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WWE SummerSlam
Aired live on pay-per-view
Los Angeles, California at Staples Center
Justin Roberts introduced Tool guitarist Adam Jones, who played the national anthem on the stage...
Powell's POV: Very cool for this Tool fan. Maynard may have been hiding behind the amp. Okay, not really.
A video on the C.M. Punk and John Cena aired... The SummerSlam opening played and pyro exploded on the stage. The big "AWESOME" letters were set up on the stage for The Miz. Michael Cole introduced the show and he was at ringside with Jerry Lawler and Booker T...
The Miz was introduced. Cole geeked out for The Miz, who came out with a mic in hand. Miz didn't get much mic time. He was interrupted by R-Truth. Truth spoke about how spiders and SummerSlam both start with the letter S. Alberto Del Rio's music played and Ricardo Rodriguez introduced him.
Powell's POV: Booker T is actually on commentary with Cole and Lawler. Yes, really. I assume that will change at some point during the show. Well, at least it better. I'll bet Dot Net staffer Will Pruett is thrilled that he and his wife spent $15 each to listen to Booker T on the headsets that WWE is selling. By the way, the dark match result was Dolph Ziggler beating Alex Riley in what appeared to be a non-title match. Hold the phone, Ross just tweeted that it was a game time decision to use Booker to represent Smackdown. Horrible decision, and it looks like more games are being played with Ross. Will Vince McMahon ever grow up? Don't be a bully, Vince. Be a star! Ugh.
1. Kofi Kingston, Rey Mysterio, and John Morrison defeated The Miz, Alberto Del Rio, and R-Truth in six-man tag in 9:40. Rey remained in the corner until he took a hot tag at 8:35. He hit a senton off the top and soe signature offense. He was moving around pretty well and hit a top rope splash on R-Truth for the clean pin. Morrison and Kingston both hit big moves onto Miz and Del Rio to leave Mysterio alone with Truth.
Powell's POV: Rey moved around well enough that I never would have known he was battling a knee injury. Mysterio going over makes total sense given that he's scheduled to challenge for the title on Monday night. That said, it will be interesting to see how long he's around after that match.
Backstage, John Laurinaitis told C.M. Punk that he wants an apology. Punk condescendingly apologized. Stephanie McMahon showed up after Johnny Ace bowed out of the picture and confronted Punk. She said her family wishes Punk and John Cena good luck. She offered Punk a handshake. "I would but, uh, I know where that hand has been," Punk replied...
Powell's POV: Nice line from Punk and a nice surprise appearance by Steph. She called Punk on some of the things he's been saying, yet was still trying to play nice. Laurinaitis continues to be the Marty Funkhouser of WWE.
A video set up Sheamus vs. Mark Henry...
2. Mark Henry beat Sheamus via countout in 9:25. The crowd was into Sheamus and the wrestlers gave the fans a reason to remain into the match. They traded good power moves and Sheamus good a good near fall down the stretch. They ended up at ringside and Henry drove Sheamus into the ring post and then through the guardrail. The crowd popped for the big move at ringside, but wasn't happy about the countout finish...
Powell's POV: A good big man match. Henry is working hard, and Sheamus is going to make the company money as a babyface. The match was definitely above my expectations.
Backstage, Josh Mathews interviewed Christian, who vowed that Randy Orton will not be leaving SummerSlam as the World Hvt. Champion. Christian said he has an insurance policy. He said the match will be like an epic summer blockbuster that is filled with action. He said he's like Harry Potter in that he's filled with magic. He said Orton is like "Cowboys and Aliens" in that he's an overproduced flop...
Powell's POV: I feel like the only person who enjoyed Cowboys and Aliens. It wasn't a masterpiece, but it was dumb fun. Anyway, we know Edge is in Los Angeles for Axxess. One Twitter follower speculated that it could be Tomko. I guess we'll find out.
Justin Roberts introduced Cee Lo Green. Green wore a black glittery robe and brought back bad memories of Big Daddy V. He sang a couple of his songs. The Bellas, Rosa, and Alicia Fox joined him...
Powell's POV: Quick and fairly painless. I don't dislike Cee Lo, but I don't need to see him taking up pay-per-view time.
3. Kelly Kelly (w/Eve) beat Beth Phoenix (w/Natalya) to retain the WWE Divas Championship in 6:25. Kelly went right after Beth, who fought her off, pressed her above her head, and dropped her on the top rope. Beth also rubbed her ass on Kelly's face. Beth dominated the match, but Kelly avoided the Glam Slam and caught Beth in a victory roll for the upset win...
Powell's POV: As much as I'm ready to see the better in-ring workers take over the division, I can live with Kelly getting the upset win to keep the feud going a bit longer.
A shot aired of Stephanie McMahon leaving John Cena's locker room...
Backstage, R-Truth tried to spell conspiracy again while Jimmy Hart stood by. Hart said Truth needs someone to watch his back and take him to the talk. Eventually, Truth flipped out about "Little Jimmy." Get it? As he was walking away, he asked NBA player Ron Artest (or whatever his dumbass name is now) and his daughter what they were looking at...
