Part 2 of the build is here.
6 matches set up.
WWF Title: Jericho v. Chavo
Tag Titles: D1 v. Finlay/Regal
Rey v. Sydal
Porter v. Nitro
Number One Contenders: DMW v. Taker/Cody v. Defiance v. Young Money
WMD v. HHH-M/Miz
2 to go.
The Messiah Shawn Michaels won his 5th IC Title (no one else has won more than 3) and his 11th overall WWF championship belt (I don't literally know who is second - I think it's Bret with 7) when he defeated Rey at Summer Slam. Michaels takes an out of nowhere dig at MVP at one point - saying that other guys get handed nicknames like "Greatest Intercontinental Champion of All Time" - but 5 sure seems like a greater number than one.
Real world Michaels would do stuff like that in recent years - in the middle of a totally unrelated program, he'd make a reference to some perceived slight, usually about workrate, something to the effect of "other guys win the awards for best technical wrestler - but somehow, little old me is the one still here." It's like that - just a shot he needed to take, 'cause that's who he is.
He has a light, confident stretch here - the Flock (Harry, Tyson, Natty) do some comedy pieces - ideally, they'd go to Mexico (and other Latin American countries, if there's a tour) and ask fans who the greatest Lucha Libre wrestler who ever lived was. The answer they'd get is Mysterio - they'd then show the fan, say on a phone (I'm doing a lot of phone stuff, hopefully there's a corporate tie in) the clip of Michaels beating Rey - and then get the fan to say that Michaels beat Rey - so that must mean Michaels is the greatest wrestler in Latin America. And then they'd tear up whatever lucha paraphenalia they had, in the way, recall, Michaels burned his old gear and the Flock set fire to all manner of old Hart memorabilia.
Michaels, within just a few weeks, targets and dispatches both Khali and Funaki - the Flock, say goes to Indian and Japanese restaurants, revisiting the bit they did in Latin America, allowing Michaels to claim he has virtually conquered the world - bringing the world underneath its one true Lord and Savior - the Messiah Shawn Michaels.
As we hit October (do you know who Michaels is facing? Can you figure it out?) Michaels and the Flock hit the ring after a Shelton Benjamin (ding, ding, ding) loss.
That's what Benjamin's been doing, if you were wondering, since losing the blow off to a year+ long feud with Nitro - he's been losing.
The Flock hits the ring after one of those losses - surrounding Benjamin - and clearing the path for the glorious entrance of Michaels - arriving in a bath of white light.
Michaels asks Benjamin if he knows why he is there. Benjamin tells a joke that maybe Michaels thinks he's from Uganda, but he's not, he's from South Carolina, so he'll have to look somewhere else to finish his game of WWF Risk.
Michaels gets serious - tells Benjamin that he understands his pain. His mentor Angle went off the rails crazy and abandoned him. Michaels references the long Clique v. Team Angle feud in which they were both featured. Michaels says that the new father in your life was Arn Anderson, who created Strong Style - and then he broke up their team, sent Benjamin away - and now no longer has time for him. Michaels says Benjamin's best friend Charlie is long gone. And after losing the biggest match of his life, at Wrestlemania Silver - Benjamin loses, and loses and loses again. Because the truth is Benjamin is lost - he is losing not because he is a loser but because he is lost - but the Messiah knows how he can be found.
Michaels says Benjamin should join his Flock. The Flock was lost - dying in developmental on the internet - without anyone looking out for their interests. He's taking a shot at Jericho here - something like "if only they had a powerful person who, for one reason or another might be looking out for them - but they did not" - Michaels says he saved them - and he can save Benjamin too.
Shelton says why would you care - I've lost 15 matches in a row - what could I do for you?
Michaels puts over the tag gimmick for WM 26 - says he wants the platform of the main event of WM 26 to spread his gospel - and that means he needs a tag partner. Michaels says he's got 4 tag titles - and Benjamin's got 3. That they'd be the greatest tag team force of all time - Michaels and Benjamin, tagging together in the main event of WM 26.
Benjamin says "what's in it for me?"
Michaels says - Survivor Series. An IC Title shot. The Triple Crown. Immortality.
Because Benjamin's won the WWF Title and the Tag Titles - but never the IC.
The Triple Crown, note, has been positioned as inarguable - a prize to rich to refuse - and Benjamin is overhwhelmed to consider it.
Benjamin accepts. Says he will join the Flock - but not until after Survivor Series - he doesn't want anything to do with Michaels and the Hart kids before then - because he is bringing full force at Survivor Series - to take Shawn's IC Title - and to win the Triple Crown.
Shawn says he wouldn't have it any other way.
And that's that match - and since Chavo is also wrestling for the Triple Crown - this gives us two Triple Crown matches at the top of the card for Survivor Series - and that's how you add some value to a PPV.
One more match.
After his win over Steamboat at Silver, Punk and Maria shot a series of handheld vignettes to re-establish their relationship outside of the ring, they hopefully worked to humanize Punk, and to kick off the angle we saw at Summer Slam, Christian inadvertantly shoot punching Maria in the mouth when Punk pulled her in front of him in a Savage/Liz type of ringside maneuver.
We do one more of those vignettes post Summer Slam, Maria packing up and leaving - she's silent, Punk's frothing, saying she should stay, he's sorry he couldn't protect her from that piece of shit Christian, he'll tear him apart, he will hunt him down, he'll eat his children.
Maria, very calmly, tells Punk it's not Christian she's afraid of - it's him. That it's Punk's fault. That he doesn't know that is why she's leaving.
