After The Match:
After the bout, Undertaker’s music hits. The Taker symbol is shown on the gravestone. Things were left like that.
Backstage With Randy Orton
Backstage Randy Orton is interviewed. Orton says if John Cena interferes in his match, he’ll make the decision easy for him and just kick him in the head in the middle of the ring.
Bragging Rights Elimination Match:
-Team Raw vs. Team SmackDown!
John Morrison and Tyler Reks begin the match. All guys came out individually and all guys are wearing Raw or Smackdown brand shirts on each side. Santino tags in and tries hitting the Cobra but Reks hits the Torture Rack Driver and pins Santino. Santino Marella is eliminated. SD! is up, 7-6. Big Show and Ezekiel Jackson are in the ring at the moment. Big Show is dominating the action. Mysterio tags in Kofi Kingston, but Big Zeke manhandles both guys. Kofi remains in the ring and is working over Sheamus. Sheamus eventually hits the High Cross for the pin. Kofi Kingston is eliminated. The match is even now, 6-6. C.M. Punk and Mysterio are in now for their respective teams. Punk nearly gets Mysterio out of there, but no dice. He tags in Sheamus. Del Rio and Mysterio have some issues. Alberto throws Mysterio into the ringside barricade. Mysterio is taken to the back. Mysterio has not been eliminated yet, at least officially he hasn’t. Swagger and Morrison are lighting things up in the ring at the moment. Things wind up with Morrison hitting Swagger with the Starship Pain, setting up the pinfall. Jack Swagger is eliminated. 6-5 Raw. Sheamus and Reks are going back and forth. Sheamus hits the Borough Kick and pins him. Tyler Reks is eliminated. 6-4 for Raw now. Show and Sheamus are fighting on the floor. Both guys eventually get counted out. Big Show is eliminated. Sheamus is eliminated. 5-3, Raw. Edge hits R-Truth with a spear for a pin. R-Truth is eliminated. 4-3, Raw. Edge takes out Morrison next with the spear and a pinfall. John Morrison is eliminated. 3-3. CM Punk eliminated Alberto Del Rio. 3-2, Raw. Mysterio is finally making his way back to the match, attacking Del Rio during his exit. The Miz enters for the first time and stops Edge from tagging Rey. Edge could not get to Rey as Big Zeke, Punk and Miz continue to cut him off and beat on him. Eventually he does make the tag and Rey immediately goes to work. Rey is working over Punk now and ultimately hits the 6-1-9 and his slingshot splash for the pinfall. C.M. Punk is eliminated. 2-2. Mysterio hits another 6-1-9 on Big Zeke. He tries for the springboard follow-up but trips on the top rope. He still lands on top of Zeke and pins him. Ezekiel Jackson is eliminated. 2-1 Smackdown. The Miz comes in and nearly pins Mysterio after Riley took a 6-1-9 from him. Mysterio, however, manages to counter Miz’s Skull Crushing Finale and make the tag to Edge. Edge immediately spears Miz for the pinfall. The Miz is eliminated. Team Smackdown wins.
Winners: Team Smackdown
Nick’s Note: On the whole, this was a very entertaining match, and was solid from top to bottom. If anyone is confused as to why Team Smackdown won this bout with Edge and Rey being the last two "survivors," read an exclusive report we published last week that should shed some light. You can read the report if you CLICK HERE.
The problem with this bout was that other than the match itself, which as I said was a lot of fun, the Raw vs Smackdown "feud" is meaningless. Who can honestly say they cared which brand won this bout? I know I can’t. And the reason why is because absolutely nothing is at stake for the viewing audience. Sure, a trophy is at stake, but other than the two weeks leading up to Bragging Rights, the trophy isn’t mentioned at all during the year. And I guarantee after maybe this week on Smackdown, it won’t be metioned again until next year. So where’s the fan payoff to Smackdown winning this match?? There are no story line or future implications at stake in this bout. Why do we love the Royal Rumble match so much? Because in addition to it being a fun match, it has MAJOR WrestleMania implications as the winner goes on to headline the event.
Here’s an idea for how the Raw vs Smackdown match could be booked. In the weeks leading up to the PPV, the qualifying matches take place, as they have done the past 2 years. Once all 7 members of each team are determined, a battle royal is held on Raw featuring all 7 members of the team, and the winner of the Battle Royal becomes the team captain. The same thing happens on Smackdown with its team. This way the captain has to actually earn the right as opposed to being arbitrarily named the team captain. As far as the match at the PPV is concerned, instead of a fake trophy being at stake, give the bout Survivor Series implications. Whichever team wins the Elimination Match, that team’s captain gets a shot at his brand’s top title at Survivor Series. Now, not only does it actually mean something to be the team captain, but the audience actually cares who wins the match. Imagine the story line possibilities that could be set up when team captain The Miz, for example, demands that his team wrestle well at Bragging Rights so he can get a title shot. There’s a lot that can be done.
Continued on page six …
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
