PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

 
 

3/23 THIS DAY IN HISTORY: THE WAR ENDS - WWF BUYS WCW AND WRESTLING IS NEVER THE SAME AGAIN

By Mike Johnson on 2013-03-23 08:00:00

March 23rd 

On this day in history in ....

1952 - Villano III is born.

1970 - Former WCW valet Midajah is born.

1971 - Hiroyoshi Tenzan is born.

1976 - Tomko is born.

1979 - Ray Gordy aka Jesse of Jesse and Festus is born.

1984 - Ric Flair defeated Harley Race to win the NWA World title in New Zealand, one of a pair of "forgotten" title changes.

1992 - Brian Christopher defeats Jimmy Valiant for the USWA Southern Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee. This would be the first of 25 runs with the title for Christopher. 

1997 - Wrestlemania XIII takes place. Mike Johnson penned the following: 

WRESTLEMANIA XIII 

March 23, 1997
Location: Chicago, IL
Location: Rosemont Horizon
Announced Attendance: 18, 211

*The Headbangers defeated The New Blackjacks (Barry Windham and the debuting Bradshaw), Doug Furnas & Phil Lafon and The Godwins to win a WWF Tag Team championship bout on Raw the next night. 

*WWF Intercontinental champion Rocky Maivia pinned The Sultan with a rollup. The crowd isn't into Maivia at all, which is amazing to watch seeing how things change in a few years. The Sultan is longtime WWF performer Fatu (now Rikishi) and was managed by Bob Backlund and The Iron Sheik. Maivia's father Rocky Johnson saves his son afterwards from a beating. 

*Hunter Hearst Helmsley (with the debuting Chyna and wow she looks different) pinned Goldust with the Pedigree 

*WWF Tag Team champions Owen Hart & Davey Boy Smith fought Vader & Mankind to a double countout. The Vader/Mankind duo was to build to a WWF feud between the former WCW rivals but it never happened. Paul Bearer managed the Foley-Vader duo. This would be Foley's first Wrestlemania appearance as well. . 

*Bret Hart defeated Steve Austin in a No Holds Barred I Quit match with Ken Shamrock as the special referee. An amazing must see match and the match of the night. Austin bleeds a gusher here, which runs down his face as he struggles to get out of the Sharpshooter in one of the most famous scenes in Wrestlemania history. He blacks out and Shamrock stops the match. A great brawl around the building with the excellent storyline of anti-hero Austin being cheered while Bret Hart, the bastion of integrity for the company for years, turns heel as the crowd rejects him. This was the match that saved the company. 

*The Legion of Doom & Ahmed Johnson defeat The Nation of Domination, Farrooq, Crush & Savio Vega in a Chicago Street Fight. The inspiration here is ECW as there are tons of weapons used and tables broken. A fun brawl. 

*The Undertaker pinned Sid to win the WWF championship. Shawn Michaels, who "lost his smile" during the build to the PPV, does commentary. Bret Hart shows up before the match and cuts promos on everyone, upset about earlier. Sid powerbombs him for his troubles. This would be Sid's last Wrestlemania appearance. 

Celebrities: Nada. 

Kevin Kelly on Wrestlemania 13: WrestleMania 13 was my first with the company and to be quite honest, I was underwhelmed. It didn't feel like a bigger show than normal and certainly not what I had imagined a Mania to be like. Maybe it was the venue... The Rosemont Horizon was quite a dump and still is today. That being said, the Austin-Bret Hart match still gives me chills when I think about it. That match was so perfect, as Austin was made as a top guy and a babyface in one night. Whiny babyfaces like Bret and Shawn never did well with smart crowds who loved the heels but this was different. Bret and Austin turned simultaneously without doing a thing. That is when a turn is special. That Chicago Street Fight nearly meant the end of the French announce team as a chemical fire extinguisher was used as a prop instead of a CO2 style. The powder flew everywhere and Ray Rougeau and his partner got choked by the stuff. 

