World Wrestling Entertainment presents Velocity
Date: 1/18/2003
From: East Rutherford, NJ
Matches:
1.) Jamie Noble defeated Bryan Danielson
2.) Chuck Palumbo defeated Xavier
3.) The Jet (Spanky) defeated Shannon Moore
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Noble takes Danielson down to the mat to gain control with a head scissor. Danielson quickly counters with a modified STF until Noble breaks out of a cover. Noble controls Danielson with a wrist lock, but Danielson rolls through until Noble takes Danielson down to the mat. Danielson tosses Noble overhead with a slam to keep control on the mat. Noble takes Danielson down to the mat and keeps control for a moment. Noble kicks Danielson a few times followed by a northern lights suplex for a two count. Danielson headbutts Noble followed by kicks and a kick to the back for a two count. Danielson chops Noble against the ropes, but Noble strikes Danielson and drop toe holds Noble over the middle rope. Noble elbow strikes Danielson followed by a side suplex for a two count. Noble chokes Danielson over the middle rope and hits a splash over the middle rope. Noble distracts the referee to allow Nidia to deliver a cheap shot. Noble scoop slams Danielson followed by a leg drop for a two count. Noble controls Danielson with a straight jacket sleeper, but Danielson gets up quickly. Noble kicks Danielson, but Danielson nearly wins with a rollup. They bridge out of a rollup and Noble stops Danielson with a knee lift for a two count. Noble controls Danielson on the mat with a sleeper, but Danielson arm drags free and uppercuts Noble a few times. Danielson nails Noble with a forearm strike. Danielson sends Noble into a corner and delivers a running forearm strike. Noble stops Danielson with a snap powerslam for a two count. Danielson avoids Noble in the corner and tries for a dragon suplex, but settles for a roaring elbow to the neck and hits a German suplex for a near fall. Noble ducks a kick, but Danielson backdrops Noble. Noble avoids a roaring elbow to hit a swinging neckbreaker for the win. (***. These are the kinds of matches that make shows such as Velocity a joy to watch. To get nearly seven minutes to produce a quality match for Noble and Danielson is probably unheard of to ever happen on the main shows. I thought they did a good job with the time and it was an enjoyable competitive match.)
2.) Palumbo tosses Xavier into a corner and taunts him. Palumbo clotheslines Xavier followed by strikes in the corner. Palumbo catches Xavier, but Xavier breaks free to deliver a few strikes. Xavier drop toe holds Palumbo followed by several knee strikes. Xavier dropkicks Palumbo on the knee and elbow drops Palumbo on the knee. Xavier splashes down onto Palumbo’s knee a few times. Palumbo kicks Xavier over the top to the floor. Palumbo hits a buckle bomb into the corner. Palumbo decks Xavier with a big boot for a two count. Palumbo controls Xavier on the mat with his knee between Xavier’s shoulder blades. Xavier kicks free and runs the ropes, but Palumbo tosses Xavier with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Palumbo tries for a powerbomb, but Xavier counters with a sunset flip attempt. Palumbo tries again, but Xavier hits a hurricanrana. Xavier chops Palumbo in the corner and delivers a boot. Xavier hits a top rope crossbody for a two count. Xavier drives Palumbo down with a neckbreaker and heads to the top rope. Palumbo avoids a 450 splash, but Xavier continues with forearm strikes in the corner. Palumbo nails Xavier with a superkick for the win. (**. Okay, what happened with Palumbo this week? Bringing out a buckle bomb? Perhaps he’s tired of being a boring singles wrestler with Billy out of action? This was a pleasant surprise of a match with Palumbo showing he’s capable of some fun offense.)
3.) The Jet is wearing a mask to hide the identity, but also got a ring entrance.
4.) Jet gets early wrist control, but Moore counters quickly and arm drags Jet. Moore taunts Jet before keeping control with a boot to the midsection. Jet arm drags Moore several times. Jet avoids an arm drag with a rollup for a two count. Moore complains to the referee. Jet forearms Moore a few times and backdrops Moore to the apron. Moore delivers a boot strike and connects with a back suplex for a two count. Moore puts a chin lock on Jet to maintain the advantage. Jet elbows Moore, but is beaten down with strikes and a running knee strike for a two count. Moore chokes Jet over the top rope. Moore scoop slams Jet and delivers a leg drop for a two count. Moore keeps a neck vice on Jet, but Jet breaks free and manages a rollup for a two count. Moore nails Jet with a forearm strike for a two count. Moore sends Jet hard into the corner. Jet forearms Moore several times. Moore sends Jet chest first into the corner, but Jet avoids a German suplex and delivers a heel kick. Moore forearms Jet a few times against the ropes, but Jet delivers a boot and a kick to the head for a near fall. Moore sends Jet into the corner and misses a splash. Jet hits a springboard missile dropkick for a near fall. Moore ducks a clothesline and dropkicks Jet on the knee followed by a swinging neckbreaker for a near fall. Jet plants Moore with the Slice Bread and picks up the win. (*1/2. The crowd was pretty lifeless for this and while it’s an upset it’s clear that the crowd doesn’t care about Moore, nor do they see him as a viable Cruiserweight competitor.)
Final Thoughts:
Probably one of the best Velocity episodes thus far. Danielson/Noble was a lot of fun and Palumbo deciding to showcase his skill in an entertaining manner made this a breeze to watch.
Thanks for reading.