1.    Last Man Standing match: Randy Orton vs. CM Punk

Interesting, but strong choice to open the show. Both guys circle each other at the start before Orton starts on offense with some punches, a clothesline, and a kick to the chest before he sends Punk to the outside. Orton hits an uppercut on the outside before they head back into the ring, where Punk is able to hit some punches and a knee drop, only for Orton to retake the advantage with a kick, snapmare, and a knee drop of his own. They return to the outside, where Punk hits Orton with a kendo stick before tossing Orton back into the ring and grabbing a second one. Punk stays on offense and hits a back suplex, but Orton is eventually able to make a comeback, hitting Punk with a kendo stick and a clothesline. Orton tries for a spike DDT, but Punk is able to counter it and catapult Orton into an exposed turnbuckle, which Punk uncovered before the match began. The ref counts but Orton gets up as Punk sets up a chair in the corner. Punk hits a high knee in the corner, but Orton is able to avoid a bulldog into the chair. Orton counters the Go to Sleep, Punk counters the RKO, and Orton counters the GTS again before throwing Punk face first into the chair, sending Punk to the floor. Punk gets up at 6, but Orton rams him back first into the apron and powerslams him on the floor.

Orton takes apart the announce table, but Punk hits him with a roundhouse kick. Orton gets up, slams Punk face first on the announce table, and hits a nasty Angle Slam on the barricade. Punk is up at 6 and gets into the ring, where he counters the RKO and hits the GTS. Punk slides a chair into the ring and hits Orton with a Russian leg sweep on it. Orton is up at 8 and Punk sets up the chair on its legs, but Orton hits an RKO. Punk is up at 9 and bails to the floor, but Orton clotheslines him into the crowd. Orton tries for a spike DDT off the barricade, but Punk counters and rams Orton back first into the ring post. Orton gets up at 9, but Punk wraps a chair around Orton’s throat and rams him throat first into the post. Orton gets up at 9 and Punk hits a ton of punches. Both guys end up on the announce table, where Orton hits a sudden RKO. Punk gets up off the table at 8 but stumbles to the floor. Orton tries for the punt but Punk catches him and drops him face first on the steel steps. Orton gets up at 9 and goes into the ring. Punk heads to the top rope with a kendo stick in hand, but Orton pummels Punk with the other kendo stick and hits an uppercut. Both guys are up top and Orton hits a super RKO into the ring. Orton gets up at 9 but Punk doesn’t, and Orton gets the win. Very good match with some really nice spots. What kept it from being even better were the excessive amounts of counts whenever anyone would hit a move, which tends to happen a lot in WWE last man standing matches. Still, a huge improvement on their Wrestlemania match. Match Time: 20:10     Star Rating: ***1/2

In a quick backstage segment, Teddy Long informs Sheamus that he will defend his United States Championship in a Tables match against Kofi Kingston. I wish they announced this ahead of time.

2.    Tables match for the United States Championship: Sheamus(c) vs. Kofi Kingston

For a last minute add-on, this was pretty good. Kofi hits some punches and kicks in the corner at the start, and Sheamus responds with kicks of his own, only for Kofi to take him down and hit some more punches. Kofi goes to the floor to get a table from under the ring, but Sheamus throws him into the barricade. Sheamus gets another table but Kofi knocks him down. Kofi sets up a table on the floor and puts Sheamus on it, but Sheamus rolls off and tosses Kofi into the barricade. Sheamus teases a High Cross through a table on the floor, but Kofi escapes, only for Sheamus to hit some punches and put him back in the ring. Sheamus ends up on the apron and Kofi hits some strikes, but Sheamus hits a slingshot elbow strike over the ropes into the ring. Sheamus gets another table from under the ring and yanks Kofi’s arm over the top rope. He hits Kofi in the gut with a table from the outside, then drops the table on top of him in the ring. Sheamus stands on the table (and Kofi), then steps on Kofi’s face. Sheamus sets up the table in the corner and slams Kofi’s face on it, but Kofi is able to hit a sunset flip and a double stomp. Kofi ends up crotched (sort of) on the table, but is able to escape the High Cross. Kofi ends up on the apron and eats a bicycle kick, but the impact causes him to overshoot a table on the floor. Sheamus sets up a table in the ring and teases a powerslam off the top, but Kofi hits some punches, only for Sheamus to knock him down. Sheamus teases a suplex over the ropes through a table on the floor and Kofi hits the Trouble in Paradise, but Sheamus takes a bump on the apron and misses the table. Sheamus gets to his feat and winds up on the table, and Kofi jumps off the top rope onto Sheamus, putting him through the table for the win. It was expected that Sheamus would lose his title since they can’t have both the US and Intercontinental titles on Smackdown. Good match here with a nice story of Kofi’s constant escapes from potentially devastating moves from Sheamus. Match Time: 9:12     Star Rating: ***

