Believe it or not, this was actually a battle for first place in the AFC South and the shorthanded Texans blew the doors off of Tennessee. Only a half game separates the two still, but Houston is looking better and at 4-3, can ride RB Arian Foster to the division title in a golden opportunity season (see Indianapolis).

JETS – 27, Chargers – 21

Two consecutive wins following a three-game losing streak gives Jets fans reason to smile heading into the bye week. Especially when you factor in the following: they trailed by 11 at the half and got two important components of their offense going. WR Plaxico Burress had three touchdown receptions and RB Shonn Greene eclipsed 100 yards to lead the Jets (4-3) over a talented San Diego (4-2) squad.

Broncos – 18, DOLPHINS – 15

Tim Tebow returned to the state of his greatest accomplishments and the holy roller led Denver (2-4) to an exciting overtime comeback over still-winless Miami (0-6). Tony Sparano won’t go for two next time when he’s ahead in the game.

Falcons – 23, LIONS – 16

After coming out of the gate 5-0, Detroit has now dropped their last two, both at home. Atlanta (4-3) lives another day and should be able to use this quality win as a springboard to keep moving up. If Matt Stafford keeps getting banged up, the Lions will see another season end without a playoff berth.

PANTHERS – 33, Redskins – 20

Perhaps a sign of things to come for two teams going in different directions. Carolina improved to 2-5, but the long-term picture looks promising with rookie QB Cam Newton playing like a veteran. Washington (3-3) is falling back into the pack of the NFC East and will eventually be better off finding out of Beck is the answer. He probably is not.

Bears – 24, BUCCANEERS – 18

Another NFL game played in London and another ho-hum affair. Both teams come back to the US at 4-3 but Chicago looked strong, while Tampa Bay did not.

BROWNS – 6, Seahawks- 3

The worst game of the weekend. Not worth even going further than that.

Steelers – 32, CARDINALS – 20

Somehow, Pittsburgh is 5-2 and in first place. They have not played consistently and looked downright awful at times, but good teams find ways to win and that is the case here. That also rings true for Arizona, but the other way around. Bad teams always find a way to lose. How are those Kevin Kolb red jerseys selling now?

Chiefs- 28, RAIDERS – 0

Carson Palmer went from on his butt on the couch to on his back at Oakland, courtesy of a fired-up Kansas City (3-3) squad that smelled blood in the water. The old rivalry was totally one-sided on this day, but not too many expected to see Oakland’s new QB less than a week after he was acquired. He replaced an ineffective Kyle Boller, who didn’t have the same rusty excuse. All is not lost for 4-3 Oakland, who need to get Palmer acclimated with the playbook.

Packers- 33, VIKINGS- 27

Christian Ponder has taken over for Donovan McNabb and will be there for a long time if he continues to play the way he did on Sunday. Sure, Minnesota (1-6) lost the game to the undefeated defending Super Bowl champions, but Green Bay (7-0) was on the ropes a few times. That’s a lot more than most of their opponents this season can say.

COWBOYS – 34, Rams – 7

Look who’s back in the playoff hunt? Dallas (3-3) has hung tough all year and took advantage of a St. Louis (0-6) team that was the sexy preseason pick to win the weak NFC West. That’s not happening.

SAINTS – 62, Colts – 7

How the mighty have fallen. Indianapolis is 0-7 and on track to be in position to draft Andrew Luck. That will be an interesting scenario, depending on Peyton Manning’s health. New Orleans (5-2) made it look easy because it was.

JAGUARS – 12, Ravens – 7

The runner-up for the most boring game of Week 7, but it actually had an interesting fourth quarter. Baltimore (4-2) could not get anything going on offense and looked putrid trying to move the ball. Jacksonville (2-5) played with inspiration on the national stage and earned this win.

Photo by Bill Menzel

• #1 Contender’s match: Kid Kash vs. Jesse Sorensen

The winner of this match would be the #1 contender to the X Division Championship. This was a fairly decent opener, and it would be nice to see TNA start more of their PPVs with fun, X Division style matches, besides matches for the X Division title. They chain wrestle at the start, with Sorensen applying a waistlock and a hammerlock before both men hit arm drags. Kash hits a kick and some shots to the head, but Sorensen hits some punches and an arm drag followed by an arm bar. Kash fights up and takes some shots from Sorensen, but drop toeholds him into the corner. Kash hits a nasty looking release front brainbuster and a kick to the head followed by some slaps. Sorensen comes back with some chops, a leg lariat, and a dropkick for 2. Sorensen hits a neckbreaker and a top rope cross body for a pair of near falls, but Kash comes back with a scoop slam, a knee drop, and some knee strikes to the gut. He shoves the ref but the ref shoves back. Kash hits a release suplex and a slightly botched springboard moonsault off the top for 2, but Sorensen hits a lifting reverse suplex slam for the win. Had a couple rough moments, but this was a solid opener all around. Match Time: 7:56     Star Rating: **1/2

• Bound for Glory Series match: Bully Ray vs. James Storm

Going in, they went with the idea that whoever had the most points after both of the BFG Series matches tonight would be the winner of the series. This was very dull and Bully Ray once again showed that while his heel character is very good, his wrestling still leaves much to be desired. Ray stalls a lot early on, leaving the ring several times and yelling at/staring at the crowd. After a few minutes Ray starts things off with some shots in the corner, then whips Storm into another corner to kick and punch him. Storm avoids a charging Ray and hits an arm drag before cinching in a cross arm-breaker. They played it up like Storm had to win via submission in order to get enough points to win the series. Ray makes it to the ropes and they circle each other before locking up again. Storm hits an arm drag and applies the cross arm-breaker again. Ray escapes to the floor and Storm slams his arm on the steps, but Storm gets beer sprayed in his eyes. Ray hits some head butts in the corner back in the ring, but Storm counters the Bubba Bomb and again applies the cross arm-breaker. Ray gets the ropes, but Storm puts him in a sharpshooter, only for Ray to make it to the ropes again. Storm gets Ray on the mat again and applies a Fujiwara arm bar, only for Ray to counter with a roll-up for a near fall. Ray backdrops Storm over the ropes, but Storm lands on the apron and hits an enzuigiri. Storm accidentally spits beer in the ref’s face before cinching in the cross-armbreaker again. Ray taps out, but the ref rules Ray the winner by disqualification. Total BS finish for a crucial match in a tournament to decide the #1 contender for TNA’s biggest show of the year. The match itself was very one-dimensional and boring, with Storm going for submission after submission and Ray stalling a lot. Not good, and the finish only worsened things. Match Time: 11:50     Star Rating: *1/4

• TNA Women’s Knockout Championship match: Mickie James(c) vs. Winter

This was yet another terrible Knockouts match with a lot of unnecessary overbooking and interference. Mickie hits a missile dropkick right from the start and goes after Angelina Love on the floor before Winter follows. Mickie whips Winter into the steps and slams her head on the guardrail, but Winter hits some shots back in the ring. Mickei hits a headscissors out of the corner and kicks Love through the ropes, but Winter hits a suplex before applying a bow and arrow. Mickie flips Winter over, but Winter hits a clothesline and throws Mickie down by her head before choking her against the ropes, and Love chokes Mickie while Winter distracts the ref. Winter hits a backbreaker and stretches Mickie’s back over her knee, then hits a second backbreaker. Winter applies a chin lock, but Mickie gets the ropes and does a jackknife cover for 2 followed by a neckbreaker. They trade shots before Mickie hits some clotheslines, a flapjack, and a kick to the head. Winter gets her foot on the ropes during the cover and Mickie applies a single leg Boston crab. Winter gets the ropes and Love hands her the title. Winter misses a shot with the belt and has a tug of war with the ref over it. Mickie rolls up Winter for 2 and goes for a tornado DDT out of the corner, but Love pulls Winter out of the ring to the floor. Mickie hits a Thesz press to Winter off the apron and chases Love up the ramp. The ref counts and both girls make it back in, but Love comes back down and grabs Mickie. Winter accidentally spits blood in Love’s face and while the ref is checking on Love, Winter spits the blood in Mickie’s face and covers for the win. The last couple minutes featured a ludicrous amount of overbooking and the match literally followed the exact same formula of their Hardcore Justice match as well as having the EXACT same finish. This sucked and accomplished nothing. Match Time: 8:38     Star Rating: 1/2*

• TNA World Tag Team Championship match: Mexican America(c) vs. Devon and D’Angelo Dinero

