Backlash!!!

[goodhelmet]

Spoilers will be included as I post spoilers from the Meltz:

 

 

 

 

 

Spoilers Ahead!!! Warning....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK, one last chance to turn back.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Val Venis vs. Tyson Tomko opens the show as the Heat match. Tomko won after a high kick. Venis did a good job here and it was better than you'd think.

 

Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Jericho for the IC title is the PPV opener. Crowd early was kind of down. Jericho was clearly the crowd favorite, even to the point of booing when Benjamin mae the ropes on the walls. Benjamin got a cradle pin after a series of reversals of cradles. Very good match. Jericho walked off on an interview after the match, teasing a needed heel turn.

[Guest Crucifixio Jones]

There's a WWE PPV tonight?

[Loss]

Turning Jericho heel is only going to accomplish something if it puts him higher on the card. He's far more entertaining as a heel, but he's typically been more over as a face. That said, he tends to get pushed harder when he's the heel, and Meltzer reports that the rumors of him being openly frustrated with WWE are false, so maybe this will lead to a jump to Smackdown and program with Cena.

[Guest teke184]

There's a WWE PPV tonight?

My reaction exactly.

[Marty]

I can see Venis vs. Tomko being good. Venis is the only guy I've seen that can get a good match out of Tomko.

 

Funny, but I had thought about watching the show at the theatre back at say, Friday or so. However, I completely forgot about the show tonight until seeing this thread. Figures.

[goodhelmet]

Turning Jericho heel is only going to accomplish something if it puts him higher on the card. He's far more entertaining as a heel, but he's typically been more over as a face. That said, he tends to get pushed harder when he's the heel, and Meltzer reports that the rumors of him being openly frustrated with WWE are false, so maybe this will lead to a jump to Smackdown and program with Cena.

Do you think he will go to SD! and feud with Cena when the TV indicates that Christian is going to get that spot? Do you think this could just be a smokescreen from the Fed?

[Strummer]

Hurricane and Rosey win the tag titles

[Loss]

Turning Jericho heel is only going to accomplish something if it puts him higher on the card. He's far more entertaining as a heel, but he's typically been more over as a face. That said, he tends to get pushed harder when he's the heel, and Meltzer reports that the rumors of him being openly frustrated with WWE are false, so maybe this will lead to a jump to Smackdown and program with Cena.

Do you think he will go to SD! and feud with Cena when the TV indicates that Christian is going to get that spot? Do you think this could just be a smokescreen from the Fed?

I'm not sure what will happen. I'd be happy with him going to Smackdown and teaming with Eddy Guerrero after he turns heel honestly. They've both been wanting to do a long tag run with each other for years.

[goodhelmet]

Tag team guantlet match for the titles is next up.

Heart Throbs vs. Regal & Tajiri starts this off. Tajiri pinned Antonio with a sunset flip out of the corner

Regal & Tajiri vs. Maven & Dean ended with Regal pinned Dean after a running knee

Regal & Tajiri vs. La Resistance ended with Conway pinning Regal after a schoolboy holding the tights

La Resistance vs. Hurricane & Rosey ended with Hurricane doing a splash off Rosey's shoulders onto Conway so they ended the match a the new tag champs. There was enough of Grenier for the comedy bad stuff, but most of the match was fine.

 

[Strummer]

I'm thinking Eddy is getting the big heel push this summer, probably working Cena at Summerslam. I just can't see them giving Christian a main event spot, maybe a one shot deal on a B show

[Guest Some Guy]

Turning Jericho heel is only going to accomplish something if it puts him higher on the card. He's far more entertaining as a heel, but he's typically been more over as a face. That said, he tends to get pushed harder when he's the heel, and Meltzer reports that the rumors of him being openly frustrated with WWE are false, so maybe this will lead to a jump to Smackdown and program with Cena.

He gets pushed more as a heel than as a face because of his size, IMO. Vince can book him as a weak, cheating heel, but won't push him as a world beating babyface because he's 5' 8". Which is too bad, they could have made a ton of money with him as a face.