3.    Country Whipping match: Jack Swagger and Michael Cole vs. Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler

While this wasn’t dragged out as much as their Wrestlemania match, it was still atrocious. Cole cut a promo putting himself over before the match and was wrapped in bubble wrap, to protect against the whips. It was basically a no DQ match, with tags, where straps were provided as weapons. Lawler whips Swagger with the strap at the start before Cole comes in. Lawler tears the bubble wrap off Cole, but Swagger enters and whips Lawler several times. Cole whips Lawler himself and tags out to Swagger, who beats on Lawler but misses a Vader Bomb. Lawler comes back with punches and Cole begs him off, but Swagger hits a chop block and applies the ankle lock. Ross whips Swagger from the apron, allowing Lawler to hit a DDT and tag in Ross. It got ugly as Ross was visibly stiff, nervous, and sloppy. Cole was tagged in, and Ross tosses him into the ring, sends him into the corner, and hits a very weak shoulder block. Ross whips him with a strap and applies the ankle lock, but lets go in order to hit Swagger with a low blow, who was trying to interfere. Cole got a roll-up immediately after for the win. Why can’t they just let the faces win to end this incredibly ridiculous storyline? The match was all whipping and no wrestling, and the wrong guys won. There’s not much more you can say. Match Time: 7:05     Star Rating: *

4.    Falls Count Anywhere match: Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio

The show got back on track with another Wrestlemania rematch which was better than the first encounter. Cody hits some punches at the start, but Rey slides underneath him and hits a head scissors that sends Cody to the floor. Rey then slides under the ropes with another head scissors, but Cody scores a near fall on the floor. Cody punches Rey as they go up the ramp, but Rey slams Cody’s head into the titan tron. Cody ends up on the floor beside the stage, and Rey hits a seated senton off the stage to Cody on the floor. They then brawl into the crowd. Cody crotches Rey on the barricade but Rey sends Cody into a wall. They fight up the stairs in the crowd with both guys throwing punches. Cody applies a Boston Crab with Rey’s body trapped in the railing, and hits a head butt. They fight into the arena concourse, where Rey throws a crate on Cody for a near fall. Cody hits some punches and a nice rebound kick springing off a wall for a near fall. Rey hits a knee to the head and knocks down Cody as they head back into the crowd and down the stairs. Mysterio hits a kick but Rhodes is able to hip toss him over the barricade into the ringside area. Mysterio hits some punches and tries for the flip up bulldog, but Rhodes counters and slams him face first on the steel steps. Mysterio is able to recover and hit a top rope flying head butt to a standing Rhodes in the ring for 2. Mysterio misses a top rope guillotine leg drop, and Rhodes is able to hit some kicks to the groin and an Alabama slam. Rhodes sets Mysterio up in the corner, but Mysterio hits some punches and blows mist in Rhodes’ face (channeling the Great Muta?). Mysterio hits the 619 and a springboard splash to get the win. This was a fun match with some innovative spots and solid effort from both men. Mysterio getting the win was fine as he got revenge after Rhodes beat him at Mania. Match Time: 11:43     Star Rating: ***1/4

