The rookies from the first season of WWE's new developmental gameshow NXT invaded a Raw main event between John Cena and CM Punk back in June. They destroyed not just Cena and Punk but the ringside area and non-wrestling staff in the vicinity also took a beating. Wade Barrett leads his Nexus team-mates Skip Sheffield, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, Michael Tarver, Darren Young and David Otunga against John Cena's Team WWE comprising of himself, Bret Hart, R-Truth, Chris Jericho, Edge, John Morrison and a mystery partner due to the original partner, The Great Khali was injured 2nd July by the Nexus. The Miz offered himself as the substitute but wouldn't commit until the event tonight. Even cutting an awesome promo before the WWE Championship match between Sheamus and Randy Orton burying his could-be team mates before agreeing to join up.
Jerry “The King” Lawler, Michael Cole and Matt Striker are on commentary for this match. The Nexus join as a unit, lead by Wade Barrett. They have one of the best WWE theme tunes I've ever heard. Team WWE's leader John Cena enters first, followed in order by Edge, R-Truth, Chris Jericho, John Morrison, Bret Hart and finally The Miz. Cena cuts Miz off though, saying he couldn't wait for The Miz to make a decision, Team WWE needed a reliable seventh member and they went out and got one. Daniel Bryan!
TEAM NEXUS VS. TEAM WWE (STIPULATION/CHAMPIONSHIP)
WWE Summerslam (15th August 2010)
The crowd goes insane for Bryan's introduction as Team WWE storm the ring and Striker exclaims The American Dragon has come to Team WWE in a cool call. The Nexus are cleared from the ring, and as they regroup on the outside Cole points out this could be a plan from The Nexus. Daniel Bryan starts for Team WWE as order is finally called in this match, Darren Young will be NXT's starter. This was at the point where Michael Cole would just bury Bryan on commentary, talking about him wrestling on the “minor leagues” for 10 years. Darren Young gets the early advantage with clubbing blows, but Bryan reverses an irish whip and Young goes over from a kitchen sink. Bryan kicks at Darren Young's back and ribs, forcing him into the corner, Young reverses an irish whip but Daniel Bryan avoids the corner and jumps into a guillotine on Darren Young. Young drops to the mat allowing Bryan to apply a crossface and Young taps out.
Justin Gabriel is legal for Nexus now, he misses a clothesline and Bryan kicks him in the corner, Bryan tags out to Jericho, who sends Gabriel across the ring knocking him down with a back elbow. Jericho quickly tags out to R-Truth who goes at Gabriel with boots and right hands in the corner, Gabriel sends R-Truth into the corner but he holds on to the rope and floats over, he does the splits to avoid a clothesline and hits a spinning heel kick, following up with a suplex into a stunner for a nearfall. R-Truth stares out The Nexus, giving Gabriel a chance to fight back to his corner with kicks. He holds R-Truth in a front facelock as Michael Tarver tags in. Tarver is able to box R-Truth into the corner and powerfully sends him across the ring. R-Truth avoids the charge and dives to tag in Morrison. Morrison ducks a right hand, hitting one of his own and he knocks Tarver down with a dropkick. Morrison hits a jumping calf kick to the jaw and Tarver is sent into the top turnbuckle and Morrison hits a springboard kick to Tarver's jaw and eliminates him with Starship Pain.
The Nexus regroups on the outside, being 2 men down to a full Team WWE. Wade Barrett tries to get his team back into this match and Skip Sheffield decides to enter the match next. Sheffield (the future Ryback) locks up with Morrison and shoves him across the ring. Morrison goes right back to it but is shoved down face first this time. Morrison slaps Sheffield and gets some strikes in, but Sheffield plants his feet on the irish whip attempt, slamming Morrison into the mat. Sheffield sends Morrison across the ring with force, then back across the other way as R-Truth plays cheerleader from the apron. Skip Sheffield suplexes Morrison over as the fans chant for Bret. Sheffield hits a pair of vertical suplexes and covers. Morrison kicks out at 2 but even that affects his back. John Morrison is able to fight back with lefts and rights as he gets to his feet, but Justin Gabriel kicks him in the back of the head from the apron as he picks up some speed. Sheffield runs through Morrison with a clothesline and covers. 1-2-3. R-Truth is legal now, taking it to Sheffield. R-Truth misses the ax kick and that's enough for Sheffield to eliminate him with a clothesline too.
