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

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 8-8-08

Results courtesy of ProWrestling.net (direct link to Rich Twilling's complete report). Partly condensed here for easy reading.

1. Natalya, Maryse, and Victoria defeated Michelle McCool, Cherry, and Maria in an Olympic divas match in 2:35. All of the divas came out in various Olympic event outfits. Maryse came out in tennis gear and Tazz said he played a lot of tennis in Brooklyn. Funny. Cherry came out in boxing gear so she wins for best outfit. Maria wore a skiing outfit representing Greece even though the Summer Olympics are beginning...

Twill's Two Cents: Is it the best idea to remind everyone that the Olympics are on right now?

After some nice action with Michelle and Natayla, Victoria hit the Widow's Peak on Cherry and the ring cleared out. The finish came when Natalya made Maria tap out with the Sharpshooter...

2. Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder defeated Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore in a non-title match in 4:12. Hawkins, during an Irish whip, fell funny on his face/neck. He is lucky not to have been hurt from that. Yang scored a nearfall after some nice teamwork between him and Moore.

Ryder tagged in and looked very impressive on offense. Wang took the majority of the offense before Moore received a hot tag. The champions won the match after hitting a double Impaler DDT...

Twill's Two Cents: Decent match and I guess the last one for Shannon Moore.

3. Jeff Hardy defeated Shelton Benjamin by disqualification in a non-title match in 17:57. The match started slowly with Benjamin grounding Hardy with mat wrestling holds. Hardy gained the advantage at the three minute mark but kept the match on the ground with an armbar.

Benjamin took over again and applied a chinlock. You would think they were having an ironman match. Hardy hit a mule kick, sending Shelton to the floor. Jeff followed with a successful crossbody plancha. Hardy missed a Swanton and barely kicked out of a Benjamin pin attempt...

Shelton nearly choked out Hardy with another rear chinlock. Hardy saw an opening and went for a Whisper in the Wind, but Shelton pulled Hardy's foot out from under him and he tumbled backwards to the mat. Shelton began to work on the leg of Hardy with a single leg lock. He followed that up with a single leg Boston Crab.

Hardy fought back after recuperating on the floor for a few moments. Hardy successfully hit the Whisper in the Wind for a nearfall at the 16:40 mark. Hardy tried the delayed dropkick in the corner but Shelton stood up and countered it into a powerslam. Nice.

Hardy countered a Benjamin Paydirt attempt into a Twist of Fate and Swanton. MVP interfered before Hardy could score the pinfall, causing the disqualification. MVP exited up the ramp and stared down Hardy...

Twill's Two Cents: When Shelton base jumps to the top rope, I am impressed every single time I see that. Awesome. The match started out slowly but affectively. It progressed into a great match. It was not what most would expect from these two but I enjoyed seeing both men employ different styles and was thoroughly entertained. The finished made sense although I would have liked to see a clean finish.

4. The Great Khali vs. Triple H in an Indian broken glass arm wrestling match ended in a no contest. Khali cut a promo before the contest to a chorus of "What?" chants. Triple H responded with, "That's a really good point... Honestly, I have no idea what he just said." Ranjin Singh translated and said although Triple H has beaten some of the biggest names ever, he has never been in the ring with Khali.

Triple H replied, "That is what I thought he said." Triple H cut a good promo saying he was going to break Khali's legs and when they were the same height, he was going to beat him. He called Singh "Funyun" and "Onion" throughout the interview. He said if Khali was not down with that, he had two words for him...

Referee Mickie Henson started the contest and both men nearly won. Fearing he was about to lose, Khali gave Triple H a headbutt. Triple H fought back and attempted a Pedigree, but was unable to hit it. Khali knocked out Triple H with the vice grip.

With Triple H lying face down on the mat, Singh said, "At Summerslam, The Great Khali has two words for you, 'Game Over.'" Khali celebrated as he retreated up the ramp...

5. Vladimir Kozlov defeated Jesse (with Festus) in 1:41. Before the match, Kozlov spoke in Russian and followed it by saying, "I am undefeated. I demand better competition." I am not sure why, but when Jesse and Festus came to the ring, the referee came with them. I guess he missed his cue. When the bell rang, Jesse had to explain to Festus that only he was wrestling.

Kozlov hit a series of headbutts followed by an overhead belly to belly suplex. Jesse scored what JR called "a rare one count" after a dropkick. Jesse flew at Kozlov from the top rope but Kozlov countered with the battering ram for the pin. After the match, Kozlov stopped and stared at the catatonic Festus before heading up the ramp...

Twill's Two Cents: Kozlov vs. Festus? I am cool with that.

6. The Brian Kendrick (with Ezekiel Jackson) defeated Super Crazy in 4:36. Kendrick hit a very impressive running kick to the feet for a long two count.

Kendrick utilized ground submissions to go along with his impressive kicks. Tazz made mention to Crazy wearing an ECW shirt by saying he did not get the email about getting traded. After Crazy hit some of his signature moves, a Jackson distraction allowed Brian to hit The Kendrick for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: If Mike Adamle announced a Kendrick match, would he leave out "The" at the beginning of his name, or would he call him "The The Brian Kendrick?" Sorry. It is Friday night. Kendrick continues to impress.


Edge, Chavo, and Vickie came out to the ring. Edge and Chavo had chairs as Vickie sat in her wheelchair in the middle of the ring. Edge screamed for The Undertaker to come out. He wanted Taker to use his powers to strike him down with lightning or turn out the lights. Edge wisely had Chavo relinquish his chair to him.

When Chavo turned his back, Edge hit him in the back with a chair. As Vickie screamed, Edge smiled at her and hit Chavo with a conchairto. Edge pulled Vickie into the middle of the ring and teased her. He relented for a moment and tipped her over.

Vickie slumped into the corner as Edge got in her face with a microphone. Edge said he agreed with what Mick Foley said last week and that this Edge was the only one who could defeat The Undertaker. He said he was going to hell and he was taking The Undertaker, the family, and especially Vickie, with him...

Twill's Two Cents: Normally I prefer a match to close the show, but Smackdown has hit homeruns two weeks in a row with these end of the show segments. I smell a Vickie face turn but Edge received a huge reaction when he tipped Vickie over. It should be interesting.

[Arcademan]

TNA Hard Justice PPV Results: 8-10-08

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's ongoing report). To avoid pop-ups and view in-ring results, go to Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8146 and posts thereafter or TOKYOPOP: Arcademan Blog (link to TNA PPV Results) for a complete report.

1 -- X Division champion PETEY WILLIAMS (w/Rhaka Khan) vs. CONSEQUENCES CREED -- X Division Title match
WINNER: Petey in 12:00. I'm just laughing because TNA's over-booking blew up in their faces with the crowd not caring about Daivari's outside interference because all they wanted to see was Petey's Canadian Destroyer. Daivari's character is out-of-date and the fans just don't care. Match was so great if they took away the "it's-happening-already" stream of outside interference. (***)

2 -- ANGELINA LOVE & VELVET SKY & AWESOME KONG (w/Raisha Saeed) vs. Women's champion TAYLOR WILDE & ODB & GAIL KIM -- Traci Brooks special referee
WINNERS: Team Taylor in 12:00. Fine. It keeps Kong on the chase for her title belt, while giving Taylor another opportunity to have her hand raised. Some spots were a little off, but it was still a good showing from the knockouts division. (**)

3 -- TNA tag champions LAX (HOMICIDE & HERNANDEZ w/Salinas and Hector Guerrero) vs. BEER MONEY, INC. (ROBERT ROODE & JAMES STORM w/Jacqueline) -- TNA Tag Title match
WINNERS: Storm & Roode in 14:00 to capture the TNA Tag Titles. Good heat on this match over-rode the stream of outside interference, referee incompetence, and overall over-booking to get us to a tag title switch. It was refreshing to see TNA use an injury angle from TV to set-up the finish of an important PPV match. (***)

4 -- JAY LETHAL (w/So Cal Val) vs. SONJAY DUTT -- Brawl and Chain tuxedo match
WINNER: Lethal in 12:00. Well, it wasn't really bad; it just went on too long with both men in an awkward position. There are only so many things you can do with a chain and tuxedos. (*1/2)

5 -- TEAM 3D (BROTHER RAY & BROTHER DEVON) vs. CHRISTIAN CAGE & RHINO -- Jersey Street Fight weapons match
WINNERS: Christian & Rhino in 15:00. Fun brawl for the audience that enjoys a TNA brawl. It didn't seem like much was resolved, and we'll probably see more from this feud on TV going forward. (**1/2)

6 -- A.J. STYLES vs. KURT ANGLE -- Last Man Standing match
WINNER: Styles in 25:00. That was an epic match (despite the silly pin-and-count-'em stipulation) with the all-too-real neck injury angle, followed by some post-match activity that took away from Styles's win. Styles looked like a star when he won, then he came across like a punk attacking Angle, then a fool being in position for Sting to take him out. He had the memorable, star-making victory over Angle, but TNA had to keep going with the over-booking. Styles being used a means to the end of explaining Sting's purpose-driven TNA life wasn't necessary. (****)

7 -- TNA World Hvt. champion SAMOA JOE vs. BOOKER -- TNA World Title match -- Six Sides of Steel cage Weapons match
WINNER: Joe in 13:00 to re-claim the TNA Title. Well, that was underwhelming mainly due to the audience having sat through every possible gimmick match combination prior to another Joe-Booker bout that everyone knew was going to end with some sort of gimmicky finish. Not memorable, but it will generate talk about Jarrett. (**)

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 8-11-08

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

1 -- BETH PHOENIX (w/Santino Marella) vs. KELLY KELLY

Santino said he has great confidence in Beth to handle Kelly here. Beth nearly killed Kelly a minute into the match with a back-drop attempt where Kelly didn't quite flip over to land on her back. Everyone held their breath momentarily, as Santino talked about Beth tossing him around like Beth is tossing around Kelly. Suddenly, Kelly countered a press slam into a roll-up for a nearfall. Beth had enough and finished off Kelly with a sit-down implant buster for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Beth in 2:00. Fine for establishing Beth's dominance heading into Summerslam. (1/2*)

2 -- Women's champion MICKIE JAMES (w/IC champion Kofi Kingston) vs. SANTINO MARELLA (w/Beth Phoenix)

This was so great to start off with Mickie matching Santino move-for-move in a game of can-you-top-this? Santino then smashed Mickie hard to the mat and went for the big knee drop, but Mickie moved in time. Santino feigned a knee injury, but Mickie showed no sympathy and went on the attack. Kofi then accidentally ran interference, allowing Beth to sneak into the ring and send Mickie hard into the ringpost. Santino took advantage with a roll-up for like a four count to secure the pin. Afterward, Santino celebrated ringside in classic Santino-wins-the-Super-Bowl fashion while taunting Mickie's parents in the process. Meanwhile, Mickie and Kofi tried to re-collect themselves in the ring.

