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WWE King of the Ring 2008

by Scrooge McSuck

- Honestly, it's nothing more than a "Special 3-Hour" episode of Monday Night Raw, before it became a weekly thing. This was also during the time period where I completely gave up on the product, so I honestly have no clue what's going on, except for minor things here and there. I still believe that a PPV dedicated to a King of the Ring Tournament, with the winner earning #1 Contendership to a Championship of his choice (thus removing the stigma that "Oh, if it's for WWE Title, then the most obvious choice will win, like in 2002), would be a great idea over, say, Extreme Rules or Payback, two PPV's that bring nothing to the table. Hell, get rid of Hell in a Cell, too. It's the PG Era.

- Originally broadcasted live on the USA Network on April 21st, 2008, from the BI-LO Center in Greenville, SC. Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler are at ringside to call all the action, unless otherwise noted. Apparently The brackets for the tournament are a secret to everyone, including the participants, so expect swerves and dissapointments in the opening round for the "shock value" that results from it.

Chris Jericho vs. MVP:

I forgot to mention, this was back when the three brands (yes, remember WWECW?) were still in effect, making the show even more special. Jericho is the reigning Intercontinental Champion, having come back for his, what, 9th reign with that belt? Speaking of reigning Champions, MVP is the United States Champion, reigning for 11-months at this point. There's someone that took me a while to start liking. MVP pounds away to start and takes Jericho over with a side headlock. Jericho slugs his way free, as Punchamania continues to run wild. Jericho drops him across the top rope with a suplex, putting him on the floor. He quickly follows with a baseball slide. Back inside, MVP drives a knee to the face, and connects with a kinda-DDT for two. MVP slaps on funky stretch (a.k.a resthold) to relax after that hard 90-seconds of action. Jericho escapes, only to be taken over with a release belly-to-belly suplex. Nice to drop the guy on his head. Jericho ducks a right and bridges a Northern Lights Suplex for two. MVP bridges out of that and turns it into a back slide for two. Boot to the face for two. Jericho meets MVP coming off the ropes with a clothesline for two. MVP goes to the throat thanks to referee interference. He misses a dive to the corner, and Jericho takes him down with the bulldog. The Lionsault misses, but he recovers in time to trap MVP in the Walls of Jericho for the tap out at 5:15. That felt rushed. There's really nothing to say other than "a match with potential rushed from the initial slugfest into the finishing sequence." Who will Jericho meet in the Semi-Finals? Find out, next...

CM Punk vs. Matt Hardy:

This could be good too, but I don't expect it to recieve much time, either. Punk is representing ECW (STILL?!) and holder of the Money in the Bank Briefcase, and Hardy is from Smackdown, feuding with MVP over the US Title. Jim Ross actually acknowledges Don Muraco won the 1st King of the Ring Tournament, way back in 1985. I almost had money on the "PPV era, and on" answer. They fight over a wristlock until a forearm from Punk breaks it up. Hardy responds with a forearm of his own and goes for the Side Effect, but Punk elbows free and takes him down with a swinging neckbreaker for barely a one count. Punk slams Hardy down again and grabs a chinlock. Hardy fights back to his feet, only to be taken over with a side headlock. Punk with knees to the midsection. Hardy fights him down from the middle turnbuckle with rights and headbutts, then comes off with a double axehandle across the back. Hardy with a clothesline into the corner, but the bulldog is countered. Punk drives a knee to the face, and his signature bulldog does connect. It only gets two, though. Punk to the top, and Hardy counters the clothesline with the Side Effect for two. Twist of Fate is countered, as is the GTS. Hardy tries for a sunset flip, but Punk sits down on it and hooks the legs for three at 3:52. Incredibly rushed, but I was really enjoying what they gave us in such a short span of time.

