WWE Superstars
January 27, 2011
Cincinnati, OH/Detroit, MI
Report by: Mike Tedesco of Wrestleview.com
The Superstars video plays and we’re brought into the arena with some fireworks. The mouse-like Jack Korpela and Matt Striker welcome us to the show as Trent Barreta makes his way to the ring.
Trent Barreta vs. Tyler Reks
I thought Matt Hardy was in TNA? They circle the ring and lock up. Reks quickly powers Barreta to the corner but Barreta turns him quickly, surprising Reks. Barreta gets a side headlock on but Reks powers him off and clotheslines him down. Barreta slaps him and knocks him off his feet with a forearm. Reks quickly gets out of the ring to recover and then quickly gets back in, taking Barreta down. Barreta again comes back with some strikes. Reks reverses a whip and hits a knee to the midsection. Reks executes an impressive dominator/rib breaker combo. Reks drops some knees and gets a near fall. Reks kicks him and stands on the injured ribs. Reks applies a grounded abdominal stretch. Barreta fights up and punches out. Barreta goes into the ropes and runs right into a boot to the ribs.
Reks hits a front suplex and gets a near fall. Reks stomps his face with his crotch (that’s not a sentence you type everyday) and applies an inverted chin lock. Barreta fights up but quickly gets clubbed back down. Barreta gets put in the corner and Reks knees him down. Reks goes outside and stretches him against the ring post. Reks goes to get back in the ring but Barreta kicks him coming in and stuns him with a dropkick. Barreta hits an enzuigiri and Reks fights up in the corner. Barreta charges with a back elbow and clotheslines him down for a near fall. Reks sidesteps him charging out of the corner but Barreta flips through a back suplex attempt and hits a knee to the face for another near fall. Barreta goes to springboard off the top rope but Reks kicks his knees out. Reks hits the impressive Burning Hammer and picks up the win.
Winner by Pinfall: Tyler Reks
Match Rating: * 1/4
The NXT recap is played and Brodus Clay dropped Ted DiBiase as his pro. That looks like it was a decent episode.
Tonight’s main event will be R-Truth taking on Tyson Kidd. Kidd’s push looks like it is officially dead.
-Commercial Break-
Scott Stanford and Josh Mathews welcome us back to the show.
Zack Ryder and Primo make their way to the ring. Ryder isn’t happy with the reaction and says they’re the two most overlooked superstars in WWE history. Ryder gives them another chance to show their appreciation but the crowd just boos. Primo says the people don’t appreciate them so they don’t appreciate the crowd either. Primo says we’re looking at the latest and greatest tag team that should be on Raw. Ryder says after they pick up the win they’re going to go the clubs and pick up some women who are DZP – Down for Zack and Primo. Woo, woo, woo, you know it.
Zack Ryder & Primo vs. Yoshi Tatsu & David Hart Smith
Smith starts it out against Ryder. They circle the ring and lock up but Smith immediately pushes him off. Smith takes him down and they roll around the mat. Smith controls him with a front face lock and Ryder can’t shake him. Ryder gets out and takes him down but Smith kips up out of the head-scissors. Smith works on his arm but Ryder gets up. Tatsu is tagged in and he comes off the top rope with a chop to the arm. Tatsu kicks Ryder and gets a two count. Ryder stuns him and tags in Primo, who runs into a drop-toe-hold. Yoshi hits the La Magistral cradle for a one count. Yoshi works the arm and tags in Smith. They kick and chop Primo down.
Smith sends him to the corner hard and hits a belly-to-belly suplex for a near fall. Yoshi is tagged back in and he kicks Primo. Yoshi works the arm and tags Smith back in. Smith hits a beautiful suplex for a near fall. Smith pins again for a two count. Primo gets out of the ring for a quick recovery. Primo gets on the apron and quickly gets a big boot, sending him back outside. Ryder checks on Primo as we go to commercial.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see Smith trapped in a chin lock applied by Primo. During the commercial break Ryder threw Smith into the barricade. Back to live action, Primo stomps Smith in the corner. Primo chokes him with the knee and tags in Ryder. Ryder punches and hits a snapmare. Ryder dropkicks him in the back of the head for a near fall. Ryder goes for a neckbreaker but Smith gets a backslide pin for a near fall. Ryder quickly takes him down with a big boot and a CALL ME leg drop for a near fall. Ryder applies a chin lock but Smith fights up and punches out. Smith goes into the ropes and runs into a back elbow. Primo is tagged in and he hits a falling head-butt to Smith’s ribs. Primo punches away and Smith comes right back. Primo controls him and gets Ryder back in, who kicks Smith in the ribs. Primo Irish whips Ryder into Smith and hits a suplex for a near fall.
