Monday Night RAW December 8, 2008
by Bigelow34
2008 Slammy Awards
Wachovia Center
Philadelphia, PA
Announcers: Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler
- We start off the show with a video package previewing the Slammys and welcoming us to the show. We then hit our opening animation before heading inside the Wachovia Center where wrestling’s toughest crowd awaits us in Philadelphia. Michael Cole welcomes us to the show and he and the King run down the night’s card. Jim Ross and Tazz are also with us and they assist in listing more matches for tonight. We cut to the stage where Lillian Garcia brings out our first presenters: Maria & Festus. Maria explains the category while Festus, decked out in overalls and a tie, stares aimlessly. Maria kicks it to the nominees for him and we get a nice little video package. Back to Maria and she announcers our winners: Miz & Morrison!
Slammy: Tag Team of the Year
Presenters: Maria & Festus
Nominees: Primo & Carlito, Priceless, Miz & Morrison and Cryme Tyme
Winner: Miz & Morrison
They head out and are celebrating like the won the World title, which is awesome. The crowd doesn’t care for the winners but Miz makes Maria kiss his hand and then he taunts Festus a bit, talking like Forrest Gump. Miz tells him to get out and he smacks him in the face. Maria finally escorts him out as Morrison thanks his parents, God, Chuck Norris and Skandor Akbar. Miz also thanks Baba Booey. They said all year “Yes, we can” and now they are saying “Yes, we did!” Morrison says this award means they are the greatest tag team of the millennium and that we need to…be jealous! With that said, Morrison starts moving in slow motion and he heads to the ring for our opener.
1) John Morrison vs. CM Punk in an Intercontinental Championship number one contender tournament semifinal match
As Morrison disrobes, CM Punk heads out to a warm welcome from the Philly faithful. Punk and Morrison are ready to reignite their old ECW feud from last year and look to secure a spot in the tourney finals. Punk works the arm to start and gets a roll up for two. Morrison reverses and gets a couple of near falls. Punk attempts the G2S but Morrison slips loose. Punk goes for the knee in the corner, but Morrison dodges it. Punk shoots Morrison into the ropes, but it gets reversed and Morrison hits a dropkick. They end up on the floor and Punk lands a high knee and a second stiff knee to the face. Punk goes to the apron and hits a cross body on to the floor. When we return, Morrison is working Punk’s ankle with a seated Anklelock. Punk hurt the ankle during the break when Morrison suplexed him out to the floor. Punk works out and lands some kicks but Morrison whips him back down with a leg lace. He stomps at Punk and then heads up top. Punk hops up and stops him and lands some right hands. He heads up as well and takes Morrison over with a top rope huracarrana. Punk is writhing in pain, holding his ankle, after nailing that move. Punk crawls over and gets a two count. Punk nails the running corner knee but Morrison blocks the bulldog and hits a modified Urinage backbreaker and Russian legsweep for two. Punk recovers and buries a shoulder into Morrison in the corner. They trade big right hands but Morrison gains control and nails a nice kick to the back of the head and he gets a near fall. Punk catches Morrison and hits a powerslam for two. He crawls to the apron and lands the springboard clothesline for two. Regal and Layla are looking on as Punk sets up the G2S. Morrison blocks it as Punk hoists him up over his head and he rolls through into a pin attempt for a super close near fall. Punk kicks Morrison down as he argues with the ref and then finally nails the G2S for the win. Punk advances to the finals in a great TV match. Punk d. Morrison with the Go 2 Sleep; Grade: 3
- We head back to the announce table as Cole and King take us back to last week when Jericho, Orton and Priceless mercilessly beat down John Cena after a match with Kane. Backstage, the Grish welcomes in Cena to talk about the footage. Cena quotes his short and says the hustle, loyalty and respect are three words Chris Jericho doesn’t know anymore. Cena talks about how his dog Lou is a big fan of Raw and he mocks Jericho’s speech from last week, saying he banned his dog from watching Raw because Jericho made him clean himself and then throw up. Cena apologizes about causing Jericho any turmoil at home with his son. Cena says Jericho’s son saw his father become a punk who needed his teeth kicked down his throat. If Jericho got his ass kicked like he did last week, he would be in the ring crying and calling for a suspension and title stripping. Cena won’t do that because we have a great show and that isn’t how he handles business. Instead, tonight, he will fight Chris Jericho. He won’t be sneaky about it and he is coming to get him. Hustle, loyalty and respect exists and it is the code by which he lives. Tonight, Jericho gets a reeducation of the definition of the word respect.