5.    No Count Out, No Disqualification match (Loser Leaves WWE): Layla vs. Michelle McCool

This turned out a bit better than most WWE women’s matches. McCool takes control early and sends Layla to the outside. Layla sends McCool into the announce table, but McCool knocks her down, kicks her, and gets a near fall in the ring. Layla ducks a big kick and hits 2 of her own. McCool begs off, but Layla hits some punches. McCool hits a belly to belly slam and they go outside again.  McCool misses a kick and is hung up on the barricade. Both girls end up standing on the barricade and crash to the floor. Both girls go back in the ring, where Layla hits a flip over stunner out of the corner for 2. McCool gets a near fall, but Layla escapes the Faith Breaker and hits her neckbreaker. McCool gets her foot on the ropes and soon after is able to counter a sloppy roll-up attempt into the Faith Breaker. McCool goes for the cover but Layla suddenly rolls her up for the win. McCool cries in the ring afterwards. All of a sudden, Kharma (aka Awesome Kong from TNA or Amazing Kong on the independent circuit) makes her WWE debut and gives McCool the Implant Buster in the ring, which was awesome. As for the match, they tried, but Layla is such a terrible worker that it wasn’t much more than average. But average is more than you can say for most women’s matches in this company. Match Time: 5:07     Star Rating: **

6.    Ladder match for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship: Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian

Unsurprisingly, this was the best match on the whole show. They do some back and forth early on, with Christian reversing an irish whip and knocking Del Rio down, only for Del Rio to come back with a kick and a scoop slam. Christian hits some punches and chokes Del Rio against the ropes, and then hits a back body drop and a diving uppercut off the second rope. Christian goes to get a ladder but Del Rio goes to the floor to stop him. Del Rio stomps Christian, kicks him in the head, and rolls him underneath the ring with his foot. Del Rio picks up a ladder, but Christian appears on the other side of the ring and does a baseball slide dropkick that sends the ladder into Del Rio’s face. Christian gets a big ladder and climbs in the ring, but Del Rio sends him to the mat before climbing himself. Christian pushes the ladder over, but Del Rio is on his feet and hits an enzuigiri. Del Rio stomps Christian and chokes him with his boot, only for Christian to dump Del Rio over the ropes to the floor. Christian is holding a ladder in the ring, but Del Rio takes his legs out from under him and Christian lands face first on the ladder. Del Rio takes a ladder and bridges it from the apron to the announce table. Christian tries to catapult Del Rio into the ladder bridge, but Del Rio blocks and hits some kicks. Christian puts Del Rio on the ladder bridge and goes to the top rope. Del Rio pushes Christian off, but Christian is able to land on a standing ladder on the floor and spring off with a cross body to Del Rio to the floor.

Christian ascends a ladder in the ring, but Del Rio knocks him down and sets up a ladder against the corner. Christian counters the cross-arm breaker and Del Rio counters the killswitch, but Christian is able to flapjack Del Rio onto the ladder. Del Rio ends up on the floor and Christian tosses a ladder on top of him. Christian climbs a really tall ladder in the ring, but Del Rio comes back in and throws a very small step ladder at him. In a really cool spot, Del Rio stands on the step ladder, holds Christian, and gives him a jumping double knee armbreaker off both ladders. Del Rio applies the cross-arm breaker for a bit before he sends Christian into a ladder in the corner. Del Rio charges but Christian avoids him and sets up the SUPER ladder. Del Rio tries to powerbomb Christian off the ladder, but Christian counters with a head scissors and Del Rio is on the apron beside the ladder bridge. Del Rio teases a suplex on the ladder bridge, but Christian backdrops him onto another ladder laying flat in the ring. Christian goes to the top rope and holds onto a ladder, but Del Rio hits an enzuigiri, causing Christian to fall to the mat and land on the ladder. Del Rio climbs a ladder and Christian knocks it over, only for Del Rio to send Christian out to the floor. Ricardo Rodriguez hands Del Rio a chair, but Christian sends Del Rio into the ring post.