Much like the previous match, this was hampered by too much interference. Devon and Anarquia start with a lock up, with Devon taking control. Devon and Pope tag in and out to work Anarquia’s arm before Anarquia hits an elbow and tags in Hernandez. Devon hits a clothesline and Pope hits an elbow strike off the middle rope. Pope hits a drop toehold followed by a diving headbutt from Devon, and Devon follows with a hip toss to Anarquia. Pope hits an atomic drop and holds up Anarquia for a shoulder block from Devon. Rosita distracts the ref, but Pope kisses her on the apron before dropping her to the ground. Pope hits a hip toss and teases the Wassup with Devon, but Anarquia hits a back elbow and whips Hernandez into Devon in the corner. Hernandez then launches Anarquia into Devon and Sarita hits a dropkick off Hernandez’s back while the ref is distracted. Hernandez applies a bear hug and hits a shoulder block when Devon fights out, but Devon hits a spear. Both guys make tags and Pope hits some clotheslines, dropkicks Hernandez, and then hits a shoulder block and a coronation to Anarquia. Pope hits a top rope cross body but Hernandez breaks up the cover. Anarquia hits a back suplex followed by a diving splash from Hernandez, but Devon and Pope whip the heels into each other before hitting a double shoulder block. Rosita and Sarita try to interfere but the faces give them spankings. Pope tries to suplex Anarquia from the apron, but Anarquia counters it into a cover, and he gets the pinfall as Rosita pulls Pope’s foot from the outside. Typical TNA style tag team match with way too much overbooking and interference to the point where it greatly took away from the wrestling. What could have been a solid tag team encounter was hampered by excessive nonsense, which is a shame because the wrestling itself wasn’t terrible. This has become per the norm for this company in 2011. Match Time: 9:43     Star Rating: **

• Samoa Joe vs. Matt Morgan

While not a particularly good match, this was acceptable and a bit better than expected. Morgan fires away at Joe at the start before Joe comes back with some chops in the corner. Morgan hits some chops and strikes of his own followed by the rapid fire elbows and a Samoan wrecking ball. Morgan chokes Joe against the ropes and hits a leaping body guillotine followed by a guillotine leg drop on the apron. Morgan hits some shots on the outside, but Joe rakes the eyes before hitting a suicide dive out of the ring to the floor. Joe takes Morgan back inside where he hits some punches in the corner, but Morgan slams Joe’s head on the top turnbuckle and hits a top rope cross body for 2. Joe snaps Morgan’s arm over the ropes, hits a running knee strike, and chokes Morgan against the ropes. Morgan hits some shots, but Joe hits a clothesline and an enzuigiri for 2. Joe leg drops Morgan’s arm and applies a modified Kimura. Joe hits a chop in the corner, but Morgan comes back with some strikes before Joe hits some punches, only for Morgan to hit some of his own and a discus clothesline. Morgan hits some more punches, a corner splash, and a side slam for 2 before going for a chokeslam, but Joe rakes the eyes and hits a belly to belly slam before going for the Coquina Clutch. Morgan drives Joe into the corner to break it, but Joe cinches it in with a body scissors. Morgan makes it to the ropes and Joe argues with the ref, and Morgan hits the Carbon Footprint out of the nowhere for the win. The ending totally came out of nowhere and the match slowed down considerably after a good start, but this was still a passable encounter with decent storytelling. Match Time: 11:37     Star Rating: **1/4

• Bound for Glory Series match: Gunner vs. Bobby Roode

Similar to the Storm/Ray match, this was a very dull match that failed to deliver PPV quality action. They lock up and chain wrestle at the start, with Roode targeting Gunner’s arm. They go to the floor, with Roode slamming Gunner’s arm on the apron and stretching it against the ring post. Gunner kicks Roode and drops him face first on the apron, but when he charges, Roode sidesteps him and he hits the post. Roode stomps the arm and applies an arm bar back in the ring, but Gunner hits a DDT and an elbow to the head. He shoves Roode into the corner, and Roode hits an elbow, but Gunner knocks him down and catapults him neck-first into the bottom rope. Gunner wrenches the head and applies a headscissors on the mat. Roode fights out and goes for a Fujiwara arm bar, but Gunner hits a clothesline and a neckbreaker before applying a full nelson. Roode breaks the hold with a charge into the corner and they trade shots. Roode applies a Fujiwara and Gunner counters, but Roode hits a spinebuster before going back to the Fujiwara, only for Gunner to get the ropes. Roode hits some stomps but Gunner kicks him off. Roode hits a kick but Gunner hits a running knee strike before attempting another full nelson. Roode breaks that hold and counters a fireman’s carry with another Fujiwara, which he transitions into a crossface for the submission win. Gunner sold the arm well and the match had solid storytelling, but the match was literally all Roode working the arm, making it very one dimensional and difficult to get into. Technically it was well worked but it was also really boring. Match Time: 11:59     Star Rating: **

After the match, Eric Bischoff comes out and books Robert Roode vs. Bully Ray for later on in the show to decide the winner of the Bound for Glory Series, since Roode and Ray had the same exact amount of points. They should have just made things easier by announcing in advance that the winners of the two BFG series matches on the PPV would meet in the finals later in the night.

• TNA X Division Championship match: Brian Kendrick(c) vs. Austin Aries

Though nothing great or must-see, this was by far the best match of the night. This was a nice improvement from the X Division title match at Hardcore Justice and these guys showed better chemistry with each other. Aries goes for a waistlock early on, but Kendrick twists the arm and goes for a Fujiwara, only for Aries to go for a headlock. Kendrick applies a headscissors on the mat, but Aries escapes with a headstand and hits a dropkick. Kendrick hits some arm drags and a drop toehold followed by a kick to the head, but Aries avoids the sliced bread and bails to the floor, where he avoids a baseball slide kick from Kendrick. Kendrick whips Aries into the guardrail, but Aries sends Kendrick into the ring post and hits a Russian leg sweep into the post. Aries covers Kendrick in the ring for 2 and chokes him against the ropes. Aries hits a slingshot double sledge over the ropes to the apron followed by some chops, a back elbow, and a jumping elbow drop. Aries applies a unique submission before transitioning into a headscissors and boxing the ears. Kendrick hits some forearms, but Aries hits an atomic drop/STO combo, only for him to miss the pendulum elbow drop.

Kendrick hits a jawbreaker, but Aries counters an enzuigiri and tosses Kendrick into the corner. Kendrick big boots a charging Aries and hits some dropkicks, sending Aries to the floor, where Kendrick hits a suicide dive. He hits a missile dropkick back in the ring for 2 and a tornado DDT, but Aries gets his foot on the ropes. Kendrick goes for the sliced bread, but Aries tosses him to the floor, where he misses a suicide dive and crashes into the guardrail. They trade shots back in the ring before Aries sends Kendrick back to the floor and hits a twisting slingshot dive to the outside. Kendrick goes for several roll-ups back in the ring, but Aries hits a forearm and a rope hung twisting neckbreaker for 2. Aries misses the 450 and Kendrick tosses him into the corner before hitting a dragon suplex for 2. Kendrick goes for sliced bread, but the ref gets in the way. Aries uses the distraction to hit a twisting brainbuster for the win. Good back and forth match between these guys with some really nice near falls, and it’s great to see Aries as the X Division Champion, as he seems like an ideal guy to build that division around. Not a blow away match but on this show it really stood out. Match Time: 13:24     Star Rating: ***1/4

• Bound for Glory Series Finals: Bully Ray vs. Bobby Roode

Since it was the BFG Series finals, they did formal introductions. Much like the other BFG Series matches, this really plodded along and was very bland. Ray again stalls at the start by jawing with the fans before they lock up. Ray hits a chop and they lock up again, breaking in the corner where Ray hits another chop. Roode hits some shots but Ray punches him, only for Roode to hit a clothesline that sends Ray bailing to the floor. Ray applies a headlock and hits a couple shoulder blocks. Roode takes Ray down and applies a crossface, but Ray counters out. Roode hits a chop and some shots in the corner, but Ray hotshots him on the ropes and hits a neckbreaker followed by a splash for 2. Ray tries to cover 2 more times but Roode kicks out. Ray hits some slaps and chops while yelling at Roode, but Roode won’t back down and fires back. Ray whips Roode into the corner, but Roode hits a diving neckbreaker off the second rope. Ray hits a uranage and the Bubba Bomb for 2, but he misses a diving senton, allowing Roode to hit a spinebuster for the win. Nice to see Roode get the win but the finish was very anticlimactic and the match was far too slow paced despite the solid storytelling and characters. Ray plays a great heel but he just doesn’t bring it in the ring, which is a problem when he’s this high up in the card. Match wasn’t bad, but not a very definitive conclusion to a tournament that lasted several months. Match Time: 12:28     Star Rating: **1/4

• 3 Way match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship: Kurt Angle(c) vs. Sting vs. Mr. Anderson

This wasn’t necessarily a bad main event, but the whole match was incredibly predictable and the crowd was completely dead. Angle bails at the start before coming back inside the ring, and Sting and Anderson start double teaming him with stomps and corner splashes. After taking out Angle, the faces lock up, with Sting hitting a hip toss and a headlock before they go to the corner. Anderson hits some shots before Angle pulls him to the floor and clotheslines him. Sting hits some shots to Angle in the ring and takes out his leg before hitting an atomic drop, a kick to the leg, and a suplex for 2. Anderson hits a clothesline and an elbow drop to Angle, chokes him with his boot, and hits a neckbreaker. Sting breaks up the cover and hits some shots to Anderson before choking him with his boot. Sting has Anderson in a waistlock, and Angle gets behind him to do a double German suplex spot with all 3 guys. Angle kicks Sting’s head and suplexes him for 2 before applying a chin lock with a body scissors. Sting fights up and hits some elbows and clotheslines followed by a corner splash. Sting hits a DDT for 2 but Anderson breaks up the cover and goes for the Mic Check on Angle. Angle blocks and hits the 3 Germans (separately) on both Sting and Anderson.

