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

[Arcademan]

WWE Superstars Results: 10-29-09

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

1 -- JACK SWAGGER vs. PRIMO COLON

Swagger with the early amateur holds that always seem to be just thrown out there instead of being part of Swagger actually trying to wear down Primo and take control for a few minutes. I'm not expecting Lou Thesz or Danny Hodge out there spending 15 minutes executing a hold then pausing then executing another hold, but Swagger seems to lose control of those holds early on that the crowd has been trained not to taken seriously. Crowd was hot for Primo tonight, though, and Swagger played a good heel feeding off their cheers to beat up on the lovable Primo. Swagger took a chinbreaker from Primo at 4:00, but Swagger came back with a lariat to the back of the head for a two count. Swagger tried to follow with a seated splash, but Primo moved. He then hit a flying Tatanka chop off a springboard to begin a full-fledged attack, but no three count. Primo tried to follow with a springboard cross-body, but Swagger blocked and nailed a big boot right to the face. Impact of the move took the wind out of the crowd, then Swagger dropped the gutwrench powerbomb for the pin and the win. Afterward, some of the defiant males in Buffalo cheered for Swagger's W. He then paraded around the ring in victory to make sure everyone knew about his win.

WINNER: Swagger in 6:00. Good match. Repeat was shorter than their previous Superstars singles match in August, but at the same level. No pun intended here, but Swagger has some swagger back after getting a rub being associated with Team Raw lately. There was just a different vibe to his character in this match, as if he carried himself more like a star and not a mid-carder who is stuck looking up at the glass ceiling. (*1/2)

2 -- KELLY KELLY vs. ALICIA FOX

Standard start with Alicia in control before Kelly made her comeback. Without Gail Kim in there to right the ship, the action fell apart during Kelly's comeback. Also, the result wasn't like last week for Kelly against Gail, as Alicia blocked Kelly's handspring elbow in the corner with her axe kick for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Alicia in 4:00. To recap the Raw Divas pecking order, it's Alicia, Kelly, and Gail Kim based on Kelly defeating Gail on last week's Superstars. Based on this logic, looks like Melina vs. Alicia for the Divas Title on the horizon. (1/2*)

3 -- ZACK RYDER vs. TYLER REKS

Announcers drew attention to East Coast (Ryder) vs. West Coast (Reks) as Ryder took control early on in this one. We've seen this match-up before, which captures the repeat nature of the show this week. Reks made a comeback at 3:00 and delivered his "Ride The Wave" elbow drop for a two count. Crowd not quite at the recognition stage for Reks's signature move. Reks then missed with a corner attack and Ryder nailed the Zack Attack for the pin and the win. Ryder back in the win column after losing the #1 contender match to Yoshi Tatsu last week on ECW.

WINNER: Ryder in 5:00. Good win for Ryder, who looked like a star here. Reks should just happy to be on TV at this point until WWE figures out a consistent storyline for him. Match was fine with Ryder delivering hard-hitting offense to keep viewers interested. (*)

4 -- CRYME TYME (SHAD GASPARD & JTG) & R-TRUTH vs. HART DYNASTY (TYSON KIDD & D.H. SMITH) & DR. MIKE KNOX

The two smallest men in the match, Tyson and JTG, started the match to set a quick pace for the action in the main event. Tyson then tagged in Dr. Knox, who entered and locked up with JTG, who didn't back down. Striker noted he didn't back down, but it's perhaps not wise. Grisham noted that Shad appears to have fully recovered from the flu. Enter shad to work on Knox, who missed with a clothesline and took a shoulder tackle, but Knox stayed on his feet. Knox then yanked Shad to the mat to begin working him over with HD's encouragement. Grisham called him an evil kinesiologist. At least he's not an evil dentist. Kane and Knox would make an interesting tag team, though. Knox threw Shad to the floor after an exchange and they cut to break.

A reversal here, as the babyface Shad was in control of the heel Knox back from break. HD then took control and Smith went to work on Shad with mat holds, including a Camel Clutch in center ring. Shad broke free, but Tyson tagged back in and landed a kick strike to Shad's back. Knox back in via tag at 11:00 as JTG tried to rally up for Shad. Knox had enough of Shad and knocked JTG off the apron, which gave Shad an opening to land a slam that put both men on the mat. Truth then tagged in for the first time in the match and did his dance routine that riled up the crowd. Action broke down as JTG tried to line up a splash on the floor, but Smith clotheslined him and threw him to the outside.

Back to Truth and Kidd, who traded nearfalls until Truth created movement with his spinning fist smash, the Lie Detector, for the pin and the win. Kids in the crowd then danced along with Truth's music to celebrate the win. Post-match: A typical scene with Cryme Tyme standing tall in the ring as Hart Dynasty complained and pointed fingers from the outside to close the show.

WINNERS: Truth & Cryme Tyme in 13:00. Good tag match. Nice mix of athleticism and size. At the end, though, there might have been different dance partners, but it was the same ending with Team Cryme Tyme finding another win over Team Hart Dynasty. At some point in this match, I pictured WWE bring back the Cruiserweight Title headed up by R-Truth, who looked like the top star in the match. WWE could have a nice division with Truth, Kidd, JTG, and the occasional appearances by Bourne and Chavo from the Raw brand. Establish the heritage of the belt with Rey Mysterio giving a rub to the title as a former CW champ, play some old-school WCW and Smackdown clips, and make it mean something again as an every-two-months PPV feature to give WWE fans an "X Division" change-of-pace worth paying money to see. (**)

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 10-29-09

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

(1) TARA vs. ALISSA FLASH

They lock up. Tara transitions to a standing Arm Bar, but Flash shoves her to the mat. The crowd is fairly split. Flash charges, but Tara dodges and locks in a Tarantula. She comes back in with her Slingshot Leg Drop for two. Flash gets up firing with some quick strikes, connecting with a clothesline to the chest for two. The announcers acknowledge that Impact was filmed before the Hogan announcement, which is weird, since if they admit that the commentary was added after the fact it makes it confusing whenever they act surprised. In the ring, Tara catches Flash when she goes to the top rope and nails a Superplex. Both women get to their feet, but Tara is a bit quicker and hits a Fire(wo)man's Carry for two. She hits some clothesline and a Snap Suplex for two. Flash ducks an attempted Short Armed Clothesline and connects with a Pump Handle Drop for two. She wrenches Tara's back and stomps her head to the mat. Tara gets up and connects with a Spinning Sidewalk Slam out of nowhere for the win.

WINNER: Tara. Taz described the match as "not pretty" but effective.

After the match, Kong comes back and Implant Busters Tara into the still lying prone Flash. She mouthes to the camera that he's back.

(2) TEAM 3D vs. THE MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS

The crowd is behind the Guns to start as the teams show each other respect. Since when are the Guns respectful? Devon takes Shelley down with a shoulder block to start. Shelley comes back with a spinning jump kick for two. Devon gets up charging; Shelley sidesteps, kicks Devon in the back, but then walks right into a Side Slam for two. Both men tag out. Ray wrenches Sabin's arm, than cinches in a wrist lock. Sabin flips out and starts kicking Ray's side. Ray catches a leg and catapults Sabin, but Sabin lands on the apron and comes back in with a Springboard Cross Body Block for two. Sabin comes off the ropes, and right into a huge Ura-Nage from Ray. Devon tags in and looks for a Gorilla Press, but Shelley comes in and clips his injured leg. Sabin tags out, and medics come check on him. A replay seems to show his head hitting the mat pretty hard on the Ura-Nage. Shelley works a leg lace on Devon, who tags out. Ray comes in, but Shelley catches him with a Superkick. He tags back out, and Shelley immediately goes to the Single Legged Crab. Devon pounds the mat, which the ref takes as a submission. Ray is not happy with that interpretation.

WINNERS: The Guns, by Montreal Screw Job.

(3) ERIC YOUNG (c) vs. BOBBY LASHLEY
Legends' Championship Match

I'm confident that this match will end cleanly. Are they making Young wrestle Lashley to make him seem more like a legend? Young starts things off with a shoulder block and a right hand. He celebrates, but Lashley is unfazed. He squishes EY with a T-Bone for two, so Young rolls to the outside. Lashley follows him out and whacks his head into the guard rail and the apron, then rolls Young into the ring. Steiner pops up wearing a shirt with a sketch of Mrs. Lashley in a bikini, and he nails Lashley from behind. He goes to taunt Lashley's wife. Lashley makes the save, but when he comes back in EY tries to take advantage with a rollup. Lashley gets up firing and squishes Young. He locks in the Dragon Sleeper, but Steiner (slowly) comes into the ring to hit Lashley in the back with a chair. The ref's right there, so that draws the bell.

WINNER: No contest.

Steiner locks in the Steiner Recliner on Lashley for a bit, then he and Young celebrate their triumph. Where was Kevin Nash? Won't he be annoyed?

(4) ODB & CHRISTY HEMME & HAMADA vs. THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE

Sky attacks Christy, kicking her against the corner. She shoots Christy into the ropes, but lowers her head too earlier and gets her face driven into the mat. Christy tags in Hamada, but Sky slips away and makes the tag to Rayne. Hamada nails Rayne with an Ensuguri for two. She connects with a Body Slam, but when she goes to the top rope Von Erich distracts the ref while Sky shoves her off. Sky tags in and works over Hamada. A dropkick to a seated Hamada gets two. Lacey tags in, and she and Sky drive the back of Hamada's head into the turnbuckle. Rayne tags in. Thanks for playing, Lacey. Rayne goes for a bunch of covers. Sky tags in, but Hamada ducks below the double team and is able to get the tag to ODB. ODB pops Lacey off the apron, Fall Away Slams Sky, and Bronco Busters Rayne. She tags in Christy and goes to the outside to fend off Sky. Christy whiffs on an FFG. Rayne tags in Lacey, who hits what I think might go down as the world's stiffest Choke Slam for the win. I guess she's the new Rhaka Khan?

WINNERS: The Beautiful People.

Awesome Kong's music hits. ODB stands her ground in the ring, but she won't get the chance to meet Kong—Tara cuts Kong off. We have our TNA pull-apart brawl of the week. They should really get a corporate sponsor for that.

(5) ABYSS vs. DR. STEVIE

Dr. Stevie tries to ambush Abyss on his way to the ring, but Abyss is faster. He beats Dr Stevie down to the ring. Dr. Stevie comes back with some strikes, but Abyss no-sells them. He tosses Dr. Stevie from the ring, and follows him out to pound his head into the steel steps. Abyss goes to the outside, gets a trash can full of weapons, and tosses it onto Dr. Stevie in the ring. That's a good arm. He does it again with another can. He takes too long to get back though, so when he tries to charge, Dr. Stevie throws a chair into his head. Dr. Stevie follows up with a hockey stick to the knee. He then works over the leg. Abyss kicks him off, so Dr. Stevie goes for a Tornado DDT. Abyss throws him off. Dr. Stevie tries to connect with a Superkick, but Abyss catches his leg and hits him with the Shock Treatment for the win.

WINNER: Abyss.

After the match Dr. Stevie hits Abyss with a kendo stick and starts choking him with it. Foley's music hits. I guess he's a face this week. Foley signals that he wants the stick. Dr. Stevie, being a moron, gives it to him. Not surprisingly, Foley plasters Dr. Stevie with it. The crowd seems relieved to be able to cheer Foley again. Tenay points out that this just proves that Foley is "unpredictable", which is not quite the word I would have used.

(6) RHINO vs. MATT MORGAN

The crowd goes nuts for Morgan to start. Rhino hits a couple of quick punches, but runs right into a shoulder block. Morgan follows up with a throat thrust and his leap over neck-choke thing that I really hope he names soon. Rhino knocks him down as he comes back into the ring, and stomps him a couple of times on the outside. Morgan comes back into the ring, and Rhino chokes him against the ropes and does some stomping. The crowd tries to start dueling chants, but no one's willing to take the "let's go Rhino" part. Poor Rhino. He slams Morgan's head into the turnbuckle, but when he goes for a charge he only connects with Morgan's elbow. Morgan Splashes Rhino in the corner, lifts him up for a Hellevator, then decides that it's not time and just drops him. He goes for a Choke Slam, but Rhino fights out and connects with a Belly-to-Belly Suplex. Rhino goes for a Gore, but only gets a Carbon Footprint instead.

WINNER: Matt Morgan.

Rhino pounces after the match, hitting another Belly-to-Belly Suplex. This time the ensuing Gore connects. He sets up for another one when Hernandez's music hits. Rhino flees, but grabs a mic on his way out. He tells Hernandez and Morgan that only the strong survive in TNA, and no one's going to take him out. Hernandez raises Morgan's hand in the ring.

(7) KURT ANGLE vs. DESMOND WOLF
Street Fight?

Kurt attacks right at the bell, nailing Wolf with forearms and European Uppercuts. He beats him from ring post to ring post. He Stomps a Mudhole and Walks it Dry. He looks for a German Suplex, but Wolf grabs the ropes and creates some separation with a back elbow. Wolf connects with a European Uppercut of his own and another back elbow. Angle fires back and clotheslines Wolf out of the ring. He follows him out and slams Wolf's head into the steps, then the guard rail. Is it just me or are they doing that a lot this week? Wolf connects with another sudden back elbow and rams Angle into the rail. He rolls Kurt back into the ring and hits a couple of forearms to the throat. Wolf slaps Kurt in the face, which might not have been wise. Kurt comes back firing, but Wolf wrenches his arm so hard that Kurt drops to the mat. Wolf bounces off the ropes and goes for some big clothesline, but Angle ducks and connects with the trio of Germans. Angle drops the straps, but takes too long doing it. He turns around into the big lariat. The ref is thinking of calling the match, since Kurt isn't moving. Wolf again points out that he could end Kurt's career right now, then we fade out. Huh? So did he win the match? There was never a bell.

