The Lion Fight Promotions’ WBC full rules Muay Thai main event showdown between light heavyweight champion Joe Schilling (12-1, 10 KO’s) and undefeated top contender and bitter rival Simon Marcus (22-0, 17 KO’s), will be contested under winner-take-all terms at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, Feb. 25.  The terms have been approved by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC).
The winner of the highly-anticipated matchup will take home not only his purse, but also his opponent’s entire purse, a rarity in combative sports.

“Joe was talking a lot about what he’s going to do to me and this and that, so I said ‘Put your money where your mouth is,” explained Marcus, who initiated the challenge to Schilling online two weeks ago.  “Money has never been the most important thing to me.  What’s important to me is that I show people – especially the media that have him ranked ahead of me – that I can dominate Joe.”

Schilling, who has been enduring a rigorous training camp that included regular sparring sessions with UFC superstar Nick Diaz before Diaz’s UFC 143 main event battle with Carlos Condit last Saturday, Feb. 4, has never been one to shy away from any kind of fight.

“He offered me the opportunity to take his purse and mine and I didn’t hesitate for a second to agree to it,” said Schilling, .who appeared on the final two episodes of “UFC 143 Primetime: Diaz vs. Condit” on FX,  “I’m going to kick his ass either way and, now it’ll just be more money in my pocket.  I’m going to expose him and show everyone that he’s just a pop tart.

“From the beginning, our goal has been to put together the best possible matchups between the top Muay Thai fighters in the world and, when you have two fighters like this who are so confident that they’re willing to put their entire payday on the line, it just makes a great matchup into an even greater one,” said Lion Fight Promotions CEO Scott Kent.

“The winner take-all purse concept has rarely been used in Nevada,” said Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Executive Director Keith Kizer.  “This certainly should bring added interest and intrigue to this contest.”

Tickets, priced from $25, are available for purchase at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino box office, at all Ticketmaster outlets (800-745-3000) and online at Ticketmaster.com.

In other Lion Fight Promotions: Battle In The Desert 5, Live from The Joint main card action, streaking Las Vegas star and WBC International Middleweight Champion Chaz Mulkey (7-4, 3 KO’s), fresh off his fifth consecutive win at Lion Fight Promotions’ last event on Nov. 19, will face his toughest test to date in two-time world champion and WBC No. 5 ranked super middleweight (168 pounds) contender Gregory Choplin (59-9, 22 KO’s) of Miami, Fla. by way of Paris, France in the middleweight (160 pounds) co-main event.

Mulkey was victorious over British champion Simon Chu via unanimous decision in the main event of Battle In The Desert 4, Lion from The Joint, while Choplin, dropping down a weight class, is looking to return to the win column after two consecutive losses in Nov. and Dec 2011 in his native France.

Following his hard-fought, majority decision victory over Rami Ibrahim on Nov. 19, WBC national champion Phanuwat “Coke” Chunhawat (146-24-1, 24 KO’s) of Oakland, Calif. via Thailand will return to the squared circle an attempt to avenge a June 2011 defeat when he battles 21-year-old young gun Matt Embree (19-3, 9 KO’s) of Toronto, Ontario, Canada with the vacant WBC international lightweight (135 pounds) championship at stake.

The matchup between Chunhawat and Embree will serve as a rubber match.  In Sept. 2010, Chunhawat edged out a split decision over Embree, who returned the favor by winning in the same fashion in the second meeting.

Jose Palacios (5-2, 3 KO’s) of San Jose, Calif. will meet Shane Oblonsky (6-2, 3 KO’s) of Santa Ana, Calif. in a welterweight (147 pounds) matchup. Vivian Leung (2-0, 1 KO) of Las Vegas via Saskatoon, Canada will face Tiffany Van Soest (1-0) of San Diego, Calif. in a super bantamweight (122 pounds) bout.  Power striker Scotty Leffler (4-2, 3 KO’s) of Las Vegas will meet Sheldon Gaines (2-4, 1 KO) of Los Angeles, Calif. in a 142 pound catch weight fight and 21-year-old top prospect Anthony Castrejon (2-0, 1 KO) of Las Vegas will make the third start of his promising young career in a super bantamweight (122 pounds) fight with 28-year-old Francisco Barragan of Dallas, TX.

Doors at The Joint open at 4 p.m.  The first preliminary card bout will begin at 5 p.m.
About Lion Fight Promotions:

Lion Fight Promotions is a Las Vegas, Nevada-based world championship Muay Thai kickboxing promotion dedicated to producing matchups between the best Muay Thai fighters in the world in their respective weight classes.  Led by former Las Vegas casino executive, Scott Kent, the promotional company has been developed in consultation with Christine Toledo, one of the sport’s most popular champions and star of the Oxygen Network reality television show Fight Girls.  Both Kent and Toledo share a common passion for Muay Thai and are working together to promote the sport.

About Hard Rock Hotel & Casino:

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is Las Vegas’ off-strip playground, just minutes and less than three miles from McCarran International Airport.  The premier destination entertainment resort is owned by Brookfield Real Estate Finance Fund II, a division of Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE: BAM) and managed by WG-Harmon, LLC, a subsidiary of Warner Gaming, LLC.  Built in 1995, the property completed a $750 million expansion in 2010. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino offers an energetic entertainment and gaming experience with the services and amenities associated with a boutique luxury resort hotel. The property is known for its innovative nightlife and music scene where acts such as The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Paul McCartney, Incubus, Linkin Park, Foo Fighters and Carlos Santana have all performed.  Features of the property include an 11-story Casino Tower with 640 guest rooms, 17-story Paradise Tower with 490 rooms and suites and the all-suite HRH Tower with 359 suites, eight spa villas and seven penthouse suites; 72,000 square feet of casino space; 80,000 square feet of flexible meeting and convention space; more than $3 million in rare music memorabilia throughout the hotel; the luxurious Vanity Nightclub; Reliquary Water Sanctuary & Spa; Reliquary Salon; 4.8 acres of tropical pool paradise; REHAB, the trendsetting Sunday afternoon pool party; The Joint concert venue; Hart & Huntington Tattoo Co.; restaurants including traditional steakhouse with an edge 35 Steaks + Martinis, tapas hotspot Johnny Smalls, Mexican cantina Pink Taco, ‘round the clock diner Mr. Lucky’s Café and world-renowned Nobu; numerous cocktail lounges including The Lounge across from Pink Taco, Peacock Lounge and Blitzed Sports Lounge; and a state-of-the-art Fitness Center.  For room availability and additional information call 800.HRD.ROCK (800.473.7625) or visit www.hardrockhotel.com.

Contact:
Mike Afromowitz (917) 566-8754, mikea@yourwitzend.com
Christine Toledo (702) 480-6799, christine@lionfightpromotions.com

Courtesy of Mike Afromowitz/Lion Fight Promotions

With 2012 quickly approaching, Emelianenko needed only 2:29 of the
opening round to close the year-end mega-show, which lasted nearly 9
hours and featured MMA, Kickboxing, and Pro Wrestling bouts
respectively.

As the bout opened, Emelianenko threw a kick the was caught by the
Olympic gold medalist, however Ishii was unable to take down Fedor
after a brief clinch.  Fedor quickly found his rhythm before landing a
three-punch combo that broke Ishii’s nose and rendered him
unconscious.

The timing seemed poetic as mere moments after being announced as the
winner, event officials joined Fedor Emelianenko in the ring as the
arena ushered in the New Year.

The victory marks the sixth time Emelianenko has had his hand raised
on New Year’s Eve.

Full Results listed below:

Yusup Saadulaev  def.   Hideo Tokoro  KO (Slam) Rd 1  0:42
Antonio Banuelos  def.  Masakazu Imanari  Decision (Split)  Rd 2  5:00
Bibiano Fernandes  def.  Rodolfo Marques Diniz  Decision (Unanimous) Rd 2  5:00
Hayato Sakurai def.  Ryo Chonan  Decision (Unanimous) Rd3  5:00
Tatsuya Kawajiri def.  Kazuyuki Miyata Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) Rd2  4:54
Megumi Fujii def.  Karla Benitez   Submission (Armbar) Rd 1  1:15
Bibiano Fernandes  def.  Antonio Banuelos  TKO (Punches)  Rd 1  1:21
Hiroyuki Takaya def.  Takeshi Inoue  Decision (Unanimous)  Rd5  5:00
Shinya Aoki  def.  Satoru Kitaoka Decision (Unanimous)  Rd5  5:00
Fedor Emelianenko  def. Satoshi Ishii  KO (Punches)  Rd1  2:29

For information on M-1 Global, go to the official M-1 website,
www.M-1Global.com and M-1 Global Facebook fan page

About M-1 Global:

Founded in 1998, M-1 Global (www.M-1Global.com) has established itself
in the realm of mixed martial arts (MMA) as the premiere entity for
discovering and developing the world’s next-generation of superstar
fighters. With offices in St. Petersburg, Amsterdam, New York City,
Washington DC, Los Angeles and affiliates in Kuala Lumpur, Seoul,
Tokyo and Paris, the M-1 brand has staged over 70 events worldwide
including the M-1 Selection and M-1 Challenge events and its
co-produced Strikeforce events in the United States. Captivating the
live, television and broadband audiences with its superior production
values and match-ups, M-1 events boast some of the sport’s top names
including Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, AleksanderEmelianenko,
Gegard Mousasi, Alistair Overeem, Ben Rothwell, Melvin Manhoef, Roman
Zentsov, Stephan Struve and rising stars Shamil Zavurov, Guram
Gugenishvili,  Alexander Sarnavskiy and Vinny Magalhaes. 2011 marks a
breakthrough year with two Selections tournaments across Eastern &
Western Europe, North America and Asia and a full calendar of
Challenge events fuelled by a talent-rich contention system ranking
M-1 Global’s Champions amongst the greatest in the sport.

M-1 Global’s greatest asset is the number one heavyweight fighter in
mixed martial arts history, Fedor Emelianenko. With daily coverage on
all MMA-related websites in the world, and articles in Time Magazine,
LA times and New York times, Fedor and M-1 Global make a lifetime
match serving as the catalyst to grow MMA in the 21st century.

