(april fools!)

The circle is complete
By Noah Starr
March 26, 2007In front of an excited and enthusiastic
capacity crowd of 15,146, the final Raw before
WrestleMania emanated from the home of last year’s
‘Mania. Six nights before the biggest event in
sports-entertainment rolls into Detroit, WWE fans
witnessed partnerships collapse, champions pinned and
some Sweet Chin Music that will echo throughout the
halls of Chicago's Allstate Arena for a long, long
time.

After months of tension between World Tag Team
Champions and WrestleMania opponents Shawn Michaels &
WWE Champion John Cena, HBK stayed true to his promise
that any Sweet Chin Music he delivered, Cena would
never see coming. The World Tag Team Champions then
stepped into the ring to face World Heavyweight
Champion Batista & Undertaker in a No Way Out rematch.
As The Deadman tossed HBK at The Animal, it looked
like Cena and HBK’s double team would lead them to
victory. After the two Superstars delivered a unified
five-knuckle shuffle, The Showstopper dropped Cena
with a powerful kick to the head. After Batista
covered Cena to pick up the win, Michaels ended the
confrontation with a few quick DX crotch chops. What
kind of action awaits WWE fans when Cena and HBK meet
on the grandest stage of them all in six short nights?


Another promise was kept as Mr. McMahon lived up to
last week's "guaran-damn-tee" that he would pin ECW
World Champion Bobby Lashley when they met in the
ring. Mr. McMahon’s Executive Assistant, Jonathan
Coachman, announced that the match would fall under No
Disqualification rules and any “unauthorized”
interference would result in a fine and suspension.
That gave the Chairman the upper hand by “authorizing”
Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, Chris Masters, Johnny
Nitro and even the Intercontinental Champion Umaga to
attack Lashley. A low blow from Mr. McMahon would help
Umaga bring down the ECW World Champion, enabling the
Chairman to pin him not once, but twice! Worse, it
appears Mr. McMahon's representative may have the
clear-cut edge over Donald Trump’s representative
Bobby Lashley in the first-ever Battle of the
Billionaires Match at WrestleMania 23.

Speaking of the Battle of the Billionaires, that
match’s special guest referee got the night started on
a “stunning” note when he confronted Jonathan
Coachman. It seems Coachman had been sending "Stone
Cold" presents marked with Donald Trump’s name. Austin
spoke to Coachman in simple terms: “What I say goes…
don’t mess with me in this ring.” To further cement
his point, The Texas Rattlesnake rocked Coachman with
a vicious Stone Cold Stunner, followed by a nice, cold
beer bath!

In the sexiest match of the evening, three Playboy
cover girls — Torrie Wilson, Candice Michelle & Ashley
— teamed to defeat Women’s Champion Melina, Jillian &
Victoria. Ashley will face Melina for the Women’s
Championship at WrestleMania in an incredible
Lumberjill match; can she keep her momentum going and
walk out of Detroit with the gold?

It was also a busy night for the competitors in the
Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Chicago native CM Punk
defeated WWE Magazine’s "Jerk of the Month" Kenny
Dykstra, while Mr. Kennedy & Randy Orton defeated The
Hardys. Also, Edge hosted his seven other competitors
on “The Cutting Edge,” where a fight broke out between
them all. Edge tried to jet out of the ring to safety,
but his opponents actually chased him out of the
arena. Does the Rated-R Superstar have the “edge”
heading into this exciting WrestleMania match?

Ric Flair, a Superstar who will no doubt become a
member of the WWE Hall of Fame someday, competed
against The Great Khali. Just when it looked like the
end for the “Nature Boy,” Carlito ran in to help his
mentor and friend. Khali made quick work of the
Southpaw from San Juan, though he wasn’t safe from a
hook-wielding Kane who he will face at WrestleMania!

Finally, congratulations to Raw announcer Jim Ross,
who was named as the final member of the WWE Hall of
Fame's Class of 2007. J.R. received a thunderous
ovation from the capacity crowd after the
announcement.

Click here to get all of your WrestleMania 23 Gear!

WWE Champion John Cena after Sweet Chin Music from
HBK.

Related Content

Preview Raw
Raw photo gallery
Raw video gallery
The Battle of the Billionaires
Get great WWE gear at WWE Shop
Matches

Torrie Wilson & Candice Michelle & Ashley def. Women's
Champion Melina & Victoria & Jillian
CM Punk def. Kenny Dykstra
Mr. McMahon def. ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley (No
Disqualification Match)
Mr. Kennedy & Randy Orton def. The Hardys
The Great Khali def. Ric Flair (DQ)
World Heavyweight Champion Batista & Undertaker def.
World Tag Team Champions Shawn Michaels & John Cena


Getting ready for "Mane-ia"
By Bryan Robinson
March 27, 2007Mr. McMahon was smiling like a Cheshire
cat on ECW on Sci Fi after he fulfilled his
“guaran-damn-tee” to pin ECW World Champion Bobby
Lashley on Raw. But Lashley dampened the Chairman’s
mood when he showed him that he wouldn’t let his
beatdown on Raw cripple his determination to defeat
Umaga at WrestleMania 23’s Battle of the Billionaires.


