offical wwe thread

Ring of Honor TV Results: 11-9-09

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

1 - KEVIN STEEN & EL GENERICO vs. THE SUPER SMASH BROTHERS (PLAYER UNO & PLAYER DOS)

After a lucha style opening exchange between Generico and both Super Smash Brothers, Generico tagged in Steen who used his power to ground Player Dos at 1:00. Steen and Generico isolated Dos and worked him over in their corner with many of their trademark moves. At 4:00, Dos avoided a double-team chop with a Trish Stratus-style Matrix back bend, then impressively leaped to his feet and landed a double Pele kick on both Steen and Generico. This allowed Dos to reach his corner for the hot tag. Uno cleaned house and threw Steen to ringside, where Dos then nailed Steen with an incredible dive over the top rope to the floor.

In the ring, Generico teased a comeback against Uno but missed a running Yakuza kick. The Super Smash Brothers hit Generico with a wheelbarrow slam-lung blower double-team combination and Uno went for the pin, but Steen made it back into the ring for the save at 5:30. The Super Smash Brothers threw Steen back outside and tried to set up Generico for a double-team with Dos coming off the top rope, but Steen pulled Dos' leg to crotch him on the turnbuckle at 6:00. Steen and Generico neutralized Uno with a double-team spinning DDT-superkick combination, then isolated Dos and landed their package piledriver-brain buster combination finisher.

WINNERS: Steen & Generico in 7:00. A very good action-packed opener. The match was short but told a simple logical story that made sense for the time allotted. The work from all four wrestlers was excellent, particularly Player Dos, who shone in his television debut. Dos' smooth athleticism reminds me of Matt Sydal (WWE's Evan Bourne) when Sydal debuted in ROH five years ago.

2 - BOBBY DEMPSEY vs. CHRIS HERO (w/Shane Hagadorn)

Dempsey withstood some early strikes from Hero and took the advantage with a backdrop as Hero came off the ropes, forcing Hero to scurry from the ring at 1:00. Hagadorn jumped on the apron to distract Dempsey, allowing Hero to hit Dempsey with an elbow strike to the back of the head to take control of the match. Hero worked over Dempsey heel-style for a short while. Dempsey teased a babyface comeback at 2:30, but missed on a cannonball attempt in the corner at 3:00. Hero then quickly landed his rolling elbow finisher for the pin.

WINNER: Hero in 3:30. A decent squash match. Dempsey is still very green in the ring, but his size makes Hero seem impressive in beating him. Although the announcers acknowledged that Hero and Dempsey were "once part of the same stable", there was not enough acknowledgement of Hero and Dempsey's history in Sweet and Sour Inc. during ROH's pre-HDNet history. That history deserved better than this squash match.

3 - "SKULLKRUSHER" RASCHE BROWN vs. SAL RINAURO

Brown is a big scary-looking guy. Rinauro used his quickness to dodge a strike attempt early in the match, but Brown eventually caught him. He held Rinauro over his head in a military press for an impressively long time, then landed a torture rack-burning hammer combination for the easy pin.

WINNER: Brown in 1:00. A good dominating debut for Brown as a new monster heel.

4 - ROH tag team champions THE AMERICAN WOLVES (DAVEY RICHARDS & EDDIE EDWARDS with Shane Hagadorn) vs. "AMERICAN DRAGON" BRYAN DANIELSON & RODERICK STRONG -- non-title match

Danielson's generic TV entrance music is finally starting to grow on me just as he is leaving ROH. The fans greeted Danielson with a "Thank you, Dragon" chant.

Danielson and Richards started off the match with a great exchange of chain wrestling and mat wrestling with neither getting a sustained advantage. At 2:00, they each tagged in their partners. Strong gained the advantage on Edwards and dragged him into his corner, where Strong and Danielson worked over Edwards for a while. The Wolves reversed the momentum at 4:00 when Richards illegally hit Danielson with a high kick from the apron. Richards then hit Strong with a spinning DDT from the apron to the floor, leaving Danielson alone in the ring with Strong out of commission on the outside. The heels then beat down Danielson for a few minutes.

At 8:00, Richards went for a springboard back elbow on Danielson, but Danielson cut it off with a standing dropkick. This allowed Danielson to reach Strong for the hot tag. Strong unleashed some of his trademark offence on Richards and got some near falls, but Richards slowed Strong with a head butt and tagged out to Edwards at 9:30. Edwards and Strong had an even-steven strike exchange until Richards intervened with a missile drop kick from the top rope, enabling Edwards to get a near fall on Strong. Danielson tried to come to Strong's aid but Richards caught Danielson from behind with a Texas cloverleaf. Meanwhile, Edwards locked in his half crab submission on Strong, but Strong made it to the ropes to force a break at 10:30.

Danielson and Richards fought to the outside while Strong and Edwards continued to exchange strikes and counters in the ring. Danielson made it back to the ring and he and Strong hit a Hart Attack clothesline on Edwards at 11:30. Strong then locked in the Stronghold on Edwards. Richards tried to break it up, but Danielson caught him from behind with a sleeper. Strong converted the Stronghold into a leverage pin attempt for a near fall at 12:00. Richards broke free from Danielson and all four men began exchanging hard strikes in the ring until all four were laid out at 12:30. The crowd was red hot at this point.

Danielson and Richards were the first two to their feet and fought back to the outside. Next Strong and Richards got to their feet and began exchanging forearms. The crowd cheered each of Strong's strikes and booed each of Edwards'. Edwards got the better of the exchange and landed a backpack chinbreaker for a near fall at 14:00. The Wolves tried to set up Strong for a Doomsday Device, but Danielson caught Richards on the top rope and knocked him to the floor. Danielson then hit Edwards with a missile drop kick from the top, then dove through the ropes onto Richards on the floor at 15:00. Strong nailed Edwards with a series of hard-hitting strikes and power moves but Edwards kicked out of repeated near falls.

Back outside, Richards grabbed one of the tag team title belts and used it to lay out Danielson. Then Richards brought the belt into the ring, but the referee grabbed it from him. While the referee's back was turned, Richards hit Strong with a low blow. This allowed the Wolves to hit a powerbomb-lung blower double-team for a near fall at 16:30. Edwards then locked in the half crab and Strong was forced to tap.

WINNERS: The American Wolves by submission in 16:30. An excellent hard-hitting tag match. Other than the tainted finish, this was an outstanding showcase of top notch tag team wrestling.

Arcademan said:

it's difficult to buy into this turning into anything of substance since WWE doesn't have a track record of establishing important mid-card programs.

Click to expand...

This is all wrong. WWE have been establishing good mid-cards for some time now. Paul Bruchill feud with the Hurricane is giving Paul the creditability he desperately needs. Drew's feud with R-Truth was good while it last. It put Drew on immediate notice. Morrison current feud with Ziggler has been entertaining thus far. Raw can't book a mid-card feud but the other brands sure can.

ECW on SyFy Results: 11-10-09

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

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

Burchill worked heel despite being in his home country. Crowd didn't appreciate Burchill's heel work on the popular Goldust. Announcers talked up Burchill vs. Helms on next week's ECW as Goldust fired up with a comeback including the drop-down uppercut and a series of clothesline. At 4:00, Hurricane Helms's music hit and he started running around the ring to distract Burchill. Burchill then walked into the Final Cut suplex from Goldust to give Goldy the win. On the outside, Helms smiled and mocked Burchill in the Bart Simpson era of babyfaces acting like heels. "Next week!" Burchill shouted.

WINNER: Goldust in 5:00. Slow, plodding, methodical match. Announcers did a fine job of building up Helms vs. Burchill on next week's show. (1/2*)

2 -- VANCE ARCHER vs. JASON BLACKWELL

Vance is intense. That's the marketing. Vance opened with a round of hard clothesline, then Jason fired off a right hand that drew a quick cheer from the crowd. Archer looked around the crowd mockingly looking for approval, then he smirked and finished off JB with his finisher for the win. Post-match: Vance stared a hole into the hard camera with a sideways "intense" look. No reaction for Vance from the crowd, though, as WWE is slowly establishing who Vance is.

WINNER: Vance in 2:00. Squash to keep building up young Archer. Just fine. (n/a)

3 -- ECW champion CHRISTIAN vs. WILLIAM REGAL -- ECW Title match

I liked Saxton's early commentary suggesting Christian was given a rough time in England going through customs at the airport and checking into his hotel, suggesting a stacked deck against Christian in Regal's home country. After an early feeling out process, the show faded to commercial with the wrestlers standing off across the ring from each other.

Back from break, Christian was the aggressor with a flurry of offense before going up top and being crotched up top by Regal. Both men battled up top for a few moments before Regal executed a double underhook suplex from the top that took the life out of both men. And back to another commercial break. Enter sarcasm - should have just stuck a commercial break in the middle of Archer's match.

Back from break, Regal tried stretching out Christian on the mat to make him tap out, but Christian fought back after avoiding several pin and submission attempts. Christian then went up top, but Regal shoved him off the top rope to the floor. Ref began a ten count, but Christian re-entered the ring and punched Regal on the apron before landing a missile dropkick.