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 10-30-09

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

1- JOHN MORRISON vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER

After some early chain wrestling, Ziggler took Morrison down, but Morrison flap-jacked him. I liked the leap-frog, which you don’t see very often these days for whatever reason. Ziggler mounted Morrison and punched away at him. Striker dropped some knowledge on the fans about the “core strength” of the wrestlers, mostly in the abdominal area. Ziggler slammed Morrison then kicked at him as they went to break about 3:30 into the match.

Ziggler dropped Morrison on the back of his head out of break. He slowed things down and showed his distinct disdain for Morrison. Morrison attempted a comeback, but Ziggler shot it down with a scoop slam, but couldn’t get the three. Counter by Morrison and a catapult attempt, but Dolph landed on the rope. Ziggler missed his attempt and Morrison landed the Flying Chuck kick for two, as Ziggler got a foot on the rope. Morrison went after Ziggler on the outside, but Morrison landed on the apron, where Ziggler tripped him up, Morrison landing hard on his back. Ziggler wheel-barrowed Morrison up and slammed him face-first on the announce table. He couldn’t make it back in for the ten-count.

WINNER: Ziggler, via count-out, at 10:05. Serviceable TV match, but nothing outstanding.

2- BETH PHOENIX vs. JENNY BROOKS

Brooks was billed from Elmira, NY. Striker said Brooks was the only one to beat Phoenix when Beth attended Notre Dame High-School in Buffalo. I am 99.9% sure that’s not true. Interestingly, they didn’t edit Tony Chimel giving the weight for Jenny Brooks, as they usually don’t do that for the women, and from where I sat, it appeared someone was editing Chimel’s announcing. So yeah, Beth just squashed Jenny here. Choke into a back-breaker after throwing her out of the ring. Glam Slam ended it.

WINNER: Phoenix, at 2:16.

3- ERIC ESCOBAR vs. MATT HARDY

Clothesline, but a missed elbow by Escobar. This is a re-match from Escobar’s debut two weeks ago. Bulldog out of the corner by Matt. Hardy went up for a moonsault, but Escobar stopped him. He was sent to the mat and Hardy hit the flip. He came up holding his knee, which slowed his cover, getting only two. Escobar smelled blood and went after Matt’s knee with leg-locks. “Let’s Go Hardy” chant got him back into the match. Escobar bodyslammed Hardy, forcing his legs to hit the ring ropes. A Twist of Fate, sans the twist (pretty much a Diamond Cutter), out of desperation, got Hardy the win.

WINNER: Hardy, at 3:21. Some more even-steven booking. Escobar could’ve used a strong win, but he lost in less than three-and-a-half.

4- C.M. PUNK vs. SCOTT ARMSTRONG

Punk charged at Armstrong in the corner and did some trash-talking. He shoved Armstrong as the crowd chanted for “Undertaker.” Armstrong fired back with three rights. No mention of his former life as a wrestler. Kick to the gut by Punk after a pause to take in Armstrong’s attack. Kick to the back, then he picked Scott up and gave him the GTS, not a pretty one by any means, for the win.

WINNER: Punk, at 2:05.

5- CHRIS JERICHO vs. KANE- WINNER GETS A SHOT AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AT SURVIVOR SERIES

Powerslam by Kane for a quick two. After some back-and-forth, Kane’s leg strength overcame Jericho’s desire to lock in the Walls of Jericho. Striker actually referred to Jericho as “Lionheart” Chris Jericho. He got a running start and knocked Kane off the apron and into the ringside barriers. They went to break about 3:30 into the match.

Jericho laid the boots in on Kane out of break. He catapulted Kane throat-first into the bottom rope, getting a two on a pin attempt. Jericho attempted a bulldog, but Kane suplexed him down. Couple clotheslines by Kane, as the down-time in this match got me thinking how terribly uninterested I’d be in a Big Show vs. Undertaker vs. Kane Triple-Threat match. Enziguiri by Jericho after he dodged a clothesline. Springboard right into a right hand around the throat. Kane put Jericho down with a boot, garnering him a two. Codebreaker out of nowhere by Jericho, but he was too injured to make an immediate cover. He eventually made his way over there, getting only two. There’s the bulldog. Lionsault, but Kane put up his hand and grabbed him. Chokeslam by Kane, but Jericho was close to the edge of the ring and rolled to the floor. Kane picked up Jericho and put him in the ring, but it was too late- Jericho had recovered and kicked out. Jericho got out of a slam and shoved Kane into the buckle. He locked in the Walls, but Kane got out. As Jericho jawed with the ref, Kane caught him with an uppercut. He tried a top-rope clothesline, but Jericho crotched him. He went up for a suplex, to no avail. Kane came off the top but was greeted with a mid-air Codebreaker for the win.

WINNER: Jericho, at 14:34. The only real move to make here. Kane’s a veteran, but doesn’t belong in the title picture at this point.

Jericho celebrated at ringside as they went off the air.

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 11-2-09

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

1- THE MIZ vs. EVAN BOURNE- UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Miz started off with a knee-lift and continued to use the knee. Somewhere backstage, Triple H is nodding contentedly. Bourne sent Miz to the outside and came down with the double-knees on Miz. Side-roll by Bourne back in the ring for two. Miz came back and hung Bourne up chest-first on the top rope. As Miz had Bourne on the mat, Cole talked about reading Ozzy’s autobiography. Does anyone really think Ozzy actually wrote the book? Miz got Bourne up for a suplex, but Bourne kneed Miz in the head to break free. Crowd doesn’t seem to care about Miz, but they’re popping for Bourne. Bourne had Miz down on the mat and went for Air Bourne, but Miz moved and Bourne landed on his feet. Hip-toss into the corner by Miz, then the Skull-Crushing Finale for the finish.

WINNER: Miz, at 4:13. Solid enough four-minute TV match. Too bad to see Bourne take another loss though.

2- SHEAMUS vs. JAMIE NOBLE

Noble, like last week, didn’t get a TV entrance. He took Noble down immediately, then threw him into the turnbuckle. I wonder if Noble cut a pro-Patriots promo to the live crowd during the break. To the outside, where Sheamus threw Noble face-first into the ring post. Back in the ring, Sheamus stomped on Noble and appeared to try to rip Noble’s upper jaw from the rest of his face. Elbows to the nose and kicks to the gut as the crowd got restless. He landed his back-breaker finisher, and a beauty, but then hit the Pump kick. Pin, but Sheamus pulled Noble up at two. I’m disappointed the Uranage into a back-breaker isn’t his finisher anymore. Sheamus pounded away at Noble in the corner. The ref checked on him, then called for the bell.

WINNER: Sheamus, via ref stoppage, at 2:25.

After the match, he put Noble up on the top rope and continued to punch away at him, then kicked him to the floor. On the outside, Sheamus powerbombed Noble hard to the protective mats. Ouch. He sure made an impression tonight. Referees came out to check on Noble as the crowd chanted “you suck” at Sheamus. They even brought a stretcher down. After a replay, they put Noble on the back-board and strapped him in.

3- RANDY ORTON vs. KOFI KINGSTON

Orton circled Kofi, but Kingston did not back down. They traded slaps and Orton sent Kingston to the corner, pounding him down with fists. Crowd got into Kofi early and Kingston came back with an uppercut, then a high dropkick. Over the top went Orton and Kofi followed him, throwing him back into the ring. Legacy ran to ringside. That distracted Kofi, who low-bridged Orton to the outside and onto the others. He then dove through the ropes and onto them. Legacy re-grouped and surrounded the ring. Ozzy came on the Titan-Tron and said he knew this was going to happen, and Sharon turned it into a six-man tag. MVP and Mark Henry joined the action. The original match went less than three minutes. The six-man will start up next.

3- RANDY ORTON & CODY RHODES & TED DIBIASE vs. KOFI KINGSTON & MVP & MARK HENRY

I like them separately, but I have a hard time getting excited about the tandem of Henry and MVP. Kofi fought off pretty much all of Legacy as the show returned, match in progress. Kofi and MVP did both of their pet moves at the same time on a prone DiBiase for two. Henry tagged in and headbutted DiBiase. Teddy went low to the knee of Henry, then tagged Rhodes. Their double-team had little effect, as he clotheslined both men. Is the moniker “World’s Strongest Man” like the term “President,” where even if you’re no longer it, they still call you it, and not “former”? Because Henry was strongest man like 15 years ago. Anyway, MVP came in and took the brunt of Legacy’s punishment for a while. High dropkick by Rhodes after MVP fought out of a rest-hold. Standing dropkick from Orton for two. Orton trademark chin-lock as MVP’s partners tried to get the fans behind him. MVP with a clothesline and both men were down. Orton attacked Kofi before he could connect with MVP, and Orton subsequently dragged MVP to the heel corner. Tag into DiBiase, who was greeted with an overhead throw from Henry. Henry cleaned house until Orton went after the knee. He was going for the RKO, but Kofi dropkicked him. Rhodes to the top- he jumped into Henry’s arms, not showing much sagacity on that one. World’s Strongest Slam by Henry and it’s over.

WINNERS: Kingston, Henry and MVP, 6:49 shown (about 10:10 total, counting the Kingston vs. Orton match). Good way to put Kingston over without putting him over Orton.

4- DIVAS NUMBER ONE CONTENDER BATTLE ROYAL

It was the Bellas, Kelly Kelly, Eve, Gail Kim and Alicia Fox. Fox is the only heel? Melina was shown watching backstage. Kelly tried to dump one of the Bellas out, and Kim ended up being tossed about 1:30 into the match. Kim and Kelly seemed to have some words as Jack Swagger came out. Eve started throwing dropkicks and one of the Bellas went out, followed quickly by the other just under 2:00 in. Alicia, Eve and Kelly were the final three. Eve was thrown out by Fox when she was distracted by Swagger, about 2:10 in. Kelly did her handspring elbow in the corner, but Alicia caught her and threw her out.

WINNER: Fox, at 2:43. About as good as you’d expect when the only worker of the group was tossed out first.

5- JOHN CENA vs. CHRIS JERICHO vs. THE BIG SHOW- TRIPLE-THREAT MATCH

Big Show and Cena were fighting on the outside as we came back from break. Shawn Michaels did the reset back from the commercial. “Vintage DX!” screamed Triple H. Big Show again pulled Cena out of the ring and stomped on him. Jericho talked to Show in the ring and I guess they decided to double-team Cena. Cena of course fought back, but not for long. Hard chop to the chest of Cena. The champions continued double-teaming Cena. Back suplex by Jericho. Show whipped Jericho into Cena in the corner, landing a shoulder into his gut. Show missed a splash and Cena made his comeback against Jericho. But Jericho landed a Lionsault for two, as Show pulled him off. See though, there’s nothing at stake here, so why do Jericho and Big Show care which one of them gets the pin? Show got mad and threw Jericho out of the ring. Cena got caught in a chokeslam, but he got out and put Show on his back, collapsing in the process. Vader Bomb by Show missed. Cena shoulder-blocked Show out of the ring. Jericho came back in and got two of his own for good measure. Cena got Jericho up for the FU, but Show punched him straight in the face and Jericho pinned him. Yes, Jericho pinned Cena. There is a full moon tonight folks, so I guess that explains it.

WINNERS: Show and Jericho, at 7:13.

Jericho locked in the Walls of Jericho as Show was going to put Cena in his special hold, but DX tried to break it up. HBK was met with a right hand and Triple H lasted a bit longer ‘til he got hit with a Codebreaker. The tag champs posed together to end the show.

[Arcademan]

ECW on SyFy Results: 11-3-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to not-so-complete results). Condensed here to in-ring results.

No report on the first match: William Regal defeated Goldust in a little over 4 minutes...

2 -- ZACK RYDER vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN

The opening bell sounded and Shelton took Zack to the mat with a rear takedown. Shelton followed with a punch strike and Ryder bailed to the outside to get a breather. Ryder then walked over to Rosa, Shelton followed, and Ryder punched Shelton to the mat. Back in the ring, Ryder went to work on Shelton and nailed a running boot to the face in the corner ala Samoa Joe. Shelton then came back with an overhead suplex and Ryder went to the apron. He started making eyes at Rosa, who tempted him with an application of lip gloss. Ryder, smitten, then turned around and took Pay Dirt from Shelton for the pin and the win. Rosa then with the announcement Shelton was the winner.

WINNER: Shelton Benjamin in 4:00. Multiple choice test - who was supposed to get over with this segment - (a) Shelton, (b) Ryder, (c) Rosa, or (d) None of the above. I'm leaning more toward Rosa. In any event, Shelton got a cop-out win, Ryder looked lame, Rosa showed personality, and this is an exact copy of the Raw mid-card storyline featuring Swagger, Bourne, and Miz. Really, seriously, really? (*)

3 -- VANCE ARCHER vs. LOGAN JONES

Bell sounded, they locked up, and Archer tossed Logan to the outside. Lance followed with a big kick to the chest and a hard slap to the face. Vance very calm and cool delivering power moves before landing a sweeping reverse DDT for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Archer in 1:00. Archer is going to get over. He just has a tremendously different vibe than when he was going through the motions in going-nowhere storylines in TNA. This was a great debut. (n/a)

4 -- ECW champion CHRISTIAN & YOSHI TATSU vs. EZEKIEL JACKSON & KOZLOV

Yoshi started things with Jackson and gained a surprising early advantage with kicks that Jackson couldn't keep up with. Jackson grunted in frustration, which Yoshi sold with a lack of understanding. Kozlov then tagged in and absorbed a few body kicks before ramming Yoshi into the corner. Jacklov began tagging in and out working over Yoshi with Jackson grunting his way through an offensive attack.

Yoshi finally escaped the heels and tagged in Christian at the top of the hour. Christian went after Kozlov, then knocked Jackson off the ring apron. Christian wanted a top rope move, but Kozlov caught him and tossed him down to the mat. Kozlov wanted a shoulderbreaker, but Christian slipped out and nailed a fallaway reverse DDT for a two count. Action broke down and the babyfaces dumped Jackson to the floor. Yoshi then nailed a plancha to the outside. Back in the ring, Kozlov gave Christian a fallaway slam, but missed with a corner attack. Christian followed with a Tornado DDT and called for the end. Christian wanted the Killswitch...and he connected on the first try. Christian rolled Kozlov over and scored the pin for the win.

WINNERS: Christian & Yoshi in 8:00. Fine tag match. Surprising to see Kozlov take a clean loss, though. Post-match was the story, though, with another beat down on Christian. Yoshi was apparently eaten by the ringside mat during the beating to follow... (*1/2)

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 11-5-09

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

1 -- BEER MONEY (ROBERT ROODE & JAMES STORM) vs. WORLD ELITE (Global champion ERIC YOUNG & ROB TERRY)

Rob locked up with Storm to start things off, but Rob shoved him away. Tenay talked up TNA and Hulk Hogan being in the news - CNN, Jimmy Fallon, Howard Stern. Meanwhile, Terry flexed and nearly popped a pec. Tenay was handed a note: Styles vs. Daniels signed for tonight...and with special guest ref will be Samoa Joe. Back to the action where Roode launched Storm over the top rope onto Terry on the floor. Storm then rolled Terry back into the ring and Beer Money wanted the DWI, but Terry slipped out and dropped Roode face-first on the mat. Young then tried to KO Roode with the title belt, but Roode ducked and Terry ate the belt. Roode then made the cover for the win.

WINNERS: Beer Money in 5:00. Match was just there to fill TV time before the "intricate TNA booking details" were fleshed out in the post-match. (*)

2 -- DESMOND WOLFE vs. CODY DEANER

Bell rang, Nigel landed the Lariat, and Wolfe scored the pin. Angle said Wolfe damaged his larynx and he basically has a pinched nerve running down his arm. Angle said this guy "got his attention," but he doesn't have his respect yet. Angle gave a slight cough to sell the attack. (This became comical over time.) Angle said he wasn't really ready for anything like what Wolfe gave him. Wolfe took the mic as refs checked on Deaner. He told everyone to take a good look at that Muppet in the ring. Angle chimed in that he was in Deaner's position last week. He sounded as if he was on a 1960s NASA phone line communicating from the moon. Wolfe picked up his promo that Angle should be called Mr. Mangled now. "Keep talking, Desmond *cough*," Angle interjected via the phone line. Angle's commentary was interjected over Wolfe's promo. "I'm glad to have it, Desmond, *cough*," Angle said. Wolfe said he's hungry for Angle's blood, like a wolf. He took his shades off for good measure, then put them back on. "Well, he said his piece *cough*," Angle said. Tenay announced Angle vs. Wolfe at the PPV.

WINNER: Wolfe in 0:10. Good squash for Wolfe and a great promo. Unfortunately, TNA interjected an unintentionally comedic phone call from Angle. Angle didn't do anything wrong other than sounding progressively silly his cough to go with the horrible production. Sounded like one of my podcasts from 2005 using a $20 mic from Circuit City. (n/a)

3 -- TARA vs. HAMADA

Nice back-and-forth match to start with. Hamada really could be marketed as a unique women's wrestler worth building the Knockouts Division brand around. Tara, as well, with her name-brand value from WWE. At the end of the match, Hamada went for a top rope moonsault, but Tara moved out of the way. Tara then hit the Widow's Peak on Hamada for the pin and the win.

Post-match: Awesome Kong came stomping out to the ring, but the comical Security stood in her way. Tara then landed a plancha on the floor and another fight broke out ringside, this time between Tara and Kong. Looks like we have a PPV match set for Turning Point. The cameras cut back and forth between Kong and Tara to show their anger with each other to conclude the segment.

WINNER: Tara in 4:00. Good Knockouts match with a clean finish. Tara-Kong could be a show-stealing match on the undercard of the Turning Point PPV. (*1/2)

4 -- HOMICIDE vs. BOBBY LASHLEY

Tenay had something in his ear. "That's going to be tonight?" he asked the mystery man in his ear. Tenay said Styles vs. Daniels is a go for tonight. Lashley finished off Homicide with a lift-up chokeslam for the pin and the win. Post-match: Homicide jumped Lashley from behind and tried to use a boot as a weapon, but Lashley put him in the air for a press slam. Steiner then appeared on the video screen trying to corner Krystal. After sexually harassing Krystal, Steiner chased down Krystal, who was saved by Lashley. A fight broke out backstage with Lashley beating down Steiner until the Guns, Lethal (out of character), and Simon Diamond tried to separate Lashley and Steiner.

WINNER: Lashley in 2:00. Fine little enhancement match for Lashley, who still doesn't exude any wrestling personality. Steiner has plenty of personality, which is apparently why they paired them up for Lashley to get a little rub from Steiner's character. Lashley vs. Steiner at the PPV ought to be a doozy.

5 -- MADISON RAYNE vs. TAYLOR WILDE

Rayne, wearing fishnets and a revealing top, mounted Wilde early on, apparently channeling her inner Jenna Morasca. Taylor then finished her off moments later for a very short match victory. Post-match: the rest of the Beautiful People ran to the ring and jumped Taylor. Sarita made the save for Taylor, but the BPs held them down after a brief skirmish. Eventually, ODB ran to the ring and made the save for the tag champs. BPs bailed to the outside to yell at the trio they'll face at the PPV to close the segment.

WINNER: Taylor Wilde in 2:00. Match was inconsequential and was merely a vehicle to set up the post-match to promote the PPV six-Knockout tag match. (n/a)

6 -- TNA World Hvt. champion A.J. STYLES vs. DANIELS -- Samoa Joe special referee -- non-title match

TNA didn't give the audience enough time to really prepare for the match after the false start in the first hour. Too much happened before this, so the first few minutes were just there before Daniels settled into a rear chinlock. Joe, of note, is wearing purple latext gloves that were apparently found in the household items aisle at the grocery store before the show. I get that Joe is trying to be like an MMA ref wearing latex gloves, but no other ref in TNA wears them, so it seems silly like Slick Johnson wearing soccer referee socks. At 4:00, Daniels started arguing with Joe, who told Daniels to focus on the match. Styles then made a full comeback and wanted a springboard fist smash, but Daniels blocked mid-air and both men collapsed to the mat. Of note, girls in the Impact Zone screaming as if Evan Bourne is wrestling. Styles has that John Cena/Evan Bourne factor going for him. Styles then finished off Daniels with the Styles Clash and pinned him clean in the ring.

Post-match: Joe presented Styles with the title belt and sold respect for Styles. Styles wasn't sold on Joe trying to act trustworthy. Joe then handed over the belt and raised Styles's arm. He left the ring with everything seeming to be cool, but then Joe snuck back into the ring and slapped on the rear naked choke to choke the life out of Styles. Joe grabbed the title belt and stood over Styles and Daniels to close the segment.

WINNER: Styles in 6:00. Fine singles match between Styles and Daniels, but, again, the match was a vehicle to lead to the post-match. TNA is finally presenting Joe's character accurately as a strong heel assassin with him clearly a strong threat to Styles's title. Good deck-stacking against Styles, although Styles needs to look strong and not gullible at some point as the champ. (*1/2)

7 -- TEAM 3D (BROTHER RAY & BROTHER DEVON) vs. MATT MORGAN & HERNANDEZ

Bell sounded as Tenay and Taz talked up Hulk Hogan coming to TNA. Tenay said they don't know what it means for the "youth" on the roster, which they hope to clear up once Hogan's role is more defined. Tenay plugged next week: a wrestling legend will answer Lethal's challenge, Dr. Stevie vs. Abyss, and Super Dave Osborne on the show. Based on those Spike previews for Super Dave's return to TV, he appears to be on life support. Spike trying to get one last run out of the glorified stuntman. The four big men did some stuff in the ring as Taz cracked himself up with a stream of jokes and one-liners. At 3:00, Devon sold a knee injury after attempting a double axehandle on Hernandez. Hern took advantage by going to work on the knee with mat holds.

Rhino then came to ringside and started talking to Ray, who was on the apron. Morgan slipped into the ring and dropkicked Devon while Ray told Rhino to get lost. Rhino and Ray continued to argue as Rhino told Ray to take a chair. "Take tha pen! I insist, take tha pen!" Subtle Seinfeld reference there. Ray eventually ran Rhino off, but Devon continued to take a beating. The chair loomed in the corner after Rhino left it ringside, however. Morgan then came into the ring and Ray suddenly snapped when he grabbed the chair and smashed Morgan across the back to cause a DQ. Ray then landed a chair shot to Hernandez's forehead. Of course, a chair shot to the head on Hernandez delivered by Ray. Rhino entered the ring and hugged Ray, who sold disgust with Rhino taking advantage of his conflicted state of mind. Rhino then Gored Hernandez and Morgan to finish them off. Rhino then took Ray and Devon by the hands and raised their arms in Rhino's version of victory. TNA closed with a shot of Ray leaning on the top rope selling confliction. "What have we just seen here?" Tenay asked.

WINNERS: Morgan & Hernandez via DQ in 6:00 long minutes. Again, match was a vehicle to the post-match activity that was the "real story" of the interaction here. I don't even know why TNA has matches on TV because they don't mean anything. Coincidentally, TNA weekly waters down the exact wrestling product they want people to spend $30 on when they have monthly PPVs. It's just hilarious. Then again, when you have a less-than-interesting main event with four big men dragging themselves around the ring, perhaps it's best to distract the audience from the wrestling occurring in the ring. (1/2*)

[Arcademan]

WWE Superstars Results: 11-5-09

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

1 -- CHAVO GUERRERO vs. SANTINO MARELLA

Santino started on the offensive with his comedy offensive as the announcers tried to establish Chavo's credibility coming from the Guerrero family despite being made sport by Hornswoggle the past several weeks...and seemingly months. Chavo then came back with a rolling suplex that nearly dropped Santino on his beck. Santino kicked out of a pin attempt, then Santino came back with a backslide for a two count, but Chavo answered with a dropkick for a two count. Santino teased a comeback, but Chavo knocked him down to the mat and began toying with him. Chavo took his team taunting Santino, who finally had enough of Chavo. Santino did his cobra hand signal into a punch for the kids. He then attempted his comedic salute-the-troops diving headbutt that Chavo moved out of the way of. Chavo then put the boots to Santino and teased going up top. Chavo sold that he changed his mind and went for a mat hold, but Santino surprised him with a small package pin for the win. Afterward, Santino did his marching band salute while Chavo sold shock he lost again.

WINNER: Santino in 6:00. Fine opening match. Focus was on the happenings inside the ring with Chavo being presented as a less-than-credible heel to create some interest in who would win between the "less-than-credible heel with a strong wrestling background" and the "likable, comedy babyface." (*1/4)

2 -- JACK SWAGGER vs. PRIMO

Primo employed a different strategy to start things off by avoiding Swagger's amateur holds and power offense early on. Swagger then took a head scissors, but blocked a corner attack by ramming Primo back-first into the corner turnbuckle. Swagger followed with right hand strikes before putting a boot in Primo's throat. Swagger followed with his running Vader Bomb, then a second one. Swagger intense and fired up. Put the man in a main event situation. Swagger then put Primo on the mat and stretched him with a neck-twist/back-wrench/abdominal-stretch hold. Swagger kept the hold locked in for a while before breaking it himself to inflict more punishment. Primo shook off Swagger's offense at 4:00, then came back with an aerial attack. Primo's comeback was short-lived, though, as Swagger caught Primo off the ropes in position for the gutwrench powerbomb and the pin for the win. Afterward, Swagger ran around the ring in victory before "popping his collar" to the crowd. Swagger remains undefeated after making his vow to run through 2009 without a loss.

WINNER: Swagger in 5:00. Good, intense display from Swagger, who apparently listened to Jim Ross's evaluation last week to "bring it" every time he's given a TV match opportunity. Primo, meanwhile, is being presented as Raw's table scraps on a regular basis. (*)

3 -- PAUL BURCHILL (w/Katie Lea) vs. TYLER REKS

Katie helped out Paul early in the match, then Burchill went to work on Reks with control of the action. Reks made his obligatory comeback, then the ref instructed Reks to back off and allow Burchill to recover if he's injured. It was an obvious trap, though, and Burchill finished off Reks with his jackhammer suplex for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Burchill in 3:00. Match was there to promote Burchill. Reks continues to receive TV time on the D show, but it's not ample enough to develop a personality for his character. Apparently patience is a virtue waiting for Reks to get enough exposure for WWE to do something with him. (1/2*)

4 -- Unified tag champion CHRIS JERICHO vs. FINLAY

Two old-school guys started with a slapfest and Finlay shot Jericho a look like, "You're kidding, right?" Finlay then shoved Jericho's face into the corner and Jericho begged off. Finlay then smashed Jericho with an uppercut and aggressively put him on the mat before Jericho responded with an aggressive takedown. The match moved to the floor where Finlay caught Jericho inside the ring apron and ring banner in his classic move. They cut to break with Jericho holding onto the banner and Finlay in control. Great opening three minutes.

Back from break, Finlay was posing for a picture with Jericho locking him in a chinlock. Camera was zoomed in tight on the gap in Finlay's teeth, which should make for an interesting snapshot. Jericho worked over Finlay for a few minutes before Finlay came back with a kick strike. Jericho followed with a kick strike of his own before landing a Samoa Joe-style flying sentaun splash for a two count. Finlay then came back at 11:00 with a full comeback including the Rolling Hills drop as one woman in the crowd near an arena mic screamed with delight as Finlay scored a nearfall. Crowd was hot for the anticipated finish as Jericho teased the Walls of Jericho. This woman was going nuts screaming for Finlay to break the ropes, which he eventually did. Finlay then teased the Celtic Cross, but Jericho grabbed the ropes to block. Jericho then nailed the codebreaker out of nowhere. He slowly made his way over to Finlay to make the cover for the win. And the woman kept shrieking. Jericho had his hand raised in victory as they rolled a replay of the high points in the match. They closed the show with Jericho holding up the Unified tag titles with a heelish look on his face.

WINNER: Jericho in 14:00. Excellent TV match for Superstars. I'd like to see a few more rounds of Jericho and Finlay bringing back old-school WCW TV. Finlay is really under-utilized, in my estimation, especially when he's matched up with a wrestler who can take some punishment and have an aggressive match without anyone complaining about someone working stiff. Finlay brings good, old-school pro wrestling to the table that keeps viewers locked in if they want to see scripted, believable competition with one guy trying to prove he's tougher or the better wrestler than the other guy. I thoroughly enjoyed this main event. (**1/4)

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 11-6-09

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

1- DOLPH ZIGGLER & THE HART DYNASTY vs. JOHN MORRISON & CRYME TYME

They aired clips of Morrison on “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” Kidd and Morrison traded offense to start and Morrison came up holding his ribs, after what happened between him and Ziggler last week. As Kidd took a break in his corner, the show went to break.

Ziggler had JTG in a chin-lock out of break. D.H. Smith interfered to take JTG down as Natalya was distracting the ref. Striker called Smith, “the baby bull.” They began to isolate and work over JTG, as in every previous Cryme Tyme vs. Hart Dynasty match in the history of man. Necktie back-breaker by JTG and both men were down, but Dolph Ziggler was able to make the tag. Morrison tagged in as well and tagged Kidd with rights and a clothesline. David Hart Smith got Morrison up for a running powerslam, but Morrison got out and gave him a Flying Chuck. He had to fight off Ziggler and tagged out to Shad. It was his first entrance into the match. Smith sold an elbow weirdly, then took on in the corner from Shad. Blind tag made to Ziggler, and as Shad got ready to finish Smith, Ziggler Zig-Zagged Shad for the finish.

WINNERS: Ziggler & The Hart Dynasty, at 8:50. Just a way to continue to build Ziggler up for a re-match against Morrison, without having him get a clean victory over someone of Morrison’s stature.

2- BETH PHOENIX vs. BRITTANY CARTER

No weight (or hometown) for the jobber this week. Striker said Carter had an extensive background in dance. Beth picked Carter up and drove her back-first into the turnbuckle. Then the opposite one. One-armed pick-up and a back-breaker. Beth dragged Carter around by her hair, then gave her a back-breaker after a bit of a spin. Glam Slam finished it.

WINNER: Phoenix, at 1:56. Crowd got into late thanks to Beth’s impressive move-set.

3- DREW MCINTYRE vs. JIMMY WANG YANG

Yang’s first appearance on the show in quite some time. As Yang went to the middle rope to salute his fans and do his lasso hand signal, Drew attacked him from behind and knocked him to the floor. McIntyre got the mic after disposing of Yang. He said this party can not even begin to get started until he gets some competition worthy of a future World Champion. Yang got in the ring as McIntyre started leaving. Yang insisted the ref ring the bell and he did. McIntyre heard it as he was walking up the ramp and came back to the ring. Yang caught him off-guard with some kicks, but McIntyre caught one and clotheslined him down. He pelted Yang with lefts and rights on the mat, then hit him with what Striker referred to as a Kobashi DDT for the win.

WINNER: McIntyre, at :47.

4- REY MYSTERIO vs. MIKE KNOX

Striker intimated that all Knox does is sit up in his cabin in the mountains in Arizona and read books on the human anatomy. This was billed by the announcers as a match to prepare Rey for his one-on-one contest with Batista. Knox got out of a 619 early and Knox gave him a cross-body on the outside. Lateral press inside the ring, but Rey kicked out at two. Knox sent Rey chest-first hard into the buckle. Bearhug by Knox- Rey got out, but Knox stayed on offense. Abdominal stretch by the mountain man. Rey fought back with some of his signature offense, including a bulldog for two. Seated senton, but he couldn’t capitalize as Knox clotheslined him for a near-fall. Shoulder in the corner missed and Rey set him up for th 619. It connected and was successfully followed up by a springboard splash for the win.

WINNER: Mysterio, at 7:15. Good enough win for Rey, but sadly, Knox hasn’t meant much the last few months.

5- C.M. PUNK vs. R-TRUTH

Scott Armstrong was the referee for the match. Shoulder tackle by Truth. Striker demanded Grisham prove there was a conspiracy. “As a teacher, I demand that you prove your work.” I think he’s my idol. Truth and Punk traded ground attacks and reversals. After a headbutt, Punk hit the ropes, only to be met with a hip-toss. Truth took him to ringside, where he flew onto Punk over the top (almost hitting his head on the floor in the process). Match went to break a little under 3:00 in.

Grisham, upon return from break, noted that this is the first time these two men have squared off in singles competition. Punk kept Truth grounded and really stretched him. Punk clapped for himself, taunting the fans. Truth began to come back, but ran right into a leg lariat for a two-count. Punk was a bit cheesed off at what he perceived was a slow count from Armstrong. He demanded Armstrong count faster. Because he was distracted, Truth rolled him up for, yes, a fast three-count from the referee.

WINNER: Truth, at 10:30. Too bad this win isn’t going to mean what it should for Truth, since the story is Punk being upset and things unraveling around him. In the end, it really helps neither man.

6- MATT HARDY vs. BATISTA

Matt fought out of the corner against Batista, but Batista nearly took his head off with a clothesline. Probably a 0.7 on the Desmond Wolfe scale of clothesline bad-assery. Batista did some choking of Hardy on the middle rope, then missed a corner charge. Hardy didn’t have the muscle to roll him up (thanks to Batista hanging on to the top rope), and the Animal was able to come out on top in that battle. Batista was having his way with Hardy, as they went to break about 3:10 into the contest.

Camel Clutch applied by Batista out of break. He was really working over the back of the elder Hardy brother. Striker called Matt “the Sensei of Mattitude.” Vince must not be on the headsets during this one, based on what Striker has gotten away with tonight. Body-scissors by Batista. Crowd was kind of sitting on their hands at this point. Matt was able to fight away, but Batista hammered him wiht a forearm to the back. Matt wiggled out and landed a version of a neck-breaker. Both men slowly got to their feet, where Batista was met with a boot from Matt. Hardy went low, then pulled out a DDT. Moonsault by Hardy but Batista moved- not far, as Hardy’s face and chest still hit Batista’s legs. Twist of Fate (Grisham proclaimed “that’s gonna do it!,” so you knew it wouldn’t) and sure enough, Batista grabbed the bottom rope. He came back with a spinebuster and choked Matt with his boot. On the outside, he threw Hardy into the barricade, then into the announce table. He took out the monitor from the announce desk, and hit Hardy in the back of the head with it. DQ time, and Striker referred to it as “a foreign object some would call it, an international object....”

WINNER: Hardy, via DQ, at 13:39. Batista as a heel does not make for a great match. Most of it was keeping Matt on the mat.

After the bell sounded, Batista took Hardy into the ring, took his elbowpads off, and set up for a Batista Bomb. Instead, he just shoved him off. After a replay, the camera stayed on Batista as he went up the ramp and did one final yell to close things out.

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 11-9-09

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

1 -- KELLY KELLY (w/Gail Kim) vs. ALICIA FOX (w/Jillian Hall)

Some early trash-talking led to Kelly taking it to Fox. Melina was shown backstage taking a good look at the #1 contender to her title. At the end, Kelly wanted her Fameasser finisher, but Alicia kinda sorta kicked out. Awkward spot that could have used some help in post-production, if possible. Alicia then scored the win moments later and celebrated with Jillian.

WINNER: Alicia Fox in 3:00. Basic divas match. Another example Kelly and Fox aren't exactly the two best workers on the Raw divas roster. (1/2*)

2 -- SHEAMUS vs. ENGLISHMAN

Sheamus quickly rag-dolled the enhancement talent, who tried to fire off a kick in the corner, but Sheamus ran him over with a sledgehammer blow. Sheamus landed repeated fist smashes to the chest before finishing him off with his uranage backbreaker. Sheamus wasn't done, though, as he landed a bicycle kick. Sheamus then peered around the arena with his sinister eyes before taking the man to the corner for a running Outsider's Edge. Sheamus made the pin - with a forearm to the face for added pain - for the win to put an end to the match. "Domination by Sheamus," Lawler said. Sounds like a cologne product.

WINNER: Sheamus in 2:00. Quick, effective squash to continue enhancing Sheamus in Week 3 on Raw. Good work. (n/a)

3 -- EVAN BOURNE vs. JACK SWAGGER

Swagger was aggressive early on blasting Bourne around the ring. Bourne plays a good ragdoll babyface ala Rey Mysterio. Swagger followed with a running Vader Bomb out of the corner before doing some Scott Steiner-style push-ups to mock Bourne. Swagger then stretched Bourne on the mat with a knee to the back before tossing Bourne into the corner to wear him down. Swagger tried a running shoulder tackle, but Bourne blocked and landed a splash to the back from the second rope for his first offense of the match. Bourne then kicked Swagger in the knee, but Swagger came back with right hand strikes to the head. Swagger tried to throw Bourne into the air, but Bourne landed knees-first on Swagger's shoulders to take him to the mat. Nice spot.

Suddenly, Miz's music hit and U.S. champ Miz walked out to ringside to take a closer look at the action. Swagger showed off his work to Miz, then Bourne blocked a suplex, landed a kick strike, and went up top. Bourne connected with the Shooting Star Press and yes, Bourne scored the pin on Swagger to end the 2009 winning streak. Of course, announcers talked up Bourne scoring a "huge upset" win. Miz smirked on the outside, then took a mic and bragged to Swagger that's why he's the Team Captain.

WINNER: Bourne in 5:00. Good five-minute match. Swagger had plenty of offense early on to look strong before taking the loss thanks to Miz's outside distraction. WWE really plays up that underdog status for Bourne to the point of annoyance, as if he's not capable of winning a match without help. On the other side of the coin, Miz and Swagger have the start of a decent program, but it's difficult to buy into this turning into anything of substance since WWE doesn't have a track record of establishing important mid-card programs. (*1/2)

4 -- MARK HENRY (w/Kofi Kingston and MVP) vs. RANDY ORTON (w/Legacy)

Match started in progress with Henry squeezing Orton with a bear hug. Orton then blocked a corner attack and put Henry on the mat to begin the Orton Stomp attack. Henry got a second wind and sent Orton to the corner where he landed successive headbutts that wobbled Orton. MVP told Henry to finish him off, but Orton suddenly struck with the RKO out of nowhere for the pin and the win.

Post-match: Cody and Ted gleefully clapped it up while Kofi paced the sidelines with his hands on his hips. Kofi checked on Henry in the ring, then Orton snuck back into the ring. Orton slapped Kofi, but Kofi punched him right back and Orton rolled to the outside. Legacy held Orton back as Orton went IED wanting another piece of Kofi. Camera with heavy focus on Orton and Kofi, who told Orton to come get a piece of him. Orton just huffed and puffed on the outside.

WINNER: Orton in 5:00. Right finish with Orton winning. Orton has consistently been in PPV main events for five years, so it wouldn't make sense to knock him down a peg if they're going to elevate Kofi in this program. Good focus in the post-match with Kofi and Orton on the back-and-forth camera shots. (*)

5 -- RICKY HATTON vs. CHAVO GUERRERO

Chavo ducked out of the ring early on to avoid Hatton's punches. Hatton started jabbing Chavo with left hands, but Chavo ducked to the corner. Chavo bailed again to keep stalling in order to drag this out. Chavo went to the legs for a takedown for the "MMA" portion of the match. Chavo declared himself the victor and the announcers said Chavo celebrated pre-maturely. Chavo suddenly busted out a kick strike that gave Chavo a brief upperhand, which shocked the crowd. Chavo went for a waistlock takedown, but Hatton spun out and blasted Chavo across the right temple. Chavo staggered to his feet and sold pain, but collapsed to the mat for a ten count to take the loss. Hatton then celebrated with the fans ringside on the way out.

WINNER: Hatton in 3:00. Chavo played a good heel here. I was shocked Chavo got any offense in here. The crowd was equally shocked. Hatton's punch looked good and sounded good with some post-production sound enhancement. Still, I'm shocked Hatton gave Chavo any offense with WWE having control over how this went down. (n/a)

6 -- Unified tag champion CHRIS JERICHO & BIG SHOW vs. DX (SHAWN MICHAELS & TRIPLE H)

Cena was obviously put on commentary here to do damage control on the three-way title match hype. DX took control in the early going and Hunter knocked Jericho to the outside as they cut to break.

