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

[Arcademan]

Former WWE star Andrew "Test" Martin died after over-dosing on pain-killers, according to the Hillsborough County (Fla.) medical examiner.

The examiner determined that Martin accidentally over-dosed on Oxycodone, which is a key ingredient found in the painkiller OxyContin, reports the U.K. Sun.

After pain pills and steroids were found in Martin's apartment, the medical examiner requested a toxicology report to help determine the cause of death. It's apparent Martin had an excessive amount of pain medication in his system, which contributed to his death.

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WWE RAW Results: 4-13-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report). Condensed to in-ring matches and draft selections.

1 -- EVAN BOURNE (ECW) vs. IC champion REY MYSTERIO (Raw) -- Draft Match -- non-title

The two even-sized cruiserweights started with a feeling-out process. Raw and ECW announcers were on the call for this one. Thank goodness for Matt Striker giving us some background on their Lucha backgrounds. Rey took Bourne to the outside early on and sent Bourne head-first into the guardrail via a drop toe hold. Back in the ring, they had a mid-air collision with Bourne scoring a two count on a pin attempt. Bourne then landed a standing moonsault for a two count. Bourne went up top, but Rey sprang to life and crotched Bourne. Rey snapped off a huracanrana, but Bourne kicked out. Rey then nailed the 619 and went up top. He nailed the top rope splash for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Rey at 3:30. Great dose of athleticism, but match should have been given plenty more time to showcase Bourne to a new Raw audience. (**)

Draft Pick #1: The video game board revealed that Raw gets U.S. champion MVP. After the announcement, MVP came out on stage and played to the crowd. Michael Cole made a reference to MVP's ego not being contained on Raw.

2 -- KANE (Raw) vs. THE BRIAN KENDRICK (w/Ezekiel Jackson) (Smackdown) -- Draft Match

TBK tried to act cocky on Kane, who chased him to the outside. Zeke then took a pounding from Kane. Back in the ring, TBK begged of and tried a surprise kick, but Kane quickly dropped him with a chokeslam for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Kane at 0:45. Ouch. (n/a)

Draft Pick #2: Raw gets another pick. This time, it's Big Show. Show came out on stage and Kane stared up toward the stage. Oh gosh, we're getting another big-man feud.

3 -- Women's champion MELINA & KELLY KELLY & MICKIE JAMES (Raw) vs. Divas champion MARYSE & MICHELLE MCCOOL & NATALYA (Smackdown)

Natalya is...on...the...ECW...brand...right? Winning team gets a draft pick. They started with a shoving match because no one can get along. After a few minutes of trademark spots, Michelle McCool scored the pin for Team Smackdown.

WINNER: Michelle McCool for Team Smackdown at 1:50. Short divas match. No surprise there. (1/2*)

Draft Pick #3: Women's champion Melina is going to Smackdown. So, another unification match coming up, this time between Melina and Maryse for the two women's titles? We'll see if Maryse is drafted to Raw or ECW.

4 -- World Hvt. champion JOHN CENA (Raw) vs. ECW champion JACK SWAGGER (ECW) -- non-title Draft Match

Seems like a good set-up for Edge to cost Cena the match and give ECW some talent help. Match moved to the floor early on before returning to the ring where Swagger worked over Cena. Swagger nailed a hard clothesline mid-ring, then slapped on a full nelson. Cena broke the Masterlock, then charged at Swagger with shoulder tackles. He then wanted the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Swagger and he connected to Striker's chagrin on commentary. Cena wanted to follow with the FU, but Swagger grabbed the top rope and nailed a boot that spun Cena to the mat. Definitely a "big match feel" as they cut to break with Swagger in control.

Back live, both men were recovering inside the ring after Cena ate the announce table as they cut to break. Cena then nailed a series of body blows, but Swagger executed something that looked like a DDT for a two count. Swagger and Cena took a breath, then Swagger executed a running knee lift for a two count. Cena was selling dead-weight at this point, then he tried a comeback, but Swagger caught him with a powerslam for a two count. Swagger then tried a running Vader Bomb, but Swagger jumped into Cena's arms for the FU. Cena then slapped on the STFU and Swagger tapped in about five seconds.

WINNER: Cena at 11:30. Excellent match. Swagger was given plenty of offense and Cena sold respect for Swagger after their battle. Definitely a good match for Swagger despite the loss. (***)

Draft Pick #4: Raw gets...Matt Hardy. Hardy came out on stage and did the "You Can't See Me" toward Cena, who smirked inside the ring. Hardy was ready to do some damage on Raw.
 
Draft Pick #5: Triple H. Hunter slowly walked out on stage to show off his WWE Title belt toward Cena, who stared back with an "all right, it's on" look. Hunter then pointed toward Cena and told him, "You and me, man." Another potential unification or Cena is going somewhere else. Suddenly, Edge stormed into the ring and attacked Cena from behind. Cena recovered and teased the FU, but Edge escaped. Stare down and it's on at Backlash.

5 -- SANTINO MARELLA (Raw) vs. GREAT KHALI (w/Singh) (Smackdown) -- Draft Match

Santino tried to collect himself with more on the line than he bargained for, but Khali shoved him across the ring. Khali made Santino scream like Carlton Banks on Fresh Prince, then Santino held onto the ropes for dear life. Santino tried to charge Khali, but Khali chopped him down. Khali with a boot on the chest for the pin.

WINNER: Khali at 1:02. An expected squash to get someone over to Smackdown. (n/a)

Draft Pick #6: Smackdown gets...C.M. Punk and his Money in the Bank briefcase. Um...there's currently no champion on Smackdown.

Continued in next post...

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...continued from previous post.

6 -- THE MIZ (w/John Morrison) (ECW) vs. KOFI KINGSTON (Raw) -- Draft Match

ECW's Josh Mathews said he had a chance to talk to Miz earlier tonight and he's very concerned about being separated from Morrison. Raw and ECW announcers discussed their "bro-mance." Miz bailed to the outside to escape Kofi's high-flying offense, but Kofi nailed a dropkick through the ropes. Morrison feigned interference, though, allowing Miz to blind-side Kofi and take advantage. Back in the ring, Miz slowed things down with a chinlock on Kofi. Lawler made fun of ECW for not having a draft pick, so Striker announced the supplemental draft on WWE's website on Wednesday.

Match slowed to a crawl, then Kofi fought out of a chinlock. Kofi landed a right hand strike before ducking a clothesline and hitting a leaping clothesline. Kofi started to charge up, then he wanted the boom-boom leg drop, but Miz moved out of the way. Action resumed with a power struggle mid-ring that led to Kofi nailing a legsweep into a boom-boom leg drop for a two count. Kofi called for the Jamaican buzzsaw kick, but Miz ducked. He then covered Kofi for a two count. They went into a nearfall sequence as the match continued to drag a little. Suddenly, Morrison jumped on the ring apron and grabbed Kofi from behind right in front of the ref, who called for the bell. Morrison tried to explain himself to Miz, who wasn't pleased.

WINNER: Kofi Kingston via DQ at 8:53. Just a bit off throughout this one. Chemistry wasn't there and the finish was a weakly-booked conclusion to an off match. (*)

Draft Pick #7: Raw gets another wrestler. This time...The Miz is going to Raw. In the ring, Miz just looked around stunned. Morrison had his hands on his hips in shock. "The bro-mance is over," Mathews declared. Miz and Morrison embraced, then Miz suddenly turned on Morrison with the Reality Check. Oh snap. Well, there's your split. A few years of teaming, then WWE blows money on doing a legit split with a five-second spot. Miz snapped on Morrison then had this evil look in his eyes before brushing that dirt off his shoulder.

7 -- RAW vs. ECW vs. SMACKDOWN 15-man battle royale -- Draft Match (two picks)

Blue vs. Red vs. Black brawl started with brawling all over the ring. Show eliminated Ricky Ortiz first. Oh, Ricky. Suddenly, Show dumped out Burchill, much to Striker's chagrin. Grisham, the ECW turncoat, was eager to point that out. Show then tossed out Chavo. Henry knocked out Shad Gaspar. Show then chunked Primo, who favored his ankle upon taking the fall. R-Truth out too. Show then tossed Kidd. Henry knocked out JTG. Show then grappled Carlito and tossed him. Edge only one left from ECW. Henry then eliminated MVP.

Final four of Henry and Finlay from ECW, Edge from SD, and Show from Raw. Edge then eliminated Finlay. Edge was suddenly cornered by the big men. Edge had the classic look of fear and tried to get the big men to go after each other, but Show gave Edge a chokeslam. Henry and Show battled, then Show lifted up Henry to the apron. They battled on the top rope in a Sumo wrestling match. Show then landed the right hand and Henry fell to the floor. Edge vs. Show now. Oh boy. Show charged Edge, but Edge ducked and Show flew over the top rope to give Edge the win. Post-match: Show snapped on the announce table as Edge gloated in victory.

WINNER: Edge & Smackdown at 5:37. Just a standard battle royal finishing with a play on the Edge-Show feud from WrestleMania. (*1/2)

Draft Pick #8: Kane going to Smackdown. Kane's music hit and he came out on stage, which led to Edge shooting him a curious look. Kane smiled despite the inherent color differences.

Draft Pick #9: Chris Jericho is going to Smackdown. Edge and Jericho exchanged glances as the announcers speculated on a potential alliance. How about Christian going to Smackdown and it's on.

8 -- SHELTON BENJAMIN (Smackdown) vs. CHRISTIAN (ECW)

Christian wanted a top rope move early, but Shelton busted out the cat-like leap to the top for an overhead toss. Christian then rolled to the floor to take a breath. Shelton followed to the outside and rolled Christian back into the ring. Meanwhile, Grisham posed the question of whether Punk could possible cash in the MITB briefcase before the night is over. Shelton missed with a springboard smash attempt and Christian fired up with the crowd behind him. Christian wanted the Killswitch, but Shelton blocked into a backbreaker for a two count. Shelton missed with a corner splash and Christian capitalized with the Killswitch for the pin and the win much to the delight of Striker. He was so excited for this pick.

WINNER: Christian at 3:50. Fine athletic match. Just a little off. Seems like the "athletic guys" are just trying too hard tonight. (*1/2)

Draft Pick #10: Vladimir Kozlov. Oh, gosh. Poor ECW. They wait two hours and 15 minutes to get the Torch's Crashing Star in the month of March. Kozlov then stared down Christian in the ring. Welcome back to WWE, Christian.

9 -- C.M. PUNK (Smackdown) vs. MATT HARDY (Raw)

Pudgy Matt tried an early pin attempt before Punk snapped off a suplex for a one count. Punk landed hard knees to the gut before Hardy caught him in the corner with a hard front slam that caused Punk to land gut-first on the mat. That didn't look good for Punk, who rolled a shoulder to escape a pin. Punk came back with a high knee lift, then a leaping kick for a two count. Hardy landed a corner clothesline, but Punk came back with a running knee in the corner and bulldog for a two count. Punk wanted the G2S, but Hardy blocked and hit the side effect. Suddenly, crowd screamed as Jeff Hardy stormed the ring to attack Matt for a DQ. He beat up Matt, then wanted the Twist of Fate, but Matt rolled out of the way. Jeff then chased Matt to the back. Punk was not happy with the decision. Raw gets another pick.

WINNER: Matt Hardy via DQ at 4:26. Okay match. Finish set up a re-match between Matt and Jeff somewhere down the line if it's not at Backlash since they're not on the same brand. (*1/4)

Draft Pick #11: Maryse is going to Raw. There's your re-separation of women's champions. ... and Michelle McCool from Maryse.

10 -- CHRIS JERICHO (Smackdown) vs. TOMMY DREAMER (ECW) -- Draft Match

Striker said this is the first-time-ever that Jericho and Dreamer have faced off. We'll put that one under the Microscope this week. Grisham took a huge dig at Dreamer that if he's considered a wrestling legend, then so is the Brooklyn Brawler. Wow. Grisham with a full heel turn on ECW now that he's on Smackdown. Dreamer made a comeback and hung Jericho upside down in the corner for the E-C-W basement dropkick. Dreamer wanted to end it, but Jericho blocked into the Walls of Jericho. Dreamer rolled through, though, and scored a close two count. Dreamer followed with a sit-out slam for a close two count. Dreamer wanted to take it up top, but Jericho crotched him. Dreamer fought Jericho off, then he wanted a leaping smash, but Jericho blocked with the codebreaker in mid-air for the win. Striker: "I just don't get it." Welcome to the ECW brand.

