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

[Arcademan]

Waaaaay behind so let's play catch-ups:

WWE RAW Results: 1-12-19

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report). To view condensed in-ring results, go to Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8562

1 -- REY MYSTERIO vs. World tag team champion THE MIZ

WINNER: Rey in 4:00. Way too short of a match there. Could have gone another seven or eight minutes and given Miz a chance to prove himself in a singles opportunity. (*1/4)

2 -- IC champion WILLIAM REGAL (w/Layla) vs. C.M. PUNK -- Intercontinental Title match

WINNER: Regal via DQ in 2:00. Well, there had better be a point to this because it's going to be difficult for the audience to buy into future title matches with the first two of this year ending in lame fashion. (n/a)

3 -- KANE vs. RANDY ORTON (w/Cody Rhodes)

WINNER: Orton in 9:00. Apparently they're doing a blind-as-a-bat angle for WWE refs now. Either that or Scott legit screwed up making the three count, as there was a very awkward moment after the bell. They played it up well if it was a legit match finish. (*1/2)

4 -- WWE World Hvt. champion JOHN CENA vs. SHAWN MICHAELS (w/JBL) -- non-title match

WINNER: Shawn Michaels in 24:00. One night after an early TNA MOTY contender, we have our first WWE Match of the Year contender. What an epic TV match with WWE effectively playing up so many different elements of the Cena-Michaels-JBL program. Michaels was superb. Cena had this different "heel" edge to him. JBL was great in his subtle reactions and not over-playing the heel manager card. Just another great match in the HBK vs. Cena series. They bring out the best in each other. Only a slow period around 12:00 kept this short of reaching five stars. Seriously. (****1/2)

ECW on SciFI Results: 1-13-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report). To view condensed version, go to Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8563

1 -- PAUL BURCHILL & KATIE LEA vs. D.J. GABRIEL & ALICIA FOX

WINNERS: Gabriel & Fox in 3:00. Short match without much to write home about. (1/2*)

2 -- THE BOOGEYMAN vs. SAMMY SABOR

WINNER: Boogeyman in 1:00. Striker saved this one. I understand the art of building up a monster via the squash, but unless Boogey has developed a magical ability in the last year to work a competitive five-minute match, I don't see him being in a position to ascend to a main event level in ECW.

3 -- ECW champion MATT HARDY vs. JACK SWAGGER -- ECW Title match

WINNER: Swagger in 16:00 to capture the ECW Title. Excellent title match. Swagger has certainly earned his spot as the champion of a WWE brand. Now, it's a matter of seeing how he fares with the belt in hand. The upside for Swagger is enormous. (***)

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 1-15-09

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

1 -- STING (w/Kurt Angle, Scott Steiner) vs. HERNANDEZ -- TNA World Hvt. Title

Hernandez opened with some chops in the corner against Sting, who was still wearing a gray t-shirt. Hernandez followed with a slingshot shoulder tackle. He followed with another shoulder tackle. Angle showed concern at ringside. Hernandez scored a two count at 1:00. Steiner interfered as Angle distracted the referee. Tenay hyperventilated as he tried to sneak in all of his talking points hyping the rest of Impact, as if you should have to reiterate the line-up in the midst of a TNA World Title match rather than just making the match in and of itself seem like the biggest deal possible. Hernandez tore off his shirt after a couple clotheslines, then set up a powerbomb. Booker T threw Hernandez's shirt in his face just as he lifted Sting. Then the MEM attacked Hernandez, prompting the ref to call for the DQ.

WINNER: Hernandez via DQ in 4:00.

-Four minutes of official in-ring action in the first hour.

2 -- ODB & ROXXI & TAYLOR WILDE vs. RAESHA SAEED & RHAKA KHAN & SOUJOURNER BOLT - Street Fight Rules

A couple minutes of back and forth action, heels on offense first, then ODB came back. They cut to a break at 3:00.

After some ringside brawling, Roxxi went on a flurry of offense and scored a near fall on Bolt with a bridge at 8:00. A minute later Roxxi finished Khan with the Voo Doo Drop.

WINNERS: Roxxi & Wilde & ODB in 9:00.

STAR RATING: 3/4* -- TNA still really misses Gail Kim.

3 -- ABYSS & MATT MORGAN vs. CONSEQUENCES CREED & "BLACK MACHISMO" JAY LETHAL

At 2:00, after Creed did his silly splits routine before popping up to punch Morgan, Morgan KO'd him with a big boot to the face off the ropes. That deserved a big babyface pop. They cut to a break.

Morgan was still beating down Creed after the break. Tenay and West noted that Abyss wanted to tag out, but Morgan was reluctant because he hasn't felt he's had enough ring time in their tag matches lately. As soon as Abyss tagged in, Creed caught him with a boot and hot-tagged Lethal in. Lethal and Creed double-teamed Abyss and then hit Morgan at ringside with a stereo shoulder dive through the ropes. Creed caught Abyss with a top rope dropkick seconds later for a near fall at 7:00. Morgan entered the ring and gave Creed an overhead slam. Creed landed on his feet. Abyss caught a flying Lethal in mid-air, but slammed him inadvertently onto Morgan for the pin.

WINNERS: Lethal & Creed in 8:00 to earn a tag title shot against Beer Money at Against All Odds.

STAR RATING: *

4 -- SCOTT STEINER vs. A.J. STYLES -- Mick Foley as Special Referee

West said Styles "might be the most talented wrestler on the planet today." Steiner took Styles down amateur style and then slapped the back of his head a few times. Foley gave what appeared to be a pep talk to Styles at ringside. West said Foley is noticeably limping at ringside. Styles came back with a headlock at 2:00 followed by a signature dropkick. He played to the crowd and then flip dove onto Steiner on the floor.

Steiner was in control after the break with chops in the corner and then a suplex. Tenay said the Jarrett-Angle match was one of the greatest matches they've had the opportunity to call. West said it was the hardest to call. Steiner bear-hugged Styles and then just tossed him face-first onto the mat in a nasty looking spot. Steiner gave Styles a Steinerline, then grabbed a chair from the crowd. Foley yelled at ref Earl Hebner. Steiner wedged the chair into the corner. The ref lectured him. Styles recovered and whipped Steiner into the chair. Styles took over with a stretch of offense leading to a near fall at 12:00. Steiner raked Styles's eyes afterward. Styles came right back with a bridge suplex and then a hard flying clothesline in the corner. When he went for a Stinger splash, Steiner yanked the ref into his path. Steiner then face-planted Styles as Foley checked on Hebner. Steiner grabbed his steel pipe and hit Foley on the back with it. Steiner then hit Styles with the pipe. With Styles down, Steiner made the cover. Hebner came to long enough to count, but Styles kicked out before three. West said it must've just been an instinctive reaction. Steiner then applied the Steiner Recliner. The ref came to and checked on Styles. Foley came to and pounded on the mat to encourage a Styles comeback. Styles reached for the ropes, so Steiner released the hold and forearmed Styles. He dragged him back to center-ring and reapplied the Recliner. Foley showed off his "famous sock." Petey Williams ran out and leaped off the top rope with a dropkick to Steiner's jaw. The ref didn't see it. Styles then hit Steiner with a Pele Kick for the win. The show closed with Foley, Styles, and Petey standing together in the ring with their arms raised.

WINNER: Styles in 15:00.

STAR RATING: **1/4 -- Steiner's pretty limited, but Styles is pretty good, and Steiner stuck with what he can do - the suplexes and power moves - and they put together a solid match. The finish forwarded the seemingly forgotten Petey-Steiner conflict.

FINAL THOUGHTS: A middle of the road edition of Impact. Nothing stood out as horrible storyline-wise for them, but nothing really grabbed you, either. Just more of MEM and Front Line battling each other. The returns of Brother Ray and Petey was supposed to carry the show from a newsy standpoint. The Palin payoff was a bit of a letdown as the Palin impersonator just disappeared after it was revealed she wasn't the real deal. The Hernandez cash-in was a letdown, too. He better get that briefcase back after how cheap his title match ending was.

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 1-16-09

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

1 -- JACK SWAGGER & MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas) vs. MATT HARDY & FINLAY (w/Hornswoggle)

This is a big moment for Swagger, his first appearance on one of the Big Two shows. For those who haven't been watching ECW, he is the real deal and the best bet to come out of nowhere to be a major player quickly. He is a natural in the ring, a natural on the mic, he's a natural with body language and facial expressions, and a natural at being a heat generator. Ross on Swagger: "Jack Swagger, a young man who has as much potential as anyone I've seen in WWE in many, many years." Meanwhile, Matt Hardy's apparently been on the diet that Hurricane Helms was on the past six months. He's hitting that age in his mid-30s where the same number of calories in doesn't necessary work itself off as easily. Henry overpowered Hardy early, but Hardy came back with an enzuigiri and then a hot-tag to Finlay. Swagger sold to Finlay for a moment, but then rammed Finlay into the ringpost and sent him to the floor where Henry beat on him a little. Swagger got sustained offense as Hardy got the crowd to clap as they cut to a break.

Even when Swagger applies a chinlock, he makes it look like he's holding someone back from pushing a nuclear bomb button that's going to destroy the world. There's nothing casual about it. Finlay avoided a swing splash by Swagger at 11:00 leading to a hot-tag to Hardy. Hardy took it to Swagger right away, looking to get retribution for losing the ECW Title to him earlier in the week. Hardy hit a Side Effect and then set up a Twist of Fate. Atlas threw Hornswoggle into the ring to distract Hardy. Atlas then surprised Hardy with a clothesline. Finlay hit Henry with the shillelagh. Swagger kicked Finlay in the face. Hardy surprised Swagger with a Twist of Fate for the win.

WINNER: Hardy & Finlay in 12:00.

STAR RATING: *1/2 -- Basic okay tag match. I'd have wanted to give Swagger a little more time to shine in his national Smackdown debut than what they gave him here, especially coming off of an ECW Title. Having the heel champ lose to the babyface former champ or challenger is a tried and true proven booking technique, but with someone as new as Swagger, it might not have been ideal.

2 -- R-TRUTH vs. BRIAN KENDRICK (w/Ezekiel Jackson)

Truth dominated early. Kendrick took over with a surprise kick as the ref was talking to Truth. He controlled the next few minutes with a leglock and then a chinlock. He went for The Kendrick, but Truth avoided it and came back with his rolling scissors kick for the win almost out of nowhere.

WINNER: Truth in 5:00.

STAR RATING: *

3 -- THE BIG SHOW vs. MVP -- Last Man Standing match

MVP jump-started the match with a chairshot from behind. As he swung the chair at him again at ringside, Show punched the chair out of his hands. MVP rolled into the ring to regroup and ready for Show's entrance. As Show tried to enter, MVP kicked him to the floor. Show eventually swatted MVP aside and entered the ring, then caught his running boot attempt and sent him tumbling to the floor at 2:00.

Show went after MVP on the floor. MVP rolled back into the ring. Ross complimented MVP's "Hit and Run" strategy. Show shoved MVP to the floor seconds later and this time caught up with him on the floor. He clubbed him across the back with his forearm. At 4:00 Show whipped MVP into the steps. Tazz wondered what Triple H's advice was for MVP. MVP moved out of the path of a charging Show, then leaped off the ring apron and dropkicked Show into the ringpost at 5:00. They cut to a break after Show again swatted away an MVP kick.

After the break, Show slapped MVP across the cheat and then smiled with a sense of satisfaction. He continued the methodical beatdown of MVP, including lifting him by his head and throwing him to the mat. MVP came back with a sleeper at 12:00. MVP came back with a sleeper briefly, but when the action spilled to the floor, Show whipped MVP into the security wall. He sat on the steps at ringside as the ref began to count to ten MVP got up before ten. Show casually stood up and went back to work. Show grabbed MVP by his lapels. That infuriated Show, went aggressively went after MVP with a suplex on the ramp. MVP rolled all the way off the ramp to the floor where the ref began counting again. MVP stood up before ten. Show chopped him hard in the chest. Show pressed and threw MVP onto the stage. Show lifted MVP for a chokeslam. Triple H ran out and hit Show from behind with a sledgehammer. Both men went down. The ref began counting. Triple H yelled at MVP, encouraging him to stand up. The crowd chanted, "MVP, MVP." He did stand up with help from the WWE logo on the stage. The ref raised MVP's arm. When was the last time that happened? The camera zoomed in on Show really selling the pain from the sledgehammer shot.