Powell's POV: Insert your own hand joke here regarding Steph in Cena's locker room. Too easy. I like the cameos. They make the show feel more important even if they are just lighthearted appearances.
4. Wade Barrett defeated Daniel Bryan in 11:50. Bryan entered to his new music, which is a good change as far as I'm concerned. The new stuff is generic and they could definitely come up with something better, but the old theme ran its course. Bryan hit a big dropkick int he corner early. Later, Barrett hit a cool side slam and followed up with a slingshot backbreaker.
Bryan fired off three leg kicks at 9:10. He continued with repeated kick to Barrett's chest once Barrett fell to his knees. Bryan capped it off with a big kick to Barrett's head for a near fall. Barrett came back and was going for Wasteland at 10:40, but Bryan avoided it and applied the LeBell Lock. However, Barrett reached the ropes to break the hold. Barrett came back and hit Wasteland and scored the clean pin..
Powell's POV: Both wrestlers worked hard, but the fans just weren't into the match. Before you blame the live crowd, keep in mind that the match was merely mentioned in passing on Smackdown, and it's not like the wrestlers really played to the crowd during the match. Barrett really needed the win. I wouldn't sweat Bryan losing as long as he still has the MITB briefcase.
Justin Roberts pointed out four members of the U.S. military in the front row and thanked them for their service...
The announcers set up a video for the Christian vs. Randy Orton match...
Christian came out and cut a promo. He introduced his "best friend" Edge as the insurance policy he referred to earlier. Edge came out and did his usual entrance. He had shorter hair and got a huge reaction from the crowd. Once in the ring, Edge played to the crowd and then hugged Christian, who eventually handed him the mic.
Edge recalled being told by doctors that he had to retire. He said he actually felt good about the fact that he helped pass the torch to Christian. However, he said Christian whined and moaned about losing the title to Randy Orton until he got a rematch. Edge said Christian regained the title. "But you did it by disqualification?" Edge asked.
Edge said he's done some heinous things in WWE, but he did it with style. He said he never hid behind lawyers and clipboards. "Somewhere along the line, Christian, you became a disgrace to yourself," Edge said. "You're better than that. You know it. I love you. To the day you die, you will be my best friend and that's never going to change."
Edge said he didn't know his best friend would become "a whining, crying little bitch." Edge dropped the mic and left the ring. Christian threw a fit in the ring. Randy Orton's theme played as Edge headed backstage...
5. Randy Orton defeated Christian in a No Holds Barred match to win the World Hvt. Championship in 23:45. Tony Chimel handled the in-ring introductions for the title match. Orton got the better of Christian early, but Christian went to ringside and grabbed a kendo stick from underneath the ring at 6:30. Christian struck Orton with it and then choked him with it.
Orton cut his lip and bled. No stoppage. He eventually grabbed the kendo stick and tried to hit Christian with it, but Christian caught him with a kick in the corner and went back on the offensive briefly. Later, Orton pulled out two tables from underneath the ring. He set up one at ringside and then superplexed Christian onto the other one that was lying in the ring.
Orton tried to set the table up, but the leg was broken. He set it up in the corner of the ring instead. Christian tried to spear Orton into the table, but Orton jumped and Christian stopped short of the table. They headed to ringside. Christian struck Orton with a monitor from the Spanish Announce Table.
Christian went for an RKO on the table, but Orton avoided it and RKO'd Christian through the table instead. Back inside the ring, Orton went for an RKO, but Christian countered with a Killswitch instead and got a great near fall that fooled a lot of the fans. Christian set up for the Conchairto, but Orton avoided it.
Orton hit Christian with a chair and then Christian took a bump off the ring apron and through the table that was set up on the floor. Orton pulled trash cans and kendo sticks out from underneath the ring. Orton slammed Christian through the table that was set up in the corner of the ring and cut his hand in the process.
Orton did the second rope DDT onto a trash can. He looked down at his bloody thumb and then wiped some of it on his face. Christian recovered and hit Orton with a kendo stick. Christian jumped off the second rope, but Orton RKO'd him onto the ring steps that were set up in the middle of the ring...
Powell's POV: A damn good hardcore style brawl between Orton and Christian. Orton will probably get an earful about the way he glorified the blood from cutting his hand. The live crowd was into the match and all the weapons and the overall match, but they didn't seem to pop big over Orton winning the title. Christian had his share of fans in the crowd, but I think the bigger issue is that there's only so many times you can get excited about Orton winning the championship. Great effort from both guys, and they did what they needed to do with Edge, as he would have made Christian the babyface had he remained at ringside during the match.
A video recapped the SummerSlam events in Los Angeles...
A shot aired of Triple H talking with Stephanie backstage. They shared a kiss and headed in different directions...
A highlight video recapped the John Cena, C.M. Punk, Triple H, and Vince McMahon drama...