WINNER: Jericho at 4:42. Fine match. Just another five-minutes-and-under presentation to allow the announcers to get in their talking points. Good nearfalls in the final few minutes. (*)

Draft Pick #12: Rey Mysterio going to Smackdown. Well, there's your answer to Smackdown's dropping ratings. Get Rey back on Smackdown. Ross said Raw had so much momentum early, but now Smackdown has grabbed the second-half of the show.

11 -- LEGACY (TED DIBIASE & CODY RHODES) vs. WWE champion TRIPLE H & SHANE MCMAHON & BATISTA -- handicap match

Let's break it down. Whoever scores the fall for Team McMahon gets Randy Orton one-on-one next week. If Cody or Ted wins, then Cody, Ted, and Orton get the person who is pinned in a three-on-one match next week. There, that was simple. Cody and Ted agreed that Cody would get the start. Team McMahon couldn't decide, so the bell sounded and Shane jumped Cody like a rat on cheese. Shane then did his left hand jabs on Cody and danced circles around him. Suddenly, Batista blind-tagged himself in and told Shane to step off. After DiBiase tagged in, Hunter tagged himself in and wanted to work on Ted. Suddenly, Hunter had a pin on DiBiase and Batista yanked him off the pin. Hunter and Batista had a stare down, then DiBiase snuck up behind Hunter and took his knee out from behind to begin an isolation. Hunter tried a comeback, but DiBiase snapped off a nice dropkick to cut him off.

They hit the top of the hour as Cole re-set the stips as Hunter continued to take a beating. Batista tried to fire up the crowd, then Hunter made the hot tag to Batista, who cleaned house on DiBiase, the legal man. Batista fired up with clotheslines before knocking Cody off the apron. Batista nailed a powerslam then made a cover, but DiBiase broke it up. Shane then clotheslined DiBiase to the floor. DiBiase walked into a spinebuster, then wanted the Batistabomb and he connected. Batista made the cover, but Shane broke it up. Uh-oh. Batista slowly got up and shoved Shane down. Hunter then tagged himself in and stared down Batista. Suddenly, Shane tackled Batista and they brawled to the floor. Meanwhile, Hunter gave DiBiase a Pedigree in center ring and scored the pin for the win with Shane and Batista too late to make the save.

WINNER: Triple H at 7:45. Well, Hunter and Orton get a second chance at their WrestleMania main event next week after the disaster two weeks ago. Match was good for the storyline purposes of teasing dissension in the McMahon Family. DiBiase & Rhodes didn't benefit much, but they weren't even on the Mania card, so whatever. (*3/4)

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 4-14-09

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

1 -- JOHN MORRISON vs. EVAN BOURNE

Morrison took control early on, but Bourne snapped off an arm drag to ground Morrison on the mat. Bourne then wanted a top rope move, but Morrison cut him off. Bourne ended up on the apron and Morrison smashed him in the face with a knee strike to knock Bourne to the floor. Morrison worked Bourne over on the floor, then took him back in the ring to continue delivering a beating. Morrison put Bourne in a reverse torture rack to squeeze Bourne's lower back for an attempted submission, but Bourne suddenly spun out of the submission into a modified head scissors. That was sweet. Bourne sold the back, then warmed up a dive to the outside, but Morrison ran back into the ring and nailed Bourne with a knee to the gut to cut him off. Cut to break with J-Mo in control.

Back to the action where Morrison had Bourne in a deep headlock. Mathews talked about Miz and Morrison mocking Bourne on recent editions of the Dirt Sheet, which may not be in-tact after Miz randomly turned on J-Mo last night. Morrison cut off Bourne's comeback at 11:00 with a back heel kick, then he strutted around the ring before delivering more offense. Bourne suddenly came back with a series of palm thrusts, but Morrison grounded him with a modified Rings of Saturn. Some new camera shots took us closer to the action from the corner turnbuckle.

Match continued with Bourne escaping the submission mat hold and landing a smashing left-arm clothesline. Bourne bringing some power offense tonight. Bourne snapped off a huracanrana, then a standing dropkick, followed by a spin kick for a two count. The wrestlers collected their breath, then Bourne took Morrison to the corner and nailed a palm thrust. Bourne then jumped onto Morrison's shoulders and kinda did a huracanrana with Morrison helping him out on the flip to the mat. Still looked good. They went into a series of pin exchanges before Bourne took Morrison over the top rope to the floor with a cross-body block.

Both men made it back into the ring, then Bourne nailed a double-knee smash from the top rope. Bourne was slightly perturbed and not being able to finish off J-Mo, so he went for kick strikes. Morrison blocked a third and wanted the Moonlight Drive, but Bourne countered with a knee strike. Bourne then dragged Mo to the corner and wanted the Shooting Star Press, but Mo popped to his feet and nailed Bourne with an enziguiri kick. Morrison then dragged Bourne into position for the Moonlight Drive off the top rope. Morrison then made the cover for the win.

WINNER: Morrison in 18:00. Heck ya. That's what I call an ECW TV match featuring the top young talent in the company. I'll have to revise my Draft Analysis column, as I forgot to include Morrison in the Top Tier with Swagger, Bourne, Kidd, and Christian on ECW. Morrison delivered the goods in his first singles action without The Miz by his side in quite some time. Bourne was stout as well, especially busting out some new power offense and strikes. Excellent work. (***3/4)

2 -- KOZLOV vs. POOR DAVID

Kozlov wanted a boot to the throat early on. David suddenly mustered the nerve to head to the second rope and Kozlov shoved him to the mat. Kozlov landed a series of headbutts to the chest, as Striker made reference to Mathews getting a nose-bleed last night. Kozlov with the modified Rock Bottom for the win. Post-match: Kozlov took the mic and cut a promo in Russian. He hates everyone. Something about Russian outlet malls or perhaps dominating everywhere. ECW will be no different, he said.

WINNER: Kozlov in 1:00. Good, effective use of the squash match formula to give Kozlov a fresh start on ECW. (n/a)

3 -- CHRISTIAN vs. TOMMY DREAMER vs. FINLAY -- Championship Chase match

Deal is that one person gets eliminated, then the two remaining are apparently on WGN this Thursday for the #1 contender match to face Swagger at Backlash. Finlay cleaned house early on, then Christian was knocked to the floor a minute in. Dreamer and Finlay battled in the ring as Horny shouted noises of encouragement to Finlay.

Match continued with Christian trying to re-enter the ring, only to have Finlay bump Christian to the floor. Christian should just chill on the floor for the remainder of the match and let the other two go after each other to eliminate one of them. That obviously wouldn't be the honorable thing to do, though, and Christian is an honorable man, so he re-entered the ring and was quickly knocked to the ropes again. Dreamer then clotheslined himself and Finlay to the outside. Christian sprung to his feet and went up top for a double splash on the floor. Who's going to Superstars? Find out after the break.

They returned from break with Finlay shoving Christian off the top turnbuckle into the guardrail on the floor. Christian all over the floor tonight. Back in the ring, Finlay attacked Dreamer as Horny tried to get Dreamer to give it up. Let me re-write that. Hornswoggle encouraged Dreamer to submit to Finlay's mat-based attack in order to give Finlay the victory this week. Striker was then handed a note that he screwed up. No DQ or count-out tonight. Finlay continued to dominate Dreamer, but Dream wouldn't take a three count. Christian snuck back into the scene as Dreamer made his comeback, then Dreamer smashed Christian into Finlay. Suddenly, there was a double pin, but both men kicked out.

At 11:00, Finlay and Christian collided heads and collapsed to the mat along with Dreamer. Christian pulled himself up, then went up top, only to have Finlay crotch him. Finlay wanted a superplex, but Dream had other ideas. He hung Finlay upside down, then climbed up top and superplexed Christian for a two count. Dreamer re-hung Finlay for the E-C-W basement dropkick and he connected. Dream wanted to end it, but Finlay shoved him to the outside. Christian was prone on the mat, so Finlay approached him, only to have Christian pull out a small package for a close two count. Finlay popped up for the rolling hills, but Christian slipped to the floor. Dreamer then surprised Finlay with a DDT, but Fin kicked out.

Christian tried to sneak attack Dreamer with the Killswitch, but Dreamer blocked and hung Christian in the ropes. Dreamer tossed Finlay into Christian, then rolled up Finlay for a two count. Striker said Christian should just chill in ropes since he was tied up rather than do anything. Finlay then grappled Dreamer and gave him the Celtic Cross mid-ring for the pin and the win. Dreamer is out. Finlay vs. Christian on Superstars. Winner gets Swagger at Backlash.

WINNER: Finlay at 15:00 to eliminate Dreamer. Excellent main event. They created a real sense of peril for all three men to see who would eventually get the fall in the match. Dreamer had enough offense to stay credible and pick up his Quest to the ECW Title storyline with the storyline of him being "that close" in the Championship Chase. Excellent piece of booking to conclude this week's show. (***)

[Arcademan]

WWE Superstars Results: 4-16-09

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

1 -- THE UNDERTAKER vs. MATT HARDY

Hardy ran into a clothesline early on. Hardy told Grisham before the show that he doesn't anticipate being intimidated by Taker tonight. Action moved to the floor early on where Hardy took a hard whip into the guardrail on the floor. Back in the ring, Taker clotheslined Hardy back to the floor. Stay down, Black Cloud! Cut to break.

Back to WGN where Taker choked Hardy in the corner, then chased the ref away. Taker wanted the chokeslam, but Hardy blocked with a neckbreaker for a two count. Ross pointed out it was a smart move by Hardy to work on the neck to pick up the WrestleMania spot where Taker cracked his head on the floor against Michaels. Taker then came back with a running clothesline in the corner, followed by a second one. Hardy fed into snake eyes and took the big boot before Taker dropped a leg for a two count. Taker teased the chokeslam, but Hardy wisely ducked to the outside. Fans booed that move.

Hardy took a powder, then grabbed a steel chair. Hardy dropped it on the floor, then waited until ten to tease getting back in the ring. But, instead, Hardy just waited on the outside to be counted out. Suddenly, Jeff Hardy stormed ringside and attacked Hardy on the floor. Jeff slammed Matt into the guardrail, then Matt tried to run back into the ring, but Taker was waiting for him. Taker grappled Matt and down he went with the chokeslam. Ouch. Jeff raised his hand with a mini-victory and Taker stared down at his prey.

WINNER: Taker via count-out in 10:00. Fine singles match to start Superstars. Nice build to Jeff vs. Matt at Backlash and a good return match for Taker to look dominant. Good start to the show. (*1/2)

2 -- FINLAY (w/Hornswoggle) vs. CHRISTIAN -- #1 Contender match to ECW Title

A little feeling out process early on, then Finlay knocked Christian to the outside and rammed him into the ring apron. Back in the ring, Finlay applied a headlock. Christian escaped, then they had a series of standing exchanges. No one could sustain offense early on, then Christian pulled out the Killswitch to win the struggle. He slowly rolled Finlay over and made the cover for the clean pin and the win.

Post-match: Christian did the belt-around-the-waist motion toward Finlay, who came to his feet and extended a hand to Christian. They shook, then Christian clapped it up for Finlay. Swagger vs. Christian signed for Backlash for the ECW Title.

WINNER: Christian in 5:00. Quick TV match, but a nice mid-match struggle for offensive control. Looking forward to the build-up to Backlash on next week's ECW TV. (*)

3 -- SHANE MCMAHON vs. CODY RHODES

Shane bobbed and weaved with right hand blows, so Cody went into a fighting stance to take more blows to the mid-section. Cody finally got a kick in to the gut to knock down the non-wrestler. Shane came back with a clothesline, though. He followed with an armdrag, of all things. Cody then ducked out of the ring to take a breather while selling his left arm. SuperShane then followed on the outside and rammed him into the ringpost. Cole tried to cover for Shane having all this offense that he's so driven by revenge that he's punishing Cody with an aggressive attack. Yeah, okay.

Back in the ring, Shane went back to work on the left shoulder and Cody rolled to the floor again. Shane then rolled to the outside and ran off the ringsteps with a dive onto Cody. Back in the ring, Cody caught Shane off guard with a bump off the apron into the guardrail. Cut to break with Cody now in control.

Back from break, Cody went to work on Shane's back, including a Camel Clutch. Shane tried not to submit, then he wanted the John Cena power-lift into the electric chair and he rammed Cody into the turnbuckle. Pretty good ring presence for Shane, who then took an elbow to the gut and bulldog from the second rope for a two count. Cody then went to the floor and grabbed a steel chair. Heel theme of the night, apparently. Ref yanked the chair away, so Cody went back to the punches. Cody played too cocky, though, so Shane rapid-fire punched him before stomping a mudhole in him. Ref reprimanded Shane, who then walked into a toss through the ropes hard to the floor.

