Aired live on pay-per-view
Phoenix, Ariz. at U.S. Airways Center

Free Preview on WWE.com

Todd Grisham introduced the preview match from the top of the stage... R-Truth, MVP, and Festus were shown backstage and R-Truth won with 59 percent of the vote...

1. Shelton Benjamin defeated R-Truth to retain the U.S. Title in 3:25. Jim Ross sat in on commentary with Tazz at ringside. At 3:00, Truth hit a missile dropkick and the crowd counted along with the nearfall. Moments later, Shelton hit his finisher for the win...

On the stage, Grisham plugged the pay-per-view one more time...

Live PPV

2. Rey Mysterio defeated Kane in a No Holds Barred match in 10:15. No Holds Barred won with 39 percent, last man standing 35, and two-of-three falls 26 percent. Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler called the match from ringside and explained the basic rules (or lack thereof) of the match.

Rey pulled out a kendo stick and a stop sign from underneath the ring. Kane used a hog tied Rey with a camera cord around the ring post in a cool spot. Later, Kane brought a chair into the ring the two wrestlers took turns using it as a weapon. Later, Kane went for a chokeslam, but Rey turned it into a huracanrana. Rey followed up with a 619 and a springboard splash and scored the clean pin.

Powell's POV: Fun opening match. The live crowd was into the finish.

Pre-taped segments aired with three divas dressed in their Halloween costumes pleading for votes...

Backstage, Chris Jericho told Ted DiBiase, Cody Rhodes, and Manu that if they really want to take it to the next level, they'll attack Batista just like they attacked C.M. Punk. The threesome said they wouldn't do his dirty work...

Teddy Long and Tiffany walked onto the stage. He hyped the Halloween costume contest and introduced Matt Hardy. Teddy announced that Evan Bourne won with 69 percent of the vote. Finlay had 25 percent, and Finlay had only six Henry...

3. Matt Hardy defeated Evan Bourne to retain the ECW Title in 11:05. The live crowd seemed indifferent regarding Bourne winning the vote. Grisham and Striker called the match. At 5:00, Bourne was going for an Asai moonsault when Hardy reached up and took out his legs. Bourne sold a rib injury and Hardy spent the next two minutes working them over.

At 7:00, Hardy went for a crucifix slam, but Bourne slipped out and turned it into a huracanrana. A short time later, Hardy leapt off the second rope and was greeted with a spinning heel kick. At 9:30, Bourne hit the double knee press off the top rope for a good nearfall.

At 10:30, Bourne went for the Shooting Star Press off the top, but Hardy rolled out of the way. The announcers noted that it was the first time Bourne missed the move. Hardy went for the Twist of Fate, but Bourne caught him in a backslide for another nearfall. Moments later, Hardy hit the Twist of Fate and scored the clean pin. After the match, Hardy and Bourne shook hands...

Powell's POV: Fun match. The live crowd was tough to please. They got into the match more as it went along, but they weren't on the edge of their seats despite the highly entertaining action and the good nearfalls.

A graphic noted that WrestleMania 25 tickets go on sale in 12 days... At ringside, the announcers discussed the costume contest and introduced more contestants. Beth was dressed up like a gladiator, Jillian was Bat Girl, Maria was a bunny, and Kelly Kelly was a boat captain or something...

Grisham read the results of the tag match voting. 38 percent of the voters picked Cryme Tyme vs. The Miz and John Morrison, 35 percent picked Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes vs. C.M. Punk and Kofi Kingston, William Regal and Layla vs. Jamie Noble and Mickie James received 27 percent...

Powell's POV: That result surprises me a little simply because I thought the fans would vote to see a tag title match. That being said, they've dedicated more camera time to Cryme Tyme vs. Miz and Morrison...

4. John Morrison and The Miz defeated Cryme Tyme in 10:20. The heels worked over JTG for the middle part of the match until he made the hot tag to Shad. The pace picked up while the big man worked over the heels, but it didn't last long. Morrison kicked Shad's knee and went for a cover with his feet on the ropes for leverage. JTG ran over and knocked them off.

Later, with all four men fighting in the ring, the ref pulled JTG out of the mix and ordered him out of the ring. The heels took advantage of the distraction. Miz kicked Shad, who had Morrison up for a slam, and Morrison hit the Moonlight Driver for the win...

Powell's POV: Slow match. The live crowd was in to Cryme Tyme, but the match was nothing special...

More Divas in costume. Tiffany was a naughty nun, Brie Bella was Cleopatra, Natalya was a police officer, and Eve was a Ninja Turtle...

Backstage, Chris Jericho asked Great Khali to be in his corner to even the sides, but he was rejected...

A brief video noted that John Cena will return at the Survivor Series...

Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix made their entrance. "Unleash the Honk-A-Meter!," Santino said. It's 64-11. Santino said he'll be the great Intercontinental Champion "in one week...and one year." Santino ran down some of the local sports stars including "Shazam O'Neal." A shot aired of Shaquile O'Neal sitting at ringside making a throat slashing gesture.