Punk's devastated after she goes. Alone - he quietly looks at the camera and says "it's done, just...just stop." and the shot goes dead.
The following RAW is Christian's first appearance since Summer Slam; he cuts brief promo - says he's just going to say it once - he's sorry to Maria.
He's then cut off by Matt Hardy.
Matt's smiling - joyous - he says he's never had a better time in his whole life than Summer Slam. He says not only did he wipe out Punk and Christian with Twists of Fate - but he hijacked the entire show by keeping everyone guessing if he would cash in his marker for a title shot at any time - and he might just hijack every single show just like that. Maybe he cashes it in tonight - maybe he calls Jericho to the ring right now and takes his title -- or maybe he waits all the way until Wrestlemania 26 and wins the WWF Title then. It's all up to Matt Hardy. Matt says the only thing that could have made Summer Slam better would have been if Christian hit that red-headed whore (Matt's maybe subconsciously thinking of someone else here) harder.
And that's when Punk sprints to the ring - he doesn't make it - he's tackled by security on the ramp - and it needs to be a swarm of them - he needs to be screaming at Christian that he'll kill him - just howling in rage, security needs to physically have Punk entirely lifted in the air, he fights the entire way that he's going to kill Christian - Punk needs to be maniacal, scary - enough so that we'll get the dictate that comes from Arn going forward, that Punk cannot step foot inside any WWF arena before Survivor Series - or he will be arrested on the spot.
At Survivor Series, of course, he gets a rematch with Christian. 'Cause Punk's unhinged, but there's money to be made.
That scene with Punk getting carried out ends with Matt, taking advantage of Christian's distraction - laying him out again with the Twist of Fate.
Fast forward a month. RAW needs to be in Chicago.
RAW opens on the announce - Joey says there was an incident earlier today, and the RAW production crew has painstakingly been reconstructing footage in order to best bring to you this developing situation.
They show security cam style footage from the cafeteria at the arena; there's an early evening time stamp. Joey, in a "breaking news" style, explains that wrestlers are eating dinner before RAW - we can see, some in costume, some not, various faces/heels eating together - nothing that would be too shocking, but Yakuza can eat with Killings and it's not the end of the world.
Joey directs us to Christian - and narrates as Christian seems to receive a text message and quickly stands and runs from the cafeteria. I told you we were doing some phone business in this build.
Back to the announce. Joey asks "what was that text?" - "multiple sources have confirmed that Christian shouted "my wife - my wife's been in an accident" as he ran from the cafeteria."
Cut to a security cam in the outside parking area for the wrestlers - Joey says note the time stamp, which is just moments after the previous stamp - Joey says watch this side of the screen - we see a man walking briskly - Joey says enhance and slow it down - and clearly it is CM Punk.
And when we zoom even further, we see he's holding a phone.
Phones!
Joey says its crucial to pay attention here - as we see another figure, running - when we zoom we see it to be Christian.
The two men see each other - there's wild gesturing - when we zoom we see both men are screaming - and then they full on brawl, right in outdoor parking. Fans should see it, as it's outside - and then it's broken up - both men disheveled, blood - clothes torn - they both break away from whomever has ahold of them - other wrestlers can be there breaking them up - and eventually they're separated.
We then cut to interviews with wrestlers who were there - explaining that while it was garbled - Christian accused Punk of having sent the text - Punk apparently - it looks like Punk apparently sent Christian the text about his wife - in order to lure Christian out of the building - in order to attack him.
And - as it turns out - the text was a fake - Christian's wife was not in an accident. It was a set up. If in fact, there was a text at all.
But other wrestlers say Punk was yelling at Christian - that Punk was yelling about a text - a text from Maria - Punk got a text from Maria (Punk lives in Chicago, just a few minutes from the building - that's why Chicago's important here) that she was in town, that she went to the arena to see some of her friends, and she really, really needed to see him now. Punk was yelling that Christian set him up - set him up to come to the arena and get arrested.
And - as it turns out - that text was a fake - Joey says Maria was not in the building tonight. It was a set up. If in fact there was a text at all.
There's much speculation - did Punk send Christian a text that his wife was in an accident? Did Christian send Punk a text to lure him to the arena?
A couple of weeks pass - Christian returns in the go-home RAW and cuts angry promo. Says Punk put Maria in harm's way - he didn't mean to hit her - but if she gets hit - she gets hit. But Christian's wife has never been part of this - he's been a wrestler for over a decade - and has deliberately kept his wife out of all of this. Punk's crossed a line you don't cross - and at Survivor Series - he'll pay the price. Punk then appears on the video wall, live from his home in Chicago - Punk is completely serious - says Christian's why Maria left him - says Christian wasn't content with just ruining his life, he tried to get him arrested with a fake text message. Punk says he has nothing left to lose - and at Survivor Series - he pays the price.
So - that's the show.
Two Triple Crown Matches as Chavo and Benjamin each have the opportunity to join the most exclusive club in wrestling as they wrestle Jericho and Michaels for the singles belts.
Division One puts their tag straps on the line against the veterans, Finlay and Regal.
The 3 singles matches - Punk/Christian, Rey/Sydal, Nitro/Porter.
The two tags - the 4 way elimination match to be number one contender and the opener between WMD and Hunter/Miz.
Plus - the revelation of the new GDI.
It's coming in November. Survivor Series 2009.
NEXT
I'll be back in October with the next TNA show.
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