Finlay (w/ Hornswoggle) vs. The Great Khali:

Oh, this should be a classic. I kind of miss the days when Khali wasn't comedy relief, or I should say "Intentional" Comedy relief. He was always funny to watch, but it was mostly through sick pleasure of finding awful wrestling funny. Hard to remember Finlay as a face, and oh yes, Hornswoggle is HIS son, I guess, and not actually a McMahon. Finlay goes for the legs, but gets shoved away and laid out with a clothesline. Khali scoops him up for a hard slam, but misses a leg drop. Finlay with a dropkick to the face, followed by clubberin' blows. Khali interrupts things by grabbing Finlay by the throat and throwning him into the corner. Finlay meets a boot, coming off the second rope. Here comes Hornswoggle with the stick of unpleasantness (I can't spell it and refuse to look it up), but Khali runs him off and KO's Finlay with the Hassan-Chop. He chooses not to cover, and instead rams Finlay's leg into the post until being Disqualified at 2:01... LAME! Still not as terrible a finish for a Tournament match than, say, Bam Bam vs. the Gang at WrestleMania IV. Suddenly, the Big Show makes an appearance to get in Khali's face, because they had issues, I guess.

William Regal vs. Hornswoggle:

... Okay, unless your name is Chavo Guerrero, wrestling Hornswoggle is an automatic win. I'm calling shenanigans on this one! William Regal is the current General Manager of Raw, probably having won a Battle Royale or something similiarly stupid, so that might have something to do with it. Hornswoggle is still around ringside because of the previous match, and gets (slowly) ran down the aisle and thrown into the ring. Regal bum rushes Hornswoggle after the bell and locks on the Regal Stretch for the tap-out at the 19-second mark. At least it was a sudden squash and nowhere near even being mildly competetive. Regal, the GM of Raw, gets the easiest possible opponent in the first round, and now gets to face Finlay in the Semi-Finals? This is even more rigged than the 1985 NBA Draft Lottery (and not that I'm complaining, I love the Knicks, and especially Patrick Ewing).

Non-Tournament Match:
Hardcore Holly (w/ Cody Rhodes) vs. Carlito (w/ Santino):

It's funny, as of now, the Spring of 2013, I find Cody Rhodes quite enjoyable, but my God, when he first came to WWE, I couldn't help but ask how the fuck did he get a spot on the roster with his look (or lack thereof). Holly and Rhodes are the reigning Tag Team Champions, and the tandem of Carlito and Santino are the top contenders... huh. Seems a bit random. Is it wrong I miss Hardcore more than Carlito? Holly starts with a headlock, and comes off the ropes with a shoulder. Holly with a slam and leg drop for two. Whip to the corner, Holly meets boot, but catches Carlito coming with an inverted atomic drop, followed by a clothesline for two. Carlito catches Holly coming off the ropes with a knee to the midsection and starts pounding away. Carlito with a back breaker for two, then settles into a chinlock. Seems to be trending tonight. Holly fights free and takes a dropkick to the face for his efforts. This match is dying a slow death for the live crowd. Carlito with a slam, then back to the restholds. Holly avoids a charge and lays into Carlito with roundhouse rights. Whip to the ropes, Holly with a forearm, followed by a clothesline. He sends Carlito to the ropes and connects with his signature dropkick, but actually sells the work on the back from earlier. Carlito takes advantage of the back trouble, slipping out of the Alabama Slam, and finishing Holly with the Back-Stabber for three at 5:02. Post-match, Carlito and Rhodes have words until Rhodes nails him with the microphone, and the Champions clear the ring. Filler match without much substance.

Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk:

