No Mercy News

The following report is courtesy of wrestleview.com...

- The PPV kicks off with Vince McMahon and William Regal coming to the ring. McMahon gets on the mic and talks about John Cena being injured on Monday Night Raw and how he will be out of action for the next six months to a year. McMahon promises a new WWE Champion will be crowned as the camera shows a shot of a table covered with a red cloth. Fans in Chicago chant "Y2J" loudly. He said the fans won't get to see that as McMahon declares Randy Orton as the NEW WWE Champion. Orton comes out and holds up the title. Regal told Orton that he must defend the title tonight and that Orton must decide who he will face tonight in the main event. Orton gets on the mic and confirms one person he won't be wrestling tonight - John Cena. Fans still chanting for "Y2J" in Chicago. Orton starts to trash Cena when Triple H's music hits. Triple H gets on the mic and offers Orton vs. Triple H tonight for the title. Orton says no. Triple H asks the fans in Chicago if they want to see that and they cheer loudly in response. He told Vince he should always give the fans what they want. Vince gives in and makes Orton vs. Triple H for the WWE Title. That match starts right now.

- Triple H defeated Randy Orton to become the NEW WWE Champion. The match kicked off with Orton taking Triple H to the ground applying a sleeper. Big spot with Triple H connecting with a superplex on Orton. Triple H with a Spinebuster on Orton, covers, but only gets a two count. Orton responds with a quick DDT. Orton attempts an RKO, but Triple H counters and attempts a Pedigree. Orton counters the Pedigree into a back body drop. Triple H gets the Figure Four locked in, but Orton breaks it up getting to the ropes. The finish saw Orton miss a tackle in the corner allowing Triple H to roll him up for the pinfall to become the NEW WWE Champion. Triple H is now an 11-time WWE Champion. After the match, Orton is shocked. Crowd in Chicago was really into the finish.

- A promo for WrestleMania 24 airs.

- Mr. Kennedy & World Tag Team Champions Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch defeated WWE Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy, Paul London & Brian Kendrick in a "Bonus Match." Although it didn't go very long, lots of solid action and another good match with a hot crowd in Chicago. At one point Hardy hit the Swanton Bomb on Murdoch, but Cade made the save during the pinfall attempt. The finish saw Kennedy hit the Green Bay Plunge on London for the pinfall.

- Backstage, newly crowned WWE Champion Triple H is with World Heavyweight Champion Batista. Vince McMahon shows up and said since he is all about giving the fans what they want to see, he announces that Triple H's match with Umaga tonight will be for the WWE Title.

- CM Punk defeated Big Daddy V via DQ; Punk retains the ECW Title. Punk got a great reaction from his hometown crowd tonight in Chicago. This one didn't last long as Matt Striker interfered causing a DQ. After the match, Big Daddy V took out Punk by dropping some power elbows. CM Punk was shown bleeding from the mouth as a result of the elbow drops. Punk was helped to the back.

- JBL and Michael Cole recap the recent events between MVP and Matt Hardy on Smackdown. In the ring, Tazz has a mic and is by a table with pizza for a pizza eating contest. Tazz introduced Maria and Melina who will act as judges apparently. MVP and Matt Hardy come out to the ring. MVP trashed Chicago saying he doesn't eat garbage like this and that each pizza slice is full of calories. Both argue a bit and then finally sit down to start the contest. Melina is counting for MVP, while Maria is counting for Hardy. They put up a 2:00 minute clock to see how much pizza they can eat. Hardy eats two pizzas to MVP's none. Hardy then ends up throwing up on MVP because he ate so much.

- Triple H defeated Umaga to retain the WWE Title. A video package aired highlighting the events between Triple H and Umaga. This one didn't go very long with lots of back and forth action between Triple H and Umaga. They brawled to the outside of the ring and Umaga sent Triple H face first into the steel steps. Umaga worked on Triple H's ribs and Triple H sold he was injured for the remainder of the match. The finish saw Umaga miss a charge in the corner and Triple H hit the Pedigree on Umaga for the pinfall to retain the WWE Title.

