The show opened with the TNA Knockout Women’s Championship being defended by Tara against Angelina Love. The in-ring work for the match was pretty good but it was the finish that upset me. Less than two weeks after putting the TNA Knockout Women’s Championship on Tara, they put Angelina Love over dirty with Tara’s foot being on the ropes and Slick Johnson [the referee] being out of position. We would find out the reason this was overlooked later in the pay-per-view. As I mentioned in my coverage last night, why take the strap off Love only to have her win it back in such a short period of time? Wasn’t it Mick Foley that said in a backstage promo a couple of weeks ago on Impact it’s a world championship, not a menstrual cycle?

Next in a backstage promo, Kurt Angle tells the fellow members of the Main Event Mafia if they lose tonight; they’re out. Surely TNA wouldn’t book the pay-per-view in a way that Angle could have spoiled the outcome of every match in a promo after the first match. Could they?

Matt Morgan faced Daniels next in a typical big man vs. little man match. I commend Daniels for working banged up as he and Morgan put on a decent match. Daniels was booked to look like he had a chance but in the end Morgan hit his finisher and got the win. This could have probably been done on Impact but I didn’t mind it as a pay-per-view filler.

Abyss took on Dr. Stevie in a no disqualification match. If you’ve seen one Abyss gimmick match you’ve seen them all. Last night was no different except it was Stevie that added color and Abyss who beat him to death. They did an angle where Abyss tazered Stevie after interference from both Daffney and Lauren. The worst part of this match was Don West’s commentary. There’s nothing wrong with talking up the heels in an effort to not only get over as an announcer heel but to help the workers get over. However, West was more than annoying, and completely over did it.

The first tag team title match of the night with Team 3D defending the IWGP/New Japan Tag Team Championship against The British Invasion was a solid tag match. There’s really nothing noteworthy to comment on other than Team 3D worked as good as you would probably expect with Magnus and Williams not looking bad. Williams had a couple of botches and Magnus is still very green but they’re progressing better than they would as singles workers. Tables came in to play but were not used until Kiyoshi and Sheik Abdul Bashir hit the ring and ended up taking the bump after the match.

Slick Johnson offered an apology to Tara for missing the call in her match in a backstage interview with Lauren. The apology didn’t make much sense considering Tara put the tarantula on him after the bout, but I was willing to overlook it for the time being. The next match is a sure candidate for worst match of the year. Jenna Morasca with Awesome Kong in her corner took on Sharmell with Sojo Bolt in her corner. This was a far cry from the stellar show-stealing matches between Gail Kim and Awesome Kong during the inception of the Knockouts division. I’m not blaming Jenna or Sharmell as they aren’t professional wrestlers. To put them in a match together in the middle of a pay-per-view is ludicrous. Whoever suggested this bout needs to be held accountable for the disaster of match. If the match wasn’t bad enough in itself, they did a bizarre angle after the match where, for no reason, Jenna agitated Awesome Kong and got laid out immediately. Don West suggested maybe she was feeling cocky after her win. Cocky after a win against Sharmell?!? Did Sharmell really work the match in an evening gown?!?

Kevin Nash beat AJ Styles to win the TNA Legend’s Championship. I don’t care about the title, I’m not even sure what the Legend’s Championship means but for Nash to go over Styles on pay-per-view in 2009 is a complete injustice. I’ll be the first to admit I was a Kevin Nash fan, but that was when I was 11-years-old! Thirteen-years later Nash should be at his home doing whatever a retired professional wrestler does, maybe even in an office at WWE headquarters. He should not be competing for what is considered to be the number two wrestling company in the world and he certainly should not be going over one of the most talented young workers in the business. The match was completely lackluster and I’m putting all the blame on Nash. He’s old, slow and lazy. There is nothing Styles could have done to save this match but to have him do a job is sickening. It’s unfair to Styles and every other young TNA worker that is doing all they can to come up in this business.

After the Legend’s Championship match Lauren is shown backstage trying to find Tara for an interview to get her comments on getting screwed out of the TNA Knockout Women’s Championship. Instead, we see Madison Rayne coming out of the shower with referee Slick Johnson following behind. The angle was meant to imply Johnson is sleeping with Rayne which is why he missed the call in the Knockout Women’s Championship match. I guess the idea is realistic but Rayne appeared perfectly dressed with her hair perfectly fixed. At least Slick didn’t have his shirt on…

Robert Roode and James Storm have gone from being a very good tag team to one of the best in the business. They’re chemistry is so good they are able to produce realistic story-telling matches every time out. They handled themselves well in their match against Booker T and Scott Steiner but not deviating from the book, the Main Event Mafia members won the titles. I was so frustrated with the outcome of the match last night I wrote that I wanted to punch Vince Russo in the face. First they kill Tara’s momentum, then have Abyss win with a smoking tazer, they book a disastrous Knockout match on the middle of the card, they job out Styles and then cap it off by jobbing out their best up and coming tag team. Am I the only one seeing this? I guess workers such as Styles, Roode, etc. do as they’re told with no alternative but this pay-per-view was a page out of WCW’s playbook – no one but proven veterans go over. No one else gets a shot. The go-home sequence with Storm spitting beer in Steiner’s face only to get beer in the face of referee Earl Hebner was out of sync and awkward. Beer Money hit the DWI but because of Hebner’s eyes he couldn’t make the count until he argued with Storm, leaving Roode available to take an axe kick from Booker and the pin.

Sting and Samoa Joe barely got going when Sting locked in the Scorpion and got ready to make Joe submit. Taz’s music hit and Joe turned into Superman, powering out of what is supposed to be a devastating finisher. Joe applies the rear naked joke and gets Sting to tap, keeping the Main Event Mafia unbeaten. I like Joe going over Sting but think the angle to bring in Taz could not have been more uneventful. Everyone knew Taz was going to be revealed as Joe’s advisor so couldn’t they come up with something I don’t know, different to debut him? Taz didn’t even lift a finger but his presence alone made Joe gain super human strength.

Bobby Lashley’s signing was announced before the show’s main event. With booking like this, it’s going to take a lot more than Bobby Lashley to make TNA competitive.

The main event between Kurt Angle and Mick Foley was the slow-paced bout you would expect from a 44-year-old man that is overweight and out of shape wrestling a man that hurt his groin over the weekend. I still think Angle is one of the best if not the best in the world but there was no way he was going to be able to make Foley look good at 100%, much less working injured. The match wasn’t terrible but it drew almost no crowd reactions as Angle made Foley tap to retain the TNA Championship. After the match in true nWo style, the Main Event Mafia came out and celebrated with all their titles.

TNA Victory Road 2009 was painful to watch. I spent the money on this pay-per-view to cover it as part of my occupation. If you ordered this show to be entertained, you got ripped off. There is no nice way I can recommend this show to you. There was not a single match that was worth going back and trying to watch and the night was filled with questionable creative calls. To the young TNA wrestlers that read my column – I apologize to you. AJ Styles, Robert Roode, James Storm and all the workers that have busted their rear ends for this company only to play second fiddle to people like Kevin Nash and Scott Steiner -you all deserve better. I would recommend protesting to management but unfortunately they are not going to listen. It is up to the viewers to stop watching Impact, stop ordering the pay-per-views and stop buying the merchandise until serious changes are made.

The Smackdown Report – Written: 13/06/2009

for the episode of Smackdown aired 12/06/2009 recorded in Biloxi, MS

By Paul Smith

paulsmith3010@gmail.com

Welcome to The Smackdown Report and I am your host Paul Smith.

Quick Results:
Dolph Ziggler def. The Great Khali via Count Out *
Michelle McCool & Layla def. Melina & Eve Torres via pinfall *1/2
John Morrison & R-Truth def. Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas via pinfall **3/4
CM Punk def. Chris Jericho via pinfall ***
Edge def. Jeff Hardy via DQ **3/4

The Pre Game: Okay so a lot to get to this week. First off Extreme Rules. Prediction wise like the wily heel I am I got beaten on towards the end but I still managed to come out on top with the feisty Chris Jacks and Luke Parks making sure I don’t get too far away. The show has had mixed reviews but barring Hoggate and the WWE Title match which was unfathomable in quality and booking, it was a good show that got me involved particularly in the ECW title match (more on that next Wednesday in my usual slot) and the intercontinental title match. CM Punk cashing in wasn’t totally unexpected but at least not with his alleged heel turn to begin taking place the sneaky win is a better fit for his character.

Umaga leaving is a shame and from what I understand it was his second wellness strike, but he left due to refusing the mandatory rehab WWE requires at that point. It’s a shame as Umaga was one of the more talented big guys and I’m sure he’ll either resurface as Samoa Eddie or something in the Nation of Violence in TNUh..what?

