• Michael Elgin vs. TJ Perkins

This was a really fun way to kick off the show. Both of these guys have very different styles, but they ended up having a very good, fast paced opener with a speed vs. power dynamic. Elgin shoves Perkins into the corner a couple times at the start, but Perkins comes back with a slap to the face and a dropkick before tackling Elgin over the ropes to the floor. Perkins teases a suicide dive and leaps off the apron, but Elgin catches him and hits a running front powerslam into the steel barricade. Elgin covers in the ring for 2 and Perkins escapes a powerslam attempt, but Elgin counters a headscissors and drops Perkins face first for 2. Perkins fights up from a seated waist lock with elbows and hits a reverse hurricanrana before following it up with a flipping senton dive to the floor. Perkins hits a missile dropkick for 2 and a corkscrew senton after Elgin misses a sit down splash. Perkins leaps off the top, but Elgin catches him and hits a Hellevator for 2. Perkins escapes a powerbomb attempt, but Elgin hits a Shock Treatment for 2. Perkins comes back with a neckbreaker before Elgin hits a sloppy buckle bomb. Perkins hits a reverse hurricanrana for 2. He hits a superkick and tries to pick up Elgin but can’t lift him. Elgin hits a backfist followed by a bucklebomb and a spinning sit out powerbomb for the win. Very fun, action packed way to kick things off. Match Time: 7:35     Star Rating: ***

• Tommaso Ciampa vs. Jimmy Rave

The Embassy accompanies Ciampa to ringside; with RD Evans cutting a good heel promo before the match that drew a lot of heat. Live you could barely hear him. This was also Rave’s ROH return. Both guys start off with chain wrestling, with Rave repeatedly going for a wristlock. Rave spits in Ciampa’s face before they run the ropes, with Ciampa hitting a hip toss and tossing Rave into the barricade on the floor. Back in the ring, Ciampa hits a jawbreaker and a pair of running knee strikes in the corner for a near fall. Ciampa hits some boots to the head, but Rave comes back with some chops, a clothesline, and a drop toehold before applying the heel hook. Ciampa gets the ropes, but Rave hits a knee lift and Ciampa goes to the outside. Ciampa counters a baseball slide attempt and throws Rave headfirst into the barricade. Rave does a sunset flip in the ring, but Ciampa rolls out and dropkicks Rave’s legs. Rave hits a kitchen sink and a shining wizard followed by the Rave Clash for 2. Prince Nana then gets on the apron, offering Rave the Embassy robe, but Rave goes after him. Evans tries to interfere but Rave knocks him to the floor. Ernesto Osiris holds Rave, but Princess Mia misses with a kick and hits Osiris. Rave tosses Mia to the floor, but turns around into the Project Ciampa and Ciampa gets the win. Solid undercard match with a good story. The finish was wacky but the Embassy wasn’t interfering much in the match prior to the ending, so it was fine. Rave looked good and I’d like to see him back on a regular basis. Match Time: 8:32     Star Rating: **1/2

• 3-Way Elimination match for the ROH World Television Championship: Jay Lethal(c) vs. Mike Bennett vs. El Generico

Bennett was accompanied to the ring by his girlfriend, former WWE Diva Maria, as well as Brutal Bob. This match was a bit slower than expected but still good. Bennett bails from the ring early on before sneak attacking Generico. The faces then confront Bennett on the floor, pinballing him before continuing the attack in the ring. Generico and Lethal lay into Bennett with punches and chops before hitting a double back body drop, clotheslining him to the floor, and hitting stereo suicide dives. Lethal and Generico go at it in the ring, with Lethal rolling Generico up and hitting a headscissors for 2. Lethal hits a hip toss, a dropkick for 2, and a chop. Generico sends him to the apron, where Bennett yanks Lethal’s feet out from under him. Bennett stomps Generico, chokes him against the ropes, and powerslams him for 2. They trade shots before Lethal comes back in with a springboard missile dropkick. Lethal applies a modified surfboard style submission on Generico, but Generico comes back with a tilt a whirl backbreaker for 2. Bennett stomps Generico and hits a leg drop to Lethal. Lethal hits a handspring back elbow and a dropkick that sends Bennett outside. Generico hits a cross body off the top to Lethal’s back before they trade shots. Generico then hits a series of arm drags to both men followed by mounted punches to Bennett. Generico takes atomic drops from both opponents.

Lethal hits a dropkick, but Generico hits an exploder into the corner. On the outside, Bennett shoves Maria into Generico, then uses the distraction to punch Generico. Back in the ring, Bennett hits a powerslam to Lethal and a TKO to Generico. Generico hits a yakuza kick to Bennett before Lethal hits a superkick and all 3 are down. The faces trade shots before Lethal hits the Lethal Combination for 2. Lethal hits a chop but Bennett hits a spinebuster for 2. Generico hits a Michinoku driver but takes an enzuigiri from Lethal. Lethal goes up top but Generico hits a yakuza kick that sends him to the floor. Generico hits a crazy tope flip dive off the top to the floor before diving through the ring post with a tornado DDT to Bennett. Generico hits a yakuza kick and a half nelson suplex to Bennett in the ring for 2. Lethal hits the Lethal Injection to Generico followed by a flying elbow drop for 2. Both guys fight up top but Bennett rolls up Generico to eliminate him. Lethal then immediately hits a handspring cutter to Bennett for the win. The finishing sequence here was great but much of the match was slowed down and felt like a WWE-style 3-way, with it being mainly a revolving door 1 on 1 match rather than featuring more 3-way action. Generico really stuck out here. He’s a tremendous storyteller and is always very over with the crowd. I think these guys are capable of better but this was good and had a few convincing near falls. Match Time: 18:16     Star Rating: ***1/4

• No Disqualification match with Jimmy Jacobs as Special Referee: Steve Corino vs. Kevin Steen

An added stipulation was that if Kevin Steen won this match, he would be reinstated into ROH. Jim Cornette and Cary Silkin were also present at ringside. This was Kevin Steen’s first ROH match since his Fight Without Honor against El Generico at last year’s Final Battle. This was an insane, hate-filled brawl. Corino came out for this match with his hair dyed blonde as a throwback to his ECW tenure, and Steen made his entrance by appearing in the lower balcony and making his way to the ring through the crowd. They trade punches at the start before Steen rakes the eyes and Corino hits a dropkick. Things spill to ringside where Steen tosses Corino into the guardrail and ring post before hitting a cannonball on the apron against the post. Corino comes back by leaping off the apron onto Steen and whips him twice into the barricade. Corino throws a couple chairs into the ring and hits a corner clothesline with a chair, but Steen superkicks a chair into his face and hits a powerbomb on the apron. Steen follows with a frog splash off the apron to the floor, picks up one of the barricades, and hits Corino in the head with it. Corino comes back with some shots and whips Steen into the barricade. Corino then lays a chair across the corner of two barricades, but Steen powerbombs him onto the chair.

Steen then says hi to Nigel McGuinness at the commentary table before getting a table and bridging it from the apron to the barricade. Steen teases a powerbomb in the ring but Corino gets out and hits a lariat. Corino then starts throwing more chairs and a trash can into the ring. Corino misses a shot with the trash can lid and Steen hits him with it. Steen then puts the lid on Corino’s head and hits a flipping leg drop on it, busting the side of Corino’s head open. Steen bites the open wound, but Corino comes back with a low blow and hits Steen in the head with the trash can several times. Corino hits a suplex onto the trash can followed by a scoop slam onto several flat chairs. Corino hits a splash off the top for 2 before laying the barricade on top of 4 standing chairs. They both go up top, and Corino hits a SUPERPLEX ONTO THE BARRICADE. Crazy. Steen somehow kicks out of the cover and crawls out to the table. Steen hits Corino with some punches before stacking 3 chairs on top of the table in pyramid-like fashion. They head back up top and Steen bites again, but Corino hits him in the head with the trash can lid, causing Steen to fall through the chairs/table structure on the outside. Corino covers in the ring for 2 before hitting a modified sliding D with 2 chairs for another near fall. Steen hits a sleeper suplex and a pumphandle neckbreaker on a chair for 2. Corino spits in Steen’s face and takes a chair shot to the head for another 2 count. Steen shoves Jacobs, so Jacobs takes the chair away from him as he prepares to hit Corino. Corino uses the distraction to nail Steen with a roll of quarters.

