WWE Vintage Collection Report: September 16th 2012
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Hosted by: Mean Gene Okerlund
Let’s rewind back to SmackDown 2004. United States Champion John Cena was having trouble with GM Kurt Angle. During a match with Booker T, Booker sends Cena into Angle, knocking him out of his wheelchair. Booker then hits Angle with a chairshot that was meant for Cena. An irate Angle threatens to strip Cena, should he touch him again. Cena accidentally clotheslines Angle after Booker ducks out of the way, so Angle strips Cena of the title.
After Angle was removed as GM, new matchmaker Teddy Long makes an eight man elimination match to crown a new champion. Booker sneaks in to pin both Cena and Rob Van Dam to bag the title. Based on Booker’s history with Cena and the fact Cena never lost the title in the first place, Long makes a "Best of Five Series" to crown an undisputed champion.
SummerSlam: August 15th 2004
Match #1 - Booker T vs John Cena
We join the match with a slugfest in progress. Booker hits a side kick and sits on a camel clutch. Cena runs Booker into the corner. Booker comes back with a spinebuster and side slam. Cena escapes a chinlock to hook a small package for a nearfall. Booker goes back on the offensive. Cena avoids a scissors kick and mounts a comeback. Booker catches Cena with a flapjack. Spinaroonie time! Cena hits an FU out of nowhere. 1-2-3. Booker pays the price for his showboating. Winner: JOHN CENA.
SmackDown! August 24th 2004
Match #2 - Booker T vs John Cena
Cena tries a quick rollup from the bell. A desperate Booker aggressively goes after Cena in the corner. Cena comes back with a hiptoss and some battering rams. Cena tries to work an arm, Booker rakes the face, blocks a rollup off the ropes and wipes Cena out with a superkick. Cena fights out of a chinlock to land a pair of tackles. Booker counters a third by pushing Cena into the ropes and sending him outside with a high knee. Booker goes up top to hit a missile dropkick. A spinning side kick softens Cena for another chinlock.
Booker switches up his rest holds to incorporate a surfboard, throwing in a spinebuster to keep the crowd awake. Cena makes a comeback with a clothesline, backelbow and flying tackle. Cena elbows out of a Bookend. Running bulldog leads to the "You Can’t See Me" taunt and five knuckle shuffle. Cena pumps up the Reeboks, but Booker escapes an FU. The fight goes to the corner. Booker drops Cena across the top turnbuckle and hooks a backslide with his feet on the ropes to level the series. Winner: BOOKER T.
Match three was held in Sydney, Australia three days later during the “Return of the Deadman” tour. We skip right to the end. Booker rolls through a top rope cross body and holds the tights to go 2-1 up.
SmackDown! September 14th 2004
Match #4 - Booker T vs John Cena
It’s do or die for Cena. Both exchange pin attempts in the early going, until Booker takes a breather. Cena resumes control until Booker hotshots him across the top rope and connects with a jumping side kick. Booker applies a chinlock. I’m beginning to see a regular pattern here. Cena manages to counter a sunset flip into a pin attempt of his own. Booker catches Cena with a superkick. More resting follows. Referee Nick Patrick catches Booker trying to pin Cena with his feet on the ropes. Cena misses a flying tackle and walks into a spinebuster. Booker grabs the U.S Title, but Patrick confiscates it. Running Bulldog connects. Booker can’t see Cena. Five knuckles get dropped. Cena plays with his trainers. Booker thwarts an FU. Cena ducks a spin kick and hammers away in the corner. Patrick gets in Cena’s face and is swiftly pushed aside. Surely that’s a DQ? Apparently not, but it allows Booker to knock Cena out with a belt shot. 1-2-kickout. Here comes Super Cena, who cuts off a scissors kick with an FU to send the series into a decider. Winner: JOHN CENA.
No Mercy: October 3rd 2004
Match #5 - Booker T vs John Cena
Both stand face-to-face as Charles Robinson explains this one’s for all the marbles. Cena outbrawls Booker. Cena lands a couple of tackles. Booker slows Cena’s roll with a drop toehold and front facelock. Cena ducks a spin kick and clotheslines Booker to the floor. Booker wins a corner scrap, catches Cena in a spinebuster and tosses him. The two trade visits into the steel steps.
After the usual superkick and chinlock spots from Booker, Cena reverses a fisherman suplex. Cena gets caught with a flapjack, but grabs the bottom rope to stop a pin. Booker misses a jumping side kick and mangles his leg in the ropes. Cena hits his five moves of doom – clothesline, backelbow, flying tackle, running bulldog, five knuckle shuffle. Booker counters an FU into a Bookend. 1-2-kickout. A frustrated Booker grabs a chair. Little Naitch threatens a DQ and Booker drops the weapon. Booker misses a scissors kick. Cena counters a suplex by running Booker into the corner. The FU puts Booker away and mercifully ends the series. Winner: JOHN CENA.
Just four days later, Cena would lose the belt to the debuting Carlito, and get “stabbed,” so that he could disappear to go and film The Marine. Booker transitioned back into a good guy to feud with JBL over the WWE Title.
Booker would successfully contest a similar "Best of Seven Series" with Chris Benoit over the U.S Title in late 2005/early 2006.
Today’s matches got really repetitive, really quickly. Overall, it was a bad idea to show this series.
Matches pitting Champions against one another concludes our “Month of Champions” theme next week.
Any comments or discussion points drop me a line at shaunmb1@hotmail.com.
Follow me on Twitter @Shaun_Best.