Notes: Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross, and Vince McMahon were the hosts. It would end up being the last Wrestlemania McMahon would host as his Mr. McMahon character would take off soon enough....In the Free-For-All match on the PPV countdown, Billy Gunn pinned Flash Funk (2 Cold Scorpio) with a tornado DDT in a decent bout....Brian Pillman made his only Wrestlemania appearance here, hosting 900 line segments backstage....The promotion did another Slammy Awards as well as a fashion show with talent at a local mall as Wrestlemania weekend events....The Undertaker plaque that was issued for this PPV is pretty hard to find. It has rarely, if ever, popped up on Ebay. 

Mike Johnson: The most important Wrestlemania ever, although one of the worst in terms of the actual show. I say most important because this was the night Steve Austin turned the corner and took off. "WWE Attitude" was built on his shoulders and the company went to heights it never before reached. The show also featured the debuts of The Rock (who was completely hated by the fans while working as Rocky Maivia) and Mankind, who would be responsible for being three of the major building blocks for the company as it rose to take on and defeat WCW. Without Austin vs. Bret Hart though, all would have been lost in a matter of time. This was an interesting show as well because it was at a point the company was beaten down so low in the Monday Night Wars, that there was no way to go but up and up they went. As a show itself, this is a skip beyond the I Quit match. 

Dave Scherer: Mike is absolutely right here. The show itself wasn't anything to write home about, but they turned the corner as far as the overall tone of the company. They finally showed that they were going to lay there and get beaten up by WCW, and that was the most important part of the show for me. 

Buck Woodward: If ever there was a "one match Wrestlemania" this was it. Hart vs. Austin is easily one of the greatest WWF matches ever, and arguably in the top three Mania matches. The double-turn, the way the match was worked, the visuals of Austin bleeding in the Sharpshooter. This match made Steve Austin's career, and was the beginning of Bret Hart's heel run. ... I liked that the winner of the opening tag match got a title shot the next night. It gave an otherwise throwaway match meaning. ... Boy, was The Rock anything but "electrifying" at this point. If it wasn't for his dad doing the run-in, I think the fans would have been happy to see Sultan squash him. ... Chyna was such an Amazon at this point. The footage of her swinging Terri around in a bearhug that lead to this match was wild. ... The heel vs. heel tag title match seems to just leave the fans without anyone to cheer. ... The streetfight was cool because of the LOD being in their gimmick hometown of Chicago, so the fans were really into it. ... The Undertaker vs. Sid was cool in that Taker went "old school" and finally got to headline a Mania, which he deserved, but the circumstances surrounding it was the real story. Shawn Michaels was supposed to return the favor to Bret Hart for Mania 12, and he instead "lost his smile" and set into motion the chain of events that would eventually result in the Montreal incident.

2001 - The announcement that shook the wrestling world is made:

STAMFORD, Conn., March 23, 2001 - World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWF) today announced its purchase of the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) brand from Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS Inc.), a division of AOL Time Warner.

The purchase of WCW creates a tag team partnership with the World Wrestling Federation brand that is expected to propel the sports entertainment genre to new heights.

In keeping with the company's strategic alliance with Viacom, new WCW programming is anticipated to air on TNN in the near future. The possibility of cross-brand storylines and intrigue, however, may start as early as Monday night during WWF Raw Is War on TNN and the final performance of WCW Monday Nitro Live on Turner Network Television (TNT).

The binding agreement provides World Wrestling Federation Entertainment with the global rights to the WCW brand, tape library, and other intellectual property rights.

"This acquisition is the perfect creative and business catalyst for our company," said Linda McMahon, Chief Executive Officer of World Wrestling Federation Entertainment. "This is a dream combination for fans of sports entertainment. The incendiary mix of World Wrestling Federation and WCW personalities potentially creates intriguing storylines that will attract a larger fan base to the benefit of our advertisers and business partners, and propel sports entertainment to new heights."

"The acquisition of the WCW brand is a strategic move for us," said Stuart Snyder, President and Chief Operating Officer for World Wrestling Federation Entertainment. "We are assuming a brand with global distribution and recognition. We are adding thousands of hours to our tape library that can be repurposed for home videos, television, Internet streaming, and broadband applications. The WCW opens new opportunities for growth in our Pay Per View, live events, and consumer products divisions, as well as the opportunity to develop new television programming using new stars. We also will create additional advertising and sponsorship opportunities. In short, it is a perfect fit."