Christian made his full comeback at the top of the hour and scored a close nearfall following another missile dropkick. Christian warmed up the Killswitch, but Regal avoided and tried the Knee Trembler, only to have Christian avoid it. Regal then hit a lighter knee strike and Christian kicked out. Christian tried to come back with the Killswitch, but Regal countered with the Regal Stretch. Christian teased reaching for the bottom rope while also teasing tapping out, then Christian elbowed out of Regal's hold. Christian then came back with a running dropkick and went to the second rope sucking air to land a leaping European Uppercut. Christian wanted the Killswitch again, but Regal countered with a rolling t-bone suplex. Regal then measured Christian for the Knee Trembler, but Christian moved, kicked Regal in the chest, and nailed the Killswitch in center ring for the pin and the win. After the announcers recapped how it all went down, Christian celebrated with the belt to close the show.

WINNER: Christian in 24:00 to retain the ECW Title. Good TV match. Match didn't move out of second gear and wasn't as exciting as Christian vs. Yoshi two weeks ago, but this was still a good, fundamentally sound wrestling match with two real pros in the ring. Christian is being built up as a very strong ECW champ after running through all of the potential contenders.

And yes, that was the WWE promoting Hulk Hogan's upcoming DVD set during ECW last night. After all, they invested lots of time and money into it and its advertisement. If Vince McMahon had a choice, most likely he'd had pulled it but from a financial point, not a good idea.

WWE Superstars Results: 11-12-09

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

1 -- MATT HARDY vs. D.H. SMITH (w/Tyson Kidd and Natalya)

Hardy and Smith started with a few basic mat exchanges. Smith then shot Hardy off to the ropes and Hardy stopped short to stare down at Natalya, who provided a brief distraction to give Smith the advantage. Announcers plugged Jericho vs. The Undertaker on Smackdown tomorrow night as Smith sat down on a chinlock. The match then moved up top and Hardy landed a superplex going to the break.

Back from break, Smith was working over Hardy, who took a beating for a while. Hardy then made his comeback, teased the Twist of Fate, but hit the side effect for a close nearfall. With the match in peril for Smith, Kidd hopped on the ring apron. Hardy ran Kidd off the apron, but the ref ran off Kidd and Natalya after Smith regained the advantage by smashing Hardy with a big boot to the face. Striker complained that Tyson Kidd has "procured" a manager's license, so he has every right to be ringside. Suddenly from behind, Hardy rolled up Smith with a small package to score the pin and the win. Post-match: Kidd and Natalya ran back into the ring and ran off Hardy, who celebrated on the outside. Grisham talked about Smith dominating most of the match for Smith to save face.

WINNER: Hardy in 13:00. Good finish to a solid match. With ROH and Davey Richards's new Evolve promotion focusing on standings and win/loss records, respectively, it would be nice if this match had an added "sports feel" where wins and losses count for future U.S. or World Title shots down the line. Just something to give this match a little extra juice that the announcers could play up. I beleive that's what's missing if WWE is going to advance the product into the next decade if they're going to continue presenting TV with the same look and feel from the Attitude era. (**)

2 -- ZACK RYDER (w/Rosa Mendes) vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN

Ryder started off aggressively, but Shelton matched his intensity with a take-down into mounted right hand blows. Ryder came back with an aggressive attack, which drew Rosa's approval. More shots of Rosa ringside than the men in the ring, thus far. Announcers broke it down to the common denominator for the kids at home that Ryder is like the "rough kid" in school who draws the interest of women. Didn't Dolph Ziggler just have that "James Dean" storyline with Maria? Shelton made a comeback at 4:00 and cleaned house, which drew Rosa's concern. At least she's decent with facial expressions telling a story. Both men then flipped over the top rope together and landed hard on the floor. Rosa got up to take a look at her man, who ate the guardrail. Rosa checked on Ryder, who smiled, but lost track of the ten count being applied by the ref. Ryder apparently went into fantasy land and was counted out. He suddenly snapped to attention and slipped back into the ring, only to take the Pay Dirt from Shelton. Rosa could only put her hands over her mouth in shock that Ryder had another rough night at the office.

WINNER: Shelton via count-out in 5:00. Seems like the basic, male-driven, chauvinistic storyline in wrestling that women are distractions from success and cloud the judgment of Average Joe wrestler. The storyline also seems like a message to the locker room, especially based on Jim Ross's takes on his blog about many of the male wrestlers being "in lust" rather than "in love" with many of their female counterparts. Match was fine, but not memorable. (*)

3 -- MVP (w/Mark Henry) vs. TED DiBiase, JR. (w/Cody Rhodes)

Jerry Lawler gave us a plug for Survivor Series that his favorite match was him vs. Doink and the mini-clowns. That would be Survivor Series '94 with Lawler, Cheesy, Queasy, and Sleazy against Doink, Dink, Pink, and Wink. Cole started busting up with laughter at the mere thought of this. Of note, there were only five matches on that PPV card. Watch this segue. "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase led the "Million Dollar Team" in the semi-main event of the PPV. ... MDM's son and MVP had an even start to this match tonight on Superstars. MVP then knocked DiBiase to the floor going to break.

Back from break, Lawler said he passed Legacy in the hallway earlier today and they couldn't stop from laughing at MVP not faring too well on "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" DiBiase surmised MVP is stupid, according to Lawler. ... Action moved to the floor where DiBiase rammed MVP shoulder-first into the ringpost, then dragged him back into the ring for a pin and a two count. Match went into the basic formula machine with MVP teasing a comeback, only to have DiBiase cut him off and go back to working the shoulder. Cody then rammed the shoulder into the post behind the ref's back. Another pin attempt by DiBiase, but only a two count. MVP then shrugged off DiBiase and made another comeback. MVP sold pain in the shoulder with each right hand blow before landing a running chinbreaker using his knee.

MVP then set up the Ballin' elbow drop and connected. He wanted the Playmaker, but DiBiase spun out and kicked MVP in the gut. MVP shook it off, though, and nailed his running boot to the face for a two count. Cody then hopped on the apron, but Henry did his job by dropping Cody on the floor. Back in the ring, DiBiase tried his Dream Street finisher, but MVP countered with a small package to score the pin and the win. Afterward, MVP and Henry celebrated in the ring while DiBiase and Cody angrily walked around ringside. Superstars closed with MVP and Henry standing tall in the ring to send 'em home happy.

WINNER: MVP in 14:00. Solid, formula singles main event. Nothing spectacular or flashy, but the announcers were able to get across the key points for the Survivor Series match-up between Team Kofi and Team Orton. (**)

TNA Impact! Results: 11-12-09

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

(1) ABYSS vs. DR. STEVIE (w/DAFFNEY)

If Abyss pins Dr. Stevie, Dr. Stevie is gone from TNA. Abyss hits a Big Boot for a two count, then a quick roll-up for another two. He takes Dr. Stevie up for a Shock Treatment, but Dr. Stevie slips out and clips his legs. Dr. Stevie starts working Abyss's knee, hits a Leg Drop, then follows up with an Elbow Drop that barely gets two. A Superkick gets a more respectable two count. Dr. Stevie pounds on Abyss, but takes too long trash talking and gets goozled. He slips out and comes off the ropes, right into a Black Hole Slam for 1…2…lights out? The lights are out for a few seconds, and when they come back on Abyss is laying. Dr. Stevie rolls into the cover for the win.

WINNER: Dr. Stevie in 3 minutes.

(2) ALISSA FLASH vs. TRACI BROOKS

Traci shoves Flash to start, and they lock up. The crowd is behind Flash, who forces Traci into the corner and chokes her with her boot. Traci tries to create some distance, but Alissa hits her and connects with a couple of arm wrenches to what we're told is a handicapped right arm. A Shoulder Breaker to the right arm gets two. Flash hits a Flatliner, bangs the arm a bit, then locks in an arm bar that looks like a Crossface without the crossface, if that makes sense. Traci taps.

Winner: Alissa Flash in 2 minutes.

(3) JAY LETHAL vs. JIM "THE ANVIL" NEIDHART

Neidhart hits a big right hand, followed by a Back Body Drop. Lethal dodges a charge in the corner and comes back with a Double Sledge off the top rope. The crowd is going nuts for The Anvil. Neidhart gets up and Lethal works some jabs. When Lethal comes off the ropes he runs right into a clothesline. Somehow Lethal gets up first and leaps to the outside with for a Guillotine Choke. Lethal hits a running back elbow, but whiffs on a second and walks right into a Power Slam for the kill. That didn't take long.

WINNER: Jim Neidhart in 2 minutes. I'm not sure where they're going with this booking, but as long as it's anything other than an outright burying of Lethal, he could probably use some new material.

(4) THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE & AWESOME KONG vs. TAYLOR WILDE, SARITA, ODB, & TARA (w/POISON)

Tara and Rayne lock up to start. Tara shoves Rayne to the mat, hits a gut wrench, then cinches in a front face lock with a bridge. Wilde tags in and enters the ring with a Double Sledge off the top rope onto Rayne. She works some arm wrenches and then tags in Sarita. Wilde hits an Oklahoma Roll, then helps out Sarita with an Assisted Moonsault. Von Erich tags in. She hits a boot to Sarita's abdomen and then a big club to the back.