WINNER: MVP in 16:00.

STAR RATING: **1/2 -- The definition of lumbering, but still well played out. I'm not sure if MVP's losing streak ending needed to be done that way under circumstances where he wasn't even the main focus of the match or angle.

4 -- VICTORIA vs. MICHELLE MCCOOL

Ross said this is Victoria's last match in WWE. "Victoria's retiring," he said. She went after McCool at ringside, and then pounded her head back in the ring. Ross said she's had an amazing career in WWE and wanted to dedicate this match to the troops. She hit a standing moonsault for a near fall at 1:00. Ross noted the referee for this match, Jack Doan, was back from shoulder surgery. She scored another near fall at 2:00 after a superplex. Ross said Victoria's decision to retire came about rather abruptly. He said a lot of tears were shed earlier in the day as she said her goodbyes to a lot of people. McCool came back and began working over Victoria's leg, ramming it over the edge of the ring apron. Victoria made a comeback at 5:00 with a backslide for a near fall. She set up her Widow's Peak finisher, but her leg buckled and McCool escaped and her Styles Clash finisher, now titled the "Faith Breaker." Victoria lay in the ring afterward soaking up the moment as McCool paced around the ring celebrating.

WINNER: McCool in 6:00.

STAR RATING: *1/2 -- Good TV women's match. Longer than usual, which was a nice show of respect giving Victoria time for a full-fledged match on TV instead one of those one minute deals.

-Edge made his full ring intro for "The Cutting Edge" segment.

-Edge said as an elite athlete, he's learned to block out distractions. He said his only focus lately has been to take back his WWE Championship from Jeff Hardy. He said lately that's been difficult because every week there seems to be a new distraction trying to shift his focus, such as very private photos of his wife being plastered all over WWE.com. He said words won't due justice this story, so instead they made a movie. He pointed to the big screen and a video aired of Jeff Hardy's WWE Title victory. Edge called Hardy's title reign "an embarrassing, irrational period" in WWE history. He laughed and said that's just a slight glimpse of the preview. He said the movie ends at the Royal Rumble when Hardy's only WWE Title reign was an accident. He doesn't just want to tell the fans, he wants to tell Hardy in person.

Jeff Hardy's ring intro aired and as he danced on the stage, the pyro show got out of hand and engulfed him. He went down in pain, grabbing at his face. Ross gasped, "What?" A trainer ran to the back for help. Jimmy Wang Yang was the first out, calling for help. Hurricane Helms was next out, followed by trainers. They went to shots of concerned fans in the crowd. A stretcher was brought out. R-Truth ran out next to help him onto the stretcher. Hardy covered his face as they rolled him onto the backbrace. Vickie stepped out to a chorus of boos and observed. It's a little weird they went the backbrace route for facial burns. They replayed the pyro engulfing him from several angles as the crowd fell silent. Hardy was rolled to the back, still covering his face, as the crowd chanted "Hardy, Hardy" and the show ended without further comments.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Good edition of Smackdown. It hardly felt like a throwaway B-show that's been to often this decade. The show-closing angle was well-done. Realistic, but tasteful. The Show-MVP build up and execution and follow-up was all sharp. The filler matches were solid, too.

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 1-19-09

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

1 -- BATTLE ROYALE match

A few seconds into the match, the lights went down and out. Lawler covered that Kane was having another entrance. Lights came back on a few seconds later, then all of the heels ganged up on Kane and Kofi until Legacy decided to dump Santino out of the ring at 1:00.

Legacy then dumped Kofi over the top rope, leaving Kane against the Legacy. Out went Cody Rhodes very quickly. DiBiase then skinned the cat before coming back into the ring to nearly eliminate everyone, but Orton held onto the top rope and won because only one of his feet hit the ring. Afterward, Orton celebrated with his boys in the ring.

WINNER: Randy Orton at 1:50. Well, that was insanely short for a battle royale. And they went to sell a Rumble PPV on Sunday? (n/a)

2 -- Women's champion BETH PHOENIX vs. KELLY KELLY -- non-title match

Kelly sporting a Chicago Blackhawks half-jersey to get the local cheers. Beth quickly shoved Kelly down to the mat before Kelly kicked back only to take a big chest smash. Fans were hot with a "Kelly, Kelly" chant before Beth nailed her sit-out facebuster for the pin.

WINNER: Beth at 1:30. Quick squash for Beth to set up her title match against Melina at the Rumble.

3 -- IC champion WILLIAM REGAL (w/Layla) vs. C.M. PUNK -- Intercontinental Title match -- No DQ

Punk landed some stiff kicks to the chest in the ongoing, then Regal rolled to the floor to recover. Punk blocked a suplex on the floor, then rammed him into the ringpost and nailed a kick to the back. Back in the ring, Punk snapped off a suplex before landing more leg blows to the back. Let's get a break.

Back from break, Regal was in trouble with Punk locking him in a submission hold inside the ropes. Punk locked that sucker in forever with no five count in a No DQ, so Layla pulled Punk off. The distraction allowed Regal to smash Punk onto the ring apron. Back in the ring, Regal went to work on Punk with submission holds. Suddenly, they had a standing exchange with forearm blows until Punk landed a spinning backfist and a roundhouse kick to the head. Punk made a cover, but only a two count at 8:00.

Punk with the high knee in the corner, but Regal blocked the bulldog and hit a half-nelson release suplex that dropped Punk straight on his neck. Geez. Regal made a cover, but only a two count. Regal went back to work, then wanted the big knee smash, but Punk ducked and wanted the G2S (huge pop for the tease). Regal fought the hold with repeated elbow smashes, but Punk dropped him with the G2S for the pin and the win to set off a wild celebration in Chicago. Punk soaked up the moment for a few minutes while they replayed the finish and stayed in the moment for quite some time. Nice to see that.

WINNER: C.M. Punk at 9:50 to capture the IC Title. Stiff as a mother match. Excellent work by both men with plenty of intensity and a great exchange of offense. Punk nearly breaking his neck was a momentary setback, but a great 10-minute TV bout nevertheless. (***)

4 -- REY MYSTERIO vs. MIKE KNOX

Rey quickly knocked Knox to the floor, then wanted a dropkick, but Knox clotheslined him from his knees on Rey's level. Rey then slingshot Knox across the ring and wanted the 619, but Knox caught his legs and "disconnected the call" before whiplashing Rey throat-first across the middle rope. Knox then wiped the blood off his mouth and began attacking Rey with a vicious beating in the corner. Ref DQ'ed him for not breaking a five count, then Knox went back for more by nailing the Knox Out in center ring.

WINNER: Rey Mysterio via DQ at 2:50. Just fine to keep the storyline going. Did I just write that? Not right. We'll see where this goes before passing judgment this week. (*)

5 -- World tag team champions THE MIZ & JOHN MORRISON vs. CRYME TYME (SHAD GASPAR & JTG) -- non-title match

CT stole the victory in less than two minutes running referee interference to set up Shad for a front slam on Morrison for the pin. Miz was beside himself afterward.

WINNERS: Cryme Tyme at 1:30. Another too-short match tonight. Promo exchange was more intriguing than the match, which is typical for this feud. (1/2*)

6 -- MELINA vs. JILLIAN HALL

A few seconds into the action, Beth, Santino, and Rosa walked to the ringside area while Jillian yanked on Melina's hair in the corner. Jill nearly botched a move, but slammed Melina to the mat. Out of the corner, Melina rolled through on Jillian with a sunset flip pin for the win. Post-match: Rosa jumped into the ring to earn her keep by attacking Melina, which allowed Beth to sneak into the ring and gave her the chicken wing front-face slam to set up their match at the Rumble. Afterward, Beth stormed out of the ring, leaving Santino to ponder things.

WINNER: Melina at 1:20. Just a quick set-up for the Rumble. (1/2*)

Last part of the show was Vince McMahon's return, Chris Jericho groveling for his job and finished with Randy Orton kicking in Vince's head. Show went 18 minutes over...about the length of the combined matches in the show.

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 1-20-09

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

1 -- RICKY ORTIZ vs. ADAM EVANS

Ortiz needs to turn heel or just go away. Crowd quiet as Ortiz easily worked over Evans, who over-did the selling of a weak-looking backbreaker. Grisham said Ortiz is still trying to "find his way here in ECW." In other words, he isn't that good in the ring. Ortiz attempted a side belly-to-back suplex and managed not to break the dude's neck before landing a football shoulder tackle. Ortiz then pulled out the rally towel, which drew boos. Ortiz then landed the Big O splash for the pin and the win. Post-match: Swagger took the mic and looked for the cheap pop asking Chi-Town for their support. He told them to "Rally Up." Ortiz then walked over to a fan on the front row and gave him a towel. Fan really didn't want the towel, but he accepted to be nice.

WINNER: Ortiz in 2:00. Let the crowd response indicate the direction of the character. Either turn him heel or send him away. (n/a)

2 -- THE BOOGEYMAN vs. PAUL BURCHILL (w/Katie Lea)

Striker said Burchill has an "interesting workout regiment." Couldn't see the match, as Boogeyman's ring entrance smoke hovered over the ring for the length of the match. So much for McMahon taking wrestling out of smoke-filled arenas. Fans chanted Boogeyman's name, then Katie snuck into the ring and kicked Boogey in the back to cause a DQ. Boogey clotheslined Burchill to the floor and chased after Katie. He tossed her into the ring and teased the worms down the throat, but Burchill pulled his sis out of the ring. They took off running to avoid Boogey.

WINNER: Boogeyman via DQ in 2:00. Eh. Would have liked to have seen this given a chance to test the limits of both wrestlers with at least five minutes. Yes, as torturous as that could be, but they need to find out whether either one can do anything of substance on this show. (n/a)

3 -- FINLAY (w/Hornswoggle) vs. MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas) vs. World tag champion THE MIZ vs. World tag champion JOHN MORRISON

One pin or submission ends the match tonight. They did some Rumble spots early on, including Finlay dumping Morrison over the top rope to the floor. Cut to break.

Miz and Morrison tried to double up on Henry, but Henry fought them off easily with a round of clotheslines. Finlay then snuck in behind Henry and wanted a second rope splash, but Henry caught him, dropped him to his feet, and kicked him to the mat. Finlay then came back with a DDT on Henry before Miz and Morrison dropkicked Henry underneath the bottom rope to the floor. Tag champs then stomped on Finlay before giving him a double gut-buster. Things slowed down considerably as Finlay fought the champs in an odd fashion.

Henry decided he was done with things, despite Tony's pleadings, so he walked off. Meanwhile, Horny with a tadpole splash on Morrison. Finlay then dropped Miz with the Celtic Cross, but Morrison prevented a pin with a stiff knee smash to the face. Morrison then covered Miz ? for the pin and the win. Morrison declared himself victorious while Miz was shocked that his partner pinned him. A little Shelley-Sabin deal here. Grisham said it's every man for himself at the Rumble on Sunday. Morrison posed once more while Miz remained annoyed to close the show.

WINNER: John Morrison in 10:00. Had some rough patches, but a nice finish to (a) build-up the Rumble and (b) preview the future and inevitable splitting-up of Miz and Morrison for singles pushes down the line. Not the epic hard-sell for Sunday to close the show, which I thought should have been the Swagger-Hardy pull-apart. (*1/2)

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 1-22-09

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

1 -- X Division champion ALEX SHELLEY vs. CHRIS SABIN vs. SHEIK ABDUL BASHIR vs. SONJAY DUTT (w/So Cal Val) -- X Division Title match

Reinstated ref Sewell has the ref assignment tonight. Apparently there's a deal where Sheik and Dutt are working together. Ya know, for the same reasons Kong, Bolt, and Rhaka are together. Dutt and Bashir decided to let the Guns start off against other, then they snuck in behind after an initial stand-off. At 4:00, Sharmell walked down to ringside to get a close look at the action, presumably due to Shane's presence as ref since Shane confronted Booker T at the PPV. Dutt scored a nearfall at 5:00, then Shelley awkwardly rolled him up from behind with Sabin occupying Sheik to score the pin and the win.

