WWE 2006: Time for a Change

Michaels wants the Bulldozer!

Raw starts with "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels' theme song hitting and the man himself coming down to the ring, although not necessarily in the over the top manner he normally does. Shawn asks for a mic ad says that while he's happy that he advanced in the tournament, he wants to talk about something else. He says that last week, while he was at the hospital after being taken out by Shane McMahon, he had to sit and watch as Umaga destroyed his best friend Triple H. "The bad news is, Triple H is still not recovered from the attack, and he's not here tonight. But the good news is... that I'm cleared for tonight, and I want to fight Umaga!". Shawn is interrupted, not by Umaga, but by Stephanie McMahon. She says that she understands Shawn, but that she can't give him that match. Not while the tournament is still going on, because she can't risk Shawn getting hurt. She says that the board consider the tournament a priority, and they even banned Vince and Shane from Raw while it's taking place to assure that they don't interfere any more. She needs Shawn to be patient, and focus on the semi-finals next week. She tells Shawn that he will be facing the winner of Edge vs Kane and the winner of John Cena vs Johnny Nitro, both taking place tonight, while Jeff Hardy and Big Show will take on the winner of Randy Orton vs Chris Masters. Michaels says that he wants to win the tournament, but right now he's not thinking about that at all, he still wants Umaga. He and Stephanie are arguing... and Umaga's music hits. The "Samoan Bulldozer" and Armando Estrada come out to ringside and Shawn looks ready to fight, while Stephanie looks worried. Estrada gets a mic and tells Shawn that "after such a long career, you and Triple H should really learn to pick your battles". He says that it's their fault that Umaga is not in the tournament. Umaga only did what Mr. McMahon paid him to do, which was making sure that DX lost at Vengeance. He put his hands on Triple H, and was left out of the tournament because of it. So, it was only that natural that Umaga would take out his frustrations on Triple H. Now, if Shawn wants to avenge his friend, then Umaga is happy to fight him too, but he's got no beef with HBK yet, and Shawn better hope that it stays that way. Stephanie seems a bit relieved to hear this and she tells Shawn to forget about the whole deal. But then Estrada adds that "just because there's no beef... it doesn't mean that Mr. McMahon doesn't have large pockets". Umaga steps onto the apron as Shawn quickly tells Stephanie to get out of harm's way. But from behind... it's Lance Cade and the returning Trevor Murdoch! They attack Shawn Michaels and leave him laying! Then Umaga comes in and hits HBK with the Spike!

Rating: 81


Masters seizes the opportunity; Orton says he will learn his level!

Chris Masters is shown in a pre-tape, arriving to the arena. He says Randy Orton will find out why everyone calls him the "Masterpiece". He says he earned his spot in the tournament, and will make the most of his opportunity by beating Orton. No one can break the Masterlock!
Randy Orton is in the locker room, taping his wrist. He says that Masters is not on his level, and he's gonna learn that the hard way. He says Jeff Hardy and Big Show won't be able to stop him either, just like no one else in the entire WWE would be.

Rating: 81


Randy Orton Vs. Chris Masters

Orton is the overwhelming favorite, especially as Masters wasn't in the original lineup to begin with. But the 9-minute match started slow, as Orton wasn't just able to take the powerful Masters down. On that sense it was maybe more competitive than expected, with the young Masters very much matching Orton power wise, but it was clear he was a bit outmached when it comes to skill. Masters kept looking for the Master Lock but Orton was aware of it and kept avoiding it smartly, staying a lot of time near the ropes as well to break it. Orton went for an RKO but Masters caught him in the Master Lock. "The Masterpiece" tried to lock it in deep as Orton tried to get near the edge of the ring to break it again. Masters has it locked in though! But Orton is near the turnbluckle and uses it to slip out of the submission (it's the Bret Hart counter)! And then... RKO outta nowhere! 1... 2... 3!

Winner: Randy Orton (Pinfall via RKO)
Rating: 79


Cody steps to Orton again, doesn't end well for him

After the match, Randy Orton gets a mic. He also says that if Cody wants to stick up for his daddy and for Ric Flair then... "he better get on my level first". Cody comes out with Flair and stares down Orton. He's about to get in the ring... but he's attacked by Masters! Perhaps annoyed by the loss, "The Masterpiece" decides to take out his frustrations on Cody and locks him in the Masterlock! Cody cant get out of it and passes out, as Flair looks on helpless and Randy Orton smiles in the ring.