They continue to trade tags until Smith explodes out of nowhere with a back suplex to Ryder. Yoshi and Primo are tagged in. Yoshi dropkicks Primo and hits a back body drop. Yoshi destroys him with some kicks for a near fall. Yoshi goes to the top rope and comes off with a spinning wheel kick. Ryder breaks up the pin so Smith runs in for the save. Smith goes for a powerbomb but Primo is able to push him (and Ryder) over the top rope. Primo hits Yoshi with the Backstabber for the win.
Winners by Pinfall: Zack Ryder & Primo
Match Rating: * 1/2
R-Truth will take on Tyson Kidd in a little bit.
-Commercial Break-
A Dolph Ziggler hype video airs. They then air the Royal Rumble numbers video, despite the fact that Doug Lackey provided a better (and more accurate) list. They then run down the Royal Rumble card.
R-Truth makes his tired entrance. He’ll face Tyson Kidd next.
-Commercial Break-
R-Truth vs. Tyson Kidd
R-Truth does his usual schtick with the dancing (or spazzing) before Kidd quickly wrenches his arm. R-Truth comes back but Kidd quickly powers him to the corner. R-Truth backs up and Kidd recovers. Kidd gets a waist lock before turning to a headlock takeover. Kidd keeps the headlock applied but R-Truth soon fights up. R-Truth whips him off but Kidd shoulder blocks him right down. Kidd gloats a little bit. R-Truth gets a waist lock and gets a side headlock. R-Truth gets whipped off but he comes back with a shoulder block. R-Truth spazzes out (or dances?) in the middle of the ring again.
Kidd kicks him and elbows him right down. Kidd bounces him off the turnbuckle and kicks him in the corner. Kidd whips him to the opposite corner but R-Truth slingshots over, cartwheels, and hits a hip toss. That is such a tired spot. R-Truth charges and they both fly over the top rope, apparently injured as we go to commercial.
-Commercial Break-
We come back from the break to see R-Truth trapped in a chin lock. R-Truth tries to fight up but Kidd keeps him grounded. During the commercial break, R-Truth was getting into the ring but Kidd hit a slingshot leg drop to the back of the neck. R-Truth fights out of the chin lock but Kidd quickly grounds him with a snapmare and a dropkick to the back of the head for a one count. Kidd chokes him on the rope and dropkicks him in the face. Kidd gloats around the ring and kicks him in the ribs. Kidd goes back to the chin lock. R-Truth fights up and punches but Kidd kicks him down. Kidd goes into the ropes and runs into a flapjack.
Both men are down but are able to answer the referee’s count. R-Truth punches away and hits some clotheslines. R-Truth hits a nice suplex/stunner combo but Kidd grabs the rope, breaking up the pin. R-Truth pulls him into the center for a near fall. R-Truth goes for the Scissors Kick but Kidd kicks him and dropkicks him in the head for a near fall. Kidd goes for a Sharpshooter but R-Truth kicks him out of the ring. Kidd quickly comes back with an impressive slingshot roll up but R-Truth counters at two with a schoolboy for a two count. R-Truth then hits the What’s Up for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: R-Truth
Match Rating: * 1/2
Quick Match Results
Tyler Reks def. Trent Barreta
Zack Ryder & Primo* def. Yoshi Tatsu* & David Hart Smith
R-Truth def. Tyson Kidd
Bump of the Night: Primo getting knocked off the apron
Match of the Night: R-Truth/Kidd and Ryder & Primo/Yoshi & Smith * 1/2
Mike’s Thoughts
This wasn’t a terrible edition of Superstars. Not much to really write home about except I guess they’ve officially decided that Primo is a heel now. No reason necessary – it’s not like he was teaming with faces two weeks ago. The matches themselves were decent. My only real complaint (and it’s not much of one) was having to listen to the announcers try to put over the fact that any of these guys have a shot at winning the Royal Rumble. Come on, really? Yoshi Tatsu or David Hart Smith main eventing WrestleMania? Give me a break.
Final Rating: ** 1/2
E-Mail – MikeyT817@hotmail.com
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