- We are back and checking out downtown Philly before heading back to the stage where Candice Michelle and Cryme Tyme are out to present our next award: Best Finishing Maneuver. Cryme Tyme rattles off some of the all time greatest finishers and the Candice sends us to the nominees.
Slammy: Best Finishing Maneuver
Presenters: Candice Michelle & Cryme Tyme
Nominees: Undertaker’s Hell’s Gate, Randy Orton’s RKO, Evan Bourne’s Shooting Star Press and Big Show’s Knockout Punch
Winner: Evan Bourne
Candice is looking around for the Slammy and it turns out Shad took it. He and JTG try to hide it and the crowd busts out into an impromptu “Money, Money, Yeah, Yeah” chant. Candice gets it back and asks them to leave and then she announces out the winner: Evan Bourne! Bourne isn’t in the house as he is out with a severe ankle injury, however. As Candice accepts the award for him, Mike Knox joins us. He stares down Candice and grabs the award. He says nothing and then walks away. After some brief words from the King and Cole, we are joined by Randy Orton. He walks to the stage and says that being World Champion for four months and winning the main event match at Wrestlemania should be impressive but apparently it isn’t enough to warrant nomination for Superstar of the Year, even though he has beaten all of the nominees. Tonight is about him being show a lack of respect and it has been like that his entire career. It started in Evolution when he was the crown jewel but Batista and Triple H got jealous and the group imploded when they turned on him. Tonight, Triple H and Batista are set to compete against each. Orton wants to mix things up and he, Manu and Cody Rhodes are challenging Batista and Triple H to a handicap match instead. Tonight, the Legacy is born. Those are some ominous words and it seems as if the trigger is finally being pulled.
- When we return, MVP is in the ring and says his losing streak ends tonight. Unlike some so called MVPs, like Jimmy Rollins, he is not a fluke. Rollins is in the crowd and shakes off the comments. MVP may be in a slump but it took Philly 25 years to win something. He is better than Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and the entire city of Philadelphia. He will be something that Philly will never be: a dynasty. And with that, MVP’s music hits again and…Charlie Haas makes his way out!
2) MVP vs. MVC
Haas does a great job as always with a killer impersonation. MVP worked up some fantastic heat with that little promo. JR and Tazz are on commentary for this one and talk about MVP’s streak and the fact that he lost out on his bonus. MVP attacks and kicks away at MVC. He drops him with a neckbreaker and gets one. MVP hammers away and gets another one count. MVP looks in a half surfboard as the crowd rallies MVC. MVP hits a facebreaker and follows with the Ballin’ Elbow for a near fall. MVP tosses MVC to the floor and heads out after him. He drops him on the barricade and then he shoots him back inside. MVP starts jawing with Jimmy Rollins but gets caught by MVC as he slides back in. He lands some right hands and follows with a slam. MVC misses the Ballin’ Elbow as MVP gets his knees up in time. MVP lands some stiff right hands and shoots MVC into the corner. He misses the Drive By and MVC rolls MVP up and gets the win! MVP’s streak continues on. The Rollins likes it as he celebrates at ringside as we go to break. MVC d. MVP with a roll up; Grade: 1.5
- We are back and being joined by our next presenters: Matt Hardy and Tiffany. They are set to present Extreme Moment of the Year. Matt is rocking a suit and gets a nice reception. Matt talks about extreme and then Tiffany takes us to the nominees. The crowd wants Jeff Hardy…and they get him!