Back from break, Shawn Michaels was taking a beating at the hands of Big Show. Jericho and Show started tagging in working over Michaels as Cole and Cena mixed commentary on his triple threat and the Jericho-Show-Taker triple threat at Survivor Series. Hunter eventually took a tag at 7:00 and worked over Show, but Show back-dropped out of a Pedigree and speared Hunter clear across the ring. Show then went to work on Hunter's mid-section with body blows. Jericho then came in and targeted the stomach as well. Cole and Cena filled time asking if DX will implode at Survivor Series. Cena said there will be an issue where DX has to decide whether to work together or against each other in the name of the WWE Title.

Hunter came back with a spinebuster at 12:00 and Michaels began shouting for a hot tag. Camera kept cutting to a shot of Cena hyping the Survivor Series match and whether DX will focus on Cena to eliminate him. Michaels got his hot tag and cleaned house on Jericho before going up top. Michaels executed the "vintage" elbow drop to the heart on Jericho before starting to tune up the band. Jericho ducked, then teased the Walls of Jericho, but Jericho flipped him away. Show then sandwiched Michaels and Jericho. Michaels stumbled out of the corner and Show went for a Big Punch, but HBK ducked and Jericho ate the punch. Jericho collapsed to the mat like a tree in the woods. Tease of whether Michaels or Hunter will accidentally KO the other to give Cena the win. Also, tease of more dissension between Jericho and Show leading to the PPV. Anyways, Hunter cleared Show out of the ring, then Michaels covered Jericho's lifeless body for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: DX in 13:00. The match came across like a standard house show match. At the end, the heels have egg on their faces and the crowd goes home happy with the babyface team in the winner's circle. Considering these guys are on a two-week tour, there was no incentive to "go all out" for a TV taping in the middle of the tour. Cena did a fine job on commentary doing damage control for the PPV hype. He didn't convince anyone to buy the PPV because no one is buying dissension in DX, but at least he gave viewers something to think about, which is more than WWE has done these three weeks leading to the PPV. (*1/2)

[Arcademan]

ECW on SyFy Results: 11-10-09

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

1 -- GOLDUST vs. PAUL BURCHILL (w/Katie Lea)

Burchill worked heel despite being in his home country. Crowd didn't appreciate Burchill's heel work on the popular Goldust. Announcers talked up Burchill vs. Helms on next week's ECW as Goldust fired up with a comeback including the drop-down uppercut and a series of clothesline. At 4:00, Hurricane Helms's music hit and he started running around the ring to distract Burchill. Burchill then walked into the Final Cut suplex from Goldust to give Goldy the win. On the outside, Helms smiled and mocked Burchill in the Bart Simpson era of babyfaces acting like heels. "Next week!" Burchill shouted.

WINNER: Goldust in 5:00. Slow, plodding, methodical match. Announcers did a fine job of building up Helms vs. Burchill on next week's show. (1/2*)

2 -- VANCE ARCHER vs. JASON BLACKWELL

Vance is intense. That's the marketing. Vance opened with a round of hard clothesline, then Jason fired off a right hand that drew a quick cheer from the crowd. Archer looked around the crowd mockingly looking for approval, then he smirked and finished off JB with his finisher for the win. Post-match: Vance stared a hole into the hard camera with a sideways "intense" look. No reaction for Vance from the crowd, though, as WWE is slowly establishing who Vance is.

WINNER: Vance in 2:00. Squash to keep building up young Archer. Just fine. (n/a)

3 -- ECW champion CHRISTIAN vs. WILLIAM REGAL -- ECW Title match

I liked Saxton's early commentary suggesting Christian was given a rough time in England going through customs at the airport and checking into his hotel, suggesting a stacked deck against Christian in Regal's home country. After an early feeling out process, the show faded to commercial with the wrestlers standing off across the ring from each other.

Back from break, Christian was the aggressor with a flurry of offense before going up top and being crotched up top by Regal. Both men battled up top for a few moments before Regal executed a double underhook suplex from the top that took the life out of both men. And back to another commercial break. Enter sarcasm - should have just stuck a commercial break in the middle of Archer's match.

Back from break, Regal tried stretching out Christian on the mat to make him tap out, but Christian fought back after avoiding several pin and submission attempts. Christian then went up top, but Regal shoved him off the top rope to the floor. Ref began a ten count, but Christian re-entered the ring and punched Regal on the apron before landing a missile dropkick.

Christian made his full comeback at the top of the hour and scored a close nearfall following another missile dropkick. Christian warmed up the Killswitch, but Regal avoided and tried the Knee Trembler, only to have Christian avoid it. Regal then hit a lighter knee strike and Christian kicked out. Christian tried to come back with the Killswitch, but Regal countered with the Regal Stretch. Christian teased reaching for the bottom rope while also teasing tapping out, then Christian elbowed out of Regal's hold. Christian then came back with a running dropkick and went to the second rope sucking air to land a leaping European Uppercut. Christian wanted the Killswitch again, but Regal countered with a rolling t-bone suplex. Regal then measured Christian for the Knee Trembler, but Christian moved, kicked Regal in the chest, and nailed the Killswitch in center ring for the pin and the win. After the announcers recapped how it all went down, Christian celebrated with the belt to close the show.

WINNER: Christian in 24:00 to retain the ECW Title. Good TV match. Match didn't move out of second gear and wasn't as exciting as Christian vs. Yoshi two weeks ago, but this was still a good, fundamentally sound wrestling match with two real pros in the ring. Christian is being built up as a very strong ECW champ after running through all of the potential contenders.

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 11-12-09

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

(1) ABYSS vs. DR. STEVIE (w/DAFFNEY)

If Abyss pins Dr. Stevie, Dr. Stevie is gone from TNA. Abyss hits a Big Boot for a two count, then a quick roll-up for another two. He takes Dr. Stevie up for a Shock Treatment, but Dr. Stevie slips out and clips his legs. Dr. Stevie starts working Abyss's knee, hits a Leg Drop, then follows up with an Elbow Drop that barely gets two. A Superkick gets a more respectable two count. Dr. Stevie pounds on Abyss, but takes too long trash talking and gets goozled. He slips out and comes off the ropes, right into a Black Hole Slam for 1…2…lights out? The lights are out for a few seconds, and when they come back on Abyss is laying. Dr. Stevie rolls into the cover for the win.

WINNER: Dr. Stevie in 3 minutes.

(2) ALISSA FLASH vs. TRACI BROOKS

Traci shoves Flash to start, and they lock up. The crowd is behind Flash, who forces Traci into the corner and chokes her with her boot. Traci tries to create some distance, but Alissa hits her and connects with a couple of arm wrenches to what we're told is a handicapped right arm. A Shoulder Breaker to the right arm gets two. Flash hits a Flatliner, bangs the arm a bit, then locks in an arm bar that looks like a Crossface without the crossface, if that makes sense. Traci taps.

Winner: Alissa Flash in 2 minutes.

(3) JAY LETHAL vs. JIM "THE ANVIL" NEIDHART

Neidhart hits a big right hand, followed by a Back Body Drop. Lethal dodges a charge in the corner and comes back with a Double Sledge off the top rope. The crowd is going nuts for The Anvil. Neidhart gets up and Lethal works some jabs. When Lethal comes off the ropes he runs right into a clothesline. Somehow Lethal gets up first and leaps to the outside with for a Guillotine Choke. Lethal hits a running back elbow, but whiffs on a second and walks right into a Power Slam for the kill. That didn't take long.

WINNER: Jim Neidhart in 2 minutes. I'm not sure where they're going with this booking, but as long as it's anything other than an outright burying of Lethal, he could probably use some new material.

(4) THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE & AWESOME KONG vs. TAYLOR WILDE, SARITA, ODB, & TARA (w/POISON)

Tara and Rayne lock up to start. Tara shoves Rayne to the mat, hits a gut wrench, then cinches in a front face lock with a bridge. Wilde tags in and enters the ring with a Double Sledge off the top rope onto Rayne. She works some arm wrenches and then tags in Sarita. Wilde hits an Oklahoma Roll, then helps out Sarita with an Assisted Moonsault. Von Erich tags in. She hits a boot to Sarita's abdomen and then a big club to the back.

Sarita is still isolated in the ring. She creates some distance from Sky with a dropkick, and both Rayne and ODB tag in. ODB tosses Sky and Rayne into opposite corners, charges them both, hits the Bronco Buster on Sky and a Fall Away Slam on Rayne. Von Erich comes into the ring and clotheslines ODB, so Tara comes into the ring to take her out. Tara stupidly jumps over to Kong's corner, where she gets whacked. Kong tags in, as does Taylor Wilde on the other side of the ring. Wilde goes for a running shoulder block, but just bounces off. Kong attempts an Awesome Bomb, but Taylor slips out. Taylor tries to kick Kong's legs out, but gets caught with the Implant Buster for the loss. Taz says she doesn't qualify "in the implant category"—I don't know if that was intended as a compliment or an insult.

WINNER: The Beautiful People and Awesome Kong in 8 minutes. This might have been good—it's hard to tell with the gaping commercial in the middle. After the match, Rayne and Sky keep Von Erich from stupidly hugging Awesome Kong.

(5) THE MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS & AMAZING RED (w/DON WEST) vs. WORLD ELITE (KIYOSHI, BASHIR, & HERNANDEZ)

Homicide brings something wrapped in a flag to the commentary table, which he claims is a bouquet for his girlfriend. The heels jump the bell to start. Shelley forces back Homicide with a kick, but eats a spinning back elbow. Bashir tags in and chokes Shelley in the corner. A Neck Breaker gets two. Kiyoshi tags in and trades open-handed chops with Shelley. Shelley gains the advantage, so Kiyoshi takes him down with a throat thrust. Kiyoshi gets Shelley with a sitting dropkick, but Sabin quickly breaks up the cover. Shelley goes to the wrong corner, but is able to pop Bashir and Homicide. Homicide takes the opportunity to retrieve his object from the commentary booth, which turns out to be the barbed wire wrapped baseball bat he apparently stole from Foley's office earlier. Security guards stop him on his way back to the ring. Bashir tags into the match. He shoots Kiyoshi off towards Shelley in the corner, but Shelley Back Body Drops him out to the apron, kicks him off, then Flatliners Bashir into the middle turnbuckle. Kiyoshi tries to cut off the tag, but Shelley kicks him off and connects with Red. Red comes into the ring with a Double Dropkick off the top rope onto both opponents. He takes both men down with Spinning Wheel Kicks, rolls over the back of Kiyoshi with a kick onto Bashir, then floors Kiyoshi with some type of crazy Tilt-a-Whirl Tornado DDT. Sabin tags himself in, so Red goes to the outside to take out Bashir with a Corkscrew Tope. In the ring, Sabin and Shelley squish Bashir, then Shelley tags in for a double team Neck Breaker/Top Rope Splash for three.

WINNERS: Amazing Red & The Motor City Machine Guns. He is, in fact, amazing.

(6) THE BRITISH INVASION vs. BEER MONEY, INC.

Roode takes Williams down with a shoulder block to start, then a Flying Clothesline. He knocks Williams out of the ring, and Storm comes in to take out an interfering Magnus. Williams starts to walk away, but Magnus points out that they actually have to win this match. Rob Terry comes down with a chair, but Magnus points out that a DQ doesn't do them any more good. He goes to the ring and trips Roode from ringside. Williams takes advantage with a back elbow, then tags in Magnus. He stomps Roode and chokes him a bit. Williams tags in, and they hit their double team Union Jack and patented handshake. A cover barely gets two. Williams drives his knee into Roode's back. Roode powers to his feet, but Williams yanks him down by the hair. Magnus tags in, but when he shoots Williams off into Roode Roode gets his boots up. He stalls Magnus with an elbow, then comes off the top rope with a double float-over Neck Breaker. He makes the leaping tag to Storm, who comes in with right hands. He gets a Triple H-like Facebuster on Magnus, then gets an interfering Williams with a Bulldog. He lifts Magnus out to the apron and catches him on his way back with a Lifting DDT. Williams tries to break up the ensuing cover with a Knee Drop, but Storm dodges. Roode comes in to help with a Beer Money Suplex on Williams. Magnus gets up into an Inverted Atomic Drop from Roode and a double team clothesline/Back Stabber for a long two count. Roode gets a chair and puts it in the ring. Magnus grabs it and is about to swing, when Doug Williams talks him down. While they argue, Beer Money shove them together. They crack heads, and Beer Money polish off Magnus with the DWI.

WINNERS: Beer Money Inc. in five minutes.

(7) AJ STYLES vs. SAMOA JOE

We're starting at 10:56. Joe gives AJ the run-around, weaving in and out of the ring. He tries to catch AJ on his way in, but AJ leap frogs him and connects with the high dropkick. Joe grabs his tights and yanks him into the bottom turnbuckle. He stomps AJ a bit then goes for the Face Wash—I'm not sure he's done that for years. Joe connects with a Power Bomb, and when AJ tries to kick out Joe transitions into an STF. He then transitions into a Cross Face, but AJ makes it to the ropes. Joe waits for AJ to get up, then works some punches. AJ suddenly ducks one and comes back with punches and chops of his own. He looks for his leap-over Inverted DDT, but Joe dodges and connects with a Decapitator Clothesline for two. Joe goes for another Power Bomb, but AJ slips out and hits a Spinning Heel Kick. He wants the Styles Clash, but Joe tosses him off. Joe goes for another clothesline, but AJ ducks and connects with a Pele. AJ goes to the top rope, when Daniels runs down and jumps up onto the apron. AJ slips off the top rope and asks Daniels what he's doing. Daniels says he's here to watch AJ's back, but AJ tells him to leave. They argue, as Joe smirks in the background. AJ slugs Daniels off the apron, but by now Joe is behind him and locks in the Kokido Clutch. AJ passes out, and the ref calls for the bell. Daniels has a slight grin as he walks out.

