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

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 9-5-08

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

1. R-Truth beat Bam Neely (w/Chavo Guerrero) in 2:15. Killings hollered, "What's Up?" early in the match and got a loud "What's Up?" response from the crowd. Neely mocked him moments later and the live crowd booed. Killings finished off Neely with the scissors kick for the win.

Powell's POV: Either this match wasn't included in the match listing sent by our correspondent or I simply missed it when I put together the preview for today's show, so this was a nice surprise.

2. Shelton Benjamin pinned MVP in a non-title match in 3:45. Before the match, a brief Shelton promo aired on the big screen. In the end, Shelton hit Paydirt out of nowhere and scored the clean pin...

Powell's POV: Nothing memorable about this match, not that they were given much time. They're really going above and beyond to get Shelton over.

3. Maryse pinned Maria in 2:55. Back and forth action during the opening minute, but Maryse is getting the title shot on Sunday so she dominated down the stretch and finished off Maria with a DDT. Afterward, Michelle McCool walked out and stood face-to-face with Maryse on the stage...

Powell's POV: The match wasn't pretty, but Maryse didn't seem so phony with her mannerisms this week. She came across like the unlikable ***** they want her to. Big improvement from the going through the motions looks she flashed last week.

4. The Brian Kendrick (w/Ezekiel Jackson) defeated Jeff Hardy in 4:55. Ross spent some time trying to establish Zeke as the X factor that could help Kendrick win the title on Sunday. Kendrick got some offense in and bumped all over for Hardy. At one point, Hardy hit him with a reverse powerbomb-like move. Hardy was in control of the match when the action spilled to ringside and Zeke grabbed Hardy from behind and slammed him into the guardrail. Moments later, Kendrick hit The Kendrick for the win...

Powell's POV: Very nice job of building up Kendrick heading into Sunday's pay-per-view.

5. Super Crazy pinned Ryan Braddock in 1:20. Back and forth action until Crazy hit a quick moonsault and scored the pin.

Powell's POV: I'm always happy to see Crazy win a match because he's been underutilized in WWE for too long. However, I think Braddock has a good look and could be a player in WWE in the future, so I'm surprised they're treating him like a glorified jobber.

6. Brie Bella beat Victoria in 2:45. Same gimmick as last week. Victoria was in control of the match when Brie crawled under the ring. When she out from underneath the ring, she came back "invigorated" and rolled up Victoria for the win...

7. Triple H pinned Great Khali (w/Runjin Singh) in a lumberjack match in 9:55. Hardy, MVP, Shelton, Kendrick, and Ezekiel served as the lumberjacks. Hunter was tossed to ringside about a minute into the match. The heels at ringside laid the boots to him while Hardy stood and watched. [C] Khali continued to dominate with help from the heels at ringside. He hit a Khali Bomb for a nearfall.

Later, the heels were putting the boots to Hunter at ringside again when Hardy flipped over the top rope onto them. Hunter made a brief comeback, but was eventually locked in the Khali Vice. The announcers noted that everyone who has taken the move had fallen victim to it in the past. Hunter broke free. Moments later, he hit the Pedigree and scored the clean pin.

After the match, Hardy entered the ring and applauded Hunter, who patted him on the shoulder and thanked him. As Hunter was walking away, Hardy spun him around, kicked him in the gut, and hit the Twist of Fate. Hardy stood over Hunter to close the show...

Powell's POV: Good finish that established Hunter and Hardy won't be working as a bayface team against all the heels on Sunday.

[Arcademan]

WWE Unforgiven PPV Results: 9-7-08

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's real-time report). To avoid pop-ups and view in-ring reports, go to Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8207 and posts thereafter or TOKYOPOP: Arcademan Blog (direct link to WWE Unforgiven PPV Results: 9-7-08)

1 -- ECW TITLE SCRAMBLE MATCH -- 20-minute time limit
Matt Hardy and The Miz start the Scramble.
Chavo Guerrero enters at 5:00:
Chavo pins Hardy
Hardy pins Miz
Mark Henry enters at 10:00:
Henry pins Chavo
Finlay enters at 15:00:
Finlay pins Hardy
Hardy pins Miz
WINNER: Hardy in 20:00 to capture the ECW Title. Well, it had its moments, but it came across like a pretty cheap way for Hardy to capture the belt. At least it will set up the Henry vs. Hardy return match where Atlas can't interfere or else he'll cost Henry the title. (*1/2)

2 -- World tag team champions CODY RHODES & TED DIBIASE, JR. vs. CRYME TYME (SHAD GASPAR & J.T.G.) -- World Tag Title match
WINNERS: Rhodes & DiBiase in 12:00. Slow-paced match that was heavy on Rhodes and DiBiase working on JTG, as expected. Just fine, but not memorable other than the post-match debut. (*1/2)

3 -- CHRIS JERICHO vs. SHAWN MICHAELS -- Unsanctioned match
WINNER: Michaels via ref stoppage in 28:00. What a story. Just right in line with TV, as the story didn't follow a traditional pro wrestling storyline, but it was at a higher level in terms of psychology and intensity. Tough to rate this one based on traditional wrestling standards, but the story was so advanced that it will be remembered at the end of the year. (****1/2)

4 -- WWE TITLE SCRAMBLE MATCH -- 20-minute time limit
Jeff Hardy and U.S. champion Shelton Benjamin start the scramble.
The Brian Kendrick enters at 5:00:
Hardy pins Kendrick
Kendrick pins Hardy
MVP enters at 10:00, Triple H enters at 15:00:
Triple H pins Kendrick
Hardy pins MVP
Triple H pins Hardy
Hardy pins Kendrick
Triple H pins MVP
WINNER: Hunter in 20:00 to retain the WWE Title. Very nice concept match. Kendrick has a star-making performance despite the near-comedic double Pedigrees from Hunter, while the focus on Hardy created a nice moment for Hardy to continue his journey toward the WWE Title. Really nicely done with a good dose of athleticism, fresh faces, and close action. (***1/2)

5 -- Divas champion MICHELLE MCCOOL vs. MARYSE -- Smackdown divas match
WINNER: Michelle in 6:00 to retain the Divas Title. Crowd was a little tough on the divas, who put together a nice match. Wasn't great or memorable, but they held their own in the ring. (*1/4)

6 -- RAW CHAMPIONSHIP SCRAMBLE MATCH -- 20-minute time limit
JBL and Batista start the scramble.
Kane enters at 4:00:
Kane pins JBL.
Rey Mysterio enteres at 8:00, followed by Chris Jericho at 12:00...yes, you read right!
Batista pins Kane
Jericho pins Kane
WINNER: Jericho in 18:00 to become World Hvt. champion. Well, that sets up some amazing TV between Jericho and Michaels, who thought he got the best of Jericho tonight. Sucks for Punk, who wasn't even a factor in the conclusion of his first World Title reign, but the Orton vs. Punk feud could be a strong part of TV going forward this fall. Match wasn't that good with a lot of sluggish moments, but Jericho's surprise win made up for it. (**)

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 9-8-08

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report). Except for the opening report, condensed to in-ring results only.

Start of show:
The show started with Lillian Garcia in center ring. She introduced the...new World Heavyweight champion Chris Jericho to a chorus of boos. Jericho then slowly made his way to the ring all-smiles with the World Title slung over his suit-clad shoulder. Announcers went silent during the intro, then Jericho's music stopped and Jericho began to gloat about his good fortune. Jericho recapped Unforgiven for people confused by what happened.

He said he faced the wrath of a self-righteous hypocrite last night, then he took off his jacket and dress shirt to show what this "good person" did to him last night. Jericho raised up his arm to show the welts and bruises on his side and back from Michaels last night. He asked what kind of a man would do this to another human being - a hypocrite. Jericho said Michaels whipped him like a dog and all the people savored it last night. He said when all the bravado goes away, Michaels didn't win anything. Jericho said that match was an Unsanctioned match, which means it never really occurred. He said Michaels won nothing; meanwhile, he won the World Title.

Jericho paused for dramatic gloating effect with the title belt held close to his face, then he said good things happen to good people and he is a good person. Jericho said he is a righteous, honest man who does exactly what he says he's going to do. Jericho said he was trying to recover backstage after the Unsanctioned match, then Mike Adamle asked him to replace Punk, and he won the World Title.

Jericho said everyone is now forced to recognize how great he really is. He said he's better than Shawn Michaels and he's also the new World champ. Jericho smiled it up, then Adamle appeared on stage to congratulate Jericho. He said C.M. Punk suffered a concussion last night and he wasn't medically cleared to compete. Adamle told Jericho that he answered the call, but the fact remains that Punk lost his title without having a chance to defend it. He said Punk isn't here tonight, but next week, Punk will be given a chance to regain the title with Punk vs. Jericho for the World Title. He added that the match will take place inside a 15-foot-high steel cage.

Jericho said that doesn't bother him any because he beat Punk in his hometown before and he'll beat him next week. He said he's ready to leave this place and he'll see Punk next week. Adamle told Jericho not to fast because he needs a main event tonight. Adamle booked Jericho in a match tonight against... Batista. Jericho's wounds and bruises suddenly hurt a little bit more, as Jericho paced the ring with a pained scowl on his face.


1 -- Women's champion BETH PHOENIX vs. MICKIE JAMES -- Women's Title match

Beth quickly showed off her power in the opening minutes, dragging Mickie in and out of the ring to inflict punishment. Mickie then blocked a corner move and snapped off a head scissors. Candice was shown chuckling to herself sitting in the director's chair ringside. Beth then blocked a top rope move and flung Mickie hard to the mat with a power move for the pin and the win. Rather decisive victory. Beth then stared down Candice, who stood up and giggled at Beth.

WINNER: Beth in 4:00. Rather surprising squash of Mickie, who will obviously be playing to second fiddle to Candice from now on. (1/2*)

2 -- WILLIAM REGAL vs. JAMIE NOBLE

Regal quickly went after Noble with aggressive forearms in the corner, with Lawler deciding to call Layla's facial reactions to Noble taking a beating. Noble suddenly came back with an enziguiri and cannonball splash in the corner, which Regal blocked with a knee to the back of the head. Regal then smashed Noble with a running knee to the head for the pin and the win.

Afterward, Regal took the mic and said happy endings only happen in fairy tales. Well, elsewhere, too, but we won't get into that. Regal then slipped to the outside and stared down Layla, who didn't react to Regal's presence. Regal then extended his arm and Layla slowly accepted his offer. Regal led Layla around the ring while Layla looked confused by the situation. She looked back into the ring once or twice, but ultimately left with Regal. She went for one last peek back into the ring before disappearing with Regal.

WINNER: Regal in 3:00. Short squash and intriguing post-match to continue the program. Wait and see on this one. There's just been a noticeable void of strong babyfaces without Punk or Cena on this week's show. (1/2*)

3 -- JBL vs. CHL

The bell sounded and JBL simply walked out of the ring with his head hung low. Ref started his ten count while JBL just left. Haas was then declared the winner via countout. He celebrated with a giant celebration.