And although I am one of the guys who wasn’t a big fan of Vickie Guerrero the way she has been treated has been appalling and while going out on your back on your way out isn’t a new thing in wrestling, going out insulted, divorced and covered in pig shit was beyond unnecessary. I wish Vickie well in her future endeavors and hope that WWE stay true to their support for life claim to Vickie and her kids. I’m pleased that Rey Mysterio took a stand over the way she was treated as Rey is a big time merch seller and it could take a big name to show Vince exactly how far he has taken it this time.

I enjoyed ECW this week although not as much as last week and I’ll update you with my thoughts on next Wednesday’s Pre Game. Chris did an excellent job covering the show and I hope you guys enjoyed it too. Hopefully I can reciprocate with The Smackdown Report this week.

For those who don’t know the blog title comes from CM Punk’s three top company titles (ROH 2005, WHC 2008/2009) coming as the Summer rolls round and stretching through it for the most part. This name comes from the ROH message board or possibly Gabe Sapolsky, I’m not sure but that’s how that era of ROH was named and I will carry on this tradition.

Also, just quickly wanted to welcome new writer of the Superstars blog, Robert Manisero, to the blog spot team. I’ve so far really enjoyed his writing and his count of which brand had the match of the week will certainly make for interesting reading at the end of the year.

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SMACKDOWN is taped and rolling from Biloxi, Mississippi, the home of well, seemingly no-one except The Gambler, a jobber from WCW THunder and WCW Saturday Night. Good times.

TONIGHT: CM Punk does a little of everything, Dolph Ziggler is a giantkiller giantdelayer, Michelle McCool shows the Styles Clash to more people than AJ Styles, The World’s Greatest Tag Team show their greatness by again losing to one night only tag teams, Chris Jericho does his old Triple H routine of losing to this one guy every damn time and Edge and Jeff Hardy provide the usual…at half the speed!

On with the show.

We begin with a recap of our EXTREME main event from last Sunday and how Jeff Hardy will be CLIMBING A LADDER and all that good stuff about he won and then…yoink!

Speaking of the Straight Edge Title Thief, here he is out to the ring to a decidedly mixed reception. There’s a lot of neon armbands not pleased with that man holding the title. Punk says that a lot of people have been bitching about Punk winning and that he stole the title but he doesn’t see it that way and points out that last year against Edge, nobody else saw it that way then. He can’t and wont take back his actions and is proud to the World Heavyweight Champion/ He earned the right to cash in however he wanted to when he won the grueling MITB Ladder match. The way he won doesn’t make him a bad guy. He’s neevr done anything to be popular but always what’s best for him. Sounds a lot like EDGE. Punk has worked hard for the title, the title means the world to him and he will bring integrity back to the tit- but wait here’s the rainbow haired warrior (thought I’d whip that old JR Classic out).

Jeff’s reaction is a lot more positive and children scream and all that feel good stuff. Jeff, eyeing the title, to large HARDY chants, says that he isn’t here to complain and then proceeds to do so. He says Punk didn’t earn the title, to which the crowd agree, and apparently Punk cashed in on the wrong guy. Punk says he understands Jeff’s anger but thinks Jeff should understand where he’s coming from and says that he didn’t cash in on Jeff as a personal thing, but it was Jeff himself that booked the ladder match and Punk decided that whoever won that match would get cashed in. But, Jeff doesn’t care and somehow works out that Punk is selfish for not being honourable to his fans. Jeff cares, which is why the chant incessantly. Jeff wants his rematch, which brings out the Probably-Straight Superstar Named Edge who says it will be him who gets the rematch tonight.

Jeff points out he was the last champion, and that this isn’t about Edge to which Punk agrees. Edge says NO. Jeff apparently got lucky and that both Hardy and Punk have both combined not held the title as much as Edge. Hardy is his own man but Punk, says Edge is trying to emulate Edge. Now there are legs to this theory. Punk laughs but think about it. Edge notes that Punk is Straight Edge, while Edge…is…EDGE, they both have cashed in MITB twice, additionally, they both did it in a screwy fashion and they’ve both nailed Lita. The last two didn’t come up on the show though. Anyway, Punk will never be Edge is the point here and Jeff needs to get in line for title rematches. Edge says that’s that settled. Jeff says both are full of LOUD FEEDBACK NOISE hitting Edge with the mic and Twist of Fateing before Swantonning CM Punk. Corner pose. All this MADNESS brings out the MacMilitant and GM, Teddy Long.

Teddy announces that there will be a title match this coming Monday at the 3-For-All against the winner of tonight’s main event, a Jeff Hardy vs Edge number one contenders match. Holla! Good segment here, everyone got some mic time and not being made to look weak next to Edge and Jeff means CM Punk already has more title credibility than he did last year when he need Cena and Cryme Tyme to help him win against JBL.

In Teddy Long’s office Chris Jericho is chilling in his underwear. He wants to know why he doesn’t get a title shot tonight. Jericho as usual goes through his CV adding the Rey unmasking and 9th IC title to the list. Jericho is ready to compete and Teddy doesn’t have an argument against him but Teddy has already booked world title shiz. So, instead tonight Jericho has to prove himself in a non-title match against CM Punk.

Anyway a siren type noise announces the arrival of the true number one contender, just on virtue of excellent hair dye and sleeveless leather jackets, Dolph Ziggler.

Dolph Ziggler vs The Great Khali (w/ Ranjin Singh)
The crowd goes wild for the Punjabi Pensioner-like-movement-ability. So yeah Ziggler demanded a rematch after last week’s EXCITING squash match. Dolph bails at the bell and demands Khali get back. Do it Khali you bitch. Dolph goes for strikes but just gets taken down so he bails again. Slap from Ziggler gets him thrown back in and another sort of punch takes Ziggler down before a big chop does the same. Khali sort of chokeslams Ziggler out before no selling a dropkick and various low kicks before finally going sort of down. Ziggler holds a chancery, a beautiful, beautiful chancery but gets dropped again by Khali anyway. Nearly a big boot (he was close) by Khali before Ziggler bails on the brain chop. The fearsome Ziggler kidnaps the sultan of sideburns at ringside and this results in a count out win for the wily not at all Nicky from the Spirit Squad guy. Another fantastic victory here. Nah but in all seriousness, this guy is pretty good and I’m sure we’ll see more of it when he gets in another feud. As good a two minute TV match as you’ll ever get from Khali.
Dolph Ziggler def. The Great Khali (Count Out) *

Michelle McCool (w/ Alicia Fox) & Layla vs Women’s Champion Melina & Eve Torres
So diva tag action now then as we build to an eventual Melina/Michelle title match which I’m almost certain will lead to a title change. Feud of the year Layla and Eve star things off with basic stuff and plenty of screaming. Imagine these vs the Williams sisters. Anyway so elementary stuff until Eve gets planted and Michelle is tagged in. Awful attempt at a side Russian leg sweep before a main event staple the chinlock. Eve jawbreakers nicely out and they build to a lukewarm tag to Melina and she gets a round the world before a heel kick for one. Melina matrixes out of the way of a kick and gets a hairdog for a cover which Layla breaks up. In the corner Melina was going for the Last Call sunset flip type thing but got distracted by Alicia Fox so Michelle countered to the Faith Clash/Styles Breaker and this gets three to further our build. Inventive finish but not really anything long enough to be particularly special
Michelle McCool & Layla def. Melina & Eve Torres (McCool pinned Melina) *1/2

Guys…DON’T TRY THIS!

Did you know American rating info that’s meaningless to me? Me neither.

The World’s Greatest Jobbers vs Random Mid Card Face Pairing #24
I slay me. This is Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin vs John Morrison and R-Truth. Following Truth’s not at all annoying now the novelty has worn off entrance he cuts a promo again getting over that “truth, whole truth and nothing but the truth” very 90s catchphrase he’s working. He compares Hassjamin to a Vanilla Ice & MC Hammer collaboration in that no-one wants to hear that like no-one wants to see Haas and Benjamin. Morrison and Benjamin start. Morrison is distracted by a R-Truth/Benjamin confrontation, meaning Haas gets a cheap shot in on Morrison leading to Benjamin taking over. Morrison flips out of a german suplex before a round the world side leg sweep corkscrew elbow to the floor and then R-Truth tags in. He misses the scissors kick and gets beat on. Benjamin misses a charge before R-Truth flips up to the top before Shelton leaps up and nails an amazing almost super brainbuster. Awesome, and we go to b reak. Back in, Morrison is beginning to fight back but he gets Samoan dropped big style. Haas tags in and the team get a nice double team backbreaker for a pair of two counts. Irish whip leads to a two count from the corner. R-Truth fights baack before getting amazingly belly to bellied. That suplex was sick. Nice STO by Haas as we play the whole desperate tag mode. Truth finally gets it after a nice sequence and Morrison does the whole hot tag schtick with dropkicks to both of his opponents. Springboard kick for a two broken up by Benjamin. R-Truth with a spinning thing and gets thrown out by Haas who walks right into a capoeira kick, a moonlight drive and the starship pain. Lots of nice moves with a splash of psychology which is what you want from these random mid card tags. Morrison also looks very strong which I would guess is the point of this whole match.
John Morrison and R-Truth def. Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas (Morrison pinned  Haas) **3/4

Next up, we’re breaking down some walls.

Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho vs World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk, Non-Title match
Jericho has brought Mysterio’s mask to the ring. He says 99% of the crowd are liars and 99.9% of them are failures. Interesting statistics there. Jericho in some convoluted way has done Mysterio a favour and has set him free by unmasking him. Mysterio though did not thank him and just disappeared. Hmm. Jericho will also prove tonight that he is better than CM Punk. This fire burns always. Mat work of sorts to start and some basic grappling including a wristlock with causes Punk to bridge down over Jericho’s knee before bridging out again. More mat work. Punk flips out of a suplex and gets a back elbow for one. More mat work to start which doesn’t particularly endear him to the crowd. Punk misses a suplex and Jericho tries for the walls, Punk tries for the Go2Sleep and Jericho bails as we go to commercial. Back in Punk gets his tarantula like rope submission and gets his Steamboat tribute flying crossbody for two. Jericho front suplexes Punk so he is hung in the ropes which leads to the springboard dropkick to Punk on the apron. Heat for this as Jericho salutes the crowd. Lots of restholds before Punk is drop toe held into the corner. Jericho gets posted in a charge and takes a dropkick and the pepsi one high knee bulldog combo for two. Punk misses a springboard something and takes the lionsault for two. Jericho gets snap powerslammed for two. I always like that move. Enziguiri (of the step up kind) by Jericho. Jericho dog countered to Jericho being horizontal across the top rope which telegraphed the Go2Sleep which Jericho very nicely counters into the Walls of Jericho. After a struggle Punk makes the ropes. Jericho goes up top but gets enziguiri’d the fuck out and Punk takes advantage with a superplex. Only for two though. Codebreaker out of nowhere for Jericho but Jericho couldn’t make the cover immediately and Punk gets a foot on the ropes. Huge high kick by Punk, Jericho into the ropes into the Go2Sleep which gets the three. I’m sure all these matches are Punk getting his wins back for all the times Jericho beat him on RAW. Anyway, good match, perhaps not as good as some of their others, but when you put these two in the ring you will rarely miss.
CM Punk def. Chris Jericho (Pin) ***

RAW Rebound. That show has serious problems…

Jeff Hardy vs Edge, #1 Contenders Match
This match seems to happen quite a lot too. Not that I’m complaining, sometimes Hardy doesn’t really do it for me wrestling wise but Edge usually brings the best out in him. They recap the whole Punk title win again in case we missed the first bazillion times. And then well here comes Punk again. Looking more heely by the minute. We seem to be getting a guest commentary spot. He was great at that in ROH, doing the colour quite a lot. Bodyslam by Hardy after some basic grappling to start. QUick edit there for some reason and Edge gets some strikes. Punk says for now, playing it safe, that he hopes the fans can overcome their dislike for him beating Jeff. Edge and Jeff working a very slow pace to match the beating they took in the ladder match. Edge posts himself on a charge as we go to another break. Back in Jeff gets a two count, an arm wrench, an arm breaker and arm bar. Jeff has apparently been working the arm instead of his usual jumping around with basic moves. Big boot by Edge to a loud heat. Punk points out Edge emulating Punk with the high kick. After a rest spot, Hardy gets taken into the turnbuckle and Edge goes for the kicks. Edge chokes Jeff in the ropes but Edge misses the bossman rope charge. We get another double rest spot. I appreciate them selling the ladder match but it isn’t making for a good match. Jeff goes for the front suplex facebuster and Edge gets a chop block and begins working the leg. Flipping clothesline by Jeff before a regular one. Jeff gets crotched on the top going for whisper in the wind and we get another double rest spot going into the break. Back in Edge is still working the leg, ramming it into the post. Back in the ring Edge gets a two count. Punk references his ridiculous first vignette back on ECW with a smirk saying he’s addicted competition. Edge is still working leg locks and stomps the thing. JR rightly points out that this is unlike a usual Edge/Jeff match. Edge gets kicked to the outside and goes up top and gets caught doing the flying something. Jeff pops the crowd with a DDT and a two count. Double clothesline and ANOTHER double rest spot. Side Russian Leg Sweep by Jeff and a leg drop cradle for two. Nice move. Off comes the shirt to the panty wetting of teenage girls. Jeff nails the Hardyz Leg Drop for a two count. Inverted atomic drop by Jeff before a double leg takedown. Jeff misses the gut drop kick and Edge locks in a ‘modified’ (read botched) sharpshooter but Jeff makes the ropes. Rope aided sunset flip for two for Jeff. This is definitely getting better along the stretch. Twist of fate blocked and Edge gets posted off the spear and Jeff rolls him up for two. Twist of fate by Edge who is in swanton position. Edge rolls out though and toped off the apron by Hardy. They recover on the outside and Jeff gets thrown into Punk at ringside. That dastardly Edge. Punk ruins the match by running in and pounding Punk leading to a DQ. Jeff pummels Hardy, reverses the Edgecution into a twist of fate and Punk gets his finisher back by Go2Sleeping Hardy. So..what happened exactly?
Edge and Jeff Hardy had a match and something happened **3/4

Teddy randomly has ECWGM Tiffany backstage. So, in light of whatever that was, we have on Monday night CM Punk vs Edge vs Jeff Hardy for the title. Back out in the ring, Punk holds the title high.

Great show this week. You just can’t argue with what Smackdown brings: lots of good wrestling matches with solid and not overdone angle advancement. You know the exact opposite of RAW. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this special edition of The Smackdown Report and that I did a decent job. Even if it did feel like it took an age to write!

This episode of Smackdown earns a thumbs up.

Until next time, I have been Paul Smith. Thanks for reading.

Kofi Kingston beat Matt Hardy, William Regal and MVP in a Fatal-Four Way Match to retain the United States Championship
This match was a basic opener that Kofi Kingston ran away with. His work was better than anyone in the bout and I completely agree with him retaining the title. I personally feel the show would have been better off opening with Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio and this match going second. There was nothing notably bad about the match or anything that really popped out at me other than the work of Kofi. His agility makes him one of the best in-ring workers on the Raw brand. He hit a great standing dropkick that many of the workers could learn from.

Chris Jericho beat Rey Mysterio in a No Holds Barred Match to win the Intercontinental Championship
Chris Jericho started with a great heel promo from the concourse. I’m usually against talking on pay-per-views but Jericho cut such a good promo I thought it was effective. I also like how Jericho cut the promo while on his way to ringside so it didn’t waste a lot of in-ring time. The match was very well done and as I already mentioned, would have been better served as the show’s opener. I like how Jericho ripped Mysterio’s mask off him to continue the heat he has been getting but it’s still hard to have a No Holds Barred match without adding color. The lack of blood on this pay-per-view really hurt how believable it was. Jericho winning the Intercontinental Championship was no surprise to me as I was told a month ago there was talk about Mysterio dropping the belt.

CM Punk beat Umaga in a Samoan Strap Match
I’m not a fan of strap matches because of the limited mobility it gives the workers. This was no different as it came across pretty bad. I like how agile Umaga is for a big guy as he hit a stellar heel kick for a guy his size. Punk had to go over to build him up for the swerve later in the night. I absolutely hated the stipulation where they had to touch all four corners of the ring. Like I said in my coverage last night, this was a goofy stip match.

Tommy Dreamer beat Christian & Jack Swagger in a Triple-Threat Hardcore Rules Match to win the ECW Championship
This match suffered without the use of blood. It’s hard for a bout such as this to appear believable when people are getting smacked in the head with trash can lids, only not to bleed. The crowd wanted tables and they didn’t get them. There wasn’t anything bad about the work but with the gimmick and no blood, it weakened the bout. I was surprised to see Dreamer go over but apparently he will be signing a new WWE contract. I must admit it was emotional for me to see Dreamer tear up in the ring and celebrate in the crowd afterwards. He’s worked hard and deserves a chance to prove himself as ECW Champion.

Santina Marella beat Vickie Guerrero & Chavo in a Hog Pen Handicap Match to win the Miss WrestleMania crown
My oh my, these were the words I used in my coverage analysis last night. This was terrible and a complete waste of pay-per-view time. They scrapped bra and panties matches for this. Don’t get me wrong, I still think Santino or Satina is the man (or the woman) but this came across very bad and wasn’t funny. I’m not even sure a 12-year-old would find this humorous.