Jericho enters the match, taking it to Sheffield. Skip Sheffield avoids an irish whip and lifts Jericho overhead before awkwardly dropping him. It didn't look pretty, but not particularly dangerous either. Skip Sheffield tags out to Barrett, who kicks at Jericho in the corner before quickly tagging back out to David Otunga, as to not use up too much energy too quickly. Otunga does his bit, keeping Jericho isolated before tagging back out to his leader. Barrett was Jericho's rookie in NXT and he pulls back at Jericho's shoulders. Jericho starts to turn out of the hold but Barrett knees him in the gut. Jericho gets sent into the corner but gets his boot up just in time before knocking Barrett down with a missile dropkick from the middle rope. John Cena and Bret Hart both look desperate to get in the match. Chris Jericho tags out to Hart as we see Heath Slater got the tag for Team Nexus. Bret attacks Slater with right hands and a mounted 10-punch in the corner before grinding his face over the top rope. Michael Cole loses any milligram of credibility as he says this could be Bret Hart's biggest Summerslam moment in his career.
Heath Slater takes a right hand, knocking him back into the ropes and is sent across the ring. Bret hits him with a punch to the ribs and he hits a falling elbow drop. The Hitman slams Slater to the mat for another elbow drop and hits an inverted atomic drop. Bret Hart turns Slater over for a sharpshooter, and Barrett throws a chair in the ring. Bret Hart releases the sharpshooter attacking Skip Sheffield with the chair, causing in his elimination. Chris Jericho enters the match for team WWE and Sheffield is now somehow the legal man. Jericho hits a Codebreaker on Sheffield and brings Edge into the match. Edge eliminates Skip Sheffield with a spear. Justin Gabriel runs into a big boot and Edge hits him with a right hand. Gabriel boots at Edge from the corner, but Edge rains down on him with right hands. Gabriel is sent across the ring and Edge follows with a running shoulder barge. Edge gives Gabriel a return ticket, but he runs into Gabriel's elbow. Gabriel runs into a flapjack and Edge covers but only gets 2.
Edge sends Gabriel across the ring again, but Gabriel rolls over his back and knocks him down with a spin kick. Gabriel covers but can only get a nearfall, so he tags out to Heath Slator. Slator boots Edge on the mat and chokes him on the second rope. Barrett gets a cheapshot in from the apron behind the referee's back. Heath Slator shoves Edge out of the ring under the bottom rope, but his Nexus team mates can't take advantage. Slator hits Edge with right hands as he returns to the ring, ramming his head into the top turnbuckle in Nexus' corner and tagging out to his leader. Barrett keeps Edge in Nexus' half of the ring, and chokes him in the ropes. Edge drops to the mat as the referee warns Barrett off. Gabriel stands on Edge's throat on the mat! Wade Barrett sends Edge into the corner again, and across the ring. Edge stumbles out of the corner into a backbreaker. Wade Barrett covers, hooking the far leg but Edge still gets his shoulder up after 2. Wade Barrett applies a chinlock on the mat.
Edge fights his way to his feet and separates himself from Barrett, picking up some momentum with a leg lariat. Edge tries to capitalise with his elevated DDT but Barrett spins out of it. Dropping Edge with a neckbreaker and tagging out to Otunga. Otunga brings Edge to his feet but Edge blocks a slam, planting Otunga with the elevated DDT. Edge crawls to make the tag to Jericho who knocks Otunga down with shoulder blocks. Otunga reverses an irish whip but ducks too early. At this point Otunga was just Jennifer Hudson's beau who went to Harvard. The more things change the more they stay the same... Jericho hits his running bulldog and an impressibe Lionsault across the ring. Chris Jericho stumbles Otunga into a Walls of Jericho, and it's enough to give Team WWE a 4-3 advantage. Jericho cuts off Heath Slator as he charges into the ring, sending him out to the floor and sending him into the announce table. Jericho throws Slator back into the ring and hits a flying back elbow from the top. Heath Slator avoids the bulldog, and Jericho knocks Cena off the apron! Slator takes advantage and eliminates Chris Jericho in the commotion.