Slammy: Extreme Moment of the Year
Presenters: Matt Hardy & Tiffany
Nominees: Cena & JBL’s Parking Lot Brawl, Undertaker’s One Night Stand Crash Landing, Jericho throws Michaels through the Jeritron and Jeff Hardy’s Plunge on Randy Orton
Winner: Jeff Hardy’s Plunge on Randy Orton
Jeff joins his brother to a big pop and he hoists the Slammy way up high. His speech is brief as he says he doesn’t care if he walks out or has to be carried out, he will leave Armageddon as WWE Champion. That is all he says as he quickly walks off and heads to the ring, focused on his upcoming match.
3) Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho
Hardy hits the ring and we are then joined by Chris Jericho, who saunters out for his final match before Armageddon. Jericho climbs in the ring and we go to break. When we return Hardy is control and all over Jericho. He rams him into the corner but Jericho fires out with a boot and a fist. Jericho drops him with a back suplex for two. All four men are on commentary for this one. Jericho slaps Hardy around, but Jeff fights back and lands a boot to Jericho. Jeff lands on the apron off a back drop and Jericho lands a springboard dropkick to send him to the floor. Jericho happily waits in the ring as Hardy recovers and slowly climbs back in. Jericho lands some boots and then mares Hardy over and grabs a modified cobra clutch. Jeff fights to his feet and elbows free. He takes Jericho down with a clothesline but can’t capitalize. Both men fight to their feet and Hardy lands a flying forearm. He drops a double legdrop to Jericho’s abdomen and picks up a near fall. Jeff hits a front suplex as the King rags on Striker & Grisham winning the Slammy for Best Announce Team on WWE.com. Hardy heads up top, but Jericho meets him and climbs up as well. Hardy fends him off and shoves him to the mat. He comes off with the Swanton, but Jericho dodges it. Jericho hits the Lionsault and gets a near fall. Jericho goes for the Walls but Hardy twists out of it. Jericho tries it again but Jeff fights it and grabs an inside cradle for two. He dropkicks Jericho to the corner and follows with the springboard dropkick. Jericho misses a clothesline and Hardy hits the Whisper in the Wind for two. Hardy goes for the Twist of Fate but Jericho slips out and hits the Codebreaker for the win. That was a solid match with a good finishing sequence. Jericho d. Hardy with the Codebreaker; Grade: 2.5
- Jericho backs his way up the ramp, always watching behind himself in case Cena were to appear. Backstage, Orton is with Rhodes and Manu. They stare at each other and then walk off without saying anything and we are off to break.
Slammy: Couple of the Year
Presenters: Kelly & Kane
Nominees: Glamarella, Vicki Guerrero & Edge, William Regal & Layla and Finlay & Hornswoggle
Winners: Edge & Vickie Guerrero
Vicki comes out to accept the award as Kelly and Kane head off. Vicki would like us to excuse her but the crowd is all over her, as usual. She and Edge have been through so much this past year…and it continues as the crowd is just totally drowning her out. The award means true love prevails. The crowd will not let up here and she can barely speak over the tremendous heat. She yells that they did it and she tells Edge she loves him before walking off. We are not done yet, though, as Glamarella are out next and do not look happy. Santino says we have to be kidding him because Vicki and Edge is not the Couple of the Year. He is begging someone to take Vicki and says she is Cougar of the Year. His special someone never loved him and then hated him and then had Undertaker try to take him to hell. Glamarella deserves the award and they are challenging any of the other couples to a match. Last week, he strained his “scroticerous” region but he will fight on. They head to the ring as we head to break.
4) Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix vs. Finlay & Hornswoggle
When we return, Glamarella is waiting in the ring. Santino’s music fades and Finlay’s fires up as one of WWE’s other top couples head to the ring. Hornswoggle is rocking a sweet unibrow to mock Santino. Santino yells at him a bit as Finlay puts his hat on Glamarella. She smacks Finlay and he smacks Santino, sending him flying to the floor. Beth yells at Santino to get it together and get back in the ring. Santino wants Finlay and tells Beth to go to the apron. The bell sounds and Finlay and Santino circle each other. Santino elbows out of a go behind but Finlay clotheslines him down. He whips him to the corner but eats a boot on a charge. Finlay plants him with a reverse atomic drop and then tags in Hornswoggle. He kicks Santino while he was still on his knees and then hits a DDT on Santino. Hornswoggle heads up top and hits the Tadpole Splash for the upset win! Beth is not impressed and she screams at Beth as Santino rolls around on the mat. Hornswoggle & Finlay d. Marella & Phoenix when Hornswoggle pins Marella with the Tadpole Splash; Grade: 1
- While Beth and Santino are still in the ring, Melina and Teddy Long are brought out to present the Slammy for Diva of the Year. Melina lists the qualities of a Diva and then sends us to the nominees. After the video, Melina announces the winner: Beth Phoenix!
Slammy: Diva of the Year
Presenters: Teddy Long & Melina
Nominees: Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Kelly and Michelle McCool
Winner: Beth Phoenix
Beth looks over as she is holding Santino up. She smiles, drops Santino to the mat and sprints up to the stage. She takes the award and smiles at Melina. On behalf of all of the dominant Divas across the world, she accepts. She holds the trophy way up high. She and Melina stare at each other and Melina attacks. They take turns slugging away at each other as Santino heads over and stands over them. Beth accidentally rocks back and headbutts Santino in the groin. He holds himself and starts coughing like he is about to puke. Beth keeps apologizing but Santino can’t speak. Back to the announce table as Cole tells us that the Batista/Triple H match has officially been changed to the handicap match Randy Orton talked about earlier.
- The Gillette Fusion Slam of the Week is actually JBL’s promo on Shawn Michaels from last week. JBL offered Michaels a job but Shawn walked off solemnly to a chorus of boos. Back in the arena, Lillian brings out our next presenters: Joey Styles and Alicia Fox. Styles returns home to Philly to present the Oh My God moment. Alicia runs down the meaning of the award and Styles punctuates it with a classic “OH MY GOD!” He gets a nice ECW chant for that one as we see the nominees. And the winner is…CM Punk! Well, that was an upset win for sure.
Slammy: OMG Moment of the Year
Presenters: Joey Styles and Alicia Fox
Nominees: CM Punk cashes in Money in the Bank on Raw, Undertaker sends Edge to Hell at Summerslam, Floyd Mayweather breaks Big Show’s nose at No Way Out and John Cena returns to win the Royal Rumble
Winner: CM Punk
Punk heads out and accepts the trophy saying it is pretty cool. To say this was his miracle year would be an understatement. He runs through all of his accomplishments and says he has a shot to win the tag titles, World title and IC title all in one year. He thanks Batista for the assist and Edge for being in the right place at the right time. He breaks out a list and thanks a whole bunch of people including Scotty Goldman, Mike Schmidt and Rocky Balboa. He says before his year is over, he will give us many more moments that make us say…and he goes and gets Styles to finish his sentence. Styles won’t do it but Punk says they are in Philly so he has to…and with that…“OH MY GOD!” As Punk and Styles head off, Kofi Kingston charges down the aisle for our final semifinal match.
5) Kofi Kingston vs. Rey Mysterio in an Intercontinental Championship number one contender tournament semifinal match
Kofi hits the ring and then is followed by Rey Mysterio who gets a nice reception from the Philly faithful. The bell sounds and they trade charges and leapfrogs. They also trade armdrags and pin attempts early. Kofi hoists Rey up off a charge and spikes him to the mat for one. Kofi grabs an armbar, focusing on the injured wrist of Rey. Rey tries to work free, but Kofi wrenches in the hold. Rey slips loose and grabs a side headlock. Kofi turns it into a hammerlock but Rey kicks loose and sends Kofi into the middle rope. Rey goes for the 619 but Kofi fires off a nice dropkick for one. Kofi eats a boot on a charge and then Rey lands a headscissors takeover for two. Both men go for a dropkick, but Kofi hooks the ropes and stays on his feet. He gets a bridge roll up for two. Kofi leapfrogs to the middle rope but misses a high cross body. Rey gets a roll up and picks up the win. Damn, that was the first few minutes of what could have been a killer match. Both men looked great out there. Mysterio d. Kingston with a roll up; Grade: 2
- We are back and Eve Torres and Mr. Kennedy head out to present for Match of the Year. Kennedy puts over Eve and she then talks about the award. Kennedy says every match featuring a certain someone always is up for Match of the Year honors…and that someone is Mr. Kennedy! Eve helps him do his catchphrase before sending us to the nominees. And the Slammy goes to…Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at Wrestlemania!
