WWE Superstars Report
March 15, 2012
Taped 3/12 & 3/13
Report by Justin James, PWTorch contributor

1 - JUSTIN GABRIEL vs. HUNICO (w/Camacho)

Pre-match, Hunico cut a promo in Spanish.

Hunico with an arm drag and a kip-up to start, then they go through some back-and-forth chain wrestling. There's some nice work here. Gabriel with a backslide for two and Hunico rolls outside the ring in frustration. They pick up the pace a little and they trade some fancy moves. Gabriel ends up on the turnbuckle and jumps off with a snap huracarana, sending Hunico to the outside. Gabriel tries to dive through the ropes, but Hunico kicks him on the way through.

[ c - Raw hype ]

Hunico with a side chinlock out of the break. Hunico sends Gabriel to the outside and distracts the ref so Camacho can get in a cheap shot. Hunico rolls Gabriel in and puts boots to him. Hunico with a sit-out slam, but the ref sees that Gabriel's shoulders aren't down and won't count. Hunico continues to control.

Gabriel comes back with a jawbreaker and kicks. A dropkick sends Hunico outside the ring. Gabriel with a springboard splash on Hunico and Camacho outside. He rolls Hunico in and lands springboard double knees to the back of Hunico's head for a nearfall. Hunico comes back with a Saito suplex for two. Gabriel slips out of a second suplex and tries a Tornado DDT, but Hunico reverses into a German suplex with a bridge for two. Great sequence. Hunico gets a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Gabriel counters a carry position with a Tornado DDT. Gabriel wants to go to the top, but Camacho deliberately stands in the way. By the time Gabriel clears Camacho out of the way and gets up top, Hunico has recovered enough to crotch Gabriel. Hunico meets him up top for a suplerplex for the win.

WINNER: Hunico in 11:30. This was an excellent match. Great back-and-forth with a mix of technical wrestling, brawling, and high-flying. Catch the match if you get a chance.

2 - KOFI KINGSTON & R-TRUTH vs. CURT HAWKINS & TYLER REKS - Tag Team Match

Kingston and Hawkins start off. Hawkins tries to yank Kingston into the corner, but Kingston gets free and Hawkins bumps Reks from the apron, drawing Reks's ire. This is the second time this week WWE has teased dissension between Reks and Hawkins. Kingston with a drop toehold and Hawkins and Kingston trade holds. Kingston somehow with an axe handle from the mat for one. R-Truth tags in and goes to work. Hawkins is able to get to the corner, but Truth overpowers Reks for a bit and brings Kingston back in to the match. They continue to isolate Reks. Reks gets a boot up in the corner to get Hawkins in. Hawkins with a suplex for two. They isolate Truth for a moment, but Truth sends them both outside and Kingston leaps off Truth to land a big flip dive over the ropes.

[ c - Smackdown hype ]

Back from break, Reks is stuck in the corner with Truth and Kingston working him over. Reks makes a comeback against Kingston, but walks into a pendulum kick and eats a top-rope crossbody. Hawkins distracts Kingston, allowing Reks dump him out. Hawkins tags in and rolls Kingston in. More isolation work from Reks and Hawkins. Reks puts Kingston in the Tree of Woe and brings Hawkins in. Kingston almost tags out, but Hawkins stops him, then cheap shots Truth. Truth tries to come in, which distracts the ref, so Reks and Hawkins land a high/low on Kingston getting a very close nearfall. Reks comes back in and keeps Kingston away from Truth. Kingston counters a bodyslam with a DDT and they both tag out.

Truth quickly hits the Lie Detector, then a big front suplex, but Reks breaks up the pin. Kingston sends Reks to the outside and, while the ref is distracted, Kingston hits the Trouble in Paradise from the apron. Hawkins then stumbles into the Little Jimmy for the loss.

WINNERS: Kingston & Truth in 10:30. Good match, but too much of it was spent with Kingston at the losing end of a beat down. This feels too much like the old Air Boom formula, but this time with R-Truth being the closer and Kingston being the victim.

Raw Rebound.

3 -- Divas champion BETH PHOENIX vs. KELLY KELLY -- non-title match

Phoenix and Kelly show off at each other and Phoenix sends Kelly to the mat to abuse her. Kelly shoves Phoenix into the corner, then lands the cheerleader backspring splash, then the stinkface. Kelly chokes Phoenix in the ropes, and lands a Thesz Press from the top rope. Phoenix recovers for a moment, but Kelly gets a huracarana-like moved to settle into a cover for two. Phoenix hotshots Kelly on the ropes to turn it around.

Phoenix with the power for a number of two counts. Kelly dodges a corner charge and schoolgirls Phoenix for two. Phoenix with a clothesline for two, and another cover for two. Dragon Sleeper on the mat from Phoenix, but Kelly doesn't tap. Kelly punches out and sends Phoenix into the corner with her head scissors move, then lands a bulldog for two. Phoenix sends Kelly into the ropes, then goes for the Glam Slam, but Kelly rolls through and leverages a two count. Phoenix comes out of the cover and puts Kelly down. Phoenix calls for the Glam Slam again, lands it, and the match is over.

WINNER: Phoenix at 5:45. Kelly is simply too limited to make her matches enjoyable to watch. What I don't get is the booking of the Divas Champion (who is also a very good wrestler) to be on Superstars two weeks in a row, while the Eve Torres mess dominates Raw and Natayla is stuck with a farting gimmick on Smackdown. Perhaps things will change with the announcement of Beth in a tag match at WrestleMania.

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