Sarita is still isolated in the ring. She creates some distance from Sky with a dropkick, and both Rayne and ODB tag in. ODB tosses Sky and Rayne into opposite corners, charges them both, hits the Bronco Buster on Sky and a Fall Away Slam on Rayne. Von Erich comes into the ring and clotheslines ODB, so Tara comes into the ring to take her out. Tara stupidly jumps over to Kong's corner, where she gets whacked. Kong tags in, as does Taylor Wilde on the other side of the ring. Wilde goes for a running shoulder block, but just bounces off. Kong attempts an Awesome Bomb, but Taylor slips out. Taylor tries to kick Kong's legs out, but gets caught with the Implant Buster for the loss. Taz says she doesn't qualify "in the implant category"—I don't know if that was intended as a compliment or an insult.

WINNER: The Beautiful People and Awesome Kong in 8 minutes. This might have been good—it's hard to tell with the gaping commercial in the middle. After the match, Rayne and Sky keep Von Erich from stupidly hugging Awesome Kong.

(5) THE MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS & AMAZING RED (w/DON WEST) vs. WORLD ELITE (KIYOSHI, BASHIR, & HERNANDEZ)

Homicide brings something wrapped in a flag to the commentary table, which he claims is a bouquet for his girlfriend. The heels jump the bell to start. Shelley forces back Homicide with a kick, but eats a spinning back elbow. Bashir tags in and chokes Shelley in the corner. A Neck Breaker gets two. Kiyoshi tags in and trades open-handed chops with Shelley. Shelley gains the advantage, so Kiyoshi takes him down with a throat thrust. Kiyoshi gets Shelley with a sitting dropkick, but Sabin quickly breaks up the cover. Shelley goes to the wrong corner, but is able to pop Bashir and Homicide. Homicide takes the opportunity to retrieve his object from the commentary booth, which turns out to be the barbed wire wrapped baseball bat he apparently stole from Foley's office earlier. Security guards stop him on his way back to the ring. Bashir tags into the match. He shoots Kiyoshi off towards Shelley in the corner, but Shelley Back Body Drops him out to the apron, kicks him off, then Flatliners Bashir into the middle turnbuckle. Kiyoshi tries to cut off the tag, but Shelley kicks him off and connects with Red. Red comes into the ring with a Double Dropkick off the top rope onto both opponents. He takes both men down with Spinning Wheel Kicks, rolls over the back of Kiyoshi with a kick onto Bashir, then floors Kiyoshi with some type of crazy Tilt-a-Whirl Tornado DDT. Sabin tags himself in, so Red goes to the outside to take out Bashir with a Corkscrew Tope. In the ring, Sabin and Shelley squish Bashir, then Shelley tags in for a double team Neck Breaker/Top Rope Splash for three.

WINNERS: Amazing Red & The Motor City Machine Guns. He is, in fact, amazing.

(6) THE BRITISH INVASION vs. BEER MONEY, INC.

Roode takes Williams down with a shoulder block to start, then a Flying Clothesline. He knocks Williams out of the ring, and Storm comes in to take out an interfering Magnus. Williams starts to walk away, but Magnus points out that they actually have to win this match. Rob Terry comes down with a chair, but Magnus points out that a DQ doesn't do them any more good. He goes to the ring and trips Roode from ringside. Williams takes advantage with a back elbow, then tags in Magnus. He stomps Roode and chokes him a bit. Williams tags in, and they hit their double team Union Jack and patented handshake. A cover barely gets two. Williams drives his knee into Roode's back. Roode powers to his feet, but Williams yanks him down by the hair. Magnus tags in, but when he shoots Williams off into Roode Roode gets his boots up. He stalls Magnus with an elbow, then comes off the top rope with a double float-over Neck Breaker. He makes the leaping tag to Storm, who comes in with right hands. He gets a Triple H-like Facebuster on Magnus, then gets an interfering Williams with a Bulldog. He lifts Magnus out to the apron and catches him on his way back with a Lifting DDT. Williams tries to break up the ensuing cover with a Knee Drop, but Storm dodges. Roode comes in to help with a Beer Money Suplex on Williams. Magnus gets up into an Inverted Atomic Drop from Roode and a double team clothesline/Back Stabber for a long two count. Roode gets a chair and puts it in the ring. Magnus grabs it and is about to swing, when Doug Williams talks him down. While they argue, Beer Money shove them together. They crack heads, and Beer Money polish off Magnus with the DWI.

WINNERS: Beer Money Inc. in five minutes.

(7) AJ STYLES vs. SAMOA JOE

We're starting at 10:56. Joe gives AJ the run-around, weaving in and out of the ring. He tries to catch AJ on his way in, but AJ leap frogs him and connects with the high dropkick. Joe grabs his tights and yanks him into the bottom turnbuckle. He stomps AJ a bit then goes for the Face Wash—I'm not sure he's done that for years. Joe connects with a Power Bomb, and when AJ tries to kick out Joe transitions into an STF. He then transitions into a Cross Face, but AJ makes it to the ropes. Joe waits for AJ to get up, then works some punches. AJ suddenly ducks one and comes back with punches and chops of his own. He looks for his leap-over Inverted DDT, but Joe dodges and connects with a Decapitator Clothesline for two. Joe goes for another Power Bomb, but AJ slips out and hits a Spinning Heel Kick. He wants the Styles Clash, but Joe tosses him off. Joe goes for another clothesline, but AJ ducks and connects with a Pele. AJ goes to the top rope, when Daniels runs down and jumps up onto the apron. AJ slips off the top rope and asks Daniels what he's doing. Daniels says he's here to watch AJ's back, but AJ tells him to leave. They argue, as Joe smirks in the background. AJ slugs Daniels off the apron, but by now Joe is behind him and locks in the Kokido Clutch. AJ passes out, and the ref calls for the bell. Daniels has a slight grin as he walks out.

WINNER: Samoa Joe in five minutes.

WWE Smackdown Results: 11-13-09

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

1- C.M PUNK vs. R-TRUTH

Prior to the match, Truth filed a complaint (an informal one, likely) before the match about Punk not being a real man. He said the fans came for action, not to see Punk preach. Once the bell rang, Truth went on offense. Punk got him up early for a Go To Sleep, but Truth got down and hit a kick to the face. Truth back-dropped Punk over the top rope and to the floor a little over a minute in. They took a break at this point.

Truth went to the top rope, but Punk kicked him at the ankle, sending Truth spilling to the mat inside the ring. Punk controlled the match for the next few minutes after that. Truth began to make his comeback- weird to watch this match with very little crowd reaction. Scissors kick missed for Truth, and Punk signaled that it was time to go to sleep. He got Truth up, but Truth attempted a roll-up counter. Punk instead sat down and grabbed the middle rope for leverage, the ref not seeing it, and counting to three.

WINNER: Punk, at 9:15. Just a few months ago, Punk was World Champion. Now, he’s beating R-Truth by cheating. I’m assuming this demotion down the card won’t last for long.

2- MICKIE JAMES vs. NATALYA

Natalya got no entrance. Natalya with a double-leg take-down and a “yeah, baby!” Striker evened mentioned Jim Neidhart, one night after he appeared on TNA Impact (even though the commentary is taped). Natalya lured Mickie to the outside, and shoved her into the ring steps. Surfboard applied by the daughter of the Anvil. She kicked away at Mickie in the corner, but Mickie fought back. Hurricanrana out of the corner by James, then a clothesline. Natalya threw Mickie out of the ring to stop her momentum, but not for long. Top rope Thesz Press for two as Michelle and Layla came to the ring, showing off some of Mickie’s clothing that they presumably stole from her locker room. The ladies took scissors to Mickie’s garments to distract her. Natalya snuck up behind Mickie and clotheslined her from behind. Sharpshooter finished Mickie off.

WINNER: Natalya, at 3:52. A different women’s match than you’ll see on Raw, and a good win for Natalya.

3- DREW MCINTYRE vs. FINLAY

Elbow to the nose right off the bat by Finlay. Clubbering European uppercuts followed that. McIntyre came back with a kick to the chest that sent Finlay to the outside. Striker made up the story that Vince McMahon met McIntyre at a golf tournament in Ayr, Scotland, and was impressed enough to sign him and bring him to Smackdown. I can’t imagine Vince ever golfing. The two continued to brawl inside and out of the ring. They didn’t adhere to the referee’s orders, and he rang the bell, throwing the match out. It was about 10-15 seconds after the bell rang that the announcers actually spoke and referenced the bell ringing, which was kind of weird.

WINNER: Double disqualification, at 2:16. A straight brawl to further this feud.

After the match, McIntyre came back for more, hitting Finlay in the chest with the Shillelagh a second time (first time was in the head, right after the match was thrown out).

4- DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. JOHN MORRISON- INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Ziggler played the cowardly heel early on. Striker noted that the I.C. Title has changed hands there times in the United Kingdom. Flapjack followed by a legdrop from Morrison for two. The champ went to the top, but Ziggler tripped him up. He rolled up Morrison for two, then went for a gut-buster, which got two. They went to break about 2:00 in.

