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

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 7-24-09

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

1- JEFF HARDY vs. CHRIS JERICHO

Hardy went right after Jericho and the fight immediately spilled to the outside, as he threw Jericho into the railing twice as a repercussion for what Jericho did to him last week. Jericho got a few kicks in, but Hardy was back on offense with a headscissor take-over, followed by a clothesline of Jericho over the top rope and to the outside. Hardy tried to dropkick Jericho through the ropes, but Jericho caught him and pulled him out, with Hardy landing on the back of his head. They went to break less than two minutes into the match.

Jericho was in control out of break, and had Hardy grounded. They waited until the crowd got into it, and Hardy worked his wa to his feet. Cross-body by Hardy got two. Enziguiri put Hardy back down. Hardy missed a splash in the corner and Jericho followed with an elbow off the second rope for two. Hardy made his comeback, including most of his signature spots. Swanton missed and Jericho got the upper-hand with a Lionsault for two. I’m surprised they haven’t re-named that one since his time in WWE. He tried to lock in the Walls, but Jeff powered out. He tried again, but Hardy countered with an inside cradle. Corner dropkick was blocked and Jericho caught Hardy in position for a Walls, which was applied successfully. Hardy reached the ropes and referee Scott Armstrong called for a break. Catapult attempt didn’t work for Jericho and Hardy hit Whisper in the Wind for a near-fall. Looked like Hardy’s foot came right down on Jericho’s head. Codebreaker out of nowhere by Jericho, that caused Hardy to flop around ‘til he was out of the ring. Jericho was dumbfounded by not being able to find where Hardy was in the ring, until he realized he went outside. Jericho dragged the limp Hardy to his feet and pushed him into the ring. Could only get two on the pin though. Jericho kicked at Jeff in frustration, but Jeff landed the Twist of Fate, and Hardy looked to make his way to the top for the finish. Hardy got to the top, but Jericho popped up and hit the top rope, crotching Jeff. Jericho attempted to suplex Jeff off the top, but Hardy knocked him off. Hardy then hit the Swanton for the win.

WINNER: Hardy, at 15:11. Good back-and-forth match; your usual solid TV performance from these two. I thought Jericho might get the win, but unlike ECW, Smackdown seems to want to keep at least one of the contestants in the brand’s title match strong heading into the pay-per view.

2- THE GREAT KHALI vs. MIKE KNOX

We have a Mike Knox sighting. Knox got a kick to the gut and a few punches, but Khali pushed him into the ropes and landed a forearm. Khali cornered Knox with the Kevin Nash repertoire, including elbows, knees and a chop. Then, Kane’s music hit and the fire went off. Kane walked out to the stage and slowly made his way down the aisle. Knox took advantage of the distracted Khali. Nope, Kane is still standing on the stage. Knox took Khali to one knee, but that didn’t last long. Standing boot to the face by Khali, then a clothesline as Ranjin Singh cheered on from ringside. Chop to the head, then a Punjabi Plunge finished Knox.

WINNER: Khali, at 2:13. Poor Knox.

3- DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. FINLAY

I was hoping Finlay would change his theme back to the original one after Hornswoggle left, but no dice. Hair pull by Finlay took Ziggler to the mat, but Dolph got into the ropes. Finlay missed a shoulder in the corner and hit the ring-post. Ziggler took advantage, pulling the shoulder again into the post. Ziggler attacked the shoulder and upper-arm area. Good clothesline put Finlay down for a one-count. Finlay got Ziggler up on his shoulders three minutes in, but Ziggler got down and Finlay kicked him into the announce table on the outside. Maria tended to Ziggler after Finlay tossed him into the table again. Finlay backed away, not wanting to involve Maria, and tried to get back into the ring. Ziggler popped right up and gave his finisher to Finlay outside the ring. Ziggler went back into the ring and won by count-out.

WINNER: Ziggler, by count-out, at 4:18. Another good win for Ziggler heading into Night of Champions.

4- EVE TORRES vs. NATALYA

Both tag teams were at ringside with their ladies. After a break in the ropes, Natalya pushed Eve away. Eve then got a headlock take-over. Eve was on the second rope, but she jumped right into Natalya’s arms and she slammed her down for two. Natalya pounded away at Eve’s head on the mat. Natalya put Eve in a surfboard. She missed a legdrop and Eve came back with a clothesline and a dropkick. Eve walked into another spinning clothesline. Eve got into the ropes though and Eve again hammered away. The Harts implored Natalya to finish her. She put Eve on the top rope, but Eve knocked her down, then moonsaulted onto Natalya for the win.

WINNER: Eve, at 2:58. Moonsault looked good and the match was decent, thanks in large part to Natalya.

5- R-TRUTH vs. CHARLIE HAAS

Haas was already in the ring. Truth took Haas down, then Haas complained to the ref in an attempt to catch Truth off guard, but it didn’t work. Truth did one of his flips, but tweaked his knee. Haas went right after it, kicking it out from underneath Truth. He slammed the injured leg into the ring post. Todd Grisham hearkened back to Martin Gramatica injuring himself celebrating a field goal a few years ago. Haas even went the extra mile, pulling the jeans of Truth up and pulling down on the knee-pad and working over the injured body part. Half-crab, but Truth worked his way to the ropes. Truth kicked Haas away from him, then got a shot to the gut. He made a comeback and got two off a hip-toss. That didn’t deter Haas, who continued work on the knee until Truth hit his axe kick out of nowhere, spelling the end for Haas.

WINNER: Truth, at 4:36. Win didn’t mean much since Haas doesn’t have any credibility unless he’s with Shelton, but at least he beat a good technical wrestler and it’s a good sign for Truth.

6- C.M. PUNK vs. REY MYSTERIO

Mysterio gave his mask to a WWE Magazine contest winner, who got his name in chyron and everything. Punk took Rey down as the match began slowly. Rey rolled Punk up after jumping from his feet to Punk’s shoulders. Punk ended up throwing Rey shoulder-first into the ring post to finish an exchange. Punk grabbed a side-headlock. Rey had Punk’s hand and jumped to the top rope, but Punk pushed him off and Rey appeared to catch his arm on the top rope. Punk delivered a baseball slide to Rey on the outside. Almost four minutes into the match, they went to break.

Punk had Rey tied up in the ring, working on the arm. Hard kick to the back by Punk, then a legdrop and a near-fall. Rey hit the ropes, but Punk landed a tilt-a-whirl back-breaker for two. Crowd chanted “619" as Punk had Rey in a hold again focusing on the arm. 11:00 into the match, Dolph Ziggler came to ringside to get a closer look at his opponent for Sunday. Rey got a springboard cross-body on Punk for two. Then he caught Punk in the jaw with a dropkick. Rey got a boot up in the corner, then a headscissors on Punk into the 619 position. Rey couldn’t get it, but he did drop the dime on Punk. Ziggler got knocked off the apron by Rey, and Punk caught him with a leg lariat. A beautiful knee in the corner by Punk led to Rey getting out of a bulldog and again putting Punk in position for the 619, but again Punk avoided it with a headbutt to the gut. He threw Rey to the outside under the ring and Rey flipped as usual so he didn’t get injured. Ugly bulldog by Rey where I’m not sure what Punk hit, but it wasn’t the mat. Rey connected on the 619, then hit the springboard splash, but Dolph Ziggler interfered, drawing the DQ.

WINNER: Rey, by DQ, at 14:37.

[Arcademan]

WWE Night of Champions PPV Results: 7-26-09

Ongoing results courtesy of PWTorch.com and Caldwell's real-time report.

1 -- CHRIS JERICHO & BIG SHOW vs. LEGACY (TED DIBIASE, JR. & CODY RHODES) -- Unified tag title match
WINNERS: Jericho & Show in 9:00. This match didn't make sense. Crowd was quiet for a heel vs. heel tag match that kinda sorta made Jericho (their best heel in the company) into a pseudo babyface. Okay opener, but not ideal. (*1/2)
 
2 -- ECW champion TOMMY DREAMER vs. CHRISTIAN -- ECW Title match
WINNER: Christian in 9:00 to capture the ECW Title. Good undercard match. Crowd has been quiet thus far, but both men put in a fair performance that should have been received better than it was. Christian vs. Kozlov coming to an ECW TV episode near you, apparently. (**)
 
3 -- U.S. champion KOFI KINGSTON vs. JACK SWAGGER vs. CARLITO vs. PRIMO vs. MVP -- U.S. Title match -- Six-Pack challenge
WINNER: Kofi in 8:00 to retain the U.S. Title. Good finish after a slow, awkward, middle-of-the-Royal Rumble kind of a start. The stand-off between Miz, Primo, and Carlito was a great spot. Crowd seemed to finally get warmed up near the end of the match. (**)
 
4 -- Women's champion MICHELLE McCOOL vs. MELINA -- Women's Title match
WINNER: McCool in 7:00 to retain the Women's Title. Very aggressive match. They included many spots at the expense of selling the effects, but it was a good under-card showing for both women. (*3/4)
 
5 -- WWE champion RANDY ORTON vs. JOHN CENA vs. TRIPLE H
WINNER: Orton in 23:00 to retain the WWE Title. Why didn't it matter that Randy Orton tapped out to the double submission? Why did the match continue? The announcers were confused on the triple threat rules throughout the match, the finish wasn't clear, and they really went TNA with the lack of rules application. Lame finish to an otherwise very good triple threat match. Orton's look before attempting the Punt on Cena around 15:00 was one of the highlights of the night. (***3/4 for the match, neg. **** for the finish.)
 
6 -- Divas champion MARYSE vs. MICKIE JAMES -- Divas Title match
WINNER: Mickie James in 9:00 to capture the Divas Title. They went in and out of the ring several times to keep the match interesting in the "come down" match following the triple threat WWE Title match. Good showcase and solid victory for Mickie. (*1/4)

7 -- IC champion REY MYSTERIO vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER (w/Maria) -- Intercontinental Title match
WINNER: Rey in 15:00 to retain the IC Title. Ziggler worked hard on the offensive attack throughout, but the crowd wasn't into Ziggler at all. It's going to take time for new stars to develop when WWE has trained the audience to accept the same old, same old. WWE set a poor tone at the start of the PPV by passing on an opportunity to introduce a new star into the mix with Chris Jericho by settling for a "name" like Big Show. (*1/2)

8 -- World Hvt. champion C.M. PUNK vs. JEFF HARDY -- World Hvt. Title match
WINNER: Jeff Hardy in 16:00 to capture the World Heavyweight Title. I'm not sure what's the headline coming out of this: Hardy winning the WWE Title, Punk now the best heel in the company, or an awesome main event that helped bolster this overall lackluster PPV. Didn't quite save the PPV, but Hardy and Punk were simply great tonight. Punk was especially on his game with the heelisms, facial expressions, and offensive attacks. (****)

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 7-27-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report). To avoid pop-ups and view in-ring results only, go to Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #9201

1 -- MARK HENRY vs. CARLITO -- Beat the Clock challenge match
WINNER: Henry at 6:49. Gosh, that dragged so that Henry could set a near-seven minute pace. At least it made Carlito look half-way credible with him putting up a good fight in the match. (*)

2 -- Divas champion MICKIE JAMES & KELLY KELLY & GAIL KIM vs. BETH PHOENIX & ROSA MENDES & ROSA MENDES
WINNERS: Team Mickie at 3:55. Fine divas match. Didn't really set up anything going forward or follow-up anything from last night, but perhaps they're going to go with Mickie vs. Gail in a title match program. We'll see. (*)

3 -- MVP vs. CHRIS MASTERS -- Beat the Clock challenge match
WINNER: Double Count-out at 3:39. Masters looked good in his return, but it's been a few years, so the WWE fans didn't exactly gravitate toward the surprise return of a mid-carder. WWE fans also don't have a very long memory. Meanwhile, MVP stuck going nowhere on Raw. (*)

4 -- U.S. champion KOFI KINGSTON vs. THE BRIAN KENDRICK -- non-title match
WINNER: Kingston at 0:09. There's your probable Place Your Bets (2) victory this week. TBK the current mid-card heel with zero credibility getting paid to get beat up. Always need one of those on Raw. (n/a)

5 -- TRIPLE H vs. CODY RHODES -- Beat the Clock challenge match
WINNER: Time expired at 6:49. I thought Cody really benefited from this and was elevated, even if he had help from DiBiase pre-match. Cody worked a smart match and WWE booked him to "hold his own" against SuperHunter. Good drama at the end to take advantage of the gimmick. (**)

6 -- HORNSWOGGLE vs. CHAVO -- Blindfold match for Chavo
WINNER: Hornswoggle at 3:36. Just a fill-in-the-gap gimmick match to continue the running gag against the Guerrero family. They stretched Santino(a) forever. Now, it's the Horny-Chavo program. Match was at least half-way fun and entertaining even if it was a waste of time. (n/a)

7 -- JACK SWAGGER vs. EVAN BOURNE -- Beat the Clock challenge match
WINNER: Bourne at 3:40. Swagger still in a position to be lost in the shuffle after losing the match, but Bourne benefited from the win. Not sure if it will lead to anything of merit leading to Summerslam, but we'll see. Crowd still warming up to the younger stars who haven't been on Raw for a while. (*1/2)

8 -- JOHN CENA vs. THE MIZ -- Beat the Clock challenge match
WINNER: Cena at 4:30 to become #1 contender to the WWE Title. Again, Miz loses clean to Cena. This one didn't seem as bad as the previous two with Miz having a few legit nearfalls on Cena, but it was typical SuperCena overcoming Miz at the end of the day. So, once again, we have Orton vs. Cena in a WWE Title match. Rinse. Repeat. (*1/2)

9 -- Unified tag champions CHRIS JERICHO & BIG SHOW vs. CRYME TYME (SHAD GASPAR & JTG) -- non-title match
WINNERS: Cryme Tyme via DQ at 6:41. Okay gimmick tag match without a PPV to hype right now. Post-match was the story, though, with Shaq vs. Show. ... (*)

Post-match: Show wanted a double chokeslam on Cryme Tyme and he stared down Shaq. He then threw CT down instead of delivering the chokeslam and told Shaq to get in the ring. Shaq ripped off his ref t-shirt and stepped in the ring to confront Show face-to-face. Show with a light shove. Shaq with a heavy shove. Show rubbed his nose and smiled. Shaq smiled. Show teased a chokeslam, but Shaq grabbed him by the throat. Double chokeslam tease. Test of Strength. This is going on ESPN for sure. JTG and Shad then kicked Show with a cheap shot and Shaq clotheslined Show into the ropes to the outside. Shaq needed an assist from CT? Not very tough or babyfaceish. They have Shaq vs. Show ready to order for Summerslam if they want it. Shaq stood tall center-ring. Cole: "What a Shaqtacular night." Lawler: "Oh, please." Thanks, Jerry. Shaq and CT then stood tall center ring and Shaq talked trash to Show, who recovered on the outside with Jericho. One last plug for Jeremy Piven hosting Raw next week. Shaq then ran out of the ring and ran up the ramp to chase away Show and Jericho to close the show about 13 minutes past the top of the hour.