WINNER: CHL via countout. Well, hopefully this leads to something new for JBL. I'm suspecting the "give me respect" storyline, but a change of pace for JBL would be refreshing. (n/a)

4 -- THE MIZ & JOHN MORRISON vs. REY MYSTERIO & EVAN BOURNE

It will be very interesting to see how this quarter-hour rates with some amazing high-flying action on display as opposed to the usual established-stars-type match for this quarter hour. Rey and Bourne busted out some sick moves, then Rey flipped Bourne over the top rope into a huracanrana on Miz on the floor. Back in the ring, Bourne wanted a top rope move on Miz, but Morrison knocked Bourne off the top behind the ref's back to set up the heels on the offensive. Rey then took a hot tag at 5:00 and went to work on Morrison with rapid-fire kicks. He set him up for the 619, but Miz tripped Rey from the floor. Back in the ring, Morrison kicked Rey in the face, but Bourne broke up a pin.

The action broke down at 6:00, then Morrison accidentally smashed Miz with a roundhouse kick. Rey took advantage by dialing up the 619 on Morrison to a huge reaction. Bourne wanted the tag, then Rey granted him his wish and Bourne went up top. Crowd rose to their feet as Bourne set up and nailed the Shooting Star Press for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Rey & Bourne in 7:00. Nice, nice match with plenty of high-energy to pick up the pace on the show and deliver a good dose of young superstar babyface hope after an hour of babyfaces doing absolutely nothing. Well done. (**1/4)

Post-match: The arena went dark, then Kane's music hit and he appeared on the video screen. Kane said he will explain the storyline next week when he tells Rey why he chose him as a victim. Kane provided a very special hint by flashing his old red and black mask toward the camera. Kane laughed maniacally, while Rey tried to play it cool in the ring.

5 -- World tag team champions CODY RHODES & TED DIBIASE, JR. & MANU vs. CRYME TYME (SHAD & J.T.G.) & KOFI KINGSTON

Manu impressive early on working over Kofi in the heel corner. Shad took a hot tag, then the action broke down in the ring. Bodies went flying, then Manu finished off Shad with a lift-up neckbreaker for the pin and the win. Well, I thought Manu would be brought in to be the designated jobber for the team, but that certainly wasn't the case here.

WINNERS: Team 2G in 4:00. Manu looked quite impressive in his national TV debut. Quite the stable forming to bolster the undercard.

6 -- IC champion SANTINO MARELLA (w/Beth Phoenix) vs. SNITSKY -- non-title match

Snitsky missed with a big boot in the corner, then Santino kinda pushed Snitsky down on the mat and rolled him up for the quick pin. Afterward, Beth and Santino shared a moment of kissing ringside. Snitsky seemed to be turned on by this, rather than angered by the loss.

WINNER: Santino in 1:00. Well, we're apparently in line for some Snitsky loving for Beth and Santino. Joy. (n/a)

7a -- World Hvt. champion CHRIS JERICHO (w/Lance Cade) vs. BATISTA -- non-title match

Batista just beat the crap out of Jericho to start things off, then Jericho slumped to the floor to recover. Mike Adamle walked out on stage and admitted to under-estimating the health of Jericho tonight. He said he needs a main event-quality match with star power, so he's making this a handicap match. And Jericho's partner is Lance Cade...hahahaha...no, it's JBL. Adamle stepped aside, then JBL walked out on stage and locked eyes with Batista on the way to the ring.

7b -- World Hvt. champion CHRIS JERICHO (w/Lance Cade) & JBL vs. BATISTA

Jericho played the big pesk here, allowing JBL to use Jericho's distraction to nail Batista in the head with a boot. JBL and Jericho then started double-teaming Batista in their corner with Jericho suddenly showing improved health after playing dead in part A of the match.

Batista made a comeback and wanted to finish off Jericho, but Cade hopped on the apron to distract Batista. JBL then surprised Batista with a Clothesline from Hell and Jericho snuck over to make the cover on Batista for the pin and the win. Jericho collapsed to the announce table in front of an irate Cole.

WINNERS: Jericho & JBL in 10:00. Good win for the heels to set up Batista getting the final say in the post-match. (*)

After the bell, JBL and Cade took turns working over Batista in the ring. Cade got to see home action while JBL shouted at Batista that he's not so tough right now. Suddenly, Batista came flying off the ropes with a double shoulder tackle before delivering double spinebusters. Batista called for the end, then he gripped Cade and gave him a Batistabomb in center ring. Batista came up worn out while Jericho was shown standing on top of the ramp posing with the World Title. Jericho had this utterly classic evil grin on his face while cuddling up with the title belt. Cole gave the final pitch for the steel cage title match next week.

[Arcademan]

Vegas was very good to me...at the sum of $1000!!!

I'm back and playing catch-up so I'll post the match winners of each show. Complete reports as always at PWTorch.com and condensed in-ring results at the Neo-Geo Forum - direct links to ECW, TNA Impact! and Smackdown (click each name for direct links to each show's report).

ECW on Sci-Fi Results: 9-9-08
1 -- EVAN BOURNE vs. JOHN MORRISON (w/The Miz)
WINNER: Morrison in 14:00. Nice match. Wasn't particularly flashy, but Morrison played a good heel while Bourne got the crowd involved as the sympathetic babyface character. Good formula match to give Morrison a credible victory and set up Bourne for revenge. (**1/2)

2 -- JACK SWAGGER vs. JOSH DANIELS
WINNER: Swagger in 2:00. Interesting. Swagger has a good look to him with size and height, but a WWE crowd in 2008 probably isn't looking to cheer him.

3 -- ECW champion MATT HARDY & FINLAY (w/Hornswoggle) vs. MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas) & MIKE KNOX (w/unshaven beard)
WINNERS: Hardy & Finlay in 11:00. Basic, formula match to close the show. Pretty much went as expected, and we'll probably see Henry with the upper hand on next week's show to keep it even-steven to set up a probable one-on-one title match at the next PPV. (*1/2)

TNA Impact! Results: 9-11-08
1 -- ABYSS vs. CHRISTIAN CAGE
WINNER: No Contest in 4:00. As expected, a non-finish to a match between two semi-main event wrestlers. Fine set up for the tag match to follow... (*)

2 -- AWESOME KONG (w/Raisha Saeed) vs. ROXXI -- Bimbo Brawl
WINNER: Kong in 7:00 with TV. Roxxi had good offense to keep Kong honest, but that cut on the forehead was a bit much. (*)

3 -- SAMOA JOE'S KEVIN NASH GAUNTLET CHALLENGE
WINNER: Joe in 7:00. That certainly felt the culmination of a long journey of screaming promos, annoying Joe, frustrated Nash, and distraction-filled matches. It definitely seemed like Nash walking off into the sunset after trying to bring Joe to his level of mental superiority. Nice segment focused on the ***-kicking Joe we want to see. (*)

4 -- BOOKER T (w/Sharmell) & KURT ANGLE vs. MATH MORGAN & ABYSS
WINNERS: Angle & Booker in 10:00. Basic pre-PPV main event with interference to lead into the PPV. Silver lining, as it seems every month, is that the babyface(s) have a reason to seek comeuppance. (*1/4)

WWE Smackdown Results: 9-12-08
1 -- NATALYA & MARYSE & VICTORIA vs. MARIA & MICHELLE MCCOOL & BRI BELLA
WINNERS: Mara & Bri & McCool in 5:00.
STAR RATING: 1/2*

2 -- R-TRUTH vs. CHAVO GUERRERO (w/Bam Neely)
WINNER: R-Truth in 4:00.
STAR RATING: 1/2*

3 -- KENNY DYKSTRA vs. FESTUS (w/Jesse)
WINNER: No decision.

4 -- FUNAKI & SCOTTY GOLDMAN vs. VLADIMIR KOZLOV
WINNER: Kozlov in 1:00.

5 -- CURT HAWKINS & ZACH RYDER vs. CARLITO & PRIMO COLON - Non-Title Match
WINNERS: Colon Brothers in 7:00.
STAR RATING: *1/2 -- Traditional tag match, but solid action.

6 -- MVP vs. BRIAN KENDRICK (w/Ezekiel) vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. JEFF HARDY
WINNER: Hardy in 16:00 to earn a title shot at No Mercy.
STAR RATING: **1/2 -- Slow at the start, but a good dose of chaos and near falls with a satisfying and cool looking finish helps give it a thumbs up.

[Arcademan]

TNA No Surrender PPV Results: 9-14-08

Real-time results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Keller's ongoing report). To avoid pop-ups and view in-ring results, go to Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8231 and posts thereafter or a complete in-ring report of the PPV can be viewed at TOKYOPOP: Arcademan Blog (direct link to latest entry)

1 -- SUPER ERIC & SHARK BOY & CURRY MAN vs. JIMMY RAVE & LANCE ROCK & CHRISTY HEMME
WINNERS: Shark & Curry & Eric in 9:00.
STAR RATING: *3/4 -- Better than it had any right to be. Well booked and executed. Curry's act of being a ladies man fit his role in the match.

2 -- AWESOME KONG (w/Ryesha Saeed) vs. ODB
WINNER: Kong in 10:00.
STAR RATING: *3/4 -- I can't go higher because I was seriously worried for their well-being at various times and it got sloppy and unrealistic - or too realistic. They made it seem too real to the point of it being uncomfortable to watch, but they put in a real strong effort overall to have a memorable match. There are just some moves they probably shouldn't be doing given their weight-to-strength ratio mixed with sweat and fatigue leading to serious danger for both.

3 -- MATT MORGAN & ABYSS vs. TEAM 3D
WINNERS: Abyss & Morgan in 11:00.
STAR RATING: *1/2 -- Sloppy and clunky a lot of the time, but good enough at other times to be mostly okay.

4 -- PETEY WILLIAMS (w/Rhaka Khan) vs. CONSEQUENCES CREED vs. SHEIK ABDUL BASHIR -- X Division Championship match
WINNER: Bashir in 9:00 to capture the X Division Championship.
STAR RATING: **1/2 -- Good action. The fact that Bashir's music is the sound of airplanes crashing into a building and exploding is among the most scummy promoting tactics in history. Just beyond words how absolutely disgusting it is. It's the type of thing that should put a risk in their deals with Spike TV and InDemand, it's that bad. Coming three days after the anniversary makes it worse, but it really isn't acceptable on any day.

5 -- TAYLOR WILDE vs. ANGELINA LOVE (w/Velvet Sky, Kute Kip) -- TNA Knockouts Title match
WINNER: Taylor Wilde in 6:00 to retain the TNA Knockouts Title.
STAR RATING: *1/2 -- Short, but good action. It's another one of those finishes that TNA does too often because it consciously or subconsciously conditions fans not to believe a match can end until there's some sort of interference or ref bump or whatever.

6 -- "BLACK MACHISMO" JAY LETHAL vs. SONJAY DUTT -- Battle to Wed So Cal Val - Ring on a Pole Match
WINNER: Dutt in 15:00.
STAR RATING: **** -- Really good ladder match. They managed to really innovate and not rely on the standard ladder spots we've seen so often before. The problem with the finish is that it made no sense that Val would save Lethal seconds before turning on him. It's one of those things that's done for drama that doesn't seem the least bit realistic.