- Rey Mysterio vs. Finlay ended in a No Contest. Very good match that went longer than most matches earlier tonight. One spot saw Finlay send Mysterio shoulder first into the ring post. A majority of Finlay's focus during the match was on Mysterio's left arm/shoulder. They did a spot where Finlay took a big bump on the floor and made it seem like he was knocked out. They brought a stretcher out and put a neckbrace on Finlay. As they were about to take Finlay to the back, Finlay sat up and attacked Mysterio. Finlay kicked Mysterio on the ground and got TONS of heat from the crowd in Chicago.

- Backstage, Triple H is icing himself down when Vince McMahon shows up. McMahon said history would be made tonight and the night wasn't done yet. He announced that Orton has requested his rematch for tonight and that Triple H would defend the WWE Title against Orton in a Last Man Standing Match. McMahon wishes Triple H good luck.

- Beth Phoenix defeated Candice Michelle to become the NEW WWE Women's Champion. Another short match that saw Phoenix get the win with a fishermans suplex to get the win and become the new WWE Women's Champion. Phoenix started crying when she got the win. Jerry Lawler did a post-match interview and Phoenix said tonight was the start of a new era in WWE - the Glamazon era.

- Batista defeated The Great Khali to retain the World Heavyweight Title in a Punjabi Prison Match. The winner of the match must escape both structures in order to win. Batista called for a door to be opened, but he was unable to escape in the 60 seconds he was given to do so. Khali started attacking Batista with a leather strap. Khali called for another door to be opened. Batista gave Khali a spinebuster, so no one could escape through the third door. Batista then used the leather strap on Khali and then tried to climb over the first part of the structure. Batista was unable to do so and Khali put the Vice Grip on Baitsta. Khali called for another door to be opened, but Batista gave Khali a low blow. All four doors are now locked shut, so you must climb. Khali got out of the first cage and then Batista jumped from the first to the other. Both men then started climbing out and Batista was the first to escape to get the win and retain the World Title.

- Randy Orton defeated Triple H to become the NEW WWE Champion in a Last Man Standing Match. Real solid main event to close the show. The match kicked off with Orton going after the the ribs of Triple H that he favored in his match with Umaga earlier in the night. The brawled to the outside and Orton sent Triple H into the padded ring barricade. Orton then choked Triple H with TV cable. Triple H stayed down and then got to his feet at 9. Orton then got a TV monitor and knocked out Triple H with it. Orton then attempted to give Triple H an RKO through the announcers table, but Triple H countered and sent Orton through the ECW announce table. The referee started the count and Orton got up at 9. Triple H then took out Orton with the steel steps, the referee counts and Orton gets up at 9.

The action then went back to the ring which saw Orton connect with a DDT on Triple H over a chair. Orton then setup the steel chair and gave Triple H an RKO over it. Triple H somehow gets up at the 9 count busted open. The brawl to the outside again. Triple H puts Orton on the Raw announce table, but Orton slides off. Orton grabs the steel steps and tries to hit Triple H, but Triple H catches Orton with a low blow. Triple H gets a chair and cracks it over the head of Orton. Orton is busted open, but gets up at the 9 count. Both brawl over to the top of the Raw announce table and Orton counters a Pedigree attempt and catches Triple H with an RKO. Orton backs off, the referee starts the count and Triple H couldn't get up before the 10 count ended. Randy Orton is your winner and is now the NEW WWE Champion.

Here is the current card for WWE No Mercy this Sunday. With John Cena on the shelf, the second spot in the main event is still unknown at the moment...

WWE Championship - Last Man Standing Match
- Randy Orton vs. ?

World Heavyweight Championship - Punjabi Prison Match
- Batista (c) vs. The Great Khali

ECW Championship Match
- CM Punk (c) vs. Big Daddy V

- Triple H vs. Umaga

- Rey Mysterio vs. Finlay

WWE Tag Team Championship Match
- MVP & Matt Hardy (c's) vs. The Undertaker & Kane

WWE Women's Championship Match
- Candice Michelle (c) vs. Beth Phoenix

The following report is courtesy of lordsofpain.net ...

Match 1: Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms vs. Matt Hardy
- After back and forth action, Hardy went to the top for a moonsault, but Helms got his knees up during the attempt. The man formerly known as the Hurricane tried to get his offense going again, but Hardy countered and went for the Twist of Fate. However, Helms countered and connected with the Shining Wizard, but could only score a near fall. Helms then placed Hardy on the top turnbuckle.

