WWE Superstars
December 29, 2011
Report by: Jason Namako of Wrestleview.com
Hello everyone, and welcome to this week’s edition of the Superstars recap. If you all are ready to go, then since Adelitas Way is playing the intro, let’s get on with the show!
We kick things off with the Smackdown portion of this week’s show, with announcers Josh Mathews & Matt Striker.
Yoshi Tatsu vs. Tyson Kidd
Tatsu starts things off with a rollup for a nearfall, followed by an O’Connor Roll, but Kidd counters it. Both men then go back and forth on reversing each other on nearfalls and then Kidd rolls over to the corner to regroup. Lock-up and Kidd locks in a keylock. Tatsu fires back with a kick and applies a wrist lock of his own, followed by a flurry of chops. Kidd Irish whips out and sends Tatsu to the corner, but Tatsu comes back with kicks out of the corner and then heads up top. However, Kidd counters Tatsu’s dive with a knee to be able to hit an inverted atomic drop.
Kidd then connects with a leaping back heel kick for a nearfall. Kidd chokes Tatsu, followed by a snapmare takeover and a stiff kick to the back. Kidd chokes Tatsu again in the ropes and then rakes his eyes. Kidd stands on Tatsu’s hand and connects with a knee to the head. Kidd follows up with a running back elbow for a nearfall. Kidd then applies a reverse chinlock to Tatsu.
Tatsu breaks the hold with elbows, followed by a chop. Tatsu then connects with a spinning heel kick and both men are down. Kidd gets to his feet first, but Tatsu fires away with a chop and a succession of kicks. Tatsu drills Kidd with a running Yakuza kick, however misses on a Shining Wizard attempt as Kidd ducked. However, Tatsu is able to hit the Shining Wizard on the 2nd try for a nearfall. Tatsu tries for the roundhouse kick, but Kidd evades it and hits a dropkick to the knee, followed by a brainbuster for a nearfall. Kidd places Tatsu up top, setting up for a superplex, but Tatsu prevents it with a headbutt that knocks Kidd off the ropes to the mat.
Tatsu then hits the top rope spinning heel kick for the victory.
Winner: Yoshi Tatsu by pinfall (Top Rope Spinning Heel Kick)
-Commercial-
Trent Barreta vs. Darren Young
Lock-up and Barreta with a waistlock, but Young counters with a wristlock and takes Barreta down. Young with a wristlock into a keylock, but Barreta bridges to keep his shoulders off the mat. Barreta tries to get to his feet, but Young pulls the hair to bring him back down. Barreta then comes back with a back elbow to Young for a nearfall. Barreta scores with a European uppercut, but Young fires back with forearms. Young then tries to send Barreta over the top rope to the floor, but Barreta lands on the apron and kicks Young after avoiding a shoulder. Barreta heads up top, but Young crotches him. Young then drills Barreta with a belly-to-back suplex onto the apron.
Young returns to the ring and gains a nearfall. Young then scores with a backbreaker for another nearfall. Young with a club to the chest and then locks in a rear chinlock. Young then sends Barreta hard to the corner off an Irish whip. Young goes for a suplex, but Barreta blocks it and rolls up Young in an inside cradle for a nearfall. Young then comes right back with a hard clothesline for another nearfall. Young then locks Barreta in with a body scissors. Barreta is able to get to his feet and breaks the hold with elbows. However, Young comes back with shoulders in the corner and then he places Barreta on the turnbuckles, setting up for a top rope belly-to-back suplex, but Barreta knocks Young off the turnbuckles, sending him crashing down to the mat.
Trent then hits the corkscrew moonsault for a nearfall. Trent fires away with forearms and chops, but Young fires back with a right hand. Barreta then comes back with a flurry of forearms and chops, followed by an enizguri, and finally hits a running back elbow in the corner. Barreta goes for a running knee, but Young counters and hits a gutbuster for a nearfall. Young runs into knees from Barreta in the corner and Barreta heads up top, but Young once again crotches him. Young heads up top, but Barreta tries to stop him with forearms.
Young then comes back and hits the Gut Check off the turnbuckles for the victory.
Winner: Darren Young by pinfall (Gut Check)
-Commercial-
Back from commercial, we go to the RAW half of this week’s show with announcers Josh Mathews & Scott Stanford.
Alex Riley vs. JTG w/Tamina
Lock-up and JTG piefaces Riley, but Riley double leg takes down JTG and then piefaces him right back. Riley whips JTG to the corner and nails him with a right hand. JTG comes back with an Irish whip of his own, but Riley nails him with a clothesline, followed by a hiptoss. JTG rolls out to the apron as Riley goes out after him. Riley nails him with a right hand and a knee. Riley hits another right hand, but Tamina distracts Riley, and that allows JTG to send Riley into the ringpost.