Corino then sets up 4 chairs in a 2×2 pattern. With both guys standing on them, Steen hits a low blow and a package piledriver on the chairs. Steen covers and Jacobs slowly counts 2, looks around at Cornette and everyone else, then reluctantly counts 3 to end it. Steen cuts a great heel promo post match before hitting the package piledriver to Jacobs. He goes after Cornette before El Generico runs into the ring. Generico and Steen then start brawling (playing off their feud from last year), with Generico hitting a yakuza kick and teasing the brainbuster. Steen breaks it up, hits a low blow, and then gives Generico a package piledriver off the apron through the timekeeper’s table. We went to intermission with referees and other officials tending to Jacobs and Generico. This was unbelievably violent, but also had tremendous storytelling and the fans ate this thing up. Jacobs as referee really added to this match with his reluctance to be impartial, and the facials by everyone were great. The spots were brutal as hell and you could argue they may have gone a bit far, but ROH rarely does a hardcore match like this and it was built up to all year long. Corino and Steen both put their bodies through a ton of punishment and totally stole the show. One of the finest performances of both men’s’ careers. Match Time: 23:10     Star Rating: ****1/4

• Contenders Cup Tag Team Gauntlet match: The Bravado Brothers vs. Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander vs. Future Shock vs. The Young Bucks vs. The All Night Express

The winners of this match would receive a future shot at the tag titles. Considering the fact that this was the first match after intermission, this was way too long and the crowd wasn’t into most of it. The Bravados start off against Coleman and Alexander. The Bravados unload with punches, kicks, and chops on the outside before Alexander hits a flip dive over the ropes. Coleman hits a leg drop and a suplex followed by a senton from Alexander. Coleman is sent to the floor and Harlem Bravado hits a bicycle kick and an elevated cutter with an assist from Lancelot. Lancelot drives Alexander into the corner and hits a belly-to-belly slam. The Bravados hit a double back elbow and Lancelot hits an elbow drop before Coleman is tossed out. Alexander hits an enzuigiri and Coleman follows with a headscissors, a clothesline off the top, and a moonsault to the floor. Alexander hits a Gory Special drop and a kick, but Harlem gets a small package for a near fall. Alexander sits down with a roll-up to eliminate the Bravados. That was pretty fun even though it got almost no heat. Future Shock come out next, and Kyle O’Reilly immediately trades shots with Alexander. O’Reilly hits a knee lift, a running kick, and a kitchen sink followed by a dropkick from Adam Cole. Coleman and Alexander hit a leg lariat/suplex combo and Coleman hits a dropkick for 2. Cole comes back with a northern lights suplex before laying in some knees to the back. O’Reilly hits a knee drop to the back and Cole hits a scoop slam for 2. Coleman hits a double dropkick to both men before O’Reilly goes back and forth with Alexander. Coleman and Alexander hit a flying double stomp/backbreaker combo followed by a hurricanrana from Colemana and a frog splash from Alexander. Future Shock hit a double baseball slide followed by the Ride the Lightning for the 3 count. Again, very energetic action and a quiet crowd. The Young Bucks are the next team out.

Future Shock immediately hit a double baseball slide followed by a suicide dive from Cole. Matt Jackson hits a shiranui on the apron with the help of brother Nick. Nick hits a frog splash for 2 and the Bucks hit a double back elbow followed by a double team wheelbarrow lift into a cutter. Matt works over Cole with a jawbreaker, suplex, and a chin lock. Cole fights up, but Matt knocks O’Reilly off the apron and Nick hits a double stomp to Cole. Nick hits a suicide dive to O’Reilly on the floor before Cole backflips out of a suplex attempt and gets a tag. O’Reilly comes in with kicks to Matt and hits a double dragon screw to both Bucks. O’Reilly blocks a frog splash from Nick and hits several rolling butterfly suplexes. Future Shock hit a DDT/wheelbarrow suplex combo for 2. Cole is sent to the outside and Nick hits a springboard X Factor. Cole hits a wheelbarrow suplex against the apron, but O’Reilly misses the running dropkick off the apron. The Bucks hit a double superkick to Cole followed by the More Bang For Your Buck to eliminate Future Shock. This was like the previous 2 exchanges but turned up a notch due to the great chemistry between these teams.

The All Night Express came out last, and Rhett Titus comes out selling a knee injury. ANX pinball Matt on the outside with punches and Titus backdrops Nick on the floor. Kenny King hits a pair of impressive flipping dives off the barricade. Nick targets Titus’s knee, but King hits a spinebuster for 2. Nick dropkicks King to the floor and Matt hits some boots to the head. The Bucks continue to work over King, with Matt hitting a scoop slam and some elbow drops. King fights back but falls victim to a double team neckbreaker. King hits some shots followed by a capture suplex and tags in Titus. Titus hits some shots to the Bucks and an Edge-o-matic followed by a sky high powerbomb. King hits the coronation, but Matt takes him out with a leaping DDT on the apron. Titus hits a clothesline, but Matt clips the leg and kicks it repeatedly. Nick hits a 450 splash and the referee stops the match as the Bucks continue to assault the knee. Nick hits a second 450 after the bell. Overall the gauntlet had good, fast paced action before ANX came out. Titus is rumored to be legitimately injured which is probably why that segment of the match underachieved. The pace really slowed and the finish, although it made sense, came off as very anticlimactic. Considering the talent involved, this was a solid showcase but also a disappointment. Match Time: 28:56 (Total Time)     Star Rating: ***

Roderick Strong then comes out to the ring with Truth Martini for his invitational open challenge. They assume no one is coming out so Truth begins to count to 10 to declare Strong the winner. He gets to 9 before Chris Hero comes out! Hero makes his return to ROH after a multi-month absence to a great pop from the crowd. And so we have our match.

• Roderick Strong vs. Chris Hero

Strong bails from the ring early on before attempting a couple shoulder blocks that have no effect. Hero hits a snapmare and a senton followed by some chops before they run the ropes. Hero backflips the floor, but Truth hits him with his book. Strong then hits some chops and a back suplex on the ring apron. Stong hits some shots to the back and stomps Hero repeatedly in the corner before choking him against the ropes. Strong tosses Hero into the barricade and Truth rakes the eyes. Strong tosses Hero into the barricade again and gets a 2 count in the ring. Strong applies a chin lock before hitting some more shots to the back and boots to the head. They trade shots and Hero comes back with a dropkick, a rolling forearm, a slam, and a weak senton. Hero kicks Strong through the ropes and hits some shots on the floor. Hero hits a cravat suplex off the top, but Strong comes back with a jumping knee strike, some forearms, a kick, and a backbreaker on the top rope. Hero escapes the Stronghold and hits a cravat suplex followed by a diving stomp to the head and a rolling elbow for 2. Hero misses a moonsault and Strong hits an enzuigiri, a German suplex into the corner, the Death by Roderick, and the Gibson Driver for 2. They trade shots again and Hero hits the roaring elbow followed by a rolling big boot for 2. Hero hits the death blow but Truth breaks up the count, causing the referee to argue with him. Hero chases Truth around the ring and Strong scores a roll-up. Hero knocks Truth off the apron but Strong hits the Sick Kick for the win. Aside from Hero’s return the match was fairly disappointing, with things seemingly just not clicking between the two. Both men are capable of much better, and Hero looked out of shape. This was good, but weak for a major match at Final Battle. Match Time: 16:37     Star Rating: ***

• ROH World Tag Team Championship match: Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team(c) vs. The Briscoe Brothers

This was something different. WGTT hit the Briscoes with the tag team titles before the bell and beat them down with the belts. The brawl continues to ringside with WGTT throwing the Briscoes into the barricade repeatedly and bashing them with chairs. There were reckless, violent chair shots directly to the head. Charlie Haas looked especially reckless with the way he was swinging. The crowd was heavily anti-WGTT, so Haas and Shelton Benjamin heeled on the fans despite being faces. The brawl just dragged on forever, still with no bell sounding. WGTT went for their Broken Arrow double team move but Benjamin botched it, drawing more heat. Jay Briscoe was bleeding profusely from the chair shots. With Mark Briscoe in the ring, the bell finally rang. Mark tries to mount an offense but Benjamin hits a DDT. WGTT go for the Broken Arrow but Jay breaks it up with a superkick to Benjamin. Jay and Haas trade shots and Benjamin hits a corner splash before Mark comes back with a spear. The Briscoes hit a double hip toss and Jay chokes Benjamin with his shirt. Jay hits some chops, but Benjamin hits a back body drop. Haas comes in with punches and hits a powerslam for 2. Jay gets a boot up in the corner but Haas hits another powerslam. WGTT hit an atomic drop/superkick combo for 2. Jay hits an STO into the corner and Mark hits an iconoclasm off the top for 2. Benjamin and Mark clothesline each other on the floor.

