Monday's edition of WWE RAW posted a 3.7 cable rating. This is a slight increase on last week's 3.6 score, but not what the company was hoping for after a pay-per-view.
Monday Night Football, of course, does provide serious competition now. But Vince McMahon and the WWE brass won't be satisfied until the rating is above 4.0 consistently.
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:
We rarely post about TNA. We just don't consider it any sort of competition to the WWE at the moment.
However, rumors are running wild that the major announcment at the upcoming TNA pay-per-view involves the signing of Kurt Angle. Therefore, we had to speak up and clarify: Ain't gonna happen!
First of all, Angle is still, well, angling to get back into the WWE. He's proposed ideas for Wrestlemania and is looking at this as time off before he does return to Vince McMahon's wing. He won't go work for a competitor.
Moreover, he can't!
There's a no-compete clause in Angle's contract that means he can't wrestle for TNA until March anyhow.
The announcement, instead, may focus on Bill Goldberg signing with the company. Or - prepare yourself for this excitement, folks - the confirmation of a two-hour timeslot for TNA. That would be truly major, indeed.
The following report is courtesy of lordsofpain.net ...
The show opened with Lillian Garcia introducing the new WWE Champion, John Cena.
Cena came out to the usual mixed reaction, w/ the Montreal crowd heavily booing the new champ. JR and King gave Edge credit for his performance last night, but also hyped Cenaâs resilience in winning a match heâd never previously taken part in. Cena grabbed a mic and looked around at the anti-Cena crowd that was booing him. He laughed off the haters, but finally managed to say that he was in the midst of chaos (referring to the crowd). He said that normally heâd say that tonight would be huge, but tonight he really wasnât himself. The crowd didnât let up, continuing to heavily boo him. Cena continued, saying that the bottom line was that he was hit in the head a lot last night. He said everything was starting to become clear, though, and he now could finally say that, low and behold, the champ is here. Cena said that no matter what the crowd thought, his win last night was big.
Cena said that after all that has happened in the last nine months during his feud with Edge, the story was finally over. The crowd was chanting âBoringâ at that point, but they erupted when Edge (w/ Lita) came walking down to the ring. Edge walked with a noticeable limp and a bandaged elbow. Upon entering the ring w/ a mic, he asked Cena if he believed all the crap he was talking. He said Cenaâs win last night was a fluke just like the rest of his career, and when he used his rematch clause, heâd win his third WWE title. Cena told him to listen, telling him that last night he saw fire and hunger that heâd not previously seen from himâ¦and he respects Edge for that. The crowd chanted âCena Sucks,â as Cena said that if Edge wanted to talk the way he was talking right now, he had one of two options. A) He could have a live sex celebration and screw himself. B) He could challenge him for the WWE title right now. Edge said that he didnât have a desire to win the title back in Montrealâ¦which he said was not apart of Canada. He said that last night he took more physical punishment than most people took in their entire lives. An FU thru two ladders? Most people wouldâve given up, but he didnât.
Thus, he said heâd take his title back whenever he wanted, but not tonight. Cena said it took Edge 30-seconds to turn on Edge and favor Cena kicking his ass. The Champ said that he was just as beat up as Edge and asked the former champ what he wanted. Edge said he wanted payback for the worst night of his life, in which he lost his match in his hometown, w/ his mom in attendanceâ¦plus the WWE title. Cena told him to call the wambulance. Edge told him to shut up, at which point Cade and Murdoch showed up and leveled the champion. The three heels then took turns stomping away at the champâ¦Well, that is until DX showed up! Edge took off, as DX took out Murdoch and Cade. The Coach then made his way out to the top of the ramp and made a six-man tag between Cena/DX and Edge, Murdoch, and Cade. Triple H gave Cena a bunch of nasty looks.
