay. Yet, that was it, the move was only used once! That finisher was first done by Natalya's father - Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and her uncle Bret "The Hitman" Hart. What the Hart Dynasty needs is more wins, a better entrance into the ring, more interfering, more smack talk, and reasons to hate them because they are heels - not be annoyed by them. The biggest mistake was drafting Hart Dynasty over to Smackdown - they needed more time to develop in a smaller environment.

NEW TAG TEAMS MUST BE FORMED!

On ECW, it's pretty clear that Vladimir and Ezekiel will be forming a new tag team. It's a case of who's better than who - as for two weeks now - both Kozlov and Jackson have tried to show off their devastating finishing moves on pathetic little jobbers. Both men are intimidating and both have scored outmatched victories for several weeks on ECW. It'll only be a matter of time before Kozlov and Jackson start combining the Ura-nage and The Iron Curtain to become a dominating force in Sports Entertainment. This strange combination of countries is similar to Nikolai Volkoff and The Iron Sheik, which the two did capture the WWE Tag Team titles at the first Wrestlemania in 1985. Kozlov and Jackson would work well together - but first they have to prove that they can coincide in the ring together.

With Chris Masters resigning back with the WWE, it's time that he capture his first WWE Title, and what better than the Unified Tag Team Titles? And what can be even better than "The Masterpiece" teaming up with "The All-American-American" Jack Swagger. Imagine the combination of rendering an opponent unconscious with the Master Lock and then being destroyed with The Gut-Wrench Powerbomb! The duo would be a mixture of physical brawn and technical perfection. The two are arrogant in their abilities, just like Jericho and Show are in their credibility.

Tomorrow night on RAW, Triple H will be taking on Rhodes and DiBiase in a 2-on-1 Handicapped match, but it may be a set up for the return of "The Heart-Break Kid" Shawn Michaels. While Randy Orton takes on John Cena for the WWE Title at Summerslam - the rest of Legacy may have their hands full with the reformation of D-Generation X. In numerous Summerslam ads, it features Shawn Michaels - and it does seem like that time for Michaels to return from hiatus and be a part of the Biggest Party of the Summer.

The WWE is desparetely trying to make Summerslam into the next Wrestlemania with FanAxxess and all that jazz, but a night with DX would really boost up ppv sales. The last time DX headlined a pay-per-view was at New Year's Revolution 2007. Strangely, DX's popularity and recognition as one of the Greatest Tag Teams comes as a shock seeing as they never held Tag Team gold as a unit. It is possible that DX may challenge Jericho and Show for the Unified Tag Team Titles - making it the first tag team gold that they have held together.

Prestige is once again brought back to the Tag Team Titles - being held by multi-time World Champions - it only seems fair that the opposing tag teams hold the same accolades as the current title holders.

Time Foretold Randy's Next Challenge; "The Masterpiece" Returns

Much controversy surrounds the Triple Threat Match at Night of Champions: Who was Randy Orton tapping out to? Why didn’t the referee ring the bell to Orton submitting? Shouldn’t Orton have been disqualified for the interference of Legacy?

These answers have and will remain buried through the passing of the pay-per-view. The WWE Universe must now look forward to SummerSlam.

To determine Randy Orton’s opponent for SummerSlam, RAW’s Guest Host, Shaquille O’Neal issued a “Beat the Clock” Challenge.

The five challengers chosen to compete in the tournament were Mark Henry, MVP, Triple H, Jack Swagger, and John Cena.

Mary Henry started the tournament against Carlito. One would assume that this would be a quick 1-2-3, but Carlito kept his distance from the World’s Strongest Man. Yet, speed wasn’t enough to avoid Mark Henry’s World’s Strongest Slam – setting the time to beat 6:49.

The next runner up was MVP. He may not have walked out Night of Champions the United States Champion, but this challenge was an opportunity for a shot at the WWE Title. However, after two years, “The Masterpiece” Chris Masters has returned to the WWE, and set to be MVP’s “Clock Challenge” opponent. MVP’s chances of winning were slim since, Masters’ physical appearance resembles that of a Greek god, and his modified full nelson, The Master Lock, is almost unbreakable. Yet, after several attempts to avoid this deadly lock, Masters managed to lock it in - outside of the ring: causing a double count out.

- Since MVP was counted out, he would not advance in the challenge.

The time to beat still remained 6:49, but with Triple H battling Cody Rhodes, it was almost a guarantee that Triple H would advance – key word, ‘almost.’

Prior to the match backstage, Rhodes and DiBiase jumped Triple H from behind and attacked his leg. With this in mind, Rhodes applied the Figure-Four leg lock but Triple H would not submit. As all the momentum shifted over to the Cerebral Assassin, DiBiase climbed the side of the ring – distracting the Game long enough for time to expire. Time would eventually run out as Triple H went for the cover after the Pedigree. Rhodes and DiBiase stopped Triple H from advancing but at a price. Next week, Triple H has issued a handicapped match: Triple H vs. Rhodes and DiBiase – because sometimes you come across a guy, you never should have messed with.

Not really sure what Orton was thinking, because if they stop anyone else from advancing, he would be facing Mark Henry at SummerSlam for the WWE Title – Henry pinned Orton on his first night on RAW, what would stop him from doing it again?

Jack Swagger, exuding the cockiness of a young Orton, was certain that he would advance because he’s bigger, faster, stronger, and younger than the WWE Champion. His opponent was the high flying Evan Bourne – showcasing a new entrance theme and his new WWE Official T-Shirt [Buy Now]. The WWE Creative team is unsure what to do with Bourne – but pinning Jack Swagger within the time to beat seems like a good start. It may not be certain how Bourne will be used, but after pinning the former ECW Champion – things could only go up for Evan “Air” Bourne.

The final Beat the Clock match was John Cena vs. The Miz. Honestly, why not just give Cena the win? Why sit through five matches when it was obvious that The Miz would lose to Cena yet again? The Miz not only failed to run the clock out, but he submitted to the STF. So come SummerSlam, it will be John Cena facing Randy Orton for the WWE Title. Let’s hope that this is not a repeat of No Way Out ’08 – For those who don’t remember, Orton struck the referee to retain the title through disqualification. It was also considered a great waste of Cena’s Royal Rumble winnings.