[goodhelmet]

Edge vs. Benoit in the last man standing match is up now. Brutal match, combining big wrestling moves along with garbage can shots. Benoit was out there killing himself including a tope into a garbage can lid swing like a baseball bat by Edge, something like 8 German Suplexes and a missed diving head-butt off the top of the ladder. The last man standing frequent 10 counts hurt momentum and crowd heat wasn't great for the finish but the people popped for a lot of early stuff. Match was so strong that after a few minutes, there were no more Matt Hardy chants after loud chants early. Edge won via ten count after hitting Benoit in the back of the head with a brick. Crowd chanted for Benoit and Benoit's selling of the KO was great.

 

They were about to interview the various Divas after showing bikini shots plugging the magazine when Chris Masters showed up. His challenge is up to $3,000. He picked a woman out of the crowd, who was Melissa Coates, a former pro bodybuilder who wrestles in OVW and laid her out. They acknowledged her name, but not her background. She claimed to be from Manchester, and Masters made a joke about putting the Man in Manchester.

 

Viscera wanted to take Trish Stratus to a bed & breakfast.

[goodhelmet]

Kane vs. Viscera is next. They have several challenges ahead of them, between following the match and the fact Lita is at ringside. Lita did seem to be going heel in her pre-match promo.

Kane got the pin after a choke slam. Terrible match. Stratus told Viscera he was pathetic. She said she'd have never slept with a loser like him. She said she's getting a real man to take out Viscera. Viscera gave her a quick bearhug and big splash. I'm guessing Stratus has to take time off for her back injury.

 

[sek69]

With Trish out of commission, I guess that leaves a heel Lita beating up on the T&A whores until she comes back.

[goodhelmet]

Hogan & Michaels vs. Hassan & Daivari is next. Crowd went nuts for Hogan of course, during the intro, and for some of his trademark spots. Hogan didn't do the legdrop but aside from that, looked about the same as he did the last time around. He didn't limp at all this time. Michaels superkicked Daivari and Hogan pinned him. Then came the long posing routine which got over huge as well.

 

[sek69]

Can Hogan not do the legdrop anymore since his hip replacement or is he just afraid to do it?

 

Usually a replaced joint (when healed) is stronger than the original, I can't imagine he phyiscally can't do it.

[Al]

Can Hogan not do the legdrop anymore since his hip replacement or is he just afraid to do it?

 

Usually a replaced joint (when healed) is stronger than the original, I can't imagine he phyiscally can't do it.

It is just like a car. The part is as good as new, but on a 50 year old body it is not the same as a young athlete.

[Guest Some Guy]

I think he had had it done relatively recently, I doubt he wants to risk it. If he and HBK have a singles match I imagine he'll break it out.

 

The sad part of this I that I'm going to buy this DVD mainly because of HBK and Hogan teaming, despite knowing that the match sucks. Hogan made me a fan the first time and HBK brought me back after about a two year hiatus.

[goodhelmet]

It may have just been an observation from Meltz. I wouldn't read too much into the leg drop until we see the match and see if it was called for in the context of the match.

[goodhelmet]

Batista pinned HHH with a Batista bomb. They had a good match. A couple of ref bumps, all the usual short cuts. HHH did a pedigree but it was during a ref bump. Batista sold most of the way. HHH knocked down Flair and gave a pedigree to the ref after the match.

[goodhelmet]

Instead of looking through the individual posts, here is the complete card courtesy of Meltz:

 

 

We're looking for your thoughts on the show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected].

 

Val Venis vs. Tyson Tomko opens the show as the Heat match. Tomko won after a high kick. Venis did a good job here and it was better than you'd think.

 

Shelton Benjamin vs. Chris Jericho for the IC title is the PPV opener. Crowd early was kind of down. Jericho was clearly the crowd favorite, even to the point of booing when Benjamin mae the ropes on the walls. Benjamin got a cradle pin after a series of reversals of cradles. Very good match. Jericho walked off on an interview after the match, teasing a needed heel turn.

 

Tag team guantlet match for the titles is next up.

