|Date: June 19, 2011
|Venue: Verizon Center |City: Washington, D.C.
|Attendance: 9,850 |Buys: 170,000
|Brands: Raw & Smackdown
|tweet me: @BastionBlogger
Welcome to the first ever Capitol Punishment pay per view. There is a big political theme to this event and a lot of the marketing has been based around Barrack Obama who is even featured on the poster. The WWE Championship is set to be defended tonight as John Cena defends against R-Truth. Truth beat John Cena by count out in a match on Raw to earn himself a shot at the gold, his first ever opportunity at the WWE title. Since then R-Truth has targeted fans on Cena, the little Jimmy’s and big Jimmy’s as he calls them. Truth seems to be going crazy and it’ll be up to Cena to put an end to his madness tonight. The World Heavyweight Championship will also be defended as Christian gets a shot at Randy Orton’s title. Christian has turn heel recently, smashing Orton with the title belt after beating Sheamus and Mark Henry in a triple threat match to become number one contender. Christian feels wrongly done by but did beat Sheamus on Smackdown last week to keep him out of the title match tonight.
A rivalry that has been re-visited as of late is CM Punk and Rey Mysterio. Mysterio has beaten Punk on a couple of occasions which has got under CM Punk’s skin. The two go one on one tonight. Alberto Del Rio has had his run-ins with The Big Show as of late. Del Rio slapped Big Show backstage after Show and Kane lost their WWE Tag Team Championships to Michael Mcgillicutty and David Otunga. Big Show would chase after Del Rio backstage but Ricardo Rodriguez hit Big Show with his car! Del Rio and Rodriguez claim that it was an accident but have mocked Big Show who only returns to action tonight. Ezekiel Jackson gets another shot at the Intercontinental Championship held by Wade Barrett. Jackson beat Barrett by disqualification at Over The Limit last month but Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel have now left the side of Barrett, leaving this as a one on one contest.
Also tonight The Miz goes up against his former friend Alex Riley. Riley got fed up with the way he was being treated by The Miz who blamed Riley for not retaining the WWE Championship on a number of occasions. The two meet tonight. Also tonight, Dolph Ziggler gets a shot at the United States championship held by Kofi Kingston after Dolph beat Ziggler in a non-title match and acting general manager “Stone Cold” Steve Austin granted Dolph the title match for tonight.
The show starts with a video package narrated by R-Truth. Truth talks about the little Jimmy’s being blinded by the lies of John Cena.
There’s pyro and ballyhoo, Michael Cole welcomes us to The Horizon Center. The set is made to look like the White House. Cole is joined by Jerry “The King” Lawler and Booker T.
Kofi Kingston (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler – United States Championship match
This is the third pay per view match between these two men. Dolph won the last match at Night Of Champions 2010 whilst they wrestled to a no contest at Summerslam 2010. Ziggler is of course joined by Vickie Guerrero. Kofi hits a headlock takedown in the early going but Dolph hits one of his own. Kofi hits a dropkick for a one count and then tries for trouble in paradise but Ziggler sidesteps it, drops Kofi on the top rope and then hits a fame-asser for the first near fall of the night. Dolph looks for a neckbreaker but Kofi counters with a backslide. Dolph then hits a big dropkick of his own for a two count. Ziggler applies a camel clutch. All three of the PPV matches between these two men have opened the show. Kingston fights out of the headlock and rolls Dolph up for a one count. Kofi hits an Irish whip but misses with a splash in the corner allowing Dolph to hit a German suplex, bridging for a near fall.
Ziggler applies an armbar but Kofi fights out of it only for Ziggler to then lock on a sleeper. Kofi gets out of the sleeper with a jawbreaker and then avoids a splash in the corner. Kingston then hits some big chops a dropkick before looking for the SOS but Ziggler pushes him away. Kofi comes off the top with a modified cross body for a near fall. Kofi hits the boom drop and then motions for trouble in paradise but Dolph ducks it. Kingston hits the SOS but Ziggler kicks out at 2. The two men exchange pinfalls but neither man can get the three. Vickie Guerrero paces back and forth on the outside. Kofi heads to the top but Dolph crotches him up there only for Kingston to fight Dolph away and hit him with a cross body for a near fall. Kofi looks for the SOS again but Ziggler counters with a sleeper. Kofi manages to smash Dolph into the top turnbuckle and then looks for trouble in paradise but Ziggler ducks.