Backstage, Coach addressed the McMahons and told them that a lot of stars wanted to tell them how sorry they were that they lost last night. Shelton Benjamin was up first, and he told Mr. McMahon that if heâd been his partner last night instead of Show, they wouldnât have lost last night. He asked why McMahon didnât choose him? Shelton concluded that it was because he was black.
Match 1: Umaga (w/ Armando Alejandro Estrada) vs. Kane
- The two traded shoulder tackles to start the match, but neither would fall. Thus, they began trading punchesâ¦that is, until, Umaga caught Kane w/ a belly-to-belly suplex. AAE, meanwhile, fetched a chair. The ref bumped soon after when AAE tried to hand the chair to Umaga. Kane splashed both Umaga and the ref in the corner. The Big Red Machine followed by giving the Samoan Bulldozer a DDT. With the ref down, Umaga eventually blasted Kane right in the face with the chair. He made the cover, but during the time it took to get a new ref, Kane recovered and was able to kick out.
Back from the break, Kane was hammering away at Umaga, but the undefeated monster came back with a Samoan Drop. He then connected on a modified Flatliner. Kane backed up into the corner, allowing Umaga to charge for a running hip smash. Unfortunately for Umaga, Kane got up and hit a reverse elbow. Kane followed with two clotheslines, but Umaga wouldnât fall. It took a running shoulder tackle to get Umaga to fall, but Umaga quickly came back and threw Kane over the top rope. Kane landed on the apron and hung Umagaâs neck across the top rope. With Umaga reeling, Kane grabbed the chair and came back into the ring. Umaga blocked his attempt to use it, though. Kane stayed on the offensive with a big boot and flying clothesline from the top rope. Instead of going of the chokeslam to finish it, though, Kane drilled Umaga three times in the head with that steel chair. Umaga defeated Kane via DQ at 8:10.
Maria waved hello to Vince and told him that sheâd been watching his DVD and was waiting to get to the good part. She got him confused w/ former Bears QB Jim McMahon. The Spirit Squad interrupted her and apologized for his loss last night. Johnny dedicated his upcoming match with Ric Flair to Vince.
Match 2: Ric Flair vs. Johnny (w/ the Spirit Squad)
- Johnny grabbed a headlock to start and took Flair down w/ a shoulder tackle out of an Irish whip. Flair came back with chops and a back elbow smash. He followed with a jumping knee drop, which sent Johnny to the outside to recover. Flair followed, but ended up getting poked in the eye and back dropped on the floor. Back in the ring, Johnny hammered away at Flair w/ straight right handed shots. Flair came right back with several knife edge chops, but Johnny quickly regained momentum with a chop block. Johnny then locked in the Figure Four, but Flair made it to the ropes. Flair ended up on the apron, but Johnny suplexed him over the top rope back into the ring.
The Squad member then went to the top rope and came off looking for a flying spinning wheel kick. Flair moved, though, and gave Johnny a chop block soon after. He worked over the knee, but Johnny rolled him up for a near fall. The finish came when Flair reversed the roll-up at the last second and small packaged Johnny for the win. Flair defeated Johnny at 3:08.
Backstage, Lita said she was sorry about Vince, but wanted back the Womenâs title. Micke James interrupted and made fun of Lita for thinking she should be handed back the belt. James said it was great that Trish went out on top and insulted Lita. Lita slapped Mickie in retaliation and walked off.
- Reviews of Gridiron Gang have been mixed, but box office results for the latest vehicle starring The Rock are not: it ranked as the highest grossing movie of the weekend.
The film grossed approximately $15 million this weekend, causing it to outpace The Black Dahlia, starring Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson.
- Meanwhile, John Cena probably hopes his first flick, The Marine, fares as well. At least he was recently honored (sort of) by a Harvard football player.
Matt Curtis paid homage to the new WWE champion during yesterday's 31-14 victory over Holy Cross. The player flashed the "you can't see me" wave after contributing to a pair of big defensive stops; the gesture was recognized by several fans in attendance.