Story and Photo Courtesy of Igor Golubchik, M-1 Global MMA

Turning Point was yet another dismal PPV offering from TNA. Almost all of their PPVs this year have been horrendous. These shows are rife with terrible booking and less-than-stellar wrestling save for a match here and there. Many of the matches on this show were ridiculously overbooked and the crowd hardly reacted to it. A solid main event kept the show from reaching “worst PPV of the year” status but it certainly doesn’t make the show worth going out of your way to see.

• TNA Television Championship match: Eric Young(c) vs. Robbie E

Why Robbie E got another TV title match is beyond me. He was accompanied to the ring by Rob Terry, who is apparently now going by the name of “Robbie T”. Young initially goes to lock up with the referee before he runs out of the ring and gets decked by Robbie T before landing a shot on Robbie E. Young hits a forearm in the corner in the ring, does a handstand in the corner, and hits a headscissors. Young then tries to lock up with SoCal Val on the outside. Young plays mind games with Robbie by going in and out of the ring. Robbie T lands a cheap shot and Robbie E covers in the ring for 2. Robbie E hits some stomps but Young comes back with some shots and a roll up. Robbie hits a fist drop off the second rope for 2, whips Young into the ropes, and hits a back elbow for 2. Robbie applies a lengthy chin lock, and Young is eventually able to fight out with a jawbreaker. Robbie hits some shots to the back before Young drops his shorts to reveal that he is wearing Robbie’s trunks underneath. Young hits a flying forearm, a dropkick, a belly to belly slam, and a diving elbow drop off the top. Robbie T pulls Robbie E out of the ring to break up the pin, but Young hits a high cross body off the top to Robbie T on the floor. Young rolls E in the ring, but T hits him with a cheap shot and E covers for the win. Nobody bought that as the finish. Flat way to end a very average opener, but this was about as good as it was going to get with these guys. Match Time: 7:50     Star Rating: **

• TNA World Tag Team Championship match: Mexican America(c) vs. Ink. Inc.

This was a six person intergender match, with Sarita and Toxxin involved for their respective teams. Anarquia and Shannon Moore lock up briefly before Anarquia drives his shoulder into Moore in the corner. Moore comes back with some arm drags, an atomic drop, and a spin kick. Jesse Neal and Hernandez get tags, with Hernandez shoving off Neal. Neal twists the arm, but Hernandez hits a clothesline and they yell at each other. Neal goes for a couple shoulder blocks but Hernandez is unfazed. Neal hits a back elbow and a botched kick before tagging in Moore. Moore leaps off the top and is caught, but is able to counter into a sunset flip. Moore twists Anarquia’s arm and hits a corner-assisted arm drag. Moore hits a hurricanrana for 2 and hip tosses Neal onto Anarquia. Hernandez hits a slingshot shoulder block and shoves Toxxin. Anarquia kicks Neal to the floor and tags in Hernandez, who hits a corner splash. Neal avoids Anarquia in the corner and spears Hernandez for 2 before the women get tags. Toxxin hits a back elbow, an enzuigiri, and a gutwrench suplex. Hernandez gets clotheslined to the floor and Moore hits an asai moonsault. Neal hits a front slam to Anarquia and slams Toxxin on him, then decides to pull down Anarquia’s pants. Lovely. The ref is distracted with a bunch of chaos on the outside and Sarita hits Toxxin with one of the title belts for the win. Typical TNA cluster mess tag match with overbooking and a lot of nonsense. No wonder the titles are worthless. Match was going along okay and fell apart at the finish. Match Time: 8:36     Star Rating: *1/4

• 3-Way Dance for the TNA X Division Championship: Austin Aries(c) vs. Jesse Sorensen vs. Kid Kash

The story here was really good but the wrestling was fairly basic for a nearly 15 minute match. Most of it was just Kash and Aries ganging up on Sorensen. Sorensen and Kash go nose to nose early on and Aries cheap shots Sorensen. Kash rains down with cross-face punches, but Sorensen fights back with a couple arm drags to Aries and sends him to the floor. Sorensen hits a nice tope dive over the ropes to both heels on the floor. Sorensen heads up top but Kash shoves him off and Aries hits a neckbreaker. Kash hits a release suplex and holds up Sorensen for Aries to chop him. Kash hits a low blow and stands on Sorensen’s head before hitting a big backbreaker. Aries breaks up the pin and gives Kash a pep talk. Sorensen dropkicks Aries into Kash and hits a flying knee, a dropkick, and a cross body off the top. Kash breaks up the pin attempt and applies a modified surfboard submission. Aries kicks Sorensen in the chest and Kash hits a knee drop. Aries hits a chop and Kash stomps Sorensen in the corner.

Sorensen hits a back body drop to Aries but Kash pulls him outside and whips him into the guardrail, then sets him up for a suicide dive from Aries. Kash breaks up a pin attempt in the ring and argues a little with Aries, allowing Sorensen to land some shots on both men. Aries hits a kitchen sink to Sorensen and Kash hits a body slam. Both heels head up top in opposite corners, but Sorensen blocks a frog splash from Aries and avoids a moonsault from Kash. Sorensen hits an atomic drop to Aries and a neckbreaker, but Kash breaks up the pin. Aries drives Sorensen into the corner, but Sorensen kicks a charging Aries and hits a spinning facebuster, only for Kash to break up the pin. Kash hits some chops in the corner and clotheslines a diving Sorensen in mid air. Kash hits a superplex off the top and a double underhook piledriver, but Aries puts Sorensen’s foot on the ropes during Kash’s pin attempt. Kash argues with the ref and Aries sneaks in and rolls Kash up for the pin. Kind of a sudden finish but everyone played their roles really well here, even if this wasn’t exactly an “X Division” style match. Sorensen isn’t ready for this kind of a push just yet so it was smart to have Aries go over. Match Time: 13:00     Star Rating: **3/4

• No Disqualification match: Christopher Daniels vs. Rob Van Dam

Before the match, Daniels gets on the mic and asks RVD for just a straight up wrestling match, since the match was advertised as No DQ. RVD shakes on it, but Daniels pulls him into a headlock as the match begins. RVD sweeps the leg and goes for a cross arm-breaker before rolling up Daniels with his legs. Daniels goes outside momentarily and they do some grappling once he returns to the ring. RVD goes for a roll up before hitting a monkey flip and a big kick for 2. Daniels hits some shoulder thrusts in the corner and a snapmare before applying a chin lock. RVD blocks a hip toss and hits a kick for 2 followed by Rolling Thunder. RVD hits a spin kick and a slingshot leg drop on the apron before heading up top. He tries for a sunset flip but Daniels blocks it and stomps him. Daniels slams RVD’s head in the corner, hits some shoulder thrusts and presses his boot against RVD’s chin. Daniels hits a dropkick for 2 and applies a chin lock. RVD fights out with some elbows but Daniels takes him down and twsits his neck. RVD fights up but Daniels hits a Death Valley Driver for 2. Daniels hits a flying forearm in the corner and whips RVD to another corner, but RVD gets a boot up and they trade punches. RVD hits a springboard thrust kick, crotches Daniels on the top rope, and hits a second thrust kick off the top that sends Daniels to the floor. Daniels bails up the ramp but RVD catches him, hits a hip toss on the ramp, and hangs him over the guardrail. RVD then hits a running leg drop off the ramp to Daniels on the guardrail. Back in the ring, Daniels throws the ref into RVD, hits an STO, and grabs a chair (since it’s still technically No DQ). Daniels hits RVD in the gut with the chair and hits a uranage on it for 2. Daniels gets the screwdriver but RVD kicks the chair in his face and hits the Five Star Frog Splash for the win. Good match but it definitely seemed like these guys had a few more minutes in them. Solid effort while it lasted though. Match Time: 11:17     Star Rating: ***

• Matt Morgan vs. Crimson

This was awful. The crowd still doesn’t care about Crimson and this just dragged and dragged. Crimson goes for shoulder blocks early but they have no effect on Morgan and they go to a test of strength. Crimson hits a knee to the gut, and some knees to the face while holding Morgan in a cravat. Morgan hits a discuss clothesline, but Crimson avoids the Carbon Footprint. Morgan hits some shoulders in the corner and clotheslines Crimson to the floor. Crimson slams Morgan’s head on the ring apron and the guardrail before dragging out the steel steps, only for Morgan to kick the steps into Crimson’s knee. Morgan hits a side slam in the ring for 2. Crimson hits some shots but Morgan hits an uppercut, punches, and the rapid-fire corner elbows. Crimson comes back with some clotheslines and an exploder suplex for 2. Morgan hits more shoulders in the corner but Crimson hits a Russian leg sweep and goes for a submission, only for Morgan to counter with a roll up. Morgan hits a chokeslam for 2 but misses the bicycle kick. Crimson hits a spear for 2 and Morgan hits the Carbon Footprint, but Crimson falls to the floor. Morgan rolls him in and covers for 2. Crimson hits a sloppy Red Sky for 2 and they trash talk each other before going back and forth with punches. The ref eventually tries to break it up and both guys shove him down, causing a double disqualification. They did the usual pull apart brawl with security after the match. Another match that fell apart at the finish. Before the end it was just really really dull. Crimson is such a bad wrestler at this point that there’s not many guys who can work with him. Bad match all around. Match Time: 12:00     Star Rating: *

• Scott Steiner and Bully Ray vs. Mr. Anderson and Abyss

Given the talent involved, this was about as good as it was going to get. Anderson and Ray lock up at the start, and Anderson hits an arm drag. They lock up again before Ray misses a charge in the corner. Anderson hits an arm drag and an arm bar, but Ray fights up and Anderson fails to knock down Ray with clotheslines. Anderson hits a spin kick and applies a headlock, but Ray breaks it with a back suplex. Steiner comes in and hits some weak kicks in the corner and chops Anderson. Anderson comes back with a clothesline off the second rope, but Ray crotches him against the ring post. Ray comes in and elbow drops Anderson’s leg before applying a leg bar. Ray hits a clothesline but Anderson avoids a second and hits a neckbreaker. Anderson tags in Abyss but the ref doesn’t see it and the heels double team Anderson. Steiner hits Anderson with an Angle Slam off the second rope, but Anderson comes back with a sunset flip and an inside cradle for near falls.