Heart Throbs vs. Regal & Tajiri starts this off. Tajiri pinned Antonio with a sunset flip out of the corner

Regal & Tajiri vs. Maven & Dean ended with Regal pinned Dean after a running knee

Regal & Tajiri vs. La Resistance ended with Conway pinning Regal after a schoolboy holding the tights

La Resistance vs. Hurricane & Rosey ended with Hurricane doing a splash off Rosey's shoulders onto Conway so they ended the match a the new tag champs. There was enough of Grenier for the comedy bad stuff, but most of the match was fine.

 

Edge vs. Benoit in the last man standing match is up now. Brutal match, combining big wrestling moves along with garbage can shots. Benoit was out there killing himself including a tope into a garbage can lid swing like a baseball bat by Edge, something like 8 German Suplexes and a missed diving head-butt off the top of the ladder. The last man standing frequent 10 counts hurt momentum and crowd heat wasn't great for the finish but the people popped for a lot of early stuff. Match was so strong that after a few minutes, there were no more Matt Hardy chants after loud chants early. Edge won via ten count after hitting Benoit in the back of the head with a brick. Crowd chanted for Benoit and Benoit's selling of the KO was great.

 

They were about to interview the various Divas after showing bikini shots plugging the magazine when Chris Masters showed up. His challenge is up to $3,000. He picked a woman out of the crowd, who was Melissa Coates, a former pro bodybuilder who wrestles in OVW and laid her out. They acknowledged her name, but not her background. She claimed to be from Manchester, and Masters made a joke about putting the Man in Manchester.

 

Viscera wanted to take Trish Stratus to a bed & breakfast.

 

Kane vs. Viscera is next. They have several challenges ahead of them, between following the match and the fact Lita is at ringside. Lita did seem to be going heel in her pre-match promo.

Kane got the pin after a choke slam. Terrible match. Stratus told Viscera he was pathetic. She said she'd have never slept with a loser like him. She said she's getting a real man to take out Viscera. Viscera gave her a quick bearhug and big splash. I'm guessing Stratus has to take time off for her back injury. Stratus went out on a stretcher.

 

Hogan & Michaels vs. Hassan & Daivari is next. Crowd went nuts for Hogan of course, during the intro, and for some of his trademark spots. Hogan didn't do the legdrop but aside from that, looked about the same as he did the last time around. He didn't limp at all this time. Michaels superkicked Daivari and Hogan pinned him. Then came the long posing routine which got over huge as well.

 

They did an ECW PPV commercial. Heyman did the VO on the commercial.

 

Looks like we've got a 20:00 main event coming.

 

Christian came out for a rap. Crowd booed him. He was mostly building up going to Smackdown to face Cena.

 

Batista pinned HHH with a Batista bomb. They had a good match. A couple of ref bumps, all the usual short cuts. HHH did a pedigree but it was during a ref bump. Batista sold most of the way. HHH knocked down Flair and gave a pedigree to the ref after the match.

 

Thanks for joining us.

 

[sek69]

HHH turning on Flair now? This could be good or bad depending on how much Flair has to get in the ring.

[goodhelmet]

I might break down and buy this or at least try and grab it off ebay.

 

I am really interested in seeing the Benjamin-Jericho match and the BEnoit-Edge match. I think most smarks wuld use those as the determining factor anyway. But then we have the Batista-HHH stuff. I want to hear the crowd reaction and to see if H exposed Batista again or if they kept it to brawling. The Hogan tag doesn;t mean much to me but might fun for a look.

[Guest Some Guy]

It may have just been an observation from Meltz. I wouldn't read too much into the leg drop until we see the match and see if it was called for in the context of the match.

From Meltzer's Saturday post:

 

*Hogan & Shawn Michaels vs. Daivari & Muhammad Hassan. Everyone knows what this is going in. Michaels sells till he dies, makes the hot tag, and Hogan cleans house, pinning one or the other. The only mystery is whether Hogan will do the kneedrop for nostalgia on his recently surgically replaced hip. If you want to see Hogan "one last time" (and guaranteed this is not the last time, because he's going to be wrestling until he's close to 60 like Flair and Crusher), you know what it is going in.

Presuming that's by "kneedrop" he means "legdrop" he knows something is up.

[Guest Hunter's Torn Quad]

If Hogan could have done the legdrop he would have. It's been long enough from the operation that he should be able to do it, and the fact he can't is telling on how bad his body is.