Angle and Anderson fight up top, with Angle being sent to the mat only to pop back up and hit a super belly to belly suplex for 2. Sting backdrops Angle to the floor and puts Anderson in the Scorpion Deathlock, but Angle eventually breaks it up and hits the Angle Slam to Sting for 2. Angle then hits an Angle Slam on Anderson for 2 before putting Sting in the Ankle Lock. Sting rolls out and Anderson hits the Mic Check on Angle, but Sting hits the Death Drop on Anderson. Angle pulls Sting out of the ring, and Hulk Hogan grabs Sting from the crowd to rub something in his eyes. A “blinded” Sting then tries to give the referee the Scorpion Death Drop, but Angle hits a low blow and the Angle Slam on Sting for the win. Another ridiculous finish with dumb shenanigans, and it looks like wrestling fans’ worst nightmare is coming true as Sting is apparently facing Hulk Hogan at Bound for Glory. This match here was okay, but everything went exactly as you’d expect it to aside from the goofy finish. Nothing terrible but a very flat way to close the show. Match Time: 15:33     Star Rating: **1/2

Overall PPV Rating: 5/10

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

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

• Mark Henry vs. Sheamus

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

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

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

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

• Wade Barrett vs. Daniel Bryan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall PPV Rating: 8.25/10

1.    R-Truth vs. Rey Mysterio

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

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

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

3.    Sin Cara vs. Chavo Guerrero

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall PPV Rating: 5/10

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

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1.    Mexican America vs. Ink Inc.

This wasn’t a great choice as an opener. It was pretty much the usual from these teams, nothing special. Shannon Moore and Anarquia start with some quick back and forth action, with both men going for arm twists and wrist locks. Moore fights out of a wrist lock, but Rosita distracts the referee and Hernandez is able to tag in. Moore avoids a charging Hernandez in the corner and tags in Jesse Neal, who comes in with some elbow strikes and a belly to belly slam. Hernandez tags in Anarquia, but Neal counters a scoop slam attempt and tags in Moore. Moore hits a diving cross body off the top for a near fall before Anarquia ends up stuck in the apron, allowing Moore to pound away at him on the outside. Moore then hits a springboard asai moonsault to Hernandez on the floor. Sarita scores a cheap shot on Moore while the ref isn’t looking, and Anarquia stomps him in the ring. Hernandez tags in and gives Moore a Sammartino backbreaker. Hernandez hits a shoulder block before tagging his partner, who scores a near fall. Anarquia and Moore are both up top, and Moore is able to send Anarquia to the mat before hitting a very sloppy diving twisting moonsault to a standing Anarquia. Hernandez and Neal both get tags, and Neal comes in as a house of fire. Neal hits a leaping double sledge and a dropkick before scoring a near fall with a cross body on Hernandez. Neal escapes the Border Toss, but Hernandez is able to hit a Dominator for the win after some more interference from Rosita. Just an okay opener that felt a lot like a TV match. Moore and Hernandez can be very sloppy at times and Anarquia’s offense is really one dimensional and boring. Match Time: 9:39     Star Rating: **1/4

Jeff Jarrett then came out with Karen for a promo. He tried to explain that Karen had a terrible leg injury suffered by slipping on one of her kids’ action figures at home. He talked about x-ray footage for proof and said the mixed tag match tonight was off. Mick Foley then came out and said that the x-ray was of a guy’s foot and basically said the match was still on. Of course he piped in the “wrestling matters” slogan, which anyone who regularly watches TNA knows is total BS.

2.    Robbie E vs. Brian Kendrick

Kendrick worked most of the match in his robe. He sits in the ring meditating at the start, but quickly goes to work with a sliding kick and a dive to the floor. He meditates again as Robbie comes back into the ring, but then drop toeholds him into the corner before hitting a dropkick. Kendrick hits a second rope diving lariat before having a confrontation with Cookie on the outside. Kendrick tosses Robbie back into the ring, but Robbie knocks him off the top rope, sending him to the floor. Kendrick comes back inside and Robbie goes to work, choking him with his boot and wrenching his neck. Kendrick looks to be bleeding from the mouth. Robbie applies an arm bar and clotheslines Kendrick to the outside before hitting a suplex on the floor. Cookie chokes Kendrick with his boot while Robbie distracts the ref. Kendrick sends Robbie into the apron and throws the robe in his face in the ring. Robbie launches Kendrick into the corner but Kendrick hits a dropkick for the win out of nowhere. This came off as nothing but filler and was hard to take seriously with both men’s goofy gimmicks. The robe also impaired Kendrick’s ability to work throughout the match. Match Time: 6:42     Star Rating: *3/4

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

An additional stipulation was that if Mickie won, Tara was free from her contract with Madison and she was free to work by herself in TNA. Tara’s music hits before they even touch, and Madison gets out of the ring to yell at her. Mickie hits a baseball slide, but Madison is able to toss her into the steel steps. Mickie reverses an irish whip in the ring, but Madison hits a hanging neckbreaker with Mickie’s feet on the ropes. Madison yells at Tara again, and Mickie hits some punches. Madison hits a hangman’s neckbreaker and both girls are down. Madison gets the loaded glove from beneath the ring, but Tara rips it off of her. Madison rolls up Mickie and hooks the shorts, but Mickie kicks out. Mickie makes a comeback with some clotheslines, but she misses Madison with a diving Thesz press and takes out the ref. Mickie counters Madison’s finisher before Tara enters the ring with the loaded glove on. They teased that she didn’t know who to hit, but eventually knocked out Madison with a punch with the glove. Mickie covers and the ref wakes up to count 3 to end it. Not much in the way of wrestling here and the finish was telegraphed a mile away. The only good thing about this is that the endless Mickie/Madison feud looks to be over. Match Time: 6:49     Star Rating: *

4.    TNA X Division Championship match: Kazarian(c) vs. Max Buck

After about an hour, we finally got our first good match of the evening. Max and Kaz lock up at the start and trade wrist holds before Max hits a shoulder block followed by a leap frog and a kip up by Kaz. They then begin a nice mat wrestling exchange before they get to their feet and Kaz backflips out of a back suplex attempt. Kaz applies a headlock and Max escapes, only for Kaz to come back with a sitout neckbreaker out of the corner. Kaz ends up on the outside and Max hits him with a leaping kick through the ropes. Back in the ring, Max hits a boot to the head and a jawbreaker. He chokes Kaz against the ropes before both guys trade punches. Max takes Kaz down and keeps him grounded with a chin lock. Kaz is able to get up and drive Max into the corner, where he hits a huge gutwrench superplex off the top. Kaz hits some clotheslines and a spin kick, but Max sends Kaz into the corner and charges. Kaz catches a leaping Max and slams him before hitting a springboard twisting leg drop for a near fall. Max counters the Fade to Black to start a nice sequence of counters, during which Kaz hits a kick to the head. Max counters the Fade to Black a second time and hits a buckle bomb before scoring a near fall. Max hits a spike DDT with Kaz’s feet on the top rope and hits a 450 splash for a near fall. Max slaps Kaz and tries for a suplex, but Kaz hits a front suplex on the ropes and kicks Max in the head, leaving Max hung up on the apron. Kaz then hits a crazy running sunset flip powerbomb over the ropes and off the apron to the floor. Max scores a near fall with a cradle back in the ring and counters the Fade to Black, but Kaz hits a shining wizard for the win. Nice story with Max countering the FTB numerous times, forcing Kaz to improvise. Easily match of the night, though it could have used another few minutes. Match Time: 11:19     Star Rating: ***1/4

