• Michael Elgin vs. TJ Perkins

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

• Tommaso Ciampa vs. Jimmy Rave

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Roderick Strong vs. Chris Hero

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall PPV Rating: 7.5/10

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

Tweet

• 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

1.    R-Truth vs. Rey Mysterio

Solid choice for an opener. Truth cuts a promo heeling on the fans before the match about how he had to park with the fans and walk in the rain before the show. They lock up at the start and Truth backs Rey into the corner. Rey hits a kick but Truth responds with one of his own, only for Rey to hit a kick to the head and send Truth to the floor. Rey runs across the apron and jumps off with a hurricanrana to the floor. Rey heads up top, but Truth pulls him down into the tree of woe and stomps him. Truth hits some punches before Rey drop toeholds him into the corner, but Truth grabs Rey’s head and runs him across the apron to send him headfirst into the ring post. Truth covers for 2 and applies a reverse headlock. Rey fights to his feet, but Truth hits a kick to the gut and a reverse falcon arrow. Truth applies a brief modified camel clutch in the ropes before he stomps Rey and stretches his body across the post from the floor. Truth covers for 2 before hanging up Rey on the top rope. They fight in the corner, with Rey hitting some kicks before diving off with a second rope bulldog for 2. Rey hits a second rope springboard cross body, a kick to the head, and a top rope diving seated senton, but Truth comes back with the Lie Detector. Rey has Truth set up for the 619 but Truth bails to the floor. Rey kicks him through the ropes, but Truth crotches him on the apron. Once they get back in the ring, Truth hits the leaping downward spiral for the win. After the match he smashes a water bottle in Rey’s face. Short but well wrestled opener with an unfortunately dead crowd. Truth needed the win for sure. Match Time: 8:12     Star Rating: **3/4

2.    Intercontinental Championship match: Wade Barrett(c) vs. Ezekiel Jackson

This took things down a peg after a pretty good opener. Barrett is slow to make contact at the start but goes after Jackson with punches. Jackson launches Barrett in the air to fight out of a reverse headlock and stomps him. Barrett hits a punch and some kicks before Jackson overpowers him and sends him to the outside. Jackson blocks a kick and knocks him down in the ring before hitting some kicks in the corner. Jackson whips Barrett into the corner and hits a back elbow. Barrett says he hurt his neck but he was faking it and goes after Jackson with punches before sending him shoulder first into the ring post. Barrett hits some punches on the ground before hitting a diving elbow drop. Barrett applies a rear chin lock, but Jackson fights to his feet. Jackson escapes the Wasteland, but Barrett hits a kick and a pumphandle slam for 2. Jackson sends Barrett into the post and hip tosses him into the ring, where he hits some clotheslines, a corner splash, and five consecutive scoop slams. He has Barrett in the torture rack when the rest of the Corre runs down for a disqualification. Jackson fights back at first but they all beat him down. Aside from the stupid, terrible finish, the match was horrible. Just punches and kicks and lumbering around from two big guys who can’t work that well. DQ finishes to title matches on PPVs are also ridiculous. Match Time: 7:28     Star Rating: *

3.    Sin Cara vs. Chavo Guerrero

This match was a little bit disappointing, and it could have been a show stealer. They do some good mat wrestling early before Cara hits a headscissors and sends Chavo to the floor. Cara hits a huge spinning tope dive to the floor, and then hits a second headscissors that sends Chavo into the barricade. Chavo comes back with some shots in the corner in the ring, but Cara hits a top rope moonsault to a standing Chavo. Cara kicks Chavo in the gut, but Chavo is able to rebound with a jumping knee strike in the corner. Cara hits a dropkick and a springboard arm drag, but Chavo hits a kick to the gut and some punches. Chavo targets Cara’s leg, but when he heads up top, Cara kicks him to the floor. Cara then hits a diving cross body off the top to the floor. Cara hits a kick to the head and a springboard hurricanrana back in the ring. Cara hits some more kicks and a handspring back elbow. Cara hits an enzuigiri from the apron and a springboard cross body. Chavo attempts the Gory Special, but Cara fights out and hits a really sloppy tilt-a-whirl headscissors-type move for the win. I think it was supposed to be something similar to La Mistica but they messed up and Chavo just fell on his face. The match was too short to hit its potential and it felt too much like an exhibition for Cara due to Chavo getting such little offense. The botched finish hurt it as well. Match Time: 7:23     Star Rating **1/4

Alberto Del Rio then comes out for a brief promo, where he heels on the fans before Kane and Big Show come out to interrupt. Kane basically tells him to scram and the Nexus make their entrance for the tag title match.

4.    WWE Tag Team Championship match: Kane and The Big Show(c) vs. CM Punk and Mason Ryan

This was another forgettable, TV quality match. Ryan and Kane start the match with a lock up, but Ryan quickly sends Kane to the mat. Kane twists Ryan’s arm and Ryan hits a shoulder block before Kane comes back with some strikes. Ryan hits a scoop slam and tags Punk, but Kane throws Punk face first into the corner. Show gets a tag and hits a chop, steps across Punk’s back, and then hits two more chops to Punk’s chest and back. Punk avoids a charging Show in the corner and tags Ryan. Ryan hits a shoulder block and an elbow drop before tagging back to Punk. Show applies a bear hug before Kane gets a tag. Kane hits a boot to the face, some corner clotheslines, and a side slam. Kane hits a top rope diving clothesline, but Punk escapes the chokeslam and tags in Ryan. Punk kicks Kane on the floor and Ryan drives him into the apron. Punk beats on Kane in the corner and hits a high knee, but Kane throws him off when he attempts a bulldog. Punk dropkicks Kane in the leg and tags in Ryan, who drives Kane into the corner and powerslams him. Kane hits some shots and Ryan hits a kick, but Kane hits a kick and suplex and both men are down. Ryan tags Punk, who hits an elbow drop and some stomps but misses a diving elbow drop. Both guys get tags and Show hits some clotheslines, a corner back splash, and a shoulder block. He teases a double chokeslam on Punk and Ryan and they fight him off, only for Show to hit a double clothesline. Punk is sent to the floor, leaving Ryan to fall victim to a double chokeslam for the win from Kane and Show. Mostly dull, boring match that felt like a total waste of Punk. Match Time: 9:05     Star Rating: *1/2

5.    Divas Championship match: Brie Bella(c) vs. Kelly Kelly

Even for WWE Divas standards, this was bad. Kelly has Brie in a lame version of a tarantula through the ropes before she hits a top rope cross body. Kelly does a stinkface before Brie sends her to the floor, where Nikki attacks her. Brie snaps Kelly’s arm over the bottom rope, and then twists and kicks her arm. She then applies a really long arm bar. Kelly finally gets up and hits a Thesz press and some punches before slamming Brie’s head against the mat multiple times, totally forgetting about the arm. Kelly stomps Brie against the ropes, but the ref backs her up, allowing Brie to swap out with Nikki. Nikki hits a sloppy X Factor for the win. This was a waste of time, both of these girls are awful, and we didn’t even get a Kharma appearance. Match Time: 4:02     Star Rating: DUD

6.    World Heavyweight Championship match: Randy Orton(c) vs. Christian

At long last we finally got something worth paying for on this PPV. Orton and Christian clearly have some really strong chemistry and delivered another extremely good match. They go to lock up, but Christian goes for a quick roll up. Orton gets a near fall of his own and applies a headlock, but Christian gets up. They run the ropes, with Christian hitting a leap frog and a shoulder block. Christian hits a second rope missile dropkick before they run the ropes again, with Orton hitting a leap frog and back elbow. Christian sends Orton to the floor and hits a baseball slide dropkick. Back in the ring, Christian hits a scoop slam and applies a chin lock, but Orton is able to fight to his feet. Christian hits a dropkick and applies another submission, but Orton again gets out and hits a punch followed by a dropkick. Christian goes up top, but Orton hits several punches and a top rope superplex for 2. Christian gets a near fall of his own and Orton hits some clotheslines, only for Christian to come back with a spinebuster. They trade shots before Christian hits a double sledge and a reverse DDT. Orton blocks a dropkick and tries for a jackknife cover, which Christian counters with a roll up of his own. Christian counters the Angle Slam with an arm drag and snaps Orton’s neck across the top rope after a series of more counters. Christian hits a top rope diving head butt, but Orton comes back with his backbreaker, some stomps, and a knee drop. Both guys counter each other’s finishers and Orton catches Christian in a Billy Goat’s Curse. Christian gets to the ropes and hits a kick before heading to the corner. They tease the same spot that finished off Christian in the Smackdown match, but Christian thinks twice and scores a near fall with a sunset flip out of the corner. Orton blocks Christian’s flip up kick in the corner and hits a spike DDT. Christian fights off the RKO and sets up for a spear, but Orton catches him with a snap powerslam for 2. Orton sets up for the punt, but has second thoughts, allowing Christian to hit a spear for 2. Orton then counters the Killswitch, Christian counters the RKO, Orton counters the Killswitch again, Christian does a back flip, and Orton hits a sudden RKO for the win. Great match with some excellent storytelling elements and even some good psychology. This may have been even better than their Smackdown match. Match Time: 16:51     Star Rating: ****