Following that, WCW head Brad Siegel, who had become hated amongst WCW employees for essentially not letting his employees know what was going on, issued the following memo internally.

"Today, World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. is announcing that we have reached an agreement for the sale of WCW. This agreement with WWF holds tremendous potential for the WCW brand and assets. The press release announcing the news is attached.

As we told you last week, WCW programming will not appear on TNT and TBS Superstation after March 27. We will share more information with you about the WWF's immediate plans for WCW in the all-staff meeting scheduled for Wednesday, March 28, at 10 a.m. at the Power Plant. Thank you."


Linda McMahon and Stuart Snyder, WWF's President and COO, held a press conference call later that day.  Dave Scherer filed the following recap of the conference:

When asked for the purchase price of WCW, Linda said that she would not address that and would respect AOL's privacy policy on that.

When asked about contracts of wrestlers, Linda said that they would be assuming some of the contracts, but not all.  That is part of the final details that the sides are working out now.  

Any old WCW advertising deals that AOL had are their problems, not the WWF's.

Linda said that creating more wrestling product for WCW was exciting, not a daunting task.

When asked if they would have separate TV deals, PPVs, etc., Linda said that they plan to have the company retain it's identity as WCW.  She said that they don't have any plans in place yet for where WCW will air.  Linda was asked if this was their "crowning achievement" and she said it was a good acquisition today, but she didn't know if it was a crowning achievement.

She was asked what wrestlers they would bring in and she said, again, that she didn't want to say who, as she said above. But she said to expect exciting things from this.

When asked about what to expect, she made a key point of saying that they will create more PPV revenue down the road, as well as having more money created through the old footage they acquired.  She also said that we can expect WCW PPVs, very soon or down the road.  The WWF will use the power of their brand to promote the product.

When asked about the WCW finances, Stuart Snyder said that there weren't any surprises when he looked at the books and that the bad health of the company has been widely reported.  He said that when the WWF joined negotiations this time (for the second time), things moved quickly. He said that when they talked about buying the company last year, they had TV exclusivity issues with Viacom,

They said that the XFL had nothing to do with them doing this.

Linda said that they expected to re-launch the brand on a Viacom property.  She said to watch Monday because they may have a tease as to when programming could start.

Linda was asked how much programming they will do for WCW and she said that it hasn't been decided yet.

When asked if the deal would have an affect on WrestleMania, Linda said, "You know better!"  Obviously, she won't give that away.

As for licensing and agreement deals, Snyder said they will take some of them.  He said that it will take a week or so to work that out.

When asked if there was a chance this could fall apart, Linda said they signed a binding letter and the deal will be finalized next week.  It will not fall apart.

Linda was asked how they would rework the WCW product.  She said that the creative team would be given a chance to "wrap their arms around it".

When she was asked about starting a wrestling channel, she said it's not imminent now, but it could be down the road.

Linda said it was not a stock deal.

When asked if Nitro will be rewritten for Monday, she said that all she can say is that there are talks going on right now between the two creative teams.

When asked if the WWF had anything to do with WCW programming being canceled, Snyder said that they were negotiating before the programs were cancelled.  He said that when they got back into the dealings, canceling programming was needed to be done, due to their connections with Viacom.  That would mean that AOL chose selling WCW to the WWF over Fusient.

Snyder said that they began talking with AOL again about three and a half weeks ago.  He said that the WWF had always had interest and once it became available, they took advantage of it.

When asked if developmental people and former ECW talents would appear on the new WCW show, she said it was possible, but she was not sure at this point.  She again said that the creative team needs to get its arms around it and take it from there.

When asked if the WWF would take over WCW lawsuits, Snyder said no.

The final caller asked that if a worker playing a gimmick, like Sting, didn't want to come to the WWF, would another person play Sting.  Snyder said it was too soon to say.  Obviously, that never happened.

While it was mentioned that they did intend to keep WCW as a separate entity, although many had their doubts (which would later be proven correct). Ric Flair summed up the feelings of most when he said that he never thought he'd see the day that WCW didn't exist, although he would later admit to being happy about seeing the company sold to the WWF. 