Rating: 87


The Tag Team champions have HBK's back

Backstage, Stephanie is with Shawn Michaels, who is getting checked by the doctors. She asks the doc if there's anything wrong, and he says that it's nothing serious, he's just a little beat up. Carlito and Primo walk in, they say they saw what happened, and that if Shawn wants some payback he can count on them... as a thank you for Vengeance. Shawn looks at Stephanie... and she says yes, "just to show my father he can't do whatever he wants!" She makes it a 6-man tag, for later tonight: Shawn Michaels and Los Colóns vs Trevor Murdoch, Lance Cade and Umaga!

Rating: 80


Lita & Trish Stratus Vs. Mickie James & Victoria

Can they coexist? That was the question for this tag match, with sworn enemies Trish and Lita forced to team up against common enemies in Mickie and Victoria. It didn't start well, Trish and Lita immediately argued about who was going to start the match. Trish won that argument, and she started the match wrestling Victoria, much like last week. Things calmed down a bit, although for a while there was a lot of tension between Lita and Trish any time they did a tag. Eventually they started teaming properly, but Mickie and Victoria would take advantage of any opportunity to take over. But a major miscommunication occured when Lita was signaling for the Twist of Fate on Mickie and Trish tagged herself in. Lita was not happy at all, they argued and Mickie pushed Trish onto Lita. Rollup from Mickie, but Trish kicks out at 2! They wrestle a bit longer and Trish regains the advantage. She has Mickie set up for Stratusfaction... but Lita nails Trish from behind! They could not coexist afterall! Mickie hits Trish with the Chick Kick and pins her, as Lita looks on! 

Winner: Mickie James (Pinfall via Chick Kick)
Rating: 84


Trish gets beaten down! But Lita and Mickie are definetly not on the same page!

Lita just cost Trish and herself the match! And now Lita, Mickie and Victoria beat Trish down! Lita whips Trish into the corner and starts wailing on her... but Mickie pushes her away and wants some for herself! Then Lita pushes Mickie off... the two get in eahother's face... and now they start fighting! Victoria just gets out of there while the referee separates Lita and Mickie!

Rating: 76


Benjamin still has his eyes set on Hardy... but he's not the only one

Jeff Hardy is backstage and Shelton Benjamin walks up to him. He says that Jeff got lucky by getting a win last week, Benjamin is the better man and that the next time they step in the ring he's gonna prove it by beating Hardy. They stare eachother down until Big Show walks in. He stares a hole through Hardy and says "Shelton, you won't get a chance to do that. Because next week, I'm gonna squish Jeff Hardy like a bug. And then, I'll squish Randy Orton too, and advance to the tournament finals."

Rating: 68


Shawn Michaels & Carlito & Primo Vs. Umaga & Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch

This match was pretty personal for Michaels, wanting to avenge Triple H. However, it would appear that Michaels himself was not yet 100%, following the Shane McMahon assault last week and the attack by his three opponents earlier tonight. That was a bit evident as he tangled with Murdoch and Cade, who got way more offence that they perhaps normally would. As for Umaga, he was simply dominant. Not Michaels, and not Carlito or Primo could take him down. The tag champs tried to use their teamwork and they did keep in competitive with Cade and Murdoch... but Umaga was just too dominant. In the end, the "Samoan Bulldozer" picked up a truly dominant win, he beat Michaels down a bunch and pinned Primo after the Spike, as Cade and Murdoch prevented HBK or Carlito from breaking the pin. Simply dominant.

Winner: Umaga (Pinfall via Samoan Spike)
Rating: 75


Cody Rhodes, the politician?

