By Doron Barbalat, Torch Velocity Veteran

WWE Velocity review
August 7th, 2004
Taped August 3rd, 2004
Aired on Spike TV

We are just one week and one day away from SummerSlam, my vision is back to normal, and we have a loaded hour of action coming up for you. Last week, we had the WWE Champ, and this week, the US Champ Booker T is in the house. Plus, we’ve got the Bronze Warrior Kenzo Suzuki, and much more!

The Velocity intro airs and pyro explodes. Josh hypes SummerSlam and mentions last weeks Smackdown, as we go to our first match.

(1) Kenzo Suzuki (w/ Hiroko) beat Shannon Moore. Wow, the sound sweetener loves Shannon Moore. We cut away to Bill talking about Booker T’s appearance tonight. Bill says he doesn’t trust a man that gets carried to the ring by four other men, regarding Kenzo. Wow, Kenzo’s intro is long. Suzuki says some stuff in Japanese, which Hiroko translates into some loving comments. She says that Kenzo Suzuki has a bigger following than Josh Matthews. Well, duh. Kenzo says he loves America. I’m Canadian. Well, now to what should be an amazing match. Lock up to start, and Suzuki locks in a headlock. Suzuki bounces off the ropes and knocks Moore down. Kenzo whips Moore into the corner but Moore bounces back over his head and hits an arm drag. Kenzo takes Moore into the corner and nails him with a big kick. Kenzo hits a bodyslam and hits a knee drop for a one count. Kenzo hits a dragon screw leg whip and then a nice brainbuster for a two count. Kenzo locks in some sort of claw to Moore’s neck but Moore fights out. Moore bounces off the ropes but gets nailed with a shoulder block. Kenzo takes Moore onto the top rope and hits him with an uppercut. Kenzo taunts the crowd and gets caught with a missile dropkick. Moore nails Kenzo with a boot out of the corner and hits a dropkick. Moore sends him around the ring and hits another dropkick for a two count. Moore trips Kenzo onto the middle rope and drops a leg on him. Moore runs at Kenzo but gets caught with a claw into an STO for the win. *1/2. Not a bad match, and the best Suzuki performance I’ve seen yet, thought that isn’t really saying much.

Still to Come: Billy Gunn vs. Booker T in a non-title match.

(Commercial Break)

We go back to Smackdown, as Mr. Champion Bradshaw calls out the Undertaker. He gets a midget. JBL makes fun of the midget. Undertaker probably won’t like this, as evident by his arrival, as he attacks JBL. Thankfully, the man fans have been begging to have get a push, Orlando Jordan, makes the save. Undertaker destroys the midget. First he kills his dad, and then he destroys a midget. Nice guy you are, ‘Taker.

A graphic airs hyping JBL vs. The Undertaker, and in a Velocity exclusive, just announced, it will be Paul London/Billy Kidman/Rey Mysterio vs. The Dudley Boys!!! We also see graphics for Kane-Hardy, Edge-Batista-Jericho, HHH-Eugene, Benoit-Orton, Booker T-Cena, and lastly, Eddie Guerrero-Kurt Angle. Interesting order of match listings, if I do say so.

We go backstage, as Nunzio, in his SummerSlam t-shirt, talks with Johnny Stamboli about smuggling a passport to get to Toronto for SummerSlam. I have one they could use…

(Commercial Break)

WWE Rewind: Spike Dudley turns on Rey Mysterio on Smackdown.

(2) The FBI defeated Chavo Guerrero/Nunzio. You know, even if the FBI spends most of their time on Velocity, I really wonder if Chuck Palumbo misses them. Bill Demott, sucking up to Vince, for some reason says he likes Ohio more than Canada. Thanks. Chavo and Johnny start off as Chavo locks in a headlock. Noble tags in and takes Stamboli into the corner. Stamboli turns him into the corner and hits him with some shots. Nunzio tags in and works on Noble, hitting a snapmare. Chavo tags in and takes Nunzio to work with a headlock before Nunzio hits the Arrimadurci, or however you spell it for a two count. Stamboli tags in and destroys his smaller opponents. Stamboli hits a gorrila press slam for a two count on Noble as Chavo breaks it up. Noble locks in a front headlock but Stamboli turns it into a spinebuster. Nunzio goes up top and Chavo tries to pull him down but gets shoved to the outside. Stamboli hits a backbreaker on Noble as Nunzio hits a leg drop on him, announced as the Kiss of Death, for the win. **1/4. Very good match while it lasted, but too short to amount to anything.