Haas hits a series of German suplexes before cinching in the Haas of Pain, which Mark breaks up with a dive off the top. Benjamin sells his rib injury and the referee calls for help. The Briscoes double team Haas before a Haas Angle Slam takes out the ref. Benjamin then makes a quick return and breaks a 2×4 over Mark’s head. The board breaks in half, and WGTT use both halves against Jay. WGTT go for the Briscoes’ Doomsday Device, but Mark attacks with a hunk of wood from underneath the ring. The Briscoes then hit the Doomsday Device for the win. This was beyond bizarre. Both teams seemingly had no idea how to react to the crowd, as they were both flip-flopping between being heels and faces throughout the match. The booking made zero sense, as WGTT were totally heeling on the fans and getting booed yet the fans were supposed to have sympathy for Benjamin later on in the match. The pre-match brawl went on for far too long and was unnecessarily violent. The Corino/Steen stuff was fine due to the buildup and storytelling with the violence. This was just a directionless brawl to try and get cheap heat. The stuff with wood at the end was just ridiculous. Haas and Benjamin have had many disappointing matches thus far in their ROH run, but this was one of the worst matches in the careers of both teams. Just ridiculous, hard to follow booking that made no sense. The wrestling itself was solid but nothing special. Match Time: 13:24 (Bell to Bell)     Star Rating: **

• ROH World Championship match: Davey Richards(c) vs. Eddie Edwards

Tony Kozina and Kyle O’Reilly accompanied Davey to the ring, and Eddie was accompanied by UFC legend Dan Severn. This was a lot like some Japanese matches where others accompany the wrestlers to the ring, but they do not interfere in the match and are merely there to provide support and motivation. By the time the opening bell rang, this show had already hit the 3 and a half hour mark. They shake hands before trading shots at the start. Eddie goes for the dragon sleeper and Davey escapes, leading to a standoff. They do some back and forth grappling and Davey goes for a leg submission. They lock up before going back to the ground, where Eddie applies a face lock. Eddie chokes Davey with his boot and hits a chop, but Davey comes back and goes for the ankle lock. Davey hits a kick and applies a modified cloverleaf, but Eddie gets the ropes. They trade shots and Eddie hits a belly-to-belly suplex before they go outside. Eddie whips Davey into the barricade, they trade chops, and Davey whips Eddie into the barricade. Davey hits a yakuza kick, but back in the ring Eddie catches Davey in a spinning toehold. Eddie hits some head butts, but Davey launches him to the floor, hits a running kick from the apron, and a suicide dive through the ropes. Davey hits a missile dropkick back inside the ring for 2, and then hits some forearms and an exploder for 2. Eddie hits a chop and Davey counters into the ankle lock, but Eddie escapes and applies the Achilles lock. Davey counters out and gets a small package for 2. Eddie hits a modified reverse falcon arrow followed by a shining wizard before they trade blows again.

Davey goes for a handspring but Eddie catches him, tosses him to the floor, and hits a moonsault off the apron to the floor. Eddie misses a double stomp off the top but hits an enzuigiri and a backpack chinbreaker for 2. Eddie hits a botched lungblower off the second rope. Davey goes for a cross arm-breaker, but Eddie counters into an STF before applying an ankle lock. Davey hits some boots to the head but Eddie comes back with stomps and a chop before they go face-to-face and trade slaps. Eddie hits a superkick but Davey no sells and hits a pair of clotheslines for near falls. Davey hits a double stomp off the top followed by a running boot and another top rope double stomp for 2. Both guys head up top and trade head butts and slaps. Davey hits an enzuigiri and a superplex, but Eddie pops right back up and suplexes Davey over the ropes to the floor. Both guys beat the count and trade chops and kicks. They then go back and forth in the corner with Eddie hitting a series of chops and Davey hitting a series of kicks. Davey hits the Kawada kicks, but Eddie hits an enzuigiri. They both trade several back suplexes. Eddie hits a tiger suplex, but Davey comes back with a dragon suplex and an alarm clock.

Eddie hits a big knee lift and Roderick Strong comes out to ringside. Strong gets into a brawl with Kozina and O’Reilly and Severn confronts Strong. Michael Elgin and Truth Martini then run out, and Severn punches out Elgin and Strong before carrying Truth to the back. Well that was a really strange, awkward mid-match brawl. Eddie and Davey again trade shots mid-ring. Both guys hit big boots before Eddie hits a tiger suplex into the corner. Both guys go up top, where Eddie hits a knee lift followed by a Frankensteiner and back-to-back powerbombs. Eddie hits a superkick and a chop before covering for 2. Eddie applies the dragon sleeper, but Davey counters out and rolls up Eddie for 2. Eddie goes back to the dragon sleeper, but suddenly picks Davey up and hits a Tombstone piledriver followed by the Die Hard for 2. They go back up top, and Davey hits several shots before hitting an insane dragon suplex off the top. Davey then hits an exploder off the apron to the floor followed by a dragon suplex on the apron. They teased Davey winning by countout but Eddie beats the count. Davey hits several repeated kicks for 2 before going to the ankle lock.

Eddie counters into a roll-up for 2, but Davey hits a running kick for a near fall himself. Davey then gets the win with 3 consecutive kicks to the head. After the match Davey cuts a promo talking about how tough Eddie is and how he’ll always be there for him. Kevin Steen then comes out mocking Davey and Team Richards. Steen says in 2012 he is taking Davey’s title and that he is the Antichrist of pro wrestling before leaving. This main event was the definition of overkill. The match went far too long and totally lacked proper structure and storytelling. Both guys went to the well too many times with the whole “trade shots in the middle of the ring” thing. It seemed like they had a lot of great ideas, but didn’t care enough to work the match in such a way that it naturally progressed. There were spots all over the place and most of the time it felt like they were just doing cool moves for no reason. There was a lot of intensity and the action was very good, but it was much longer than it needed to be and felt more like an exhibition of moves than a pro wrestling match. There was minimal selling and the near falls got way too excessive. I’m glad that the Davey/Eddie program is over, as I have no desire to ever see another match between these two. I can’t wait to see Steen in the main event mix next year, as he would make a hell of a world champion. It will be interesting to see how Davey is handled as a babyface, considering this show got Steen possibly even more over with the fans than he already was. Match Time: 41:11     Star Rating: ***3/4

Overall PPV Rating: 7.5/10

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.

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• The Miz, R-Truth, and Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston, John Morrison, and Rey Mysterio

The show opened up with an unadvertised trios match in what appeared to be a combination of Raw’s predominant upper midcard feuds. Not surprised to see they added this match considering that the pre-announced card lacked a definitive opener. Kofi and Miz lock up at the start, with Kofi applying a headlock before they start to run the ropes, only for Kofi to hit a monkey flip. Morrison gets a tag, hits a double shoulder block with Kofi, and hits a corkscrew leg drop. Truth gets a tag, but Morrison is all over him with punches and hits a kick to the gut followed by the springboard flash kick. Truth comes back with a slap and shoves Morrison off the top turnbuckle to the floor before slamming his head on the apron. Truth applies a snapmare and a chin lock back in the ring before Miz comes in, hits a running boot to the head, and applies a chin lock of his own. Morrison hits a kick to the head before Kofi gets a tag. Kofi comes in with a diving clothesline off the top, but Miz counters the SOS. Kofi hits a springing cross body out of the corner and the Boom Drop before both men go for their respective finishers, only to have them countered. Kofi hits the SOS, but Del Rio breaks up the pin. Kofi dropkicks Del Rio, but Miz hits a cutter-facebuster type move for 2. Truth then hits a reverse falcon arrow for a near fall. Del Rio kicks Kofi in the gut and slams him down. Kofi kicks off Del Rio, but Miz hits him with a suplex. Kofi rolls Miz up for 2 before fighting out of a chin lock and hitting an arm drag followed by a sunset flip. Rey and Truth get tags, with Rey hitting a seated senton off the top, a springboard cross body, and a kick to the head before setting both Truth and Miz up for the 619. Morrison does a twisting dive onto Del Rio on the outside and Rey hits the 619 to Truth, but Miz rolls to the floor. Kofi does a springboard plancha to Miz on the floor, and Rey finishes Truth off with a top rope splash for the win. Good, fun opener with a hot crowd and some nice spots. Great way to start things off. Match Time: 9:37     Star Rating: ***