Batista beat Randy Orton in a Steel Cage Match to win the WWE Championship
This was a short bout, obviously due to Batista’s injury. I found out this morning that Batista is not suffering from a torn triceps but is injured to the point where he is scheduled to undergo surgery tomorrow. You can get the full scoop at this link. Orton worked all the high spots and I was very surprised to see Batista go over. Obviously WWE wanted to keep everyone guessing but I would have rather seen Orton retain.

John Cena beat Big Show in a Submission Match
This was one of the worst matches of the night next to the Hog Pen Match. This bout went on what seemed like forever and was dry and boring. They lost the crowd several times throughout. The booking was horrendous as Show was booked to be dominant but somehow, some way, Cena was able to defy the odds and make Big Show tap out in the STF. As I noted in the analysis in my coverage last night, it’s impressive watching Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment on Big Show but he can’t rely on that to save every one of their matches. This was virtually the same bout we saw at Judgment Day. No wonder Cena draws so many haters as anyone with any intelligence at all will tell you this was very unrealistic.

Jeff Hardy beat Edge in a Ladder Match to win the World Heavyweight Championship
The Ladder Match main event was well done. There were a lot of crazy spots and I guarantee you both Jeff Hardy and Edge are feeling this one this morning. I like the utilization of so many ladders and really appreciate both Edge and Hardy risking it all to put on an entertaining contest. The crowd ate this match up and it came across very good on pay-per-view. Jeff Hardy hit a crazy mid-air Twist of Fate off a ladder and ended up winning the World Heavyweight Championship.

CM Punk beat Jeff Hardy to win the World Heavyweight Championship after cashing in his Money in the Bank title shot
After the Ladder Match main event I knew something was up when Jim Ross was in the ring past 10:50 PM. CM Punk’s music hit and he came out with a referee. Punk hit GTS once, Hardy kicked out. Punk rolled him up again and Hardy kicked out. He hit one more Go to Sleep and pinned Hardy to win the World Heavyweight Championship. I’m glad they gave Jeff the respect of letting him kick out but I think it’s an eye rolling call to have Punk reign as champ again this summer. Jeff’s future with WWE seems to be unclear but I’d rather see him get a short run with the belt rather than another failed CM Punk reign. It will be interesting to see if they plan on turning Punk heel or if they just had him go over Hardy to execute the swerve. I would think if they wanted Punk to continue as a babyface they would have had him go over Edge, but we’ll see.

WWE Extreme Rules 2009 was certainly a newsworthy show and you pretty much have to watch it if you want to know what is going on. There were some good matches, no classics, but there were some entertaining bouts. The Hog Pen Match was terrible and John Cena defying the odds to make Big Show submit just didn’t do it for me. Everything else was pretty solid expect for the weird call to have Orton drop the title to an injured Batista. Maybe this will lead to Triple H’s return on Raw? We’ll see as WWE is certainly hoping the title change will help their ratings tonight.

Lethal Consequences & Eric Young b. The Motor City Machineguns & Sheik Abdul Bashir
TNA opened Sacrifice with a match that was announced earlier in the weekend. The bout was a great opener which accomplished everything an opener should accomplish. The match got the crowd going and even garnered “this is awesome chants”. I didn’t have high expectations for the pay-per-view but this match got the energy going in the building. The finish of the match saw referee Andrew Thomas offering Lethal an assist on Sheik Abdul Bashir, letting him roll him up for the win. They teased Eric Young wasn’t happy with the way the match ended.

Taylor Wilde b. Daffney in a Monster’s Ball Match
This was a forgettable match that was booked to setup the post-match stuff with Abyss taking out Dr. Stevie on the tacks. Lauren came out and was able to stop Abyss from taking out Wilde. Stevie provoked Abyss with strap shots which resulted in him taking the chokeslam. This could have been done on Impact rather than on a pay-per-view.

Daniels b. Suicide to win the X Division Championship then the match was restarted and went to a draw.
Wow, I don’t even know where to start with this match. Daniels and Suicide (who was Frankie Kazarian) worked what I described in my pay-per-view coverage as a flat match where Daniels ended up winning the X Division Championship thanks to interference from the Motor City Machineguns. Chris Sabin distracted the referee on the outside while Alex Shelley took out Suicide in the ring. This allowed Daniels to get the pin on Suicide. After the match, Daniels said he can’t win in this fashion and demanded a restart. Completely lacking logic, the referee asked Suicide if he wanted to restart the match for an additional five minutes. Why does the referee have to ask Suicide if he wants to restart the match? He just lost his championship; of course he wants a restart! The match ended up going to a draw as the five-minute time limit expired and Suicide retained the X Division Championship. Now correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t Daniels win the X Division Championship prior to the restart? Obviously TNA booked it as the first finish didn’t count, but Mike Tenay kept billing the restart as a “bonus match”. If it were a “bonus match” then Daniels would have been defending the X Division Championship. What a booking disaster and a complete waste of time.

Angelina Love b. Awesome Kong to retain the TNA Knockout Women’s Championship
The Knockout Women’s Championship match was just as forgettable as the rest of the pay-per-view. Basically a hardcore match with spots outside of the ring, Kong dominated throughout. TNA creative overbooked the finish with Raisha Saeed getting on the ring apron, causing a distraction, resulting in Kong getting sprayed in the eyes with some sort of spray and pinned by Love. After the match Kong took out Love with several Implant Busters.

Samoa Joe b. Kevin Nash
This match wasn’t given enough time but it was actually one of the few entertaining parts of the pay-per-view. I’m not high up on the work of Nash but he didn’t do anything to mess the bout up. Samoa Joe looked good and they put on an entertaining match. Joe ended up making Nash tap in the rear-naked choke which I felt was good for a change of pace. I would have rather seen this get more time and some of the filler stuff cut out.

Beer Money, Inc. b. The British Invasion to win the Team 3D Tag Team Tournament
Brutus Magnus is still green, too green for my liking but I like how they put him with Doug Williams to give him work in the tag division. This match was pretty good but broke down several times without having several hot tags I’m used to seeing in Beer Money matches. Roode and Storm hit a double team on Williams, using the “Feast of Fired” briefcase to get the win. Not crazy over the dirty finish but Beer Money wins the tournament and will get a shot at the Tag Team Championship. I found it hilarious how Mike Tenay plugged the trophy presentation for this week’s Impact.

AJ Styles b. Booker T in an “I Quit” Match to retain the TNA Legends Championship
This match was good but not great and featured yet another questionable finish. Instead of either Booker or AJ quitting, Jenna ran out and threw in the towel on behalf of Booker. This upset Sharmell to no end and didn’t really declare a winner. AJ hit some good spots, as did Booker, but it wasn’t the classic it could have been. It kind of reminded me of the Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy matches. It had the potential to be a classic but didn’t produce. They were given plenty of time and didn’t necessarily disappoint but it was no classic and nothing you need to go out of your way to see. The whole match ended up being a way to continue dissension between Sharmell and Jenna. Taking the focus off AJ and Booker in a pay-per-view match is a mistake.

Sting pinned Kurt Angle to become the new leader of the Main Event Mafia
Was it a TNA Championship match? Was it a retirement match? I’m not even sure what this match was! I think it was mid-way through the bout when I finally put together the title really wasn’t even on the line. Or was it? If I was this confused I can’t imagine what the casual fan felt like. Wrestling-wise, as I noted in my coverage last night, the old geezers got it done. It was entertaining but the goofy stipulations completely took away from it. I guess Kurt Angle paid the “Ultimate Sacrifice” but how does Mick Foley walk out the TNA Champion and not win the match? Terrible gimmick match that I hope is not repeated. We saw a change in power in the Main Event Mafia but I still felt like I wasted my time and money.

TNA Sacrifice 2009 was a forgettable throwaway pay-per-view. TNA didn’t even try to hide it as a number of mind-blowing creative decisions made this a no-brainer not to watch. There is absolutely no reason to watch this show unless you want to see what not to do. I’m not a wrestling creative writer, and never have been and I know it’s easy to criticize when you’re on the outside looking in. However, is it too much to ask to book thinks that make logical sense? Is logic too much to ask for? There were a couple of fun bouts but nothing that couldn’t have main evented an episode of Impact.

The show opened with CM Punk facing Umaga. I liked WWE utilizing Punk to get the crowd going with him being the hometown hero. They reverted back to WWE booking 101 as Punk did a job in his hometown to Umaga. WWE wants to build Umaga back up but I can’t help but think Punk looked weak as the Money in the Bank winner doing a job. The match itself wasn’t bad and was a fine opener. Umaga and Punk work two completely different styles but workers like Punk are able to adjust and put on an entertaining bout.