Steiner hits a belly-to-belly suplex before tagging in Ray, and Anderson scores with DDT. Both guys make tags and Abyss cleans house on the heels with clotheslines and splashes them both in the corner. Abyss slams Steiner and hits a frog splash off the top followed by a chokeslam. Ray breaks up the pin and hits some shots to the back. Abyss teases a double chokeslam on the heels but ends up double clotheslining them. Ray clotheslines Abyss to the outside, and both guys clothesline each other on the floor. Anderson hits a top rope cross body off the top for 2, and Steiner hits a downward spiral for a near fall. Steiner hits a Frankensteiner off the top, but the ref won’t count the pin and says Anderson isn’t legal. Steiner then turns around into a Black Hole Slam from Abyss for the pin. After the match the heels double chokeslam Abyss through a table, but Abyss pops right back up, causing Ray to freak out. This was just an excuse to get these guys on the show in a match that won’t mean anything by the Impact tapings tomorrow night. Pretty average stuff for the most part, but the fans popped for Steiner. Match Time: 11:48     Star Rating: **1/4

• TNA Women’s Knockout Championship match: Velvet Sky(c) vs. Gail Kim

This was your typical Knockouts match, with the overbooking and interference completely overshadowing the wrestling. Sky hits a ton of punches at the start and sloppy baseball slide that knocks Kim to the floor. Sky hits some more shots and a cross body in the ring for 2. Sky hits a corner splash and some mounted punches, but Gail comes back with a running body block in the corner, a snapmare, and a kick to the chest. Sky hits some slaps but Kim hits a gutbuster and applies an abdominal stretch. Sky scores a near fall off a jackknife cover and a roll up. Kim leaps out of the corner but Sky kicks her in mid air before hitting some more kicks and a bulldog. Sky blocks the Eat Defeat and hits the sitout Pedigree, but Karen Jarrett runs down to distract the referee. Madison Rayne attacks Sky and botches a move. Kim covers for 2 and heads up top, where she misses a diving senton. Sky covers, but Kim rolls her up for 2. Rayne then pulls Sky’s foot as Karen distracts the referee. Gail hits the Eat Defeat for the win. Total cluster mess of a Knockouts match, and Velvet is still a terrible worker. Short and way too overbooked. How can anyone say that TNA’s women’s division is any different from the WWE’s anymore? Match Time: 5:54     Star Rating: *

• Jeff Jarrett vs. Jeff Hardy

This one takes the cake for dumbest booking of the night. The bell rings and Hardy immediately hits the Twist of Fate for the win. Then Jarrett complains to the referee and the match is restarted. WHY? I have no clue. Hardy hits a spinning heel kick but Jarrett hits a body guillotine and a pair of diving fist drops off the second rope. Hardy kicks a leaping Jarrett and hits a front suplex, but Jarrett trips him up when he heads up top. Jarrett stomps Hardy and whips him into the corner. Hardy hits some shots but Jarrett catches him in a sleeper. Hardy fights out with elbows and hits a back suplex. They trade punches before Hardy hits a clothesline and gets a 2 count off a jackknife cover. Hardy counters the Stroke, Jarrett counters the Twist of Fate, and Hardy counters the Figure 4 leg lock with a small package for the win (again). It gets better. Hardy leaves up the ramp and Jarrett hits him in the head with a chair. Jarrett then brings him back into the ring, hits the Stroke, and tells the ref to count the pin. Hardy then rolls up Jarrett and the ref counts the pin and calls for the bell. THE MATCH WAS ALREADY OVER. TWICE. Horrible booking. Unbelievable. TNA must think that their fans are either mentally challenged or using the same type of drugs that Jeff Hardy uses. Stupid on so many levels. Match Time: 5:52     Star Rating: *1/2

• TNA World Heavyweight Championship match: Robert Roode(c) vs. AJ Styles

God bless these two men but there was no saving this show at this point. They definitely tried really hard though, and this was easily the match of the night. They lock up and break a couple times to open things up before AJ hits a punch and Roode bails to the outside. Roode and AJ both land some shots before Roode applies a headlock. AJ pushes him off and hits a leapfrog followed by a dropkick. AJ hits a suplex before slamming Roode’s head into all 4 of the top turnbuckles. AJ hits an elboew to the head followed by a scoop slam and a knee drop for 2. Roode comes back with a kick, a clothesline, and some shots in the corner. AJ sends Roode to the outside, where he hits a diving forearm off the apron and drops Roode face first on the guardrail. Roode hits a baseball slide from inside the ring and chokes AJ. AJ fights back with some shots but when he leaps off the second rope, Roode catches him and catapults him into the corner. Roode applies a rear waistlock on the mat before AJ fights out and they head up top. Roode knocks AJ to the mat, but AJ pops right back up and hits a superplex. AJ hits some punches followed by a back body drop, some clotheslines, and a neckbreaker over his knee.

AJ goes for a slingshot move but appear to botch it as he just shoves Roode. Crowd dies at this point. Roode rolls through a cross body attempt and covers for 2. Roode hits a spinebuster for 2 but AJ counters a fisherman’s suplex and hits a back suplex. AJ misses a springboard 450, but does a sunset flip and goes for the Styles Clash. Roode counters the Clash and puts AJ in the crossface. AJ struggles but eventually counters with a roll up before picking up Roode and dropping him. AJ hits a springboard forearm from the apron for 2 before Roode low blows AJ and the ref at the same time. Roode covers for a near fall, AJ gets 2 with a roll up, and AJ hits an enzuigiri before both guys trade punches. Roode begs off but AJ tackles him and unloads with punches before chopping him in the ropes. AJ crotches Roode on the top rope, causing him to fall to the floor. AJ goes for a suicide dive but Roode sidesteps him. Roode hits a fisherman’s suplex in the ring for a near fall and AJ hits a Pele. AJ goes for the Styles Clash but Roode counters with a roll up and hooks the tights for the win. Styles felt very much like a main event placeholder here without much of a chance of winning. Match was very good but the crowd died about midway through and it just never seemed to reach its full potential despite the long length. Best thing on the show but nothing great or worth going out of your way to check out. Match Time: 19:35    Star Rating: ***1/2

Overall PPV Rating: 4.75/10

This will be the last TNA PPV Review you will see from me on this website. I would like to apologize to everyone who regularly reads my monthly TNA PPV recaps, but for the life of me I just can’t do it anymore. These shows are so agonizingly dull and painful to sit through that they’ve become a chore to watch rather than a joy. TNA has become unwatchable. I’ve been a professional wrestling fan for about five years now and I’ve honestly never seen a company as horrendous as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. This company can’t seem to do anything right and they’ve expressed a complete unwillingness to change. Despite the fact that they’ve been blessed with having so many talented and popular wrestlers on their roster, TNA time and time again proves that bad booking and writing can ruin shows and prevent fans from investing in the wrestlers and the storylines. Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, and Dixie Carter, have fun running this company into the ground just like WCW, because I don’t want to be apart of it any longer. I quit.

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

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Knothe was originally set to fight in Shark Fights 17 against Ricco Rodriquez, but because of a misunderstanding, couldn’t make the agreed upon catch weight.  Knothe spent the next two hours cutting over twenty pounds, but the commission deemed it too dangerous for him to drop anymore weight.  Shark Fights executive Wes Nolen states, “This main event title shot against Bobby Lashley is the perfect opportunity to make it up to Karl for the misunderstanding at Shark Fights 17.”  Nolen went on to say, “I want to thank Bobby Lashley for all his patience.  After three opponent changes, it would have been very easy for Bobby to call off the fight, but he’s a true fighter that accepted any and all opponents we put in front of him.  He has never complained once and just continues to train hard.”
Shark Fights 21 will take place on Friday, November 11, 2011 at The Fair Park Coliseum in Lubbock, Texas and will be broadcast via tape delay on FUEL TV beginning December 23, 2011.  Doors Open at 6:00pm CST.  Fights start at 7pm CST.  Tickets for Shark Fights 21 are on sale now at www.selectaseatlubbock.com.  Tickets are priced at $20, $30, $40, $55, $65, $75, and $100.  For more information, or current Shark Fights news, please visit www.sharkfights.com or www.facebook.com/sharkfights.  Fight card subject to change.

Main Event:
-Bobby Lashley (6-1) vs Karl Knothe (17-5)

Co-Main Event:
-Tony Bonello (15-1-1) vs Dave Roberts (4-7)

Main Card:
-Cody Pfister (5-3) vs. Isais Martinez (6-3)
-Willie Parks (3-1) vs Anselmo Martinez (7-5)
-Gabe Vasquez (4-4) vs Zach Haney (3-5)

Preliminary Bout:
-Daniel Almeida (6-0) vs John King (2-2)
-Cody East (0-0) vs Adenilson Clementino (1-0)
-Matt Hobar (3-0) vs Donnie Frye (3-10)
-Jeremiah Castillo (3-13) vs Zavier Garcia (0-1)
-Brian Joseph (1-0) vs Marcus Baldivia (0-1)

About Shark Fight Promotions:

Texas based Shark Fight Promotions, founded in 2007, is an integrated entertainment and media company in the combat sports industry, committed to producing high quality fight events and effectively showcasing elite MMA talent. The company is engaged in the production, promotion, presentation and marketing of premier professional mixed martial arts fighting competitions. As an integrated entertainment and media company, Shark Fight Promotions is organized around three principal business activities: Live Event Promotions, Broadcast Television and Digital Media Production and Distribution, Sponsorship and Brand Licensing.  As Mixed Martial Arts continues its dominance as the fastest growing sport in the world, Shark Fights is poised to become one of the top fight promotions in the industry.

Shark Fight Promotions can be followed via Facebook at facebook.com/SharkFights and via Twitter at twitter.com/SharkFights.
About FUEL TV 

FUEL TV is the only cable and satellite television network that features the exciting world of adrenaline and thrill-seeking sports and the stories that surround them. This new generation of sports provides a rich landscape of some of the most vibrant and action-packed television entertainment in the world. See why young adrenaline sports fans call FUEL TV the channel they never turn off. FUEL TV, part of FOX Sports Media Group, was launched July 1, 2003 and is seen in more than 30 million U.S. homes and can be accessed by broadband, mobile devices and other digital platforms such as iTunes®. FUEL TV programming is available in more than 50 countries around the world with 24/7 channels operating in Australia and Europe. To subscribe to FUEL TV, call 877-4-FUEL-TV. For program times and other information, visit www.fuel.tv.

