[AWE] Unlimited Class Wrestling!

[tommybrownell]

Ford Center
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
10832 / 20817
Your commentators are Jim Ross, Jesse Ventura, and General Skandor Akbar!

Ross, Ventura and Akbar welcome fans to the inaugural event for Unlimited Class Wrestling! Tonight, UCW President Bill Watts will make a HUGE announcement regarding the main event! But first, we have tag team action underway! Akbar said he was at the show tonight to scout the talent!

John Morrison and The Miz head to the ring, led by the lovely Melina! Morrison and Miz completely disrespect the hillbillies in attendance and say they are ready for anyone! So bring their opponents out!

Kofi Kingston comes to the ring and announces that his partner, Evan Bourne, is running late to the arena...but he'll take on both men by himself! The crowd erupts when STING heads to the ring and tells Kofi that tonight, he doesn't have to fight alone...and it's SHOWTIME for the A-List!

THE A-LIST vs KOFI KINGSTON & STING

Sting looked dominant against Morrison and Miz, but he and Kofi were clearly out of sync, having never teamed before. Late in the match, Morrison and Miz sent Kofi and Sting into each other, and Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale setting up the Starship Pain, a combination known as The Final Curtain!

The A-List (John Morrison & The Miz) defeated Kofi Kingston & Sting when John Morrison beat Sting with the The Final Curtain in 9:21.
Match rating: *** ¼

The no-nonsense Frank Gotch hit the ring, taking on the crowd pleasing Koko B. Ware!

FRANK GOTCH vs KOKO B. WARE

This was never really in doubt, as Koko was out maneuvered every step of the way. Gotch did suffer a brutal spill out of the ring on a dropkick, but managed to roll Koko up when they hit the ring.

Frank Gotch defeated Koko B. Ware in 4:04
Match rating: ** ¾

Gotch struggled back to the locker room.

Frank Gotch suffered a cracked sternum. Doctors are saying that it should heal in 4 months.

Mr. Fuji and Kato led Tanaka to the ring...to take on the Native Warrior Tatanka!

TANAKA vs TATANKA

Tanaka got the upper hand with help from his partner and his manager, but Tatanka was too much for the tag specialist and managed to put him away!

Tatanka defeated Tanaka in 6:15
Match rating: ** ½

North American Title Announcement:
Pamela Paulshock interviews Bill Watts, who announces a battle royal to crown the first ever North American Champion! He then announces that next week, a tournament will begin to crown the first ever Tag Team Champions!
Rating: $$ ½

Brodus Clay stomped to the ring and looked menacing as he awaited the fan favorite Ricky Steamboat!

BRODUS CLAY vs RICKY "THE DRAGON" STEAMBOAT

Steamboat almost immediately stunned Clay with a roll-up for the win!

Rick Steamboat defeated Brodus Clay in 1:14
Match rating: * ½

Clay threw a tantrum after the match and brutally assaulted Steamboat! Watts led security to the ring and ordered Clay restrained!

As the ring introductions began for the battle royal for the North American title, Watts announced that Brodus Clay had been removed from the building...and thus from the match!

John Morrison won a battle royal in 78:77.
- Tatanka eliminated Jack Swagger at 0:01.

Swagger was FURIOUS at his instantaneous elimination! But he manage to slip back in the ring before the refs caught it, leading to a chorus of boos!

- Kaos eliminated Disco Inferno at 10:07.
- Evan Bourne eliminated Koko B. Ware at 14:11.

Evan Bourne made it to the battle royal and made his mark!

- Kaos eliminated Steve Williams at 18:13.
- The Miz eliminated Ted DiBiase at 22:22.

Stunning eliminations for two heavy favorites!

- Lex Luger eliminated Kato at 28:26.
- Evan Bourne eliminated Berlyn at 28:34.
- Kofi Kingston eliminated Evan Bourne at 37:35.

Kofi accidentally nailed Evan while trying to hit the Miz, knocking him off the top rope and to the floor!

- Kofi Kingston eliminated Jack Swagger at 38:43.
- Kaos eliminated Rage at 45:45.

Another tag team nearly explode over a title!