5.    Abyss vs. Crimson

This was a pretty bad match, about as bad as it looked on paper. Abyss hits a knee to the gut at the start and whips Crimson into the corner, but Crimson is able to hit a dropkick and a clothesline to the floor. Abyss pulls Crimson out by his feet, but Crimson is able to rebound with some elbow strikes and sends Abyss into the guardrail. Abyss avoids as charging Crimson, who connects with the post. Abyss hits some punches and throws Crimson. They return to the ring, where Abyss runs into Crimson in the corner and wrenches at his head for a long time. They do a double clothesline spot and both are down. Crimson hits a punch and a leaping clothesline before hitting some knees to the head and scoring a near fall. Crimson charges in the corner, but Abyss avoids him and hits a chokeslam for a near fall. Abyss grabs Janice and the ref gets scared and runs out of the ring. Abyss swings and misses, and Crimson hits a spear for 2. That should have been the finish. Abyss kicks a charging Crimson, but Crimson counters the Shock Treatment and hits a double arm DDT. Abyss hits a weak Vader Bomb for a near fall, but when he charges Crimson in the corner, Crimson avoids him and hits a sitout chokebomb for the win. It’s good that Crimson got the win here, but the match was terrible. It went a little bit longer than it needed to and was very clunky and boring for the most part. Abyss sucks and Crimson needs experience. Match Time: 10:42     Star Rating: *1/4

6.    TNA World Tag Team Championship match: Beer Money(c) vs. Matt Hardy and Chris Harris

This was a little bit disappointing, but on this show that equals the second best match on the card. They tease that Harris will start the match with James Storm, but Harris instantly tags to Hardy. Hardy beats on Storm in the corner for a bit, but Storm comes back with a neckbreaker and a knee drop before tagging in Robert Roode, who hits a knee drop of his own. Harris gets a tag and punches Roode, but Roode comes back with a punch, a chop, and a leaping shoulder block. Hardy is in, but takes some clotheslines and a slam from Roode. Storm tags in and hits Hardy with some punches, but Hardy is able to knock Roode to the floor and take advantage after Harris spits beer in Storm’s face. The heels go to work, with both men whipping Storm into the corner before Harris hits a bulldog. Hardy gets a near fall and stays in control for a bit, but Storm comes back with a kick and a codebreaker. Roode hits a clothesline to Harris and dives off the second rope with a blockbuster. Roode hits a fisherman’s suplex, but Harris hits a full nelson slam for 2. Hardy hits a diving elbow drop to Roode’s back and applies a bear hug. Roode gets up, but both men are down after a collision. Both men tag their partners, and Storm slaps Harris before hitting some punches, clotheslines, and a Thesz press followed by more punches. Storm skins the cat and hits a spike DDT. Hardy ends up on the floor, and when he comes back in, Storm hits a spinning reverse DDT out of the corner. Hardy hits a side effect, but Storm comes back with a lungblower. Storm counters the Catatonic from Harris but takes a spinebuster. Roode hits a spinebuster to Harris and Beer Money hit a double suplex to Hardy. They set Harris up for the DWI, but change their mind and finish him off with the Death Sentence, America’s Most Wanted’s old finisher. It was a decent tag match with a good story to it, but the fact that Harris returned on the GO HOME SHOW meant this match had almost no buildup and perhaps that is why the audience wasn’t reacting too much to this. Harris and Hardy are both very sluggish and not in the shape that they once were, but Beer Money’s offense held it together. When I heard Harris was coming back to TNA I was hoping for the Wildcat, but it looks like we’ve got Braden Walker instead. Match Time: 13:52     Star Rating: **1/2

7.    No Disqualification match: Tommy Dreamer vs. AJ Styles

Why is this No DQ you may ask? Beats me. This was every TNA street fight match you’ve ever seen. AJ targets Dreamer’s arm early and wrenches at it, but Dreamer eventually fights back with a knee to the gut and stomps AJ in the corner. A little bit of back and forth before AJ hits a kick that sends Dreamer to the floor, which AJ follows with a slingshot plancha to the outside. They fight around the ringside area and Dreamer ends up crotched on the guardrail. They then do the lengthy crowd brawl that TNA always does in this type of match. Dreamer is in control when they finally get back to ringside, and he grabs a kendo stick and trash can as AJ gets a table. AJ hits Dreamer with the table while falling backwards before he tosses Dreamer shoulder first into the ring post. AJ sets up the table halfway so he can run up and jump off with a forearm smash. Dreamer hits a DDT and tries to stab AJ with a fork, but AJ blocks and hits an enzuigiri followed by a trash can shot to the head. AJ sets the table half-up again and hits a Pele kick. Bully Ray then interferes and hits AJ with something, possibly a chain, before Christopher Daniels comes down to chase him away. Dreamer then hits a sloppy piledriver through the table to get the win. This was just there to build to a match between AJ and Ray, which honestly won’t be worth the lengthy build. Total garbage match here and one of AJ’s most forgettable PPV matches. Match Time: 13:02     Star Rating: **1/4

8.    Jeff and Karen Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle and Chyna

The crowd was into this more than any other match on the show. Angle starts with Jeff at the start, taking control with some headlocks before hitting a suplex. Angle tags in Chyna, Jeff bails, and the ref tells Karen she has to enter. She doesn’t want to, and Jeff comes back in to attack Angle, so Chyna has to go back on the apron (Huh?). Angle hits an elbow strike and a powerbomb before applying the Ankle Lock, but a Karen distraction allows Jeff to hit a chop block. Jeff slaps Angle in the face from the outside and comes back in to hit a top rope cross body. Angle comes back with some clotheslines, a belly to belly suplex, and the trio of Germans. Jeff counters the Angle Slam with an arm drag and hits an enzuigiri, but Angle counters the Stroke with the Ankle Lock. Jeff counters out of that, but takes an Angle Slam for 2. Chyna then comes in and falls down hitting a powerslam and hits a mistimed suplex to Jeff. Lovely. She runs into Karen in the corner and hits her with a Pedigree. She gets Karen in the Ankle Lock as Angle does the same to Jeff. Both the Jarretts tap out to end it. I guess this was somewhat entertaining but it was a bit too one sided for it to really be that good of a match. Angle and Jeff did fine but Chyna, to put it mildly, showed her ring rust. Not sure whether or not this will end the feud but I am sick of it and I have a feeling I’m not the only one. Match Time: 10:16     Star Rating: **

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

Mr. Anderson is on commentary, since he will face the winner at Slammiversary for the title. This was yet another lackluster PPV world title match in Sting’s championship reign. It was almost identical to their match from Slammiversary last year minus the Jarrett interference. Sting applies a headlock and gets a sudden cover for a 2 count before both guys stall for a few minutes. Once that’s done, RVD rolls up Sting for a near fall and hits several kicks in the corner. RVD tries for a running kick but Sting sends him over the ropes to the floor. Sting charges and crashes into the guardrail, and RVD attempts a twisting leg drop but catches his leg on the guardrail. Sting targets the leg and they have a LONG crowd brawl. Both guys whip each other into a wall and fight through the crowd. Sting winds up at the bottom of a staircase and RVD jumps onto him. Once they get back to the ringside area the ref decides to start counting them out. RVD clips Sting’s leg and gets in the ring, hitting a single leg dropkick off the top. He attempts Rolling Thunder but Sting misses and he hits his leg on the ropes. Sting hits some clotheslines, but RVD kicks a charging Sting and tries for the Five Star Frog Splash. Sting avoids it and gets a near fall with a roll up before hitting a botched Scorpion Death Drop for the win. A complete nothing main event but I’ll give them a little bit of credit for RVD selling the leg. This will lead to Sting vs. Mr. Anderson at Slammiversary which is almost certain to be worse than this match. Match Time: 12:47     Star Rating: **

Overall PPV Rating: 4.5/10

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

1.    #1 Contender’s Xscape match: Chris Sabin vs. Robbie E vs. Jeremy Buck vs. Max Buck vs. Amazing Red vs. Jay Lethal vs. Brian Kendrick vs. Suicide

Good choice for an opener. The rules are pinfall-or-submission elimination style until it gets to the final two, where the only way to win is to escape the cage. Suicide and Robbie start as everyone else waits on the outside, so tag rules are in play here as well (even though it’s in a CAGE). Suicide takes it to Robbie in the corner and hits a dropkick, and then hip tosses Max (who tagged himself in) before driving him into the corner. Max hits a dropkick to Suicide, but Jeremy tags himself in and gets in his brother’s face. Max backs into the corner and Lethal tags himself in. Jeremy hits a springboard arm drag and a head scissors, but Lethal is able to hit the Lethal Combination. Suicide and Max get tags, but Robbie blind tags himself in and eliminates Suicide after a Sole Food. Sabin comes in and sends Robbie into the cage with the help of Lethal. Sabin and Lethal have a nice back and forth sequence before Red tags in and hits a missile dropkick to Sabin. He goes for a spin kick and Lethal hits a chop, but Red blocks a handspring and hits the Code Red to eliminate Lethal. Red tries for a springboard move, but Sabin counters it and both guys try for suplexes. Sabin flips Red over into the Cradle Shock and hits a huge running lariat to eliminate him.