The WCW meeting would see the staff let go - they were not even allowed to return to their desks for their personal items, as they were immediately walked out of CNN Center after the meeting; one staffer lost an entire screenplay he had been writing on a company computer.  

A WWE Human Resources staffer was present and the former WCW employees were allowed to submit applications for work with WWE.  Very few were actually hired.

2009 - The "real vs. fake" angle was thrown out during a press conference for a mixed boxing/MMA event promoted by Roy Jones Jr. in Pensacola, Florida. As Bobby Lashley was addressing the press and reading comments made by Guida previously, the younger brother of UFC star Clay Guida cracked, "This is a real fight. Not what you have been used to. This is not fake - these are real punches."

When Lashley and Guida faced off, they got into something of a struggle with (of course), boxing star Roy Jones Jr., who is headlining the boxing portion of the show, getting between them.

The fight was Lashley's second official MMA bout after a win last year. He was originally scheduled to face Ken Shamrock, who was forced out due to a positive on a steroid test in California, resulting in a one year suspension.  Lashley defeated Guida.

2009 - Reid Flair, the youngest son of Ric Flair who has been training and made his official in-ring debut late last year with a lot of fanfare, was arrested on for driving while impaired. Flair was taken into custody following a traffic stop in Mecklenburg County, NC and later released on $1,000 bail.

2010 - The NWA Legends Fanfest in Charlotte, NC announced they would will be honoring former Southwestern Championship Wrestling promoter and long-time wrestler Joe Blanchard at their 2010 Hall of Heroes banquet. Blanchard will be inducted by his son, Tully Blanchard. Also announced as honorees for the Hall of Heroes were Billy Robinson and Reggie Parks.

2011 - The following press release was issued:

AJ STYLES & SARAH DARLING PILEDRIVE COMPETITION; LAND #1 MUSIC VIDEO ON CMT.COM

STYLES, DARLING SEND SPECIAL 'THANK YOU!' TO ALL WHO VOTED

Nashville, Tenn - (March 23, 2011) - TNA star AJ Styles and Black River Entertainment recording artist Sarah Darling have made pro-wrestling history, taking Darling's "Something To Do With Your Hands" music video to the #1 position on CMT.com.  Styles now reins as the first-ever professional wrestler to star in a #1 video in country music.

Styles, Darling and Black River Entertainment would like to send a big 'THANKS' to professional wrestling fans worldwide who voted and helped make history!

2012 - WWE broadcast Smackdown.  Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:

We are live on tape from Newark, New Jersey and your announcers are Booker ‘March Madness’ T, Michael ‘Ready for my Wrestlemania 29 Main Event’ Cole, and Josh ‘Give me another show to do commentary on’ Mathews.

Things start off with the World Champion Daniel Bryan and he is joined by AJ Lee. Bryan starts off by telling everyone ‘Yes . . . Yes . . . Yes!’ Bryan says that he can talk about himself all night. He wants to put AJ on the spot to tell everyone what it is like to be in love with the World Heavyweight Champion.

AJ starts off by talking about her match and how Daniel will be in her corner.

Bryan tells AJ to answer the question.

AJ says that it is heaven. AJ says that Daniel caresses her and he has the softest lips. She says that sometimes at night, they spoon.

Daniel tells AJ that it is Daniel, not Danny.

She says that Daniel is brave, courageous, and generous. As a vegan, his body is his temple. His mind and spirit are pure. Above all of that, he makes her feel safe. That is why she really enjoys cuddling. Daniel whispers in AJ’s ear and she is a bit shocked and says that is personal.

AJ says that Daniel Bryan is a great lover.

Daniel mentions Wrestlemania and AJ says that at Wrestlemania he is going to make that big Irish brute tap out. Therefore, he will continue his path to becoming the greatest ever.

Sheamus makes his way to the ring and he says no disrespect to AJ, but he threw up in his mouth before coming to the ring. He wants to know if AJ thinks that her boyfriend is courageous and brave. He says that Daniel is a sniveling little coward. Sheamus says that he doesn’t want to comment on how soft Daniel’s lips are.