Christian gets in the ring, waits for Del Rio, and hits a big spear. Christian climbs a ladder, but Del Rio pulls his legs through the rungs and he’s stuck (channeling the finish of the Edge vs. Jeff Hardy ladder match from Extreme Rules 2009) as Del Rio climbs on the other side. Christian gets free and pushes the ladder over. Del Rio kicks the step ladder in Christian’s face and sets him up on the ladder bridge. Del Rio goes up top for an elbow drop, but Christian moves and Del Rio crashes into the ladder bridge. Christian sets up a ladder in the ring and gets to the top, but Brodus Clay comes down to interfere and pushes the ladder over. Christian is left dangling in mid air, but ends up on the mat and pushes Clay into a ladder in the corner. Christian hits him with the step ladder and Clay ends up on the outside. Del Rio kicks a ladder in Christian’s face and applies the cross-arm breaker with Christian’s arm through a ladder. Del Rio sets up the SUPER ladder and climbs slow, but Edge appears in a Jeep by the stage and honks the horn. Del Rio is distracted and Christian pushes the ladder over, causing Del Rio to fall out of the ring onto Rodriguez and Clay on the floor. Christian sets the ladder back up, climbs, and grabs the title as Edge comes into the ring to celebrate with him. Amazing moment with Christian winning the title and the crowd went INSANE. This has been a long time coming and I couldn’t be happier about Christian winning a world title in WWE. He’s easily one of their most skilled performers and he’s very over with the fans. Aside from the memorable moment, the match itself was great. The psychology was awesome with Christian climbing to win during the whole match. This got a ton of time, Del Rio did a great job working the arm, and they mixed in some very good spots. Excellent stuff. Match Time: 21:14     Star Rating: ****

7.    Lumberjack match for the WWE Tag Team Championship: Kane and The Big Show(c) vs. The Corre (Ezekiel Jackson and Wade Barrett)

This match was not announced in advance, and was just a buffer between the two major title matches. Show hits a punch and a couple chops to Barrett before tagging in Kane, who hits a low dropkick, a corner clothesline, and a sidewalk slam. Barrett is able to send Kane to the floor, where the lumberjacks ambush him. Show beats up a bunch of the lumberjacks as Jackson works over Kane with some clotheslines, stomps, and punches in the corner. Barrett stomps Kane and gets a near fall, but Kane hits a few strikes on Jackson before both men are down after a double clothesline. They tag their partners and Show is all over Barrett, hitting a corner back splash before he’s sent to the floor via Jackson pulling the rope down. The lumberjacks beat up Show and Jackson hits him with a scoop slam in the ring, but Barrett tags himself in. He can’t do the Wasteland and Show hits a chokeslam for the win. Pretty much a Raw match, but fine for what it was. Match Time: 4:19     Star Rating: *1/2

8.    Triple Threat Steel Cage match for the WWE Championship: The Miz(c) vs. John Cena vs. John Morrison

This really surprised me and ended up being nearly as good as the ladder match. Miz has the advantage early, hitting some clotheslines and tossing both Cena and Morrison into the cage. He tries to toss Cena into the cage again, but Cena blocks it and hits some punches and a fisherman’s suplex. Miz and Morrison end up on the top rope and Morrison tries to climb out, but Miz pulls him back in. Miz and Cena then fight on the top rope and Miz hits some punches, but Cena hits a big bulldog off the top rope into the ring. Cena hits his shoulder blocks, side suplex, and the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Morrison, but falls victim to a Skull-Crushing Finale from Miz. Morrison tries to climb out again, but Miz pulls him in and they slug it out on top of the cage. Morrison and Cena are on the top rope and double superplex Miz (who was hanging by his feet from the top of the cage) into the ring. Morrison again tries to escape but Cena pulls him back in, only for Morrison to send Cena to the mat. Morrison tries for the flash kick, but Cena ducks and Morrison just hits Miz instead. Morrison hits a Flux Capacitor to Cena for a near fall and climbs again, but Miz stops him and powerbombs him into the side of the cage before hitting a knee strike to the head. Cena catches Miz in the STF and Miz calls for the door to be opened as he crawls to it. Both Cena and Miz almost crawl out and are pulled in by their feet, and Cena hits a gutwrench suplex to Miz back in the ring. Morrison and Cena trade punches on top of the cage as Miz tries to escape out the door, but Morrison swings the the door into Miz’s face with his foot. Morrison ends up crotched on the top of the open door, and Miz pulls him by his leg back into the ring.