Powell's POV: Steph looks great for a mother of three. I wonder if she's in good shape just to be in good shape or if she got herself in TV shape like she did the last time she was an on-air character? Obviously, she's doing that tonight, but I wonder if this is a one-off for Steph or if we're going to see more of her on WWE television.
A shot aired of Jenny McCarthy sitting in the front row. Hey, I faintly remember when she was relevant...
Triple H made his entrance to a good reaction. C.M. Punk made his entrance and received a big ovation from the live crowd. He really played to them on the stage and encouraged the cheers while Hunter stood expressionless in the ring. Once in the ring, Punk stood on the ropes and continued to play to the crowd. The camera showed Hunter watching him, yet showing no emotion.
Once Punk's "Cult of Personality" theme song finished playing, the boos started in anticipation of Cena. Punk took a seat in the middle of the ring and faced the entrance ramp. Punk flashed bug eyes for intensity, and then smiled when Cena's song started playing. Cena came out to more cheers than boos. He looked into the camera said it all started with him walking the concourses in the Staples Center. Cena got the women and kid cheers, and a lot of boos.
Justin Roberts handled the in-ring introductions for the championship match. Punk was introduced first. He got more cheers than boos. Cena got more boos than cheers, but Punk clapped for him in the corner. Both men gave their respective title belts to Hunter...
6. C.M. Punk defeated John Cena to win the Undisputed WWE Championship (with Triple H as special referee) in 24:05. There were dueling chants for the two wrestlers as they traded offense early on. By the way, the anonymous general manager podium is still set up next to the announcers' table (thanks to those who pointed it out via email and Twitter).
They traded offense for the first ten minutes of the match and the live crowd remained hot. There were several good submissions and counters, and Punk sold his arm from Cena's STF as they went to ringside. Both men ended up on the floor and Hunter started to count them out. He stopped his count and then went to ringside. Hunter threw Cena inside the ring, then he threw Punk inside the ring to avoid the double countout.
Punk and Cena did the "yeah" and "boo" punch trading and Punk got the cheers. Cena went for the Attitude Adjustment and Punk avoided it, only to take a great dropkick from Cena. Punk came back with a kick that dropped Cena a few moments later. They showed the dropkick replay and while it wasn't textbook pretty, it was damn sure effective for this viewer.
Cena went to the ropes and the crowd booed. Punk ran over and caught him with a high knee. Punk went to the second rope and bulldogged Cena. The dueling "Let's go Cena" and "Let's go Punk" chants started again. Cena applied the STF at 19:15. Cole pointed out that Cena had the left leg of Punk hooked. However, Punk reached the ropes to break the hold at 20:00.
Punk went for the GTS, but Cena countered with the Attitude Adjustment for the 1-2... Nope. Punk kicked out at the last moment. Cena showed frustration with his inability to put Punk away. Cena looked at Hunter and questioned the count. Booker said he thought it was a three-count.
Cena went to the top rope for his leg drop, but Punk moved. Punk hit the GTS and covered Cena, but Cena kicked out at the last second. Punk immediately looked at Hunter, who held up two fingers. For what it's worth, Hunter's counts are a tad slow compared to the average WWE ref, but his character has called it down the middle thus far.
Punk went to the top rope at 22:45 and nailed Cena with an elbow drop for another good near fall. A "Randy Savage" chant broke out. Nice. Punk questioned Hunter again and then walked into a small package for another near fall for Cena. They exchanged blows with Cena getting the better of it and letting out a primal scream, only to take a high knee from Punk.
Punk hit the GTS and covered Cena. Triple H made the three count even though Cena's foot was on the bottom rope the entire time. Punk's music played and Hunter presented him with the title belt. Punk rolled out of the ring and celebrated with the title belt. Inside the ring, Cena told Hunter that he had his foot on the rope. Hunter said he didn't see it. They weren't mic'd well and it was hard to hear the conversation.
Cena headed backstage. After Punk celebrated at ringside, he rolled back inside the ring and Hunter offered him a handshake. Punk didn't accept, so Hunter shrugged and then raised Punk's hand in victory. Hunter left the ring and clapped as he headed backstage. Punk continued to celebrate on the ropes.
Suddenly, Kevin Nash showed up in the ring and blasted Punk with a clothesline. Nash picked up Punk and hit the Jackknife Powerbomb. Nash headed through the crowd. Hunter walked back down to ringside with a look of shock on his face. Alberto Del Rio ran out with a referee and the briefcase to cash in.
7. Alberto Del Rio defeated C.M. Punk to win the WWE Championship. Del Rio hit a running enziguiri and scored the quick pin less than ten seconds into the match.
Powell's POV: Another damn good match from Punk and Cena, and one hell of a surprise with Nash showing up. Obviously, that will play into the Triple H power situation given his longtime friendship with Nash. Who would have predicted that Nash would go from appearing on the JCW Legends and Icons show early Saturday morning to playing a part in the SummerSlam main event. Wow. Chris Shore and I will have a lot to say about the show tonight in Dot Net Members' audio. Thanks for watching along with me, and be sure to take advantage of the membership special while it lasts (see the top of the page for more details).