- Kofi Kingston eliminated Lex Luger at 51:46.
- John Morrison eliminated The Miz at 55:51.

Morrison nearly got eliminated, apologizing to Miz for accidentally dumping him out of the ring!

- Kaos eliminated Tatanka at 57:53.
- John Morrison eliminated Tanaka at 59:63.
- Frank Gotch eliminated Sting at 63:65.

Gotch, ribs heavily taped, was laying in wait to eliminate Sting!

- Rick Steamboat eliminated Kaos at 73:66.
- Kofi Kingston eliminated Rick Steamboat at 75:71.

Gotch, still completely fresh, jumped Kofi right after this elimination!

- Kofi Kingston eliminated Frank Gotch at 78:72.

Kofi rebounded however, but it was short lived...

- John Morrison eliminated Kofi Kingston at 78:77.
(John Morrison won the vacant UCW North American Title.)
Match rating: ** ½

What a stunner! Even Morrison seemed surprised by the outcome! Melina celebrated with Morrison as he was crowned the first ever North American Champion!!

Overall card rating: ** ½

No Shows:
Evan Bourne
Brodus Clay

[JoshiQ]

Unlimited Class? I'll be the judge of that!

We must be getting the TNA version of Sting. I always liked the team of Miz and Morrison so glad to see them teamed back up.

Evan Bourne better not be smoking that reefer again!

Frank Gotch? Really? And an injury already. Can't say I'm too disappointed that Gotch will not get the chance to entertain us with his various assortment of headlocks.

Tatanka and Tanaka? Please tell me you did that on purpose.

Pamela Paulshock!!!! I looked up some pictures of her just now, and she doesn't quite look as good as I remember her. I guess when you're sixteen she's pretty hot, but after you've seen a barrage of girls that look like that on the internet, she loses some of her appeal.

I think a lot could be done with Brodus Clay. Don't mind him losing here since you immediately let him get his heat back. Like that you used that as an excuse for his later no-show.

78 minutes? Quite the duration for a battle royal.

Didn't expect Morrison to come out on top since he's part of your top tag team, but I bet you can make it interesting.

Great to see you back on the boards, Tommy. Hope you stick around.

[tommybrownell]

Nah, not a TNA version of Sting...think circa right after his return at Starrcade.

Apparently Gotch's injury isn't severe, acccording to AWE. Looks like he's sticking around.

Funny thing about Tanaka vs Tatanka. I was trying to hire Tatanka and accidentally clicked on Tanaka. That is the sole reason I hired The Orient Express.

I only included Pamela for you...=)

I like Brodus Clay. Not liking Brodus Clay in AWE.

Yeah, that battle royal was out of control. Don't know if that's normal in AWE, or if it had to do with one of the chosen winners no-showing.

Morrison was not supposed to win. I picked five winners, one of whom was Brodus, and got this. Starting to think AWE might have a glitch with No-Shows.

[tommybrownell]

UCW 1.2.1:

FedEx Forum
Memphis, Tennessee
10966 / 21165
Your commentators are Jim Ross, Jesse Ventura, and General Skandor Akbar

We are TAPED from the FedEx Forum, with Jim Ross, Jesse Ventura and General Skandor Akbar! UCW is still reeling from the stunning upset of John Morrison winning the battle royal for the North American Title! Tonight, however, the tournament for the World Tag Team Titles begins, including a huge main event of "Dr. Death" Steve Williams & Ted DiBiase vs Lex Luger & Sting! The camera panned to Frank Gotch, in a suit, watching the ring from the front row!

Disco Inferno dances to the ring as Berlyn walks stoically behind him!

"DANGER! HIGH VOLTAGE!"

Rage and Kaos come out to a nice reaction!

WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE TOURNAMENT ROUND ONE
DISCO INFERNO & BERLYN vs HIGH VOLTAGE

Disco tried to get Berlyn to dance with him, but he wasn't having it. Berlyn was brutally efficient in wearing down Kaos, however. Disco's lackadaisical attitude backfired on him and High Voltage took advantage, stunning Disco with the Circuit Breaker to advance!