The following report is courtesy of wrestleview.com ...
- Johnny Nitro defeated Jeff Hardy to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship. A majority of the match saw Nitro working on Hardy's left knee. Lots of near falls towards the end of the match. One spot saw Hardy kick Nitro into Melina, who fell off the ring apron and grabbed her ankle. The finish saw Melina pull off her boot and hit Hardy with it, allowing Nitro to get the pinfall and retain the title.
- WWE Smackdown GM Teddy Long was shown watching the show from the skybox.
- Backstage after the match, Matt Hardy was shown consoling Jeff Hardy. Lita then showed up and mocked Jeff and Matt saying they would never be champions like Edge and herself. Lita added that Matt would get a chance to face John Cena on Smackdown once Edge beats him tonight. Possible Hardy Boyz reunion?
- Kane vs. Umaga ended in a Double Countout. The fans in Toronto didn't like this finish at all and rightfully so. The match itself was strong as they had lots of back and forth spots. One spot saw the two go over the top rope and Kane went after Armando Alejandro Estrada, pulling off his jacket and ripping it. The finish saw Kane hit an overhead belly-to-belly suplex on Umaga over the top rope. Kane then clotheslined Umaga over the guard railing and then went after him in the crowd. The referee then called for the bell to cause the double countout finish.
- Backstage, the McMahons were shown watching footage from WWE RAW and bragged about beating up DX. Shane said he would take both down to allow Vince to get the pinfall. Vince then said unlike Canada, who has all their allies do the work, he wanted to be the one to put DX down and beat them.
- The Spirit Squad defeated The Highlanders to retain the World Tag Team Championships. Mikey & Kenny were the team defending the tag titles tonight. Lots of interference from the other three during the match. The finish saw Johnny hit the ring and hit Rory with a high kick from behind allowing Mikey to hit a facebuster and get the pinfall to retain the titles.
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:
We'll post more matches for the pay-per-view as they're signed.
The following report is courtesy of wrestleview.com ...
The show kicked off with Finlay coming out and bragging about attacking Batista last week, costing him the World Title against King Booker. Bobby Lashley then came out and challenged Finlay. Smackdown GM Teddy Long announced a #1 Contenders Match between the two later tonight to determine who will face King Booker at No Mercy for the World Heavyweight Title.
- Backstage, William Regal and Finlay are show discussing the main event later tonight.
- WWE Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms defeated Matt Hardy.
- Backstage, Rey Mysterio is shown walking with his son, Dominick. Mysterio stops and talks with Dean Malenko.
- WWE U.S. Champion Mr. Kennedy vs. Rey Mysterio is announced for later tonight.
- Another Jimmy "Wang" Yang promo airs.
- The Miz defeated Scotty 2 Hotty.
- Brian Kendrick defeated Kid Kash & Idol Stevens in a Triple Threat Match.
- Backstage, King Booker, Sharmell, Finlay and William Regal all discuss the main event later tonight.
- Backstage, Rey Mysterio has his son watch the monitor in the back so he can watch his upcoming match with Mr. Kennedy next. When Mysterio leaves to go to the ring, Chavo and Vickie Guerrero are shown watching him.
- WWE U.S. Champion Mr. Kennedy defeated Rey Mysterio. Mysterio was distracted by Chavo & Vickie when they came out with Dominick to help give Kennedy the win. After the match, Dominick hugged Mysterio as Chavo & Vickie looked on.
- A promo for MVP airs.
- Vito defeated William Regal.
- Backstage, Smackdown GM Teddy Long is speaking with World Heavyweight Champion King Booker and Sharmell when Vito comes in. Vito has words with Booker. Long announces Booker vs. Vito next week on Smackdown.
- Sylvester Terkay defeated an unknown wrestler.
- Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero was announced for next week's Smackdown.