[Arcademan]

ECW on SyFy Results: 7-28-09

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

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

Reks was in control early, but Burchill grabbed control and took the offensive working a typical Burchill match. Power offense. Power holds. Strikes. Blows. Aggressive look on his face. Reks made a comeback, then avoided a corner smash on the ring apron and sent Burchill back into the middle of the ring a bit dazed. Reks then came off the apron with a springboard missile dropkick on Burchill. Reks with the pin for the win.

WINNER: Reks in 5:00. Standard TV match. Burchill continues to lose matches. Reks on the rise. (*)

2 -- VLADIMIR KOZLOV vs. BILL BAINE

Matt Striker let us know that Baine is a minor league ballplayer. Cue up an old-school Orioles reference from Striker to see if he has any Eddie Murray in him tonight. Bell sounded and Kozlov kicked him in the gut. Baine didn't see it coming, then Kozlov pounded him in the gut with jabs and kicks. He finally finished him off with the Iron Curtain for the easy win.

Post-match: Ezekiel Jackson's music hit and Zeke came out ready to dominate. He wanted a piece of the dead meat too. Kozlov stared him down for meddling in his business. Zeke then picked up the left-over scraps and nailed a lift-up Rock Bottom. Ezekiel then left the ring after giving Kozlov a receipt from last week when Kozlov pulled the same trick.

WINNER: Kozlov in 1:00. Week 2 of the program continues. We'll see where this leads. Frustrating trying to analyze these first two matches because they just seem like filler without anything on the line. WWE doesn't establish a "quest for a title" or a money purse or attach any sense of value to these matches, so they're just there. (n/a)

3 -- SHEAMUS vs. GOLDUST

Sheamus wanted to slow things down early on. He put Goldust on the mat and landed three consecutive elbow smashes for a two count. Goldust made a comeback and wanted the Curtain Call, but Sheamus shoved him away and nailed a kick to the face. Sheamus followed with a Rock Bottom backbreaker across his knee for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Sheamus in 5:00. Another basic TV match to establish new talent. Just not much to analyze here. All of the little things that go into building a house are important, but aren't that sexy; people just want to see the finished house product. (*)

4 -- ECW champion CHRISTIAN vs. ZACK RYDER -- non-title match

The match was joined in progress with Ryder on the defensive against an aggressive Christian. Very even match-up to start before Christian wore down Ryder with a series of armbars. Christian sent Ryder to the middle rope, then stood on his back. He followed with a hard running clothesline in the corner to continue being the aggressor. Christian tried to run Ryder into the opposite corner, but Ryder reversed and whipped Christian into the turnbuckle. "C'mon, bro, you ain't nothing," Ryder shouted. Christian took umbrage and came back with a springboard sunset flip out of the corner for a two count. Ryder and Christian battled to the apron, then to the floor with Christian winning the mini-battle with a plancha. Both men recovered on the outside going to break.

Right back from break, Ryder shoved Christian off the top turnbuckle to the floor. Ryder tried to get a count-out, but Christian made it back into the ring. Ryder went to work on Christian's gut with mat holds including a body scissors. The action moved up top where Ryder nailed a nice superplex. Move took the steam out of both men, then Ryder made a cover after a delay for a two count.

Ryder went back to work on the mid-section at the top of the hour. Ryder wanted another superplex, but Christian shoved him to the mat and landed a cross-body block for a nearfall. Striker put over Ryder for proving he's in Christian's league thus far as they reached crunch time of the match. Christian landed a flying forearm before hitting a fallaway reverse DDT for a two count. Christian followed with a dropkick from the second rope, then the top rope. Both men winded as Ryder blocked a corner DDT and dropped Christian across the top rope. Ryder followed with a leg whip for another close call. Striker said he's rooting for Zack Ryder. Christian then scored with a Tornado DDT after a second try and scored another two count.

At 15:00, Ryder blocked a corner charge, then wanted the Zack Attack, but Christian blocked and hit the pendulum kick. Christian followed with a D.J. Gabriel European Uppercut from the second rope. He then dropped Ryder with the Killswitch and made the cover for the win. Post-match: Striker continued to put over Ryder for putting up a good fight against the ECW champion. They showed high points of the match, then cut to a shot of Christian celebrating with the ECW Title belt to close the show.

WINNER: Christian in 16:00. Really nice singles match. The slow, methodical pace didn't take away from the match, but rather allowed the key elements of the match to stand out including Ryder standing tall throughout, taking Christian's offense, dishing out his own offense, and Striker putting over Ryder lasting a while against the champ. Ryder needs to be in that main event picture. I don't think he lost much from taking a clean loss, but rather benefited from being in this position with so much time invested in his character tonight. (**1/2)

[Arcademan]

WWE Superstars Results: 7-30-09

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

1 -- JOHN MORRISON vs. TYSON KIDD (w/D.H. Smith and Natalya)

Nice, steady pace to start things off. So refreshing to listen to Jim Ross setting the table for the match. He gave us some elements of Morrison spending more time out of the ring working on his mat-based game to balance his aerial attack while Kidd is continuing to hone his mat skills from the Hart Dungeon. Morrison broke the slower pace with a nice flurry before a Shawn Michaels-esque kip up led to a spinning leg drop for a two count. Match moved to the ring apron where Kidd nailed a high-impact neckbreaker across the apron. Safe move that looked painful. Well done. Back in the ring, Kidd went to work on the neck with a chinlock. Kidd then discarded Morrison to the outside and held off the ref to give Smith an opening to blast J-Mo on the floor. Morrison in trouble heading to break.

"Ask him, ref, ask him!" Kidd greeted us back from break with a reverse chinlock on Morrison. Morrison broke free with a fallaway back drop and 7-Eleven sponsored the replay. Get a Slurpee! Morrison then went aerial on his comeback with a Pele soccer kick and leg whip lariat for a two count. Kidd came back with a kick strike, but Morrison ran him over near the ropes and took Kidd to the floor. Morrison teased a top rope move, but Smith and Natalya shielded Kidd. Ref had enough of HD and gave 'em a ticket to the back. Morrison then blasted Kidd with a sweet corkscrew splash on the floor.

Back in the ring, Morrison wanted the Moonlight Drive, but Kidd countered and went back on the attack. They had a pin exchange before Kidd nailed a double foot dropkick to the side of the head for a close count. Morrison then rolled through on a sunset flip attempt and smashed Kidd in the face with a kick strike. Morrison paused in the corner to build anticipation, then he hit the Starship Pain corkscrew moonsault for the pin and the win. Ross hyped Hardy vs. Morrison for Smackdown tomorrow night. Combine a high-energy finish with Ross's textbook sales pitch and I think people would pay money for Friday night to get here already. Morrison got his shine post-match as Ross and Grisham continued to hype the World Title match tomorrow night.

WINNER: Morrison in 13:00. Always a good thing to get that "please don't let this match end" feeling. WWE delivered that with all four matches in the recent Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho series. This one had it too. Morrison was great getting the crowd behind him, Kidd was great cutting off Morrison's comebacks, and they had a nice finish that could have been stretched another two minutes to really have a memorable match. (***1/4)

2 -- WILLIAM REGAL vs. YOSHI TATSU

Match moved to the floor early on where Regal smashed Yoshi into the ring apron. Ref Robinson started a ten count and Yoshi made it back in at six, only to be greeted by a series of stomps from Regal. Regal with an exploder suplex before settling into a Million Dollar Dream. Yoshi escaped, then landed a kick strike, but Regal ducked a slap and executed a brainbuster out of the butterfly suplex position. Nice. Yoshi then fired himself up and nailed a Waltman-like spin kick for a two count. Yoshi corner mounted Regal for consecutive chops, but Regal pushed him down. He then landed the running knee strike on a stunned Yoshi, who spun around and fell to the mat. Regal with the pin for the win, giving Yoshi his first WWE TV loss.

WINNER: Regal in 4:00. Quick-paced, aggressive TV match. The series is 1-1 setting up a little rubber match on a future episode of ECW TV. Basic wrestling program to build up Yoshi, give him something to work with, and give Regal a purpose on the ECW brand right now. (*1/4)

3 -- WWE champion RANDY ORTON vs. PRIMO COLON -- non-title match

Orton with a one-up, then he stared a hole through Primo with his sinister eyes. Primo then surprised Orton with a series of deep arm drags that flustered Orton and sent him rolling to the outside to collect himself. Back in the ring, Orton landed clubbing blows on Primo, who came back with a series of dropkicks. Primo missed a third, then rolled to the outside. Odd edit. They cut to break with Orton in control.

They came back with Orton in control "sending a message" to John Cena by stomping and pounding on Carlito. Cole sold the Summerslam re-match of the re-match of the re-match of Orton vs. Cena as the "renewal of a personal feud." Announcers also talked about Orton having something to prove to "critics" who say Orton isn't capable of keeping the WWE Title without help from DiBiase and Rhodes. Orton continued his methodical attack, but walked into a side Russian legsweep. Primo followed with a running European uppercut into a dropkick. Building momentum. Primo then went up top and hit a missile dropkick for a close two count. He got his close-call, then Orton ducked a springboard splash and started to stalk Primo. Orton nailed the RKO without a counter to actually get the move over since he hardly ever hits the move when he telegraphs it ahead of time. Orton with the pin for the win. They closed the show with Orton walking out of the ring with some measure of confidence away from Raw when he's routinely booked to be back-pedaling away from competition, namely Triple H, John Cena, celebrity guest hosts, or anyone with a pulse.

WINNER: Orton in 10:00. Good TV main event. Primo benefited from working with the champ (albeit not a credible champ right now) and having some close nearfalls after showcasing his offense. Orton just needed to look credible. They have to start somewhere building to Orton-Cena at Summerslam. (*3/4)

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 7-30-09

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

1. Hernandez defeated Samoa Joe (with Taz) in 4:31. Hernandez impressed early with a delayed vertical suplex. Both men traded power moves and before Hernandez grabbed the advantage. Joe fought back and attempted a superplex. Hernandez pushed him off and hit a top rope splash for the clean win...

After the match, Taz and Joe were steaming as JB interviewed Hernandez on the floor. Hernandez said he was back, he was healthy, and he would become the first Latino TNA World Heavyweight Champion...

Twill's Two Cents: Wow; surprising finish. I wasn't thrilled with Joe losing an opening match on Impact, but I love that Hernandez got this win. That is the thing; Joe is not any less important because of Hernandez defeating him and Hernandez is elevated severely.

2. A.J. Styles defeated Matt Morgan in the first match of a best of three series in 5:46. Tenay announced a Steel Asylum match at Hard Justice to determine the number one contender for the X Division Championship. Morgan dominated with his power in the first few minutes. Morgan applied what looked like a reverse chokeslam and threw him into the corner for a two count.

Morgan crotched himself on the top rope. Styles hit two dropkicks to take Morgan off his feet. He hit the springboard flying forearm for a two count. Styles countered a side suplex with the Pele. He hit a springboard 450 halfway across the ring for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: Typical power vs. speed match between these two. The finish with Styles was amazing. As good as he is, he always seems to impress.

3. Awesome Kong (with Raisha Saeed), ODB (with Cody Deaner) and Tara defeated The Beautiful People (Velvet Sky, Madison Rayne, and TNA Knockout Champion Angelina Love) in 10:06. Tara and Angelina began the match. Angelina enjoyed an early advantage but Tara hit a powerslam for a nearfall. TBP broke up the pinfall and chaos ensued. ODB tagged in and dominated Madison Rayne...

Back from commercial, Kong tagged in and Tara gave her a dirty look. Kong decided to beat the shit out of Tara and they fought to the back. A shot of the Motor City Machine Guns in the crowd was shown. They had signs that said, "Conspiracy Theory" and "Yes, we work here." ...

Twill's Two Cents: Glad to see the Guns again and I hope this leads to big things for them.

4. The British Invasion defeated Team 3D in a tables match to win the New Japan Tag Team Titles in 9:35. The match started with Team 3D hitting the ring and beating up all five guys...

Back from commercial, Doug Williams was working on Brother Ray outside of the ring and Brutus Magnus and Brother Devon fought into the crowd. Ray finally got Williams back into the ring. Everyone tried to interfere but Ray hit bionic elbows on all of them.

Devon grabbed a table and rolled it into the ring. The Invasion came back and suplexed Ray, but Devon moved the table out of the way. Dave Hebner took a ref bump. Rob Terry came in and took out Team 3D. Devon powerbombed Magnus through a table, but Young hit Devon with a belt and set up him as if he went through the table. The referee saw it and rang the bell...

Twill's Two Cents: Ugh. What was that? Six on two? Anyway, fun brawl I guess that ended predictably after the ref bump. With a six on two advantage, the Invasion should not have needed a ref bump and screwy finish to get the win.

5. Mick Foley and Bobby Lashley defeated Kurt Angle and Kevin Nash when Foley pinned Nash to win the TNA Legends Title in 6:31. The match started as a handicapped match as Foley gutted out the attack and took what Nash and Angle had to offer.

The extra fifteen minutes began with Foley hitting a double arm DDT on Angle and following up with a mandible claw. Nash hit a big boot and Angle locked in the ankle lock. The lights went out and Sting's music hit. When the lights came back on, Sting was in the crowd pointing at Angle and Nash with his bat.