Christian’s ECW Championship defense against Jack Swagger was a good match. It wasn’t given a ton of time but both were able to effectively manage their spots to put on an enjoyable bout. The crowd died off when Swagger utilized his mat wrestling skills as I was told from in the arena you could hear a pin drop. I don’t have a problem with amateur wrestlers such as Swagger utilizing the mat attack but some fans would rather more high spots. Christian retained by grabbing the tights of Swagger which makes me think WWE is keeping the door open to begin a Christian heel turn.

John Morrison vs. Shelton Benjamin was another impressive bout. Morrison and Benjamin are very good in-ring workers with similar styles. As good of a worker as Shelton is I felt Morrison outshined him in this match. Morrison utilized a lot of high-risk spots, even hitting a 450 splash out of the ring on Shelton. The go-home sequence was perhaps the most impressive part of the bout as Morrison fought off an interfering Charlie Haas, hit a flying dropkick on Shelton, and ended the match with Starship Pain and a three count. Morrison’s stock should skyrocket.

The Miz came out next for an in-ring promo. A lot of fans, including me, are not crazy about talking on pay-per-views. However, I was not against giving The Miz some mic time at Judgment Day. Not only is The Miz getting over with his push on Raw but his mic work has been so good he deserved the pay-per-view payout. Miz didn’t disappoint as he gave what I thought was one of his best promos to date, keeping heat while going after John Cena who is not near as popular with the Chicago crowd. Santino Marella came out and basically had a babyface turn with mic work equally as good. Chavo Guerrero got involved after Miz went to the back, hitting a Frog Splash on Santino after he had been laid out.

The match of the night for me was Rey Mysterio’s Intercontinental Championship defense against Chris Jericho. This pay-per-view was loaded with impressive in-ring work but Mysterio and Jericho worked on another level last night. There was a great go-home sequence where Mysterio connected a drop toe hold followed by a 619 and a springboard splash on Jericho to get the pin. WWE wants to build Mysterio back up as a main event worker on SmackDown so putting him over Jericho (who is already established as such) was the right move from creative.

Randy Orton continued to impress me in his WWE Championship defense against Batista last night. There was nothing spectacular spot-wise and Orton ended up getting himself disqualified and the match thrown out when he smacked the referee. Legacy came out and beat up on Batista only for Ric Flair to come out and make the save. I’m usually against dirty finishes but this had to be done and worked very well. Not only did it serve as a perfect opportunity to bring Flair back but it kept a tremendous amount of heat on Orton and Legacy. With Batista not getting beat clean, it left the door open to give this program more build.

Big Show dominated John Cena throughout their bout. WWE creative has to careful with how they book Big Show because he must look dominant to remain credibility for his size. There was nothing special about this bout but it wasn’t a bad effort by either worker. John Cena haters are probably fuming at the finish which saw Cena “overcome the odds” once again and give Show the Attitude Adjustment to pick up the win. I’m not a huge Cena fan but understand he is WWE’s top guy and it was impressive watching him get Show on his shoulders.

Jeff Hardy and Edge had a spectacular World Heavyweight Championship match. Jeff Hardy looked like a main event guy last night. He started the match by working the arm of Edge, a great way to begin to build for his high-risk spots later in the match. My favorite spot of this bout came on the outside when Hardy was up on the crowd control barrier by the announce table and ended up getting caught with a Spear by Edge. Edge ended up hitting the Edgecution superplex off the top rope in the ring to get the three count and retain the championship. Great job by both creating spots that were innovative and different.

I felt like I have raved about Judgment Day throughout this review but it was a very good pay-per-view. The booking made sense and the ring work was great. I wouldn’t mind sitting down and watching this one again because of the in-ring work. No titles changed hands but with the rate they’ve been changing the titles, I don’t consider that a bad thing. Ric Flair’s return was a surprise and the filler in-ring promo with The Miz and Santino Marella was well done. I recommend you check out Judgment Day 2009 as it showcased what fans of good in-ring work want to see.

Christian beat Jack Swagger to win the ECW Championship
WWE opened with the ECW Championship match and it was very well done. Swagger looked much better than he did at No Way Out earlier this year. Christian proved once again that he is one of the better workers in the world. Swagger worked a more grounded technical style but Christian complimented it well with his counters. The go-home sequence was great with Swagger hitting an Oklahoma Stampede and getting a two count only for Christian to counter with the Kill Switch. Christian pinned him to win the belt. After the match, they had Christian run into Edge backstage which I felt was a good tease for an angle in the future. I expect Christian to turn heel eventually.

Chris Jericho beat Ricky Steamboat
This match was booked because WWE didn’t have time to build a new angle for Jericho and Steamboat was very impressive at WrestleMania 25 and Raw the next night. Jim Ross noted it was Steamboat’s first singles match in 15 years as his last bout was at WCW Bash at the Beach against Steve Austin. You would have never have known it as Steamboat definitely still has it. Not only did he look great physically for his age but his ring work was spot on once again. The crowd at it up as Steamboat hit a cross body off the top rope into a lateral press. Jericho ended up countering with a Code Breaker and eventually locked in the Walls of Jericho to get the win. This was the blow-off with the Legends vs. Jericho angle but Steamboat got a nice farewell from the crowd. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Steamboat but it looks like he’ll go back to his role as a producer.

Kane beat CM Punk
The Money in the Bank winner did a job to Kane which really had to be done to save Kane’s credibility. It still made me wonder if there is a chance Punk could lose the MITB briefcase but this was a forgettable filler bout. I was told from in the arena this match lost the crowd and you could tell on pay-per-view. I don’t like the idea of Punk losing but that was really the only direction creative could take without completely burying Kane.

Jeff Hardy beat Matt Hardy in an “I Quit” match
Jeff finally got a win – which had to be done – but I was unimpressed. While I’m not a fan of gimmick matches, “I Quit” matches can be fun if booked correctly. There were some high spots and the match wasn’t terrible but both are capable of more. Hardy vs. Hardy on paper looks like a classic but the two PPV bouts they have worked have been uneventful and disappointing. The lack of color also doesn’t do this feud justice. The Draft has separated the Hardys once again so this looks to be over.

Santina Marella beats Beth Phoenix in an impromptu match
The Khali Kiss Cam segment, which was booked for comedy, turned into an impromptu match between Santina and Beth. The Great Khali did the dirty work for Santina, taking out Beth and allowing him/her to steal the win. I’m not crazy about comedic segments on pay-per-view, in fact, I hate them. However, I am such a fan of Santino’s work I lightened up and enjoyed the segment for what it was. If you can’t laugh at Santino’s female impersonation you need to lighten up.

Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, & Ted DiBiase beat Triple H, Batista, & Shane McMahon to give Orton the WWE Championship
Let me first say I am thoroughly impressed with the work of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase. Both looked like main eventers last night and stepped it up working with the big boys. Shane was solid as well and kept the invisible punches to a minimum. The finish to the match was affected by an early bell on the false finish which had to have been a mistake. Orton hit the RKO and went for the pin but only got a two count, they rang the bell anyway. Orton quickly went for a second cover on Triple H to give him the title win. Batista looked solid with it being his first match back from injury. The decision to put the WWE Championship on Orton was inevitable and is absolutely the right move. Orton is the best thing going in WWE right now and deserved to be rewarded for all his hard work. Furthermore he is over more than anyone in the company and in my eyes is the top guy right now. Rhodes and DiBiase are developing nicely. They did a big Triple H injury angle at the conclusion of the match which could possibly keep him off TV for a couple of weeks.

Edge beat John Cena in a Last Man Standing match to win the World Heavyweight Championship
I will be the first to tell you John Cena’s gimmick comes off as cheesy to me, as it does to most male wrestling fans over the age of 14 or 15. That was clear last night as Cena had a lot of heat from the Rhode Island crowd. However, there is no way anyone can evaluate this match and say it was bad. The match was very well done and had a perfect finish to get the World Heavyweight Championship back on SmackDown. They worked in the ring, on the outside, in the crowd, and in the concourse before Big Show gave Edge the assist by chokeslamming Cena through the spotlight. They did another big injury angle and it should start a feud between Cena and Show on Raw. WWE is building Big Show up tremendously so it looks like a run at the top is imminent. I like Edge getting the dirty win because had he have done the dirty work it would have been impossible to continue the feud on separate brands. With Show costing Cena the title, it sets up a future program.

WWE Backlash 2009 was a solid effort that was very newsworthy. Christian vs. Swagger was the match of the night and Jericho vs. Steamboat was a respectable match to follow. Kane vs. Punk was a forgettable filler bout and the “I Quit” match was a big disappointment. The Khali Kiss Cam was nothing more than comedy to lighten the mood before the two main events. The main event matches did what they were supposed to do and I think the three right men came out as champions. I would recommend watching the show because of the title changes with some solid wrestling. Do not expect a classic from the Hardys as it was not what it could have been. Steamboat still has it and I’m glad he was able to prove it again.

