WWE Superstars
April 23, 2009
London, England
Report by: Mike Tedesco of WrestleView.com
The Superstars video plays and we?re brought into the O2 Arena in London, England, for the second episode of WWE Superstars. Michael Cole and Jerry ?The King? Lawler welcome us to the show and mention that ?the champ is here? ? John Cena will make his first statement since being attacked by Edge with a Con-Chair-To on Raw!
Rey Mysterio & CM Punk vs. Big Show & Kane
Rey Mysterio made his way to the ring shaking the cobwebs out of his head from the big Knockout Punch Big Show gave to him on Monday.
The bell rings and it?ll be Rey Mysterio starting the match out against Kane. They circle the ring once and Mysterio gets a quick kick to the thigh of Kane. They continue with the stand-off, with Kane slowly backing Mysterio into the corner, and Kane puts him down on his knees with a right hand to the head. Kane picks him up and hits a nasty uppercut. Kane stands him up again and head-butts him back down. Kane bounces Mysterio’s head off the top turnbuckle, keeps him in the corner, and hits some more right hands and a stomp. Kane sends Mysterio into the ropes and goes for a big boot but Mysterio slides under Kane’s legs but gets hit with a boot to the midsection and Kane slides him out of the ring violently under the bottom rope but Mysterio does a roll and lands on his feet on the outside!
Kane slides out to follow Mysterio and Mysterio slides in! Kane is annoyed as he gets on the apron and gets dropkicked back down to the outside! Mysterio gets on the apron, runs, and flies off with a seated senton, knocking Kane down! Mysterio slides back in the ring and plays to the fans as we go to a commercial.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Kane whip CM Punk into the ropes and attempt a sidewalk slam but CM Punk is able to twist out of it, land on his feet, and hit a sloppy dropkick to Kane that sends him staggering. Punk tags in Mysterio, but Kane doesn?t notice. Punk charges him and Kane goes to a back drop to the outside but Punk lands on the apron. Kane grabs Punk by the throat to Chokeslam him off but Mysterio runs in and hits a 619 to Kane’s midsection! Mysterio springboards off the top rope and hits a seated senton on Kane! Mysterio then goes for the Big Show and Big Show simply throws him off him! Mysterio then goes into the ropes and runs right into a big boot from Kane! Kane drags Mysterio’s limp body over to his corner and tags in the Big Show!
Big Show comes in, picks Mysterio up by the neck with both hands, and throws him across the ring! Big Show picks him up, holds him against the ropes, and chops his chest! Big Show picks him up by the head with one hand and head-butts him down. This is like that fun squash match from Raw! Big Show goes into the ropes and hits a leg on Mysterio! He covers for a two count when it is broken up by CM Punk! Big Show stares Punk down before turning his attention back to Mysterio, picking him up by the head and tagging in the Big Red Machine!
Kane comes in as Big Show hits a few quick body shots to Mysterio in the corner. Kane hits a running kick to the head, and then brings him to the center of the ring for a sidewalk slam! Kane covers for a two and a half count! Kane picks Mysterio up and locks him in the bear hug. Mysterio tries to push Kane off him but can?t. It only works to back Kane up a bit, letting Mysterio ALMOST get the tag to Punk before Kane ran him across the ring and crushed him in his corner! Kane makes a tag to Big Show and hits Mysterio with some punches before he leaves the ring.
Big Show comes in, picks Mysterio up by the head again, and hits a short-arm chop to the chest! Big Show walks on Mysterio’s chest now ? that’s got to legit hurt! CM Punk and Big Show have some words before Show turns his attention back to Mysterio and Mysterio catches him with a jawbreaker that momentarily stuns him! Mysterio, for some reason, goes to a neutral corner and Big Show charges right into Mysterio’s boots. Mysterio goes to the second rope and dives off right into Big Show’s arms! Big Show then presses him over his head and flap-jacks him! Big Show tags in Kane again.
Kane picks Mysterio up, whips him into the corner hard, and catches him with a bear hug as he comes out of the corner! Mysterio fights out of it as Punk gets the crowd into it! Mysterio gets out but Kane boots him in the midsection and whips him into the corner but Mysterio slingshots out but gets on Kane’s shoulder! Mysterio slides off, goes for a kick, which Kane blocks, and Mysterio counters with the enzuigiri, which stuns Kane! Mysterio rolls and tags in CM Punk!
