The Official Wrestling Thread (now with more news and stuff)

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 2-13-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Park's complete report).

1- CHAVO GUERRERO vs. MVP

Chavo sporting the white tights tonight. Clothesline caught Chavo coming out of the corner. Interesting move to work the arm by Chavo, who then baseball slid MVP out of the ring. He worked over MVP out there then tossed him back into the ring. “MVP” chants from the crowd as Chavo put more pressure on MVP’s arm. When MVP broke out of it, Chavo jumped on MVP’s back and applied a sleeper. That didn’t last long as Montel Vontavious Porter came back with a thrust to the throat and a face-buster. “Ballin!” elbowdrop got two. MVP tried something but Chavo turned it into a headscissors. He got caught in the corner by the Drive-By though. MVP set up for his finisher when Shelton Benjamin came out and gave MVP his Paydirt finisher.

WINNER: MVP, at 3:28. Better than their effort a few weeks ago.

2- JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ vs. CARLITO & PRIMO COLON

The Bellas came to the ring with the Colons. Miz backed Carlito into the corner with a lock-up but Carlito hit him with a straight left hand. Shoulder tackle followed by another left hand from Carlito. High dropkick, then a tag to Primo. When Morrison tagged in, Primo looked as if he was going for an arm-drag, but Morrison nailed him with a right hand. The two traded pinning combinations that ended with a slap to the face by Primo. Crowd chanted for Primo as he made a tag to Carlito. Carly rocked Miz with some left hands then hit a sloppy springboard back elbow. Morrison low-bridged Carlito though and they went to break.

Surprised to see these two traditional tag teams get so much time. Carlito was working out of a rest-hold by Morrison when the show returned. Morrison went for a neck-breaker and Carlito countered with a backslide for two. Miz blew a kiss to one of the Bellas after he elbow-dropped Carlito. The heels did some double-teaming and cut off the ring. Miz missed a running knee-lift, and Carlito downed him with a spinebuster. Both men made tags and Primo cleaned house. He hit Morrison with all kinds of high-impact moves. Monkey-flip, but Morrison landed on his feet. Leg-sweep by Primo got two when Miz broke up the pin. Carlito got rid of Miz and Morrison did the same to Carlito. Miz pushed Primo off the top rope and Morrison hit the Moonlight Drive for the win.

WINNERS: Miz & Morrison, at 10:33. Your standard WWE television tag match, but this one had a little more athleticism to it than others.

3- EZEKIEL JACKSON vs. R-TRUTH

Truth went toe-to-toe with Zeke to start, then nailed the big man with a heel kick. He hit the ropes and Zeke hit him with a shoulderblock. Jackson locked in a Full-Nelson as The Brian Kendrick implored Zeke from ringside to break his neck. Military Press drop by Ezekiel. Truth caught Zeke with a European uppercut. Another military press, but Truth rolled him up for two. Jackson came back and turned Truth inside-out with a clothesline. Jackson set up for the uranage, but Truth rolled him up for the surprise win.

WINNER: Truth, at 2:57. Interesting. I believe that’s Zeke’s first pinfall loss, and surprising that it would be to R-Truth.

4- MICHELLE MCCOOL vs. MARIA

Maria went right after Michelle at the start and was quite aggressive. McCool slammed Maria, whose leg bounced on the ropes as she did so. Michelle went right to work on the left leg. Michelle slammed Maria’s foot off the ringside steps. Side-Russian leg-sweep, complete with trash talk, got a two-count. Maria got a surprise roll-up for two, which seemed to anger Michelle even more. Enziguiri by Maria, but Michelle stayed on offense. Eve came down to ringside and Michelle went out after her. Michelle pushed her back into the ring, where Maria rolled Michelle up for three.

WINNER: Maria, at 3:33. Two roll-ups and a DQ in four matches. Match was fine as it allowed Michelle to be on offense most of the time.

5- TRIPLE H vs. BIG SHOW vs. VLADIMIR KOZLOV vs. THE UNDERTAKER- FATAL FOUR-WAY MATCH

Show and HHH paired off once the bell rang, as did Kozlov and Taker. Taker and Show traded blows. Kozlov and Show were sent to the outside as HHH and Taker went nose-to-nose in the middle of the ring. Spinebuster by HHH on Taker, but the Dead Man sat up. He was attacked from behind by Big Show though. The match continues after break.

Back from break with authority! Kozlov sent Taker into the steel ring steps and Show missed a splash in the corner on HHH. Big Show and The Russian teamed up on The Game in the ring, hitting a double shoulder-tackle on him. Trips tried fighting back, but it was all for naught. Kozlov took it to Trips in the corner, then Show whipped Kozlov into The Game. Kozlov unwisely turned his back and Show chokeslammed him. He go ta two-count when Taker punched him in the face from outside the ring. Back in the ring, he nailed Show with a flying clothesline. DDT on Show for two as Kozlov this time interrupted. The Moscow Mauler powerslammed Taker for two. Taker locked in the Devil’s Gate (as Tazz called it this week, a mix of Devil’s Triangle and Hell’s Gate). Taker then locked it on Show, who almost tapped, but Triple H broke it up. Trips low-bridged Kozlov out of the ring. Show put Triple H on his back and Taker kicked Show, sending both men to the mat. Kozlov came back in as Show was dispatched to ringside. For his troubles, he got a Snake Eyes and running boot by Taker. Show broke up a pin and clobbered Taker with headbutts. He missed his Vader Bomb/elbowdrop combination, as usual. Kozlov headbutted Show in the sternum and HHH Pedigreed Kozlov. Tombstone by Taker on Triple H. It’s like the grand finale at the fireworks! Show then chokeslammed Taker. As he turned around, Edge ran in and speared Big Show. The show ended with him raising his belt in the air.

WINNER: No Contest/Big Show via DQ? I’m not sure how to score that one. Anyway, the match lasted 12:52.

-The show ended with one final plug for the Elimination Chamber match and No Way Out.

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 2-16-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report). To view condensed version of the complete report, including the Edge/Cena, Jericho/Piper, JBL/HBK confrontations and the ending Shane/Orton brawl, go to Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8690 and Post #8691.

1 -- PRICELESS (CODY RHODES & TED DIBIASE, JR.) & WILLIAM REGAL (w/Layla) vs. CRYME TYME (SHAD GASPAR & JTG) & IC champion C.M. PUNK
WINNERS: Priceless & Regal at 8:10. Okay match. Cryme Tyme report card - no pre-match ring intro, Shad had virtually zero TV time, and JTG's comeback was cut off very quickly. Meanwhile, IC Title feud of Punk vs. Regal continues to flounder. (*1/4)

2 -- KANE vs. JAMIE NOBLE
WINNER: Kane at 0:15. Well, nearly an hour of TV and still less than ten minutes of TV. And almost half of that occurred during the commercial.

3 -- REY MYSTERIO vs. MIKE KNOX
WINNER: Rey at 9:45. Nice victory for Rey. We keep thinking it's the blow-off match to this feud, but perhaps there will be yet another Knox vs. Rey match down the line considering Knox had this one won a few times. This wasn't half-bad for Knox, who is developing a certain big-man charisma that's subtle and effective. (*1/2)

4 -- Women's champion MELINA vs. BETH PHOENIX (w/Santino Marella and Rosa Mendes) -- Women's Title match
WINNER: Melina at 3:15. Standard divas match. Not much time allotted for a competitive bout. (*)

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 1-17-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report) or Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8692.

1 -- THE BOOGEYMAN vs. PAUL BURCHILL (w/Katie Lea)
WINNER: Burchill in 2:00. Just a going-nowhere match between two big men without a storyline to work with. Seriously, Burchill goes off on some Mobile dude and he's punished by being asked to do his job of wrestling another lug? Apparently that suffices as storyline progression on ECW these days. (1/2*)

2 -- TOMMY DREAMER vs. World tag team champion JOHN MORRISON (w/World tag team champion The Miz)
WINNER: Morrison in 4:00. Nice, albeit brief, TV match. I like the set-up to Dreamer deciding on fight or flight with four months until the ECW PPV in June. Plenty of time to set up the angle with the announcers doubting him after each loss.

3 -- TYSON KIDD (w/Natalya) vs. CADEN MATHEWS
WINNER: Kidd in 2:00. Good effort from Kidd, who isn't really defined as a heel or a babyface considering he debuted last week without introductory vignettes or any sense of build-up. He has that Jack Swagger deal going for him with an overbearing smile that has him an easy heel so far. (3/4*)

4 -- ECW champion JACK SWAGGER & MARK HENRY vs. FINLAY (w/Hornswoggle) & CHRISTIAN
WINNERS: Christian & Finlay in 14:00. Sluggish middle, then a very nice finish. Christian looks very refreshed two weeks into his WWE return. It would be too soon for Christian to win the ECW Title on next week's show, as I'd like to see him and Swagger carry their mini-feud to WrestleMania unless Christian is plugged into Money in the Bank. (*1/2)

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 2-19-09

WAAAAAAY behind so let's get to it.

Results courtesy of ProWrestling.net (direct link to Powell's complete report). Condensed here.

1. Motor City Machine Guns defeated Lethal Consequences in a street fight in 5:50. After the break, the two teams were fighting in the entrance area. Tenay said the bell sounded to start the match. We'll have to take his word for it.

The two teams fought their way inside the ring. The Guns were wearing matching t-shirts and sweatpants. West put the two teams over as being four of the brightest young stars of the company. At 4:30, Lethal hit Sabin with the Lethal Combination on a chair for a near fall. Later, Shelley accidentally hit Sabin with the X Division Title belt. Sabin eventually recovered, picked up the belt, and hit Creed with it. Shelley made the cover and got the pin...

Powell's POV: Good action from start to finish. The fans were lively, but they seemed to be cheering the spots more than one team over the other. I don't think most fans know how they're supposed to react to the Guns.

2. Shane Sewell and LAX defeated Brutus Magnus, Sheik Abdul Bashir, and Matt Morgan in 4:00. Tenay pointed out that Magnus was a UK Gladiator, and Morgan was an American Gladiator. The heels roughed up Sewell early in the match. All six guys were fighting each other in no time.

Late in the match, Hernandez hit the Border Toss on Bashir. Hernandez tagged Sewell into the match. Sewell hit the top rope elbow drop on Bashir and scored the pin...

Powell's POV: They should have just lied and said Bashir was on Iranian Gladiators.

3. Taylor Wilde (w/Roxxi, The Governor) defeated Angelina Love (w/Velvet Sky, Cute Kip) in 4:15. Tenay said Spike TV rules prevent Kip from laying his hands on women, so Wilde actually has the numbers advantage. Of course, this led to Kip tripping Wilde early in the match. The referee saw it and made Kip go backstage. Later, that whacky Governor reached in and tripped Love, who bickered with the referee. Wilde rolled her up and pinned her...


Powell's POV: Spike TV should come up with a rule that bans Kip from appearing on camera.

4. Beer Money (w/Jackie) defeated Eric Young and Petey Williams in an Off The Wagon Challenge match to retain the TNA Tag Titles in 10:30. Tenay said Cornette promised fans a reunion. "And he was dead on," Tenay said. He reminded viewers that Young and Williams were part of Team Canada and hadn't teamed together in years.