He does want to talk about Wrestlemania. Sheamus calls Daniel ‘Danny’ and Daniel corrects him. The crowd chants ‘Danny’. Sheamus tells Danny Boy that he won’t like being called Former World Heavyweight Champion either.

He tells Daniel that at Wrestlemania, he is going to kick his teeth down his throat.

Mark Henry is in the back and he is talking to Abraham Washington before starting his long walk through the hall and into commercial.

 

Match Number One: R Truth versus Mark Henry in a Team Johnny versus Team Teddy preview match

 

Truth avoids Henry and he punches and kicks Henry but Henry with a head butt. Henry wrings the arm and then he punches Truth and Truth goes down. Truth with punches followed by a kick but Henry with a clothesline and Truth has trouble getting up.

Henry throws Truth to the floor and then follows after Truth. Henry presses Truth’s head against the ring steps and then sends Truth back into the ring. Henry kicks Truth and connects with a forearm to the back of the head. Henry with another punch and gets a near fall.

Henry misses an elbow drop and Truth with a drop kick and DDT for a near fall. Truth goes up top and tries for a cross body but Henry catches him and hits the World’s Strongest Slam for the three count.

 

Winner: Mark Henry

 

We go to commercial.

We are back and it is time for the newest inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame and it is Yokozuna.

We see the current Hall of Fame Class.

Josh mentions how Zack Ryder was trying to get onto Team Teddy and we go to footage from before Raw outside the building in Philadelphia.

We go to the Teddy Chamber and Teddy is accompanied by Santino Marella, Kofi Kingston, and Aksana. They are watching the monitor and then Ryder enters the office. Zack tells Teddy that is what he needs for his team at Wrestlemania. Teddy says that rally was off the chains, dog. He is leery of the situation between Eve and Zack. Ryder says that he has another reason to be on the team and Hornswoggle comes in and he is waving the Team Teddy flag with a picture of Teddy on it.

Teddy is sold on Hornswoggle as a mascot and flag. Teddy says that isn’t big enough. Zack brings in a big gift and it is Great Khali and he is dressed like Zack. Khali does the woo woo woo and Teddy is sold.

We go to commercial.

We are back and we go to the Goldman Box for a strategy session for Brie to prepare for her match with AJ Lee. Nikki tries to warm Brie about the head scissors but Brie reminds Nikki that she lost last week so she doesn’t need her help.

 

Match Number Two: AJ Lee with Daniel Bryan versus Brie Bella with Nikki Bella

 

Before the match, Bryan gives AJ a good luck kiss.

Brie with a side head lock and Brie pulls AJ down by the hair. Bryan gives AJ some advise. Brie with a kick to the knee followed by a side head lock. AJ with a forearm and back elbow. Brie drops AJ on the top rope and kicks her. Brie gets a near fall. Brie slams AJ’s head into the mat and then tries to get AJ’s shoulders on the mat but AJ gets her shoulders up and then gets a near fall.

Brie with a clothesline and then she applies a modified seated abdominal stretch. AJ gets back to her feet and she punches Brie in the ribs followed by kicks and a forearm. Brie with a knee. AJ with a head scissors into a Fujiwara arm bar. Nikki gets on the apron to distract the referee and AJ releases the hold. Bryan argues with Nikki on the apron. Brie tries to hit AJ from behind but misses and hits Nikki and knocks her off the apron. AJ with a rollup for the three count.

 

Winner: AJ Lee

 

After the match, Bryan celebrates his job coaching AJ. As AJ and Daniel go up the ramp to the back, Daniel is telling AJ what she needs to do in the ring.

Meanwhile, back in the ring, Nikki tells Brie that she should have taken her advice. Nikki tells everyone that they disagree on a lot of things. Brie is rooting for Team Johnny while Nikki says that she is rooting for Team Teddy.

We go to commercial.

We are back and Vickie Guerrero comes out and she introduces Jack Swagger for his match. Jack does some push ups on the stage before going to the ring.