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Media Contact for Shark Fights: 

George Meng

Media and Public Relations

818-333-3694

pr@sharkfp.com

There have only been a handful of fighters that have garnered more publicity and higher expectations entering MMA than Bobby Lashley.  With a chiseled 6’3 – 265lb physique and two national wrestling titles, Lashley was touted as being the most dominate heavyweight to step into the cage since Brock Lesnar (5-2).  Lashley currently trains in Irvine, California with former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett (30-5).  “I’m a new fighter now and I want to show people something different than what they expect of me,” Lashley said.  “I’m not going to just take my opponents down and ground and pound them.  I’m going for the submission or maybe I will stand up and knock them out.”  Lashley is set to debut a whole new set of skills as he renews his run at a title against current Shark Fights Heavyweight Champion Darrill Schoonover.  Schoonover was 10-0 at the time of winning the Shark Fights title and wants to prove that Lashley is all hype.  Both Lashley and Schoonover are coming off big victories and are ready to take the next step in becoming the Shark Fights Heavyweight Champion.

Shark Fights 21 will take place on Friday, November 11, 2011 at The Fair Park Coliseum in Lubbock, Texas and will be broadcast via tape delay on FUEL TV beginning December 23, 2011.  Doors Open at 6:00pm CST.  Fights start at 7pm CST.  Tickets for Shark Fights 21 are on sale now at www.selectaseatlubbock.com.  Tickets are priced at $20, $30, $40, $55, $65, $75, and $100.  For more information, or current Shark Fights news, please visit www.sharkfights.com or www.facebook.com/sharkfights.  Fight card subject to change.

About Shark Fight Promotions:

Texas based Shark Fight Promotions, founded in 2007, is an integrated entertainment and media company in the combat sports industry, committed to producing high quality fight events and effectively showcasing elite MMA talent. The company is engaged in the production, promotion, presentation and marketing of premier professional mixed martial arts fighting competitions. As an integrated entertainment and media company, Shark Fight Promotions is organized around three principal business activities: Live Event Promotions, Broadcast Television and Digital Media Production and Distribution, Sponsorship and Brand Licensing.  As Mixed Martial Arts continues its dominance as the fastest growing sport in the world, Shark Fights is poised to become one of the top fight promotions in the industry.

Shark Fight Promotions can be followed via Facebook at facebook.com/SharkFights and via Twitter at twitter.com/SharkFights.

About FUEL TV

FUEL TV is the only cable and satellite television network that features the exciting world of adrenaline and thrill-seeking sports and the stories that surround them. This new generation of sports provides a rich landscape of some of the most vibrant and action-packed television entertainment in the world. See why young adrenaline sports fans call FUEL TV the channel they never turn off. FUEL TV, part of FOX Sports Media Group, was launched July 1, 2003 and is seen in more than 30 million U.S. homes and can be accessed by broadband, mobile devices and other digital platforms such as iTunes®. FUEL TV programming is available in more than 50 countries around the world with 24/7 channels operating in Australia and Europe. To subscribe to FUEL TV, call 877-4-FUEL-TV. For program times and other information, visit www.fuel.tv.

###

Media Contact for Shark Fights:

George Meng

Media and Public Relations

818-333-3694

pr@sharkfp.com

Photo Courtesy of Shark Fights 

• Christian vs. Sheamus

After Christian’s entrance, The Miz and R-Truth are spotted in the crowd with tickets and are confronted by security and John Laurinaitis. This would start an angle with them throughout the PPV. Sheamus then came out and we had our opener, which was pretty solid. Sheamus controls Christian early with a headlock before Christian slaps him. Both guys try hip tosses and Sheamus hits a clothesline before chasing Christian on the floor. Christian drop toeholds Sheamus into the ropes and slingshots to the outside, but Sheamus blocks a slap and hits the clubbing blows to the chest in the ropes. Sheamus heads up top, but Christian shoves him off to the floor. Christian hits some punches back in the ring and chokes Sheamus against the top rope. Christian hits some more punches and a diving uppercut off the second rope. He tries a sleeper but Sheamus drives him into the mat. Sheamus hits a scoop slam but misses an elbow drop and Christian chokes him with his boot. Sheamus hits some shots but Christian hits a knee to the gut and a missile dropkick.

Sheamus hits some shots to the back, a knee drop, and some clotheslines followed by a scoop slam for 2. Christian escapes a slam, fails at a Killswitch attempt, and heads up top, but Sheamus catches him with an Irish curse backbreaker for 2. Both guys head up top, but Christian knocks Sheamus off and hits the rope-assisted Pele kick followed by a tornado DDT out of the corner for 2. Sheamus blocks the Killswitch and hits a corner clothesline followed by a knee to the head. Sheamus hits a big shoulder block off the top but Christian takes out his legs on the apron. Sheamus flings Christian out to the floor to block a baseball slide attempt, but Christian spears him on the floor and again in the ring for a near fall. Christian misses a top rope splash before both guys counter each other’s finishers. Christian backflips out of a back suplex attempt, but Sheamus avoids a charge from Christian in the corner. Sheamus then hits the Brogue kick for the win. Good match to open the show, felt a little stretched out though and Christian really needed the win. However, Sheamus winning wasn’t a surprise since normal-sized heels never win clean in WWE. Match Time: 13:41     Star Rating: ***

• Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara

For those who didn’t know, Mistico was the one in the blue attire and Hunico (Incognito) was the one in black. We’ll just call them Blue and Black for this recap. This was a good match but the crowd was completely unresponsive, likely due to unfamiliarity with lucha style matches. They lock up and Black goes for the leg early before attempting a surfboard-style submission, which Blue escapes. Black shoves Blue down, but Blue hits an arm drag. Black holds the wrists, but Blue does a backflip followed by a moonsault attempt from Black. Both men hit hurricanranas before Black hits a kick to the gut, only for Blue to hit a springboard head scissors. Blue arm drags Black to the floor before hitting a tope con hilo. Blue hits a kick from the apron but misses an asai moonsault. Black hits a springboard senton for 2 and applies a chin lock. Blue tries a handspring, but Black dropkicks him for 2, hits a chop, and sends Blue to the floor. Black does a huge plancha over the ropes to the floor and covers in the ring for 2. Black applies a chin lock before both men attempt cross bodies at the same time and collide. Blue hits some kicks, a handspring, and a headscissors followed by a big cross body off the top to the floor. Black hits a powerbomb for 2 back in the ring and heads up top, but Blue meets him there and hits an arm drag off the top. Blue hits an enzuigiri from the apron but misses a senton bomb off the top. Blue then hits a modified sunset flip bomb for the win. Though the crowd was totally dead, this was a really good lucha match. You can’t totally fault these guys for the pace they went at because this is the type of match they’ve been taught to have in Mexico. Had this taken place in AAA the crowd would have been going ballistic. Match Time: 9:47     Star Rating: ***

• WWE Tag Team Championship match: Air Boom(c) vs. Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger

Another pretty decent match, though this felt like an extended Raw match at times. Kofi Kingston applies a headlock early on before Swagger hits a shoulder block, but Kofi hits a facebuster and holds up Swagger for Evan Bourne to hit a double stomp off the top. Ziggler and Kofi get tags, and Kofi leaps off Bourne’s back with a shot in the corner. Swagger hits Bourne with some shoulder strikes in the corner before Ziggler comes in with some stomps and an elbow drop for a near fall. Kofi gets a hot tag but Swagger cheap shots him on the floor and Ziggler slams his head on the apron before applying a chin lock. Ziggler hits some more stomps and a dropkick, and Swagger comes in and controls Kofi with a reverse headlock. Bourne gets knocked off the apron and Ziggler gets some shots in on Kofi while the referee holds back Bourne. Swagger hits a side suplex followed by a Ziggler elbow drop for 2. Kofi hits a DDT and both guys get tags. Bourne hits a hurricanrana followed by the diving double knees for 2, then blocks a Famouser attempt from Ziggler and hits a standing shooting star press. Swagger then puts Bourne in the ankle lock, but Kofi breaks it up with a big cross body off the top. Bourne gets a small package for 2, and Ziggler hits a clothesline before tagging in Swagger. Swagger tries a superbomb off the top, but Bourne counters with a Frankensteiner off the top for the win. Heat segment dragged on a little but the match really got going by the finish, which came off nice. Nothing too special but pretty good. Match Time: 11:13     Star Rating: **3/4

• Hell in a Cell match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Mark Henry(c) vs. Randy Orton

Interesting seeing this go on fourth, as typically WWE really likes to space out the HIAC matches on this PPV. This was another pretty good match, and probably Mark Henry’s best match ever. Orton is all over Henry with punches at the start before they move to the outside, where Orton is able to send Henry into the cage. Orton stomps Henry in the ring and hits a knee drop, but Henry blocks the spike DDT and slams Orton’s head in the corner. Henry stretches Orton’s arm across the ring post, but Orton kicks Henry’s arm and leaps off the apron, only for Henry to catch him and drive him back first into the cage. Orton hits some shots, but Henry powerslams him in the ring for 2. They go back to the outside, where they trade shots before Henry hits a powerslam on the floor. Henry slams Orton’s head against the cage, picks up the steel steps, and hurls them at Orton, but Orton moves out of the way. Henry lawn darts Orton into the cage and presses his face against it.

Back in the ring, Henry hits a corner clothesline and a splash for 2 followed by a backbreaker. Henry applies a bear hug, stands on Orton against the ropes, and puts him in the bear hug again. Orton fights out with punches but Henry tosses him to the floor. He teases the World’s Strongest Slam on the steps, but Orton grabs onto the cage and kicks Henry. Orton drives Henry into the steps and the ring post before hitting a Thesz press in the ring followed by a dropkick, the spike DDT, and an RKO for 2. Orton sets up for the punt, but Henry catches him as he charges and hits the WSS for the win. After the match, Henry wraps a chair around Orton’s leg and tries to hit a splash on hit, but Orton avoids it and attacks Henry with the chair in the ring and up the entrance ramp. Henry eventually low blows Orton and bails. The match was solid but the post match was irritating, as both guys are merely continuing the feud and the HIAC solved nothing. Not a great HIAC but they used the cage, told a story, and had some bright spots. Match Time: 15:59     Star Rating: **3/4

Cody Rhodes then comes out in a suit for a promo a in a filler segment to kill time. He heels on the crowd before unveiling the classic Intercontinental title belt, which apparently will be replacing the current one. John Laurinaitis comes out and says Triple H has ordered Rhodes to defend the Intercontinental title right now. John Morrison then comes out and we have our impromptu match.