On the stage "Rod Grisham" (Santino's name for Todd) introduced the three potential challengers and all three were shown backstage. Grisham revealed that Honky Tonk Man won the vote 35 percent (34 percent for Roddy Piper, and 31 Goldust)...

Honky came out and cut a promo. He said Santino could be IC champ for 10 years, but he still wouldn't compare to him. Honky called for his music and danced. Santino tried to emulate the dance by doing the robot. He finished it off by punching Honky...

5. Honky Tonk Man defeated Santino Marella (w/Beth Phoenix) by DQ in an Intercontinental Title match in 1:07. Honky was in control of the match when Beth reached in and tripped him. The referee called for the DQ. Afterward, Santino yelled at Beth for interfering.

Santino tried to leave the ring, but Goldust's music played and he walked to ringside. Roddy Piper's music played a short time later and he joined Goldust in blocking Santino's path. Santino headed back inside the ring, where all three legends took turns beating him up. Honky finished him off with the Shake, Rattle, and Roll...

Powell's POV: No guitar? Honky brought it to ringside, but he never used it. Lame match. The crowd didn't seem to care about Honky and the comedy was forgettable. Too bad. That should have been fun.

A commercial hyped the 800th Episode of Raw celebration that's coming up on Nov. 3...

Videos aired of Maryse dressed like a French maid, Layla was Princess Leia, Victoria was a big banana, and Mickie James was Laura Croft...

A video recapped the Undertaker vs. Big Show feud... Vickie Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero came out to make the announcement for the match stipulation. Last Man Standing won with 49 percent of the vote, 42 percent for "I Quit," and only nine percent for the knockout match...

Powell's POV: The live crowd was jacked to see the last man standing stipulation win, but Vickie messed up and announced that "I Quit" was the winner. She eventually corrected herself. By the way, one fan held up a "Yay, no Cena" sign, and another fan wore an "We hate Cena" t-shirt.

6. Undertaker defeated Big Show in a Last Man Standing match in 19:25. Ross and Tazz called the match and explained the rules beforehand. Taker used a chair to knock Show down at ringside, but he got up as the referee counted eight. At 8:30, both men went for simultaneous chokeslams. Taker DDT'd Show for a near finish, as Show wobbled to his feet at the nine count.

Show removed a turnbuckle, but Show shoved him toward it and Show ran into it sternum first. Taker followed up with a clothesline. They both stayed down as the ref counted. Taker got to his feet at seven and Show barely beat the count again.

At 11:20, both men started clearing the Raw and ECW announce tables. Show struck Taker with one of the television monitors and knocked him into the crowd. Taker struggled to get to his feet and Show grabbed a chair. Taker punched the chair into Show's face and then climbed onto the guardrail. Show reached up and chokeslammed Taker through the announcers' table. The ref counted slowly and Taker made it to his feet briefly at the 9.99999 count.

Back inside the ring, Show worked over Taker with repeated punches to the kidneys. Taker returned fire and eventually DDT'd Show. Taker sat up as a shot aired of Vickie and Chavo watching the match from the stage. Taker went old school and jumped right into Show's choke and slam. At 17:00, Taker struggled to get to his feet and Show caught him with a knockout punch. Taker sat up at seven and made it to his feet before the 10 count.

Show grabbed a chair from ringside and slammed it over Taker's head. Show reached down to pick up Taker, but was caught in the gogoplata submission hold. Show tapped immediately, but there were no submissions so the ref didn't respond. Taker released the hold. The referee counted as both men were down. Taker struggled to his feet just before the ref counted to 10...

Powell's POV: I'm sure Rocky Balboa's biggest fan Rich Twilling enjoyed the Rocky finish. Good last man standing match. Both men worked hard and there were several close calls for Taker. It looked bad when the referee had to slow down his counts for Taker a couple of times, but the announcers never mentioned it so it's not like that was part of the story. I suppose Show could bring it up and cite it as an excuse if they want to go in that direction.

A WrestleMania 25 commercial aired...

Backstage, Chris Jericho told Mike Adamle that there's no way he'll leave the building as champion. Jericho said Adamle would do as he's told or they were going to have major problems. Adamle said he wouldn't change the match. Jericho said they would resume their conversation another time...

Tazz introduced the Divas for the the costume contest. Mickie James won for the Laura Croft outfit. They didn't show the percentage of the votes she received. A big fight broke out amongst the Divas. The babyfaces cleared the heels from the ring...

A video recapped the Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Vladimir Kozlov feud... Triple H made his entrance.

Powell's POV: A fan held up a sign that read, "wHHHo booked this?" Hilarious.

Grisham read the results of the voting. Jeff Hardy won with 57 percent of the vote, 38 percent went to the triple threat, and only five percent voted for Kozlov...