WINNER: Santino in 3:00. That was fun while it lasted. Really could have gone another few minutes and kept up the gig. Nice set-up for Summerslam to see Beth and Santino get their comeuppance. (*)

3 -- CRYME TYME (SHAD GASPAR & J.T.G.) vs. THE HIGHLANDS (RORY & ROBBIE)

Well, look at that. Highlands back as tag team jobbers. Cole said the winners have an opportunity for a featured tag title match. Shad dominated early and often here, then he finished off Robbie with a hard leg sweep for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Cryme Tyme in 3:00. Short and to the point to give Cryme Tyme a dominating win. (3/4*)

4 -- CHRIS JERICHO (w/Lance Cade) vs. KANE

Jericho teased the Walls of Jericho at 3:00, but Kane battled out into a sidewalk slam. Kane then went up top, fought off Jericho, and came down on Jericho with a leaping clothesline. Suddenly, Adamle and a slew of security guards came to ringside. Kane was bewildered for a moment, but landed a big boot to the head. Kane then grabbed the burlap sack and clutched it to his chest. Jericho used the distraction to nail the codebreaker for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Jericho in 5:00. Not the best use of Jericho here. He gets a win, but Jericho shouldn't be positioned as an after-thought after the great character build-up the past few months. (*)

5 -- JAMIE NOBLE vs. WILLIAM REGAL

Regal made short work of Noble, nailing the big running knee strike to the head for a decisive pin and the win. Cole wanted to know what Layla thinks of that effort from Noble.

WINNER: Regal in 2:00. Well, that seemed a bit random. It might take a few weeks to see if this is going anywhere. (1/2*)

6 -- World tag team champions JOHN CENA & BATISTA vs. TED DIBIASE, JR. & CODY RHODES -- World tag title match

Former champs were in the ring out of the break, then Batista and Cena had a mild discussion about who would start. Batista firmly pronounced himself as the guy to start things off, then Cena slap-tagged himself into the match once the bell sounded. Cena had Rhodes positioned for the Five Knuckle Shuffle early on, then he calmly walked over to Batista and did the you-can't-see-me in his face, which drew a smirk from Batista. Cena then dropped the knuckles on Rhodes as they cut to break.

After the break, Batista took a hot tag from Cena and cleaned house. He wanted the Batistabomb to finish off DiBiase, but Cena felt like Batista was teasing him, so he jumped into the ring. They had a confrontation, then DiBiase knocked Cena into Batista and rolled up Cena from behind for the pin and the win to re-capture the tag titles.

WINNERS: DiBiase & Rhodes in 8:00 to win the World tag titles. Rushed match after last week's solid effort. They played up the tension between Cena and Batista nicely, though. I'm not a fan of quick title changes, but if done infrequently and with the purpose of building up a mega-PPV match, then it's acceptable under the circumstances. (*1/2)

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 8-12-08

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

1 -- TOMMY DREAMER vs. COLIN DELANEY -- Extreme Rules match

Colin tried to high-tail it up the ramp to the back, but Dreamer quickly retrieved him and whipped him into the shopping cart full of weapons. Colin came back with a finger-smash on the ring steps, but Dreamer smacked him with a Kendo stick. Back in the ring, Dreamer with a sick t-bone suplex after placing the stick in the crotchal region. Striker with a Duke the Dumpster Droese reference on Dreamer taking out the trash via the surfboard dropkick sending a can into Colin's face. Dreamer tried to follow with a can lid to the face, but Colin moved and scored a nearfall. Dreamer then quickly came back with a spike DDT on a STOP sign for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Dreamer in 4:00. Predictable squash that takes us back a few weeks ago when Dreamer squashed Colin after Colin turned on him. Colin could be better-utilized, but it doesn't seem like WWE is interested in taking that approach right now. (*)

2 -- BAM NEELY (w/Chavo Guerrero) vs. EVAN BOURNE

Grisham talked about Bourne being a young athlete trying to make his mark, whereas some of the other young superstars are never heard from again. Ouch. Striker talked about Bourne's background in St. Louis, but him also getting his training with Dragon's Gate in Japan. Striker is earning more and more points with his commentary in each match. Bourne made a comeback with a strike kick, then he nailed the stand-still moonsault for a nearfall. Bourne followed with a nice DDT before going up top and nailing the beautiful Shooting Star Press for the pin and the win. Chavo, selling his own injuries from Smackdown, could only hop onto the apron and point his finger at Bourne after the match.

WINNER: Bourne in 3:00. Bourne continues to impress each week, and he's certainly making the most of his current opportunity. He's an instant breath of fresh air, which WWE is slowly starting to capitalize on while assuredly testing Bourne's mentality to see how he responds to the sudden success and TV push. (*1/4)

3 -- FINLAY (w/Hornswoggle) vs. ARMANDO ESTRADA

A minute into the match, Mike Knox came out on stage looking very upset with Finlay. Striker with the point that Knox is confusing the "E" in WWE (the Summerslam promotional video of Finlay dancing with Hornswoggle) with Finlay being a tough fighter in the ring. Finlay dominated the first three minutes, but he took his eye off the ball to stare down Knox, allowing Armando to whip him hard across the bottom rope to take control. Finlay let Armando get his offense in, but then he put him in position for the Celtic Cross and stared down Knox. He then delivered the finisher and covered Armando for the win without taking his eye off Knox.

Afterward, Finlay called for Knox to join him in the ring, but Knox opted to head backstage. Finlay and Hornswoggle put the "E" in WWE with an Irish jig before bringing a youngster into the ring to dance with them.

WINNER: Finlay in 5:00. Fine TV match to continue building the Finlay-Knox feud that has the slightest potential of becoming something interesting on TV each week. Slightest. But, it gives Finlay something to focus on each week. (*)

4 -- ECW champion MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas) & MATT HARDY vs. THE MIZ & JOHN MORRISON

Striker added some good points that Hardy has an opportunity to get a different look at Henry prior to challenging for the gold at Summerslam. Henry started things off and took apart the former tag champs. Hardy then slipped into the ring to show he has Henry's back, with Henry slowly turning around to stare down Hardy, who quietly slipped back to the apron. They cut to break.

Hardy and Henry took turns working over Morrison coming out of the break. They showed a spot from during the break of Henry throwing Morrison high into the air before Morrison crashed to the mat. Striker pointed out that Atlas is keeping a close eye on Hardy to presumably get a scouting report on Hardy for Summerslam. Striker's analytical approach to calling the action is very refreshing to make the action seem like a sporting event. Miz and Morrison cornered Hardy in their corner to work him over as the crowd tried to rally behind him. Hardy blocked a corner move with the side effect from the second rope. Henry wanted a hot tag, but Hardy covered Morrison for the surprise win. Finish just kind of came out of nowhere.

Post-match: Henry slid into the ring to take the glory for the victory, as he quickly dumped Miz and Morrison out of the ring. Henry celebrated with his arm raised in victory, then Henry and Atlas helped up Hardy, who was still selling injuries from the tag work. Henry then put an end to the temporary friendship with a giant slam on the ECW Title belt. Hardy writhed in pain like a fish out of water, then Henry and Atlas smiled and celebrated to end the show.

WINNERS: Henry & Hardy in 8:00. Very odd finish to this one with the pin seemingly coming out of nowhere. It looked rough, but in principle, it was a good finish to change it up from the usual tag team formula of always having a hot tag to set up the finish. Henry put a nice touch on the Summerslam build-up to set up the ECW Title match. Overall fine for the intended purpose. (*1/2)

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 8-14-08

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

1. Christian Cage and Rhino defeated The Rock 'N Rave Infection (with Christy Hemme) in 4:37. Cage and Rhino worked well together. Rhino hit a belly to belly suplex on Rock. The heels double teamed Rhino for a few nearfalls. Rhino turned it around with a spinebuster on Rave. Cage received the hot tag and hit a series of moves. Rhino gored Rave and Cage followed with a frogsplash for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: Nice win for Cage and Rhino. If they commit to keeping them together, they could be a welcome addition to the tag team division.

2. Matt Morgan defeated Johnny Devine in 1:40. Devine did not receive an introduction. Morgan crotched himself on the top rope, which was Devine's only offense. Morgan hit the Hellevator for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: Same old stuff.

3. Sheik Abdul Bashir defeated Black Machismo in 4:25. Sheik cut a promo in his native language before speaking in English. He gave a great promo about how he came here and grabbed the American Dream while others waited for their handouts. The promo took a turn for the worse when he said, "I do not love Lady America; I love raping her."...

Lethal hit an impressive Suicide Dive onto Bashir. He scored a nearfall with a top rope double axe handle. Bashir turned the tides quickly and hit multiple reverse neckbreakers for a nearfall.

Bashir attempted to slow things down with a reverse chinlock. Lethal sped up the pace of the match with multiple closelines. Lethal hit the rolling cradle suplex for a long two count. Bashir took a screwdriver looking apparatus out of his boot and hit Lethal in the neck. He hit the WMD (a DDT with Lethal on his knees) for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: Decent match but I would have rather Bashir win a few matches on his own before cheating to win.

4. Team 3D defeated Samoa Joe and Kevin Nash by DQ when the referee reversed the original decision in 10:06. Joe and Devon started the match. Joe started working hard very early but Devon and Brother Ray were able to slow things down and double team Joe. Joe regained the advantage on Ray before tagging in Nash. Nash remained on the offensive as the show went to commercial...

Team 3D worked on Nash's knee as Joe looked on with concern. West said Nash was in the gym everyday but could not help his knee injuries. In the gym everyday? That is the funniest thing I have heard all day. Joe finally received the hot tag and took out both members of Team 3D. Joe locked in the rear naked choke on Devon for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: Solid match. Joe looked fantastic tonight.

After the match, Joe grabbed a chair and attacked Devon. Nash tried to stop Joe but he could not. Joe punched Earl Hebner and Hebner reversed the decision, giving Team 3D the win by disqualification. Tenay wondered what Joe would do if his temper cost him the TNA World Heavyweight Championship...

Twill's Two Cents: If the referee reversed the decision and gave the other team (person) a win by DQ, Joe would not lose the title anyway.

5. Taylor Wilde defeated Christy Hemme with Traci Brooks as the special guest referee in a non-title match in 3:28. Taylor tied up Christy right away with her mat wrestling skills. Christy hit a Jackie Gayda-like bulldog. That was bad.

Hemme remained on offense for longer than anyone expected. Taylor scored the win with a German Suplex with a bridge...