• Intercontinental Championship match: Cody Rhodes(c) vs. John Morrison

Yep, Rhodes is still in the suit for those who were wondering. Morrison tries a quick roll up before applying a headlock. Rhodes misses a clothesline and a dropkick and Morrison goes back to the headlock. Rhodes goes outside to take off his shirt and tries to walk away shortly after, but Morrison brings him back toward the ring. Rhodes then tries to get counted out by staying on the floor, but Morrison kicks him in the back and brings him into the ring. Rhodes hits a front suplex and a knee to the gut before applying a submission. Rhodes kicks a rope hung Morrison in the gut, but Morrison counters an Alabama slam attempt with a roll up. Rhodes applies a Figure Four, but Morrison gets the ropes. Rhodes hits some punches, a knee drop, and a headlock with a quick punch to the head. Morrison drives Rhodes into the corner and hits some punches and a dropkick followed by a Flux Capacitor for 2. Morrison hits a Pele but misses the Flash Kick and Rhodes rolls him up for the win. Total Raw match hampered by the fact that Rhodes wrestled in suit pants and Gucci shoes. Due to the way it was set up, whoever lost this thing was going to come off looking bad. Nothing to see here. Match Time: 7:23     Star Rating: *3/4

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

For the third straight PPV Kelly and Beth squared off against each other. Eve and Natalya are once again at ringside. Kelly hits some punches at the start followed by a Thesz press and more punches. Kelly kicks Beth from the corner and hits a diving clothesline off the top, but Beth counters a head scissors attempt with a backbreaker and hits an elbow drop. Kelly is hung up in the tree of woe and Beth hits a baseball slide before applying a modified dragon sleeper. Beth throws Kelly down by her head and spanks her before hitting a backbreaker and stretching Kelly’s back over her knee. Kelly gets a quick cover for 2 but Beth hits a rope-assisted suplex. Beth chokes Kelly against the ropes, but Kelly hits a neckbreaker before both go for roll ups. Kelly flips out of a Glam Slam attempt, but Beth drives her into the corner. Beth charges in the corner but misses, and Kelly hits a handspring elbow and a bulldog off the top for a near fall. Eve and Natalya brawl on the floor and Beth puts Kelly in a unique double leg submission. Natalya taunts Kelly on the mic as she struggles. Kelly gets the ropes, and Natalya hits Kelly with the mic while the ref is busy holding Beth back. Beth then hits the Glam Slam for the win. Good to see Beth finally win the Divas title but the match really dragged and suffered from some sloppy spots and a lack of crowd heat. It was going along fine at first but they just went too long here. Match Time: 8:28     Star Rating: *1/2

• Triple Threat Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Championship: John Cena(c) vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. CM Punk

This was easily the best match on the show, and was really good outside of the anticlimactic finish. The three men play a bit of cat and mouse early on, keeping their distance from each other and moving in and out of the ring until Cena and Punk both go after Del Rio and take turns wailing on him in the corner. Eventually Cena and Punk have a standoff and tease their finisher before Cena winds up on the outside. Del Rio ends up on Cena’s shoulders on the floor and Punk does a suicide dive that sends both men into the cage. Punk hits a neckbreaker to Del Rio back in the ring and grabs a chair, but Del Rio shoves Punk off the steel steps and into the side of the cage. Del Rio hits a backbreaker to Cena before getting another chair and wedging it in the corner. Cena hits his shoulder blocks and the side suplex followed by the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Del Rio escapes the Attitude Adjustment, only for Punk to hit him with a roundhouse kick before hitting an STO to both men at the same time. Punk sets up a table on the outside and runs along the apron to hit the high knee to Cena but Cena blocks the bulldog attempt and shoves Punk off the apron into the cage wall. Del Rio hits Cena with a chair, sets it on its legs, and hits a backbreaker to Cena on the chair. Del Rio puts Cena in the tree of woe, but misses with a charge and hits the ring post. Cena then stands on the top rope, but Punk shakes it and Cena ends up crotched. Punk hits a Russian leg sweep to Del Rio for 2, but Del Rio comes back with a clothesline before catching Punk in a chin lock. Cena then breaks up the hold with a flying leg drop onto both men.

Punk hits a big kick to the Del Rio before him and Cena collide. Punk and Cena trade shots before Del Rio breaks up a Go to Sleep attempt from Punk and hits both men with a chair. Del Rio stacks both men on top of each other with the chair between them, and comes off the top rope with a diving senton onto the pile. Del Rio gets near falls on both men and tries for the cross armbreaker, but is sent to the floor. Cena hits a sudden AA to Punk, but Del Rio breaks up the cover and hits an enzuigiri to Cena. Del Rio tries for the cross armbreaker on Cena, but Punk breaks it up with a slingshot senton over the ropes. Punk hits Cena with the GTS, but Del Rio pulls him out of the ring and sends him into the cage, and then the ring steps before throwing a chair at him. Cena catches Del Rio with an inside cradle for 2, but Del Rio brings Cena to the outside and throws him into the cage before hitting him in the leg with a chair. Punk hits Del Rio with some clotheslines, a scoop slam, and the Savage elbow drop back in the ring. Cena hits Punk with the shoulder blocks and the side suplex, but Punk kicks Cena in the head when he goes for the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Punk heads up top but Del Rio shoves him off and Punk falls through the table on the floor.

Cena puts Del Rio in the STF, but Ricardo Rodriguez knocks out a referee on the outside, gets the key, unlocks the door, and enters the Cell with a steel pipe. Cena then gives Ricardo an AA onto the floor outside the Cell, but Del Rio hits Cena with the pipe, knocks him outside the cage, gets the key, slams the door shut, and locks Cena out. Del Rio hits a German suplex to Punk for 2, but Punk blocks a second attempt with a roll up attempt. Punk heads up top, but Del Rio hits a big enzuigiri for 2. Punk blocks the cross armbreaker and hits some kicks, a dropkick, the high knee/bulldog combo, and a springboard flying forearm for 2. Cena tries to get in but can’t open the door. Del Rio hits Punk with the pipe and Punk goes for the GTS, but Del Rio hits a couple more shots with the pipe for the win. Frustrating finish for various reasons. They hot shotted the title once again, which proves that the company literally will do just ANYTHING to make sure that Cena never loses cleanly, even though it would have made far more sense to have Del Rio retain at Night of Champions and at this PPV rather than doing a title switch for the fourth PPV in a row. And since Del Rio was going over here, they just had to give Cena an “out” for losing and an excuse to rematch these guys at the next PPV, where Cena will probably win the title yet again. The finish just felt really flat after such a competitive and action packed match. This was really good stuff despite the fact that the cage was only used sparingly. It doesn’t hold up to the classic Hell in a Cells as it felt more like a traditional 3-way at times, but this was still a worthy main event. Match Time: 24:11     Star Rating: ***3/4

After the match, two men in black hoodies got in the cage and started attacking Cena. They quickly revealed themselves as Miz and R-Truth, and they were wreaking havoc in the Cell, attacking everyone including the referee and even some cameramen. Triple H, Laurinaitis, security, and the whole locker room poured out to try and get the cage open, and the idea was that Del Rio had the key and was still inside the cage, so they had no way in. JR was selling this beautifully on commentary. Eventually they got bolt cutters to break the chain and open the door, at which point police officers ran into the cage to arrest Miz and Truth. Once they got outside the cage, Triple H started beating up both of them as guys tried to hold him back, and Triple H decked Laurinaitis as he was being held back. Very good angle to close the show, this and the main event itself were the clear highlights of an otherwise dismal show.

Overall PPV Rating: 6.5/10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• No Disqualification match: CM Punk vs. Triple H

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

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

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

Overall PPV Rating: 5.5/10

“Shark Fights is becoming THE place to fight. The UFC has already signed five fighters that Shark Fights had under contract this year. I’m glad the UFC is watching us and we wish nothing but the best for Chris,” states Bud Brutsman, Shark Fights Executive.

Strikeforce veteran Artenas “Machine Gun” Young (7-3) and unbeaten top contender Clifford Starks (6-0) will replace Camozzi and Lucas as the headline for Shark Fights 20. Young has been on a tear since joining Shark Fights, beating rising prospects Kyle Bracey (4-2) and Elvis Mutapcic (9-2). Starks has finished three of his fights by TKO all in the first round. “It doesn’t matter if I fight first or last, I am always the main event. Now its just official.” said Young. “Headlining Shark Fights 20 is a dream for me, but it’s going to be a nightmare for Starks, cause I’m putting on a SHOW at his expense.”

The co-main event will feature undefeated superstar Jared Downing (7-0) vs Bellator veteran Georgi “Insane” Karakhanyan (17-3). Shark Fights 20 will be the biggest test of Downing’s career as he takes on the much more experienced Karakhanyan. Karakhanyan has fought some of the best Featherweights in mixed martial arts such as Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, Joe Warren, and Bao Quach.
Shark Fights 20 will take place on Saturday, October 15, 2011 at The Edgewater Casino Resort in Laughlin, Nevada and will be broadcast via tape delay on FUEL TV beginning November 4, 2011. Doors Open at 5:30pm PST. Fights start at 7pm PST. Tickets for Shark Fights 20 are on sale now. Tickets are priced at $20, $30, $40, $65, and $100. Tickets are available at www.edgewater-casino.com or by calling 877-344-1187. For more information, or current Shark Fights news, please visit www.sharkfights.com or www.facebook.com/sharkfights. Fight card subject to change.

Main Event:
-Artenas Young (7-3) vs Clifford Starks (6-0)
Co-Main Event:
-Georgi Karakhanyan (17-3) vs. Jared Downing (7-0)

Main Card:
-Casey Milliken (2-3) vs Jimmy Jones (3-0) 
-Brandon Sene (2-2) vs Tim Slater (1-0)
-Eddie Jackson (7-4) vs Rich Campbell (2-0)
Preliminary Bout: 
-Ernie Calma (1-1) vs Anthony Guerra (2-4)
-Chris Brady (0-0) vs Ian Omalza (3-2) 
-Amy Riehle (0-1) vs TBD (0-0) 
-Christian Palencia (0-0) vs Kimo Yadao (0-0)
About Shark Fight Promotions:
Texas based Shark Fight Promotions, founded in 2007, is an integrated entertainment and media company in the combat sports industry, committed to producing high quality fight events and effectively showcasing elite MMA talent. The company is engaged in the production, promotion, presentation and marketing of premier professional mixed martial arts fighting competitions. As an integrated entertainment and media company, Shark Fight Promotions is organized around three principal business activities: Live Event Promotions, Broadcast Television and Digital Media Production and Distribution, Sponsorship and Brand Licensing. As Mixed Martial Arts continues its dominance as the fastest growing sport in the world, Shark Fights is poised to become one of the top fight promotions in the industry. Shark Fight Promotions can be followed via Facebook at facebook.com/SharkFights and via Twitter at twitter.com/SharkFights.

