Rating system: penalty (bad), audit (average), deduction (good), and return (excellent)
Event Details:
Location: The Davis Arena in Louisville, Kentucky
Hosts: Dean Hill and Kenny Bowlin
-Video package is shown of the KC James/Aaron “The Idol” Stevens-Roadkill/Cody Runnels backstage confrontation from last week
-OVW Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and TV Champion Seth Skyfire are backstage and Punk challenges OVW Southern Tag Team Champions Neighborhoodie and Shad Gaspard to a Triple Crown match (title for title) at the Kentucky Kingdom show on July 28th. However, Deuce & Domino with Cherry interrupts him and they say they are the #1 contenders for the tag team championships because they beat Neighborhoodie and Gaspard last week. The segment ends with both sides agreeing to face off later in the evening with the winner facing Neighborhoodie & Gaspard at the July 28th show.
–Pat Rock vs. Charles “The Hammer” Evans:
Lockup to start and Evans shoves Rock’s face into the canvas. Evans is scheduled to face off with Jerry “the King” Lawler on July 28th and Hill and Bowlin discuss that for most of the match. Rock tries to take down Evans from behind but gets an elbow to the face and Evans gets a snapmare. However, Rock moves out of the way with a fistdrop and fires away briefly with some European uppercuts. A run of the ropes by Rock, though, gets him a Polish hammer to the stomach and Evans applies an armbar. Evans does some slams while having the armbar attached and then shoves Rock’s back into the turnbuckles from a powerslam position and hits Hammer Time for the pin at 1:40.
MATCH RATING: PENALTY. Simple squash here that is meant to put over Evans for his match with Lawler.
-Jerry “the King” Lawler cuts a really sloppy promo on Evans and about the July 28th show. He stumbles throughout it and he compares the Kentucky Kingdom show to the Louisville Gardens but I am just not buying it. More enthusiasm would have helped this promo a lot.
-Elijah Burke says that the Miz and Ronnie disrespected him last week by spitting in his face and challenges the Miz to a loser leaves town match at the July 28th show.
–Elijah Burke (w/Torrie) vs. “Bad Seed” John Osborne:
Osborne attacks Burke from behind when he holds the ropes for Torrie to exit the ring to start but Burke rallies with some knife-edge chops. Osborne kicks Burke when he ducks his head on a whip and hits a quick clothesline for one. Osborne slugs away but Burke quickly fires back with fists of his own only to get kneed in the gut. Osborne slaps Burke on the chest but Burke ducks a clothesline and gets a flying shoulderblock off the ropes. Three big fists by Burke and he hits Osborne with a flying forearm. Dusty elbows by Burke and after a really contrived spot where Osborne catches Burke’s foot and whips him into the ropes, Burke hits the Experience of a Lifetime for the win at 2:15.
MATCH RATING: PENALTY. I did not like this match at all. Some people I know are big on Burke and compare him to Shelton Benjamin but I just do not see it especially in this match which was a big “punch-kick” affair.
-The Miz and Ronnie appear on Miz TV and he says that he will accept Burke’s challenge of a handicap match versus both of them in a loser leaves town match for July 28th. I just CANNOT for the life of me get into this guy probably because of his constant yelling and RIDICULOUS hair cut.
-Vignette concerning the man in the woods is aired for the third consecutive week that I have been reviewing. I really want to see this guy wrestle because I find this gimmick to be funny with the whole “momma” bits. Hell, with the depleted roster on Smackdown! they might as well send this guy over there.
-Johnny and Mikey of the Spirit Squad address the heels in the locker room and say that when they go out there tonight not to let anyone through the curtain. Remember this because it is important later.
–KC James vs. Cody Runnels:
James hits a knee out of a lockup to start and takes the battle to the canvas with a headscissors before releasing it. James goes behind Runnels out of another lockup and proceeds to dump him on the canvas. Third lockup attempted by Runnels and this time he gets a schoolboy for one. Fourth lockup sees James get a slam and then a hiptoss. Nice series there. James hits an elbowdrop and struts like he is Jeff Jarrett. James gets an arm ringer and tries a hiptoss off the ropes but Runnels reverses to one of his own. Runnels hits a slam and two elbowdrops. James pushes Runnels into the corner and tries to unload but Runnels fights back. However, a Runnels whip into the corner is turned into a short-arm clothesline. James hits a suplex for two. James rakes the eyes and whips Runnels into the corner before hitting a sidewalk slam. James goes to the second rope but a fistdrop misses and he SELLS IT? Your not supposed to sell a fistdrop if it misses! However, I will forgive it because this match is proceeding at a good pace.