Fans implored SuperShane to recover, then Shane jabbed him in the gut with a steel chair to earn a DQ. Shane then took the chair to Cody's back. He wanted a chair shot to the head and he connected to the side of Cody's head. Not a clean blow, but a stupid move with the chair shot to the head. Just stupid. And annoying. Shane then wanted the coast-to-coast dropkick with the trashcan on Cody and he connected. Cole effectively reinforced the point (did I just write that?) that if Shane gets his team DQ'ed at Backlash, then Randy Orton wins the WWE Title.

WINNER: Cody Rhodes in 12:00. Actually not that bad of a match. They also effectively played up the storyline for the main event title match at Backlash. Of course, the chair shot to the head was just plain stupid in 2009, but what are you going to do? It's SuperShane, in all his glory. (**)

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 4-16-09

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

1 -- HOMICIDE (w/Hernandez) vs. CHRIS SABIN (w/Alex Shelley) vs. NAITO (w/Yujiro, Kiyoshi, and Sheik Abdul Bashir)

Sabin proved his brain power early on by giving Homicide a double-foot dropkick, then tricking Naito into running into a running clothesline. Homicide recovered, then flew through the ropes with a cannonball dive onto No Limit. Tenay said it was a good move, but it could cost him the match. What exactly is at stake? That's the problem with these undercard TV matches - there's nothing on the line. No money, no advancement in X Division rankings, no endorsement. Tenay started plugging the Lockdown PPV pre-show, including Bonaduce vs. Young, as the wrestlers exchanged power moves and pin attempts. Sabin was trying to superplex Naito, but Homicide shoved Sabin to the floor and delivered a top rope Ace Crusher to Naito. He made the cover for the win.

WINNER: Homicide in 6:00. Nice to see Homicide actually pick up a victory. Match was fine for the moment in time it existed. Wasn't the focal point of the broadcast for six minutes, but they delivered some eye-catching athleticism to hold viewer interest for Tenay and West talking about everything else. (*1/2)

2 -- TNA Knockouts champion AWESOME KONG & Raisha Saeed & TAYLOR WILDE vs. BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (ANGELINA LOVE & VELVET SKY & MADISON RAYNE)

On the way to the ring, Saeed was selling the effects of getting her head trimmed by the Beautiful People last week. Beautiful People came out, then a brawl broke out on the outside. Apparently this was a three-way match, although TNA's website listed it as a tag team match. Kong was left alone with Angelina in the ring. The champ delivered the implant buster on Love for the pin and the win. Very quick match.

Post-match: Kong grabbed the scissors and wanted to trim Angelina's hair, but Beautiful People jumped her from behind. They then launched Raisha head-first into the women's title, then gave Taylor a similar fate. Kong then ran over the BPs, but Angelina gave her a thumb to the eye, followed by a belt shot to the face. Kong sold that pretty well. Angelina then picked up the scissors and trimmed a sizable chunk of Kong's hair. She wasn't satisfied, so she trimmed some more before holding up the hair proudly.

WINNERS: Team Kong in 2:00. All about the post-match with Angelina getting the final word despite taking the loss. Gives Kong an incentive to take out Angelina at the PPV, creating an actual storyline focused on the Knockouts Title after the division was seemingly jogging on the treadmill for a few months. (n/a)

3 -- ODB & CODY DEANER vs. ABYSS & DAFFNEY

Announcers talked about the mystery partner deal, Jeff riding the fence on joining Mafia or sticking to younger stars, and other topics while Knockouts battled in the ring. Abyss then tagged in and ODB started backing down. Rules mean Cody had to tag in. They milked this for a while, then Cody reluctantly tagged in and put on some false bravado. Deaner fired himself up for a right hand that Abyss no-sold. Deaner fired himself up again, then landed a second blow to the chest that Abyss no-sold again. Cody decided to turn his trucker hat around, but Abyss slapped his hat away and landed a chop to the chest. Cody tried to tag ODB out of desperation, but Abyss yanked him back into the Black Hole Slam for the win.

Post-match: Matt Morgan jumped Abyss from behind. Daffney high-tailed it. Morgan played to the crowd, then Abyss fired off a round of right hand blows until Morgan ducked a clothesline and nailed the big bicycle kick. Morgan was good for the night. Morgan vs. Abyss in a Chamber of Blood deal at the PPV.

WINNERS: Abyss & Daffney in 4:00. They milked the Deaner Deal all they could to get four minutes out of that. Fine, then Morgan got the very abrupt one-up to set up their PPV match. Rushed post-match that no one will remember until they wrestle on Sunday.

4 -- CHRISTOPHER DANIELS vs. KURT ANGLE

Angle ran over Daniels early on, then Daniels pushed Angle to the floor. Daniels nailed a split-legged moonsault on the floor, then played to the crowd. Tenay hyped the Lethal Lockdown advantage, which was on the line here. Angle then blocked a move near the ropes and gave Daniels an overhead suplex to the floor. Daniels sold the back as they cut to break.

Back from break, Angle was in control mid-ring. Crowd was behind Daniels, who tried to make a comeback, but they ran into each other with double clotheslines. Daniels made his comeback and ripped off his one-sleeve shirt thingie. He then ran over Angle with a clothesline for a close two count. Angle tried to come back with an Angle Slam, but Daniels countered and hit an enziguiri kick. Daniels wanted the Best Moonsault Ever, but Angle ducked and executed three German suplexes for a two count. Angle followed with an Angle Slam, then slapped on the ankelock, but Daniels broke free. Daniels then rolled up Angle and trapped his shoulders to the mat for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Christopher Daniels in 11:00. Good TV match. TNA really played this up well with the post-match to give the heels the one-man advantage throughout the Lethal Lockdown match, as should have been the case. Great to see Daniels back on TV without a silly gimmick, but as a straight wrestler. Looking forward to seeing how TNA re-incorporates him into storylines long-term. (***)

And yes...that adds up to 23 minutes of wrestling: 12 minutes for the first three matches and 11 for the final match...

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 4-17-09

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

1 -- JEFF HARDY vs. THE BIG SHOW

Hardy came out first. The announcers talked about Jeff taking one chance too many last week as clips aired of his loss to Matt Hardy last week. They showed Grisham and Ross on camera during Show's trip to the ring. Ross said he's now property of Raw so this will be one of the last chances they have to see him. Why is he on this show at all if he was drafted to Raw? Not even addressed. Show outpowered Hardy in the early minutes with his signature methodical offense including headbutts and a legdrop for a nearfall. Show got cocky and let out a big smile as he moved in for a big boot. Hardy moved and Show straddled he top rope. When Hardy charged at Show, though, Show side-stepped him and threw him to the floor at 6:00. They cut to a break.

Back from the break, Show held Hardy on the mat with a double grip nerve hold. Show set up a corner swing splash at 11:00. Hardy moved and Show crashed on the mat. Ross said the door has been cracked open. Jeff hit a DDT. Matt ran out and distracted Jeff. Jeff launched off of Show's back and dove onto brother Matt at ringside. Jeff rolled into the ring and flipped at Show. Show caught caught him, then KO'd him with his big punch for the win. Grisham and Ross agreed Matt's distraction was a huge factor in the finish.

WINNER: Show in 12:00.

STAR RATING: *1/4

2 -- GAIL KIM vs. MARYSE

Ross and Grisham said they're looking forward to Melina's ring entrances. Maryse tossed a charging Kim through the ropes to the floor early. She continued to dominate, including rubbing Kim's face into hte mat and then attempting a camel clutch. Kim powered out of it and hit a leg sweep for a one count. Kim made a full comeback and hit a few clotheslines. Kim countered a DDT attempt by Maryse with her finisher for the win.

WINNER: Kim in 3:00.

STAR RATING: * -- Kim is already appearing to be the class of the division. Her crisp moves and self-assured athleticism is unmatched in the U.S. women's scene right now.

3 -- R-TRUTH vs. JOHN MORRISON

Truth stood mid-ring and asked Tennessee, "What's up?" They aired a clip of Miz turning on Morrison on Raw. At 3:00 Truth hit a scissors kick for a near fall. Morrison ducked a spin wheel kick, but Truth punched hm in he corner. Morrison shoved him to the mat and hit the Moonlight Drive for the win. Ross said 2009 is going to be a massive year for Morrison. He said we won't see him lose many times on Smackdown.

WINNER: Morrison in 4:00.

STAR RATING: *

4 -- SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. UNDERTAKER

Shelton stood in the ring without a ring intro. Taker made his full ring intro. Shelton flipped out of an Undertaker vertical suplex and hit a neckbreaker as they cut to a break. Grisham asked if Shelton was about to score the biggest win of his career.

Shelton remained on offense after the break. Ross said eventually Ross has to get on a roll. "We talk about his physical gifts. At some point that's going to stop buying you groceries." Good line from Ross. It needed to be said, too. Taker made a comeback at 8:00 with some punches. Shelton caught a charging Taker with a boot, but when he dove at Taker, Taker caught him by the throat and went for a chokeslam. Shelton countered with a DDT. Shelton scored a two count with a back suplex. Shelton went for an apparent Tombstone on Taker, but Taker reversed it, hit the move, and scored the three count.

WINNER: Undertaker in 10:00.

STAR RATING: **1/4 -- Good match.

5 -- MVP vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER

Ross said Dolph introduced himself to him three times already today. Ross said he's only seen him a few times in the ring, but each time he's been impressed. He says his colleagues accuse him of being a narcissist. Ziggler dominated the early minutes. At 4:00 MVP hit a kneelift to drop Ziggler. He dropped a showy elbow and scored a two count. Ziggler shot MVP into the middle turnbuckle and held onto MVP's tights to score a three count. After his win, Ziggler grabbed the mic and said, "My name is Dolph Ziggler!"

WINNER: Ziggler in 5:00.

STAR RATING: *1/4 -- Solid five minute TV match.

6 -- BATISTA vs. TED DIBIASE

The match began 47 minutes into the final hour. No Cody Rhodes with DiBiase for this match. Batista controlled early, but DiBiase attacked Batista's legs to turn momentum at 2:00 as they cut to a break.

DiBiase continued to concentrate on Batista's leg, including a chop block at ringside. DiBiase hit a double stomp on Batista's chest leaping off the second rope. He went back to the second rope and double stomped his back. He then scored a two count. Batista surprised DiBiase with a small package attempt. Ross said it's not a typical move for Batista, but he just did it. Batista made a comeback with punches, but DiBiase used a drop toe hold to take him to the mat. He applied a leglock on the mat, then set up a potential figure-four. Batista kicked DBiase off of him and hit a spinebuster. He followed with a backdrop and clothesline. DiBiase caught a charging Batista with a boot. Batista countered with a spear. He then went into his finishing sequence including the Batista Bomb for the clean pin.

WINNER: Batista in 11:00.

STAR RATING: ** -- Ted DiBiase showed more in that match than anything he's done on Raw. He took Batista to another level just in terms of the actual chain wrestling and got a smooth match out of the often clunky Batista, more impressive since it's Batista's return from injury. It wasn't a great match by any means, but DiBiase looked like he was as comfortable as a ten year ring general out there. And he had a presence about him, too, that doesn't come across when he's standing next to Orton and Rhodes on Raw.

[Arcademan]

TNA Lethal Lockdown PPV Results: 4-19-09

Real-time results courtesy of PWTorch.com via Caldwell's ongoing report.

Pre-show match:
A -- ERIC YOUNG vs. DANNY BONADUCE
WINNER: Young at 3:33. It was what it was. There's no other way to put it. Not quite embarrassing, and perhaps something to get on TMZ or a Hollywood news TV show, but not a flattering portrayal of TNA or pro wrestling. (n/a)

1 -- X Division champion SUICIDE vs. JAY LETHAL vs. CONSEQUENCES CREED vs. KIYOSHI vs. SHEIK ABDUL BASHIR -- X DIVISION TITLE MATCH -- ULTIMATE XSCAPE MATCH
WINNER: Suicide at 11:40. Memorable conclusion to the opening match. Final exchange between Bashir and Suicide could have been stretched into an actual X Division Title match on a non-gimmick-PPV event. Good way to start the PPV. (**1/2)

2 -- MADISON RAYNE vs. ODB (w/Cody Deaner) vs. SOJO BOLT vs. DAFFNEY -- Queen of the Cage match
WINNER: ODB at 6:06. Okay action. It's become obvious three matches in that TNA running a mid-sized building brought a very "corporate/family-friendly" crowd without that "rough" Philadelphia atmosphere that TNA was trying to sell the PPV on.

3 -- NJPW Jr. tag team champions MOTOR CITY MACHINEGUNS (ALEX SHELLEY & CHRIS SABIN) vs. LAX (HOMICIDE & HERNANDEZ) vs. NO LIMIT (NAITO & YUJIRO) -- New Japan Jr. tag team title match
WINNERS: Guns at 11:50 to retain the belts. Just a lot of spots before the finishing sequence captured the crowd for the finish. Typical "X-Division style" fare that won't be remembered on Monday because so much is thrown against the wall. (**1/2)

4 -- MATT MORGAN vs. ABYSS -- Doomsday Chamber of Blood match
WINNER: Morgan at 12:45. Another rinse, repeat gimmick weapon match between Abyss and Morgan. Crowd just wasn't into it and the wrestlers didn't give themselves a chance to involve the crowd by just going into spot sequences without listening to the crowd. TNA insulting the intelligence of the audience by having the announcers shockingly declare it was Stevie Richards playing therapist all along was pretty rough. (*1/4)

5 -- TNA Knockouts champion AWESOME KONG vs. ANGELINA LOVE (w/Velvet Sky) vs. TAYLOR WILDE -- TNA Knockouts title match
WINNER: Angelina Love at 7:00 to capture the Knockouts Title. Love gets awarded with the title after her work over the past year. Although, it doesn't seem like she will remember how it happened. (*1/4)

6 -- TNA tag team champions BEER MONEY, INC. (ROBERT ROODE & JAMES STORM) vs. New Japan tag team champions TEAM 3D (BROTHER RAY & BROTHER DEVON) -- Title vs. Title match -- Philadelphia Street Fight
WINNERS: Team 3D at 14:59 to capture the TNA tag titles. Good gimmick cage match with a smartly-laid-out finish. Easily the best match on the card thus far. 3D winning the belts was inevitable and could set up a program between Roode and Storm if TNA wants to split them up. (***1/2)

7 -- TEAM ANGLE (KURT ANGLE & KEVIN NASH & SCOTT STEINER & BOOKE T) vs. TEAM JARRETT (JEFF JARRETT & CHRISTOPHER DANIELS & A.J. STYLES & SAMOA JOE) -- Lethal Lockdown cage match
WINNER: Team Jarrett at 22:59. Jarrett retained his alliance with the younger stars, but the younger stars were definitely not the focal point of the match other than Styles trying to do crazy spots because he's A.J. Styles. Match was fine, as they worked around the limitations of the older stars, and built up the "babyfaces" to overcome the man disadvantage. (***)

8 -- TNA World Hvt. champion STING vs. MICK FOLEY -- TNA World Title match
WINNER: Mick Foley at 15:53 to capture the TNA World Title.

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 4-20-09

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

1 -- BATISTA vs. CHAVO GUERRERO

Bell sounded, Batista stared at him with his hands on his hips, then Batista met Chavo with a boot to the gut and a Batistabomb. Batista made the cover for the easy win. Lawler said he didn't even get a chance to start his stopwatch. Yeah, I barely did too. Post-match: Chavo took the mic and complained to Vickie that he won't let this ever happen again. Chavo gasped for breath and Batista returned to the ring. Chavo saw Batista out of the corner of his eye and said he really was ready, but Batista grappled him for another Batistabomb to put an exclamation mark on his victory.

WINNER: Batista at 0:16. That was quick. Just a "tune-up" victory for Batista to continue building him back up in the eyes of the audience following his absence from injury. Not much emphasis on the Backlash title match he's involved in, but that will probably come later. (n/a)

2 -- KANE vs. C.M. PUNK

Kane dominated early and scored a nearfall following a chokeslam. Punk then came back with a high knee, but Kane blocked a bulldog. Punk then came off the second rope with a clothesline for a two count. Kane tried to come back with another chokeslam attempt, but Punk blocked and small packaged Kane into a three count for the win.

WINNER: Punk at 2:04. Short TV match. Two matches have featured three Smackdown wrestlers. Two future matches on the show will also feature two Smackdown wrestlers. (*)

3 -- Women's champion MELINA vs. BETH PHOENIX (w/Santino and Rosa Mendes) -- non-title match

Beth went for the trademark power offense/submission holds early on, but Melina made a comeback. She was in position to win, but Rosa got on the apron to try to run interference at 3:00, but Melina knocked her to the floor. Beth tried to sneak up behind her to take advantage, but Melina countered with a victory roll-up for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Melina at 3:22. Decent divas match. Enough time to feel somewhat complete considering how many of these end so quickly. (*1/2)

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

Jericho took control early, then he berated Cena. "This is your show, right?!" Jericho shouted down at Cena. Jericho cut off a brief comeback with a clothesline, then they had a mid-ring exchange of rights and lefts. Crowd had a mixed "yeah" for Cena's punches and "yeah" for Jericho's punches. Cena then set up Jericho for the Five Knuckle Shuffle (loud boos) and he delivered. Cena wanted the FU, but Jericho countered with a DDT. The action moved to the ring apron and Cena wanted an FU off the apron, but Jericho blocked and chucked Cena off the apron into the ring steps. Cut to break.

Back from break, Cena kicked out of a pin attempt from Jericho. Jericho played to the crowd, then he tried the Walls of Jericho, but Cena escaped. Jericho then blocked a comeback with a lift-up slam for a nearfall. They battled up top and Cena tried a top-rope FU, but Jericho countered with an electric chair to put both men on the mat. They battled mid-ring, then Cena power-lifted Jericho into position for the FU, but Jericho flipped out and grappled Cena for the codebreaker. Great sequence. Jericho couldn't make an immediate cover, though, then he finally did and Cena kicked out at two.

Both men regrouped, then Jericho ran into the FU from Cena. Cena couldn't make a cover, though. He finally did and Jericho kicked out. Cena then went to the corner and went up top. Cena tried the top rope guillotine smash, but Jericho countered and slapped on the Walls of Jericho. Jericho screamed at Cena to tap out, but Cena refused. Cena then power-lifted into a roll-up that he transitioned into the STFU mid-ring. Jericho tried to fight the hold like a swimmer stuck in the water, then Cena pulled him back to his feet where Jericho smashed him with an enziguiri kick. Nice counter.

At 15:00, Jericho pulled Cena to the corner. He tried a top rope move, but Cena blocked. They had a standing exchange of right hand blows before Cena attempted a superplex. Suddenly, Edge showed up and shoved Cena and Jericho down. Edge then snapped on Cena mid-ring and blasted him with right hands. Cole interjected that Edge saw that Cena was vulnerable, so he attacked. Nice line. Edge then readied Cena and speared him in mid-air. Cena took the blow, then Edge stared down at Cena in disgust.

Edge grabbed two chairs from ringside, then he re-entered the ring to set up Cena for the conchairto. No one stopped Edge, who delivered a smashing blow. Really, Edge nailed the other chair instead of Cena's head, but the effect was really good. Edge then took the mic and breathed heavily. He then declared himself the winner in the Last Man Standing match at Backlash after counting to ten with Cena still out cold on the mat. Cole solemnly stated Edge could be new World champ at the PPV.

WINNER: Cena via DQ at 16:30. Really good TV match. No surprise, as Cena and Jericho have always had good chemistry in the ring on a big stage for a singles match. Edge's interference and post-match promo was very well done to promote the Backlash title match. It seemed to be lost in the shuffle of the brand split and Team McMahon vs. Legacy, but Cena, Jericho, and Edge brought the focal point back to Cena vs. Edge with this segment. Well done. (***1/2)

5 -- IC champion REY MYSTERIO vs. BIG SHOW -- non-title match

Show quickly took advantage of the size advantage by knocking Rey down to the mat. Rey then took back control with a dropkick to the knees. He tried to dial up 619 on Show, but Show grabbed his legs and KO'ed him with a giant right. Show then put two hands on Rey's chest for the pin and the win. Rey sold that he was totally knocked out as Show looked down at Rey with a non-reactionary look. Medics checked on Rey as Show left the ring kinda muttering to himself. Rey showed some life to close the segment.

WINNER: Show at 1:43. Squash to re-establish Show now that he's officially moved from Smackdown to Raw. Seems likely that Show will factor into the WWE Title picture at some point soon. (*)

6 -- WWE champion TRIPLE H vs. RANDY ORTON -- No DQ non-title match

Hunter and Orton's "mulligan" started hot with Hunter and Orton exchanging right hands in the corner. Action spilled to the floor where Hunter ripped away the announce table cover. Orton then smashed Hunter head-first into the table. The action returned to the ring, then Hunter dumped Orton over the top rope to the floor. Hunter tried to follow out, but Orton reached up and smashed him with a trashcan. Cut to break with Orton in control.

Back from break, Orton and Hunter exchanged control with Hunter taking a steel step shot to the head, then Hunter coming back with a spinebuster into the steps. Hunter missed with a chairshot to the head, then Hunter reeled off a round of right hand blows that knocked Orton down. Hunter measured Orton for a trashcan shot, but Orton blocked with a boot to the face. Orton waited too long to capitalize, then Hunter dropped a charging Orton with a spinebuster into the can. Hunter continued to attack the back, this time with a steel chair shot to the back. Hunter measured Orton for a chair shot to the head, but Orton kicked Hunter in the gut and DDT'ed him into the chair.

At the top of the hour, Hunter came back with a chair shot to the knee after he wrapped Orton's leg around the ringpost. Back in center ring, Hunter focused his attack on Orton's left knee. He then slapped on Ric Flair's figure four in center ring as the crowd whoo'ed. Hunter wanted to take Orton's knee out for good, but Cody and Ted stormed the ring to attack Hunter. Shane then ran down to the ring to make the save, but Ted yanked the top rope down and Shane ate the floor. Hunter then tried to fight by himself as Orton recovered. Suddenly, Batista stormed the ring and cleaned house. He speared Orton, then Cody raked his eye. Shane snuck back into the ring, then Batista accidentally speared Shane. Hunter asked him what's up and Batista said it was an accident. Action totally broke down and they were back to Orton and Hunter. Hunter stumbled over to Orton, who suddenly snapped to attention like a snake and dropped Hunter with an RKO. Orton made the cover for the win.

Post-match: Orton sold the knee work and stumbled out of the ring with help from DiBiase and Rhodes. Batista then slipped back into the ring to check on Hunter. Batista then helped Shane to his feet and stared down at Legacy with hands on hips in disgust. Hunter leaned down on the middle rope and stared back at Orton for one last three-on-three stand-off to set up Backlash.

WINNER: Orton at 17:32. Excellent match in the sense that they used the props and gimmickry to their advantage to set-up the six-man tag match with Triple H in jeopardy of losing the title at Backlash. Good piece of TV to conclude Raw's hype for Backlash. (***1/4)

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 4-21-09

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

1 -- HORNSWOGGLE (w/Finlay) vs. NATALYA (w/Tyson Kidd)

The match started with a mini-feeling-out process. Haha. Crowd anticipated some action and Horny slapped Natalya to incite her. Tyson then tried to hop on the apron to run interference, but Finlay yanked him down to the floor. Suddenly, Hornswoggle rolled up Natalya from behind for the win to go out in style. Afterward, Finlay and Hornswoggle led a few kids in the heel-to-toe tap to send 'em home happy to commercial.

WINNER: Hornswoggle in 1:30. Fun little deal. Just a fine send-off for Hornswoggle, who will hopefully find a role on Raw tormenting some heels in an undercard storyline to fill time in between main event programs on TV. He could still be useful even if he's not with Finlay. (n/a)

2 -- EVAN BOURNE vs. PAUL BURCHILL (w/Katie Lea)

Burchill and Lea were in their home country, but no love from the crowd. Katie distracted Bourne early on, then Bourne tried a head scissors, but Burchill smashed him with a backbreaker across his knee.

Burchill continued to dominate the smaller Bourne before Bourne with strikes before nailing an overhead toss for a two count. Back to the mat where Burchill wrapped up Bourne with a rear attack. Crowd started to get ancy as Burchill continued to slow down the pace until Bourne fought back with blows to the gut, then a knock-down kick strike. Burchill tried to grapple Bourne, but Bourne flipped him to the floor. He then measured Burchill for a dive to the outside, but Burchill ran back into the ring. Bourne made the proper adjustment and rolled him up for a two count.