Ziggler had what appeared to be a waist-lock with a bridge applied on Morrison. He tripped Morrison up charging into the corner, causing Morrison to nearly land on his head. He continued working on the mid-section of Morrison, dropping numerous elbows for a near-fall. They did the yeah-boo punches in the middle of the ring, and Morrison cracked Ziggler in the head with a flying forearm. Leg lariat for two. Face-buster by Ziggler, as he dodged the Moonlight Drive. Morrison lined Ziggler up for Starship Pain, but Ziggler tried to go for a roll-up with his feet on the ropes. Ref saw it and as Ziggler complained to the ref, Morrison landed the Flying Chuck kick for two. From the top, both men went spiraling down outside the ring, Morrison seeming to take the brunt of it against the railing. It must’ve knocked both men a bit wonky, as neither man even moved by the time the referee’s count made it to ten.

WINNER: Double count-out, at 11:37. Solid match, but I’m going to start calling Ziggler “Lex Luger.” Not sure what stopped them from booking the title change here. And how ‘bout a DDQ and a DCO in the same show?

5- BETH PHOENIX vs. LISA TAYLOR

Forearm shots to the face by Phoenix, followed by a shoulder-breaker. She put Taylor in the Tree of Woe in the corner. Neck-breaker out of it in a nice-looking spot. Glam Slam was next, and last.

WINNER: Phoenix, at 1:25. Effective squash.

6- CHRIS JERICHO vs. THE UNDERTAKER

Jericho suckered Taker into the corner and worked him over. But then Taker did the same, except he put Jericho in the corner a tad more physically. Taker then clotheslined Jericho over the top rope and to the arena floor. Striker quoted Hall-of-Famer Buddy Rogers talking about the World Heavyweight Championship. Legdrop with Jericho draped over the apron, vintage Undertaker there. Back in the ring, the (alleged) Dead Man worked the left arm of Jericho as Chris hollered at the ref to make Taker give him some room. Old School time, but Jericho climbed up and pulled Taker down with the arm. They went to break 2:40 into the contest.

Jericho was slugging Taker in the head out of break, seemingly keeping the big man grounded. Middle-rope dropkick by Jericho for a two-count. After a quick chin-lock, Jericho kicked Taker out of the ring, then celebrated with a simple raise of the arm in the ring to draw some heel heat. Into the barriers went Taker courtesy of the former Y2J. Back in the ring, Jericho choked Taker on the middle rope. Jericho tried to trade soup-bones toe-to-toe with Taker, a battle he wasn’t going to win. Taker is, after all, the best pure striker in the game today. Snake Eyes for Jericho, but he dropkicked Taker as he was going for the big boot. A minute later, Undertaker successfully connected on the boot. But he missed one in the corner and crotched himself on the top rope. Taker picked Jericho up out of the corner for the Last Ride, but Jericho got out and hit the Codebreaker on Taker. He was slow to react though and only got two on a pin attempt. It appeared that Jericho was going for a Tombstone on Undertaker, who reversed it into one of his own. Jericho got out and landed a Lionsault. As Jericho sat up, Taker did too and grabbed Jericho by the throat. Counter by Jericho into a Walls of Jericho attempt. He did lock it in. After some struggling, Taker countered by grabbing Jericho and putting him in the Hell’s Gate. Jericho tried once to get to the rope but when he couldn’t, he tapped out.

WINNER: Taker, at 14:00. Not sure what this accomplished- were they looking to pop a rating for a show that ratings generally don’t matter as much as Raw? Why else would they give away a match between Taker and Jericho, first-time ever, with nothing at stake and on free TV?

TNA Turning Point PPV Results: 11-15-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to complete ongoing results).

1 -- X Division champion AMAZING RED (w/Don West) vs. HOMICIDE -- X Division Title match

Homicide chased West around the ring early on. What happened to the good old days of Homicide doing his suicide dive and smacking fists with West at the announce table? Red saved West from an intimidation, then the action moved into the ring for Homicide to blast Red with an inside-out clothesline. West continued to yell encouragement from ringside as Homicide worked over Red. Very distracting. Homicide, of note, played a great heel working over Red to get himself over. Red made a comeback at 6:00 with a DDT out of the corner for a two count. Also of note, too many close-ups of "promoter" Don West's wardrobe selection tonight. Homicide came back with a series of kicks and sit-out bomb for a two count. Homicide teased the Gringo Killer, but Red countered with a...move. He followed with a running shooting star press for a two count. Red tried to follow with a top-rope moonsault, but Homicide turned it into a Cutter for a two count. Match moved up top and Red blocked a huracanrana. He followed with Code Red off the top for the pin and the win. Afterward, Coach West talked up his little leaguer on the victory. Way to run out that groundball, son! Let's go get ice cream. Came across very condescending.

WINNER: Amazing Red in 10:00. Very nice opener, but there were too many distractions - Don West talking, Don West's wardrobe, the Impact Zone trying to get themselves over. Just need to let the guys do their thing in the ring. (**1/2)

TNA Turning Point PPV Results: 11-15-09

2 -- Knockout champion ODB & Knockout tag champions TAYLOR WILDE & SARITA vs. BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (VELVET SKY & MADISON RAYNE & LACEY VON ERICH) -- TNA Knockouts & TNA Knockout Tag Titles match

It was difficult to tell if this was a competitive women's wrestling match or something off a Wrestlicious show early on with Velvet positioning herself suggestively throughout the early portion of the match. Combine the name of the company being TNA with the Beautiful People act and it's easy to see why Hulk Hogan is concerned TNA can't pull in major advertisers. The BP worked over Sarita for some time, as the announcers drew attention to some not-fans of Lacey in the Impact Zone. Easy target with a less-than-impressive TNA debut thus far. At the end, ODB took the hot tag and cleaned house before scoring the pin on Madison Rayne for the win. Post-match: Madison sold shock that she lost the match for her team. The champs celebrated on the outside while the BPs gathered themselves in the ring.

WINNERS: ODB & Sarita & Wilde in 7:00. Fine showing at times, but overall not a memorable outing from a wrestling perspective. Too much T&A for this match to be taken seriously and Lacey for Angelina Love is a poor trade for the top heel group in the division. (*)

TNA Turning Point PPV Results: 11-15-09

3 -- TNA tag champions BRITISH INVASION (DOUG WILLIAMS & BRUTUS MAGNUS) vs. BEER MONEY (ROBERT ROODE & JAMES STORM) vs. MOTOR CITY MACHINEGUNS (ALEX SHELLEY & CHRIS SABIN) -- TNA tag title match

Tag champs started on the outside with first pin winning the titles. Very fast start with Beer Money going against the Guns. BI showed smart strategy in the context of trying to win a match by letting the babyface teams wear each other out before going to work on Sabin. Sabin then kicked Brutus in the face with a kick, which turned the tide against the Brits. They eventually took the Beer Money spot where they ram one heel's head into his tag partner's crotch to get a cheap reaction from the crowd. Sabin then tried to splash Doug on the floor, but Doug moved and Sabin ate the padding. Action had completely broken down into a Texas Tornado-style match at this point. More spots. Guys doing spots. Crowd quietly waiting for the next spot. Suddenly, Eric Young came to ringside in a suit and yanked Storm off the apron to the floor. Back in the ring, Roode had a handful of trunks for a pin attempt, but Brutus kicked out.

At 10:00, Storm stalked Young up the ramp, but Kevin Nash suddenly showed up on the entrance ramp and yanked the Global Title belt away from Young. Nash then suddenly smashed Storm from behind with the title belt. Young sold shock as Nash just walked away with the title belt. Back in the ring, Roode was looking for a tag, but Storm was KO'ed. Brits then hit a double-team clothesline move on Roode for the pin and the win. After a recap, of the match Taz said "Nash went into business for himself." What context does that have in the storyline?

WINNERS: British Invasion in 12:00. And Beer Money being shut out of the tag titles continues. Nash's re-appearance, KO on Storm, and title belt theft became the story of the match. As for the match, there were plenty of spots and guys did a lot of stuff, but it amounted to filler, as the finish was the result of outside interference and not the product of any of the in-ring work leading to the finish. (*1/2)

TNA Turning Point PPV Results: 11-15-09

4 -- TARA vs. AWESOME KONG -- Steel cage match

Tara tried to climb the walls Spiderman-style early on, but Kong yanked her down to the mat and started climbing herself. Tara had other ideas and yanked Kong down onto the top turnbuckle for a hard landing. Kong made a quick comeback, but Tara answered her with a kick strike. Kong sold being knocked silly for a bit, but then both women started climbing the cage before crotching each other on the top rope. Tara then won the exchange with a sunset flip powerbomb out of the corner. She had a chance to climb out, but opted to climb all the way to the top of the cage to land a big splash in a big moment for the pin and the win.

Post-match: Lauren caught up with Tara outside of the ring to get a celebratory word or two from Tara, who celebrated with her tarantula. Good follow-up on the victory with the announcers suggesting Tara is now the dominant woman in the Knockouts division.