7 -- BEER MONEY INC. vs. LAX (Hernandez & Homicide) -- TNA Tag Team Title match
WINNERS: Beer Money in 8:00 to retain the TNA Tag Team Titles.
STAR RATING: *1/4 -- Basic match. Nothing wrong with it, but despite the highpoints late, it felt like a match to cool down the crowd after the ladder match. Another finish that conditions viewers to never consider a pinfall attempt a serious potential finish until there's some sort of interference - such as powder from Jackie this time.

8 -- FRANK TRIGG vs. A.J. STYLES -- Three Round Submission (MMA-style) match
WINNER: No contest. The brief image of the naked women will be talked about for years as one of the funniest blunders on pro wrestling PPV, and not so funny for parents watching with their kids. Cable companies across the country might be bombarded with irate parents tomorrow.

9 -- SAMOA JOE vs. CHRISTIAN CAGE vs. KURT ANGLE -- TNA World Hvt. Title match
WINNER: Joe in 16:00.
STAR RATING: ***1/4 -- Good match. The booking made sense within TNA's style, but it's yet another example of a match ending only after obvious outside interference.

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 9-15-08

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Keller's complete report). To avoid pop-ups and view condensed in-ring results including JBL/Orton/Batista confrontation and the Jericho/Michaels ending, go to Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8242.

1 -- CHRIS JERICHO vs. C.M. PUNK -- World Hvt. Title match
WINNER: Jericho in 15:00 to retain the World Hvt. Title.
STAR RATING: ***1/2 -- Very good match. Five or ten minutes away from four-stars plus. It felt like a main event worthy performance from both. The finish further cements Jericho as the new "luckiest champion in the world."

2 -- CANDICE MICHELLE vs. JILLIAN HALL
WINNER Candice in 4:00.
STAR RATING: 3/4*

3 -- JBL vs. TOMMY DREAMER
WINNER: JBL in 2:00.

4 -- TED DIBIASE & CODY RHODES & MANU vs. KOFI KINGSTON & JERRY LAWLER & "GOOD OL' J.H."
WINNERS: Rhodes & DiBiase & Manu in 3:00.

5 -- PAUL BURCHILL (w/Katie Lea) vs. JAMIE NOBLE
WINNER: Noble in 1:00.

6 -- KANE vs. REY MYSTERIO
WINNER: Mysterio in 9:00.
STAR RATING: **1/4

[Final Word: Best wishes to usual Raw Report cohort James Caldwell, who is based out of Houston, Tex. and is without power and water this week and recovering from the destruction of Hurricane Ike last week. He and his family are all fine, but everyone is in trying to comprehend the massive and widespread damage to the town and work to get things back to normal.]

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 9-16-08

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

1. Matt Hardy defeated Mike Knox in a non-title match in 12:38. During Hardy's entrance, footage was shown of how he became the ECW Champion at Unforgiven. That was followed by the announcement that Hardy will defend the ECW Championship at No Mercy vs. Mark Henry. Knox has a gross laceration on his face that Hardy gave to him. It looked like he had herpes on his cheek.

After some back and forth action, Knox gained the advantage. Striker called the ECW title belt "Seventeen pounds of pure platinum." Knox was impressive on offense as Hardy continued to attempt coming back. In a very cool spot, Hardy tried the Twist of Fate but could not turn Knox over. So, he hit a DDT for a two count. Knox broke the count by putting his foot on the rope. Both men hit simultaneous closelines on the floor...

Knox had Hardy grounded with a reverse chinlock coming back from commercial. Hardy broke loose by Knox hit a surprising dropkick. Nicely done. Knox scored multiple nearfalls after hitting a succession of various suplexes. Hardy knocked Knox from the ropes and tried a moonsault, hitting his face on Knox's back as he rolled away. Knox scored another two count.

Hardy hit the Side Effect for a two count before hitting a second rope tornado DDT. He followed that up with the Twist of Fate for the clean victory...

Twill's Two Cents: Very good match. Knox is impressive with his power offense and even his uncharacteristic moves. Hardy sold like a champ (no pun intended) and also looked great when he had the advantage. This was a nice example of making a champion and his opponent look strong.

2. Evan Bourne (with Ricky Ortiz) defeated The Miz (with John Morrison) in 5:27. Miz and Bourne exchanged hard left hands early. Miz kicked Bourne to the floor. Morrison and Ortiz approached Bourne. Morrison told Ortiz to give Carlito his hair back. Funny. Miz turned Bourne inside out with a lariat and continued to work on the back and ribs area.

Bourne hit a standing kick to Miz's face. He followed that up with a standing moonsault for a nearfall. He went to the top rope but Miz threw him to the mat. Miz hit a springboard dropkick for a nearfall. Morrison grabbed Bourne's leg and was ambushed by Ortiz. Miz was distracted and Bourne scored the pinfall with that unique rollup that he does...

Twill's Two Cents: That was a short but very good match. Bourne vs. Miz or Morrison would be a great match every single week.

3. Jack Swagger defeated Chase Stevens in 1:46. Swagger still looks like a smaller Brock Lesnar who smiles a lot. Swagger hit a nice gutwrench suplex that Striker loved. Swagger hit his finisher (side suplex into a powerbomb) for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: Swagger looked great. Striker sounds hilarious saying his name. Ricky Ortiz should watch Swagger to figure out how to be interesting.

4. Mark Henry (with Tony Atlas) defeated Finlay (with Hornswoggle) in 14:07. Henry looked pissed. Finlay became serious when the bell rang. Grisham said Henry can hammer nails with his hands and straighten horseshows. Striker said Finlay's name meant "the fair haired warrior."

Henry was very cerebral and plodding in between each impressive, powerful move. With Finlay on the apron, Atlas took a shot at him too. Finlay remained down on the floor as the show went into its final commercial of the night...

Henry had a nerve hold applied across the clavicle of Finlay coming back from commercial. Henry scored a couple of nearfalls and continued to punish Finlay with powerful slams and boots.

Striker remembered The Undertaker pinning Hulk Hogan at Judgment Day for the Undisputed Championship in 2002 in Nashville. Nice. Finlay put Henry's head in the ring apron and pounded on him. Atlas came around and pushed Hornswoggle. Finlay went after Atlas. Henry grabbed Horny and Finlay snuck up and hit him in the arm with the shillegleh.

Finlay applied a Fujiwara armbar but Henry broke out of it. Finlay scored a two count after hitting a DDT while Henry was on his knees. With both men struggling, Henry hit the World's Strongest Slam out of nowhere for the win. Henry sold his arm after the match...

Twill's Two Cents: That was an old school Henry match but I liked it. Henry has never been Mr. Workrate and he does not have to be. Finlay sold for him here and although Finlay was not on offense for long, he still looked fine in defeat as Henry looks strong for his title shot.

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 9-18-08

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

1 -- A.J. STYLES & CHRISTIAN CAGE vs. THE MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNNS (Alex Shelly & Chris Sabin)

Styles and Sabin were just a pleasure to watch at the start of the match. Christian hot-tagging Styles at 3:00. Styles took Sabin down with a spin wheel kick. Styles went for his armbar submission. West said Styles learned that from Trigg, although it was Styles who used it against Trigg in their match. Christian evened the odds with a frog splash on Sabin, then a fallaway slam on Shelly. Christian dove onto Shelly at ringside as Styles finished Sabin with a Styles Clash.

WINNERS: Styles & Christian in 4:00.

STAR RATING: *3/4 -- Really good four minutes of action. It's an example of why the Guns deserve better than being basically jobbers to the stars on Impact.

2 -- "MAPLE LEAF MUSCLE" PETEY WILLIAMS & JOHNNY DEVINE & JIMMY RAVE (w/Lance Rock, Christy Hemme) vs. SUPER ERIC & SHARK BOY & CURRY MAN ("The Prince Justice Brotherhood")

At 2:00 Devine got cocky as he went on a flurry against Curry. When he charged at Curry as Petey held him, Curry broke free and he collided with Petey. Super Eric hot-tagged in and fended off an attack by all three heels. Devine broke up a pin attempt on Petey. In the midst of the chaos, Super Eric hit a bodyblock off the ropes onto Petey after Devine and Rave mistakenly clotheslined him as he was setting up a Canadian Destroyer, which led to Eric scoring a three count.

WINNERS: Brotherhood in 4:00.

3 -- "BLACK MACHISMO: JAY LETHAL vs. KING BOOKER (w/Sharmell)

Machismo knocked Booker over the top rope in the opening minute. Then he slide out of the ring and forearmed Booker from behind. Booker kicked back and took control. Lethal came back with a springboard dropkick. Lethal climbed to the top rope, but Sharmell distracted the ref, which distracted Lethal. Booker recovered and caught Lethal coming off the top rope to take over the match. At 5:00 Lethal made a comeback. Sharmell tripped Lethal from ringside seconds later and Booker caught Lethal suddenly with a scissors kick for the win.

WINNER: Booker in 6:00.

STAR RATING: *1/2 -- Good pace and execution and energy.

4 -- VELVET SKY & CUTE KIP vs. RHINO & TAYLOR WILDE

How did they resist calling him "Kute Kip" instead of "Cute Kip"? West and Tenay hyped the return of Jarrett after nearly two years. West said Jarrett's been in "the business" as long or longer than Sting (it's longer), so what does he think of Sting's problems with the younger generation's respect. Kip was swung into ref Slick Johnson in one of the lamer ref collisions you'll ever see. Kip basically stopped before he got to him, then Johnson held his arm like someone whacked it with a baseball bat. Sky choked Rhino and kicked him at 2:00 once Kip had beaten him down. Kip punched Rhino from the floor to help her retain the advantage and then tag Kip back in. Taylor and Sky tagged in at 3:00. Rhino gave Kip a Gore seconds later when Kip tried to interfere. Love handed Sky a pipe. Taylor kicked it out of her hands before she could use it, then leveraged her to the mat for a three count. Tenay said Taylor answers any challenge she's given.

WINNER: Taylor & Rhino in 4:00.

18 minutes of wrestling out of a two-hour show. Though I haven't watched the show, according to the report, Jeff Jarrett came out, did a lot of talking with Sting, then Kurt Angle and a cameo appearance by Mick Foley and that's your show.

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 9-19-08

Results courtesy of ProWrestling.net (direct link to Powell's complete report). To avoid pop-ups and view condensed in-ring results only, go to Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8248 or  TOKYOPOP: Arcademan Blog- This Week In Wrestling (direct link to latest entry).

1. Michelle McCool pinned Maryse to retain the WWE Divas Championship in 5:15.
Powell's POV: Both women tried hard and they seemed to be making an effort to play to the crowd more even though their mannerisms seemed forced.

2. Festus (w/Jesse) fought Ryan Braddock to an apparent no-contest in 2:45.
Powell's POV: I don't know whether they're trying to protect Braddock by not having Festus pin him or bury him by having the match end with the tape spot.