The lights went out again and when they came back on, Lashley was in the ring with a wrap around his head. Lashley took out Angle and Nash at the same time. He hit a spear on Nash and Foley pinned him to win the Legends Title.

Twill's Two Cents: When the lights went out, Angle was the legal man and Foley pinned Nash, so don't be surprised to see that pointed out next week. Average match on an average show. Hernandez beating Joe was the highlight of the show for me.

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 7-31-09

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

1 -- CRYME TYME (SHAD GASPAR & JTG) vs. HART DYNASTY (TYSON KIDD & D.H. SMITH w/Natalya) -- #1 contender match to Unified tag titles

Shad ran over Smith in the early going and Smith sold a head injury. Kidd then blind-tagged himself into the match and chop-blocked Shad from behind to take his knee out. Kidd started screaming as he worked over Shad's left knee. Kidd then knocked Shad to the outside and Smith did some heavy lifting behind the ref's back leading to a break. CT in trouble...so it seems.

Hart Dynasty continued to work over Shad, then JTG took a red-hot tag and cleaned house. JTG hit a leaping leg lariat from the second rope on Kidd, the legal man, but Kidd kicked out. Kidd then cut JTG off and nailed a springboard blockbuster for a close count. JTG tried to come back with a sunset flip, but Kidd kicked out. Nice exchange, then the action broke down. Men everywhere as Shad, the big man, took out Smith, the big man. Back in the ring, JTG tried to steal a win with a hook of the tights on Kidd, but Kidd kicked out. JTG then hit a wrap-his-forearms-around-the-neck-and-slam-the-opponent Shout-Out for the pin and the win. JTG and Shad then celebrated the win with JTG as they realized their good fortune of a title match.,

WINNERS: Cryme Tyme in 8:00. Good tag match with a very nice finish focused on JTG vs. Tyson Kidd. I'd like to see a one-on-one between them down the road. Nice, high-energy tag match with something on the line. (**)

2 -- Women's champion MICHELLE McCOOL & LAYLA vs. MELINA & EVE TORRES

McCool and Melina had a solid singles match at the PPV, so they picked up the feud with the supporting cast in the Women's division. Back and forth action to start, then Melina took a hot tag and the action broke down. McCool then blasted the crap out of Melina with a kick to the face. She took a legal tag, then slid into the ring and wanted a Widow's Peak-like "Faith Breaker" on Melina, but Melina countered in mid-air with the Canadian Destroyer for the pin and the win. Great counter.

WINNERS: Melina & Eve in 4:00. Story here was Melina scoring a pin over the champ to continue the feud. Fine, high-energy match that carried over from the Melina-McCool singles match at the PPV. (*)

3 -- IC champ REY MYSTERIO & FINLAY vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER & MIKE KNOX

Knox tried to show off his power early on with a powerbomb on Rey, but Rey blocked and teased the 619. Knox avoided it, but Rey landed an enziguiri kick instead. Finlay then tagged in and gave Knox the Rolling Hills drop for a two count. Why doesn't anyone just pull his beard into submission? Is there a code of honor against using facial hair as a weapon? Anyways, Knox took out Finlay's knee and began working him over. Dolph then tagged in and got some of Finlay's knee and leg. Knox then knocked Rey off the apron, rekindling those warm and fuzzy ... and perhaps gassy feelings from the Rey-Knox feud on Raw. Finlay continued to tease a hot tag to Rey, but Knox kept cutting him off. Dolph took a tag, then missed with a corner splash on Finlay allowing Rey to get a tag.

Rey quickly dialed up 619 for a smash on Dolph. He followed with the trademark springboard splash for the apparent pin, but Knox yanked Rey to the floor to break up the pin. Finlay took Knox out, then Dolph tried to take Finlay out, but Rey snuck in the back door and grappled Dolph from behind. He rolled him up and scored a pin with Dolph nearly in the ropes. Looked like Dolph "broke the plane" of the bottom rope, but ref allowed the pin to be counted for the win.

WINNERS: Mysterio & Finlay in 10:00. Another good, high-energy tag match on the show. Would have liked to have seen Dolph get a chance to stand tall and not take "The Miz treatment" from Miz's program against John Cena, but this was about giving the fans a "feel good" moment with Rey and Finlay winning. (*1/2)

4 -- GREAT KHALI (w/Runjin Singh) vs. CHARLIE HAAS

A little buffer match action before the main event tonight. Khali methodically picked apart Haas before telling Haas to get up on his feet. Haas obliged and took The Chop to the head. Khali told Haas to get up again. Haas was ready to be finished, but Kane suddenly showed up in the ring, then ran away when Khali approached him. Kane took Singh hostage on the floor and dragged him up the rampway. Khali "gave chase" as only Khali can do, then Kane dropped Singh and walked away. Khali leaned down to check on Singh while staring back at Kane. End segment.

WINNER: No Decision in 2:00. Just a continuation of the Khali vs. Kane feud. Looks like a Summerslam match is on the horizon, or perhaps just a Smackdown TV "main event" leading to Summerslam. WWE should book a sumo wrestling match or test-of-strength or arm-wrestling contest or some gimmick match that takes advantage of their size as a spectacle without having to wrestle a long, drawn-out regular wrestling match. (n/a)

5 -- World Hvt. champion JEFF HARDY vs. JOHN MORRISON -- World Hvt. Title match

Jim Ross referenced "Superstar" Billy Graham's famous 1977 WWWF Title victory over Bruno Sammartino in Baltimore that ended Bruno's three-and-a-half-year reign to set the stage for tonight's match. Morrison started aggressively with a flurry of offense to take it to the champ. He then slingshot Hardy over the top rope to the floor. Nice move. Morrison teased a springboard dive on the floor, but Hardy moved out of the way. Morrison waited, then nailed a sweet springboard moonsault onto Hardy on the floor. Awesome move. They cut to break with Morrison in control.

They returned with Morrison still in control. This time, he was in the ring with a headlock on Hardy to work him over on the mat. On cue, WWE replayed the sweet moonsault leading into the commercial break. Hardy broke free of the headlock and teased a Twist of Fate, but Morrison countered by sling shotting Hardy throat-first across the top rope. Morrison teased the Starship Pain finisher, but Hardy moved and hit the Whisper in the Wind for a two count. Nice exchange. Both men recovered on the mat, then Hardy settled into a reverse chinlock. Ross told us some stories about two-out-of-three fall matches back in the day that gave some wiggle room to make a mistake. He nicely contrasted that to there being no room for error in a one-fall match with a major title on the line, meaning every move is important. Morrison made a comeback and nailed a standing moonsault for a two count. Morrison and Hardy then punched each other simultaneously in the corner and both men crashed down to the floor. Both men in jeopardy going to break.

At 15:00, they returned with Morrison and Hardy exchanging control. Hardy landed a signature double-foot dropkick for a two count, then he wiped his hair back and thought about his next move. Hardy took Morrison to the floor and whipped him back-first into the guardrail. Hardy then ran off the ring steps and nailed a leg lariat that left both men KO'ed on the floor. Back in the ring, Hardy wanted the Whisper in the Wind, but Morrison ducked and smashed Hardy in the face with a running knee strike. He only scored a close two count, though. Morrison then wanted a springboard smash, but Hardy ducked. Morrison followed with a leaping leg lariat for another two count. Morrison so athletic. It's just ridiculous. Morrison then crotched Hardy across the top rope and landed a springboard enziguiri kick. The flying chuck had Hardy KO'ed, but Hardy kicked out just before three.

At 20:00, Hardy came back with a faceplant suplex. He then went up top and teased the Swanton Bomb and connected. Hardy needed some extra time to make the cover, though, and Morrison kicked out in a shock to the crowd. "Oh my!" Ross exclaimed. Grisham hyped Morrison's resilience in the biggest match of his career. Hardy then tried his lift-up dropkick out of the corner, but Morrison kicked him in the gut to block. Morrison wanted to follow with the Starship Pain, but Hardy got the knees up to block. Hardy hit the Twist of Fate, then went up top. He wanted the Swanton Bomb and connected again. Hardy didn't hesitate and made the cover for the win.

WINNER: Hardy in 24:00 to retain the World Hvt. Title. What a match. Dang, that was awesome. What stood out? Morrison's athleticism, Hardy scoring the win, and the crowd almost itching for a title change, but still very satisfied with Hardy winning. Roles reversed from when the crowd was itching for Hardy to win over Punk. Overall, match was a clear contender for Match of the Month. Just great athleticism from two of WWE's top stars. Morrison has arrived as a main eventer if he hadn't already. (****)

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 8-3-09

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

1 -- EVAN BOURNE vs. JACK SWAGGER

Bourne used his quickness to avoid Swagger's power offense early on, but Swagger blocked a standing moonsault with knees to the gut. He then followed up with a gut wrench powerbomb for the decisive pin and the win. After the match, Swagger delivered two running Vader Bombs out of the corner. He was going to give Bourne another gutwrench, but MVP hit the ring in street clothes to clear out Swagger. MVP stood over Bourne as Swagger quietly left the ring confident in his work tonight.

WINNER: Swagger at 2:10. Pretty much a wash after last week. Just doesn't make any sense. Bourne with an upset last week, now a chump this week. Swagger a chump last week, now a big bully this week. Self-defeating booking. And with no pre-match build for a second "Raw dream match" between Bourne and Swagger, the program doesn't have any steam. Incompetent booking. (*)

2 -- Divas champion MICKIE JAMES & GAIL KIM vs. JILLIAN HALL & BETH PHOENIX

Gail started things off, but Mickie quickly tagged in and took a beating from Beth. Beth and Jillian worked Mickie over for a while, then Mickie escaped with a head scissors and hot-tagged Gail. Beth then blind-sided Gail after taking a tag that Gail didn't see. Beth then delivered the double chickenwing facebuster on Gail and scored a pin for the win as Mickie was apparently occupied elsewhere.

WINNERS: Beth & Jillian at 3:25. Just a re-building effort for Beth after being off TV for a while. They didn't tease any dissension between Gail and Mickie after they seemed to be going there last week. (*)

3 -- TRIPLE H vs. CODY RHODES & TED DIBIASE, JR. -- handicap match

Match started with Cody and Hunter going at it with Hunter taking the upperhand. DiBiase tagged in, nearly took the Pedigree, then was clotheslined over the top rope to the floor. On cue, DiBiase took a clothesline to the floor. Imagine that, Hunter standing tall going to break. This has been such a bad show thus far that I'm not in the mood for SuperHunter tonight.

Cody had Hunter in a headlock coming out of the break. During the break, DiBiase slingshot Hunter across the top rope to get the advantage for Legacy. Cody and Ted continued to work over Hunter heading into the second hour. Cody attempted a top rope moonsault at 8:30, but Hunter rolled out of the way and Cody ate the mat. Cody tried to make a tag to DiBiase, but Hunter reached his feet and smashed DiBiase off the apron. Hunter then ran DiBiase into the guardrail. Back in the ring, Hunter with a "vintage" high knee on Rhodes. He landed a facebuster across the knee before running Rhodes into DiBiase off the ropes. Hunter with the Double A spinebuster, then he measured Rhodes for the Pedigree. Suddenly, DiBiase snuck in the back door and hit the Dream Street finisher. All three men were down in the ring. Rhodes then made the cover, but Hunter kicked out at two. Cody sold shock over the pin escape. He then hit the Cross Rhodes spinning facebuster in center ring. (I didn't even realize Cody had a finisher since he never wins matches.) Rhodes with the pin and...the win. Wow, Hunter didn't kick out.

WINNERS: DiBiase & Rhodes at 11:13. It was quite shocking to see Legacy win this clean, but the post-match set-up for Shawn Michaels to return made sense of this so people will actually pay money to see the probable Hunter & HBK vs. Legacy match at Summerslam with Legacy having the slightest edge on Hunter in the TV build-up. Match itself was good with the crowd hot for the nearfalls and Hunter in jeopardy. (**)

4 -- PRIMO COLON vs. CARLITO COLON

Match spilled to the outside early on and Primo landed a plancha splash. Lawler said their father, Carlos Colon, is probably torn about his sons facing each other. Carlito kicked out of Primo's attempted finisher, then Carlito nailed the backstabber for the decisive pin and the win.

WINNER: Carlito at 2:58. They have the big brother vs. brother match after the split and they give them three minutes to have a match the audience didn't care about because there wasn't any pre-match hype or reason to care about the issues that WWE hasn't established? More inane booking. Primo didn't benefit from this at all. (*)

5 -- CHAVO GUERRERO vs. MARK "SWOGGLE" HENRY

Henry played around early, then Chavo irritated Henry by trying to land offense, so Henry chased him to the outside. Henry then scooped up Chavo and teased the World's Strongest Slam all across the arena. He finally delivered the move, then scored the pin for the easy win.

WINNER: Henry at 1:07. At least this keeps Chavo employed with a paycheck coming on a regular basis. These extended family hour segments should be reserved for the house shows, not taking up TV time when WWE can't build up any stars because they throw out matches like Swagger-Bourne and Colon-Colon without any hype. (n/a)

6 -- U.S. champion KOFI KINGSTON vs. Unified tag champion BIG SHOW -- U.S. Title match

Show beat up Kofi all around the ring early on as Jericho hyped his tag team and himself. Jericho got tongue-tied trying to say he was the most-trending topic on Twitter yesterday. Talking takes its toll on the tongue. Torch Talk with Tom Tom. Anyways, Show had a pin on Kofi, but Kofi put his foot on the bottom rope to escape a pin. Jericho ripped Lawler for not having any WWE titles to his name to hype how many titles Show and Jericho have between them. Show wanted the Vader Bomb, but Kofi kicked Show in the back of the leg to knock Show down. He then smashed Show with the Trouble in Paradise buzzsaw kick. Kofi didn't make a cover, but opted to hit a top rope Boom Boom leg drop. Kofi with the pin, but Show bench-pressed Kofi out of the pin. Show suddenly speared Kofi in mid-ring to cut him off. Show then punched Kofi several times in the corner. Ref reached a five count after they foreshadowed a near-DQ earlier in the match. Show was DQ'ed, but he went back to beating up Kofi. Jericho entered the ring to trash-talk Kofi, who tried to catch his breath. Show then posed over Jericho, who smugly looked into the audience to close the segment.