• Mark Henry vs. Sheamus

Much like Henry’s match with Big Show last month, this was surprisingly not totally awful. They lock up at the start before Henry hits a shoulder block. Sheamus unloads on Henry with a ton of punches and clubbing blows to the back, but Henry hits some elbows and tosses Sheamus to the floor. Henry tosses him back inside and hits a shoulder block and a running splash for 2. Henry then hits a pretty impressive coronation for a 1 count. Sheamus hits some shots, but Henry hits a backbreaker and gets Sheamus in the Sammartino backbreaker rack. Sheamus escapes but Henry whips him into the corner and steps over him. Henry misses a splash and Sheamus comes back with some double sledges and knee strikes to the head. Sheamus then hits some shots to the chest in the ropes and a knee to the head before the two collide in the middle of the ring. Sheamus kicks Henry and hits a shoulder block off the top for 2, but misses the Brogue kick. Henry hits a clothesline, but Sheamus escapes the World’s Strongest Slam and hits a Brogue kick that sends Henry to the floor. Henry hits some shots on the outside, rams Sheamus back-first into the post, and then slams him through the barricade into the crowd. Henry goes back into the ring, Sheamus can’t beat the count, and Henry wins via count out. Good booking to protect both guys and the barricade spot was pretty nice, but the match was fairly dull despite the solid storytelling. Not too terrible but not very good either. Match Time: 9:22     Star Rating: *3/4

Cee Lo Green then came out for his advertised performance. He performed the PPV’s theme song “Bright Lights, Bigger City” as well as a modified version of “F*** You”. Interesting to see him perform that second song on a PG show. The audio wasn’t coming in very clear for the first song but it turned out alright. Performance didn’t seem to be completely necessary but it did make the show feel like a big deal.

• Divas Championship match: Kelly Kelly(c) vs. Beth Phoenix

Kelly is all over Beth at the start with punches and kicks, but Beth just tosses her off during a head scissors attempt. Kelly knocks Beth to the floor and hits a diving clothesline off the second rope to the floor. Back in the ring, Beth counters a backslide and hits a clothesline followed by a military press drop onto the ropes for 2. Beth puts her boot to Kelly in the corner and does a Samoan wrecking ball. She rubs Kelly’s face in her ass before applying a chin lock. Kelly escapes, but Beth catches her in a Sammartino backbreaker rack. Kelly fights out with elbows and hits a neckbreaker and some forearms, but Beth powerslams her into the corner and hangs her up in the tree of woe. Kelly escpaes and rolls up Beth for 2, but Beth comes back with a sidewalk slam. Beth hangs Kelly up in the ropes and kicks her in the head, but Kelly repeatedly slams Beth’s face into the mat. Beth blocks a handspring elbow attempt and goes for the Glam Slam, but Kelly counters with a victory roll for the win. This was much, much better than the usual Diva fare but suffered from a lack of crowd heat. It told a solid story and was a decent little match, but the wrong girl went over for sure. Match Time: 6:33     Star Rating: **

• Wade Barrett vs. Daniel Bryan

This was a very nice showcase for both guys. They got a little more time than usual and delivered a solid back and forth match. Barrett starts with some shots to the back, a headlock, and a shoulder block, but Bryan comes back with a kitchen sink, a dropkick, and applies a hammerlock. Bryan does a leap frog and a drop down followed by a dropkick, but Barrett responds with some shots in the corner. Bryan hits a dragon screw and an IED before trying for a surfboard, but he can’t get Barrett up so he just stomps his legs. Bryan hits a running kick to the chest and backflips out of the corner, but Barrett hits a black hole slam and a boot to the head followed by a rope-assisted backbreaker. Barrett applies a chin lock, but Bryan fights out and hits some elbows, a running elbow strike, and some uppercuts. Barrett responds with a flying forearm strike and chokes Bryan against the ropes before laying in some knee strikes and kicking Bryan to the floor. Barrett applies a rear chin lock back in the ring, but Bryan fights out, hits some kicks, and crotches Barrett on the ropes. They fight on the apron and Barrett goes for the Wasteland, but Bryan fights out and kicks Barrett to the floor, where Bryan hits a running knee strike off the apron. Bryan hits a missile dropkick back in the ring for 2, but Barrett avoids Bryan in the corner and hits a big boot. Bryan escapes the Wasteland again and cinches in a guillotine, which he transitions into the LeBell Lock, but Barrett makes it to the ropes. They go up top, and Barrett crotches Bryan on the top rope before hitting a vicious clothesline off the ropes into the ring. Barrett then hits the Wasteland for the win. Bryan really should have gone over here but they still have time to build him up before Wrestlemania next year so Barrett winning wasn’t a terrible move. Definitely the highlight of the undercard and a really solid, competitive match with some good near falls. Match Time: 11:47     Star Rating: ***1/4

• No Holds Barred match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Christian(c) vs. Randy Orton

Before the match, Christian introduces Edge, who he says will be watching his back in the match. Edge talks about everything that’s happened since Christian won the title, then calls him a bitch and leaves. Way to make Christian look credible before this big match. That aside, this match was awesome. The best match these guys have had andone of the best matches of both guys’ careers. Orton circles Christian at the start before they trade punches, with Orton beating on Christian in the corner before Christian comes back with some shots himself. Orton hits a clothesline but Christian snaps his neck over the ropes and hits a diving elbow strike off the top. Orton hits a back body drop, some stomps, and a knee drop, but Christian comes back and stands on Orton’s back on the ropes. Orton tries for the spike DDT, but Christian counters and sends Orton to the floor. Orton sends Christian into the barricade and takes apart the announce table, but Christian escapes an RKO attempt on the table, and then takes his title and tries to escape through the crowd. Orton catches up to him and lays in the punches in the stands. Eventually Christian is thrown over the barricade back to ringside, and Orton hits some mounted punches in the ring. Christian sends Orton shoulder first into the ring post before getting a kendo stick and repeatedly striking Orton with it. Christian presses the tip of the stick against Orton’s throat and covers for a near fall.

Christian misses a shot with the kendo stick but hits a shoulder block for 2. Orton avoids a charging Christian in the corner and rolls him up for 2. Christian hits a spinebuster for a near fall and leaps off the 2^nd rope with the kendo stick, but Orton dropkicks him in mid air. Orton hits some clotheslines and a snap powerslam before grabbing the kendo stick. Christian hits a kick, but Orton counters a missile dropkick attempt with a jackknife cover. Orton hits a Thesz press, Christian counters the spike DDT, and Orton counters the Killswitch before hitting his signature backbreaker. Christian avoids the punt and tries to crotch Orton against the post, but Orton uses his legs to pull Christian into the post. Orton then takes out two tables and slides one into the ring. Christian rams Orton into the apron and sets up the other table on the floor. Orton slams Christian’s head on the table before they head up top, where Orton hits a superplex onto the table laying flat in the ring. Ouch. Orton sets up that table in the corner and tries to send Christian into it, but Christian hits a reverse DDT. Christian misses a spear, but counters the RKO and sends Orton to the floor. Orton sends Christian into the steel steps and takes them apart, setting up the lower half against the apron. Christian slams Orton’s head on the steps before taking apart the Spanish announce table and hitting Orton with a monitor. Christian tries for an RKO on the Spanish table, but Orton counters and hits an RKO himself through the table.