They also recapped the rule that the tag title were on the line, but if one of the challengers was pinned by Beer Money, they would be forced to leave TNA forever. They cut to commercial a couple minutes into the match.

After the break, the heels worked over Young until he made a hot tag. Williams hit some flashy offense on the heels. Young tagged back in and hit a great top rope leg drop for a near fall on Roode. Later, Jackie ran in and Petey caught her. He set her up for his finisher, only to take a superkick from Storm. Roode covered Petey for the win.

The announcers noted that Petey was eliminated from TNA as a result of his loss. Williams cried as the fans applauded him and chanted his name. West thanked Williams for his contributions to the company and said he's been a top member of the X Division...

Powell's POV: Nice reaction for Williams. Here's hoping it makes TNA creative think twice about their asinine statement that they don't have anything for him. If creative can't come up with something for Petey, then maybe creative is the problem.

5. Sting fought Kurt Angle to an apparent no-contest in an Empty Arena match in 7:00. Sting took control early and yelled, "Kurt Angle, I'm going to kill you." They fought at ringside and into the stands, where Angle struck Sting with repeated punches. They fought to the edge of one section of seats. Sting flipped Angle over the fence and caused him to fall to take a big spill onto the concrete. Angle came back a short time later and yelled, "I hate you."

They fought their way back to ringside as a shot aired of the fans cheering outside the building. Angle called Sting a "stupid son of a *****" and wound up to hit him with a chair, but Sting kicked him. Sting got the chair. Angle begged off and said he was sorry. "Please, I have kids," Angle said.

Kevin Nash walked down to ringside and stood next to Angle and Sting. Angle's tune changed. He dared Sting to hit him. Sting wound up to hit him with the chair, but Nash stopped him. Nash yelled at Angle to make it right as Scott Steiner stood by. Sting offered his hand. Angle shook it, then spat in Sting's face. Sting attacked Angle and they traded more punches. "I hate you," Angle yelled. Mafia security jumped between the two wrestlers and held them apart as the show cut to commercial...

Powell's POV: So much for the empty arena.

Powell's POV: I hated the non-finish to a match they built up that much. Good intensity during the match. It sounded silly to have the fans watch on monitors outside the building, but the shots of them cheering added to the match. They had a good rating for last week's show and built up this week's main event nicely, so it will be interesting to see what type of rating they drew for this week's show. It will also be interesting to see how many of those fans don't tune in next week because they were pissed off by the non-finish.

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 2-20-09

Results courtesy of ProWrestling.net (direct link to Hermanstyne's complete report) . Condensed version posted here.

1. Michelle McCool & Maryse defeated Eve & Maria in 4:10. Maria and McCool began the match. The heels worked on Maria outside of the ring. Maria went for an inside cradle for a nearfall. Maryse got the hot tag in and continued to work on Maria with a modified camel clutch. Maria goes the tag to Eve for some quick offense but was kicked in the dome by Michelle McCool. Maryse scored the pinfall after knocking Maria out and pinning Eve.

Mind of Marv: Is there such thing as a Divas squash match? The sloppy spots were hard to endure. Ugh.

2. MVP defeated Shelton Benjamin & Chavo Guerrero in a handicap match in approximately 6:00 because the match was already in progress. The show returned with MVP and Shelton was aggressive in the ring. The match became a handicap match because Truth got assaulted prior to the beginning of the match. MVP attempted the Drive By on Chavo, but Shelton moved Chavo. Shelton started to work on MVP with a T-Bone suplex.

Shelton was going to finish MVP off but Chavo tagged himself in. Chavo did the 3 Amigos on MVP and Shelton tagged himself in. Chavo knocked Shelton out and gave him a frogsplash. MVP gave Shelton the Drive By to keep his winning streak alive.

Mind of Marv: MVP is hot right now and here is the plan for 2009: regain the US Title, then become the Money in the Bank winner. That should be road to success for Franchise Playa.

3. Umaga squashed Scotty Goldman in 1:20. Sidewalk slam, super kick, 350 lbs of *** in the face, Samoan spike, end of match. Total squash.

Mind of Marv: For your efforts AND from the words of Vince McMahon: Scotty Goldman...YOUR FIRED!!!!

4. Jeff Hardy defeated Edge in a non-title match by DQ in 19:00. The match began with Jeff kicking and giving Edge arm bar takedown. Jeff began to work on Edge's arm and applied a face buster. Jeff applied an arm bar takedown and Edge took control of the match briefly with punches to Jeff's head. Jeff baseball slid Edge outside of the ring and Edge took control by giving Jeff a neck breaker after the six count.

The show returned with Edge working on Jeff's neck. Jeff tried to get back in control but Edge yanked him by his hair. Edge gave Jeff a neck breaker for a near fall. Edge continued to work on Jeff's neck by applying a chin lock. Jeff flew out of the ring but managed to get in at the nine count. Edge tried to climb the ropes but Jeff knocked him down. Jeff went for a roll up for a near fall. Both competitors clothesline each other and got up for a seven count. Edge tried to use the ropes but got caught. Jeff applied a Whisper in the Wind but it was only for a near fall. Jeff got some quick offense but only for a near fall.

Jeff tried to cover Edge but Edge's foot was on the rope for the near fall. Jeff attempted a Twist of Fate but was countered for the near fall. Edge tried to spear Jeff but was countered by a roll up for a near fall. Jeff hit the Twist of Fate and the Swanton and when Jeff tried to get the pin, Matt came out and interfered for the disqualification.

Matt said that Jeff couldn't get the black cloud from around him and he wants to face Jeff one on one next week. Matt left to a chorus of heat and Edge speared Jeff to end the show.

Mind of Marv: Good match to close the show. This should be the beginning of the buildup of the Hardy brother feud to lead into Wrestlemania. But overall, the show was mediocre yet acceptable.

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 2-23-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report). Condensed here to in-ring results only.

1 -- IC champion C.M. Punk vs. World tag team champion THE MIZ vs. World tag team champion JOHN MORRISON -- Qualifying match for Money in the Bank at WrestleMania

Briefcase was suspended above the ring to show what's on the line tonight. Punk retreated to his corner after the opening bell to anticipate a double-team attack in the three-way match, but the tag champs successfully double-teamed Punk. Eventually, Punk avoided a clothesline near the ropes and dumped Miz to the floor. Morrison was then out to the floor with Punk, and they cut to a break with all three men recovering.

They returned with Morrison working on Punk, then Punk made a comeback with a series of knee lifts. Suddenly, Miz smashed Punk in the corner and Morrison was knocked to the outside in the process. Miz worked on Punk at 7:30 while Lawler speculated that things could break down between the tag champs. Morrison re-entered the ring, but Punk pulled out some double-team moves on the champs.

Suddenly, Punk got caught in the electric chair on Miz's shoulders and Morrison hit a springboard kick on Punk. Miz and Morrison tried to pin Punk, then the champs got into a mid-ring brawl. The champs exploding allowed Punk to sneak in from behind and hoist Morrison up for the G2S after kicking Miz to the floor. After nailing the G2S, Punk covered Morrison for the win to qualify for the MITB ladder match. Punk's looking for a repeat from last year when he won MITB.

WINNER: Punk at 10:25. Nice match. Strange crowd reactions at the end, as the action seemed fine, but the crowd was silent or just not mic'ed well. Looks like we'll get Miz vs. Morrison or Miz & Morrison vs. the Colons at WrestleMania. Can't leave the tag champs off the PPV card. (*1/2)

as the opposition. Welcome back, Dolph.

2 -- SANTINO MARELLA & BETH PHOENIX & DOLPH ZIGGLER (w/Rosa Mendes) vs. Women's champion MELINA & CRYME TYME (JTG & SHAD GASPARD)

Melina and Beth started things off against each other. Very quiet tonight. Cole isn't helping on play-by-play. Dolph and JTG tagged in to battle in the ring. Dolph short-armed Santino on a tag, then Shad tagged in and took apart Dolph. Shad then powered up and missed with a money-money elbow drop. Santino finally tagged in, then he fired himself up and ran into a clothesline from Shad, who pinned him for the win. That was quick.

WINNERS: Cryme Tyme & Melina at 3:57. More of Santino's comedy act, which is wearing thin if he's going to be booked like this in the ring. Glamarella is going nowhere fast. Nice to see a re-focused effort from WWE to give Cryme Tyme decent TV exposure this week. (*)

3 -- SHAWN MICHAELS vs. JBL

Awkward spot early in the match, as JBL and Michaels kinda ran into each other mid-ring. Michaels appeared to lose a tooth, then JBL paused to look down at Michaels and they called an audible. JBL went on the offensive, but Michaels came back with forearm blows. JBL had a spot of blood on his forehead, then he took control. JBL smashed Michaels with a right hand and Michaels fell through the ropes to the floor. The action moved to the floor where Michaels rammed JBL head-first into the ringpost. Ref started a ten count and both men made it back in at eight-ish. Cut to break.

Back from break, JBL was in control smashing Michaels with right hands in the corner. They had an exchange up top, then JBL kicked him in the jaw to knock Michaels to the outside. Ref applied another ten count, but Michaels made it back into the ring at six. JBL then smashed him with a short-arm clothesline for a two count. Michaels made his comeback at 11:00 and nailed a top rope elbow smash square in the chest. He then tuned up the band anticipating WrestleMania 25, but JBL ducked. They had an exchange where JBL nailed a big boot to the face after Michaels skinned the cat back into the ring.

JBL started to talk trash leaning down toward Michaels, then he wanted the Clothesline from Hell, but JBL gave Michaels enough time to recover and catch JBL off the ropes with Sweet Chin Music for the pin and the win. Nice finishing spot.

WINNER: Michaels at 13:02. Solid TV match. Gotta love how WWE set up the audience to think Michaels vs. JBL was for a shot at Taker without telling them it was a virtual semi-final match to face Kozlov next week. Michaels was great at the end. (**)

4 -- MIKE KNOX vs. JAMIE NOBLE

They put a clock in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. Thanks for that, as my stopwatch decided to freeze at bell time. Knox with a big boot, then the Knox Out in center ring for an easy pin and the win. He lasted 29 seconds, though.

WINNER: Knox at 0:29. Apparently Noble is going to WrestleMania?

5 -- JOHN CENA vs. CHAVO GUERRERO

Cena quickly landed a hard clothesline before brushing the dirt off his shoulder for the Five Knuckle Shuffle with eye contact to Vickie. Cena nailed the FU before slapping on the STFU while staring toward Vicke, who remained on stage. Chavo tapped out and Cena scored the win.

WINNER: Cena at 0:45. This whole angle just feels so lost. It started with a ridiculous opening segment for the first of two bait and switches on the show. WWE just needs to stop fooling around and book a WrestleMania match between Cena and Edge, so they can move on to hyping it. (n/a)

The opening 10+ minutes was all Vickie/Edge/Cena, the middle with Ricky Steamboat/Jericho confrontation and the final 13 minutes with Orton/Triple H. A whole lotta talking tonight.

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 2-24-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Keller's complete report).