Morrison kicks off Miz, but Cena gets a near fall on Morrison. Miz hits a DDT for a near fall and follows it up with a clothesline and some kicks to Cena’s head. Miz presses Cena’s face against the cage with his leg, but has to stop as Morrison tries to escape over the top. Morrison dangles over the edge and Miz pulls him in, then Morrison does the same to Miz. Morrison sends Miz to the mat and kicks away Cena, then hits a crazy corkscrew splash off the side of the cage onto both men in the ring. Morrison tries to crawl out the door, but R-Truth runs down and hits a knee to the side of Morrison’s head. Truth enters the cage, kicks Morrison several times, hits an axe kick to Cena, and hits a Paydirt to Morrison. Truth then climbs over the top of the cage to leave, showing he could have won the match if he was in it. Miz ascends the cage, but Cena pulls him back in and they have a slugfest on top of the cage. Cena tries to escape but Miz pulls his foot and both guys end up on the top rope. Miz tries for the SCF, but Cena hits a jumping Attitude Adjustment into the ring and covers Miz for the win. Cena winning was anticlimactic but Miz’s title reign was really lackluster and they needed to take the belt off him. It’s a huge mistake by WWE if they don’t give Morrison the title this year because he’s crazy over and always puts on an outstanding performance in his matches. This was a great cage match with a lot of drama, and everyone was working at a breakneck pace right from the get go, which was stunning seeing as the match was going 20 minutes. Awesome stuff all around with a lot of great spots, and Morrison and Truth were put over strong. Great match to end a great show. Match Time: 20:00     Star Rating: ****

Overall PPV Rating: 8/10

My name is Jared Silberkleit. I am from Orange, CT and am a huge fan of pro wrestling. I mostly follow WWE and TNA but I also watch the smaller promotions such as ROH and DGUSA. I have been a lifelong WWE fan and have become a TNA fan over the past few years. Aside from wrestling, I also really love baseball and football and follow many other sports such as hockey and MMA. I have written for www.sportsgrumblings.com for three years.

We dare you to call Erica Dee a Tomboy. The 22-year old from Long Island, New York may have the credentials for that dubious distinction, but being schooled in kickboxing, Jiu Jitsu and wrestling make her a lethal weapon in high heels. Plus she’s drop-dead gorgeous.

“I’ve watched professional wrestling since the day I was born,” she said. “I can still remember being three years old and watching Brett “The Hitman” Hart with the WWF.” Most seven-year-old girls are playing with their Barbie dolls, but Erica took up classes to learn something a little bit different. “I joined Jiu Jitsu and kickboxing and trained there for over 11 years,” she recalled.

Choosing to not rest on her laurels, Erica later joined a wrestling school and began to learn the skills of her first love. “I went there for a year before it closed down,” Erica said. “Right now I’m at a new wrestling school training as a manager/valet.” Erica has put her skills to work as a member of Fight The World Wrestling as Lady “Diamond” Dee, the manager of Joey Ace, who just happens to be her real-life boyfriend.

With the recent launch of FTW‘s women’s division, the debut of Erica Dee “The Knockout” cannot be far behind. “I will pick up on my wrestling training this coming year with the hopes of getting some in-ring action. I also joined boxing and MMA and I hope to enter a fight very soon.”

During her day job, Erica works in an office at a pre-school and loves being around children. In her college days, Erica majored in Broadcast Journalism and contributed to their weekly newspaper. “I love to write,” she said,” so I hope to continue my education in the near future.”

Similar to the WWE’s CM Punk, Erica follows a Straight Edge lifestyle. “No smoking, drinking or drugs,” said Erica. “I stand very firm on that.”

Just one of the many positive traits possessed by this special young lady.