Orton tries another RKO in the ring, but Christian counters and hits the Killswitch for 2. Christian then gets two steel chairs and sets Orton up for a conchairto, but Orton avoids it and hits Christian in the gut and the back with the chair. With Christian on the apron, Orton hits him with the chair again, causing Christian to fall off the apron through the table on the floor. Orton tosses some trash cans and another kendo stick into the ring. Orton misses a stomp on the steps, but is able to powerslam Christian through the table in the corner. Orton hits Christian in the back with a kendo stick and hits a spike DDT onto a trash can. Christian hits a kendo stick shot and springboards out of the corner, but Orton catches him with an RKO in mid air onto the steel steps for the win. Crazy, brutal match that would be a definitive feud ender. Christian took a ridiculous amount of punishment, maybe a bit too much, but this match was all about Orton’s revenge. Given the way this match had been built up, Christian really needed the win to avoid looking like a chump, and I still don’t like how Orton beat him in all their matches except for one where he got disqualified, but this match was excellent. The storytelling and psychology were extremely good and both men played their roles to perfection. Easily one of the best WWE matches of the year. Match Time: 23:42     Star Rating: ****1/2

• Undisputed WWE Championship match with Triple H as Special Guest Referee: CM Punk(c) vs. John Cena(c)

The main event of the evening was the highly anticipated rematch between CM Punk and John Cena after their classic at Money in the Bank last month. This wasn’t quite as good as that match, but was still an excellent follow-up. After some circling, they once again start off with a lot of chain wrestling, with both men applying headlocks and doing some mat work before Punk applies a chin lock with a body scissors. Cena fights out and hits a gutwrench suplex followed by a fisherman suplex before applying a rear chin lock. Punk is up, but Cena hits a scoop slam and an elbow drop before going back to the chin lock. Punk fights out with an arm drag and a big boot followed by some knees to the gut and a kitchen sink. Punk hits some falling head butts and applies a body scissors, but Cena fights out. Both men try suplexes near the apron, but Punk just dropkicks Cena to the floor. Punk kicks Cena in the gut back in the ring and applies an interesting arm-trap, neck-wrench submission. Cena fights to his feet and turns it into a tilt-a-whirl side slam. Cena hits a flying shoulder block but Punk prevents a second with a knee strike for 2. Punk misses the high knee in the corner and Cena hits some shoulder blocks, but misses the side suplex. Punk hits a downward spiral and puts Cena in a Koji clutch. Cena fights out and applies a modified STF, but Punk counters that into the Anaconda Vise, which Cena then counters into a Crippler Crossface. Punk makes it to the ropes and sends Cena to the floor before hitting a suicide dive. Triple H gets to 9, but instead of counting to 10 he goes to the floor and tosses both guys back into the ring, wanting a definitive finish. Cena and Punk trade punches and kicks before Punk fights out of the Attitude Adjustment, but Cena hits a dropkick and the Five Knuckle Shuffle.

Punk counters the AA with a sunset flip, but Cena escapes and tries a jackknife cover. Punk counters that and hits a roundhouse kick for 2. Punk goes for the Go to Sleep, but Cena fights out and hits a corner splash followed by a powerslam. Cena heads up top, but Punk hits a high knee and Cena falls into the ring. Punk then leaps off the second rope with a bulldog for 2. Punk attempts a springboard from the apron, but Cena avoids it and cinches in the STF, but Punk makes it to the ropes. Punk then counters the AA, but Cena counters the GTS and hits the AA for a near fall. Cena heads up top and misses the diving famouser, allowing Punk to hit the GTS for 2. Punk then heads up top and hits a Randy Savage elbow drop for a 2 count and a huge pop. Cena scores a near fall with a small package and unloads on Punk with punches. Punk hits a kick and a high knee followed by a second GTS. Cena gets his foot on the ropes but Triple H counts the pin and Punk is the Undisputed Champion. Cena argues with Triple H after the bell but leaves peacefully. Triple H raises Punk’s hand in the ring, congratulates him, and leaves to let him celebrate. The finish came off a little flat but there will obviously be follow-up to this. They were on their way to potentially matching the Money in the Bank match, as they definitely had the crowd with them and were working a really great match, but it ended before it could reach that level. The match was definitely much more storyline-driven than their initial encounter but this was still outstanding. Who knew that John Cena would be able to pull off such technically sound wrestling? These guys have awesome chemistry and produced another great PPV main event for the WWE this year. Match Time: 24:09     Star Rating: ****1/4

BUT WAIT!!!!! As Punk is celebrating in the ring, KEVIN NASH is suddenly behind him and hits a clothesline followed by a jackknife powerbomb. Triple H run back down and Nash runs away, and Alberto Del Rio then hits the ring with a referee to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase. This leads to…

• Undisputed WWE Championship match: CM Punk(c) vs. Alberto Del Rio

Del Rio instantly hits a running kick to the back of the head for the win. I like the way they are setting up this storyline with CM Punk and Triple H, but Del Rio being the champion is a big mistake. The guy is not yet a credible main event player, and he isn’t that over with many of the live crowds. Del Rio has all the tools to be a huge superstar but once again the WWE has jumped the gun by randomly giving a midcard heel a world title in order to make him seem important. It hurt Sheamus, it RUINED Jack Swagger, and now what will it do for Del Rio? If nothing else this whole situation is just devaluing the WWE Championship, because the main focus of Raw is going to be this Punk/HHH storyline, with the WWE title taking a backseat and Del Rio being secondary. Totally disagree with giving this guy the title but it’s going to be quite interesting to see how this Punk storyline continues. Match Time: 0:12     Star Rating: N/A

Overall PPV Rating: 8.25/10

*All matches were contested inside the Steel Cage*

1.    Rob Van Dam vs. James Storm

This match was held to determine whose team would get the advantage in the Lethal Lockdown match later on in the evening. Despite the fact that this probably should have happened on Impact, this match was nonetheless a solid opener. As Storm makes his way down to the ring Van Dam surprises him by dropkicking the cage door into his face. Van Dam slams Storm’s head into the cage and takes the fight to him outside the ring. Van Dam hangs up Storm on the ring barricade, climbs the side of the cage, and springs off with a corkscrew leg drop. RVD continues to take the fight to Storm but Storm is able to send Van Dam’s face into the steel steps, busting him open. The two finally enter the ring and the match officially begins. RVD sends Storm into the corner where he kicks away at him and chokes him with his boot. Storm is hung up on the ropes and Van Dam hits a single leg dropkick for a near fall. RVD gets in a bit more offense before Storm comes back with a neckbreaker and puts on a long rear chin lock. RVD begins to fight out of the hold but Storm clotheslines him over the top rope and into the cage. Storm focuses the attack on RVD’s laceration and puts on another chin lock. RVD fights out, hits a spin kick, and both men are down. Both guys get up and trade punches before RVD sends Storm into the cage wall, slams him, and hits a split-legged moonsault for a near fall. Storm comes back with a jawbreaker before drinking beer and spitting it in RVD’s face. Storm hits a big DDT after this but RVD kicks out. RVD gets Storm down again and hits the Five Star Frog Splash for the win. Decent opener. Match Time: 6:41     Match Rating: 5.5/10

2.    Xscape match: Homicide vs. Brian Kendrick vs. Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin

What was originally scheduled as a tag match pitting the Guns against Homicide and Kendrick was changed to a 4 way escape the cage match due to Doug Williams being stuck in the UK. The winner of this match would take his place as the third man in the X Division title match. This was a fun little match but it was very short. It wasn’t really an “Xscape” because the rules were merely the first man out of the cage wins. The Guns go to work on the heels early on, preventing escape attempts and busting Kendrick open. The heels then take control after a misstep by the Guns, which is followed by Homicide hitting a belly to belly suplex on Shelley and Kendrick hitting Sabin with a boot to the face. Homicide puts Sabin in a camel clutch and Kendrick hits a running slap to Sabin’s forehead. Shelley is next to get worked over but he fights back into it with an STO/DDT combo. Sabin hits a tornado DDT but takes a neckbreaker from Homicide. Kendrick tries to escape the cage but fails before being able to fight out of the Made in Detroit from the Guns. Homicide hits Da Gringo Killa on Sabin and Kendrick sets Shelley up on the top rope, but Homicide suddenly sneaks out of the cage to get the quick win. Decent match but too short to truly amount to anything. Match Time: 5:00     Match Rating: 4.5/10

3.    Kevin Nash vs. Eric Young

Wow, what a lackluster payoff to this feud. This was pretty much a squash match, which surprised me given the way Young had been being built up. Young hits a kick to the leg and a punch to the face at the start before Nash hits a knee to the gut and a forearm to the back. Nash charges Young in the corner but Young gets his feet up, goes up top, and hits a missile dropkick. Once Nash is up, Young hits another dropkick and a cross body, pinning Nash against the cage. The ref is shoved out of the way, allowing Nash to hit a low blow before pounding away at Young. Nash beats him down with a lot of punches and a couple knees before hitting a chokeslam. Young starts to fight back with some punches but Nash big boots him, rams him face first into the cage, and hits the Jackknife powerbomb for the win. After the match, Nash announced he would partner with Scott Hall against Team 3D later on, due to Syxx-Pac no showing (why is this not surprising). This match wasn’t awful but Young came out looking very weak. Match Time: 4:52     Match Rating: 3.5/10