1 -- D.J. GABRIEL (w/Alicia Fox) vs. MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas)

They joined Gabriel's ring intro routine near the end as he finished a dance mid-ring. Gabriel continues to remind me more of Adrian Street than anyone else. If he grew his hair out and softened up his physique, it'd be uncanny even on promos. Whatever legal supplement he takes should be handed out to pro wrestlers who can't get the look they want on WWE's Wellness Program, not to mention Major League Baseball players. He looks like he's right out of the pre-Wellness Program era, which when you look back at old tapes is remarkably different from top to bottom of the card (especially among mid-carders and lower). Gabriel dropkicked Henry early, but Henry brushed it off. Grisham referred to Gabriel's multi-colored trunks as "Rubix Cube-looking." I'd vote for "Tetris-looking" myself, moving the reference from the 1980s into the 1990s. A fan held up a sign: "I Love You Nash." Wrong taping. Henry won with a powerslam.

WINNER: Henry in 3:00.

STAR RATING: 3/4* -- Fine for a virtual squash.

2 -- TYSON KIDD (W/NATALYA) vs. MATT BOYCE

Any fans dating back to the 1980s has to love this format, a throwback to when wrestlers got to win squashes to establish their key moves and get decisive wins. Speaking of the 1980s, Striker referred to Boyce as the third Mulky. I'd say more so a cross between Crazy Jonny Fairplay and a rookie Jeff Jarrett. Kidd took over after a minute with a barrage of kicks and punches and stomps. He finished Boyce with a jump spin sidekick and a springboard elbowdrop to the chest.

WINNER: Kidd in 2:00.

STAR RATING: * -- Good squash. Kidd looked good with his signature style offense. It seems with the placement of the Bourne vignette that a Bourne-Kidd feud may be coming up soon. I'm all for that. Those could be great TV matches if given proper time.

3 -- TOMMY DREAMER vs. PAUL BURCHILL (w/Katie Lea)

Dreamer began aggressively and knocked Burchill over the top rope with a clothesline. At 2:00 Dreamer dominated, with Burchill hung upside down in the Tree of Woe. He went for a slidekick, but Katie Lea yanked Burchill out of the path. At that point she was yanked by her leg under the ring. Boogeyman's music played and he chased Vickie away. Dreamer then surprised a distracted Burchill with a DDT for the win. Grisham stressed that he gets to tout a Dreamer win for once.

WINNER: Dreamer in 3:00.

STAR RATING: * -- Good fast-pace with Dreamer showing good energy and aggression.

4 -- JACK SWAGGER vs. CHRISTIAN - ECW Hvt. Title match

Grisham said Christian said he wanted to come to ECW to test himself against top young talent in ECW, and Swagger is just that. Swagger is one of those heels who you can't watch for more than ten seconds without wanting to boo him for being so obnoxious and dorky as he makes his way to the ring. He just hams it up with nothing held back, and that wide white-toothed smile just begs to be punched. They did a formal ring introduction for the title match. Striker billed Swagger at 6-6 and Christian at 6-2. I don't see a four inch difference. I'd guess they're 6-0 and 6-2 out of boots. After some traditional wrestling exchanges, Christian took control. He settled into his signature standing side headlock. Swagger powered out and lifted Christian and threw him into the corner where he jabbed his abdomen with his shoulders. Swagger said every major championship has changed hands in Nashville: In 2002, Undertaker won the WWE Title, the World Title changed hands at Starrcade in 1995, and in 1999 Masato Tanaka vs. Mike Awesome led to an ECW Title change. "History is not on the champion Jack Swagger's side tonight," he said. Not sure I buy his relational logic, but nice historical references. Christian ducked a charging Swagger at 5:00, then dove over the top rope onto him at ringside. They cut to a break.

Swagger took control after the break with a forearm to the back of Christian's neck. Striker said Christian controlled the match during the break. Swagger shoulder tackled Christian off the ring apron to the floor. Christian charged at Swagger, but Swagger moved and Christian bashed into the ringside steps. Swagger settled into working on Christian's arm center-ring. He went into an arm stretch with his legs lodged against Christian's shoulder and armpit. Christian escaped and rolled into a side headlock. Swagger escaped into an elbow lock. Christian escaped with a headbutt. Swagger immediately spun Christian into a shoulder breaker. Nice chain sequence. Christian rolled to the edge of the ring and they cut to another break.

Back to the match, Swagger controlled the match with mat wrestling. Christian made a comeback at 18:00 and went for a top rope diving headbutt. Swagger moved. Swagger gave Christian a Northern Lights suplex, but Christian escaped before three. They countered each other, with Christian eventually scoring a near fall on Swagger at 20:00. Swagger went for a corner swing splash, but Christian lifted his knees and then hit a sunset flip for a near fall that popped the crowd at 21:00. Swagger met Christian on the top rope. Christian punched Swagger to the mat, then hit a frog splash for a very near fall. Christian followed up with a DDT, but Christian sold his arm being in great pain, delaying his cover. When he did make the cover, Swagger kicked out just before three at 21:00. Swagger threw Christian shoulder-first into the ringpost. Swagger escaped a backslide attempt, but Swagger turned it into a gut-wrench powerbomb and Swagger scored the clean pin.

WINNER: Swagger in 22:00.

STAR RATING: ***1/2 -- Really strong TV main event. The finish was a real endorsement of Swagger's star being on the rise as there was no interference or cheating, just a hard-fought win over a long-time established star. If Christian's not being punished for signing with TNA, I don't know what the story is. Christian will still probably end up utilized in a nice money-spot for a few years, but his early treatment indicates he's paying a price he wouldn't have paid if had instead been out of action for three years with an injury or semi-retirement on good terms with WWE. Swagger, though, deserves the win as he continues to evolve as a likely future main eventer. ECW continues to be a show you ought to be watching if you're not.

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 2-26-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Keller's complete report). Condensed here to in-ring results only.

1 -- MADISON RAIN & TAYLOR WILDE vs. THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (w/Cute Kip)

Taylor dominated early. Rain tagged in. Taylor got in Kip's face when he acted as a distraction to the advantage of the BPs. The BPs dominated from then out for several minutes until a hot tag to Taylor at 4:00. Taylor went on a flurry of offense against Love. The BPs double-teamed Taylor to take control. Rain jumped in to check on Taylor, but then slapped her. This is why people who hate TNA, hate TNA. The pace of booking in terms of turns has all the patience of a three year old. It'd be hilarious if it weren't so frustrating to watch. It happened so quickly with Madison that it means about as close to nothing as is possible, if not actually nothing at all. Rain walked out as Sky finished Wilde with the Beauty Mark finisher. You haven't lived until you've heard Tenay say "Biyatch-slap."

WINNERS: The Beautiful People in 5:00.

STAR RATING: *

2 -- BEER MONEY INC. (w/Miss Jacqueline) vs. ROCK 'N' RAVE CONNECTION -- Tag Titles vs. Loser Leaves Town

Rave got in some early offense against James Storm. RnR threw a double elbow drop on Roode next. Roode made a comeback against Rave, including dropping him neck-first over the top rope leading to a two count. Rave came back with a hard clothesline at 3:00. Rave hot-tagged Rock in. He punched away at both Roode and Storm. Rock gave Roode his overhead slam finisher. Jackie distracted the ref was Storm KO'd Rock with his belt for the win. Lance Rock must now leave TNA. The replay of the finish was sponsored by Popeye's Chicken. That's new.

WINNERS: Beer Money Inc. at 4:00.

STAR RATING: *

3 -- AWESOME KONG & RAISHA SAEED vs. SOUJOURNER BOLT & RHAKA KHAN

Tenay called the match solo. Khan took control on Saeed, but when Kong tagged in, she took control. She splashed Khan hard in the corner, then tagged Saeed back in. Saeed drew Bolt into the ring with a shove. Kong dropped Saeed onto Khan. Saeed hot-tagged Bolt into the ring and she went on an offensive run against Saeed. When Kong entered the ring, Bolt jumped on her. Saeed yanked her off. Khan went after Saeed. Four-way action broke out. Kong whipped Khan into Saeed. Kong threw Khan over the top rope to the floor. Bolt then finished Saeed with a sidekick to the chin as Kong and Khan fought at ringside. Bolt then pinned Saeed with a backslide. Afterward, Kong gave an Awesome Bomb to Bolt on top of Khan.

WINNERS: Bolt & Khan in 5:00.

STAR RATING: neg. * -- Really lousy match. Almost everything in the final two minutes was awful and awkward. The crowd didn't like this at all, either.

4 -- ALEX SHELLEY vs. "BLACK MACHISMO" JAY LETHAL vs. CONSEQUENCES CREED vs. CHRIS SABIN -- Ladder Match X Title match

The X Title was hanging above the ring. It's just absurd that the threw this on TV with zero build up or backstory. They could get so much more out of these matches than they do, it's so frustrating. A four-way match, a ladder match, and a title match each should be treated a very big deal on TV; to throw all three stips together and barely mention it ahead of time is a booking crime of inefficiency. Without hype, it just seems so much less important. Sabin and Shelley worked together early with success. As Creed and Lethal slid ladders into the ring, Sabin and Shelley slidekicked the ladders, k knocking Creed and Lethal to the mat. They went to a break at 2:00.

Back from the break, Creed and Lethal set Sabin on a ladder bridging the middle rope and an upright latter center-ring. Sabin came back by dropping Creed over that ladder and then throwing him to the floor. Sabin then climbed the ladder to reach for the belt, but Lethal cut him off. Lethal one-arm slammed Sabin off one ladder onto the other. Ouch. Shelley then gave Lethal a jawbreaker off of the ladder. Shelley gave Creed his Sliced Bread move off the ladder. He then grabbed the X belt to win.

WINNER: Shelley in 8:00 to retain the X Title.

STAR RATING: *3/4 -- Some cool spots, but it all felt rushed and the finish was anticlimactic as a result.

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 2-27-09

Results courtesy of ProWrestling.net (direct link to Shore's complete report).

1. Primo and Carlito Colon defeated The Miz and John Morrison to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships at 12:14. Miz and Primo started out and did some quick mat wrestling. Carlito tagged in and hit a dropkick for two. Miz punched him and tagged in Morrison. Carlito pinned Morrison in the corner and tagged in Primo. He whipped Primo into Morrison, spearing him in the corner. Carlito tagged back in and cinched in a headlock.

The Bellas twins came to the ring distracting Carlito. Morrison whipped him to the corner, and the he was distracted by the twins. They weren’t doing anything but standing there, but they guys were checking them out. Carlito hit Morrison, who fell out of the ring. Miz charged in and got tossed over the top. Primo teased a plancha but landed on the apron and pulled the top rope down so Carlito could dive over the top on Miz and Morrison right in front of the Bellas…

Back from commercial at the 6:50 mark and Carlito hit a drop toe hold on Morrison and Primo followed with a diving headbutt. Morrison reversed a whip and sent Primo into the corner with Miz. Primo flipped over the top, punched Miz to the floor, and jumped back in over Morrison. Morrison hit his springboard kick, sending Primo to the floor. Miz beat on him, tossed him back in, and then tagged in and locked in a Camel Clutch type move. Primo fought out but Miz whipped him to the corner and hit his through the ropes clothesline for two. Another headlock followed. Primo tried to fight out, Miz pushed him back into Morrison, they bumped heads and then Primo and Miz bumped heads.