Max beats on Sabin, but Sabin hangs him up in the tree of woe and hits a dropkick. Sabin with a roll-up attempt for 2, but Max hits a top rope neckbreaker to eliminate him. Kendrick comes in with a roll-up attempt but Robbie takes him down. Max tries for a moonsault but Kendrick gets the knees up. Max and Jeremy go at it, with Max trying to climb the cage and Jeremy pulling him down. Jeremy sends Max into the cage twice and hits an enzuigiri before beating on him with fists. Max pins Jeremy out of nowhere with a small package. Robbie chokes Kendrick in the corner with his boot, but Kendrick is able to toss both him and Max into the cage. Kendrick takes it to both guys, hitting an enzuigiri to Robbie and a superkick to Max. Kendrick eliminates Robbie with a thrust kick, so it’s escape-the-cage rules now. Max beats on Kendrick before powerbombing him into the corner and sending him into the cage. Max climbs but Kendrick pulls his feet. Kendrick sends Max to the mat, but Max uses the ref to knock Kendrick down from the top before climbing out over the top for the win. Some decent wrestling here but it felt really flat due to the lack of crowd heat. Match didn’t have a lot of flow and felt very rushed. Some good sequences early on made it average, but not much beyond that. Match Time: 13:34     Star Rating: **

Eric Bischoff then comes out for a brief promo where he runs down himself and his own accomplishments before lauding Hulk Hogan and talking about how Immortal would take out Fortune later tonight. Felt like a time-killer.

2.    Four Way match: Ink Inc. vs. The British Invasion vs. Eric Young and Orlando Jordan vs. Crimson and Scott Steiner

Two straight clustered matches with too many wrestlers involved? Yep. Young tries to climb, but you can’t win that way so everyone stares at him. Him and Jesse Neal before Shannon Moore tags in to work over Young. Douglas Williams tags in and squares off with Jordan. British Invasion double team Jordan, but Jordan rubs himself up against Magnus and clotheslines Williams. Jordan tags Neal, but Magnus hits a lariat to Neal. British Invasion hit a double necktie takedown to Neal. Williams hits a snapmare and Magnus hits an elbow drop for 2. Neal fights back and tags in Crimson. Crimson hits some knees to the face and a neckbreaker to Magnus, but both men are down after a double clothesline. Steiner gets in and hits an elbow drop to Magnus. Steiner then starts hitting belly-to-belly slams and suplexes to everyone. Moore taunts Steiner and beats on Williams in the corner. Young hits some shots on Moore but eats a diving uppercut from Williams. Moore flips out of the corner with a sloppy moonsault on Williams, and Neal hits a spear to Jordan. Crimson hits a modified Lethal Combination to Neal. Steiner hits a T-Bone suplex to Magnus but takes a missile dropkick from Young. Young then climbs out of the cage, and Moore flips out of the corner with a really sloppy neckbreaker on Williams for the win. Jordan and Young weren’t funny and were extremely distracting throughout, which severely hurt the match, as did some really clunky spots. You had enough talent in here for this to be pretty solid but the decision to spotlight the comedy jobbers killed any chances of that. Match Time: 8:51     Star Rating: *3/4

3.    Title vs. Hair match for the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship: Madison Rayne(c) vs. Mickie James

Mickie throws Rayne into the cage several times and instantly hits the jumping DDT for the win. Unexpected squash but best-case scenario considering Mickie had a separated shoulder. In hindsight this buries the Knockouts division because the girl who beat everyone for a whole year lost in less than a minute to an injured person. This is only going to serve as more ammo for people who say women have no purpose on mainstream PPVs. Match Time: 0:38     Star Rating: N/A

4.    D’Angelo Dinero vs. Samoa Joe

After a bad first hour, we got our first solid match on the show. Pope tries to escape at first, but Joe pulls him down, only for Pope to hit some cheap shots and a body slam. Joe is back up and hits a clothesline and hits some shots in the corner. Joe hits an enzuigiri in the corner and some chops. Pope begs off, only to send Joe into the corner. Pope hits some shots in the corner before they fight up top, with Pope being crotched on the top rope. Joe hits a kick that knocks Pope to the mat and does a face wash in the corner. Pope takes advantage after a ref distraction, hitting some punches and kicks. Joe comes back with some of his own before Pope drops him with an uppercut. Pope applies a rear chin lock and Joe fights out, only for Pope to send him into the ropes and hit an STO. Pope charges but Joe hits a snap powerslam. They both trade slaps before Joe hits a kick and a running senton. Joe hits a second rope diving leg lariat and a Muscle Buster, but Pope gets his foot on the ropes (why would this break a pin in a CAGE match?). Pope tries to climb the cage but Joe grabs his trunks, exposing Pope’s ass. Pope sends Joe to the mat and dives off the top with an elbow drop. Pope tries for the DDE, but Joe catches him, sends him into the cage, and hits a Muscle Buster. Joe then locks in the Coquina Clutch and Pope taps out. Pretty good match between these guys, but I wish the feud hadn’t been built up so horribly beforehand. Could have been better with more time but this was enjoyable. Match Time: 10:27     Star Rating: **3/4

5.    Hernandez vs. Matt Morgan

The Mexican America stable accompanies Hernandez to the ring. Morgan takes it to Hernandez at the start, hitting the rapid fire elbows in the corner and a side slam for a near fall. Anarquia pulls Morgan’s foot via a hole in the cage and Hernandez hits a shoulder block. Hernandez uses the ropes for leverage as he rakes Morgan’s face against the cage after he slips at first. Hernandez applies a nerve hold, but Morgan fights out and hits a cross body. Hernandez retakes the advantage and tosses Morgan into the cage. Morgan hits some punches but runs into a shoulder block from Hernandez. Hernandez chokes Morgan with his towel, and then with his boot in the corner. Hernandez stalls with taunts as Morgan lies on the mat. Morgan hits a discuss clothesline and both guys are down. Morgan hits a head butt, some punches, and some clotheslines before tossing Hernandez into the cage several times. Morgan hits a backdrop but Hernandez hits a Pounce-type move that the announcers can’t identify. Anarquia climbs the side of the cage but Morgan knocks him down as Hernandez heads up top. Hernandez leaps but Morgan hits a mid-air Carbon Footprint for the win. Slow, sluggish match with a cool finish. I’m sick of seeing this feud because these guys always have horrible matches against each other. Just stop already. Match Time: 8:13     Star Rating: *1/4

Sarita comes into the cage with Rosita afterwards and cuts a promo about how Mexican America is superior to everyone and they keep getting screwed over. Velvet Sky then comes out and beats up both girls by herself. Welcome to Jobberville, Sarita and Rosita.

6.    Ultra Male Rules match: Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle

The rules are similar to the Three Degrees of Pain match that Angle had with Desmond Wolfe at Final Resolution 2009. It’s a 2 out of 3 falls match where the first fall can only be won via submission, the second by pinfall, and the third by escaping the cage. They lock up and do a bit of mat wrestling at the start before Jarrett applies a Figure Four leg lock. Angle turns over and Jarrett goes to the ropes to break it. Angle hits a T-Bone suplex and applies the Ankle Lock, but Jarrett escapes before applying a sleeper, which he transitions into a rear-naked choke as he takes Angle down to the mat. Angle escapes and applies the Ankle Lock, but Jarrett again gets out and sends Angle’s arm into the ring post. Jarrett then puts Angle in a cross-arm breaker. Angle is able counter into the Ankle Lock and Jarrett taps out, so Angle wins the first fall. Angle stalks Jarrett, who is selling the leg, but Jarrett sends Angle into the cage and hits the Stroke for a near fall. Jarrett hits a top rope cross body, but Angle sloppily rolls through for a near fall. Jarrett chokes Angle against the ropes but both guys are down after a double clothesline. They get up and trade punches before Angle hits some clotheslines and a belly to belly suplex. Jarrett hits a knee strike and sends Angle into the cage. Angle hits two consecutive German suplexes, but Jarrett hits a back kick low blow on the third attempt. Jarrett goes for the Stroke, but Angle sends him into the cage and hits the Angle Slam for a near fall. They fight up top and Jarrett knocks Angle down, but Angle runs back up (stumbling at first) and hits a super Northern Lights suplex for 2. Angle hits a clothesline and stalks Jarrett before hitting an RKO for a near fall. Angle tries for the Angle Slam but Jarrett counters with a roll-up and hooks the tights to win the second fall.