WINNER: Shelley in 6:00 to retain the X Division Title. Fine action, but too many attempted highspots without any flow to tell a memorable story. They just need to find one solid storyline within the Division to focus on, and start re-building the division. Otherwise, these matches are just there to be there. (*)

2 -- SOJOURNER BOLT vs. ODB

It's been like half-an-hour since we had a match here. No Kongtourage out with Bolt tonight. Tenay announced ODB vs. Kong for the Knockouts Title at the Against All Odds PPV. Sojo jumped ODB from behind to jump-start the action. A few minutes into the action, Awesome Kong stormed the ring and put the boots to ODB to cause a DQ. Post-match: Kong gave ODB the implant buster while the Kongtourage came into the ring. Roxxi and Taylor Wilde then stormed the ring to clear the heels as back-up for ODB.

WINNER: ODB via DQ in 3:00. We finally get a match on this show and it ends with a DQ in a few minutes. Eh. Same chapter, different paragraph with this feud that will never end. (n/a)

3 -- MAIN EVENT MAFIA (SCOTT STEINER & Legends champion BOOKER T w/Sharmell) vs. FRONTLINE (ERIC YOUNG & PETEY WILLIAMS) -- Elimination match

Before the match started, Don West mentioned the Team Canada connection between Petey and Eric Young. First time I've thought of A-1 in probably a year. Match started with Young and Booker exchanging holds. Mafia took control and started working over Young in their corner. They eventually beat him down to score an easy pinfall on Young, leaving Petey by himself against the Mafia.

Back from break at the top of the hour, they recapped how the Mafia beat down on Petey during the commercial. Steiner talked trash, then chucked Petey over the top rope, but Petey skinned the cat back into the ring and landed right hand blows on Steiner. Petey tried to land a ton of blows on Steiner to pummel him, but Steiner ducked to the floor for a breather.

Booker then got his tag to get a piece of Petey. He quickly subdued Petey before landing trademark chops to the chest. He missed with a leg scissors, though, and Petey landed a dropkick for a two count. Booker came right back with a powerslam before pulling up on a pin attempt to inflict more damage. Steiner tagged in and Petey landed a tornado DDT, but Steiner kicked out. Petey wanted the Destroyer, but Booker superkicked him to set up Steiner for a top rope fallaway slam. Steiner had the pin, but he pulled up to inflict more damage.

At 11:00, Booker had another pin, but he pulled up before a three count. Booker then delivered the axe kick in center ring to KO Petey. He had the pin and decided to get the three count this time. Afterward, Shane was upset with the treatment of Petey there. He then raised Booker and Steiner's hands in victory while shaking his head in disgust. Booker suddenly slapped Shane across the face and talked trash to him. Shane then Shaned Up and spun around to punch Booker. Steiner cut him off, though, and Booker gave him the book-end in center ring. Shane took a beating, then ref Earl Hebner tried to make the save, but he was scared of Steiner and Booker, who snapped on Shane. Sharmell tried to talk some sense into him as Hebner finally was able to enter the ring to check on Shane.

WINNERS: Booker & Steiner in 12:00. Very dominating victory for the Mafia to re-establish control. Also a case study in how to book a babyface to look sympathetic and ready to see him get revenge (Shane) and how to book a babyface to look pathetic for not being able to back-up a sneak attack (Petey). (*3/4)

4 -- TNA tag team champions BEER MONEY, INC. (ROBERT ROODE & JAMES STORM) vs. ABYSS & MATT MORGAN -- First Blood non-title match

BMI came to the ring after the break, but the male companions attacked the champs on the ramp to start a ringside brawl. Tenay and West said refs are standing around with towels to check for the first blood in this one. The action moved to the ring where Abyss wedged a chair in the turnbuckles to set up Roode, but Roode blocked a corner splash and hit a Blockbuster from the middle rope. Roode then landed right hand blows on Abyss, but no blood. Roode then took the chair to the face missing in the corner on Abyss, but no blood.

Morgan brought Storm back into the ring and landed elbow smashes, but no blood. Roode and Abyss battled to the floor and Roode got the better of that to re-enter the ring and smash Morgan with a belt shot. No blood, though. Abyss then walked back into the ring and took a kick from Storm. He wanted the Last Call superkcik, but Abyss blocked and nailed a chokeslam. BMI then tried to double-team Abyss and they nailed a suplex. Roode wanted a chairshot, but Morgan grabbed the chair from behind and cleared the heels to the corner. What came next was the inevitable of Morgan turning on Abyss with a chair shot to the head that opened up Abyss's forehead to give BMI the win.

Post-match: Morgan licked his lips and then opened up Abyss with a flurry of punches and kicks. Morgan cleared out the mall cops trying to run security, then the camera focused on the leaky faucet releasing blood from Abyss's forehead. Morgan landed another chair shot to the head. Yes, more chair shots to the head involving Abyss because Abyss desperately wants to be lumped in that "Abdullah, Funk, Foley" category. Morgan shouted down to Abyss that he did this to himself.

WINNERS: Beer Money in 6:00. All about the follow-up with Abyss and Morgan. Match was standard brawl-around-the-arena TNA fare. (*1/4)

5 -- A.J. STYLES vs. KURT ANGLE -- Tables match

West pointed out Styles has virtually zero back-up tonight with Rhino still out with an injury from the PPV, Joe injured, Foley in Europe, and Jarrett out of commission. What about ODB? She's probably recovered from her beating. Match started with Angle on the offensive grounding Styles on the mat.

Before they cut to a break, Styles knocked Angle to the floor, then Angle tried to roll back into the ring to avoid Styles's offense and a potential trip through a table. Cut to break with Angle on the defensive.

They returned from break with Angle in control and going for a table. West gave us a word on how dangerous the tables actually are when people take it for granted. Angle brought the furniture into the ring and Angle paused to survey a cut on his thumb. Deep cut at that, as the camera focused on blood coming out of his right palm near the thumb while Angle had a headlock on Styles. Angle unfolded the table at 8:00 and set up Styles for a top rope move through the wood, but Styles fought him off. They had a right-hand blow exchange before Styles crotched Angle on the edge of the table. Ouch.

At 10:00, Styles made his full-fledged comeback and stalked Angle for a potential trip through the wood, but Angle got to his feet and forearmed Styles to the ring apron. Styles answered with the springboard flying forearm that brushed Angle on the head. Styles wanted the Clash, but Angle blocked, only to have Styles roll through, but Angle countered with the anklelock. Styles escaped and then nailed a Pele kick on Angle. Styles put Angle on the table, then went up top, but Angle cat-quick hopped up top to block Styles. Angle then grappled Styles and nailed the Angle Slam through the table in center ring for the win.

WINNER: Angle in 12:00. Good, decisive TV main event. Styles had enough offense to remain credible before setting up the post-match. (**1/2)

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 1-23-09

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

(1) U.S. champion SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. THE UNDERTAKER. Looking forward to watching this based on Greg Parks's report, although I'm not a big fan of throwing out Taker matches on free TV without build-up. He needs the Shawn Michaels treatment of having his free TV matches treated like a huge deal to increase his PPV drawing power for the last stage of his career.

Shelton had a great counter at 8:00, taking Taker out of the chokeslam into a leaping DDT for a nearfall. Ross with a nice piece of commentary that he thought Shelton scored a three count based on the position of the ref's hand. Shelton then got caught on Taker, who locked in the Devil's Gate triangle choke out of nowhere for the tap-out victory. WINNER: Taker in 11:00. Very nice match. Shelton looked good in defeat to Taker with several close nearfalls. (**1/2)

(2) GREAT KHALI beat CHAVO GUERRERO in 2:00. Khali has that "Ultimate Warrior" babyface vibe that fans react when he comes out (not to the level of Warrior), but then the match starts and people lose interest. Khali with the chokebomb for the pin and the win. Effectively built up Khali as a threat in the Rumble (like Taker) and showed that Chavo is a fool working for aunt Vickie if she's going to book him in an obvious squash. (n/a)

(3) NIKKI & BRIE BELLA no-contest MICHELLE McCOOL & NATALYA in 2:00. New divas champion Maryse was out on commentary, making her first TV appearance since the house show injury in December. Couldn't understand half of what she said, but that wasn't the point based on the outfit. Suddenly, Maria stormed the ring to jump McCool, causing the match to be thrown out. Michelle eventually got the best of Maria and kneed her into the guardrail. More focus on Michelle, but disappointing use of Natalya.

(3) MATT HARDY vs. EDGE -- No DQ. Weapons entered play at 3:00, bringing up an "E-C-dub" chant from three people near an arena mic. Crowd was hot for the vile exchange, which included a trashcan lid shot to the head. Why the continued use of weapon shots to the head in 2009? Crowd was hot for the brawl, which was interrupted by Mark Henry at 6:00. Hardy fought him off, hit the Twist on Edge, but ECW champ Jack Swagger interrupted and gutwrench powerbombed Hardy. Good to see Swagger in a position of strength on Smackdown this week. Edge with the spear on a lifeless Hardy for the win. WINNER: Edge in 7:00. Nice brawl to set up Edge vs. Jeff and Swagger vs. Matt at the Rumble. Putting those four together would be a heck of a tag match coming out of the Rumble, by the way. (**)

(4) World tag team champions THE MIZ & JOHN MORRISON vs. WWE tag team champions CARLITO & PRIMO COLON. Tazz talked up his WWE debut at the 2000 Royal Rumble. No mention that Tazz beat Kurt Angle. Good, fast-paced action here. Morrison and Carlito exchanged great nearfalls with counters of roll-ups, then Morrison gave Carlito then high knee to the jaw. Miz made a blind tag and Carlito didn't see it when he gave Mo the backstabber. Miz then rolled up Carlito from behind for the win. WINNERS: Miz & Morrison in 12:00. Good second-half to the tag match. Primo doesn't jump off the screen like M&M, but he's effective in his secondary role to Carlito. Nice match. Much better undercard on Smackdown this week compared to recent shows. (**)

(5) TRIPLE H vs. KOSLOV. Koslov's unbeaten record is on the line here. Two minutes into the deal, Vickie excused herself on stage to change things up. Someone is missing from the match. Now, it's a handicap match with Big Show as the other opponent. Apparently Vickie wasn't in the mood to watch another slow-down-drag-out between Hunter and Koslov from Survivor Series.

(5b) TRIPLE H vs. KOSLOV & BIG SHOW. Hunter was on the defensive early on in this one. Koslov lost control for the heels, and Hunter gave him a spinebuster before Show KO'ed Hunter to block a Pedigree. Koslov then scooped up Hunter and gave him a modified Rock Bottom for the pin and the win. WINNERS: Koslov & Show in 7:00. Afterward, Vickie was very pleased with herself and clapped it up. Soft sell going into the Rumble without much excitement to close the show. Excitement is more important than "babyface in jeopardy" to sell the Rumble PPV, so I disagree with the tone to close the show.

[Arcademan]

WWE Royal Rumble Results: 1-25-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's ongoing report). To view in-ring results, go to Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8596 and posts thereafter. Entry and Elimination list updates will be shown at Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8603 (direct link).. Ongoing summary of the match will be updated at Neo-Geo: Official WWE Thread Post #8604 (direct link).

1 -- ECW champion JACK SWAGGER vs. MATT HARDY -- ECW Title match

WINNER: Swagger in 11:00 to retain the ECW Title. Good opening match and a solid PPV debut for Swagger. Some close nearfalls at the end got the crowd involved for the rest of the show. Announcers were solid, as usual. (**3/4)

2 -- Women's champion BETH PHOENIX (w/Santino Marella) vs. MELINA -- Women's Title match

WINNER: Melina in 6:00 to capture the Women's Title. Slow moments in this one, but some really innovative spots, such as Beth forcing Melina to repeatedly kick herself on the rear end. Good showing from both. (*1/2)

3 -- WWE World Hvt. champion JOHN CENA vs. JBL (w/Shawn Michaels) -- World Heavyweight Title match

WINNER: John Cena in 16:00 to retain the World Title. They sure did a nice job of putting Cena in jeopardy of losing the World Title at least two or three times in this one. Nice, dramatic sequence of events with Shawn Michaels making himself the ultimate babyface dropping both men with sweet chin music, then washing his hands of the mess. Great WWE main event heavyweight style match. (***1/2)

4 -- WWE champion JEFF HARDY vs. EDGE (w/Chavo Guerrero) -- WWE World Title match -- No DQ match

WINNER: Edge in 20:00 to capture the WWE Title. Very good gimmick match, which WWE saved for this point in the card and doesn't do often to begin with. Nicely done. We knew the storyline was going to either Matt turning on Jeff or Christian returning to help Edge, so it was only a matter of waiting for the final finish after a series of false finishes. Great storytelling. Follow-up on Matt vs. Jeff will be key. (***1/2)

5 -- ROYAL RUMBLE MATCH

Post-match: Orton stood tall with the Legacy in the ring. Ross said Orton is guaranteed a championship match at WrestleMania 25. Orton then stood alone in the ring and pointed to the WM 25 sign hanging above the arena while spotlights shot out from the arena. Ross said Orton is going to Mania to become a champion. Ross reiterated the point that it's guaranteed, implying the McMahons can't do anything about it. Orton pointed to the WM 25 sign as a huge fireworks display shot off from the 25 banner. Orton sternly celebrated one more time to close the show.