WINNER: Samoa Joe in five minutes.

[Arcademan]

WWE Superstars Results: 11-12-09

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

1 -- MATT HARDY vs. D.H. SMITH (w/Tyson Kidd and Natalya)

Hardy and Smith started with a few basic mat exchanges. Smith then shot Hardy off to the ropes and Hardy stopped short to stare down at Natalya, who provided a brief distraction to give Smith the advantage. Announcers plugged Jericho vs. The Undertaker on Smackdown tomorrow night as Smith sat down on a chinlock. The match then moved up top and Hardy landed a superplex going to the break.

Back from break, Smith was working over Hardy, who took a beating for a while. Hardy then made his comeback, teased the Twist of Fate, but hit the side effect for a close nearfall. With the match in peril for Smith, Kidd hopped on the ring apron. Hardy ran Kidd off the apron, but the ref ran off Kidd and Natalya after Smith regained the advantage by smashing Hardy with a big boot to the face. Striker complained that Tyson Kidd has "procured" a manager's license, so he has every right to be ringside. Suddenly from behind, Hardy rolled up Smith with a small package to score the pin and the win. Post-match: Kidd and Natalya ran back into the ring and ran off Hardy, who celebrated on the outside. Grisham talked about Smith dominating most of the match for Smith to save face.

WINNER: Hardy in 13:00. Good finish to a solid match. With ROH and Davey Richards's new Evolve promotion focusing on standings and win/loss records, respectively, it would be nice if this match had an added "sports feel" where wins and losses count for future U.S. or World Title shots down the line. Just something to give this match a little extra juice that the announcers could play up. I beleive that's what's missing if WWE is going to advance the product into the next decade if they're going to continue presenting TV with the same look and feel from the Attitude era. (**)

2 -- ZACK RYDER (w/Rosa Mendes) vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN

Ryder started off aggressively, but Shelton matched his intensity with a take-down into mounted right hand blows. Ryder came back with an aggressive attack, which drew Rosa's approval. More shots of Rosa ringside than the men in the ring, thus far. Announcers broke it down to the common denominator for the kids at home that Ryder is like the "rough kid" in school who draws the interest of women. Didn't Dolph Ziggler just have that "James Dean" storyline with Maria? Shelton made a comeback at 4:00 and cleaned house, which drew Rosa's concern. At least she's decent with facial expressions telling a story. Both men then flipped over the top rope together and landed hard on the floor. Rosa got up to take a look at her man, who ate the guardrail. Rosa checked on Ryder, who smiled, but lost track of the ten count being applied by the ref. Ryder apparently went into fantasy land and was counted out. He suddenly snapped to attention and slipped back into the ring, only to take the Pay Dirt from Shelton. Rosa could only put her hands over her mouth in shock that Ryder had another rough night at the office.

WINNER: Shelton via count-out in 5:00. Seems like the basic, male-driven, chauvinistic storyline in wrestling that women are distractions from success and cloud the judgment of Average Joe wrestler. The storyline also seems like a message to the locker room, especially based on Jim Ross's takes on his blog about many of the male wrestlers being "in lust" rather than "in love" with many of their female counterparts. Match was fine, but not memorable. (*)

3 -- MVP (w/Mark Henry) vs. TED DiBiase, JR. (w/Cody Rhodes)

Jerry Lawler gave us a plug for Survivor Series that his favorite match was him vs. Doink and the mini-clowns. That would be Survivor Series '94 with Lawler, Cheesy, Queasy, and Sleazy against Doink, Dink, Pink, and Wink. Cole started busting up with laughter at the mere thought of this. Of note, there were only five matches on that PPV card. Watch this segue. "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase led the "Million Dollar Team" in the semi-main event of the PPV. ... MDM's son and MVP had an even start to this match tonight on Superstars. MVP then knocked DiBiase to the floor going to break.

Back from break, Lawler said he passed Legacy in the hallway earlier today and they couldn't stop from laughing at MVP not faring too well on "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" DiBiase surmised MVP is stupid, according to Lawler. ... Action moved to the floor where DiBiase rammed MVP shoulder-first into the ringpost, then dragged him back into the ring for a pin and a two count. Match went into the basic formula machine with MVP teasing a comeback, only to have DiBiase cut him off and go back to working the shoulder. Cody then rammed the shoulder into the post behind the ref's back. Another pin attempt by DiBiase, but only a two count. MVP then shrugged off DiBiase and made another comeback. MVP sold pain in the shoulder with each right hand blow before landing a running chinbreaker using his knee.

MVP then set up the Ballin' elbow drop and connected. He wanted the Playmaker, but DiBiase spun out and kicked MVP in the gut. MVP shook it off, though, and nailed his running boot to the face for a two count. Cody then hopped on the apron, but Henry did his job by dropping Cody on the floor. Back in the ring, DiBiase tried his Dream Street finisher, but MVP countered with a small package to score the pin and the win. Afterward, MVP and Henry celebrated in the ring while DiBiase and Cody angrily walked around ringside. Superstars closed with MVP and Henry standing tall in the ring to send 'em home happy.

WINNER: MVP in 14:00. Solid, formula singles main event. Nothing spectacular or flashy, but the announcers were able to get across the key points for the Survivor Series match-up between Team Kofi and Team Orton. (**)

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 11-13-09

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

1- C.M PUNK vs. R-TRUTH

Prior to the match, Truth filed a complaint (an informal one, likely) before the match about Punk not being a real man. He said the fans came for action, not to see Punk preach. Once the bell rang, Truth went on offense. Punk got him up early for a Go To Sleep, but Truth got down and hit a kick to the face. Truth back-dropped Punk over the top rope and to the floor a little over a minute in. They took a break at this point.

Truth went to the top rope, but Punk kicked him at the ankle, sending Truth spilling to the mat inside the ring. Punk controlled the match for the next few minutes after that. Truth began to make his comeback- weird to watch this match with very little crowd reaction. Scissors kick missed for Truth, and Punk signaled that it was time to go to sleep. He got Truth up, but Truth attempted a roll-up counter. Punk instead sat down and grabbed the middle rope for leverage, the ref not seeing it, and counting to three.

WINNER: Punk, at 9:15. Just a few months ago, Punk was World Champion. Now, he’s beating R-Truth by cheating. I’m assuming this demotion down the card won’t last for long.

2- MICKIE JAMES vs. NATALYA

Natalya got no entrance. Natalya with a double-leg take-down and a “yeah, baby!” Striker evened mentioned Jim Neidhart, one night after he appeared on TNA Impact (even though the commentary is taped). Natalya lured Mickie to the outside, and shoved her into the ring steps. Surfboard applied by the daughter of the Anvil. She kicked away at Mickie in the corner, but Mickie fought back. Hurricanrana out of the corner by James, then a clothesline. Natalya threw Mickie out of the ring to stop her momentum, but not for long. Top rope Thesz Press for two as Michelle and Layla came to the ring, showing off some of Mickie’s clothing that they presumably stole from her locker room. The ladies took scissors to Mickie’s garments to distract her. Natalya snuck up behind Mickie and clotheslined her from behind. Sharpshooter finished Mickie off.

WINNER: Natalya, at 3:52. A different women’s match than you’ll see on Raw, and a good win for Natalya.

3- DREW MCINTYRE vs. FINLAY

Elbow to the nose right off the bat by Finlay. Clubbering European uppercuts followed that. McIntyre came back with a kick to the chest that sent Finlay to the outside. Striker made up the story that Vince McMahon met McIntyre at a golf tournament in Ayr, Scotland, and was impressed enough to sign him and bring him to Smackdown. I can’t imagine Vince ever golfing. The two continued to brawl inside and out of the ring. They didn’t adhere to the referee’s orders, and he rang the bell, throwing the match out. It was about 10-15 seconds after the bell rang that the announcers actually spoke and referenced the bell ringing, which was kind of weird.

WINNER: Double disqualification, at 2:16. A straight brawl to further this feud.

After the match, McIntyre came back for more, hitting Finlay in the chest with the Shillelagh a second time (first time was in the head, right after the match was thrown out).

4- DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. JOHN MORRISON- INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Ziggler played the cowardly heel early on. Striker noted that the I.C. Title has changed hands there times in the United Kingdom. Flapjack followed by a legdrop from Morrison for two. The champ went to the top, but Ziggler tripped him up. He rolled up Morrison for two, then went for a gut-buster, which got two. They went to break about 2:00 in.

Ziggler had what appeared to be a waist-lock with a bridge applied on Morrison. He tripped Morrison up charging into the corner, causing Morrison to nearly land on his head. He continued working on the mid-section of Morrison, dropping numerous elbows for a near-fall. They did the yeah-boo punches in the middle of the ring, and Morrison cracked Ziggler in the head with a flying forearm. Leg lariat for two. Face-buster by Ziggler, as he dodged the Moonlight Drive. Morrison lined Ziggler up for Starship Pain, but Ziggler tried to go for a roll-up with his feet on the ropes. Ref saw it and as Ziggler complained to the ref, Morrison landed the Flying Chuck kick for two. From the top, both men went spiraling down outside the ring, Morrison seeming to take the brunt of it against the railing. It must’ve knocked both men a bit wonky, as neither man even moved by the time the referee’s count made it to ten.

WINNER: Double count-out, at 11:37. Solid match, but I’m going to start calling Ziggler “Lex Luger.” Not sure what stopped them from booking the title change here. And how ‘bout a DDQ and a DCO in the same show?

5- BETH PHOENIX vs. LISA TAYLOR

Forearm shots to the face by Phoenix, followed by a shoulder-breaker. She put Taylor in the Tree of Woe in the corner. Neck-breaker out of it in a nice-looking spot. Glam Slam was next, and last.

WINNER: Phoenix, at 1:25. Effective squash.

6- CHRIS JERICHO vs. THE UNDERTAKER

Jericho suckered Taker into the corner and worked him over. But then Taker did the same, except he put Jericho in the corner a tad more physically. Taker then clotheslined Jericho over the top rope and to the arena floor. Striker quoted Hall-of-Famer Buddy Rogers talking about the World Heavyweight Championship. Legdrop with Jericho draped over the apron, vintage Undertaker there. Back in the ring, the (alleged) Dead Man worked the left arm of Jericho as Chris hollered at the ref to make Taker give him some room. Old School time, but Jericho climbed up and pulled Taker down with the arm. They went to break 2:40 into the contest.

Jericho was slugging Taker in the head out of break, seemingly keeping the big man grounded. Middle-rope dropkick by Jericho for a two-count. After a quick chin-lock, Jericho kicked Taker out of the ring, then celebrated with a simple raise of the arm in the ring to draw some heel heat. Into the barriers went Taker courtesy of the former Y2J. Back in the ring, Jericho choked Taker on the middle rope. Jericho tried to trade soup-bones toe-to-toe with Taker, a battle he wasn’t going to win. Taker is, after all, the best pure striker in the game today. Snake Eyes for Jericho, but he dropkicked Taker as he was going for the big boot. A minute later, Undertaker successfully connected on the boot. But he missed one in the corner and crotched himself on the top rope. Taker picked Jericho up out of the corner for the Last Ride, but Jericho got out and hit the Codebreaker on Taker. He was slow to react though and only got two on a pin attempt. It appeared that Jericho was going for a Tombstone on Undertaker, who reversed it into one of his own. Jericho got out and landed a Lionsault. As Jericho sat up, Taker did too and grabbed Jericho by the throat. Counter by Jericho into a Walls of Jericho attempt. He did lock it in. After some struggling, Taker countered by grabbing Jericho and putting him in the Hell’s Gate. Jericho tried once to get to the rope but when he couldn’t, he tapped out.

WINNER: Taker, at 14:00. Not sure what this accomplished- were they looking to pop a rating for a show that ratings generally don’t matter as much as Raw? Why else would they give away a match between Taker and Jericho, first-time ever, with nothing at stake and on free TV?

[Arcademan]

TNA Turning Point PPV Results: 11-15-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to complete ongoing results).