They reset the action before Burchill caught Bourne out of the corner for a Samoa Joe/E. Honda front slam. Bourne went up top, but Burchill cut him off. He tried a power move on Bourne, but Bourne countered with a Jack Evans reverse rana. Burchill wasn't quite sure how to take the hold, though. Bourne then dragged Burchill to the corner and nailed the majestic Shooting Star Press for the pin and the win. "Beautiful," Mathews said on a slow-mo replay post-match. "The elevation is sick."

WINNER: Bourne in 10:00. I try to be fair to the wrestlers working hard in the ring, but I just don't see much with Burchill. It's frustrating because he has the size to be a good performer, but he currently doesn't have the ability to involve the crowd in a match. His facial expressions are non-existent and he just doesn't have "it" as a performer in the ring with the current William Regal lite gimmick. Perhaps he could find it with a different gimmick (yes, again) and a haircut to allow his facial expressions to tell a story in the ring. Bourne was good bumping around for Burchill before picking up the victory. (*1/2)

3 -- KOZLOV vs. FRANKIE SLOAN

Bell rang and Kozlov went for the headbutt offensive attack. Kozlov gave him a modified Rock Bottom for the easy win.

WINNER: Kozlov in 1:00. Just a squash to continue re-establishing Kozlov. If Christian wins the ECW Title on Sunday, we know who his first feud will be against.

The final 15 minutes of the show was Swagger/Christian and the contract signing.

[Arcademan]

WWE Superstars Results: 4-23-09

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

1 -- IC champion REY MYSTERIO & C.M. PUNK vs. BIG SHOW & KANE (taped 4/20)

Match quickly moved to the floor in the opening minute after Rey cleared out Kane. Rey then hit a running splash off the apron leading to the first break.

They returned from break with Kane working on Punk. Rey and Punk looking very pink tonight. The lighting in the arena seemed to have a pinkish hue as well. Kane then ran over Rey, who took a tag, and the heel giants began working on little Rey Rey. Show dropped a big leg on Rey, but Rey kicked out. Kane went to work on Rey as Cole reminded us of the psychological torture Kane put Rey through last year. He should have added the WWE Universe experienced psychological torture watching it unfold. Cole plugged Cena on Stars again.

Rey came back with an enziguiri kick and Punk took the hot tag for a springboard splash on Kane. Punk fired off kicks, ducked a big boot, and nailed a spinning back fist. Punk landed consecutive high knees in the corner, then he went up top, but Show knocked him off the top. Clunky spill. Kane then followed with a chokeslam on Punk and that's it.

WINNERS: Show & Kane in 10:00. Fine set-up for Kane vs. Punk at Backlash, although that match isn't going to sell PPVs. Focus was more on establishing the giants in WWE. Kane is upset about Punk one-upping him on Raw last week and Show is upset about everything. (*1/2)

2 -- FINLAY & HORNSWOGGLE vs. TYSON KIDD & NATALYA

Finlay and Kidd started things off. Hornswoggle then took a tag and put Kidd in a flying head scissors. Kidd was rather upset, so he bailed to the outside for a breather. Hornswoggle then juggled some tennis balls and chucked them at Kidd, who gave chase on the floor. Finlay made sure Kidd took a beating as balls bounced back into the ring. Suddenly, Finlay smashed Kidd with a Shillelagh behind the ref's back and Horny came off the top with a tadpole splash on Kidd for the win.

WINNER: Finlay & Hornswoggle in 2:00. Well, there's your ECW showcase match. Jus a chance to make fools of Kidd and Natalya, which hopefully won't become a regular theme on ECW TV going forward. (n/a)

3 -- EDGE vs. KOFI KINGSTON

Kofi took the early advantage and the announcers went the route of saying Edge might be looking ahead to Backlash and not focused on Kofi tonight. Kofi nailed Edge out of the corner with an uppercut, then settled into an armbar on Edge. Edge broke the hold, though, with a forearm smash to the face to begin a brief attack. Kofi went back to the left shoulder, then he went up top, but Edge crotched him and Kofi fell to the apron. Cut to break with Kofi in jeopardy.

Edge was in control out of the break as Grisham told us some stories about Edge being a walking scandal. Ross said Kofi's star is growing and he'll be a major player soon enough. Kofi then came back with a leaping frog splash/cross-body block on Edge for a two count. Ross referenced it as a Ricky Steamboat-like splash to plug Steamboat vs. Chris Jericho on Sunday. Kofi and Edge recovered to their feet and Kofi nailed a forward-rolling Russian legsweep for a two count. Edge came to his feet first and he wanted the Spear, but Kofi moved and nailed the Jamaican Buzzsaw kick. Edge rolled to the floor, though, and Kofi was forced to follow him to the outside.

Back in the ring, Kofi made a cover, but Edge grabbed the bottom rope. Edge giving Kofi a lot tonight. Edge tried to surprise Kofi with a roll-up, but Kofi slipped out. Kofi then faked out Edge, who blocked a sunset flip. He wanted a Sharpshooter, but Kofi countered with a roll-up for a two count. Both men came to their feet and Edge surprised Kofi with an emphatic spear for the pin and the win. Post-match: Ross plugged an ol' time brawl between Cena and Edge on Sunday. Grisham gave us the final word for tonight.

WINNER: Edge in 13:00. Really nice TV match. Kofi was given plenty of offense to take a loss, but still come out looking good. Edge, as usual, was strong in the ring as the heel setting the tone for the match. If WWE can continue to feature 10-15 minute TV matches on Superstars featuring top stars, the show will provide a good hour of wrestling TV during the week that won't blow anyone away, but make sure viewers get their hour's worth. (***)

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 4-23-09

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

(1) BEER MONEY INC. vs. LETHAL CONSEQUENCES

Storm starts things off with a couple of strikes to Lethal, but gets dropped by a Hurricanrana and a Leg Lariat. Creed tags in, and after a couple of charges in the corner hits a Slingshot Bulldog for two. Storm catches him with a right hand and tags in Roode; Creed keeps the advantage over him till Storm nails the illegal kick from the outside. Lethal doesn't like that any, so he takes Storm down with a (almost blown) Suicide Dive. Creed tosses Roode to the outside and follows him out with an Inverted Sommersault Plancha. Creed brings Roode back in and nails a Neck Breaker for two, but misses a blind tag. Storm comes in with a Back Stabber, and Beer Money take control. They trade a couple of quick tags and the Beer Money Suplex before Storm decides to work the Chin Lock. Creed powers out, but both he and Storm look for Cross Body Blocks at the same time. They both tag out, and Lethal comes in with extra momentum. He hits some chops before Roode Back Body Drops him out to the apron. He comes in with a Missile Dropkick, which Storm tries to break up at two, only to accidentally nail Roode. They hit a cool double-team Suplex/Cross Body Block on Storm, but The Lethal Combo on Roode only gets two. Beer Money respond with their double-team Suplex/Neck Breaker, which is apparently now called the "DUI". That's enough for the win.

WINNER: Beer Money in 5 minutes. This was about as good a showcase for the teams as one could hope for in a five minute match. *

(2) SOJOURER BOLT vs. TAYLOR WILDE

Maybe I was unfair earlier when I said that they weren't taking the division seriously. There's a ladder set up in the ring, which both women immediately try to climb. Wilde knocks Bolt off, so Bolt shoves down the ladder. Wilde lands on her feet, but Bolt knocks her down anyway. She sets up the ladder in the corner, but when she tries to whip Wilde into it Wilde reverses and she ends up eating the steel herself. Wilde sets up the ladder and tries to climb, but Bolt cuts her off with a big Belly-to-Back Suplex. Bolt tries to climb next, but gets cut off herself by an Electric Chair Drop. Both women crawl to the ladder, with Bolt pulling out some brass knuckles on the way. They brawl on the top of the ladder, but it's really hard to win a brawl against someone wearing brass knuckles. Bolt connects and grabs the contract for the win.

WINNER: SOJOURNER BOLT in 3 minutes. I should have stood by my first appraisal of their opinion of the women's division. DUD.

(3) AJ STYLES vs. KEVIN NASH (w/JENNA MORASCA)

I think they remixed AJ's music. Nash lays in with some knees to start. He hits a couple of elbows and chokes AJ in the corner. He goes for an Irish Whip, but AJ comes back with a dropkick to the knee and a jump-kick. With Nash down, AJ starts pounding on his left knee. AJ goes to the top rope, but Nash meets him with an elbow that knocks him all the way out to the floor. Nash follows AJ out with some offense, then rolls him back in for a Side Slam for two. A Decapitator Clothesline gets two more. AJ fights back from his knees, rolls out to the apron, and comes back in with the patented Flying Forearm. As Nash tries to get to his feet AJ dropkicks him in the face. Nash gets up and goozles AJ, but Styles slips out and hits a Pele for two. He tries to finish Nash off with—I think that was a Springboard 450 Splash! I'm not sure why the crowd isn't more impressed. Nash rolls out of the way. Booker T and Sharmell run down to the ring. Sharmell distracts the ref on the apron while Booker nails AJ with an Axe Kick. Nash is about to hit a Jackknife, but referee Rudy Charles lets him know that he saw the Axe Kick. He calls for the DQ.

WINNER: AJ Styles by DQ in 6 minutes. Eh. 3/4*

(4) NO LIMIT (w/KIYOSHI & SHEIK ABDUL BASHIR) vs. JETRHO HOLLIDAY & ERIC YOUNG

Yep, it's Trevor Murdoch. Yujiro starts things off with EY, who slips between his legs and comes back with a dropkick. He tags in Holliday, who at least seems to be a smidge faster than I remembered him. He hits a big Full Nelson Slam for two, so Yujiro rakes the eyes and makes the tag. Naito comes in with a dropkick off the top rope, then No Limit proceed to work the double team. Apparently Kurt Angle had to pull apart Kevin Nash and Booker T during the break—I somehow missed it. Yujiro has tagged back in, but when he tries to come off the top rope Holliday gets up a leg and creates enough distance to make the tag. EY tosses Naito and slams Yujiro. Bashir tries to distract the referee while Kiyoshi holds EY, but there's a miscommunication, EY slips away, and nails a Crucifix Roll Up on Yujiro for the win.

WINNER: Eric Young and Jethro Holliday in five minutes. Holliday was a bit better than I expected.

(5) SCOTT STEINER vs. JEFF JARRETT

Jarrett starts things off with a quick Inverted Atomic Drop and some shots with a kendo stick. One of the sides of the ring has seen the ropes replaced by barbed wire. Jarrett clotheslines Steiner out of the ring, hits him with a walker (the device—not a person who walks), then follows up with a fan's poster conveniently made over a road sign. Steiner dodges a charge and Body Slams Jarrett against the concrete. He grabs a pogo stick, which he whacks Jarrett with a couple of times before deciding to do some bouncing. Awesome. Jarrett tries to knock him back, but Steiner responds with what appears to be an inflatable Santa Clause. For some reason, Jarrett sells it like a chair shot. Steiner Suplexes him onto a trash can.

We get back just in time to see Jarrett take control and toss Steiner into a chair set up in the corner. He blasts Steiner a couple of times with a trash can lid, before hitting a sort-of Double Armed DDT onto a trash can for two. Jarrett signals that he wants to toss Steiner into the barbed wire, but gets taken over with a Do-Se-Do Suplex instead. Steiner gets in a shot with the garbage can lid, then cinches in a Steiner Recliner. Jarrett gets to the ropes, and when Steiner tries to reapply it Jarrett hits him with the lid from the mat, then rolls him into a Small Package for two. Jarrett sets up a chair in the middle of the ring, but when he goes for The Stroke Steiner drives his head into it. The crowd informs him that he still sucks (though I think some people might be saying that they both suck). He puts a trash can over Jarrett's torso and whacks it with a crutch, but when he looks for the Steiner Recliner again Jarrett hits a Low Blow and The Stroke for two. Jarrett goes to the top rope, but Steiner cuts him off with a Samoan Drop for what looked a lot like three but supposedly wasn't. Steiner cinches in The Recliner again, but Jarrett walks him over to the ropes, which he uses for leverage in reversing into an Electric Chair Drop. Jarrett grabs a guitar, with which he blasts Steiner over the head. He follows up with The Stroke for the win.

