WWE Superstars Results: 3/18/10 - MitB Momentum

Kane vs Shelton Benjamin

The Money in the Bank Qualifiers rarely get a chance to build momentum for WrestleMania. Luckily with WWE Superstars, these qualifiers have a chance to prove why they will become Mr. Money in the Bank.

Shelton Benjamin, who is 1-1 against Dolph Ziggler, tested his strength against The Big Red Machine, Kane. Shelton bases his in-ring work to pure athleticism, or simply put, great mat work. At WrestleMania, Shelton will be a part of his fifth Money in the Bank Ladder match, which must leave people wondering if this is perhaps Benjamin's year.

Shelton, possibly the best in-ring competitor that the WWE has, being able to have a 5-star match with Shawn Michaels, is highly underrated. Unlike TNA, where one can escape with having poor mic skills, the WWE depends on their champion being able to hype the crowd. Hence why fans get stuck with John Cena as champion at least once a year. Yet, where Shelton lacks in mic skills certainly makes up for in his athleticism.

Kane came close to winning the MitB last year, but was kicked off by C.M. Punk at the last second. Now that C.M. Punk will not be competing in this year's match, it will guarantee a new MitB winner, something that hasn't been seen in three years. Kane is not a great technician in the ring, even tough he can deliver textbook drop kicks, but he will rely on his size and strength to dominate the match. Having been in several ladder matches before, Kane is not afraid to reach for new heights.

The match ended with a choke slam by Kane as he paves a way towards WrestleMania.

Katie Lea Jillian Hall vs. Bellas

With WrestleMania just a week away, a women's match has yet to grace the card. But after last year's debacle which angered so many former women's champions in the spoof 25-Diva Battle Royal, do we really want a women's match? The final (noteworthy) Women's match at WrestleMania was in 2006 when Mickie James defeated Trish Stratus for the Women's Title.

Katie Lea is the former sister of Paul Burchill. Former because since his release he will never be mentioned again. Katie Lea foretold that Jillian and herself would gain victory over the Bellas.

Jillian Hall, a former Divas' Champion in her own right. Actually, Jillian was not a real champion, but a transitional one. Real champions defend the title against the former champions, unless intercepted by a MitB, or in the outlook of a new feud. Jillian's only role as Divas' Champion was to take it from Mickie James and lose it to Melina, in the duration of minutes. Jillian enacted her rematch the following week only to lose it in a more pathetic fashion than the last. Sadly, that will be the highlight of her career.

The Bellas have been out of action from the ring for several months, not due to injury, but occupied with their other job: arm candy to the celebrity guest hosts. Not pretending to be able to tell the Bellas apart, won the match in an impressive feat.

Jillian, awkwardly, got the upper hand in the match against the Bellas. Evading a hurricanrana into a perfectly place electric chair drop, sadly the announcers are too busy talking to credit any wrestling ability, especially by the Divas.

The match ended with a Bella flipping Jillian on her back and then double leg locking her legs to Jillian for the pin.

Christian, Mark Henry and Yoshi Tatsu vs. Jack Swagger, William Regal and Zack Ryder

For the first time WWE Superstars showcases a match with all former ECW superstars, a main event that never seemed to occur while ECW was still on the air. Former ECW Champion Christian captains Mark Henry, another former ECW Champion, and Yoshi Tatsu against Jack Swagger, yet another former ECW Champion, William Regal and Zack Ryder.

Another correlation between these two teams is that they are captained by Money in the Bank Qualifiers: Christian and Jack Swagger. And just like the opening match, these two are in need of momentum.

Throughout the past weeks Christian has received a wave of momentum, not losing a single match since officially being signed to RAW. Indeed a favorite to win last year, will this be his year? Appearing in 'Mania 2000 in a hellacious Triangle Ladder Match which saw him and the 2010 Royal Rumble winner Edge win the match. Could we possible see Christian take on Edge in a future World Title Match?

As for Jack Swagger, he was the most dominating man in ECW until Christian took the ECW title from him. Since coming to RAW, Swagger has had two impressive matches with John Cena but has been stuck in a feud with Santino Marella. A Money in the Bank win would escalate Swagger's career to the level it should have been during his first month on RAW.

The main event ended with Zack Ryder failing to connect with the Rough Ryder and Christian striking with the Killswitch. Once again, Christian is riding with all the momentum. But with a week left, how will the others catch up?

WWE Superstars Results: 1/21/10

Y2J, The Second Fall Back

The main event pitted Chris Jericho against Kane. The two men are coming off of great wins from last week's SmackDown: Chris Jericho defeated John Morrison, and Kane defeated Dolph Ziggler. But who would fare in a match between these former co-captains?