About FUEL TV
FUEL TV is the only cable and satellite television network that features the exciting world of adrenaline and thrill-seeking sports and the stories that surround them. This new generation of sports provides a rich landscape of some of the most vibrant and action-packed television entertainment in the world. See why young adrenaline sports fans call FUEL TV the channel they never turn off. FUEL TV, part of FOX Sports Media Group, was launched July 1, 2003 and is seen in more than 30 million U.S. homes and can be accessed by broadband, mobile devices and other digital platforms such as iTunes®. FUEL TV programming is available in more than 50 countries around the world with 24/7 channels operating in Australia and Europe. To subscribe to FUEL TV, call 877-4-FUEL-TV. For program times and other information, visit www.fuel.tv.

###
Media Contact for Shark Fights:
George Meng
Media and Public Relations
818-333-3694
pr@sharkfp.com

Press Release and Photo Courtesy of Shark Fights

1. Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder match: Sin Cara vs. Wade Barrett vs. Justin Gabriel vs. Sheamus vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Heath Slater vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane

As expected, the opener was one of the ladder matches. Much like last year’s Smackdown Money in the Bank match, this was given a lot of time and turned out great. Everyone brawls at the start until Barrett, Kane, and Sheamus are left in the ring. Kane double clotheslines the two heels and sends them outside, but Bryan kicks a ladder into Kane’s face. Slater and Gabriel team up to hit Sin Cara with a ladder, but Gabriel kicks Slater and climbs a ladder himself. Bryan missile dropkicks Gabriel off the ladder and Rhodes climbs up. Sheamus tries to powerbomb Rhodes but Rhodes escapes and hits Slater with his rebound kick. Kane clotheslines Sheamus to the floor, sends Barrett into a ladder in the corner, throws a ladder onto Barrett and Sheamus on the outside, and gives Slater a sidewalk slam. Cara hits Kane with an enzuigiri before Bryan hits a suicide dive to the floor, followed by separate dives from Slater and Gabriel as well as a high cross body from Cara off the top to Sheamus on the floor. Cara follows with a missile dropkick to Slater, an enzuigiri to Gabriel, and a Spanish Fly off the top turnbuckle to Bryan. Barrett hits Cara with a ladder and bridges the ladder from the apron to the Spanish announce table. Barrett goes for a clothesline but misses and hits the ring post. Sheamus hits Cara with the Brogue kick and then powerbombs him off the apron through the bridged ladder. Cara was tended to by officials and had to leave the match. Sheamus hits everyone with a ladder before Kane punches him and sends him to the floor before tossing the ladder on top of him.

Bryan and Rhodes align to attack Kane but quickly go at each other with punches. Kane hits both of them with a ladder and goes to climb it, but is attacked by Slater, Gabriel, and Barrett. Rhodes and Bryan separately try to climb but are attacked by the former Corre members. The trio then have a standoff before Slater and Gabriel attack Barrett and both try to climb the ladder. Rhodes shoves the ladder over and hits the Cross Rhodes on Slater and Barrett. Sheamus knocks Rhodes off a ladder and gives him the Irish curse backbreaker before starting to climb. Bryan tries to pull him off by his leg and then climbs over him, but Sheamus steps off the ladder with Bryan in an electric chair position, which allows Kane to come off the top rope with a crazy doomsday device clothesline. Sheamus bridges another ladder from the middle turnbuckle to a lower rung of a standing ladder. Kane chokeslams Rhodes and Gabriel before climbing the ladder, but Bryan goes to stop him. Bryan dives off the ladder onto Kane and is caught, but Bryan turns it around into a DDT. Bryan then fights with Slater atop the ladder and Slater gives him a neckbreaker off the ladder. Slater climbs again but is pulled off by Barrett, who then stomps him in the corner and crotches him on the top rope. Barrett and Sheamus then use a ladder to fling Slater off the top rope onto Kane on the floor.

Sheamus hits Barrett with a Brogue kick before he clotheslines Gabriel and drops him face first on a horizontal ladder in the corner. Sheamus climbs a ladder but ends up trading shots with Kane at the top. Kane eventually chokeslams Sheamus off the ladder onto the bridged ladder set up earlier by Sheamus. Rhodes catches Kane with the rebound kick and Barrett hits Kane with the Wasteland. Gabriel then hits a 450 splash to Kane off a horizontal ladder that was resting on the top rope. Scary spot. Barrett then gives Gabriel a Wasteland over the top rope to the floor and hits Slater with a pumphandle slam. He goes to climb, but Rhodes pulls him down and clotheslines him to the floor. Rhodes and Bryan fight at the top of a ladder as Barrett climbs up the other side, but Bryan is able to knock Rhodes to the mat and prevent Barrett from getting the case. Barrett teases a Wasteland off of the ladder, but Bryan fights out with the ELBOWS OF DEATH which he was known for on the independent scene. Bryan is able to fight off Barrett and send him to the mat, and then he unhooks the case for the win. Very surprising finish that got a huge reaction from the Chicago crowd, as not only was Bryan very over, but no one really expected him to win going in. Absolutely the right call with that finish. The match itself was awesome and had a lot of really nice spots while keeping a consistent theme of everybody constantly going for the win. Everyone really got to shine and this was a tremendous opener. Fun stuff all around. Match Time: 24:33     Match Rating: 8/10

2. Divas Championship match: Kelly Kelly© vs. Brie Bella

This was just here to cool down the crowd after the hot opener. Brie taunts Kelly at the start, but Kelly slaps her, hits a Thesz press with some punches, and a head scissors. Kelly takes out both Bella twins on the floor, but Brie tosses her out when she comes into the ring. Brie hits some punches, hangs up Kelly on the ropes, and presses her knees to her back. Brie then tosses Kelly to the mat and applies a weird head wrench submission with Kelly’s arm behind her head. Kelly fights out with a jawbreaker, slams Brie’s face in the mat, and then hits a clothesline followed by a neckbreaker for 2. Brie attempts a backslide but Kelly hits a bulldog before getting the win shortly after with the K2. Typical Diva fare with some botched spots and a lot of screaming. At least it was short. Match Time: 4:49     Match Rating: 2/10

3. Mark Henry vs. The Big Show

While this was certainly no classic, it was definitely more enjoyable than it had any right to be. Henry opens with punches, but Show fires back and hits a diving shoulder block before they move to the outside. Show clotheslines Henry on the floor and sends him over the steps, but Henry dropkicks the steps into Show’s knee. Back in the ring, Henry hits a kick to the face and slams Show’s knee on the mat before applying a single leg Boston crab. Show gets the ropes and kicks Henry off, but Henry hits a clothesline in the corner. Show hits a kick and a diving shoulder block off the top turnbuckle, but Henry escapes the chokeslam and hits the World’s Strongest Slam for 2. Henry then hits a second WSS and then connects with 2 back to back running splashes for the win. After the match Henry wraps a chair around Show’s leg and hits a Vader Bomb onto it, leading to Show being tended to by trainers and carted off. Injury angle was well done and the match was fine. They kept things short and moved at a pretty solid pace for 2 big guys. They also continued to build up Henry strongly. Match Time: 5:59     Match Rating: 4/10

4. Raw Money in the Bank Ladder match: Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Jack Swagger vs. Evan Bourne vs. R-Truth vs. Alex Riley vs. The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio

While not quite as good as its Smackdown predecessor, this was still an extremely good, action-packed match, though it could have used a little more time. All 8 men have ladders in their hands at the opening bell, and they immediately begin the attack on Del Rio, who is sent to the floor and ends up buried under a pile of ladders thrown at him by the other participants. Rey is tossed onto the pile of ladders as well while R-Truth and Miz square off in the ring only for Swagger to hit both men with a ladder. Kofi and Bourne fight on a small ladder before they use it to hit Swagger and R-Truth. Rey hits Swagger with a head scissors to the floor and Del Rio crotches R-Truth on a ladder before kicking him in the face. Riley climbs a small ladder, but steps off and dives onto Swagger and Miz on the floor. R-Truth does a dive over the ropes as well and Rey and Kofi follow with simultaneous dives off the top turnbuckle to the floor. Bourne then climbs a ladder near the entrance ramp and does a crazy shooting star press to everyone on the floor. Bourne climbs a ladder in the ring and fights with Miz at the top, only for Del Rio to shove the ladder over. Miz took a bad fall, landing horribly on his leg, and was helped to the back by trainers (this looked pretty legit). Rey and Del Rio fight and Del Rio goes to climb, but R-Truth pulls him off the ladder. R-Truth and Del Rio then climb on opposite sides, but Rey and Bourne climb over them, knock them off, and hit simultaneous hurricanranas off the ladder to the heels. Kofi climbs, but Swagger pulls him off with the ankle lock.