Cody and Ric Flair encounter Chris Masters backstage. Cody is ready to throw hands but Flair, the voice of reason, holds him back. Flair asks Masters why he attacked Cody, the situation with Orton has nothing to do with him. Masters says that he's pissed at Cody for trying to politic to get his tournament spot. He accuses him of using his dad to get to WWE and immediately trying to fight a former world champion, while guys like Masters don't even get the opportunity. Cody says that his issue with Orton has nothing to do with opportunity or politics, all he wants is revenge. But if he has to get through Masters first so be it, and he challenges him to a match next week. "The Masterpiece" accepts, and says he will mqke sure Cody learns his place.

Rating: 60


Edge wants to win no matter what; Kane will send him to hell!

Edge is backstage, with Lita. He says that he's gonna beat Kane next. An no matter what, next week, he will beat Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Johnny Nitro and whoever else he has to to win the tournament. Because he's the only one who deserves to be Raw's top champion.The feed cuts to Kane who is in some undisclosed location, and for some reason it's all red. He says tonight he's gonna chokeslam Edge straight to hell, and then laughs menacingly.

Rating: 80


Edge Vs. Kane

Unexpected barnburner. Kane was a monster, and Edge was smart. Kane was dominant any time the fight was fair. But Edge would take advantage of any shortcut to grab an advantage. Also he just countered a lot of stuff, because he's good at that. That made the match pretty chaotic and fast paced for all of it's 13 minute duration. In the end Kane signaled for the Chokeslam, Lita climbed onto the apron, Kane grabbed her throat instead, the referee tried to prevent that. Lita jumped off the apron, sending Kane throat first into the ropes... Edge recovered just enough to hit a huge Spear on Kane! 1... 2... 3!

Winner: Edge (Pinfall via Spear)
Rating: 100


Michaels switches focus to next week

Todd Grisham is with Shawn Michaels backstage. He asks how he's doing and where his mind is at for next week. HBK says that while tonight didn't go as he hoped, he's gonna be good enough to go again next week. He says that he knows he's facing a tough challenge with Edge, especially if Lita gets involved like she just did. As for the third participant, he says that Cena is one of the best in the world and Nitro is someone that could get to that level, he reminds him a lot of a younger version of himself. Shawn says that no matter who goes through, he knows he's facing a tough challenge, but they don't call him the "Showstopper" for nothing. Michaels says that he knows the McMahons put a huge target on his back but he will give it his all to come through and win the tournament.

Rating: 81


Nitro wants to be the top guy; Cena says the champ is here!

Nitro is in his locker room, with Melina. He says that tonight he'll take one more step towards becoming the top guy on Raw when he beats everyone's hero John Cena. And next week, he'll beat Edge and Michaels too. "Because Melina is way hotter than Lita, and I'm the new Showstopper!"
John Cena is coming to the ring already, he says that tonight he will kick Nitro's ass just like he did 2 weeks ago. "And next week, Edge and Michaels will know... that the champ has been here the whole time!"

Rating: 91


Johnny Nitro Vs. John Cena

Nitro came into this match with a chip on his shoulder. For a little while now there's been a lot of hope that the youngster could really turn into something special, and a win over Cena in the main event would prove the hype to be justified. This was a competitive, long main event, going around 18 minutes. At one point, Nitro had Cena for the Moonlight Drive, but out of nowhere Cena picks him up for the F-U, Nitro slips out from behind, runs into the ropes and hits a Springboard Roundhouse! 1..2.. kick out by Cena! Nitro signals for the Moonlight Drive again. Cena this time grabs the ankle, goes for the STFU but Nitro rolls onto his back before that happens and kicks Cena away. Cena goes for a Clothesline but Nitro ducks and hits a Tilt-a-whirl DDT! Then Nitro goes for a springboard crossbody, but Cena catches him and rolls through! He powers Nitro onto his shoulders... F-U! 1...2... Melina gets Nitro's foot on the rope! It's not over yet, and it's a huge assist from Nitro's girlfriend. The referee and Cena argue with Melina for a moment, but Nitro is out so he can't take advantage of the disctraction. Cena picks him up again, for a second F-U... but Nitro lands on his feet and hits a Superkick! What agility! Nitro is still a bit woozy but shakes it off and signals for the Moonlight Drive again! And this time he hits it! 1... 2... NO! Cena kicked out at the last possible moment! That was almost a huge upset and Nitro can't believe it! He's frustrated, but he collects his thoughts, he goes back to the corner and signals for another Superkick! He's going for it... but Cena catches the foot! He turns Nitro around perhaps going for the Proto Bomb... he lifts him up but Nitro lands on his feet! But Cena immediately lifts him onto his shoulders! F-U! 1... 2... 3! Cena advances over a very game Johnny Nitro!

Winner: John Cena (Pinfall via F-U)
Rating: 82


Sneak attack! Failed!

Cena is celebrating the hard fought win as Nitro is being consoled by Melina at ringside. He climbs the turnbuckle and salutes the crowd. But on the opposite corner... Edge slides in the ring! He's getting ready to Spear Cena! He lunges at him... but Cena saw it coming and steos aside! Edge crashes against the corner and now they brawl! Edge misses a Clothesline... and Cena has him up for the F-U! But Edge slips out of it and slides out of the ring! Cena was so close! Edge's sneak attack didn't work, and Cena stands tall to end the show! What will happen when these two get in the ring with Shawn Michaels next week?

Rating: 97


Total Rating: 84

Well technically Orton didn't ever break it, Masters forced to relinquish the hold or he would get pinned. Same for the rope breaks. I also liked Masters, he improved a lot later in his WWE run (at that point I would occasionally tune into Superstars so I'm one of the 12 people that saw it) but sadly never got a bigger role again. Here he isn't quite at that level and popularity wise he's surprisingly low, but I do think he can turn into a valuable midcard act at the very least.

And funny enough, I actually did consider giving both Kane and Nitro the win. But for that to be reasonable there'd have to be shenanigans involved in both cases and that'd kinda devalue a tournament that is supposed to be a big deal. I'm kind of a purist when it comes to that so I tend not to book too many interference and DQ finishes unless there's a strong enough storyline reason to do so.

Stephanie is feeling the pressure

The show starts with Paul Heyman and Stephanie McMahon in the former's office. They talk about last week's main event, and Stephanie praises the match. Heyman asks her what she would do if RVD were to have lost the WWE title, but Steph simply says that she's always trusted Van Dam's ability to hold on to the championship, and that's why the board want him on Raw in the first place. Heyman tells Steph that he's been told that Van Dam has already arrived to the arena, and will meet with them later tonight. Stephanie says that's she's hoping to reach a deal with Van Dam tonight, since time is starting to get tight.

Rating: 89


Kurt Angle wants to embrace ECW... and has a plan for Heatwave

Kurt Angle comes to the ring, to a big reaction. He says that he's disappointed not to have won the WWE Championship last week. He says he gave it his all, but acknowledges that Rob Van Dam was the better man last week. However, Angle says that the championship match gave him a clear goal to work towards, which hasn't really been the case since he's arrived in ECW. He says that it's been great so far and he really appreciates how much the ECW fans have embraced him... but something is missing. He says that the biggest reason why he lost to RVD last week is simple... he wasn't extreme enough. Angle says that his new goal now is to be a true extremist... and for that he wants to challenge the one man that, in his eyes, respresents the essence of ECW more than anyone else. "Tommy Dreamer! I want you to fight me... August 19th, at Heatwave!"
Dreamer comes out, and looks surprised that Angle called him out. He gets a mic. "Kurt, I have to say, I'm surprised you would want this. In fact, I'm surprised you even care about it. Because as much as the ECW fans have embraced you, as much as they respect you... you've never really given that back, have you? As far as Heatwave goes, you're on. But don't think I'm fighting you over respect, or because you want to be extreme. I'm fighting you at Heatwave because I want to kick the ass of Kurt Angle, WWE Superstar."

Rating: 85


Storm and Credible's mystery partner is...


NIGEL McGUINNESS!!

Rating: 46


Stevie Richards & Nova & Balls Mahoney Vs. Lance Storm & Justin Credible & Nigel McGuinness

A hot trios match to open the show. Of course, a big part of this was showcasing Nigel McGuinness in his WWE debut. The brit looked good, showing off his stiff and intense style in a somewhat competitive 10 minute match. The Impact Players and McGuinness pick up a win, with the latter pinning Stevie after a huge Jawbreaker Lariat.

Winner: Nigel McGuinness (Pinfall via Jawbreaker Lariat)
Rating: 68


An opportunity for the Mexicools

Tajiri is backstage with the Mexicools. They talk about last week, with Tajiri winning his match but Super Crazy and Psicosis lost. They're a bit downhearted at their defeat, but Tajiri tells them to keep their spirits up. He says he has faith in them to be one of the top teams in ECW, so he went to Heyman to get them an opportunity. Heyman called up Teddy Long and they arranged for the Mexicools to face Kid Kash and Jamie Noble, next Friday on Smackdown.

Rating: 56


RVD's plans

Rob Van Dam is backstage and meets up with Sabu, Sandman and Dreamer again. They ask if he's talked to Stephanie yet, to which RVD says no, they'll talk in a bit. They say they're concerned about Rob, that the Raw tournament will be over soon and he has to come to a decision. Dreamer, Sabu and Sandman say that they don't want RVD's title win to be a footnote in wrestling history. Once again, Van Dam doesn't say much about that... but he does tell them what his plans are. He wants to keep wrestling the best that ECW has to offer, and after he's beaten Angle... that means it's the three of them. But Dreamer is busy, so he wants to wrestle either Sabu or Sandman soon and he will arrange for them to have a match in tonight's main event!

Rating: 73


Mercury runs down everyone

Joey Mercury comes out. He says that he nearly ended Jerry Lynn's career last week when he drove his head onto the roof of a car. He says that Lynn would be wise to stop getting in his way now, or else bad things are gonna keep happening to him. He then says that he wants to be the top dog in ECW, and he won't let Lynn or anyone else get in his way. And that includes his opponent tonight... the new flavor in town, CM Punk. Mercury says he'll send CM Punk back to the hole he came from, "which is even crappier than this arena!"
Thankfully, CM Punk interrupts Mercury as he walks down ready for a fight, and we're all set for the next match.

Rating: 76


CM Punk Vs. Joey Mercury

The longest match of the night, ending at a cool 12 minutes. Mercury tried to back up his talk but CM Punk was a lot for him to handle. The Chicago native has looked great every time he's stepped in the ring and this time was no exception. Mercury did fight back of course, and he did pull his own weight in the match. At one point he even seemed close to a win when they were brawling at ringside, Mercury poked Punk's eye and hit a big  a DDT! Then he rolled Punk into the ring... but was attacked by Jerry Lynn! They trade shots but Lynn gets the better of Mercury and uses the ringside guard rail to hit a big Tornado DDT. Then he rolls Mercury into the ring where Punk awaits him with the GTS. 1..2..3 and CM Punk gets another win!

Winner: CM Punk (Pinfall via Go 2 Sleep)
Rating: 67


A "final warning" for CM Punk

As CM Punk is celebrating, Mick Foley comes out once again, mic in hand. He gets in the ring, face to face with Punk. "Congratulations, CM Punk. Once again, you keep making your mark here in ECW. But... you're makig the wrong kind of mark. Because I'm paying attention, I see what you're doing. Every time you get in this ring, you're getting more and more addicted. It's getting harder for you to resist these people... and it's getting harder for you to hear the voice of reason. So please, Punk, please hear me out. If you admire me so much... please listen to me before I have to do something... more drastic."
Punk gets the mic from Foley's hands and says "Mick... I told you. There's nothing to be saved." He gives him back the mic and exits the ring.While Punk walks off, Foley says: "You need to listen to me, Punk. If you don't, this will get much worse for you. If you become too addicted to this place... your demons might chase you. This is your final warning!"
Punk suddenly stops for a moment, turns around to look back at Foley. He seems to be hesitant, but eventually turns back around and walks off.

Rating: 99


RVD and Stephanie: the negotiation

Rob Van Dam enters Paul Heyman's office, where he is with Stephanie McMahon. Steph tells RVD that she's worried about him making so many plans, considering how his future is still up in the air. She asks him if he's made a decision, Van Dam says he hasn't, he still needs to negotiate further. He says that he wants what's best for everyone... and that includes ECW. Paul Heyman can't help but enjoy that, of course. Van Dam says that no matter what, ECW can't just be something the McMahon's brought back just to take money from the fans and then toss it away. He needs more guarantees that WWE isn't just gonna piss all over ECW and it's legacy like they did with WCW before... and he does say that the best way for him to guarantee it is for himself to stay here, even if it means losing the title. Stephanie says that she understands these concerns, and reiterates that her goal is to get RVD back on Raw... and says she's willing to hear what his vision for ECW is. Heyman asks the cameraman to go outside, saying he wants the rest of the conversation to remain confidential.