Runnels unloads with fists and hits two dropkicks. Runnels hits a backdrop as Aaron “the Idol” Stevens comes to ringside. Runnels runs the ropes and Stevens trips up Runnels causing him to hit the mat face first and James covers for two and three quarters. Runnels floats over on a side suplex attempt from James and locks in a sleeper so Stevens gives it a few seconds before running in to cause the disqualification at 4:40. James and Stevens beat on Runnels until Roadkill comes out and makes the heels run away. Roadkill then gets on the mic and challenges James and Stevens to a tag team match on July 28th.
MATCH RATING: DEDUCTION. Good five minute matchup between these two and they have a lot of chemistry in the ring. This would have been a regular audit but neither guy slowed down for the five minutes involved in the match and that made it fast paced and fun to watch.
-Eugene cuts a promo against “Iron Man” Rob Conway. He says that he will be fighting on July 27th at Providence High School and then face Conway on July 28th at Kentucky Kingdom. He puts over the Kentucky fans.
–T.J. Dalton vs. Simon Dean:
Lockup to start and Dalton gets an arm ringer. Dean uses the hair to take Dalton down and the referee DOES NOTHING?!? That is not really fair. Dalton flips around Dean for a while until tieing him up in a schoolboy that Dean messes the fall up on for one. Dean pushes Dalton against the ropes when tied in an arm ringer and then gives him a headbutt to the stomach when Dalton expects a break. Dean pounds away, takes Dalton to the buckle twice, and then gives him a clothesline from the apron. Dean stomps and uses a monkey flip position to throw Dalton into the corner. Dean applies a standing front facelock and Dalton uses fists and elbows to the cut to fight out. Dalton unloads and gets a flying forearm. Dalton punches and kicks but gets caught when he tries to slide under Dean off the ropes and Dean hits the Turb stomp for the finish at 3:06. The camera angle they chose for that made that move look absolutely devastating so props to them for that.
MATCH RATING: PENALTY. Another squash on the agenda tonight and this was pretty limited in what it showcased from Dean.
-Al Snow is with Maria (which makes me smile) and he is with Head. He rants against Simon Dean and gets a really good promo about how Dean cannot be saved from his wrath. I might also add that when he cuts his promo he has his arm around Maria so when he lunges at the camera several times Maria nearly falls over as she has to lunge too. Snow says that in the tag team strap match on July 28th he is choosing Brent Albright as his partner and does not care who Simon Dean chooses for his. Back in the ring, Dean says that he will not tell the crowd who is partner will be and they will have to come to Six Flags to find out.
-Maria interviews “Iron Man” Rob Conway and he cuts a promo against Eugene. He says he will beat Eugene at Providence High School on July 27th and then if there is anything left he will beat him at Kentucky Kingdom on July 28th.
–#1 Contenders Match for the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship: Deuce & Domino (w/Cherry) vs. CM Punk (OVW Heavyweight Champion) & Seth Skyfire (TV Champion):
As was stated at the beginning of this report, the winner faces Neighborhoodie & Shad Gaspard for the OVW Southern Tag Team Championships at the Kentucky Kingdom show on July 28th. No Shelly with Skyfire this evening so I am not quite sure what is up with that. Skyfire and Deuce start and Skyfire uses his speed to move around Deuce and get a schoolboy for zero. Skyfire and Deuce do some reversal sequences that end up in Deuce rollup for two and a Skyfire reverse for two. Both men flip around and Deuce goes to the corner to chat with Domino before tagging him in. Skyfire nails Domino with a drop toe hold, whips him into the corner, and monkeyflips him out of it after tagging Punk. Punk kicks Domino in the back as he is sitting on the canvas for two and hooks in a headlock. Blind tag made by Skyfire and Punk goes between Domino’s legs so that when he turns around to look at Punk he gets hit with a top rope crossbody from Skyfire for two. Bowlin argues that it is unfair to Deuce and Domino that they have to wrestle for something they have already earned and I cannot really say that I disagree.
