WWE Superstars
February 24, 2011
Sacramento/Fresno, CA
Report by: Mike Tedesco of Wrestleview.com
The WWE Superstars video plays and we’re brought into the arena with a big fireworks display. Matt Striker and Jack Korpela welcome us to the show. Our main event will be Daniel Bryan taking on Ted DiBiase in an apparent non-title contest.
Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel vs. JTG & Trent Barreta
This is a non-title match. Gabriel and JTG start out. They lock up and Gabriel quickly gets a waist lock. JTG takes him down and Gabriel quickly gets him in the head-scissors. JTG kips up, punches, sends him into the ropes, and hits a back elbow. Barreta is tagged in. JTG slams Gabriel and Barreta hits a slingshot elbow drop for a two count. Gabriel quickly drives him into the corner and punches him down. Gabriel whips but Barreta puts the brakes on and dropkicks him down. Barreta hits a running elbow in the corner and sets up for another move. Heath Slater quickly distracts him and Gabriel dropkicks him off the apron.
Slater is tagged in and he kicks away at Barreta at ringside. Slater throws him into the ring and stomps him. Slater hits a textbook body slam for a two count. Slater punches and tags in Gabriel. Gabriel punches him down and gets a two count. Gabriel applies a chin lock but Barreta soon fights up. Gabriel kicks him, back flips over him, but Barreta ducks a roundhouse kick, and dropkicks him down.
Both men make the tag. JTG ducks a clothesline and hits a pair of clotheslines. JTG hits a blockbuster neckbreaker and a running butt bump in the corner. JTG hits the Mug Shot in the corner but Gabriel breaks the pin up. Barreta knocks Gabriel out of the ring. The referee admonishes Barreta but as he does, Gabriel kicks JTG in the back of the head. Slater hits a snap reverse DDT for the win.
Winners by Pinfall: Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel
Match Rating: *
They’ll show a replay of the Undertaker-Triple H confrontation on Raw tonight.
-Commercial Break-
Chris Masters vs. Tyler Reks
This match again? Reks kicks Masters and punches away. Masters comes back with some kicks and chops. They trade blows and Reks powers him to the corner. Reks viciously kicks him down until the referee backs him up. Reks sends him to the corner hard and clotheslines him. Reks hits a short-arm clothesline before driving some knees into the back. Reks hits a picture-perfect front suplex for a near fall. Reks applies Lance Storm’s finisher, the half Boston Crab. Masters gets to the rope before submitting. Reks goes for a suplex but Masters gets an inside cradle for a near fall. Masters slides off a powerslam attempt and catches Reks with a Samoan Drop.
Masters hits an inverted atomic drop and a pair of clotheslines. Masters sends him to the ropes but eats a kick after lowering his head. Masters catches him with a nice spinebuster for a near fall. Reks comes back with a kick and sets him up on the top rope. Masters fights him off and hits a flying shoulder block. Masters goes for the Masterlock but Reks fights it. Masters then knees him and locks in the Masterlock for the win. Amazing…
Winner by Submission: Chris Masters
Match Rating: 3/4 *
The announcers hype up our main event of Daniel Bryan taking on Ted DiBiase.
-Commercial Break-
Scott Stanford and Josh Mathews welcome us back to the show. This is the Raw portion of Superstars.
Santino Marella w/ Tamina vs. Tyson Kidd
Santino looks around and shakes his stuff for the crowd. Santino talks a little trash and threatens the Cobra. Kidd backs away and they circle the ring. Santino gets a side headlock, gets whipped off, and delivers a nice shoulder block. Kidd comes back with a side headlock of his own and Santino whips him off. Santino leap frogs him and trips him. Santino delivers a nice arm drag but Kidd quickly comes back with a punch that levels him. Kidd viciously stomps him and chokes him as well. Kidd punches and kicks him in the corner until the referee threatens to DQ him. I guess he’s upset at getting tripped.
Kidd sends him to the corner but Santino slingshots over him and rolls him up for a near fall. Kidd sends him into the turnbuckle and works over him. Santino wildly throws punches that Kidd avoids and Kidd punches him right down. Kidd talks a little trash and slaps him in the back of the head. Santino “hulks up” and punches away. Santino splits under a clothesline but Kidd lands on his feet during a hip toss and kicks Santino in the midsection. Kidd hits a running dropkick to the face for a near fall. Kidd goes to the apron and springboards off the top with an elbow but Santino moves. Santino kips up and takes the cobra out (that sounds bad). Santino hits Kidd with the Cobra and picks up the win.
Winner by Pinfall: Santino Marella
Match Rating: *
2-21-11 will be revealed next. The replay of the Triple H-Undertaker confrontation is next.
