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WWE Over The Limit
Aired live on pay-per-view
Seattle, Washington at Key Arena
An "In Memory Of" graphic noted the death of Randy "Macho Man" Savage to open the show...
Powell's POV: It's good to see WWE acknowledge Savage's death. I'm sure there will be some complaints if that's as far as they go with the tribute, but let's see if there's more to come either tonight or tomorrow night on Raw.
A video focussed on the John Cena vs. The Miz match... The set has two sports cars on the stage. Josh Mathews checked in on commentary. He was accompanied by Jerry Lawler and Booker T at the table, and Michael Cole was inside The Cole Mine. Yes, four freaking announcers...
"The Truth shall set you free," was played over the arena sound system. R-Truth came out to no music. He went to the ring and complained about not having a parking spot. He bitched that he had to park with the fans and said he deserved better than him. He called the Seattle fans "stank-filled hippies."
Truth said the fans are trying to make him crazy now that he's not playing their games anymore. He said Rey Mysterio plays games, and said Rey wants to slide in on his spot. Truth said he's taking Rey's spot and anyone else's spot that he wants to take. He closed it off with his "whole truth" catchphrase...
1. R-Truth beat Rey Mysterio in 8:10. Truth worked over Mysterio during the opening minutes. Cole bickered with Lawler and the announcing was intolerable enough that it was easy to zone them out completely. Mysterio came back with a bulldog off the ropes and caught Truth with a good kick to the head for a near fall.
Truth came back with a Lie Detector elbow for a good near fall of his own. Truth went for his finisher, but Mysterio countered with a huracanrana that put Truth in position for a 619, but he rolled out of the ring. Truth ended up pulling Rey outside and crotching him on the ring apron.
A "You suck" chant broke out as Truth continued his assault on Mysterio. King said it looked like the match was over even though they were outside the ring. In a rare moment of an announcer being right about the finish, Truth ended up hitting his finisher and pinning Mysterio in the ring to win the match.
Cole said Truth will have his own parking spot after that win. Afterward, Truth slammed his water bottle on Mysterio's head. Truth heeled it up before leaving the ring...
Powell's POV: Was the water bottle a tribute to Hurricane Helms (see Buff Bagwell)? Probably not. Anyway, a good opening match and it was good to see Truth go over clean. That's exactly what he needed, and Mysterio can afford to take the loss.
Backstage, Todd Grisham interviewed The Miz and Alex Riley. Miz spoke about the fans not thinking he has any chance to win the "I Quit" match. He said he's been proving people who feel that way wrong since he started. Miz said he has a plan and he knows exactly what it takes to win. Riley chimed in to say Miz will be the new WWE Champion...
A shot aired of the Farmer's Market and men tossing fish... Cole said he rubbed fish on his feet to prepare for the "I Quit" match... Highlights aired of The Corre vs. Ezekiel Jackson feud...
2. Ezekiel Jackson beat Wade Barrett by DQ in an Intercontinental Title match in 7:25. Barrett flew solo in that he was not accompanied to ringside by his stablemates. Late in the match, Zeke bodyslammed Barrett five times. He had him up in a Torture Rack, but Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel hit the ring and attacked him for the DQ. Zeke fought them off initially, but Barrett caught him with a punch and The Corre beat down their former ally...
Powell's POV: The match was better than I expected it to be. There was nothing particularly memorable about it, which is probably a good thing when Zeke is involved. The Corre running in was hardly a creative finish, but I'm happy that Zeke didn't win the title right away. The chase continues. Cole actually said that we could call Zeke "Non-Action Jackson" after the beatdown. A bad 1998 movie reference? Really? That's dorky even for his character.
A WrestleMania 27 video ad aired...
Backstage, C.M. Punk and Mason Ryan were talking as they entered their locker room. They found David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty laid out. Ryan flipped. Punk said it's a good thing because it proves that he's gotten under the skin of Kane and Big Show. Punk told Otunga and McGillicutty to "walk that off." Funny...
Powell's POV: Punk just assumed it was a Show and Kane that attacked his minions. Perhaps Skip Sheffield is returning as a babyface? Just a guess.
3. Sin Cara beat Chavo Guerrero in 7:20. They used the Sin Cara mood lighting. The first few minutes were solid. Sin Cara hit the trampoline entrance and the in-ring work was crisp. However, there was an awkward spot shortly thereafter, as Chavo was seated in the corner. Sin Cara went to run the ropes and then just stopped and pointed at Chavo, so there was likely some miscommunication.