Ziggler attempts the Zig-Zag but Kofi hangs on to the ropes. With the referee distracted Vickie Guerrero rakes the eyes of Kofi. Ziggler then locks on the sleeper and uses the ropes for leverage to get Kofi back to the middle of the ring. The referee checks on Kofi and calls for the bell! Booker thinks it should be a disqualification because of Dolph using the bottom rope but it’s a win for Dolph Ziggler! A strange finish but Dolph Ziggler wins the match and the United States Championship tonight! A decent opener. A minus mark for the confusing finish though.
Rating: 6.75/10
A limo is seen pulling up in the back and out steps R-Truth who has possession of John Cena’s WWE Championship. Josh Mathews looks to get a word but R-Truth is off to a party. Truth then bumps into Eve and invites her to the party but Eve doesn’t know who R-Truth is anymore. Truth agrees and dedicates his victory to all the little Jimmy’s and Jenny’s.
Todd Grisham is backstage with The Miz and asks him if he has what it takes to beat Alex Riley tonight. The Miz says his career hasn’t sunk that much in a month. Miz calls Riley a reject who was only good for carrying a briefcase. Great promo from The Miz.
There’s a video package next showing the history between The Miz and Alex Riley.
Alex Riley vs. The Miz
Alex Riley might have the coolest entrance music in the WWE right now. This is a second PPV match for Alex Riley and a first one on one singles match on PPV. His only previous PPV match was as a part of the 2011 Royal Rumble match. I don’t know why The Miz still carries an empty briefcase, except to use it as a weapon. There’s some really good use of the jib camera on this show. Some nice high shots. The Miz becomes the first man to have wrestled on every PPV so far in 2011. Miz mouths off at Alex Riley before the bell and Riley lays right into his former mentor. Alex chases Miz around the ring and then back into it. Miz manages to hit a boot and then lays more boots in and then knees. Miz hits a running boot and then lays in some left hands. Riley fires back with some right hands but Miz drops him with a DDT for a two count. Miz hits more knees and another running boot, Riley has some blood on his face from somewhere.
The Miz keeps Alex Riley grounded until Riley forces Miz into the corner. Riley misses with a shoulder charge and falls to the outside where Miz hits him with anther running boot before rolling him back into the ring for a two count. Riley fires back with some lefts and rights but Miz locks on a sleeper. Miz then hits an inverted DDT for a near fall. Miz hits his trademark clothesline in the corner and then heads to the top and hits a double axe handle for a two count. Miz then ties Riley up in a tree of woe and lays in some kicks before trying a baseball slide to the face which Riley manages to avoid. Riley start a comeback, spearing The Miz to the mat and hitting him with right hands. Alex then sends Miz into the ringpost before dropping him with a spinebuster for a two count. Miz low-bridges Riley to the outside but Riley hits the former WWE Champion with a big kick for a two count.
The Miz heads to the outside and Riley follows, throwing him from the barricade to the ring apron to the announce desk. Michael Cole shouts at Alex Riley, asking him how he can do all this to The Miz. Riley pulls Cole over the announce desk but that allows Miz to hit a cheap shot and throw Riley into the ring. Miz then grabs the briefcase but the referee takes it off him and Riley hits Miz with an impaler DDT which is enough for the three! Wow, I’m shocked! Alex Riley beats The Miz tonight. That is a huge win for Riley, beating the former WWE Champion.
Rating: 6.25/10
Sgt Slaughter is backstage with a Barrack Obama look-a-like. Vickie Guerrero then shows up and is so happy about Dolph winning the United States Championship that she just wants to sing. She sings “happy father’s day” in the style of Marilyn Monroe’s “happy birthday”. Vickie gets carted off.
There’s a video package showing the recent history between The Big Show and Alberto Del Rio.
The Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio
This is a first PPV match between these two men. Alberto has to make his entrance without Ricardo Rodriguez as Big Show took him out. Big Show then comes out as Del Rio is making his entrance! Big Show throws Del Rio into the barricade and then into the announce desk before throwing Alberto into the ring. Mark Henry then appears, attacking Big Show from behind! Big Show took out Mark Henry on Smackdown last week, Henry attacks Big Show and then hits him with a world’s strongest slam through the Spanish announce desk! Henry then smashes Big Show’s left leg off the collapsed announce desk. I’m pretty sure the bell has not officially rung to begin this match. The referee counts anyway and Big Show manages to get in the ring.
The bell officially rings to start the match and Big Show goes right to work on Del rio. He hits him with a big chop and then looks for a chokeslam but Del Rio takes some shots at Big Shows injured knee. Del Rio takes Big Show down to the ground and lays in some stomps for a two count. Big Show counters a running boot and then hits Del Rio with a chokeslam! Big Show goes down too and Alberto rolls to the outside. Big Show pulls Del Rio up to the apron but Alberto drops Big Show on the top rope before going up to the top only to be caught by Big Show. Del Rio fights out of a chokeslam again and then looks to lock on the cross-arm breaker but Big Show picks him up and slams him into the mat. Del Rio hits a low dropkick to the injured knee of Big Show and then locks on a leglock! Big Show manages to get to the bottom rope to break the hold. Show gets up to his feet slowly and then just collapses. The referee calls for the bell. This match is over. Alberto Del Rio will go down as the winner tonight.
Rating: 3.25/10
R-Truth is backstage with a photographer asking him to take pictures of him with the WWE Championship. The photographer points out that the nameplate still says John Cena which causes Truth to flip out.
Matt Striker is backstage with Matt Striker. Barrett takes the mic off Striker and goes for a stroll, saying how he is far from thrilled to be there. Barrett walks out to the entrance ramp and then down to the ring taking shots at American politicians, the American education system and the national debt. Barrett says that American is a hollow shell, much like his opponent tonight, Ezekiel Jackson.
Wade Barrett (c) vs. Ezekiel Jackson – Intercontinental Championship match
This is a second PPV match between these two men, Jackson beat Barrett by disqualification at Over The Limit. Barrett applies a headlock in the early going but Jackson powers out and takes Wade down for a one count. Barrett hits some right hands but Jackson picks him up for a torture rack just for Barrett to quickly escape and leave the ring. Back in the ring and Jackson avoids a clothesline before laying in some right hands. Barrett manages to pull Jackson into the middle turnbuckle and then hits him with a running boot. Barrett hits a spinning side slam for a two count. Wade then applies a chinlock but Jackson fights out. Barrett then looks for a pumphandle slam but Jackson counters it a s a”we want Ryder” chant breaks out. Barrett then hits a pumphandle slam for a two count.
Wade Barrett hits some right hands and kicks in the corner but Jackson avoids a running boot. Ezekiel hits three big clotheslines and then a splash in the corner. Barrett misses with a splash in the corner and Jackson looks for a powerslam but Barrett counters and hit Ezekiel with wasteland! Jackson kicks out at 2 and then hits four massive bodyslams before locking on the torture rack. Barrett taps out! Ezekiel Jackson wins the match and the Intercontinental Championship!
Rating: 4/10
After the match Jerry “The King” Lawler gets in the ring to interview Ezekiel Jackson. Jackson says that this is the best day of his life.
Santino is backstage with Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix, talking to Barack Obama. Santino teaches Barack the cobra which causes Obama’s security to take Santino down and rush the “President” off to safety.
Josh Mathews is backstage with CM Punk. Punk takes shots at politicians before claiming to be a politician himself. Punk says he in an honest politician and after he beat Rey Mysterio then he will go on to do the most honest thing that the WWE Universe has ever seen.
Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk
This is the fifth pay per view match between these two men. They have both won two of the previous four matches they have wrestled. We are told that The Nexus are banned from ringside tonight. Mysterio takes Punk down in the early going and there’s some chain wrestling. Mysterio hits a big snapmare and then some big kicks. CM Punk hits a powerslam for a one count and then a shoulder charge for another one count. Plenty of big CM Punk chants form the crowd in this one. The two men exchange pinfalls and Mysterio hits a dropkick, setting Punk up for a 619 but CM Punk rolls out to the apron where Rey baseball slides him to the outside. Rey looks for a hurricanrana off the apron but CM Punk counters, dropping Rey face-first onto the barricade. Punk rolls Mysterio into the ring and then pins him for a two count.