We’re tied at one fall apiece heading into the final fall. Jarrett throws Angle into the cage multiple times before catapulting him into it. Jarrett gets the door open and tries to leave, but Angle runs him into the cage wall and hits 5 consecutive Germans. Angle goes to walk out through the door, but comes back inside and locks the door. Angle throws Jarrett head first into the cage twice, busting him open. Angle then rakes Jarrett’s face against the cage before they fight up top. Jarrett hits a superbomb that results in a terrifying landing, with Angle seemingly landing right on his head.  Somehow, Angle is able to pop back up and hit Jarrett with a super Angle Slam off the top. Angle tries to climb over the top but Gunner runs down, threatening Angle with a steel chair. Angle is at the top of the cage and hits an insane moonsault, but completely misses Jarrett. Scott Steiner then runs down to chase off Gunner. Angle gets the key and unlocks the cage door, but Karen Jarrett runs down to spray some stuff in Angle’s eyes. Angle, blinded, accidentally clotheslines the referee. Jeff tries to crawl out the door, but Angle brings him back inside with the Ankle Lock. Karen slips Jeff a guitar, and Jeff smashes Angle over the head with it. Karen tries to help Jeff escape, but Angle grabs Jeff’s leg. Karen then slams the door into Angle’s face and Jeff falls to the ground, so he gets the win. This was a really good match but it was hampered by the interference, which has become routine for Jeff Jarrett matches over the years. Jarrett winning was also ridiculous, and the finish felt very flat. Still, the crowd helped this match feel like a big deal and it created much more excitement and emotion than anything else on the show so far. Match Time: 22:37     Star Rating: ***3/4

7.    Three Way match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship: Sting(c) vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Mr. Anderson

Interesting to see this not going on last. Sting and Van Dam take turns beating on Anderson at the start, with Van Dam slamming Anderson’s head in the corner and Sting hitting a corner splash. Sting tries for the Scorpion Deathlock but Van Dam hits Sting with a spin kick. Van Dam punches Sting in the corner, sends him into the opposite one, and hits a running bulldog followed by a standing moonsault for a near fall. Van Dam goes to spring off the ropes but Anderson pulls the top rope and Van Dam hits his head on the cage. Sting counters the Mic Check and tries for the Scorpion, but he lets Anderson go as Van Dam approaches, only to put both men in a double Scorpion Deathlock. Both guys get to the ropes, which apparently causes a break in a THREE WAY CAGE MATCH. Anderson gets a near fall on Sting and hits some clotheslines and elbows on both men, and gets a near fall after a neckbreaker on Van Dam. Anderson hits a double Mic Check but only gets 2 on both men. Anderson charges in the corner but RVD gets a boot up and springs off the ropes with a kick. RVD hits the Five Star Frog Splash but Sting breaks up the cover. Sting has RVD set up for the Scorpion Death Drop and hits the move just as he takes a running clothesline from Anderson. Hulk Hogan’s music suddenly hits and he comes down to ringside with a steel pipe. He gives the pipe to RVD, but RVD throws it away, only for Anderson to take it and hit RVD in the back with it. Sting then hits the Scorpion Death Drop on Anderson for the win. So the match with the most build up on Impact was about 8 minutes long and had a screwy finish. Wonderful. Hogan’s interference didn’t help either. This really just devalued the world title and did no one any favors. The fact that afterwards they alluded to a future Sting vs. Hogan match was sickening. Match Time: 7:55     Star Rating: *1/2

8.    Lethal Lockdown match: Immortal (Bully Ray, Matt Hardy, Abyss, and Ric Flair) vs. Fortune (Beer Money and Kazarian) and Christopher Daniels

The rules here were that 2 guys would start the match, and everyone else would enter at separate intervals. The first interval was 3 minutes and the rest were 2. Once the last guy was in, a roof with weapons would lower over the cage and the one-fall match begins. All members of both teams come out to ringside, much like at the least Lethal Lockdown at Bound for Glory. Kaz starts the match with Abyss. Kaz charges at Abyss and they go back and forth, with Kaz countering a chokeslam but falling victim to a big boot. Abyss chokes Kaz with his boot in the corner, but Kaz avoids a charging Abyss and hits a diving hurricanrana off the top. Kaz drives Abyss into the cage and hits a running kick to the back. The clock runs down and Hardy enters, but Kaz is able to hit a slam and a springboard twisting leg drop. Hardy counters the Fade to Black and Kaz runs into a right hand from Abyss, followed by Hardy applying his double underhook submission. Hardy hits a side effect and holds up Kaz so Abyss can lay into him with punches. Daniels is in next, and tosses Hardy into Abyss before hitting the Best Moonsault Ever to Abyss. Daniels holds Hardy’s hands and jumps off the top with a boot to the chest. Daniels and Kaz hit a back suplex/clothesline combination on Hardy and Daniels hits a sliding lariat to Abyss. Daniels hits a downward spiral on Hardy and applies the Koji Clutch just as Flair enters. Flair chops Daniels in the corner before doing the same to Kaz as Abyss hits some punches. Immortal lays the beat down on both men as the clock expires and James Storm enters.

Storm hits a lungblower to Abyss and a back stabber to Hardy. Storm flips off Flair and smashes a beer bottle over his head. Flair is busted open and Kaz throws him into the cage. Storm beats on Flair in one corner as Hardy and Abyss are stacked up in another corner. Daniels and Storm both hit splashes to Hardy and Abyss. Flair tries to climb out but Kaz pulls down his pants and spanks him. Ray enters and Immortal starts beating down the faces. Flair chops Storm in one corner and Abyss chokes Daniels in another. Immortal is in control as the clock runs down and Roode is the last man to enter the match. Roode takes it to Abyss and hits a diving Blockbuster. Flair chops Roode in the corner, but Roode hits some chops of his own and a back drop. Beer Money hit a double suplex to Ray and the weapons-filled roof lowers. The faces quickly grab the weapons and beat down Immortal. Daniels cracks Abyss with a trash can lid on the floor and chases Matt Hardy onto the roof of the cage. Daniels hits some shots and tries for the Angel’s Wings, but Hardy counters and flips Daniels over, resulting in Daniels nearly falling off the roof. Hardy hits a Twist of Hate on the roof as Fortune beats down Immortal in the cage with cookie sheets and trash cans. Ray gets a near fall, but Storm plants him with a twisting neckbreaker. Roode hits a spinebuster to Flair, and suddenly Daniels hits an insane cross body off the roof of the cage to Abyss and Hardy on the floor. Rodde puts Flair in the Figure Four, but Ray hits Roode with a trash can. Ray hits everyone with a kendo stick repeatedly, and Flair hits Kaz with one as well. Daniels is bleeding and Ray rubs his blood over himself. Ray is about to hit Daniels with the kendo stick when AJ Styles makes his return and charges into the cage to beat down Ray. Roode throws Flair into the cage, Storm hits a superkick, and Roode applies a Fujiwara armbar that forces Flair to tap out. Great way to close the show as the main event itself delivered and AJ’s return made it feel even more special. This was the best Lethal Lockdown match since 2007. Lots of blood, weapons, and chaos to send everyone home happy. Match Time: 22:55     Star Rating: ***3/4

Overall PPV Rating: 6.25/10

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

Rockel has brought an incredible proportioned physique to the stage but had been stuck below the top three. His diminutive stature was the obvious reason why he would hear his name called after the likes of Branch Warren, Jay Cutler, Dennis Wolf and Phil Heath but that is something out of his control.

Rockel stuck to his game plan and it was a general consensus within the industry that he finally received his due. Now the question arises is how he can springboard the victory into a better placing in September at the Orleans Arena.

The line-up will be tough, as usual, but even more so now that Warren can come in flexing his first Arnold win. After finishing second and third, respectively, at the 2009 and 2010 Olympias, ‘Quadrasaurus’ is more than just a mere threat to Cutler’s reign. Speaking of the two-time defending champion, he will need to be knocked out to be dethroned and that doesn’t seem likely. Cutler learned from his mistakes in 2008 when Dexter Jackson swiped the Sandow from him and he has been in top condition ever since.

Last year, Heath took the stage looking amazing but still couldn’t defeat his close friend Cutler. ‘The Gift’ bowed out of the Arnold to concentrate on the Olympia and will need every advantage just to be the runner-up again. The ‘Big Bad Wolf’ has been on a tear since the last O and will be a tough out and Kai Greene will slip under the radar after a poor showing in Las Vegas. That may play right into his hands and ‘The Predator’ cannot be overlooked as a possible top six finisher.

So even though ‘The Rock’ can come into bodybuilding’s most prestigious show on a high note, he will have to peak again just to stand pat.