WINNER: Randy Orton at 58:10.

Entry
1 - Rey Mysterio
2 - John Morrison
3 - Carlito
4 - MVP
5 - Great Khali
6 - Kozlov
7 - Triple H
8 - Randy Orton
9 - Cryme Tyme member JTG
10 - Ted DiBiase, Jr.
11 - Chris Jericho
12 - Mike Knox
13 - The Miz
14 - Finlay
15 - Cody Rhodes
16 - The Undertaker
17 - Goldust
18 - C.M. Punk
19 - Mark Henry
20 - Shelton Benjamin
21 - William Regal
22 - Kofi Kingston
23 - Kane
24 - R-Truth
25 - RVD
26 - The Brian Kendrick
27 - Dolph Ziggler
28 - Santino Marella
29 - Hacksaw Jim Duggan
30 - Big Show

Elimination
1 - Great Khali via Kozlov
2 - MVP via Kozlov
3 - Carlito via Kozlov
4 - Kozlov via Triple H
5 - The Miz via Triple H
6 - Morrison via Triple H
7 - JTG via Undertaker
8 - Goldust via Cody Rhodes
9 - Mark Henry via Rey Mysterio
10 - Shelton Benjamin via The Undertaker
11 - William Regal via C.M. Punk
12 - Kofi Kingston via The Brian Kendrick
13 - The Brian Kendrick via Triple H
14 - Dolph Ziggler via Kane
15 - Santino Marella via Kane
16 - Jim Duggan via Big Show
17 - R-Truth via Big Show
18 - C.M. Punk via Big Show
19 - Rey Mysterio via Big Show (49:30)
20 - Mike Knox via Big Show
21 - Finlay via Kane
22 - RVD via Chris Jericho
23 - Chris Jericho via The Undertaker
24 - Kane via Cody, DiBiase, and Orton
25 - Big Show via Undertaker
26 - Undertaker via Legacy and Big Show
27 - Ted DiBiase via Triple H
28 - Cody Rhodes via Triple H
29 - Triple H via Randy Orton

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 1-26-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete results). To view condensed in-ring results including the opening and closing segments, go to Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8615.

1 -- World tag team champions THE MIZ & JOHN MORRISON vs. CRYME TYME (SHAD GASPAR & JTG) -- World tag title match
WINNERS: Miz & Morrison in 4:00. Disappointing tag match in the sense that it wasn't given much time. Action was fine while it lasted, though. (*)

2 -- KANE vs. KOFI KINGSTON -- Elimination Chamber qualifying match
WINNER: Kofi at 1:52. Another too-short TV match, but exciting during the two minutes. Are they giving HBK vs. Cena 45 minutes or booking another 25-minute show-closing segment and need to fit in without a reprimand from USA Network for going 18 minutes over last week? Time for version 35 of Kane-finds-his-monster-ways-again after going on another losing streak. (*)

3 -- WWE World Hvt. champion JOHN CENA vs. SHAWN MICHAELS -- non-title match -- JBL qualifies for Elimination Chamber w/HBK win
WINNER: Cena at 12:40. Very good on the storytelling aspect of the match. Action was a bit off at times, but still a good piece of business to advance storylines to WrestleMania. Not at the level of their match two weeks ago. (**3/4)

4 -- Women's champion MELINA & KELLY KELLY vs. BETH PHOENIX & JILLIAN HALL
WINNERS: Beth & Jillian at 2:30. Fine divas match, but another shortie. Glamarella needs something to spice things up. Seems like repeat TV every week. Rosa isn't going to cut it either. (1/2*)

5 -- REY MYSTERIO vs. WILLIAM REGAL (w/Layla) -- Elimination Chamber qualifying match
WINNER: Rey at 3:45 to advance to the Chamber. It seemed like they cut out 30 seconds of the Rey comeback before he suddenly hit the 619 and splash for the win, especially after Regal was dominating and in no position to be weak enough to set up a logical pinning sequence from Rey. Tough to suspend disbelief there. (*)

6 -- Intercontinental champion C.M. PUNK vs. CHRIS JERICHO -- non-title match -- Elimination Chamber qualifying match
WINNER: Jericho at 3:20. Maybe it's the trunks vs. long pants, but Jericho is looking a bit chunkier these days. Another too-short match and not exactly the best way to promote the IC Title belt after Punk's win last week. (*)

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 1-27-09

Only 2 matches on the card tonight. Results courtesy as always from PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report)

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

Striker said Burchill is tough because Terry Funk picked him for a series of hardcore matches in the U.K. recently. First foreshadowing for Funks in the 2009 Hall. Finlay in here to test out Burchill and see if he's national-TV ready. Action was pretty slow, so Horny got involved with Katie at 3:00 and distracted Burchill in the process. Hornswoggle then disappeared under the ring and Finlay kicked Burch in the face.

Back in the ring, Finlay went on the offensive and hit a rolling gutbuster for a two count. The move cut Finlay over the eye and opened him up pretty good. Grisham equated Belfast, N. Ireland to Cleveland for its weather and blue-collar work ethic. Finlay then finished off Burchill with the Celtic Cross for the win. Afterward, Finlay bowed to Katie, who didn't appreciate the gesture. They continued to make eye contact while Katie checked on big brother.

WINNER: Finlay in 5:00. Decisive victory to set up Finlay for a potential ECW Title feud against Swagger. Meanwhile, Burch continues to be Burch. Katie has a ton of potential and will break out soon enough. (*1/4)

2 -- MARK HENRY vs. TOMMY DREAMER

"E-C-W" chant after the opening bell sounded. Henry quickly went to work on Dreamer with a mat-based attack. In other words, very slow paced action. Grisham told us a story about Henry getting WrestleMania ticket requests from his family considering the proximity of Silsbee to Houston, but Henry said he told them all no because he doesn't want anyone there but himself. Striker one-upped, saying he went to the movies with Henry to see NOTORIOUS and Henry cut to the front of the line because he can. Great storytelling from the announcers to flesh out the character during the slow period of the match. Dreamer came back at 5:00 with the basement dropkick, then went up top for a crossbody splash, but Henry caught him in mid-air for the World's Strongest Slam and the win. Afterward, Henry had a good chuckle. Striker said Dreamer has a long road ahead of him to the ECW Title journey.

WINNER: Mark Henry in 6:00. Highlight was Grisham and Striker's commentary. They are simply great working together, telling compelling stories to enhance the characters. Match was okay. (*)

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 1-29-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report). To view condensed version, go to Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8630.

1 -- ODB vs. KONGTOURAGE (Knockouts champion AWESOME KONG & RAISHA SAEED & SOJOURNER BOLT & RHAKA KHAN)
WINNERS: Kongtourage in 4:00. Greatest call of a handicap match ever from Booker, who never stopped talking, his voice becoming lower and lower and lower as the match progressed. Nash was a good straight man, simply interjecting a thought or two when Booker took a breath. Match didn't matter based on TNA's presentation. (1/2*)

2 -- Legends champion BOOKER T vs. ANDREW THOMAS & RUDY CHARLES (w/Earl Hebner)
WINNER: Booker in 5:00. Gave new meaning to referee incompetence in TNA. Nash was simply great on commentary. Booker managed to drag out five minutes and tell a really nice story of complete dominance. Greatness. (n/a)

3 -- PETEY WILLIAMS vs. MATT MORGAN
WINNER: Morgan in 4:00. Oh wow. They managed to make Morgan look a complete goof, but still put him over, while Petey was sadly a part of this with no chance of benefiting. TNA parodying itself and the company's traditionally downright horrible booking is so great. I'm convinced TNA spent the last three years ***-backwards booking to build up tonight's greatness from the Mafia. (*)

4 -- TNA World Hvt. champion STING vs. TEAM 3D (BROTHER RAY & BROTHER DEVON) -- handicap match
WINNER: Team 3D via DQ in 9:00. Booker was the story on this one, doing a number on everyone with the play-by-play. Match was inconsequential and forgettable, just like the other matches on this show, but Booker continued to be great with his irreverent take on the entire show. (*)

5 -- SCOTT STEINER vs. ABYSS -- Weapons match for Abyss only
WINNER: Abyss via DQ in 9:00. Fine weapons match, but another unlikable "babyface" character was featured here. This whole show was all-about creating dislike for any babyface character because of how great the Mafia was at making this show watchable. (*)

6 -- KURT ANGLE vs. LAX (HERNANDEZ & HOMICIDE) -- handicap match
WINNER: Angle in 13:00. Gave LAX some rub, but also showed they're incapable of winning big-time matches, even with a man-advantage. Okay conclusion to the show after such greatness in the first 75 minutes. (**)

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 1-30-09

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

1 -- R-TRUTH vs. THE BRIAN KENDRICK (w/Ezekiel Jackson)

R-Truth sang his song as he walked through the crowd to the ring. Ross said after hearing from Matt Hardy, how refreshing to hear from R-Truth. I'm wondering what Matt said isn't true, though? It's not like what Matt said was totally outlandish. It's not his feelings that were baseless, but it's his way of dealing with them that was shameful. Ross said it's despicable of Matt to blame the fans. He said the only person Matt cares about his Matt. The referee kicked Ezekiel back to the locker room before the bell. It appeared all he did was staredown R-Truth before the match and not get out of the ring as soon as the ref ordered him. Kendrick jump-started the match and dominated early. R-Truth came back with a corkscrew forearm and his scissors kick for the clean win.
WINNER: R-Truth in 2:00.

2 -- MVP vs. CHAVO GUERRERO

Ross noted that it's been a rough week for weather in the U.S. and thanked fans for tuning in. He plugged other matches on the show including Mark Henry vs. Undertaker. Wen Ross pushed Vladimir Kozlov vs. Great Khali vs. Triple H, Tazz said, "That's a train wreck waiting to happen." Is he allowed to say that! He did did.
MVP avoided a frog splash at 4:00 and then hit the Drive By for the win.
WINNER: MVP in 4:00. Could they have had a more flat way to end MVP's winning streak then how they have with it at first being overshadowed by Triple H's situation and now beating Chavo in a throwaway match with nothing at stake?

3 -- UMAGA vs. JIMMY WANG YANG
Umaga won quickly and decisively with the Samoan Spike.
WINNER: Umaga in 2:00. We still know nothing about Umaga. He's a super heavyweight. He's agile. He rambles in some sort of gibberish tongue. He braids his hair intricately. He has tattoos. He's supposedly mean. I suppose that's enough, but barely, and the lack of any depth beyond that really holds him back from being anything but a mid-card novelty who occasionally visits the main events rather ineffectively. It's too bad the McMahon's have an irrational aversion to managers because if he had one to explain his motivations and more about his background, he has the rest of the package to make money. The one "manager" exception is Atlas, who adds very little to Henry's marketability.