Winner: Jeff Jarrett in 12 minutes. It had some nice moments, but no real flow. *1/4

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 4-24-09

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

1- MATT HARDY & KANE vs. CM PUNK & JEFF HARDY

I’ve got to be honest, I wasn’t sure that Matt could pull off being a heel, but he’s done a nice job thus far. Jeff and Matt began the match, but before they could make contact, Matt tagged out. Punk then came in to face his opponent for Backlash, Kane. Punk got the better of the big man and tagged in Jeff. Kane with an uppercut, then a tag in to Matt. That brought Jeff back off the mat for some punishment for his brother. Jeff jumped over the top and landed a cross-body onto Matt at ringside. The two men were down outside the ring as the show went to break.

A little double-teaming by Jeff and Punk, followed by a cover by Punk is what viewers saw upon return from break. More double-teaming on The Big Red Machine. Jeff, clearly not being able to focus with his brother standing on the apron, was the recipient of a boot to the back by Kane that sent him to the outside. The brothers were both in and they had a brief brawl, but Matt ended up getting the best of him for the time being. More legdrops from Matt. Neck vice applied by Matt. Both men found the mat, but only the eldest Hardy was able to make the tag to his partner. Jeff broke out of another rest-hold from Matt and hit Whisper in the Wind for two, broken up by Kane. Punk dove through the ropes onto Kane to take him out of the equation. Mule kick and a beauty by Jeff. Jeff tried a Twist of Fate, but Matt pushed him off, into Kane (who was on the apron). Matt then rolled up Jeff and used a handful of tights to secure the victory.

WINNERS: Kane & Matt Hardy, at 10:41. Fine tag match that did the job of hyping two of the PPV matches at once.

2- THE BIG SHOW vs. THE UNDERTAKER

JR referred to this as the “main event” tonight. Body blows right off the bat by Show on Taker. Taker returned fire and even traded hedbutts with the giant. Show’s had a bit more behind them. Show missed a running boot and got hung up in the ropes. Taker booted him over the top and to the outside.

Show had the advantage out of break. More clubbing blows from Show. Taker choked Show on the top rope to get away from an offensive attempt by The Big Show. Taker struck back with right hands. A reversal and Show caught Taker coming off the ropes with a clothesline. Taker tried another comeback here, but couldn’t get Show up for a chokeslam, as Show dodged it with a back elbow. Chokeslam by Show that got only a two-count. You could see the frustration on Show’s face. Dragon-sleeper by Show, with both men on their feet. Taker countered it with a DDT. He rolled over and got an arm across Show for a two-count. In the center of the ring, the men slugged it out, with fans booing on Show’s punches and yay-ing on Taker’s, much like Cena and Jericho on Raw. Clothesline from Taker took Show off his feet. Taker went Old School (much more believable late in a match like this), but Show socked him with a right hand as Taker jumped. Taker didn’t get knocked out, but staggered around the ring a bit. Show lined up Taker to hit him with another one, and he hit Taker in the back of the head. Referee Charles Robinson checked in on Taker and, determining Taker couldn’t continue, awarded the match to Big Show.

WINNER: Big Show via ref stoppage, at 14:21. Surprising result there. I guess Taker got to kick out of the chokeslam since he was going to be on the losing end.

3- MARYSE vs. GAIL KIM- DIVAS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Kim got things started with some rights to the face of Maryse. Roll-up by Kim for one. Springboard cross body for two followed that up. Maryse got in some hair-based offense, which drew the ire of referee John Cone. Kim made a comeback, but the crowd wasn’t really behind her. Hurricanrana off the top by Kim for a near-fall. Maryse tried to leave, but Kim came out and brought her back into the ring. As Gail tried to come in, Maryse dropped her throat-first across the middle rope. The French Kiss (DDT) by Maryse finished things off.

WINNER: Maryse, at 2:51. Entertaining match without the small hiccups their last match had.

4- MVP vs. CHAVO GUERRERO

Next week, at Madison Square Garden, MVP faces Dolph Ziggler with the United States Title on the line. Chavo with a double-knee to the back of MVP as he was briefly distracted. Chavo worked over the left arm of the US Champ. MVP worked out of it and bodyslammed Chavo. Guerrero came back with a dropkick and a baseball slide that sent MVP to the arena floor. Montel Vontavious Porter caught Chavo with a knee-lift as he attempted to come back into the ring. MVP with his trademark “Ballin’!” elbowdrop. Overhead throw by MVP, then he finished Chavo off with the Playmaker.

WINNER: MVP, at 2:44.

5- BATISTA & SHANE MCMAHON vs. CODY RHODES & TED DIBIASE

Dibiase pummeled Shane in the corner, but Shane fought back with some jabs of his own. Jumping back elbow, then a few arm-drags. Batista tagged in and Rhodes made a blind tag. Batista caught Rhodes with a clothesline, then dropped him to the mat for a two-count. McMahon came in and was promptly double-teamed by Team Priceless. Batista saved him with a double-clothesline, and the faces each clotheslined a heel over the top rope and to the outside.

The faces were in control of Cody Rhodes out of break, with Batista entering the match. Shane elbowdropped Cody off the second rope while he was draped across the knee of Batista. Dibiase came in and broke up the pin. Shane was distracted, allowing Rhodes to nail him in the back with a dropkick. Dibiase then tagged in and went right to work. Shane tried to fight out of the heel corner, but Cody took him down with a Russian leg sweep. Shane kept trying to make a tag, but Dibiase kept holding him back. Shane came back with a DDT on Rhodes and Batista tried to get the crowd behind McMahon. Dibiase got the tag first and Shane rolled Ted up for two. He kicked out and in the process sent Shane into Batista on the apron. Batista didn’t look happy, shoved Shane out of the way and landed a spinebuster on Rhodes. Shane picked up the win.

WINNERS: McMahon & Batista, at 11:20. Well, we got some more hints of dissension, even though Batista and Shane hugged after the match.

[Arcademan]

WWE Backlash PPV Results: 4-26-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's real-time report).

1 -- ECW champion JACK SWAGGER vs. CHRISTIAN -- ECW Title match

Christian scored with a brief amount of offense early, then Swagger slowed own the pace with some mat-based offense before applying a lengthy bear hug. Christian broke free, but Swagger put him up in the air. Christian avoided a backbreaker, but Swagger wrapped him up with a gutbuster for a two count. Christian tried another comeback with the lean-back leg kick in the corner, but Swagger kneed him in the gut. Christian then blocked a Vader bomb and Christian prepped a comeback. He hit a DDT in center ring, but Swagger kicked out just before three. Match moved to the ring apron where Swagger teased a German suplex, but Christian blocked and flipped Swagger back into the ring. Swagger crotched him, though, and flipped him to the mat. Swagger then went all the way up top for a top rope Vader Bomb, but Christian kicked out before three.

At 10:00, Christian scored a real close nearfall when he blocked a running powerslam into a victory roll. Swagger became frustrated with his inability to put away Christian, so he went to the top rope and loosened the pad. Meanwhile, Christian did the same on the other side. Christian then rammed Swagger head-first into the exposed steel and grappled a stunned Swagger for the Killswitch in center ring. Christian made the cover to win the ECW Title.

WINNER: Christian at 10:55 to capture the ECW Title. Nice match. Would have liked to have seen 15 minutes, but it was still a very good opening singles match. Crowd needed some time to get warmed up, but they bought into the nearfalls at the end. (**3/4)

2 -- CHRIS JERICHO vs. RICKY STEAMBOAT

Steamboat played cat and mouse early on as Ross talked about calling some of Ricky's best matches of his career against Ric Flair. Steamboat nailed a plancha on the floor, then took Jericho back into the ring for a round of chops and a deep arm drag. "You still got it" was the chant from the crowd as Steamboat continued on the advantage. Steamboat pulled out another deep arm drag, prompting "Vintage Steamboat!" from Cole. Ah yes, vintage Cole. Jericho then reversed a whip to the ropes and tried to chuck Ricky to the floor, but Ricky skinned the cat back into the ring. Jericho then clotheslined him right back over the top rope to begin his offensive attack at 3:30.

Jericho tried to work over Steamboat on the mat, then Steamboat shoved Jericho into the corner to block a running bulldog. They went up top together and Steamboat executed a textbook backdrop suplex for a two count. Steamboat then fired off a series of martial arts chops and thrusts, but Jericho kicked out. Steamboat nailed a powerslam out of the corner that Cole called a scoop slam. Okay, I'll let the "superplex" instead of a "backdrop suplex" go, but not the second botched move call. Jericho then came back with a bulldog and he wanted a Lionsault, but Steamboat grappled him for the electric chair. Jericho rolled through, though, and slapped on the Walls of Jericho in center ring.

Steamboat reversed at 10:00 and went for a figure four. Took him a second to lock it in, then Jericho sold the hold to make it clear Steamboat had the figure four locked in. Jericho then rolled to the ropes to get a break. Steamboat went up top, Jericho tried to charge, but Steamboat moved and went up top for a crossbody block and a close two count. Steamboat went to the second rope for a dive, but Jericho caught him in mid-air for the codebreaker. Jericho didn't make an immediate cover, then he did, and Steamboat draped his foot across the bottom rope. Jericho argued that it was a three count, then Steamboat rolled him up out of nowhere for a close two count.

Jericho went back to the Walls of Jericho and he slapped it on center ring. Jericho locked it in and squeezed and Steamboat had no choice but to tap out. Jericho locked it in an extra few seconds to make his point, then he released and left the ring. Post-match: Jericho walked to the back and Steamboat took a curtain call in center ring. He pointed to the announce table and clapped toward Ross and Lawler.

WINNER: Jericho at 12:32. Great singles match. Steamboat looked great and Jericho worked a very smart heel match. I don't think Jericho lost anything by giving Steamboat a lot of offense and Steamboat had a fitting send-off, assuming it's a send-off. (***1/4)

3 -- C.M. PUNK vs. KANE

They went to the floor early on and Kane teased a chokeslam, but Punk landed on the apron in mid-air to kick Kane. Back in the ring, they had a battle for control. Kane shoved Punk across the ring into the corner, then he dropkicked Punk's back into the base of the ringpost. Punk wanted to make a comeback, but Kane blasted him with a clothesline. Kane wanted a chokeslam, but Punk countered with a single-arm DDT. Punk then executed the high knee lift/running bulldog for a nearfall. Punk went up top and Kane met him with an uppercut for a nearfall. Punk then came back with a cross-arm breaker, but Kane powered to his feet for a sidewalk slam. Punk then tried to come back with a round of kicks, but Kane blocked a kick and lifted Punk up for a chokeslam while Punk had one leg in the air. Kane made the cover for the win.

WINNER: Kane at 9:25. Above-expectations singles match. They laid out a good match to break up the monotony and focus on Kane's power. Shows WWE still has confidence in Kane as a top act, and now he'll be on Smackdown to see what he can do in that role after exhausting potential feuds on Raw. As for Punk, well, there goes the Mania momentum. (**1/2)

4 -- JEFF HARDY vs. MATT HARDY -- I Quit match

Sign on the front row: "I want Hardy to win." So subtle. Jeff knocked Matt to the floor early on and landed a plancha. Back in the ring, Jeff landed a top rope leg drop and asked Matt if he wants to give it up. Matt whispered, "No" and Jeff went back to work. Jeff wanted a top rope move, but Matt shoved him off the top rope into the guardrail on the floor. Matt then scooped up Jeff off the floor and wrapped his left knee around the ringpost. Jeff refused to quit, though. Back in the ring, Matt slapped on a figure four and Jeff shouted, "Forget it!" Matt went back to work on the left knee as the crowd chanted for tables. Matt then went back to the figure four, but Jeff refused to quit. Crowd came to life in the middle of a resthold as something was going on in the arena. Seemed like a fight on the hard camera side. Perhaps Patriots fans fighting over the fifth round NFL Draft pick.

At 10:00, Matt continued to tear Jeff apart, but Jeff wouldn't quit. Jeff flung Matt off the top rope, then hit a Whisper in the Wind that knocked both men down. Jeff tried to follow with a Texas Cloverleaf, but Matt refused to quit after crying about it. Jeff released the hold then nailed the Twist of Fate. Jeff went up top and connected with the Swanton Bomb in center ring. Matt wouldn't quit, though. Jeff then nailed another Swanton Bomb. After the second one, Jeff went under the ring and he grabbed the table the fans wanted. Matt took the table into the ring, then Matt rolled to the outside to avoid wood. Jeff followed, blocked a ToF, and nailed a Twist of Fate of his own on the floor.