Carlito got the hot tag at 10:54 and he cleaned house. He tossed Miz to the floor and tried to suplex Morrison, but Morrison reversed into a small package for two. Morrison took a shot at Primo but missed. Primo tried to come in, distracting the ref. Morrison whipped Carltio to the ropes. Carlito tried to springboard, but Miz caught him and dropped his throat on the top rope. Primo dove through the ropes to take out Miz. Morrison went for his finisher, but Carltio reversed into the backstabber for the win. Post match, the Colons convinced the Bellas to leave with them…

Shore’s Slant: Fun match from these four. I assume we will see a World Tag Title match next week or the week after, and then a unification match at Mania. Just my guess. I’m tired of the Bellas angle though. They should wrestle or go away.

2. Vladimir Kozlov defeated The Undertaker at 11:59. JR asked what would happen if Taker locked in the Devil’s Gate. How many times are they going call this by a different name? Kozlov hit a shoulder tackle and celebrated. He hit a second one and celebrated again. Kozlov tried to charge in for another collar and elbow and ate a boot. He rolled out of a elbow drop and clotheslined Taker over the ropes. Taker landed on his feet and stared at Kozlov who celebrated in the ring. Kozlov turned around and their eyes met as JR said, “Something has to give.”…

Back from commercial at 5:50, Taker hit his leg drop on the apron. A replay video showed Taker and Kozlov both hit the security rail during the break. Taker tried to lock in the aforementioned Devil’s Gate, but Kozlov pulled free and hit three headbutts. Kozlov continued to assault Taker. Taker managed to whip Kozlov into the corner once, but Kozlov bounced out for a clothesline and then locked in a chin lock rest hold. Taker fought to his feet and reversed out using a belly to back suplex.

Both men back to their feet and started trading blows. Taker reversed a back drop into a DDT for two. Taker hit Snake Eyes and Kozlov almost undersold. Taker followed up with a sidewalk slam for two. He grabbed Kozlov’s throat, but he pushed Taker away to the ropes. Taker bounced and hit a big boot for another two. Taker stood Kozlov up and locked hands. He climbed the rope to Old School, but Kozlov pulled him off into a powerslam for the win. Post match Kozlov backed up the ramp smiling/rubbing his mouth. Taker looked on surprised.

Shore’s Slant: Well color me surprised. I understand why Kozlov wins. Now he looks strong heading into the match with HBK. But I never thought they would do it. As far as the match goes, it was pretty good, especially for TV. The problem with the match is it shows Kozlovs limitations right now, because I don’t know how they could make it better for Mania. IT almost foreshadowed Shawn’s win on Monday.

3. Chavo Guerrero defeated Shelton Benjamin at 2:52. JR said he found it interesting Aunt Vickie didn’t make this a title match. Benjamin beat down Chavo and tossed him to the corner. He stared down MVP and then missed a Stinger Splash. Chavo hit two of Three Amigos. On the last, Benjamin flipped over Chavo and pushed him into the ropes. Chavo came off and hit a Tilt-a-Whirl Hurricanrana. He went to the top, but Benjamin jumped up and Superplexed him. Chavo rolled out and Benjamin followed right in front of the announce table.

Benjamin and MVP stared each other down. Benjamin picked up Chavo is a powerbomb setup, and then tossed him onto MVP. That was cool. Benjamin rolled Chavo back in the ring. He got in and looked back at MVP. He said, “MVP, your time’s coming.” He went to pick up Chavo, but Chavo rolled him up for the win. Chavo backed up the ramp and Benjamin watched. MVP slipped into the ring and hit the Drive-By on Benjamin…

Shore’s Slant: I just hope this US Title match happens before Mania so MVP can be in MITB.

4. The Big Show defeated John Cena at 20:00. The bell rang with Twenty-two minutes left in the show. Cena got one shot in on Show before Show backed him in a corner and started his methodical beat down. Edge and Vickie were shown backstage watching on a monitor. The announce team went on and on wondering what was in it for Show to be in this match. Cena managed to fight out of his beat down but got shoulder/body tackled by Show. And the beat down continued. Punches, followed by headbutts, followed by chops. You’ve all seen a Big Show match, yeah?

Cena tried to fight out again, but Show hit a sidewalk slam. Cena tried to stand but somehow got tied up in the ropes. Show hit three big right hands to the body. Cena rolled out and tried to pick up Show for the Attitude Adjustment, but Show just looked at him. He went back to the beat down as the announce team continued to speculate about what was in it for Show.

Show kept hard whipping Cena from corner to corner. On the third, he charged in and Cena kicked him in the face. He jumped onto Show’s back and locked in a sleeper. After being in the sleeper for 42 seconds, Show finally went to a knee. After another seven, he quick dropped Cena into a sidewalks slam to break the hold. Both men were down going into commercial...

Back at 11:59 and Show hit a suplex on Cena. Cena rolled to the apron and stood up. Show knocked off the apron onto the announce table. He picked up Cena on his shoulder, but Cena slid off his back, pushing Show into the post. Both men rolled back in and Cena tried to hit a bulldog, but Show pushed him off with one hand. Cena actually bounced out of the ring. He got back in and Show continued the power assault. He locked in a nerve pinch at 15:32.

Cena powered out and attacked. He tried to pick up Show, but fell back for a two count. Show drug him to the corner and missed his elbow off the second rope. Cena climbed the turnbuckle and hit the Fameasser and Five Knuckle Shuffle. He again tried to pick up Show for the Attitude Adjuster, but Show countered into a powerbomb onto Cena’s face. Show setup for the chokeslam, but Cena slipped out and finally hit the Attitude Adjuster. He was crawling to make the cover when Edge slid into the ring and immediately back out without touching Cena. He stood there and looked at Cena who stopped crawling and stared at Edge. Show recovered and hit the knock out punch on Cena. He picked him up and chokeslammed him for the win. Post match, Edge climbed in the ring and stood over Cena talking crap…

Shore’s Slant: I like Show for about seven to ten minutes, but after that it becomes the same set of moves. Just boring, that’s all. Decent match and I once again commend WWE for doing a double taping well. The crowd was hot through both shows and both were enjoyable. A 3 ½ star outing tonight that progressed several storylines and entertained. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next week.

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 3-2-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report).

1 -- REY MYSTERIO vs. MIKE KNOX vs. KANE -- MITB qualifying match

Rey was ragdolled to the outside early on, then Knox and Kane kicked each other in the head. Cut to commercial.

Back from break, Knox and Kane were battling in the ring. Rey then fought his way back into the ring and kinda executed a huracanrana on Knox, who did a tumble to sell it. Rey made a cover on Knox, but Knox thought Kane was going to break it up, so he kicked out at like 3 1/2 when the ref took a really nice long pause before three. On the next pin attempt, Kane broke it up before a one count. Rey with some more acrobatics running circles around the big men, then Rey put Knox in position for the 619, only Kane intercepted with a chokeslam attempt that Rey countered into the 619. Rey with a seated sentaun, but Knox kicked Rey in the head. Jamie Noble part two almost. Knox with the Knox Out on Rey, then Kane grabbed Knox and gave him a chokeslam for the pin and the win. Post-match: Kane scooped up Rey and gave him a chokeslam before leaving, satisfied with himself.

WINNER: Kane at 8:50 to qualify for MITB. Decent match with a good finish. Surprising result, but Kane's been in a few MITB matches to have those big man vs. small man sequences. (*1/2)

2 -- JILLIAN HALL & BETH PHOENIX (w/Rosa Mendes) vs. KELLY KELLY & MICKIE JAMES

Divas champion Maryse and Women's champion Melina were on commentary for this one. Not much was said. Kelly scored a sunset flip on Jillian for the pin and the win. Afterward, Rosa jumped Kelly, then the diva champions tried to intervene, but Maryse suddenly took out Melina ringside. Maryse then did her little posing and apparently we have a Women's champion vs. Divas champion match for WrestleMania.

WINNERS: Kelly & Mickie at 2:50. Just a set-up for the apparent champion vs. champion match at WrestleMania. (1/2*)

3 -- SHAWN MICHAELS vs. KOZLOZ

Heavy focus from the announcers on Kozlov having never been pinned in Double Double E. Michaels escaped an early attack from Koz and put him on his back for an early figure four attempt. Kozlov reversed pressure, though, and wanted the big slam, but Michaels took a breather on the floor.

Kozlov was in control out of the break working on Michaels's back. Kozlov took his sweet time waiting for Michaels to get back to his feet to take the torture rack. Not quite Lex Luger quality here. Michaels finally fought out, but he walked into a back elbow smash to the mouth. Kozlov with a cover for a two count. Michaels tried to come back with the "vintage" flying forearm before a kip up, but Kozlov met him in mid-air with a headbutt smash for a two count.

They battled up top and Michaels threw some forearm smashes, but Kozlov didn't budge. Michaels finally threw Kozlov down to the mat before slowly making his way to his feet up top for a flying elbow at 10:00. Michaels started to tune up the band, then he smashed Kozlov square in the jaw with Sweet Chin Music for the pin and the win. Clean. Kozlov takes his first loss.

WINNER: Michaels at 10:40. I expected some form of outside interference, so it was surprising to see Michaels nail the superkick clean in the middle for the win. Good finish after Kozlov had offense throughout the match. (*1/2)

4 -- World Hvt. champion EDGE vs. JOHN CENA -- World Heavyweight Title match

Champ and challenger went through the feeling out process early on, then Edge knocked down Cena early on. Cena hooked the top rope after taking a whip to the ropes, then Edge charged and flew over the top rope to the floor. Time for a break.

Back from break, Edge was in control working on Cena's injured head and jaw from Big Show's work on Smackdown. Cena was backed into a corner, then Edge ran him over with a clothesline. Something went flying from Cena's person before Edge made a cover for a two count.

Cena ducked a clothesline and nailed a series of flying shoulder tackles. Goodness, Cole with the over-use of "vintage" again. Cena with a sit-out slam, then he told Edge You Can't See Me. Cena missed with the Five Knuckle shuffle, though, and Edge rolled him for a two count. Cena wanted the Attitude Adjustment, but Edge slipped out into the Edge-o-matic slam for a two count. They battled up top and Cena took a fall into the ringpost to the floor. Ref started his ten count as the fans screamed in sheer horror that Cena could be counted out. Cena suddenly jumped into the ring just before ten, then he made a comeback with a top rope guillotine leg smash.

Cena wanted the Shuffle one more time and this time he connected after brushing the dirt off his shoulder. Cena wanted the Adjustment, but Edge blocked into a Sharpshooter. Ugly *** Shooter, but Cena sold pain near the ropes. Cena played to the top row of the arena before reaching out to the bottom rope for a rope break. Great sequence. Edge then readied himself for the spear, but Cena wasn't moving. Cena finally made his way to his feet, Edge charged, and Cena slapped on the STFU in center ring. Edge cried out in pain as the camera focused on the WM banner hanging above the arena. Edge then reached out with one last gasp and grabbed the bottom rope for a break.