1 -- X Division champion AMAZING RED (w/Don West) vs. HOMICIDE -- X Division Title match
WINNER: Amazing Red in 10:00. Very nice opener, but there were too many distractions - Don West talking, Don West's wardrobe, the Impact Zone trying to get themselves over. Just need to let the guys do their thing in the ring. (**1/2)
 
2 -- Knockout champion ODB & Knockout tag champions TAYLOR WILDE & SARITA vs. BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (VELVET SKY & MADISON RAYNE & LACEY VON ERICH) -- TNA Knockouts & TNA Knockout Tag Titles match
WINNERS: ODB & Sarita & Wilde in 7:00. Fine showing at times, but overall not a memorable outing from a wrestling perspective. Too much T&A for this match to be taken seriously and Lacey for Angelina Love is a poor trade for the top heel group in the division. (*)
 
3 -- TNA tag champions BRITISH INVASION (DOUG WILLIAMS & BRUTUS MAGNUS) vs. BEER MONEY (ROBERT ROODE & JAMES STORM) vs. MOTOR CITY MACHINEGUNS (ALEX SHELLEY & CHRIS SABIN) -- TNA tag title match
WINNERS: British Invasion in 12:00. And Beer Money being shut out of the tag titles continues. Nash's re-appearance, KO on Storm, and title belt theft became the story of the match. As for the match, there were plenty of spots and guys did a lot of stuff, but it amounted to filler, as the finish was the result of outside interference and not the product of any of the in-ring work leading to the finish. (*1/2)
 
4 -- TARA vs. AWESOME KONG -- Steel cage match
WINNER: Tara in 8:00. Solid, very good Knockouts match featuring two of the top women in the company. Right finish with a big spot actually leading to the finish. Well done. (**1/4)
 
5 -- RHINO & IWGP tag champions TEAM 3D (BROTHER RAY & BROTHER DEVON) vs. D'ANGELO DINERO & HERNANDEZ & MATT MORGAN
WINNERS: Rhino & Team 3D in 14:00. Good tag match. Lots of action, heels played their part well, and Rhino was given a considerable boost taking the win. Hernandez had enough offense to not lose much because no one will remember he took the fall in this match. The heels winning via cheat-to-win tactics was expected in this match and TNA hasn't featured too many tricks and gadgets thus far to where the finish didn't take away from the match. (**3/4)
 
6 -- BOBBY LASHLEY vs. SCOTT STEINER -- No DQ, Falls Count Anywhere match
WINNER: Steiner in 12:00. A shortcut gimmick match to cover for them not being able to have an interesting 12-minute straight singles match. At first, the ending seemed like a storyline write-off for Lashley, but he popped right up after a few minutes. (*1/4)
 
7 -- KURT ANGLE vs. DESMOND WOLFE
WINNER: Angle via submission in 17:00. There's your value-added for the additional $5 on the price tag. Star-making match for Wolfe, who had plenty of credible offense and positive talk by the announcers to not lose anything from taking the loss. Angle was on-fire, as usual, and really answered the call working with a wrestling talent at his level. The drawback to this was watching Angle in this style of a match considering his real health concerns. (****1/2)
 
8 -- TNA World Hvt. champion A.J. STYLES vs. SAMOA JOE vs. DANIELS -- TNA World Title match
WINNER: Styles in 22:00 to retain the TNA World Title. Excellent, awesome main event match. Not quite the 2005 level, but darn close and the peak of what these three can do together four years later. Styles was an absolute star with his display of offense, while Joe was a monster taking it back to the old-school with the trademark offense that made him stand out in 2005 as the TNA Rookie of the Year/Wrestler of the Year overall. Daniels was very good in his role and stood out as a legit main-eventer. All the pieces came together to match Angle-Wolfe for a great one-two punch on this PPV. (****1/2)

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 11-16-09

Note: there was an awful lot of jawing going on in this episode of RAW. The best moment was when Kofi Kingston went on the attack on Orton after he initially attacked Piper, who wanted to fight Vince McMahon, DX knocks out Hornswaggle, Sheamus going berzerk, etc. etc.

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

1 -- U.S. champion THE MIZ vs. MVP -- United States Title match

Miz took it to MVP early on, but MVP made a comeback. Cole suggested the lowly Knicks could use MVP as he set up the ballin' elbow drop for a two count. MVP wanted the Playmaker, but Miz escaped and shot MVP off to the corner to land a kick to the gut. Miz then dropped MVP on his face with the Skullcrushing Finale for the pin and the win. Ringside, Sherri wasn't pleased with her sitcom...er...man losing the match.

WINNER: Miz at 3:46 to retain the U.S. Title. Hot crowd tonight gave this match a boost. There's definitely a different vibe in the arena to create energy this show desperately needs. MVP got in his signature spots to retain some credibility despite the loss. Good showing for MVP at the top of the show. (*1/4)

2 -- SANTINO MARELLA vs. CHAVO GUERRERO

Bell sounded and Santino told Chavo to hold on. He pulled out a #10 Eli Manning jersey for the Giants. This was followed by a #34 Patrick Ewing jersey. Wait, next was a Mark Sanchez Jets jersey. Cole played the heel pointing out how poorly the New York teams have been. Santino then pulled out a Johan Santana jersey from the Mets. Suddenly, Santino was in a Phillies jersey. Loud boos. Santino pretended to be shocked. He then took off the Phils jersey to finally be wearing a Yankees jersey. Didn't see the number on the back. Chavo had enough and gave Santino a suplex. We got a look that it was Derek Jeter's #2 jersey. I hope this isn't what Jim Ross meant by Yankees in the house tonight. Suddenly, Hornswoggle showed up in DX gear. He distracted Chavo, then Santino rolled up Chavo from behind for a three count. The coyote loses to the roadrunner again.

WINNER: Chavo at 2:50. A parade of jerseys the NFL and MLB will be grateful for. Crowd was hot for the locally-driven match. Thankfully, we got the obligatory Chavo joke match out of the way. (n/a)

3 -- Divas champion MELINA vs. ALICIA FOX -- Divas Title match

On cue, Alicia found herself on the outside trying to intimidate the babyface lumberjacks, then she returned to the ring and Melina worked her over before landing her Canadian Destroyer-esque finisher for the quick pin and the win. Post-match: a fight broke out among all the divas present to set up the Five-on-Five match at Survivor Series. Babyface divas stood tall and then danced to close out the segment, much to Judah's delight.

WINNER: Melina at 1:38 to retain the Divas Title. A short match happened. And they danced. Not a memorable display of women's wrestling tonight. (n/a)

4 -- JACK SWAGGER vs. EVAN BOURNE

Action was joined in progress with Swagger already dominating Bourne with mat holds. Bourne elbowed Swagger in the head, but Swagger shook it off and smashed Bourne with a lariat to the back of the head. Bourne then came back with a double knee smash off the top rope for a two count. Swagger shook off Bourne's offense, then took Bourne across the ring with multiple running powerslams into the turnbuckles before finishing him off with the gut wrench powerbomb for the win. Announcers built up Swagger as a dominant figure for the Survivor Series match for Team Miz.

WINNER: Swagger at 2:02 of what aired. Just two minutes of Swagger having offense, a quick tease from Bourne, then Swagger with the dominating offense to stand tall. Not enough aired for this to be memorable. (n/a)

5 -- World Hvt. champion THE UNDERTAKER & WWE champion JOHN CENA vs. DX (SHAWN MICHAELS & TRIPLE H) vs. Unified tag champions CHRIS JERICHO & BIG SHOW

Cena, Michaels, and Jericho started things off with the bell sounding seven minutes after the top of the hour. Big Show then tagged in for Jericho, followed by Hunter. Cena then walked over to Taker, who tagged in to bring in the three bigger men. Hunter and Taker formed an agreement to work over Show, who took right hand strikes. Taker and Hunter then dumped Show to the floor and went after each other. Hunter landed a spinebuster, then Hunter tagged in Michaels. Taker sat up, though, and we were back to WrestleMania 25. Cole noted it was their first encounter since then. Michaels ducked a punch, then landed a round of slaps. Taker then walked into a big spear from Big Show, who clobbered Michaels and brought in Chris Jericho. Jericho smirked and saluted himself before landing a bulldog on Michaels. Jericho then slapped on the Walls of Jericho, but Taker broke it up and Cena blind-tagged in for Taker. Cena dropped Jericho with a bulldog, but Michales hit Cena with a chop and brought in Hunter. Suddenly, Cena and Hunter had a staredown. He gave Hunter the "You Can't See Me" and Hunter responded with a crotch chop. Show had enough and double-chokeslammed both men until Taker entered to battle Show. Cole noted Taker's MSG moments with a reference to "Mankind." The action moved to the floor where Show whipped Taker into the guardrail. Cole said he needs a scorecard to keep up with who's legal. Michaels took a tag from Hunter, then Michaels did his routine and went up top to drop the "vintage" elbow to the heart. Michaels started tuning up the band, but Cena interrupted and put Michaels center ring for the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena then wanted the FU on HBK, but Hunter blind-tagged in mid-air and dropped Cena with a high knee. Hunter cleaned house before dropping Cena with a spinebuster center ring. Hunter wanted the Pedigree, but Big Show entered and headbutted Hunter. Suddenly, Michaels dropped Show with the superkick. Jericho with the Codebreaker on Michaels. Taker then re-entered and chokeslammed Jericho. Hunter then clotheslined Taker to the floor. Suddenly, Cena with the FU on Hunter to score a pin on Hunter for the win.

Post-match: Out of nowhere, Undertaker entered the ring and dropped Cena with a Tombstone Piledriver center ring. Striker asked if Taker was trying to send a message of domination. It's the Alpha Male world. Taker then grabbed his World Title belt and knelt over Cena's fallen body. Taker stared into the hard camera as his music played to close the show 15 minutes past the top of the hour.

WINNERS: Taker & Cena at 7:10. Well, there's your first official tease for Cena vs. Taker at WrestleMania 26. Very good tag match with a constant flow of action, moves, teases, counters, finishers, star power, and intriguing match-ups. Electric atmosphere in the arena helped tremendously. This show started with tons of energy, DX sucked the life out of the building, then McMahon, Piper, Kofi, and Orton rebuilt the energy to culminate with an excellent TV main event. Only problem was we still don't have an issue for the top two matches at Survivor Series and WWE is teasing a WrestleMania match. WWE is obviously not concerned about PPV buys at this point. (***)

[Arcademan]

ECW on SyFy Results: 11-17-09

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

1 -- PAUL BURCHILL (w/Katie Lea) vs. THE HURRICANE

Burchill's ECW career on the line vs. Hurricane's mask. They had an early feeling-out process to convey to the audience this was going to go long. Burchill then gained control with his trademark slow-it-down, work-a-body part offense. Katie tried to get involved by grabbing Hurricane's foot from the outside, and Burchill capitalized with a suplex to take control going to the break.

The second-half of the match led to desperation mode with each man scoring nearfalls trying to protect their positions. Announcers suggested Hurricane was using his super-powers to kick out of each pin attempt. Burchill became frustrated, screamed out to the audience, and demanded Katie do something. She stood by silently, though. Hurricane then hit the Eye of the Hurricane for another two count. The action moved up top and Hurricane blocked a superplex. He then nailed a top rope neckbreaker and scored the pin on Burchill for the win. And Burchill is gone from ECW. Post-match: Katie Lea shook her head in frustration ringside as Burchill held his hair in anger and frustration. Katie then slid into the ring to console Paul as the announcers went silent. Crowd just wanted them out of the ring, but WWE milked the reality of the situation for a while.

WINNER: Hurricane in 14:00. Good, above-average TV match with a nice finish that the audience bought into considering the stipulations. We'll see what it means for Burchill in WWE going forward. Tiffany's post-match reaction in the next camera shot suggested Burchill might be able to convice her to stay... (**1/4)

2 -- VANCE ARCHER vs. JOHNNY ANDREWS

Announcers reminded us that Archer is intense. Archer made poor Andrews cry, or Andrews was just selling pain. Archer nailed his intese finisher for the pin and the win. Crowd still quiet for Archer, who we don't anything about in WWE. That's intense.

WINNER: Quick squash to continue building up Arch. Intense you might say. (n/a)

3 -- ECW champion CHRISTIAN & R-TRUTH vs. C.M. PUNK & WILLIAM REGAL

After the full-length entrances, the babyfaces cleared Punk and Regal to the floor and they quickly cut to a break.

Back from break, the heels were in control with Punk working over Truth's right knee before bringing in Regal to pick up what Punk was putting down. Announcers talked up the Survivor Series elimination matches while Punk shouted at Christian, "Who's the man now, huh?" Regal continued to work the knee as Punk riled up the crowd from the ring apron to keep them interested. Punk came back in and cut off Truth's attempted comeback before bringing Regal back in to inflict more punishment. Punk returned at 10:00, but lost control to allow Christian to tag in. Christian nailed a Tornado DDT for a two count, then hit a spinning D.J. Gabriel European Uppercut from the second rope. Punk and Christian then teased each other's finishers, but Christian had the last word with a Killswitch, only to have Regal break up a pin attempt. The action broke down and Christian ate a running knee trembler from Regal. Punk then scooped up Christian for the Go 2 Sleep on Christian for the pin and the win. Afterward, Regal hugged Punk to celebrate the win going into Survivor Series. After replays aired, Regal and Punk did the "go to sleep" hand motion to taunt Christian as the heels stood tall to close the show.