They got back on track and Sin Cara put on a good offensive display. Chavo limped a bit after taking a move at ringside. Chavo worked in a little offense, but Sin Cara usually had a counter. The finish was also awkward, as Sin Cara went for a twisting huracanrana, and Chavo had to do his best to keep him up as he twisted around his body. Chavo landed on his face and Sin Cara got the win...
Powell's POV: They replayed a lot of the Sin Cara high spots, but they didn't show the finishing sequence. Sin Cara hit some really impressive moves. However, I have a feeling the botched spots are going to be what the people who matter in WWE remember about the match.
The latest Be A Star video aired. Bullying is bad just in case you didn't know...
Backstage, Todd Grisham interviewed Christian and Randy Orton. Christian said he was going to take back his World Hvt. Championship and Orton knew it. Orton obviously didn't agree with that assessment...
Ricardo Rodriguez introduced Alberto Del Rio, who drove a 2000 Saturn into the arena. Okay, the car part is a lie. Anyway, Del Rio exited his sweet ride and headed to the ring for a promo. He said he was there to talk about destiny. He also said he found it disgusting that thousands of Canadians were sneaking across the border.
Del Rio said destiny can't be stopped. He said it doesn't matter whether John Cena or The Miz win tonight, because his destiny is to become the WWE Champion. Del Rio's promo was cut off by the entrance music of Kane and Big Show. Del Rio remained in the ring as the tag champs entered.
Kane said he's already angry that The Rapture didn't come yesterday, which got a lot of laughs. "I was looking forward to it," Kane said. He said Del Rio better leave the ring now or his destiny is to end up just like McGillicutty and Otunga. Del Rio complied by backing away and leaving ringside...
Powell's POV: Was that confirmation that Kane and Show really did attack the Nexus underlings or just a red herring? Honestly, I don't care either.
4. Kane and Big Show beat C.M. Punk and Mason Ryan to retain the WWE Tag Titles in 9:05. Punk was going to start the match, but he tagged in Ryan to face Kane instead. Punk has "Macho" written on his wrist tape. Punk demanded to tag in once Ryan got the upper hand, but he tagged out again quickly once he couldn't maintain control.
Punk ended up back in the ring and was worked over by Show and Kane. At 4:20, Kane hoisted up Punk for the chokeslam. Ryan distracted the referee, and Punk kicked Kane low to break it up. Punk, who had worked in a couple of Randy Savage mannerisms during the match, missed a top rope elbow, which allowed Kane to make a hot tag to Show.
Big Show grabbed Ryan by the throat and then caught Punk in the same position coming off the ropes, but they kicked him. He came back with a double clothesline. Kane and Show teamed up to chokeslam Ryan, and Show got the pin to win the match for his team...
Powell's POV: Punk's tributes to Savage were cool. It was odd to see a heel paying tribute, but I'm cool with it. The crowd wasn't popping for the tributes, and the announcers never even bothered to acknowledge them. It's interesting to see Ryan take the pin rather than Punk.
The announcers set up a "what if" President Obama had a press conference about the Capitol Punishment pay-per-view. They ripped off the Coors beer commercials by having fake questions with real Obama clips...
Powell's POV: The Obama stuff wasn't very clever. At least WWE actually acknowledged his existence unlike during the days after Osama bin Laden was killed.
5. Brie Bella (w/Nikki Bella) defeated Kelly Kelly to retain the WWE Divas Championship in 4:00. Little Guido was the referee. Kelly hit a cross body block off the top early, but then Brie went on the offensive and Kelly yelled a lot. Kelly's screaming as she sold was more noise than the thousands of fans in attendance were making combined.
Kelly made a brief comeback, but Guido pushed her away because Brie was on the ropes. The Bellas did the Twin Magic bit, and Nikkie dominated Kelly and scored the quick pin to win the match for her sister...
Powell's POV: No one cared about the match. No Kharma afterward. Why bother?
Michael Cole said he had to go get ready for his match... A video recapped the Randy Orton vs. Christian drama...
6. Randy Orton defeated Christian to retain the World Hvt. Championship in 16:50. Tony Chimel handled the in-ring introductions for the championship match. Scott Armstrong was the referee. There were dueling chants for the two wrestlers early. Christian went on the offensive, but Orton came back with a great dropkick. Christian hit a great spinebuster.
Around 12:00, Christian went to the ropes and Orton was waiting with the RKO, which his how their previous match concluded. However, Christian didn't jump off. Christian scored an excellent near fall. Orton timed it well by kicking out forcefully at the last possible moment.
At 14:00, Christian pushed off an RKO attempt. Christian started saying "spear" repeatedly. He went to the corner in Edge style and ran at Orton when he stood up, but Orton powerslammed him for another really good near fall.