Cena caught his breath after releasing the hold, then Edge took advantage with the spear out of nowhere. He didn't make an immediate cover, though, and Cena kicked out just before three. Edge, frustrated, grabbed the World Title belt. Cena blocked a belt shot, though, and wanted the Adjustment. Edge grabbed the belt from the ref while up on Cena's shoulders, then he smashed Cena in the face with the belt to earn a DQ. Cena was declared the winner, but Edge kept the World Title belt.

Post-match: Cena caught his breath in the ring while Edge recovered on the stage. Big Show then walked out on stage and stared down at Edge before staring into the ring. Suddenly, Vickie Guerrero came out on stage and stood to the left of Edge, who was still seated on stage. Vickie introduced the #1 contender to the World Title at WrestleMania, Big Show. In the ring, John Cena could only look down in disbelief. Edge was in a state of disbelief. Show and Vickie walked off. Edge and Cena were collectively dumbfounded. Cena held his head in his hands, currently without a WrestleMania match. End show.

WINNER: Cena via DQ at 12:22; Edge retains World Title. Ah, a classic Edge vs. Cena match on free TV. So great. You could see the finish coming either via run-in or Edge DQ'ing himself. Now, we have an issue of where Cena goes from here. I don't see Edge vs. Show as a marquee title match for WrestleMania, so I imagine they will turn this into a triple threat at some point based on Cena not losing the match, but not winning the title. (***1/4)

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 3-3-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report).

1 -- KANE vs. THE BOOGEYMAN

Bell sounded and Boogey slowly approached Kane with some worms in hand. A small token of gratitude, but Kane met him with a sudden uppercut. Boogey recovered and went up top, but Kane caught him in mid-air for a one-hand chokeslam in center ring. Kane with the cover for the decisive win.

WINNER: Kane in 2:00. Well, there went Boogeyman. So, back to page one of rebuilding Boogey via five straight weeks of squash matches? Perhaps it's time to acknowledge the need to repackage Boogey. Kane was impressive, however. (1/2*)

2 -- SANTINO MARELLA (w/Rosa Mendes and Beth Phoenix) vs. MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas)

Bell sounded and Henry stonewalled Santino with a chest bump. Santino rolled to the outside to recover, then Henry and Beth exchanged a few firm glances. Santino tried to attack Henry in the ring with a burst of steam, but Henry no-sold. He was not amused. Henry finally had enough and scooped up Santino for the World's Strongest Slam. Santino was hilarious going completely stiff in center ring. Henry with the cover on Santino for the win. He then pointed to the briefcase hanging above the ring.

WINNER: Henry in 2:00. Punk, Henry, and Kane have qualified for MITB now. WWE needs to add some speed in this one. It could be fun to watch Henry climb a ladder and/or ragdoll some folks around, though. Santino was fine playing the comedy fool. (1/2*)

3 -- NATALYA (w/Tyson Kidd) vs. ALICIA FOX (w/D.J. Gabriel)

Grisham said Fox is very green, with it being only her second singles match in WWE. Natalya worked over Fox center ring, then Fox came back with a standing dropkick. Nice execution. Natalya backed off, then kicked Fox in the gut and landed a powerslam out of the corner. Natalya put Fox in an abdominal stretch, then Gabriel tried to fire up the crowd. Fox escaped, then made a comeback with a clothesline and roll up with a bridge for a two count. Fox tried a huracanrana, but Natalya blocked and slapped on the Sharpshooter. Natalya leaned deep into that hold and Fox was forced to tap out.

Post-match: Gabriel was checking on Fox, then Kidd tried to jump Gabriel from behind. Gabriel fought him off, though, and uppercutted Kidd to the floor. Both sides recovered to apparently set up a mixed tag in the next week or two.

WINNER: Natalya in 4:00. Really nice match. Alicia is solid in only her second TV match. Natalya is already the "steady hand" in the women's division, taking the ball from Victoria. Natalya has a lot of upside. (*1/4)

4 -- FINLAY (w/Hornswoggle) & CHRISTIAN & TOMMY DREAMER vs. ECW champion JACK SWAGGER & World tag team champions MIZ & MORRISON

A minute into the match, Hornswoggle jumped through the ropes with a splash onto the tag champs. Chaos ruled, and off to a commercial.

Back from break, IHOP was working over Miz in the ring. Grisham made the astute observation on the other side of the break that Miz has no reason to wear batting gloves to a wrestling match. Dreamer then tagged in for IHOP and dropped an elbow on Miz. Striker with an excellent enhancement point that Christian went through intense physical therapy after last week's shoulder work from Swagger in order to compete in the ring tonight. All we needed was a video package on Christian training. Dreamer lost control for IHOP when he turned his attention to Miz allowing Morrison to nail a step-up enziguiri kick.

At 10:00, anti-IHOP continued its attack on Dreamer. Swagger nailed a belly-to-belly suplex, but Dreamer kicked out in time. Swagger wanted a second rope dive, but Dreamer got his knees up. He finally escaped and hot-tagged Christian, who came in hot on Morrison. Christian accidentally bumped into Finlay, but he ducked attacks from Mo and Miz before nailing a float-over sunset flip on Mo for a close two count. Christian then kicked Mo in the face before going to the second rope for a sweet-looking tornado DDT.

Action broke down, then Christian nailed Morrison with a diving headbutt. He made the cover, but Miz broke up the pin. Finlay got involved and took Miz to the floor. Mo and Christian battled in center ring, but Swagger took a blind tag in the process. Christian nailed Mo with the Killswitch, but Swagger snuck in behind Christian to hit the gutwrench powerbomb for the pin and the win. Afterward, Swagger gloated, Miz celebrated, and Morrison tried to figure out what state he was in. Swagger gloating like only the ECW champ can was our final shot to close the show.

WINNERS: Team Swagger in 13:00. Excellent finish. Christian looks so revitalized compared to when he was going through the motions at the end of his TNA run. He made himself stand out since he was booked to lose the match, which is what a good wrestler should do to make the pre-pinfall action more important than the result. Swagger has momentum back with the straight-up win last week and sneaky victory this week. Swagger vs. Christian at WrestleMania could be a really great undercard match. (***)

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 3-6-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Keller's complete report). Condensed here to in-ring results since there was a whole lot of jawing going on.

1 -- ALEX SHELLEY (w/Chris Sabin) vs. KIYOSHI -- X Division Title match

With all of these tournaments and special matches TNA holds where wrestlers earn X Division Title matches, what exactly did Kiyoshi do to deserve this "out of the blue" title match? As Tenay talked about the Sting-Angle situation, West said he wishes Tenay could look at it objectively. It was the first sign of tension between them since their first exchange earlier. Rapid fire back and forth action early. Shelley won clean with a frog splash.

WINNER: Shelley in 4:00 to retain the X Title.

STAR RATING: *1/4 -- What was the point of that being an X Title match? Why not do something to build it up ahead of time so it seemed to mean something? And to have the announcers spend most of the match talking about the MEM, it really diminished any chance the X Title had of feeling even the slightest bit important. I mean, when you're trying to sell the Ultimate X match so hard, why not treat an X Title match as something of value and worth focusing on instead of throwing it out there as a backdrop to discussing something else?

2 -- THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (Angelina Love & Velvet Sky w/Kip James) vs. RYESHA SAEED & AWESOME KONG vs. ROXXI & TAYLOR WILDE (w/The Gov)

Tenay took another dig at West, tying in what Madison Rain did to Taylor Wilde, saying he wouldn't expect him to understand someone with experience take someone green under their wing only to get stabbed in the back. West said opinions are like You Know What, but he suggested they rise about it all and call the match. Madison walked toward ringside and they cut to a break at 1:00.

Chaos broke out shortly after the break. Tenay took another dig at West, saying "Nobody likes being humiliated in national television," a reference to the BPs being caught buying into The Gov's Sarah Palin impersonation. The Gov got involved in the ring, after which so did Madison, followed by Love pinning Roxxi.

WINNERS: The BPs in 6:00.

STAR RATING: 1/2* -- Just nondescript chaos throughout. Too much at once and everything felt rushed and frenetic.

3 -- MATT MORGAN vs. SHANE SEWELL

Tenay said we're about to find out if Sewell has the physical ability to compete with Morgan. Tenay then shifted to criticizing West for walking off the show again because he can't take criticism. Tenay said West has disrespected the fans by walking out on the show. Morgan toyed with Sewell early until Sewell surprised hom with a dropkick off the second rope after Sewell argued with a referee. Sewell went for a monkey flip, but Morgan countered with a powerbomb. Tenay said Cornette has "taken back" the Legends Championship belt, which has Booker PO'd. Tenay said Cornette wants to get control of the situation. Wait, Booker just made up that belt himself, so how is it something Cornette could "take back" control of. It was never legit or sanctioned to begin with. Morgan gave Sewell a fallaway slam, posturing and waving to the camera first. When he went for the pin, Morgan lifted Sewell's shoulder before the three count. Sewell made a ridiculous Tommy Dreamer comeback with his corny facial expressions. Morgan brushed him off, though, and set up a chokeslam. Sewell gave Morgan a low blow, then climbed to the top rope. Morgan side-stepped him and shoved him face-first to the mat. He followed with his Hellivator finisher. It looked more like Sewell DDT'd him; it's one of those moves where you can't really tell who's supposed to be hurt on the move.

WINNER: Morgan in 3:00.

STAR RATING: 3/4*

4 -- BEER MONEY INC. (Robert Roode & James Storm w/Jacqueline) vs. LAX (Homicide & Hernandez)

Homicide took control of Storm at the start. Homicide slidekicked Storm and Roode at ringside at 1:00. Hernandez then Border Tossed his own partner Homicide onto Beer Money on the floor, and then they cut to a break.

The heels controlled for a while after the break, but at 8:00 LAX came back and Hernandez hit his big dive over the top rope. When Homicide chased Jackie, that gave Roode an opening. Hernandez spit beer out of Storm's beer bottle in his face. He set up his Border Toss, but Roode entered with a hair and bashed Hernandez over the head (unprotected) and the ref called for the DQ. As Beer Money beat down LAX, Team 3D made the save.

WINNERS: LAX via DQ in 9:00.

STAR RATING: *1/2 -- Basic stuff with a copout finish, but one that fit the storyline since neither LAX member are leaving TNA, but Beer Money aren't losing the tag belts yet.

FINAL THOUGHTS (4.0): I've seen better, I've seen worse. The flippant treatment of the X Title match, the odd follow-up with the West-Tenay situation (with Tenay not addressing West's point of criticism that he backstabbed him at a meeting), and Super-Jeff-O-Mac mixed with a bunch of decent but rushed other segments and matches. There were some decent performances by Sting, Mick Foley, Kevin Nash, and even Jarrett (who was good in his role, albeit he remains overpushed and somewhat delusional in the Stone Cold TNA Founder Sage Role - and what was with that speed-talking in the opening segment?), but the booking foundation remains largely a mess. Nash probably gets my MVP vote for doing a better job trying to make sense of and fill in the gaping logic holes in the MEM Sting-Angle situation.