Slammy: Match of the Year
Presenters: Mr. Kennedy & Eve Torres
Nominees: Money in the Bank (Wrestlemania), Royal Rumble Match, Edge vs. Undertaker (Summerslam) and Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair (Wrestlemania)
Winner: Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair (Wrestlemania)
Michaels heads out to accept the award to a loud ovation. He doesn’t know where to begin as he has been privileged to be part of so many amazing matches in WWE history. However, his match with Flair will always hold a special place in his heart. Flair is his friend and inspiration. He knows Flair is watching and wants him to know that he meant what he said at the end of their match. As the Slammy sits on his mantle, it will always be a reminder…Shawn is cut off as JBL struts out to a chorus of boos. JBL grabs the Slammy and accepts the award on behalf of Shawn Michaels. In his eyes, his parking lot brawl with John Cena is match of the year and the award will fit in perfectly in his NYC penthouse. JBL quickly walks off with the trophy as Shawn looks dejected. The crowd serenades him with a “you sold out” chant as we go to break.
- We are back and thanking Guns N’ Roses for lending Chinese Democracy to be the official Armageddon theme song. We then head to the ring for our next bout.
6) Batista & Triple H vs. Randy Orton, Manu & Cody Rhodes in a handicap match
The Animal is out first as JR and Tazz let us know that all four men will be providing commentary again on this one. The Game makes his Raw return to a nice pop and then Orton, Manu and Orton all head out together. Hunter and Cody start things off and Hunter tosses him to the mat and the grabs an armbar. He tags in Batista, who continues to work the arm. He hammers Cody in the corner and then plants him with a back elbow. He stomps on Cody’s head and then tags Hunter back in. They whip Cody in and hit a double shoulderblock. Manu comes in but he gets beaten down by both men. They toss Manu to the floor and stare at him as Orton stalks behind them. They turn to see Orton and he bails to the floor as we go to break. When we return, Orton is stomping away at Hunter. He drops a knee and gets two and then continues to stomp away. He drops another knee and gets another near fall. Orton locks in a reverse chinlock but Hunter fights to his feet and slugs his way free. Orton grabs him and hits his twisting backbreaker before tagging Manu. He dives on Hunter and gets a two count. Manu drags Hunter to the corner and tags Cody. He slugs away at Hunter and mares him out of the corner. Cody grabs a neck vise as Orton roots him on from the apron. JR mentions that Orton is the leader of this trio and King agrees that he is the mastermind. Cody tags Orton in and he goes back to wrenching in his chinlock. Hunter fights to his feet and drops Orton with a back suplex. He crawls to tag Batista but Orton tags in Cody and he stops him. Cody shoots Hunter in and goes for a bulldog but Hunter shoves him off to the mat. Both men crawl towards their corners and are able to make tags. Batista and Manu collide in the ring and Batista slams him. He knocks Orton off the apron and plants Manu with a spinebuster. He loads up the Batistabomb but Cody dives off the top. Batista whips Manu into Cody as he comes off the top and they both careen to the mat. Orton tags himself in and Batista is not aware as he nails Manu with a clothesline. Orton goes for the RKO, but Batista shoves him off into Hunter who nails a clothesline. Batista goes for the Batistabomb but Cody drills him from behind. Orton lands and drills Batista with the RKO for the win. That was a great match with a hot ending. JR says we have seen the “Evolution of the Legacy” as we go to break. Orton, Manu & Rhodes d. Batista & Triple H when Orton pins Batista with an RKO; Grade: 3
- Heading back from break, we get our weekly Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia trailer. We then head back inside the Wachovia Center where Mickie James and Ron Simmons are brought out to introduce the Damn Moment of the Year. Mickie is smoking hot and introduces the nominees for us. Simmons wouldn’t give us a “damn” though. Mickie introduces the winner: Great Khali!