Awesome Kong and Raisha Saeed came down to the ring. Kong beat the hell out of Taylor until Traci pulled her off. She was met with a chokeslam. Raisha took care of Taylor. Kong set up a chair but Gail Kim hit the ring. Katie Kim, Gail's sister, looked concerned at ringside in the stands. Gail dropkicked a chair into Kong's face and nailed her with an unprotected shot. Kong took off and Gail celebrated...

Twill's Two Cents: This worked for me as long as Kong gets the belt off of Taylor. I hate unprotected chairshots. They are not necessary and nobody should be taking them.

6. Hernandez (with Hector Guerrero and Salinas) defeated James Storm (with Robert Roode and Jacqueline) in 5:05. Hernandez hit the very impressive Suicide Dive over the top rope early in the match. West talked about the "numbers game" when Storm gained the advantage, even though both guys had the same amount of backup.

Hernandez gained the advantage after hitting an Electric Chair. He hit a full nelson suplex and Storm landed awkwardly on his head. Roode broke up an attempted Border Toss. Storm went to the top and jumped at Hernandez. Hernandez caught him and hit a sit down power bomb for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: Short, but solid match to progress this feud.

7. A.J. Styles defeated Kurt Angle in an Olympic gold medal challenge to win Kurt Angle's Olympic gold medal. Angle scored a two point takedown right away. He took Styles down again within the first minute. The first period ended with Angle ahead 6-0...

Twill's Two Cents: I do not like matches like this because Styles would lose 100-0 if they did this for real. It is difficult to suspend belief here.

Styles scored four points for scoring a two count on Angle. I guess he received two for the takedown and two for the nearfall. Angle scored two more points but Styles scored four more points at the end of the period. The scored is tied at eight going into the final period...

Angle elbowed Styles in the face but the referee did not see it. Angle had a two point lead going into the final minute. Angle hit a suplex into the referee and closelined Styles. The lights went off and Sting's music played. The lights went back on and Angle had a black bat. The lights went off again and Jeff Jarrett's music played. The lights went back on and Styles hit Angle over the head with a guitar. He pinned Angle and won the gold medal...

Twill's Two Cents: Interesting. I have been a Jeff Jarrett fan since the dying days of WCW (not before that) so I am more intrigued by him than Sting. I am not thrilled with Styles running around with Angle's gold medal, but if it leads to more great matches between the two, I am all for that.

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 8-15-08

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

1. Jeff Hardy beat Shelton Benjamin fought Jeff Hardy by DQ in a U.S. Title match in 15:30. The always well prepared Jim Ross ran through more U.S. Title history before the bell. He's also hard on himself, as he mentioned that he confuses the Whisper in the Wind and the Twist of Fate sometimes. The show cut to commercial a few minutes into the match.

Shelton controlled the offense after the commercial break and become frustrated when Hardy kicked out of his pinfall attempts. Later, Benjamin jumped over the top rope and tried to turn a sunset flip into a powerbomb off the ring apron, but Hardy blocked the move and turned it into a huracanrana. In the end, Hardy went up top for a Swanton, but MVP ran out and pushed him him down to end the match.

Afterward, MVP lined up Hardy for a kick, but Hardy moved and the kick caught Shelton in the chops. Hardy hit the Twist of Fate and a Swanton on MVP and then on Benjamin...

Powell's POV: The finish was predictable to anyone who has been watching the show lately, but the match was entertaining while it lasted. Benjamin was aggressive and got plenty of offense against Hardy. I hope they do more with MVP and Hardy tonight because he got the better of MVP here, so there's no need to pay to see him get revenge at SummerSlam.

2. Natalya and Maryse beat Maria and Michelle McCool in 3:10. Maryse spiced up her ring entrance it's a big improvement over that uninterested look she had previously. After some forgettable action, Natalya took down McCool by the legs and cradled her for the pin. Ross called it a great illustration of leverage...

Powell's POV: That was an even better illustration of Diva filler.

3. The Brian Kendrick (w/Ezekiel Jackson) pinned Scotty Goldman in 2:45. Goldman is better known to everyone as Colt Cabana. He did a pre-tape in which he acted like he was tripped out by seeing himself "in a box" (a/k/a the television monitor). There were some boring chants, but there was a nice pop when Goldman hit his version of Iceman Parsons' Butt-Butt.

Kendrick came back a short time later with The Kendrick and scored the pin. After the match, Jackson hit Goldman with a shoulder block.

Powell's POV: The live crowd wasn't very impressed with this match. They pretty much sat on their hands and only reacted for the big spots. Kendrick is highly entertaining, and it was good to see Colt make his WWE debut. I met him a few times when he worked the local indy shows and he was a great guy.

4. Triple H vs. Kenny Dykstra in a non-title match. Dykstra was aggressive with punches and shoulder blocks at the start of the match. Hunter sold for him for about 30 seconds and then took control with a clothesline. The rest of the match was all Hunter. He looked at Khali and then hit the Pedigree for the win.

After the match, Hunter turned his full attention to Khali. He placed the WWE Title belt on the mat in front of him and challenged Khali to enter the ring. Hunter headed to ringside toward Khali, but Ranjin cut him off. He asked if Hunter was out of his mind after last week.

Hunter grabbed Ranjin by the throat and brought him inside the ring. Hunter teased that he would punch the interpreter until Khali climbed onto the ring apron. Hunter and Khali went at it inside the ring. Hunter went for the Pedigree, but Khali blocked it. Moments later, Hunter clotheslined Khali over the top rope and to the floor at ringside...

Powell's POV: Hunter just proved he can knock the giant off his feet and pretty much have his way with him, so there's no reason to order the pay-per-view. Strange booking tonight with two babyfaces getting the better of their pay-per-view opponents.

5. Big Show squashed Ryan Braddock in 1:25. Braddock was given generic entrance music and a generic graphic on the big screen. Show dominated the match and knocked him out with a punch before scoring the pin...

Powell's POV: I think Braddock also worked on my local indy scene as Brad Bradley, but I don't remember much about him.

6. Vladimir Kozlov pinned Festus (w/Jesse) in 3:00. Festus dominated the offense, but Kozlov caught him with a head butt to the chest and scored the clean pin...

Backstage, Edge pushed Vickie in the wheelchair as Vickie screamed in terror. Edge told her the last part of the ride would be him taking her to the ring. "Buckle up," he said...

Edge wheeled the crying Vickie to ringside and then tilted the wheelchair forward, which made her tumble onto the floor. He grabbed a mic and dramatically fell down right beside her. He said they've been going through a rough patch. "But every marriage does, right?" Edge asked.

He reminded her that they took "for better or worse" vows. He pulled her in and reminded her that he's a good cuddler. He said he wanted to take a trip down memory lane. He aired footage of everything that has happened in their storyline since Triple H played their wedding video, which includes the segment with Mick Foley and Edge attack on La Familia.

Back in the building, with Edge and Vickie still lying on the floor at ringside, Edge made her apologize for what she did to Undertaker. He told her that she's pathetic and blamed her for everything. He challenged Undertaker to come out and vowed to show him "the purest form of hell that you've ever been in."

Edge turned his attention back to Vickie. He hovered over her and brought up "for better or worse" vows and said they could apply to the Hell in a Cell match. "Edge vs. Undertaker, till death do us part," he concluded. Edge stared toward the sky while squatting over the sobbing Vickie to close the show...

Powell's POV: Very good performances Vickie and especially Edge. WWE actually held off and waited until SummerSlam to bring back Undertaker. I thought they might lose their patience and bring him back sooner or at least do the hocus pokus stuff with the lights, but they put the entire spotlight on Edge and Vickie. Well done.

[Arcademan]

WWE SummerSlam PPV Results: 8-17-08

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's ongoing report). To avoid pop-ups and view match results only, go to Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8160 and posts thereafter.

1 -- JEFF HARDY vs. MVP
WINNER: MVP in 10:00. Nice win for MVP, who needed a credible PPV match victory that he can use to promote his case for a main event push in TV storylines. Finish was relatively clean, as Jeff simply could have ignored Shelton's presence ringside. (**)

2 -- Women's champion MICKIE JAMES & IC champion KOFI KINGSTON vs. BETH PHOENIX & SANTINO MARELLA -- Winning team wins both belts
WINNERS: Santino & Beth in 5:00 to capture the IC and Women's Titles. Short match that may have been cut short after that nasty head-to-head collision between Santino and Kofi. Santino was great, as usual. If WWE has original material for the Glammarella tandem, then we should be store in for several weeks of great TV. (*)

3 -- ECW champion MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas) vs. MATT HARDY -- ECW Title match
WINNER: Hardy via DQ in 1:00; Henry retains ECW Title. Well, another classic ECW PPV match ends before it really even begins. ECW gets a little momentum, then they pull the rug out from under whatever percentage of the audience was looking forward to this match as one of the reasons they bought the PPV. WWE tried to "send 'em home happy" with the post-match, but it was an empty answer. (n/a)

4 -- World Hvt. champion C.M. PUNK vs. JBL -- World Title match
WINNER: Punk in 12:00 to retain the World Title. Just about at expectations for what kind of match would take place here. JBL had plenty of offense to continue the theme of Punk as an underdog champion who shows grit to pull out the win to keep the belt. (**1/4)

5 -- WWE champion TRIPLE H vs. GREAT KHALI (w/Runjan Singh) -- WWE Title match
WINNER: Hunter in 10:00 to retain the WWE Title. This was definitely above expectations. They put together a basic, simple-to-understand 10-minute story that eventually led to Hunter escaping the vice and finally hitting the Pedigree. Nothing complicated and the fans were into the action, so all was fine here. (**1/4)

6 -- JOHN CENA vs. BATISTA -- No Hype Needed -- First-time Ever
WINNER: Batista in 14:00. Just an awesome match. Perfectly fine on several levels to deliver a great first match between the two and generate the demand from the audience for a re-match, considering they only went about 14-15 minutes. Batista had a superstar-reminding effort while Cena had a really good showing, especially with that sick counter into the FU. Crowd involvement pushed this to a four-star level. (****)

7 -- THE UNDERTAKER vs. EDGE -- Hell in a Cell match
WINNER: Taker in 27:00. Just what you expected here - a very good battle built around a great TV storyline. They stretched out the spot sequences to fit the time, so it wasn't as action-packed and intense as the Cena-Batista match, where it seemed like the finish could come at any time. This was more of a methodical Undertaker match where the outcome was a little ways down the road. Solid story, but Edge didn't quite get to that level where his TV character was at. He was just classic heel Edge. (***1/2)

In-ring: Shawn Michaels came to the ring with his wife, Rebecca, who tried to stand strong in the ring as Michaels began his speech. Michaels said he's going to get right to it. He said he recently had an appointment with his doctor for a re-evaluation on his eye. Michaels said that the eye injury combined with the assorted injuries he's suffered in his career led to the doctor telling him he should walk away. Boos. Michaels said the doctor left it up to him for his final decision and he's going to heed the advice and walk away. Boos.