Skyfire gets a snapmare and Punk comes in to get a two count. Domino pushes Punk into the corner and they engage in a slugfest that Punk wins. Punk intercepts Deuce when he tries to ambush him from behind and whips him into the opposite corner. Punk gets a running kneelift against the corner to Deuce and a blind charge to the corner where Domino in gets him backdropped over the top rope but Punk lands on his feet and nails Domino with a forearm. Deuce comes over and gets kicked in the face from the apron. However, when Punk tries to springboard back into the ring on Domino he gets slammed off the ropes for two. Tag Deuce and he hits a backbreaker for two. He should have hooked the leg on that cover. Punk gets a neckbreaker when Deuce puts his head down on a whip but Domino gets tagged in first and he cuts off Punk’s tag to Skyfire. Domino hits a slam and gets a weird kneedrop for two. Tag Deuce and Domino whips Punk into a Deuce high dropkick for two before Skyfire interrupts.
Deuce applies a front facelock and we go to commercial. When we return Punk is pounding Deuce but gets tripped up before he can tag Skyfire and Deuce briefly applies a reverse chinlock. Tag Domino and he hits Punk with a top rope axehandle as Deuce holds Punk in place for two. Domino grounds Punk’s face into his knee and tags in Deuce. Deuce chokes Punk with his boot and then distracts the referee as Domino chokes Punk on the bottom rope and that ends up getting two. Deuce goes back to a reverse chinlock but Punk fights out with some elbows. However, Deuce briefly grounds Punk with a club to the back and then knocks Skyfire off the apron. Punk backdrops Deuce for the double KO but since Skyfire got knocked off the apron he cannot tag in and Deuce tags in Domino and he cuts off Punk before Skyfire can get back on the apron.
Domino uses a snapmare to get a two-count. Tag Deuce and after a snapmare he hits Punk with the team’s finishing knee to the face off the ropes (although this time it is a boot to the face) but Skyfire breaks up the cover before a pin can be counted. Tag Domino and he whips Punk into the corner. However, Punk puts on the breaks, nails Deuce who is on the apron, and then kicks Domino when he comes up behind him. Punk hits a top rope reverse forearm on Domino (although it looks like it was meant to be a bodypress and he overshot it) and we have double KO #2. Momentum swinging tag to Skyfire as Domino tags in Deuce and Skyfire unloads with clotheslines. Deuce gets a Malenko dropkick off the ropes and Domino gets treated with a spinning heel kick off the ropes. Deuce tries to reverse a whip into the corner into a short-arm clothesline but Skyfire ducks, runs to the opposite corner, and manages to hit his spinning kick off the top rope on Deuce when he charges in for two before Domino interrupts.
We get a four-way brawl with Punk throwing Domino to the floor. However, when Punk tries a pescado, Cherry pulls Domino out of the way and Punk goes splat on the arena floor. Meanwhile in the ring, Deuce hits Skyfire with a cool looking faceplant variation only to have Neighborhoodie come to ringside, get on the apron and distract the referee. After all, Neighborhoodie & Gaspard want Punk & Skyfire to win because it gives them a shot at the OVW Heavyweight and TV Championships. Domino goes over to argue with Neighborhoodie and that leaves Deuce vulnerable to Gaspard who sneaks under the bottom rope and blasts Deuce with his tag team belt and then puts Skyfire’s hand on top of Deuce which gets the pin at 11:31 as Domino chases Neighborhoodie to the backstage area. I hate to be picky but Skyfire’s shoulders were also on the mat even with his hand on Deuce’s body so that would technically mean that we just saw a double-pin. Oh well, whatever.
MATCH RATING: DEDUCTION. Good tag match here that followed the simple tag team formula. The only thing missing was a little psychology to make viewers believe that Punk was in danger several times of getting pinned which was lacking. Third straight week OVW has delivered big in the last match of the night.
-Main Event Promo Segment: “Dangerous” Danny Davis comes out and thanks the fans for their support. However, before he can announce a special match for July 29th at Kentucky Kingdom he gets assaulted by the Spirit Squad’s Johnny and Mikey. They end the beat down by smashing in Davis’s head with a vicious chair shot and Mikey nails Davis on the back three times with a chair. It will be interesting to see where this is going. Would have been cool if Davis had bladed but I am not sure if OVW has a prohibition on that thing with its TV shows. Dean Hill also sounded really lame on commentary lamenting the beating to J.R. ridiculous levels.
FINAL EVALUATION: This show definitely had its ups and downs and probably would have gotten a bad rating from me if the tag team match had been average. Good promotion for the July 28th show at Kentucky Kingdom and I am intrigued to see where the whole Davis-Spirit Squad angle is going to go.