WINNER: Kofi via DQ at 5:08. Good segment thanks to Jericho on commentary and the conflict between whether Show would win the title vs. how he would get DQ'ed or counted out so Kofi would keep the title. There was no way Kofi was winning this match via pin or submission, so the "angst in the arena" was Show winning or Kofi escaping. Not sure where this leads to, but something needs to be built-up for Kofi (if he's even going to be on the PPV) with only two more weeks of Raw remaining before Summerslam and Show/Jericho in a tag title match. (*1/4)

7 -- JOHN CENA vs. THE MIZ -- Lumberjack match

Cena dumped Miz to the outside early on, then Chavo and Dr. Ken checked on Miz before helping him back up to his feet. Miz, fully recovered, slid into the ring, but Cena cut him off. The heel jacks then distracted Cena allowing Miz to bump Cena to the outside. Masters slapped on the Masterlock and Cena sold breaking free, but Masters re-locked the hold and KO'ed Cena. Jacks then rolled Cena into the ring and Miz made a cover, but Cena grabbed the bottom rope. Miz then covered Cena center-ring, but Cena kicked out. Cena made a comeback, but Orton pulled Cena to the floor and the heel jacks stomped and pounded and kicked away on Cena. Legacy then rolled Cena into the ring and Dr. Ken handed Miz his pimp cane. Cena ducked the shot, though, and scooped up Miz for the FU. Just like that. Cena made the cover for the win.

WINNER: Cena at 5:10. Well, there goes Miz just like that. Three things come to mind: he's moving to a different brand, Wellness, or WWE gave up on him for some inane reason, which would be consistent with the inane booking on this show. SuperCena wins again. (*)

[Arcademan]

ECW on SyFy Results: 8-4-09

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

1 -- EZEKIEL JACKSON vs. DANNY DANGER

Danger with zero face time as Jackson destroyed him, then hit the lift-up Rock Bottom for the pin and the win. After the match, Kozlov's music hit and he stomped out to the ring for another Ivan Drago vs. Mr. T confrontation. Kozlov stared down Jackson as they tried to build tension for this Rocky villain deal. Kozlov then gave DD a lift-up Rock Bottom and cracked his neck to say that was no big deal. Jackson then gave DD a lift-up Rock Bottom and stomped out of the ring. Kozlov was left in the ring staring down Jackson.

WINNER: Jackson in 1:00. Week 3 of the program. Just keep building layers. Crowd was at least into the tease of a villain vs. villain confrontation. (n/a)

2 -- SHEAMUS vs. GOLDUST

Sheamus started landing boots on Goldust early on. Suddenly, Goldust sold a shoulder injury with the ref checking on him. Sheamus licked his lips and started attacking the shoulder. He landed a single arm DDT for a two count, then wore Goldust down with more mat holds focused on the shoulder. Goldust tried to sneak in a small package for a pin, but Sheamus kicked out and went back to working over the shoulder. Goldust made a comeback at 3:00 with a series of clotheslines, then the drop-down uppercut. He executed a powerslam for a two count, then sold the shoulder. Goldust tried a move from the second rope, but Sheamus cut his legs out from under him and Goldust crashed to the mat. Sheamus made the cover for the win.

Post-match: Sheamus took the mic ringside and said he came in search for gold, but all they gave him was dust. Goldust then jumped Sheamus from behind and blasted him into the guardrail. Striker said it's the renewed aggression they need to see from Goldust for him to be successful. Sheamus then bailed up the ramp as Goldust was held back by the ref. Goldust, half-way out of character with half of his paint left on, screamed at Sheamus to come get some. Sheamus opted to back away up the entrance ramp to end the segment.

WINNER: Sheamus in 4:00. Okay singles match. Post-match from Goldust was good to keep the programming going. As long as Goldust isn't playing with rats backstage with RELLIK, I'll take a program from Goldust with some purpose. (1/2*)

3 -- ECW champion CHRISTIAN vs. TOMMY DREAMER -- ECW Title match -- Extreme Rules

Bell sounded and they started with some basic mat holds. Crowd wasn't in the mood for basic wrestling, instead chanting for tables. Do they think they're watching a Team 3D match? Dreamer retrieved a Kendo stick and Christian grabbed a trashcan lid. Extreme Sword-fighting ensued with Christian blocking with the lid. On the floor, Dreamer blasted Christian with a stick shot before landing a move from The Sandman's playbook, a Russian legsweep using the cane around the throat. Christian recovered and baseball slid-kicked a trashcan into Dreamer on the floor. Christian followed with a splash off the top rope before smashing him with the can. Christian then broke a crutch over Dreamer's back in front of the hot dog stand. Christian tried to get a running start on a splash, but Dreamer moved and Christian ate the hot dog...stand. Dreamer with a condiment dispenser shot to the head before shoving some hot dogs down Christian's throat. Dreamer in control as they cut the mustard to the break.

They returned to the match with Dreamer and Christian bashing each other with weapons in the ring. Match moved to the floor where Dreamer back dropped Christian onto the floor padding. Dreamer then clotheslined Christian over the guardrail to the front row. He tried a can shot, but Christian ducked and hit a textbook dropkick sending the can into Dreamer's chest. Crowd with a dueling chant. Back in the ring, Dreamer sent Christian head-first into a trashcan in the corner. Dreamer then hit a Pumphandle slam with the Singapore cane beneath the crotch for a two count. On cue, Christian regained control with a neckbreaker across the top rope.

At the top of the hour, Christian went up top and chucked a t-can down at Dreamer's head for a two count. Christian tried a Tornado DDT off the top into two cans, but Dreamer blocked and threw Christian into the stack of cans for a two count. Dreamer then hung Christian upside down in the corner and put a can over his head. Dreamer with the E-pound the chest-C-pound the chest-W running crutch shot to the can into Christian's face. Christian, on cue, recovered after another more no-selling and started smashing Dreamer with weapon shots. Christian then grabbed the car door that hadn't come into play yet and sent it into the ring. Dreamer blocked a running car door shot with a trashcan lid shot to the head through the open car door window. LOL. Dreamer then wanted a piledriver onto the car door, but Christian countered, of course, with the Killswitch into the car door for the pin and the win. After they replayed the highspots of the match, Christian was shown celebrating with the title belt to close the show.

WINNER: Christian in 16:00 to retain the ECW Title. Good gimmick match, but the lack of long-term selling - or any selling of moves at all - was annoying after the fifteenth instance. Seemed like a write-off for Dreamer in the main event picture since this was his title re-match after losing the belt at Night of Champions. If I had to take a guess, Kozlov and Jackson are going to be inserted into the title picture now. (**1/4)

[Arcademan]

WWE Superstars Results: 8-6-09

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

1 -- CHRIS MASTERS vs. SANTINO MARELLA

Santino had a big smile as they danced around the ring before locking up. Masters shoved Santino to the mat, then Santino did a back roll and came up saluting himself "ta da!" Santino did it again after Masters shoved him down, expecting Santino to sell the shove. So great. Even beter was Santino surprising Masters with the Masterlock at 2:00, but Masters was like "oh heck no," so he broke the hold and started pounding Santino. Something went flying as Santino tried a chinbreaker. Looked like Masters lost a tooth. Referee picked up the object moments later and tossed it out of the ring. Santino started to Hulk Up as Masters taunted him. Santino: "You ah make me ah so anger." Santino started no-selling, then did a Ron Killings leg split to duck a clothesline, and wanted to make Masters pay with his finisher, but Masters blocked and slapped on the Masterlock. Santino had no choice but to tap to the Masterpiece. Afterward, Santino sold dizziness as Masters celebrated the win.

WINNER: Masters in 4:00, fans with Santino. Santino was great enhancing his character before taking the scripted loss. Masters looked dominant at the end, but Santino was the takeaway. (*)

2 -- TYLER REKS & YOSHI TATSU vs. WILLIAM REGAL & PAUL BURCHILL (w/Katie Lea)

Yoshi started off against Regal to pick up their current feud locked at one victory apiece. Reks then tagged in and Mathews let fly with the surfer-related puns. Actually just watched the Blue Crush surfer movie last week. Nice little flick. The Englishmen had enough of Reks and his surfing, so they dumped him to the floor and stood tall going to break.

Back from break, Reks was working over Regal's shoulder. Who says WWE doesn't change it up every once in a while when the babyfaces are usually in control going to break and the heels are in control working a body part back from break. Right on cue, Yoshi lost control of the match. Burchill tagged in, then Yoshi blasted him with a round of kicks and body blows. He landed a kick to the face out of the corner, but Regal distracted Yoshi allowing Burchill to kick Yoshi in the left knee/ankle area. Burchill and Regal then targeted the body part to cut off Yoshi from his corner.

Reks took a hot tag at 10:00 and fired off a series of dropkicks on Regal, who was the legal man. Reks executed a nice suplex for a two count, then hit a clothesline off the ropes. Yoshi cleared Burchill to the floor to clear them out of the picture. Reks then came off the top with a splash on Regal, but Regal rolled through and trapped Reks's leg for a pin and the win.

WINNERS: Regal & Burchill in 11:00. Fine tag match, but not memorable. Work a body part, get the hot tag, set up the finish, and who see who comes out on top. Burchill was actually on the winning side of things for the first time in forever, but he still couldn't get a pinfall. (*1/4)

3 -- Intercontinental champion REY MYSTERIO vs. MIKE KNOX -- non-title match

Match started with Knox aggressively beating Rey into the mat. Dolph sounded a little unsure of himself on commentary to start with. Maybe not the right environment for him compared to having a mic in his hand to cut a promo. We'll see as the match goes on. Rey eventually regained control with a seated sentaun splash that knocked Knox to the floor. Rey in control, Dolph on his feet staring down Rey, and let's grab a break.

Back from break, Knox was blasting Rey in the corner as Dolph watched intently from ringside. Rey suddenly snapped off a head scissors from the top rope that knocked Knox to the ring apron. Knox shoved Rey down, then blasted Rey with a clothesline from his knees to cut off Rey's momentum. Knox then landed a big bicycle kick that knocked Rey over the ropes to the floor. Rey teased being counted out, but he made it back in the ring at nine. Knox picked up his attack and slapped on a bear hug to wear down Rey. Grisham tried to involve Dolph in the proceedings by asking him where he got his swagger from. Dolph said it's just natural. Dolph selling focus on the match to scout his potential Summerslam opponent.

Rey made a comeback at 12:00 with the double-foot dropkick and a kick strike to the head, but Knox kicked out of a pin attempt. Knox then cut Rey off again with a power move as the fans chanted "6-1-9." Knox wanted a sidewalk slam, but Rey countered with a DDT for a two count. Rey then wanted to dial up the 619 and he connected. He tried to follow with the springboard splash for the win, but Dolph yanked Rey off the apron to cause a DQ. Post-match: Dolph tried to assault Rey, then feed him to Knox, but Rey escaped Dolph and Knox to head for safer ground on the floor. Grisham sold Smackdown tomorrow night for the #1 contender match to the IC Title, then the show ended with Rey safe on stage.

WINNER: Rey via DQ in 14:00. One of those TV singles matches that was just there. Everything was fine and followed the right script to continue the Rey vs. Dolph feud, but viewers just don't have information on Knox to emotionally invest in his character for nearly 15 minutes. He has a beard, his teeth look weird, and he beats up people. Well, that might pass for the "squash match" stage, but it doesn't mean much of anything over a period of time. (*1/2)

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 8-6-09

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

(1) DANIELS (w/SABIN & SHELLEY) vs. ERIC YOUNG (w/KIYOSHI & BASHIR)

Daniels watches the Guns as they amble down to the ring, which lets EY get the jump on him. Daniels turns things around with a Leg Lariat, and hits a charging forearm in the corner. Kiyoshi pulls Young out of the ring for a breather, but Daniels follows them out with a Suicide Dive style Double Clothesline. The Guns are conspicuously absent as Bashir ambushes Daniels and rolls him back to the ring. Young gets a two count as The Guns review video game manuals. See, that's just not believable—real players NEVER read the manuals. Anyway, a Back Drop by Young gets two. He chokes Daniels against the corner, but Daniels gets back up firing. EY puts him down with a Neck Breaker, and floats right into a Crossface. I like high-impact-into-submission combos. Young places Daniels with a Body Slam, but whiffs on a Moonsault attempt off the top rope. Daniels comes back with a series of strikes, culminating with a high knee into the corner. He places Young on the top rope and flips him back down to the mat for a long two count. A Sit Out Power Bomb gets two more. Daniels hits his Ura-Nage (it might have been an STO), and the crowd chants for the BME. Young rolls out of the way, but Daniels lands on his feet. Bashir goes to the apron to distract the ref while Kiyoshi rolls in to spray mist into the eyes of Daniels. Young finishes Daniels off with a Pile Driver. I get worried that they're again devaluing the move, but they do continue to stress on commentary the code against using it.

WINNER: Eric Young in six minutes. That match told about as sophisticated a story as you can get into a six-minute match. So far is so good tonight.

(2) STEINER & BOOKER T. & DOUG WILLIAMS & ROB TERRY vs. BEER MONEY INC. & TEAM 3D

Steiner starts things off with some right hands that take Brother Ray down in the corner. He lays in with some stomps and follows up with a pair of Eye Rakes. He hits a Body Slam, but comes off the ropes and into a Side Slam for two. A Splash gets two more. Devon and Doug Williams tag in. Williams hits a quick European Uppercut, but Devon ducks beneath a right hand and comes back with a Spinning Elbow. Devon pounds Williams for a few seconds before tagging in Storm. Williams quickly takes back control with a poke to the eyes, but Storm comes right back with some weird new bouncing Rock Bottom variation for a long two count. Williams reverses a whip into the corner, but Storm gets a leg up and bounces back with a Running Neck Breaker. He tags in Roode, and they nail the Beer Money Suplex. Rob Terry tags in while they play to the crowd. He Double Clotheslines both members of Beer Money and effortlessly floors Roode with a Body Slam. He goozles Roode for a Short Arm Clothesline. He looks for a Running Power Slam, but Rood slips out and starts kicking his legs. Terry tosses him into the corner, but Roode comes back with a Floating Throwback off the top rope. The heels come in to break up the ensuing cover, and everything breaks down. Ray ends up in the ring with Doug Williams. They hit the Wuzzup, but when Ray sends Devon for the tables all hell breaks loose. Eric Young comes down with Kiyoshi & Bashir, but they're ambushed on the way down by Daniels and The Motor City Machine Guns. Kevin Nash comes out to take out the Guns, but he's attacked from behind by Mick Foley. Kurt Angle comes out to attack Foley, and Sting and Samoa Joe meander down to the ring to get involved. Tenay: "This has turned into a riot". As Lashley and Joe fight into the back, Tracy Brooks at ringside knocks Roode off the top rope and into a Rob Terry Choke Slam for the three.