 

Match Number Three: Jack Swagger with Vickie Guerrero versus Zack Ryder with Hornswoggle and flag in a Team Teddy versus Team Johnny Preview Match

 

They lock up and Ryder with a side head lock and Swagger rolls through. Ryder with a drop toe hold and front face lock but Swagger with a reversal and he rolls through. Swagger with a top wrist lock. Swagger tries for a knee but Ryder with a rollup for a near fall. Ryder with a drop kick.

Swagger sends Ryder into the turnbuckles and follows it with a gutwrench slam for a near fall. Swagger sends Ryder into the turnbuckles and punches and kicks him. Swagger with an arm drag and then he does it again. Swagger with a key lock. Ryder with forearms but Swagger sends Ryder onto the apron. Swagger tries for a shoulder to knock Ryder to the floor. Ryder avoids him and connects with a kick to the chest. Swagger charges into the corner and Ryder gets his knees up.

Ryder with a flying forearm and clothesline followed by a face plant and then he connects with a running forearm into the corner. Ryder with the running boot in the corner and he gets a near fall. Ryder sets for the Rough Ryder but Swagger with a buckle bomb and Swagger with a Swagger Bomb for a near fall. Swagger with elbows while Hornswoggle chases Vickie onto the apron. Vickie distracts Swagger and he turns around into the Rough Ryder for the three count.

 

Winner: Zack Ryder

 

We go to footage from what Cody Rhodes did to Big Show earlier this week on Raw.

We see footage of Cody from earlier today when Matt Striker asked him about Big Show. Cody says that he has enjoyed showing everyone Big Show’s embarrassing Wrestlemania moments because it shows that he chokes on the biggest stage of them all. Cody says that he enjoyed embarrassing him be beating him in the head and face and Show couldn’t do anything about it. The biggest embarrassment will be on April Fool’s Day when he beats Big Show at Wrestlemania.

Cody says that he has a plane to catch.

We go to commercial.

 

Match Number Four: Big Show versus Kane

 

Kane with punches to Show but Show punches back and he misses a chop in the corner. Kane with an uppercut and clothesline into the corner. Show with a shoulder tackle and Kane goes to the floor. Show follows after Kane and head butts Kane. Show sets for a running clothesline but Kane moves and Show clotheslines the ring post.

Kane with a kick to the head followed by a drop kick for a near fall. Kane with a reverse chin lock. Show and Kane both go for clotheslines and they are both down. Kane and Show exchange punches on their knees and they get to their feet. Show with a head butt followed by clotheslines. Show with an Irish whip and splash into the corner followed b a running shoulder tackle.

Show tries for the choke slam but Kane avoids it and Kane hits a DDT for a near fall. Kane goes up top for the clothesline but Show grabs Kane as he comes down and Show with the choke slam but Show takes some time to get to his feet.

Before Show can finish off Kane, a shirtless man enters the ring and goes after Show. The referee calls for the bell.

 

Winner: Big Show by disqualification

 

After the match, Cody goes into the crowd and show follows after him.

Meanwhile, back in the ring, Randy Orton comes out, in his wrestling gear and he gives Kane an RKO.

We go to commercial.

 

Match Number Five: Brodus Clay with the Funkettes versus Heath Slater

 

They lock up and Clay sends Slater to the mat and he shimmies. Clay with a punch and an elbow drop. Slater with a kick and punch followed by a drop kick to the knee and a running enzuigiri and Slater gets a near fall.

Slater punches Clay but Clay pushes him off and connects with the head butt to the midsection. Clay with punches and a running knee lift. Clay with the T-Bone Sheeplex and splash for the three count.

 

Winner: Brodus Clay

 

We go to commercial.

We are back and Zack Ryder is in the back and he is excited to be going to Wrestlemania. He tells Eve that it worked. Eve says that they are going to Wrestlemania. Zack says that Eve is smart and beautiful. Eve is shocked that Zack didn’t think she was smart. Eve tells Zack to forget the dinner they were talking about.

Eve walks away and Zack is begging for her to come back. Eve with an evil smirk on her face as she walks away.

We go to the Raw Rebound.

We go to commercial.

We are back and Christian has joined the announcers.

We see footage from the match between the team captains when David Otunga defeated Santino Marella and the post match attack by Teddy Long on John Laurinaitis.