Tag Team Title Tournament Match:
High Voltage (Rage & Kaos) defeated Berlyn & Disco Inferno in 6:10
Match rating: *** ¼

Mr. Fuji and Kato led Tanaka to the ring...as the crowd cheered for the UCW debut of SHINSUKE NAKAMURA!

TANAKA (w/MR. FUJI & KATO) vs SHINSUKE NAKAMURA

Tanaka used cheapshots to get the upperhand, but Nakamura overwhelmed Tanaka with striking and speed, rattling the tag specialist and locking in the Shining Triangle to force a quick submission!

Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Tanaka in 3:03
Match rating: * ¾

Evan Bourne actually showed up for his match...to challenge "The A-Lister" John Morrison for the North American Title!

EVAN "AIR" BOURNE vs NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION JOHN MORRISON (w/MELINA)

Bourne got off to a hot start, but Morrison quickly cut him off. A Moonlight Drive followed by a running knee to the face did him in.

John Morrison defeated Evan Bourne in 2:07
Match rating: * ¼
(John Morrison retained the UCW North American Title.)

Morrison and Melina celebrated post-match over the stunned and beaten Bourne.

Ricky Steamboat, scheduled to face Brodus Clay in a rematch from last week, came to the ring...seemingly sans opponent. JACK SWAGGER jumped him from behind and clipped his knee, then rammed it into a ringpost! Swagger said "the show must go on!" and ordered the referee to ring the bell! The referee looked confused, until Steamboat began blasting Swagger with chops and agreed to start the match!

JACK SWAGGER vs RICKY "THE DRAGON" STEAMBOAT

Steamboat scored an immediate near fall, but Swagger quickly took over on the injured knee. Steamboat had another short rally, but Swagger's pre-match attack had done some damage and he locked in the Ankle Lock for the win!

Jack Swagger defeated Rick Steamboat with the Ankle Lock in 2:15.
Match rating: * ¾

Frank Gotch was seen nodding approvingly from ringside.

As Sting comes out for a promo, telling he fans how much he's looking forward to teaming with Lex Luger tonight, bizarre music hits and The Great Muta stalks him from the entranceway! Sting looks unsettled at the arrival of his old enemy and tells Muta that he'll gladly meet him in the ring, anytime, anyplace! Muta responds by blowing mist in the air and slinking back through the entryway!
Rating: $$$

Mr. Fuji and Tanaka led the masked Kato to the ring...to battle Tatanka!

KATO (w/MR. FUJI & TANAKA) vs TATANKA

A surprisingly good, competitive bout, as Kato went after Tatanka from the opening bell, but the Native Warrior drew lots of cheers and support from the crowd! He fought of Tanaka at one point and put Kato away with The End of the Trail!

Tatanka defeated Kato in 5:00
Match rating: ***

"Dr. Death" Steve Williams and Ted DiBiase came to the ring like they weren't looking to make any friends...as they faced the fan favorite tag team of Lex Luger & Sting!

TAG TEAM TITLE TOURNAMENT
"DR. DEATH" STEVE WILLIAMS & TED DIBIASE vs "THE TOTAL PACKAGE" LEX LUGER & STING

Doc and Luger collided in the opening moments, sending Oohs and Aahs through the crowd is the Irresistible Force and The Immovable Object went head to head! A cheap shot from DiBiase put Doc in control, but soon it was DiBiase and Sting locking up, where Sting's power advantage tipped the scales!

DiBiase is as slippery as they come, however, and he ripped Sting's momentum away with a big cheap shot, before turning the devastation over to Doc. Late in the match, Luger tagged in and cleaned house on both men, and signaled for the Torture Rack on DiBiase! The Great Muta ran to the ring to attack Sting, but Luger shoved Sting off the ring apron, causing Muta to spit mist into Luger's eyes! DiBiase rolled Luger up for the pin!

Tag Team Title Tournament Match:
Doc & DiBiase (Ted DiBiase & Steve Williams) defeated Sting & Lex Luger in 20:21
Match rating: ** ¾

As Muta slinked away from the ring and Doc and DiBiase celebrated, Sting checked on his fallen friend!

Overall card rating: ** ¼

No Shows:
Brodus Clay - AGAIN.