WINNERS: Steiner, Booker, Williams & Terry in seven minutes. I really like the booking move of having this typically-show-ending brawl at 9:45. It really adds to the feeling that anything can happen at any time.

(3) "THE FUTURE LEGEND" ALISSA FLASH & TRACI BROOKS vs. TAYLOR WILDE & SARITA

This week Alissa gets a full entrance. Wilde starts things off with an Arm Drag on Traci Brooks. Traci whips her into the corner, but she comes back with a semi-botched Leg Scissors. Alissa Flash and Sarita tag in. Sarita hits a Hurricanrana to start. Flash whips her into the corner, but Sarita flips over her and drags her down by the arm. Alissa rolls out, so Sarita tags in Wilde. That enables Wilde to help Sarita to run to the top rope, from which she hits a huge Cross Body Block to the outside. Alissa and Wilde go back to the ring, but Traci gets Wilde's ankle from the outside. Flash grabs Wilde by the back of the head and slams her into the mat. A spinning Body Slam gets two. Traci tags in and hits a couple of quick chops. She chokes Wilde in the corner and bounces off her back. A running forearm gets two. Traci pops Sarita, which distraction allows Alissa to come in for the illegal double team. She stomps the back of Taylor's head as she and Traci tag in and out. Traci and Wilde both go for Cross Body Blocks, and are both able to make tags. Sarita kicks down Traci, flips over her, gets grabbed by Flash, then rolls into some crazy Rings of Saturn/Crossface/everything else submission. Flash gets up and grabs Sarita, who slips out and gets a quick Small Package for the kill.

WINNERS: Sarita and Taylor Wilde in five minutes. Every Sarita match takes twice as long to recap as to watch, since every move happens lightning fast.

(4) MATT MORGAN vs. AJ STYLES

Why even bother to have a second match in a best of three series? Morgan tosses AJ across the ring to start. Oddly, 30-40% of the crowd seem to be behind Morgan. AJ dodges out of the ring and yanks Morgan's legs out from under him. AJ starts working the left leg, but Morgan kicks him off and floors him with a Decapitator Clothesline. He hits his back elbows in the corner, then a big running Splash. He lifts AJ up for a Side Slam, looks at his non-existent watch, then just tosses AJ onto the mat. AJ gets back up firing, but walks right into a Fall Away Slam. Morgan hits his leap-over-choke thing that desperately needs a name, then an Undertaker-like Leg Drop on the apron for two. Morgan looks for a Choke Slam. AJ fights out, but gets caught again. This time he flips out and hits a jump kick to Morgan's head. He goes to the top rope for a Tornado DDT attempt. Morgan tosses him off and tries to nail a clothesline, but AJ ducks underneath and nails the Pele for two. AJ goes to the top rope. He sees Morgan coming for him, jumps out the apron, and kicks Morgan's legs out from under him. He goes for the 450-Splash; Morgan rolls out of the way, but AJ rolls onto his feet. AJ looks for a Wheelbarrow Faceplant, but gets tossed onto the ropes. Morgan puts him away with a Hellevator as he bounces back.

WINNER: Matt Morgan in six minutes. This show continues to surprise me, as AJ and Morgan do what any participant in a multi-match series should do by building on their past moves and finishes.

(5) BRUTUS MAGNUS (w/ROB TERRY & DOUG WILLIAMS) vs. STING

Slick Johnson bans Rob Terry and Doug Williams from ringside. Sting beats the living daylights out of Magnus in the corner, hip tosses him, and hits a high dropkick. This is the fastest I've seen Sting in months—I guess he just really needed a couple weeks off. Magnus runs around, then tries to beg off. He offers a handshake, but Sting isn't having it. Magnus hits a knee lift, a quick uppercut, a reverse elbow, and is suddenly working over Sting's left leg against the canvas.

Magnus is still in control, but gets caught by an Ensuguri. Sting Stingers up and starts pounding on Magnus. Magnus blocks the attempted Stinger Splash, but when he tries to come off the top rope with a Double Sledge he's caught in a Scorpion Death Lock. That's all she wrote.

WINNER: Sting in seven minutes. I think the entire match took place during commercials.

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 8-7-09

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

1- C.M. PUNK vs. JEFF HARDY- WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Hardy attacked before the bell, and referee Scott Armstrong tried to restrain him. It didn’t work, so other referees and agents Dean Malenko and Mike Rotundo came out to separate the two. General Manager Teddy Long was out there as well. Once they were separated, Vince McMahon came out. Let’s get this out of the way....

WINNER: No Match.

1- JOHN MORRISON vs. TYSON KIDD

This is a re-match from last week’s episode of Superstars. The two men traded wrist-locks and Morrison worked Kidd’s arm into an arm-bar. Kidd was able to get away and into the ropes. Kidd yelping during his offense is really distracting. Dropsault by Morrison for two. Unique twisting legdrop for two as well. Kidd sent Morrison to the outside where Natalya attacked him from behind, then David Hart Smith did the same when the official was getting Natalya back away from Morrison. Kidd was in control back in the ring as they went to break.

Morrison tried to get out of a headlock, but Kidd kept it on and stayed aggressive. Lots of yelling from Kidd as well. Morrison elbowed out, but Kidd then applied a sleeper. Morrison fought back after flipping him off his back with a kick to the head and a clothesline. Standing moonsault for two. Kidd placed himself on Morrison’s shoulders, but Morrison put him down gently and rolled him up for two. Kidd put Morrison in a submission move, pinning his shoulders back with his arms. Blockbuster by Kidd that garnered him a two-count. Kidd dodged a knee to the head, but a hurricanrana attempt was turned into a powerbomb for two. Flying Chuck kick by Morrison and Starship Pain connected, “in the face!!!” as the cop from The Hangover would say- it looked brutal. But it also got the win for Morrison.

WINNER: Morrison, at 11:35. Another solid match between these two, especially the second half.

2- CHARLIE HAAS vs. SLAM MASTER J

At least Haas got an entrance this week. Slam Master J hails from the ATL, apparently Atlanta from what I gather. Haas went after J, who had corn-rows and wore jeans similar to R-Truth. Cryme Tyme and Eve were actually shown watching the match backstage. Belly-to-belly overhead suplex by Haas for two. This gave the announcers the opportunity to show just how uncool and white they were. Cobra Clutch back-breaker by Haas. Flying forearm by J as he started to come back. Atomic drop, then a clothesline on Haas. Crowd didn’t care much for this. Jesse went to the top, but Haas headbutted him. He tried a suplex, but J fought out of it. From the top, a flying splash got the win.

WINNER: Slam Master J, at 2:38. I think J is going to become the Santino of Smackdown, but not nearly on the comedy level Marella is/was.

3- R-TRUTH vs. FINLAY vs. MIKE KNOX vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER- FATAL FOUR-WAY TO DETERMINE #1 CONTENDER FOR INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Mysterio talked about fighting Knox and other giants such as Bam Bam Bigelow and Kevin Nash. All three men were down early with Knox standing tall...probably means he won’t win. They took a break at that point.

Finlay got his feet up on a Knox splash attempt in the corner back from break, but Ziggler dropkicked Finlay out of the ring and Truth low-bridged Knox. He then dove over the top onto Knox. It was left with Finlay and Ziggler, but Knox broke up a pin attempt by Finlay. Double DDT by Ziggler. The two heels did battle, but it was a draw, as they collided with each other. More pins broken up as Finlay double-crossed Truth. Truth with a twisting forearm for two on Knox, as Ziggler broke it up. Finlay used the Shillaleigh on Knox, but Ziggler hit Finlay with his finisher before Finlay could make the pin and Ziggler picked up the victory.

WINNER: Ziggler, at 7:45. Lots of action in this one.

4- CHRIS JERICHO vs. JTG

Jericho knocked down JTG and smiled, but JTG hit the ropes and then hit Jericho with a back elbow. Fameasser for two by JTG. As the ref admonished JTG, Jericho landed a cheap-shot right hand. He threw the Cryme Tyme member out of the ring, where Big Show kicked him in the gut behind the ref’s back. In the ring, Jericho worked the abdominal stretch. JTG countered, but Jericho got the knees up on a splash attempt. “Y2J” chants from some of the crowd. Another abdominal stretch. Shad attempted to get the crowd into it from the outside. JTG made his comeback and gave Jericho a facebuster out of the corner. He only got a two-count. Jericho went back on offense and taunted JTG and Shad. Take-down by JTG only got two after Jericho made a cardinal mistake and put his head down after whipping JTG into the ropes. Jericho tried to apply the Walls of Jericho, but JTG was catapulted. He landed feet-first on the second rope and legdropped Jericho while Y2J was on his feet. That got him a two as well. He then walked into a Codebreaker, but JTG was under the bottom rope. By the time Jericho realized this, JTG had enough time to recover, and he suckered Jericho into an inside cradle for the surprise win.

WINNER: JTG, at 6:32. I don’t think it’s any stretch to say this is the biggest singles win of JTG’s career. Standard Jericho TV match.

5- THE GREAT KHALI vs. RICKY ORTIZ

Clotheslines by Ortiz didn’t have much effect, but a chop to the head by Khali did. Punjabi Plunge, and it’s an easy night for Khali.

WINNER: Khali, at :31.

Kane came out after the match, but out of the crowd and from behind. His music hit, and Khali turned his attention to the ramp, which allowed Kane to strike. He knocked Khali over the top rope. Kane then went after Ranjin Singh, who tried to run away. Kane took him to the ground and cornered him. He grabbed Singh by the throat and took him over the barricade. He literally dragged him through the crowd to.....well, who knows where.

6- JEFF HARDY vs. C.M. PUNK- WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Jeff got in Matt’s face before the match. Speaking of, looks like Matt has some bad sunburn on his face or something. Atomic drop and a double legdrop by Hardy early in the match, a two count over a minute into the contest. Clothesline and over the top rope went Punk. Punk pulled Jeff off the apron by one leg. Both men were down outside the ring as they went to break just shy of 2:00 in.

It was Punk who was the aggressor out of break. Punk attacked the torso of Hardy with knees to the mid-section. Abdominal stretch followed that up. Hard whip into the buckle sent Hardy crumpling to the mat. Hardy came back with a Whisper in the Wind, but Jeff was too hurt to capitalize immediately. The men traded rights in the middle of the ring until Hardy one-uppped Punk with a mule kick, then a corner dropkick. Jeff went to the top, but Punk met him up there. Superplex off the top by the straight-edge star. Lateral press got a very near fall. Punk got Hardy up on his shoulders for the GTS, but it was no good. Eventually, Hardy sent Punk out of the ring near Matt Hardy, and Jeff hit a cross-body onto him. Jeff went up to Matt, and Punk went for a low dropkick, but it hit Matt instead of Jeff. Twist of Fate by Jeff back in the ring. Swanton, but Punk got his knees up. The ref began the count, but at two, Matt pulled him out of the ring. That didn’t make Punk happy, who argued with Matt about what he did. Then Jeff rolled up Punk and Matt counted to three.

WINNER: Jeff Hardy, at 11:08. Fine match, but you knew they weren’t going to pull out all the stops here. Interesting finish with Matt seemingly siding with Jeff.

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 8-10-09

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

1 -- GAIL KIM vs. BETH PHOENIX vs. ALICIA FOX vs. KELLY KELLY -- #1 contender's match to Divas Title

Lilian Garcia announced the winner will receive a future Divas Title match. Future was left undefined. All four divas went after each other in rapid-fire fashion to start. Seemed like the end of the six-pack challenge from the Night of Champions PPV. They built up tension between Beth and Alicia early in the match, which came into play at the end after Beth tried a double powerslam off the top that would have been sick. Action spilled to the floor where Kelly landed a plancha on Alicia and Gail. Beth then teased a splash to the floor, but Alicia cut her off. Back in the ring, Alicia took her eye off the ball and Gail rolled her up for a pin to earn a future title shot.

WINNER: Gail Kim at 4:05. High-energy, fast-paced action. Well done. (*)

2 -- JACK SWAGGER vs. EVAN BOURNE

Swagger went right after Bourne after the bell sounded. Bourne took him to the floor, though, and landed a splash. Back in the ring, though, Bourne ate Swagger's knee back-first. Swagger then worked over Bourne's back with a nice knee-to-the-spine stretch on the mat. Bourne then tried a spinning head scissors, but Swagger blocked in mid-air. Crowd oohed as Swagger was ready to smash Bourne, but Bourne countered with a roll-up for a two count. Bourne with a double knee smash beneath the chin, but Swagger tossed him into the turnbuckles. Swagger had enough and dropped Bourne on his back with the gutwrench powerbomb for the pin and the win. Swagger then stared into the hard camera with an evil look before playing to the crowd.

WINNER: Swagger at 2:50. Didn't do much for Bourne. Swagger looked good as a bruising wrestler, though. It's nice to watch a show in front of a Canadian crowd because they seem to be more into the match action and hang on every move. You get the feeling with most WWE crowds in the U.S. that they're waiting for something to cheer about instead of getting involved. Like being at a baseball game surrounded by kids and families who don't cheer until the giant "GET LOUD...ER!!!" graphic flashes on the screen. (*1/2)

3 -- EUGENE vs. CALGARY KID

Calgary Kid tried to distract Eugene with a shiny nickel on the ground to climb the pole, but Eugene cut him off. Eugene then teased the People's Elbow and connected on CK. Eugene started to climb the pole, but CK punched him in the gut. They battled on the pole reaching for the contract, then Calgary Kid flung Eugene to the mat. Kid then grabbed the contract to win the match and a WWE contract.

