The April 16, 2009 Edition of Superstars is a Professional wrestling television show of the WWE, it was taped at the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee on April 14, 2009. The debut episode of WWE Superstars made history by playing host to three massive matches, showcasing ring warriors from SmackDown, Raw and ECW. Not only did the night feature a showdown between Undertaker and Matt Hardy, but Christian also became the No. 1 contender to Jack Swagger's ECW Title by winning the Elimination Chase to Backlash.
Summary[]
The first match of the debut episode of WWE Superstars was an historic encounter with Matt Hardy facing off against Undertaker. As The Phenom took control of the match, the devious Hardy exited the ring and retrieved a steel chair with bad intentions for his opponent. But instead of attacking Undertaker with the weapon—an act that would have resulted in his disqualification—the craven Hardy simply walked away from the ring, allowing himself to be counted out. As he retreated up the ramp however, he was attacked by his brother Jeff, who pummeled his sibling until Matt escaped into the ring. But it was out of the frying pan and into the fire as Hardy found himself once again face-to-face with The Deadman, who promptly leveled his opponent with a thunderous chokeslam.
For weeks, four of ECW's top Superstars have competed in the Elimination Chase to Backlash, with the winner going on to face Jack Swagger at Backlash for the ECW Championship. The culmination of the Chase occurred on the premiere episode of WWE Superstars, with Finlay, accompanied by his son Hornswoggle, facing Christian. The Belfast Brawler might love to fight, but he was outdone by Captain Charisma, who pinned the Irish Superstar to win the Elimination Chase. Christian will square off against ECW Champion Jack Swagger in less than two weeks at Backlash.
Though they'll be facing one another as part of the WWE Championship Tag Team Match at Backlash, Shane McMahon and Cody Rhodes had a chance to face one another one-on-one in the main event of WWE Superstars' first episode. After explaining how The Legacy member is just as sick and twisted as his mentor Randy Orton, Shane O'Mac took to the ring, hoping to exact some payback from Rhodes. In an effort to make this extremely personal match a fair one, all of Shane and Cody's associates were banned from ringside, including WWE Champion Triple H, Batista, Randy Orton and Ted DiBiase, but even their absence couldn't prevent this contest from spiraling out of control. After the hot-headed Shane was disqualified for hitting Rhodes with a chair, he continued to attack the second-generation Superstar, pummeling him and even sealing the deal with the Coast-to-Coast.
Results[]
- Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.
- (c) refers to the champion(s) heading into the match.
- The Undertaker defeated Matt Hardy by count-out (10:29)
- Christian defeated Finlay, earning the right to face ECW Champion Jack Swagger at Backlash (4:31)
- Cody Rhodes defeated Shane McMahon by disqualification (14:04)
Other on-screen talent[]
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