Michaels recapped his history going back to Summerslams in the past where he was the headliner and showstopper. He said he's also known as the guy who screwed Bret Hart, formed DX, innovated the ladder match, lost his smile, and retired Ric Flair. He said he can now by a full-time husband and father. Michaels said this ultimately won't be a popular decision, but he knows it's the right one. Before he could finish, Chris Jericho's music interrupted. It was only a matter of time.

Jericho slowly walked out on stage sporting his villain suit and tie. He has the costuming mastered. Jericho locked eyes with Michaels while Rebecca played her part of the concerned wife fighting back tears. Jericho slowly circled around the ring to face Michaels, who returned his stare. Jericho: "No." He said he's not going to allow Michaels to go out this way on his own terms. Jericho said Michaels is walking away from the business because of him and he wants Michaels to admit to that right now. Michaels said that if Jericho has even the slightest bit of human decency, he will get out of this ring right now. Jericho said he's not going anywhere until Michaels admits he put him out of the business. He said Michaels needs to admit to his wife and children why he won't be able to work in the ring anymore. Jericho said he deserves to hear Michaels admit he put Michaels out for good.

Jericho continued on that the headline will show Michaels left the wrestling business because of Chris Jericho. Michaels nodded and said he'll admit that he will go home and tell his family that the reason he can't wrestle anymore is because of the actions of a vile, selfish, worthless human being. He wanted Jericho to do him a favor, though. Michaels told Jericho to sit down with his family and tell them that daddy will never, ever be Shawn Michaels. Oh my. What a line. Fans cheered and chanted, "H-B-K" as both men continued to lock eyes. Rebecca pulled at Michaels's arm to get him to leave and Michaels slowly started to walk away, but Jericho pulled him back. He went for a punch to the face, but Michaels ducked out of instinct and Rebecca took it square in the face.

After the initial giant gasp in the arena, Michaels dropped down to the mat to check on his wife, who slumped down to the mat. Jericho had a slight look of concern mixed with villainous confidence. Michaels had his best performance possibly ever showing the intense character battle within himself on whether to attack Jericho or check on his wife. He fought back his old persona to attack Jericho and opted to keep checking on his wife, who slowly brought her left arm over to Michaels's shoulder for protection. Jericho slowly walked out of the ring maintaining that mix of grief, concern, and no remorse. He locked eyes with Michaels, who kept kneeling over Rebecca's body while medical staff checked on Rebecca. After Jericho disappeared backstage, Rebecca slowly made her way to her feet to a strong ovation. Michaels helped her out of the ring and they embraced with the camera focusing on Rebecca's busted lip. They embraced as the announcers quietly recapped video footage of the punch to the face. Just an amazingly poignant segment. One of the best performances ever in a wrestling angle from all three. It's a challenge for family members to become involved in wrestling angles, but Rebecca played her part perfectly.

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 8-18-08

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

Jericho came out and told everyone it was Shawn's fault that his wife got hurt.

1 -- BATISTA vs. PAUL BURCHILL

Lawler said Katie Lea is not present because she's in the next match. Burchill went right after the injured knee and tried to wear down Batista, but Batista nailed a spear and spinebuster combo. Batista then measured Burchill and scored the Batistabomb for the easy pin and the win. Batista then smiled all the way up the entance ramp to celebrate the easy win.

WINNER: Batista in 2:00. Easy win over the former pirate. Based on this, Burchill might be on the short list for the next round of pink slips. (1/2*)

2 -- KATIE LEA & JILLIAN HALL vs. KELLY KELLY & MICKIE JAMES

Match started off with Kelly landing some acrobatic moves before the heels went to work on her. Kelly then blocked a handspring elbow drop from Jillian and made the hot tag to Mickie, who cleaned house. Some awkward TV ensued as everyone tried to get on the same page, then Kelly and Mickie double-dropkicked Jillian to the outside. From behind, Mickie avoided a roll-up with a hook of the tights from Katie before nailing the leaping DDT on Katie for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Kelly & Mickie in 5:00. Fine match. Mickie gets a win back after losing the Women's Title last night. (*)

3 -- JBL vs. JAMIE NOBLE

JBL quickly shoved Noble into the corner and started his assault. Repeated elbow drops left Noble struggling for breath on the mat. JBL then slowly helped him up before landing the Clothesline from Hell. JBL paused while the ref checked on Noble for signs of life, then JBL landed two short-arm clotheslines to emphasize the point. JBL started to make a cover, but ref Marty called for the bell and declared JBL the winner with Noble knocked out.

WINNER: JBL via KO in 3:00. Effective for JBL sending the message that he's the biggest bully on the block. (1/2*)

4 -- JOHN CENA vs. World tag team champions TED DIBIASE, JR. & CODY RHODES

They returned with the action in progress. DiBiase was the aggressor here, using a little cat-and-mouse from Cody to bait Cena into an attack. DiBiase smashed Cena with successive right hands before the tag champs started a methodical in-and-out attack on Cena.

Cena fired back at the champs out of his corner, but DiBiase held onto Cena's arm briefly to allow Cody to smash him in the back to continue the attack. High-pitched chant of "Cena, Cena" led to Cena rallying with right hand blows, but Cody out-quicked Cena into a trip to the floor. Cody then whipped Cena hard into the ring steps before bringing him back into the ring to continue the beating. DiBiase was too casual on a suplex, allowing Cena to counter with a suplex of his own. Cody tagged in and slowly set up Cena for a right hand, but Cena emphatically blocked to start his full-fledged comeback. Cena dropped Cody in center ring, then gave DiBiase the you-can't-see-me followed by a Five Knuckle Shuffle drop on Cody. DiBiase tried to block the FU on Cody, but Cena clotheslined him and slapped on the STFU on Cody. Cody fought for a few seconds before tapping out.

WINNER: Cena in 12:00. Good match. Tag champs had another good showing with their work in the ring while on the offensive. DiBiase is a chip off the Randy Orton block, and he could be a valuable main eventer player down the road if he continues to develop. Cena could give plenty of offense and still come out strong here based on the crowd support. (**)

5 -- IC champion SANTINO MARELLA (w/Beth Phoenix) vs. D-LO BROWN -- non-title match

D-Lo went for a top rope move early on, but he apparently got his foot caught on the tag rope and crashed hard to the mat. Kofi said he's looking forward to getting his title back, then D-Lo made his comeback and went back up top. Suddenly, Beth casually walked into the ring and stood over Santino to block D-Lo. He told her to get to stepping, but Beth slapped him in the face to cause a DQ. Santino stepped in and told Beth he had things under control, but D-Lo smacked him in the face. Santino wound up on the outside where Kofi rammed him head-first into the announce table. Beth then picked up Santino and helped him stumble around ringside. There may have been a nipple slip from Beth as the picture went dark with Santino inadvertently yanking Beth's top down.

WINNER: D-Lo via DQ in 2:00. Going from about 15 minutes of Santino to about 3 minutes of Santino on TV is just not right. Disappointing use of Santino and Beth tonight. (1/2*)

6 -- World Hvt. champion C.M. PUNK vs. CHRIS JERICHO (w/Lance Cade) -- non-title match

The bell sounded and there was a loud "C-M-Punk" chant to start things off. Punk started things off with rapid-fire kicks to the body before Jericho landed a thumb to the eye to take control. Jericho went for a shoulder tackle in the corner, but Punk moved and Jericho spilled to the floor. Punk smiled for the hard camera as they cut to break with Punk having the upper hand.

They returned with Jericho in control after knocking Punk off the ropes during the commercial break when Punk wanted a springboard smash. Jericho worked over the back with a variety of holds before slapping on abdominal stretch at 8:00. Jericho then sent Punk into the corner, but Punk came flying out with a knee strike to the face, followed by a high leg whip. Punk started his comeback and nailed a butterfly back breaker across his knee for a nearfall. Punk tried the knee strike and bulldog combo, but Jericho blocked and hit the Lionsault for a nearfall. Jericho tried to follow with the Walls of Jericho, but Punk fought out and suddenly whipped out a huracanrana for a nearfall at 10:00.

Punk came up favoring his head and Lawler said Punk had some staples put in the back of his head after knocking heads with JBL last night. Punk teased the G2S in the corner, but Jericho blocked and slapped on the Walls of Jericho. Punk fought the hold as Cole talked about Punk's training coming into play right here. Punk inched closer to the bottom rope and eventually reached out for a break. Jericho tried to follow with a top rope move, but Punk met him with a high knee square in the jaw. Punk then flew off the top with a bulldog on Jericho before calling for the end. Cade hopped on the apron, though, and distracted Punk. Jericho then caught Punk from behind with the codebreaker for the pin and the win. They closed with one more plug for Raw on Sci-Fi next week.

WINNER: Jericho in 14:00. Good match. I don't have a problem with Punk losing relatively clean here, as he had a good showing in the ring and the superstar pop will probably carry over more to next week than the outcome of this match. Plus, no one ever wins in their hometown, so the finish was inevitable. On another note, Jericho needed a credible TV victory if they're going to sell Vengeance (or the PPV following Vengeance) on Michaels vs. Jericho as a headline match, so this was a good momentum-builder for Jericho. Very interesting to see the last two Raws end at the end of the second hour without a run-over. (**1/2)

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 8-19-08

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

1 -- THE MIZ & JOHN MORRISON & CHAVO GUERRERO (w/Bam Neely) vs. EVAN BOURNE & SUPER CRAZY & TOMMY DREAMER

Evan Bourne is awesome. That was the story from the opening minute, then Bam tripped up Evan setting up the heel attack on Bourne. Striker with a nice transition that Bourne's fortitude will now be tested after we know everything about his high-flying ability. Dreamer then tagged in a-house-of-fire and the action broke down. Dreamer cleared Miz to the floor, then Chavo found himself on the floor. Dreamer then dumped Morrison over the top rope onto the other two setting up Super Crazy for a crazy dive onto the heels. Bourne then majestically flew through the air with a moonsault onto a group of heels. Suddenly, after all that excitement, Miz caught Dreamer in the ring with a neckbreaker for the pin and the win. Grisham with the nice line that it doesn't matter how good you look, but whether you win or not. Nice. Nice. Nice.

WINNERS: Team Miz in 5:00. Lesson here is that highspots don't equal victories. That was a heck of spot sequence from Crazy and Bourne that brought the house down, but a good win for the heel trio. Nice match for several different reasons. (*1/2)

2 -- GAVIN SPEARS vs. RICKY ORTIZ

Grisham and Striker said Ricky has to destroy what he once was. A jobber? Ricky's been around like a month and they're acting like he's a veteran near the main event picture. Ricky started to rally it up with the rally towel merchandise in full-effect, then he finished off Gavin with a big splash for the pin and the win. Striker said Ricky is growing on him. They went to a crowd shot of a pack of (planted) fans swinging around the rally towels.