It's time for the first of the two Semi-Finals matches. If you already forgot, Jericho defeated MVP and CM Punk defeated Matt Hardy in the Opening Round. Lockup to start, with Jericho taking him over with a side headlock. Whip to the ropes to escape, Jericho with a shoulder tackle for one. Punk sweeps the legs and covers for one, as well, and it's back to a neutral position. Punk with kicks to the back of the leg, followed by shoulders to the midsection. He snapmares Jericho out of the corner for a two count. Jericho boots him on the midsection, then sloppily drops him across the top rope with a front suplex. Jericho misses his springboard dropkick, but counters the clothesline of Punk with a second dropkick attempt, hitting the top rope. Jericho with a back breaker, holding Punk over the knee for extra punishment. Punk surprises Jericho with a boot to the chest and sweeps him down with a hard clothesline for two. Jericho avoids a charge to the corner and a hurricanrana gets two. They trade pin attempts until Jericho goes for the Walls. Punk counters with a small package for two. Jericho with a running enziguri for two. Punk with a snap powerslam for two. Jericho avoids the GTS and takes Punk down with the bulldog. The Lionsault meets knees, but Jericho hangs on to them and turns him over with the Walls of Jericho. Punk crawls his way to the ropes, forcing the break. Jericho to the top rope, only to get slowed with an enziguri. Punk with the GTS, and that's enough for three at 6:23, earning the first spot in the Finals. Solid match for the little tim recieved. With an additional 12-15, it has been proven over the years what these two can do together.

Finlay vs. William Regal:

Winner here gets to face CM Punk in the Tournament Finals. Regal had to go through the toughest competition in the first round, Hornswoggle, and his opponent, Finlay, got by Khali through cheap means, but took some punishment to his knee to compensate. Does Regal, the Raw GM, have this all rigged in his favor? I think it's obvious that he doesn't. Fans of WCW might recall these two having VICIOUS fights together, but I don't expect to see that here. Finlay goes for a takedown, but Regal fights free and goes for the injured left knee. Finlay counters with a monkey flip, sending Regal to the floor. Finlay follows, unwisely, and is immediately rammed into the steps. Back in the ring, Regal goes to work on the leg like a shark sensing blood. Finlay shrugs it off, throws Regal shoulder first into the ring post, and rolls him up for a near fall. Finlay with a seated splash across the chest for two. Finlay scoops him up into a fireman's carry, but can't handle the weight. Finlay with a knee to the face and a back slide for two. Regal comes off the ropes with a knee to the side of the head and hooks the Regal Stretch. Finlay hangs on until passing out from the pain, forcing the referee to signal for the bell at 3:38, giving the match to Regal, and sending him into the Finals. Another ridiculously short match, but understandable for the story they were trying to tell. 4-minutes of hard hitting action from these two is still enjoyable.

Non-Tournament Match:
Triple H, John Cena, The Undertaker, Kane vs. Randy Orton, JBL, Chavo Guerrero, Edge:

There's probably four seperate angles represented here that I have no recollection about. I want to say Edge and Undertaker had issues over the World Heavyweight Title, Kane and Chavo Guerrero over the ECW Title, and then from there, I have no clue. Five short years later, JBL is retired, Edge is retired due to severe neck problems, Chavo is working in TNA, Undertaker and Triple H wrestle a combined 9 times a year (at most), Kane and Orton are filling out the midcard, and John Cena is still reigning supreme on top of the company. I guess the other four (Cena, HHH, Orton, JBL) were involved in a Four-Way coming up at Backlash. Introductions alone eat up about 10-minutes and a commercial break. Edge sneak attacks Undertaker to start. Undertaker meets him in the corner with a boot and comes off the ropes with the clothesline. Undertaker grabs the arm, climbs the ropes, and comes down with Old School. He takes shots at all the other heels as we take another break.

We're back, with Chavo covering Triple H for two. Edge comes in for a Spear, and Hunter counters with a spinebuster. Cena tags in to the typical mixed reaction. He comes off the ropes with shoulders, followed by the side suplex. Chavo pulls the ropes down on him going for the Five-Knuckle Shuffle, making him my favorite wrestler of the match. The former team of Rated-RKO work over Cena for a bit. It's been mostly punchy-kicky stuff. JBL tags in and connects with a Russian leg sweep for two. JBL with a short-arm clothesline for another two count. Edge and Orton take turns executing their own rest holds, because, again, a MATCH WITH 8-PARTICIPANTS NEEDS REST HOLDS. Super-Cena escapes, only to get put right back down with a clothesline. Chavo tags in, as does Kane. Kane unloads with rights and catches Chavo off the ropes with a back drop. Charging clothesline to the corner, followed by the side suplex. He goes to the top with his signature flying clothesline, but JBL and Orton interrupt and all hell breaks loose. Kane with the Chokeslam on Chavo, and Edge hits him with the Spear for the three count at 7:06. That was shot and an abrupt finish. Post-match, Cena gives Edge the F-U, JBL lays out Triple H with the Lariat, and Orton plants Cena with the RKO. Undertaker shows up to double chokeslam them, standing tall over everyone else. Typical throw-away dark match situation, throwing eight big names together and having them do stuff for 7-8 minutes.