2011 IFBB Mr. Europe rand Prix Results:

1 – Ronny Rockel

2 – Roelly Winklaar

3 – Flex Lewis

4 – Robert Priotrkowitz

5 – Toney Freeman

6 – Essa Obiad

7 – Sergey Shelestov

8 – Thomas Bengali

9 – Alvin Small

10 – Marcos Chacon

The judges had this one nailed, with Centopani leading the way with 12 points and ‘The Blade’ 18. Abiad (34) barely held off Wolf (36), with Ben Pakulski and Ben White rounding out the top six.

For Centopani, he added this first place trophy to his 2009 New York Pro championship and now seems destined for great things in the sport of bodybuilding. He has timed everything right in his career and does not burn himself out with multiple contests. He picks and chooses his battles and it has apparently worked out well for the Connecticut native.

At 41, Jackson does not appear to be losing much and has been the antithesis of Centopani, competing in four or more shows a year throughout his illustrious career. He had three top six finishes a year ago (fourth at the Arnold Classic, second at the Australian Pro Grand Prix and fourth at the Mr. Olympia) and is on track to match or better that.

Abiad was last seen on the stage back at the 2009 Europa Super Show, where he finished fourth. The Canadian has yet to make a name for himself as a pro but this high placing may be just the type of springboard he needed. Abiad’s physique appeared wide and conditioned on his 6’2″ frame.

Written off after not placing at the 2009 Olympia, Wolf took fifth in Las Vegas last year and remained a force to be reckoned with in California. He may have to compete more than he would have liked to so he can qualify for the O, and next month at the Arnold may be his ticket out west. If not, perhaps the New York Pro may be his destination again.

The show begins with Mike Tenay and Taz telling us that Max and Jeremy Buck had flight troubles and would be unable to be here tonight for their scheduled 3-way #1 Contender’s match for the X Division Championship against Robbie E. Robbie then comes down to the ring with Cookie and cuts a short promo on how he’s the #1 contender before instructing the referee to count to 10 (thus counting Max and Jeremy out) to make his victory official. The ref counts and awards Robbie the win, but Kazarian comes out and cuts a brief promo himself, announcing that Robbie will face him right now for the X Division title.

1.    TNA X Division Championship match: Kazarian(c) vs. Robbie E

They brawl on the ramp at first before making their way into the ring, where Kaz stays in control and hits a gutwrench suplex. Cookie tries to grab Kaz’s feet but gets her hand stomped on. Kaz scores a near fall before he ends up on the apron, where Robbie pulls his feet out from under him, sending him face first into the steel steps. Robbie throws him into the steps on the outside and gets a near fall in the ring off a second rope fist drop. Robbie hits a shoulder thrust in the corner and Cookie chokes Kaz while the ref isn’t looking. Robbie remains in control and applies a rear chin lock, but Kaz fights to his feet. Robbie charges in the corner but Kaz moves. Kaz hits a springboard dropkick and some clotheslines before hitting a dropkick and a body slam. Kaz springs off the ropes with a twisting leg drop for a near fall. Robbie counters the Fade to Black (reverse Tombstone) but Kaz hits a neckbreaker for a 2 count. Cookie hits Kaz in the face with her purse from the outside, allowing Robbie to score a near fall off a roll-up. More back and forth action and Kaz hits the Fade to Black out of the corner for the win. Wish the pre-match segment was shorter so the match could have been longer, but a fun opener nonetheless. Crowd was really into Kaz and there was a lot of good, fast-paced action. Match Time: 7:09     Star Rating: **1/2

2.    Gunner, Murphy, and Rob Terry vs. Beer Money and Scott Steiner

This match actually ended up not being a horrendous botch-fest, which was surprising given the competitors. Steiner and Gunner lock up at the start, with Steiner taking the advantage with a shoulder block and some chops. Steiner hits a belly to belly on both Gunner and Murphy before Terry tags in. Steiner kicks Terry in the groin while the ref wasn’t looking and hits an elbow drop. Murphy and James Storm get tags, and Storm scores a near fall before Gunner tags in and misses a kick. Storm hits a clothesline and a neckbreaker and goes to work with some right hands and clotheslines. Storm rains down on Gunner in the corner before Terry knocks him down. The heels then work over Storm for a bit, with Terry getting a near fall off a powerslam. Storm hits a back stabber and takes out Gunner, who just tagged in, before tagging in Robert Roode. Roode sends Terry to the outside, works over Gunner in the corner with some punches and chops, and gets a near fall off a neckbreaker. Beer Money double team Murphy and hit a double suplex to Terry. Roode spinebusters all three heels and sets up Gunner up top before tagging in Steiner, who hits the Frankensteiner to Gunner for the win. Match served its purpose, which was to give Steiner and Beer Money an easy win over lesser opponents. Didn’t really belong on PPV but it wasn’t that bad, considering the talent involved. Match Time: 10:12     Star Rating: **

They then did a brief backstage segment with Devon and his kids. Devon says his sons will not be involved in the match tonight against Bully Ray, and he instructs both of them to stay backstage, so that they don’t get hurt. Remember this, as it becomes important later.

3.    D’Angelo Dinero vs. Samoa Joe

This was probably the most disappointing match of the night. The short length and low card placement didn’t do these guys any favors. Pope taunts Joe at the start and is slow to trade blows with him. Pope hits a kick to the gut and a forearm before Joe begins to take control, but Pope bails and retreats up the ramp. He’s stopped by Okada, whose new gimmick is that of Kato from The Green Hornet. Pope comes back down to ringside, where Joe dives at him with an elbow suicida. Pope hits a suplex back in the ring, but Joe beats on him in the corner and hits a kick. Pope pokes Joe in the eye and sends him to the outside, before hitting some shots to the head. Joe hits some punches but Pope hits a dropkick. Pope hits a neckbreaker and goes up top, but Joe catches him diving in mid air with an atomic drop. Joe slams Pope down, hits a splash, and scores a near fall off a powerslam. Pope is able to remove the padding off the top turnbuckle and try some quick offense, but Joe locks in the Coquina Clutch out of nowhere and Pope instantly taps out. After the match Pope teases a handshake but kicks Joe in the gut and sends him into the exposed turnbuckle, busting him open. Pope takes out Okada and hits the DDE, and then bails up the ramp before an angry Joe can get his hands on him. The whole thing was pretty much a longer-than-usual TV segment, and the Kato gimmick with Okada is just dumb. Average work, with the post match giving the feud a reason to continue. Match Time: 8:31     Star Rating: **

4.    Last Knockout Standing match for the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship: Madison Rayne(c) vs. Mickie James

Don’t think I’ve ever seen a female Last Man Standing match before, so at least this match has a novelty factor going for it. Match was pretty typical for mainstream women’s wrestling, with a bit more aggression. Rayne comes at Mickie with the loaded glove, but Mickie hits a series of clotheslines before the fight spills to the outside. Rayne sends Mickie face first into the steps, and Mickie gets up at 5 and gets back in the ring. Mickie hits a clothesline and Rayne retreats up the ramp, but Mickie chases her and they brawl again. Mickie gets sent into the barricade and the apron, but is able to beat the count and send Madison into the ring post. Mickie kicks Rayne in the gut and sends her to the floor before diving off the apron with a Thesz press. Rayne crawls under the ring and Mickie follows, and they end up on the other side where Rayne misses a punch on Mickie with the glove and hits the steps. Mickie slams Rayne onto the steps, but Rayne knocks her down from the top turnbuckle. Mickie hits a Thesz press back in the ring and gets the glove, but Tara comes down to ringside. Mickie brings Tara into the ring and knocks her out with the glove, but Rayne pulls out a pair of brass knuckles and punches Mickie in the face. Rayne stupidly goes for a pin at first but allows the ref to count 10, so Rayne retains. This feud just refuses to end. I don’t get why they insist on delaying Mickie’s title win, and they keep doing the same finish with Tara. The match accomplished nothing and had a terrible finish, and other than that it was your basic Madison Rayne match. Match Time: 8:33     Star Rating: *1/2

Matt Morgan then came out with a mic and calls out Hernandez. Hernandez came down to the ring and cut a promo about how he was treated with respect during his time in AAA in Mexico and how he gets treated like a second class citizen in TNA. He says America is now primarily Hispanic, calls Morgan “white boy”, and says he’s now in the minority. Hernandez then lays out Morgan with his finisher. This was simply an Impact segment.