Back in the ring, Jeff placed Matt on the table and went back under the ring to retrieve some duct tape. Uh-oh. Jeff tied Matt's ankles together, then he tied Matt's arms together as Matt remained out cold on the table. Jeff had another survival tool: a rope. Jeff tied up Matt to the table, apparently showing off his Boy Scouts training, and he yanked the rope tight to put Matt in the straightjacket. Waterboarding, anyone? Sorry, too soon?

Jeff then pulled out a ladder and told Matt what he would do if Matt didn't say I Quit. Matt pleaded with Jeff, then Jeff set up the ladder. "I'm sorry, Jeff, I'm sorry, Jeff!!!" Matt shouted as Jeff climbed one rung at a time up the ladder. "Jeff, I'm sorry about everything," Matt said to boos. Matt said he loves him and told him to listen. "We're brothers, Jeff." Matt talked about the strongest bond being brothers. He told him not to listen to the fans, who only get him in trouble. Jeff stood on the ladder as Matt played the "mom's in Heaven and wouldn't like this" card. He said dad wouldn't like this either. Jeff then stood on top of the ladder ready to fly and Matt said, "I Quit." Fans popped, then booed because they wanted to see Matt eat wood. Jeff climbed down one rung, then he surprised everyone with his split-legged splash over the ladder through the table on Matt anyways. Jeff posed over Matt to put the finishing touches on the feud.

WINNER: Jeff Hardy at 19:01. Good integration of the storyline into the match after a slow first-half of the match. I liked this one better than their WrestleMania match, where they jumped into the weapon use way too early. They built to the weapon use at the end and delivered a strong conclusion to the feud, presuming this was the blow-off. As for where they go from here, Jeff gets the final word and is in position for a strong singles push on Smackdown with this possibly being a negotiations tactic from WWE to get him to re-sign a long-term deal. Matt probably shifts to the mid-card on Raw, but that remains to be seen. (***)

Continued in next post...

[Arcademan]

Continued from previous post...

5 -- SANTINA MARELLA vs. BETH PHOENIX

Santina made the cover for the win. Post-match: Khali cornered Santina and ripped off "her" clothes. Santina sold a wardrobe malfunction trying to cover his/her/whatever nipples. He/she/it ran off as Cole tried to keep the gig going with Ross on commentary.

WINNER: Santina at 0:03. I'd almost take Big Dick Johnson over this any day of the week. Almost. Worst PPV segment ever...other than Ross's line to Cole about who fed him that line. That was classic. (n/a)

6 -- TEAM MCMAHON (WWE champion TRIPLE H & SHANE MCMAHON & BATISTA) vs. TEAM LEGACY (RANDY ORTON & CODY RHODES & TED DIBIASE) -- Hunter's WWE Title on the line

Before the opening bell, all six men brawled in the ring until Hunter dragged Orton to the floor and chucked him backstage. Hunter then ran back down to the ring and the ref started the match with a three-on-two set-up. Cole made the point that Orton could win the WWE Title without even being ringside if his team were to win or if McMahons are DQ'ed or counted out. Apparently Orton really needed to go the bathroom, as this dragged on for a while with the McMahons working over Ted and Cody pretty easily to start things off. Batista teased the Batistabomb at 5:30, but DiBiase scampered to the outside to escape Batista.

Suddenly, Orton ran down the ramp at 5:45 and cracked Batista into the ringpost while Batista was giving chase on DiBiase. Crowd came to life as Orton tagged himself in and went to work on Batista. The announcers played up a possible concussion for Batista with the idea that Batista is just returning from that Punt from Orton. Orton went to work on Batista and gave him the big horizontal DDT off the second rope for a two count. Batista teased a hot tag to Hunter, but Orton cut him off. Batista then fired back with a flying headbutt/shoulder out of nowhere and Shane took the hot tag to start firing off on Cody, who tagged in for Orton.

Shane chucked Cody to the outside, then he followed to the floor and ripped off the announce table cover. Shane pummeled DiBiase on the floor, then Shane saw Cody back in the ring, so he went up top and nailed an elbow drop. Ted yanked Shane to the outside to prevent a cover, then Orton tossed Shane knees-first into the ring steps. Legacy then isolated Shane in their corner to begin another round of attacks. Hunter with some great facial expressions of concern that his brother-in-law is going to cost him the WWE Title with every close nearfall. Shane teased a close hot tag at 18:45, but DiBiase tagged in and pulled Shane back to center ring.

Shane countered the Dream Street cobra clutch/sweep, then he tried to crawl over to his corner for the hot tag to Hunter. Orton tagged in too, setting up a mid-ring collision between Hunter and Orton. Hunter absolutely beat the crap out of Orton with right hands, teasing a DQ, then he shot Orton off to the corner for a knock-down clothesline. He then dumped Ted and Cody over the top rope and caught Orton with a spinebuster mid-ring. Action broke down all over the place as the ref tried to restore order. Shane then took Cody to the floor and into the front row. Cody grabbed a chair while he was on the ground, though, and he cracked the chair into Shane's shoulder/head area. Ref was occupied with Orton and Hunter, though. Orton teased the RKO, but Hunter blocked. He then spotted Batista with a chair in hand ready to strike DiBiase, so Hunter yanked the chair away from inside the ring. He reprimanded Batista for thinking about the chair shot, then Orton smashed Hunter with the RKO. Orton made the cover for a nearfall, but the bell rang accidentally. Ref waved it off as a two count in stride. Orton didn't worry about the miscue and he positioned himself to nail The Punt on Hunter to make the cover for the win to capture the WWE Title.

Post-match: Orton grabbed the title and ran away with Cody and Ted to get out of there with the WWE Title. Meanwhile, Batista was on his knees facing Hunter with a combo of frustration and disappointment. They did an injury angle with Hunter KO'ed on the mat. Hunter wasn't moving, then medics appeared to strap Hunter down. Batista and Shane checked on Hunter as medics positioned him. Shane tried talking to Hunter as Batista wiped his head in frustration. They replayed The Punt, which Hunter did a great job of selling to give the announcers some talking points to describe it as a legit injury.

WINNER: Orton at 22:50 to capture the WWE Title. Great conclusion to the match with the incorporation of all the storyline elements leading to Orton's WWE Title. Apparently this will keep Hunter off TV for a while Batista probably chases Orton for a little while. Very heavy on storyline, very slow middle portion building to Hunter's hot tag, and a strong post-match segment leading to Raw's spring storylines. (***1/4)

Concluded in next post...

[Arcademan]

Continued from previous post...

7 -- World Hvt. champion JOHN CENA vs. EDGE -- World Hvt. Title match -- Last Man Standing

Bell sounded and the two men slowly approached each other. No contact, then they backed away to opposite corners before finally locking up. They played cat and mouse, then back in the ring, each man teased their finishers, but no contact. Edge then took control after the initial feeling out process and the fans briefly chanted, "C.M. Punk." Edge maintained control as the fans came to life consistently for the first time all night with dueling chants of "Let's go Cena" and "Let's go Edge." Cena finally made a comeback from an attack of sleeperholds before setting up the "You Can't See Me" combo, but Edge blocked the face-wave and slapped on the Sharpshooter in center ring. Edge used the ropes for additional leverage to subdue Cena, who eventually reached his feet at five. Edge then bumped Cena off the ring apron into the announce table on the floor.

At 10:00, Edge wanted a Spear on the floor, but Cena moved and Edge at the ring steps. This led to a series of Irish whip reversals that sent the man on the advantage into the ring steps to lose control. Cena then tossed Edge into the ring and he struggled to throw the ring steps into the ring. Edge met Cena back in the ring with a boot to the head, then he kicked the ring steps into Cena's head while he was prone in the corner. Edge then dropkicked the steps into Cena's right shoulder. Cena suddenly came back and chucked Edge to the floor before power-lifting the ring steps over the top rope onto Edge. Impressive looking even if it's gimmicked.

Back in the ring at 15:00, Cena and Edge had a standing exchange of right hand blows with "yeahs" for Edge and "boos" for Cena. Suddenly, both men keeled over in the ring and the ref began his ten count. Edge took the advantage first and he did the "You Can't See Me" with a sneer in Cena's face. Edge bounced off the ropes, but Cena popped up to his feet and slapped on the STFU. Edge tapped out, but that doesn't count in LMS. Edge got up from the STFU at an eight count, though, so Cena tried the FU, but Edge blocked and nailed a spear mid-ring.

Both men were down, then they took it up top. Cena wanted a top rope FU and he connected center ring. Big pop for that move. Ref Robinson picked up another count and Cena made it up at seven, but Edge made it up at nine. Cena then wanted a top rope guillotine leg drop smash on Edge, but Edge caught him in mid-air with a spear that rocked the house. Ref Robinson then started his ten count. Cena made it up at eight, then fell to the floor. Edge capitalized by ripping of the announce table cover and setting up Cena on the table. Cena blocked, though, and FU'ed Edge over the guardrail into the front row of the stands. I hope those were plants. Ref Robinson then started his count on Edge and one of the fans on the front row. Edge made it up at nine, but the fan who took the brunt of it lost with a ten count.

Edge then tried to run away up the grandstands to the top of the arena. Cena chased all the way to the concourse area. Someone grab some merch! Edge came up limping as Cena smashed him back into the arena area. Craziness as Cena chased Edge back down the arena stands near the stage. Cena waited for Edge to tire himself out, then Cena bulldogged Edge off the steps into a hard production table on the floor. Cena walked away as the ref applied his ten count on Edge. Edge made it up at seven, though. He then struck Edge with a weapon, but the battle picked up on the stage and Edge nailed a hard DDT.

At 26:00, both men came to their feet. Edge then ran to the backstage area and re-emerged with a steel chair. Cena took a shot to the back, then Edge delivered the Conchairto on the stage. Cena's head didn't move as he took the blow. Edge told the ref to begin his count as Cena didn't move. Fans screamed out for Cena to get up as Edge watched from a distance. Cena started to stir at seven, then he pushed himself up at eight and he made it at nine. Cena blocked a spear, then he wanted an FU, but Big Show showed up on stage. He grabbed Cena, teased a chokeslam, then he chucked Cena off the stage into a rocket-ship-like spotlight off stage. They didn't go too heavy on the special effects, as Cena was motionless inside the spotlight with broken glass covering him. Ref then began his count and made it to ten to give Edge the win and the World Title.

Post-match: Edge clutched the World Title belt as medics checked on Cena, who was fitted with a neckbrace. Medics and doctors helped Cena to his feet, then put him on a backbrace as he sold paralysis. Ross did a solemn voice-over for Cena as they concluded with Cena strapped to the gurney and Edge's music playing in the background. Wait, one more replay of Cena taking the bump through the spotlight and fire sparkling in the background. Edge's music stopped, Cena was shown being strapped in, Edge continued to stand breathless on stage clutching the title belt, then they faded out with one last shot of Cena on the gurney.

WINNER: Edge at 28:25 to capture the World Hvt. Title. Amazing brawl. Just crazy good, intense, and good use of the LMS gimmick to create an epic World Title match. The finish was pretty much the only way to get a finish out of this match and it presumably sets up a Cena vs. Show feud. Or, a Hunter vs. Cena feud in a hospital room. Edge with the World Title on Smackdown sets up plenty of possibilities. Epic conclusion to a very strong PPV card. (****1/2)

[Arcademan]

Just want to add...that 10,000 space limit on posts here REALLY SUCKS!!!

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 4-27-09

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

1 -- THE BRIAN KENDRICK vs. KOFI KINGSTON

Cole said TBK told him early today that Raw should be glad to have him on the show. Lawler agreed. Bell sounded and a fast-paced exchange occurred. TBK tried to run scared, but he fooled Kofi into a drop toehold. TBK then went up top for a missile dropkick for a nearfall. Kendrick measured Kofi, then applied a combo camel clutch and chicken wing on the mat. Kofi broke free, then landed a thrust chop and standing kick. Kofi powered up, then landed a boom-boom leg drop for a two count. TBK wanted Sliced Bread, but Kofi slipped out and hit a cross-body splash for a two count. Kingston then nailed the Buzzsaw Kick for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Kingston at 2:38. Very quick, but good TV match. You could tell this was only going a few minutes, which sucks because they could have stretched out a solid ten minutes of TV, but it was good while it lasted as an ECW-lite/X Division-style match. (**)

2 -- SANTINA MARELLA & KELLY KELLY & MICKIE JAMES & BRIE BELLA vs. Divas champion MARYSE & BETH PHOENIX & JILLIAN HALL & ROSA MENDES

We found out what Hornswoggle's role will be on the Raw brand, as Eve went looking for Brie and she found both Bellas under the ring hanging out with Hornswoggle. He chased everyone around, then he encountered Santino(a) and his little friend. Hornswoggle ran scared up the ramp past the heel divas. Not even sure why WWE flew in half of the divas for this skit to extend the Glamarella program that just keeps dragging on for repeat comedy relief.