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 3-6-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Park's complete report)/. Condensed here to in-ring results only.

1- MATT HARDY vs. MVP - MONEY-IN-THE-BANK QUALIFYING MATCH

MVP applied a waist-lock early on and had the crowd behind him quickly and, ironically, like Matt used to. Corner clothesline by Matt, but MVP shrugged off a bulldog attempt. He went for the Playmaker less than two minutes in, but he couldn’t hit it. They ended up having a stand-off as the show continues.

Matt had MVP in a reverse chinlock on the mat. They showed how Matt got control during the break. Shades of Big Bossman as Hady sat down on MVP’s back with Montel Vontavious Porter’s throat draped over the middle rope. He took MVP down to the ground again. Overhead throw by MVP. MVP took Matt’s face and jammed it into his knee in a move that really hit. Roll-up by MVP for two. Side Effect by Hardy to regain control. He set up for the Twist of Fate, but MVP countered into a jacknife cover and got the pin.

WINNER: MVP, at 7:57. Ah, takes me back to the days of the great Matt vs. MVP feud.

2- MARYSE vs. EVE TORRES

Maryse tried to do the test of strength and God bless Eve, she fell for it. Maryse pulled her hand away, then went into the ropes for a break, then gyrated for a bit. In slow motion, Even leap-frogged Maryse then hit an enziguiri on her. Maryse went to the outside, and suckered Eve back into the ring. Michelle did some dissing of both ladies on commentary. When Maryse is the veteran hand in the ring, you’re in trouble. Not that she isn’t good, but I don’t think she’s good enough to carry someone as green as Eve. Dropkick by Eve that caught Maryse’s.....well, hand I guess. To the middle rope, but Eve missed a cross-body. Nice DDT by Maryse to finish it.

WINNER: Maryse, at 3:26. A step back for Eve this week. Not a good match.

3- JEFF HARDY vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN- MONEY-IN-THE-BANK QUALIFYING MATCH

Northern Lights Suplex about 30 seconds in for Benjamin, which got two. Hardy went off the ropes and Shelton ducked a cross-body attempt, which sent Hardy to the floor. Hardy turned the tables on the outside and flung himself off the stairs and into Shelton. Both men were down as the show went to break.

Shelton had Jeff by the hair out of break and had Hardy in a chin-lock, with his knee stuck right in Jeff’s back. Pin attempt for Shelton got two. Hardy came back to hit the double legdrop right in the lower abdomen of Benjamin. Low dropkick for two. As Jeff continued his onslaught, Matt Hardy wandered down to ringside. He climbed up the steps as Jeff hit Whisper in the Wind. Matt caught his eye but Jeff didn’t go for him. A terrible Twist of Fate was hit by Jeff, then Matt entered the ring. The brothers went face-to-face, then Matt punched Shelton, causing referee Chad Patton to throw out the match.

WINNER: Benjamin, at 9:28. I know I’ve said this before, but things like that should be left to the referee’s discretion; it shouldn’t be an automatic DQ when it’s obvious someone like Matt is trying to get the other guy disqualified. I know it’s not REAL but WWE should set things up so it would make a little more sense.

4- TRIPLE H vs. UMAGA

HHH started out hot, socking Umaga in the head with a bevy of right hands. Umaga returned the shots with headbutts. Whip into the corner, but HHH came out with a vengeance, clotheslining the Samoan Bulldozer. Umaga nailed The Game with a superkick. JR questioned whether or not Trips could recover from the kick. Legdrop by Umaga for two. HHH came back with a knee to Umaga’s face. Thrust to the throat of The Game allowed Umaga time to recover. Trips low-bridged him and Umaga dove over the top rope and to the outside of the ring. Out of nowhere, The Legacy ran threw the crowd and surrounded the ring. HHH held off Cody Rhodes, but Dibiase and Orton came in to attack and the numbers game got the best of him for a while. The ref is nowhere to be seen, so let’s call it....

WINNER: Triple H via DQ, at about 3:30 (no bell).

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 3-9-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report). Condensed here to in-ring results only so click the linky to read all about the Stone Cold/Brian Pullman...er...a...Triple H/Randy Orton 'home invasion'.

1 -- IC champion C.M. PUNK vs. JBL -- Intercontinental Title match

Punk was in control going into the break after nailing a suicide dive on the floor. They returned with JBL in control. Awkward pin attempt at 7:00 when JBL made a cover and Punk kinda rolled up a shoulder to escape a pin. Punk came back with a swinging DDT off the top rope, then kick strikes and a leg whip. Punk nailed a top rope clothesline and a high knee/running bulldog combo for a two count at 9:00. Punk tried the Go 2 Sleep, but JBL raked the eyes and nailed the Clothesline from Hell for the pin and the win. JBL accepted the IC Title belt with glee and celebrated his victory. Punk, meanwhile, checked his eyes for vision.

WINNER: JBL at 9:35 to capture the IC Title. You could see that finish coming, but it would have been nice for actual build-up to a title match. Interesting to see where this will be going with JBL looking to do something shocking at WrestleMania concerning the IC Title. (*1/2)

2 -- Divas champion Maryse vs. Women's champion Melina -- non-title match

Lumberjills were surrounding the ring for this one. Maryse dominated Melina early and often. She put Melina in the bow and arrow, then cut off a comeback and kicked Melina in the head. She then rolled her up for the pin and the win. Afterward, Smackdown and Raw divas squared off against each other. A brawl broke out and the Raw divas stood tall with Melina.

WINNER: Maryse at 2:15. Fine. Just getting divas on the TV for a few moments, but not enough time given to develop a compelling match between Melina and Maryse. "Super fast food" match. (3/4*)

3 -- CHRIS JERICHO vs. KOFI KINGSTON -- Money in the Bank qualifying match

Announcers referenced Mickey Rourke and "The Wrestler" early on, so there's still a working agreement of some sort for WrestleMania. Kofi jumped around the ring early on, then took control going into break. Jericho was in control out of the break working on Kofi's back. Kofi then came back with a leaping clothesline and palm thrust to the chest. Kofi with a turnaround splash from the second rope for a two count. Kofi nailed a Russian legsweep, then marched around the ring before attempting the boom-boom leg drop. Jericho countered, though, and wanted the Walls of Jericho, but Kofi blocked. Jericho came right back with an enziguiri kick for a two count. Jericho missed with a Lionsault and Kofi nailed the boom-boom leg drop for a two count. Kofi started gyrating around before attempting the Buzzsaw kick, but Jericho slapped on the Walls of Jericho. Kofi teased an escape, then Ric Flair's music suddenly came on. Flair walked out on stage and Jericho released the Walls of Jericho. Jericho then walked back across the ring and Kofi nailed the Jamaican Buzzsaw kick for the pin and the win. Afterward, Kofi walked on stage and celebrated with Ric Flair, who pointed to the WrestleMania banner and told Jericho he's not going.

WINNER: Kofi at 7:55 to qualify for MITB. Nice finish and a nice surprise from Ric Flair. Jericho losing sets him up to destroy a Legend on next week's show and finally get a WrestleMania match of some sort against a Legend of some sort. (**)

4 -- CHRISTIAN & FINLAY (w/Hornswoggle) & REY MYSTERIO vs. FINLAY & World tag team champions THE MIZ & JOHN MORRISON

Christian and Miz started things off here. Finlay took a semi-hot tag and cleaned house, then Rey took a hot tag and smashed Morrison in the corner. He then went up top and nailed a huracanrana for a cover and two count when Miz broke up the pin. Rey wanted the 619 on Morrison, but Kane broke it up. Christian and Finlay then dumped Kane to the floor. Rey set up Mo with the 619 once again and he delivered it this time. Rey then snapped off a signature springboard huracanrana. Not quite the classic ECW Arena huracanrana against Psychosis, but it looked pretty good. Rey with the pin before an excited arena for the win.

WINNERS: Team Rey at 3:30. Really exciting finish after a brief match. ECW wrestlers (are Miz & Morrison on ECW?) put on a good showing with the limited time to hype ECW TV tomorrow night. (*1/2)

So...4 matches and a whole lot of talking going on as they try and build up storylines for the WM25 hype.

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 3-10-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report).

1 -- World tag team champion THE MIZ (w/John Morrison) vs. WWE tag team champion PRIMO (w/Carlito and Bella Twins)

Primo was hot early on, but he could only score a one count following a round of kicks. Primo with a dropkick to the back, but Miz nailed a forearm smash as Primo was on the apron. Miz in control as Grisham sent us to break.

They returned from break with Miz still in control. Primo then fired off a top rope cross-body block for a two count. Primo airballed on an attempted dive and he crashed hard to the mat. One of the Bellas showed concern for Primo, then Miz walked over to Primo and punched Primo right in front of his lady. Miz sent Primo back into the ring to pick up another mid-ring attack. Battle went up top and Primo flipped over Miz into an electric chair slam.

Both men recovered, then Primo made another comeback. Morrison went the illegal immigrant route on commentary against Carlito, then Miz nailed a front-face slam on Carlito for another two count. They had an exciting roll-up exchange, then another close nearfall for Miz. Miz wanted a run-through-the-turnbuckle corner smash, but Primo moved and nailed the backstabber off the second ropes for the pin and the win. Afterward, Carlito and Primo got the girls while Morrison tried to check on Miz and get an explanation on how he lost.

WINNER: Primo in 11:00. Excellent singles match. Nice to see Primo in a featured match, as he clearly has tremendous upside. Nice use of the outside wrestlers to enhance the match on commentary and allow the two men in the ring to settle an issue. Just all-around good action. (**)

2 -- TYSON KIDD (w/Natalya) vs. D.J. GABRIEL (w/Alicia Fox)

Gabriel just looks too jacked up. He landed a flying elbow smash early on, then whipped Kidd hard across the ring only to accept a drop toehold into the middle turnbuckle. Action moved to the floor where Kidd nailed a kick to the face. Kidd is heel, but Gabriel has no babyface qualities for the crowd to get behind. Gabriel countered a wheelbarrow into an overhead release German Suplex for a two count. Gabriel then scooped up Kidd by his trunks, but Kidd yanked Gabriel back-first across the top rope and nailed the springboard elbow smash for the pin and the win. Striker: Where does Gabriel go from here? Same place as Ricky Ortiz: turn heel or go back to Florida.

WINNER: Kidd in 3:00. Nice win for Kidd, who deserves the push ahead of Gabriel. It was like the turning point for Jack Swagger's career when he was given the victory over Ricky Ortiz when they were arguably at the same level. Kidd and Gabriel were arguably on the same level here, and WWE made the right choice in Kidd over Gabe. (*)

3 -- MITB QUALIFYING MATCH BATTLE ROYALE

Ricky Ortiz was chucked over the top rope by Khali about seven seconds in. So sad. Funaki was out via Kozlov. Khali then dumped out Kozlov. Suddenly, gang-tackle on Khali and everyone eliminated him. Hey, Goldust is in the match. Charlie Haas as Charlie Haas. Other random jobbers. Yang out via Haas and Dolph. Ha, Striker with a WCW reference on Yang. Haas out. Goldust out. Burchill out via Cryme Tyme. Suddenly, JTG eliminated Shad. Oh snap! Break.