King of the Ring Finals: CM Punk vs. William Regal:

Are you ready for an epic Finale? CM Punk had to get through Matt Hardy and Chris Jericho to get here, while William Regal had the task of having to overcome Hornswoggle and an injured Finlay. Lockup into the corner, with Regal unloading with forearms. Punk with a shoulder to the midsection, followed by a series of boots to the face. He charges into the corner with a knee to the face, but it's too soon for the bulldog, and Regal counters with a back suplex for a two count. Regal drives a knee into the back, further working on where Chris Jericho left-off in the Semi-Finals. Punk fights his way free and gets into a form of a slugfest, except with kicks thrown in as well. Regal traps Punk in another hold exploiting the injured back, pushing off with his boot for extra leverage. Punk escapes again and unloads with two roundhouse kicks to the back of the head, a couple of hard rights, and finally a third kick to knock him down. Punk goes for GTS, but Regal hooks the ropes and rams a knee into the face. He quickly goes for the Regal-Stretch, and after a brief struggle, Punk has no choice but to tap out at 4:06, making William Regal the King of the Ring. No shame in tapping to Regal. I might be just remembering wrong, but I guess booking the finals to be short makes sense, as it plays up the fatigue factor of having to wrestle multiple times through the night. It's another good four-minute match, but that's all it was: a four minute match, and this is supposed to launch Regal's push...

The one thing that I remember most from this period of the WWE is not much to do with the in-ring product itself, but the "Wellness Policy" that was created in the following months after the tragedy surrounding Chris Benoit and his family. Wrestlers who tested positive for illegal substances, wether it be recreational drugs or for body enhancements, would be disciplined with being removed from television and suspended, with different lengths for the numbers of offenses against that particular person. Unfortunately, it was only a short couple of weeks until news broke that William Regal, who was in line for a serious push into the Main Events, had failed a drug test, his second violation, and would be written off of television by the end of May, and by the time he returned, other than a cup of coffee reign with the Intercontinental Title and feuding over the soon-to-be-defunct ECW Title, wasn't used in any prominent role within the company, and would settle into semi-retirement. A sad conclussion to someone who was finally getting his big chance, but at the same time a punishment accepted with grace of knowing of wrong-doing. It's a shame we never got "World Champion William Regal" at any point, wether you believed he belonged at the top of the card, or not. He worked hard, got over, and overcame enough obstacles to deserve at least the cup of coffee in the spotlight that he ended up throwing away himself.

Final Thoughts: I like one-night tournaments, and it's really hard for me to not enjoy them, with rare exceptions being the 1995 and 1999 King of the Ring's, to name a few. The matches were too short, but moved at a brisk pace, and despite the lack of time devoted to some of them, we did get mostly satisfactory results from them, with the Khali/Finlay and Hornswoggle involvement being the only black-eye of the night. My only gripe is that they tried to play up how hurt and tired Punk was for the Finals, while Regal had a much easier path. Punk not only had more rest, but only wrestled a combined 10-minutes between the two matches, while Regal had the only wrestled one "real" match, it took place much closer to the Finals than Punk's. I don't know, little stuff like that bothers me. Thanks to Regal's Wellness Violation, this tournament ended up meaning nothing mere weeks later, and the rest of the show was filler to build to the Backlash PPV coming up the same weekend. I can't really recommend watching this, but at the same time, can't recommend against it. Choose your own path on this one.

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