Sure, McMahon had stocked the odds heavily in his
favor on Raw – he made the match a no-disqualification
contest and employed the services of his Battle of the
Billionaires representative to help him get the win
and brutalize Lashley.

But, as McMahon emphasized to the ECW World Champion,
no one beats him. The Chairman promised Lashley that
he and Donald Trump at WrestleMania will join a long
list of others who have fallen to his feet.

“I can't wait to see Umaga, the Samoan Bulldozer,
stick his thumb down your throat and come down on you
from the top rope and go splat, just like he did to
you last night [on Raw]," McMahon said. "I can't wait
to see the look of your face when you realize you've
let Donald Trump down, that you've let everyone down.
And at the end of the night, I, Vincent Kennedy
McMahon will still have my head of hair, and your
future, Bobby Lashley, will be bleak, very bleak."

Lashley conceded that he did not have much to smile
about after the beating he absorbed he on Raw.
However, the determined ECW World Champion vowed he
would feel better after he defeats Umaga and watches
Trump shave McMahon’s head. (WATCH)

"Listen, you old bastard," Lashley said. "At the end
of WrestleMania, you're going to be a bald son of a
b***tch."

McMahon-Umaga and Trump-Lashley do not have much in
common. But the battling billionaires do trust their
respective WrestleMania representatives, almost like
the trust seen in the members of the ECW Originals and
the New Breed.

Balls Mahoney did not fare well against ECW loner, the
deranged Snitsky, but fellow ECW Original Rob Van Dam
had better luck in his match.

New Breed captain Elijah Burke battled Original
counterpart RVD in one last confrontation before the
two factions’ fateful Eight-Man Tag Team Match at
WrestleMania. The two sides have traded victories
before their showdown on April 1 at Ford Field in
Detroit, but the back-and-forth battle between Burke
and RVD ended when the Originals' captain pinned his
young rival following the Five Star Frog Splash. The
New Breed (Marcus Cor Von, Kevin Thorn and Matt
Striker) attacked Van Dam after the match, but they
were chased off by the rest of the ECW Originals,
Sabu, Tommy Dreamer and Sandman. (WATCH)

RVD gave his fellow Originals momentum going into
WrestleMania. Is this a harbinger of what awaits the
New Breed and the Originals in their battle for the
legacy and future of ECW? Order WrestleMania 23 this
Sunday and find out.

Trust is something the participants in WrestleMania
23’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match lacked as they
squared off in an Eight-Man Tag Team Match on ECW on
Sci Fi. Edge, the winner of the first Money in the
Bank match and a favorite in this year’s contest, was
teamed with straightedge ECW Superstar CM Punk and
Matt and Jeff Hardy against Finlay, King Booker, Randy
Orton and Mr. Kennedy. He admitted to his teammates
that he disliked them as much as they did him, but he
advised them that they should band together to take
out some of the members of the other team to increase
their odds of victory at WrestleMania.

Meanwhile, the opposing Money in the Bank team had its
own trust issues. Orton and Kennedy would not discuss
prematch strategy with Booker and Finlay, so Booker
was wary of Orton and Kennedy before the match and
tried to form a pact with Finlay.

In the end, Booker, Finlay, Orton & Kennedy defeated
Edge, The Hardys & Punk, but it was really every man
for himself. Edge walked out on his team shortly
before the loss, and despite their victory, Booker,
Finlay, Orton and Kennedy fought each other after the
match. Punk, Matt and Jeff Hardy then took aim at
their victorious opponents, and even The Hardys looked
like they were going to come to blows when the
brothers both scaled to the top of a ladder in the
middle of the ring after the match.

As this all unfolded, the Rated-R Superstar watched it
all from the arena entrance, laughing. This kind of
cunning strategy helped Edge win Money in the Bank at
WrestleMania 21 and ultimately win the WWE
Championship. It could help him repeat history at
WrestleMania 23 this Sunday.

Want to relive some of the ECW on Sci Fi action as you
prepare for WrestleMania? Check out each match in its
entirety on ECW.com’s Hardcore Hangover.

A determined ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley let Mr.
McMahon know that he, not the Chairman, will be the
one smiling after the Battle of the Billionaires at
WrestleMania 23.

Related Content

Full WrestleMania coverage
Get your WrestleMania gear
ECW on Sci Fi
CM Punk talks about the Money in the Bank Ladder Match

Matches

Rob Van Dam def. Elijah Burke
Snitsky def. Balls Mahoney
Mr. Kennedy, King Booker, Finlay & Randy Orton def. CM
Punk, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy & Edge


Next stop: Detroit
By Lennie DiFino
March 30, 2007The Road to WrestleMania made its final
stop on SmackDown, two days away from the biggest WWE
event of the year - WrestleMania 23.