[tommybrownell]

UCW 1.3.1:

Fort Worth Convention Center
Fort Worth, Texas
6750 / 13500
Your commentators are Jim Ross, Jesse Ventura, and General Skandor Akbar

Fort Worth, Texas welcomes us to another great night of UCW wrestling! Ventura grills Akbar on whether or not he's seen anything he likes, and Akbar blows off the question.

Frank Gotch is once again seated at ringside, still recovering from his injury!

Disco Inferno hits the ring like a dancing fool...to take on the Native Warrior...Tatanka!

DISCO INFERNO vs TATANKA

Another surprisingly good match from Tatanka, who fended off everything Disco Inferno could hit him with! A flying tomahawk chop, followed by the End of the Trail, put Inferno away!

Tatanka defeated Disco Inferno in 4:15
Match rating: *** ¼

At long last, Brodus Clay was in the building to do battle with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat!

BRODUS CLAY vs RICKY "THE DRAGON" STEAMBOAT

There was no element of surprise in this match, and Clay manhandled The Dragon! Clay hit a serious of monstrous moves, but Steamboat is one of the toughest men in wrestling, pound for pound! He used speed and martial arts prowess to rock the walking man-beast, but Clay had a recovery for every situation! The end came when Steamboat dodged an avalanche, and hit the Flying Cross Body Press for the win!

Rick Steamboat defeated Brodus Clay with the Flying Cross Body Press in 15:09.
Match rating: ** ¼

Jack Swagger hit the ring, ready to fight...as he faced off with the newcomer, Shinsuke Nakamura!

JACK SWAGGER vs SHINSUKE NAKAMURA

There was a feeling out process between the two grapplers, and neither seemed unsure about what to make of the other. Swagger utilized his power advantage against Nakamura, but Shinsuke Nakamura is the personification of Fighting Spirit, and he took everything Swagger had and then some. Neither guy ever really got a strong advantage, and just as it seemed to be picking up steam, the bell rang! Time had run out!

A match between Shinsuke Nakamura, and Jack Swagger was was ruled a draw when the time limit expired at 20:00
Match rating: DUD

Nakamura extended his hand to Swagger post-match, but Swagger slapped him in the face! Security had to restrain the two men!

The Tag Team Title Tournament continued as the NEW North American Champion, John Morrison, and his partner The Miz hit the ring, with the gorgeous Melina in tow! The crowd erupted for the arrival of The Steiner Brothers, though!

TAG TEAM TITLE TOURNAMENT
THE A-LIST (w/Melina) vs THE STEINER BROTHERS

This match EXPLODED with intensity as Rick and Scott met Miz and Morrison! Two awesome, fluent tag teams, with the participants all knowing their partners like the backs of their hands! Morrison and Miz had a lot of dirty tricks, and Morrison's high flying kept him out of Rick Steiner's hands, giving him a big advantage! Scott begged for a tag and when he finally got it, he unloaded on both men with suplexes. Miz went for the Skull Crushing Finale, but Scott snapped his full nelson and then drilled him with a massive belly to belly! Miz wound up eating a Steiner Bulldog, handing the win to The Steiner Brothers!

Tag Team Title Tournament Match:
The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner) defeated The A-List (John Morrison & The Miz) in 15:42
Match rating: ***

At ringside, Frank Gotch clapped his approval.

Update on Lex Luger:
Pamela Paulshock interviews Bill Watts regarding the health of Lex Luger, who was nearly blinded last week by The Great Muta! Watts says Luger is a fighter, and he won't give up, and that he's asked Watts not to terminate Muta's contract because he wants to come back and break Muta's back himself!

Muta comes to the ring and stalks Watts and Pamela, cornering Pamela at one point...Watts tries to grab Muta and Muta spins, ripping his hood off and spewing mist at Watts! Watts avoids taking it in the eyes, but yells that "It burns!" as it hits him in the face and head!
Rating: $$ ¾

Mr. Fuji brought The Orient Express to the ring...but the crowd erupted for Air Boom!