7.    Kiss My Foot match: Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole

Cole gets on the mic and says that he can’t compete as he reads aloud a doctor’s note, which claims that Cole has athlete’s foot. The ref says the note is no good and calls for the bell. Lawler rips off Cole’s pants and stomps him several times before hitting a punch and a dropkick. Cole slams Lawler’s face against the steps on the outside and throws him into the barricade. Cole takes off his shoe and sock, revealing his very dirty foot underneath. Lawler punches Cole and sends him crashing through the Cole Mine cubicle. Lawler hits a diving fist drop back in the ring for the quick win. Eve comes out after the match and hits a standing moonsault on Cole to get back at him for dissing the Divas. Jim Ross then comes out and douses him with BBQ sauce. Cole tries to walk away and calls everyone a bunch of losers, but then Bret Hart comes out. Hart puts Cole in the Sharpshooter in the ring, and Lawler puts his foot in Cole’s mouth as he’s stuck in the hold. This was a good way to blow off the program and was executed exactly as it should have been at Wrestlemania in the first place. This was a fine segment and didn’t overstay its welcome. Match Time: 3:02     Star Rating: N/A

8.    I Quit match for the WWE Championship: John Cena(c) vs. The Miz

This was certainly not what people expected. Miz comes out with Alex Riley and gets on the mic to offer Cena the chance to quit right at the start. Cena declines and runs wild on both men, hitting a bulldog and an Attitude Adjustment to Miz before applying the STF, only for Riley to break it up and attack Cena. Riley is sent to the outside and Cena hits his shoulder blocks, the side suplex, and the Five Knuckle Shuffle to Miz. Miz counters the AA with a reverse DDT backbreaker/neckbreaker combination. Cena hits an AA but Riley hits him with the briefcase several times. Riley slams Cena, who refuses to quit as the mic is stuck in his face. Both heels throw Cena outside the ring and ram him into the barricade. They take apart the announce table and bash Cena with monitors. Cena comes back with punches but Miz sends him into the steel steps. Miz hits a DDT on the lower half of the steps and offers Cena the chance to quit as Riley holds the upper half of the steps. Cena says no and Riley slams the steps on his shoulder. Riley holds up Cena’s arms above his head as Miz gets a kendo stick and repeatedly hits Cena with it. Cena still won’t quit. Riley and Miz ram Cena into the barricade and throw him down onto the ramp. Miz hits a DDT on the stage and Cena still won’t quit. Miz kicks him in the head and Cena falls to the floor beside the stage.

Riley holds up Cena against the boom camera and Miz gets on the mic to tell Cena he’s going to whip him with a strap. Cena again doesn’t quit and Miz whips Cena several times. They head back towards the ring, and Cena fights back, throwing Riley into the ring post, only for Miz to hit him in the back with a chair. Miz misses a chair shot in the ring and Cena hits some punches before Riley comes inside. The ref is down after a collision with Riley as Miz hits a reverse DDT. Miz hits a Skull-Crushing Finale onto a chair set up between the middle and top ropes. Miz taunts the crowd and goes back and forth with some little kid in the front row. Cena ends up hung up through a dismantled barricade and still refuses to quit, just before Miz hits him with a chair. We then hear “I Quit”, but it sounds like a recording, and the bell is rung and Miz is announced as the winner. The ref then comes to and finds Riley’s cell phone on the ground, and that they just played a recording and Cena didn’t quit. The match is then restarted and Riley goes to hit Cena with the WWE title, but misses and hits Miz. Cena then gives Riley an AA through the announce table. Cena chases Miz around ringside and up the ramp, whipping him with his belt. Cena catches Miz in the STF on the stage and Miz quits. What a lame finish. Cena gets destroyed for almost 25 minutes only to get the win in a minute? The match reads better than it was executed. There was a lot of stalling, lengthy pauses, and too much of Miz getting on the mic throughout. Easily one of the most ridiculous PPV main events that I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t even much of a match, just an extremely long, one-sided beatdown with an unrealistic conclusion. It just seemed to never end and dragged on forever. Match Time: 24:52 (Total bell-to-bell time)     Star Rating: N/A (Asinine)

Overall PPV Rating: 5/10

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

Tweet

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.    #1 Contender’s match: Ink Inc. vs. Beer Money

The winners of this match would receive a future shot at the tag titles. This was a pretty decent opener and possibly the best match Ink Inc. has ever had. Jesse Neal and James Storm start the match, with Storm landing a kick to the gut and some punches. Neal fights back with some punches of his own, a hip toss, and a dropkick. Neal hits a back body drop to Robert Roode before Shannon Moore enters to hit some double team dropkicks with Neal, sending Beer Money to the outside. Storm returns to the ring but Moore catches him with an arm bar. Storm fights out but Moore puts him down and hits a leg drop. Roode ends up accidentally elbow dropping Storm and Moore hip tosses Neal on top of Storm for a near fall. Neal hits a forearm but takes a lungblower from Storm, and Roode tags in. Roode beats on Neal in the corner and cheap shots Moore, allowing Storm to reenter the match. Storm uses his wrist tape to choke Neal, and Beer Money then hit some quick double team moves on him. Roode stomps away at Neal and applies a rear chin lock. Neal fights out eventually and kicks Roode in the chest but Roode hits a clubbing blow across the back. Neal hits a jawbreaker and gets a hot tag to Moore, who comes in with a ton of punches and heel kicks. Moore this a hurricanrana and a face plant but Storm breaks up the pin. Neal clotheslines Roode over the ropes and Ink Inc. both do suicide dives onto Beer Money. Ink Inc. almost get the win after a double team but Roode kicks out. Moore gets knocked off the top rope and Neal hits a front suplex, but Beer Money hit a superkick and the DWI for the win. Decent, fun opener between these teams and it’s good to see that Beer Money is getting back into the tag team championship picture. Match Time: 10:49     Star Rating: **3/4

2.    Falls Count Anywhere match: Tara vs. Mickie James

After a brief but solid match at last month’s Turning Point PPV, Tara and Mickie’s match this month was blander and disappointing. The gimmick ended up hurting the match more than helping it. They start the match by brawling on the outside, trading a ton of punches before Tara ends up crotched on the guardrail. Mickie sends Tara into the guardrail and the apron before throwing her in the ring, where she hits a missile dropkick. Mickie hits a big forearm but Tara hits some shots of her own to take Mickie down in the corner. Tara chokes Mickie with her boot and blocks a hurricanrana attempt, slamming Mickie into the turnbuckle and sending her to the floor. Mickie comes back inside where she dropkicks Tara to the outside and hits a baseball slide. Mickie goes out but Tara hits some punches and throws her into the crowd. They fight in the crowd, with Tara getting a near fall after slamming Mickie into a chair. Mickie whips Tara into a steel structure and chokes her against a wall. They fight backstage near a concession stand and slam each other into it. Mickie hits Tara with a sign and slams her into a gate. Tara tries for a piledriver but Mickie backdrops her onto the floor for a near fall. They continue this repetitive brawling outside before making their way back near the Impact Zone, with Mickie hitting a Thesz press off a small structure before they fight into a men’s bathroom. A bunch of TNA employees start running out and Mickie gave Tara a swirly. Madison Rayne is near the back and sprays a fire extinguisher in Mickie’s face before hitting her with the Knockouts title. Tara gets the pin to finally end it. The match started off good but there’s only so much you can do with the backstage fighting. By the end they had taken a vicious feud and turned it into stupid comedy. Match Time: 10:33     Star Rating: **

3.    TNA X Division Championship match with Cookie Suspended Above the Ring in a Shark Cage: Robbie E(c) vs. Jay Lethal

Yes you read that title correctly. Unsurprisingly, this was one of the weaker matches on the show, mostly due to a bad finish. Cookie at first refuses to get in the cage and walks away as Lethal jumps Robbie from behind, but Shark Boy (huh?) comes out and carries her to the cage. Cookie ends up in the cage, which then rises high above the ring as the match begins. Lethal hits some right hands before Robbie rolls out, only for Robbie to land some shots on the outside when Lethal follows. Lethal comes back with a missile dropkick back in the ring and some chops in the corner. Lethal crotches Robbie on the ropes and rocks the rope up and down before hitting some more chops. Robbie sends Lethal into the corner and pounds away at him. Robbie hits a running back elbow and whips Lethal into the corners, but Lethal retakes the advantage after Robbie spends time jawing with Cookie. Robbie puts Lethal down and applies a LONG rear chin lock. Lethal finally fights out and sends Robbie into the corner. Lethal makes a comeback with punches, clotheslines, and chops. He hits the Lethal Combination for a near fall before both guys end up down after a collision. Cookie tosses something to Robbie and the ref takes it away, but she tosses something else to him after that. Lethal gets it and sprays Robbie in the face before hitting the Lethal Injection. The ref then calls for the bell and DQs Lethal, even though he never even saw Lethal use the spray. After the match Shark Boy came back out to hit the Stunner on Cookie. Booking of this feud was ass-backwards as they had a clean finish last month and the match to end the feud had a non-finish. Match was okay but the finish was stupid. Match Time: 8:11     Star Rating: **

4.    First Blood match: Rhino vs. Rob Van Dam

This may have been the biggest surprise of the evening. I never would have expected a Rhino/RVD match in 2010 to be anything above watchable but this was actually pretty solid. RVD hits some punches and a heel kick early on, with Rhino rolling to the outside. Rhino hits a clothesline as RVD poses for the crowd. Rhino beats on RVD in the corner, clawing and biting at his head. RVD comes back with a couple kicks and rolling thunder before hitting some punches and raking his boot across Rhino’s face. RVD messes up the slingshot apron leg drop at first but repeats it and connects. He goes up top but Rhino pulls him down. Rhino slams Van Dam’s head into the turnbuckle but gets back dropped onto the apron and kicked to the floor. Van Dam hits a baseball slide and Rhino ends up on the guardrail, which is followed by Van Dam hitting a leg drop from the apron. Rhino comes back and slams Van Dam into the guardrail and the steps before hitting a big suplex on the entrance ramp. Van Dam sends Rhino back into the ring and big boots a charging Rhino in the corner. RVD back flips over Rhino but takes a Gore. Rhino grabs a trash can and misses when he tries to hit RVD with it, but Rhino comes back with a belly to belly slam. Rhino wedges the can in the corner before hitting a spinebuster to RVD. RVD hits a kick to the face, a twisting leg drop, and some punches before hitting a sloppy single leg dropkick. RVD hits the Five Star Frog Splash and tries to hit Rhino with the trash can lid, but Rhino hits a DICK PUNCH and a DDT. RVD fights out of a piledriver attempt and hits a Van Daminator with the trash can lid, but Rhino still isn’t bleeding. RVD puts Rhino in the corner and puts the chair in his face, then hits a coast to coast Van Terminator, busting Rhino open for the victory. Van Dam was sloppy in parts but there were enough big moves to hold this thing together, and they didn’t even have to resort to many gimmicks, which is a good thing here. First Blood matches are tough to do well but they fought this like a regular brawl with a blood spot and it worked. Good match from these two.  Match Time: 12:29     Star Rating: ***

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

A normal title match with two great workers and no gimmicks? Say it isn’t so on this PPV! This was a really strong match from these guys and the second best match of the night. Great to see AJ in a really good singles match after being stuck in the multi-man Fortune/EV 2.0 matches the past couple months. They lock up a couple times to start until Williams takes down AJ to his knee. Good chain wrestling follows until AJ sends Williams into the ropes to break a front face lock. Williams fights out of the Styles Clash and a stare down follows. Williams applies a front chancery and some variations but AJ sends him into the corner. Styles fights out of the Chaos Theory and sends Williams to the floor. Styles hits a kick to the gut as Williams comes back in, but Williams hits a European uppercut. Williams boots Styles off the apron, sending him to the floor. Williams does a crazy dive off the apron onto Styles, but Styles comes back with some right hands in the ring. William traps AJ’s leg in the ropes and hits a clothesline. Williams hits a running knee and goes to the top rope, but AJ shoves him down to the floor.

Williams comes back into the ring but AJ puts him down and hits a second rope moonsault. Williams hits some headbutts but eats a dropkick from AJ for a near fall. AJ applies a rear chin lock but Williams fights out. Williams blocks a suplex but AJ hits a knee, hanging up Williams on the ropes. Williams returns to the ring but Styles works the knee and applies a figure four, with Williams struggling to fight out and both guys rolling out to the floor. The figure four stays intact on the outside but both guys return to the ring to beat the count. Williams hits a couple uppercuts only for Styles to reverse a standard suplex, but Williams hits a huge exploder. Williams puts on a cravat and hits a running knee, then hits a big boot and a diving European uppercut from the second rope for a near fall. Styles comes back with a moonsault reverse DDT but only gets two, and Williams scores a near fall off a roll-up. They trade punches until Styles hits a Pele. Williams ends up outside the ring where AJ tries for a dive, but Williams avoids it. Williams then runs AJ into the guardrail and hits a crazy Chaos Theory on the outside. Both guys beat the count but Williams hits a Styles Clash on AJ in the ring for the victory. Really good match between these guys but it felt like it could have used an extra few minutes to be really great. Perhaps they’re saving that for a rematch, which I’d certainly have no problem with. Match Time: 14:53     Star Rating: ***1/2

6.    Full Metal Mayhem match for the TNA World Tag Team Championship: The Motor City Machineguns(c) vs. Generation Me

This was a completely awesome tag title match, and a potential TNA match of the year candidate. Best match yet between these teams and a proper way to end the feud. The match starts with both teams brawling at ringside until Jeremy Buck hits a facebuster on Chris Sabin in the ring before doing an outside dive onto Alex Shelley. Jeremy sets up a table on the floor while Max Buck beats on Sabin in the ring. Sabin avoids a suplex off the apron through the table but takes a double team DDT from Gen. Me. They go for another double team move but Sabin fights out and dropkicks Max. Jeremy wedges a chair in the corner, but ends up getting splashed against it by the Guns. Jeremy throws a chair in Shelley’s face before hitting a single leg dropkick. Gen. Me grab a ladder but the Guns hit a baseball slide against it. Sabin tries a dive but gets a chair thrown in his face, and Shelley is then hit in the leg with a chair. Shelley fights back in the ring and tries for a shiranui (Sliced Bread #2), but Max powerbombs him into a ladder in the corner. Jeremy then jumps off the turnbuckle, sandwiching Shelley with the ladder. The Guns prevent Gen. Me from getting the titles, but Gen. Me comes back with some double team moves. Sabin prevents Max from ascending the ladder by hitting a dragon screw through the ladder. Max ends up sandwiched in the ladder, which Shelley hits a double stomp to, before Jeremy ends up bulldogged onto the ladder with Max still trapped.

Sabin climbs the ladder but Gen. Me knocks it over, sending Sabin into the ropes. Max sends Shelley into the corner while Sabin sends Jeremy into the ladder in the corner. Max is tied up in the tree of woe, where Sabin dropkicks a chair into his face. Max ends up buried under a ladder, which Sabin then stacks with a couple chairs, and Shelley then hits a diving double stomp onto the pile with Max underneath. The Guns bring in two more ladders and set them up, with all four guys fighting on them. Everyone ends up falling down, with both teams attempting double team moves before the Guns hit a wheelbarrow chair assisted lungblower. The Guns reset the ladders and grab a table, setting it up across the tops of two of the ladders a la the Triangle Ladder match from Wrestlemania 2000. The Guns then hit Jeremy with a crazy doomsday device cross body on the outside, and then set up another table in the ring. Gen. Me put Sabin on the table and Max punches him while Jeremy climbs a ladder. Shelley stops him and they fight on the apron, with Shelley hitting an insane standing shiranui off the apron through the table left on the floor. Max and Sabin then stand on the table atop the ladders, dueling with chairs, Max’s chair is knocked out of his hands and he ends up falling off the structure, taking a bump through the other table in the ring. Sabin pulls down the titles and the Guns retain. This was a completely awesome match with a lot of innovative spots and less reliance on the tables, which you typically don’t see in a TLC style match. Match Time: 16:05     Star Rating: ****1/4

7.    Casket match: Abyss vs. D’Angelo Dinero

Surprisingly, the downfall of this PPV did not begin with this match. After a pretty piss poor match at Turning Point, Pope and Abyss had a surprisingly decent match here. Pope hits a bunch of punches at the start, but has to avoid being tossed into the casket. Pope pounds on Abyss some more, but Abyss throws him outside by the throat. Pope beats on Abyss outside the ring, slamming him into the barricade and driving his knee into him. Pope avoids a corner splash from Abyss back in the ring and hits one of his own and a face plant. He goes up top only for Abyss picks him up and slams him off the top onto the casket, but this was much safer than the fateful Shawn Michaels bump because Pope took a full bump on the casket rather than clipping his back on the edge. Abyss hits a corner splash in the ring and takes Dinero to the casket, but Dinero fights back with a dropkick. Abyss hangs on to the ropes and head butts Dinero. Abyss hits a punch before Dinero catches him with a sleeper, but Abyss turns it into a side slam. Abyss head butts Dinero but can’t fully shut the lid on the casket. Dinero comes back with a punch and a diving shoulder block before hitting some more quick strikes culminating with a clothesline/leg sweep combo. Dinero hits some inverted atomic drops and a bulldog before trying to put Abyss in the casket, but Abyss prevents it and throws Dinero back in the ring, where he hits a Black Hole Slam. Pope prevents the lid from being shut on the casket and knocks Abyss into the ring with some punches. Pope hits the 4Up followed by the DDE and puts Abyss in the casket, but when he tries to shut the lid Abyss hits a DICK PUNCH through the side of the casket, and then strangely holds on to Pope’s crotch. Both guys end up fighting on the apron, where Abyss chokeslams Pope into the casket before shutting the lid to end the match. Wasn’t that great of a match but they hit some nice spots, though I question why Abyss needed to go over as a win would have done a lot for Pope. Similar to the First Blood match, this was a tricky gimmick that ended up being executed solidly. Match Time: 12:02     Star Rating: **3/4

8.    Submission match: Jeff Jarrett vs. Samoa Joe

Ah, NOW we move on to the downfall of the PPV. I had countless problems with the angle leading up to this match, and this match proved to be just as crappy as the storyline which preceded it. Jarrett is in his MMA gear as we get a brief lock up with both guys feeling each other out. Joe hits a big Judo toss but Jarrett hits some cheap shots. Joe pulls down Jarrett down into an arm bar and Jarrett gets a rope break, but Joe applies a key lock. Jarrett makes it to the ropes but Joe beats on him in the corner. Jarrett ends up tying Joe’s leg up on the post on the outside and applying a sloppy Ankle Lock. Joe rolls out of the hold and hits some strikes before applying an Ankle Lock of his own, with a grapevine. Jarrett gets a break but takes a bump and a senton splash. Joe applies an arm submission now, with Jarrett again getting to the ropes before Joe hits some punches and a powerbomb before applying a cloverleaf. Jarrett crawls to the floor, where Joe catches him in a rear naked choke to force a submission, but it doesn’t count because they’re outside the ring. Joe applies an arm bar back in the ring and Jarrett taps out, but his foot was under the ropes. Joe misses a knee in the corner but hits a Muscle Buster. Gunner and Murphy then run out, REPEATING THE SAME SPOT FROM THE TURNING POINT MATCH, distracting Joe and allowing Jarrett to catch him in an Ankle Lock. The ref calls for the bell as Joe struggles and Jarrett has now garnered TWO SUBMISSION VICTORIES OVER SAMOA JOE IN 2010. This match was really bad, not only due to TNA trying to pretend that they are MMA, but also due to the fact that the storytelling made zero sense with Joe constantly going back and forth between the arm and the leg. Pick a body part and stick with it. I still can’t believe Joe lost. Really bad stuff. Match Time: 9:09     Star Rating: *1/2

9.    No Disqualification match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship with Mr. Anderson as Special Guest Referee: Jeff Hardy(c) vs. Matt Morgan

Anderson announces at the start that the match would be No DQ. Jeff Hardy was reported to be in such a bad state earlier in the day that TNA considered pulling him from the show, stripping him of the title, and crowning a new champion tonight. Lovely news. This match was every bit as bad as you’d think it would be. They lock up to start, with Morgan throwing Hardy into the corner, punching him, and slamming him into the turnbuckle. Morgan hits the rapid fire elbows and a splash, and then hits an apron leg drop. Hardy dropkicks Morgan out of the ring and hits a double sledge before sending Morgan into the ring post. They return to the ring where Hardy applies a chin lock, but Morgan fights out and avoids some right hands. Hardy hits a back elbow but misses the Whisper in the Wind. Morgan hits some clotheslines, a corner splash, and a side slam, which he follows up with a discuss clothesline for a near fall. Hardy kicks a charging Morgan in the corner and tries for the dive, but gets caught with a sloppy Black Hole Slam by Morgan. Hardy hits a Twist of Hate for a near fall. Hardy hits some punches but Morgan hits the Carbon Footprint. Hardy fights out of a suplex and hits a Twist of Hate, which he follows up with some leg drops before going up top.

Morgan gets the knees up to block the Swanton and is slow to get up as Hardy walks away. Anderson confronts him on the ramp but Hardy shoves him a few times. Anderson then beats on Hardy and throws him back in the ring, where Morgan gets a near fall off a roll-up. Hardy hits ANOTHER Twist of Hate but Anderson does a very slow count, allowing Morgan to kick out. Hardy hits Morgan in the leg with a chair and goes for the Twist of Hate, but Morgan shoves him off into Anderson, who takes a bump to the outside. Morgan hits the Carbon Footprint, but Eric Bischoff comes out with his son Jackson James. You know, that referee involved in that storyline where he keeps getting bullied by Immortal. Morgan gets a near fall after a slow count, and Morgan yells at Bischoff. He puts down the chair and tries for a chokeslam, but Hardy hits the Twist of Hate onto the chair, and James COUNTED THE PIN LIKE ANY NORMAL REFEREE WOULD and Hardy retains. WHAT? That is worse than the obvious swerve that people expected. That was completely MORONIC. The match also sucked. Botched spots and general sloppiness, and the whole thing consisted of Hardy hitting the Twist of Hate over and over again. For the love of God let this be the end of the Matt Morgan experiment. Hardy needs help to have good main event matches, and Matt Morgan certainly is not help. Match Time: 12:38     Star Rating: *1/2

Overall PPV Rating: 7.25/10

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 forwww.sportsgrumblings.com for over two years.

1.    Winner is #1 Contender to the TNA World Tag Team Championship: The Motor City Machineguns vs. Beer Money Inc. vs. Team 3D

The show opened with a pretty good 3 way tag match where the winner would be the number one contenders for the tag titles. All 3 teams were showcased well, however it just seemed like Team 3D couldn’t care less about the match. Robert Roode and Alex Shelley begin with a ton of chain wrestling before Shelley hits a hurricanrana and a wheelbarrow into a bulldog for a near fall. Roode fights back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker before tagging in his partner. Storm lands some shots on Shelley and knocks Sabin off the apron. Storm rolls to the outside but is met with a kick from Sabin. The Guns then double team Roode in the ring and do the same to Storm once he is tagged in. Storm gets a high knee on Sabin but Brother Ray gets the blind tag on Storm. Ray works Sabin’s arm for a bit before Sabin comes back with some kicks to the ribs, but Ray puts him back down with a right hand and a big boot. Devon is tagged in and does a backbreaker leg drop combo with Ray but Shelley breaks up the pin attempt. Shelley lands a dropkick on Devon but misses a dive to the outside on Ray. Devon hits a slam on Sabin but Storm breaks it up. Ray is tagged in and hits a chop to Sabin before knocking both members of Beer Money off the ring apron. Ray goes for a senton but Sabin avoids it and tags in Shelley. Shelley starts to work over both members of Team 3D, gets caught on a cross body attempt, but Sabin dropkicks Shelley allowing him to connect. 3D collide on a Ray dive to the outside before Sabin hits an outside dive onto Beer Money. Roode gets a tag and clotheslines Shelley before hitting a double suplex with Storm. Shelley eats a ton of offense before Storm puts on a rear chin lock. Beer Money continue to work over Shelley before Shelley gets the tag to Sabin. Everything breaks down with 3D throwing bodies everywhere. 3D hit a doomsday device to Roode and an elbow to Storm. Sabin hits a springboard cross body on Ray for a 2 count before Sabin is thrown to the outside. 3D tries for the 3D but Storm spits beer in Devon’s eyes. The Guns enter and hit a neckbreaker cross body combo on Roode to win the match. Pretty good opener, happy the Guns won. Match Time: 12:38     Match Rating: 6.5/10

2.    TNA Global Championship: Rob Terry(c) vs. Orlando Jordan

Although it was the worst match of the night, this was not as bad as I was expecting given the disgusting and bizarre storyline. Terry pounds on Jordan all across the ring at the start before hitting a big hip toss. Terry hits a corner clothesline and a big lariat, then hits a back body drop, a corner splash, and a big side slam for a 2 count. Jordan hits a boot to the face but Terry responds with a spin kick. Jordan tries to crawl away up the ramp but Terry brings him back into the ring. Terry hits a big running powerslam for a near fall before missing a kick and getting his leg hung up in the ropes. Jordan kicks away at the leg before slamming it down to the mat. He wrenches away at the leg before tying it up around the ring post. Jordan is still pounding away at the knee, interrupted by a couple failed submission attempts. Terry tries to fend him off but Jordan responds with some punches before going back to the knee, hitting a very messed up looking weak knee drop. Jordan misses another knee drop and Terry hits a chokeslam out of nowhere for the win. Very boring match that dragged out a bit longer than it needed to. Match Time: 7:52     Match Rating: 3/10

3.    TNA X Division Championship: Kazarian(c) vs. Doug Williams

This was arguably the match of the night. Not your typical X Division spotfest at all, these guys worked to put on a very good match that incorporated multiple wrestling styles. After a couple lockups and breaks, Williams puts on a front chancery  before taking Kaz down to the mat. Kaz puts on a headscissors but Williams powers out. More mat wrestling between these two as they trade holds. Kaz fights out of a second chancery and puts on an armbar. They go up top but Kaz gets knocked off and crashes face first on the edge of the entrance ramp. Kaz goes to the apron but Williams sends him back down with a neckbreaker. Williams sends Kaz into the apron on the outside before putting on a front face lock in the ring. Kaz suplexes Williams into the ropes before dropkicking him to the outside. Kaz hits a cross body over the ropes to Williams before they return to the ring again where Kaz hits a springboard dropkick. Kaz hits a ton of strikes before hitting a spinning neckbreaker for a near fall. Williams almost catches a charging Kaz in the corner with the Chaos Theory but Kaz counters with a roll-up. Kaz slingshots himself over the ropes with a DDT for another near fall. Williams hits a couple headbutts, a clothesline, and a running knee, but Kaz comes back with a springboard forearm. Williams hits a partly botched turnbuckle powerbomb, with Kaz hitting the back of his head on the bottom turnbuckle. Williams goes for a pin after a suplex but Kaz kicks out. Kaz hits a reverse Russian leg sweep, then fights out of a piledriver attempt with a back body drop. Kaz tries for an electric chair off the top but Williams fights out, rolls through, and hits the Chaos Theory for the win. I wish the title wasn’t hot shotted like this, but this was still a very good X Division title match. Match Time: 14:01     Match Rating: 7/10

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

Though this was not that great of a women’s match at all, it ended up being a bit better than what it should have been due to this being Tara’s farewell match in TNA. Tara attacks Rayne from behind and beats her on the ramp, but Rayne fights back and sends Tara into the ring. Rayne hits a knee and puts on a submission but Tara fights out. Rayne goes to the outside and sweeps out Tara’s leg, but Tara slams Rayne face first into the apron and gets a near fall in the ring. Rayne unsuccessfully tries to win with a couple roll-ups but then hits a big clothesline. Tara hits a face buster and sends Rayne into the corner before tossing her across the ring by her hair. Tara hits a suplex and puts on a front guillotine but Rayne hits some punches before kicking Tara in the side of the head. Tara hits a clothesline but Rayne fights out of a Widow’s Peak attempt. Tara hits the Widow’s Peak but the impact is so great that Rayne is sent rolling to the outside. Tara puts her back in the ring and hits a slam followed up by a top rope moonsault but only gets a 2 count. Tara goes for a second moonsault but Rayne avoids it and hits a spinning neckbreaker onto her leg for the win. After the match the crowd showed their appreciation for Tara as she left. This was an okay, short Knockouts match. Match Time: 6:31     Match Rating: 4/10

5.    TNA World Tag Team Championship: The Band(c) vs. Ink Inc.

This was a pretty poor tag team match, a sharp contrast from the very entertaining opening tag contest. Shannon Moore slaps Scott Hall in the face and they lock up, with Hall slapping Moore in the back of the head. Moore comes out of nowhere with a roll-up attempt but Hall hits a knee before sending Moore into the corner where Hall hits a dropkick. Moore fights back with a second rope dropkick and a spin kick but Hall fights out of the pin attempt. After a shove from Hall both men tag in their partners. Jesse Neal sends Kevin Nash into the corner, burying his knee in Nash’s midsection and elbowing him in the head. Neal starts to pound away but Nash comes back and chokes him with his boot. Nash hits a couple knees before tagging in Hall, who puts Neal in an abdominal stretch before doing a terrible assist in front of the ref. Neal hits a hip toss to Hall, allowing him to tag in Moore as Hall makes the tag to Nash. Moore hits a ton of offense before capping it with a cross body to Nash and tagging in Neal. Moore hits a neckbreaker to Nash but then goes after Hall, going over the ropes with a cross body. Neal accidentally spears the ref, but is all over Nash with punches. Eric Young comes down to ringside with a kendo stick. Nash hits Moore with the stick but Neal spears Nash and takes the stick. EY takes it back but Brother Ray appears on the ramp. He whacks EY with the kendo stick and goes in the ring. Neal says he’s got it now, but Ray hits him with the kendo stick and Nash crawls onto him for the win. Not a bad swerve but the match was weak. Match Time: 8:03     Match Rating: 3.5/10

6.    Chelsea vs. Ring match: Desmond Wolfe vs. Abyss

Surprisingly, this match was pretty solid and had no overbooking or interference. Abyss jumps Wolfe during his entrance, pounding away at him and sending him to the floor. Wolfe tries to throw his entrance attire into Abyss’s face but this fails as Abyss sends him into the ring. Wolfe hits a kick and a punch but just bounces off of Abyss when he attempts a cross body. The two trade some strikes before Abyss hits a couple clotheslines. Abyss tries for a chokeslam but Chelsea distracts him, allowing Wolfe to send him to the floor with a shoulder block. Wolfe hits a kick to the midsection but Abyss tries for the chokeslam again. Wolfe fights out but Abyss hits a big kick followed by a corner clothesline and a side slam for a near fall. Wolfe fights out of yet another chokeslam attempt by hitting a quick DDT. Wolfe goes to work on Abyss in the corner, hitting a big uppercut and attacking the arm. Wolfe tries for a lariat but Abyss hits a chokeslam. Abyss tries to chokeslam Chelsea, but she distracts the ref and Wolfe hits Abyss with some brass knucks. Abyss kicks out at two, then Hulks up before hitting the Black Hole Slam for the win. A pretty decent match between these two, but a bit short. Match Time: 9:06     Match Rating: 6/10

7.    Jeff Hardy vs. Mr. Anderson

This was a pretty good, solid match between these two but I feel like they could have done a bit better. It was billed as one of the main event matches of the evening and failed to fully live up to that billing, instead being more of a “good midcard match”. Anderson knees Hardy in the stomach and pounds away at him with punches and stomps before Hardy fights back. Hardy tries for a flying clothesline but Anderson avoids it and Hardy is sent to the outside. Anderson sends Hardy into the apron before rolling him back into the ring where he misses an elbow drop. Hardy hits a couple clotheslines and some more strikes but when he tries for the corner dropkick, Anderson blocks it with his foot. Anderson tries for a quick pin before continuing to pound away at Hardy with a bunch of right hands. Hardy fights out of an abdominal stretch but Anderson hits a knee for a near fall. Hardy puts his foot up as Anderson comes off the top, but Anderson catches it and hits an elbow drop. Anderson is still all over Hardy with the strikes, and puts on a second abdominal stretch. Hardy tries for a headscissors in the corner but ends up crotched on the ropes. Hardy backdrops a charging Anderson onto the entrance ramp, where he uses a chair to do the Poetry in Motion leg lariat to Anderson against the ropes. The two go back and forth in the ring with Hardy hitting some clotheslines and a neckbreaker. Hardy hits some more clotheslines and tries for a suplex, but Anderson hits a Finlay roll. Hardy fights out of the Mic Check, but Anderson sends him into the ropes and connects with his finisher. Hardy kicks out of the pin attempt and hits some kicks followed by a front suplex. Hardy hits a Twist of Fate before the two battle on the top rope. Anderson tries for a Green Bay Plunge but Hardy avoids the impact, driving Anderson face first into the mat. Hardy hits a Swanton Bomb to Anderson’s back and gets the win. Good match, but there was room for improvement. Match Time: 14:00     Match Rating: 6.5/10

8.    Jeff Jarrett vs. Sting

This ended up not being much of a match. Sting and Jarrett are brawling backstage, with Jarrett getting busted open. Sting continues the assault, focusing on Jarrett’s shoulder, as officials try to get them to move to the ring. They enter the Impact Zone where Sting slams Jarrett into the barricade and beats him down with the bat and the ring steps, just destroying his shoulder. He tosses Jeff in the ring, then hits the Scorpion Death Drop just as the bell rings for the quick win. Jarrett was stretchered out but Sting attacks again, leading Hogan to come out. This belonged on Impact, but it wasn’t terrible. Match Time: 0:11     Match Rating: N/A

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

The heavily hyped match between RVD and AJ Styles ended up not being nearly as good as wrestling fans around the world had hoped for. This was a good main event, but TNA had hyped this thing up like it was going to set the world on fire. The match begins with a very lengthy 3 minute stare down with posing, interrupted by some kick attempts and a lock up. AJ interrupts an RVD pose but gets clotheslined to the outside. AJ pulls RVD to the outside where they fight near the ramp. RVD avoids an AJ moonsault from the ramp and hits one of his own. Both men roll back into the ring when Flair distracts the ref, leading to him getting ejected from ringside, only for him to hop on commentary, which was quite distracting. AJ argues with the ref before hitting RVD with a punch and rolling into the ring. Van Dam tries to follow but Styles knocks him back into the barricade before hitting a crazy somersault senton out of the ring that came off like a leg drop. Styles goes to work on RVD in the ring, hitting a slam and a knee drop. AJ hits a series of kicks to Van Dam and chokes him against the ropes, eventually breaking. Van Dam tries to fight back but AJ lands some punches and a dropkick. Styles puts on a rear chin lock but RVD gets to his feet. AJ tries sending him into the corner but RVD hits a single leg dropkick and both men are down. Van Dam hits some clotheslines and sends AJ into the corner with a big kick before hitting a monkey flip which got a ton of height. RVD tries for the Five Star but Styles avoids it. Styles hits a springboard clothesline and a Pele kick but gets a 2 count each time. RVD averts a corner splash from Styles and hits a Northern Lights suplex before Styles gets a small package for two. RVD crotches AJ on the ropes and hits a single leg dropkick for a near fall. Styles blocks rolling thunder with his knees and spins RVD out from a torture rack into a powerbomb. AJ hits a flying forearm for yet another near fall. RVD fights out of the Styles Clash before both guys clothesline each other. RVD tries for a couple of roll-ups but to no avail. AJ jumps off the second turnbuckle with a moonsault into an inverted DDT. RVD moves out of the way to avoid the springboard 450 splash. Flair runs onto the ramp but Jay Lethal is out to stop him. Both guys trade chops before Lethal hits a low blow and puts Flair in the Figure Four. Styles tries for a superplex back in the ring but RVD knocks him off and sends him throat first into the ropes. RVD hits the Five Star Frog Splash for the win to retain his title. The match was not nearly as exciting as this report may suggest. It was incredibly long and had several slow parts, feeling as long as it was. People expected something truly phenomenal and all they got in the end was a little step up from their Impact match. Match Time: 24:57     Match Rating: 7/10

Overall PPV Rating: 6.75/10

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.    Ladder match: Brian Kendrick vs. Amazing Red vs. Daniels vs. Kazarian

The winner of this match would be the number one contender to the X Division Championship. This was a great spot fest match and a really fun way to kick off the PPV. All four guys got to shine and the match was given a good amount of time. Red and Kaz team up on the heels in the early going, sending them to the outside before Red hits a great corkscrew plancha over the top rope to the outside. Daniels, Kendrick, and Red each unsuccessfully go for the contract before Daniels gets a ladder dropkicked into his face. Red and Kendrick fall off a ladder into the corner while going for the contract. Daniels hits an STO to Kendrick before the action moves to the ringside area. A ladder is propped up from the ring to the guard rail. Kendrick gets front suplexed on the ladder before Kaz is also planted on it. Daniels stands on the ladder before Red comes off the top rope with a hurricanrana sending Daniels to the floor. Kaz and Red scale the ladder in the ring but Kendrick pushes it over. Kaz goes face first into the ladder before he hits a leg drop that sends Daniels into the ladder. Kaz again eats the ladder before Daniels props it up and slams Red on it. Kaz gets back dropped on another ladder before Kendrick unsuccessfully goes for the contract and gets tossed into a ladder in the corner. Daniels climbs the ladder but Kaz pulls him off and powerbombs him into the ladder in the corner. Kendrick takes Kaz off the other ladder with a face buster. Kaz nails a cutter on Red but eats Sliced Bread from Kendrick (no pun intended). Daniels hits a Death Valley Driver to Kendrick before 2 ladders are set up side by side in the ring. Daniels gives Red a uranage off the ladders before trapping Red and Kendrick in the rungs at the bottom. Kaz gets on the ladder and  back body drops Daniels off of it. He then knocks Kendrick off the ladder before grabbing the contract. Great opener. Match Time: 13:44     Match Rating: 8/10

2.    TNA Women’s Knockout Championship: Tara(c) vs. Daffney

Albeit short, this was a pretty decent Knockouts match.  Tara slams Daffney in the early going before hitting a standing shooting star press. Daffney sends Tara into the bottom turnbuckle before stomping away at her and hitting a body slam. Tara puts on the Tarantula submission in the corner before Daffney comes back with some snapmares. Daffney puts on a cool submission where Tara was hung up almost upside down in a figure four like position with Daffney’s legs around her head. Tara fights out with some strikes before hitting a spinebuster for a near fall. Daffney hits a kick and a Northern Lights suplex but only gets a 2 count. Tara hits a sidewalk slam before Daffney sends Tara to the outside into the guardrail. Back in the ring, Daffney tries to use the title belt but Tara ducks and hits the Widow’s Peak for the win. After the match Daffney stole Tara’s spider. Decent but short Knockouts match. Match Time: 6:45     Match Rating: 5/10

3.    Global Championship: Rob Terry(c) vs. Brutus Magnus

Kudos to whoever booked this thing. This was just a quick, fun, harmless squash. Terry sends Magnus to the outside with a clothesline before Magnus comes back in the ring with some strikes. Magnus tries for a cross body but Terry powers him down before hitting a spin kick and a chokelift spinebuster for the win. This was fun, short, and sweet so therefore it will not get a rating. Match Time: 1:26     Match Rating: N/A

4.    Ultimate X match: Generation Me vs. The Motor City Machineguns

The winner of this match would be the number one contender to the Tag Team Championship. This was just a flat out awesome match and the match of the night, just a hair ahead of the ladder match. The match begins with a flurry of double team offense before Generation Me hit a couple dropkicks and go for the X. The Guns prevent this and go to work on Jeremy. A crazy spot occurred when Max was on Sabin’s shoulders on the outside, and Shelley did a twisting cross body to Mac sending all 3 guys to the floor. The Guns go to work on Jeremy in the ring but end up eating a double dropkick from Max. Generation Me then hit a great double team move with Max hitting a dropkick and Jeremy hitting a spinning plancha. Sabin tries to pull Max off the cables and fails but Shelley gets the job done. Max hits Shelley with a spear before Jeremy connects with a moonsault. Jeremy goes for the X with Max in the ring for protection, but he gets kicked by Sabin, who then runs and jumps off of Max to spear Jeremy off the cables (yes you read that right!). All four guys end up down in the ring before attacking each other with a flurry of kicks. Max powerbombs Shelley into Jeremy’s knees in the corner. Generation Me go for More Bang for Your Buck but the Guns counter and Shelley ends up suplexing Jeremy into Max in the corner. Max eats a double sliced bread before Sabin and Jeremy fight atop the X. Sabin knocks Jeremy off, grabs the X, and the Guns win it. What a match! Match Time: 12:07     Match Rating: 8.5/10

5.    Scott Hall and Syxx-Pac vs. Kevin Nash and Eric Young

The stipulation was that if Hall and Pac won, they earned their TNA contracts but would have to leave the company if they lost. This was easily the worst match of the night, as expected from these guys. Young and Pac lock up before Pac hits a thumb to the eye and a shoulder block. Young rebounds with a Thesz press before pounding away at Pac. Pac lands a kick before tagging in Hall, who works over Young’s arm and hits a fall away slam. Pac gets the tag and sends Young to the outside before hitting an impressive plancha. Hall tags in and goes to work on Young before Young makes a comeback with a sleeper. The ref is distracted and doesn’t see that Young tagged in Nash. Pac and Hall double team Young and spray paint in his face before Nash gets the tag, shoves the ref, and then turns on Young by hitting him with a Jackknife powerbomb (who didn’t see that one coming). Young eats the pin after an X Factor from Pac and a Razor’s Edge from Hall. The swerve was very dragged out and much of the match was slow and boring. Match Time: 8:04     Match Rating: 3/10

6.    TNA X Division Championship: Doug Williams(c) vs. Shannon Moore

This was a pretty good X Division title match but it was pretty short. Williams pounds at Moore before taking him down with a side headlock. Moore fights back into it with some arm drags, an atomic drop, and a nice leg drop. Moore hits a big hurricanrana but can’t keep Williams down. Williams blocks a second hurricanrana and starts choking Moore. Moore fights out of a chancery but eats a gutwrench suplex. Moore counters the Chaos Theory but Williams hits a running knee in the corner before pounding away at Moore in the corner. Moore responds with a bulldog, leg lariat, and a dropkick before hitting a twisting moonsault, sending Williams to the outside. Moore hits a moonsault to Williams on the outside before the action returns to the ring. The ref is distracted as Williams and Moore struggle over a brick pulled out by Williams in the corner. Williams hits Moore in the face with it and gets the pin to retain his title. After the match Williams cut a great promo against the X Division high flyers, snatched a woman’s purse from ringside, and colored a bleeding Moore’s face with lipstick. Good but brief X Division match. Match Time: 6:23     Match Rating: 6/10

7.    TNA World Tag Team Championship: Matt Morgan and Hernandez(c) vs. Beer Money Inc.

This was a pretty bland, nothing tag match though it did have its moments. Hernandez and Roode lock up to start things off before Roode starts to pound away in the corner. Roode escapes a powerbomb attempt but Hernandez hits a big shoulder block. Morgan tags in and subtly taunts Hernandez (They teased tension between the two throughout the match). Morgan hits a side slam and tags in Hernandez, who takes a knee to the gut before hitting the stalling vertical suplex on Storm. Morgan tags in and slams Storm into the turnbuckle before hitting a cross body on both members of Beer Money. Hernandez gets the tag and sends Roode to the outside, but Morgan cuts Hernandez off before he can go for the dive. Beer Money take advantage of the jawing between the two and start pounding at Hernandez in the corner.  Hernandez gets crotched on the top rope and takes a double superplex. Hernandez fights out of a chinlock but falls victim to an inverted tornado DDT from Storm. Hernandez gets a slingshot shoulder block before Morgan gets the tag and cleans house. Hernandez gets another tag and connects with the dive to Roode on the outside. Roode and Hernandez argue near the ropes and Storm does the beer spit. Hernandez ducks and it hits Morgan. Hernandez then hits a Dominator for the win (they called it the Border Toss but it really wasn’t). After the match Morgan hit Hernandez with the Carbon Footprint before leaving with both belts. This was a dumb swerve to end a mediocre match. Match Time: 11:28     Match Rating: 4.5/10

8.    Mr. Anderson vs. Kurt Angle

Surprisingly, this ended up being the longest match of the night. I actually enjoyed their match at Against All Odds more, and the match was half as long as this. The match started with a couple lockups and Angle putting on a side headlock each time. Angle fights off headlock attempts from Anderson before Anderson kicks him in the gut and applies a headlock. Angle hits a suplex to fight out before sending Anderson across the ring and hitting a back body drop. Angle hits ten punches in the corner followed up by a snap suplex. Anderson comes back with a single arm DDT and starts to work over the arm. Anderson hits a shoulder block before applying a key lock. Angle fights out of an arm bar and hits a big lariat before connecting with other clotheslines with the good arm. Anderson counters the Angle Slam and hits a standing Green Bay Plunge. Angle counters the Mic Check, hits a trio of Germans, and then connects with the Angle Slam for a near fall. Anderson escapes the Ankle Lock, then hits a low blow and the Mic Check, but Angle kicks out. The two fight atop a turnbuckle but Angle sends Anderson to the mat and hits a frog splash for a near fall. Anderson counters the Angle Slam before Angle accidentally takes out the ref. Anderson hits an Angle Slam but the ref is out. Anderson gets a chair from the audience but tosses it aside and goes to use the dog tag medal thing. Anderson wraps it around his fist but Angle ducks a punch and hits a German. Angle cuts open Anderson with the medal and pounds away at him. He then applies to Ankle Lock and Anderson eventually taps out. Anderson cuts a bizarre promo post match that just seemed awkward. Decent match, but it took a while to get going and was too long. Match Time: 17:50     Match Rating: 6/10

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

Ah, the main event, featuring the mini Ric Flair and Abyss-a-Mania. This was a good match ruined by a horrendous ending. Abyss is all over AJ before JB can even finish with the introductions. He pounds on him in the corner before the fight spills onto the entrance ramp. AJ counters a chokeslam back in the ring and hits an enzuigiri. He hangs up Abyss in the ropes but Abyss catches Styles with a belly to belly suplex. Styles hits a few dropkicks before wedging a chair in between the turnbuckles in the corner. AJ chokes Abyss against the ropes but can’t get him up for a power slam. Abyss tries for a gorilla press but AJ fights out and hits a dropkick. Styles wraps up Abyss’s leg in the corner and goes to work on it. Styles tries for the springboard forearm but Abyss catches him and tries for a chokeslam. Styles counters, but Abyss splashes him in the corner and hits a sidewalk slam. He tries for Shock Treatment but AJ fights out and hits a Pele. Styles hits the springboard forearm and tries for the Styles Clash but Abyss catapults him into the chair in the corner. Abyss hits Shock Treatment for a near fall before the two fight on the top turnbuckle. Styles knocks Abyss to the mat and hits the Spiral Tap for a near fall. Abyss hits the Black Hole Slam for a near fall, and Ric Flair is rolled to the ring (he is in a wheelchair) by Chelsea (Desmond Wolfe’s manager). Flair sprays something in the ref’s eyes before slipping the title to AJ. AJ hits Abyss with the belt before Hulk Hogan and Earl Hebner come out. Hogan wheels Flair to the back and sends Chelsea away. Styles hits a springboard 450 splash but Abyss kicks out and starts to hulk up. He hits some right hands and big boot before chokeslamming Styles through the middle of the ring. Hebner calls for the bell and I guess it’s a no contest. Flair returns to the ring but Hogan sprays him in the face with the mace. Desmond Wolfe comes down to the ring and also gets maced, trips over Flair, and falls into the hole made by Abyss’s chokeslam. The faces celebrate in the ring despite the match being a no contest. Yes, you just read all of that 100% correctly. It’s a shame this all had to happen as this match was going along so well. Match Time: 15:06     Match Rating: 5.5/10

Overall PPV Rating: 7.5/10

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

===In-ring segment===

The PPV kicked off with a promo from Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff, announcing the new changes to the Impact Zone, ring, and ringside area. Hogan came off looking like a heel when he referred to the 6 sided ring as a playpen. I am definitely against PPVs starting off with promos, as promos don’t really have a place on PPVs to begin with, but at least this one was kept very short and sort of made sense.