3. R-Truth defeated Shelton Benjamin in a non-title match in 9:40.
Powell's POV: The match wasn't very exciting with Shelton dominating on the mat, but the live crowd is really into R-Truth and they popped big when he won. This must have been the upset that J.R. mentioned in his blog. The Helms thing was short and sweet. Although he referred to himself as Hurricane, he wasn't wearing his old Hurricane costume.

4. Jeff Hardy pinned The Brian Kendrick (w/Ezekiel Jackson) in 7:50.
Powell's POV: I'm intrigued by the Kozlov and Hardy feud. I don't expect it to be a series of great matches, but the buildup has been strong thus far.

5. Great Khali (w/Runjin Singh) squashed Scotty Goldman in 1:35. Total squash.
Powell's POV: I guess the fans will be forced to cheer for, um, well, uh...I have no idea which wrestler the fans will root for in this epic showdown that is sure to produce a five-star mat classic. WWE is hyping plenty of matches because they want one more chance to remind viewers about the big move to MyNetwork Television.

6. Triple H pinned MVP in a non-title match in 14:00.
Powell's POV: Kozlov is getting the mega-push. I thought they were going to take their time with him until I watched this show. I didn't think they did MVP any favors tonight. The live crowd isn't reacting to him right now, but WWE isn't giving him any meaningful mic time to get his heat back.

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 9-22-08

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

1 -- C.M. PUNK vs. CODY RHODES

Cody threw Punk to the floor early. He showed some good cocky facial expressions. Punk then kicked Cody at ringside to try to take control, but Cody came right back throwing Punk head-first into the ringpost. Back in the ring, when Punk almost executed his Go To Sleep out of nowhere, Cody slipped out and rolled out of the ring for a breather. They cut to a break at 6:00.

Cody had control after the break. Punk made a comeback at 11:00 and hit the Go To Sleep for the win.

WINNER: Punk in 12:00.

STAR RATING: ** -- Solid match.

-Afterward, Manu and Ted DiBiase jumped Punk. Kofi Kingston made the save. If someone didn't watch Raw for a year and suddenly tuned in, they wouldn't recognize anyone in this scene.

2 -- SANTINO MARELLA (w/Beth Phoenix) vs. DEUCE

Santino told Deuce before the match that if Batista messes with him, he'll beat him up just like he's about to beat up Fonzie. He then said, "Happy days are over." They wisely didn't book this to last long. Santino won quickly with a sunset flip.

WINNER: Santino in 1:00.

3 -- KANE vs. EVAN BOURNE

Cole called Bourne gusty for standing up for Rey last week. Bourne leapfrogged Kane at the start, then roundkicked him in the shoulder. Kane smiled and shook it off. Bourne dove under Kane and then nailed him with an enzuigiri. Kane said, "Play time is over." Kane then lifted Bourne, but Bourne slipped out and kicked Kane several times.

Kane came back and stomped Bourne into the mat. He went for an elbow, but Bourne moved. Bourne went for a crucifix, but Kane stood his ground and then punched Bourne in the face. Not much crowd heat for Bourne as he showed a ton of grit and speed early. He went for a DDT off the second rope, but Kane blocked it. He went for a big boot, but Bourne moved and knocked Kane over the top rope. He followed with a shooting star press that just grazed Kane. Back in the ring, Bourne hit his top rope double knee dive for a two count at 3:00. Kane caught Bourne mid-air with a right punch. Kane gave Bourne three backbreakers over his knee, then lifted him and slammed him upside down into the corner, then finished him with a running powerslam. Kane chokeslammed Bourne for the win.

WINNER: Kane in 5:00.

STAR RATING: * -- I was worried they'd squash Bourne here, but they gave him more than enough to not lose much in this loss. It's not as if WWE was going to push him as Kane's equal anytime soon, so giving him as much offense as they did was a showcase for what he can do and his potential.

3 -- "GLAMAZON" BETH PHOENIX vs. KELLY KELLY

Santino tripped Kelly coming off the ropes at 2:00. Phoenix charged at Santino, but Kelly ducked and then she schoolgirled Phoenix for the win.

WINNER: Kelly in 2:00.

4 -- JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ vs. CRYME TYME

The extent to which ECW wrestlers are appearing on Raw is just odd right now. Lawler said: "Shad told me he started out as an unwanted child, and now he's wanted in ten states." We got a lot of those one-liners last week from Lawler, and this is the first of the show this week. Cole pushed how the Cryme Tyme and Miz & Morrison shows are the most viewed on WWE.com and how seriously the two teams take them. Lawler said: "Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase followed in their fathers' footsteps. Cryme Tyme are following in their fathers' fingerprints." When Shad cleared the ring of both heels and tossed J.T.G. onto them, they cut to a break. Cole said the "Bling Bling Brothers are on a roll" and asked if they could keep it up after the break.

Morrison had Shad tied up on the mat after the break. Cole and Lawler talked more about this being the 800th episode. Shad made a big comeback 8:00. Shad and J.T.G. doubled on Miz, but Morrison yanked Miz out of the ring and then Morrison rolled up Shad for a surprise near fall. Miz distracted the ref as Morrison hit Shad with a kick. Miz then scored the pin. Lawler said ECW just got one up on Raw with that outcome.

WINNERS: Miz & Morrison in 11:00.

STAR RATING: *1/2

5 -- CHRIS JERICHO & LANCE CADE & JBL vs. BATISTA & SHAWN MICHAELS

Jericho's manipulating of Adamle into making this three-on-two was clever and well-done. Giving away this match would normally be seen as too much, especially given the intensity of the Jericho-Michaels feud and how this could water down the novelty of those two being in the same match, but after last week's rating for Raw, it's understandable. What's odd is the lack of any promo from Michaels or Batista to hype this match and communicate to fans what they believed was at stake for them in this one. Michaels opened against Cade. When Michaels moved toward Jericho, Jericho jumped to the floor. JBL then surprised Michaels with a clothesline. Jericho then charged after Michaels once he was down and took control.

JBL tagged in and continued to beat on Michaels. A minute later Cade tagged in against Michaels. JBL took a cheap shot at Batista. Batista tried to enter the ring, which gave Jericho a chance to give Michaels a cheap shot at 5:00. JBL went for a fallaway slam, but Michaels countered and took JBL down. Both men ended up on their backs on the mat. Batista wanted in for the first time all match. JBL tagged in Jericho first, but then Michaels hot-tagged Batista. Baitsta exploded with an attack on Jericho. Batista powerslammed Jericho, then tagged in Michaels who hit a top rope elbow. Michaels showed great fire as only he can. Then he signaled for Sweet Chin Music. Jericho ducked and went for a Walls of Jericho. Michaels escaped. Jericho went for a Code Breaker. Michaels blocked it and went for a pin. JBL broke it up. Batista made the save. JBL backdropped Batista over the top ropeBatista got up and speared JBL at ringside. Jericho gave Michaels a running bulldog from behind. He went for a Lionsault, but Michaels moved. Jericho tagged in Cade. Michaels immediately hit Cade with a flying forearm. Then he nipped up and set up a superkick toward Jericho. Jericho slipped out of the ring and Cade hit Michaels quickly and suddenly with a sitout powerbomb for the pin.

WINNER: Cade & Jericho & JBL in 9:00.

STAR RATING: **1/2 -- Good tag match. They hit all the big spots well. The Cade pin on Michaels is a nice boost for him no matter what the circumstances.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Solid episode. Not earth-shattering, but the inclusion of Shane, the fun dynamic between Shane and Adamle, a noteworthy finish to the main event tag, a good dose of Santino, and a good opening segment all made for a watchable, inoffensive show. Credit WWE for not hotshotting too much after the ratings recently, but going ahead in trying to continue to push some younger stars without blinking (not that there's any viable alternative approach).

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 9-23-08

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

1. Finlay (w/Hornswoggle) vs. Bam Neely in 3:50. A brawling style match. Finlay hit a swinging neckbreaker at 3:00. He wet up to the second rope for some reason, but Neely caught him and locked him in the Boston Crab. Horny entered the ring and distracted Neely. Meanwhile, Finlay picked up the shillelagh used it as a weapon behind the ref's back and got the pin...

Powell's POV: They really need to come up with a new finish for Finlay matches.

2. Maryse defeated Michelle McCool in a non-title match in 3:30. Striker said young women everywhere can look up to McCool because she knows grappling moves. No, really. He forgot to tell us that she knows Undertaker and everything. She's like a female Triple H or something. Late in the match, Maryse caught Michelle up top and then played to the crowd before DDT'ing her for the win...

Powell's POV: Don't get me wrong, I dig Michelle and I'm impressed by how quickly she's improved, but Striker was laying it on really thick. By the way, the announcers did a nice job of pointing out that Maryse was wasting too much time before she hit her finisher. I'm sure she heard about that backstage.

3. Mike Knox squashed Chase Stevens in 1:40. After Knox plowed through Stevens and headed toward the back, Jack Swagger's music played and he past Knox on the stage with a smile on his face. Swagger attacked Stevens. Tommy Dreamer ran out for the save. Knox came back to the ring and distracted Dreamer. Swagger hit his finisher on Dreamer and then smiled for the camera...

Powell's POV: Typical squash match to get Knox back on track after some of this recent losses. The live crowd responded to Knox's power moves and counted along with the three count.

4. The Miz fought John Morrison to a double in-ring countout in 11:30. Striker wondered aloud whether Miz or Morrison would become the Art Garfunkel of their team. After some back and forth action, Morrison dove at Miz near the ropes and they tumbled to ringside. Highlights aired from during the break of Morrison taking a big tumble to ringside.

Back live, the back and forth battle continued as the program reminder told viewers about the time change next week. Striker said the fans wouldn't let either wrestler forget if they lost to their tag team partner. The tension between the two teammates grew more intense as the match went on and they exchanged more punches and kicks down the stretch.

At 10:45, both men were on the top rope in one of the corners. Miz hooked Morrison's head with his legs and jumped. The both tumbled awkwardly to the mat and neither wrestler made it to his feet before the referee's 10 count.

After the match, Ricky Ortiz ran out and splashed Miz. Morrison tried to attack him, but Ortiz fought off with a shoulder block and hit that big dorky splash of his. Ricky waved the silly rally towel at ringside and gave one of his stupid rags to a blond woman at ringside...

Powell's POV: It had to be obvious to everyone when the top of the hour rolled around that they weren't going to see a legitimate match between Ortiz and the winner of Miz vs. Morrison. The team members worked a good match and traded offense. The live crowd didn't really choose sides, nor did the wrestlers seem to be interested in leading them one way or the other.

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 9-25-08

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

1. Matt Morgan and Abyss defeated The Rock 'N Rave Infection (with Christy Hemme) in 2:54. Morgan tagged in and entered the ring with an impressive high crossbody on Rock. He then hit a dropkick. Abyss hit the Blackhole slam on Rock and the Shock Treatment on Rave. Morgan tagged in and hit the Hellevator for the win...

Team 3D came out to the stage. Brother Devon took the stick tonight and told Abyss and Morgan that their loss to them at No Surrender was a fluke. Devon ran down each company by name and how many times they were tag team champions in each of those companies. Ray chimed in with "And that is great, that is great." He is hilarious. Ray took the mic and plugged their match at Bound for Glory, which is now a Monster's Ball match...