Still to Come: Booker T vs. Billy Gunn

(Commercial Break)

A graphic airs plugging the Rush track “Summertime Blues”

We go back to Smackdown as John Cena takes on Rob Van Dam in a number one contenders match for the US Title. This was a pretty good match, and a big improvement for Cena than recently. Maybe working with Kurt Angle has helped him! The match ends after RVD hits a superplex but Cena counters his cradle attempt for the win.

A graphic hypes Booker T vs. John Cena in the first match of their best of five series for SummerSlam.

Up Next: Booker T vs. Billy Gunn

(Commercial Break)

WWE Rewind: Kurt Angle pins Charlie Haas on Smackdown.

(3) Booker T beat Billy Gunn. Welcome to Velocity, Book. Lock up to start. Booker applies an arm bar but Billy reverses it. Booker breaks out and nails Gunn with some punches. Gunn knocks Booker down and covers him for a two count. Back to their feet, Booker hits a kick but Gunn powers him into the corner. Gunn hits some punches and whips him to the ropes, before clotheslining him to the outside. Gunn poses.

(Commercial Break)

Back from the break, Gunn has an armbar on Book, but Booker takes him into the corner. Booker nails Gunn with some shots to the back, knocking him to the floor. Booker hits an axe handle on Gunn off the apron, and then drops him on the floor. Booker rolls in and out of the ring to break the count. Booker smacks Gunn’s head into the ring and rolls him into the ring. Booker rolls in and hits a knee drop for a one count. Booker goes to a sleeper. On their feet, both men attempt suplexes, but Gunn nails a dangerous-looking one. Both men get up. Gunn runs at Booker but Booker ducks and Gunn flies to the floor. Gunn looks blown up after like 7 minutes. Booker body slams Gunn on the floor and rolls into the ring. Gunn rolls in and both men trade punches. Booker nails a flying forearm for a one count. Gunn hits a DDT. Both men lay motionless again. Gunn nails some more punches and some clotheslines. Gunn whips Booker around the ring and hits a big splash in the corner. Gunn goes for the Fame Asser but Booker moves and goes for the Bookend but Gunn elbows him away. Gunn goes for the One and Only but Booker knocks him away and hits a superkick for a two count. Gunn gets around Booker and hits the One and Only for another close two count. Gunn runs at Booker and gets hit with a flapjack. Booker hits a Spinarooni, and then nails a scissors kick for the win. **3/4. Very good Velocity match. Booker carried Gunn to a pretty good match here, though Gunn himself didn’t look good.

Doron’s Digest: Another good Velocity. Having one “star” on the show each week, with RVD, JBL and now Booker recently is a nice touch and makes the show seem a bit different and important. Best match would go to Booker vs. Gunn, which was great for a Billy Gunn Velocity match, while the worst match would be the Suzuki-Moore match, which for Suzuki, was actually impressive.

Doron Barbalat would now like to be known as the “Velocity Veteran”, outlasting all other Velocity reviewers. He is also the author of the weekly Curtain Jerker, which can be found here every Monday.

We suggest these recent related articles...

PARKS'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 10/8: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Thursday show, including Roman Reigns & Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt & Braun Strowman

METZGER'S ROH TV REPORT 10/4 & 10/7: IWGP World champ Okada vs. Roderick Strong main event, plus Briscoes vs. Time Splitters, more from "Field of Honor," Overall Reax

MCMAHON'S TNA IMPACT REPORT 10/7: TNA Title Series kicks off, Bound for Glory fall-out, more; Overall Reax