London & Kendrick are golden; MNM are broken

By: Ed Williams III
Written: May 21, 2006

Paul London & Brian Kendrick seemingly have had MNM’s number, and they continued their dominance over the tandem at Judgment Day when they defeated them for a sixth straight time to become WWE Tag Team Champions. But that wasn’t the only big story coming out of this red hot opening match of Judgment Day. Following the loss, MNM imploded as Johnny Nitro and Melina viciously attacked Joey Mercury.

Throughout the match, Mercury and Nitro worked seamlessly, showing why they are two of the premiere tag team specialists on SmackDown. But, ironically, it was a miscue on a double team maneuver that led to their downfall. With Kendrick knocked down on the outside, Nitro held London from the apron, and Mercury came at him full-steam ahead with a forearm. At the last second, London ducked out of the way and Mercury knocked his tag team partner to the outside and onto Melina. London capitalized on the mistake and rolled up Mercury with a bridge for the pin as the U.S. Airways arena exploded in jubilation.

London & Kendrick jumped around the ring besides themselves, clutching their new prized possessions – the WWE Tag Team Championship belts. Their weeks of dominance over MNM finally paid off. After five straight victories over the former champs, many wondered if they could actually win the big one when the gold was on the line.

The fireworks were far from over when the bell rang, however. Melina got into Mercury’s face following the match, blaming him for the loss. After repeatedly poking him in the chest and screaming at him, Melina slapped Mercury across the face with all her might. A frustrated Mercury grabbed Melina’s wrist, and this made Nitro snap. Johnny Nitro jumped on his partner like a rabid dog just let out of his cage. Melina continued her rampage, kicking refree Jim Korderas in the groin. The action spilled to the outside, and several officials and General Manager Theodore Long rushed down to break things up. Amidst the chaos, the respected GM took a big spill. MNM had indeed imploded, and left several victims in its wake.

This marks London’s second WWE Tag Team Championship reign, while this is Kendrick’s first-ever taste of WWE gold. After the match, WWE.com caught up with an elated Kendrick & London.

“People have always doubted me and Paul,” said Kendrick. “I hope the doubters are gone. We beat MNM six straight times. That’s gotta be some kind of record. My goal now is to stay on top, stay hungry.”

London was equally as excited after the victory, and had some major plans to celebrate.

“I’m a thrill-seeker. But this is the biggest thrill of my life. MNM, they’re a great team, but it’s time to change the guard on SmackDown. I’m going to Arizona State (University) to have some fun tonight.”

But while one team has reached a new high, another has hit rock bottom. Will MNM ever be able to recover from the crushing loss? Surprisingly, London hopes his rivals patch things up.

“I hope for the sake of SmackDown they work out their problems. They are a great team,” said London.

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