4.    All the Knockouts Titles on the Line: TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions The Beautiful People vs. TNA Women’s Knockout Champion Angelina Love and Tara

If Tara or Love pinned either of the Beautiful People, they would win the tag titles, but if either Tara or Love got pinned, whoever got the pin would be the new Knockouts singles champion. This was a crappy women’s match that was no better than anything you would see from the WWE Divas. Love spears Velvet Sky right out of the gate and hits a ton of right hands followed up by some clotheslines. Sky tags in Madison Rayne who promptly takes a slam from Love. Rayne hits a jawbreaker but Love makes the tag to Tara. Rayne gets a cheap shot and tags in Sky, but Tara get some quick offense that ends with a snap suplex. Rayne pulls Tara down from the ropes, allowing Sky to choke Tara against them. The heels do various quick tags and land some offense on Tara which includes a double dropkick, but Tara fights back with some right hands before missing a moonsault on Sky. Both girls make tags and Love starts to get an advantage but Tara gets a blind tag before hitting the Widow’s Peak on Rayne. Sky breaks up the pin attempt, followed by Lacey Von Erich hitting Tara from behind with one of the tag title belts. Rayne gets the pin to become the new Knockouts champion (UGH!). After the match Tara turned heel by attacking Angelina Love. Russo booking at its best produces the worst match of the night. Match Time: 4:45     Match Rating: 2/10

5.    TNA X Division Championship: Homicide vs. Kazarian vs. Shannon Moore

Since Doug Williams was stuck in the UK due to the volcanic ash cloud, the title was vacated and put up for grabs in this 3 way match. Moore and Kaz form an alliance early on, hitting a double hip toss to Homicide before separately connecting with leg drops. Homicide gets repeatedly slammed into the cage before the Moore/Kaz alliance breaks down after both men break up the other’s pin attempts. Moore and Kaz go for roll ups on each other before Homicide hits a dropkick. Homicide rakes Kaz’s eyes and hits an exploder suplex to Moore. Homicide chokes Kaz against the ropes and suplexes Moore, but when he tries for a second Moore hits an inverted atomic drop before placing him on the top turnbuckle. Kaz gets up there and the faces try for a double superplex, but Homicide counters and hits a double cutter to both men (though Kaz sort of botched it, landing on his feet). Kaz hits a northern lights suplex to Moore and tries to pin both of his opponents but they kick out. After some more pin attempts, Kaz hits a missile dropkick to Moore before being hit with a jawbreaker from Homicide. Homicide goes to work on both men and puts Moore on the top turnbuckle, but Moore counters a cutter attempt. Moore and Kaz walk the ropes but Moore kicks Kaz’s legs out from under him before hitting a moonsault to Homicide. Kaz then sends Moore into the cage before setting Homicide on the top turnbuckle. Homicide hip tosses Kaz off the top to the ring before breaking up Moore’s pin attempt with a flying headbutt. Homicide starts to get some offense on Moore, but Kaz breaks up a Gringo Cutter attempt, then hits a back piledriver on Homicide to win the match. Good, fast paced X Division match, though it did feel a bit rushed. Match Time: 9:11     Match Rating: 6.5/10

6.    Falls Count Anywhere St. Louis Street Fight: Team 3D vs. The Band

Just because he can, apparently, Brother Ray changes this match to a street fight after 3D makes their entrance. The new stipulation made the match a bit more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise but it still was nothing to write home about. 3D jumps The Band during their entrance and the teams brawl on the ramp. Scott Hall tries for a powerbomb but Ray counters with a back body drop. The fight then moves into the crowd where Hall and Nash get bottles smashed over them and eat a ton of punches. They then brawl back near the ringside area where The Band starts to take advantage as they send D-Von into the ring, send him into the cage wall, and isolate Ray by holding the door shut. Ray uses a chair to bust his way into the ring and 3D land a ton of offense on Hall and Nash. They hit Wassup to Hall, bring a table into the ring, then connect with the 3D to Hall through the table for the win. Short match but a bit better than expected due to the street fight stipulation. Match Time: 6:50     Match Rating: 4/10

7.    Mr. Anderson vs. Kurt Angle

To the shock of just about everyone, this was the match of the night and an early match of the year candidate for TNA. The psychology and storytelling within this match was superb and this ended up being by far the best match in the Anderson/Angle feud. The rules of this match were that the only way to win was to escape the cage out the door, and Anderson had the key after winning it in a ladder match 2 weeks ago on Impact. Anderson wears the key around his neck as the match begins with him getting a cheap shot on Angle. Anderson hits a dropkick and tries for a quick escape, but Angle prevents it before Anderson beats at Angle’s head with the key and chain. Anderson tries to get out again but Angle hits a belly to belly suplex before stomping at Anderson in the corner. It is shown that the key was left inside the lock. Angle hits a suplex before sending Anderson into the ropes, but Anderson sends Angle into the cage wall, busting him open. Anderson slams Angle’s head against the cage repeatedly, but Angle blocks another escape attempt and slams Anderson into the cage door. Anderson launches Angle into the cage door before sending him into it again with a knee. Anderson goes up top but Angle hits a super belly to belly suplex and both men are down. Angle is up, but Anderson had unwrapped his wrist tape and uses it to choke Angle, getting him down to the ring and wrapping his legs around Angle’s body. Angle is able to fight out by getting up and hitting a back suplex and both men are down again. Both are up and trade punches before Angle hits a couple clotheslines and a back body drop. Angle sends Anderson into the corner and hits a release belly to belly suplex. Anderson counters the Angle Slam with a Green Bay Plunge, but Angle counters the Mic Check and hits 7 German suplexes in a row. Angle is about to walk out the door when he turns around and puts Anderson in the Ankle Lock. Anderson fights out and hits the Mic Check before opening the door. Angle then hits the Angle Slam before closing the door, locking it up, and tossing the key away. Anderson’s first attempt to climb the cage is thwarted, but he punches Angle and climbs the cage again. Angle follows suit and both men fight on the top rope, with Angle eventually connecting with a dangerous looking belly to back suplex off the top rope to the ring. Angle then scales the cage and hits an absolutely insane moonsault from the top of the cage, landing right on Anderson’s face. Angle has a second key and goes to unlock the door, but Anderson flips him the bird and Angle decides not to exit. Anderson then hits a low blow and a Mic Check. Anderson crawls towards the door but Angle pulls Anderson back into the middle of the ring by his ankle and puts on a long Ankle Lock. Anderson is able to flip over and send Angle into the cage before trying to escape again. Angle grabs him from behind, takes out the “Warrior” medal, and chokes Anderson out with the chain. He then spits on Anderson and stomps him in the groin before walking out of the cage for the win. Great, long cage match that was rich with storytelling and was a fitting conclusion to this feud. Match Time: 21:02     Match Rating: 8/10

8.    TNA World Heavyweight Championship: AJ Styles(c) vs. D’Angelo Dinero

It was somewhat disappointing that this wasn’t the main event, but it was understandable considering that the Lethal Lockdown match had a much larger build to it. This was a very good title match but I felt it could have been better if given more time. They did a ton of chain wrestling early on, with each man trying to work the other’s arm. Styles hits an arm drag and tries to send Dinero into the cage, but he counters with a roll-up for a near fall. Pope hits a series of arm drags and Styles retreats to the corner. They lock up again with Styles sending Pope into the corner and hitting some chops. Pope rebounds with some quick offense, blocks an atomic drop, and hits a clothesline. AJ comes back with a shoulder block but Dinero hits a flying forearm. Pope hits some more big strikes but AJ is able to send him into the cage. Styles hits a dropkick, mugs for the crowd, then puts on a rear chin lock. Pope fights out with some punches and hits a forearm, but AJ catches him with a botched slam. Styles starts to kick and stomp away at Pope’s knee but Pope comes back with a chop. AJ pokes Dinero in the eye and goes for a springboard inverted DDT, but Pope blocks it, sends AJ into the cage, and hits a DDT. Pope starts to take it to Styles, hitting some strikes, a back body drop, an inverted atomic drop, and a shoulder block. Pope gets a powerslam for a near fall but Styles comes back and rams him into the corner. Dinero avoids a charging AJ, but AJ hits a poke to the eye and another flying forearm off the top. The two then fight on the top turnbuckle, with Pope sending AJ to the mat and hitting a diving headbutt. Styles is back up and hits a Pele for a near fall. Styles hits a backbreaker and a springboard 450 splash, but Pope kicks out. AJ dives off the top of the cage, but Pope moves out of the way and AJ eats the canvas before kicking out of a pin attempt. Pope sets AJ up for the DDE but AJ moves out of the way. Styles grabs a pen from a cameraman (yes, a pen), hits Pope in the eye with it, then hits a discus clothesline followed by a Styles Clash for the win. Very good world title match but the ending was a bit odd. Match Time: 13:50     Match Rating: 7/10