CM Punk springboards off the top rope and takes Kane down with a diving clothesline! Punk hits him with two kicks to the thighs and a spinning kick to the midsection before going into the ropes, sliding under Kane’s big boot attempt, and hitting Kane with some roundhouses and a spinning roundhouse before catching him with a boot to the skull that sends Kane into the corner! Punk charges and hits his running knee in the corner! Punk backs up, sizes Kane up, and hits it again!
Kane now staggers out of the corner and Punk goes to the top rope, but is distracted by the Big Show, who is approaching him. Punk dives off but Show deflects him back into the ring, where Kane hits him with a Chokeslam for the win!!
Winners by Pinfall: Big Show & Kane
Match Rating: **
Kane stands over his Backlash opponent, talking trash. Kane and Big Show then leave the ring.
Backstage Hornswoggle is throwing phantom punches to Finlay’s hands. This will be the last time Father and Son will be teaming up before Hornswoggle makes the final move to Raw! They?re in action ? next!
-Commercial Break-
A really nice video for Jeff Hardy plays with the tune of ?Rooftops? by Lost Prophets playing in the background. It showcases his desire for the business. Maybe this is damage control with the recent rumors of his contract expiring? I personally believe he isn?t going anywhere.
Josh Matthews and Matt Striker take over this portion of Superstars. Tyson Kidd and Natalya are already in the ring as we see replays of Hornswoggle’s match against Natalya on ECW!
Finlay & Hornswoggle vs. Tyson Kidd & Natalya
Jack Doane calls for the bell and it?ll be Finlay starting out the match against Tyson Kidd. Kidd goes to lock up but Finlay quickly waist locks him and takes him down! Finlay quickly gets him up and on his shoulders and he hits the Rolling Hills! Finlay tags in Hornswoggle who hits Tyson Kidd with a head-scissors takedown!! Hornswoggle celebrates to the crowd as Kidd recuperates on the outside with Natalya giving him a pep talk.
Kidd slides in and Hornswoggle is JUGGLING ? a tribute to Dave Stephens, no doubt. Hornswoggle bows and then throws the balls at Kidd! Hornswoggle quickly bolts out of the ring and Kidd runs after him! As Kidd rounds the corner, Finlay leap frogs Hornswoggle and clotheslines Kidd down on the ground! Hornswoggle then spears Natalya down!!
Finlay slides Tyson Kidd back in the ring and Hornswoggle hits him with a seated senton splash and covers for a two count when it is broken up by Natalya! The referee is distracted as he is admonishing Natalya so Finlay comes in and hits Kidd in the head with the shillelagh! Hornswoggle then goes to the top rope, hits the Tadpole Splash, and covers Tyson Kidd to win the match!!
Winners by Pinfall: Finlay & Hornswoggle
Match Rating: *
Finlay and Hornswoggle embrace in the ring before celebrating with the fans on what could be their final time teaming up! Finlay then grabs a microphone and acknowledges that this is probably going to be the last time he and Hornswoggle team in the ring together so before he goes to Raw he?d like London’s help in singing Hornswoggle’s favorite song ? ?When Irish Eyes Are Smiling!? Finlay then sings the song with the music playing in the background. It sounds bad but it’s shockingly touching! Finlay actually sounds like a drunken Irish guy singing this. I?m going to be bar tomorrow, getting drunk, and singing this on karaoke! Finlay and Hornswoggle embrace one more time and they go to the back!
Still to come tonight is John Cena’s comments on Edge after the attack on Monday. Also, for tonight’s Main Event, we?ll have Edge taking on Kofi Kingston, three days before Backlash!
-Commercial Break-
We?re back from the break and Jim Ross thanks Adelitas Way for the use of their song ?Invincible,? the official theme song to WWE Superstars!
We now get an outside shot of London, England. We see Big Ben and Parliament. We now get the Raw Rebound highlighting the awfully boring Triple H vs. Randy Orton match. My God, when will this angle END??
Jim Ross and Todd Grisham now run down the match listing for Backlash. It looks like a pretty good card but the crazy thing is the only match I?m looking forward to is the one with a guy who hasn?t wrestled a singles match in almost fifteen years. The rest of the matches I just want to see because I?m hoping they?ll be the last matches for all of these angles.
Todd Grisham and Jim Ross now discuss Edge’s attack on John Cena on Raw. We then see footage of Edge delivering the Con-Chair-To to Cena’s head. JR says Edge may have Con-Chair-Toed his way to the World Heavyweight Championship.
Todd Grisham is now all of a sudden backstage, and not out of breath, and he asks John Cena how what happened on Monday will affect him at Backlash. Cena says this is usually the point in the show where he says that he’s unaffected and he’s raring to go for the Last Man Standing Match at Backlash but he’s not going to do that. This is also the point where Grisham may have some follow-up questions which he wants Cena to answer but he’s not going to answer them. Unfortunately, tonight, he’s not going to talk to Todd Grisham. He grabs the microphone and looks at the camera. He says for once, he’s going to talk to us, all the viewers watching Superstars. The footage we just saw some might say is overly graphic. Cena says, unfortunately, it was a necessity. The rivalry between he and Edge simply has nowhere else to go. They?ve walked down every road, danced every step, and told every story. This is one of the greatest rivalries in sports-entertainment history and, as a matter of fact, in a weird, crazy way, they?ve both manufactured each others careers. This is the WWE Universe’s version of the Yankees vs. the Red Sox! Cena then asks what if the Yankees and Red Sox were only going to play one game. Do we think we could drag any one of the nine off the field and ask them if they?d risk their career to win that night? Will they risk their health to be the better man? Will they put it all on the line and gamble because they knew on the final day they would be victorious? If you ask any one of them, they?ll say yes! Cena needs to tell us how serious this is to him and us. We?ll probably hear from Edge with him telling us how he?ll be the Last Man Standing at Backlash and we?ve seen the footage ? Cena is banged up, but still standing! He’s still standing and he’s thirsty ? thirsty for a knockdown, drag-out brawl! At Backlash they will stand in the ring knowing that only one will walk out ? knowing that at the final bell only one man will be able to tell the story because the winner writes the history books! Knowing that at the end of this rivalry only one will be the better man! Knowing at the end of the night on Backlash there will only be ONE Last Man Standing! Cena walks away.
Edge’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring looking pretty intense. He?ll be facing Kofi Kingston next!
-Commercial Break-
Did you know that WrestleMania XXV had more people in attendance than the 2008 MLB All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, Madonna’s concert at Dolphin Stadium, the 2009 Super Bowl in Raymond James Stadium, and the 2009 NCAA Final Four at Ford Field?
Edge vs. Kofi Kingston
My favorite referee in the whole world Charles Robinson is refereeing this match! Yes! He calls for the bell and this match is on! They lock up and Kingston is able to wrench Edge’s arm. Kingston twists it hard and tries to control Edge but Edge stops him with a boot to the midsection and a club to the back. Edge gets a headlock on Kingston and controls him in the center of the ring. Kingston elbows Edge and sends him into the ropes but Edge drops him with a shoulder block. Edge goes into the ropes, jumps over Kingston, Kingston jumps over Edge with a leap frog, and he goes for another leap frog but Edge hangs on to the ropes! Edge then charges and Kingston takes him down with an arm drag and he follows through with the arm bar! Kingston splashes Edge’s left arm and covers for a two count! Kingston keeps the arm bar on, even as Edge gets to his feet. Edge finally hits Kingston with a forearm smash, sending Kingston back into the corner.
Edge punches Kingston and whips him into the opposite corner and charges but Kingston slingshots over him and vaults up to Edge’s shoulders and hits him with some punches! Kingston then rolls off and knocks Edge down with a European Uppercut! Kingston covers but Edge is WAY too close to the ropes for that. Kingston wrenches Edge’s arm and Edge goes down to his knees in pain! Kingston has a nice arm bar on and Edge is in pain. Edge eventually fights up to his feet and backs Kingston into the corner, necessitating a clean break. Edge then sneaks a punch in!
Edge punches Kingston, stomps him, and then elbows him in the back of the neck! Kingston fights back with some punches and goes right back to Edge’s injured arm ? wrenching it hard! Edge quickly backs him into the corner and hits some shoulder thrusts on Kingston ? with his good shoulder, I think. Edge has a whip into the opposite corner reversed on him and Kingston charges. Edge goes for a back body over the top rope but Kingston lands on the apron after having his feet tangled on the ropes for a split second. Edge nails him with a punch then brings him across the apron to smash his head off the turnbuckle but Kingston blocks it and bounces Edge’s head off the top turnbuckle! Kingston goes to the top rope but Edge sweeps his legs out from under him, causing Kingston to land on his chest across the top ropes! Kingston is in pain, as well as Edge, so it must be time for a break.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Kingston laid out on the second rope and Edge hitting a cross-body to his prone body! Edge covers for a one count. Edge now locks him in the old, OLD school body scissors! Kingston punches Edge’s legs until he releases it. Kingston charges and Edge gets a knee into his midsection ? the old kitchen sink move! Edge hits a gut-buster and covers for a two count! Edge clubs Kingston and goes to put him on the top rope for a super back drop but Kingston blocks it and punches Edge. Edge angrily charges and Kingston weaves through the ropes and slingshots his legs into Edge’s face! Kingston now ascends to the top rope and comes off with a nice cross-body block for a two and a half count!