TAG TEAM TITLE TOURNAMENT MATCH
THE ORIENT EXPRESS (w/MR FUJI) vs AIR BOOM

This was a very fast paces match, but Air Boom seemed off of their game and The Orient Express capitalized, sending Kofi crashing to the guard rails and wiping Bourne out with a double thrust kick!

Tag Team Title Tournament Match:
The Orient Express (Kato & Tanaka) defeated Air Boom (Evan Bourne & Kofi Kingston) in 5:05
Match rating: * ½

Ted DiBiase made his way to the ring, getting a rough reaction from the crowd...who cheered for the arrival of Sting!

TED DIBIASE vs STING

Sting kept looking around, like he expected another attack from The Great Muta, and this gave DiBiase the opportunity to capitalize. The crafty veteran beat the Hell out of Sting and used every opportunistic attack he could, focusing on his knee to soften him up for the Figure Four. Sting rallied and hit a Stinger Splash, but he limped out of it and DiBiase chop blocked him before he could go for another. As he went for the Figure Four, Sting rolled him up for the three!

Sting defeated Ted DiBiase in 12:12
Match rating: *** ¼

Overall card rating: ** ¼

No Shows:
Koko B. Ware

[Carlzilla]

What do you have your no-shows set to?

It seems to be a real common thing here.

[tommybrownell]

8.

I dropped them to 5 after the...fourth show, I believe, because I was getting at least one a show.

[tommybrownell]

UCW 1.4.1:

Mississippi Coast Coliseum
Biloxi, Mississippi
7500 / 15000
Your commentators are Jim Ross, Jesse Ventura, and General Skandor Akbar

As the show opened, Jim Ross announced that tonight, we were going to crown the first ever World Tag Team Champions...and John Morrison would put the North American title on the line against Tatanka!

Disco Inferno hit the ring, ready to dance! His mood got real serious as Sting made his way to the ring!

DISCO INFERNO vs STING

Domination by Sting, who manhandled Disco and dropped him with the Scorpion Death Drop.

Sting defeated Disco Inferno in 3:00
Match rating: ** ½

Sting looked into the camera and told Muta that Lex was coming back, and that Muta was going to regret it!

Steve Williams and Ted DiBiase hit the ring for tournament action against High Voltage!

WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE TOURNAMENT
"DR. DEATH" STEVE WILLIAMS & TED DIBIASE vs HIGH VOLTAGE

High Voltage knew they were the underdogs here, but that did not deter them! They went after Doc and DiBiase with abandon, but the veteran savvy of DiBiase and the power of Dr. Death put them out ahead. During the match, Frank Gotch was seen making his way to the front row. Dr. Death crushed Rage with the Oklahoma Stampede to advance.

World Tag Team Title Tournament:
Doc & DiBiase (Ted DiBiase & Steve Williams) defeated High Voltage (Rage & Kaos) in 7:22
Match rating: ** ½

Doc and DiBiase looked pleased at the win as they left the ring.

Mr. Fuji brought The Orient Express to the ring and began preparing them for their opponents...but the roof went off the place for The Steiners!

WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE TOURNAMENT
THE ORIENT EXPRESS (w/MR. FUJI) vs THE STEINER BROTHERS

The Steiners beat the crap out of The Orient Express, keeping Kato and Tanaka both on the defensive. Fuji's interference got them the upper hand, but it quickly broke down into a brawl, with Rick wiping out Kato with a Steinerline and Scott hitting Tanaka with a Frankensteiner. Both Steiners covered their opponents for the win!

World Tag Team Title Tournament:
The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner) defeated The Orient Express (Kato & Tanaka) in 6:10
Match rating: ***

As The Steiners celebrated, Doc and DiBiase stood in the entranceway and stared them down...these two teams meet for the vacant tag team titles tonight!

Tatanka got a great reaction as he came to the ring! Melina led John Morrison out, and "The A-Lister" and North American Champion arrogantly stared down Tatanka!

UCW NORTH AMERICAN TITLE MATCH
JOHN MORRISON (c) (w/MELINA) vs TATANKA

The crowd was hot for this one, and Morrison did a lot of stalling early on. Tatanka lost patience and went after Morrison, pinballing him around the ring, but Morrison nailed him with a springboard kick. Morrison dragged Tatanka over for Starship Pain, but Tatanka moved and Morrison corkscrewed directly onto his head. The official immediately realized something was wrong and called for help! Melina was beside herself and Tatanka seemed stunned!