WINNER: Ricky in 4:00. Forgettable, but fine. It'll take time for Ricky to catch on and actually look credible in the ring and not just a guy they're pushing because they have no one else in the pipeline. (3/4*)

3 -- ECW champion MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas) vs. MATT HARDY -- ECW Title match

Hardy was instantly the aggressor here, landing a right hand punch right after the bell sounded. Hardy then started taking apart Henry's knees much to Atlas's chagrin. Henry bounced back with power offense before knocking Hardy to the floor as they cut to break.

Back from break, Atlas became involved on the outside to keep Henry on the offensive. Henry with a bear hug on Hardy and Striker provided a nice visual of Henry's strength saying he could dead lift Big Show, Tommy Dreamer, and Todd Grisham all at once. Henry then showed off the strength with a straight gorilla press in center ring. Atlas wanted him to cover Hardy, but Henry opted for laughter before missing with a big splash. Hardy then fired up and started his hot comeback. He landed forearm smashes that could only rock Henry, but Henry remained on his feet until Hardy nailed a bulldog for a close nearfall. Crowd is hot for this.

Hardy then went up top and connected with a flying splash for a two count again. Hardy wanted to finish it, but Henry blocked the Twist of Fate. Hardy then connected with a second attempt and had the pin, but Atlas pulled Hardy to the floor out of the ref's eyes. Hardy tried to re-focus with a top rope moonsault, but Henry blocked with knees to the gut. Henry then scooped up Hardy and landed the World's Strongest Slam for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Henry in 15:00 to retain the ECW Title. Very nice TV match. This is what we should have had two nights ago on Summerslam, but this was a good cap to a very strong episode of ECW TV. Henry vs. Hardy in a steel cage seems inevitable to keep Atlas out of the ring. Well done from Henry and Hardy to tell a good story in the ring. (**1/2)

[Arcademan]

Killer Kowalski removed from life support

The great Killer Kowalski was removed from life support on Monday in Whidden Memorial Hospital in Everett, Mass. Though he has not been declared dead, his family holds out little hope.

His wife, Theresa, continues to stay by his side at the hospital, informing Kowalski's brother, Stan, and his family, as best she can in Ottawa, Ont.

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 8-21-08

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

1 -- HERNANDEZ (w/Salinas and Hector Guerrero) vs. ROBERT ROODE (w/James Storm and Jacqueline)

Hernandez stormed the ring and the match started on the floor with Hernandez looking for a fight. He then teased a dive from the ring to the floor, but Beer Money regrouped. Jackie then ran interference to allow Roode to gain control in the ring. When Hernandez re-gained control and wanted the Border Toss, the women became involved in a giant cat fight. Storm then hopped on the apron to run distraction, but Hernandez out-smarted them and gave Roode a torture rack fall-away slam for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Hernandez in 6:00. The usual over-booked TV match with tons of interference and a predictable miscommunication between the heel tandem. Hernandez continues to get his revenge, which is completely fine to begin his singles heavyweight push. (*)

2 -- ERIC YOUNG & B.G. JAMES vs. MOTOR CITY MACHINEGUNS (ALEX SHELLEY & CHRIS SABIN)

A heel turn in the works for the Guns, with Shelley having a harder edge to his attitude. The deal broke down into a Texas Tornado video game-style battle with Sabin missing a splash on B.G. on the floor. Back in the ring, Young gave Sabin a neckbreaker for the pin and the win. After the match, each side was prepared for a friendly handshake, but B.G. got under Sabin's skin by rubbing his hair as if he was a little boy. Sabin then spit in his hand and slapped B.G. across the face. This led to a brawl in the ring with B.G. clearing the Guns to the floor until security intervened.

WINNERS: Young & James in 4:00. Forgettable TV match featuring a bunch of fast-paced spots without any set-up or build-up. Guns could use a heel turn to regain some edge after losing matches to wrestlers teaming up for the first time. I doubt it will lead to them being taken more seriously, unfortunately, but rather turned into a 2008 version of Spirit Squad. (1/2*)

3 -- MATT MORGAN vs. FRANKIE CAPONE

All we need is the FOX Box and a giant green light and we're back on FOX Sports Net for a signature squash match. Morgan shook off Capone's early attempt to attack him, and landed a big splash in the corner. Morgan landed a bicycle kick, then hit the Hell-evator swinging suplex for the win.

WINNER: Morgan in 2:00. Quick and almost-painless to sit through. (n/a)

Post-match: Brother Ray walked out to the ring to address Morgan. He asked him how it feels to beat up someone with no future in the business. Morgan danced around in the ring, then Ray suggested Morgan fight him right now. Of course, Brother Devon blind-sided Morgan to set up a two-on-one beating until Abyss made the save. Ray bailed, then Devon found his exit just in time. Tenay said Morgan and Abyss could be one of the most-devastating tandems in TNA.

4 -- BOOKER T (w/Sharmell) vs. RHINO -- No Surrender TNA Title qualifying match

After Sharmell became involved ringside, Christian Cage slowly came to ringside and tapped her on the shoulder. Sharmell tried to slap Christian, but Christian easily brushed her off and dragged her backstage. Booker freaked out as they cut to break.

During the break, Booker avoided the Gore and came back with a scissors kick to the head to set up his attack. Booker wanted the axe kick, but Rhino ducked and nailed a series of right hand blows. Rhino then went up top and comically missed a falling-down headbutt. Booker then finished him off with the axe kick for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Booker in 11:00. Booker and Joe in yet another PPV main event title match. Match was fine, but Rhino looked pretty ridiculous attempting a top rope move. (*)

5 -- X Division champion PETEY WILLIAMS (w/Rhaka Khan) vs. CONSEQUENCES CREED -- X Division Title match

The basic story is that Creed is going to be so focused on avoiding the Canadian Destroyer that he might miss another move from Petey that could lead to victory. Petey distracted the ref feigning an injury early on, then Khan tried to kick Creed on the floor, but she smashed her foot into the guardrail. Daivari came out on stage at 3:00 to get a closer look at the action as Petey set up for the Canadian Destroyer, but Creed blocked. Petey came back with a spinning neckbreaker for a nearfall, but Creed delivered a press slam into gutbuster. Daivari then slipped into the ring and Creed knocked him to the floor before knocking Petey to the floor. Creed followed with a flip dive onto both Daivari and Petey, then back in the ring, Creed wanted to end it. Alas, Daivari jumped into the ring and smashed Creed to cause a DQ. Daivari pushed the ref aside and tried to attack Creed, but Petey became upset with Daivari for interrupting his match.

WINNER: Creed via DQ in 6:00; Petey retains X Division Title. Predictable finish to continue Daivari's anti-American campaign. (*)

6 -- AWESOME KONG (w/Raisha Saeed) vs. GAIL KIM -- No DQ Knockouts Brawl

Kong tried to charge Gail to start things off, but Gail pulled down the top rope and Kong went flying to the floor. They brawled, but Kong took control by whipping Gail into the ringpost. Kong took Gail up the grandstand stairs to the second level of the Impact Zone where Kong used an umbrella to knock around Gail. Gail then fell down the stairs to the ringside area, and Kong took her back over the guardrail to the ringside area. Gail's sister continued to look concerned as Kong picked apart Gail. Raisha tried to get involved, but Gail whipped her into the guardrail. Gail then ducked a clothesline and Kong smashed her arm into the ringpost. Back in the ring, Gail cornered Raisha and smashed her with multiple kendo stick shots. Kong tried to introduce a steel chair, but Gail kicked it into her face for a nearfall. Gail tried to follow with a burst of right hand blows, but Kong nailed the implant buster in center ring for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Kong in 7:00. Match was the best action on the show by far. As Wade Keller wrote about Gail leaving for WWE, I'm hoping TNA gave her a substantial offer on the level of a second tier male wrestler. Gail was once again involved in one of the top segments of the show and has been a ratings winner for months. She was more valuable than the majority of the male wrestlers on the roster. (**1/4)

7 -- KURT ANGLE vs. A.J. STYLES -- Olympic gold medal ladder match

WINNER: Styles in 13:00. So, this seems to be setting up for Jarrett to side with the younger stars of Joe and Styles to potentially feud against the Just For Men gray hair club of Nash & Sting, who are trying to teach the young stars respect and the ways of the business. Or something like that. (**)

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 8-22-08

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

1. Maria defeated Natalya by disqualification in 3:26. JR and Tazz were on their game here plugging both Maria and Natalya. Maryse came down and attacked Maria to avenge her broken nose from a couple of weeks back...

Twill's Two Cents: Throwaway match in what should be a more important division.

2. The Brian Kendrick defeated Curt Hawkins, Zach Ryder, Scotty Goldman, Funaki, Jimmy Wang Yang, Vladimir Kozlov, Super Crazy, and Armando Estrada in a battle royal to qualify for the Championship Scramble in 3:17. Kozlov was the first to be eliminated. Does that count as a loss?

Big Show, who was sitting at ringside but not involved in the match, came into the ring and started eliminating everyone. Funny. He knocked Kendrick over the top but Ezekiel Jackson caught him before he hit the floor. Show left the ring over the top and since Kendrick was the only one not officially eliminated, he was declared the winner...

Twill's Two Cents: Show is awesome. He is a company guy and deserves good things. I am thrilled to see Kendrick in a PPV main event. I would not mind seeing him win the title once in the scramble.

3. MVP defeated Festus (with Jesse) by countout to qualify for the Championship Scramble in 7:59. Festus took control at the bell as he usually does. Porter took the advantage and worked over the bicep and arm of Festus. He slowed things down with an armbar.

MVP scored a nearfall with a single arm DDT. After a short time with Festus in control, MVP regained the advantage by continuing to work on the arm of Festus. Festus began hitting multiple right hands followed by a shoulder block. Both men went to the floor. MVP gave Jesse the Drive-by kick and entered the ring. Festus checked on Jesse and did not beat the count...

Twill's Two Cents: Good match. Festus can work a match with just about anyone and MVP continues to impress in the ring.

4. Shelton Benjamin defeated Finlay (with Hornswoggle) in 16:19. Shelton gave a promo about the being the United States Champion but held the belt upside down. Finlay worked over the leg of Shelton in the early going of the match. Midway during the match, Benjamin knocked Finlay to the floor as the show went to commercial...

Coming back from the break, Finlay reversed Benjamin's advantage by hitting a jawbreaker. With Finlay on the offensive, Mike Knox came down and abducted Hornswoggle. Finlay paid too much attention to Knox and Benjamin hit Pay Dirt for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: Very good match with Finlay using his strengths and Benjamin continuing to show why he is one of the best in ring workers in WWE today.