Twill's Two Cents: I am starting to like Morgan and Abyss as a team and Morgan looked much better tonight in the ring. Kudos to TNA for making a non-title tag team match interesting and important.

2. Awesome Kong (with Raisha Saeed) defeated Mercedes Steele in 1:46. Saeed was announced but did not come out with Kong. Steele was explained as someone looking for a contract. Steele kept screaming like a little *****. Saeed came down the aisle with chairs. Kong dominated before hitting the Awesome Bomb for the win...

After the match, Saeed came in with the chairs and set one up for an Awesome Bomb. All of a sudden, Raisha Saeed hit Kong with two chairshots. She then took off her mask and it was Roxxi the entire time. The real Raisha Saeed came out the stage tied up with rope. Referees separated Roxxi from Kong...

Twill's Two Cents: Great segment. I love Kong and I love Roxxi's push as someone who may be hardcore enough to beat her. Now, if we could just get rid of Taylor Wilde, we would be in great shape.

3. Beer Money and Jacqueline defeated LAX and Hector Guerrero in 9:41. Hector hit the three amigos suplexes on Storm. Jacqueline tagged and forced Hector to chase her up the ramp as the show went to commercial...

Everyone was back coming back from commercial. With the referee distracted, Roode smacked Hernandez in the head with Storm's football helmet and scored the pinfall...

Twill's Two Cents: At least Hector still has his announcing gig.

4. Sheik Abdul Bashir defeated Samoa Joe by disqualification in a non-title match in 4:25. Bashir grounded Joe early and worked on his leg. He scored a few nearfalls while he had an ankle lock applied. Bashir locked in a single leg Boston Crab and Joe was able to get to the ropes. Sheik continued on the offensive before Joe hit a modified Rock Bottom from the corner. He then hit the Muscle Buster for the win...

After the match, Joe called out Sting. He then applied the rear naked choke on Bashir and the referee reversed his decision...

Twill's Two Cents: I enjoyed the match. Bashir was given some solid offense and I love watching Joe work, if even for a few minutes.

5. Booker T (with Sharmell) defeated AJ Styles in 10:43. The match started at a very quick pace before the show went to commercial. Christian Cage came out and watched from the ramp...

Booker had the advantage on Styles coming back from commercial. During the break, Styles landed a beautiful dropkick on Booker. Booker nearly scored the submission victory but Styles came back. He hit the springboard flying forearm for the two count. He followed that up with the Pele kick for another nearfall.

Earl Hebner took the obligatory ref bump at the ten minute mark. Sharmell came in to hit Styles with the briefcase but Christian stopped her and took the briefcase away. Styles stood up and thought Christian was going to hit him. Booker knocked Christian into Styles, grabbed the briefcase and hit Styles with it to score the win. After the match, Christian and AJ argued...

Twill's Two Cents: Well, that went downhill fast. Watch the tape AJ. Everything is cool. This was a disappointing finish to a good match on a good show. This is the typical bullshit they need to move away from.

[Arcademan]

WWE Smackdown Results: 9-26-08

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

1. Triple H and Jeff Hardy defeated The Brian Kendrick (with Ezekiel Jackson) and MVP in 13:55. When Hardy made his entrance, Jim Ross said, "Jeff Hardy loves life." Hardy and Triple H traded tags and took turns working on MVP in the opening minutes of the match. Kendrick tagged in and the pace quickened considerably. Triple H closelined MVP over the top rope. He and Hardy both backdropped Kendrick over the top and onto MVP...

The heels were working over Triple H coming back from the break. Hardy tagged in and was able to hit a series of moves on Kendrick. He attempted a Swanton but Jackson pulled his foot out from under him. Hardy tumbled to the mat and Kendrick scored a two count.

Kendrick and MVP exchanged submission holds on Hardy as Triple H looked on. Hardy reversed the fortunes of his team by hitting a Whisper in the Wind. H and MVP received tags at the same time. H cleaned house and tried the Pedigree, but was kicked by Kendrick. Hardy took Kendrick out, MVP missed the Driveby, and Triple H hit the Pedigree on him for the win...

After the match, Hardy grabbed the WWE Title and handed it to Triple H. They raised their hands in victory and shook hands. They both posed for the fans...

Twill's Two Cents: Fantastic television tag team match. All four men worked hard and the tag team booking here was very good.

2. Brie Bella and Maria defeated Victoria and Natalya in 5:07.Maria and Victoria began the match but Natalya and Brie did the brunt of the work. Brie hit some impressive moves and Natalya looked impressive utilizing her power. Brie was thrown to the floor. As she crawled under the ring, her twin sister came out (a little early). She tagged Maria who hit a high crossbody for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: That almost looked like a mistake. I wish the announcers would not have played dumb. The action in the match was pretty good.

3. Vladimir Kozlov vs. The Great Khali (with Ranjin Singh) ended in a no contest in 1:58. Khali knocked Kozlov from the ring. Kozlov pulled Khali from the ring and laid him out. Triple H's music hit and he came out to face Kozlov.

Once Triple H entered the ring, Kozlov retreated to the outside. Khali and Kozlov entered the ring at the same time and Triple H went after both of them. After some moderate success, Khali hit the overhand chop and Kozlov kicked Triple H. Jeff Hardy came out and was promptly laid out. H grabbed the sledgehammer and hit Khali with it. Kozlov backed up the ramp as H challenged him to reenter the ring. Hardy stood behind Triple H. H gave Kozlov a crotch chop...

Twill's Two Cents: They are obviously setting up a tag team match but a win over Khali for Kozlov would have done wonders for him.

4. Chavo Guerrero defeated Jimmy Wang Yang in 4:58. Chavo hit the two of the three amigos and Yang applied a small package for a two count. Chavo won the match with a rolling kick...

The lights went off and on very quickly. Chavo looked scared...

Twill's Two Cents: Fun and forgettable match. Chavo worrying about The Undertaker was the focus.

5. Carlito and Primo Colon defeated Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins to become the WWE Tag Team Champions. Primo hit a deep armdrag and a flying head scissor very early in the match. Carlito and Primo played the face role here. Carlito was worked on by the heel team. Hawkins hit Carlito with several hard kicks to the back followed by a flipping neckbreaker. They fought to the floor...

Primo tagged in and impressed everyone in the building with this high flying offense. Carlito tagged himself in blindly and hit the Backstabber for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: My phone died so I did not have a time on the match. Primo is fun to watch in the ring and Carlito looks rejuvenated.

Big Show, Vickie Guerrero, and Chavo Guerrero came out to the ring. They aired footage of pretty much the entire storyline between these individuals. After the footage, Vickie mocked Taker because he was nowhere to be found. Chavo told Vickie what they were doing was not a good idea.

Twill's Two Cents: I guess Chavo is the only one who has paid attention to Taker over the years.

Show said Taker has lost his nerve and would not save the day tonight. The lights went off and Taker's gong sounded. The lights went back on and Chavo was gone. He then appeared on the Titantron backstage with Undertaker's hand around his throat. Big Show ran backstage as if the buffet table was closing down for the night.

Tazz thought it would be a good idea to leave the broadcast booth and interview Vickie. Taker's gong was heard again and Taker ended up in the ring with Vickie. He put his hand around her neck. He gave her a tombstone piledriver and did his pose amidst the blue lights...

Twill's Two Cents: The Undertaker is the only guy who can still pull off this crap.

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 9-29-08

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

1 -- BATISTA vs. IC champion SANTINO MARELLA (w/Women's champ Beth Phoenix)

Batista quickly smashed Santino with a forearm smash before warming up for the Batista bomb. Batista nailed the finisher with an eye on Beth, then Batista made the cover for the quick win. Afterward, Beth hopped onto the apron to voice her displeasure with Batista's work in the ring. Suddenly, JBL snuck into the ring from behind and knocked a few brain cells with the Clothesline from Hell on Batista. JBL stared down at Batista's fallen body, then he slowly walked out of the ring. JBL looks like he's lost a little weight and appears to be in better shape than I last remember.

WINNER: Batista in 1:00. Quick, effective opening match. Santino is expected to talk and get his rear end handed to him, so that was fine. JBL with a nice set-up for No Mercy with Batista seeking revenge. (n/a)

2 -- JTG (w/Shad Gaspar) vs. THE MIZ (w/John Morrison)

Miz was his usual annoying self early on with some mockery of JTG in between working him over on the mat. Morrison then tried to provide a distraction at 3:00, but Shad knocked him off the apron. Meanwhile, Miz caught JTG in the ring with the Reality Check high knee and neckbreaker combo for the pin and the win with Shad too late re-entering the ring to make the save. Miz and Morrison had the final word over Cryme Tyme tonight.

WINNERS: Miz & Morrison in 3:00. Fine little tag team rivalry brewing on the undercard. Too bad they're on separate brands to continue muddying the brand split. But, at least there's focus on the tag division. Gotta take it however it comes. (1/2*)

3 -- JAMIE NOBLE & MICKIE JAMES vs. PAUL BURCHILL & KATIE LEA

Noble started things off to set up a tag to Mickie, who was quickly tripped up by Burchill behind the ref's back. Katie then worked over Mickie while Regal and Layla watched with interest from the stage. Noble eventually took a tag and slammed Burchill with a rolling side suplex before going up top for a missile dropkick. Noble made a cover, but Katie broke up the pin. Mickie then nailed Katie with a top rope splash before flinging her over the top rope to the floor. Burchill tried to make a fiery comeback, but Noble snapped off a Northern Lights suplex into the Noble armbar. Burchill quickly tapped out, giving Mickie and Noble the win. Regal simply stood up and fixed his gaze on the ring where Noble and Mickie celebrated.

WINNERS: Mickie & Noble in 4:00. Good, high-energy match. I like the development of this storyline after Layla dumped Noble for Regal. We'll see where it leads. (*)

4 -- C.M. PUNK & REY MYSTERIO & EVAN BOURNE & KOFI KINGSTON vs. KANE & MANU & World tag team champions CODY RHODES & TED DIBIASE, JR.

The pace quickly picked up when Rey and Bourne knocked Manu to the floor and Bourne went flying over the top rope with a splash onto Manu. Punk and Kofi then hit simultaneous dives onto Cody and Teddy on the floor. On the other side of the floor, Rey followed with a Sentaun splash onto Kane. Crowd fired up. Babyfaces get their shine. Cut to a break.

Back from break, the heels were taking turns working over Bourne in their corner. Punk then took a tag at 6:00 and flew off the top rope with a springboard clothesline onto Manu. His advantage was short-lived, though, as Manu took out Punk's legs from behind to set up another round of the heels working over the opposition.

At the top of the second hour, the heels continued to work over Punk's left leg. Fans tried to rally with a C-M-Punk chant as the babyfaces sought a tag. Punk finally escaped with an enziguiri on Kane, but Kane kicked Rey off the apron to prevent a hot tag. And more isolation of Punk in the heel corner. As usual, Cody lost the advantage and Kofi took the big hot tag to work over Cody and knock opponents off the apron. Kofi did a big march across the ropes before nailing the boom-boom leg drop on Cody for a two count.