After the match, Calgary Kid helped Eugene to his feet, then he gave Eugene a facebuster out of the Russian legsweep position. Kid then removed the mask to reveal...The Miz. Well, that was creative. Miz played to the crowd as the announcers said Miz found a way back onto the show after losing his Raw job last week. Miz then took the mic and said he's the Miz and he's awesome. Miz was sporting flatter hair since he was sporting the mask. Different look with the Lance Storm trunks and kick pads.

WINNER: Calgary Kid / Miz at 1:17. Good way to get Miz back on the show, but they really didn't even try milking it, rendering last week's entire show a complete waste now. Very anti-climatic return. Announcers sold it like, "All right, Miz is back on the show. Cut to a commercial." (n/a)

4 -- WWE champion RANDY ORTON vs. Unified tag champion BIG SHOW -- non-title match

The match started with Big Show slowly walking toward Orton to intimidate him. This was a follow-up from last night's house show in Colorado Springs where Orton worked babyface against Show, who worked heel in the house show main event. Crowd was behind Orton, who absorbed punishment early on before landing the horizontal DDT across the middle rope. Orton wanted the RKO, but Show flung him away. Show teased the chokeslam, then grabbed Orton and delivered a chokeslam. Orton was KO'ed, but Orton managed to get a foot on the bottom rope to escape a pin. Show then blasted Orton with stomps and kicks out of frustration. Show readied the Big Right Hand, but Orton ducked and slithered out of the ring. Orton stood on the outside as the ref applied a ten count. Ref reached eight and Orton teased re-entering, but he opted to walk away. Show with the count-out victory. Show wasn't too pleased with Orton bailing.

WINNER: Big Show via count-out at 6:05. There was more emphasis on making Show seem like a monster (to build up for the Shaq deal down the line) than making Orton seem like a credible wrestler on any level, nevertheless the champion. Orton's credibility is just gone. It's just not there at all. Raw before the Royal Rumble seems like forever ago. (*)

5 -- CHRIS MASTERS vs. MVP

Masters showed off his strength early on by tossing MVP across the ring. MVP came back with a nice overhead throw off the ropes. He followed with the Big Ballin' elbow drop and wanted the Chono Boot, but Masters avoided. He tried the Masterlock, but only got one arm locked. Wait for it...he couldn't find the right combination, then MVP countered right into the Playmaker for the pin and the win.

WINNER: MVP at 2:33. I might soon regret this next sentence... Swagger and Master could make a good tag team. Although I'd rather see Swagger receive a credible singles push, Swagger and Masters could be a good tag team where Swagger can be featured on Smackdown (to actually have time to wrestle) and build up his credibility as a legit star. Masters would benefit from working with Swagger, who can provide the personality while Masters provides the muscle. (*)

6 -- MARK SWOGGLE HENRY & HORNSWOGGLE vs. LEGACY (TED DIBIASE, JR. & CODY RHODES)

Cole and Lawler said DX might be returning at Summerslam to face Legacy. Trivia note: Cody Rhodes is actually the same height as Henry, if not with an inch advantage. Henry flung Cody out of the ring, then gave DiBiase a World's Strongest Slam in the corner. Horny then went up top and wanted the Tadpole splash, but DiBiase moved. Henry was stunned, then Cody kicked him off the apron. DiBiase stalked Horny, then grappled him from behind for the Dream Street in center ring for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Cody & Ted at 2:38. Match was there. Cody and Ted look real tough beating Hornswoggle to set up their Summerslam match. *End sarcasm*

7 -- JOHN CENA vs. Unified tag champion CHRIS JERICHO

Jericho and Cena exchanged control early on. Crowd wasn't buying the previous segment with Jericho obviously being scripted to cut an anti-Canada promo and continued to cheer Jericho. Lawler reasoned that the crowd still didn't want to cheer Cena because he's American. Actually, it's because they don't think highly of his wrestling ability.

Jericho controlled the match going into the over-run. He landed an elbow to the back before making a cover for a two count. Cena then went into "vintage Cena" mode of the flying shoulder tackle and Five Knuckle Shuffle combo. Cena smirked at the mixed crowd reaction. He started the "You Can't See Me" hand motion, but Jericho grabbed at him. Spot was blown, so Cena did the gesture again and Jericho tried a small package, but only got a two count. Cena then rolled through a cross-body block and wanted to power into the FU, but Jericho escaped and slapped on the Walls of Jericho. Jericho sat down on it to big cheers. Cena escaped, then countered into the STFU. Randy Orton then snuck into the ring and the bell sounded for the match to be thrown out. Crowd went from being red hot to dead silent as Cena and Orton just kind of stared at each other.

WINNER: No Decision at 6:46. Jericho is the best performer in this company right now. Morrison, Punk, and Hardy are close, but Jericho had the audience eating out of his hand for seven great minutes. Cena worked well too. Match finish was unclear, but that was expected when WWE booked this match. (**1/2)

[Arcademan]

ECW on SyFy Results: 8-11-09

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

1 -- ZACK RYDER vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN

Very aggressive start to the match. Ryder played the heel by cowering in the corner, then sneaking in an attack when Shelton argued with the ref. Shelton fired off a hard chop to the chest, then a fist to the face before back dropping Ryder to the mat. Shelton followed with a German suplex with a bridge for a two count. Ryder slipped to the floor to recover, then he tripped Shelton from the outside. He followed with a leaping leg lariat for a two count. Ryder wanted the Zack Attack, but Shelton blocked and monkey flipped Ryder into the corner. Ryder tried to counter the counter with a back kick strike, but Shelton caught him in mid-air and gave Ryder a powerbomb into the corner turnbuckles. He followed with the Pay Dirt finisher for the pin and the win. Crowd legit hot for Shelton here.

WINNER: Shelton in 3:00. Probably the fastest three minutes of ECW TV this year. Match needed more time so Ryder looked credible, but crowd was red-hot and helped legitimize Shelton as a babyface despite him never actually turning babyface. Weird dynamic, but very good match for three minutes. (*1/2)

2 -- KOZLOV vs. KEVIN BROOKS

Kevin ran around the ring, then took a hip toss and a hard clothesline. Kozlov threw Brooks into the corner. Small, but vocal group chanted, "You can't wrestle." I don't think he understood. Kozlov with a helicopter spin out of a backbreaker position, then he lifted up Brooks and gave him the Iron Curtain drop. Kozlov with the win.

WINNER: Kozlov in 1:00. It continues... (n/a)

3 -- PAUL BURCHILL (w/Katie Lea) vs. YOSHI TATSU

Burchill pounded on Yoshi early on, then started working on the mid-section. He landed two knees to the gut, but Yoshi quickly fired back with right hands. Yoshi with kick strikes, then a front roll into another kick strike. Yoshi ran off the ropes for a diving knee, then landed an elbow drop. Katie smacked Yoshi from the outside as he ran the ropes and the ref called for the bell. DQ finish came out of nowhere.

Post-match: Burchill, frustrated, started attacking Yoshi. Suddenly, The Hurricane's music hit. Burchill looked to the ring entrance, but there was no sign of him. Hurricane then appeared on the top rope and splashed Burchill before landing a Thesz Press. Hurricane with a flurry of right hands before giving Burchill the Stand Back pose. Burchill bailed, then Hurricane helped Yoshi to his feet. Yoshi shook hands and bowed, then posed with Hurricane center ring to end the segment.

WINNER: Yoshi via DQ in 2:00. Match was quick and short leading to Hurricane's nice in-ring return that the crowd really bought into. Well done. Seems to be leading to a Hurricane-Burchill feud since Burchill doesn't have a consistent program on ECW. (n/a)

4 -- TYLER REKS vs. TOM JAMES

TJ busted out a big forearm smash early on, but T-Reks fired back with a leaping lariat. Reks then nailed a big springboard missile dropkick for the easy pin and the win.

WINNER: Reks in 1:30. Finish looked sweet. Crowd wasn't into Reks as much as they were Yoshi, though. Yoshi just has a natural babyface vibe to him. Reks doesn't quite have that. A little character development could help. (n/a)

5 -- WILLIAM REGAL vs. TOMMY DREAMER

Bell sounded and Striker referenced Dreamer taking a screw into the left arm from Christian's crutch shot last week. Match moved to the floor early on and Dreamer smashed Regal into the announce table. Dreamer then took his eye off the ball trying to suplex Regal from the apron to the floor and Regal sent Dreamer head-first into the ringpost. Dreamer fell to the apron, then Regal kicked Dreamer's left arm as it was next to the ringpost. Dreamer sold it like a gun shot, then Regal tried to capitalize with in-ring offense. Dreamer made a comeback at 3:00, but Regal cut him off with a knee to the face and went back to working on the bandaged and injured arm. Matthews said Dreamer was limping around all day and he questioned whether Dreamer should have wrestled, but he knows Dreamer is an ECW warrior. Dreamer showed grit with a flying right arm from the second rope before firing off body punches and a flurry of offense. Dreamer landed the D-Lo Brown sky high move, but Regal kicked out at two. Dreamer then hung Regal upside down in the corner and landed the E-C-W basement dropkick. Dreamer followed with a scoop slam, but Regal had a foot on the bottom rope to break up a pin. Regal snuck to the apron, then slingshot Dreamer's injured arm across the top rope. Regal immediately followed with a running knee to the head for the pin and the win.

Afterward, Regal wasn't done. He wanted to inflict more punishment, so he slapped on the old-school Regal Stretch in center ring. Dreamer sold tremendous pain, then Christian stormed the ring and chased Regal away. Regal bailed to the outside and begged off with a sly grin as Christian scolded him. Regal did a slight throat slash gesture, then Christian checked on Dreamer to close the show.

WINNER: Regal in 5:00. Regal and Dreamer had very good chemistry in the ring. Nice, crisp five-minute match where Dreamer still came out looking good wrestling a solid match one week after the brutal Extreme Rules match. Regal look very inspired with his position as #1 contender with a potential PPV match down the line (we assume). No announcement on whether Christian vs. Regal will take place at Summerslam, but they have the match ready if needed. (**)

[Arcademan]

WWE Superstars Results: 8-13-09

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

1 -- JOHN MORRISON vs. D.H. SMITH (w/Natalya)

Ross talked about the young stars in WWE and said this is a future WrestleMania main event. Smith started in control by working over Morrison, who suddenly landed a double-leg take down on the big man. That was a surprise. Smith backed off in the corner to recover, then they had a mid-ring exchange of forearms leading to Morrison nailing a series of arm drags into a hammerlock. Morrison so crisp. Camera shots have been very tight in the ring for this match. Seems like they're bringing the viewer a little closer to the action. Morrison then knocked Smith to the outside and teased a dive, but Natalya stood in the way. Morrison standing tall on the top rope staring down at Smith going to break.

Back from break, they had a great counter exchange leading to Smith nailing a giant lariat for a two count. Smith then slapped on a reverse chinlock. Need Tyson Kidd ringside to scream "Ask him, ref!!!" Ross changed his "tougher than a $2 steak" saying to "tougher than a Waffle House steak" to describe Smith. Morrison escaped and went up top, but Smith blocked and nailed a big superplex. Great execution. Smith and Morrison had a forearm exchange with the crowd hot for Smith, then Morrison hit a nice overhead Pele kick into a standing moonsault for a two count. Smith then teased the British Bulldog running powerslam, but Morrison blocked. Morrison and Smith had a backslide test of strength before Smith caught J-Mo off the ropes with a powerslam. Smith then mounted Morrison for right hand blows and missed with a leg drop.

Morrison tried the Flying Chuck, but Smith ducked and rolled up Smith for a two count. Morrison followed with another Pele kick, then he put Smith in the corner. Fans booed Morrison as he wanted the Starship Pain, but Smith blocked. He tried an overhead German Suplex, but Morrison landed on his feet and hit the Flying Chuck springboard kick strike. Morrison then went for the Starship Pain a second time and this time connected with the corkscrew moonsault press for the pin and the win. Post-match: Morrison nodded in Smith's direction as Smith left the ringside area in defeat. Nice babyface move since the crowd was behind Smith and wanted to see him win.

WINNER: Morrison in 12:00. That was a great match. Morrison is just absolutely on top of his game right now. There's a reason why Morrison was the Best Wrestler in the month of July, as voted by Torch readers. Concerning Smith, this was best singles match I've seen from him in his WWE career. Smith has grown by leaps and bounds in just a few months. (***)

2 -- GOLDUST vs. SHEAMUS

After a brief exchange, Sheamus bailed to the outside and walked over the guardrail. That's a Civil War-level retreat to escape the babyface. Sheamus checked his jaw as Goldust told him to get in the ring as they cut to break.

Back from break, Sheamus had Goldust in a neck vice on the mat working over Goldust. Sheamus then sent Goldust chest-first into the buckle and hit a Polish Hammer coming out of the corner. Tell you what, I saw Ivan Putski at Booker T's Fanfest during WrestleMania weekend and the man is still in unbelievable physical shape at 68 years old.

Back to the match, Sheamus became frustrated unable to put away Goldust. Sheamus went back to work with some nice offense while controlling the match. Very nice showing from Sheamus tonight. Crowd rallied behind Goldust, who came back with uppercuts and an atomic drop followed by a running boot to the head. He got greedy and wanted a splash, but Sheamus got his knees up to block. Crowd chanted for Goldust as Sheamus went back to work on Goldust, knocking the paint off his face. Goldust then flew the ropes and landed a big clothesline followed by a series of uppercut blows into a big clothesline. Goldust rallied up the crowd before hitting a trademark drop-down uppercut. Goldust then caught Sheamus off the ropes with a powerslam for a close two count. Goldust to the second rope where he hit a cross-body splash, but Sheamus rolled through into a very close two count. Hot match with a hot crowd. Sheamus and Goldust then brought the crowd down with a double boot on each other leading to a double knock down. Sheamus was first up and he went to pick up Goldust, but Goldust suddenly snuck in a small package on Sheamus for the pin and the win. Post-match, Sheamus shouted at the ref and sold disbelief that he was pinned. Goldust slipped to the outside and shot Sheamus an "I out-smarted you" look afterward.