7. Triple H pinned Jeff Hardy to retain the WWE Title in 15:35. Ross questioned whether the third time would be the charm for Hardy, who was wearing florescent green and black (didn't he get the memo about DX colors?). Ross noted that Hunter didn't seem to be surprised by the results of the voting. Tazz compared Hunter to Buddy Rogers and Ric Flair. Ross pointed out that Hardy has had 16 different title reigns, but he has yet to win the WWE Title.

Back and forth action for the first six minutes. Hunter hit a jaw jacker and then Hardy came back with a clothesline. Hardy scored the first nearfall of the match at 7:30, but the live crowd didn't buy it. Hunter came back with a spinebuster for a nearfall of his own. At 8:40, Hunter caught Hardy in the crossface. Jeff inched toward the ropes, so Hunter released the hold, dragged him back into the middle of the ring, and reapplied the hold. Hardy eventually rolled over into a pin attempt for another nearfall.

At 11:45, Hardy hit the Whisper in the Wind for a good nearfall. A short time later, Hardy went for the Twist of Fate, but Hunter kicked him and went for the Pedigree, but Jeff slipped out and scored another nearfall. At 13:25, Hardy hit the Twist of Fate for another nearfall. He went up top and hit the Swanton. Hardy whipped off his shirt and went for a second Swanton, but Hunter raised his knees.

Both men stayed on the mat while the referee counted. They got back to their feet at the same time and Hunter went for the Pedigree again, but Hardy slipped out and hit a wheel kick. The action spilled to ringside and Hardy dove onto Hunter. Jeff slid Triple H back inside the ring and went up top again, but Hunter caught him with a punch and then put him in the Pedigree position while he Hardy's legs were still on the ropes. Hunter dragged Hardy to the center of the ring, hit his finisher, and scored the clean pin...

Powell's POV: The announcers did a nice job of telling the story that Hardy came even closer to winning this time around. It was another good match and the best of the night thus far, yet it was a notch below their last pay-per-view encounter. The fans weren't buying in to Hardy's nearfalls as much as they were last time. They'll go absolutely nuts if he ever wins the title, but it looks like they're growing very skeptical of Hardy's chances of taking the belt away from Hunter.

Cole and Lawler hyped the Survivor Series... A video showcased Batista and Chris Jericho... Jericho and Batista made their ring entrances... On the stage, Grisham introduced backstage shots of Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, and Steve Austin standing next to each other wearing referee shirts. Austin won the vote with 74 percent, HBK had 22 percent, and Orton had four percent.

In the ring, Jericho sold Austin winning the vote by flashing a look of concern. Austin made his usual entrance and the live crowd chanted his name after his entrance music stopped playing...

8. Batista pinned Chris Jericho to win the World Hvt. Championship with Steve Austin as the special referee in 17:05. Jericho took a spinebuster and then headed toward the back. Austin grabbed the mic and said he knows Jericho thinks he'll retain the title if he gets counted out or DQ'd. Austin announced that the title would change hands if Jericho is counted out or DQ'd.

Jericho raced back to the ring to beat Austin's regular speed count. Jericho clipped Batista's knee and then spent the next several minutes working it over. Jericho locked Batista in a half crab and punched the bad knee repeatedly. Batista reached the ropes at 10:00 and Austin made Jericho break the hold.

At 11:30, Jericho jumped off the top rope and right into a clothesline from Batista, who went for a cover. Austin counted at normal speed and Jericho kicked out at two-and-a-half. At 12:45, Batista hit a shoulder block off the top rope for another nearfall.

At 14:00, Batista ran toward Jericho, who moved out of the way, causing Batista to accidentally shoulder block Austin, who fell to ringside. Jericho hit the Codebreaker on the Batista and went for a cover. With Austin still down, HBK ran out and then made the world's slowest count. JBL ran out, pulled HBK out of the ring, and hit him with the Clothesline from Hell.

Randy Orton ran out and hit Austin from behind. Jericho grabbed the title belt and hit Batista with it, but Batista kicked out when Orton made the count. Austin recovered and hit the Stunner on Orton to clear him from the ring. Jericho bickered with Austin, who tried to Stunner him, but Jericho pushed off. Batista recovered and hit the spinebuster and Jericho and then followed up with the Batista Bomb for the win.

Batista celebrated and posed with the title. He held up four fingers to signify that he's a four-time champion. Austin handed Batista a beer and they slammed their cans together. Cole thanked viewers for ordering Cyber Sunday to close the show...

Powell's POV: Good match with plenty of chaos at the end. That being said, the run-ins were logical and easy to follow. Viewers who ordered the show to see Austin had to be disappointed to see only one Stunner and just a few seconds of mic work. I'll have more to say about the show in the WWE Cyber Sunday audio update later tonight, and in tomorrow's WWE Cyber Sunday Hitlist.

RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE: