WWE Cyber Sunday - October 28, 2007
OMG! please come tonight!It is still not known whether Chris Jericho will return tonight on Cyber Sunday. WWE may save the return for RAW tomorrow or even later this week.
Credit: WrestlingObserver.com
Link256
[QUOTE="Link256"]OMG! please come tonight!It is still not known whether Chris Jericho will return tonight on Cyber Sunday. WWE may save the return for RAW tomorrow or even later this week.
Credit: WrestlingObserver.com
big_boy_down23
It'll probably be later, all they seem to be doing at PPV's now is trying to prove the smarks wrong.
O_O
Voting results: Shawn Michaels (59%), Mr. Kennedy (10%),Jeff Hardy(31%)
ZOMG! Why would Kennedy get a 10?! give him a 15! Do people really hate him a lot or what?
Also, is it strange Triple H v umaga hasn't happened yet?
fan211
No, HHH-Umaga is probably second to last. And I hardly doubt people vote once, you can always vote more than once on those things.
Although I beta TON of ppl ordered this PPV to see Jericho, and are pissed, this PPV didnt look that bad. Good main event matches it looks like.
Now maybe Jericho can return on Raw tomorrow night, and I can actually see it.
WTF The Miz was voted in?! And why have Hardy wrestle Kennedy in a non title match, whats the purpose?mrgab
I felt the same way as you do as to why in the hell the fans voted for the Miz over Morrison. Then I got to thinking, remember when we read the news that when Morrison would return and get an ECW Title match with Punk, that they would hand over the title over to him, so maybe the fans got to thinking, and they would vote for Miz, knowing that the WWE would not be stupid enough to have the title change hands. So maybe that's the logic behind this decision by our "smart" fans.
As for the Hardy/Kennedy match, a filler/bonus match. They been doing that for the past PPV for now.
WTF The Miz was voted in?! And why have Hardy wrestle Kennedy in a non title match, whats the purpose?mrgab
I felt the same way as you do as to why in the hell the fans voted for the Miz over Morrison. Then I got to thinking, remember when we read the news that when Morrison would return and get an ECW Title match with Punk, that they would hand over the title over to him, so maybe the fans got to thinking, and they would vote for Miz, knowing that the WWE would not be stupid enough to have the title change hands. So maybe that's the logic behind this decision by our "smart" fans.
As for the Hardy/Kennedy match, a filler/bonus match. They been doing that for the past PPV for quite awhilenow.
WTF The Miz was voted in?!
My guess is that general audience was tired of seeing nothing but Punk-Morrison matches.
Though, with that being said, if anyone would have been voted in other than Morrison, I figured it had been Bid Daddy V. If I had to make another guess, it would be that the obvious appeal of the Miz's laddy friends helped him get the vote.
LIVE Report and Off-Air Results from WWE Cyber Sunday!
411's John Meehan was there and saw all the action first-hand!
Hey all -- I was at the Verizon Center live last night for Cyber Sunday, and so I figured I'd chime in with my take on the show from a "live attendance" perspective. The arena was just over 3/4 full, I'd wager -- with only the usual backstage-area (the space behind the Titan Tron/entrance ramp) being blocked off, and the uppermost tier of the non-camera-side nosebleeds (just about 8 sections of the 400 level) likewise being draped off as well.
Dark Match: Deuce and Domino (w/ Cherry) vs. Jesse and Festus
Surprisingly, the crowd was pretty darned pumped to see Jesse and Festus in action. During the match while Jesse was in the ring getting his clock cleaned by The Greasers, a sizable, arena-wide chant of "WE WANT FESTUS!" broke out. Needless to say, when the big man hit the ring the place went nuts. The finish to this one saw The Daltons getting the win after Festus launched Jesse from the top rope and onto his opponents for the 1-2-3. High energy match -- short and punchy, but kept the fans excited.
Match #1: Finlay vs. Rey Mysterio (Stretcher Match):
Fans weren't all that enthused to hear that this bout would be a stretcher match (with the lame "push him across the finish line" stipulation), but in terms of a logical payoff to the feud that these two have had for some time now, it was probably the stipulation that made the most sense. The DC crowd was more than happy to boo the holy hell out of Finlay (plenty of "Finlay Sucks!" chants made their rounds during this opening PPV contest), and the audience (much of which was Latino) popped HUGE for Rey Mysterio -- who hasn't made a live appearance at the Verizon Center in something like TWO WHOLE years (Summerslam 2005 Ladder Match vs. Rey Eddie Guerrero), believe it or not. Definitely a smart and exciting choice for an opening PPV contest.
Crowd was crazy hot for Mysterio throughout, particularly when he attempted to scale the pole for the shilelagh (which drew at least a smattering of "YOU'RE TOO SHORT!" chants from those in the nosebleeds). The senton out of the ring and onto the stretcher looked absolutely viscious live, and the fans thought/knew for sure that we were headed to the finish of the match shortly thereafter. When the stretcher got snagged on the camera wire on the entrance ramp, there were more than a few folks who let their displeasure for the "botched" finish be known -- (at least a few of the die-hards out there audibly chanted "You F*cked Up!" at the camera crew) but Finlay and Rey improvised beautifully, with the Belfast Bruiser flipping up the stretcher's padding in an attempt to drop Mysterio headfirst onto the exposed metal framing of the gurney below. Pretty badass recovery for a last-second improv, if you asked me! Obviously, the crowd went nuts when Mysterio won the match shortly thereafter.
Just following this match, fans in live attendance were shown the MVP/Matt Hardy video which announced that Hardy would *not* be competing this evening. A deflating development, to be sure -- but fans were glad to hear that MVP would be facing (in all likelihood) Kane by night's end. We did NOT, however, see the announcement regarding how this would be decided (via fan vote that had yet to be added to the website).
Match #2: CM Punk vs. The Miz (ECW Championship Match):
CM Punk received a healthy -- though moderate by comparison -- show of appreciation from the DC crowd, but the fans simply COULD NOT CARE LESS about this match from the moment that Mike Mizanin was announced as the challenger. Just two matches into the show (after a sensational opening contest) and plenty of fans were already filing out to the concession stands, merchandise tables (Triple H gear ALL over the place), and nearby restrooms. Simply put, Miz pretty much killed the live crowd's enthusiasm for this match from the word "go." No joke, it was no louder than an undercard bout at a house show. A lot of fans passed the time by heckling the poor bastard with a number of your typical "we're none too pleased" chants, including "YOU CAN'T WRESTLE!" "Y-2-J!" and the never-too-friendly standby, "BOHRRRR-RINNNNG."
The Miz' sell of the slingshot suplex looked absolutely terrible live. Seems as if the guy forgot to stiffen up his body for the "bounce" off the ropes, and so he kinda just crumpled over the top like a wet bag of cement before Punk "flipped" (and we'll use that word loosely) him back into the ring. Easily the worst spot of the night (and that includes the stretcher match cord snag).
Match #3: Mr. Kennedy vs. Jeff Hardy (Non-Title Match):
Prior to this match, fans in live attendance learned that Shawn Michaels would be challenging Randy Orton for the WWE Title. This was a great entusiasm boost for the live crowd after two downers in a row (first the no-Matt/MVP announcement, then THE FREAKIN MIZ?!?). Likewise, the live fans were excited to hear that we'd be getting another on-PPV "bonus match" between the two runners-up for the Title match, particularly because it meant that we'd be seeing Jeff Hardy in action up next.
Kennedy came out first and skipped his usual pre-match schpiel, which didn't much help to ingratiate him to the DC crowd. Hardy came out next to a sizable pop (the second loudest of the night thus far behind Rey Mysterio's), and fans were solidly into the match. That said, the fact that it was *not* for the Intercontinental Title pretty much gave things away as to who the winner of the contest was likely to be (hint: NOT Jeff Hardy) -- but the crowd was solidly behind Jeff throughout the match and the finish (while disappointing) was well-executed and tremendously effective at putting Kennedy over as an uberdick of a heel on a night where EVERY OTHER MATCH ended with a babyface victory.
Following this match, Hardy sold the loss as if he'd been smacked in the gut with a baseball bat, and two referees had to come down to ringside in order to help him make his way to the back. Then we saw the Mick Foley/JBL bit. The crowd was pretty vocal in their opposition to Bradshaw, but the response for Foley was less than underwhelming. Disappointily so, for a Foley-fanatic like yours truly.
Match #4: MVP vs. Kane (US Championship Match):
The no-flames from the corners of the ringposts prior to the match led me to believe that Kane would be walking out of the match the victor. Not a particularly great or bad match by any means, but the fans weren't all that enthused to see these two go at it (yet again!) -- probably because most folks were banking on a MVP/Matt showdown to settle the score.
The non-finish with the countout loss was probably more disappointing for the fans at home than for those of us in attendance. After all, once we learned that Matt Hardy wouldn't be able to compete, we didn't even expect to see MVP in action -- so watching him lose (and retain) against a guy NOT named "Matt Hardy" wasn't the worst thing in the world either. Face it, MVP was gloating earlier in the night that he'd "gotten off easy," and then he was handed an impromptu match against The Big Red Machine to shut him up. If he'd lost the title to Kane, that pretty much would shoot the entire Hardy/MVP program in the foot... and if he'd *won* the match (even if he cheated to do so), then the live crowd would have been all the more p.o.'ed because the guy wouldn't have received his comeuppance after squeaking by a fight with Version 1.o. So no complaints here.
NOTE: AFTER THIS MATCH, THE LIVE CROWD ***WAS NOT*** SHOWN THE "SAVE_US.x29" VIDEO!!! My guess is because they didn't want to get the live audience all hyped up for a Jericho-return that simply wasn't going to be happening tonight. And once the Orton/HBK match was announced as coming up next (leaving us with a Smackdown face-vs-face main event) -- it pretty much quelled all other in-crowd discussion of a possible Y2J return by night's end. Because let's face it, Jericho isn't coming to "Save" the B-show... and he most certainly wouldn't be of any use "Saving" a certain McMahon-in-law from a decisive win over Youmanguh.
Match #5: Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels (WWE Championship Match):
Prior to this match, an Orton promo/montage aired where he warned HBK to "be careful what he wished for." Unfortunately for the fans in live attendance, the audio didn't start until about 10 seconds into the promo -- and so Orton's speech was greeted with the inevitable barrage of "WHAT!?!" chants from the fans in the Verizon Center.
As for the match itself -- the crowd was solidly behind HBK for this one (even moreso than they'd been for Hardy and Mysterio), and there was a lot of back-and-forth action that really helped keep people entertained for the better part of the first ten minutes or so. Michaels, for his part, busted out at LEAST two crazy flips/jumps over the top rope and onto the outside of the ring, and there was a ton of crowd heat for the attempted superplex spot as well as for HBK's two big moves from the top rope. Hands down, the kip-up spot towards the end of the match was the single loudest pop of the evening to this point (that wouldn't last too long, though).
The DQ finish was (pardon the pun) a real punch in the balls for the live fans, and since we'd just seen two non-finishes in a row there were more than a few fans who began to turn ugly toward the PPV at this point. That said however, the video tape replay of Orton's low-blow was pretty damned impressive, and HBK sold that nut-shot for a solid two minutes or so afterwords -- which was incredibly effective at putting over just how desperate and sadistic a champion Randy Orton is supposed to be.
While HBK was lying face-down on the mat and Orton was sizing his 'noggin up for a punt, there was a CRAZY amount of fan enthusiasm cheering a mix of "HBK" and "Y2J" (in hopes for a Jericho "Save.") Sadly, Jericho's appearance was not to be (but then again, with a whole extra hour to go in the show before the main event, there was probably no real reason to expect a Y2J return at this point) -- but the large majority of the live crowd was more than happy to see HBK pop back up to his feet and deliver the Sweet Chin Music to leave Orton on his back as we segued to the next match. Sure, it wasn't Jericho -- but Michaels still managed to get the win AND the finisher... and so fans weren't nearly as steamed as they could have been.
Match #6: Triple H vs. Umaga (Street Fight):
The fact that we got a Street Fight instead of a cage match was something of a letdown for the live crowd, as there is really something extra special about being able to say that you saw a cage match LIVE in attendance for a PPV. Regardless, the street fight stipulation was a logical culmination to the types of pull-apart brawls that Hunter and Umaga had been having for several weeks now, and so fans quickly got over their initial disappointment and got themselves pumped up to see Triple H take on The Samoan Bulldozer.
Wisely, WWE cued up Hunter's music first -- which both managed to feed off of the live crowd's desire for some "big deal," as well as to set him up in the ring in order to charge at Umaga on his way down the entrance ramp moments later. Hunter was INSANELY over with the DC crowd, and the very first chord of his entrance music elicited a crowd response that was even louder than the earlier excitement we'd shown for HBK's kip up (thus replacing HBK's earlier mark and making HHH the loudest ovation of the night -- thus far). As for Umaga's entrance, fans didn't really have all that much time to boo the guy, as Triple H totally cut his entrance time in half and started the match about midway up the entrance ramp.
The brawling up onto the "keyboard" ("Umaga on his Blogg-a?") and into the stage area drew mixed fan response. When the duo disappeared *behind* the projection screens for a few seconds, there were more than a handful of fans who began to boo the contest quite loudly -- thinking, perhaps, that we'd be forced to watch the rest of the bout via the big screen televisions throughout the area as Hunter and Umaga brawled through the backstage area and onto F Street just outside of the building. Thankfully, the disappearing act was short-lived, and the live crowd popped like crazy when Trips and Umaga came tumbling THROUGH the screen and back into our line of sight. Similar enthusiasm continued as the match spilled into the crowd and back onto the arena floor (the spot with the low-bridge over the retaining barrier was particularly well-received).
As for the in-ring portion of the contest, the match struggled for a few minutes to "find its groove" until Hunter finally decided "well screw this" (after trying to punch Umaga in the head a few times) and headed under the ring for some plunder. The appearance of the trash can was a nice bait-and-switch to keep fans interest, as many of us thought FOR SURE that we'd be seeing a certain sledgehammer sooner than later. Bonus points to whoever scripted the "Umaga chases the referee!" spot -- which was a great way to keep the live crowd into the contest.
As the match spilled out of the ring, Umaga absolutely dominated the show and managed to draw a great deal of crowd heat along the way. First with the ring steps and then with the near-miss of a steel chair, Umaga had fans booing the heck out of him as he continued his ringside assault and prepped Triple H for a running-table-squash (dunno if you caught this one on TV, but Umaga definitely freaked the **** out of Michael Cole as he was destroying the announce tables near ringside -- much to the delight of the DC fans). The running table squash was a real trip to see live, as many of us (from what I could tell, at least), thought FOR SURE that we were gonna' see Umaga take an accidental faceplant as one of those tables gave out from underneath him along the way. Not so, of course, and so we were really into it when the plunge through the third table CONNECTED!
Spilling back into the ring following the dispersal of the extra referees, fans were all over Umaga as he attempted to put Hunter away once and for all. Once Umaga missed the big head butt and Hunter ducked outside for a sledgehammer, we all knew for sure that we were in for "the big finish" -- and the unveiling of the sledgehammer EASILY drew the single loudest pop (for a non-person) of the evening, bar none. Following a crafty and well-executed finish, fans were more than happy to shower both guys with applause as the bout drew to a close.
Nobody cared about the Diva Halloween costume contest, as a) we didn't get to vote in the contest, and b) all of the vignettes had been shown via tape, and so none of the divas were actually seen "in person" by the live crowd. As a side note, however, Torrie Wilson actually received a fair share of *BOOs* despite the fact that she was dressed like a player for the hometown-hero Washington Redskins football team. Seems that even the most diehard of DC fans has a hard time cheering for a ball club that can't manage any better than a 52-7 loss less than an hour before the PPV, I guess.
Match #7: Batista vs. The Undertaker (World Championship Match):
With these two starting their introductions still before the 10:30 mark, we knew that we were in store for a nice, long showdown between these two insanely popular Smackdown stars. To top things off, the DC crowd was treated to a pre-match showdown between the three potential guest referees (again, JBL was crazy over, Mick Foley wouldn't have received *any* attention were it not for the fact that they cranked his entrance music up much louder than the rest of the roster's). Obviously, the pre-match altercation between Bradshaw and Foley was simply designed to tease out a "big entrance" from Stone Cold Steve Austin -- and so the fans went absolutely bananas ("B-A-N-A-N-A-S") when the glass shattered and The Rattlesnake hit the ring. Easily the loudest pop for a performer all night long, hands down.
When JBL got decked to the outside, there were more than a few sets of eyes directed his way (thinking that he might run-in and somehow affect the finish of the match) -- but once the lights went out and Undertaker's music hit, fans pretty much forgot about everything else and just stood in awe of The Dead Man. As far as active performers go (read: not Austin), I'd have to give the slight edge to 'Taker and say that he probably drew a more vocal show of fan appreciation than anyone else -- probably even more than his opponent, DC's own Dave Batista (who was met with similar, albeit *juuuust* slightly diminished, fanfare from the DC fans).
As for the match itself, this one absolutely blew the rest of the card out of the water. TONS of back-and-forth action, a crazy slew of near-falls and close calls, and a GREAT performance from all parties involved (in my opinion, at least, this one even topped their WrestleMania performance). The crowd was thoroughly entertained and all sorts of appreciative as these two heavy hitters gave it their best, and the finish (complete with the spinebuster near fall, the zombie sit up, and then not one but TWO Batista Bombs to end it) absolutely cemented this one as our Match of the Night. If anything, the match suffered slightly from the fact that BOTH guys were insanely popular with the fans in live attendance, and so we were so into the match that we simply didn't want to see it end.
Regardless, major love was shown for both Batista and The Undertaker following the bell, and the crowd was on their feet applauding Big Dave as he stood with the belt to close out the televised portion of the show. A few minutes later, Undertaker's music hit and he slowly made his way up the entrance ramp to close out the evening.
Biggest Pops of the Night:
1) Steve Austin
2) Undertaker
3) Batista
*Honorable Mention: Triple H's Sledgehammer, HBK's Kip Up, Rey Mysterio
Biggest Heat of the Night:
1) JBL
2) Randy Orton
3) Umaga
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