WINNERS: Punk & Regal in 12:00. Punk gets the last laugh over Christian on ECW tonight to set up Christian's team for a probable comeback victory at Survivor Series. Fine match with Punk playing a good heel throughout the match (and the show) to rile up the crowd during potential slow spots. (*1/2)

[Arcademan]

Ah...the joys of returning to work as I'm way behind on my TV reports. To view them, check out The Official WWE Thread at the Neo-Geo Forum: Post #9521 (WWE Superstars), Post #9522 (TNA Impact!) and Post #9523 (WWE Smackdown)

[Arcademan]

WWE Survivor Series PPV Results: 11-22-09

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

1 -- TEAM MIZ (U.S. champion THE MIZ & DOLPH ZIGGLER & JACK SWAGGER & vs. TEAM MORRISON & DREW MCINTYRE) vs. TEAM MORRISON (IC champion JOHN MORRISON & MATT HARDY & EVAN BOURNE & FINLAY & SHELTON BENJAMIN) -- Survivor Series match
Eliminations: Ziggler by Bourne at 3:58, Bourne by McIntyre at 4:12, Finlay by Sheamus at 5:14, Swagger by Morrison at 12:12, Shelton by Miz at 14:58, Hardy by McIntyre at 17:15, and Morrison by Sheamus at 20:55.
WINNERS: Team Miz (Miz, Sheamus, McIntyre) at 20:55. Slow match at times, but the overall emphasis on Miz's top heels was well-done. Sheamus continues to gain more and more exposure as a legit heel who could be a threat to John Cena or DX down the line. McIntyre had a nice showing as a future top heel on Smackdown. Fine opening match. (**1/2)

2 -- REY MYSTERIO vs. BATISTA
WINNER: Batista via referee stoppage at 6:50. Holy backfire, WWE. Announcers did their best to explain Batista being a jerk for trying to injure the fan-friendly Rey Mysterio, but things like Rey trying to channel Eddie will not win over an audience. Batista, meanwhile, is a refreshing badass character for the first time in a very long time, so the audience is going to buy into him. If this was in another city other than Batista's hometown, I don't believe the reaction would have been much different. The pro-Batista reaction was enhanced since they're in D.C., but the vocal minority wants a guy like Batista to cheer for. (*1/4)

3 -- TEAM KOFI (KOFI KINGSTON & MVP & MARK HENRY & R-TRUTH & ECW champion CHRISTIAN) vs. TEAM ORTON (RANDY ORTON & TED DIBIASE & CODY RHODES & WILLIAM REGAL & C.M. PUNK)
Eliminations: Henry by Orton at 0:51, Truth by Punk at 3:13, DiBiase by Christian at 5:10, Regal by Kofi at 6:50, MVP by Rhodes at 10:10, Cody by Christian at 11:34, Christian by Orton at 13:25, Punk by Kofi at 20:43, Orton by Kofi at 20:50.
WINNERS: Far too many pins early on, but it served the purpose of focusing on the key issue between Kofi and Orton at the end of the match. Kofi was obviously the star by the end of the match after a good middle of the match with Christian and Kofi vs. Punk and Orton. This match had more "big moments" compared to the opening traditional Survivor Series match to be slightly better. (***)

4 -- WORLD Hvt. champion THE UNDERTAKER vs. Unified tag champion CHRIS JERICHO vs. Unified tag champion BIG SHOW -- World Hvt. Title match
WINNER: Taker via submission at 13:37. Had some good moments, but an overall sluggish match with Show held back by the knee and Taker's body banged up. Good final two minutes teasing several believable nearfalls, but everyone in the building knew Taker was going to retain the belt. Smackdown's top storylines will most-likely progress with a Jericho-Show break-up tease and Batista possibly next up for Taker. (**1/2)

5 -- TEAM MCCOOL (Divas champion MICHELLE MCOOL & LAYLA & ALICIA FOX & JILLIAN HALL & BETH PHOENIX) vs. TEAM MICKIE (MICKIE JAMES & KELLY KELLY & Divas champion MELINA & EVE & GAIL KIM)
WINNERS: Team Mickie (Mickie and Melina) at 10:42. The early pinfalls were expected for the buffer match, then the focus on McCool vs. Mickie and Melina was well done to conclude the match. Beth had a chance to shine as well. (*1/2)

6 -- WWE champion JOHN CENA vs. TRIPLE H vs. SHAWN MICHAELS -- WWE Title match
WINNER: Cena at 21:14 to retain the WWE Title. Default best match of the night, but didn't quite have that "must-see" main event feel to it. Some very good nearfalls at the end playing off HBK turning on Hunter boosted this to a strong three stars. TNA had a better all-around three-way main event last Sunday. WWE specializes in having better stories with their main events, but TNA even had a good "story" to their main event that didn't just rely on highspots from A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe, and Daniels. (***1/2)

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 11-23-09

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

1 -- KOFI KINGSTON vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER -- Breakthrough qualifying match

Crowd with an early "Let's go Kofi" chant in the opening minute. Dolph went on the attack after Kofi missed with an early corner attack. He continued to ground Kofi with mat holds, then Kofi made a comeback at 3:00 with his aerial attack. Kofi then followed with a Boom Boom elbow drop. He teased the Trouble in Paradise kick, but Ziggler ducked. Ziggler then wanted his finisher, but Kofi grabbed the ropes to block. He followed with the TIP kick to make the pin for the win.

WINNER: Kofi Kingston at 3:54 to advance to the #1 contender battle royal. Basic four-minute TV match. The audience didn't think for a second Ziggler was winning, plus they didn't seem to be very familiar with Smackdown's Ziggler. (*)

2 -- SHEAMUS vs. FINLAY -- Breakthrough qualifying match

The bell sounded and Finlay smashed Sheamus to the outside right at Lawler's feet for him to get a good look at Sheamus. Back in the ring, Sheamus pounded on Finlay before finishing him off with the Outsider's Edge for the decisive pin and the win. Well, that was quick. Post-match, Sheamus wasn't done with Finlay, as he ran back into the ring to deliver more punishment. The action spilled to the floor where Sheamus gave Finlay a running bicycle kick over the guardrail to the floor. Announcers noted it's been a long time since Finlay has been manhandled like that.

WINNER: Sheamus at 1:58 to advance to the #1 contender battle royal. Very short match, but the emphasis was on making Sheamus look like a monster. Should be an interesting battle royal just based on the first two qualifiers in a Battle of the super-pushes. (n/a)

3 -- WWE champion JOHN CENA vs. C.M. PUNK -- non-title match

Punk played a good heel waiting for the right moment to lock up initially. Punk landed a series of kicks early on before yelling at someone in the front row to shut up. The momentary distraction allowed Cena to make a brief comeback before setting up the STF, but Punk easily escaped and slipped to the floor for a breather. Cena did the "this close" sign to Punk going to break.

Back from break, Punk was in control as the announcers talked about Punk cutting his teeth on Raw last year. Punk continued his methodical attack, but Cena fired back at 7:45 with his usual comeback routine. Cena dropped Punk center ring and delivered the Five Knuckle Shuffle at the top of the hour.

Cena teased the FU, but Punk escaped the finisher and wanted the G2S. Cena countered that, though, and slapped on the STF in center ring. Punk reached the ropes for a break, then came to his feet and nailed a kick strike that KO'ed Cena. Punk made a cover, but Cena kicked out. Punk followed with a high knee in the corner, but Cena predictably countered the bulldog and tossed Punk across the ring. Both men were down and out, then Cena pulled himself up to the top rope and hit the guillotine leg drop. Cena made a cover, but Punk kicked out. Good nearfall. Cena and Punk reset the action and Punk nailed a leaping leg strike for a two count of his own. Punk then airballed a flying splash in the corner and remained draped across the top turnbuckle. Cena then climbed up top and put Punk on his shoulders to deliver a top rope FU Attitude Adjustment. The big spot of the night led to Cena making a cover for the win.

WINNER: Cena at 12:00. The theme of the show is new blood, but everyone knew the same finish was coming with Cena winning. That said, Punk had enough offense to remain credible and come out of this looking strong combined with the pre-match promo. Of note, Raw 3, Smackdown 0 in matches tonight. (**3/4)

4 -- JACK SWAGGER & CHRIS MASTERS & CHAVO GUERRERO vs. MVP & MARK HENRY & R-TRUTH -- Breakthrough qualifying match

Swagger and MVP started things off against each other while Cole and Lawler chuckled about McMahon and Ventura replacing them later on. Masters tagged in and a few fans audibly chanted "steroids" at the Masterpiece. Chavo then entered and worked over MVP. Masters was back in when MVP escaped to bring in Truth. Lawler appeared to say "Hard Truth" as R-Truth cleaned house leading to a break down. Henry then scooped up Chavo and press-slammed him over the top rope onto Masters. Where's Jeremy Piven when you need him? Back in the ring, Truth nailed the Lie Detector spinning fist creating-movement finisher on Masters for the win.

WINNERS: Truth & MVP & Henry to advance to the battle royal at 3:05. No surprise here. We could use a match where the outcome is in doubt. Four very predictable match outcomes thus far. (1/2*)

5 -- RANDY ORTON vs. EVAN BOURNE -- Breakthrough qualifying match

The battle for St. Louis started with Orton trying to score quick early pins, but Bourne fired back with a double knee smash off the top rope for a close two count. Orton then caught Bourne off the ropes with a powerslam. He teased the RKO and he dropped Bourne center ring. He made the cover for the win.

WINNER: Orton at 1:28 to qualify for the #1 contender match. Seems like the set-up for Orton and Kofi to cost each other the battle royal to set up a singles match at the PPV. Or, worst-case scenario, we get another Cena-Orton match. That's the question for the end of the show to keep viewers tuned in - will fans be subjected to another round of Cena vs. Orton? (n/a)

Continued in next post...

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 11-23-09

Coninued from previous post...

6 -- INDIANS (Divas champion MELINA & KELLY KELLY & MICKIE JAMES) vs. PILGRIMS (Women's champion MICHELLE MCCOOL & LAYLA & JILLIAN HALL)

The match went about two minutes, then Michelle and Layla bailed from ringside fed up with the outfits and Jillian. Jillian then walked into a pin to give the Indians the win. Jerry Lawler was excited for the Indians to actually win something. Post-match: the Gooker entered the ring to celebrate with Lawler and Melina. Melina was having a good time, then the Gooker suddenly jumped Melina to reveal...Maryse. And we have a big return on the show. Maryse beat down Melina for a while, then took off the Gooker outfit to officially welcome herself back on the show. Perhaps Miz has a shot with her now that he has a title belt.

WINNERS: Indians at 2:08. Your basic WWE divas match focusing on looks and silliness more than actual wrestling. Up next for the Divas division: Melina vs. Maryse. (n/a)

7 -- DX (SHAWN MICHAELS & TRIPLE H) vs. HART DYNASTY (TYSON KIDD & D.H. SMITH w/Natalya)

The bell sounded and we start with Kidd vs. Michaels. If Michaels is still around in three years, this could be a PPV main event. Cole reminded viewers Natalya is the daughter of Jim Niedhart, which prompted a harmless shot from Lawler that she got her looks from her mom rather than Jim.

HD took control at the top of the usual second hour with Smith and Kidd exchanging tags working over Michaels. Hunter then took a tag at 4:00 and cleaned house on Kidd. Hunter followed with spinebusters on both men before trying to pump up the lethargical crowd for this match. The action broke down, then Michaels smashed Kidd with the superkick to set up Hunter for the Pedigree on Kidd for the pin and the win. Afterward, Hunter helped Michaels to his feet and DX posed.

WINNERS: DX at 4:58. Another predictable match. HD got a slight rub, but the post-match was more important. (*)

8 -- CRYME TYME (SHAD GASPARD & JTG) vs. LEGACY (CODY RHODES & TED DIBIASE) -- Breakthrough qualifying match

Cole and Lawler announced McMahon and Ventura will be back calling the action for the main event battle royal. After about three minutes of bland action, DiBiase dropped Shad with Dream Street to make the pin. Legacy now with three men in the #1 contender battle royal.

WINNERS: Legacy at 3:01. Just a tag match. This show has felt like complete filler since Punk-Cena. (1/2*)

#1 contender Battle Royal qualifiers
-- Kofi Kingston (Raw) beat Dolph Ziggler (SD)
-- Sheamus (Raw) beat Finlay (SD)
-- MVP (Raw), Henry (Raw), and R-Truth (SD) beat Swagger, Chavo, and Masters (Raw)
-- Randy Orton (Raw) beat Evan Bourne (Raw)
-- Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes (Raw) beat Cryme Tyme (SD)

9 -- BREAKTHROUGH BATTLE ROYAL -- #1 contender match

Back from break, everyone was in the ring except for Randy Orton, who slowly walked out to the ring to get the match started. Sheamus stood out early on for just waiting back in the corner looking to pick his spot. McMahon with a quick unintentional plug for the new "Blind Side" movie, saying the key to a battle royal is to protect your blindside. Meanwhile, Orton slipped to the outside and waited for his moment. McMahon and Ventura traded barbs while the action slowed to a crawl. They followed with a debate on the WWE refs allowing Orton to stay on the outside. Ventura told McMahon to hire new refs, while McMahon shot back that Ventura has power. And so the dilemma of absolute power in the Raw storylines continues. And out went R-Truth via Sheamus at 2:55 for the first elimination. Batista doesn't have to worry about anything tonight. Ventura said the only problem he has with Sheamus is he needs a suntan. MVP was then knocked out of the match. Henry teased eliminating Sheamus, but Legacy saved Sheamus.

At 4:00, Henry eliminated both members of Legacy. Sheamus then snuck up behind Henry to dump him out. So now it's Orton, Sheamus, and Kofi. A graphic flashed "Voices of: Jesse Ventura, Vince McMahon." Thanks for the heads up, WWE. Kofi and Orton paired off against each other, then Sheamus tried to get involved, but Orton dropped Sheamus with the fallaway backbreaker. Orton then tried to eliminate Kofi, but Kofi skinned the cat and eliminated Orton. Orton did the big bug eyes after being eliminated. WWE stayed with a camera shot of Kofi and Orton, then Sheamus came up from behind Kofi and eliminated him for the win.

WINNER: Sheamus at 6:23 to become #1 contender. And there's the earlier prediction coming through with WWE building up Sheamus as a monster to be a threat to John Cena and the WWE Title. Absolutely boring first three minutes, then a decent finish focusing on Orton-Kofi. Legacy, meanwhile, was a complete afterthought despite being in there with their leader, Orton. Time to hit the reset on Legacy. (3/4*)