At 15:25, Orton backed up for the punt kick and received a mix of cheers and boos. He acted conflicted and stopped. He backed up and then really went for the kick, but Christian recovered and speared Orton for another excellent near fall. Christian went for his finisher, but Orton spun out of it and eventually hit the RKO for the win.
After Orton finished posing, they showed a shot of a dejected Christian on the mat. Orton went to leave the ring, but stopped and went back to help Christian get to his feet. Christian shoved him away and started to leave. "Come on," Orton mouthed. Christian stopped and eventually shook hands with Orton. Christian left the ring and flashed excellent facials while trying to sell his frustration...
Powell's POV: Awesome match with very good near falls for both men. I actually enjoyed this match more than their Smackdown match. They topped it with ease. It will be tough for the main event to top that one. I would have put this match in the main event slot, but perhaps they have something big planned for the WWE Championship match. It continues to look like Christian's frustration is eventually going to boil over and he'll turn heel. The announcing did the match no favors. Booker T is terrible at his job, and Josh is just another vanilla play-by-play voice. Booker was so bad that I think I actually missed the four-man booth, which is really saying something.
A video set up the Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole match...
Justin Roberts introduced the "Kiss My Foot" match and paused as if he expected the fans to react. They gave the same non-reaction that the Divas get, but they woke up for Jerry Lawler's entrance and chanted "Jerry." Michael Cole limped out wearing his suit with his wrestling shoes.
Once in the ring, Cole took the mic and used a somber voice to ask for the attention of the fans. "As much as I would like to compete tonight, unfortunately I am medically prohibited," Cole said. He asked for understanding and compassion from Lawler and the fans.
Cole said there's nothing he'd rather do than stick his foot in Lawler's mouth, but his doctor won't let him because his athlete's foot is so infected that Lawler could contract hoof and mouth disease. Cole handed the referee his doctor's note, but the referee tore it up and called for the bell...
7. Jerry Lawler beat Michael Cole in a Kiss My Foot match in 3:00. Lawler went to work on Cole and tore his suit pants quickly. Cole ended up at ringside begging, but ended up pulling Lawler into the steps to go on the offensive. Cole removed his shoe and sock and showed off his "infected" foot and told Lawler to kiss it.
The King whipped Cole through the Cole Mine. Lawler rolled Cole back inside the ring and hit a second rope fist drop. Lawler covered Cole and scored the pin. After the match, Lawler started to remove his boot, but stopped and motioned for someone to come from the back.
Eve's music played and the crowd erupted. Actually, they offered no reaction whatsoever. Eve did get a decent reaction when she went to the top rope and moonsaulted Cole. The fans chanted "Jerry" as he removed his boot. Lawler motioned for someone else to come out.
Jim Ross's music played and the fans popped. Ross walked to the ring wearing a suit and his hat. Ross got a strong reaction from the crowd. He pulled out a bottle of his BBQ sauce, unscrewed the top, and poured it onto Cole's chest and then onto his face and into his mouth. Ross and Lawler high-fived.
Lawler took his sock off, but Cole rolled out of the ring and started walking to the back. "Not like this," Cole said. "No." Cole got to the top of the ramp and said over the mic that while it may look like he lost, he's not a loser. He said Lawler is a loser, and Ross is an even bigger loser. Cole said he'll never kiss Lawler's foot.
Bret Hart's music played and he walked onto the stage. Hart walked as Cole backed his way down to the ring. Once in the ring, Hart applied the Sharpshooter, and Lawler stuck his foot in Cole's face, and his toe in Cole's mouth. Bret and Lawler hugged while a BBQ sauce covered Cole gagged in the ring. Ross joined the announcers, presumably to do commentary for the main event. Thank God!...
Powell's POV: Dot Net Members found out earlier today about the Bret Hart surprise. See the listing above to get the first look at our news and all of the other perks of membership. As for the match, I'm just happy it finally the Lawler vs. Cole feud is over. Both guys played their parts well, but the whole thing really jumped the shark for me at WrestleMania. It was cool to see Bret get involved given his and Lawler's past "Kiss My Foot" match. Does this mean we'll get Cole revealed as the anonymous GM tomorrow night?
A video focussed on John Cena and The Miz to set up the main event...
8. John Cena beat The Miz (w/Alex Riley) in an "I Quit" match to retain the WWE Championship in 26:30. The bell rang and Miz immediately took the mic. He said he can do whatever he wants to Cena because of the rules and said so could Riley, who entered the ring and took his shirt off. Miz told Cena he should just save himself the pain and quit now. "Hell no," Cena said over the mic.