The action broke down momentarily, then Kane accepted a tag. He didn't see Rey Mysterio, though, and Rey dropkicked Kane from behind. Kofi then wanted a big splash in the corner, but Kane caught Kofi in mid-air with a chokeslam grip. Crowd went from a big cheer to a big oooh as Kane nailed the chokeslam on Kofi in center ring. Kane made the cover for the win. Post-match: Rey and Kane locked eyes to build tension for No Mercy.

WINNERS: Team Kane in 13:00. Good match. Hit a lull for a few minutes, but they used everyone pretty well during the match. Kane as the dominating, yet intelligent monster is exactly how he should be presented. (**)

5 -- KELLY KELLY & CANDICE MICHELLE vs. Women's champion BETH PHOENIX & JILLIAN HALL

Candice and Beth started things off to create tension for their Women's Title match at No Mercy. Michelle quickly kicked Beth in the leg before tagging out to Kelly. Candice came back in, then Jillian took advantage and worked her over for a few minutes. Crowd became restless, then Kelly and Beth took tags. Kelly snapped off a flying head scissors, but Beth came back with a running clothesline. Candice broke up the pin attempt, then Jillian yanked Candice to the floor. Kelly tried to roll up Beth from behind, but Beth wasn't going to let it happen two weeks in a row, so she rolled through into a huge front slam for the decisive pin and the win. Afterward, Candice helped Kelly recover while staring down Beth to set up Sunday.

WINNERS: Beth & Jillian in 4:00. Went long and lost the crowd about half-way through. Fine result to set up Sunday, which fit the theme of tonight's show. (1/2*)

6 -- GREAT CHARLI (w/Runjan Singh) vs. DEUCE

Charli wobbled into landing the big chop early on, but Deuce had enough and landed a running slam. Deuce wanted a big splash, but Charli got a boot up. Charli then spun to his feet and dropped the gimp walk to fire up with a flurry of offense. Charli came off the top with a big splash and made the cover for the win.

Post-match: The real Great Khali came out on stage with Singh. Charli did Khali's mannerisms in tribute to Khali, who Lawler said he hopes has a sense of humor. Khali stepped into the ring with a big smile on his face while Charli clapped it up. Singh handled the introductions, then Charli raised his arms in front of Khali, who smiled it up. Charli extended his hand for a shake, but Khali smashed him with a big chop to the head. Khali had another good laugh at that development. Is that Penick with the "Fire Coach Childress" sign?

WINNER: Well, it gives Haas something to do. Not necessarily going anywhere right now, but that was a fine filler segment to show that Khali has some personality. (n/a)

7 -- World Hvt. champion CHRIS JERICHO & LANCE CADE vs. SHAWN MICHAELS & WWE champion TRIPLE H

Jericho and Hunter squared off to preview the Night of Champions free TV deal on Smackdown this Friday night. Jericho quickly went for the Walls of Jericho, but Hunter easily flung him aside. Cade wanted a piece of Hunter, but Hunter blocked a suplex with a suplex of his own. Michaels and Jericho played cat and mouse for a second, then Michaels found himself back in the ring to accept a big boot from Cade. Jericho and Cade then worked over Michaels in their corner as Hunter tried to rally the crowd. Jericho wanted a Lionsault, but Michaels moved in time.

Cade took a tag, then Hunter took a hot tag. He worked over Cade before knocking Jericho off the apron to the floor. Cade then walked into a spinebuster and Hunter called for the end. Hunter measured Cade for the Pedigree, but Jericho smashed Hunter with the codebreaker. Cade then delivered a clothesline on Michaels, who was knocked out. The ref called for a DQ when Michaels and Cade continued the double-team assault.

WINNERS: DX via DQ in 5:00. Short main event to set up the post-match, which was fine so they didn't give away too much in the ring bell-to-bell before a PPV. (*)

Post-match: Jericho brought a ladder into the ring to give Michaels additional punishment, but the crowd roared as Hunter snuck back into the ring with a sledgehammer in hand. Jericho bailed, then Hunter gave Cade a quick jab to the gut. Michaels tuned up the band and delivered the superkick, then Hunter finished him off with the Pedigree as Jericho could only shake his head in disbelief. Hunter then set up the ladder in the corner and Michaels climbed to the top. Michaels gave Jericho a crotch chop from the top of the ladder, then he crashed down onto Cade with a big splash. Michaels flopped around the ring and winced in pain, then collected himself on the bottom rope to stare down Jericho, who stared back at him. Hunter helped Michaels up, then DX stared back at Jericho to close the show with the announcers plugging everything happening this week.

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 9-30-08

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

1 -- JACK SWAGGER vs. LENNY LANE

Are you kidding? We have a Lenny Lane sighting? Lane apparently channeling Jeff Jarrett in the facial hair department. Grisham earned points with Ross for referencing Oklahoma as the number one team in college football, and Swagger hopes to be tops in ECW eventually. Grisham complimented himself on the segue. Swagger quickly delivered a gutwrench powerbomb for the all-american victory. Afterward, Swagger wanted to deliver a post-match message, but Tommy Dreamer made the save for Lane. Swagger just smiled and left the ring.

WINNER: Swagger in 1:00. Swagger has the makings of a great heel character with the annoying smile and dominating size. Good addition to the roster. (n/a)

2 -- TOMMY DREAMER vs. MIKE KNOX

Back from break, we have Dreamer in action against Knox, whose beard has apparently doubled in length since I last saw it two weeks ago. That man needs a beard trimmer. Grisham said Knox's workout regiment out in the Arizona desert is unknown. It was working here with Knox dominating Dreamer before settling in a good ole fashioned reverse chinlock on the mat. Thank goodness for Matt Striker. How I have missed thee, as he went into a full explanation of why wrestlers utilize a chinlock. I hope he calls every Randy Orton match from here on. Dreamer eventually slipped out of the chinlock and made a brief comeback, but he found the ringpost when Knox moved out of the corner. Ref checked on Dreamer, then Knox nailed the Knox Out for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Knox in 4:00. Fairly decent match. Knox picks up the predictable victory over the veteran enhancement talent on ECW. (1/2*)

Post-match: Jack Swagger returned to the ring after the victory for Knox and he picked up Dreamer. Swagger decided to give Dreamer a gutwrench suplex to add insult to injury on Dreamer. Swagger then did a victory dance before smiling down at Dreamer's lifeless body. Swagger declared his awesomeness on the way to the back after inflicting damage.

3 -- THE MIZ & JOHN MORRISON & MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas) vs. ECW champion MATT HARDY & EVAN BOURNE & RICKY ORTIZ

Quick action to start things off here. Bourne took a hot tag and he wanted a move off the ropes, but Miz kneed him in the back with the ref's back turned to set up the heel attack on Bourne. Grisham accused them of cheating, but Striker said they were just being resourceful. Matt Striker: "You run out of toilet paper and you do a handstand in the shower." I am at a loss for words to describe Striker's greatness. Hardy took a hot tag at 5:00 to a nice crowd reaction, then he cleaned house on the heels while Henry barked orders to Miz and Morrison. Hardy knocked M&M around, then landed a double clothesline that cleared them from the ring. Henry aggressively stepped into the ring to take on all three babyfaces, but then he slowly backed up to his corner to take a raincheck.

Back from break, Hardy was working over Morrison in the ring. Ortiz then accepted a tag to continue working over Morrison. Bourne worked over Morrison to continue the break-from-the-norm isolation of a heel by the babyfaces. However, Ortiz lost control at 8:00 and Henry took a tag to crunch Ortiz. Poor guy was knocked around for a few moments before the heels started to work over Ortiz in their corner. Ortiz then fought out of a mat hold on Morrison and powered into the electric chair, but he couldn't make a tag.

The heels went back to work, but Ortiz escaped and Bourne took a tag to start firing off his aerial assault much to the crowd's delight. The action then broke down with Hardy and Ortiz ending up on the floor. Bourne and Henry were all alone in the ring, then Henry turned an aerial move into World's Strongest Slam for the decisive pin and the win. Afterward, Henry and Hardy had a stare down while Grisham asked whether Hardy even stands a chance on Sunday.

WINNERS: Team Henry in 17:00. A bit slow at times, but enough athleticism to keep viewers interested for most of the match. Henry picking up the victory was the right way to go to set-up Hardy vs. Henry, so that was fine. Bourne had enough offense to maintain credibility despite the loss. Being in the TV main even helped out as well. (**)

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 10-2-08

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

1 -- ANGELINA LOVE (w/Velvet Sky and Kute Kip) vs. ODB

Mike Tenay quickly plugged Kurt Angle's negative interview with the U.K. Sun last week. Don West referenced "those comments," as if we have a frame of reference for what anyone is talking about. Again, gearing the broadcast to an Internet crowd is going to keep the show at a 1.0-1.2 rating until the end of time. West said Jeff Jarrett was livid with the comments. Predictable finish with Kute running interference on the ref, then Velvet spewing liquid courage in ODB's eyes. Angelina then hit the Lights Out finisher for the win.

WINNER: Angelina in 4:00. The problem isn't the predictable interference customary for every TNA TV match, but the fact that ODB taking a foreign substance in the eyes should be made a huge deal worthy of a few weeks of selling an eye injury. Unfortunately, that won't happen, so it's a finish that means nothing that no one will remember. (1/2*)

2 -- CHRIS SABIN & ALEX SHELLEY vs. LAX (HOMICIDE & HERNANDEZ)

Hernandez showed off his strength early on in this match while Tenay and West plugged a giant Monster's Ball tag match at the PPV. Machineguns then took control at 2:00 when Sabin landed a dive onto Homicide on the floor. Back in the ring, Guns double-teamed Homicide with some rapid-fire combo moves.

The action broke down in typical TNA tag team fashion, then Homicide dropped Shelley with the Gringo Cutter out of the corner. Hernandez wanted a big dive to the floor, but Sabin caught him with a superkick. Sabin tried to follow with a cross-body splash, but Hernandez caught him in mid-air for a sit-down powerbomb. Hernandez made the subsequent pin for the win.

WINNERS: LAX in 5:00. Good showcase for Hernandez, who should be main eventing PPVs as a singles wrestler next year. (*1/2)

3 -- X Division champion SHEIK ABDUL BASHIR vs. JIMMY RAVE (w/Hemme and Rock) vs. ERIC YOUNG -- X Division Title match

Bashir finished off Young with a spike DDT, then he stared at ref Shane to instruct him to make the three count. Shane made the three count, then Sheik demanded that Shane raise his arm in victory. They had a face-to-face stare down and Sheik feigned a punch, but he pulled back and laughed. Shane was ready to fight, but Sheik stepped out of the ring, satisfied with the win.

WINNER: Sheik in 2:00. Is a ref the #1 contender to the X Division Title? Wow. What's happened to this division? (1/2*)

4 -- A.J. STYLES & CHRISTIAN CAGE & JAY LETHAL vs. TEAM 3D (BROTHER RAY & BROTHER DEVON) & BOOKER T (w/Sharmell and briefcase)

Right at the top of the second hour, we're starting with some wrestling instead of a commercial break. Nice adjustment. Oops, spoke too soon. A minute into the match, they cut to break.