Edge and John Cena argue as to who should be next as Daniel Bryan tries to keep the team together from the apron. Cena lets Edge get his own way after a shove, but Slator knocks Edge into Cena as he gets on the apron and rolls him up for another quick elimination! Edge spears Cena through the ropes and Jericho kicks him in the ribs. Jericho and Edge leave unhappy with their eliminations, blaming Cena. Daniel Bryan goes to check on Cena, which doesn't please Slator. Michael Cole calls Daniel Bryan “inexperienced” which really pisses me off. The referee gets Bryan to his corner and Justin Gabriel throws Cena in the ring behind the referee's back. Slator beats Cena into Nexus' corner and rains right hands down on him. The referee backs him off allowing Wade Barrett to get a cheap shot in. Slator tags out to Barrett and The Nexus make the most of the 5-count they're allowed before Barrett wears on Cena with jabs. Barrett sends Cena sternum-first into the corner, following him with a boot to the back. Cena crawls to his feet on the apron and Daniel Bryan gets the fans behind Cena. Cena hits Barrett with a right hand and boots Gabriel but runs into a clothesline by Barrett. Barrett covers for a nearfall
Justin Gabriel is tagged in for Nexus, keeping each man fresh in the match. Gabriel stalks Cena with boots to the face, before grabbing a front facelock on the mat. Gabriel gets control of Cena's left arm, but Cena gets to his feet, he lifts Gabriel for the Attitude Adjustment! Gabriel slips out countering with a DDT! Gabriel boots Cena one last time before bringing Barrett back in for more fisticuffs. Cena gets a few shots in but Barrett reverses an irish whip catching Cena with a sidewalk slam. John Cena blocks a suplex, bringing Barrett over instead. Barrett is closest to his corner and tags out to Heath Slator. Slator gets himself between Cena and Bryan, taking Cena across the ring to the corner. Slator sends Cena across the ring hard, and he drops to the mat. Slator sends him back the other waty but this time Cena explodes back ut of the corner, and they both go down on a double clothesline. Slator holds on to Cena's ankle, keeping him from Bryan. Cena gets to his one good leg and dives for the tag!
Daniel Bryan is in like a house on fire! He knocks Gabriel off the apron before booting Slator in the face. Daniel Bryan sends Slator across the ring with a german suplex and a running dropkick puts him into the corner. Striker's screaming for the Cattle Mutilation and that makes me sad that he wouldn't use it much in WWE. Daniel fires kicks at Slator's chest in the corner. Slator reverses an irish whip but Bryan runs up the ropes and backflips over. Bryan knocks Slator down with a jumping clothesline. Slator rolls out of the ring and Bryan dives through the ropes into Slator as we see Cena recovering on the outside. Bryan throws Slator back in the ring, knocking him down with a dropkick from the top rope. Bryan kips up! Daniel Bryan knocks both other members of the Nexus from the apron and clips Slator's knee with a basement dropkick. Slater ducks a kick and rolls Bryan up! Bryan rolls through and locks in the crossface. Slater has no choice but to tap. Bryan stares at Barrett and Gabriel, urging them both to enter the match. The Miz is here! He lays Bryan out with the Money in the Bank briefcase! Barrett takes the cheap elimination covering Bryan.
John Cena is still down on the floor, and the last man left. Barrett brings Cena into the ring but doesn't cover, deciding to play with Cena more. Justin Gabriel gets a quick tag and squashes Cena in the corner with a running cross body. Cena finds a second wind avoiding a clothesline and knocking Gabriel down with shoulder blocks. The Protobomb puts Gabriel down, and a Five Knuckle Shuffle brings him back to his feet. Cena lifts Gabriel for an Attitude Adjustment but Barrett gets a blind tag! Barret knocks Cena down with a right hand and lays in mounted rights on the mat. Cena takes more punishment in Nexus' corner with Barrett and Gabriel tagging in and out before Barrett knocks Cena out of the ring with a big boot. Barrett and Gabriel lift the protective mats from ringside and Barrett DDTs Cena on the floor. It takes long enough to negate all the “you can be eliminated by count out” spiel the commentators have been filling our heads with.
Barrett finally throws Cena back in the ring as a slight “let's go Cena” chant begins. Barrett positions Cena and tags out to Gabriel, giving him his orders. Justin Gabriel climbs to the top rope, staring at Cena in a trance. 450 splash misses! Cena quickly covers Gabriel and it's Captain vs. Captain remaining. Wade Barrett's reaction is all of us.....
Wade Barrett is trapped immediately in the STF, he struggles but inevitably taps out.
WINNER: TEAM WWE (JOHN CENA; SOLE SURVIVOR)
The first thing is this match is that it surprised me how much Heath Slater got in the match, there were times where he really showed potential as a talent. Otunga and Tarver were there to make up the numbers really and Bret Hart in 2010 isn't something I (or anyone) need to see. The Miz taking out Daniel Bryan was the only way of taking Bryan out of the match without invoking a riot and a mass refund, and it worked really well. Fuck Justin Gabriel's elimination. That guy had so much potential and was one of the bigger stars they could have made from the Nexus work. Instead, they have him miss a move they've put over as a killer (Cole even did it as Gabriel climbed the ropes!) and gets rolled up quickly!? FUCK THAT. Wade Barrett worked well as the leader letting all of his team mates take on the bulk of the work, coming in when his opponent was weakened. – WORKRATE: 3.5/5 PERSONAL ENJOYMENT 3.25/5 OVERALL 6.75/10
A very late post today, but just in time. Tomorrow I'll be looking at Wade Barrett of Team Nexus taking on Daniel Bryan from Team WWE in a 1 on 1 match at Summerslam 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment