• United States Championship match: Dolph Ziggler(c) vs. Zack Ryder

This was a really solid way to start the show. Ziggler has been very impressive lately and this was another good performance from him. Ziggler sweeps the leg twice at the start before they lock up. Ryder hits an arm drag before Ziggler hits a shoulder block and they run the ropes. Ryder catapults Ziggler into the corner, clotheslines him to the floor, and hits a big tope flip dive over the ropes. Ziggler catches Ryder with a DDT on the ring apron and hits a neckbreaker back inside the ring followed by several consecutive elbow drops. Ziggler hits a clothesline and applies a chin lock. He breaks to do some sit ups, but then goes right back to the hold. Ziggler puts Ryder on the top rope, but Ryder kicks him away and hits a big missile dropkick for 2. Ryder hits a forearm, clothesline, and a Facejam followed by a corner clothesline and a running face wash for 2. Vickie is then ejected from ringside after she puts Ziggler’s foot on the ropes. Ryder and Ziggler both score near falls with roll-ups. Ziggler snaps Ryder’s head over the ropes, Ryder does a roll-up for 2, and Ziggler hits a Famouser for 2. Ziggler hits a dropkick and heads up top, but Ryder meets him up there and hits a top rope hurricanrana for 2. Ziggler launches Ryder into the corner and rolls him up for 2, but Ryder boots a charging Ziggler in the corner and hits the Rough Ryder for the win. Really nice pop for Ryder’s win. Overall this was a good, competitive opening match with some nice near falls and a hot crowd. Match Time: 10:25     Star Rating: ***1/4

• WWE Tag Team Championship match: Air Boom(c) vs. Primo and Epico

In an unadvertised match, Evan Bourne made his return from his suspension. This was an average filler match. Bourne starts with Epico, and both guys go for roll-ups early on. Bourne does a sunset flip, misses a hurricanrana, and hits a head scissors before tagging in Kofi Kingston. Kofi hits a dropkick for 2 followed by a double dropkick on both heels. Primo tries a monkey flip, but Kofi lands on his feet and hits one of his own. Bourne hits a head scissors and tries a springboard, but the heels catch him and toss him to the floor. The heels then stomp Bourne repeatedly before Primo applies a front chancery. Primo drives Bourne into the corner before tagging in Epico, who hits a dropkick followed by a backbreaker, 2 back suplexes, and a German suplex. Epico applies a Gory special, but Bourne is able to escape with a sunset flip. Bourne hits the double knees before both guys get tags. Kofi hits some clotheslines and a dropkick followed by the Boom Drop, but Primo gets a boot up in the corner. Kofi springs out of the corner with a cross body, Bourne takes out Epico with a plancha to the floor, and Kofi hits the Trouble in Paradise to Primo for the win. Total TV quality match here, but it was fairly solid. Air Boom is a fun tag team but they have no competition. Match Time: 7:32     Star Rating: **1/2

• Tables match: Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett

This was another good match. Orton and Barrett haven’t had many good matches in the past, but they had a decent brawl here and told a story. They trade punches and kicks at the start before Orton hits his signature backbreaker and gets a table from the floor. Barrett kicks the table into Orton’s face and hits some shots on the floor, but Orton kicks a table into Barrett’s gut and then launches it into his face. Orton sets up the table on the floor and brawls up the ramp with Barrett. Barrett knocks over some tables and teases a pumphandle slam, but Orton escapes and they head back toward the ring. Barrett slams Orton’s head on the ring post and sets up another table on the floor. Barrett slams Orton’s head on the table and lays Orton across it, but Orton gets up. Barrett drives Orton into the apron and rolls him into the ring, where he hits a second rope elbow drop. Barrett chokes Orton against the ropes and hits some knees to the face followed by a running big boot, but Orton avoids the table by landing on the apron. Barrett sets a table up in the corner, but Orton escapes a slam and hits some clotheslines followed by a snap powerslam. They do a good counter sequence near the apron before Orton hits the spike DDT. Orton avoids being sent into the table again, but Barrett hits a black hole slam and drops the table on Orton. Barrett sets the table up again and lays Orton across it before heading up top. Barrett leaps, but Orton catches him with a sudden mid air RKO through the table for the win. Good stuff with some nice psychology built around the tables and a great finish. Barrett got a pinfall victory at Survivor Series, so him losing a match without standard rules here doesn’t hurt him. No complaints here. Match Time: 10:17     Star Rating: ***

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

This was another unadvertised filler match. Kelly slaps Beth at the start, sends her to the floor, and hits a bulldog off the apron. Back in the ring, Kelly hits a head scissors into the corner, but Beth drops her on the ropes and beats on Kelly with punches. Beth pulls Kelly’s hair and stands on her back before applying a camel clutch. Kelly escapes and hits a bulldog before slamming Beth’s face in the mat repeatedly. Kelly leaps off the top, but Beth catches her and slams her down for 2. Beth misses a top rope leg drop and both girls counter each other’s finishers. Both attempt roll-ups before Beth hits a reverse powerbomb for the win. Standard short, crappy Divas match, move along nothing to see here. Match Time: 5:14     Star Rating: *1/2

Booker T then comes out for his match against Cody Rhodes, but Cody jumps him during his entrance. Cody also attacked Booker earlier backstage. Referees and other officials break it up and send both guys to the back, so no match here. I didn’t really see the point in putting this match off.

• Sledgehammer Ladder match: Kevin Nash vs. Triple H

Yes, it is the year 2011. These guys couldn’t even have good matches eight years ago, and this was very sluggish. The rules were that you had to climb a ladder to get the sledgehammer hanging above the ring, and then you could use it as a weapon and the match ends via pinfall. Both guys go back and forth with punches early on, and Nash looks very rough. Nash hits some knee lifts, but Triple H sends him to the floor and slams his head on the announce table. Triple H unloads with punches and clotheslines Nash into the crowd. Nash hits a back elbow and drops Triple H face first on the barricade, but Triple H sends him into the ring post. They then get a couple ladders and go back into the ring. Triple H hits Nash’s knee repeatedly with a ladder, puts his knee inside the ladder, and applies a modified figure four with the ladder. Triple H leans one of the ladders against the corner and drops the second one on Nash. Nash whips Triple H into the ladder in the corner, and then lays the ladder across the second rope. Nash body slams Triple H onto the other ladder in the ring and catapults him face first into the ladder in the ropes.

Nash takes apart the announce table on the outside and teases a Jackknife powerbomb, but Triple H backdrops him over the table (he had trouble getting him up and it looked like the table was supposed to break, but it didn’t). Triple H climbs a ladder in the ring, but Nash pulls him off and clotheslines him. Nash whips Triple H into a ladder and hits a chokeslam before getting a table from under the ring. Triple H drives Nash into the ladder in the corner and hits Nash’s knee with another ladder. Both guys climb a ladder and fight at the top, with Triple H hitting Nash with the end of the sledgehammer twice, causing Nash to fall off the ladder through the table. Triple H unhooks the sledgehammer and climbs down, hitting Nash’s knee with it repeatedly. Triple H then goes for the Pedigree but Nash botches it by bumping too early. Triple H then hits a second one but it also comes off sloppy. Nash then begs off with the Wolfpac sign, but Triple H hits him in the face with the sledgehammer for the win. Match reads much better than it was executed. Both of these guys, especially Nash, are just too old and slow now. It just dragged on forever and ever and a lot of the stuff they did looked very clunky. This probably sounded really good on paper, but in reality it was just way too long and the fans weren’t into it. Absolutely nobody cares about Kevin Nash anymore. Match Time: 18:13     Star Rating: *3/4

• Jack Swagger vs. Sheamus

This match was also unadvertised, having been added on in a backstage segment earlier in the show. Sheamus hits some clotheslines and a shoulder block at the start before blocking an abdominal stretch and hitting the clubbing blows to the chest in the ropes. Swagger is sent to the floor, where he drives Sheamus back first into the ring post and barricade. Swagger hits a Vader Bomb back into the ring for 1 before hitting some forearms to the back. Sheamus comes back with a clothesline and some double sledges before they go to the outside. Sheamus drives Swagger into the ring post, tosses him into the barricade, and hits a shoulder block off the top in the ring for 2. Sheamus misses the Brogue Kick and Swagger dives at his leg. Swagger hits a Vader Bomb elbow drop to the leg and goes for the ankle lock, but Sheamus is able to escape. Swagger dives at the leg again, but Sheamus avoids him and hits the Brogue Kick for the win. This was a very average, Smackdown quality filler match that didn’t get much reaction from the crowd. Match Time: 5:57     Star Rating: **

• Chairs match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Mark Henry(c) vs. The Big Show

This was a bit interesting. Show bails to the floor at the start and starts throwing chairs into the ring. Henry decides he’s seen enough and tries to leave with the title, but Show goes to the outside and hits him with a chair repeatedly before laying into Henry with punches. Henry hits a head butt and a chair shot before slamming Show’s hand on the steel steps. Both guys go for a chair shot at the same time back in the ring before Henry hits Show repeatedly with a chair. Henry puts a chair around Show’s hand and stomps on it before hitting him in the ribs with a chair. Show hits the WMD punch with the injured hand and covers for the win out of nowhere. After the match Henry attacks Show with a chair and hits him with a DDT on 2 chairs. This was too short to be much of anything, and a really lackluster end to Henry’s world title reign. Just 5 minutes of chair shots and nothing else, which is not good for a PPV world title match. Match Time: 5:30     Star Rating: *

BUT WAIT!!!! Daniel Bryan’s music hits and Bryan comes down to the ring with his Money in the Bank briefcase! Bryan says he is cashing in, leading to…

• World Heavyweight Championship match: The Big Show(c) vs. Daniel Bryan

Bryan rolls over Big Show and covers for the instant victory. Bryan then had a great, lengthy celebration afterwards, high fiving the fans and standing on top of the announce table. While this certainly isn’t the direction many people thought WWE would go with Bryan’s Money in the Bank briefcase, this was a really great feel good moment for a guy who deserves this championship more than anyone. Bryan has busted his ass wrestling all over the world for the last decade and finally won the big one in the WWE. Hopefully all goes well with his world title reign and I just couldn’t be happier for the guy. Match Time: 0:08     Star Rating: N/A

• Intercontinental Championship match: Cody Rhodes(c) vs. Booker T

So it turns out we are getting this match after all. Booker, totally not selling his injuries from before, immediately lays into Cody with punches, a back elbow, and back to back scoop slams followed by a sidekick. Booker tosses Cody to the floor where he hits some chops, but Cody comes back with some punches and tosses Booker into the barricade. Cody flips Booker by his arm in the ring and applies a submission, but Booker fights out. Booker hits a chop, but Cody kicks his leg and covers for 2. Cody applies a full nelson, but Booker gets out and they trade shots. Booker hits some clotheslines, a sidewalk slam, and a spinebuster but misses the scissors kick. Cody hits the beautiful disaster kick for 2, and then hits a second one for the victory. Short, but decent match here. Booker did fine and had a solid performance, plus Cody got a nice clean victory over an established legend. That’s pretty much all you can ask for with this type of match. Match Time: 7:15     Star Rating: **1/2

• Triple Threat Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match for the WWE Championship: CM Punk(c) vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. The Miz

Though far from the best TLC match, this was a really fun main event to close the show. The heels gang up on Punk at the start, and Punk hits a couple dropkicks, but Miz and Del Rio go back to stomping him and drop him face first on the top rope. Miz and Del Rio go to the outside and Del Rio gets a ladder, but Punk hits him with a suicide dive through the ropes. Punk gets a chair, but Miz stomps him and hits him with the chair before setting it up on its legs. Punk hits the high knee in the corner, but Miz blocks the bulldog and hits a back suplex to Punk on the chair. Del Rio blocks the Skull-Crushing Finale from Miz and backdrops Miz on a leaning ladder on the floor. Del Rio avoids a baseball slide from Punk, but Punk kicks a ladder into Del Rio’s face and tosses him into the barricade. Punk and Del Rio both try to suplex each other through a table before Punk hits a neckbreaker on the floor. Punk avoids a chair shot from Miz, hits him with the chair, and props him up on the barricade, where he hits a high knee strike off a chair to Miz into the crowd. Punk climbs a ladder in the ring, but Ricardo Rodriguez interferes and handcuffs Punk’s wrist to the ladder. Del Rio then attacks Punk before climbing the ladder, but Punk breaks free and tips it over before hitting a flapjack to Del Rio onto the ladder.

Miz hits Punk with another ladder and starts climbing it, but Punk pulls him down and goes for the Go to Sleep. Miz blocks it and they go up top, only for Del Rio to hit Punk with an enzuigiri, causing him to fall off the top through a table on the floor. Del Rio and Miz brawl up the entrance ramp, with Del Rio throwing a ladder at Miz and applying the cross armbreaker with the ladder around Miz’s arm. Del Rio then hits Punk with chair shots and applies the cross armbreaker with a chair around Punk’s arm. Del Rio climbs a ladder in the ring, but Punk and Miz tip it over, causing Del Rio to be crotched on the top rope. Punk and Miz then trade shots and knock each other down. Ricardo then climbs once again, but Punk and Miz tip the ladder over, causing Ricardo to fall off and through a table outside the ring. Punk and Miz both counter each other’s finishers before Miz handcuffs Punk to the corner. Miz taunts Punk, but Punk hits a sudden roundhouse kick. Del Rio and Miz then both climb ladders as Punk struggles to free himself. Punk is eventually able to take apart the second rope and free himself from the corner, and then ascends the two ladders. All 3 guys fight at the top, with Punk knocking Del Rio off of a ladder and then fighting with Miz on the mat. Punk hits Miz with the GTS, climbs the ladder, and grabs the title to win the match. This didn’t have nearly as many crazy spots as past TLC matches, but it was paced very well and had some innovative offense with the chairs. By the standards of this match, it wasn’t great, but it was very good and the best match on the show. Nice to see Punk get the win and hopefully his title reign lasts long enough to restore some credibility to the belt. Match Time: 18:26     Star Rating: ***1/2

Overall PPV Rating: 7/10

• WWE Tag Team Championship match: Air Boom(c) vs. The Miz and R-Truth

This was a good choice as the opener, and was for the most part pretty well worked. Kofi Kingston starts the match with Miz, and they lock up before breaking in the corner. Kofi gets a 2 count off a big right hand, and then holds Miz for Evan Bourne to hit a diving double stomp off the top. Kofi scores a near fall on Miz before hip tossing Truth. Kofi and Bourne hit a double dropkick to Miz and head up top to hit stereo dives onto the heels on the outside. Truth takes advantage after Miz cheap shots Bourne, hitting some punches and choking Bourne against the ropes. Miz tags in and scores a near fall before applying a chin lock. Bourne gets up but Miz sidesteps a dropkick attempt and hits a double shoulder block with Truth. Miz hits some punches, but Bourne fights back with some kicks and counters the Skull-Crushing Finale by tossing Miz to the floor. Kofi gets a hot tag and hits a series of shots followed by the Boom Drop, but Truth hits a cheap shot as Kofi readies for the Trouble in Paradise. Kofi hits the SOS to Miz for a near fall, and Truth snaps Kofi’s neck over the ropes, allowing Miz to hit his modified DDT for 2. After seemingly not tagging in, Bourne hits the diving knees off the top but misses the shooting star press. Miz hits a DDT and Kofi breaks up the pin. Miz tags in Truth, but the ref doesn’t see the tag and is busy holding back Truth while Miz goes for a pin after hitting the SCF. Miz yells at the ref about it and eventually shoves him down, causing a DQ. The finish made sense with the “conspiracy” storyline with Miz and Truth, but it’s just not a good idea to book DQs in PPV openers. The match was going along nicely but the finish takes it down a peg. Match Time: 9:56     Star Rating: **3/4

• Intercontinental Championship match: Cody Rhodes(c) vs. Ted DiBiase

This was decent, but nothing more, pretty much a Smackdown quality match. Ted applies a chinlock early and hits a boot to the face before going after Cody’s mask. Cody then takes advantage and hangs up Ted in the ropes where he kicks him in the gut. Cody slaps him in the face, and Ted tackles Cody and punches away at him. Cody backflips out of a suplex attempt and hits the beautiful disaster kick for 2. Cody hits a front suplex and applies a camel clutch, which he transitions into an arm submission. Ted fights out, but Cody comes back with punches and stomps him against the ropes. Ted avoids a charging Cody in the corner and hits a backbreaker, but misses a dropkick. Cody hits a boot to the head and applies an abdominal stretch before sliding down and sneaking in a shot to the head. Ted fires back and hits an atomic drop followed by a flying knee and a sitout spinebuster for 2. Cody goes for the beautiful disaster again, but Ted dropkicks him in mid-air. Ted sets Cody up on the top rope, but Cody rakes the eyes. Ted tosses Cody to the mat and then rips the mask off. Ted celebrates and goes to hit Cody with the mask, but Cody rolls up Ted and hooks the tights for the win. Crowd wasn’t into this and the finish made Ted look completely stupid. Just an alright match, nothing special about it. Match Time: 9:49     Star Rating: **1/2

Christian then comes out for a promo. He dissed Buffalo and talked about how he deserved one more shot at the world title. He got the crowd to chant “one more match” until Sheamus came out. Sheamus dissed Christian but offered to help him get another shot at the title as long as Christian’s first title defense is against him. Christian accepts and Sheamus starts up the “one more match” chants again before hitting Christian with the Brogue Kick. Total filler segment designed to kill time.

• Fatal Four Way match for the United States Championship: Dolph Ziggler(c) vs. John Morrison vs. Alex Riley vs. Jack Swagger

This was a lot of fun, and also easily the best-booked match of the evening. Riley squares off with Ziggler and Morrison with Swagger to start. Riley hits a neckbreaker but Swagger hits him with a shoulder block and some punches. Riley hits an STO but Ziggler sends him off the apron into the steel steps. Morrison rolls up Swagger for a near fall, and then hits a dropkick to Ziggler into a cover on Swagger. Swagger hip tosses Morrison to the floor and hits Ziggler with a clothesline and a big boot. Riley hits Swagger with a TKO but Vickie puts Swagger’s foot on the ropes during the pin attempt. Morrison hits the Flash Kick to Ziggler, but Ziggler comes back with a Famouser for 2. Morrison hits an uppercut and both guys head up top. Ziggler blocks a superplex attempt and hangs up Morrison in the tree of woe. Riley then goes up top in the corner, but Morrison springs up and hits a German superplex to Riley off the top. Swagger then leaps up top and hits a super belly to belly suplex to Ziggler. Morrison hits some clotheslines and a dropkick followed by a tornado DDT to Swagger. Morrison hits a Flux Capacitor to Riley for 2, but Riley blocks a Starship Pain attempt. Ziggler then catches Riley in the sleeper just as Swagger puts Morrison in the Ankle Lock. The faces escape the holds and Riley hits a lifting DDT to Swagger. Swagger puts Riley in the Ankle Lock and ducks a Flash Kick from Morrison before giving him the gutwrench powerbomb. Ziggler then shoves Swagger aside and covers Morrison for the win. Energetic and fast-paced match that told a nice story with Swagger and Ziggler. Had some great spots as well. Match Time: 8:20     Star Rating: ***1/4

• World Heavyweight Championship match: Randy Orton(c) vs. Mark Henry

Considering Henry’s usual work rate and limitations, this was better than usual from him. They lock up at the start but Henry quickly tosses Orton into the corner. Orton fires away with punches and kicks at the knee before hitting a boot to the head and stomping Henry. Orton sends a charging Henry to the floor, where Henry rips the cover off the Spanish announce table. Henry lifts up Orton back in the ring, but Orton escapes and tries for the RKO, only for Henry to toss him off and big boot him. Henry charges into Orton in the corner and tries for the World’s Strongest Slam, but Orton escapes and applies a sleeper. Henry backs Orton into the corner to force a break and hits a huge right hand that sends Orton off the top to the floor. Henry drives Orton into the apron on the outside before hitting a head butt back in the ring and stretching Orton’s back across the ring post. Henry stands on Orton’s back against the ropes, and then hits a scoop slam and a running splash for 2. Henry hits a shoulder thrust and an elbow drop for 2 followed by a kick to the chest and a knee lift, but misses a splash after Orton hits some kicks and punches. Orton hits some mounted punches and more shots in the corner, and then hits a dropkick after some clothesline attempts fail. Henry hits a head butt, a clothesline, and the WSS for 2. Orton blocks a Vader Bomb attempt and hits a low DDT followed by a spike DDT, but Henry grabs the ropes to break the pin attempt. Henry kicks at Orton and Orton tries for the RKO, but Henry shoves him off and hits the WSS for the win. After the match Henry sold the win big in a post match interview with Josh Matthews. Match had solid storytelling to carry it through the slow pacing. Henry as champion is going to be tough to stomach after the high quality world title matches between Christian and Orton, but it was built up well and Henry’s matches aren’t quite as bad as they used to be. This was decent but not really PPV quality. Match Time: 13:10     Star Rating: **3/4

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

Although their SummerSlam match was fairly decent, this rematch was just used as a buffer before the double main event. Early on Kelly hits a hurricanrana off the top and applies a headscissor submission in the ropes, but Beth takes the advantage afterwards and catapults Kelly into the bottom rope. Eve attacks Natalya on the outside but Beth takes out Eve. Kelly gets a small package and a schoolboy for a pair of near falls. Kelly hits a kick, but Beth flips her and slams her down before setting her up top for a superplex. Didn’t look pretty and Kelly almost hurt her legs. Beth lifts Kelly up for a powerbomb but Kelly counters with a roll-up for the win. Bad decision here as Beth absolutely should have won, plus they did nearly the exact same finish as the match last month. Very typical Divas match, which is a little disappointing considering Beth’s skill. Match Time: 6:30     Star Rating: *1/2

• WWE Championship match: Alberto Del Rio(c) vs. John Cena

This was probably the best match on the show, though it wasn’t great or anything. Cena applies a headlock early on, but Del Rio escapes and bails to the apron. Cena fires back with some shots and a bulldog before the ref ejects Ricardo Rodriguez from ringside. Cena misses a charge into the corner and Del Rio kicks Cena before shoving him into the Spanish announce table on the outside. Del Rio hits a diving right hand off the top and applies a chin lock. Cena fights out and hits a gutwrench suplex for a near fall and a snap suplex. Del Rio hits his falling knee armbreaker and a big boot for a near fall. Del Rio stomps Cena’s arm and applies a chin lock, but Cena fights up and hits a belly to belly slam before both guys clothesline each other. Del Rio hits a lariat but misses a leaping body guillotine, and Cena hits a suplex followed by the shoulder blocks, side slam and the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Del Rio escapes the Attitude Adjustment and hits a back stabber, but Cena avoids the cross arm-breaker and hits a dropkick. Cena heads up top, but Del Rio hits an enzuigiri and Cena falls back into the ring. Del Rio hits a tilt a whirl backbreaker followed by some kicks in the corner before hanging up Cena in the tree of woe. Del Rio misses a headfirst dive and Cena hits the diving Famouser off the top for 2. Del Rio hits a German suplex and a diving senton off the top for 2 counts before applying the cross arm-breaker. Cena breaks the hold by lifting up Del Rio and slamming him down to the mat. Cena hits the AA and Ricardo runs back down to the ring. Cena uses the distraction to apply the STF, and Del Rio struggles for a while before finally tapping out. Terrible, terrible decision to take the belt off of Del Rio. Cena says flat out on Raw that Del Rio was not on his level, and then he makes him submit at the PPV. This is why the WWE has such a hard time making new stars and why it’s hard for guys to get over in front of this audience. The match itself was good but tainted by the bad booking. Nice sequences but nothing near the quality of the Punk/Cena matches. Match Time: 17:32     Star Rating: ***1/4

• No Disqualification match: CM Punk vs. Triple H

The stipulation was that if Triple H lost, he had to resign as COO of the WWE. This was extremely disappointing, mainly due to the horrendous booking in the latter half of the match. Punk attacks Triple H on the outside during his entrance and tosses him into the timekeeper’s area. Triple H comes back with some shots and whips Punk into the barricade before tossing him over the announce table and laying into him with punches. Both guys stand on the announce table and tease their finishers before Punk bails to the ring. Punk hits some punches and counters the Pedigree, but misses the high knee in the corner and falls to the floor. Triple H slams Punk’s leg into the ring post and drives him into the barricade, but Punk hits some shots, whips Triple H into the barricade, and hits a high knee against the steps. Triple H sends Punk over the barricade and hits a diving right hand off the barricade before they brawl through the crowd. They eventually make their way to the stage, where Triple H catapults Punk into one of the video screens, only for Punk to backdrop Triple H over the video screen into the area where guys walk out for their entrances. Punk hits a diving lariat off the screen and throws some duffle bags on Triple H. Punk slams Triple H into the video screen before they move back down the ramp, with Punk hitting some kicks.

Punk puts Triple H in the ring, gets a chair, and hits a huge chair shot to the back for 2. Triple H hits a spinebuster and throws Punk headfirst into the chair in the corner. Triple H clips Punk’s leg on the floor and slams his leg into the post repeatedly before hitting his leg with a chair. Triple H teases a Figure 4 but Punk kicks him into the steps. Triple H grabs a monitor but Punk hits a roundhouse kick and puts Triple H on the Spanish announce table. Punk heads up top and hits a diving elbow drop through the announce table. Both guys get back in the ring, but The Miz and R-Truth suddenly run out to attack both men. Miz hits the Skull-Crushing Finale on Triple H and Truth hits the Shut Up on Punk. They put Punk on top of Triple H for the pin, but Triple H kicks out. Miz argues with the referee, and the ref eventually punches Miz, only for Miz and Truth to beat down the referee. John Laurinaitis then comes out as Punk and Triple H attack Truth and Miz before Triple H hits Punk with the Pedigree and goes for the pin. A second referee comes down, but goes to check on the first referee rather than counting the pin. Punk hits the Go to Sleep and the second ref gets in the ring to count but Truth pulls out Punk during the pin attempt, despite the fact that Truth and Miz LAID PUNK ON TOP OF TRIPLE H FOR THE PIN 3 MINUTES AGO. Punk hits Truth with the GTS on the floor and tries a springboard, but Triple H kicks him in the gut and hits a Pedigree for a near fall.

Kevin Nash then comes down to the ring through the crowd, and punches out both guys. Nash attacks Triple H in the corner and tries for the Jackknife powerbomb, but Punk attacks Nash. Nash fires back with punches and hits Punk with the Jackknife, Nash goes after Triple H on the floor, but Triple H hits Nash with a sledgehammer. Triple H then hits a third Pedigree on Punk in the ring for the win. This was a huge clusterf**k. It seemed like this match was booked by Vince Russo. Way too much overbooking and interference. Yes you could justify the individual components of the overbooking, but there were simply just way too many things going on at once here. Miz and Truth ended up looking like complete idiots and jobbers after this, and Punk looked bad for taking the pin AND getting beat up by Kevin Nash. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Triple H called this one, because the only people who didn’t look completely terrible after this were him and his buddy Nash. The match itself was going along fine before the crazy final minutes. Felt like a TNA main event. Just a total catastrophe that did no one any favors at all, and really ruined a show that wasn’t totally awful prior to this match. Match Time: 24:09     Star Rating: **

Overall PPV Rating: 5.5/10

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.

1.    No Disqualification Falls Count Anywhere match: Bully Ray vs. Tommy Dreamer

The stipulation was added at the last second with Ray announcing it in a brief pre-match promo. Dreamer unloads on Ray with punches to kick this one off and goes for a bulldog, but takes a clothesline. Dreamer sends Ray to the floor and beats on him around ringside, using a fan’s water bottle and yes, a giant stuffed animal, against Ray. Dreamer tosses Ray into the crowd and continues to beat on him. They brawl in the crowd for a bit before Ray is able to drop Dreamer over the barricade back to ringside. Ray uses the steps on Dreamer’s hand, but Dreamer turns things around and starts throwing weapons into the ring. Dreamer jumps off the top with a kendo stick shot to the head, and then brings a BLOW UP DOLL into the ring. Dreamer hits Ray in the head with a trash can lid, and Ray falls onto the doll in the 69 position. Lovely. Dreamer splashes Ray (with the doll on top of him) for a near fall. Dreamer goes up top but Ray hits him in the head with the trash can lid and superplexes him before tossing the doll out of the ring. Dreamer counters the Bubba Bomb with a DDT before getting a table from under the ring. Dreamer sets up the table and goes for a piledriver, but Ray backdrops him and hits him with a trash can. Ray beats on Dreamer with a kendo stick and taunts him on the mic, saying that this is for Devon, but Team 3D’s old music hits and Devon’s sons come out. Ray is distracted as Devon sneaks into the ring, and Devon gives Ray the 3D through the table with Dreamer’s assistance to give Dreamer the win. This was your typical TNA brawl with some goofy spots, and the ending did its job to further the feud. Nothing special, just an okay-ish garbage match from two veterans. Match Time: 10:49     Star Rating: **1/4

2.    TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship match: Angelina Love and Winter(c) vs. Sarita and Rosita

This was pretty much just filler and had the feeling of a TV match. Love and Rosita trade some headlocks early on before Love hits some forearms. Rosita takes advantage of a missed clothesline and takes down Love, but Love hits a snap suplex before both girls tag in their partners. Winter hits a back elbow and a backbreaker, and then a northern lights suplex after some brief back and forth action. Love gets a tag and beats on Sarita, but Sarita hits a clothesline and tags in Rosita. The heels try double teaming Love but Rosita falls on her face in a mistimed spot. Love scoop slams Rosita for a near fall and tags in Winter. Rosita sweeps Winter and makes a tag, but the double team attempts from the heels backfire again as Winter makes a tag. Love works Sarita’s arm, but gets thrown into the ropes and Rosita hits a shot to the back of the head. Winter gets a tag and the faces double team Rosita before the ref gets distracted. Sarita tries to use one of the title belts but is stopped by the ref. Rosita tries to use the belt but Velvet Sky runs down and takes it away from her. Winter gets a roll-up but there’s no ref to count it, and Rosita counters with a roll-up of her own (which she holds for a LONG time) to get the win as the ref comes back into the ring. Screwy, overbooked finish to end a very by-the-numbers Knockouts match. Had some really poorly timed spots and the finish was a total mess with several people late on their cues. Match Time: 4:55     Star Rating: *1/2

3.    First Blood match: Hernandez vs. Matt Morgan

Things got from bad to worse with this next match. These guys have had some bad matches in the past, but this here was something else. Morgan rushes the ring and they brawl to start, with Morgan taking advantage and choking Hernandez with his boot. Morgan hits some head butts and punches in the corner before tossing Hernandez to the outside. Morgan tries to send Hernandez into the steps and ends up hitting them himself, but he is able to get up and toss Hernandez into the steps and the ref checks for blood. Hernandez hits a shoulder block on Morgan in the ring before grabbing a sharp-ended kendo stick from underneath the ring. Hernandez hits Morgan over the back and tries to stab him in the face with it, but Morgan blocks. Hernandez stays on offense until Morgan comes back with a side slam. Hernandez retakes the advantage with a shoulder block and works over Morgan’s midsection (which makes no sense at all in a FIRST BLOOD match) before spearing him in the corner. Morgan comes back with some clotheslines, a corner splash, and an overhead suplex and grabs the pointed stick. Morgan tries to stab Hernandez but Hernandez blocks and heads up top, only for Morgan to toss him off the top into the ring. Then, a fan runs into the ring but the ref tackles him and both the fan and ref wind up outside the ring. Hernandez wraps a chain around his fist but Morgan is able to take it and hit Hernandez in the face with it. Hernandez is apparently bleeding and Morgan calls for another ref since the original one was somehow down from the fan altercation. Hernandez wipes off the blood with a towel, takes a can out, and sprays Morgan in the chest with fake blood. A ref comes down to the ring, sees the blood on Morgan, and calls for the bell. Yes, the third match in a row with a screwy, overbooked finish, and this one really just insulted people’s intelligence. One of the worst endings to a First Blood match ever, and the rest of the match made no sense with respect to the gimmick because both guys were just hitting a bunch of power moves rather than trying to draw blood. This was just awful, awful stuff. Match Time: 8:38     Star Rating: *

4.    Ultimate X match for the TNA X Division Championship: Kazarian(c) vs. Robbie E vs. Max Buck vs. Jeremy Buck

The PPV entered a good stretch beginning with this match. Although it wasn’t great, this match delivered everything you’d expect an Ultimate X match to deliver. Cookie grabs Kaz’s leg at the start as Generation Me send Robbie to the outside before double teaming Kaz with some quick offense. Kaz is able to spring up to the cables but can’t reach the belt. He finally turns things around on Generation Me, but Robbie comes into the ring and works him over in the corner. Max scales the cables but is pulled down by Robbie. Robbie and Kaz fight in midair on the cables, with Kaz kicking Robbie down and dropping off the cables with a leg drop. Jeremy kicks down Kaz and plants him face-first before guiding Max across the cables. Robbie and Kaz take out Generation Me before trading shots themselves. Robbie counters the Fade to Black, but Kaz dumps him over the ropes and Robbie lands face first on the steps. Kaz does a dive onto Robbie outside the ring, and Jeremy does a crazy moonsault to the outside with Max’s assistance. Max tries to get Jeremy to come back into the ring and help him but Kaz comes in and trades blows with Max. Max hits a dropkick and climbs across the cables as Jeremy holds down Kaz. Kaz is able to stop Max from getting the belt, but Generation Me double team Kaz and Max again tries for the belt. Kaz dropkicks Jeremy from the cables and pulls Max down, hitting him with a mid-air cutter on his way down. Robbie gets on the cables but Max pulls him down and hits a blockbuster off the top.

Max heads up top but Kaz pushes him and Max goes face first into one of the vertical beams holding up the X structure, with Max’s throat forced right into one of the steel bars. Kaz is up top as Jeremy and Robbie end up near the corner, and the three of them do a superplex-powerbomb Tower of Doom spot.  Kaz hits the reverse Tombstone on Robbie, but Jeremy hits him with a back elbow and a spin kick. Jeremy heads to the top turnbuckle but Kaz kicks him and hits a super Flux Capacitor into the ring. Kaz and Robbie both climb across the cables and fight in mid-air, but Generation Me pull Robbie’s legs down before swinging Kaz by his legs, resulting in him taking a hard bump into the ring. Jeremy tries for the title, but Max pulls him down and they argue. Max and Jeremy both climb across the cables and meet in the middle, trading some shots before both are sent back down. Robbie sets up and climbs a ladder as Kaz walks across the cables, holding onto the steel X structure with his hands for support. They meet in the middle and both grab the belt, and Kaz is able to kick Robbie off the ladder and snatch the belt for the win. Very, very good Ultimate X match that was able to distance itself from past incarnations of the match because this one focused more on telling a story rather than just going for the insane spots, though this certainly had a few of those due to the athleticism of Kaz and Generation Me. Not the best Ultimate X match but by far the best match on this show. Glad to see they gave these guys enough time and didn’t make this the opener. Match Time: 14:22     Star Rating: ***3/4

5.    TNA World Tag Team Championship match: Beer Money(c) vs. Ink Inc.

Though this was certainly not up to par with some of Beer Money’s better matches with the likes of the Motor City Machineguns, this was a very solid tag title match. James Storm and Jesse Neal start the match, locking up and trading headlocks before Neal hits a pair of arm drags. Both guys hit slaps before Storm hits a neckbreaker for a near fall, but Neal gets one of his own after a cross body out of the corner. Robert Roode and Shannon Moore get tags and go at it, trading some quick holds before Moore gets a near fall off a dropkick. Moore hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and tags in Neal for some double-teaming. Roode avoids a charging Neal in the corner and scoop slams him. Storm gets a tag but gets attacked from behind by Moore. Moore gets a tag, beats on Storm in the corner, hits a leg drop, and applies a headlock. Moore slams down Storm and tags in Neal, who scores a near fall after a neckbreaker. Ink Inc. do some quick tags as they continue to work over Storm, but Storm is eventually able to avoid a leaping Moore in the corner and makes a tag. Roode hits some clotheslines and chops on Neal, and gets a near fall after a big spinebuster. Storm tags in for a double team, but Neal tags in Moore, who comes in with a headscissors and a kick. Moore hits a hurricanrana to Roode, a moonsault on Storm, and a bulldog on Roode. Moore heads up top but Roode pushes Neal into him. Roode gets a two count after some back and forth action, and Neal attacks him from behind. Beer Money double suplex Neal and do their taunt, but Neal is able to hit a spear. Ink Inc. do their neckbreaker/cutter combination but only get a two count. Moore gets frustrated and tries to use the metal book necklace, but Neal tells him not to do it. Neal eats a superkick from Storm, and Beer Money hit the DWI on Moore for the win. After the match Moore takes a beer and spits it in Beer Money’s face. Match really got going in the last few minutes and told a nice story with the character progression of Moore. They’re moving this along nicely with Moore being the rude punk and Neal being the purist. Good match, no complaints here. Match Time: 12:31     Star Rating: ***1/4

6.    AJ Styles vs. Matt Hardy

This was a good effort from both guys, but not the show stealing performance they were looking for. They lock up at the start before they reach the corner and the ref calls for a break. AJ hits some punches and chops before applying a side headlock and Hardy fights out, only to be dropped with a shoulder. Hardy fights out of a headlock but AJ takes him down into another one. AJ hits a dropkick and heads to the apron, but Hardy brings him back in, only for AJ to send him to the floor. Hardy is able to clothesline AJ after a Ric Flair distraction for a near fall. Hardy works AJ over for a bit and charges him, but AJ pulls the ropes and Hardy goes out to the floor. AJ hits a moonsault off the apron to the floor and they fight on the outside. Hardy sends AJ into the apron and shoulder-first into the post before returning to the ring. Hardy goes to send AJ into the guardrail but AJ slides underneath and into the crowd, and then jumps off the rail with a forearm smash. Styles hits some chops back in the ring and Hardy tries to fight him off, but Styles hits some elbows before Hardy whips him into the corner. Styles gets thrown out to the floor and attacked by Flair while Hardy distracts the ref. Hardy brings Styles back in and slingshots him into the second rope, then butterflies the arms for a submission and takes him down to the mat.

Styles gets a pin attempt but Hardy keeps the hold cinched in. Styles is able to ram Hardy into the corner, but Hardy drops a charging Styles face first in the other corner. Hardy chokes Styles against the ropes and hits some elbow drops for a near fall. Hardy goes to a neck-based submission and this is starting to drag. Styles fights out and hits some quick strikes before both guys go for clotheslines and halfway connect. AJ hits an enzuigiri, some clotheslines, and a kick. AJ hits a backbreaker and goes up top, but Hardy avoids him and hits a side effect for a near fall. AJ counters the Twist of Hate with a backslide and goes for the Styles Clash, but Hardy slams him on his neck. Flair distracts the ref to prevent AJ from getting a pinfall. AJ is able to hit a Pele kick on Flair, but Hardy hits a DDT for a near fall. Hardy hits a top rope moonsault, but AJ counters the Twist of Hate again. Hardy heads up top but AJ kicks him, Hardy takes a bump into the ring, and AJ goes up top and hits the Spiral Tap. Flair tries for a distraction but the ref fights him off and counts the pin. AJ low blowed Flair after the bell. This was pretty dull when Hardy was on offense since he can’t move very well, but the final minutes were really good. Some people are going to really like this but I thought it dragged in the middle a bit too much. Still, a good match to put over AJ. Match Time: 17:40     Star Rating: ***

Throughout the night they were showing video clips of Jeff and Karen Jarrett on their honeymoon, which was with the children in Universal Studios. Jeff was being the fun-loving dad and Karen was completely miserable. The blowoff to all of this was a final Jeff/Karen argument, which ended with the family being DOUSED WITH A BUCKET OF WATER. Wow, how lame. Jeff also announced he would offer Kurt Angle a truce on Impact, which was TNA doing what they always do in their ass-backwards booking: using PPVs to build up Impact.

7.    #1 Contender’s match: Rob Van Dam vs. Mr. Anderson

After seemingly entering recovery mode following a horrific first hour, this PPV fell off a cliff. They trade shots at the start and Anderson hits a shoulder block. They do some quick back and forth action and RVD hits a headscissors for a near fall. More back and forth action and counters and quick pin attempts, but RVD botches a leap frog. Anderson hits a corner clothesline, but RVD hits some shoulder thrusts in the corner before hitting a springboard kick and Rolling Thunder. They fight outside and RVD drapes Anderson over the barricade, but Anderson avoids the leaping leg drop and RVD connects with the barricade. Anderson uses the post on RVD’s leg and brings him back into the ring, hitting several knee drops on the leg and applying a single leg Boston crab. Anderson clips RVD’s leg and gets a near fall. RVD fights out of the corner and hits some clotheslines and a kick to the face. Van Dam counters a move from Anderson, but Anderson counters Rolling Thunder. Van Dam applies a headlock but Anderson backdrops him. Anderson hits some elbow drops and a neckbreaker, then the Green Bay Plunge for a near fall. Van Dam hits some shoulder thrusts in the corner and they fight to the outside. They brawl up the ramp as the ref counts and Anderson hits a Mic Check on the ramp. Both guys are down as the ref counts to 10, and this ends in a double count out. Yes, a #1 contender’s match on a PPV ended with no winner and TNA just moved on to the next segment. Before the finish, it was just an okay match that was really dull for the most part. Absolutely no excuse for a BS finish like that, but this was NOTHING compared to what was to follow. Match Time: 12:54     Star Rating: **1/4

After Sting and Jeff Hardy made their entrances for the main event, Eric Bischoff came out to the ring. Bischoff said since Hardy didn’t have a chance to prepare for Sting on the March 3^rd Impact, Sting won’t have a chance to prepare for a last minute No Disqualification stipulation, which Hardy knew about ahead of time. Sting attacks Bischoff and the match begins.

8.    No Disqualification match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship: Sting(c) vs. Jeff Hardy

They stall at the start, with Hardy lumbering around and cowering into the corner when Sting comes at him. More lumbering around and they lock up, with Sting hitting a few punches. Sting then hits the Scorpion Death Drop out of NOWHERE for the pin and that’s it. WHAT? That’s the PPV main event you’re charging people $34.95 to see? Are you kidding? TNA claimed afterward that Hardy was in no condition to perform, which was evident given the way he was moving around the ring. Still, they could have called an audible or something to give fans a PPV quality main event instead of this crap. Stuff like this is what drives away customers and gives people every reason to not order your PPVs. If you actually ordered this PPV, contact your cable provider and demand a refund. What bullcrap. Match Time: 1:29     Star Rating: DUD

Overall PPV Rating: 5.5/10

My name is Jared Silberkleit and I am from Orange, CT. I am a huge pro wrestling fan and follow all kinds of promotions such as WWE, TNA, ROH, PWG, CHIKARA, Dragon Gate USA, and anything else I might come across. I am a huge supporter of independent wrestling and I feel that it provides a true alternative to the mainstream promotions and also showcases a lot of innovation and hard work. Aside from wrestling I am also a really big fan of football, baseball, hockey, and MMA. I have also written for www.sportsgrumblings.com for over two years.

1.    TNA X Division Championship match: Jay Lethal(c) vs. Kazarian

The show actually started off on a good note, as Lethal and Kazarian put on one of only two good matches throughout the night. Lethal chases Kaz around ringside and into the ring, where he hits a hurricanrana and some punches. Kaz takes a hip toss and rolls out, only for Lethal to hit a suicide dive. Kaz tries to send Lethal into the apron, but Lethal ends up catching himself and hitting a moonsault off the apron. Lethal gets a near fall back in the ring and hits a hip toss and a dropkick. Lethal hits some chops but Kaz sends him shoulder first into a turnbuckle. They trade punches, but Lethal retakes the advantage and scores a near fall after a big dropkick. Lethal hits a back suplex but Kaz comes back with a back elbow and a spinebuster. Kaz rains down with punches, hits a gutwrench suplex, and chokes Lethal with his knee and the ropes. Kaz hits a nice springboard twisting leg drop and hits some forearms, but Lethal hits a handspring back elbow and both guys are down. They trade some shots but Lethal is able to hit a chop and snap Kaz’s leg over the ropes. Kaz slingshots over the ropes with a cutter for a near fall. They fight on the top rope, with Lethal hitting a sunset flip powerbomb for another near fall. Lethal hits an enzuigiri and the Lethal Combination but gets two. Kaz fights out of a pile driver, and hits a slingshot DDT from the apron. Kaz slaps Lethal, but Lethal comes back with chops. He hits a suplex and climbs up top, but takes an enzuigiri from Kaz. Kaz tries for the reverse tombstone off the top, but Lethal fights out and pushes Kaz into the ref. Kaz crotches Lethal on the ropes and hits the reverse tombstone piledriver for the win. This was a really good match to start off the show and Kaz winning went along with the idea of Immortal taking all the belts. Best Jay Lethal match in forever. Match Time: 11:36     Star Rating: ***1/2

2.    TNA Women’s Knockout Championship match: Madison Rayne(c) vs. Mickie James

There’s only one word that could best sum up this match: DULL. Mickie tries for some quick pin attempts early, locks in a headlock, and hits a shoulder block. Rayne fights out of a headlock but takes a dropkick, sending her to the apron. Mickie throws Rayne back into the ring and locks in a wrist lock. Rayne makes it to the ropes, yells at Mickie, and pulls her down by her hair. Mickie hits a Thesz press but Rayne rolls outside, before returning to the ring as soon as Mickie leaves. Rayne chokes Mickie against the ropes and tries for a kick, but Mickie hits a snapmare and a low dropkick. Rayne chokes Mickie again but Mickie hits a headscissors. Rayne pulls Mickie off the top by her hair and locks in a body scissors. Rayne then applies a seemingly never ending cravat, which she transitions into a rear chin lock. Mickie fights out eventually but Rayne hits a knee and a kick. Mickie hits a wheelbarrow slam and some forearms, beginning a comeback. Mickie spanks Rayne in the corner but Rayne rakes the eyes behind the ref’s back. Mickie hits a neckbreaker, a top rope Thesz press, and calls for the DDT, but Tara comes out. I thought this feud was over. The ref tries separating both men and Rayne puts on a glove and plays dead in the ring. When Mickie returns to the ring, Rayne hits a big punch (the glove was apparently loaded) and gets the win. So all this buildup for Mickie, and the outcome is that she loses to Rayne and a feud that supposedly ended a month ago is still going on? Really, what more can you do with Mickie and Tara? This match also dragged on forever and got incredibly boring. Terrible booking and a long length produced an awful match. The Knockouts must never get 10+ minutes again. Match Time: 10:27     Star Rating: *

3.    TNA World Tag Team Championship match: The Motor City Machineguns(c) vs. Beer Money

Although this match took place a little bit earlier than I would have preferred, both of these teams delivered outstanding performances and produced the match of the night. After a staredown and some circling, Alex Shelley and Robert Roode lock up. Roode knocks Shelley down and wrenches at his leg, then applies a headlock. Shelley fights out and takes a shoulder block, but hits a back heel kick. Roode tags out to James Storm, but the Machineguns hit a hip toss, some double team moves, and stereo round kicks, with Chris Sabin tagging in. The Guns tag in and out to work over Storm’s arm before Shelley hits an assisted dropkick on Storm. The Guns then hit simultaneous suicide dives outside of the ring. Shelley tries for a top rope double stomp, but Storm avoids it, only to eat a back crescent kick. A sliced bread attempt from Shelley fails, and he eats a Northern lariat from Roode. Beer Money hits a double team shoulder block and Roode gets a near fall off a knee drop. Storm beats on Shelley in the corner and snaps over him with a neckbreaker before tagging to Roode, who applies a rear chin lock. Roode stomps Shelley and spits at Sabin, and Beer Money hit some double team moves due to the ref having to restrain Sabin. Roode reapplies the chin lock on Shelley and tags in Storm, and Beer Money wrench Shelley’s leg before Storm apparently tries for a last chancery, but it looks horrible.

Roode tags in and hits a short arm clothesline and a neckbreaker, and Beer Money tag in and out repeatedly to wear down Shelley. Shelley finally gets a hot tag and Sabin hits a big dropkick and a kick to Roode’s chest. Sabin hangs up Roode in the tree of woe and hits a dropkick, and then suplexes Storm on top of Roode. Sabin hits a hurricanrana off the middle rope before hitting a double team DDT with Shelley. Roode puts Shelley on the top rope but Shelley fights him off and hits a diving double stomp after Sabin clotheslines Roode. Storm hits a backstabber on Shelley and Sabin gets beer spat in his face, followed by Roode hitting a spinebuster for a near fall. Shelley hits a baseball slide and a plancha to the outside to Storm. The Guns hit some double kicks on Roode but Storm pulls the ref out. Shelley leaps off the top rope to Storm on the outside, but Roode hits a Northern Lights suplex in the ring for a near fall. Beer Money hits the DWI on Sabin for another near fall. Shelley holds Roode in the corner and Sabin tries for a yakuza kick, but Roode moves and Sabin hits Shelley. Roode then rolls up Sabin for the win. Last 5-10 minutes of this thing were great even though the finish wasn’t the best. Not at the level of some of the matches from their feud last year, but still a very strong tag team match that got enough time to tell a story and deliver PPV quality stuff. Match Time: 17:59     Star Rating: ***3/4

4.    Bully Ray vs. Brother Devon

The PPV pretty much went downhill from here, even though this match surprisingly wasn’t completely atrocious. Devon beats on Ray outside the ring at the start, pummeling him with everything in sight. They go into the ring, where Ray tries to beg off, but Devon blocks a low blow and hits some punches. Devon hits a clothesline, a Thesz press, and more punches. They fight outside the ring, with Devon slamming Ray into the barricade. Ray bails through the crowd, but Devon follows, sending him into the arena walls. They brawl in the crowd for a while, with Devon hitting Ray with a fan’s shoe. Ray eventually crawls back into the ring and hits a double sledge to Devon when he tries to follow. Ray hits a slap, some punches, and an eye poke. Ray whips Devon into the corners and Devon hits a back elbow, but gets caught with a cutter from Ray. Devon avoids an elbow drop and slams Ray to the mat to block the Bubba Bomb. Ray crotches Devon up top, chops him, and hits a superplex. Ray takes out a chain, but Devon avoids getting hit with it, hitting some punches and a back body drop. Devon then whips Ray with the chain, getting himself disqualified. The brawl continues after the match, with everyone coming out from the back to break it up. It was an okay brawl but with the non finish it didn’t belong on PPV, even though the crowd was hot for it. I don’t want to see this feud continue. Match Time: 8:51     Star Rating: **

5.    TNA Television Championship match: Douglas Williams(c) vs. Abyss

AJ Styles was legitimately injured prior to the show, so they wrote him out of his scheduled match with Williams with a backstage segment earlier in the night. This match was just as bad as any other Abyss match over the past couple of years. Williams rolls out early on, but hits a shoulder block to a charging Abyss and tries for a sunset flip. Williams avoids being sat on and sells a hand injury throughout the match. Abyss launches Williams into the ring post and slams his hand against it. Williams hits some punches on the outside but Abyss slams the injured hand into the steps. Williams jumps off the middle rope back in the ring and Abyss tries to catch him with a chokeslam, but Williams fights out and takes a big boot. Abyss again beats on Williams on the outside, slamming his hand into the barricade. Abyss tries to use the TV title but Williams avoids it, only for Abyss to work over the arm back in the ring. Abyss hits some right hands but Williams comes off the second rope with a European uppercut. Williams makes a comeback and hits a big back suplex. Williams hits a diving knee drop off the top, but when he charges at Abyss he gets hit with a chokeslam. Abyss gets a two count and goes outside to grab the nail-covered board. While the ref is busy with Abyss, AJ Styles comes out and clocks Williams with the TV title. Styles leaves and Abyss hits the Black Hole Slam to win the title. Very bad match with a terrible finish that made no sense. They spent weeks teasing an AJ face turn and then he costs Williams the title? Not to mention Williams had the belt for only a month. Just terrible. Match Time: 9:50     Star Rating: *1/2

6.    Rob Van Dam vs. Matt Hardy

Van Dam was to face a mystery opponent selected by Immortal, and if he won, he would get a shot at Jeff Hardy and the world title. To the surprise of no one, it was Matt Hardy, who came out looking like a cross between Tyler Reks, the lead singer from Korn, and Umaga. He had braided hair and was fatter than ever. He was ENORMOUS. Hardy hits Van Dam in the face to start and quickly takes him down, but Van Dam boots him in the face. Van Dam hits a springboard back kick and some other quick kicks and forearms. Van Dam backdrops a charging Hardy to the apron and hits a kick that sends him to the guard rail. Van Dam hits a springboard moonsault to the outside and hits a cross body back in the ring for a near fall. RVD counters the Twist of Hate, but Hardy suplexes him into the bottom turnbuckle. Hardy hits a clothesline, a bulldog, and applies a seated full nelson. Hardy hits some back elbows and a neckbreaker and climbs to the middle rope. He slips at first, probably because he’s so FAT, and jumps off only to be met with a superkick. They trade blows, with Hardy hitting a swinging neckbreaker and choking RVD against the ropes. Hardy hits a leg drop and puts on a rear chin lock. RVD fights out with a kick to the face and a roll up attempt before they trade shots again. RVD hits a back heel kick and kicks out of a small package, then hits an atomic drop and a single leg dropkick. RVD hits Rolling Thunder and the Five Star Frog Splash, but during the pin attempt, the ref claims Hardy’s hand was under the ropes. Hardy hits the Twist of Hate and RVD’s leg is under the ropes, but the ref counts the pin and Hardy wins. Ending sets up a future referee Jackson James heel turn. Match wasn’t good at all and it was a really embarrassing debut for Hardy, who should lay off the fast food. Match Time: 11:53     Star Rating: **1/4

7.    MMA Exhibition: Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle

The rules were that there would be three rounds, each lasting 2 minutes each. This was the worst Kurt Angle match I can remember. Nothing happens in the first round except Angle laying down to mock Jarrett, a corner break (which is funny because THAT DOESN’T OCCUR IN AN MMA FIGHT), and Angle locking in a rear naked choke as time expires. Round 2 starts, with Angle going for a Kimura but breaking quickly, and then applying a choke hold. Jarrett gets a rope break but Angle hits a suplex and applies an arm bar, which he transitions to an Ankle Lock as time expires. Jarrett’s crew put something on Jarrett’s gloves and rub something in Angle’s face as Round 3 starts. Jarrett rubs his forearm in Angle’s face, and Angle falls to the mat to blade RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA. Angle is bleeding all over the place and the ref disqualifies Jarrett about 30 seconds into the third round. Jarrett beats down Angle after the bell. This whole thing was incredibly stupid and made TNA look like a joke. MMA fights are ridiculous to stage in pro wrestling, especially when they try to add in pro wrestling elements like they did here. Just an awful waste of time and it made Angle looks like a complete tool. Match Time: 4:30 (bell to bell time for all 3 rounds)     Star Rating: DUD

8.    #1 Contender’s match: Matt Morgan vs. Mr. Anderson

Our advertised main event was an awesome battle, as I struggled mightily to stay awake no matter how hard Anderson and Morgan tried to bore me (and everyone else watching) to death. Morgan applies a brief side headlock and hits a shoulder block before they lock up a second time. Anderson applies a headlock but Morgan shrugs off a shoulder block attempt. Anderson fights out of a headlock by Morgan but takes a shoulder block. Morgan hits a hip toss but misses a leg drop. Morgan charges Anderson in the corner but Anderson kicks him in the thigh. Morgan lays the beat down in the corner before hitting a head butt. Morgan hits a corner splash and a side slam, but Anderson ducks a Carbon Footprint attempt, sending Morgan to the outside. Anderson slams Morgan head first into the barricade but gets driven back first into the post. Morgan slams Anderson into the apron and chokes him with his boot, then hits the rapid fire elbows in the corner. Anderson comes back with a chop block and wrenches at Morgan’s knee. Anderson applies a half crab but Morgan gets a rope break. Morgan hits some punches but eats a knee to the gut. Anderson kicks a charging Morgan in the head and leaps off the second rope, but gets caught with a chokeslam. Morgan hits some short arm clotheslines, but Anderson ducks a discus clothesline and hits the Mic Check for a near fall. Both guys trade blows until Morgan hits the Carbon Footprint for a near fall. Anderson ducks another Carbon Footprint attempt and hits a second Mic Check for two. Morgan counters another Mic Check attempts but Anderson gets the win with a small package out of nowhere. Incredibly dull match with a really anticlimactic finish. It just never got off the ground and was sleep-inducing. Match Time: 15:28     Star Rating: *3/4

After the match, Eric Bischoff comes out and says that he’s impressed and is going to give Anderson his world title shot tonight. The match is going to happen right now. Bischoff wishes Anderson good luck as Jeff Hardy comes out in street clothes with a cigarette in his mouth.

9.    TNA World Heavyweight Championship match: Jeff Hardy(c) vs. Mr. Anderson

Hardy kicks and stomps at Anderson at the start, but Anderson throws him to the outside, where Matt Morgan hits a discus clothesline to Hardy. Morgan rolls him in the ring where Anderson gets a near fall. They trade shots, with Anderson getting the advantage until Hardy kicks him in the gut. Anderson hits a clothesline, an elbow, and a neckbreaker for a near fall. He rakes Hardy’s eyes and sends him into the corner, but Hardy hits the Whisper in the Wind. Both guys go outside and Hardy grabs a chair, but Mick Foley comes out to take it away, leading Ric Flair to come down the ramp. Security is there to separate Foley and Flair as Hardy and Anderson fight on the top rope in the ring. Hardy shoves down Anderson and hits the Swanton, but Anderson kicks out. Anderson is bleeding a bit and hits a standing Green Bay Plunge, but Jeff hits a running lariat as Matt Hardy runs down the ramp. Just as Matt gets on the apron, Rob Van Dam comes down to brawl with him, and they fight to the back. Eric Bischoff then comes out with a chair, but Anderson hits him with a Mic Check. Jeff tries for the Twist of Hate, but Anderson counters and hits the Mic Check for the win just as members of Fortune start coming down the ramp. Good move by TNA to get the title off of Jeff Hardy, seeing as he is due in court for opium trafficking, and Anderson will make a fine champion. I can’t really give the match a rating, because with all the run ins and craziness, it felt more like an angle to get the belt off of Hardy than an actual match. I’ll just label it a good segment and a good conclusion to a really bad PPV. Match Time: 9:10     Star Rating: N/A

Overall PPV Rating: 5.25/10

My name is Jared Silberkleit and I am from Orange, CT. I am a huge pro wrestling fan and follow all kinds of promotions such as WWE, TNA, ROH, PWG, CHIKARA, Dragon Gate USA, and anything else I might come across. I am a huge supporter of independent wrestling and I feel that it provides a true alternative to the mainstream promotions and also showcases a lot of innovation and hard work. Aside from wrestling I am also a really big fan of football, baseball, hockey, and MMA. I have also written for www.sportsgrumblings.com for over two years.

1.    TNA World Tag Team Championship match: The Motor City Machineguns(c) vs. Generation Me

The PPV opened with the best match of the night, a very fun and athletic match for the tag titles. The Guns and Generation Me really brought it and I thought this was a bit better than their match from No Surrender. Max Buck and Alex Shelley start the match, with Max driving Shelley into the corner and laying into him with punches and kicks. Shelley hits some chops, an arm drag, and a leg sweep before taking down Max again and tagging in Chris Sabin. The Guns knock Jeremy Buck off the apron and hit some double team moves on Max before Max is able to tag in his brother. Both brothers end up outside the ring where the Guns hit simultaneous suicide dives. Back in the ring, Shelley hits a diving cross body to Jeremy for a near fall. Jeremy fights off a sliced bread attempt and Gen. Me hit a double elevated DDT to Shelley. Jeremy and Shelley trade slaps before Jeremy hits an enzuigiri for a near fall. Max tags in after hitting a double team dropkick with his brother. Gen. Me hit some more double team moves until Jeremy applies a rear chin lock, only for Shelley to fight out. Shelley knocks Jeremy off the top turnbuckle and hits a diving double foot stomp, then tags to Sabin, who hits a ton of jumping elbows and forearms. Max gets hung up in the tree of woe and the Guns hit back to back baseball slides. After some more double teaming, Shelley tries an outside dive but crashes and burns. Max hits a wheelbarrow facebuster for a near fall and Gen. Me tries for a double DDT only for Shelley to break it up. The Guns try for a sliced bread/powerbomb combo but Sabin is sent to the outside and Max dives onto Shelley. Max holds Shelley over the ropes and Jeremy hits a 450 splash, but the pin attempt is broken up. Shelley misses a diving double stomp and eats a ton of double team moves from Gen. Me. Gen. Me try to go for More Bang for Your Buck but it’s broken up and Sabin hits a release German superplex, which is followed up by the Skull and Bones and the Guns retain the titles. Awesome, action packed opener that got the show off to a hot start. I would have liked to see it go on longer though. Match Time: 12:58     Star Rating: ***3/4

2.    4-Way match for the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship: Angelina Love(c) vs. Tara vs. Madison Rayne vs. Velvet Sky with Mickie James as Special Guest Referee

It appears this match will be fought under Four Corners rules. Love and Rayne look set to start the match but Rayne tags to Sky. Love and Sky do some chain wrestling early on before they both hit a shoulder block. Rayne gets a tag and Love hits a drop toehold, but Rayne charges her in the corner and slams her head into the mat. Rayne chokes Love in the corner while arguing with Mickie, before Love is able to score a near fall off a scoop slam and Tara breaks up the pin. Love tags out to Sky, who hits a head scissors. Sky puts Tara in an octopus stretch but Tara fights out and dropkicks her. Sky reverses a suplex and hits some flying forearms, a kick, and a bulldog. Everything breaks down with Love hitting a bicycle kick, Rayne hitting her weird neckbreaker, and Sky hitting a DDT to Rayne. Tara attacks Sky from behind and tries for the Widow’s Peak but Sky fights out. Tara gets the pin with the weakest looking roll up I have ever seen. Rayne’s pissed after the bell but Mickie lays her out. A very typical Knockouts match and Tara going over made no sense, but at least she can wrestle well. Match Time: 6:17     Star Rating: *1/2

3.    Ink Inc. vs. Eric Young and Orlando Jordan

Oh my God. Jordan and Jesse Neal start the match but Young pulls the ref out and starts to ref the match himself. Young argues with the ref as Jordan and Neal fight, with Neal hitting a diving cross body. Shannon Moore gets a tag and hits a dropkick before Jordan makes a comeback. Jordan tags to Young, who high fives everyone before catapulting Jordan over the top rope. Ink Inc. both splash Jordan, and Young and Jordan both wind up crotched on the top rope. Jordan hits Moore with a spinebuster for a near fall and tries to get Young to come in, but Young pulls out a rule book and won’t enter. Jordan and Moore double clothesline each other, and Jordan slaps the rule book out of Young’s hand. Jordan tries to get him to come in but Young runs to the other corner. Young gets a tag from Moore (?) and starts to attack Jordan, hitting some clotheslines and a back drop before Ink Inc. get the win with their finisher. This was unbelievably stupid and Young’s brain damaged character is completely distasteful in 2010. Waste of time. Match Time: 6:36     Star Rating: *

4.    TNA X Division Championship match: Jay Lethal(c) vs. Douglas Williams

The show entered a brief good stretch with this match. Williams tries for a series of takedowns and Lethal fights out, locking in an arm bar. Williams gets to his feet and kicks Lethal in the leg before hitting a clothesline. Lethal hits the Lethal Combination, then hits a slingshot cross body when Williams bails to the outside. Williams applies a side headlock back in the ring, then hits some knees to the head before hitting a big boot/clothesline combo. Williams wears Lethal down with a rear chin lock but Lethal is able to fight out and hit some punches and a flying clothesline. Lethal hits some flying kicks and connects with a springboard moonsault. Williams hits a suplex for a near fall, hits a high knee in the corner, and a snap suplex. Williams hits some uppercuts and an exploder for a near fall. Williams hits the Chaos Theory, but only gets two and argues with the ref. Williams hits a top rope hurricanrana but Lethal rolls through and gets the win with a roll up. He celebrates in the crowd afterwards. Match was a bit too short but pretty good. The chemistry is definitely there between these guys. Match Time: 8:18     Star Rating: ***

5.    Monster’s Ball match: Abyss vs. Rob Van Dam

I went into this one with very low expectations, so this match was a pleasant surprise. It wasn’t a great match but it was a fun little brawl. They trade blows at the start, with RVD hitting a bunch of kicks and dragging Abyss over to the apron where he hits a slingshot leg drop. RVD grabs a chair and comes back into the ring, hitting a single leg dropkick and a chair assisted dropkick in the corner. RVD dives on top of Abyss on the outside, then throws a barbed wire board into the ring. Van Dam hits a baseball slide but Abyss pops back up and hits a back elbow. Abyss hits some punches and teases a chokeslam onto the barbed wire, but Van Dam fights out and hits a bulldog to Abyss onto the barbed wire. Van Dam goes for rolling thunder but Abyss moves and Van Dam goes into the barbed wire. Abyss grabs a table from under the ring, and sets it up across the apron and the barricade, then does the same with another barbed wire board at another section of the ringside area. RVD and Abyss trade blows on the apron, with Abyss almost suplexing RVD through the table. RVD is able to hit some shots on Abyss, who falls back onto the table. RVD then hits rolling thunder over the top rope and onto Abyss, driving him through the table. Abyss tries to hit RVD with a chair in the ring but RVD kicks it into his face. Van Dam goes for a coast to coast with the chair but Abyss throws the chair into Van Dam’s face, causing him to fall off the top and through the barbed wire board. Abyss brings Van Dam back into the ring and sets up another barbed wire board in the corner. Van Dam sends Abyss into the barbed wire and coast to coast dropkicks the board into his face. RVD tries for the Five Star Frog Splash but misses. Abyss picks up Janice from the announce table and goes to hit RVD with it, but RVD moves and throws a chair in Abyss’s face. RVD then hits Abyss in the gut with Janice, causing Abyss to bleed from the mouth, before hitting the Five Star Frog Splash for the win. Not a crazy brutal Monster’s Ball but definitely a good, fun street fight style match. Better than the usual Abyss fare. Match Time: 13:00     Star Rating: ***

6.    Handicap match: D’Angelo Dinero, Kevin Nash, and Sting vs. Jeff Jarrett and Samoa Joe

The PPV went downhill with this match. Joe and Pope start the match with some chain wrestling until Pope hits a shoulder block. Joe comes back with some punches and a slam before beating on Pope in the corner. Pope comes back with punches of his own but Joe hits a high knee. Sting gets a tag and looks at Jarrett, but Joe hits some punches. Joe misses a splash in the corner and Sting hits one of his own, but gets put down with a uranage when he tries for a second. Joe launches Sting into the barricade on the outside but Nash catches him with a knee to the back. Sting sends Joe into the barricade before returning to the ring where he tags in Nash. Nash hits some knees and elbows to the head and tags in Pope. Pope botches an attempt at a corner elbow and hits it on the second try. Joe eats the 4Up but double clotheslines Pope and Sting. Nash comes in, moving extremely slow, and hits a really weak corner splash. Joe tries for a tag but Jarrett hops off the apron and retreats up the ramp, betraying Joe. Joe then attacks all 3 men but ends up getting beat down. Nash ends it with a Jackknife powerbomb for the win. I sure hope that the rumors of Nash’s retirement are true because he was awful here. Match was really bad and it was sad to say Joe and the Pope get wasted here. Match Time: 7:46     Star Rating: *1/2

Team 3D came out for an announcement after the last match. They recapped their careers and all of their successes worldwide and said they had nothing left to accomplish and were retiring. They requested one final match for the tag titles against the Motor City Machineguns so they could retire as champions, unless MCMG win and in that case they get to say they retired Team 3D. Glad to see Team 3D stepping down as their time has come and they are getting up there. Hopefully they pass the torch and the Guns go over in their last match.

7.    Lethal Lockdown match: EV 2.0 vs. Fortune

Very strange to see Lethal Lockdown occurring at a PPV other than Lockdown, as Lockdown is supposed to be the one time you get to see the match each year. They had both teams come out in their entirety at the start, accompanied by Mick Foley and Ric Flair respectively, waiting at ringside and coming in one by one at the appropriate time intervals. Stevie Richards and Kazarian start the match, with Kaz getting the upper hand with some forearms until Stevie hits a few neckbreakers. He then slams Kaz into the cage multiple times but misses a dropkick. Kaz comes back with a body slam and a springboard leg drop. Richards comes back with a chop and mocks Flair. Stevie hits a reverse STO before applying a modified Koji Clutch until AJ Styles enters the match. Styles hits a dropkick and double teams Stevie with Kaz. Styles applies the Figure Four with Kaz holding Stevie’s arms as the second interval expires and Tommy Dreamer enters, going right after AJ. Stevie tries to superplex  Kaz but AJ powerbombs him for the Tower of Doom spot. Robert Roode is in next and the heels take advantage, with AJ raking Dreamer’s bloody face against the cage. Roode and Styles hit some splashes before Sabu enters. Sabu is all over the place with splashes and clotheslines and hits Styles with a DDT. Sabu puts Styles in a camel clutch and Dreamer hits a powerslam. Dreamer puts Styles in a crossface, but Styles fights out as James Storm enters the match. Beer Money double suplex Sabu and Dreamer until Stevie superkicks Roode, but Storm superkicks Stevie back. It breaks down into a massive brawl until Raven enters the match.

Raven sends Roode into the cage and hits him with a handkerchief (?), leaving him busted open as Dreamer hangs AJ in the tree of woe. The brawl resumes as Matt Morgan enters the match. Morgan sloppily powerbombs Sabu into the side of the cage, this some elbows to Dreamer, and a big boot to Stevie. Fortune is beating down EV 2.0 until Rhyno comes in as the final entrant, and the roof lowers with the weapons as the lights go out. Flair and Foley are brawling on the outside but the lack of lighting makes it difficult to see. Everyone is grabbing weapons and hitting each other as this match devolves into a mess. Kaz gets launched out of the cage and climbs to the top, with Stevie following him. Kaz sets up a ladder atop the cage as Sabu does a suicide dive onto Morgan and Beer Money through the door. Stevie sets up a table on the roof but Kaz puts him on the table. Kaz climbs the ladder but Brian Kendrick comes out of nowhere and knocks him off, then backdrops him through the table. Back in the ring, Dreamer hits a super Dreamer Driver to Styles onto a chair for the win. Stupid, stupid booking decision having EV 2.0 go over here as a win for Fortune would have done a lot for them. The match wasn’t awful but it was pretty much just a mess with boring parts in the middle. It depended on the weapons and when it got there, they didn’t do too much aside from the usual brawling. Worst Lethal Lockdown ever. Match Time: 24:49     Star Rating: **1/2

8.    3-Way match for the vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship: Jeff Hardy vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Kurt Angle

Stipulation is that Angle said he’ll retire if he loses. This was a really good to great main event ruined by an awful ending. Hardy and Angle beat on Anderson in the corner but Angle ends up missing a splash. Hardy hits a forearm but Anderson hits a neckbreaker for a near fall. Anderson hits a big boot to Angle but Angle hits a belly to belly suplex. Hardy beats on Angle in the corner but is hit with a double sledge from Anderson. They do a double German spot with all 3 guys which looked pretty cool. Angle hits Hardy with an uppercut before back dropping him to the floor. Angle and Anderson trade blows on the outside but Hardy takes them both out with a suicide dive. Angle hits Hardy with a snap suplex in the ring and applies a rear chin lock but Hardy fights out, only to take a super belly to belly suplex from Angle. Anderson hits a standing Green Bay Plunge before taking a mule kick from Hardy, but Hardy misses the Swanton. Angle hits the three Germans to Anderson and then to Hardy before putting both men in a weird double Ankle Lock. They both fend him off and Anderson hits a Green Bay Plunge to angle off the top. Hardy does a Swanton onto both of them to break up the pin and gets a near fall of his own. Hardy knocks Anderson off the apron but Angle hits him with an Angle Slam. Angle hits Anderson with an Angle Slam off the top but Hardy hits the Whisper in the Wind  to Angle and a Twist of Fate on Anderson. Hardy tries to cover Anderson but Angle pulls him off with an Ankle Lock. Hardy fights out of the Ankle Lock and launches Angle into the Mic Check. The cover is broken up and Angle hits a moonsault to Hardy. Angle and Anderson trade blows with Angle clotheslining the ref. Angle hits a German but Anderson hits the Mic Check.

Eric Bischoff then comes down to the ring with a chair. Hulk Hogan’s music then hits and he comes to the ring on crutches. They yell back and forth with Bischoff grabbing a crutch. Hardy rolls back into the ring and Hogan hands him the other crutch. Hardy then breaks the crutch over Angle’s back and Bischoff hands him the other crutch. Hardy hits Anderson with it and then connects with the Twist of Fate. Bischoff pulls the ref back in and makes him count the pin, and Jeff Hardy is the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Abyss then comes to the ring and hugs Hogan, followed by Jeff Jarrett who does the same. It appears that this whole faction is “They”. Rob Van Dam comes out to talk to Jeff, but Jeff blasts him with his title belt. So in the same building where the original nWo formed back in 1996 we now have the same thing in 2010 with Jeff Hardy, Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, Hulk Hogan, and Eric Bischoff.  I despise this company. They ruined a terrific main event with this ass-backwards booking. How can they actually expect fans to boo Jeff Hardy who has never been a heel his entire career? He’s not even developed well enough as a character to pull this off. The announcers also never acknowledged during any of this that this may have been the end of Kurt Angle’s career due to the pre-match stipulations. This was a complete failure. Match was going along great before this. TNA gives me headaches. Match Time: 17:40     Star Rating: ***1/4

Overall PPV Rating: 6/10

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 two years.

1.    Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder match: Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Christian vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Matt Hardy vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Kane vs. Big Show

The show kicked off with a bang as the opener was Smackdown’s Money in the Bank Ladder match. This match was a bit better than expected and was a lot of fun to watch. Everyone gangs up on Kane and Big Show at the start but the big guys fend them off and have a stare down with a ladder in the ring. Show takes down Kane with a shoulder block and tries to climb the ladder, but one of the rungs breaks when he steps on it. Show fends off Christian, Ziggler, Kofi, Drew, and Hardy before tossing the ladder onto Kane outside the ring. Everyone goes after Show on the outside, sending him into the steps. A brawl ensues and McIntyre props a ladder up against the side of the ring, then catapults Christian into it. Drew slides the ladder into the ring, sets it up, and climbs, but Hardy throws another ladder against his back. Christian and Hardy prevent each other from getting the briefcase and fight to the outside. Christian and Ziggler fight atop a ladder with Ziggler getting hip tossed off the ladder and Hardy pushing it over, sending Christian to the mat. Christian hits the Killswitch to Rhodes before hitting a double DDT with Hardy to Kane. They sandwich Kane in some ladders before Christian sends Hardy into a ladder leaning against the bottom rope. Christian scales a ladder but Cody pushes it over and Christian flies out of the ring onto Big Show. In the ring, Kane eats a Trouble in Paradise from Kofi and a Twist of Fate from Hardy. Kofi climbs a ladder but Rhodes takes him down with a back suplex off the ladder. Hardy and Kofi climb but Drew pushes it over, sending both men into the ropes. Dolph stops McIntyre from reaching the briefcase, but McIntyre throws him out of the ring. Kane puls out McIntyre and tears apart the two announce tables. Kofi dropkicks a ladder into Kane’s face before beating up McIntyre on the outside. He lays him across the Spanish announce table, sets up a ladder, and hits a huge Boom Drop off the ladder through the table.

Ziggler tries for the briefcase but Show shoves over the ladder and chokeslams him. Hardy and Christian try to take down Show with a ladder, but Show puts them down and splashes the ladder that is now lying on top of the two. Show then introduces an enormous ladder (both in height and width) to the match and struggles to get it in the ring. Rhodes hits Show with a ladder and tries for the case but Ziggler takes him down. Show tries to climb the huge ladder as Kofi springboards onto the other side. Show tries to put him down but Kofi hits a huge DDT. Cody hits a Cross Rhodes to Kofi onto a ladder before Ziggler hits him with a Zig Zag as he started to climb. Show tries to climb but Kane pushes the ladder over, sending Show out of the ring. Chaos with a ton of people going up the ladder at once, and Kane starts chokeslamming people as Cody gets close. Kane tries to climb but Ziggler jumps on him with a sleeper. Everyone starts to throw ladders on top of Show, burying him under the pile. Kane tosses Dolph out, chokeslams Kofi onto the pile of ladders, and then chases Cody up the ramp. Kane sends Cody head first into the back of an armored car set up beside the ramp/stage area. Hardy and Christian double powerbomb Kane off a ladder before climbing it. They fight at the top for a bit but eventually both of them fall off into the ropes. Drew tries for the win but Kane chokeslams him off the ladder and unhooks the case for the win. The amount of time this match got was stunning, clocking in at nearly a half hour. A very good opener that was a bit too long at times but still a really strong match. Wasn’t thrilled with Kane winning but at least it made sense. Match Time: 26:25     Match Rating: 7.5/10

2.    Divas Championship: Alicia Fox(c) vs. Eve

This was a pretty by the books, humdrum Divas match. Fox and Eve lock up with Fox getting a takedown and keeping hold of the collar and elbow. Eve gets control with a side headlock and goes for some covers before hitting a dropkick. Eve tries for a tornado DDT but Alicia sends her to the mat. They fight on the outside with Eve getting slammed into the apron. Alicia goes for a quick cover in the ring but gets two. Fox is all over Eve, hitting a backbreaker and keeping Eve over her knee. Fox works the back with a submission but Eve hits a monkey flip. Eve hits a cross body and some dropkicks before connecting with a standing moonsault. Eve goes for a flipping senton off the top turnbuckle but Alicia gets the knees up and hits the Axe Kick for the win. Bland Divas match but they were put in a tough spot going on right after that opener. Match Time: 5:54     Match Rating: 3/10

3.    Unified Tag Team Championship: The Hart Dynasty(c) vs. The Usos

This was a solid tag match but it definitely could have used more time and ended up coming off like a Raw match. Smith hits a powerslam to Jay right away before Kidd hits Jay with an aided hurricanrana. Jimmy gets a tag and pounds away at Smith before hitting a double team move with his partner. Jimmy is still all over Smith but Smith hits a back body drop and tags in Kidd. Kidd hits a dropkick and a ton of kicks in the corner. The Usos get a near fall after a double team following a blind tag. Jimmy tries for a top rope splash but Kidd avoids it and tags in Smith. Smith hits a shoulder block to Jay and Tamina distracts him, but Natalya scoop slams her on the outside. Kidd does a suicide dive onto Jimmy and Smith makes Jay tap out to the sharpshooter for the win. Decent tag match that suffered from a dead crowd and lack of time. Match Time: 5:54     Match Rating: 5/10

4.    World Heavyweight Championship: Rey Mysterio(c) vs. Jack Swagger

This was a very good world title match that had really strong wrestling and brought back memories of Rey’s match with Kurt Angle back at SummerSlam 2002. Swagger and Rey lock up, with Swagger slamming Rey into the corner before Rey tries to come back with some kicks. Swagger gets a hold of Rey’s left ankle and tries for the Ankle Lock but Rey counters and teases the 619. Swagger hangs up Rey in the tree of woe and charges at him, but Rey sits up and Swagger goes into the post. Mysterio dives onto Swagger on the outside but once they get back in the ring Swagger hits a huge super belly to belly suplex. Swagger stomps at the Ankle before taking Rey to the outside and slamming him into the announce table. Swagger wrenches at the leg back in the ring, with Rey eventually retaliating with some kicks. Swagger hits a botched powerslam and attempts a Vader Bomb, but Rey avoids it and scores with a kick. Mysterio sends Swagger into the corner and hits a split legged moonsault once Swagger goes down. Swagger comes back with a wheelbarrow suplex and hits the gutwrench powerbomb, but Rey gets his foot on the bottom rope. Mysterio hits a big hurricanrana and goes up top. Swagger follows and tries for a super powerslam, but Mysterio counters with a crazy tornado DDT off the top for a near fall. Rey hits the 619 but Swagger blocks the seated senton and puts on the Ankle Lock. Rey makes it to the ropes but Swagger hits 2 Vader Bombs. Swagger goes for the Ankle Lock again but Rey loosens his boot (in a nod to Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle from Wrestlemania 20) and the shoe comes off. He then rolls up Swagger to retain the title. Very good world title match, only issue was the lack of proper time for this sort of match. Match Time: 10:44     Match Rating: 7/10

After the bell, Swagger attacked Rey, but Kane made the save, chasing Swagger to the back. Kane’s music then hit, and he returned with a referee and his newly won briefcase. This led to…..

5.    World Heavyweight Championship: Rey Mysterio(c) vs. Kane

So Kane cashes in his briefcase the night of, and here we go. Kane goes after the ankle and slams it into the canvas, then hits a chokeslam and a tombstone to win the world title. I guess this means we will get Kane vs. Undertaker for the title at SummerSlam. I’m not thrilled about Kane but at least this sort of made sense. Match Time: 0:54     Match Rating: N/A

6.    Women’s Championship: Layla(c) vs. Kelly Kelly

And here we go with our second women’s match of the night. The first was tolerable, this was not. They lock up before Kelly hits a Thesz press and slams Layla into the corner a bunch of times. Layla fights off a handspring splash but Kelly kicks her to the outside. Layla kicks away at Kelly’s leg before hitting a baseball slide that sends Kelly to the outside. Kelly knocks Michelle McCool off the barricade and hits a double shoulder block on her with Tiffany. Kelly hits the K2 to Layla but Layla gets her foot on the ropes. Kelly tries for a roll up but Layla sits down with one of her own for the one. This was a piece of crap and a waste of time. Match Time: 3:59     Match Rating: 2/10

7.    Raw Money in the Bank Ladder match: Randy Orton vs. The Miz vs. Mark Henry vs. Ted DiBiase vs. John Morrison vs. Chris Jericho vs. Evan Bourne vs. Edge

This was a great ladder match and managed to outdo the opener. This was better paced and had better spots throughout. Edge slides a ladder into the ring as he comes down to the ring, but most people go after Henry once the bell rings. Henry eats a corner clothesline from Miz and a dropkick from Bourne. Edge tries to climb the ladder but Orton yanks him down and pulls him to the outside where he goes to work on him. Morrison hits a kick to DiBiase but DiBiase clotheslines him, resulting in Morrison landing on a ladder. DiBiase hits Orton with a ladder but Bourne dropkicks it into his chest. Miz and Jericho go at it in the ring before Henry throws a ladder into them. Henry then hits a stunning leaping body guillotine to Miz, who was hung up in the ropes. Bourne tries to climb a ladder but stops to dropkick Jericho. He resumes climbing but drops down to hit a hurricanrana to Edge, sending him to the outside. Orton comes in and hits the spike DDT to Bourne, hanging Bourne’s feet on the rungs. Miz and DiBiase then go to work on Morrison, but Morrison sends both men into a ladder in the corner, hitting a flapjack to Miz and a drop toehold to DiBiase. Morrison, Edge, Jericho, and Orton fight separately atop two ladders but Henry shoves both of them over, only to be met with the diving knees from Bourne. In a comedy spot, Maryse climbs a ladder in the ring after checking on DiBiase. Morrison pulls her down and tells her to leave as Ted tries to sneak up the ladder. Morrison and DiBiase fight and spill to the outside, with Miz slamming Morrison into the barricade and catapulting Morrison into a ladder propped up against the ring post.

Morrison lands on his feet and uses another ladder to swing over to the ladder Edge is on in the middle of the ring. Morrison gets trapped horizontally inside the ladder, with Miz and Edge sliding another ladder through the rungs and slamming it onto Morrison. Edge turns on Miz and pushes the ladder over, sending Morrison into the corner. DiBiase goes for the case but stops to attempt a dive on Henry. Henry catches him and puts him down with a World’s Strongest Slam. On the outside, Henry gets hit with a Codebreaker from Jericho and a spear from Edge. A strange structure of ladders (one ladder leaning against an opened upside down ladder against a normal ladder) is then ascended by Miz, Morrison, Jericho, and Orton. DiBiase pulls down Miz, who falls face first into another propped up ladder. DiBiase falls on that flat ladder, which Edge and Orton then slide out of the ring with DiBiase on it. Orton hits Edge with an RKO but just as he hits the mat, Bourne hits him with a Shooting Star press. Bourne and Jericho fight atop the ladder, with Jericho hitting Bourne in the face with the briefcase and sending him to the mat. Jericho and Edge then trade punches at the top, and Edge gets the upper hand, knocking Jericho down. On Jericho’s way down, Orton strikes with a crazy mid air RKO. Orton then climbs the ladder and sends Edge into the upside down ladder. Miz pushes over the ladder Orton is on, rights it, then climbs up to unhook the case and win the match. They really put over Miz here and made it seem like a huge moment. He was very emotional and cut a nice promo after winning. Another lengthy Money in the Bank match that delivered and was flat out awesome (no pun intended!). Match Time: 20:34     Match Rating: 8/10

8.    Steel Cage match for the WWE Championship: Sheamus(c) vs. John Cena

This was a pretty average, solid main event from these two but was completely overshadowed by the other world title match and the ladder matches which preceded it. The cage was seemingly there to prevent this from happening but that only helps when the cage is actually used throughout the match. Sheamus tries to send Cena into the cage in the opening minute but Cena blocks and they lock up. Sheamus takes down Cena and goes to work in the corner. Cena comes back with a clothesline but Sheamus sends him face first into the cage. Cena comes back with some punches but Sheamus hits a huge running knee to the head. Cena ends up against the cage and Sheamus grinds his face against the wall. Sheamus with a knee drop but Cena hits a suplex out of nowhere. They trade punches before Cena hits a flying shoulder block, but flies into the cage when he attempts a second one. Sheamus hits a reverse DDT backbreaker and tries for an escape but Cena stops him. They fight on the top rope and slide over into the corner, where Sheamus hits a superplex. Cena tries for the Attitude Adjustment but Sheamus counters and hits a DDT. He hits some clubbing blows for near falls before locking in a sleeper. Sheamus puts on a body scissors to complement the sleeper, but Cena is able to get to his feet and starts to climb the turnbuckles with Sheamus on his back, but Sheamus drops down and crotches Cena in the corner. Sheamus tries to climb out but Cena pulls him down just as Sheamus starts to go over the top.

Cena hits his shoulder blocks, the spin out powerbomb, and the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but when he tries for the AA, Sheamus grabs the cage and tries to escape. Cena stops him and they fight on the top rope, with Cena slamming Sheamus into the cage. Sheamus falls to the mat and Cena tries for a top rope Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Sheamus avoids it. Sheamus ties Cena up in the ropes and tries to escape, but Cena breaks free and they fight on the top rope yet again, culminating with Cena hitting a bulldog off the top turnbuckle. Sheamus counters the AA again and hits the uranage backbreaker. Sheamus hits the bicycle kick for a near fall, followed soon after by Cena hitting the AA for two. The Nexus then come down the ramp, with Tarver holding bolt cutters. A referee nabs the bolt cutters and runs to the back with them. Nexus then demand one of the refs hand over the key to the cage, but the ref throws it into the audience. Back in the ring, Sheamus shoves Cena into the ref, who goes down as the Nexus corner the outside referee. Cena makes Sheamus tap to the STF but there’s no ref to see it. Cena tries to escape but the Nexus start to climb the side of the cage. Justin Gabriel fights with Cena at the top but Cena shoves him off the top of the cage into the ring. As Cena is held up by all the Nexus, Sheamus attempts an escape on the other side. Heath Slater tries to stop Sheamus but Sheamus fends him off and gets to the floor first to retain the title. After the match Sheamus hightailed it, and Cena threw Darren Young into the side of the cage before tossing the ring steps into Michael Tarver’s face. Cena takes Tarver’s arm band with him as he walks up the ramp to end the show. Good main event but it wasn’t that special at all. Fine storyline progression with the Nexus and it will be interesting to see where they go from here. We could be headed for a blow off at SummerSlam but it’s unclear at this point. Match Time: 23:07     Match Rating: 6.5/10

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 for two years.

1.    Kazarian vs. Kurt Angle

This was by far the match of the night, albeit an interesting choice as the opener (It must have been years since Kurt Angle wrestled the curtain-jerker). Angle gets the advantage early on by taking down Kaz with a shoulder block and a pair of arm drags before slamming him into the corner. Kaz comes back with a flying dropkick but Angle hits 2 consecutive German suplexes. Kaz hits a mule kick to counter the third and goes to work on Angle in the corner. Kaz hits a leg drop but Angle fights back and hits a backbreaker. Kaz regains the advantage by choking Angle and applying a front face lock. Angle gets out of the hold with a nasty release German suplex and both men are down. They get up slow and trade punches before Angle hits some clotheslines and a back body drop. Angle sends Kaz into the corner and hits a super belly to belly suplex off the top for a near fall. Angle tries for the Angle Slam but Kaz counters with a spinning neckbreaker. Angle hits a powerbomb and applies the Ankle Lock but Kaz fights out and hits a dropkick. Kaz goes up top but Angle puts him back down and puts on another Ankle Lock. Kaz fights out again and goes to the apron, where he jumps over with his slingshot DDT for a 2 count. Angle comes back with 4 consecutive Germans and yet another Ankle Lock, but Kaz again escapes it and hits the belly to back piledriver for a near fall. Angle blocks a springboard move and hits the Angle Slam but also gets a 2 count. Both guys fight on the top turnbuckle but Kaz gets off and powerbombs Angle. Kaz tries for the piledriver again but Angle does a sunset flip and puts on the Ankle Lock. Angle gets Kaz in the center and grapevines the leg, and Kaz taps out. Very good opener, these guys clearly have a ton of chemistry together. Match Time: 14:23     Match Rating: 7.5/10

2.    TNA X Division Championship: Doug Williams(c) vs. Brian Kendrick

This was a pretty good, solid X Division title match, but it did leave you wanting a bit more. Williams is all over Kendrick with very hard hitting offense and dominates the early portion of the match, taking Kendrick down to the mat and applying a front face lock. Kendrick gets out and comes back with some quick offense until Williams hits a big kick to the face. Kendrick is sent outside where Williams sends him into the barricade and hits a back suplex onto the floor. They go back inside where Williams puts on a chin lock. Kendrick fights back with some punches but Williams hits a fall away slam for a near fall. Williams hits a backbreaker but Kendrick comes back with a quick pin attempt. Williams puts on a front facelock before hanging up Kendrick in the ropes. Kendrick comes back with a dive and then a flying dropkick. Kendrick hits a corner splash, a shining wizard, and a flying knee strike for a near fall before rolling up Williams for two. Kendrick tries for a sunset flip but Williams drops down for a near fall. Williams hits a few suplexes but Kendrick kicks out at two. Williams tries for the Chaos Theory but Kendrick bites his wrist. The two fight in the corner where Williams hits a huge Tornado DDT for the win. One of the better matches of the night but nothing too special, it’s a shame these matches aren’t going to get 15-20 minutes anymore like they did 5 years ago. Match Time: 9:36     Match Rating: 6/10

3.    Title vs. Career match for the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship: Madison Rayne(c) vs. Roxxi

This is where the show just really went downhill. Before the match began, Rayne got on the mic and said she was putting it all on the line and Roxxi wasn’t putting up anything. She challenges Roxxi to put her career on the line, and I’m thinking why would Roxxi accept seeing as she already has this title match no matter what? Anyway, Roxxi accepts just as Rayne bashes her in the head with the mic, busts her open, and the match begins. Rayne quickly sends Roxxi to the floor, and Roxxi is bleeding badly. Roxxi came back and rammed Rayne into the turnbuckles, but when she goes up top, Rayne pulls her down for a near fall. Roxxi fights out of an armbar and hits an enzuigiri. This is disgusting to watch with the blood. Roxxi hits some quick offense and a fall away slam before sort of botching her finisher. Rayne no sold it by quickly kicking out and attempting her own finisher. Roxxi hit the Voodoo Drop again but the impact sends Rayne out of the ring to the floor, repeating the same spot from her match with Tara last month. Roxxi tossed Rayne back in, but as she came back in herself, Rayne kicked her and hit her finisher, which she botched. Rayne wins and Roxxi is gone from TNA. This is legitimate from what I have heard, as Roxxi was merely used as a stopgap before Angelina Love could get healthy. The dumb booking, blood, and poor wrestling combined to make this a terrible match. Match Time: 4:20     Match Rating: DUD (0/10)

4.    Brother Ray vs. Jesse Neal

Devon and Shannon Moore come out and Ray gets on the mic to apologize to everyone for how he has been acting. After a 10 minute promo, Team 3D leaves with Neal, but Ray jumps Neal from behind and throws him in the ring to start the match. The point of that promo was what? Ray unloads on Neal with a ton of punches and kicks. Ray rips off Neal’s shirt and chops him before hanging him in the tree of woe and slapping him. Ray pulls him off the ropes with a neckbreaker, rips off Neal’s dog tags, and slaps him. Neal makes a comeback with some shots before hitting a flying body press and a belly to belly suplex. Ray ducks a punch and hits the Bubba Bomb before chopping Neal in the back. All of a sudden, Tommy Dreamer appears in the crowd and does his pose, distracting Ray. Dreamer was TNA’s “big surprise” they promised tonight? Ray kicks a charging Neal in the corner and tries for a diving senton, but Neal avoids it and hits a spear for the win. Terrible, pointless match. Match Time: 5:57     Match Rating: 1/10

5.    Matt Morgan vs. Hernandez

Yet another pre-match promo! Morgan comes out in a neck brace and street clothes, handing the ref a doctor’s note saying he can’t wrestle during his lengthy promo. He starts to leave when Hernandez jumps him from behind and throws him in the ring. The ref rings the bell despite just accepting a doctor’s note saying Morgan can’t wrestle. Hernandez chokes Morgan with his shirt as the ref yells at him. Hernandez drives his shoulder into Morgan and chokes him with his boot. Morgan sends Hernandez to the outside and sends him into the ring post, before returning to the ring where the ref starts to count Hernandez out. Hernandez is back in and Morgan hits the back elbows in the corner and gets a near fall. Hernandez comes back by tossing Morgan across the ring, ripping off Morgan’s shirt, and choking him with it. The ref tries to break it up but Hernandez shoves the ref backwards, and gets disqualified. Hernandez beats up Morgan post match and tries to kick him in the head but somehow kicks the ref, who was in the way. Horrendous booking and a horrendous match, just awful. Match Time: 5:02     Match Rating: 0/10

6.    Monster’s Ball: Desmond Wolfe vs. Abyss

This was probably the worst Monster’s Ball ever, due to the idiotic spots and, going along with the theme of the night, awful booking. Wolfe attacks Abyss with a kendo stick but Abyss hits a big boot and grabs a chair. Wolfe kicks it out of his hands and wedges it in the corner. Abyss sends Wolfe head first into the chair and goes out onto the ramp to his can full of weapons but as he comes back in, Wolfe kicks the ropes to “low blow” him (this just came off looking weird). Wolfe bashes Abyss in the head with a trash can before going into the can of weapons to pull out a TEDDY BEAR wrapped in barbed wire. Wolfe holds the bear and Abyss splashes him in the corner, and Wolfe sells the TEDDY BEAR shot in the stomach. Abyss hands the bear to a confused looking Chelsea before grabbing a black bag from under the ring and dumping out broken glass into the ring. Wolfe flees and Abyss follows, but Wolfe is on him with a kendo stick. They fight near the announce table where Abyss chokeslams Wolfe through the floor in front of the table. Abyss drags Wolfe into the ring and gets a 2 count. Abyss gets a barbed wire board but Wolfe knocks him off the top rope and sends him into it. Wolfe wails on him with the kendo stick but Abyss hits Shock Treatment for a near fall. Wolfe counters a chokeslam and hits Abyss with the kendo stick again, resulting in him falling face first into the glass. Wolfe asks Chelsea for the purse, but the brass knuckles aren’t in there. Chelsea then shows that she has them and tosses them to Abyss. Abyss punches Wolfe in the head with them and hits the Black Hole Slam for the win. Really? That is the payoff to this angle? A dumb heel turn swerve like that? The match was nothing special anyway, just a typical TNA garbage brawl with really dumb spots. Wolfe continues to get buried. Match Time: 11:51     Match Rating: 3/10

7.    AJ Styles vs. Jay Lethal

The string of awful matches was finally broken with this match, however it was pretty disappointing given the hype. After a couple minutes these guys lock up and AJ backs Lethal into the corner where he hits a chop. AJ takes a hard slap and rolls out of the ring. AJ comes back in and does a side headlock, taking Lethal down to the mat. Some reversals and Lethal puts AJ in a headscissors. Both men are up and another side headlock from AJ. Styles hits some chops and a monkey flip but Lethal comes back with some strikes and hits a back suplex. They trade punches before Lethal hits a backbreaker followed up by a headscissors that sends Styles to the outside. As AJ comes back in, Lethal goes out and pulls AJ’s feet out from under him. Ric Flair helps Styles up and Styles gets back in the ring, choking Lethal before Lethal hits a chop. AJ sends Lethal off the top turnbuckle to the mat for a near fall but Lethal comes back with shoulder blocks in the corner and a big kick to the face. Styles hits a back suplex and some punches before tossing Lethal out of the ring, where Flair chokes him with his jacket. AJ tries for a pin but gets a 2 count and puts on a front face lock. Lethal fights out and springs off the ropes with a back elbow. Lethal hits a punch, then a face lock, then another punch, and another face lock. Lethal continues the assault, booting AJ in the corner and hitting a chop before connecting with the Lethal Combination for two. AJ takes Lethal down but Lethal hits a back suplex into a cutter for a close near fall. Styles rakes the eyes and puts on a Figure Four, but Lethal gets to the ropes. Styles hits a brainbuster for two and goes for the Styles Clash, but Lethal fights out and hits a dragon suplex. Flair pulls AJ to the ropes to break the pin attempt. Lethal does a Figure Four but AJ gets to the ropes. Lethal hits a backbreaker but Styles hits a terribly botched Pele. Styles goes to the corner but falls down face first onto the turnbuckle, selling the knee. Lethal hits a botched Northern Lights suplex and gets the win with a jackknife roll-up. Just an okay match that plodded along and had nice spots, but the botches and slow pacing hurt it. Match Time: 17:18     Match Rating: 5/10

8.    Beer Money Inc. vs. Mr. Anderson and Jeff Hardy

This was a decent tag match but was just slightly above TV quality in my opinion. Anderson starts the match by circling and grappling with botch members of Beer Money separately before making the tag to Jeff Hardy. Hardy and Roode lock up with Roode hitting a side headlock and a shoulder block before double teaming Hardy with Storm. Jeff gets to the corner where he goes over a game plan with Anderson. Storm and Anderson are the legal men and the faces double team Storm and Roode. Storm fights Anderson in the corner before Anderson runs to the ropes and is sent to the outside when Roode pulls the ropes down. Beer Money just continues with a bunch of double team moves on Anderson for a bit. Hardy gets the tag and hits a slam but Storm breaks up the pinfall. Anderson pulls out Storm and Jeff hits a Swanton on Roode, but Storm pulls the ref out. Beer Money regains the advantage by double teaming Jeff as the ref screams at Anderson. Storm hits a spike DDT and goes for a couple pins, but Anderson breaks it up. Beer Money just continues to double team Jeff and Roode distracts the ref as Hardy scores a near fall. Roode puts on a front facelock after tagging in but Jeff fights out and goes up top before crashing and burning on a dive attempt. The heels act all cocky but Jeff hits a somewhat botched Twist of Fate on Roode. Both guys tag in their partners and it all breaks down. Storm gets sent out and Hardy leaps off of Anderson’s back onto him on the outside. Roode hits a spinebuster to Anderson, but Jeff breaks up the pin attempt before Storm hits him with the Eye of the Storm. Anderson gets the win with the Mic Check on Roode. This was a very average, plain tag match that had pacing issues and was pretty much barely above TV quality. But on this show, that equals a near highlight. Match Time: 14:05     Match Rating: 6/10

9.    TNA World Heavyweight Championship: Rob Van Dam(c) vs. Sting

Hyped all night long and pushed heavily by the announcers, the main event world title match between RVD and Sting wasn’t very good at all, even though I don’t think anyone expected much. They lock up, with Sting backing RVD into the corner where he beats on him before sending him out of the ring. Sting sends him over the barricade, but RVD starts to fight back, slamming Sting into the barricade a few times. The ref has been down this whole time for no apparent reason. RVD hangs up Sting on the barricade and hits a leg drop to Sting’s back. Sting sends RVD across the barricade yet again and they brawl in the crowd, with Sting throwing RVD into the wall. Sting continues to attack Van Dam as they fight back toward the ring and go inside. Sting hits a couple Stinger splashes in the corner and gets a near fall. Van Dam fights out of a chinlock and hits a couple clotheslines followed up by a superkick. RVD hits a thrust kick and a split-legged moonsault for a 2 count. They fight in the corner with RVD springing off the ropes with a cross body, and connecting with the referee. Sting grabs the bat and beats down RVD with it before Jeff Jarrett comes out and gets the bat (Instead of a King of the Mountain match, we got THE King of the Mountain. Great.). He hits Sting in the gut and cracks him in the jaw with the bat. RVD hits rolling thunder as the ref comes to and gets a close near fall. RVD charges Sting in the corner but Sting moves and RVD gets hung up. Sting misses a corner splash and RVD hits a big kick. RVD hits the Five Star Frog Splash afterwards for the win. Very underwhelming main event, RVD’s lackluster run with the belt continues. Match Time: 11:04     Match Rating: 4.5/10

Overall PPV Rating: 5/10

1.    8 Card Stud Tournament Quarterfinal: Desmond Wolfe vs. D’Angelo Dinero

The show opened with 4 straight quarterfinal matches in the tournament, the first of which was this Genesis rematch. This was a good match but not as good as their first encounter due to the shorter amount of time they were given. The two men do some chain wrestling early on before Wolfe hits a big uppercut. Dinero responds with some strikes but Wolfe hits a huge shoulder block. Dinero counters the Tower of London but Wolfe starts to regain control, working over Pope’s arm and utilizing a chin lock. He hits a DDT for a near fall and then starts to wrench at Dinero’s head. Dinero fights back into it with some more strikes and an inverted atomic drop before hitting the Coronation followed up by a top rope cross body for a near fall. Wolfe’s second attempt at the Tower of London fails but he hits a big chop followed by a superplex. Dinero ducks the big lariat and goes for a roll up but it’s only good for 2. Wolfe charges Dinero in the corner but Dinero moves and hits a second rope hung neckbreaker, followed up by the running knees to the back (the DDE) and a successful pinfall. The match was way too short but still enjoyable. Match Time: 7:40     Match Rating: 6/10

2.    8 Card Stud Tournament Quarterfinal: Hernandez vs. Matt Morgan

Our next quarterfinal match starts off with a stare down before the big men lock up. Morgan hits a couple shoulder blocks before Hernandez responds with one of his own. Morgan counters the Border Toss and hits the rapid fire elbows in the corner. Hernandez goes for a move off the second rope but they botch and Hernandez just sort of falls down. Morgan hits a splash in the corner and a side slam but only gets a 2 count. He connects with an apron leg drop for another near fall before hitting a couple clotheslines. Hernandez reverses an Irish whip and slingshots himself over the top rope with a shoulder block and both men are down. Hernandez hits a delayed vertical suplex before Morgan rolls onto the entrance ramp. Hernandez hits a big shoulder block over the top rope onto the ramp but clutches his shoulder. Morgan holds down the ropes to let Hernandez get back in the ring, but once he enters Morgan throws him shoulder first into the ringpost, then rolls him up and hooks the tights for the win. This was a very sloppy big man match with a dumb ending. Match Time: 9:01     Match Rating: 3/10

3.    8 Card Stud Tournament Quarterfinal: Mr. Anderson vs. Kurt Angle

This was arguably the best match in the whole tournament, which isn’t really saying much. Anderson gets a headlock takedown early but Angle responds with a shoulder block and a side headlock. Anderson chokes Angle with his boot but Angle hits a snap suplex and punches Anderson in the corner. Anderson sends Angle into the ringpost before cutting him open with Angle’s dog tag necklace. Anderson hits a DDT and puts on a rear chin lock. Angle fights back into it with some clotheslines, a belly to belly suplex, and a huge lariat. Angle hits three Germans in a row but can’t hit the Angle Slam. Anderson tries to tear the padding off a turnbuckle but the ref ties it back on. Anderson unties another turnbuckle and tries to send Angle into it, but Angle hits the Angle Slam for a near fall. Anderson fights out of the Ankle Lock and sends Angle into the exposed turnbuckle before hitting the Mic Check for the victory. Good, solid match. Match Time: 9:49    Match Rating: 6.5/10

4.    No Disqualification 8 Card Stud Tournament Quarterfinal: Abyss vs. Mick Foley

Bischoff makes this match No DQ in a backstage segment, making this match better than it would be ordinarily but still not that good. Basically a typical Abyss garbage match only with his opponent utilizing the weapons rather than him. The story was Abyss didn’t want to use weapons because he didn’t want to hurt Foley. The men lock up a couple times, with Abyss shying away from using a barbed wire bat. Foley hits Abyss in the face a few times before the two fight outside the ring. Foley sends Abyss into the guardrail before hitting him with a chair. The action returns to the ring where Abyss hits a big kick but Foley connects with a spinning neckbreaker. Foley pounds on Abyss before dumping a bag of tacks in the ring. Abyss grabs Foley by the throat, but is careful to chokeslam him away from the tacks. Abyss gets the sock and tries for the Mandible Claw, but Foley takes a shoe off the ref and takes his sock to put the Mandible Claw on Abyss. Foley breaks the hold and grabs the bat, but Abyss catches him with a Black Hole Slam onto the tacks for the win. Decent story but still not a good match. Match Time: 7:44     Match Rating: 4/10

5.    The Nasty Boys vs. Team 3D

Ugh. Yuck. What a horrible match between these dinosaurs. Match kicks off with the Nasty Boys punching and stomping at 3D as the faces entered the ring. The Nasties eventually leave the ring after 3D starts to get the upper hand. Wow, Knobs’s punches looked awful. Ray and Sags start things off with Sags raking Ray’s eyes before tagging in Knobs, who also uses some cheap tactics. 3D takes down Sags with a double clothesline and the Nasties take a long pause outside the ring. The Nasties then work over Devon for a really long time. Sags chokes D-Von on the floor before Knobs hits him with a scoop slam in the ring. Devon starts to fight back into it with some strikes but can’t make the tag. Knobs then applies a weak-looking abdominal stretch. Devon finally gets the tag to Ray who cleans house. Ray hits a couple corner splashes, but when he tries for a uranage on Sags, Sags refuses and just sort of falls down (BOTCH!). Sags takes a botched 3D, but Jimmy Hart enters the ring and gives Knobs a weapon. Knobs hits Ray with it and pins him to win the match for the Botchies (Sorry I meant Nasties, eh same thing.). This was an atrociously terrible match. The Nasty Boys should be ashamed of themselves. Match Time: 10:40     Match Rating: DUD (0/10)

6.    8 Card Stud Tournament Semifinal: D’Angelo Dinero vs. Matt Morgan

This was a little better than expected but still not a particularly good match. Dinero tries to go after Morgan’s leg but Morgan exploits his own size and strength, tossing Pope around. He hits the rapid fire elbows, a splash, and a side slam before choking Dinero against the ropes. Dinero fights out of a bear hug and kicks Morgan in the knee a couple times. Morgan hits a big slam for a near fall but Pope hits a big tornado DDT and both men are down. Pope sends Morgan into the ropes but Morgan hits a lariat as Pope went for the Coronation. Morgan pounds on Dinero in the corner, but Pope sidesteps the Carbon Footprint. Morgan is hung up in the corner and Dinero hits the DDE for the win to advance to the finals. Decent big guy vs. smaller guy match but way too short. Match Time: 8:31     Match Rating: 5/10

7.    8 Card Stud Tournament Semifinal: Mr. Anderson vs. Abyss

This was very similar to their match at Genesis, except this one was a bit shorter. Anderson does a good job playing the heel and hits a lot of punches and kicks early on. Abyss doesn’t budge during Anderson’s powerslam attempt, so Abyss just slams him. Abyss sends Anderson to the outside and uses the steps and guardrail as weapons. Anderson dropkicks Abyss in the knee back in the ring and pounds away at him before attempting to rip Abyss’s mask off. Anderson continues to focus the attack on the knee, kicking at it and tying it up in the ropes. Abyss comes back with a back body drop, corner splash, and a side slam. He hits Shock Treatment for a near fall as Anderson rips away at the mask. Anderson rips at the mask again as Abyss goes for a chokeslam. Mistaking the ref for Anderson, Abyss grabs the ref by the throat. Anderson then kicks Abyss in the leg before hitting the Mic Check for the win. Very uneventful match but some decent storytelling with the leg and mask. Match Time: 8:09     Match Rating: 4/10

8.    TNA World Heavyweight Championship: AJ Styles(c) vs. Samoa Joe

Eric Bischoff is the special guest referee for this title match, which shockingly is not the main event. AJ comes to the ring with blonde highlights and a Nature Boy robe. Joe and Styles lock up several times before AJ hits a couple shoulder blocks. Joe responds with one of his own, pounds on AJ in the corner, and hits a big kick. Styles fights back with a jawbreaker and a chop but Joe hits a huge leg lariat. Joe hits a couple kicks but Styles counters a third kick with a dragon screw. Joe knocks AJ to the outside before hitting a suicide dive into the guardrail. AJ sends Joe into the ring post before removing some padding from the floor. He tries for a suplex on the exposed concrete, but Joe counters and tries for one of his own. AJ counters that but retreats to the ring. Both men trade several chops before AJ puts Joe on the top turnbuckle. He tries for a Frankensteiner, but Joe hangs on and hits a leg lariat off the second turnbuckle for a near fall. Joe connects with a uranage, but AJ starts to punch away at Joe before being admonished by Bischoff, allowing Ric Flair (who was at ringside the whole time) to slam Joe’s knee into the ring post. Styles goes to work on Joe’s knee, hitting elbow and knee drops onto it before putting on a modified Indian Deathlock. He then utilizes the Figure Four and holds Flair’s hand for leverage, but Bischoff sees this and forces AJ to break the hold. Joe hits some clotheslines and an atomic drop before hitting a snap powerslam for a near fall. AJ comes back with a springboard forearm before hitting a moonsault inverted DDT for a near fall. Joe reverses the Styles Clash with a rear naked choke, but instead of dropping to the mat he hurls AJ backwards with a suplex. Joe hits the Muscle Buster, but Bischoff is busy with Flair outside the ring and can’t make the count. Joe gets physical with Bischoff, allowing AJ to recover and hit a Pele kick followed by a Styles Clash for the win. Very good title match, but these guys have probably done better. Match Time: 21:27     Match Rating: 7.5/10

9.    8 Card Stud Tournament Final: D’Angelo Dinero vs. Mr. Anderson

In an interview segment, Pope got ambushed by Scott Hall and Syxx Pac, so he limps out onto the entrance ramp as the ref began counting him out to open the match. Anderson breaks the count repeatedly to beat down Pope on the ramp with punches. Pope hits a slap before the fight goes to the ringside area. Anderson hits a knee before sending Dinero into the steps. Dinero finally gets back into the ring after selling injuries and hits some strikes, but Anderson sends him into the corner and kicks him in the back of the head. Dinero comes out of nowhere with a small package attempt but Anderson sends him into the corner. Both guys trade even more strikes (this pattern goes on FOREVER) before Anderson chokes Dinero and applies a rear chin lock. Pope avoids some clotheslines but Anderson hits a knee and some stomps followed up by a clothesline for a near fall. Dinero finally mounts some offense by hitting a shoulder block and a couple suplexes. He hits and STO for a near fall but Anderson responds with more strikes. Pope hits the 4 Up before hitting the DDE to Anderson’s chest, but only gets a 2 count. Anderson hits a clothesline, then grabs the mic and says he’s about to be the number one contender. He hits the Mic Check but Dinero kicks out. Anderson hits a Finlay roll but misses a senton. He charges at Dinero in the corner but is sidestepped, which is followed by Pope hitting the DDE to win the match and the tournament. Putting over Dinero is the one good thing that came out of this “pay-per-view”. The main event itself was a very bland, slow, plodding match that was heavily repetitive and boring. Match Time: 15:47     Match Rating: 5/10

Overall PPV Rating: 5.75/10

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 over a year now.

1.    TNA X Division Championship: Amazing Red(c) vs. Homicide

The night kicked off with Homicide challenging Amazing Red for the X Division Championship. This was a great way to kick off the PPV as the match was very back and forth and had a ton of high spots.  Red connected with a hurricanrana and a crossbody early on in the match but Homicide soon took control with a belly to back spulex and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Homicide then worked over Red for a bit before Red gets back into it with a dropkick and a DDT for a near fall. Red counters the Gringo Killer and an ace crusher and hits a standing shooting star press for another near fall. Homicide hits a cutter for a near fall afterward. Eventually this match comes to an end when Homicide goes for a top rope hurricanrana, but Red held on and hit the Code Red for the win. Good X Division match to open up the show and pop the crowd. Match Rating: 6/10

2.    6 Woman Tag Team match for all the Knockouts Championships: TNA Women’s Knockout Champion ODB and TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions Sarita and Taylor Wilde vs. The Beautiful People

I generally don’t like tag team matches where champions can lose their titles without eating a pin, and this match did little to change my opinion. The fans voiced their dislike for Lacey Von Erich with “You can’t wrestle” chants and a Lacey Von Botch sign. The faces all work over Madison Rayne for a bit before she gets the hot tag to Velvet Sky, who hits a snapmare and a running knee before tagging in Von Erich. After Wilde gets beaten down by The Beautiful People for a while, ODB gets the hot tag and cleans house. Just when it seems that the heels have gotten her under control, ODB connects with a few elbow smashes to fight them off. She then hits a reverse-FU to win the match and the faces retain their titles. This match was fairly sloppy and was not enjoyable. Can we please end the Sarita/Wilde vs. The Beautiful People feud now? Match Rating: 3/10

3.    TNA World Tag Team Championship: The British Invasion(c) vs. Beer Money Inc. vs. The Motor City Machineguns

After a weak Knockouts match, this 3 way for the Tag Titles got the PPV back on track. However, the one gripe I had about this match was that much of the later portion of it was built around Beer Money vs. The British Invasion, and the match had been promoted for weeks as the Guns vs. British Invasion (Beer Money was merely added to the match on the Impact before the PPV). Anyway, this match was good, even though it was a bit shorter than I would have liked it to be.  Roode gets worked over by Sabin and Shelley in the early going, and takes a slingshot senton from Sabin. The Guns then worked over the British Invasion for a bit with double team moves but Sabin falls victim to a double team neckbreaker from the Invasion and the heels are in control. Sabin eventually fights back with an enzuigiri and is tagged by Storm. Storm hits Magnus with a uranage and hits a double suplex with Roode onto Williams. Beer Money and the Guns hit a bunch of double team moves on the Brits but Sabin misses a slingshot move over the top rope and crashes to the floor. Storm hits an enzuigiri to Williams, but Eric Young appears outside the ring with the Global title and attacks Storm. Storm then goes after Young up the entrance ramp, where Kevin Nash appears and takes the Global belt before surprisingly hitting Storm with it. The Brits then capitalize on this and hit a double team move on Roode to retain their titles. Good tag title match but it could have been a bit better. Match Rating: 6/10

4.    Six Sides of Steel: Tara vs. Awesome Kong

Who would have thought that a women’s match clocking in at less than 8 minutes would have been the match of the night thus far when it ended? Kong hits a couple big moves early on including an electric chair drop and a stunning missile dropkick. Kong then splashes Tara against the cage and chokes her against the steel. She also hit a very nice looking front suplex against the side of the cage. Tara fights back into the match with a DDT and slams Kong into several sides of the cage before hitting a standing moonsault for a near fall. The two women fight on the top rope which ends with Tara hitting a nice powerbomb onto Kong for a near fall. Tara then scales the cage and hits an incredible crossbody off the top for the win. This was the best women’s match of the year, no doubt. Match Rating: 6.5/10

5.    Rhino and Team 3D vs. Matt Morgan, Hernandez, and D’Angelo Dinero

This match had been advertised as a street fight, but was fought under standard 6 man tag rules. There is tension early on between Dinero and Matt Morgan, allowing the heels to take control. Dinero soon goes after Ray with a double leg take down and some punches but Ray fights back into it with some elbow strikes and a Bubba Bomb before tagging in Rhino. Rhino fights with Morgan, who hits a big clothesline before everyone enters the ring, leading to Dinero suffering a reverse 3D. Devon later puts on a chin lock and hits a lariat on Dinero before making the tag to Rhino. The heels work over Dinero for a bit before Morgan is tagged back into the match. Morgan hits a ton of punches, a side slam, and a splash for a near fall. Hernandez later does an impressive dive outside the ring to the entire opposing team. The match eventually comes to an end when Hernandez gets hit with a chair by Devon while the ref’s back was turned and Rhino hits a Gore for the win. Why didn’t the young guys go over here? Match Rating: 5.5/10

6.    No Disqualification, Falls Count Anywhere: Scott Steiner vs. Bobby Lashley

Just before the start of the match, it was announced that it would be No DQ and Falls Count Anywhere. I thought that the gimmick would help the match out greatly and make it more entertaining, but instead it just opened the door for horrible camera work and a ton of botches. I seriously think every major spot was botched somewhat. The match starts off with the two brawling in the stands and Lashley goes after Steiner with steel chairs. The two then went back to the ring where they hit various suplexes on each other but overall the match pace slowed down. Steiner hits a Frankensteiner that Lashley almost completely botched and barely made contact with the mat. The two then brawl to the backstage area and the cameras struggle to keep up. We have to wait a bit before getting a camera going backstage. The two start hitting (I use that term lightly) each other with various weapons and Lashley hits a very weak-looking suplex to Steiner through a table. Lashley connects with a super-light shot with a 2×4 before crashing through some plywood while going after Steiner. Steiner chokes out Lashley with a cord before the two go back into the Impact Zone. They fight near a metal scaffolding, which Steiner takes apart. Steiner takes a lead pipe and hits Lashley in the head with it (so lightly that there is barely any impact at all) and Lashley falls down. Steiner pins him for the win. Just a complete mess of a match. Match Rating: 2.5/10

7.    Kurt Angle vs. Desmond Wolfe

Thankfully this next match rejuvenated my interest in the PPV. This was definitely the technical match of the year as far as mainstream wrestling goes. This match really had it all and was great from start to finish. It was a bit slow in the beginning with the two simply doing a bunch of submission holds such as hammerlocks, but it quickly got better. Wolfe repeatedly works over the arm of Angle with stomps and a great submission hold.  Angle fights back into it with a flying forearm before hitting six German suplexes in a row. He then goes for the Angle Slam but Wolfe counters with a great arm drag. Wolfe connects with a big lariat but Angle kicks out. He then hits Angle with the Tower of London for another near fall before Angle hits a big lariat of his own. Angle misses a moonsault and Wolfe puts on the London Dungeon. Wolfe goes for a second Tower of London, but Angle counters and Wofle tries for a superplex instead. Angle fights him off and hits a frog splash for a near fall. Both men try for the Tombstone but Angle eventually counters into the Ankle Lock. Wolfe fights out of that hold, but Angle locks in a side triangle choke to force the submission and win the match. Even though Wolfe (aka ROH’s Nigel Mcguinness) didn’t win, Angle put him over big time and the crowd really got into him. This was TNA’s match of the year at its conclusion, but unfortunately it did not hold that title for long. Match Rating: 8.5/10

8.    TNA World Heavyweight Championship: AJ Styles(c) vs. Daniels vs. Samoa Joe

This was a rematch of what many consider to be TNA’s best match of all time back at Unbreakable 2005. While this match wasn’t quite as good as that bout, it came pretty darn close to topping it. This topped Angle/Wolfe as the match of the night and TNA’s match of the year for 2009. Styles opens the match with an assault on both men, but Joe fights back with an enzuigiri and a splash on Styles. Styles and Daniels do some great chain wrestling before Joe reenters the match to go after Styles. Joe hits a high knee to Daniels and puts on a leg hold that is broken up by Styles. Styles hits a suplex to Joe and locks in an inverted Indian death lock which is broken up by Daniels. Daniels hit a ton of moves to Styles before slamming him onto Joe. Daniels puts on a combination Boston Crab/Camel Clutch on both men before Joe fights out of the clutch and hits a urange. More action in the ring ends when Daniels dives outside the ring onto Styles and Joe. Back in the ring, Joe has Daniels in a rear naked choke when Styles does a twisting body press onto both men. Joe powerbombs Styles before working him over with a couple submission holds. Joe gets taken down with an enzuigiri from Daniels and a Pele from Styles. A great spot occurred in the middle when Daniels had Joe in a reverse DDT clutch and Styles came in with a senton on Joe. Styles hits a moonsault into an inverted DDT onto Daniels, but Daniels hits the Last Rites for a near fall that is broken up by Joe. Joe then hits Daniels with a Muscle Buster but Styles breaks up the pin and fights with Joe. Styles and Daniels go for each other’s finishers but are ambushed by Joe. Joe dropkicks Styles to the floor but is caught with an STO and a BME from Daniels. As Daniels goes for the pin, Styles comes out of nowhere with a springboard 450 splash onto both men. Style spins Joe to retain his title in this classic, almost perfect three-way match. Match Rating: 9.5/10

Overall PPV Rating: 8.75/10

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 roughly a year now as well.