4 -- UNDERTAKER vs. MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas)
Henry is still "The World's Strongest Man" (in the same way that Jimmy Wang Yang is a "Superstar"). Ross said Taker is custom-made for the Elimination Chamber. Tazz said he's never competed in an Elimination Chamber and he's happy about that. Taker walked the top rope, but it backfired as Henry caught him and slammed him into the corner. Atlas got in a cheapshot. After a Henry chinlock, Taker fought back. He ducked a Henry clothesline and came back with a flying shoulder tackle. He set up a chokeslam, but Atlas distracted him. Henry hit Taker from behind and knocked him to the floor. Taker knocked Atlas down, reentered the ring, hit a chokeslam, and then finished him with the finisher that Ross didn't call by name, so neither will I. Henry tapped out even before Taker had it locked on, and Taker seemed to lose his grip once or twice in the elaborate process of applying it.
WINNER: Undertaker in 6:00.
STAR RATING: * -- The formula match you'd expect from these two. Basic and watchable.

5 -- BIG SHOW vs. FESTUS (w/Jesse)
This match deserved more build-up. They're really dropped the ball on making something more out of Festus than a mid-card comedy act. Festus went for an early bear hug, but Show dropped him with a DDT. Festus's bump was nasty looking. He sold that well. Tazz called the chest the "pectorial" region, then told Ross that's the chest area, oblivious to the fact that he made up the word "pectorial." Festus came back at 1:00 briefly, but Show chopped him in the chest to stop him second later. Then he lifted him into a powerbomb position and then fell back and sent Festus face-first into the canvas. Then he finished him with a punch to the face. As Jesse ran in to check on Festus, Show chokeslammed him, too.
WINNER: The Big Show in 2:00. Man, WWE is just killing off the mid-card guys with upward mobility again. Festus vs. Show could have been intriguing and a selling point to build a TV show around or a solid supporting match on a PPV, but now Festus has been defined down as a two minute jobber to Show.

6 -- TRIPLE H vs. VLADIMIR KOZLOV vs. THE GREAT KHALI (w/Ranjin Singh) - A "Trainwreck Waiting to Happen" match
They triangled off at the start. Kozlov shoulder jabbed Triple H in the corner. Khali yanked him away and then beat on Triple H himself. Kozlov gave Khali a running knee from behind, then trash talked him. Khali chopped him down and gave him a boot to send him to the floor with a thud. Triple H stared at Khali as they cut to an early break at 1:00.

Triple H and Khali fought at ringside. Kozlov took over on Triple H inside the ring, scoring a two count after a powerslam. Triple H came back with a DDT at 7:00. Khali was nowhere to be seen for several minutes, knocked out at ringside. Kozlov scored another near fall after another slam. He took Triple H to the corner again, but when he charged, Triple H caught him with a boot to the face. Triple H came back with a knee to the face and a spinebuster. Khali re-entered the picture with a big chop to Triple H's head, then the head vice. . Kozlov broke it up with a headbutt to Khali's chest. Triple H ducked a Kozlov charge, so Kozlov flew over the top rope to the floor. Triple H gave Khali a sloppy looking Pedigree which Khali didn't know how to take very well for the win.
WINNER: Triple H in 11:00.
STAR RATING: 3/4* -- I've seen much worse. It was what it was and what you'd expect from these three. It probably qualified as a train wreck, but not an especially bad one as train wrecks go.

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 2-2-09

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

1 -- Intercontinental champion C.M. PUNK & MICKIE JAMES vs. WILLIAM REGAL & LAYLA

Lawler surmised that Regal has a permanent scowl after eating some bad peanut butter. Too soon. I'm waiting for Layla to throw her shoe at Punk in this one. Punk busted out a series of hard kicks to Regal's body, then to the face that cleared Regal to the floor. Regal tried to use Layla as a human shield, but Mickie took out Layla with a running splash from the apron. Punk, distracted, then ate the floor when Regal yanked him out of the ring. Mickie checked on Punk, who tried to recover before the ten count. Punk barely crawled into the ring, sticking his head out across the bottom rope. Regal took advantage with a running knee to the head for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Regal & Layla at 3:20. Quick match, but put Punk in jeopardy for next week's IC Title match. Here we go with another series of short TV matches this week. (3/4*)

2 -- PRICELESS (TED DIBIASE, JR. & CODY RHODES) vs. CRYME TYME (SHAD GASPAR & JTG)

Ref called for a DQ very quickly in this one. Not sure who was disqualified, as Shad was working on DiBiase in the corner. Perhaps Cody was in the ring too long as the illegal man? In any event, Priceless took Shad apart with a double-team front-face slam to cap off the segment. Ref admonished them, then refs checked on Shad, who remained out cold in the ring.

WINNERS: No Contest in 3:00. No official decision was ever announced, so I'm going with Cryme Tyme picking up the win because Cody was in there too long as the illegal man. Announcers had no clue what the decision was, either. If you want people to buy PPVs to see matches, it's best to get your stuff right on TV where the application of rules is conveyed to viewers. (1/2*)

3 -- MIKE KNOX & KANE vs. REY MYSTERIO & KOFI KINGSTON

Kane was cleared to the outside like ten seconds into the match. Kofi then stood off against Knox as Cole said Rey and Kofi are rolling. How are they rolling? They had like one move right before the break, which came very suddenly. Apparently they really needed to grab that break.

Back from break, Kofi fought back against Kane and tagged out to Rey. Rey wanted the 619, but Kane wisely rolled to the floor. Rey followed with a seated sentaun running off the apron, but Kane uppercut him once they were back in the ring. Enter Knox, who stomped on Rey. Rey tried a springboard moonsault, but Knox caught him in mid-air. Rey managed to blind tag out to Kofi, though, who caught Knox by surprise and hit the boom-boom leg drop for a two count. Knox came back at 6:30 with a big bicycle kick on Kofi, who rolled a shoulder to escape a pin attempt.

Kane nearly lost control against Kofi, but Kane walked over to Rey and gave him a big boot to the face to knock him off the apron and prevent the hot tag. Kofi nailed a cross-body on Knox at 10:00, then Kofi went for the tag to Rey again, but Rey was nowhere to be found. Rey finally made his way back to the apron, but Kane yanked Kofi back to center ring. Kofi finally broke free and hot-tagged Rey, who landed a sick spin-over reverse DDT on Kane. Rey then dropped the dime with a springboard smash, but Knox broke up the pin. Kofi took out Knox, then knocked him to the floor. Kofi ate Knox's knee on a dive, and back in the ring, Kane was set up for the 619. Rey wanted it, but Knox grabbed Rey's legs in mid-air. Rey kicked him away, then wanted a springboard on Kane, but Kane caught him in mid-air and nailed a huge chokeslam for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Kane & Knox at 11:40. Very nice tag match. Heck, we got ourselves a new tag team in WWE. Cole said it best that they're two of the strangest men in WWE, so they're a natural fit. It would be nice to see them jump to Smackdown as a tag team and give some heel star power to the brand holding the tag belts. Yes, I put Knox in a sentence with star power. That subtle promo he had two weeks ago was a career-changer. (**1/2)

4 -- BETH PHOENIX (w/Santino and Rosa Mendes) vs. CANDICE MICHELLE

Beth went to work on Candice and slammed her hard to the mat with a back suplex. Beth put her in the air for a gut wrench submission, but Candice slipped out into a roll-up for a two count. Candice began slapping/chopping Beth, then she went to the second rope for a turnaround spin kick. Santino was concerned as Candice continued on the offensive. Beth then came back with the double chicken-wing facebuster for the pin and the win. Afterward, Santino and Rosa celebrated with Beth, who wanted to pose herself.

WINNER: Beth Phoenix in 2:30. If you "placed your bets," there's your winner for shortest match of the night, won by Beth. Glamarella just isn't the same right now. (1/2*)

5 -- WWE World Hvt. champion JOHN CENA vs. CHRIS JERICHO -- non-title match

This was a slugfest early on without much dependence on wrestling holds. Cena then busted out a running bulldog out of the corner after Cole made a point that it was St. Louis where Cena jumped to Raw in the 2005 Draft. Fans chanted Cena's name as he stalked Jericho for a sit-out slam. Cena then clotheslined Jericho to the floor and gave Jericho some time before running after him on the outside. Jericho took advantage by kicking him away into the announce table. Cut to break.

Back from break, Jericho had Cena in a headlock. Cena started to fade as Jericho whispered sweet-nothings in Cena's ear. Jericho fed his arm to Cena, who wanted to power into the FU, but Jericho slipped out into a DDT for a two count. Cena recovered on the apron, then Jericho hit a springboard dropkick that sent Cena to the floor. Cena made it back into the ring at a nine count, and Jericho went back on the attack.

Jericho paintbrushed Cena at the top of the hour, then Cena pulled out a belly-to-belly suplex. Both men recovered on the mat before Jericho missed with a corner shoulder tackle and ate the ringpost. Cena built momentum with shoulder tackles before setting up the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena took forever, and Jericho popped to his feet to block the Five Knuckle Shuffle. They went into an exchange of pins before having a battle of right hand blows. Jericho cut off a shoulder tackle with an elbow, then he hit a Lionsault for a two count at 10:30.

Cena got up, ducked a clothesline, and hit the sit-out slam before finishing off that Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena wanted the FU, which Lawler re-called the Attitude Adjuster. Jericho slipped out, though, but Cena blocked the codebreaker. Another great exchange leading to Jericho slapping on the Walls of Jericho. Cena inched to the ropes as Jericho watched the hold on the Titantron to know when to yank Cena back into center ring. Jericho wasn't paying attention and Cena suddenly rolled through into a leglock for the STFU. Jericho instantly tapped out to put Cena's hold over huge.

Post-match: Cena celebrated in the ring as the announcers plugged Flair on Raw next week. Also, Taker vs. Orton in a WM 21 re-match. they closed with one final shot of Cena celebrating in the ring.

WINNER: John Cena via submission at 12:25. Very strong finish as usual between these two. Cena is pulling out some quality TV matches to start the year and Jericho had enough offense to retain credibility, outside of tapping out in less than two seconds to the STFU. Strong 30 minutes to conclude this show after a weak first 90 minutes. (***)

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 2-3-09

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

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

Striker started us off with a note that this is the first-ever meeting between the two. We'll see how they fare tonight. Striker then took us to the Wrestling at the Chase program from St. Louis, which Larry Matysik wrote an awesome book on. He said Dreamer sat under the learning tree of Harley Race, who was the show, while Burchill wanted nothing to do with him. Dreamer hit the basement dropkick out of the tree of woe, but missed with the Dreamer DDT and Burchill nailed a neckbreaker for the pin after spending most of the match working on the neckbreaker. Todd Grisham said Dreamer's 19 year-career may winding down if he doesn't find some way to turn things around.

WINNER: Burchill in 4:00. Okay match. Burchill was effective working that neck to set up his finisher, which is a very basic-looking neckbreaker, to score a convincing win in four minutes. (*)

2 -- THE BOOGEYMAN vs. JAMIE NOBLE

Grisham said Boogeyman is from the Abyss, which is defined in the Bible as where demons are imprisoned. Don't tell him that. And don't tell him about Revelations 9:1-2. Noble put up a fight early on, including a knee smash from the second rope. Boogey kicked out at one, though, and Noble went to work on the neck muscles. Boogey made an awkward comeback at 3:00 and knocked down Noble with a series of clotheslines before stalking him for a corner splash. Boogey grunted, then picked up Noble and gave him the big pumphandle slam for the pin and the win. Noble wisely slipped out of the ring post-match to avoid the worm dinner.

WINNER: Boogeyman in 4:00. Silence is not golden. Boogey is an antiquated character from the mid-'90s WWF era that crowds simply aren't responding to. The character is aimed at kids, but they're not even responding. (1/2*)

3 -- ECW champion JACK SWAGGER vs. FINLAY (w/Hornswoggle) -- non-title match

Lock-up to start things off. Swagger took Finlay down with a rear waistlock and powered Finlay down to the mat. Aren't too many folks who can power Finlay down like that. Finlay then got under Swagger's skin and frustrated the young heel champion. Swagger took a break at 4:00 to regroup as Finlay looked on confidently inside the ring. Let's get a break.

Finlay was still in control out of the break. Finlay with a small package at 10:00 for a nearfall, then Swagger came right back with a straight right hand punch. He landed a stiff-sounding elbow to the face before landing a boot to the face. Hornswoggle suddenly popped out of nowhere to distract Swagger, allowing Finlay to clothesline the champ to the floor. Finlay followed out, but Swagger rammed him back-first into the ring apron, then head-first into the ringpost. Swagger picked up the shillelagh and chucked it up stage, then rolled Finlay into the ring. Swagger took a while to get back in the ring, allowing Hornswoggle to sneak up behind Swagger with a second shillelagh and crack it over the ankle from behind. Swagger hobbled across the ring in pain, then Finlay nailed the Celtic Cross in center ring for the pin and the win to give Swagger his first ever singles match defeat. Finlay and Hornswoggle then celebrated post-match, with Finlay now in line for a title shot.