‘This is Your Magazine’ is merely one of the reasons why MuscleSport Mag is far and wide better than any other publication out there. What other media outlet features the up and coming athlete, the same as if he or she was a professional in their industry? This is the place to get your face and story out there, and who knows what opportunities may arise from that type of exposure?

The show has been described as a “hybrid live event/reality show,” according to the official WWE website and will feature eight established superstars and their charges – a group of young and hungry up and comers from Florida Championship Wrestling, the breeding ground for WWE. The competition will pit the rookies against one another with the survivor receiving a WWE contract.

Here are the tandems, as announced on the final ECW televised broadcast:

Chris Jericho – Wade Barrett

Matt Hardy – Justin Grabel

MVP – Skip Sheffield

Carlito – Michael tarver

The Miz – Daniel Bryan

Christian – Heath Slater

CM Punk – Darren Young

R. Truth – David Otunga

The show has been called “The next evolution of the WWE” by Vince McMahon and it appears that the company will be exploring new ground by adding the reality element. The set-up sounds similar to the UFC’s “Ultimate Fighter” reality series, which has two teams of eight MMA fighters coached by pros and the final contestant receives a six-figure fight contract. By mixing elements of such a successful show with their own special form of sports entertainment, it will be interesting to see the outcome.

As far as the superstars themselves, the braintrust at Titan Tower strategically placed a few headliners such as Jericho and Punk and mixed in midcarders like Hardy and Truth. Two of the more intriguing names are The Miz and Christian. The former holds three current belts,as one half of the unified tag team champions with The Big Show and the US title. Christian was the longest reigning champion of any of the three brands before being pinned by Jackson.

One question that has not yet been asked or answered is if these eight superstars will be able to compete on Raw, Smackdown or Superstars.

1. Hell in a Cell match for the World Heavyweight Championship: CM Punk(c) vs. Undertaker

The fans and I were in complete shock to see this as the opener. Definitely a very interesting choice to open the show as I had originally thought this would be the main event. They used the cage the best out of all the Hell in a Cell matches on the card during this match and it didn’t feel different from any of the past Hell in a Cell match other than the lack of blood. It started off with Punk trying to stay away from Undertaker by rolling out of the ring, but Taker catches up to him and slams him into the cage numerous times. They go back inside the ring momentarily but Taker hits a nice big boot to Punk that sends Punk off the ring apron and into the Cell wall. Punk starts to gain an advantage when he dropkicks the steel steps into Taker’s knee and works over the leg for a good portion of the match. Punk dropkicks Taker into the cage and hits a suicide dive afterward. Back in the ring, Taker counters a Go to Sleep attempt with a Tombstone attempt, but Punk fights out of it and goes to work on the leg again. Punk grabs a chair from under the ring and hits Taker over the head for a two count. Punk then goes for a running knee in the corner, but Taker hits a Last Ride. Punk counters an Old School attempt before charging at Taker with the chair, but Taker kicks the chair into his face before connecting with a chokeslam. Taker then hits a Tombstone to win the match and the world title in this surprisingly brief (just 10-12 minutes) Hell in a Cell match. Still, the crowd went nuts for Taker’s win and the match was very enjoyable. Match Rating: 7/10

2. Intercontinental Championship: John Morrison(c) vs. Dolph Ziggler

After being so hot for Taker’s big win, the crowd quickly cooled down during the first 5-10 minutes of this next match. Morrison and Ziggler were doing some decent technical wrestling with Ziggler putting on several sleeper holds but the crowd was dead silent. The match and the crowd started to pick up once Morrison missed the Starship Pain midway through the bout. Ziggler afterward hit several moves including a powerslam and neckbreaker but couldn’t get a 3 count. Morrison then gets the advantage following a DDT and hits a standing shooting star press for a 2 count. Ziggler tries for a roll up while holding the ropes but the ref sees it and stops the count. More back and forth action follows with Morrison catapulting Ziggler into the corner and going for a springboard enzuigiri, but Ziggler counters it with a German suplex followed by a bridge pin for a near fall. Ziggler then gets up and hits a Famouser before going for the Zig-Zag. Morrison counters and hits a big kick to the side of the head before connecting with Starship Pain to get the win and retain his title. This match took a little while to get going but ended up being very entertaining. Match Rating: 6.5/10