WINNER: Tara in 8:00. Solid, very good Knockouts match featuring two of the top women in the company. Right finish with a big spot actually leading to the finish. Well done. (**1/4)

TNA Turning Point PPV Results: 11-15-09

5 -- RHINO & IWGP tag champions TEAM 3D (BROTHER RAY & BROTHER DEVON) vs. D'ANGELO DINERO & HERNANDEZ & MATT MORGAN

The bell sounded and Taz talked about the glory days with Team 3D in ECW. Taz is turning into Larry Zbyszko on WCW TV talking about "the glory days." Brother Ray and Dinero had an early exchange after Ray tore up some of the Dinero Bucks that fell from the ceiling. Ray then ran out of the ring to stomp around ringside upset with being shown up by Dinero. Ray then re-entered the ring and started his Dusty Rhodes bionic elbow smashes before Dinero knocked him to the outside. Dinero followed with a dive and got some camera time with the fans on the front row. Audience reaction was typical TNA with folks split on cheering and booing Dinero, reflecting the audience just picking their favorites since the storylines change every week. The action returned to the ring with Morgan and Rhino battling before the action broke down into a six-way brawl. Suddenly, Dinero "took a bullet" for Hernandez to take a beating for Team 3D, which the announcers sold with confusion. Rhino and 3D began working over Dinero to isolate him in their corner. In the middle of the beating, Ray dropped an elbow on Dinero on the floor, then got in the camera and shouted that he's a bigger pimp than Dinero is. Okaay.

At 10:00, Dinero finally made his way to Morgan for a hot tag. Morgan cleaned house, then Devon dropped down to the floor to avoid contact from Matt. Morgan then landed rapid-fire elbow strikes in the corner before bringing in Hernandez, who cleaned house. Hernandez gave Ray a lift-up chokeslam before dropping Rhino for a two count. Heels regrouped on the outside, then Hernandez came flying over the top with a big splash onto all three. Back in the ring, Hernandez landed a top rope splash on Rhino for a two count. Action broke down again before Morgan chokeslammed Ray. Rhino then dumped Morgan to the floor when Morgan did too much celebrating. Rhino did too much celebrating and Dinero kinda powerbombed Rhino. Meanwhile, Hernandez dropped an elbow on Rhino for a two count. Burke then called for the Pope Express, but Ray yanked him down and yanked him crotch-first into the ringpost. Devon then entered the ring with a char to smash Hernandez in the gut behind the ref's back leading to Rhino landing the Gore on Hernandez for the win.

WINNERS: Rhino & Team 3D in 14:00. Good tag match. Lots of action, heels played their part well, and Rhino was given a considerable boost taking the win. Hernandez had enough offense to not lose much because no one will remember he took the fall in this match. The heels winning via cheat-to-win tactics was expected in this match and TNA hasn't featured too many tricks and gadgets thus far to where the finish didn't take away from the match. (**3/4)

TNA Turning Point PPV Results: 11-15-09

6 -- BOBBY LASHLEY vs. SCOTT STEINER -- No DQ, Falls Count Anywhere match

Lashley came to the ring second and Steiner met him on the floor to begin the brawl on the outside. Lashley then chucked Steiner into the ring as the announcers talked about Steiner "crossing the line" with Lashley's wife. Lashley had enough in the ring and clotheslined Steiner over the top rope to the floor. Steiner took a shortcut and landed successive kicks to the groin leading to a nearfall on the outside. Steiner followed with a chair across the back before tossing Lashley back into the ring. He landed a belly-to-belly suplex before executing an overhead suplex and another. Steiner took Lashley up top at 6:00 for the Frankensteiner, which he kinda executed and popped the crowd, which is at that point of cheering their favorites and not buying into the storylines, which change from week-to-week. Steiner then went up top, but Lashley popped up to his feet and press-slammed Steiner stomach-first across the top rope.

The match moved to the outside again and Lashley love-tapped Steiner with a chair shot to the shoulder/back area. The match moved backstage into a dark hallway without much lighting. Lashley was shown walking around before they cut to a wideshot of the Impact Zone. A camera caught up to Lashley and Steiner, who was now bleeding from the forehead. They arrived at the TV production area backstage before Lashley suplexed Steiner across a gimmicked catering table. Taz started cracking jokes as the "intense action from this personal feud" continued with Lashley eating some wooden boards from the Home Depot collection when he missed with a spear. Steiner tried to choke the life out of Lashley with a cable cord (which has no place ever in wrestling in the post-Benoit era) before the action went back down the hallway to the Impact Zone area. At 11:00, Steiner cleared out the Spanish Announce Table area before hitting Lashley with a pipe from the scaffolding above the table. Steiner then covered Lashley for the win.

Post-match: refs and medics immediately stormed over to check on Lashley. Steiner came to his feet in a daze as refs tried to sell the shot to the head as a life-threatening issue for Lashley. Lashley placed his hand on his head to sell the impact of the pipe as the announcers asked whether they need an ambulance. Lashley tried to sell pain before lightly throwing away the refs. Lashley made it to his feet and grimaced before leaving up the ramp. He kind of looked around the arena before leaving.

WINNER: Steiner in 12:00. A shortcut gimmick match to cover for them not being able to have an interesting 12-minute straight singles match. At first, the ending seemed like a storyline write-off for Lashley, but he popped right up after a few minutes. (*1/4)

TNA Turning Point PPV Results: 11-15-09

7 -- KURT ANGLE vs. DESMOND WOLFE

Wolfe was in control early on working over Angle with solid technical holds as the audience couldn't decide what chant they wanted to go with. Angle made his first comeback at 3:00 with a suplex for a one count. Wolfe then regained control and executed a one-arm overhead suplex to methodically work over Angle's left shoulder/neck. Wolfe continued to focus on the region as the announcers talked up Angle's history of neck injuries. Wolfe put Angle in the corner and wanted his running lariat out of the opposite corner, but Angle exploded on Wolfe with an overhead suplex for a two count.

At the top of the third hour, Angle started a series of German Suplexes. Impact Zone turned into a college football crowd on a kickoff building up to each successive suplex. Angle hit five, then executed to complete two trios of suplexes. Looked awesome, but hard not to think of Angle's legit health concerns. Angle then wanted the Angle Slam, but Wolfe ducked and hit a lariat for a two count. At 10:00, Wolfe wanted the Tower of London, but Angle countered with an Angle Slam for a two count. Angle tried to follow with another Angle Slam, but Wolfe threw Angle away and went back to working on the shoulder. Angle took the hold, but then countered into the Ankelock. Wolfe then countered into a hammerlock on the shoulder, only to have Angle counter into the Anklelock again. Wolfe teased tapping, then Angle yanked him back to center ring. Wolfe made it to the bottom rope on a second try. Crowd with a legit "This is Awesome" chant. Angle tried the Angle Slam again to follow up, but Wolfe countered mid-air with a DDT.

After a pause, Wolfe took Angle to the corner and hit the Tower of London neckbreaker for a two count. Wolfe then teased the lariat, but Angle exploded with a clothesline of his own. Angle then ran up top and wanted a moonsault, but Wolfe moved and went back to a keylock submission on the left shoulder/neck. Angle teased tapping, but he put his foot on the bottom rope for a rope break. Wolfe then tried the Tower again, but Angle blocked. Angle blocked a top rope superplex, then came off the top with a big frogsplash for a two count. Ref Hebner took a shot in the process.

At 15:00, Angle stalked Wolfe and wanted a Tombstone Piledriver, but Wolfe countered into a Tombstone attempt, only to have Angle counter into an anklelock. Wolfe kicked away, but Angle kept it locked in. No grapevine, though, and Wolfe escaped only to take an armbar submission from Angle that Angle turned into a triangle choke. This time, Wolfe tapped out. Post-match: Angle seemed to be worse for wear than Wolfe, who talked trash from the entrance ramp as Angle gasped for air in the ring.

WINNER: Angle via submission in 17:00. There's your value-added for the additional $5 on the price tag. Star-making match for Wolfe, who had plenty of credible offense and positive talk by the announcers to not lose anything from taking the loss. Angle was on-fire, as usual, and really answered the call working with a wrestling talent at his level. The drawback to this was watching Angle in this style of a match considering his real health concerns. (****1/2)

TNA Turning Point PPV Results: 11-15-09

8 -- TNA World Hvt. champion A.J. STYLES vs. SAMOA JOE vs. DANIELS -- TNA World Title match

The three men came together center-ring for a meeting of the minds and Daniels blasted Styles with a slap to set the tone for no friendships in the ring tonight. Good early storytelling. Joe then went to work with his trademark offense on Styles, but Daniels knocked Joe to the floor. Daniels and Styles had an exchange ending with Daniels hitting an STO with help from Joe on the outside knocking Styles off his pace. Joe then entered the ring and nailed a rapid-fire punch/kick combo on Daniels. Joe followed with a high-knee strike then light kick strikes to put Joe on the mat for a toehold. Styles broke it up with a scissors kick on Joe, though. Styles followed with an impressive suplex on Joe before settling into a Muta Lock. Styles left himself exposed, though, and Daniels punched him in the stomach to break up the hold and work over Styles.