WINNER: Finlay in 12:00. Sure thought this was a title match, so quite the relief to see it wasn't after all. It might have been early to put the belt on Swagger, but it would have been way too early to take it off him after only a few weeks as champ. Match was fine - nothing flashy, but an effective battle of big men. (**)

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 2-5-09

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

1 -- MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) vs. "BLACK MACHISMO" JAY LETHAL & CONSQUENCES CREED

Tenay compared the Guns to Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty during their ring intro. Beer Money attacked Lethal and Creed before the bell at ringside. They brawled into the crowd and at ringside for a couple minutes. They went into a split screen to try to track everything going on. Storm hit Creed in the elbow with a chair. Creed sold it big. Meanwhile, Shelley and Sabin just leaned in the corner of the ring and watched the brawl, staying complete out of it.

Back from the break, Lethal was battling Sabin. They showed a replay of trainers tending to Creed, who had to return to the back, leaving Lethal alone. Tenay said the indifference shown by Sabin and Shelley is really telling since they're stable-mates in the Front Line. Sabin leapfrogged a charging Sabin and then through the ropes onto Shelley. Sabin dove at Lethal, but Lethal sidestepped him. Back in the ring Lethal scored a one count on Shelley. Sabin mistakenly charged right into his partner Shelley in the corner. Sabin caught Lethal with a backbreaker a minute later. Really good, innovative action early on with good intensity, speed, and believability. At about 6:00 Eric Young came out and took Creed's place in the match. He tagged in, and the ref apparently allowed it for some preposterous reason that's just annoying, and he gave Shelley and Sabin a double-stacked Death Valley Driver to win.

WINNERS: Lethal & Young in 7:00.

STAR RATING: ** -- Good while it lasted, except for the ridiculous finish. Imagine Kobe Bryant going down with an Ankle Sprain mid-game in the NBA Finals and out comes Dwayne Wade to take his place.

2 -- SHANE SEWELL vs. SHEIK ABDUL BASHIR

Sewell made things really confusing by wearing a referee shirt and pants for the match. The crowd chanted "USA, USA" even though both wrestlers in the ring are from the United States. West plugged that former Illinois Rod Blagojevich was invited to join TNA. Tenay talked about him being impeached. Meanwhile Sewell went on a flurry of offense at 2:00 and scored a near fall. Bashir dove at Sewell, but hit the ref by mistake. With the ref down, both wrestlers collided mid-ring. Booker T came out wearing a referee shirt. Earl Hebner and Rudy Charles tried to stop him. Booker entered the ring and began counting both of them down. Booker T aided Bashir to his feet. Bashir climbed to the top rope and hit a flying legdrop, but Sewell moved. Sewell hit a top rope crossbody block. Booker paused before making a count, and instead stomped on Sewell's head. The bell began ringing. Sewell made a brief comeback before security intervened.

WINNER: No contest at 4:00.

3 -- ANGELINA LOVE & VELVET SKY (w/Cute Kip) vs. TAYLOR WILDE & ROXXI

They brawled at ringside to start, with the BPs taking out their anger and embarrassment on Roxxi and Taylor. Roxxi and Taylor came back at 3:00, but within a minute the BPs finisher her with a double-team big boot on Roxxi.

WINNERS: The Beautiful People in 4:00.

-The BPs continued the beating afterward on both Roxxi and Taylor as Kip celebrated with them. Kip dragged Roxxi and Taylor to mid-ring at which point Love and Sky put paperbags over their heads. I'm starting to question whether Love and Sky have ever seen what actually happens at a slaughterhouse. "The Governor" ran out and gave Kip a low-blow and then beat down both Love and Sky. She tried to put paper bags on their heads, but they scurried out of the ring first.

4 -- SHARK BOY vs. BRUTUS MAGNUS

Magnus walked out basically doing a Chris Masters gimmick with a Gladiator twist. He looks like a generic chiseled MMA fighter. He established he's a heel by complaining to the ref about a slow count early. Tenay said Magnus wasn't especially approachable when seeking background info, but he told them to look out for his finisher called Tormentum. It turned out to be a twisting Samoan drop.

WINNER: Magnus in 2:00. He looked fine for an opening squash.

5 -- MATT MORGAN vs. RHINO

Morgan took control early. Rhino fought back at 2:00. Rhino went for a Gore, but Morgan ducked and fired back with his Carbon Footprint big boot. Tenay said Rhino is a step slow and less powerful now because of the MEM's beatdwn. Morgan brought a chair into the ring and signaled for the Hellivator. Abyss's music played. Morgan dropped Rhino. Abyss had bags of tacks with him. West said it was good to see the old Abyss back in the ring, willing to do anything and bring anything to the ring. Abyss gave Morgan a Black Hole Slam. Abyss poured a big bag of tacks onto the mat. Morgan saw the tacks and bailed out to ringside. Tenay said they meet one-on-one Sunday on PPV. West added that it'll be no holds barred.

WINNER: No contest in 3:00.

6 -- KURT ANGLE & STING vs. TEAM 3D

After back and forth action early, Angle went for an anklelock at 3:00 on Ray. Ray broke free and tagged in Devon. Sting offered to tag in. Angle gave him an "up yours" arm signal. Devon back suplexed Angle. West questioned Angle's strategy since he's taking a beating just to prove a point to Sting. Sting confronted Angle at ringside, saying he thought they were a family. Scott Steiner ran out to mediate.

During the break, Tenay said, it was all Angle on offense thanks to Steiner tripping Devon coming off the ropes. The ref ordered Steiner to the back as a result. Ray came back with a full nelson sitout powerbomb. Angle fired back with a back suplex a mintue later, and then he mouthed off to Sting. Angle got cocky and climbed to the top rope. Ray lifted Angle on his shouters and then Devon hit a top rope clothesline. Booker T ran in for the DQ before a pin could be made. Sting watched as Steiner joined in the fight. West said this three-on-two attack is a good move on MEM's part. Sting grabbed his baseball bat and watched the beat down. Booker and Angle got into an argument at Steiner held him back. Sting asked Angle, "Friend or foe? What's it going to be?" West asked, "Man, I can't wait until this Sunday." Steiner pleaded, "We're family, Kurt."

WINNERS: Team 3D via DQ (presumably) in 10:00.

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 2-6-09

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

(1) BATTLE ROYALE. Scotty "Colt" Goldman was tossed outside first. Poor guy. Ross told him to head back to .com. Kizarny was knocked out. Son of Bam Bam, Jesse, was out, followed by Shelton via MVP. Pick up an MVP vs. Shelton program on Smackdown soon. Chavo then dumped out MVP and Shelton booted MVP on the floor. Let's get a break.

Chavo out via Khali, then Fu Naki out via Khali. The Kendrick was out next via Khali. Hawkins & Ryder were still in there along with Primo & Carlito. Khali then dumped out Hawkins and Ryder before Kozlov snuck up behind Khali and took him out. Final four of Kozlov, tag champs, and R-Truth. It took a triple dropkick to get Kozlov off his feet, but Kozlov dumped the tag champs out when they tried to lift him out. Kozlov then easily discarded of Truth for the win. WINNER: Kozlov in 10:00. Just a basic battle royale to put the mid-carders on the same level and ensure no one stood out beyond Kozlov and Khali.

So, it's Edge vs. Hunter vs. Taker vs. Show vs. Kozlov vs. Jeff Hardy in the Smackdown Elimination Chamber at No Way Out. Kozlov took the mic post-match and said he will be champion in the Chamber.

(2) U.S. champion SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. MVP -- non-title match. Shelton dominated early on as MVP worked babyface to set up his comeback. MVP nailed a bicycle kick at 5:00 for a close nearfall, but Shelton went back on the offensive. Shelton and MVP butted heads in the corner, then MVP nailed a Chono boot for the pin and the win. WINNER: MVP in 6:00. Fine match to continue the program leading to a future title match.

(3) World tag champions THE MIZ & JOHN MORRISON & THE BRIAN KENDRICK (w/Ezekiel Jackson) vs. WWE tag team champions CARLITO & PRIMO & R-TRUTH. Truth rapped his way to the ring, which TBR wasn't amused by. Match started and Truth was isolated until Carlito finally took the hot tag. Carlito landed some impressive offense, then Miz and Morrison interrupted a pin attempt. Action broke down in the ring as ref Marty tried to restore order. Awkward exchange between Carlito and Kendrick, then Kendrick snuck up behind Carlito for a surprise Sliced Bread for the pin and the win. WINNERS: Team Kendrick in 6:00. Showed off a little personality from all six. Well, except for Primo, who didn't have much ring time. A chance for most of the men to stand out after the generic opening battle royale.

(4) EVE vs. MICHELLE McCOOL. Eve impressive early on, then McCool bailed to the floor for a breather. Eve took her eye off the ball allowing McCool to begin her heel attack. Eve came back at 3:00 with a nice dropkick, but McCool with a modified Dragon screw off the middle rope into a heel hook. Eve was forced to tap, giving McCool the decisive win. She wouldn't let go of the hold, though, so Maria stormed the ring to chase off McCool. Diva drama continues. WINNER: McCool in 4:00. McCool has found her way as a heel, especially with a few of the mannerisms she's subtly added.

(5) UMAGA vs. KUNG FU NAKI. Kung tried to run away, but Umaga grabbed him and nailed a straight kick to the chin. Kung was KO'ed, but Umaga dragged him to the corner to inflict more pain via the big running butt bomb. Great camera work there to put over the move. Umaga then measured Fu for the Samoan Spike and connected for the easy win. WINNER: Umaga in 2:00. Effective squash match to continue rebuilding Umaga his first two weeks back.

(6) WWE champion EDGE & THE BIG SHOW vs. TRIPLE H & THE UNDERTAKER. Back and forth action early, then Edge and Show cornered Hunter to keep him away from a Taker tag. Show missed with a Vader Bomb out of the corner, then Hunter landed a flip-over DDT. Taker finally took the hot tag and cleaned house. Edge thought he subdued Taker with a spear, but Taker slapped on the triangle choke. Show broke it up with a big leg drop, though. Edge and Show suddenly had a discussion that led to Show knocking down Edge with the big right hand blow to the jaw. Show slowly walked over to his corner, then Taker scooped up Edge and dropped him with the Tombstone Piledriver for the pin and the win while staring down Show, who quickly left the ringside area after the pin. WINNERS: Taker & Hunter in 16:00. Good showcase of the top talent on Smackdown. The tension between Taker and Hunter should be exploited on next week's show to create an issue between them leading to the Chamber match.

[Arcademan]

TNA Against All Odds PPV Results: 2-8-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's ongoing report) or Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8652 and posts thereater for in-ring results.

