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4.05pm: Shatner and his mate walk out on stage. With their slippery grip on the English language, they introduce "SmackDown VS Raoul 2009". LOL, LOL and, indeed, LMAO.

4.09pm: Chris Jericho appears. "I am the best at everything I do, that's why I am the world heavyweight champion," he modestly opines. "And I am also the best video gamer in the entire world." Unfortunately, Chris then refuses to play the game - leaving the championship a player short. Chris explains that this means that the entire event is cancelled! Oh noes!

4.10pm: Kelly Kelly bravely says that she'll take Jericho's place. The crowd cheers. We love you Kelly!

4.15pm: The tournament starts with Kofi Kingston savaging poor Kelly in a matter of moments, finishing her off with his signature move - Trouble in Paradise. The Diva is left dazed. "He beat the crap outta me! I don't believe it!"

4.20pm: Candice takes on Mickey James. It would appear that Mickey is quite vocal when she gets down to business (ahem), with plenty of yelling and shrieking. Funnily enough, this is still rather entertaining. Both girls struggle with the controls for a bit, but Mickey finally finds her stride and batters seven shades out of her opponent. Candice is eventually knocked out of the ring and is counted out. Victory to Mickey!

4.29pm: Cryme Tyme are forced to turn against each other, as JTG takes on Shad - the latter slugging down another can of Red Bull. It's immediately apparent that these guys are much better at video games than the ladies were. Shad takes the upper hand, delivering three elbow drops to his friend's face. This onslaught helps to fill his power meter, but it appears that he's forgotten how to store his Finishing Move (you push L1 and L2, dummy!). JTG starts to pull himself back into the game, but Shad finally works out what he's supposed to do and pins his team-mate.

4.35pm: JTG explains that his tactic was to "play possum". I don't think that works in games like this, Jay. At any rate, Shad seems visibly moved by the moment.

4.38pm: The next match-up will see Santino take on CM Punk. While Mr Straight Edge starts shouting about the currently-injured Randy Orton, Santino seizes an opportunity to have a play fight with Kelly Kelly. Settle down, children!

4.42pm: The on-stage horseplay descends into an impromptu popularity contest, hosted by Punk. He gestures at Kelly, and the crowd roars! He gestures at Santino, and the crowd boos! The people of Spain have spoken.

4.45pm: The match finally gets under way. As a gamer, Santino proves himself to be almost as vocal as Mickey and Candice - yet somehow his yells are less appealing. Funny, that...

4.47pm: Santino is knocked out of the ring and struggles to get back in, until a referee in a striped shirt runs across to help him with the controls.

4.49pm: With a cry of "In your face!", CM Punk sends his boot into Santino's, um, face. The Italian star is thrown from the ring. Again. Punk follows him and continues the beat down on the arena floor. The referee stars counting....

4.50pm: ...and at the count of 10, BOTH players are disqualified. Time for a rematch.

4.51pm: The match begins again, but this time it's Santino who dominates. He's not pulling off many proper wrestling moves, but he's showering Punk with punches and kicks. Then the tables turn, and CM takes charge.

4.54pm: The Spanish crowd has gone a bit quiet... this match is taking absolutely ages!

4.55pm: In a burst of activity, CM Punk floors Santino with his finishing move. Victory is there for the taking, all he has to do is pin - but CM can't find the right button! In the nick of time he falls upon his opponent, and the ref counts three. It's over... finally!

4.56pm: The first semi-final begins, and Kofi makes short work of Mickey James - despite a shock moment when Mickey tries to quit the game and access the PlayStation Network. "That was supposed to be a joke!" she explains.

4.59pm: What does Mickey think of the game, asks Shatner: "It's great!" she replies. "But I think my lips are a bit smaller than the ones they given me in the game!"

5.05pm: Semi final two: Shad strides on stage to fight CM Punk. He's drinking another can of Red Bull - how much Taurine can one man take?! Maybe he should just get a couple of bovine testicles and suck on 'em like humbugs. At any rate, now we know why he's so huge.

5.07pm: The Red Bull appears to be working - CM punk is swiftly defeated. "I'm more of a Donkey Kong guy," he explains.

5.10pm: Time for the final: Kofi Kingston and Shad stand in front of each other and pose for a moment. Kofi isn't the biggest of wrestlers; he looks tiny next to the Cryme Tyme giant!

5.12pm: Well, one thing is for certain - Shad and Kofi are certainly the best at this game. Both men give it their best effort, with plenty of decent moves being pulled off on both sides. Kofi pulls off his finishing move twice, but on both occasions Shad escapes his Jamaican opponent's pin. This is going to be close.

5.15pm: It's over! After delivering a finisher of his own, Shad has emerged victorious! Kofi turns his back on the crowd in shame as Shad pulls off his top and drops to his knees in celebration. We're not sure if he's actually that pleased to have won a video game competition, but he's certainly putting on a good show. He also thanks Kofi for teaching him to play SmackDown Vs Raw in the first place. What a guy!

5.20pm: Shad is presented with his trophy, and holds it aloft in glee. The Spanish crowd cheers its champion, then Shatner and his cohort hurl a selection of prizes out into the audience. Everyone wants a souvenir, and a small riot breaks out.

5.24pm: Shad returns to the press area for a quick photo call, then we're whisked away in taxis. The European Superstar Challenge is over for another year. It's been both fun and strangely exhausting - who would have thought that it could be so tiring to watch other people play games. Still, the day is young. We're off for food now, then later we'll be heading to Madrid's Plaza de Toros stadium - where we'll watch the Superstars wrestle for real. In the cab, discussion quickly turns to important matters - like why UFC is so cool, and which foreign country has the best McDonald's. Apparently it's the Philippines. Ah, the life of a video game journalist...

WWE SmackDown VS RAW 2009 is due out on Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS and PSP on November 7. For more images from the event check out the gallery.

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