Four minutes later, they returned from break with Tenay hyping Mick Foley as a renaissance man in pro wrestling. In the ring, the babyface trio was working over Booker. Lethal then found himself too far away from home and Team 3D got him from behind to set up the attack on Lethal. Booker scored a nearfall on a leg strike, then 3D started working over Lethal in the corner. Christian eventually took the hot tag and the action broke down. Ray landed a big body drop on Christian, then Lethal, then Styles, who apparently didn't pay attention the first two times. Styles and Lethal then quickly returned the favor and Christian hit a top rope splash, but Ray kicked out.

Afterward, Booker smashed Lethal with the briefcase while Styles took out Devon on the floor. Booker then tagged himself into the match and Christian rolled him up, but the ref was distracted by Ray. Styles tried to nail Ray with a springboard smash, but Ray moved and Styles butted heads with Christian. Booker then rolled up the KO'ed Christian for the win. Afterward, Styles helped Christian to his feet with a consoling hug, but Christian didn't really want any part of that. No blows.

WINNERS: Team Booker in 11:00. Fine match. About what you would expect with another miscommunication between Styles and Christian to continue building tension in the latest chapter of their on-again, off-again relationship. (*3/4)

5 -- ANGELINA LOVE & VELVET SKY (w/Kute Kip) vs. ODB & RHAKA KHAN

ODB took a pounding early on, then Rhaka tagged in and cleaned house. She did her vampire-like rolling-of-the-tongue for the hard camera, and Kip had enough. He stormed into the ring to confront Rhaka, but the ref sent Kip away to the corner. Angelina and Velvet then took advantage of the distraction to go back to work on ODB. Rhaka took another hot tag and smashed the heels with high kicks before delivering a sweeping leg drop on Velvet for the pin and the win.

Afterward, ODB was quite pleased with her selection of partner. Kip wanted to have a word about that, which allowed Velvet and Angelina to sneak in the back door and attack the winners. However, Rhino made the quick entry into the ring to clear Kip and send the Beautiful People packing. Looks like we have a six-person tag in the future.

WINNERS: Team ODB in 5:00. Well, Rhaka was pretty impressive here based on how she was positioned as the largest competitor in the match. There's something not quite right with her character, but that's part of the intrigue as well. Concerning Rhino, at least he has a role these days. (*)

[Arcademan]

WWE No Mercy PPV Results: 10-5-08

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's Ongoing "virtual time" coverage) or to avoid pop-ups and view ongoing in-ring results, go to Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8262 and posts thereafter or for complete in-ring results,  TOKYOPOP: Arcademan Blog (direct link to latest entry).

1 -- ECW champion MATT HARDY vs. MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas)
WINNER: Hardy in 8:00 to retain the ECW Title. Nice opening match. Hardy gets the legit three count on Henry after a well-put-together match to showcase the top two stars on the ECW brand. Good to see from ECW. (**)

2 -- Women's champion BETH PHOENIX vs. CANDICE MICHELLE -- Women's Title match
WINNER: Beth in 4:00 to retain the Women's Title. Fine. They kept it short and to the point with some decent action packed into four minutes. Tension between Beth and Santino should make for good TV going forward. (*)

3 -- REY MYSTERIO vs. KANE
WINNER: Rey in 11:00 via DQ. Good match. They built a good story here to continue the feud without a decision. Fine finish after two relatively clean finishes to start the show.

4 -- JBL vs. BATISTA -- #1 Contender match to Raw's World Hvt. Title
WINNER: Batista in 5:00. Well, that was short for a #1 contender match. Two ways of looking at that. Either they wanted Batista to look as dominating as possible or JBL just isn't in the type of physical shape necessary to take on a long match assignment. (*)

5 -- THE UNDERTAKER vs. BIG SHOW
WINNER: Big Show via KO in 11:00. Really nice match featuring two big men where they could have gone one of two ways of greatness or dullness. WWE agents and the wrestlers have laid out some good matches tonight taking advantage of the strengths of the individuals involved in the ring. Show returning to that WrestleMania 24 level of being a dominating big man is exactly where he should be. Taker losing a match on PPV doesn't happen often, so this should be treated as a big deal to be effective in continuing to rebuild Show as a major deal on Smackdown. (**1/2)

6 -- WWE champion TRIPLE H vs. JEFF HARDY -- WWE Title match
WINNER: Hunter in 17:00 to retain the WWE Title. Heck of a title match. Another well-done match with the wrestlers executing a great game plan in the ring that fit the storyline of Hardy being just one second away from everything in life. Great nearfalls and counters with Hunter giving Hardy plenty while remaining one step ahead. (***3/4)

7 -- World Hvt. champion CHRIS JERICHO vs. SHAWN MICHAELS -- World Title match -- ladder match
WINNER: Jericho in 22:00 to retain the World Hvt. Title. Excellent, innovative ladder match. Some repeat spots, but the story we've followed on Raw for five months carried the match to another good-to-great match in the series. Cade's interference knocks it down a notch, but the match was still relatively clean and focused on the two men in the ring rather than a bunch of outside variables to distract from the action. (****)

[Arcademan]

WWE RAW Results: 10-6-08

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

1 -- GLAMARELLA (IC champion SANTINO MARELLA & Women's champion BETH PHOENIX) vs. MICKIE NOBLE (MICKIE JAMES & JAMIE NOBLE)

Very quick match with Santino sneaking out a three count on Noble after Beth became involved with the ref's back turned. Afterward, Santino did his trumpet-blowing celebration. He then bailed into the front row when Noble chased after him. Regal then tried to attack Noble, but Noble flipped him over the guardrail to the front row. Regal suddenly snapped and tried to tackle Noble, but the ref held Regal back. Mickie then grabbed Noble by the hand and led him away from ringside.

WINNERS: Glamarella in 2:00. Quick match with a finish out of nowhere to set up a worked shoot approach to the next advancement in Regal vs. Noble. Either that, or something went haywire. Interesting, but we need more. (1/2*)

2 -- KOFI KINGSTON vs. TED DIBIASE, JR. (w/Cody Rhodes and Manu)

Interesting match-up here. Kofi wanted the boom-boom leg drop at 2:00, but Cody hopped onto the apron to distract Kofi. Punk came into play and knocked Cody off the apron, but Ted caught Kofi from behind with the Million Dollar Dream into a Russian legsweep for the decisive pin and the win. Afterward, Priceless celebrated on stage while Punk checked on Kofi.

WINNER: Ted in 3:00. Man, another too-short match here. They obviously don't trust the attention span of the viewer up against football and baseball playoffs. (3/4*)

3 -- REY MYSTERIO & ECW champion MATT HARDY vs. KANE & MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas)

Hot start here, as Rey and Matt cleared the heels to the outside with some impressive tag team work. Again, less than two minutes before a break in the action, this time with a commercial rather than a pinfall. Feels like Impact tonight.

They returned from break with Kane working on Hardy with a chinlock on the mat. Henry and Kane then started their attack working on Hardy in the heel corner. Hardy then wanted a big splash, but Hardy predictably moved and rolled over to his corner to tag out to Rey. Rey landed a little offense, but Kane blasted him with a big punch to the head to cut off Rey's momentum. Henry then dragged Rey back to the heel corner to set up Kane for an attack on Rey.

They rolled over to the top of the second hour with Kane striking Rey between the eyes with a chop to cut him off again. Kane then went up top, but Rey ducked underneath a clothesline and whipped Kane into the corner. Rey then crawled over to Hardy for a hot tag. Hardy landed a swinging neckbreaker, then he kicked Henry off the apron with a dropkick to the knees. Back to Kane where Hardy landed a top rope bulldog before calling for the end. Henry stepped in, though, and ran distraction. The whole deal broke down before Henry caught Rey on the floor and launched Rey into the turnbuckle to crotch Hardy, who was standing on the top rope. Kane then took advantage with a chokeslam on Hardy for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Kane & Henry in 11:00. Competitive match with a furious finish that made for good TV building anticipation for the eventual finish. Kane continues to be the dominant, smart, aggressive heel that works much better than the clunky, lovable losing Kane. (*1/2)

4 -- SHAWN MICHAELS vs. LANCE CADE -- Anything Goes, No DQ

They traded blows after the opening bell, then Cade pounded Michaels to the outside. He whipped out a table on the floor, then set it up next to the dude sporting the awesome Astros 1980's rainbow jersey on the front row. Cade measured Michaels, then he quickly put Michaels through the table with a modified Rock Bottom slam. Michaels sold it as if every muscle in his body was frozen, then Cade rolled him into the ring and grabbed a steel chair. Cade took too long with the chair, then Michaels tackled him and landed right hand blows. Michaels managed to grab the chair in the scrum, then Cade accepted a chair shot to the head with time to get his hand up to block. Still a pretty clean blow. Michaels then pounded the crap out of Cade with multiple chair shots to every inch of Cade's body. Michaels, on the verge of insanity, spun around as if he were chasing his tail, then he covered Cade for the pin and the win.

Michaels had his hand raised, then he spun into the corner and stared down at Cade as he writhed on the mat. Michaels remained completely motionless with his shoulders shrugged up near his neck while snorting down at the mat. Announcers speculated Michaels was envisioning Cade as Jericho. Michaels then suddenly grabbed the steel chair and pounded away on Cade some more. Michaels sneered and convulsed while the crowd chanted his name. Michaels's music hit, then he stepped out of the ring satisfied with the damage done. Michaels then started walking down the entrance ramp with an unchanged expression of determination.

WINNER: Michaels in 3:00. Well, the match was short, but at least it made a very, very clear point about Michaels's state of mind and level of aggression right now. Great theater at the expense of Cade and the chair. (*)

5 -- KELLY KELLY vs. JILLIAN HALL

There was a lot of CROSS TALK between Cryme Tyme and Miz & Morrison with Lawler and Cole silenced into not being able to call the action between Kelly and Jillian. Just back and forth chatter while Jillian worked over Kelly in the ring. Kelly then slipped out of a side slam and landed a victory roll for the pin and the win. Cryme Tyme gave props to Kelly, then gave Miz and Morrison a final parting word before celebrating with Kelly in the ring.

WINNER: Kelly in 4:00. That was rough. There was some entertaining moments listening to the four adolescents make fools of themselves on purpose, but the whole segment was pretty much a train wreck. (n/a)

6 -- JBL vs. BATISTA -- #1 Contender match

Bell sounded and the announcers asked Orton why he was out there. Orton said he has no idea, but maybe Jericho thought they were doing a lousy job. Orton said he doesn't care who wins, just that he gets his title shot when he's healthy. Batista dominated this thing early on, even slappin on a figure four at 2:00. Jericho checked on JBL, who tried to get the ropes. He got a finger tip on the ropes and Jericho demanded a rope break. The argument gave JBL an opening to take advantage and score a few nearfalls, opening up the question of why the heel ref doesn't just call a three count and ring the bell. Lame. Batista came back with a suplex and had a pin, but Jericho refused to count. The action spilled to the floor, then Jericho pretended to admonish JBL allowing Regal to smash Batista into the ring apron. Batista countered a suplex with a side belly-to-back suplex, then Jericho encouraged JBL to get up. Lawler interjected the logic that Jericho must think he has a better chance of beating JBL than Batista. "I dunno," Lawler concluded. The action broke down with Regal getting involved, then Batista had enough and gave both Jericho and JBL a double spear. Suddenly, Mike Adamle showed up on the stage and sent down referee Mike Kiota to the ring. Kiota counted a nearfall, then Batista made his full attack with a spinebuster and Batistabomb on JBL for the pin and the win as Jericho could only watch from ringside.