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

Amazing Red was announced to be defending his title against a mystery opponent, which turned out to be the debuting Brian Kendrick. Kendrick is definitely a guy who can work well with a lot of the X Division talent so I am happy that he is in TNA. This was a very exciting X Division title match to open the show. Kendrick takes down Red with a couple arm bars early on before working over his leg with some kicks and a leg bar. He continues this until Red hits a spinning kick, sending Kendrick to the floor before Red hits a front flip senton to the outside. Kendrick is able to put on a single leg Boston crab a couple times before using a modified STF. Red gets a hurricanrana for a near fall before Kendrick hits him several more kicks. Red gets the win out of nowhere soon after with a sunset flip powerbomb. A pretty good match to open up the show. Match Time: 8:59     Match Rating: 6/10

2.    Sean Morley vs. Daniels

The fans are all over Morley, aka WWE’s Val Venis, throughout the match and pop for Daniels despite his heel status. This was an okay match, but Daniels pretty much carried the whole thing. Morley attacks Daniels’ ribs early on with a lot of strikes before Daniels takes control with a modified triangle choke. He hits a big kick to Morley’s head before hitting a botched springboard moonsault for a near fall. Morley starts to fight back with more strikes, which is met with silence from the fans. Daniels hits an STO and an enzuigiri for another near fall. He connects with a uranage, but when he goes for the BME Morley moves out of the way. Daniels tries for a top rope hurricanrana, but Morley knocks him off before hitting the Money Shot for the victory. I am completely stunned that Christopher Daniels, who main evented TNA’s last PPV, just jobbed to Sean Morley. The match was decent but nothing special. Match Time: 9:17     Match Rating: 5/10

3.    2 Out of 3 Falls match for the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship: ODB(c) vs. Tara

This match actually surprised me a little and ended up being the best match these two have had in their feud. Both girls traded punches and kicks in the beginning before Tara hit a standing moonsault and a slingshot leg drop for near falls. ODB counters a cross body attempt with a fall away slam, but Tara surprises ODB with a small package to win the first fall. The second fall then begins with ODB slamming Tara into the turnbuckle and choking Tara with her boot in the corner. The two fight on the ring apron before ODB leaves the ring to briefly jaw with Brooke Hogan, who was at ringside. ODB works over Tara with a body scissors for a while, with Tara continuously attempting to counter it by rolling over, but to no avail. ODB hits a running powerslam, but Tara hits a Widow’s Peak out of nowhere to win the second fall, the match, and the championship. An okay Knockouts match but definitely better than Tara and ODB’s previous matches. Match Time: 9:21     Match Rating: 5.5/10

4.    TNA World Tag Team Championship: The British Invasion(c) vs. Matt Morgan and Hernandez

Although I had my doubts going in about how well these two teams would work together, this match actually surprised me and ended up being a pretty entertaining, yet somewhat short, tag team match. Morgan hits a big shoulder block early on but Magnus fights out of an attempted chokeslam. The British Invasion tries to double team Morgan but Hernandez gets tagged in and starts going at it with Williams. Williams hits some uppercuts and a high knee, but Hernandez fights back with a back body drop and a Stinger splash. Magnus breaks up an attempted powerbomb from Hernandez and the Invasion is able to hit a double superplex to Hernandez. Hernandez fights out of a sleeper hold and hits a suplex before Magnus and Hernandez tag in their partners. Morgan hits several rapid fire elbows to Williams before all four men start brawling in the ring. Morgan with a chokeslam for a near fall but the British Invasion hit a big boot into a German suplex for a near fall of their own. Hernandez slams Magnus before Morgan connects with the Carbon Footprint and we have new tag team champions. If TNA wanted to do a title switch, why not give it the Motor City Machineguns last month, especially considering that the Young Bucks recently debuted for the company! Still, this was an enjoyable tag team match. Match Time: 8:55     Match Rating: 6/10

5.    Desmond Wolfe vs. D’Angelo Dinero

This match, while not quite as good as I was expecting, was still fairly enjoyable and ended up being the second best match of the night, even though I wish it was given a bit more time. Pope hits a big shoulder block in the opening minutes before Wolfe rebounds with a handstand mule kick in the corner. Dinero rebounds with a modified Boston crab through the ropes before Wolfe comes back with a strike to the throat. Dinero locks in a single leg Boston crab before Wolfe starts to work him over with various leg submissions for a few minutes. Wolfe utilizes a modified STF before Dinero begins to fight back with some slaps. Wolfe hits a forearm before attempting the Tower of London, but Dinero counters with an STO and a suplex DDT. Wolfe wraps Pope’s leg in the ropes, but is forced to break the hold and falls victim to a spinebuster. Dinero counters a single leg Boston crab with a small package for a near fall before hitting a rope assisted neckbreaker later on. Wolfe tries for another handstand mule kick, but Dinero counters with a sitout Alabama Slam for another near fall. Dinero tries for the running double knees, but Wolfe hits a huge lariat out of nowhere and gets the win. This was a very good match between these two and I was glad that Wolfe earned his first TNA PPV win. Match Time: 13:33     Match Rating: 7/10

6.    The Band (Kevin Nash and Syxx Pac) vs. Beer Money Inc.

The stable consisting of Nash, Sean Waltman/Syxx Pac, and Scott Hall is called “The Band”. As a result of losing a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors backstage, Scott Hall was replaced by Syxx Pac in this tag team match. Boy was it for the better. Storm starts thinks off by hitting Syxx Pac with an arm drag, hip toss, and a neckbreaker before making the tag to Roode. Syxx gets double teamed before tagging in Nash, who chokes Roode against the ropes. Roode hits a flying shoulder block before making the tag to Storm, who gets clotheslined by Nash after a Syxx Pac distraction. Syxx hits a spin kick before Nash hits a corner clothesline followed up by a Syxx Pac bronco buster. Storm falls victim to a Nash sidewalk slam, but is able to get the tag to roode after avoiding another Syxx Pac bronco buster. Roode hits a spinebuster to Syxx Pac but Nash breaks up the pin attempt. Scott Hall then comes down to ringside, distracting Beer Money and allowing Nash to hit a double clothesline followed by a chokeslam on Roode for a near fall. Hall attacks a fan at ringside, and Syxx Pac apparently joins in. Nash is distracted and Storm hits a superkick followed by a roll up from Roode and Beer Money earn the victory. Another match that was alright but nothing that good. Match Time: 9:46     Match Rating: 5/10

7.    Abyss vs. Mr. Anderson

Abyss was originally scheduled to face Bobby Lashley, but after Abyss took Lashley out backstage, Hogan announced that he would have a new opponent. His new opponent turned out to be the debuting Mr. Anderson (aka WWE’s Mr. Kennedy), who got over big as a face before the match. What didn’t make sense was that Anderson wrestled the whole match as a heel. Both men trade slaps before Anderson works over Abyss’s arm, including wrenching it around the ring post. Abyss kicks a chair away from Anderson and hits some punches but Anderson sends him into the turnbuckle. Anderson works over the arm with an arm bar and a single arm DDT for a near fall. Both men trade big boots before Anderson counters the Shock Treatment with a botched hangman’s neckbreaker. Abyss hits a chokeslam and a Shock Treatment but can’t get a 3 count. Abyss grabs a chair, but while the ref is taking it away Anderson clocks Abyss with brass knuckles to get the win. A very slow-paced dull match, easily the worst match on the card. Match Time: 10:38     Match Rating: 4/10

8.    TNA World Heavyweight Championship: AJ Styles(c) vs. Kurt Angle

Looking at the clock, it seemed obvious that this main event was going to get a lot of time, and it did, clocking in at nearly half an hour. While this was definitely not the best match ever between these two, it was still a very good main event and about on par with their match from Impact 2 weeks ago. Lots of chain wrestling early on with both men trading several holds. Angle and Styles lock up before Styles fights out and hits a dropkick. AJ hits a forearm and a backbreaker before Angle hits a dropkick outside the ring. Back in the ring, Angle hits a snap suplex before locking on a seated bear hug. He hits a backbreaker and a slam before putting on a body scissors. AJ fights out and hits a couple clotheslines but Angle hits a big German suplex. Both men are down after going for simultaneous cross body blocks, and Ric Flair comes down to ringside as the men get to their feet. AJ sends Angle to the floor with a forearm and then hits a somersault leg drop to Angle outside the ring. Styles hits a springboard forearm back in the ring, but Angle counters the Styles Clash and hits 3 Germans in a row, and Styles counters an Angle Slam attempt. Angle hits two big lariats before AJ comes back with some strikes in the corner. Styles hits a hurricanrana but misses a springboard 450 splash, and Angle hits an Angle slam for a near fall. Styles avoids a moonsault a tries for a Styles Clash, but Angle reverses it into the Ankle Lock. Styles kicks Angle several times, causing him to break the hold, before he later tries for a top rope Styles Clash. Angle fights out and hits AJ with a Styles Clash of his own for a near fall. Styles reverses an Angle Slam with a DDT before hitting an Angle Slam of his own for a near fall. Angle hits a top rope Angle Slam but Styles kicks out yet again. Angle puts on an Ankle Lock, and as AJ struggles in the hold, Flair pulls the ref out of the ring. AJ taps out but the ref is out cold. Angle chases Flair but falls victim to a clothesline from Styles. Flair then slides the belt to AJ, who hits Angle over the head with it after contemplating what to do. Flair rolls the ref back into the ring and AJ retains his title. It appears as if AJ will be turning heel, as if TNA does not have enough major heels at this point. The match was very good, although not up to part with the matches they had against each other in 2008. Match Time: 28:49     Match Rating: 8/10