Back in the ring, JTG gains a nearfall. JTG drives a succession of elbows to the back of Riley’s back, followed by locking in a seated abdominal stretch. Riley tries to fight back with right hands, but JTG comes back with a basement uppercut, followed by a neckbreaker for another nearfall. JTG chokes Riley in the ropes, followed by a swinging neckbreaker for yet another nearfall. JTG locks in a rear chinlock, driving his knee in Riley’s back. Riley tries to break the hold, but JTG drills him with a back elbow that sends Riley to the outside. Riley, however, comes back with the sliding kick to the head when JTG tries to come out after him.
Riley hits a succession of right hands, followed by coming off the ropes and hitting the flying forearm. Riley Irish whips JTG and hits the spinebuster, then measures JTG and lifts him up, connecting with the Final Score for the victory.
Winner: Alex Riley by pinfall (Final Score)
-Commercial-
Back from commercial, we go to this week’s “RAW Rebound”, highlighting what took place in the Gauntlet match with WWE Champion CM Punk, before our main event.
Main Event: WWE Tag Team Champions Air Boom (Evan Bourne & Kofi Kingston) vs. The Midcard Mafia (Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks)
Hawkins and Kingston start things off for their respective teams. Lock-up and Hawkins backs Kingston into the corner. Hawkins feigns a clean break but Kingston knows what is coming and he gets out of the way. Kingston with a drop toe hold into a front chancery. Hawkins reverses into a side headlock. Hawkins with a shoulder tackle, but Kingston comes back with a leaping back elbow for a nearfall. Bourne tags in and they both kick Hawkins, followed by a double kick to the front and back for a nearfall. Bourne with a rana for another nearfall. Reks tags in and snapmares Bourne, followed by a right hand. Reks tosses Bourne into the air, but Bourne counters with a kick to the head. Kingston tags in and hits a double stomp to the chest from the top rope. Reks runs Kingston into the corner and he connects with a succession of forearms. Reks Irish whips Kingston, who counters by trying for a backslide, but Reks escapes. Kingston then connects with a version of Delirious’s Shadows over Hell for a nearfall. Reks then scores with a suplex and Hawkins tags in, scoring with some kicks to Kingston. Hawkins chokes Kingston in the ropes and he follows it up with a forearm. Hawkins then connects with a slam for a nearfall. Kingston then avoids another slam attempt and scores a nearfall with an O’Connor Roll. Kingston then nails Hawkins with a dropkick for another nearfall. Hawkins slides out to the floor but Kingston hits a dive onto Hawkins. Reks then tries for a clothesline to Kingston, but Kingston avoids it and Bourne comes off the apron with a running knee to Reks as we go to commercial.
-Commercial-
Back from commercial, Bourne hits another rana on Hawkins for a nearfall. Bourne Irish whips Hawkins, but Hawkins instead sends Bourne out to the apron. Bourne comes back with a kick and then heads up top, but Reks distracts Bourne and then hits a Dominator while the referee was with Hawkins.
Reks tags back in and chokes Bourne in the ropes. Reks then gains a nearfall. Bourne fights back with kicks to the leg, but Reks nails him with an elbow drop and then locks in a head and arm submission. Bourne tries to fight back with elbows, but Reks nails with a forearm and drives Bourne to the mat for another nearfall. Hawkins tags back in and kicks Bourne in the chest and then slaps him in the head. Hawkins then locks Bourne in a rear chinlock. Bourne fight back with kicks, but Hawkins comes back with a slam for another nearfall. Reks tags back in and he drops a knee to the ribs. Hawkins then tags back in and he nails Bourne with a gut shot, followed by a back suplex for another nearfall. Hawkins then locks back in the rear chinlock. Bourne gets to his feet and he gets himself out of the hold. Hawkins then misses a splash into the corner as Bourne struggles to make the tag.
Reks and Kingston then tag in and Kingston connects with a springboard clothesline, followed by a succession of clotheslines and a dropkick. Kingston, however, misses the attempt at Trouble in Paradise, and Reks sends him into the corner. Kingston then comes back, and hits Reks with a double jump crossbody for a nearfall. Bourne comes in, and nails Hawkins with a knee to send him to the outside. Bourne then with a kick to Reks, and Kingston hits Trouble in Paradise. Bourne tags in and hits Air Bourne for the victory.
Winners: Air Boom by pinfall (Air Bourne)
Air Boom celebrate their win as we go to credits.
My Thoughts
Solid show this week. 2 really good matches, and 2 decent ones. Riley/JTG and Young/Barreta were both solid matches, Riley/JTG pretty much the same match they had a month or so back, but a little shorter. Young/Barreta had a good effort with some nifty, unique spots that you rarely see in WWE matches, like the back suplex on the apron, and finish with the 2nd rope Gut Check.
Kidd/Tatsu was another nice chapter in their long-standing feud, a little short, but it was still entertaining. Finally, the main event tag was another good match from these 2 teams, and maybe with a little more exposure behind and some luster thrown on top of it, I could see this being a good feud with the tag belts on the line somewhere down the road, because these 2 teams have really good chemistry. All in all, good show this week to close out 2011.
My Grade: B-
Well, that will do it for me this week, I want to thank you all for reading and I hope you all enjoy your weekend. But remember….
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See ya next week!