Riley climbs up and fights with Swagger, but R-Truth pushes the ladder over. R-Truth puts a ladder in the corner horizontally, and then kicks it into Rey’s gut when Rey winds up in the corner. Kofi then hits a Boom Drop off the horizontal ladder to R-Truth and hits Riley with a kick. Rey dives onto Kofi and R-Truth stands on the end of a ladder near the apron to send the other end into Swagger’s face (think like a seesaw). However, while R-Truth is leaning through the ropes, Rey catches him with a 619. Riley and Rey fight at the top of a ladder while Bourne sets up a ladder himself, and soon all seven men end up fighting atop various ladders in a huge brawl. Del Rio gets sent into a ladder in the corner and Bourne is sent all the way to the floor when his ladder is pushed over. Eventually only Swagger and Kofi are left fighting at the top, but the ladder tips over and both crash to the mat. Miz then returns, limping down the entrance ramp, and goes to climb a ladder. After he gets about halfway up, Rey gives him a sunset flip powerbomb off the ladder. Rey climbs and tries fend off Del Rio by kicking him and hitting him in the face with the briefcase. Del Rio then unmasks Rey and shoves him onto another ladder. However, Rey uses both hands to cover his face, so his ladder falls over because he wasn’t holding on to it. His ladder also crashes into Del Rio’s and they both fall over, but Del Rio sets his ladder back up and climbs up to get the case for the win. Very frenetic, chaotic match that was definitely the more dangerous of the two MITB matches. Like the first one, everyone continuously was going for the win, which created a lot of suspense. It could have used just a few more minutes but this was extremely enjoyable and featured tons of craziness. Match Time: 15:58     Match Rating: 7.5/10

5. World Heavyweight Championship match: Randy Orton© vs. Christian

The stipulations here were that if Orton got disqualified, or if the referee “makes a bad call”, then Christian will automatically win the title. While not quite up to par with some of their previous matches, this was another strong PPV encounter from these two. Christian slides a chair in the ring at the start to tempt Orton, but Orton tosses it out. Christian shoves him, but Orton unloads on him with punches, attacks him in the corner, and follows with a back body drop and knee drop. Christian slaps Orton, but Orton hits a kick and avoids a Christian dive to the floor. Orton tosses Christian into the steps, but misses a kick and gets his neck snapped over the top rope by Christian. Christian hits a diving twisting uppercut off the top and hits a back elbow. Christian stands on Orton’s back on the ropes before he slides outside and hits him in the face. Christian wrenches Orton’s head, but Orton gets up, avoids a charging Christian in the corner, and rolls him up for 2. Christian hits a spinebuster for 2 and goes for the Killswitch, Orton tries to counter with a back suplex, and Christian backflips out of it only for Orton to clothesline him to the floor. Christian misses a dive and counters the RKO, but Orton counters a dive form Christian with a jackknife cover. Orton hits a Thesz press with some punches, but Christian counters the spike DDT and heads up top, only for Orton to dropkick him in midair. Christian shoves Orton off the top and hits a diving head butt for 2 before both guys counter each other’s finishers. Orton hits some clotheslines, but Christian counters the RKO and hits the Killswitch for a near fall. Orton avoids a spear from Christian and hits a gutwrench neckbreaker for 2, then hits a snap powerslam followed by a spike DDT. Orton readies for the RKO, but Christian crawls to the corner and spits in his face. Orton then unloads on Christian with punches and low blows him right in front of the ref for the DQ, so Christian wins the title. After the match Orton beats the crap out of Christian and RKOs him on the Spanish announce table. The table didn’t break so Orton turned around during his retreat to give him another one, and again the table didn’t break. The match had awesome storytelling with Christian continuously antagonizing Orton before he finally sent him over the edge with the ultimate disrespect, spitting in his face. Although a bit short for a world title match, there was also a lot of very good back and forth action and false finishes. It will be interesting to see how this angle will continue and this PPV was very successful in reviving interest in Smackdown. Match Time: 12:20     Match Rating: 7/10

6. WWE Championship match: John Cena© vs. CM Punk

This was it, after some epic buildup and a ridiculous amount of speculation and anticipation, it was time for the main event. The crowd was more than ready for this thing as they had been chanting Punk’s name all night, long before this match was due to take place. As expected, they were almost universally in favor of Punk and booed the hell out of Cena. It was a One Night Stand 2006-esque atmosphere. Simply put, this was a masterpiece. The opening bell rang at about 10:12 EST, so you knew these guys were getting enough time for an adequate blowoff. They start off with a lot of chain wrestling after a lock up, with Punk applying a headlock and Cena applying a chin lock after a snapmare. Cena catches Punk in a fujiwara armbar and twists Punk’s arm, then hits a shoulder block and they lock up again. Cena hits another shoulder block but Punk comes back with a hip toss, a headlock, and a shoulder block of his own before both guys tease their finishers. Punk kicks Cena in the corner, but Cena hits a one handed bulldog and applies a reverse headlock. Punk hits some punches, but Cena hits a clothesline and applies a side headlock. Punk escapes the hold with a back suplex and gets a near fall after whipping Cena into the corner. Cena hits some punches and a fisherman’s suplex for 2, but Punk counters the Attitude Adjustment and hits a DDT for 2. Punk works over Cena with a head scissors and Cena gets up, only for Punk to toss him outside. Punk picks Cena up, hangs his head over the apron, and hits a diving knee drop off the top rope to the back of Cena’s head. Cena avoids a charging Punk in the corner and pulls his leg, but Punk kicks him off and catches him in a chin lock.

Cena gets up and hits some punches, but Punk kicks him in the corner and hits a cross body that doesn’t look pretty as Cena didn’t quite catch him right. While standing on the apron, Cena suplexes Punk over the ropes all the way to the floor. Cena scores a near fall back in the ring with a snap fisherman’s suplex and tries a slam that Punk escapes, but Cena picks Punk up and powerslams him for 2. Cena hits some more punches, and Punk comes back with some of his own, only for Cena to catch him in an abdominal stretch. Punk breaks the hold by clawing Cena’s face and hits a hip toss before both guys clothesline each other. Cena hits his shoulder blocks, but Punk backflips out of the side slam attempt and rolls Cena up for 2. Punk misses the running knee in the corner and Cena hits the side slam, but Punk kicks Cena in the head when he goes for the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Punk does a suicide dive through the ropes onto Cena on the floor, but misses a springboard clothesline back in the ring and eats the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena goes for the AA, but Punk lands on his feet and hits a few short kicks for a near fall. Punk goes for the Go to Sleep, but Cena counters and hits a gutwrench suplex for 2. Punk counters the AA again, hangs up Cena in the ropes, hits 2 back to back running knee strikes, and a bulldog. Punk then hits a springboard clothesline for 2 and hits 3 kicks to the chest, but he misses on the 4th attempt and Cena catches him in the STF. Punk is able to get to the ropes and scores a near fall off a roundhouse kick. Punk goes for a cross body off the top, Cena rolls through and goes for the AA, Punk counters and goes for the GTS, but Cena counters and locks in the STF again.

Punk struggles, but is able to counter out of the hold and transition into the Anaconda Vise. Cena is eventually able to get up and give Punk the AA, but Punk kicks out! Cena heads up top and goes for the diving Famouser, but Punk powerbombs him in midair for 2. Punk goes for the GTS again but Cena gets the ropes and snaps Punk’s neck over them. Cena goes back up top and hits the diving Famouser for 2. Cena waits for Punk to get up and hits a second AA, but PUNK KICKS OUT AGAIN. Cena then sets Punk up on the top turnbuckle and teases a top rope AA, but Punk escapes it with the DANIEL BRYAN ELBOWS OF DEATH and hits a top rope Frankensteiner. Punk hits the running knee in the corner and goes for the GTS, but catches Cena in the ribs and Cena falls to the floor. As Punk goes to roll Cena back inside, Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis come out on the ramp. Cena catches Punk in the STF back in the ring, and Vince calls for the bell to be rung as he comes down the ramp with Laurinaitis, trying to replicate the Montreal Screwjob. Cena sees what’s happening and immediately breaks the hold, leaves the ring, and decks Laurinaitis before telling Vince that he won’t let it end that way. Just as Cena comes back inside, Punk hits the GTS for the win! Vince then grabs a headset from the announce table and orders for Alberto Del Rio to come down to cash in his briefcase. Punk jaws with Vince as Del Rio comes to the ring, but Punk immediately levels him with a roundhouse kick to the head before Del Rio can cash in. Punk then taunts Vince as he escapes through the crowd with the championship. The PPV closes with Punk making his way through the concourse with the title intact. This was an extraordinary match, the best that John Cena has ever had and an easy match of the year candidate. The storytelling and the drama were at primarily uncharted territories for WWE. The way that they had this red hot crowd hanging on every move was simply magical. This is a match that you can show to everyone you know to explain why you love professional wrestling. The execution of everything involved in the match and post-match was astounding. I can’t wait to see how they follow this up and this match is a MUST SEE. Match Time: 33:44     Match Rating: 10/10

Overall PPV Rating: 9.25/10

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 three years.

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1.    United States Championship match: Kofi Kingston(c) vs. Dolph Ziggler

This was a pretty impressive showing from both men. These guys have had numerous good matches in the past but this was better than the usual from them. Kofi starts off with a headlock, but Ziggler is able to escape, scissor Kofi’s head, and apply a headlock himself. They run the ropes, with Kofi doing a leap frog before hitting a dropkick and a monkey flip. Ziggler blocks the Trouble in Paradise and sends Kofi into the ropes before hitting a leg drop. Ziggler chokes Kofi against the bottom rope, but Kofi counters a neckbreaker attempt with a backslide. Ziggler hits a dropkick for a near fall and applies a modified camel clutch. Kofi fights out but Ziggler sends him into the ropes and hits a German suplex for 2. Ziggler applies an arm bar and goes for the sleeper, but Kofi counters and avoids a charging Ziggler in the corner. Kofi hits a big chop and a dropkick before Ziggler counters the SOS. Kofi hits Ziggler in the face and hits a cross body off the top to Ziggler’s back followed by the Boom Drop. Ziggler counters the Trouble in Paradise, but Kofi counters a back suplex attempt. Kofi hits the SOS for a close near fall and both guys go for roll ups. Kofi counters the Famouser and heads up top, but Dolph crotches him. Kofi knocks Ziggler to the mat and hits a big diving cross body for 2. Ziggler counters the SOS and goes for the sleeper but Kofi makes it to the corner. Kofi again fails to hit the Trouble in Paradise and Ziggler sends him into the ropes, where Vickie claws at his eyes. Ziggler then applies the sleeper, which Kofi struggles with for a while before the ref stops the match and Ziggler wins the belt. The finish was handled poorly and it came off very confusing, since WWE does not have much experience with MMA style finishes and thus they weren’t very smooth in the execution of this one. The finish hurts it but this was a very good, competitive opener. Match Time: 11:06     Star Rating: ***1/4

