Vengeance: Night of Champions

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Vengeance: Night of Champions
Details
Promotion World Wrestling Entertainment
Brand (s) Raw
SmackDown!
ECW
Date June 24, 2007
Venue Toyota Center
City Houston, Texas
Attendance 18,300
Pay-per-view chronology
One Night Stand (2007) Vengeance: Night of Champions The Great American Bash (2007)
Vengeance chronology
Vengeance (2006) Vengeance: Night of Champions Night of Champions (2008)

Vengeance: Night of Champions was the seventh annual Vengeance professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The event took place on June 24, 2007 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.[1] The official theme song for the event was "Gone" by Fuel.[2] The tagline for the event was "Night of Champions," as all nine championships from the three brands were competed for. This event was notable for being on the weekend of the Chris Benoit double murder and suicide case. Chris Benoit, who was originally booked to face CM Punk for the vacant ECW World Championship, legitimately no-showed due to "personal reasons."[3]

The main match on the Raw brand was for the WWE Championship between John Cena, Mick Foley, Bobby Lashley, Randy Orton and King Booker. Cena won the match and retained the WWE Championship by pinning Foley after executing an FU.[4] The featured match on the SmackDown! brand was a "Last Chance match" for the World Heavyweight Championship between Edge and Batista, which Edge won by count-out.[5] The primary match on the ECW brand was CM Punk versus Johnny Nitro for the vacant ECW World Championship, which Nitro won by pinfall after performing a corkscrew neckbreaker from the middle rope.[6]

Contents

[edit] Report

[edit] Background

John Cena as WWE Champion
John Cena as WWE Champion

The main feud on the Raw brand was between Bobby Lashley, King Booker, Mick Foley, Randy Orton, and WWE Champion John Cena. The feud began when Bobby Lashley was drafted to the Raw brand and stripped of the ECW World Championship.[7] On the June 18 edition of Raw, Mick Foley, Randy Orton, King Booker, and Lashley all cut promos on why they deserve to be the number one contender to the WWE Championship. Cena also cut a promo on who deserved it.[8] Following this, Acting General Manager Jonathan Coachman announced that all five men would compete for the title in a match billed as the "WWE Championship Challenge" at Vengeance.[9]

The main feud heading into Vengeance on the SmackDown! brand was between Edge and Batista, with the two feuding over the World Heavyweight Championship. Their match stemmed from their Steel cage match at One Night Stand, the pay-per-view three weeks before Vengeance, where Edge won by escaping the cage.[10] On the June 8 edition of SmackDown!, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon announced that Edge would be defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Batista in a "Last Chance" match at Vengeance.[11] On the June 22 edition of SmackDown!, Batista and Ric Flair defeated Edge and Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP). Midway through the match, Flair and MVP brawled outside the ring, leaving Edge on his own against Batista. Batista gained the pinfall after executing a Batista Bomb on Edge.[12]

[edit] Event

Before the event aired live on pay-per-view, Super Crazy defeated Carlito in a dark match.[13] The event began with a video package of the event and its theme, "Night of Champions," followed by opening pyrotechnics.[14] The first match was between Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch and The Hardys (Matt Jeff) for the World Tag Team Championship. Cade and Matt started out the match, with Matt in control until tagging in Jeff. The two teams tagged in and out until Cade and Murdoch attempted to walk out on the match, but the Hardys went after them, and brought them back into the ring.[15] As Jeff attempted a Swanton Bomb on Cade, Murdoch was in the process of interfering. Matt tried to interfere on Jeff's behalf, but was stopped by the referee. Murdoch used this as an advantage, and pushed Jeff off the turnbuckle, leading to Cade performing a powerbomb. Cade gained the pinfall on Jeff and retainted the tiles.[16]

Johnny Nitro faced CM Punk for the vacant ECW World Championship.
Johnny Nitro faced CM Punk for the vacant ECW World Championship.