Slammy: Damn Moment of the Year
Presenters: Mickie James & Ron Simmons
Nominees: Great Khali’s Kiss Cam, CM Punk dresses as a Mariachi player to surprise Chavo Guerrero, Jim Ross dressed as a sailor on Halloween and Santino Marella attempts Melina’s split
Winner: Great Khali’s Kiss Cam
Khali and Runjin come out to accept the award. Khali speaks and Runjin translates. He says words are frivolous and we shouldn’t be concerned with material possessions. It is more important to focus on the depletion of natural resources so our children can have a bright future and better tomorrow. King quips that Khali has gone green. Mickie walks over and Khali catches her eye and walks towards her. Mickie says he had her at “Great Khali says.” Khali leans in for a kiss but we are interrupted by Jillian Hall singing “My Heart Will Go On”. Kung Fu Naki, Runjin Singh, Howard Finkel, Sgt. Slaughter and Jim Duggan come out to wave their arms and dance in the background as the singing goes on. Khali scoops Mickie up and plants a big kiss on her as Simmons finally drops a damn on us all! That was pretty damn funny and we are off to break.
- The Fallout 3 WWE Rewind is a recap of the beating in John Cena from last week. At ringside, Cole and King recap our show a bit, reviewing the Slammy award winners. We are now joined by R-Truth who raps his way through the crowd and to the ring. The King tells us that R-Truth won a WWE.com Slammy for Best Musical Performance.
7) R-Truth vs. Dolph Ziggler
Truth hits the ring and asks Philly “What’s Up” and we are then joined by Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler is coming off a solid performance against Batista last week. He offers Truth a handshake but Truth doesn’t feel it. Ziggler lands a boot but Truth ducks a clothesline and nails a dropkick. Truth lands a right but Ziggler hangs him on the top rope and sends him to the floor. Truth slides back in but Ziggler clubs away at him. He drops some elbows and Tazz and JR suddenly join in on commentary. Ziggler gets a near fall and then goes to a reverse chinlock. Ziggler spikes Truth back to the mat and then kicks him in the head. He keeps introducing himself during the assault and locks in another chinlock. JR tells us that Vladimir Kozlov won the WWE.com Slammy for Breakout Star of the Year. Truth fights to his feet again and lands some elbows to fight free. Truth whips Ziggler to the corner sternum first and he careens to the mat. Truth clotheslines him to the floor and follows with a slingshot plancha. They trade shots on the floor and Truth eats a huge knee to the head as he climbs in the ring. He collapses to the mat and Ziggler beats the count in to pick up his first win. Ziggler introduces himself for us, adding in “The Winner” to his name. Ziggler d. Truth by count out; Grade: 2
- We are back and Stephanie McMahon is out to present our final award of the evening. We check out the nominees and the Steph announces the winner: Chris Jericho! There is a God!
Slammy: Superstar of the Year
Presenter: Stephanie McMahon
Nominees: Chris Jericho, Edge, Triple H, Batista, John Cena & Jeff Hardy
Winner: Chris Jericho
Wow, and this night just keeps getting better as justice is served and Chris Jericho takes home Superstar of the Year! He makes his way out and grabs the trophy as he glares at the crowd. He starts to speak and then heads to the ring instead. He grabs the mic and says he is ecstatic that the fans weren’t allowed to vote because they are all mindless sheep that are steered to whatever direction that are told to be in. They are biased and do not have the capabilities to vote fairly. He knew he would win the award because he is the best in the world today. We will sit here and listen to his list of accolades from the last year; record setting 8th IC title win, crowned the King of the ladder match and a three time World Champion…after he beats John Cena on Sunday. He has lost something over the last twelve months as he lost an identity in his feud with Shawn Michaels. When he tossed Michaels through the Jeritron, he shed the identity he created to please the fans. It was an albatross that he was saddled with for almost a decade and he finally shed it. He was what Cena is today: a pandering sycophant who wants to just please the crowd. It makes him sick and he couldn’t think of a better way to close out 2008 than to defeat and destroy John Cena at Armageddon. As he finishes, John Cena’s music fires up and he charges down to the ring. Jericho bails and escapes through the crowd. Cena is stopped by an official and we are then joined by Edge for our Main Event.