He followed him up top, but Hardy headbutted Helms back to the mat. Helms recovered and tossed Hardy crotch-first onto the top rope. Hardy remained there uncomfortably, as the CW champ connected on a Shining Wizard off the top rope. Unfortunately for Helms, not even that move could put Hardy away. The finish came when Hardy defeated Helms via Twist of Fate at 13:08.

- Backstage, King Booker told Sharmell he needed to be totally secluded. William Regal came in to offer his full support of the King. He received a lecture from Booker, who said he needed Regal more than ever. Sharmell said it would all be OK.

Match 2: WWE Tag Team Champions Brian Kendrick and Paul London (w/ Ashley) vs. KC James and Idol Stevens (w/ Michelle McCool)
- London was beaten down for awhile ... but then Kendrick got the hot tag and cleaned house with flying kicks and clotheslines. He went for Sliced Bread #2 on the Idol, but James got involved and helped place the tag champ on the top rope. London then took out KC, while the Idol brought Kendrick crashing to the mat with a super back drop. Brian came back with a spinning DDT on James, but Stevens came in while the ref’s back was turned and hit a powerful backbreaker across his knee. Meanwhile, the ladies started a cat fight.

The champions came roaring back when they connected on a combination double dropkick. Kendrick hit the Sliced Bread #2 and London followed with the Northern Light. Kendrick and London retained at 9:39.

- Smackdown GM Teddy Long came to the ring, where a large gift box was set-up. He said it was The Miz's birthday. Mizanin came to the ring and said “Hoo-rah” a lot. TRL told him that the WWE Divas he had been hitting on (and not getting much response from) wanted to come out and help him celebrate his birthday. Layla El came to the ring. Miz said his birthday wish was her.

She asked for a chair, which the Miz was quite excited about. Layla sat him down and asked for some music. She proceeded to perform a strip-tease and blindfold him. As the Miz was talking gibberish, Layla signaled for the gift box to be lifted. Underneath the box was the little fat guy whose been stripping on WWE RAW. He danced and gyrated on the Miz, who eventually figured it out and had a fit.

Match 3: MVP Makes His Debut vs. Marty Garner
- MVP slapped the jobber to start off his career. He then took off his chain, which read “MVP,” and did a little Ali-shuffle around the ring. Once he made an offense advance, he grabbed Garner by the waist and took him to the mat. He spun around his opponent’s back and stood up into a pose. A lot more posing followed, prompting a “boring” chant from the crowd. Basic offense followed from the newcomer, which the crowd responded to be chanting “over-rated.” The finish came when MVP destroyed the jobber at 2:42 w/ what was formerly known as the Orton Driver.

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As announced yesterday, the main event for No Mercy this Sunday has been changed to a four-way match.

We speculated this was due to a lack of confidence in Lashley and The Wrestling Observer supports such a conclusion. It reports the decision was made within WWE because no one in the company felt fans bought Bobby Lashley as the top contender for the World Title and worried about the buyrate for the PPV.

The feeling internally within WWE is that Batista is the biggest draw on Smackdown right now. His involvement in the match is meant to boost popularity - but it's a mystery, in that case, why Lashley vs. King Booker was ever booked for the event.

Was the WWE afraid Lashley wouldn't be a big enough draw?

Less than a week before No Mercy, General Manager Theodore Long has ordered Sunday’s World Heavyweight Championship Match to be changed to a Fatal Four-Way.

WWE.com had the accoucement.

Per the General Manager’s orders, King Booker will now be forced to defend his gold against not only No. 1 Contender Bobby Lashley, but also former World Heavyweight Champion Batista and Finlay.

It's never a good sign when plans are changed so close to the event. It's just another indiciation of Smackdown being treated a whole lot worse than WWE RAW ever is.

We won't post the results of this week's Smackdown tapings until they air, but we can say that two more matches were announced for No Mercy during them.

Aside from Lashley challenging King Booker for the title and Mr. Ken Kennedy taking on The Undertaker, the following two contests will take place on October 8:

1. Finlay vs. Batista
2. Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero ... in a steel cage!

After Smackdown! Friday night, a new number-one contender emerged to face King Booker. As such, the following two matches will now take place at No Mercy on October 8:

• Bobby Lashley vs. King Booker for the World Heavyweight Title
• Mr. Ken Kennedy vs. The Undertaker

We'll post more matches for the pay-per-view as they're signed.