Great spot at 7:00 with Daniels putting Styles in a Boston Crab while having Joe in a Camel Clutch simultaneously. Joe bit Daniels's fingers to break the hold, though, and Joe dropped Daniels with a frontslam to regain control. Joe then face-washed Styles before landing the trademark running kick strike in the corner. We're getting the old-school Joe tonight, thank goodness. Heels and babyfaces have been discarded, of note. Crowd just picking their favorites from moment to moment wanting certain spots. TNA's attempt at TV storylines just don't really matter. Back to the action where Joe kicked Styles on the apron from the floor, but Daniels nailed a suicide dive on Joe to regain control. Back in the ring, Styles busted out the running Fosbury Flop from the ring to the floor onto both men. Crowd popped for more old-school, this time from Styles.

At 10:00, the action returned to the ring where Styles hit a huracanrana on Daniels for a two count. Joe suddenly had a burst of energy and he dropped Daniels before hitting a powerbomb on Styles, who kicked out and was then locked into the Boston Crab following the kickout. Joe then transitioned into an STF, but Styles reached the bottom rope for a rope break. Styles reached his feet, but ran into a snap powerslam from Joe for a two count. After Joe had his time in the sun, Daniels took control and Joe rolled to the floor. Daniels nailed a powerslam on Styles for a two count, then Joe re-entered the ring and rocked Styles before Daniels answered in-kind with offense on Joe. Styles suddenly came back on Daniels with the Pele kick and all three men went down to the mat to recover.

At 16:00, Styles gave Joe a dive splash before popping up and nailing Daniels with a discus clothesline. Styles then dumped Daniels to the outside and absolutely flew onto Joe with a springboard flying forearm smash for a close two count. Styles had major hops on that splash. Styles then followed on Joe with a huracanrana for a two count. And then to the back flip reverse DDT for a two count. Daniels then almost took the move, but Daniels countered with Last Rites for a two count when Joe broke it up. Joe then crotched Daniels in the corner and followed right up with the Musclebuster, but Styles made a desperation save to break up the pin. Suddenly, Joe and Styles entered into a rolling pinning sequence across the ring with Joe landing a two count at the end of the revolutions. Styles, wobbly, followed with a kick strike on Joe. Styles wanted the Clash, but Daniels blasted Styles with an enziguiri kick. Styles then teased Daniels's own Angel's Wings, but Daniels countered into the Clash, only to have Joe cream Daniels with a kick to break up the sequence.

At 22:00, Styles and Daniels came face-to-face and seemed to form a working agreement, only to have Daniels attempt a suckerpunch that Styles saw coming that he blocked. Styles and Daniels then battled up top and teased a high-risk move, only to have Joe chop Styles off the top to the outside. Daniels avoided the Musclebuster, then hit the STO and followed with the Best Moonsault Ever. Daniels had a pin, but Styles came off the top with a springboard 450 splash onto Daniels and Joe. Styles then discarded Daniels and covered Joe for the pin to retain the title. Taz said if you're rating this on a five-star level, this was 15-stars. Oh, Taz.

Post-match: TNA replayed the numerous highspots from the match, then cut to a shot of Styles celebrating with the title belt. Daniels was shown complaining from ringside that he had Styles beat. Joe was shown angered higher up the stage. Announcers pointed out Daniels was not beaten, seeming to suggest a future title match.

WINNER: Styles in 22:00 to retain the TNA World Title. Excellent, awesome main event match. Not quite the 2005 level, but darn close and the peak of what these three can do together four years later. Styles was an absolute star with his display of offense, while Joe was a monster taking it back to the old-school with the trademark offense that made him stand out in 2005 as the TNA Rookie of the Year/Wrestler of the Year overall. Daniels was very good in his role and stood out as a legit main-eventer. All the pieces came together to match Angle-Wolfe for a great one-two punch on this PPV. (****1/2)

Damn, I can't believe I FORGOT about Turning Point last night! I must have been THAT sick to forget about it. Ah well, there's always repeats. Sad to see I missed an excellent show!

Turning Point was fucking GREAT.

#1 - The Pope is looking to be a breakout star. I have always enjoyed his work, and actually thought the matches with Suicide were pretty good. That scream at the beginning of his entrance? Awesome. Just the whole persona, put with a good worker. The match was one of the better ones I can remember seeing Rhyno having been in. They can probably tone down the Hernandez push, but Matt Morgan is doing well. Team 3D are making these guys look good.

#2 - Tara vs Kong was a hard hitting, rough match. I don't have as much to say about it, but it was good.

#3 - Holy shit - Desmond Wolfe vs Kurt Angle. What a fucking match. Fuck the review score about, 5 fucking stars. Please, bring it back for a rematch.

#4 - 3 way for the title... What can I say, that probably hasn't been said? I'm glad they didn't bring out the mystery attacker (Tomko? Or is this going to be Hogan, in the end?) 5 stars, damn it.

#5 - The Beautiful People are nice to look at. Umm... Yeah, that pretty much says it.

#6 - Scott Steiner is still... Pretty much the man. He busted out the Frankensteiner, and unfortunately he was wrestling Lashley. Lashley didn't seem to know what to do. Frankly, Steiner is more over, and he wasn't even booked to be. The right man got the win, and the "hardcore" match wasn't really all that bad. Steiner could have gotten a better match out of someone else, though. Hell, that first match on PPV he had with Petey Williams should have been a match of the year candidate.

#7 - Kevin Nash... Dear God no. Please, no more NWO. We don't care, we don't care, we don't care. Hell, he has had a good thing going... His backstage skits where he was a psych were really good. His backstage skits where he's "drinking" and seems to like big women (a man after my own heart) are really entertaining. His matches haven't been bad, hell I'd say they've been good. Please don't tell me he thinks we want NWO #20.

#8 - TNA has a LOT of talent. Rather than water down the show, trying to fit everyone in... They gave time to the matches that needed it. THANK YOU, TNA.

Next month... Feast or Fired again? Fire Suicide, it doesn't seem like there is anywhere left to go with that character. Kaz is great, we don't need the cartoon character. I'd feel differently, if it was even something the kids could get into. It isn't.

matrimelee said:

#3 - Holy shit - Desmond Wolfe vs Kurt Angle. What a fucking match. Fuck the review score about, 5 fucking stars. Please, bring it back for a rematch.

Click to expand...

If Caldwell had to review it again knowing what actually happened during the match, he would've gave it 5 stars. Angle apparently threw out his back about 5 minutes into the match and gutted it out the remaining 12...AMAZING!!!

First he wrestled with a friggin' broken neck, then he wrestled with a friggin' thrown out back. My utmost respect to Kurt Angle. He's scheduled to show up at the first Impact! taping tomorrow then take some time off to heal.

WWE RAW Results: 11-16-09

Note: there was an awful lot of jawing going on in this episode of RAW. The best moment was when Kofi Kingston went on the attack on Orton after he initially attacked Piper, who wanted to fight Vince McMahon, DX knocks out Hornswaggle, Sheamus going berzerk, etc. etc.

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

1 -- U.S. champion THE MIZ vs. MVP -- United States Title match

Miz took it to MVP early on, but MVP made a comeback. Cole suggested the lowly Knicks could use MVP as he set up the ballin' elbow drop for a two count. MVP wanted the Playmaker, but Miz escaped and shot MVP off to the corner to land a kick to the gut. Miz then dropped MVP on his face with the Skullcrushing Finale for the pin and the win. Ringside, Sherri wasn't pleased with her sitcom...er...man losing the match.

WINNER: Miz at 3:46 to retain the U.S. Title. Hot crowd tonight gave this match a boost. There's definitely a different vibe in the arena to create energy this show desperately needs. MVP got in his signature spots to retain some credibility despite the loss. Good showing for MVP at the top of the show. (*1/4)

2 -- SANTINO MARELLA vs. CHAVO GUERRERO

Bell sounded and Santino told Chavo to hold on. He pulled out a #10 Eli Manning jersey for the Giants. This was followed by a #34 Patrick Ewing jersey. Wait, next was a Mark Sanchez Jets jersey. Cole played the heel pointing out how poorly the New York teams have been. Santino then pulled out a Johan Santana jersey from the Mets. Suddenly, Santino was in a Phillies jersey. Loud boos. Santino pretended to be shocked. He then took off the Phils jersey to finally be wearing a Yankees jersey. Didn't see the number on the back. Chavo had enough and gave Santino a suplex. We got a look that it was Derek Jeter's #2 jersey. I hope this isn't what Jim Ross meant by Yankees in the house tonight. Suddenly, Hornswoggle showed up in DX gear. He distracted Chavo, then Santino rolled up Chavo from behind for a three count. The coyote loses to the roadrunner again.

WINNER: Chavo at 2:50. A parade of jerseys the NFL and MLB will be grateful for. Crowd was hot for the locally-driven match. Thankfully, we got the obligatory Chavo joke match out of the way. (n/a)

3 -- Divas champion MELINA vs. ALICIA FOX -- Divas Title match

On cue, Alicia found herself on the outside trying to intimidate the babyface lumberjacks, then she returned to the ring and Melina worked her over before landing her Canadian Destroyer-esque finisher for the quick pin and the win. Post-match: a fight broke out among all the divas present to set up the Five-on-Five match at Survivor Series. Babyface divas stood tall and then danced to close out the segment, much to Judah's delight.