Eric Young b. Danny Bonaduce in pre-show dark match
After the build and hype for this match I felt it was a disappointment.   Bonaduce was never booked to look like he had a chance and while he took some solid bumps for not being a pro wrestler, the crowd didn’t buy it.  The crowd didn’t buy into much of anything last night but Young easily took care of Bonaduce.  After the match, Bonaduce attacked Young with numbchucks and Rhino came out and made the save.

Suicide b. Jay Lethal, Sheik Abdul Bashir, Kiyoshi, and Consequences Creed in an X Division Xscape Match to retain the X Division Championship
TNA opened the pay-per-view with their X Division elimination-style match that came down to Sheik Abdul Bashir and Suicide.    The match was a pretty decent opener but not the spot fest I had expected.  The crowd, which was a problem all night, didn’t seem to be into the match and that always hurts things.  The spot of the match came when Suicide dove off the top of the cage to the outside onto Kiyoshi and TNA security to win.  Absolutely incredible watching a worker take that big of a risk.

ODB b. Madison Rayne, Daffney, and Sojo Bolt in a Queen of the Cage match
ODB was the only worker in this bout that drew any reaction from the crowd.  This was nothing more than a forgettable filler match that was actually pretty ugly in certain parts.  The crowd was silent except for when Cody Deaner poured the contents of ODB’s flask in her mouth.

The Motor City Machineguns b. LAX and No Limit to retain the New Japan Jr. Tag Team Titles in a Match with Tornado tag team rules
This was a good match that lived up to expectations.  I was impressed with the work of Naito and Yujiro who looked very comfortable in the ring.  Naito missed on an impressive twisting moonsault that you don’t see often executed in the United States.  Alex Shelley ended up pinning Naito to get the win.  Hernandez and Homicide worked very hard as they always do to put on an entertaining encounter.

Matt Morgan b. Abyss in a Doomsday Chamber Of Blood match
Prior to the match, Abyss cut a very good promo backstage with Lauren where he truly came off psychotic.  I’ll go as far as to saying it was one of the best promos I have seen him do.  The match itself was your typical Abyss gimmick match.  It was entertaining at points but nothing we haven’t seen before.  They worked with pieces of broken glass which was amusing until Abyss hit Morgan in the head with a piece where he clearly bladed.  Morgan made it way too obvious he used a blade.  Abyss bled like he always does as it was gushing from his head early on.  Interesting to note they never changed the ring canvas after the match.  The finish saw Stevie Richards run in and end up distracting Abyss to the point where Morgan was able to hit a low blow and get the win.  They referee got knocked out during the match which was typical overbooking for TNA creative.

Angelina Love b. Awesome Kong and Taylor Wilde to become the new TNA Knockout Women’s Champion
TNA did not book this match to be a competitive encounter as much as they booked it to make Angelina Love look like the heel that outsmarts her opponents.  Kong missed on a somersault flip from the top rope which was awesome.  It showed how versatile Kong is and had she connected on Love, it would have probably killed her.  Velvet Sky and Love ended up tying Kong’s braids to the cage which ended up having Kong kick Wilde in the face and Love stealing the win and the championship.  Wilde continues to underperform in the ring and looks to be lacking focus.  I’m not against Angelina Love getting a run with the belt as I feel she is one of the better female workers in the company.  Kong is definitely the top female TNA now that Gail Kim is gone, but Love is on up there.  I would expect Kong vs. Love to continue.

Team 3D b. Beer Money, Inc. in a Philly Street Fight to retain the IWGP Tag Team Titles and win the TNA Tag Team Titles
Team 3D cut a promo before the match out in the concourse, drinking beer with the faithful Philadelphia fans.  They entered through the crowd and took the action through the arena to start things off.  Tables got involved and the fans got as loud as they had all night for the finish.  The finish was very well booked where James Storm inadvertently hit Roode in the head with the cage door which allowed Team 3D to put him through a table in the ring and get the pinfall victory.  There was no way they weren’t going to put Team 3D over in the match but the company did a great job of booking it to make Beer Money look competitive.  Hats off to all four workers as they worked good but there were some production problems such as missed camera shots.  That’s not something you see often and I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt, but that is the only thing that took away from the match.

Team Jarrett (Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, & Christopher Daniels)  b. Team Angle  (Kurt Angle, Booker T, Scott Steiner, & Kevin Nash) in a Lethal Lockdown match
The Lethal Lockdown match has produced some classics and while this was no classic it wasn’t bad either.  I was entertained as Daniels and Angle started things out as more workers started to enter.  Styles and Angle worked on top of the steel structure which was very risky but entertaining.  AJ took a nasty bump through the top of the cage into the ring on a spot where I thought he broke his leg.  Steiner went vintage and even hit the Frankensteiner and Booker looked uninspired as he has lately.  Nash was treated like a big star by the crowd but the best offense I saw him hit was a sideslam.  Jarrett tried to hit AJ with a chair but ended up hitting Booker with a guitar shot for Styles to get the pin and the win.  Bobby Lashley made his surprise debut after the match which surprised everyone.  Prior to the match Samoa Joe was seen backstage talking to someone and they’re teasing who it was for this week’s Impact.

Mick Foley b. Sting to win the TNA Championship
Prior to the match they had more production problems as a backstage interview with Sting and Lauren was interrupted by Lashley’s music playing.  The match didn’t have the big feel to it like TNA was billing but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been.  Foley and Sting worked like the veterans they are and were creative in hiding what they couldn’t do.  I admire Foley for being able to climb out of the cage and how he hung in there.  The match featured color, as Foley was busted open throughout, and I like how he sold his ankle to immobilize him which helped explain his limitations.  To be honest Foley as TNA Champion scares me.  He isn’t an active wrestler anymore and can’t carry the company as the top guy.  In my eyes it lowers the credibility of the title and is a complete injustice to guys like Samoa Joe and AJ Styles.

If I were to give TNA Lockdown 2009 a school letter grade it would be a D.  The show had some good parts to it but the dead crowd hurt the event.  There were filler matches that could have been removed to give some of the other stuff more time.  Foley vs. Sting was meant to thrive off their names, not their work, and I’ll give it to them that they didn’t stink it up.  However, they did not put on a classic by any means.  TNA has a lot of problems and while they continue to bring in big names such as Bobby Lashley they refuse to develop any of their talent.  TNA is living off the past, trying to capitalize on guys that were popular in the 90s instead of keeping up with the times and putting over their workers.  Guys like LAX, AJ Styles, and Samoa Joe continue to take a backseat to the over the hill veterans that not only are past their prime, but work more like they are just going through the motions rather than giving it their all.  You may want to watch the title changes so you can stay current but there was nothing on this pay-per-view I would label as must-see.

The WWE Tag Team Championship Unification bout was moved from the main card to a DVD exclusive dark match which I found to be very disappointing. Other than the people that were live in the arena, I don’t believe anyone else even saw it. Primo and Carlito are the new Tag Team Champions but does anyone even care? One can only hope this will revamp WWE’s decimated tag division by focusing on one set of titles. When I first broke the news of the tag team championships being unified, I was told the belts were going to be based out of ECW. I haven’t heard if those are still the plans but I hope they move the belts to one brand and revamp their tag division to create some respectable action.

WrestleMania kicked off live on pay-per-view with Howard Finkel introducing Nicole Shrezinger who sung a great rendition of America the Beautiful. Jim Ross gave us the formal welcome and they went right into the Money in the Bank Ladder Match which is always great to start a show. The work in last night’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match was good but there were some botches in the middle of it. There was one spot in particular where MVP and Shelton Benjamin were working on a ladder and it turned into Botchomania. There were some spots in the beginning with suicide dives to the outside which I felt were well done. I liked how six workers teamed up to take out Kane and Mark Henry and think Shelton Benjamin is insane for doing the dive off of the top of the ladder on the outside. Christian hit an Unprettier from the top of the ladder in the ring that I popped for and CM Punk’s work was very solid. The go-home sequence was good but I did not like how WWE put CM Punk over for the second year in a row. Does anyone remember his reign last year as World Champion? I do, but barely. Definitely an eye rolling call from creative but at least the work in the match was good, Mark Henry didn’t kill anyone, and everyone else worked at a level that I felt was sufficient. Not the best Money in the Bank Ladder Match ever, but certainly not a bad effort.