WINNERS: It didn't even matter at 2:20. (n/a)

3 -- GOLDUST vs. MATT HARDY

Goldust chased Matt around the ring for a while as Matt ducked and dodged like a good heel. Matt went to the floor, then he snuck in behind Goldust back in the ring and smashed him in the head with his cast. Matt made the pin for the win.

WINNER: Matt Hardy at 1:07. Well, this could be interesting using the mid-'90s Lex Luger "elbow plate from the motorcycle accident" gimmick to keep Matt on TV while he heals. (n/a)

4 -- WWE champion RANDY ORTON vs. U.S. champion MVP -- non-title match

Cole recapped MVP's history in WWE dating back to his entrance on Smackdown two years ago as the highest-paid athlete on the brand. Cole gave us a word that Triple H will be "out of action for some time." Lawler said Batista was out four months following Orton's Punt on him. He said Hunter could be out for some time depending on how hard and where the Punt landed. Match went a little mat-based early on, with each man exchanging leverage. MVP landed knees to the gut, then he landed a knee drop to the stomach for a two count. MVP doesn't have "hops" like Kofi, though, so he's better off sticking to the ground attack.

Orton came back with knees to the gut in the corner before surveying the arena for a heel reaction. MVP avoided a corner splash, then he pulled out a hard arm drag to ground Orton again. MVP followed with a Chono boot to the head that flipped Orton to the outside. MVP was in control going to break as Orton was motionless on the floor.

Back from break, Orton was in control with a headlock on the mat. Orton then landed his fallaway backbreaker for a two count before going back to the chinlock. He's making that look real believable now with that sinister look on his face. MVP then escaped with a fallaway slam and both men recovered on the mat. They went into a standing exchange of right hands. Boos for Orton. Yeahs for MVP. Crowd joined in nicely before Orton smashed MVP off the ropes with an elbow, but MVP landed an overhead throw. Orton found himself facing the lights before MVP warmed up the ballin' elbow drop for a two count. Starting to give MVP the Cena/Rock treatment on the trademark mid-match move.

MVP missed with a Chono boot in the corner, though, and Orton dumped MVP over the top rope to the floor. Suddenly, Shane McMahon stormed the ring with Kendo Stick in hand to blast the crap out of Orton. Shane then went up top and nailed a big elbow drop on Orton. Cody and Ted then stormed ringside with chairs in hand, but Shane took off from the ring and ran up the arena steps to the top of the arena. Shane wound up in the Skybox posing from the top of the arena toward Orton, Cody, and Ted, who glared up at him.

WINNER: No Contest, but technically Orton via DQ at 11:17. Really good showing from both men. MVP could stand to lose just a few pounds to become a bit more agile and sleeker in the ring, but he put in a very strong first-night-on-Raw performance against Orton, who is just on top of his game and in control of his character right now. Non-finish was fine, as this match should happen down the road in a title situation. (**3/4)

5 -- Unified tag champions PRIMO & CARLITO COLON vs. JAMIE NOBLE & CHAVO GUERRERO -- non-title match

Primo took control early on and busted out some acrobatics to celebrate. Noble then cheated to take advantage on the tag champs. Chavo tagged in and wanted a top rope move, but Primo nailed him in the gut with a mid-air dropkick. Carlito then took the hot tag as Noble took a tag. Carlito cleaned house and did his double springboard splash on Noble for a two count. Primo then flew the ropes with a dive onto Chavo. Noble tried to grab Carlito for a neckbreaker, but Carlito spun out to a backstabber for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Colons at 4:23. Okay match. Not much chemistry, as WWE seems to believe they can just throw random mid-carders together and call them a tag team. Crowd wasn't much into the action here. Just a warm-up match for the Colons to introduce them on the Raw brand before entering an actual program. (*)

6 -- BIG SHOW vs. BATISTA -- #1 Contender's match to WWE Title

Show teased a chokeslam, Batista teased a Batistabomb, they stood off in opposite corners, and WWE cut to a break. That was quick. Final break of the show, presumably.

They returned from break with Show landing body shots to Batista's gut. Batista tried to come back with shoulder thrusts, but Show clubbed him across the back to kill Batista's offense. Show then took Batista to the corner and wrapped him around the ringpost.

Big man battled dragged as Show just kept working the back. Batista then tried to fire back with clotheslines, but Show wouldn't move. Batista showed some agility to avoid a clothesline from Show, then he nailed a spinebuster. Batista then fired up on the ropes, but Show dropped him with a big spinebuster that knocked him to the floor. Batista and Show picked up the battle on the floor, then John Cena suddenly stumbled out on stage as ref Marty tried to hold him up. Cena sold a concussion as Show yelled at him from the entranceramp. Cena didn't move from the top of the stage. Meanwhile, Batista snuck back into the ring. Show heard "nine" from the ref, then he tried to run back into the ring, but ref reached "ten" for a count-out on Show.

WINNER: Batista via count-out at 10:33 to become #1 Contender. Slow, plodding match with a few highspots before the good finish using Cena while still selling the injury. (*1/4)

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 4-28-09

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

1 -- TYSON KIDD (w/Natalya) vs. FINLAY

Finlay powered Kidd to the mat with a shoulderblock early on, then he slapped on a half crab. Kidd tried to reach the ropes, but Finlay pulled him back to center-ring. Finlay really worked the hold before Kidd missed with an enziguiri kick and Finlay clotheslined him to the floor. All Finlay going to break.

Back from break, Finlay was still dominating. Kidd can't even get the "heel always on the advantage coming back from commercial break" advantage in this one. Kidd finally took control with a knee vice and he vowed to break Finlay's leg. Crowd hot with a "Let's go Finlay" chant as Kidd kept working the hold. Finlay broke the hold, then Kidd went right back to it and vowed to break that leg. Finlay came back with a series of clotheslines, followed by a big boot, but he missed with a knee drop.

Finlay absorbed a knee smash and landed a powerslam for a two count. Finlay teased the rolling slam, but Kidd blocked and knocked Finlay to the outside. Kidd tried to follow with a baseball slide, but Finlay wrapped him up in the ring apron to beat down Kidd. Finlay rolled Kidd back into the ring, then Natalya lightly brushed Finlay. Ref distracted, Finlay distracted, and Kidd smashed Finlay from behind right in the knee with his own shillelagh. Kidd with the pin for the win.

WINNER: Kidd in 10:00. Nice TV match. Kidd's mat-based attack was unique and sharp with him really grinding that knee vice and adding some running commentary to the action. Finlay now has a quest to figure out how to win matches without Hornswoggle. Good opener. (**1/2)

2 -- ECW champion CHRISTIAN vs. TOMMY DREAMER -- ECW Title match

Bell sounded and Striker said the last time a title changed hands at MSG was in 2004 "with Triple H." He added that John Cena won the U.S. Title. Chris Benoit's name shall remain never uttered on WWE TV, as Striker was obviously referring to WrestleMania 20 when Benoit won a three-way over Hunter and Shawn Michaels, while Cena won the opening match over Big Show to win the U.S. Title. As for the action, both men teased their finishers in the first two minutes. Christian then collected himself before they locked up again. Christian won the advantage, then he slapped Dreamer to begin an attack as they cut to break.

Christian was in advantage out of the break. Christian was working with a little more of an edge tonight to make Dreamer the underdog babyface. Announcers played into that a bit by posing the question of whether Christian is going to start acting differently as champion. Christian went up top and nailed a missile dropkick for a two count before settling into an armbar to take away Dreamer's left arm and shoulder.

Christian went up top at 10:00, but Dreamer blocked him and nailed a top rope superplex. Dreamer couldn't make an immediate cover, though, and Christian kicked out of a pin attempt. Christian went back on the offensive while selling a back injury, but Dreamer blocked a whip to the ropes and clotheslined Christian to the outside. Both men barely made it back into the ring, then Dreamer started a fiery comeback. He landed a reverse DDT, but Christian escaped a pin attempt. They went into a pin attempt exchange on the mat, then Dreamer blasted Christian with an inside-out clothesline.

Dreamer stalked Christian, then he hung Christian upside down in the corner. Crowd knew what was coming as Dreamer fired up for the "E-C-W" basement dropkick, but Jack Swagger blind-sided Dreamer with a clothesline. He gave Dreamer a belly-to-belly suplex before ramming Dreamer's head into Christian, who was still hanging upside down. Swagger then scooped up Christian and gave him a gut wrench powerbomb to put an exclamation mark on the attack. Swagger stared toward the hard camera with a mean look on his face as his music played. They replayed the non-finish as Striker plugged Christian vs. Swagger for the ECW Title at Judgment Day.

WINNER: No Contest in 13:00. Good TV main event with something tangible on the line for this week's show. Crowd was into the action and both men put in a good effort until wearing down a bit at the end. Swagger's run-in was effective for continuing to build him up as a top heel in the company. Swagger is a future star for this company and he seems to grow a little bit more each week. (**3/4)

[Arcademan]

WWE Superstars Results: 4-30-09

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

1 -- MICHELLE MCCOOL & ALICIA FOX vs. GAIL KIM & MARIA

Gail executed a head scissors on Alicia early on, then Maria tagged in and worked on Fox. Lots of high-flying early on. Heels then cheated to take the advantage on poor Maria, picking up the McCool vs. Maria feud from Smackdown with McCool blasting Maria with a round of kicks and stomps. Kim took the hot tag at 4:00 and came off the top with a dropkick on McCool. Gail tried a turnaround splash, but McCool blasted her in the head for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: McCool & Fox in 5:00. Just the McCool Show and we're all fortunate to be living in it. The inevitable Melina vs. McCool program on Smackdown for the Women's Title should be fun to watch. (*)

2 -- PAUL BURCHILL (w/Katie Lea) vs. EVAN BOURNE

Bourne blasted Burchill early with kick strikes, but Burchill caught Bourne's leg mid-air and overhead tossed him to the mat. Striker with all sorts of video game references in this one. Burchill worked over Bourne with power offense, but Bourne blocked him in the corner. He wanted a huracanrana, but Burchill shoved him down to the mat and Bourne sold a knee injury. Hey, they don't have commercials in video games.

Back from break, Burchill was still working over the knee as Lea smiled approvingly. Bourne fought out of a knee vice, then he landed elbow strikes before Bourne flipped him across the ring with a standing head scissors. Bourne knocked Burchill to the outside, then Burchill tried to run back in, but Bourne nailed him with a spin kick. Bourne followed with an elbow strike before hopping up top one leg. Burchill cut him off, though. Bourne fought back with elbow strikes, then he balanced himself and nailed the top rope Shooting Star Press on one leg for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Bourne in 10:00. Bourne was solid working around Burchill's knee work to still incorporate his high-flying offense, while also trying to help Burchill look like a halfway-credible heel attacker. But, we're still talking about Burchill here. He simply doesn't convey that much personality in the ring. (*1/2)

3 -- TED DIBIASE, JR. (w/Cody Rhodes) vs. Unified tag champion CARLITO (w/Unified tag champion Primo)

Carlito started on the offensive with some arm work on DiBiase as the announcers hyped the Backlash PPV results. Carlito and DiBiase then knocked each other to the floor and their respective tag partners helped them to their feet. Stand-off, finger-pointing, yell-at-each-other. Cut to break with tension in the air.

Back from break, Carlito enjoyed brief control before DiBiase took control and began working on the chest. DiBiase landed a double foot-stomp from the second rope before going back to work on the head and neck. Carlito came back with a running knee-lift, then ducked a clothesline, and nailed a knock-down clothesline. Carlito followed with a snap DDT and Cody nearly jumped into the ring to break up the pin, but DiBiase escaped. Nice touch. Carlito tried to charge DiBiase, but Ted nailed a powerslam for a two count. Carlito tried to come back with a springboard elbow smash, but DiBiase blocked and hit the Dream Street combo Million Dollar Dream and Russian legsweep for the pin and the win. DiBiase and Cody celebrated post-match while the Colons recovered to close the show.

WINNER: DiBiase in 10:00. Very nice TV main event. Hard-hitting, physical, and Carlito really looked sharp. DiBiase is getting his bearings as the heel "leading the dance," but he worked well as the aggressor. Nice set-up for the inevitable tag title feud for the belts. (**1/4)