WINNER: Melina at 1:38 to retain the Divas Title. A short match happened. And they danced. Not a memorable display of women's wrestling tonight. (n/a)

4 -- JACK SWAGGER vs. EVAN BOURNE

Action was joined in progress with Swagger already dominating Bourne with mat holds. Bourne elbowed Swagger in the head, but Swagger shook it off and smashed Bourne with a lariat to the back of the head. Bourne then came back with a double knee smash off the top rope for a two count. Swagger shook off Bourne's offense, then took Bourne across the ring with multiple running powerslams into the turnbuckles before finishing him off with the gut wrench powerbomb for the win. Announcers built up Swagger as a dominant figure for the Survivor Series match for Team Miz.

WINNER: Swagger at 2:02 of what aired. Just two minutes of Swagger having offense, a quick tease from Bourne, then Swagger with the dominating offense to stand tall. Not enough aired for this to be memorable. (n/a)

5 -- World Hvt. champion THE UNDERTAKER & WWE champion JOHN CENA vs. DX (SHAWN MICHAELS & TRIPLE H) vs. Unified tag champions CHRIS JERICHO & BIG SHOW

Cena, Michaels, and Jericho started things off with the bell sounding seven minutes after the top of the hour. Big Show then tagged in for Jericho, followed by Hunter. Cena then walked over to Taker, who tagged in to bring in the three bigger men. Hunter and Taker formed an agreement to work over Show, who took right hand strikes. Taker and Hunter then dumped Show to the floor and went after each other. Hunter landed a spinebuster, then Hunter tagged in Michaels. Taker sat up, though, and we were back to WrestleMania 25. Cole noted it was their first encounter since then. Michaels ducked a punch, then landed a round of slaps. Taker then walked into a big spear from Big Show, who clobbered Michaels and brought in Chris Jericho. Jericho smirked and saluted himself before landing a bulldog on Michaels. Jericho then slapped on the Walls of Jericho, but Taker broke it up and Cena blind-tagged in for Taker. Cena dropped Jericho with a bulldog, but Michales hit Cena with a chop and brought in Hunter. Suddenly, Cena and Hunter had a staredown. He gave Hunter the "You Can't See Me" and Hunter responded with a crotch chop. Show had enough and double-chokeslammed both men until Taker entered to battle Show. Cole noted Taker's MSG moments with a reference to "Mankind." The action moved to the floor where Show whipped Taker into the guardrail. Cole said he needs a scorecard to keep up with who's legal. Michaels took a tag from Hunter, then Michaels did his routine and went up top to drop the "vintage" elbow to the heart. Michaels started tuning up the band, but Cena interrupted and put Michaels center ring for the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena then wanted the FU on HBK, but Hunter blind-tagged in mid-air and dropped Cena with a high knee. Hunter cleaned house before dropping Cena with a spinebuster center ring. Hunter wanted the Pedigree, but Big Show entered and headbutted Hunter. Suddenly, Michaels dropped Show with the superkick. Jericho with the Codebreaker on Michaels. Taker then re-entered and chokeslammed Jericho. Hunter then clotheslined Taker to the floor. Suddenly, Cena with the FU on Hunter to score a pin on Hunter for the win.

Post-match: Out of nowhere, Undertaker entered the ring and dropped Cena with a Tombstone Piledriver center ring. Striker asked if Taker was trying to send a message of domination. It's the Alpha Male world. Taker then grabbed his World Title belt and knelt over Cena's fallen body. Taker stared into the hard camera as his music played to close the show 15 minutes past the top of the hour.

WINNERS: Taker & Cena at 7:10. Well, there's your first official tease for Cena vs. Taker at WrestleMania 26. Very good tag match with a constant flow of action, moves, teases, counters, finishers, star power, and intriguing match-ups. Electric atmosphere in the arena helped tremendously. This show started with tons of energy, DX sucked the life out of the building, then McMahon, Piper, Kofi, and Orton rebuilt the energy to culminate with an excellent TV main event. Only problem was we still don't have an issue for the top two matches at Survivor Series and WWE is teasing a WrestleMania match. WWE is obviously not concerned about PPV buys at this point. (***)

ECW on SyFy Results: 11-17-09

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

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

Burchill's ECW career on the line vs. Hurricane's mask. They had an early feeling-out process to convey to the audience this was going to go long. Burchill then gained control with his trademark slow-it-down, work-a-body part offense. Katie tried to get involved by grabbing Hurricane's foot from the outside, and Burchill capitalized with a suplex to take control going to the break.

The second-half of the match led to desperation mode with each man scoring nearfalls trying to protect their positions. Announcers suggested Hurricane was using his super-powers to kick out of each pin attempt. Burchill became frustrated, screamed out to the audience, and demanded Katie do something. She stood by silently, though. Hurricane then hit the Eye of the Hurricane for another two count. The action moved up top and Hurricane blocked a superplex. He then nailed a top rope neckbreaker and scored the pin on Burchill for the win. And Burchill is gone from ECW. Post-match: Katie Lea shook her head in frustration ringside as Burchill held his hair in anger and frustration. Katie then slid into the ring to console Paul as the announcers went silent. Crowd just wanted them out of the ring, but WWE milked the reality of the situation for a while.

WINNER: Hurricane in 14:00. Good, above-average TV match with a nice finish that the audience bought into considering the stipulations. We'll see what it means for Burchill in WWE going forward. Tiffany's post-match reaction in the next camera shot suggested Burchill might be able to convice her to stay... (**1/4)

2 -- VANCE ARCHER vs. JOHNNY ANDREWS

Announcers reminded us that Archer is intense. Archer made poor Andrews cry, or Andrews was just selling pain. Archer nailed his intese finisher for the pin and the win. Crowd still quiet for Archer, who we don't anything about in WWE. That's intense.

WINNER: Quick squash to continue building up Arch. Intense you might say. (n/a)

3 -- ECW champion CHRISTIAN & R-TRUTH vs. C.M. PUNK & WILLIAM REGAL

After the full-length entrances, the babyfaces cleared Punk and Regal to the floor and they quickly cut to a break.

Back from break, the heels were in control with Punk working over Truth's right knee before bringing in Regal to pick up what Punk was putting down. Announcers talked up the Survivor Series elimination matches while Punk shouted at Christian, "Who's the man now, huh?" Regal continued to work the knee as Punk riled up the crowd from the ring apron to keep them interested. Punk came back in and cut off Truth's attempted comeback before bringing Regal back in to inflict more punishment. Punk returned at 10:00, but lost control to allow Christian to tag in. Christian nailed a Tornado DDT for a two count, then hit a spinning D.J. Gabriel European Uppercut from the second rope. Punk and Christian then teased each other's finishers, but Christian had the last word with a Killswitch, only to have Regal break up a pin attempt. The action broke down and Christian ate a running knee trembler from Regal. Punk then scooped up Christian for the Go 2 Sleep on Christian for the pin and the win. Afterward, Regal hugged Punk to celebrate the win going into Survivor Series. After replays aired, Regal and Punk did the "go to sleep" hand motion to taunt Christian as the heels stood tall to close the show.

WINNERS: Punk & Regal in 12:00. Punk gets the last laugh over Christian on ECW tonight to set up Christian's team for a probable comeback victory at Survivor Series. Fine match with Punk playing a good heel throughout the match (and the show) to rile up the crowd during potential slow spots. (*1/2)

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson recently did an interview on the Jack Diamond Show, and he said the following when asked if he wanted to work with WWE again in the future:

"I love that world and being able to entertain, especially if I could go back whether it's on Smackdown and do a promo or guest-host or we could create this cool show, whatever that may be. Especially now, I'm at the point where I can go back and give back to the fans and help out the guys in any way I can."

"Right now we're trying to put together - there is always something cool and interesting for me to do. I would like to do something more than just host the show. I'm in the process of creating something really cool for the fans - something very special and unique. It will be something like one big entertaining show."

I want to believe Rocky. I really want to believe

Reality Check said:

I want to believe Rocky. I really want to believe

Click to expand...

We all do broham, we all do. I believe in Rocky!

WWE Superstars Results: 11-19-09

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

1 -- SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. ZACK RYDER (w/Rosa Mendes)

The bell sounded and Ryder ducked to the outside for a quick chat with Rosa before returning to the ring to pick up a battle with Shelton. Ryder went for a suplex center ring, but Shelton countered in mid-air with a neckbreaker. Shelton followed with a Samoan drop before attacking the left shoulder and side of the neck with a mat hold. Shelton then knocked Ryder to the outside, but on the follow-up, Ryder smashed Shelton into the ring steps to take control. Rosa was shown appearing to be pleased with the turnaround. Ryder in control going to break.

After a back-and-forth, they went to the finish with Rosa inexplicably entering the ring with a cell phone. Ryder yelled at her to get out of the ring, then she screamed when Shelton was coming after them, allowing Ryder to move out of the way and nail the Zack Attack for the pin and the win. Byron wanted to know what the heck just happened. "For reasons we'll never know, Rosa Mendes entered the ring with cell phone in hand," Mathews said. Rosa then celebrated with Ryder on the way out of the ring to put a wrap on this.