The match turned into a handicap match with Miz and Riley both in the ring. Cena dominated the early offense on both men. He hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Miz and went for the Attitude Adjustment at 3:10. Miz avoided the AA, and hit the Reality Check. Riley brought the briefcase inside the ring and hit Cena with it repeatedly.
Ross and Mathews noted that Cena came up with the stipulation, but said he wasn't prepared for a handicap match. At 4:40, the ref asked the fallen Cena if he wanted to quit, but he declined. Miz and Riley threw Cena to ringside and went after him. Miz and Riley tore apart the announcers' table and slammed monitors into his head. Oddly enough, the only thing left on the table was Ross's bottle of BBQ sauce.
The heels continued to work over Cena and had him lying on the bottom part of the torn apart ring steps. He still refused to quit. Riley picked up the top half of the steps. Miz said Riley would slam the steps into Cena's ribs. "I suggest you quit," Miz said. Cena replied by telling him to go to hell. Riley dropped the steps onto Cena, who still refused to quit.
With Cena standing on the floor, Riley stood in the ring and held Cena's arms up. Miz pulled out a kendo stick and gave Cena a chance to quit. "You hit like a girl," Cena responded. Miz nailed him with a couple of shots to the abdomen that left marks. Cena still refused to quit, so Miz struck him repeatedly with the kendo stick. He still wouldn't quit.
The cameras focussed on Cena's chest and stomach as he was lying on the floor. He was covered in welts from the kendo stick, but he still refused to quit. Miz and Riley took him up to the ramp and threw him down. They suplexed him on the stage and Cena screamed out in pain like Kelly Kelly taking a basic move.
Miz kicked Cena off the stage and he had a short fall. He once again declined to quit when the ref put the mic in his face. Miz and Riley pulled the camera crane down. Riley held Cena over the crane. Miz ordered a production crew member to give up his belt. Miz told Cena he'd hit him with it repeatedly. "You have a leather strap but you have no nuts," Cena said.
Miz whipped Cena with the belt. Cena screamed out in pain, but then yelled "no" each time Miz hit him with the belt. The ref asked Cena if he wanted to quit. Cena paused, but eventually said no. Booker said he didn't really know what to say while watching a man take a beating of this magnitude. Here's hoping Booker remains perplexed.
Cena made a brief comeback at ringside at 17:30, but Miz caught him with a chair. Back inside the ring, Miz wound up with a chair, but Cena avoided it. Cena sprang to life and kicked Miz. The ref was bumped when Cena sent Riley into him. Cena went for the AA on Riley, but Miz broke it up with a kick.
With a chair positioned on the ropes, Miz performed the Skull Crushing Finale on the chair. Miz went to ringside and found a few kids. Miz asked the young fans whether they wanted to see Cena quit. "Never," a young boy yelled. Miz told the boy to watch to see what he was doing to Cena. Miz yelled at the fan and said he won't stop until Cena quits. The kid shrugged his shoulders. The Miz told the kid to tell Cena to quit, but the kid refused.
At 22:00, The Miz knelt down and told the fallen Cena that he would stop punishing Cena until he quit. Cena said the kids were smarter than he is. Miz hit Cena with a chairshot that may have hit Cena's head. If so, how about actually telling us what the fine is, WWE?
They teased the Mick Foley vs. Rock finish with a recorded version of Cena saying "I quit." The bell rang and Miz celebrated. Referee Mike Chioda spotted the phone they used as a recording device, listened to it at ringside, and restarted the match. Cena immediately came back to life.
Cena removed his own belt and just when it looked like things were going to take a turn for the erotic, he whipped Miz with the belt. Miz ran up the ramp and Cena followed while lashing him with the belt. They disappeared backstage briefly, but Cena brought him back out and applied the STF on the stage. Miz quickly told the referee that he quit.
Powell's POV: They worked in the expected fan finishes involving young Cena fans and the Foley vs. Rock bit. The false finish didn't do much for me because the recording was clearly taken from a yelling Cena promo and didn't sound the least bit believable. Miz lost something here. He looked ruthless while attacking Cena, but the fact that he and Riley couldn't get the job done, and then he gave up so quickly to the STF made him look weak. Miz is a great talker and it's not like he's going to lose his heat, but will the fans ever see him as a real threat to Cena?
Overall, this was a middle of the road pay-per-view. I'm happy we got the blowoff to Cole vs. Lawler, and I'm happy we haven't seen the last of Orton vs. Christian. The main event finish will please Cena fans, and irritate the hell out of the Cena haters. I just can't get over how weak Miz looked by tapping out so quickly. Thanks for watching along with me tonight. Chris Shore and I are teaming up for Dot Net Members' exclusive audio, and I'll post the WWE Over The Limit Hitlist on Monday.