Commentators: Scott Stanford, Josh Matthews & Matt Striker
Championship's roll call: WWE Champion: CM Punk… World Champion: Daniel Bryan… Intercontinental Champion: Cody Rhodes… United States Champion: Zack Ryder… Tag Team Champions: Air Boom… Diva's Champion: Beth Phoenix
Justin Gabriel vs. Heath Slater: Former Nexus, Corre and three-time tag champions going at it here; Gabriel links up with a side headlock. Slater escapes but Gabriel avoids a backdrop rolling over Heath's back and then flipping out of a hiptoss attempt to SWEEP THE LEG, for two. Gabriel arm drags into an armbar and works the arm until Slater punches him in the face; Gabriel comes back with a dropkick but he falls victim to a forearm to the back of the head. Slater takes over with kicks, stomps and a chinlock. Gabriel fights out again but gets caught in a sloppy stungun and cutting neckbreaker. Slater hits a back suplex for two and a backdrop, for two, as well; back to the drawing board (and the chinlock); at least he wrenches on it. Gabriel flips out of a back suplex attempt and mounts a comeback with kicks and a tip-over head scissors, sending Slater to the floor; Gabriel pounces with a no-hands flipping topé and then a springboard crossbody, back into the ring, for a nearfall. The STO sets up the 450 Splash but Slater recovers interferes with he setup. Heath tries to come off the second rope but lands on a Gabriel fist and then a stungun. Now the 450 Splash sends Slater home for the night with awesome camera angle. 4/10 Good to see Gabriel get a pinfall win; I fear that if the Wellness suspension hadn't occurred though, Slater would have won. Good back-and-forth match with some of the usual unique high flying moves from Gabriel.
Here is your winner… Justin Gabriel @ around 10:10 via 450 Splash pinfall.
Ezekiel Jackson vs. Hunico (w/Camacho): Well, our mystery compadre has a name now. Jackson looks weird with his hair growing in but it makes him look less generic, for some reason. Ezekiel starts the match off as he usually does pushing Hunico around and flooring him with shoulder tackles. He tries one push too many and Hunico is able to rebound dropkick him down. He tenaciously tries to sledge Jackson down but gets overpowered and military press-slammed; he clobbers Hunico in the corner with several clotheslines and then goes into the bodyslam series. Jackson signals for the end, which is usually a Torture Rack, but he looks to be setting up for a powerbomb; we never find out because Camacho hops up on the apron to distract him. Jackson, like the good idiot babyface, goes after him and allows Hunico to get a shot from behind… but Ezekiel shrugs it off and goozle tosses him into the corner; he charges but gets drop-toeheld into the buckles. Hunico capitalizes with a gunshot dropkick and a high-angle senton bomb and GETS A THREE COUNT! 3.5/10 Well it was kept short, which seems to be a pattern in Ezekiel Jackson matches (win or loss), but the victory is shocking, since the WWE usually always has the big guy beat the little guy. Jackson must be sliding down the WWE pecking order to lose to Hunico (who I like, from the little I've seen from him) who is new but barely pushed. I'd call this an upset.
Here is your winner… Hunico @ about 6:15 via high-angle senton bomb pinfall.
Alex Riley vs. Michael McGillicutty: I still think that McGillicutty should wear a bright colored singlet in honor of his father; especially because it will differentiate him from some of the other NXT duplicates. The feel each other out and exchange slaps and overhand wristlocks; Riley gets the final reversal, so McGillicutty retreats to the ropes, and kicks Riley's leg out; McGillicutty gets a little bit of fisticuffs offense in before Riley comes back with a hiptoss. He mounts the buckles for a ten-punch into a leaping reverse DDT. McGillicutty comes back with a clothesline (allegedly) and stomps the poo-poo out of Riley. He entangles him in the ropes and drops him on the back of his head with a hangman's neckbreaker, for two. McGillicutty applies a chinlock and rolls-through a reversal attempt to maintain it; he hits a running dropkick and then reapplies a chinlock. He forces Riley to the floor and then is so slow to come after him Riley is able to counter with a running knee as McGillicutty is coming through the ropes. Riley begins a comeback with clotheslines and spinebuster; Riley hoists him into the Final Score, formerly the A-Bomb (fireman's carry cutter), for the three. 2/10 Boring match that was dominated by McGillicutty offense, aka chinlocks, Riley gets the win because he is the only one who is moderately over; I still swear Curt Hennig's son is Dolph Ziggler not Michael McGillicutty.
Here is your winner… Alex Riley @ about 7:25 (which felt like 75:25) via Final Score pinfall.
Air Boom vs. Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks: Wow a Tyler Reks sighting! That used to be a STAPLE on Thursday nights earlier in 2011. Hawkins starts with Bourne, who is possibly the only WWE Superstar that makes Hawkins look like André the Giant; Bourne confounds him with speed and lassos him in a hurracanrana, no one in the WWE LASSOS someone into a hurracanrana quite like Evan Bourne, who was conspicuously missing from the ROH alum championship roll call which opened Raw this past Monday. Kingston tags and they double leapfrog into a dropkick for two. Curt gets a short knee in and tags in Reks, who immediately gets floored with a forearm; he is able to recover and slam Kofi and works him over… with knees and stomps. Hawkins, who has returned to the leather pants in recent months after wearing trunks for about thirty seconds, gets a few shots in off a tag and then quickly tags back out. Reks charges into a knee in the corner and Kofi dropkicks him. Bourne tags in for the stretch/stomp across the ropes and gets a couple of nearfalls; Air Boom works a double bulldog and Kofi looks for Trouble in Paradise but Reks retreats to the floor. BAD MOVE! Hawkins tries to back-jump Kingston but gets sent to the floor as well. Kingston and Bourne hit stereo crossbody blocks off the top. Back from break, Reks has taken over on Bourne with a seated keylock; he tries a bodyslam but Bourne slips over the back and kicks him in the face. Bourne, like an idiot tries to go up the buckles right near Hawkins, who distracts him long enough to allow Reks to clobber him with a boot. The heels take over and Hawkins hits a nice snap-suplex; Reks tags in for the brawling portion of the match and drops an elbow for two. Reks with a butterfly lock and then a gutwrench facebuster; Scott Stanford (who rules) seizes the opportunity to sneak in a congratulations to Broski Zack Ryder via former Edgehead connection. Bourne tries to comeback but Hawkins cuts him off with a whirling bodyslam. Reks comes back and does nothing of note and then eats a knee to the face; Bourne makes the hot tag to Kingston who enters via rolling clothesline and dropkicks. Hawkins manages to counter the S.O.S. and toss him into the corner; Kofi counters and hits a FLOATING springboard crossbody for two. The Boom Drop connects but then Reks breaks up Trouble in Paradise, grabbing Kofi's foot. Kingston kicks him away and hits the S.O.S. but Reks breaks the pinfall up. Evan runs in and takes Reks out; he kicks Hawkins from the apron who recoils into Trouble in Paradise; Bourne next finishes off Curt with Air Bourne. 5.5/10 Decent main event that was a no doubter who the winner is. Usual Air Boom match but they are gelling well as a team; their earlier matches together were carbon copies of each other, now they at least have different heat segments.
Here are your winners… Air Boom @ approx. 11:30 via Air Bourne pinfall.
OVERALL 4/10 Well, there were a few matches, four to be exact, which is good; the only problem with this show is a chinlock from Michael McGillicutty, otherwise it's perfectly acceptable lower tier professional wrestling action.
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