9.    Lethal Lockdown: Team Hogan (Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, Rob Van Dam, and Jeff Hardy) vs. Team Flair (Sting, Beer Money Inc., and Desmond Wolfe)

The main event was the Lethal Lockdown match, which was going strong until being marred by an overbooked ending that put the spotlight on some senior citizens. Abyss opened the match against Robert Roode with both men trading punches before Roode began kicking at Abyss’s leg. Abyss beats down Roode in one corner before sending him into another and choking him with his boot. Abyss hits a back body drop and both men unsuccessfully try to send each other into the cage. Roode rakes the eyes but Abyss sends him face first into the cage twice. Roode hits a big boot and a neckbreaker and gets on the offensive, sending Abyss into the cage. Roode stomps away at Abyss as Rob Van Dam comes out as the 3^rd entrant. RVD hits some kicks and a series of punches before hitting a monkey flip to Roode. RVD hits rolling thunder and sends Roode into the cage before Desmond Wolfe enters the match. Roode low blows Abyss and Wolfe dropkicks RVD into the cage. Roode works over Abyss while Wolfe tries to bust open RVD again. The heels send Abyss into the cage as the clock counts down and Jeff Jarrett is the 5^th entrant. Jarrett sends both heels into the cage, cracks their heads together, and sends them into the cage wall once again. Roode hits Jarrett with a powerbomb and Wolfe begins to go to work on Abyss. James Storm is out next, spits beer in Abyss’s face, lands some punches on Jarrett, and sends RVD into the cage wall. Jarrett lands a big chop and a suplex on Roode as the clock counts down. Jeff Hardy’s music hits but he is found laid out backstage with Sting standing over him (so much for Team Hogan having the “advantage”). The heels are still in control but the faces make a comeback with Jarrett sending Storm into the cage. Sting comes out as the final entrant and the roof lowers with the weapons after he enters. Wolfe grabs a cookie sheet and Beer Money grabs trash can parts while Sting holds onto his bat. The heels are dominating with Storm also nailing Jarrett with a pipe. Jarrett tries to stir a comeback by hitting everyone with a trash can but Sting nails him and RVD with the bat. Beer Money combine to send Jarrett out of the cage to the floor where they continue the beatdown. In the ring, Abyss dumps out a bag of tacks but Storm is back in there to smash a beer bottle over his head. Jeff Hardy’s music hits and he comes out to ringside, beating down Beer Money with a kendo stick. In the ring, Jarrett smashes a guitar over Wolfe’s head and RVD hits him with a Five Star Frog Splash. Abyss then chokeslams Sting onto the tacks. Hardy climbs to the roof of the cage and Beer Money follows him up. Beer Money beat down Jeff with a trash can lid and set up a table that was already on the roof. Jeff comes back and hits Roode with a Twist of Fate before laying Storm out on the table. He then sets up a ladder, also already on the roof of the cage, and climbs to the top before jumping off with a splash to Storm through the table! Ric Flair then comes out (UGH!) and starts stomping at Abyss in the ring, biting at his finger. Hulk Hogan comes out and seems ready to attack Flair, but Eric Bischoff comes out and gets between the two. He pulls out some brass knuckles, but surprisingly tosses them to Hogan. Hogan busts Flair open by punching him with the brass knucks, sends him into the cage, and punches him, leading Flair to fall on the tacks. Hogan hits Flair with a trash can before Abyss picks up Wolfe and hits him with the Black Hole Slam to get the win for his team. I really hated how Flair, Hogan, and Bischoff just had to come out to steal the spotlight from the rest of the competitors who worked hard to deliver a very good quality main event. The veterans’ involvement ended up hurting the quality of the match. Still, there were definitely a lot of enjoyable elements to it and the PPV definitely ended in a better way than Destination X. Match Time: 30:17     Match Rating: 6.5/10

Overall PPV Rating: 7.5/10

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 over a year now.

1.    Ultimate X match for the TNA X Division Championship: Amazing Red(c) vs. Suicide vs. Homicide vs. Daniels vs. Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin

Wow. Talk about a way to kick off a PPV. What an amazing match for TNA to have as the opener to this show. Yes it was a spotfest but it was a very fun and jaw-dropping spotfest. The Guns replace D’Angelo Dinero because he had to leave due to a family emergency. Only a couple minutes in Red hits an amazing (no pun intended) hurricanrana to Daniels off the top turnbuckle which sends Daniels onto everyone else outside the ring. Homicide is one of the first to go for the title but Suicide springboards off the ropes to pull him down. The Guns do many of their double team moves throughout, including a nice doomsday device missile dropkick and a spot where Sabin did the giant swing to Suicide followed by a dropkick from Shelley. One of the most memorable spots for me was when Red was dangling from the X and Suicide did a springboard dropkick to him, resulting in Red falling a long distance to the ring. There was also a unique tower of doom spot where Red hits a powerbomb to Sabin while Sabin hits a release suplex to Suicide, who is able to dropkick Daniels while falling to the mat. The men also are able to connect with their finishers, which includes Red hitting a corkscrew leg drop, Daniels hitting the BME, and Suicide hitting the Suicide Solution. Eventually, Daniels, Suicide, and Red climb to the top of the structure: the X scaffold holding the red ropes in place. All 3 men brawl atop the structure and both Daniels and suicide tease suplexes to each other. Daniels climbs down through the scaffold and onto the ropes, then hits an absolutely stunning and dangerous looking release suplex to Suicide off the structure, resulting in both men crashing to the ring. The Guns then try to climb across the ropes to get to the title, but Red crawls through the scaffold and knocks off Shelley before grabbing the title to win the match. I have to catch my breath now. Match Rating: 8.5/10

2.    TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship: Sarita and Taylor Wilde(c) vs. The Beautiful People

Lacey Von Erich’s attempts at seducing the referees fail as she is ejected from ringside before the start of the match. This was for the most part the same fun match these two teams had at the last PPV but it was even shorter than that match. Both teams work each other over with hot tags and double team moves for a couple minutes before Sarita takes out Velvet Sky with a missile dropkick. With Wilde locking her hands around Madison Rayne’s waist, Sarita hits a dropkick to Rayne immediately followed by a German suplex into a bridge pin from Wilde, and the faces retain their titles. I feel that these belts should be on The Beautiful People and that this match shouldn’t have been on the card, but we can’t always get what we want. Match Rating: 3/10

3.    TNA Legends Championship: Kevin Nash(c) vs. Eric Young vs. Hernandez

This match really surprised me and ended up being probably Nash’s best match of the year and a pretty fun match in its own right. They told a good story with Hernandez looking like the big power guy who could take on anyone and Nash and Young staying allied to wear down the (face) big man. They use a lot of punches and kicks to keep Super Mex down while Hernandez went after the heels with his power moves. Young counters a suplex from Hernandez into one of his own, which is impressive considering the size difference between the two. Hernandez also impressed for a guy his size with some high flying moves such as a diving double clothesline, a suicide dive over the ropes onto Young, and a big missile dropkick to Nash. Late in the match, Nash big boots Super Mex and goes for the Jackknife Powerbomb, but Young throws Hernandez headfirst into Nash’s balls before pinning Nash to become the Legends Champion. I really liked the ending and thought it came off very well and this was a decent match. Match Rating: 5.5/10

4.    Full Metal Mayhem for the TNA and IWGP World Tag Team Championship: Booker T and Scott Steiner(TNA champions) vs. The British Invasion(IWGP champions) vs. Team 3D vs. Beer Money Inc.