Tatanka vs. John Morrison
The referee threw the match out when John Morrison suffered a broken neck. Doctors are saying it's career ending.

Shinsuke Nakamura meets people!:
Shinsuke Nakamura is interviewed by Pamela Paulshock, but Jack Swagger interrupts him! He mocks Nakamura for his inability to speak English and cheapshots him! Nakamura and Swagger come to blows!

As Swagger attempts to hit the Gutwrench Suplex, Nakamura slips out his grasp and knocks him out of the ring with the Boma Ye!
Rating: $$ ¼

The crowd was awfully deflated from the night's events, but Koko B. Ware tried to get them off their feet! The terrifying Muta came to the ring, however, and put them on edge!

KOKO B. WARE vs THE GREAT MUTA

Koko got hammered by Muta, who took his early salvo and ripped into him. Muta crushed Ware with the Moonsault and put him down.

The Great Muta defeated Koko B. Ware in 4:02
Match rating: **

Ted DiBiase and Steve Williams came to the ring looking supremely confident...and they did not look rattled when The Steiner Brothers hit the ring!

WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH
"DR. DEATH" STEVE WILLIAMS & TED DIBIASE vs THE STEINER BROTHERS

All four men looked eager to fight, but unwilling to make the first move. They laid into each other after a tense standoff, a brawl that The Steiners got the better of. Doc matched up power with Rick Steiner, and got the better of him, but Scott Steiner was more than up to the task! DiBiase kneed Scott in the kidney and put his team back in control, but Scott proved resilient. A hot tag unleashed a series of Steinerlines on Doc and DiBiase, but a lariat by Doc nearly decapitated Rick!

At the end of the match, Scott hit a desperation Frankensteiner on DiBiase and tagged Rick! Rick leveled Doctor Death and sent him to the floor...and The Steiners hit the Steiner Bulldog on DiBiase, becoming the first ever UCW World Tag Team Champions!

World Tag Team Title Match:
The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner) defeated Doc & DiBiase (Ted DiBiase & Steve Williams) when Rick Steiner beat DiBiase with the Steiner Bulldog in 27:30.
Match rating: ** ½
(The Steiner Brothers won the vacant UCW World Tag Team Titles.)

Doctor Death acts like he's about to storm the ring after the match, but DiBiase holds him off, whispering something in the ear as The Steiners celebrate!

Overall card rating: **

No Shows:
The Miz

[tommybrownell]

UCW 1.5.1:

Madison Square Garden
New York City, New York
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
9063 / 20000
Your commentators are Jim Ross, Jesse Ventura and General Skandor Akbar! Frank Gotch was, again, seated at ringside, watching the action!

Disco Inferno and Berlyn are already in the ring...as the crowd erupts for the new Tag Team Champions, The Steiner Brothers!

DISCO INFERNO & BERLYN vs THE STEINER BROTHERS

Hot back and forth action, but the outcome was never in doubt. The moment that tipped it over the top was Rick catching Berlyn on an aerial attack and suplexing him, and the Steiners bullied their way to victory!

The Steiner Brothers (Rick Steiner & Scott Steiner) defeated Disco Inferno & Berlyn in 2:58 when Rick Steiner pinned Disco Inferno after the Steiner Bulldog.
Match rating: *** ¼

The Fate of the North American Title:
Bill Watts heads to the ring to make an announcement regarding the North American Title...and he asks The Miz to come to the ring! The Miz and Melina head to the ring, Miz holding the North American title! Watts says that since Morrison is unable to compete, they must crown a new champion and Miz will get to defend that title on Morrison's behalf tonight...in our first ever ladder match! His opponent? Ricky Steamboat! Steamboat comes to the ring as Miz argues, but TATANKA comes out and asks why he's being overlooked when he has the best record in the company and he had Morrison beat last night! Watts tells Tatanka that his opportunity is coming, and Tatanka agrees and shakes hands with Watts and Steamboat. When Miz pops off to Tatanka, Tatanka lays him out!
Rating: $$ ½

Jack Swagger came to the ring to a chorus of boos, despite sporting very patriotic attire. The crowd gleefully welcomed Shinsuke Nakamura!