5. Jeff Hardy defeated The Great Khali (with Ranjin Singh) to qualify for the Championship Scramble in 5:16. Hardy worked on Khali's legs early in the match. Khali used his power to sustain the advantage throughout the match before Hardy hit a Twist of Fate out of nowhere. After chaos ensued, Triple H hit Khali with a chair, allowing Hardy to hit the Whisper in the Wind and Swanton for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: The correct guy won here and the Championship Scramble is shaping up to be an interesting match.

Vickie Guerrero and La Familia stood (sat) in the middle of the ring to give a pre-written statement. Vickie said she was a great woman and was willing to apologize to The Undertaker. Vickie stood up and introduced The Undertaker...

Taker came down to the ring and did his usual stuff. Vickie told Taker she delivered Edge to him inside Hell in a Cell. She asked for forgiveness and got down on her knees to apologize. She begged him to accept his apology.

Taker sounded more demonic than usual. He said was not looking for an apology; he was looking for her soul. La Familia attacked Taker and he succumbed to the numbers game. However, he was able to overcome and take out all of La Familia. Vickie retreated up the ramp and Taker did his throat slash...

Twill's Two Cents: Disappointing final segment given what Edge has given us in the past few weeks.

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 8-25-08

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

1 -- World Hvt. champion C.M. PUNK vs. JBL -- non-title match

Bell sounded and the fans chanted for Punk to start things off. Lawler said his sources tell him John Cena has some sort of injury that they hope to get more info on tonight. Two minutes into this, Cole confirmed it's a non-title match. Nice opening four minutes with Punk nailing a suicide dive on the floor, then JBL getting back at him with a boot to the face that cleared Punk to the floor. Cut to break.

JBL was on the attack coming out of the break, even foaming at the mouth for added heel intensity value. JBL put Punk in a fireman's carry torture rack to work over the ribs before slamming him to the mat for a nearfall. JBL lit into Punk with repeated right hands, but Punk came back with a surprise tornado DDT from the top turnbuckle for a nearfall.

Punk made his full comeback with a high knee and bulldog combo, but it was only good for a nearfall. Punk then measured JBL for the finish, but JBL slipped out of the GTS and fired up a huge Clothesline from Hell. Cole said it should be over, but JBL took too long to make the cover, allowing Punk to grab the bottom rope to block the three count. JBL, desperate, then went to the floor and retrieved a steel chair. The ref quickly yanked the chair away, though, and JBL walked into the Go 2 Sleep. Punk made the cover and scored the pin for the clean win. Post-match, they stayed with Punk's celebration for a while to allow plenty of time for the announcers to talk up Punk.

WINNER: Punk in 13:00. Nice match. Good opener to set a good tone for intense action tonight. Punk continues to find a way to win, which fits his gimmick as the inspirational babyface who wins against-all-odds. (**1/2)

2 -- Women's champion BETH PHOENIX (w/Santino Marella) vs. KELLY KELLY -- non-title match

Early on, Beth came up bleeding heavily from the nose after taking an apparent boot to the face. Beth and Santino had a discussion after Santino tried to help, which distracted Beth enough for Kelly to roll her up from behind for the win. Afterward, Santino covered his face and quietly entered the ring to check on Beth, who wiped away blood from her nose before tackling Santino and landing repeated punches. Santino then ran out of the ring to head for higher ground.

WINNER: Kelly in 3:00. Fine to promote the "unique" relationship between Santino and Beth, who was pretty popular for blasting Santino post-match. (1/2*)

3 -- PRIMO COLON vs. CHARLIE HAAS

Haas tried to spit an apple in Primo's face, but Primo came back with a dropkick and monkey flip out of the corner. Haas lost his wig, then went for the backstabber, but Primo held onto the top rope to block. He then sprung up top and nailed a leaping splash for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Primo in 3:00. Fine debut for Primo, but we could have used a few weeks of promotional vignettes to introduce us to his character. He has the smile-and-pump-your-fists babyface mannerisms that are notoriously associated with The Rock when he first debuted in WWE. Evan Bourne has made it work on ECW and it remains to be seen of Primo makes it work on Raw. (1/2*)

4 -- World tag team champions TED DIBIASE, JR. & CODY RHODES vs. JERRY LAWLER & JIM DUGGAN -- non-title match

Cole by himself on the air, which should be interesting. Duggan sounded like a parody of himself begging for a hot tag from Lawler throughout this one. Lawler eventually accepted three playful slaps from Cody before dropping the strap and punching Cody across the ring. Duggan then took the hot tag and cleaned house until DiBiase caught him from behind. He slapped on the Million Dollar Dream and transitioned into a Russian legsweep for the pin and the win on Duggan.

WINNERS: DiBiase & Rhodes in 3:00. Fine, but there was no reason to care about Duggan two months after he disappeared from a storyline with potential. Also of note, DiBiase & Rhodes should not be in jeopardy against a tandem over 100 years old. (*)

5 -- IC champion SANTINO MARELLA vs. KOFI KINGSTON -- Intercontinental Title match

Gotta love Santino. He slapped on an abdominal stretch and instantly told the ref to call for the bell for a submission. Kofi easily escaped, then teased a top rope dive before nailing a Russian legsweep. Kofi then landed the boom-boom leg drop smash and Santino rolled to the floor. He wanted a time-out, but Beth Phoenix stormed ringside and told Santino to get back in the ring. Kofi checked on Beth, then slipped back into the ring where Beth tripped him from behind and Kofi ate Santino's knee. Kofi slumped to the mat, then Santino rolled him over and made the cover for the win.

Afterward, Santino backed into a corner when Beth slipped into the ring with a band-age over her nose. Santino was frightened, but Beth pinned his arms back and planted a big kiss. Santino asked, "You not mad?" He then celebrated the victory and Beth not being mad at him by spinning her into the turnbuckle and planting a big kiss on her. Beth then led Santino out of the ring and told him to walk straight, while Santino just wanted to gloat to the fans about winning. Classic.

WINNER: Santino in 3:00 to retain the IC Title. Poor Kofi is stuck in a storyline where Glamarella and Santino's unibrow are more important than Kofi. Santino and Beth are awesome, but Kofi deserves better. Match was just O.K. (3/4*)

6 -- KANE vs. BATISTA

A big power struggle ensued to start things off while the announcers commenting on Cena's injury being part of the game in WWE. Lawler with the line that it's not ballet. That's a pretty ignorant line oft-repeated in wrestling, as ballet requires the same physical commitment and pressure on the joints and body with an amazing amount of time devoted to it. Yes, I have had conversation with a former ballet dancer who had to retire at the age of 20 due to her injuries. In any event, they cut to commercial with Batista on the defensive and Kane enjoying his attack on Batista.

They came back with Kane teasing a chokeslam before focusing his attack on the injured knee. Kane smiled and took great pleasure in going after the knee. At 10:00, Kane took Batista to the outside and slammed his knee into the ring steps to continue the attack. Batista then started his traditional comeback of working on one good body part. He then took Kane face-first into the bottom turnbuckle with a drop toe hold before landing a hard clothesline in the corner. He went for a second, but Kane blocked and wanted a chokeslam.

Batista blocked a chokeslam and nailed a spinebuster on one good leg. Classic Smackdown episodes here, as Batista set up for the Batistabomb, but Kane took out the knee in a nice move. Kane then rolled Batista to the outside and wrapped his leg around the ringpost. Kane then picked up a chair and smashed 99 percent of the ringpost to cause a DQ. Kane then went after the knee some more with more direct blows using the chair. Batista hobbled across the ring, then hobbled into a spear when Kane followed back into the ring. Batista then picked up the chair and landed repeated chair shots to Kane's back before taking Kane's knee across the ringpost for a dose of his own medicine. Batista landed a chair shot to the knee, then another, and another, and another, and another. Batista collapsed to the floor in pain while Kane hobbled away from the ringpost back in the ring. Cole said these two men have beaten the heck out of each other tonight, and what does that mean for their chances in the championship scramble? End show.

WINNER: Batista via DQ in 14:00. About what was expected - a slow-moving, big-man's battle heavy on body-part-work and Kane losing his mind. A unique way to close the show with both men totally spent and neither one having the upper hand after all the energy exerted. Good hook for next week's final sales pitch. (**)

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 8-26-08

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

1 -- MATT HARDY vs. JOHN MORRISON -- ECW Championship Scramble qualifying match

Striker has already won me over with the opening commentary that Hardy has to adjust his style from wrestling a massive Mark Henry to the quicker John Morrison. Nice back and forth exchange early on, then Morrison blocked a Twist of Fate attempt and knocked Hardy off the apron to the floor.

Back from break, they teased finishers, then Morrison clubbed Hardy with aggressive and wild forearm smashes that took Hardy to the floor. Back in the ring, Morrison smashed Hardy in the face with a knee for a nearfall. Morrison then tried a roll up with his feet on the ropes, but the ref caught him in between two and three. Hardy took advantage with a roll-up attempt, but Morrison escaped. More great pinfall attempts with the announcers getting over the point of how important this match is to qualify for an ECW Title shot.

Morrison then came off the ropes with a springboard kick smash to the face, but Hardy kicked out to a strong reaction. Morrison then clubbed Hardy with forearm smashes, but Hardy shoved off and they had a mid-ring clothesline exchange that knocked out both men. They recovered to their feet and took it home with Morrison teasing the corkscrew neckbreaker, but Hardy slipped out into the Twist of Fate for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Hardy in 12:00 to qualify for the Scramble. Excellent TV match. They set a good tone for what's at stake tonight: qualifying for an ECW Title opportunity on PPV. Crowd being hot for Hardy helped the match out as well. (**3/4)

2 -- EVAN BOURNE vs. THE MIZ -- ECW Championship Scramble qualifying match

Even exchange early on, then Miz dumped Bourne off the ring apron to the floor. Miz followed on the outside to attack Bourne and try to take away the aerial attack. Back in the ring, Miz slowed the pace to work over Bourne, but Bourne came back with a standing moonsault for a nearfall. Miz then landed a back elbow smash, but Bourne fired off a leaping knee smash before missing with a huracanrana and landing crotch-first on the top turnbuckle. Grisham: "Miz took Bourne to the capital of Thailand." I think he was waiting all night to say that. Miz then caught Bourne from behind with the Reality Check for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Miz in 8:00 to qualify for the Scramble. Ambitious match for two wrestlers of the similar style and an inexperienced heel working a singles match without Morrison by his side. You want Bourne in that title match to keep pushing him to the moon, but it's fine to hold him back a little to keep building him up on the mid-card before determining how far he can be pushed. (*1/2)

3 -- TOMMY DREAMER vs. CHAVO GUERRERO (w/Bam Neely) -- ECW Championship Scramble qualifying match

Dreamer landed a running bulldog out of the corner at 2:00, then he followed with a powerslam for a nearfall. Dreamer shot Chavo off to the corner, but Chavo landed a back elbow smash. Dreamer then crotched him in the corner and wanted the running basement dropkick out of the Tree of Woe. Bam then hopped on the top rope and Chavo bumped Dreamer into Bam, temporarily knocking out Dreamer. Chavo then slingshot Dreamer throat-first across the top rope before hopping up top for the frog splash for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Chavo in 4:00 to qualify for the Scramble. Short and to the point to get Chavo a win and continue using Dreamer in the enhancement talent role. (1/2*)

4 -- FINLAY (w/Hornswoggle) vs. MIKE KNOX -- ECW Championship Scramble qualifying match

In a disappointing twist to this program, Knox has dropped The Knox twirl coming out of the curtain on the way to the ring. Sadness. Striker with an early Obama reference, saying Knox has flip-flopped more than Obama on whether he wants to fight Finlay or not the past few weeks. The match moved to the outside and Knox missed with a left-arm clothesline and ate the ringpost. Striker said Knox has a Bruiser Brody-like stare. Just without the talent. And cut to break.