1 -- X Division champion ALEX SHELLEY vs. ERIC YOUNG -- X Division Title match
WINNER: Shelley in 14:00 to retain the X Division Title. Great opening match. This is a great heel persona for Shelley, who won because he out-smarted the opponent in a "dang you, Shelley" kind of a way without the stream of TNA interference. Very good opener. (***1/2)

2 -- SCOTT STEINER vs. PETEY WILLIAMS
WINNER: Steiner in 11:00. Well, that didn't help out Petey much. He was virtually dominated for ten minutes, had only a few moments of offense, and Steiner out-sized him and exploited the size difference rather easily. Match was okay. (**)

3 -- BRUTUS MAGNUS vs. CHRIS SABIN
WINNER: Brutus in 7:00. Not a memorable match. Brutus has to find his TNA character because TNA isn't helping him with that silly get-up. Not a good use of Sabin here. (*)

4 -- TNA Knockouts champion AWESOME KONG (w/Kongtourage) vs. ODB -- Knockouts Title match
WINNER: Kong in 6:00 to retain the Knockouts Title. Just fine. ODB put in a good effort as the underdog champion while Kong looked strong winning on her own for once. (*1/2)

5 -- Legends champion BOOKER T (w/Sharmell) vs. SHANE SEWELL -- Legends Title match
WINNER: Booker in 6:00 to retain the Knockouts Title. Subtle interference from Sharmell, which was fine. Booker's character development is very entertaining, which benefited Booker more than Shane in the overall match presentation. Not sure where they're going with Shane from here, as Shane didn't prove much of a point here. (*1/2)

6 -- ABYSS vs. MATT MORGAN
WINNER: Abyss in 16:00. Good, decisive win for Abyss. They did their best to uphold rules in this one, so a better effort compared to TNA's history of over-booking PPV matches. Beat the dead horse - more chairshots to the head? Really? (**1/2)

7 -- TNA tag team champions BEER MONEY, INC. (ROBERT ROODE & JAMES STORM w/Jacqueline) vs. CONSEQUENCES CREED & JAY LETHAL -- TNA Tag Title match
WINNERS: Beer Money in 15:00 to retain the TNA Tag Titles. Just what you would expect from this tag match. Standard, predictable TNA tag title match with Jackie's interference after a few hot tags from the challengers. (**)

8 -- TNA World Hvt. champion STING vs. KURT ANGLE vs. BROTHER RAY vs. BROTHER DEVON -- TNA World Hvt. Title match
WINNER: Sting in 14:00 to retain the TNA World Title. Clunky, with some bright spots, but not really a main-event-worthy title match. TNA's swerve was not to swerve anything, which was fine. They just didn't deliver a main event match that ever moved past first gear. It did advance Angle's jealousy of Sting, which we'll continue to follow on TV. (**)

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 2-9-09

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

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

Jerry Lawler quipped that Jillian was disappointed not to be nominated for a Grammy last night. Rosa, the intern, ran interference at 2:30 and yanked Melina off the ring ropes when she wanted a springboard move on Beth. Beth then followed with the chicken wing front-face slam for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Beth Phoenix & Jillian Hall at 2:45. Just a fill-in-the-template standard divas match. At least there's a purpose for next week. (1/2*)

2 -- PRICELESS (TED DIBIASE, JR. & CODY RHODES) vs. CRYME TYME (JTG & SHAD GASPARD)

Shad was very focused before the opening bell. Priceless waited through the initial flurry, then cornered Shad to work him over. JTG took a hot tag at 2:30 and cleaned house before the action broke down. Cody then grappled JTG from behind and hit a spinning facebuster, the Cross Roads, for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Legacy at 3:25. Would have liked to have seen more between these two teams, as Cryme Tyme has shown improvement in the ring, and it would be nice to see them stretch out a longer match than the standard three-minute TV formula match. (*)

3 -- WWE World Hvt. champion JOHN CENA & REY MYSTERIO & KOFI KINGSTON vs. KANE & MIKE KNOX & CHRIS JERICHO

Match started in progress out of the break. Early on, Kofi landed a boom-boom leg drop, but Kane came back with a clothesline before tagging in Knox to work on Kofi.

Cena picked up a quick hot tag and he cleaned house on Knox with shoulder tackles and a sit-out slam. He then told Knox you can't see me before delivering the Five Knuckle Shuffle in center ring. Knox popped up to his feet and Cena wanted the FU...sorry, Attitude Adjustlamement, but Kane broke it up after fighting off the ref. On the outside, Cena rammed Kane back-first into the guardrail to allow the heels to work on Cena. Meanwhile, Michael Cole talked up the similar obstacles Cena faces on Sunday. Jericho tagged in and slingshot Cena throat-first across the top rope, then lifted Cena way up in the air for a front slam/toss and a nearfall. Jericho grounded Cena, who tried to power-lift into the FU, but Jericho blocked with a DDT at 4:00 of TV time.

Heels continue to work on Cena as the crowd was pretty involved in the action. Cena teased a comeback, but Kane cut him off with a sidewalk slam for a nearfall. Lawler with a good point that perhaps Cena's partners were allowing Cena to take punishment to soften him for Sunday. Kane wanted a chokeslam, but Cena ducked and nailed the FU. He was worn out, so he crawled across the desert to Rey for a hot tag. Rey came in hot with a sick head scissors on Jericho, followed by a mid-ring huracanrana. Rey with a bulldog for a nearfall when Knox smashed Rey from behind.

Rey and Knox battled, then Rey pulled down the top rope to send Knox flying to the floor. Jericho then ate the middle turnbuckle from Rey and Kofi took a hot tag to throw Rey into Jericho. Kane then grappled Rey and flipped him to the floor to cut off the red-hot Rey. Meanwhile, Kofi and Jericho battled in the corner. Kind of a weird sequence that ended with Kofi trying a springboard dive that Jericho countered in mid-air with the codebreaker. He covered Kofi and scored the pin for the win. Afterward, Knox and Kane weren't too happy with Jericho for winning. He smiled, then quickly ducked out like a good heel when he felt threatened.

WINNERS: Team Jericho at 7:20 of TV time. Really hot six-man tag match that allowed all six men to get some quality TV time. Nice use of Cena in peril to convey Cena in jeopardy on Sunday. The finish was a little off live, but a post-match replay made it look acceptable. Magic of replay. (**1/4)

4 -- SHAWN MICHAELS vs. MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas)

Michaels tackled Henry again, then the action moved to the floor. Michaels grabbed a chair and tossed it into the ring for use on Henry, but Henry stole it from him. No problem, as Michaels superkicked the chair into Henry's face to cause a DQ. After the bell, Lilian began to announce Henry as the winner, but JBL took the mic and reminded HBK that if he gets DQ'ed or doesn't adhere to the ref's rules on Sunday, then he owns Michaels forever. JBL said he will turn Michaels into Mickey Mouse and slap his likeness on everything that is JBL Corporation.

JBL then suggested Michaels bring his wife to No Way Out so she can watch a broken down man gamble away his life. JBL said he'll do what he always does: win. JBL began to leave, but he paused on the ring apron and re-addressed HBK. With a straight face, he said speaking of Michaels's wife, he thinks there will always be a place for such a beautiful and talented lady. JBL stormed out, then HBK let out some of his frustrations. He's ticking time-bomb ready to explode on Sunday.

WINNER: Henry via DQ at 0:58. Very nice set-up for Michaels vs. JBL on Sunday, which was somewhat lost in the shuffle before tonight's show despite the high stakes on the match. JBL's promos are rock-solid in not over-playing his hand as a heel and using the Jericho strategy of being subtle in his verbal attacks. (n/a)

5 -- IC champion C.M. PUNK vs. WILLIAM REGAL -- Intercontinental Title match

Regal landed a big knee smash early on, but Punk fought back with trademark body kicks. He wanted the G2S, but Regal slipped out with elbow smashes before slapping on a straight-jacket submission hold. Regal followed with Bryan Danielson elbow strikes, but Punk kicked out of a pin attempt. Very aggressive from Regal early on.

Regal hit a t-bone suplex before measuring Punk for a running knee to the face. Punk popped up, though, and kicked Regal in the face. He then lowered his kneepad and hoisted Regal up for the G2S directly on his exposed knee. Punk scored the pin for the win before selling some pain from Regal's early knee smash.

WINNER: Punk at 2:45 to retain the IC Title. Another quick match in this series. Just no reason to put any faith in WWE to build up the IC division when they didn't even pre-hype the only title match on the show and only give it three minutes of TV time. Match was good in the limited time given. (*1/2)

6 -- THE UNDERTAKER vs. RANDY ORTON

Hot start for Taker, who landed some furious fists before clotheslining Orton to the floor. Orton tried to gain control when Taker followed out, but Taker landed a chinbreaker across the top rope. Orton retreated on the floor again, but Taker snuck up on him with a hard clothesline to the floor.


Back from break, Orton was in control after nailing the trademark horizontal DDT from the second rope. Taker then fought back at 5:30 with rapid-fire right hand blows, but Orton snapped off a very impressive-looking powerslam to cut off Taker. Orton and Taker then had a standing exchange of right hand blows before Taker landed snake eyes in the corner and a big boot to the face for a two count following a leg drop.

Taker wanted the chokeslam at the top of the hour, but Orton kicked him in the gut. Orton tried to sneak in an RKO, but Taker blocked. He wanted the Tombstone Piledriver, but Cody & Ted stormed the ring to cause a DQ. Legacy worked over Taker three-on-one for a few minutes, then Orton cleared his boys back. He went down for an RKO, but Shane McMahon snuck in behind and tackled Orton. Taker chokeslammed Cody, then Shane landed some classic horrible punches on Ted to set up Taker for a chokeslam on Ted.

Meanwhile, Orton was on stage pacing around and yelling into the ring. Shane picked up a trashcan to a crowd pop and set it up on DiBiase in the corner for his classic coast-to-coast dropkick. Shane then went to the opposite corner and pointed toward Orton. After surveying the water below off the high dive, he leapt across the ring for his coast-to-coast. (The camera made a quick cut to a back-shot just in case Shane missed badly.) He did smash the trashcan, but came up holding his back. Shane then pointed to Orton, who was very upset on stage. They replayed the wide angle of Shane connecting, then closed with a stare-down between Shane (ring) and Orton (stage).

WINNER: Undertaker via DQ at 8:50. Well, you had to expect there wouldn't be a finish involving Raw's top heel and Taker (because it's Taker) right before a PPV. I wouldn't have closed with a non-finish before a PPV, nor another Shane McMahon moment, but the positioning on the tonight's Raw shows where WWE believes priority should be in selling the PPV. To think on the Raw before WWE's last PPV, Orton was mega-heel status. Three weeks later, he's playing that generic heel role once again.

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 2-10-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Mayer and Caldwell's combined report).

Asst. editor James Caldwell's note: I'll mix in my thoughts watching the show to go side-by-side with Dominick Mayer's alt. perspective report.

A recap runs of the issues between Finlay and Jack Swagger over the past two weeks, including last week's match in which Finlay ended Swagger's undefeated streak with the assist from Hornswoggle.

No title sequence this week. Swagger is on his way out in ring attire. As Grisham points out, Swagger doesn't have his usual cocky smile tonight. He just looks somber, though not really in a cowardly heel kind of way. For the last two weeks, Swagger says he's been victimized and embarrassed. What does Teddy Long do? At No Way Out, the title is on the line against Finlay. Swagger says this is unfair. Well, now he's in cowardly heel mode. Boo. He's going to take care of Finlay, because he's going to take care of the real problem. He's calling out Hornswoggle, tonight. This could either be a heel generator or silliness.

Suddenly, Christian's music hits! What the hell? They reference this moment as instantly classic. Yay, TNA references! But, once again:

CHRISTIAN HAS RETURNED.

Caldwell: Christian looked like he hadn't missed a beat, as he was in control of the moment all the way to the ring. Definitely a superstar reaction for Christian.

Swagger looks shocked. Well, I daresay we all are at the moment. Swagger wants to know what he thinks he's doing. Christian says he's interrupting his promo. He's actually here to save Swagger's life. Christian goes after his lisp, which is kind of a drag. The Sylvester the Cat connection is finally made there. Christian cuts Swagger off to ask that he and his peeps are allowed to have their moment; it's been a long time. Swagger needs to drink it in. The real reason he's out here, and on ECW, is to take Swagger's title away. Christian is glad that Swagger isn't waiting for No Way Out, because he's challenging the winner of Jack Swagger vs. Finlay for the ECW Championship.

Swagger just asks if he's finished. He says that it means Christian is challenging him, and he couldn't hack it a few years ago, so he's not going to beat Swagger. He won the ECW title in four months, and he's a wrestling prodigy. He won't allow Christian to make his name at his expense. Christian is no threat to him. Really, now? Christian hits him with a mic to end the segment. Now, this was a weak Christian promo, especially on his return, but Swagger held his own, so I think it's for the best that Christian toned it down some. However, glad as I am to see Christian return, I think this undersells the No Way Out match now, because who really thinks Christian and Finlay are going to feud?

Caldwell: Nice return by Christian (even though it was on ECW). Only issue were the classic "mean" babyface elements of picking on Swagger's lisp and hitting Swagger with a mic before slipping out of the ring, but Christian can get away with it because he's Christian.