WINNER: Goldust in 12:00. Another good singles match on this show. Goldust looks inspired, in good shape, and motivated to prove he deserves a prominent spot in WWE and not just doing jobs to younger wrestlers on the way up. I'd like to see another extended match-up between these two as Sheamus develops more and more as a credible heel. Well done. (**1/2)

3 -- U.S. champion KOFI KINGSTON & Divas champion MICKIE JAMES vs. CARLITO & ROSA MENDES

Kofi and Carlito locked up to start things off. Carlito became angry and started stomping away on Kofi in the corner. Carlito then settled into a reverse chinlock on the mat to wear down Kofi. They ran the ropes against each other resulting in Kofi nailing a leg whip. He then wanted the Boom Boom leg drop, but Carlito rolled to his corner and tagged in Rosa. Per the rules, Mickie became legal and worked over Rosa. The men re-entered at 5:00 and Kofi fired off on Carlito before running around the ring and landing the Boom Boom leg drop. Kofi with a pin for a two count. Kofi went up top, but Rosa interfered, allowing Carlito to crotch Kofi. Carlito wanted a superplex, but Kofi shoved him to the mat and came off the top with a sweet leaping cross body for a two count. Mickie then took Rosa out of the equation. Meanwhile, Kofi wanted his cat-like leap onto Carlito in the corner, but Carlito ducked and followed right up with an awesome backstabber as Kofi was hanging on the corner turnbuckle. Carlito with the cover for the win giving Carlito a credible victory over the U.S. champion. Post-match: Mickie helped Kofi recover as the victors celebrated on the outside. End show with Carlito and Rosa standing tall.

WINNERS: Carlito & Rosa in 6:00. Carlito looked good in this match. Good action to conclude the show. Perhaps they'll book Kofi vs. Carlito for the U.S. Title at Summerslam...or they might leave both men completely off the card. We'll find out on Raw this Monday. (*1/2)

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 8-13-09

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

(1) Christy Hemme pinned Sojo Bolt in 3:00. West said the Knockout division just got hotter with the return of Christy. At 2:00 Hemme backdropped Bolt and the launch was awkward and Bolt seemed at risk of landing badly on her head. She seemed okay, but the announcers sold the possibility of her being disoriented from the bump. Hemme finished Bolt with her top rope with the FFG legdrop off the top rope.

(2) Hernandez pinned Doug Williams (w/Brutus Magnus, Rob Terry) in Hernandez was on offense at the start, but a Magnus distraction at ringside helped Williams take control. Williams missed a top rope senton. Hernandez caught Williams diving off the top rope and turned it into a sitout powerbomb for the win. (*)

(3) Eric Young & Sheik Abdul Bashir beat Rhino & Jesse Neal when Young pinned Neal in 5:00. Rhino opened against Young. Then Neal tagged in and went to a rudimentary sequence of a noodle-forearm and a side headlock. When he had a chance at tagging Rhino, he instead charged at Bashir on the ring apron. Young then schoolboyed Neal from behind. Rhino gave him the "you're a dumbass" look.

(4) ODB (w/Cody Deaner) vs. Velvet Sky (w/Angelina Love, Madison Rayne) vs. Tara vs. Awesome Kong (w/Raiesha Saeed) in 10:00. At 1:00 Kong took a spill over the top rope when her targets avoided her as she charged. Tara and ODB shared some shots out of ODB's flask. Then they climbed to the top rope and dove, with ODB landing on Kong and Tara landing on the Beautiful People. They cut to a break. Is Jethro still beating up Abyss with a chair, by the way? At 9:00, after Kong dropped ODB center-ring, Cody distracted her on the ring apron. Cody surprised her with a kiss. Tenay freaked out. Kong then yanked Cody into the ring by his mullet and gave hi an Awesome Bomb. Tara surprised Kong from behind with a roll-up. (*1/2)

(5) Scott Steiner (w/Booker T, Sharmell) vs. Brother Ray (w/Devon). Ray fended off Steiner's early flurry and hit a Bubba Bomb for a two count at 2:00. He followed with a splash. As Sharmell distracted the ref, Booker interfered. Devon charged into the ring and knocked Booker to the floor. Ray bodyslammed Steiner and then split his legs for Devon's diving headbutt. Ray put on Steiner's Egyptian headdress. British Invasion ran out to ringside. Steiner and Booker attacked Devon and Ray from behind and then slammed Ray through a table leading to Steiner scoring a three count. The third finish in a row where a wrestler distracted by someone outside the ring led to the opponent jumping them from behind for an immediate pin. (*)

(6) Matt Morgan pinned A.J. Styles in 7:00 to earn a spot in the main event at Hard Justice. Styles dove onto Morgan at ringside before the match. They brawled at ringside. West said the ref is giving them extra latitude. When they entered the ring, the ref rang the bell to officially start it. Morgan made a comeback with a kneelift. Sting and Kurt Angle stood at ringside and watched the match. At 2:00 Morgan threw Styles to the floor. West said if Morgan wins this match, he's all but assured of getting a spot in the MEM. He said Angle told him so. Styles made a comeback and hit a springboard dropkick off the top rope for a near fall. Morgan fought back with a sideslam at 6:00 for a two count. Morgan climbed to the top rope, but Styles knocked him off balance and then set up a superplex. Morgan headbutted out of it. Styles, though, surprised Morgan with a Pele kick and scored a believable near fall at 7:00. Morgan came back with a vicious Carbon Footprint for the clean three count. Styles got a very nice TV match out of Morgan. The bump on the final kick was great. (**3/4)

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 8-14-09

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

1- FINLAY vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER

Grisham said Rey Mysterio was not in the building, as he was out on a promotional tour. Elbow right to the chin of Ziggler from Finlay. Hard European uppercut as well. Ziggler slammed Finlay’s coconut into the turnbuckle, and Finlay rolled out of the ring. He caught Ziggler in the ring skirt and pounded away with forearms. Ziggler headbutted Finlay in the gut as both men stood on the apron, then Ziggler kicked the seated Finlay right in the head. Mike Knox began to slowly walk to the ring as Ziggler put Finlay back in the ring. He continued the offense as the show went to break.

Ziggler still had Finlay on the mat out of break. JR once again went on and on about Ziggler’s background at Kent State. Ziggler took the fight to Finlay in the corner, but all of a sudden, Finlay speared Ziggler and landed some right hands. A neckbreaker by Ziggler ended that short burst from the Irishman. Finlay got a boot up as Ziggler came off the second rope. Forward Samoan roll by Finlay for two. Cannonball from Finlay found the mark. Finlay, from the apron, pulled Ziggler over the top rope and to the outside, right in front of Knox. Finlay clotheslined him off the apron. Knox made a run at Finlay, but Finlay nailed him from the apron and hit Ziggler, who was in the ring, as well. Then Knox landed a shillaleigh shot on Finlay as the ref was occupied with Ziggler, allowing Ziggler to hit his finisher for the win.

WINNER: Ziggler, at 10:50. The Irishmen in WWE are 0-2 this week. Finlay showed a little more fire here than we’re used to.

Knox beat up on Finlay even more after the match, including sidewalk slamming him on the steel steps. Knox got the mic and told Finlay there are 206 bones in the human body. He said even the simplest trauma to the vertebrate can leave someone in excruciating pain. Uh....OK.

2- JOHN MORRISON vs. C.M. PUNK

The two did some chain wrestling early on. Morrison tripped Punk up when the former champ went off the ropes. Springboard moonsault for two by Morrison. Flying Chuck kick early in the match got him another two. Punk tried to roll out of the ring and finally did, but not after Morrison tried to stop him. Morrison came out to the apron, where Punk kicked his legs out from under him. Then he kicked Morrison right in the throat or chest area. Morrison hung face-down over the apron and Punk came off the top with a knee to the back of his head. Nicely done, and a nice cliffhanger as they went to commercial.

Punk had Morrison in a headscissors, then they showed the replay of the move that sent the show into break. Morrison fired back with a crossbody off the second rope for two. He was put back down with a clothesline. Punk had Morrison on the mat with a rear chinlock. Morrison flipped out of a suplex and landed a Russian leg sweep. The two exchanged kicks, and Morrison got the better of it. Standing shooting-star press by Morrison (called a standing moonsault by the announcers) got two. He went to the top with a high crossbody for two. Punk retained control and proclaimed it “nap time!” He got Morrison up, but Punk rammed his head into the buckle instead. Running knee in the corner, then a bulldog out of it by Punk. A sloppy tilt-a-whirl DDT by Morrison, but it ended up looking OK. He got a near-fall out of it. Starship Pain attempt, but Morrison landed on his feet when Punk moved. Oklahoma roll got two, then Morrison struck Punk with the knee. He went for Pain again, but Punk got right up and pushed him onto the top rope, crotch-first. Punk kneed Morrison in the gut in the corner several times as Morrison hung in the tree of woe. Punk picked him up from that position for the GTS, and that did it. Punk elbowed Morrison in the face during the pin, in a nice touch.

WINNER: Punk, at 13:37. Another solid match between these two. They have real good chemistry in the ring and despite wrestling three times, it doesn’t feel stale at all.

3- MELINA vs. LAYLA

The match started right after the break. Layla slapped Melina, then tried to run, but Melina corralled her on the outside. Layla clotheslined her anyway. Layla turned an arm-drag into a cover of sorts in a rather unique move. Melina was hung on the top rope with her leg, and Layla reached down and pulled her hair the other way. Layla stretched Melina out even more, as she put Melina’s foot on her shoulder and really worked her over. Layla choked Melina on the bottom rope. The crowd chanted something I couldn’t make out. “Let’s go....” somebody. Melina came back with a pair of clothelslines. Kick to the gut by Melina, then a sunset flip, but Layla flipped out and got her with a low dropkick. Flapjack for two by Melina. Melina caught Layla in her finisher (the split-legged legdrop one) and picked up the win.

WINNER: Melina, at 3:35. A bit more competitive than I expected. Layla didn’t do too badly here, but I wouldn’t say it was a “good” match either.

4- JTG vs. THE BIG SHOW

Chris Jericho joined the commentary team, so I’ll at least be entertained during this Big Show match. Show worked the left arm of JTG, really trying to knot up the shoulder. Jericho explained that the last place team got a win over the first place team last week in JTG beating him. Jericho also said he had a sore throat last week. Show had JTG face-down on the mat while stretching the shoulder. The crowd was more interested in chanting at Jericho than paying attention to the match. Show whipped JTG into the corner, but he missed a splash. JTG ran right into Show’s hand and Big Show sent him over the top rope in front of the commentary table. Jericho got up as if he was going to get involved, but Shad shooed him away. Once Show got JTG and put him back in the ring, Jericho pushed Shad head-first into the ringpost. JTG started to come back with right hands, but Show threw him down again and locked him in his submission hold. JTG didn’t last long in it. “See you at Summerslam Cryme Tyme” Jericho said as the match ended and he left the broadcast table.

WINNER: Show, at 3:27.

Shad came back after the match and sent Show over the top rope as the big man was walking over it to exit the ring. He was really fired up.

5- JEFF HARDY vs. THE HART DYNASTY- HANDICAP MATCH

Hardy was bent down near the ropes, in obvious pain, as he waited for the Hart Dynasty to come to the ring. Hardy started off quickly, but his corner dropkick took too much out of him and Kidd tagged in Smith. Neckbreaker by D.H. for two. Double-team by the Hart Dynasty and they got a two-count. The duo worked over the neck of Hardy. Rear chinlock by Smith on Hardy. Hardy went to the top, perhaps for Whisper in the Wind, but Smith tripped him up and crotched him. Grisham said he was only going at half speed due to the injury, allowing Hart to catch him off guard. Rocket Launcher by Smith did not find the mark, as Hardy rolled away from Kidd’s splash. Kidd made the tag though, but Hardy fought back against Smith. Smith missed a charge and Jeff hit a face-first suplex. Hardy took off his shirt and wanted to go to the top, taking Kidd out while he was on the apron. That pause allowed Smith to bring him back in, where he gave the champ the big boot. They set up for the Hart Attack, but Kidd added a springboard with it, and Kidd pinned Hardy.

WINNERS: Hart Dynasty, at 5:03. Sure, it was two-on-one, but it was a good win nevertheless for the youngsters.

C.M. Punk came out and beat up Jeff Hardy some more, until John Morrison came out and fought him off. The Harts got involved with Morrison, but Punk came back with a chair to the back of Morrison. Punk locked Hardy’s neck in with the chair once again, but Matt Hardy came out and attacked Punk before he could send Jeff into the ring post. Morrison fought off the Harts while Matt pounded away on Punk. Eventually, Matt cleared the ring and stood tall. Matt looked at Jeff, who was sitting down in the corner. Matt wanted to help him up, which gave Jeff pause. Matt lifted Jeff to his feet and the two had what appeared to be calm words, and they played Jeff’s music.

[Arcademan]

TNA Hard Justice PPV Results: 8-16-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's ongoing report).
 
1 -- X DIVISION STEEL ASYLUM MATCH -- #1 contender match
WINNER: Daniels in 15:00. For the most part, it was just a bunch of guys doing spots. There wasn't much psychology involved, just crash-and-burn action. Daniels tried to sell hunger and desire post-match, but the context of the match was guys more concerned about doing spots than winning a match. There were some mini-stories of Daniels and Dinero feuding, which changed into Dinero and Suicide feuding at the end. Dinero has a couple of feuds ready made. Crowd was hot for the opener, but they're always hot for the opening X Division spotfest. Didn't advance the X Division beyond the standard show-opening spot they've been slotted forever. (**)
 
2 -- ABYSS vs. JETHRO HOLLIDAY -- Bounty match
WINNER: Abyss in 10:00. Standard fare Abyss match. Crowd had good energy and Richards was absolutely awesome with his facial expressions and over-selling the sequences in the match. Abyss still doing the same thing he does every PPV, but Richards enhanced this month's offering. (*)
 
3 -- HERNANDEZ vs. ROB TERRY
WINNER: Hernandez in 0:05. Right finish. Terry would have had no business hanging with Hernandez if they want to turn Hernandez into a big star. (n/a)
 
4 -- IWGP tag team champions BRITISH INVASION (DOUG WILLIAMS & BRUTUS MAGNUS) vs. BEER MONEY (ROBERT ROODE & JAMES STORM) -- IWGP Tag Title match
WINNERS: British Invasion in 10:00 to retain the IWGP tag titles. Standard tag match. Eric Young was the highlight with the suit and sharp commentary. Not a memorable match in the ring other than Doug Williams flying and bumping around the ring to get the crowd hot for the babyface team before their scheduled loss. (*1/2)
 
5 -- Knockouts champion ANGELINA LOVE & ANGELINA LOVE (w/Madison Rayne) vs. ODB & CODY DEANER -- Knockouts Title match
WINNER: ODB to capture the Knockouts Title.
 