2.    The Miz vs. Alex Riley

This brought things to a lull after the hot opener. Riley charges out of the gate with punches, chases Miz around ringside and back into the ring, and unloads with more punches. Eventually Miz takes him down and hits a bunch of kicks, stomps, a boot to the head, and some punches of his own. Miz hits a low DDT, a knee to the back, and some shots to the head. Riley goes shoulder first into the post and falls to the floor, where Miz boots him in the head. Riley scores a shot to the jaw in the ring, but Miz applies a chin lock and jumps on Riley’s back. Riley fights out with some shots to the gut, but Miz scores a near fall and hits his corner clothesline. Riley gets hung up in the tree of woe, but Miz misses with the baseball slide dropkick. Riley hits a back elbow and a spear before tossing Miz into the corners and hitting a spinebuster. Miz tosses Riley to the floor but Riley comes back in and gets a near fall. Riley tosses Miz into the barricade and the announce table on the outside. Michael Cole yells at Riley, and Riley tosses him to the ground. Miz tries to use the briefcase back in the ring, but Riley is able to hit an impaler DDT for the win. The crowd popped for the finish so the match accomplished what it set out to do, but you have to figure that Miz looks incredibly weak right now. Match was also very dull until the last 2 minutes. Match Time: 10:12     Star Rating: **

3.    Alberto Del Rio vs. The Big Show

Show attacks on the ramp during Del Rio’s entrance, beating him down the ramp and tossing him hard into the barricade. Show puts Del Rio in the ring, but Mark Henry comes out to attack Show. Henry tosses Show over the announce table and hits the World’s Strongest Slam through the Spanish announce table. He then slams Show’s leg down onto the broken table. Show sells the knee as the ref counts him out (even though the bell never rang…), but Show makes it in at 7. The ref then calls for the opening bell and Show tosses Del Rio into the corner to hit a big chop. Del Rio reverses an irish whip and kicks Show in the injured leg. Show drops Del Rio during a body slam attempt and Del Rio hits a dropkick to the knee followed by multiple running kicks to the leg. Show kicks out of a cover and hits a chokeslam but sells the knee. Del Rio snaps Show’s neck over the ropes from the outside and leaps off the top, but Show tries for a chokeslam. Del Rio gets out and kicks Show’s leg, but Show counters the cross-arm breaker with a sloppy one handed slam. Show gets to the ropes to break an ankle lock. Del Rio stalks Show, who is struggling to get up. The ref rules Show can’t continue and calls for the bell, awarding the match to Del Rio. The match did nothing for Del Rio, who should have wiped the floor in a minute or two given the circumstances. The match also just consisted of Del Rio kicking Show in the leg over and over again, so it was extremely boring. Awful match that, even at 5 minutes, dragged considerably. Match Time: 4:57 (bell to bell)     Star Rating: DUD

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

Well, this was at least better than the last couple matches, as well as their Over the Limit match. Barrett applies a headlock, but breaks and heads to the floor. Jackson fires with punches, misses Barrett in the corner, and hits a shot to the back followed by a near fall. Barrett sends Jackson into the ropes and hits a kick to the head, and then applies a chin lock. Jackson hits some elbows and counters a pumphandle slam, but Barrett hits a sunset flip followed by a sidekick and a pumphandle slam for a near fall. Barrett puts the boots to Jackson in the corner and hits a bunch of kicks and punches. Jackson hangs up Barrett in the ropes and hits a shoulder block, clothesline, and steamrolls Barrett in the corner. Barrett charges and misses in the corner but blocks a powerslam. Barrett hits the Wasteland for 2, but Jackson blocks a big boot, hits 4 consecutive scoop slams, and forces a submission via the Torture Rack for the win. Kind of a TV quality match but not a terrible one at that. Wasn’t that exciting but it was fine. Match Time: 6:41     Star Rating: **

5.    Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk

This was every bit as good as you’d expect from these two, and arguably the best match of the night. Punk teases some kicks early before they move into a brief mat wrestling sequence. Rey hits a modified snapmare and they stare each other down before they go into the corner. Rey hits some kicks to the leg but Punk hits a scoop slam and takes out Rey’s leg. Both guys go for roll ups before Rey dropkicks Punk into the ropes. Punk avoids the 619 only for Rey to hit a baseball slide. Rey tries for a seated senton to the floor, but Punk catches him and drops him face first on the barricade. Punk applies a surfboard in the ring and scores a near fall, then puts Rey in a body scissors. Rey fights out only to fall victim to a tilt a whirl backbreaker. Punk goes back to the body scissors, before Rey fights out and Punk puts on an abdominal stretch. Punk trips Rey up on the top rope and scores a near fall, but Rey comes back with a kick and a head scissors to the floor. Rey hits a huge asai moonsault to the floor and follows with a diving head butt to a standing Punk back in the ring. Punk rolls through a cross body attempt for a near fall and both guys miss with kicks. Rey hits a kick to the head for 2, but Punk comes back with a back superplex off the top for 2. Punk hits the high knee in the corner, but when he charges in another corner he goes shoulder first into the ring post. Rey hits a 619 around the post and Punk falls to the outside. Rey puts Punk back in the ring and heads up top, but Punk gets his knees up to block the splash and gets a near fall. Punk hits some knee strikes but Rey counters the Go to Sleep with a hurricanrana for 2. Punk hits a roundhouse kick for 2 and tries for the GTS, but Rey arm drags him into the ropes. Punk counters the 619 with a GTS for the win. The crowd was a little slow to warm up after being dead through the heat segment, but this was a very good match. The last few minutes were very exciting, the finish was excellent, and the right man got the win. Match Time: 14:58     Star Rating: ***1/2

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

This wasn’t at the level of their match last month, but it was still a very good match to further along the feud. Orton takes Christian down early and hits several punches, a kick, a clothesline, and a stomp to the head. Christian hits some shots but Orton hits a Thesz press followed by more punches. They run the ropes, with Christian doing a leapfrog before Orton hits a shoulder block and applies a headlock. Christian fights out and goes to the second rope, but Orton avoids a diving Christian and stomps him. Christian tosses Orton to the floor and hits a baseball slide, but misses when he dives over the top rope. Orton scores a near fall in the ring and hits some punches before clotheslining Christian back to the outside. Orton tries for a spike DDT off the steps but Christian counters. Back in the ring, Christian stomps Orton and stands on his neck in the corner. Christian hits a neckbreaker, rakes the eyes, and wrenches Orton’s head. Orton gets up and gets 2 with a roll up, but Christian hits a spinebuster for 2 and punches Orton in the head. Orton whips Christian into the corner and hits a back body drop. Orton hits several punches to the chest, Christian counters a scoop slam attempt, and Orton counters a reverse DDT. Orton hits a clothesline, a snap powerslam, and a belly to belly slam. Christian teases a suplex to the floor before Orton hits him with a superplex off the top. They trade punches before they each counter the other’s finisher. Orton hits a gutwrench suplex and Christian scores a near fall with a reverse DDT. Christian misses a spear, counters the RKO, and hits a spear for 2. Orton gets the win with an RKO, but Christian’s foot is clearly under the bottom rope and the ref counted anyway. Christian protests after the match and Orton eventually hits him in the head with the title belt. This was a good way to continue this feud even if the match was a little too short and not as great as it could have been. Still, very good action all things considered. Match Time: 14:03     Star Rating: ***1/2

7.    Jack Swagger vs. Evan Bourne

This was a last-second add-on to kill time. They lock up, with Swagger applying a reverse headlock and hitting a powerslam. Swagger applies a hammerlock, but Bourne hits some kicks and they run the ropes. Bourne hits a headscissors but Swagger hits a pair of gutbusters and a front slam. Swagger hits some elbows to the gut and applies a modified crossface. Swagger hits a back body drop, some shots to the back, and a Vader Bomb for 2. Swagger puts his boot to Bourne’s gut, but Bourne comes back with a hurricanrana and some kicks before Swagger hits a scoop slam. Bourne hits the leaping knees the chest and a kick to the head, but Swagger hits a big boot for 2. Bourne hits a diving tornado DDT off the top and kicks Swagger in the head, but misses the shooting star press. Bourne counters the gutwrench powerbomb and Swagger tries for the Ankle Lock, but Bourne counters that with a roll up for the win. Decent little match, but they’ve done this on Raw so many times and Swagger has such little credibility that it was very difficult to care about it. For filler, it was pretty solid. Match Time: 7:17     Star Rating: **1/2

Then, the Barack Obama lookalike that had been making appearances throughout the show cut a promo on the stage to hype up the main event briefly. He goes to leave but Booker T gets in the ring and has him meet him there. Booker has the fake Obama do the spinarooni in a completely stupid, time-wasting segment. All this did was take time away from the main event.

8.    WWE Championship match: John Cena(c) vs. R-Truth

Given the extremely good buildup, this was very, very disappointing. Truth really got exposed and they didn’t get quite enough time for a main event, either. They lock up after some stalling, with Truth applying a brief headlock before they circle each other. Cena goes after Truth’s leg, but Truth bails to the floor. Truth hits a back elbow back in the ring, hits some shots in the corner, and chokes Cena with his boot. Cena whips Truth into the corner, hits a bulldog and a punch, and Truth goes to the floor. Truth counters the Attitude Adjustment in the ring and hits a reverse falcon arrow for 2. Truth chokes Cena with his boot and Cena hits some punches, but Truth hits a leg lariat for 2. Truth hits a slap and a leg drop, applies a hold, and hits the corkscrew clothesline for 2. Truth scores another near fall before Cena snaps his head over the ropes, but Truth clotheslines a charging Cena. Truth chokes Cena, stomps him, and scores a near fall before applying a chin lock. Truth then puts Cena in a body scissors before he hits a suplex for 2. Cena comes back with the shoulder blocks and the side slam followed by the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Truth counters the AA with a suplex drop into a stunner. Cena avoids a charging Truth in the corner and puts him in the STF only for Truth to get the ropes. Truth kicks Cena in the guy and hits a scissor kick for 2. Cena rolls through a diving cross body attempt and goes for the AA, but Truth counters and hits the Shut Up for 2. Truth goes to the floor and puts on a kid’s Cena hat, but the kid splashes his drink in Truth’s face. Cena then hits the AA in the ring for the win. Dull main event with a crappy, cheesy, “play it safe” WWE style finish with the heel looking completely stupid and eating the pin. Before that, much of the match just consisted of Truth hitting Cena with a seemingly endless amount of moves and Cena continuously kicking out at 2. It was a very monotonous, unsatisfying way to close the show that really damaged R-Truth, who had been built up very well leading into this PPV. Match Time: 14:45     Star Rating: **1/4

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 three years.

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