The NLCS may start tonight but with a show featuring CM Punk battling John Morrison, that won’t stop the action on WWE Superstars on WGN from being must-see-TV!
Mark Henry vs. Chris Masters: This match is to determine the final spot on “Team Raw†for the brand versus brand tag-team match at Bragging Rights. The first lock-up ends in a stalemate and some posing by Masters. The next three attempts all go Henry’s way and Chris takes a break outside the ring to regroup. Once he returns to the ring he fares no better as he eats a clothesline and Henry locks in a nerve hold. Masters bails to the outside again and is able to drop Henry throat first on the top rope. However he then tries to follow that with an ill-advised sunset flip attempt and Mark restarts his attack. Chris again tries to go outside the ring to take a breather but this time Henry follows him. But Masters is finally able to get a big move in as he sends his opponent into the ring post and the show to a commercial break.
We return to action with Henry back in control with Masters locked in a bearhug. But Chris is able to get some distance and starts to target the heavily wrapped and previously injured left knee of Mark Henry. After flooring the big man a few times, Masters tries to lock in his finisher but Henry is just too wide so he restarts his assault on the knee. Henry kicks out of a leg submission attempt and begins a comeback with a series of strikes. Mark goes for his finisher but the knee is unable to take the strain and Masters slips out. Chris tries an attack off the ropes and that gives Henry the extra lift he needed to catch him with the World’s Strongest Slam and pick-up the pinfall victory.
Tommy Dreamer vs. Vladimir Kozlov: Ezekiel Jackson accompanies Kozlov to ringside but we are not graced with the presence of William Regal. The match goes back and forth for a bit with Kozlov being over powering but Tommy getting his shots in when the Russian pauses to celebrate or otherwise delays his attack. Tommy dodges an attack near the ropes and Vlad goes sprawling out of the ring near Jackson. Dreamer hits them both with a baseball slide and tries to follow with an attack off the ring apron but hits nothing but announce table as the big men easily get out of the way. Back in side the ring Kozlov begins to assault the injured elbow and Striker turns into Doogie Howser to explain the injury and the attack against it.
After having his elbow tortured for awhile Dreamer is able to dodge an attack to the corner that sends Kozlov into the post shoulder first. You ever notice that most ECW matches seem to end up with Striker doing 75% of the commentary? Tommy nails a clothesline from the top-rope then takes things back to the corner for a count-along punch fest but Vladimir pushes him off to the outside of the apron. But Dreamer is able to turn that into a stunner off the top rope and Kozlov is checked on by the ref. Tommy is still on the ring apron and Jackson takes advantage of the ref turning his back to get a shot in on his injured elbow. Kozlov follows that with a running headbutt and then hits his finisher for the win. Post match, Jackson also nails his finisher on Dreamer and both men stand tall over the ECW original.
The Superstar video package of the week is for Jack Swagger. Todd Grisham then reminds us how important Raw is by telling us all about John Cena and Randy Orton’s big match at Bragging Rights. Since JR was not at the tapings this week, Todd Grisham needs an announce partner and that brings the Miz out to assist him.
CM Punk vs. Intercontinental Champion John Morrison: From ECW to Raw to Smackdown these two have had quite a rivalry filled with some excellent matches most of which have been on free TV. Miz says he likes Punk because he knows exactly who he is and isn’t a poser like Morrison. As Punk and Morrison lock-up, Todd asks him who he predicts will win this match and Miz talks about himself instead. The action is sort of a stalemate to begin before Punk takes things into the corner and gets in a few low kicks. But Morrison quickly rebounds by stopping an attack off the ropes and hits a flapjack and hits his standing shooting-star for a two count. John tries to follow that by controlling things on the mat but Punk soon fights out of it and is able to dump him outside of the ring and the program goes to a break.
When we return to live taped action, Punk has Morrison down on the mat and locked in a body scissors. We get a replay of action from the break that shows Punk dropping John on the ringsteps with a forward vertical suplex. Punk hits a flapjack toss that sends John outside of the ring and Punk allows the ref to count instead of following him out. As he tries to return to the ring Punk attempts to suplex him in but Morrison reverses into a sunset-flip but it only gets a count of two. Punk quickly returns to the attack with a running knee and locks on a submission hold. John makes the big comeback by winning a slugfest and following with a flying kick. Punk makes a sweet reversal of a suplex attempt into a suplex of his own and gets a 2.7 count as a result.
Punk nails the high knee in the corner but cannot hit the bulldog. Morrison follows with a knee off the ropes and that gets a long two count. John slams Punk and goes up for Starship Pain but Punk is up quickly and stops it. They battle on the top rope before Morrison slugs his foe down and he again looks to hit his finisher. But Miz slides into the ring and kicks Punk causing a DQ loss for Morrison. I really like him causing the DQ that way instead of giving Morrison a win by attacking him. Why give the guy you are feuding with a win just to get a shot in when you can cause him to lose a big match instead? Miz retreats up the ramp to pose with his title and Morrison shows poor sportsmanship by hitting another kick to Punk as our show ends
