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I just got back from The O2, just thought I'd send the following along from tonight's WWE Television Tapings:
Monday Night RAW opened with a pyro display this time (we didn't get one last November in Manchester!) and the traditional RAW entrance. Chris Jericho came to the ring and said that he is done with RAW because he has been drafted to SmackDown, away from the parasites and the sycophants. Ricky Steamboat came out and said that as Jericho never gets the thanks he deserves, Ricky wants to thank Jericho, because he never thought he'd have the opportunity to return to the ring again at WrestleMania, but Jericho allowed him that. Jericho says that Steamboat isn't really here to thank him, he just wants one more ovation from the crowd. Jericho challenges Steamboat to a match at Backlash. Cena's music hits and the champ is here, Jericho berates Cena and says that he has only come out to defend Steamboat. Cena said that as the general manager is not here tonight (Excuuuuuuse me), Cena will wrestle Jericho! Steamboat accepts the challenge for Backlash!
Steamboat and Cena leave the ring during commercial; Enter Chavo
We are back with Chavo Guerrero, who informs the fans that he has been drafted to RAW (you know, because nobody reads WWE.com) - and that he can do more than just push wheelchairs, he can push anyone who challenges him out of the way. Batista comes out and pins Chavo in under 10 seconds with the Batista Bomb. Chavo grabs the mic and says he wasn't ready. Batista returns and powerbombs him again. Funny stuff, really.
Chavo leaves the ring during commercial, Money In The Bank Recap.
Did you know: something about WWE.com, didn't bother reading it.
CM Punk defeated Kane after reversing a chokeslam into a DDT for the pinfall in a short but reasonably solid match. Incidentally, Punk botched the ending, and Chioda called Punk back into the ring to make him do the reversal spot and the cover again for a re-tape.
Santino came out to a standing ovation and talked about his sister Santina. Santina appeared on the HD Screen and revealed she has a blister and can't kiss Khali tomorrow on Smackdown. They did a back and forth before Beth came out and said that Santina will kiss Khali at Backlash... More forced humour from Santino, this segment came off as totally lame and I stopped paying attention, apart from Santino telling his sister "Shudduppa ya face", which was pretty funny.
Melina pinned Beth Phoenix to retain the womens championship. I was so busy talking to the guy next to me about how hot Melina's entrance is, I forgot how the finish went down. Sorry people.
John Cena and Chris Jericho fought to a no contest in a good 15-minute bout which was easily the best match of the tapings, with both guys kicking out each others finishers. Edge knocked Cena off the top rope as he was trying for an FU, then nailed the con-chair-to and counted to 10 on the mic. Best part of the show easily.
Big Show beat Rey Mysterio after catching him mid-619 and punching him unconscious. Pretty bland match, which was exactly what was expected really!
Cody Rhodes and Teddy " Debusey" Dibiase actually got to talk this week, and in doing so, said very little. Triple H came out for his No DQ match main event with Orton, without the McFriends, and Orton arrived alone, sans Priceless. The main event was an alright match with plenty of use of the garbage can and steel ring steps. Definitely better than their WrestleMania match in my opinion, which is admittedly saying very little, but it wasn't bad or anything. Plenty of interference from both sides, Batista inadvertently speared Shane O'Mac, a brawl broke out on the outside of the ring, and Orton nailed the RKO for the 1-2-3.
After RAW went off the air, Triple H left the arena with Shane and Batista, shaking fans' hands on the ramp and posing for the live crowd on their exit.
WWE Superstars:
Punk and Rey vs. Kane and Big Show: Punk went up top after hitting Kane with 3 running knee-strikes in the corner, Big Show interfered on the apron, causing Punk to change direction and jump on Show. Show blocked Punk off, causing him to fall into the ring and eat a chokeslam from hell. 1-2-3.
Todd Grisham emerged with Good Ol' JR to call Edge vs. Kofi, an overly-long bout with a very solid last 5 minutes in which Edge won by nailing Kofi with a spear.
The fans were completely dead for Superstars, and half of them had left the building. There were only around 1,000 people left in attendance after Superstars, when Cena pinned Edge with an FU after an obscenely short, bland world title match.
Funny Note from the show: During Rey's Entrance, when he goes to the side of the stage the 2nd time for the pyro, they fire the visual pyro but forgot to blow the concussion blast that went with it, resulting in a bizarre silent firework! They'll probably edit the noise in before this airs though.
Another slightly amusing note: Is it just me that finds it odd that Ric Flair still gets the biggest pop of anyone and he's not even on the shows? Lot's of Wooing in and around the O2!
Finally, the main event for SmackDown tomorrow is Big Show vs. The Undertaker.
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