Regal, Christian, Dreamer, R-Truth, and Chavo were left in the ring back from break. Regal then nailed a four-way Tower of Doom spot in the corner. They showed us a clip during the break of JTG eliminating Shad, then R-Truth eliminating JTG. Dreamer picked up Regal's dead weight and tried to eliminate him, but Regal held on and Dreamer was yanked to the floor by Regal.

R-Truth vs. Christian once they were down to the final four. TNA! Chavo then dumped out Truth, bringing it to Chavo, Christian, and Regal. Christian held on for dear life as Chavo tried to shove him out, then Regal smashed Christian. Regal screamed, then charged Christian and Christian dumped him out. Down to Christian and Chavo. Christian slid into the ring from the apron, then Chavo did an Eddie chest-shake that drew cheap heat. He executed the Three Amigos suplexes, but Chavo blocked a top rope frog splash. They battled on the apron and Christian teased an elimination to draw screams from the crowd, then he nailed the rebound kick to the face on Chavo to eliminate him and win the battle royale.

WINNER: Christian in 11:00. Fine battle royale. Quick pace and they trimmed the fat (Ricky O.) early on while mixing in some traditional early '90s Raw battle royale spots featuring the big man, Great Khali, playing the role of Mabel. Good victory for Christian to keep him strong. (**)

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 3-12-09

Results courtesy of ProWrestling.net (direct link to Powell's complete report). Condensed here to in-ring results only.

1. Rhino defeated Sheik Abdul Bashir in 3:45. Tenay ran through the show lineup again. He said something about Sting's wrestler facing Angle's wrestler, so I'm not sure what the hell is going on. Don West arrived and joined Tenay on commentary. They bickered and Tenay accused West of being hungover.

"It smells like a brewery out here at the broadcast table," Tenay said. West said he noticed the same thing when he walked by ring announcer Dave Penzer. Funny. In the ring (as if that matters anymore), Rhino scored the clean pin on Bashir.

Bashir caught Rhino with a low blow after the match. He headed to ringside and retrieved a chair. Bashir struck Rhino with the chair and then placed his headdress over Rhino...

Powell's POV: Tenay made it clear that Angle's wrestler will face Sting's wrestler. I like the idea I thought I heard better. To make things more confusing, they are having a tag match where the teams get to pick additional partners. It's like theme week in TNA.

2. Matt Morgan and Beer Money (w/Jacqueline) defeated Abyss and Team 3D in an elimination match in 10:00. Team 3D brought the IWGP Tag Titles to the ring with them. Tenay tried to sell the storyline that this could be the last time Team 3D appears on Impact due to the Off The Wagon Challenge match at the pay-per-view. At 2:00, Jackie snuck in and low-blowed Devon, which led to a superkick from Storm and a pin.

After the break, Storm was eliminated from the match when the referee DQ'd him for spitting beer in Brother Ray's face. Moments later, Brother Ray hit the Bubba Bomb on Roode and pinned him. Seconds later, Morgan chokeslammed Ray and pinned him to eliminate him.

The match came down to Morgan vs. Abyss. Eventually, Abyss picked up the bag of tacks that Morgan had at ringside. Lauren the interview girl ran out and pleaded with Abyss not to use the tacks. When Abyss turned around, Morgan nailed him with a big boot to the face and scored the pin.

Afterward, Lauren ran in and stood in front of Abyss. Morgan backed her into a corner and then grabbed her by the throat to tease slamming her onto the tacks. Abyss recovered and attacked Morgan. Abyss accepted Morgan's challenge to a tack match at the pay-per-view...


Powell's POV: Please tell me they're not going with the predictable pretty woman turns on the babyface twist again. The Abyss and Lauren storyline is ridiculous, but I'll take that over another predictable heel turn. Either way, they're pushing it with the man-on-woman violence tonight.

3. Taylor Wilde (w/Roxxi, The Governor) pinned Madison Rayne (w/The Beautiful People, Kip James) in 2:00. Traci Brooks was the referee. The announcers mentioned that the balance of power could shift if Sting retained the TNA Title at the pay-per-view. Late in the match, Wilde tried to go for a pin, but Rayne held onto Brooks, who eventually shoved her down and counted the pin. After the match, the Beautiful People beat up the other women and left them lying...

Powell's POV: Why would the balance of power shift if Sting retained the TNA Title? Isn't he already the TNA Champion? Where's Vince McMahon to yell at Foley when he needs it? Yes, I'm kidding.

4. LAX and Lethal Consequences defeated Booker T and Scott Steiner and The Motor City Machine Guns in an eight-man tag match in 4:45. Tenay was flying solo again. He complained about the Guns teaming with Mafia members. Lethal woke up the crowd with some fast-paced offense. Later, Hernandez hit the Border Toss on Sabin and scored the pin...

Powell's POV: Let me get this straight, the Frontline just scored a big victory over the Main Event Mafia by pinning a Frontline member?

5. Eric Young (w/Sting) pinned Rocco of MEM Security (w/Kurt Angle) in 3:15. Late in the match, Angle gave the Evolution "thumbs down" sign, which led to Rocco missing a second rope splash. Young hit the Death Valley Driver and scored the clean pin.

After the match, Sting and Angle entered the ring. Angle and two Mafia security members beat up Sting until Mick Foley made the save. Foley beat up all three of them, but Scott Steiner ran out and attacked Foley from behind. Jeff Jarrett, who isn't on the pay-per-view, ran out with a chair and struck some of the heels with chairshots.

Jarrett wound up to hit Steiner and Nash, but Sting stepped in front of them. Tenay reminded viewers that Sting said he never had a problem Steiner or Nash. Jarrett took the mic and announced that he will be the special referee for Sting vs. Angle, and Foley will be the special ringside enforcer...

Powell's POV: I guess Angle is looking forward to the Triple H vs. Randy Orton match at WrestleMania 25. At least they have a reason for making Jarrett the center of attention this week. Foley playing the special enforcer role is already overplayed, but it stacks the deck against Angle heading into the pay-per-view. Of course, that would be more effective if Angle was the champion. Really, this just make me think Angle win the belt because he has so much working against him.

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 3-13-09

Results courtesy of ProWrestling.net (direct link to Shore's complete report). Condensed here to in-ring results only.

1. Edge defeated Kofi Kingston at 10:17.
Shore’s Slant: The champion starts the show? Wow. That being said, this match was a nightmare to cover as it was all over the place. Kudos to Edge and Kingston for having a match that Smackdown used to have every week. It was fun and fast and I wanted more. It’s nice to see Kingston got a chance to get back at Edge. Granted it took three weeks and it was not for the title, but hey, he got to respond!

2. John Morrison and The Miz defeated Primo and Carlito Colon, w/The Bella Twins, to retain the World Tag Team Championships at 5:57.
Shore’s Slant: That was all over the place. I could barely cover it. In fact, I got behind more than once. Good match that continues the feud and almost guarantees a unification match at Mania.

3. Chavo Guerrero and Shelton Benjamin defeated R-Truth and MVP at 6:01. .
Shore’s Slant: As quick paced as that match was, it seemed slow after the first two. Surprise loss for MVP, but it does advance the storyline and he didn’t look weak in the loss. And wasn’t that the same formula as the end of the tag title match? So far, this has been a really good Smackdown. But Matt Hardy is coming to the ring and from what I have read, the “really good” part gets destroyed next.

4. Maria and Melina defeated Michelle McCool and Maryse at 2:45.
Shore’s Slant: First bad match of the night and it wasn’t terrible. The Diva’s division looks so weak. I long for the days of Lita and Victoria and Trish. Maybe with Gail Kim coming back soon we will have an awakening. Let’s hope.

5. Finlay w/Hornswoggle defeated The Brian Kendrick w/Ezekiel Jackson in a Money in the Bank Qualifying Match at 3:14.
Shore’s Slant: There it was. The match was terrible for two reasons. First, it was boring. You can’t tell a story in three minutes, especially with guys who have two different styles. Second, and most important, WTF is Finlay doing in MITB over TBK? That’s terrible writing. But the writing for MITB was already bad. MITB this year is a throwaway match, and that’s upsetting. Thirty minutes left with one match. Taker must be doing the full entrance.

6. The Undertaker defeated Vladimir Kozlov at 14:22.
Shore’s Slant: OK match, not as good as the last meeting, but not a complete stinker. Maybe I’m just in a good mood. Overall, good show from Smackdown, especially considering that this was the second half of a double header. I have one problem, and I understand why it happened, but it’s still a problem. There was virtually no coverage of the Vickie/Edge angle. Yes we had the recap at the top of the show, and the video of Edge and Chavo that was probably recorded at Raw, but that was it. Now this was taped before Raw, so they didn’t want to give away the surprise, but it just seems odd that there was so little time devoted to it. More time was devoted to Hunter/Orton than Edge/Vickie. Just something that bothered me.

[Arcademan]

Andrew 'Test' Martin found dead...

Sources: PWInsider.com via Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8738 and TOKYOPOP: Arcademan Blog (direct link to latest entry):

- Former WWE Superstar Andrew "Test" Martin passed away last night at his home in Tampa, Florida at the age of 33, just four days away form his 34th birthday. We don't have many more details right now, but reports say he was found in his apartment. Tampa area authorities have declined to confirm it is Martin but word within the wrestling industry has been widespread.

Despite his earlier writings about the drug scene in the wrestling business, Martin ended up suspended under the WWE Wellness Policy and was released shortly afterwards. At the time, Martin claimed it was a mutual release that he asked the company for. Martin made a few appearances for TNA that year but there was a feeling that his huge physique was neon sign for the impending US Congress investigation into the business and also a feeling that his attitude didn't go over well with the TNA locker room, so he wasn't brought back. Test talked about retiring from the business but has made several appearances overseas since then, working a match in Japan last month. Martin was scheduled to leave this for a wrestling tour of Europe that would have made stops in several countries.

We will keep you updated with more details as they come in. Our deepest condolences go out to Martin's friends and family.

Also here's more: Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Posts #8739 and #8740 with external sources courtesy of PWTorch.com via Jim Ross' blog...

Jim Ross, who was formerly WWE's VP of Talent Relations and hired Andrew "Test" Martin in the 1990s, said today that Martin was recovering from personal health issues prior to his death on Friday night.

Martin completed WWE's rehab treatment after starting in August 2008 and he was in constant contact with WWE to follow-up on whether he was remaining healthy. Friday was a scheduled check-in date for Martin, Ross said.

"Since being released from the facility after successfully completing the program, Andrew had been doing well in his 12 Step AA program and was in contact with WWE with regular phone calls," Ross said on jrsbarbq.com. "Ironically, Friday was the day for his regularly scheduled 'touching base' but when called his voice mail box was full."

Ross said he spoke to Martin extensively at last year's WrestleMania in Florida and he did not see any outward signs of personal problems. Martin, who died at age 33, told Ross that he didn't want to wrestle much longer and he was only taking dates on his terms.

"Andrew had always told me that he never wanted to wrestle past the age of 35 which was why he 'listened to the lectures," Ross said. "I honestly had never seen him happier."