Punk bounces Rey off the ropes and hits him with a headbutt to the middle section before locking on a bow and arrow submission hold. Rey flips out of it but Punk goes right back to work on Mysterio. Punk locks on a body scissors Rey gets out of it but Punk takes him right back down with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker before going back to the leg scissors. Rey gets out of it and hits a hurricanrana, dropping Punk on the middle rope but Punk nails Rey with a clothesline before Mysterio can hit the 619. CM Punk then applies an abdominal stretch. Lots of submission holds in this match. Rey fights out of it and then drop toe holds Punk onto a middle turnbuckle. Rey heads to the top but CM Punk swipes him off. Punk hits a couple more headbutts to the middle section but Mysterio hits him with a hurricanrana over the top, following that up with a moonsault. Back in the ring and Mysterio hits a standing diving headbutt off the top for a two count.
Mysterio hits a springboard cross body but Punk rolls through for a two count. The two men get into a good sequence of blocks and kicks resulting in Mysterio getting a near fall. Rey then heads to the top again but Punk goes up with him and hits a side suplex for a near fall. Punk hits his trademark running knee in the corner and then looks for a shoulder charge in the corner but Rey avoids it and hits a 619! Punk falls to the outside and Mysterio rolls him into the ring. Rey heads to the top for a splash but Punk gets his knees up and hooks the leg for a two count. Punk motions for a go to sleep but Rey counters with a hurricanrana, rolling Punk up for a near fall. Punk then hits an enzeguri for a near fall of his own. Punk sets up for a go to sleep but Rey counters with an arm drag, setting Punk up for a 629 but Punk catches Rey on his shoulders and hits him with a go to sleep for the three! CM Punk beats Rey Mysterio tonight.
Rating: 6/10
There’s a video package next for Randy Orton and Christian.
Randy Orton (c) vs. Christian – World Heavyweight Championship match
This is the second PPV match between these two men. Orton beat Christian at Over The Limit last month. This is Orton’s 35th consecutive PPV which is an all-time record, surpassing Kurt Angle’s previous record of 34. Randy Orton is out first which is surprising. Christian shoves Orton as the bell rings and Orton drops his challenger with a right hand before hitting him with a few more. Randy hits a clothesline and then stomps on Christians face. Christian fires back with some right hands of his own but Orton hits a Lou Thesz press and hits Christian with right hands. Orton applies a headlock and then drops Christian with a shoulder charge. Randy goes back to the headlock but Christian gets out of it and looks for a missile dropkick but Orton swats him away. Christian shoves Orton to the outside and then hits him with a baseball dropkick before diving to the outside and missing.
Back in the ring and Orton gets a two count before hitting some right hands in the corner. If you ask me these two men are probably in the top 20 of all time. Orton knocks Christian to the outside and then smashes his arm off the apron before setting up for a hangmans DDT but christian counters it and bounces Ortons head off the ring steps. Christian rolls Orton back into the ring and pins him for a near fall. Christian hits a neckbreaker for a near fall and then rakes at the eyes. Christian applies a chinlock which Orton gets out of. Orton then hits a beautiful roll up for a two count. Christian hits a spinebuster for another two count and then hits a right hand. Orton hits a hard sternum-first Irish whip and then a back body drop. Randy then clubs away at Christians chest before attempting a bodyslam but Christian counters. Orton counters an inverted DDT and hits a couple of clotheslines and a powerslam. Orton hits a belly to belly suplex for a near fall.
Christian looks to powerslam Orton to the outsider but Orton counters, takes Christian to the top and hits a superplex. Orton constantly sells the back of his head due to his recent concussion. Orton hits a huge neckbreaker. I’ve never seen that used before. That gets Randy a near fall. Christian looks for the killswitch but Orton counters and tries for an RKO but christian escapes the ring. Back in the ring and there are more counters that lead to Orton hitting the hangmans DDT. Randy motions for an RKO but Christian counters with an inverted DDT for a near fall. Christian motions for a spear but Orton leapfrogs it and tries for an RKO which Christian counters and hits a spear for a near fall. Both men get to their feet and Orton hits a dropkick. Christian hits a pendulum kick and then heads to the top but Orton evades him and hits Christian with an RKO which is enough for the three! Christians foot looked like it was under the bottom rope. Orton wins the match though and retains the World Heavyweight Championship. Good match.