Back from break, Knox decided he needed a time-out to nurse his injured forearm. Knox slowly paced the ringside area, so Finlay hopped to the floor and walked right into Knox's lure to accept a powerslam on the padding. Nicely done by Knox. Back in the ring, Knox started his offensive attack to work over Finlay on the mat. Knox suddenly became distracted by Hornswoggle's presence ringside and tried to rip away his coat. Finlay would have none of that and he mounted his full comeback on Knox. Finlay and Hornswoggle then play the ole switcheroo with two shillelaghs and Knox ends up eating the second shillelagh while the ref is trying to get rid of the first one. Finlay then made the cover for the win after landing the shillelagh shot.

WINNER: Finlay in 12:00 to qualify for the Scramble. Slow match with the usual finish for Finlay to earn a victory. A bit below expectations after their strong brawl segment last week. This was more of a let's-have-a-TV-match kind of match rather than continuing a heated feud. Fine match for its purpose, though. (*3/4)

To recap: Mark Henry will defend the ECW Title against Matt Hardy, The Miz, Chavo Guerrero, and Finlay at Unforgiven.

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 8-28-08

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

1 -- AWESOME KONG (w/Raisha Saeed) vs. SOJOURNA BOLT?

Not the Jamaican runner as the opposition, but Bolt went right after Kong with dropkick attempts. Tenay said Bolt showed up the scene looking for the best possible competition. Tenay talked about the Kong vs. Gail Kim street fight last week, and said as a result of Kong's beating on Gail, TNA and Gail have parted ways. Kong smashed Bolt with a clothesline after giving Bolt some offense, then Kong missed with the spinning back fist. A second spinning back fist didn't miss, though, and Bolt ate hand. Kong then finished her off with the Awesomebomb for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Kong in 3:00. Fine squash to re-establish Kong's dominance. (1/2*)

2 -- X Division champion PETEY WILLIAMS (w/Rhaka Khan) & SHEIK ABDUL BASHIR vs. CONSEQUENCES CREED & JAY LETHAL

Back-story is that Petey wasn't happy with Sheik for interfering in his match last week against Creed. Meanwhile, Lethal is still in an "ongoing situation" with Sonjay Dutt, which resulted in So Cal Val being knocked out on Karen's Angle last week. Later tonight, we hear from Val. After some basic tag action, the finish came when Petey and Sheik had another disagreement, leading to Lethal rolling up Petey from behind for the win. Afterward, Petey pointed the finger at Sheik for screwing things up. this led to a shoving match and refs stormed the ring to separate them. So it takes 10 security guards and a bunch of refs to subdue ODB, but only Earl Hebner to subdue Petey?

WINNERS: Lethal & Creed in 4:00. Fine for continuing to build tension between Petey and Sheik, who apparently will be getting an X Division Title shot out of this program. (3/4*)

3 -- JIMMY RAVE (w/Christy Hemme) vs. CURRY MAN

Tenay and West dorked-out talking about Curry Man's entrance, then Curry flew over the top rope with a splash onto Rave during his ring entrance to officially start the match. Curry then finished off Rave with the Spice Rack in three minutes for a quick win.

WINNER: Curry Man in 3:00. Not quite sure why this match took place, but Curry gets a necessary win. I guess it's necessary. That would assume winning a wrestling match on this show with nothing on the line actually means something. (1/2*)

4 -- KURT ANGLE vs. KEVIN NASH -- Qualifying match for TNA Title match at No Surrender

During Angle's ring entrance, Joe cut one of his come-get-some-I'm-right-here promos that was randomly inserted in the broadcast. Nash then came to the ring just going through the motions to conserve energy. The bell sounded and Angle bailed to the floor to yell at Joe, who slowly stood up to make eye contact. Tenay then brought up Joe's anger and temper. Joe said people think it's his Achilles heel, but it helps fuel his success. Back in the ring, Nash nailed a scoop slam, but missed with an elbow drop to set up Angle on the attack. They cut to break with Nash landing a right hand blow.

Back from break, Angle went to work on the surgically-repaired-knees with a figure four leglock. Joe with nice commentary explaining what Nash needed to do to escape the hold, then Nash broke free and nailed a sidewalk slam on Angle. Nash tried to mount his attack on one good knee, then he knocked Angle to the floor. Angle pulled himself up next to the announce table, then Nash slapped Joe to get his attention. Joe lost his temper and jumped up to ringside to stare down Nash, who dropped the straps and went back to work on Angle. Joe then hopped on the apron to inadvertently distract Nash, who took a low blow from behind and the Olympic Slam from Angle. Angle then made the pin and the win.

Afterward, Joe laughed and stepped into the ring with TNA World Title in hand. He screamed at Nash, who backed away while Joe kept screaming at him. Joe told Nash to practice what he preaches, but Nash just left the ring with his head down.

WINNER: Angle in 10:00 to qualify for the TNA Title match. Joe was above-average on commentary after getting a feel for the position with Tenay and West.

5 -- VELVET SKY & ANGELINA LOVE (w/Kip James) vs. TNA Knockouts champion TAYLOR WILDE & ROXX

Everyone's favorite awkward knockout, Roxxi, shoved Angelina to start things off, which put Angelina back in the corner to regroup with Velvet and Kip. Taylor had control on Velvet, but Kip distracted the ref and Angelina smashed Taylor in the face with the make-up kit. They cut to break with the Beautiful People in control.

Back from break, things predictably broke down into a four-woman brawl. Taylor missed with a moonsault from the top, then the ref became quite concerned with Taylor's health. Meanwhile, Roxxi took some Febreeze into the face, allowing Angelina to make the cover and the ref spun back around to make the three count.

WINNERS: Angelina & Velvet in 7:00. As expected with the heels cheating to win to take advantage of the referee incompetence standard for TNA broadcasts.

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 8-29-08

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

1- R-TRUTH vs. KENNY DYKSTRA

Truth did a lot of dancing on his way out. Dykstra did some mic work and called Truth a convict. He derided WWE for giving time to guys like Truth and not himself.

Truth rolled Kenny up for two within the first minute, then got caught with a clothesline. Kenny started working Truth's back. Killings came back with a flying elbow and an axe kick for the three.

WINNER: R-Truth, at 2:15. Didn't exactly hit it out of the park in his debut.

2- MICHELLE MCCOOL & MARIA vs. MARYSE & NATALYA

Nattie worked a nice headlock, but McCool countered with a Russian leg-sweep. Maria tagged in and for some reason, JR proclaimed Smackdown as having the best officiating in WWE. In the end, Maryse DDT'd Maria for the win.

WINNERS: Maryse & Natalya, at 2:29. Michelle and Natalya matched up well while they were in there.

3- JEFF HARDY vs. MVP

MVP threw Jeff out f the ring, but he landed on his feet. It was all Hardy early on, which caused MVP to go to the outside to re-group. MVP wasted time by trash-talking and Jeff took advantage. The announcers made a big deal out of Jeff keeping his offense grounded. Hardy wrapped MVP's arm around the ring post. MVP took another breather, but Jeff did a flip-dive onto him from the apron.

MVP was on offense out of break and registered a near-fall. Jeff hit his mule kick and corner dropkick, but his Swanton was met by the knees of MVP. He baseball slid Hardy into the ringpost, then sretched Jeff's body around it. Camel Clutch was applied soon after. Jeff got out and climbed the buckle, but MVP tripped him, which led to Hardy taking a nasty bump on his neck and getting folded up in the process. MVP tried a suplex off the top, but JEff turned in mid-air and landed on Porter for a two-count. Hardy barely hit Whisper in the Wind (a recurring theme), then the Swanton for three.

WINNER: Hardy, at 20:11. Wow. Very good match, probably on the verge of four stars.

4- JESSE & FESTUS vs. CURT HAWKINS & ZACK RYDER

Festus cleared the ring of both men at the sound of the bell and the heels began to argue at ringside. Before they could get back in, Big Show's music played and he came out. He destroyed both teams, save Festus.

WINNERS: No Contest, at 1:02.

Show got on the mic and said Vickie is under so much pressure, she's overlooking certain superstars. He said he'd never be overlooked again.

5- VICTORIA vs. BRIE BELLA

Brie monkey-flipped Victoria, who did a lot of trash talking. Victoria missed a charge and got rolled up for two. She didn't like that. Brie had some unique snap-mares, but got caught in a back-breaker. Standing moonsault got two. Victoria knocked Brie out of the ring. She crawled under the ring, but Victoria pulled her back out. Back in the ring, Brie small-packaged Victoria for the win.

WINNER: Bella, at 2:37. Unimpressive debut for Brie. Victoria deserves better.

6- TRIPLE H vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN

The two went back-and-forth early on, with Shelton getting some nice arm-drags in. They traded right hands in the corner. Trips worked the arm and shoulder of Shelton. Single-arm DDT by HHH. After some offense, Shelton escaped a Pedigree and went to the outside.

Shelton regained control during the break. He turned a Trips suplex into a neck-breaker for two. Blinger splash in the corner from Shelton, but he missed a second one and HHH clotheslined him from behind. Benjamin got a very near fall after a straight kick to the face of Trips. The Game came back with a spinebuster. As it appeared he was ready to finish it, The Great Khali came out. That drew Triple H's attention, but he did manage to dodge a Shelton attack to hit the Pedigree for the victory.

WINNER: HHH, at 19:15. Another one near four stars. I can't decide which match was better.