3. Divas Championship: Mickie James(c) vs. Alicia Fox

For many people in the arena, including the people that I was with, this was the time to get up, stretch, get food, and use the bathroom if you had to. I stuck around and watched this thing and was not impressed at all. Fox proved that she didn’t even succeed during day 1 of training, which is BUMPING. You heard absolutely nothing when this girl hit the mat. This match was nothing special, Mickie tried to make it decent but to no avail. Fox hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and body scissors in the middle of the match to try and get the heat. Eventually Mickie goes for her DDT, Fox counters and goes for a scissors kick, but Mickie counters that with a very painful and botched looking jumping DDT for the win. You definitely heard it when Fox hit the match that time. Very sloppy and boring women’s match. Match Rating: 2.5/10

4. WWE Unified Tag Team Championship: Chris Jericho and The Big Show(c) vs. Batista and Rey Mysterio

This match really surprised a lot of people in the arena, including myself, and ended up almost being the match of the night. This was one of those matches that is a lot more enjoyable when you are there live but I imagine the folks watching this at home still had a good time watching this thing unfold. Jericho hits a really nice standing Lionsault early in this one to Mysterio before he gets the tag to Batista. Batista and Rey then get frequent back and forth tags to work over Jericho , which included Mysterio jumping off of Batista’s shoulders to hit a nice splash. Jericho finally gets the tag to Big Show and they actually played up the David vs. Goliath thing well with Mysterio vs. Big Show for a portion of this match. Show has Mysterio propped up in the corner and hits a huge slap, sending Rey to the floor before Show grabs him by the head and pulls him back into the ring. Jericho tags back in and counters a 619 attempt with a lariat. Mysterio then hits him with a seated senton before tagging in Batista. He hits a spear before going for a Batista Bomb, but Show breaks it up. Batista hits a spinebuster to Jericho, but is distracted by Show outside the ring and is caught with a Codebreaker from Jericho for a near fall. Show tags in and chokeslams Batista, but Rey hits a springboard move to break up the pinfall. Mysterio then tags in and faces off with Show and hits a tilt-a-whirl DDT. He then sends Show outside the ring and drops Jericho over the top rope as well. Show catches his partner, but Batista hits a spear outside the ring, taking out both of them. Back in the ring, Mysterio hits a 619 to Show, but when Mysterio leaps off the top rope, Show catches him with a big right hand and the heels pick up the win. Very entertaining tag team match. Match Rating: 7/10

5.    Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Championship: John Cena(c) vs. Randy Orton

This was easily the worst of the three Hell in a Cell matches and a mildly disappointing effort from these two. I don’t understand why two men who have as much chemistry as Orton and Cena keep putting on these lackluster matches. It has gotten to the point where I don’t want to see them square off again. It was cool to see that the crowd was very anti-Cena and pro-Orton, especially in my section. This match actually started off well with Orton launching Cena into the Cell and grinding his face against the cage. Cena then slams Orton into the cage a few times before Orton sends him into the steps. Orton tosses the steps into the ring and from this point on they pretty much remained in the ring for the rest of the match. Cena back body drops Orton over the top rope, then throws the steps at him, but Orton gets out of the way. Orton then hits a backbreaker before Cena starts to hit his regular moveset. However, Cena has the Attitude Adjustment countered and Orton hits an elevated DDT. Cena later counters an RKO with an AA for a near fall, but Orton fights back into it by bringing a chair into the ring. He jabs the chair into Cena’s throat numerous times, but Cena is able to put on an STF. Orton gets out of the hold and sends Cena into the ref, knocking the ref out. Cena puts on the hold again and gets Orton to tap but the ref is out. Cena tries to wake up the ref but turns around and is hit with an RKO for a near fall. The ending of this match was very anticlimactic as Orton tied up Cena’s arms in the ropes and then put on a sleeper hold for several minutes before hitting a botched punt to the head for the win. The crowd popped big time for Orton winning but I personally didn’t enjoy the match. It seems very weird that WWE would only give Cena the title for 3 weeks before having him drop it to Orton and this match was very disappointing. It was like they didn’t even realize that it was a Hell in a Cell match. The back and forth action in the ring was okay but overall it failed to deliver. Match Rating: 6/10