 

Match Number Six: Great Khali with Teddy Long versus Dolph Ziggler with John Laurinaitis, David Otunga, and the travel mug of doom

 

Ziggler avoids Khali while Johnny texts. Ziggler with kicks and punches but Khali grabs Dolph by the throat and then connects with a chop and Ziggler goes to the floor. Ziggler goes to the apron and Khali brings Ziggler back in and punches Ziggler.

Khali with a chop and then he sends Ziggler into the turnbuckles. Khali with another chop in the corner and Ziggler is down. Ziggler with a drop kick to the knees followed by a kick to the head and punches. Ziggler with a leaping elbow drop to the back. Ziggler with a front face lock.

Khali picks up Ziggler and sends him to the mat. Khali with clotheslines but Ziggler avoids the chop to the head and he applies the sleeper. The bell rings and we see that it was Laurinaitis that did it.

John announces the winner of the match and Ziggler leaves the ring.

Teddy Long is in shock while Christian, Johnny, and David celebrate with Ziggler. Teddy gets into the ring and he tells the playas that he doesn’t know what Johnny is doing. He tells Johnny that they don’t roll like that. Teddy gives Dolph until the count of ten to return to the ring.

Dolph refuses to return to the ring so Great Khali is declared the winner.

 

Winner: Great Khali

Kofi Kingston and R Truth send Ziggler back to the ring and Khali with a chop to the head and Dolph is down.

The members of Team Teddy in the ring start to dance like Teddy.

Daniel Bryan and AJ are walking in the back with Miz. Miz wants Bryan to do this for him because of everything that he did for him.

We go to commercial.

 

Match Number Seven: CM Punk and Sheamus versus Miz and Daniel Bryan with AJ Lee

 

Before the match starts, Bryan kisses AJ. He starts things off with Sheamus but Bryan tags in Miz before locking up. Sheamus with a side head lock take down for a near fall. Sheamus with a side head lock and Miz tries for a hip toss that is blocked. Sheamus with a short arm clothesline and Punk tags in and hits an elbow from the turnbuckles to the arm and Punk gets a near fall.

Punk starts to work on the shoulder and Sheamus is tagged in. Sheamus with the flying shoulder tackle for a near fall. Sheamus with a European uppercut but Miz with a kick. Sheamus blocks a clothesline and he hits a uranage back breaker.

Sheamus brings Bryan into the ring but Bryan gets to the floor and Miz sends Sheamus to the floor and then Bryan with a running drop kick to Sheamus. We go to commercial.

We are back and Miz with a kick to the head and then he applies a reverse chin lock. Sheamus with punches but Miz fights back. Sheamus with a back body drop. Punk tags in and hits a springboard clothesline followed by a swinging neck breaker. Punk with the running knee into the corner and before he hits the bulldog he tells AJ to callhim.

Punk with a slam and then he goes up top for the elbow drop and Bryan gets too close and Punk leaves the turnbuckles. Miz with a DDT for a near fall. Miz with a front face lock and Bryan tags in.

Bryan with kicks to Punk followed by a knee drop and he rubs the knee across Punk’s cheek. Bryan works on the wrist and gets a near fall. Punk with a kick and chop but Bryan with a knee to the midsection and a kick. Miz tags back in and he kicks Punk in the ribs. Miz with knees followed by a million dollar knee lift but he can only get a near fall.

Miz with a cravate. Punk gets to his feet and he punches Miz. Punk gets Miz up but Miz is able to escape. Miz tries for the Reality Check but Punk gets out of the hold before the neck breaker and Punk with a round kick that knocks Miz down.

Bryan tags in and tries to keep Punk from making the tag. Sheamus with running double sledges while Bryan tries to get away. Bryan gets to the apron but Sheamus grabs him and connects with the forearms across the chest. Sheamus with a slam and then he signals for the Brogue Kick but Miz is tagged back in. Sheamus follows Bryan outside the ring. Miz tries to ambush Sheamus as he returns to the ring but Sheamus with a Brogue Kick for the three count.

 

Winners: Sheamus and CM Punk

 

We go to credits with the staredown between Sheamus and Daniel Bryan.

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!