The second match was between Chavo Guerrero and Jimmy Wang Yang for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.[1] The match began with Yang and Guerrero locking up, followed by Yang in control through most of the match.[14] After Yang missed a moonsault, Guerrero executed a Gory Bomb. Shortly after, Guerrero performed a Frog Splash on Yang. Guerrero pinned Yang after to win the match and retain the Cruiserweight Championship.[14] The third match was between CM Punk and Johnny Nitro for the ECW World Championship.[6] Chris Benoit, who was originally booked to face Punk, legitimately no-showed due to "personal reasons." The match started off with Punk attempting a crossbody on Nitro. Nitro countered, however, and executed an enzuigiri.[14] Nitro won the match and became the new ECW World Champion after pinning Punk following a corkscrew neckbreaker.[6][17]

The fourth match was between Santino Marella and Umaga for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.[1][18] The match began with Umaga in control, squashing Marella. Two minutes into the match, Umaga was punching Marella uncontrollably. The referee disqualified Umaga when he refused to stop, and Marella retained the Intercontinental Championship. After being disqualified, Umaga continued to assault Marella, delivering a splash and a Samoan Spike.[18] The fifth match was between Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) and Ric Flair for the WWE United States Championship.[1][19] The match started with Flair executing a series of backhand chops to MVP. Flair kept the advantage and applied the figure four leglock. MVP, however, reached the ropes and, while the referee was attempting to pull Flair off, executed a low blow. MVP then performed the Playmaker and pinned Flair to retain the United States Championship.[19]

Edge as World Heavyweight Champion.
Edge as World Heavyweight Champion.

The sixth match was an open challenge by Deuce N' Domino to any tag team for the WWE Tag Team Championship, which was accepted by Jimmy Snuka and Sgt. Slaughter.[1][20] Snuka and Slaughter controlled most of the match; however, Deuce N' Domino got the win after Deuce pinned Snuka. After the match, Deuce N' Domino attacked Snuka and Slaughter until Tony Garea and Rick Martel, who were sitting at ringside, came into the ring and made the save.[20] The seventh match was between Edge and Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship.[1][5] This was a "Last Chance match," meaning if Batista lost, he could not get another shot at the World Heavyweight Championship as long as Edge is champion. Batista originally won the match by disqualification after Edge executed a low blow; however, SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long restarted the match with the stipulation that Edge could lose the title by countout or disqualification. Edge won the match after Batista was counted out, thus retaining the title.[5]

The eighth match was between Melina and Candice Michelle for the WWE Women's Championship.[1][21] After a back and forth match, Michelle executed a spinning heel kick on Melina to gain the victory and win the Women's Championship.[21][22] The main event, billed as the "WWE Championship Challenge," was John Cena versus King Booker versus Bobby Lashley versus Mick Foley versus Randy Orton for the WWE Championship.[1][4] Throughout the match, all five men fought each other. One spot in the match saw Lashley dive over the top rope onto the other four competitors. Towards the end of the match, Cena executed an FU on Lashley through an announce table. Cena won the match and retained the title by pinning Foley after performing an FU.[4]

[edit] Aftermath

Chavo Guerrero went on to defend the WWE Cruiserweight Championship in a Cruiserweight Open at The Great American Bash against Jimmy Wang Yang, Jamie Noble, Funaki, and Shannon Moore. Hornswoggle also entered the match, but hid under the ring throughout it. All the other competitors started fighting. Noble controlled the match until Hornswoggle came out, and delivered a Tadpole Splash to Noble, and pinned him to win the Cruiserweight Championship.[23][24]

Candice Michelle and Melina continued to feud over the WWE Women's Championship with Michelle as the new champion. The two had a rematch at The Great American Bash for the Women's Championship. Michelle pinned Melina after delivering a Candy Wrapper to retain the title. After the match, Melina started crying over the loss.[25]

On the July 2 edition of Raw, Umaga defeated Santino Marella in a rematch to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship.[26][27] On the July 16 edition of Raw, Jeff Hardy defeated William Regal, Shelton Benjamin, and Santino Marella in a Fatal Four Way Elimination match to become the number one contender to the Intercontinental Championship. At The Great American Bash, Umaga defeated Hardy to retain the title after the Samoan Spike.[28]

On the June 26 edition of ECW, CM Punk defeated Elijah Burke in a Two out of three falls match to become the number one contender to the ECW Championship.[6] At The Great American Bash, Punk faced John Morrison (formerly known as Johnny Nitro) for the ECW World Championship. Morrison retained the title after hitting Punk with both of his knees.[29]

On the July 6 edition of SmackDown!, Kane was named the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship after he appeared as the special guest on Edge's Cutting Edge segment.[30] Edge held a celebration for himself on the July 13 edition of SmackDown!, and was attacked by Kane.[31] On the July 20 edition of SmackDown!, Edge vacated the World Heavyweight Championship as a result of a legit injury. The Great Khali went on to win a 20-man battle royal to become the new World Heavyweight Champion.[32][33] At The Great American Bash, he defended the title successfully against Kane and Batista in a Triple Threat match.[34]

On the July 2 edition of Raw, Bobby Lashley won a "Beat The Clock" match, defeating Shelton Benjamin. As a result, he became the number one contender to the WWE Championship.[26] At The Great American Bash, Lashley faced John Cena for the WWE Championship in the main event. In this athletic match, Cena finally retained his title after an FU from the second rope.[35]

[edit] Results

Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.