JACK SWAGGER vs SHINSUKE NAKAMURA

These two held nothing back, exploding at each other! Swagger slammed Nakamura around the ring, but he exhibited more of that Fighting Spirit and knocked Swagger loopy! There were a lot of nearfalls, and Swagger was intent on breaking down this Japanese interloper, but he perhaps focused too much on pin attempts and not enough on wearing Nakamura down! One Ankle Lock attempt got turned into an inside cradle, but Swagger kicked out. A second one was countered but Nakamura sending Swagger to the floor, where he followed with a dive! The two men beat the snot out of each other, and neither even tried to get back in the ring!

Shinsuke Nakamura and Jack Swagger were both counted out in 16:58
Match rating: * ½

As security separated the two men, it was time for the next match. Mr. Fuji seemed oddly accommodating to Shinsuke Nakamura as he was leaving the ring area.

THE ORIENT EXPRESS (w/MR. FUJI) vs HIGH VOLTAGE

Rage and Kaos looked crisp, and both teams were looking for momentum. Fuji's interference put The Orient Express in the driver's seat, and The Orient Express put High Voltage away with shady double-team moves!

The Orient Express (Kato & Tanaka) defeated High Voltage (Rage & Kaos) in 5:58 when Kato pins Kaos after the Double Thrust Kick.
Match rating: * ¼

The Great Muta came to the ring to a chorus of boos...but the crowd cheered for Kofi Kingston!

THE GREAT MUTA vs KOFI KINGSTON

Muta tried to bully Kofi Kingston, but Kofi was not having it! Kingston hit hard at Muta, and used his speed to put the mysterious Muta on the defensive. Muta stalled to slow things down, and hammered Kingston outside the ring, but an attempt at whipping Kofi into the guard rails saw Kingston land on top of them, turn and spin kick Muta! Muta would not stay down, and a Boom Drop only met canvas...but Kofi dodged a Moonsault in retaliation!

Late in the match, Muta was frustrated and clearly set up the mist...when Lex Luger stormed the ring! Muta blew the mist at him, but Luger was wearing a face mask and he ripped through Muta with a clothesline! He tried for the Torture Rack, but Muta slipped free and bailed out!

The Great Muta defeated Kofi Kingston in 17:58 by DQ when Lex Luger attacked The Great Muta.
Match rating: *

"DR. DEATH" STEVE WILLIAMS vs EVAN BOURNE

This was every bit as lopsided as you would fear, though Evan sure tried to keep it competitive in the opening moments. He blasted Doc with a high knee and tried to take charge, but Doc caught him in the air on a move and crushed him.

Steve Williams defeated Evan Bourne in 3:58 with the Oklahoma Stampede.
Match rating: ** ¾

Melina accompanied The Miz to the ring for the main event...with the North American Title hanging above the ring! Ricky Steamboat came out looking laser focused!

LADDER MATCH FOR THE VACANT NORTH AMERICAN TITLE
THE MIZ (w/MELINA) vs RICKY "THE DRAGON" STEAMBOAT

The Miz was hyper aggressive and quickly got the ladder involved, trying to crush Steamboat in the corner! At one point, he made a climb for the belt, but Steamboat dove at him from the top rope, hitting a chop that knocked him off the ladder! Steamboat countered a Skull Crushing Finale on the ladder and sent Miz out of the ring...but as he nearly made it up, Melina grabbed his leg! Tatanka ran to the ring and yanked Melina off of Steamboat, allowing him to retrieve the title!

Ladder match for the vacant North American Title:
Rick Steamboat defeated The Miz in 6:58
Match rating: ** ¾
(Rick Steamboat won the vacant UCW North American Title.)

As Steamboat celebrated, Tatanka grabbed him and hit the End of the Trail! The crowd was stunned! He did it again! A third time! He stood over Steamboat, posing with the title as a confused Miz and Melina watched on, and Jim Ross screamed bloody murder!

Overall card rating: ** ¼