Rating: 92


Sabu Vs. The Sandman

Classic ECW main event for this week. An 8 minute chaotic brawl, that starts and ends hardcore, with Sabu and Sandman making plenty of use of their signature weapons. It's hard fought, it's bloody, it's violent... and Sabu wins after an Arabian Facebuster, with Sandman eating a chair to the face.

Winner: Sabu (Pinfall via Arabian Facebuster)
Rating: 79


It's chaos in the ECW Arena!

We seemed to be heading to a pretty straightforward conclusion to the show. Sabu beats Sandman and he's helping his fallen friend get to his feet so they can celebrate together in good sportsmanship, after a bloody brawl. But someone comes from the crowd... and nails both Sabu and Sandman with a singapore cane! Most of the attacker's face is covered by a hoodie and a cloth so we can't initially tell who it is. But after laying Sabu and Sandman out he takes those off... IT'S HOMICIDE??!! What the hell is he doing in ECW, we thought he was with TNA?? He keeps beating the exhausted Sabu and Sandman with the cane. Then he picks Sandman up and seems to be signaling for the devastating Gringo Killa... but Rob Van Dam comes out for the save! Homicide slithers out of the ring, being chased off by the WWE Champion. He desttroyed Sabu and Sandman though, the two of them are out. Homicide goes back into the crowd, satisfied with his handywork
However... it's not over... as RVD suddenly Shane McMahon gets hit with a chair by... SHANE McMAHON! While everyone was distracted, Shane came from behind the timekeeper area and Van Dam didn't see him at all! Shane loads up another chairshot, but RVD dodges it and the two of them brawl! Eventually RVD hits Shave with a big kick that sends him out of the ring. Shane thinks about getting back in for more, but instead grabs a mic. He says : "Rob, you're probably shocked that I even dared to come to this sh*thole! But no need to pinch youself, it's the actuaç Shane McMahon in the flesh. Now I'm officially the biggest name that's ever stepped in an ECW ring... and it won't be the last time. You see Rob... my sister might have locked me and my dad out of Raw, but we're powerful men... so there are other strings we can pull. And unfortunately for you Rob... you've made enemies out of us. So we're gonna take away what's most precious to you... and you better get ready. Because on next week's ECW... you're defending the WWE Championship... against ME!"
Shane walks up the ramp with a grin as Van Dam stares at him, holding his title up high. Stephanie comes out and gets in her brother's face, clearly pissed that they've gone over her head again. They have a bit of an argument, Stephanie ends up storming off! But the main news is... next week... RVD vs Shane... for the WWE title!

Rating: 73


Total Rating: 74

Angle's attitude is cool and him challenging Dreamer makes sense from a storyline standpoint. I'm not sure if you'll give him a second big loss in a row, buuuut I'm leaning towards betting on Dreamer, tbh.

Nigel joining the Impact Players seems random at first, but if you think about it, he relates a lot with Storm, so I'm giving it a positive note.

Mercury is being built as the guy that you need to dislike, even if you don't want to. It's a necessary thing. His promos probably aren't the best. What's Joel Gertner up to in 2006?

Punk is going to meet "Barbie" soon, I guess, which will be is a first-time, I think.

RVD's got a point, and he's probably really staying in ECW and giving up the WWE title to the tournament winner, if Stephanie doesn't hand everything to ECW for the sake of it... which would mean she's a terrible RAW GM.

Bloody heel, I wasn't expecting THAT ending! Homicide fits in ECW like a glove. WWE would probably change his name, but this is an alt world and Homicide is a pretty great name. Him vs. Sabu should be good and really extreme. Shane challenging RVD for the WWE title is bonkers, but pretty good on paper too and the ECW fans would eat it if RVD retained... which is obviously happening... isn't it?!?!?