6. Drew McIntyre vs. R-Truth

Why this match was at the last minute added onto the card is beyond me. This really could have been done on an episode of Smackdown. This match failed to entertain, as evidenced by the silent crowd, and failed to serve its main purpose: getting McIntyre over. McIntyre works over R-Truth with some face locks and other slow-paced offense. McIntyre wrestles a style similar to William Regal but isn’t nearly as good. Eventually R-Truth goes for a scissors kick, but McIntyre dodges and hits a double underhook DDT for the win. Very uneventful match but it was nothing too bad. Match Rating: 4/10

7. United States Championship: Kofi Kingston(c) vs. The Miz vs. Jack Swagger

Miz cut a nice promo during his entrance which led me to believe he was finally going to win the title here. The match started off just okay with the heels double teaming Kofi, but picked up midway through. There was a nice spot where Miz was sitting on Swagger’s shoulders and Kofi hit a cross body off the top turnbuckle to Miz. Swagger later hits a top turnbuckle back suplex followed by a Vader Bomb for a near fall. Kofi then gets back into it and hits a leg drop to Swagger but Miz connects with the Skull-Crushing Finale on Kingston. Miz tries for the pin but Swagger puts Kofi’s foot on the bottom rope. Swagger then hits a Gutwrench Powerbomb on Miz, but is caught with the Trouble in Paradise and Kofi gets the win to retain his title. With the heel promo, short match, and babyface victory, this had the look and feel of a house show match. However, it was very entertaining and the crowd was into it. Match Rating: 6/10

8.    Hell in a Cell: D-Generation X vs. Legacy

During DX’s entrance, Legacy jumps them from behind and all four men start brawling around the ringside area. DX is able to hit a nice double suplex on Rhodes onto an announce table (I think it was supposed to break but it didn’t) and all 4 men used the cage and television monitors against each other. They also brawled on the crowd for a while and used a chain lock as a weapon before Shawn gets laid out near the cage door and Triple H fights Legacy up the entrance ramp. Legacy gets the upper hand and leaves Triple H out cold on the stage following a double DDT. They then drag Shawn into the Cell and lock the door shut. They then proceeded to tell a good story with Legacy constantly beating down Shawn and Triple H having to find a way inside the Cell. Legacy and HBK traded many blows inside the cage, including slamming each other into the Cell numerous times. Rhodes and Dibiase each separately and individually get HBK in a powerbomb position and ram him into the cage and Rhodes also connected with a chair shot. HBK has a chair dropkicked into his face before Dibiase and Rhodes put on the Figure Four/Million Dollar Dream double submission hold around the ring post before Triple H returns with a bolt cutter. Triple H gets inside and starts to clean house. He eventually hits a Pedigree to Dibiase on the floor before DX tosses Dibiase outside the cage and locks the door. HBK then hits an elbow drop to Rhodes, who had a steel chair wrapped around his neck. Triple H then gets a sledgehammer, and hits Rhodes on the side of his face with hit while Shawn hits Sweet Chin Music to the other side of his face.  HBK then gets the pinfall and DX wins. Cody is then put on a stretcher and Ted goes to check on him. Very good Hell in a Cell match, best match of the night, albeit an interesting choice as the main event. Match Rating: 7.5/10

Overall PPV Rating: 7.75/10

My name is Jared Silberkleit. I am from Orange, CT and am a huge fan of pro wrestling. I mostly follow WWE and TNA but I also watch the smaller promotions such as ROH and DGUSA. I have been a lifelong WWE fan and have become a TNA fan over the past few years. Aside from wrestling, I also really love baseball and football and follow many other sports such as hockey and MMA. I have written for www.sportsgrumblings.com for roughly a year now as well.