8) John Cena vs. Edge in a non title match
Edge makes a rare Raw appearance and has the WWE Championship strapped to his waist as he hits the ring. Edge attacks off the bell but Cena puts him down with a back elbow. He plants Edge with a facebuster and then clotheslines him to the floor as we go to break. When we return, Edge has a neck vise locked in. Cena breaks loose but Edge maintains control and gets a near fall. Edge slugs away at Cena’s neck and takes him down with a flapjack for two. He goes back to the neck vise but Cena fights out of it again. Cena takes Edge over with a blockbuster but Edge puts him back down. Edge backs to the corner and lines up a spear but Cena blocks it. He hits a sidewalk slam and then drops the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena hoists Edge up for the FU but Edge slips loose. He hoists him up again and he slips out again. Cena goes for it a third time but Edge rolls him up for two. Cena grabs the STFU and Edge is trapped in the middle of the ring. Cena slides out of the ring as Jericho has returned and they brawl outside, drawing the bell. Cena d. Edge by disqualification when Jericho interferes; Grade: 1.5
- They fight into the crowd and head off brawling. Triple H dives in the ring and starts attacking Edge. Jeff Hardy joins the fray and all three men brawl all over the ring. Hunter tosses Hardy to the floor and then he buries Edge with a spinebuster and sends Edge to the floor with a clothesline. Hardy hits a springboard dropkick off the stairs to Edge. Edge bails to the back and Hardy follows as Triple H stands alone in the ring.
Final Analysis
The energy of the show was high right off the bat and they did a good job making the night feel special. Miz and Morrison also did a great job of making the Slammys seem important with their fantastic acceptance speech. Morrison kept the streak rolling with a great match against CM Punk. Punk picked up the win and is set for the finals. Evan Bourne picked up the second Slammy and it was good to see him recognized for his great SSP. Orton followed that up with a killer promo that foreshadowed big things to come. MVC was great as always and MVP’s losing streak angle rolls on with another tough loss. The Hardy/Jericho was match was solid but not up to their usual performances. Both men looked strong, though, with a hard fought match. Vickie Guerrero is a heat machine still and they did deserve the award after carrying Smackdown for most of the year. Glamarella is equally as awesome though, and would have been worthy winners as well. The match with the Finlays was nothing special but the aftermath was great stuff. I loved Beth’s face of acceptance as she was announced the winner. The subsequent fight was good stuff as well. Punk upsetting Cena for OMG Moment of the Year was neat and his promo was good and set the stage for a potential IC title win later this year. Kofi and Rey had a great match brewing and could have used a lot more time. I hope they get a longer slot at some point, especially a PPV match. The Michaels/JBL showdown was great once again and JBL pulling an Owen Hart was fantastic. The handicap match was great stuff, especially the red hot finish. I was very happy to see the Legacy get a win in their first match as well and was glad to see Cody play a major role. The Khali segment was awesome and they are really locked in tonight as everything is clicking. Jillian was really funny singing Celine. Truth and Ziggler had a fun little match and Ziggler has been impressive thus far. The main event was decent but rushed. The post match activities were good as the title matches took center stage to be pushed hard. This was really a great show and the three hours just flew by. The matches were all pretty good and all had a point in furthering storylines or developing characters. The Slammy segments were all really well done and everyone worked hard to make them click. The crowd was rocking all night and the commentary was solid too. The only thing missing from making this a perfect show was a really great match, but that is a minor qualm for a weekly TV show. When the writing is clicking and everyone works hard they can still produce a great TV show. Final Grade: A
MVP: The Legacy
Runner Up: John Morrison & CM Punk
Non MVP: MVP
Runner Up: Jeff Hardy