5.    Matt Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam

Despite their very weak match at Genesis, these guys surprisingly worked well with each other and delivered a good, competitive match this time around. Matt was in much better shape here, looking slimmer and better conditioned. They lock up at the start, but quickly end up trading punches. RVD hits a spin kick, but Hardy avoids a monkey flip and hits a clothesline. RVD sends Hardy to the floor and kicks him off the apron, but Hardy pulls RVD’s legs out from under him. Hardy sends RVD into the apron and the barricade on the floor, but RVD is able to plant him gut first over the barricade before hitting his leg drop off the apron. Hardy scores a DDT back in the ring for a near fall but they fight on the floor again. Hardy drops Van Dam over the railing and mocks his taunt in the ring, but Van Dam returns to the ring. Hardy hits a leg drop and catches Van Dam in a double underhook submission with the legs wrapped around the midsection. Van Dam gets a rope break, but Hardy slingshots him neck first into the bottom rope and applies a full nelson. Van Dam is eventually able to get to his feet, but he’s knocked down in mid air when he tries for a springboard kick. They trade shots, with RVD hitting a clothesline, superkick, and a spin kick. Hardy avoids Rolling Thunder, but RVD hits a moonsault and a slam. RVD hits a split-legged moonsault for a near fall, but misses a kick, allowing Hardy to connect with the Side Effect. RVD counters the Twist of Hate and hits a kick before both guys fight up top. Hardy backdrops RVD to the mat, but misses a top rope moonsault. RVD goes up top and hits the Five Star Frog Splash for the win. Good, well-worked match between these two. Had a bit of dead air in parts but a very solid showing that Hardy desperately needed to earn some credibility in-ring wise. Match Time: 13:17     Star Rating: ***

6.    Street Fight: Bully Ray vs. Brother Devon

This ended up not being the big blowoff that everyone expected going in. Ray tries to sneak attack Devon from behind on the outside, but Devon turns around and hits him, and they brawl around ringside as the match begins. Devon smashes a drink in Ray’s face, hits a ton of right hands, and throws him in the ring while he pulls out some weapons from under the ring. Devon hits Ray a few times with a kendo stick before Ray tries to beg off, but Devon hits him in the head with the kendo stick. Devon puts Ray’s head inside a chair and grabs a steel chain, but Devon’s sons come down the ramp. Devon tells them to leave, but the distraction allows Ray to hit Devon in the back with a chair. Ray taunts Devon’s sons, hits Devon with a trash can lid, and puts Devon’s head inside a chair, but Devon’s sons run into the ring to stop Ray from hitting Devon. Ray pushes them off, but Devon hits some clotheslines and a back drop. One of Devon’s sons hits Ray with a trash can, and both sons hold up Ray’s legs so Devon can hit the Wassup. Devon tells his sons to get the tables, and the sons get one and slide it into the ring. They stay outside as Devon sets it up, but Ray hits Devon with a low blow and pulls out handcuffs. For some reason, Devon’s sons just stand and watch as Devon gets cuffed to the corner. They then run in after to try and free him, but Ray takes out one of them. The other son hits Ray with some shots to the back, but Ray hits a big boot and pins him to end the match. WHAT? Devon’s sons were never officially in the match, so how can Ray pin someone who isn’t a competitor in the match? That’s just stupid, awful booking. After the match, Ray taunts the still-trapped Devon and prepares to hit one of his sons with a chair, but stops as Devon begs for security to come. Ray then powerbombs the son through the table in the ring as Devon looks on, nearly in tears. Officials come out, free Devon, and stretcher out Devon’s son as Tenay and Taz play up the seriousness of the situation. Wasn’t really much of a match, just a brief brawl with a completely ridiculous finish. The post match stuff was really well done but the booking of the match itself was a mess. Match Time: 9:23     Star Rating: *

7.    Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle

The stipulations of this match were, if Kurt won, he would get full custody of his children, but if Jeff won, then Kurt would have to walk Karen down the aisle when Karen and Jeff renew their vows on the March 3^rd Impact. Despite the disturbing nature of the feud, the match ended up actually delivering and being a highlight of the show, which was odd given how awful their Genesis match was. They lock up a couple times before Angle takes down Jarrett with a headlock before they get broken up in the corner. Angle hits a back suplex and keeps Jarrett grounded with some holds on the mat. Angle hits a big hip toss and a suplex for a near fall. Angle hits some punches in the corner before sending Jarrett to the outside. Angle beats on Jarrett on the outside and gets slapped by Karen, but continues the beatdown. Angle chases Karen away and scores a near fall in the ring off an elbow drop. Angle drives his shoulder into Jarrett in the corner, but charges and connects with the post. Jarrett throws Angle into the barricade on the outside and splashes his neck on the ropes. Jarrett hits a diving cross body but Angle rolls through for a 2 count. Jarrett hits a boot and goes up top but Angle hits a super belly to belly suplex. Angle hits some clotheslines and another belly to belly suplex and tries for the Ankle Lock, but Jarrett fights out. Jarrett misses a splash and Angle hits the Angle Slam, but Karen is distracting the ref. Jarrett low blows Angle from behind and hits the Stroke, but Angle kicks out.

Angle counters another Stroke attempt, sending Jarrett into the ref. Angle hits some uppercuts on the outside but Karen rakes Angle’s back. Angle chases off Karen but Jarrett clotheslines him and sends him into the steps. They go back into the ring, where Angle tries to use a chair brought in by Jarrett, but the ref takes it away. Jarrett gets a near fall with a roll up and Angle scores 2 with a suplex. Angle goes up top and is distracted by Karen, allowing Jarrett to hit a botched Stroke off the second rope which Angle thankfully kicks out of. Angle hits a back suplex and applies the Ankle Lock. Jarrett grabs Karen’s hands, but Angle pulls them both into the middle of the ring. Karen pulls the ref down as Jarrett taps out, but Jarrett gets free and hits Angle in the head with the chair. The ref comes to but Angle kicks out again. They do some quick back and forth action, with Angle trying for a sunset flip and Jarrett sitting down on him for the pin. After the match, Angle cries, takes off his boots, and leaves them in the ring, with the idea being that this may have been his last match because he couldn’t win custody of his kids. The match told an excellent story with Kurt fighting so hard for custody of his children and surviving everything, but the Karen stuff got way too excessive and the finish was really anticlimactic. The fans weren’t buying into the near falls towards the end and the match started to drag. That being said, it was extremely well worked and Kurt was awesome throughout. The match just didn’t need to be as long as it was to get to a finish like that. Match Time: 16:17     Star Rating: ***1/4

8.    Ladder match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship: Mr. Anderson(c) vs. Jeff Hardy

Despite the gimmick, this match certainly had a tough act to follow after so many near falls in the previous match. This was good, but not at the level you’d expect given the ladder gimmick, the talent involved, and the fact that it was the main event. Hardy comes out with a goofy ladder, painted green on one side and pink on the other. Hardy spits in Anderson’s face at the start, and Anderson responds with punches and they fight to the outside. Anderson throws Hardy into his ladder and rams another one into him. They go in the ring, where Hardy hits a neckbreaker on a ladder. Anderson stupidly goes for a pin but Hardy takes control of the match. Hardy sets up a ladder on its side and kicks it into Anderson’s crotch. Anderson hits a Russian leg sweep to Hardy into a ladder in the corner and brings another ladder into the ring. They fight on top of the ladder but Hardy flips over and hits a powerbomb off it. Hardy plants Anderson and goes for a leapfrog leg drop out of the corner over a ladder, but Anderson moves. Hardy backdrops Anderson onto the ladder in the corner, turns a ladder upside down, and chokes Anderson against the ropes. Hardy tosses Anderson out to the floor and kicks him back into the barricade.

Anderson shoves Hardy’s painted ladder back into his face, but Hardy tosses him into the steps. Hardy leaps off the steps onto Anderson, splashing him against the barricade. Back in the ring, Anderson suplexes Hardy onto the upside down ladder in a train wreck spot that looked really screwed up. Anderson ascends a ladder, but Hardy takes him down and hits a Twist of Hate. Hardy brings the painted ladder into the ring, but Anderson hits the Green Bay Plunge on top of a ladder. He tries for a senton off the top, but Hardy moves and Anderson catches his neck on the back of the ladder. Two ladders are set up and both guys fight on top of them, trying for the belt. Anderson tries for a Mic Check off the top, but doesn’t get it as the ladders collapse and both guys fall, with Hardy lunging for the belt in mid air. Hardy fights off Anderson, sets up a ladder, and pulls down the belt to win the match. Ending was clearly botched as Hardy was supposed to hang on to the belt when the ladders fell. Why Hardy won the title when he has an upcoming court date for drug trafficking is beyond me. Wasn’t that the whole reason Anderson won the belt at Genesis? The match itself was good, but never hit that second level and wasn’t nearly as exciting as you’d expect in a ladder match. Since it’s TNA, the lack of overbooking in the main event brings a smile to my face, but the match was definitely missing something. Match Time: 18:20     Star Rating: ***1/4

Overall PPV Rating: 6.5/10

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