Overall PPV Rating: 7.25/10

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

1.    John Morrison vs. The Miz

The show kicked off with these two former tag team partners going at it. This match started off slowly in the beginning with both men applying a variety of headlocks but it got better as it went along. Morrison hits a nice flapjack followed up by a standing shooting star press for a near fall. Miz later comes back by hitting a clothesline in the corner followed by a running knee lift. The two exchange punches and kicks before Morrison misses a shining wizard and Miz goes for a roll-up. Morrison afterward connects with a springboard enzuigiri, but Miz gets his foot on the ropes when Morrison tries for the pin. Morrison then goes for a superplex, but Miz knocks him off the top ropes and jumps off to hit him with a double ax handle. Eventually near the end Miz goes for the Skull-Crushing Finale, but Morrison counters with a side Russian leg sweep. He goes up top to hit Starship Pain, but Miz knocks him off the top ropes before pinning him to win the match. Raw is now up 1-0 in the best 2 out of 3 mini-tournament going on within the PPV during the interbrand matches. Overall this was a decent opener hurt by a very weak ending. Match Rating: 5.5/10

2.    Smackdown Divas (Michelle McCool, Beth Phoenix, and Natalya) vs. Raw Divas (Melina, Kelly Kelly, and Gail Kim)

This was a surprisingly very good for a WWE women’s match. Kim starts the match by doing some good back and forth work with all of team Smackdown including hitting a nice hurricanrana to McCool. After taking some big power moves from Natalya, Kim makes the tag to Kelly, who hits a big headscissors initially, but the heels quickly regain control and begin to work her over while making quick tags. Phoenix hits a snapmare and puts Kelly in a chin lock while McCool hit a nice powerslam and a knee lift. Eventually Kelly is able to fight back into it by hitting a hurricanrana to Phoenix before making the tag to Melina. Melina does some good back and forth work with Phoenix and hits a big dropkick before getting a near fall with a roll-up. Phoenix eventually overpowers her and gets the win after hitting the Glam Slam. Smackdown has now evened the score at 1-1. A good women’s match that was only hurt by the lack of time. Match Rating: 5.5/10 (Keep in mind this is very good for a women’s match)

3.    World Heavyweight Championship: Undertaker(c) vs. CM Punk vs. Batista vs. Rey Mysterio

Despite not really getting a ton of time, this world title match was pretty entertaining due to the non-stop action, big moves, and near falls. Right out of the gate Punk goes after Mysterio and Batista and Taker go at it. Mysterio hits a seated senton to Punk and Taker connects with Old School on Batista. Batista eventually rebounds by powerslamming Punk before getting hit with a big boot from Taker. Taker then goes for a Last Ride on Mysterio, but Batista hits him with a huge spear. Mysterio and Batista then hit a 619/spinebuster combo but Punk breaks up Batista’s attempt at a pin. Taker is able to fight back into it by putting Hell’s Gate on Batista, but Punk breaks up the hold just when it appeared Batista was going to tap. Taker and Punk then go at it once again, culminating in Taker hitting the Last Ride and having a pinfall attempt broken up by Batista, who then takes on the Deadman. Taker and Batista exchange punches before Taker hits a chokeslam. After tossing Punk to the outside, Taker is hit with a Batista Bomb, but the pinfall is broken up by Mysterio. Mysterio and Batista then argue, allowing Taker to recuperate and hit Batista with a second chokeslam. Eventually this match comes to an end when Batista throws Mysterio out of the ring onto Punk before turning around right into a Tombstone and Taker retains his title. After the match, Batista blames Mysterio for his loss and attacks him during an interview segment, thus turning heel for the first time in almost five years. This segment was done very well and this match, although brief (clocking in at just under 10 minutes) was enjoyable. Match Rating: 6.5/10

4.    Team Smackdown (Chris Jericho, Kane, The Hart Dynasty, Matt Hardy, Finlay, and R-Truth) vs. Team Raw (D-Generation X, The Big Show, Jack Swagger, Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston, and Mark Henry)

With the score now tied between Raw and Smackdown, this huge brand warfare tag team match would decide who would take the Bragging Rights trophy. The match started off with R-Truth facing Cody Rhodes, stemming from their earlier backstage confrontation. The two do some decent back and forth action before Kane and Big Show get tagged in and the big men go to work. Show this a big shoulder block and leg drop before tagging in Swagger. Swagger starts to work over Kane but Kane hits a big right hand before tagging in Hardy. Hardy starts to get the upper hand on Swagger and hits a nice second rope leg drop. Swagger is eventually able to get the tag on Henry, who beats down on Hardy for a bit before tagging in Shawn Michaels. HBK hits a few chops but Hardy retaliates with a side effect before making the tag to Finlay. Those two go back and forth for a bit, ending with HBK hitting Sweet Chin Music. Almost right after hitting his patented move, he is caught with a Hart Attack from the Hart Dynasty. David Hart Smith is legal and goes to work on Michaels. I definitely would like to see a future DX vs. Hart Dynasty match after what these two teams did in this match. Jericho is eventually tagged in, which brought back memories of his great feud with Michaels from last year. Smith is eventually tagged back in and hits a big suplex to Michaels before tagging in Tyson Kidd, who misses a springboard elbow, allowing Michaels to tag in Triple H, who then cleans house. He does some good back and forth work with Jericho and the Hart Dynasty before Jericho misses a Lionsault, allowing Kingston to get a tag and enter the match. After hitting the Trouble in Paradise, Kofi’s pin attempt is broken up by the Hart Dynasty and the match instantly turns into an all out brawl outside the ring. Kofi goes to the top rope, but Big Show turns on Team Raw by hitting Kofi with a chokeslam and then hitting Triple H with a Knockout Punch. Jericho then sneaks in and gets the pin on Kofi and Team Smackdown is victorious. It was great to see WWE recognize Smackdown as their superior brand by giving them the win here. This was a pretty entertaining tag match but nothing we haven’t seen before. Match Rating: 6.5/10

5.    1 Hour Anything Goes Iron Man match for the WWE Championship: Randy Orton(c) vs. John Cena

Our main event was the 60 minute Iron Man match between Cena and Orton for the WWE title. I was worried that these two wouldn’t be able to entertain me for the whole hour and that the match should have been a 30 minute Iron Man match. Well, I did not enjoy the first 10 minutes of the match, and there was a 20 minute gap in the middle of the match that I did not enjoy, so a 30 minute match would have been much better. Still, they did enough right in this match to make it very enjoyable and possibly the best match they have ever had together. The match starts off with a ton of headlocks before Cena gets a quick fall a few minutes in by making Orton tap out to the STF. Just minutes later, Orton hits the RKO to tie the score at 1-1. The two then brawl outside the ring, which is when the match started to get pretty good. Orton smashes Cena’s head on the steel steps before hitting him with a TV monitor and a mic, resulting in Cena getting busted open the hard way on the top of his forehead. Cena fights back into it and hits his combination of moves and goes for the Attitude Adjustment, but while taking the move Orton hits the RKO and both men are down. With both guys having an arm across the other, the ref counts a double pinfall and the score remains tied, but now at 2-2. They did 30 second clock stoppages in between falls, and the one following this fall allowed medics to enter and clean up Cena’s bloody head (stupid PG rating). Cena then scores another pinfall after a top rope Attitude Adjustment to go up 3-2. Legacy then runs down to the ring and attacks Cena, and DiBiase hits Dream Street before dragging Orton on top of Cena. Kofi Kingston chases Legacy to the back with a chair (stemming from a backstage brawl with Rhodes earlier), but the ref counts to three and we are now tied again at 3-3. Orton and Cena then brawl up the entrance ramp and up to the stage. Orton slams Cena onto a control panel, resulting in an explosion. Orton then whips Cena through part of the set, causing another explosion and followed up by another pinfall from Orton, who goes up 4-3. We then ahd an odd sequence where Orton started playing with the pyro controls and hit many buttons trying to set off explosions near Cena. The fight returns to the ring where Orton beats down Cena very slowly for many minutes, which is what hurt the match as a whole in my opinion. In the middle of this long beatdown, Cena gets a small package to tie the score at 4-4, but Orton goes back up 5-4 after hitting an elevated DDT to the floor. Orton continues to wear down Cena until Cena eventually starts to make his comeback. The two go back and forth up and down the entrance ramp before taking the fight into the crowd. Cena chases Orton up to the top of a section and hits him with a garbage can before slamming him into a wall. Cena hip tosses Orton over the guardrail to take the fight back to ringside before smashing him into the barricades and the ring steps. A great spot follows where Cena launches Orton through the barricade before Cena sets up the ring steps next to the announce table. He then picks up Orton’s lifeless body and hits an Attitude Adjustment off the steps through the announce table followed by a pinfall to tie the score at 5-5.  Cena then grabs a wooden table and puts Orton on it in the ring, but when he goes for a top rope leg drop Orton moves and Cena crashes through the table. The two men exchange punches before Orton hits an RKO for a near fall. With the clock ticking away, Orton goes for a punt but Cena gets out of the way and puts on an STF. Orton tries to hang on but taps out as time expires and Cena wins the match 6-5 as well as the WWE Championship and the right to remain on Raw. A very good title match, the best these two have had all year. Match Rating: 7.5/10

Overall PPV Rating: 6.75/10

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 forwww.sportsgrumblings.com for roughly a year now as well.