- Bobby Lashley defeated Finlay via DQ to become the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title - Lashley will face King Booker at No Mercy for the World Title. King Booker and Sharmell were both at ringside doing commentary during the match. Regal was at ringside as well.
After the DQ finish, Batista hit the ring and attacked Finlay. Both brawled to the back. Booker and Regal attacked Lashley, but Lashley fought back and hit Booker with a Spear. The show ended with Lashley celebrating with the crowd.
** Click here to see more Smackdown pictures from this week
First, she was a dancer for the Miami Heat. Next, Layla El will be shaking her thang for Smackdown! audiences across the world.
It's been a wild summer indeed for the Aventura, who won a one-year contract and $250,000 to become the latest WWE Diva. The Miami Herald recently talked with the overwhelmed hottie.
The competition was based on fan voting and support. Layla El said the passionate following in her hometown gave her the ambition to continue.
''The fans in Miami are amazing,'' said El, a native of London, who moved to South Florida three years ago. "I know I did have support in other cities in New York, Tennessee, Minnesota, but definitely South Florida was a big factor in it.''
The WWE Diva Search not only attracted the pro wrestling aficionados, but non-fans as well.
''I don't even like wrestling,'' said Chris Hobbs, a Miami Heat fan, who by chance caught her on television flipping through the channels one night. "However, I love Layla.''
That's the exact goal the WWE was going for when he began the contest. Since the announcement was made before millions of people on August 16, it's been a whirlwind of activity for Layla. She was featured in publications such as Sports Illustrated and made various public appearances throughout the country.
''Life has changed because I'm busy,'' said El, who a few weeks ago began her life on the road as a diva on WWE's Friday night SmackDown!.
"I'm traveling a lot. I'm hardly ever home. I really haven't gotten a chance to sit back and focus.''
El is beginning her training in the ring by spending time with fellow divas, including 2005 Diva Search winner Ashley Massaro, Jillian Hall and Sharmell Sullivan-Huffman.
Forget Unforgiven spoilers or what you may have heard about the event, let's get right to our predictions on what looks to be a solid card:
Kane vs. Umaga (w/Armando Alejandro Estrada)
What is Kane ever good for but providing a nice rub for a rising star? The Big Red Machine may deserve more, but he won't get it here. Umaga looks to be main eventing soon.
Winner: Umaga
Carlito vs. Randy Orton
We may be overly hopeful on this one, but Randy Orton deserves more of a punishment for failing a recent drug test. Dropping this bout to Carlito would barely even qualify since he's a strong foe, but we gotta start somewhere.
Winner: Carlito
World Tag Team Championship: Spirit Squad (c) vs. The Highlanders (Robbie and Rory McAllister)
There's stil a tag team division, really? Who knew?!? It's always better, when trying to build a rivalry, to have the faces chase the heels. So The Highlanders will have to wait for their first taste of WWE gold.
Winner: The Spirit Squad
WWE Women's Championship: Lita (c) vs. Trish Stratus
An obvious call. Or at least it should be. Trish deserves to leave with the belt. Let there be a tournament afterward to crown a new women's champ.
Winner: Trish Stratus
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Johnny Nitro (w/Melina) (c) vs. Jeff Hardy
Probably the toughest on the card to call. Hardy has been on fire since his return, but Nitro makes for a strong champion right now. Melina also has momentum and we can't see the WWE giving Jeff the belt so close to his return.
Winner: Johnny Nitro
Hell in a Cell Handicap match: D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels) vs. Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and The Big Show
Please, please end this feud! Is there any doubt at all that DX wins this match? The only question remaining is what sort of sick bump Shane takes off the cell?
Winner: DX
TLC match for the WWE Championship: Edge (w/Lita) (c) vs. John Cena (If Cena loses, he will leave RAW and go to SmackDown!)
Ok, we know rumors have Cena remaining on RAW, but Edge has mad too good of a champion. It would be a major mistake to change waists of the title holder this soon. Let Edge run with it longer.
Winner: Edge