1 -- TOMMY DREAMER vs. THE MIZ (w/John Morrison)

Dreamer tackles Miz and punches him right out of the gate. He tries pulling Miz to the outside, but Miz kicks him into the barrier. He goes for a dive off the apron, but Dreamer throws him to the apron. Back in the ring, Dreamer drops a running elbow on Miz for a short two count. Dreamer runs Miz into the corner, but Miz counters. Miz kicks Dreamer in the ribs. Miz screams "who's your hero?" at the crowd while hitting Dreamer with forearm shots. Dreamer comes back with shots to the ribs and back body drops Miz before getting a bulldog. Sitting spinebuster by Dreamer for two. Miz goes for a knee in the corner, but Dreamer sidesteps him and gives him a reverse neckbreaker off the second rope for a near-fall before Miz gets a leg on the bottom rope. Morrison goes up to the apron, and when Dreamer knocks him off, Miz hits a dropping jawbreaker that doesn't quite look right for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Miz in 3:00. The ending looked a little awkward, but I guess they want to give Miz a new finisher. Decent match to forward the program of Dreamer being a loveable loser.

Caldwell: Dreamer is 0-3 since making the decree. We're missing that ingredient in the storyline chase, which Dreamer will hopefully begin to discover on the road to the June ECW PPV. It would be nice to have a little something more to sink our teeth into.

2 -- TYSON KIDD (w/ Natalya) vs. BAO NGUYEN

Striker puts over Kidd's training in the Dungeon. Kidd hits an atomic drop followed directly by a big spinning heel kick. Kidd doesn't get off Nguyen at any point. Hard roundhouse kick by Kidd for two. Chinlock by Kidd. Kidd comes off the ropes with a hard kick to the chest and then a low dropkick. A springboard elbow across the ring from the top rope ends it.

WINNER: Kidd in 2:00. So far, so good. On a slow-motion repeat, Kidd's kick earlier in the match looked pretty nasty.

Caldwell: Nice debut for Wilson. I don't think it's any coincidence they put the Bourne video package on right before Wilson's debut match. I would expect great things from a Bourne vs. Wilson TV feud.

3 -- JACK SWAGGER vs. CHRISTIAN

A mat exchange starts things off, with Swagger taking over early. They face back off. Swagger corners Christian and slaps him, but Christian hits a harder slap. Rollup by Christian for one. Christian escapes a bodyslam and after a brief exchange, gets a sunset flip off the second rope for a two count. Swagger retreats into the corner. Finlay and Hornswoggle are on their way down to the ring, all of a sudden. Break time.

Finlay and Hornswoggle are on commentary, and Hornswoggle is making crazy sounds, which is getting really annoying really fast. Swagger gets a nice roll-through takedown on Christian in the ring. Christian breaks free, but Swagger cuts him off with a boot. Stomps in the corner on Christian. Grisham asks Hornswoggle what he thinks of his father's chances on Sunday, and Hornswoggle responds by screaming. That was actually funny. Swagger puts Christian up on the top rope, but when he tries to climb, Christian fights him off and gets a gigantic tornado DDT for a close two count. Christian brings the offense, hitting Swagger with a death drop. Christian goes up top and goes for a flying headbutt, but eats canvas. Swagger rolls him up, but only gets two.

Christian goes for the Impaler, but Swagger evades. Swagger goes for a belly-back suplex, but Christian breaks free and rolls Swagger up for two. Swagger goes for a splash out of the corner, but Christian rolls away. A weird move ensues when Christian tries to get back into the ring and Swagger jumps on his midsection to pull him. Swagger throws Christian into Finlay and Hornswoggle at ringside. Back in the ring, clothesline by Swagger. Swagger goes to loosen a turnbuckle, but Christian rolls him up for two. Christian goes for the impaler, but Swagger counters into an electric chair setup. Finlay distracts Swagger long enough for Christian to escape and hit the Impaler for the win.

WINNER: Christian in 12:00. Good return match, though nothing spectacular. It'll be interesting to see where they go from here with this return angle, and with Finlay.

Caldwell: Interesting dynamic with Swagger picking up another loss to show him in jeopardy against Finlay at the PPV, but it seems like Swagger has lost tremendous momentum since winning the ECW Title. I believe they should have established him as a dominating heel champion his first two months as champion, as opposed to having him run around backstage looking for his belt, then losing to Finlay last week, then losing to Christian this week. He needs a decisive win over Finlay on Sunday. Christian was solid in the ring making his WWE debut. Same style we're used to, but he held his own back in a WWE ring. Good showing by Christian tonight, even if it was an unadvertised debut on the third brand.

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 2-12-09

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

1 -- STING & KURT ANGLE vs. TEAM 3D

Kurt Angle made his ring entrance to his music followed by Sting to his music. No Mafia music this week so far. Tenay talked about the controversial statements Sting and Angle made about each other and the Mafia headed into Against All Odds. Team 3D came out next. Tenay complimented TNA management for "booking this quality high-profile match" based on what happened at Against All Odds. Wait, this is the same match as last week and the same four as in the PPV main event on Sunday, so it's more par for the course than something special in that context. Sting and Angle had a heated discussion before the match. West said Angle can be upset about not winning the title, but Sting earned it on Sunday so he has to deal with it. As Angle took a beating from 3D early, Sting reached out for a tag, but Angle didn't reach back. It was repeat of Angle's counterintuitive actions last week. Brother Ray hit Angle with a diving headbutt between his legs as Devon held him spread-eagle. When Angle bailed out to ringside, Sting got in his face. Angle shoved him. Sting took a deep breath, then shoved him back and asked, "What happened to the family?" They cut to a break at 4:00.

Sting was in the match after the break. When he reached to tag Angle, Angle jumped to the floor. Scott Steiner talked to Angle at ringside. Sting settled into a headlock on Ray.

Ray speared Sting at 9:00 to take Sting down. Both men were slow to get up as Angle cheered on Sting. When Sting got up and tried to tag Angle, Angle jumped to the floor. Devon beat up Sting, including a running kneelift for a two count at 10:00. A minute later Angle did the same thing. Sting patted Angle on the shoulder and slingshot him into the ring. Apparently that's a legal tag in TNA. Devon then schoolboyed Angle from behind as Angle was arguing with Sting, leading to the three count.

WINNERS: Team 3D in 11:00.

STAR RATING: * -- The point of this wasn't to have an actual wrestling match; it was just there to forward the Sting-Angle dissension.

2 -- SCOTT STEINER vs. "MAPLE LEAF MUSCLE" PETEY WILLIAMS

This was a no-DQ Headdress on a Pole match. Tenay said Steiner wants to prove that he and Petey are done. If you're a dom, usually you just break up with your sub partner verbally, but to each their own, I suppose. Steiner controlled early. Petey yanked Steiner crotch-first into the ringpost at 1:00, then raked his eyes back in the ring. Steiner came back and DDT'd Petey off the ropes. Tenay and West began talking more about the Sting-Angle situation. Steiner set Petey on the top rope, then climbed to the top himself and shoved his crotch into Petey's face, which is appropriate given the way this relationship has been portrayed on TV over the month. He teased reaching Petey's hand up to the head dress, then gave him a Frankensteiner. Tenay said he thought he had seen it all, but then he just watched a wrestler do a signature move that's named after him and he's shocked. Huh? Tenay said fans have to respect his athleticism. At 4:00 Steiner grabbed his lead pipe. Ref Rudy Charles tried to tell him to put it down. Why did he do that? It's a no DQ match! West even brought that up. The ref took the pipe from him. Steiner slapped him, but let the ref keep the pipe. It's stupid sequences like that which really irritate a lot of wanna-be TNA fans. Why in a no DQ match is a ref trying to stop a wrestler from using a foreign object? Seriously, it's just so stupid. Steiner climbed to the top rope, but Petey got up with a Tommy Dreamer Comeback and hit Steiner from behind. He then climbed up and grabbed the head dress, but he couldn't pull it down before Steiner met him at the top and gave him a suplex to the mat. Steiner then grabbed the head dress and won.

WINNER: Steiner in 6:00.

STAR RATING: *

3 -- TNA KNOCKOUTS PROGRESSIVE BATTLE ROYAL

I think my number one wish in pro wrestling is for Tenay and West to resist mentioning how hard it is for them to concentrate when the camera zooms in on the crotch of one of the Beautiful People rubbing the middle rope. For so many reasons. Angelina Love and Taylor Wilde began the match. Third in a minute later for Velvet Sky. Fourth in was Soujourner Bolt. Then Roxxi (who used to swear like a sailor, but now she's a mute). Cute Kip kept Sky from hitting the floor when she was knocked over the top rope. Madison Rain came out sixth. West called her a wildcard. Raesha Saeed was seventh. West said he'd like to see her face Awesome Kong because who knows her better?

Kip saved Love from elimination by catching her as she flew over the top rope. Rhaka Kahn entered eighth. The last entrant was ODB, who quickly eliminated Khan before she had a chance to be too clumsy. Kip again caught Sky. As Kip celebrated, Love and Wilde tumbled over the top rope together to the floor. Roxxi knocked Sky off the ring apron to elminate her. Bolt then eliminated Roxxi. ODB and Rain fought on the ring apron. Bolt dropkicked ODB off the ring apron to the floor, so it came down to Rain and Bolt. Rain scored a two count with a victory roll. Bolt finished Rain within a minute.

WINNER: Sounourner Bolt in 13:00 to earn a TNA Knockouts Title match.

STAR RATING: *1/4

4 -- CHRIS SABIN & ALEX SHELLEY vs. CONSEQUENCES CREED & "BLACK MACHISMO" JAY LETHAL

Lethal and Sabin opened the match with some rapid-fire action. Creed used a drop toe hold to send Sabin head-first into Shelley's crotch at 3:00.

Lethal hot-tagged in at 4:00 and he and Lethal went rapid-fire again. As Shelley rallied against Lethal, Lethal countered with his finisher for a sudden win.

WINNERS: Lethal Consequences in 5:00.

STAR RATING: ** -- Short, but a nice dose of third-gear athleticism.

5 -- ABYSS & RHINO vs. BEER MONEY INC. ("Cowboy" James Storm & Robert Roode w/Jacqueline)

They showed a clip from Sunday's PPV of Storm KO'ing Lethal with a chain supplied by Jackie to retain the tag team titles. After some early offense by the babyfaces, Jackie distracted the ref as Storm knocked him off the ropes to the floor.

The heels were on offense after the break. Tenay asked West if there's any chance Sting lays down for Angle. West said Sting has said it's all about respect and the belt would be tarnished if anyone but him held but, "but maybe he's trying to prove a point in some way we can't see." Abyss came back and butt-splashed the heels in opposite corners, then lifted Roode and gave him Shock Treatment leading to a two count. Rhino, Roode, and the ref got tied up and fell over the top rope to the floor. Storm sprayed Abyss with beer in the face and then gave him a bulldog. Jackie gave Storm a beer bottle. Abyss caught him as he charged with a chokeslam. Abyss grabbed the bottle. Matt Morgan entered the ring and smashed Abyss flush across his skull with a chairshot. As Dixie Carter told Congress, Abyss is such a "dummy." The ref didn't see the chairshot, but he returned to the ring and counted the pin. Afterward Morgan and Beer Money celebrated together. Morgan then hit Abyss with another chairshot to the skull as Beer Money kept Rhino out of the ring. Tenay called it a "sick shot." It is sick that TNA management, especially in light of Dixie Carter's comments to Congress about banning stiff chairshots, continues to let Abyss take stiff chairshots without regard to the likely long-term consequences.

WINNERS: Beer Money in 7:00.

STAR RATING: *

FINAL THOUGHTS: As the show progressed, they managed to make more sense out of the nonsense aspects nof the first segment by addressing some obvious points that needed to be addressed. I warmed up to most aspects of this by the end because Sting cut a really strong promo both in terms of content and delivery. It was well above par for him. Angle is always entertaining, even when the storyline is off the rails. I think the weak link early was the announcers, who didn't say what viewers were thinking and wondering, but West covered some of those bases later in the show. I liked Sting shaming Angle into not doing what Angle wanted to do. Babyfaces in the end should be smarter and more noble (and thus more admirable) than the heels, and Sting came through. What blows my mind is that it looks like they might give away an empty arena match between Sting and Angle on free TV next week? All of this build-up between Angle and Sting is going to lead to their first MEM-era match against one another on free TV?