Kid Rock’s performance was up next and I’ve got to say I wasn’t impressed. Nothing against Kid Rock as I am actually a Kid Rock fan, but I could have done without this. He performed some new material (which I don’t think as good as his older stuff) but some of the stuff he did was popular ten years ago. This went too long and I would have preferred it have been scrapped all together. It cost the Divas their entrances which started off the disaster that was about to happen.

Terrible, just terrible. Those are the words I used in my WrestleMania report last night to describe the 25-Diva Battle Royal. I didn’t like the entrances being scrapped, I didn’t like how the returning Divas were given very little camera time, and I didn’t like how the commentary was handled. Knowing what I know today about the Santina gimmick, I understand why the announcers were ordered to play captain dumbasses and I have to admit Santino’s victory dance was priceless. The match was forgettable and shows me that WWE has no intentions of creating a credible and competitive women’s division. Santino for Women’s Champion!

Chris Jericho vs. “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat went just how I expected other than the fact that Jericho ended up going over. I thought Jericho would eliminate Snuka and Piper, and then Ric Flair and Mickey Rourke would help Steamboat get revenge on Jericho. Jericho ended up eliminating all three before getting to Flair and eventually being knocked out by Mickey Rourke. Before I get into that I want to give credit where credit is due and my hat is off to Ricky Steamboat. Putting aside the fact that the guy is four years from being 60 years old, he hasn’t wrestled in years and actually looked very good in the ring. He didn’t care to go high risk and moved pretty well. I didn’t like how Jericho handled the legends, took out Ric Flair, before getting “put in his place” by Mickey Rourke. The legends looked weak and the way Jericho took care of Flair made him look bad. Maybe WWE did it because Flair is working with Ring of Honor but I don’t like how he came off as inferior to Jericho. The legends should have saved Rourke, not the other way around.

Matt Hardy vs. Jeff Hardy was a good Extreme Rules Match that featured tables, ladders, and chairs but it wasn’t the classic I expected. It’s tough to do a hardcore match without the use of color. It looks like WWE is eliminating the use of blood as they are editing it from WWE 24/7 and no one bled at last night’s show. Jeff had the two riskiest spots of the match as he set Matt on a table on the outside, put a chair on him, and then put another table on top only to crash through it. The other high risk spot came from 20 feet on ladder inside the ring when Jeff went off and missed on a leg drop. Jeff is insane for doing both spots, but nothing surprises me for him. I don’t like Matt going over as Jeff was one of the hottest things going in WWE just a couple of months ago and now he’s nothing more than another mid-card talent.

When JBL came out with a microphone, I think we were all expecting an announcement regarding his future. Instead, he cut a heel promo and ended up getting squashed with a 619 in 21 seconds and did the announcement after the match. At least they gave it more time than the ECW Championship bout from last year (that went 9 seconds) but to promote a match and not do it, especially at WrestleMania, is inexcusable. It looks like JBL’s career as an in-ring performer is over, but he went out very weak. Rey Mysterio is one of the greatest workers of all time yet the title he is holding is nothing more than a prop. I liked his Joker-themed mask he wore last night but other than that, this sucked.

The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels were given a daunting task heading into their bout. It was up to them to salvage not only a “big four” show but the biggest show of the year. Up until this point, the pay-per-view wasn’t terrible, but it was certainly below my expectations. Sure the Money in the Bank Ladder Match wasn’t bad but it wasn’t outstanding. Kid Rock’s performance was weak, the Divas Battle Royal was a disaster, and Jericho vs. the Legends could have been done on Raw. Matt and Jeff worked hard, but wasn’t the classic I think many were expecting. Thirty minutes later, everything changed.

Forgive me for marking out as I know I will get some heat but Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker had one of the greatest matches of all-time last night. Michaels and Undertaker put on a thirty minute masterpiece that was perfect in every way. Obviously the big draw to the match was Undertaker’s undefeated streak was on the line, but how it was executed made it much more than “another WrestleMania victory”. I could name spot after spot but since it was a five star match that would be next to impossible. Multiple near falls and kick outs, multiple finisher attempts, and still Michaels looked like he had a chance to end the streak. Flawlessly, two of the best to ever step in the ring, put on a match that will forever be talked about. Not only is it mind boggling that two people could create such a match in the first place, to do it at 43 and 44 years old gives me chills. Mark my words; this will be the Match of the Year. Nothing is going to top this. Shawn and Undertaker not only stole the show, but they put on a match that was impossible to follow. It didn’t matter what happened in the next two bouts – there was no way that anyone was going to top this match. This bout is a must-see, if you missed it; you need to make sure you see it.

John Cena, Edge, and Big Show had a good match and I hope it silenced a lot of people who were skeptical about Show. Big Show is not The Great Khali, he is not Vladimir Kozlov. Big Show can work and he has proved that. Last night was no different as these three had a good triple-threat bout that showcased the strength of John Cena when he got Show and Edge up for the Attitude Adjustment. I liked how Vickie and Chavo were involved yet didn’t affect the outcome. Not only does that allow for an angle to continue between Show and Edge, it allowed for the ring work to overshadow overbooking and gimmicky finishes (something I hate). Cena becoming the World Heavyweight Champion shouldn’t surprise anyone, especially with WWE wanting to give him the spotlight with 12 Rounds out (even though it’s tanking). Like I said, there was no way they were going to follow Undertaker and Shawn anyways.

WWE honored the Hall of Fame Class of 2009 next and Steve Austin received the loudest ovation of them all. Austin bid farewell to WWE with a memorable beer bash segment where he rode a four wheeler to the ring. Not only did I look at this segment as the end of Austin, but I looked on it as the end of an era. PG programming looks like it’s here to stay and whether we like it or not, it is the direction WWE is going forward with. Thanks for the memories Steve; you deserve your place in history as one of the greatest of all time.

The main event between Triple H and Randy Orton was good but not great. It was physical and realistic and captured the intensity of the feud, but left the program open. Triple H used the sledgehammer to win and I could see that being disputed by Orton on tonight’s Raw. There was nothing notably bad about this match nor was there anything great. It was physical and realistic, which is really the only way to put it. I wasn’t a huge fan of the early RKO and Pedigree and am not really sure what made them seem like that would be a good idea other than to capture the intensity of the feud. Hunter and Orton are both top guys so there was no way this was going to be bad, but anything after Undertaker and Michaels was bound to be a letdown. I know McMahon likes the titles to be considered superior to anything else, but creative made a mistake by not letting Shawn and Undertaker go last.

Any way you look at it, WrestleMania 25 was a one match show. The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels had a match for the ages that will forever be remembered. Other than that, there were not many WrestleMania moments. If this had been any other pay-per-view, it would have been a great show, being as it was WrestleMania, I’ll say it was a respectable effort but below my expectations. Other than Shawn vs. Undertaker there were four matches that were good but not great. The other three matches – JBL vs. Rey Mysterio, the Divas Battle Royal, and Chris Jericho vs. the Legends were forgettable and not WrestleMania material. As for my recommendation, I would check out the show because it is WrestleMania, and the crowd was amazing but the only moment that will still be talked about in the years to come is Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker.

The show opened with Madison Rayne, Angelina Love and Velvet Sky taking on Roxxi, Taylor Wilde and The Governor. The match was your basic Knockout match that was too short to be good or bad. Everyone hit their basic spots before Wilde cleaned house, Rayne hit a high cross-body off the top rope and The Governor dove to the outside. Wilde was left alone in the ring where she hit her bridging suplex on Rayne to get the pinfall victory.

Up next was an unannounced match as Brutus Magnus continued his open challenge. The thing about Magnus is he is still really green and I’m unsure if he is ready for the push he is receiving. Nonetheless Eric Young came out to accept the challenge and worked good enough to save the match from being bad. Magnus kicked out of a pinfall attempt after EY hit the Death Valley Driver only to hit his finisher and get the win. Magnus is still good on his challenge without making Young look bad.

Sheik Abdul Bashir came out for an in-ring promo while the ring crew was setting up for the match of 10,000 tacks. This was one of many weird moments on the pay-per-view as basically he cut his normal heel promo about being discriminated against only for Jim Cornette to come out and tell him no one likes him. Really, who cares? This was obviously done to kill time but it could have been scrapped and more time could have been added to the matches. Bashir insulted the Navy veteran that was the guest ring announcer for Eric Young which was done to draw cheap heat.

The Match of 10,000 Tacks was your basic Abyss gimmick match. It was short, to the point and Abyss ended up being the one bloodied and through the tacks. Everyone knows gimmick matches do not do much for me and this was no different. Abyss did hit the Black Hole Slam and dumped out a bag of broken glass which I thought was going to be interesting, but it ended up being a non-factor as Morgan finished the match out of the ring.