Just 48 hours before their epic encounter this Sunday
in Detroit, the World Heavyweight Champion Batista and
Undertaker were face-to-face in the ring. General
Manager Theodore Long tried his best to maintain order
during the “biggest interview in sports-entertainment
history,” but the tension that has been building
between The Animal and The Phenom exploded in front of
WWE fans in Grand Rapids, Mich. – erupting into a
brawl between the champion and the challenger to his
title.

As much as security and officials tried, they could
not stop the intense fight between the two men.
Batista looked to gain an edge heading into
WrestleMania, as he delivered a Spinebuster to
Undertaker. The Deadman rose up as the confrontation
between these two men had gone past the point of
tension, steamrolling right into a violent conflict.
Sunday, Undertaker puts his undefeated WrestleMania
streak on the line against Batista’s World Heavyweight
Championship when these two men collide for the
richest prize in the business.

As Michael Cole stated, “the man who will special
guest referee the Battle of the Billionaires at
WrestleMania does what he wants, when he wants. Stone
Cold is the law.”


As JBL found out, and as the dueling billionaires may
find out on Sunday, The Rattlesnake can strike when he
feels like it. At WrestleMania, nobody is safe from
Stone Cold or the Stunner – not Mr. McMahon, Umaga, or
even Donald Trump.

Also on SmackDown, the eight men in the Money in the
Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania were scheduled to be
in action, but former Money in the Bank winner Edge
refused to compete against Matt Hardy, instead
introducing his replacement – The Great Khali.

Khali looked to disassemble Matt Hardy, but he was
distracted when Kane’s music sounded. The Big Red
Monster’s sinister laugh filled the arena, and he
warned, “Khali – two days”. These two behemoths will
square off this Sunday at WrestleMania 23, and both
are looking to lay claim to being the monster of WWE.

While Edge avoided competition, CM Punk made the most
of his opportunity when he defeated and shocked King
Booker in an upset victory. The straightedge Superstar
will look to score another upset this Sunday at
WrestleMania.

In a Raw rematch, Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton went
one-on-one, with each man looking for any advantage
heading into Sunday. Orton is looking to regain the
form he had when he became the youngest World Champion
in WWE history, and Hardy is aiming to get to the top
of WWE.

Orton was poised for the victory until his so-called
friend Edge interfered, allowing Hardy to get the
victory. If Orton is to be successful at WrestleMania
this Sunday, he will, as Michael Cole said, “need to
get Edge out of his head.”

Another SmackDown Superstar who gained momentum
heading into WrestleMania’s Money in the Bank was
Finlay. The Irishman defeated Mr. Kennedy in singles
competition, but not before Hornswoggle delivered an
unforgettable “Lepre-ton Bomb” to Kennedy. Who will
ascend the ladder this Sunday at WrestleMania and
become Money in the Bank?

MVP’s final match before WrestleMania was against
Ethiopian Champion – Viko Batomango. MVP took the
opportunity during this match to mock Chris Benoit’s
trademark suplexes before picking up the victory. In
preparation for his match against Benoit for the
United States Championship, Porter has faced
competition that some would say is less than
spectacular. Will the cocky Superstar be hurt by this
approach?

Sunday at Ford Field, will MVP’s laid back approach to
this match hurt him against the Rabid Wolverine or
will he be “ballin’” his way to gold?

Ashley, Torrie Wilson, Candice Michelle, Maria &
Mickie James defeated Women’s Champion Melina,
Kristal, Jillian, Michelle McCool & Victoria in the
first ever 5-on-5 Diva Match in SmackDown history.
Ashley challenges Melina for the championship Sunday
at WrestleMania, and the ring will be surrounded by
Divas in a Lumberjill Match. Will Ashley end Melina’s
reign or will the jealousy of the Women’s Champion
propel her to victory?

Finally, General Manager Theodore Long has planned a
romantic rendezvous with SmackDown Diva Kristal. As
JBL pointed out, “all we need now is Julie McCoy and
we’ll have the Love Boat.” The relationship between
Diva and GM seems to be heating up on Friday nights.

The wait is over - all roads lead to this Sunday –
April 1, Detroit’s Ford Field, when WWE presents
WrestleMania 23 live and only on pay-per-view.

World Heavyweight Champion Batista

Related Content

WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania merchandise
Preview next weeks SmackDown
Matches

Matt Hardy vs. The Great Khali (No Contest)
Jeff Hardy def. Randy Orton
Finlay def. Mr. Kennedy
Ashley, Maria, Mickie James, Candice Michelle & Torrie
Wilson def. Women's Champion Melina, Michelle McCool,
Kristal, Jillian & Victoria
MVP def. Viko Batomango
CM Punk def. King Booker

~*Brandi*~
http://edgeandrvd.tripod.com






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