Check back on my TOKYOPOP Blog for complete updates and will also post more here when news is available.

[Arcademan]

TNA Destination X PPV Results: 3-15-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's ongoing report).

1 -- BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (ANGELINA LOVE & VELVET SKY & MADISON RAYNE) vs. TAYLOR WILDE & ROXXI & GOVERNOR FAKE SARAH PALIN
WINNERS: Team Wilde in 6:00. Just a standard divas match to start things off. Fine and Madison got her comeuppance. (3/4*)

2 -- ERIC YOUNG vs. BRUTUS MAGNUS
WINNER: Brutus Magnus in 5:00. Match had its moments. Young was good, as usual. Kozlov...er...Brutus is a work in development. (*)

3 -- MATT MORGAN vs. ABYSS -- 10,000 thumbtack match
WINNER: Morgan in 9:00. Just a forgettable undercard gimmick match. Abyss wiggling his hands around was laughable. I'm sorry, it just was. I don't know why he continues to take crazy bumps because they don't mean anything, especially in the third match of the card. (1/2*)

4 -- Knockouts champion AWESOME KONG (w/Raisha Saeed) vs. SOJO BOLT -- Knockouts Title match
WINNER: Kong in 4:00. Basic knockouts match. Not much to it. Continued a subpar, by-the-numbers, unmemorable undercard. (*)

5 -- SAMOA JOE vs. SCOTT STEINER
WINNER: Steiner via DQ in 2:00. Well, that was short and lame. The new Don West is solid, especially when he indirectly calls out TNA for ridiculous booking like advertising a match that barely happened and delivering a fat, out-of-shape Samoa Joe in a ridiculous look. Might as well have slapped Magnus's helmet on Joe and called him the Samoan Warrior. (n/a)

6 -- Legends champion BOOKER T (w/Sharmell) vs. A.J. STYLES -- Legends Title match
WINNER: Styles in 10:00 to capture the Legends Title. Best match of the night, which isn't saying much. Booker appeared to be legit injured leading to the early finish. Good energy from Styles, who unfortunately had to settle for celebrating victory of a fake title. (**)

7 -- TNA tag team champions BEER MONEY, INC. (ROBERT ROODE & JAMES STORM w/Miss Jackie) vs. TEAM 3D (BROTHER RAY & BROTHER DEVON) -- TNA tag title match and 3D's careers on the line
WINNERS: Team 3D via count-out in 13:00; Roode & Storm retain the tag titles. Walk-through-the-motions tag team PPV match with a typical non-finish for a Beer Money match. West is such a convincing advocator for the heels that it's hard to root for the babyfaces, especially when Mike Tenay is defending them. Finish wasn't actually that frustrating because Tenay's boys didn't win the belts. (*1/2)

8 -- X Division champion ALEX SHELLEY vs. JAY LETHAL vs. CHRIS SABIN vs. CONSEQUENCES CREED vs. SUICIDE -- ULTIMATE X match -- X Division Title match
WINNER: Suicide in 14:00 to capture the X Division Title. Fine match with a solid dose of athleticism to stand out on the PPV card. Too bad there were so many inconsequential moves that didn't have any bearing on the outcome of the match. Just limits the X Division as the "monkey-bar special" division where they get three minutes on TV and no time to develop legit feuds or storylines. (**)

9 -- TNA World champion STING vs. KURT ANGLE -- TNA World Title match -- Jeff Jarrett special ref and Mick Foley special enforcer
WINNER: Sting in 14:00 to retain the TNA World Title. Another mid-card-quality effort in the PPV main event. Just a basic match where Angle couldn't even get a main event-quality match out of Sting. Predictable ref bump leading to Foley accidentally knocking out Sting, which apparently will lead to them setting up their Lockdown match on TV. (*1/2)

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 3-16-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report). Condensed here to in-ring results only.

1 -- SHAWN MICHAELS & THE UNDERTAKER vs. IC champion JBL & KOZLOV

Michaels started things off against Kozlov before staring down Taker. Michaels then turned around and jumped Kozlov before Taker tagged in and knocked Kozlov to the floor with a clothesline. Grab a break.

Back from break, Michaels was battling his former employer, JBL. He nailed a top rope elbow smash, then wanted Sweet Chin Music on JBL, but Kozlov distracted HBK to allow JBL to smash him in the face with a big boot. Heels went on the attack against Michaels while Taker slowly walked around the ring apron pacing for his hot tag. Taker finally got his hot tag at 8:00 and ran over JBL with a corner splash. Taker with signature moves that the crowd was uncharacteristically quiet for. Taker then teased a chokeslam on JBL, but Michaels blind-tagged himself in and smashed JBL with Sweet Chin Music. Michaels with the cover for the win.

Afterward, Taker tried to kick Michaels and Michaels went scurrying to the ringside area. Taker was upset, so HBK went running off like a soon-to-be-punished son trying to avoid his father's wrath. Taker's music hit, then he turned to look back to the crowd. Suddenly, Michaels showed up out of nowhere and smashed Taker with Sweet Chin Music on the stage. Michaels went nuts throwing his fists in the air and flailing his arms in celebration.

WINNERS: Michaels & Taker at 9:20. Strange, sudden ending to the match. Heavy focus on Taker vs. Michaels, as it should be. Still waiting for JBL to announce his major announcement.

2 -- Women's champion MELINA & KELLY KELLY & MICKIE JAMES vs. BETH PHOENIX (w/Santino Marella and Rosa Mendes) & JILLIAN HALL & LAYLA

Santino on commentary. Yes! Santino wasn't very complementary of her girlfriend's job hosting Santino's Casa on .com. Lawler said he had the pleasure of meeting the Santino fan club. All two of them. Melina tagged in, then action broke down ringside. Santino tried to interfere, but she took a low-blow from Mickie on the floor. In the confusion, Melina rolled up Beth from behind for the win. Rosa tried to attack the babyfaces post-match, but they went to the floor to celebrate victory.

WINNERS: Team Melina at 2:55. Santino was fine on commentary to enhance the match, which seemed like just a repeat of the women's matches we've seen on Raw TV for months. Two more weeks until the 25-diva battle royale. (1/2*)

3 -- WWE champion TRIPLE H vs. CODY RHODES -- non-title steel cage match

Every time Orton or Cody tried to climb the cage to get to Hunter, he kicked them off the wall and teased them with the sledgehammer. Crowd suddenly began roaring as Ted started climbing the cage. He wasn't able to make it in, though, as Hunter hit him with the hammer through the cage wall. Hunter then grabbed his hammer and stalked Cody for a hammer shot to the face. Hunter made the cover and scored the win while Orton looked down in disdain.

WINNER: Triple H at 2:15. Just a way to put over SuperHunter as the super Alpha Male of all Alpha Males to ever be created in Super Alpha Male Land since he's Triple H and we're lucky to even be in his presence because he's so smart and strong and powerful and has amazing super powers. What happened to Randy Orton, the rising star mega-heel who doesn't back down from anyone? (n/a)

4 -- REY MYSTERIO vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER

Cole said Rey has challenge JBL for an IC Title match at WrestleMania. That's how they announce it? Mid-match in a TV squash against Dolph? Welcome to the wonderful world of the Intercontinental Title. Dolph was on the offensive early on while the announcers talked up Hunter placing a steel cage inside the building earlier tonight. What super-powers does Hunter not have? Rey suddenly nailed a seated sentaun before snapping off a huracanrana into 619. Rey then ran to the top rope and hurried into a top rope diving splash for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Rey Mysterio at 2:13. Just a set-up for the random JBL vs. Rey IC Title match. the set-up for the WrestleMania card seems very "off-brand PPV" with random matches being added to the card. This line-up should have been finalized weeks ago. In-house note: really close shave over Triple H in the Place Your Bets challenge for shortest match victory, assuming there isn't a two-second squash coming up. (1/2*)

5 -- MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas) & KANE & U.S. champion SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. KOFI KINGSTON & C.M. PUNK & MVP

Hornswoggle, Finlay, and Christian were on commentary for the match. All this potential star power in the ring and they don't hype it pre-match or even allow for a pre-match intro? I suppose they needed to save time to stay with Triple H's superhero moment for all of eternity. All six men had a stand-off before they cut to a break.

Christian said he was away from WWE for a little bit, but he's returning re-focused and ready for a run as a WWE champion after winning Money in the Bank. Christian said he came back for a title run and it's not a matter of when. Horny was trying to blow him off, so Christian shot back that he'll get his cookie later. Kofi made a hot tag to C.M. Punk, who lost the IC Title belt last week and he's so distraught about it. Insert Sarcasm there. Punk cleaned house, then Kofi took Kane to the floor. Chaos ensued, then Punk nailed Shelton with the Go 2 Sleep for the pin and the win as Christian vowed to win MITB, then cash it in, and win a WWE Title. MVP, Kofi, and Punk stood tall center ring and stared up at the briefcase hanging above the ring.

WINNERS: Team Punk at 8:36. Fine six-man tag match. Christian was a little shaky on commentary, but he had his moments. Definitely wasn't as bad as babyface TNA champion where he was Captain NoCharisma. There were just too many people at the table. Match was fine, but forgettable with no hype or pre-match set-up. (*1/4)

6 -- World Hvt. champion EDGE vs. JOHN CENA -- non-title match -- Vickie Guerrero special ref

Cole reminded viewers of the match stipulation that if Cena touches Vickie, he loses his World Title match at WrestleMania. Cena hit a fisherman suplex in the first minute, then made a cover, but Vickie just stood there twiddling her thumbs without making a cover. Cena argued with Vickie, then Edge snuck in behind and knocked down Cena. Crowd is red-hot for this. Cena fought back against Edge, who then chucked him over the top rope clean to the floor. Edge followed up and chucked Cena into the announce table and ring steps before re-entering the ring to get a round of boos. Vickie didn't apply a ten count here.

Edge tossed Cena back into the ring and missed with a spear that set up Cena's big comeback. Cena wanted to drop the Shuffle on Edge, but Vickie jumped on Edge to cover him up. Cena couldn't strike, so he waited for Vickie to get up, then he dropped the five knuckle on Edge. Vickie pulled Edge out of harm's way on an FU, then he slapped on the STFU, but Vickie put a headlock on Cena. Comical.

Big Show suddenly showed up and helped Edge double-team Cena. They hung Cena up in the ropes ala Andre the Giant and Edge landed a spear on a defenseless Cena. Vickie slapped Cena, then Show landed big right hand blows to Cena. Match still going on. Show then landed his big right hand smashes on Cena that KO'ed Cena while he was still hung up in the ropes. Show walked away, then Edge suddenly speared Show in center ring after he used Show to inflict damage. Vickie was non-reactional. Edge then stood tall as the show faded to black.

WINNER: No Decision at 6:48 when the show ended. To be continued with the three-way drama. Crowd heat was amazing for this, which helped sell the angle, but the angle is so far out there to begin with that WWE needs to reel this one in with two weeks left until Mania. The issue was cleared up this week with more focus on who Vickie believes, which could play a factor in which side she chooses at WrestleMania. (*1/2)