Thanks to PWInsider.com & Ed Shirreffs for the following:
Shelton Benjamin defeated Harry Smith before Smackdown when he grabbed the ropes for leverage on a roll up.
Edge got a ton of heat when he came out to open the show. It was a great promo, and as much as it hurts this Philly fan to admit, but he nailed the Philadelphia Phillies...no heart! Cena's entrance got even more heat, though it was 60% boos to 40% cheers. That would even out later in the night. RVD got mostly cheers, but there were boos for him as well.
Degeneration X was EXTREMELY over with the crowd all night long. Their segments had the most interest from the crowd outside the Main Event. Vince's promo, in particular, had the crowd in stitches, though the fireworks came close, too. Great segments, BTW.
Spirit Squad's entrance got a lot of people on their feet. Hacksaw had the crowd behind them and there were a lot of HOOOOOO and USA chants thorughout the match. The stereo leg drop and elbow drop was awesome.
Carlito is getting more popular every time I see him out there. The match was good, and the crowd laughed at Nitro when he did the totally unnecessary ballet move. Not happy, with Melina's interference, however.
The Highlanders got a good pop considering this was their first appearance at a show, not counting vignettes. There were even a few signs welcoming them to RAW in the crowd.
When it came time for the main event, the crowd really took on a Pay Per View atmosphere, and we got a Pay Per View event. It was a surprise to most people that the match was happening and the heat behind it was tremendous. Rob Van Dam got the "Yays" for hitting Edge, while Cena got a lot of "Boos", the the audience split was more even this time out. After the match, Edge left to boos, Cena left to a mix, and RVD left to cheers.
It was a great show, and the crowd was hot for all of the major segments, especially the DX stuff. I can't stress how over it all was live, especially when they were fooling around during Vince's promo. I was tepid on the reunion two weeks ago, but every week they have gotten funnier. I was also happy to have seen both of the title changes live in the last three weeks. There was really a special buzz (pun intended) about the match. Lillian doing the introductions after all three men are in the ring really added a big time feel, and it is something they should continue doing. Overall, with the Smackdown taping, this was an excellent show and well worth the money spent on it.
Biggest Pop:
1. Degeneration X
2. RVD
3. John Cena
Biggest Heat:
1. Edge
2. John Cena
3. Vince McMahon
RVD & Paul Heyman Have Backstage Altercation Over His Arrest? RVD's Release To Follow?! HUGE >>