The Finals for “One Night Out” with ODB was one of the worst segments I have ever seen. It was done to debut Cody Deaner, but it was one of those segments where I felt embarrassed to be watching. This is one of the reasons why so many people look at pro wrestling like a joke. I will say Jeremy Borash made a great game show host and if he ever decides to move on from wrestling, he might give Howie Mandel a run for his money.

Sojourner Bolt looked terrible in her match last night for the TNA Knockout Women’s Championship against Awesome Kong. The match was literally Botchomania and is the early favorite for Worst Match of the Year. Bolt botched everything and to try and look competitive with Kong you have to be on point. She wasn’t and the match was a disaster.

Samoa Joe made his return to TNA last night with his match against Scott Steiner. Joe wore new ring attire which made him look minor league but his work was still as good as ever. Steiner was busted open early and in typical TNA fashion, Joe got disqualified early and the match was thrown out. Joe was booked to be psychotic as he bit Steiner where he was busted open and took him out of the Impact Zone. They teased in a segment later in the night that Joe had done something terrible to Steiner.

AJ Styles and Booker T had a good match to try and salvage what had been a forgettable pay-per-view up until this point. For the past several months Booker T has look lethargic in his work, literally just going through the motions and not putting out a lot of effort. Last night was different as he worked the hardest he has in awhile and AJ performed at 110% as he is known for. The go-home sequence was great as Styles was on the apron, springboarded off the top rope onto Booker ended up hitting the Pele followed by the Styles Clash for the win. Styles is the new TNA Legends Champion and is one of the best things going right now in professional wrestling.

It was time for some overbooking with the next match as Beer Money, Inc. held their “Off the Wagon” Challenge, putting their belts on the line up against the jobs of Team 3D. Storm got Beer Money disqualified when he landed a chair shot on Brother Ray but Jim Cornette came out to restart the match. Cornette said this time it will be a no disqualification match. In typical TNA booking fashion, they had Roode pull out the referee when Brother Ray had the three count on Storm, only for Rood to take Storm to the back with the belts. Beer Money was counted out giving Team 3D the win, but making the match pointless. The work wasn’t bad but the booking made no sense. Go figure.

The match of the night was the Ultimate X Match featuring Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, Suicide, Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed all battling for the X Division Championship which was held by Alex Shelley. Spot fest throughout in a very entertaining match that I highly recommend you see. Suicide ended up pulling out the win in an incredible go-home sequence where Jay Lethal, Chris Sabin and Consequences Creed were all on the structure before Suicide dove from the top in a very risky spot to capture the title. Excellent, excellent work by everyone involved.

Any match involving Kurt Angle is going to special; there is just no disputing the fact that the guy can out work anyone in the business. I don’t know how he does it, especially given his health, but last night was everything I have come to expect from Kurt Angle. He and Sting had a very good match until the gimmicky finish where Angle accidentally took out Jarrett only for Mick Foley (the Special Enforcer) to become the referee. Jarrett ended up coming too, Angle spit in his face, and Jarrett took out Angle which allowed Sting to his the Scorpion Death Drop and retain the title. What did you expect with Jarrett and Foley both involved? Somehow TNA is expected to build to Foley vs. Sting at Lockdown and it looks like another grudge match between Angle and Jarrett.

TNA Destination X was almost painful to watch until Booker T vs. AJ Styles. They worked hard and started to salvage the pay-per-view only for the Ultimate X Match and the main event to turn the show into a respectable effort. The Ultimate X Match was as good as anything you’ll see in the business and I highly recommend you check it out. Two titles changed hands as Styles is the new Legends Champion and Suicide is the new X Division Champion. Here’s to Suicide resurrecting the X Division to what it used to be. My hat goes off to AJ Styles and Kurt Angle who were awesome last night. Booker T and Sting worked like the capable veterans they are and salvaged Destination X.

The Undertaker’s music opened the pay-per-view which I found surprising. I thought for sure the WWE Elimination Chamber match would go last, but we found out towards the end of last night’s pay-per-view why it was done.  When Edge was eliminated early in the bout off a Jeff Hardy roll-up I knew something was up.  Why would the WWE Championship change in consecutive pay-per-views and why would the Champion get eliminated so early?  Vladimir Kozlov came in and I still feel his work is sub-par.  He worked a good bit with Jeff Hardy but still couldn’t impress me.  Big Show came in and helped Kozlov by working on Hardy.  It seemed like the more they could keep Kozlov out of the way, the better the match was going to be.  Triple H came in to a huge pop from the crowd and started to work on Big Show.  The Elimination Chamber match is like the Royal Rumble match in that a performer has to work very precise in an effort to shine when the ring gets crowded.  The Undertaker was buzzed in the match last and got a huge ovation from the crowd.  How about Undertaker’s Last Ride followed by pin on Vladimir Kozlov?  As many Undertaker matches as I’ve seen, he still amazes me.   Big Show was eliminated next which left it down to Jeff Hardy, Triple H, and Undertaker.  I said in my PPV Preview I thought it would come down to Triple H, Undertaker, and Edge but Edge was removed for other reasons.  There was a lot of good work with Hardy, Undertaker, and Triple H before Jeff was eliminated after an Undertaker Tombstone.  Undertaker and Triple H had a great go-home sequence where Triple H countered out of the Last Ride, hit the Pedigree, and go the win.  I heard there was a rumor of doing Triple H vs. The Undertaker for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania so we’ll have to see if WWE goes with that plan.  I certainly expect Undertaker to want revenge.

Randy Orton vs. Shane McMahon was up next and they certainly had a tough match to follow.  As I did last night, I have to put Shane McMahon over.  After his lackluster work on Raw a couple of weeks ago, I have to admit I had my doubts about this match despite knowing how well Shane can bump.  McMahon and Orton worked very stiff and Shane even hit coast-to-coast.    Shane took an insane bump through the announce table and Orton added color.  The match didn’t feature a lot of out of the ring action  nor was there much interference from Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase as McMahon basically laid them both out.  I liked the go-home with Shane going for the Orton punt to the head only to get caught in the RKO.  Good stuff by Shane, who doesn’t have to work like that, and still does.  I have to put someone like that over.

The ECW Championship match was nothing more than a filler match.  I got some text messages from some of my friends in the industry that said they felt like it was a disaster but to be honest I was so exhausted from the first two bouts I was glad to see some chain wrestling and submission hold.  Jack Swagger predictably retained and will go on to feud with Christian, presumably all the way to WrestleMania.  I feel Swagger has a lot of potential with his wrestling ability accompanied by his look.  When he gets his mic work straight, there is a good possibility we’re going to see him on the main event on either Raw or SmackDown.

I was surprised to see WWE blow off Shawn Michaels vs. JBL last night.  I heard rumors something was going to happen to keep either stipulation from occurring but in the end Michaels went over JBL clean after hitting Sweet Chin Music.  The match had the typical slow JBL pace, but I didn’t think it was bad.  The crowd was very much into the match for the go-home which always makes for a fun bout.   Shawn’s real-life wife Rebecca was at ringside for the match and ended up slapping JBL on the outside.  It looks like Michaels will have a different opponent at WrestleMania and we should find out more tonight.

The final match of the night was the World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match.  Kofi Kingston was randomly laid out by Edge when he made his way out to the ring which started the swerve.  Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio started the match out, working a fast paced style that both of them are than capable of doing.  I liked how Mysterio hit the 619 on Kane followed by a Jericho Code Breaker only for Mysterio to somehow make it to the top rope to go off and eliminate Kane in a great spot.  Mike Knox didn’t look terrible but I kind of felt the same way I did with Kozlov, keep him out of the way so he doesn’t screw this up.  Jericho quickly eliminated him with Code Breaker.   Edge was in next and had great work with Rey Mysterio and Chris Jericho.   Cena wasn’t in for long as he cleaned house but ended getting hit by the Code Breaker by Jericho when he was going for the Attitude Adjustment on Edge.  Edge pinned Cena to eliminate him.  I was pleasantly surprised when the match came down to Mysterio and Edge as it’s about time Mysterio gets the rub as a top worker.  The go-home saw Mysterio bang Edge’s head off the glass of the Chamber only for Edge to counter, hit the Spear, and get the pinfall.  Edge won the World Heavyweight Championship in another fantastic Elimination Chamber match.

No Way Out was expected to be a throwaway pay-per-view to build WrestleMania.  The show ended up being a very good effort and I recommend everyone see it.  The tone was set early on with the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match followed by a physical Shane McMahon vs. Randy Orton bout.  The ECW Championship match was a filler match but people not familiar with Swagger might want to watch it.  JBL vs. Michaels was solid but nothing special.  The World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber was as good as the first Elimination Chamber and I’m not even going to begin to pick which was better.  I expect Triple H to end up moving to Raw to take on Orton at WrestleMania, defending the McMahon family but that is nothing more than speculation.