WINNER: Batista in 8:00. Hectic match based around the loose-with-the-logic heel special referee stipulation. Just never ever a fan of that concept. Batista made the most of it with an energetic victory to get the crowd excited. (*)

Post-match: Adamle took the mic and said it's rather ironic that Jericho booked himself as special ref tonight because that's one of the ideas pitched by Shane and Steph to change things up around Raw. He announced Jericho vs. Batista at Cyber Sunday for the World Title. And the stip is that the fans get to pick the special referee. Is it... Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, or Steve Austin? Huge pop for Austin, followed by an "Austin, Austin" chant. Lawler's voice did a typical high-octave jump in excitement for Austin. Adamle told the WWE Universe it's in their hands. Batista then posed in the ring and stared down at Jericho to close the show.

[Arcademan]

ECW on SciFi Results: 10-7-08

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

1 -- FINLAY (w/Hornswoggle) & TOMMY DREAMER vs. JACK SWAGGER & MIKE KNOX

Finlay started things off with a flurry of offense on Knox, then the action broke down with Dreamer ending up on the floor via a big boot from Knox. Let's grab a break.

They returned from a pretty lengthy opening break with Knox working over Dreamer in the heel corner. Let's get Swagger in there for some work, and the All-American American took his liberties with Dreamer's neck with a neck vice on the mat. Finlay then took the hot tag at 7:00 and excited the crowd by taking it to Knox with a dropkick from the second turnbuckle. He nailed a rolling crucifix slam, but Swagger broke up the pin. Dreamer then knocked Swagger to the floor allowing Hornswoggle to come flying off the top with the tadpole splash on Knox. Ref cleared Horny, then Finlay dropped Knox with a shillelagh for the pin and the win. Grisham dropped a pun that Swagger lost a little bit of his swagger after the defeat, which drew a groan from Striker. Dreamer then did an Irish jig with Horny afterward to celebrate not having to take another pinfall/beating on TV.

WINNERS: Finlay & Hornswoggle in 9:00. Nice opener. Crowd was surprisingly hot for a house show match, but F&H are always popular with the audience. (*)

2 -- MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas) vs. JAMIE NOBLE

Striker took the first few minutes to point out that WWE does not have an injury list, unlike NFL or MLB. He said we're all day-to-day and questionable, so you just go out and wrestle. Grisham suggested WWE's injury report would list Noble's injuries as simply "body" after this match. I love Tuesday nights. Henry toyed with Noble with forearm blows that knocked Noble around the ring. Noble tried to come back with a top rope splash, but Henry easily caught him in mid-air and turned it into the World's Strongest Slam for the decisive pin and the win.

Afterward, Henry wasn't satisfied with his snack and he delivered another World's Strongest Slam. Henry wanted a third, but Matt Hardy's music hit and Hardy stormed the ring in street clothes. Hardy kicked Henry into the corner, then gave Atlas the Twist of Fate. That served as a distraction, though, allowing Henry to catch Hardy with the World's Strongest Slam. Henry wasn't done, as he finished off Hardy's night with a big splash in center ring.

WINNER: Henry in 4:00. Good comeback for Henry to set up the next chapter in the feud against Hardy and his shiny shirt. (APB for Monty Brown.) This probably won't end until Henry gets the title back or he ends up on another brand. That's just fine, as Henry is entertaining in my book. (1/2*)

3 -- C.M. PUNK & EVAN BOURNE & RICKY ORTIZ & KOFI KINGSTON vs. THE MIZ & JOHN MORRISON & World tag team champions TED DIBIASE, JR. & CODY RHODES (w/Manu)

After a few moments in the ring, the babyfaces took control and got their shine as the heels recovered on the floor leading to yet another break.

Shockingly, they returned with the heels in control. Cody was working over Bourne in center ring after we saw what happened during the break when Manu intervened to give the heels the advantage. Striker repeated the point that these eight men are the future of the sport. I wonder if Sting is cringing right now. Heels continued to work over Bourne, as Striker interjected that Cody has been Cialis-like with his three-day effectiveness since Sunday. Wow. Crowd chanted loudly for Punk, but Bourne couldn't get that hot tag. Finally, Bourne hopped out of an ankle lock from Morrison and made the tag to Punk at 10:00.

Punk took on everyone, then the action broke down. Even Ricky got himself some on Cody before hitting a plancha onto the floor. Kofi then wanted to get high, as Grisham put it, with a frog splash to the outside on everyone. Striker could only chuckle. Punk followed in the ring with a bulldog on Morrison, but Manu distracted Punk. DiBiase then slingshot Punk across the top rope, setting up Morrison for the corkscrew neckbreaker finisher on Punk for the pin and the win. The show closed at the top of the hour with all five heels celebrating on the outside.

WINNERS: Team Morrison in 12:00. Fine, predictable match. Won't be remembered next week. Won't be remembered in an hour, but it provided some decent action to cap off a Tuesday night and get some young stars in a TV main event. (*1/2)

[Arcademan]

TNA Impact! Results: 10-9-08

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

1 -- RHINO vs. CUTE KIP JAMES (w/Angelina Love and Velvet Sky) -- No DQ match

Kip stalled on the outside, so Rhino took the fight to him to start things off. Rhino wanted to use a table early on, but Kip cut him off and went on the offensive. Beautiful Peeps became involved by choking Rhino on the bottom rope while Kip had the ref distracted. Announcers were so into the action that they just went on plugging the PPV instead of being outraged by the blatant interference creating an unfair playing field for Rhino. Kip then accepted the brown paper bag, but Rhino fought off Kip and started his comeback on Kip. Rhino with an inside-out clothesline, then he went to the floor and retrieved a table. Rhino landed a belly-to-belly suplex in center ring, then he wanted the Gore through the table, but Kip moved and Rhino stopped short. Angelina then hooked Rhino's legs and Velvet sprayed stuff in his eyes for a temporary blinding. Kip then speared Rhino through the table for the pin and the win.

Afterward, Velvet and Angelina tried to inflict more damage on Rhino, but ODB and Rhaka Khan made the save wielding chairs. Ladies bailed, leaving Kip to smile and duck out of the ring to fight another day.

WINNER: Kip in 5:00. Fine. Not memorable, but it advanced the storyline with the Beautiful Peeps in the knockouts main event picture. Just not the same intrigue as when Gail Kim is involved, but it's fine. (1/2*)

2 -- PETEY WILLIAMS vs. SONJAY DUTT (w/So Cal Val) vs. JAY LETHAL vs. CONSEQUENCES CREED -- #1 contender match to the X Division Title

Winner gets Bashir for the belt at the PPV. Glad to see such great build-up to an X Division Title match. Dutt wanted a kiss from Val early on, ya know, since they're still in the honeymoon phase, so Lethal dropkicked him in the face. Back in the ring, Dutt and Lethal battled until Petey gave Lethal the codebreaker. Lots of posing for the hard camera here. West jumped on that and said you can't delay in a four-way match with so much going on. Dutt and Petey decided to work together, but Dutt turned on Petey. Unfortunately, Petey had it scouted and he tossed Dutt to the outside. Lethal then clotheslined Petey and gave him an enziguiri for a nearfall at 3:00. It's worth noting that Dutt is awesome. Back to the action where Petey teased the Destroyer on several folks, but rapid-fire action ensued with men flying everywhere. Creed finally secured Dutt with a backslide for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Creed in 5:00. Really could have stretched that out to ten minutes, as they packed in a ton of moves into a little amount of time. Good action, though. (*1/2)

3 -- TNA tag team champions BEER MONEY, INC. (ROBERT ROODE & JAMES STORM w/Miss Jackie) vs. MATT MORGAN & ABYSS -- non-title match

West was great with a dry response that he's so excited to have Ray and Devon on commentary. Tenay asked Ray about Mongo being in the Monster's Ball match. He said he doesn't quite understand why Mongo is needed when there really is no order to be restored in the MB match. To the action where Roode and Storm cut the legs out from under Morgan to begin working on Morgan. Abyss then took a tag, but they did the ole spot where the ref didn't see the tag. They ran through the motions on that one, so it didn't build much heat for the eventual hot tag to Abyss at 4:00. Abyss did the Umaga running rear end splash on the opponents, before giving Storm the Torture Rack slam for a nearfall. Action broke down, then Morgan came flying off the top rope with a splash before landing a big boot on Roode. Abyss then grappled Storm and gave him the Black Hole Slam for the win. Ray went off to talk trash, then Devon vowed to pick up tag title reign no. 21 at the PPV.

WINNERS: Morgan & Abyss in 5:00. Morgan was impressive with the offense at the end. Pretty good build-up for Monster's Ball on Sunday. (*)

4 -- Knockouts champion TAYLOR WILDE & ROXXI vs. AWESOME KONG & RAISHA SAEED

Action broke down without any sense of rule or order, then Taylor and Roxxi knocked Kong to the outside. Saeed was left in the ring, but Wilde accidentally gave Roxxi an enziguiri kick when Saeed ducked. Kong then yanked Taylor to the outside. In the ring, Saeed slammed Roxxi and went up top, but Roxxi moved out of the way of a moonsault. Roxxi then kicked Saeed in the gut and wanted the Voodoo Drop, but Kong smashed her from behind. Kong then grappled Roxxi and smashed her with the implant buster for the easy pin and the win.

WINNERS: Kong & Saeed in 3:00. Fine to set up the three-way Knockouts Title match at the PPV, but not exactly reinforcing Roxxi as a viable threat here. (1/2*)

5 -- A.J. STYLES vs. BOOKER T -- Christian Cage as special referee

Back from break, Booker went to work on Styles. He kept working on Styles as Christian called things right down the middle. Styles then came back with the Pele soccer kick out of nowhere to begin his comeback. Styles with several clotheslines before landing a snap suplex for a two count. He then rolled into an armbar, but Booker got his feet on the ropes for a rope break. After a pause, they went to the finish and both men were secured in a small package pin. Christian called for the bell after the three count, but there was no clear winner. Booker thought he won, but Christian put his arm down and raised Styles's hand in victory.

After the decision, Booker tried to jump Christian, but he fought him and clotheslined Booker to the outside. Styles then tried to shake Christian's hand, but Christian clotheslined him hard to the mat. Cornette came storming out and screamed about nothing being resolved. "I wanted to settle everything tonight, but we didn't settle anything," he said. Welcome to TNA. Cornette then booked the inevitable: a three-way match at the PPV to settle it.

WINNER: Styles in 10:00. Just a TV match to fill some time and set up the PPV match. Definitely not memorable, but it was fine. (*1/2)