Surprisingly, though it had its spotty moments, this match was not a complete nonsensical spotfest. The way they set this match up was that one of each title was hung on the steel X scaffold from the Ultimate X match. The match starts out with the Mafia and Beer Money accepting British Invasion’s earlier backstage proposal and ganging up on Team 3D. Eventually this breaks apart with 3D fighting the Mafia and Beer Money fighting the Brits. Steiner uses a ladder to work over Devon’s shoulder while Beer Money sends Doug Williams into a chair set up in a corner of the ring. Steiner chokes out Devon while Beer Money hit the DWI to Booker T, who is later seen outside the ring and is carted off on a stretcher. Meanwhile, Steiner chokes out Devon with an extension cord before going in the ring to clean house by belly to belly suplexing everyone. He then hits a very impressive Frankensteiner to Williams. I must say, Steiner really worked hard in this match and turned in a great performance. 3D eventually works their way back into by hitting chair shots to everyone, which leads to Ray giving Zakk Wylde a chair at ringside and letting him hit Magnus. Williams gets chokeslammed through a table before 3D gives simultaneous chokeslams through separate tables to each of Beer Money. Steiner scales a ladder to go for the TNA titles but 3D hits a dual powerbomb to him off the ladder through a table. Ray and Devon then climb the ladder to get the IWGP belt but Rhino charges the ring and hits both men with chair shots. Devon is able to hang onto the title as he falls off the ladder so Team 3D are the new IWGP Tag Team Champions. This was likely done because NJPW is very upset with TNA’s treatment of the belts and many in Japan already considered 3D to still be the champions. Anyway, the match continues with Beer Money hitting a nasty looking suplex off two side-by-side ladders to Williams before being met with chair shots from Magnus. Storm hits a sunset-flip powerbomb to Magnus off a ladder but takes a chair shot from Williams. Roode and Williams fight atop the ladder, with Roode getting the upper hand, but Rob Terry enters the ring and picks up Roode before press slamming him over the top rope through a table outside the ring. He then gives Williams a boost up to allow The British Invasion to become the TNA World Tag Team Champions to end the match. I was pleased with the outcome and the match was just awesome. Match Rating: 7/10

5.    TNA Women’s Knockout Championship: ODB(c) vs. Tara vs. Awesome Kong

This match was a mild disappointment after starting off so promisingly. Great action between all three ladies that included Kong hitting a double splash to ODB and Tara, Tara putting a tarantula submission hold on ODB around the ropes, and Tara hitting a moonsault to ODB for a near-fall. They did the short-lived alliances between ODB and Tara, Kong looking like the dominant heel, and all that good stuff and this looked to be one of the best women’s matches in a very long time. Unfortunately, it got hurt by a spot in the middle where Tara, while outside the ring, brawled with a “fan” revealed after the show to be Kim Couture, and she had to go to the back. This left the crowd silent as ODB basically had a one on one match with Kong. They did some okay back and forth but not nearly as good as what was going on with Tara in the ring. ODB hits a nice samoan drop for a near fall before Tara comes back to the ring. Kong tosses her out and hits a top rope splash to ODB, but Tara breaks the pin up. Kong again gets rid of Tara before hitting ODB with an Implant Buster for a near fall. Raisha Saeed then comes to ringside to give Kong a chair, but Kong doesn’t want it and keeps kicking it away. Kong goes for a second Implant Buster but ODB counters into a bulldog on the chair before covering Kong to retain her title. A decent women’s match but it could have been better. Match Rating: 5.5/10

6.    Submission match: Samoa Joe vs. Bobby Lashley

This match greatly underdelivered and ended up being very disappointing. It started off very good with a lot of back and forth action from Joe and Lashley that included many power moves. Lashley hits a nice spinebuster to Joe and also at one point in the match counters an abdominal stretch with a solid hip toss. Joe did some cool things such as a powerslam and a suicide dive early on. Unfortunately, much of this match consisted of Joe and Lashley putting on various armbars and leglocks and the whole thing felt rushed as well. Just after hitting the 8 minute mark, Joe apparently passes out while Lashley has Joe in some kind of armbar/neck hold combination, resulting in Lashley winning the match. The finish was poor and Joe ends up getting really hurt by this match. Disappointing. Match Rating: 4/10

7.    Monster’s Ball: Mick Foley vs. Abyss w/ Special Guest Referee Dr. Stevie

Considered by some to be a dream match come true, this hardcore match was not quite as good as it could have been but it was still fairly enjoyable. Only a couple minutes in, Foley and Abyss brawl on the side of a steel structure on the entrance stage, which ends with Foley knocking Abyss off, sending him through part of the stage. This looks cool until we are shown that he landed on cardboard. Foley then dives onto Abyss with the barbed wire bat before walking back to the ring. Abyss then returns to the ring where he and Foley brawl with trash cans and a ton of barbed wire. Abyss drags the guardrail closer to the ring and lines up a barbed wire board across the rail and the ring apron. Abyss irish whips Foley into a barbed wire board in the corner, but goes into the barbed wire himself when Foley moves out of the way as Abyss charges at him. Abyss then gets sandwiched in between two barbed wire boards and is shown bleeding from the arm and the face. Foley then dumps tacks out in the ring and Abyss goes to chokeslam him on them, but Stevie tells him that if he does, he will be disqualified (a stipulation was that Abyss couldn’t use thumbtacks). Abyss hits a Torture rack backbreaker to Stevie before Daffney comes down to the ring and hands Foley a…….taser. Ugh. This time, there is an explosion when the taser is used on Abyss. Another ref comes down to the ring, botches the attempted pinfall, and Abyss kicks out. An insane spot then occurs when Abyss chokeslams Daffney through that barbed wire board set up earlier. He then gives Stevie a black hole slam on the tacks before chokeslamming Foley on another barbed wire board. Abyss then drags Stevie over to Foley and uses Stevie’s hand to count the pinfall. Good hardcore match but not quite as brutal as what people expected. Match Rating: 6.5/10

8.    Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan

This match was actually a very pleasant surprise. It started off somewhat slow and had me questioning how exactly they were going to book this thing, but it ended up being a very entertaining “what do I gotta do to beat this guy” match. Morgan hits many rapid fire elbows to Angle early on before the two brawl outside the ring. Morgan misses a Carbon Footprint and gets caught in a Figure Four from Angle. Morgan eventually turns over on his back and the hold is broken when Angle reaches the ropes. He later hits a big fall away slam and chokeslam to Angle for near falls, but Angle retaliates with three big German suplexes. He goes for the Angle Slam, but Morgan counters and hits the Carbon Footprint for a near fall. Morgan then misses a splash in the corner and gets caught with an Angle Slam, but kicks out. Angle then applies the Ankle Lock again but Morgan powers out. Morgan then hits a Hellevator for another near fall, then goes for a Tombstone Piledriver, but Angle rolls through and applies a third Ankle Lock. Morgan powers out yet again but is caught with a second Angle Slam. Rather than going for the pin, Angle hits a tope rope splash, but Morgan again kicks out. Morgan then has Angle on his shoulders, but Angle gets out of hit and gets the win with a victory roll roll-up. I didn’t mind the finish and the match told a great story and was highly enjoyable. Match Rating: 7/10

9.    TNA World Heavyweight Championship: AJ Styles(c) vs. Sting

After doing so much right on this PPV, TNA ends the night on a sour note. The big confrontation between Styles and Sting was totally lackluster and disappointed greatly. For much of the first 5-10 minutes of the match, all the two did was brief headlocks and lockups before pausing to mug for the camera. The match finally starts to heat up when Styles dropkicks Sting, sending him out of the ring before Styles dives off the apron and crashes into the guardrail. The two then brawl briefly outside the ring before heading back into the ring, where Sting counters a Tombstone attempt from Styles with one of his own for a near fall. Styles hits a nice springboard elbow before a series of counters ends with Sting hitting the Scorpion Death Drop. Sting then splashes AJ in the corner before connecting again with the SDD for a near fall. After again briefly fighting in the ringside area, Styles hits a Pele kick to Sting on the ring apron before hitting a springboard splash for the 1-2-3 to retain his title. Really? That’s it? An anticlimactic finish out of no where? Anyway, Sting makes a speech after the match, where he basically answers those inquiring about the continuation of his career with, “I don’t know”. This lackluster match was the main event to TNA’s biggest show of the year. The company still hasn’t figured out a way to end a PPV well.  Match Rating: 5/10

Overall PPV Rating: 8.25/10

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.