Kingston ducks a wild punch from Edge and hits him with some right hands and a dropkick! Kingston goes into the ropes and hits a flying clothesline! Kingston is now dancing around and goes for his BOOM-BOOM Leg but Edge rolls out of the way! Edge turns into a boot in the midsection and a DDT! Kingston covers for a two and a half count!
They both slowly get up, and when they do Kingston attempts a body slam but Edge gets out of it and goes for the Edge-O-Matic but Kingston gets out of that and hits a CRAZY modified Russian Leg Sweep into a cover for a two and a half count!! Kingston now picks Edge up but has an Irish whip reversed on him and Edge drops him with a flapjack!
Both men are down again and Charles Robinson is counting them both out. Edge gets up at the sixth count. Edge positions himself in the corner and is waiting for Kingston to get up for the Spear! Kingston gets up and Edge charges only for Kingston to leap frog him and Edge Spears the second turnbuckle!! Edge now turns into Trouble in Paradise but Edge’s momentum carries him out of the ring!!
Kingston goes to the outside and struggles to get Edge in the ring as he’s knocked pretty much unconscious. Kingston gets him in and covers for a two and a half count when Edge gets his hand on the rope! Charles Robinson is explaining that Edge got his hand on the rope BEFORE the three count when all of a sudden Edge rolls up Kingston with a handful of tights for a two and a half count! Kingston nails Edge with a punch and a kick and goes for a whip into the corner but it’s reversed on him. Kingston jumps to the second rope and fakes a dive, which causes Edge to crash to the mat to avoid it! Kingston then hits a diving sunset flip but Edge rolls out of it and goes for the Sharpshooter! Kingston counters and rolls him up for a two and a half count! Kingston then turns into a sick Spear out of nowhere and Edge pins him for the win!!
Winner by Pinfall: Edge
Match Rating: ** ?
Edge has his arm raised by Charles Robinson as Superstars ends!
Quick Match Results
Big Show & Kane* def. Rey Mysterio & CM Punk*
Finlay & Hornswoggle* def. Tyson Kidd* & Natalya
Edge def. Kofi Kingston
Bump of the Night: Hornswoggle spearing Natalya on the outside!
Match of the Night: Edge def. Kofi Kingston ** ?
Mike’s Thoughts
Not a bad episode of Superstars at all! Definitely a lot of fun, much like last week’s show. Anytime you can get a whole bunch of wrestling crammed into one hour with hardly any talking is a great show in my opinion!
Edge and Kofi Kingston had another tremendous match and it was just as good as their match on Smackdown two weeks ago. It’s a shame Kofi Kingston didn?t get moved to Smackdown in the draft ? he?d have been a better fit on the show than on Raw. Besides he’s still a little green and is known to blow spots ? with the editing on Smackdown, I don?t see why they wouldn?t! Anyway, both Edge and Kingston were terrific in this. Their talents are undeniable.
Big Show and Kane reunited to destroy CM Punk and Rey Mysterio. I love the way they?ve been booking these matches lately. Nothing pissed me off more than in the fall when Rey Mysterio was beating Kane left and right. They?re booking it right ? no one actually believes anything Mysterio hits Kane or Big Show with will hurt them so why make it seem like that? It adds a little more realism to it and also makes it a big deal if Mysterio were to one day get a surprise win over one of them. Great stuff!
John Cena cut a really good promo tonight. It was serious and to the point. Sometimes John Cena can be tolerable with me!
My one beef with tonight was the Finlay & Hornswoggle match. Nothing against Finlay (he’s the best) or Hornswoggle but is it really smart to have a kid with so much potential like Tyson Kidd be made to look like a fool getting pinned by a midget going as a leprechaun? They couldn?t make it Jamie Noble? I just thought Tyson Kidd was the wrong choice for this match. He should be going through an undefeated streak right now ? instead he’s jobbing to Hornswoggle. This kid could be great ? I just hope WWE realizes it before his stock is too devalued.
Final Rating: ** ?
As always I?d love to hear some feedback from those who liked the recap and even those who didn?t! Let me know how I can improve!
E-Mail ? MikeyT817@hotmail.com
Be sure to check out my Smackdown recap!
Thanks for reading!