-Commercial Break-
The replay of the confrontation between Undertaker and Triple H airs.
-Commercial Break-
Daniel Bryan is already in the ring. I guess being the US Champion doesn’t warrant a TV entrance.
Daniel Bryan vs. Ted DiBiase w/ Maryse
The returning Scott Armstrong is the referee for this match. Welcome back from your year long sabbatical. They circle the ring and go for a “test of strength” but DiBiase kicks. They actually do test the strength and exchange elbows. Bryan kicks and gets a headlock. DiBiase whips him off and gets shoulder blocked down. Bryan goes into the ropes and dropkicks him. Bryan hits a running kick and gets a near fall. DiBiase kicks and punches him down in the corner. DiBiase taunts the crowd and chokes Bryan in the corner. DiBiase sends him to the opposite corner and runs into a boot. Bryan explodes out of the corner with a dropkick for a near fall.
Bryan applies a beautiful Mexican surfboard and then turns it into a near dragon sleeper hybrid. Bryan gets a headlock on and counters a back suplex. DiBiase then goes into the ropes and turns Bryan inside out with a clothesline.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see DiBiase applying a sleeper. Bryan fights out of it and punches. DiBiase counters with a backbreaker and a dropkick to the back of the head for a near fall. DiBiase hits a couple of springboard stomps. Bryan comes back with some kicks but DiBiase counters a whip and hits a back elbow for a near fall. DiBiase rips at Bryan’s mouth and bounces him in the corner. DiBiase chokes him with his foot and Maryse is enjoying what she is seeing. DiBiase sends him to the corner but Bryan back flips over him and takes him out with a running elbow to the throat.
Maryse is unhappy now. Both men fight to their feet. Bryan hits a running dropkick in the corner and gets a very close near fall. DiBiase counters a whip into a Dream Street attempt but Bryan counters into the Hart-Piper finish from WrestleMania VIII for a near fall. Bryan whips him into the ropes but lowers his head and eats a kick. DiBiase charges and gets back body dropped over the top rope. Bryan hits a nice suicide dive and they’re both out of commission again. Bryan gets to his feet and sends DiBiase into the ring. Bryan goes to the top rope but DiBiase avoids the move. DiBiase then catches him with the Million Dollar Dream and hits a nice belly to back inverted suplex for a near fall!
All of a sudden Yoshi Tatsu comes down to the ring in a suit. Tatsu approaches Maryse and gives her some flowers. Maryse takes them and DiBiase is not happy about that. Tatsu looks for a kiss but Maryse shuts him down. DiBiase yells at her so she hits him in the face with the flowers. Bryan applies the LeBell Lock from there for the win!
Winner by Submission: Daniel Bryan
Match Rating: ** 1/4
Maryse walks off on DiBiase and Tatsu. Bryan celebrates his win and DiBiase looks absolutely livid.
Quick Match Results
Heath Slater* & Justin Gabriel def. JTG* & Trent Barreta (non-title)
Chris Masters def. Tyler Reks via Submission
Santino Marella def. Tyson Kidd
Daniel Bryan def. Ted DiBiase via Submission (non-title)
Bump of the Night: Bryan’s suicide dive
Match of the Night: Bryan vs. DiBiase ** 1/4
Mike’s Thoughts
This was a really average Superstars (complete with another mind-boggling Chris Masters win) that was saved by an excellent main event. This was a legitimate main event with some actual stars that don’t appear on the show every week. They put on an entertaining, quality match and I couldn’t be happier.
Other than that everything was, like I said, average. The Corre definitely needed that win after being made to look so weak on Raw. Yeah, it was against JTG and Trent Barreta but a win is a win.
I still cannot understand for the life of me why they put Chris Masters over Tyler Reks for the second week in a row. Reks has so much upside – I hope he’s not becoming the next Mike Knox. Right now Chris Masters is playing Finlay to Tyler Reks’s Mike Knox. It just makes no sense. Reks should be moving up to Smackdown in my opinion. He’s a monster and I like his look. Just for the record, I have nothing against Chris Masters. I like the guy but as of this moment he’s not going anywhere anytime soon. He’s had his time back in 2005-6 and has really done nothing since he returned. I’m just saying that Reks has more upside and shouldn’t be doing the job right now. He should be protected and brought up like a monster.
It was nice to see Tyson Kidd back on TV… until he had to do the job to the Cobra. Who am I to complain, though? The Cobra is over.
Final Rating: ** 1/2
E-Mail – MikeyT817@hotmail.com
Did you miss last week’s Superstars? Check it out here!
Be sure to check out the Win-Loss Record of your favorite WWE Superstar on the main page! Also be sure to check out tomorrow’s Smackdown recap.
Thanks for reading!