Khali stare at Trips from the aisle when Shelton hit HHH from behind with the U.S. belt. Khali then came in and chokeslammed Triple H.

[Arcademan]

Early Saturday morning, Walter "Killer" Kowalski passed away at 81. You can go to various wrestling sites to get the complete story and personal comments on those who knew him. No doubt Triple H will has some words of his own since Kowalski trained him to be a professional wrestler.

Condolences to the Kowalski family and his friends and legion of fans

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 9-1-08

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report). Condensed here to in-ring results. Lots of talking at the start AND conclusion of RAW.

1 -- KOFI KINGSTON vs. THE HAAS

Kofi finished off the imposter Cena in a little over a minute with the Jamaican buzzsaw kick. Quick squash of The Haas.

WINNER: Kofi in 2:00. Good to see Kofi pick up a win. It will be forgotten on this show, but fine nevertheless. (1/2*)

2 -- ECW BATTLE ROYALE

Chavo and Miz seemed to have an agreement to work together, but Chavo turned on Miz. Henry then eliminated both of them at the same time to begin his attack on Finlay and Hardy. F&H then teased dumping Henry over the top rope at 3:00, but Henry was having none of that, so he eliminated Finlay. Hardy and Henry started to battle. Hardy then tried a Twist of Fate, but Henry easily picked up Hardy and dumped him over the top rope to the floor. Afterward, Tony Atlas had a big celebration with Henry.

WINNER: Henry in 4:00. Fine. A short showcase match for ECW to continue building up Henry. (1/2*)

3 -- WILLIAM REGAL vs. JAMIE NOBLE

Regal just blasted Noble early and often here, with the ref having to intervene several times to get Regal off Noble. Regal landed a release half-nelson suplex, then stared down at Noble's lifeless body. He wanted to inflict more offense, but Noble surprised him with a quick small package for the pin and the win. Layla was a bit shocked ringside, then Noble asked Layla for her congratulations ringside. My goodness, that dress on Layla. Regal didn't even beat up Noble post-match, so it was a good day for Noble.

WINNER: Noble in 3:00. A small bit of progression for this program, fortunately. Not memorable, but fine. (1/2*)

4 -- Women's champion BETH PHOENIX & JILLIAN HALL & KATIE LEA vs. MICKIE JAMES & KELLY KELLY

Beth was in the ring at 3:00 when Candice took a hot tag and dropped Beth with a wicked head scissors into knee smash. Beth came back with a double sledge, but Candice leap frogged in the corner into a seated slam. Candice then went up top with a bit of hesitation. She cleared off the heels, though, and nailed a cross body block. Unfortunately, Beth rolled through into powerslam position. Candice slipped out, though, and scored with a small package on Beth for the pin and the win. Afterward, Candice lowered the strap on her top to show she's healed up from the broken clavicle. Of note, Mickie didn't look enthralled being over-shadowed by the returning Candice vs. Beth program.

WINNERS: Candice & Kelly & Mickie in 4:00. Good, high-energy action to bring back the Beth vs. Candice program. (*)

5 -- IC champion SANTINO MARELLA vs. D-LO BROWN -- non-title match

Brown busted out the Shining Wizard a minute into the match, then he went for a top rope Lo-Down, but Santino rolled out of the way and Brown ate the mat. Apparently that knocked the wind and catering out of Brown, as Santino casually rolled on top of Brown and scored a three count for the win.

WINNER: Santino in 2:00. Quick match. I suppose more of Santino on the mic and less of him in the ring is for the best. (1/2*)

6 -- RAW BATTLE ROYALE

Batista quickly cleaned house to start things off, then Batista wanted a Batistabomb on Kane, but Kane slipped out. Punk then suddenly clotheslined Batista over the top rope to the floor. After JBL landed boots on Punk and Kane, JBL went for a clothesline on Punk, but Punk ducked and dumped JBL to the floor. So it's Punk vs. Kane. Punk landed three consecutive high knees in the corner, but Kane blocked the bulldog and landed a boot to the face. Punk tried to come back with the G2S, but Kane slipped out. He then choke-tossed Punk over the top rope to the floor, right at the feet of Orton to win the match.

Post-match: Orton gave him a sarcastic round of applause, then Punk stood up and stared back at Orton. They shared a moment, then Punk dumped water on Orton and walked away. Suddenly, Rey Mysterio's music hit and Rey came out on stage to a huge pop. Kane was beside himself that Rey was here. Rey fired into the ring and kicked Kane over and over before taking out the knee. He fired off right hand blows on Kane before setting him up for the 619. Kane slipped out, though, only to find a baseball slide dropkick through the ropes. Rey then flung Kane into the ringpost on the floor before following with a 619 around the ringpost. Rey escaped danger once again by sending Kane over the guardrail to the front row. Rey then ran back into the ring to celebrate his big return ahead of the PPV.

Winner: Kane in 5:00. Rey looked well-tanned and healthy making his return and escaping danger several times. As for the match, Punk was fine picking up two eliminations, but the post-match water-on-Orton was a bit much. Not a big deal, but it will be if he does it too often. (*1/2)

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 9-2-08

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

1 -- SUPER CRAZY vs. GAVIN SPEARS

They took it slow allowing plenty of time for Striker to enhance the match. Crazy escaped Gavin's heel mat work and landed a flying kick to the face that wobbled Spears. Crazy mounted his attack, then came off the middle rope with a springboard moonsault for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Crazy in 4:00 over the disillusioned crown jewel. Just fine for Crazy. Apparently Gavin's gimmick is that he sucks, but he thinks he's hot stuff. (1/2*)

2 -- RICKY ORTIZ vs. BRIAN BRADDOCK

Grisham self-deprecated early on here, saying Braddock brushed him aside earlier in the day when Grisham was looking for info for the broadcast. Striker said he got a word with Braddock, who said he's looking to impress any GM in WWE. The deal slowed down into bowling-shoe ugly, which is how Braddock likes it. A few fans started waving the rally towels to inspire Ricky's comeback and he snapped off a swinging powerslam for a nearfall. Ortiz then asked for the towels and he landed the Big O splash off the ropes for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Ortiz in 5:00 long minutes. Ortiz is a perfect 5-0 now. Not exactly impressive, though. Still learning in the ring and trying to get the towel gimmick going. (3/4*)

3 -- ECW champion MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas) & THE MIZ & JOHN MORRISON & CHAVO GUERRERO (w/Bam Neely) vs. MATT HARDY & EVAN BOURNE & TOMMY DREAMER & FINLAY (w/Hornswoggle)

Action broke down on the outside with Bam getting his from Finlay and Hornswoggle. Apparently that's all Bam is good for these days. They cut to break.

Bourne showed off out of the break, but Henry took a tag and decided to make dinner out of Bourne. The heels then took turns working over Bourne in their corner. Bourne took a nice, long beating before finally landing a head scissors on Chavo to make the tag to Dreamer, who cleaned house. After Henry smashed Dreamer to build another round of heel isolation, Hardy took a hot tag to work on Chavo, who countered with a Northern's Light Suplex to set up Henry for work on Hardy.

Henry missed with a big splash, though, and Bourne came off the top rope with a sick Shooting Star Press on Henry. And I mean sick. He then smashed Miz with the Shining Wizard. Dreamer then tagged in and splashed Henry from the top rope. Goodness, it's broken down. Finlay with a running rear-end splash on Henry's chest, then Hardy got the final hot tag, knocked Atlas off the ring apron, and gave Henry the Twist of Fate. Hardy covered Henry for the win as the crowd went crazy. The babyfaces got their shine in the ring as they replayed Bourne's SSP, then Henry was showing trying to recover with Atlas to close the show.

WINNERS: Team Hardy in 14:00. Excellent conclusion to get the viewers excited for Unforgiven on Sunday. Bourne's Shooting Star Press was just sick and the easy highlight of the night. Nice match. (**)

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 9-4-08

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

1. Consequences Creed defeated Sheik Abdul Bashir in a number one contender's match for the X-Division championship in 3:35. The crowd was hot for this match; they cheered loudly for Creed and booed just as loudly for Bashir. Creed missed a splash in the corner and Bashir rolled him up using the ropes for the win. The referee restarted the match and Creed quickly won the match...

After the match, Bashir attacked the referee and he came back to kick the shit out of Bashir. Shane Sewell looks better throwing punches than counting falls...

Twill's Two Cents: I hate restarts. They seem to be going down the road of the establishment screwing over Bashir.

2. Beer Money Inc. (with Jacqueline) defeated Shark Boy and Super Eric in a non-title match in 2:18. Curry Man was supposed to come out, but he was being distracted by Christy Hemme backstage. During the match, they cut back to Christy and Curry, where the Rock 'N Rave Infection attacked Curry Man. Storm and Roode scored the win after the Last Call and Payoff...

LAX's music hit and Hernandez cleared Beer Money from the ring. Homicide, with an eye patch, threw Beer Money into the ring. Both members of LAX laid out Beer Money before celebrating with Hector Guerrero and Salinas...

3. Abyss vs. Johnny Devine ended in a no contest in 2:00. Abyss was easily distracted by Team 3D and Devine tried to take advantage. Abyss hit a chokeslam and picked up a chair. He was going to use it but decided against it. Team 3D hit the ring and beat on Abyss. Matt Morgan hit the ring to run off Team 3D...

4. ODB defeated Raisha Saeed in 3:53. Both women fought on the floor before finally entering the ring. Saeed dropkicked ODB back to the floor. Saeed missed a moonsault and ODB followed up with a fallaway slam. She took a drink and hit a powerslam for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: I am not a huge fan of ODB but both women looked good here.

5. Christian Cage defeated A.J. Styles in a Four Ways to Glory qualifier in 12:33. Things started slowly but picked up at the ninety second mark. In a sick spot, Styles tried a springboard but Cage pushed Styles' leg away, causing him to fall awkwardly on the top rope. Cage then missed a move to the floor. Styles followed with a hurricarana...

Cage hit a reverse neckbreaker for a nearfall coming back from commercial. Styles hit the moonsault inverted DDT for a very close nearfall. Both men exchanged right hands before Styles hit a huge dropkick following an Irish whip sequence. Cage hit a closeline and missed a frogsplash.

Styles went for the Styles Clash but Cage countered into an Unprettier attempt. Styles hit the Pele kick. Both men fought to the top rope. Cage pushed Styles off and immediately followed in with a frogsplash, almost literally in one motion, for a two count.

Cage went to the top again and Styles backdropped him to the mat. He tried and missed the Spiral Tap. Cage went for the Unprettier again but Styles pushed Cage into the referee. Frank Trigg hit the ring and nailed Styles with a kendo stick. Cage hit the Unprettier for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: Great match but that was expected. I do not love the finish but given the setup, someone had to lose.