4. Big Show def. the Straight Edge Society when Luke Gallows tapped out to the Colossal Clutch.
5. Cody Rhodes def. Matt Hardy.
Detailed Results
We open with a vidpack updating the latest blood feud between the Brothers of Destruction, Kane & Undertaker. In the ring proper to start the show is Alberto Del Rio, who is throwing himself a party to celebrate what he thinks is the elimination of Rey Mysterio, who is on the DL with a fractured wrist. Christian disrupts the party after Del Rio breaks a pinata with a Mysterio mask. Del Rio declines a challenge from Christian and retreats. Drew McIntyre, Christian's scheduled opponent, ambushes "Capt. Charisma", and slams him ribs-first into the steel steps. And the fun is just starting......
1. Christian vs. Drew McIntyre.
Christian is selling the ribs, forced to fight from a defensive posture from the go. Six months ago, this would've been a walk in the park for McIntyre, but not now. You think maybe Drew is feeling the backlash of his wife Tiffany's suspension? I think so. McIntyre hit a gutbuster, but doesn't go for the cover, needing time to recover himself. That proves to be a fatal mistake, as Christian scoops the legs out and jackknifes over McIntyre. Winner: Christian.
2. Michelle McCool (w/Layla) vs. Kelly Kelly.
Layla technically is the sole women's champ, but LayCool believes they can use the Freebird Rule to defend the women's title. Anything to keep the title. Layla joins Matt & Todd on commentary, which is a waste of time. Kelly tries a huracanrana, but it's countered into the Faith Breaker, and that's it. Winner: Michelle McCool.
After a recap of the China visit, we find Teddy Long & Hornswoggle in a doctor's office. The doctor is trying electro-shock therapy on 'Swoggle, but the leprechaun turns the tables, and he & Teddy split to avoid any reprisals......
America's least wanted, Vickie Guerrero, introduces Dolph Ziggler for our next match. The homies in Albany, my home area, are giving Vickie the business like no one else can. Given the dimensions of the Times Union Center, 10,000 people can sound like 100,000.
3. Non-title: Dolph Ziggler vs. Chris Masters.
To illustrate how much times have changed, 4 years ago, Masters would've rolled over Ziggler like a runaway train. Instead, it goes the other way. Masters slingshots Ziggler into the turnbuckle, but Dolph's smart enough to avoid the Masterlock, and uses those same turnbuckles to turn the momentum to his favor. One Zig Zag later, it's over. Winner: Dolph Ziggler.
4. Big Show vs. Straight Edge Society (CM Punk & Luke Gallows w/Joseph Mercury).
It's going to be a while before Mercury can wrestle again, as he's on the DL with a bicep injury, hence the sling. Show takes him out of play with a nerve pinch, and after the break, we find that Mercury has been taken to the back by the trainers, though it wasn't acknowledged on the air. Show missed a charge on the floor and met the steps, giving the SES a momentary advantage. A back suplex on Galllows turns things back around. Show forces a collision between Gallows & Punk, then hits the Alley-Opp inverted powerbomb. Show locks on the Colossal Clutch, and Gallows taps out. Winner: Big Show.
Post-match, Punk turns on Gallows and hits the GTS. Punk leaves the ring alone, and it is here that we can see that Mercury is already gone.
As a result of last week's amateur rules match vs. MVP, Jack Swagger hosts the VIP Lounge. Naturally, Swagger's guest is his father, Jack, Sr., still selling the beating he took from Kane several weeks back, but no mention of that particular fact, now that Kane is on the same side of the fence with the Swaggers. Sr. (formerly Bunkhouse Buck in WCW back in the 90's) is confined to a wheelchair, and Jr. claims the old man is a Sr. citizen arm wrestling champion. Sure, lay on the cheese, Jack, want some wine? MVP shows up to shut it down, and tosses out some of the trophies & furniture. Swagger shows his true colors, trying to use papa as a human shield, but the tug of war that follows leads to MVP hitting the Play of the Day (Paydirt) on the elder Swagger. Jr. is chased from the ring, and MVP hits the Ballin' elbow drop on Sr. to the crowd's delight.
5. Matt Hardy vs. Cody Rhodes.
Consider the plight of Matt Hardy. Some internet critics have noted it already, but Rhodes cuts a promo to make it clear. Matt is showing some paunch, and it has affected his performance. Still selling the ankle injury sustained at the hands of Drew McIntyre some weeks back, Hardy limps into the ring, and that limp takes some speed away from the risk-taker. Rhodes offers the mirror on the back of his jacket to show Matt, literally, what he has to deal with. Admittedly, and Striker points this out, the injuries over the years have taken their toll on Hardy, and have kept him away from the gym. Still, Hardy is the aggressor early on, but is unable to connect with the Side Effect, or even attempt the Twist of Fate. On the latter, Rhodes bull-rushes him into the corner. As Matt crumples to the canvas, Cody hits a knee-drop to the injured ankle, then hits Cross-Rhodes. Cody goes back to tha pay winda, as his dad would say. Winner: Cody Rhodes.
Kane has promised a "major announcement", and it's the final part of tonight's show. That announcement is that he'll defend the World title at Night of Champions on Sept. 19 vs. the Undertaker (Like, duh!). Appearing first via videotape backstage, Kane talks about how this meeting will spell the end of the Undertaker. Right, sure, and chickens have lips. A casket and some druids are brought out. Sure enough, it's Kane inside the coffin, having claimed to have taken the Undertaker's powers away from him. Well, not all of them, it seems. Taker is out, and can still control the lights, but Kane uses the darkness to escape, and, back in the safety of his backstage lair, he continues to taunt the Dead Man. Now, don't you think this is going to be strung out 'til, say, Wrestlemania? I wouldn't be surprised.