Chris Jericho usually has an air of conceit as he enters the ring, but this time, he scurried out of the ring when Kane made his way inside the squared-circle. Jericho, for the most part, spent the match running in and out of the ring to avoid a beat down. But when Kane ultimately caught Jericho, all he received as a beat down. Jericho failed at connecting with both the Walls of Jericho and the Code Breaker. So when he narrowly escaped the chokeslam, he abandoned the match for the 10-count.

This is poor momentum for Chris Jericho heading into the Royal Rumble. How can you hope to win if you cannot take your opponents head on?

Well, Jericho exhibited two tactics vital in a Royal Rumble. One, is to escape the ring from the bottom rope (doesn't count you out of the match); and two, be able to evade finishing maneuvers.

Blond Bashing Divas

The opening contest was WWE's resident tone-deaf diva, Jillian Hall taking on the lovely Kelly-Kelly. We have seen these two fight on numerous occasions, usually yielding the same results. But throughout the years, the one making strides to become a better wrestler is Kelly-Kelly. Her victories over Jillian Hall may be due to the fact that she knows her opponent too well, and has already amounted the precise offense to take her down. At the start of the match, Kelly-Kelly managed a springboard arm-bar takedown, followed by a headscissors takedown. If Kelly-Kelly at age 23, no doubt the youngest Diva, continues at this pace, may soon become a champion. Kelly-Kelly did find herself in trouble when attempting another headscissors takedown, Jillian had scouted the move from early on in the match, and tried to pin her during the roll over through the legs. She then attempted the Crash Test Splash, but Kelly-Kelly evaded the maneuver with a kick to the back of Jillian Hall. With Jillian Hall reeling on the ground, this set up for Kelly-Kelly's K2 leg drop for the clean victory.

Vance Archer's First Loss

Two weeks ago, on ECW, Shelton Benjamin catapulted himself out of the ring, eliminating both Vance Archer and himself from the ECW Homecoming Showdown. The intensity between these two superstars have escalated since Archer has decided to make a name for himself at Benjamin's expense. This was no flashy high-risk match, this was a gritty grapple-for-grapple showdown between these two technical brawlers. Vance Archer making use of his size to deliver a big boot to the face of Shelton Benjamin. The Gold Standard countered a move from Archer by thrusting his whole body in a pele kick. In the end, Shelton Benjamin delivers Vance Archer's first loss in the WWE with an Oklahoma roll-up.

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?

Two New Divas Champions; Full Tri-Branded Divas Trade

Access Hollywood's Nancy O'Dell hosted RAW, and a strong minded host at that. She even issued a Divas Title Match against Jillian Hall?

Divas Title Match: Mickie James vs. Jillian Hall. Now, Jillian has been with the WWE for a long time, going through 2 gimmicks but never winning a title, until last night. In a major upset, Jillian pinned Mickie James to win her first title. The match was somewhat decent, except there was a lot of ring rust with Jillian, seeing as she rarely wrestles. But the look in her eyes and the spontaneity of it all was exciting to watch.

Until, Nancy announced that she had spoken with the other GMs about a Tri-Branded Divas Trade. And issued another Divas Title match against RAW's newest member, Melina!

2nd Divas Title Match: Jillian Hall vs Melina. Jillian did not want to fight because she just won her first title. But in a matter of seconds, Melina's hand was raised in victory as the NEW Divas Champion, the 3rd Diva in history to win both the Women's and Divas Titles.

The list of the Divas Trade is as follows:

Melina and Eve Torres: SmackDown to RAW
The Bellas Twins: ECW to RAW
Mickie James and Beth Phoenix: RAW to SmackDown
Rosa Mendes: RAW to ECW

Obviously, because of the trade, Mickie had to drop the belt to Melina, but because both are faces, an interim Divas Heel Champ had to be named, poor Jillian.

Beth Phoenix was not to thrilled of her new trade to SmackDown and took it on Maria Menounos. Santino Marella then issued a match pitting these 2 together - now since when did Santino become a GM?

Divas Tag Team Match: Maria Menounos, Kelly Kelly and Gail Kim vs. Beth Phoenix, Alicia Fox, and Rosa Mendes. Gail Kim started the match, until Maria wanted in, in which she showed off the wrestling moves thought by Triple H, a few kicks and arm drags. But when Beth came into the ring, Maria was in trouble but managed to bring Beth on one knee. Kelly Kelly won the match by pinning Rosa Mendes. In reality, Maria trained at a wrestling school to learn the basics before going into the match.

Congrats to Jillian Hall for becoming a Divas Champion, but better luck next time after losing it to Melina.