Christian complains after the match that his foot was under the bottom rope. Which it was. Orton them smashes him with the World Heavyweight Championship much to the enjoyment of the crowd.
Rating: 7.25/10
The Bella Twins music hits and out walks the WWE Divas Champion Brie Bella, her sister Nikki Bella and Keith Stone. I have no idea who he is. They walk to the ring but Michael Cole links into a video package.
There’s a video package for John Cena and R-Truth. It’s very similar if not identical to the video package that opened the show.
Evan Bourne vs. Jack Swagger
Well this is a bonus match. This is a first time PPV match between these two men. Another “we want Ryder” chant breaks out as Swagger takes down Bourne. Swagger applies a hammerlock and then slaps Evan about. Bourne hits some kicks but Swagger shoulder charges him down to the mat. Swagger looks for a hiptoss but Bourne hits a beautiful springboard arm drag. Sin Cara isn’t this smooth. Swagger hits two gutbusters and then an inverted powerslam for a two count. Bourne has beaten Swagger on Raw over the past couple of weeks. Jack applies a chinlock as The Bellas watch on with Keith Stone from the first row. The Bellas are cheering for Bourne but I thought they were supposed to be heel? Swagger does a few press-ups and then hits a back body drop for a two count. The crowd are a little dead for this one.
Jack Swagger hits a hard Irish whip and then a Vader bomb for a near fall. Bourne has only won one PPV match and that was against Chris Jericho. Bourne hits a hurricanrana and then hits some kicks but Swagger scoops him up and powerslams Bourne into the mat. Swagger looks for a second Vader bomb but Bourne gets his knees up. It’s advantage Bourne now as he hits knees and a kick for a two count. Evan then heads to the top and Swagger runs at him but Bourne jumps over Swagger only to run into his boot. Bourne hits a tornado DDT for a near fall and then a couple of big kicks. He heads to the top and looks to hit air Bourne but Swagger rolls out of the way and Evan manages to land on his feet. Swagger then locks on the ankle lock but Bourne rolls through it, rolling Swagger up and getting the three! Evan Bourne beats Jack Swagger tonight! Swagger can’t believe it. Evan Bourne is extremely talented but the crowd were dead for this one. Would’ve worked better as the opening match.
Rating: 5/10
“Barack Obama” is introduced and out he comes. Obama spews some crap about watching Raw in the Oval Office and then says that he is not the anonymous Raw General Manager. Otherwise we’d be seeing less of Michael Cole and more of Jim Ross. Barack heads off but Booker T calls him into the ring. Booker does a spin-er-oonie and then invites Barack to do the same. He does, somewhat.
There’s another video package for Cena and R-Truth.
John Cena (c) vs. R-Truth – WWE Championship match
This is a first time PPV match between these two men. It’s a first singles opportunity at the WWE Championship for R-Truth. Truth starts the match with a headlock which John Cena quickly gets out of. There are some loud duelling chants over John Cena in this one. Cena takes down Truth who escapes the ring. Back in the ring and Truth lays in some right hands and kicks. Cena hits a bulldog and then looks for a clothesline but again R-Truth escapes the ring. Back in the ring again and Cena scoops Truth up for an attitude adjustment but Truth counters with a sit-out face-first suplex for a two count. The main event scene has been interesting in 2011 with the likes of R-Truth, John Morrison and The Miz being in the title picture. Truth hits a legdrop for a two count and then applies a front facelock. Cena powers out of it but R-Truth takes him down with a corkscrew elbow for a two count. Scott Armstrong is the referee in this match and he has notoriously slow counts.