WINNER: Ryder in 10:00. Just not an interesting match. Shelton isn't interesting in this feud, Ryder lost his mojo when they paired him with Rosa, and Rosa doesn't add anything to this. (1/2*)

2 -- ERIC ESCOBAR (w/Vickie Guerrero) vs. JIMMY WANG YANG

Bell sounded and the new JBL went after Yang with power offense. Yang then came back with flying kicks. The audience wasn't buying Yang as a credible threat, though, and seemed disinterested in his offensive attack. Yang then went for a top rope moonsault, but Escobar bailed to the outside to avoid the finisher. Vickie distracted Yang and Escobar was able to cut his legs out from under him on the apron. Escobar then landed a running kick strike to the face back in the ring for the pin and the win. Post-match: Escobar and Vickie had an uncomfortable liplock - on a number of levels - in the ring to celebrate.

WINNER: Escobar in 3:00. I'm surprised Yang had that much offense. It wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement for Escobar that he was booked to be even-steven with Yang, who just doesn't win matches. (*)

3 -- CODY RHODES vs. MARK HENRY

The match started with Henry knocking Rhodes around the ring. Cody eventually found himself on the outside needing to regroup heading to the break.

Back from break, Henry was still on control. Cody without an advantage before or after the break, but Cody gained control with a smash on the ring steps on the floor. Back in the ring, Cody took Henry's legs out from under him, but Henry fell on Cody on the way down. Cody sold feeling the effects of that close call, then he went back to work on Henry's knee and leg. Henry took some abuse for a few minutes, but then he regained his strength and powerlifted Cody into the World's Strongest Slam for the decisive pin and the win. Henry sold the leg pain post-match, but celebrated with a big clap for Team Kofi on Sunday. Henry stood tall in the ring to close the show.

WINNER: Henry in 12:00. Basic formula where the under-sized heel had to try to find a way to chop down the big babyface tree. Didn't work for Cody, who has lost momentum since being a focal point with DX during the Bragging Rights PPV build-up. (*)

TNA Impact! Results: 11-19-09

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

1- Amazing Red beat Scott Steiner by DQ when Steiner used a lead pipe.

2- THE MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS & BEER MONEY vs. THE BRITISH INVASION & KIYOSHI & SHEIK ABDUL BASHIR

Earl Hebner warned Eric Young, who was on commentary joined by Kevin Nash, that if he got up out of the chair, the World Elite would be DQ’ed. The Machine Guns double-teamed Kiyoshi and Shelley got a quick cover. Kiyoshi took over and tagged Bashir. Sabin and Magnus both tagged in at the same time and Sabin was all offense. Flying forearm in the corner, then a springboard clothesline. All three heels interfered to break it up. The faces came in to stave them off. The Machine Guns did some teamwork to take Magnus out of the ring. Double-suplex by Beer Money on Kiyoshi on the ramp. They went after Young and Nash as Rob Terry got in the ring. Magnus held Sabin for him, but Sabin ducked and Terry clotheslined Magnus by accident. No DQ for that, even though the interference backfired? Shelley ended up pinning Magnus after the Machine Guns finished him off. “He can’t do anything right,” exclaimed Young about Terry.

WINNERS: The Guns and Beer Money, at 5:19. Fine match that planted the seeds for a Beer Money vs. EY and Nash feud.

3- HAMADA vs. TAYLOR WILDE

Crowd seemed to be into Hamada early on. Some chain wrestling by the ladies to start, and Hamada ended that by planting Wilde with a DDT for two. Wilde flipped out of a suplex and got a two after a kick to the head. Savate kick by Hamada and a beauty. Moonsault got two for the Japanese import. Powerbomb reversed into a sunset flip by Wilde for two. Hurricanrana into a pin for two as well. Enziguiri by Hamada. Lots of high impact moves, but hardly any selling. Perfect example, Wilde immediately reversed a Hamada driver. Spin kick by Hamada, then a Hamada Driver for the win.

WINNER: Hamada, at 2:49. Everything was hit solidly and nothing was missed, but the moves lose their impact when there is hardly any selling and they go right to a reversal.

4- DR. STEVIE & RAVEN vs. ABYSS & MICK FOLEY

Foley didn’t come out when his music hit, but Abyss managed to blind-side the heels at ringside. Raven turned things around and gave Abyss a Russian leg-sweep into the guardrail. The bell finally rang when all three men were in the ring. The heels cornered Abyss, one choking him with a boot and the other kicking away at him. They seem to be alternating between taking tags and having it as a Triple-Threat rules. Abyss finally stacked the heels up in the corner and splashed them. Raven got clotheslined and Stevie was up for Shock Treatment, and it hit. But Raven attacked before Abyss could make the pin. Raven took something out of his pocket- a lighter. But Abyss kicked him in the face. Slick Johnson saw the lighter on the ground and apparently, that was grounds enough to give Abyss the DQ win.

WINNER: Abyss, via DQ, at 2:27.

Raven and Stevie continued the onslaught after the match, with Raven giving him the Evenflow DDT outside the ring. Daffney gave Stevie a cable and Raven choked Abyss with it. That continued as they cut to break.

5- ALISSA FLASH vs. SARITA

Shoulder tackle took down Sarita. She came back to bump Flash and there seemed to be a brief pause with neither woman knowing what to do, but Sarita went to the top and splashed Flash. She tried a springboard, but Flash kicked her in the stomach on the way down. Flash kicked away at Sarita and stayed on offense for some time. She kept zipping down a little, then up her leather jacket-thing she was wearing. Belly-to-belly overhead suplex by Sarita and both ladies were down. Springboard dropkick from Sarita for two. Back suplex by Flash though, after several reversals. Sarita rolled through a move by Flash, but only got two. Back heel kick seemed to knock Flash out and gave Sarita the win.

WINNER: Sarita, at 3:47. It’s always a treat to see Sarita out there. No complaints from me.

6- TEAM 3D & RHINO vs. D’ANGELO DINERO & MATT MORGAN & HERNANDEZ- STREET FIGHT RULES MATCH

This is a return match from Turning Point. The faces sprinted to the ring and went right after 3D and Rhino. Hernandez hit the ropes, but Brother Ray clotheslined him down. I’m still not sure if I fully buy this 3D heel turn. Hernandez did the Undertaker dive over the top and onto Devon and Rhino. A chair and some garbage cans were brought in the ring. Dinero used the tops of the cans to ring Brother Ray’s bell, and he subsequently did a Flair flop. I don’t know if there was a cut or what, but I thought Ray flopped on a garbage can in the ring (which he moved while he was “out on his feet”), but then in the next shot, he was outside the ring fighting with Dinero. Morgan did the back elbows in the corner on Devon, with the garbage can over Devon’s head. Pin only got two. There’s a Singapore Cane in the ring too, by the way. Now it was Rhino and Hernandez’s turn for a segment in the ring. Hernandez visibly called a spot on camera and Rhino went to the middle rope for a suplex, but Hernandez pushed him down then splashed onto him. That only got two. Ray slammed Hernandez in the ring and Devon went for the Whassup drop, but Pope nailed him with some Kendo Stick shots. Chokeslam by Morgan on Bubba. Morgan slammed Devon off the top. Pope put the stick right onto Devon’s….well…stick, then landed an elbow off the top onto the prone Dudley boy. The faces got the tables, but Morgan missed a legdrop on Bubba through one at ringside. Brother Ray walked into the ring at the perfect time and he and Devon did 3D on Dinero. But Hernandez propelled himself over the top onto 3D. Morgan speared Rhino but could only get two. Someone came out of the crowd, shirtless with jeans and a major Mohawk. It was Jesse Neal who, SWERVE, hit Morgan in the head with a chair and put Rhino on top for the win.

WINNERS: Team 3D and Rhino, at 7:25. The new look certainly fits Neal better.

7- DANIELS & DESMOND WOLFE vs. KURT ANGLE & A.J. STYLES

I love how this has a 20-minute time limit, even with 11 minutes to go in the show. Daniels and Angle did some mat wrestling to a stalemate in the first minute. Heel kick by Daniels for only one. Angle invited Wolfe into the ring, but Wolfe wasn’t so quick to agree to that. Instead Styles tagged in, and Daniels quickly tagged out to Wolfe. Dropkick, then a back-breaker on Wolfe. Angle finally got a piece of Wolfe and had the upper-hand ‘til Daniels kicked him in the head behind the ref’s back. The heels worked the left arm of Angle, the one he was having trouble with at Turning Point. Tenay said they might have the four best wrestlers in the world today in this one match. Taz noted Wolfe’s European style, but didn’t really explain what that was. Angle made a comeback against Daniels and both men made tags. Styles cleaned house on Wolfe, and gave him a beautiful back-breaker out of a Samoan drop. Pele kick found the mark. Daniels tripped Styles up as he went to the top rope. Wolfe gave Styles the Tower of London for only two. Angle chased Wolfe from the ringside area and Daniels landed the BME for the win.

WINNERS: Daniels & Wolfe, at 6:43. Good main-event tag.

Daniels celebrated what the announcers called a statement win as the show went off the air.