6 -- X Division champion HOMICIDE vs. SAMOA JOE (w/Taz) -- X Division Title match
WINNER: Joe in 10:00 to capture the X Division Title. Vintage Samoa Joe tonight. Fine X Division match, but not a stand-out performance. Joe looks a step slower in the big baggy pants compared to his athletically-enhancing classic look. Title switch came across anti-climatic. (**)
 
7 -- TNA tag champs SCOTT STEINER & BOOKER T (w/Sharmell) vs. TEAM 3D (BROTHER RAY & BROTHER DEVON) -- TNA Tag Title match
WINNERS: Mafia in 14:00 to retain the TNA Tag Titles. Your standard, monthly brawl-through-the-crowd TNA PPV tag match to take as many shortcuts as possible to involve the crowd in the match leading to your standard TNA non-finish where Team 3D saves face if they're booked to lose. Looks like the program will continue on the next set of TV shows. (*1/2)
 
8 -- TNA Legends champion MICK FOLEY vs. KEVIN NASH -- Legends Title match
WINNER: Nash in 12:00 to capture the Legends Title. Brutal, brutal match. I'd like to see Nash justify this hardcore match after the Newsday interview. The match itself was very well done in terms of the story told. They effectively played up the fine line between reality and fiction to tell a good story with Foley selling a serious eye injury. It enhanced the story to deliver a match above expectations. (**1/2)
 
9 -- TNA World Hvt. champion KURT ANGLE vs. STING vs. MATT MORGAN -- TNA World Title match
WINNER: Angle in 12:00 to retain the TNA World Title. They sure did a nice job of teasing a storyline write-off based on the neck injury in the middle of the match to possibly get Angle off TV following the arrest, but it turned into another case of TNA rewarding bad behavior by having Angle win the match and stand tall at the conclusion of this company's pay event one day after being arrested. Morgan really shined in the match, while Sting appears to be on his last legs in the ring. Exciting finish based on all of the real and storyline elements in play, but TNA sent the wrong message tonight. Why should we expect anything different than par for the course from this company? (**1/2)

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 8-17-09

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

1 -- U.S. champion KOFI KINGSTON vs. CARLITO (w/Rosa Mendes) -- U.S. Title match

Bell sounded and the wrestlers aggressively locked up to start things off. Kofi then started jumping around before Carlito caught him from behind with a sledgehammer to the back. Carlito dumped Kofi to the ring as they cut to break.

Carlito still in control coming back from break. Carlito had a side headlock, then Kofi slipped out and Carlito blasted him with an aggressive kick strike to the head for a two count. Nice touch from the announcers drawing a lot of attention to the move as Carlito became frustrated with his inability to put away Kofi. Kofi then made a comeback at 7:00 and hit the Boom Boom leg drop for a two count. He followed with a top rope cross body block for another close call. Carlito looked a bit winded as Kofi came off the top with another splash, but Carlito rolled through into a close nearfall. Kofi and Carlito then teased finishers, but Kofi blocked the backstabber and spun Carlito into the Buzzsaw kick for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Kofi at 9:20 to retain the U.S. Title. Great Raw TV match. Where did that come from - Raw actually giving two mid-card wrestlers time to tell a complete story in the ring? Carlito didn't seem conditioned to go ten minutes - and why should he? - but the match was still a nice showcase that involved the crowd, especially the nearfalls at the end. (**1/2)

2 -- THE MIZ vs. EVAN BOURNE

Miz was in control early on pounding Bourne into the corner and landing knee smashes. Miz then hit the running clothesline in the corner before hopping up top. Miz wanted a double axehandle, but Bourne met him in mid-air with a roundhouse kick. Bourne then came over the top with a double knee smash to knock Miz down. Miz slipped back into the ring and Bourne blasted him with an enziguiri kick. Bourne followed with a sweet running head scissors into a standing moonsault for a two count. Miz then tried to roll up Bourne with a surprise pin, but Bourne escaped and kneed Miz in the jaw. Bourne then went up top for the SSP, but Miz crotched him. Bourne then tried to hop on Miz's shoulders, but Miz dropped him to the mat and hit Jeff Jarrett's Stroke, which Lawler said he calls the Skullcrushing Finale. Miz with the pin for the win over the hometown Bourne. Miz's "remarkable comeback" continues.

WINNER: The Miz at 4:11. Solid four-minute match, although I'm not sure what they're doing with Bourne now that he's lost three straight matches on TV. Miz looked good playing the heel with his new look. (*1/2)

3 -- Divas champion MICKIE JAMES vs. GAIL KIM -- Divas Title match

After a brief exchange, they suddenly were locked together on the mat and rolled around the ring like bowling balls. Gail went for a trademark top rope move, but Mickie moved. Mickie then hit an ugly DDT and followed with the Chick Kick that airballed Kim. Mickie then hit a forearm shot and scored the pin for the win. Afterward, Mickie took a deep breath as if to say she felt bad picking up the win. She then shook Gail's hand. They raised each other's arms in the hair to close the segment.

WINNER: Mickie James at 3:40 to retain the Divas Title. Started out promising as if they had something to prove tonight, but the match ended poorly. This was their default Summerslam PPV match and it appeared they tried a little too hard. (*)

4 -- JACK SWAGGER vs. MVP

Match quickly moved to the floor where MVP ate the announce table. Back in the ring, Swagger rushed through a beat down on MVP. Ref had enough of Swagger blasting MVP in the corner with strikes and called for the bell, DQ'ing Swagger. Post-match: MVP tried to attack Swagger, but Swagger ran away. Feud continues.

WINNER: MVP via DQ at 0:45. What in the world was that? (n/a)

5 -- CHAVO GUERRERO vs. HORNSWOGGLE -- Falls Count Anywhere

Bell sounded and Hornswoggle went under the ring. They went to a wide shot of the crowd as the wrestlers disappeared. Suddenly, Chavo emerged on the other side of the ring along with a toilet seat. Horny then ran away to the back and Chavo chased him down. Chavo approached Primo, who told him where Horny went. Chavo didn't believe him. Chavo then went on a search looking for Horny. No sign of him anywhere. He walked down a hallway with a St. Louis Blues hockey logo. "Let's Go Blues" chant. Chavo then walked into a paint can hanging from the ceiling and collapsed to the ground. Horny popped out and pinned Chavo on the ground for the win. Post-match: Chavo recovered and Mark Henry was there smiling in his red HD-ready suit. Chavo asked if he did that. Henry said no. Macaulay Culkin suddenly walked into the shot and said "what's up?" Ah, the old Home Alone scenes where the villains took paint can shots to the forehead, staple gun shots to the crotch, and all that.

WINNER: Hornswoggle at 2:20. And the roadrunner outsmarts the coyote again. This will never end. (n/a)

6 -- Unified tag champions CHRIS JERICHO & BIG SHOW vs. WWE champion RANDY ORTON & JOHN CENA -- non-title match

Match was joined in progress. Other lumberjacks were Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston. Cena was being worked over Show, then Cena wanted a tag to Orton, but Orton backed away and let Cena stay in the ring to continue taking punishment from Show. Cena then hit a drop toe hold sending Show into the corner. Orton had his back to the action, so Cena ran over to their corner and slapped Orton on the back to bring him into the ring. Orton wasn't happy, then Show speared him mid-ring. Orton rolled to the outside, then the babyface jacks taunted Orton. Henry could have done some damage, but he opted to press slam Orton back into the ring. Well, he did follow the rules.

Show dropped Orton with the sweeping leg drop, then Jericho tagged in and went to work on Orton. Cena just watched casually as Jericho went to work on Orton. Lawler referenced Show & Jericho vs. Cryme Tyme on Sunday at the PPV. Yeah, good to plug one of the top matches on the card two hours and two minutes into the show. Orton teased a hot tag as Cena pretended like he was begging for that hot tag. Show cut off Orton, though, and landed a running leg drop for a two count. Jericho then lost control and Orton hit a powerslam. Orton then teased a hot tag, Cena teased interest in taking the tag, but Jericho cut off the tag. For the third time, Orton crawled across the desert to Cena, who took the tag legit without pulling away or any funny business. Cena then did his routine on Jericho, knocked Show off the apron, and hit the FU on Jericho right in middle ring. Cena with the pin and the win.

Post-match: Orton snuck up behind a celebrating John Cena and dropped him center ring with the RKO. Henry then ran into the ring, but Orton bailed and left the ring with the final word on Cena. Jericho and Show then went after Cena while babyface lumberjacks were cleared out of the ring. Have to get in one last blow at the mid-card before the PPV. Cena then flung Jericho away and gave Show a shoulder tackle to clear him out of the ring. Cena back to standing tall center ring as Orton did a big eyes and big gulp look from the stage. Cena shook his head as Orton held up the WWE Title belt. Cena seemingly with the advantage and on fire going into Summerslam. Will he win the belt?

WINNERS: Cena & Orton at 8:30. Match was fine, although Jericho in a background role was a travesty of justice. The intrigue of Cena and Orton teaming together before Summerslam was played up fine, but there just hasn't been that "Summerslam vibe" to this feud at all. About a 5.5/10 in terms of building up the PPV title match considering how much they handcuffed themselves with the Raw Guest Host overshadowing their title match for the past four weeks. (*3/4)

[Arcademan]

ROH TV Results: 8-17-09

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

1 - EDDIE EDWARDS (w/Shane Hagadorn) vs. KEVIN STEEN

The two began brawling as soon as Steen hit the ring. Hogwood called it a continuation of what happened last week. Edwards took the advantage when Hagadorn distracted Steen. Edwards punished Steen on the outside and tried for a count-out win, but Steen just beat the twenty-count back into the ring. Steen made a comeback at 6:00. After some back-and-forth high spots, Hagadorn slid a chair into the ring and got on the apron to distract the referee. Steen beat Edwards to the chair and hit Edwards with an unprotected chair shot to the head while the referee was still distracted, then hit a Swanton bomb from the top rope for the pin. Prazak put over the devastation of the chair shot while Edwards sold it in the ring after the match.

WINNER: Steen in 10:00. Solid match, but the unprotected chair shot at the end was unnecessary and spoiled it for me. There was no good reason for Edwards to risk a concussion like that in an opening TV match. It would have been just as effective, and safer, if Edwards had put up his hands to protect himself or if Steen had delivered the chair shot to Edwards's back instead.

2- CHEECH & CLOUDY vs. TONY KOZINA & SAL RINAURO

Kozina and Rinauro did a couple of comedy spots, then Cheech and Cloudy got in a couple of double team spots. At 2:30, the Dark City Fight Club hit the ring and knocked Cheech and Cloudy out of the ring. Rinauro ran off but Kozina stayed to fight. The Dark City Fight Club gave him their finisher and Prazak said he was looking forward to their return in a sanctioned match.

WINNER: No contest in 2:30 due to interference by the Dark City Fight Club.

3- SAMI CALLIHAN vs. THE NECRO BUTCHER

Necro came out with his ankle wrapped in electrical tape. Prazak noted that this was due to Jimmy Rave recently catching Necro with the heel hook submission. Necro took an early advantage but Callihan turned the tables at 3:00 by going after Necro's bad ankle. At five minutes, Necro made a comeback and went to the corner to get his staple gun. Prazak noted that stapling your opponent is illegal in wrestling. Hogwood pointed out that the fans really wanted to see it, to which Prazak replied "So what?" The referee stopped Necro from using the staple gun, but Necro finished off Callihan with a tiger driver for the win.

WINNER: Necro Butcher in 6:00. Good enhancement match for Necro. Callihan sold well, and the ankle injury created a sense that Necro was in some jeopardy while reinforcing Necro's issue with Jimmy Rave and the Embassy.

4 - TYLER BLACK vs. NIGEL MCGUINNESS
 
The announcers pointed out that this match has huge implications for future title shots. After an early feeling out process, the pace picked up at 3:00 but McGuinness bailed out of the ring to slow things back down. Black chased McGuinness down outside the ring and took the advantage. He rolled McGuinness into the ring and started working on his leg. At 6:00, McGuinness turned the tables with a hammerlock divorce court and then started working over Black's arm. Prazak noted that working over the arm was setting the stage for McGuinness's London dungeon arm submission. McGuinness's mat wrestling while working over Black's arm was strong and innovative, and Black's selling was great. The crowd really got behind Black, urging him to make a comeback.

At 10:00, McGuinness set up Black for the Tower of London, but Black avoided it and dropkicked McGuinness out of the ring. Black followed this up with a 360 flip over the top rope to strike McGuinness on the floor, then a nice moonsault off the ringside barrier onto the prone McGuinness. Annoyingly, Hogwood called the moonsault a backflip. Back in the ring, McGuinness regained the advantage at 14:00 when Black missed another moonsault. McGuinness went back to working over Black's arm and locked in the London dungeon at 15:00, but Black got his foot to the ropes to force a break. McGuinness then hit the Tower of London on Black and tried for another London dungeon, but Black avoided it with a kick to McGuinness' head. Black then countered a jawbreaker lariat attempt by McGuinness into a small package driver for the win. The announcers pointed out that Black had now beaten both Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness, making him the leading contender for Austin Aries's World Championship.

WINNER: Tyler Black at 17:00. Excellent TV main event. McGuinness is a great heel and his matholds look like they hurt a lot. Black did a great job building up sympathy in the middle of the match, then showed his usual great athleticism during his big comeback. The finishing sequence, while good, was not as drawn out and dramatic as a typical ROH DVD main event, so overall this was not quite to the level of a DVD main event but still very good for free TV.