R-Truth mocks Cena then hits him with a big right hand. Cena scrambles to the ring apron and drops Truth on the top rope before running back into the ring and right into a clothesline from R-Truth. Truth gets a two count on the pinfall and keeps Cena grounded. Truth then hits a big hiptoss for a near fall before locking on a chinlock. Cena gets out of it and looks to lock on the STF but Truth gets to the ropes before knocking John down with a clothesline. Truth hits a suplex and then looks for another leg drop but Cena avoids it, gets to his feet and hits two shoulder blocks, a side suplex and the five knuckle shuffle. Cena sets up for the attitude adjustment but R-Truth counters with a floatover stunner which Cole says he has never seen Truth use before but he uses it all the time. Truth gets a near fall and then misses with a splash in the corner. Cena locks on the STF but Truth quickly gets to the ropes and hits the scissors kick for a near fall.
R-Truth heads to the top for a cross body but Cena catches him and looks for an attitude adjustment. R-Truth counters it and hits the lie detector! Cena kicks out at 2 and rolls out of the ring. Truth also leaves the ring and takes the John Cena cap off a fan in the front row. He then takes his drink off him and drinks some. He gives the drink back to the fan who throws it in his face! Cena tosses Truth back into the ring and hits him with the attitude adjustment for the three! John Cena wins the match and retains the WWE Championship tonight with help from a plant in the crowd. Cena brings the kid into the ring and celebrates with him. A pretty disappointing main event.
Rating: 5/10
And that was Capitol Punishment. Not the best or most memorable show I have ever seen. It started pretty well. Dolph Ziggler beat Kofi Kingston to win the United States Championship. These two can both wrestle and are two of the best wrestlers on the roster. They tend to go on first to get the crowd going and they do a great job of it. It was a good match between two men that tend to spend most of their time around the United States and Intercontinental Championships. It was an odd finish and Booker T was clearly confused but overall a decent way to kick off the show. Alex Riley then beat The Miz in a match that exceeded my expectations. This was decent and it’s a huge win for Riley, beating the former WWE Champion. Riley could be a contender for Dolph Ziggler’s United States Championship going forward. Miz will bounce back. A couple of decent matches to kick off the show.
Alberto Del Rio’s match with The Big Show wasn’t great. It was different. Mark Henry took out Big Show before the match which led to Del Rio inevitably getting the better of Show to beat him. It worked but it took away a lot of the heat between Big Show and Del Rio as the real story was with Mark Henry. A big win for Alberto Del Rio though who at some point will be a contender for John Cena. Ezekiel Jackson beat Wade Barrett to become Intercontinental Champion. This was below average much like their match last month. Jackson wins the title though and he’s a man that WWE like to get behind. He was the final ever ECW Champion and he’s got the look of someone who they would love to main event. I’m not sure he suits the Intercontinental Championship but we’ll see where it goes.
CM Punk beats Rey Mysterio cleanly in what almost seemed like an exhibition match. It was a good match but not a great one. I’m expecting wins for heels on Raw as they need to build up contenders for John Cena. The loss doesn’t hurt Mysterio too much. Decent match but not spectacular. Randy Orton then beat Christian to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. It was a seemingly clean enough win for Orton but Christians foot was underneath the bottom rope so I expect this feud to continue. A good match between these two and the best match of the night. Then we got a bonus match between Jack Swagger and Evan Bourne. Bourne won which was a bit of an upset. Swagger has fallen right down the card since his World Heavyweight Championship win last year. This match was ok but the crowd were dead for it. This show did have an old school feel to it because there were a couple of lower carders getting matches and I like that. It tends to be the same guys on PPVs all the time so its actually nice to see the likes of Bourne getting a shot.
John Cena predictably beat R-Truth to retain the WWE Championship. This match wasn’t great and didn’t fee like a PPV main event. I hated the finish too. Clearly a plant in the crowd costing Truth the match. Terrible. Cena wins and will probably go down the CM Punk or Alberto Del Rio route next. Bang average match tonight though.
Overall Rating: 54.375/100 (ranked joint 188th out of 266)
Match Of The Night: Randy Orton vs. Christian
Worst Match Of The Night: The Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio
Surprise Of The Night: Ezekiel Jackson beats Wade Barrett
Worst Booking Of The Night: All of the Barrack Obama crap
Superstar Of The Night: John Cena
Capitol Punishment Will Be Remembered For: Being a terrible gimmick PPV
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