[edit] See also

Professional wrestling
Portal

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Powell, John; Powell, Justin (2007-06-25). Vengeance banal and badly booked. SLAM! Sports. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  2. ^ Medalis, Kara A. (2007-06-21). Fueling Vengeance: Night of Champions. WWE. Retrieved on 2008-04-21.
  3. ^ Martin, Adam (2007-06-24). Vengeance PPV Results - 6/24 - Houston, TX. WrestleView. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
  4. ^ a b c d Dee, Louie (2007-06-24). Five alive. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  5. ^ a b c d McAvennie, Mike (2007-06-24). Batista's last stand falls. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  6. ^ a b c d e Robinson, Bryan (2007-06-24). ECW World Title goes A-list. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  7. ^ McAvennie, Mike (2007-06-11). One wild night. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-12-26.
  8. ^ Anderson, Donny (2007-06-18). Raw Results--6/18/2007. Lords of Pain. Retrieved on 2007-12-26.
  9. ^ Hengelbrok, Will (2007-06-18). WWE Raw Results - June 18, 2007. ProWrestling.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-26.
  10. ^ McAvennie, Mike (2007-06-03). Edge wins by two feet. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-10-10.
  11. ^ Claton, Corey (2007-06-08). It's do or die again for The Animal. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  12. ^ Rote, Andrew (2007-06-22). Night of chance?. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  13. ^ a b Vengeance 2007 results. Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  14. ^ a b c d McLaren, Steve (2007-06-25). WWE: Vengeance 2007 Results. Wrestling 101. Retrieved on 2007-12-26.
  15. ^ Farrell, E L (2007-06-25). WWE Vengeance results. Warned. Retrieved on 2007-12-26.
  16. ^ a b Dee, Louie (2007-06-24). Sportsmen of the year?. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  17. ^ John Morrison's first ECW World Championship reign. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
  18. ^ a b c McAvennie, Mike (2007-06-24). Santino: A very sore winner. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  19. ^ a b c Clayton, Corey (2007-06-24). MVP puts on legendary show with win over Flair. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  20. ^ a b c Robinson, Bryan (2007-06-24). Tag champs win, but taught a legendary lesson. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  21. ^ a b c DiFino, Lennie (2007-06-24). Dream come true. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
  22. ^ Candice Michelle's first Women's Championship reign. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
  23. ^ McAvennie, Mike (2007-07-22). A leprechaun's pot o' Cruiserweight gold. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
  24. ^ Hornswoggle's first Cruiserweight Championship reign. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
  25. ^ Robinson, Bryan (2007-07-22). Not just another pretty fluke. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
  26. ^ a b Rote, Andrew (2007-07-02). A matter of time. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-19.
  27. ^ Umaga's second Intercontinental Championship reign. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  28. ^ Robinson, Bryan (2007-07-22). Firmly in the grip of a Samoan Bulldozer. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  29. ^ Rote, Andrew (2007-07-22). Morrison enlightens the Straightedge Superstar. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  30. ^ Rote, Andrew (2007-07-06). A big surprise. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  31. ^ Rote, Andrew (2007-07-13). Officially on. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  32. ^ Difino, Lennie (2007-07-20). Giant change to Friday nights. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  33. ^ The Great Khali's first World Heavyweight Championship reign. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  34. ^ McAvennie, Mike (2007-07-22). The Great Khali wins the big one. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  35. ^ Robinson, Bryan (2007-07-22). One WWE Champion, but two champions at heart. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-20.
  36. ^ Rote, Andrew (2007-06-24). Chavo cruises. WWE. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.

[edit] External links

World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view events
Royal Rumble • No Way Out • WrestleMania • Backlash • Judgment Day • One Night Stand • Night of Champions
The Great American Bash • SummerSlam • Unforgiven • No Mercy • Cyber Sunday • Survivor Series • Armageddon
WWE Night of Champions
Vengeance : 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • Vengeance: Night of Champions
Night of Champions : 2008
Former pay-per-view events
The Wrestling Classic (1985) • This Tuesday in Texas (1991) • King of the Ring (1993-2002)
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Former International pay-per-view events
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